Matthew 5:4

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ¹ 

Matthew 5:7

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

Matthew 5:5-6

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

5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger ²  and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:8-9

5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children ³  of God.

Matthew 20:10

20:10 And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage.

Matthew 12:27

12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ⁴  cast them ⁵  out? For this reason they will be your judges.

Matthew 23:4

23:4 They ⁶  tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.

Matthew 25:44

25:44 Then they too will answer, ⁷  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’

¹ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

² sn Those who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Ps 37:16-19; 107:9).

³ tn Grk “sons,” though traditionally English versions have taken this as a generic reference to both males and females, hence “children” (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT).

⁴ sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.

⁵ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶ tn Grk “Then they will answer, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.