Topical Encyclopedia
The term "against" in the Bible often signifies opposition, resistance, or conflict, whether in a physical, spiritual, or moral sense. It is used to describe the stance of individuals, groups, or even God Himself in various contexts throughout Scripture.
1.
Human Opposition to God: The Bible frequently addresses the theme of humanity's opposition to God and His commandments. In the Old Testament, the Israelites often turned against God by worshiping idols and disobeying His laws. For instance, in
1 Samuel 12:15 , the prophet Samuel warns the people, "But if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers."
2.
God's Opposition to Sin: God is depicted as being against sin and unrighteousness. His holiness and justice necessitate a stance against evil. In
Isaiah 59:2 , it is written, "But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear." This illustrates God's opposition to sin, which separates humanity from Him.
3.
Interpersonal Conflicts: The Bible also addresses conflicts between individuals. In
Matthew 5:23-24 , Jesus teaches about reconciliation, saying, "Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." This passage emphasizes the importance of resolving conflicts and seeking peace with others.
4.
Spiritual Warfare: The New Testament speaks of spiritual warfare, where believers are called to stand against the forces of evil.
Ephesians 6:11-12 instructs, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." This highlights the believer's call to resist spiritual adversaries through divine strength and protection.
5.
Legal and Social Opposition: The early Christians often faced opposition from legal and social systems. In
Acts 4:26 , the apostles quote
Psalm 2, saying, "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One." This reflects the reality of opposition faced by the early church from earthly authorities.
6.
Moral and Ethical Stance: Believers are called to take a stand against immorality and false teachings. In
1 Timothy 6:12 , Paul exhorts Timothy, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses." This charge underscores the necessity of opposing falsehood and upholding the truth of the Gospel.
The concept of "against" in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing divine opposition to sin, human resistance to God, interpersonal conflicts, spiritual warfare, and the believer's moral and ethical responsibilities. Each instance calls for discernment and action in accordance with God's will and purposes.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
prep.) Abreast; opposite to; facing; towards; as, against the mouth of a river; -- in this sense often preceded by over.
2. (prep.) From an opposite direction so as to strike or come in contact with; in contact with; upon; as, hail beats against the roof.
3. (prep.) In opposition to, whether the opposition is of sentiment or of action; on the other side; counter to; in contrariety to; hence, adverse to; as, against reason; against law; to run a race against time.
4. (prep.) By of before the time that; in preparation for; so as to be ready for the time when.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
AGAINSTa-genst' (kata; enantion; pros): Preposition expressing contrast. When used of direction, equivalent to "toward" (Matthew 10:35;Matthew 12:14, etc.); when of position, meaning "opposite," "facing," "in front of" (1 Kings 7:5Genesis 15:10, Romans 8:31); when of action, "opposed to" (Matthew 5:11;Matthew 26:591 Corinthians 4:6); "in resistance to" (Hebrews 12:4); "provision for" (Greek eis, literally, "unto, toward" (1 Timothy 6:19)). Sometimes also applied to what breaks an established order as "customs" (Acts 28:17), "nature" (Romans 1:26). Peculiar shades of meaning may be traced by careful examination of the variety of prepositions in Hebrew and Greek employed in the Scriptures, that are translated into English by this one word.
H. E. Jacobs
HOLY GHOST (SPIRIT), SIN AGAINST THE
SeeBLASPHEMY;HOLY SPIRIT, III, 1, (4).
SIN AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST (SPIRIT)
SeeBLASPHEMY.
Greek
2596. kata -- down,against, according to... down,
against, according to. Part of Speech: Preposition Transliteration: kata Phonetic
Spelling: (kat-ah') Short Definition: down from,
against, according to
...497. antistrateuomai -- to make waragainst
... to make waragainst. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: antistrateuomai Phonetic
Spelling: (an-tee-strat-yoo'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I campaignagainst...
2649. katamartureo -- to testify or bear witnessagainst
... to testify or bear witnessagainst. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katamartureo
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-am-ar-too-reh'-o) Short Definition: I give...
498. antitasso -- to range in battleagainst, to set oneself...
... to range in battleagainst, to set oneselfagainst. Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: antitasso Phonetic Spelling: (an-tee-tas'-som-ahee) Short Definition...
561. apenanti -- overagainst, before
... overagainst, before. Part of Speech: Adverb Transliteration: apenanti Phonetic
Spelling: (ap-en'-an-tee) Short Definition: overagainst, opposite, in view of...
4366. prosregnumi -- to breakagainst
... to breakagainst. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: prosregnumi Phonetic Spelling:
(pros-rayg'-noo-mee) Short Definition: I dashagainst Definition: I dash...
464. antagonizomai -- to struggleagainst
... to struggleagainst. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: antagonizomai Phonetic
Spelling: (an-tag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: I resist, striveagainst...
2018. epiphero -- to bring upon oragainst
... to bring upon oragainst. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: epiphero Phonetic
Spelling: (ep-ee-fer'-o) Short Definition: I bring forwardagainst Definition...
496. antipipto -- to fallagainst, striveagainst
... to fallagainst, striveagainst. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: antipipto
Phonetic Spelling: (an-tee-pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall foul of, resist...
2314. theomachos -- fightingagainst God
... fightingagainst God. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: theomachos Phonetic
Spelling: (theh-om'-akh-os) Short Definition: fightingagainst God...
Strong's Hebrew
7852. satam -- to bear a grudge or cherish animosityagainst... satam. 7853 . to bear a grudge or cherish animosity
against. Transliteration:
satam Phonetic Spelling: (saw-tam') Short Definition:
against. Word Origin a prim
...8618. teqomem -- rise upagainst
... 8617, 8618. teqomem. 8619 . rise upagainst. Transliteration: teqomem Phonetic
Spelling: (tek-o-mame') Short Definition:against.... rise upagainst...
5978. immad --against, by, from, me, mine, of, that I take, unto,
... 5977, 5978. immad. 5979 .against, by, from, me, mine, of, that I take, unto,.
Transliteration: immad Phonetic Spelling: (im-mawd') Short Definition:against...
7125. qirah --against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way
... 7124, 7125. qirah. 7126 .against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way.
Transliteration: qirah Phonetic Spelling: (keer-aw') Short Definition: seek....
5226. nekach -- before, overagainst
... 5225b, 5226. nekach. 5227 . before, overagainst. Transliteration: nekach Phonetic
Spelling: (nay'-kakh) Short Definition: before.... before, overagainst...
6895. qabab -- to utter a curseagainst, curse
... 6894, 6895. qabab. 6896 . to utter a curseagainst, curse. Transliteration:
qabab Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-bab') Short Definition: curse. Word Origin a prim...
3846b. Leb Qamay -- "the heart of (those who are) rising up...
Leb Qamay. 3846a, 3846b. Leb Qamay. 3847 . "the heart of (those who are)
rising upagainst Me," cryptic name for Chaldea (Babylon)....
5921. al -- upon, above, over
... 40), according* (2), account (11), account* (2), across* (1), addition (4), addition*
(1), afflicted (1), after (14), after* (1),against (536),against* (1...
854. eth -- with (denoting proximity)
... with (denoting proximity). Transliteration: eth Phonetic Spelling: (ayth) Short
Definition:against....against, among, before, by, for, from, into, out of,....
5973. im -- with
... with. Transliteration: im Phonetic Spelling: (eem) Short Definition:against....
accompanying,against, and, as long as, before, beside, by reason of, for all,....
Library
Against Praxeas
Against Praxeas. <.Against Praxeas Tertullian. Translated by Dr.
Holmes Table of Contents. Title Page. Introduction. Chapter...
Against Hermogenes
Against Hermogenes. <.Against Hermogenes Tertullian. Translated
by Dr. Holmes Table of Contents. Title Page. Chapter...
Against Heresies
Against Heresies. <.Against Heresies Iren??us. Table of Contents.
Title Page.Against Heresies: Book I. Introductory Note...
Three Books of TestimoniesAgainst the Jews
Three Books of TestimoniesAgainst the Jews. <. Three Books of Testimonies
Against the Jews Cyprian. Table of Contents. Title Page....
OrigenAgainst Celsus
OrigenAgainst Celsus. <. OrigenAgainst Celsus Origen. Translated by the
Rev. Frederick Crombie, DD Table of Contents. Title Page. Book I. Preface....
The Seven Books of ArnobiusAgainst the Heathen
The Seven Books of ArnobiusAgainst the Heathen. <. The Seven Books
of ArnobiusAgainst the Heathen Arnobius. Translated...
The Five BooksAgainst Marcion
The Five BooksAgainst Marcion. <. The Five BooksAgainst Marcion Tertullian.
Translated by Dr. Holmes Table of Contents. Title Page....
Against the Valentinians
Against the Valentinians. <.Against the Valentinians Tertullian. Translated
by Dr. Roberts Table of Contents. Title Page. Introduction....
Against Lying
Against Lying. <.Against Lying St. Augustine. Rev. H. Browne, MA
Table of Contents. Title Page.Against Lying. Introduction....
The PrescriptionAgainst Heretics
The PrescriptionAgainst Heretics. <. The PrescriptionAgainst Heretics
Tertullian. Translated by the Rev. Peter Holmes, DD, FRAS, Etc., Etc....
Thesaurus
Against (17413 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (prep.) Abreast; opposite to; facing; towards; as,
against the mouth of a river; -- in this sense often preceded by over.
...Over-against (156 Occurrences)
Over-against. Over-abundant, Over-against. Overall . Multi-Version
Concordance Over-against (156 Occurrences). Matthew...
Siegeworks (8 Occurrences)
... 20:20 Only the trees of which you know that they are not trees for food, you shall
destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarksagainst the city...
Sinneth (25 Occurrences)
... 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body;
but he that committeth fornication sinnethagainst his own body....
Schemes (25 Occurrences)
... Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to standagainst
the wiles of the devil.... Psalms 21:11 For they intended evilagainst you....
Kicked (9 Occurrences)
... and doth enjoy its sabbaths, in the desolation without them, and they accept the
punishment of their iniquity, because, even because,against My judgments they...
Vex (20 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 2:19 and when thou comest nigh overagainst the children of Ammon, vex
them not, nor contend with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the...
Kick (8 Occurrences)
... It is hard for thee to kickagainst the goad" (Acts 9:4; Acts 26:14).... It is hard
for you to kickagainst the goads.' (WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)....
Subsist (10 Occurrences)
... Matthew 12:25 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided...
Sinning (59 Occurrences)
... John 8:3 Now the scribes and Pharisees came, with a woman who had been taken
in the act of sinningagainst the married relation; (BBE)....
Resources
What does “pisseth against the wall” mean? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean to kick against the pricks? | GotQuestions.orgWhy is every sin ultimately a sin against God? | GotQuestions.orgAgainst: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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