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Easton's Bible Dictionary
In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found
in Psalms
74:18 ; Isaiah
52:5 ; Romans
2:24 ; Revelation
13:1 , 13:6
; 16:9
, 16:11
, 16:21
. It denotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse ( 1
Kings 21:10 ; Acts
13:45 ; 18:6
, etc.). Our Lord was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God
( Matthew
26:65 ; Compare Matthew
9:3 ; Mark
2:7 ). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme Jesus ( Luke
22:65 ; John
10:36 ).
Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ( Matthew
12:31 , 12:32
; Mark
3:28 , 3:29
; Luke
12:10 ) is regarded by some as a continued and obstinate rejection of the
gospel, and hence is an unpardonable sin, simply because as long as a sinner remains
in unbelief he voluntarily excludes himself from pardon. Others regard the expression
as designating the sin of attributing to the power of Satan those miracles which
Christ performed, or generally those works which are the result of the Spirit's
agency.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
(no entry)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
In its technical English sense, signifies the speaking
evil of God and in this sense it is found ( Psalms
74:18 ; Isaiah
52:5 ; Romans
2:24 ) etc. But according to its derivation it may mean any species of calumny
and abuse: see ( 1
Kings 21:10 ; Acts
18:6 ; Jude
1:9 ) etc. Blasphemy was punished by stoning, which was inflicted on the son
of Shelomith. ( Leviticus
24:11 ) On this charge both our Lord and St. Stephen were condemned to death
by the Jews. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, ( Matthew
12:32 ; Mark
3:28 ) consisted in attributing to the power of Satan those unquestionable
miracles which Jesus performed by "the finger of God" and the power of the Holy
Spirit. It is plainly such a state of wilful, determined opposition to God and
the Holy Spirit that no efforts will avail to lead to repentance. Among the Jews
it was a sin against God answering to treason in our times.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
blas'-fe-mi (blasphemia):
In classical Greek meant primarily "defamation" or "evil-speaking" in general;
"a word of evil omen," hence, "impious, and irreverent speech against God."
(1) In the Old Testament as substantive and vb.:
(a) (barakh) "Naboth did blaspheme God and the king" (1
Kings 21:10 , 13
the King James Version);
(b) (gadhaph) of Senna-cherib defying Yahweh (2
Kings 19:6 , 22
= Isaiah
37:6 , 23;
also Psalms
44:16 ; Ezekiel
20:27; compare Numbers
15:30), "But the soul that doeth aught with a high hand (i.e. knowingly and
defiantly), .... the same blasphemeth (so the Revised Version (British and American),
but the King James Version "reproacheth") Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off
from among his people." Blasphemy is always in word or deed, injury, dishonor
and defiance offered to God, and its penalty is death by stoning;
(c) (charaph) of idolatry as blasphemy against Yahweh (Isaiah
65:7);
(d) (naqabh) "And he that blasphemeth the name of Yahweh, he shall surely be put
to death" (Leviticus
24:11 , 16);
(e) (na'ats) David's sin is an occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme
(2
Samuel 12:14 ; also Psalms
74:10 , 18
; Isaiah
52:5 ; compare Ezekiel
35:12 ; 2
Kings 19:3 the King James Version; Isaiah
37:3). |
(2) In the New Testament blasphemy, substantive and vb., may be
(a) of evil-speaking generally, (Acts
13:45 ; 18:6);
The Jews contradicted Paul "and blasphemed," the Revised Version, margin "railed."
(So in the King James Version of Matthew
15:19 = Mark
7:22; Colossians
3:8, but in the Revised Version (British and American) "railings"; Revelation
2:9 the Revised Version, margin "reviling"; so perhaps in 1
Timothy 1:20; or Hymeneus and Alexander may have blasphemed Christ by professing
faith and living unworthily of it.)
(b) Speaking against a heathen goddess:
The town clerk of Ephesus repels the charge that Paul and his companions were
blasphemers of Diana (Acts
19:37).
(c) Against God:
(i) uttering impious words (Revelation
13:1 , 5
, 6
; 16:9
, 11
, 21
; 17:3);
(ii) unworthy conduct of Jews (Romans
2:24) and Christians (1
Timothy 6:1 ; Titus
2:5 , and perhaps 1
Timothy 1:20);
(iii) of Jesus Christ, alleged to be usurping the authority of God (Matthew
9:3 = Mark
2:7 = Luke
5:21), claiming to be the Messiah, the son of God (Matthew
26:65 = Mark
14:64), or making Himself God (John
10:33 , 36).
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(d) Against Jesus Christ: Saul strove to make the Christians he persecuted blaspheme
their Lord (Acts
26:11). So was he himself a blasphemer (1
Timothy 1:13 ; compare James
2:7). |
(3) The Unpardonable Sin: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit:
"Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against
the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy
of Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which
is to come" (Matthew
12:31 , 32
= Mark
3:28 , 29
; Luke
12:10).
As in the Old Testament "to sin with a high hand" and to blaspheme the name of
God incurred the death penalty, so the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit remains
the one unpardonable sin. These passages at least imply beyond cavil the personality
of the Holy Spirit, for sin and blasphemy can only be committed against persons.
In Matthew and Mark a particular case of this blasphemy is the allegation of the
Pharisees that Jesus Christ casts out devils by Beelzebub. The general idea is
that to attribute to an evil source acts which are clearly those of the Holy Spirit,
to call good evil, is blasphemy against the Spirit, and sin that will not be pardoned.
"A distinction is made between Christ's other acts and those which manifestly
reveal the Holy Spirit in Him, and between slander directed against Him personally
as He appears in His ordinary acts, and that which is aimed at those acts in which
the Spirit is manifest" (Gould, Mark at the place).
Luke does not refer to any particular instance, and seems to connect it with the
denial of Christ, although he, too, gives the saying that "who shall speak a word
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven." But which of Christ's acts are
not acts the Holy Spirit, and how therefore is a word spoken against Him not also
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
John identifies the Holy Spirit with the exalted Christ (John
14:16 - 18
, 26
, 28).
The solution generally offered of this most difficult problem is concisely put
by Plummer (Luke ad loc.): "Constant and consummate opposition to the influence
of the Holy Spirit, because of a deliberate preference of darkness to light, render
repentance and therefore forgiveness morally impossible."
A similar idea is taught in Hebrews
6:4 - 6,
and 1
John 5:16: "A sin unto death." But the natural meaning of Christ's words implies
an inability or unwillingness to forgive on the Divine side rather than inability
to repent in man. Anyhow the abandonment of man to eternal condemnation involves
the inability and defeat of God. The only alternative seems to be to call the
kenotic theory into service, and to put this idea among the human limitations
which Christ assumed when He became flesh. It is less difficult to ascribe a limit
to Jesus Christ's knowledge than to God's saving grace (Mark
13:32 ; compare John
16:12 , 13).
It is also noteworthy that in other respects, at least, Christ acquiesced in the
view of the Holy Spirit which He found among His contemporaries.
See HOLY
SPIRIT.
T. Ress
Tags:
bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, blasphemy, define, speaking evil of god, unpardonable sin
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