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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_5:3
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Mat_5:3 "Blessed" This term meant "happy" or "honored" (cf. Mat_5:3-11). The English word "happy" comes from the Old English " happenstance." Believers' God-given happiness is not based on physical circumstances, but inner joy. There are no verbs in these statements. They are exclamatory (cf. Rev_1:3) in form like in Aramaic or Hebrew (cf. Psa_1:1). This blessedness is both a current attitude toward God and life as well as an eschatological hope. A blessed person was a righteous person (cf. Psa_119:1-2).
▣ "poor in spirit," Two terms in Greek were used to describe poverty; the one used here was the more severe of the two. It was often used of a beggar who was dependent on a provider. In the OT this implied hope in God alone! Matthew makes it clear that this does not refer to physical poverty, but to spiritual inadequacy. Man must recognize God's adequacy and his own inadequacy (cf. Joh_15:5; 2Co_12:9). This is the beginning of the gospel (cf. Rom_1:18 to Rom_3:31). Possibly these first few beatitudes reflect Isa_61:1-3, which predicted the Messianic blessings of the coming New Age.
▣ "kingdom of heaven" This phrase, "Kingdom of Heaven" or "Kingdom of God," is used over 100 times in the Gospels. In Luk_6:20 it is the "kingdom of God." Matthew was writing for people with a Jewish background who were nervous pronouncing God's name because of Exo_20:7. But the Gospels of Mark (cf. Mat_10:14) and Luke were written to Gentiles. The two phrases are synonymous. See Special Topic at Mat_4:17.
The phrase refers to the reign of God in human hearts now that will one day be consummated over all the earth (cf. Mat_6:10). This is possibly confirmed by Matthew alternating between present tense "is" in Mat_5:3; Mat_5:10, and future tense "shall be" in Mat_5:4-9.