The Word

These articles aim to study the various meanings and applications of one word in a specific Bible verse. It is the hope of the author that all who read will be equipped with a fuller understanding of the Word of GOD, then with this knowledge, claim the promise and the power that are available to the Christian living in these final hours of earth’s history. Hebrews 4:12 KJV “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: - 1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Walketh About

Our adversary or antidikos is said to “walk about” in 1 Peter 5:8. This action shows intention and I assure you that this intention is absolutely malicious. The Greek word for “walketh about” is περιπατέω which is transliterated as peripateō (pe-re-pä-te'-o). This verb appears ninety-three times in the New Testament to mean “walk”. It appears once to mean “go”, “be occupied” and “walk about” respectively. Thus, we can say that the term “walketh about” is used only in 1 Peter 5:8.

While this is useful information the important question is why. Why did the word of God state that our adversary “walketh about”? To answer, let’s look at the root words for peripateō. Peripateō (περιπατέω) is formed from two words peri (περί) and pateō (πατέω). The first word, peri is a preposition which means “around” while “pateō” is a verb which means “to tread”. If we were to take the two root words literally, peripateō would mean to “around tread” or “to tread all around” when expressed using English syntax.

This Walk is aggressive, even destructive

In Greek, pateō has a more aggressive and even destructive meaning than to simply “walk”. Besides “to tread” which in itself means destruction, pateō means “to trample”, “to crush with the feet”, “to advance by setting foot upon” or “to treat with insult and contempt”. Pateō is used five times in the New Testament and in only two books. It appears twice in Luke and three times in the book of Revelation where it refers to destruction.

People, this is war language where the target is destroyed. Essentially, our adversary is trying to destroy us on all sides. We are in warfare and we must stop thinking that we are not being targeted. Our adversary will use any opportunity to destroy us and those around us.

In the Hebrew culture, “to walk” is also used figuratively to mean “to live, deport oneself”, “to regulate one's life, to conduct oneself” and “to make a due use of opportunities”. So, while our adversary is “trampling all around” we have to live in a specific way. God has equipped each of us. HE has given each of us work to do and HE calls us to live as though we have work to do (1 Co 7:17). We are admonished in Ephesians 4:1 and Colossians 1:10 respectively to live “worthy of the vocation wherewith (we) are called” and to live to please God and to be fruitful.

Live Honestly

In Romans 13:13 and 1 Thessalonians 4:12 we are told to live honestly and in Ephesians 5:15 we are told to live “circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” not in the “vanity of (our) mind” (verse 17). We are to live as “children of the light” (Ephesians 5:8) and to “walk in the Spirit so that we will “not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Essentially, since we say that we are Christians and that we have Jesus Christ in our lives, we are to live “even as He” lived (1 John 2:6).

Our lives are not ours, we were “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20 and 7:23). God takes this very seriously and He will not leave us in this warfare to fight alone. The word of God says that “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7). This fear means exactly the opposite of being afraid. Instead it expresses confidence in God’s ability to save us.

We have confidence in the words of Jesus in Luke 10:9 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. The word used for “tread” in Luke 10:9 is peripateō. Thus, we have authority to do some damage to the kingdom of darkness. Take heart reader, the promise is ours that Jesus Christ has crushed the head of our adversary.

References

1 Peter 5. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1pe/5/1/s_1156001