📖 Biblical Definition
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" is the second Beatitude of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:4). The mourning is not generic sadness or melancholy temperament. The Greek penthountes describes the deep grief of bereavement — and in context, the godly grief that grace produces over sin (one’s own and the world’s). It is the grief of 2 Corinthians 7:10: "godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation." The promised comfort runs in two horizons. Present-tense: the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter (John 14:16). Future-tense: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 21:4). The Christian mourns truly and is comforted decisively.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Matt 5:4: godly mourning over sin met by Spirit and eschatological comfort.
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The second Beatitude: "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matt 5:4). The mourning is not generic sadness but the godly grief Paul names in 2 Cor 7:10 ("godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation") and Isaiah 61:2-3 anticipates ("to comfort all that mourn"). The Beatitude has multiple referents: mourning over personal sin, mourning over the world's brokenness, mourning over loved ones, mourning over the persecuted church. The comfort is multi-tiered: the present Comforter (the Spirit, John 14:16), the gradual restoration in this life, and the eschatological end of all tears in Revelation 21:4 ("God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes").
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 5:4 — "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
Isaiah 61:2-3 — "To comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."
Revelation 21:4 — "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Positivity-culture skips mourning; Christ blesses it. The Beatitude is the answer to those who say faith is incompatible with grief.
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Positivity-culture treats mourning as failure of faith. Christ blesses it directly: not despite mourning but in mourning, the saint is blessed. The world's coping strategies for grief (numb, distract, deny) are unbiblical; the Beatitude validates the tears.
Recover the blessing: mourn rightly. The Comforter has been given for it. The eschatological end of tears is sure. The mourning is not the destination; the comfort is — but the path through is mourning, not bypass.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek hoi penthountes paraklēthēsontai.
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['Greek', 'G3996', 'pentheō', 'to mourn']
['Greek', 'G3870', 'parakaleō', 'to comfort']
Usage
"Blessed are they that mourn."
"Mourning is path; comfort is destination."
"Tears valid until Revelation 21:4."