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;
But I say unto you, Love your enemies. The word х agapan (G25)] here used denotes moral love, as distinguished from the other word х filein (G5368)], which expresses personal affection. Usually, the former denotes 'complacency in the character' of the person loved; but here it denotes the benignant, compassionate outgoing of desire for another's good.
[Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you], and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. [The two bracketed clauses are omitted here by recent editors, who think them borrowed from Luke 6:27-28; but the evidence on both sides is pretty equally balanced.] The best commentary on these matchless counsels is the bright example of Him who gave them. (See 1 Peter 2:21-24; and cf. Romans 12:20-21; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 3:9.) But though such precepts were never before expressed-perhaps not oven conceived-with such breadth, precision, and sharpness as here, our Lord is here only the incomparable Interpreter of a law in force from the beginning; and this is the only satisfactory view only the incomparable Interpreter of a law in force from the beginning; and this is the only satisfactory view of the entire strain of this Discourse.