Bible Question: In 2:18, "Hindered" or "Stopped," whichever translation you like, the questions remain: how much power does Satan have? If we know that God works for the good in all things, then this verse points out that Satan has the ability to disrupt that. Does this render God less powerful? |
Bible Answer: Satan. "The Hebrew word satan means "an adversary, one who resists." It is translated as "Satan" eighteen times in the Old Testament, fourteen of those occurrences being in Job 1-2, the others in 1 Chronicles 21:1 and Zechariah 3:1-2 . . . "In the Old Testament, then, Satan is not an evil principle opposing God. In Job "the Satan" is not God's adversary, but Job's. He Acts as one of God's subordinates/courtiers to follow his directives . . . Within the Job narrative, Satan acts at God's directive." Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, edited by Walter A. Elwell, 1996, published by Baker Books. (http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/bed.cgi) |