WFT-exasperate

03 September 2008

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for Saturday, August 30th was exasperate:

1 : to excite the anger of : enrage 2 : to cause irritation or annoyance to

This immediately brought to mind the admonition of Paul to the believers in Colossae:
Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.  (Col 3:21)
The etymology also presents interesting insight:
"Exasperate" hangs with a rough crowd. It derives from "exasperatus," the past  participle of the Latin verb "exasperare," which in turn was formed by combining  "ex-" with "asper," meaning "rough." Another descendant of "asper" in English is  "asperity," which can refer to the roughness of a surface or the roughness of  someone's temper. Another relative, albeit a distant one, is the English word  “spurn,” meaning “to reject.”
This in turn reminded me of Luke 3:5
EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;
This is a quote from Isaiah 40:4.  This is a wonderful chapter which speaks of Messiah:
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"
Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him.  (Is 40:9-10)
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