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Matthew 5:44Sermon on the Mount
But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
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Interpretation

Matthew 5:44 shows a love enemies that is lived within study and play—see "those" and "who". Let love enemies by steady, quiet faithfulness—steady the will with prayer.

Context

The setting is Matthew—gospel narrative, highlighting love enemies. Within ch. 5, a small unit frames the emphasis. Watch the terms “those” and “who”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Matthew was received under the name of the apostle Matthew (ex‑tax collector). Academic consensus for Matthew tends toward: Anonymous in early witnesses; later ascribed to Matthew; engages Mark alongside a sayings tradition.. Date: AD 80–90. Matthew appears framed for Jewish‑Christian community.. It sits within the Sermon on the Mount (gospel narrative). Readers often compare Matthew’s arrangement and sources with Mark and Q.

More details
Traditional:Matthew the tax collector
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; attributed to Matthew; uses Mark + Q source.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Jewish‑Christian community.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in over 5,800 manuscripts, more than any other surviving ancient work. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the most probable original wording reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46