The term "settle" in the Bible often refers to the act of establishing oneself in a particular place, achieving a state of rest or stability, or resolving a matter. It is used both in a literal and metaphorical sense throughout the Scriptures.

Old Testament Usage

1. Literal Settlement: The concept of settling is frequently associated with the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. After their exodus from Egypt and years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites finally settled in Canaan. This settlement was a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Joshua 21:43 , it is written, "So the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there."

2. Divine Settlement: The idea of God settling His people is also significant. In 2 Samuel 7:10 , God promises David, "And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more." This divine settlement is not just about physical location but also about security and peace under God's providence.

3. Metaphorical Settlement: The prophets often use the concept of settling to describe spiritual stability and restoration. In Ezekiel 36:11 , God promises, "I will multiply the people upon you, the whole house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt." Here, settling implies a return to prosperity and divine favor.

New Testament Usage

1. Spiritual Settlement: In the New Testament, the idea of settling often takes on a spiritual dimension. The Apostle Peter encourages believers to be steadfast in their faith. In 1 Peter 5:10 , he writes, "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you." The term "establish" here is akin to settling, indicating a firm foundation in Christ.

2. Resolution of Disputes: The New Testament also addresses the settling of disputes among believers. In Matthew 5:24 , Jesus instructs, "Leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." This emphasizes the importance of resolving conflicts and achieving peace within the Christian community.

Theological Implications

The concept of settling in the Bible is deeply intertwined with themes of divine promise, fulfillment, and peace. It reflects God's desire for His people to live in a state of rest and security, both physically and spiritually. Settling is not merely about occupying a land or resolving a conflict; it is about entering into the rest that God provides, a rest that is ultimately fulfilled in Christ. The believer's ultimate settlement is in the eternal kingdom of God, where true peace and stability are found.1. (n.) A seat of any kind.

2. (n.) A bench; especially, a bench with a high back.

3. (n.) A place made lower than the rest; a wide step or platform lower than some other part.

4. (n.) To place in a fixed or permanent condition; to make firm, steady, or stable; to establish; to fix; esp., to establish in life; to fix in business, in a home, or the like.

5. (n.) To establish in the pastoral office; to ordain or install as pastor or rector of a church, society, or parish; as, to settle a minister.

6. (n.) To cause to be no longer in a disturbed condition; to render quiet; to still; to calm; to compose.

7. (n.) To clear of dregs and impurities by causing them to sink; to render pure or clear; -- said of a liquid; as, to settle coffee, or the grounds of coffee.

8. (n.) To restore or bring to a smooth, dry, or passable condition; -- said of the ground, of roads, and the like; as, clear weather settles the roads.

9. (n.) To cause to sink; to lower; to depress; hence, also, to render close or compact; as, to settle the contents of a barrel or bag by shaking it.

10. (n.) To determine, as something which is exposed to doubt or question; to free from uncertainty or wavering; to make sure, firm, or constant; to establish; to compose; to quiet; as, to settle the mind when agitated; to settle questions of law; to settle the succession to a throne; to settle an allowance.

11. (n.) To adjust, as something in discussion; to make up; to compose; to pacify; as, to settle a quarrel.

12. (n.) To adjust, as accounts; to liquidate; to balance; as, to settle an account.

13. (n.) Hence, to pay; as, to settle a bill.

14. (n.) To plant with inhabitants; to colonize; to people; as, the French first settled Canada; the Puritans settled New England; Plymouth was settled in 1620.

15. (v. i.) To become fixed or permanent; to become stationary; to establish one's self or itself; to assume a lasting form, condition, direction, or the like, in place of a temporary or changing state.

16. (v. i.) To fix one's residence; to establish a dwelling place or home; as, the Saxons who settled in Britain.

17. (v. i.) To enter into the married state, or the state of a householder.

18. (v. i.) To be established in an employment or profession; as, to settle in the practice of law.

19. (v. i.) To become firm, dry, and hard, as the ground after the effects of rain or frost have disappeared; as, the roads settled late in the spring.

20. (v. i.) To become clear after being turbid or obscure; to clarify by depositing matter held in suspension; as, the weather settled; wine settles by standing.

21. (v. i.) To sink to the bottom; to fall to the bottom, as dregs of a liquid, or the sediment of a reservoir.

22. (v. i.) To sink gradually to a lower level; to subside, as the foundation of a house, etc.

23. (v. i.) To become calm; to cease from agitation.

24. (v. i.) To adjust differences or accounts; to come to an agreement; as, he has settled with his creditors.

25. (v. i.) To make a jointure for a wife.

SETTLE (1)

set'-'-l (`azarah): For this word in Ezekiel 43:14, 17, 20; Ezekiel 45:19, the American Standard Revised Version and the English Revised Version margin substitute more correctly "ledge."

See TEMPLE.

SETTLE (2)

The Hebrew language has 8 words which are thus translated: yashabh, nachath, `amadh, shaqat, tabha`, natsabh, maqom, qapha'. Now the meaning is to settle down, to cause to occur (Ezekiel 36:11 the King James Version; 1 Chronicles 17:14); then it denotes fixedness (2 Kings 8:11 Psalm 119:89 Proverbs 8:25); again it points to a condition of absolute quiescence, as the settlings on the lees (Jeremiah 48:11); and in still another place it means packing solidly together (Psalm 65:10). In the New Testament the words hedraios, themelioo, and tithemi, have been translated "settle." the Revised Version (British and American) in 1 Peter 5:10 has translated "establish," and the context unquestionably points to the idea of a fixed establishment in the faith. In Luke 21:14 the word translated "settle" evidently points to a fixed determination.

Henry E. Dosker

4868. sunairo -- to take up together, ie settle accounts
... to take up together, ie settle accounts. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: sunairo
Phonetic Spelling: (soon-ah'-ee-ro) Short Definition: I make a reckoning ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4868.htm - 6k

2730. katoikeo -- to inhabit, to settle
... to inhabit, to settle. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katoikeo Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-oy-keh'-o) Short Definition: I dwell in, settle in, inhabit ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2730.htm - 8k

1460. egkatoikeo -- to settle down in (a place), reside
... to settle down in (a place), reside. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: egkatoikeo
Phonetic Spelling: (eng-kat-oy-keh'-o) Short Definition: I dwell in, among ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1460.htm - 6k

3921. pareisduo -- to settle in alongside
... to settle in alongside. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pareisduo Phonetic
Spelling: (par-ice-doo'-no) Short Definition: I enter secretly Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3921.htm - 7k

2311. themelioo -- to lay the foundation of
... foundation (1). lay the foundation, ground, settle. From themelios; to lay a
basis for, ie (literally) erect, or (figuratively) consolidate ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2311.htm - 6k

2523. kathizo -- to make to sit down, to sit down
... Another (active) form for kathezomai; to seat down, ie Set (figuratively, appoint);
intransitively, to sit (down); figuratively, to settle (hover, dwell ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2523.htm - 7k

4732. stereoo -- to make firm, strengthen
... stereoo Phonetic Spelling: (ster-eh-o'-o) Short Definition: I strengthen, confirm,
establish Definition: I strengthen, confirm, establish, settle. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4732.htm - 7k

1956. epiluo -- to loose, to solve
... epiluo Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-loo'-o) Short Definition: I explain, interpret,
decide Definition: I loose, release; I solve, settle, explain, interpret ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1956.htm - 7k

2664. katapauo -- to cause to cease, to rest
... cease, give rest. From kata and pauo; to settle down, ie (literally) to colonize,
or (figuratively) to (cause to) desist -- cease, (give) rest(-rain). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2664.htm - 6k

525. apallasso -- to remove, release
... Word Origin from apo and allasso Definition to remove, release NASB Word
Usage free (1), left (1), settle (1). deliver, depart. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/525.htm - 6k

7931. shakan -- to settle down, abide, dwell
... 7930, 7931. shakan or shaken. 7932 . to settle down, abide, dwell. Transliteration:
shakan or shaken Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-kan') Short Definition: dwell ...
/hebrew/7931.htm - 6k

5181. nacheth -- to go down, descend
... root Definition to go down, descend NASB Word Usage bend (2), bring down (1), come
down (1), go down (1), goes deeper (1), pressed down (1), settle (1), sunk ...
/hebrew/5181.htm - 6k

7087. qapha' -- to thicken, condense, congeal
... qapha'. 7087a . to thicken, condense, congeal. Transliteration: qapha' Phonetic
Spelling: (kaw-faw') Short Definition: congealed. congeal, curdle, dark, settle ...
/hebrew/7087.htm - 5k

3427. yashab -- to sit, remain, dwell
... 27), remaining (1), reposed (1), resettle (1), residents (1), retire (1), rule
(1), sat (42), sat down (21), seat (2), seated (3), set (3), settle (6), settled ...
/hebrew/3427.htm - 7k

2883. taba -- to sink, sink down
... drown, fasten, settle, sink. A primitive root; to sink -- drown, fasten, settle,
sink. 2882, 2883. taba. 2884 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/2883.htm - 6k

5835. azarah -- probably enclosure
... court, settle. From azar in its original meaning of surrounding; an inclosure; also
a border -- court, settle. see HEBREW azar. 5834, 5835. azarah. 5836 . ...
/hebrew/5835.htm - 6k

5117. nuach -- to rest
... aside (1), remain (3), resides (1), rest (14), rested (6), resting (1), rests (2),
rid themselves (2), satisfy (1), set (4), set down (3), settle (2), settled ...
/hebrew/5117.htm - 7k

8252. shaqat -- to be quiet or undisturbed
... root; to repose (usually figurative) -- appease, idleness, (at, be at, be in, give)
quiet(-ness), (be at, be in, give, have, take) rest, settle, be still. ...
/hebrew/8252.htm - 6k

7280b. raga -- to be at rest, repose
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to be at rest, repose NASB Word Usage bring
rest (1), find its rest (1), find...rest (1), rest (1), set (1), settle (1). ...
/hebrew/7280b.htm - 5k

3245. yasad -- to establish, found, fix
... A primitive root; to set (literally or figuratively); intensively, to found;
reflexively, to sit down together, ie Settle, consult -- appoint, take counsel ...
/hebrew/3245.htm - 6k

February 27. "Stablish, Strengthen, Settle You" (I. Peter v. 10).
... FEBRUARY 27. "Stablish, strengthen, settle you" (I. Peter v. 10). "Stablish,
strengthen, settle you" (I. Peter v.10). In taking ...
/.../simpson/days of heaven upon earth /february 27 stablish strengthen settle.htm

Being Easily Entreated
... It is not hard to settle troubles if people want to have them settled; for if they
really want them settled, they are willing to settle them the right way. ...
/.../naylor/heart talks/talk thirty-one being easily entreated.htm

The Church and Her Mission, or the Three Constitutional Synods ...
... The first question to settle was the Church's Mission. For what purpose did the
Moravian Church exist? To that question the Brethren gave a threefold answer. ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter i the church and.htm

Sorrowful, yet Always Rejoicing
... You can determine what you will think about most, and what you will look at
most, and if you settle that, that will settle what you feel. ...
/.../sorrowful yet always rejoicing.htm

The Torments of Giant Bad Feelings
... Sit down under this amaranthine bower and rest yourselves.". "We are new pilgrims
in Canaan and we want to settle somewhere in the land. ...
/.../berry/adventures in the land of canaan/chapter ten the torments of.htm

Evil Thoughts.
... admission. There is no sin in the bad thoughts coming, but the sin begins
when they are allowed to settle, and to fly-blow the heart. ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lvi evil thoughts.htm

Man's Life his Monument.
... MAN'S LIFE HIS MONUMENT. (Third Sunday after Trinity.) 1 S. ETER v.10. "The God
of all grace . . . make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.". ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon xxxviii mans life his.htm

A Preliminary Discourse to Catechising
... It is the apostle's prayer, 1 Peter 5:50, 'The God of all grace stablish, strengthen,
settle you.' That is, that they might not be meteors in the air, but ...
/.../watson/a body of divinity/1 a preliminary discourse to.htm

Israel in Canaan.
... the tribes through the divided waters of the Jordan, and received strength and skill
to scatter the heathen before them, conquer the cities, and settle them in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson v israel in canaan.htm

Life at Herrnhut.
... The power of the Elders was enormous. If a new refugee desired to settle in
Herrnhut, he must first obtain permission from the Elders. ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter iv life at herrnhut.htm

Settle (63 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) To establish in the pastoral office; to ordain or install as pastor or rector
of a church, society, or parish; as, to settle a minister. ...
/s/settle.htm - 30k

Inhabitant (54 Occurrences)
... in-hab'-it, in-hab'-it-ant (yashabh, "to sit," "remain, "dwell," "inhabit" shakhen,
"to settle down" "tabernacle," "dwell"; katoikeo, "to settle," "dwell ...
/i/inhabitant.htm - 25k

Inhabit (29 Occurrences)
... in-hab'-it, in-hab'-it-ant (yashabh, "to sit," "remain, "dwell," "inhabit" shakhen,
"to settle down" "tabernacle," "dwell"; katoikeo, "to settle," "dwell ...
/i/inhabit.htm - 16k

Rule (291 Occurrences)
... passive. 16. (n.) To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by
universal or general consent, or by common practice. 17. ...
/r/rule.htm - 39k

Resettle (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To settle again. 2. (vi) To settle again, or a
second time. Multi-Version Concordance Resettle (2 Occurrences). ...
/r/resettle.htm - 7k

Determine (13 Occurrences)
... end; to finish. 3. (vt) To fix the form or character of; to shape; to
prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle. 4. (vt) To ...
/d/determine.htm - 13k

Colonize (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To plant or establish a colony or colonies
in; to people with colonists; to migrate to and settle in. ...
/c/colonize.htm - 6k

Compound (3 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To settle amicably; to adjust by agreement; to compromise; to discharge
from obligation upon terms different from those which were stipulated; as, to ...
/c/compound.htm - 9k

Subside (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To tend downward; to become lower; to descend; as, the waves subsided.
2. (vi) To sink or fall to the bottom; to settle, as lees. ...
/s/subside.htm - 8k

Stablish (12 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (vt) To settle permanently in a state; to make firm; to
establish; to fix. Multi-Version Concordance Stablish (12 Occurrences). ...
/s/stablish.htm - 9k

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