The concept of commemoration in the Bible is deeply rooted in the practice of remembering and honoring significant events, covenants, and divine acts. Commemoration serves as a means to recall God's faithfulness, to instruct future generations, and to maintain a sense of identity and continuity within the community of faith.

Old Testament Foundations

In the Old Testament, commemoration is often associated with the establishment of memorials and the observance of feasts. One of the earliest examples is found in Genesis 9:12-16, where God establishes the rainbow as a sign of His covenant with Noah, serving as a perpetual reminder of His promise never to flood the earth again. The rainbow acts as a divine commemoration of God's mercy and faithfulness.

The Passover is another significant act of commemoration. In Exodus 12:14, God commands the Israelites to observe the Passover as a lasting ordinance: "This day is to be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." The Passover commemorates Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage and serves as a powerful reminder of God's redemptive power.

Joshua 4:6-7 describes the setting up of twelve stones taken from the Jordan River as a memorial to the miraculous crossing into the Promised Land. These stones were to serve as a sign among the Israelites, prompting future generations to inquire about their meaning, thus ensuring the account of God's deliverance would be passed down.

New Testament Practices

In the New Testament, commemoration takes on new dimensions with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Lord's Supper, instituted by Jesus during the Last Supper, is a central act of commemoration for Christians. In 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, Paul recounts Jesus' words: "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me... This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." The Lord's Supper is a commemoration of Christ's sacrificial death and a proclamation of His anticipated return.

The practice of baptism also serves as a form of commemoration. Romans 6:3-4 explains that baptism symbolizes the believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It commemorates the believer's new life in Christ and the transformative power of the Gospel.

Commemoration in Worship and Tradition

Throughout Christian history, commemoration has been integral to worship and tradition. The observance of the Lord's Day, Sunday, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, marking it as a day of worship and rest. Additionally, various Christian liturgical calendars include feast days and seasons, such as Easter and Christmas, which commemorate key events in the life of Christ and the history of salvation.

Commemoration in the Bible is not merely about recalling past events; it is an active engagement with the divine narrative that shapes the identity and faith of God's people. Through acts of remembrance, believers are called to live in light of God's past actions, present promises, and future fulfillment.(v. t.) To call to remembrance by a special act or observance; to celebrate with honor and solemnity; to honor, as a person or event, by some act of respect or affection, intended to preserve the remembrance of the person or event; as, to commemorate the sufferings and dying love of our Savior by the sacrament of the Lord's Supper; to commemorate the Declaration of Independence by the observance of the Fourth of July.3831. paneguris -- a festal assembly
... all" and 58 , "the public square, meeting place") -- properly, an assembly-place
where people met for a common purpose, especially to (commemorate) or be (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3831.htm - 7k8567. tanah -- perhaps recount, rehearse
... 8566, 8567. tanah. 8568 . perhaps recount, rehearse. Transliteration: tanah
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-naw') Short Definition: commemorate. Word Origin a prim ...
/hebrew/8567.htm - 6k

Importance of the Anniversaries Connected with the Years 1894-1897 ...
... Coming nearer to the present year, there will be in 1896 the final departure of
Augustine from Rome to commemorate, on July 23, and his arrival here in the ...
/.../lecture i importance of the.htm

Acts II
... It is the day on which the law was given on Mount Sinai, and henceforth it is to
commemorate the giving of a better law, founded on better promises. ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts ii.htm

All Saints' Day
... On this day we commemorate"and, as far as our dull minds will let us, contemplate"
the saints; the holy ones of God; the pure and the triumphant"be they ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon i all saints day.htm

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day ...
... a perpetual feast. We have an infinitely greater deliverance to commemorate
than that of the Jews from Egypt. Released from the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/questions about the nature and.htm

The Invasion of Scythia.
... He moved slowly, and the engineers and architects that accompanied him built columns
and monuments here and there, as he advanced, to commemorate his progress. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter viii the invasion of.htm

Of the Places of Burial.
... or ruin. O! how would I commemorate thee, thou best of princes, greatest
Charles, how would I commemorate thee! What praises or ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 100 of the places.htm

Liturgy of St. Dionysius, Bishop of the Athenians .
... This sacrifice, here celebrated, we commemorate to Thee, O Lord, and the
sufferings which Thou didst endure on the Cross for us. ...
/.../letters of dionysius the areopagite/liturgy of st dionysius bishop.htm

Jehovah-Jireh
... Many a bare, bald mountain- top in your career and mine we have got our names for.
Are they names that commemorate our sufferings or God's blessings? ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/jehovah-jireh.htm

Christ Our Passover
... usage had cast round that centre and apex of the Jewish ritual, established at the
Exodus by a solemn divine appointment, intended to commemorate the birth of ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture st john chaps xv to xxi/christ our passover.htm

The Passover: an Expiation and a Feast, a Memorial and a Prophecy
... But on that first night it was only such by anticipation, seeing that it preceded
the deliverance which it was afterwards to commemorate. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the passover an expiation and.htm

Commemorate (2 Occurrences)
... as a person or event, by some act of respect or affection, intended to preserve
the remembrance of the person or event; as, to commemorate the sufferings and ...
/c/commemorate.htm - 7k

Fast (157 Occurrences)
... (1.) The fast of the fourth month, kept on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, the
anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; to commemorate also the ...
/f/fast.htm - 49k

Nicopolis (1 Occurrence)
... The one here referred to was most probably that in Epirus, which was built by Augustus
Caesar to commemorate his victory at the battle of Actium (BC 31). ...
/n/nicopolis.htm - 10k

Stone (290 Occurrences)
... Stones were set up to commemorate remarkable events, as by Jacob at Bethel (Genesis
28:18), at Padan-aram (35:4), and on the occasion of parting with Laban (31 ...
/s/stone.htm - 54k

Passover (81 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A feast of the Jews, instituted to commemorate the sparing of the Hebrews
in Egypt, when God, smiting the firstborn of the Egyptians, passed over the ...
/p/passover.htm - 58k

Pentecost (3 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 16:9-11). The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the
completion of the grain harvest. Its distinguishing feature ...
/p/pentecost.htm - 21k

Sacraments
... of Jesus regarding the speedy consummation of His kingdom make it impossible that
He should have dreamed of instituting a sacrament to commemorate His death. ...
/s/sacraments.htm - 19k

Lord's (548 Occurrences)
... 26. It is not mentioned by John. It was designed,. (1.) To commemorate the
death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me.". (2.) To ...
/l/lord's.htm - 88k

Ebenezer (3 Occurrences)
... Stone of help, the memorial stone set up by Samuel to commemorate the divine assistance
to Israel in their great battle against the Philistines, whom they ...
/e/ebenezer.htm - 9k

Eben-ezer (3 Occurrences)
... Stone of help, the memorial stone set up by Samuel to commemorate the divine assistance
to Israel in their great battle against the Philistines, whom they ...
/e/eben-ezer.htm - 9k

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Commemorate: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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