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Bible Dictionaries
Patience, Long-Suffering, Forbearance
Morrish Bible Dictionary
or It is important to distinguish between ὑπομονή and μακροθυμία, -έω. Both are rendered 'patience' and 'long-suffering'; the latter once 'bear long,' and once 'suffer long.' They are found together in Colossians 1:11 and in 2 Corinthians 6:4,6 , where ὑπομονή is given as the first mark of what commends the "servants of God," as it is the first sign of apostolic power in 2 Corinthians 12:12 . They are together in reverse order, 2 Timothy 3:10 , in the apostle's manner of life. James 5:11 speaks of the 'patience' (ὑπ.) of Job, and in James 5:10 of the prophets as an example of 'long-suffering' (μα.), 'patience' A.V.
ὑπομονή (from ὑπομένω 'to sustain') is once rendered 'enduring,' 2 Corinthians 1:6; 'patient continuance,' Romans 2:7; and this fully enters into the thought of the word: it is a 'patient endurance,' that does not succumb under trial and suffering. See Luke 8:15; Luke 21:19 (comp. Psalm 39:7 , where "what wait I for" is ὑπομονή in the LXX, 38:8); Revelation 13:10; Revelation 14:12 , and in the expression "he that endureth to the end," Matthew 10:22 and Matthew 24:13 (the verb); see also Romans 5:3,4; James 1:3,4; Hebrews 10:36; Heb.12:1. In Romans 15:5 it is traced to its divine source for us; and, though never applied to God directly, because there could be no such testing or pressure in regard to Him, the Lord Jesus in the place He has taken as Man is our perfect example in it, Hebrews 12:2,3 (the verb), who 'endured' the cross, and the contradiction of sinners against Himself; with which may be compared 2 Thessalonians 3:5 and Revelation 3:10 .
μακροθυμία is from μακρόθυμος, 'long-suffering.' What has been observed as to God in connection with ὑπομονή just serves to bring out the distinction between this word and μακροθυμία,which if a trait of grace in the saint, is most fully an attribute of God. The distinction has been put thus by Archbishop Trench: "μακροθυμία will be found to express patience in respect of persons, ὑπομονή in respect of things;" and scriptural usage, it is believed, confirms this. From Exodus 34:6 μακρόθυμος is constantly used of God in the LXX: for μακροθυμία, in the N.T. in the same way, see Romans 2:4; Romans 9:22; 1 Timothy 1:16; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:15; it is the verb μακροθυμέωin 2 Peter 3:9 'is long-suffering,' and Luke 18:7 'bear long.' We may see much of the force of μακρόθυμοςin Proverbs 15:18; Proverbs 16:32 , where in the LXX it answers to our "slow to anger," though the patient restraint of spirit expressed in the word is not confined to anger. For μακροθυμέω see Matthew 18:26,29; James 5:7,7,8,10 ('be patient' and 'have patience' in A.V.); and more generally 1 Corinthians 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ('be patient,' A.V.). For μακροθυμία, similarly, see 2 Timothy 4:2; Hebrews 6:12 ('patience'). In Ephesians 4:2 and Colossians 3:12,13 , it is followed by ἀνέχομαι "forbearing one another," which would be its manifestation. Expressing then 'a long holding out of the mind before it gives room to action or passion,' it is applied to God, in His forbearance towards those who provoke Him.
ἀνοχή, 'forbearance,' the substantive, is only found in Romans 2:4; Romans 3:25; but the verb ἀνέχομαι, as we have seen, occurs in Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13 , and in some other places, generally rendered 'suffer' in the sense of 'bearing with.' (It is a compound of this word with κακός that is used in 2 Timothy 2:24 only — 'patient of ills and wrongs.') But as a substantive it has a little more defined sense, being according to classic usage an armistice or suspension of hostilities, and hence of a temporary character. Its fitness will then be seen in Romans 3:25,26 to express the difference between the ' passing-over ' of sins in the forbearance (ἀνοχή) of God before the cross, and the 'justification ' of the believer as the result of its finished work. (See πάρεσιςand ἄφεσις, No. 10.)
ἐπιεικής (from ἐπι and εἴκω, 'to yield') is another word translated 'patient' in A.V. in 1 Timothy 3:3 — associated there with ἄμαχος 'not a brawler,' or 'not addicted to contention,' as in Titus 3:2 , where it is 'gentle,' also James 3:17 and 1 Peter 2:18 . In Philippians 4:5 (in a substantive form) it is 'moderation.' See also 2 Corinthians 10:1 for the noun, 'gentleness,' and Acts 24:4 'clemency.' Difficult to represent by any one word in English, it is 'equity' in contrast to the strict letter of the law, hence readiness to waive all rigour and severity even as to just legal redress (as Bishop Ellicot expresses it); it is the opposite of standing upon one's rights, 'mild,' 'gentle.' As compared with πρᾳότης (for which see No. 34) in the expression "meekness (πρ.) and gentleness (ἐπ.) of Christ," 2 Corinthians 10:1; the first would be more the state of the inner mind, the second must necessarily express itself in relation to others. ἐπιεικής is used by the LXX in Ps. 86:5 (Psalm 85 , LXX) of the Lord for what answers to our 'ready to forgive.'
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Morrish, George. Entry for 'Patience, Long-Suffering, Forbearance'. Morrish Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/mbd/3/33-patience-long-suffering-forbearance.html. 1897.
