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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
(apparent). An object of
worship
, other than
God
(
Gen. 31:19
19
And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. (Genesis 31:19)
);
idolatry
forbidden (
Ex. 20:3-4; 34:13
3
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (Exodus 20:3‑4)
13
But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: (Exodus 34:13)
;
Deut. 4:16-19; 7:25-26
16
Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17
The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
18
The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
19
And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. (Deuteronomy 4:16‑19)
25
The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.
26
Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. (Deuteronomy 7:25‑26)
); yet existed largely, especially under the
judges
and later kings (Ex. 32;
Judg. 2:10-23
10
And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
11
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:
12
And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger.
13
And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
15
Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
16
Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17
And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so.
18
And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
19
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
20
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;
21
I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:
22
That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23
Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua. (Judges 2:10‑23)
;
1 Kings 11:33; 12:27-33; 14:22-24
33
Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. (1 Kings 11:33)
27
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
29
And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.
30
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
31
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
32
And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made.
33
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. (1 Kings 12:27‑33)
22
And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
23
For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
24
And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. (1 Kings 14:22‑24)
;
Isa. 57:5-8
5
Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?
6
Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?
7
Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.
8
Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it. (Isaiah 57:5‑8)
).
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
The
worship
of idols—a
sin
which is mentioned as committed after
the flood
. There seems to have been a universal giving up of the
knowledge
of the true
God
.
Paul
, speaking of men, says that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, notwithstanding that what may be known of God in
nature
, His
eternal
power
and
Godhead
, was manifested to them. They degraded the worship of the true God everywhere, and idolatry became universal. In this,
man
had no excuse. Images were made like corruptible man, and
birds
, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things (
Rom. 1:20-23
20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:20‑23)
). From this state
Abram
was rescued by the God of
glory
appearing to him.
Scripture
shows the
folly
of a man cutting down a tree, and burning part of it to cook his food and to warm himself, and yet making a god of the
rest
, and worshipping it (
Isa. 44:14-17
14
He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
15
Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
16
He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
17
And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. (Isaiah 44:14‑17)
); and yet
Israel
, to whom God had revealed Himself, not only as
Creator
but in
redemption
, adopted these wicked follies. There were also molten images and images of stone.
Imaginary creatures were regarded as
gods
, and these were feared and propitiated. Some believed in a fetish of good and a fetish of evil. Others had an elaborate system of mythology, as the Greeks, with husbands and wives and sons and daughters of the gods and goddesses.
Man
himself was exalted by some into a god, as with the Greeks and the Romans.
In Israel at first there might have been the thought that the idol was only a representative of God, just as the
Egyptians
professed to have representations of their unseen gods. When the
golden
calf
was made
Aaron
built an
altar
before it, and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to
Jehovah
”; but the people said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of
Egypt
” (
Ex. 32:4-5
4
And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5
And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. (Exodus 32:4‑5)
). Yet they had been commanded to make no
graven
image
, because they saw no
similitude
when God spake to them at
Horeb
. This species of idolatry is seen further developed in the case of
Micah
, who had a
house
of gods. See MICAH.
The secret of all the abominations in idolatry is, that
Satan
is the grand mover of it. To Israel it was said that they were no more to offer sacrifices unto
demons
(
Lev. 17:7
7
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. (Leviticus 17:7)
). They “sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto
demons
” (
Psa. 106:37
37
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, (Psalm 106:37)
). They made their
children
pass through the
fire
to
Molech
(
2 Kings 23:10
10
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. (2 Kings 23:10)
;
Ezek. 23:37,39
37
That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them. (Ezekiel 23:37)
39
For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house. (Ezekiel 23:39)
); “slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks” (
Isa. 57:5
5
Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? (Isaiah 57:5)
).
As to the sacrificing being to demons, the same thing is said of the idolatry at
Corinth
, with its Grecian mythology (
1 Cor. 10:20
20
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (1 Corinthians 10:20)
). Satan being the real promoter of it all, he knows how to
lead
a
poor
unintelligent
heathen
to be satisfied with an imaginary fetish; the Greeks and Romans to be pleased with their stately statues; and the Brahmins and Hindus to pride themselves in their superior and refined mysticism. Satan has also succeeded in introducing into the professing
church
the worship of the
Virgin
Mary
and of the saints. To this must be added another species of idolatry to which Christians are
sometimes
enticed, namely, that of letting anything but Christ have the first place in the
heart
; for in Him God is revealed, He “is the image of the invisible God”—“He is the true God.” “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (
1 John 5:21
21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21)
).
The word
εἴδωλον
is from
εῖδος
, “that which is
seen
,” and covetousness is specially characterized as idolatry (
Col. 3:5
5
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Colossians 3:5)
).
“194. Idol Groves” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Deuteronomy 16:21
21
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee. (Deuteronomy 16:21)
. Thou shalt not plant thee a
grove
of any trees near unto the
altar
of the
Lord
thy
God
, which thou shalt make thee.
Idol temples and altars were surrounded by thick groves and trees, which became the resort of the abandoned of both sexes, and in which, under plea of idolatrous
worship
, excesses of the vilest kind were perpetrated. For this reason God forbade the planting of trees near his altars, lest his people should become, or seem to be, like the
heathen
. See also
Isaiah 57:5; 65:3; 66:17
5
Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? (Isaiah 57:5)
3
A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; (Isaiah 65:3)
17
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 66:17)
;
Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6
20
For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot. (Jeremiah 2:20)
6
The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. (Jeremiah 3:6)
;
Ezekiel 6:13; 20:28
13
Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savor to all their idols. (Ezekiel 6:13)
28
For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink offerings. (Ezekiel 20:28)
;
Hosea 4:13
13
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. (Hosea 4:13)
. Some suppose
the word
“grove” here to mean a high wooden
pillar
, planted in the ground. See note on
Judges 3:7
7
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves. (Judges 3:7)
(#222).
“212. Idolatrous Spots” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Deuteronomy 32:5
5
They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. (Deuteronomy 32:5)
. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his
children
.
The spot or blot here spoken of is said to be something that does not belong to the children of
God
. “Their spot is not of his children.” Allusion is supposed to be made here to the marks which idolaters
put
upon their persons, particularly on their foreheads, in honor of their deities. It is a very ancient practice, and probably existed before
Moses
’
time
. Forbes, in his Oriental Memoirs, says that in
India
different idolatrous sects have different marks. These are specially common among the two principal sects, the worshipers of Siva and the worshipers of Vishnoo. The marks are horizontal and perpendicular lines; crescents or circles; or representations of leaves,
eyes
, and other objects. They are impressed on the
forehead
by the officiating Brahmin with a composition of
sandal
-
wood
dust
and
oil
, or the
ashes
of
cow
-dung and turmeric. The colors are red,
black
, white, and yellow. In many cases these marks are renewed daily.
Zophar
may have referred to a similar
custom
when he spoke to
Job
about lifting up his face without spot (
Job 11:15
15
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: (Job 11:15)
).
Eliphaz
also spoke of lifting up the face to God (
Job 22:26
26
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. (Job 22:26)
). Job himself subsequently denied that any blot was on his hands.
Job 31:7
7
If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands; (Job 31:7)
. In
the Revelation
of
John
there are several references to idolatrous marks on the forehead and hands. See
Revelation 13:16; 14:9; 19:20; 20:4
16
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (Revelation 13:16)
9
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (Revelation 14:9)
20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)
4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
.
“306. A Monstrous Idol” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
1 Kings 15:13
13
And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. (1 Kings 15:13)
. Also
Maachah
his
mother
, even her he removed from being
queen
, because she had made an idol in a
grove
; and
Asa
destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the
brook
Kidron
.
Miphletseth, here, and in the parallel
passage
in
2 Chronicles 15:16
16
And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 15:16)
, rendered “idol,” is defined by Fuerst, “horror, terror, monstrosity.” From the mode of its
destruction
here noticed this
image
was evidently of
wood
. It is supposed to have been an obscene
figure
, the
worship
of which shows the demoralizing influence of
idolatry
. Such figures were often worshiped among the ancient idolaters, and are still worshiped in
India
.
“310. Lacerations in Idol Worship” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
1 Kings 18:28
28
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. (1 Kings 18:28)
. They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the
blood
gushed out upon them.
It was customary among the
heathen
to make lacerations in their
flesh
, not only as a
mark
of
mourning
for the dead, as shown in the note on
Leviticus 19:28
28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28)
(#166), but also as an act of idolatrous
worship
. This
custom
was not, however, of Egyptian origin, as were many of the customs practiced in
Canaan
. Wilkinson says that the
Egyptians
beat themselves at the close of their sacrifices, as is shown by paintings in the tombs. He also says that the custom of cutting was from
Syria
. The same practice is followed at the present
day
among idolaters of different nations. They cut their flesh in various ways until they are streaming with blood. They consider that this voluntary blood-shedding is meritorious, and will help to wash away their sins.
“516. How Idols Were Made” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Isaiah 44:10
10
Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? (Isaiah 44:10)
. Who hath formed a
god
, or molten a
graven
image
that is profitable for nothing?
The term “molten” does not necessarily mean that the image was cast of solid metal. Such may
sometimes
have been made, especially of small size; but the metallic part of idols was usually a thin plating of metal on a wooden image. See note on
Exodus 32:4
4
And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 32:4)
(#132). Thus the
carpenter
and the goldsmith worked together. See
Isaiah 40:19-20; 41:7
19
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
20
He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. (Isaiah 40:19‑20)
7
So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved. (Isaiah 41:7)
;
Jeremiah 10:3-4
3
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
4
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. (Jeremiah 10:3‑4)
.
The work of the carpenter was to take the rude
log
and fashion it into an image ready to receive the metallic plates. This is aptly described in the thirteenth verse of this chapter: “The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the
figure
of a
man
, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the
house
.” The figure was first marked on the log with a chalk line, and then cut and carved with the proper tools until it assumed the shape and size required. Denon, in his Travels in
Egypt
, (cited by Burder, Oriental Customs, No. 720,) speaks of an idol which he found “on one of the columns of the portico of Tentyra; it was covered with stucco and painted. The stucco being partly scaled off; gave me the opportunity of discovering lines traced as if with red chalk. Curiosity prompted me to take away the whole of the stucco, and I found the form of the figure sketched, with corrections of the outline; a division into twenty-two parts: the separation of the thighs being in the middle of the whole height of the figure, and the
head
comprising rather less than a seventh part.”
It was after some such plan, probably, that idols were made in the
time
of Isaiah. The wooden image, once made, could be worshiped as it was, or it could be covered with
plaster
or with metal. On the other hand, the metallic outside might not always have had an interior of
wood
, but may sometimes have been filled with clay, as idols in
India
are at tins
day
.
“535. Idolatrous Feasts” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Isaiah 65:11
11
But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. (Isaiah 65:11)
. But ye are they that forsake the
Lord
, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a
table
for that troop, and that furnish the drink
offering
unto that number.
For “troop” and “that number” the margin substitutes the original words pad and meni. The precise meaning of these two terms is a matter of diversified opinion. Gesenius defines
gad
to be the
god
Fortune, the same as
Baal
or
Bel
, that is, the
planet
Jupiter
, which was regarded throughout the
East
as the giver of good fortune. There was a city called
Baal-Gad
in the
valley
of
Lebanon
under Mount
Hermon
. Gesenius gives to meni the definition of fate, fortune, destiny, and thinks the planet Venus was intended. Venus was identical with Astarte, and was regarded by the ancient Semitic nations as the source of good fortune, and as such was coupled with the planet Jupiter; Jupiter being the “Greater Good Fortune,” and Venus the “Lesser Good Fortune.” Füerst is undecided whether gad refers to Jupiter or Venus; he supposes meni to refer to the
moon
, and that both were deities who were supposed to control fate.
Many interpreters have refused to render the two words as
names
of idols, and have “referred the whole clause either to convivial assemblies, perhaps connected with idolatrous
worship
, or to the troop of planets and the multitude of stars, as objects of such worship” (
Alexander
, Commentary in loco.
All, however, are agreed on one point, that the whole
passage
has reference to idolatrous worship of some sort; the “table” and the “drink offering” give evidence of that. The kind of offering referred to is supposed to be identical with the lectisternia of the Romans. These were
feasts
spread for the
consumption
of the
gods
on occasions of extraordinary solemnities. Images of the gods reclined on conches, while before them were placed tables filled with viands, as if the gods were really partaking of the things offered in
sacrifice
. The
custom
is thought to have been of Egyptian origin, and from the
Egyptians
the Hebrews probably learned it. Jerome states that in every city in
Egypt
, and especially in
Alexandria
, they were in the habit, on the last
day
of each
year
, of covering a table with dishes of various kinds, and with a
cup
filled with a liquor made of water,
wine
, and
honey
, either in acknowledgment of the fertility of the past year, or to implore fruitfulness for the year to come.
See also notes on
Numbers 22:41
41
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. (Numbers 22:41)
(#184) and
1 Kings 11:5
5
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. (1 Kings 11:5)
(#304).
“602. Idolatrous Customs” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Amos 2:8
8
And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. (Amos 2:8)
. They lay themselves down upon clothes laid to
pledge
by every
altar
, and they drink the
wine
of the condemned in the
house
of their
god
.
Henderson’s
translation
gives the sense of the
passage
more clearly than
the authorized version
. He renders it: “They stretch themselves upon pledged
garments
close to every altar, and drink the wine of the amerced in the house of their
gods
.” The text refers to the unjust habits and to the idolatrous practices of the backslidden Israelites, especially of those in
authority
. They took
money
which they had exacted by the imposition of fines, which were in all probability fixed at an amount higher than justice demanded, and with it purchased wine, which is therefore called “the wine of the amerced.” This wine they drank in
heathen
temples. In addition to this they took from the
poor
as a pledge for debts their outer garments, which were their covering through the
night
as well as during the
day
. Instead of returning these at sundown, as the
law
required (
Deut. 24:12
12
And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: (Deuteronomy 24:12)
; see also the note on that text, #205) they kept them all night, and stretched themselves upon them in the heathen temples. This stretching may refer either to the reclining at the idolatrous
feasts
, or to the
custom
,
sometimes
practiced among the heathen, of sleeping near the altars of their gods, that they might obtain communications in
dreams
.
Keil translates the verse: “And they stretch themselves upon pawned clothes by every altar, and they drink the wine of the punished in the house of their God.” He does not believe that
the
prophet
refers to feasts in idolatrous temples, but in drinking carousals which were held in the
house of God
. He says that “Amos had in his mind the sacred places in
Bethel
and
Dan
, in which the Israelites worshiped
Jehovah
as their God under the symbol of an ox, (
calf
)” (Commentary in loco).
Related Books and Articles:
194. Idol Groves
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
212. Idolatrous Spots
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
602. Idolatrous Customs
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
310. Lacerations in Idol Worship
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
306. A Monstrous Idol
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
516. How Idols Were Made
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
535. Idolatrous Feasts
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
Idols
By:
Albert Cecil Hayhoe
Idolatry
By:
R. Beacon
Idols and the Heavenly Vision
By:
O. Rowan
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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