Matthew 5:2

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Matthew 5:1-2

We have here a general account of this sermon. I. The Preacher was our Lord Jesus, the Prince of preachers, the great Prophet of his church, who came into the world, to be the Light of the world. The prophets and John had done virtuously in preaching, but Christ excelled them all. He is the eternal Wisdom, that lay in the bosom of the Father, before all worlds, and perfectly knew his will (John 1:18); and he is the eternal Word, by whom he has in these last days spoken to us. The many... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 5:1-48

As we have already seen, Matthew has a careful pattern in his gospel. In his story of the baptism of Jesus he shows us Jesus realizing that the hour has struck, that the call to action has come, and that Jesus must go forth on his crusade. In his story of the Temptations he shows us Jesus deliberately choosing the method he will use to carry out his task, and deliberately rejecting methods which he knew to be against the will of God. If a man sets his hand to a great task, he needs his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:2

And he opened his mouth ,.... He spoke with a clear and strong voice, that all the people might hear him; and with great freedom, utterance, and cheerfulness, and things of the greatest moment and importance; and taught them ; not his disciples only, but the whole multitude, who heard him with astonishment; see Matthew 7:28 . Some things in the following discourse are directed to the disciples in particular, and others regard the multitude in general. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 5:2

Verse 2 2.Opening his mouth. This redundancy of expression ( πλεονασμὸς) partakes of the Hebrew idiom: for what would be faulty in other languages is frequent among the Hebrews, to say, He opened his mouth, instead of, He began to speak. Many look upon it as an emphatic mode of expression, employed to draw attention to any thing important and remarkable, either in a good or bad sense, which has been uttered: but as some passages of Scripture countenance an opposite view, I prefer the former... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:1-2

Teaching for the multitude. We hold that the discourse to which these two verses in St. Matthew's Gospel are an introduction is one with that given in the sixth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel; and that although, judging from the closest context in both passages, it might at first be supposed that "these sayings of Jesus" were spoken to the lesser circle of his disciples exclusively, they were really spoken, if not from the very beginning, yet, as regards the large proportion of them, to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:1-2

The preparation for a great sermon. Christ magnified the Law, and honoured the sabbath. On the sabbath he wrought many of his miracles and uttered many of his parables. So, after spending the night in prayer, on the sabbath he delivered his sermon on the mount. The preparation for that discourse is the subject of the text. In order to a great sermon there should be— I. A SUITABLE PLACE . 1 . Noble edifices have been raised by the piety of men. 2 . Here was a cathedral... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:1-16

The sermon on the mount. The first part of the sermon: the law of the kingdom of heaven. I. THE BEATITUDES . 1 . The first Beatitude. 2 . The second Beatitude. (a) It seems a paradox. Sorrow and joy are opposed to one another; but the Lord says that there is a sorrow which is blessed. Life is full of sorrows. There is more sorrow in the world than joy, more pain than pleasure. Outward sorrows are blessed if they are meekly borne, in patience and in trustful faith. When... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:2

And he opened his mouth . Frequent in the Old Testament; e.g. Job 3:1 . A Hebraism, indicating that the words spoken are not the utterance of chance, but of set will and purpose. In the Gospels (in this sense) only Matthew 13:35 (from Psalms 78:2 , LXX .); also in Acts 8:35 (Philip); Acts 10:34 (Peter); Acts 18:14 (Paul); Revelation 13:6 (the beast); cf. 2 Corinthians 6:11 , of perfect frankness of expression, and Ephesians 6:19 , perhaps of courage in the utterance of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:2

The new Preacher. "He opened his mouth, and taught them." Our Lord was both a Teacher and a Preacher. The teacher aims at instruction; he seeks to arouse the activity of his scholars' minds. The preacher aims at persuasion, and seeks to arouse into activity the moral nature. The teacher will prefer the interlocutory method; the preacher will prefer the lengthened and systematic address. The so-called sermon on the mount is the full outline, giving the chief points of a continuous address,... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 5:1-2

Matthew 5:1-2. And seeing the multitudes A vast concourse of people assembled from all parts to attend him, some with their sick to obtain cures, for he never rejected any who applied to him; some out of curiosity to see his miracles, and hear his extraordinary doctrine; some with a design to find fault and censure; and some, doubtless, to hear and be edified by his discourses, which seldom failed to make a deep impression on those who had any share of good sense or true piety: the Son of... read more

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