Most early literal translators chose Happy instead of Blessed in the beatitudes, Matthew 5. Even the earliest English versions used Eadige meaning Happy, and then in the 14th century, Wycliffe seem. Why do all the major English translations still say, "Blessed are" instead of "Happy are," despite the fact that in today's English blessed no longer means "happy"? The Beatitudes are a commonly known and memorized passage.
Some people think of blessed as a spiritual term for "good fortune," like when we receive something good, the desired outcome, or an exceptional comfort. But what does it really mean to be blessed? The Greek word often translated as "blessed" is makarios, which means "fortunate," "happy," "enlarged," or "lengthy.". blessed, happy.
A prolonged form of the poetical makar (meaning the same); supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off -- blessed, happy (X -ier). The Meaning of Blessed and Its Connection to Happiness Have you ever heard someone say, "I feel so blessed"? It's a common phrase that people use to express gratitude and happiness. But what does it really mean to be blessed? And is there a connection between being blessed and being happy? Let's explore the meaning of blessed and its connection to happiness.
The word blessed is a wonderful word. Christians use the words blessed and blessing a lot, and most of the time we mean it. There are times when we use it as an expression to terminate a conversation that is going too long.
We will say something to the effect of, "Well, that's great. Wow. Hey, praise the Lord and God bless you." This can be translated, "Please stop talking now." That, of.
Likewise, upon hearing of "the blessed sacrament," few would think it means "the happy sacrament." In the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, the first synonym listed in the definition of blessed is "of, relating to, or being God." The second definition is "set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God.". What does the word blessed mean in Matthew 5:3-12? Is blessed the same as happy? How can Jesus promise we will be blessed or happy when much of life's events are the opposite? What does Jesus mean when He uses the word blessed? Every definition and synonym cited for blessed relates to holiness. Virtually nothing relates to happiness, though a few dictionaries acknowledge that it once meant "happy.".
The KJV's translation of the Greek word "makarios" (Strong's #3107) as "blessed" in Matt 5:1-12 is an accurate translation. Many say the word should have been translated "happy," but I doubt the meaning of "happy" would give us the full picture. A check of a Greek concordance shows the word is question is translated into our English word "blessed" 44 times and "happy.