Monday, April 18, 2011

Cut Off Your Hand

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 5:30

Cut off your hand” is an Aramaic saying which is used in conversation but with no reference to actually cutting off one’s hand.

People often say to each other, “Cut off your hand from my vineyard” which means do not gather grapes in my vineyard. “His hand is too long” means, he is a thief. “Shorten your hand” means, do not steal. Again “Cut your hand” means, cut out a bad habit.

The hand is mentioned because it is the agent by which the mind and body do their work

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for teaching us the culture and language meanings. Like April said, it makes sense. Thank you!

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