Being a language enthusiast, I often look up words in the original Hebrew or Greek when reading the Bible. In this article I want to share some thoughts related to the following Hebrew word:
H5459 סְגֻלָּה (sgulláh) = valuable possession or property, treasure
This word occurs eight times in the Bible.
Twice it refers to the king’s personal treasure.
[1 Chronicles 29:3-4] Moreover, in my pleasure in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already prepared for the holy house, namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings.
[Ecclesiastes 2:8] Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines.
The other six occurrences are figurative, referring to God’s people as His treasured possession in the Legacy Standard Bible, the translation used in this article. Other translations render the word as: peculiar treasure, special treasure, own possession, or special possession.
[Exodus 19:4-6] You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. So now then, IF you will indeed listen to My voice and keep My covenant, THEN you shall be to Me a treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Note here the conditional nature of God’s covenant: if … then …
[Deuteronomy 7:6-8] For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be to Him a people [for His] treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Yahweh did not set His affection on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because Yahweh loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your fathers, Yahweh brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
[Deuteronomy 14:2] For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be to Him a people [for His] treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
[Deuteronomy 26:16-19] This day Yahweh your God commands you to do these statutes and judgments. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have today declared Yahweh to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and listen to His voice. And Yahweh has today declared you to be to Him a people [for His] treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, a name, and beauty; and that you shall be a holy people to Yahweh your God, as He has spoken.
[Psalms 135:3-4] Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely. For Yah has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His treasured possession.
[Malachi 3:16-18] Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh gave heed and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. “And they will be Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I prepare [My own] treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
The same idea is also expressed in the New Testament.
[Ephesians 1:13-14] In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of [God’s own] possession, to the praise of His glory.
[Titus 2:11-14] For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for [His own] possession, zealous for good works.
[1 Peter 2:9-10] But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s own] possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The two related words used by the New Testament writers are:
G4047 περιποίησις = possession, one’s own property
G4041 περιούσιος = that which is one’s own
These are exactly the same words used by the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament into Greek, which predates the New Testament.
A recurring theme throughout the Bible is that God desires a special people for Himself, a people with whom He wants to enter into a covenant relationship. In both the old and the new covenants, He wants His people to be holy and separated from the world, to be different from those around them. Here is what God requires and expects from His people according to the above verses:
Exo 19:4-6: listen to His voice and keep His covenant
Deu 26:16-19: do His statutes and judgments with all their heart and with all their soul; walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and listen to His voice; keep all His commandments
Mal 3:16-18: fear Him and think upon His name; be righteous; serve Him
Tit 2:11-14: deny ungodliness and worldly desires, live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age; be zealous for good works
A covenant is by definition conditional. Both the old and the new covenant are conditional, with clearly defined benefits and obligations. God is faithful and just, and He will keep His end of the deal. The problem is that many of those who call themselves by His name won’t keep theirs. They are unfaithful to God and break the covenant they made with Him, loving the world, chasing the things of the world, and having the same values as the world. Although they profess to belong to God, their lifestyles are no different from those who make no such profession.
How about you? Are you faithful to God? Do you keep your end of the deal? Or are you a friend of the world? If you want to be God’s treasured possession, you cannot love the world and chase the things of the world. If you keep loving the world, God will most certainly reject you, regardless of what your favorite YouTube preacher says.
The Bible is very clear about this.
[2 Corinthians 6:14-18] Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has a sanctuary of God with idols? For we are a sanctuary of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty.
[1 John 2:15-17] Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and [also] its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
[James 4:4] You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God.
In 2Co 6:14-18 Paul is quoting from the following Old Testament verses.
[Leviticus 26:11-12] Moreover, I will make My dwelling (lit. tabernacle) among you, and My soul will not loathe you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.
[Isaiah 52:11] Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean; go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
[Jeremiah 32:38] And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
[Ezekiel 37:27] My dwelling place (lit. tabernacle) also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
If you want to belong to God’s people, please understand that you need to be different from the world. You can’t be of God and of the world at the same time. You need to make up your mind and live accordingly. Do not be deceived. Jesus the Messiah is coming back for a spotless bride, not for an adulterous, compromising whore who is in bed with the world.
I want to encourage you to be separated from the world, to be faithful to the Lord and to walk uprightly, doing His will no matter the cost, no matter the opposition. Stay pure and be a light in the midst of darkness, ready to meet the bridegroom.