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“remnant” concept is applied especially to the Israelites who survived such calamities as
war, pestilence, and famine—people whom the Lord in His mercy spared to be His
chosen people: “For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of
mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this” (2 Kings 19:31; cf. Ezra 9:14).
The Israelites repeatedly suffered major catastrophes that brought them to the brink of
extinction. So they often prayed as in Jer. 42:2: “Let, we beseech thee, our supplication
be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant;
(for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:).”
Isaiah used the word
5 times to denote those who would be left after the
Assyrian invasions: “For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape
out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this” (Isa. 37:32).
Micah also announced the regathering of the Jewish people after the Exile. Thus
Micah prophesied: “I will surely assemble them together, O Jacob, all of thee; I will
surely gather the remnant of Israel …” (2:12). In Mic. 4:7 he predicted: “And I will make
her that halted a remnant and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall
reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.” In 5:7-8 and 7:18, Micah
announces a similar idea.
Jeremiah discussed the plight of the Jews who fled to Egypt after Jerusalem’s capture
by Nebuchadnezzar: “Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the
Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the King of
Babylon had left a remnant of Judah.… Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to
Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael …
wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be
scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?” (Jer. 40:11, 15).
Zephaniah, a seventh-century prophet, identified the “remnant” with the poor and
humble (2:3, 7; 3:12-13). Zechariah announced that a “remnant” would be present at the
time of the coming of the Messiah’s kingdom (12:10-13:1; 13:8-9).
(
, 7605), “rest; remnant; residue.” Isaiah describes the “remnant” of
Israel: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are
escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but
shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth” (Isa. 10:20). Notice that a
twofold theme emerges from most prophetic passages concerning the “remnant”: (1) A
“remnant” will survive when the people are subjected to punishment, and (2) the fact that
a “remnant” does survive and does remain contains a note of hope for the future. Isa.
10:21 announces: “The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty
God.” In Isa. 11:11, the prophet proclaims: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the
Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his peoplewhich
shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from
Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.”
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REMAINDER
.
B. Verb.
(
, 7604), “to remain, be left over.” This verb and its noun derivatives
occur about 220 times in the Old Testament.
Noah and his family were a “remnant” delivered by the Flood: “… And Noah only
remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark” (Gen. 7:23). In the days of Elijah,