Matthew 5 · Verse 45

Matthew 5:45

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:45, King James Version

Matthew 5:45 in other translations

BSB	that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
WEB	that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
ASV	that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.
YLT	that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain on righteous and unrighteous.
DARBY	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.
BBE	So that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven; for his sun gives light to the evil and to the good, and he sends rain on the upright man and on the sinner.
Webster	That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

What does Matthew 5:45 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

45. That ye may be the children--sons. of your Father which is in heaven--The meaning is, "that ye may show yourselves to be such by resembling Him" (compare Mt 5:9; Ep 5:1). for he maketh his sun--"your Father's sun." Well might Bengel exclaim, "Magnificent appellation!" to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust--rather, (without the article) "on evil and good, and on just and unjust." When we find God's own procedure held up for imitation in the law, and much more in the prophets (Le 19:2; 20:26; and compare 1Pe 1:15, 16), we may see that the principle of this surprising verse was nothing new: but the form of it certainly is that of One who spake as never man spake.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 45. That ye may be the children of your Father. In Greek, the sons of your Father. The word son has a variety of significations. Mt 1:1. Christians were called the sons or children of God in several of these senses: as his offspring; as adopted; as his disciples; as imitators of him. In this passage, the word is used because, in doing good to enemies, they resemble God. He makes his sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain, without distinction, on the just and unjust. So his people should show that they imitate or resemble him, or possess his spirit by doing good in a similar way.

(l) "sun to rise" Job 25:3

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 45 That ye may be the children of your Father - Instead of ὑιοι children, some MSS., the latter Persic version, and several of the primitive fathers, read ὃμοιοι, that ye may be like to, or resemble, your Father who is in heaven. This is certainly our Lord's meaning. As a man's child is called his, because a partaker of his own nature, so a holy person is said to be a child of God, because he is a partaker of the Divine nature. He maketh his sun to rise on the evil - "There is nothing greater than to imitate God in doing good to our enemies. All the creatures of God pronounce the sentence of condemnation on the revengeful: and this sentence is written by the rays of the sun, and with the drops of rain, and indeed by all the natural good things, the use of which God freely gives to his enemies." If God had not loved us while we were his enemies, we could never have become his children: and we shall cease to be such, as soon as we cease to imitate him.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 5:43-48

The Jewish teachers by "neighbour" understood only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they were pleased to look upon as their friends. The Lord Jesus teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all, especially to their souls. We must pray for them. While many will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and this will speak a nobler principle than most men act by…

Read the full comment on Matthew 5:43-48 →

Matthew 5:45 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ὅπωςhopōsso thatG3704

γένησθεgenēstheyou may beG1096

υἱοὶhuioisonsG5207

τοῦtouof theG3588

πατρὸςpatrosFatherG3962

ὑμῶνhumōnof youG4771

τοῦtouwho isG3588

ἐνeninG1722

οὐρανοῖς,ouranoisheavens,G3772

ὅτιhotiForG3754

τὸνtontheG3588

ἥλιονhēlionsunG2246

αὐτοῦautouof HimG846

ἀνατέλλειanatelleiHe makes riseG393

ἐπὶepionG1909

πονηροὺςponērousevilG4190

καὶkaiandG2532

ἀγαθοὺςagathousgoodG18

καὶkaiandG2532

βρέχειbrecheiHe sends rainG1026

ἐπὶepionG1909

δικαίουςdikaiousrighteousG1342

καὶkaiandG2532

ἀδίκους.adikousunrighteous.G94

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 5:45

Psalms 145:9
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Luke 6:35
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Acts 14:17
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
Job 25:3
Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
Ephesians 5:1
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

ye.
9; Lu 6:35; Joh 13:35; Eph 5:1; 1Jo 3:9
for.
Job 25:3; Ps 145:9; Ac 14:17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:46
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Read all of Matthew 5

Matthew 5:45 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Para que seáis hijos de vuestro Padre que está en los cielos: que hace que su sol salga sobre malos y buenos, y llueve sobre justos é injustos.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	en sorte que vous soyez les fils de votre Père qui est dans les cieux; car il fait lever son soleil sur les méchants et sur les bons, et envoie sa pluie sur les justes et sur les injustes.
German Elberfelder 1871	damit ihr Söhne eures Vaters seid, der in den Himmeln ist; denn er läßt seine Sonne aufgehen über Böse und Gute und läßt regnen über Gerechte und Ungerechte.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	ut sitis filii Patris vestri, qui in cælis est: qui solem suum oriri facit super bonos et malos: et pluit super justos et injustos.