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Used figuratively, “son of” can mean “something belonging to”—e.g., “the arrow
[literally, “the son of a bow”] cannot make him flee” (Job 41:28).
BULLOCK
(
#
, 6499), “bullock.” Cognates of this word appear in Ugaritic, Aramaic,
Syriac, and Arabic.
8
appears about 132 times in the Bible and in every period,
although most of its appearances are in prose contexts dealing with sacrifices to God.
8
means “young bull,” which is the significance in its first biblical appearance
(Gen. 32:15), which tells us that among the gifts Jacob sent to placate Esau were “ten
bulls.” In Ps. 22:12, the word is used to describe “fierce, strong enemies”: “Many bulls
have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.” When God threatens
the nations with judgment in Isa. 34:7, He describes their princes and warriors as “young
bulls,” which He will slaughter (cf. Jer. 50:27; Ezek. 39:18).
8
is the feminine form of
and it is used disdainfully of women in Amos 4:1:
“Hear this word, you cows [
KJV
, “kine”] of Bashan …” (
RSV
).
8
occurs 25 times in
the Old Testament, and its first appearance is in Gen. 32:15.
TO BURN
A. Verb.
(
*
, 8313), “to burn.” A common Semitic term, this word is found in ancient
Akkadian and Ugaritic, as well as throughout the history of the Hebrew language. It
occurs in its verb form nearly 120 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.
-
is found
first in Gen. 11:3 in the Tower of Babel story: “Go to, let us make brick, and burn them
thoroughly.”
Since burning is the main characteristic of fire, the term
is usually used to
describe the destroying of objects of all kinds. Thus, the door of a city tower was
“burned” (Judg. 9:52), as were various cities (Josh. 6:24; 1 Sam. 30:1), chariots (Josh.
11:6, 9), idols (Exod. 32:20; Deut. 9:21), and the scroll that Jeremiah had dictated to
Baruch (Jer. 36:25, 27-28). The Moabites’ “burning” of the bones of the king of Edom
(Amos 2:1) was a terrible outrage to all ancient Semites. The “burning” of men’s bodies
on the sacred altar was a great act of desecration (1 Kings 13:2). Ezekiel “burned” a third
of his hair as a symbol that part of the people of Judah would be destroyed (Ezek. 5:4).
Interestingly,
is never used for the “burning” of a sacrifice on the altar,
although a few times it designates the disposal of refuse, unused sacrificial parts, and
some diseased parts. The “burning” of a red heifer was for the purpose of producing
ashes for purification (Lev. 19:5, 8).
B. Nouns.
(
*
, 8314), “burning one; fiery being.” In Num. 21:6, 8, the term
describes the serpents that attacked the Israelites in the wilderness. They are referred to as
“fiery” serpents. A “fiery” flying serpent appears in Isa. 14:29, as well as in Isa. 30:6.
-
(
*
, 8314), “burning, noble.”
-
refers to the ministering beings in
Isa. 6:2, 6, and may imply either a serpentine form (albeit with wings, human hands, and