Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Matthew Capítulo 5

Matthew 5:1. And seeing the multitudes— And seeing such a multitude: Heylin: who supposes this verse to be immediately connected with the last of the preceding chapter. It does not appear in what part of Galilee this mountain was situated; and if the cure of the leper which Christ performed at his descending from it, was wrought in the confines of some other city, and not of Capernaum, there is no reason to suppose, as most expositors do, that it was in the neighbourhood of Capernaum. See ch. Matthew 8:1-2.Luke 5:12; Luke 5:12. Maundrell says, that what is now called the mount of the Beatitudes, is a little to the north of mount Tabor. Travels, p. 115. And if this be its true situation, it must be at some considerable distance from Capernaum. Dr.

Doddridge is of opinion, that this discourse was different from and previous to that which St. Luke has given us in the sixth chapter of his gospel, though many of the sentiments and expressions are the same. It is, however, more generally thought that these discourses are the same. And it appears from Luke 6:12; Luk 6:17 that our Saviour having gone up to the top of the mountain to pray, coming down thence, he stood on a plain and even part of the same mountain, whence he could easily be heard. So Moses first ascended mount Sinai alone, but afterwards accompanied by the elders; whence the law was promulged by God. Jesus sat down, according to the custom of the Jewish doctors, when they taught. His disciples, mean, not merely the twelve apostles, but all those in general who followed the Lord Jesus Christ. See Luke 6:13. Joh 9:27 and in most places in the Acts the Christians are called discip

return to '

Matthew 5:2. And he opened his mouth— This phrase denotes speaking in a solemn and authoritative manner, intimating the importance of what is going to be delivered, and is not always used as a pleonasm. Comp. Judges 11:35-36. Job 3:1; Job 33:2.Matthew 13:35; Matthew 13:35.Acts 8:35; Acts 8:35; Acts 10:34. In order to enter into the beauty of this discourse, it is necessary to consider it as addressed not merely to the apostles, but to Christ's disciples in general, and to vast numbers of people, who, affected with the sight or fame of his miracles, were now assembled around him; probably expecting that he would immediately declare himself the Messiah, and full of those false notions of his kingdom which so generally prevailed. Dr. Blair, in his excellent discourses on this sermon, has shewn beyond all others, how directly the beginning of it is levelled against these prejudices; calculated, as the whole of it is, to correct those erroneous notions of the Messiah's kingdom, which were so common, and which would prove so pernicious to those who were governed by them. He has also observed, as it is very necessary to do, what a beautiful correspondence there is between the characters described in these beatitudes, and the blessings connected with them. Jesus began his sermon with the doctrine of happiness; a subject which the teachers of wisdom have always considered as the principal thing in morals; and for that reason they have laboured to give their true disciples an idea of it. Most of the Jews seem to have considered the enjoyments of sense, as the sovereign good. Riches, mirth, revenge, women, conquest, liberty, fame, and other things of the same kind, afforded them such pleasures, that they wished for no better in the Messiah's kingdom, which theyalmost all considered as a secular one: even the apostles themselves long retained this notion of a temporal kingdom, and were at first too much influenced by the expectation of the honours, profits, and pleasures attending the posts which they expected under him. Therefore, to shew his hearers in general, and his disciples in particular, the grossness of their error, our Lord declared that the higher happiness of men consists in the graces of the spirit; because from the possession and exercise of them,thepurest pleasures result,—pleasures, which satisfy the great God himself, and constitute his ineffable felicity. See Wetstein, Doddridge, and Macknight.

It may be proper, before we enter upon this discourse, to observe, once for all, that whoever examines the discourses of our Lord with attention, may find in them a certain character and way of speaking, in a great measure peculiar to himself. This manner, by which our Saviour's discourses are distinguishable, consists in raising matter of instruction and moral reflection from the objects which presented themselves to him and his audience while he was speaking. Hence his sermons to the multitude, and his conversation with his disciples, allude perpetually to the time of the year, to the place where he is, to the objects that surround him, to the occupation and circumstances of those whom he addresses, or to the state of public affairs, &c. Thus the blessed Jesus in the spring went into the fields, where he sat down on an eminence, and made this discourse, which is full of observations arising from things which presented themselves to his view. Hence, when he exhorts hisdisciples to trust in God, he bids them behold, εμβλεψατε, look upon, the birds of the air, which were then flying about them, and were fed by Providence, though they did not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. Consider, says our blessed Lord, Matthew 5:28 take notice of the lilies of the field, which were then blown, and were so beautifully clothed by the same power, and yet toiled not like the husbandmen, who were then at work. Being in a place where they had a wide prospect of a cultivated land, he bade them observe how God caused the sun to shine, and the rain to descend upon the fields and gardens, even of the wicked and ungrateful; and he continued to convey his doctrine to them under rural images; speaking of good trees, and corrupt trees; of knowing men by their fruits; wolves in sheep's clothing; grapes not growing upon thorns, nor figs on thistles; of the folly of casting precious things to dogs and swine; of good measure pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, and a variety of other particulars, which will occur to every reader's observation. From this peculiarityin the style and genius of our Saviour's discourses, we may conclude that the writers of the gospel have given us always the substance, and often the very words of our Lord's sermons; and we may also plainly see in the discourses of the Lord Jesus Christ his great design,—which was to instruct; therefore he conveys knowledge in a familiar way: he adapts his language to his hearers. He speaks to their eyes, and to their ears. He chooses images and comparisons which would strike them most powerfully,and make the most lasting impression upon their minds. See Jortin's Discourses, p. 212 and the note on Matthew 5:14.

return to '

Matthew 5:3. Blessed are the poor in spirit— Happy, &c. Doddridge: and so throughout the beatitudes: I use the word happy rather than blessed, says he, as more exactly answering to the original word Μακαριοι, as the word blessed does to the Greek word ευλογημενοι : and I the rather choose to render it thus, because our Lord seems to intimate by it, not only that the dispositions here recommended would be the wayto future blessedness, but that they would immediately be attended with the truest happiness, and the most noble pleasures. In order to render his hearers more attentive, Christ proposes his doctrine in certain paradoxical dogmas, which, at first appearance, may seem false to the carnal eye, but are found most true by the attentive and sincere considerer. "It is notable, says an old writer, that all the beatitudes are affixed to unlikely conditions, to shew that the judgment of the word and of the world, are contrary." Bengelius observes, that in the present sermon we have, first, an exordium, containing a sweet invitation to true holiness and happiness, Matthew 5:3-12.; secondly, a persuasive to impart it to others, Matthew 5:13-16.; thirdly, a description of true Christian holiness, Matthew 5:0; Matthew 3:0—Mat 7:12 in which it is easy to observe, that the latter part exactly answers to the former; fourthly, the conclusion; giving a sure mark of the true way, warning against false prophets, and exhorting to follow after righteousness. St. Luke applies this first beatitude to the poor, properly so called; but though poverty of spirit may include a disposition which bears poverty rightly, there seems no doubt that it here primarily refers to humility of heart. Dr. Heylin's seems the true interpretation: the phrase, poor in spirit, says he, expresses an inward disposition or state of mind, by an outward worldly circumstance; namely, poverty, which signifies want; the sense whereof obliges men to dependence upon others for supply, by begging or servitude: so by exact analogy, poverty of spirit implies want, and consequently an habitual address to, and dependence upon God, for supply, by prayer,faith, and obedience. The beatitude therefore may be thus paraphrased: "You naturally congratulate the rich and the great, and expect, under the reign of the Messiah, to be advanced to wealth, dignity, and power; but your notions of these things are very false and vitiated; for I say unto you, happy are the poor in spirit; those humble souls, who, deeply conscious of their ignorance and guilt, can quietly resign to the divine teachings and disposals, and accommodate themselves to the lowest circumstances which Providence shall appoint them: for, however they may be despised and trampled on by men, theirs is the kingdom of heaven: they will be most likely to embrace the Gospel, and they alone will be intitled to its blessings, both in time and in eternity." See Doddridge, Wetstein, and Bengelius.

Dr. Campbell translates the verse, happy the poor, &c. observing that it has more energy, after the example of the original, and all the ancient versions, to omit the substantive verb. The idiom of our language admits this freedom as easily as the Italian, and more so than the French. None of the Latin versions express the verb. Another reason, he adds, which induced me to adopt this manner is to render these aphorisms, in regard to happiness, as similar in form as they are in the original, to the aphorisms in regard to wretchedness, which are, Luke 6:0 contrasted with them, woe to you that are rich, &c.

return to '

Matthew 5:4. Blessed are they that mourn— "Either for their own sins, or for other men's, and who are steadily and habitually serious; they shall be comforted, most solidly and deeply in this world, and eternally in heaven. What they now sow in tears, they shall reap in joy." See 1Co 5:2 and Bengelius. Possibly our Saviour might refer still farther in this blessing to the mourning rightly improved on account of afflictions; and in this light nothing can be more true than the present aphorism; because, if any thing under the grace of God brings a man to holiness, it is affliction; the natural tendency thereof being to give him a feeling of the vanity of the world, and consequently to convince him how necessary it is that he should seek his happiness in things more solid and durable. Affliction awakens serious thoughts in the mind, composes it into a grave and settled frame, very different from the levity which prosperity inspires; gives it a fellow-feeling of the sorrows of others, and makes it, when accompanied by the operation of the Divine Spirit, sensible of the evil of departing from God, the source and centre of its joy. See Macknight.

return to '

Matthew 5:5. Blessed are the meek— That is, the men of mild and forgiving tempers, who hold all their passions and affections even; they shall inherit the earth; they shall enjoy the protection of civil government, with all the blessings of the present life, the greatest and best of which flow from meekness itself. Meekness, consisting in the moderating of our passions, makes a person beautiful and venerable in the eyes of others, so that he possesses their inward esteem; while the man devoid of this grace is despicable, though dignified with ever so many titles of honour. Hence it is called the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Farther, this grace secures a man against many injuries to which he may be exposed; a soft answer being powerful to turn away wrath; or, if an injury be done to a meek person, his meekness prevents the storm which pride, anger, and revenge raise within; enables him to bear the injury with tranquillity, and strengthens him to overcome it with good. Thus much seems to be implied in the blessing annexed to the character in this verse; which is a citation from Psa 37:11 and seems to be produced to shew of how great a price the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is in the sight of God; for the words immediately put us in mind, that under the dispensation wherein God rewarded holiness and virtue with temporal advantages in a peculiar sense, as well as with spiritual blessings, he annexed the highest temporal blessing, even that of inheriting the promised land, to the lovely grace of meekness. See Macknight and Bengelius.

return to '

Matthew 5:6. Blessed are they which do hunger, &c.— Our Saviour uses the ideas of hunger and thirst metaphorically, to express vehement desire. By righteousness seems to be meant that holiness which the Gospel teaches and recommends, in opposition to the righteousness of Scribes and Pharisees. So that the persons here said to hunger and thirst are those who earnestly long for and are sensible of the want of that salvation which is procured by the Lord JesusChrist. This beatitude, therefore, may be thus paraphrased: "Happy are they who, instead of desiring insatiably the possessions of others, and endeavouring to obtain them by violence or deceit, eagerly hunger and thirst after righteousness, and make it the delightful business of life, in dependenceondivinegrace,to improve in all the branches of evangelical holiness and goodness: for they shall, through the grace of God in Christ Jesus, never be disappointedinthesepiouspursuits,butbeabundantlysatisfiedwiththerighteousness which they seek, and be competently supplied with every necessary good." See Matthew 5:10. Proverbs 21:21.Matthew 6:33; Matthew 6:33., Doddridge, and Wetstein.

return to '

Matthew 5:7. Blessed are the merciful— Those who feel for the sorrows of others as their own, and with tender sympathy hasten to relieve them. Dr. Heylin remarks excellently upon this beatitude, nearly in the following words; that the frailty of human nature renders men continually liable to abuse, and perverts the good dispositions which religion would excite;thus mourning for sin may degenerate into a gloomy melancholy and moroseness of temper; and some, because they are displeased, as they have reason, with themselves, become peevish and fretful at all about them; and again, with regard to the hunger and thirst after justice, that is to say, universal holiness and virtue (see on ch. Matthew 3:15.), men, when called to Christ and true religion, have commonlypowerfulconvictions concerning the turpitude of vice, with the danger and guilt of neglecting Christ and holiness, of stopping short of the pardon of their sins, and the sanctification of their natures. And they ought studiously to cultivate these convictions, and impressthem deeply upon their minds by assiduous meditation; but, above all, by going to Jesus Christ in ardent prayer, as the only refuge of the penitent soul. But, notwithstanding, as the speculations of justice are pleasing, and the practice of it laborious; and as it is much easier to desire that others should be holy, than to become so themselves; it too often happens that they misapply their concern for the interests of religion to the morals of other men, and are more intent upon their neighbour's faults than their own. Thus they turn their zeal the wrong way, and suffer it to evaporate in chimeras of reforming the public; while they themselves are under the dominion of sin. But hunger and thirst are personal; for no man hungers for another's want, but for his own. Those holy desires which the Spirit of God excites in his servants, chiefly tend to their own pardon, and theirown purification: and in the progress of that work, I mean while they grieve for their own folly, and pine for their own want of justice, they willcompassionately bear with the follies of other men, and be very indulgent to their want of justice; a want which they so sensibly experience in themselves. To ripen this good disposition to which, through almighty grace, the state already described leads them, Christ here so seasonably pronounces his benediction, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. See the Reflections for farther views on this subject.

return to '

Matthew 5:8. Blessed are the pure in heart— Dr. Blair supposes that this may refer to the expectation which the Jews had of possessing themselves of beautiful captives in the wars by which they fancied the Messiah's kingdom would be established. The large seraglios of eastern princes and great men, which, by a very mistaken taste, were regarded as matters of state and grandeur, might possibly give countenance to such an extravagant notion. Dr. Doddridge, therefore, in the following paraphrase, just touches upon it: "Indulge not a thought of those licentiousgratifications which are often mingled with victory, and are accounted as the pleasures of the great; happy are the men who not only abstain from these gross enormities, but are concerned that they may bepure in heart too; avoiding every irregular desire, and mortifying every unruly passion. This resolute self-denial shall be the source of nobler and more lasting pleasures; for they shall see God: thus purified and refined, they shall enjoy him in his ordinances, and in all the communications of his grace here, and dwell with him for ever in heaven." Dr. Heylin in his usual manner observes, that the purification here pronounced blessed, is an arduous work; beginning in repentance, and attended with that mourning for sin, to which a former beatitude invites. Then must we receive a knowledge of the forgiveness of sins through the blood of the covenant. But this purification is carried on by that hunger and thirst after justice mentioned in the 6th verse; and it advances still more and more in the following benediction upon the merciful; who, by the violence they do themselves, in dependence on and by the power of almighty grace, to mortify their own pride and ill-nature, so as patiently to bear with and compassionate the infirmities of their brethren, draw down upon themselves, through the alone and infinite merit of Christ, the superabundant mercy of God,whichatlengthsoconsummatestheirmortification,byasuperabundantincrease of divine grace, that they become pure in heart, and thereby are qualified for that sublime and efficaciousknowledge of the Deity, which is here called seeing God; the mental eye being irradiated from above; for God, who makethhis sun to rise upon the evil and on the good, does also from himself illumine the minds of all men, in proportion to their desire of, and earnest search after, his light; the path of the just is as a shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day. See more in Heylin. See also the Reflections.

Dr. Campbell reads, the clean in heart. I admit, says he, that our translation, pure in heart, is a just expression of the sense, and more in the English idiom than mine. My only reason for preferring a more literal version of the Greek word καθαρος here is, because I would, in all such instances, preserve the allusion to be found in the moral maxims of the New Testament to the ancient ritual, from which the metaphors of the sacred writers, and their other tropes, are frequently borrowed, and to which they owe much of their lustre and energy. The laws in regard to the cleanness of the body, and even of the garments, if neglected by any person, excluded him from the temple. He was incapacitated for being so much as a spectator of the solemn service at the altar. The Jews considered the empyreal heaven as the archetype of the temple of Jerusalem. In the latter, they enjoyed the symbols of God's presence, who spoke to them by his ministers; whereas, in the former, the blessed inhabitants have an immediate sense of the divine presence, and God speaks to them face to face. Our Lord, preserving the analogy between the two dispensations, intimates that cleanness will be as necessary in order to procure admission into the celestial temple, as into the terrestrial. But as the privilege is inconceivably higher, the qualification is more important. The cleanness is not ceremonial, but moral; not of the outward man, but of the inward. The same idea is suggested, Psalms 24:0. When such allusions appear in the original, they ought, if possible, to have a place in the version.

return to '

Matthew 5:9. Blessed are the peace-makers— Blessed are the peaceable, for they shall become the children of God. With respect to the term peaceable or peace-makers [ειρηνοποιοι ], it is to be noted, that in Scripture το ποιειν, to make, or do, signifies a habit of mind, with its consequent actions. So by those who do good or evil, we understand good or bad men; and when St. Paul speaks of making prayer, Php 1:4 he means not to cause others to pray, but to pray ourselves. So the peace here spoken of ispersonal. It is the fruit of victory after successful conquests, through divine grace, over the inbred impurity of our nature. It is the peace and tranquillity of the soul; and itis an immediate disposition for the full accomplishment of regeneration, wherein, as St. Paul speaks, we shall be renewed by knowledge after the image of the Creator. See Heylin, Suicer's Thesaurus under the word ειρηνοποιος, and the note on 2 Corinthians 3:18. Other expositors suppose, that this beatitude refers not only to those who are of a peaceable disposition, but is opposed to men of hostile and warlike minds; and therefore they paraphrase it thus: "Warriors and conquerors, the disturbers of the peace of mankind, are by no means happy in their victories, nor they who love to involve others in quarrels for their own purpose; but they are happy, who, loving peace, promote it to the utmost of their power; they shall be called the children of God. Having rendered themselves like to God, by imitating his greatest perfection, they shall be acknowledged by him as his children, and admitted to a participation of his happiness; an honour, which those who take pleasure in war, however eminent they may be for courage, shall certainly miss, though it be the aim of their ambition; because they pursue it not by the godlike disposition of diffusing happiness, but by spreading desolation anddeath among their fellow-creatures: so that, having divested themselves of the nature of God, they have no title to be called his sons."

return to '

Matthew 5:10. Blessed are they which are persecuted, &c.— One might imagine that a person of the amiable temper and behaviour described in the last-mentioned beatitude would be the darling of mankind; but our Lord well knew it would not be so, as long as Satan was the prince of this world; he therefore warns them beforehand of the treatment which all were to expect, who were determined thus to tread in his steps, by subjoining, Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake. "Instead of those pomps and pleasures, those victories and triumphs, in expectation of which you may now be crowding around me, my followers must prepare themselves for the severity of suffering, and through my grace courageously endure the greatest extremities, for the testimony of their consciences; for the cause of true righteousness, holiness, and virtue. Their richest treasure is beyond the reach of their most inveterate enemies, for they shall reign with God in everlasting glory." This is the last of these sacred paradoxes, says Heylin; paradoxes to the world, but savoury and luminous truths inthe eye of right reason. This beatitude needs no farther explanation or proof, than what is obviousfrom the universal sentiment of mankind, who agree to place the heroic character in suffering for a good cause. So our Milton assures

——That suffering for truth's sake With fortitude, is highest victory. Book 11:

This was the prerogative of the martyrs in the primitive church, and justice has since had its martyrs in all ages. After declaring the general axiom, our Lord applies it (continues this writer) to his disciples now present, to animate their zeal, who were to lead the van in this magnanimous combat, see Matthew 5:11-16. But though what is here said may be peculiarly applicable to the apostles and ministers of Christ, yet there can be no doubt that it is also applicable to all those who come within the character here described; all who are holy themselves, the salt of the earth, and therefore capable of seasoning others.

return to '

Matthew 5:13. Ye are the salt of the earth— This relates to all the disciples who were then present, Luk 14:34 and also to all Christians in general (1 Thessalonians 5:5.Philippians 2:15; Philippians 2:15.); but more especially to the apostles. See on Matthew 5:16. Salt is the emblem of wisdom,anditservesalsoto preserve things from putrefaction. Now the first disciples of Christ were more especially appointed to diffuse the wisdom of the Gospel throughout the whole world, and to promote the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and holiness and virtue, among men by their doctrines and examples. The meaning is, "Who could instruct and reform you, if you should happen to fall into error or vice; you that are to be entrusted under grace with the sanctification and instruction of others?" Compare Mark 9:49. Colossians 4:6. Livy calls Greece sal gentium, "the salt of all the nations," on account of those intellectual improvements which they learned thence. The word μωρανθη, rendered Have lost his savour, may be translated, Is become insipid. This rendering has, I think, a peculiar beauty and strength here. The original might be literally translated, If it be infatuated or grown foolish; alluding to the common figure, in which sense and spirit are expressed by salt. Our Lord's supposition of the salt's losing its savour is illustrated by Mr. Maundrell, who tells us, that "in the valley of salt, near Gebul, and about four hours' journey from Aleppo, there is a small precipice, occasioned by the continual taking away of the salt. In this, says he, you may see how the veins of it lie: I broke a piece of it, of which the part exposed to the rain, sun, and air, though it had the sparks and particles of salt, yet it had perfectly lost its savour, as in Matthew 5:0. The innermost, which had been connected with the rock, retained its savour, as I found by proof." See Grotius, and Wetstein.

return to '

Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world— Jesus compares his disciples to the sun, representingtheefficacyoftheirministry(accompanied by his divine Spirit), to fill the world with the gladsome light of truth; a thing as necessary in the moral world, as light in the natural: ye are the light of the world. This appellation was given by the Jews to their wise men and doctors. See John 5:35. 2 Peter 1:19. The Lord Jesus Christ bestows it on his disciples, because they were appointed to preach the Gospel (Philippians 2:15.), and to reveal to mankind the knowledge of Christ, who is the true light of the world; John 1:9. This is also applicable to Christians in general; and to excite them and all Christians to diligence in dispensing the salutary influences of their doctrine and example, he bade them call to mind, that a city which is set upon a mountain cannot be hid; or, that the disciples of Jesus Christ, and all Christians, being appointed to profess and preach the Gospel, the eyes of all men would be upon them, and so, their faults being by this means known and observed, might stop the progress of the Gospel: compare Philippians 3:17. Mr. Maundrelltells us, that there is a city called Saphet, thought to be the ancient Bethulia, which, standing on a high hill, might easily be seen from the mountain on which Christ made this discourse; and he, very probably, supposes, that our Saviour might point to that here, as he afterwards did to the birds and the lilies; agreeably to what we have observed on Mat 5:2 of our Lord's manner of taking his similies from the most obvious things; a thought which Sir Isaac Newton has well illustrated in his Observations on the Prophesies of Daniel, p. 148., to whom the writer referred to in the note on Mat 5:2 is greatly indebted. See Doddridge, and Beausobre and Lenfant.

return to '

Matthew 5:21. It was said by them of old time— To them, &c. and so wherever it occurs. It was said to them of former time—But I say to you. So our Lord introduces his several improvements of the law under the different articles hereafter specified. Christ here distinguishes his doctrines from those which, in former times, had been publicly taught and enforced by theauthority of law; for as there is a gradual increase of knowledge in every man, who faithfully practises what he knows already; so, by divine appointment, it has proved in the course of the world. What is commonly called natural religion was the general rule of life till Moses, who gave the revealed law which bears his name, and was the standard of duty till the coming of Christ, whose instructions are the completion of all that appertains to moral rectitude: upon which account the season of his dispensation is called the last days, as the ages preceding it are here named the former time (though frequently the term is applied to the latter days of the Christian dispensation); and it is with this view that our Lord, when he was going to extend the boundaries of the law, takes distinct notice how far they were advanced already. The Greek for them of former time is αρχαιοι, which may be well rendered beginners, or novices, and so rightly opposed to the apostles, who were in a state of proficiency. See Heylin. The Lord Jesus Christ instances in the commandments of the second table, how the Jews had corrupted the word of God by their traditions; and he proposes here these commandments in the same sense as they were understood by the Pharisees, and sometimes with the glosses they put upon them; and from these it is that he endeavours to vindicate and rescue them. He begins with the sixth commandment. It seems the doctors gave it as their opinion, that this law, Thou shalt not kill, prohibited nothing but actual murder, committed with a man's own hand; and therefore, if he hired another to kill a man, or turned a wild beast upon him, that slew him,—according to them it was not murder, punishable by the law, though they acknowledged it might deserve the judgment of God. The doctrine of Christ's disciples was to be more sublime, exhibiting the intention and spirit of the law, which forbids our being angry with another, our affronting him, and judging evil concerning his spiritual estate without good reason; for the limitation added to the first member of the sentence, Mat 5:22 must be understood throughout the whole. It may be proper to observe, that by the judgment, is meant that court of judicature among the Jews, which consisted of twenty-three judges, who had power of life and death; so that the meaning of the words, He shall be in danger of, or liable to be punished by the judgment, is, "He shall be guilty of death." Deuteronomy 16:18; Deuteronomy 21:2. But it is to be noted here, that though the Lord Jesus Christ made use of the same expressions as were used by the Jews to denote temporal punishments, yet his words are to be figuratively understood, and applied to the future punishments of the wicked, of which he distinguishes the different degrees according to the different crimes. See Grotius, and Beausobre and Lenfant.

return to '

Matthew 5:22. But I say unto you— Which of the prophets ever spake thus? Their language is, Thus saith the Lord. Who hath the authority to use this language?—he who is able to save and destroy. The Lord Jesus Christ does not mean here that anger, or every scornful or reviling word deserves the same punishment from the magistrates as murder; that is to say, death; but only that anger, being in direct violationofthesixthcommandment, because it tends and disposes men to murder, the judgment of God will take cognizance of such anger, as well as of all desires of revenge, hatred, opprobrious or reviling language, &c. See 1 John 3:15. The word εικη, without cause, though found in almost all the Greek manuscripts, is omitted in most manuscripts of the Vulgate. By brother is meant another Christian; this is the meaning of the Greek word αδελφος, in the sacred writings; and that the same sense is put upon it here is evident from the next verse. The Jews would give the name of brother to no one who was not an Israelite. They vouchsafed to give that of neighbour to a proselyte, but would by no means bestow it on a Gentile. Our Lord did not design to authorize a like distinction, when he made use here of the word brother;forhe elsewhere enjoins his disciples to forgive all men in general, and shews that our neighbour is any man whatever. Luke 10:29-30; Luke 10:42. The word judgment here unquestionably must signify punishment from God; since this causeless anger might be so concealed in the heart, as not to admit of conviction before men. "He shall be liable to a worse punishment from God, than any which your common courts of judicature can inflict." See the note on Matthew 5:21. Our Saviour goes on, "Whosoever to his secret anger shall add opprobrious and contemptuous words,—for instance, shall say to his brother, Raca, that is, thou worthless, empty fellow! shall be exposed to yet more terrible effects of the divine judgment, and be obnoxious to a yet severer punishment; as far exceeding the former, as that inflicted by the Sanhedrim, which extends to stoning, exceeds that which follows the judgment of the inferior courts, which only have the power of the sword." Raca is a Syriac word, which, according to Lightfoot, signifies a scoundrel; according to Drusius, a coxcomb; and so is a term of great contempt. Κενε, vain man, used Jam 2:20 seems to be a translation of it; for, as St. Jerome observes, it is derived from the Hebrew ריק, rik, which signifies vain or empty. See Parkhurst on the word. The council—, in the Greek συνεδριον, a word which the Jews adopted into their language, giving it a Hebrew termination, sanhedrin, signifies the council or senate of the nation. It consisted of seventy-two judges, or, according to others, of seventy, besides the president. It used to sit at Jerusalem. Concerning the place where it met, see John 19:13. This was the supreme court of judicature among the Jews, and to it appeals were made from inferior tribunals. It took cognizance only of the most important matters; as, for instance, such wherein a whole tribe was concerned; those that related to the high-priest, a false prophet, idolatry, treason, &c. and could, while the Jewish government continued independent, inflict the heaviest punishments; particularly stoning, and burning with melted lead poured down the throat of the criminal after he was strangled. See Beausobre and Lenfant, and Calmet's Dictionary. Our Saviour goes on, "Whosoever, in his unreasonable passion, shall say to his brother, Thou fool, Μωρε that is to say, thou graceless wicked villain;—thereby impeaching his moral character, as well as reflecting on his intellectual; shall be obnoxious to the gehenna of fire; or, to a future punishment, more dreadful even than being burned alive in the valley of Hinnom; whence the name of the infernal regions is borrowed." Wicked men are so often called fools in the Old Testament, especially in the writings of David and Solomon; that the appellation of fool, in the Jewish language, signifies not so much a weak thoughtless creature, as a man deliberately wicked; for, as religion is the highest wisdom, vice must be accounted the extremest folly. Dr. Sykes draws the same sense from the word, by deriving it from the Syriac μαρα, rebellavit, he has rebelled; so that, according to him, the original Μωρε signifies a rebel against God, or an apostate from the true religion. The valley of Hinnom, called also Tophet, was the scene of the detestable worship of Moloch, as we have before observed, 2 Kings 23:10. See also Isaiah 30:33. In after-times continual fires were kept in this valley, for burning the unburied carcases and filth of the city, that, beingthus polluted, it might be unfit for the like religious abominations. The Jews, from the perpetuity of these fires, and to express the utmost detestation of the sacrifices which were offered to Moloch in this valley, made use of its name to signify hell, of which they conceived it a fit emblem. Hence our translators have given Tophet, or Gehenna, its metaphorical meaning in the present passage, whereas it ought rather to have had its literal signification; forour Lord, intending to shew his hearers that the punishment of causeless anger, contemptuous speeches, and abusive names, shall, in the life to come, bear a proportion to the guilt which is in these sins; and finding no means in the language of men, by which those different degrees of punishment could properly be expressed, he illustrated them by the punishment wherewith the Jews were acquainted. This interpretation of the punishment, in the latter clause of the verse, has a particular advantage attending it, as it prevents the reader from imagining, that only the sin of calling his brother fool will be punished with hell-fire. See Lightfoot and Macknight. St. Austin observes, thathere is a gradation in the faults reprehended. The first is anger, deliberately and causelessly conceived in the mind; the second, when that breaks forth in wrathful expressions; the third, when it vents itself in contumelious abuses. It is by these steps that a man, enraged with anger, sometimes proceeds to actual murder, but much oftener to the commission of it in his thought and intention; and we are here warned, that all these steps are criminal in their several degrees, and that the law not only prohibits murder, but even the remotest tendencies toward it.

return to '

Matthew 5:43. Ye have heard, &c.— It may be proper to note here, in this last quotation, the manner of our Lord's quoting the doctrines which he chose to speak of. He does not say, Ye know that it was said, &c. as he would have done if nothing but the written law had been in his eye; but he says, Ye have heard that it was said; comprehending not only the law itself, but the explications of it, which the doctors pretended to have derived from the mouth of Moses by tradition. The passage of the law referred to in the present case is Lev 19:18 where the clause, and hate thine enemy, is not found. But the doctors pretended that it was deducible from the first part of the precept, which seems to limit forgiveness to Israelites: besides, they supported their opinion by the tradition of the elders, and by the precepts concerning the idolatrous nations too rigidly understood. Hence their malevolence toall mankind but their own nation was so remarkable, that the Heathens took notice of it. "Their fidelity," says Tacitus, "is inviolable, and their pity ready towards one another; but unto all others they bear an implacable hatred." Hist. lib. 5: cap. 5 and compare 1 Thessalonians 2:15. Indeed, they were so excessively haughty, that they would not so much as salute a Heathen or a Samaritan. None but brethren received the least mark of respect from them; a behaviour which rendered them odious to all mankind. They certainlydishonoured God extremely, by pretending that his law countenanced such ferocity; the precepts upon which they laid so much stress having no reference at all to the disposition which particular persons among the Israelites were to bear to particular persons among the Heathens. They only prescribed what treatment the Israelites were to give those nations as bodies politic, in which capacity it was most just they should be destroyed, because of their abominations, and because they might have tempted God's people to idolatry; Leviticus 25:28. But the Jews, overlooking the reason of those precepts, extended them most absurdly to the heathens in general, nay, and to private enemies among their brethren also. In opposition to this narrow and abominable spirit, our Lord commands his disciples to shew benevolence, according to their power, to every individual of the human species, without respect of country or religion; benevolence even to their bitterest enemies. See Macknight, Chemnitz, and the next verse.

return to '

Matthew 5:44. Which despitefully use you, &c.— Who falsely accuse or traduce you, and persecute you. Dr. Doddridge renders it, Who insult you and persecute you. The particulars mentioned in this verse, are certainly the highest expressions of enmity; for what can be worse than cursing and calumny, insults and persecutions? Yet we are commanded to love and bless, and do good to, and pray for, our enemies, even while they persist in their enmity against us. This may seem contrary to the precept, Luk 17:3 where forgiveness seems to be enjoined only on condition that the injurious party repents: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him: but the difficulty will disappear, when it is remembered, that in the two passages different persons and different duties are spoken of. In this sermon, the duty we owe to mankind in general, who injure us, is described; but in Luke we are told how we are to behave towards an offending brother; one with whom we are particularlyconnected, whether by the ties of Christian society, blood, or friendship. The forgiveness we owe to mankind is in this sermon said to consist in the inward affection of benevolence, civil language, and good offices, such as we would have done to them had they never injured us, and hearty prayers; all which men may receive even while they may persist in their enmity; whereas the forgiveness due to a brother implies that he be restored to the place in our friendship and affection which he held before he offended. But in order to this, his repentance is justly required; because, without a sense of his offence, and due evidence of his reformation, he is both unworthy and incapable of being restored. See Macknight, Whitby, and the note on chap. Matthew 6:12.

return to '

Matthew 5:45. That ye may be the children, &c.— Our blessed Saviour enforces the doctrine of loving our enemies, so far as to do them good, from the noblest of all considerations, that it renders men like God, who is good even to the evil and unthankful. "Being thus benevolent towards all, the bad as well as the good, you shall be like God, and so prove yourselves his genuine offspring; for he maketh his sun common to them who worship, and tothem who contemn him; and suffers his rain to be useful both to the just and to the unjust; alluring the bad to repentance, and stirring up the good to thankfulness, by this universal and indiscriminate benignity of his providence." "If you would imitate the gods," says Seneca, "do services even to the ungrateful; for the sun shines even upon the wicked." "To conquer one's passion, to refrain from revenge, not merely to raise but even to assist and dignify a fallen enemy," says Cicero, "is not only to be like the greatest men, but like to God himself." Haec qui faciat, non ego eum summis viris comparo, sed simillimum Deo judico. See his oration for Marcellus.

return to '

Matthew 5:46. The publicans— These were the Roman tax-gatherers, some of whom were Jews: these were more extremely odious to their countrymen than those who were heathens. The other Jews would have no communication with them; Luke 3:12-13.Mark 2:16; Mark 2:16. Luke 7:35. They looked upon the profession as scandalous; and the professors were the more odious to them, on account of their great extortion. See chap. Matthew 9:10. Beausobre and Lenfant, and Calmet.

return to '

Matthew 5:47. And if ye salute— The original word ασπασησθε denotes all outward signs of friendship, such as embracing, wishing well, &c. It is the word used by the apostles in their salutations, Romans 16:0 &c. The meaning of it seems to be the same with that of the word to bless, Matthew 5:44. See ch. Mat 10:12 and compare Luke 10:5. Instead of, your brethren, some copies read, your friends, which seems to have been added by way of explanation. The Jews embraced their own countrymen, and allowed them as brethren; but the Gentiles they thought unworthy of that honour. Our Lord here teaches his disciples to make their charity extend to all men. See Romans 12:17-18. Beausobre and Lenfant, and Wetstein.

return to '