Beatitudes On Mourning And Meekness

The Beatitudes on mourning and meekness appear in Matthew 5:4–5, where Jesus declares, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" and "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." These two sayings stand in sequence within the Sermon on the Mount, and patristic and scholastic interpreters have consistently read them as complementary aspects of the same spiritual posture.

The Nature of Mourning in the Beatitudes

The mourning Jesus commends is not generic grief over life's hardships. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown specifies that this mourning "must not be taken loosely for that feeling which is wrung from men under pressure of the ills of life, nor yet strictly for sorrow on account of committed sins," but rather represents "that entire feeling which the sense of our spiritual poverty begets" ^[7]. Augustine similarly identifies this mourning as "sorrow arising from the loss of things held dear," explaining that "those who are converted to God lose those things which they were accustomed to embrace as dear in this world" ^[9]. The mourning is thus the emotional counterpart to poverty of spirit—the first beatitude's intellectual recognition of spiritual need becomes here an affective response, a grief over one's distance from God and attachment to temporal goods.

James 4:9 echoes this call to mourning in its exhortation: "Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse" ^[4]. The command situates mourning within a framework of repentance and reorientation toward God.

Meekness as Temper and Posture

Meekness denotes "a calm temper of mind, not easily provoked," as exemplified in Christ, Moses, David, and Paul ^[1]. The term appears throughout the New Testament as both a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) and a quality believers are commanded to cultivate. Ephesians 4:2 enjoins believers to conduct themselves "with all humblenesse of minde, and meekenesse, with long suffering, supporting one an other through loue" ^[2].

John Gill defines meekness as "humility and lowliness of mind," which "lies in having mean thoughts of himself, in walking humbly with God, acknowledging every favour, being thankful for every blessing, and depending on his grace, and in behaving with modesty and humility among men" ^[8]. The virtue is relational, governing both one's stance before God and one's interactions with others. Believers are to "show [meekness] to all men" ^[3], "restore the erring with" it ^[3], and "answer for their hope with" it ^[3].

The Promise of Inheritance

The reward attached to meekness—"they shall inherit the earth"—draws on Psalm 37:11 and Isaiah 66:2, where God promises vindication to the humble. Augustine interprets this inheritance as possession of "that earth...of which it is said in the Psalm, 'Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living,'" an earth "from which they cannot be driven out" ^[9]. He clarifies that true possession comes not through grasping but through clinging to "Him who made heaven and earth," for "this is to be meek, not to resist thy God" ^[11]. The meek inherit precisely because they do not seize; their non-resistance to God secures what force cannot obtain.

Scholastic Assessment

Aquinas addresses whether meekness ranks among the greatest virtues, concluding that while meekness is praiseworthy, it cannot be "absolutely the greatest" because "it is more perfect to obtain good than to lack evil" ^[5]. Meekness withdraws one from the evil of anger, but virtues like faith and hope actively pursue the good. Aquinas situates the beatitudes within a threefold schema of happiness, noting that the first three beatitudes—poverty of spirit, mourning, and meekness—concern "the withdrawal of man from those things in which sensual happiness consists" ^[6]. They represent a turning away from false goods rather than the full attainment of beatitude.

Augustine observes that the beatitudes shift from third-person declaration ("Blessed are the meek") to second-person address only at the eighth beatitude, maintaining an objective tone through the first seven ^[10]. This rhetorical structure underscores the universal applicability of these spiritual dispositions, which are not contingent on immediate circumstance but describe the character God honors across all contexts.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Meekness — A calm temper of mind, not easily provoked (James 3:13). Peculiar promises are made to the meek (Matt. 5:5; Isa. 66:2). The cultivation of this spirit is enjoined (Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 6:11; Zeph. 2:3), and is exemplified in Christ (Matt. 11:29), Abraham (Gen. 13; 16:5, 6) Moses (Num. 12:3), David (Zech. 12:8; 2 Sam. 16:10, 12), and Paul (1 Cor. 9:19).”
Ephesians “Ephesians 4:2 (Geneva1599) — With all humblenesse of minde, and meekenesse, with long suffering, supporting one an other through loue,”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Meekness — Christ set an example of -- Ps 45:4; Isa 53:7; Mt 11:29; 21:5; 2Co 10:1; 1Pe 2:21-23. His teaching -- Mt 5:38-45. A fruit of the Spirit -- Ga 5:22,23. Saints should Seek. -- Zep 2:3. Put on. -- Col 3:12-13. Receive the word of God with. -- Jas 1:21. Exhibit, in conduct, &c. -- Jas 3:13. Answer for their hope with. -- 1Pe 3:15. Show to all men. -- Tit 3:2. Restore the erring with. -- Ga 6:1. Precious in the sight of God -- 1Pe 3:4. Ministers should Follow after. -- 1Ti 6:11. Instruct opposers with. -- 2Ti 2:24,25. Urge, on their people. -- Tit 3:1,2. A char”
James “James 4:9 (Geneva1599) — Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse.”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Clemency and Meekness, Art. 4: Article: Whether clemency and meekness are the greatest virtues? I answer that, Nothing prevents certain virtues from being greatest, not indeed simply, nor in every respect, but in a particular genus. It is impossible for clemency or meekness to be absolutely the greatest virtues, since they owe their praise to the fact that they withdraw a man from evil, by mitigating anger or punishment. Now it is more perfect to obtain good than to lack evil. Wherefore those virtues like faith, h”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), Of the Beatitudes, Art. 4: Article: Whether the rewards of the beatitudes are suitably enumerated? I answer that, These rewards are most suitably assigned, considering the nature of the beatitudes in relation to the three kinds of happiness indicated above (Article [3]). For the first three beatitudes concerned the withdrawal of man from those things in which sensual happiness consists: which happiness man desires by seeking the object of his natural desire, not where he should seek it, viz. in God, but in temporal and ”
Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 5:4: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted--This "mourning" must not be taken loosely for that feeling which is wrung from men under pressure of the ills of life, nor yet strictly for sorrow on account of committed sins. Evidently it is that entire feeling which the sense of our spiritual poverty begets; and so the second beatitude is but the complement of the first. The one is the intellectual, the other the emotional aspect of the same thing. It is poverty of spirit that says, "I am undone"; and it is the mourning which this causes that”
Galatians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Galatians 5:22: Meekness,.... Humility and lowliness of mind, of which Christ is an eminent example and pattern; and which the Holy Spirit from him transcribes into the heart of a regenerate person; and lies in having mean thoughts of himself, in walking humbly with God, acknowledging every favour, being thankful for every blessing, and depending on his grace, and in behaving with modesty and humility among men. The last of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned is temperance, or "continence"; and designs both chastity and sobriety, and particularly moderation in eating and drinking”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — CHAP. II.--4. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall by inheritance possess(11) the earth:" that earth, I suppose, of which it is said in the Psalm, "Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the l (part 1): 5 shall by inheritance possess the earth," from which they cannot be driven out.(1) 5. "Blessed are they that mourn:(2) for they shall be comforted." Mourning is sorrow arising from the loss of things held dear; but those who are converted to God lose those things which they were accustomed to embrace as dear in this world: for they do ”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — CHAP. III.--10. There are in all, then, these eight sentences. For now in what remains He speaks in the way of direct address to those who were present, saying: "Blessed shall ye be when men shall rev (part 1): 6 theirs is the kingdom of heaven:" nor, Blessed are ye meek, for ye shall inherit the earth; but, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And so the others up to the eighth sentence, where He says: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." After that He now b”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, MATT. CHAP. V. 3 AND 8, "BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT:" ETC., BUT ESPECIALLY ON THAT, "BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART: FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD." (part 2): the exclusion even of thy neighbour by whatever means; let no such imagination deceive thee. Then wilt thou truly possess the earth, when thou dost cleave to Him who made heaven and earth. For this is to be meek, not to resist thy God, that in that thou doest well He may be well-pleasing to thee, not thou to thyself; and in that thou sufferest ill justly, He may n”

Ask Your Own Question