Matthew 5:12 (DBY)

Passage

Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:10 Blessed they who are persecuted on account of righteousness, for *theirs* is the kingdom of the heavens.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake.

Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:13 *Ye* are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot by men.

Matthew 5:14 *Ye* are the light of the world: a city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rejoice", "exult", "reward", "great", "heavens", "thus", "persecuted", and "prophets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rejoice" and "exult", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Blessed are ye when they may reproach..." into verse 13's "Ye are the salt of the earth...", so "rejoice" and "exult" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "rejoice" and "exult" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.