[...and...] together, and perfects his heart by it, [and...] [and places a crown of...upon] his [hea]d, and with
kings it shall se[at him, and...] brothers shall [...]‖
5:9 The Peacemakers
―Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God‖.
What is YHWH's concept of a ―peacemaker?‖ It may not be what one would call "politically correct‖. For
instance, there is one person in the Scriptures, specifically called a peacemaker. He is Pinchas (Phinehas),
the grandson of Aaron. What did he do to earn this title from YHWH? He took a spear and simultaneously
ran it through a man and woman who were fornicating. For this specific action of killing these people, YHWH
praises him and calls him a peacemaker (Num 25:6-13). Pinchas later became the High Priest.
5:10-13 Semitic Poetry
―(10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(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. (12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (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‖.
Verses 10-12 are an example of Semitic poetry in a form called a chiasmus, where verses are repeated but
in reverse order. Here, the verses follow an A-B-C-B-A order:
A. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
B. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
C. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake.
B. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
A. for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Verse 13 is an example of Semitic poetry in a form called formal parallelism, where a concept in one line is
expounded on through several subsequent lines.
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.
The Salt
Y‘shua's use of ―salt" in His metaphor is no accident. Salt has a specific relationship to the eternal covenant
YHWH has with Israel. This is found in Scripture and throughout other Jewish writings:
―Neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking‖ (Lev 2:13)
―It is a covenant of salt for ever‖ (Num 18:19)
Talmud - Mas. Menachoth 19b, 20a: ―For it has been taught: The verse, It is a covenant of salt for ever,
signifies that there is a covenant declared in regard to salt. So R. Judah. R. Simeon says, Here it is said, It is
a covenant of salt for ever, and there it is said, The covenant of an everlasting priesthood, as it is impossible
to conceive of sacrifices without the priesthood so it is impossible to conceive of sacrifices without salt!
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCVII: ―The throne of Israel was given to Judah through the righteous David-to
him and to his sons as a covenant made with salt‖.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 241b: ̳It is written: ―Neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the
covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering; with all thine oblations thou shalt offer salt‖. Salt
was to be used because it softens bitterness, and so mankind cannot do without it. Salt is the covenant upon
which the world is established: hence it is called ―the covenant of thy God‖.
5:13-16 WHO are the salt and the light?
―(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. (14) Ye are the light of
the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (15) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a