Early used to decide an issue; so in choosing each of the two goats on the day of atonement (two inscribed tablets of boxwood were the lots used according to Joma 3:9 (?)), Leviticus 16:8, and in assigning the inheritances in Canaan (Numbers 26:55; Numbers 34:13), in selecting men for an expedition (Judges 1:1; Judges 20:10), in electing a king (1 Samuel 10:20), in detecting the guilty (1 Samuel 14:41-42), in selecting an apostle (Acts 1:26), as formerly priests' offices among the 16 of Eleazar's family and the eight of Ithamar (1 Chronicles 24:3; 1 Chronicles 24:5; 1 Chronicles 24:19; Luke 1:9), in apportioning spoil (Obadiah 1:11; Joel 3:3), in dividing Jesus' garments (Matthew 27:35; Psalms 22:18). In Proverbs 16:33, "the lot is cast into the lap," i.e. into an urn or cap in the judge's lap; "but the whole disposing (Hebrew:judgment) thereof is of the Lord." Only in weighty cases resort was had to judgment by lot; it was entered on with solemnity, as God is arbiter. Sanctification of the people preceded in Joshua 7:13-18.
From the co-author of the classic Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, Fausset's Bible Dictionary stands as one of the best single-volume Bible encyclopedias ever written for general use. The author's writing style is always clear and concise, and he tackles issues important to the average student of the Bible, not just the Biblical scholars. This makes Fausset an excellent tool for both everyday Bible study and in-depth lesson or sermon preparation.Wikipedia
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