Translation commentary on Matthew 5:12

Matthew uses the command Rejoice in the present tense to encourage the disciples to be happy and to keep on being happy in the face of difficult circumstances. The verb is the same one used of the wise men in 2.10; elsewhere Matthew employs it in 18.13; 26.49; 27.29; 28.9.

Matthew includes a second verb, be glad, not found in Luke’s Gospel. Commentators differ in their evaluation of its meaning. For example, one commentator notes that it is a “strong word of Hellenistic coinage” which means “to leap much, signifying irrepressible demonstrative gladness.” On the other hand, another commentator affirms: “Matthew’s word for ‘be glad’ … does not contain the idea of the physical expression of joy, such as is contained in Luke’s ‘leap for joy.’ ” However, it seems to express extreme joy, especially as it is used in the Septuagint (in particular see Isa 12.6; 25.9; 29.19; 35.1, 2; 41.17; 49.13; 61.10; 65.14, 19). One of the standard lexicons gives the following definitions: “exult, be glad, overjoyed.” And in 1 Peter 4.13, where both these verbs occur together, this same lexicon translates “that you might shout for joy.” Elsewhere in the New Testament the word occurs in Luke 1.47; 10.21; John 5.35; 8.56; Acts 2.26; 16.34; 1 Peter 1.6, 8; 4.13; and Revelation 19.7. The related noun form is found in Luke 1.14, 44; Acts 2.46; Hebrews 1.9; and Jude 24.

Most translators will treat Rejoice and be glad together. They are close in meaning, and one gets the impression that the two terms together simply emphasize the point being made here that people should really be happy. Besides, many languages simply do not have two separate words they would use together in this kind of context. Therefore translators will use an expression that means to be very happy, to exult, to be overjoyed. They may use an imperative, as in “Be really happy,” “Make this an occasion for rejoicing,” or “Rejoice.” Or they may have a sentence with “should,” such as “You should rejoice greatly” or “You should rejoice and celebrate.”

The concept of a reward may be difficult for many readers. The main idea is that of a compensation which is valuable and special. If the idea of a reward sounds strange, one should realize that it is a reward of God’s grace, that is, a reward not merited but which God wills to give to those who serve him faithfully. It is not a compensation for work done, but rather a gift which far exceeds any service rendered.

The Greek passive construction, for your reward is great in heaven, is given an active form in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch: “God will reward you richly.” This is a legitimate and perhaps even necessary restructuring, since heaven was a frequent synonym for God. One commentator warns: “It is important not to read into this phrase the notion of ‘going into heaven,’ but rather ‘with God.’ ”

Some translations will use “gift” for reward, or even “great (or, valuable) gift.” This is kept in heaven, which means that it is God who will give it, as we pointed out. Thus the translation can be “God is keeping a valuable reward for you in heaven,” “God will reward you greatly in heaven,” or “the gift God is keeping for you in heaven is great.”

For so men persecuted the prophets who were before you: the Old Testament tells how prophets like Elijah, Amos, and Jeremiah were persecuted. In addition the Jews of the first century A.D. believed that the prophet Isaiah had been sawn in two, after he had hidden himself in a hollow tree. Hebrews 11.37 may be a reference to this event. Moreover, Jesus was certainly familiar with the tradition that the prophets were persecuted by the people of their own generation (Matt 23.29-36).

For comments on persecuted, see verse 10. The prophets who were persecuted were before you, that is, “they lived long ago” or “they lived back before your own time.”

So means “in the same way.” Thus this whole clause can be translated “people made the prophets of long ago suffer in the same way.”

It may be necessary to reorder this verse, since as the text stands, it is possible to take “This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted” (Good News Translation) as a reference to “for a great reward is kept for you in heaven” (Good News Translation). To avoid this ambiguity, one need merely to reverse the order of the two sentences: “They persecuted the prophets who lived before you in this way. Be glad and happy, because there is a big reward which the Lord has prepared for you.” Another way to handle it is to say “Be happy and glad, because God is keeping a great gift for you in heaven. In fact, people persecuted the prophets of long ago in the same way they now persecute you.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 5:12

5:12

Before you translate 5:12, consider what is the most natural order in your language for the clauses in this verse. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the Berean Standard Bible. Compare the Berean Standard Bible with the other examples below.

12aRejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; 12bfor in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. (Berean Standard Bible)

12aYour reward in heaven is great. ⌊So⌋ rejoice and be glad. 12bFor/Because they persecuted the prophets who were before you in the same way.
-or-

12bThey persecuted the prophets who were before you in the same way. 12a⌊So⌋ rejoice and be glad. Your reward in heaven is great.

5:12a

Rejoice and be glad: The two Greek verbs that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Rejoice and be glad are a doublet. This means that the two words mean basically the same thing. Saying the same thing in two different ways is a Hebrew way of making the command stronger.

Your language may be able to indicate a stronger command in the same way. But it may be more natural in your language to emphasize it in some other way. For example:

Be very happy/glad
-or-
You (plur.) should be extremely glad/joyful
-or-
Be glad then, yes, be tremendously glad (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

because: The conjunction because introduces the reason why the disciples and the crowd should rejoice. They should rejoice because God will give them a big reward in heaven. For example:

because you have a great reward in heaven (God’s Word)

In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here. For example:

You will have a great reward in heaven. (Contemporary English Version)

In other languages, it will be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 5:12a. For example:

Your reward is great in heaven. ⌊So⌋ rejoice and be glad.

great is your reward in heaven: The phrase great is your reward in heaven means “you will receive something of great value when you go to heaven.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

a great reward awaits you in heaven (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven (New Century Version)

-or?

⌊God⌋ will reward/honor you very much in heaven.

reward: The word reward normally refers to something good that people receive because of something that they have done. Here, the meaning of reward focuses on being honored for being faithful to Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate the word reward:

payment
-or-
gift
-or-
honor

heaven: Here the word heaven refers to the place where God lives.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the place where God is
-or-
paradise

5:12b

In some languages, it will be more natural to put 5:12b before 5:12a. See the example above under 5:12.

for: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why people who were insulted, persecuted, and spoken against should rejoice and be glad. They should rejoice and be glad because Jesus is praising them. He is praising them by comparing them to the Old Testament prophets.

In some languages, it is not necessary to put a conjunction here. For example:

People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago. (Contemporary English Version)

in the same way: The phrase in the same way introduces a comparison. Jesus was saying that people would do evil to Jesus’ disciples just as people had done evil to the prophets years earlier.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

like that
-or-
so (English Standard Version)
-or-
what people do to you, that is what they did

they: The pronoun they refers to the people who persecuted the prophets many years before Jesus. The pronoun is also connected to the “people” of 5:11 because there are people in every generation who oppose God and mistreat his followers. You may be able to use the pronoun they with that connection here. But it may be more natural in your language to explain the connection. For example:

those same kind of people
-or-
people like them

persecuted: The word persecuted means to “treat someone cruelly and cause the person to suffer.” This same word occurs in 5:10a and 5:11a.

the prophets: The word prophets refers to men who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. God gave some prophets power to work miracles. These miracles helped people realize that God sent the prophets.

Here are some other ways to translate prophets:

spokesmen for God
-or-
men who speak God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers

When choosing a term for prophets, consider how you will distinguish prophets from other words which are similar in meaning, such as “angels,” “apostles,” and “preachers.”

The word “prophet” also occurs in 1:22 and 4:14. See also prophet in the Glossary.

before you: The words before you refer to time. These prophets lived hundreds of years before the time when the disciples lived.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

who lived before you (Good News Translation)
-or-
who lived long ago (Contemporary English Version)

-or-

These prophets lived long before your time

© 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.