W. H. Griffith Thomas.
K
KEEPING. — The Eng. verb 'keep,' \vith its equivalents ' watch,' ' beware of,' ' preserve,' ' ob- serve,' is a tr. of several Gr. words : r-ripio) (and its compounds Siarripiu. avvrrfp^ui), tpiiXiaaui (and its compound Sio0iiXd<rtrw), iroiiu, 1%^ (and its com- pounds Kar^x^) avp4x<^), Kpar^o}, &yu).
The most imjiortant of these words are rripiti) and <t>v\a.a-(Toi with tlieir respective compounds, and for a discussion of the ditterence in meaning between them the reader is referred to Grimm-Tliayer's Gr. Lex., and Westcott's St. John (note on 8'').
1, Two common usages of the word have to be noticed first, {a) It is=exercise watchful care. The participle tr. in AV ' the keepers ' (Mt 28^) is a part of the same verb (rrjpita) as is rendered ' watch ' in Mt 27'* ' and they sat and watched him there' (RV), and in v.** 'The centurion and they that were with him watching . . . feared
exceedingly ' (RV). It is a compound of that verb, too (avvTripiui), which is used to describe the action of putting ' new wine into new bottles ' — ' both are I)reserved,' i.e. properly cared for (Mt 9"). And tlie same compound occurs again in the passage in Mk. (6-°), where it is said that Herod ' observed ' (AV) John, or ' kept ' him ' safe ' (RV). (6) It is = cjiiard, the direct implication being that this action IS necessary in view of possible assaults. For instance, ' There were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch (0uXd<r(roi'T€! 0i/\aKds) by night over their flocks' (Lk 2*) ; ' It is written. He shall "ive his angels charge over thee to keep (RV guard) thee' (Lk 4'", wliere the verb used is SiaipvKiaaui). Other instances of the same usage of the word are to be found in Lk 8-i* 11=' 12'^ 2. Retain may be taken as another general
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KEEPING
KEEPING
synonym for ' keep ' as it is used in the Gospels. tor example, at the marriage in Cana the ruler of the feast is reported as having said to the bride- groom, ' Thou hast kept {ttjp^u) the good wine until now'(Jn2"').
Retention (rar^u) is described as a stage in the process whereby ' an honest and good heart ' brings to the fulfilment of fruitfulness the experience of ' hearing the word ' (Lk 8'*). It is opposed to ' hearing with joy, but having no root,' and to ' hearing and going on one's way, and being choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life.'
But, apart from Mk 9'°, where the disciples are said to have ' kept (Kpardii) the saying ' which Jesus spoke to them on their way down from the Mount of Transfiguration [Luke says, ff"*, they ' held their peace ' (My-qaav) about the things they had seen on the Mount], the two most striking contexts in which the word is used with this meanin" are found in Luke's Gospel. When the shepherds made known concerning the saying which had been spoken to them about the child in Bethlehem, ' all
that heard it wondered But Mary kept (o-wcriipfi)
all these sayings (or things), pordering them in her heart' (Lk 2'«-). She kept them to herself, and did not allow the impression of them to dissipate in mere astonishment. ' The wonder of the many was a transient emotion ; this recollecting anil brooding of Mary was an abiding habit' (Bruce, Expos. Gr. Test.). Again, referring to what took place on the occasion of the visit to Jerusalem, the narrative goes on to say that Jesus went down with His parents ' and came to Nazareth ; and he was subject unto them; and his mother kept (5ie7-i)pei) all these sayings (or things) in her heart ' (Lk 2"). She kept them continually and carefully. They were never absent from her consciousness. They were always the subject of her thought. Motherhood, in all its pathos and beauty, in all its self-forgetfulness, and devoted intentness, and jealous vigilance, is revealed in these simple words — ' His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. '
3. Two further usages of the word may be grouped together here, (a) In certain contexts It means to celebrate. For example, we read that Herod ' exercised a watchful care ' over the Bap- tist, ' but when his birthday was kept ' (fiyoi, A V ), he was found off his guard (Mt H*"). Again, the verb used to describe the celebration of the Pass- over (26'*) is ' keep ' {voiiai—a, most appropriate terra to use in connexion with an ordinance which largely consisted in representing^ ancient events by means of symbolic actions). Once more, in the report given in John's Gospel of the anointin" by ilary in Bethany, we read that Jesus said of Mary's action, ' Suffer her to keep {Ti)pia) it against the day of my burying' (Jn 12' RV) — the meaning of ' keep it ' evidently being to ' celebrate this as a rite.' (b) In several contexts it means generally to observe or conform to For instance, we reail that when the Pharisees and scribes asked .Jesus why His disciples walked not according to the tradition of the elders, but ate their bread with defiled hands. He replied, ' Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep {rripiw) your tradition ' (Mk 7'). Again, tfie con- clusion to which some of the Pharisees are reported to have come with regard to our Lord's action in healing a man blind from his birth on the Sabbath, was. ' This man is not from God, because he keepeth [TTtpiw) not the Sabbath ' (Jn 9'<').