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"The meek shall inherit the earth." Not that complicated. Need some vocabulary help or something?

Ok, since you haven't responded to me, allow me. You imply that I just need a dictionary to decipher this sentence. "Meek", according to dictionary.com, means, "Showing patience and humility; gentle. Easily imposed on; submissive."

However, that is not what the original bible (untranslated) meant. The word we translated into 'meek' really was closer to meaning 'learned', which makes more sense. If you have ever taken Latin, Greek, or other ancient language, you will understand that many words are not perfectly translated into English.

Ok, anyone want to guess what "turn the other cheek" means?

However, that is not what the original bible (untranslated) meant. The word we translated into 'meek' really was closer to meaning 'learned', which makes more sense. If you have ever taken Latin, Greek, or other ancient language, you will understand that many words are not perfectly translated into English.

I don't know where you got the idea that praeis (translated "meek" in the KJV of Matthew 5:5) means 'learned.' Strong's marks it as 'gentleness of disposition, gentleness.' According to the word study W.E. Sangster did in his hagiography The Pure In Heart, it can be translated as 'gentleness,' 'forebearance,' and even 'kindness.' He also says, "Aristotle uses it as the mean between irascibility on the one hand and lack of anger on the other--thought it is clearly nearer to the latter than the former. 'Equanimity' is the central meaning Aristotle has in mind." My Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon from Oxford Press says that it means, 'Mild, soft, gentle, meek.' Nowhere does it mean 'learned.'

As far as the meaning of the Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," the common Christian understanding is that the gentle of disposition will inherit "the land" (thn ghn), which Adam Clarke and others say is "commonly used by the prophets to signify the land of Canaan, in which all temporal good abounded, #Jud 18:9, 10," and that "Jesus Christ points out that abundance of spiritual good, which was provided for men in the Gospel. Besides, Canaan was a type of the kingdom of God; and who is so likely to inherit glory as the man in whom the meekness and gentleness of Jesus dwell?"

I am actually well-studied in both Latin and Greek, with a degree in the latter. The best translation of "praeis" is "selfless," not "learned." That makes plenty of sense. I think most ordinary people can pick up that meaning from the English translation, but true, not everyone will--not pseudo-intellectual dabblers, for instance.

Like many Christians, I care deeply about the content of the scriptures and don't take well to flippancy and deconstructionism.