Definitions & Insights – Poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:3 WEB)

Poor¹ – destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor

     – lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches

     – helpless, powerless to accomplish an end

     – poor, needy

Spirit² – the vital principal by which the body is animated

     – the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides

Poor in spirit – “I need God.”

– emptied of self

– governed by humility

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1. Larry Pierce, The Online Bible, CD-ROM (Winterbourne, Ontario: Larry Pierce, 2007), Matthew 5:3.

2. Ibid.