These chapters also unfortunately are misunderstood and incorrectly taught. How? Because again, they are taken from English – not Matthew’s KG rendering of what is thought to have been in an Hebraic original by him. Regardless, he’s recording teaching by Yeshua either originally done in Hebrew or it’s very close sister language Aramaic.
Here is how the problem comes in:
Most expositors in English take the uses of “but” as though Yeshua is just speaking negatively in what he compares in these chapters. Hebrew has only one word “but”, actually just a single letter. Greek has 2 words. One is “alla” indicating” but in strong contrast”. That is not what Matthew uses in Mt. 5-7.
Matthew uses “de” primarily with the idea of “in contrast/comparison” to what was just said. What does this tell us? That if Matthew thought Yeshua was strongly contrasting what his fellow Galilean Jews had heard with what he was saying, Matthew would have used “alla” “but in strong contrast”.
Matthew then by using “de” instead, understood Yeshua as contrasting and comparing what his fellow Galilean Jews had heard, with the highest level of Illumination he was giving them. It’s not adversarial as typically incorrectly portrayed – again, because it’s from English.
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Gen. 12:3 Lev. 19:18 Ps.133 Yochanon (“John”) 17:20-23 Phpns. 2:2-3, vss.17-19 2 Tim. 2:15 1 Pet. .2:17