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Bible Dictionaries
Dwell
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Verbs.
Yâshab (יָשַׁב, Strong's #3427), “to dwell, sit, abide, inhabit, remain.” The word occurs over 1,100 times throughout the Old Testament, and this root is widespread in other ancient Semitic languages.
Yâshab is first used in Gen. 4:16, in its most common connotation of “to dwell”: “Cain went out … and dwelt [NASB, “settled”; NIV, “lived”] in the land of Nod.…” The word appears again in Gen. 18:1: “He [Abraham] sat in the tent door.” In Gen. 22:5, yâshab is translated: "Abide ye here [NIV, “stay here”] with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship.…” The word has the sense of “to remain”: “Remain a widow at thy father’s house …” (Gen. 38:11), and it is used of God in a similar sense: “Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation …” (Lam. 5:19). The promise of restoration from captivity was: “And they shall build houses and inhabit them …” (Isa. 65:21).
Yâshab is sometimes combined with other words to form expressions in common usage. For example, “When he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom” (Deut. 17:18; cf. 1 Kings 1:13, 17, 24) carries the meaning “begins to reign.” “To sit in the gate” means “to hold court” or “to decide a case,” as in Ruth 4:1-2 and 1 Kings 22:10. “Sit thou at my right hand” (Ps. 110:1) means to assume a ruling position as deputy. “There will I sit to judge all the heathen” (Joel 3:12) was a promise of eschatological judgment. “To sit in the dust” or “to sit on the ground” (Isa. 47:1) was a sign of humiliation and grief.
Yâshab is often used figuratively of God. The sentences, “I saw the Lord sitting on his throne” (1 Kings 22:19); “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh” (Ps. 2:4); and “God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness” (Ps. 47:8) all describe God as the exalted Ruler over the universe. The idea that God also “dwells” among men is expressed by this verb: “Shalt thou [David] build me a house for me to dwell in?” (2 Sam. 7:5; cf. Ps. 132:14). The usage of yâshab in such verses as 1 Sam. 4:4: “… The Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim,” describes His presence at the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle and the temple.
The word is also used to describe man’s being in God’s presence: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, … that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life …” (Ps. 27:4; cf. Ps. 23:6). “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in …” (Exod. 15:17).
Shâkan (שָׁכַן, Strong's #7931), “to dwell, inhabit, settle down, abide.” This word is common to many Semitic languages, including ancient Akkadian and Ugaritic, and it is found throughout all levels of Hebrew history. Shâkan occurs nearly 130 times in Old Testament Hebrew.
Shâkan is first used in the sense of “to dwell” in Gen. 9:27: “… And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” Moses was commanded: “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exod. 25:8).
Shâkan is a word from nomadic life, meaning “to live in a tent.” Thus, Balaam “saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes” (Num. 24:2). In that verse, shâkan refers to temporary “camping,” but it can also refer to being permanently “settled” (Ps. 102:28). God promised to give Israel security, “that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more …” (2 Sam. 7:10).
The Septuagint version of the Old Testament uses a great number of Greek words to translate yâshab and shâkan. But one word, katoikein, is used by far more often than any other. This word also expresses in the New Testament the “dwelling” of the Holy Spirit in the church: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Eph. 3:17). The Greek word skenein (“to live in a tent”) shares in this also, being the more direct translation of shâkan. John 1:14 says of Jesus, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The Book of Hebrews compares the tabernacle sacrifices of Israel in the wilderness with the sacrifice of Jesus at the true tabernacle: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell [skenein] with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God” (Rev. 21:3).
B. Noun.
Mishkân (מִשְׁכָּן, Strong's #4908), “dwelling place; tent.” This word occurs nearly 140 times, and often refers to the wilderness “tabernacle” (Exod. 25:9). Mishkân was also used later to refer to the “temple.” This usage probably prepared the way for the familiar term shhekinah, which was widely used in later Judaism to refer to the “presence” of God.
C. Participle.
Yâshab (יָשַׁב, Strong's #3427), “remaining; inhabitant.” This participle is sometimes used as a simple adjective: “… Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents” (Gen. 25:27). But the word is more often used as in Gen. 19:25: “… All the inhabitants of the cities.”
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Dwell'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/d/dwell.html. 1940.
