John Calvin Commentary Matthew 5:22

"but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire." — Matthew 5:22 (ASV)

But I say to you His reply is not opposed to the command of Moses (Exodus 20:13; Leviticus 24:21; Numbers 35:16), but to the interpretation usually given to it by the scribes. Now, as the Pharisees boasted of antiquity (for it is always the custom to appeal to long-standing tradition in defense of errors),³⁹⁸ Christ reminds the people of his authority, to which all antiquity should rightly yield. Hence we conclude, that truth is of greater weight than custom or the number of years.

He who shall say to his brother Christ assigns three degrees of condemnation besides the violence of the hands; which implies that this precept of the law restrains not only the hands, but all feelings that are contrary to brotherly love. “Those who shall only be angry with their brothers, or treat them with haughty disdain, or injure them by any reproach, are murderers.” Now, as it is certain that the word Racha occupies an intermediate place between anger and openly reproachful language, I have no doubt that it is an interjection of contempt or disdain. Though Christ condemns to the hell of fire only those who break out into open reproach, we must not suppose that he declares anger to be exempt from a similar punishment; but, alluding to earthly judgments, he assures them that God will judge and punish even concealed anger.³⁹⁹ But, as he who expresses his indignation with bitter language goes further than this, Christ says that that man will be held guilty by the whole heavenly council, that he may receive more severe punishment.

Those, again, who break out into reproaches are condemned to the hell of fire: which implies that hatred, and everything that is contrary to love, is enough to expose them to eternal death, though they may have committed no acts of violence. Γἔεννα (hell) is, without question, a foreign word. גיא (Ge) is the Hebrew word for a valley. Now, “the valley of Hin-nom” was infamous for the detestable superstition committed in it, because there they sacrificed their children to idols (2 Chronicles 33:6). The consequence was that holy men, to excite stronger hatred of that wicked ungodliness, used it as the name for hell, so that the very name might be dreaded by the people as shocking and alarming. It would appear that, in the time of Christ, this was an accepted way of speaking, and that hell was then called by no other name than gehenna, (γέεννα,) the word being slightly altered from the true pronunciation.

³⁹⁸ “Pour maintenir et defendre les erreurs ou abus en la matiere de la religion;” — “to maintain and defend errors or abuses in matters of religion.”;” — “to maintain and defend errors or abuses in matters of religion.”

³⁹⁹ “L'indignation secrette qu'on aura eue en son coeur contre le frere;” —”the secret indignation which they shall have had in their heart against their brother.”;” —”the secret indignation which they shall have had in their heart against their brother.”