Topical Encyclopedia
The term "strip" in the Bible often refers to the act of removing clothing or possessions, symbolizing humiliation, vulnerability, or judgment. It appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, illustrating both physical and metaphorical meanings.
1.
Physical Stripping: In the Old Testament, stripping often occurs in the context of warfare or judgment. For instance, after a battle, the victors would strip the defeated of their armor and garments as a sign of victory and humiliation. In
1 Samuel 31:8, after the death of Saul and his sons, the Philistines "stripped him and took his head and his armor" . This act of stripping not only served as a practical means of acquiring goods but also as a symbolic gesture of total defeat.
2.
Stripping as Judgment: The prophets frequently use the imagery of stripping to convey God's judgment against Israel and other nations. In
Isaiah 47:2-3, Babylon is personified as a woman who is stripped of her garments as a sign of her impending disgrace and downfall: "Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil, strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, wade through the streams. Your nakedness will be uncovered, and your shame will be exposed" . This vivid imagery underscores the complete exposure and vulnerability that comes with divine judgment.
3.
Metaphorical Stripping: In a metaphorical sense, stripping can refer to the removal of spiritual or moral coverings, revealing one's true nature. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul uses the concept of stripping in a spiritual context. In
Colossians 3:9-10, he exhorts believers to "strip off the old self with its practices, and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator" . Here, stripping off the old self signifies a renunciation of sinful behaviors and attitudes, while putting on the new self represents embracing a life transformed by Christ.
4.
Stripping of Christ: One of the most poignant uses of the term is in the Passion narratives, where Jesus is stripped of His garments before His crucifixion. This act is recorded in
Matthew 27:28: "They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him" . The stripping of Jesus is a profound moment of humiliation and suffering, highlighting His willing submission to the Father's will and the depths of His sacrifice for humanity's redemption.
5.
Symbolism of Stripping in Worship: In some instances, stripping is associated with worship and devotion. King David, in
2 Samuel 6:14, is described as dancing before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen ephod. While not explicitly stated as stripping, his act of removing his royal garments to wear a simple ephod symbolizes humility and total devotion to God, setting aside earthly status in favor of spiritual worship.
In summary, the concept of stripping in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of defeat, judgment, spiritual renewal, and devotion. It underscores themes of vulnerability, transformation, and the ultimate triumph of God's purposes.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. t.) To deprive; to bereave; to make destitute; to plunder; especially, to deprive of a covering; to skin; to peel; as, to strip a man of his possession, his rights, his privileges, his reputation; to strip one of his clothes; to strip a beast of his skin; to strip a tree of its bark.
2. (v. t.) To divest of clothing; to uncover.
3. (v. t.) To dismantle; as, to strip a ship of rigging, spars, etc.
4. (v. t.) To pare off the surface of, as land, in strips.
5. (v. t.) To deprive of all milk; to milk dry; to draw the last milk from; hence, to milk with a peculiar movement of the hand on the teats at the last of a milking; as, to strip a cow.
6. (v. t.) To pass; to get clear of; to outstrip.
7. (v. t.) To pull or tear off, as a covering; to remove; to wrest away; as, to strip the skin from a beast; to strip the bark from a tree; to strip the clothes from a man's back; to strip away all disguises.
8. (v. t.) To tear off (the thread) from a bolt or nut; as, the thread is stripped.
9. (v. t.) To tear off the thread from (a bolt or nut); as, the bolt is stripped.
10. (v. t.) To remove the metal coating from (a plated article), as by acids or electrolytic action.
11. (v. t.) To remove fiber, flock, or lint from; -- said of the teeth of a card when it becomes partly clogged.
12. (v. t.) To pick the cured leaves from the stalks of (tobacco) and tie them into hands; to remove the midrib from (tobacco leaves).
13. (v. i.) To take off, or become divested of, clothes or covering; to undress.
14. (v. i.) To fail in the thread; to lose the thread, as a bolt, screw, or nut. See Strip, v. t., 8.
15. (n.) A narrow piece, or one comparatively long; as, a strip of cloth; a strip of land.
16. (n.) A trough for washing ore.
17. (n.) The issuing of a projectile from a rifled gun without acquiring the spiral motion.
Greek
554. apekduomai -- tostrip off from oneself... to
strip off from oneself. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: apekduomai Phonetic
Spelling: (ap-ek-doo'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I
strip, divest, renounce
...1562. ekduo -- to take off, to put off
... to take off, to put off. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: ekduo Phonetic Spelling:
(ek-doo'-o) Short Definition: I put off, take off,strip off Definition...
4813. sulao -- to plunder
... to plunder. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: sulao Phonetic Spelling:
(soo-lah'-o) Short Definition: I rob, plunder Definition: I rob, plunder,strip....
4014. periaireo -- to take away (that which surrounds)
... to take away (that which surrounds). Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: periaireo
Phonetic Spelling: (per-ee-ahee-reh'-o) Short Definition: Istrip off, cast...
2049. eremoo -- to desolate
... to desolate. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: eremoo Phonetic Spelling:
(er-ay-mo'-o) Short Definition: I destroy,strip, rob Definition: (a) I make...
1130. gumniteuo -- to be naked or poorly clothed
... be naked. From a derivative of gumnos; tostrip, ie (reflexively) go poorly clad --
be naked. see GREEK gumnos. (gumniteuomen) -- 1 Occurrence. 1129, 1130....
4683. sparganoo -- to wrap in swaddling clothes
... From sparganon (astrip; from a derivative of the base of sparasso meaning to strap
or wrap with strips); to swathe (an infant after the Oriental custom...
5403. Phoinike -- Phoenicia, a region North of Galilee
... Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Phoinike Phonetic Spelling: (foy-nee'-kay) Short
Definition: Phoenicia Definition: Phoenicia, a northern coaststrip of the...
Strong's Hebrew
6584. pashat -- tostrip off, make a dash, raid... 6583, 6584. pashat. 6585 . to
strip off, make a dash, raid. Transliteration:
pashat Phonetic Spelling: (paw-shat') Short Definition:
strip. Word Origin a prim
...2834. chasaph -- tostrip off,strip, make bare
... chasaph. 2835 . tostrip off,strip, make bare. Transliteration: chasaph Phonetic
Spelling: (khaw-saf') Short Definition: bared. Word Origin a prim....
5426. nethar -- tostrip off
... 5425b, 5426. nethar. 5427 . tostrip off. Transliteration: nethar Phonetic
Spelling: (neth-ar') Short Definition: off. Word Origin...
5337. natsal -- tostrip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered...
... tostrip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver. Transliteration:
natsal Phonetic Spelling: (naw-tsal') Short Definition: deliver....
6209. arar -- tostrip oneself
... 6208, 6209. arar. 6210 . tostrip oneself. Transliteration: arar Phonetic
Spelling: (aw-rar') Short Definition: razed. Word Origin a prim....
7082. qasas -- tostrip off
... qasas. 7083 . tostrip off. Transliteration: qasas Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-sas')
Short Definition: off.... root Definition tostrip off NASB Word Usage cut off (1...
2502. chalats -- to draw off or out, withdraw
... A primitive root; to pull off; hence (intensively) tostrip, (reflex.) To depart;
by implication, to deliver, equip (for fight); present, strengthen -- arm...
6998. qataph -- to pluck off or out
... crop off, cut down up, pluck. A primitive root; tostrip off -- crop off, cut down
(up), pluck. 6997, 6998. qataph. 6999 . Strong's Numbers.
7997. shalal -- to draw out
... A primitive root; to drop orstrip; by implication, to plunder -- let fall, make
self a prey, X of purpose, (make a, (take)) spoil. 7996, 7997....
1540. galah -- to uncover, remove
... 2), revealing (1), reveals (4), revelation* (1), sent into exile (1), sent you into
exile (2), set forth (1), shamelessly uncovers (1), show (1),strip off (1...
Library
Behaviour in the Baths.
... They will scarcestrip before their own husbands affecting a plausible pretence
of modesty; but any others who wish, may see them at home shut up naked in...
A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
... There is a great mixture of races in thestrip where the eastern edge of
the West and the western edge of the East come together....
A Question for a Questioner
... Saviour answered one question of his opponents by another, so may we also silence
the questions of unbelief by further questions which shallstrip our doubt of...
That the Devout Man Should Cleave to God with Naked Understanding...
... The more youstrip yourself of the products of the imagination and involvement in
external, worldly things and the objects of the senses, the more your soul...
How a Religious Man Should Commit Himself to God in all...
... I am now completely convinced that you will recognise from these arguments that
the more youstrip yourself of the products of your imagination and all worldly...
Lo! the Evil one Reproached Death
... rejoice."19. The fire will come that shallstrip off thee thy very skin:
as by the potsherd thou didststrip the skin of Job."20. D...
Letter iii. To Candidianus.
... Thestrip of leather on which the communication was to be made is said to have been
rolled slantwise round it, and the message was then written lengthwise....
Letter xv. --Perfect Detachment.
... It is therefore, on the part of God, a favour and mercy tostrip us of all sensible
gifts and favours; just as it is an effect of His mercy to despoil worldly...
The Sin of Omission.
... To command a young man of wealth and standing immediately tostrip himself of all
his property, to leave the circle in which he had been born and brought up...
Of the Perfect Stripping of the Soul which is United to God's Will...
... God commanded the prophet Isaias tostrip himself naked; and he did so, [434] going
and preaching in this way, for three days together as some hold, or for...
Thesaurus
Strip (33 Occurrences)... 1. (vt) To deprive; to bereave; to make destitute; to plunder; especially, to deprive
of a covering; to skin; to peel; as, to
strip a man of his possession
...Fillet (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A piece of lean meat without bone; sometimes, a longstrip rolled together
and tied.... (b) Astrip of card clothing. (c) A thin projecting band orstrip....
Strap (4 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A long, narrow, pliablestrip of leather, cloth,
or the like; specifically, astrip of thick leather used in flogging....
List (17 Occurrences)
... 9. (n.) Astrip forming the woven border or selvedge of cloth, particularly of
broadcloth, and serving to strengthen it; hence, astrip of cloth; a fillet. 10....
Peel (1 Occurrence)
... 4. (vt) Tostrip off the skin, bark, or rind of; tostrip by drawing or tearing
off the skin, bark, husks, etc.; to flay; to decorticate; as, to peel an orange...
String (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A small cord, a line, a twine, or a slenderstrip of leather, or other
substance, used for binding together, fastening, or tying things; a cord, larger...
Stripe (1 Occurrence)
... 3. (n.) Astrip, or long, narrow piece attached to something of a different
color; as, a red or blue stripe sewed upon a garment....
Gilbo'a (8 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 31:8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came tostrip
the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa....
Despoil (13 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) Tostrip, as of clothing; to divest
or unclothe. 2. (vt) To deprive for spoil; to plunder; to...
Pencil (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A slender cylinder orstrip of black lead, colored chalk, slate etc., or
such a cylinder orstrip inserted in a small wooden rod intended to be pointed...
Resources
Is it a sin for a Christian to go to a strip club or to watch strippers? | GotQuestions.orgIs the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar biblical? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the meaning of gleaning in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgStrip: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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