Matius 4:23--5:7

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus ¹  went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, ²  preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. 4:24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People ³  brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, ⁴  paralytics, and those possessed by demons, ⁵  and he healed them. 4:25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, ⁶  Jerusalem, ⁷  Judea, and beyond the Jordan River. ⁸ 

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ⁹  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ¹⁰  After he sat down his disciples came to him. 5:2 Then ¹¹  he began to teach ¹²  them by saying:

5:3 “Blessed ¹³  are the poor in spirit, ¹⁴  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ¹⁵  to them.

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ¹⁶ 

5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger ¹⁷  and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Lukas 6:20-26

6:20 Then ¹⁸  he looked up ¹⁹  at his disciples and said:

“Blessed ²⁰  are you who are poor, ²¹  for the kingdom of God belongs ²²  to you.

6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger ²³  now, for you will be satisfied. ²⁴ 

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ²⁵ 

6:22 “Blessed are you when people ²⁶  hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil ²⁷  on account of the Son of Man! 6:23 Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy, because ²⁸  your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors ²⁹  did the same things to the prophets. ³⁰ 

6:24 “But woe ³¹  to you who are rich, for you have received ³²  your comfort ³³  already.

6:25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food ³⁴  now, for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you ³⁵  who laugh ³⁶  now, for you will mourn and weep.

6:26 “Woe to you ³⁷  when all people ³⁸  speak well of you, for their ancestors ³⁹  did the same things to the false prophets.

Matius 5:44

5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and ⁴⁰  pray for those who persecute you,

Matius 5:27-28

Adultery

5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ⁴¹  5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matius 6:1

Pure-hearted Giving

6:1 “Be ⁴²  careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. ⁴³  Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

Matius 6:22-25

6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, ⁴⁴  your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is diseased, ⁴⁵  your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate ⁴⁶  the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise ⁴⁷  the other. You cannot serve God and money. ⁴⁸ 

Do Not Worry

6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry ⁴⁹  about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?

Matius 6:33

6:33 But above all pursue his kingdom ⁵⁰  and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matius 7:24-26

Hearing and Doing

7:24 “Everyone ⁵¹  who hears these words of mine and does them is like ⁵²  a wise man ⁵³  who built his house on rock. 7:25 The rain fell, the flood ⁵⁴  came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

Lukas 6:28

6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat ⁵⁵  you.

Lukas 6:31

6:31 Treat others ⁵⁶  in the same way that you would want them to treat you. ⁵⁷ 

Lukas 6:48-49

6:48 He is like a man ⁵⁸  building a house, who dug down deep, ⁵⁹  and laid the foundation on bedrock. When ⁶⁰  a flood came, the river ⁶¹  burst against that house but ⁶²  could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁶³  6:49 But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice ⁶⁴  is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When ⁶⁵  the river burst against that house, ⁶⁶  it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!” ⁶⁷ 

Lukas 12:22

Exhortation Not to Worry

12:22 Then ⁶⁸  Jesus ⁶⁹  said to his ⁷⁰  disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry ⁷¹  about your ⁷²  life, what you will eat, or about your ⁷³  body, what you will wear.

Lukas 12:31

12:31 Instead, pursue ⁷⁴  his ⁷⁵  kingdom, ⁷⁶  and these things will be given to you as well.

[4:23]  ¹ tn Grk “And he.”

[4:23]  ² sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[4:24]  ³ tn Grk “And they”; “they” is probably an indefinite plural, referring to people in general rather than to the Syrians (cf. v. 25).

[4:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “those who were moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).

[4:24]  ⁵ tn The translation has adopted a different phrase order here than that in the Greek text. The Greek text reads, “People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those possessed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics.” Even though it is obvious that four separate groups of people are in view here, following the Greek word order could lead to the misconception that certain people were possessed by epileptics and paralytics. The word order adopted in the translation avoids this problem.

[4:25]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the places in the list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[4:25]  sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.

[4:25]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:25]  ⁸ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

[5:1]  ⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[5:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").

[5:1]  sn The expression up the mountain here may be idiomatic or generic, much like the English “he went to the hospital” (cf. 15:29), or even intentionally reminiscent of Exod 24:12 (LXX), since the genre of the Sermon on the Mount seems to be that of a new Moses giving a new law.

[5:2]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:2]  ¹² tn Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) has been translated ingressively.

[5:3]  ¹³ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[5:3]  ¹⁴ sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[5:3]  ¹⁵ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.

[5:4]  ¹⁶ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

[5:6]  ¹⁷ sn Those who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Ps 37:16-19; 107:9).

[6:20]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:20]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “lifting up his eyes” (an idiom). The participle ἐπάρας (epara") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[6:20]  ²⁰ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[6:20]  ²¹ sn You who are poor is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[6:20]  ²² sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized. Jesus was saying, in effect, “the kingdom belongs even now to people like you.”

[6:21]  ²³ sn You who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Ps 37:16-19; 107:9).

[6:21]  ²⁴ sn The promise you will be satisfied is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

[6:21]  ²⁵ sn You will laugh alludes to the joy that comes to God’s people in the salvation to come.

[6:22]  ²⁶ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[6:22]  ²⁷ tn Or “disdain you”; Grk “cast out your name as evil.” The word “name” is used here as a figure of speech to refer to the person as a whole.

[6:22]  sn The phrase when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil alludes to a person being ostracized and socially isolated because of association with the Son of Man, Jesus.

[6:23]  ²⁸ tn Grk “because behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this clause has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[6:23]  ²⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[6:23]  ³⁰ sn Mistreatment of the prophets is something Luke often notes (Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:51-52).

[6:24]  ³¹ sn Jesus promises condemnation (woe) to those who are callous of others, looking only to their own comforts. On Luke and the rich see 1:53; 12:16; 14:12; 16:1, 21-22; 18:23; 19:2; 21:1. These woes are unique to Luke.

[6:24]  ³² sn Ironically the language of reward shows that what the rich have received is all they will get. This result looks at a current situation, just as the start of the beatitudes did. The rest of the conclusions to the woes look to the future at the time of judgment.

[6:24]  ³³ tn Grk “your consolation.”

[6:25]  ³⁴ tn Grk “who are filled.” See L&N 23.18 for the translation “well satisfied with food.”

[6:25]  ³⁵ tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking in several witnesses (א B K L T W Θ Ξ 0147 Ë^1,13 579 700 892 1241 2542 al), though found in most (Ì⁷⁵ A D Q Ψ 33 Ï lat co). The longer reading looks to be a clarifying addition; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.

[6:25]  ³⁶ sn That is, laugh with happiness and joy.

[6:26]  ³⁷ tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking throughout the ms tradition except for a few witnesses (D W* Δ 1424 pc co). The Western witnesses tend to add freely to the text. Supported by the vast majority of witnesses and the likelihood that “to you” is a clarifying addition, the shorter reading should be considered original; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.

[6:26]  ³⁸ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[6:26]  ³⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[5:44]  ⁴⁰ tc Most mss ([D] L [W] Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat) read “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you,” before “those who persecute you.” But this is surely a motivated reading, importing the longer form of this aphorism from Luke 6:27-28. The shorter text is found in א B ˹ pc sa, as well as several fathers and versional witnesses.

[5:27]  ⁴¹ sn A quotation from Exod 20:14; Deut 5:17.

[6:1]  ⁴² tc ‡ Several mss (א L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892 1241 1424 al) have δέ (de, “but, now”) at the beginning of this verse; the reading without δέ is supported by B D W 0250 ˹³ Ï lat. A decision is difficult, but apparently the conjunction was added by later scribes to indicate a transition in the thought-flow of the Sermon on the Mount. NA²⁷ has δέ in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.

[6:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”

[6:22]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107). partly due to the immediate context concerning money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).

[6:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “if your eye is sick” (L&N 23.149).

[6:23]  sn There may be a slight wordplay here, as this term can also mean “evil,” so the figure uses a term that points to the real meaning of being careful as to what one pays attention to or looks at.

[6:24]  ⁴⁶ sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

[6:24]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”

[6:24]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “God and mammon.”

[6:24]  sn The term money is used to translate mammon, the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. God must be first, not money or possessions.

[6:25]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “do not be anxious,” and so throughout the rest of this paragraph.

[6:33]  ⁵⁰ tc ‡ Most mss (L W Θ 0233 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy mae) read τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ (thn basileian tou qeou kai thn dikaiosunhn aujtou, “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”) here, but the words “of God” are lacking in א B pc sa bo Eus. On the one hand, there is the possibility of accidental omission on the part of these Alexandrian witnesses, but it seems unlikely that the scribe’s eye would skip over both words (especially since τοῦ θεοῦ is bracketed by first declension nouns). Intrinsically, the author generally has a genitive modifier with βασιλεία – especially θεοῦ or οὐρανῶν (ouranwn) – but this argument cuts both ways: Although he might be expected to use such an adjunct here, scribes might also be familiar with his practice and would thus naturally insert it if it were missing in their copy of Matthew. Although a decision is difficult, the omission of τοῦ θεοῦ is considered most likely to be original. NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[6:33]  sn God’s kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.

[7:24]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Therefore everyone.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[7:24]  ⁵² tn Grk “will be like.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.

[7:24]  ⁵³ tn Here and in v. 26 the Greek text reads ἀνήρ (anhr), while the parallel account in Luke 6:47-49 uses ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") in vv. 48 and 49.

[7:25]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “the rivers.”

[6:28]  ⁵⁵ tn The substantival participle ἐπηρεαζόντων (ephreazontwn), sometimes translated “those who abuse” (NRSV), is better rendered “those who mistreat,” a more general term (see L&N 88.129).

[6:31]  ⁵⁶ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[6:31]  ⁵⁷ sn Jesus’ teaching as reflected in the phrase treat others in the same way you would want them to treat you, known generally as the Golden Rule, is not completely unique in the ancient world, but it is stated here in its most emphatic, selfless form.

[6:48]  ⁵⁸ tn Here and in v. 49 the Greek text reads ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), while the parallel account in Matt 7:24-27 uses ἀνήρ (anhr) in vv. 24 and 26.

[6:48]  ⁵⁹ tn There are actually two different Greek verbs used here: “who dug (ἔσκαψεν, eskayen) and dug deep (ἐβάθυνεν, ebaqunen).” Jesus is placing emphasis on the effort to which the man went to prepare his foundation.

[6:48]  ⁶⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:48]  ⁶¹ sn The picture here is of a river overflowing its banks and causing flooding and chaos.

[6:48]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

[6:48]  ⁶³ tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï latt), read “because he built [it] on the rock” rather than “because it had been well built” (Ì^75vid א B L W Ξ 33 579 892 1241 2542 pc sa). The reading of the later mss seems to be a harmonization to Matt 7:25, rendering it most likely secondary.

[6:49]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “does not do [them].”

[6:49]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “against which”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause was converted to a temporal clause in the translation and a new sentence started here.

[6:49]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “it”; the referent (that house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:49]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “and its crash was great.”

[6:49]  sn The extra phrase at the end of this description (and was utterly destroyed) portrays the great disappointment that the destruction of the house caused as it crashed and was swept away.

[12:22]  ⁶⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Jesus’ remarks to the disciples are an application of the point made in the previous parable.

[12:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:22]  ⁷⁰ tc αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) is lacking in Ì^45vid,75 B 1241 c e. Although the addition of clarifying pronouns is a known scribal alteration, in this case it is probably better to view the dropping of the pronoun as the alteration in light of its minimal attestation.

[12:22]  ⁷¹ tn Or “do not be anxious.”

[12:22]  ⁷² tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33 Ï) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, although several important and early witnesses omit it (Ì⁷⁵ א A B D L Q W Θ Ë¹ 700 2542 al lat). Externally, the shorter reading is superior. Internally, the pronoun looks to be a scribal clarification. In context the article can be translated as a possessive pronoun anyway (ExSyn 215), as it has been done for this translation.

[12:22]  ⁷³ tc Some mss (B 070 ˹³ 33 1424 al) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, although the witnesses for the omission are early, important, and varied (Ì^45vid,75 א A D L Q W Θ Ψ Ë¹ Ï lat). See previous tc note for more discussion.

[12:31]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

[12:31]  ⁷⁵ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

[12:31]  ⁷⁶ sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.