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Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 551 to 575 of 747 results

551. Sons of God

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... is no different from a slave. An inheritance is of no benefit unless one is an adult. 4:2 The minor lives neither freely nor fully. Rather, he is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. Paul equates the type of life advocated by the rival evangelists with the confining life of minors. His pregnant phrase “until the date set by his father” signals what he will declare in verse 4, that the appointed time is here. 4:3 In saying that the Galatians and he once were children Paul ...

552. Doing Good to All

Galatians 6:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... actions determine outcomes. God sees all, as the harvest will demonstrate (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10). If people sow to please their sinful nature the outcome will be destruction. If, however, they sow to please the Spirit, they will reap eternal life. Paul closes by advocating that the key is that as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. The Greek word translated here as opportunity (kairon) is the same word as was translated “time” in the ...

553. Not Circumcision but a New Creation

Galatians 6:11-18

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... with the circumcisers. Their agenda is to boast about the Galatian believers’ flesh. His way is to boast of nothing except … the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul implicitly casts the agitators among those who do not belong to Jesus Christ. By advocating circumcision for Gentiles they demonstrate that they are not “those who belong to Christ Jesus [and] have crucified the sinful nature (flesh)” (5:24). In 6:12 Paul charged that the rival evangelists were concerned only with their flesh. Here he ...

554. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... in Scripture the Holy Spirit is often spoken of as a person, and this might account, they say, for the change in the participle from the neuter to the masculine. But it is difficult to see in what sense the Holy Spirit would be taken out of the way. Some advocates of this interpretation say that this would be the case in the Rapture, but we have already seen that there is nothing to commend the theory of a rapture prior to the coming of the Lord (see disc. on 2:1 and note on 1 Thess. 3:13). Oscar Cullmann ...

555. Personal Remarks

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... , he expects the final outcome to be death (vv. 6–8). Perhaps because of the seriousness of things, therefore, no one came to his support (implying that no one joined him or identified with him; perhaps he meant that he had had no official advocate); indeed everyone deserted him. It is simply idle speculation to ask either what Paul might have been expecting or where such friends as Tychicus or Luke were. From Paul’s own perspective everyone had deserted him; yet like his Lord from the cross (Luke ...

556. A Call to Persevere

Hebrews 10:19-39

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... an indication of some sense in which the gathering in view was in addition to the synagogue meetings. This, however, as Hughes points out, is to read too much into the word. See his note on the word, Hebrews, pp. 417–18. The author is a strong advocate of exhortation or encouragement (the Greek verb for encourage is parakaleō). In 3:13 he tells his readers to encourage or exhort one another every day. He exhorts his readers throughout the book and at the end refers to what he has written as a “word of ...

557. Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-25

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... was highly esteemed in the Hellenistic world as well as in Jewish tradition. Zeus was regarded as the protector of the oppressed foreigner, and he and other gods are said to have visited the world in the guise of strangers. Hospitality to strangers is also advocated by Jesus, who puts it alongside things such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the imprisoned (Matt. 25:35, 38, 44). Clement of Rome, reflecting his knowledge of Hebrews, praises Rahab not only for her faith but also for her ...

558. The Sin and Doom of Godless Men

Jude 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... . 43) considers that Jude’s meaning must be determined by his source, the Assumption of Moses, and according to that it was Satan who had “slandered” (eblasphēmsei kata) Moses by accusing him of murder. Michael, in his capacity as a legal advocate, refuted the slander (blasphēmia) and appealed to God for judgment against Satan: “The Lord rebuke thee!” Michael refused to take it upon himself to pronounce judgment, for that was God’s prerogative. 10 These men, the false teachers, betray by their ...

559. Jethro Visits Moses

Exodus 18:1-27

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... his shoulders. He needed Jethro to explain that “good law” in a community must be accompanied by a good legal system of administration. Jethro proposed five steps for consideration and approval. First, Moses should remain as the people’s advocate (NIV “representative”) before God. This he did later, with great effect, in Exodus 32–34. Secondly, he should Teach (“enlighten,” “warn”) them the decrees and laws. Moses had been teaching individuals, case by case (v. 16). Here Jethro describes ...

560. Allotment for Ephriam and Manasseh

Joshua 16:1--17:18

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... should men deride such women by calling them “forward” or “aggressive.” Instead, their persistence ensures that the memory and inheritance of their father would remain alive into the next generation. I would like to think that Christians today willingly would advocate for the rights of women more than men did in the time of Joshua. 17:12 Canaanites were determined to live in that region: Significant cities remained in the hands of the Canaanites in the Jezreel Valley: Megiddo, Taanach, Ibleam ...

561. Ezra's Prayer about Intermarriage

Ezra 9:1-15

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... expressed his own spiritual convictions, his intention was to draw support extending beyond the particular leaders already on his side. Ezra engaged in ritual mourning that reflected extreme crisis. In the context it was meant to indicate repentance, like the grieving rites advocated in Joel 2:12. He was acting on behalf of the community and implicitly urging them to follow his example. His silent performance was a dramatic version of the confession he was to make in his prayer. The first support he ...

562. Opposition to the Rebuilding

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... clause in v. 16 that was wrongly inserted into the text at this point (MT v. 15): see BHS and NJB. 4:23 Even when he went for water is a desperate attempt to make sense of one Heb. word, hammayim “the water” (MT v. 17). A conjectural emendation widely advocated is hēmînû “they kept in their right hand.” Then the consonants hmym were originally hmynw and the Heb. letters nw and m were confused, as has happened elsewhere. The NRSV, REB, and NJB have adopted this emendation.

563. Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

Nehemiah 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... it. 6:7 For the prophetic role in king-making, compare 1 Sam. 9–10; 1 Kgs. 11:29–39; 2 Kgs. 9:1–13 and, in recent postexilic times, Hag. 2:21–23; Zech. 6:10–13. There may have been an extreme nationalistic group in Jerusalem that advocated his kingship, but Nehemiah denies this possibility in v. 8. 6:9 The interpretation of v. 9b is uncertain and depends on the Heb. verb rendered strengthen. But I prayed is not in the original, nor is “O God” (NRSV). If the verbal form is intended as an impv ...

564. Esther's Request to the King

Esther 5:1-8

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... Having identified herself with the Jews (and YHWH) in relative secrecy, she now returns to her public role as Persian queen. This is a dramatic moment that signals an invisible change in Esther. Underneath the garments of Persian royalty is a true Jew, a determined advocate for her people. She will now use the accoutrements of her role for larger purposes. While the other Jews continue to fast, she will bear their cause under the disguise of a feast. Like Moses, she will return to the court as a deliverer ...

565. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 26:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... seem merely possible. But in Psalm 7:15–16, a sequence is indicated that has been called the “act/consequence” view. This is where a bad effect follows automatically from a bad action; a good effect from a good action. This view is advocated strongly by Klaus Koch, “Is There a Doctrine of Retribution in the Old Testament?” in Theodicy in the Old Testament (ed. J. L. Crenshaw; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983), pp. 57–87. However, the structure of verse 27 is merely to pair two participles (digger ...

566. I am the Man Who Has Seen Affliction

Lamentations 3:1-66

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... . Accordingly, they suffered a fate worse than the wooden yoke of discipline that Jeremiah wore. 3:28–30 Yod. The tenth stanza continues to describe a proper attitude toward the suffering induced by God’s judgment. It expands on the idea of “quiet waiting” advocated in the previous stanza. It calls on the sufferer to sit alone in silence. In the book of Job, Job sits in silence for the first seven days (Job 2:13). Conflict with his friends and ultimately with God begins when he utters his lament ...

567. The Lord Removes Falsehood

Zechariah 13:1-6

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... . After this, if anyone prophesies again, his own father and mother will charge him with false prophecy, saying, “You must die,” and will put him to death by piercing him. Deuteronomy 13:6–9 requires that even the closest relative or friend of one who advocates worship of other gods must lead the community in stoning him. Even a person who presumes to bring a message in Yahweh’s name that the Lord has not commanded must be executed as a false prophet (Deut. 18:20). The enforcement of these laws and ...

568. Blemished Sacrifices and Admonition for the Priests

Malachi 1:6-14, Malachi 2:1-9

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... 11) contradicts the suggestion that v. 11 approves Jewish temples outside of Jerusalem, such as the temple at Elephantine in Egypt (6th–5th centuries B.C.). Malachi consistently promotes observance of the law. It is unlikely, therefore, that he would advocate the violation of Deut. 12:5–14. Finally, the context renders unlikely the spiritual interpretation that incense and offerings were the prayer and praise Jews and/or proselytes living in Diaspora among the nations offered to God. Malachi’s concern ...

569. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... the footwashing) is by no means excluded. This is especially true in light of the fact that, in this Gospel, the symbolic act of footwashing replaces the symbolic act of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Possibly John either knows of, or is advocating, the practice of footwashing in the Christian communities with which he is familiar. Such a practice would be a way for the Christian community to dramatize the responsibility of its members to be servants to one another and so bring to full realization ...

570. The Impending Departure I

John 14:1-4, John 14:5-14, John 14:15-31

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... , i.e., when the conditions described in verses 15–21 are in effect. 14:16 Another Counselor: Another implies that Jesus too is a Counselor (Gr.: paraklētos; cf. 1 John 2:1, which speaks of the risen Jesus helping believers by serving as their advocate before God). The Spirit is here characterized as continuing to do for believers all that Jesus did for them while he was on earth—especially teaching and encouraging them. The Spirit’s function is a revelatory and a pastoral one. He (or she; the term ...

571. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... Does God give [epichorēgōn] you the Spirit …?” Cf. NEB: “the Spirit of Jesus Christ is given me for support.” If Paul, like Job, is looking forward to vindication in the heavenly court, then the Spirit “appears here in the Johannine role of advocate” (G. B. Caird, ad loc.) Cf. R. W. Funk, “The Apostolic ‘Parousia’: Form and Significance,” in W. R. Farmer, C. F. D. Moule, and R. R. Niebuhr, eds., Christian History and Interpretation, p. 262, n. 1. 1:20 The sufficient courage that Paul ...

572. Imitating Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... where mention is made of the Emperor Galba’s “meanness” (tapeinophrosynē) in withholding from the praetorian guards a gift that had been promised them in his name. 2:4 Look … to the interests of others. Paul may be making a more specific point, “advocating that his readers fix their gaze on the good points and qualities in other Christians; and, when recognized, these good points should be an incentive to our way of life” (R. P. Martin, ad loc.). Self-centered preoccupation with “one’s own ...

573. The Word of Life

1 John 1:1-4

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... this we proclaim. 1:2 The emphasis in v. 2 is on the communication to the recipients of this Word of eternal life. Note the progression in time of the verbs. The eternal life was with the Father (pros ton patera; cf. 1 John 2:1: “we have an advocate,” pros ton patera and John 1:1: “and the Word was,” pros ton theon). Next he appeared (or was manifested) to us. Therefore, we have seen him, and now are able to testify, and proclaim to you what we have thus experienced. This same kind of progression in ...

574. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... lit., “his works, the evil ones”). The Elder does not want “the chosen lady and her children” to have koinōnia (NIV shares, Gk. koinōnei) with those who practice evil. While the Elder’s advice may sound unloving, he is not advocating hatred for the opponents, only a plan to prevent them from perpetrating a teaching that would eviscerate the heart of Christianity. Kysar rightly asks, “How flexible can the perimeters of Christian belief be without sacrificing the integrity of faith itself?” (I ...

575. Joy at Believers’ Walking in the Truth

3 John 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... by the nearby house church of Diotrephes (v. 10). Note that what Gaius is commended for doing in 3 John, the Elder commands “the elect lady” not to do in 2 John 10–11. It is those loyal to the Elder who deserve support but not those who advocate the secession and its heretical Christology (2 John 9). Both factions are sending itinerant teachers, and the churches must be discerning. That is why in 1 John 4:1–2 the Elder urges the churches to test the prophets (cf. 1 Thess. 5:20–21) and provides for ...

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