Remember (3403)(mimnesko) means to bring to mind or think of again. It means to keep in mind for attention or consideration. Most of the NT uses convey this sense of recalling information from memory. In Acts 10:31 (Rev 16:19) the idea of mimnesko is to think of and call attention to someone or some thing and to make mention of. The dying thief asked Jesus to keep him in mind when He came into His Kingdom (So what did the thief believe? That Jesus would die but would rise again and live to rule. He believed Jesus was the King!). (Lk 23:42) He was asking Jesus to be concerned about him or to think of him. Earlier Jude had commended the believers that "you know all things once for all" (Jude 1:5), but now he senses the need for a series of direct commands. One can have knowledge of facts, but "must be able to recall the message of the Gospel so that they can defend themselves against the pernicious attacks of the heretics. They must know that they can effectively oppose their adversaries with the Gospel which has been preached by Christ's apostles." (Kistemaker) Jude is asking the saints to allow back into their mind truths they had heard or been taught and to keep their mind alert and attentive to those truths. The best "weapon" against lies of the ungodly (such as the lie that it is "okay" to turn the grace of God into licentiousness and to deny that Jesus is our Master [Owner] and Lord - Jude 1:4-note) is the truth of God's Word. Are you daily, even moment by moment, recalling to your mind God's Word in order that His Word of Truth (the Gospel) (Col 1:5-note) might fortify your faith (Ro 10:17-note) and enable you to hold up the shield of faith to extinguish all the fiery missiles of untruth (cf Eph 6:16-note) and to have a "sword" to wield by the Spirit? (Eph 6:17-note) One of the best ways to recall to mind truth is to "eat" or memorize the truth of God's Word (for suggestions regarding what truth to "eat" see Memory Verses by Topic) and to meditate (see this note to help you understand "how" to meditate) on the truth of God's Word. Jesus understood the intake of His Truth to be our great, daily need when He declared "It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD (rhema - same word Jude uses in Jude 1:17) THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”(Mt 4:4) Are you suffering from "spiritual anorexia" regarding your intake of God's Word? It is as serious spiritually as it is physiologically! Humble yourself and ask the Spirit to give you a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt 5:6-note). and then be willing to submit to His leading (Gal 5:16-note, Gal 5:18-note). Mimnesko - 23x in 23v - NAS Usage: recall(1), remember(13), remembered(8), remembrance(1). Matthew 5:23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 27:63 and said, "Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I am to rise again.' Luke 1:54 "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, Luke 16:25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. Luke 23:42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" Luke 24:6 "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 8 And they remembered His words, John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME." 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. John 12:16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. Acts 10:31 and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Acts 11:16 "And I (Peter) remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. 2 Timothy 1:4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. Hebrews 2:6-note But one has testified somewhere, saying, "WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? Comment: Here remember conveys the idea of to think about again. The amazing truth is God does think about us! Praise Him today that before you awoke this morning, YOU were on His mind! Hebrews 8:12-note "FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE." Hebrews 10:17-note "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." Comment: In Heb 8:12 and here the verb remember overlaps somewhat with God's forgiveness. He makes a choice to not recall our sins to His mind when we confess and repented (1Jn 1:9-note; Pr 28:13-note) The Accuser of our souls (kategoreo describes his continual cry against us) does just the opposite -- the devil tries to remind God of our sins and also shoots fiery missiles at us in an attempt to cause us to dwell upon our sins (even though they have been truly confessed!) (cp Rev 12:10-note, Eph 6:16-note) Perhaps you have confessed your sins but are still wrestling with guilt and shame. If so, it might be a fruitful exercise for you to meditate on passages that deal with the completeness of God's forgiveness which includes His "forgetfulness!" = Micah 7:18, 19; Ps 103:12, Isa 38:17 = Hezekiah's declaration should be our declaration after confession and repentance; Isa 43:25, Isa 44:22, Jer 31:34, Jer 50:20, Da 9:24, Heb 8:12, Heb 10:17, Ro 8:1, Was Paul who persecuting Christians able to forget the sin, the guilt, the shame? Read Php 3:13-note, Php 3:14-note - Note the verb Paul chose for "forgetting" is epilanthanomai = the idea is not just forgetting but "completely forgetting." The present tense indicates that because of Christ's full payment (TETELESTAI - IT IS FINISHED! PAID IN FULL!) this is to be the Spirit filled believer's continual duty and delight - not just to forget but to forget completely!) See also Does God really forget our sins? Hebrews 13:3-note Remember (present imperative calling for the readers to continually keep in mind) the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 2 Peter 3:2-note that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Jude 1:17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, Revelation 16:19-note The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. Mimnesko - 8.24.7" class="scriptRef">74.18" class="scriptRef">18" class="scriptRef">18" class="scriptRef">181 verses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint - Ge 8:1; 9" class="scriptRef">9.15-Gen.9.142" class="scriptRef">42.6" class="scriptRef">6" class="scriptRef">Ge 9:15-16; 19.29" class="scriptRef">Ge 19:29; 30.22" class="scriptRef">22" class="scriptRef">22" class="scriptRef">30:22; 40:13-14, 20" class="scriptRef">20, 23; 42:9; Ex 2:24; 6:5; 20:8; 32:13; Lev 26:42, 45" class="scriptRef">45; 63.11" class="scriptRef">11" class="scriptRef">11.5" class="scriptRef">Num 11:5; 39" class="scriptRef">15:39-30; Deut 5:15; 7:18; 8:2, 18; 9:7, 27; 15:15; 16:3, 12; 24:9, 18, 20, 22; 17" class="scriptRef">25:17; 32:7; Josh 1:13; 34" class="scriptRef">Jdg 8:34; 9:2; 16:28; 1Sa 1:11, 19; 4:18; 31" class="scriptRef">25:31; 2 Sam 19:19; 2Kgs 20:3; 2Chr 6:42; 24:22; Neh 1:8; 4:14; 5:19; 6:14; 9:17; 13:14, 22, 29, 31; Esther 2:1; 4:8, 17; 10:3; Job 4:7; 7:7; 10:9; 21.6" class="scriptRef">21:6; 28:18; 36:24; 41:8; Ps 8:4; 9:12; 16:4; 20:3; 22:27; Ps 25:6-7; 42:4,6; 45:17; 71:16; 74:2, 18, 22; Ps 77:3, 5, 11; 78:35, 39, 42; Ps 79:8; 83:4; 87:4; 88:5; 89:47, 50; 98:3; 103:14, 18; 105:5, 8, 42; Ps 106:4, 7, 45; 109:16; 111:5; 115:12; 119:49, 52, 55; 132:1; 136:23; Ps 137:1, 6-7; 43.5" class="scriptRef">143:5; Pr 31:7; Eccl 5:20; 9:15; 11:8; 12:1; Isa 12:4; 17:10; 26:16; 38:3; 43:25-26; 44:21; 46:8-9; 47:7; 48:1; 54:4; 57:11; Isa 62:6; 63:7, 11; 64:5, 7, 9; 65:17; 66:9; Jer 2:2; 11:19; 14:10, 21; 15:15; 18:20; 31:20, 34; 33:8; 44:21; 51:50; Lam 1:7, 9; 2:1; 3:19-20; Jer 5:1; Ezek 3:20; 6:9; 16:22, 43, 60-61, 63; 18:22, 24; 20:43; 21:23; 23:27; 36:31; Dan 5:10; Hos 2:17; 7:2; 8:13; 9:9; Amos 1:9; Jonah 2:7; Mic 6:5; Nah 2:5; Hab 3:2; Zech 10:9; Mal 4:4. Note the first great use in the OT... Genesis 8:1 (cp uses of mimnesko in context of Covenant - Ge 9:15, 16) But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. Comment: Here we see divine remembrance is an assurance of His trustworthiness (cf Ge 6:18). When He gives you His promise, you can believe it, even through the fog, even in the midst of the pain! He remembered His promise to Noah and will remember all His precious and magnificent promises to you dear called, beloved and kept believer (Jude 1:1). Inherent in God's remembering Noah is a foreshadowing of His faithfulness to keep His covenant with us (Ge 9:9, see especially Ge 9:11). As Ryrie says on God's remembering in Ge 8:1, it signifies "Not mere recall, but thinking about with loving concern." AN APOSTOLIC PREDICTION The words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ - To what words does Jude refer? In light of the fact that Jude was one of the last books written (70-89AD), the words would surely include the Gospels, Paul's letters, Peter's letters, etc. Words (rhema) refers to the spoken word, especially a word as uttered by a living voice. Hiebert adds "words as opposed to deeds, implies a message that has been delivered, whether orally or in written form" and the fact that he adds was spoken beforehand identifies the words as distinctly prophetic. Some commentators think that Jude's use of rhema (spoken words) implies that he is referring primarily to what they had heard orally from the apostles and not to what they had written, but other excellent commentators include the written words of the apostles. Why is it so important to remember truth spoken beforehand by the apostles? Because they repeatedly warned of false teachers infiltrating the church and opposing the Gospel. Jesus Himself spoke beforehand, warning "Beware (prosecho in the present imperative = a command to never let one's guard down, implying the church is continually at risk of these apostate snakes "slithering in") of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Mt 7:15-note; cp 24.11" class="scriptRef">Mt 24:11, 24; Mk 13:22) The apostle Paul gave many similar warnings (2Cor 11:12-15, Col 2:16-19; 1Th. 2:14-16; 2Th. 2:3-12; 1Ti 4:1-3; 6:20-21; 2Ti 2:17-19; 2Ti 3:1-9; 2Ti 4:1-3; Acts 20:29-30) as did the apostle Peter (2Pe 2:1, etc). While the apostle John also warned about false teachers and false professors (1Jn 4:1; cf. 1Jn 2:18-19; 2Jn 1:7; 3Jn 1:9-11), his epistles were most likely not available to the saints, as they were written about 10 years later. Guzik - The word of God is always the answer to dangers in or out of the church. The apostles had warned that just these things would happen; and even more so as the day approaches: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2Timothy 4:3-4-note) Warren Wiersbe - I read somewhere that the Great Wall of China was penetrated at least three times by the enemy, and each time the guards were bribed! A strong defense depends on strong people, and this applies to spiritual battles as well as military contests. If the church is to oppose and defeat the false teachers, then all of us in the church must be strong and able to “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11). There is always the danger of stumbling (Jude 1:24) and a stumble is the first step. 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