Matthew 5:39 teaches that followers of Jesus should not answer evil with more evil, and that a person who is wronged should not strike back as the world expects. Instead, Jesus calls his listeners to a response that refuses revenge and absorbs insult with a steady, deliberate generosity. Jesus spoke these words in the Sermon on the Mount to his disciples and to the crowds gathered on the hillside in Galilee.
But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:39 (WEB)
What Matthew 5:39 Means
The verse begins with “don’t resist him who is evil,” which is best read as a rejection of the habit of retaliation rather than a command to stand by while injustice happens. The Greek word translated “resist” carries the sense of pushing back against someone in kind, meeting force with force. Jesus is describing the reflex that most people feel when they are insulted or attacked, and he asks his followers to set that reflex aside.
The picture of a blow to the right cheek is specific. A right-handed attacker striking another person would usually hit the right cheek with the back of the hand, which was a deliberate insult meant to humiliate rather than injure. Jesus says that the disciple should offer the other cheek as well. The point is not that a believer must invite abuse, but that a humiliating slight need not provoke a matching response.
The verse does not promise that turning the other cheek will stop the attacker, end the conflict, or protect a person from every harm. It describes a posture of the heart and a choice about how to answer wrong. Elsewhere the New Testament allows for courts, boundaries, and protection of the vulnerable, so the verse is best read as shaping character and personal retaliation rather than as a rule for every legal or public situation.
The Context of Matthew 5:39
Matthew wrote his Gospel for a community that knew the Jewish Scriptures well and was learning how Jesus fulfilled them. Traditionally the book is attributed to Matthew, a former tax collector and one of the twelve apostles. In the verses just before this one, Jesus quotes the Old Testament law of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” which set a limit on revenge so that punishment would not exceed the injury. Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said,” then introduces a deeper standard.
The verses that follow in Matthew 5:40 through 42 give three examples of this same principle: giving up a coat in a lawsuit, going an extra mile when compelled, and giving to those who ask or borrow. Read in that setting, verse 39 is one part of a series of concrete illustrations about generosity and non-retaliation. It is not an isolated slogan but a description of a kingdom life in which the disciple chooses grace over the scorekeeping that normally governs human disputes.
Key Phrases in Matthew 5:39
Romans 12:17
Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.
(WEB)
Paul carries the same principle into the church, urging believers not to repay evil for evil. Reading it alongside Matthew 5:39 shows that non-retaliation is a settled pattern in the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, applied to everyday relationships within the Christian community.
Romans 12:21
Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(WEB)
This verse names the positive side of the same teaching: overcoming evil with good rather than being overcome by it. It helps readers see that Matthew 5:39 is not passive but aims at active goodness that refuses to let hostility define the disciple.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 5:39
Lord Jesus, you know how quickly I want to strike back when I feel insulted or dismissed. Give me a calm heart when people wound me, and help me remember that my worth rests in you rather than in winning every exchange. Where I have answered cruelty with cruelty, forgive me, and teach me a better way. Guard my tongue and my hands, and let my responses reflect your patience and your grace toward those who hurt me. Amen.
