WFT- onerous

24 February 2009

The Merriam-Webster word of the day for February 24th 2009 is onerous.

1 : involving, imposing, or constituting a burden : troublesome
2 : having legal obligations that outweigh the advantages
This reminded me of the words of Yochanan:
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. -1 John 5:3
We know that his commandments are not burdensome because Messiah said they would not be:
"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:30
Here is the M-W etymology:
"Onerous," which traces back to the Latin "onus," meaning "burden," has several  synonyms. Like "onerous," "burdensome," "oppressive," and "exacting" all refer  to something which imposes a hardship of some kind. "Onerous" stresses a sense  of laboriousness and heaviness, especially because something is distasteful  ("the onerous task of cleaning up the mess"). "Burdensome" suggests something  which causes mental as well as physical strain ("the burdensome responsibilities  of being a supervisor"). "Oppressive" implies extreme harshness or severity in  what is imposed ("the oppressive tyranny of a police state"). "Exacting"  suggests rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made  or in the one demanding ("an exacting employer who requires great attention to  detail").
There is no strain in G-d's commandments beyond the normal measure of growth involved in spiritual maturity.

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