Definition and Importance

Kinship in the Bible refers to the relationships and bonds between family members and extended relatives. It is a fundamental concept that underscores the social and spiritual fabric of biblical communities. Kinship ties are often depicted as divinely ordained, serving as a model for understanding God's relationship with humanity and the community of believers.

Biblical Examples and Themes

1. Creation and the First Family: The concept of kinship is introduced in the creation narrative. Adam and Eve, the first human family, establish the foundational kinship unit. Genesis 2:24 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." This verse highlights the marital bond as the primary kinship relationship, emphasizing unity and procreation.

2. Patriarchal Families: The patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—demonstrate the significance of kinship in God's covenantal promises. God's covenant with Abraham extends to his descendants, illustrating the importance of family lineage. Genesis 17:7 declares, "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

3. Tribal and National Identity: Kinship extends beyond the immediate family to tribes and nations. The twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Jacob's sons, form the nation of Israel. This tribal kinship is central to Israel's identity and their relationship with God. Numbers 1:2 instructs, "Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one."

4. Redemption and Kinship: The concept of the kinsman-redeemer, as seen in the Book of Ruth, highlights the responsibilities and privileges of kinship. Boaz, as a kinsman-redeemer, marries Ruth to preserve the family line and property. Ruth 4:14 celebrates this act: "The women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel.'"

5. Jesus and Spiritual Kinship: Jesus redefines kinship in spiritual terms, emphasizing the family of God. In Matthew 12:50 , Jesus states, "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." This spiritual kinship transcends biological ties, uniting believers as members of God's family.

6. The Church as Family: The New Testament portrays the Church as a family, with believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. This spiritual kinship is characterized by love, support, and mutual edification. Ephesians 2:19 affirms, "Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household."

Cultural and Theological Implications

Kinship in the Bible is not merely a social construct but a theological reality that reflects God's design for human relationships. It serves as a metaphor for divine-human relationships and the communal nature of the faith. The biblical emphasis on kinship underscores the values of loyalty, responsibility, and love within the family and the broader community of believers.(n.) Family relationship.4772. suggeneia -- kinship, hence kinfolk, relatives
... kinship, hence kinfolk, relatives. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
suggeneia Phonetic Spelling: (soong-ghen'-i-ah) Short Definition: kindred ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4772.htm - 6k

5207. huios -- a son
... son, child, foal. Apparently a primary word; a "son" (sometimes of animals), used
very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship -- child, foal, son. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5207.htm - 8k

5368. phileo -- to love
... 5368 (from 5384 , "affectionate friendship") -- properly, to show in intimate ,
characterized by tender, heartfelt consideration and kinship. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5368.htm - 8k

4130. modaath -- kindred, kinship
... 4129, 4130. modaath or modaath. 4131 . kindred, kinship. Transliteration: modaath
or modaath Phonetic Spelling: (mo-dah'-ath) Short Definition: kinsman. ...
/hebrew/4130.htm - 6k

1350. gaal -- to redeem, act as kinsman
... A primitive root, to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship), ie To be
the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property, marry his widow ...
/hebrew/1350.htm - 6k

"For Every Man's Sin that Shall be Saved He Suffered, and Every ...
... REVELATION CHAPTER XX "For every man's sin that shall be saved He suffered, and
every man's sorrow and desolation He saw, and sorrowed for Kinship and Love". ...
/.../julian/revelations of divine love/chapter xx for every mans.htm

The Lord's Prayer, iii
... And what is this conception? It is the recognition of kinship. ... The child's kinship
to the parent involves the natural inheritance of capacity and destiny. ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/lxxxii the lords prayer iii.htm

Whether Spiritual Relationship is Contracted by Baptism Only?
... For as bodily kinship is to bodily birth, so is spiritual kinship to spiritual
birth. Now Baptism alone is called spiritual birth. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether spiritual relationship is contracted.htm

Whether Spiritual Relationship is an Impediment to Marriage?
... Now spiritual relationship is apparently contrary to disparity of worship, since
spiritual relationship is a kinship resulting from the giving of a sacrament ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether spiritual relationship is an.htm

Fifth Tractate. On Love.
... It is sound, I think, to find the primal source of Love in a tendency of the Soul
towards pure beauty, in a recognition, in a kinship, in an unreasoned ...
//christianbookshelf.org/plotinus/the six enneads/fifth tractate on love.htm

Jesus Recognised by all the Race.
... recognized Him as some one kin to themselves, bound by closest spirit-ties, to whom
they were drawn by the strong cords of His common kinship with themselves. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/jesus recognised by all the.htm

God's Door into a Home.
... For that too He set man in the relationships of kinship and friendship. He wins
men through men. ... Kinship is a relation peculiar to man, and to the earth. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/gods door into a home.htm

The Fourfold Message.
... Kinship is always a matter of blood. There is a double kinship, through
the blood of inheritance, and the blood of sacrifice. Our ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/the fourfold message.htm

The Friends of Jesus
... In truth, it was not that He denied the claims of the flesh, but that He was sensitive
to other, subtler, profounder claims of the spirit and spiritual kinship ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 3 31-35 the friends of.htm

Prayer for and with Each Other.
... In the realm of nature, our vital power is from the Father, our human kinship through
the Son, and the conception of that kinship from the Holy Ghost. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xliii prayer for and with.htm

Kinship (1 Occurrence)
... (n.) Family relationship. Multi-Version Concordance Kinship (1 Occurrence). Genesis
49:5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords. ...
/k/kinship.htm - 6k

Brother (402 Occurrences)
... same tribe (2 Samuel 19:12); (4) an ally (Amos 1:9), or an allied or cognate people
(Numbers 20:14); (5) used of common discipleship or the kinship of humanity ...
/b/brother.htm - 47k

Beard (23 Occurrences)
... of the head of a captive slave-girl who was to be married to her captor marked her
change of condition and prospects (Deuteronomy 21:12; WR Smith, Kinship, 209 ...
/b/beard.htm - 21k

God (45911 Occurrences)
... Yahweh is found in quite late literature (Job 1:6; Job 2:1; Job 38:7 Psalm 29:1;
Psalm 89:6). In all these cases the phrase implies a certain kinship with God ...
/g/god.htm - 101k

Children
... to cursing (2 Peter 2:14), and (b) children of wrath or those who are exposed to
wrath (Ephesians 2:3). (7) Moral likeness or spiritual kinship (Galatians 3:7 ...
/c/children.htm - 62k

Kinsman (29 Occurrences)

/k/kinsman.htm - 19k

Zeeb (3 Occurrences)
... Gideon. 1. Meaning of Names: As to the meaning of the two names, both words
are found in Arabic. Robertson Smith, Kinship, etc. (190 ...
/z/zeeb.htm - 10k

Kinsfolks (2 Occurrences)

/k/kinsfolks.htm - 7k

Neighbor (123 Occurrences)
... 25-37), where, in answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus shows that
the relationship is a moral, not a physical one, based not on kinship but on ...
/n/neighbor.htm - 41k

Nigh (243 Occurrences)
... Genesis 19:20; Genesis 45:10 Exodus 13:17 Psalm 22:11 John 3:23, etc.), time (Jeremiah
48:16 Ezekiel 7:7; Ezekiel 30:3 Mark 13:28), or kinship (Leviticus 21:2 ...
/n/nigh.htm - 36k

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