Matthew 5:1-13 NIV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful ,.... Who show mercy to the bodies of men, to those that are poor, indigent, and miserable, in their outward circumstances; by both sympathizing with them, and distributing unto them; not only making use of expressions of pity and concern; but communicating with readiness and cheerfulness, with affection and tenderness, and with a view to the glory of God: who also show mercy to the souls of men, by instructing such as are ignorant, giving them good counsel and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart ,.... Not in the head; for men may have pure notions and impure hearts; not in the hand, or action, or in outward conversation only; so the Pharisees were outwardly righteous before men, but inwardly full of impurity; but "in heart". The heart of man is naturally unclean; nor is it in the power of man to make it clean, or to be pure from his sin; nor is any man in this life, in such sense, so pure in heart, as to be entirely free from sin. This is only true of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peace makers ,.... Not between God and man, for no man can make his own peace with God; nor can any mere creature, angels, or men, make it for him; Christ, in this sense, is the only peace maker: but between men and men; and such are they, who are of peaceable dispositions themselves; live peaceably with all men, and with one another, as their relation obliges to, and their mutual comfort requires; and with the men of the world; and who are ready, willing, and very... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:10

Blessed are they which are persecuted ,.... Not for any crimes they have done, for unrighteousness and iniquity, as murderers, thieves, and evildoers, but for righteousness sake : on account of their righteous and godly conversation, which brings upon them the hatred and enmity of the men of the world: for saints, by living righteously, separate themselves from them, and profess themselves not to belong to them; their religious life sets a brand upon, and distinguishes other persons;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:11

Blessed are ye when men shall revile you ,.... These words are particularly directed to the disciples of Christ, and are designed to inform them, that they should not be exempted from reproach and persecution, and to animate and fortify them against it; and are prophetical of what they, and the first Christians particularly, were to endure for Christ's sake. Men should "revile" them, speak very reproachfully of them, brand them with infamy, and load them with disgrace; and persecute you ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:12

Rejoice and be exceeding glad ,.... Because of the honour put upon them, the glory they bring to Christ and his cause, by cheerfully suffering for it; and because of the glory and happiness that shall follow upon their sufferings: for great is your reward in heaven ; not of debt, but of grace; for there is no proportion or comparison between what the saints suffer for Christ, and the glory that shall be revealed in them by him; not in earth, but in heaven. Saints must not expect their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:13

Ye are the salt of the earth ,.... This is to be understood of the disciples and apostles of Christ; who might be compared to "salt", because of the savoury doctrines they preached; as all such are, which are agreeable to the Scriptures, and are of the evangelic kind, which are full of Christ, serve to exalt him, and to magnify the grace of God; and are suitable to the experiences of the saints, and are according to godliness, and tend to promote it: also because of their savoury lives and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:1

And seeing the multitudes - Τους οχλους , these multitudes, viz. those mentioned in the preceding verse, which should make the first verse of this chapter. He went up into a mountain - That he might have the greater advantage of speaking, so as to be heard by that great concourse of people which followed him. It is very probable that nothing more is meant here than a small hill or eminence. Had he been on a high mountain they could not have heard; and, had he been at a great distance,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit, etc. - Or, happy, μακαριοι from μα or μη , not, and κηρ , fate, or death: intimating, that such persons were endued with immortality, and consequently were not liable to the caprices of fate. Homer, Iliad i, 330, calls the supreme gods, Θεων μακαρων , the ever happy and Immortal gods, and opposes them to θνητων ανθρωπων , mortal men. τω δ ' αυτω μαρτυροι εστων Προς τε Θεων μακαρων, προς τε θνητων ανθροπων "Be ye witnesses before the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:4

Blessed are they that mourn - That is, those who, feeling their spiritual poverty, mourn after God, lamenting the iniquity that separated them from the fountain of blessedness. Every one flies from sorrow, and seeks after joy, and yet true joy must necessarily be the fruit of sorrow. The whole need not (do not feel the need of) the physician, but they that are sick do; i.e. they who are sensible of their disease. Only such persons as are deeply convinced of the sinfulness of sin, feel the... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:13

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:1

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:4

Group of Brands