Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

dioko - διωκω (Strong's #1377)
Pressed upon, pursued after, caused to flee

This week our Greek word study examines the eighth and last beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). The Greek word δεδιωγμενοι translated "persecuted," is derived from the Hebrew verb 'dachaq' (Strong's #1766), which means "to press upon, distress" (see Joel 2:8; Judges 2:18). The Greek equivalent διωκω (Strong's #1377), literally signifies: "pressed upon, pursued after, caused to flee, prosecuted, and that whether in a bad, an indifferent, or a good sense." The context determines the usage and from the Lord's use of the term in Matthew 5:10,11,12,44, it is obvious that He had reference to those who are "pursued with malignity" and, therefore, "have been persecuted." Parkhurst adds that the term denotes: "to press upon; to prosecute, persecute, pursue with repeated acts of enmity; to follow after."^F1 Bullinger defines the term: "to cause to flee; hence, to pursue after; to pursue with malignity, to persecute."^F2 It is interesting to note that only the last and first beatitude ends in the present tense of "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In a sense, the last beatitude reverts back to the first, for the first beatitude states the condition of becoming a citizen of the kingdom of the heavens, and the last describes the character of one who has become a citizen, and being in it, is exposed to all the opposition, persecution and scorn for the cause of righteousness. It also is placed last in the sequence of the beatitudes because persecution begins after one becomes a citizen in the Messiah's kingdom. The apostle Paul had penned to the Hebrews: "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were enlightened, ye endured a great conflict of sufferings; partly, being made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, becoming partakers with them that were so used" (Hebrews 10:32,33).

The last beatitude portrays the servants of the Lord at their highest, triumphing over the forces of opposition by the sheer spiritual power of the kingdom of God. They are not just the early Christian martyrs slain in the Roman arenas under the gaze of the spectators, but rather, are Christ's disciples anywhere who overcome the thundering storms of hostility constantly being pressed upon them for following Jesus. They are faithful citizens of the Lord's kingdom who are pursued with malignity and pressed upon by the hateful antagonists of the sinful world due to their loyalty to Jesus and the principles of His kingdom. The last beatitude is the test of truly possessing the kingdom. The one's who can bear the persecution and maintain their integrity and fidelity as Christ's disciples surely have their inheritance with the Lord in the kingdom of God. Jesus pointed out, that in so doing, Christians are related in spirit to "the prophets which were persecuted before you" (Matthew 5:12). This comparison by Christ unites the righteous of both old and the new dispensations. Thus, the eighth and last beatitude is the climax of the gospel previews and kingdom principles of Christ's church of which we have been studying. These eight beatitudes form the prologue to the Sermon on the Mount as a whole and are a synopsis of the gospel of the kingdom, an epitome of the doctrine of Christ, and as such they find expansion in the precepts that follow throughout the rest of the Lord's discourse. The last beatitude is the invitation of the Lord for all to enter into His kingdom and it literally reads: "Supremely happy are those having been pursued with malignity on account of being in a right state towards God: for belonging to them is the kingdom of the heavens."

FOOTNOTES:
F1: John Parkhurst, M.A., A Greek And English Lexicon To The New Testament (London: T. Davison, Whitefriars, 1812),pg. 170.
F2: Ethelbert W. Bullinger, A Critical Lexicon and Concordance To The English And Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, reprint of 1975), pg. 582.

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