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 t…
Fairs.
FAIRS. The word occurs in Eze 27:12, Eze 27:14, Eze 27:16, Eze 27:22, Eze 27:27, Eze 27:33. In v. 33 the Hebrew word is translated "wares," and this is probably the true meaning in all the passages.
Faith.
FAITH. The word in the N.T. denotes (1) the truth of the gospel of Christ and the kingdom of God. Acts 6:7; Rom 1:5; Gal 1:23; 1 Tim 3:9; Jude 3 ("the faith which was once delivered to the saints"). …
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.).…
Faithfulness
FAITH'FULNESS is a divine attribute, and denotes the certainty of the accomplishment of all that the divine Being has declared. Num 23:19; Ps 89:1, Ps 89:33-34; Heb 10:23.
Fall Of Man
An expression 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 post…
Fallow Ground
FAL'LOW GROUND, a field ploughed, but unsowed (figuratively, Jer 4:3; Hos 10:12; literally, "tillage." Prov 13:23). See Agriculture.
Fallow Year
FAL'LOW YEAR. See Sabbatical Year.
Fallow-deer.
FAL'LOW-DEER. "Deer" is The Bubale, or Fallow-Deer of Scripture. (After Wood.) a general name of a class of quadrupeds, as the stag, fallow-deer, reindeer, elk, etc., but the animal is never mentione…
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). Su…
Familiar Spirits
FAMIL'IAR SPIR'ITS (from the Latin familiaris, "a household servant"). The phrase expressed the idea that necromancers had spirits at their command to wait upon them as servants. See Divination.
Famine.
FAM'INE. We have an account of at least 8 famines in Palestine and the neighboring countries. They were among the judgments of God for national sins, and were often prophetically announced. Two famin…
Fan.
FAN. This was probably a broad shovel used to toss the threshed grain against the breeze for the purpose of separating the chaff from the grain. Isa 30:24. The "shovel" mentioned in the same passage …
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 fi…
Farthing.
FAR'THING. Two Greek words are translated " farthing" in the N.T.:(1) the kodrantes, worth about three eighths of a cent; (2) the assarion, A Farthing worth about a cent and a half. See Money.
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 Te…
Fasts,
FASTS, There was only one day appointed as a fast by the Mosaic code, the day of atonement, Lev 16:29, sq., where the expression "Ye shall afflict your souls" probably refers to fasting. During and a…
Fat.
FAT. The Hebrews distinguished between the suet or pure fat of an animal and the fat which was intermixed with the lean. Neh 8:10. Some parts of the former were forbidden to be eaten in the case of a…
Father.
FA'THER. This word is used in the Bible in several senses besides its usual one. It is applied to any ancestor, and in the plural to ancestors in general. Dan 5:2; Deut 1:11; Matt 23:30. As a title o…
Fathom.
FATH'OM. See Measures.
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. 6…
Fear
FEAR. "The fear of the Lord" is a common expression in the O.T. Job 28:28; comp. Acts 9:31. It refers to awe and reverence for piety rather than to dread of God. The love of God is not so plainly rev…
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 revere…
Feast,
FEAST, Luke 14:13, FEASTS. Lev 23:2. We often read in the Bible of feasts or sumptuous entertainments, and of the customs pertaining to them. They were generally given to celebrate or commemorate som…
Feasts
[Festivals; Meals]
Feet
FEET. To remove the shoes from the feet was regarded as a token of reverence, and also of mourning. Ex 3:5; Eze 24:17. It is supposed that the priests officiated with naked feet, and in modern times,…
Felix
Happy, the Roman 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” referre…
Fellowship
(1.) With God, 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); conformit…
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…
Fenced Cities
There were in 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 …