Commentary on the beatitudes

COMME TARY O THE BEATITUDES
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
1 ow when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on
a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came
to him,
GUZIK, "A. I TRODUCTIO to the Sermon on the Mount.
1. (1) Jesus prepares to teach His disciples.
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His
disciples came to Him.
a. And seeing the multitudes: The previous section mentioned that great multitudes
followed Him, coming from many different REGIO S(Matthew 4:25). In response
to this, Jesus went up on a mountain.
i. It is wrong to think that Jesus went up on a mountain to remove Himself from the
multitudes. It is true that Jesus gave this teaching to His disciples, but this use of the
term is probably broad, including many among the great multitudes that followed
Him mentioned in Matthew 4:25. By the end of the Sermon on the Mount, people in
general heard His message and were amazed (Matthew 7:28).
ii. Luke says that this same basic material was, on a different occasion, spoken to a
crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and
Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be
healed of their diseases (Luke 6:17). Yet, in the beginning of the teaching, Luke
writes: Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said (Luke 6:20). The
sense of this is much the same as in Matthew; that this sermon was spoken to the
disciples of Jesus, but disciples in a broad sense of those who had followed Him and
heard Him; not in the narrow sense of only the Twelve.
iii. "Jesus was not monastic in spirit, and He had not two doctrines, one for the
many, another for the few, like Buddha. His highest teachingwas meant for the
million." (Bruce)
iv. "A crypt or cavern would have been out of all character for a message which is to

be published upon the housetops, and preached to every creature under heaven."
(Spurgeon)
b. When He was seated: This was the common posture for teaching in that culture.
It was customary for the TEACHER to sit and the hearers to stand.
i. "Sitting was the accepted posture of synagogue or school teachers (Luke 4:20; cf.
Matthew 13:2; 23:2; 24:3)." (Carson)
ii. ow in Matthew's record Jesus will speak and teach; it is God speaking but no
longer through an inspired human personality like Jeremiah or Isaiah or Samuel;
now the truth of God spoke through the exact personality of God.
c. His disciples came to Him: This again probably has in mind a group much
LARGER than the Twelve, who to this point have not been introduced as a group in
this Gospel.
i. "He ascends the hill to get away from the crowds below, and the disciples, now a
considerable band, gather about Him. Others may not be excluded, but the disciples
are the audience proper." (Bruce)
BAR ES, "And seeing the multitudes - The great numbers that came to attend on his
ministry. The substance of this discourse is recorded also in Luke 6. It is commonly called the
“Sermon on the Mount.” It is not improbable that it was repeated, in substance, on different
occasions, and to different people. At those times parts of it may have been omitted, and Luke
may have recorded it as it was pronounced on one of those occasions. See the notes at Luk_6:17-
20.
Went up into a mountain - This mountain, or hill, was somewhere in the vicinity of
Capernaum, but where precisely is not mentioned. He ascended the hill, doubtless, because it was
more convenient to address the multitude from an eminence than if he were on the same level
with them. A hill or mountain is still shown a short distance to the northwest of the ancient site
of Capernaum, which tradition reports to have been the place where this sermon was delivered,
and which is called on the maps the Mount of Beatitudes. The hill commonly believed to be that
on which the sermon was delivered is on the road from Nazareth to Tiberias, not far from the
latter place. The hill is known by the name of Kuran Huttin, the Horns of Huttin. Of this hill
Professor Hackett (Illustrations of Scripture, pp. 323, 324) says: “Though a noontide heat was
beating down upon us with scorching power, I could not resist the temptation to turn aside and
examine a place for which such a claim has been set up, though I cannot say that I have any great
confidence in it. The hill referred to is rocky, and rises steeply to a moderate height above the
plain. It has two summits, with a slight depression between them, and it is from these projecting
points, or horns, that it receives the name given to it. From the top the observer has a full view of
the Sea of Tiberias. The most pleasing feature of the landscape is that presented by the
diversified appearance of the fields. The different plots of ground exhibit various colors,
according to the state. of cultivation: some of them are red, where the land has been newly
plowed up, the natural appearance of the soil; others yellow or white, where the harvest is
beginning to ripen, or is already ripe; and others green, being covered with grass or springing
grain. As they are contiguous to each other, or intermixed, these particolored plots present at
some distance an appearance of joyful chequered work, which is really beautiful.

“In rhetorical descriptions of the delivery of the Sermon on the Mount, we often hear the
people represented as looking up to the speaker from the sides of the hill, or listening to him
from the plain. This would not be possible with reference to the present locality; for it is too
precipitous and too elevated to allow of such a position. The Saviour could have sat there,
however, in the midst of his hearers, for it affords a platform amply large enough for the
accommodation of the hundreds who may have been present on that occasion.”
And when he was set - This was the common mode of teaching among the Jews, Luk_4:20;
Luk_5:3; Joh_8:2; Act_13:14; Act_16:13.
His disciples came unto him - The word “disciples” means “learners,” those who are taught.
Here it is put for those who attended on the ministry of Jesus, and does not imply that they were
all Christians. See Joh_6:66.
CLARKE, "And seeing the multitudes - Τους οχλους, these multitudes, viz. those
mentioned in the preceding verse, which should make the first verse of this chapter.
He went up into a mountain - That he might have the greater advantage of speaking, so as to
be heard by that great concourse of people which followed him. It is very probable that nothing
more is meant here than a small hill or eminence. Had he been on a high mountain they could not
have heard; and, had he been at a great distance, he would not have sat down. See the note on
Mat_5:14.
And when he was set - The usual posture of public teachers among the Jews, and among
many other people. Hence sitting was a synonymous term for teaching among the rabbins.
His disciples - The word µαθητης signifies literally a scholar. Those who originally followed
Christ, considered him in the light of a Divine teacher; and conscious of their ignorance, and the
importance of his teaching, they put themselves under his tuition, that they might be instructed in
heavenly things. Having been taught the mysteries of the kingdom of God, they became closely
attached to their Divine Master, imitating his life and manners; and recommending his salvation
to all the circle of their acquaintance. This is still the characteristic of a genuine disciple of
Christ.
GILL, "And seeing the multitudes,.... The great concourse of people that followed him from
the places before mentioned,
he went up into a mountain; either to pray alone, which was sometimes his custom to do, or to
shun the multitude; or rather, because it was a commodious place for teaching the people:
and when he was set: not for rest, but in order to teach; for sitting was the posture of masters, or
teachers, see Mat_13:2 Luk_4:20. The form in which the master and his disciples sat is thus
described by Maimonides (z).
"The master sits at the head, or in the chief place, and the disciples before him in a circuit, like a
crown; so that they all see the master, and hear his words; and the master may not sit upon a seat,
and the scholars upon the ground; but either all upon the earth, or upon seats: indeed from the
beginning, or formerly, ‫יושב‬ ‫הרב‬ ‫היה‬ "the master used to sit", and the disciples stand; but before
the destruction of the second temple, all used to teach their disciples as they were sitting.''
With respect to this latter custom, the Talmudists say (a), that

"from the days of Moses, to Rabban Gamaliel (the master of the Apostle Paul), they did not learn
the law, unless standing; after Rabban Gamaliel died, sickness came into the world, and they
learnt the law sitting: hence it is a tradition, that after Rabban Gamaliel died, the glory of the law
ceased.''
His disciples came unto him; not only the twelve, but the company, or multitude, of his
disciples, Luk_6:17 which he made in the several places, where he had been preaching; for the
number of his disciples was larger than John's.
HE RY 1-2, "We have here a general account of this sermon.
I. The Preacher was our Lord Jesus, the Prince of preachers, the great Prophet of his church,
who came into the world, to be the Light of the world. The prophets and John had done
virtuously in preaching, but Christ excelled them all. He is the eternal Wisdom, that lay in the
bosom of the Father, before all worlds, and perfectly knew his will (Joh_1:18); and he is the
eternal Word, by whom he has in these last days spoken to us. The many miraculous cures
wrought by Christ in Galilee, which we read of in the close of the foregoing chapter, were
intended to make way for this sermon, and to dispose people to receive instructions from one in
whom there appeared so much of a divine power and goodness; and, probably, this sermon was
the summary, or rehearsal, of what he had preached up and down in the synagogues of Galilee.
His text was, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This is a sermon on the former part of
that text, showing what it is to repent; it is to reform, both in judgment and practice; and here he
tells us wherein, in answer to that question (Mal_3:7), Wherein shall we return? He afterward
preached upon the latter part of the text, when, in divers parables, he showed what the kingdom
of heaven is like, ch. 13.
II. The place was a mountain in Galilee. As in other things, so in this, our Lord Jesus was but
ill accommodated; he had no convenient place to preach in, any more than to lay his head on.
While the scribes and Pharisees had Moses' chair to sit in, with all possible ease, honour, and
state, and there corrupted the law; our Lord Jesus, the great Teacher of truth, is driven out to the
desert, and finds no better a pulpit than a mountain can afford; and not one of the holy mountains
neither, not one of the mountains of Zion, but a common mountain; by which Christ would
intimate that there is no such distinguishing holiness of places now, under the gospel, as there
was under the law; but that it is the will of God that men should pray and preach every where,
any where, provided it be decent and convenient. Christ preached this sermon, which was an
exposition of the law, upon a mountain, because upon a mountain the law was given; and this
was also a solemn promulgation of the Christian law. But observe the difference: when the law
was given, the Lord came down upon the mountain; now the Lord went up: then, he spoke in
thunder and lightning; now, in a still small voice: then the people were ordered to keep their
distance; now they are invited to draw near: a blessed change! If God's grace and goodness are
(as they certainly are) his glory, then the glory of the gospel is the glory that excels, for grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ, 2Co_3:7; Heb_12:18, etc. It was foretold of Zebulun and
Issachar, two of the tribes of Galilee (Deu_33:19), that they shall call the people to the mountain;
to this mountain we are called, to learn to offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Now was this the
mountain of the Lord, where he taught us his ways, Isa_2:2, Isa_2:3; Mic_4:1, Mic_4:2.
III. The auditors were his disciples, who came unto him; came at his call, as appears by
comparing Mar_3:13, Luk_6:13. To them he directed his speech, because they followed him for
love and learning, while others attended him only for cures. He taught them, because they were
willing to be taught (the meek will he teach his way); because they would understand what he
taught, which to others was foolishness; and because they were to teach others; and it was
therefore requisite that they should have a clear and distinct knowledge of these things
themselves. The duties prescribed in this sermon were to be conscientiously performed by all

those that would enter into that kingdom of heaven which they were sent to set up, with hope to
have the benefit of it. But though this discourse was directed to the disciples, it was in the
hearing of the multitude; for it is said (Mat_7:28), The people were astonished. No bounds were
set about this mountain, to keep the people off, as were about mount Sinai (Exo_19:12); for,
through Christ, we have access to God, not only to speak to him, but to hear from him. Nay, he
had an eye to the multitude, in preaching this sermon. When the fame of his miracles had brought
a vast crowd together, he took the opportunity of so great a confluence of people, to instruct
them. Note, It is an encouragement to a faithful minister to cast the net of the gospel where there
are a great many fishes, in hope that some will be caught. The sight of a multitude puts life into a
preacher, which yet must arise from a desire of their profit, not his own praise.
IV. The solemnity of his sermon is intimated in that word, when he was set. Christ preached
many times occasionally, and by interlocutory discourses; but this was a set sermon, kathisantos
autou, when he had placed himself so as to be best heard. He sat down as a Judge or Lawgiver. It
intimates with what sedateness and composure of mind the things of God should be spoken and
heard. He sat, that the scriptures might be fulfilled (Mal_3:3), He shall sit as a refiner, to purge
away the dross, the corrupt doctrines of the sons of Levi. He sat as in the throne, judging right
(Psa_9:4); for the word he spoke shall judge us. That phrase, He opened his mouth, is only a
Hebrew periphrasis of speaking, as Job_3:1. Yet some think it intimates the solemnity of this
discourse; the congregation being large, he raised his voice, and spoke louder than usual. He had
spoken long by his servants the prophets, and opened their mouths (Eze_3:27; Eze_24:27; Eze_
33:22); but now he opened his own, and spoke with freedom, as one having authority. One of the
ancients has this remark upon it; Christ taught much without opening his mouth. that is, by his
holy and exemplary life; nay, he taught, when, being led as a lamb to the slaughter, he opened
not his mouth, but now he opened his mouth, and taught, that the scriptures might be fulfilled,
Pro_8:1, Pro_8:2, Pro_8:6. Doth not wisdom cry - cry on the top of high places? And the opening
of her lips shall be right things. He taught them, according to the promise (Isa_54:13), All thy
children shall be taught of the Lord; for this purpose he had the tongue of the learned (Isa_50:4),
and the Spirit of the Lord, Isa_61:1. He taught them, what was the evil they should abhor, and
what was the good they should abide and abound in; for Christianity is not a matter of
speculation, but is designed to regulate the temper of our minds and the tenour of our
conversations; gospel-time is a time of reformation (Heb_9:10); and by the gospel we must be
reformed, must be made good, must be made better. The truth, as it is in Jesus, is the truth which
is according to godliness, Tit_1:1.
JAMISO , "That this is the same Discourse as that in Luk_6:17-49 - only reported more
fully by Matthew, and less fully, as well as with considerable variation, by Luke - is the opinion
of many very able critics (of the Greek commentators; of Calvin, Grotius, Maldonatus - Who
stands almost alone among Romish commentators; and of most moderns, as Tholuck, Meyer,
Deuteronomy Wette, Tischendorf, Stier, Wieseler, Robinson). The prevailing opinion of these
critics is that Luke’s is the original form of the discourse, to which Matthew has added a number
of sayings, uttered on other occasions, in order to give at one view the great outlines of our
Lord’s ethical teaching. But that they are two distinct discourses - the one delivered about the
close of His first missionary tour, and the other after a second such tour and the solemn choice of
the Twelve - is the judgment of others who have given much attention to such matters (of most
Romish commentators, including Erasmus; and among the moderns, of Lange, Greswell, Birks,
Webster and Wilkinson. The question is left undecided by Alford). Augustine’s opinion - that
they were both delivered on one occasion, Matthew’s on the mountain, and to the disciples;
Luke’s in the plain, and to the promiscuous multitude - is so clumsy and artificial as hardly to
deserve notice. To us the weight of argument appears to lie with those who think them two
separate discourses. It seems hard to conceive that Matthew should have put this discourse before
his own calling, if it was not uttered till long after, and was spoken in his own hearing as one of

the newly chosen Twelve. Add to this, that Matthew introduces his discourse amidst very definite
markings of time, which fix it to our Lord’s first preaching tour; while that of Luke, which is
expressly said to have been delivered immediately after the choice of the Twelve, could not have
been spoken till long after the time noted by Matthew. It is hard, too, to see how either discourse
can well be regarded as the expansion or contraction of the other. And as it is beyond dispute that
our Lord repeated some of His weightier sayings in different forms, and with varied applications,
it ought not to surprise us that, after the lapse of perhaps a year - when, having spent a whole
night on the hill in prayer to God, and set the Twelve apart, He found Himself surrounded by
crowds of people, few of whom probably had heard the Sermon on the Mount, and fewer still
remembered much of it - He should go over its principal points again, with just as much
sameness as to show their enduring gravity, but at the same time with that difference which
shows His exhaustless fertility as the great Prophet of the Church.
Mat_5:1-16. The beatitudes, and their bearing upon the world.
And seeing the multitudes — those mentioned in Mat_4:25.
he went up into a mountain — one of the dozen mountains which Robinson says there are in
the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee, any one of them answering about equally well to the occasion.
So charming is the whole landscape that the descriptions of it, from Josephus downwards [Wars
of the Jews, 4.10, 8], are apt to be thought a little colored.
and when he was set — had sat or seated Himself.
his disciples came unto him — already a large circle, more or less attracted and subdued by
His preaching and miracles, in addition to the smaller band of devoted adherents. Though the
latter only answered to the subjects of His kingdom, described in this discourse, there were
drawn from time to time into this inner circle souls from the outer one, who, by the power of His
matchless word, were constrained to forsake their all for the Lord Jesus.
BARCLAY, "In that brief verse there are three clues to the real signifi-
cance of the Sermon on the Mount.
(i) Jesus began to teach when He had sat down. When a
Jewish Rabbi was teaching officially he sat to teach. We
still speak of a professor's chair; the Pope still speaks ex
cathedra, from his seat. Often a Rabbi gave instruction
when he was standing or strolling about; but his really
official teaching was done when he had taken his seat. So,
then, the very intimation that Jesus sat down to teach His
disciples is the indication that this teaching is central, that
it is official, that it is the very essence of His teaching.
(ii) Matthew goes on to say that when He had opened His
mouth, He taught them. This phrase He opened His mouth
is not simply a decoratively roundabout way of saying
He said. In Greek the phrase has a double significance.
(a) In Greek it is used of a solemn, grave and dignified
utterance. It is used, for instance, of the saying of an
oracle. It is the natural preface for a most weighty saying.

(b) It is used of a person's utterance when he is really
opening his heart and fully pouring out his mind. It is
used of intimate teaching with no barriers between. Again
the very use of this phrase indicates that the material in the
Sermon on the Mount is no chance piece of teaching. It is
the grave and solemn utterance of the central things ; it is
the opening of Jesus' heart and mind to the men who were
to be His right-hand men in His task.
(iii) The Authorised Version has it that when Jesus had
sat down, He opened His mouth and taught them saying. In
Greek there are two past tenses of the verb. There is the
aorist tense, and the aorist tense expresses one particular
action, done and completed in past time. In the sentence,
" He shut the gate," shut would be an aorist in Greek
because it describes one completed action in past time.
There is the imperfect tense, and the imperfect tense
describes repeated, continuous, or habitual action in past
time. In the sentence, " It was his custom to go to Church
every Sunday," in Greek it was his custom to go would be
expressed by a single verb in the imperfect tense, because
it describes continuous and often-repeated action in the
past. ow the point is that in the Greek of this sentence,
which we are studying, the verb taught is not an aorist, but
an imperfect and therefore it describes repeated and habitual
action, and therefore the translation should be: " This is
what He used to teach them." Matthew has said as plainly
as Greek will say it that the Sermon on the Mount is not
one sermon of Jesus, given at one particular time and on
one particular occasion; it is the summary, and the essence,
and the core of all that Jesus continuously and habitually
taught His disciples.
The Sermon on the Mount is greater even than we think.
Matthew in his introduction wishes us to see that it is the
official teaching of Jesus; that it is the opening of Jesus'
whole mind to His disciples; that it is the summary of the
teaching which Jesus habitually gave to his inner circle.
The Sermon on the Mount is nothing less than the con-
centrated memory of many hours of heart to heart com-
munion between the disciples and their Master.
As we study the Sermon on the Mount, we are going to
set at the head of each of the beatitudes the translation of
the authorised version; and then at the end of our study
of each beatitude we shall see what the words mean in

modern English.
COFFMA , "The traditional site of this mountain is seven miles southwest of
Capernaum; the place is known as The Horns of Hattin. OTE the custom of sitting
down to teach, a procedure that was long followed in the early church. Sitting to
teach was an indication of authority. Dummelow noted that in the "early church,
the preacher sat, and the congregation, including the emperor, stood."[1] Most of
the cathedrals of Europe are still without pews or other seating facilities for the
congregation. The reformer, Martin Luther, alluded to this custom when he said,
objecting to the Pope's remaining seated to observe the Lord's Supper, "Let him
stand up when he takes the communion, like any other stinking sinner."[2]
[1] J. R. Dummelow, One Volume Commentary ( ew York: The Macmillan
Company, 1931), p. 638.
[2] John Bainton, Here I Stand ( ashville, Tennessee: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1950).
COKE, "Matthew 5:1. And seeing the multitudes— And seeing such a multitude:
Heylin: who supposes this verse to be immediately CO ECTED 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. 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; Luke 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. John 9:27 and in most places in the Acts the Christians are called discip
BE SO , "Matthew 5:1-2. And seeing the multitudes — A vast concourse of people
assembled from all parts to attend him, some with their sick to obtain cures, for he
never rejected any who APPLIED to him; some out of curiosity to see his miracles,
and hear his extraordinary doctrine; some with a design to find fault and censure;
and some, doubtless, to hear and be edified by his discourses, which seldom failed to
make a deep impression on those who had any share of good sense or true piety: —
the Son of God, beholding such a vast multitude of men, bewildered in the darkness

of ignorance, and lost in sin and wretchedness, had compassion on them, and feeling
in himself a strong desire to give them more particular instruction than he had yet
done in the infinitely important matters of religion; that he might deliver what he
had to say to them on this most momentous subject, with more convenience to
himself and advantage to them, he went up into a mountain — Which afforded
room for all, and where, ADDRESSI G them from an eminence, he could be seen
and heard by great numbers. And when he was set — After the manner of the
Jewish doctors, who, to show their authority, were wont to sit when they taught; his
disciples came unto him — To be instructed by him as a teacher come from God. By
his disciples here, not only those strictly so called, viz., the twelve, who were
afterward chosen to be his apostles, are intended, but as many of the multitude as
were willing to learn of him. And he OPE ED his mouth — A phrase which, in the
Scriptures, generally denotes the solemnity of the speaker, and the importance of
what he delivers, and here signifies that he uttered the following weighty truths with
great seriousness and earnestness. And taught them — As the great prophet and
lawgiver of his church, the one way to present and future happiness, at the same
time that he corrected those false notions of the Messiah’s kingdom which so
generally prevailed, and which he foresaw would prove of destructive tendency to
those who CO TI UED to be governed by them. Observe, reader! Christ thought it
as lawful to preach on a mountain as in a synagogue; nor did his disciples doubt the
lawfulness of hearing him wherever he thought fit to speak. Our Lord, it must be
observed, pursues the most exact method in this divine discourse; describing, 1st,
viz., in this chapter, the nature, excellency, and necessity of inward holiness; 2d,
chap. 6., that purity of intention which must direct and animate our outward actions
to render them holy; 3d, cautioning us against the grand hinderances of religion,
and pointing out the chief means of attaining it: Matthew 7:1-20; Matthew , , 4 th,
making an APPLICATIO of the whole, Matthew 7:21-28.
CALVI , "Matthew 5:1.He went up into a mountain. Those who think that Christ’s
sermon, which is here related, is different from the sermon contained in the sixth
chapter of Luke’s Gospel, rest their opinion on a very light and frivolous argument.
Matthew states, that Christ spoke to his disciples on a mountain, while Luke seems
to say, that the discourse was delivered on a plain. But it is a mistake to read the
words of Luke, he went down with them, and stood in the plain, (Luke 6:17,) as
immediately CO ECTED with the statement that, lifting up his eyes on the
disciples, he spoke thus. For the design of both Evangelists was, to collect into one
place the leading points of the doctrine of Christ, which related to a devout and holy
life. Although Luke had previously mentioned a plain, he does not observe the
immediate succession of events in the history, but passes from miracles to doctrine,
without pointing out either time or place: just as Matthew takes no notice of the
time, but only mentions the place. It is probable, that this discourse was not
delivered until Christ had chosen the twelve: but in attending to the ORDER of
time, which I saw that the Spirit of God had disregarded, I did not wish to be too
precise. Pious and modest readers ought to be satisfied with having a brief summary
of the doctrine of Christ placed before their eyes, collected out of his many and
various discourses, the first of which was that in which he spoke to his disciples
about true happiness

DR. CO STABLE, "Verse 1-2
1. The setting of the Sermon on the Mount 5:1-2 (cf. Luke 6:17-19)
The "multitudes" or "crowds" consisted of the people Matthew just mentioned in
Matthew 4:23-25. They comprised a LARGER group than the "disciples."
The disciples were not just the Twelve but many others who followed Jesus and
sought to learn from Him. Essentially "disciple" means learner. They did not all
CO TI UE to follow Him (John 6:66). ot all of them were genuine believers,
Judas Iscariot being the notable example. The term "disciples" in the Gospels is a
large one that includes all who chose to follow Jesus for some time anyway (Luke
6:17). We should not equate "believer" in the ew Testament sense with "disciple"
in the Gospels, as some expositors have done. [ ote: E.g., John F. MacArthur, The
Gospel ACCORDI G to Jesus, p. 196. For a critique of MacArthur's book, see
Darrell L. Bock, "A Review of The Gospel According to Jesus," Bibliotheca Sacra
146:581 (January-March 1989):21-40.]
"To say that 'every Christian is a disciple' seems to contradict the teaching of the
ew Testament. In fact, one could be a disciple and not be a Christian at all! John
describes men who were disciples first and who then placed their faith in Christ
(John 2:11).... This alone alerts us to the fact that Jesus did not always equate being
a 'disciple' with being a Christian." [ ote: Joseph C. Dillow, The Reign of the
Servant Kings, p. 151. Cf. pp. 150-56.]
Customarily rabbis TEACHERS) sat down to instruct their disciples (cf. Matthew
13:2; Matthew 23:2; Matthew 24:3; Luke 4:20). [ ote: A Dictionary of ew
Testament Theology, s.v. "kathemai," by R. T. France, 3:589.] This posture implied
Jesus' authority. [ ote: Tasker, p. 59.] The exact location of the "mountain"
Matthew referred to is unknown, though probably it was in Galilee near the Sea of
Galilee and perhaps near Capernaum. There are no real mountains nearby, but
plenty of hills.
"There is probably a deliberate attempt on the evangelist's part to liken Jesus to
Moses, especially insofar as he is about to present the definitive interpretation of
Torah, just as Moses, ACCORDI G to the Pharisees, had given the interpretation
of Torah on Sinai to be handed on orally." [ ote: Hagner, p. 86.]
The phrase OPE I G His mouth He began to teach them" (Matthew 5:2; ASB)
or "He began to teach them" ( IV) is a ew Testament idiom (cf. Matthew 13:35;
Acts 8:35; Acts 10:34; Acts 18:14). It has Old Testament roots (Job 3:1; Job 33:2;
Daniel 10:16) and introduces an important utterance wherever it occurs.
There is some difference between preaching (Gr. kerysso; Matthew 4:17) and
teaching (Gr. didasko; Matthew 5:2) as the Gospel writers used these terms (cf. Acts
28:23; Acts 28:31). Generally preaching involved a wider audience and teaching a
narrower, more committed one, in this case the disciples.
BROADUS, "Matthew 5:1. The multitudesâ€”or, crowdsâ€”viz., the 'great crowds'

spoken of in the preceding sentence (see on "Matthew 4:25".) The connection goes
right on without any break, the paragraph of Matthew 4:23-25 forming a sort of
introduction to the discourse. (For the general connection, see on "Matthew 4:12".)
On some occasion, in the course of the labours just described, occurred that which
Matthew PROCEEDS to narrate. He went up. Was it to avoid the crowds, as some
think, or was it not rather that the presence of such crowds made it proper to
address them in an extended discourse, setting forth the nature of that Messianic
kingdom, or reign, which he had been declaring to be at hand? Into aâ€”the(1)â€”
mountain. This more probably means the mountain-region, just as persons among
us who live near such a region familiarly speak of it as "the mountain "â€” "He
isn't at home, he's gone up in the mountain." The word 'mountain' is used for a
mountain-region in Genesis 19:17, Genesis 19:19, Genesis 19:30, and elsewhere in
O.T. The most common scene of all this part of our Lord's ministry was the lake-
shore, and with this would easily contrast in the apostle's mind the adjacent
mountain-region. So in Matthew 14:23, 'the mountain' is the mountain-region east
of the lake, near where he had just fed the five thousand, and in Matthew 15:29, the
same region further south. That such is tile meaning here becomes highly probable
(if we hold Luke's discourse to be the same) from Mark 3:13, where the same
expression 'he goes up into the mountain' occurs on the same occasion,â€”viz., the
choice of the twelve, (Mark 3:13-19) which Luke (Luke 6:17) shows to have been
immediately followed by the discourseâ€”and the preceding connection (Mark 3:7-
9) evidently makes it there mean that he goes up from the lake-shore into the
mountain-region. This also best fits in Luke 6:12. The phrase 'the mountain,' might
mean the particular mountain near them at the time (Meyer), or the well-known
mountain (DeWette), as one or the other is probably meant in Luke 9:28, the Mount
of the Transfiguration; though of this we know nothing. But the preponderance of
usage and probability is for the other sense, the mountain-region. There is then
nothing in the history to indicate what particular part of the adjacent mountain-
region is meant. The connection in Mark, and the statement of Matthew (Matthew
8:5) and Luke (Luke 7:1) that he afterwards went to Capernaum, show that it was
on the west side of the lake; but the latter statement does not, as so often urged,
show that it was near Capernaum. There is no important objection to the tradition
placing it at the double-top mountain now called "Horns of Hattin," which (Stanley)
strikingly corresponds to the circumstances, since Jesus might well have spent the
night on one of the two summits, and the next morning descended to the fiat space
between the two, and there delivered the discourse. But the tradition is unknown to
the Greek and Eastern writers, and among Latins first found in Brocardus, about
A. D. 1283. (Robinson.) We can only say, therefore, that this may quite possibly have
been the spot. When he was set, or, had sat down, sitting being among the Jews the
customary posture for one engaged in teaching. Luke's expression (Luke 6:17)
'stood,' does not conflict with this, for that denotes simply the end of the descent,
and not the posture in teaching. His disciples. The Greek word rendered 'disciple,'
like the Latin discipulus, which we have borrowed, signifies a 'learner,' as opposed
to a 'teacher,' and is used in that general sense in Matthew 10:24, literally, 'A
learner is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.' The Greeks
frequently APPLIED it to the pupils of a philosopher, as denoting those who
received his instructions and were supposed to adopt his opinions. In a like sense we

read of the 'disciples of the Pharisees', (Matthew 22:16) and the 'disciples of John';
(Matthew 9:14, Matthew 11:2, Matthew 14:12; Mark 2:18, etc.) and similarly the
'disciples' of Jesus, in the present passage, and in general, are those who habitually
heard his teachings, and were supposed to receive them as true. But the term, as
there used, would have a more lax and a more strict APPLICATIO , sometimes
denoting the whole crowd of those who followed him for a while, and apparently
believed his teachings (e. g., John 6:66), but commonly used of those who really did
believe, and SUBMIT themselves to his authority as a teacher. In some passages (as
Matthew 14:15 ff.) the connection shows that it means 'the disciples' by excellence,
viz., the Twelve. After our Lord's ascension the application of the term was very
naturally widened to embrace all who received as true the teachings of the Christian
religion, Christ being in reality still their teacher, though he taught through others.
We cannot here understand the term as denoting all who were present and listened
to his teachings, for it is nowhere used in so loose a way; it must mean his disciples,
as distinguished from others who were not such. This would include the four
mentioned in Matthew 4:18 ff., but would not be confined to them. Matthew has not
previously had the word but he employs it in that general sense with which all had
become familiar at the time when he wrote. From Luke 6:12-20 we learn that, before
delivering the discourse Jesus had selected the Twelve who were to be his special
attendants; but Luke also mentions, (Luke 6:17, literally) a 'crowd of his disciples'
as present when it was spoken. Matthew does not refer to the Twelve as a body till
he comes to speak of their being sent forth two and two, (Matthew 10:1 ff.) just as he
gives A ACCOU Tof John's imprisonment only in connection with the story of his
death (compare on Matthew 4:12, Matthew 14:3). Came unto him, drew near after
he had thus assumed the posture of a teacher. Or, came near while the people at
large stood farther off.
TRAPP, "Ver. 1. And seeing the multitudes] As sheep without a shepherd, or as
grain ripe and ready, falling, as it were, into the hands of the harvest man. The
"children cried for bread, and there was none to break it," Lamentations 4:4. His
eye therefore affected his heart, and out of deep commiseration,
He went up into a mountain] This mount was his pulpit, as the whole law was his
text. It is said to be in the tribe of aphtali, and called Christ’s mount to this day. As
Moses went up into a mount to receive the law, so did the Messiah to expound it,
and so must we to contemplate it. Sursum corda. Wind we up our hearts, which
naturally bear downward, as the poise of a clock.
And when he was set] Either as being weary, or as intending a longer sermon. This
at his first onset upon his office, and that at his last (when he left the world and went
to his Father, John 14:15-17), being the longest and liveliest that are recorded in the
Gospels. He preached, no doubt, many times many hours together. But as his
miracles, so his oracles, are no more of them written than might suffice to make us
believe, and live through his name, John 20:31. As the prophets of old, after they
had preached to the people, set down the sum of their sermons, the heads only, for
the use of the Church in all ages, so did the apostles record in their diaries the chief
things in our Saviour’s sermons, out of which they afterwards (by the instinct and

guidance of the Spirit of God) framed this holy history. (Scultet. Annal. epist, dedic.)
His disciples came unto him] To sit at his feet and hear his word. Among the Jews
the Rabbi sat, termed ‫יושב‬ or the sitter; the scholar, ‫מתאבק‬ or one that lieth along in
the dust, a token of the scholar’s humility, subjecting himself even to the feet of his
teacher. Thus Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word, Luke 10:39. Thus all
God’s saints are said to "sit at his feet, every one to receive his word," Deuteronomy
33:3. Thus Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, a great doctor in Israel, Acts
22:3. And this custom it is thought St Paul l
PULPIT, "And seeing the multitudes; i.e. those spoken of in Mat_4:25—the
multitudes who were at that point of time following him. He went up. From the
lower ground by the lake. Into a mountain; Revised Version, into the mountain ( εἰς
τὸ ὄρος ); i.e. not any special mountain, but "the mountain nearest the place spoken
of—the mountain near by" (Thayer); in contrast to any lower place, whether that
was itself fairly high ground (as probably Luk_9:28) or the shore of the lake. The
actual spot here referred to may have been far from, or, and more probably (Mat_
4:18), near to, the Lake of Gennesareth. It cannot now be identified. The traditional
"Mount of Beatitudes" is Karn-Hattin, "a round, rocky hill", "a square-shaped hill
with two tops", about five miles north-west of Tiberias. This tradition, dating only
from the time of the Crusades, is accepted by Stanley, especially for the reasons that
(1) τὸ ὄρος is equivalent to "the mountain" as a distinct name, and this mountain
alone, with the exception of Tabor which is too distant, stands separate from the
uniform barrier of hills round the lake;
(2) "the platform at the top is evidently suitable for the collection of a multitude,
and corresponds precisely to the 'level place' ( τόπου πεδινοῦ , Luk_6:17) to which
our Lord would 'come down,' as from one of its higher horns, to ADDRESS the
people." But these reasons seem insufficient. And when he was set; Revised Version,
had sat down; as his custom was when preaching. His disciples; i.e. the twelve, and
also those others out of whom they had, as it seems, just been chosen (Luk_6:12,
Luk_6:20). The word is used of all those personal followers who, as still more
distinctly indicated in the Fourth Gospel, ATTACHED themselves to him to learn of
him, at least until the time of the crisis in Joh_6:66, when many withdrew (cf. also
infra, Mat_8:21, and for an example in the end of his ministry, Luk_19:37). In
English we unavoidably miss some of the meaning of µαθητής , to our loss, as may
be seen from the saying of Ignatius, 'Magn.,' § 10, Μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ γενόµενοι
µάθωµεν κατὰ Χριστιανισµὸν ζῇν Came unto him ( προσῆλθαν αὐτῷ ). Came up to
him, and, presumably, sat down in front of him to listen.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And taught them.
The Disciples
I. Who they are, not the rich, gay, self-asserting, satisfied. It. Their peculiar felicity.

1. Secure.
2. Manifold.
3. Ever-enlarging.
III. Their beneficent influence.
1. One effect of such a character is to provoke resistance.
2. But there comes out a more pleasing effect, “salt,” “light.”
3. Is your character such as the Saviour describes? (Sermons by the Monday Cloth.)
The Preacher
Jesus Christ was every way ennobled and qualified for the work of the ministry.
I. Christ was an intelligent preacher. He
(1) had the spirit without measure (Joh_3:34);
(2) Knew how to speak a word in due season, when to humble, when to comfort. He
(3) understood what doctrine would best suit with them; as the husbandman can tell what
sort of grain is proper for such a soil.
II. Christ was a powerful preacher. He
(1) spake with authority;
(2) could set men’s sins before them, and show them their very hearts.
(3) He preached to the conscience;
(4) breathed as much zeal as eloquence: He often touched upon the heart-strings.
III. Christ was a successful preacher.
1. He had the art of converting souls.
2. Many believed on Him.
IV. Christ was a lawful preacher.
(1) He had His unction from His Father, so
(2) His mission. (Thomas Watson.)
The Pulpit
Christ expounds on the mount. From whence observe that Christ’s ministers, according to His
pattern, must embrace every opportunity of doing good.
I. Their commission.
(1) God hath entrusted them as ambassadors. As an ambassador waits for a day of
audience, and then faithfully and impartially delivers the mind of his prince, so
(2) Christ’s ministers, having a commission delegated to them to negotiate for souls,
should be glad when there is a day of audience, that they may

(3) impart the mind and will of Christ to His people.
II. Their titles.
1. God’s seeds-men (1Co_9:11). Therefore they must upon all occasions use the blessed seed
of the Word.
2. Stars: therefore they must shine by word and doctrine, in the firmament of the Church.
3. Christ calls them the light of the world (Mat_5:14), therefore they must be always giving
forth their lustre. (Thomas Watson.)
The occasion
I. Christ’s ministers must catch at all occasions of doing good to others, in regard of the work
they are about, and that is, saving of souls.
1. The soul is a flower of eternity, here in the bud, in heaven fully ripe and blown.
2. It is one of the richest pieces of embroidery God ever made; the understanding bespangled
with light; the will invested with liberty; the affections, like musical instruments, tuned with
the finger of the Holy Ghost.
3. The soul is Christ’s partner, the angels’ familiar. Oh, how zealously industrious should
Christ’s ministers be to save these souls!
II. Christ’s ministers, seeing the multitude must ascend the mount, because so many emissaries
of Satan wait to subvert souls.
1. Ministers must not only be pastors, but praeliatores; in one hand holding the
(1) bread of life, and feed the flock of God; in the other hand they must hold the
(2) sword of the Spirit, and fight against error.
III. Christ’s ministers should wait for all opportunities of soul service.
(1) Never did pilot meet with so many euroclydons and cross winds in a voyage as the
(2) spiritual pilots of God’s Church do, when they are transporting souls to heaven.
(Thomas Watson.)
The Sermon
I. Some hearers have bad memories like leaking vessels; all the precious wine of holy doctrine
poured in, runs out presently. Ministers cannot find a truth so fast as others can lose it.
(1) How many truths have they been robbed of which might have been so many death-
bed cordials!
(2) If the Word preached slides so fast out of the memory, ministers had need go oftener
up the preaching mount, that at least some truth may abide.
II. The ears of many hearers are stopped with cares of the world, that the Word preached will not
enter.
(1) If a man be in a mill, though you speak never so loud to him, he doth not hear you for
the noise of the mill.

(2) We preach to men about matters of salvation, but the mill of worldly business makes
such a noise that they cannot hear.
(3) Therefore ministers need often ascend the mount, and lift up their voices like a
trumpet, that the deaf ear may hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches.
III. Others have a stone in their hearts. Ministers must, if possible, pierce the heart of stone.
When the earth is sun-scorched, it is so hard and crusted together that a shower of rain will not
soften it; there must be shower after shower before it will be moist or fertile. So the hardened
heart oft needs precept upon precept. Our doctrine must distil as dew, etc. (Deu_32:2). They that
are teachers shall shine-not as lamps or tapers, but as stars; not as planets, but fixed stars in the
firmament of glory for ever. (Thomas Watson.)
Introductory
I. The illustrious personage introduced to us.
1. He is wonderful in Person.
2. His extraordinary condescension.
3. His deep humiliation.
4. The work He came to accomplish.
II. The interesting objects which attract His attention. “The multitudes,” etc. Many
circumstances rendered them interesting.
1. They were God’s creatures.
2. They were of the human race.
3. They were endowed with rational faculties.
4. They were immortal creatures.
5. They were the creatures He came to save.
III. The line of conduct which our Lord pursued.
1. “He went up into a mountain;” convenient for Him, and free from noise.
2. “He sat down.” The priests of the Mosaic economy sat down to deliver their instructions.
3. He opened His mouth and taught.”
(1) What did He teach? Purity of worship; pure morality.
(2) How did He teach? With simplicity; with authority; with tenderness. Give attentive
ear to all our Lord has taught; be doers of the Word. (J. Jordan.)
Christ a Teacher
I. The character of Jesus as a Teacher. Greater than the prophets or the angels. He possessed
infinite knowledge and wisdom, holiness and truth, goodness and love, condescension and
patience. He enforced and ratified all by Divine power and authority.
II. The subjects of His instructions. They were all important, chiefly practical, perfect and

abiding.
III. The claims of Christ as a Teacher. Profound reverence, intense attention, highest gratitude,
prompt obedience. (Types and metaphors.)
A concise view of the beatitudes
They all agree in three things.
1. They are all spiritual.
2. They are all unpopular.
3. They are all present. (F. Wagstaff.)
I. Happiness. Nine of these verses begin with “blessed.” The meaning of that word. Jesus came
to bring happiness (Luk_2:14). “How to be happy” is everybody’s question. Jesus answers it in
these “‘ beatitudes.”
II. True happiness is within. Not in pleasure, wealth, etc.
III. This happiness is endowed with many promises.
IV. This happiness may continue in adverse circumstances (vers. 10-12).
V. Such happiness is diffusive (vers. 13-16). (W. O. Simpson.)
The Christian character
I. Christian character, or the proper disposition for Christ’s disciples.
II. The influence which such character is sure to exert.
III. The persecutions which such characters must expect to meet with.
IV. The effort we must make to secure the exertion of good influence. Learn
(1) That the world may honour the strong and self-asserting, but Christ honours the
meek;
(2) that only the penitent and the humble can receive forgiveness;
(3) that those who are forgiven will want to be made pure and righteous;
(4) that they must not wander if earnest piety brings outward persecution; and
(5) that if we have won any graces and virtues we must earnestly watch over them, and
nourish them, lest they should be lost.
ELLICOTT, "(1) What is known as the Sermon on the Mount is obviously placed
by St. Matthew (who appears in the earliest traditions connected with his name as a
collector of our Lord’s “Oracles” or discourses) in the fore-front of his record of His
work, as a great pattern-discourse, that which more than any other represented the
teaching with which He began His work. Few will fail to recognise the fitness of its

position, and the influence which it has exercised wherever the Gospel record has
found its way. More than any other part of that record did it impress itself on the
minds of men in the first age of the Church, and more often is it QUOTED by the
writers of that period—St. James, and Barnabas, and Clement of Rome, and
Ignatius, and Polycarp. More than any other portion, in recent time, has it attracted
the admiring reverence even of many who did not look on the Preacher of the
Sermon as the faith of Christendom looks on Him. ot unfrequently its teaching, as
being purely ethical, has been contrasted with the more dogmatic character of the
discourses that appear in St. John. How far that contrast really exists will appear as
we interpret it. Two preliminary questions, however, present themselves: (1) Have
we here the actual verbatim report of one single discourse? (2) Is that discourse the
same as that which we find in Luke 6:20-49, and which, for the sake of distinctness,
we may call the Sermon on the Plain? Following the method hitherto adopted in
DEALI G with problems which rise from the comparison of one Gospel with
another, the latter inquiry will be postponed till we have to meet it in writing on St.
Luke’s Gospel. Here it will be enough to state the conclusion which seems to be most
probable, that the two discourses are quite distinct, and that each has traceably a
purpose and method of its own. The other question calls for discussion now.
At first sight there is much that favours the belief that the Sermon on the Mount is,
as it were, a pattern discourse, framed out of the FRAGME TSof many like
discourses. ot only is there a large element common to it and to the Sermon on the
Plain, but we find many other portions of it scattered here and there in other parts
of St. Luke’s Gospel. Thus we have:—
(1) Matthew 5:13
. . .
Luke 14:34
(2) Matthew 5:18
. . .
Luke 16:17
(3) Matthew 5:25-26
. . .
Luke 12:58
(4) Matthew 5:32
. . .

Luke 16:18
(5) Matthew 6:9-13
. . .
Luke 11:2-4
(6) Matthew 6:19-21
. . .
Luke 12:33-34
(7) Matthew 6:22-23
. . .
Luke 11:34-36
(8) Matthew 6:24
. . .
Luke 16:13
(9) Matthew 6:25
. . .
Luke 12:22-23
(9) Matthew 6:26-34
. . .
Luke 12:24-31
(10) Matthew 7:7-11
. . .
Luke 11:9-13
(11) Matthew 7:13
. . .

Luke 13:24
(12) Matthew 7:22-23
. . .
Luke 13:25-27
In most of these passages St. Luke reports what served as the starting-point of the
teaching. It conies as the answer to a question, as the rebuke of a special fault. We
might be led to think that the two Evangelists, coming across a collection more or
less complete of our Lord’s words (I use the term as taking in a wider range than
discourses), had used them each after his manner: St. Matthew by seeking to
dovetail them as much as he could into a CO TI UOUS whole; St. Luke by trying,
as far as possible, to trace them to their sources, and connect them with individual
facts. This line of thought is, however, traversed by other facts that lead to an
opposite conclusion. In chapters 5 and 6 of the Sermon on the Mount there is strong
evidence of a systematic plan, and therefore of unity. The Beatitudes and the verses
that immediately follow (Matthew 5:2-16) set forth the conditions of blessedness, the
ideal life of the kingdom of heaven. Then comes the contrast between the
righteousness required for it and that which passed current among the scribes and
Pharisees; and this is carried (1) through their way of dealing with the
Commandments (Matthew 5:17-48), and (2) through the three great elements of the
religious life—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matthew 6:1-18). This is followed by
warnings against the love of money, and the cares which it brings with it, as fatal to
the religious LIFE I all its forms (Matthew 6:19-34). In the precepts of chapter 7
there is less traceable sequence, but its absence is as natural on the supposition of
missing links in the chain, as on that of pearls threaded on a string, or a tesselated
mosaic made up of FRAGME TS. The Sermon, as it stands, might have been
spoken in thirty or forty minutes. There is no reason to think that this was the
necessary or even customary limit of our Lord’s discourses. Assume a discourse
somewhat longer than this, heard by a multitude, with no one taking notes at the
time, but many trying, it may be some years afterwards, to put on record what they
remembered; and then think of the writer of a Gospel coming to collect, with the aid
of the Spirit (John 14:26), the disjecta membra which all held so precious;
comparing, if he himself had heard it, what others had written or could tell him with
what he recalled; placing together what he thus found with a visible order, where
the lines had been left broad and deep; with an order more or less latent, where the
trains of thought had been too subtle to catch the attention of the hearers—and we
have a process of which the natural outcome is what we find here. On these grounds,
then, we may reasonably believe that we have substantially the report of a single
discourse, possibly with a few additions from other similar discourses,—the first
great prophetic utterance, the first full proclamation of “the perfect law of liberty”
(James 1:25), the first systematic protest against the traditions of Pharisees and
scribes—that protest in which we find the groundwork of holiness, and the life of
Jesus translating itself into speech. That it was not more than this; that it did not

reveal doctrines which, from our Lord’s own teaching and that of His apostles, we
rightly hold to be essential to the true faith of Christians; that it is therefore wrongly
made, as some would fain make it, the limit of theology—is explained by the fact
that our Lord spake the word as men were able to hear it; that this was the
beginning, not the end, of the training of His disciples; that the facts on which the
fuller doctrines rested as yet were not. And so He was content TO BEGI with
“earthly things,” not “heavenly” (John 3:12), and to look forward to the coming of
the Comforter to complete what He had thus begun. Those who would follow His
method, must BEGI as He began; and the Sermon on the Mount, both in its
negative and positive elements, is therefore the eternal inheritance of the Church of
Christ, at all ages “the milk for babes,” even though those of full age may be capable
of receiving the food of higher truths.
PETT, " OTEOn The Mountain.
It is probable that the mention of ‘the mountain’ is to be seen as significant in
Matthew. Mountains in Matthew can be divided into three groups, mention of a
‘high (or very high) mountain’, mention of ‘the mountain’, and general mentions of
mountains, including the Mount of Olives.
1). References to a high mountain.
There is one reference to ‘a very high mountain’ and one to ‘a high mountain’. The
former was probably an ideal mountain, and the second literally one that really was
unusually high. But both are places where Jesus had extreme experiences. Let us
briefly consider them:
‘Again, the Devil takes him up into a very high mountain, and shows him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them’ (Matthew 4:8).
‘And after six days Jesus takes Peter, James, and John his brother, and brings them
up into a high mountain APART’ (Matthew 17:1), and there He is transfigured
before them.
It will immediately be obvious that these are two ‘out of this world’ experiences. In
the one the Devil is trying to draw Him into his clutches, in the other He is
surrounded by God’s glory as His own glory is revealed (compare John 1:14; John
17:5). It may well therefore be that in these cases the height of the mountain was
also to be seen as symbolic, as well as in one case literal.
2). References to ‘The Mountain’.
It may well be that when Matthew indicates that Jesus went up into ‘the mountain’
he wants us to know that He has an important message to convey, for each example
contains an EVE T of significance.
a ‘And seeing the crowds, He went up into the mountain, and when He was sat
down, His disciples came to Him’ - (for discipleship instruction - Matthew 5:1).

When He was come down from the mountain, great crowds again followed him
(Matthew 8:1).
b ‘And after He had sent the crowds away, He went up into the mountain apart to
pray, and when the evening was come, He was there alone’ (Matthew 14:23), after
which he walked on water as a demonstration of His power over creation, and over
nature. By this He makes clear that He is not only the Lord of the land, but is also
the Lord of the sea, a sea of whose power His disciples were well aware. His people
had good cause to remember His power over the sea (Exodus 15:8; Exodus 15:10;
Exodus 15:19) and the sea was always an unknown force, the control of which by
God was looked on with awe in the Psalms (Psalms 74:13; Psalms 77:19; Psalms
89:9). And the result is that they worshipped and said, ‘Truly You are the Son of
God’ (Matthew 14:33).
b ‘And Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee, and went up
into the mountain, and sat down there’ (Matthew 15:29). And there the crowds
came to Him and He performed miracles and fed four thousand men along with
women and children at a covenant meal. ‘And they glorified the God of Israel’
(Matthew 15:31).
a ‘And the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into the mountain where Jesus
had appointed them’ (Matthew 28:16). And there He appeared to them and gave
them their commission to make disciples of all nations and promised His
CO TI UI G presence with them.
It will be noted that in the first two cases the mountain is seen as a kind of haven
from the crowds. In the third case it does not at first appear to be a haven from the
crowds, but we should OTE that this is a SPECIAL crowd. They are all included
in the partaking of the covenant meal and have been with Him in that isolated place
listening to His words for three days. They are therefore almost if not completely
disciples, and not just the normal ‘crowds’. The fourth case fits into the pattern of
the other three. It is where He meets with His disciples to give them their
commission for the future.
Furthermore the first and the last examples are places where Jesus specifically
charges the disciples with their responsibilities, while the two middle ones reveal His
power over creation, and end with the glorifying, in the one case of Jesus, and in the
other of the God of Israel. We are probable therefore justified in seeing mention of
‘the mountain’ as pointing to ‘mountain top’ experiences.
End of ote.
And there ‘He sat down’ and His disciples ‘came to Him’. His sitting down suggests
that their coming had been anticipated. It was normal for a Jewish TEACHER to
teach His disciples sitting down. And once they were there He ‘opened His mouth’
(compare Matthew 13:35 citing Psalms 78:2). The idea behind this phrase would
seem to be that of indicating something new that would be spoken (compare Ezekiel
3:27; Daniel 10:16). Then after that ‘He taught them’. We note therefore the careful
preparations made to get everything right for the delivery of what He was about to
say. He clearly considered it to be very important.

2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
GILL, "And he opened his mouth,.... He spoke with a clear and strong voice, that all the
people might hear him; and with great freedom, utterance, and cheerfulness, and things of the
greatest moment and importance;
and taught them; not his disciples only, but the whole multitude, who heard him with
astonishment; see Mat_7:28. Some things in the following discourse are directed to the disciples
in particular, and others regard the multitude in general.
HAWKER, "We have a beautiful view of our dear LORD opening his commission as the Great
Prophet of his church and people. The law had been given from the Mount, therefore JESUS will
here also deliver his Gospel. But there were bounds set, when the law was given, which the
people were not to pass. Not so with JESUS and his Gospel. JESUS saith, Come ye near unto me
and’ hear ye this. I pray the Reader to turn to the sweet scripture, Isa_48:16-17. Oh! how blessed
must it have been to have sat at JESUS’ feet on this occasion, and to have heard the gracious
words which proceeded out of his mouth? Let the poor man learn how sweetly his LORD hath
consecrated places for the manifestation of himself. JESUS preached on the mountain; from a
ship; in the fields; everywhere and every place is sacred which the LORD makes holy. Moses
found Christ first at the Bush. Exo_3:2. And Jacob, ages before, at Bethel, Gen_28:10-22. And
why may not the Reader of this Poor Man’s Commentary have gracious manifestations of the
Lord JESUS at his labor, in his work, at home, or abroad; in the house of God, or in his own
house. Joh_14:23; Isa_2:3-5; Mic_4:1-2; Heb_1:1.
JAMISO , "And he opened his mouth — a solemn way of arousing the reader’s attention,
and preparing him for something weighty. (Job_9:1; Act_8:35; Act_10:34).
and taught them, saying — as follows.
COFFMAN, "This indicates more than merely OPENING one's mouth in order to pronounce
words. It denotes formal preparation and declaration of the cardinal principles set forth in the
ensuing discourse, called the Sermon on the Mount.
BARCLAY, "BEFORE we study each of the beautitudes in detail there
are two general facts which we must note.
(i) It can be seen that every one of the beatitudes has
precisely the same form. As we read them as they are
commonly printed in our Bibles we note that in each one
of them in the English version the word are is printed in

italic, or sloping, type. When a word appears in italic type
in the Authorised Version it means that in the Greek, or in
the Hebrew, there is no equivalent word, and that that
word has had to be added to bring out the meaning of the
sentence. This is to say that in the beatitudes there is no
verb, there is no are. Why should that be? Jesus did not
speak the beatitudes in Greek ; He spoke them in Aramaic,
which was the kind of Hebrew which people spoke in His
day. Aramaic and Hebrew have a very common kind of
expression, which is in fact an exclamation and which
means, " O the blessedness of . . ." That expression
(adhere in the Hebrew) is very common in the Old Testa-
ment. For instance, the first Psalm begins in the Hebrew:
" O the blessedness of the man that walketh not in the
counsel of the ungodly " {Psalm I: 1). That is the form
in which Jesus first spoke the beatitudes. The beatitudes
are not simple statements; they are exclamations: " O the
blessedness of the poor in spirit! "
That is most important, for it means that the beatitudes
are not pious hopes of what shall be; they are not glowing,
but nebulous prophecies of some future bliss; they are
congratulations on what is. The blessedness which belongs
to the Christian is not a blessedness which is postponed to
some future world of glory ; it is a blessedness which exists
here and now. It is not something into which the Christian
will enter; it is something into which he has entered. True,
it will find its fulness and its consummation in the presence
of God; but for all that it is a present reality to be enjoyed
here and now. The beatitudes in effect say, " O the bliss of
being a Christian! O the joy of following Christ! O the
sheer happiness of knowing Jesus Christ as Master, Saviour
and Lord! " The very form of the beatitudes is the state-
ment of the joyous thrill and the radiant gladness of the
Christian life. In face of the beatitudes a gloom-encom-
passed Christianity is unthinkable.
(ii) The word blessed which is used in each of the beati-
tudes is a very special word. It is the Greek word makarios.
Makarios is the word which specially describes the gods.
In Christianity there is a divine and godlike joy. The
meaning of makarios can best be seen from one particular
usage of it. The Greeks always called Cyprus he makaria
(the feminine form of the adjective), which means The
Happy Isle, and they did so because they believed that
Cyprus was so lovely, so rich, and so fertile an island
that a man would never need to go beyond its coastline to

find the perfectly happy life. It had such a climate, such
flowers and fruits and trees, such minerals, such natural
resources that it contained within itself all the materials
for perfect happiness. Makarios then describes that
joy which has its secret within itself, that joy which is
serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which
is completely independent of all the chances and the changes
of life. The English word happiness gives its own case away.
It contains the root hap which means chance. Human
happiness is something which is dependent on the chances
and the changes of life, something which life may give and
which life may also destroy. The Christian blessedness is
completely untouchable and unassailable. " Your joy,"
said Jesus, "no man taketh from you" (John 16: 22).
The beatitudes speak of that joy which seeks us through
our pain, that joy which sorrow and loss, and pain and
grief, are powerless to touch, that joy which shines through
tears, and which nothing in life or death can take away.
The world can win its joys, and the world can equally
well lose its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health,
the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition,
even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy
the world can give. But the Christian has the serene and
untouchable joy which comes from walking for ever in the
company and in the presence of Jesus Christ.
The greatness of the beatitudes is that they are not wist-
ful glimpses of some future beauty; they are not even
golden promises of some distant glory; they are trium-
phant shouts of bliss for a permanent joy that nothing in
the world can ever take away.
CALVI , "2. OPE I Ghis mouth. This redundancy of expression ( πλεονασµὸς)
partakes of the Hebrew idiom: for what would be faulty in other languages is
frequent among the Hebrews, to say, He opened his mouth, instead of, He began to
speak. Many look upon it as an emphatic mode of expression, employed to draw
attention to any thing important and remarkable, either in a good or bad sense,
which has been uttered: but as some passages of Scripture countenance an opposite
view, I prefer the former exposition. I shall also dismiss the ingenious speculation of
those, who give an allegorical turn to the fact of our Lord teaching his disciples on a
mountain, as if it had been intended to teach them to elevate their minds far above
worldly cares and EMPLOYME TS. In ascending the mountain, his design rather
was to seek a retreat, where he might obtain relaxation for himself and his disciples
at a distance from the multitude.
ow let us see, in the first place, why Christ spoke to his disciples about true

happiness. We know that not only the great body of the people, but even the learned
themselves, hold this ERROR, that he is the happy man who is free from annoyance,
attains all his wishes, and leads a joyful and easy life. At least it is the general
opinion, that happiness ought to be estimated from the present state. (361) Christ,
therefore, in order to accustom his own people to bear the cross, exposes this
mistaken opinion, that those are happy who lead an easy and PROSPEROUS life
according to the flesh. For it is impossible that men should mildly bend the neck to
bear calamities and reproaches, so long as they think that patience is at variance
with a happy life. The only consolation which mitigates and even sweetens the
bitterness of the cross and of all afflictions, is the conviction, that we are happy in
the midst of miseries: for our patience is blessed by the Lord, and will soon be
followed by a happy result.
This doctrine, I do acknowledge, is widely removed from the common opinion: but
the disciples of Christ must learn the philosophy of placing their happiness beyond
the world, and above the affections of the flesh. Though carnal reason will never
admit what is here taught by Christ, yet he does not bring forward any thing
imaginary, — as the Stoics (362) were wont, in ancient times, to amuse themselves
with their paradoxes, — but demonstrates from the fact, that those persons are truly
happy, whose condition is supposed to be miserable. Let us, therefore remember,
that the leading object of the discourse is to show, that those are not unhappy who
are oppressed by the reproaches of the wicked, and subject to various calamities.
And not only does Christ prove that they are in the wrong, who measure the
happiness of man by the present state, because the distresses of the godly will soon
be changed for the better; but he also exhorts his own people to patience, by holding
out the hope of a REWARD.
BROADUS, "Matthew 5:2. This expanded statement is in accordance with that
circumstantially in description which is characteristic of the Hebrew language and
adds beauty to the Scripture narratives. It serves, in a case like this, to fix attention
upon the important discourse which follows. (Compare Job 3:1; Acts 8:35, Acts
10:34) Taught is imperfect tense, and describes the teaching as in progressâ€”you
see it going on. The English 'was teaching' or 'went to teaching,' would here be too
strong. Them refers especially to his disciples, who are especially distinguished in
the preceding verse from the crowds, (compare Luke 6:20) and are especially
addressed in such passages of the discourse as Matthew 5:11, Matthew 5:13-16, etc.;
but that the crowds also heard would be naturally suggested by the connection, and
is affirmed in Matthew 7:28 f.
COKE, "Matthew 5:2. And he OPE ED 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. Acts 8:35; Acts 10:34. In order to E TER 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 CO ECTEDwith 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.
GUZIK, "Then He OPE ED His mouth and taught them, saying:
a. Then He OPE ED His mouth: This means that Jesus used his voice in a strong
way to teach this crowd. He spoke with energy, projecting His thoughts with
earnestness.
i. "It is not superfluous to say that 'he opened his mouth, and taught them,' for he
had taught them often when his mouth was closed." (Spurgeon)
ii. "He began to speak to them with freedom, so as the multitude might hear."
(Poole) "Jesus Christ spoke like a man in earnest; he enunciated clearly, and spake
loudly. He lifted up his voice like a trumpet, and published salvation far and wide,
like a man who had something to say which he desired his audience to hear and
feel." (Spurgeon)
iii. "In Greek, it is used of a solemn, grave and dignified utterance. It was used, for
instance, of the saying of an oracle. It is the natural preface to a most weighty
saying." (Barclay)
b. And taught them, saying: What they heard was a message that has long been
recognized as the sum of Jesus' - or anyone's - ethical teaching. In the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus tells us how to live.
i. It has been said if you took all the good advice for how to live ever uttered by any
philosopher or psychiatrist or counselor, took out the foolishness and boiled it all
down to the real essentials, you would be left with a poor imitation of this great
message by Jesus.
ii. The Sermon on the Mount is sometimes thought of as Jesus' "Declaration of the
Kingdom." The American Revolutionaries had their Declaration of Independence.
Karl Marx had his Communist Manifesto. With this message, Jesus declared what
His Kingdom is all about.
iii. It presents a radically different agenda than what the nation of Israel expected
from the Messiah. It does not present the political or material blessings of the
Messiah's reign. Instead, it expresses the spiritual implications of the rule of Jesus in

our lives. This great message tells us how we will live when Jesus is our Lord. "In
the first century there was little agreement among Jews as to what the messianic
kingdom would be like. One very popular assumption was that the Roman yoke
would be shattered and there would be political peace and mounting
PROSPERITY." (Carson)
iv. It is important to understand that the Sermon on the Mount does not DEAL with
salvation as such, but it lays out for the disciple and the potential disciple how
regarding Jesus as King translates into ethics and daily living.
v. It can't be proved, but in my opinion, the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus'
"standard" sermon. It was the core of His itinerant message: a simple proclamation
of how God expects us to live, contrasting with common Jewish misunderstandings
of that life. It may be that when Jesus preached to a new audience, He often
preached this sermon or used the themes from it.
vi. Yet we can also regard this as Jesus TRAI I G the disciples in the message He
wanted them to carry to others. It was His message, meant to be passed onto and
through them. "In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew shows us Jesus instructing
his disciples in the message which was his and which they were to take to men."
(Barclay) In the Gospel of Luke, the material similar to the Sermon on the Mount
comes immediately after Jesus chose the Twelve.
vii. Barclay also points out that the verb TRA SLATED taught is in the imperfect
tense, "Therefore it describes repeated and habitual action, and the translation
should be: 'This is what he used to teach them."
viii. It is clear that the Sermon on the Mount had a significant impact on the early
church. The early Christians make constant reference to it and their lives display
the glory of radical disciples.
TRAPP, "2 And he OPE ED his mouth, and taught them, saying,
VER 2. And he OPE ED his mouth] This phrase is not superfluous (as some may
conceit), but betokeneth free and full discourse, Ephesians 6:19, of some weighty
and important matter, Psalms 78:2, uttered with great alacrity of spirit and
vehemency of speech.
And taught them, saying] He taught them sometimes (saith Theodoret) when he
opened not his mouth, sc. δια του βιου και θαυµατων, by his holy life and wondrous
works. A MIRROR for ministers, who as they should open their mouths with
wisdom (heaven never opened in the Revelation, but some great matter followed), so
their lives should be consonant to the tenor of their teaching, a very visible comment
on the audible word. Timothy must be a stamp, a standard, a pattern, a precedent to
the believers, both in word and conversation ( τυπος), 1 Timothy 4:12. Aaron must
have both bells and pomegranates on his vesture. And ministers should (as Gideon’s

soldiers) carry trumpets of sound doctrine in one hand and lamps of good living in
the other. There should be a happy harmony, a constant consent between their lips
and their lives, ινα συνδραµοι ο βιος τω λογω, that their doctrine and conversation
may run parallel, as Isidore saith in one place; or (as he hath it more emphatically in
another), ινα ο λογος η υπο της πραξεως εµψυχωµενος, that their preaching may
have life put into it by their practice. olite, saith one, magis eloqui magna, quam
vivere. Vivite concionibus, concionamini moribus: ορθοτοµειτε, ορθοποδειτε:
λεγοντες πρακτικως πραττοντες λογικως: Sic vocalissimi eritis praecones, etiam
cum tacetis. Speak not, but live sermons, preach by YOUR practice: the life of
teaching is the life of the teacher.
The Beatitudes
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
SBC, "General Outline of the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount consists—
I. Of an introduction, beginning at Mat_5:3 and ending with Mat_5:16 of Matt. 5 The peculiar
characteristic of these opening sentences is, the kind of man whom Christ pronounces happy. The
Beatitudes open up to us a new world of spiritual character and holy beauty, and consequent joy,
such as had not entered into the heart of man to conceive. They show us that happiness lies, not
in outward circumstances, but in inward life.
II. The text or topic of the discourse (Mat_5:17-19): "Think not that I am come to destroy the
law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." This appears to me to be the great
leading principle discussed and illustrated in the remainder of the sermon. Christ did not come to
destroy the law. Indeed, no true servant of God is ever sent merely on a work of destruction. He
may have to pluck up, to pull down, but he has also to build and to plant.
III. Such being the great theme of this sermon, the rest of it appears to me intended to illustrate
and enforce this statement. And He explains this principle by showing that the law must be kept,
and not in the letter only, but in the spirit. (2) The second illustration of the great idea of the
sermon is comprised in the first eighteen verses of the sixth chapter, and it is to the effect that
God’s law can only be fulfilled by utter sincerity and truthfulness. (3) The theme of the sermon is
further enforced by a series of warnings and illustrations directed specially against a worldly
spirit, and enjoining a practical faith in God, and this third part occupies the remainder of chap.
vi., from Mat_5:19 to the end. (4) The last illustration of the way in which the law is to be
fulfilled is finely expressed in chap. Mat_7:12: "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them." This is the great law of sympathy, without which we cannot do the will

of our Father in heaven.
W. C. Smith, The Sermon on the Mount, p. 1.
SBC, "I. The Beatitudes open that discourse which, whatever may be the difficulties of particular
parts of it, has always been recognized as the most important part of the New Testament. It is, as
it has been well called, the magna charta of Christianity.
II. The Beatitudes put before us what are those qualities and what are those results which alone
the Founder of our religion regarded as of supreme excellence. Often in revivals and in
confessions on our death-beds people ask us, "Are you happy?" "Are you saved?" Christ gives us
the answer: "You are happy, you are saved, if you seek the happiness (1) of modesty, (2) of
compassion with sorrow, (3) of gentleness, (4) of an eager desire for justice, (5) of purity and
singleness of purpose, (6) of kindness to man and beast, (7) of pacific and loving intercourse, (8)
of perseverance in spite of difficulty."
III. Again, the Beatitudes, as they are called, or in other words declaring the happiness of those
who fulfil these things in their own lives, is perhaps the best way of leading us to practise them.
He does not say, "Be merciful," or "Be pure in heart," but He says, "Happy are the merciful,
happy are the pure in heart"—that is to say, He points out that the happiness of which we all of
us, rich or poor, are in search can be found in one or other of these Divine qualities.
IV. The Beatitudes furnish to us the great goal or end which will solve to us many difficulties in
the great battle of life which we all have before us. Those qualities of which our Saviour spoke
are within the reach of all of us; and they amply serve to sustain us in all the conflicts of poverty
and distress with which many of us are encompassed.
A. P. Stanley, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xix., p. 385.
MEYER, "There are many doors into the life of blessedness. It does not depend on outward
possessions, such as worldly goods or high birth. There is no soul of man, however illiterate,
lonely, or poor, that may not step suddenly into this life of beatitude and begin to drink of the
river that makes glad the city of God. Our Lord lived this life before He described it. He has
opened the doors for us. If you cannot enter by the gate of purity, can you not come in by that
which is reserved for those who hunger and thirst?
Note the passive side of the blessed life. To be poor in spirit, that is, to be lowly in one’s self-
estimate; to be meek, not always interested in one’s rights; to mourn for the evils of one’s own
heart and for the sin and sorrow around; to hunger and thirst after Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One. These dispositions do not purchase blessedness, but to cultivate them is to be blessed. On
the positive side are mercy, purity, peace and willingness to suffer all things for Christ. Here is
1Co_13:1-13 anticipated!
BAR ES, "Blessed are the poor in spirit - The word “blessed” means “happy,” referring to
that which produces felicity, from whatever quarter it may come.
Poor in spirit - Luke says simply, Blessed are the poor. It has been disputed whether Christ
meant the poor in reference to the things of this life, or to the humble. The gospel is said to be
preached to the poor, Luk_4:18; Mat_11:5. It was predicted that the Messiah would preach to the
poor, Isa_61:1. It is said that they have special facilities for being saved, Mat_19:23; Luk_18:24.

The state of such persons is therefore comparatively blessed, or happy. Riches produce care,
anxiety, and dangers, and not the least is the danger of losing heaven by them. To be poor in
spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no
righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God; to
be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to
die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favor
from him. It is opposed to pride, and vanity, and ambition. Such are happy:
1. Because there is more real enjoyment in thinking of ourselves as we are, than in being
filled with pride and vanity.
2. Because such Jesus chooses to bless, and on them he confers his favors here.
3. Because theirs will be the kingdom of heaven hereafter.
It is remarkable that Jesus began his ministry in this manner, so unlike all others. Other
teachers had taught that happiness was to be found in honor, or riches, or splendor, or sensual
pleasure. Jesus overlooked all those things, and fixed his eye on the poor and the humble, and
said that happiness was to be found in the lowly vale of poverty more than in the pomp and
splendors of life.
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven - That is, either they have special facilities for entering the
kingdom of heaven, and of becoming Christians here, or they shall enter heaven hereafter. Both
these ideas are probably included. A state of poverty a state where we are despised or unhonored
by people is a state where people are most ready to seek the comforts of religion here, and a
home in the heavens hereafter. See the notes at Mat_2:2.
CLARKE, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, etc. - Or, happy, µακαριοι from µα or µη, not,
and κηρ, fate, or death: intimating, that such persons were endued with immortality, and
consequently were not liable to the caprices of fate. Homer, Iliad i, 330, calls the supreme gods,
Θεων µακαρων, the ever happy and Immortal gods, and opposes them to θνητων ανθρωπων,
mortal men.
τω δ’ αυτω µαρτυροι εστων
Προς τε Θεων µακαρων, προς τε θνητων ανθροπων
“Be ye witnesses before the immortal gods, and before mortal men.”
From this definition we may learn, that the person whom Christ terms happy is one who is not
under the influence of fate or chance, but is governed by an all-wise providence, having every
step directed to the attainment of immortal glory, being transformed by the power into the
likeness of the ever-blessed God. Though some of the persons, whose states are mentioned in
these verses, cannot be said to be as yet blessed or happy, in being made partakers of the Divine
nature; yet they are termed happy by our Lord, because they are on the straight way to this
blessedness.
Taken in this light the meaning is similar to that expressed by the poet when describing a
happy man.
Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas: Atque metus omnes et inexorabile Fatum
Subjecit pedibus; strepitumque Acherontis avari!
Virg. Geor. ii. v. 490
Which may be thus paraphrased: -

“Happy is he who gains the knowledge of the first cause of all things; who can
trample on every fear, and the doctrine of inexorable Fate; and who is not
terrified by death, nor by the threatened torments of the invisible world!”
Poor in spirit - One who is deeply sensible of his spiritual poverty and wretchedness. Πτωχος,
a poor man, comes from πτωσσω, to tremble, or shrink with fear. Being destitute of the true
riches, he is tremblingly alive to the necessities of his soul, shrinking with fear lest he should
perish without the salvation of God. Such Christ pronounces happy, because there is but a step
between them and that kingdom which is here promised. Some contend, that µακαριοι should be
referred to πνευµατι, and the verse translated thus: Happy, or blessed in spirit, are the poor. But
our Lord seems to have the humiliation of the spirit particularly in view.
Kingdom of heaven - Or, των ουρανων, of the heavens. A participation of all the blessings of
the new covenant here, and the blessings of glory above. See this phrase explained, Mat_3:2
(note). Blessed are the poor! This is God’s word; but who believes it? Do we not say, Yea, rather,
Blessed is the rich?
The Jewish rabbins have many good sayings relative to that poverty and humility of spirit
which Christ recommends in this verse. In the treatise called Bammidbar Rabbi, s. 20, we have
these words: There were three (evils) in Balaam: the evil eye, (envy), the towering spirit, (pride),
and the extensive mind (avarice).
Tanchum, fol. 84. The law does not abide with those who have the extensive mind, (avarice),
but with him only who has a contrite heart.
Rabbi Chanina said, “Why are the words of the law compared to water? Because as waters
flow from heights, and settle in low places, so the words of the law rest only with him who is of
an humble heart.” See Schoettgen.
GILL, "Blessed are the poor in spirit,.... Not the poor in purse, or who are so with respect to
things temporal: for though God has chosen and called many, who are in such a condition of life,
yet not all; the kingdom of heaven cannot be said to belong to them all, or only; but such as are
poor in a spiritual sense. All mankind are spiritually poor; they have nothing to eat that is fit and
proper; nor any clothes to wear, but rags; nor are they able to purchase either; they have no
money to buy with; they are in debt, owe ten thousand talents, and have nothing to pay; and in
such a condition, that they are not able to help themselves. The greater part of mankind are
insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and increased with goods: there are
some who are sensible of it, who see their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and
mourn over it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain low and mean
thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly
acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, is owing to the free grace of God. Now these
are the persons intended in this place; who are not only "poor", but are poor "in spirit"; in their
own spirits, in their own sense, apprehension, and judgment: and may even be called "beggars",
as the word may be rendered; for being sensible of their poverty, they place themselves at the
door of mercy, and knock there; their language is, "God be merciful"; their posture is standing,
watching, and waiting, at wisdom's gates, and at the posts of her door; they are importunate, will
have no denial, yet receive the least favour with thankfulness. Now these are pronounced
"blessed", for this reason,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; not only the Gospel, and the ministration of it, which
belongs to them. "The poor have the Gospel preached": it not only reaches their ears, but their
hearts; it enters into them, is applied unto them, they receive and embrace it with the utmost joy

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