October 19, 2026

Patience- The Long Nose

2 Peter 3:9, James 5:7-11, Micah 7:18-20

At this point in our study, you have probably begun to realize that the fruit of the Spirit are not the way we traditionally view them. These were uniquely Greek terms that were not virtue-based, but tangible markers of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts and lives. They are meant to be active works, not simply feelings or emotions we possess towards God and others. The fruit of patience, or makrothymia, really showcases this uniqueness when we begin to understand what it meant and represented to the early Jewish and Christian people.

Take a look at how BibleProject defines this fruit and reflect upon it today.

“Imagine someone with a nose stretched out like a flute, or perhaps an elephant’s trunk. This bizarre picture can help us visualize the idiom “long of nostrils,” which is a key image in the Hebrew Bible that represents patience. But what does “long of nostrils” have to do with being patient? Like cartoon characters with smoke shooting out of their ears, in the ancient Hebrew imagination, smoking anger comes out of a person’s nose. And having long nostrils means that the angry smoke takes longer to appear. In other words, that person doesn’t immediately act in anger.

So the Hebrew idiom “long of nostrils” is often translated as “slow to anger” (see Exod. 34:6; Prov. 15:18), and early Greek translators used the root makrothum, or “patient,” to communicate the idea. The New Testament says God is patient in bringing judgment because he is “not wanting for any to perish, but for all to move to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, BibleProject Translation). As God’s Spirit helps us see others like God does, we can find strength to also treat people with divine patience.

Rather than exploding with judgment or anger, we can participate with God and cultivate the spiritual fruit of patience, extending mercy to all, forgiving, and supporting people as they grow.”

- BibleProject- The Fruit of the Spirit (and Its Meaning) in the Bible

Reflection

What is something that stands out to you as unique about this term of patience (makrothymia)? How have you been viewing or approaching patience in a way that is simpler than it is intended to be? Pray and ask the Lord to help open your heart to this fruit of the Spirit and its depths in your study this week.