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Read the Bible

King James Version

Matthew 18:8

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Eternity;   Fire;   Foot;   Hand;   Hell;   Jesus, the Christ;   Punishment;   Self-Denial;   Temptation;   Wicked (People);   Scofield Reference Index - Life;   Parables;   Thompson Chain Reference - Body;   Eternal;   Everlasting;   Fire;   Flesh, the;   Future State of the Wicked;   Future, the;   Mortify the Flesh;   Punishment;   Self-Denial;   Self-Indulgence-Self-Denial;   The Topic Concordance - Despisement;   Hell;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Offence;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Child;   Hell;   Stumbling block;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Baptism of Fire;   Eternal Life, Eternality, Everlasting Life;   Eternal Punishment;   Fire;   Hell;   Jesus Christ;   Lake of Fire;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Eternal Death;   Eternal Life;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Halt;   Maimed;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Death;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Brotherhood (2);   Character;   Childhood;   Children of God;   Discourse;   Eternal Everlasting;   Eternal Fire (2);   Eternal Punishment;   Feet (2);   Fire ;   Foot;   Games (2);   Good ;   Halting;   Hindrance;   Ideal;   Ideas (Leading);   Immortality (2);   Judgment Damnation;   Lame;   Life ;   Little Ones;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Meals;   Offence (2);   Personality;   Physician (2);   Poverty (2);   Publishing ;   Quotations (2);   Reality;   Regeneration;   Regeneration (2);   Renunciation;   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Self-Control;   Sermon on the Mount;   Trinity (2);   Turning;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fire;   Foot;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Divorce;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Everlasting;   Good;   Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);   Life;   Maimed;   Punishment, Everlasting;   Resurrection;   Salvation;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gehenna;   New Testament;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for February 18;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
King James Version (1611)
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foote offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather then hauing two hands or two feete, to be cast into euerlasting fire.
English Standard Version
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
New American Standard Bible
"And if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
New Century Version
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and live forever than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever.
Amplified Bible
"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foote cause thee to offend, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life, halt, or maimed, then hauing two hands, or two feete, to be cast into euerlasting fire.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire.
Legacy Standard Bible
"And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire.
Berean Standard Bible
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
Contemporary English Version
If your hand or foot causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! You would be better off to go into life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the fire that never goes out.
Complete Jewish Bible
"So if your hand or foot becomes a snare for you, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should be maimed or crippled and obtain eternal life than keep both hands or both feet and be thrown into everlasting fire!
Darby Translation
And if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off and cast [it] from thee; it is good for thee to enter into life lame or maimed, [rather] than having two hands or two feet to be cast into eternal fire.
Easy-to-Read Version
"If your hand or your foot makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and have eternal life than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever.
George Lamsa Translation
If your hand or your foot offends you, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is much better for you to go through life lamed or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, and fall into the everlasting fire.
Good News Translation
"If your hand or your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to enter life without a hand or a foot than to keep both hands and both feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
Lexham English Bible
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame than, having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into the eternal fire!
Literal Translation
And if your hand or your foot offends you, cut it off and throw it from you; it is good for you to enter into life lame or maimed, than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the everlasting fire.
American Standard Version
And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Bible in Basic English
And if your hand or your foot is a cause of trouble, let it be cut off and put it away from you: it is better for you to go into life with the loss of a hand or a foot than, having two hands or two feet, to go into the eternal fire.
Hebrew Names Version
If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
International Standard Version
"So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.Matthew 5:29-30; Mark 9:43,45;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
but woe to the man by whom [fn] the causes of offence shall come! If, then, thine hand or thy foot shall be a cause of offence to thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is good for thee that thou enter into life [fn] lame or mutilated; and not that, having two hands or two feet, thou fall into the fire of eternity.
Murdock Translation
If then thy hand or thy foot make thee stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is good for thee to enter into life lame or mutilated, and not that, with two hands or two feet, thou fall into eternal fire.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If then thy hande or thy foote offende thee, cut them of, and cast [them] from thee. It is better for thee to enter into lyfe, halt or maymed, [rather] then thou shouldest, hauyng two handes, or two feete, be cast into euerlastyng fyre.
English Revised Version
And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
World English Bible
If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off and cast them from thee; it is good for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the everlasting fire.
Weymouth's New Testament
If your hand or your foot is causing you to fall into sin, cut it off and away with it. It is better for you to enter into Life crippled in hand or foot than to remain in possession of two sound hands or feet but be thrown into the fire of the Ages.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if thin hoond or thi foot sclaundreth thee, kitte it of, and caste awei fro thee. It is betere to thee to entre to lijf feble, ethir crokid, than hauynge tweyne hoondis or twey feet to be sent in to euerlastynge fier.
Update Bible Version
And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you: it is good for you to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to sin, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.
New English Translation
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
New King James Version
"If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
New Living Translation
So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.
New Life Bible
If your hand or your foot is the reason you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to go into life without a hand or a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the fire of hell.
New Revised Standard
"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, if, thy hand or thy foot, be causing thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: It is, seemly for thee, to enter into life, maimed or lame, rather than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the age-abiding fire.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if thy hand, or thy foot, scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.
Revised Standard Version
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Wherfore yf thy honde or thy fote offende the cut him of and cast him from the. It ys better for the to enter into lyfe halt or maymed rather then thou shuldest havinge two hondes or two fete be cast into everlasting fyre.
Young's Literal Translation
`And if thy hand or thy foot doth cause thee to stumble, cut them off and cast from thee; it is good for thee to enter into the life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast to the fire the age-during.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf thy hande or thy fote offende the, cut him of, and cast him from the. It is better for ye to entre in vnto life lame or crepell, the yt thou shuldest haue two hodes or two fete, and be cast in to euerlastinge fyre.
Mace New Testament (1729)
wherefore if thy hand or thy foot occasions thee to relapse, lop them off, and cast them away: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.
THE MESSAGE
"If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You're better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.
Simplified Cowboy Version
If something is causin' you to sin, you better get rid of it. I don't care if it means you have to cut off one of your hands or shoot your best horse, it's better to have eternal life without a hand and a horse than to ride straight to hell with both hands.

Contextual Overview

7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if: Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Matthew 14:3, Matthew 14:4, Deuteronomy 13:6-8, Mark 9:43-48, Luke 14:26, Luke 14:27, Luke 14:33, Luke 18:22, Luke 18:23

and cast: Isaiah 2:20, Isaiah 2:21, Isaiah 30:22, Ezekiel 18:31, Romans 13:12, Philippians 3:8, Philippians 3:9

maimed: Matthew 15:30, Matthew 15:31

everlasting: Matthew 25:41, Matthew 25:46, Isaiah 33:14, Mark 9:48, Mark 9:49, Luke 16:24, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Revelation 14:10, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:8

Reciprocal: Psalms 18:23 - I kept Proverbs 23:2 - General Isaiah 30:33 - Tophet Matthew 5:22 - hell

Cross-References

Genesis 19:3
And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
Deuteronomy 32:14
Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
Judges 5:25
He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
Judges 13:15
And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord , I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
Nehemiah 12:44
And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
Luke 12:37
Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Luke 17:8
And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Luke 24:30
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
Luke 24:43
And he took it, and did eat before them.
John 12:2
There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 8, 9. Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot,.... The same words are repeated here on occasion of offences, as are spoken by Christ, Matthew 5:29 on account of unchaste looks, desires and lusts: giving offence to Christ's disciples, or endeavouring, by any means whatever, to cause them to stumble and fall, is equally gratifying the flesh, and no more to be indulged, than the other, on pain of eternal damnation. See Gill "Mt 5:29" See Gill "Mt 5:30"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If thy hand ... - See the notes at Matthew 5:29-30. The sense in all these instances is the same. Worldly attachments, friendships, and employments of any kind, that cannot be pursued without leading us into sin, be they ever so dear to us, must be abandoned, or the soul will be lost.

It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed ... - It is not meant, by this, that when the body shall be raised it will be maimed and disfigured in this manner. It will be perfect. See 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. But these things are said for the purpose of carrying out or making complete the figure or the representation of cutting off the hands, etc. The meaning is, it is better to go to heaven without enjoying the things that caused us to sin, than to enjoy them here and then be lost.

Halt - Lame.

Maimed - With a loss of limbs.

Into hell fire - It is implied, in all this, that if their sins, however dear to them, were not abandoned, the soul must go into everlasting fire. This is conclusive proof that the sufferings of the wicked will be eternal. See the notes at Mark 9:44, Mark 9:46, Mark 9:48.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 18:8-9. If thy hand, c.] See the notes on Matthew 5:29-30.


 
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