What is the meaning of Matthew 5:6?

Blessed

- Jesus opens with “Blessed,” the same word He speaks over the meek and the pure in heart (Matthew 5:5, 8). This is not a fleeting happiness but the settled favor of God, like the blessing pronounced in Psalm 1:1–3.

- It signals divine approval now and the promise of eternal joy later, echoing Psalm 32:1–2, where forgiven people are called blessed.

- The statement invites us to see blessing as relational—rooted in God’s character, not shifting circumstances (James 1:12).

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are those who hunger and thirst

- Hunger and thirst describe urgent, physical drives. Jesus uses these images to show a deep, continual longing, similar to David’s cry, “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1).

- This is not a casual interest but a desperation seen in the crowd that traveled days to hear Jesus (Mark 8:2–3).

- The verbs suggest ongoing desire: we keep coming back for more, like a deer panting for streams of water (Psalm 42:1).

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for righteousness

- Righteousness here is God’s standard of what is right, the life that pleases Him (1 John 3:7).

- It includes personal holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16) and social justice—doing right by others (Isaiah 1:17).

- Ultimately it centers on Christ, “our righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Hungering for righteousness means craving His likeness and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33).

- It contrasts with self-righteousness (Luke 18:9–14). True seekers admit their poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:3) and long for God to fill the gap.

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for they will be filled

- Jesus promises satisfaction. The same verb appears when the five thousand “were all satisfied” after eating (Matthew 14:20).

- God Himself meets the craving: “He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9).

- Fulfillment comes partly now—through the indwelling Spirit producing righteous fruit (Galatians 5:22–23)—and fully in the future when we stand flawless before His presence (Philippians 1:6; Revelation 7:16–17).

- The certainty of “will be filled” assures that no pursuit of God’s righteousness is wasted (Hebrews 11:6).

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summary

To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to feel an unrelenting, God-given ache for His ways and His character, answered by His guaranteed fullness both now and forever.