Matthew 5

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

NoteGoing "up into a mountain" means up into the hill country above the lake, not the scaling of a single peak. Sitting down is the detail that matters: a teacher in this world stood to read aloud and sat to expound, so "when he was set" signals that a formal, considered address is beginning.

2and he began to teach them. He said:

2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Note"He opened his mouth" is a set phrase in Greek and in Hebrew for launching into a deliberate, weighty speech. It is a marker of solemnity, not a description of his lips.

3"Those who are poor in spirit are blessed, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

NoteThe Greek word behind "poor" means destitute, a beggar with nothing, not merely a person of modest means; "in spirit" turns the picture inward. "The kingdom of heaven" is Matthew's habitual phrase where the other Gospels say "the kingdom of God": Jewish writers of the period often said "heaven" out of respect rather than say God's name directly. It refers to God's rule or reign, the state of affairs in which he is king, more than to a location.

4Those who grieve are blessed, because they will be comforted.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5Those who are gentle and humble are blessed, because they will inherit the earth.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Note"Meek" has weakened in English since 1611. The Greek word describes someone gentle, unassertive and slow to grab, the opposite of the grasping and the domineering, without any suggestion of timidity or weakness.

6Those who hunger and thirst to see what is right are blessed, because they will be filled.

6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

NoteThe Greek word translated "righteousness" is wider than the English. It covers both personal right conduct and justice in the public sense, things being put right; the hunger described could be for either or both, and the text does not narrow it.

7Those who show mercy are blessed, because they will be shown mercy.

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8Those whose hearts are clean are blessed, because they will see God.

8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

NoteIn Hebrew and Greek usage the heart is the seat of thought, decision and intention, not primarily of feeling. "Pure in heart" means undivided and unmixed in what one actually wants, closer to the modern "single-minded" than to "warm-hearted."

9Those who make peace are blessed, because they will be called God's children.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

NoteThe Greek reads "sons of God," which the KJV renders "children." In Hebrew idiom "son of" frequently means one who shares the character of something, as "sons of thunder" means thunderous men. "Shall be called" means will be publicly acknowledged as.

10Those who are treated badly because they do what is right are blessed, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11You are blessed when people insult you, treat you badly, and say every kind of evil thing against you falsely because of me.

11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12Be glad and full of joy, because your reward in heaven is great. People treated the prophets who lived before you in exactly the same way.

12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Note"The prophets" are the figures of Israel's scriptures, such as Elijah, Jeremiah and Amos, who spoke publicly in God's name; a recurring theme in those books and in later Jewish tradition is that their own people opposed and sometimes killed them.

13You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, how can it be made salty again? It is no good for anything then, except to be thrown out and walked on.

13Ye 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.

Note"Savour" in 1611 English simply means taste or flavor. Salt in this region was often gathered from deposits around the Dead Sea and came mixed with other minerals, so a batch could genuinely end up tasteless once the salt content leached away. Beyond seasoning, salt was the ordinary preservative for food, and spoiled salt was dumped on paths and courtyards, which is what "trodden under foot of men" describes.

14You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.

14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15People do not light a lamp and then put it under a basket. They put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

15Neither 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.

NoteThe KJV's "candle" is a small clay oil lamp, not a wax candle, and the "candlestick" is a stand to raise it. A "bushel" is the translators' word for a modius, a wooden or earthenware container holding roughly two gallons, used for measuring grain; the point is that it was the ordinary household bowl sitting within reach, big enough to cover a lamp.

16In the same way, let your light shine in front of other people, so they can see the good things you do and give honor to your Father in heaven.

16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

17Do not think I have come to do away with the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to fulfill them.

17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Note"The law, or the prophets" is a standard way of naming the Jewish scriptures as a whole by their two main divisions: the five books of Moses, and the prophetic books. "Destroy" here means abolish or annul, a legal sense, not smash.

18I tell you the truth: until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter and not the smallest mark will disappear from the Law, until everything has taken place.

18For 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.

NoteThe "jot" is the Greek word iota, standing for yod, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, little more than an apostrophe in size. The "tittle" is a tiny projecting stroke of the pen, the sort of hook or serif that distinguishes one Hebrew letter from a similar one. Together they name the smallest visible marks a scribe could make.

19So anyone who breaks even the smallest of these commands, and teaches other people to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But anyone who obeys them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

19Whosoever 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.

NoteJewish teachers of the period commonly ranked commandments as weightier or lighter, and debated which were which. "One of these least commandments" speaks into that discussion.

20I tell you that unless the right living you do goes beyond that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

20For 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.

NoteThe scribes were the professional experts in the law: they copied the scriptures, and interpreted and applied them. The Pharisees were a movement, largely lay rather than priestly, known for meticulous observance of the law and of the oral traditions built around it. Both groups were widely respected as the people most likely to get religious practice right, which is the force of the comparison.

21You have heard that people long ago were told, 'Do not murder,' and, 'Anyone who murders must answer to the court.'

21Ye 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:

NoteThe KJV's "by them of old time" more probably means "to the men of old," that is, to the generation that received the law. "In danger of" is 1611 English for liable to or answerable to, not merely at risk from. "The judgment" is the local court of the town, which handled capital cases.

22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother without a reason must answer to the court. Anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' must answer to the high council. And anyone who says, 'You fool,' is in danger of the fire of hell.

22But 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.

Note"Raca" is an Aramaic insult left untranslated because the Greek left it untranslated; it means something like empty head or good for nothing. "The council" is the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court in Jerusalem, so the sequence rises from local court to supreme court. "Hell fire" translates Gehenna, the Greek form of the Valley of Hinnom, a ravine outside Jerusalem notorious in earlier scripture as a site of child sacrifice; by this era the name was a standing image for final punishment by fire. Note also that many of the earliest Greek manuscripts read simply "angry with his brother," without "without a cause"; the qualifying phrase appears in later copies, which the KJV followed.

23So if you are bringing your gift to the altar, and while you are there you remember that your brother has something against you,

23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

NoteThe altar is the one at the temple in Jerusalem, the only place sacrifice could be offered. The picture is of a worshiper who has traveled some distance with an animal or produce and is already standing in the temple court with it in his hands. "Hath ought against thee" means has some grievance or claim against you.

24leave your gift there in front of the altar. Go and make things right with your brother first. Then come back and offer your gift.

24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25Settle things quickly with the person who is taking you to court, while you are still on the way there. If you do not, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

25Agree 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.

NoteThis is a debt case. The "adversary" is the opposing party in a lawsuit, and "whiles thou art in the way with him" pictures the two walking to court together, the last chance for a private settlement. The "officer" is the court's bailiff, who enforced payment and could imprison a debtor until the family produced the money.

26I tell you the truth: you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last coin.

26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

NoteThe "farthing" is the KJV's English equivalent for the Greek kodrantes, the Roman quadrans, the smallest copper coin in circulation, worth roughly a few minutes of a laborer's wages.

27You have heard that people were told, 'Do not commit adultery.'

27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28But I tell you that any man who looks at a woman and wants her in that way has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29If your right eye makes you sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

29And 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.

Note"Offend" in 1611 English does not mean give offense. It translates a Greek verb meaning to trip someone up or make them fall, the action of a stone in the path or a snare. "Members" means parts of the body, as in the older phrase "limbs and members." On "hell," see the note at verse 22: the word is again Gehenna, the ravine outside Jerusalem used as an image of final punishment.

30And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

30And 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.

31It has also been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'

31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

NoteA "writing of divorcement" is the certificate required by the law of Moses, a short document stating that the woman was free to marry another man. Only the husband could issue it, and "put away" is the ordinary term for a husband dismissing his wife from the household.

32But I tell you that any man who divorces his wife, unless she has been sexually unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

32But 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.

Note"Fornication" here translates porneia, a broad Greek word covering sexual immorality of various kinds rather than one specific act; exactly how wide its scope is in this sentence has been disputed since antiquity, and the Greek does not settle it. "Causeth her to commit adultery" reflects the situation of a dismissed wife, who in most cases had to remarry to survive.

33Again, you have heard that people long ago were told, 'Do not break your promise, but keep the promises you have made to the Lord.'

33Again, 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:

NoteTo "forswear thyself" is 1611 English for swearing falsely, breaking a sworn word. An oath in this culture called a named thing or person to witness and stake it on the truth of what you said, which is why what you swore by mattered so much.

34But I tell you not to swear an oath at all. Do not swear by heaven, because it is God's throne.

34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

NoteThe list that follows reflects a real practice. To avoid pronouncing God's name, people swore by substitutes, and some argued that oaths sworn by lesser things were less binding, producing a graded scale of how seriously an oath had to be kept. The reply treats every substitute as tied back to God anyway.

35Do not swear by the earth, because it is the place where he rests his feet. Do not swear by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36And do not swear by your own head, because you cannot turn a single hair white or black.

36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37Just let your 'Yes' mean yes, and your 'No' mean no. Anything more than that comes from evil.

37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Note"Communication" in 1611 English means speech or manner of speaking, not a message sent. The final phrase is genuinely ambiguous in Greek: it can be read as "comes from evil" or as "comes from the evil one."

38You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

Note"An eye for an eye" quotes the law of Moses, where it functions as a limit on vengeance administered by the courts: the penalty may match the injury and may not exceed it. By this period such cases were normally settled by monetary compensation rather than literal maiming.

39But I tell you not to fight back against the person who does you harm. If someone hits you on the right cheek, turn your other cheek to him too.

39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Note"Resist not evil" is ambiguous in Greek: it may mean evil in general or, more probably, the evil person, the one wronging you. The detail of the right cheek matters too. A right-handed man striking your right cheek does so with the back of his hand, which in this culture was an insult aimed at your standing rather than an attempt to injure you.

40And if someone wants to take you to court and take your shirt, let him have your coat as well.

40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

NoteThe KJV's "coat" is the tunic worn next to the skin, and the "cloak" is the heavy outer garment, which doubled as a blanket at night. The law of Moses forbade a creditor to keep a man's outer garment overnight, so the cloak was the one item a court could not take from you: handing it over goes beyond anything a lawsuit could win.

41And if someone forces you to go one mile with him, go two miles.

41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

NoteRoman soldiers and officials had the legal right to press a civilian into carrying their gear or baggage, a practice deeply resented in occupied territory. The Roman mile was a thousand paces, a little short of a modern mile. "Twain" is simply the old word for two.

42Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from anyone who wants to borrow from you.

42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

Note"Love thy neighbour" quotes the law of Moses, where "neighbour" in context means a fellow member of the community of Israel. "Hate thine enemy" is not a quotation from the law at all; no such command appears there. It represents a conclusion some drew from the first half, which the saying here sets aside.

44But I tell you: love your enemies, speak well of those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and hurt you.

44But 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;

Note"Despitefully use you" is 1611 English for treating someone spitefully or abusively. Some of the clauses here, "bless them that curse you" and "do good to them that hate you," are missing from the earliest Greek manuscripts and are present in later ones, which is why some modern translations give a shorter version of this verse.

45Then you will be children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on evil people and on good people, and he sends rain on those who do right and on those who do wrong.

45That 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.

46If you love only the people who love you, what reward do you get? Even the tax collectors do that much.

46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Note"Publicans" are tax and toll collectors. They bought the right to collect Roman revenue in a district and made their living from whatever they could take above the quota, so they were regarded both as collaborators with an occupying power and as licensed extortioners, a byword for the lowest sort of person one could name.

47And if you greet only your own brothers, what are you doing that is any different? Even the tax collectors do that much.

47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Note"Salute" means greet. A greeting in this culture was a public act of recognition, an acknowledgment that a person belonged to your circle, not a passing hello. Note also that the earliest Greek manuscripts here read "Gentiles," that is, non-Jews, where the later manuscripts the KJV followed read "publicans" as in the previous verse.

48So be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

NoteThe Greek word rendered "perfect" means complete, whole, brought to its intended end, as a grown man is a completed child or a finished job is a complete one. It carries less of the modern sense of flawlessness than the English word suggests.