Basic HTML Version
(
,
, 5066), “to approach, draw near, bring.” Found primarily in biblical
Hebrew, this word is also found in ancient Ugaritic. It occurs 125 times in the Hebrew
text of the Old Testament.
:
is used for the first time in the biblical text in Gen.
18:23, where Abraham is said to “draw near” to God to plead that Sodom be spared.
The word is often used to describe ordinary “contact” of one person with another
(Gen. 27:22; 43:19). Sometimes
describes “contact” for the purpose of sexual
intercourse (Exod. 19:15). More frequently, it is used to speak of the priests “coming into
the presence of” God (Ezek. 44:13) or of the priests’ “approach” to the altar (Exod.
30:20). Opposing armies are said “to draw near” to battle each other (Judg. 20:23;
KJV
,
“go up”). Inanimate objects, such as the close-fitting scales of the crocodile, are said to be
so “near” to each other that no air can come between them (Job 41:16). Sometimes the
word is used to speak of “bringing” an offering to the altar (Mal. 1:7).
The English versions render
variously, according to context: “went near”
(
RSV
); “moved closer” (
TEV
); “came close” (
JB
,
NEB
,
NASB
).
TO COME UP, ASCEND
A. Verb.
(
, 5927), “to go up, ascend, offer up.” This word occurs in all Semitic
languages, including biblical Hebrew. The Old Testament attests it about 890 times.
Basically,
suggests movement from a lower to a higher place. That is the
emphasis in Gen. 2:6 (the first occurrence of the word), which reports that Eden was
watered by a mist or stream that “went up” over the ground.
*
may also mean “to rise
up” or “ascend.” The king of Babylon said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven” (Isa.
14:13). This word may mean “to take a journey,” as in traveling from Egypt (Gen. 13:1)
toward Palestine or other points northward. The verb may be used in a special sense
meaning “to extend, reach”—for example, the border of Benjamin “went up [“extended,
reached”] through the mountains westward” (Josh. 18:12).
The use of
to describe the journey from Egypt to Palestine is such a standard
phrase that it often appears without the geographical reference points. Joseph told his
brothers to “go up” to their father in peace (Gen. 44:17). Even the return from the Exile,
which was a journey from north to south (Palestine), is described as a “going up” (Ezra
2:1). Thus, the reference may be not so much to physically “going up,” but to a figurative
or spiritual “going up.” This usage appears long before Ezra’s time, when it is said that
one “goes up” to the place where the sanctuary is located (cf. Deut. 17:8). The verb
became a technical term for “making a pilgrimage” (Exod. 34:24) or “going up” before
the Lord; in a secular context, compare Joseph’s “going up” before Pharaoh (Gen. 46:31).
In instances where an enemy located himself in a superior position (frequently a
higher place), one “goes up” to battle (Josh. 22:12). The verb can also refer merely to
“going out” to make war against someone, even though there is no movement from a
lower to a higher plane. So Israel “went up” to make war against the Moabites, who heard
of the Israelites’ approach while still dwelling in their cities (2 Kings 3:21). Even when
is used by itself, it can mean “to go to war”; the Lord told Phinehas, “Go up; for
tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand” (Judg. 20:28). On the other hand, if the