The Beatitudes in Psalms

David K Brillhart, February 2023

While studying Psalm 37, I was struck be verse 11, “But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” I was always taught the the beatitudes are the bylaws of the Kingdom of God, and I always thought that the concepts there were unique to Jesus’ teaching. So it struck me then that the humble inheriting the land was taught in the Psalms. This got me to thinking, Is there an Old Testament basis for all of Jesus teaching in the beatitudes? There are two versions recorded, one in Matthew 5 and the other in Luke 6:

Matthew 5:1-12

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Luke 6:20-24

The Beatitudes

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, 

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. 

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 

The version in Matthew is more extensive, so we will use that one to go through the beatitudes and then see what basis there is in the Old Testament for these teachings.

1. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:3

“ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 6:20b

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 

Of all the beatitudes, the first one is the one I had the most difficulty finding in the Old Testament. The phrase “poor in spirit” can not are found anywhere in the Old Testament, and most references to the poor in general are not that positive. However, on further reflection, it was revealed to me that Jesus was making a reference to the prophecies of the suffering Messiah found in Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:3

3 He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Isaiah 53:12

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

The first century Jews were looking for a Messiah that would bring the Kingdom of God, but they had forgotten Isaiah 53 and were looking for a militaristic king, like King David, who would physically drive the Romans out of Israel. Jesus is starting to teach them here that in would be one who is poor in spirit, that is humble and oppressed, who would bring the Kingdom of God. Psalm 37 also suggests this idea:

Psalms 37:11

11 But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Following the crucifixion and resurrection, the apostle Paul explained this principle more fully.

Philippians 3:7-8

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

Paul explains that is only by becoming spiritually poor in earthly things is it possible to fully become spiritually rich in heavenly things and completely enter the Kingdom of God.

2. Blessed are those who Mourn

Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Luke 6:21b

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 

Comforting those who mourn is a concept more readily found in the Old Testament. Let us start with the wisdom of King Solomon:

Ecclesiastes 3:4

4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

And also the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah who foresaw that the Christ would be a comforter

Isaiah 61:2

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

Jesus himself quoted this prophecy in Luke 4:18 when he read this passage at the synagogue in Nazareth in his first public ministry. Comforting those who mourn is also a familiar concept in the Psalms.

Psalms 23:4

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 119:49-50

Zayin.

49 Remember the word to Your servant,

In which You have made me hope.

50 This is my comfort in my affliction,

That Your word has revived me.

Psalms 119:76

76 O may Your lovingkindness comfort me,

According to Your word to Your servant.

I think Jesus had multiple things in mind when he taught that, but mourning for our sins so that we would repent and be comforted was probably his first thought. Then, thinking further into the future, there would be a time when the disciples would mourn His death on the cross, but then they would laugh and rejoice upon His resurrection. Can you imagine the comfort in knowing that Jesus rose from the dead, and that He prepared a way for us to live forever with Him as well?

3. Blessed are the Meek

Matthew 5:5

5 “Blessed are the gentle^g4239b, for they shall inherit the earth.

This is similar to the first beatitude, but is different in emphasis. The word here is gentle or meek. In Matthew 11, Jesus uses this same word to describe himself as a load bearer.

g4239b. πραΰς praus ; of unc. or.; gentle:--

gentle(4).

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle^g4239b and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The image of a yoke brings up the picture of a beast of burden that is trained to help with carrying the load. A well trained horse or ox is gentle, not because it is weak, but because its strength has been controlled in order to serve the needs of its master. Likewise, a meek person is not a milk-toast door mat, but is a strong person whose power is under control and who can exercise the authority of the King, expressing the kingdom of God in the earth.  Other verses teaching that the meek, or humble, will inherit the earth can be found in Psalms:

Psalms 37:11

11 But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Psalms 37:22

22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,

But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

Psalms 37:29

29 The righteous will inherit the land

And dwell in it forever.

The last verse brings out the concept that the humble people are also righteous, that is trained in how to do the right thing. This is the same concept as in the beatitude where the strong, but gentle, person will be given the authority to express the the King’s will in the earth, and thus inherit the land.

4. Blessed are those who Hunger

Matthew 5:6

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Luke 6:21a

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. 

Perhaps the best illustration of this in the Old Testament is in Isaiah 55.

Isaiah 55:1-2

1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;

And you who have no money come, buy and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without cost.

2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance.

The prophet here is exhorting the people to return to the Lord. He is thinking not only of his present time, but also of a coming time when the Messiah would come to be an everlasting sign, bringing and eternal blessing and provision.

55:13b And it will be a memorial to the LORD,

For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”

Similar references can be found in the Psalms of how the Lord will bless the righteous man.

Psalms 5:12

12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,

You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psalms 32:11

11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Psalms 34:15-17

15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

And His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers,

To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Blessed then are those who know how to live right, for they will be blessed.

5. Blessed are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

The clearest example of this reciprocal mercy is found in Proverbs

Proverbs 11:17

17 The merciful man does himself good,

But the cruel man does himself harm.

There are many references to mercy in the Old Testament, but most refer to the Lord as being merciful. Other references are historical examples of one man being merciful to another. In any case, is is plain that the more Godlike our character becomes, the more merciful we would be.

Psalms 86:15

But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

6. Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Now this one must have really freaked out the scribes and Pharisees! From the time of Moses they had taught that no one could see the face of the Lord and live.

Exodus 19:21

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

Even Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, covered his face with his mantle when he went out of the cave to speak with the Lord. So who then can be pure enough in heart to see God and live?

David teaches us, in Psalms 24, that it is one who has clean hands and a pure heart that can be blessed by the Lord.

Psalms 24:4-5

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood

And has not sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD

And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Psalms 73:1

Surely God is good to Israel,

To those who are pure in heart!

Also, I think, that Jesus was speaking a mystery here. His listeners were in fact seeing God, but only the pure in heart could recognize him for who He is and thus see God.

7. Blessed are the Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

It was easier for them to see that peacemakers would be blessed. Psalms and Proverbs teach on the blessings to those who make peace.

Psalms 37:37

37 Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright;

For the man of peace will have a posterity.

Proverbs 12:20

20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

But counselors of peace have joy.

The one who can bring peace between those in conflict is blessed, but the one who can bring people to peace with God is even more blessed. Let us all strive to be peacemakers.

8. Blessed are the Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Luke 6:22

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 

The last beatitude is the most problematic. How can it be a blessing to be persecuted? We can see one example in 2 Chronicles of how the people persecuted the prophets.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16

15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy.

Thus, if the people persecuted the prophets, how can we expect any better treatment when we preach repentance? King David experienced a lot of opposition and the Psalms are full of his crying out to the Lord to be delivered from his enemies.

Psalms 31:15

15 My times are in Your hand;

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.

Psalms 119:161-162

Shin.

161 Princes persecute me without cause,

But my heart stands in awe of Your words.

162 I rejoice at Your word,

As one who finds great spoil.

King David found a way to rejoice in the face of persecution, so likewise let us follow the admonition of the Lord and rejoice in all things, even when we face opposition and persecution.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!