Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical narrative, the concept of defeat is multifaceted, encompassing both physical and spiritual dimensions. It often serves as a tool for divine instruction, correction, and the unfolding of God's sovereign plan. Throughout Scripture, defeat is portrayed as a consequence of disobedience, a test of faith, or a precursor to eventual victory through God's intervention.
Old Testament Instances1.
Israel's Defeats Due to Disobedience: The Israelites experienced defeat when they turned away from God's commandments. A notable example is the defeat at Ai, following the sin of Achan.
Joshua 7:4-5 recounts, "So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water." This defeat was a direct result of Israel's unfaithfulness and served as a call to repentance and purification.
2.
Defeat as Divine Judgment: The Old Testament frequently depicts defeat as a form of divine judgment against nations and individuals who oppose God's will. For instance, the Philistines' capture of the Ark of the Covenant (
1 Samuel 4:10-11) was a significant defeat for Israel, symbolizing God's displeasure with the corrupt priesthood of Eli.
3.
Lessons from Defeat: Defeat often led to introspection and renewal of faith. In
Judges 6, the Israelites were oppressed by the Midianites due to their idolatry. Their eventual cry to the Lord led to the rise of Gideon, who, with God's guidance, delivered Israel from their oppressors.
New Testament Perspective1.
Spiritual Defeat and Victory: The New Testament shifts the focus from physical battles to spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 6:12 emphasizes this, stating, "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." Believers are called to put on the full armor of God to stand firm against spiritual defeat.
2.
Christ's Victory Over Defeat: The ultimate defeat of sin and death is accomplished through Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:15 declares, "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Christ's resurrection is the definitive victory over the ultimate defeat, offering believers hope and assurance of eternal life.
3.
Overcoming Personal Defeat: The New Testament encourages believers to overcome personal defeat through faith and perseverance.
Romans 8:37 affirms, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." This passage reassures Christians that, despite trials and setbacks, they can achieve victory through Christ's love and power.
Theological ImplicationsDefeat in the Bible is not merely a historical or narrative element but carries profound theological implications. It underscores the consequences of sin, the necessity of obedience, and the power of repentance. Moreover, it highlights God's sovereignty and the ultimate triumph of His purposes. Defeat serves as a reminder of human frailty and the need for divine intervention, pointing to the hope and redemption found in Christ.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. t.) To undo; to disfigure; to destroy.
2. (v. t.) To render null and void, as a title; to frustrate, as hope; to deprive, as of an estate.
3. (v. t.) To overcome or vanquish, as an army; to check, disperse, or ruin by victory; to overthrow.
4. (v. t.) To resist with success; as, to defeat an assault.
5. (n.) An undoing or annulling; destruction.
6. (v.) Frustration by rendering null and void, or by prevention of success; as, the defeat of a plan or design.
7. (n.) An overthrow, as of an army in battle; loss of a battle; repulse suffered; discomfiture; -- opposed to victory.
Greek
2275. hettema -- loss... loss. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: hettema Phonetic Spelling:
(hayt'-tay-mah) Short Definition: a
defeat, failure Definition: defect, loss
...3794. ochuroma -- a stronghold, fortress
... Pompey inflicted a crushingdefeat upon their navy off the rocky stronghold of
Coracesium on the confines of Cilicia and Pisidia" (, 833).]....
3901. pararreo -- to flow by, hence slip away
... 3901 (" drift away") means to "lapse" into spiritualdefeat, describing
how we slowly move away from our moorings in Christ. Word...
2610. katagonizomai -- to struggle against
... Word Origin from kata and agonizomai Definition to struggle against NASB
Word Usage conquered (1). to conquer,defeat, overcome....
Strong's Hebrew
1949. hum -- to murmur, roar,defeat in battle... hum or him. 1950 . to murmur, roar,
defeat in battle. Transliteration: hum or
him Phonetic Spelling: (hoom) Short Definition: noisy. Word Origin a prim.
...2476. chalushah -- weakness, prostration
... chalushah. 2477 . weakness, prostration. Transliteration: chalushah Phonetic Spelling:
(khal-oo-shaw') Short Definition:defeat. Word Origin fem. pass. part....
6565. parar -- to break, frustrate
... 6564, 6565. parar. 6565a . to break, frustrate. Transliteration: parar
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-rar') Short Definition:defeat. break...
5062. nagaph -- to strike, smite
... A primitive root; to push, gore,defeat, stub (the toe), inflict (a disease) --
beat, dash, hurt, plague, slay, smite (down), strike, stumble, X surely, put to...
4046. maggephah -- a blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence
... be plagued, slaughter, stroke. From nagaph; a pestilence; by analogy,defeat --
(X be) plague(-d), slaughter, stroke. see HEBREW nagaph. 4045, 4046....
5414. nathan -- to give, put, set
... give (1), comes (1), commit (1), committed (1), conferred (1), consider (1), consign
(1), contribute (1), cried (1), dedicated (1),defeat (1), deliver (26...
5221. nakah -- to smite
... attacks (3), beat (3), beat down (1), beaten (5), beating (1), blows (1), bothered
(1), cast (1), clap (3), clapped (1), conquered (5),defeat (5), defeated (44...
5060. naga -- to touch, reach, strike
... for any purpose; euphem., to lie with a woman); by implication, to reach (figuratively,
to arrive, acquire); violently, to strike (punish,defeat, destroy, etc...
Library
Faithlessness andDefeat
... THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL FAITHLESSNESS ANDDEFEAT. 'And the word of Samuel came
to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines...
TheDefeat of the Midianites.
... THEDEFEAT OF THE MIDIANITES. Large numbers of the Israelites gathered around
Gideon, prepared to fight against the Midianites, who...
Defeat in victory and victory inDefeat
... BOOK VDEFEAT IN VICTORY AND VICTORY INDEFEAT. Signor, non sotto l' ombra
in piaggia molle, Tra fonti e fior, tra Ninfe e tra Sirene,....
Judah, on theDefeat of the Enemy, Returned to Jerusalem...
... Book II. Chapter XXII. Judah, on thedefeat of the enemy, returned to
Jerusalem? Judah, on thedefeat of the enemy, returned to...
The Cross the victory andDefeat of Darkness
... VOLUME II: ST. LUKE Chaps. XIII to XXIV THE CROSS THE VICTORY ANDDEFEAT OF DARKNESS.
'This is your hour, and the power of darkness.' "Luke 22:53....
Success andDefeat. December 10.
... Success andDefeat. December 10. In many things success at first is dangerous,
anddefeat an excellent medicine for testing people's...
Defeat of Maxentius's Armies in Italy.
... The Life of the blessed emperor constantine, by eusebius pamphilus. Book
I. Chapter XXXVII."Defeat of Maxentius's Armies in Italy....
Achan's Sin, Israel'sDefeat
... THE BOOK OF JOSHUA ACHAN'S SIN, ISRAEL'SDEFEAT. 'But the children of Israel
committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan...
Constantine. The Army of Honorius and Edovicus his General.Defeat...
... Chapter XIV."Constantine. The Army of Honorius and Edovicus his General.Defeat
of Edovicus by Ulphilas, the General of Constantine. Death of Edovicus....
Concerning the Wickedness of Jehoram King O Jerusalem; hisDefeat...
... From The Death Of Ahab To The Captivity Of The Ten Tribes. CHAPTER 5. Concerning
The Wickedness Of Jehoram King O Jerusalem; HisDefeat And Death....
Thesaurus
Defeat (16 Occurrences)... 4. (vt) To resist with success; as, to
defeat an assault. 5. (n.) An undoing or
annulling; destruction.
... Multi-Version Concordance
Defeat (16 Occurrences).
...Nicanor (1 Occurrence)
... Soter. After thedefeat of Seron by Judas, Epiphanes entrusted his chancellor
Lysias with the reduction of Judea (1 Maccabees 3:34;)....
Gilboa (8 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Boiling spring, a mountain range, now Jebel Fukua', memorable
as the scene of Saul's disastrousdefeat by the Philistines....
Thwart (5 Occurrences)
... the air. 7. (vt) To cross, as a purpose; to oppose; to run counter to;
to contravene; hence, to frustrate ordefeat. 8. (vi) To...
Ahithophel (17 Occurrences)
... saw with absolute clearness that Absalom had sacrificed his one opportunity, and
he committed suicide to avoid participation in the shamefuldefeat which he...
Ahab (85 Occurrences)
... himself as he that putteth it off." At the advice of a prophet of Yahweh, Ahab,
with 7,000 men under 232 leaders, inflicts a crushingdefeat upon Benhadad and...
Victory (71 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Thedefeat of an enemy in battle, or of an antagonist
in any contest; a gaining of the superiority in any struggle or competition...
Nabathaeans
... Ant, XIII, xiii, 3). A few years later (90 BC) Alexander retaliated by attacking
Obedas I, king of the Nabateans, but suffered a severedefeat East of the...
Nabataeans
... Ant, XIII, xiii, 3). A few years later (90 BC) Alexander retaliated by attacking
Obedas I, king of the Nabateans, but suffered a severedefeat East of the...
Oreb (4 Occurrences)
... 10:26). Oreb, The rock of. The place where Gideon slew Oreb after thedefeat
of the Midianites (Judges 7:25; Isaiah 10:26). It was...
Resources
Why did Satan think he could defeat God? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the source of Samson's strength? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the weapons of righteousness in 2 Corinthians 6:7? | GotQuestions.orgDefeat: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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