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The Beatitudes

When[a] he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain.[b] After he sat down his disciples came to him. Then[c] he began to teach[d] them by saying:

“Blessed[e] are the poor in spirit,[f] for the kingdom of heaven belongs[g] to them.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.[h]
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger[i] and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children[j] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
11 “Blessed are you when people[k] insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely[l] on account of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  2. Matthew 5:1 tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oros).sn The expression up the mountain here may be idiomatic or generic, much like the English “he went to the hospital” (cf. 15:29), or even intentionally reminiscent of Exod 24:12 (LXX), since the genre of the Sermon on the Mount seems to be that of a new Moses giving a new law.
  3. Matthew 5:2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  4. Matthew 5:2 tn Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) has been translated ingressively.
  5. Matthew 5:3 sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.
  6. Matthew 5:3 sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Pss 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.
  7. Matthew 5:3 sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.
  8. Matthew 5:4 sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.
  9. Matthew 5:6 sn Those who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Pss 37:16-19; 107:9).
  10. Matthew 5:9 tn Grk “sons,” though traditionally English versions have taken this as a generic reference to both males and females, hence “children” (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT).
  11. Matthew 5:11 tn Grk “when they insult you.” The third person pronoun (here implied in the verb ὀνειδίσωσιν [oneidisōsin]) has no specific referent, but refers to people in general.
  12. Matthew 5:11 tc Although ψευδόμενοι (pseudomenoi, “bearing witness falsely”) could be a motivated reading, clarifying that the disciples are unjustly persecuted, its lack in only D it sys Tert does not help its case. Since the Western text is known for numerous free alterations, without corroborative evidence the shorter reading must be judged as secondary.

Jesus Teaches the People(A)

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on ·a hill [the mountain] and sat down. His ·followers [disciples] ·came to [gathered around] him, and he began to teach them, saying:

“·They are blessed [or Blessed are those…; C and so through v. 10] who ·realize their spiritual poverty [L are the poor in spirit],
    for the kingdom of heaven ·belongs to them [is theirs].
They are blessed who ·grieve [mourn],
    for ·God will comfort them [L they will be comforted; C the passive verb implies God as subject].
They are blessed who are ·humble [meek; gentle],
    for ·the whole earth will be theirs [L they shall inherit the earth; Ps. 37:11].
They are blessed who hunger and thirst after ·justice [righteousness],
    for they will be ·satisfied [filled].
They are blessed who show mercy to others,
    for ·God will show mercy to them [L they will be shown mercy; C the passive verb implies God as subject].
They are blessed ·whose thoughts are pure [or whose hearts are pure; T the pure in heart],
    for they will see God.
They are blessed who work for peace [T Blessed are the peacemakers],
    for they will be called God’s ·children [or sons].
10 They are blessed who are persecuted for ·doing good [doing what’s right; L the sake of righteousness],
    for the kingdom of heaven ·belongs to them [is theirs].

11 “·You are blessed [T Blessed are you; or God will bless you] when people ·insult [mock; abuse; revile] you and ·hurt [persecute] you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things ·about [against] you because ·you follow [L of] me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. ·People did the same evil things to [L They likewise persecuted] the prophets who lived before you.

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