The term "assimilated" in a biblical context often refers to the process by which individuals or groups adopt the cultural, religious, or social practices of another group, often leading to a blending or loss of distinct identity. This concept is significant in the Bible, particularly in the context of the Israelites and their interactions with surrounding nations.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were frequently warned against assimilating into the pagan cultures surrounding them. God commanded them to remain distinct and separate, adhering to His laws and commandments. In Deuteronomy 7:3-4 , God instructs the Israelites, "Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following Me to serve other gods, and the anger of the LORD will burn against you and will swiftly destroy you."

Despite these warnings, instances of assimilation are recorded throughout the Old Testament. The Book of Judges, for example, details cycles of Israelite apostasy, where they repeatedly fell into the practices of the Canaanites and other neighboring peoples, leading to periods of oppression and divine judgment. Judges 3:5-6 states, "Thus the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And they took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods."

The account of King Solomon also illustrates the dangers of assimilation. Despite his wisdom, Solomon's marriages to foreign women led him to adopt their idolatrous practices, which ultimately contributed to the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 11:1-4).

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the early Christian church faced challenges related to assimilation, particularly concerning the integration of Gentile converts. The Jerusalem Council, as recorded in Acts 15, addressed the issue of whether Gentile believers should be required to follow Jewish law. The decision not to impose the full yoke of the law on Gentiles was a pivotal moment in maintaining the distinct identity of the Christian faith while allowing for cultural diversity within the church.

The Apostle Paul frequently addressed the issue of assimilation in his epistles, urging believers to maintain their distinctiveness in Christ while living in a pagan world. In Romans 12:2 , Paul exhorts, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

Theological Implications

The concept of assimilation in the Bible underscores the tension between maintaining a distinct identity as God's people and engaging with the surrounding culture. It highlights the importance of faithfulness to God's commandments and the dangers of compromising one's beliefs and practices. The biblical narrative consistently calls for a balance between being in the world but not of it, as Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17:15-16 , "My prayer is not that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."

Assimilation remains a relevant topic for contemporary believers, as they navigate the complexities of living in a pluralistic society while striving to uphold their faith and values.(imp. & p. p.) of Assimilate.

Whether what is Seen in God by those who See the Divine Essence ...
... means of some similitude. For every kind of knowledge comes about by the
knower being assimilated to the object known. For thus the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether what is seen in.htm

Description of the Gnostic Furnished by an Exposition of 1 Cor. vi ...
... in which the perfection of the believer, "advancing by love, comes to a perfect
man, to the measure of full stature," [3645] by being assimilated to God, and ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xiv description of the gnostic.htm

Give us Today Our Needful Bread
... His teaching now enjoins the offering of intercession to the Father for an earthly
and little thing, since neither is the bread which is assimilated into our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xvii give us today.htm

What is Hierarchy? and what the Use of Hierarchy?
... Hierarchy is, in my judgment, a sacred order and science and operation, assimilated,
as far as attainable, to the likeness of God, and conducted to the ...
/.../dionysius/on the heavenly hierarchy/caput iii what is hierarchy.htm

Doctrine of Non-Resistance to Evil by Force must Inevitably be ...
... Christianity is a new and higher conception of life. A new conception of life
cannot be imposed on men; it can only be freely assimilated. ...
/.../the kingdom of god is within you/chapter viii doctrine of non-resistance.htm

September the Twenty-Seventh Take and Eat
... And truth which is not assimilated becomes a drug. ... And there is vitalization.
The assimilated bread of life makes everything alive. ...
/.../september the twenty-seventh take and.htm

Whether God Understands Himself?
... Likewise that the intellect is perfected by the intelligible object, ie is assimilated
to it, this belongs to an intellect which is sometimes in potentiality ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether god understands himself.htm

Concerning Lordships and Powers and Authorities, and Concerning ...
... for base purposes, but conducted indomitably, with good order, towards Divine things,
and conducting those after it benignly, and assimilated, as far as ...
/.../dionysius/on the heavenly hierarchy/caput viii concerning lordships and.htm

Christ the Bread of Life.
... As such He has to be appropriated. There is no virtue in bread to sustain
life until it is appropriated and assimilated to the system. ...
/.../ii christ the bread of life.htm

Discourse on Spiritual Food and True Discipleship. Peter's ...
... [He had declared himself to be the bread of life, but bread must be assimilated.
The assimilation of natural bread requires eating ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxiv discourse on spiritual food.htm

Assimilated (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Assimilate. Multi-Version Concordance
Assimilated (1 Occurrence). Hebrews 7:3 without father ...
/a/assimilated.htm - 6k

Assir (5 Occurrences)

/a/assir.htm - 8k

Ivvah (3 Occurrences)
... It has been assimilated with the Avva of 2 Kings 17:24 as one of the places whence
Sargon brought captives to Samaria, and identified with Hit on the Euphrates ...
/i/ivvah.htm - 9k

Food (2953 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) What is fed upon; that which goes to support life by being received within,
and assimilated by, the organism of an animal or a plant; nutriment; aliment ...
/f/food.htm - 36k

Times (1875 Occurrences)
... To the early Christians the days of the Messiah appeared more closely assimilated
in character to the future world, so that no reason existed on this score for ...
/t/times.htm - 11k

Time (7245 Occurrences)
... To the early Christians the days of the Messiah appeared more closely assimilated
in character to the future world, so that no reason existed on this score for ...
/t/time.htm - 21k

Taanach (7 Occurrences)
... The Canaanites will have gradually assimilated the Israelites drawn to them from
the villages in the plain" (Driver, Schweich Lectures, 1908, 84). ...
/t/taanach.htm - 12k

Melzar (2 Occurrences)
... In this case the "l" would come by dissimulation from the first of the two "s" sounds,
which on its side has come from an assimilated "n", the root being nacaru ...
/m/melzar.htm - 8k

Mamre (10 Occurrences)
... Hebron. The word Nimreh may be a survival of the ancient Mamre, the name,
as often happens, being assimilated by a familiar word. ...
/m/mamre.htm - 16k

Pergamum (2 Occurrences)
... their favor. Many of the Jews were more or less assimilated with the Greeks,
even to the extent of bearing Greek names. 3. Christianity ...
/p/pergamum.htm - 12k

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