Bear

Greek Word Pronunciation: STAY-go
Strong's Number: 4722
Goodrich/Kohlenberger Number: 5095
Key Verse: “love … bears all things …” -- 1 Corinthians 13:7

The New Testament uses 13 other verbs that are translated “to bear.” They generally have the idea of suffering or carrying a burden. The verb stego comes from the noun stege, meaning “roof” (as in Mark 2:4). It means to protect or preserve by covering, to keep secret, thus to bear up against, or forbear. The verb appears only 4 times in the New Testament.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:1 and 3:5, Paul’s inability to return to the Thessalonian Christians and find out about their faith caused him to say that he, Silas, and Timothy could “endure no longer.” [The KJV translates the word as forbear.] The Greek is literally applied to a watertight vessel. “When we could no longer contain ourselves in our yearning desire for you.”

In 1 Corinthians 9:12, Paul said that “we endure all things.” [The NIV translates the word as put up with.] Paul relinquished his right to receive any support from those to whom he ministered. He desired to conceal any distress, to put up with anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel about Christ.

In the key verse, 1 CORINTHIANS 13:7, love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” In this case, the word endures is the Greek verb hupomeno. It refers to perseverance, carrying on like a stout-hearted soldier. The word bears denotes endurance without divulging to the world personal distress. [The NIV translates these two words as always protects and always perseveres.] It is a grand and distinguishing property of love to cover and conceal the fault of another. Matthew Henry says, “Though such a man be free to tell his brother his faults in private, he is very unwilling to expose him by making them public. Thus we do by our own faults, and thus charity would teach us to do by the faults of others; not publish them to their shame and reproach, but cover them from public notice as long as we can, and be faithful to God and to others.”