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“to spray.” Used 35 times in the text of the Hebrew Old Testament, in 26 of those times it
expresses the “throwing” or “sprinkling” of blood against the sacrificial altar or on the
people. Thus, it appears very often in Leviticus (1:5, 11; 3:2, 8, 13 et al.).
Ezekiel’s version of “the New Covenant” includes the “sprinkling” of the water of
purification (Ezek. 36:25). In the first use of
%
in the Old Testament, it describes the
“throwing” of handsful of dust into the air which would settle down on the Egyptians and
cause boils (Exod. 9:8, 10). In his reform, Josiah ground up the Canaanite idol images
and “scattered, strewed,” the dust over the graves of idolworshipers (2 Chron. 34:4). In
Ezekiel’s vision of the departure of God’s glory from the temple, the man in linen takes
burning coals and “scatters” them over Jerusalem (Ezek. 10:2).
TO STAND
A. Verbs.
(
, 5324), “to stand, station, set up, erect.” Found in both ancient and
modern Hebrew, this word goes back at least to ancient Ugaritic. It is found
approximately 75 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its first occurrence in the Old Testament is
in Gen. 18:2: “… Three men stood by him.…”
There are various ways of standing. One may “stand” for a definite purpose at a
particular spot: “… Wait for him by the river’s brink …” (Exod. 7:15,
RSV
; literally,
“stand by the river’s bank”). One often stands upright: “… And stood every man at his
tent door …” (Exod. 33:8); “… my sheaf arose, and also stood upright …” (Gen. 37:7).
One who is “stationed” in a position is usually over someone else: “And Azariah the son
of Nathan was over the officers [literally, “those standing over”] …” (1 Kings 4:5). “To
stand” something may be “to erect” something: “And Jacob set up a pillar …” (Gen.
35:14). The waters of the Sea of Reeds were said to “stand as a heap” (Ps. 78:13). To fix
a boundary is “to establish or erect” a boundary marker (Deut. 32:8).
(
$
, 5975), “to take one’s stand; stand here or be there; stand still.” Outside
biblical Hebrew, where it occurs about 520 times and in all periods, this verb is attested
only in Akkadian (“to stand, lean on”). A word spelled the same way appears in Arabic,
but it means “to strive after.”
The basic meaning of this verb is “to stand upright.” This is its meaning in Gen. 18:8,
its first biblical occurrence. It is what a soldier does while on watch (2 Sam. 18:30). From
this basic meaning comes the meaning “to be established, immovable, and standing
upright” on a single spot; the soles of the priests’ feet “rested” (stood still, unmoving) in
the waters of the Jordan (Josh. 3:13). Also, the sun and the moon “stood still” at Joshua’s
command (Josh. 10:13). Idols “stand upright” in one spot, never moving. The suggestion
here is that they never do anything that is expected of living things (Isa. 46:7).
*
may be used of the existence of a particular experience. In 2 Sam. 21:18 there “was”
(
) war again, while in 1 Chron. 20:4 war “existed” or “arose” (
) again.
Cultically (with reference to the formal worship activities) this verb is used of
approaching the altar to make a sacrifice. It describes the last stage of this approaching,
“to stand finally and officially” before the altar (before God; cf. Deut. 4:11). Such
standing is not just a standing still doing nothing but includes all that one does in
ministering before God (Num. 16:9).