Merimnao

A. The verb merimnao (merimanavw) has the following cognates:

1. merimna (mevrimna) (noun), “care, concern, anxiety.”
2. promerimnao (promerimnavw) (verb), “be anxious beforehand.”
3. amerimnos (a)mevrimno$) (adjective), “free from care or concern, free from anxiety.”
B. Classical Usage
1. It is synonymous with the verb melo (mevlw), “to be an object of care or thought, to care about, to take an
interest in.”
2. Merimnao has the same wealth of meaning as the English “to care.”
3. Bultman lists the following classical meanings (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume 4,
page 589):
a. To care for someone or something
b. To be careful or anxious, concern about something
c. To be intent on something, to strive after something
d. Anxious expectation of something, anxiety in the face of something, of what may come
e. Solicitude, grief about something
f. Brooding, speculating, enquiring
4. The word is often used without any specific object in the sense of cares as the worrying and tormenting
cares which belong to human life like lupai and ponoi.
5. The verb merimnao is found from Sophocles onward (Oedipus the King 1124).
6. It can mean being anxious, worried, and care, take responsibility for someone or something.
7. This concern for or about something or someone may have a future orientation, and it can thus mean either:
a. to be intent on something
b. to strive after something even to the point of ambition
c. anxious expectation of something, anxiety in face of something of what may come
8. Liddel and Scott list the following classical meanings for the verb (page 1104):
a. care for, be anxious about, meditate upon
b. to be cumbered with many cares
c. to be treated with anxious care
C. LXX Usage
1. In the LXX the word appears infrequently and has the same range of meaning as in classical Greek.
2. It occurs only 8 times in the LXX (Ex. 5:9; 2 Ki. 7:10; 1 Ch. 17:9; Ps. 37:18; Pr. 14:23; Wi. 12:22; Ba.
3:18; Ez. 16:42).
3. The verb merimnao occurs 9 times for 6 different Hebrew words:
a. da’agh (gad), “be sorry” (Ps. 38:18 [37:18] )
b. ka`as (suk), “be angry” (Ez. 16:42).
c. `etsev (bxu), “labor” (Prv. 14:23).
d. `asah (hcu), “work” (Ex. 5:9)
e. raghaz (zgr), “be disturbed” (2 Sm. 7:10; 1 Ch. 7:9).
f. sha`ah (huv), “pay attention” (Ex. 5:9).
4. It expresses anxiety over such issues as threats from enemies (2 Sm. 7:10 [2 Kg. 7:10]; 1 Ch. 17:9).
5. The word is also used in relation to sin which causes distress and anxiety (Ps. 38:18).
6. The verb merimnao is used anthropopathically for God’s distress over Israel’s sin (Ez. 16:42).
7. The word is used in a weaker sense in Exodus 5:9 meaning be concerned for, think of, to be intent on
something.
8. The wisdom literature employs the verb and the noun in the positive sense of caring, providing (e.g. Prv.
14:23; 17:12).
9. The Stoics, Philo and Josephus use phrontis and phrontizo instead of merimnao.
D. NT Usage
1. The verb merimnao appears 19 times in the NT (Mt. 6:25, 27-28, 31, 34 twice; Lk. 10:41; 12:11, 22, 25-26;
1 Cor. 7:32-34; 12:25; Phlp. 2:20; 4:6).
2. The noun occurs 6 times (Mt. 13:22; Mk. 4:19; Lk. 8:14; 21:34; 2 Cor. 11:28; 1 Pt. 5:7).
3. Bauer, Gingrich and Danker list a 2-fold meaning for the word in the NT (A Greek-English Lexicon of the
New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature page 505):

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 a. have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned
b. care for, be concerned about something
4. Moulton lists the following NT meanings (The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised page 263):
a. to be anxious, or solicitous (Phlp. 4:6)
b. to expend careful thought (Mt. 6:27)
c. to conern one’s self (Mt. 6:25)
d. to have the thoughts occupied with (1 Cor. 7:32, 33, 34)
e. to feel and interest in (Phlp. 2:20)
5. The New Thayer’s Lexicon of the New Testament lists the following meanings (page 400):
a. to be anxious, to be troubled with cares
b. to care for, look out for; to seek to promote one’s interests
6. Louw and Nida define the verb, “to have an anxious concern, based on apprehension about possible danger
or misfortune – ‘to be worried about, to be anxious about’ (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
Based on Semantic Domains, volume 2, page 313).
7. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “merimnao, akin to A No. 1, signifies "to be anxious
about, to have a distracting care," e. g., (Matt. 6:25,28), RV, "be anxious," for KJV, "take thought"; (10:19;
Luke 10:41) (RV, "anxious," for KJV, "careful"); (12:11) (RV, "anxious"); to be careful for, (1 Cor. 7:32-
34); to have a care for, (1 Cor. 12:25); to care for, (Phil. 2:20); "be anxious," (Phil. 4:6), RV.”
8. The verb is used employed 6 times in the passage regarding logistical grace where the Lord addresses His
disciples not to be anxious for their temporal needs (Mt. 6:25-34; Lk. 12:22, 25-26).
9. The Bible teaches that fear, worry and anxiety are a sin because it calls into question the perfect immutable
character and integriy of God or in other words, His love for the believer.
10. Our Lord uses the verb to rebuke Martha for her anxiety over the cares of this life rather than concerned for
that which Mary desired which was to hear the Word of God (Lk. 10:41).
11. In Matthew 10:19 and Luke 12:11 our Lord reassures His dsciples that they should not be anxious about
they are to say in their defense when they are persecuted and put on trial before the ruler of the Jews for
their faith in Him.
12. Paul employs the verb 4 times in 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 in order to compare believers who are married to
those that are single and how the former is concerned about pleasing their partner and the latter is
concerned about the things of the Lord.
13. The word is used in relation to the Body of Christ and how each member should care for the other (1 Cor.
12:25).
14. Paul employs the verb in Philippians 2:20 to describe Timothy as being the only pastor-teacher in Rome
(with the exception of Epaphroditus) who sincerely cares for their spiritual needs.
15. Anxiety, fear and worry about the future is prohibited in the NT because it calls into question the character
and integrity and love of God.
16. The NT acknowledges the fact that human life is swayed by care.
17. God seeks to dissolve the cares by focusing attention about Who and What He is (His divine
essence,character and integrity) and What He has done for the believer.
18. The Word of God promises that the believer will be taken care of by God.
19. Worrying is foolish because life is more than food (Mt. 6:25) and because he who worries cannot secure his
life (Mt. 6:27).
20. The believer’s should never worry if they understand the character and integrity of God and that God is
faithful.
21. He should never worry about the logistics of life because he has imputed righteousness.
22. The believer is supported by God under logistical grace, which is a descriptive term based upon military
analogy for a Bible doctrine.
23. Logistical grace is based upon the integrity of God which is composed of 3 attributes of God, His
righteousness, justice and love.
24. It is the imputation of blessings by the justice of God to the indwelling righteousness in the believer which
supports and sustains the believer in the devil’s world regardless of their spiritual status.
25. Logistical grace is based upon both the believer’s possession of divine righteousness imputed at salvation
plus the human spirit created by God the Holy Spirit at salvation.
26. It is composed of four interrelated categories of blessings:
a. Life support (Psa. 68:19-20).
b. Temporal supply (Mt. 6:11, 25-34).

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c. Security provisions (Rom. 13:1-4; Heb. 1:14).
d. Spiritual provisions (Eph. 1:3-14; Matt. 4:4).
27. Logistical grace is God’s complete provision for the believer’s every physical and spiritual need in the
devil’s world in order that they may execute the plan of God, grow in Christ-like character and become an
invisible hero.
28. It is the divine planning, support, provision and blessing for the church age believer to execute the plan of
God.
29. Logistical grace provides every believer regardless of spiritual status, Bible teaching, air to breathe, food,
shelter, clothing, transportation, friends.
30. It keeps the believer alive and enables him to grow spiritually even though he lives in the devil’s world.
31. Logistical grace provides the believer with a human spirit which is created by God the Holy Spirit at
salvation, the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit and a pastor-teacher.
32. The apostle Paul wanted those in the Corinthian church to be free from concern therefore, he directs them
not to seek to get married (1 Co. 7:32 ff.).
33. These worries about one’s spouse serves as a serious distraction to serving God.
34. The believer is not to strive after “things” but after the things of God (Mt. 6:33; Col. 3:1-4), or an
experiential knowledge of God (Phlp. 3:7-17).
35. It is foolishness to think that life itself can be secured by the means of life for which there is concern.
36. The Word of God teaches that the believer can always be certain that he has security in life because the
immutable character and integrity of God.
37. The man who is concerned about himself, and who tries to find security in the means of life, is shown that
he must make the lordship of God his first priority, and then anxiety about his life will wither away.
38. Anxiety about the future will not change anything.
39. The only thing that the believer should be concerned about is loving and serving the Lord and the body of
Christ.
40. Anxiety about self is arrogance since it disregards the fact of God’s faithfulness which is based upon His
immutable character and integrity.
41. Believers should be concerned about the needs of others (Phlp. 2:20; Phlp. 2:2-4; 1 Co. 12:25).
42. Trusting in God to keep His promises will protect the believer’s soul from stress, fear, worry and anxiety.
43. Adversity is outside pressure and stress is inside pressure.
44. Stress in the soul means that the old sin nature controls the soul and cosmic viewpoint.
45. Stress is what you do to yourself.
46. The outside pressure of adversity now becomes stress in the soul and the catalytic agent is fear.
47. Fear intensifies everything.
48. If you fear in living, you will have fear in dying.
49. Adversity in living as well as in dying in inevitable but stress is optional.
50. Stress in the soul contradicts the integrity of God.
51. It is tantamount to sin nature control over the soul, which is driven by cosmic viewpoint.
52. Stress in the soul destroys the spiritual life.
53. Adversity demands the function of the 2 great divine provisions and power options of the spiritual life:
a. Spirit of God
b. Word of God
54. The more things you surrender to fear, the more things you will fear and when you surrender to fear you
are going to fear every second of your life as well as in dying.
55. The extent to which you surrender to fear, the greater your capacity for fear.
56. The greater your capacity for fear, the more you increase the power of fear in your life.
57. Death was designed by God to be your greatest testimony for the Lord in the pre-historic angelic conflict.
58. The more you increase the power of fear in your life, the greater the intensification of fear while dying.
59. The loser believer perpetually or consistently out of fellowship cultivates fear in life with the result that he
chooses to live under the sin face to face with death (1 John 5:16).
60. The intensification of fear while dying is the ultimate in sowing what we reap.
61. The fear of death will not prevent your dying but it will prevent the fulfillment of your spiritual life.
62. The more you increase the power of fear in your life, the greater your failure to execute the spiritual life!
63. The believer who applies biblical, doctrinal rationales in thought process will be protected from fear, worry
and anxiety.

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 64. If the God provided His Son to die for the believer sins while he was yet still an unbeliever, how much
more will God provide for the believer through His Son after he has been saved.
65. It is a total contradiction for a believer to succomb to fear, worry and anxiety since He is a son of God,
possessing eternal life, divine righteousness and is an heir to the promises of God, which are based upon
the immutable divine integrity.
E. Philippians 4:6
1. The verb merimnao here means “to be anxious about something.”
2. It is negated by the emphatic adverb meden.
3. Paul is writing to the Philippians in emphatic terms.
4. He emphatically does not want them to be anxious about anything in life.
5. The adversative clause indicates that they are to let the requests be made known to the Father who is
faithful and loves them with an unconditional, self-sacrificial, immutable love.
6. By being anxious about certain things the Philippians would be in effect trying to solve the problem based
upon their own power or human dynamics.
7. By praying for certain concerns, the Philippians are demonstrated their confidence in God who is faithful to
solve their problems.
8. The apostle Paul wants them to depend upon the immutable character and integrity of God rather than
themselves.
9. Paul doesn’t want them to sin by being anxious about the cares of this life and thus get out of fellowship.
10. He wants them to remain occupied with the Lord and let any concerns of theirs be addressed to the Father.
11. The Philippians evidently were not rejoicing because they were anxious.
12. Paul issuse the command to rejoice in Philippians 4:4 and a command here to stop being anxious about
anything in life.
13. The context of the entire epistle indicates that the Philippians were not rejoicing and were anxious.
14. The reasons why the Philippians were not rejoicing are the same as to why Paul issues this command in
Philippians 4:6.
15. The reasons for the prohibition in Philippians 4:6:
a. Paul’s incarceration in Rome (Phlp. 1:12-18).
b. They were undergoing underserved suffering from spiritual combat (Phlp. 1:27-30).
c. Epaphroditus’s critical illness in Rome (Phlp. 2:28).
d. Ingressive-progressive present imperative of chairo in Philippians 2:18.
e. Accusative adverbial articular neuter singular temporal construction to loipon, “from now on” in
Philippians 3:1.
f. Ingressive-progressive present imperative of chairo in Philippians 3:1.
g. Personality conflict between Euodia and Syntyche (Phlp. 4:2-3).
h. Ingressive-progressive present imperative of chairo in Philippians 4:4.