'Secret' in the Bible

“O my soul, do not come into their secret council;Let not my glory (honor) be united with their assembly [for I knew nothing of their plot];Because in their anger they killed men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites],And in their self-will they lamed oxen.

Then Pharaoh called for the wise men [skilled in magic and omens] and the sorcerers [skilled in witchcraft], and they also, these magicians (soothsayer-priests) of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts and enchantments.

But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts and enchantments; so Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

But the magicians (soothsayer-priests) did the same thing with their secret arts and enchantments, and brought up [more] frogs on the land of Egypt.

The magicians (soothsayer-priests) tried by their secret arts and enchantments to create gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats on man and animal.

and a man is intimate with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act,

‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved or cast image (idol), a repulsive thing to the Lord, the work of the hands of the artisan, and sets it up in secret.’ All the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed and disclosed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may do all of the words of this law.

It is not [a secret hidden] in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and obey it?’

But Ehud himself turned back from the sculptured stones at Gilgal, [and he returned to Eglon] and said [to him], “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said “Keep silence.” And all who attended him left him.

Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he broke the cords as a string of tow breaks when it touches fire. So [the secret of] his strength was not discovered.

So he told David, “Saul my father is seeking to kill you. Now then, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.

But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’”

“Do you hear the secret counsel of God,And do you limit [the possession of] wisdom to yourself?

“Are the consolations of God [as we have interpreted them to you] too trivial for you,[Or] were we too gentle toward you [in our first speech] to be effective?

He lurks in a hiding place like a lion in his lair;He lies in wait to catch the afflicted;He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.

He made darkness His hiding place (covering); His pavilion (canopy) around Him,The darkness of the waters, the thick clouds of the skies.

The secret [of the wise counsel] of the Lord is for those who fear Him,And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;He will lift me up on a rock.

In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots and conspiracies of man;You keep them secretly in a shelter (pavilion) from the strife of tongues.

Delight yourself in the Lord,And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.

Hide me from the secret counsel and conspiracy of the ungodly,From the scheming of those who do wrong,

“You called in [the time of] trouble and I rescued you;I answered you in the secret place of thunder;I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

You have placed our wickedness before you,Our secret sins [which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most HighWill remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].

You will only [be a spectator as you] look on with your eyesAnd witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as you watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].

My frame was not hidden from You,When I was being formed in secret,And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.

For the devious are repulsive to the Lord;But His private counsel is with the upright [those with spiritual integrity and moral courage].

“Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden];And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

A gift in secret subdues anger,And a bribe [hidden] in the pocket, strong wrath.

Argue your case with your neighbor himself [before you go to court];And do not reveal another’s secret,

For what advantage has the wise man over the fool [for being worldly-wise is not the secret to happiness]? What advantage has the poor man who has learned how to walk [publicly] among the living [with men’s eyes on him; for being poor is not the secret to happiness either]?

For God will bring every act to judgment, every hidden and secret thing, whether it is good or evil.

(The Bridegroom)“O my dove, [here] in the clefts in the rock,In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway,Let me see your face,Let me hear your voice;For your voice is sweet,And your face is lovely.”

“I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures]And the hidden riches of secret places,So that you may know that it is I,The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

“I have not spoken in secret,In a corner of a land of darkness;I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words],Declaring things that are upright.

“Come near to Me, listen to this:From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,From the time that it happened, I was there.And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His [Holy] Spirit.”

Who sit among the graves [trying to conjure up evil spirits] and spend the night in the secret places [where spirits are thought to dwell];Who eat swine’s flesh,And their pots hold the broth of unclean meat;

“Also on your skirts is foundThe lifeblood of the innocent poor;You did not find them breaking in [a house].But in spite of all these things [your disobedience, your love of idolatry, your lack of compassion]—

But if you will not listen and obey,My soul will weep in secret for your pride;My eyes will weep bitterlyAnd flow with tears,Because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.

“Can anyone hide himself in secret placesSo that I cannot see him?” says the Lord.“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

He is to me like a bear lying in wait,And like a lion [hiding] in secret places.

Look at their sitting and their rising [their actions and secret counsels];I am their mocking song [the subject of their ridicule].

I will also turn My face away from them, and they will desecrate My secret treasure (the Jerusalem temple); and robbers will enter [irreverently] into it (the Holy of Holies) and violate it.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, each man in his [secret] room of carved images? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.’”

“So My hand will be against the [counterfeit] prophets who see (make up) empty and delusive visions and who give lying prophecies. They will have no place in the [secret] council of My people, nor will they be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter into the land of Israel, that you may know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord God.

Behold, you are [imagining yourself] wiser than Daniel;There is no secret [you think] that is hidden from you;

in order that they might seek compassion from the God of heaven regarding this secret, so that Daniel and his companions would not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

“It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;He knows what is in the darkness,And the light dwells with Him.

Daniel answered the king and said, “Regarding the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither the wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers are able to answer the king,

But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because my wisdom is greater than that of any other living man, but in order to make the interpretation known to the king, and so that you may understand [fully] the thoughts of your mind.

The king answered Daniel and said, “Most certainly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery!”

‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no mystery baffles or troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.

Surely the Lord God does nothingWithout revealing His secret plan [of the judgment to come]To His servants the prophets.

so that your charitable acts will be done in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

so that your fasting will not be noticed by people, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

“So do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed [at the judgment], or kept secret that will not be made known [at the judgment].

So if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out there, or, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms [of a house],’ do not believe it.

He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables,

For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been kept secret, but that it would come to light [that is, things are hidden only temporarily, until the appropriate time comes for them to be known].

and a sword [of deep sorrow] will pierce through your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come out into the open.

No one does anything in secret when he wants to be known publicly. If You [must] do these things, show Yourself openly to the world and make Yourself known!”

For [your majesty] the king understands these things, and [therefore] I am also speaking to him with confidence and boldness, since I am convinced that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner [hidden from view, in secret].

until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips [spreading rumors],

Now to Him who is able to establish and strengthen you [in the faith] according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [of the plan of salvation] which has been kept secret for long ages past,

And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do];

So then, let us [who minister] be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards (trustees, administrators) of the mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal].

So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, but wait until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.

For one who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him or catches his meaning, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries [secret truths, hidden things].

Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed],

But we have renounced the disgraceful things hidden because of shame; not walking in trickery or adulterating the word of God, but by stating the truth [openly and plainly], we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,

and that by [divine] revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have already written in brief.

for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that such people practice in secret.

I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.

[For my hope is] that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in [unselfish] love, so that they may have all the riches that come from the full assurance of understanding [the joy of salvation], resulting in a true [and more intimate] knowledge of the mystery of God, that is, Christ,

but upholding and fully understanding the mystery [that is, the true doctrine] of the [Christian] faith with a clear conscience [resulting from behavior consistent with spiritual maturity].

And great, we confess, is the mystery [the hidden truth] of godliness:He (Jesus Christ) who was revealed in human flesh,Was justified and vindicated in the Spirit,Seen by angels,Preached among the nations,Believed on in the world,Taken up in glory.

but when it is time for the trumpet call of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God [that is, His hidden purpose and plan] is finished, as He announced the gospel to His servants the prophets.

And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES (false religions, heresies) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

But the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time [of their fulfillment] is near.