BOOK 40 OF 66 · GOSPELS · KING JAMES BIBLE

Matthew 5

Matthew book home•Chapter 5 of 28•48 verses

Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study

REVIEWED OVERVIEW

Matthew 5 Overview

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, calls His disciples salt and light, explains His relationship to the law, and repeatedly moves from external righteousness to the heart. He addresses anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and love for enemies, calling His hearers to a righteousness that reflects the Father’s character rather than the hypocrisy of outward religion.

MatthewBook

5Chapter

48Verses

GospelsDivision

Before you read Matthew 5

Coming from

Matthew 4 established the immediate context: After His baptism Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness and tempted by the devil.

In this chapter

The King describes the character and conduct fitting His disciples, pressing beyond surface rule-keeping into motives, relationships, truthfulness, and love.

Leads into

Matthew 6 continues the account: Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by contrasting sincere devotion with religious performance.

Key understandingExplore deeper

The Sermon on the Mount is addressed to disciples in the presence of the crowds. It teaches kingdom righteousness and discipleship; it should not be turned into a checklist by which sinners earn eternal life.

Jesus does not abolish the law. He fulfills it and authoritatively exposes the shallow interpretations that reduced obedience to external boundaries.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Kingdom blessedness often reverses worldly values

The poor in spirit, mourners, meek, merciful, pure, peacemakers, and persecuted are called blessed.

Righteousness reaches the heart

Anger, lust, hatred, and manipulative speech reveal moral corruption before outward acts occur.

Disciples are meant to influence the world openly

Salt and light imagery assumes visible faithfulness, not hidden private religion.

Love extends beyond friends

Jesus calls disciples to love enemies in imitation of the Father’s generous goodness.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Exodus 20

Jesus addresses commands concerning murder, adultery, falsehood, and neighbor-love within the wider moral law.

Leviticus 19:18

The command to love one’s neighbor stands behind Jesus’ correction of narrowed love.

Romans 3:19–24

Paul explains that law exposes guilt and that justification is by grace through faith, guarding against using Matthew 5 as a ladder to earn salvation.

James 1–3

James similarly presses righteousness into speech, anger, partiality, and lived conduct.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not preach the Beatitudes as eight works required to become saved

They describe kingdom values and disciple character, not meritorious conditions for eternal life.

Do not use heart-righteousness to minimize outward sin

Jesus intensifies moral seriousness; He does not make actions irrelevant.

Do not flatten every marriage/divorce question into one verse without comparing the fuller biblical teaching

Jesus is confronting covenant unfaithfulness and misuse of divorce provisions.

Read Matthew 5 watching for…

The repeated word blessed and the people Jesus calls blessed.

The salt-and-light responsibility.

Every movement from outward act to inward motive.

Jesus’ authority in interpreting the law.

The progression from non-retaliation to love of enemies.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-16Jesus describes the blessed and calls his disciples salt and light 17-20Jesus explains that he came to fulfill the law and calls for righteousness beyond outward religion 21-32Jesus teaches about anger, reconciliation, lust, and marriage 33-48Jesus teaches truthful speech, love for enemies, and perfection like the Father

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

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

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

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

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

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

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

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

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

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

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

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

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

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

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

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

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

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

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

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

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

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

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

But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

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

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

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

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

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

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

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.