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Dictionaries :: Bear

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Easton's Bible Dictionary

Bear:

a native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the attacks of a bear (1Sa 17:34-37). Bears came out of the wood and destroyed the children who mocked the prophet Elisha (2Ki 2:24). Their habits are referred to in Isa 59:11; Prov. 28:15; Lam 3:10. The fury of the female bear when robbed of her young is spoken of (2Sa 17:8; Pro 17:12; Hsa 13:8). In Daniel's vision of the four great monarchies, the Medo-Persian empire is represented by a bear (Dan 7:5).

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Bear:

bar (dobh; compare Arabic dubb): In 1Sa 17:34-37, David tells Saul how as a shepherd boy he had overcome a lion and a bear. In 2Ki 2:24 it is related that two she bears came out of the wood and tore forty-two of the children who had been mocking Elisha. All the other references to bears are figurative; compare 2Sa 17:8; Pr 17:12; 28:15; Isa 11:7; 59:11; La 3:10; Da 7:5; Ho 13:8; Am 5:19; Re 13:2. The Syrian bear, sometimes named as a distinct species, Ursus Syriacus, is better to be regarded as merely a local variety of the European and Asiatic brown bear, Ursus arctos. It still exists in small numbers in Lebanon and is fairly common in Anti-Lebanon and Hermon. It does not seem to occur now in Palestine proper, but may well have done so in Bible times. It inhabits caves in the high and rugged mountains and issues mainly at night to feed on roots and vegetables. It is fond of the chummuc or chick-pea which is sometimes planted in the upland meadows, and the fields have to be well guarded. The figurative re ferences to the bear take account of its ferocious nature, especially in the case of the she bear robbed of her whelps (2Sa 17:8; Pr 17:12; Ho 13:8). It is with this character of the bear in mind that Isaiah says (Is 11:7), "And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together."

Written by Alfred Ely Day

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
 

Bear:

(in the sense of "carrying, supporting")
For the verb "to bear" in the sense of "begetting," see BEGET.

1 Strong's Number: g941 Greek: bastazo

Bear:

signifies "to support as a burden." It is used with the meaning

(a) "to take up," as in picking up anything, stones, Jhn 10:31;

(b) "to carry" something, Mat 3:11; Mar 14:13; Luk 7:14; 22:10; Act 3:2; 21:35; Rev 17:7; "to carry" on one's person, Luk 10:4; Gal 6:17; in one's body, Luk 11:27; "to bear" a name in testimony, Act 9:15; metaphorically, of a root "bearing" branches, Rom 11:18;

(c) "to bear" a burden, whether physically, as of the Cross, Jhn 19:17, or metaphorically in respect of sufferings endured in the cause of Christ, Luk 14:27; Rev 2:3; it is said of physical endurance, Mat 20:12; of sufferings "borne" on behalf of others, Mat 8:17; Rom 15:1; Gal 6:2; of spiritual truths not able to be "borne," Jhn 16:12; of the refusal to endure evil men, Rev 2:2; of religious regulations imposed on others, Act 15:10; of the burden of the sentence of God to be executed in due time, Gal 5:10; of the effect at the Judgment Seat of Christ, to be "borne" by the believer for failure in the matter of discharging the obligations of discipleship, Gal 6:5;

(d) to "bear" by way of carrying off, Jhn 12:6; 20:15.
See CARRY, TAKE.

2 Strong's Number: g5342 Greek: phero

Bear:

"to bring or bear," is translated in the RV by the latter verb in Luk 23:26; Jhn 2:8 (twice); 12:24; 15:2 (twice); Hbr 13:13.
See BRING, No. 1 and words there.

3 Strong's Number: g399 Greek: anaphero

Bear:

No. 2, with ana, up, is used of "leading persons up to a higher place," and, in this respect, of the Lord's Ascension, Luk 24:51. It is used twice of the Lord's propitiatory sacrifice, in His bearing sins on the Cross, Hbr 9:28; 1Pe 2:24; the AV margin, "to the tree," is to be rejected. The AV text, "on," and the RV "upon" express the phrase rightly.
See BRING, CARRY, LEAD, OFFER.

4 Strong's Number: g1627 Greek: ekphero

Bear:

No. 2, with ek, "out," is used, literally, "of carrying something forth, or out," e.g., a garment, Luk 15:22; sick folk, Act 5:15; a corpse, Act 5:6, 9, 10; of the impossibility of "carrying" anything out from this world at death, 1Ti 6:7. The most authentic mss. have this word in Mar 8:23, of the blind man, whom the Lord brought out of the village (RV). It is also used of the earth, in "bringing forth" produce, Hbr 6:8.
See BRING, CARRY.

5 Strong's Number: g4064 Greek: periphero

Bear:

No. 2, with peri, "about," signifies "to carry about, or bear about," and is used literally, of carrying the sick, Mar 6:55, or of physical sufferings endured in fellowship with Christ, 2Cr 4:10; metaphorically, of being "carried" about by different evil doctrines, Eph 4:14; Hbr 13:9; Jud 1:12.
See CARRY.

6 Strong's Number: g5297 Greek: hupophero

Bear:

lit., "to bear up under," is best rendered by "endure," as 1Cr 10:13, RV, of enduring temptations; of "enduring" persecutions, 2Ti 3:11; grief 1Pe 2:19.
See ENDURE.

7 Strong's Number: g5409 Greek: phoreo

Bear:

a frequentative form of phero, is to be distinguished from it as denoting, not a simple act of bearing, but a continuous or habitual condition, e.g., of the civil authority in "bearing" the sword as symbolic of execution, Rom 13:4; of a natural state of bodily existence in this life, spoken of as "the image of the earthy," and the spiritual body of the believer hereafter, "the image of the heavenly," 1Cr 15:49, the word "image" denoting the actual form and not a mere similitude.
See WEAR.

8 Strong's Number: g5159 Greek: tropophoreo

Bear:

from tropos, "a manner," and phoreo, "to endure," is found in Act 13:18, where some ancient authorities have the verb trophophoreo, "He bare them as a nursing father," (from trophos, "a feeder, a nurse," and phoreo, "to carry").

9 Strong's Number: g142 Greek: airo

Bear:

signifies

(a) "to raise up, to lift, to take upon oneself and carry what has been raised, physically" (its most frequent use), or as applied to the mind, "to suspend, to keep in suspense," as in Jhn 10:24, lit., "How long doth thou suspend our souls?;"

(b) "to take away what is attached to anything, to remove," as of Christ, in taking (or "bearing," marg.) away the sin of the world, Jhn 1:29; Christ "was manifested to take away sins," 1Jo 3:5, where, not the nature of the Atonement is in view, but its effect in the believer's life.
See CARRY, DOUBT, No. 6, LIFT, LOOSE, PUT, No. 17, REMOVE, SUSPENSE, TAKE.

10 Strong's Number: g4160 Greek: poieo

Bear:

"to do," sometimes means "to produce, bear," Luk 8:8; 13:9; Jam 3:12 (AV, "bear," RV, "yield"); Rev 22:2.
See COMMIT, DO.

11 Strong's Number: g4722 Greek: stego

Bear:

primarily "to protect, or preserve by covering," hence means "to keep off something which threatens, to bear up against, to hold out against, and so to endure, bear, forbear," 1Cr 9:12. The idea of supporting what is placed upon a thing is prominent in 1Th 3:1, 5 ("forbear"), and 1Cr 13:7.
See FORBEAR and SUFFER.

12 Strong's Number: g430 Greek: anechomai

Bear:

signifies "to hold up against a thing and so to bear with" (ana, "up," and echomai, the Middle Voice of echo, "to have, to hold"), e.g., Mat 17:7; 1Cr 4:12; 2Cr 11:1, 4, 19, 20; Hbr 13:22, etc.
See ENDURE, FORBEAR, SUFFER.

13 Strong's Number: g3356 Greek: metriopatheo

Bear:

"to treat with mildness, or moderation, to bear gently with" (metrios, "moderate," and pascho, "to suffer"), is used in Hbr 5:2 (RV and AV marg.). The idea is that of not being unduly disturbed by the faults and ignorance of others; or rather perhaps of feeling in some measure, in contrast to the full feeling with expressed in the verb sumpatheo in Hbr 4:15, with reference to Christ as the High Priest.
See COMPASSION, No.5.

14 Strong's Number: g3114 Greek: makrothumeo

Bear:

"to be long-tempered" (makros, "long," thumos, "temper"), is translated "is longsuffering over" in Luk 18:7, RV (AV, "bear long with").
See PATIENT, SUFFER.

Notes:

(1) For "bear (or give) witness", see WITNESS.

(2) For "bear up into," in Act 27:15, see FACE.

(3) In 1Cr 10:13 the adjective anthropinos, "human" (from anthropos, "man") is translated "is common to man," AV (RV, "man can bear").

(4) For karpophoreo, "to bear fruit," e.g., Mar 4:20, (karpos, "fruit," and No. 7), AV, "bring forth," see FRUIT.

(5) In Act 20:9, RV, kataphero is rendered "borne down."
See GIVE, No. 12.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Bear:

(1 Samuel 17:34; 2 Samuel 17:8). The Syrian bear, Ursus syriacus, which is without doubt the animal mentioned in the Bible, is still found on the higher mountains of Palestine. During the summer months these bears keep to the snowy parts of Lebanon, but descend in winter to the villages and gardens. It is probable also that at this period in former days they extended their visits to other parts of Palestine.

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