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in jewish culture, they wrote/spoke poetically (eg. psalms, proverbs). It also allowed for easier remembrance. Maybe Jesus was rapping this lol.

I think the question can also be changed to why did Jesus speak in parables which He didn't really explain. In Matt 13:10, the disciples asked him why and Jesus went on to explain. A summary is that those who want to know will know, that they will dwell on the word longer. Also, every story and passage  has multiple meanings and gleanings, if we are to meditate on it. If Jesus gave one meaning for what He said, then it stops right there. Just like how when we experience things in life, we have big lessons from it, but also other ones.

But! The challenge is not to know more but to apply what is said.

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Based on the definitions, the first definition is a good explanation of why Jesus sat down. To confer is to have discussions or to exchange opinions with (synonyms: talk, speak, converse). Jesus teaching his disciples (and the crowds?) displays the action of conferring. Hence based on the definition of sat down, he sat down.

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V9: Peacemakers-sons of God: does'sons' include'daughters'?

daughters weren't left out by accident. By referring to both his male and female hearers as “sons” instead of “sons and daughters,” he communicated the status we share together in God's kingdom — we are all heirs through Christ.

in Galatians 4:6–7:

"Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."

In ancient cultures, sons were named as the legal heirs. In turn, husbands and fathers were expected to provide for the women of their households. Being a direct heir, in society, would not have been possible for the Galatian women, though they would receive a kind of indirect inheritance through marriage.

Imagine the Galatian women coming to hear of this new status in God's kingdom as Paul speaks in these otherwise familiar terms. Picture these women hearing Paul's letter read — a letter addressed to the entire Galatian church. They understood sonship and all that it entailed, so hearing that God had given both brothers and sisters together the status of sons would have blown them away! God stepped in and radically declared that men and women are one in Christ, equally privileged and exalted (Galatians 3:28), co-heirs together (1 Peter 3:7). In his kingdom, both men and women receive the full inheritance through faith in him.

In his loving kindness, our heavenly Father allows us to share in this same inheritance today. While the notion of “gender equality” may not sound quite as foreign to our modern ears, the mystery of God's unmerited favor and grace should continue to fill us with tremendous awe. We, who were once slaves, are not only sons, but heirs of God.

The scope of our inheritance is the very kingdom of God.
The span of our inheritance is eternity.

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κληρονομέω (klēronomeō) -  Thayers'
ληρονομέω, κληρονόμῶ; future κληρονομήσω; 1 aorist ἐκληρονόμησα; perfect κεκληρονόμηκα; (κληρονόμος, which see; cf. οἰκονόμος); the Sept. for נָחַל and much more often for יָרַשׁ;
1. "to receive a lot, receive by lot; especially to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance"; so, particularly in the Attic orators, with a genitive of the thing; in later writings not infrequent with an accusative of the thing (cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 129; Sturz, De dial. Maced. etc., p. 140; Winers Grammar, 200 (188); (Buttmann, § 132, 8)); absolutely, to be an heir, to inherit: Galatians 4:30 from Genesis 21:10.

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Importance: Purity is important to be in His presence. It is to honour Jesus for cleansing us from our sins by dying on the cross.
Definition: To be pure means to be clean and free from corrupt desire, sin, and guilt.
Analogy: In a similitude, purity is like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit, which also means to have the humility to allow God to 'prune' us :)
Pure living is a constant lifelong pursuit and that you will not attain perfection in this life. Your resolve for purity keeps you humble and dependent upon God’s power to sanctify you.

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Mercy = compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

Mercy can be given and received in the context of both on earth and in heaven.
Earth:
Mat 9:27 - Blind men asking Jesus for mercy and to heal him
Mat 15:22 - Canaanite woman asked Jesus for mercy and to deliver her daughter from demon posession.

Heaven:
1 Timothy 1:13 - Paul was shown mercy as a sinner and non-believer. And was able to convert to Christianity.
Jude 1:21 - Being saved is a form of mercy that leads to eternal life.

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pure in heart: those who have been declared innocent because of the work of Jesus and who are being sanctified by His refining fire and His pruning, wanting to please God and be righteous, a position of our heart

righteous: character or quality of being right or just, holy

difference: righteousness is the action of obeying God and not sinning, while being pure in heart is an attitude and position of wanting to please God & follow Him

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- V11 is not a new beatitude it is a repetition of V10. V11 talks about "you" -> making it more personal and V11 is an expansion and elaboration of V10
- Righteousness -> specific condition -> acceptable to God (God's righteousness)
- Persecution for righteousness: When you are persecuted for the right reason, it shows that the power of darkness believes in it and it is an indication that you are succeeding in God's kingdom
-should be happy:
yes, you should be happy, but only persecutions for righteousness, you start to see your value, because there are people, great prophets before you because your great reward in heaven

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v5: what is the connection between "gentle" and "inherit the earth"
"gentle"
πραεῖς (praus) -  Strong's outline of biblical usage
Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isa 41:17, Luk 18:1-8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23).

"inherit the"

κληρονομέω (klēronomeō) -  Thayers'

ληρονομέω, κληρονόμῶ; future κληρονομήσω; 1 aorist ἐκληρονόμησα; perfect κεκληρονόμηκα; (κληρονόμος, which see; cf. οἰκονόμος); the Sept. for נָחַל and much more often for יָרַשׁ;
1. "to receive a lot, receive by lot; especially to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance"; so, particularly in the Attic orators, with a genitive of the thing; in later writings not infrequent with an accusative of the thing (cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 129; Sturz, De dial. Maced. etc., p. 140; Winers Grammar, 200 (188); (Buttmann, § 132, 8)); absolutely, to be an heir, to inherit: Galatians 4:30 from Genesis 21:10.

"earth"
(γῆ  gē) - Strong's definition
γῆ gē, ghay; contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application):—country, earth(-ly), ground, land, world.

commentary on gentle / meek by D.Guzik
To be meek means to show willingness to submit and work under proper authority. It also shows a willingness to disregard one’s own “rights” and privileges. It is one thing for me to admit my own spiritual bankruptcy, but what if someone else does it for me? Do I react meekly? This blessed one is meek:

commentary on inherit the earth/ meek by D.Guzik
b. For they shall inherit the earth: We can only be meek, willing to control our desire for our rights and privileges because we are confident God watches out for us, that He will protect our cause. The promise “they shall inherit the earth” proves that God will not allow His meek ones to end up on the short end of the deal.

i. “It looks as if they would be pushed out of the world but they shall not be, ‘for they shall inherit the earth.’ The wolves devour the sheep, yet there are more sheep in the world than there are wolves, and the sheep, continue to multiply, and to feed in green pastures.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “The meek of England, driven by their native land by religious intolerance, have inherited the continent of America.” (Bruce)

iii. “I had only to look upon it, all as the sun shone upon it, and then to look up to heaven, and say, ‘My Father, this is all thine; and, therefore, it is all mine; for I am an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.’ So, in this sense, the meek-spirited man inherits the whole earth.” (Spurgeon)

iv. Through the first three beatitudes we notice that the natural man finds no happiness or blessedness in spiritual poverty, mourning or meekness. These are only a blessing for the spiritual man, those who are new creatures in Jesus.

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v1: "sat down"

significance of Jesus sitting down?

sat down
1. to make to sit down
-to set, appoint, to confer a kingdom on one
2. intransitively
-to sit down
-to sit
:to have fixed one's abode
:to sojourn, to settle, settle down

Jesus was sitting down; this is a posture of a teacher. In those days the teachers would sit, the students would stand.  When they would stand it would be to herald or to proclaim a truth. Now Jesus, when he was on the temple mount is heralding a glorious truth to all people, the proclaiming of the truth, the preaching of the truth that they would stand but in teaching they would sit.

cross-referencing to Matthew 13:2-3,
"Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed."
I THINK that its because here Jesus is also teaching, as he was in chapter 5 verse 1, its like similar??

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V7: In what capacity would one receive mercy? on earth, or from God?

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The word "persecution" is very specific -> oppression due to your belief and what you are standing for

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v1 and 2: Jesus went up on the mountain and began to teach "them" who is "them" exactly? was it just "His disciples"?

The term disciple is broadly used and does not reference the 12 disciples themselves. Instead, it refers to all the people who followed Jesus up the mount.

A similar example of "His disciples" referencing more than just the 12 is when comparing Jesus's sending of people to the "harvest fields" in Matthew 9:37 and Luke 10:1. Luke 10:1 references 70 other people Jesus gave these instructions to while Matthew uses the same Greek word for "His disciples as Matthew 5:1"

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v4: shows how God will provide what you are missing, opposites of mourn and comforted

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Only peacemakers involve the fruit of the Spirit

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Persecuted is quite different from being happy -> it is not really very logical, no the usual way we se persecution

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v4: what does "mourn" mean
(Matt Hen)
** remember that Christ Himself was a great mourner! "Jesus wept" John 11:35
Sinful mourning: grief due to a temporal account
Natural mourning: "by the grace of God working with blessedness, sanctifying the afflictions to us, for which we mourn" LOL
blessing the suffering that we go through?

1. Mourning for our own sins (Godly sorrow).
Those are God's mourners, who live a life of repentance and lament the corruption of their nature. And who, out of regard to God's honour, mourn also for the sins of others.

2. A sympathising mourning for the afflictions of others -- those looking with compassion on perishing souls and weep over them. Compassion for others whose spirits are drawing further and further from God

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the format is different from the rest of the beatitudes

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characteristics of the citizens of the kingdom of God: hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers

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v1: where is the mountain?
The "mount" that Jesus preached this on is now called The Mount of Beatitudes but at that time was merely a unnamed mountain in Capernaum where Jesus was preaching.

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why does Jesus give short descriptions (directives) throughout without exact explanations about why they are such

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v3 and v4: "poor" and "mourn"

2 negatives that are being blessed -- why are people in unfavourable positions being blessed?

1. According to the Matthew Henry Commentary, He came not only to purchase blessings for us, but to pour out and pronouce blessings on us. This is designed to rectify the mistakes of the mistakes of men.  It is designed to remove the discouragements of the weak and poor who receive the gospel, by assuring them that his gospel did not make those only happy that were eminent in gifts, graces, comforts, and usefulness; but that even the least in the kingdom of heaven, whose heart was upright with God, was happy in the honours and privileges of that kingdom.

2. The David Guzik Commenatry stated that The idea behind the ancient Greek word for blessed is “happy,” but in the truest, godly sense of the word, not in our modern sense of merely being comfortable or entertained at the moment.

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blessed = happy

what do Jews think of sons of God? (inclusive? for peacemakers)

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v13 Why do you want to make salt salty again??

You can't, its not possible to remake it. Neither is it chemically possible. But in Jesus context, it could mean to having an impact in the world

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why why why

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(v16) what does it mean to have your light shine before all man?

Light illuminates and allows people to see (Guzik); it is used here as a metaphor for truth / spiritual purity (Greek Lexicon)

to let your light shine means to let people see the Godliness within you instead of concealing it. (to draw attention to God not to yourself)

From v16b we see that Jesus expects us to let our light shine by doing some sort of good works

Guzick suggests that we are tempted to hide our "light" because people will hate the light

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V8: What is pure in heart & what is the difference between purity and righteousness?
What does righteousness mean?

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v3: "poor in Spirit" -- what does it mean exactly?

people who recognise their own spiritual lack and their need for God's role in their life?

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why did Jesus tell this to the Jews given that they haven't fully accepted Him?

Possible ans: His teaching was meant for the millions and meant to be preached to everyone on earth

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v1: were the people waiting for Jesus?
Yes. Ref Matthew 4:25 "Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan."

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V8: Why specifically pure in heart see God? Does it mean that everyone is pure at heart? So, to be a christian, you have to be pure at heart?

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V7: What you do to others, God will do to you

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V6: 'Eating' righteousness to be full, when you are 'full', you are satisfied

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v16 why is it important for people to see good works and give glory to God?

It is important for the people to recognise that it is the work of God and not the work of man, to acknowledge God's glory working through men.

this is because people will usually attribute the good works to men. our flesh has a tendency to self exalt and to seek praise from men, that is why we must be deliberate to the good works to God, to give him the glory and not take it for ourselves. (Chuck Smith commentaries)

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v13-14 why compare salt with light? what impact do they have

In those days, people would usually flavour their food by adding salt, and in the same way, a lamp illuminates the room with its light. They effectively serve similar purposes, to bring 'flavour' and 'illuminate' other peoples' lives, to influence the people around you in a positive way

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v13 how does salt become tasteless?

Christians should be a “flavorful” people. Christians lose their “flavor” and become good for nothing.

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- Why is the format for v11 is different from the rest of the beatitude? So is it still considered as a beatitude?
- Why should I be happy if I am persecuted? And why would I get the reward in heaven because I will be persecuted?
- What does "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" mean exactly? What are the tangible reasons?
- Must it be persecuted for righteousness? What about those who are just persecuted?
- What do the jews think about persecution? How would they understand righteousness?

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1v13 what does salt mean?

Salt is used to preserve meat and slow down decay. Disciples are like salt because they have a preserving influence. Hence, Christian should have a preserving influence on their culture

Disciples are like salt because they add flavor. Christians should be a “flavorful” people.
(D.G. Commentaries)

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13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

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10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

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3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

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1One day Jesus saw a vast crowd of people gathering to hear him, so he went up the slope of a hill and sat down. With his followers and disciples spread over the hillside, 2 Jesus began to teach them: