In the biblical context, the term "buyers" refers to individuals who engage in the act of purchasing goods, services, or property. The concept of buying and selling is deeply embedded in the economic and social fabric of biblical times, reflecting the agrarian and trade-based societies of the ancient Near East.

Old Testament Context

The Old Testament provides numerous references to buying and selling, often in the context of land, livestock, and goods. The Mosaic Law includes specific regulations concerning transactions to ensure fairness and justice. For instance, Leviticus 25:14-16 instructs, "If you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from him, you must not take advantage of one another. You are to buy from your neighbor based on the number of years since the Jubilee; he is to sell to you based on the number of remaining harvest years. You shall increase the price if there are many years, and decrease it if there are few, because he is selling to you a number of harvests."

The concept of the Jubilee year, as outlined in Leviticus 25, further emphasizes the importance of equitable transactions. Every fiftieth year, land was to be returned to its original owners, and debts were to be forgiven, ensuring that economic disparities did not become entrenched.

Prophetic Warnings

The prophets often criticized the unethical practices of buyers and sellers, highlighting issues of greed and exploitation. Amos 8:4-6 warns, "Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, asking, 'When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may market wheat? We can reduce the ephah, increase the shekel, and cheat with dishonest scales. We can buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!'"

Such passages underscore the moral responsibility of buyers to engage in fair and honest transactions, reflecting God's concern for justice and the well-being of the vulnerable.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, buying and selling continue to be part of daily life, with Jesus Himself using these activities in His parables and teachings. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, for example, the wise virgins advise the foolish ones to "go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves" (Matthew 25:9), illustrating the necessity of preparedness and foresight.

Jesus also addresses the ethical dimensions of commerce in His cleansing of the temple, where He drives out the buyers and sellers, declaring, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers'" (Matthew 21:13). This act highlights the sanctity of worship spaces and the corruption that can arise when commercial interests overshadow spiritual priorities.

Eschatological Implications

The Book of Revelation presents a future vision where buying and selling are controlled by the beast, symbolizing oppressive economic systems. Revelation 13:17 states, "so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name." This passage has been interpreted as a warning against idolatrous allegiance to worldly powers and the moral compromises that can accompany economic transactions.

Ethical Considerations

Throughout Scripture, the act of buying is not condemned in itself, but the ethical implications of how transactions are conducted are of paramount importance. Buyers are called to act with integrity, fairness, and compassion, reflecting the character of God in their dealings. The biblical narrative consistently upholds the dignity of all individuals and the need for justice in economic relationships.

Of the Expulsion of the Sellers and Buyers from the Temple, and of ...
... Chapter LXVII."Of the Expulsion of the Sellers and Buyers from the Temple, and of
the Question as to the Harmony Between the First Three Evangelists and John ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter lxvii of the expulsion of.htm

My Second Year in Benares.
... Buyers, Shurman, and Lyon. ... My second year was advanced only a few months, when Mr.
and Mrs. Buyers, after a residence of nearly ten years, departed for Europe. ...
/.../life and work in benares and kumaon 1839-1877/chapter ix my second year.htm

The Master's Touch.
... genuine. But he could assure them that this was genuine. Still the buyers
doubted and criticised, as buyers have always done. Five ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/the masters touch.htm

The Ass and the Colt are the Old and the New Testament. Spiritual ...
... To what Jerusalem all these go in it is now our business to enquire, and what is
the house which has many sellers and buyers to be driven out by the Son of God ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/18 the ass and the.htm

Of the Withering of the Fig-Tree, and of the Question as to the ...
... to suppose that he, rather than Mark, has preserved the strict order of time so
far as regards the incident of the expulsion of the sellers and buyers from the ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter lxviii of the withering of.htm

Whether the Seller is Bound to State the Defects of the Thing Sold ...
... if the seller carry wheat to a place where wheat fetches a high price, knowing that
many will come after him carrying wheat; because if the buyers knew this ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the seller is bound.htm

The Purifying of the Temple.
... It may appear more probable that an act implying so great power over the priests,
and the throng of buyers and sellers, was done after his last triumphal entry ...
/.../section 117 the purifying of.htm

Sermon for Palm Sunday
... truth. Then when the truth is perceived, the buyers and sellers are gone;
and the truth will have nothing to do with trafficking. ...
/.../xiii sermon for palm sunday.htm

Matthew's Story of the Entry into Jerusalem. Difficulties Involved ...
... And the buyers would naturally be more numerous than the sellers. We have
to consider if the casting out of buyers and sellers in ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/17 matthews story of the.htm

Arrival at Benares.
... Before its commencement I had the pleasure of meeting Messrs. Buyers and Shurman,
with whom I was to be for years associated in mission work. ...
/.../chapter iii arrival at benares.htm

Buyers (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Buyers (2 Occurrences). Mark 11 ... dealers, (WEY). Zechariah
11:5 Their buyers slaughter them, and go unpunished. ...
/b/buyers.htm - 7k

Buying (12 Occurrences)
... Doubtless, however, eastern buyers and sellers of old haggled over prices
with controversy and heat, even as such buyers do today. ...
/b/buying.htm - 23k

Sellers (5 Occurrences)
... Mark 11:15 They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out
the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of ...
/s/sellers.htm - 7k

Buyer (7 Occurrences)

/b/buyer.htm - 9k

Upset (9 Occurrences)
... Mark 11:15 They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out
the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of ...
/u/upset.htm - 9k

Fair (147 Occurrences)
... 15. (vt) To make fair or beautiful. 16. (vt) To make smooth and flowing, as a vessel's
lines. 17. (n.) A gathering of buyers and sellers, assembled at a ...
/f/fair.htm - 40k

Reached (152 Occurrences)
... Mark 11:15 They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out
the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of ...
/r/reached.htm - 35k

Entering (124 Occurrences)
... Mark 11:15 They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out
the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of ...
/e/entering.htm - 37k

Money-changers (5 Occurrences)
... Mark 11:15 They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out
the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of ...
/m/money-changers.htm - 9k

Pigeon-dealers (3 Occurrences)
... Mark 11:15 They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out
the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of ...
/p/pigeon-dealers.htm - 7k

Should a Christian mortgage a home? | GotQuestions.org

Should churches be seeker-friendly? | GotQuestions.org

Buyers: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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