Forbearance, long - suffering

For- bearance is the tr. in AV of NT of ivoxh, and long- suH'ering of /rnKpodv/xla. Their close connexion in meaning is shown by their combination in various passages. Thus in Ro 2* the wealth of God's ' forbearance and long-suffering ' is mentioned as designed to lead men to repentance. In Ro 3^ the f. of God is the ground, not of the forgiveness of sins, but of their pretermission ; not of the annulling, but of the suspension of His punish- ment.

The same combination is required of Christians in Epli 4* ; they are to walk worthy of their calling, 'with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love,' where the last words in- terpret the first. In OT dvox'fi seems to occur only in 1 Mac 12'-'' in the technical sense of 'truce'; the corresponding verb is used in a wide range of meanings, whicli, however, are easily connected •with each other. MaKpidvfj.os, again, m the LXX is the regular rendering of the Heb. d^jn ti-;x.

It i& most frequently used of God, and in combina- tion with such words as TroXi/Aeos, olKrlpiiuiv, i\fl\- nuv. It desijrnates that attribute of God in virtue of whicli He bears long with that which provokes His anger, and does not proceed at once to execute judgrneiit upon it. Where fiaKpoOv/xia is used of men, the meaning is sometimes rather diil'erent. It becomes akin to patience as well as to forbearance. Thus it is combined with Inro/j-ov/i in Col 1" and with )ta*07rdfff.

a(-(oWII)inJa5»'; cf. also2Ti 3'". These examples, as well as those in He 0'°, .la 5"-, Sir 2*, prove that Trench's distinction is hardly accur- ate, \iz. that liaKpoOvfiia will be found to express patience in respect of persons, vropov-f) patience in respect of tilings.

In the passages just quoted /laKpoSvfiia is shown in bravely enduring the pressure of what seem adverse circumstances, the trials of the good life, and is better reproduced by ' patience ' or 'endurance' than by 'long-suffering. A real parallel to this use is found in 1 Mac 8', where we are told how the Romans subdued all Spain by their counsel and their p.aKpo9v/j.

ia ; where the word evidently means their stubborn persistence, that quality in virtue of which, though sometimes de- feated in battle, they were always victorious in war. But though this sense of pjiKpoBvixia is repre- sented ill NT, tlie prevailing one is that which is akin, not to endurance but to forbearance ; it is a slowness, like that of God, in avenging wrongs, a restraint of anger, a gentleness and meekness in dealing with those who treat us unjustly.

The synonymous word in this direction is rather irpaArijt than inrofiovfi. There is a difficult passage about God's long-suffering in Lk 18'. If we compare Sir 32^^ 6 Kvpio^ oi> /at; ^pabvvQ oOd^ p.T) fjuiKpodvfi7}aft 4ir' auToU, ?ws dif avvrpl^pTi dfffp^'v a.v(\eT}p.bv<jjv , it can hardly seem doubtful that tlie evangelist meant by his last words, 'though he shows lon^ indul- gence to them,' i.e.

to the enemies of the elect ; if, however, iir' avrdls must refer to the elect, then there seems no clear meaning to be got but by confining the force of tlie oO to the first clause, and saj'ing that God surely does not exercise long- suffering (this would be the effect of the interroga- tive p-T]) where the interests of His elect are at stake, but avenges them speedily.

But whatever we make of this case, there is no doubt that long- suffering and forbearance are characteristically and conspicuously qu.'ilities both of the divine and of the Christian character. As distinguished from each otiier, avoxn suggests that it is merely a temporary restraint that is being practised ; this may be the case with p^KpoOvp.ia also, indeed it i^ the case, and hence such warnings as we have in Ro 2"-, but it is not suggested by the word itself. J. Dexney.