'Words' in the Bible

Lamech said to his wives:Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words.For I killed a man for wounding me,a young man for striking me.

As soon as he had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he had heard his sister Rebekah’s words—“The man said this to me!”—he went to the man. He was standing there by the camels at the spring.

When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed to the ground before the Lord.

So Abimelech warned all the people with these words: “Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly die.”

When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!”

When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you.

Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.

Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.” And they consented to this.

When he overtook them, he said these words to them.

“This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: We reported your words to him.

So he blessed them that day with these words:The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying,“May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh,”putting Ephraim before Manasseh.

Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words.”

and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.

Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you and will always believe you.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to the Lord.

Then God spoke all these words:

You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.

And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.

Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

The Lord also said to Moses, “Write down these words, for I have made a covenant with you and with Israel based on these words.”

Moses was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He brought 70 men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.

When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief.

Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open.

The elders of Moab and Midian departed with fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and reported Balak’s words to him.

These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

“When the Lord heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath:

The day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people before Me, and I will let them hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.’

Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You kept hearing the sound of the words, but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice.

He let you hear His voice from heaven to instruct you. He showed you His great fire on earth, and you heard His words from the fire.

“The Lord heard your words when you spoke to me. He said to me, ‘I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. Everything they have said is right.

These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.

On the day of the assembly the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by God’s finger. The exact words were on them, which the Lord spoke to you from the fire on the mountain.

I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets you broke, and you are to place them in the ark.’

“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.

do not listen to that prophet’s words or to that dreamer. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul.

Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to My words that he speaks in My name.

Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you.

Write clearly all the words of this law on the plastered stones.”

‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.’And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

“If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awesome name—Yahweh, your God—

These are the words of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb.

Therefore, observe the words of this covenant and follow them, so that you will succeed in everything you do.

When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.

The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

Then Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel,

Gather the people—men, women, children, and foreigners living within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law.

Assemble all your tribal elders and officers before me so that I may speak these words directly to them and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.

Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak;listen, earth, to the words of my mouth.

Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the presence of the people.

After Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel,

he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law.

For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Indeed He loves the people.All Your holy ones are in Your hand,and they assemble at Your feet.Each receives Your words.

Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”

Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”

Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings as well as the curses—according to all that is written in the book of the law.

And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone—it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.”

When the Angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.

His mother’s relatives spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the lords of Shechem, and they were favorable to Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was angry.

Then Manoah asked, “When Your words come true, what will the boy’s responsibilities and mission be?”

Then Manoah said to Him, “What is Your name, so that we may honor You when Your words come true?”

Do not boast so proudly,or let arrogant words come out of your mouth,for the Lord is a God of knowledge,and actions are weighed by Him.

And Samuel’s words came to all Israel.Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek.

Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king.

Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord.

Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. “What’s the matter with the people? Why are they weeping?” Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh.

When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, and his anger burned furiously.

Samuel told Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people Israel. Now, listen to the words of the Lord.

Saul answered Samuel, “I have sinned. I have transgressed the Lord’s command and your words. Because I was afraid of the people, I obeyed them.

When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words, which David heard.

Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor man who is common.”

The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”

So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he did before.

With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul.Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.

David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?

David’s men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words.

She fell at his feet and said, “The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant.

Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is the Lord who has incited you against me, then may He accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the presence of the Lord, for today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord saying, ‘Go and worship other gods.’

Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he hadn’t had any food all day and all night.

Nathan spoke all these words and this entire vision to David.

Lord God, You are God; Your words are true, and You have promised this grace to Your servant.

Go to the king and speak these words to him.” Then Joab told her exactly what to say.

The men of Israel answered the men of Judah: “We have 10 shares in the king, so we have a greater claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Weren’t we the first to speak of restoring our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.

When he had come near her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?”“I am,” he replied.“Listen to the words of your servant,” she said to him.He answered, “I’m listening.”

David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

These are the last words of David:The declaration of David son of Jesse,the declaration of the man raised on high,the one anointed by the God of Jacob,the favorite singer of Israel:

At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words.”

When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he greatly rejoiced and said, “May the Lord be praised today! He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!”

May my words I have made my petition with before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night, so that He may uphold His servant’s cause and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires,

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and about your wisdom is true.

They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to these people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”