Security

"the act of confiding; the object of confidence; the state of confidence or security." This word occurs 15 times. The word refers to "the act of confiding" in Prov 21:22: "A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof." Mibt?ah? means the "object of confidence" in Job 8:14 and the "state of confidence or security" in Prov 14:26.

Bet?ah? is a noun meaning "security, trust." One occurrence is in Isa 32:17: "… and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance [bet?ah?] for ever."

"to be reliant, trust, be unsuspecting." This verb, which occurs 118 times in biblical Hebrew, has a possible Arabic cognate and a cognate in late Aramaic. The word means "to trust" in Deut 28:52: "And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land…"

"secure." In two passages this word is used as an adjective suggesting trust and security: "And Gideon went up … and smote the host: for the host was secure [unsuspecting]" (Judg 8:11; cf. Isa 32:17).

"securely." The occurrences of this word appear in all periods of biblical Hebrew.

In its first occurrence bet?ah? emphasizes the status of a city which was certain of not being attacked: " … Two of the sons … took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males" (Gen 34:25). Thus the city was unsuspecting regarding the impending attack. In passages such as Prov 10:9 (cf. Prov 1:33) bet?ah? emphasizes a confidence and the absence of impending doom: "He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known [faces certain judgment]." Israel dwells in security apart from any possible doom or danger because God keeps her completely safe (Deut 33:12, 28; cf. Deut 12:10). This condition is contingent on their faithfulness to God (Lev 25:18-19). In the eschaton, however, such absence of danger is guaranteed by the Messiah's presence (Jer 23:5-6).

"sufficient," is used in its neuter form with the article, as a noun, in Act 17:9, "(when they had taken) security," i.e., satisfaction, lit., "the sufficient." The use of hikanos in this construction is a Latinism in Greek. See Moulton, Proleg., p. 20. Probably the bond given to the authorities by Jason and his friends included an undertaking that Paul would not return to Thessalonica. Any efforts to have the bond cancelled were unsuccessful; hence the reference to the hindrance by Satan (1Th 2:18). See ABLE, C, No. 2.