Principle: “Because” and “since” are used to show a cause-and-effect relationship between clauses. They are similar to “for” in that they each offer support for an adjacent clause. However, they are distinguished in that “because” and “since” are more specific. “For” introduces support of any kind; “because” and “since” describe causation. Furthermore, unlike “for” which only follows the clause it is supporting, “because” and “since” can come either before or after it. There is also a slight difference between “because” and “since.” Although both can be used to show cause and effect, “because” more effectively highlights the cause/reason; whereas “since” focuses more on the result since it often implies that the cause is already known or assumed.
Example: Yesterday, I went to the store since/because I desperately needed some milk to go with my freshly baked cookies.
Example: Since/Because I desperately needed some milk to go with my freshly baked cookies, I went to the store yesterday.
Now let’s consider some biblical examples.
In the OT, while the Israelites were in the wilderness before they entered the land of Canaan, they came to Meribah, where there was no water (Num 20:2). The Lord told Moses take his staff and speak to the rock so that it would yield water for the people (Num 20:8–9). When Moses and Aaron gathered the people together in front of the rock, instead of speaking to it, Moses struck it twice with his staff (Num 20:11). As a result, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them” (Num 20:12). In this example, the result is that Moses and Aaron would not be allowed into the Promised Land. The reason is that they failed to trust God and treat him as holy.
Later, after the Israelites entered the land and drove out many of their enemies under the leadership of Joshua, Joshua died (Jdg 2:8). After this, when the next generation came up, “they abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtaroth” (Jdg 2:13). So, God turned them over to their enemies until they called out to the Lord for deliverance, at which point he would raise up judges to rescue them from their oppressors. But they never learned, but rather always repeated the cycle (Jdg 2:14–19). So, we read,
20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” (Jdg 2:20–22)
Therefore, in this passage, God relates the cause (the transgression of the covenant) with the effect (his choice to leave the nations in the land). Their adverse circumstances—namely, both the physical and spiritual danger of the presence of other nations—were the direct result of their covenant disobedience. Their sin led to the opportunity for more sin as well as the punishment from engaging in it. A cautionary tale to be sure!
In the NT, at the end of Peter’s first letter, he exhorts the elders of the church to shepherd well, and for those in the congregation to submit to the elders (1 Pet 5:1–4). Then he says,
5 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Pet 5:5–7)
It is clear that Peter is intensely focused on humility in this passage, towards each other (v. 5) and towards God (vv. 6–7). He gives a command in v. 6 (“Humble yourselves…”) and supplies two modifying clauses to it. First, we see the purpose or goal we should keep in mind as we obey it (“so that at the proper time he may exalt you”). Next, we see the means of humbling ourselves, signaled by the participle (“casting all your anxieties on him”). Then, we see the reason we should cast our anxieties upon God (“because he cares for you”). He is concerned for us. He does not turn up his nose at our distresses. This reality should cause us to release our hands from those things we could really control anyway. Thus, whenever we refuse to do this and instead choose to hold onto our worries, we are both demonstrating arrogance and distrust in God’s love and care. Hopefully, these examples have clarified how “since” and “because” define a cause-and-effect relationship between clauses. Whenever you encounter one of these conjunctions in your Bible reading, pay attention to the logic that they present.
A Boy and His Bible 