Matthew 5:47 (GNV)

Passage

And if ye be friendly to your brethren onely, what singular thing doe ye? doe not euen the Publicanes likewise?

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your father that is in heauen: for he maketh his sunne to arise on the euill, and the good, and sendeth raine on the iust, and vniust.

Matthew 5:46 For if ye loue them, which loue you, what rewarde shall you haue? Doe not the Publicanes euen the same?

Matthew 5:47 And if ye be friendly to your brethren onely, what singular thing doe ye? doe not euen the Publicanes likewise?

Matthew 5:48 Ye shall therefore be perfit, as your Father which is in heauen, is perfite.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "friendly", "brethren", "onely", "singular", "euen", "publicanes", and "likewise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "friendly" 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 ye loue them which loue..." into verse 48's "Ye shall therefore be perfit as your...", so "friendly" 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 "friendly" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.