Matthew 12:36

That every idle word. [3] By idle words, St. Jerome, &c. expound words that are neither profitable to the speaker nor the hearer: but St. John Chrysostom says, false and abusive language. (Witham) --- If, of every idle word, how much more of blasphemy, as when you say in Beelzebub I cast out devils. (Menochius) --- This shews there must be a place of temporal punishment hereafter, where these slighter faults shall be punished. (Challoner) --- If of every idle word we must make account before God in judgment, and yet shall not for every such idle word be damned eternally, there must necessarily be some temporal punishment in the next life. (Bristow)

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

De omni verbo otioso, Greek: pan rema argon. Some manuscripts have, Greek: poneron. St. Jerome says, Otiosum verbum est, quod sine utilitate et loquentis dicitur, et audientis. In like manner, St. Gregory, hom. vi. in Evang. St. Bernard &c. But St. John Chrysostom adds, Greek: to pseudes, to sukophantian echon.