Matthew 5:22

ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει· ὃς δ᾽ ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Ῥακά, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῷ συνεδρίῳ· ὃς δ᾽ ἂν εἴπῃ, Μωρέ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός.

RBT Greek Interlinear:

Strongs 1473; egō; ἐγὼ; myself; PPro-N1S

Strongs 1161; de; δὲ; and; Conj

Strongs 3004; legō; λέγω; I am saying; V-PIA-1S

Strongs 4771; hymin; ὑμῖν; to yourselves; PPro-D2P

Strongs 3754; hoti; ὅτι; that; Conj

Strongs 3956; pas; πᾶς; all; Adj-NMS

Strongs 3588; ho; ὁ; the; Art-NMS

Strongs 3710; orgizomenos; ὀργιζόμενος; he who is being angry with; V-PPM/P-NMS

Strongs 3588; tō; τῷ; the; Art-DMS

Strongs 80; adelphō; ἀδελφῷ; brother; N-DMS

Strongs 846; autou; αὐτοῦ; himself; PPro-GM3S

Strongs 1777; enochos; ἔνοχος; guilty; Adj-NMS

Strongs 1510; estai; ἔσται; will be; V-FIM-3S

Strongs 3588; tē; τῇ; the; Art-DFS

Strongs 2920; krisei; κρίσει; separation; N-DFS

Strongs 3739; hos; ὃς; which/whichever; RelPro-NMS

Strongs 1161; d’; δ’; now; Conj

Strongs 302; an; ἂν; conditional particle; Prtcl

Strongs 2036; eipē; εἴπῃ; should say; V-ASA-3S

Strongs 3588; tō; τῷ; the; Art-DMS

Strongs 80; adelphō; ἀδελφῷ; brother; N-DMS

Strongs 846; autou; αὐτοῦ; himself; PPro-GM3S

Strongs 4469; Rhaka; Ῥακά; Raca; N-VMS

Strongs 1777; enochos; ἔνοχος; guilty; Adj-NMS

Strongs 1510; estai; ἔσται; will be; V-FIM-3S

Strongs 3588; tō; τῷ; the; Art-DNS

Strongs 4892; synedriō; συνεδρίῳ; Council; N-DNS

Strongs 3739; hos; ὃς; which/whichever; RelPro-NMS

Strongs 1161; d’; δ’; now; Conj

Strongs 302; an; ἂν; conditional particle; Prtcl

Strongs 2036; eipē; εἴπῃ; should say; V-ASA-3S

Strongs 3474; Mōre; Μωρέ; Fool; Adj-VMS

Strongs 1777; enochos; ἔνοχος; guilty; Adj-NMS

Strongs 1510; estai; ἔσται; will be; V-FIM-3S

Strongs 1519; eis; εἰς; into; Prep

Strongs 3588; tēn; τὴν; the; Art-AFS

Strongs 1067; geennan; γέενναν; Valley of Hell; N-AFS

Strongs 3588; tou; τοῦ; the; Art-GNS

Strongs 4442; pyros; πυρός; of fire; N-GNS

RBT Translation:

Valley of Hell: Child Sacrifice

And Myself, I am saying to yourselves, that anyone who is being angry with the Brother of himself will be bound to the Separation, and whoever should say to the Brother himself, 'Empty/Void' ("Rhaka") will be bound to the Sitting-Council, and whoever should say 'Teacher' ("Moreh") will be bound into the Valley of Hell ("Gehenna") of the Fire.¹²

Valley of Child Sacrifice.
"Rabbi, Teacher!"

LITV Translation:
But I say to you, Everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the Judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whoever says, Fool! shall be liable to be thrown into the fire of Hell.

ESV Translation:
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Footnotes

12

Strongs #G1067. γέεννα, gehenna. "Gehenna" originates from the Hebrew גי בן־הנם (Gê Ben-Hinnom), which translates to "Valley of the Son of Hinnom." Numerous traditions were developed out of this word.

Child Sacrifice:

• Valley of Hinnom: The valley served as a boundary between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:8; 18:16).
• Idolatrous Practices: The valley was notoriously associated with child sacrifices to the god Molech (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31-32; 19:2, 6; 32:35).
• Defilement by Josiah: King Josiah defiled the valley to prevent these sacrifices (2 Kings 23:10).
• Symbol of Judgment: Over time, the Valley of Hinnom came to symbolize divine judgment and punishment. Prophets like Isaiah alluded to its significance in depicting eschatological scenarios (Isaiah 66:24).

Fool?

The Greek word Μωρέ Mōre. As a Greek word, being the root of "moron" and meaning "dull" or "sluggish" doesn't make sense contextually. Notwithstanding, the previous warning of using the word "Raca" is not based on a Greek word, but is a transliteration of Aramaic. Thus it logically follows that "mōre" would be a transliteration of Hebrew.

Strongs #4175 moreh מוֹרֶה, teacher, instructor. This is the primary meaning of "מוֹרה" in Hebrew. It refers to someone who teaches or instructs others. In the Old Testament, it is often used to denote a teacher or instructor of various subjects, including religious teachings (See Genesis 12:6, Isaiah 30:20).

There has already been debate/discussion of the word moreh as a transliteration. The commentary from Pulpit Commentary for example:

1. Transliteration of Hebrew "moreh": The commentary suggests that "moreh" could be a transliteration from Hebrew into Greek, akin to how "skene" (σκηνή) in Greek transliterates from the Hebrew "shakan" (שכן), meaning "to dwell" or "to reside." It has been suggested that "moreh" might be transliterated to imply "rebel," drawing a parallel with Hebrew usage (cf. Numbers 20:10). The most obvious parallel of "teacher" was ignored, or overlooked.

2. Contextual and linguistic parallels: The commentary argues that this interpretation aligns well with the context of Jesus' teaching about insults (compare with "Raca"). It suggested that calling someone "Moreh" might be understood as accusing them of rebellion against God. But does that really fit the consequence?

3. Greek purity: The commentary points out that if "moreh" were indeed a transliteration from Hebrew into Greek, it would be one of the few pure Hebrew words in the Greek New Testament. Most other words are either Aramaic (like "Raca," "talitha kumi," "maranatha") or Greek adaptations of Hebrew or Aramaic terms.

As the most pure transliteration of a Hebrew word, moreh simply means "Teacher." The question is then, what is the context? Surely it must mean "fool"? And thus we must be extra careful about ever calling someone a fool?

"But yourselves should not be summoned as 'My Abounding One (Rabbi),' for one is, of yourselves, the Teacher, and everyone of yourselves are brothers." (Jesus, Matthew 23:8 RBT)

"Fools! ("μωροὶ moroi")" (Jesus, Matthew 23:17)

By the traditional interpretation of the scholars, Jesus effectively eats his own words, making himself liable to the hell fire of Gehenna.