Matthew 5:11

 Matthew 5:11

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

a. ASV: Blessed are ye when men' shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

b.  YLT: 'Happy are ye whenever they may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you falsely for my sake --

c. Amplified Bible Classic: Blessed (happy, [w]to be envied, and [x]spiritually prosperous—[y]with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.

1. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you…”

a. Blessed [Strong:  3107. makarios mak-ar'-ee-os a prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same); supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off:-- blessed, happy(X -ier).]

b. [are] ye [Strong: 1510. eimi i-mee' the first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist (used only when emphatic):--am, have been, X it is I, was.]

c. when [Strong: 3752. hotan hot'-an from 3753 and 302; whenever (implying hypothesis or more or less uncertainty); also causatively (conjunctionally) inasmuch as:--as long (soon) as, that, + till, when(-soever), while.[

d. [when men shall] revile [Strong: 3679. oneidizo on-i-did'-zo from 3681; to defame, i.e. rail at, chide, taunt:--cast in teeth, (suffer) reproach, revile, upbraid.]

e. you [Strong: 4771. su soo the person pronoun of the second person singular; thou:-- thou.]

f. and [Strong: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

g. persecute [you] [Strong: 1377. dioko dee-o'-ko a prolonged (and causative) form of a primary verb dio (to flee; compare the base of 1169 and 1249); to pursue (literally or figuratively); by implication, to persecute:--ensue, follow (after), given to, (suffer) persecute(-ion), press forward.]

1). In this day an age (1970-2020 A.D.), numerous homosexual groups have reviled and persecuted and accused Biblical Christianity because of the stand against immorality that biblical Christianity takes.

a). The first example is demonstrated by a homosexual group called Soulforce. In the Spring of 2006 this group traveled across the United States to Christian Colleges and Universities protesting the schools Biblical stands on homosexuality. In their effort though, Soulforce mimicked Moab, Ammon, Sodom, and Gomorrah by using “abusive and slanderous” language. On April 24 of 2006, Soulforce issued a press release telling Christian Colleges and Universities to “Repent of your homophobia”. In the press release, the group accused the Church, i.e., “the people of the LORD of hosts” of discrimination against homosexuals, because of their Biblical stand against the sin of homosexuality. www.soulforce.org/article.php?article_id=778&action=print.

b). Another example is that of Dan Savage, a homosexual activist who started the It Gets Better Project, a web page to encourage homosexual teenagers. Savage viciously attacked the former Senator and Presidential candidate Rick Santorum for his stand against homosexual marriage. Mr. Savage created a website called Santorum.com where he redefines Santorum’s last name as “the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex.” This is the same Dan Savage who was giving a keynote address about anti-bullying to students at a journalism conference in late April when he said the following: "We can learn to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about gay people… the same way we have learned to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about shellfish, about slavery, about dinner, about farming, about menstruation, about virginity, about masturbation…We ignore bullshit in the Bible about all sorts of things." Dan Savage is a perfect example of the slander, the reproach and the reviling of those towards God and his people and as we will discover in the next verses.

2. “...and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

a. and [Strong: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

b. [shall] say [Strong: 2036. epo ep'-o a primary verb (used only in the definite past tense, the others being borrowed from 2046, 4483, and 5346); to speak or say (by word or writing):--answer, bid, bring word, call, command, grant, say (on), speak, tell.]

c. all [manner] [Strong: 3956. pas pas including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:--all (manner of, means), alway(-s), any (one), X daily, + ever, every (one, way), as many as, + no(-thing), X thoroughly, whatsoever, whole, whosoever.]

d. [of] evil [Strong: 4190. poneros pon-ay-ros' from a derivative of 4192; hurtful, i.e. evil (properly, in effect or influence, and thus differing from 2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from 4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively, calamitous; also (passively) ill, i.e. diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, i.e. derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural) sinners:--bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked(-ness).]

e. against [Strong: 2596. kata kat-ah' a primary particle; (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined):--about, according as (to), after, against, (when they were) X alone, among, and, X apart, (even, like) as (concerning, pertaining to touching), X aside, at, before, beyond, by, to the charge of, (charita-)bly, concerning, + covered, (dai-)ly, down, every, (+ far more) exceeding, X more excellent, for, from ... to, godly, in(-asmuch, divers, every, -to, respect of), ... by, after the manner of, + by any means, beyond (out of) measure, X mightily, more, X natural, of (up-)on (X part), out (of every), over against, (+ your) X own, + particularly, so, through(-oughout, -oughout every), thus, (un-)to(-gether, -ward), X uttermost, where(-by), with. In composition it retains many of these applications, and frequently denotes opposition, distribution, or intensity.]

f. you [Strong: 4771. su soo the person pronoun of the second person singular; thou:-- thou.]

g. falsely [Strong: 5574. pseudomai psyoo'-dom-ahee middle voice of an apparently primary verb; to utter an untruth or attempt to deceive by falsehood:--falsely, lie.]

h. for [Strong: for [Strong: 1752. heneka hen'-ek-ah or heneken hen'-ek-en or heineken hi'-nek-en of uncertain affinity; on account of:--because, for (cause, sake), (where-)fore, by reason of, that.]

i. My [sake] [Strong: 1473. ego eg-o' a primary pronoun of the first person I (only expressed when emphatic):--I, me.]