Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 5:44

"but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;" — Matthew 5:44 (ASV)

Love your enemies. There are two kinds of love, involving the same general feeling, or springing from the same fountain of goodwill to all humanity, but differing enough to allow for a conceptual separation. One is that feeling by which we approve of the conduct of another, commonly called the love of complacency; the other is that by which we wish well to the person of another, even though we cannot approve of their conduct.

This is the love of benevolence, and this is the love we are to have towards our enemies.

It is impossible to love the conduct of someone who curses and reviles us, injures our person or property, or violates all the laws of God. However, though we may hate their conduct and feel deeply that we are affected by it, we may still wish well to the person.

We may pity their madness and folly; we may speak kindly of them and to them; we may not return evil for evil; we may help them in their time of trial; and seek to do them good here, and to promote their eternal welfare hereafter (Romans 12:17–20).

This seems to be what is meant by loving our enemies. This is a distinctive law of Christianity, the highest possible test of piety, and probably the most difficult of all duties to be performed.

Bless them that curse you. The word “bless” here means to speak well of or to. It means not to curse in return, or to slander, but to speak of those things we can commend in an enemy; or if there is nothing we can commend, to say nothing about them.

The word bless, when spoken of God, means to regard with favour or to confer benefits, as when God is said to bless his people. When we speak of our blessing God, it means to praise him or give thanks to him. When we speak of blessing men, it combines the two meanings and signifies to confer favour, to thank, or to speak well of.

Despitefully use you. The word translated this way means, first, to injure by legal prosecution; then, to wantonly and unjustly accuse, and to injure in any way. This seems to be its meaning here.

Persecute. See Matthew 5:10.