5:5a
Blessed are: For help in translating the word Blessed, see the note at 5:3a.
the meek: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as meek refers to people who are gentle and humble. A person who is meek is not aggressive or quick to retaliate.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
those who are gentle (God’s Word)
-or-
those who are humble (Good News Translation)
-or-
those who are not aggressive
5:5b
for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason that “the meek” are blessed. They are blessed because they shall inherit the earth. For example:
because the earth will belong to them (New Century Version)
In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here. For example:
They will inherit the earth. (God’s Word)
In other languages, it will be more natural to put 5:5b before 5:5a. For example:
The meek will inherit the earth, ⌊so⌋ they are blessed.
they will inherit the earth: In this context, the word inherit means “possess” or “acquire.” In your translation you may want to use a more general term as well. For example:
The earth will belong to them (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
they will receive the whole earth
the earth: There are two ways to interpret the phrase the earth:
(1) It is literal and refers to the whole earth. It probably refers to the promise of the new earth (Revelation 21:1) in God’s kingdom. For example:
because the earth will belong to them (New Century Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New Century Version)
(2) It is figurative and refers to all that God has promised to his people. For example:
they will receive what God has promised (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and the majority of English versions.
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