The "corners" or "ends" of the earth are its "wings" (kanephōth hā -'ārec ), i.e. its borders or extremities. The word in general means a wing, because the wing of a bird is used as a covering for its young, and from this meaning it acquires that of the extremity of anything stretched out. It is Thus used in Deuteronomy 22:12 : "Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four borders (wings) of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself." It Thus also means the coasts or boundaries of the land surface of the earth; its extremities. It is translated "corners" in Isaiah 11:12; "ends" in Job 37:3 and Job 38:13 . The "four corners" of the earth (Isaiah 11:12 ) or "land" (Ezekiel 7:2 ) are therefore simply the extremities of the land in the four cardinal directions. See also ASTRONOMY , III, 3.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
WikipediaThe ISBE is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
The historical, cultural, and linguistic information in the ISBE can be of great value in Bible study and research.
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