Matt 5:1-12

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Home > The New Testament > Matthew > Chapters 5-7 > Verses 5:1-12
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Summary[edit]

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Discussion[edit]

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  • Matt 5:1. In Matthew’s Gospel, mountains are places where important things happen. (See Matt 4:8; Matt 17:1; and Matt 28:16.) As he tells the story, Jesus seems deliberately to give the Sermon on the Mount in a way that compares him to Moses: he goes up on a mountain and delivers a “new” law for a multitude who are gathered at the base of the mountain waiting for his return. In Matt 4:23, Matthew tells us "Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom." Matthew 5-7 is the gospel that he preached.
  • Matt 5:3-11: Blessed. The word translated blessed is a poetic word that can also be translated happy. In Greek literature, it was used to describe the happy state in which the gods lived.
  • Matt 5:3. The Greek of this verse is usually translated as the King James translator's have translated it: "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." However, it could also be translated "for the kingdom of heaven is made up of them."
  • Matt 5:1-3: Joseph Smith Translation. Joseph Smith's inspired emendation of Matthew 5:1 adds an interesting prologue to the Sermon:
KJV JST
[1] And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: [2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, [1] And Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain; and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him; [2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
[3] Blessed are they who shall believe on me; and again, more blessed are they who shall believe on your words, when ye shall testify that ye have seen me and that I am. [4] Yea, blessed are they who shall believe on your words, and come down into the depth of humility, and be baptized in my name; for they shall be visited with fire, and the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.
[3] Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [5] Yea blessed are the poor in spirit, who come unto me; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Joseph Smith's addition makes it clear that the Sermon on the Mount is an exposition of the gospel. It also changes the way we can understand verse three: it becomes a summary of the gospel. Rather than the first in the list of beatitudes, it is the summary of the gospel, followed by the beatitudes.
  • Matt 5:3. Seeing the Sermon this way creates a chiasm, with mercy at its center:
A. They that mourn shall be comforted (verse 4)
B. The meek shall inherit the earth (verse 5)
C. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be 'filled [with the Holy Ghost] (verse 6; compare 3 Nephi 12:6)
D. The merciful will obtain mercy (verse 7)
C'. The pure in heart will see God (verse 8 )
B". Peacemakers will be the children of God? (verse 9)
A'. Those who are persecuted for righteousness will receive a great reward, the kingdom of heaven (verses 10-12)
  • Matt 5:5. The meek and the poor in spirit seem to me to be the same people. (See footnote 5a in the LDS published version of the Bible.) Later in the Sermon, Jesus will give examples of meekness. (See Matt 5:39-42.) Note, too, that this verse is a quotation of Ps 37:11 (in the Greek version of first-century Judaism).
  • Matt 5:11. We see a division in the Sermon at verse 11: The Beatitudes give us the general description of the gospel and the verses that follow expand on that general description.

Unanswered questions[edit]

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Prompts for life application[edit]

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Prompts for further study[edit]

This section is for prompts that invite us to think about a passage more deeply or in a new way. These are not necessarily questions that beg for answers, but rather prompts along the lines of "Have you ever thought about ..." Prompts are most helpful when they are developed individually, thoughtfully, and with enough background information to clearly indicate a particular direction for further study or thought. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →

  • Matt 5:3. Poor in spirit cannot mean that one has a spirit that is poor or wanting, so what does it mean? Compare this verse to Isa 61:1. Does that comparison give you any ideas about how to understand this beatitude?
  • Matt 5:3. How does the meaning of this verse change if it is translated "for the kingdom of heaven is made up of them?" (See lexical note.)
  • Matt 5:6. The word translated “righteousness” could also have been translated “justice.” One way to think about what it means to be righteous is to ask, “What would it mean for me to be just?” How does changing the question in that way change our thinking? As the word translated “righteousness” is used in Greek, it most often refers to one who has right relations with God. What did the Pharisees believe was required for righteousness? What does Jesus teach about righteousness?
  • Matt 5:7. Is it significant that the previous beatitudes had focused on something like attitude and that this beatitude begins a focus that is more on action? What does “mercy” mean? What does it take to be merciful? How are the requirement to desire justice (verse 6) and the requirement to be merciful related to each other?
  • Matt 5:7. Why might the Beatitudes center on mercy? (See the chiasm suggested in the exegesis for Matt 5:1-5.) How is the theme of mercy related to the additions that Joseph Smith made to the beginning of the Sermon? How is Jesus' message of mercy a challenge to the Pharisees and scribes? What would that message have meant to Jesus' audience? What does it mean to us today?
  • Matt 5:8. The word translated “pure” could also have been translated “cleansed.” What does it mean to have a heart that has been cleansed? Is Jesus contrasting the cleansing of the heart with the various kinds of cleansing that the Pharisees required? How do the two differ? What does it mean to see God?
  • Matt 5:9. Who do you think that Jesus has in mind when he speaks of the peacemakers? Do verses 23-26 give us an idea of what he means? What does it mean that the peacemakers will be called the children of God? Aren’t we already his children? Why might Jesus have associated being a peacemaker with being a child of God? In what senses is Godthe peacemaker?
  • Matt 5:10-12. Verse 10 speaks of being persecuted “for righteousness’ sake.” Verse 11 speaks of being persecuted “for my sake.” What do you make of the identification of righteousness and Jesus, a person? How does that contrast with the Pharisaic understanding of righteousness as obedience? Is the beginning of verse 12, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad” parallel to “Blessed are [. . .]” in the previous beatitudes? Does it help us understand what it means to be blessed?

Resources[edit]

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  • Matt 5:3. Elder Holland discusses how Christ heals us in his conference address Broken Things to Mend. He sees the phrase poor in spirit as addressing the "troubled, the discouraged and downhearted."

Notes[edit]

Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves (such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word). In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources (such as Strong's Bible Concordance or the Joseph Smith Papers) are preferable to footnotes.




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