Ship of Fools: The sin that clings so closely

Thread: The sin that clings so closely Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Anglican_Brat (# 12349) on :

Hebrews 12:1 discusses the
the sin that clings so closely

I have always been intrigued by this phrase. Can anyone shed light on its meaning?

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

The Greek word is εὐπερίστατον.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I would say that it literally means the sin that is good at surrounding you?

Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :

Sin that clings so closely - yes, that resounds with me!

Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :

Not knowing Greek - is there an article in front of "sin?" In other words, is the author writing of sin, in general, which clings closely to us (which makes sense to me), or is the text suggesting there's a specific sin or type of sin to which the author is alluding?

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

quote:
Mamacita: Not knowing Greek - is there an article in front of "sin?"

Yes there is (τὴν). But articles in Greek are different from those in English. I wouldn't draw the conclusion from this that it's about a specific sin.

Posted by Nigel M (# 11256) on :

The descriptive word is a compound adjective, appearing just the once in the New Testament (and I couldn't find another instance anywhere else in the contemporary literature). Louw-Nida's Lexicon defines it as: “pertaining to the exertion of tight control—‘being in control of, controlling tightly’”.

Presumably this definition is derived from the meaning usually associated with the three words that combine to form the adjective. It denotes something that is very good at completely ensnaring. In Hebrews it fits quite nicely as a definition of rebellion, the results of which drag down on people like a heavy weight and prevent them from living the life of the right way (“running the race” metaphor).

Posted by RuthW (# 13) on :

Is this where we get the notion in English of a besetting sin?

Posted by Nigel M (# 11256) on :

Not sure where Christians got the idea of being besetted – but it may have an overlap with the Hebrews use.

I picture a gladiator ring. One of the combatants turfs up with a stabbing sabre and small shield, but wearing precious little else (probably Kirk Douglas covered in oil), and the other player pootles into the ring with a lance and a weighted net. This latter gladiator is about twice the height of the first suffers from a John Wayne walk and a garish yet toothy grin.

As they circle each other warily, Kirk d'Oil feints with a right hand stab while keeping the rather small shield at a respectful height to cover his shiny torso. Suddenly, however, Jaws snaps his wrist and the net flies out, neatly covering Kirky in a weighted embrace, crimping his stance to no small extent.

“Egad!” Sputters Kirk, “I've been besetted!” What he should have said, of course, is: “Egad! I've been pertained to the exertion of tight control! I am being controlled tightly!”

Never mind. I'm sure it worked out all right in the end.

Posted by pimple (# 10635) on :

It seems to refer to the wonderfully British public school attitude of "spare the rod and spoil the child" found in the old testament. God loves his children and surely isn't going to spoil them, and nor should human parents. And if the little bugger won't conform, take him to the elders and have him stoned to death. That's the way to do it.

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