πενθοῦντες· (penthountes) in Matthew 5:4: Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
πενθοῦντες· (penthountes) in Matthew 5:4
Textual Witness
The witness reads πενθοῦντες· in Matthew 5:4.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The participle identifies the second blessed group as those who mourn.
How To Communicate It
Use it to keep mourning tied to Jesus' promise of comfort.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Keep the participle tied to Matthew 5:4.
- Do not detach mourning from the promised comfort.
- Do not treat grammar as a complete explanation of grief.
- Do not turn this occurrence into a general rule about all sorrow.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: the form is a participle, carrying verbal action while describing a clause participant.
Present: often views the action as in progress, customary, or presently in view. Context decides the exact force.
Active: presents the subject as carrying out the action.
Participle: carries a verbal idea while also functioning like an adjective or clause element.
Not applicable: this non-finite verbal form does not mark grammatical person.
Nominative: marks the subject or predicate role as the context requires.
Plural: the number should be read from this occurrence, not generalized beyond the clause.
Masculine: grammatical gender marks form agreement and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
Those who mourn
Jesus' second Beatitude declaration in Matthew 5:4
Identifies the people named as mourners in the second Beatitude.
Do not make the participle define every kind of grief apart from Jesus' kingdom promise.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form names the people who receive the comfort promise.
Substantival participle naming the blessed group. identifies those who mourn. Attached to those who mourn. Governed by Jesus' second Beatitude declaration in Matthew 5:4. Read with the comfort promise that follows.
Who does Jesus call blessed in the second Beatitude? Those who mourn.
Direct: The form directly supports those who mourn.
The form names mourners but does not by itself specify every cause of mourning.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads πενθοῦντες· in Matthew 5:4.
The lemma πενθέω carries the gloss "I mourn, lament", and here it names mourning or lamenting people.
The participle stands with the article to name the group Jesus calls blessed.
Jesus declares those who mourn blessed because they will be comforted.
The form fits Matthew's kingdom reversal, where grief under God is met by promised comfort.
Use it to keep mourning tied to Jesus' promise of comfort.
Do not use the participle alone to define the cause, depth, or timing of every grief.