Let’s Ponder a Moment

Earlier this week I was reading Acts 10:19 and enjoyed a little revelation.

ESV   19 “And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.””

I have always considered the word Ponder to be a Southern colloquialism, similar to Y’all or Fixin’ to.  I rarely use the word because my mother was a High School English teacher in her youth and didn’t “cotton to” colloquialisms. It amused me to see the word used in context with Peter’s call to visit Cornelius.  I decided to explore a bit. Ponder, in Acts, was used in reference to Peter, a fisherman likely to use colloquialisms, not Paul, a learned scholar of the Word.  I did a word search for “ponder” and found many references to the word in the Psalms, some written by King David, a man after God’s own heart.  I was surprised, and am pleased to add the word to my verbal vocabulary. Of course, I realize the Bible was not written in English, but ancient languages. Ponder was not a word actually uttered by King David, translated from Aramaic or some language more ancient, but the word has been around a long time.

Ponder is a comfort word, like comfort food.  It means to consider carefully; to meditate; reflect on; to weigh in the mind.  To ponder means take some time, don’t rush and act rashly without thinking of the consequences.  The English word was first used in the 14th century and is derived from the Latin “ponderare”, to weigh. Another derivation of that Latin word is pound, a measure of weight, but also to hit or strike.  Pound and ponder, with the same derivation, may be antonyms, or synonyms, depending upon the context applied to pound.

Ponder rhymes with yonder, another of those Southern colloquialisms I don’t use.  Oh wait, yonder is another word used multiple times in the KJV of the Bible and means, over there; a remote location.  It is not used in the newer translations of the Bible. Yonder has now become archaic and is only used for poetic emphasis. Ponder, on the other hand has stood the test of time.

I want to stand the test of time!

Dear God, Please be with me each day. Help me to ponder, reflect on, consider quietly and deeply before taking action each day. It was well for Peter to ponder, and I will try to follow his example.

Sherilyn Svien

Stephenville, TX