Words and phrases

[Sissy]

There is a member at PNW who knows Hebrew and Greek. He also teaches Greek.
He has a thread there which he post some of the words of the bible.
He has given permission to copy them.

Thought this would be real handy!

Many thanks to his hard work.

[Sissy]

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;



Apostasy, rebellion, covenant breaking, divorce, defection, walking away, abandonment.

αποστασία - apostasia [noun]: "rebellion, defection, apostasy"

αποστασιον - apostasion [noun]: "abandonment, walking away, divorce"

αφίστημι - aphistemi [verb]: "to abandon, to walk away, to refuse to stand firm"

2 Thessalonians 2:3 -
International Standard Version:

• Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day cannot come unless the rebellion takes place first and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed.

New American Standard Bible

• Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction

King James Version

• Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition

• Acts 21:20-21 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.
  
  Matthew 19:7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"
  
  Luke 2:36-37 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
  
  Hebrews 3:12 Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.
  
  Acts 12:10 When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Apostasia and apostasion are the feminine and neuter versions of the same word, but they are applied to different situations. They are the noun forms of the verb αφίστημι, which is formed from the words apo (away from) and histemi ("to make a stand, to stand firm, to be unwavering"). The primary difference between the nouns and the verb is that the verb can indicate EITHER PHYSICALLY walking away from an object (such as a house) with no moral implications of any kind OR violating a covenant, where the nouns are only used of walking away from a covenant.

Essentially, these two nouns mean "to walk away when we SHOULD stand firm" or "to abandon those whom we have pledged to stand with unwaveringly." Both words indicate that there was a covenant, and that the covenant has been intentionally and purposely severed by one party in the covenant. Apostasion is applied to abandoning lifelong human covenants (primarily marriage), and apostasia is applied to abandoning lifelong spiritual covenants (that is, intentionally severing a relationship with God, and thus, ABANDONING their salvation). Both are active, intentional, forceful words (one does not "accidentally" divorce a spouse - that is an intentional act that Jesus says is the result of a hard heart, likewise with apostasy).

The KJV translation is unfortunate on two accounts. First, in 2 Thessalonians the noun has the definite article attached to it, meaning it is not "A falling away," but rather, "THE falling away." And secondly, "falling away" is a passive expression in English, where this word is an ACTIVE, INTENTIONAL word in Greek. The KJV could leave the impression that someone might accidentally, or unintentionally "trip and fall." That is not what this word means. Apostasia means that the person knowingly and INTENTIONALLY turns their back, walks away, and completely abandons their covenant with God. "Rebellion," "Covenant Breaking," or "Abandoning" would be better translations.

Obviously, in the same way that you cannot get a divorce unless you are first married, you cannot walk away from a relationship with God unless you are first a believer.

This word clearly illustrates that one CAN intentionally cast away their own salvation. When a person commits "apostasion," (divorce,) obviously the two can be reconciled and remarried. However, the scriptures indicate that is not so with "apostasia." The following passage would now apply to those who have intentionally cast aside their covenant with God, abandoned their salvation, and no longer want anything to do with God.

• Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

The following scripture uses the VERB form of apostasia (aphistemi), showing the condition of the heart of a person who willfully and intentionally walks away from God:

• 1 Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

In reference to the "once saved, always saved" debate, the use of these words show difinitively that one CAN abandon one's salvation intentionally. However, such abandoning does NOT happen accidentally, nor is it the result of what someone else has done, but is an intentional, defiant, rebellious act by a believer who has consciously chosen to abandon the faith in favor of pursuing sin.

And a person who does this is in DEEP spiritual do-do :wink: .

Grace and peace to you,

Rhomphaia

[Sissy]

elohim



God, gods, mighty, great, powerful, chief, judge, ruler

אל- "el": Strictly speaking, this word has a basic meaning of "mighty" (and it retains that meaning when used as an adjective), however, when used as a noun, it is a primary word that means "god."

אלהים - "elohim": The plural of "el." Since Hebrew, like many other languages, employs the "royal singular" (meaning it uses the PLURAL as a singular when referencing God or those in absolute power), elohim can mean "God" when speaking of the One True God, or "gods" when referencing false gods. This word is occasionally (I think twice) used of human judges from the idea that they are representing God and executing God's judgment, so when you appear before them, you are actually appearing before God.

Elohim is also applied occasionally to those who are speaking on behalf of the One True God (and could be applied to a prophet or angel in this manner), and to those who God has elevated so much in other people's eyes that they view that person with a sense of awe normally reserved only for God Himself.

• Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD [Yahweh] God made earth and heaven.
  
  Exodus 22:8 "If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor's property. For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. - [this is probably more accurately translated "come before God" than "appear before the judges" on the idea that the judges are representing God and executing "God's judgment" not their own]
  
  Genesis 31:30 "Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house; but why did you steal my gods?"
  
  Exo 12:12 'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments--I am the LORD.
  
  Psalm 82:6-7 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes."

Grace and peace,

Rhomphaia

[Sissy]

Meek, Gentle, Humble - praus (πραυς)


Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 21:5 "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

This is one of those odd words for which we have no exact equivalent in English, so translators are stuck with using approximations. Part of the meaning of the word does contain the idea of "gentle," but that is not all it means. The actual idea is that the person who is "praus" has tremendous power, strength, intellect, or force of will, but has themselves so completely under control that they do no harm to anyone around them, even when provoked, hurt or insulted.

So a person who is "praus" is not being gentle because they are weak, or because their personality is one of meekness, but rather, they are being gentle because the CHOOSE to be, because they have the capability of being very forceful, powerful or strong. The best description might be "power under control," but that would be very awkward in a translation.

In Roman culture, this word was used of the Roman war horses. They were huge, powerful beasts who in a battle would stomp, kick, bite and trample any enemy in their path. They would run full speed into a wall of flame without hesitation, and were so inclinded to stomp and trample those in their path that it was not unheard of for the horse to kill more enemies than the rider. These SAME horses were so well trained and so well controlled that when the army came into a city, children could pet them, and give them treats without fear of harm.

War horses who were that dangerous and powerful in combat, yet so completely under control that children need not fear being harmed in peaceful situations were called "praus." They were gentle because they had their great power under complete control, NOT because they were weak, shy, retiring, or had a nature that was just naturally one of gentleness.

Thus it is in these verses above. They are references to individuals who are very powerful (the "strength" or "power" could be physcial, emotional, social, political, spiritual, or whatever), but CHOOSE to use that power with great control, with great gentleness, so that their entire lives become forces for healing, nurturing, and tenderness rather than for disruption, destruction, or pain.

These are the people who are powerful enough to break you in half, yet CHOOSE to turn the other cheek when you strike them. These are the people who are smart enough to rip you to shreds with their intellect, yet CHOOSE to respond with gentle and kind words when they are taunted or insulted. These are the people who have the political or social connections to utterly dismantle or destroy your life, yet CHOOSE to use those connections only for good, no matter how much you try to hurt or slander them.

When we give grace to those who deserve to be slapped, forgive those who only want to hurt us, and show kindness to those who only show us hatefulness, we are being "praus." When we return a kind word for an insult, when we are simply nice to those who vehemently disagree with us, when we see through all of that to the valuable, precious person underneath, and treat them accordingly no matter how they act, we are being "praus."

May the grace of God shine through each of you so that you are always "praus."

Grace and peace to you all,

Rhomphaia

[Sissy]

Prince, Author, Captain, Source, Pioneer, Leader



archegos (αρχηγος)

• Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  
  Acts 3:14-15 You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses to that.
  
  Act 5:31 God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
  
  Heb 2:10 In bringing many children to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Here is another word for which we do not have any exact translation, so it is always a struggle to find the right word. Basically, an archegos did three things:

• (1) He went ahead of everyone else as a scout and trail blazer to find and create the path that those behind would be following. He would also frequently go back to lead those who were following along the trail he had created (scout, pioneer).
  
  (2) Once he found what he was looking for, he created a settlement so that those who followed would have a place to live once they arrived (author, founder, source).
  
  (3) After everyone else began arriving, the archegos remained to provide both leadership and protection for the pilgrims who chose to follow his path and settle in his outpost (prince, captain, leader).

We have no word that exactly describes all three of these things, so different translations would usually have to pick one, and go with that for any given passage. A quick sampling of various versions shows how different scholars seized upon different parts of the meaning (using Hebrews 12:2 as the example)

• KJV - Looking unto Jesus the author (#2) and finisher of our faith
  ALT - looking with undivided attention to the Originator (#2) and Perfecter of [our] faith
  BBE - Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide (#1) and end of our faith,
  Bishops - Looking unto Jesus, the captain (#3) and finisher of our faith
  Darby - looking stedfastly on Jesus the leader (#3) and completer of faith:
  ESV - looking to Jesus, the founder (#2) and perfecter of our faith,
  HCSB - keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source (#2) and perfecter of our faith,
  ISV - looking off to Jesus, the pioneer (#1) and perfecter of the faith,
  Murdock - And let us look on Jesus, who hath become the commencement (#1) and the completion of our faith
  WNT - simply fixing our gaze upon Jesus, our Prince Leader (#3) in the faith

It is interesting to note that this word is ONLY used of Jesus in the NT. It means that Jesus forged ahead to blaze a trail for us to follow in our faith (death and resurrection), that He then established and founded the place where we are to live in our faith (grace, holiness, love), and that He remains to watch over and lead us in our faith (Lord and God).

In the four scriptures where this word appears, Jesus is called the archegos of our faith, the archegos of life, the archegos of salvation, and the archegos of repentance and forgiveness.

Which drives home the fact that NONE of these were within our reach until Jesus created the trail that leads to them, provided the means to reach them, and then remaining with us to guide us, establish us, and protect us as we dwell in, mature in, and become each of these (repentance, forgiveness, salvation, faith, life).

Is it any wonder that scriptures tell us there is no other name under heaven by which we might be saved! What other route to salvation could possibly provide all of THAT?

Grace and peace to you all,

Rhomphaia

[Sissy]

New Creature



kaine ktisis (καινη κτισις)

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
  
  Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but a new creation.
  
  Matthew 9:17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins burst, and the wine spills out, and the wineskins will be ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
  
  1 Corinthians 11:25 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
  
  Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'
  
  Mark 13:19 For in those days will be tribulation, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of creation which God created until now, and never again shall be.
  
  Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but on account of Him who subjected it in hope;
  
  Col 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, having been founded and firm and not drifting away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was proclaimed to all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
  
  1 Peter 2:13 Therefore subject yourselves to every human institution on account of the Lord: whether to the king as to one having authority,

The lexical form of "kaine" is "kainos" (καινος), so that is how I will be referencing it.

The first two scriptures are kainos and ktisis used together. The next two are kainos alone, the last four are ktisis alone.

There are two words in Greek that can be translated "new": kainos and neos (νεος).

Neos primarily means "youth," and refers to something that is new by the standard of AGE (so neos would be the word used for a "new born").

Kainos, the word used here, references something that is new because it is fresh (a vegetable "fresh" out of the garden), unblemished (a new sheet of paper), unused (a brand new car) or unworn (a new shirt) . . . or even unheard of (a new idea).

ktisis means "a fabrication, a creation, a created thing, (when used of human creation) government."

It only means "creature" from the original derivative (a creature is a living, and thus, "created" thing). When used of something GOD has created, it references only LIVING things (not, for example, the dirt, or the light, or the water, etc.).

When used of human creations, the culturally accepted use was only to use this particular word in referencing "something created by men to govern people," that is, any kind of human government. Physical things that were created by people were "inventions," not "creations."

This means that when a person believes in Jesus, they become, in God's eyes, a fresh, unblemished, unmarred creation of God with no stain of sin remaining upon them. From God's perspective, their sinful, blemished life up to that point didn't even happen to them, it happened to someone else. They are a brand new creation that has never existed before, and has no blemishes.

The important thing to note here is that this is NOT saying that only those who FIRST come to Christ are like that (and they gradually become corrupted again), but that those who are IN Christ are like that all the time. All those in a state of being "in Christ" are also in a state of being unblemished in God's eyes. This is referencing a constant state of being clean and unblemished, NOT because of what we DO, but because of who we draw close to and have faith in.

In other words, this verse is another way of saying, "Righteousness comes from FAITH in Jesus, and is a gift of GRACE, not as a result of any actions on our part."

Galatians 6:15 is a startling statement. It lets us know that being in Christ has nothing to do with obeying the little commands and rules of the law. The law (that is, the rules and commands of the law) is MEANINGLESS. Keeping the law is just as meaningless as not keeping the law. The word construction literally says that whether you are or are not circumcized (that being a command in the law), literally MEANS and ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING.

Being in Christ is NOT about being a law keeper, it is about being an unblemished, spotless creation in God's eyes and thus receiving a new HEART.

Whether you do or don't keep the law has no bearing on whether you are a new creation in Christ. All that matters is are you drawing close to Jesus and placing your faith in Him.

He will then make you a new, unblemished creation, and will begin to change you from the inside out. The EFFECT will be that you will gradually sin less and less (as Christ's character becomes your character), but that is a SIDE EFFECT, not a CAUSE. You are no less or more "new" as you become a mature believer and sin less than you were when you were an immature believer and sinned more. So long as your faith is in Jesus, you ARE an unblemish, brand new creation.

This means that if we are believers, we do not lose our unblemished state (in other words, we do not lose our salvation) each time we commit a sin, as our unblemished state is a function of FAITH and GRACE, not WORKS. God is patient with us, and molds us from the inside out, gradually changing our character to conform to His own. As He does this, we actually lose our desire to commit some sins, and so, we sin less. But this process does not make us MORE saved. We are just as saved as a brand new baby Christian as we will be thirty years down the road when we have overcome many of the sins that beset us as new believers.

Bottom line: You GAIN your salvation by grace through faith (NOT as a result of works) and you KEEP your salvation by grace through faith (NOT as a result of works).

It should be noted, however, that breaking many of the laws of God has OTHER effects in your life (it does not change your standing before the Lord, but it can destroy the relationships in your life, and crumble your life around you). The VALUE of God's commands are NOT in making us righteous, they are in helping us live peaceful, loving, productive lives in which we are not hurting ourselves and those around us, and thus, we are not wasting much of our lives "cleaning up the messes" we create around us. We can spend our lives MINISTERING, shining God's love into the lives of others, rather than repairing fractured relationships, rebuilding damaged homes, paying legal penalties, and so on.

The moral law of God pretty much serves the same purpose in our lives that the rules and regulations we give our children serve in their lives. Our rules don't "make" the little people in our homes our children, nor do they ensure that those little people "remain" our children. Whether or not my son breaks a rule has nothing to do with whether or not he remains my son. But it can have a HUGE effect on the kind of life he leads as an adult. If we teach them well, and they learn to live the principles and rules we have given them, they can lead very stable, very productive lives (both from a ministry standpoint and from a social standpoint).

And so it is with us and God.

Grace and peace to you all,

Rhomphaia