Greek Word of the Day: Anasta

The Septuagint translation of Isaiah 11:10 references the root of Jesse, the one who “rises up to rule the nations; nations will put their hope in him, and his repose will be honor.” The Septuagint has anistamenos for “rise,” and this is reflected in Romans 15:8 – 12 where Paul quotes Isaiah and refers to the Messiah who “arises” (anistamenos) and is both the ruler and the hope of the gentiles. This same concept is also present in Psalm 82:8, where Yahweh “rises” (anasta in the Septuagint) to judge the earth and inherit the nations. As we will see below, this language closely resembles the ascension language of Paul in Ephesians.

Joel Muddamalle, The Unseen Battle, p. 113

So, in this context, the word “rise” or “rise up” implies a warrior/king rousing himself to battle and conquering (in this case, conquering the gods of the nations). Like the word “inheritance,” it’s a clue that the Scripture is talking about which god has legal rights to a geographical area or a group of people: the unseen battle.

I believe it is also linked to the name Anastasia, which means resurrection.

Not sure why, but it feels very appropriate to me that the word for resurrection should have four or five syllables.

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