“The meek will inherit the earth”
Matthew 5:5
Cultural referenceSettledJesus
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Doormats win: an ironic-sounding promise about weakness.
The cultural key
A near-quotation of Psalm 37:11, a psalm coaching the faithful not to fret over scheming evildoers, because the meek 'shall inherit the land.' 'Meek' (praus) is not weakness but power under restraint, the word used for a trained horse. 'Earth/land' carried echoes of the promised land.
Recovered meaning
Those who refuse to grasp, scheme, and avenge will be the ones who end up holding everything. That is God's answer to the apparent success of the ruthless.