Follow

Follow - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

FOL'LOW, v.t.

1. To go after or behind; to walk, ride or move behind, but in the same direction. Soldiers will usually follow a brave officer.

2. To pursue; to chase; as an enemy, or as game.

3. To accompany; to attend in a journey.

And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode on the camels, and followed the man. Gen 24.

4. To accompany; to be of the same company; to attend, for any purpose. Luke 5.

5. To succeed in order of time; to come after; as a storm is followed by a calm.

Signs following signs lead on the mighty year.

6. To be consequential; to result from, as effect from a cause. Intemperance is often followed by disease or poverty, or by both.

7. To result from, as an inference or deduction. It follows from these facts that the accused is guilty.

8. To pursue with the eye; to keep the eyes fixed on a moving body. He followed or his eyes followed the ship, till it was beyond sight.

He followed with his eyes the fleeting shade.

9. To imitate; to copy; as, to follow a pattern or model; to follow fashion.

10. To embrace; to adopt and maintain; to have or entertain like opinions; to think or believe like another; as, to follow the opinions and tenets of a philsophic sect; to follow Plato.

11. To obey; to observe; to practice; to act in conformity to. It is our duty to follow the commands of Christ. Good soldiers follow the orders of their general; good servants follow the directions of their master.

12. To pursue as an object of desire; to endeavor to obtain.

Follow peace with all men. Heb 12.

13. To use; to practice; to make the chief business; as, to follow the trade of a carpenter; to follow the profession of law.

14. To adhere to; to side with.

The house of Judah followed David. 2 Sam 2.

15. To adhere to; to honor; to worship; to serve.

If the Lord be God, follow him. 1 Ki 18.

16. To be led or guided by.

Wo to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. Ezek 13.

17. To move on in the same course or direction; to be guided by; as, to follow a track or course.

FOL'LOW, v.i.

1. To come after another.

The famine - shall follow close after you. Jer 42.

2. To attend; to accompany.

3. To be posterior in time; as following ages.

4. To be consequential, as effect to cause. From such measures, great mischiefs must follow.

5. To result, as an inference. The facts may be admitted, but the inference drawn from them does not follow.

To follow on, to continue pursuit or endeavor; to persevere.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord.

Hosea 6.

fol'-o ('achar, radhaph; akoloutheo, dioko) :

Frequently the translation of 'achar, "after," e.g. Nu 14:24, "hath followed me fully," literally, "fulfilled after me" (Nu 32:11,12; De 1:36; Am 7:15); radhaph is "to pursue," and is often so translated; it is translated "follow" (Ps 23:6; Isa 5:11, etc.); "follow after" (Ge 44:4; Ex 14:4); reghel, "foot," is several times translated "follow" (literally, "at the foot of"; Ex 11:8; Jud 8:5, etc.); halakh 'achar, "to go after" (De 4:3; 1Ki 14:8, etc.); yalakh 'achar, "to go on after" (Ge 24:5; Jud 2:19, etc.); dabheq, "to cause to cleave to" is "follow hard after" (1Sa 14:22; Ps 63:8, etc.).

In the New Testament, in addition to akoloutheo (Mt 4:20,22,25, etc.) various words and phrases are rendered "follow," e.g. Deute opiso mou, "Come after me" (Mt 4:19, "Follow me," the Revised Version (British and American) "Come ye after me"); dioko, "to pursue" (Lu 17:23; 1Th 5:15, the Revised Version (British and American) "follow after," etc.); mimeomai, "to imitate" (Heb 13:7, "whose faith follow," the Revised Version (British and American) "imitate their faith; 2Thes 3:7,9; 3Joh 1:11); compounds of akoloutheo with ex, para sun, etc. (2Pe 1:16; Mr 16:20; Ac 16:17; Mr 5:37, etc.).

English Revised Version, "Follow after faithfulness" makes an important change in Ps 37:3, where the King James Version has "and verily thou shalt be fed"; but the American Standard Revised Version has "feed on his faithfulness," margin "feed securely or verily thou shalt be fed." For "attained" (1Ti 4:6) the Revised Version (British and American) gives "followed until now."

W. L. Walker