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“Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of
the Lord.…”
O
TO OFFER
A. Verb.
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(
, 7126), “to offer, come near, approach.” This word appears in nearly all
branches of the Semitic languages from the earliest times and at all periods. Hebrew also
attests the verb at all periods and about 295 times. (It appears 9 times in biblical
Aramaic.)
In general
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signifies “approach or coming near someone or something” apart
from any sense of intimacy. In Gen. 12:11 (the first biblical occurrence) the word is used
of spatial proximity, of being spatially close to something: “And it came to pass, when he
was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife.…” Usually the word
represents being so close to something (or someone) that the subject can see (Exod.
32:19), speak to (Num. 9:6), or even touch (Exod. 36:2) the object or person in question.
This verb also is used of temporal nearness, in the sense that something is about to
occur.
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can be used of the imminence of joyous occasions, such as religious feasts:
“Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the
year of release, is at hand …” (Deut. 15:9). The word is also used of the imminence of
foreboding events: “… Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at
hand [literally, “my father will soon die”] …” (Gen. 27:41).
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is used in a number of technical senses. In all these instances personal
involvement is suggested; the idea is not simply being close to something (someone) but
being actively and personally involved with it (him). In military contexts the word
signifies armed conflict. In Deut. 2:37 the Lord commended Israel because “unto the land
of the children of Ammon thou camest not.” Yet in Deut. 2:19 He allowed them to “come
nigh” that land: “And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon,
distress them not, nor meddle with them.…” The later passage (Deut. 2:37) uses the word
technically, to close in battle. Therefore, Israel did not come close to the land of Ammon;
they did not close in battle with them (cf. Josh. 8:5). In some passages this martial
coloring is not immediately obvious to the casual reader but is nonetheless present:
“When the wicked … came upon me to eat up my flesh …” (Ps. 27:2). Ps. 27:3 (“though
a host should encamp against me”) substantiates that this use of the verb is “to close in
battle” (cf. Ps. 91:10; 119:150).
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is used technically of having sexual relations. In Gen. 20:4 before Abimelech
states his innocence with regard to Sarah we read he “had not come near her” (cf. Deut.
22:14; Isa. 8:3).
In another technical use the word represents every step one performs in presenting his
offering and worship to God. This idea first appears in Exod. 3:5 where God tells Moses
not to “draw near” before removing his sandals. Later Israel’s meeting with God’s