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Bible Dictionaries
Thief
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or THIEF (κλέπτης).—Thieves are mentioned in the following passages of the Gospels, besides several others where Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 substitutes ‘robber’ as the equivalent of λῃστής. See Robber. 1. Matthew 6:19-20 = Luke 12:23. Christ’s disciples should have their treasure where thieves do not break (lit. ‘dig’) through and steal. Eastern houses, being commonly of mud or sun-dried brick, are easily broken into; cf. Exodus 22:2, Job 24:16, Ezekiel 12:5; Ezekiel 7:2. Matthew 24:43 = Luke 12:39. The unexpectedness of Christ’s coming is compared to that of a thief’s entry. This figure seems to have greatly impressed the Apostles; it is echoed several times in the NT (1 Thessalonians 5:2, (4), 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15). 3. John 10:1; John 10:8; John 10:10. False and self-seeking teachers—whether false Christs, or, more probably, Pharisees—are compared to thieves and robbers. 4. John 12:6. Judas ‘was a thief, and having the bag’ (lit. ‘box’) ‘took away what was put therein’ (Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 ).
Harold Smith.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Thief'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/t/thief.html. 1906-1918.
