Beginning here in the Beatitudes and continuing throughout the Sermon, we encounter many key words and distinctive phrases—at least 100 of them—that are particularly predominant in the Psalms, which are the words to the temple and pilgrimage hymns of the Hebrew Bible. Here are few examples:
The Greek word translated as “blessed”is macharioi,and it is the very first word in the book of Psalms, appearing in Psalm 1:1, which reads, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (Psalm 1:1–2). In other words, blessed are the people who keep the law of the Lord. That very same word is used 25 more times in the Greek version of Psalms, which was the main translation of the Hebrew Psalms used by the early Christians. Beatification (blessedness) in this temple context refers to ultimate blessings in the Celestial world, being eternally blessed in the presence of righteous and divine beings. Happiness is not guaranteed in every minute of this life, but it says you will be exalted. That is what it means to be blessed.
Another Beatitude states: “Blessed are [will be] the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God.” The concept of being sons of God is echoed Psalms 2:7, “The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Psalm 82 says explicitly, “All of you are children of the most High.”
As mentioned above, behind the promise, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” stands Psalm 24:4. “Who shall stand in his holy place, He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.” The word for pure here, “katharsoi,” refers to something that is thoroughly cleansed. The English word catharsis comes straight from this Greek word, which is very meaningful in a temple context. How are we purified? Where is our catharsis? It is through repentance and the washing and purification ordinances in the temple.
Many other examples of Psalmodic language can be found in the Sermon on the Mount. Biblical scholars typically see the Sermon on the Mount as belonging to what they call wisdom literature. And, indeed, it does contain proverbial material such as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and so they have looked outside of religious texts for the literary background of the voice of the Sermon on the Mount. However, there is a stronger, more foundational, voice here—namely the sacred and sublime.
John W. Welch, The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple (London: Ashgate, 2009), esp. 183–190, 241–242.
John W. Welch, “The Temple, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Gospel of Matthew,” in Mormonism and the Temple: Examining an Ancient Religious Tradition (Logan, UT: BYU Studies and the Academy for Temple Studies, 2013), 66–71, esp. Table 1.