“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Greek word breakdown—
Greek morphology is not available for this verse. Greek interlinear on Bible Hub ↗
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This book
This book has ECM (Editio Critica Maior) apparatus at many verses — hover shows manuscripts cited at that verse. The full book catalog (all manuscripts containing Matthew) is available too.
The verse page gathers everything for one address: manuscript timelines, optional ECM apparatus, weighted consensus (ECM books), Greek breakdown, and John Gill's commentary.
Two manuscript lists
ECM books show both lists: witnesses at this verse (ECM) and all manuscripts whose surviving text includes this book (book catalog). The book catalog is the same at every verse in the book.
- Book catalog
- Manuscripts whose surviving text includes this book (from the Kurzgefaßte Liste catalog). The same list appears at every verse — it is not verse-specific attestation.
- ECM
- The Editio Critica Maior (ECM) is the scholarly critical edition of the Greek New Testament. Its apparatus records which manuscripts attest each textual variant at a specific verse.
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- Manuscripts cited in the Editio Critica Maior (ECM) apparatus at this specific verse — witnesses for textual variants here. This is usually a smaller set than the full book catalog.
ECM Books tagged ECM have verse-level textual apparatus from the Editio Critica Maior. Other NT books still show the full book-level manuscript catalog on hover.
Verse page tools
- Timeline
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- Gregory–Aland (GA) numbers identify Greek NT manuscripts (01 = Sinaiticus, P46, 2427, etc.). Search any GA to open its catalog entry from the ~5,795-manuscript Kurzgefaßte Liste index.
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- Weighted consensus
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- Textual apparatus
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Sources
English text: Berean Standard Bible (helloao API). NT manuscript catalog and apparatus: Münster NTVMR. Extrabiblical catalog: scholarly inventories with bundled JSON + Firestore. Pre-indexed lists enable fast hover; apparatus XML is fetched live on ECM verse pages.
Manuscripts cited at this verse (ECM)Manuscripts cited in the Editio Critica Maior (ECM) apparatus at this specific verse — witnesses for textual variants here. This is usually a smaller set than the full book catalog.
118 cited at this verse in ECM · 2042 total containing Matthew (1924 more in book catalog below)
Book catalogManuscripts whose surviving text includes this book (from the Kurzgefaßte Liste catalog). The same list appears at every verse — it is not verse-specific attestation.
2042 manuscripts containing Matthew
Manuscripts whose surviving text includes this book (from the Kurzgefaßte Liste catalog). The same list appears at every verse — it is not verse-specific attestation.
John Gill's Exposition2 paragraphs
Blessed are the poor in spirit,.... Not the poor in purse, or who are so with respect to things temporal: for though God has chosen and called many, who are in such a condition of life, yet not all; the kingdom of heaven cannot be said to belong to them all, or only; but such as are poor in a spiritual sense. All mankind are spiritually poor; they have nothing to eat that is fit and proper; nor any clothes to wear, but rags; nor are they able to purchase either; they have no money to buy with; they are in debt, owe ten thousand talents, and have nothing to pay; and in such a condition, that they are not able to help themselves. The greater part of mankind are insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and increased with goods: there are some who are sensible of it, who see their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and mourn over it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain low and mean thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, is owing to the free grace of God. Now these are the persons intended in this place; who are not only "poor", but are poor "in spirit"; in their own spirits, in their own sense, apprehension, and judgment: and may even be called "beggars", as the word may be rendered; for being sensible of their poverty, they place themselves at the door of mercy, and knock there; their language is, "God be merciful"; their posture is standing, watching, and waiting, at wisdom's gates, and at the posts of her door; they are importunate, will have no denial, yet receive the least favour with thankfulness. Now these are pronounced "blessed", for this reason,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; not only the Gospel, and the ministration of it, which belongs to them. "The poor have the Gospel preached": it not only reaches their ears, but their hearts; it enters into them, is applied unto them, they receive and embrace it with the utmost joy and gladness; but eternal glory, this is prepared for them, and given to them; they are born heirs of it, have a right unto it, are making meet for it, and shall enjoy it.
John Gill, Exposition of the Whole Bible · public domain·via Free Use Bible API·Open on StudyLight ↗
ECM books show manuscripts cited at each verse plus the full book catalog (manuscripts whose content includes this book). Epistles and other non-ECM books show the book catalog only.
Textual ApparatusThe apparatus lists variant readings at this verse: Greek options (a, b, c…), GA manuscripts supporting each reading, and lacunose marks (zz) where a witness exists for the verse but has no readable text at that spot.
Apparatus conventions and abbreviations
The raw data follows the ECM/NT Greek tradition: each row pairs a reading siglum (how the editors label that option) with the manuscripts that support it—not every abbreviation is unpacked in the scholarly print volume, but these recur in this viewer.
om.— omitted: witnesses on this row do not include the Greek word(s) printed for other readings at this place—an omission relative to manuscripts that attest the fuller text elsewhere in the apparatus.- a, b, c… — reading labels at this variation unit (first, second, third option). These are editorial sigla for Greek forms, not Gregory–Aland (GA) manuscript numbers.
- GA numbers (01, P46, 2681…) — manuscripts cited by Gregory–Aland identifiers.
zz— lacuna at this spot: counted for the verse but with no substantive text readable here when other witnesses have wording.- Word position — which Greek word/token in this verse each block refers to, numbered in the ECM segmentation used by the source data.
ECM witnesses at this verseGregory–Aland (GA) numbers identify Greek NT manuscripts (01 = Sinaiticus, P46, 2427, etc.). Search any GA to open its catalog entry from the ~5,795-manuscript Kurzgefaßte Liste index.118
118 manuscripts cited at this verse in the ECM apparatus
Book catalog1936
2042 manuscripts containing Matthew
Manuscripts containing Matthew that are not cited at this verse in ECM.