Topical Bible: Brother: Signifies: Any Israelite

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Signifies: Any Israelite

In the biblical context, the term "brother" extends beyond the immediate familial relationship to encompass a broader sense of kinship among the Israelites. This usage underscores the communal and covenantal bonds that unite the people of Israel as a single family under God.

Old Testament Usage:

The Hebrew word for brother, "אָח" (ach), is frequently used to denote not only a biological sibling but also a fellow member of the Israelite community. This broader application is evident in various passages where Israelites are instructed to treat one another with the care and respect due to a brother. For instance, in Deuteronomy 15:12, the term is used in the context of releasing Hebrew servants: "If your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free."

The concept of brotherhood is also central to the laws concerning social justice and equity. Leviticus 25:35-36 instructs, "If your brother becomes impoverished and cannot support himself among you, help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so he can continue to live among you. Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, so that your brother may continue to live among you." Here, the term "brother" emphasizes the moral obligation to support fellow Israelites in need.

New Testament Usage:

In the New Testament, the Greek word "ἀδελφός" (adelphos) similarly extends beyond biological ties to include spiritual kinship among believers. This is particularly evident in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of the apostles, where the term is used to describe the community of faith. For example, in Matthew 23:8, Jesus instructs His followers, "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers."

The apostle Paul frequently uses the term to address members of the early Christian communities, emphasizing their unity in Christ. In Romans 12:10, he exhorts believers, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another." This reflects the spiritual brotherhood that transcends ethnic and social boundaries, uniting all believers as members of God's family.

Theological Implications:

The use of "brother" to signify any Israelite or fellow believer highlights the biblical theme of unity and mutual responsibility within the community of God's people. It underscores the call to love, support, and uphold one another, reflecting the covenant relationship established by God with Israel and extended to the Church through Christ. This concept of brotherhood is foundational to the ethical teachings of both the Old and New Testaments, serving as a reminder of the interconnectedness and shared identity of God's people.

Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 34:9
That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
Nave's Topical Index

Obadiah 1:10
For your violence against your brother Jacob shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

On the Words of the Gospel, John i. 48,"When Thou Wast under the ...
... to Jacob, "Thou shalt not be any more called ... the broad part of the thigh signifies
the multitude ... profited us, therefore hath the elder brother been supplanted ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxii on the words.htm

The Lord's Day --The Worship of the Apostolic Church --Its ...
... baptize, [220:7] in our authorised version, always signifies immerse, but ... written
unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/chapter i the lords daythe.htm

Preface
... the slightest information, and the matter signifies very little ... of God," and then
brought his brother Peter to ... Nathanael who at first said, "Can any good thing ...
/.../ryle/the upper room being a few truths for the times/preface.htm

Paul in Jerusalem.
... Without any disposition to boast, Paul could relate a series of flattering ... "Thou
seest, brother, how many thousands" (the word signifies ten thousands ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xxv paul in jerusalem.htm

Chapter xlii
... Consequently, in any case, their hopes of freedom were slim ... the hunger of your homes,"
signifies: that which ... are guilty in reference to our brother, because we ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlii.htm

John Chapter i. 34-51
... That number signifies the law, because the law was ... He findeth his own brother Simon,
and saith unto him ... Nathanael: "Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate vii john chapter i.htm

The Incarnation and Birth of Christ
... under heaven to think that there is any religion in ... to the man Christ Jesus thou
art brother and holdest ... It signifies "the house of bread," and "the house of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the incarnation and birth of.htm

The Key-Note of a Choice Sonnet
... The word signifies, to put it in a Saxon form instead of a ... you are serving the Lord,
if he puts any honor upon you ... If grace be come to thee, my brother, it is a ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/the key-note of a choice.htm

Psalm LXXXVIII.
... ??man is said to mean, "his brother:" for Christ ... of course understood as if repeated,
Shall any show Thy ... is a repetition of "the grave," and signifies them who ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxxviii.htm

Matt. viii. 5
... how without any the least reserve I have mentioned ... Christ too, discoursing with the
Jews, signifies him after ... God for insolence to her brother, [1141] because ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xxvi matt viii 5.htm