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Gossip, SlanderAid to Bible Understanding
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the congregation of his people. A case in point is that of Korah and his associates, who spoke in slanderous terms against Moses and Aaron in rebelling against God’s arrangement. (Num. 16:1-3, 12-14) Jude calls attention to these rebellious ones and their end as a pattern of warning to Christians against abusive speech, murmuring and complaining and speaking “swelling things.”—Jude 10, 11, 14-16.
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GourdAid to Bible Understanding
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GOURD
The Hebrew word paq·qu·ʽoth’, rendered “wild gourds,” appears in the Bible only with reference to an incident occurring during a time of famine in Elisha’s day. Someone had gathered some unfamiliar wild gourds and sliced them in with a stew. Upon tasting it, the “sons of the prophets” feared food poisoning and stopped eating, but Elisha miraculously saved the stew from being wasted.—2 Ki. 4:38-41.
Although a number of other suggestions have been made, the colocynth (Citrullis colocynthus), a plant related to the watermelon, is generally favored as the plant the fruit of which probably corresponds to the “wild gourds” of the Scriptural record. The vine of the colocynth trails like the cucumber and also has similar foliage. The orangelike fruit has a thick, smooth rind with green and yellow mottlings, and contains a very bitter and poisonous spongy pulp, from which the colocynth of medicine is derived. The characteristics of the colocynth would fit the Bible narrative of a wild gourd, apparently poisonous, as suggested by its very taste. (2 Ki. 4:40) When most other plants have withered, it is still green, hence a temptation to one unfamiliar with it. When stepped on, the dry fruit bursts noisily. This feature would harmonize with the meaning of the Hebrew root pa·qaʽʹ (“to split,” “to burst”), from which the word paq·qu·ʽothʹ is thought to be derived.
The gourd-shaped ornaments (Heb., peqa·ʽimʹ) adorning the molten sea and the cedarwood paneling inside Solomon’s temple may have been round like the fruit of the colocynth.—1 Ki. 6:18; 7:24; 2 Chron. 4:3.
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GovernmentAid to Bible Understanding
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GOVERNMENT
The authoritative direction and restraint exercised over the actions of men in communities, societies and states. Also, the person or body of persons or the organizations constituting the governing authority.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures forms of the word ar·kheʹ (“beginning”) are variously translated “principalities,” “governments,” “rulers,” “Sovereignties.” (AV; Dy; NW; AT; JB) Ky·berʹne·sis and ky·ri·oʹtes, rendered “government” in some translations, more correctly mean “steering [guiding or directing]” and “lordship,” respectively. In the Hebrew Scriptures, “government” is the English term sometimes used to translate mem·sha·lahʹ, “dominion” (Isa. 22:21), and mis·rahʹ, “dominion” or “princely rule [or power].”—Isa. 9:6.
The Bible reveals that there are invisible governments that are good, as established by God (Eph. 3:10), as well as those that are wicked, established by Satan and the demons. (Eph. 6:12) Jesus Christ was the active agent of God in originally setting up all righteous governments and authorities, invisible and visible. (Col. 1:15, 16) He has been placed by his Father Jehovah as head of all government (Col. 2:8-10), and he must rule until all opposing governments, invisible and visible, are brought to nothing. (1 Cor. 15:24) The apostle Paul indicated that there was a system of things to come in which there would be a government under the authority of Christ.—Eph. 1:19-21.
WORLD GOVERNMENTS
The Bible pictures world governments as ‘beasts’ and says that they get their authority from the Dragon, Satan the Devil. God has permitted them to remain and has limited their scope and duration of rule, in harmony with his purpose.—Dan. chaps. 7, 8; Rev. chaps. 13, 17; Dan. 4:25, 35; John 19:11; Acts 17:26; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4; see BEASTS, SYMBOLIC.
CHRISTIANS AND GOVERNMENTS
Jesus Christ and the early Christians did nothing to interfere with the governments of their day. (John 6:15; 17:16; Jas. 1:27; 4:4) They recognized the fact that some form of government is necessary for the existence of society, and they never fomented revolution or civil disobedience. (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1) Jesus set forth the guiding principle for true worshipers of God to follow when he said: “Pay back, therefore, Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” (Matt. 22:21) This principle enabled the early Christians (and Christians since then) to maintain a right balance as to relations with the two authorities, that of the civil governments and that of God. Jesus showed further that, while he was on earth, his position and, therefore, that of his disciples, was to be not one of rebellion toward the “Caesar” governments, but, rather, one of compliance with their regulations that did not conflict with God’s law. Pilate himself recognized this fact when he said: “I find no fault in him.” (John 18:38) The apostles followed this principle.—Acts 4:19, 20; 5:29; 24:16; 25:10, 11, 18, 19, 25; 26:31, 32; see ADMINISTRATION; KINGDOM; SUPERIOR AUTHORITIES.
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GovernorAid to Bible Understanding
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GOVERNOR
Governors in Bible times generally had military and judicial powers and were responsible to see that the tribute, tax or revenue to the king or superior ruler was paid by the jurisdictional districts or provinces that the governors ruled. (Luke 2:1, 2) Often they put a heavy load on the people to supply food for themselves and their large body of attendants.—Neh. 5:15-18.
King Solomon appointed governors over the districts of Israel. They are mentioned at 1 Kings 10:15, and may be the same as the twelve deputies of 1 Kings 4:7-19, whose duty it was to provide food for the king and his household, each for one month in the year.
Practically all the world powers of Biblical times are spoken of as having rulers of the order of governors, either as local native rulers or as governors controlling occupied territories. (Syrian, 1 Ki. 20:24; Assyrian, Ezek. 23:5, 6, 12, 23; Babylonian, Jer. 51:57; Persian, Ezra 8:36, Neh. 2:7, 9; Arabian, 2 Cor. 11:32; Roman, Luke 3:1) Joseph was a governor in a large sense, over all Egypt, subject to the king only. (Gen. 41:40, 41; Acts 7:9, 10) Rabshakeh, an officer of King Sennacherib of Assyria, taunted Hezekiah about Jerusalem’s weakness, saying that it would be unable to turn back even one of Sennacherib’s lesser governors. But Rabshakeh failed to take into account the overwhelming force of Jehovah on Hezekiah’s side.—Isa. 36:4, 9; 37:36.
Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah to govern the remaining Israelites left in the land after carrying many of the people into captivity in 607 B.C.E. Gedaliah was assassinated about two months later. (2 Ki. 25:8-12, 22, 25) Following the seventy-year period of exile, King Cyrus of Persia appointed Sheshbazzar (probably Zerubbabel) as governor of the Jews who returned to Jerusalem in 537 B.C.E. (Ezra 5:14; Hag. 1:1, 14; 2:2, 21) Nehemiah was made governor under King Artaxerxes of Persia when he went back to rebuild the wall, in 455 B.C.E.—Neh. 5:14.
Under Roman rule, Judea was an imperial province, the governors there being directly responsible to the emperor for their actions and ruling as long as he willed. Pilate was the fifth of the line of governors of Judea. (Matt. 27:2; Luke 3:1) Felix and Festus were Judea’s eleventh and twelfth governors (if we do not count Publius Petronius and his successor Marsus, who, appointed as governors of Syria, at the same time managed the affairs of the Jews.) (Acts 23:24-26; 24:27) These Roman governors had the power to execute capital punishment, as we see in the case of Jesus, who was judged by Pilate.—Matt. 27:11-14; John 19:10.
Governors of the nations in general were referred to by Jesus when he told his followers that they would be brought before such men to give a witness. Christians should not fear such rulers, though powerful, nor be worried about what to say when giving testimony before them. (Matt. 10:18-20, 26) All such governors are part of the superior authorities to which Christians owe relative, not total, subjection. (Rom. 13:1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13, 14; Acts 4:19, 20; 5:29; Matt. 22:21) Paul addressed Governor Festus, before whom he was on trial, with the respect due his office, saying: “Your Excellency Festus.” (Acts 26:25) Differently from the apostles, who rendered respect and honor first to Jehovah, who governs all, the nation of Israel sank to the point where they accorded earthly governors more respect than they gave Jehovah. This circumstance was used by Jehovah in strong reproof to the nation through his prophet Malachi.—Mal. 1:6-8.
Matthew, quoting from Micah 5:2, shows that Bethlehem, though very insignificant as far as governing power in Judah was concerned, would become significant by reason of the fact that the greatest of governors would come from this city to shepherd Jehovah’s people Israel. This prophecy finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus the Great Governor under his Father Jehovah God.—Matt. 2:6; see SUPERIOR AUTHORITIES; TIRSHATHA.
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Governor’s PalaceAid to Bible Understanding
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GOVERNOR’S PALACE
The official residence of the Roman governors. In the governor’s palace at Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate questioned Christ Jesus and, in its courtyard, Roman soldiers mocked him. (Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9) Some have identified the governor’s palace with the Castle of Antonia, but others suggest that it was probably the palace built by Herod the Great. The following reasons have been presented in support of the latter view: (1) According to the first-century Jewish philosopher Philo, Herod’s palace was called the “house of the procurators [or, governors],” and it was there that Governor Pilate hung shields in honor of Tiberius Caesar. (2) The Jewish historian Josephus reports that the procurator Gessius Florus took up his quarters there. (Wars of the Jews, Book II, chap. XIV, par. 8) (3) Herod’s palace in Caesarea served as the governor’s palace in that city.—Acts 23:33-35.
The palace of Herod at Jerusalem was situated in the NW corner of the upper city. According to Josephus’ description, it was surrounded by a 30-cubit (44-foot; 13-meter)-high wall equipped with towers at equidistant intervals. Within the walls there were porticoes, courts and groves of trees. The rooms were luxuriously furnished with gold and silver vessels and marble seats. One hundred guests could be accommodated in each of the bedrooms.—Antiquities of the Jews, Book XV, chap. IX, par. 3; Wars of the Jews, Book V, chap. IV, par. 4.
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GozanAid to Bible Understanding
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GOZAN
(Goʹzan).
A name seemingly applied both to a place and to a river. At 2 Kings 19:12 and Isaiah 37:12, Gozan appears to embrace an area larger than a city, for its inhabitants are listed among the “nations” conquered by the Assyrians. Many scholars, evidently basing their conclusions on word similarities, believe that Gozan may correspond to Gausanitis, a district of Mesopotamia referred to by Ptolemy and considered to be the same as the “Guzana” mentioned in Assyrian records. Ancient Guzana is commonly linked with modern Tell Halaf on the upper Khabur River, about 365 miles (587 kilometers) E-NE of the Sea of Galilee.
At 2 Kings 17:6 and 18:11 some translations read “Habor, the river of Gozan” (AS, RS) instead of “Habor at [or, by] the river Gozan” (NW, Yg), thus also making Gozan a place in these texts. But the rendering “Habor, the river of Gozan” does not harmonize with 1 Chronicles 5:26. In this passage Habor is listed between Halah and Hara; and Hara, not Habor, is listed before Gozan. This indicates that Habor and the “river of Gozan” (AS) are not synonymous. Hence, those who identify Gozan as a place throughout are obliged to reject the Chronicles reference. However, since the Hebrew allows for a consistent rendering of “river Gozan” in all three texts there is reason to believe that it was in the vicinity of a river called Gozan that the king of Assyria settled some of the exiled Israelites of the northern kingdom. The Qizil Uzun of NW Iran has been suggested as a possible identification of the “river Gozan.” It rises in the mountains SE of Lake Urmia (in what used to be the land of the Medes) and finally empties as the Sefid Rud or White River (the name applied to its lower course) into the SW section of the Caspian Sea. According to another view, the Gozan is a river of Mesopotamia.
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GraftingAid to Bible Understanding
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GRAFTING
The process of joining the scion (shoot, twig) of a tree known to produce good fruit with the stock of another tree bearing inferior fruit so as to bring about a permanent union. Often grafting is done with a view to combining the advantageous characteristics of both scion (its good fruit) and stock (its vigor and strength). After grafted-in branches are established, though deriving nourishment from a different stock, they will produce the same kind of fruit as the tree from which they were taken.
The apostle Paul, writing to Christians in Rome, compared non-Jewish Christians to the branches of a wild olive that were grafted into the garden olive to replace natural branches that had been broken off. These natural branches corresponded to the Jews who, because of their lack of faith, lost out on their opportunity to be among those in line for Messiah’s heavenly kingdom. As this procedure of grafting wild olive branches into the garden olive was one “contrary to nature,” this was no reason for non-Jewish Christians to have lofty ideas, for only by faith could they maintain their position. Also, the grafting of branches from the wild olive into the garden olive illustrates the permanent union that has been effected between Jews and Gentiles as fellow members of the “Israel of God.”—Rom. 11:17-24; Gal. 3:28; 6:16; compare John 15:1-6; see OLIVE.
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Grain OfferingAid to Bible Understanding
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GRAIN OFFERING
See OFFERINGS.
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GranaryAid to Bible Understanding
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GRANARY
See STOREHOUSE.
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GrandparentsAid to Bible Understanding
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GRANDPARENTS
This term, as well as “grandfather” and “grandmother,” is rarely found in Bible translations. “Grandmother” at 1 Kings 15:10, 13 is translated from the same word as “mother” and is appropriately so rendered because Maacah was Asa’s grandmother, not his mother. (1 Ki. 15:1, 2, 8) It appears that Maacah continued as the queen mother during Asa’s reign until she was removed for her idolatry. (1 Ki. 15:13) Correspondingly, “father” on occasion indicated a grandfather or forefather. (Gen. 28:13) Grandparents are also identified by such expressions as “the father of your mother” and “mother’s father.”—Gen. 28:2; Judg. 9:1.
“Children or grandchildren,” the apostle says, should “keep paying a due compensation to their parents and grandparents [Gr., pro·goʹnois].” (1 Tim. 5:4) Another form of the same word (pro·goʹnon) is rendered “forefathers” at 2 Timothy 1:3. Timothy’s grandmother (Gr., mamʹme) Lois is commended for having ‘faith without hypocrisy,’ and she apparently assisted in the development of Timothy’s faith and spiritual growth.—2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14, 15.
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GrapeAid to Bible Understanding
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GRAPE
See VINE; WINE AND STRONG DRINK.
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GrassAid to Bible Understanding
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GRASS
Any of the plants belonging to the family Gramineae, the grasses, including the cereal grains, the plants of meadow and pasture, sugarcane and bamboo. However, even today, in common usage, this
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