H680 — Atsal (To set aside, to reserve, to withhold)

H680 · Hebrew · Old Testament

אָצַל

Atsal

Verb

To set aside, to reserve, to withhold

Definition

The Hebrew verb atsal (H680) means to set apart, reserve, withhold, or take from a larger portion. It is used of setting aside a portion of the Spirit for the elders of Israel (Numbers 11:17), and of reserving or keeping back something from a larger whole.

Usage & Theological Significance

The most theologically rich use of atsal is in Numbers 11:17, where God promises to take of the Spirit that rested on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. This is not a diminishment of Moses's spirit but a sharing — a principle that foreshadows Pentecost, where the Spirit poured out on all flesh. The God who sets apart also distributes — sovereignly apportioning His gifts to build up His people.

Key Bible Verses

Numbers 11:17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

Numbers 11:25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.

Ezekiel 42:6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones.

Isaiah 41:9 You whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off.'

1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Related Words

External Resources

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