THE GREEK GEEK
The Greek Geek
Πραΰτης: Gentleness
By Chris Conner
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (HCSB)Let's take a look at the word "gentleness." It is πραΰτης (transliteration: prautēs; phonetic pronunciation: prah-oo'-tace), and means: "mildness, i.e. (by implication) humility; meekness." In Hebrew we have the word עָנָו (transliteration: ʿânâv; phonetic pronunciation: aw-nawv'), which means "in mind (gentle) or circumstances (needy, especially saintly); humble, lowly, meek."
Have you ever met someone like this? They are gentle, mild, calm, kind, quiet, and tender people. They do not draw a lot of attention to themselves. They are not boisterous, rowdy, unruly, noisy, or even overly excited about anything. I'm thinking of someone at this very moment that I consider to be just this way. There is an old saying, "It is better to be silent and be thought of as a fool, rather than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" (based on Proverbs 17:28). They seem to be the thinkers of the world, particularly adept at deep thought. It is a great virtue to have. Some of us have to be the center of attention, always wanting to be in the spotlight. Some, not all, actors and entertainers may fit this category. Notice I said "some." The others do it because they truly believe they have a God-given talent that they wish to share with the world.
We all have different personalities, lifestyles, and characters. That's what makes some of us inventers, singers, actors, etc. There is definitely nothing wrong with being a gentle man/woman. In fact, 1 Timothy 6:11 tells us to pursue this character trait. The word "pursue" is διώκω (transliteration: diōkō; phonetic pronunciation: dee-o'-ko), and means "to pursue (literal or figurative); by implication to persecute; ensue, follow (after), given to, (suffer) persecute (-ion), press forward." Timothy is telling us to pursue gentleness like you would a hunter pursuing game. So let's pursue gentleness and have a good heart towards others!
Reference: Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary
Tags: Biblical-Truth | Christian-Life
comments powered by Disqus
Published 2-4-16
