Rob

Rob - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

ROB, n.

The inspissated juice of ripe fruit, mixed with honey or sugar to the consistence of a conserve.

ROB, v.t.

1. In law, to take from the person of another feloniously, forcibly and by putting him in fear; as, to rob a passenger on the road.

2. To seize and carry from any thing by violence and with felonious intent; as, to rob a coach; to rob the mail.

3. To plunder; to strip unlawfully; as, to rob an orchard; to rob a man of his just praise.

4. To take away by oppression or by violence.

Rob not the poor because he is poor. Prov 22.

5. To take from; to deprive. A large tree robs smaller plants near it of their nourishment.

6. In a loose sense, to steal; to take privately without permission of the owner.

7. To withhold what is due. Mal 3.

Robber - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

ROB'BER, n.

1. In law, one that takes goods or money from the person of another by force or menaces, and with a felonious intent.

2. In a looser sense, one who takes that to which he has no right; one who steals, plunders or strips by violence and wrong.

Robbery - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Practised by the Ishmaelites (Gen. 16:12), the Chaldeans and Sabeans (Job 1:15, 17), and the men of Shechem (Judg. 9:25. See also 1 Sam. 27:6-10; 30; Hos. 4:2; 6:9). Robbers infested Judea in our Lord's time (Luke 10:30; John 18:40; Acts 5:36, 37; 21:38; 2 Cor. 11:26). The words of the Authorized Version, "counted it not robbery to be equal," etc. (Phil. 2:6, 7), are better rendered in the Revised Version, "counted it not a prize to be on an equality," etc., i.e., "did not look upon equality with God as a prize which must not slip from his grasp" = "did not cling with avidity to the prerogatives of his divine majesty; did not ambitiously display his equality with God."

"Robbers of churches" should be rendered, as in the Revised Version, "of temples." In the temple at Ephesus there was a great treasure-chamber, and as all that was laid up there was under the guardianship of the goddess Diana, to steal from such a place would be sacrilege (Acts 19:37).

Robbery - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

ROB'BERY, n.

1. In law, the forcible and felonious taking from the person of another any money or goods, putting him in fear, that is, by violence or by menaces of death or personal injury. Robbery differs from theft, as it is a violent felonious taking from the person or presence of another; whereas theft is a felonious taking of goods privately from the person, dwelling, _c. of another. These words should not be confounded.

2. A plundering; a pillaging; a taking away by violence, wrong or oppression.

Thief - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

THIEF, n. plu. thieves.

1. One who secretly, unlawfully and feloniously takes the goods or personal property of another. The thief takes the property of another privately; the robber by open force.

2. One who takes the property of another wrongfully, either secretly or by violence. Job 30.

3. One who seduces by false doctrine. John 10.

4. One who makes it his business to cheat and defraud; as a den of thieves. Mat 21.

5. An excrescence in the snuff of a candle.

rob'-er, rob'-er-i: "Robber" represents no particular Hebrew word in the Old Testament, but in the Apocrypha and the New Testament is always a translation of lestes (see THIEF). In the King James Version Job 5:5; 18:9, "robber" stands for the doubtful word tsammim, the Revised Version (British and American) "hungry" in JOb 5:5 and "snare" in 18:9. The meaning is uncertain, and perhaps tseme'im, "thirsty," should be read in both places. Ps 62:10, "Become not vain in robbery," means "put not your trust in riches dishonestly gained." RV's changes of the King James Version in Pr 21:7; Da 11:14; Na 3:1 are obvious. In Php 2:6 the King James Version reads "thought it not robbery to be equal with God." the English Revised Version has "a prize," while the English Revised Version margin and the American Standard Revised Version read "a thing to be grasped," the American Standard Revised Version rewording "counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped." The Greek here is harpagmos, a word derived from harpazo, "to ravish away," "carry off," "plunder" (compare "harpy"). Properly speaking, the termination -mos should give the derived noun an active sense, "the act of plundering," whence the King James Version's "robbery." The verse would then mean "who thought that being on an equality with God did not consist in grasping," and this translation gives good sense in the context and has some excellent scholarly support. But a passive significance is frequently found despite a -mos termination, giving to harpagmos the sense of "thing grasped," as in the Revised Version (British and American). Usually English commentators take "grasped" as meaning "clung to"--"did not think equality with God should be clung to tenaciously"--but "to cling to" seems unknown as a translation of harpazo. Hence, render "a thing to be grasped at"--did not seek equality with God by selfish methods but by humbling himself." It is to be noticed, naturally, that Paul is thinking of "equality with God" simply in the sense of "receiving explicit adoration from men" (Php 2:10,11), and that the metaphysical relation of the Son to the Father is not at all in point.

See also GRASP.

Burton Scott Easton

thef: In the Old Testament the uniform translation (17 times) of gannabh, from ganabh, "steal," but gannabh is rather broader than the English "thief," and may even include a kidnapper (De 24:7). In Apocrypha and the New Testament, the King James Version uses "thief" indifferently for kleptes, and lestes, but the Revised Version (British and American) always renders the latter word by "robber" (a great improvement), See CRIMES. The figurative use of thief" as one coming without warning" (Mt 24:43, etc.) needs no explanation.

The penitent thief ("robber," the Revised Version (British and American) Mr 15:27; Mt 27:38,44; "malefactor," Lu 23:32,39) was one of the two criminals crucified with Christ. According to Mark and Matthew, both of these joined in the crowd's mockery, but Luke tells that one of them reproached his fellow for the insults, acknowledged his own guilt, and begged Christ to remember him at the coming of the Kingdom. And Christ replied by promising more than was asked--immediate admission into Paradise. It should be noted that unusual moral courage was needed for the thief to make his request at such a time and under such circumstances, and that his case has little in common with certain sentimental "death-bed repentances."

To explain the repentance and the acknowledgment of Christ as Messiah, some previous acquaintance of the thief with Christ must be supposed, but all guesses as to time and place are of course useless. Later tradition abundantly filled the blanks and gave the penitent thief the name Titus or Dysmas.

See ASSASSINS; BARABBAS.

Burton Scott Easton

Definition

The term “thief” refers to a person who steals money or property from other people. The plural of “thief” is “thieves.” The term “robber” often refers to a thief who also physically harms or threatens the people he is stealing from.

• Jesus told a parable about a Samaritan man who took care of a Jewish man who had been attacked by robbers. The robbers had beaten the Jewish man and wounded him before stealing his money and clothing.
• Both thieves and robbers come suddenly to steal, when people are not expecting it. Often they use the cover of darkness to hide what they are doing.
• In a figurative sense, the New Testament describes Satan as a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. This means that Satan’s plan is to try to get God’s people to stop obeying him. If he succeeded in doing this Satan would be stealing from them the good things that God has planned for them.
• Jesus compared the suddenness of his return to the suddenness of a thief coming to steal from people. Just as a thief comes at a time when people are not expecting it, so Jesus will return at a time when people do not expect it.

(See also: bless, crime, crucify, darkness, destroyer, power, Samaria, Satan)

Bible References

• 2 Peter 3:10
• Luke 12:33
• Mark 14:48
• Proverbs 6:30
• Revelation 3:3

Word Data

• Strong’s: H1214, H1215, H1416, H1589, H1590, H1980, H6530, H7703, G07270, G24170, G28120, G30270