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( , 3606), “all; whole; entirety; every; each.” When
precedes a noun, it
expresses a unit and signifies the whole: “These are the three sons of Noah: and of them
was the whole earth overspread” (Gen. 9:19).
may also signify the entirety of a noun
that does not necessarily represent a unit: “All the people, both small and great” entered
into the covenant (2 Kings 23:2). The use of the word in such instances tends to unify
what is not otherwise a unit.
can precede a word that is only part of a larger unit or not part of a given unit at
all. In this case, the prominent idea is that of “plurality,” a heterogeneous unit: “And it
came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that
he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of
the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field” (Gen. 39:5).
Related to the preceding nuance is the use of
to express comprehensiveness. Not
only does it indicate that the noun modified is a plurality, but also that the unit formed by
the addition of
includes everything in the category indicated by the noun: “All the
cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that
remained” (Josh. 21:26). In Gen. 1:21 (its first occurrence), the word precedes a
collective noun and may be translated “every”: “And God created great whales, and every
living creature that moveth, …”
When used to refer to the individual members of a group,
means “every”: “His
hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen. 16:12).
Another example: “Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one
loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards” (Isa. 1:23). Related to this use is the meaning
“none but.”
In Deut. 19:15,
means “every kind of” or “any”; the word focuses on each and
every member of a given unit: “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any
iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth.…” A related nuance appears in Gen.
24:10, but here the emphasis is upon “all sorts”: “And the servant took ten camels of the
camels of his master, and departed; for all [i.e., a variety of] the goods of his master were
in his hand.”
(
, 3632), “the entire; whole.” In Num. 4:6,
refers to the “cloth wholly
of blue.” In other words, it indicates “the entire” cloth.
C. Verb.
(
, 3634), “to perfect.” This common Semitic root appears in biblical
Hebrew only 3 times. Ezek. 27:11 is a good example: “… They have made thy beauty
perfect [
].”
ALTAR
(
, 4196), “altar.” This noun has cognates in Aramaic, Syriac, and
Arabic. In each of these languages the consonantal root is
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occurs about
396 times in the Old Testament.
This word signifies a raised place where a sacrifice was made, as in Gen. 8:20 (its
first biblical appearance): “And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every