The meaning of Forward; Forwardness in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
for'-werd for'-werd-nes (hale'ah, naca'; spoudaios): As an adverb "forward" has the meaning of "onward" in space or time, or in the movement of affairs. As an adjective it has the sense of "readiness," "willingness," etc. The adverb only is found in the Old Testament. It is the translation of hale'ah, "distance," "onward"; in space (Numbers 32:19; I Samuel 10:3); in time (Ezekiel 39:22, "from that day and forward"; Ezekiel 43:27); once of halakh, "to go on" (Genesis 26:13, "went forward," the King James Version margin, Hebrew "went going," the Revised Version (British and American) "grew more and more"); twice of ma'al, "above," "upward" (I Samuel 16:13; I Samuel 30:25, "from that day forward"); once of ya'al, "to cause to go up," "advance" (Job 30:13, "They set forward (advance or help on) my calamity"); twice of lephanim, "to the front" (Jeremiah 7:24; Ezekiel 10:22, "They went every one straight forward," literally, "on the side of their face"); once of qedhem, "before" (Job 23:8, "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there"); once with nakhah, "to smite" (II Kings 3:24); frequently in Nu, and once in Exodus, of naca', "to lift up," "remove," "journey" (Exodus 14:15, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward"; Numbers 1:51, "when the tabernacle setteth forward"; Numbers 2:24 the King James Version, "They shall go forward," etc.); it is also the translation of natsach (Piel), "to be over," "to take the lead," "to superintend" (I Chronicles 23:4, "to set forward (to carry onward, to advance) the work of the house of the Lord," the King James Version margin and text of the Revised Version (British and American) "to oversee"; II Chronicles 34:12, "to set it forward," the Revised Version (British and American) retains, margin, "to preside over it"; Ezra 3:8 margin, "set forward the work"). This word means also "to lead" in music, to precent; hence, in the title of many psalms, la-menatseach, "For the chief musician." Proerchomai, "to go forward," etc., is translated "went forward" (Mark 14:35); propempo, "to send forward" (III John 1:6, "bring forward," the Revised Version (British and American) "set forward"); proballo, "to throw or put forward" (Acts 19:33, "putting him forward"); as adjective it is the translation of thelo, "to wish," "will" (II Corinthians 8:10, "to be forward a year ago"; the King James Version margin (Greek) "willing," the Revised Version (British and American) "to will"); of spoudaios, "speedy," "earnest" (II Corinthians 8:17, "being more forward," the Revised Version (British and American) "very earnest"); of spoudazo, "to make haste," "to be earnest" (Galatians 2:10, "which I also was forward to do," the Revised Version (British and American) "zealous to do").
"Forward" occurs several times in Apocrypha, e.g. 1 Esdras 1:27, "The Lord is with me hasting me forward" (epispeudo); 2 Esdras 3:6, "before ever the earth came forward" (adventaret), meaning, perhaps, before it was ready for planting.
Forwardness is the translation of spoude, "speed," "zeal," etc. (II Corinthians 8:8, the Revised Version (British and American) "earnestness"); of prothumia "readiness of mind" (II Corinthians 9:2, "the forwardness of your mind," the Revised Version (British and American) "your readiness"; The Wisdom of Solomon 14:17, "that by their forwardness (spoude) they might flatter," the Revised Version (British and American) "zeal").
For "forward" the Revised Version (British and American) has "forth" (Numbers 2:24; compare I Corinthians 16:11); for "go forward" (Numbers 10:5), "take their journey"; for "set forward" (Numbers 21:10; Numbers 22:1), "journeyed"; "forward" for "ready" (Deuteronomy 1:41), for "forth" (Proverbs 25:6), for "farther" (Matthew 26:39); "put forward" for "appointed" (Acts 1:23): "set forward according to" for "took" (Numbers 10:12); "set forward" for "went" (Numbers 10:14, Numbers 10:34), for "departed" (Numbers 10:33); "set me forward" for "bring me" (I Corinthians 16:6).
W. L. Walker
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