The third beatitude (Matthew 5:5): "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Greek praeis — translated "meek" in the KJV tradition, "gentle" or "humble" in some modern versions. The word was used of broken-in horses — massive power brought under command of the rider. Meekness is not weakness — it is strength under authority. Jesus applies the same word to Himself: "I am gentle [praus] and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). The beatitude quotes Psalm 37:11 — "the meek shall inherit the land."
Modern readers often misread meek as timid, soft, doormat. It is the opposite. A wild stallion is not meek; a trained war-horse is meek — all the raw power is still there, but now under command. Moses is called "the meekest man on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3) — the same Moses who confronted Pharaoh, struck down Egyptians, shattered tablets, executed idolaters. Jesus overturning moneychangers' tables is meek; the crucified Christ refusing to call down legions of angels is meek. Meekness is power placed under God's control. The promise — inheritance of the earth — is often spiritualized, but Jesus lifts it straight from the Psalter where it has real earthly weight. The age to come will see the meek — those who did not grasp, did not self-promote, did not repay evil — vindicated with a real inheritance in the new creation (Romans 4:13, 2 Peter 3:13). In the meantime, the world's power-grabbers will lose everything. The meek are playing the longer game. Men especially: meekness is the biblical alternative both to cowardice and to domineering — the way of the Servant-King.