Matthew 5

1 But seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and having sat down, his disciples came to him;
2 and, having opened his mouth, he taught them, saying,
3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit, for *theirs* is the kingdom of the heavens.
4 Blessed they that mourn, for *they* shall be comforted.
5 Blessed the meek, for *they* shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for *they* shall be filled.
7 Blessed the merciful, for *they* shall find mercy.
8 Blessed the pure in heart, for *they* shall see God.
9 Blessed the peace-makers, for *they* shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed they who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for *theirs* is the kingdom of the heavens.
11 Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake.
12 Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 *Ye* are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot by men.
14 *Ye* are the light of the world: a city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid.
15 Nor do [men] light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but upon the lamp-stand, and it shines for all who are in the house.
16 Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
17 Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass.
19 Whosoever then shall do away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall practise and teach [them], *he* shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
20 For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpass [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
21 Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; but whosoever shall kill shall be subject to the judgment.
22 But *I* say unto you, that every one that is lightly angry with his brother shall be subject to the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be subject to [be called before] the sanhedrim; but whosoever shall say, Fool, shall be subject to the penalty of the hell of fire.
23 If therefore thou shouldest offer thy gift at the altar, and there shouldest remember that thy brother has something against thee,
24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and first go, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25 Make friends with thine adverse party quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him; lest some time the adverse party deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say to thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence till thou hast paid the last farthing.
27 Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt not commit adultery.
28 But *I* say unto you, that every one who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 But if thy right eye be a snare to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand be a snare to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.
31 It has been said too, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce.
32 But *I* say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for cause of fornication, makes her commit adultery, and whosoever marries one that is put away commits adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it has been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt render to the Lord what thou hast sworn.
34 But *I* say unto you, Do not swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is [the] throne of God;
35 nor by the earth, because it is [the] footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is [the] city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your word be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; but what is more than these is from evil.
38 Ye have heard that it has been said, Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.
39 But *I* say unto you, not to resist evil; but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;
40 and to him that would go to law with thee and take thy body coat, leave him thy cloak also.
41 And whoever will compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.
42 To him that asks of thee give, and from him that desires to borrow of thee turn not away.
43 Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.
44 But *I* say unto you, Love your enemies, [bless those who curse you,] do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who [insult you and] persecute you,
45 that ye may be [the] sons of your Father who is in [the] heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust.
46 For if ye should love those who love you, what reward have ye? Do not also the tax-gatherers the same?
47 And if ye should salute your brethren only, what do ye extraordinary? Do not also the Gentiles the same?
48 Be *ye* therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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Footnotes 15

  • [a]. It is well to notice here an habitual use of the article. It is a known rule that contrast, and hence one part of a thing as contradistinguished from another, has the article. This is the case with 'ship' and 'mountain' in the gospels: 'he was' or 'went' 'on board ship;' not a particular ship, but 'on board ship,' as we say, in contrast with 'on shore.' So 'the mountain;' not a particular mountain, but in contrast with the plain, where the plain and the mountain are in contrast. Christ had a particular ship which waited on him, but the article is used, as here, where that is not the case. 'In the ship with' is tantamount to 'the same ship;' so here I do not change the form, but translate literally.
  • [b]. Or 'land.' This is a quotation from Ps. 37.11. For a Jew, inheriting the land was inheriting the earth, and vice versa. It was not the haughty Pharisee or the violent who were to have it: God would give it to the meek of the earth that waited on Him. I have put 'earth' as giving a larger thought, as characteristic, not local only. Here ge in Greek, agrees with erets, in Hebrew. See Notes, 1Sam. 2.8; Ps. 2.8.
  • [c]. Or 'land.'
  • [d]. I have left 'bushel' as well known; it was a measure under half a bushel.
  • [e]. I do not put 'good works,' because it has acquired the force of benevolent actions, which is not the force here, but all that is upright and honourable and comely, what ought to be in one who feels aright. 'Upright' does not quite give the whole sense: see 'good work,' Mark 14.6; Titus 2.14.
  • [f]. 'Give the fulness of.' It is not to fulfil a command in the way of obedience, nor to complete another thing by adding to it; but to fill up some system sketched out, or that which is expressed in the thing fulfilled, as a whole. Thus the doctrine of the Church completed the word of God, made full what was expressed by it. Christ does not here fulfil what is said, nor add to what still remained and was perfect itself; but came to make good the whole scope of law and prophets. The passage has nothing to do with obeying the law. Nor is it here accomplishing a particular prophecy. He comes as the revealed completeness of God's mind, whatever the law and the prophets had pointed out. Verse 18 forbids the sense of obedience as not to be maintained, though 19 proves that he was to be condemned who, being under law, broke the commandments spoken of. But this is a consequence; Christ speaks of their authority. All was to be fulfilled in some way or another, not set aside.
  • [g]. Or 'excel.' It includes the idea of being a better righteousness: see ver. 47.
  • [h]. i.e. stupid, worthless, a term of contempt.
  • [i]. As chs. 23.17; 25.2,3,8.
  • [j]. Eis: has the force of 'even to,' 'as far as,'as in other cases: as Rom. 5.21, 'to eternal life;' Rev. 13.3, 'to death;' Eph. 3.19, 'to all the fulness.'
  • [k]. Gehenna: so vers. 29,30.
  • [l]. Or 'lest it may be.' Perhaps 'lest' is sufficient; it suggests something uncertain which otherwise might happen any time: see Mark 4.12.
  • [m]. The quarter of an assarion: see ch. 10.29.
  • [n]. Lit. the 'catch of a trap:' see ch. 13.57.
  • [o]. Or 'the evil one.'

Matthew 5 Commentaries

The Darby Translation is in the public domain.