Matthew 5:47

If you want God to bless only your friends, ◄you are not acting any better than other people!/are you acting any better than other people?► [RHQ] Even the non-Jews, who you think sin very much (OR, you think are unacceptable to God), want God to bless their friends [RHQ], but God does not reward them for that.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

In Context

46If you love only the people who love you, ◄ do not expect God to reward you in heaven!/will God reward you in heaven?► [RHQ] This is based on the fact that everyone, even the tax collectors, who you think are very great sinners, love [RHQ] those who love them. If you act like them, ◄ you are not any different from tax collectors!/in what way are you different from tax collectors?► [RHQ]

48You need to love those who do not love you, and in that way become perfect as God your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect.”

Read all of Matthew 5

Cross References

Matthew 5:20Keep this in mind: You assume that the Pharisees and the men who teach our laws faithfully obey what God commands. But if you do not obey those laws better than they obey them, you will by no means enter the place where God rules.”

Luke 6:32If you love only those who love you, do not expect God to praise you for doing that [RHQ], because even sinners love those who love them.

1 Peter 2:20God will certainly not [RHQ] be pleased with you if you do something that is wrong and as a result you are beaten {someone beats you}! But if, instead of doing something that is wrong, you do what is good, and as a result of that, you suffer for doing something that is good, and you endure that suffering, God will ◄commend/be pleased with► you.

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:44-48

The Sermon on the Mount. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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