“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place…” – Mark 6:31
And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper… – 1 Kings 19:11-12
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 1 John 2:28
So “Abide” Means…
…equivalent to not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present: to maintain unbroken fellowship with one, to be constantly present to help one, of the Holy Spirit…
to put forth constant influence upon one, of the Holy Spirit,
In the mystic phraseology of John, God is said to abide in Christ, i. e. to dwell as it were within him, to be continually operative in him by his divine influence and energy…
Christians are said to abide, to be rooted as it were in him, knit to him by the spirit they have received from him…
hence, one is said to abide in Christ or in God, and conversely Christ or God is said to abide in one… something has established itself permanently within my soul, and always exerts its power in me…
Go Deeper to Reflect
Vine’s Expository Dictionary: View Entry
TDNT Reference: 4:574,581
The KJV translates Strong’s G3306 in the following manner: abide (61x), remain (16x), dwell (15x), continue (11x), tarry (9x), endure (3x), miscellaneous (5x).
Outline of Biblical Usage
- to remain, abide
- in reference to place
- to sojourn, tarry
- not to depart
- to continue to be present
- to be held, kept, continually
- in reference to time
- to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure
- of persons, to survive, live
- to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure
- in reference to state or condition
- to remain as one, not to become another or different
- in reference to place
- to wait for, await one
Strong’s Definitions
μένω ménō, men’-o; a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):—abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), × thine own.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
STRONGS G3306:
μένω; imperfect ἔμενον; future μένω; 1 aorist ἔμεινα; pluperfect μεμενήκειν without augment (1 John 2:19; cf. ἐκβάλλω (and see Tdf. Proleg., p. 120f)); (from Homer down); the Sept. chiefly for עָמַד and קוּם, also for חִכָּה, יָשַׁב, etc.; to remain, abide;
I. intransitively; in reference:
1. to place;
a. properly, equivalent to Latin commoror, to sojourn, tarry: ἐν with the dative of place, Luke 8:27; Luke 10:7; John 7:9; John 11:6; Acts 20:15; Acts 27:31; Acts 28:30 (R G L); 2 Timothy 4:20; with adverbs of place: ἐκεῖ, Matthew 10:11; John 2:12; John 10:40; (John 11:54 WH Tr text); ὧδε, Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34; παρά τίνι, with one, John 1:39(John 1:40); John 14:25; Acts 18:20 (R G); Acts 21:7; σύν τίνι, Luke 1:56; καθ’ ἑαυτόν, dwell at his own House, Acts 28:16, cf. Acts 28:30. equivalent to tarry as a guest, lodge: ποῦ, John 1:38 (John 1:39); ἐν with the dative of place, Luke 19:5; Acts 9:43; παρά τίνι, in one’s house, Acts 9:43; Acts 18:3; Acts 21:8; of tarrying for a night, μετά τίνος, σύν τίνι, Luke 24:29. equivalent to to be kept, to remain: dead bodies ἐπί τοῦ σταυροῦ, John 19:31; τό κλῆμα ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ, John 15:4.
b. tropically;
α. equivalent to not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present: μετά τίνος (genitive of person), to maintain unbroken fellowship with one, adhere to his party, 1 John 2:19; to be constantly present to help one, of the Holy Spirit, John 14:16 R G; also παρά with the dative of person, John 14:17; ἐπί τινα, to put forth constant influence upon one, of the Holy Spirit, John 1:32f; also of the wrath of God, John 3:36; τό κάλυμμα ἐπί τῇ ἀναγνώσει, of that which continually prevents the right understanding of what is read, 2 Corinthians 3:14. In the mystic phraseology of John, God is said μένειν in Christ, i. e. to dwell as it were within him, to be continually operative in him by his divine influence and energy, John 14:10; Christians are said μένειν ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, to be rooted as it were in him, knit to him by the spirit they have received from him, 1 John 2:6, 24, 27; 1 John 3:6; hence, one is said μένειν in Christ or in God, and conversely Christ or God is said μένειν in one: John 6:56; John 15:4; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:13, 16; ὁ Θεός μένει ἐν αὐτῷ καί αὐτός ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, 1 John 4:15; cf. Rückert, Abendmahl, p. 268f μένει τί ἐν ἐμοί, something has established itself permanently within my soul, and always exerts its power in me: τά ῤήματα μου, John 15:7; ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, 1 John 2:14; ἡ χαρά ἡ ἐμή (not joy in me, i. e. of which I am the object, but the joy with which I am filled), John 15:11 Rec.; ὁ ἠκουσατα, 1 John 2:24; the Holy Spirit, John 2:17; John 3:9; ἡ ἀλήθεια, 2 John 1:2; love toward God, 1 John 3:17; in the same sense one is said ἔχειν τί μένον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, as τόν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, John 5:38; ζωήν αἰώνιον, 1 John 3:15. equivalent to to persevere; ἐν τίνι, of him who cleaves, holds fast, to a thing: ἐν τῷ λόγῳ, John 8:31; ἐν τῇ ἀγάπη, 1 John 4:16; ἐν πίστει, 1 Timothy 2:15; ἐν οἷς (ἐν τούτοις, ἅ) ἔμαθες, 2 Timothy 3:14; ἐν τῇ διδαχή, 2 John 1:9 (ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, 2 Macc. 8:1); differently ἐν τῇ ἀγάπη τίνος, i. e. to keep oneself always worthy of his love, John 15:9f
β. to be held, or kept, continually: ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ, in the state of death, 1 John 3:14; ἐν τῇ σκοτία, John 12:46; ἐν τῷ φωτί, 1 John 2:10.
2. to Time; to continue to be, i. e. not to perish, to last, to endure: of persons, to survive, live (examples from secular authors are given in Kypke, Observations, i., p. 415f): Philippians 1:25 (so ἐμμένειν, Sir. 39:11); with εἰς τόν αἰῶνα added, John 12:34; Hebrews 7:24; also of him who becomes partaker of the true and everlasting life, opposed to παράγεσθαι, 1 John 2:17; ἕως ἄρτι, opposed to οἱ καιμηθεντες, 1 Corinthians 15:6; ὀλίγον, Revelation 17:10; ἕως ἔρχομαι, John 21:22f; of things, not to perish, to last, stand: of cities, Matthew 11:23; Heb. xiii, 14; of works, opposed to κατακαίεσθαι, 1 Corinthians 3:14; of purposes, moral excellences, Romans 9:11; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Hebrews 13:1; λόγος Θεοῦ, 1 Peter 1:23; (where Rec. adds εἰς τόν αἰῶνα added, 2 Corinthians 9:9; τό ῤῆμα27ὁ καρπός, John 15:16; ὕπαρξις, Hebrews 10:34; ἁμαρτία, John 9:41; βρῶσις, opposed to ἡ ἀπολλυμενη, John 6:27; one’s δικαιοσύνη with εἰς τόν αἰῶνα added, 2 Corinthians 9:9; τό ῤῆμα κυρίου, 1 Peter 1:25. things which one does not part with are said μένειν to him, i. e. to remain to him, be still in (his) possession: Acts 5:4 (1 Macc. 15:7).
3. to State or Condition; to remain as one is, not to become another or different: with a predicate nominative μόνος, John 12:24; ἀσάλευτος, Acts 27:41; ἄγαμος, 1 Corinthians 7:11; πιστός, 2 Timothy 2:13; ἱερεύς, Hebrews 7:3; with adverbs, οὕτως, 1 Corinthians 7:40; ὡς κἀγώ, ibid. 8; ἐν with the dative of the state, ibid. 20, 24.
II. transitively; τινα, to wait for, await one (cf. Buttmann, § 131, 4): Acts 20:23; with ἐν and the dative of place added, Acts 20:5. (Compare: ἀναμένω, διαμένω, ἐνμένω, ἐπιμένω, καταμένω, παραμένω, συνπαραμένω, περιμένω, προσμένω, ὑπομένω.)
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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