TRUST GOD! It’s a term used often in Christian lingo from denominational to non-denominational churches. But is it really in the Bible? Absolutely not! I won’t leave you hanging, because there is a little bit of ho-hum information to skate through to fully understand the answer. I broke this up into two weeks, because it was a little long.
This study started a few years back when I was looking for a church. I unknowingly tried a mostly Mexican church (3/4-Mexican, Spanish speaking only) that turned out to be a sister church to the denomination I grew up in. The people were really kind, the food fundraisers were great, but I noticed their answered prayer was limited; just like I grew up with. I noticed they often said to each other “trust God;” it was the A-bomb answer to everything! The exact same thing I grew up with hearing and even said! I asked the Lord if there was some type of connection to trust and lack of answered prayer. The Lord gave me the clues to study out the answer myself. First, I looked up the definition of trust.
Meriam-Wester defines trust:
1. assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
2. dependence on something future or contingent : HOPE
3. a property interest held by one person for the benefit of another
4. CARE, CUSTODY
I dug through some really old English Bibles to try to find the word trust.
Matthew 12:21
King James 1611
And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
The Great Bible of 1539
& in his name shall the gentyls trust.
Tyndale Bible 1534
and in hys name shall the gentyls truste.
John Wycliffe Bible 1382
and heathen men shall hope in his name.
Wessex Gospels 1175 (Anglo-Saxon)
& on his name þeodan ge-hihtað.
& on his name theodan(king, lord, ruler as in leader of the people) ge(past tense) –hihtað(Modern translation, hyhtan – to hope, trust, look forward to with hope or joy, rejoice). Means: “and on his name rulers hoped”
We can see from these Bibles that something by the early 1500s had changed. So I dug through some Old English Dictionaries for the word trust. I was able read a dictionary (I can’t read Old English) by Bosworth Toller’s Anglo-Saxon Dictionary 700-1100. It did not contain the word trust. The oldest dictionary I had access to, and found trust being used as a descriptive word ONLY, was Robert Cawdrey’s A Table Alphabeticall of Hard Usual English Words 1604.
After reading dictionaries, I looked at the etymology of the word. After some chuckles at reading trust being defined as trust, in many places, I found some information! This study isn’t very exciting, I know, but it’s necessary to understand what we’re building our relationship with God on!
Basically the etymology of the word trust is that it started off as an Indo-European word meaning be firm, hard, or solid. Then it became a German word meaning firm or strong. Then the meaning changed to shelter, confidence, alliance. Then finally to English as meaning reliability, fidelity, faithfulness; before changing meaning in the late 1400s to confident expectation and that on which one relies.
What am I saying? According to the evolution of the word trust, it had a meaning of something that was somewhat tangible (something you could touch), and then evolved into a complete abstract meaning (thoughts or feelings).
Why exactly is this important? Well…
In Hebrew, there is no equivalent to our word trust. Trust has different meanings that are all concrete in nature. The translators of the Bible used trust in place of 7 different Hebrew words and 4 different Greek words. That being said, ancient Hebrews didn’t have any abstract concepts, or any abstract words. Everything they thought and said was concrete, something you could see or touch. Even their examples and comparisons are a concrete style of thinking, think of Revelations and the descriptions John was giving us of Heaven. Here are some ancient Hebrew descriptions from Revelations 4 and an example of what a modern western thinker might say.
Hebrew: And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me
Modern: Voices are deep, loud, booming
Hebrew: And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance
Modern: Radiated red hues of light
Hebrew: Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.
Modern: We’d say crystal clear, see-through, transparent, or maybe iridescent
You can touch a trumpet, stones, and glass. You can’t touch deep, radiating, and clear, but it makes much more sense to us! Next time you read through Revelations, notice why John’s ancient concrete descriptions are strange to us. If you add a little or a lot of an abstract concept to a description, suddenly we can picture what he’s talking about much better. We have different mindsets, ancient Hebrew verses modern western.
There’s a modern retro song that comes to mind when I think of concrete and abstract thinking, She’s A Brick House. I wasn’t born when that song came out! People who listened to it at the time don’t think anything of it. If you weren’t alive or didn’t hear it in that era, it’s weird and mega insulting. I was told it means what we call a curvy girl, but brick houses are generally square, and I don’t get it.
David: you’re like a tree planted by the rivers of water (Psalm 1:3)
Modern woman: What? You call me fat and say my hair is too big, or are you saying I need to get out more?
We only understand that scripture because we’ve heard it and the meaning at the end. The exact same concept of abstract and concrete thinking applies to trust in Hebrew. They used real concrete descriptions for trust, and our modern western Bibles have turned them into an abstract concept with some different definitions. Let’s look at the Hebrew definitions. You can read them all or breeze through.
Hebrew for Trust
(KJV for the purpose of using Hebrew)
Chacah to seek refuge, flee for protection, often used where God is compared to a rock or shield or one with protective wings
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth chacah, seeks refuge, in him.
2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust chacah, flee for protection in him.
Batach security, or refuge (translated secure, Judges 8:11)
Deuteronomy 28:52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, batach, has security throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust, Take refuge or seek security in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Aman build up, support, foster as a parent; means be firm, endure, be faithful, be true, stand fast, have belief, believe. It indicates a subject is lasting or enduring. Refers to a firm place or firmly anchored. The nuance meaning, faithful spirit. It also means office bearer, trustworthy, as in those who have been given responsibilities. Means verified or shown to be true. It can mean to stand fast, or to stand firm in one spot.
In the KJV, aman is translated 39 times as believe or forms of believe, and 6 as trust or forms of trust.
Job 15:31 Let not him that is deceived trust, aman, be built up in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
Micah 7:5 Trust Aman, Firmly anchored in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
Mibtach the act of confiding, the object of confidence
Proverbs 22:19 That thy trust, mibtach, confidence may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
Psalm 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust, mibtach, object of confidence from my youth.
Mibtach is from the root word Batach, meaning refuge or security.
Yachal to wait or await; implies to be patient
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust, yachal, patiently wait in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Chuwl to dance, to whirl in a circular spin, writhe (thrash, wiggle, squirm) in pain, or fear. It has miscellaneous meanings, bear, drive away, fear, great, look, hope, make sharpen, rest sorrowful, stay, terry, and wait.
Job 35:14 Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust, chuwl, bear great hope and fear thou in him.
Machaseh or machseh refuge or shelter, from the root word chacah (above), meaning to flee for protection
Psalm 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust, chacah, where I flee to take shelter in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
Greek for Trust
You’ll notice that the definitions start to carry an abstract idea, because they were translated from Hebrew to Greek to English. Hebrew words translated to Greek then translated to trust, are mental action and heart action words unlike the original Hebrew. Ask yourself how do you go about the action of trusting? It’s just a thought or feeling that just happens based on what we perceive as facts.
Elpizó to expect or confide, to hope
Philippians 2:19 But I trust in, elpizó, expect the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
1 Timothy 5:5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth, elpizó, confides in God in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
Peithó to apply persuasion, or convince (by argument), to bring about a change of mind through influence of reason or moral consideration, to have confidence
Matthew 27:43 He trusted in, peithó, was persuaded by God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Luke 11:22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, peithó, had confidence, and divideth his spoils.
Pisteuó to have faith, to be committed unto a person or thing, persuaded belief, place confidence, and reliance upon
Translated 239 times as believe, and 3 times as trust.
1 Timothy 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
The Greek actually says, “with which have been entrusted I,” or… “with which pisteuó I.” Maybe better said, “with which was committed unto me.” Entrusted, direct translation, as being definition #4 of Meriam-Webster, care or custody.
Pepoithésis persuasion, assurance, confidence, or reliance
Translated as confidence 5 times, and trust once in the KJV
2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust, pepoithésis, confidence have we through Christ to God-ward:
Thank you for hanging out with me through the ho-hum section of this study. Next week we will discuss the meat of the matter. We have to research the fine details, because it’s uprooting such a deep root of confusion, based on modern English, that absolutely no Christians intends to have!!
Until next week, don’t rely on trusting God, but build your faith on His Word and believe His Word. We’ll explore exactly why I am confident in making that statement. I understand uprooting a deep root of “trust God” hurts and feels crazy, but in the end, you’ll be much stronger for it.
Holy Spirit, I ask that you bring absolute truth to us on this matter, especially in our quiet times. Reveal Your truth to us in a greater way, so that we can walk closer with Jesus and the Father. Thank You for Your Truth, and Your Word. Amen.
Christi
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