left ( שמאל , sāma'l , "to go to the left," "to turn to the left," שׂמאול , שׂמאל , semō'l , "the left hand," שׂמאלי , semā'lı̄ , "belonging to the left," "situated on the left"; ἀριστερός , aristerós , and euphemistically εὐώνυμος , euṓnumos , literally, "having a good name," "of good omen"): The words are chiefly used in orientation with or without the addition of the word "hand." So Abraham says to Lot: "If thou wilt take the left hand ( semō'l ), then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left ( sāma'l )" ( Genesis 13:9 ). Frequently in Hebrew idiom the right hand and the left are mentioned together in order to express the idea "everywhere," "anywhere," "altogether" (Genesis 24:49; Exodus 14:22 , Exodus 14:29; Numbers 22:26; Deuteronomy 2:27; Deuteronomy 5:32; 2 Corinthians 6:7 ). In the geographical sense the left is synonymous with north (Genesis 14:15; Joshua 19:27; Ezekiel 16:46; Acts 21:3 ). While the left hand is considered as weaker than the right (see LEFTHANDED ), it is the hand which holds the bow (Ezekiel 39:3 ). The left hand is the side from which bad omens come, and therefore less lucky and less honored than the right hand (see HAND , note).
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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