Matthew 5:3
| Matthew 5:3 | |
|---|---|
← 5:2 5:4 → | |
 Matthew 5:3 depicted in the window of a Trittenheim church | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 5:3 is the third verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount, and the section of the sermon known as the Beatitudes.
Content
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (KJV)[1]
Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
beati pauperes spiritu quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum (Vulgate)
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 5:3.
Interpretation
[edit]This verse opens the first of nine statements of who is blessed. Each, except for the last, follows the same pattern of naming a group of people and the reward they will receive.
Hans Dieter Betz notes that in Jesus' time blessed was a common way of describing someone who is wealthy. In his discussion of Croesus in Herodotus, for instance, the link between being blessed and being wealthy is assumed [vague] .[2] Similarly, Albright and Mann prefer the word "fortunate" to "blessed" for makarios. They argue that the term has none of the religious implications that the word blessed today has in the English language.[3] Kodjak believes that this opening of the sermon was meant to shock the audience, it was a deliberate inversion of standard values. Today the text is so common that its shock value has been lost.[4] While not a mainstream view, Betz feels this Beatitude has important pre-Christian precedents. He traces it back to Socrates' notion of enkrateia, which explained that the philosopher was one who had no interest in wealth. This idea was adopted by the Cynics, who rejected wealth and saw poverty as the only route to freedom. This group, while small, had a wide influence and some of their ideas were embraced by some Jewish communities at the time of Christ.[5]
Luke 6:20 simply has "blessed are the poor"; that Matthew adds "in spirit" is seen to be of great consequence. The phrase does not appear in the Old Testament, but Psalm 34:18 comes close.[6] The phrase "poor in spirit" occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and seems to have been an important notion to the Qumran community. Scholars agree that "poor in spirit" does not mean lacking in spirit, be it courage, the Holy Spirit, or religious awareness. Rather it is that poverty is not only a physical condition, but also a spiritual one. In fact, the more self aware a person is of his or her spiritual poverty caused by the innate human condition of the sinful nature, the more one is humbly aware that they are "poor in spirit" left to his or her own ways without Jesus Christ as Savior. Without Jesus the Christ alive and active in one's soul, it remains in a completely impoverished spiritual state; once a person declares Jesus as Lord and Savior of his or her life, Jesus sustains them through a daily renewing of their poor spirit: "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" (John 6:35).
The important phrase Kingdom of Heaven is generally understood as referring to the Messianic age after the Second Coming. For a full discussion of Matthew's use of this phrase see Matthew 3:2.
Relation to Psalm 37:11
[edit]Psalm 37:11 (Hebrew numbering; in the Septuagint often numbered Psalm 36:11) states in Hebrew: > וַעֲנָוִ֥ים יִֽירְשׁוּ־אָ֑רֶץ (*vaʿanavim yirshu aretz*) — “the humble / meek / poor shall inherit the land.”
In the Septuagint this appears as: > οἱ πραεῖς κληρονομήσουσιν γῆν (*hoi praeis klēronomēsousin gēn*) — “the meek shall inherit the earth.”[7][8]
Many scholars view Matthew 5:3 (“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”) as a theological and poetic expansion of that psalmic tradition. While Psalm 37:11 speaks of the humble inheriting the *land*, Matthew 5:3 transforms the imagery: *humility in spirit* inherits the *kingdom of heaven*.
In Hebrew, the word עֲנָוִים (*ʿănāwîm*) connotes those who are humble, afflicted, or lowly before God. The Septuagint’s translation by πραεῖς emphasizes “meekness” or gentleness.[9]
Moreover, the Matthean phrase πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι (“poor in spirit”) may represent a redactional development of the *ʿănāwîm* tradition — shifting the focus from external/physical condition to an inner spiritual posture of dependency on God.[10][11][12]
Scholars also note that Psalm 37:11 is cited almost verbatim in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” making it the clearest direct quotation of the psalm in the Beatitudes. In this light, Matthew 5:3 and 5:5 together can be read as complementary expansions of the same psalmic theme: the *ʿănāwîm* who inherit the land in the Old Testament become the *poor in spirit* who inherit the kingdom of heaven, and the *meek* who inherit the earth, in the New Testament.[13][14]
See also
[edit]- Related Bible parts: Psalm 34, Psalm 37, Matthew 5:5, Matthew 11, Luke 6
References
[edit]- ^ The World English Bible has the same, literal, translation as KJV. For a collection of other versions, see BibleGateway Matthew 5:3 (click on the arrow next to "American Standard Version").
- ^ Betz, Hans Dieter. Essays on the Sermon on the Mount. translations by Laurence Welborn. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985. [page needed]
- ^ Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
- ^ Kodjak, Andrej (1986). A Structural Analysis of the Sermon on the Mount. New York: de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3110108330.
- ^ Betz, Hans Dieter. Essays on the Sermon on the Mount. translations by Raphael Clemente. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985. [page needed]
- ^ Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 199
- ^ "NETS Psalms (Ps 36[37])" (PDF). University of Pennsylvania. 2007.
- ^ "Psalm 37:11 (Hebrew text)" (in Hebrew). Sefaria.
- ^ Domeris, William R. (2016). "Meek or oppressed? Reading Matthew 5:5 in context". HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies. 72 (3). doi:10.4102/hts.v72i3.3346.
- ^ Meadors, Gary T. (1985). "The 'Poor' in the Beatitudes of Matthew and Luke". Grace Theological Journal. 6 (2): 305–314.
- ^ Luz, Ulrich (2007). Matthew 1–7: A Commentary. Hermeneia. Fortress Press.
- ^ France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Eerdmans.
- ^ Davies, W. D.; Dale C. Allison, Jr. (1988). Matthew 1–7. International Critical Commentary. T&T Clark.
- ^ Nolland, John (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Eerdmans.
| Preceded by Matthew 5:2 |
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 5 |
Succeeded by Matthew 5:4 |