How do I study a modern word/concept in the Bible?

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Depleted

Guest
#1
#1
What I'd like to learn is what God considers "abuse" as opposed to what 21st century Christianity consider abuse. The word is in the Bible only three times. Twice, it's part of a story about something King Saul asked his standard-bearer to do to him. Once it was something Paul didn't want to do with God's truth. So that didn't help me much.

I remember reading in the Law that is was okay to punch a slave anywhere but in the face, and not so hard that he/she couldn't work the next day. And bone-breaking required restitution. These laws certainly don't fit 21st century though.

According to 21st century Christianity, abuse is spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical. All four grounds are reasons to divorce. Addiction has become "abuse," and somehow the addict has become the abuser. Name-calling is "abuse." I don't know about you, but, frankly, if someone calls me a viper or a painted tombstone, I'm thinking that's name-calling. So, even Jesus was abusive.

Something has gone weird on the word "abuse." So, I really would like to study the concept biblically, but have no idea what words to look up, what ideas to look up, or how to go about doing this.

And, no, copy/pasting your go-to verse(s) really won't help me, because we only remember verses that fit our opinion anyway. I would like an unbiased study on the concept, but could use some help on how to go about doing that. Got any?
 
Zen

Zen

Senior Member
#2
Sep 11, 2015
752
16
18
#2
According to the world, chastening a woman is abuse.

Jesus was not abusive.
 
trofimus

trofimus

Senior Member
#3
Aug 17, 2015
10,684
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#3
Depleted said:

According to 21st century Christianity, abuse is spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical.
Click to expand...
We are oversensitive these days.

Depleted said:

All four grounds are reasons to divorce.
Click to expand...
Uhm... what? No. :)

It will be probably very hard to find a study about this, because, as you said, its very rare in Scripture.
 
J

John146

Senior Member
#5
Jan 13, 2016
16,614
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#5
It's actually found five times. It seems like the word "abuse" means to use for an evil or wrong purpose. To treat something or someone against what is usual.

Judges 19:25
But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.


1 Samuel 31:4
Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuseme. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.


1 Chronicles 10:4
Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.


1 Corinthians 6:9
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,


1 Corinthians 9:18
What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
 
Zen

Zen

Senior Member
#6
Sep 11, 2015
752
16
18
#6
Abuse:
1) use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose; misuse.
2) treat with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly.

Cruelty:
1) cruel behaviour or attitudes.
"he has treated her with extreme cruelty"


Violence:
1) behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.
2) strength of emotion or of a destructive natural force.

According to the modern world, God is violent, cruel and therefore abusive and reading and teaching from the books of wisdom is cruelty, and also anyone who chastens a child or woman should be locked up for hate crimes, etc.
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#7
Feb 21, 2014
70,869
9,601
113
#7
Threatening to whip people isn't abusive? Overturning tables isn't abusive? Calling people names isn't abusive? WOW..


Zen said:
According to the world, chastening a woman is abuse.

Jesus was not abusive.
Click to expand...
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#8
#8
trofimus said:
We are oversensitive these days.



Uhm... what? No. :)

It will be probably very hard to find a study about this, because, as you said, its very rare in Scripture.
Click to expand...
I think something along the lines of "violence" would do it, since I'm capable of differentiating between "do" and "don't do."

I have been able to study marriage in the Bible -- the dos, the don'ts, and the examples. But that was done by studying words like:
wife/wives
husband/husbands
divorce
marriage
and remembering couples like Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and even Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.

These things are possible, but I need a jump start on which words to check out.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#9
#9
Zen? Just so you don't waste any more time and space, (and partly so new folks won't be fooled by you), let me make this as clear as possible.

If you had a billion dollars and offered me directions on how to pick it up, I wouldn't trust you enough to see if you would give it to me. If you are an expert in any field whatsoever, and I needed definitive information about that field of expertise, I wouldn't trust you. If you were the only person in the world who had the answer to how to be perfect as God is perfect, who could create world peace, who could feed all the hungry, cure all the sick, and take bad fortunes away from everyone, I wouldn't trust you on any of that.

You are untrustworthy. You do not add to conversation. You have your own private monologue during anyone else's conversation and pretend you are participating. Whatever you teach, I am inclined, immediately, to believe the exact opposite. Why you are still on this site I will never understand, nor do I feel like wasting my time trying to understand.

But do get this, I have chosen to ignore you because it is the only reasonable thing to do with you. So, don't feel so inclined to answer anything I've said. Because I will NOT hear you?

Clear enough?
 
Desertsrose

Desertsrose

Senior Member
#10
Oct 24, 2016
2,824
207
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#10
blue_ladybug said:
Threatening to whip people isn't abusive? Overturning tables isn't abusive? Calling people names isn't abusive? WOW..[/QUOTE

No, Blue, those things were not abuse. Those were judgments from God towards an evil wicked thing they were doing in God's temple. They experienced the wrath of God ........... they received a foretaste of the consequences of their unbelief.
Click to expand...
blue_ladybug said:


Remember that the Jews were God's chosen people. Look at the evil they were bringing into God's house. They were making God's house which was to be a house of prayer into a den of thieves. They used God's holy place to act out their dealings against their very own people for dishonest gain.


God is never abusive. I can't really understand how you think He ever could be.
Click to expand...
 
Desertsrose

Desertsrose

Senior Member
#11
Oct 24, 2016
2,824
207
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#11
Hi Lynn,

Go to google and type in "Greek word for abuse in the bible" and you'll get some results for abuse in the NT.

And then do the same and type in - "Hebrew word for abuse in the bible" and you'll find results for words in the OT
 
Blik

Blik

Senior Member
#13
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
2,424
113
#13
God's principles are not ancient or modern, they are how our earth is created to operate well. When we study His word to understand just what these principles are we need to have an open mind, clear out our own perceptions of it, and trust the word to tell us.

The word is clear about how marital relations are meant to be, how to handle alcohol, how we are to relate to all kinds of other people, all of it. To learn all this we need to study without trying to make what God tells us fit into any of our own ideas but simply trust the Lord to explain it to us. The word tells us to be humble and as a child. In other words, get your ego out of the way and listen and accept.
 
Zen

Zen

Senior Member
#14
Sep 11, 2015
752
16
18
#14
blue_ladybug said:
Threatening to whip people isn't abusive? Overturning tables isn't abusive? Calling people names isn't abusive? WOW..
Click to expand...
No, not abusive.

God isn't abusive.
 
Zen

Zen

Senior Member
#15
Sep 11, 2015
752
16
18
#15
Depleted said:
Zen? Just so you don't waste any more time and space, (and partly so new folks won't be fooled by you), let me make this as clear as possible.

If you had a billion dollars and offered me directions on how to pick it up, I wouldn't trust you enough to see if you would give it to me. If you are an expert in any field whatsoever, and I needed definitive information about that field of expertise, I wouldn't trust you. If you were the only person in the world who had the answer to how to be perfect as God is perfect, who could create world peace, who could feed all the hungry, cure all the sick, and take bad fortunes away from everyone, I wouldn't trust you on any of that.

You are untrustworthy. You do not add to conversation. You have your own private monologue during anyone else's conversation and pretend you are participating. Whatever you teach, I am inclined, immediately, to believe the exact opposite. Why you are still on this site I will never understand, nor do I feel like wasting my time trying to understand.

But do get this, I have chosen to ignore you because it is the only reasonable thing to do with you. So, don't feel so inclined to answer anything I've said. Because I will NOT hear you?

Clear enough?
Click to expand...
I didn't read all this garbage, but honestly I forgive you in Lord Jesus' name.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#16
#16
Desertsrose said:
Hi Lynn,

Go to google and type in "Greek word for abuse in the bible" and you'll get some results for abuse in the NT.

And then do the same and type in - "Hebrew word for abuse in the bible" and you'll find results for words in the OT
Click to expand...
I didn't know abused and reviled were the same words.

And, although this site isn't biblical, it gave me the foothold to know what to look for in the Bible.

Thank you.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#17
#17
trofimus said:
http://www.abigails.org/Workbook.pdf

What about this? About domestic violence, which is part of your question. But it is too long, so I do not know if it is good or not.
Click to expand...
Thanks for trying, but that is more what I feared I'd get, instead of what I wanted to get. That's modern man trying to translate modern thinking into a story in the Bible. Kind of like thinking drugs are witchcraft because the Greek word for magic is where the English word for pharmaceuticals came from. Backwards translating. Drives me nuts(ier.) lol
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#18
#18
Blik said:
God's principles are not ancient or modern, they are how our earth is created to operate well. When we study His word to understand just what these principles are we need to have an open mind, clear out our own perceptions of it, and trust the word to tell us.

The word is clear about how marital relations are meant to be, how to handle alcohol, how we are to relate to all kinds of other people, all of it. To learn all this we need to study without trying to make what God tells us fit into any of our own ideas but simply trust the Lord to explain it to us. The word tells us to be humble and as a child. In other words, get your ego out of the way and listen and accept.
Click to expand...
Yup. That's the plan! :)
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#19
Feb 21, 2014
70,869
9,601
113
#19
Maybe not abusive..but DEFINITELY violent...


Desertsrose said:
blue_ladybug said:
Threatening to whip people isn't abusive? Overturning tables isn't abusive? Calling people names isn't abusive? WOW..[/QUOTE

No, Blue, those things were not abuse. Those were judgments from God towards an evil wicked thing they were doing in God's temple. They experienced the wrath of God ........... they received a foretaste of the consequences of their unbelief.
Click to expand...
blue_ladybug said:


Remember that the Jews were God's chosen people. Look at the evil they were bringing into God's house. They were making God's house which was to be a house of prayer into a den of thieves. They used God's holy place to act out their dealings against their very own people for dishonest gain.


God is never abusive. I can't really understand how you think He ever could be.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
blue_ladybug

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
#20
Feb 21, 2014
70,869
9,601
113
#20
So why is it considered abuse when guys (and women) do it?? Even Jesus wanted to kick butt sometimes, I'm sure..


Zen said:
No, not abusive.

God isn't abusive.
Click to expand...
 
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