SUBJECT · Complete Bible Study

Constellation

A cluster of stars, or stars which appear to be near each other in the heavens, and which astronomers have reduced to certain figures (as the "Great Bear," the "Bull," etc. ) for the sake of classification and of memory. This unified study connects 6 installed resource categories without replacing their source records.

View overview sources
  • Historical Reference: Nave’s Topical Bible — Public domain
  • Historical Reference: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)
  • Historical Reference: concordance
  • Historical Reference: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping
  • Historical Reference: Installed reference work

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Study overview

Study at a glance

Subject type
Subject
Strong’s
H4208, H3685
Hebrew
מַזָּלוֹת · mazzâlâh

Strong’s and original-language information

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping

מַזָּלוֹת

H4208
Transliteration
mazzâlâh
Pronunciation
maz-zaw-law'
Language
Hebrew
Indexed occurrences
1

Glosses

constellations, signs of the zodiac, planet. Compare H4216 (מַזָּרָה).

Lexicon definition

a constellation, i.e. Zodiacal sign (perhaps as affecting the weather)

Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

כְּסִיל

H3685
Transliteration
Kᵉçîyl
Pronunciation
kes-eel'
Language
Hebrew
Indexed occurrences
4

Glosses

constellation, Orion.

Lexicon definition

any notable constellation

specifically Orion (as if a burly one)

Greek lexical coverage

No safely matched Greek Strong’s entry

G—

The installed lexicons do not contain a sufficiently exact Greek word-level match for this study. UNLEARN leaves this language unassigned instead of displaying an unrelated Strong’s record.

Complete dictionary entries

Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Constellation

A cluster of stars, or stars which appear to be near each other in the heavens, and which astronomers have reduced to certain figures (as the "Great Bear," the "Bull," etc.) for the sake of classification and of memory. In Isa. 13:10, where this word only occurs, it is the rendering of the Hebrew kesil, i.e., "fool." This was the Hebrew name of the constellation Orion (Job 9:9; 38:31), a constellation which represented Nimrod, the symbol of folly and impiety. The word some interpret by "the giant" in this place, "some heaven-daring rebel who was chained to the sky for his impiety."

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897) · View data sources

Concordance

Strong's Concordance

Constellations

Indexed occurrences: 4

Source: Strong's Concordance · View data sources

All Scripture references8 references

Topical Bible

Sources

Related UNLEARN Content5 items

Topic

CONSTELLATIONS

Nave’s Topical Bible references for CONSTELLATIONS.

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Dictionary

Astronomy

The Hebrews were devout students of the wonders of the starry firmanent (Amos 5:8; Ps. 19). In the Book of Job, which is the oldest book of the Bible in all probability, the constellations are distinguished and named. Mention is made of the "morning star" (Rev. 2:28; comp. Isa. 14:12), the "seven stars" and "Pleiades," "Orion," "Arcturus," the "Great Bear" (Amos 5:8; Job 9:9; 38:31), "the crooked serpent," Draco (Job 26:13), the Dioscuri, or Gemini, "Castor and Pollux" (Acts 28:11). The stars were called "the host of heaven" (Isa. 40:26; Jer. 33:22). The oldest divisions of time were mainly based on the observation of the movements of the heavenly bodies, the "ordinances of heaven" (Gen. 1:14-18; Job 38:33; Jer. 31:35; 33:25). Such observations led to the division of the year into months and the mapping out of the appearances of the stars into twelve portions, which received from the Greeks the name of the "zodiac." The word "Mazzaroth" (Job 38:32) means, as the margin notes, "the twelve signs" of the zodiac. Astronomical observations were also necessary among the Jews in order to the fixing of the proper time for sacred ceremonies, the "new moons," the "passover," etc. Many allusions are found to the display of God's wisdom and power as seen in the starry heavens (Ps. 8; 19:1-6; Isa. 51:6, etc.)

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Dictionary

Constellation

A cluster of stars, or stars which appear to be near each other in the heavens, and which astronomers have reduced to certain figures (as the "Great Bear," the "Bull," etc.) for the sake of classification and of memory. In Isa. 13:10, where this word only occurs, it is the rendering of the Hebrew kesil, i.e., "fool." This was the Hebrew name of the constellation Orion (Job 9:9; 38:31), a constellation which represented Nimrod, the symbol of folly and impiety. The word some interpret by "the giant" in this place, "some heaven-daring rebel who was chained to the sky for his impiety."

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Dictionary

Orion

Heb. Kesil; i.e., "the fool", the name of a constellation (Job 9:9; 38:31; Amos 5:8) consisting of about eighty stars. The Vulgate renders thus, but the LXX. renders by Hesperus, i.e., "the evening-star," Venus. The Orientals "appear to have conceived of this constellation under the figure of an impious giant bound upon the sky." This giant was, according to tradition, Nimrod, the type of the folly that contends against God. In Isa. 13:10 the plural form of the Hebrew word is rendered "constellations."

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Dictionary

Pleiades

Heb. kimah, "a cluster" (Job 9:9; 38:31; Amos 5:8, A.V., "seven stars;" R.V., "Pleiades"), a name given to the cluster of stars seen in the shoulder of the constellation Taurus.

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