01 · Establish the lexical boundary
Begin with the Greek word as used in Matthew 5:5 and distinguish translation from later sermon illustration. The lexical field supports gentle, mild, or meek.
OR-R-2026-001 · AS-RUN REPORT
Praus and the trained war-horse
Test whether praus in Matthew 5:5 means, or was historically defined as, a trained war-horse whose strength is under control.
- Run
- Human editor
- P. W. Mola
- Linked correction
- OR-C-2026-001
THE RESULT
The lexical claim does not survive review. The available evidence supports gentle, mild, or meek. A horse appears in later illustration and interpretive analogy, but the reviewed sources do not establish “trained war-horse” as the ancient meaning of praus.
THE SUBSTANTIVE PATH
What was tested.
02 · Test the ancient-horse claim
Xenophon’s horsemanship text discusses the handling and disposition of horses. It does not define praus as a trained war-horse or establish the repeated historical account.
03 · Trace the preliminary transmission
Vincent uses a gentle horse as an illustration. Barclay develops the broader domesticated-animal image of instinct and passion under control. Later homiletic sources intensify the illustration into the trained war-horse claim.
04 · Separate word from formation
“Strength without domination” remains a defensible House-authored application of meekness. It must be marked as application, not presented as etymology, ancient definition, or recovered historical fact.
DEAD ENDS · KEPT VISIBLE
What did not resolve.
- No reviewed ancient source supplied the claimed war-horse definition.
- Xenophon is adjacent evidence about horsemanship, but does not establish the lexical claim.
- The exact first homiletic addition of “war-horse” remains unresolved.
LIMITS · NOT DECORATIONS
What this report does not claim.
This review is sufficient to withdraw the lexical claim. It does not pretend to prove that every theological or pastoral use of “strength under control” is false; it requires that such language be identified as interpretation.
As-run statusThe substantive path is published. Navigation-level search noise is omitted. No personal or practitioner material was used.
THE SOURCE RECORD
The sources remain the evidence.
- Matthew 5:5 · SBL Greek New TestamentLexical text under review↗
- Xenophon · On Horsemanship 7 · PerseusAncient-horsemanship test↗
- Marvin R. Vincent · Word Studies in the New Testament, Vols. I–IILater interpretive illustration↗
- William Barclay · The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. ILater interpretive development↗
- Precept Austin · Matthew 5:5Example of popular transmission↗
An as-run report is an audit trail. The underlying sources remain the evidence.
Final jurisdiction · P. W. MolaRedactions: None.