Matthew 5:12
Encyclopedia
Matthew 5:12 is the twelfth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. It is the tenth verse of the Sermon on the Mount
. This verse is generally seen as part of an expansion of the eight Beatitude, others see it as the second half of the ninth Beatitude, a small group feel it is the tenth Beatitude and thus brings to a close a second Decalogue
.
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 5:12
France notes that the word glad in the original is actually a more complex term meaning "joy in the face of persecution and martyrdom" that has no easy translation in English.
Some have been concerned about how closely this verse links good behaviour to eternal rewards, and that it implies that concern about these rewards is the main consideration in being moral. Albright and Mann notes that the idea of rewards and punishments has "undeniable prominence" in the Gospel of Matthew. Hill feels that reward can be read as simply "good repute," the opposite of the slander in the previous verse. Albright and Mann note that heaven
is not here referring to the modern idea of a place that one goes after death which only developed later, rather it refers simply to "being with God."
Schweizer notes that some have read prophet
s as meaning that this verse, and perhaps that which went before it, was only directed at the elite group of Christ's disciple
s and not the general population. Schweizer feels that it actually has just the opposite meaning and is instead showing that the promises in Jeremiah 31:34 and Isaiah 54:13 that all would someday be equal to the prophets had come to pass. Hill notes that the Essenes
called each other prophets, and that Jesus might have here adopted that usage.
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 tenth 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...
. This verse is generally seen as part of an expansion of the eight Beatitude, others see it as the second half of the ninth Beatitude, a small group feel it is the tenth Beatitude and thus brings to a close a second Decalogue
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for
- great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
- they the prophets which were before you.
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:
- Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is
- your reward in heaven. For that is how they
- persecuted the prophets who were before you.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:12
France notes that the word glad in the original is actually a more complex term meaning "joy in the face of persecution and martyrdom" that has no easy translation in English.
Some have been concerned about how closely this verse links good behaviour to eternal rewards, and that it implies that concern about these rewards is the main consideration in being moral. Albright and Mann notes that the idea of rewards and punishments has "undeniable prominence" in the Gospel of Matthew. Hill feels that reward can be read as simply "good repute," the opposite of the slander in the previous verse. Albright and Mann note that heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
is not here referring to the modern idea of a place that one goes after death which only developed later, rather it refers simply to "being with God."
Schweizer notes that some have read prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s as meaning that this verse, and perhaps that which went before it, was only directed at the elite group of Christ's disciple
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
s and not the general population. Schweizer feels that it actually has just the opposite meaning and is instead showing that the promises in Jeremiah 31:34 and Isaiah 54:13 that all would someday be equal to the prophets had come to pass. Hill notes that the Essenes
Essenes
The Essenes were a Jewish sect that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE which some scholars claim seceded from the Zadokite priests...
called each other prophets, and that Jesus might have here adopted that usage.