Occasion - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Occasion

[ 1,,G874, aphorme ]
properly a starting point," was used to denote "a base of operations in war." In the NT it occurs as follows: "
(a) the Law provided sin with a base of operations for its attack upon the soul, Romans 7:8, Romans 7:11;
(b) the irreproachable conduct of the Apostle provided his friends with a base of operations against his detractors, 2 Corinthians 5:12;
(c) by refusing temporal support at Corinth he deprived these detractors of their base of operations against him, 2 Corinthians 11:12;
(d) Christian freedom is not to provide a base of operations for the flesh, Galatians 5:13;
(e) unguarded behavior on the part of young widows (and the same is true of all believers) would provide Satan with a base of operations against the faith, 1 Timothy 5:14." * [* From Notes on Galatians, by Hogg and Vine, P. 269.]

The word is found frequently in the papyri with meanings which illustrate those in the NT. In the Sept., Proverbs 9:9; Ezekiel 5:7.

Notes:

(1) For the RV renderings "occasion (or 'occasions') of stumbling," "occasion of falling," See FALLING, B, Note
(3), OFFENSE.

(2) In 2 Corinthians 8:8, AV, the phrase "by occasion of" translates the preposition dia, "through, by means of" (RV, "through").

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words