Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Etymology:The term "push" in the context of the Bible is not frequently used in its modern sense of exerting force to move something or someone. However, the concept of pushing, as in driving forward or advancing, can be found in various narratives and teachings throughout the Scriptures. The Hebrew and Greek languages of the Bible may use different words that convey similar actions or ideas, such as pressing forward, striving, or contending.
Biblical References and Contexts:1.
Physical Force and Conflict: The idea of pushing as a physical force is often associated with conflict or battle. In the Old Testament, the imagery of pushing is sometimes used metaphorically to describe the actions of nations or individuals in warfare. For example, in
Daniel 8:4, the vision of the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward symbolizes the aggressive expansion of a kingdom: "I saw the ram charging westward, northward, and southward. No beast could stand before him, and none could deliver from his power. He did as he pleased and became great."
2.
Spiritual Striving and Perseverance: The concept of pushing can also be applied to spiritual striving and perseverance. Believers are often encouraged to press on in their faith, pushing through trials and challenges.
Philippians 3:14 captures this sentiment: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus." Here, the apostle Paul uses the imagery of an athlete pushing forward to describe the Christian's pursuit of spiritual maturity and eternal reward.
3.
Moral and Ethical Urgency: In some instances, the urgency to push forward in moral and ethical decisions is emphasized. The Bible encourages believers to act decisively in matters of righteousness and justice.
Proverbs 4:25-27 advises, "Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil." This passage underscores the importance of pushing forward with determination in the pursuit of a godly life.
4.
Community and Support: The notion of pushing can also relate to the support and encouragement within the community of believers.
Hebrews 10:24-25 exhorts Christians to "consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Here, the idea of spurring one another on can be seen as a communal push towards love and good works.
Theological Implications:The concept of pushing, whether in the context of physical force, spiritual striving, moral urgency, or communal support, reflects the dynamic and active nature of the Christian faith. It emphasizes the need for believers to be proactive in their spiritual journey, to contend earnestly for the faith, and to support one another in love and good deeds. The biblical call to push forward is a reminder of the ongoing battle against sin and the pursuit of holiness, urging Christians to remain steadfast and committed to their heavenly calling.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A pustule; a pimple.
2. (v. t.) To press against with force; to drive or impel by pressure; to endeavor to drive by steady pressure, without striking; -- opposed to draw.
3. (v. t.) To thrust the points of the horns against; to gore.
4. (v. t.) To press or urge forward; to drive; to push an objection too far.
5. (v. t.) To bear hard upon; to perplex; to embarrass.
6. (v. t.) To importune; to press with solicitation; to tease.
7. (v. i.) To make a thrust; to shove; as, to push with the horns or with a sword.
8. (v. i.) To make an advance, attack, or effort; to be energetic; as, a man must push in order to succeed.
9. (v. i.) To burst pot, as a bud or shoot.
10. (n.) A thrust with a pointed instrument, or with the end of a thing.
11. (n.) Any thrust. pressure, impulse, or force, or force applied; a shove; as, to give the ball the first push.
12. (n.) An assault or attack; an effort; an attempt; hence, the time or occasion for action.
13. (n.) The faculty of overcoming obstacles; aggressive energy; as, he has push, or he has no push.
Greek
1643. elauno -- to drive orpush (as wind, oars, or demoniacal...... to drive or
push (as wind, oars, or demoniacal power). Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: elauno Phonetic Spelling: (el-ow'-no) Short Definition: I drive
...683. apotheo -- to thrust away
... to thrust away. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: apotheo Phonetic Spelling:
(ap-o-theh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: Ipush or thrust away, reject Definition...
1856. exotheo -- to thrust out
... shore. Word Origin from ek and otheo (topush) Definition to thrust out
NASB Word Usage drive (1), drove (1). drive out, propel....
1423. duskolos -- with difficulty
... properly, hardly, referring to how hard it is to pass through; (figuratively)
problematic, difficult (" passing through"), like trying topush something too...
4261. proballo -- to throw before
... put forward, shoot forth. From pro and ballo; to throw forward, iePush to the front,
germinate -- put forward, shoot forth. see GREEK pro. see GREEK ballo....
3791. ochleo -- to disturb, trouble
... 3791 (from 3793, "a crowd") -- properly, to mob; (figuratively) topush with force
("forcing along"), exercising torrent-like momentum (like the force of a )....
Strong's Hebrew
5055. nagach -- topush, thrust, gore... 5054, 5055. nagach. 5056 . to
push, thrust, gore. Transliteration: nagach Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-gakh') Short Definition: gores. Word Origin a prim.
...1920. hadaph -- to thrust, drive,push
... 1919, 1920. hadaph. 1921 . to thrust, drive,push. Transliteration: hadaph
Phonetic Spelling: (haw-daf') Short Definition: driven. Word Origin a prim....
6335a.push -- probably to spring about
... 6335, 6335a.push. 6335b . probably to spring about. Transliteration:push
Short Definition: about. Word Origin a prim.... 6335, 6335a.push. 6335b ....
6335b.push -- to be scattered
... 6335a, 6335b.push. 6336 . to be scattered. Transliteration:push Short Definition:
scattered. Word Origin a prim.... 6335a, 6335b.push. 6336 ....
1760. dachah -- topush, thrust
... 1759, 1760. dachah. 1761 . topush, thrust. Transliteration: dachah Phonetic
Spelling: (daw-khaw') Short Definition: down. Word Origin a prim....
6484. patsar -- topush, press
... 6483b, 6484. patsar. 6485 . topush, press. Transliteration: patsar Phonetic
Spelling: (paw-tsar') Short Definition: urged. Word Origin a prim....
3014. yagah -- to thrust away
... topush away; be removed. A primitive root (probably rather the same as yagah through
the common idea of dissatisfaction); topush away; -be removed....
5056. naggach -- given to goring (used of bulls)
... used wont topush. From nagach; butting, ie Vicious -- used (wont) topush. see
HEBREW nagach. 5055, 5056. naggach. 5057 . Strong's Numbers.
5062. nagaph -- to strike, smite
... A primitive root; topush, gore, defeat, stub (the toe), inflict (a disease) --
beat, dash, hurt, plague, slay, smite (down), strike, stumble, X surely, put to...
1848. dophi -- a blemish, fault
... slanders. From an unused root (meaning topush over); a stumbling-block --
slanderest. 1847, 1848. dophi. 1849 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
October the Twenty-Fourth "Push" and "Pull"
... OCTOBER The Twenty-fourth "PUSH" AND "PULL". LUKE xiv.1-11. The world
canonizes "push." It eulogizes the "man ofpush." It loves...
Full Power through Rhythm.
... He would say, "heave ho!". Then all together they would sing "heave ho," and
push. And a "heave ho," andpush; a "heave ho," and apush....
Shall we Go?
... Then the road begins to narrow a bit. The thorn bushes on the side have grown so
thick and rank that theypush over the sides of the road, and narrow it down....
Wide Reading.
... Never mind that now. Justpush on. Do not try to remember all.... But do not stop at
the close of Genesis.Push on into Exodus. The connection is immediate....
The Cross was Foretold in the Blessings of Joseph, and in the...
... glorified among his brethren; [2304] his beauty is [like] the firstling of a bullock;
his horns the horns of an unicorn: with these shall hepush the nations...
Types of the Death of Christ Isaac; Joseph; Jacob against Simeon...
... but when he is blessed by his father in these words: "His glory is that of a bullock;
his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them shall hepush the nations...
A Battle with Smallpox
... It was during one of these times that the doctor was most determined topush
his remedies on him, and he succeeded, too, in a small measure....
An Advance Step in the Royal Programme
... It has not been vacated. Men down here maypush God off the throne of their
lives, and try topush Him out of the affairs of the earth....
The Children of the Poor.
... For, if any man willpush beyond the circle of his daily associations, and enter
the regions of the abject poor, he will see how the hostile forces of privation...
Removing the Veil
... Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills
that we shouldpush on into His Presence and live our whole life there....
Thesaurus
Push (23 Occurrences)... 4. (vt) To press or urge forward; to drive; to
push an objection too far.
... 7. (vi)
To make a thrust; to shove; as, to
push with the horns or with a sword.
...Gore (9 Occurrences)
... in the King James Version, namely, Exodus 21:28, 31 bis, "if an ox gore a man or
a woman," etc.; in 21:29, 32, 36, the King James Version has "push" (with his...
Kenaanah (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 22:11 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus
says Yahweh,'With these you shallpush the Syrians, until they are consumed...
Jostle (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To run against and shake; topush out of the way; to elbow; to hustle; to
disturb by crowding; to crowd against. 2. (vi) Topush; to crowd; to hustle....
Fixing (13 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Zechariah 3:2 And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary: 'Jehovah dothpush against
thee, O Adversary, Yea,push against thee doth Jehovah, Who is fixing on...
Restrained (51 Occurrences)
... Exodus 21:29 But if the ox was accustomed topush with his horn in time past, and
it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not restrained him, but that...
Exterminated (8 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron,
and he said, Thus saith Jehovah: With these shalt thoupush the Syrians, until...
Elbow (1 Occurrence)
... 4. (vt) Topush or hit with the elbow, as when one pushes by another.... 6. (vi) To
push rudely along; to elbow one's way. Multi-Version Concordance...
Put (13688 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To move in any direction; to impel; to thrust; topush; -- nearly obsolete,
except with adverbs, as with by (to put by = to thrust aside; to divert...
Chenaanah (5 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 22:11 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus
says Yahweh,'With these you shallpush the Syrians, until they are consumed...
Resources
What is the Alpha Course? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Church of Body Modification? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is progressivism? | GotQuestions.orgPush: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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