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Mat 12:36. Ῥῆμα, word) A nominative absolute, as in Luk 21:6; Joh 17:2; Act 7:40; Rev 3:12; Rev 3:21, and in the S. V. of Psalms 17(18):31.-ἀργὸν, idle) not only evil. Goodness of treasury does not produce even anything idle.[579]-ἀποδώσουσι λόγον, they shall render account) i.e., they shall pay the penalty of. A metonymy of the antecedent for the consequent.
[579] I can hardly think that it can be proved by the Arabic idiom, that this precept of our Lord ought to be restricted to lies; for the words λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν not obscurely intimate that the language of Christ moves in a descending climax, and that from evil words, mentioned in Mat 12:35, He goes down also to idle words. Compare the similar Epitasis (successive increase in the force by the descending climax) in αἰσχρότης, μωρολογία, εὐτραπελία, Eph 5:4. Let us weigh well the caution which is found in Mat 5:19, and which can never be too much recommended to all Critics, Teachers, and Sacred Orators, when about to enter on the investigation of the force of expressions and phrases, especially in morals.-E. B.