New Testament Words Explained: Principally Such as Represent Multiple Words in the Greek
Table of Contents
New Testament Words Explained: Wind - World
Wind.
We find three Greek words thus translated in the New Testament—pnoee, pneuma, and anenzos. The first means a very slight and gentle breeze in Acts 2:2 however it is used for a strong fierce wind, the reason probably being that the word pneuma, which might properly express this, is here (as elsewhere) used for the Spirit Himself, and therefore to use it for the wind also would have produced confusion. Pneuma is however used for the wind in John 3:8. Anemos means a tempestuous wind (Matt. 7 a5; John 6; Acts 27:14, etc.)
Wisdom and Knowledge.
Each of these words is expressed by two in Greek: wisdom by sophia and phroneesis, knowledge by gnosis and epignosis. Sophia is the highest word, meaning the knowledge of all things, human and divine. It is never used (unless ironically as in 1 Cor. 1:20;2. 6) of evil people, but commonly of God and of good men. Phroneesis means cleverness or prudence, which may however be applied to good or evil ends; it is thus evident that it is far inferior to sophia (Luke 1:17; Eph. 1:8; Matt. 10:16). In this last passage its exact meaning is well brought out, clearly showing its distinction from pure wisdom. The difference between sophia and gnosis is well expressed by the words " wisdom" and " knowledge," the one being abstract and the other more concrete and definite. Epignosis means a full knowledge or perfect acquaintance (Rom. 1:28; 3:20; 10:2; 1 Cor. 13:12; Eph. 4:13, etc.)
World.
Four words quite distinct in their meaning are thus translated -Kosmos, alone, gee and oikounzenee. Speaking generally, the first word is the world as to space, the second as to time, the third is simply the earth, and the fourth the habitable part of it. Hence we read of the " end of the alone" (Matt. 13:39; 1 Cor. 10, 11), but never of the end of the kosmos, with which the idea of time is not connected. The word kosmos originally meant the material world (Matt. 13:35; John 21:25; Rom. 1:20) but afterward the people dwelling on it (John 1:29; 4:42; 2 Cor. 5:19), and lastly the world looked at as the corrupt system that has rejected Christ and out of which the church is gathered (John 1:10; 1 Cor. 1:20; James 4:4; 1 John 3:13). Atone is best translated "age" and refers to the different dispensations of this world's history-thus, " the millennial age." Gee means land in contrast to water,. while oikoumenee means the part of the globe that is inhabited as in Luke 2:1, when all the habitable world was taxed.
New Testament Words Explained: Old - Prove
Old.
Two Greek words thus commonly translated are archaios and palaios. The former means " from the beginning" and is thus used in 2 Peter 2:5; Rev. 12:9;20. 2: it is also found in Acts 21:16, where the expression " old disciple" does not refer to Mnason's age, but that he had been a disciple from the beginning. Palaios means old often in the sense of "worn out" or " aged" (Matt. 9:16, 17; Mark 2:21; Heb. 8:13).
Prayer, Request, Supplication.
These words are represented in Greek by six, three of which proseuchee, de-eesis, and enteuxis occur in 1 Tim. 2:1, the other three are aiteema, iketeeria, and euchee.
This last word is only found once in the sense of prayer (James 5:15), but twice in that of" vow" (Acts 18:18; 21:23) which is its more proper meaning. Proscuchee is prayer in general, but always to God, whereas de-eesis means not only more particular requests made to Him, but petitions in general even when asked of men; it is however only used in the New Testament in the former sense. Enteuxis, occurring only in 1 Tim. 2:1;4. 5, does not mean strictly "intercession," but rather implies free familiar prayer such as boldly draws near to God. Aiteema means the various requests of which a prayer is composed (Phil. 4:6; 1 John 5:15), or it may not be restricted to prayer, but refer to requests in general (Luke 23:24). Iketeeria originally referred to the olive branch bound round with wool, which was held forth by a suppliant in token of his character. Hence it has come to mean a humble prayer. In the New Testament it is only used in Heb. 5:7.
Prove, Try, Examine.
Peirazo, and dokimazo are each rendered in the New Testament in all the three ways given here: "prove" in John 6:6; Luke 14:19, " try" in Rev. 2:2; 1 Cor. 3:13; and "examine" in 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 Cor. 11:28. The difference between the two words may be roughly expressed thus; peirazo is proving to find out or bring out the evil, dokimazo to bring out the good. Peirazo is thus often Satan's work (Matt. 4:1; 1 Cor. 7:5 James 1:2; Rev. 2 o), but may be used of God (Heb. 11:17), here meaning simply to make manifest what was in the person. Dokimazo however can never be used of the temptations of Satan, because he never tries with a view of finding out good. It often means not only means " proved" but " approved" (2 Cor. 8:8; 1 Thess. 2:4; 1 Tim. 3 to), just as with us " tried" means not only " tested" but " trustworthy"; thus. "fireproof" means "that can withstand fire."
( To be continued.)
New Testament Words Explained: Speak - Thief
Speak, Say.
Amongst the many Greek words thus translated, we may consider two, laleo and lego.
The former word refers to the power of speech itself (Matt. 10:33; Mark 7:37;16. 17; Luke 11:14; Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:30); lego is not only to articulate but to speak words, and it is rather the mind that speaks, than the fact of uttering words, which a parrot might do. Thus in Rev. 13:15, where the image of the beast speaks, it is not that it uses the mind (lego), but merely that it utters words like an automaton (laleo). We find the meaning of the two words beautifully distinguished in John 8:43, " Why do ye not understand my speech (from laleo)? Even because ye cannot hear my word (from lego)." The true meaning of this remarkable passage being that they who do not in their hearts lay hold of the meaning, the spirit, the power of the truth cannot understand the letter or the speech by which the word is conveyed. Thus while in one sense we understand the spirit by the letter of the word, in another it is equally true that we can only rightly understand the letter by having His word abiding in us.
Temple.
Two Greek words are thus translated in the New Testament -the one, hieron, meaning the whole of the temple, its courts, and all buildings connected with it; the other, naos, meaning the proper dwelling-place of God. This distinction is interesting and helpful in many places. Zacharias (Luke 1:9) entered i nto the naos, those that waited without were still in the hieron. We often find Christ teaching in the latter, but into the former He never entered, none but priests being allowed there. "Between the temple and the altar" (Matt. 23:35) is naos, and there means between the temple itself, and the altar in the court. Judas, in his despair, rushed into the naos itself to cast down the money. A third word, oikos, is translated " temple " in Luke 11:51. The usual meaning is simply house, and it is so translated everywhere else.
Thief or Robber.
There are two distinct words in the Greek as in the English. In our translation, however, the distinction has not always been strictly preserved. We find both in John 10:8, the word thief meaning the secret stealer, and robber the violent and open plunderer. Thief occurs Matt. 24:43; John 12:6; robber Matt. xxi. 13; 26:55; Luke 10:30; John 18:40; 2 Cor. 11:26; Matt. 27:38,44. It will be observed that the word thief is always so translated, whereas the second word is sometimes rendered thief, sometimes robber. In no place is the distinction more important than in the last passage we have quoted. These two were probably fellow-insurgents with Barabbas (Mark 15:7). He was a robber, but by no means a thief, and possibly in the first place a mistaken zealot, of whom there were many at that time who undertook to deliver the nation from the Roman yoke.
New Testament Words Explained: Crown - Godhead
Crown.
The Greek words stephanos and diadeema both mean crown, but the former refers exclusively to the crown of leaves or flowers awarded to a victor in the old Grecian games, and to this the apostle Paul alludes in 1 Cor. 9:24-26, 2 Tim. 2:5, &c.; while the latter refers to the kingly crown which in ancient times consisted simply of a fillet or band of silk or linen, and is used in Rev. 12:3; 13:1. The fact of these being mere bands and not head-coverings explains how there could be many crowns on one person, as in Rev. 19:12. In Matt. 27:29 the word used is stephanos, and not diadeema, for although the crown that was put upon the Lord's head might seem to be a kingly one, its shape and construction resembled the former and not the latter.
Defile.
The Greek word moluno, thus translated, means literally to smear or daub with mud, and occurs in 1 Cor. 8:7; Rev. 3:4; 14:4. The word miaino is also translated defile (John 18:28; Titus 1:15; Heb. 12:15; Jude 8), but means to dye or stain with color, and hence has not literally the meaning of defilement although frequently so used.
Evil.
Besides the common word kakos two words, poneeros and phaulos, are thus translated. The former of these means evil' in its positive aspect, the latter in its negative, implying the absence of good, or as we say, good-for-nothing.
Poneeros is applied to Satan in Matt. 6:13, and Eph. 6 (see also Luke 7:2;1 Acts 19:12), he being actively wicked, while phaulos in many cases means worthless rather than wicked. It occurs John 5:29; Titus 2:8; James 3:16, etc Fear.
Three words are thus translated-deilia used in a bad sense, eulabeia used in a good sense, and phobos used in both. Deilia we find in 2 Tim. 1:7, and its derivatives in Matt. 8:26; Mark 4:40; John 14:27; Rev. 21:8: it may be translated cowardice. Eulabeia occurs only in Heb. 5:7; 12:28. Phobos is used in a bad sense in Rom. 8:15; 1 John 4:18; and in a good sense in Acts 9:31; Rom. 3:18; Eph. 6:5; 1 Peter 1:17. It thus occupies a middle place between the other two words.
Garment, raiment, robe.
Nine Greek words are thus indifferently translated, which we may briefly distinguish. Himation (Matt. 9:16; 11:8; 14:36; 26:65, &c.) is the general word, meaning men's or women's clothes. It is however also specially used to mean the large outer garment which was worn over the close-fitting under-vest or kiton. We thus often find the two words together, as in Matt. 5:40; Luke 6:29; John 19:23; Acts 9:39. In Matt. 5:40, they are thus distinguished by the Lord-" If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat (kiton), let him have thy cloak (himation) also:" that is to say, the less valuable article first, and the more valuable cloak after. In Luke 6:29, where the person is supposed to have forcibly (not legally) taken away the cloak, himation naturally comes first. Peter, when he was naked, (John 21:7) still hail on his kiton, having merely laid aside his fisher's coat, while engaged in his work. Himatismos, a third word, is generally only used of splendid and costly garments (often rendered vesture) Luke 7:25; 1 Tim. 2:9; Matt. 27:35; John 19:24. In these two latter passages it is applied to the Lord's kiton, or vest, which was probably therefore beautiful and costly; not that it was worn for display, being always covered by the himation, or outer garment.
Chlamuse is the word used in Matt. 27:28, 31, for the purple robe, and means an official dress; it was probably the cast-off robe of some Roman officer.
Stolee is any stately robe (stole), applied often to woman's dress sweeping on the ground, also to the garments worn by the Scribes (Mark 12:38; Luke 20:46). It occurs also in Mark 16:5, Luke 15:2;2 Rev. 6:11; 7:9, &c.
Podeerees means emphatically a garment reaching to the feet, and hence is very like stolee. The three other words, esthees, (Luke 23:1), estheesis (Luke 24:4) and enduma (Matt. 22:1-2) have no very distinctive meaning.
Godhead.
There are two words thus translated, which are perceptibly different in meaning,—theotes or divinity, and thektes, or deity; the former used only in Col. 2:9, the latter only in Rom. 1:20.
In Colossians, where the Apostle is showing that Christ really revealed God Himself, the higher word theotes is used, in Romans on the contrary, where he shows how much of God may be revealed in nature, the word theiotes is used, not signifying God Himself, who can only be known in the Son, but His divine attributes and power. The word theiotes is common in Greek among the heathen writers, though only used in the above passage in scripture, whereas theotes is only found once in classical Greek, as it is also found once in scripture. The latter is the word always used by the early Fathers to express the Godhead, never the former.
The distinction between these two words is of great importance to the Christian reader, in showing that God as such is only revealed in Christ, not in nature.
New Testament Words Explained: Goodness - Life: Also, Divine Names and Titles: 3. Lord
Goodness.
Two Greek words are thus translated, agathosunee and chreestotees. The former occurs four times in the New Testament (Rom. 15:14; Gal. 5:2 2 j Eph. 5:9; 2 Thess. 1:11); the latter word also only occurs in Paul's writings, and is variously rendered goodness, gentleness, kindness. The former means love and pursuit of what is good, and hence may be displayed in various ways, not only in kindness, but in rebuking and correcting. The Lord acted in this spirit when denouncing evil. Chreestotees, on the other hand, means the beauty and gentleness of goodness, that is to say, its loving and gracious side. So much did this graciousness or gentleness characterize the Lord, that amongst the heathen "Christos", Christ, frequently became "Chreestos", gentle; and in like manner Christians, Chreestians, i.e., gentle or harmless people.
Grieve or Mourn.
We may consider four words which are thus rendered. Lupeo occurs in Matt. 14:9; Eph. 4:30; 1 Peter 1:6, etc., and is the general word for being sorrowful, but does not necessarily include the expression of sorrow (see Rom. 9:2).
Pentheo (Mark 16:10; James 4:9; Rev. 18.15 etc.), means a violent and open grief which everyone can see and recognize. Threeneo (Matt. 11:17; Luke 7:32; 23:27; John 16:20) means to wail or lament over a person. Kopto, the last of the four, signifies to strike or beat upon the breast, as is common in the East when great grief is felt (Matt. 24:30; Luke 23.23; Rev. 1:7).
Beast.
This is the common rendering given to three Greek words, Zoon, Theerion and Kteenos. The first means the whole of the animal kingdom including even man himself (Rev. 4:6-9; 5:6; 6:1). The second means a wild beast (Mark 1:13; Acts 28:4, 5; 1 Cor. 15:32; Titus 1:12; Heb. 12:20; Rev. 11:7;13. 1), and is generally used in a bad sense, which makes the fact that both these words are translated " beast" very serious in some cases. Compare Zoon Rev. 4:6-9 and theerion Rev. 13:1. The third word occupies a sort of medium place (Luke 10:34; Acts 23:24; 1 Cor. 15:39; Rev. 18:13 only) meaning beasts in the sense in which we generally use the word-cows, horses and the like, neither rising as high as living creature (ZOon) on the one hand, nor falling so low as wild beast (theerion) on the other.
Holy.
Hieros, one of the three words thus translated, means holy as applied to things and not to persons. It occurs only in 1 Cor. 9:23; 2 Tim. 3:25. Hosios (Acts 2:27; Heb. 7:26, etc.) is applied to what is in itself holy and right, while hagios means principally set apart to the service of God. It may be applied to God Himself as being absolutely separate from evil (Rev. 3:7.)
Life.
Two words are thus translated; Zoe meaning life as opposed to death (2 Tim. 1:10; 2 Peter 1:3; Rev. 2:10; 3:5, etc.,) and Bios signifying the duration of life, also the means of living. It has the former meaning in such passages as 1 Peter 4:3, the latter in Mark 12:44; Luke 8:43; 15:12; 1 John 3:17. It also sometimes means the manner of life or way of living, as in 1 Tim. 2:2.
The distinction between Zoe and Bios is well seen in the two words Zoology, or the word about living animals, and Biography, a writing about the duration and manner of life.
(To be continued.)
Divine Names and Titles.
3. Lord.
This, which next to Christ is the most used and best known title of our Savior, properly belongs to Him as risen and glorified, according to Acts 2:36, " God hath made that same Jesus... both Lord and Christ," though His own personal dignity caused it to be not unfrequently used while He was on earth (some 50 times as compared with 300 in the first 10 Epistles). It is interesting to note the connection of "Lord" and "Christ" in the above quoted passage. Christ, as we have already seen, is primarily connected with the Church, the one body, of which He is the head; it is also connected with our lift" in Christ" and testimony," Christ in us". Lord, however presents Christ more as a distinct person; " Our Master," more as the One to whom we belong, whose we are, and whom we serve whose wishes we obey; the living links whether personal or corporate belonging more to the name " Christ," while the duties and responsibilities are more connected with the word "Lord".
" Lord Jesus" is the proper title of the glorified Man (compare Luke 23:52 with Chapter 24:3) and is more fitting and reverent for general use than " Jesus" only, though as we have seen, the name " Jesus" alone, to those who understand it, contains a higher glory than any added title can give.
Jesus then is our Lord. His are our bodies and souls, our lives, our possessions, all that we have and all that we are belongs to Him, It is a great thing to grasp a thought like this thoroughly; it is one thing glibly to repeat it, another for it to possess us in all its power.
It is not for us to consecrate ourselves; by the work of Christ we are thus consecrated, belonging wholly to Him. Our bodies we can present as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12) but only in the deep sense that they are already His (1 Cor. 6:20).
The thought of a Lord, a Master, greatly calms and steadies the soul. We have not anxiously to run hither and thither like a dog without a master, but rather like those that are highly trained, steadily follow our Master, watching His eye, listening to His voice for all our actions. Jesus is our Lord, it is our place to obey and follow, His to lead, and truly He knows how to estimate one who understands and keeps his place. It is a great thing in practical Christian life to cultivate the habit of instinctively turning to our Lord whenever a difficulty arises, and never to think of acting on our own responsibility.
Two things are especially connected with this title in Scripture; a day (Rev. 1:10), and a supper (1 Cor. 11:20). The "day" is none other than the very one on which Jesus was made both Lord and Christ, the day of resurrection, called by the heathen " Sunday," by Christians " the Lord's day", a beautiful expression and Scriptural title, the day above all others when He claims our time and services, when He should fill our thoughts What need have we to use a heathen title, or a Jewish one (Sabbath) or one of our own devising (first day), when God has given the day its own appropriate name. Surely if we' weighed the meaning of the title, we should have far more Scriptural thoughts how rightly to use the day, than by calling it in preference by another name, which either must convey a wrong thought, or no thought at all. There is a great deal in a name, when it is of God's giving.
The "Supper" is celebrated on the resurrection day. It is the Lord's Supper, in memorial of His death; death and resurrection, the sufferings and the glory thus being beautifully linked together on the one day. What fields of thought do these two words open up? The Lord's Supper tells of darkness, weakness, wrath, sorrow, suffering, death; the Lord's day, of light, power, glory, joy, triumph, life; the one of the close of the old creation, the other of the dawn of the new.
Oh! for hearts to receive and enjoy the thoughts connected with this supper and this day, the one taking us by the hand back to the awful past, and bidding us gaze on Calvary, the other leading us on to the bright, bright future, when the "day of the Lord" shall last a thousand years, and all shall own His rightful title.
" Every tongue," heavenly, earthly and infernal, shall yet own Jesus as Lord; but the confession, forced in that day from those who will not own Him now, will bring no blessing with it: the willing homage of the heart now is connected with salvation, for no man can say that " Jesus is Lord", but by the Holy Ghost. Let us bless Him therefore that He has bowed our hearts now, and that we do rejoice to own Him Lord, and let our care be that our actions are molded and controlled by this great governing thought that " one is our Master, even Christ, and all we are brethren."
Those who thus follow Him will joyfully own that " His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace."
Notes and Comments: Also, NT words explained: Seem- Single
We have received from V. C. a book entitled "Great David's Greater Son," written partly to prove that the Lord could not and did not work as a carpenter. The point of the book is to uphold the majesty and Divine dignity of the God-man, Christ Jesus; and the need of this we fully recognize, and warmly appreciate every sentence written with this object. At the same time we must say that the author produces absolutely no argument to prove that Christ did not work as a carpenter. In attempting to show that such a thought is unworthy of Christ we think that he has failed to recognize the grand fact that God can be glorified in every sphere of life, and that these thirty years cannot be regarded in any sense as wasted when we leave the narrow standpoint of man's interest and turn to the question of God's glory. Was not He glorified in having One on the earth for the first time in its sin-stained history who for thirty years led a life of perfect obedience to His Father's will in the obscurity of a Galilean village? Can we not recognize in this the meat-offering of fine flour mingled with oil that represented the perfect life of Christ? We maintain that our Lord as fully and perfectly glorified God in His retirement as He did subsequently in His public life when ministering to our needs. We regret we have not further space for comment on this subject, but trust that all our readers can appreciate the beauty of the holy retired life at Nazareth into which no eye but God's is allowed to penetrate, as well as the ceaseless service that followed it.
As we find from letters received that many of our Subscribers do not at all understand the meaning of the long array of figures and the notices on the first page of the cover, we have inserted an explanatory note, and trust that it will be the means of adding many intelligent Bible students to the Class. We feel sure from many testimonies received that there is no surer way of strengthening one's Christian growth, and arming one's self against the assaults of infidelity than by a regular and diligent study of the Scriptures, and the fact of being able to unite with others not only in study but in producing a result of permanent value is a great and worthy incentive, as we not only benefit ourselves, but afford much food and instruction to others.
New Testament Words Explained: Principally Such As Represent More Than One Word In The Greek.
Seem.
Dokeo andphainomai are both translated thus although there is a clear distinction between the two. Dokeo means the estimate or thought a man may have about a matter (Acts 15:28; 1 Cor. 4:9; 7:40), which may be wrong (John 16:2: Acts 27:33) or right. Phainomai means the outward appearance a thing or a matter presents, irrespective of any estimate that may be formed of it. Bearing this distinction in mind, it will be seen that the rendering of the R. V. in James 1:26 is much more accurate than that of the Authorized Version, the latter reading " seemeth," whereas, the word being dokeo, the idea is not the appearance, but the conception formed of the matter, " thinketh himself to be religious." In a similar manner the R. V. gives for the first time the true force of phainomai in Phil. 2:25. Hitherto the word here has been translated "shine," but now it is correctly rendered " are seen" or appear.
Servant.
This one English word is represented by six Greek words, each with a distinct meaning. Therapone means one who does a service, whether a permanent servant or no, whether a slave or a free-man; hence it is an honorable term. It is only used once in the New Testament, in Heb. 3:5, " and Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant." Diakonos is a servant in relation to his work, just as doulos is a servant in relation to his master. The former (meaning to pursue) signifies activity and zeal in work (whether the one is not implied), and we find the word in Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:23; 2 Cor. 3:6. In Matt. 22:3,4,8, to the servants are douloi or slaves, being men, but in ver. 13 where angels are referred to, the word used is diakonos.
A fourth word kupeeretees originally meant a rower, but came to mean the performer of any hard work, particularly under the commands of another. Thus the servant whose ear the Lord healed (Luke 22:51) is doutos, the one who struck him on the face (John 18:22) is lin/Seel-elms. Oiketees, a fifth word, means always a " domestic servant" in contrast with a daubs or slave; it occurs only in Luke 16:13; Acts 10:7; Rom. 14:4; 1 Peter 2:18. The sixth word pais means simply child, but points to the custom of the East where in large families many of the children were really in the position of household servants. When used for servant, Matt. 8: 6; 12:18; Luke 1:53,69, it is a term of consideration and endearment.
Sin.
Three Greek words are thus translated. One, hamartia is the general word for all sin; it means literally "a failing to grasp or reach," so in ordinary Greek it often meant to miss a mark. In Scripture however this mark is the glory of God of which we have all come short by sin.
Hamarteema (Mark 3:28;4. 12; Rom. 3:25; 1 Cor. 6:18) means solely the act of committing sin, never sin itself in the abstract.
Paraptomr, the third word which is often used to mean sins (Eph. 2:1, etc.) may only mean faults or errors, Rom. 5:15,17, 18; Gal. 6:1, and hence in many cases is not so strong a word as the others.
Single, Simple, Sincere.
These companion words represent four words in Greek, single being aplous, simple akeraios and akakos and sincere adolos. The study of the different shades of meaning in these words is full of interest. Aplous only occurs twice in the New Testament (Matt. 6:22; Luke 11:34) and means literally "spread out" i.e., without folds or wrinkles. Akeraios occurs thrice (Matt. 10:16; Rom. 16:1;9, and Phil. 2:15) and means " simple" in contrast to " compound," i.e., without admixture. Akakos occurs twice (Heb. 7:26; Rom. 16:18). In the former of these passages it means the absence of all evil, inferring the presence of all good, whereas in the latter it means that absence of all evil which prevents its being suspected in others and thus leads to a simplicity of character that is in danger of becoming credulous and easily deceived. The fourth word adolos occurs only once (1 Peter 2:2) and means without guile. As a contrast to the sincere milk of the word here spoken of is the handling the word of God deceitfully spoken of in 2 Cor. 4:2. The four words then mean without guile, without evil, without mixture and without folds.
New Testament Words Explained: Time - Wash
Time.
Five Greek words are thus translated, only two of which need occupy us. The other three mean respectively, genealogy, day, and hour, and are generally so rendered. The two are chronos and kairos. The former means simply time as opposed to eternity-that is, the continual succession of moments divided by us into hours, days, weeks, months, years, &c. (Matt. 25:19; Heb. 4:7; Rev. 10:6), while the latter, better translated " seasons " (Acts 1:7) means rather an epoch of time marked by some great events, or a dispensation (Acts 17:26; 1 Thess. 5 t, &c.).
True.
Four Greek words are thus translated, aleethees, aleethinos, and two others. God is aleethees (John 3:33; Rom. 3:4), meaning He is true in the sense of speaking the truth, He " cannot lie." But God is also aleethinos, meaning that He is the true God in contrast to false Gods (1 Thess. 1:9; John 17:3). The latter word, however, does not always mean " true " in opposition to " false;" but often " substantial and real," as opposed to what is only shadowy, as in John 1:9; "That was the true light," does not mean that John was a false light, neither does the "true bread," John 6:32, imply that the manna was false bread, but simply that both were inferior to what Christ was and gave. In thus bringing out the true and real, which is one of the leading features of Christianity, it is interesting to notice that five-sixths of the occurrences of the word aleethinos are in the writings of the apostle John. The other two words are each only once rendered "true." One means faithful, and the other sincerity springing from relationship.
Unlearned.
Four Greek words are thus translated in the New Testament. Agrammatos (Acts 4:13 only) means simply illiterate; idiotees (Acts 4:13; 1 Cor. 14:16,23,24; 2 Cor. 11:6) originally meant a private man in contrast with a public one, then by degrees an unpractical one, i.e., one not versed in worldly matters (Acts 4:13). In 1 Cor. 14 however, the use of the word appears to be a little different, here meaning a person not unpractical in a general way, but one unversed in spiritual things, or better still, without spiritual gifts, not being a pastor or teacher, &c. Amathees, the third word, occurs only in 2 Peter 3:16 and means uninstructed, literally " undiscipled," not made a disciple or a learner. The fourth word, Apaideutos, also only occurs once (2 Tim. 2:23), and means untaught or unschooled, that is not instructed by a pedagogue or tutor.
Wash.
This one word is represented by three in Greek, pluno,nipto, and louo. Pluno refers to the washing of things, not people, and is used in Luke 5:2, &c. The other two words both refer to the washing of persons: nipto, however, is used when a part of the body is washed, as the hands (Mark 7:3), the feet (John 13:5), the face (Matt. 6:17), the eyes (John 9:7), while louo means rather to bathe than to wash, thus referring to the whole body (Heb. 10:22; Acts 9:37; 2 Peter 2:22, &c.). Where perhaps the distinction between bathing and washing is most important is in John 13:10: the Revised Version clearly marks it, " He that is bathed (louo) needeth not save to wash (nipto) his feet." The meaning clearly is that he who has been born again by the word and thus cleansed and renewed needs no repetition of the act, but only the application of the same word to the part that gets defiled by contact with the world-the feet.
New Testament Words Explained: Psalms - Rest
Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs.
These occur in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16, but although they have here each only one corresponding Greek word, still it may be well briefly to point out the essential difference between them. Psalmos meant primarily to touch, then to touch a harp, then the harp itself, and finally it came to mean the song that was sung with the music. In the above passages the Psalms no doubt are those of David, Asaph etc., contained in the Old Testament. Humnos (hymn) originally was always in praise of God, never being merely descriptive or occupied with complaint or lamentation, as a Psalm, but always full of praise. The early Fathers taught that there were three essentials to a hymn, which we would do well to remember. First, it must be sung, Second, it must be praise, Third, it must be to God. We find hymns, in Luke 1:46-55; 68-79; Acts 4:24; 16:25. Odee (Spiritual Song) was originally a song used on a festive occasion, as for example at harvest time, after battle, etc. It is a freer composition than a hymn, and the meaning is well represented by the word used.
Remission.
The general word used for this is aphesis, but in Rom. 3:25 however, we find another word paresis, which means not a remission of sins or a putting them away, but a praetermission, or a putting them by, which was the case with the sins of Old Testament saints until by the sacrifice of Christ their sins were put away. Since the death of Christ the word aphesis and not paresis is applied to us.
Rebuke.
Two Greek words are thus translated, epitimao meaning simply to rebuke, and elencho to rebuke and convict or convince, that is, to bring the rebuke home to the person. Jesus was rebuked by Peter (Matt. 16:22), and one thief rebuked (same word) the other at the cross (Luke 23:40), but elencho is used in John 8:46, " which of you convinceth me of sin?" also in John 16:8, " He (the Comforter) will reprove (convict, R.V.) the world of sin," etc. It is also used in John 3:20;8. 9.
Repent.
Metanoeo, one of the two words thus translated, means literally " to know after; " this after knowledge came to mean a " change of mind" for a second thought often differs from a first. It then implied regret, and lastly a change of conduct arising from the change of mind. But outside Scripture all this might be for evil equally as well as for good,-thus a murderer who spares a child, but afterward goes back to kill it, is said to repent in this sense. In Scripture, however, metanoeo always means a change of mind for the better. Metamelomai (Matt. 27:3; Heb. 7:21 etc.), while it may be used in the same sense as metanoeo, literally means an " after care," and hence a repentance often arising more from a dread of consequences than from a real inward change of mind.
Rest.
The two Greek words both translated "rest" are not exactly alike in meaning. The one anapausis means "ceasing from labor" and is the word used most appropriately by the Lord in Matt. 11:28, 29. Paul on the contrary, as in 2 Thess. 1:7, uses the other word anesis, which has the force literally of relaxation, that is, the loosing of cords of endurance.
New Testament Words Explained: Lamb - New
Lamb.
It is beautiful to observe that while in John's Gospel the-word used when speaking of Christ is the common Greek one amnos, in the book of Revelation the word used throughout is arnion, meaning " a little lamb," as if to reassure us when moving amongst the transcendent scenes there unfolded, by giving to Christ the humblest and lowliest name ever applied to Him. This is the more remarkable because the word is never applied to Christ elsewhere, and indeed is only used once besides, when He bids Peter feed His "little lambs." It is wonderful indeed to think that the very word given by the Lord Himself to the feeblest believer here is the title He takes for Himself when moving in the highest scenes of heaven's glories.
Love.
The two words both translated thus are agapao and phileo. The former is a reasoning love, an esteem, a love caused by the intellect only, rather than the heart, whereas the latter is a more impulsive love of the affections alone. Thus we are frequently told to love (agapao) God (Matt. 22:37; Luke 10:27; 1 Cor. 8:3) but never to love (phileo) Him, while God both loves (agapao, John 3:35) and loves (phileo, John 5:20) the Son. In John 21:15-17 the distinction is important. The first "Lovest thou me?" is agapao: Peter answers "I love (phileo) thee." The second question is in the same words, and again Peter replies " I love (phileo) thee." The third time the Lord adopts Peter's word phileo. A beautiful distinction between the words is seen in John 11:3,5. " Lord he whom thou lovest (phileo) is sick": but when the Evangelist speaks of the love of the Lord to Lazarus and his two sisters, the other word agapao is used.
Miracle.
Dunarnis, one of the two words thus translated means power (Acts 2:22; 1 Cor. 12:1 o; Gal. 3:5, etc.), and refers to the divine power displayed in the miracles; Seemeion, the other word means a sign (Mark 16:20; Acts 14:3; Heb. 2:4, etc), and refers to the purpose for which they were wrought. The former -thus refers to the cause, and the latter to the effect.
Murderer.
We have three Greek words to consider which are 411 rendered "murderer."
Anthropoktonos (John 8:44;1 John 3:15 only) means " homicide" or " manslayer."
Sikarios only occurs once (Acts 21:38) and means a man who wore a short sword or dagger, and hired himself for the express purpose of assassination.
Phoneus, the third word, means any murderer, but may be applied morally, and does not necessarily refer to men. It occurs Matt. 22:7; 1 Peter 4:15; Rev. 21:8, etc.
Net.
This is represented by three distinct words in the Greek, diktuon, amphibleestron and sageenee. The first, meaning something which is thrown, is the common word for all nets, and includes other than fishing nets, whereas the two latter refer only to this class. Amphibleestron, which only occurs in Matt. 4:18 and Mark 1:16, is the casting net, and is of small size, thrown by one man; sageenee is the large draw net or " seine" which is swept along the bottom of the sea between two boats; it is used in the New Testament only in Matt. 13:47.
New.
Kainos and.Neos both mean, and are both translated "new" the former in Eph. 2:15; Heb. 9:15; Matt. 26:29; the latter in Col. 3:10; Heb. 12:24; Matt. 9:17. In each of these three cases they are applied to the same thing, viz: man, testament, and wine respectively. The meaning, however, may in spite of this be distinguished, kainos meaning " new" as opposed to "old," neos, "new" with regard to time, i.e. recent. Thus we find kainos in Luke 5:36; Matt. 9:17; Luke 5:28; 2 Peter 3:13; Mark 16:17; Matt. xxviii. 60. This last passage plainly shows its meaning, the newness of the tomb not consisting in its having been recently excavated, but in its never having been used before. Still more striking is the difference between 1 Tim. 4:12 (neos) and Rom. 6:4 (kainos' the former meaning youth, the latter newness or novelty. If this distinction is borne in mind it shows at once the force of the new (neos) man of Col. 3 Jo, and the new (kainos) man of Eph. 2:15. For that which is born again is now recent as regards time when compared with " the old man," And not only so, but is of a different sort or species, being no repetition of the other as a son is of his father, and hence is not only neos but kainos. He is new as to time and new in quality. Neos then refers to time, kainos to the thing itself.
New Testament Words Explained: Ask - Corrupt
Principally such as represent more than one word in the Greek.
Ask.
Two distinct words are frequently translated by the one word "ask." One is aiteo, the other erotao. Both occur in John 16:23, " In that day ye shall ask (erotao) nothing: verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask (aiteo) the Father in my name He will give it you."
There is not here as would at first sight appear, a contrast between asking the Father and the Son, but the first " ask " refers to verse 19, and means that they should be so taught of the Spirit as no longer to have to inquire (the force of the word) anything from Him. The second "ask" means request, and is a word always used by an inferior when addressing a superior, as in Matt. 7:7, 9; Luke 11:1;1 Acts 3:2; 12:20; James 1:5; 1 John 3:22; whereas erotao means more to interrogate, to ask questions. It is remarkable that aiteo is never used in the requests of the Son to the Father (as from an inferior to a superior), but the word used is always erotao, John 14:16, &c. Erotao, however, is never a right word to use for the request of a creature to God, though we have seen (ver.19) that it was used to Christ, when on earth as man. It is interesting to remark in John 4 that the word used by the woman of Samaria in verse 9, shows clearly that she had no conception who it was that spoke to her, " How is it that thou being a Jew, askest (aiteo) drink," &c. The Lord in reply speaks of Himself as having said unto her, "Give me to drink." The only other passage where the word is applied to the Lord is in John 11:22, where Martha says " Whatsoever thou wilt ask (aiteo) of God," and here again the speaker betrays her ignorance of the dignity of the person of the One to whom she spoke. Nowhere is Christ said to ask anything from man.
Assembly or Church.
There are three words used for this in the New Testament, Ecclesia, sunagoge, and paneguris. The first, &desist, is used in three senses, a heathen, a Jewish, and a Christian. It means " called out "; and a heathen ecclesia consisted of those who were called out of the population to confer on public affairs. Among the Jews two words were in use, ecclesia, or assembly, and sunagoge, or synagogue; the former, however, gradually became almost exclusively Christian, the latter almost exclusively Jewish: we say almost exclusively, because the word assembly is used in a Jewish sense in Acts 7:38, and the word synagogue was occasionally used by the early fathers for the Christian assembly. The distinction between the two appears to be that the former is applied to any large or small number that are banded together by laws or other bonds, the latter only implies that such are assembled together; the one means convoked or called together, the other means simply congregated. The word ecclesia was thus not only more appropriate for Christian use, but being familiar to the Greeks, which synagogue was not, was far more adapted to an assembly composed of both Jews and Greeks.
"The ecclesia which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." Eph. 1:22, 23.
The third word, paneguris differs from ecclesia in signifying a festival, hence the term panegyric, which was a discourse delivered on such an occasion. It is peculiarly appropriate in Heb. 12:23, the only place in the New Testament where it occurs.
Bear.
Of the eleven words thus translated in the New Testament, we may notice two as an instance of the wonderful accuracy of Scriptural language, phoreo and phero. The former is defined by the Greeks as meaning to bear or carry habitually, and hence is peculiarly applicable to clothes, to which it is applied in the six instances where it occurs (Matt. 11:8; John 19:5; Rom. 13:4; 1 Cor. 15:49 twice, James 2:3), whereas the latter means to carry on any special occasion, hence to bring (see Mark 2:3), and is never applied to what was worn habitually. This accuracy is all the more remarkable, inasmuch as the distinction was not always observed, even among the Greeks.
Corrupt, Handle deceitfully.
These are represented by two corresponding Greek words of which the history and distinction are rather interesting. Each word occurs only once in the New Testament; "corrupt" (kapeleuo) is in 2 Cor. 2:17, while " handle deceitfully" (doloo) occurs in 2 Cor. 4:2, both being applied to the Word of God. The first (kapeleuo) originally meant a small retail dealer, but particularly a small wine dealer, a trade peculiarly exposed to the temptation of fraud, either in adulteration or in selling short measure (Isa. 1:22). Thus the word came to mean making any shameful profit, or following any improper trade. It therefore evidently means, not only to deceive, but to deceive for the purpose of gain, whereas the other word (doloo) simply means to falsify. All false teachers therefore can be accused of falsifying (doloo), but when Paul earnestly says he does not corrupt (kapeleuo) the word, he refers to perverting it for the sake of gain or advantage. See Acts 20:33; 2 Cor. 12:14; Phil. 3:18,19; Titus 1:1 2 Peter 2:3,14,15; Jude 12., 16.