Study it in the app“And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life maimed than having the two hands to go away into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.”
AndΚαὶifἐὰνyour handἡ χείρ σουcausesσκανδαλίζῃyouσεto stumble,σκανδαλίζῃcutἀπόκοψονitαὐτήνoff;ἀπόκοψονit isἐστίνbetterκαλόνfor youσεto enterεἰσελθεῖνintoεἰςlifeτὴν ζωὴνmaimedκυλλὸνthanἢhavingἔχονταthe twoτὰς δύοhandsχεῖραςto go awayἀπελθεῖνintoεἰςGehenna,τὴν γέεννανintoεἰςthe unquenchableτὸ ἄσβεστονfire.τὸ πῦρ
hand
The part of the body at the end of the arm, used to hold and touch.
Where else “cheir” appearscause to stumble
To make someone fall into sin or lose faith.
Where else “skandalizēi” appearscut off
Cut off.
Where else “apokopson” appearsbe
To be: says who or what something is.
Where else “estin” appearsbeautiful
Lovely to look at.
Where else “kalon” appearsenter
To go into a house, a town or a place.
Where else “eiselthein” appearseternal life
What God gives to live with him without end.
Where else “zōēn” appearscrippled
Crippled, maimed.
Where else “kyllon” appearshave
To count something or someone as one's own: goods, family, faith, power.
Where else “echonta” appearstwo
Two.
Where else “dyo” appearsgo away
To leave where one is for another place, leaving something or someone behind.
Where else “apelthein” appearsGehenna
Gehenna: the Valley of Hinnom beside Jerusalem, a cursed place because children were sacrificed there to idols; an image of final punishment.
Where else “geennan” appearsunquenchable
Unquenchable, never put out.
Where else “asbeston” appearsfire
Fire.
Where else “pyr” appearsGehenna is the Valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where children were once burned to idols (Jeremiah 7:31). Here Jesus describes it as “the unquenchable fire” (9:43, 48).
Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.
Causes of stumbling
A similar saying; scholars discuss whether it is the same saying in another setting or a repeated one.
Mark 9:42-50
42And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be far better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life maimed than having the two hands to go away into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. 44where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame than having the two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. 46where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, 48where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 49For everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt is good; but if the salt becomes saltless, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
6But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that a donkey’s millstone be hung around his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes! 8And 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 into life maimed or lame than having two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than having two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.
1And he said to his disciples, “It is impossible that stumbling blocks should not come; but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
42And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be far better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
43 · This verse (above)
44where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
1. What it says
What did the boy's father say to Jesus, and how did Jesus answer him (vv. 22–24)?
2. What it means
How does Jesus respond when the disciples argue about who is greatest (vv. 33–37)?
3. How I live it
The father said, “I believe; help my unbelief” (v. 24). What doubt of yours can you bring to him honestly?
