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meaning of "poor in spirit" in Matthew 5 - theWatchman - 07-16-2014
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5 comes probably Yeshua's most famous sayings, other than the Lord's prayer in the following chapter. When he says,"Blessed are the poor in spirit..." what do the actual words "poor in spirit" mean? Is this some aramaic idiom of some kind?
Thx for the help!
Re: meaning of "poor in spirit" in Matthew 5 - ScorpioSniper2 - 07-16-2014
According to Dr. George Lamsa, native Aramaic speaker and translator of the Peshitta, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Tuwayhun l'meskine b'rukh) means "Blessed are the humble". The term rukh (Spirit) can be referring to spirits (like God, angels, demons, and human spirits) or someone's disposition. Glenn David Bauscher translates this as, "Blessed by The Spirit are the poor." This is a possible translation, as b'rukh can be translated as "by the Spirit", "in the Spirit", or "in spirit". Going by the context, "poor in spirit" seems like the best translation, and "poor in Spirit" is an idiom for humble people.