POSTURE
Posture of persons acting, determines, in some measure, the nature or kind of their actions.
STANDING, signifies resisting, defending, struggling, and contending for victory; giving assistance to friends, and the like; as in Act 7:55, Christ is said to be standing, when he appeared to St. Stephen, as ready to assist him in his agony.
To stand before another, is a posture of Service, Deu 10:3; 1Ki 10:8; 1Sa 16:22; 2Ch 18:18; Luk 1:19.
WALKING among or in the midst, is a posture of dignity and authority, of one that is busy, and watching, and defending those whom he walks about or amongst.
Thus God, to represent himself as protecting and governing the Israelites, saith, in Lev 26:12, “That he would walk amongst them.” And the protecting angel, in Dan 4:13; Dan 4:23, is called a watchman or patroller; one that goes about to defend from any surprise. Hence, in Rev 1:13, Christ is represented as walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks; i.e. the churches. And so Homer, in his Iliad, Lib. i. ver. 37, has used the symbol in relation to Apollo, of whom he says;-
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,
where the scholiast explains by . For indeed , is but synonymous to it.
SITTING, signifies ruling, reigning, judging, and enjoying peace. Thus in Jdg 5:10, “Ye that sit in judgment,” are the magistrates or judges. In 2Sa 19:8, ” The king sitteth in the gate;” i.e. he is ready to execute any duty of a king. And to sit on the throne, is alway synonymous to reigning, in the Scripture; as in Rev 4:2, ” Upon the throne one sitting.” ” Ipsum verbum sedere” (the word sitting), says Jerome, “shews the power and authority of God’s rule,” Eze 1:26. Hence “To sit with Christ in his throne,” is to reign with him, as in Rev 3:21. The phrase is so used by Virgil in his neid, Lib. vii. ver. 169; a seat or throne being the symbol of government.
Sitting, with other adjuncts, has a different signification, as,
To sit upon the earth,f1 or on a dunghill,f2 signifies to be in extreme misery.
To sit in darknessf3 to be in prison and slavery.
And to sit as a widow,f4 is to mourn as a widow.
To fall down or prostrate before another, is the symbol of submission and homage. See Gen 37:7-8; Gen 27:29 Isa 45:14.
F1 Isa 3:26 Isa 47:1. Lam 2:10. Eze 26:16.
F2 Job 2:8.
F3 Psa 107:10. Isa 42:7.
F4 Isa 47:8.