Beatitudes (Bee-at´uh-toodz; Lat., “blesseds”)

Declarations of blessing. Beatitudes occur throughout the Bible, but the best-known Beatitudes are those associated with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew (Matt 5:3-12) and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke (Luke 6:20-23). They are pronouncements that confer an end-time blessing upon persons who are characterized by what they are (e.g., the poor) or do (e.g., the peacemakers). Luke has four Beatitudes balanced by four woes (Luke 6:20-26), and all take the form of direct address in the second-person plural (“Blessed are you . . .”). Matthew has nine Beatitudes and no woes (Matt 5:3-12), and all but the last are in the third-person plural (“Blessed are the . . .” or “Blessed are those who . . .”).