Monthly Archives: May 2024

The Names in 2 Samuel 9

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This post is a condensed reference for the names in Lo Debar – Another Look. I know I go against the popular narrative that Lo Bar was a dump, and that Mephibosheth was a pitiful, defeated individual who crawled in the dirt begging. The links are to other posts about this subject.

I like to study the names of the people and places in a story. There are times when they seem to have their own story to tell and then in other places, they are just names. I do believe it is better to not build your whole point of view on just names.  

David, H 1732 – beloved

Saul, H 7586 – desired. See 1 Samuel 9:20 for a word play on his name. See 1 Samuel 911.   

Jonathan, H 3083 – God has given

Zeba, H 6717 – statue. He was Saul’s chief steward, but as his story plays out, he was not as loyal as you may think. See 2 Samuel 16 for his chance to get all of the land that belonged to Saul, then see 2 Samuel 19:24 for the other half of the story. I think he told David in chapter 9 so he could get rid of the only heir of the land he wanted as his own.  

Makir, H 4353 – sold. He met David when he crossed the Jordan River and supplied aid to the refugees. I believe but cannot prove he was related to Jonathan. He is why Mephibosheth was hidden in Lo Debar.

Ammiel, H 5988 – my kinsman is God.

Mephibosheth, H 4648 – exterminating the idol. I believe he was sent to Lo Debar per instructions from Jonathan and that he was with family who took care of him. He was a grandson of the king who probably had family in the area starting with the last story in Judges.

Lo Debar (city) H 3810, the definition is pastureless or not a pasture. A possible reason for that name is it was built on the side of the Jordan Valley. They were a guard city for Gilead and made pottery as a source of income.

Mica, H 4316 – who is like God. This is Mephibosheth’s son; this is one reason I think he was with family, someone got him a wife.

Jerusalem (city), H 3389 – teaching of peace or foundation of peace. Different references of Strong’s have slightly different definitions, “teach” comes from a possible root word, H3384. Strong’s Hebrew: 3389. יְרוּשָׁלַ֫םִ (Yerushalaim or Yerushalayim) — probably “foundation of peace,” capital city of all Isr. (biblehub.com)  

2 Samuel 9:1 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Synantilambanomai or Helps

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Synantilambanomai is a related post of Wonderful Counselor and with the help of Mounce, Strong, and Biblehub.com we will look at the two times it is used in the New Testament. You will find synantilambanomai in Romans 8:26 (8:27 will be added) and Luke 10:40. To help, aid, or support someone are the terms that will assist us with the verses.

This word and the verses in Romans are great examples of low-use, single-use, or added prefixes and suffixes highlighting an important thought. The online Strong’s Concordance and Mounce Dictionary may list the verses where they are found, and that allows for easy comparisons.  

I will provide a connection between our two verses as a loose example of synantilambanomai. In Romans, the Spirit is the One who helps us, by praying through us when we can’t do it ourselves. In Luke, Martha is “praying to Jesus” asking for Mary to come to her aid, so she does not have to do all the work by herself.

Our keyword has two prefixes and a suffix. This is my simple explanation for Romans. We come together with the Spirit against the problem to take or get an answer/help.  

References:

Romans 8: 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (KJV) Thank you Bible Gateway.

Yes, there is a translation difference because of variations in word meanings. (These are not in order.) When I used a parallel function, I found it interesting how the different translations chose to interpret and footnote this verse. All of them did proclaim a divine act of the Spirit. Some left a little “wiggle room” for what it may look like in the believer’s life and practice.

Intercedes

In the above verses, interceding is the main thought. In verse 26 we see the role of the Holy Spirit being our Counselor and praying through us. In verse 27 we see Jesus doing His intercession before the Father on our behalf. Of the five times the second word is used three of them refer to Jesus, two are in Romans and one in Hebrews. The other two uses are examples (I think) of how that intercession may have sounded (the intensity) or have been done. The word in verse 27 is entynchano.

In verse 26, the one that is associated with the Holy Spirit, the word is hyperentynchano; it is only used once. The prefix hyper should speak volumes to you. Combine this word and the thought of the Spirit’s help and we can understand how special that ministry is for us.

On a personal note, when I have experienced the type of intercession as described in Romans 8:26 it is profound and intense. It is more than (hyper) speaking in tongues. Since it is the Holy Spirit praying through me, I have no understanding of what I am saying and cannot control it, other than to stop. Can this be different in other people? Yes. I will not put the Holy Spirit in a box, He will work with us where we are, but He is still God. While musing on this act of the Holy Spirit, I believe that when the problem is too big for my mind or faith level, He has taken over and prayed as needed. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is more than a promise, it is why He is our paraclete and synantilambanomai.  

Praise of His Glory

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While reading a morning devotion I noticed the phrase “Praise of His Glory” in Ephesians 1. I had spent several months looking at the words in Ephesians 1. This post is to remind me that studying is great but take some time and let the Word fill you up.

Search engines can reveal things that you may not see even with a concordance or extensive study. Praise of His Glory is like that, the phrase is not used as much as I thought in the New Testament. I found these three verses in Ephesians 1.

  • 1:6 His grace that accepted us into His Son is the object of the praise.
  • 1:12 Because we trust in Christ, we should be the praise of His glory.
  • 1:14 The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of what Jesus redeemed and we should praise His glory.

Hyperballo

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Hyperballo is not an adjective for a sporting contest where you beat your opponent. According to Mounce and Strong, it is used five times in the New Testament. NASB translates it as “surpassing” in 2 Corinthians 3:10, which is where it caught my attention, again. (See Ephesians 1:19)

Surpass is a nice word, but I cannot say I use it very much in my day-to-day communication. After paraphrasing the verses below and taking a Muse Moment it may be that my writing and focus could use some adjusting.  

2 Corinthians 3:10 The glory of the New Covenant surpasses the glory of the Old.

2 Corinthians 9:14 The amount of grace from God on the people in the Church.

Ephesians 1:19 The above and beyond power of God that is available to us.

Ephesians 2:7 Because of Christ Jesus (God-Man) the Father will have a testimony of the rich grace He gave us.

Ephesians 3:19 The love of Christ is far greater than knowledge and we should be filled up with it.

ὑπερβάλλω | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Strong’s Greek: 5235. ὑπερβάλλω (huperballó) — to throw over or beyond, to run beyond (biblehub.com)

Hyper G5228 above, beyond

Ballo G906 to throw past

There are many “hypers” in the New Testament, just look on either side of hyperballo in the concordance. Okay, I think it is beyond the intended use of the word, but hyperballo could be a slang term for winning a game.

The Lamp of the Body

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The Lamp of the Body is a phrase found in Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:33-36. This thought has lit several studies, I will list some of them below. I prefer to think of this entry as another layer in the study of these verses and eyes. I will follow Matthew’s Gospel as the primary source for this intriguing thought about the Kingdom.

Jesus used the two thoughts that make up Luke’s version in the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:15 and 6:22-23. There are many great verses in the Old Testament about light and lamps, today I like Proverbs 4:18; my path is like following the sun. Verse 19 is about those is darkness and stumbling. c is a possible source of Jesus’ teaching on the Mount; sin is the lamp of the wicked because of haughty eyes and a proud heart (I used the NASB). Do a Bible search with “light and hid”, it looked good. Mark 4:21-25 repeats the light and hiding part, but ends with hearing and what kind of measure you use.

Tree of Knowledge

I will use this idea again, and not be sorry about it. In our verses, we have eyes, lamps, and light associated with good/healthy and evil, negative, and unsound. What we see can depend on how we are looking at something and in what type of light. Things and people may/can/do have a good and bad side to them.

  • Grapes – a great food source and wine can gladden the heart or you can get drunk. People who chose to be a Nazarite for a season could not partake of either of grape‘s attributes.
  • Yeast – Jesus used it as a symbol of how the Kingdom would grow. It is forbidden during Passover and the Feast of Unleaved Bread, in part, because it was associated with an Egyptian deity and beer-making (a wage earned as slaves). Many love to proclaim yeast is always a symbol of sin.
  • The Bronze Serpent – Jesus compares Himself to this implement of healing during Moses’ time. One of Pharoah’s symbols was the cobra.
  • King Saul – He was changed when he believed and followed the signs from Samuel. He turned to the dark side when he sought his own glory and a tidy profit because he feared his men, by saving forbidden items. He worked hard trying to kill David because of a song.
  • Peter – You have to love him and his steady growth throughout his time with Jesus. Matthew 16: 17 Jesus to Simon you are blessed. 16:22 Jesus to Simon, “Get behind Me, Satan”. Peter had his highs and his lows.
  • The Number Thirteen – In the Bible, I found many positive things associated with thirteen. There are Christians who make it a symbol of bad, it really depends on how you want to look at something. I won’t even discuss the world’s view of the number.

If I may, think of Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith”, as I have heard it labeled. The writer of Hebrews sees these men and women as examples of faith, and they are. It is very easy when you read through their stories in Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, and Samuel to pick out their failures and faults. Light or darkness; it may be time to study grace. The Father loves righteousness and He is the one who defines it.

The Greek

I enjoy looking at the Greek and Hebrew words and thoughts, the Lord has used to this clear up and shed new light on many things. (God bless translators.) For the most part, Luke shares Matthew’s quote from the Sermon, many of the Greek words are the same. Some of these Greek words have more than one meaning. I found that when I compared the texts from the same Bible, they may read differently even though they are the same in the Greek text. You can use the links, do text analysis, and/or look up words in a concordance, whatever makes you happy and you are comfortable with.

Evil πονηρός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Filled with darkness σκοτεινός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com 

Matthew uses two different words for darkness (yes they are related). The last two “darkness” words are skotos. σκότος | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Good ἁπλοῦς | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Filled with light φωτεινός | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

It is good to see what other verses use the same root words to convey the message. Mounce lists the verses on those pages. I found some of these words are used only in our two primary texts.

My New Layer

I have played with the thought of beams of light coming from our lamps/eyes out into the world, like lasers in some comic book characters. Now I would like to say our lamps are shining inward and spotting the things in us that need correcting and more attention on our part. Light shining on an object is what allows us to see the object. If an idea is unhealthy/evil that is what and how we will see it. You need to look up these words!

The Tree of Life in Revelations is for healing the nations. We are the product of eating the Tree of Knowledge. Yes, we need knowledge and wisdom, but those without healing from mercy and grace can still produce an unhealthy person.

Luke

What an amazing person. A Gentile doctor who traveled the Mediterranean with Paul as he spread the Gospel. Yes, there are legends and folklore surrounding this man, but we really do not have many facts. In this same breath, I want to thank God for Theophilus. He shared (apparently) the two works with others that Luke wrote for him.

I think this teaching in Luke 11 is a great example of Luke’s collecting and recording the stories he heard from eyewitnesses. (That is a huge thought in itself.) He combines several thoughts to get verses 33 + 34 and then adds some very insightful words for 35 + 36. Had Luke borrowed 35 + 36 from Paul, Peter, or John? Perhaps he got it from Mary (either one). Given his profession and level of training, it may be his insight from the years of travels, trials, and teachings he experienced that produced 35+36.

I view the Gospel of Luke as his reteaching and reinforcing the Good News he shared with Theophilus. I like his version because he joined stories together in units to boost our thinking about the topics. He adds details and information that may not be in the other Gospels but maintains an “orderly account” in this piece for the Master. (Thank you, Holy Spirit, for getting his work into our Bible.)

These are other posts I have done that might help you.

My hope for this post is that you will find the common thoughts in Luke 11:33-36 and Matthew 6:22-23 to grow in your travels with Jesus.