BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY

Matthew 5 — The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5 opens the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, calls disciples salt and light, and presents Jesus as the authoritative interpreter of Torah through a series of 'You have heard… but I say' contrasts.

Scripture

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him:

2and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

10Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.

13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

14Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

15Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.

16Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.

18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished.

19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.

23If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,

24leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.

27Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.

30And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.

31It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32but I say unto you, that every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress: and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery.

33Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God;

35nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.

38Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.

42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy:

44but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;

45that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.

46For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same?

48Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

What this passage means

Verses 3–12 present nine Beatitudes, each beginning with the Greek word μακάριοι (makarioi), often rendered 'blessed.' The word denotes a state of deep flourishing granted by God, not a feeling produced by circumstance. Each beatitude pairs a present condition (poor in spirit, mourning, meek) with a promised eschatological outcome (the kingdom, comfort, inheritance). The series builds from inward disposition toward visible witness and ends with persecution, showing that the community shaped by these virtues will inevitably clash with the world.

Verses 13–16 deploy two compact metaphors—salt (ἅλας) and light (φῶς)—to describe the disciples' social function. Salt preserves and flavors; a city on a hill cannot be hidden. The call is not to seek visibility but to recognize that faithful existence is inherently visible. The purpose stated in verse 16 is doxological: human good works are meant to redirect attention to 'your Father who is in heaven.'

Verses 17–48 form a single literary unit in which Jesus reframes six traditional teachings. The formula 'You have heard… but I say to you' does not nullify the law (verse 17: 'fulfill,' πληρῶσαι); it deepens it by moving from outward action to inward intention—anger, lust, divorce, oath-keeping, retaliation, enemy-love. The chapter closes with the command to be 'perfect' (τέλειοι) as the heavenly Father is perfect, where τέλειοι means complete or mature rather than sinless in an absolute sense.

Context

Matthew 5–7 forms the first of five teaching blocks in Matthew and opens Jesus' public ministry with a sustained discourse. The setting—Jesus on a mountain, seated while disciples approach—echoes Moses at Sinai (Exodus 19–20), presenting Jesus as a new lawgiver whose teaching both continues and transcends the Mosaic Torah. The crowds (ὄχλοι, verse 1) are present as audience; the disciples are the addressed recipients, a pattern Matthew sustains throughout the sermon.

Scholarly discussion often asks whether Jesus is contradicting or interpreting the law in 5:17–48. The text itself resolves this by stating the law will not pass away (verse 18) while demanding a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees (verse 20). The 'but I say to you' formula points to authoritative exegesis of scriptural intent, not abrogation—a distinction respected across the major interpretive traditions.

Key words in the original

  • G3107 μακάριοι (makarioi): rendered 'blessed' or 'happy'; denotes a God-given state of flourishing, not subjective emotion. It is the structural keyword of the Beatitudes (5:3–11).
  • G4239 πραεῖς (praeis): the meek or gentle; in Matthew 5:5 it carries the sense of strength under control, not weakness. The promise to 'inherit the earth' echoes Psalm 37:11.
  • G4434 πτωχοὶ (ptōchoi): the poor; in 'poor in spirit' it describes spiritual dependence on God rather than economic poverty alone, matching Isaiah 66:2 (cf. cross references).

Related verses

  • Luke 14:34 Luke's parallel to Matthew 5:13 confirms the salt saying circulated as an independent logion; both versions treat flavorless salt as fit only to be discarded.
  • Isaiah 66:2 The 'poor in spirit' of 5:3 echoes Isaiah 66:2's contrite and humble person, rooting the first Beatitude in the prophetic tradition rather than in mere economic imagery.
  • 1 Peter 2:12 Peter echoes 5:16's pattern: good works observed by outsiders lead them to glorify God, showing that Matthew's light metaphor shaped later Christian ethics.

Common questions

Is Jesus abolishing the law in Matthew 5:17–20?

No. Verse 17 says he came to 'fulfill' (πληρῶσαι) the law, not destroy it, and verse 18 insists that not even a jot or tittle will pass away. What follows is a deeper, intention-focused interpretation of the law's demands, not its cancellation.

How many Beatitudes are there in Matthew 5:3–12?

Most count nine statements beginning with 'Blessed are' (μακάριοι). Verses 3 and 10 both promise 'the kingdom of heaven,' which some scholars read as a literary frame around eight Beatitudes; others treat them as nine distinct statements. The exact count is not fixed in the tradition.

What does 'perfect' mean in Matthew 5:48?

The Greek τέλειοι (teleioi) means complete or mature, not sinless in an absolute sense. The verse calls disciples to mirror the Father's indiscriminate love (verses 44–45) as the trajectory of growth, a goal rather than a finished state.

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