Matthew 5
Matthew 5 is the first chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. It opens with the Beatitudes (Blessed are the poor in spirit...), calls Jesus' followers the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and then deepens the law on anger, lust, divorce, oaths, revenge, and love for enemies.
Matthew 5 (KJV)
Jesus sits down to teach on the mountain v. 1-2
1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
The Beatitudes v. 3-12
3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Salt of the earth, light of the world v. 13-16
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.
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
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.
16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Not to destroy the law, but to fulfil v. 17-20
17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
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.
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.
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.
Anger and reconciliation v. 21-26
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:
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.
23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
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.
26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Adultery of the heart and divorce v. 27-32
27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
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.
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 hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
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.
Let your yea be yea v. 33-37
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:
34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Turn the other cheek; love your enemies v. 38-48
38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
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.
40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
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;
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.
46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
What Matthew 5 means
Matthew 5 begins the Sermon on the Mount, which runs through chapter 7. Jesus sees the crowds, goes up a mountain, sits down as a teacher did, and teaches his disciples.
The Beatitudes in verses 3 to 12 name eight kinds of people as blessed: the poor in spirit, those that mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. Each comes with a promise. Most are the opposite of what the world calls fortunate, and that is the point: the kingdom of heaven turns the usual measures upside down. Verses 11 and 12 then speak directly to the disciples about being reviled for Jesus' sake.
Verses 13 to 16 tell his followers what they are: salt that must not lose its savour, and a light that should not be hidden under a bushel. The purpose is that people may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven, not the disciples themselves.
In verse 17 Jesus says he came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfil them, and that the righteousness he asks for must go beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees. The rest of the chapter shows what he means through six contrasts that follow the pattern ye have heard... but I say unto you. Murder is traced back to anger, adultery to the lustful look, and oaths to honest speech: let your yea be yea and your nay be nay.
The last two contrasts are the hardest. Instead of an eye for an eye, turn the other cheek, give the cloak too, and go the second mile. Instead of loving only neighbours, love your enemies and pray for them, because God sends sun and rain on the evil and the good alike. The chapter ends with the call to be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Christians have long debated how to apply these sayings, for example to self-defense and to oaths in court, but all agree they describe the heart God is after.
Background and context
The Gospel of Matthew is traditionally attributed to Matthew the tax collector, one of the twelve apostles. Matthew 5-7 is one of the longest blocks of Jesus' teaching in the Gospels.
Luke 6 has a shorter, similar sermon on a plain, with four blessings and four woes. The sayings Jesus contrasts with his own come from the law of Moses, including Exodus 20:13, Exodus 20:14, Exodus 21:24 and Deuteronomy 24:1.
Key verses
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3 · KJV
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Matthew 5:14 · KJV
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 · KJV
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;
Matthew 5:44 · KJV
Cross references
- Luke 6:20-23 Luke's version of the blessings: Blessed be ye poor, ye that hunger now, ye that weep now.And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
- Psalm 37:11 The meek shall inherit the earth, the psalm behind verse 5.But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
- Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill, which Jesus traces back to anger in verses 21-22.Thou shalt not kill.
- Exodus 21:24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, the law of fair limits quoted in verse 38.Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
- Deuteronomy 24:1 The bill of divorcement referred to in verse 31.When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
- Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, quoted in verse 43.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.
- Luke 6:27-28 Luke's record of love your enemies and pray for them which despitefully use you.But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
- Matthew 7:28-29 How the sermon ends: the people were astonished, for he taught as one having authority.And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
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Common questions
What are the Beatitudes in Matthew 5?
They are the blessings in verses 3-12 that begin Blessed are: the poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted.
Is Matthew 5 the Sermon on the Mount?
It is the first part. The Sermon on the Mount runs from Matthew 5 through Matthew 7, and Matthew 6 contains the Lord's Prayer.
What does Ye are the salt of the earth mean?
Salt preserved and flavored food. Jesus is saying his followers are meant to make a real difference in the world, and that salt which has lost his savour is good for nothing.
Where does Jesus say to love your enemies?
Matthew 5:44: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Did Jesus abolish the Old Testament law in Matthew 5?
He says the opposite in verse 17: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Christians explain how the law applies after Christ in different ways, but this verse is the starting point.
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