And seeing the multitudes — At some distance, as they were coming to him from every quarter. He went up into the mountain — Which was near: where there was room for them all. His disciples — not only his twelve disciples, but all who desired to learn of him.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he opened his mouth — A phrase which always denotes a set and solemn discourse; and taught them — To bless men; to make men happy, was the great business for which our Lord came into the world. And accordingly he here pronounces eight blessings together, annexing them to so many steps in Christi... [ Continue Reading ]
Happy are the poor — In the following discourse there is, A sweet invitation to true holiness and happiness, Matthew 5:3. A persuasive to impart it to others, Matthew 5:13. A description of true Christian holiness, Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12. (in which it is easy to observe, the latter part exactly... [ Continue Reading ]
They that mourn — Either for their own sins, or for other men's, and are steadily and habitually serious. They shall be comforted — More solidly and deeply even in this world, and eternally in heaven.... [ Continue Reading ]
Happy are the meek — They that hold all their passions and affections evenly balanced. They shall inherit the earth — They shall have all things really necessary for life and godliness. They shall enjoy whatever portion God hath given them here, and shall hereafter possess the new earth, wherein dwe... [ Continue Reading ]
They that hunger and thirst after righteousness — After the holiness here described. They shall be satisfied with it.... [ Continue Reading ]
The merciful — The tender — hearted: they who love all men as themselves: They shall obtain mercy — Whatever mercy therefore we desire from God, the same let us show to our brethren. He will repay us a thousand fold, the love we bear to any for his sake.... [ Continue Reading ]
The pure in heart — The sanctified: they who love God with all their hearts. They shall see God — In all things here; hereafter in glory.... [ Continue Reading ]
The peace makers — They that out of love to God and man do all possible good to all men. Peace in the Scripture sense implies all blessings temporal and eternal. They shall be called the children of God — Shall be acknowledged such by God and man. One would imagine a person of this amiable temper an... [ Continue Reading ]
For righteousness' sake — That is, because they have, or follow after, the righteousness here described. He that is truly a righteous man, he that mourns, and he that is pure in heart, yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution, 2 Timothy 3:12. The world will always say,... [ Continue Reading ]
Revile — When present: say all evil — When you are absent.... [ Continue Reading ]
Your reward — Even over and above the happiness that naturally and directly results from holiness.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye — Not the apostles, not ministers only; but all ye who are thus holy, are the salt of the earth — Are to season others. Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye are the light of the world — If ye are thus holy, you can no more be hid than the sun in the firmament: no more than a city on a mountain — Probably pointing to that on the brow of the opposite hill.... [ Continue Reading ]
Nay, the very design of God in giving you this light was, that it might shine. Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; Luke 11:33.... [ Continue Reading ]
That they may see — and glorify — That is, that seeing your good works, they may be moved to love and serve God likewise.... [ Continue Reading ]
Think not — Do not imagine, fear, hope, that I am come — Like your teachers, to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy — The moral law, but to fulfil — To establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning, both by my life and doctrine.... [ Continue Reading ]
Till all things shall be effected — Which it either requires or foretells. For the law has its effect, when the rewards are given, and the punishments annexed to it inflicted, as well as when its precepts are obeyed. Luke 16:17; Luke 21:33.... [ Continue Reading ]
One of the least — So accounted by men; and shall teach — Either by word or example; shall be the least — That is, shall have no part therein.... [ Continue Reading ]
The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees — Described in the sequel of this discourse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye have heard — From the scribes reciting the law; Thou shalt do no murder — And they interpreted this, as all the other commandments, barely of the outward act. The judgement — The Jews had in every city a court of twenty — three men, who could sentence a criminal to be strangled. But the sanhedrim... [ Continue Reading ]
But I say unto you — Which of the prophets ever spake thus? Their language is, Thus saith the Lord. Who hath authority to use this language, but the one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Whosoever is angry with his brother — Some copies add, without a cause — But this is utterly foreign... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy brother hath aught against thee — On any of the preceding accounts: for any unkind thought or word: any that did not spring from love.... [ Continue Reading ]
Leaving thy gift, go — For neither thy gift nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love: but this will make them both an abomination before God.... [ Continue Reading ]
Agree with thine adversary — With any against whom thou hast thus offended: while thou art in the way — Instantly, on the spot; before you part. Lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge — Lest he commit his cause to God. Luke 12:58.... [ Continue Reading ]
Till thou hast paid the last farthing — That is, for ever, since thou canst never do this. What has been hitherto said refers to meekness: what follows, to purity of heart.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not commit adultery — And this, as well as the sixth commandment, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted barely of the outward act. Exodus 20:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
If a person as dear as a right eye, or as useful as a right hand, cause thee thus to offend, though but in heart. Perhaps here may be an instance of a kind of transposition which is frequently found in the sacred writings: so that Matthew 5:29 may refer to Matthew 5:27; and Matthew 5:30 to Matthew 5... [ Continue Reading ]
See note ... "Matthew 5:29".... [ Continue Reading ]
Let him give her a writing of divorce — Which the scribes and Pharisees allowed men to do on any trifling occasion. Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 19:7; Mark 10:2; Luke 16:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
Causeth her to commit adultery — If she marry again.... [ Continue Reading ]
Our Lord here refers to the promise made to the pure in heart of seeing God in all things, and points out a false doctrine of the scribes, which arose from their not thus seeing God. What he forbids is, the swearing at all, by any creature, in our ordinary conversation: both of which the scribes and... [ Continue Reading ]
For thou canst not make one hair white or black — Whereby it appears, that this also is not thine but God's.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let your conversation be yea, yea; nay, nay — That is, in your common discourse, barely affirm or deny.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ye have heard — Our Lord proceeds to enforce such meekness and love on those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (which he pursues to the end of the chapter) as were utterly unknown to the scribes and Pharisees. It hath been said — In the law, as a direction to judges, in ease of violent and... [ Continue Reading ]
But I say unto you, that ye resist not the evil man — Thus; the Greek word translated resist signifies standing in battle array, striving for victory. If a man smite thee on the right cheek — Return not evil for evil: yea, turn to him the other — Rather than revenge thyself.... [ Continue Reading ]
Where the damage is not great, choose rather to suffer it, though possibly it may on that account be repeated, than to demand an eye for an eye, to enter into a rigorous prosecution of the offender. The meaning of the whole passage seems to be, rather than return evil for evil, when the wrong is pur... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus much for your behaviour toward the violent. As for those who use milder methods, Give to him that asketh thee — Give and lend to any so far, (but no further, for God never contradicts himself) as is consistent with thy engagements to thy creditors, thy family, and the household of faith. Luke 6... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt love thy neighbour; And hate thy enemy — God spoke the former part; the scribes added the latter. Leviticus 19:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
Bless them that curse you — Speak all the good you can to and of them, who speak all evil to and of you. Repay love in thought, word, and deed, to those who hate you, and show it both in word and deed. Luke 6:27, Luke 6:35.... [ Continue Reading ]
That ye may be the children — That is, that ye may continue and appear such before men and angels. For he maketh his sun to rise — He gives them such blessings as they will receive at his hands. Spiritual blessings they will not receive.... [ Continue Reading ]
The publicans — were officers of the revenue, farmers, or receivers of the public money: men employed by the Romans to gather the taxes and customs, which they exacted of the nations they had conquered. These were generally odious for their extortion and oppression, and were reckoned by the Jews as... [ Continue Reading ]
And if ye salute your friends only — Our Lord probably glances at those prejudices, which different sects had against each other, and intimates, that he would not have his followers imbibe that narrow spirit. Would to God this had been more attended to among the unhappy divisions and subdivisions, i... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore ye shall be perfect; as your Father who is in heaven is perfect — So the original runs, referring to all that holiness which is described in the foregoing verses, which our Lord in the beginning of the chapter recommends as happiness, and in the close of it as perfection. And how wise and... [ Continue Reading ]