BIBLES NET. COM
Dictionary]
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Fair Havens – a harbour in the
south of Crete, some 5 miles to the east of which was the
town of Lasea (Acts 27:8). Here the ship of Alexandria in
which Paul and his companions sailed was detained a
considerable time waiting for a favourable wind. Contrary
to Paul’s advice, the master of the ship determined to
prosecute the voyage, as the harbour was deemed
incommodious for wintering in (9-12). The result was that,
after a stormy voyage, the vessel was finally wrecked on
the coast of Malta (27:40-44).
found seven times in Ezek. 27, and nowhere else. The
Authorized Version renders the word thus in all these
instances, except in verse 33, where “wares” is
used. The Revised Version uniformly renders by
“wares,” which is the correct rendering of the
Hebrew word. It never means “fairs” in the modern
sense of the word.
Faith – Faith is in general the
persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true
(Phil. 1:27; 2 Thess. 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A
thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of
many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance
with the evidence on which it rests.
Faith is the result of teaching (Rom. 10:14-17). Knowledge
is an essential element in all faith, and is sometimes
spoken of as an equivalent to faith (John 10:38; 1 John
2:3). Yet the two are distinguished in this respect, that
faith includes in it assent, which is an act of the will in
addition to the act of the understanding. Assent to the
truth is of the essence of faith, and the ultimate ground
on which our assent to any revealed truth rests is the
veracity of God.
Historical faith is the apprehension of and assent to
certain statements which are regarded as mere facts of
history.
Temporary faith is that state of mind which is awakened in
men (e.g., Felix) by the exhibition of the truth and by the
influence of religious sympathy, or by what is sometimes
styled the common operation of the Holy Spirit.
Saving faith is so called because it has eternal life
inseparably connected with it. It cannot be better defined
than in the words of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism:
“Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we
receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is
offered to us in the gospel.”
The object of saving faith is the whole revealed Word of
God. Faith accepts and believes it as the very truth most
sure. But the special act of faith which unites to Christ
has as its object the person and the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ (John 7:38; Acts 16:31). This is the specific act of
faith by which a sinner is justified before God (Rom. 3:22,
25; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9; John 3:16-36; Acts 10:43; 16:31).
In this act of faith the believer appropriates and rests on
Christ alone as Mediator in all his offices.
This assent to or belief in the truth received upon the
divine testimony has always associated with it a deep sense
of sin, a distinct view of Christ, a consenting will, and a
loving heart, together with a reliance on, a trusting in,
or resting in Christ. It is that state of mind in which a
poor sinner, conscious of his sin, flees from his guilty
self to Christ his Saviour, and rolls over the burden of
all his sins on him. It consists chiefly, not in the assent
given to the testimony of God in his Word, but in embracing
with fiducial reliance and trust the one and only Saviour
whom God reveals. This trust and reliance is of the essence
of faith. By faith the believer directly and immediately
appropriates Christ as his own. Faith in its direct act
makes Christ ours. It is not a work which God graciously
accepts instead of perfect obedience, but is only the hand
by which we take hold of the person and work of our
Redeemer as the only ground of our salvation.
Saving faith is a moral act, as it proceeds from a renewed
will, and a renewed will is necessary to believing assent
to the truth of God (1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Cor. 4:4). Faith,
therefore, has its seat in the moral part of our nature
fully as much as in the intellectual. The mind must first
be enlightened by divine teaching (John 6:44; Acts 13:48; 2
Cor. 4:6; Eph. 1:17, 18) before it can discern the things
of the Spirit.
Faith is necessary to our salvation (Mark 16:16), not
because there is any merit in it, but simply because it is
the sinner’s taking the place assigned him by God, his
falling in with what God is doing.
The warrant or ground of faith is the divine testimony, not
the reasonableness of what God says, but the simple fact
that he says it. Faith rests immediately on, “Thus
saith the Lord.” But in order to this faith the
veracity, sincerity, and truth of God must be owned and
appreciated, together with his unchangeableness. God’s
word encourages and emboldens the sinner personally to
transact with Christ as God’s gift, to close with him,
embrace him, give himself to Christ, and take Christ as
his. That word comes with power, for it is the word of God
who has revealed himself in his works, and especially in
the cross. God is to be believed for his word’s sake,
but also for his name’s sake.
Faith in Christ secures for the believer freedom from
condemnation, or justification before God; a participation
in the life that is in Christ, the divine life (John 14:19;
Rom. 6:4-10; Eph. 4:15,16, etc.); “peace with
God” (Rom. 5:1); and sanctification (Acts 26:18; Gal.
5:6; Acts 15:9).
All who thus believe in Christ will certainly be saved
(John 6:37, 40; 10:27, 28; Rom. 8:1).
The faith=the gospel (Acts 6:7; Rom. 1:5; Gal. 1:23; 1 Tim.
3:9; Jude 1:3).
Faithful – as a designation of
Christians, means full of faith, trustful, and not simply
trustworthy (Acts 10:45; 16:1; 2 Cor. 6:15; Col. 1:2; 1
Tim. 4:3, 12; 5:16; 6:2; Titus 1:6; Eph. 1:1; 1 Cor. 4:17,
etc.).
It is used also of God’s word or covenant as true and
to be trusted (Ps. 119:86, 138; Isa. 25:1; 1 Tim. 1:15;
Rev. 21:5; 22:6, etc.).
probably borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to
express the fact of the revolt of our first parents from
God, and the consequent sin and misery in which they and
all their posterity were involved.
The history of the Fall is recorded in Gen. 2 and 3. That
history is to be literally interpreted. It records facts
which underlie the whole system of revealed truth. It is
referred to by our Lord and his apostles not only as being
true, but as furnishing the ground of all God’s
subsequent dispensations and dealings with the children of
men. The record of Adam’s temptation and fall must be
taken as a true historical account, if we are to understand
the Bible at all as a revelation of God’s purpose of
mercy.
The effects of this first sin upon our first parents
themselves were (1) “shame, a sense of degradation and
pollution; (2) dread of the displeasure of God, or a sense
of guilt, and the consequent desire to hide from his
presence. These effects were unavoidable. They prove the
loss not only of innocence but of original righteousness,
and, with it, of the favour and fellowship of God. The
state therefore to which Adam was reduced by his
disobedience, so far as his subjective condition is
concerned, was analogous to that of the fallen angels. He
was entirely and absolutely ruined” (Hodge’s
Theology).
But the unbelief and disobedience of our first parents
brought not only on themselves this misery and ruin, it
entailed also the same sad consequences on all their
descendants. (1.) The guilt, i.e., liability to punishment,
of that sin comes by imputation upon all men, because all
were represented by Adam in the covenant of works (q.v.).
(2.) Hence, also, all his descendants inherit a corrupt
nature. In all by nature there is an inherent and
prevailing tendency to sin. This universal depravity is
taught by universal experience. All men sin as soon as they
are capable of moral actions. The testimony of the
Scriptures to the same effect is most abundant (Rom. 1; 2;
3:1-19, etc.).
(3.) This innate depravity is total: we are by nature
“dead in trespasses and sins,” and must be
“born again” before we can enter into the kingdom
(John 3:7, etc.).
(4.) Resulting from this “corruption of our whole
nature” is our absolute moral inability to change our
nature or to obey the law of God.
Commenting on John 9:3, Ryle well remarks: “A deep and
instructive principle lies in these words. They surely
throw some light on that great question, the origin of
evil. God has thought fit to allow evil to exist in order
that he may have a platform for showing his mercy, grace,
and compassion. If man had never fallen there would have
been no opportunity of showing divine mercy. But by
permitting evil, mysterious as it seems, God’s works of
grace, mercy, and wisdom in saving sinners have been
wonderfully manifested to all his creatures. The redeeming
of the church of elect sinners is the means of ‘showing
to principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of
God’ (Eph. 3:10). Without the Fall we should have known
nothing of the Cross and the Gospel.”
On the monuments of Egypt are found representations of a
deity in human form, piercing with a spear the head of a
serpent. This is regarded as an illustration of the wide
dissemination of the tradition of the Fall. The story of
the “golden age,” which gives place to the
“iron age”, the age of purity and innocence,
which is followed by a time when man becomes a prey to sin
and misery, as represented in the mythology of Greece and
Rome, has also been regarded as a tradition of the Fall.
Fallow-deer – Deut. 14:5 (R.V.,
“Wild goat”); 1 Kings 4:23 (R.V.,
“roebucks”). This animal, called in Hebrew
yahmur, from a word meaning “to be red,” is
regarded by some as the common fallow-deer, the Cervus
dama, which is said to be found very generally over Western
and Southern Asia. It is called “fallow” from its
pale-red or yellow colour. Some interpreters, however,
regard the name as designating the bubale, Antelope bubale,
the “wild cow” of North Africa, which is about
the size of a stag, like the hartebeest of South Africa. A
species of deer has been found at Mount Carmel which is
called yahmur by the Arabs. It is said to be similar
to the European roebuck.
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.”
Familiar spirit – Sorcerers or
necormancers, who professed to call up the dead to answer
questions, were said to have a “familiar spirit”
(Deut. 18:11; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chr. 33:6; Lev. 19:31; 20:6;
Isa. 8:19; 29:4). Such a person was called by the Hebrews
an ‘ob, which properly means a leathern bottle;
for sorcerers were regarded as vessels containing the
inspiring demon. This Hebrew word was equivalent to the
pytho of the Greeks, and was used to denote both the person
and the spirit which possessed him (Lev. 20:27; 1 Sam.
28:8; comp. Acts 16:16). The word “familiar” is
from the Latin familiaris, meaning a “household
servant,” and was intended to express the idea that
sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey their
commands.
Famine – The first mentioned in
Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down
to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as
having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to
Gerar (Gen. 26:1, 17). But the most remarkable of all was
that which arose in Egypt in the days of Joseph, which
lasted for seven years (Gen. 41-45).
Famines were sent as an effect of God’s anger against a
guilty people (2 Kings 8:1, 2; Amos 8:11; Deut. 28:22-42; 2
Sam. 21:1; 2 Kings 6:25-28; 25:3; Jer. 14:15; 19:9; 42:17,
etc.). A famine was predicted by Agabus (Acts 11:28).
Josephus makes mention of the famine which occurred A.D.
45. Helena, queen of Adiabene, being at Jerusalem at that
time, procured corn from Alexandria and figs from Cyprus
for its poor inhabitants.
Fan – a winnowing shovel by which
grain was thrown up against the wind that it might be
cleansed from broken straw and chaff (Isa. 30:24; Jer.
15:7; Matt. 3:12). (See AGRICULTURE.)
Farm – (Matt. 22:5). Every Hebrew
had a certain portion of land assigned to him as a
possession (Num. 26:33-56). In Egypt the lands all belonged
to the king, and the husbandmen were obliged to give him a
fifth part of the produce; so in Palestine Jehovah was the
sole possessor of the soil, and the people held it by
direct tenure from him. By the enactment of Moses, the
Hebrews paid a tithe of the produce to Jehovah, which was
assigned to the priesthood. Military service when required
was also to be rendered by every Hebrew at his own expense.
The occuptaion of a husbandman was held in high honour (1
Sam. 11:5-7; 1 Kings 19:19; 2 Chr. 26:10). (See LAND LAWS
¯(n/a);.)
Farthing – (1.) Matt. 10:29; Luke
12:6. Greek assarion, i.e., a small as, which was a
Roman coin equal to a tenth of a denarius or drachma,
nearly equal to a halfpenny of our money.
(2.) Matt. 5:26; Mark 12:42 (Gr. kodrantes), the quadrant,
the fourth of an as, equal to two lepta, mites. The
lepton (mite) was the very smallest copper coin.
Fast – The sole fast required by
the law of Moses was that of the great Day of Atonement
(q.v.), Lev. 23:26-32. It is called “the fast”
(Acts 27:9).
The only other mention of a periodical fast in the Old
Testament is in Zech. 7:1-7; 8:19, from which it appears
that during their captivity the Jews observed four annual
fasts.
(1.) The fast of the fourth month, kept on the seventeenth
day of Tammuz, the anniversary of the capture of Jerusalem
by the Chaldeans; to commemorate also the incident recorded
Ex. 32:19. (Comp. Jer. 52:6, 7.)
(2.) The fast of the fifth month, kept on the ninth of Ab
(comp. Num. 14:27), to commemorate the burning of the city
and temple (Jer. 52:12, 13).
(3.) The fast of the seventh month, kept on the third of
Tisri (comp. 2 Kings 25), the anniversary of the murder of
Gedaliah (Jer. 41:1, 2).
(4.) The fast of the tenth month (comp. Jer. 52:4; Ezek.
33:21; 2 Kings 25:1), to commemorate the beginning of the
siege of the holy city by Nebuchadnezzar.
There was in addition to these the fast appointed by Esther
(4:16).
Public national fasts on account of sin or to supplicate
divine favour were sometimes held. (1.) 1 Sam. 7:6; (2.) 2
Chr. 20:3; (3.) Jer. 36:6-10; (4.) Neh. 9:1.
There were also local fasts. (1.) Judg. 20:26; (2.) 2 Sam.
1:12; (3.) 1 Sam. 31:13; (4.) 1 Kings 21:9-12; (5.) Ezra
8:21-23: (6.) Jonah 3:5-9.
There are many instances of private occasional fasting (1
Sam. 1:7: 20:34; 2 Sam. 3:35; 12:16; 1 Kings 21:27; Ezra
10:6; Neh. 1:4; Dan. 10:2,3). Moses fasted forty days (Ex.
24:18; 34:28), and so also did Elijah (1 Kings 19:8). Our
Lord fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2).
In the lapse of time the practice of fasting was lamentably
abused (Isa. 58:4; Jer. 14:12; Zech. 7:5). Our Lord rebuked
the Pharisees for their hypocritical pretences in fasting
(Matt. 6:16). He himself appointed no fast. The early
Christians, however, observed the ordinary fasts according
to the law of their fathers (Acts 13:3; 14:23; 2 Cor. 6:5).
Fat – (Heb. heleb) denotes the
richest part of the animal, or the fattest of the flock, in
the account of Abel’s sacrifice (Gen. 4:4). It
sometimes denotes the best of any production (Gen. 45:18;
Num. 18:12; Ps. 81:16; 147:47). The fat of sacrifices was
to be burned (Lev. 3:9-11; 4:8; 7:3; 8:25; Num. 18:17.
Comp. Ex. 29:13-22; Lev. 3:3-5).
It is used figuratively for a dull, stupid state of mind
(Ps 17:10).
In Joel 2:24 the word is equivalent to “vat,” a
vessel. The hebrew word here thus rendered is elsewhere
rendered “wine-fat” and “press-fat”
(Hag. 2:16; Isa. 63:2).
Father – a name applied (1) to
any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9; 23:30,
etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or
elder, etc. (Judg. 17:10; 18:19; 1 Sam. 10:12; 2 Kings
2:12; Matt. 23:9, etc.). (3) The author or beginner of
anything is also so called; e.g., Jabal and Jubal (Gen.
4:20, 21; comp. Job 38:28).
Applied to God (Ex. 4:22; Deut. 32:6; 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps.
89:27, 28, etc.). (1.) As denoting his covenant relation to
the Jews (Jer. 31:9; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; John 8:41, etc.).
(2.) Believers are called God’s “sons” (John
1:12; Rom. 8:16; Matt. 6:4, 8, 15, 18; 10:20, 29). They
also call him “Father” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2
Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:4)
“bosom,” or the outstretched arms), a span of six
feet (Acts 27:28). Gr. orguia (from orego, “I
stretch”), the distance between the extremities of
both arms fully stretched out.
Fatling – (1.) A fatted animal
for slaughter (2 Sam. 6:13; Isa. 11:6; Ezek. 39:18. Comp.
Matt. 22:4, where the word used in the original, sitistos,
means literally “corn-fed;” i.e., installed,
fat). (2.) Ps. 66:15 (Heb. meah, meaning
“marrowy,” “fat,” a species of sheep).
(3.) 1 Sam. 15:9 (Heb. mishneh, meaning “the
second,” and hence probably “cattle of a second
quality,” or lambs of the second birth, i.e., autmnal
lambs, and therfore of less value).
Fear of the Lord the – is in the
Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Prov.
1:7; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love
and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather
filial reverence. (Comp. Deut. 32:6; Hos. 11:1; Isa. 1:2;
63:16; 64:8.) God is called “the Fear of Isaac”
(Gen. 31:42, 53), i.e., the God whom Isaac feared.
A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a
preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive
to penitence (Matt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 5:11; 7:1; Phil. 2:12;
Eph. 5:21; Heb. 12:28, 29).
Feast – as a mark of hospitality
(Gen. 19:3; 2 Sam. 3:20; 2 Kings 6:23); on occasions of
domestic joy (Luke 15:23; Gen. 21:8); on birthdays (Gen.
40:20; Job 1:4; Matt. 14:6); and on the occasion of a
marriage (Judg. 14:10; Gen. 29:22).
Feasting was a part of the observances connected with the
offering up of sacrifices (Deut. 12:6, 7; 1 Sam. 9:19;
16:3, 5), and with the annual festivals (Deut. 16:11).
“It was one of the designs of the greater solemnities,
which required the attendance of the people at the sacred
tent, that the oneness of the nation might be maintained
and cemented together, by statedly congregating in one
place, and with one soul taking part in the same religious
services. But that oneness was primarily and chiefly a
religious and not merely a political one; the people were
not merely to meet as among themselves, but with Jehovah,
and to present themselves before him as one body; the
meeting was in its own nature a binding of themselves in
fellowship with Jehovah; so that it was not politics and
commerce that had here to do, but the soul of the Mosaic
dispensation, the foundation of the religious and political
existence of Israel, the covenant with Jehovah. To keep the
people’s consciousness alive to this, to revive,
strengthen, and perpetuate it, nothing could be so well
adapated as these annual feasts.”
procurator of Judea before whom Paul “reasoned”
(Acts 24:25). He appears to have expected a bribe from
Paul, and therefore had several interviews with him. The
“worthy deeds” referred to in 24:2 was his
clearing the country of banditti and impostors.
At the end of a two years’ term, Porcius Festus was
appointed in the room of Felix (A.D. 60), who proceeded to
Rome, and was there accused of cruelty and malversation of
office by the Jews of Caesarea. The accusation was rendered
nugatory by the influence of his brother Pallas with Nero.
(See Josephus, Ant. xx. 8, 9.)
Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa, having been
induced by Felix to desert her husband, the king of Emesa,
became his adulterous companion. She was seated beside him
when Paul “reasoned” before the judge. When Felix
gave place to Festus, being “willing to do the Jews a
pleasure,” he left Paul bound.
consisting in the knowledge of his will (Job 22:21; John
17:3); agreement with his designs (Amos 3:2); mutual
affection (Rom. 8: 38, 39); enjoyment of his presence (Ps.
4:6); conformity to his image (1 John 2:6; 1:6); and
participation of his felicity (1 John 1:3, 4; Eph.
3:14-21).
(2.) Of saints with one another, in duties (Rom. 12:5; 1
Cor. 12:1; 1 Thess. 5:17, 18); in ordinances (Heb. 10:25;
Acts 2:46); in grace, love, joy, etc. (Mal. 3:16; 2 Cor.
8:4); mutual interest, spiritual and temporal (Rom. 12:4,
13; Heb. 13:16); in sufferings (Rom. 15:1, 2; Gal. 6:1, 2;
Rom. 12:15; and in glory (Rev. 7:9).
Fence – (Heb. gader), Num. 22:24
(R.V.). Fences were constructions of unmortared stones, to
protect gardens, vineyards, sheepfolds, etc. From various
causes they were apt to bulge out and fall (Ps. 62:3). In
Ps. 80:12, R.V. (see Isa. 5:5), the psalmist says,
“Why hast thou broken down her fences?” Serpents
delight to lurk in the crevices of such fences (Eccl. 10:8;
comp. Amos 5:19).
Palestine (1) cities, (2) unwalled villages, and (3)
villages with castles or towers (1 Chr. 27:25). Cities, so
called, had walls, and were thus fenced. The fortifications
consisted of one or two walls, on which were towers or
parapets at regular intervals (2 Chr. 32:5; Jer. 31:38).
Around ancient Jerusalem were three walls, on one of which
were ninety towers, on the second fourteen, and on the
third sixty. The tower of Hananeel, near the north-east
corner of the city wall, is frequently referred to (Neh.
3:1; 12:39; Zech. 14:10). The gateways of such cities were
also fortified (Neh. 2:8; 3:3, 6; Judg. 16:2, 3; 1 Sam.
23:7).
The Hebrews found many fenced cities when they entered the
Promised Land (Num. 13:28; 32:17, 34-42; Josh. 11:12, 13;
Judg. 1:27-33), and we may estimate the strength of some of
these cities from the fact that they were long held in
possession by the Canaanites. The Jebusites, e.g., were
enabled to hold possession of Jerusalem till the time of
David (2 Sam. 5:6, 7; 1 Chr. 11:5).
Several of the kings of Israel and Judah distinguished
themselves as fortifiers or “builders” of cities.
“gecko”), one of the unclean creeping things. It
was perhaps the Lacerta gecko which was intended by the
Hebrew word (anakah, a cry, “mourning,” the
creature which groans) here used, i.e., the
“fan-footed” lizard, the gecko which makes a
mournful wail. The LXX. translate it by a word meaning
“shrew-mouse,” of which there are three species
in Palestine. The Rabbinical writers regard it as the
hedgehog. The translation of the Revised Version is to be
preferred.
Ferry boat – (2 Sam. 19:18), some
kind of boat for crossing the river which the men of Judah
placed at the service of the king. Floats or rafts for this
purpose were in use from remote times (Isa. 18:2).
Festivals, Religious – There were
daily (Lev. 23), weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and
great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in
every particular (Num. 28:1-8; Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 6:8-23;
Ex. 30:7-9; 27:20).
(1.) The septenary festivals were,
(a) The weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:1-3; Ex. 19:3-30; 20:8-11;
31:12, etc.).
(b) The seventh new moon, or the feast of Trumpets (Num.
28:11-15; 29:1-6).
(c) The Sabbatical year (Ex. 23:10, 11; Lev. 25:2-7).
(d) The year of jubilee (Lev. 23-35; 25: 8-16; 27:16-25).
(2.) The great feasts were,
(a) The Passover. (b) The feast of Pentecost, or of weeks.
(c) The feast of Tabernacles, or of ingathering.
On each of these occasions every male Israelite was
commanded “to appear before the Lord” (Deut.
27:7; Neh. 8:9-12). The attendance of women was voluntary.
(Comp. Luke 2:41; 1 Sam. 1:7; 2:19.) The promise that God
would protect their homes (Ex. 34:23, 24) while all the
males were absent in Jerusalem at these feasts was always
fulfilled. “During the whole period between Moses and
Christ we never read of an enemy invading the land at the
time of the three festivals. The first instance on record
is thirty-three years after they had withdrawn from
themselves the divine protection by imbruing their hands in
the Saviour’s blood, when Cestius, the Roman general,
slew fifty of the people of Lydda while all the rest had
gone up to the feast of Tabernacles, A.D. 66.”
These festivals, besides their religious purpose, had an
important bearing on the maintenance among the people of
the feeling of a national unity. The times fixed for their
observance were arranged so as to interfere as little as
possible with the industry of the people. The Passover was
kept just before the harvest commenced, Pentecost at the
conclusion of the corn harvest and before the vintage, the
feast of Tabernacles after all the fruits of the ground had
been gathered in.
(3.) The Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh
month (Lev. 16:1, 34; 23:26-32; Num. 29:7-11). (See
OF.)
Of the post-Exilian festivals reference is made to the
feast of Dedication (John 10:22). This feast was appointed
by Judas Maccabaeus in commemoration of the purification of
the temple after it had been polluted by Antiochus
Epiphanes. The “feast of Purim” (q.v.), Esther
9:24-32, was also instituted after the Exile. (Cf. John
5:1.)
Festus, Porcius – the successor
of Felix (A.D. 60) as procurator of Judea (Acts 24:27). A
few weeks after he had entered on his office the case of
Paul, then a prisoner at Caesarea, was reported to him. The
“next day,” after he had gone down to Caesarea,
he heard Paul defend himself in the presence of Herod
Agrippa II. and his sister Bernice, and not finding in him
anything worthy of death or of bonds, would have set him
free had he not appealed unto Caesar (Acts 25:11, 12). In
consequence of this appeal Paul was sent to Rome. Festus,
after being in office less than two years, died in Judea.
Fever – (Deut. 28:22; Matt. 8:14;
Mark 1:30; John 4:52; Acts 28:8), a burning heat, as the
word so rendered denotes, which attends all febrile
attacks. In all Eastern countries such diseases are very
common. Peter’s wife’s mother is said to have
suffered from a “great fever” (Luke 4:38), an
instance of Luke’s professional exactitude in
describing disease. He adopts here the technical medical
distinction, as in those times fevers were divided into the
“great” and the “less.”
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).
3:7. The fig-tree is mentioned (Deut. 8:8) as one of the
valuable products of Palestine. It was a sign of peace and
prosperity (1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4; Zech. 3:10). Figs were
used medicinally (2 Kings 20:7), and pressed together and
formed into “cakes” as articles of diet (1 Sam.
30:12; Jer. 24:2).
Our Lord’s cursing the fig-tree near Bethany (Mark
11:13) has occasioned much perplexity from the
circumstance, as mentioned by the evangelist, that
“the time of figs was not yet.” The explanation
of the words, however, lies in the simple fact that the
fruit of the fig-tree appears before the leaves, and hence
that if the tree produced leaves it ought also to have had
fruit. It ought to have had fruit if it had been true to
its “pretensions,” in showing its leaves at this
particular season. “This tree, so to speak, vaunted
itself to be in advance of all the other trees, challenged
the passer-by that he should come and refresh himself with
its fruit. Yet when the Lord accepted its challenge and
drew near, it proved to be but as the others, without fruit
as they; for indeed, as the evangelist observes, the time
of figs had not yet arrived. Its fault, if one may use the
word, lay in its pretensions, in its making a show to run
before the rest when it did not so indeed” (Trench,
Miracles).
The fig-tree of Palestine (Ficus carica) produces two and
sometimes three crops of figs in a year, (1) the bikkurah,
or “early-ripe fig” (Micah 7:1; Isa. 28:4; Hos.
9:10, R.V.), which is ripe about the end of June, dropping
off as soon as it is ripe (Nah. 3:12); (2) the kermus, or
“summer fig,” then begins to be formed, and is
ripe about August; and (3) the pag (plural “green
figs,” Cant. 2:13; Gr. olynthos, Rev. 6:13, “the
untimely fig”), or “winter fig,” which
ripens in sheltered spots in spring.
Fillets – Heb. hashukum, plur.,
joinings (Ex. 27:17; 38:17, 28), the rods by which the tops
of the columns around the tabernacle court were joined
together, and from which the curtains were suspended (Ex.
27:10, 11; 36:38).
In Jer. 52:21 the rendering of a different word,
hut, meaning a “thread,” and designating a
measuring-line of 12 cubits in length for the circumference
of the copper pillars of Solomon’s temple.
Finer – a worker in silver and
gold (Prov. 25:4). In Judg. 17:4 the word (tsoreph) is
rendered “founder,” and in Isa. 41:7
“goldsmith.”
melting-pot (Prov. 17:3; 27:21).
Fir – the uniform rendering in
the Authorized Version (marg. R.V., “cypress”) of
berosh (2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Kings 5:8, 10; 6:15, 34; 9:11,
etc.), a lofty tree (Isa. 55:13) growing on Lebanon
(37:24). Its wood was used in making musical instruments
and doors of houses, and for ceilings (2 Chr. 3:5), the
decks of ships (Ezek. 27:5), floorings and spear-shafts
(Nah. 2:3, R.V.). The true fir (abies) is not found in
Palestine, but the pine tree, of which there are four
species, is common.
The precise kind of tree meant by the “green fir
tree” (Hos. 14:8) is uncertain. Some regard it as the
sherbin tree, a cypress resembling the cedar; others, the
Aleppo or maritime pine (Pinus halepensis), which resembles
the Scotch fir; while others think that the
“stone-pine” (Pinus pinea) is probably meant.
Fire – (1.) For sacred purposes.
The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The
ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from
heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at
the dedication of Solomon’s temple (2 Chr. 7:1, 3). The
expressions “fire from heaven” and “fire of
the Lord” generally denote lightning, but sometimes
also the fire of the altar was so called (Ex. 29:18; Lev.
1:9; 2:3; 3:5, 9).
Fire for a sacred purpose obtained otherwise than from the
altar was called “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1, 2;
Num. 3:4).
The victims slain for sin offerings were afterwards
consumed by fire outside the camp (Lev. 4:12, 21; 6:30;
16:27; Heb. 13:11).
(2.) For domestic purposes, such as baking, cooking,
warmth, etc. (Jer. 36:22; Mark 14:54; John 18:18). But on
Sabbath no fire for any domestic purpose was to be kindled
(Ex. 35:3; Num. 15:32-36).
(3.) Punishment of death by fire was inflicted on such as
were guilty of certain forms of unchastity and incest (Lev.
20:14; 21:9). The burning of captives in war was not
unknown among the Jews (2 Sam. 12:31; Jer. 29:22). The
bodies of infamous persons who were executed were also
sometimes burned (Josh. 7:25; 2 Kings 23:16).
(4.) In war, fire was used in the destruction of cities, as
Jericho (Josh. 6:24), Ai (8:19), Hazor (11:11), Laish
(Judg. 18:27), etc. The war-chariots of the Canaanites were
burnt (Josh. 11:6, 9, 13). The Israelites burned the images
(2 Kings 10:26; R.V., “pillars”) of the house of
Baal. These objects of worship seem to have been of the
nature of obelisks, and were sometimes evidently made of
wood.
Torches were sometimes carried by the soldiers in battle
(Judg. 7:16).
(5.) Figuratively, fire is a symbol of Jehovah’s
presence and the instrument of his power (Ex. 14:19; Num.
11:1, 3; Judg. 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10, 12;
2:11; Isa. 6:4; Ezek. 1:4; Rev. 1:14, etc.).
God’s word is also likened unto fire (Jer. 23:29). It
is referred to as an emblem of severe trials or misfortunes
(Zech. 12:6; Luke 12:49; 1 Cor. 3:13, 15; 1 Pet. 1:7), and
of eternal punishment (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:44; Rev. 14:10;
21:8).
The influence of the Holy Ghost is likened unto fire (Matt.
3:11). His descent was denoted by the appearance of tongues
as of fire (Acts 2:3).
Firebrand – Isa. 7:4, Amos 4:11,
Zech. 3:2, denotes the burnt end of a stick (Heb. ‘ud);
in Judg. 15:4, a lamp or torch, a flambeau (Heb. lappid);
in Prov. 26:18 (comp. Eph. 6:16), burning darts or arrows
(Heb. zikkim).
Firepan – (Ex. 27:3; 38:3), one
of the vessels of the temple service (rendered
“snuff-dish” Ex. 25:38; 37:23; and
“censer” Lev. 10:1; 16:12). It was probably a
metallic cinder-basin used for the purpose of carrying live
coal for burning incense, and of carrying away the snuff in
trimming the lamps.
Firkin – Used only in John 2:6;
the Attic amphora, equivalent to the Hebrew bath (q.v.), a
measure for liquids containing about 8 7/8 gallons.
firmamentum, which is used as the translation of the Hebrew
raki’a. This word means simply
“expansion.” It denotes the space or expanse like
an arch appearing immediately above us. They who rendered
raki’a by firmamentum regarded it as a solid
body. The language of Scripture is not scientific but
popular, and hence we read of the sun rising and setting,
and also here the use of this particular word. It is plain
that it was used to denote solidity as well as expansion.
It formed a division between the waters above and the
waters below (Gen. 1:7). The raki’a supported
the upper reservoir (Ps. 148:4). It was the support also of
the heavenly bodies (Gen. 1:14), and is spoken of as having
“windows” and “doors” (Gen. 7:11; Isa.
24:18; Mal. 3:10) through which the rain and snow might
descend.
First-born – sons enjoyed certain
special privileges (Deut. 21:17; Gen. 25:23, 31, 34; 49:3;
1 Chr. 5:1; Heb. 12:16; Ps. 89:27). (See BIRTHRIGHT.)
The “first-born of the poor” signifies the most
miserable of the poor (Isa. 14:30). The “church of the
first-born” signifies the church of the redeemed.
The destruction of the first-born was the last of the ten
plagues inflicted on the Egyptians (Ex. 11:1-8; 12:29, 30).
Menephtah is probably the Pharaoh whose first-born was
slain. His son did not succeed or survive his father, but
died early. The son’s tomb has been found at Thebes
unfinished, showing it was needed earlier than was
expected. Some of the records on the tomb are as follows:
“The son whom Menephtah loves; who draws towards him
his father’s heart, the singer, the prince of archers,
who governed Egypt on behalf of his father. Dead.”
First-born, Redemption of – From
the beginning the office of the priesthood in each family
belonged to the eldest son. But when the extensive plan of
sacrificial worship was introduced, requiring a company of
men to be exclusively devoted to this ministry, the
primitive office of the first-born was superseded by that
of the Levites (Num. 3:11-13), and it was ordained that the
first-born of man and of unclean animals should henceforth
be redeemed (18:15).
The laws concerning this redemption of the first-born of
man are recorded in Ex. 13:12-15; 22:29; 34:20; Num. 3:45;
8:17; 18:16; Lev. 12:2, 4.
The first-born male of every clean animal was to be given
up to the priest for sacrifice (Deut. 12:6; Ex. 13:12;
34:20; Num. 18:15-17).
But the first-born of unclean animals was either to be
redeemed or sold and the price given to the priest (Lev.
27:11-13, 27). The first-born of an ass, if not redeemed,
was to be put to death (Ex. 13:13; 34:20).
First-born, Sanctification of the
– A peculiar sanctity was attached to the first-born
both of man and of cattle. God claimed that the first-born
males of man and of animals should be consecrated to him,
the one as a priest (Ex. 19:22, 24), representing the
family to which he belonged, and the other to be offered up
in sacrifice (Gen. 4:4).
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.
Hebrews, a word denoting great fecundity (Gen. 9:2; Num.
11:22; Jonah 2:1, 10). No fish is mentioned by name either
in the Old or in the New Testament. Fish abounded in the
Mediterranean and in the lakes of the Jordan, so that the
Hebrews were no doubt acquainted with many species. Two of
the villages on the shores of the Sea of Galilee derived
their names from their fisheries, Bethsaida (the
“house of fish”) on the east and on the west.
There is probably no other sheet of water in the world of
equal dimensions that contains such a variety and profusion
of fish. About thirty-seven different kinds have been
found. Some of the fishes are of a European type, such as
the roach, the barbel, and the blenny; others are markedly
African and tropical, such as the eel-like silurus. There
was a regular fish-market apparently in Jerusalem (2 Chr.
33:14; Neh. 3:3; 12:39; Zeph. 1:10), as there was a
fish-gate which was probably contiguous to it.
Sidon is the oldest fishing establishment known in history.
sense (Luke 5:2), this word is also applied by our Lord to
his disciples in a figurative sense (Matt. 4:19; Mark
1:17).
catching fish (Amos 4:2; comp. Isa. 37:29; Jer. 16:16;
Ezek. 29:4; Job. 41:1, 2; Matt. 17:27).
prosecuted with great industry in the waters of Palestine.
It was from the fishing-nets that Jesus called his
disciples (Mark 1:16-20), and it was in a fishing-boat he
rebuked the winds and the waves (Matt. 8:26) and delivered
that remarkable series of prophecies recorded in Matt. 13.
He twice miraculously fed multitudes with fish and bread
(Matt. 14:19; 15:36). It was in the mouth of a fish that
the tribute-money was found (Matt. 17:27). And he “ate
a piece of broiled fish” with his disciples after his
resurrection (Luke 24:42, 43; comp. Acts 1:3). At the Sea
of Tiberias (John 21:1-14), in obedience to his direction,
the disciples cast their net “on the right side of the
ship,” and enclosed so many that “they were not
able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”
Two kinds of fishing-nets are mentioned in the New
Testament:
(1.) The casting-net (Matt. 4:18; Mark 1:16).
(2.) The drag-net or seine (Matt. 13:48).
Fish were also caught by the fishing-hook (Matt. 17:27).
Fish-pools – (Cant. 7:4) should
be simply “pools,” as in the Revised Version. The
reservoirs near Heshbon (q.v.) were probably stocked with
fish (2 Sam. 2:13; 4:12; Isa. 7:3; 22:9, 11).
Fitches – (Isa. 28:25, 27), the
rendering of the Hebrew ketsah, “without doubt
the Nigella sativa, a small annual of the order
Ranunculacece, which grows wild in the Mediterranean
countries, and is cultivated in Egypt and Syria for its
seed.” It is rendered in margin of the Revised Version
“black cummin.” The seeds are used as a
condiment.
In Ezek. 4:9 this word is the rendering of the Hebrew
kussemeth (incorrectly rendered “rye” in the
Authorized Version of Ex. 9:32 and Isa. 28:25, but
“spelt” in the Revised Version). The reading
“fitches” here is an error; it should be
“spelt.”
Flag – (Heb., or rather Egyptian,
ahu, Job 8:11), rendered “meadow” in Gen. 41:2,
18; probably the Cyperus esculentus, a species of rush
eaten by cattle, the Nile reed. It also grows in
Palestine.
In Ex. 2:3, 5, Isa. 19:6, it is the rendering of the Hebrew
suph_, a word which occurs frequently in connection with
_yam; as yam suph, to denote the “Red
Sea” (q.v.) or the sea of weeds (as this word is
rendered, Jonah 2:5). It denotes some kind of sedge or reed
which grows in marshy places.
Flagon – Heb. ashishah, (2 Sam.
6:19; 1 Chr. 16:3; Cant. 2:5; Hos. 3:1), meaning properly
“a cake of pressed raisins.” “Flagons of
wine” of the Authorized Version should be, as in the
Revised Version, “cakes of raisins” in all these
passages. In Isa. 22:24 it is the rendering of the Hebrew
nebel, which properly means a bottle or vessel of
skin. (Comp. 1 Sam. 1:24; 10:3; 25:18; 2 Sam. 16:1, where
the same Hebrew word is used.)
symbol of the holiness of God (Ex. 3:2; Rev. 2:18), as
indicating “the intense, all-consuming operation of
his holiness in relation to sin.”
“peeled”, in allusion to the fact that the stalks
of flax when dried were first split or peeled before being
steeped in water for the purpose of destroying the pulp).
This plant was cultivated from earliest times. The flax of
Egypt was destroyed by the plague of hail when it “was
bolled”, i.e., was forming pods for seed (Ex. 9:31).
It was extensively cultivated both in Egypt and Palestine.
Reference is made in Josh. 2:6 to the custom of drying
flax-stalks by exposing them to the sun on the flat roofs
of houses. It was much used in forming articles of clothing
such as girdles, also cords and bands (Lev. 13:48, 52, 59;
Deut. 22:11).
Adullam thus addressed his persecutor Saul (1 Sam. 24:14):
“After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom
dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea?” He
thus speaks of himself as the poor, contemptible object of
the monarch’s pursuit, a “worthy object truly for
an expedition of the king of Israel with his picked
troops!” This insect is in Eastern language the
popular emblem of insignificance. In 1 Sam. 26:20 the LXX.
read “come out to seek my life” instead of
“to seek a flea.”
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.
denotes (1) a particular part of the body of man and
animals (Gen. 2:21; 41:2; Ps. 102:5, marg.); (2) the whole
body (Ps. 16:9); (3) all living things having flesh, and
particularly humanity as a whole (Gen. 6:12, 13); (4)
mutability and weakness (2 Chr. 32:8; comp. Isa. 31:3; Ps.
78:39). As suggesting the idea of softness it is used in
the expression “heart of flesh” (Ezek. 11:19).
The expression “my flesh and bone” (Judg. 9:2;
Isa. 58:7) denotes relationship.
In the New Testament, besides these it is also used to
denote the sinful element of human nature as opposed to the
“Spirit” (Rom. 6:19; Matt. 16:17). Being “in
the flesh” means being unrenewed (Rom. 7:5; 8:8, 9),
and to live “according to the flesh” is to live
and act sinfully (Rom. 8:4, 5, 7, 12).
This word also denotes the human nature of Christ (John
1:14, “The Word was made flesh.” Comp. also 1
Tim. 3:16; Rom. 1:3).
Flesh-hook – a many-pronged fork
used in the sacrificial services (1 Sam. 2:13, 14; Ex.
27:3; 38:3) by the priest in drawing away the flesh. The
fat of the sacrifice, together with the breast and shoulder
(Lev. 7:29-34), were presented by the worshipper to the
priest. The fat was burned on the alter (3:3-5), and the
breast and shoulder became the portion of the priests. But
Hophni and Phinehas, not content with this, sent a servant
to seize with a flesh-hook a further portion.
Flint – abounds in all the plains
and valleys of the wilderness of the forty years’
wanderings. In Isa. 50:7 and Ezek. 3:9 the expressions,
where the word is used, means that the “Messiah would
be firm and resolute amidst all contempt and scorn which he
would meet; that he had made up his mind to endure it, and
would not shrink from any kind or degree of suffering which
would be necessary to accomplish the great work in which he
was engaged.” (Comp. Ezek. 3:8, 9.) The words
“like a flint” are used with reference to the
hoofs of horses (Isa. 5:28).
Flood – an event recorded in Gen.
7 and 8. In Josh. 24:2, 3, 14, 15, the word
“flood” (R.V., “river”) means the river
Euphrates. In Ps. 66:6, this word refers to the river
Jordan.
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).
flowers are mentioned in the Bible although they abounded
in Palestine. It has been calculated that in Western Syria
and Palestine from two thousand to two thousand five
hundred plants are found, of which about five hundred
probably are British wild-flowers. Their beauty is often
alluded to (Cant. 2:12; Matt. 6:28). They are referred to
as affording an emblem of the transitory nature of human
life (Job 14:2; Ps. 103:15; Isa. 28:1; 40:6; James 1:10).
Gardens containing flowers and fragrant herbs are spoken of
(Cant. 4:16; 6:2).
probably composed of a number of pipes, mentioned Dan. 3:5,
7, 10, 15.
In Matt. 9:23, 24, notice is taken of players on the flute,
here called “minstrels” (but in R.V.
“flute-players”).
Flutes were in common use among the ancient Egyptians.
Fly – Heb. zebub, (Eccl. 10:1;
Isa. 7:18). This fly was so grievous a pest that the
Phoenicians invoked against it the aid of their god
Baal-zebub (q.v.). The prophet Isaiah (7:18) alludes to
some poisonous fly which was believed to be found on the
confines of Egypt, and which would be called by the Lord.
Poisonous flies exist in many parts of Africa, for
instance, the different kinds of tsetse.
Heb. ‘arob, the name given to the insects sent as a
plague on the land of Egypt (Ex. 8:21-31; Ps. 78:45;
105:31). The LXX. render this by a word which means the
“dog-fly,” the cynomuia. The Jewish commentators
regarded the Hebrew word here as connected with the word
‘arab, which means “mingled;” and they
accordingly supposed the plague to consist of a mixed
multitude of animals, beasts, reptiles, and insects. But
there is no doubt that “the ‘arab”
denotes a single definite species. Some interpreters regard
it as the Blatta orientalis, the cockroach, a species of
beetle. These insects “inflict very painful bites with
their jaws; gnaw and destroy clothes, household furniture,
leather, and articles of every kind, and either consume or
render unavailable all eatables.”
Foam – (Hos. 10:7), the rendering
of ketseph, which properly means twigs or splinters
(as rendered in the LXX. and marg. R.V.). The expression in
Hosea may therefore be read, “as a chip on the face of
the water,” denoting the helplessness of the piece of
wood as compared with the irresistable current.
Fodder – Heb. belil, (Job 6:5),
meaning properly a mixture or medley (Lat. farrago),
“made up of various kinds of grain, as wheat, barley,
vetches, and the like, all mixed together, and then sown or
given to cattle” (Job 24:6, A.V. “corn,”
R.V. “provender;” Isa. 30:24,
provender”).
Fold – an enclosure for flocks to
rest together (Isa. 13:20). Sheep-folds are mentioned Num.
32:16, 24, 36; 2 Sam. 7:8; Zeph. 2:6; John 10:1, etc. It
was prophesied of the cities of Ammon (Ezek. 25:5), Aroer
(Isa. 17:2), and Judaea, that they would be folds or
couching-places for flocks. “Among the pots,” of
the Authorized Version (Ps. 68:13), is rightly in the
Revised Version, “among the sheepfolds.”
granted the use of the vegetable world for food to man
(Gen. 1:29), with the exception mentioned (2:17). The use
of animal food was probably not unknown to the
antediluvians. There is, however, a distinct law on the
subject given to Noah after the Deluge (Gen. 9:2-5).
Various articles of food used in the patriarchal age are
mentioned in Gen. 18:6-8; 25:34; 27:3, 4; 43:11. Regarding
the food of the Israelites in Egypt, see Ex. 16:3; Num.
11:5. In the wilderness their ordinary food was
miraculously supplied in the manna. They had also quails
(Ex. 16:11-13; Num. 11:31).
In the law of Moses there are special regulations as to the
animals to be used for food (Lev. 11; Deut. 14:3-21). The
Jews were also forbidden to use as food anything that had
been consecrated to idols (Ex. 34:15), or animals that had
died of disease or had been torn by wild beasts (Ex. 22:31;
Lev. 22:8). (See also for other restrictions Ex. 23:19;
29:13-22; Lev. 3:4-9; 9:18, 19; 22:8; Deut. 14:21.) But
beyond these restrictions they had a large grant from God
(Deut. 14:26; 32:13, 14).
Food was prepared for use in various ways. The cereals were
sometimes eaten without any preparation (Lev. 23:14; Deut.
23:25; 2 Kings 4:42). Vegetables were cooked by boiling
(Gen. 25:30, 34; 2 Kings 4:38, 39), and thus also other
articles of food were prepared for use (Gen. 27:4; Prov.
23:3; Ezek. 24:10; Luke 24:42; John 21:9). Food was also
prepared by roasting (Ex. 12:8; Lev. 2:14). (See
COOK.)
throne (2 Chr. 9:18). Jehovah symbolically dwelt in the
holy place between the cherubim above the ark of the
covenant. The ark was his footstool (1 Chr. 28:2; Ps. 99:5;
132:7). And as heaven is God’s throne, so the earth is
his footstool (Ps. 110:1; Isa. 66:1; Matt. 5:35).
Forces – of the Gentiles (Isa.
60:5, 11; R.V., “the wealth of the nations”)
denotes the wealth of the heathen. The whole passage means
that the wealth of the Gentile world should be consecrated
to the service of the church.
Ford – Mention is frequently made
of the fords of the Jordan (Josh. 2:7; Judg. 3:28; 12:5,
6), which must have been very numerous; about fifty
perhaps. The most notable was that of Bethabara. Mention is
also made of the ford of the Jabbok (Gen. 32:22), and of
the fords of Arnon (Isa. 16:2) and of the Euphrates (Jer.
51:32).
Forehead – The practice common
among Oriental nations of colouring the forehead or
impressing on it some distinctive mark as a sign of
devotion to some deity is alluded to in Rev. 13:16, 17;
14:9; 17:5; 20:4.
The “jewel on thy forehead” mentioned in Ezek.
16:12 (R.V., “a ring upon thy nose”) was in all
probability the “nose-ring” (Isa. 3:21).
In Ezek. 3:7 the word “impudent” is rightly
rendered in the Revised Version “an hard
forehead.” (See also ver. 8, 9.)
Foreigner – a Gentile. Such as
resided among the Hebrews were required by the law to be
treated with kindness (Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33, 34;
23:22; Deut. 14:28; 16:10, 11; 24:19). They enjoyed in many
things equal rights with the native-born residents (Ex.
12:49; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:15; 35:15), but were not allowed
to do anything which was an abomination according to the
Jewish law (Ex. 20:10; Lev. 17:15,16; 18:26; 20:2; 24:16,
etc.).
Foreknowledge of God – Acts 2:23;
Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2), one of those high attributes
essentially appertaining to him the full import of which we
cannot comprehend. In the most absolute sense his knowledge
is infinite (1 Sam. 23:9-13; Jer. 38:17-23; 42:9-22, Matt.
11:21, 23; Acts 15:18).
went before our Lord in this character (Mark 1:2, 3).
Christ so called (Heb. 6:20) as entering before his people
into the holy place as their head and guide.
a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great
primeval forests of Syria (Eccl. 2:6; Isa. 44:14; Jer. 5:6;
Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic
forest of Ephraim (2 Sam. 18:6, 8; Josh. 17:15, 18), which
is probably the same as the wood of Ephratah (Ps. 132:6),
some part of the great forest of Gilead. It was in this
forest that Absalom was slain by Joab. David withdrew to
the forest of Hareth in the mountains of Judah to avoid the
fury of Saul (1 Sam. 22:5). We read also of the forest of
Bethel (2 Kings 2:23, 24), and of that which the Israelites
passed in their pursuit of the Philistines (1 Sam. 14:25),
and of the forest of the cedars of Lebanon (1 Kings 4:33; 2
Kings 19:23; Hos. 14:5, 6).
“The house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2;
10:17; 2 Chr. 9:16) was probably Solomon’s armoury, and
was so called because the wood of its many pillars came
from Lebanon, and they had the appearance of a forest.
Heb. horesh, denoting a thicket of trees, underwood,
jungle, bushes, or trees entangled, and therefore affording
a safe hiding-place. place. This word is rendered
“forest” only in 2 Chr. 27:4. It is also rendered
“wood”, the “wood” in the
“wilderness of Ziph,” in which david concealed
himself (1 Sam. 23:15), which lay south-east of Hebron. In
Isa. 17:19 this word is in Authorized Version rendered
incorrectly “bough.”
Heb. pardes, meaning an enclosed garden or plantation.
Asaph is (Neh. 2:8) called the “keeper of the
king’s forest.” The same Hebrew word is used Eccl.
2:5, where it is rendered in the plural
“orchards” (R.V., “parks”), and Cant.
4: 13, rendered “orchard” (R.V. marg., “a
paradise”).
“The forest of the vintage” (Zech. 11:2,
“inaccessible forest,” or R.V. “strong
forest”) is probably a figurative allusion to
Jerusalem, or the verse may simply point to the devastation
of the region referred to.
The forest is an image of unfruitfulness as contrasted with
a cultivated field (Isa. 29:17; 32:15; Jer. 26:18; Hos.
2:12). Isaiah (10:19, 33, 34) likens the Assyrian host
under Sennacherib (q.v.) to the trees of some huge forest,
to be suddenly cut down by an unseen stroke.
Forgiveness of sin – one of the
constituent parts of justification. In pardoning sin, God
absolves the sinner from the condemnation of the law, and
that on account of the work of Christ, i.e., he removes the
guilt of sin, or the sinner’s actual liability to
eternal wrath on account of it. All sins are forgiven
freely (Acts 5:31; 13:38; 1 John 1:6-9). The sinner is by
this act of grace for ever freed from the guilt and penalty
of his sins. This is the peculiar prerogative of God (Ps.
130:4; Mark 2:5). It is offered to all in the gospel.
Fornication – in every form of it
was sternly condemned by the Mosaic law (Lev. 21:9; 19:29;
Deut. 22:20, 21, 23-29; 23:18; Ex. 22:16). (See ADULTERY.)
But this word is more frequently used in a symbolical than
in its ordinary sense. It frequently means a forsaking of
God or a following after idols (Isa. 1:2; Jer. 2:20; Ezek.
16; Hos. 1:2; 2:1-5; Jer. 3:8,9).
disciple of Corinth who visited Paul at Ephesus, and
returned with Stephanas and Achaicus, the bearers of the
apostle’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor.
16:17).
“eye” of the water desert), a natural source of
living water. Palestine was a “land of brooks of
water, of fountains, and depths that spring out of valleys
and hills” (Deut. 8:7; 11:11).
These fountains, bright sparkling “eyes” of the
desert, are remarkable for their abundance and their
beauty, especially on the west of Jordan. All the perennial
rivers and streams of the country are supplied from
fountains, and depend comparatively little on surface
water. “Palestine is a country of mountains and hills,
and it abounds in fountains of water. The murmur of these
waters is heard in every dell, and the luxuriant foliage
which surrounds them is seen in every plain.” Besides
its rain-water, its cisterns and fountains, Jerusalem had
also an abundant supply of water in the magnificent
reservoir called “Solomon’s Pools” (q.v.), at
the head of the Urtas valley, whence it was conveyed to the
city by subterrean channels some 10 miles in length. These
have all been long ago destroyed, so that no water from the
“Pools” now reaches Jerusalem. Only one fountain
has been discovered at Jerusalem, the so-called
“Virgins’s Fountains,” in the valley of
Kidron; and only one well (Heb. beer), the Bir Eyub, also
in the valley of Kidron, south of the King’s Gardens,
which has been dug through the solid rock. The inhabitants
of Jerusalem are now mainly dependent on the winter rains,
which they store in cisterns.
perennial source from which the Pool of Siloam (q.v.) is
supplied, the waters flowing in a copious stream to it
through a tunnel cut through the rock, the actual length of
which is 1,750 feet. The spring rises in a cave 20 feet by
7. A serpentine tunnel 67 feet long runs from it toward the
left, off which the tunnel to the Pool of Siloam branches.
It is the only unfailing fountain in Jerusalem.
The fountain received its name from the “fantastic
legend” that here the virgin washed the
swaddling-clothes of our Lord.
This spring has the singular characteristic of being
intermittent, flowing from three to five times daily in
winter, twice daily in summer, and only once daily in
autumn. This peculiarity is accounted for by the
supposition that the outlet from the reservoir is by a
passage in the form of a siphon.
Fowler – the arts of, referred to
Ps. 91:3; 124:7; Prov. 6:5; Jer. 5:26; Hos. 9:8; Ezek.
17:20; Eccl. 9:12. Birds of all kinds abound in Palestine,
and the capture of these for the table and for other uses
formed the employment of many persons. The traps and snares
used for this purpose are mentioned Hos. 5:1; Prov. 7:23;
22:5; Amos 3:5; Ps. 69:22; comp. Deut. 22:6, 7.
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.
Frankincense – (Heb. lebonah; Gr.
libanos, i.e., “white”), an odorous resin
imported from Arabia (Isa. 60:6; Jer. 6:20), yet also
growing in Palestine (Cant. 4:14). It was one of the
ingredients in the perfume of the sanctuary (Ex. 30:34),
and was used as an accompaniment of the meat-offering (Lev.
2:1, 16; 6:15; 24:7). When burnt it emitted a fragrant
odour, and hence the incense became a symbol of the Divine
name (Mal. 1:11; Cant. 1:3) and an emblem of prayer (Ps.
141:2; Luke 1:10; Rev. 5:8; 8:3).
This frankincense, or olibanum, used by the Jews in the
temple services is not to be confounded with the
frankincense of modern commerce, which is an exudation of
the Norway spruce fir, the Pinus abies. It was probably a
resin from the Indian tree known to botanists by the name
of Boswellia serrata or thurifera, which grows to the
height of forty feet.
pointed out the cases in which the servants of the Hebrews
were to receive their freedom (Ex. 21:2-4, 7, 8; Lev.
25:39-42, 47-55; Deut. 15:12-18). Under the Roman law the
“freeman” (ingenuus) was one born free; the
“freedman” (libertinus) was a manumitted slave,
and had not equal rights with the freeman (Acts 22:28;
comp. Acts 16:37-39; 21:39; 22:25; 25:11, 12).
spontaneous gift (Ex. 35:29), a voluntary sacrifice (Lev.
22:23; Ezra 3:5), as opposed to one in consequence of a
vow, or in expiation of some offence.
meaning a “marsh-leaper”). This reptile is
mentioned in the Old Testament only in connection with one
of the plagues which fell on the land of Egypt (Ex. 8:2-14;
Ps. 78:45; 105:30).
In the New Testament this word occurs only in Rev. 16:13,
where it is referred to as a symbol of uncleanness. The
only species of frog existing in Palestine is the green
frog (Rana esculenta), the well-known edible frog of the
Continent.
Frontlets – occurs only in Ex.
13:16; Deut. 6:8, and 11:18. The meaning of the injunction
to the Israelites, with regard to the statues and precepts
given them, that they should “bind them for a sign
upon their hand, and have them as frontlets between their
eyes,” was that they should keep them distinctly in
view and carefully attend to them. But soon after their
return from Babylon they began to interpret this injunction
literally, and had accordingly portions of the law written
out and worn about their person. These they called
tephillin, i.e., “prayers.” The passages so
written out on strips of parchment were these, Ex. 12:2-10;
13:11-21; Deut. 6:4-9; 11:18-21. They were then
“rolled up in a case of black calfskin, which was
attached to a stiffer piece of leather, having a thong one
finger broad and one cubit and a half long. Those worn on
the forehead were written on four strips of parchment, and
put into four little cells within a square case, which had
on it the Hebrew letter called shin, the three points of
which were regarded as an emblem of God.” This case
tied around the forehead in a particular way was called
“the tephillah on the head.”
smoothness) Job 37:10 (R.V., “ice”); Gen. 31:40;
Jer. 36:30; rendered “ice” in Job 6:16, 38:29;
and “crystal” in Ezek. 1:22. “At the present
day frost is entirely unknown in the lower portions of the
valley of the Jordan, but slight frosts are sometimes felt
on the sea-coast and near Lebanon.” Throughout Western
Asia cold frosty nights are frequently succeeded by warm
days.
“Hoar frost” (Heb. kephor, so called from its
covering the ground) is mentioned in Ex. 16:14; Job 38:29;
Ps. 147:16.
In Ps. 78:47 the word rendered “frost” (R.V.
marg., “great hail-stones”), hanamal,
occurs only there. It is rendered by Gesenius, the Hebrew
lexicographer, “ant,” and so also by others, but
the usual interpretation derived from the ancient versions
may be maintained.
Scripture denoting produce in general, whether vegetable or
animal. The Hebrews divided the fruits of the land into
three classes:,
(1.) The fruit of the field, “corn-fruit” (Heb.
dagan); all kinds of grain and pulse.
(2.) The fruit of the vine, “vintage-fruit” (Heb.
tirosh); grapes, whether moist or dried.
(3.) “Orchard-fruits” (Heb. yitshar), as dates,
figs, citrons, etc.
Injunctions concerning offerings and tithes were expressed
by these Hebrew terms alone (Num. 18:12; Deut. 14:23). This
word “fruit” is also used of children or
offspring (Gen. 30:2; Deut. 7:13; Luke 1:42; Ps. 21:10;
132:11); also of the progeny of beasts (Deut. 28:51; Isa.
14:29).
It is used metaphorically in a variety of forms (Ps.
104:13; Prov. 1:31; 11:30; 31:16; Isa. 3:10; 10:12; Matt.
3:8; 21:41; 26:29; Heb. 13:15; Rom. 7:4, 5; 15:28).
The fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23; Eph. 5:9; James
3:17, 18) are those gracious dispositions and habits which
the Spirit produces in those in whom he dwells and works.
Frying-pan – (Heb. marhesheth, a
“boiler”), a pot for boiling meat (Lev. 2:7;
7:9).
combustible matter was used for fuel, such as the withered
stalks of herbs (Matt. 6:30), thorns (Ps. 58:9; Eccl. 7:6),
animal excrements (Ezek. 4:12-15; 15:4, 6; 21:32). Wood or
charcoal is much used still in all the towns of Syria and
Egypt. It is largely brought from the region of Hebron to
Jerusalem.
Fugitive – Gen. 4:12, 14, a rover
or wanderer (Heb. n’a); Judg. 12:4, a refugee, one who
has escaped (Heb. palit); 2 Kings 25:11, a deserter, one
who has fallen away to the enemy (Heb. nophel); Ezek.
17:21, one who has broken away in flight (Heb. mibrah);
Isa. 15:5; 43:14, a breaker away, a fugitive (Heb. beriah),
one who flees away.
“full” is from the Anglo-Saxon fullian, meaning
“to whiten.” To full is to press or scour cloth
in a mill. This art is one of great antiquity. Mention is
made of “fuller’s soap” (Mal. 3:2), and of
“the fuller’s field” (2 Kings 18:17). At his
transfiguration our Lord’s rainment is said to have
been white “so as no fuller on earth could white
them” (Mark 9:3). En-rogel (q.v.), meaning literally
“foot-fountain,” has been interpreted as the
“fuller’s fountain,” because there the
fullers trod the cloth with their feet.
Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:17; Isa. 36:2; 7:3), on the side of
the highway west of the city, not far distant from the
“upper pool” at the head of the valley of Hinnom.
Here the fullers pursued their occupation.
mekabbeshim, i.e., “alkali of those treading
cloth”). Mention is made (Prov. 25:20; Jer. 2:22) of
nitre and also (Mal. 3:2) of soap (Heb. borith) used by the
fuller in his operations. Nitre is found in Syria, and
vegetable alkali was obtained from the ashes of certain
plants.
4:4), the time appointed by God, and foretold by the
prophets, when Messiah should appear. (2.) Of Christ (John
1:16), the superabundance of grace with which he was
filled. (3.) Of the Godhead bodily dwelling in Christ (Col.
2:9), i.e., the whole nature and attributes of God are in
Christ. (4.) Eph. 1:23, the church as the fulness of
Christ, i.e., the church makes Christ a complete and
perfect head.
Funeral – Burying was among the
Jews the only mode of disposing of corpses (Gen. 23:19;
25:9; 35:8, 9, etc.).
The first traces of burning the dead are found in 1 Sam.
31:12. The burning of the body was affixed by the law of
Moses as a penalty to certain crimes (Lev. 20:14; 21:9).
To leave the dead unburied was regarded with horror (1
Kings 13:22; 14:11; 16:4; 21:24, etc.).
In the earliest times of which we have record kinsmen
carried their dead to the grave (Gen. 25:9; 35:29; Judg.
16:31), but in later times this was done by others (Amos
6:16).
Immediately after decease the body was washed, and then
wrapped in a large cloth (Acts 9:37; Matt. 27:59; Mark
15:46). In the case of persons of distinction, aromatics
were laid on the folds of the cloth (John 19:39; comp. John
12:7).
As a rule the burial (q.v.) took place on the very day of
the death (Acts 5:6, 10), and the body was removed to the
grave in an open coffin or on a bier (Luke 7:14). After the
burial a funeral meal was usually given (2 Sam. 3:35; Jer.
16:5, 7; Hos. 9:4).
measure of distance equal to 606 feet and 9 inches (Luke
24:13; John 6:19; 11:18; Rev. 14:20; 21:16).
Furnace – (1.) Chald. attun, a
large furnace with a wide open mouth, at the top of which
materials were cast in (Dan. 3:22, 23; comp. Jer. 29:22).
This furnace would be in constant requisition, for the
Babylonians disposed of their dead by cremation, as did
also the Accadians who invaded Mesopotamia.
(2.) Heb. kibshan, a smelting furnace (Gen. 19:28), also a
lime-kiln (Isa. 33:12; Amos 2:1).
(3.) Heb. kur, a refining furnace (Prov. 17:3; 27:21; Ezek.
22:18).
(4.) Heb. alil, a crucible; only used in Ps. 12:6.
(5.) Heb. tannur, oven for baking bread (Gen. 15:17; Isa.
31:9; Neh. 3:11). It was a large pot, narrowing towards the
top. When it was heated by a fire made within, the dough
was spread over the heated surface, and thus was baked.
“A smoking furnace and a burning lamp” (Gen.
15:17), the symbol of the presence of the Almighty, passed
between the divided pieces of Abraham’s sacrifice in
ratification of the covenant God made with him.
(6.) Gr. kamnos, a furnace, kiln, or oven (Matt. 13:42, 50;
Rev. 1:15; 9:2).
Furrow – an opening in the ground
made by the plough (Ps. 65:10; Hos. 10:4, 10).
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