Bible Strands
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples and the surrounding crowd on a mountainside, delivering the fifth of eight beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount.
The words — ἐλεήμονες (eleēmones) is an active participle, "showing mercy," while ἐλεηθήσονται (eleēthēsontai) is a passive future, "will receive mercy"; the verse's engine is the shift from doing to being done to.
The thread — Matthew 6:14 states the same reciprocity in the narrower key of forgiveness, and Ephesians 4:32 grounds it in the pattern of Christ's own mercy toward the reader.
Why it lands — The verse does not offer mercy as a wage to be collected; it names a character (merciful) and reports what that character ends up receiving, leaving the reader to decide whether to be that kind of person.
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 the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- 2 Samuel 22:26 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
- Matthew 18:33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’
- Psalms 18:25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
- James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.