Matthew 5 (KJV)

Matthew 5:1–12

The Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Seeing the crowds, Jesus goes up a mountain, sits down and teaches his disciples. He begins with a series of blessings on the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, the merciful, peacemakers, the persecuted and others, promising each a share in God's kingdom.

What does this mean?

'Blessed' means fortunate or favoured, especially by God; 'Beatitudes' comes from the Latin for it. 'Poor in spirit' probably means those who know their need of God. 'Meek' (KJV) or 'gentle' (WEB) echoes Psalm 37:11, on the humble inheriting the land. 'Righteousness' covers both right living and God putting things right.

Historical context

Teachers in this period usually sat to teach. A traditional site on a hill above the Sea of Galilee commemorates the sermon, but the text does not name the place.

Why does it matter?

This opens the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7), the first of five long blocks of teaching in Matthew, each closed by a similar formula (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Many interpreters see Jesus teaching on a mountain as an echo of Moses at Sinai.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in two Gospels

Luke 6:20–26

The Beatitudes

How Luke tells it

Luke has four blessings, each matched by a woe; Matthew has eight or nine blessings and no woes. Luke speaks directly to the hearers ("you poor") and of hunger "now," where Matthew has "poor in spirit" and hunger "after righteousness." Luke's setting is a level place, not a mountain.

Read Luke’s account in Luke 6

Continue reading in Luke →

How Matthew tells it

Matthew has nine blessings, mostly in the third person ('Blessed are the poor in spirit'), on a mountain. Luke has four, addressed directly ('Blessed are you poor'), on a level place, followed by four matching woes. Matthew's wording often has a more spiritual or ethical focus: 'hunger and thirst for righteousness' where Luke has 'you who hunger now'.

Matthew sets these sayings in the Sermon on the Mount; Luke places a shorter form, with woes, in the Sermon on the Plain.

Matthew 5:13–16

Salt and light

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and that their good deeds should be seen, so that others give glory to God.

What does this mean?

Salt seasoned and preserved food; 'lost his savour' (KJV) means lost its taste. The KJV's 'candle' and 'bushel' are an oil lamp and a grain-measuring bowl; putting one over a lamp would hide it or put it out.

Historical context

Pure salt cannot lose its saltiness, but salt gathered around the Dead Sea was mixed with other minerals and could become insipid, which may lie behind the image. Towns were often built on hills, and their lights could be seen far off at night.

Why does it matter?

The images follow directly from the blessing on the persecuted: those who may be rejected still have a public role. The call for good works to be seen sits in tension with 6:1–18, which warns against religious acts done to be seen; interpreters usually distinguish showing God's goodness from seeking praise.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Matthew 5:17–20

Jesus and the Law

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus says he has not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil them. Not the smallest detail of the Law will pass away, and his followers' righteousness must go beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees.

What does this mean?

'The law and the prophets' meant the Jewish scriptures. A 'jot' (KJV) is yod, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet; a 'tittle' is a tiny stroke that distinguishes one letter from another. To 'fulfil' can mean to bring to completion or to reveal the full meaning.

Historical context

Scribes were experts who copied, taught and interpreted the Law; many were associated with the Pharisees, who were widely respected for their strictness.

Why does it matter?

This short passage is a key to the rest of the Sermon. How Jesus 'fulfils' the Law, and how far its commands still bind his followers, has been discussed since the earliest days of the church and is understood differently across Christian traditions. The six contrasts that follow ('You have heard... but I tell you') show what the greater righteousness looks like.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Matthew 5:21–26

Anger and reconciliation

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Jesus traces the command against murder back to its root in anger and contempt. He tells his hearers to be reconciled with anyone who has a grievance against them, even before offering a gift at the altar, and to settle disputes before they reach court.

Scripture connection · Quotation

Matthew 5:21 quotes Exodus 20:13

Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 20:13 · KJV

One of the Ten Commandments. Jesus goes on to address the anger behind violence.

What does this mean?

'Raca' is an Aramaic insult, roughly 'empty-head'. The 'council' is the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. 'Hell fire' (KJV) is literally 'the Gehenna of fire': Gehenna was the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, remembered for ancient child sacrifice (Jeremiah 7:31) and used as an image of final judgment. A 'farthing' (KJV) or 'penny' (WEB) was a small coin.

Historical context

The 'gift at the altar' would be a sacrifice brought to the Jerusalem temple. The words 'without a cause', found in both the KJV and WEB, are missing from many early manuscripts.

Why does it matter?

This is the first of six contrasts in which Jesus sets his own teaching alongside what 'was said', speaking with an authority that astonishes his hearers (7:29).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Matthew 5:27–32

Adultery, desire and divorce

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Jesus extends the command against adultery to lustful looking, using the startling image of removing an eye or a hand that causes sin. He then rejects easy divorce: a man who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress.

Scripture connection · Quotation

Matthew 5:27 quotes Exodus 20:14

Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exodus 20:14 · KJV

One of the Ten Commandments. Jesus extends it to desire in the heart.

What does this mean?

To 'offend' (KJV) or 'cause to stumble' (WEB) means to lead into sin. Most interpreters take the words about eye and hand as deliberate overstatement, not literal instruction. 'Fornication' (KJV) or 'sexual immorality' (WEB) translates porneia, a broad term whose exact sense here is debated.

Historical context

Under the Law a husband could divorce his wife by giving her a written certificate (Deuteronomy 24:1); wives generally could not initiate divorce. According to later rabbinic sources, the school of Shammai allowed divorce only for serious misconduct, while the school of Hillel allowed it for almost any reason. A divorced woman without family support could be left destitute.

Why does it matter?

Only Matthew records the 'except' clause, here and in 19:9; Mark and Luke give the saying without it. Christian churches interpret it differently, and Jesus returns to the subject in 19:3–12.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Matthew 5:33–37

Oaths

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Rather than swearing oaths by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or one's own head, Jesus tells his hearers not to swear at all, but simply to let their yes mean yes and their no mean no.

What does this mean?

'Forswear' (KJV) means swear falsely or break an oath. 'Cometh of evil' (KJV) or 'is of the evil one' (WEB) reflects a Greek phrase that can mean either evil in general or the devil.

Historical context

Oaths were common in everyday dealings. People often swore by things associated with God rather than by God's name, and some reasoned that such oaths were less binding; Jesus attacks that kind of reasoning in 23:16–22. The Law required vows to be kept (Numbers 30:2).

Why does it matter?

The point is truthfulness: if one's ordinary word is reliable, oaths are unnecessary. Christian groups have differed on whether this forbids all oaths; Quakers and some Anabaptist traditions, for example, have refused to swear oaths in court.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Matthew 5:38–48

Retaliation and love for enemies

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Jesus tells his followers not to retaliate against those who wrong them: to turn the other cheek, give up their cloak, go the second mile and give to those who ask. He then commands love for enemies and prayer for persecutors, so that they will be like their Father, who sends sun and rain on good and bad alike.

Scripture connection · Quotation

Matthew 5:38 quotes Exodus 21:24

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Exodus 21:24 · KJV

In the Law this principle limited punishment to fit the offence and was applied by courts. Jesus addresses personal retaliation.
Scripture connection · Quotation

Matthew 5:43 quotes Leviticus 19:18

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18 · KJV

'Love thy neighbour' comes from Leviticus 19:18. The words 'hate thine enemy' are not found in the Old Testament; they are usually understood as a popular conclusion Jesus is correcting.

What does this mean?

'Perfect' (Greek teleios) means complete or whole; here it sums up loving without limits, as God does. 'Publicans' (KJV) are tax collectors, widely despised as collaborators and cheats.

Historical context

Many commentators note that a blow on the right cheek from a right hand would be a backhanded slap, an insult more than an attack. The Law required a poor man's cloak, his blanket at night, to be returned by evening (Exodus 22:26–27). Roman soldiers could force civilians to carry their gear for a set distance; the same verb is used when Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry Jesus' cross (27:32).

Why does it matter?

Whether these sayings rule out all use of force has long been debated, from pacifist Christian traditions to those that apply them to personal conduct rather than to the state.

Editorial notes, not scripture.