It is not uncommon for commentators and Bible teachers to interpret the “blesseds” in the Beatitudes as meaning “to be happy.” The Greek work translated as “blessed” is makarios, and while “happy” is one of the ways it can be interpreted, in the broader context of the Beatitudes, happy seems to miss the mark. For one thing, being happy is a subjective emotional state, and surely in verse 11 being reviled and persecuted do not jibe with such a state. Furthermore, interpreting makarios as happy leads to the mistake of seeing the Beatitudes as a series of exhortations on how to be happy, which does not seem to be what Jesus is doing here. On the contrary, the Beatitudes are a series of prophetic declarations of what God bestows on those whom He receives into His kingdom.

So in looking at Matthew 5:5, we note that this verse is connected to texts such as Psalm 37, where the ruthless ambition of evildoers to gain the things of the world is contrasted against the righteous who commit their way to the Lord and trust in Him (Ps. 37:5). In verses 9–10, we are told that the evildoers will be cut off. Moreover, the earth will not be earned but will rather be inherited (vv. 9, 11, 22, and 34). And here’s the kicker: the ones who will gain the earth by inheritance are the meek.

Contrary to what many may think, meekness is not weakness. Both in Psalm 37 and in the Beatitudes, meekness is humility and submission to God. Again, with Psalm 37 in view, the wicked seek gain at all cost. In verse 14, they “draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy,” and while they gain things that will bring temporary pleasure, only the meek, those who delight in the Lord (v. 4), will inherit the earth. – Ken Jones, Blessed Are the Meek, Tabletalk