Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
The second Beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount, following the blessing on the poor in spirit. Together these opening blessings describe the humble, dependent heart that God honors.
What Does Matthew 5:4 Mean?
Jesus declares that those who mourn are blessed because God Himself will comfort them. At first this sounds like a contradiction -- how can grief and blessing belong together? Yet in the world of the Beatitudes, the path to true happiness runs through honest sorrow rather than around it. Mourning is not the enemy of blessedness; it is met by the promise of comfort.
The verse speaks first to those who grieve over loss and pain, assuring them that God draws near to the brokenhearted. It also reaches deeper, to those who mourn over sin -- their own and the world's brokenness -- for such sorrow is the seedbed of repentance and renewal. In either case, the promise is sure: "they shall be comforted." The comfort comes from God, who does not leave His people alone in their tears. There is a gentle reversal at work throughout these blessings; the very conditions the world tries to escape become, in God's hands, the places where grace arrives. To mourn is to feel the weight of what is wrong, and to those willing to feel it honestly, God promises His nearness and consolation. This is not a call to seek out sorrow, but a tender assurance that no grief brought to God goes uncomforted.
In the Original Language
The Greek pentheo, "mourn," expresses deep grief, the kind shown over the dead. The verb parakaleo, "comforted," means to be called alongside, consoled, and strengthened.
Cross References
“To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;”
- Isaiah 61:2
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
- Revelation 21:4
“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:4
Application
Do not hide your sorrow from God or rush past it; bring your grief honestly to Him, for He promises to draw near and comfort those who mourn.