Psalm 37:11

Hebrew Bible

9 Wicked men will be wiped out, but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. 10 Evil men will soon disappear; you will stare at the spot where they once were, but they will be gone. 11 But the oppressed will possess the land and enjoy great prosperity. 12 Evil men plot against the godly and viciously attack them. 13 The Lord laughs in disgust at them, for he knows that their day is coming.

1 Enoch 5:9

Pseudepigrapha

7 And all the . . . shall rejoice, And there shall be forgiveness of sins, And every mercy and peace and forbearance: There shall be salvation unto them, a goodly light. And for all of you sinners there shall be no salvation, But on you all shall abide a curse. 8 And for you the godless there shall be a curse. 9 But for the elect there shall be light and joy and peace and they shall inherit the earth. 10 And then there shall be bestowed upon the elect wisdom, And they shall all live and never again sin, Either through ungodliness or through pride: But they who are wise shall be humble. 11 And they shall not again transgress, Nor shall they sin all the days of their life, Nor shall they die of (the divine) anger or wrath, But they shall complete the number of the days of their life. And their lives shall be increased in peace, And the years of their joy shall be multiplied, In eternal gladness and peace, All the days of their life.

 Notes and References

"... Psalm 37:11 states: “But the meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” According to Fr. Daniel Harrington, S.J., “The Qumran community took Psalm 37:11 as a prophecy of their struggle with their enemies (4QpPsa). The land is not necessarily limited to the land of Israel. In apocalyptic literature (see 1 Enoch 5:7) the promise is widened to include the gift of the whole world to the just.” (Sacred Pagina, The Gospel of Matthew, pp.79) ... “As meek and gentle are key Matthean words that characterize the reversal of this worldly idea of kingship (Mt 11:29; 12:18-21; 21:5), Matthew may have formulated this saying himself. Meekness here is a synonym for poor in spirit and characterizes those who are aware of their identity as the oppressed people of God in the world, those who have renounced the violent methods of this worldly power.” (The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VIII, p. 179) ..."

Godfryd, Kurt Blessed are the Meek (pp. 1-4) Catholic Journal, 2013

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