Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Nature:Patience, in the biblical context, is often understood as the capacity to endure hardship, suffering, or delay without becoming angry or upset. It is a virtue that reflects a steadfastness and perseverance in the face of trials. Patience is closely associated with other virtues such as humility, love, and faith.
Biblical References:1.
Old Testament:·
Proverbs 14:29 : "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly." This verse highlights the wisdom and understanding that accompany patience, contrasting it with the folly of a quick temper.
·
Ecclesiastes 7:8 : "The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one." Here, patience is valued over pride, emphasizing the importance of a humble and enduring spirit.
2.
New Testament:·
Romans 12:12 : "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer." This exhortation from Paul encourages believers to maintain patience during times of suffering, linking it with hope and prayer.
·
James 5:7-8 : "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near." James uses the metaphor of a farmer to illustrate the necessity of patience in anticipation of the Lord's return.
Theological Significance:Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, as outlined in
Galatians 5:22-23 : "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." As a fruit of the Spirit, patience is a divine attribute that believers are called to cultivate through the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Christ as the Model of Patience:Jesus Christ exemplifies perfect patience. His life and ministry were marked by enduring suffering and opposition with grace and steadfastness. In
1 Timothy 1:16 , Paul writes, "But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life." Christ's patience serves as a model for believers, demonstrating how to endure trials with faith and hope.
Practical Application:Believers are encouraged to practice patience in their daily lives, whether in personal relationships, during trials, or in waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled.
Colossians 3:12 instructs, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." This call to patience is a reminder of the believer's identity in Christ and the virtues that should characterize their conduct.
Challenges to Patience:In a world that often values instant gratification and quick results, patience can be a challenging virtue to cultivate. However, Scripture encourages believers to view trials as opportunities to develop patience.
James 1:3-4 states, "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." This perspective helps believers to see the refining purpose of trials in their spiritual growth.
Conclusion:Patience is a vital Christian virtue that reflects the character of God and the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. Through the example of Christ and the guidance of Scripture, believers are called to cultivate patience as they navigate the challenges and trials of life, trusting in God's perfect timing and sovereign plan.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The state or quality of being patient; the power of suffering with fortitude; uncomplaining endurance of evils or wrongs, as toil, pain, poverty, insult, oppression, calamity, etc.
2. (n.) The act or power of calmly or contentedly waiting for something due or hoped for; forbearance.
3. (n.) Constancy in labor or application; perseverance.
4. (n.) Sufferance; permission.
5. (n.) A kind of dock (Rumex Patientia), less common in America than in Europe; monk's rhubarb.
6. (n.) Solitaire.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PATIENCEpa'-shens (hupomone, makrothumia): "Patience" implies suffering, enduring or waiting, as a determination of the will and not simply under necessity. As such it is an essential Christian virtue to the exercise of which there are many exhortations. We need to "wait patiently" for God, to endure uncomplainingly the various forms of sufferings, wrongs and evils that we meet with, and to bear patiently injustices which we cannot remedy and provocations we cannot remove.
The word "patience" does not occur in the Old Testament, but we have "patiently" inPsalm 40:1 as the translation of qawah, "to wait," "to expect," which word frequently expresses the idea, especially that of waiting on God; inPsalm 37:7, "patiently" ("wait patiently") is the translation of qul, one of the meanings of which is "to wait" or "to hope for" or "to expect" (ofJob 35:14); "patient" occurs (Ecclesiastes 7:8) as the translation of 'erekh ruach, "long of spirit," and (Job 6:11) "that I should be patient" (ha'arikh nephesh). Compare "impatient" (Job 21:4).
"Patience" occurs frequently in the Apocrypha, especially in Ecclesiasticus, e.g. 2:14; 16:13; 17:24; 41:2 (hupomone); 5:11 (makrothumia); 29:8 (makrothumeo, the Revised Version (British and American) "long suffering"); in The Wisdom of Solomon 2:19, the Greek word is anexikakia.
In the New Testament hupomone carries in it the ideas of endurance, continuance (Luke 8:15;Luke 21:19Romans 5:3, 4, the American Standard Revised Version "stedfastness";Romans 8:25, etc.).
In all places the American Revised Version margin has "stedfastness," exceptJames 5:11, where it has "endurance"; makrothumia is translated "patience" (Hebrews 6:12James 5:10); makrothumeo, "to bear long" (Matthew 18:26, 29James 5:7; SeeLONGSUFFERING); the same verb is translated "be patient" (1 Thessalonians 5:14, the Revised Version (British and American) "longsuffering";James 5:7, 8, the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) "patient"); makrothumos, "patiently" (Acts 26:3); hupomeno (1 Peter 2:20); anexikakos is translated "patient" (2 Timothy 2:4, the Revised Version (British and American), the King James Version margin, "forbearing"); epieikes, "gentle" (1 Timothy 3:3, the Revised Version (British and American) "gentle"); hupomeno (Romans 12:12, "patient in tribulation"). For "the patient waiting for Christ" (2 Thessalonians 3:5), the Revised Version (British and American) has "the patience of Christ."
Patience is often hard to gain and to maintain, but, inRomans 15:5, God is called "the God of patience" (the American Revised Version margin "stedfastness") as being able to grant that grace to those who look to Him and depend on Him for it. It is in reliance on God and acceptance of His will, with trust in His goodness, wisdom and faithfulness, that we are enabled to endure and to hope stedfastly.
See alsoGOD.
W. L. Walker
Greek
3115. makrothumia --patience, long-suffering...patience, long-suffering. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: makrothumia
Phonetic Spelling: (mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah) Short Definition:
patience...3114. makrothumeo -- to persevere, to be patient
... patient. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: makrothumeo Phonetic Spelling:
(mak-roth-oo-meh'-o) Short Definition: I suffer long, havepatience, am forbearing...
5281. hupomone -- a remaining behind, a patient enduring
... enduring,patience, steadfast. From hupomeno; cheerful (or hopeful) endurance,
constancy -- enduring,patience, patient continuance (waiting)....
5278. hupomeno -- to stay behind, to await, endure
... Word Origin from hupo and meno Definition to stay behind, to await, endure NASB
Word Usage endure (3), endure...withpatience (1), endured (5), endures (3...
4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... boast" (). Gal 5:22,23: " 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,.
patience, kindness, goodness, (4102), 23 gentleness,. self...
5254. hupecho -- to hold or put under, fig. to undergo
... to undergo NASB Word Usage undergoing (1). suffer. From hupo and echo; to hold oneself
under, ie Endure withpatience -- suffer. see GREEK hupo. see GREEK echo....
430. anecho -- to hold up, bear with
... Transliteration: anecho Phonetic Spelling: (an-ekh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I
endure, bear with Definition: I endure, bear with, havepatience with, suffer...
463. anoche -- a delaying, forbearance
... Transliteration: anoche Phonetic Spelling: (an-okh-ay') Short Definition: forbearance
Definition: forbearance, suspense or delay (of punishment),patience....
4327. prosdechomai -- to receive to oneself
... dechomai; to admit (to intercourse, hospitality, credence, or (figuratively) endurance);
by implication, to await (with confidence orpatience) -- accept, allow...
Strong's Hebrew
3811. laah -- to be weary or impatient... or impatient NASB Word Usage become impatient (1), exhausted (1), find difficulty
(1), impatient (1), parched (1), tired (2), try the
patience (2), wearied (4
...7663. sabar -- to inspect, examine
... Nehemiah 2:13, Nehemiah 2:15) {shaw-bar'}; a primitive root; to scrutinize; by
implication (of watching) to expect (with hope andpatience) -- hope, tarry, view...
860. athon -- a female donkey
... she ass. Probably from the same as 'eythan (in the sense ofpatience); a female
donkey (from its docility) -- (she) ass. see HEBREW 'eythan. 859, 860....
750. arek -- long
... Word Origin from arak Definition long NASB Word Usage long (1),patience (2), slow
(10), who is slow (2). longsuffering patient, slow to anger....
347. Iyyob -- a patriarch
... Job. From 'ayab; hated (ie Persecuted); Ijob, the patriarch famous for hispatience --
Job. see HEBREW 'ayab. 346, 347. Iyyob. 348 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
OnPatience
OnPatience. <. OnPatience St. Augustine. Rev. H. Browne, MA Table
of Contents. Title Page. OnPatience. 2. Thepatience...
OfPatience
OfPatience. <. OfPatience Tertullian. Translated by Rev. S. Thelwall
Table of Contents. Title Page. Chapter I.--OfPatience...
ThePatience of Christ.
... ThePatience of Christ.... They suffered persecutions and were troubled. False alarms
had affected theirpatience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ....
WhetherPatience is a virtue?
... OFPATIENCE (FIVE ARTICLES) Whetherpatience is a virtue? Objection 1: It
seems thatpatience is not a virtue. For the virtues are...
Kingdom andPatience
... KINGDOM ANDPATIENCE.... John says, I "am your brother and fellow-partaker
in the tribulation and kingdom andpatience with Jesus."....
The Angel ofPatience.
... THE ANGEL OFPATIENCE. THE ANGEL OFPATIENCE. 13,13,13,13. "Ye have need of
patience.""Heb.10:36. "Es zieht eln stiller Engel darch dieses Erdenland."....
Of BodilyPatience.
OfPatience. <.... Chapter XIII."Of BodilyPatience. Thus far, finally,
ofpatience simple and uniform, and as it exists...
Patience.
... CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND LIFE. 345. "Patience. 345. LM Rippon's Coll.
Patience. 1Patience, O, 't is a grace divine, Sent from...
WhetherPatience is a Part of Fortitude?
... OFPATIENCE (FIVE ARTICLES) Whetherpatience is a part of fortitude? Objection
1: It seems thatpatience is not a part of fortitude....
Eighteenth Day.Patience.
... Eighteenth Day.PATIENCE. "He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter.""
Isaiah 53, 7. How great was thepatience of Jesus! Even...
Thesaurus
Patience (59 Occurrences)...PATIENCE. pa'-shens (hupomone, makrothumia): "
Patience" implies suffering, enduring
or waiting, as a determination of the will and not simply under necessity.
...Steadfastness (15 Occurrences)
... Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning,
that throughpatience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might...
Longsuffering (17 Occurrences)
... else is nothing: "Love suffereth long (makrothumei), and is kind" (1 Corinthians
13:4); The verb makrothumeo is sometimes translated by "patience" (Matthew 18...
Perseverance (27 Occurrences)
... Luke 8:15 That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart,
having heard the word, hold it tightly, and bring forth fruit withpatience....
Long-suffering (23 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) Bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked.
2. (n.) Longpatience of offense. Multi-Version Concordance...
Patient (34 Occurrences)
... Matthew 18:26 The servant then, having fallen down, was bowing to him, saying,
Sir, havepatience with me, and I will pay thee all; (See NIV)....
Godliness (16 Occurrences)
... 1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love,patience, and gentleness....
Forbearance (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Toleration of an offense;patience. 2.
(n.) The quality of being forbearing; indulgence toward...
Tribulations (11 Occurrences)
... (DBY YLT). Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing
that tribulation workethpatience; (KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS)....
Temperance (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) Moderation of passion;patience; calmness; sedateness. 3. (vt) State with
regard to heat or cold; temperature. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia....
Resources
What does the Bible say about patience? | GotQuestions.orgThe Fruit of the Holy Spirit What is patience? | GotQuestions.orgThe patience of Job'why is Job famous for being patient? | GotQuestions.orgPatience: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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