The term "endow" in the biblical context generally refers to the act of bestowing a gift, quality, or ability upon someone. This concept is often associated with God's gracious provision and empowerment of individuals for specific purposes or roles within His divine plan.

Old Testament Usage

In the Old Testament, the idea of endowment is frequently linked to God's impartation of wisdom, strength, or skill. For example, in Exodus 31:3, God endows Bezalel with the Spirit of God, granting him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to craft the Tabernacle: "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in all kinds of craftsmanship." This endowment is a divine enablement for a specific task, highlighting God's sovereignty in equipping His people for His work.

Similarly, in 1 Kings 3:12, God endows Solomon with unparalleled wisdom: "Behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you." Solomon's wisdom is a direct result of God's endowment, underscoring the belief that true wisdom originates from God.

New Testament Usage

In the New Testament, the concept of endowment is often associated with spiritual gifts and the empowerment of believers through the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul writes, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Here, the endowment of spiritual gifts is portrayed as a means for building up the body of Christ, with each believer receiving specific gifts according to God's will.

The endowment of the Holy Spirit is also evident in Acts 2:4, where the apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost: "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." This event marks a significant moment of divine empowerment, equipping the apostles for their mission to spread the Gospel.

Theological Implications

Theologically, the concept of endowment emphasizes God's active role in equipping His people for service. It reflects the belief that God not only calls individuals to specific tasks but also provides the necessary resources and abilities to fulfill those tasks. This divine endowment is seen as an expression of God's grace and a testament to His faithfulness in accomplishing His purposes through human agents.

Furthermore, the endowment of spiritual gifts in the New Testament highlights the communal aspect of the Christian faith, where each believer contributes to the edification of the church. This underscores the importance of recognizing and utilizing one's God-given gifts for the benefit of the entire body of Christ.

Conclusion

The biblical concept of endowment serves as a reminder of God's provision and empowerment in the lives of His people. Whether through the impartation of wisdom, skill, or spiritual gifts, God's endowment is a vital aspect of His interaction with humanity, enabling believers to fulfill their God-given roles and contribute to His redemptive work in the world.1. (v. t.) To furnish with money or its equivalent, as a permanent fund for support; to make pecuniary provision for; to settle an income upon; especially, to furnish with dower; as, to endow a wife; to endow a public institution.

2. (v. t.) To enrich or furnish with anything of the nature of a gift (as a quality or faculty); -- followed by with, rarely by of; as, man is endowed by his Maker with reason; to endow with privileges or benefits.

ENDOW; ENDUE

en-dou', en-du':

"Endow" meant originally "to provide with a dowry"; "indue" took the meaning "clothe"; the likeness between the literal meanings has confused the metaphorical use of the words in spite of their difference in origin. Thus we find in Genesis 30:20, the King James Version "endued me with a good dowry" the Revised Version (British and American) "endowed" (zabhadh, "bestow upon," "endow"); Exodus 22:16, the King James Version "endow her to be his wife" the Revised Version (British and American) "pay a dowry for her" mahar, "purchase" "endow"; compare Deuteronomy 22:29 2 Chronicles 2:12, 13, the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) "endued" with understanding (from yadha`, "know"); and Luke 24:49, the King James Version "endued with power," the Revised Version (British and American) "clothed" (enduo, "clothe").

F. K. Farr

5487. charitoo -- to make graceful, endow with grace
... to make graceful, endow with grace. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: charitoo
Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ee-to'-o) Short Definition: I favor, bestow freely ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5487.htm - 7k2064. zabad -- bestow upon, endow with
... 2063, 2064. zabad. 2065 . bestow upon, endow with. Transliteration: zabad Phonetic
Spelling: (zaw-bad') Short Definition: endowed. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/2064.htm - 5k

4117. mahar -- to acquire by paying a purchase price
... Word Origin denominative verb from mohar Definition to acquire by paying a purchase
price NASB Word Usage bartered (1), pay a dowry (1). endow, surely. ...
/hebrew/4117.htm - 6k

5157. nachal -- to get or take as a possession
... for an inheritance (1), apportioning for inheritance (1), bequeath (2), distributed
(1), divide (1), divide it for an inheritance (1), endow (1), endowed (1 ...
/hebrew/5157.htm - 7k

Divine Predestination
... upon it are the following: It is an eternal and gracious decree of God in Christ,
by which he determines to justify and adopt believers, and to endow them with ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/divine predestination.htm

Letter Xcii. (AD 408. )
... They think, however, that they are very acute in saying and in pressing as a question
for us to answer: Was Christ able to endow His flesh so as that He could ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter xcii a d 408.htm

Biogenesis
... No change of substance, no modification of environment, no chemistry, no electricity,
nor any form of energy, nor any evolution can endow any single atom of ...
/.../drummond/natural law in the spiritual world/biogenesis.htm

The History of Joseph the Carpenter.
... And I shall endow you with power from on high, and fill you with the Holy Spirit.
[1708] And you shall declare to all nations repentance and remission of sins. ...
/.../unknown/the history of joseph the carpenter/the history of joseph the.htm

A Heavenly Pattern for Our Earthly Life
... Could the Lord endow us with his own omniscience, we should not only consent to
the deaths of his servants, but should deprecate their longer life. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 30 1884/a heavenly pattern for our.htm

Man and Machinery.
... effort. But these powerful instruments, condensing time and space, endow
a single half-century with the possibilities of a cycle. ...
/.../chapin/humanity in the city/discourse ii man and machinery.htm

Mission Work
... to multiply such missions among the country poor, and no sooner had Vincent returned
to her house than she offered him a large sum of money to endow a band of ...
/.../forbes/life of st vincent de paul/chapter 5 mission work.htm

Reasons Why Divinity Has Been Ascribed to Men.
... "It was the generation then the tenth,. Of men endow'd with speech, since
forth the flood. Had burst upon the men of former times,. ...
/.../athenagoras/a plea for the christians/chapter xxx reasons why divinity has.htm

The Christian Has Sure and Simple Knowledge Concerning the Subject ...
... In nature, however, most conclusions are suggested, as it were, by that common
intelligence wherewith God has been pleased to endow the soul of man. ...
/.../tertullian/a treatise on the soul/chapter ii the christian has sure.htm

Tenth Chapter
... What is the gift? It is that she is inwardly and outwardly beset with divers
assaults, with which He is wont to endow his special friends. ...
/.../the history and life of the reverend doctor john tauler/tenth chapter.htm

Endow (3 Occurrences)
... equivalent, as a permanent fund for support; to make pecuniary provision for; to
settle an income upon; especially, to furnish with dower; as, to endow a wife ...
/e/endow.htm - 8k

Endue
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To endow with a quality or ability. 2. (n.) An
older spelling of Endow. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ENDOW; ENDUE. ...
/e/endue.htm - 7k

Endowed (10 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Endow. Multi-Version Concordance
Endowed (10 Occurrences). 1 Timothy 4:14 Do not be careless ...
/e/endowed.htm - 9k

En-dor (3 Occurrences)
En-dor. Endor, En-dor. Endow . Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia EN-DOR. ... (BBE
JPS WBS NAS RSV). Endor, En-dor. Endow . Reference Bible.
/e/en-dor.htm - 11k

Vest (11 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) To clothe with authority, power, or the like; to put in possession; to invest;
to furnish; to endow; -- followed by with before the thing conferred; as ...
/v/vest.htm - 11k

Nature (80 Occurrences)
... 9. (n.) Constitution or quality of mind or character. 10. (vt) To endow with natural
qualities. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NATURAL; NATURE. ...
/n/nature.htm - 35k

Lain (57 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Exodus 22:16 And when a man doth entice a virgin who 'is' not betrothed,
and hath lain with her, he doth certainly endow her to himself for a wife; (YLT) ...
/l/lain.htm - 24k

Gift (148 Occurrences)
... It can be perfected only by deed, or in case of personal property, by an actual
delivery of possession. 6. (vt) To endow with some power or faculty. Int. ...
/g/gift.htm - 59k

Widow (71 Occurrences)
... bereave. 5. (vt) To endow with a widow's right. 6. (vt) To become, or survive
as, the widow of. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WIDOW. ...
/w/widow.htm - 31k

Immaculate
... leading up to the publication of 1854, and subsequent to it, to discover a growing
tendency to lift Mary out of the realm of human beings and to endow her with ...
/i/immaculate.htm - 16k

What is the difference between a talent and a spiritual gift? | GotQuestions.org

Endow: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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