The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 156

8: Pa, i. 1; xxxii. 1 : buiv. 5. Bleesed ree.lize their insufficiency. Christ se.ys the.t e.re the poor in spirit : for their11 is the king- they realize this "in (their) spirit;" for the dom of heaven. The first Beatitude is the spirit is that part of ns which specially snm e.nd substance of the whole sermon. cre.vea for satisfaction, and which is the Poverty of spirit ste.nds in contrast to self- mee.ns by which we lay hold of true satis- sufficiency (Rev. iii. 17) and as such is fe.ction. The actual craving for spiritual perhaps the quality which is most of a.11 wealth is not mentioned in this verse. It opposed to the Jewish temper in all e.ges (cf. is implied, but direct mention of it comes Rom. ii. 17-20). For in this, as in much partly in ver. 4, and especially in ver. 6, else, the Jewish nation is the type of the For their,. Emphatic, as in all the Beati- human race since the l!'all. Observe the.t vers. tudes (a./,,.;;;.,, a.,lTo[). Is. Not hereafter 3, 4 (ol 1rToixol, •ol 1rev8ovvTEs, possibly also (Meyer), but even already. The kingdom ver. 5, oide infra) rece.11 Isa. lxi. 1, 2. As of heaven (viM note, p. 150). The poor in recently in the- synagogue at Nazareth spirit already belong to and have a share in (Luke iv. 18, 19), so also here, he bases the the.t realm of God which now is realized exple.nation of his work on· the prophecy of chiefly in relation to our spirit, but ulti- that work in the Book of Isaiah. The poor mately will be realized in relation to every (ol 1r'f'oixo[). IhcoxJs, in cle.ssical and philo- element of our nature, and to all other per- sophical usage, implies o. lower degree of sons, and to every part, animate and inani- poverty the.u 1rl117Js (2 Cor. ix. 9 and LXX.). mate, of the whole world. "The 1dv11s may be so· poor the.t he ea.ms Ver. 4.-In some, especially "Western" his bread by daily Jabour; but the ,,.,,..,xJs is authorities, vers. 4, 5 are transposed ( vide ao poor that be only obtains his living by Westcott a.nd Hort, 'Appendix'), possibly begging. . . . 'rhe ',r/117Js has nothing super- bece.nse the terms of ver. 5 seemeJ to be fluous, the 'ltTwx&s nothing e.t all " (Trench, more closely pe.rallel to ver. 3 (cf. Meyer, 'Syn.,' § xxxvi.). Hence Tertullian (' Adv. Weiss), and e.lso tbose of ver. 4 fitted ex- Marc.,' iv. H; cf. 15) purposely altered Beali cellently with ver. 6. But far the greater paupere, of the Old Latin to Beati mendici, be.le.nee of evidence is in favour of the usual and elsewhere (' De Idol.,' 12) rendered it by order, which also, though uot on the snrfe.ce, egeni. Bnt in Hellenistio Greek, so far as is in the deepest connexion with the pre- the usage of the LXX. and the Hexe.pla oeding and tlie following verses. They that goes (vide Hatch, 'Biblical Greek,' p. 73), mourn (cf. Isa. lxi. 2). Our Lord does not the distinction seems hardly to hold good. define tho.t which co.uses the mourning, but Hatch even infers-on, we think, very e.s the preceding e.nd the following verses all insufficient premisses - that these two refer to the religious or a.t least the ethicul words, with Ta1mvJs and wpa.fis (but vide sphere, merely carnal and worldly mourn- infra), designate the poor of e.n oppressed ing is excluded. The mourning referred to country, i.e. the peasantry, the fellahin of mnst, therefore, be produced by religious or Palestine as a class, and he considers it more.I co.used. Mourners for t.b.e state of probable thnt this specie.I meaning under- Israel, so for o.s they mourned not for its lies the use of the words in these verses. politico.I but for its spiritual condition ( cf. Whether this be the case or not, .the ad- similar mourning in the Christian Church, dition of Ti ,rveoµ.a.1'1 completely excludes 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10), would be inclndeu:(cf. Weiss, the supposition the.t onr Lord meant to refer 'Life,' ii. 142): but our Lord's primary to any merely external oircumsto.nces. In thought must have been of mourning over spirit; Mntthew only (-ri '1f'lleoµa.T1). Do.live one's persono.l stnto, not e::i:o.ctly, perhnps, of sphere (cf. eh. xi. 29; 1 Cor, vii. 34; over one's sins, but over the reulized poverty xiv. 20; Rom. xii. 11). Jo.a. ii. 5 (TOvs in spirit just spoken of (cf. Weiss-Meyer). n-Tcoxovs Ti ,c&,rµ.'f!) forms an o.ppnrent As the deepest poverty lies in tlie spherci re.ther tho.n e. real contrast; for the de.tive of the spirit, so the deepest mourning lies there mC1rks, not the sphere in which, tliere o.lso. All other mourning is but but the object with reference to which, the partio.l and slight compured with this (Prov. poverty is felt (" the poor o.s to the world,'' xviii. 14). For they shall be oomforted.. Revised Version; Wiesinger in Buther), or When? On having tho kingdom of bee.van possibly the object which is the stande.rd of (ver. 3).; i.e. during this life in measure (cf. comparison, i.e. in the judgment of the world Luke 1i. 25), but fully only hereaftl'r. Thci (Winer, § :rxxi. 4, a). Christ here affirms mourning over one's personal poverty in the blessedness of those who e.re in their spirit is removed in proportion e.s Christ is spirit absolutely devoid of wee.Ith. It cannot received o.nd e.pproprio.ted; but during this mean tha.t they are this in God's opinion, life such approprintion can be only partial. for in God's opinion all e.re so. It means, Ver. 5.-BleHed are the meek. In tliis therefore, the.t they aro this in their own Beatitude our Lord still quotes Old Testa- opinion. While me.ny feel in themselves o. ment expressions. The phrase, "shall in• wco.lth of soul-se.tisfe.ction, these do not, but herit the earth," comc-s even in Lia. 1::i:. 21,  148 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, MATTHEW [oH, v. 1--48.