# Blessed Are They That Hunger explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by George MacDonald.

## What happens

The chapter reflects on spiritual longing and the soul's desire for righteousness, comparing it to a thirst for heavenly bread and water. It emphasizes that such longing is itself a sign of grace, and the soul, like an empty vessel, awaits the descent of divine righteousness.

## Themes in this chapter

### Spiritual Struggle and Doubt

The soul's longing for righteousness is portrayed as a struggle, with the desire itself being an earnest of the grant.

### Redemption and Grace

The chapter emphasizes that the soul's openness and longing invite the descent of righteousness, a gift of grace.

## Character check-ins

### God

Addressed as the source of heavenly bread and water, the one who responds to the soul's longing.

### Unknown

The speaker expresses a collective longing and hope for righteousness.

## Key lines

> If we were longing for the bread That cometh down from heaven; If for the water that he said To thirsty souls is given; Then boldly should we come to thee, And plead for that we want; For in our souls desire would be An earnest of the grant.

If we truly yearned for spiritual nourishment and the living water promised to the thirsty, we would approach God confidently, knowing that our desire itself is a pledge that it will be fulfilled.

_The paraphrase captures the conditional nature of the longing and the assurance that desire is a sign of forthcoming grace._

> Our souls, dry empty vessels set Thy rain to hold and lend, Lie open to thy heaven, O let The righteousness descend.

Our souls are like dry, empty containers placed to catch and share your rain; we are open to your heaven—let righteousness fall upon us.

_The imagery of vessels and rain emphasizes the soul's receptivity and dependence on divine righteousness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters/blessed-are-they-that-hunger
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters