Acts 13

[TheSword]

Not to be a Debbie Downer on some fruitful dialog, but I have to interject some caution on all of the synonym discussion. The Greek word "ordained" was translated from has a finite semantic range, as do all Greek words--meaning the accurate definitions can only go so far and they are determined by mostly context (Greek is a highly contextual language). Using synonyms to of the English word to gain deeper insight into the original meaning, especially when some of those synonyms fall outside of the range of the original Greek, is ill-advised because it runs the risk of forcing a meaning into the text that it was not intended to have.

 

For example, "validate" may be a wholly accurate synonym for "ordain" but it is nowhere in the range of accurate definitions for the Greek tasso. "Validate" is therefore an incorrect translation of, or even comparison to, the original text. We have to be careful not to make the Bible mean what we want it to.

[Left the Bldg]

That's all Greek to me.  :-)

 

But seriously, I would like to get a Hebrew or Greek concordance.  Not sure if that's the correct word "concordance" but a friend suggested that to me to get the "real" meanings of the translations into our English language.  Looking up similar words is the only way I know how at this point to get a better idea of what is being said so I can know how to apply it.

 

So in the original Greek, without using synonyms, what does ordained mean?

[heartstrings]

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G5021&t=KJV

 

Tasso

 

A. to place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint

[HappyChristian]

You beat me to it, heart.  But here's a commentary on that definition:

 

 

 

"Periphrastic past perfect passive indicative of tasso, a military term to place in orderly arrangement. .... The Jews here had voluntarily rejected the word of God. On the other side were those Gentiles who gladly accepted what the Jews had rejected, not all the Gentiles. Why these Gentiles here ranged themselves [placed themselves in orderly arrangement; put themselves in line] on God's side as opposed to the Jews Luke does not tell us. This verse does not solve the vexed problem of divine sovereignty and human free agency. There is no evidence that Luke had in mind an absolutum decretum of personal salvation. Certainly the Spirit of God does move upon the human heart to which some respond, as here, while others push him away." - p. 200, Vol. 3, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Broadman press.

  

 

 

"[Acts 13,] Verse 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.— This text has been most pitifullymisunderstood. Many suppose that it simply means that those in that assembly who were fore-ordained; or predestinated by God's decree, to eternal life, believed under the influence of that decree. Now, we should be careful to examine what a word means, before we attempt to fix its meaning. Whatever Tetagmenoi may mean, which is the word we translate `ordained,' it is neither protetagmenoi norproorismenoi which the apostle uses, but simply tetagmenoi,which includes no idea of pre-ordination or pre-destination of any kind. And if it even did, it would be rather hazardous to say that all those who believed at this time were such as actually persevered unto the end, and were saved unto eternal life. But, leaving all these precarious matters, what does the word tetagmenos mean? The verb tattw or tassw[tasso] signifies to place, set, order, appoint, dispose; hence it has been considered here as implying the disposition orreadiness of mind of several persons in the congregation, such as the religious proselytes mentioned in Acts 13:43, who possessed the reverse of the disposition of those Jews who spake against those things, contradicting and blaspheming, Acts 13:45." - Adam Clarke's Commentary, pp. 597-598, Vol. 5B.

[heartstrings]

double post

[TheSword]

That's all Greek to me.  :-)

 

But seriously, I would like to get a Hebrew or Greek concordance.  Not sure if that's the correct word "concordance" but a friend suggested that to me to get the "real" meanings of the translations into our English language.  Looking up similar words is the only way I know how at this point to get a better idea of what is being said so I can know how to apply it.

 

So in the original Greek, without using synonyms, what does ordained mean?

 

The best concordance for KJV study is Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Strongest-Strongs-Exhaustive-Concordance-Bible/dp/0310233437/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384358148&sr=8-1&keywords=strongest+strongs+exhaustive+concordance+of+the+bible

[Left the Bldg]

They believed the word of the Lord that they had just heard; because they had been ordained to eternal life through their acceptance of Christ as their Savior.

Sometime when verses are presented in two parts; it easier to understand when the latter part is put before the first part.

 I can't click on "like" anymore.  Apparently there is a quota.  I didn't know that.

[Left the Bldg]

The best concordance for KJV study is Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Strongest-Strongs-Exhaustive-Concordance-Bible/dp/0310233437/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384358148&sr=8-1&keywords=strongest+strongs+exhaustive+concordance+of+the+bible

Thanks you.  I love ordering on Amazon.  :-)

[Left the Bldg]

Since the topic of concordances came up...has anyone heard of the Dakes Bible?  It's the KJV of the Bible but has the concordance built into it.  I have one that I bought when I was in AOG that was suggested to me but now not sure some of what is taught in the concordance part is accurate.

[Left the Bldg]

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G5021&t=KJV

 

Tasso

 

A. to place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint

So they were assigned a place because they believed?  Or they believed first and then were assigned a place?

 

I think it the first since God has foreknowledge.  Is this accurate? 

[HappyChristian]

So they were assigned a place because they believed?  Or they believed first and then were assigned a place?

 

I think it the first since God has foreknowledge.  Is this accurate? 

FYI, I posted a couple of explanations of what being in a certain order means.   

[TheSword]

Most study bibles will have some sort of concordance, but they're often limited and truncated. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible's concordance lists all English words used, but only defines "key Hebrew and Greek words" rather than all of them in their inflected forms. To my knowledge it also doesn't give indications of the inflection of the words (i.e. mood, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, etc). That doesn't mean they're bad or wrong, they're just incomplete.

 

It really depends on how deep you want to go. For some people, a complete concordance is enough; some go as far as an exhaustive concordance and stop; some learn language tools; some go all the way and study the language. You just have to figure out how much you want to study. We also (everyone including me) have to realize where our expertise stops, though, and defer to the translators who had a much better grasp on the language than we probably ever will.

[Left the Bldg]

FYI, I posted a couple of explanations of what being in a certain order means.   

I know.  I clicked on "quote" to Heart so I could narrow it down a little more for myself and put a note in my Bible.  No disrespect to your posting.  Sometimes I'll ask a question a different way just to make sure I got it right.  Just my personal way of learning.  :-)

[TheSword]

So they were assigned a place because they believed?  Or they believed first and then were assigned a place?

 

I think it the first since God has foreknowledge.  Is this accurate? 

 

See my first post (#15) in this thread. I laid out a semi-lengthy explanation on the order there that might help answer your question.

[HappyChristian]

I know.  I clicked on "quote" to Heart so I could narrow it down a little more for myself and put a note in my Bible.  No disrespect to your posting.  Sometimes I'll ask a question a different way just to make sure I got it right.  Just my personal way of learning.  :-)

Oh, that's fine - I just didn't know if you'd seen it.