The term "cumber" is used in the Bible to describe a state of being burdened, hindered, or encumbered by something. It often implies an obstruction or a hindrance that prevents progress or productivity. In the context of Scripture, "cumber" is used to illustrate spiritual or physical impediments that can affect one's relationship with God or one's ability to fulfill divine purposes.

Biblical Usage:

1. Luke 13:7 : "So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’" In this parable, the fig tree is described as cumbering the ground, meaning it is taking up space and resources without producing fruit. This serves as a metaphor for individuals or entities that do not fulfill their intended purpose, thereby hindering the potential for growth and productivity in the Kingdom of God.

2. Mark 11:14 : "Then He said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat of your fruit again.' And His disciples heard this." While the term "cumber" is not directly used in this passage, the cursing of the barren fig tree by Jesus is a related concept. The tree, which bore no fruit, was seen as a hindrance to the expectation of fruitfulness, symbolizing the spiritual barrenness that can cumber one's life.

Theological Implications:

In a spiritual sense, to be "cumbered" can mean being weighed down by worldly concerns, distractions, or sin, which can impede one's spiritual growth and effectiveness. The Bible encourages believers to cast off such hindrances to run the race set before them with perseverance (Hebrews 12:1: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.").

Practical Application:

Believers are called to examine their lives for anything that may cumber their walk with God. This includes not only overt sins but also subtle distractions and priorities that may take precedence over spiritual growth and service. The call to bear fruit is a recurring theme in the New Testament, emphasizing the importance of living a life that reflects the transformative power of the Gospel.

Related Concepts:

· Fruitfulness: The opposite of being cumbered is to be fruitful. In John 15:5 , Jesus states, "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." This highlights the necessity of abiding in Christ to avoid being spiritually cumbered.

· Simplicity and Focus: The account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 illustrates the concept of being cumbered by distractions. Martha is described as being "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made," while Mary chooses to sit at Jesus' feet, focusing on what is truly important.

In summary, the concept of being "cumbered" in the Bible serves as a warning against allowing anything to hinder one's spiritual journey and effectiveness in God's Kingdom. It calls for a life of intentionality, focus, and fruitfulness, rooted in a deep relationship with Christ.1. (v. t.) To rest upon as a troublesome or useless weight or load; to be burdensome or oppressive to; to hinder or embarrass in attaining an object, to obstruct or occupy uselessly; to embarrass; to trouble.

2. (v.) Trouble; embarrassment; distress.

CUMBER; CUMBERED

kum'-ber, (katargeo, "to make idle," perispaomai, "to be drawn about," in mind "to be distracted"): Spoken of the barren fig tree in the parable: "Cut it down; why doth it also cumber (block up, make unproductive) the ground?" (Luke 13:7). Cumbered means to be over-occupied with cares or business, distracted: "But Martha was cumbered about much serving" (Luke 10:40). The word cumbrance occurs only in Deuteronomy 1:12: "How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance?" (Torach, "an encumbrance," "a burden"). Compare Isaiah 1:14, where the Revised Version, margin has "cumbrance," the Revised Version (British and American) "trouble."

2673. katargeo -- to render inoperative, abolish
... severed (1), use (1). abolish, cease, cumber, do away. From kata and argeo;
to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2673.htm - 9k

4049. perispao -- to draw away
... distract. From peri and spao; to drag all around, ie (figuratively) to distract
(with care) -- cumber. see GREEK peri. see GREEK spao. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4049.htm - 6k

The Social Test of Religion
... he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on
this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? ...
/.../rauschenbusch/the social principles of jesus/chapter ix the social test.htm

Ancestry, Birth, Education, Environment: 1513(?)-1546
... Scottish Reformer. The sorrows, the "cumber" of which Knox was "alleged" to
bear the blame, did not end with his death. They persisted ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter i ancestry birth education.htm

The Holy Spirit.
... The Spirit loveth to do what it does in private: that man to whom God intendeth
to reveal great things, he taketh him aside from the lumber and cumber of this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/viii the holy spirit.htm

Conversion.
... The straitness, the narrowness, must not be understood of the gate simply, but because
of that cumber that some men carry with them that pretend to be going to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xi conversion.htm

Now all the Woods are Sleeping,
... On earth no more we pine and weep. The body hastes to slumber,. These garments
now but cumber; And as I lay them by. I ponder how the spirit. ...
/.../winkworth/lyra germanica the christian year/ii now all the woods.htm

Liii. Repentance Enjoined. Parable of the Barren Fig-Tree.
... he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on
this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/liii repentance enjoined parable of.htm

The Fall of the Tower.
... he said unto the vinedresser, 'Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on
this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the fall of the tower.htm

St. Ambrose Gives Additional Rules Concerning Repentance, and ...
... who planted a fig-tree in his vineyard should come and seek fruit on it, and finding
none, say to the vine-dresser: "Cut it down, why doth it cumber the ground ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter i st ambrose gives.htm

Humiliation and Praise. (Imitated from the German. )
... A heart so vile as mine. Wondrous mercy I have found,. But ah! how faint my praise!
Must I be a cumber-ground,. Unfruitful all my days? Do I in thy garden grow, ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 56 humiliation and praise.htm

The Riches of Darkness are those which Men have Made
... waters cover the sea. Oh how they are ready to sink always under the burden
and cumber of devised wants! Verily, the prospect of ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/33 the riches of darkness.htm

Cumber (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (v.) Trouble; embarrassment; distress. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CUMBER;
CUMBERED. ... Multi-Version Concordance Cumber (1 Occurrence). ...
/c/cumber.htm - 7k

Cumbered (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Cumber. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. CUMBER; CUMBERED. kum'-ber, (katargeo, "to make ...
/c/cumbered.htm - 7k

Vinedresser (2 Occurrences)
... he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on
this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? ...
/v/vinedresser.htm - 7k

Cultured (1 Occurrence)

/c/cultured.htm - 6k

Cumber: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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