---
title: Matthew 5:5
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/matthew-5-5/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/matthew-5-5.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: Matthew 5:5
testament: NT
section: Gospels
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# Matthew 5:5

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

## NWT Wording of the Key Phrase

- NWT (2013 revision): "Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth."

## JW Usage

Matthew 5:5 is a load-bearing JW proof-text for the "earthly hope" of the great crowd. "They will inherit the earth" is read as Jesus's own promise of paradise-earth life for non-anointed Witnesses. The heavenly destination of the 144,000 (Matthew 5:3, 5:10) and the earthly destination of everyone else (Matthew 5:5) are taken to be two different promises to two different classes in the same sermon.

## Protestant Usage

The Beatitudes are addressed to one audience receiving multiple blessings — not to two classes receiving different ones. The same disciples promised "the Kingdom of the heavens" in v. 3 are promised "the earth" in v. 5 and "reward in the heavens" in v. 12. Pair with Romans 4:13 (the promise to Abraham was to be "heir of the world" through faith — universal, not partitioned) and Revelation 21:1-3 (the new Jerusalem descends to the new earth — heaven and earth merged in Christ's consummation). The "earth" here is covenantal land-promise language that includes, not excludes, the heavenly. The Watchtower has to read v. 5 in a single class and vv. 3, 10 in a different class to make the two-tier system work — but the text gives no warrant for the partition.

## NWT Issue

As at v. 3, the NWT renders makarioi as "Happy" — the systematic NWT pattern across the Beatitudes. "Mild-tempered" for praeis is unusual but defensible; standard English translations prefer "meek" or "gentle." The Beatitude's force is preserved either way. The "Happy" rendering remains the doctrinally relevant choice.

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [Beatitudes Unity — Same Audience, Same Hope](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/beatitudes-unity.md) — Matthew 5:3-12 / Ephesians 4:4 / Revelation 21:1-3 [Eschatology]