Matthew 5:4
Encyclopedia
Matthew 5:4 is the fourth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. It is the second verse of the Sermon on the Mount
, and second of what are known as the Beatitudes
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:4
This is often considered to be a version of Luke 6:21, part of the Sermon on the Plain
, which has weepers being able to laugh. Gundry feels that Matthew modified the verse to better match Isaiah 61:2. Albright and Mann note that in a number of early versions the order of 5:4 and 5:5 are reversed. Schweizer feels the current order was implemented to better reflect Isaiah 61:1-2.
The word mourn does not refer to mourning for the dead, the most common English use of the term. Most scholars feel mourners should be read as "the oppressed." Schweizer notes that the view that it refers to those mourning their sin
fulness is wrong. The theology of the period, and in the Gospel of Matthew, is that sins must be hated, not mourned. Schweizer also notes that an early Christian document interprets this verse as referring to the mourning of the unbelievers who will be damned.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. It is the second verse of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
, and second of what are known as the Beatitudes
Beatitudes
In Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful....
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Blessed are they that mourn:
- for they shall be comforted.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Blessed are those who mourn,
- for they shall be comforted.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:4
This is often considered to be a version of Luke 6:21, part of the Sermon on the Plain
Sermon on the Plain
In Christianity, the Sermon on the Plain refers to a set of teachings by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, in 6:17-49.This sermon may be compared to the longer Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew....
, which has weepers being able to laugh. Gundry feels that Matthew modified the verse to better match Isaiah 61:2. Albright and Mann note that in a number of early versions the order of 5:4 and 5:5 are reversed. Schweizer feels the current order was implemented to better reflect Isaiah 61:1-2.
The word mourn does not refer to mourning for the dead, the most common English use of the term. Most scholars feel mourners should be read as "the oppressed." Schweizer notes that the view that it refers to those mourning their sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
fulness is wrong. The theology of the period, and in the Gospel of Matthew, is that sins must be hated, not mourned. Schweizer also notes that an early Christian document interprets this verse as referring to the mourning of the unbelievers who will be damned.