Pure in Heart, Another Point of View

I have been reading the Beatitudes with biblehub.com’s Greek interlinear and I’ve noticed that English grammar and syntax are very different from Greek. This difference can give a whole new perspective. This is especially true for the sixth Beatitude.

The English version of Beatitude says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” But the direct interlinear word of word translation says, “Blessed the pure in heart for they God will see.” Seeing the verse this way hit me like a thunderbolt. Because of the English version, I’ve always seen this as saying that being pure heart is the pathway to our seeing God. Now I think it’s saying not to worry, if you heart is pure God will see your good works.

This thought seems to fit perfectly with what Jesus states later in the sermon (Matt 6:1‑19). He tells the people not to be like the hypocrites in their giving, their praying, or their fasting. He told them to do it all secretly and quietly because God will see it. And God seeing it is a greater reward than the praise of men, and that is what it means to be pure in heart.

#Beatitudes #Pure in Heart