Bear

(1 Samuel 17:34; 2 Samuel 17:8) The Syrian bear, Ursus syriacus, which is without doubt the animal mentioned in the Bible, is still found on the higher mountains of Palestine. During the summer months these bears keep to the snowy parts of Lebanon, but descend in winter to the villages and Gardens. It is probable also that at this period in former days they extended their visits to other parts of Palestine.

Bear

Did you ever hear children say, "He is as cross as a bear?" I hope it will never be said of you, for nobody loves a child who is selfish and unkind, or who speaks cross and angry words. The bear is certainly a very cross animal; the name that was given to it in Bible times means a grumbler or growler. It does not even like other bears, excepting its own young ones, but chooses to live by itself in the gloomiest woods- often in a dark cave, or in the hollow part of some great old tree. When winter begins, it lies down to sleep, and does not wake up till warm weather comes again; then it creeps out of its retreat, lean and hungry enough-and cross enough, too. It is not a handsome animal; its hair is rough and almost as close as wool, and its limbs are thick and clumsy. It eats nuts, juicy leaves, and such fruits and berries as grow in the woods; it is fond of honey, and will climb the highest trees to reach it; and when it is very hungry, it will kill any animal that comes in its way and is not too strong for it to conquer.

The bear loves its young ones more than almost any other animal does, as this little story will show you. A bear with two cubs or young ones once came over the ice near to a ship where the sailors had just killed a large animal. The bears were very hungry, and the sailors threw over some pieces of flesh for them; the old bear would tear them up, giving most of the meat to the cubs, and keeping but little for herself. Presently some one in the ship cruelly shot both the young ones-then their mother was full of sorrow. She had been hurt herself by the guns, but she crawled along to her cubs, put her paw upon them, and tried to have them get up; and when she found that they did not move, she went a few steps off, and then looked back with a sad, moaning noise, as though she expected them to get up and follow her. When she saw that all her efforts were useless, she walked around them several times, turned towards the vessel with a terrible growl-for she was angry enough to tear in pieces the men who had killed her young-and then lay down between her cubs and died. Does not his help you to understand this verse in 2 Samuel 17? "For thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps (or cubs) in the field;" -and this also, Hosea 13:8, "I will meet them as a bear bereaved of her whelps." Such verses as these show that the writers of the Bible were acquainted with the habits of different animals: we never find any mistakes in what they say about them. Solomon says in his Proverbs, "As a roaring lion and a ranging bear, so is a wicked ruler over the poor people."

You have often read or heard the sad story in the 2nd Kings, how forty-two children were killed at one time by two bears out of the wood. Do you understand why God allowed this? Elijah, a holy servant of God, had just been taken up to heaven in a bright chariot with horses of fire; and these rude and wicked children called out to Elisha, "Go up, thou bald head!"-that is, "Go up, as Elijah did, to heaven." This mockery would have been very wrong, even if Elisha had not been a holy prophet, for God has said, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man;" but the children were really dishonoring God in their treatment of his servant, and it was for this reason that He was so displeased with them.

Do you remember what David said when he was trying to persuade king Saul to let him go and fight with the great giant Goliath? Saul thought he was too young, and by no means strong enough; but David said, "Thy servant was keeping his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, and thy servant slew both the lion and the bear." He said also, "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." You see why David was not afraid to meet the giant. It was not because he felt strong of himself, but he believed that God would be near to help him; and it was the same feeling that led him to say afterwards, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me." Happy will it be for you, dear child, if you can say the same words, with peace in your heart, when you lie down to die.

Bear

That bears were common in Palestine appears from several passages in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 17:34,36,37; 2 Samuel 17:8; 2 Kings 2:24. The species known in Syria resembles the common brown bear; it is sill met in the recesses of Lebanon. To a sullen and ferocious disposition, the bear joins immense strength, considerable sagacity, and the power of climbing trees. Her ferocity, especially when her young are injured, is proverbial. See 2 Samuel 17:8; Proverbs 17:12; Isaiah 11:7; Hosea 13:8.

A native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the attacks of a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Bears came out of the wood and destroyed the children who mocked the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:24). Their habits are referred to in Isaiah 59:11; Proverbs 28:15; Lamentations 3:10. The fury of the female bear when robbed of her young is spoken of (2 Samuel 17:8; Proverbs 17:12; Hosea 13:8). In Daniel's vision of the four great monarchies, the Medo-Persian empire is represented by a bear (7:5). 1. (v. t.) To support or sustain; to hold up.

2. (v. t.) To support and remove or carry; to convey.

3. (v. t.) To conduct; to bring; -- said of persons.

4. (v. t.) To possess and use, as power; to exercise.

5. (v. t.) To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as, the tablet bears this inscription.

6. (v. t.) To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name.

7. (v. t.) To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor

8. (v. t.) To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer.

9. (v. t.) To gain or win.

10. (v. t.) To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense, responsibility, etc.

11. (v. t.) To render or give; to bring forward.

12. (v. t.) To carry on, or maintain; to have.

13. (v. t.) To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change.

14. (v. t.) To manage, wield, or direct.

15. (v. t.) To behave; to conduct.

16. (v. t.) To afford; to be to; to supply with.

17. (v. t.) To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear children; to bear interest.

18. (v. i.) To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness.

19. (v. i.) To suffer, as in carrying a burden.

20. (v. i.) To endure with patience; to be patient.

21. (v. i.) To press; -- with on or upon, or against.

22. (v. i.) To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to bear.

23. (v. i.) To relate or refer; -- with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question?

24. (v. i.) To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect.

25. (v. i.) To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E.

26. (n.) A bier.

27. (n.) Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects.

28. (n.) An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form or habits, but no real affinity; as, the woolly bear; ant bear; water bear; sea bear.

29. (n.) One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

30. (n.) Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.

31. (n.) A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.

32. (n.) A portable punching machine.

33. (n.) A block covered with coarse matting; -- used to scour the deck.

34. (v. t.) To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.

35. (n.) Alt. of Bere

BEAR

bar (dobh; compare Arabic dubb): In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, David tells Saul how as a shepherd boy he had overcome a lion and a bear. In 2 Kings 2:24 it is related that two she bears came out of the wood and tore forty-two of the children who had been mocking Elisha. All the other references to bears are figurative; compare 2 Samuel 17:8 Proverbs 17:12; Proverbs 28:15 Isaiah 11:7; Isaiah 59:11 Lamentations 3:10 Daniel 7:5; Hosea 13:8 Amos 5:19 Revelation 13:2. The Syrian bear, sometimes named as a distinct species, Ursus Syriacus, is better to be regarded as merely a local variety of the European and Asiatic brown bear, Ursus arctos. It still exists in small numbers in Lebanon and is fairly common in Anti-Lebanon and Hermon. It does not seem to occur now in Palestine proper, but may well have done so in Bible times. It inhabits caves in the high and rugged mountains and issues mainly at night to feed on roots and vegetables. It is fond of the chummuc or chick-pea which is sometimes planted in the upland meadows, and the fields have to be well guarded. The figurative re ferences to the bear take account of its ferocious nature, especially in the case of the she bear robbed of her whelps (2 Samuel 17:8 Proverbs 17:12 Hosea 13:8). It is with this character of the bear in mind that Isaiah says (Isaiah 11:7), "And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together."

Alfred Y. Day

BEAR, THE (ARCTURUS)

bar. A great northern constellation.

See ASTRONOMY, sec. II, 13.

BEAR; BORN

bar, born (vb.), (yaladh): Occurs frequently in its literal sense, alluding to motherhood (Genesis 16:11; Genesis 17:17, 19, 21; Genesis 18:13; Genesis 22:23; Genesis 30:3; Leviticus 12:5 Judges 13:3; Judges 5:7 Ruth 1:12 1 Kings 3:21 Jeremiah 29:6); in the New Testament gennao, in the same sense (Luke 1:13).

Figurative: It is often used with reference to the beginning of the spiritual life or regeneration (John 1:13; John 3:3-8 1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 5:1, 4, 18 the King James Version).

See REGENERATION.

BEAR; BORNE

bar, born (nasa'; lambano, anaphero, bastazo): In English Versions of the Bible the physical sense is familiar, of supporting or carrying any weight or burden. The translation of the Revised Version (British and American) is to be preferred in Psalm 75:3 ("have set up"); Lamentations 3:28 ("hath laid it upon him"); Zephaniah 1:11 ("were laden with silver"); Luke 18:7 ("he is longsuffering over them"); John 12:6 ("took away what was put therein"); Acts 27:15 ("could not face the wind").

Figurative: The words are used in the figurative sense of enduring or taking the consequences of, be it for oneself or as representative for others: one's own iniquity (Leviticus 5:17 and often); chastisement (Job 34:31); reproach (Psalm 69:7; Psalm 89:50); or the sins of others (Isaiah 53:4, 11, 12 Matthew 8:17 Hebrews 9:28 1 Peter 2:24). In Isaiah 46:1-7 a striking contrast is presented between the idols of Babylon whom their worshippers had carried (borne) about and which would be borne away by the conquerors, and Yahweh who had ca rried (borne) Israel from the beginning. "Jacob and Israel. borne by me from their birth. and I will bear; yea, I will carry." "They bear it upon the shoulder," etc.

M. O. Evans

5342. phero -- to bear, carry, bring forth
... to bear, carry, bring forth. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: phero Phonetic
Spelling: (fer'-o) Short Definition: I carry, bear, bring, lead Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5342.htm - 10k

715. arkos -- a bear
... arkos. 716 . a bear. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: arkos Phonetic
Spelling: (ark'-tos) Short Definition: a bear Definition: a bear. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/715.htm - 6k

3140. martureo -- to bear witness, testify
... to bear witness, testify. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: martureo Phonetic
Spelling: (mar-too-reh'-o) Short Definition: I witness, testify Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3140.htm - 10k

5297. hupophero -- to bear by being under, to endure
... to bear by being under, to endure. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: hupophero
Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-of-er'-o) Short Definition: I endure, suffer ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5297.htm - 7k

2592. karpophoreo -- to bear fruit
... to bear fruit. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: karpophoreo Phonetic Spelling:
(kar-pof-or-eh'-o) Short Definition: I bear fruit Definition: I bear fruit. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2592.htm - 7k

5409. phoreo -- to bear constantly, to wear
... to bear constantly, to wear. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: phoreo Phonetic
Spelling: (for-eh'-o) Short Definition: I carry, wear Definition: I carry ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5409.htm - 7k

430. anecho -- to hold up, bear with
... to hold up, bear with. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: anecho Phonetic Spelling:
(an-ekh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I endure, bear with Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/430.htm - 7k

4828. summartureo -- to testify or bear witness with
... to testify or bear witness with. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: summartureo
Phonetic Spelling: (soom-mar-too-reh'-o) Short Definition: I bear witness ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4828.htm - 6k

4722. stego -- to cover closely (so as to keep water out) ...
... to cover closely (so as to keep water out), generally to bear up under. Part of
Speech: Verb Transliteration: stego Phonetic Spelling: (steg'-o) Short Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4722.htm - 7k

2164. euphoreo -- to bear well, ie to be fruitful
... to bear well, ie to be fruitful. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: euphoreo
Phonetic Spelling: (yoo-for-eh'-o) Short Definition: I bear well, bring a good ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2164.htm - 6k

1677. dob -- a bear
dob or dob. 1676, 1677. dob or dob. 1678 . a bear. Transliteration:
dob or dob Phonetic Spelling: (dobe) Short Definition: bear. ...
/hebrew/1677.htm - 6k

3205. yalad -- to bear, bring forth, beget
... 3204, 3205. yalad. 3206 . to bear, bring forth, beget. Transliteration: yalad
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-lad') Short Definition: father. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/3205.htm - 7k

6509. parah -- to bear fruit, be fruitful
... 6508, 6509. parah. 6510 . to bear fruit, be fruitful. Transliteration: parah
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-raw') Short Definition: fruitful. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6509.htm - 6k

5445. sabal -- to bear (a heavy load)
... 5444, 5445. sabal. 5446 . to bear (a heavy load). Transliteration: sabal Phonetic
Spelling: (saw-bal') Short Definition: bear. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/5445.htm - 6k

1678. dob -- a bear
... 1677, 1678. dob. 1679 . a bear. Transliteration: dob Phonetic Spelling: (dobe)
Short Definition: bear. Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding ...
/hebrew/1678.htm - 6k

5906. Ayish -- (a constellation) perhaps Great Bear
... 5905, 5906. Ayish or Ash. 5907 . (a constellation) perhaps Great Bear.
Transliteration: Ayish or Ash Phonetic Spelling: (ah'-yish) Short Definition: bear. ...
/hebrew/5906.htm - 6k

1319. basar -- to bear tidings
... to bear tidings. Transliteration: basar Phonetic Spelling: (baw-sar') Short Definition:
news. ... messenger, preach, publish, show forth, bear, bring, carry, preach. ...
/hebrew/1319.htm - 6k

1069. bakar -- to bear new fruit, to constitute as first-born
... 1068, 1069. bakar. 1070 . to bear new fruit, to constitute as first-born.
Transliteration: bakar Phonetic Spelling: (baw-kar') Short Definition: firstborn. ...
/hebrew/1069.htm - 6k

5190. natal -- to lift, bear
... 5189, 5190. natal. 5191 . to lift, bear. Transliteration: natal Phonetic Spelling:
(naw-tal') Short Definition: laid. Word Origin a prim. ... bear, offer, take ...
/hebrew/5190.htm - 5k

7852. satam -- to bear a grudge or cherish animosity against
... satam. 7853 . to bear a grudge or cherish animosity against. Transliteration:
satam Phonetic Spelling: (saw-tam') Short Definition: against. Word Origin a prim ...
/hebrew/7852.htm - 6k

How to Bear Sorrow. June 29.
... How to bear Sorrow. June 29. I believe that the wisest plan is sometimes
not to try to bear sorrow"as long as one is not crippled ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /how to bear sorrow june.htm

Twenty-Third Lesson Bear Fruit, that the Father May Give what Ye ...
... TWENTY-THIRD LESSON Bear fruit, that the Father may give what ye ask;'. Bear
fruit, that the Father may give what ye ask;' Or, Obedience ...
/.../with christ in the school of prayer/twenty-third lesson bear fruit that.htm

Whilst we Bear the Testimony of God to this and the Like Effect...
... Book III. Chapter 7. " 8. Whilst we bear the testimony of God to this
and the like effect? "8. Whilst we bear the testimony ...
/.../writings in connection with the donatist controversy /chapter 7 8 whilst.htm

Bear with Me, My God, While I Say Somewhat of My Wit...
... Book I Chapter XVII Bear with me, my God, while I say somewhat of my wit?
Bear with me, my God, while I say somewhat of my wit ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter xvii bear with me.htm

Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness against Thy Neighbor.
... Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Over ... neighbor. For to
bear false witness is nothing else than a work of the tongue. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/luther/the large catechism/thou shalt not bear false.htm

Those Holy Scriptures, Moreover, which Bear the Name of Moses...
... Chapter LXXX. Those holy Scriptures, moreover, which bear the name of Moses?
Those holy Scriptures, moreover, which bear the name ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter lxxx those holy scriptures.htm

Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness against Thy Neighbor.
... Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. ... Therefore, apart from faith
all works are dead, however good the form and name they bear. ...
/.../luther/a treatise on good works/thou shalt not bear false.htm

Letter xxii. --To Bear with Oneself.
... SIXTH BOOK: ON THE CONTINUATION OF TRIALS, AND FEAR OF THE ANGER OF GOD. Letter
XXII."To Bear With Oneself. To Sister Marie-Th??r??se de Viom??nil. ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter xxii to bear with oneself.htm

Letter ix. --How to Bear These Trials.
... FIFTH BOOK: FRESH TRIALS, SUFFERINGS AND PRIVATIONS. Letter IX."How to
Bear these Trials. To the same Sister. I feel keenly, my ...
/.../de caussade/abandonment to divine providence/letter ix how to bear these.htm

The Poets Also Bear Testimony to the Truth.
... Chapter VII."The Poets Also Bear Testimony to the Truth. Let poetry also
approach to us (for philosophy alone will not suffice ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter vii the poets also bear.htm

Bear's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Bear's (1 Occurrence). Revelation 13:2 and the
beast that I saw was like to a leopard, and its feet as ...
/b/bear's.htm - 6k

Bear (425 Occurrences)
... frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the
attacks of a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Bears came out of ...
/b/bear.htm - 44k

She-bear (2 Occurrences)
She-bear. Shebat, She-bear. She-bears . Multi-Version Concordance
She-bear (2 Occurrences). Proverbs 17:12 It is better ...
/s/she-bear.htm - 6k

Staffs (47 Occurrences)
... from it. (WBS). Exodus 25:27 Over against the border shall the rings be
for places of the staffs to bear the table. (WBS). Exodus ...
/s/staffs.htm - 19k

Consequences (9 Occurrences)
... partiality. (See NAS). Numbers 5:31 The man shall be free from iniquity,
and that woman shall bear her iniquity.'" (See NIV). Numbers ...
/c/consequences.htm - 8k

Staves (50 Occurrences)
... (KJV JPS ASV DBY YLT). Exodus 25:27 Over against the border shall the rings be for
places of the staves to bear the table. (KJV JPS ASV DBY YLT). ...
/s/staves.htm - 23k

Sustain (28 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundation sustains
the superstructure; a beast sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight. ...
/s/sustain.htm - 15k

Conceive (23 Occurrences)
... Judges 13:3 The angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and said to her, "See now,
you are barren, and don't bear; but you shall conceive, and bear a son. ...
/c/conceive.htm - 14k

Maidservant (73 Occurrences)
... Genesis 16:1 And Sarai Abram's wife did not bear him children. ... Genesis 16:2 And Sarai
said to Abram, Behold now, Jehovah has shut me up, that I do not bear. ...
/m/maidservant.htm - 28k

Press (57 Occurrences)
... force, as weight; to act upon by pushing or thrusting, in distinction from pulling;
to crowd or compel by a gradual and continued exertion; to bear upon; to ...
/p/press.htm - 46k

What does it mean to bear one another's burdens? | GotQuestions.org

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Bear: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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