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(
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, 4376), “to sell.” Common in both ancient and modern Hebrew, this
word is also found in ancient Akkadian and Ugaritic. It occurs approximately 70 times in
the text of the Hebrew Old Testament and is found for the first time in the Old Testament
in Gen. 25:31: “And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.”
Anything tangible may be “sold,” such as land (Gen. 47:20), houses (Lev. 25:29),
animals (Exod. 21:35), and human beings as slaves (Gen. 37:27-28). Daughters were
usually “sold” for an agreed bride price (Exod. 21:7).
"
is often used in the figurative sense to express various actions. Nineveh is
accused of “selling” or “betraying” other nations (Nah. 3:4). Frequently it is said that God
“sold” Israel into the power of her enemies, meaning that He gave them over entirely into
their hands (Judg. 2:14). Similarly, it was said that “the Lord shall sell Sisera into the
hand of a woman” (Judg. 4:9). “To be sold” sometimes means to be given over to death
(Esth. 7:4).
TO SEND
A. Verb.
(
, 7971), “to send, stretch forth, get rid of.” This verb occurs in the
Northwest Semitic languages (Hebrew, Phoenician, and Aramaic). It occurs in all periods
of Hebrew and in the Bible about 850 times. Biblical Aramaic uses this word 14 times.
Basically this verb means “to send,” in the sense of (1) to initiate and to see that such
movement occurs or (2) to successfully conclude such an action. In Gen. 32:18 the
second emphasis is in view—these animals are “a present sent unto my lord Esau.” In
Gen. 38:20 the first idea is in view: When “Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend …
, he found her not”; it never reached its goal. In 1 Sam. 15:20 Saul told Samuel about the
“way which the lord sent” him; here, too, the emphasis is on the initiation of the action.
The most frequent use of
suggests the sending of someone or something as a
messenger to a particular place: “… He shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt
take a wife unto my son from thence” (Gen. 24:7); God’s angel (messenger) will be sent
to Nahor to prepare things for the successful accomplishment of the servant’s task. One
may also “send a word” by the hand of a messenger (fool); one may send a message
(Prov. 26:6), send a letter (2 Sam. 11:14), and send instructions (Gen. 20:2).
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can refer to shooting arrows by sending them to hit a particular target: “And
he sent out arrows, and scattered them …” (2 Sam. 22:15). In Exod. 9:14 God “sends”
His plague into the midst of the Egyptians; He “sends” them forth and turns them loose
among them. Other special meanings of this verb include letting something go freely or
without control: “Thou givest thy mouth to evil …” (Ps. 50:19).
Quite often this verb means “to stretch out.” God was concerned lest after the Fall
Adam “put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:22). One may stretch
forth a staff (1 Sam. 14:27) or a sickle (Joel 3:13).
For the most part the intensive stems merely intensify the meanings already set forth,
but the meaning “to send away” is especially frequent: “… Abner was no longer with
David in Hebron, for David had sent him away …” (2 Sam. 3:22,
NIV
). That is, David
“let him go” (v. 24,
NIV
). God sent man out of the garden of Eden; He made man leave
(Gen. 3:23—the first occurrence of the verb). Noah sent forth a raven (Gen. 8:7).
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can also mean to give someone a send off, or “to send” someone on his way in a friendly