POOR IN SPIRIT; the humble, who feel their dependence on God in all things, temporal and spiritual, and look to him for the supply of every want; more especially those who feel their need, as sinners, of spiritual blessings, and look to Jesus Christ to grant them. Isaiah 66:2. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY THAT MOURN; over their spiritual wants, and over sin as the guilty cause of them; who long for spiritual blessings, and come to Jesus Christ for them, according to his directions. Revelation 3:18. This beatitude includes also all the mourning to which God's children are subjected by the chasten... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MEEK; those who are gentle and forgiving, submissive and teachable, patient under injuries, disposed not to render evil for evil, but to overcome evil with good. INHERIT THE EARTH; receive and enjoy every earthly and spiritual blessing that is for their best good here, and reign with Christ for... [ Continue Reading ]
HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS; ardently desire to be and do right because it is right; trusting not in their own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ, which by the apostle is called the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ which is unto all and upon all them that believ... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MERCIFUL; those who feel for the sufferings of others, and are disposed to relieve them. MERCY; from God. Compare Chap Matthew 25:34-45. God requires us to exercise the compassion towards others which we need to have exercised towards us.... [ Continue Reading ]
PURE IN HEART; freed from the dominion and pollution of sin. SEE GOD; have right views of him, and enjoy his presence here and hereafter.... [ Continue Reading ]
PEACEMAKERS; those who desire and seek to have all men at peace with God, with their own consciences, and with one another. CHILDREN OF GOD; those who imitate him, and whom he will make heirs according to his promise. Romans 8:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
RIGHTEOUSNESS' SAKE; on account of their being and doing right. Great opposition to men is no certain evidence that they are wrong.... [ Continue Reading ]
FALSELY; when the evil which is said of you is false. FOR MY SAKE; on account of your attachment and likeness to me.... [ Continue Reading ]
SO PERSECUTED; Hebrews 11:35-38.... [ Continue Reading ]
SALT OF THE EARTH; means of its preservation, by your holy doctrine, prayers, and example. LOST HIS SAVOR; become worthless. Some think there is here an allusion to the fact that the salt in that country was mixed with earthy substances, which remained after it had lost its saltness, and were throw... [ Continue Reading ]
LIGHT; that which shows things as they are, and gives to men right views of them.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHINE; let the goodness of your principles be seen in your conduct, that men may be led to honor God, the author of all good. Consistent Christian example is a means of leading men to honor God, and of greatly promoting their highest good.... [ Continue Reading ]
DESTROY THE LAW; set aside either the principles or the moral precepts of the Old Testament. TO FULFIL; rightly to explain the nature and perfectly to enforce the precepts of the moral law, as well as perfectly to obey them in his own person, bear the curse which was prefigured in the ceremonial la... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE JOT; no part of the MORAL law or of the obligations to obey it shall be done away; nor shall any part of the CEREMONIAL law, till its end is accomplished.... [ Continue Reading ]
LEAST COMMANDMENTS; least, as compared with others. No precept of God's law may be set aside on the ground of its comparative unimportance; for the least disobedience to any command of God is highly offensive to him, while obedience in all things is his delight. THE LEAST; of the least repute as a... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL EXCEED-SCRIBES AND PHARISEES; their righteousness was selfish, and consisted in externals; while the righteousness which God required is internal as well as external, and consists in conformity of heart and life to his revealed will.... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THEM OF OLD TIME; rather, as the margin, "to them of old time"; and so below, verses Matthew 5:27; Matthew 5:33. THE JUDGMENT; here the sentence of death from the lower court established by Moses in all the cities of Israel. Deuteronomy 16:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER; in his heart, to which God looks. WITHOUT A CAUSE; not merely without an occasion, but rather, in an unreasonable degree, or with any mixture of malice. THE JUDGMENT; the judgment of God. The Saviour's meaning is this: by the law of Moses literal murder is punished with dea... [ Continue Reading ]
GIFT; religious offering. ALTAR; place where the offering was made. AUGHT; any cause of complaint.... [ Continue Reading ]
ADVERSARY; thy fellow-man who has just claims against thee. But the precept also looks beyond all human adversaries to God, with whom, under an example taken from earthly matters, it warns us to be reconciled while we are yet on the way to his judgment-seat. Opportunity to perform present duty shoul... [ Continue Reading ]
IN HIS HEART; the laws of God extend to the thoughts; and men may violate them in their hearts without manifesting their feelings in outward conduct.... [ Continue Reading ]
OFFEND THEE; cause thee to sin. PROFITABLE FOR THEE; it is better to put away the causes of sin than to suffer its consequences. The avoidance of sin by self-denial, and if need by, by great sacrifices, will in the end be great gain.... [ Continue Reading ]
WRITING OF DIVORCEMENT; a certificate that their marriage relation was dissolved by his own act. See Deuteronomy 24:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
CAUSETH HER; exposeth her to commit adultery; because, according to the law of Christ's kingdom, her marriage to another man will be regarded as adultery.... [ Continue Reading ]
FORSWEAR THYSELF; commit perjury, or swear to that which is false. PERFORM UNTO THE LORD; the Pharisees taught that religious oaths in which God's name was used were binding and should be filled, while they were less scrupulous about oaths by created things, and in common conversation. But our Lord... [ Continue Reading ]
The practice of swearing in common conversation, or of swearing to a falsehood, shows great wickedness of heart.... [ Continue Reading ]
CANST NOT MAKE ONE HAIR WHITE OR BLACK; thy head is a creature of God, over which thou hast no control; so that in swearing by it, thou swearest by him that made it and has it in his power.... [ Continue Reading ]
COMMUNICATION; conversation and discourse. YEA-NAY; simple declarations, without profaneness of any kind.... [ Continue Reading ]
RESIST NOT EVIL; by rendering like for like. It is the spirit of kindness and forgiveness towards those who injure us which our Lord here inculcates. The forgiveness of injuries, and not the avenging of them, is an exhibition of true greatness and goodness.... [ Continue Reading ]
COAT-CLOAK; the coat among the Jews was an inner garment, called a tunic, extending from the neck to the knee. Over this was a cloak or mantle, which was a large, loose garment, and when they travelled was girt tight round the body with a girdle Hence, "to gird up one's loins" implied readiness for... [ Continue Reading ]
COMPEL THEE TO GO A MILE; the original word here rendered compel, denotes a compulsion by the public authorities and for public service. When thus called upon by rightful authority to travel or do public service, be ready to go farther or do even more than is required, rather than resist the governm... [ Continue Reading ]
GIVE-TURN NOT THOU AWAY; when the person who asks or would borrow is needy accommodate him, if consistently with duty you can do it.... [ Continue Reading ]
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES; not their character or their conduct, but their souls. Pray for them and seek their good. Love to enemies, and a disposition to do them the greatest good which duty will permit, likens men to God.... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE LOVE THEM; them only. PUBLICANS; tax-gatherers, who were considered as very wicked, and were often cruel and oppressive.... [ Continue Reading ]
AS YOUR FATHER; imitate him in all his imitable perfections.... [ Continue Reading ]