English Standard Version
Matthew 5:4
4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
- New International Version (NIV)Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
- New Living Translation (NLT)God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Context of Matthew 5:4
2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Read all of Matthew 5Matthew 5:4 word by word
Μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Matthew 5:4
- Psalms 6:1O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
- Psalms 13:1How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
- Psalms 30:7By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
- Psalms 32:3For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
- Psalms 40:1I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
- Psalms 69:29But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
- Psalms 116:3The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.
- Psalms 126:5Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
- Isaiah 12:1You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.
- Isaiah 25:8He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
- Isaiah 30:19For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.
- Isaiah 35:10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
- Isaiah 38:14Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
- Isaiah 51:11And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
- Isaiah 57:18I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
- Isaiah 61:2to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Commentaries on Matthew 5:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Blessed are they that mourn - That is, those who, feeling their spiritual poverty, mourn after God, lamenting the iniquity that separated them from the fountain of blessedness. Every one flies from sorrow, and seeks after joy, and yet true joy must necessarily be the fruit of sorrow. The whole need not (do not feel the need of) the physician, but they that are sick do; i.e. they who are sensible of their disease. Only such persons as are deeply convinced…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Blessed are they that mourn - This is capable of two meanings: either, that those are blessed who are afflicted with the loss of friends or possessions, or that they who mourn over sin are blessed. As Christ came to preach repentance, to induce people to mourn over their sins and to forsake them, it is probable that he had the latter particularly in view. Compare 2 Corinthians 7:10. At the same time, it is true that the gospel only can give true comfort…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-12Verses 3-12 Our Saviour here gives eight characters of blessed people, which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian. 1. The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them. 2. Those that mourn are happy. That godly…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Those who mourn are the people who felt sad about Israel's spiritual and national condition (see Matthew 23:37–39; Isaiah 61:2–3; Joel 1:8–13; 2:12–13, 18–19; Romans 9:1–5; 1 Corinthians 5:2; James 4:9). It may also include to personal sorrow, whether from sin or tragedy (Mark 16:10; Revelation 18:11, 19). will be comforted: The passive voice shows respect for God's holy name. It could also mean God will comfort them (see also Matthew 5:6–7, 9). Comfort…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted--This "mourning" must not be taken loosely for that feeling which is wrung from men under pressure of the ills of life, nor yet strictly for sorrow on account of committed sins. Evidently it is that entire feeling which the sense of our spiritual poverty begets; and so the second beatitude is but the complement of the first. The one is the intellectual, the other the emotional aspect of the same…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 5:4
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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Commentaries