Dispossess

Dispossess - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

DISPOSSESS, v.t. [dis and possess.] To put out of possession, by any means; to deprive of the actual occupancy of a thing, particularly of land or real estate; to deseize.

Ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein. Num 33.

Usually followed by of, before the thing taken away; as, to dispossess a king of his crown.

Possess - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

POSSESS', v.t. [L. possessus, possideo, a compound of po, a Russian preposition, perhaps by, and sedeo, to sit; to sit in or on.

1. To have the just and legal title, ownership or property of a thing; to own; to hold the title of, as the rightful proprietor, or to hold both the title and the thing. A man may possess the farm which he cultivates,or he may possess an estate in a foreign country, not in his own occupation. He may possess many farms which are occupied by tenants. In this as in other cases, the original sense of the word is enlarged, the holding or tenure being applied to the title or right, as well as to the thing itself.

2. To hold; to occupy without title or ownership.

I raise up the Chaldeans, to possess the dwelling-places that are not theirs. Hab 1.

Neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own. Acts 4.

3. To have; to occupy. The love of the world usually possesses the heart.

4. To seize; to gain; to obtain the occupation of.

The English marched towards the river Eske, intending to possess a hill called Under-Eske.

5. To have power over; as an invisible agent or spirit.

Luke 8.

Beware what spirit rages in your breast;

For ten inspired, ten thousand are possess'd.

6. To affect by some power.

Let not your ears despise my tongue,

Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound

That ever yet they heard.

To possess of, or with, more properly to possess of, is to give possession, command or occupancy.

Of fortune's favor long possess'd

This possesses us of the most valuable blessing of human life, friendship.

To possess one's self of, to take or gain possession or command; to make one's self master of.

We possessed ourselves of the kingdom of Naples.

To possess with, to furnish or fill with something permanent; or to be retained.

It is of unspeakable advantage to possess our minds with an habitual good intention.

If they are possessed with honest minds.

Possessed - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

POSSESS'ED, pp. Held by lawful title; occupied; enjoyed; affected by demons or invisible agents.

Possession - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

POSSES'SION, n. The having, holding or detention of property in one's power or command; actual seizin or occupancy, either rightful or wrongful. One man may have the possession of a thing, and another may have the right of possession or property.

If the possession is severed from the property; if A has the right of property, and B by unlawful means has gained possession, this is an injury to A. This is a bare or naked possession.

In bailment, the bailee, who receives goods to convey, or to keep for a time, has the possession of the goods, and a temporary right over them, but not the property. Property in possession, includes both the right and the occupation. Long undisturbed possession is presumptive proof of right or property in the possessor.

1. The thing possessed; land, estate or goods owned; as foreign possessions.

The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Oba 17.

When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mat 19.

2. Any thing valuable possessed or enjoyed. Christian peace of mind is the best possession of life.

3. The state of being under the power of demons or invisible beings; madness; lunacy; as demoniacal possession.

Writ of possession, a precept directing a sheriff to put a person in peaceable possession of property recovered in ejectment.

To take possession, to enter on, or to bring within one's power or occupancy.

To give possession, to put in another's power or occupancy.

POSSES'SION, v.t. To invest with property. [Not used.]

po-zes', po-zesh'-un: "Possess" in modern English means normally only "keep in one's possession." But in Elizabethan English it means also "take into possession," and, in fact, the word in the Old Testament always represents Hebrew verbs with the latter as their primary meaning (yarash, in nearly all cases, otherwise nachal, qanah, 'achaz; Aramaic chacan). Consequently, in almost every case "take possession of" could be substituted advantageously for "possess," but the Revised Version (British and American) has not thought the change worth carrying through. In the Apocrypha and New Testament, however, the distinction has been made, the King James Version's "possess" being retained for katecho, in 1Co 7:30; 2Co 6:10, but the same translation for ktaomai, is changed into "take us for a possession (Judith 8:22), "get" (Lu 18:12), "win" (Lu 21:19), and "possess himself of" (1Th 4:4, a very obscure passage). In the noun possession, on the other hand, no such ambiguity exists, and attention need be called only to the following passages. In De 11:6, the King James Version has, "all the substance that was in their possession," Hebrew "all that subsisted at their feet," the Revised Version (British and American) "every living thing that followed them." the King James Version uses "possession" loosely in Ac 28:7 for chorion, the Revised Version (British and American) "lands." peripoiesis, from peripoieo, "cause to remain over," "gain," rendered "God's own possession" in Eph 1:14 the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version "possession") and 1Pe 2:9 (the King James Version "peculiar," the King James Version margin "purchased"). "God's own" is a gloss but is implied in the context.

Burton Scott Easton

Definition

The terms “possess” and “possession” usually refer to owning something. They can also mean to gain control over something or occupy an area of land.

• In the Old Testament, this term is often used in the context of “possessing” or “taking possession of” an area of land.
• When Yahweh commanded the Israelites to “possess” the land of Canaan, it meant that they should go into the land and live there. This involved first conquering the Canaanite peoples who were living on that land.
• Yahweh told the Israelites that he had given them the land of Canaan as “their possession.” This could also be translated as “their rightful place to live.”
• The people of Israel were also called Yahweh’s “special possession.” This means that they belonged to him as his people whom he had specifically called to worship and serve him.

Translation Suggestions

• The term “possess” could also be translated as “own” or “have” or “have charge over.”
• The phrase “take possession of” could be translated as “take control of” or “occupy” or “live on,” depending on the context.
• When referring to things that people own, “possessions” could be translated as “belongings” or “property” or “owned things” or “things they owned.”
• When Yahweh calls the Israelites, “my special possession” this could also be translated as “my special people” or “people who belong to me” or “my people whom I love and rule.”
• The sentence, “they will become their possession” when referring to land, means “they will occupy the land” or “the land will belong to them.”
• The expression, “found in his possession” could be translated as “that he was holding” or “that he had with him.”
• The phrase “as your possession” could also be translated as “as something that belongs to you” or “as a place where your people will live.”
• The phrase, “in his possession” could be translated as “that he owned” or “which belonged to him.”

(See also: Canaan, worship, inherit)

Bible References

• 1 Chronicles 6:70
• 1 Kings 9:17-19
• Acts 2:45
• Deuteronomy 4:5-6
• Genesis 31:36-37
• Matthew 13:44

Word Data

• Strong’s: H0270, H0272, H0834, H2505, H2631, H3027, H3423, H3424, H3425, H3426, H4180, H4181, H4672, H4735, H4736, H5157, H5159, H5459, H7069, G11390, G21920, G26970, G27220, G29320, G29330, G29350, G40470, G52240, G55640