Passage
Matthew 5.4
Book: Matthew · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
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ASV (ASV)
"2. and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
"5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:2-6, ASV)
WEB (WEB)
"2. He opened his mouth and taught them, saying, 3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
"4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
"5. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:2-6, WEB)
KJV (KJV)
"2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
"5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:2-6, KJV)
YLT (YLT)
"2. and having opened his mouth, he was teaching them, saying: 3. 'Happy the poor in spirit, because theirs is the reign of the heavens."
"4. 'Happy the mourning, because they shall be comforted."
"5. 'Happy the meek, because they shall inherit the land. 6. 'Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, because they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:2-6, YLT)
Setting
- Speaker: Matthew (traditionally) the tax-collector-apostle / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
- Audience: Jewish-Christian audience (heavy OT-fulfillment emphasis)
- Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Antioch (composition)
- Time period: events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80
Theological reading
Key words
No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)
Quoted in
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.