Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping
אֲדָמָה
- Transliteration
- ʼĂdâmâh
- Pronunciation
- ad-aw-maw'
- Language
- Hebrew
- Indexed occurrences
- 1
Glosses
ground, land, tilled, Adamah.
Lexicon definition
Adamah, a place in Palestine
SUBJECT · Complete Bible Study
Ground
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- Historical Reference: Nave’s Topical Bible — Public domain
- Historical Reference: concordance
- Historical Reference: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping
- Historical Reference: STEPBible TBESG (based primarily on Abbott-Smith)
- Historical Reference: A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament
- Historical Reference: Installed reference work
FEATURED STUDY · Resource Coverage 86/100
Follow the evidence
Move from the subject to its key Scripture, original-language evidence, and connected studies. The trail organizes research without deciding a theological conclusion.
1. Examine the Text2. Check the Context3. Test the Tradition4. Follow the Evidence5. Reach the Verdict
Study overview
Study at a glance
- Subject type
- Subject
- Strong’s
- H0128, H0127, G1475, G1477
- Hebrew
- אֲדָמָה · ʼĂdâmâh
- Greek
- ἔδαφος · edaphos
Strong’s and original-language information
H0128
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping
אֲדָמָה
- Transliteration
- ʼădâmâh
- Pronunciation
- ad-aw-maw'
- Language
- Hebrew
- Indexed occurrences
- 225
Glosses
ground, land, tilled, country, earth, ground, husband(-man) (-ry), land.
Lexicon definition
soil (from its general redness)
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἔδαφος
- Transliteration
- edaphos
- Language
- Greek
- Part of speech
- G:N-N
- Indexed occurrences
- 1
Glosses
ground
Lexicon definition
ἔδαφος, -εος (-ους), τό, [in LXX for עָפָר, קַרְקע, etc. ;] bottom, pavement, ground: Act.22:7.† (AS)
A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament
Ἔδαφος
- Transliteration
- édaphos
- Language
- Greek
- Indexed occurrences
- 1
Glosses
ground
Lexicon definition
pr. a bottom, base, hence, the ground, Ac. 22.7.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
ἔδαφος
- Transliteration
- édaphos
- Language
- Greek
- Indexed occurrences
- 1
Glosses
ground
Lexicon definition
a basis (bottom), i.e. the soil
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
ἑδραίωμα
- Transliteration
- hedraíōma
- Language
- Greek
- Indexed occurrences
- 1
Glosses
ground
Lexicon definition
a support, i.e. (figuratively) basis
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon
עָפָר
- Transliteration
- ʻâphâr
- Pronunciation
- aw-fawr'
- Language
- Hebrew
- Indexed occurrences
- 110
Glosses
ashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish.
Lexicon definition
dust (as powdered or gray)
hence, clay, earth, mud
hence, clay, earth, mud
Concordance
Strong's Concordance
Ground
Indexed occurrences: 254
Source: Strong's Concordance · View data sources
Strong's Concordance
Grounds
Indexed occurrences: 4
Source: Strong's Concordance · View data sources
All Scripture references459 references
Genesis 48
Genesis 1:25Genesis 2:5Genesis 2:6Genesis 2:7Genesis 2:9Genesis 2:19Genesis 3:17Genesis 3:19Genesis 3:23Genesis 4:2Genesis 4:3Genesis 4:10Genesis 4:11Genesis 4:12Genesis 4:14Genesis 5:29Genesis 6:1Genesis 6:7Genesis 6:20Genesis 7:4Genesis 7:8Genesis 7:23Genesis 8:8Genesis 8:13Genesis 8:17Genesis 8:21Genesis 9:2Genesis 9:20Genesis 12:3Genesis 18:2Genesis 19:25Genesis 24:52Genesis 28:14Genesis 28:15Genesis 33:3Genesis 33:19Genesis 37:10Genesis 38:9Genesis 42:6Genesis 43:26Genesis 44:11Genesis 44:14Genesis 47:18Genesis 47:19Genesis 47:20Genesis 47:22Genesis 47:23Genesis 47:26
Exodus 20
Leviticus 9
Numbers 7
Deuteronomy 41
Deuteronomy 4:10Deuteronomy 4:18Deuteronomy 4:40Deuteronomy 5:16Deuteronomy 6:15Deuteronomy 7:6Deuteronomy 7:13Deuteronomy 9:21Deuteronomy 11:9Deuteronomy 11:17Deuteronomy 11:21Deuteronomy 12:1Deuteronomy 12:16Deuteronomy 12:19Deuteronomy 12:24Deuteronomy 14:2Deuteronomy 15:23Deuteronomy 21:1Deuteronomy 21:23Deuteronomy 22:6Deuteronomy 25:15Deuteronomy 26:2Deuteronomy 26:10Deuteronomy 26:15Deuteronomy 28:4Deuteronomy 28:11Deuteronomy 28:18Deuteronomy 28:21Deuteronomy 28:33Deuteronomy 28:42Deuteronomy 28:51Deuteronomy 28:56Deuteronomy 28:63Deuteronomy 29:27Deuteronomy 30:9Deuteronomy 30:18Deuteronomy 30:20Deuteronomy 31:13Deuteronomy 31:20Deuteronomy 32:43Deuteronomy 32:47
Joshua 6
Judges 5
Ruth 4
1 Samuel 15
2 Samuel 17
1 Kings 13
2 Kings 18
1 Chronicles 2
2 Chronicles 10
Nehemiah 6
Job 18
Psalms 19
Proverbs 4
Ecclesiastes 1
Isaiah 33
Isaiah 1:7Isaiah 2:19Isaiah 3:26Isaiah 6:11Isaiah 7:16Isaiah 14:1Isaiah 14:2Isaiah 14:12Isaiah 15:9Isaiah 19:17Isaiah 21:9Isaiah 23:17Isaiah 24:21Isaiah 25:12Isaiah 26:5Isaiah 27:4Isaiah 28:2Isaiah 28:24Isaiah 28:28Isaiah 29:4Isaiah 30:23Isaiah 30:24Isaiah 32:13Isaiah 35:7Isaiah 40:4Isaiah 40:24Isaiah 42:16Isaiah 44:3Isaiah 45:9Isaiah 47:1Isaiah 51:23Isaiah 53:2Isaiah 63:6
Jeremiah 22
Lamentations 4
Ezekiel 41
Ezekiel 1:15Ezekiel 1:19Ezekiel 1:21Ezekiel 7:2Ezekiel 10:16Ezekiel 10:19Ezekiel 11:17Ezekiel 12:19Ezekiel 12:22Ezekiel 13:9Ezekiel 13:14Ezekiel 18:2Ezekiel 19:12Ezekiel 20:38Ezekiel 20:42Ezekiel 21:7Ezekiel 21:8Ezekiel 24:7Ezekiel 25:3Ezekiel 25:6Ezekiel 26:11Ezekiel 26:16Ezekiel 28:18Ezekiel 28:25Ezekiel 33:24Ezekiel 34:13Ezekiel 34:27Ezekiel 36:6Ezekiel 36:17Ezekiel 36:24Ezekiel 37:12Ezekiel 37:14Ezekiel 37:21Ezekiel 38:18Ezekiel 38:19Ezekiel 38:20Ezekiel 39:14Ezekiel 39:26Ezekiel 39:28Ezekiel 41:16Ezekiel 43:14
Daniel 12
Hosea 4
Joel 3
Amos 12
Obadiah 1
Jonah 1
Micah 2
Nahum 1
Zephaniah 2
Haggai 1
Zechariah 4
Malachi 1
Matthew 6
Mark 11
Luke 14
John 7
Acts 8
Romans 1
Ephesians 1
Philippians 1
Hebrews 2
James 1
Topical Bible
Nave's Topical Bible
GROUND
Entry:
Nave’s Topical Bible references for GROUND.
Indexed references: 5
Scripture references:
Source: Nave's Topical Bible · View data sources
Sources
- Historical Reference: Nave’s Topical Bible — Public domain
- Historical Reference: concordance
- Historical Reference: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible lexical data / BDB-Strong mapping
- Historical Reference: STEPBible TBESG (based primarily on Abbott-Smith)
- Historical Reference: A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament
- Historical Reference: Installed reference work
Ancient Context20 items
Josephus Antiquities Whiston
The Constitution Of The World And The Disposition Of The Elements.
Antiquities Book 1, Chapter 1
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Concerning The Posterity Of Adam, And The Ten Generations From Him To The Deluge.
Antiquities Book 1, Chapter 2
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
The Removal Of Joseph's Father With All His Family, To Him, On Account Of The Famine.
Antiquities Book 2, Chapter 7
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How Moses Made War With The Ethiopians.
Antiquities Book 2, Chapter 10
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Concerning The Burning Bush And The Rod Of Moses.
Antiquities Book 2, Chapter 12
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Concerning The Ten Plagues Which Came Upon The Egyptians.
Antiquities Book 2, Chapter 14
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Concerning The Tabernacle Which Moses Built In The Wilderness For The Honor Of God And Which Seemed To Be A Temple.
Antiquities Book 3, Chapter 6
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How Those That Stirred Up This Sedition Were Destroyed, According To The Will Of God; And How Aaron, Moses's Brother Both He And His Posterity, Retained The Priesthood.
Antiquities Book 4, Chapter 3
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
The Polity Settled By Moses; And How He Disappeared From Among Mankind.
Antiquities Book 4, Chapter 8
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How The Midianites And Other Nations Fought Against The Israelites And Beat Them, And Afflicted Their Country For Seven Years, How They Were Delivered By Gideon, Who Ruled Over The Multitude For Forty Years.
Antiquities Book 5, Chapter 6
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Herein Is Declared What Befell The Sons Of Eli, The Ark, And The People And How Eli Himself Died Miserably.
Antiquities Book 5, Chapter 11
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How The Philistines Made Another Expedition Against The Hebrews Under The Reign Of Saul; And How They Were Overcome By David's Slaying Goliath In Single Combat.
Antiquities Book 6, Chapter 9
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How David, Upon Saul's Laying Snares For Him, Did Yet Escape The Dangers He Was In By The Affection And Care Of Jonathan And The Contrivances Of His Wife Michal: And How He Came To Samuel The Prophet.
Antiquities Book 6, Chapter 11
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How Saul Upon God's Not Answering Him Concerning The Fight With The Philistines Desired A Necromantic Woman To Raise Up The Soul Of Samuel To Him; And How He Died, With His Sons Upon The Overthrow Of The Hebrews In Battle.
Antiquities Book 6, Chapter 14
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How David Fell In Love With Bathsheba, And Slew Her Husband Uriah, For Which He Is Reproved By Nathan.
Antiquities Book 7, Chapter 7
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How Absalom Murdered Amnon, Who Had Forced His Own Sister; And How He Was Banished And Afterwards Recalled By David.
Antiquities Book 7, Chapter 8
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Of The Building Of This Temple
Antiquities Book 8, Chapter 3
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How Solomon Removed The Ark Into The Temple How He Made Supplication To God, And Offered Public Sacrifices To Him.
Antiquities Book 8, Chapter 4
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
How Ahab When He Had Taken Jezebel To Wife Became More Wicked Than All The Kings That Had Been Before Him; Of The Actions Of The Prophet Elijah, And What Befell Naboth.
Antiquities Book 8, Chapter 13
Read ancient context →Josephus Antiquities Whiston
Concerning Jeroboam King Of Israel And Jonah The Prophet; And How After The Death Of Jeroboam His Son Zachariah Took The Government. How Uzziah, King Of Jerusalem, Subdued The Nations That Were Round About Him; And What Befell Him When He Attempted To Offer Incense To God.
Antiquities Book 9, Chapter 10
Read ancient context →Related UNLEARN Content34 items
Case File
What the Catholic Church Won’t Tell You about Purgatory
Is Purgatory a biblical reality or a tradition added by men? Millions of people have been taught that there is a middle ground between heaven and hell where souls are "purified" after…
Open content →Topic
GROUND
Nave’s Topical Bible references for GROUND.
Open content →Dictionary
Acre
Is the translation of a word (tse'med), which properly means a yoke, and denotes a space of ground that may be ploughed by a yoke of oxen in a day. It is about an acre of our measure (Isa. 5:10; 1 Sam. 14:14).
Open content →Dictionary
Agriculture
Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession of the Promised Land, their circumstances favoured in the highest degree a remarkable development of this art. Agriculture became indeed the basis of the Mosaic commonwealth. The year in Palestine was divided into six agricultural periods:- I. SOWING TIME. Tisri, latter half (beginning about the autumnal equinox.) Marchesvan. Kisleu, former half. Early rain due = first showers of autumn. II. UNRIPE TIME. Kisleu, latter half. Tebet. Sebat, former half. III. COLD SEASON. Sebat, latter half. Adar. [Veadar.] Nisan, former half. Latter rain due (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24; Hos. 6:3; Zech. 10:1; James 5:7; Job 29:23). IV. HARVEST TIME. Nisan, latter half. (Beginning about vernal equinox. Barley green. Passover.) Ijar. Sivan, former half., Wheat ripe. Pentecost. V. SUMMER (total absence of rain) Sivan, latter half. Tammuz. Ab, former half. VI. SULTRY SEASON Ab, latter half. Elul. Tisri, former half., Ingathering of fruits. The six months from the middle of Tisri to the middle of Nisan were occupied with the work of cultivation, and the rest of the year mainly with the gathering in of the fruits. The extensive and easily-arranged system of irrigation from the rills and streams from the mountains made the soil in every part of Palestine richly productive (Ps. 1:3; 65:10; Prov. 21:1; Isa. 30:25; 32:2, 20; Hos. 12:11), and the appliances of careful cultivation and of manure increased its fertility to such an extent that in the days of Solomon, when there was an abundant population, "20,000 measures of wheat year by year" were sent to Hiram in exchange for timber (1 Kings 5:11), and in large quantities also wheat was sent to the Tyrians for the merchandise in which they traded (Ezek. 27:17). The wheat sometimes produced an hundredfold (Gen. 26:12; Matt. 13:23). Figs and pomegranates were very plentiful (Num. 13:23), and the vine and the olive grew luxuriantly and produced abundant fruit (Deut. 33:24). Lest the productiveness of the soil should be exhausted, it was enjoined that the whole land should rest every seventh year, when all agricultural labour would entirely cease (Lev. 25:1-7; Deut. 15:1-10). It was forbidden to sow a field with divers seeds (Deut. 22:9). A passer-by was at liberty to eat any quantity of corn or grapes, but he was not permitted to carry away any (Deut. 23:24, 25; Matt. 12:1). The poor were permitted to claim the corners of the fields and the gleanings. A forgotten sheaf in the field was to be left also for the poor. (See Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19.) Agricultural implements and operations. The sculptured monuments and painted tombs of Egypt and Assyria throw much light on this subject, and on the general operations of agriculture. Ploughs of a simple construction were known in the time of Moses (Deut. 22:10; comp. Job 1:14). They were very light, and required great attention to keep them in the ground (Luke 9:62). They were drawn by oxen (Job 1:14), cows (1 Sam. 6:7), and asses (Isa. 30:24); but an ox and an ass must not be yoked together in the same plough (Deut. 22:10). Men sometimes followed the plough with a hoe to break the clods (Isa. 28:24). The oxen were urged on by a "goad," or long staff pointed at the end, so that if occasion arose it could be used as a spear also (Judg. 3:31; 1 Sam. 13:21). When the soil was prepared, the seed was sown broadcast over the field (Matt. 13:3-8). The "harrow" mentioned in Job 39:10 was not used to cover the seeds, but to break the clods, being little more than a thick block of wood. In highly irrigated spots the seed was trampled in by cattle (Isa. 32:20); but doubtless there was some kind of harrow also for covering in the seed scattered in the furrows of the field. The reaping of the corn was performed either by pulling it up by the roots, or cutting it with a species of sickle, according to circumstances. The corn when cut was generally put up in sheaves (Gen. 37:7; Lev. 23:10-15; Ruth 2:7, 15; Job 24:10; Jer. 9:22; Micah 4:12), which were afterwards gathered to the threshing-floor or stored in barns (Matt. 6:26). The process of threshing was performed generally by spreading the sheaves on the threshing-floor and causing oxen and cattle to tread repeatedly over them (Deut. 25:4; Isa. 28:28). On occasions flails or sticks were used for this purpose (Ruth 2:17; Isa. 28:27). There was also a "threshing instrument" (Isa. 41:15; Amos 1:3) which was drawn over the corn. It was called by the Hebrews a moreg, a threshing roller or sledge (2 Sam. 24:22; 1 Chr. 21:23; Isa. 3:15). It was somewhat like the Roman tribulum, or threshing instrument. When the grain was threshed, it was winnowed by being thrown up against the wind (Jer. 4:11), and afterwards tossed with wooden scoops (Isa. 30:24). The shovel and the fan for winnowing are mentioned in Ps. 35:5, Job 21:18, Isa. 17:13. The refuse of straw and chaff was burned (Isa. 5:24). Freed from impurities, the grain was then laid up in granaries till used (Deut. 28:8; Prov. 3:10; Matt. 6:26; 13:30; Luke 12:18).
Open content →Dictionary
Barn
A storehouse (Deut. 28:8; Job 39:12; Hag. 2:19) for grain, which was usually under ground, although also sometimes above ground (Luke 12:18).
Open content →Dictionary
Bartimaeus
Son of Timaeus, one of the two blind beggars of Jericho (Mark 10:46; Matt. 20:30). His blindness was miraculously cured on the ground of his faith.
Open content →Dictionary
Bittern
Is found three times in connection with the desolations to come upon Babylon, Idumea, and Nineveh (Isa. 14:23; 34:11; Zeph. 2:14). This bird belongs to the class of cranes. Its scientific name is Botaurus stellaris. It is a solitary bird, frequenting marshy ground. The Hebrew word (kippod) thus rendered in the Authorized Version is rendered "porcupine" in the Revised Version. But in the passages noted the kippod is associated with birds, with pools of water, and with solitude and desolation. This favours the idea that not the "porcupine" but the "bittern" is really intended by the word.
Open content →Dictionary
Cord
Frequently used in its proper sense, for fastening a tent (Ex. 35:18; 39:40), yoking animals to a cart (Isa. 5:18), binding prisoners (Judg. 15:13; Ps. 2:3; 129:4), and measuring ground (2 Sam. 8;2; Ps. 78:55). Figuratively, death is spoken of as the giving way of the tent-cord (Job 4:21. "Is not their tent-cord plucked up?" R.V.). To gird one's self with a cord was a token of sorrow and humiliation. To stretch a line over a city meant to level it with the ground (Lam. 2:8). The "cords of sin" are the consequences or fruits of sin (Prov. 5:22). A "threefold cord" is a symbol of union (Eccl. 4:12). The "cords of a man" (Hos. 11:4) means that men employ, in inducing each other, methods such as are suitable to men, and not "cords" such as oxen are led by. Isaiah (5:18) says, "Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope." This verse is thus given in the Chaldee paraphrase: "Woe to those who begin to sin by little and little, drawing sin by cords of vanity: these sins grow and increase till they are strong and are like a cart rope." This may be the true meaning. The wicked at first draw sin with a slender cord; but by-and-by their sins increase, and they are drawn after them by a cart rope. Henderson in his commentary says: "The meaning is that the persons described were not satisfied with ordinary modes of provoking the Deity, and the consequent ordinary approach of his vengeance, but, as it were, yoked themselves in the harness of iniquity, and, putting forth all their strength, drew down upon themselves, with accelerated speed, the load of punishment which their sins deserved."
Open content →Dictionary
Decalogue
The name given by the Greek fathers to the ten commandments; "the ten words," as the original is more literally rendered (Ex. 20:3-17). These commandments were at first written on two stone slabs (31:18), which were broken by Moses throwing them down on the ground (32:19). They were written by God a second time (34:1). The decalogue is alluded to in the New Testament five times (Matt. 5:17, 18, 19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 7:7, 8; 13:9; 1 Tim. 1:9, 10). These commandments have been divided since the days of Origen the Greek father, as they stand in the Confession of all the Reformed Churches except the Lutheran. The division adopted by Luther, and which has ever since been received in the Lutheran Church, makes the first two commandments one, and the third the second, and so on to the last, which is divided into two. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house" being ranked as ninth, and "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife," etc., the tenth. (See [152]COMMANDMENTS.)
Open content →Dictionary
Desert
(1.) Heb. midbar, "pasture-ground;" an open tract for pasturage; a common (Joel 2:22). The "backside of the desert" (Ex. 3:1) is the west of the desert, the region behind a man, as the east is the region in front. The same Hebrew word is rendered "wildernes," and is used of the country lying between Egypt and Palestine (Gen. 21:14, 21; Ex. 4:27; 19:2; Josh. 1:4), the wilderness of the wanderings. It was a grazing tract, where the flocks and herds of the Israelites found pasturage during the whole of their journey to the Promised Land. The same Hebrew word is used also to denote the wilderness of Arabia, which in winter and early spring supplies good pasturage to the flocks of the nomad tribes than roam over it (1 Kings 9:18). The wilderness of Judah is the mountainous region along the western shore of the Dead Sea, where David fed his father's flocks (1 Sam. 17:28; 26:2). Thus in both of these instances the word denotes a country without settled inhabitants and without streams of water, but having good pasturage for cattle; a country of wandering tribes, as distinguished from that of a settled people (Isa. 35:1; 50:2; Jer. 4:11). Such, also, is the meaning of the word "wilderness" in Matt. 3:3; 15:33; Luke 15:4. (2.) The translation of the Hebrew Aribah', "an arid tract" (Isa. 35:1, 6; 40:3; 41:19; 51:3, etc.). The name Arabah is specially applied to the deep valley of the Jordan (the Ghor of the Arabs), which extends from the lake of Tiberias to the Elanitic gulf. While midbar denotes properly a pastoral region, arabah denotes a wilderness. It is also translated "plains;" as "the plains of Jericho" (Josh. 5:10; 2 Kings 25:5), "the plains of Moab" (Num. 22:1; Deut. 34:1, 8), "the plains of the wilderness" (2 Sam. 17:16). (3.) In the Revised Version of Num. 21:20 the Hebrew word jeshimon is properly rendered "desert," meaning the waste tracts on both shores of the Dead Sea. This word is also rendered "desert" in Ps. 78:40; 106:14; Isa. 43:19, 20. It denotes a greater extent of uncultivated country than the other words so rendered. It is especially applied to the desert of the peninsula of Arabia (Num. 21:20; 23:28), the most terrible of all the deserts with which the Israelites were acquainted. It is called "the desert" in Ex. 23:31; Deut. 11:24. (See [157]JESHIMON.) (4.) A dry place; hence a desolation (Ps. 9:6), desolate (Lev. 26:34); the rendering of the Hebrew word horbah'. It is rendered "desert" only in Ps. 102:6, Isa. 48:21, and Ezek. 13:4, where it means the wilderness of Sinai. (5.) This word is the symbol of the Jewish church when they had forsaken God (Isa. 40:3). Nations destitute of the knowledge of God are called a "wilderness" (32:15, midbar). It is a symbol of temptation, solitude, and persecution (Isa. 27:10, midbar_; 33:9, _arabah).
Open content →Dictionary
Dew
"There is no dew properly so called in Palestine, for there is no moisture in the hot summer air to be chilled into dew-drops by the coldness of the night. From May till October rain is unknown, the sun shining with unclouded brightness day after day. The heat becomes intense, the ground hard, and vegetation would perish but for the moist west winds that come each night from the sea. The bright skies cause the heat of the day to radiate very quickly into space, so that the nights are as cold as the day is the reverse, a peculiarity of climate from which poor Jacob suffered thousands of years ago (Gen. 31:40). To this coldness of the night air the indispensable watering of all plant-life is due. The winds, loaded with moisture, are robbed of it as they pass over the land, the cold air condensing it into drops of water, which fall in a gracious rain of mist on every thirsty blade. In the morning the fog thus created rests like a sea over the plains, and far up the sides of the hills, which raise their heads above it like so many islands. At sunrise, however, the scene speedily changes. By the kindling light the mist is transformed into vast snow-white clouds, which presently break into separate masses and rise up the mountain-sides, to disappear in the blue above, dissipated by the increasing heat. These are the morning clouds and the early dew that go away' of which Hosea (6:4; 13:3) speaks so touchingly" (Geikie's The Holy Land, etc., i., p. 72). Dew is a source of great fertility (Gen. 27:28; Deut. 33:13; Zech. 8:12), and its withdrawal is regarded as a curse from God (2 Sam. 1:21; 1 Kings 17:1). It is the symbol of a multitude (2 Sam. 17:12; Ps. 110:3); and from its refreshing influence it is an emblem of brotherly love and harmony (Ps. 133:3), and of rich spiritual blessings (Hos. 14:5).
Open content →Dictionary
Earth
(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah'. In Gen. 9:20 "husbandman" is literally "man of the ground or earth." Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules' burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Yahweh, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil. (2). As the rendering of 'erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (2 Chr. 13:9). In the New Testament "the earth" denotes the land of Judea (Matt. 23:35); also things carnal in contrast with things heavenly (John 3:31; Col. 3:1, 2).
Open content →Dictionary
Fallow-ground
The expression, "Break up your fallow ground" (Hos. 10:12; Jer. 4:3) means, "Do not sow your seed among thorns", i.e., break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts of weeds, in order that they may be prepared for the seed of righteousness. Land was allowed to lie fallow that it might become more fruitful; but when in this condition, it soon became overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the soil was careful to "break up" his fallow ground, i.e., to clear the field of weeds, before sowing seed in it. So says the prophet, "Break off your evil ways, repent of your sins, cease to do evil, and then the good seed of the word will have room to grow and bear fruit."
Open content →Dictionary
Field
(Heb. sadeh), a cultivated field, but unenclosed. It is applied to any cultivated ground or pasture (Gen. 29:2; 31:4; 34:7), or tillage (Gen. 37:7; 47:24). It is also applied to woodland (Ps. 132:6) or mountain top (Judg. 9:32, 36; 2 Sam. 1:21). It denotes sometimes a cultivated region as opposed to the wilderness (Gen. 33:19; 36:35). Unwalled villages or scattered houses are spoken of as "in the fields" (Deut. 28:3, 16; Lev. 25:31; Mark 6:36, 56). The "open field" is a place remote from a house (Gen. 4:8; Lev. 14:7, 53; 17:5). Cultivated land of any extent was called a field (Gen. 23:13, 17; 41:8; Lev. 27:16; Ruth 4:5; Neh. 12:29).
Open content →Dictionary
First-fruits
The first-fruits of the ground were offered unto God just as the first-born of man and animals. The law required, (1.) That on the morrow after the Passover Sabbath a sheaf of new corn should be waved by the priest before the altar (Lev. 23:5, 6, 10, 12; 2:12). (2.) That at the feast of Pentecost two loaves of leavened bread, made from the new flour, were to be waved in like manner (Lev. 23:15, 17; Num. 28:26). (3.) The feast of Tabernacles was an acknowledgement that the fruits of the harvest were from the Lord (Ex. 23:16; 34:22). (4.) Every individual, besides, was required to consecrate to God a portion of the first-fruits of the land (Ex. 22:29; 23:19; 34:26; Num. 15:20, 21). (5.) The law enjoined that no fruit was to be gathered from newly-planted fruit-trees for the first three years, and that the first-fruits of the fourth year were to be consecrated to the Lord (Lev. 19:23-25). Jeremiah (2:3) alludes to the ordinance of "first-fruits," and hence he must have been acquainted with the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, where the laws regarding it are recorded.
Open content →Dictionary
Fleece
The wool of a sheep, whether shorn off or still attached to the skin (Deut. 18:4; Job 31:20). The miracle of Gideon's fleece (Judg. 6:37-40) consisted in the dew having fallen at one time on the fleece without any on the floor, and at another time in the fleece remaining dry while the ground was wet with dew.
Open content →Dictionary
Flour
Grain reduced to the form of meal is spoken of in the time of Abraham (Gen. 18:6). As baking was a daily necessity, grain was also ground daily at the mills (Jer. 25:10). The flour mingled with water was kneaded in kneading-troughs, and sometimes leaven (Ex. 12:34) was added and sometimes omitted (Gen. 19:3). The dough was then formed into thin cakes nine or ten inches in diameter and baked in the oven. Fine flour was offered by the poor as a sin-offering (Lev. 5:11-13), and also in connection with other sacrifices (Num. 15:3-12; 28:7-29).
Open content →Dictionary
Fox
(Heb. shu'al, a name derived from its digging or burrowing under ground), the Vulpes thaleb, or Syrian fox, the only species of this animal indigenous to Palestine. It burrows, is silent and solitary in its habits, is destructive to vineyards, being a plunderer of ripe grapes (Cant. 2:15). The Vulpes Niloticus, or Egyptian dog-fox, and the Vulpes vulgaris, or common fox, are also found in Palestine. The proverbial cunning of the fox is alluded to in Ezek. 13:4, and in Luke 13:32, where our Lord calls Herod "that fox." In Judg. 15:4, 5, the reference is in all probability to the jackal. The Hebrew word shu'al_ through the Persian _schagal becomes our jackal (Canis aureus), so that the word may bear that signification here. The reasons for preferring the rendering "jackal" are (1) that it is more easily caught than the fox; (2) that the fox is shy and suspicious, and flies mankind, while the jackal does not; and (3) that foxes are difficult, jackals comparatively easy, to treat in the way here described. Jackals hunt in large numbers, and are still very numerous in Southern Palestine.
Open content →Dictionary
Furrow
An opening in the ground made by the plough (Ps. 65:10; Hos. 10:4, 10).
Open content →Dictionary
Gergesa
=Gerasa, identified with the modern Khersa, "over against Galilee," close to the lake. This was probably the scene of the miracle, Mark 5:1-20, etc. "From the base of the great plateau of Bashan, 2,000 feet or more overhead, the ground slopes down steeply, in places precipitously, to the shore. And at the foot of the declivity a bold spur runs out to the water's edge. By it the frantic swine would rush on headlong into the lake and perish." Porter's Through Samaria. (See [235]GADARA.)
Open content →Dictionary
Husbandman
One whose business it is to cultivate the ground. It was one of the first occupations, and was esteemed most honourable (Gen. 9:20; 26:12, 14; 37:7, etc.). All the Hebrews, except those engaged in religious services, were husbandmen. (See [289]AGRICULTURE.)
Open content →Dictionary
Jacob's Well
(John 4:5, 6). This is one of the few sites in Palestine about which there is no dispute. It was dug by Jacob, and hence its name, in the "parcel of ground" which he purchased from the sons of Hamor (Gen. 33:19). It still exists, but although after copious rains it contains a little water, it is now usually quite dry. It is at the entrance to the valley between Ebal and Gerizim, about 2 miles south-east of Shechem. It is about 9 feet in diameter and about 75 feet in depth, though in ancient times it was no doubt much deeper, probably twice as deep. The digging of such a well must have been a very laborious and costly undertaking. "Unfortunately, the well of Jacob has not escaped that misplaced religious veneration which cannot be satisfied with leaving the object of it as it is, but must build over it a shrine to protect and make it sacred. A series of buildings of various styles, and of different ages, have cumbered the ground, choked up the well, and disfigured the natural beauty and simplicity of the spot. At present the rubbish in the well has been cleared out; but there is still a domed structure over it, and you gaze down the shaft cut in the living rock and see at a depth of 70 feet the surface of the water glimmering with a pale blue light in the darkness, while you notice how the limestone blocks that form its curb have been worn smooth, or else furrowed by the ropes of centuries" (Hugh Macmillan). At the entrance of the enclosure round the well is planted in the ground one of the wooden poles that hold the telegraph wires between Jerusalem and Haifa.
Open content →Dictionary
Midianite
An Arabian tribe descended from Midian. They inhabited principally the desert north of the peninsula of Arabia. The peninsula of Sinai was the pasture-ground for their flocks. They were virtually the rulers of Arabia, being the dominant tribe. Like all Arabians, they were a nomad people. They early engaged in commercial pursuits. It was to one of their caravans that Joseph was sold (Gen. 37:28, 36). The next notice of them is in connection with Moses' flight from Egypt (Ex. 2:15-21). Here in Midian Moses became the servant and afterwards the son-in-law of Reuel or Jethro, the priest. After the Exodus, the Midianites were friendly to the Israelites so long as they traversed only their outlying pasture-ground on the west of the Arabah; but when, having passed the southern end of Edom, they entered into the land of Midian proper, they joined with Balak, the king of Moab, in a conspiracy against them (Num. 22:4-7). Balaam, who had been sent for to curse Israel, having utterly failed to do so, was dismissed by the king of Moab; nevertheless he still tarried among the Midianites, and induced them to enter into correspondence with the Israelites, so as to bring them into association with them in the licentious orgies connected with the worship of Baal-Peor. This crafty counsel prevailed. The Israelites took part in the heathen festival, and so brought upon themselves a curse indeed. Their apostasy brought upon them a severe punishment. A plague broke out amongst them, and more than twenty-four thousand of the people perished (Num. 25:9). But the Midianites were not to be left unpunished. A terrible vengeance was denounced against them. A thousand warriors from each tribe, under the leadership of Phinehas, went forth against them. The Midianites were utterly routed. Their cities were consumed by fire, five of their kings were put to death, and the whole nation was destroyed (Josh. 13:21, 22). Balaam also perished by the sword, receiving the "wages of his unrighteousness" (Num. 31:8; 2 Pet. 2:15). The whole of the country on the east of Jordan, now conquered by the Israelites (see [400]SIHON; [401]OG), was divided between the two tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh. Some two hundred and fifty years after this the Midianites had regained their ancient power, and in confederation with the Amalekites and the "children of the east" they made war against their old enemies the Israelites, whom for seven years they oppressed and held in subjection. They were at length assailed by Gideon in that ever-memorable battle in the great plain of Esdraelon, and utterly destroyed (Judg. 6:1-ch. 7). Frequent allusions are afterwards made to this great victory (Ps. 83:10, 12; Isa. 9:4; 10:6). They now wholly pass away from the page of history both sacred and profane.
Open content →Dictionary
Paradise
A Persian word (pardes), properly meaning a "pleasure-ground" or "park" or "king's garden." (See [458]EDEN.) It came in course of time to be used as a name for the world of happiness and rest hereafter (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7). For "garden" in Gen. 2:8 the LXX. has "paradise."
Open content →Dictionary
Parched ground
(Isa. 35:7), Heb. sharab, a "mirage", a phenomenon caused by the refraction of the rays of the sun on the glowing sands of the desert, causing them suddenly to assume the appearance of a beautiful lake. It is called by the modern Arabs by the same Hebrew name serab.
Open content →Dictionary
Pit
A hole in the ground (Ex. 21:33, 34), a cistern for water (Gen. 37:24; Jer. 14:3), a vault (41:9), a grave (Ps. 30:3). It is used as a figure for mischief (Ps. 9:15), and is the name given to the unseen place of woe (Rev. 20:1, 3). The slime-pits in the vale of Siddim were wells which yielded asphalt (Gen. 14:10).
Open content →Dictionary
Potters field
The name given to the piece of ground which was afterwards bought with the money that had been given to Judas. It was called the "field of blood" (Matt. 27:7-10). Tradition places it in the valley of Hinnom. (See [504]ACELDAMA.)
Open content →Dictionary
Samaritan Pentateuch
On the return from the Exile, the Jews refused the Samaritans participation with them in the worship at Jerusalem, and the latter separated from all fellowship with them, and built a temple for themselves on Mount Gerizim. This temple was razed to the ground more than one hundred years B.C. Then a system of worship was instituted similar to that of the temple at Jerusalem. It was founded on the Law, copies of which had been multiplied in Israel as well as in Judah. Thus the Pentateuch was preserved among the Samaritans, although they never called it by this name, but always "the Law," which they read as one book. The division into five books, as we now have it, however, was adopted by the Samaritans, as it was by the Jews, in all their priests' copies of "the Law," for the sake of convenience. This was the only portion of the Old Testament which was accepted by the Samaritans as of divine authority. The form of the letters in the manuscript copies of the Samaritan Pentateuch is different from that of the Hebrew copies, and is probably the same as that which was in general use before the Captivity. There are other peculiarities in the writing which need not here be specified. There are important differences between the Hebrew and the Samaritan copies of the Pentateuch in the readings of many sentences. In about two thousand instances in which the Samaritan and the Jewish texts differ, the LXX. agrees with the former. The New Testament also, when quoting from the Old Testament, agrees as a rule with the Samaritan text, where that differs from the Jewish. Thus Ex. 12:40 in the Samaritan reads, "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel and of their fathers which they had dwelt in the land of Canaan and in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years" (comp. Gal. 3:17). It may be noted that the LXX. has the same reading of this text.
Open content →Dictionary
Sitting
The attitude generally assumed in Palestine by those who were engaged in any kind of work. "The carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting on the ground or upon the plank he is planning. The washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a word, no one stands when it is possible to sit. Shopkeepers always sit, and Levi sitting at the receipt of custom (Matt. 9:9) is the exact way to state the case.", Thomson, Land and Book.
Open content →Dictionary
Snare
The expression (Amos 3:5), "Shall one take up a snare from the earth?" etc. (Authorized Version), ought to be, as in the Revised Version, "Shall a snare spring up from the ground?" etc. (See [598]GIN.)
Open content →Dictionary
Spring
(Heb. ain, "the bright open source, the eye of the landscape"). To be carefully distinguished from "well" (q.v.). "Springs" mentioned in Josh. 10:40 (Heb. ashdoth) should rather be "declivities" or "slopes" (R.V.), i.e., the undulating ground lying between the lowlands (the shephelah) and the central range of hills.
Open content →Dictionary
Uzza
Strengh, a garden in which Manasseh and Amon were buried (2 Kings 21:18, 26). It was probably near the king's palace in Jerusalem, or may have formed part of the palace grounds. Manasseh may probably have acquired it from some one of this name.
Open content →Dictionary
Zarthan
A place near Succoth, in the plain of the Jordan, "in the clay ground," near which Hiram cast the brazen utensils for the temple (1 Kings 7:46); probably the same as Zartan. It is also called Zeredathah (2 Chr. 4:17). (See [681]ZEREDA.)
Open content →Dictionary
Zealots
A sect of Jews which originated with Judas the Gaulonite (Acts 5:37). They refused to pay tribute to the Romans, on the ground that this was a violation of the principle that God was the only king of Israel. They rebelled against the Romans, but were soon scattered, and became a lawless band of mere brigands. They were afterwards called Sicarii, from their use of the sica, i.e., the Roman dagger.
Open content →Save your study
Sign in to bookmark this study or add notes.