Bible Dictionaries
Keep, Keeping

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

denotes (a) "to watch over, preserve, keep, watch," e.g., Acts 12:5,6; 16:23; in Acts 25:21 , RV (1st part), "kept" (AV, "reserved"); the present participle is translated "keepers" in Matthew 28:4 , lit. "the keeping (ones);" it is used of the "keeping" power of God the Father and Christ, exercised over His people, John 17:11,12,15; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 , "preserved;" 1 John 5:18 , where "He that was begotten of God," RV, is said of Christ as the Keeper ("keepeth him," RV, for AV, "keepeth himself"); Jude 1:1 , RV, "kept for Jesus Christ" (AV, "preserved in Jesus Christ"); Revelation 3:10; of their inheritance, 1 Peter 1:4 ("reserved"); of judicial reservation by God in view of future doom, 2 Peter 2:4,9,17; 3:7; Jude 1:6,13; of "keeping" the faith, 2 Timothy 4:7; the unity of the Spirit, Ephesians 4:3; oneself, 2 Corinthians 11:9; 1 Timothy 5:22; James 1:27; figuratively, one's garments, Revelation 16:15; (b) "to observe, to give heed to," as of keeping commandments, etc., e.g., Matthew 19:17; John 14:15; 15:10; 17:6; James 2:10; 1 John 2:3,4,5; 3:22,24; 5:2 (in some mss.),3; Revelation 1:3; 2:26; 3:8,10; 12:17; 14:12; 22:7,9 . See RESERVE.

"to keep carefully" (dia, intensive, and No. 1), is said of "the mother of Jesus," in keeping His sayings in her heart, Luke 2:51 , and of the command of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem to Gentile converts in the churches to "keep" themselves from the evils mentioned in Acts 15:29 .

denotes "to preserve, keep safe, keep close" (sun, "together with," used intensively, and No. 1), in Luke 2:19 , as in Luke 2:51 (see No. 2, above), of the mother of Jesus in regard to the words of the shepherds; in Mark 6:20 it is used of Herod's preservation of John the Baptist from Herodias, RV, "kept (him) safe," AV, "observed (him)" (marg., "kept"); in Matthew 9:17 (in some mss., Luke 5:38 ), of the preservation of wineskins. See OBSERVE , PRESERVE.

denotes (a) "to guard, watch, keep watch," e.g, Luke 2:8; in the Passive Voice, Luke 8:29; (b) "to keep by way of protection," e.g., Luke 11:21; John 12:25; 17:12 (2nd part; No. 1 in 1st part and in John 17:11 ); (c) metaphorically, "to keep a law, precept," etc., e.g., Matthew 19:20; Luke 18:21 , "have observed;" Luke 11:28; John 12:47 (in the best mss.); Acts 7:53; 16:4; 21:24; Romans 2:26; Galatians 6:13; 1 Timothy 5:21 ("observe"); in the Middle Voice, Mark 10:20 ("have observed"); (d) in the Middle Voice, "to keep oneself from," Acts 21:25; elsewhere translated by the verb "to beware." See BEWARE , No. 3, GUARD, B, No. 1.

an intensive form of No. 4, "to guard thoroughly;" see GUARD.

"to keep with a military guard," e.g., Galatians 3:23 , RV, "kept in ward;" see GUARD , B, No. 3

"to do, make," signifies "to keep," in Matthew 26:18 , in the Lord's statement, "I will keep the passover;" so in Acts 18:21 , in some mss.; in John 7:19 , where the AV has "keepeth (the law)," the RV adheres to the usual meaning "doeth."

"to have, to hold," is rendered "I kept" in Luke 19:20 , RV (AV, "I have kept"), of "keeping" a pound laid up in a napkin. See HAVE.

"to be strong, get possession of, hold fast," is used in Mark 9:10 , "(and) they kept (the saying)," i.e., they held fast to the Lord's command to refrain from telling what they had seen in the mount of Transfiguration. See HOLD.

"to set apart, remove," signifies, in the Middle Voice, "to set apart for oneself, to purloin," and is rendered "purloining" in Titus 2:10; "kept back" (and "keep") in Acts 5:2,3 , of the act of Ananias and his wife in "retaining" part of the price of the land.

"to hold together," is translated "shall ... keep (thee) in," in Luke 19:43 . See also Note (8), below. See CONSTRAIN.

Notes: (1) In Acts 22:2 , AV, parecho, "to afford, give, cause," is rendered "kept (the more silence)," RV, "were (the more quiet)." (2) In Matthew 14:6 some mss. have the verb ago, "to lead, hold" (of a feast), of "keeping" Herod's birthday; the most authentic have ginomai, "to become, take place;" hence the RV, "when Herod's birthday came." The verb ago is used in Acts 19:38 of "keeping" certain occasions, as of the holding of law courts, RV "(the courts) are open," AV marg., "court days are kept;" Moulton and Milligan illustrate from the papyri the use of the adjective agoraios, in the plural with hemerai, "days," understood, in regard to certain market days; certain court days are what are indicated here. The conjecture that the meaning is "courts are now being held" (sunodoi being understood as meetings of the court instead of "days") is scarcely so appropriate to the circumstances. (3) In Matthew 8:33 , bosko, "to feed" (swine, etc.), is translated "(they that) fed," RV for AV "(they that) kept." (4) In Acts 9:33 , katakeimai, "to lie down," is used with epi, "upon," with the meaning "to keep one's bed" (see LIE , No. 2). (5) In Romans 2:25 , prasso, "to do" (continously), "to practice," is rendered "be a doer of," RV (AV, "keep"). (6) In Acts 20:20 , hupostello, "to shrink, draw back from," is translated "I shrank (not)" (Middle Voice), RV, AV, "I kept back (nothing)." (7) In Acts 27:43 , koluo, "to hinder," is translated "stayed (them from)," RV, AV, "kept (them from)." (8) In Luke 8:15; 1 Corinthians 11:2 , katecho, "to hold fast" (a strengthened form of echo, No. 8), is translated "hold fast," RV, AV, "keep;" in 1 Corinthians 15:2 , RV, "hold fast," AV, "keep in memory." (9) For "keep secret," see SECRET. (10) For "keep under," see BUFFET. (11) Paratithemi is rendered "commit the keeping" in 1 Peter 4:19 , AV, (12) For "keep the feast" see FEAST , B, No. 2.

akin to A, No. 1, denotes (a) "a watching," and hence, "imprisonment, prison," Acts 4:3; 5:18 , "ward," RV (AV, "hold" and "prison"); (b) "keeping," 1 Corinthians 7:19 . See HOLD , PRISON.