Abhor (655) apostugeo by Greek Word Studies

Abhor (655) (apostugeo from apo = from + stugeo = to hate) (used only in Ro 12:9 in NT and none in Lxx) expresses a strong feeling of horror or bitter hatred regarding evil and implies loathing, abhorrence and disgust. The preposition (apo) serves a twofold purpose emphasizing the idea of separation and intensifying the meaning of the already strong verb stugeo, which by itself means to hate or to shudder with horror. Abhor is in the present tense so this phrase might be paraphrased as "keep continually detesting evil." Beloved of God the Father, are you detesting or are you "tasting" the fruit which appears so sweet but is ultimately painfully bitter? Remember to rely on the truth in Romans 6-8 to empower your ability to abhor! Don't try to do this in your own fleshly strength, because our fallen flesh will not detest but will desire! Adam Clarke says that stugeo is related to Styx...a feigned river in hell by which the gods were wont to swear, and if any of them falsified this oath he was deprived of his nectar and ambrosia for a hundred years; hence the river was reputed to be hateful, and stugeo signified to be as hateful as hell. Since the topic of abhorring evil is discussed so frequently in Scripture, consider meditating on some of the parallel cross references that follow that God's Spirit might renew your mind and give you a holy hatred of all that is evil & detestable to a thrice Holy God -- Job 1:1,2:3,28:28, Ps 34:14, 36:4, 37:27, 45:7, 97:10, 101:3,119:104,163, Pr 3:7,8:13,16:6; Amos 5:15, Heb 1:9, 1Th 5:22, 1Pe2:11, 3:11. Believers are to express their hatred for evil by a withdrawal from it, separating from it, putting some distance between the evil and all the while harboring a God ordained intense loathing for it because we understand the corrupting, destructive potential that it can have on a "living sacrifices." Those who desire to be men & women after God's own heart will make abhorring & clinging (be careful though to focus first on clinging to Christ, His Word, His Spirit's power & then the abhorring will be almost like a reflex. Avoid focusing on a list of do's and don'ts and becoming legalistic for the flesh loves "laws" as [Ro 7:5-note] clearly teaches) their daily practice like David (a man after God's own heart [Acts 13:22]) in Ps 101:3 I will set no worthless (belial = another name for Satan!) thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten [same word kollao used below for "cling" - stick like glue] its grip on me." Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 101:3 wrote I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I will neither delight in it, aim at it or endure it. If I have wickedness brought before me by others I will turn away from it, I will not gaze upon it with pleasure. The psalmist is very sweeping in his resolve, he declines the least, the most reputable, the most customary form of evil -- no wicked thing; not only shall it not dwell in his heart, but not even before his eyes, for what fascinates the eye is very apt to gain admission into the heart, even as Eve's apple first pleased her sight and then prevailed over her mind and hand. I hate the work of them that turn aside. He was warmly against it; he did not view it with indifference, but with utter scorn and abhorrence. Hatred of sin is a good sentinel for the door of virtue. There are persons in courts who walk in a very crooked way, leaving the high road of integrity; and these, by short cuts, and twists, and turns, are often supposed to accomplish work for their masters which simple honest hearts are not competent to undertake; but David would not employ such, he would pay no secret service money, he loathed the practices of men who deviate from righteousness. He was of the same mind as the dying statesman who said, "Corruption wins not more than honesty." It is greatly to be deplored that in after years he did not keep himself clear in this matter in every case, though, in the main he did; but what would he have been if he had not commenced with this resolve, but had followed the usual crooked Policy of Oriental princes? How much do we all need divine keeping! We are no more perfect than David, nay, we fall far short of him in many things; and, like him, we shall find need to write a psalm of penitence very soon after our psalm of good resolution. It shall not cleave to me. I will disown their ways, I will not imitate their policy: like dirt it may fall upon me, but I will wash it off, and never rest till I am rid of it. Sin, like pitch, is very apt to stick. In the course of our family history crooked things will turn up, for we are all imperfect, and some of those around us are far from being what they should be; it must, therefore, be one great object of our care to disentangle ourselves, to keep clear of transgression, and of all that comes of it: this cannot be done unless the Lord both comes to us, and abides with us evermore. To paraphrase Major Ian Thomas You can't. God never said you could. But He can. And He always said He would! Another "blameless, upright" man named Job (Job1:1) was continually "turning away from evil." Read (Job1:1) in context and you will see the "secret" of why & how Job was enabled to continually turn away from evil. Finally note Peter's similar warning in (1Pe 2:11-note) where the Greek word for abstain (see study apechomai or apecho) is the same one used by the Septuagint writers to translate "turning away" in Job 1:1. Peter admonishes us Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain (present tense - continually, middle voice - you initiate the action & participate in the results or effect thereof) from fleshly lusts which (present tense = continually) wage war (Gk word strateuomai gives us English strategize or strategy! Ponder this truth) against the soul". (see note 1 Peter 2:11) (Study Topic "Pilgrims & Strangers" - TTT). Remember that it is Jehovah Mekeddeshem, the God Who sanctifies you or makes you holy Who Alone is able to motivate, energize & empower our walk of holiness. Click for discussion and notes on the liberating truth found in the awesome name of God, Jehovah Mekeddeshem. Believers are to be continually repulsed ("abhor" is present tense which means this is to be our lifestyle or habitual practice) by all that is evil. Barclay says that our only "security against sin lies in our being shocked by it” which is partially true. The best way to be shocked by evil is to keep setting your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Col 3:1-note, Col 3:2-note), fixing (see word study on fixing - aphorao) our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith (Heb 12:2-note) not on the evil (see Fix Your Eyes On Jesus - 44 excellent meditations by Ann Ortlund). The constant bombardment of our senses through TV, newspapers, magazines, movies, and books with immorality, violence, and perversion make it difficult to be shocked by anything. Tragically, many Christians regularly entertain ("embalm") themselves with sheer ungodliness, perhaps rationalizing that, simply by being a Christian, they are somehow immune to the corrupting, degrading effects of sin. Clarke says believers should Hate sin as you would hate the hell to which it leads. It has been said that what believers need is to see the infinite beauty of holiness & the infinite damnability of sin (cf Isa 6:1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6). Paul's point is that believers cannot just passively ignore evil, but must actively and aggressively oppose it and speak out against it & flee from it (1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:22-note). Unfortunately what we often hate is not the evil per se but the consequences of the evil. Genuine hatred of evil engenders avoidance of evil. We cannot flirt with sin and escape falling into it. Refusing to be enticed even by the first, seemingly harmless attractions of sin (cf Ro 13:14-note), the righteous man delights “in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:2-note). In his Essay on Man, Alexander Pope wisely observed that, Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace. Genuine love is God's kind of love, which hates what is evil (cf 1Co 13:6 -note) - relentlessly. Genuine love never varies, is without shadow of turning, never compromises with evil, never pats it on the back and says, "This is going to be all right; let's forget about it." Genuine love never does that. It does not reject what is good, nor does it ever call good "evil". All the verbs in (Ro 12:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21) which call for "living sacrifices" are in the present tense, indicating a call to continual practice or a lifestyle manifested by these actions. God seeks in the believer not just a single virtuous act but a continuing quality of life CLING TO WHAT IS GOOD: kollomenoi (PPPMPN) to agatho: (Ro 12:2, 21, 13:3,16:19) (Acts 11:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 3:10,11) In the exhortation section of First Thessalonians Paul warns the previously idol worshipping (1Th 1:9-note) Gentiles to... Examine (dokimazo in the present imperative = command calling for continual attention) everything (How much?) carefully (How?); hold fast (katecho also present imperative) to that which is good abstain (apechomai or apecho also present imperative) from every (How much?) form (even the "form" or suggestion of, cp Ep 5:3-note) of evil. (1Th 5:21, 22-note)

Be the first to react on this!

Abhor (655) apostugeo

Greek Word Studies

Greek Word Studies ( - )

Group of Brands