The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 157

only two verses before lxi. 1, 2, to which Treuch, we. cit., " is not in a man's outward he h&a already referred. In the present behaviour only; nor yet in hie 1·elatione to copies of the LXX. it is found a.lso in Isa. his fellow-men; as little in his more natural l.xi. 7, but there it is evidently a corruption. disposition. Rather is it an imvrought It oooura also iu Pa. ixxvii. 9, II, 22, 29, grace of the soul ; and the exeroiees of it 3,1; a.nd since in the eleventh verse of the are first and ohie6y towe.rds God (Matt. x.i. psalm it is directly said of the meek : "But 29; Jas. i. 21). It is tbat temper of spirit the meek shall inherit the land (LXX., ol in which we aooept his dealings with us as o~ 1rpa.,,s ""T/po110,,.f,<Tou,1w ,nj11).." it is, doubt- good, and therefore without disputing or less, from this latter passage that our Lord resisting; and it is closely linked with the borrows the phrase. The meaning attributed .,.,urewo,ppo<TJ.,.,,, and follows directly upon ii by our Lord to the word meek is not clear. (Eph. iv. 2; Col. iii, 12; cf. Zeph. iii. 12), The ordinary use of the words 1rpa.ih, 1rpa.tTT/f, because it is only the humble heart whioh in the New Testament refers solely to the is also the meek; and which, as snob, does relation of men to men, and this is the sense not light against God, e.ud more or less iu which oi rpa.,,s is taken by most com- struggle and contend with him." Yet, e.s mentators here. But with this sense, taken this meekness must be felt towards God barely a.nd solely, there seems to be no satis- not only in his direct dealings with the factory e;i; pie.nation of the position of the soul, but also in his indirect dealings Beatitude. "V ers. 3 and 4 refer to men in (i.e. by secondary means and agents), their relation to God; ver. 6, to say the it must also be exhibited towards men, least, includes the relation of men to God; Meekness towards God necessarily issues what has ver. 5 to do here if it refers solely in meekness towards men. Our Lord's con- to the relation of men to men ? It would cise tea.ching seizes, therefore, on this have come very nature.Uy either before or furthest express.ion of meekness. Thus it after ver. 9 (" the peacemakers") ; but why is not meekness in the relation of me.n to here? The reason, however, for the position man barely stated, of which Christ here of the Beatitude lies in the true conception speaks, but meekness in the relation of man of meekness. While the thought is here to man, with its prior and presupposed fact primarily that of meekness exhibited towards of meekness in the relation of man to God. men (as is evident from the implied contrast Shall inherit the earth. In the Psalm this in they shall inherit the earth), yet meekness is equivalent to the land of Palestine, and townrds men is closely connected with, and the psalmist means that, though the wicked is the result of, meekness towards God. may have temporary power, yet God's true This is not exa.ctly humility ( Ta.1r«110,Ppo<Tillf'I/, servant.a shall really and finally have do- which, as regards God, is equivalent to a minion in the land. But what is intended sense of creatureliness or dependence ; cf. here? Probably our Lord's audience under- Trench, • Syn.,' § xiii). Meekness is rather stood the phrase on his lips as a Messianio the attitude of the soul towards anot.her adaptation of the original meaning, and as when that other is in a state of activity therefore implying that !hose who mani- to wards it. It is the attitude of the dis- fested a meek reception of his will would ciple to the teacher when teaching; of the obtain that full possession of the land of Pales- wn to the father when exercising his pater- tine which was now denied to the Israelites nal authority; of the servant to the master through the conquest of the Romans. But when giving him orders. It is therefore to our Lord, and to the evangelist who, essentially a.a applicable to the relation of years after, recorded them, the meaning of man to God as to that of man to man. It the words must have been muoh fuller, corre- is for this reason that we find ll:V, mi:v very sponding, in fact, to the true meaning of the frequently used of man's relation to God, "kingdom of heaven," viz. that the meekBhaU in fact, more often than of man's relation to inherit-shall receive, as their rightful pos- mnn ; e.nd this collllllon meaning of 1lJ1 session from their Father, the whole eurth: must be specially remembered here, where renewed, it rnay be (Isa. xi. 6-9; !xv. 25: the phrase is taken directly from the Old Rev. ixi. 1), but still the earth (Rom. viii, '.J.'t,stament. Weiss (' Matthii.us-ev.') objects 21), with all the powers of nature therein w 'l'J.wlnck adducing the evidence of the implied. Of this the conquest of nature Hebrew w01·ds, on the ground that the already gained through the ei vilizo.tion pro- Greek terms are used solely of the relation to dooed under Christianity is at once the u,an, and that this usage is kept to through- promise and, though but in a small degree, out the New Te.tament. But the latter the fustfruit.e. statement is hardly true. For, not to mention Ver. 6.-They whioh do hunger and thirst. eh. :Ii. 29, in which the reference is doubt- The a.pplication of the figure of eating and ful, Je.s. i. 21 certainly refers to the meek- drinking to spiritual things (of. Luke xxii, uesa bhown towards God in receiving hi.I 30) is not infrequent in the Old Testoment; ·,\'ord. " 'J'h11 Scripture.I ,rpa/,,r71s," say1 e.17. Isa. lv, l, Yllt tbe thoull'ht here ia qot en. v. 1-48.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 149