Dictionaries :: Exercise

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Exercise:

ek'-ser-siz (‘asah; gumnazo, poieo) :

"Exercise" (meaning originally, "to drive or thrust out") has different shades of meaning: It means

(1) "to do," "to put into action" (Jer 9:24, ‘asah, "to do," "Yahweh who exerciseth lovingkindness"; Re 13:12, poieo, "to do," "He exerciseth all the authority of the first"; #/APC Tobit 12:9, the Revised Version (British and American) "do");

(2) with violence implied, gazal, "to take away violently," "have exercised robbery" (Eze 22:29); "to act habitually" (Ps 131:1, halakh, "to walk," "Neither do I exercise myself in great matters" the Revised Version, margin "walk"; Ac 24:16, askeo, "to work up"; compare #/APC 2Esdras 15:8; Ecclesiasticus 50:28);

(3) "to train" or "discipline," gumnazo, "to use exercise," "to train up" (1Ti 4:7, "Exercise thyself unto godliness"; Heb 5:14; 12:11; 2Pe 2:14; compare #/APC 1Macc 6:30; 2Macc 15:12);

(4) "to afflict" (Ec 1:13; 3:10, ‘anah, "to be afflicted," "exercised therewith," "exercised in it"); in Mt 20:25; Mr 10:42, katakurieuo, "to lord it over," and katexousiazo, "to exercise authority," are translated respectively "exercise dominion" and "exercise authority," the English Revised Version "lord it over" and "exercise authority"; in Lu 22:25, the Greek words are kurieuo, "to be lord over" and exousiazo, "to have power or authority over," the Revised Version (British and American) "have lordship," "have authority." In 1Ti 4:8 the noun, gumnasia, meaning gymnastic exercise, occurs (somatike gumnasia), translated "bodily exercise," contrasted with "exercise unto godliness," the Revised Version (British and American) "For bodily exercise is profitable for a little (m "for little"); but godliness is profitable for all things," a saying to which the youth of all times would do well to give heed. In 2 Macc 4:9, Jason is said to have set up "a place of exercise" (gumnasion) in Jerusalem. In 1Pe 5:2 the Revised Version (British and American), "exercising the oversight" is substituted for "taking the oversight."

Written by W. L. Walker

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Exercise:

primarily signifies "to exercise naked" (from gumnos, "naked"); then, generally, "to exercise, to train the body or mind" (Eng., "gymnastic"), 1Ti 4:7, with a view to godliness; Hbr 5:14, of the senses, so as to discern good and evil; Hbr 12:11, of the effect of chastening, the spiritual "exercise" producing the fruit of righteousness; 2Pe 2:14, of certain evil teachers with hearts "exercised in covetousness," RV.

Exercise:

signifies "to form by art, to adorn, to work up raw material with skill;" hence, in general, "to take pains, endeavor, exercise by training or discipline," with a view to a conscience void of offense, Act 24:16.

Exercise:

"to do," is translated "exerciseth" in Rev 13:12, said of the authority of the second "Beast." Cp. EXECUTE.
See DO.

Notes: The following verbs contain in translation the word "exercise" but belong to other headings: exousiazo, "to exercise authority over," Luk 22:25 (exousia, "authority"); in the first part of this verse, the verb kurieuo, "to be lord," is translated "exercise lordship," AV (RV, "have lordship"); katexousiazo, a strengthened form of the preceding (kata, "down," intensive), Mat 20:25; Mar 10:42, "exercise authority" (in the first part of these verses the synonymous (in the first part of these verses the synonymous verb katakurieuo, is rendered "Lord it," RV, for AV, "exercise dominion," and "exercise lordship," respectively); episkopeo, "to look over or upon" (epi, "over," skopeo, "to look"), "to care for," 1Pe 5:2 (absent in some mss.), RV, "exercising the oversight," for AV "taking, etc."

Exercise:

primarily denotes "gymnastic exercise" (akin to A, No. 1), 1Ti 4:8, where the immediate reference is probably not to mere physical training for games but to discipline of the body such as that to which the Apostle refers in 1Cr 9:27, though there may be an allusion to the practices of asceticism.