The biblical writers mention at least seven different remnants:ġ) Survivors of any catastrophe (e.g., Lot survived Sodom).Ģ) A group of non-Israelite survivors (e.g., 'the remnant of Edom,' Amos 9:12).ģ) Israelite survivors of the Assyrian invasion in 721-718 BC. In the Old Testament, remnant is translated by six Hebrew root words, each of which has the underlying meaning of 'what is left,' 'what remains,' 'survivors,' 'escapees,' or 'the rest.' The one Greek root used in the New Testament and in the Septuagint has the same meaning.
Though it may seem to be a fairly rare subject, the idea of a remnant is found 540 times in the Bible! Most of the time, the remnant concept is disguised by the way the words are translated into English. Retailers of carpet, linoleum and cloth call the unused and unwanted scraps of these materials 'remnants.' Stores will often advertise sales of these leftovers, and a smart shopper can get variously sized rectangles of these materials for himself for a song.
