Bind; Bound
Physical Binding
The most basic use of binding in Scripture refers to physical restraint or tying. Joseph's brother Simeon was bound before their eyes in Egypt (Genesis 42:24). Samson was bound with fresh bowstrings and new ropes by the Philistines (Judges 16:7-12), and ultimately with bronze shackles after his capture (Judges 16:21). The binding of prisoners was a standard practice in the ancient world, and biblical narratives frequently mention it in contexts of captivity and oppression.
Binding also appears in everyday activities. Joseph dreamed that his brothers' sheaves of grain bowed down to his sheaf (Genesis 37:7). Deuteronomy 14:25 instructs Israelites to 'bind up' their money for the journey to the chosen place of worship. Proverbs 6:21 uses the imagery of binding a father's commandments on one's heart as a picture of internalized wisdom.
The most dramatic physical binding in Scripture is the Aqedah, Abraham's binding of Isaac on the altar at Moriah (Genesis 22:9). This act of obedience, carried out in faith that God would still fulfill His promise, became a foundational event in Israel's theological memory.
Binding in Covenant and Law
Binding language is central to the biblical concept of covenant obligation. Numbers 30:2-3 uses binding terminology to describe the force of vows and oaths: 'If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.' A vow was literally a 'binding' that placed the person under sacred obligation.
Deuteronomy 6:8 commands Israel to 'bind' the words of the law 'as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.' Whether understood literally (as in the later practice of wearing phylacteries) or figuratively, the imagery conveys that God's commands are to be as close and as constant as something physically attached to the body.
This legal sense of binding extends to judicial authority. When Scripture speaks of someone being 'bound' by a law or regulation, it means that the obligation is recognized as valid and enforceable. The concept underlies much of the discussion in the New Testament about the relationship between believers and the Mosaic Law.
Binding and Loosing: Spiritual Authority
The most theologically significant use of binding language appears in Jesus' words to Peter and later to all the apostles. In Matthew 16:19, Jesus declares: 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' This statement is repeated to the broader group of disciples in Matthew 18:18.
In the Jewish rabbinic context, 'binding and loosing' were technical terms for declaring something forbidden or permitted. A rabbi who 'bound' a particular practice declared it obligatory; one who 'loosed' it declared it optional or permissible. Jesus was granting His apostles the authority to make authoritative decisions about the application of God's will in the life of the community.
This authority was not arbitrary but was to be exercised in alignment with heaven's own decisions, the Greek construction suggests 'whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven,' indicating that the apostles' declarations would ratify what God had already determined. John 20:23 connects this to the declaration of forgiveness: 'If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.'
Binding in Spiritual Warfare
Several passages use binding language in the context of spiritual conflict. Jesus spoke of binding the 'strong man' before plundering his house (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27), a parable describing His authority over demonic powers. The imagery suggests that Satan's influence must be restrained before people can be liberated from his control.
In Revelation, an angel binds Satan with a great chain for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2). This apocalyptic imagery draws on the same concept of binding as restraint, but applied to the ultimate spiritual adversary. The binding of Satan represents the limitation or removal of his power to deceive the nations.
Metaphorical Bondage and Liberation
Throughout Scripture, binding serves as a metaphor for various forms of spiritual and moral captivity. Psalm 107:10 describes those who 'sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons.' Proverbs 5:22 warns that 'the iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.' Isaiah 61:1 prophesies the coming of one who will proclaim 'liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound', a passage Jesus applied to Himself in Luke 4:18.
Paul describes himself as 'bound in the Spirit' on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), using binding language to express divine compulsion rather than captivity. Job 38:31 uses binding imagery to describe God's sovereign power over creation: 'Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?'
The consistent biblical message is that while sin, suffering, and oppression bind people in various ways, God has the power to loose every chain and set the captive free.
Biblical Context
Binding appears across every section of Scripture: in the Pentateuch (Genesis 22:9; 37:7; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 6:8), the historical books (Judges 16; Genesis 42:24), the wisdom literature (Proverbs 5:22; Job 38:31), the prophets (Isaiah 61:1), the Gospels (Matthew 12:29; 16:19; 18:18), Acts (20:22), and Revelation (20:2). It functions as both literal description and rich metaphor.
Theological Significance
Binding in Scripture carries profound theological meaning across several dimensions. The binding and loosing authority given to the apostles establishes the principle of delegated spiritual authority in the church. The binding of the strong man demonstrates Christ's supremacy over demonic powers. The metaphor of bondage to sin and liberation through Christ encapsulates the gospel message. And the binding of covenant obligations reveals that relationship with God involves real, binding commitments that shape the entire life of faith.
Historical Background
In ancient rabbinic Judaism, the terms 'bind' and 'loose' were well-established technical vocabulary for halakhic (legal) decisions. The Mishnah and Talmud record numerous debates in which rabbis bound or loosed particular practices. This background illuminates Jesus' words in Matthew 16 and 18, placing them within a recognizable framework of religious authority. The physical practices associated with binding, phylacteries (tefillin), prisoner restraints, and covenant-sealing rituals, are well attested in both biblical and archaeological evidence throughout the ancient Near East.