Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 5:5
Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
5. the meek ] Psa 37:11. “But the meek shall inherit the earth.” See note Mat 5:3. Meekness is mentioned with very faint praise by the greatest of heathen moralists, Aristotle. He calls it “a mean inclining to a defect.” It is indeed essentially a Christian virtue.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The meek – Meekness is patience in the reception of injuries. It is neither meanness nor a surrender of our rights, nor cowardice; but it is the opposite of sudden anger, of malice, of long-harbored vengeance. Christ insisted on his right when he said, If I have done evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? Joh 18:23. Paul asserted his right when he said, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves, and fetch us out, Act 16:37. And yet Christ was the very model of meekness. It was one of his characteristics, I am meek, Mat 11:29. So of Paul. No man endured more wrong, or endured it more patiently than he. Yet the Saviour and the apostle were not passionate. They bore all patiently. They did not press their rights through thick and thin, or trample down the rights of others to secure their own.
Meekness is the reception of injuries with a belief that God will vindicate us. Vengeance is his; he will repay, Rom 12:19. It little becomes us to take his place, and to do what he has promised to do.
Meekness produces peace. It is proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults. It looks upon those who offer them with pity. He that is constantly ruffled; that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard and to raise a storm of passion within, is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him. He is like the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
They shall inherit the earth – This might have been translated the land. It is probable that here is a reference to the manner in which the Jews commonly expressed themselves to denote any great blessing. It was promised to them that they should inherit the land of Canaan. For a long time the patriarchs looked forward to this, Gen 15:7-8; Exo 32:13. They regarded it as a great blessing. It was so spoken of in the journey in the wilderness, and their hopes were crowned when they took possession of the promised land, Deu 1:38; Deu 16:20. In the time of our Saviour they were in the constant habit of using the Old Testament, where this promise perpetually occurs, and they used it as a proverbial expression to denote any great blessing, perhaps as the sum of all blessings, Psa 37:20; Isa 60:21. Our Saviour used it in this sense, and meant to say, not that the meek would own great property or have many lands, but that they would possess special blessings. The Jews also considered the land of Canaan as a type of heaven, and of the blessings under the Messiah. To inherit the land became, therefore, an expression denoting those blessings. When our Saviour uses this language here, he means that the meek shall be received into his kingdom, and partake of its blessings here, and of the glories of the heavenly Canaan hereafter. The value of meekness, even in regard to worldly property and success in life, is often exhibited in the Scriptures, Pro 22:24-25; Pro 15:1; Pro 25:8, Pro 25:15. It is also seen in common life that a meek, patient, mild man is the most prospered. An impatient and quarrelsome man raises up enemies; often loses property in lawsuits; spends his time in disputes and broils rather than in sober, honest industry; and is harassed, vexed, and unsuccessful in all that he does. Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, 1Ti 4:8. Compare 1Ti 6:3-6.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mat 5:5
The meek.
Christian meekness
I. A general idea of this Christian virtue. It is not that mildness of temper which is natural to some people. This amiable disposition is manifest
(1) In the closet;
(2)In the family;
(3) In the Church;
(4) In the sanctuary;
(5) In the world.
II. Reasons why we should attend to the cultivation of this virtue.
1. In order to be conformed to the example of the Son of God.
2. In order to refute the calumnies of the infidel.
3. In obedience to the Scriptures.
III. The inheritance which is connected with its possession.
1. The meek shall inherit the present earth, and be happy in it.
2. They shall inherit the new earth. (J. Jordan.)
Benedictions, or the blessed life
I. What constitutes a meek spirit? Not a natural quietness of character-amiableness. A meek spirit is a spirit of goodwill and clemency: is placid and calm amidst the vexations and cares of life (1Pe 3:4); is tractable and submissive; forbearing and forgiving; bows to the rod of affliction.
II. The blessedness of this spirit. It is an evidence of our union to Christ-a unity with the spirit of the noble sufferers and martyrs of the past: enjoy the benefits of Divine providences inherit the earth, in a mystic sense, far superior to worldly possessions: enjoy a superior measure of the Spirit of God: shall in the end literally enjoy the earth. (W. Barker.)
There is a twofold meekness-towards God and towards man. Towards God implies two things.
I. Submission to His will.
1. Carrying ourselves calmly, without murmuring, under the dispensations of Providence.
2. Let God do what He will with me, I will submit.
II. Flexibility to His Word.
1. He is spiritually meek who conforms himself to the mind of God, and doth not quarrel with the instructions of the Word, but the corruptions of his heart.
2. How happy it is when the Word which comes with majesty is received with meekness. Meekness towards man consists in three things.
I. Bearing of injuries.
II. Forgiving of injuries.
III. Recompensing good for evil. (Thomas Watson.)
I. Conditions and circumstances.
1. In prosperity a meek, quiet, and humble spirit is not puffed up.
2. Does not esteem himself better because of his position.
3. Looks upon the good things he possesses as a gift from God.
4. Not as the reward of his own merit.
5. Not as the purchase of his own industry. He will consider that as much as he excels others in these outward gifts of fortune, so much they may excel him in the inward gifts of grace, in knowledge, in wisdom, in piety, and in virtue.
II. 1. In adversity, being of a meek and humble spirit, he will be contented with his condition.
2. Easy and quiet under all misfortune and affliction.
3. Will not envy those who are in a more flourishing condition: rather will rejoice thereat.
4. Though in want or pain, he will be glad that others are at ease.
5. Would rather be miserable alone, than have sharers in his misfortune.
6. Will gladly accept and thankfully acknowledge help and relief from others.
III. A meek man will behave himself in relation to God, in a humble spirit.
1. Willing to be instructed by God.
2. Yielding a ready belief to all Divine revelations.
3. Cheerfully obedient to Divine command.
4. With prompt submission of self to the wisdom and will of God.
5. Patiently enduring inflictions and dispensations of Gods providence towards him.
IV. Meekness IN relation towards men consists in
(1) Owning the authority and dominion of our superiors;
(2) In acknowledging the equality of our equals;
(3) In thoughtfulness and care for our inferiors;
(4) In being free from malice towards those who have wronged us.
V. Blessed are the meek.
1. In that they have command over their passions.
2. In that they possess valour and fortitude.
3. In that they have everlasting peace of mind. (Bishop Ofspring Blackall, D. D.)
Christian meekness
I. It is the fruit of that humbleness of spirit and sorrow for sin of which the preceding beatitudes speak.
(1) It flows from Christian humility and
(2) penitential sorrow. It is
(3) acquiescence with Gods ways;
(4) Resignation to His will; and
(5) Subjection of the mind and judgment to the revelation He has made of His character and grace.
II. It is not only meekness in relation to God, but also meekness in relation to man.
(1) It is kindness to adversaries;
(2) Gentleness to foes;
(3) Submission for the sake of peace, on all occasions where principles are not required to be compromised, or the conscience violated;
(4) It is s principle of Christianity; and
(5) the existence of vital, solid religion in the heart. (J. E. Good.)
The chief adversaries of meekness
1.That irritableness which comes from untrained or overspent nerves.
2. Pride is an indefatigable enemy of meekness.
3. Conscience is a great adversary, as the world works, of meekness; it finds conscience in its way. (H. W. Beecher.)
Meekness not insensibility
There is no discord possible on the bassviol to a string that does not exist, or that has not been brought to any tension. (H. W. Beecher.)
Meekness more effective than severity
Behold the barren field. Everything sleeps or is dead. Call, now, to the winds in January. Call now, to the sheeting snows in February to redeem the field and the forest, and all their violence falls short. Call for natures rudest forces, that walk the earth invisible in rugged power, or storms and winds, and what change can violence work upon the dead field and the waking forest? Yet there is a prophecy of silence in the south, and there are winds that wander, rim before the coming sun. Now the morning comes earlier and the evening lingers later. Now milder heavens; now come birds, singing victory; more light, longer days, gentler heat, and, behold, death is slain and June is here, and in her lap all falls. The storms can no longer touch, nor frosts destroy. And so shall be the advancing forces of love and meekness, but not in January nor in February, nor in the March, in which the world is now hying, but in June and summer. (H. W. Beecher.)
Meekness generally successful
Look at it. A very proud father has a son. He naturally governs him with rigour and peremptoriness. He finds out that the boy has, in his visitations, allied himself prematurely with a family with which it is very desirable there should not be a connection. On hearing of it he rages and storms; and his wife says to him, My dear, dont you know that if you undertake to oppose this thing in that way, you will do more harm than good? Dont you know that if you are violent with the boy you will only ratify him in his determination? He recognizes that fact, and calms down. He goes to the boy and says pleasantly, Well, nay son, how is it with you? I hear that you have been visiting. Yes, says the boy, I have. Well, I am very glad of it; where have you been? In Mr. So-and-Sos family. All! there are many excellent things in that family. I suppose you have become acquainted with the young people? Yes, sir. And it is very natural that young people should become attached to each other. So he goes on with the conversation in a spirit of sweetness and gentleness, till, by and by, he has brought the young man round, and drawn him away from these dangerous grounds and connections. (H. W. Beecher.)
Anthony Blancs meekness
Anthony Blanc, one of Felix Neffs earlier converts, was very earnest in winning souls to Christ. The enemies of the gospel were angry at his success, and used alike scoffs and threats against him. One night, as he was returning home from a religious meeting, he was followed by a man in a rage, who struck him a violent blow on the head. May God forgive and bless you! was Anthonys quiet and Christian rejoinder. Ah! replied his assailant, furiously, if God does not kill you, Ill do it myself! Some days afterwards Anthony met the same person in a narrow road, where two persons could hardly pass. Now I shall be struck by him again, he said to himself. But he was surprised, on approaching, to see this man, once so bitter towards him, reach out his hand, and say to him, in a tremulous voice, Mr. Blanc, will you forgive me, and let all be over? Thus, this disciple of Christ, by gentle and peaceful words, had made a friend of an enemy.
Inheritors
A poor Christian man, illustrating this text, said, I went through my lords park, and the great house looked so grand. Well, I said, Bless the Lord, it is a fine house. I didnt envy it, bless the Lord! but I seemed so to enjoy the great house. I said, Thats mine, surely; I enjoy it, I do. Then the sheep looked so nice, and the cattle and the horses; and I said, Bless the Lord! they are all my Fathers, and they are all mine. I didnt want to have them, but I did enjoy them so. And the trees, and the grass, and the plantations, all looked so beautiful, I appeared to enjoy them so. I said, Lord, they are all Lord-s; but theyre all mine, too. And so they were. Well indeed would it have been for their proprietor, an unconverted man, had he been capable of enjoying them in the same sanctified manner. A missionary in Jamaica was once questioning the little black boys on the meaning of this text, and asked, Who are the meek? A boy answered, Those who give soft answers to rough questions. (Anecdotes.)
How different from the teaching of Christ is that of the great apostle of infidelity-David Hume! Nothing, says the latter, carries a man through the world like a true, genuine, natural impudence. The religion of a man whose morality is loose like this, could scarcely assume any other character than that of an unblushing scepticism and licentiousness.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. Blessed are the meek] Happy, , from , easy, those who are of a quiet, gentle spirit, in opposition to the proud and supercilious Scribes and Pharisees and their disciples. We have a compound word in English, which once fully expressed the meaning of the original, viz. gentleman; but it has now almost wholly lost its original signification. Our word meek comes from the old Anglo-saxon meca, or meccea, a companion or equal, because he who is of a meek or gentle spirit, is ever ready to associate with the meanest of those who fear God, feeling himself superior to none; and well knowing that he has nothing of spiritual or temporal good but what he has received from the mere bounty of God, having never deserved any favour from his hand.
For they shall inherit the earth.] Or, , the land. Under this expression, which was commonly used by the prophets to signify the land of Canaan, in which all temporal good abounded, Jdg 18:9-10, Jesus Christ points out that abundance of spiritual good, which was provided for men in the Gospel. Besides, Canaan was a type of the kingdom of God; and who is so likely to inherit glory as the man in whom the meekness and gentleness of Jesus dwell? In some good MSS. and several ancient versions, the fourth and fifth verses are transposed: see the authorities in the various readings in Professor Griesbach’s edition. The present arrangement certainly is most natural:
1. Poverty, to which the promise of the kingdom is made.
2. Mourning or distress, on account of this impoverished state, to which consolation is promised. And
3. Meekness established in the heart by the consolations received.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Men count the hectors of the world happy, whom none can provoke but they must expect as good as they bring, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I tell you these are not truly happy; they are tortured with their own passions; as their hand is against every one, so every mans hand is against them; besides that there is a God, who will revenge the wrongs they do. But the meek, who can be angry, but restrain their wrath in obedience to the will of God, and will not be angry unless they can be angry and not sin; nor will easily be provoked by others, but rather use soft words to pacify wrath, and give place to the passions of others; these are the blessed men. For though others may by their sword and their bow conquer a great deal of the earth to their will and power, yet they will never quietly and comfortably inherit or possess it; they are possessors malae fidei, forcible possessors, and they will enjoy what they have, as rapacious birds enjoy theirs, loudly, every one hath his gun ready charged and cocked against them; but those who are of meek and quiet spirits, though they may not take so deep root in the earth as others more boisterous, yet they shall enjoy what God giveth them with more quiet and certainty; and God will provide for them, verily they shall be fed, Psa 37:3,11.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. Blessed are the meek: for theyshall inherit the earthThis promise to the meek is but arepetition of Ps 37:11; onlythe word which our Evangelist renders “the meek,” after theSeptuagint, is the same which we have found so oftentranslated “the poor,” showing how closely allied these twofeatures of character are. It is impossible, indeed, that “thepoor in spirit” and “the mourners” in Zion should notat the same time be “meek”; that is to say, persons of alowly and gentle carriage. How fitting, at least, it is that theyshould be so, may be seen by the following touching appeal: “Putthem in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obeymagistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man,to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men:FOR WE OURSELVES WERE ONCEFOOLISH, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts andpleasures . . . But after that the kindness and love of God ourSaviour toward man appeared: . . . according to His mercy He savedus,” c. (Tit 3:1-7).But He who had no such affecting reasons for manifesting thisbeautiful carriage, said, nevertheless, of Himself, “Take Myyoke upon you, and learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart: andye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mt11:29); and the apostle besought one of the churches by “themeekness and gentleness of Christ” (2Co10:1). In what esteem this is held by Him who seeth not as manseeth, we may learn from 1Pe 3:4,where the true adorning is said to be that of “a meek and quietspirit, which in the sight of God is of great price.” Towardsmen this disposition is the opposite of high-mindedness, and aquarrelsome and revengeful spirit; it “rather takes wrong, andsuffers itself to be defrauded” (1Co6:7); it “avenges not itself, but rather gives place untowrath” (Ro 12:19); likethe meek One, “when reviled, it reviles not again; when itsuffers, it threatens not: but commits itself to Him that judgethrighteously” (1Pe2:19-22). “The earth” which the meek are to inheritmight be rendered “the land”bringing out the moreimmediate reference to Canaan as the promised land, the securepossession of which was to the Old Testament saints the evidence andmanifestation of God’s favor resting on them, and the ideal of alltrue and abiding blessedness. Even in the Psalm from which thesewords are taken the promise to the meek is not held forth as anarbitrary reward, but as having a kind of natural fulfilment. Whenthey delight themselves in the Lord, He gives them the desires oftheir heart: when they commit their way to Him, He brings it to pass;bringing forth their righteousness as the light, and their judgmentas the noonday: the little that they have, even when despoiled oftheir rights, is better than the riches of many wicked (Ps37:1-24). All things, in short, are theirsin the possession ofthat favor which is life, and of those rights which belong to them asthe children of Godwhether the world, or life, or death, or thingspresent, or things to come; all are theirs (1Co 3:21;1Co 3:22); and at length,overcoming, they “inherit all things” (Re21:7). Thus are the meek the only rightful occupants of a foot ofground or a crust of bread here, and heirs of all coming things.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Blessed are the meek,…. Who are not easily provoked to anger; who patiently bear, and put up with injuries and affronts; carry themselves courteously, and affably to all; have the meanest thoughts of themselves, and the best of others; do not envy the gifts and graces of other men; are willing to be instructed and admonished, by the meanest of the saints; quietly submit to the will of God, in adverse dispensations of providence; and ascribe all they have, and are, to the grace of God. Meekness, or humility, is very valuable and commendable. The Jews, though a proud, haughty, and wrathful people, cannot but speak in its praise:
“Wisdom, fear, and meekness, say b they, are of high esteem; but , “meekness”, is greater than them all.”
They had two very considerable doctors in the time of Christ, Hillell and Shammai; the one was of a meek, the other of an angry disposition: hence, say they c,
“Let a man be always meek as Hillell, and let him not be angry as Shammai.”
Here meekness is to be considered, not as a moral virtue, but as a Christian grace, a fruit of the Spirit of God; which was eminently in Christ, and is very ornamental to believers; and of great advantage and use to them, in hearing and receiving the word; in giving an account of the reason of the hope that is in them; in instructing and restoring such, who have backslidden, either in principle or practice; and in the whole of their lives and conversations; and serves greatly to recommend religion to others: such who are possessed of it, and exercise it, are well pleasing to God; when disconsolate, he comforts them; when hungry, he satisfies them; when they want direction, he gives it to them; when wronged, he will do them right; he gives them more grace here, and glory hereafter. The blessing instanced, in which they shall partake of, is,
they shall inherit the earth; not the land of Canaan, though that may be alluded to; nor this world, at least in its present situation; for this is not the saints’ rest and inheritance: but rather, the “new earth”, which will be after this is burnt up; in which only such persons as are here described shall dwell; and who shall inherit it, by virtue of their being heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; whose is the earth, and the fulness thereof. Though some think heaven is here designed, and is so called, partly for the sake of variety of expression, from Mt 5:3 and partly in allusion to the land of Canaan, a type of it; and may be called an earth, or country, that is an heavenly one, in opposition to this earthly one; as the heavenly Jerusalem is opposed to the earthly one, and which will be a glorious inheritance. The passage, referred to is Ps 37:11.
b Piske Tosaphot Yebamot, art. 196. c T. Bab. Sabbat. fol. 30. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The meek ( ). Wycliff has it “Blessed be mild men.” The ancients used the word for outward conduct and towards men. They did not rank it as a virtue anyhow. It was a mild equanimity that was sometimes negative and sometimes positively kind. But Jesus lifted the word to a nobility never attained before. In fact, the Beatitudes assume a new heart, for the natural man does not find in happiness the qualities mentioned here by Christ. The English word “meek” has largely lost the fine blend of spiritual poise and strength meant by the Master. He calls himself “meek and lowly in heart” (Mt 11:29) and Moses is also called meek. It is the gentleness of strength, not mere effeminacy. By “the earth” ( ) Jesus seems to mean the Land of Promise (Ps 37:11) though Bruce thinks that it is the whole earth. Can it be the solid earth as opposed to the sea or the air?
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The meek [ ] . Another word which, though never used in a bad sense, Christianity has lifted to a higher plane, and made the symbol of a higher good. Its primary meaning is mild, gentle. It was applied to inanimate things, as light, wind, sound, sickness. It was used of a horse; gentle.
As a human attribute, Aristotle defines it as the mean between stubborn anger and that negativeness of character which is incapable of even righteous indignation : according to which it is tantamount to equanimity. Plato opposes it to fierceness or cruelty, and uses it of humanity to the condemned; but also of the conciliatory demeanor of a demagogue seeking popularity and power. Pindar applies it to a king, mild or kind to the citizens, and Herodotus uses it as opposed to anger.
These pre – Christian meanings of the word exhibit two general characteristics.
1. They express outward conduct merely.
2. They contemplate relations to men only. The Christian word, on the contrary, describes an inward quality, and that as related primarily to God.
The equanimity, mildness, kindness, represented by the classical word, are founded in self – control or in natural disposition. The Christian meekness is based on humility, which is not a natural quality but an outgrowth of a renewed nature. To the pagan the word often implied condescension, to the Christian it implies submission. The Christian quality, in its manifestation, reveals all that was best in the heathen virtue – mildness, gentleness, equanimity – but these manifestations toward men are emphasized as outgrowths of a spiritual relation to God. The mildness or kindness of Plato or Pindar imply no sense of inferiority in those who exhibit them; sometimes the contrary. Plato’s demagogue is kindly from self – interest and as a means to tyranny. Pindar’s king is condescendingly kind. The meekness of the Christian springs from a sense of the inferiority of the creature to the Creator, and especially of the sinful creature to the holy God. While, therefore, the pagan quality is redolent of self – assertion, the Christian quality carries the flavor of self – abasement. As toward God, therefore, meekness accepts his dealings without murmur or resistance as absolutely good and wise. As toward man, it accepts opposition, insult, and provocation, as God ‘s permitted ministers of a chastening demanded by the infirmity and corruption of sin; while, under this sense of his own sinfulness, the meek bears patiently “the contradiction of sinners against himself,” forgiving and restoring the erring in a spirit of meekness, considering himself, lest he also be tempted (see Gal 6:1 – 5). The ideas of forgiveness and restoration nowhere attach to the classical word. They belong exclusively to Christian meekness, which thus shows itself allied to love. As ascribed by our Lord to himself, see on Mt 11:29. Wyc. renders “Blessed be mild men.”
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Blessed are the meek:” (makarioi hoi praeis) “Blessed or spiritually prosperous are those who are meek:” This message was one of assurance, consolation, to arouse a firm faith in this new-formed band of followers, who like Moses, in meekness and faith, forsook Egypt and her treasures to do the bidding of God. Heb 11:24-29. There was a meekness on that mountainside as Jesus taught His people that day. And these words are words of assurance for those who dare obey His call to follow Him in His church labors today. True recognition of the task brings meekness Mat 28:18-20.
2) “For they shall inherit the earth.” (hoti autoi kleronomesousin ten gen) “Because they shall inherit (have an heirsetting in or upon) the earth.” While Israel has a future millennial heritage in the promised land, it was just as certain and specific that Jesus has also promised heir-setting positions of reward, honor, and service to members of His church, inclusive of that providing for, 1) the twelve apostles to sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luk 22:28-30, and 2) members of His church in (heirsetting), Gk. kleronomesousin, positions to reign over and judge other men and angels in that golden millennial era, Luk 19:12-27; 2Co 6:3; 2Ti 2:12; Rev 5:9-10.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. Happy are the meek By the meek he means persons of mild and gentle dispositions, who are not easily provoked by injuries, who are not ready to take offense, but are prepared to endure anything rather than do the like actions to wicked men. When Christ promises to such persons the inheritance of the earth, we might think it exceedingly foolish. Those who warmly repel any attacks, and whose hand is ever ready to revenge injuries, are rather the persons who claim for themselves the dominion of the earth. And experience certainly shows that, the more mildly their wickedness is endured, the more bold and insolent does it become. Hence arises the diabolical proverb, that “We must howl with the wolves, because the wolves will immediately devour every one who makes himself a sheep.” But Christ places his own protection, and that of the Father, in contrast with the fury and violence of wicked men, and declares, on good grounds, that the meek will be the lords and heirs of the earth The children of this world never think themselves safe, but when they fiercely revenge the injuries that are done them, and defend their life by the “weapons of war,” (Eze 32:27.) But as we must believe, that Christ alone is the guardian of our life, all that remains for us is to “hide ourselves under the shadow of his wings,” (Psa 17:8.) We must be sheep, if we wish to be reckoned a part of his flock.
It will perhaps be objected, that what has been now said is contradicted by experience. I would first suggest that it be considered, how greatly ferocious (363) people are disturbed by their own restlessness. While they lead so stormy a life, though they were a hundred times lords of the earth, while they possess all, they certainly possess nothing. For the children of God, on the other hand, I answer, that though they may not plant their foot on what is their own, they enjoy a quiet residence on the earth. And this is no imaginary possession; (364) for they know, that the earth, which they inhabit, has been granted to them by God. Besides, the hand of God is interposed to protect them against the violence and fury of wicked men. Though exposed to every species of attack, subject to the malice of wicked men, surrounded by all kinds of danger, they are safe under the divine protection. They have already a foretaste, at least, of this grace of God; and that is enough for them, till they enter, at the last day, into the possession of the inheritance (365) of the world.
(363) “ Les gens fiers et farouches;” — “proud and ferocious people.
(364) “ Ce nest as une possession lma name et en l’air.” — “It is not an imaginary possession, and in the air.”
(365) “ De la seigneurie de tout le monde;” — “of the lordships of all the world.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) The meek.The word so rendered was probably used by St. Matthew in its popular meaning, without any reference to the definition which ethical writers had given of it, but it may be worth while to recall Aristotles account of it (Eth. Nicom. v. 5) as the character of one who has the passion of resentment under control, and who is therefore tranquil and untroubled, as in part determining the popular use of the word, and in part also explaining the beatitude.
They shall inherit the earth.The words may be partly allusive to the kingdom of the saints of the Most High in that prophecy of Daniel (Dan. 7:27) which had done so much to fashion the Messianic expectations of the time. They have, however, a wider and continuous fulfilment. The influence of the meek and self-controlled is in the long-run greater than that of the impulsive and passionate. Their serenity helps them to find the maximum of true joy in all conditions of life; for to them the earth is not a stage for self-assertion and the graspings of desire, but an inheritance which they have received from their Father.
Many of the best MSS. invert the order of Mat. 5:4-5, and this arrangement has, at all events, the merit of bringing out the latent antithesis between the kingdom of heaven in its unseen greatness and the visible inheritance of the earth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. The meek Who are placidly ready, without pride or captiousness, to receive the good. They shall inherit the earth Rather, the land. As Israel were to enjoy the promised land below, so the true Israel shall enjoy that land of which the earthly land was typical.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Blessed ones, the meek (lowly of heart), for they will inherit the earth.’
The ‘meek’ are those who take the buffetings of life and do not rebel against them overmuch. They accept them from the hand of God. They do not get riled up at them. They are not always seeking revenge. They accept what life brings. They do not allow themselves to be upset over things that they can do nothing about. They do not throw their weight about. They concentrate on what does matter. They are ‘meek and lowly in heart’ like Jesus was (Mat 11:29). Thus the word could be used to describe an animal which responded to its reins.
And yet like Him ‘the meek’ are strong for what is right. For they are bold in testimony. When necessary they speak out against sin. But even in boldness of testimony they remember Whose they are (1Pe 3:15). They respond to His reins. That is why in 1Pe 3:4 Peter speaks of, ‘the hidden man of the heart in the envelope/clothing of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price’.
In Psa 69:32 ‘the meek’ are paralleled with those ‘who seek after God’. Their ‘meekness’ (Godlike humility) does not mean that they let people walk all over them. But it does indicate they are not always thinking of themselves and their own rights. Rather they think more about others and about God. They are exemplified in Mat 5:44-48.
The words here are actually cited from Psa 37:11, where we are told that such people will ‘inherit the earth’, in contrast with those who ‘will be no more’ (Psa 37:10-11). In the context in the Psalm the idea behind this is of a wholesome and prosperous life, enjoying the earth’s benefits, in contrast with the sudden doom of ‘the wicked’ (the ungodly). The latter may not happen immediately but God sees that the day of the wicked is coming (Psa 37:13), while the righteous know that their heritage will abide for ever (Psa 37:18). So the meek, the godly, those who are responsive to God, will find that they prosper in their life on earth and that things on earth will be good to them, at least spiritually (Mat 19:28-29; Mar 10:29-30). And in the end they will finally inherit the new earth in which dwells righteousness (2Pe 3:13; Isa 65:17), the new earth in which is based the eternal Kingdom.
But this could not possibly have been said of all meek people. For it is totally untrue to say that all who are meek will ‘inherit the earth’. Many of them will in fact be ground into it, even though it may sometimes be true that very often the meek will survive when the strong have destroyed each other. But the Psalmist is rather speaking of those who are like this because of their response to God. God has blessed them and made them meek, and it is because they are the blessed ones of God that they will ‘inherit the earth’, both in terms of enjoyment in this earth, and, in the final consummation, in the new earth.
A very good example of true meekness was Moses. He was ‘meek above all men who were on the face of the earth’ (Num 12:3). But that did not mean that he was a soft option. What it meant was that he never fought his own cause or considered his own interests. He was wholly out for the Lord. When people attacked his own interests he left it in the Lord’s hands. But how different it was when people attacked the Lord’s interests. Then his stregth was supreme, but always in obedience to what the Lord told him to do. And indeed the one time when he did give way to his own urgings he forfeited the right to enter the promised land with his people, because he had disgraced the Lord in front of them (Num 20:12).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
These two conditions form the prerequisite for the third beatitude:
v. 5. Blessed are the meek, for they. shall inherit the earth. Their heart is not filled with self-righteousness, pride, and conceit. They are bowed down with grief, and therefore are ready and willing to endure with a meek spirit, Psa 37:11. To suffer and to bear uncomplainingly is their characteristic; there is no obstinate arrogance in their behavior. “For it will not fail to be forthcoming: thy neighbor will sometimes maltreat thee or otherwise overstep the bounds, either inadvertently or deliberately. If it be inadvertently, thou on thy part wilt not make it good by thy refusal or inability to bear it. But if it be malice, thou wilt but make him worse by hostile pawing and stamping; while he laughs and satisfies his desire to provoke thee to anger and do thee harm, in order that thou mayest have no peace nor enjoy what is thine with quietness. ” The disciples of Christ, however, with meek and tender hearts, will be blessed and happy, since they have the promise of the earth as their inheritance. This statement, in its paradoxical form, is most startling. The expression, as the Lord uses it, cannot be referred to spiritual gifts only, though these doubtless are included. Jesus emphasizes the fact that meekness, by God’s will, is a “world-conquering principle. ” As rightful lords of creation those whom the promise of Christ here concerns shall use God’s temporal gifts with a good conscience, 1Co 3:22, and be sure that God’s bounty will provide. “The expression ‘inherit the earth’ here means to possess all manner of goods here on earth. Not that each one should occupy a whole country, otherwise God would have to create more worlds, but the goods which God confers upon every one, that He gives him wife, children, cattle, house, home, and what belongs thereto, that he may remain definitely in the land where he lives and be master of his possessions, as Scripture commonly says.”
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 5:5. Blessed are the meek That is, the men of mild and forgiving tempers, who hold all their passions and affections even; they shall inherit the earth; they shall enjoy the protection of civil government, with all the blessings of the present life, the greatest and best of which flow from meekness itself. Meekness, consisting in the moderating of our passions, makes a person beautiful and venerable in the eyes of others, so that he possesses their inward esteem; while the man devoid of this grace is despicable, though dignified with ever so many titles of honour. Hence it is called the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Farther, this grace secures a man against many injuries to which he may be exposed; a soft answer being powerful to turn away wrath; or, if an injury be done to a meek person, his meekness prevents the storm which pride, anger, and revenge raise within; enables him to bear the injury with tranquillity, and strengthens him to overcome it with good. Thus much seems to be implied in the blessing annexed to the character in this verse; which is a citation from Psa 37:11 and seems to be produced to shew of how great a price the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit is in the sight of God; for the words immediately put us in mind, that under the dispensation wherein God rewarded holiness and virtue with temporal advantages in a peculiar sense, as well as with spiritual blessings, he annexed the highest temporal blessing, even that of inheriting the promised land, to the lovely grace of meekness. See Macknight and Bengelius.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 5:5 . According to Psa 37:11 , where the LXX. have . The (Mat 11:29 , Mat 21:5 ) are the calm, meek sufferers relying on God’s help, who, without bitterness or revenge as the . (Isa 66:2 ), suffer the cruelties of their tyrants and oppressors. The opposite is (Plat. Pol . vi. p. 493 B), (Dem. 315, 5), , and the like; Plat. Def . p. 412 D: . Comp. 1Pe 3:4 . The very ancient popular (Gen 15:7 f.) theocratic conception: to come into possession of the land (of (Palestine) (in Psalms 37 : after the expulsion of their haughty enemies), has been raised to its antitypical Christian idea, so that the Messiah’s kingdom and the receiving possession of it is intended. Comp. on Gal 3:18 ; Eph 1:11 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1289
CHRISTIAN MEEKNESS
Mat 5:5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
WHILST it is acknowledged on all hands, that Christianity far surpasses all other religions in the sublimity of its doctrines, few are aware how much it excels them also in the purity of its precepts. But we need go no further than to the words before us, to illustrate the superiority of the Christian code above all others. Whatever might assimilate us to ferocious beasts, has been a subject of praise among the heathen world. To contend with enemies, to revenge affronts, to be foremost in deeds of heroism, this has exalted men to deities: but to be of a meek and yielding spirit has been deemed rather an indication of weakness, and a reason for contempt. Yet this is the spirit which our blessed Lord particularly commands, and declares to be intimately connected with true happiness.
In vindication of his assertions, we propose to set before you,
I.
The character here specified
The disposition which distinguishes the persons here spoken of, is not that natural mildness and gentleness with which some are favoured even from the womb: (persons of this description may be as far from true Christian meekness, as others who are of a more violent temper:) but a meekness founded in poverty of spirit, and in mourning for sin, a fruit of the operation of the Spirit of God upon the soul [Note: Gal 5:22-23.]. To view the Christian in the exercise of this grace, let us look at him,
1.
In his conduct towards God
[He no longer, like others, disputes against the word of God, or murmurs on account of the dealings of his Providence. Whatever God requires, appears, in his eyes, to be right [Note: Psa 119:128.]: and whatever he does, though for the present it may be dark and inexplicable, is considered as wise and good. He dares not on any account to reply against God [Note: Rom 9:20.]. Instead of objecting to any declaration, command, or threatening, as an hard saying, he trembles at it [Note: Isa 66:2.]; and receives it with meekness as an engrafted word, able to save his soul [Note: Jam 1:21.]. He may have many and great trials; but instead of fretting against the Lord, he bows with humble submission, saying, Not my will, but thine be done. He is dumb, and openeth not his mouth, from the consideration that it is done by a loving and gracious Father [Note: Psa 39:9.].]
2.
In his conduct towards men
[He is courteous. If in his unconverted state he has been rough, severe, and harsh, he will not appear to the same advantage as one whose temper and habits have been mild: but the operation of divine grace will be more conspicuous in him, by reason of the greatness of the change that has been produced. He is become a new man: all around him discern and feel the difference: as a husband, he is more tender; as a father, more kind; as a master, more gentle; as a member of society, more engaging. He is modest, affable, easy of access, and amiable in the whole of his deportment. There is nothing of an overbearing disposition in him, but a willingness that others should think and act for themselves as well as he. This is his character, as described by the pen of an inspired writer: he is no brawler, but gentle, shewing all meekness to all men [Note: Tit 3:2.].
He is patient. Many in their natural state are so irritable, that it is impossible to please them long together: they are like the sea, tossed and agitated by every breath of wind. Not so the person who has attained the character in the text. We say not, that he never speaks unadvisedly with his lips; for even Moses, the meekest of the human race, transgressed in this particular [Note: Psa 106:33.]; and, if a man so bridled his tongue, as never in any instance to offend in word, he would be altogether perfect [Note: Jam 3:2.]. But the Christian has attained such a measure of self-government, as not to be easily provoked. He is slow to wrath, knowing that the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God [Note: Jam 1:19-20.]. He accounts it his glory to pass over a transgression [Note: Pro 19:11.]. Where the offence committed is of such a nature as to require an expression of his displeasure, he endeavours so to guard his anger, so to temper it with love and pity; and so to restrain it both in measure and duration, that he may fulfil the precept, Be angry, and sin not [Note: Eph 4:26-27.]. He is particularly on his guard in relation to religious controversy. If his sentiments are represented as erroneous and absurd, instead of yielding immediately to vehemence and invective, he will give a reason of the hope that is in him with meekness and fear [Note: 1Pe 3:15.]; and will instruct in meekness them that oppose themselves, if God peradventure may give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth [Note: 2Ti 2:25.]. If, on the other hand, it falls to his lot to reprove a fallen brother, he will endeavour to restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering himself, lest he also be tempted [Note: Gal 6:1.].
He is forgiving. He may receive injuries like other men: but he will not resent them as others do. He knows that he is not to recompense evil for evil unto any man, but rather to heap coals of fire on the head of his enemies, if by any means he may at last melt them into love: instead of being overcome of evil, he strives with all his might to overcome evil with good [Note: Rom 12:17-21.]. The rule to which he endeavours to conform, is that which is laid down by our blessed Lord; (and who might so well require it of us, seeing that he himself exemplifies it so wonderfully towards all his people?) it is that of forgiving, not once, or seven times merely, but seventy times seven [Note: Mat 18:21-22.]. In this indeed he labours to resemble Christ himself, forbearing and forgiving others, even as Christ hath forgiven him [Note: Col 3:13.]. He does not, it is true, receive to his bosom a person who is so constantly offending; nor is it necessary that he should, till the person himself be renewed in the spirit of his mind: but he will so far forgive, as to bear not the smallest ill-will towards him, but to be really glad of any opportunity to do him good.]
Such, though in different degrees, is the true Christian. All do not attain the same eminence in these virtues; but all are distinguished for them in proportion to the grace they have received; nor can any man be accounted a true Christian, unless he have the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price [Note: 1Pe 3:4.].
If such a man is distinguished in the character he sustains, he is no less so in,
II.
The blessedness he enjoys
The New Testament encourages us principally by a hope of spiritual blessings: yet it sometimes gives us reason to expect also such as are temporal [Note: 1Ti 4:8. Mat 6:33.]. That the promise here given to the meek is temporal, appears from the passage in the Psalms, from whence it is quoted [Note: Psa 37:11.]: and it is indeed fulfilled to every one that answers to the character in the text.
1.
He has fewer occasions of disquietude than others
[Others, in addition to the common calamities of life, create trouble to themselves by their ungoverned tempers. When all would be peaceable and tranquil, they by their grievous words stir up anger [Note: Pro 15:1.]. As, to a man in a fever, every posture is uneasy, every food insipid, every office troublesome; so, to an impatient fretful man, every thing becomes a source of trouble and vexation. Both the one and the other are ready to think that people are in league, as it were, against them: but the disease is within themselves; and it is the soreness of their own flesh, not the hardness of the touch, that is in reality the source of their pain. But the man that is truly meek, cuts off, instead of multiplying, occasions of pain. By kindness and courtesy he disarms his adversary; and by his soft words, he turneth away wrath [Note: Pro 15:1.]. If he has himself inadvertently done wrong, he freely acknowledges his fault; and thus, by yielding, pacifieth even great offences [Note: Ecc 10:4.]. If he have received an injury, the same disposition leads him to accept an acknowledgment, and not to insist on all the reparation which perhaps he might be justified in requiring. In many cases, he turns away his eyes from the evil that is done, and lets it pass unnoticed. In this manner he is kept from a thousand disputes which agitate others, and passes through life with half the troubles that vex and harass the world around him,]
2.
He is less affected by those which do occur
[The sturdy oak has often its branches broken off by a storm, or perhaps is torn up by the roots, whilst the supple reed sustains no injury at all. Thus the meek submissive Christian bears up under those trials which the stoutest of ungodly men would be unable to endure. He receives them as from the hand of God, and says, Shall a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins [Note: Lam 3:39.]? I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him [Note: Mic 7:9.]. Even when men are the immediate causes of his troubles, he still looks, through the second causes, unto God the first cause of all; and says with Job, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed is the name of the Lord [Note: Job 1:15; Job 1:17; Job 1:21.]! How different is the state of such a man from one, who, like a wild bull in a net, foams and bellows with impotent unavailing rage! The world is not like the same place to the two characters: to the one it is as the confines of hell; to the other, the portico of heaven.]
3.
He is more tranquil in his own mind
[This necessarily arises from the two preceding considerations: but it is true in another point of view: the meek person has the testimony of a good conscience, and enjoys the presence of his God; whilst those who arc destitute of that holy disposition, are of necessity unacquainted with these sources of heavenly consolation. As it is not possible for an impenitent unbelieving soul to taste that peace which passeth all understanding; so neither can one who is morose, or irritable, or vindictive: His sins will hide good things from him, and will separate between him and his God [Note: Isa 59:2.].
The promise in the text is supposed by many to refer to the land of Canaan; and to that as typical of heaven [Note: .]. And certainly in this sense also it is fulfilled to those who are truly meek. Often do they, (and never more than when suffering for righteousness sake,) obtain Pisgah views of that promised land; and often are refreshed with the grapes of Eschol, even when most destitute of earthly comforts. In a word, they have a joy with which the stranger intermeddleth not, and which is an earnest and foretaste of their heavenly inheritance [Note: Isa 29:19.].]
Address
[Let St. Peter be heard in confirmation of all that has been said [Note: 1Pe 3:9-11.]: Good days are a blessing which God designs us to inherit: and a meek demeanour is the means by which we are to obtain it. Let us not, however, put any Christian grace in the place of Christ: it is He, and he alone, that can give us either peace with God, or peace in our own consciences Nevertheless, meekness, as a means, is conducive to happiness: and it is in vain to expect happiness, either in this world or in the next, if we do not attain it. Who then is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom [Note: Jam 3:13.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Ver. 5. Blessed are the meek ] Meekness is the fruit of mourning for sin, and is therefore fitly set next after it. He that can kindly melt in God’s presence, will be made thereby as meek as a lamb: and if God will forgive him his ten thousand talents, he will not think much to forgive his brother a few farthings. ( quasi , quod mites omnibus, scil. faciles ac placidos reddant. Becman.) Hence the wisdom from above is, first, pure, and then “peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated,” &c., Jas 3:17 . And love is said to proceed out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned, 1Ti 1:5 . And when our Saviour told his disciples they must forgive till seventy times seven times, “Lord, increase our faith,” said they, Luk 17:4-5 . Give us such a measure of godly mourning, as that we may be bold to believe that thou hast freely forgiven us, and we shall soon forgive our enemies. David was never so rigid as when he had sinned by adultery and murder; and not yet mourned in good earnest for his sin. He put the Ammonites’ under saws and harrows of iron, and caused them to pass through the brickkiln, &c., which was a strange execution, and happened while he lay yet in sin. Afterward we find him in a better frame, and more meekened and mollified in his dealings with Shimei and others, when he had soundly soaked himself in godly sorrow. True it is, that he was then under the rod, and that is a main means to make men meek. The Hebrew words that signify afflicted and meek, grow both upon the same root, and are of so great affinity, that they are sometimes by the Septuagint rendered the one for the other, as Psa 37:11 . . Adversa enim hominem mansuetum reddunt, saith Chemnitius. And, however it go with the outward man, the meek shall find rest to their souls, Mat 11:29 . Yea, the meek in the Lord shall increase their joy, Isa 29:19 . And for outward respects, meek Moses complains not of Miriam’s murmurings, but God strikes in for him the more. And he that said, “I seek not mine own glory,” adds, “But there is one that seeketh it, and judgeth,” Joh 8:50 . God takes his part ever that fights not for himself, and is champion to him that strives not, but, for peace’ sake, parteth with his own right, otherwise.
For they shall inherit the earth ] One would think that meek men, that bear and forbear, that put and forgive, committing their cause “to him that judgeth righteously,” 1Pe 2:23 ; (as Christ did), should be soon baffled, and outsworn out of their patrimony, with honest Naboth. But there is nothing lost by meekness and yieldance. Abraham yields over his right of choice: Lot taketh it; and, behold, Lot is crossed in that which he chose, Abraham blessed in that which was left him. God never suffers any man to lose by a humble remission of right, in a desire of peace. “The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth hath he given to the children of men,” Psa 115:16 : yet with this proviso, that as heaven is taken by violence, so is earth by meekness; and God (the true Proprietary) loves no tenants better, nor grants longer leases to any, than to the meek. They shall inherit, that is, peaceably enjoy what they have, and transfer it to posterity, they shall give inheritance to their children’s children, Pro 13:22 . As, on the other side, frowardness forfeits all into the Lord’s hands, and he many times taketh the forfeiture, and outs such persons, comes upon them with a firma eiectione, as upon Amalek, Abimelech, and others. , said Plato. The Lord Treasurer Burleigh was wont to say, that he overcame envy and ill-will more by patience than pertinace. His private estate he managed with that integrity, that he never sued any man, no man ever sued him. He was in the number of those few (said Mr Camden) that lived and died with glory. For as lowliness of heart shall make you high with God; even so meekness of spirit and of speech shall make you sink into the hearts of men, said Mr Tyndale in a letter of his to John Frith, afterwards his fellow martyr. (Acts and Mon.)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
5. ] A citation from Psa 37:11 . The usual dividers and allotters of the earth being mighty and proud conquerors, and the Messiah being expected as such a conqueror, this announcement, that the meek should inherit the earth, struck at the root of the temporal expectations of power and wealth in the Messiah’s kingdom. This meekness is not mere outward lowliness of demeanour, but that true of Eph 4:2 , whose active side (Stier) is , and its passive side . On the promise, compare Isa 57:13-15 ; Isa 60:21 ; 1Co 3:22 . That kingdom of God which begins in the hearts of the disciples of Christ, and is not , shall work onwards till it shall become actually a kingdom over this earth , and its subjects shall inherit the earth: first in its millennial, and finally in its renewed and blessed state for ever.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 5:5 . : in Sept [18] for in Psa 37:11 , of which this Beatitude is an echo. The men who suffer wrong without bitterness or desire for revenge, a class who in this world are apt to go to the wall. In this case we should have expected the Teacher to end with the common refrain: theirs is the kingdom of heaven, that being the only thing they are likely to get. Jean Paul Richter humorously said: “The French have the empire of the land, the English the empire of the sea; to the Germans belongs the empire of the air ”. But Jesus promises to the meek the empire of the solid earth . Surely a startling paradox! That the meek should find a foremost place in the kingdom of heaven is very intelligible, but “inherit the earth” the land of Canaan or any other part of this planet is it not a delusive promise? Not altogether. It is at least true as a doctrine of moral tendency . Meekness after all is a power even in this world, a “world-conquering principle” (Tholuck). The meek of England, driven from their native land by religious intolerance, have inherited the continent of America. Weiss (Meyer) is quite sure, however, that this thought was far ( ganz fern ) from Christ’s mind. I venture to think he is mistaken.
[18] Septuagint.
The inverse order of the second and third Beatitudes found in Codex [19] , and favoured by some of the Fathers, e.g. , Jerome, might be plausibly justified by the affinity between poverty of spirit and meekness, and the natural sequence of the two promises: possession of the kingdom of heaven and inheritance of the earth. But the connection beneath the surface is in favour of the order as it stands in T. R.
[19] Codex Bezae
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 5:5
5″Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Mat 5:5 “gentle” This is literally “meek” or ” humble.” Jesus used this term for Himself (cf. Mat 11:29; Mat 21:5). Its origin implies domesticated strength, like a trained horse. Recognizing our need for God and His provision in Christ makes believers humble and teachable (cf. 1Pe 3:4). God wants to direct our strengths to His purposes (He gave them, cf. Psalms 139; 1 Corinthians 12), not break them.
“inherit the earth” This was often associated with the Promised Land (cf. Psa 37:11), but it could be an eschatological reference for the entire earth (cf. Isa 11:6-9). This reflects the ambiguity of the Hebrew term erets (BDB 75). Again God’s OT promises have been universalized.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
meek. Compare Psa 37:11.
the earth: or, the land. Greek. ge. See App-129.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
5. ] A citation from Psa 37:11. The usual dividers and allotters of the earth being mighty and proud conquerors, and the Messiah being expected as such a conqueror, this announcement, that the meek should inherit the earth, struck at the root of the temporal expectations of power and wealth in the Messiahs kingdom. This meekness is not mere outward lowliness of demeanour, but that true of Eph 4:2, whose active side (Stier) is , and its passive side . On the promise, compare Isa 57:13-15; Isa 60:21; 1Co 3:22. That kingdom of God which begins in the hearts of the disciples of Christ, and is not , shall work onwards till it shall become actually a kingdom over this earth, and its subjects shall inherit the earth: first in its millennial, and finally in its renewed and blessed state for ever.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 5:5. , the meek) Those are here named for the most part, whom the world tramples on.- is connected with the Latin pravus, which has frequently the meaning of segnis, slow, sluggish, etc.-, shall inherit) the future. The meek are seen everywhere to yield to the importunity of the inhabitants of the earth; and yet they shall obtain possession of the earth, not by their own arm, but by inheritance, through the aid of the Father: cf. Rev 5:10. In the mean time, even whilst the usurpation of the ungodly continues, all the produce of the earth is ordered for the comfort of the meek. In all these sentences, blessedness in heaven and blessedness on earth mutually imply each other. See Psalms 37(36):11,- , , But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. This is, indeed, the subject of that whole Psalm; see Mat 5:3; Mat 5:9; Mat 5:22; Mat 5:29; Mat 5:34.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the meek: Mat 11:29, Mat 21:5, Num 12:3, Psa 22:26, Psa 25:9, Psa 69:32, *marg. Psa 147:6, Psa 149:4, Isa 11:4, Isa 29:19, Isa 61:1, Zep 2:3, Gal 5:23, Eph 4:2, Col 3:12, 1Ti 6:11, 2Ti 2:25, Tit 3:2, Jam 1:21, Jam 3:13, 1Pe 3:4, 1Pe 3:15
they: Psa 25:13, Psa 37:9, Psa 37:11, Psa 37:22, Psa 37:29, Psa 37:34, Isa 60:21, Rom 4:13
Reciprocal: Gen 13:15 – General Num 26:53 – General Psa 76:9 – to save Rom 12:18 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE MEEK AND THEIR REWARD
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:5
What is the secret of meekness? Conquest of self.
I. Victory over self.Think of the example of Moses. Ruler, Legislator, Poet, and best of all, Saint! Who can help admiring him? But his greatest victory was over himself. Exo 2:11-12 tells us what sort of person he was by nature, and Num 13:3 what he became by grace. Forty years in Midian and forty years in the wilderness taught him many lessons, and he learned to control his temper and curb his tongue.
II. Where is meekness found?At the Feet of the Redeemer, at Calvarys Cross; there proud and stubborn and wayward souls learn to be meek and lowly; there we learn to forget injuries and forgive our enemies. The meek will He teach His way (Psa 25:9).
III. The meek have the best of life, notwithstanding what the world says. They shall inherit the earth.
The Rev. F. Harper.
Illustrations
(1) The word meek hardly expresses the quality which is meant in the original. It is too passive a word; it does not sufficiently represent the actual character which is intended. In the French translation it is, Bienheureux sont les dbonnaires; that is, Happy are the gracious, graceful Christian characters, who by their courtesy win all hearts around them, and smooth all the rough places of the world. Perhaps Blessed are the gentle would best express it.
(2) As a boy, Robert Hall was very passionate, but when he felt passion rising, he used to go away into a quiet place and say, O Lamb of God, calm my mind. Thus he conquered his temper, and became one of the gentlest of men ever known.
(3) There is the authority of a very great lawyerin very large and lengthened practicefor saying that, even in a worldly sense, it is true that those who forgo all quarrels and all lawsuits, and accept wrong, are they who, in the long run, are the most prosperous, and come out the richest at the end.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
5:5
The word for meek is PRAOS which Thayer defines, “gentle, mild, meek.” It is a contrast with the fierce and domineering spirit so often shown by the members of earthly kingdoms, especially the rulers. To inherit is generally defined in the lexicons “to receive by lot.” Thayer’s definition of this verse is, “to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom.” The earth is the same that is referred to in 2Pe 3:13 which the apostle says was promised to the righteous.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 5:5. The meek; the mild, the gentle, opposed to the ambitious, who succeed in such a kingdom as the Jews were looking for. A higher quality than the preceding.
Inherit the earth, or the land, i.e., of Canaan, the type of all blessings, not merely of spiritual ones. The literal fulfilment is not infrequent, but the primary reference is to the Messiahs kingdom.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe here, 1. The grace and duty recommended, Meekness.
2. The wages and reward belonging to that grace and duty, the inheritance of the earth.
Meekness either respects God, or our neighbour.
As it respects God, so it implies flexibleness to his commanding will, and submissiveness to his providential pleasure.
As it respects our neighbour, it consists in forgiving injuries, bearing reproaches, and recompensing good for evil.
The reward and blessing insured to this grace and duty is, the inheritance of the earth, where heaven is not excluded, but included; yet the earth is mentioned, to shew that men should be no losers by their meekness, as to their outward estates; for Almighty God will make good to them what they loose for peace sake.
O happy temper of mind, that at once secures heaven and earth to boot! Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth in this life, and heaven in the next.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mat 5:5. Blessed [or happy] are the meek Persons of a mild, gentle, long-suffering, and forgiving disposition, who are slow to anger, and averse from wrath; not easily provoked, and if at any time at all provoked, soon pacified; who never resent an injury, nor return evil for evil; but make it their care to overcome evil with good; who by the sweetness, affability, courteousness, and kindness of their disposition, endeavour to reconcile such as may be offended, and to win them over to peace and love. For they shall inherit the earth Whatever happiness can be enjoyed here below shall be their portion. They may not indeed be advanced to honour or affluence; nor can they expect to be without troubles in this fallen world, subjected as it is to vanity and misery for the sin of man; but the calamities of life, and the various afflictions and trials which they meet with, being received with a quiet spirit, a resigned, patient, and contented mind, are hardly felt, while the blessings of Providence, through the gratitude they feel for them, are tasted and enjoyed in all their sweetness and comfort.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 5
Inherit the earth. The secure and tranquil possession of Palestine was used by the Hebrew prophets as an image expressive of the greatest felicity. Hence the words inherit the earth became a proverb, to denote the enjoyment of very great blessings.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
A "gentle" or "meek" person is not only gentle in his or her dealings with others (Mat 11:29; Mat 21:5; Jas 3:13). Such a person is unpretentious (1Pe 3:4; 1Pe 3:14-15), self-controlled, and free from malice and vengefulness. This quality looks at a person’s dealings with other people. A person might acknowledge his or her spiritual bankruptcy and mourn because of sin, but to respond meekly when other people regard us as sinful is something else. Meekness then is the natural and appropriate expression of genuine humility toward others.
Inheriting the Promised Land was the hope of the godly in Israel during the wilderness wanderings (Deu 4:1; Deu 16:20; cf. Isa 57:13; Isa 60:21). Inheriting is the privilege of faithful heirs (cf. Mat 25:34). He or she can inherit because of who that person is due to relationship with the one bestowing the inheritance. Inheriting is a concept that the apostles wrote about and clarified (e.g., 1Co 6:9; 1Co 15:50; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5; Col 3:23-24; Heb 9:15; Heb 12:23; 1Pe 1:3-4; et al.). Inheriting is not always the same as entering. A person can enter another’s house, for example, without inheriting it. The Old Testament concept of inheriting involved not only entering but also becoming an owner of what one entered. In this beatitude Jesus was saying more than that the meek will enter the kingdom. They will also enter into it as an inheritance and possess it. [Note: Ibid., 1:2 (July-August 1991):1-2.] A major theme in the Sermon on the Mount is the believing disciple’s rewards (cf. Mat 5:12; Mat 6:2; Mat 6:4-6; Mat 6:18). [Note: See Dillow, p. 67.]
The earth is what the meek can joyfully anticipate inheriting. The Old Testament concept of the messianic kingdom was earthly. Messiah would rule over Israel and the nations on the earth (Psa 2:8-9; Psa 37:9; Psa 37:11; Psa 37:29). Eventually the kingdom of Messiah will move to the new earth (Mat 21:1). This means Jesus’ meek disciples can anticipate receiving possession of some of the earth during His messianic reign (cf. Mat 25:14-30; Luk 19:11-27). They will, of course, be subject to the King then.