EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Matthew 5:48
48So you must be good in every way, as your Father above is good in every way.’
Matthew 5:48 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
- New International Version (NIV)Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- English Standard Version (ESV)You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Context of Matthew 5:48
46Do you only love people who love you? God will not give you good things just for doing that. Even the men who take taxes love their friends! 47If you are only kind to your friends, then you are not doing anything special. Even people who do not believe in God do that. So you must be good in every way, as your Father above is good in every way.’
Read all of Matthew 5Matthew 5:48 word by word
ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Matthew 5:48
- Genesis 17:1When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. The Lord said, ‘I am God Almighty. In all your life, obey me and do nothing wrong.
- Leviticus 11:44God says, “I am the Lord your God. I am holy. Make yourselves holy. Do not touch any small animal that moves across the ground. If you do, you will not be clean or holy
- Leviticus 19:2‘Speak to Israel's people. They must be holy because I am holy. You must tell them that.
- Leviticus 20:26I am the Lord and I am holy. So my people must be holy for me. I have made them separate from other people. They belong to me.
- Deuteronomy 18:13You must live in a completely right way that pleases the Lord your God.
- Job 1:1There was a man who lived in a place called Uz. His name was Job. He was a good and honest man. He was afraid to make God angry. He refused to do evil things.
- Psalms 37:37Think about people who are honest and who do what is right. Those who help people to live in peace will live to enjoy their children.
- Luke 6:36You should be kind to other people, as God your Father is kind.
- 2 Corinthians 7:1So, my friends, God has promised these things to us. So we must keep ourselves clean from everything that makes our bodies or our spirits unclean. We must respect and obey God. Then we will become more and more like him.
- 2 Corinthians 13:9We are happy when we seem to be weak, if you become strong as a result. We pray that you will become completely as you should be.
- Philippians 3:12I am not saying that I have already reached that place in my life. I have not yet completely become the person that God wants me to be. But I am trying very hard to reach that place. That was Christ's purpose when he first made me his own.
- Colossians 1:28That is why we tell everyone the message about Christ. God helps us to be very wise as we warn people and we teach them. We want every person who belongs to Christ to become complete, as God sees them.
- Colossians 4:12Epaphras says ‘hello’ to you. He is also one of your people, and he is Jesus Christ's servant. He always prays very strongly for you. He prays that you will continue to grow as believers. He prays that you will completely understand everything that God wants you to do.
- James 1:4So you should continue to trust God all the time. Then you will become stronger as a believer. You will become completely how you should be. You will not need anything more.
- 1 Peter 1:15God has chosen you to be his own people. He is completely good. So you must be completely good too, in the way that you live.
- Matthew 5:16You must be sure that your light shines well. Then you will give light to other people. They will see all the good things that you do. Then they will praise God, who is your Father in heaven.’
Commentaries on Matthew 5:48
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 48Be ye therefore perfect - as your Father - God himself is the grand law, sole giver, and only pattern of the perfection which he recommends to his children. The words are very emphatic, , Ye shall be therefore perfect - ye shall be filled with the spirit of that God whose name is Mercy, and whose nature is love. God has many imitators of his power, independence, justice, etc., but few of his love, condescension, and kindness. He calls himself Love, to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 48Be ye therefore perfect - The Saviour concludes this part of the discourse by commanding his disciples to be “perfect.” This word commonly means “finished, complete, pure, holy.” Originally, it is applied to a piece of mechanism, as a machine that is complete in its parts. Applied to people, it refers to completeness of parts, or perfection, where no part is defective or wanting. Thus, Job Job 1:1 is said to be “perfect;” that is, not holy as God, or…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 43-48Verses 43-48 The Jewish teachers by "neighbour" understood only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they were pleased to look upon as their friends. The Lord Jesus teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all, especially to their souls. We must pray for them. While many will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and this will speak a nobler principle than most men act by. Others salute their…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 48This verse connects 5:20–48 as a single unit (see study note on Matthew 4:23–25). be perfect: The word “perfect” means maturity, wholeness, and full devotion to God. It describes a complete response to the message of Jesus about the kingdom (19:21; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:15; Colossians 1:28; 4:12; 1 John 4:18). True perfection has love at its center (see Luke 6:36).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4848. Be ye therefore--rather, "Ye shall therefore be," or "Ye are therefore to be," as My disciples and in My kingdom. perfect--or complete. Manifestly, our Lord here speaks, not of degrees of excellence, but of the kind of excellence which was to distinguish His disciples and characterize His kingdom. When therefore He adds, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect--He refers to that full-orbed glorious completeness which is in the great Divine…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 5:48
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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