Bible Strands
Matthew 5:11
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples directly during the Sermon on the Mount, in the beatitude that follows the general persecution statement (v. 10) and precedes the call to rejoice (v. 12).
The words — ὀνειδίζω (oneidizō) means to revile, to heap verbal abuse, not merely to disagree; διώκω (diōkō) is the word for active pursuit, as a hunter chases prey, implying sustained and purposeful opposition.
The thread — The same "because of My name" formula appears in Luke 21:17 and Mark 13:13, and 1 Peter 4:14 restates the beatitude with the Spirit of glory as the mark of the blessed.
Why it lands — The verse draws a line: suffering is blessed only when Christ is the cause, which forces the reader to examine whether their pain actually points to Him or to something else.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
- Luke 21:17 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.
- Mark 13:13 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
- Matthew 24:9 Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
- Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.
- 1 Peter 2:23 When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
- John 15:21 But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
- Isaiah 66:5 You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame.”
- Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
- Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.