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Giants – Grind
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Giants
Earth-born. It is supposed by many that the first men were of a size and strength superior to those of mankind at present, since a long life is usually associated with a well-developed and vigorous frame. We know also that there were giants and families of giants, even after the average length of human life was greatly abridged. These, however, appear to have been exceptions; and if we judge from the mummies of Egypt, and from the armor and implements of the earliest antiquity, found in ancient tombs, in bogs, and in buried cities, we should conclude that mankind never exceeded, in the average, their present stature. There were, however, giants before the flood, ; fruits of the union of different families, and extraordinary in stature, power, and crime. After the flood, mention is made of a race called Rephaim, ; ; kindred with whom were the Emim, early occupants of the land of Moab, and the Zamzummim in Ammon, ,. Og was one of the last of this race, ,. West of the Dead Sea, around Hebron and Philistia, lived the Anakim, whose aspect so terrified the Hebrew spies, ; ,. Of this race were Goliath and his kindred, ; . See ANAKIM, GOLIATH, and REPHAIM.
Giants, Valley Of The
See REPHAIM.
Gibbethon
A city of the Philistines, within the bounds of the tribe of Dan, and assigned to the Levites, ; . The Philistines, however, were not excluded; and in the time of Nadab they were its masters, and he was slain by Baasha while besieging it, ; . Its after-history, and its site are unknown.
Gibeah
A hill,
1. A city of Benjamin, , and the birthplace and residence of Saul king of Israel; whence it is frequently called "Gibeah of Saul," ; ; ; ; ; . Gibeah was also famous for its sins; particularly for its sins; particularly for that committed by forcing the young Levite’s wife, who went to lodge there; and for the war which succeeded it, to the almost entire extermination of the tribe of Benjamin, . Scripture remarks, that this occurred at a time when there was no king in Israel, and when every one did what was right in his own eyes. Dr. Robinson found traces of Gebeah in the small and ruinous village of Jeba, near Ramah, separated from Michmash on the north by a deep valley, and about six miles north by east from Jerusalem.
2. A town of Judah, , which lay about ten miles southwest of Jerusalem. The prophet Habakkuk is said to have been buried here.
3. In mount Ephraim, called Gibeah of Phinehas, where Eleazar the son of Aaron was buried, . It is found in the narrow valley El-Jib, midway between Jerusalem and Shechem.
Gibeon
A considerable city of the Hivites, afterwards a Levitical city in the tribe of Benjamin, ; . It lay near Geba and Gibeah, and is sometimes wrongly taken for Geba. Its Canaanite inhabitants secured a treaty with Joshua and the elders of Israel by strategem, and were made hewers of wood for the sanctuary. Five neighboring kings unitedly fell upon them; but were defeated by the Jews in a great battle, during which "the sun stood still upon Gibeon," . Here the tabernacle was set up for many years, ; ; ,; and here god communed by night with young king Solomon, . It is also memorable for two scenes in the life of Joab, ; ; . It stood on an eminence, six miles north of Jerusalem.
Giblites
. See GEBAL.
Gideon Or Jerubbaal
Of the tribe of Manasseh, a valiant and prudent judge of Israel, particularly the eastern and northern tribes, B. C. 1249 to 1209. He resided in Ophrah, east of the Jordan, a region often ravaged in harvest-time by the wandering tribes on its eastern border. Being called of God to deliver his people, and encouraged by signs from heaven, he defeated the Midiantites, and caused Israel to dwell in safety for many years. In punishing the refractory cities Succoth and Penuel, and the fratricides Zeba and Zalmunna- in soothing the jealousy of the Ephraimites, and in declining the crown offered him by the Jews, he evinced those qualities which made him a successful judge. In the matter of the golden ephod, however, he fell into a sin and a snare; for this memorial of the wonders God had wrought became ere long an object of idolatrous veneration, ; ; .
Gier-Eagle
Probably an Egyptian vulture, horrid and filthy, but very useful as a carrion-bird, . See VULTURE.
Gifts
Have been common from the earliest times as tokens of affection, honor, or respect. The dues to a king were often rendered in this form, ; ; and men of high position were approached with presents, ; ; ; . Kings made gifts of garments to those they wished to honor, ,; ; and of treasures to other princes, out of esteem or of fear, ; ; ,. Conquerors scattered gifts from their triumphal cars, and special privileges in token of generous joy, ; ,. Prophets received gifts, or declined them, as duty required, ; ; ; . The word gifts often denotes bribes, ; ; . The same word is also applied to the offerings required by the law, ; ,; to the blessings of the gospel and eternal life, which are preeminently gifts, ; to the Christian grace, for the same reason, ,; and to the miraculous endowments of the apostles, :40. See TONGUES.
Gihon
1. One of the four rivers of Paradise; as some suppose, the Araxes, . See EDEN, and EUPHRATES.
2. A fountain near Jerusalem on the west, besides which Solomon was anointed king, ,. Hezekiah covered it over, and brought its waters by a subterranean channel into the city, ,; . A pool still exists in the spot referred to, three hundred feet long, two hundred wide, and twenty deep, with steps at two corners; and recently, in digging to lay the foundations of the Anglican church, an immense conduit was discovered running east and west, thirty feet under ground built of stone and coated with cement, and partly cut out of solid rock. Probably this was connected with the fountain of Gibon.
Gilboa
A mountainous ridge southeast of the Plain of Esdraelon, having on each side a valley connecting the great plain with the Jordan valley. The valley northeast of Gilboa is the proper Jezreel; that on the southwest side separates Gilboa from the hills of Samaria. On the eastern part of Gilboa was the town from which it was named, now Jelbon. In this vicinity Saul, and Jonathan were defeated by the Philistines, and died, ,. It is now a dry and barren mountain, ,. Endor lay north from Gilboa, and Beth- shean northeast.
Gilead Or Galeed
, the mound of witness, lay east of the Jordan, in the mountainous tract which runs from mount Hermon southward, between the Jordan and Arabia Deserta. The scenery among these mountains is described as very fine. The plains are covered with a fertile soil, the hills are clothed with forests, and at every new turn beautiful landscapes are presented. The Scripture references to the stately oaks and herds of cattle in this region are well known, ; .
The name Gilead is sometimes put for the whole country east of the Jordan. Thus, in , God is said to have showed Moses, from mount Nebo, "all the land of Gilead unto Dan." Compare ,; . The proper region of Gilead, however, lay south of Bashan, but probably without any very definite line of separation. Bashan and Gilead are often mentioned together, ; ; ,; . A part of Gilead was the district now called Belka, one of the most fertile in Palestine. See BALM, or more properly, BALSAM and BASHAN.
Mount Gilead, in the strictest sense, was doubtless the mountain now called Jebel, Jelad or Jelud, mentioned by Burckhardt, the foot of which lies about two hours’ distance, or six miles, south of the Wady Zerka, or Jabbok. The mountain itself runs from east to west and is about two hours and a half (eight or ten miles) in length. Upon it are the ruined towns of Jelad and Jelud; probably the site of the ancient city Gilead of , else where called Ramoth Gilead. Southward of this mountain stands the modern city of Szalt. It was probably in this mountain that Jacob and Laban set up their monument, . See also .
Gilgal
A rolling,
1. A celebrated place between the Jordan and Jericho, where the Israelites first encamped, after the passage of that river; where also they were circumcised, and kept their first Passover in Canaan, ; ,. It continued to be the headquarters of the Israelites for several years, while Joshua was occupied in subduing the land, ; ,,. A considerable city was afterwards built there, , which became famous for many events. Here the tabernacle rested, until its removal to Shiloh; here also, according to the prevalent opinion, Samuel offered sacrifices, and held his court as a judge of Israel; and here Saul was crowned, ; ; ; ; . A school of the prophets was established, ; and yet it afterwards appears to have become a seat of idolatry, ; ; ; ; . At this day, no traces of it are found. According to Josephus, it lay within two miles of Jericho.
2. Another Gilgol lay near Antipatris, ; . And perhaps a third in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Bethel, ; . There are not wanting those who would make the Gilgal near Antipatris the seat of Samuel’s judgeship, and of one of the schools of the prophets.
Giloh
A city of Judah, ; where Ahithophel, David’s counselor dwelt; and where, after his treason against David, and the rejection of his counsel by Absalom, he hung himself, ; .
Gird, Girdle
The Orientals commonly dress in loose robes, flowing down around the feet; so that when they wish to run, or fight, or apply themselves to any business, they are obliged to bind their garments close around them with a sash or girdle. Hence, "to have the loins girded," is to be prepared for action or service, ; ; to be waiting for the call or coming of one’s master or Lord, . A tightened girdle was also thought to increase the power of endurance, and the simile is used in exhortations to Christian courage and fortitude, ; ; ; . To have the girdle loosed, is to be unnerved and unprepared for action, . Girdles of leather were worn by the common people; and also by prophets, ; . They were likewise made of cotton or linen, ; also of silk, sometimes embroidered. They were often wide and long; and were folded lengthwise, and passed several times around the body. The girdle, moreover, answered the purpose of a purse or pouch, to carry money and other things; see ; , where the word purse in the English is put for girdle according to the original Greek. The Arabs and other Orientals wear girdles in the same manner at the present day; they also carry a knife or dagger stuck in them; as was also the custom of the Hebrews, ; . Clerks carried their inkhorns, carpenters their rules, etc., in the same way, . See cuts in GARMENTS.
Girgashites
See CANAANITES.
Gittites
See GATH.
Gittith
The word Gittish signifies belonging to Gath. It probably denotes either a musical instrument or a kind of music derived from Gath, where David sojourned for a time during the persecution of Saul, . The word Gath also signifies in Hebrew a winepress. Hence not a few have supposed that it denotes either an instrument or a melody used in the vintage. It is prefixed to ; ; , all of which requires an animated strain of music.
Glass
Was well known to the ancients, and no doubt to the Jews; its invention is traced to an incident on the coast to Phoenica, and the arts of blowing, coloring, and cutting it were familiar to the ancient Egyptians. The "looking glasses" of the Jews, however, were of highly polished metal, usually small and round, ; ; . Glass does not appear to have been used at that time for mirrors, nor for windows; but for cups, bottles, vases, ornaments, sacred emblems, etc. It is alluded to in ; ; ; ,; probably also in , where our English version has the word crystal.
Glede
A kind of hawk or kite, . The same Hebrew word is translated vulture in .
Glory, Glorify
Words of great and manifold significance in the Bible, used with reference to God and his works, the Savior and his gospel, the heavenly state, etc. "The glory of God" was often visibly revealed in the old dispensation—some dazzling appearance indicative of his special presence, ; ,,,; ; ; ; . God’s glory is shown in is works, ; ,. But it is most fully and illustriously displayed in the work of redemption, "in the face of Jesus Christ." "Here the whole Deity is known," ; ; . The chief end of the Christian is to live "to the glory of god," so that God may be seen to be most glorious, ; . The adjuration, "give God the glory," means, confess the truth in view of his omniscience, ; . The expression, "my glory," ; ; ; , is equivalent to my soul, or myself, as the parallelism shows.
Gnat
A small winged stinging insect, a mosquito, spoken of in the proverbial expression, , "Ye strain at a gnat, and swallow in a camel," which should read, as it did in the first English translations, "Ye strain out a gnat," etc. The expression alludes to the Jewish custom of filtering wine, for fear of swallowing any insect forbidden by the law as unclean, ; and is applied to those who are superstitiously anxious in avoiding small faults, yet do not scruple to commit great sins.
Goat
A well-known animal, resembling the sheep, but covered with hair instead of wool. Large flocks of them were kept by the Jews, ; ; . They were regarded as clean for sacrifice, ; ; ; and their milk and the young kids were much used for food, ; ; ; . The common leather bottles were made of their skins. Several kinds of goats were kept in Palestine: one kind having long hair, like the Angora, and another, long and broad ears. This kind is probably referred to in , and is still the common goat of Palestine.
Herodotus says, that at Mendes, in Lower Egypt, both the male and female goat were worshipped. The heathen god Pan was represented with the face and thighs of a goat. The heathen paid divine honors also to real goats, as appears in the table of Isis. The abominations committed during the feast of these infamous deities cannot be told.
WILD GOATS are mentioned in ; ; . This is doubtless the Ibex, or mountain goat, a large and vigorous animal still found in the mountains in the peninsula of Sinai, and east and south of the Dead Sea.
These goats are very similar to the bouquetin or chamois of the Alps. They feed in flocks of a score or two, wit one of their number acting as a sentinel. At the slightest alarm, they are gone in an instant, darting fearlessly over the rocks, and falling on their horns from a great height without injury. Their horns are two or three feet long, and are sold by the Arabs for knife-handles, etc. For SCAPEGOAT, see EXPIATION.
Goats’ Hair
Was used by Moses in making the curtains of the tabernacle, ; ; . The hair of the goats of Asia, Phrygia, and Cilicia, is very bright and fine, and hangs to the ground; in beauty it almost equals silk, and is never sheared, but combed off. The shepherds carefully and frequently wash these goats in rivers. The women of the country spin the hair, which is carried to Angora, where it is worked and dyed, and a considerable trade in the article carried on. The natives attribute the quality of the hair to the soil of the country. The ordinary goats-hair cloth of the Arabs, used for the coverings of tents, etc., is coarse and black; and this is the kind of which the garments of the Hebrew prophets and of the poor were made.
God
This name, the derivation of which is uncertain, we give to that eternal, infinite, perfect, and incomprehensible Being, the Creator of all things, who preserves and governs all by his almighty power and wisdom, and is the only proper object of worship. The proper Hebrew name for God is JEHOVAH, which signifies He is. But the Jews, from a feeling of reverence, avoid pronouncing this name, substituting for it, wherever it occurs in the sacred test, the word ADONAI, Lord; except in the expression, ADONAI JEHOVAH, Lord Jehovah, for which they put, ADONAI ELOHIM, Lord God. This usage, which is not without an element of superstition, is very ancient, dating its origin some centuries before Christ; but there is no good ground for assuming its existence in the days of the inspired Old Testament writers. The proper word for God is ELOHIM, which is plural in its form, being thus used to signify the manifold perfections of God, or, as some think, the Trinity in the godhead. In , God replies to Moses, when he asks Him His name, I AM THAT I AM; which means either, I am he who I am, or, I am what I am. In either case the expression implies the eternal self-existence of Jehovah, and his incomprehensible nature. The name I AM means the same as JEHOVAH, the first person being used instead of he third.
The Bible assumes and asserts the existence of God, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;" and is itself the most illustrious proof of his existence, as well as our chief instructor as to his nature and will. It puts a voice into the mute lips of creation; and not only reveals God in his works, but illustrates his ways in providence, displays the glories of his character, his law, and his grace, and brings man into true and saving communion with him. It reveals him to us as a Spirit, the only being from everlasting and to everlasting by nature, underived, infinite, perfect, and unchangeable in power, wisdom, omniscience, omnipresence, justice, holiness, truth, goodness, and mercy. He is but one God, and yet exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and this distinction of the Thee in One is, like his other attributes, from everlasting. He is the source, owner, and ruler of all beings, foreknows and predetermines all events, and is the eternal judge and arbiter of the destiny of all. True religion has its foundation in the right knowledge of God, and consists in supremely loving and faithfully obeying him. See JESUS CHRIST, and HOLY, HOLINESS SPIRIT.
Godly
That which proceeds from God, and is pleasing to him. It also signifies conformity to his will, and an assimilation to his character, ; ; ; . Godliness is the substance of revealed religion, ; ; .
Gods
The words god and gods, Hebrew ELOHIM, are several times used in Scripture to express the power, office, or excellence of some created beings, as angels, magistrates, ,; ; ; often also for the false gods of the heathen. These were exceedingly numerous, and are denoted by various terms, signifying vanity, falsehood, etc. Among the first objects to be deified were the sun, the moon, and the chief powers of nature. Innumerable animals, deceased men, all ages, passions, and conditions of man, and every thing which fear, lust, malice, pride, or caprice could suggest, were made objects of worship. The gods of modern India are numbered by millions.
Gog And Magog
Are usually spoken of together in Scripture. In , Magog, which seems to denote a country with its people, is reckoned among the descendants of Japheth. In ; , Magog apparently signifies a country with its people, and Gog the king of that people; but critics are much divided as to the people and country intended under these names. The Scythians, the Goths, the Persians, and several other nations, have been specified by interpreters as the Magog of the Scriptures; but most probably it is a name given generally to the northern nations of Europe and Asia, or the districts north of the Caucasus. The names reappear in the later predictions of John as enemies of the people of God, who are to be signally overthrown in Armageddon, ; .
Golan
A Levitical city of refuge, in the northwest portion of Bashan. It lay east or northeast of the Sea of Galilee, but its site is now lost. See GAULAN.
Gold
A well-known valuable metal, found in many parts of the world, and obtained anciently in Ophir, ; Parvaim, ; Sheba, and Raamah, . Job alludes to gold in various forms, ; . Abraham was rich in it, and female ornaments were early made of it, ; ,. It is spoken of throughout Scripture; and the use of it among and ancient Hebrews, in its native and mixed state, and for the same purposes as at present, was very common. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with pure gold; the mercy seat, the vessels and utensils belonging to the tabernacle, and those also of the house of the Lord, as well as the drinking-vessels of Solomon, were of gold.
Golgotha
The Hebrew name for CALVARY, which see.
Goliath
A celebrated giant of Gath, who challenged the armies of Israel, and was encountered and slain by David. The history is contained in . His height was nine feet and a half; or, if we reckon the cubit at twenty-one inches, over eleven feet. See GIANTS.
Gomer
1. ,; ; , a son of Japheth, and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. He is believed to have settled the northern shores of the Black Sea, and given name to the ancient Cimmerians and to the Crimea. About 700 B. C. a part of his posterity diffused themselves in Asia Minor. Traces of his name and parentage are also found in the Cymbri, Umbri, and Cambri of historians, in Kumero and Kumeraeg, the names of the Welsh people and language, and among various nations of Europe.
2. A harlot whom the prophet Hosea appears to have married in prophetic vision, as directed by God, that the Jews might be led to reflect on the guilt of their spiritual uncleanness or idolatry, .
Gomorrah
One of the cities in the fruitful vale of Siddim, near the southern part of the ancient Dead Sea, miraculously blasted by God. See SODOM.
Gopher
The name of the wood of which the ark was built. Many suppose it to be the cypress; others, the pine. Gopher may probably be a general name for such trees as abound with resinous inflammable juices, as the cedar, cypress, fir-tree, pine, etc., .
Goshen
1. The name of the tract of country in Egypt which was inhabited by the Israelites from the time of Jacob to that of Moses. It was probably the tract lying east of the Pelusian arm of the Nile, towards Arabia. See EGYPT. It appears to have reached to the Nile, ; , since the Jews ate fish in abundance, , and "practiced artificial irrigation", . It was near Heliopolis and Rameses, and not far from the capital of Egypt, ; ; :51. It was a part of "the best of the land," at least for the pastoral Hebrews, , and was evidently better watered and more fertile than at present. Here they greatly multiplied and prospered, , and here they were sorely afflicted, and yet not forgotten of God, ; . Many Egyptians dwelt among and around them.
2. A city and the adjacent territory in the mountains of Judah, ; ; .
Gospel
Signifies good news, and is that revelation and dispensation which God has made known to guilty man through Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. Scripture speaks of "the gospel of the kingdom," , the gospel "of the grace of God," , "of Christ," and "of peace," ; . It is the "glorious" and the "everlasting" gospel, ; , and well merits the noblest epithets that can be given it. The declaration of this gospel was made through the life and teaching, the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord.
The writings which contain the recital of our Savior’s life, miracles, death, resurrection, and doctrine, are called GOSPELS, because they include the best news that could be published to mankind. We have four canonical gospels—those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These have not only been generally received, but they were received very early as the standards of evangelical history, as the depositories of the doctrines and actions of Jesus. They are appealed to under that character both by friends and enemies; and no writer impugning or defending Christianity acknowledges any other gospel as of equal or concurrent authority, although there were many others which purported to be authentic memoirs of the life and actions of Christ. Some of these apocryphal gospels are still extant. They contain many errors and legends, but have some indirect value.
There appears to be valid objection to the idea entertained by many, that the evangelists copied from each other or from an earlier and fuller gospel. Whether Mark wrote with the gospel by Matthew before him, and Luke with Matthew and Mark both, or not, we know that they "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," while recounting the works and sayings of Christ which they had seen or knew to be true, using no doubt the most authentic written and oral accounts of the same, current among the disciples. They have not at all confined themselves to the strict order of time and place.
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW. The time when this gospel was written is very uncertain. All ancient testimony, however, goes to show that it was published before the others. It is believed by many to have been written about A. D. 38. It has been much disputed whether this gospel was originally written in Hebrew or Greek. The unanimous testimony of ancient writers is in favor of a Hebrew original, that is, that it was written in the language of Palestine and for the use of the Hebrew Christians. But, on the other hand, the definiteness and accuracy of this testimony is drawn into question; there is no historical notice of a translation into Greek; and the present Greek gospel bears many marks of being an original; the circumstances of the age, too, and the prevalence of the Greek language in Palestine, seem to give weight to the opposite hypothesis. Critics of he greatest name are arranged on both sides of the question; and some who believe it to have been first written in Hebrew, think that the author himself afterwards made a Greek version. Matthew writes as "an Israelite indeed," a guileless converted Jew instructing his brethren. He often quotes from the Old Testament. He represents the Savior as the fulfillment of the hopes of Israel, the promised Messiah, King of the kingdom of God.
GOSPEL OF MARK. Ancient writers agree in the statement that Mark, not himself an apostle, wrote his gospel under the influence and direction of the apostle Peter. The same traditionary authority, though with less unanimity and evidence, makes it to have been written at Rome, and published after the death of Peter and Paul. Mark wrote primarily for the Gentiles, as appears from his frequent explanations of Jewish customs, etc. He exhibits Christ as the divine Prophet, mighty in deed and word. He is a true evangelical historian, relating facts more than discourses, in a concise, simple, rapid style, with occasional minute and graphic details.
GOSPEL OF LUKE. Luke is said to have written his gospel under the direction of Paul, whose companion he was on many journeys. His expanded views and catholic spirit resemble those of the great apostle to the Gentiles; and his gospel represents Christ as the compassionate Friend of sinners, the Savior of the world. It appears to have been written primarily for Theophilus, some noble Greek or Roman, and its date is generally supposed to be about A. D. 63.
GOSPEL OF JOHN. The ancient writers all make this gospel the latest. Some place its publication in the first year of the emperor Nerva, A. D. 96, sixty-seven years after our Savior’s death, and when John was now more than eighty years of age. The gospel of John reveals Christ as the divine and divinely appointed Redeemer, the Son of God manifested in flesh. It is a spiritual, rather than historical gospel, omitting many things chronicled by the other evangelists, and containing much more than they do as to the new life in the soul through Christ, union with him, regeneration, the resurrection, and the work of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of the "disciple whom Jesus loved" pervades this precious gospel. It had a special adaptation to refute the Gnostic heresies of that time, but is equally fitted to build up the church of Christ in all generations.
Gourd
It has been supposed that Jonah’s gourd was the Ricinus Communis, or castor-oil plant. It grows in the East to the height of eight to twelve feet, and one species much higher. Its leaves are large, and have six or seven divisions, whence its name of Palma Christi. Since, however, it is now known that in the vicinity of the ancient Nineveh, a plant of the gourd kind is commonly trained to run over structures of mud and brush, to form booths in which the gardeners may protect themselves from the terrible beams of he Asiatic sun, this goes far to show that this vine, called in the Arabic ker’a, is the true gourd of Jonah. If the expression, "which came up in a night," , is to be understood literally, it indicates that God "prepared" the gourd, , by miraculously quickening its natural growth.
The WILD GOURD is a poisonous plant, conjectured to mean the colocynth, which has a cucumber-like vine, with several branches, and bears a fruit of the size and color of an orange, with a hard, woody shell, within which is the white meat or pulp, exceedingly bitter, and a drastic purgative, . It was very inviting to the eye, and furnished a model for the carved "knops" of cedar in Solomon’s temple, ; .
Gozan
Now the Ozan, a river of Media and the adjacent district, , to which Tiglath-pileser and afterwards Shalmanezer sent the captive Israelites, ; . The Kizzil-ozan, or Golden River, is in the northwest part of Persia, and flows northeast, with large curves, into the Caspian Sea.
Grace
Favor, mercy. Divine grace is the free and undeserved love and favor of God towards man as a sinner, especially as exhibited in the plan of redemption through Jesus Christ, ; ; . It is only by the free grace of god that we embrace the offers of mercy, and appropriate to ourselves the blessings graciously purchased by redeeming blood.
The "GRACE OF GOD," spontaneous, unmerited, self-directed, and almighty, is the source of the whole scheme of redemption, ; . With it are united "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ," who gave himself for sinners; and that of "the Spirit of grace," by whom alone the grace offered by the Father and purchased by the Son is effectually applied. Thus GRACE in man, or all true holiness, , is traced up to the grace of God as its only source; and the gospel of Christ and the work of the spirit-both pure grace—are its only channels of communication. Hence also all the fruits and blessings of the gospel are termed graces, ; ; not only regeneration, pardon, enlightenment, sanctification, etc., but miraculous, official, and prophetic gifts, the peculiar traits of Christian character, and everlasting salvation, . In , "grace" means God’s plan of salvation by his mercy, not by our works.
Grain
See CORN.
Grapes
The fruit of the vine. The grapes of Palestine were very fine, of great size and high flavor, . At present, and probably the same has always been true, the wine that is made requires but a small part of the annual yield of the vines. Dr. Robinson says, "No wine is made from the very extensive vineyards of Hebron, except a little by the Jews." While yet green, grapes are used for food in various ways; and are dried in the sun, or their juice preserved in bottles, to secure a pleasant vegetable tart all the year round, . Ripe grapes may be had in Syria four or five months, ; and when the season closes many are hung up in clusters, suitably protected, and remain without drying up all through the winter. Grapes are exceedingly cheap, and form no small part of the ordinary food. Ripe grapes are also dried into raisins; and after the hanging grapes are gone, the raisins are used until the return of new grapes. Besides the law which protected the first three years’ growth of the vine, (see FRUITS,) there was another law requiring the Jews to leave the gleanings of their vineyards for the poor, ,. The law also allowed one who was passing a vineyard to pick a few grapes to eat on the spot, but not to carry any away, . Everywhere we encounter proofs of the admirable humanity that characterized the Mosaic legislation. A vineyard nearly stripped of its clustered treasures was a frequent image of desolation, ; ; . See VINE.
"Wild grapes" were the fruit of a wild vine, probably the Vitis Labrusca of Linnaeus, the wild claret-grape. The fruit of the wild vine is called oenanthes, of the flower of wine. They never ripen, and are good only for verjuice. In ,, God complains of his people whom he had planted as a choice vine, an excellent plant, that he had a right to require of them good fruit, but they had brought forth only wild grapes-fruit of a bad smell, and a bad taste.
Grass
Sometimes means any green herbage, , and sometimes the usual food of cattle, . The quick growth of grass, its tenderness, and its rapid combustion when dry, have furnished the sacred writers with some of their most appropriate illustrations, ,; ; ,; ; ; ; . All sorts of grass and small shrubs are still used in Syria for fuel, on account of the scarcity of wood, . Travelers in that country often see grass growing on the housetops, the roofs being flat and coated with earth trodden hard. Such grass quickly withers when the rainy season is over, ,; .
Grasshopper
A kind of locust, and so called in . It was sometimes used for food, . Individually they are insignificant and timid creatures, , and their worthlessness furnishes a striking comparison in ; while the feebleness of age is expressed by inability to endure them, . Yet coming in great numbers, they are destructive to all herbage, . See LOCUST.
Greece
In the Old Testament, is put for the Hebrew word Javan, which is equivalent to Ionia, and seems to include not only Greece but western Asia Minor, and the intervening isles, all settled by the Ionian race, . Greece proper, however, is chiefly intended. It is not often mentioned in the Old Testament, ; ; ; ; . See JAVAN.
In the New Testament, Greece is called Hellas, a name supposed to have belonged first to a single city, but at length applied to the whole country south of Macedonia. About B. C. 146, the Romans conquered Greece, and afterwards organized two great provinces, namely, Macedonia, including Macedonia proper, Thessaly, Epirus, and Illyricum; and Achaia, including all the country, which lies south of the former province. (See ACHAIA.) In , Greece is probably to be taken in its widest acceptation, as including the whole of Greece proper and the Peloponnesus. This country was bounded north by Macedonia and Illyricum, from which it was separated by mountains, south by the Mediterranean sea, east by the Aegean sea, and west by the Ionian sea. It was generally known under the three great divisions of Peloponnesus, Hellas, and Northern Greece.
Peloponnesus, more anciently called Pelasgia, and Argos, and now the Morea, was the southern peninsula; it included the famous cities, Sparta, Messene, Elis, Corinth, Argos, etc. The division of Hellas, which now constitutes a great part of Livadia, included Thessaly and Epirus, with the cities Larissa, Nicopolis, etc. The large islands of Crete and Euboea belonged to Greece, as well as most of those in the Archipelago and on the west.
The Jews and the Greeks appear to have had little intercourse with each other, until after Alexander the Great overran Egypt, Syria, and the East. They then began to come in contact everywhere, for both races were widely dispersed. The Jews extended the name of Greeks to include the people conquered and ruled by Greeks; and the word is thus nearly synonymous in the New Testament with Gentiles, ; ; . The term "Grecian" or Hellenists, on the contrary, denotes a Jew by birth or religion, who spoke Greek. It is used chiefly of foreign Jews and proselytes, in contrast with the Hebrews, that is, those speaking the vernacular Hebrew, or Aramaean, ; . The Greeks were a vivacious, acute, and polished, but superficial people, compared with the Jews. They excelled in all the arts of war and peace; but were worshippers of beauty, not of duty. Their pride of intellect, and their corruption of morals, were almost insurmountable obstacles to their reception of Christianity. Yet it was among the Greek cities and people that chiefly labored, and with great success. Many flourishing churches were, in early times, established among them; and there can be no doubt that they, for a long time, preserved the apostolic customs with much care. At length, however, opinions fluctuated considerably on points of doctrine; schisms and heresies divided the church; and rancor, violence, and even persecution followed in their train. To check these evils, councils were called and various creeds composed. The removal of the seat of government from Rome to Constantinople, gave a preponderance to the Grecian districts of the empire, and the ecclesiastical determinations of the Greek Church were extensively received. In the middle of the eighth century disputes arose, which terminated in a permanent schism between the Greek and Latin churches. The Greek Church has a general resemblance to the Roman-catholic, and embraces a population of not far from fifty millions of souls, in Russia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, etc.
Greek Language, The
Is the original language of all the books of the New Testament, except perhaps the gospel by Matthew; but the sacred authors have followed that style of writing which was used by the Hellenists, or Grecizing Hebrews, adopting many idioms and turns of speech from the Syriac and Hebrew languages, very different from the classical style of the Greek writers. They were also obliged to make use of some new words, and new applications of old words, to express religious ideas before unknown to the Greeks, and for which they had no proper expression. After Alexander the great, Greek became the language best known throughout the East, and was generally used in commerce. As the sacred authors had in view the conversion not only of the Jews, then scattered throughout the East, but of the Gentiles also, it was natural for them to write to them in Greek, that being a language to which all were of necessity accustomed.
Grind
See CORN.
William W. Rand (ed.), A Dictionary of the Holy Bible, for General Use in the Study of the Scriptures (American Tract Society, 1859). Public domain. Text from the CrossWire Bible Society.