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Re: The meek shall inherit (fwd)
On Mon, 15 Nov 1993, scott matt kyles wrote:
> This came off of another list, and the author says some things I've never
> heard before concerning the Greek of this verse.
> 2. re "the meek share inherit the earth". An interesting quote cause I
> took (100 years ago) a theology course at university and the
> clergyman/teacher of the day...an intellectual who read Greek.....told me
> that "meek" did not mean wimpy at Jesus' time. It meant "street-wise".
> Therefore, if you are on the ball you will inherit the earth, not if
> you lay down and let em walk over you.
The English word "meek" does not and never did mean "wimpy." Check the
two words in any dictionary, and that should be clear immediately.
Nor does the Greek word in Matthew which is translated "meek", _PRAOS_,
have connotations of weakness and ineffectiveness and cowardice that the
derogatory word "wimpy" has in English. It is hard to imagine how one
could say that it did, unless one were trying to make Christ's message
more compatible with one's own taste and culture of our time.
Richard F. Wevers
Dept. of Classics
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI. 49546
References: