Matthew 5:44 (DBY)

Passage

But *I* say unto you, Love your enemies, [bless those who curse you,] do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who [insult you and] persecute you,

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:42 To him that asks of thee give, and from him that desires to borrow of thee turn not away.

Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.

Matthew 5:44 But *I* say unto you, Love your enemies, [bless those who curse you,] do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who [insult you and] persecute you,

Matthew 5:45 that ye may be [the] sons of your Father who is in [the] heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust.

Matthew 5:46 For if ye should love those who love you, what reward have ye? Do not also the tax-gatherers the same?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "love", "enemies", "bless", "curse", "good", "hate", "pray", and "insult". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "love" and "enemies", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "Ye have heard that it has been..." into verse 45's "that ye may be the sons of...", so "love" and "enemies" 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 "love" and "enemies" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.