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Topic:
Thoughts
And Things Of The Bible -- Ambassador
From Easton's Bible Dictionary…
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word tsir , meaning "one who
goes on an errand," is rendered thus (Josh. 9:4; Prov. 13:17; Isa.
18:2; Jer. 49:14; Obad. 1:1). This is also the rendering of melits ,
meaning "an interpreter," in 2 Chr. 32:31; and of malak , a
"messenger," in 2 Chr. 35:21; Isa. 30:4; 33:7; Ezek. 17:15.
This is the name used by the apostle as designating those who are
appointed by God to declare his will (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 6:20). The
Hebrews on various occasions and for various purposes had recourse to
the services of ambassadors, e.g., to contract alliances (Josh. 9:4), to
solicit favours (Num. 20:14), to remonstrate when wrong was done (Judg.
11:12), to condole with a young king on the death of his father (2 Sam.
10:2), and to congratulate a king on his accession to the throne (1
Kings 5:1). To do injury to an ambassador was to insult the king who
sent him (2 Sam. 10:5).
From Smith's Bible Dictionary…
An ambassador was a person of high rank employed by a government to
represent it and transact its business at the seat of government of some
other power. The earliest examples of ambassadors employed occur in
(Numbers 20:14; 21:21; Judges 11:7-19) afterwards in that of the
fraudulent Gibeonites, (Joshua 9:4) etc., and in the instances of civic
strife mentioned (Judges 11:12) and Judg 20:12 Ambassadors are found to
have been employed not only on occasions of hostile challenge or
insolent menace, (1 Kings 20:2,6; 2 Kings 14:8) but of friendly
compliment, of request for alliance or other aid, of submissive
deprecation and of curious inquiry. (2 Kings 14:8; 16:7; 18:14; 2
Chronicles 32:31) Ministers are called ambassadors of Christ.
Derived from Easton's and Smith's Bible Dictionaries
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