Matthew 5:44

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

but I -- I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, εὐλογειτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς, καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοὺς μισοῦντας ὑμᾶς, καὶ προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, καὶ διωκόντων ὑμᾶς·

Transliteration

Egō de legō to-you, Agapate the echthrous of-you, eulogeite the katarōmenous you, kalōs poieite to-the misountas you, and proseuchesthe for the epēreazontōn you, and diōkontōn you;

Grammar Details

• *Egō*: nominative personal pronoun - I
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and
• *legō*: present active indicative, 1st person singular - I say/tell
• *Agapate*: present active imperative, 2nd person plural - love!
• *echthrous*: accusative masculine plural - enemies
• *eulogeite*: present active imperative, 2nd person plural - bless!
• *katarōmenous*: present middle/passive participle, accusative masculine plural - cursing
• *kalōs*: adverb - well/good
• *poieite*: present active imperative, 2nd person plural - do!
• *misountas*: present active participle, accusative masculine plural - hating
• *proseuchesthe*: present middle/passive imperative, 2nd person plural - pray!
• *epēreazontōn*: present active participle, genitive masculine plural - mistreating/insulting
• *diōkontōn*: present active participle, genitive masculine plural - persecuting

Word Meanings

• *Egō*: I/myself
• *legō*: say/tell/speak
• *Agapate*: love (agape - selfless, sacrificial love)
• *echthrous*: enemies/foes/opponents
• *eulogeite*: bless/speak well of
• *katarōmenous*: cursing/pronouncing evil against
• *kalōs*: well/good/nobly
• *poieite*: do/perform/act toward
• *misountas*: hating/detesting
• *proseuchesthe*: pray/petition
• *epēreazontōn*: mistreating/insulting/abusing
• *diōkontōn*: persecuting/pursuing/harassing

Referenced Verses

• Luke 6:27-28 : 27 `But I say to you who are hearing, Love your enemies, do good to those hating you, 28 bless those cursing you, and pray for those accusing you falsely;
• Rom 12:14 : 14 Bless those persecuting you; bless, and curse not;
• 1 Pet 3:9 : 9 not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;
• Rom 12:20-21 : 20 I will recompense again, saith the Lord;' if, then, thine enemy doth hunger, feed him; if he doth thirst, give him drink; for this doing, coals of fire thou shalt heap upon his head; 21 Be not overcome by the evil, but overcome, in the good, the evil.
• Luke 23:34 : 34 And Jesus said, `Father, forgive them, for they have not known what they do;' and parting his garments they cast a lot.
• Prov 25:21-22 : 21 If he who is hating thee doth hunger, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirst, cause him to drink water. 22 For coals thou art putting on his head, And Jehovah giveth recompense to thee.
• 1 Pet 2:23 : 23 who being reviled -- was not reviling again, suffering -- was not threatening, and was committing himself to Him who is judging righteously,
• Acts 7:60 : 60 and having bowed the knees, he cried with a loud voice, `Lord, mayest thou not lay to them this sin;' and this having said, he fell asleep.
• Luke 6:34-35 : 34 and if ye lend `to those' of whom ye hope to receive back, what grace have ye? for also the sinful lend to sinners -- that they may receive again as much. 35 `But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward will be great, and ye shall be sons of the Highest, because He is kind unto the ungracious and evil;
• 1 Cor 4:12-13 : 12 and labour, working with `our' own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer; 13 being spoken evil of, we entreat; as filth of the world we did become -- of all things an offscouring -- till now.
• 1 Cor 13:4-8 : 4 The love is long-suffering, it is kind, the love doth not envy, the love doth not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not act unseemly, doth not seek its own things, is not provoked, doth not impute evil, 6 rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth; 7 all things it beareth, all it believeth, all it hopeth, all it endureth. 8 The love doth never fail; and whether `there be' prophecies, they shall become useless; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall become useless;
• Exod 23:4-5 : 4 `When thou meetest thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou dost certainly turn it back to him; 5 when thou seest the ass of him who is hating thee crouching under its burden, then thou hast ceased from leaving `it' to it -- thou dost certainly leave `it' with him.
• 2 Kgs 6:22 : 22 And he saith, `Thou dost not smite; those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow art thou smiting? set bread and water before them, and they eat, and drink, and go unto their lord.'
• Ps 7:4 : 4 If I have done my well-wisher evil, And draw mine adversary without cause,
• Ps 35:13-14 : 13 And I -- in their sickness my clothing `is' sackcloth, I have humbled with fastings my soul, And my prayer unto my bosom returneth. 14 As `if' a friend, as `if' my brother, I walked habitually, As a mourner for a mother, Mourning I have bowed down.
• 2 Chr 28:9-9 : 9 And there hath been there a prophet of Jehovah (Oded `is' his name), and he goeth out before the host that hath come in to Samaria, and saith to them, `Lo, in the fury of Jehovah God of your fathers against Judah, He hath given them into your hand, and ye slay among them in rage -- unto the heavens it hath come; 10 and now, sons of Judah and Jerusalem ye are saying to subdue for men-servants and for maid-servants to you; but are there not with you causes of guilt before Jehovah your God? 11 and now, hear me, and send back the captives whom ye have taken captive of your brethren, for the heat of the anger of Jehovah `is' upon you.' 12 And certain of the heads of the sons of Ephraim (Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai), rise up against those coming in from the host, 13 and say to them, `Ye do not bring in the captives hither, for, to guilt against Jehovah on us, ye are saying to add unto our sin and unto our guilt? for abundant `is' the guilt we have, and the fierceness of anger on Israel.' 14 And the armed men leave the captives and the prey before the heads and all the assembly; 15 and the men who have been expressed by name rise and take hold on the captives, and all their naked ones they have clothed from the spoil, yea, they clothe them, and shoe them, and cause them to eat and drink, and anoint them, and lead them on asses, even every feeble one, and bring them in to Jericho, the city of palms, near their brethren, and turn back to Samaria.