Matthew 5:6
ESV
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
NIV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
NASB
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
CSB
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
NLT
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
KJV
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
NKJV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
What does Matthew 5:6 mean?
The next of Jesus' statements is about an appetite for righteousness. This is another one of the Beatitudes: short statements about blessing from a godly perspective. Here, Jesus states that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, meaning they have a good thing. Why? Because they will be satisfied. Commentators point to two possible meanings for "righteousness" as used in this verse. First, Jesus could be talking about people who are eager to be declared righteous by God. They want to be made righteous, themselves, and to conform to the will of God. In that way, they are sincerely seeking to be saved. Those who come to trust in Jesus for their forgiveness from sin will receive exactly that from God (Romans 5:17). They will be saved.Another view is that Jesus has in mind those who are hungry to see righteousness "win." They long for justice to prevail. They want what is right to overcome what is wrong and evil in the world. These people, too, will be satisfied, because the kingdom of heaven will bring an end to all unrighteousness. Their appetite for righteousness will be completely satisfied.
Matthew 5:1–12 contains the beautiful Beatitudes delivered by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. The series of nine sentences describes an unlikely group of people as blessed: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those hungry for righteousness, and the merciful. All are blessed because of their part in the kingdom of heaven. This includes those persecuted for the sake of righteousness and on account of Jesus. Instead of despairing, they should rejoice for the great rewards they will receive in heaven. These are not prerequisites for salvation; instead, they are the natural expressions of saving faith in the life of those who know Christ.
The Sermon on the Mount contains some of Jesus' most challenging teaching. It begins with the unlikely blessings of the Beatitudes. Jesus' disciples must do good works in order to be a powerful influence: as the salt of the earth and light of the world. The superficial righteousness of the Pharisees is not good enough to earn heaven. Sins of the heart, such as angry insults and intentional lust, are worthy of hell just as much as adultery and murder. Easy divorce and deceptive oaths are forbidden. Believers should not seek revenge. Instead, God intends us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. In short, we should strive to be perfect, as God is perfect.