This title is my preferred translation (adapted from the French) of that one of the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, 5 v. 5) which more generally is known by the translation, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

The translation from New Testament Greek into English as "meek". And it is apparently similar in German, since this "abject Christian humility" so enraged the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche (x-y), that he created his Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra), which contained Nietzsche's conception of "The Superman".

So, had the German translation been more like the French, we would have missed "The Superman" cartoons and movies. And we would missed the Richard Strauss' tone poem, "Also Sprach Zarathustra", whose exciting open passages (with kettle-drum and trumpets) became known to the general public announcing the appearance of "The Slab" in Stanley Kubrick's 1970 film, 2001. A Space Odyssey. And the Nazis would have missed an icon.

I first learned of this translation in a sermon given by The Rev. John Mellin at the First Presbyterian Church, NYC, around 1953. Mellin attributed it to "The French Prophets", a sect which had considerable influence on the early Presbyterian Church.

In past times, I've mentioned it in some in my classes, which I often closed with a kind of benediction: "Be debonair -- and love each other!". No, it doesn't mean "debonair" like Fred Astaire. The French means "de bonne aire" -- "of a good air" -- and could loosely be translated as "Put on a happy face!"

"Blessed are the debonair, for they shall inherit the earth" means "Blessed are those of a cheerful countenance, for they shall inherit the earth!" (A French Bible also gives this as "Heureux les debonnaires, car ils heriteront la terre!", translating as "Happy the debonair, for they shall inherit the earth!")

In my math classes, I opened ended with a kind of invocation, "Be debonair and love each other!"

Blessed are the debonair -- and the ethical -- and may they inherit the Earht!