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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
[
SANDAL
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
Download (785.5 KB)
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Shoes are mentioned as early as
Exodus 3:5
5
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Exodus 3:5)
, when
Moses
was told to
put
off his shoes, for the ground on which he stood was holy, for
God
was there (
Acts 7:33
33
Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. (Acts 7:33)
). The same was said to
Joshua
(
Josh. 5:15
15
And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:15)
). It showed that as yet there was no welcome for
man
into the presence of God. A standing had not yet been made for him, whatever goodness and condescension God might show towards him. Under
grace
a standing is found, the shoes were put on the prodigal, he was welcome and at home. The priests ministered in
the temple
with bare feet, means being given to keep the feet clean (compare also
John 13:1-17
1
Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2
And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
3
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6
Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11
For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13
Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. (John 13:1‑17)
).
In transferring a possession it was customary to deliver a shoe (
Ruth 4:7-8
7
Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8
Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. (Ruth 4:7‑8)
). Twice is it said, “Over
Edom
will I cast out my shoe:” signifying that Edom would be subdued and be taken possession of as a menial (
Psa. 60:8
8
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me. (Psalm 60:8)
;
Psa. 108:9
9
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. (Psalm 108:9)
). We read that “all they of Edom became
David
’s servants” (
2 Sam. 8:14
14
And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. (2 Samuel 8:14)
). For shoes of “
iron
and
brass
” (
Deut. 33:25
25
Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. (Deuteronomy 33:25)
), some translate “bolts” instead of “shoes.” But it may be figurative of treading down their enemies, as the
Lord
is represented having “feet like unto fine brass” (
Rev. 1:15
15
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. (Revelation 1:15)
).
The shoes of the
East
were mostly the same as “sandals”—soles fastened to the feet by strings or thongs.
John the Baptist
declared he was not worthy to unloose the shoes of the Lord (
Mark 1:7
7
And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. (Mark 1:7)
;
Luke 3:16
16
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: (Luke 3:16)
).
“107. Shoes Removed” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Exodus 3:5
5
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Exodus 3:5)
.
Put
off thy
shoes
from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Orientals are as careful to remove their shoes or sandals before entering a
house
, or a place of
worship
, as we are to remove our hats. Piles of shoes, slippers, or sandals, may be seen at the doors of Mohammedan mosques and of Indian pagodas; it is a
mark
of respect due to those places.
Moses
was in this way directed to show his reverence for the
Divine
Presence. In like manner, when
Joshua
met “the
captain
of the
Lord
’s host,” near
Jericho
, he was required to remove his shoes (
Josh. 5:15
15
And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:15)
). It was so unusual a thing to wear shoes in the house that on one important occasion when it was to be done it was necessary especially to command it. See note on
Exodus 12:11
11
And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. (Exodus 12:11)
(#117).
“208. Barefoot” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Deuteronomy 25:10
10
And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. (Deuteronomy 25:10)
. His name shall be called in
Israel
, The
house
of him that hath his shoe loosed.
To go barefoot was a sign of distress and humiliation. Thus
David
went up Mount
Olivet
when he left
Jerusalem
at the
time
of
Absalom
’s rebellion (
2 Sam. 15:30
30
And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. (2 Samuel 15:30)
). The humiliation of the
Egyptians
was represented by the prediction of their walking barefoot (
Isa. 20:2-4
2
At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3
And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
4
So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. (Isaiah 20:2‑4)
). When
Ezekiel
was directed to cease his
mourning
be was told to
put
on his
shoes
(
Ezek. 24:17
17
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. (Ezekiel 24:17)
). Michaelis says, “Barefooted was a term of reproach, and probably signified a
man
who had sold everything, a spendthrift and a bankrupt” (Com. Laws
Moses
, vol.1, p. 435). In this way the man who refused to marry his
brother
’s childless widow was considered a worthless fellow.
“247. The Sign of the Shoe” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Ruth 4:7
7
Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel. (Ruth 4:7)
. Now this was the manner in former
time
in
Israel
concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a
man
plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a
testimony
in Israel.
There was no
divine
law
ordaining this; it was simply an ancient
custom
. It is not to be confounded with the law in reference to levirate marriages in
Deuteronomy 25:7-10
7
And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
8
Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;
9
Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
10
And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. (Deuteronomy 25:7‑10)
. It probably originated from the fact that the right to tread the soil belonged only to the owner of it, and hence the transfer of a
sandal
was a very appropriate representation of the transfer of property. Allusion to this custom is doubtless intended in
Psalm 60:8
8
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me. (Psalm 60:8)
, “Over
Edom
will I cast out my shoe”; that is, I will transfer it to myself. The custom was prevalent among the Indians and ancient Germans, and is said still to exist in the
East
.
“654. Shoes” From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Matthew 10:10
10
Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. (Matthew 10:10)
. Neither
shoes
.
See also
Luke 10:4
4
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. (Luke 10:4)
.
From the fact that, in the parallel
passage
in
Mark 6:9
9
But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. (Mark 6:9)
, the disciples are commanded to be “shod with sandals,” it has been inferred that our
Lord
designed to mark a distinction between shoes and sdndals, though some commentators treat the idea as absurd. It is certain, however, that in our Lord’s
time
there were, besides sandals, other coverings for the feet more nearly approaching our idea of a shoe. Some of these covered the entire foot, while in others the toes were left bare, as represented in the
engraving
.
The use of shoes may have been forbidden to the disciples because of their luxury, while sandals were allowed as articles of necessity. Thus the statement in Matthew and in Lake, and that in Mark, may be reconciled. The shoe was forbidden, the
sandal
permitted.
When the prodigal came back to his
father
’s
house
shoes were
put
on his feet.
Luke 15:22
22
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (Luke 15:22)
.
For a description of sandals, see note on
Acts 12:8
8
And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. (Acts 12:8)
(#832).
Related Books and Articles:
208. Barefoot
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
247. The Sign of the Shoe
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
654. Shoes
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
107. Shoes Removed
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
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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