Matthew 5
5
The Sermon on the Mount
1Seeing the crowds, #ch. 15:29 he went up on the mountain, and when he #Luke 4:20sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2And #Ps. 78:2he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 # For ver. 3-12, [Luke 6:20-23] “Blessed are # [Isa. 61:1; 66:2] the poor in spirit, for # [Luke 12:32] theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are #
Isa. 61:2, 3; John 16:20; 2 Cor. 1:7; 7:10; Rev. 21:4; [James 4:9, 10] those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the #
Ps. 37:11
meek, for they #
Ps. 37:11
shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and #
Ps. 42:2; Isa. 55:1, 2; John 7:37 thirst #
2 Tim. 2:22; [ch. 6:33] for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are # ch. 18:33; 25:34-36; Prov. 19:17; Luke 6:36; 2 Tim. 1:16; Heb. 6:10 the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are #
Ps. 24:4; 2 Tim. 2:22; [1 Pet. 1:22] the pure in heart, for #
Heb. 12:14; 1 John 3:2, 3; Rev. 22:4; [1 Cor. 13:12] they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are #
James 3:18 the peacemakers, for #
1 John 3:1 they shall be called #
Rom. 8:14
sons # 5:9 Greek huioi ; see Preface of God.
10 #
2 Tim. 2:12; James 5:11; 1 Pet. 3:14 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for # [See ver. 3 above] theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 #
Heb. 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:14 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely #
John 15:21
on my account. 12#Acts 5:41; Rom. 5:3; 2 Cor. 12:10; Col. 1:11, 24; Heb. 10:34; James 1:2; 1 Pet. 4:13 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for #See ch. 21:35so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth, #
Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34 but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 #
Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15; [John 8:12] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15#Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so #Philem. 6; 1 Pet. 2:12 that#5:16 Or house. 16 Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and #John 15:8; 2 Cor. 9:13; Phil. 1:11; [ch. 9:8]give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 #
Rom. 3:31 “Do not think that I have come to abolish # ch. 7:12 the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but # [Rom. 10:4; 13:8; Gal. 3:24] to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, #Luke 16:17; [ch. 24:35]until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19#[1 Cor. 3:12-15] Therefore whoever relaxes #[Gal. 3:10; James 2:10] one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least #ch. 11:11; 18:1-4in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great #ch. 11:11; 18:1-4in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds #[Rom. 10:3; Phil. 3:9] that of the scribes and Pharisees, you #John 3:5will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
21 # ver. 33; [ver. 27, 31, 38, 43] “You have heard that it was said to those of old, # Cited from Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17; [ch. 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9; James 2:11] ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable # [Deut. 16:18] to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that #1 John 3:15 everyone who is angry with his brother#5:22 Some manuscripts insert without cause will be liable #[See ver. 21 above] to judgment; whoever insults#5:22 Greek says Raca to (a term of abuse) his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to #ch. 18:9; Mark 9:43; James 3:6; [ver. 29]the hell#5:22 Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30 of fire. 23#[ch. 6:15; Mark 11:25] So if #ch. 8:4; 23:18you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25#Luke 12:58, 59Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, #[ch. 18:34, 35]you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.#5:26 Greek kodrantes, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)
Lust
27 # See ver. 21 “You have heard that it was said, # Cited from Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that #Job 31:1; Prov. 6:25; [2 Sam. 11:2]everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29#ch. 18:8, 9; Mark 9:43-48 If your right eye #[ch. 13:41; Luke 17:1] causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into #ch. 10:28; 23:15, 33; Luke 12:5; [ver. 22]hell. 30#[See ver. 29 above] And if your right hand #[See ver. 29 above] causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into #[See ver. 29 above]hell.
Divorce
31 # [See ver. 27 above] “It was also said, # ch. 19:7; Jer. 3:1; Cited from Deut. 24:1 ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32#ch. 19:9; Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 16:18; [1 Cor. 7:10, 11] But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and #Rom. 7:3whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33 “Again # [See ver. 27 above] you have heard that it was said to those of old, #
Lev. 19:12; 1 Tim. 1:10 ‘You shall not swear falsely, but #
Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:21; Eccles. 5:4 shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34But I say to you, #James 5:12 Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for #ch. 23:22; Isa. 66:1; Acts 7:49; See Rev. 4:2it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is #Ps. 48:2the city of the great King. 36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; #[Prov. 10:19]anything more than this comes from evil.#5:37 Or the evil one
Retaliation
38 # [See ver. 27 above] “You have heard that it was said, # Cited from Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21 ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, #1 Pet. 2:23 Do not resist the one who is evil. But #For ver. 39-42, see Luke 6:29, 30; [Rom. 12:17] if anyone #ch. 26:67; Isa. 50:6; Lam. 3:30slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And #[See ver. 39 above]if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,#5:40 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin let him have your cloak as well. 41And if anyone #ch. 27:32forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42#Ps. 37:21; Prov. 21:26 Give to the one who begs from you, and #Deut. 15:8; Ps. 37:26; 112:5; Luke 6:34, 35do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
43 # See ver. 21 “You have heard that it was said, # Cited from Lev. 19:18; See ch. 19:19 ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, #Luke 6:27, 28; Rom. 12:20; [Ex. 23:4; Job 31:29, 30; Ps. 7:4] Love your enemies and #Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; 2 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 3:9pray for those who persecute you, 45#Luke 6:35; [Eph. 5:1; Phil. 2:15] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and #Acts 14:17sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46#Luke 6:32For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers,#5:47 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters what more are you doing than others? Do not even #ch. 6:7, 32the Gentiles do the same? 48#[Luke 6:36] You therefore must be #ch. 19:21; 1 Cor. 2:6 (Gk.); Phil. 3:15 (Gk.); Col. 1:28; 4:12 (Gk.); James 1:4; 3:2; See Gen. 17:1 perfect, #[Lev. 19:2; 1 Pet. 1:15]as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Matthew 5
5
The sermon on the mount
1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down.#5.1 sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught.
Blessings
(Luke 6.20-23)
Jesus' disciples gathered around him, 2and he taught them:
3God blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven!#5.3 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or “The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”
4God blesses those people#Is 61.2.
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5God blesses those people#Ps 37.11.
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6God blesses those people#Is 55.1,2.
who want to obey him#5.6 who want to obey him: Or “who want to do right” or “who want everyone to be treated right”.
more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
7God blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
8God blesses those people#Ps 24.3,4.
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10God blesses those people#1 P 3.14.
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven.#5.10 They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.
11God will bless you when people insult you, ill-treat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me.#1 P 4.14. 12Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.#2 Ch 36.16; Ac 7.52.
Salt and light
(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)
Jesus continued:
13You are like salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.#Mk 9.50; Lk 14.34,35.
14You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden,#Jn 8.12; 9.5. 15and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house.#Mk 4.21; Lk 8.16; 11.33. 16Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.#1 P 2.12.
The Law of Moses
Jesus continued:
17Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets.#5.17 the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a full stop or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.#Lk 16.17.
19If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. 20You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Anger
Jesus continued:
21You know that our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.”#Ex 20.13; Dt 5.17. 22But I promise you that if you are angry with someone,#5.22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has “brother”, which may refer to people in general or to other followers. you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.
23So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.
25Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. 26I promise you that you will not get out until you have paid the last penny you owe.
Marriage
Jesus continued:
27You know the commandment which says, “Be faithful in marriage.”#Ex 20.14; Dt 5.18. 28But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell.#Mt 18.9; Mk 9.47. 30If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.#Mt 18.8; Mk 9.43.
Divorce
(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)
Jesus continued:
31You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her.#5.31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife.#Dt 24.1-4; Mt 19.7; Mk 10.4. 32But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin.#5.32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus or to some serious sexual sin. If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.#Mt 19.9; Mk 10.11,12; Lk 16.18; 1 Co 7.10,11.
Promises
Jesus continued:
33You know that our ancestors were told, “Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.”#Lv 19.12; Nu 30.2; Dt 23.21. 34But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven.#Jas 5.12; Is 66.1; Mt 23.22. 35The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it.#Is 66.1; Ps 48.2. 36Don't swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. 37When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No”. Anything else comes from the devil.
Revenge
(Luke 6.29,30)
Jesus continued:
38You know that you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”#Ex 21.24; Lv 24.20; Dt 19.21. 39But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek,#5.39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult. turn and let that person slap your other cheek. 40If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. 41If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres.#5.41 two kilometres: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as approximately one and a half kilometres. 42When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.
Love
(Luke 6.27,28,32-36)
Jesus continued:
43You have heard people say, “Love your neighbours and hate your enemies.” 44But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who ill-treats you. 45Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors#5.46 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion. love their friends. 47If you greet only your friends, what's so great about that? Don't even unbelievers do that? 48But you must always act like your Father in heaven.#Lv 19.2; Dt 18.13.
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