Matthew 5:12 (KJV)

Passage

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matthew 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rejoice", "exceeding", "glad", "great", "reward", "heaven", "persecuted", and "prophets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rejoice" and "exceeding", 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 men shall revile..." into verse 13's "Ye are the salt of the earth...", so "rejoice" and "exceeding" 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 "exceeding" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.