'Mean' in the Bible

and Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart?”

Then Laban said to Jacob, “What do you mean by deceiving me and leaving without my knowledge, and carrying off my daughters as if [they were] captives of the sword?

Esau asked, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he answered, “[These are] to find favor in the sight of my lord.”

When your children say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’

And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘With a strong and powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage and slavery.

All the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done this thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’

so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’

When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp.

The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household (family) to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine is for anyone to drink who becomes weary in the wilderness.”

Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the trumpet sound, he said, “Why is the city in such an uproar?”

We are informing the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls finished, it will mean that you will have no possession in the province west of the [Euphrates] River.”

“What do you mean by crushing My peopleAnd grinding the face of the poor?”Declares the Lord God of hosts.

The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning the Valley of Vision:What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

“Say now to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know (realize) what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Hear this, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king [Jehoiachin] and its princes and brought them with him to Babylon.

“What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel,‘The fathers eat sour grapes [they sin],But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

The people said to me, “These things that you are doing—tell us, what do they mean for us?”

When your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’

So the captain came up to him and said, “How can you stay asleep? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god will give a thought to us so that we will not perish.”

But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was.

What does this statement of His mean, ‘You will look for Me, and will not [be able to] find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone. What do You mean by saying, ‘You will be set free’?”

Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works [and many acts of mercy] from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”

I am not speaking of all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but [this has happened] in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled: ‘He who eats My bread has raised up his heel against Me [as My enemy].’

The disciples began looking at one another, puzzled and disturbed as to whom He could mean.

Some of His disciples said to one another, “What does He mean when He tells us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to My Father’?”

So they were saying, “What does He mean when He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”

And they were beside themselves with amazement and were greatly perplexed, saying one to another, “What could this mean?”

Now Peter was still perplexed and completely at a loss as to what his vision could mean when the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, arrived at the gate.

For you are bringing some startling and strange things to our ears; so we want to know what they mean.”

Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart [like this]? For I am ready not only to be bound and imprisoned, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

And the very commandment which was intended to bring life, actually proved to bring death for me.

For if their [present] rejection [of salvation] is for the reconciliation of the world [to God], what will their acceptance [of salvation] be but [nothing less than] life from the dead?

Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I am [a disciple] of Paul,” or “I am [a disciple] of Apollos,” or “I am [a disciple] of Cephas (Peter),” or “I am [a disciple] of Christ.”

Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage].

But I say this, believers: the time has been shortened, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they did not;

Is the cup of blessing which we bless [at the Lord’s Supper] not a sharing in the blood of Christ? [Indeed it is.] Is the bread which we break not a sharing in the body of Christ? [Indeed it is.]

and by conscience I mean for the sake of the other man’s, not yours. For why is my freedom [of choice] judged by another’s conscience [another’s ethics—another’s sense of right and wrong]?

What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those [impoverished believers] who have nothing? What will I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? In this I will not praise you!

Otherwise, what will those do who are being baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people even baptized for them?

So then, was I indecisive or capricious when I was [originally] planning this? Or the things I plan, do I plan in a self-serving way like a worldly man, ready to say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no” [at the same time]?

But [as surely as] God is faithful and means what He says, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No” [at the same time].

Now what I mean [when I talk about children and their guardians] is this: as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave even though he is the [future owner and] master of all [the estate];

(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had previously descended [from the heights of heaven] into the lower parts of the earth?

For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered us.