Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

KNIFE

A cutting utensil, rendered by several Hebrew words. Heb. māʾăḵeleṯ (from ʾkl, “to eat”) is a utensil that was used to slay an animal and prepare it for food (Gen. 22:6, 10; Judg. 19:29). This cutting device was large enough to cut through human flesh and dismember the human body. It was thus probably the equivalent of a modern butcher knife (cf. Prov. 30:14, par. ḥereḇ, “sword”).

Heb. śakkîn (Prov. 23:2), thought to be an Aramaic loanword, was a common word for a slaughtering knife in rabbinic literature. Biblical usage and archaeological finds do provide the precise distinction between a māʾăḵeleṯ and a śakkîn. Heb. ḥereḇ, “sword,” is often translated “knife” when the tool was used for circumcising and shaving (Josh. 5:2; Ezek. 5:1-2); cf. the LXX, where Gk. máchaira translates both māʾăḵeleṯ and ḥereḇ. Heb. taʿar refers to a shaving implement (Num. 6:5; 8:7; Isa. 7:20; Ezek. 5:1) as well as a penknife (Jer. 36:23). The word does not occur in the NT.

Knives have been discovered at almost every archaeological dig in Israel. They were made from flint, metal, copper, and iron.

Mark F. Rooker

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

KNIFE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)