Poor in spirit

The Poor in spirit

"Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

The word we see as poor is ptochos^[1] from root ptoeo or pipto, a beggar, one who is destitute, a pauper and is related to the idea that someone has "fallen down" so that they have become afflicted or destitute.

It can be translated beggar or beggarly. To be poor in spirit is someone who is a beggar in the sense they know they need help and are willing to ask for that help.

This verse is sometimes related to other verses about poor people praying:

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

The poor ^[1] in spirit are not the same as the poor.

The Poor in spirit is often translated in many bibles as just "the poor" yet in almost every original text written Matthew writes in the Greek "πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι" meaning "the poor^[1] in spirit^[2]" which is not the same as the poor financially.

But this is not about being financially poor.

Happy or blessed

First, we should note that the word rendered blessed(μακαριοι) in Matthew 5, "properly means happy"^[3] and is not the same as the term we see used in Matthew 23:39(Εὐλογημένος Eulogēmenos)^[4] nor Matthew 25:34(εὐλογημένοι eulogēmenoi)^[5]. In Matthew 5 we see the Greek term Makarioi (Μακάριοι)^[6] for "happy" repeated as Blessed.

That is a common theme in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

To be poor in spirit would be the antithesis of the entitlement mind set.

The poor blessed in Luke

But there is another place we see this reference to the poor that is blessed by God. But to understand the reference in context you must look at who is being spoken to and why they are singled out for this blessing.

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed [be ye] poor <4434>: for yours is the kingdom of God." Luke 6:20

In Luke 6:20 Jesus is talking specifically to His disciples "And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said".

Later in Luke 12 that he will appoint them a kingdom as his little flock.^[7] This, of course, is why "for yours is the kingdom of God."

In Matthew 5 he is talking to the whole crowd of people who followed Him in a completely different context.

While the word Blessed is the same the Greek term Makarioi (Μακάριοι)^[6] meaning "happy" which we saw in Matthew 5 the phrase "[be ye]" is added.

Jesus had already made a number of requirements for his disciples concerning making themselves poor in Luke 14.^[8] The idea of hating Father and Mother was about giving up their inheritance. This was the same requirement imposed by God on those who were called out as the Levites were called to be the ministers of Israel, which was the kingdom of God back in Numbers 18.^[9]

These doctrines of Jesus were virtually the decrees of Christ the king of the kingdom of God taken from the Pharisees^[10] and appointed to the Little flock. While it is not popular with those modern Church ministers who retire with vast fortunes but it seems to be including what might be called a "vow of poverty".^[11]

Aramaic terms

While Jesus likely knew Greek it is well accepted the sermon on the mount was given in Aramaic. The Aramaic idiom Miskaneh can be used to describe someone "who voluntarily gives up all material things for a spiritual benefit". Or in other words becoming materially poor to become spiritually rich.

As bond servants of Christ and servants of His Kingdom of God they had the beggarly spirit that Christ would bless and had forsaken all that that they had.

Was Jesus rich? Jesus was said to be rich by Paul but gave up his wealth to be minister to the people.^[12]

The poor in spirit would be ‘miskaneh brooh’ in Aramaic which would represent a figure of speech meaning “not prideful” or the reverse of “wantonness”.

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Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 4434 ~πτωχός~ ptochos \@pto-khos’\@ from ~πτωσσω~ ptosso (to crouch, akin to 4422 ptoeo to terrify and the alternate of 4098 pipto to descend from a higher place to a lower; adj AV-poor 30, beggar 2, poor man 1, beggarly 1; 34
1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms

2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour
2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches

2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end

2c) poor, needy

3) lacking in anything
3a) as respects their spirit
3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure) For Synonyms see entry 5870

See Definition for πένης 3993-one who is so poor he earns his bread by daily labour

See Definition for πτωχός 4434-one who only obtains his living by begging
↑ 4151 ~πνεῦμα~ pneuma \@pnyoo’-mah\@ from 4154; 643} n n AV-Spirit 111, (Holy) Ghost 89, Spirit (of God) 13, Spirit (of the Lord) 5, (My) Spirit 3, Spirit (of truth) 3, Spirit (of Christ) 2, human (spirit) 49, (evil) spirit 47, spirit (general) 26, spirit 8, (Jesus’ own) spirit 6, (Jesus’ own) ghost 2, misc 21; 385
1) the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
1a) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the Holy Spirit)

1b) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of Truth)

1c) never referred to as a depersonalised force

2) the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated
2a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides

2b) the soul

3) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at leastall grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting
3a) a life giving spirit

3b) a human soul that has left the body

3c) a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel
3c1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men

3c2) the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ

4) the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one
4a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.

5) a movement of air (a gentle blast)
5a) of the wind, hence the wind itself

5b) breath of nostrils or mouth For Synonyms see entry 5923
↑ Benson Commentary
↑ Matthew 23:39 "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
↑ Matthew 25:34 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1
3107 μακάριος makarios [mak-ar’-ee-os] a prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same); adj; TDNT- 4:362,548; [{See TDNT 459 }] AV-blessed 44, happy 5, happier 1; 50
1) blessed, happy
- The ancient Greek adjective for "blessed" or "happy" is makarios, "which was originally used to describe those who lived in another world." They had "had achieved a state of happiness and contentment in life that was beyond all cares, labors, and even death." The verb makaeizo means "count as happy" or as a noun makarismos has a definition of "a declaration of blessedness" in its "Usage: regarding as happy, blessed, or enviable" while others see it as a "happy calling, the act of pronouncing happy" or "regarding as happy blessed or enviable".
- * Distinguished from the Greek noun eulogia also said to mean "blessed", adj. 2127 eulogeo or v. 2128 eulogetos, n. 2129 eulogia = to praise...to consecrate,.
↑ Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
↑ Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
↑ Numbers 18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it [is] a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee. 20 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, [even] the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
↑ Kingdom Taken
Matthew 2:6 "And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor(2233), that shall rule my people Israel."

Matthew 9:16 "No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Jesus did not just reform the kingdom.

Matthew 21:43 "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Jesus would take it as priest and king.
Luke 13:9 "And if it bear fruit, [well]: and if not, [then] after that thou shalt cut it down." The Corbans of the world were covetous practices

John 19:15...19 "But they cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." The kingdom taken by the words of their own mouth.

John 15:4 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." The people must seek The Way.

John 15:8 "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Luke 22:29 "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;"

Mark 15:26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Acts 17:7 "Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus."

1 Peter 2:9 "But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

See Taking and Giving the Kingdom
↑ Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
↑ 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

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Brother Gregory
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[ptochos-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 4434 ~πτωχός~ ptochos \@pto-khos’\@ from ~πτωσσω~ ptosso (to crouch, akin to 4422 ptoeo to terrify and the alternate of 4098 pipto to descend from a higher place to a lower; adj AV-poor 30, beggar 2, poor man 1, beggarly 1; 34
1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms

2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour
2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches

2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end

2c) poor, needy

3) lacking in anything
3a) as respects their spirit
3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure) For Synonyms see entry 5870

See Definition for πένης 3993-one who is so poor he earns his bread by daily labour

See Definition for πτωχός 4434-one who only obtains his living by begging

[pneuma-2] 4151 ~πνεῦμα~ pneuma \@pnyoo’-mah\@ from 4154; 643} n n AV-Spirit 111, (Holy) Ghost 89, Spirit (of God) 13, Spirit (of the Lord) 5, (My) Spirit 3, Spirit (of truth) 3, Spirit (of Christ) 2, human (spirit) 49, (evil) spirit 47, spirit (general) 26, spirit 8, (Jesus’ own) spirit 6, (Jesus’ own) ghost 2, misc 21; 385
1) the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
1a) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the Holy Spirit)

1b) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of Truth)

1c) never referred to as a depersonalised force

2) the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated
2a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides

2b) the soul

3) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at leastall grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting
3a) a life giving spirit

3b) a human soul that has left the body

3c) a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel
3c1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men

3c2) the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ

4) the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one
4a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.

5) a movement of air (a gentle blast)
5a) of the wind, hence the wind itself

5b) breath of nostrils or mouth For Synonyms see entry 5923

[3] Benson Commentary

[4] Matthew 23:39 "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

[5] Matthew 25:34 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"

[makarios-6] 6.0 ^6.1 3107 μακάριος makarios [mak-ar’-ee-os] a prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same); adj; TDNT- 4:362,548; [{See TDNT 459 }] AV-blessed 44, happy 5, happier 1; 50
1) blessed, happy

The ancient Greek adjective for "blessed" or "happy" is makarios, "which was originally used to describe those who lived in another world." They had "had achieved a state of happiness and contentment in life that was beyond all cares, labors, and even death." The verb makaeizo means "count as happy" or as a noun makarismos has a definition of "a declaration of blessedness" in its "Usage: regarding as happy, blessed, or enviable" while others see it as a "happy calling, the act of pronouncing happy" or "regarding as happy blessed or enviable".

* Distinguished from the Greek noun eulogia also said to mean "blessed", adj. 2127 eulogeo or v. 2128 eulogetos, n. 2129 eulogia = to praise...to consecrate,.

[7] The ancient Greek adjective for "blessed" or "happy" is makarios, "which was originally used to describe those who lived in another world." They had "had achieved a state of happiness and contentment in life that was beyond all cares, labors, and even death." The verb makaeizo means "count as happy" or as a noun makarismos has a definition of "a declaration of blessedness" in its "Usage: regarding as happy, blessed, or enviable" while others see it as a "happy calling, the act of pronouncing happy" or "regarding as happy blessed or enviable".

[8] * Distinguished from the Greek noun eulogia also said to mean "blessed", adj. 2127 eulogeo or v. 2128 eulogetos, n. 2129 eulogia = to praise...to consecrate,.

[7] Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

[8] Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

[9] Numbers 18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it [is] a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee. 20 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, [even] the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

[ktaken-10] Kingdom Taken
Matthew 2:6 "And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor(2233), that shall rule my people Israel."

Matthew 9:16 "No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." Jesus did not just reform the kingdom.

Matthew 21:43 "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Jesus would take it as priest and king.
Luke 13:9 "And if it bear fruit, [well]: and if not, [then] after that thou shalt cut it down." The Corbans of the world were covetous practices

John 19:15...19 "But they cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." The kingdom taken by the words of their own mouth.

John 15:4 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." The people must seek The Way.

John 15:8 "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Luke 22:29 "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;"

Mark 15:26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Acts 17:7 "Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus."

1 Peter 2:9 "But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

See Taking and Giving the Kingdom

[11] Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

[12] 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

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Poor in spirit

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The Poor in spirit

Happy or blessed

The poor blessed in Luke

Aramaic terms

Footnotes

About the author

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Poor in spirit

The Poor in spirit

Happy or blessed

The poor blessed in Luke

Aramaic terms

Footnotes

About the author

Subscribe

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