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writer of Hebrews makes much of the fact that with the “sacrifice” of Christ, no more
sacrifices are necessary (Heb. 9)
(
, 4196), “altar.” This word is used more than 400 times in the Old
Testament. This frequent use is obviously another direct evidence of the centrality of the
sacrificial system in Israel. The first appearance of
is in Gen. 8:20, where Noah
built an “altar” after the Flood.
Countless “altars” are referred to as the story of Israel progresses on the pages of the
Old Testament: that of Noah (Gen. 8:20); of Abram at Sichem (Gen. 12:7), at Beth-el
(Gen. 12:8), and at Moriah (Gen. 22:9); of Isaac at Beersheba (Gen. 26:25); of Jacob at
Shechem (Gen. 33:20); of Moses at Horeb (Exod. 24:4), of Samuel at Ramah (1 Sam.
7:17); of the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6:20; 8:64); and of the two “altars” planned by
Ezekiel for the restored temple (Ezek. 41:22; 43:13-17).
SMALL
A. Adjectives.
%
(
+
, 6996), “small; youngest”;
%
(
+
, 6994), “small; young;
insignificant.” These adjectives are synonymous. Both occur in all periods of biblical
Hebrew—
%
, 47 times;
%
, 56 times.
+
in its first appearance means “small and insignificant”: “And God made two
great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night …”
(Gen. 1:16). The first appearance of
%
bears the sense “youngest”: “And Noah awoke
from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him” (Gen. 9:24).
In their first nuance, “small,” the words are often contrasted to
, “great”: “And
all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the
Lord …” (2 Chron. 36:18). Other uses of the words to mean “small” include their
application to the size of a set of weights (Deut. 25:13), to the size of the smallest finger
of one’s hand (1 King 12:10), and to the degree of seriousness of a given sin (Num.
22:18).
In the sense “young” these words refer to the relative age of an individual: “And the
Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of
Israel a little maid …” (2 Kings 5:2). Notice 2 Kings 5:14: “Then went he down, and
dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his
flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child.…” In a related use the word is
comparative, contrasting the age of a given individual with that of his sibling(s): “Hereby
ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your
youngest brother come hither” (Gen. 42:15).
Finally, these adjectives can represent the idea “insignificant,” or small in importance
or strength: “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well
as the great …” (Deut. 1:17). In a related nuance
%
signifies “low in social standing”:
“When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of
Israel …?” (1 Sam. 15:17). In Exod. 18:22 the word suggests triviality: “And let them