Theirs is the kingdom of heaven occurs in both the first and the eighth beatitudes. This signals the beginning and the end of a section, and it is an example of a literary device known as “inclusion,” found elsewhere as well in Matthew. One can easily see the differences between the form of these beatitudes and the form of the last one, verses 11-12.

Are persecuted translates a perfect participle in Greek, which suggests that as Matthew writes, the church of his day is suffering persecution. Most translations, such as Good News Translation: (“who are persecuted”), give something of a timeless force to the participle; only Phillips and New English Bible take seriously the perfect tense (“who have suffered persecution”). Are persecuted is often translated “receive suffering,” so that this phrase can be “the people whom other people make suffer (or, persecute).” (Of course, any of these can be rendered as past or future if translators prefer those interpretations.)

For righteousness’ sake is translated “because they do what God requires” by Good News Translation. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bible en français courant translate as Good News Translation does, and Barclay renders “for their loyalty to God’s way of life.” Other translations are similar: New English Bible “for the cause of right”; New American Bible “for holiness’ sake” (with note: “fidelity to the divine precepts through which holiness is attained is deepened by the test of persecution”); Jerusalem Bible “in the cause of right” and Moffatt “for the sake of goodness!” (Phillips “for the cause of goodness”). See comments at 3.15 and 5.6 on “righteousness.” Many translations have had “because they do what is right” as a translation of for righteousness’ sake. But as we pointed out above, what is right is in fact that which conforms to God’s will, so that the phrase can also be as in Good News Translation, “because they do what God requires,” or “because their lives are right before God,” or “because they live as God wants people to.”

See Matthew 5.3 for comments on theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .