Circle (חוּג, chug), any part of a curve, an arch. The word is applied (Job 22:14, where, however, it is translated "circuit") to the heavens, which the ancients supposed to be a hollow sphere. They imagined that the sky was solid, and extended like an arch over the earth. The word is also referred to the earth in Isa 40:22, and to the surface of the ocean in Pr 8:27, where it is rendered "compass;" in both which passages it still seems to mean the celestial vault, as spanning these. In Wisdom of Solomon 13:2, the Greek term κύκλος is so rendered, with reference to the path of the stars. SEE CIRCUIT.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More