Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
All Commentaries on Matthew 5:5 Go To Matthew 5
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Tell me, what kind of earth is referred to here? Some say a figurative earth, but this is not what he is talking about. For nowhere in Scripture do we find any mention of an earth that is merely figurative. But what can this Beatitude mean? Jesus holds out a prize perceptible to the senses, even as Paul also does. For even when Moses had said, “Honor your father and your mother,” he added, “For so shall you live long upon the earth.” And Jesus himself says again to the thief, “Today you shall be with me in paradise.” Today! In this way he does not speak only of future blessings but also of present ones. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
