Texts in Conversation
In Matthew, Jesus’ teaching that the pure in heart will see God uses the language of Psalm 24, which says that those with clean hands and a pure heart may climb to the top of God’s mountain.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Psalm 23:3
Septuagint
1 A Psalm of David on the first day of the week. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness of it; the world, and all that dwell in it. 2 He has founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall go up to the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that is innocent in his hands and pure in his heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior.
Date: 100–1 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 5:8
New Testament
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The concern for those who “hunger and thirst” evokes Ps 107.5–6,9 (see also Ps 22.26); LXX Prov 14.21 (LXX; see also LXX Prov 17.5) underlies the concern for the merciful. “Pure in heart” or “clean of heart” recalls Ps 24.3–6 (see also Ps 73.1), another reference to the land; it also echoes Ps 51.10 (Heb 51.12; LXX 50.12), kardian katharan in the Greek text of the Psalm and katharoi tē kardia in Matthew ..."
Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Annotated New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 10.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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Psalm 11:7 is a closer allusion
Psalm 11:7 is a closer allusion