Topical Encyclopedia
The term "suspended" is not directly used in the Bible; however, the concept can be explored through various biblical narratives and teachings that involve themes of delay, interruption, or holding in abeyance. In Scripture, moments of suspension often serve as periods of testing, reflection, or divine intervention.
Suspension in Divine PlansOne of the most prominent examples of suspension in the Bible is the delay in the fulfillment of God's promises. The Israelites experienced a prolonged period of wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. This suspension was a result of their disobedience and lack of faith.
Numbers 14:33-34 states, "Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will bear your guilt and suffer the consequences of your sins."
Suspension in Personal LivesThe life of Joseph provides another example of suspension. Sold into slavery by his brothers and later imprisoned in Egypt, Joseph's journey to becoming a ruler was marked by significant delays. These periods of suspension were instrumental in shaping his character and preparing him for leadership.
Genesis 50:20 reflects Joseph's understanding of God's purpose in these delays: "As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people."
Suspension in Prophetic FulfillmentThe coming of the Messiah was anticipated for centuries, with prophecies suspended in time until their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:4-5 speaks to this divine timing: "But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons." The suspension of prophetic fulfillment underscores God's sovereignty and perfect timing.
Suspension in JudgmentThe Bible also records instances where judgment is suspended, offering a period of grace for repentance. In the book of Jonah, the city of Nineveh was given a reprieve from destruction after its inhabitants repented.
Jonah 3:10 states, "When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them."
Suspension in Spiritual GrowthPeriods of suspension can also be seen as opportunities for spiritual growth and reliance on God.
James 1:2-4 encourages believers to view trials as a means of developing perseverance: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, 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."
In summary, while the Bible does not explicitly use the term "suspended," the concept is woven throughout Scripture in various forms, illustrating God's purpose and timing in the lives of individuals and nations.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
imp. & p. p.) of Suspend.
Greek
3349. meteorizo -- to raise on high, fig. to be in suspense... Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: meteorizo Phonetic Spelling: (met-eh-o-rid'-
zo) Short Definition: I am anxious Definition: I am
suspended, anxious.
...Strong's Hebrew
712. argaz -- a box, chest... coffer. Perhaps from ragaz (in the sense of being
suspended), a box (as a pannier) --
coffer. see HEBREW ragaz. 711, 712. argaz. 713 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
Whether a Man who is Excommunicated orSuspended Can Excommunicate...
... OF THOSE WHO CAN EXCOMMUNICATE OR BE EXCOMMUNICATED (SIX ARTICLES) Whether a man
who is excommunicated orsuspended can excommunicate another?...
Whether those who are Schismatics, Heretics, Excommunicate...
... OF THE MINISTERS OF THE KEYS (SIX ARTICLES) Whether those who are schismatics, heretics,
excommunicate,suspended or degraded have the use of the keys?...
How no one is Allowed to Pray with one who Has BeenSuspended from...
... Prolegomena. Chapter XVI. How no one is allowed to pray with one who has
beensuspended from prayer. Further, if one of them has...
The Serpent Lifted up in the Wilderness Prefigured Christ...
... Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants Chapter 61
[XXXII.]"The Serpent Lifted Up in the Wilderness Prefigured ChristSuspended on...
Whether the Judgment of the Intellect is Hindered through...
... Objection 2: Further, to syllogize is an act of the intellect. But during sleep
the senses aresuspended, as is said in De Somn. et Vigil....
It is Related that when Pilate Would Fain have Released Him all...
... might be remitted. He is led to the cross, and the life of the whole word
issuspended on the wood of which it is made. I would...
Whether those who are Guilty of Simony are Fittingly Punished by...
... Wherefore he issuspended, by virtue of the law, both as regards himself, namely,
that he should not busy himself about exercising his Order, and as regards...
Divine Locutions. Discussions on that Subject.
... Still less could it have formed them if they are uttered in an ecstasy, when the
faculties of the soul aresuspended; for how should the soul then comprehend...
Historical Introduction.
... of the Roman Pontiff on matters of Faith, and on persons judged for violation of
the Faith, had been passed and promulged, all wassuspended, while the...
Valentinus Convicted of Plagiarisms from Plato.
... very succinctly, in a psalm commencing from below, not as Plato does, from above,
expressing himself thus: "I behold [724] all thingssuspended in air by spirit...
Thesaurus
Suspended (2 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Suspend. Multi-Version Concordance
Suspended (2 Occurrences). 2 Samuel 18:9 And Absalom met the servants of David.
...Balance (12 Occurrences)
... probably, of a horizontal bar, either pivoted on a perpendicular rod (see Erman,
Aegypten, I, 615 for similar Egyptian balances), orsuspended from a cord and...
Hang (37 Occurrences)
... 7. (vi) To hold or bear in asuspended or inclined manner or position instead
of erect; to droop; as, he hung his head in shame....
Quiver (9 Occurrences)
... In Genesis 27:3 this word is the rendering of the Hebrew teli, which is supposed
rather to mean asuspended weapon, literally "that which hangs from one", ie...
Swing (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vi) To move to and fro, as a bodysuspended
in the air; to wave; to vibrate; to oscillate. 2. (vi) To...
Sword (427 Occurrences)
... Of the Hebrew was pointed, sometimes two-edged, was worn in a sheath, andsuspended
from the girdle (Exodus 32:27; 1 Samuel 31:4; 1 Chronicles 21:27; Psalm 149...
Foreknow (1 Occurrence)
... that God has a knowledge of events as conditionally future, that is, events neither
merely possible nor certainly future, butsuspended upon conditions...
Foreknowledge (2 Occurrences)
... that God has a knowledge of events as conditionally future, that is, events neither
merely possible nor certainly future, butsuspended upon conditions...
Ring (33 Occurrences)
... 19. (n.) An instrument, formerly used for taking the sun's altitude, consisting
of a brass ringsuspended by a swivel, with a hole at one side through which a...
Hanging (82 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.)Suspended from above; pendent; as, hanging shelves.... 5. (n.) The
act of suspending anything; the state of beingsuspended....
Resources
What does it mean that Jesus took our place? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about sowing and reaping? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Absalom in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgSuspended: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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