Matthew 5:6
What does Matthew 5:6 mean?
A plain-English look at Matthew 5:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Matthew 5:6 means
Jesus blesses those who possess an intense, persistent desire for righteousness, likening it to physical hunger and thirst. This longing is not merely for their own ethical behavior, but for God's righteousness to prevail in every aspect of life. Those who deeply crave God's standard and His justice are assured that they "shall be filled." This promise affirms that God will satisfy their spiritual longing, both in this life as they grow in Christ and fully in the age to come.
Matthew 5:6 in context
Matthew 5 — The Beatitudes
Jesus opens his Sermon on the Mount with eight pronouncements that turn the world's value system upside down. Blessing belongs not to the proud and self-sufficient but to the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. In a few sentences he sketches the character of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven, and then calls them salt of the earth and light of the world.
- Kingdom ethics
- Inner righteousness
- True blessedness
- Light and salt
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Happy are those whose heart's desire is for righteousness: for they will have their desire.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness--because they shall be filled.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Blessed they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Context
This Beatitude follows the attributes of humility, mourning, and meekness. It emphasizes an active pursuit and deep desire for God's holy standard. This intense longing for righteousness naturally precedes the outward expressions of that righteousness, such as mercy and peacemaking, which are presented in the subsequent Beatitudes.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 42:1
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God.
- John 7:37
Now on the last day, the greatdayof the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
- Psalms 63:5
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips;
- Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah.
- Psalms 145:19
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.
- John 6:48
I am the bread of life.
Sermon ideas from Matthew 5:6
Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.
What Matthew 5:6 teaches us about kingdom ethics
What Matthew 5:6 teaches us about inner righteousness
What Matthew 5:6 teaches us about true blessedness
What Matthew 5:6 teaches us about light and salt
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