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In other contexts
is used as the opposite of verbs indicating various kinds of
movement. The psalmist praises the man who does not walk (behave according to) in the
counsel of the ungodly or “stand” (serve) in the path of the sinful (Ps. 1:1). Laban told
Abraham not “to stand” (remain stationary, not entering) outside his dwelling but to come
in (Gen. 24:31). The verb can suggest “immovable,” or not being able to be moved. So
the “house of the righteous shall stand” (Prov. 12:7). Yet another nuance appears in Ps.
102:26, which teaches the indestructibility and/or eternity of God— the creation perishes
but He “shalt endure [will ever stand].” This is not the changelessness of doing nothing or
standing physically upright, but the changelessness of ever-existing being, a quality that
only God has in Himself. All other existing depends upon Him; the creation and all
creatures are perishable. In a more limited sense the man who does not die as the result of
a blow “stands,” or remains alive (Exod. 21:21). In a military context “to stand” refers to
gaining a victory: “Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?” (2
Kings 10:4; cf. Judg. 2:14).
*
can be used of the ever unchanged content and/or existence of a document
(Jer. 32:14), a city (1 Kings 15:4), a people (Isa. 66:22), and a divine worship (Ps. 19:9).
Certain prepositions sometimes give this verb special meanings. Jeroboam “ordained”
(made to stand, to minister) priests in Bethel (1 Kings 12:32). With “to” the verb can
signify being in a certain place to accomplish a predesignated task—so Moses said that
certain tribes should “stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people” (Deut. 27:12). With
this same preposition this verb can be used judicially of (1) the act of being in court, or
standing before a judge (1 Kings 3:16), and (2) the position (whether literal or figurative)
assumed by a judge when pronouncing the sentence (Ezek. 44:24) or delivering judgment
(Isa. 3:13; cf. Exod. 17:6). With the preposition “before”
is used to describe the
service of a servant before a master—so Joshua “stood” before Moses (Deut. 1:38). This
is not inactivity but activity.
In Neh. 8:5 the verb means “to stand up or rise up”; when Ezra opened the book, all
the people “stood up” (cf. Dan. 12:13).
The Septuagint renders
usually with a verb meaning “to stand” and, where the
contexts show it refers to temporal standing, with verbs meaning “to abide or remain.”
B. Nouns.
$
(
$ 1
, 5982), “pillar; standing place.” The noun
$
occurs 111 times
and usually signifies something that stands upright like a “pillar” (Exod. 26:32; Judg.
16:25). It may occasionally refer to a “standing place” (2 Kings 11:14).
Several other nouns are derived from the verb
!
>
occurs 9 times and
refers to “standing places” (2 Chron. 30:16).
,
means “standing ground” once
(Mic. 1:11).
"
, which occurs 5 times, refers to “service” in 2 Chron. 9:4 and to
“office or function” (in someone’s service) in 1 Chron. 23:28.
"
occurs once to
mean “standing place” or “foothold” (Ps. 69:2).
STATUE