SAW Publishing’s Word of the Week (WOW) program is a vocabulary supplement built around hymns and Bible verses.  Each lesson contains a Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definition, Scripture reference, and examples that encourage students to use new vocabulary in daily life.  To find out more about the program, see our post entitled Boost Your Student’s Vocabulary with our FREE Word of the Week. To receive the FREE Word of the Week lesson the Monday before it is posted, sign up for the WOW email below.

Word of the Week Lesson #22

**Click here for a downloadable PDF of the full lesson.

yonder

Short Definition

Abridged from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

YON’DER, adjective; adverb

being at a distance within view

Webster’s 1828 Full Definition

YON, YOND, YON’DER, adjective

[Sax. geond.  This seems to be formed from gan, to go, or its root, and signifies properly gone; or it is from geonan, to open; whence distant.  The G. jener, and D. gins, ginder, may be the same word, or from the same root.]

1. Being at a distance within view.

Yonder men are too many for an embassy.  Bacon.

Yon flowery arbours, yonder alleys green.  Milton.

YON, YOND, YON’DER adverb

1. At a distance within view. When we use this word, we often point the hand or direct the eye to the place or object.

First and chiefest, with thee bring
Him that yon soars on golden wing. Milton.

Yonder are two apple women scolding.  Arbuthnot.

All definitions are taken from the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary from Archive.org Volume 1 and Volume 2 and can also be found on Webster’s 1828 Dictionary online

 Memory Verse

“…verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  ~ Matthew 17:20b (KJV)

All scripture references are taken from the King James Bible

Hymn

“Praise ye, praise ye the Lord in yonder heav’nly height;
Ye angels, all His hosts, in joyful praise unite;
O sun and moon, declare His might,
Show forth His praise, ye stars of light.”

– The United Presbyterian Board of Publication (1912), The Psalter, Praise Ye, Praise Ye the Lord 

All hymn texts are taken from Cyber Hymnal

Examples From Daily Life

“Robyn, please get me the cleaning solution from yonder cupboard,” said Mrs. Gravesend, when she came back into the living room.

“I thought ‘yonder’ meant heaven,” said Robyn as she brought back the large bottle.  “Mr. Ross said ‘There is peace over yonder,’ in his sermon last week.”

“No, it can’t always mean heaven,” said Philip, “Because of the verse about the mountain.  Why don’t I fetch yonder dictionary, and we can look it up.”

Printable Image with Short Definition and Memory Verse

Bonus Activity

In Matthew 17:20, Jesus speaks of “faith as a grain of mustard seed.”  Have you ever seen a mustard seed?  The average mustard seed is between 0.039 and 0.079 of an inch in diameter, or a bit smaller than a pencil lead.

But a mustard seed doesn’t stay small!  In Matthew 13:31–32 Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, “Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”

A full grown mustard plant may reach 6 feet in height—potentially 1000 times taller than the seed from which it grew.  In fact, some mustard trees have been known to grow to 15 feet, or more than twice this height.

To visualize the difference between a grain of mustard seed and the tree into which it grows, take a spool of thread.  Tie a knot (or several knots on top of each other) so that you have a little ball the size of a mustard seed.  Then measure 6 feet from the knot, and cut the thread.

Remember that this is only the height.  The real plant would be an equal distance in diameter.  Truly, the mustard is fit to be called “the greatest among herbs!”

How To Sign Up

Each week’s WOW lesson will be available on the Sheep Among Wolves blog on Friday morning.

If you would prefer to receive the lessons by email, you can sign up below to have each new lesson delivered on the Monday before it’s posted.  This gives you time to print out the sheet, and have it ready for the next week, as well as making sure you don’t miss any posts.  Email signup will include a high resolution copy of the image for those who wish to print it out in poster form.  Concerned that you have missed the start of our program?  Don’t worry, all emails contain links to previous lessons.  No matter when you sign up, you will receive access to all lessons from the Word of the Week program.

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