Beatitudes*, the — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

BEATITUDES*, The

Term derived from Latin beatitudo; it is not used in the English Bible. Technically it means “blessedness” as described in the OT and NT. “Blessed” is translated from both Hebrew and Greek words to refer to divine favor conveyed to people.

The formal utterance “happy is,” or “blessed is,” is a common declaration in the book of Psalms (used 26 times) and Proverbs (8 times). It is used 10 times in the other books of the OT and 13 times in the apocryphal books. These beatitudes are pronounced upon the person who is righteous, having faith and hope in God. They are signs of a life lived in proximity to Yahweh, in the experience of forgiveness, and in the love and favor of God. Such life is a totality, so such blessings are expressive of holistic enrichment, harmony, and fecundity, whether in family life, in temple worship, in public life, or in the interior of one’s own being. The person so blessed is in touch with the fruitfulness of the Creator himself. Such a one lives a fulfilled life, life as God intended it to be lived before him.

The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12, NLT

Show passage in OET: MAT 5:1–12

OET-RV MAT 5:1

5 After seeing the crowds of people, Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) climbed up a hill, and when he sat down, his followers drew in close to him

OET-RV MAT 5:2

2 and he taught them:

OET-RV MAT 5:3

3 “Those who are poor in the spirit are blessed, because the heavenly kingdom is theirs.

OET-RV MAT 5:4

4 “Those who are mourning are blessed, because they’ll be comforted.

OET-RV MAT 5:5

5 “Those who are gentle are blessed, because they’ll inherit the world.

OET-RV MAT 5:6

6 “Those who are hungry and thirsty to obey God are blessed, because they’ll be satisfied.

OET-RV MAT 5:7

7 “Those who are merciful are blessed, because they’ll receive mercy.

OET-RV MAT 5:8

8 “Those who have pure hearts are blessed, because they’ll see God.

OET-RV MAT 5:9

9 “Those who are peacemakers are blessed, because they’ll be called God’s children.

OET-RV MAT 5:10

10 “Those who are persecuted for being godly are blessed, because the heavenly kingdom is theirs.

OET-RV MAT 5:11

11 “Everyone who’s derided or chased or lied about is blessed, along with those who have evil things said about them just because they follow me.

OET-RV MAT 5:12

12 Be happy and praising God because you’ll all have a wonderful reward in the heavens, because in the past they also persecuted the prophets like that.

OET-LV MAT 5:1

5 And having _seen the crowds, he _went _up on the mountain, and him having _sat _down, the apprentices/followers of _him approached to _him.

OET-LV MAT 5:2

2 And having _opened _up the mouth of _him, he _was _teaching them saying,

OET-LV MAT 5:3

3 Blessed are the poor in _the spirit, because to _them is the kingdom of _the heavens.

OET-LV MAT 5:4

4 Blessed are the ones mourning, because they will _be _being _comforted.

OET-LV MAT 5:5

5 Blessed are the gentle, because they will _be _inheriting the earth.

OET-LV MAT 5:6

6 Blessed are the ones hungering and thirsting the for _righteousness, because they will _be _being _satisfied.

OET-LV MAT 5:7

7 Blessed are the merciful, because they will _be _being _shown _mercy.

OET-LV MAT 5:8

8 Blessed are the pure the in _heart, because they will _be _seeing the god.

OET-LV MAT 5:9

9 Blessed are the peacemaking, because they will _be _being _called sons of_god.

OET-LV MAT 5:10

10 Blessed are the ones having _been _persecuted on _account righteousness, because to _them is the kingdom of _the heavens.

OET-LV MAT 5:11

11 Blessed are _you _all whenever they _may _deride you _all and may _pursue and lying, they _may _say all evil against you _all on _account of _me.

OET-LV MAT 5:12

12 Be _rejoicing and be _exulting, because the reward of _you _all is great in the heavens, because/for thus they _persecuted the prophets which before you _all.

Jump to OET MAT 5:1–12 section.

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2and he began to teach them.

3“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4God blesses those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5God blesses those who are humble,

for they will inherit the whole earth.

6God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,

for they will be satisfied.

7God blesses those who are merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

for they will see God.

9God blesses those who work for peace,

for they will be called the children of God.

10God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

In the NT, references to “blessing” occur seven times in the book of Revelation, three times in the Epistle to the Romans, and once in John’s Gospel. The prominence of “blessedness” in Matthew and Luke gives rise to the technical term “Beatitudes.” There are interesting contrasts between Luke’s “sermon on the plain” (Lk 6:20-23) and Matthew’s “sermon on the mount” (Mt 5:3-12). The pronouncement of the blessings in Luke is done immediately after the selection of the 12 disciples (Lk 6:12-16). Yet the sermon is addressed to the crowd generally and speaks of the advent of God’s kingdom as the reversal of the social conditions of the human race. So Luke balances four blessings with four woes—changing from the present tense to the future tense—to heighten the contrast of the impending reversal of social conditions.

In Matthew’s account, the advent of the kingdom has already commenced, indicated by the use of the present tense. It is addressed to the disciples particularly and is not a general proclamation. The sermon is set within two statements of Jesus: he has not come to destroy but to fulfill the Mosaic law (Mt 5:17); and it is necessary to have a kind of righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 5:20). So these Beatitudes are more concerned with the interior life of the disciple, to activate here and now the kind of life Jesus communicates in those who follow him, for Jesus has already inaugurated the kingdom. These eight Beatitudes reflect on the traits of those who belong to that kingdom and who therefore reflect Christ’s own life. The people and situations described may seem pitiable by human standards, but because of God’s presence in their lives, they are actually blessed and should be congratulated and imitated. See Jesus Christ, Life and Teachings of.