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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
"Slaying" people in the Spirit is the practice of laying hands on a person who then loses control of his body to the extent that he falls helplessly to the ground, supposedly overcome by the power ...
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Bob Jones
In my humble opinion, I think that this may very well be an instance of "slaying" in the spirit. The idea of being slain in the Spirit means being so overwhelmed and overcome by the presence of God that one's whole body simply loses the power and will to stand. The awesome reality and presence of the God of the universe overwhelms a person in a special way such that the person just can't keep on with normal activity, such as standing. In this case, I think it is clear that the priests were so overwhelmed by the presence of the Spirit of God that they simply could not continue their work. The specific word used for the priests being unable to stand is the same word used in Joshua 7:12: "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed". This word is used here to indicate that Israel was overpowered by its enemies. It stands to reason that the word could carry the same meaning in the verse we are talking about. If the word is used the same way, it would mean that the priests were overpowered by the presence of God. That sounds like the idea of being slain in the Spirit. It is worth mentioning though that this does not necessarily indicate that they were literally on the ground. Nevertheless, it does show that they were overwhelmed by the presence of God, which may well have resulted in them laying on the ground. Exodus 3:5 is more clear, where God tells Moses to take off his shoes because he is "standing on holy ground". The fact that he must take off his shoes seems to indicate that he is actually standing on them. If the word is used in Chronicles as it is in this context, it would make sense that the priests literally could not stand. I've included a link below that shows expvery place this word is used in Hebrew. You can come to your own conclusion on what it means. http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5975&t=KJV I hope that helps!
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