CHAPTER 7 Defining Evangelizing - Evangelism Unlimited

Thomas P. Johnston 413
b) Other than Luke 5:10, the only other NT use of zwgre,w in NT is in 2 Tim 2:26:
2 Tim 2:26 (NAS), “The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to
teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if
perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may
come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by
him [evzwgrhme,noi u`p auvtou/] to do his will”
c) Notice several verbs on capturing that Jesus did not use in this context:
(1) zw|ogone,w (2 Byz or 3 UBS NT uses) to give life to, make alive (1 Tim 6:13 in UBS
text; Byz uses zw|opoie,w); preserve alive, keep alive (Luke 17:33; Acts 7:19)
(2) zw|opoie,w (12 Byz or 11 UBS NT uses) to make alive, give life to, bring to life
(Rom 4:17)
(3) Clearly, God alone generates life within [zw|ogone,w] or makes alive [zw|opoie,w] those
whom He saves; man for his part is to capture men alive [zwgre,w].
87) aivcmalwteu,w (2 NT uses) – meaning to take captive, Eph 4:8; 2 Tim 3:6:
a) Used positively, Eph 4:8 (of Jesus taking captive)—two main readings of this text,
regarding who Jesus took captive, a multitude (of people) into captivity:
(1) “A host of captives”:
Eph 4:8 (NAS), “Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of
captives, And He gave gifts to men’”
(2) The reading that states “He led captivity captive” is a reading from Jerome’s Latin
Vulgate:
Eph 4:8 (Douais-Rheims), “Wherefore he saith: Ascending on high, he led captivity captive;
he gave gifts to men”
b) Used negatively, 2 Tim 3:6 (of evil men capturing weak women):
2 Tim 3:6 (NAS), “For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak
women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses”
88) aivcmalwti,zw (3 NT uses, Luke 21:24 [of war in end times]; Rom 7:23 [of sin capturing];
2 Cor 10:5 [of Christian activity]), meaning to capture at war, take captive, subdue; mislead:
2 Cor 10:4-5 (1560 Eng Geneva), “ 4 (For the weapons of our warrefare are not carnal, but mightie
through God, to cast downe holdes) 5 Casting downe the imaginations, and euerie high thing
that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captiuitie euerie thoght to
the obedience of Christ”
Herein Paul seems to explain his emphasis in evangelizing, so clearly highlighted elsewhere
(Acts 20; 1 Cor 9; 2 Cor 5), highlighting its apologetic nature:
Paul clearly mentioning that the Word of God was the Sword of the Spirit in Eph 6:17 in
another warfare passage
Every “thought” of man in 2 Cor 10:5 apparently being a figure of speech (synecdoche)
for the totality of a man
Therefore a reading of this passage may be (revising the NAS):
2 Cor 10:4-5, “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for
the destruction of fortresses, destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up
against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought [of man] unto the
obedience of Christ
In fact, the verb destroying, reminiscent of Jeremiah’s call (Jer 1:10), is used in parallel
to our aivcmalwti,zw, in which God used six verbs:
Heb. nathash; Gk. evkrizo,w; to root up
Heb. nathats; Gk. kataska,ptw; to tear down
Heb. abad; Gk. avpo,llumi; to destroy
Heb. haras; Gk. [not translated]; to pluck up
Heb. banah; Gk. avnoikodome,w; to build
Heb. nata; Gk. katafuteu,w; to plant