These verses, the opening phrases of the Sermon on the Mount, hold some of the Bible’s most beautiful and best-loved poetry. Part of its beauty, though, lies in the fact that the meaning is not quite clear. What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? What does it mean to “inherit the earth” or to be called “the children of God.” The fact that there are many possibilities causes us to linger over the phrases, pondering them.

Understood in the internal sense, these blessings show the spiritual states of the various people who could be receptive of the Lord and the new church he was launching. On a deeper level it shows that states within ourselves that can lead each of us to the Lord and to a deeper understanding of His truth today.

The “poor in spirit” are those who know little about spiritual things, but want to learn. Those that “mourn” are those who want to be good, but see no desire for good in their church. The “meek” are those who love to care for and serve others. To “hunger and thirst after righteousness” shows a desire to rise up, to learn about what’s good and to come to desire it.

The “merciful” are those who love their fellow people. The “pure in heart” are those who love only what is good. “Peacemakers” are those who are in harmony with the Lord, gaining knowledge from Him and wanting what He wants. And to be “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” means acting out of love and care for others, even though you are condemned by others for it.

There’s something of a progression there, from those who simply want to learn to those who actively want to be good people to those who actually are good and acting out of love for others. None of it, though, describes those who are learned in the Jewish traditions, or even necessarily observant in terms of ritual; they are, rather, those who sense that it is possible to be a good person and are willing to make the effort.

And they are promised their rewards! The “kingdom of heaven” is the understanding the angels have of the Lord; “comfort” represents ideas that lead to the good of life; “inheriting the earth” is a state of loving others and being loved by them in return. The overall message is simple: If we truly wish to be good people, and are willing to let the Lord teach us how to be good people, we will end up filled with love and wisdom from Him. And that’s what we need to focus on: The desire to be good, and openness to ideas from the Lord. It’s not about ritual and intellectual “correctness”; it’s about ideas that lead us to be good.

But what of being reviled and persecuted? This depicts temptation, when the hells attack our newborn good desires and true understanding. They cause us to doubt our ability to be truly good and question the ideas that are leading us. And they can do it in many ways, reminding us of the fun we’ll be missing or reminding us of all the bad things we’ve ever done to render us hopeless. They will even attack the Bible and the ideas that come to us through it from the Lord; that’s represented by the idea that people also attacked the prophets.

These states, however, are blessed in their own way; only by battling these evils, which are rooted inside us, can we finally fully embrace the good life we have been striving for. That’s why it is pictured last, and that's why it leads to the “great reward” in heaven.

118. And poverty (but thou art rich). That this signifies acknowledgment that they know nothing from themselves, is evident from the signification of poverty, as being acknowledgment of the heart that they know nothing from themselves, concerning which we shall speak presently. That by poverty is here meant spiritual poverty, and that by thou art rich is meant to be spiritually rich, is evident, because these things are said to the church. To be spiritually poor and nevertheless to be rich, is to acknowledge in heart that a man of himself knows nothing, that he has neither understanding nor wisdom, but that all knowledge, understanding and wisdom are from the Lord. In such acknowledgment are all the angels of heaven; therefore they are intelligent and wise, and this in a degree corresponding to their acknowledgment and perception that this is the case; for they know and perceive that nothing of the truth which is called the truth of faith, and nothing of the good which is called the good of love, is from themselves, but from the Lord; they know also that all things which they understand, and in which they are wise, have reference to the truth of faith and to the good of love. They also know that all their intelligence and wisdom are from the Lord. And because they know and acknowledge this, and also because they desire and love it to be so, therefore Divine truth continually flows into them from the Lord, from whom they have all intelligence and wisdom, which they receive in proportion as they are affected by it, that is, in proportion as they love it. But, on the other hand, infernal spirits believe that everything they think, will and thence speak and do, is from themselves, and not from God; for they do not believe in the Divine; consequently, also, instead of being intelligent and wise, they are insane and foolish; for they think contrary to the truth, and will contrary to good, which is to be insane and foolish. Every man who is in the love of self acts in a similar way; because he looks only to himself, he cannot do otherwise than attribute every thing to himself, and he does this because he does not acknowledge that all intelligence and wisdom are from the Lord. Consequently, when such persons think in themselves, they do so against the goods and truths of the church and of heaven, although when speaking with men they say otherwise, from a fear of losing their reputation.

[2] From these considerations it may be known what is meant by poverty in the spiritual sense. The reason why he who is spiritually poor, nevertheless is rich, is, that he is in the spiritual affection of truth; for intelligence and wisdom flow from the Lord into this affection. Every one's affection receives and takes in things congenial to itself, as a sponge absorbs water: thus the spiritual affection of truth receives and takes in spiritual truths, which are the truths of the church derived from the Word. The reason why the spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord alone is, that the Lord is Divine truth in heaven and in the church, for it proceeds from Him; and because the Lord loves to lead every one to Himself, and to save him, and this can only be effected by the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth from the Word, therefore He loves to implant these in man, and to make them principles of his life; for in this and in no other way can he lead man to Himself and save him. It is therefore clear that all spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord, and that no one can be in that affection unless he acknowledges the Divine of the Lord in His Human; for by this acknowledgment there is conjunction, and according to conjunction there is reception. (On this subject more may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell, where it treats of the wisdom of the angels of heaven, n. 265-275; and concerning the wise and the simple in heaven, n. 346-356, and in the same work, n. 13, 19, 25, 26, 133, 139, 140, 205, 297, 422, 523, 603, and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 11-27; and above, n. 6, 59, 112, 115, 117.)

[3] Throughout the Word frequent mention is made of the poor and needy, and also of the hungry and thirsty. By the poor and needy are signified those who believe that they know nothing of themselves, and also those who do not know, because they have not the Word. By the hungry and thirsty are signified those who continually desire to possess truths, and to be perfected by them. Both the latter and the former are meant by the poor, the needy, the hungry, and thirsty, in the following passages:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:3, 6).

"Blessed be ye poor; for yours is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are ye that hunger; for ye shall be filled" (Luke 6:20, 21).

"To the poor the gospel shall be preached," and "the poor hear the gospel" (Luke 7:22; Matthew 11:5).

"The master of the house said to his servant, Go out into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor" (Luke 14:21).

"Then the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety" (Isaiah 14:30).

"I was an hungered, and ye gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me to drink" (Matthew 25:35).

"The poor and needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I, Jehovah, will hear them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys" (Isaiah 41:17, 18).

From this last passage it is evident that by the poor and needy are meant those who desire the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth; for the water which they seek denotes truth. (That water denotes the truth of faith, may be seen above, n. 71.) Their desire is here described by their tongue failing for thirst; and the abundance which they should have, by rivers being opened in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys.

[4] Those who do not know that by the rich are signified those who have the Word, and who can therefore have the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, and that by the poor are signified those who have not the Word and yet desire truths, cannot but suppose that by the rich man in Luke (16:19, and following verses), who was clothed in crimson and fine linen, are meant the rich in the world, and that by the poor man who lay at his gate, and desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table, are meant the poor in the world. But here, by the rich man is meant the Jewish nation, which possessed the Word, and could therefore be in the knowledges of truth and good; and by the poor man are meant the Gentiles, who had not the Word, and yet desired the knowledges of truth and good. The reason why the rich man is described as being clothed with crimson and fine linen, is, that crimson signifies genuine good (see Arcana Coelestia 9467), and fine linen signifies genuine truth (see Arcana Coelestia 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744), both from the Word. The reason why the poor man is described as being laid at the rich man's gate, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from his table, is, that to be laid at the gate denotes to be cast out, and to be deprived of reading and understanding the Word; and to wish to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table denotes to desire some truths therefrom, for food signifies the things of knowledge (scientia), intelligence and wisdom, and in general, good and truth (see Arcana Coelestia 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562, 9003), and a table signifies that which receives such things (see Arcana Coelestia 9527). Because the poor man had that desire, which is the same thing as being in the spiritual affection of truth, therefore it is said of him that he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, by which is signified that he was raised up into an angelic state of intelligence and wisdom; the bosom of Abraham denoting the Divine truth which is in heaven; for those who are therein are with the Lord. (That Abraham in the Word signifies the Lord, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2010, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.)

[5] What is here signified by the rich man, and by the poor man who hungered, is also signified by the rich and the hungry in Luke:

"He hath filled the hungry with good, and the rich he hath sent empty away" (1:53).

(That by riches in the Word, are signified spiritual riches, which are the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the Word, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1694, 4508, 10227; and in the work, Heaven and Hell 365; and in the opposite sense, the knowledges of falsity and evil, which they confirm from the sense of the letter of the Word, Arcana Coelestia 1694. That riches in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good, and therefore intelligence and wisdom, is the result of correspondence; for with the angels in heaven all things appear shining, as it were from gold, silver, and precious stones; and this according as they are in the intelligence of truth and in the wisdom of good: with spirits also who are below the heavens, there are riches in appearance according to their reception of truth and good from the Lord.)