Muster
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Definition and Usage:
The term "muster" in the biblical context generally refers to the act of assembling troops or gathering people for a specific purpose, often for military service or battle. It involves organizing and preparing individuals for a task, typically under the leadership of a commander or leader. The concept of mustering is seen throughout the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, where it is associated with the preparation for warfare and the mobilization of the Israelites.

Biblical References:

1. Numbers 1:3-4 : "You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army. And one man from each tribe, the head of each family, must be there with you." This passage describes the command given to Moses and Aaron to muster the men of Israel for military service. It highlights the importance of organization and leadership in preparing for battle.

2. 1 Samuel 15:4 : "So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah." Here, King Saul musters the Israelite army to fight against the Amalekites, demonstrating the king's role in gathering and preparing the people for war.

3. 2 Samuel 24:9 : "Joab reported to the king the number of the fighting men: In Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and in Judah 500,000." This verse recounts the census taken by Joab at King David's command, which involved mustering the fighting men of Israel and Judah. The act of mustering here is linked to the broader narrative of David's reign and the consequences of his actions.

4. Isaiah 13:4 : "Listen, a tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts is mustering an army for war." In this prophetic vision, the Lord Himself is depicted as mustering an army, emphasizing His sovereignty and power over the nations. The imagery conveys the divine orchestration of events and the ultimate authority of God in the affairs of men.

Theological Significance:
The concept of mustering in the Bible underscores themes of divine order, leadership, and preparation. It reflects the necessity of readiness and the importance of following God's commands in the face of challenges. Mustering is often associated with obedience to divine instructions, as seen in the accounts of Israel's military campaigns and the prophetic imagery of God's judgment.

In a broader theological sense, mustering can also be understood as a metaphor for spiritual readiness and the call to be prepared for the battles of faith. Believers are encouraged to be vigilant and equipped, drawing parallels to the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6:10-18. The act of mustering, therefore, serves as a reminder of the need for discipline, unity, and reliance on God's guidance in both physical and spiritual endeavors.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (v. t.) To call together; as to muster troops for inspection.

2. (n.) A show; a display.

3. (n.) An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service.

4. (n.) The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army.

5. (v. t.) Any assemblage or display; a gathering.

6. (v. t.) To collect and display; to assemble, as troops for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like.

7. (v. t.) Hence: To summon together; to enroll in service; to get together.

8. (v. i.) To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like; to come together as parts of a force or body; as, his supporters mustered in force.

Strong's Hebrew
6485. paqad -- to attend to, visit, muster, appoint
... paqad. 6486 . to attend to, visit, muster, appoint. Transliteration: paqad Phonetic
Spelling: (paw-kad') Short Definition: numbered. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6485.htm - 7k

4662. miphqad -- a muster, appointment, appointed place
... 4661, 4662. miphqad. 4663 . a muster, appointment, appointed place.
Transliteration: miphqad Phonetic Spelling: (mif-kawd') Short Definition: place. ...
/hebrew/4662.htm - 6k

6633. tsaba -- to wage war, serve
... assemble, fight, perform, muster, wait upon, war. A primitive root; to mass (an
army or servants) -- assemble, fight, perform, muster, wait upon, war. ...
/hebrew/6633.htm - 6k

6486. pequddah -- oversight, mustering, visitation, store
... visitation, store NASB Word Usage administrators (1), affairs (1), appointed (1),
care (1), class (1), executioners (1), fate (1), muster (2), office (1 ...
/hebrew/6486.htm - 6k

5737. adar -- to help
... A primitive root; to arrange, as a battle, a vineyard (to hoe); hence, to muster
and so to miss (or find wanting) -- dig, fail, keep (rank), lack. ...
/hebrew/5737.htm - 5k

1413. gadad -- to penetrate, cut
... root Definition to penetrate, cut NASB Word Usage cut (2), gash (2), gashed
(1), muster yourselves in troops (1), together (1), trooped (1). ...
/hebrew/1413.htm - 6k

4487. manah -- to count, number, reckon
... root Definition to count, number, reckon NASB Word Usage appoint (1), appointed
(9), count (3), counted (2), counts (1), destine (1), muster (1), number (4 ...
/hebrew/4487.htm - 6k

5739. eder -- a flock, herd
... drove, flock, herd. From adar; an arrangement, ie Muster (of animals) -- drove,
flock, herd. see HEBREW adar. 5738, 5739. eder. 5740 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5739.htm - 6k

Library

Three Names High on the Muster-Roll
... Three Names High on the Muster-roll. A Sermon (No.2217). Intended for Reading
on Lord's-Day, August 16th, 1891,. Delivered by. CH SPURGEON,. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/three names high on the.htm

To Olympias. Having Risen from the Very Gates of Death I Address ...
... reputation have been turned to flight, all lying prostrate before the eyes of the
world, and this not after a severe onslaught, nor any alarming muster of the ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/to olympias having risen from.htm

Soldier Priests
... power' is not a mere synonym for 'the time of Thy might,' but means specifically
'the day of Thine army,' that is, 'the day when Thou dost muster Thy forces ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/soldier priests.htm

Our Captain
... day which to further and fight for is the bounden duty of every Christian, and to
further and fight for which will tax all the courage that any of us can muster ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/our captain.htm

Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891
... A Prayer for You. The Lad's Loaves in the Lord's Hands. Three Names High on the
Muster-roll. "Is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened?". A Harp of Ten Strings. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... The Assyrian troops had lost none of their former valour, and their muster-roll
showed no trace of diminution, but their leaders had lost the power of handling ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

Talmage -- a Bloody Monster
... Could the muster-roll of this great army be called, and could they come up from
the dead, what eye could endure the reeking, festering putrefaction? ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/talmage a bloody monster.htm

Commendation for the Steadfast
... A church may have a very short muster-roll, and yet it may be very dear to God,
who thinks more of quality than of quantity, more of obedience than of numbers. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 30 1884/commendation for the steadfast.htm

Phrases for Talkers
... PHRASES FOR TALKERS. It is said of Macaulay that he never allowed a sentence
to pass muster until it was as good as he could make it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kleiser/talks on talking/phrases for talkers.htm

Swooning and Reviving Christ's Feet.
... John. The Lord Himself gives us our watchword as we muster our band for
the last assembly. "Remember Me," is His loving command. ...
/.../spurgeon/till he come/swooning and reviving christs feet.htm

Thesaurus
Muster (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To call together; as to muster troops for
inspection. ... Multi-Version Concordance Muster (9 Occurrences). ...
/m/muster.htm - 10k

Mustered (28 Occurrences)
... (imp. & pp) of Muster. Multi-Version Concordance ... 1 Samuel 14:17 Then said Saul to
the people that were with him, Muster now, and see who is gone from us. ...
/m/mustered.htm - 15k

Gather (251 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To bring together; to collect, as a number of separate things, into one
place, or into one aggregate body; to assemble; to muster; to congregate. ...
/g/gather.htm - 47k

Gog (12 Occurrences)
... (3) In Revelation 20:7 Satan is let loose and goes to the four corners of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to muster his hosts for the final struggle against God. ...
/g/gog.htm - 14k

Reconciliation (11 Occurrences)
... On one occasion when the Philistines gathered together to battle against Israel,
David and his band of men accompanied Achish king of Gath to the muster-place. ...
/r/reconciliation.htm - 30k

Mustard-seed (5 Occurrences)
Mustard-seed. Mustard, Mustard-seed. Muster . Multi-Version Concordance
Mustard-seed (5 Occurrences). ... (WBS). Mustard, Mustard-seed. Muster . Reference
/m/mustard-seed.htm - 8k

Armour-bearer (14 Occurrences)
... land. (DBY JPS). 1 Samuel 14:17 Then said Saul to the people that were with
him, Muster now, and see who is gone from us. And they ...
/a/armour-bearer.htm - 11k

Reconcile (10 Occurrences)
... On one occasion when the Philistines gathered together to battle against Israel,
David and his band of men accompanied Achish king of Gath to the muster-place. ...
/r/reconcile.htm - 29k

Agreed (31 Occurrences)
... Naphtali. (See NIV). 1 Kings 20:25 Muster an army, like the army that you
have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. We ...
/a/agreed.htm - 15k

Accordingly (34 Occurrences)
... David. (See NAS). 1 Kings 20:25 Muster an army, like the army that you have
lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. We will ...
/a/accordingly.htm - 17k

Resources
What was/is the importance of the gates of Jerusalem? | GotQuestions.org

What are the works of the law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16)? | GotQuestions.org

Who is the king of the North in Daniel 11? | GotQuestions.org

Muster: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Muster (9 Occurrences)

1 Samuel 14:17
Then said Saul to the people that were with him, Muster now, and see who is gone from us. And they mustered, and behold, Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not there.
(DBY NIV)

1 Kings 20:25
Muster an army, like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. We will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than them." He listened to their voice, and did so.
(WEB NAS RSV)

1 Chronicles 23:24
These were the sons of Levi after their fathers houses, even the heads of the fathers houses of those of them that were counted, in the number of names by their polls, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from twenty years old and upward.
(See JPS)

2 Chronicles 17:14
This was the numbering of them according to their fathers' houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand;
(See NAS RSV)

2 Chronicles 26:11
Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, who went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 3:31
After him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths to the house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.
(See RSV)

Daniel 11:13
The king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times, even of years, with a great army and with much substance.
(See NIV)

Amos 2:14
Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won't strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
(See NIV)

Micah 5:1
Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
(See NAS)

Subtopics

Muster

Muster of Troops

Related Terms

Mustered (28 Occurrences)

Gather (251 Occurrences)

Gog (12 Occurrences)

Reconciliation (11 Occurrences)

Mustard-seed (5 Occurrences)

Armour-bearer (14 Occurrences)

Reconcile (10 Occurrences)

Agreed (31 Occurrences)

Accordingly (34 Occurrences)

Hammiphkad (1 Occurrence)

Workers (76 Occurrences)

Gad (78 Occurrences)

Marriage (74 Occurrences)

Stronger (59 Occurrences)

Acted (98 Occurrences)

Lost (85 Occurrences)

Listened (120 Occurrences)

Gate (248 Occurrences)

Horse (62 Occurrences)

Hushai (13 Occurrences)

Army (401 Occurrences)

Mustering (1 Occurrence)

Libraries

Chariot (102 Occurrences)

Plain (113 Occurrences)

Households (117 Occurrences)

Mustard-seed
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