who said turn the other cheek

The phrase “turn the other cheek” was said by Jesus in the New Testament, in the Sermon on the Mount.

Who said it and where?

• The saying comes from Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, as part of the Sermon on the Mount.

• In many Bible translations, the verse appears as something like: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.”

What does “turn the other cheek” mean?

• Traditionally, it is understood as a call to respond to insult or harm without revenge, favoring mercy over retaliation.

• Many Christians see it as an ideal of nonviolence or patient endurance, closely linked to Christian pacifism.

Historical and cultural angle

• Scholars note that in Jesus’ context, a slap on the right cheek with the back of the hand was a way for a superior to humiliate an inferior.

• “Turning the other cheek” could force the aggressor to treat the person as an equal or reveal the injustice more clearly, making it a subtle act of resistance rather than pure passivity.

How it’s talked about today

• The phrase is widely used in modern language to mean “don’t hit back” or “let it go” when someone wrongs you.

• There are ongoing discussions—in churches, forums, and articles—about how to apply it today, especially around issues like abuse, justice, and healthy boundaries.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.