Reference: Father
American
Is often synonymous with ancestor, founder, or originator, as Ge 4:20-21; Joh 8:56; Ro 4:16. Joseph was a father to Pharoah, Ge 45:8, as his counselor and provider. God is the FATHER of men, as their Creator, De 32:6; Isa 63:16; 64:8; Lu 3:38. But as we have forfeited the rights of children by our sins, it is only through Christ that we can call God by that endearing name, "our Father," Joh 20:17; Ro 8:15-17.
In patriarchal times, a father was master and judge in his own household, and exercised and authority almost unlimited over his family. Filial disobedience or disrespect was a high offence. Under the law, certain acts of children were capital crimes, Ex 21:15,17; Le 20:9; and the father was required to bring his son to the public tribunal, De 21:18-21. See MOTHER.
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And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents and [have] cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
So now it was not you that sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And he who smites his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
And he who curses his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
For he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not hearken to them, then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place. read more. And they shall say to the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice. He is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So thou shall put away the evil from the midst of thee, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Do ye thus requite LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father who has bought thee? He has made thee, and established thee.
For thou are our Father, though Abraham knows us not, and Israel does not acknowledge us, thou, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer, from everlasting is thy name.
But now, O LORD, thou are our Father. We are the clay, and thou our potter, and we are all the work of thy hand.
the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he could see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.
Jesus says to her, Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
Because of this it is from faith, so that it is according to grace, in order for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not only to the seed from the law, but also to the seed from the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all
For ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself testifies with our spirit, that we are children of God. read more. And if children, also heirs, heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer jointly, so that we may also be glorified jointly.
Easton
a name applied (1) to any ancestor (De 1:11; 1Ki 15:11; Mt 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Jg 17:10; 18:19; 1Sa 10:12; 2Ki 2:12; Mt 23:9, etc.). (3) The author or beginner of anything is also so called; e.g., Jabal and Jubal (Ge 4:20-21; comp. Job 38:28).
Applied to God (Ex 4:22; De 32:6; 2Sa 7:14; Ps 89:27-28, etc.). (1.) As denoting his covenant relation to the Jews (Jer 31:9; Isa 63:16; 64:8; Joh 8:41, etc.).
(2.) Believers are called God's "sons" (Joh 1:12; Ro 8:16; Mt 6:4,8,15,18; 10:20,29). They also call him "Father" (Ro 1:7; 1Co 1:3; 2Co 1:2; Ga 1:4)
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And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents and [have] cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
And thou shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says LORD, Israel is my son, my first-born,
LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as ye are, and bless you, as he has promised you!
Do ye thus requite LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father who has bought thee? He has made thee, and established thee.
And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten [pieces] of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy food. So the Levite went in.
And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for thee to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?
I also will make him first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth. I will keep my loving kindness for him for evermore. And my covenant shall stand fast with him.
For thou are our Father, though Abraham knows us not, and Israel does not acknowledge us, thou, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer, from everlasting is thy name.
But now, O LORD, thou are our Father. We are the clay, and thou our potter, and we are all the work of thy hand.
They shall come with weeping. And I will lead them with supplications. I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
And think not to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
so that thy charity may be in secret. And thy Father who sees in secret will himself reward thee in the open.
Be not therefore like them, for your Father knows what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
so that thou may not appear fasting to men, but to thy Father in secret. And thy Father, who sees in secret, will reward thee.
For ye are not who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall on the ground independent of your Father.
And do not designate a father of you upon the earth, for one is your Father, he in the heavens.
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
But as many as did accept him, to them he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
Ye do the works of your father. They said therefore to him, We were not begotten from fornication. We have one Father, God.
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, to the called, to the sanctified: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit itself testifies with our spirit, that we are children of God.
who gave himself for our sins, so that he might rescue us, according to the will of our God and Father, out of the evil age that has come,
to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying about you,
Fausets
Chaldaic 'abba. Christ's endearing filial mode of addressing God; so believers (Mr 14:36; Ro 8:15); from 'aabah, "to show kindness." God's fatherhood is the ground and pattern for human fatherhood. Abraham was "father of nations," both by natural descent from him and by spiritual fellowship in his faith (Ge 18:18-19; Ro 4:17). The godly father's blessing brought great good, his curse great evil (Ge 9:25-27); the undutifulness of Ham entailing a curse on his race, the dutifulness of Shem and Japhet a blessing on their races (Ge 27:27-40; 48:15-20,22). The fifth commandment, "honor thy father and mother," is the first with special promise (Eph 6:2).
Love descends rather than ascends; hence this commandment is more needed than one concerning parents' duties to children, but this is added (Eph 6:4; Col 3:21). Dishonoring parents is one of the worst sins (Ex 21:15-17; 1Ti 1:9; Mal 1:6; Isa 45:10). Still the parent was not to inflict death, but to bring the refractory child before the city elders in the gate or place of justice (De 21:18-21). Any ancestor is called "father" or "mother" (Isa 51:2; Jer 35:16-18, the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab, a striking instance of the blessing on obedience to parents; Da 5:2; 2Ch 15:16 margin). "Father" is used also for protector, patron (Job 29:16; Ps 68:5; De 32:6). "Fathers" mean elders (Ac 7:2; 22:1). The pupils of a spiritual master are called "sons" (2Ki 2:3; 4:1).
Father expresses one worshipped or reverenced (Jer 2:27; 2Ki 2:12; 5:13; 6:21). The inventor of any art is called "father" of it or of its practicers (Ge 4:20-21; Joh 8:44; Job 38:28; 17:14). So the source (2Co 1:3) or instrument of spiritual blessings, as "mercy," regeneration. 1Co 4:15; "though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." The father's great duty was to teach God's laws continually to his children; "speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up ... that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children ... as the days of heaven upon the earth" (De 11:18-21).
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And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents and [have] cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
And he said, Cursed be Canaan. He shall be a servant of servants to his brothers. And he said, Blessed be LORD, the God of Shem. And let Canaan be his servant. read more. God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem. And let Canaan be his servant.
since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of LORD, to do righteousness and justice, to the end that LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoke
And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that LORD has blessed. And God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. read more. Let peoples serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brothers, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be he who curses thee, and blessed be he who blesses thee. And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also made savory food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said to him, Who are thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who then is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou came, and have blessed him? Yea, he shall be blessed. When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and has taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly name Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Have thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. And what then shall I do for thee, my son? And Esau said to his father, Have thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above. And by thy sword thou shall live, and thou shall serve thy brother. And it shall come to pass, when thou shall break loose, that thou shall shake his yoke from off thy neck.
And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the [heavenly] agent who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. read more. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. And he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn, put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee will Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
And he who smites his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. And he who steals a man, and sells him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. read more. And he who curses his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
Therefore ye shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul. And ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lay down, and when thou rise up. read more. And thou shall write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates, that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your sons, in the land which LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not hearken to them, then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place. read more. And they shall say to the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice. He is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So thou shall put away the evil from the midst of thee, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Do ye thus requite LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father who has bought thee? He has made thee, and established thee.
And the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Do thou know that LORD will take away thy master from thy head today? And he said, Yes, I know it; hold ye your peace.
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou know that thy servant feared LORD, and the creditor has come to take my two children to him to be bo
if I have said to corruption, Thou are my father, to the worm, My mother, and my sister,
I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the case of him whom I did not know.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Woe to him who says to a father, What are thou begetting? or to a woman, With what are thou travailing?
Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you. For when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many.
who say to a block of wood, Thou are my father, and to a stone, Thou have brought me forth. For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
Inasmuch as the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not hearkened to me, therefore thus says LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have read more. And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus says LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you
Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, m
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear? says LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. And ye say, How have we despised thy na
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee. Remove this cup from me, but not what I want, but what thou want.
Ye are from the father, the devil, and ye want to do the desires of your father. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his
And he said, Men, brothers, and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran.
Men, brothers, and fathers, hear now my defense to you.
(as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations), before him whom he believed, of God who makes the dead alive, and who calls things not existing, as existing.
For ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
For though ye have countless instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus I begot you through the good-news.
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all encouragement,
Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise,
And ye fathers, do not exasperate your children, but rear them in the training and admonition of Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they may not be discouraged.
holding firm the faithful word according to the teaching, so that he may also be able to exhort by the sound doctrine, and to correct those who contradict.
Hastings
Morish
Except as creator and preserver of all, God is not revealed as Father in the O.T. "Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?" Mal 2:10. The Lord Jesus is also prophesied of as 'the everlasting Father' or 'Father of the everlasting age.' Isa 9:6. It was reserved for the N.T. times that God should be made known as Father; and this was done only by the Lord Jesus while upon earth, who constantly spoke to His disciples of God as their Father in heaven. Mt 5:16,45,48-6:1; 6:8,14-15, etc. He could, as the Son, while on earth thus make Him known to them. After the resurrection the Lord was able to send this message to His disciples, whom He now calls His 'brethren:' "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." Joh 20:17. The will of the Father and the work of His Son, the source of eternal life to them, had brought the disciples in this respect into the same heavenly position as the risen Christ Himself before the Father. The term 'father' is used symbolically when there is a moral likeness between a leader and his followers. Joh 8:38-44.
In the O.T. the word ab is at times used as 'founder:' thus in 1Ch 4:4 one is mentioned as the 'father' of Bethlehem.
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and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.
Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Thus your light should shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in the heavens.
so that ye may become sons of your Father in the heavens, because he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and makes rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Be not therefore like them, for your Father knows what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
I speak what I have seen from my Father, and ye therefore do what ye have seen from your father. They answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus says to them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. read more. But now ye seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. Ye do the works of your father. They said therefore to him, We were not begotten from fornication. We have one Father, God. Therefore Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, ye would love me, for I came forth and have come from God. For, neither have I come for myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? Because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are from the father, the devil, and ye want to do the desires of your father. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his
Jesus says to her, Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
Smith
The position and authority of the father as the head of the family are expressly assumed and sanctioned in Scripture, as a likeness of that of the Almighty over his creatures. It lies of course at the root of that so-called patriarchal government,
which was introductory to the more definite systems which followed, and which in part, but not wholly, superseded it. The father's blessing was regarded as conferring special benefit, but his malediction special injury, on those on whom it fell,
Ge 9:25,27; 27:27-40; 48:15,20; 49:1
... and so also the sin of a parent was held to affect, in certain cases, the welfare of his descendants.
The command to honor parents is noticed by St. Paul as the only one of the Decalogue which bore a distinct promise,
and disrespect towards them was condemned by the law as one of the worst crimes.
It is to this well-recognized theory of parental authority and supremacy that the very various uses of the term "father" in Scripture are due. "Fathers" is used in the sense of seniors,
and of parents in general, or ancestors.
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To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy childbearing, in pain thou shall bring forth children. And thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And he said, Cursed be Canaan. He shall be a servant of servants to his brothers.
God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem. And let Canaan be his servant.
And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that LORD has blessed. And God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. read more. Let peoples serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brothers, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be he who curses thee, and blessed be he who blesses thee. And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also made savory food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said to him, Who are thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who then is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou came, and have blessed him? Yea, he shall be blessed. When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with guile, and has taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly name Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Have thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. And what then shall I do for thee, my son? And Esau said to his father, Have thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above. And by thy sword thou shall live, and thou shall serve thy brother. And it shall come to pass, when thou shall break loose, that thou shall shake his yoke from off thy neck.
And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee will Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
And Jacob called to his sons, and said, gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which LORD thy God gives thee.
And he who smites his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
And he who curses his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cling to thee, and to thy seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper [as white] as snow.
And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land comes. And then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondman.
Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, m
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Then fill ye up the measure of your fathers.
And he said, Men, brothers, and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran.
Men, brothers, and fathers, hear now my defense to you.
Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise,
holding firm the faithful word according to the teaching, so that he may also be able to exhort by the sound doctrine, and to correct those who contradict.
Watsons
FATHER. This word, beside its common acceptation, is taken in Scripture for grandfather, great-grandfather, or the founder of a family, how remote soever. So the Jews in our Saviour's time called Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their fathers. Jesus Christ is called the Son of David, though David was many generations distant from him. By father is likewise understood the institutor of a certain profession. Jabal "was father of such as dwell in tents, and such as have cattle." Jubal "was father of all such as handle the harp and organ," or flute, &c, Ge 4:20-21. Huram is called father of the king of Tyre, 2Ch 2:13; and, 2Ch 4:16, even of Solomon, because he was the principal workman, and chief director of their undertakings. The principal prophets were considered as fathers of the younger, who were their disciples, and are called sons of the prophets, 2Ki 2:12. Father is a term of respect given by inferiors to superiors. "My father," said Naaman's attendants to him, "if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing," 2Ki 5:13; and so the king of Israel addresses the prophet Elisha, 2Ki 6:21. Rechab, the founder of the Rechabites, is called their father, Jer 35:6. A man is said to be a father to the poor and orphans, when he supplies their necessities, and sympathizes with their miseries, as a father would do toward them: "I was a father to the poor," says Job 29:16. God declares himself to be the "Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widow," Ps 68:5. God is frequently called our heavenly Father, and simply our Father; eminently the Father, Preserver, and Protector of all, especially of those who invoke him, and serve him: "Is he not thy Father that bought thee?" says Moses, De 32:6. Since the coming of Jesus Christ, we have a new right to call God our Father, by reason of the adoption which our Saviour has merited for us, by clothing himself in our humanity, and purchasing us by his death: "Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God," Ro 8:15. Job entitles God "the Father of rain," Job 38:28; he produces it, and causes it to fall. The devil is called the father of the wicked and the father of lies, Joh 8:44. He deceived Eve and Adam; he introduced sin and falsehood; he inspires his followers with his spirit and sentiments. The father of Sichem, the father of Tekoah, the father of Bethlehem, &c, signify the chief persons who inhabited these cities; he who built or rebuilt them. Adam is the first father, the father of the living; Abraham is the father of the faithful, the father of the circumcision; called also the "father of many nations," because many people sprung from him; as the Jews, Ishmaelites, Arabs, &c. God is called "the Father of spirits," Heb 12:9. He not only creates them, but he justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies them, and thus confers upon them eternal happiness.
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And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of such as dwell in tents and [have] cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
Do ye thus requite LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father who has bought thee? He has made thee, and established thee.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen of it! And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces.
And his servants came near, and spoke to him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, would thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he says to thee, Wash, and be clean?
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? Shall I smite them?
And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,
Also the pots, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels of it, Huram his father made of bright brass for king Solomon for the house of LORD.
I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the case of him whom I did not know.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
But they said, We will drink no wine. For Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons, forever.
Ye are from the father, the devil, and ye want to do the desires of your father. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his
For ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Besides, we indeed have had chastisers--the fathers of our flesh--and we were turned around. Shall we not much more be subordinate to the Father of the spirits, and we will live?