In a historical context, the "meek" of the "church" inherited the power of the "earth" in the fourth century when Rome tolerated Christianity and then made it the official religion of the empire.

This is when the mustard seed became a tree and the birds came to make a home in the branches.

• In the western empire of Rome in Rome, the church had almost absolute power. Latin alphabet.
• In the eastern empire of Rome in Constantinople, the church had power but not absolute power. Cyrillic alphabet.



More: Matthew Mustard seeds and moving mountains

More: Defining the region of a mountain

A typical sermon on this Beatitude, and I have heard many, goes as follows.

• Define "blessed" which means "happy".
• Define "meek". One pastor depended on Alexa (the voice recognition software on a tablet computer) for a definition. One pastor spent a lot of time explaining how meek was not weak.
• Define "inherit" (or just assume it is clear).
• Define "earth", which is often secular power over other people on the earth rather than a piece of territory, as in the new heaven and earth.

[One pastor: We won!]

Let us look at each word in more detail.

A common logical assumption, in the presence of incomplete information (or mathematical incompleteness), is to assume that if something cannot be proven or shown true, then it is false (or not true). This is called "negation by failure".

If the "meek" do "inherit" the "earth", whatever that means, does it then mean that whoever is "not meek" will "not inherit" the "earth", whatever that means. The definition of "meek" might be important.

This, in general, is the "converse fallacy".

More: Converse fallacy: If A then B does not mean If B then A

An early church father (reference needed) wrote that if the visiting Bishop is quiet, it as not a good sign. The Bishop would make nice and good comments if everything was appeared well. If not, the Bishop would be silent.

The ancient Greek word "πρᾶος" ≈ "soft, gentle, tame, mild" .

• The modern Greek word "πράος" (PRA-os) ≈ "meek, gentle, mild".
• The Latin word "mitis" ≈ "mild, mellow, soft".

One paster, without explicitly stating the above, but to reconcile this issue, added many additional "Christian" principles to the definition of "meek" that do not appear to be in the original text in order to create a "prescriptive" application of this Beatitude (ignoring the definition of "blessed").

In PIE (Proto Indo-European) terms, the Greek word "πράος" is cognate (related) to the following words.

• The Old English word "freo" ≈ "free, at liberty" and a poetic sense of "noble" or "glad". We have an expression today "free spirit" this describes an independent or uninhibited person.
• The Sanskrit word "प्रिय" (priya) ≈ "dear, beloved".

Here is an Old English usage of "free" as "freoge", but not (apparently) related to "meek".

Jesus is "meek". The ancient Greek word "πρᾶος" ≈ "soft, gentle, tame, mild".

From the above verse, the concept of "meek" and "lowly in heart" or "humble" are taken to be similar. Is this accurate?

From the Latin word "humilis" ≈ "humble" comes the English words "humble" and "humility".

For a hymn that uses the words "meek" and "lowly", see Song: The church is one foundation

Moses is "meek".

Moses may not seem "meek". In going to Egypt and taking the people out of that world and to the promised land, Moses is a type of Christ in the second coming as the "Avenger of Blood" (on the world with the plagues).

More: Matthew 12:26-29 Snatching the raptured goods from the strong man

However one defines "meek", it should account for Moses as recorded in Numbers. The LXX uses the same word as the third Beatitude for "meek".

The Hebrew word "ענו" (a-nav) ≈ "humble, meek" which is the same as the previous verse where the LXX used "humble".

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Unlike some verses in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not say they "shall be called" (by someone) but that they "are".

The term "lowly in heart" can be taken as meaning "humble".

• The ancient Greek word"ταπεινός" ≈ "low-lying, humbled, downcast".
• The modern Greek word "ταπεινός" (ta-pee-NOS) ≈ "low-lying place, humble person, downcast, dejected of spirits".
• The Latin word "humilabitur" ≈ "humbled" and is the source of the English word "humiliate".

The term "humble pie" comes from the Middle English word "umple pie" ≈ "meat pie", made with "offel" (scrap meat cut "off of") and often served to lower class people. The related German word "Abfall" ≈ "waste, refuse".

The "umble" and "humble" are unrelated words, but became associated during the Middle Ages because of their similar sound.

Thus, to eat "umble pie" became to eat "humble pie".

A similar name correspondence is found in "currant" berries. From Greece, dried Corinth grapes (raisins) became known as "currants" with the association to "Corinth", from the French word "raisin de Corinthe" ≈ "grapes of Corinth".

In English, the term "currant" became associated by some with "current".

The use of "humble" in the above verse is used as opposites. That is, the KJV "abased" (lowered, as in status) is the Greek "humbled", just as Greek uses similar roots for "exalt" and "exalted".

Wycliffe uses the Middle English word "mekith" ≈ "humbled" which is "make meek" as "meeketh".

More: Matthew 23:1-39 Taking it to the birds

In Luke 3, John the Baptist preached from Isaiah using the Greek word for "humble" but in the sense of "brought low".


Luke makes a connection to Isaiah.

The KJV often uses "hill" whereas the Greek word is "mountain" where the ancient Greek has two words for mountain - one named and prominent and one more general. Both are used here.

"ὁδός" ≈ "way, path" as in the last part of the English words "method" and "exodus".

The ancient Greek word "ἔξοδος" ≈ "way out, exodus" and is the source of the English word "Exodus". The early Christians called their faith "the way". The book of Exodus is the story of the "way out" of the bondage of slavery, where Egypt represents the (evil) power of this world.

The modern Greek word "έξοδος" (EH-kso-thos) ≈ "way out".
The modern Greek word "οδός" (o-THOS) ≈ "path, way, road".

The Greek word for "brought low" is the word above for "humble" which may be related to "meek".

It would appear that the word "fill" will appear in the fourth Beatitude. The KJV uses "fill" in both places, but the fourth Beatitude uses another, interesting, word that the KJV translates as "fill".

The modern Greek word "όψεται" (O-pseh-teh) ≈ "see" and is the origin of English words such as "optics", "optical", etc.

This word "see" will appear in the sixth Beatitude.

Here is the verse from Isaiah that Luke is quoting.

Some take "meek" as "weak". Is this inference more correct than not? Some dictators (e.g., Stalin) give (gave) the impression of being "meek", but behind the scenes they are (were) fierce against any opposition, real or imagined.

What does it mean to "inherit" something?

• We "inherit" genes from our parents. (nature)
• We might "inherit" possessions from our parents. (nurture)

Job gave his daughters an "inheritance". The Latin word "hereditatem" ≈ "inheritance" and is the source of the English word "hereditary".

More: Jeremiah 13: Nature and nurture and leopard spots

The daughters of Zelophehad are another example of inheritance (and related to the story of Ruth and Boaz) and on which the claims of Christ as lawful and legal King reside.

Details are left as a future topic.

There are four contiguous verses in Psalms 37 that appear to be related to the third Beatitude.

• Does this verse and description have anything to do with "meek"?
• How shall the evildoers be "cut off"? Might it be by the "Avenger of Blood"?
• Do those who "wait upon the LORD" have anything to do with the "meek"?

Who are the "meek"? Which "earth" will the "meek" "inherit"? We will return to that question.

This "peace" appears to be after those "oppressing" have been "cut off". The "peace" is mentioned in the seventh Beatitude.

More: Matthew 5:9 Making and appeasing peaceful peacemakers

The Hebrew word "וענוים" (wa-a-na-wim) ≈ "but the meek" may be important.
The Hebrew word has the meaning of poor, afflicted, humble, meek. So the Hebrew word has a meaning more than just "meek". Since Jesus spoke Greek and Aramaic (and read Hebrew) the meaning here may be important.

The parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew is interesting and appears to be related to the third Beatitude. Does this word for "left", which is not as common as the other word, fit at all with the third Beatitude?

Can the sheep on his "right" (hand is inferred from the Greek) and the (young) goats on his left be somehow associated with the "meek" and the "not meek"?

Can this "kingdom" somehow be associated with the "earth"? Is it of "God" or of "heaven"?

More: Matthew 25: 31-46 Parable of the sheep and goats

What might the "earth" "dwellers" "inherit"?

More: Song: Holy, Holy, Holy

The modern Greek word "χρήματα" (HREE-ma-ta) ≈ "money".

This idea is repeated in the next verse.

Interestingly, the "mourning" of the second Beatitude appeared to be related to the "comfort" provided by the "Avenger of Blood".

Might the "inheritance" of the third Beatitude be related to the "inheritance" provided by the "Kinsman Redeemer"?

Peter relates something similar.

The Latin Vulgate does not have the last part of the verse that is in Greek.

On the present "earth" are "earth dwellers".

This page has looked at the third Beatitude in Matthew 5 which goes as follows: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.".

It has been stated that a verse can have multiple meanings, all of which are true. This might be one such verse. Assume the following.

• Blessed is the Greek word for "happy", "content", "satisfied".
• The "meek" or the "humble" Christians doing what they are to do.
• The word "inherit" means to obtain something distributed to them - the "earth".

The "earth" might be the old "earth" and the secular power that goes with it, or it might be the new "earth" of peace.