Blessed are the meek, for they will INHERIT the EARTH

[tonychanyt]

Matthew 5:

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

Strong's Greek: 2816. κληρονομέω (kléronomeó) — 18 Occurrences

What is this usage of "inherit"?

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

1. "to receive a lot, receive by lot; especially to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance";

This first meaning has to do with inheritance after the death of someone. There is a more general meaning:

2. universally, "to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession; to become partaker of, to obtain".

This develops into a special usage:

But as the Israelites after taking possession of the land were harassed almost perpetually by their hostile neighbors, and even driven out of the country for a considerable period, it came to pass that the phrase was transferred to denote the tranquil and stable possession of the holy land crowned with all divine blessings, an experience which pious Israelites were to expect under the Messiah: … it became a formula denoting to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah's kingdom.

Is 60:

21 Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified.

BDAG κληρονομέω:

① to be an inheritor, inherit
② acquire, obtain, come into possession of
esp. of participation in Messianic salvation
receive, share in eternal life

Matthew 19:

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

They will obtain and partake in eternal life on the new earth.