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Pipe – Prophecy
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Pipe
A musical wind instrument, consisting of a tube with holes, like a flute or clarinet, ; ; ; ; ; . The double pipe had two tubes, uniting in the mouthpiece; the tube played with the left hand emitting a few deep sounds, and serving as a base. The Scotch Deputation of Inquiry speak of overtaking among the hills of Judea "an Arab playing with all his might upon a shepherd’s pipe made of two reeds. This was the first time we had seen any marks of joy in the land, for certainly ‘all joy in darkened, the mirth of the land is gone,’" . See MUSIC.
Pisgah
A mountain ridge, the northern part of the Abarim range, east of the Dead Sea; Nebo was one of its summits, ; . It was in the southern part of the kingdom of Sihon, ; ; and afterwards belonged to the Reubenites, ; .
Pisidia
A province of Asia Minor, separated from the Mediterranean by Pamphylia, lying on Mount Taurus and the high table land north of it, and running up between Phrygia and Lycaonia as far as Antioch its capital. The Pisidians, like most of the inhabitants of the Taurus range, were an unsubdued and lawless race; and Paul in preaching the gospel at Antioch and throughout Pisidia, ; , was in peril by robbers as well as by sudden storms and floods in the mountain passes. Churches continued to exist here for seven or eight centuries.
Pison
One of the four rivers that watered Paradise, , and which ran through all the land of Havilah, where excellent gold was found. It has, of course, been placed as variously as the Garden of Eden, to which article and EUPHRATES the reader is referred.
Pit
A reservoir, either natural or artificial, for water. Pits were sometimes used as dungeons, ; ; or being slightly covered, and baited, they served as traps to catch wild beasts, a device which illustrates the plots of designing men and women, ; ; ; . The word pit is also used to denote the grave, ; ,; and hell, .
Pitch
; , translated "slime" in ; , is properly bitumen or asphaltum, anciently found on and near the Dead Sea, which was hence called the lake Asphaltities. It abounded in the vicinity of Babylon, and was used as fuel. The ark of Noah and that of Moses were rendered waterproof by it; and the bricks of the tower of Babel were cemented with it. It is commonly found in a solid state; but being liquefied by heat, and used as a mortar, it becomes as hard as the rocks it cements together. It is still thrown up by earthquakes from the bottom of the Dead Sea, and floats to the shore sometimes in large masses. See SEA 3.
Pithom
One of the cities built by the children of Israel for Pharaoh in Egypt, during their servitude, . This is probably the Pathumos mentioned by Herodotus, which he places near Pi-beseth and the Pelusiac arm of the Nile, not far from the canal made by the kings Necho and Darius to join the Red Sea with the Nile. See EGYPT.
Plague
See PESTILENCE.
Plain
See CANAAN, and OAK.
Planets
. The Hebrew word means inns or lodgings, and is used with reference to the sun, denoting the twelve constellations of the zodiac, the houses of the sun in its annual apparent course round the heavens. These constellations are here spoken of as objects of idolatrous worship in Judah. Compare .
Pledge
The Jewish law protected the poor who were obliged to give security for a loan or the fulfillment of a contract. If a man pawned his robe, the usual covering of the cool nights, it must be returned on the same day, . The creditor could not enter a house and take what he pleased; and the millstone being a necessary of life, could not be taken, ,,. Compare ; ,. Idolaters sometimes disregarded these prohibitions, . See LOANS. Pledges are necessary from the vicious, who cannot be trusted, .
Pleiades
A cluster of seven stars in the neck of Taurus, or the Bull, one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. The sun enters Taurus about the middle of April; and the appearance of the Pleiades, therefore, marks the return of spring, ; ; .
Plough
A slight and inefficient instrument in the East, but used from the earliest times, ; ; . See cut in MEROM.
The plough now generally used in Syria consists substantially of but three parts; the beam or pole fastened to the yoke; the ploughshare; and the handle. The two latter parts, and even all three, are sometimes formed of a single branch of a tree with two limbs projecting in opposite directions. The ploughshare is sometimes defended by a strip of iron, ; . As the handle was single, and with attention was easily managed by one hand, , the ploughman brandished in the other a formidable goad, six or eight feet long, armed at the point with a pike, and at the heavy end, which was two inches thick, with a small iron spade for clearing the share from clay, ; ; . Ploughs were drawn by oxen asses, and heifers, ; ; at this day camels and cows are also used in Palestine. Ploughing commenced soon after the autumnal rains had set in, towards the last of October.
Poetry Of The Hebrews
Of all the fine arts, poetry alone was cultivated among the Hebrews; and under the inspiration of the Almighty was carried to the highest degree of perfection. The poetry of this people was almost wholly lyric; whether didactic, elegiac, pastoral, or prophetic, it was still LYRIC. The essence of lyric poetry is the vivid expression of internal emotions. It is therefore subjective; in opposition to epic poetry, which treats of external objects, and is therefore objective.
The chief subject of Hebrew poetry was religion, and then patriotism; which, under the theocracy, was very nearly allied to religion. The most obvious and striking characteristic of the poetry of the Hebrews is sublimity. Religious poetry to the Jews; the little that is found among other ancient nations is unworthy of comparison with it; as also is the Koran, which is an attempted imitation of the poetical parts of the Old Testament. The present prevailing views of the nature of Hebrew poetry were first developed by Bishop Lowth in his Lectures on the Poetry of the Hebrews.
Hebrew poetry differs from Hebrew prose in three respects:
1. In the peculiar poetical nature of the contents; of which the characteristics are sublimity, boldness, abruptness, lofty metaphors, personifications, etc.
2. In the peculiarities of the poetic dialect or diction, which, however, are not so striking as among the Greeks and Ro 3. In rhythm, which differs from meter; the latter, importing a measure of syllables or feet, the former a harmonious arrangement of words and members. It is the opinion of those best acquainted with the subject, that the Hebrews had no prosody, that is, no measure of syllables into poetic feet, as dactyles, trochees, and spondees. It is believed that the signed to be sung or chanted, was characterized by a certain melodious flow and cadence which is now irrecoverably lost, together with the true pronunciation of the language.
But aside from this, the rhythm of Hebrew poetry consists in what is called it PARALLELISM, of which the fundamental principle is, that every verse must consist of at least two corresponding parts or members.
The parallelism of Hebrew poetry occurs either in the thought, or solely in the form. Of the former there are three kinds: namely,
1. Synonymous; where the two members express the same idea in different, but closely and often literally, corresponding words: as for example,
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou dost visit him? .
Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain thing? .
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall have them in derision .
Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? Or loweth the ox over his fodder? .
So also the song of Lamehc, ; , etc.
2. Antithetical; where an antithesis of thought is expressed by corresponding members; as for example,
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish. .
A soft answer turneth away wrath; but frievous words stir up anger. 3. Synthetic; which is a mere juxtaposition; or rather, the thought is carried forward in the second member with some addition; the correspondence of words and construction being as before: as for example,
The law of the lord is perfect, converting the soul:
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The statues of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the lord is clean, enduring forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. .
Mere rhythmical parallelism is that in which no similarity or correspondence of thought exists; but the verse is divided by the caesura, as it were, into corresponding numbers. This is the most imperfect species of parallelism, and may be compared with the hexameter, divided by the caesura, as for example,
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. .
Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God. .
This is most common in the book of Lamentations, where there is hardly any other species of parallelism.
Thus far we have had regard to the simplest and most perfect parallelisms of two members, such as are more usually found in the Psalms, Job, etc. But in the prophets and a few of the psalms, we find a less regular, and sometimes compound parallelism. Thus the parallelism is irregular when one member is shorter than the other; as :
Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.
Of compound parallelisms there are various kinds; as when the verse has three members either parallel with each other, a sin , or two of them standing opposed to the third: as for example,
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel do the not know, my people doth not consider. .
As the heaven is high above the earth, So great is his mercy towards them that fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us, .
They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; neither is there nay breath in their mouths. .
We may name ; , as affording examples of most of the species of poetic parallelism.
In the common manuscripts and editions of the Hebrew Bible, the members of the parallelisms in the poetical arts are not written or printed separately; but the accents serve to divide them. In other editions, however, the members are printed separately. It is matter of regret that this mode was not adopted in our English version; since in many cases the common reader has now no means of distinguishing whether what he reads is poetry or prose in Hebrew.
The preceding principles refer solely to the rhythm of Hebrew poetry. Besides this, there are other peculiarities; as for example, the strophe, as in , and in :5, where verses 5,11, and 5, are burdens or refrain, repeated at the end of each strophe. So also the alphabetic psalms and poems, (see LETTERS;) and the psalms of degrees, in which the chief words of each verse are taken up and repeated at the beginning of the next verse. See DEGREES, PSALMS OF.
More than a third of the Old Testament is poetry in Hebrew, including most of Job, the Psalms, Solomon’s books, and the greater part of the prophets; technically, however, in the usage of the Jews, the three poetic books of the Old Testament are Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, which have a system of accentuation peculiar to themselves. Poetic fragments are also found here and there in the historical books, as in ; ; ,,; ,; ,. In the New Testament, also, many passages occur in which this Begrew style seems to be transferred to the Greek, ; ; ; :3.
Poll
The head, . To poll the head is to cut off the hair, ,; .
Pollux
See CASTOR.
Pomegranate
Grained apple, the Punica Granatum of Linnaeus; called also Malum Granatum, in French pomme granate, whence its English name. The tree grows wild in Persia and Syria, as generally in the south of Europe and north of Africa. It is low, with a straight stem, reddish bark, many and spreading branches, dark green lancet-formed leaves, and large and beautiful crimson blossoms. The fruit is of the size of an orange, of a tawny brown, with a thick astringent coat, containing an abundance of seeds, each enveloped in a distinct, very juicy, pink coat, whose flavor, in a wild state, is a pure and very strong acid; but in the cultivated plant, sweet and highly agreeable. The ripe pulp was eaten by itself or with a sprinkling of sugar; or its juice was made into a sherbet. The value of the fruit and the beauty of the flower made the pomegranate welcome in gardens, ; ,; ; . It was abundant in Palestine, ; . Artificial pomegranates were used as ornaments on the robe of the high priest, , and also as an architectural ornament, .
Pommels
Globular ornaments affixed to the capitals of columns, .
Pontus
The sea, the northeastern province of Asia Minor, bounded north by the Euxine Sea, west by Galatia and Paphlagonia, south by Cappadocia and part of Armenia, and east by Colchis. It was originally governed by kings, and was in its most flourishing state under Mithridates the Great, who waged a long and celebrated war with the Romans; but was at length subdued by Pompey; after which Pontus became a province of the Roman empire. The geographer Strabo was born in Amasia, its capital; and one of its principal towns, Trapezus, still flourishes under the name of Trebizond. Many Jews resided there, and from time to time "went up to Jerusalem unto the feast," . The devoted Aquila was a native of Pontus, ; and the gospel was planted there at an early period, .
Pools
See CISTERNS.
Poor
; , especially cared for in the Jewish dispensation, ; , and even more so under the gospel, ; . The slight offerings required of them by the law were as acceptable as the hecatombs of the rich, ; . The gleanings of the fields, the olive trees, and the vines, were to be left for them, ; ; . Every seventh year, the spontaneous products of the ground were free to all, ; and in the Jubilee their alienated inheritance returned to their possession. Compare also ; . Neglect and oppression of the poor were severely reproved by the prophets, ; ; ; but charity to the poor was an eminent virtue among primitive Christians, ; ; ; ; ; .
Popular
; , probably the white poplar, so called from the whiteness of the under side of the leaves. It is a beautiful and shady tree, common in Palestine and its vicinity. According to some, however, the storax-tree is intended.
Porch
See HOUSE and TEMPLE.
Porters
Kept the gates of private houses and of cities, ; ; ; . The porters of the temple were Levites, at one period four thousand in number, divided into courses, ; . They stood on guard at every gate, and were on duty within the temple in their regular courses, ; .
They stood on guard at every gate, and were on duty within the temple in their regular courses, ,,; ; . By night also they cheered the lonely hours with songs of praise, . We read, in , of the faithful service they rendered in protecting Joash and slaying Athaliah.
Possessed
See DEVIL.
Posts
Special messengers in the East, sent on occasions of importance, when they rode swiftly, and in many cases with fresh horses or dromedaries awaiting them at convenient distances, . Job says, "My days are swifter than a post," . Footrunners were also employed, ; and experienced runners will tire down and outrun a horse on long journeys. See FOOTMEN.
Potiphar
A high officer of Pharaoh, who purchased Joseph of the Midianites, and made him master of his house, but afterwards imprisoned him on a false charge. He is supposed by some to have been the same "captain of the guard" who promoted Joseph in prison, ; .
Potiphera
Belonging to the sun, the priest of On, city of the sun, whose daughter Asenath was the wife of Joseph, . The name is found, in various forms, on ancient Egyptian monuments.
Pots
, applied in Scripture to a great variety of domestic vessels, of earthenware, iron, brass, and gold, used for cooking and serving food, etc., ; ; ; ; . In , "though ye have lain among the pots," the Hebrew word means originally cattle-folds; and in , "his hands were delivered from the pots," it refers to the baskets used by the Hebrews in the hard service exacted of them in Egypt, .
Potsherds
Broken pieces of earthenware, ; , fit types of the worthlessness and fragility of man, ; ; . The ruins of many of the most ancient cities in the world show little but such fragments of pottery covering the ground; it is usually coarse in grain, but well glazed. Such fragments are used by the poor in various ways, if not utterly broken in to bits, . At this day it is common to find pieces of broken jars at eastern wells and pools, to drink from and to see hot embers and coals carried in them from one spot to another.
Pottage
See EDOM and FOOD.
Potter
A maker of earthenware, ; ,; . Ancient Egyptian paintings represent the potter turning and shaping, on his small and simple wheel made to revolve rapidly by the foot, the lump of clay, which he had previously kneaded with his feet. A pan of water stands by his side, with which he kept the clay moist. After the body of the vessel was worked into shape and beauty, the handle was affixed to it, devices traced upon it, and after drying a little, it was carefully taken to the oven and baked. The potter’s control over the clay illustrates the sovereignty of God, who made us of clay, and forms and disposes of us as he deems good: "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in my hand, saith the Lord," . "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?" .
Potter’s Field
See ACELDAMA.
Pound
A weight and a sum of money, put, in the Old Testament, ; ; , for the Hebrew MANEH, which see; and in the New Testament, for the Attic MINA, which was equivalent to one hundred drachmae, or about fourteen dollars.
Power
For the use of this word in , see VEIL.
Prayer
Is the offering of the emotions and desires of the soul to God, in the name and through the mediation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the communion of the heart with God through the aid of the Holy Spirit, and is to the Christian the very life of the soul. Without this filial spirit, no one can be a Christian, ; .
In all ages God has delighted in the prayers of his saints. From the promulgation of the law, the Hebrews did not intermit public worship daily in the tabernacle or the temple. It consisted in offering the evening and morning sacrifices, every day, accompanied with prayers by the priests and Levites in that holy edifice. Every day also the priests offered sacrifices, incense, offerings, and first fruits for individuals; they performed ceremonies for the redemption of the firstborn, or for purification from pollution; in a word, the people came thither from all parts to discharge their vows and to perform their devotions, not only on great and solemn days, but also on ordinary days; but nothing of this was performed without prayer, ; ; . Compare also , and the Psalms of David for temple worship.
Pious men were accustomed to pray thrice in the day, at fixed hours, ; . See HOURS. Social, family, and secret prayer were all habitual with Bible saints; as well as brief ejaculations in the midst of their ordinary business, . No uniform posture in prayer is enjoined in the Bible; standing with the hands outspread, , bowing the head, , kneeling, , and prostration on the ground, , were all practiced. Prayer should be offered with submission to God’s will, fervently, perseveringly, and with a confiding reliance on God in Christ; it should be accompanied by humble confession and hearty thanksgiving, and with supplications for all living men, as well as for our friends and those nearest to us. Habitual prayer to God is duty enjoined upon us by sound reason and by right affections; and he who lives without it thereby reveals the atheism of his heart. God requires all men thus to worship him, ; ; ; ; ; and for neglecting this duty there can be no sufficient excuse. It is often said that prayer cannot alter the unchangeable purposes of God; but the great scheme of his providence embraces every prayer that shall be offered, as well as the answer it shall receive. It is objected that prayer cannot increase his knowledge of our wants, nor his readiness to supply them; and that in any case he will do what is for the best. But he deems it best to grant many blessings in answer to prayer, which otherwise he would withhold; "He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee." The words of David will be those of every truly praying man: "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles," .
False and formed religion makes a merit of its prayers, as though "much speaking" and "vain repetitions" could atone for heartlessness. Hypocrites also are wont to pray chiefly that they may have praise of men. These sins Christ reproves in , and gives to his disciples the form of the Lord’s prayer as a beautiful model. In ; ; , Paul directs that believers should pray in all places and at all times, lifting up pure hands towards heaven, and blessing God for all things, whether in eating, drinking, or what ever they do; and that every thing be done to the glory of God, . In a word, our Savior has recommended to us to pray without ceasing, ; .
Preaching
The public and oral inculcation of the truths of religion, especially of the gospel of Christ, ; ; ; . Public instruction in religion was no doubt given in the earliest ages. Enoch prophesied, ; and Noah was a preacher of righteousness, . Frequent instances of religious addresses occur in the history of Moses, the judges, and the prophets; and these were to some extent in connection with the Jewish ritual, .
The psalms sung in the temple-conveyed instruction to the people. After the captivity, numerous synagogues were erected, in which the word of God was read and expounded from Sabbath to Sabbath. Under the gospel dispensation, the preaching of Christ crucified, by those whom he calls to be his ambassadors, is an established ordinance of prime importance-God’s chief instrumentality for the conversion of the world, ; ; ; .
Preparation
The day on which our Savior was crucified was called the "day of preparation," or "the preparation of the Passover," as preceding the Passover Sabbath, which commend at sunset, ; .
Press
Not only the vat in which the juice was trodden out from the grapes, but in some cases the whole place for the reception of wine, grapes, and orchard-fruit. It was often a room excavated in the ground; thus the husbandman "dug a wine-press" in his vineyard, . See also ; ; . See WINE.
Pretorium
A name given in the gospels to the house in which dwelt the Roman governor of Jerusalem, . Here he sat in his judicial capacity, and here Jesus was brought before him. See GABRATHA. This was the palace built by Herod at Jerusalem, near the tower of Antonia, with which it had communication. It was a magnificent building, and inclosed a spacious court, ; ; ,. Here the Roman procurators resided whenever they visited Jerusalem, their headquarters being at Caesarea, ; .
The pretorium or palace of Herod (English translation, "judgment-hall") at Caesarea is also mentioned in . Paul speaks also of the pretorium (English translation, "palace") at Rome, in which he gave testimony to Christ, . Some think that by this he means the palace of the emperor Nero; and others, that he intends the place where the roman Praetor sat to administer justice, that is, his tribunal. Other have maintained, with greater probability, that under the name of the pretorium at Rome, Paul would express the camp of the pretorium soldiers, whither he might have been carried by the soldier that always accompanied him, and who was fastened to him by a chain, as the manner was among the Romans.
Prevent
In the Bible means, not to hinder, but to proceed, ; ; to anticipate, ,; ; or to seize, ; .
Pricks
The points with which ox-goads were armed, by kicking against which a refractory bullock only hurt itself the more. Hence a proverb, found in Greek and Latin as well as in Hebrew, applied to those who resist lawful authority, or the power of God, ; . Compare . See OX.
Priest
One who officiated in the public worship of God, especially in making expiation for sin, being "ordained for men in things pertaining to God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins." In the Old Testament, the priesthood was not annexed to a certain family till after the promulgation of the law by Moses. Before that time, the firstborn of each family, the fathers, the princes, the kings, were priests in their own cities and in their own houses. Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Job, Abimelech and Laban, Isaac and Jacob offered personally their own sacrifices. In the solemnity of the covenant made by the Lord with his people, at the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses performed the office of mediator, and young men were chosen from among Israel to perform the office of priests, . But after the Lord had chosen the tribe of Levi to serve him in his tabernacle, and the priesthood was annexed to the family of Aaron, the right of offering sacrifices and oblations to God was reserved to the priests of this family, . The punishment of Uzziah king of Judah is well known, who having presumed to offer incense to the Lord, was suddenly smitten with a leprosy, . See also the case of Saul, . However, it seems that on certain occasions the Hebrew prophets offered sacrifice to the Lord, especially before a constant place of worship was fixed at Jerusalem. See , where Samuel, who was not a priest offered a lamb for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord. See also ; ; ,.
The Lord having reserved to himself the firstborn of Israel because he had preserved them from the hand of the destroying angel in Egypt, by way of exchange and compensation, he accepted the tribe of Levi for the service of his tabernacle, . Thus the whole tribe of Levi was appointed to the sacred ministry, but not all in the same manner; for of the three sons of Levi, Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, the heads of the three great families, the Lord chose the family of Kohath, and out of this family the house of Aaron, to exercise the functions of the priesthood. Al the rest of the family of Kohath, even the children of Moses and their descendants remained among the Levites.
The high priest was at the head of all religious affairs, and was the ordinary judge of all difficulties that belonged thereto, and even of the general justice and judgment of the Jewish nation, as being at the head of all the priests by whom this was administered, ; ; ; ,; . He only had the privilege of entering the sanctuary once a year, on the day of solemn expiation, to make atonement for the sins of the whole people, , etc. He was to be born of one of his own tribe, whom his father had married a virgin; and was to be exempt from corporal defect, . In general, no priest who had any such defect could offer sacrifice, or enter the holy place to present the showbread. But he was to be maintained by the sacrifices offered at the tabernacle, . The high priest also received a tithe from the Levites, .
God also appropriated to the high priest the oracle of his truth; so that when he was habited in the proper ornaments of his dignity, and with the Urim and Thummim, he answered questions proposed to him, and God disclosed to him secret and future things. He was forbidden to mourn for the death of any of his relations, even for his father or mother; or to enter into any place where a dead body lay, that he might not contract or hazard the contraction of uncleanness, .
The priests served immediately at the altar. They slew and dressed the public sacrifices, or at least it was done by the Levites under their direction. Private offerers slew their own victims, except in the case of turtledoves or young pigeons. But all offerings upon the altar, the sprinkling of blood included, were made by the priests alone. They kept up a perpetual fire on the altar of burnt sacrifices, and in the lamps of the golden candlestick in the sanctuary; they kneaded the loaves of showbread, baked them, offered them on the golden altar in the sanctuary, and changed them every Sabbath-day. Compare ; . Every day, night and morning, a priest appointed by casting of lots at the beginning of the week, brought into the sanctuary a smoking censer of incense, and set it on the golden table, otherwise called the altar of incense, .
The sacred dress of the priests consisted of the following articles: short linen drawers; a close-fitting tunic of fine linen or cotton, of woven work, broidered, reaching to the feet, and furnished with sleeves; a girdle of fine linen. Plain linen ephods are also ascribed to them, ; and a bonnet or turban, also of fine linen, in many folds. The priests always officiated with uncovered feet. The high priests were nearly the same dress with the priests, and four articles in addition: an outer tunic, called the robe of the ephod, woven entire, blue, with an ornamented border around the neck, and a fringe at the bottom made up of pomegranates and golden bells: an ephod of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, with golden threads interwoven, covering the body from the neck to the thighs; having shoulder-pieces joined on the shoulders by clasps of gold in which were set onyx-stones graven with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; and also a girdle of fine linen, woven with blue, purple, scarlet, and gold, passed several times round the body: a breastplate, attached at its four corners to the ephod, and likewise bearing the names of the twelve tribes on twelve precious stones; and the miter, a high and ornamented turban having on the front a gold plate with the inscription, "Holiness to the Lord." Neither he nor the priests wore their sacred dresses out of the temple as we infer from ; ; .
The Lord had given no lands of inheritance to the tribe of Levi, in the Land of Promise. He intended that they should be supported by the tithes, the first fruits, the offerings made in the temple and by their share of the sin offerings and thanksgiving offerings sacrificed in the temple; of which certain parts were appropriated to them. In the peace offerings, they had the shoulder and the breast, ,; in the sin offering, they burnt on the altar the fat that covers the bowels, the liver, and the kidneys; the rest belonged to themselves, ,. The skin or fleece of every sacrifice also belonged to them. When an Israelite sacrificed any animal for his own use, he was to give the priest the shoulder, the stomach, and the jaws, . The priest had also a share of the wool when sheep were shorn, . Thus, though the priests had no lands or inheritances, their temporal wants were supplied. God provided them houses and accommodations, by appointing forty-eight cities, six were appointed as cities of refuge for those who had committed casual and involuntary manslaughter. The priests had thirteen of these cities; the others belonged to the Levites, .
A principal employment of the priests, next to attending on the sacrifices and the temple service, was the instruction of the people and the deciding of controversies; distinguishing the several sorts of leprosy, divorce causes, the waters of jealousy, vows, causes relating to the law and uncleanness, etc. They publicly blessed the people in the name of the Lord. In time of war their duty was to carry the Ark of the Covenant, to consult the Lord, to sound the holy trumpets, and to encourage the army, ; .
The priesthood of Christ is the substance and truth, of which that of the Jews was but a shadow and figure. Christ, the everlasting priest according to the order of Melchizedek, abides forever, as Paul observes; whereas the priests according to the order of Aaron were mortal, and therefore could not continue long, . The Lord, to express to the Hebrews what great favors he would confer on them, says he would make them kings and priests, ; and Peter repeats this promise to Christians, or rather, he tells them that they are in truth what Moses promised to Israel, ,. See also . In an important sense every Christian offers himself a spiritual sacrifice, "acceptable to God through Jesus Christ;" but in the Christian church, there is no priest to make expiation for sin by a sacrifice but Christ alone, .
Prisca Or Priscilla
The wife of Aquila. See AQUILA.
Prochorus
One of the seen original deacons, , of whom nothing more is known.
Prognosticators
, Chaldeans, who pretended to foretell future events by the varying aspects of the moon, or month by month.
Promise
Used by Paul to denote the spiritual gifts of God, chiefly the Messiah, the Holy Spirit, and the fullness of gospel blessings, of which an assurance was given to Abraham and other saints in behalf of themselves, and of believers who should come after them, ; . The "children of the promise" are either Isaac’s posterity, as distinguished from Ishmael’s; Jews converted to Christianity; or all true believers, who by faith lay hold on the promise of salvation in Christ. In , "promise" means the thing promised, . The "exceeding great and precious promises" of God include all good things for this life and the future; which are infallibly secured to his people in Christ, ; ; . On the ground of the infinite merits of their Redeemer, infinite love, unbounded wisdom, and almighty power are pledged for their benefit; and having given them his only son, God will with him freely give them every inferior blessing he sees to be desirable for them, .
Prophecy
The foretelling of future events, by inspiration from God. It is very different from a sagacious and happy conjecture as to futurity, and from a vague and equivocal oracle, without any certain meaning. A true prophecy can come only from God; and is the highest proof of the divine origin of the message of which it is a part. A true prophecy may be known by these marks; being announced at a suitable time before the event it foretells; having a particular and exact agreement with that event; being such as no human sagacity or foresight could produce; and being delivered by one claiming to be under the inspiration of the Almighty. Many of the prophecies of Scripture foretold events ages before they occurred—events of which there was then no apparent probability, and the occurrence of which depended on innumerable contingencies, involving the history of things and the volitions of persons not then in existence; and yet these predictions were fulfilled at the time and place and in the manner prophesied. Such were the predictions respecting the coming and crucifixion of the Messiah, the dispersion and preservation of the Jews, etc.
The Scripture prophecies are a scheme of vast extent, the very earliest predictions reaching down to the end of the world’s history —a scheme gradually and harmoniously developed from age to age, and by many different persons, some of them not fully apprehending, and "searching diligently what the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify," , the whole manifestly the work of Jehovah, and marvelous in our eyes. A degree of obscurity rests on the prophetic writings, which patient and prayerful study alone can dispel; while those that are yet unfulfilled must await the coming of the events, which will make all at length clear. Many predictions relating primarily to events and deliverance’s near at hand, were also designed of God as sure prophecies of yet more illustrious events in the future. For example, the general subject of the predictions in is the coming of Christ, to judge his foes and deliver his friends. In penning a sketch of this subject, Matthew imitates a painter depicting from an eminence the landscape before him: the tower of the village church in the near foreground, and the mountain peak in the dim and remote horizon, rise side by side on his canvas. So in painting the coming of Christ, Matthew sketches first some features of his coming in the destruction of Jerusalem to occur within forty years, and in the next verse some distinctive features of his second coming at the end of the world; yet both belong to the same general view. Respecting the New Testament phrase, "This was done that it might be fulfilled," etc., see FULFILLED. For other meanings of "prophecy," see PROPHETS.
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.