Rest


By Pastor Dan Kennedy

© September 24, 2017

www.pastorkennedy.com


Recently we have been studying several topics critical to the pursuit the Biblical understanding of God’s truth such as:  Reconciliation with God, The Blessed Hope, Hope, Faith, and now Rest.


Why is Rest so important?


We spend around 1/3 of our life, every day, sleeping.  Sleep is critical to our wellbeing.


Recent news articles have given insight into our needed rest:


o   “‘Catastrophic’ lack of sleep in modern society is killing us, warns leading sleep scientist”

           The Independent


o   “Poor Sleep Associated With Higher Risk of Chronic Pain”

HuffPost


o   “The real marker of adulthood is admitting you need sleep”

The Guardian


o   “Poor quality, short sleep ‘prevalent’ among adults, StatsCan says”

CBC.ca


o   “Sleeping With Your Dog May Help You Get a Better Night’s Rest”

Big Think


o   “A good night’s sleep makes us happier than a 50 percent pay raise”

AOL


o   “Waking Up at 5 am Probably Won’t Make You More Productive.  Here’s What Will:”

Money Magazine


[Their answer reinforces sleep “Consistency.”  “…Participants who went to bed and woke up at different times throughout the week -- fared worse than those who stuck to the same sleep routine.”[1]]

 

There is one primary factor that is more important than sleeping.  What is it?


“Rest.”


If we do not have a restful sleep, sometimes we may not think we have slept very much at all!


“Rest” is the key component of sleep itself.


What is God trying to tell us as His created human beings when He created us to require so much of our lives in sleep?  – 1/3rd of our Life on earth asleep?


God initiated His Understanding of how critical the value of “Rest” really is, when He incorporated and emphasized a “Day of Rest” at the close of His creation of the world.


Genesis 2:2–3

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.


In six days, God spoke the world into existence, but He purposely recorded the “Rest” He chose to experience on the seventh day, initiating:


o   A Pattern of Rest for the World (a 6-day work week/one day rest),

o   An Expectation of Rest, and

o   A Mystery of Rest for mankind that He would not reveal in its fullness, until some four thousand years later.


“Rest” for God, is a mystery indeed, because Almighty God does not need rest!

What was God telling His creation?


Throughout the Bible God was telling His Chosen People that they needed to have mandatory “Rest” once a week on the seventh day.  Then they were also expected, by God, to “Rest” for specific days during the seven special Feasts and Festivals God gave them during the year.


The Penalty for not “Resting,” as God required, was severe!


The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death


Numbers 15:32–36

32 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.


The Subject is Serious and the Outcome is Eternal.


What is God telling His People?


“There remains, then,

a Sabbath-rest for

the people of God

Hebrews 4:9


“Rest” in the Bible:


“The non-theological sense of ‘rest’ is prominent in the Bible


·      “The Lord rests from activity [at Creation] (Gn. 2:2f.);

·      “The Sabbath is to be a day of rest (Ex. 31:15);

·      “The Land of Promise was to have rest every 7th year (Lv. 25:4f.); and

·      “The Temple was the Lord’s resting-place among His people (Ps. 132:8, 14). [2]”

·      The Seven Jewish Feast/Festival Days incorporated days of rest and no regular work (i.e. Num. 29:1-7).


1.     Passover (Pesach) - Nisan 14-15

2.     Unleavened Bread (Char Hamotzi) - Nisan 15-22

3.     First Fruits (Yom habikkurim) - Nisan 16-17

4.     Pentecost (Shavu’ot) - Sivan 6-7

5.     Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah) - Tishri 1

6.     Atonement (Yom Kippur) - Tishri 10

7.     Tabernacles (Sukkot) - Tishri 15-22 [3]


“In its theological sense ‘rest’ is even more prominent in the Bible.


·      Israel was promised rest by the Lord in the land of Canaan (Dt. 3:20), and

·      To this rest the exiles would return from Babylon (Je. 46:27).


“Alas, this great ideal of rest remained unfulfilled in Israel’s experience (Heb. 3:7–4:10) because of unbelief and disobedience (Ps. 95:8–11).”[4]


·    The Ultimate Fulfillment of “Rest” for the People of God is found in Christ our Messiah and Redeemer (Heb. 3-4).  This is the fulfillment of the Mystery that had been hidden from mankind and the spiritual forces of darkness since the beginning of time (1 Cor. 2:7-8).


Remember God’s Mystery (Redemption in the “fullness of time”


1 Corinthians 2:7–8

7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.


God’s Mystery is Fulfilled


1.  Through His Sacrifice for Sin, Jesus Christ provides Redemptive Rest, with Personal Eternal Salvation, for those who Trust in Him.


Just as any number of hours shutting one’s eyes in “sleep” does not guarantee the preciousness of true “rest;” so, strictly following Sabbath days, or working in our own flesh to please God, etc., does not bring Spiritual Rest.


God’s restrictions of physical work only mirrored a shadow of the spiritual reality of what God really meant in the “Rest” He desired for His People; in fact, outward observance did not meet God’s expectations at all when coupled with unbelief; it is only Salvation “Rest” given by God’s Grace, received by faith that truly pleases God (Eph. 2:8-9).  


When the mystery of the Gospel was revealed, at Christ’s Sacrifice, God finally disclosed that only the spiritual Rest of Faith brought Redemption, Salvation and Eternal Life before His Holy Throne.  All the previous “pictures” and examples of rest were pointing and leading up to the revelation of Christ’s “Salvation Rest,” expressly clouded by God Himself, until revealed in “the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:3-5; Eph. 1:7-10).


Those who do not enter into this Redemptive Rest, through the Sacrificial Atonement provided through Jesus Christ, face Eternal Consequences – Spiritual Death! (This was illustrated in the severe consequences earlier shown to Israel for those disregarding the obligation of Sabbath rest.  Numbers 15:32–36.)


“The Righteous Shall Live by Faith” (Rom. 1:17; Hab. 2:4; Gal. 3:11)


Unbelief – a Destructive Force against Rest


                Fear says,

·      “God is not there,

·      He does not care,

·      He will not watch over me,

·      I cannot trust and rest in God.”


Hebrews 3:18–19

18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.


A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Hebrews 4:1-3  

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,

            ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.


“Rest” must be in Christ’s Redemptive Work by Faith, never through One’s Own Good “Works”


Hebrews 4:8–11

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.


Fear says,

·      “God is not there,

·      He does not care,

·      He will not watch over me

·      I cannot trust and rest in God.”


  God says,

·      “I am here,

·      I really do care,

·      And I will watch over you.”

·      God’s Children can trust and Rest in Him!


1.  Redemptive Rest for Personal Salvation is not found outside of “Rest” in Christ’s Finished Work


Spiritual Rest not only necessary in our dynamic Spiritual Salvation, it is also essential in our daily Spiritual life.


2.  Jesus Christ provides Regenerative Rest for Practical Daily Strength and Restoration, for those who put their trust in Him.


Matthew 11:28–30

28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”


Where do those without God find their “rest?”


For a number of years, it has been said that fear and anxiety are primary causes of sickness and death.  A multitude of medication, methods, and meditation programs, exercises and stress reducing activities have been created to seek to diminish these hazards in human life.


God’s plan, from the beginning of Creation, was to bring “rest” into the lives of His People, through Faith, Trust, and Rest in Him

What does “Rest” in God accomplish for troubled or anxious Believers in Christ?


When we find our Refuge and Fortress to be in God, by faith, we find a certainty of “Rest” that cannot be secured through any human means.  David wrote of its reality in Psalm 91.



Psalm 91


Where Does Your Heart and Mind Dwell?

Where You Dwell, You Rest – or Do Not Rest.

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

            will rest (or abide) in the shadow of the Almighty.


In Whom or What do I Trust?

What I Trust in becomes my Refuge and Fortress.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

            my God, in whom I trust.”


Psalm 33:13–19

13 From heaven the Lord looks down

            and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling place he watches

            all who live on earth

15 he who forms the hearts of all,

           who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

            no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

            despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,

            on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

Can What I Trust In, Save Me?


Psalm 91:3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.


The Faithful, Dedicated, Committed Analogy of a Protective Parent risking His or Her Own Life and Wellbeing Shielding Their Young from Danger

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

            and under his wings you will find refuge;

            his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.


God’s Protection is Secure


·      Terror in Darkness (fear of Unknown Danger),

o   When we sleep and rest, we are in the darkness

o   This is when we are unaware of hazardous situations facing us

o   This is when we are vulnerable.

·      “Active shooters,”

·      Unknown Deadly Adversity or Disease,

·      Known Deadly Adversity or Disease.


There is no need of Fear when we are Vulnerable in extremely Hazardous Circumstances, when we are in His Care:

Psalm 91:5 You will not fear the terror of night,

            nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

            nor the plague that destroys at midday.


When we are reading this Psalm we might struggle and say to ourselves…

“This might be all true and good for some people, but what about good Christian folks who have experienced devastation and death?”


What are our alternatives?  - Trusting in Ourselves…


Everyone is going to die.  This Psalm is about “fear” and “rest” and in whom we can put our Confidence and Trust; and, in whom our heart can safely rest, no matter the outcome.


God’s Deliverance from Observable Destruction

Psalm 91:7

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

            ten thousand at your right hand,

            but it will not come near you.


King David experienced this confidence in God through many, many battles throughout his lifetime, and he is giving his personal experience of the protection of His God and the victory and strength that He can give.


8 You will only observe with your eyes

            and see the punishment of the wicked.


Choosing to Make the Most High God Your Refuge

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling

            even the Lord, who is my refuge

10 then no harm will befall you,

            no disaster will come near your tent.


Angelic Protection

Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

            so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.


Power to Overcome beyond our own ability

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

            you will trample the great lion and the serpent.


God’s Love, Acknowledgment, and an Answer to our Call

Psalm 91:14-15aBecause he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

            I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;


God is Our Comforter, Deliverer; The One who Honors Us, Gives Us Life, and Saves Us

Psalm 91:15b-16 “I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him

            and show him my salvation.”


Remember, we who know Christ have an Eternal Heritage.  Life is not over for us when our body dies.  God is the God of the Living – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matt. 22:32; 23-32)!


When Stephen, the first martyr was stoned, Jesus stood up (Acts 7:55-56).


·      God Loves us,

·      God Cares for Us, and

·      God will keep those who love Him and trust in Him, to the end.


        Fear says,

·      “God is not there,

·      He does not care,

·      He will not watch over me

·      I cannot trust and rest in God.”


        God says

·      “I am here,

·      I really do care,

·      And I will watch over you.”

·      God’s Children can trust and Rest in Him!


Conclusion


Biblical Rest is Two-Fold

It is Given by God for our “Salvation Rest,” but we must also Embrace God’s Rest for our own daily emotional “Rest.”


1.  Through His Sacrifice for Sin, Jesus Christ provides Redemptive Rest, with Personal Eternal Salvation, for those who Trust in Him.


Heb. 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.


Unbelief:  “They were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” (Heb. 3:19)


“Today if you hear His Voice, harden not your heart.” (Heb. 3:15a)


2.  Jesus Christ provides Regenerative Rest for Practical Daily Strength and Restoration, for those who put their trust in Him.


Matthew 11:28–30

28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”


Rest is an essential for everyone, from enjoying a restful night’s sleep, to living a life securely in God’s Hands, daily, and for the blessed hope of Eternal Life.

___________


ENDNOTES


Rest

“Christians, by faith in Christ, have entered into rest (Heb. 12:22–24). He is their peace. To all who come to him he gives rest, rest that is relief, release and satisfaction to the soul (Mt. 11:28–30).

But ‘rest’ in Scripture has also an eschatological content. ‘There remains a Sabbath rest’ for the Christian as for Israel (Heb. 4:9). The celestial city and the heavenly country (Heb. 11:10, 16) are still in the future. Today there is the task (1 Cor. 3:9), the good fight of faith (Eph. 6:10–20), the pilgrimage (Heb. 11:13–16). And even the rest to which death is the prelude (Rev. 14:13) is not fullness of rest (Rev. 6:9–11). But those who have entered into the rest of faith, by casting anchor within the veil where Christ has gone, know that the final state of rest is secure.”   J. G. S. S. Thomson. [5]


Hebrews 3–4

Jesus (Honor and Rest) Greater Than Moses (Law and Levitical Rest)


3   1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Warning Against Unbelief

7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion,

            during the time of testing in the desert,

9 where your fathers tested and tried me

            and for forty years saw what I did.

10 That is why I was angry with that generation,

            and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,

            and they have not known my ways.’

11 So I declared on oath in my anger,

            ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

            do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.”

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.


A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God


4  Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in my anger,

            ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:


“Today, if you hear his voice,

            do not harden your hearts.”


8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.


Jesus the Great High Priest

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.


Rest, physical


The need for physical rest is recognized in Scripture, and provision is made for ensuring that people are allowed time for rest.


Jesus Christ needed physical rest

Jn 4:6 See also Mk 4:38; 6:31; Lk 9:58

The Provision of Rest

The need for rest Mk 6:31 See also Ps 23:2-3; Pr 17:1; Ecc 4:6; Mt 11:28-30

Provision of sleep for rest Ps 4:8 See also Ps 127:2; Ecc 5:12

Provision of a Sabbath-rest Ex 34:21; Mk 2:27 See also Ex 20:8-11 pp Dt 5:12-15; Ex 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3; Ne 13:15; Isa 58:13-14

The Purpose of Rest

To renew strength La 5:5 See also Isa 40:29-31

To know peace Mt 6:25-34 See also Job 11:18-19; Ps 3:5; 16:8; Pr 3:24; Php 4:6-7

The Character of Rest

The absence of war Jos 11:23 See also Jos 14:15; 1Ki 5:4; 1Ch 22:9; Ps 46:9-10; Pr 1:33; Isa 14:3

The absence of social strife 2Co 13:11 See also Ecc 10:4; 1Co 1:10; 1Th 4:11; Heb 12:14; Jas 3:17-18; 1Pe 3:8

The absence of fear Mk 4:37-38 pp Mt 8:24-25 pp Lk 8:23-24 See also Ge 32:11; Ps 127:2; Mic 4:4; Mt 6:31 pp Lk 12:29

The absence of anxiety 1Pe 5:7 See also Mt 6:25; Php 4:6

The presence of God Ex 33:14 See also Dt 33:27; Mt 11:28

The experience of security Dt 33:12 See also Pr 19:23

The experience of peace in death Rev 14:13 See also Dt 31:16; Job 3:13-17

The Destruction of Rest

By business Ps 39:6 See also Ge 31:40; Ecc 1:13; 2:23; 8:16; Lk 21:34

By conflict 2Co 7:5 See also La 5:5; 2Co 6:5; 11:27

By grief Jer 45:3 See also Job 3:26; Ps 77:4; Da 6:18

By unconfessed guilt Ps 32:3-5 See also Ge 4:12; Dt 28:65-67; Isa 48:22; 57:20-21; Rev 14:11

By sickness Job 30:17 See also Job 7:4-5 [6]


Rest

Greek expression: katapausis

Strong’s Number: 2663

Key Verses

Hebrews 3:11, 18; 4:1, 3, 5, 10–11

The Old Testament tells us that “by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2, NASB). This rest by God on the seventh day was the basis for the Hebrew Sabbath—God’s command to the Hebrews to rest on the seventh day. But this Sabbath rest really didn’t give God’s people a peaceful cessation from all of the hardships of life—so God promised another day of rest in Psalm 95:7–11. These two different rests are important for our understanding of how the concept of katapausis, the Greek word for “rest,” is developed in the New Testament—specifically by the writer of the book of Hebrews.

Quoting Psalm 95:7–11, the writer of Hebrews rehearsed the tragic experience of Israel under Moses during the desert wanderings (Heb. 3:7–19). Throughout the forty-year wilderness experience, the people hardened their hearts and rebelled against God. In turn, God was provoked by their stubbornness and swore that those who sinned would never enter “the rest” He was going to provide (Heb. 3:10–11, 18). The writer thus argued that if disobedience to God under Moses had serious consequences, forsaking Christ will be much more perilous. Hence, the wavering Christians were urged to be careful in case they should fall away from the living God due to an evil, unbelieving heart (Heb. 3:12). Although Joshua was regarded as a great leader of Israel, the Israelites under Joshua’s leadership failed to enter “the rest” that God had planned because of the people’s disobedience. The “rest” spoken of in this passage is related to the Sabbath rest of God (Heb. 4:3–4); but, it is more closely related to the concept of salvation. It is a spiritual reality that is achieved by turning from our own empty works and trusting in the finished work of Christ (Heb. 4:10). The author of Hebrews reminded his readers that “there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9, nasb), one that only Christ can provide. Christians not only benefit from this Sabbath rest in the present age, but anticipate its full realization in the age to come.

It is God’s “rest” into which all persons are encouraged to enter. The weekly day of rest is a reminder and a reflection of that rest. The “rest” of the Israelites in the Promised Land after their wilderness wanderings is a symbol of God’s eternal rest that His people will share. The rest that Christ gives to those who come to Him (Matt. 11:28) is a foretaste and a guarantee of “the divine rest” that awaits them. The rest after death of believers who have fallen asleep in Christ is a blissful intensification of the reality of this experience: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord … They may rest from their labors” (Rev. 14:13, NASB).[7]



Matthew 11:28–30

28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”






[1] http://time.com/money/4942543/time-wake-up-productive-sleep/

[2] Thomson, J. G. S. S. (1996). Rest. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1009). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[3] http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Introduction/introduction.html

[4] Thomson, J. G. S. S. (1996). Rest. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1009). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[5] Thomson, J. G. S. S. (1996). Rest. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1009). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[6]  Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser.

[7]  Carpenter, E. E., & Comfort, P. W. (2000). In Holman treasury of key Bible words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew words defined and explained (p. 377). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.