Fenced City
FENCED CIT'Y. See Cities.
Ferret,
FER'RET, an animal of the weasel family tamed in Europe and used for catching rats. It has long been agreed that "the creature which sighs or groans" (Heb. anokah, "to groan") is not the ferret. Lev …
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
I. The religious times ordained int he law fall under three heads:
Festivals, Religious.
FESTIVALS, RELIGIOUS. See Feasts.
Festus
festive, joyful
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,…
Fetters.
FET'TERS. See Chains.
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.…
Field.
FIELD. The Hebrew word translated "field" conveys a contrary idea to ours, inasmuch as it implies the absence of enclosure. Thus the "field" is often contrasted with portions of land that are enclose…
Fiery Serpents
FI'ERY SER'PENTS. See Serpents.
Fig
First mentioned in Gen. 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…
Fig, Fig Tree
The fig tree (Ficus carica) is very common in Palestine. (8:8) Mount Olivet was famous for its fig trees in ancient times, and they are still found there. To “sit under one’s own vine and one’s own f…
File
FILE. The word occurs only once in the A.V. 1 Sam 13:21. The preceding verse is connected with it, and they are best rendered: "But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen [their t…
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. 27:1…
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.”
Fining Pot
A crucible, 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 w…
Fir Tree
FIR' TREE, probably the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), which is almost as large as the cedar, is now found on Lebanon, and was formerly doubtless abundant through Palestine, Hos 14:8. Sometimes the …
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 dedi…
Fire-pan
FIRE'-PAN, one of the vessels of the temple-service. Ex 27:3; Ex 38:3; 2 Kgs 25:15; Jer 52:19. The same word is elsewhere rendered "snuff-dish," Ex 25:38; Ex 37:23; Num 4:9, and "censer." Lev 10:1; N…
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. …
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 car…
Firkin.
FIR'KIN. See Measures.
Firmament.
FIR'MAMENT. The word "expansion" would more perfectly convey the meaning of the original word. Gen 1:17. A similar idea is suggested Ps 104:2; Isa 40:22, and the same word is used to denote a "coveri…
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 exclusiv…
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,…
First-born.
FIRST'-BORN. The first-born male of every Jewish family and of all beasts was consecrated to God in commemoration of the judgment which God brought upon the first-born of Egypt. Ex 13:2. Several prov…
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 wave…
Firstborn
Under the law, in memory of the exodus (when the first-born of the Egyptians were slain), the eldest son was regarded as devoted to God, and was in very case to be redeemed by an offering not exceedi…