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Zondervan Bibles Introduces the Exegetical Preaching Blog Looking for a practical resource for ministry? Looking to grow spiritually? Looking for solid examples of biblical exegesis? Look no further.  How Beatitudes Work By Jonathan T. Pennington, Ph.D. (SBTS) Matthew 5:2-12     Jesus' Beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12) are arguably the most famous of his teachings, the opening to his most famous sermon, what we call now The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:1-7:28). Despite this deserved fame, there are many technical questions about the Beatitudes that are not always clear. We can explore three of these important questions here.     First, how many Beatitudes are there? This would seem obvious, but a survey of Christian interpretation across the centuries and in modern commentaries reveals that opinions vary. Throughout much of history Christians said there are seven (connecting them to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 11:2-4). Many modern readers say eight, noting that the list has an inclusio (a repeated expression that forms bookends) in the first Beatitude (5:3) and the last one (5:10) – "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It is best, however, to understand the number of Beatitudes as nine, structured...   Want to read more? Sign Up Now This email was sent to mucomacamucomaca.muco@blogger.com by Bible Gateway, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA. This email is part of a devotional or newsletter that you signed up for on BibleGateway.com. For information regarding our privacy policy, click here. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please contact us. Manage all Bible Gateway subscriptions — Opt Out of all Bible Gateway communication