Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, the term "victim" is not frequently used in the same way it is in modern language. However, the concept of a victim, particularly in terms of sacrifice and suffering, is prevalent throughout the Scriptures. The idea of a victim can be understood through various lenses, including sacrificial offerings, individuals who suffer unjustly, and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Sacrificial OfferingsIn the Old Testament, the concept of a victim is closely associated with sacrificial offerings. The Hebrew word often translated as "offering" or "sacrifice" can imply a victim in the sense of an animal that is offered to God.
Leviticus 1:3-4 describes the burnt offering: "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, so that he may be accepted by the LORD. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so that it may be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him." Here, the animal becomes a victim in the sacrificial system, symbolizing atonement and reconciliation with God.
Innocent SufferersThe Bible also addresses the plight of individuals who suffer unjustly, often seen as victims of circumstances or oppression. The Book of Job is a profound exploration of innocent suffering. Job, described as "blameless and upright" (
Job 1:1), becomes a victim of severe trials and tribulations, raising questions about the nature of suffering and divine justice.
The Psalms frequently express the cries of those who feel victimized by enemies or unjust situations.
Psalm 10:14 states, "But You have regarded trouble and grief; You consider it to take in hand. The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless." This verse highlights the biblical theme of God as a refuge and helper for those who are oppressed or victimized.
Jesus Christ as the Ultimate VictimIn the New Testament, the concept of a victim reaches its culmination in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is portrayed as the ultimate sacrificial victim, willingly laying down His life for the redemption of humanity.
John 1:29 declares, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" Here, Jesus is identified as the sacrificial Lamb, the victim who bears the sins of the world.
The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this in
Ephesians 5:2 : "And walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God." Jesus' sacrificial death is seen as the ultimate act of love and atonement, fulfilling the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and providing a means of reconciliation with God.
Victims of PersecutionThe early Christian church also faced persecution, and many believers became victims of hostility and violence. The Book of Acts records numerous instances of persecution, such as the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (
Acts 7:54-60). The Apostle Peter encourages believers who suffer for their faith, stating in
1 Peter 4:16 , "But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name."
ConclusionThe biblical understanding of a victim encompasses both the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and the suffering of individuals, culminating in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Through these narratives, the Bible offers a profound exploration of suffering, sacrifice, and divine justice, providing hope and assurance of God's ultimate plan for redemption and restoration.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A living being sacrificed to some deity, or in the performance of a religious rite; a creature immolated, or made an offering of.
2. (n.) A person or thing destroyed or sacrificed in the pursuit of an object, or in gratification of a passion; as, a victim to jealousy, lust, or ambition.
3. (n.) A person or living creature destroyed by, or suffering grievous injury from, another, from fortune or from accident; as, the victim of a defaulter; the victim of a railroad accident.
4. (n.) Hence, one who is duped, or cheated; a dupe; a gull.
Greek
4968. sphagion -- avictim (for slaughter)... a
victim (for slaughter). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: sphagion
Phonetic Spelling: (sfag'-ee-on) Short Definition: a slaughtered
victim...4812. sulagogeo -- to carry off as spoil
... Transliteration: sulagogeo Phonetic Spelling: (soo-lag-ogue-eh'-o) Short Definition:
I plunder Definition: I plunder, lead captive; met: I makevictim by fraud...
3146. mastigoo -- to scourge
... Verb Transliteration: mastigoo Phonetic Spelling: (mas-tig-o'-o) Short Definition:
I flog, scourge Definition: I flog, scourge, thevictim being strapped to a...
3119. malakia -- softness, weakness
... weakness, illness, sickness. 3119 (from 3120 , "soft") -- a disease or
condition that weakens ("softens") thevictim. 3119 () is an...
2435. hilasterion -- propitiatory
... Neuter of a derivative of hilaskomai; an expiatory (place or thing), ie (concretely)
an atoningvictim, or (specially) the lid of the Ark (in the Temple...
4625. skandalon -- a stick for bait (of a trap), generally a snare...
... 4625 -- properly, the trigger of a trap (the mechanism closing a trap down on the
unsuspectingvictim); (figuratively) an , putting a into motion....
1185. deleazo -- to lure
... 1185 (from , "bait") -- properly, to a hook or set a trap with bait; (figuratively)
avictim into a moral trap, luring them in through their own ....
2378. thusia -- a sacrifice
... sacrifice. From thuo; sacrifice (the act or thevictim, literally or figuratively) --
sacrifice. see GREEK thuo. (thusia) -- 2 Occurrences....
5422. phrenapatao -- to deceive the mind
... 5422 ("confused inside-out") means to become thevictim of one's own confused --
which then God for it or makes others "the scapegoat." This mind-set is...
993. Boanerges -- Boanerges, an epithet applied to the two sons of...
... which prompted them to suggest the calling of fire from heaven to consume the
inhospitable Samaritan village (Lk 9:54); which marked James as thevictim of an...
Strong's Hebrew
6453. pesach -- passover... passover offering. From pacach; a pretermission, ie Exemption; used only techically
of the Jewish Passover (the festival or the
victim) -- passover (offering).
...2077. zebach -- a sacrifice
... offer sacrifice. From zabach; properly, a slaughter, ie The flesh of an animal;
by implication, a sacrifice (thevictim or the act) -- offer(- ing), sacrifice....
2282. chag -- a festival gathering, feast, pilgrim feast
... solemn feast day, sacrifice, solemnity. Or chag {khawg}; from chagag; a festival,
or avictim therefor -- (solemn) feast (day), sacrifice, solemnity....
Library
An Act of Oblation as avictim of Divine Love
... PRAYERS OF SOEUR TH??R??SE, THE LITTLE FLOWER OF JESUS AN ACT OF OBLATION
AS AVICTIM OF DIVINE LOVE. This Prayer was found after...
Whether Christ was Himself Both Priest andvictim?
... OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST (SIX ARTICLES) Whether Christ was Himself both priest
andvictim?... For it is the duty of the priest to slay thevictim....
Epilogue: avictim of Divine Love
... THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SOEUR TH??R??SE OF LISIEUX, ENTITLED BY HERSELF: "THE STORY OF
THE SPRINGTIME OF A LITTLE WHITE FLOWER" EPILOGUE: AVICTIM OF DIVINE LOVE....
Of the Spiritualvictim, which Prayer Is.
... Chapter XXVIII."Of the SpiritualVictim, Which Prayer is. For this is the spiritual
victim [8936] which has abolished the pristine sacrifices....
Christ the Most Perfectvictim for Cleansing Our Faults. In Every...
... Book IV. Chapter 14."Christ the Most PerfectVictim for Cleansing Our Faults.
In Every Sacrifice Four Things are to Be Considered. 19....
O Savingvictim, Opening Wide
... III. SACRAMENTS AND RITES Holy Communion: The Communion 331. O savingVictim, opening
wide. LM [1253]St.... Tr. Edward Caswall, 1849. O savingVictim, opening wide....
Priest andvictim
... Priest andVictim. A Sermon (No.2693).... "He offered up himself;" that is to say, he
voluntarily agreed to be theVictim for this wondrous sacrifice....
Of the Subjection of the Devils, which they Show to their Own...
... II. Second Conference of Abbot Moses. Chapter XVI. Of the subjection of the devils,
which they show to their own princes, as seen in a brother'svictim....
What a Sacrifice Is, and what are the Species of Sacrifice.
... For the word employed here, 'shm, signifies avictim for transgression; which signified
in the Law that a certainVictim was to come to make satisfaction for...
Expiation
... Then thevictim to be offered was, on all occasions, a spotless one. The
most scrupulous care was taken that it should be altogether...
Thesaurus
Victim (3 Occurrences)... 2. (n.) A person or thing destroyed or sacrificed in the pursuit of an object, or
in gratification of a passion; as, a
victim to jealousy, lust, or ambition.
...Covenant-victim (2 Occurrences)
Covenant-victim. Covenants, Covenant-victim. Covenant-wife .
Multi-Version Concordance Covenant-victim (2 Occurrences)....
Scourging (5 Occurrences)
... Thevictim was tied to a post (Acts 22:25) and the blows were applied to the back
and loins, sometimes even, in the wanton cruelty of the executioner, to the...
Scourge (24 Occurrences)
... Thevictim was tied to a post (Acts 22:25) and the blows were applied to the back
and loins, sometimes even, in the wanton cruelty of the executioner, to the...
Victims (12 Occurrences)
... Victims (12 Occurrences). Hebrews 9:17 for a covenant over dead victims 'is' stedfast,
since it is no force at all when the covenant-victim liveth, (YLT)....
Baal (94 Occurrences)
... Hence, human victims were sacrificed to him in order to appease his anger in time
of plague or other trouble, thevictim being usually the first-born of the...
Cross (157 Occurrences)
... Thevictim then bore his own cross, or at least the upright beam, to the place of
execution.... Thevictim of crucifixion literally died a thousand deaths....
Monthly (11 Occurrences)
... The very man who has been the cause of another's downfall and ruin is base enough
to plan his own escape under cover of the virtues of hisvictim....
Satan (50 Occurrences)
... alliance with Satan for any purpose whatever. The agent of Satan is always
avictim. Also the hint contained in this discussion...
Herod (45 Occurrences)
... which he had been banished by Antigonus, but the high-priesthood was bestowed on
Aristobulus, Herod's brother-in-law, who, however, soon fell avictim to the...
Resources
I am a victim of abuse. Why do I feel guilty? | GotQuestions.orgDoes Deuteronomy 22:28-29 command a rape victim to marry her rapist? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the history of crucifixion? What was crucifixion like? | GotQuestions.orgVictim: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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