Matthew 5:7 teaches that people who show mercy to others will themselves receive mercy. Jesus is saying that a merciful heart is not a weakness but a sign of God’s own character, and that God answers it with kindness of His own. The words come from the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus preached to His disciples and to the crowds gathered on a hillside in Galilee.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 5:7 (WEB)
What Matthew 5:7 Means
The verse begins with the word “blessed,” which describes a deep and settled happiness that comes from being in right relationship with God, not a passing good mood. Jesus then names who is blessed: the merciful, meaning those who notice another person’s need and respond with compassion, forgiveness, and practical help. Mercy is different from simply being nice. It looks at someone who has failed, suffered, or fallen short and chooses to hold back the punishment or harshness they might rightly receive.
The second half of the verse makes a promise: “they shall obtain mercy.” The Greek wording points to a future act of God, so the verse looks toward the final judgment as well as God’s kindness in everyday life. The verse does not say that a merciful person will never suffer, never be wronged, or always be treated fairly by others. It promises that God will deal with them with mercy, which is a promise about God’s faithfulness rather than a guarantee of ease.
The Context of Matthew 5:7
Matthew wrote his Gospel for a community of Jewish believers who knew the Hebrew Scriptures well, and the Sermon on the Mount presents Jesus as a teacher who speaks with the authority of the Law and the Prophets. Chapter 5 opens the sermon with a series of beatitudes, short declarations that each begin with “blessed.” Verse 7 is one of these statements, and it sits between the call to hunger for righteousness in verse 6 and the promise of seeing God in verse 8.
Read in that setting, the verse shows what kind of righteousness Jesus values. Verses 4 through 6 describe people who grieve, who are gentle, and who long for God’s justice. Verse 7 shows that this longing becomes visible in how a person treats others. Verse 8 then speaks of the pure in heart seeing God, which means the inner life and the outward practice of mercy belong together.
Key Phrases in Matthew 5:7
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
(WEB)
Micah sums up what God requires as doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with Him. The “loving kindness” he names is the same covenant mercy that Jesus commends in the beatitude, showing that merciful living was never a new idea but a long-standing expression of faithful devotion to God.
Luke 6:36
“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.
(WEB)
In Luke’s version of the sermon, Jesus tells His listeners to be merciful as their Father is merciful. This verse makes the link explicit: our mercy toward others is patterned on God’s mercy toward us, which helps explain why receiving mercy from Him depends on extending it to others.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 5:7
Lord, you have shown me mercy when I did not deserve it, and I am grateful for every time you have held back what I earned. Soften my heart toward the people who have hurt me or let me down, so that I can respond with kindness instead of bitterness. Teach me to notice those who are struggling and to act in ways that reflect your compassion. When I fail to be merciful, bring me back to your grace and remind me that you are faithful to forgive. Amen.