The Meaning of Matthew 5:45 Explained

Matthew 5:45

KJV: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

YLT: that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens, because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain on righteous and unrighteous.

Darby: that ye may be the sons of your Father who is in the heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust.

ASV: that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That  ye may be  the children  of your  Father  which  is in  heaven:  for  he maketh  his  sun  to rise  on  the evil  and  on the good,  and  sendeth rain  on  the just  and  on the unjust. 

What does Matthew 5:45 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 5:38-48 - Brotherly Relationship
In mentioning the second mile, our Lord refers to a well-known Eastern custom of forwarding messages by relays of forced labor. We leave our homes on a given morning, anticipating no evil. Suddenly and unexpectedly there are sounds of horses' hoofs and a great demand is thrust upon us. We are sent off in a direction we never contemplated and are compelled to go one mile. It is the second that tests character; and your actions with respect to it will determine whether you have entered into the spirit of Christ and are willing to serve others for love's sake and at cost of peril and inconvenience to yourself.
Love to one's neighbor appears in many passages in the Old Testament. See Exodus 23:4-5. But we have to love enemies and resemble God's sun and rain, Matthew 5:45. You say that it is impossible! Remember those sweet old words: "I taught Ephraim to go," Hosea 11:1-4. Ask your Heavenly Father to teach you to love. Remember Galatians 5:22. Dare to believe that He will perfect what concerneth you. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 5

1  Jesus' sermon on the mount:
3  The Beattitudes;
13  the salt of the earth;
14  the light of the world
17  He came to fulfill the law
21  What it is to kill;
27  to commit adultery;
33  to swear
38  He exhorts to forgive wrong,
43  to love our enemies;
48  and to labor after perfection

What do the individual words in Matthew 5:45 mean?

so that you may be sons of the Father of you who is in [the] heavens For the sun of Him He makes rise on evil and good He sends rain righteous unrighteous
ὅπως γένησθε υἱοὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς βρέχει δικαίους ἀδίκους

ὅπως  so  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅπως  
Sense: how, that.
γένησθε  you  may  be 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Middle, 2nd Person Plural
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
υἱοὶ  sons 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
τοῦ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Πατρὸς  Father 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
τοῦ  who  is 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὐρανοῖς  [the]  heavens 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.
ἥλιον  sun 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἥλιος  
Sense: the sun.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἀνατέλλει  He  makes  rise 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀνατέλλω  
Sense: rise.
πονηροὺς  evil 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: πονηρός  
Sense: full of labours, annoyances, hardships.
ἀγαθοὺς  good 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀγαθός 
Sense: of good constitution or nature.
βρέχει  He  sends  rain 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: βρέχω  
Sense: to moisten, wet, water.
δικαίους  righteous 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: δίκαιος  
Sense: righteous, observing divine laws.
ἀδίκους  unrighteous 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄδικος 
Sense: descriptive of one who violates or has violated justice.