Unimpressive
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The term "unimpressive" is not directly found in the Bible; however, the concept can be explored through various biblical narratives and teachings that highlight God's preference for humility, simplicity, and the unexpected over worldly grandeur and human expectations.

Biblical Examples:

1. David's Anointing: One of the most illustrative examples of God choosing the unimpressive is the anointing of David as king. In 1 Samuel 16, when Samuel is sent to anoint one of Jesse's sons, he initially considers Eliab, who appears kingly. However, God instructs Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). David, the youngest and a shepherd, is chosen, demonstrating that God's criteria differ from human expectations.

2. Gideon's Army: In Judges 7, God reduces Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 men to ensure that Israel's victory over the Midianites is attributed to divine intervention rather than military might. This narrative underscores the theme that God often works through what appears weak or unimpressive to accomplish His purposes.

3. Jesus' Birth and Ministry: The birth of Jesus in a humble manger in Bethlehem, as described in Luke 2, and His upbringing in Nazareth, a town of little repute, reflect the theme of God working through the unimpressive. Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2). Jesus' ministry further exemplifies this as He chose fishermen and tax collectors as His disciples and associated with the marginalized.

4. Paul's Weakness: The Apostle Paul speaks of his own unimpressive presence and speech in 2 Corinthians 10:10, where he acknowledges that some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account." Paul embraces his weaknesses, stating, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:9). This highlights the biblical principle that God's power is often made perfect in human weakness.

Theological Implications:

The biblical theme of God choosing the unimpressive serves as a reminder of His sovereignty and the upside-down nature of His kingdom. It challenges believers to value inner character and faithfulness over outward appearances and worldly success. This theme encourages humility and reliance on God's strength rather than human ability.

Practical Application:

Believers are called to emulate Christ's humility and to recognize that God's ways are higher than human ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). In a world that often values the impressive and the powerful, Christians are encouraged to seek God's perspective, trusting that He can use the seemingly insignificant to achieve His divine purposes.
Greek
772. asthenes -- without strength, weak
... prefix) and sthenes (strong) Definition without strength, weak NASB Word Usage helpless
(1), sick (6), unimpressive (1), weak (12), weak things (1), weaker (1 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/772.htm - 8k
Library

The Scaffolding Left in the Body
... THE spectacle which we have just witnessed is invisible, and therefore more or less
unimpressive, except to the man of science. Embryology works in the dark. ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter ii the scaffolding left.htm

Difference Between Christ's Healing of the Demoniacs and the ...
... of apparent success. Had Christ produced only similar effects, their very
commonness would have made them unimpressive. The moral ...
/.../section 105 difference between christs.htm

Introduction to Four Discourses against the Arians.
... as madmen (fanatics' in this translation), enemies of Christ, disciples of Satan,
&c., &c., is at once tedious and by its very frequency unimpressive (see ii ...
/.../introduction to four discourses against.htm

On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family
... reality. For even if reality could be proved to be misleading, it still
could not be proved to be unimportant or unimpressive. Even ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xiv on certain modern writers.htm

V. ...
... before me and is become my intercessor." These are all glowing words wherever there
is a heart that believes; where there is not, all is cold and unimpressive. ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter i v .htm

The Preacher as a Man of the Word.
... why so many of our sermons are crude in thought, unbalanced in the arrangement of
the materials, destitute of literary beauty, and unimpressive in delivery, is ...
/.../stalker/the preacher and his models/lecture iv the preacher as.htm

Significant Phrases
... unparalleled and inexhaustible. unpleasant and bewildering. unpopular and unimpressive.
unprecedented and objectionable. unpremeditated and heartfelt. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section ii significant phrases.htm

Thesaurus
Unimpressive (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Unimpressive (1 Occurrence). 2 Corinthians
10:10 For they say "His letters are authoritative and forcible ...
/u/unimpressive.htm - 6k

Music (143 Occurrences)
... Religious Reformations II. THEORY OF MUSIC 1. Dearth of Technical Information
2. Not Necessarily Unimpressive III. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ...
/m/music.htm - 78k

Unimportant (2 Occurrences)

/u/unimportant.htm - 7k

Uninformed (4 Occurrences)

/u/uninformed.htm - 7k

Forcible (3 Occurrences)
... 2 Corinthians 10:10 For they say "His letters are authoritative and forcible, but
his personal presence is unimpressive, and as for eloquence, he has none ...
/f/forcible.htm - 7k

Eloquence (4 Occurrences)
... 2 Corinthians 10:10 For they say "His letters are authoritative and forcible, but
his personal presence is unimpressive, and as for eloquence, he has none ...
/e/eloquence.htm - 8k

Personal (15 Occurrences)
... (WEY). 2 Corinthians 10:10 For they say "His letters are authoritative and forcible,
but his personal presence is unimpressive, and as for eloquence, he has none ...
/p/personal.htm - 11k

Authoritative (2 Occurrences)
... 2 Corinthians 10:10 For they say "His letters are authoritative and forcible, but
his personal presence is unimpressive, and as for eloquence, he has none ...
/a/authoritative.htm - 7k

None (573 Occurrences)
... 2 Corinthians 10:10 For they say "His letters are authoritative and forcible, but
his personal presence is unimpressive, and as for eloquence, he has none ...
/n/none.htm - 35k

Resources
What did people in the Bible look like? | GotQuestions.org

Unimpressive: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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