Bible Dictionary
FORBEARANCE
Forbearance is patient restraint or a holding back from immediate judgment or retaliation. God’s forbearance displays mercy toward sinners, and Christians are called to show similar gentleness toward others.
Definition
Forbearance is a holding back or patient restraint. It may describe God’s withholding of immediate judgment and the Christian quality of gentleness and patience toward others. The idea includes enduring evil without giving way to retaliation.
Biblical Usage
God’s forbearance is associated with His goodness, longsuffering, and the passing over of sins done previously. Christians are called to display a corresponding forbearance or gentleness. The term can also describe holding up under evil.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>for-bar'-ans (anoche):</p><p>"Forbearance" (anoche, "a holding back") is ascribed to God (Ro 2:4, "the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering"; 3:25 the Revised Version (British and American), "the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God," the King James Version "remission" (margin "passing over") of sins, that are past, through the forbearance of God"); in Php 4:5, to epieikes is translated by the Revised Version (British and American) "forbearance," margin "gentleness"; it is a Christian grace in likeness to God. "Forbearing" (The King James Version, margin) is substituted by the Revised Version (British and American) for "patient" (anexikakos, "holding up under evil") in 2Ti 2:24.</p><p>W. L. Walker</p>