Matthew 5:47 (DRB)

Passage

And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:45 That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.

Matthew 5:46 For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this?

Matthew 5:47 And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?

Matthew 5:48 Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "salute", "brethren", "only", and "heathens". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "salute" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "For if you love them that love..." into verse 48's "Be you therefore perfect as also your...", so "salute" and "brethren" 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 "salute" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.