Basic HTML Version
(
, 3988), “to reject, refuse, despise.” This verb is common in both biblical
and modern Hebrew. It occurs about 75 times in the Hebrew Old Testament and is found
for the first time in Lev. 26:15: “… If ye shall despise [
RSV
, “spurn”] my statutes.…”
God will not force man to do His will, so He sometimes must “reject” him: “Because
thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me …”
(Hos. 4:6). Although God had chosen Saul to be king, Saul’s response caused a change in
God’s attitude: “Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected
thee from being king” (1 Sam. 15:23). As a creature of free choice, man may “reject”
God: “… Ye have despised the Lord which is among you” (Num. 11:20). At the same
time, man may “reject” evil (Isa. 7:15- 16)When the things that God requires are done
with the wrong motives or attitudes, God “de-spised his actions: “I hate, I despise your
feast days …” (Amos 5:21). Purity of heart and attitude are more important to God than
perfection and beauty of ritual.
TO DESTROY
(
$
, 8045), “to destroy, annihilate, exterminate.” This biblical word
occurs also in modern Hebrew, with the root having the connotation of “religious
persecution” or “forced conversion.”
-
is found 90 times in the Hebrew Old
Testament, the first time in Gen. 34:30: “I shall be destroyed.”
This word always expresses complete “destruction” or “annihilation.” While the word
is often used to express literal “destruction” of people (Deut. 2:12; Judg. 21:16),
frequently is part of an open threat or warning given to the people of Israel, promising
“destruction” if they forsake God for idols (cf. Deut. 4:25-26). This word also expresses
the complete “destruction” of the pagan high places (Hos. 10:8) of Baal and his images (2
Kings 10:28). When God wants to completely “destroy,” He will sweep “with the
[broom] of destruction” (Isa. 14:23).
(
"
, 7843), “to corrupt, spoil, ruin, mar, destroy.” Used primarily in
biblical Hebrew, this word has cognate forms in a few other Semitic languages such as
Aramaic and Ethiopic. It is used about 150 times in the Hebrew Bible and is found first in
Gen. 6 where it is used 4 times in reference to the “corruption” that prompted God to
bring the Flood upon the earth (Gen. 6:11-12, 17).
Anything that is good can be “corrupted” or “spoiled,” such as Jeremiah’s loincloth
(Jer. 13:7), a vineyard (Jer. 12:10), cities (Gen. 13:10), and a temple (Lam. 2:6).
-
has the meaning of “to waste” when used of words that are inappropriately spoken (Prov.
23:8). In its participial form, the word is used to describe a “ravening lion” (Jer. 2:30,
RSV
) and the “destroying angel” (1 Chron. 21:15). The word is used as a symbol for a
trap in Jer. 5:26.
-
is used frequently by the prophets in the sense of “to corrupt
morally” (Isa. 1:4; Ezek. 23:11; Zeph. 3:7).
TO DEVISE
(
, 2803), “to think, account, reckon, devise, plan.” This word is found
throughout the historical development of Hebrew and Aramaic. Found at least 120 times
in the Hebrew Bible,
occurs in the text for the first time in Gen. 15:6, where it