Verse 4: The next Beatitude is in verse four. It says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” The premise is that those who mourn will experience some kind of religious joy (be blessed). One must ask what mourning has to do with it? And does it mean those who mourn the dead, such as a dear departed family member? And since Jesus is referring in a rather general way to certain of His large audience, is the dead what the mourners are grieving over?
It is very likely not. This is most likely a reference to the Prophet Isaiah chapter 61:1-4
1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD anointed me
To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
4Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
This is a Messianic prophecy in Isaiah. The general condition of mourning Jesus is speaking about probably does not have to anything with the death but rather is it mourning over the destruction of Israel—its cities and the Temple. This was the result of Israel ’s unfaithfulness. Although at this time in history, the Second Temple stood, it soon would be destroyed. The day both Temples were destroyed is on the 9th of Av also known as Tisha b’Av. It is tradition on this day that Jews sit on low chairs, fast and grieve over the destruction of the Holy Temple. The Book of Lamentations is often read in synagogues to commemorate this day.
In the Book of Zechariah, the fast of the month of Av (the fifth month) is referenced:
18Then the word of the LORD of armies came to me, saying, 19“The LORD of armies says this: ‘The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, jubilation, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.’ (Zechariah 8:18-19)
We see that the LORD promises to turn these days of mourning into times of rejoicing. For reference, the four fast days mentioned are as follows: the fourth month commemorates the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. The fifth month recognizes the destruction of the first and second Temple. The seventh month honors the day Gedaliah was slaughtered. The tenth month recognizes the day Nebuchadnezzar sieges Jerusalem.
Additionally, the mourning Jesus is speaking most likely is as referencing Israel crying over the suffering and oppression the children of Israel endured via the hands of foreign conquerors. Remember back to Matthew chapter 2 in which Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15
15This is what the LORD says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
Lamenting and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more.”
This verse is one quoted frequently by Jewish scholars and rabbis. The children of Israel had been scattered to the four corners of the earth. But, there is always hope. In Isaiah 61, we see how the Israelites will be granted favor and will enjoy being called oaks of righteousness that the LORD may be glorified (61:3). The mourners will be comforted and Israel will be delivered and restored. This may be what Jesus is talking about when He says the mourners will be comforted. This comforting will be a future event. This is in contrast to the first Beatitude in which the blessing is bestow upon the person immediately. In summary, the second Beatitude is addressing the mourners among the crowd because they are sorry frothier sin, and the sins of their ancestors, which has led them to being under the control of Romans and other oppressors.
Verse 5: The third Beatitude is “how blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth”. We need to first identify who the meek are.
The backdrop of this Beatitude is Psalm 37:1-13
1Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Do not be envious of wrongdoers.
2For they will wither quickly like the grass,
And decay like the green plants.
3Trust in the LORD and do good;
Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6He will bring out your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment as the noonday.
7Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not get upset because of one who is successful in his way,
Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes.
8Cease from anger and abandon wrath;
Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing.
9For evildoers will be eliminated,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
10Yet a little while and the wicked person will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12The wicked plots against the righteous,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
This is a Messianic Psalm of David which speaks of a future time when the “meek” inherit the land (with the land being a reference to Israel). Meek is another word in the Bible whose definition is not necessarily agreed upon and seems to be used differently in different settings. Often it carries the obvious meaning of gentleness and mildness. But here in Psalm 37:11, the word is probably better understood as powerless because the righteous are being oppressed by the wicked.
Since Jesus is making reference to Psalm 37 in this Beatitude, then His use of the term “meek” means the same as powerless. Further in Psalm 37, the Hebrew word for what it is that the meek should inherit is eretz. Eretz can mean land or earth. However, we must not think of earth as meaning the formal name of our planet such as planet Earth. Rather, Biblically, earth is another way of saying the dry land—places which can be inhabited.
David’s audience for his Psalm was the Israelites. Jesus’ audience for His Sermon was the Israelites. Therefore, “the meek” in both cases are Israelites, and the inheritance of the Israelites is the land of Israel. Therefore, the phrase “the meek shall inherit the earth/land” is that the powerless Israelites shall, at some point, permanently inherit the land of Israel such that they will no longer be oppressed by a foreign power (aka, wickedness).
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