Promise

VIEW:28 DATA:01-04-2020
PROMISE.—Although the OT is the record of God’s promises to lowly saints and to anointed kings, to patriarchs and to prophets, to the nation of His choice and to the world at large, the word itself is rarely used in the EV [Note: English Version.] , and less frequently in the RV [Note: Revised Version.] than in the AV [Note: Authorized Version.] . The Heb. noun dâbhâr is generally rendered ‘word,’ but ‘promise’ is found in 1Ki_8:56, Neh_5:12 f. In Psa_105:42 the change made in the RV [Note: Revised Version.] reminds us that God’s ‘holy word’ is always a ‘holy promise.’ Similarly, the Heb. verb dâbhar is usually tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘speak’; but ‘promise’ is found in Exo_12:25, Jer_32:42 etc. In several passages, as, e.g., Deu_10:9, Neh_9:23, the RV [Note: Revised Version.] gives ‘speak’ or ‘say’ instead of ‘promise.’ A complete study of the subject would therefore require a consideration of the whole question of OT prophecy. ‘For thy word’s sake’ is the ultimate appeal of those who can say ‘thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hast promised’ (2Sa_7:21; 2Sa_7:28). See Prophecy.
1. In a few passages (Jos_9:21, Neh_5:12 f., Est_4:7, Mat_14:7, Mar_14:11, Act_7:5, 2Pe_2:19) the reference is to a man’s promises to his fellow-man; once only (Act_23:21) the noun has this meaning in the NT. In Deu_23:23 the verb refers to man’s promises to God, and is synonymous with vowing unto God. This passage is instructive, on account of the stress that is laid on the voluntary nature of the obligation that is incurred by him who promises or makes a vow. Driver renders ‘according as thou hast vowed freely unto Jehovah, thy God, that which thou hast spoken (promised) with thy mouth’ (ICC [Note: CC International Critical Commentary.] , in loc.). The thought of spontaneity is an essential part of the meaning of the word when it is used of God’s promises to man, and especially of ‘the promise’ which comprises all the blessings of the Messianic Kingdom (Act_2:39; Act_7:17 etc.).
2. The Gr. word epangellesthai, tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘promise,’ is found only in the middle voice in the NT; its root-meaning is ‘to announce oneself,’ hence it comes to signify ‘to offer one’s services,’ and ‘to engage oneself voluntarily to render a service.’ Dalman derives the NT conception of the ‘promise’ from the Rabbinic phraseology concerning ‘assurance.’ A typical example is Ber. R. 76: ‘for the pious there is no assurance (promise) in this age’; cf. Apoc. [Note: Apocalypse, Apocalyptic.] Bar 53. 8, ‘the promise of life hereafter’ (The Words of Jesus, p. 103). The promises of God are numerous (2Co_1:20); they are also ‘precious and exceeding great’ (2Pe_1:4). ‘His every word of grace’ is a promise; even His commandments are assurances of grace, conditional only upon men’s willingness to obey. When God commanded the children of Israel to go in to possess the land, it was as good as theirs; already He had ‘lifted up’ His hand to give it them; but the promise implied in the command was made of no effect through their disobedience. The possession of Canaan, the growth of the nation, universal blessing through the race, are examples of promises of which the patriarchs did not receive the outward fulness (Heb_11:18). On the one hand, Abraham ‘obtained the promise,’ because the birth of Isaac was the beginning of its fulfilment (Heb_6:15); on the other hand, he is one of the fathers who ‘received not the promise,’ but ‘with a true faith looked for a fulfilment of the promises which was not granted to them’ (cf. Westcott’s note on Heb_11:39).
3. The NT phrase ‘inherit the promises’ (Heb_6:12; cf. Heb_11:9, Gal_3:29) is found in Ps. Sol 13:8 (b.c. 70 to b.c. 40). This passage is probably ‘the first instance in extant Jewish literature where the expression “the promises of the Lord” sums up the assurances of the Messianic redemption’ (Ryle and James, Com., in loc.). In the Gospels the word ‘promise’ is used in this technical sense only in Luk_24:49, where ‘the promise of the Father’ refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Act_1:4; Act_2:33; Act_2:39, Gal_3:14, Eph_1:13). The Ep. to the Hebrews is especially rich in passages which make mention of promises fulfilled in Christ (Heb_4:1; Heb_6:17; Heb_7:8; Heb_9:15 etc.); but both in his speeches and in his Epistles St. Paul looks at the Christian gospel from the same point of view (Act_13:28; Act_13:32; Act_26:6 f., Rom_9:8, Gal_4:28, Eph_3:6; cf. the only Johannine use of ‘promise’ in 1Jn_2:25). There are promises to encourage believers as they strive to perfect holiness (2Co_7:1), whilst ‘to them that love him’ the Lord hath ‘promised the crown of life’ (Jam_1:12); there is also the unfulfilled ‘promise of his coming’ (2Pe_3:4). But ‘how many so ever he the promises of God, in him is the Yea: wherefore also through him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us.’
J. G. Tasker.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909


an assurance given by God, in his word, of bestowing blessings upon his people, 2Pe_1:4. The word in the New Testament is usually taken for the promises that God heretofore made to Abraham, and the other patriarchs, of sending the Messiah, and conferring his Holy Spirit and eternal life on those that should believe on him. It is in this sense that the Apostle Paul commonly uses the word promise, Rom_4:13-14; Gal_3:14; Gal_3:17-18; Gal_3:21-22; Gal_3:29. The promises of the new covenant are called better than those of the old, Heb_8:6. because they are more spiritual, clear, comprehensive, and universal than those of the Mosaic covenant. The time of the promise, Act_7:17, is the time of fulfilling the promise. The “children of the promise” are,
1. The Israelites descended from Isaac, in opposition to the Ishmaelites descended from Ishmael and Hagar.
2. The Jews converted to Christianity, in opposition to the obstinate Jews, who would not believe in Christ.
3. All true believers, who are born again by the supernatural power of God, and who by faith lay hold on the promise of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Biblical and Theological Dictionary by Richard Watson
PRINTER 1849.


Israelites of the Old Testament era made their promises usually in the forms of covenants, oaths and vows. They therefore understood the promises of God in relation to such forms (Exo_6:8; Deu_9:5; Eph_2:12; Heb_6:13; see COVENANT; OATHS; VOWS). In the New Testament, although the idea of the covenant is present, there is little concerning oaths and vows. Usually the emphasis is on the promise, and most of the promises are made by God (2Co_1:20; Tit_1:2).
Some of these promises are in the nature of fulfilled prophecies, where God’s promises of Old Testament times find their fulfilment in the events of Christ and the gospel (Luk_1:32-33; Luk_1:72-73; Act_13:23; Act_13:32; Rom_1:2; Rom_15:8; Gal_3:14; Heb_9:15; cf. Gen_12:1-3; 2Sa_7:16; Jer_31:31-34). Others concern the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church (Luk_24:49; Act_1:4; Act_2:33; Act_2:39), and the blessings of the believer in the age to come (Heb_10:36; Jam_1:12; Jam_2:5; 2Pe_3:4; 2Pe_3:13; 1Jn_2:25).
The New Testament therefore refers to the entire gospel and its blessings as being based on promise. That is, salvation is God’s gift, dependent on God’s faithfulness and in no way a reward for human effort or merit (Gal_3:18; Gal_4:23-28; 2Ti_1:1; Heb_4:1; Heb_10:36). God’s promises are contrasted with the law given to Israel; for whereas the law demanded obedience, the promises require only faith to accept them (Rom_4:13-16; Gal_3:17-18; Gal_3:21-22; Eph_3:6; Heb_8:6; Heb_11:13).
God is always faithful to his promises. He has given added assurance of this by giving the Holy Spirit to the believer as a guarantee that he will do what he has promised (Eph_1:13-14; Heb_6:13; Heb_10:23; 2Pe_3:9). God’s people likewise should be faithful to their promises, even when it involves them in personal inconvenience (Deu_23:23; Psa_15:4; 2Co_1:17-20).
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.


prom?is (most frequently in the Old Testament דּבר, dābhār, ?speaking,? ?speech,? and דּבר, dābhar, ?to speak? also אמר, 'āmar, ?to say,? once in Psa_77:8, 'ōmer, ?speech?; in the New Testament ἐπαγγελία, epaggelı́a, and the verbs ἐπαγγέλλομαι, epaggéllomai, and compounds): Promise holds an important place in the Scriptures and in the development of the religion that culminated in Christ. The Bible is indeed full of ?precious and exceeding great promises? (2Pe_1:4), although the word ?promise? is not always used in connection with them. Of the more outstanding promises of the Old Testament may be mentioned: (1) the proto-evangelium (Gen_3:15); (2) the promise to Noah no more to curse the ground, etc. (Gen_8:21, Gen_8:22; 9:1-17); (3) most influential, the promise to Abraham to make of him a great nation in whom all families of the earth should be blessed, to give to him and his seed the land of Canaan (Gen_12:2, Gen_12:7, etc.), often referred to in the Old Testament (Exo_12:25; Deu_1:8, Deu_1:11; Deu_6:3; Deu_9:28, etc.); (4) the promise to David to continue his house on the throne (2Sa_7:12, 2Sa_7:13, 2Sa_7:18; 1Ki_2:24, etc.); (5) the promise of restoration of Israel, of the Messiah, of the new and everlasting kingdom, of the new covenant and outpouring of the Spirit (Isa_2:2-5; Isa_4:2; Isa_55:5; Isa_66:13; Jer_31:31-34; Jer_32:37-42; Jer_33:14; Eze_36:22-31; Eze_37:11 f; Eze_39:25 f, etc.). In the New Testament these promises are founded on, and regarded as having their true fulfillment in, Christ and those who are His (2Co_1:20; Eph_3:6). The promise of the Spirit is spoken of by Jesus as ?the promise of my Father? (Luk_24:49; Act_1:4), and this was regarded as fulfilled at Pentecost. The promise of a Saviour of the seed of David is regarded as fulfilled in Christ (Act_13:23, Act_13:32, Act_26:6; Rom_1:2; Rom_4:13; Rom_9:4). Paul argues that the promise to Abraham that he should be ?heir of the world,? made to him before circumcision, is not confined to Israel, but is open to all who are children of Abraham by faith (Rom_4:13-16; compare Gal_3:16, Gal_3:19, Gal_3:29). In like manner the writer to the Hebrews goes back to the original promises, giving them a spiritual and eternal significance (4:1; 6:17; 11:9, etc.). The New Testament promises include manifold blessings and hopes, among them ?life,? ?eternal life? (1Ti_4:8; 1Ti_6:19; 2Ti_1:1; Jam_1:12), the ?kingdom? (Jam_2:5), Christ's ?coming? (2Pe_3:9, etc.), ?new heavens and a new earth? (2Pe_3:13), etc. For ?promise? and ?promised? in the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) has frequently other terms, as ?word? (Psa_105:42), ?spake,? ?spoken? (Deu_10:9; Jos_9:21; Jos_22:4; Jos_23:5, Jos_23:15, etc.), ?consented? (Luk_22:6), etc. References to the promises occur repeatedly in the Apocrypha (Baruch 2:34; 2 Macc 2:18; The Wisdom of Solomon 12:21; compare 2 Esdras 3:15; 5:29).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.


Promise
(some form of אָמִר, to say, or דָּבִר, to speak; ἐπαγγελία) is a solemn asseveration, by which one pledges his veracity that he will perform, or cause to be performed, for the benefit of another, the thing which he mentions. A promise, in the scriptural sense of the term, is a declaration or assurance of the divine will, in which God signifies what particular blessings or good things he will freely bestow, as well as the evils which he will remove. Promises differ from the commands of God, inasmuch as the former are significations of the divine will concerning a duty enjoined to be performed, while the promises relate to mercy to be received. The “exceeding great and precious promises” are applicable to all believers; they appertain to the present and the future life (2Pe_1:4). Some particular promises are predictions, as the promise of the Messiah, and the blessings of the Gospel (Rom_4:13-14; Gal_3:14-29). Hence the Hebrews were called the “children of the promise” (Rom_9:8). So all the true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are called “children” and “heirs of the promise” (Gal_4:20; Heb_6:12; Heb_6:17). There are four classes of promises mentioned in the Scriptures, particularly in the New Test.:
1, promises relating to the Messiah;
2, promises relating to the Church;
3, promises of blessings, both temporal and spiritual, to the pious; and,
4, promises encouraging the exercise of the several graces and duties that compose the Christian character.
The first two of these classes, indeed, are many of them predictions as well as promises. SEE PROPHECY. The consideration of the others should prove.
1, an antidote to despair;
2, a motive to patience under affliction;
3, an incentive to perseverance in well-doing;
4, a call for prayer.
PROMISE is a solemn asseveration by which one pledges his veracity that he shall perform, or cause to be performed, the thing which he mentions. The obligation of promises arises from the necessity of the well-being and existence of society. “Virtue requires,” as Dr. Doddridge observes, “that promises be fulfilled. The promise, i.e. the person to whom the promise is made, acquires a property in virtue of the promise. The uncertainty of property would evidently be attended with great inconvenience. By failing to fulfil my promise, I either show that I was not sincere in making it, or that I have little constancy or resolution, and either way injure my character, and consequently my usefulness in life. Promises, however, are not binding,
1, if they were made by us before we came to such exercise of reason as to be fit to transact affairs of moment; or if by any distemper or sudden surprise we are deprived of the exercise of our reason at the time when the promise is made;
2, if the promise was made on a false presumption, in which the promiser, after the most diligent inquiry, was imposed upon, especially if he were deceived by the fraud of the promise;
3, if the thing itself be vicious, for virtue cannot require that vice should be committed;
4, if the accomplishment of the promise be so hard and intolerable that there is reason to believe that, had it been foreseen, it would not have been an accepted case;
5, if the promise be not accepted, or if it depend on conditions not performed.” But really this question concerning the validity and obligation of a promise given or obtained under false views is a matter that falls within the Casuistry of Ethics — a very uncertain ground. See Grotius, De Jure, lib. ii, cap. xi; Paley, Moral Philosophy, vol. i, ch. v; Grove, Moral Philosophy, vol. ii. ch. 12:p. 2; Watts, Sermons, ser. 20; Dymond, Essays; Verplanck, On Contracts. SEE OBLIGATION; SEE PROBABILISM.

CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.





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