*Scripture verses covered in this section's commentary are noted in italics

Home / Commentary / Matthew / Matthew Chapter 5 / Matthew 5:7

Matthew 5:7 meaning

Jesus’s statement (D’) is the second central theme of Jesus’s chiasm. It focuses on Jesus’s Kingdom platform of the mercy principle: Be merciful and receive mercy.

There is no apparent parallel account of this teaching in the Gospels.

Jesus’s statement (D’) Makarios are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy, corresponds with (D) Makarios are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (vv 7, 6). This completes the centerpiece of the “Beatitudes” chiasm, which is its primary point. Choosing to live righteously yields enormous benefits. It is the path to complete fulfillment (being blessed, Makarios) as a human.

The counterpart to righteousness in Jesus’s Makarios chiasm is mercy (v 7). Mercy is a key theme throughout the Old Testament and it is a key theme throughout Jesus’s New Covenant as well.

The three main terms that are translated mercy in the Old Testament are “Channuwn” (H2587), “Rachuwm” (H7349), and “Checed” (H2617). “Channuwn” describes pity and gracious generosity (Proverbs 14:21). “Rachuwm” depicts familial bonds of affection (a father to his son—Jeremiah 31:20; or a mother to her nursing infant—Isaiah 49:15; or a husband to his wife—Hosea 2:19; or Joseph among his brothers—Genesis 43:30). “Checed” describes a steadfast and faithful love (Psalm 100:5).

All three terms are combined in several Old Testament verses (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13). One verse that contains all three was uttered by the prophet Jonah, “I knew that You are a gracious (‘Channuwn’) and compassionate (‘Rachuwm’) God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness (‘Checed’), and one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4:2). Mercy is definitely a characteristic of God.

Jesus announces that those who are merciful are Makarios (happy and fulfilled) (v 7). It is not difficult to see why. For those who are merciful shall receive mercy (v 7). This idea, this mercy principle is repeated time and again by Jesus, not only within this sermon but throughout His ministry. Jesus’s mercy principle is the crux of Jesus’s prayer in Matthew 6: “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Mercy is also the focal point of Jesus’s reemphasis which immediately follows His prayer: “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15).

A short while later Jesus affirms the mercy principle by reframing its truth in the negative: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).

Even the golden rule follows the mercy principal, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Be merciful and receive mercy (v 7).

Jesus repeats the mercy principle in His parables of the unforgiving debtor (Matthew 18:23-35).

And of course, Jesus practices what He preaches, even without needing forgiveness Himself. Jesus forgave the paralytic (Mark 2:5). He forgave the sinful woman who washed His feet (Luke 7:48). He forgave the woman caught in adultery (John 8:11). He forgave those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). Jesus the Messiah came to forgive. And He teaches His followers to forgive.

The kingdoms of this world are built on blame and condemnation. When something goes wrong someone must be blamed and punished. This is a wretched system. And wretched are those who are judgmental for they shall be condemned.

But Jesus teaches that when someone is merciful (forgives another of the wrong done against them) they enter into a blessing (Makarios) because they too shall receive mercy (from the King) (v 7). In a world of wrongs and sin, mercy is often the unmistakable act of love. Mercy runs counter to the systems behind the kingdoms of this world. But mercy is a major platform in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thus, completes the centerpiece of the Makarios chiasm. The primary focal point of gaining human fulfillment is to pursue righteousness as though your life depended upon it. In fact, your spiritual fulfillment does. When we play our role in the Body according to our gifts, and in obedience to the Head, we are Makarios. If we obey the Head, we will have a merciful attitude toward all the other members of the Body. When they fail, we forgive. And when we forgive, we are forgiven by the Head (Jesus).

Biblical Text

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Check out our other commentaries:

A Word Of Assurance meaning
God’s love extends to the depraved thief, and to every sinner who entrusts their hope upon Jesus. There is no sin or level of depravity......
Proverbs 9:13-18 meaning
Folly’s strategies are meant to deceive and confuse, but the differences in messaging show that folly is the way to death and only wisdom is......
Numbers 11:10-15 meaning
Verses 10 – 15 contain what some have called “Moses’ Lament.” Moses heard, and probably was the recipient of, the never-ending griping of the people......
Hebrews 1:8-9 meaning
Still contrasting the Son with the angels, this verse talks about Christ’s throne lasting forever and God anointing Christ above everything.......
Galatians 3:15-18 meaning
Paul uses the Old Testament scriptures and its chronology to prove that the inheritance of God’s promises are based on God’s promise, not the law.......

Additional Resources

Book Theme

The Gospel of Matthew was written to demonstrate to the Jews of Jesus, the Messiah’s generation that He was indeed the Christ. Matthew thematically substantiates the Messianic identity of Jesus beginning with the genealogy of Jesus, which ran from Abraham, the father of Israel’s people through King David who was promised to have a son who would be on Israel’s throne forever. Throughout his Gospel account Matthew makes use of numerous prophecies both explicitly stated and by way of subtle allusion to support his thesis. Matthew further makes use of parallel events in Jesus’s life to those of Messianic figures from the Old Testament (Moses, Joseph, David, etc.) to bolster his argument.

Jesus came to offer the Jews the chance to participate in the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom. To do this, they would have to receive and follow Him as their Messiah. Jesus’s message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Ultimately, they rejected Him as their Messiah and condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion. The Jews’ rejection of the Messiah opened the door for Gentiles to enter the kingdom (Matthew 8:11-12, 22:1-10). Matthew’s Gospel is therefore a call for the Jews repent of their murder of Jesus and to embrace Him for the divine Messiah He is.

Matthew shows how their rejection of Him and His brutal death was predicted not only by Jesus Himself, but also was foretold in the Jewish scriptures of the Messiah.

The main proof that Jesus was the Messiah was “the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:39, 16:4). This was Jesus’s death and resurrection from the dead. “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

Because Matthew’s Gospel was written to people who were already members of God’s eternal family by virtue of their faith in God’s promise to send the Messiah, Matthew emphasizes the “reward of eternal life” (aka “The Prize of Eternal Life”) rather than “the Gift of Eternal Life”. In other words, Matthew’s Gospel focuses on how to “enter the kingdom” rather than how to “be born again”.

Matthew’s Gospel demonstrates how Jesus came to fulfill the law and open a way for God’s people to participate in the Messianic kingdom if they would follow His example of worshiping God from the heart by forgiving and serving others.

For “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). If we have faith to follow the example set forth by the resurrected Messiah, whom all authority on heaven and earth has been granted (Matthew 28:18) and take up our cross for His sake (Matthew 16:24-25), then we will become great in His kingdom (Matthew 20:26).

Finally, Matthew provides extensive samples of Jesus’s teachings including “the Sermon on the Mount”, “the Little Commission”, and “the Olivet Discourse” and many parables, alongside accounts of numerous miracles and wonders, personal moments with His twelve disciples, interactions with seekers, and increasingly as his Gospel account progresses: challenges and confrontations with His adversaries – the Pharisees, Scribes, and Priests.

Chapter Context

Chapters 5-7 form the “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus withdraws from the large crowds and focuses on teaching His disciples. This is Jesus’ kingdom platform. Jesus is the second Moses prophesied by Moses, giving a new word from God from a different mountain. Jesus’s sermon has the same purpose as the word from God on Mount Sinai—it shows humans how to live constructively in fellowship with God and one another. Jesus’s emphasis is on the spirit behind the law. Without a change of heart, rules don’t work. Jesus initiated a new covenant, where the law was written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:31; Matthew 25:28).

The Sermon on the Mount transitions from Jesus speaking to “large crowds” to speaking to a “crowd” that consists of His disciples. The “large crowds” included Gentiles from the surrounding nations who had come to be healed of physical illnesses. It is likely Jesus would have spoken Greek to the “large crowds” as that was the language of commerce of that time. It is widely held that Jesus typically taught in Aramaic when speaking to Jews. It was the street language spoken by the Jews after they returned from Exile in Babylon.

But Jesus, like most Jews of His day would also have been multilingual. He would certainly have been able to read and speak from the Hebrew scriptures. And, as mentioned, He also would most certainly have known Greek, the common language of the Ancient world. It is likely that his adoptive father Joseph would have had work as a tradesman in the nearby Roman city of Sepphoris, which would have required knowing some Greek.

He might have also learned some Latin, the official language of the Roman government. Matthew may have originally written all or part of his Gospel narrative of Jesus the Messiah in Aramaic, Hebrew, or Greek. But regardless of which language He originally wrote in, his gospel was preserved in Greek. It is from Greek manuscripts that all our translations are ultimately based.

Matthew 5:7 meaning

Check out our other commentaries:

A Word Of Assurance meaning

Proverbs 9:13-18 meaning

Numbers 11:10-15 meaning

Hebrews 1:8-9 meaning

Galatians 3:15-18 meaning

Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

Maps and Charts

Videos

The Bible Project - Matthew Summary Pt. 1

The Bible Project - Matthew Summary Pt. 2

Download Commentary