(a) of the holiness of God, which consumes all that is inconsistent therewith, Heb.
10:27; 12:29; cf. Rev. 1:14; 2:18; 10:1; 15:2; 19:12; similarly of the holy angels as His
ministers Heb. 1:7 in Rev. 3:18 it is symbolic of that which tries the faith of saints,
producing what will glorify the Lord:
(b) of the divine judgment, testing the deeds of believers, at the judgment seat of
Christ 1 Cor. 3:13 and 15:
(c) of the fire of divine judgment upon the rejectors of Christ, Matt. 3:11 (where a
distinction is to be made between the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the
“fire” of divine retribution; Acts 2:3 could not refer to baptism): Luke 3:16:
(d) of the judgments of God at the close of the present age previous to the
establishment of the kingdom of Christ in the world, 2 Thess. 1:8; Rev. 18:8:
(e) of the “fire” of Hell, to be endured by the ungodly hereafter, Matt. 5:22; 13:42, 50;
18:8, 9; 25:41; Mark 9:43, 48; Luke 3:17:
(f) of human hostility both to the Jews and to Christ’s followers, Luke 12:49:
(g) as illustrative of retributive judgment upon the luxurious and tyrannical rich, Jas.
5:3:
(h) of the future overthrow of the Babylonish religious system at the hands of the
Beast and the nations under him, Rev. 17:16:
(i) of turning the heart of an enemy to repentance by repaying his unkindness by
kindness, Rom. 12:20:
(j) of the tongue, as governed by a “fiery” disposition and as exercising a destructive
influence over others, Jas. 3:6:
(k) as symbolic of the danger of destruction, Jude 23.
Note:
See also under
FLAME
.
2.
$
(
$1
, 4443), from No. 1, denotes “a heap of fuel” collected to be set on fire
(hence Eng., “pyre”), Acts 28:2, 3.¶
Note:
In Mark 14:54, the italicized phrase “of the fire” is added in the Eng. versions
to indicate the light as coming from the “fire.”
B. Adjective.
$
(
"$
, 4447), “fiery” (akin to A, No. 1), is translated “of fire” in Rev.
9:17.¶ In the Sept., Ezek. 28:14, 16.¶
C. Verbs.
1.
$
(
$
, 4448) is translated “being on fire” (middle voice) in 2 Pet. 3:12. See
FIERY
.
2.
(
&
, 5394), “to set on fire, burn up,” is used figuratively, in both
active and passive voices, in Jas. 3:6, of the tongue, firstly of its disastrous effects upon
the whole round of the circumstances of life; secondly, of satanic agency in using the
tongue for this purpose.¶
FIRKIN
(
$ )
, 3355) is a liquid measure (akin to
, “to measure”),
equivalent to one and a half Roman
, or about nine gallons, John 2:6.¶
FIRM