Matthew 5:12
Matthew 5:12 | |
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← 5:11 5:13 → | |
Book | Gospel of Matthew |
Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 5:12 is the twelfth verse of
Content
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 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.
The Novum Testamentum Graece text is:
- χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε,
- ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς
- οὕτως γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 5:12.
Analysis
R. T. 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.[1]
Some commentators 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 note 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.[2] 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."[3]
Schweizer notes that some have read
Commentary from the Church Fathers
Glossa Ordinaria: Rejoice, that is, in mind, exult with the body, for your reward is not great only but abundant in heaven.[5]
Jerome: This it is in the power of any one of us to attain, that when our good character is injured by calumny, we rejoice in the Lord. He only who seeks after empty glory cannot attain this. Let us then rejoice and exult, that our reward may be prepared for us in heaven.[5]
Pseudo-Chrysostom: For by how much any is pleased with the praise of men, by so much is he grieved with their evil speaking. But if you seek your glory in heaven, you will not fear any slanders on earth.[5]
Glossa Ordinaria: He invites them to patience not only by the prospect of reward, but by example, when He adds, for so persecuted they the Prophets who were before you.[5]
Saint Remigius: For a man in sorrow receives great comfort from the recollection of the sufferings of others, who are set before him as an example of patience; as if He had said, Remember that ye are His Apostles, of whom also they were Prophets.[5]
References
- ^ France, R.T., The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
- ^ Hill, David. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981
- The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
- ^ Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Catena Aurea: commentary on the four Gospels; collected out of the works of the Fathers. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas". This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Preceded by Matthew 5:11 |
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 5 |
Succeeded by Matthew 5:13 |