prā ( בּז , baz , טרף , ṭereph , שלל , shālāl ): "Prey" is frequent in the Old Testament, chiefly as the translation of baz , "spoil," "plunder" ( Numbers 14:3 , Numbers 14:11; Deuteronomy 1:39; Isaiah 10:6 , etc.); of ṭereph , "prey of wild beasts," "torn thing" (Genesis 49:9; Numbers 23:24; Job 4:11 , etc.); of malḳōah , "a taking" (Numbers 31:11 , etc.; Isaiah 49:24 , Isaiah 49:25 ); of shālāl , "spoil" or "booty" (Judges 5:30 twice; Judges 8:24 , Judges 8:25; Isaiah 10:2 , etc.). Mahēr -shālāl -ḥash -baz (the Revised Version margin "The spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth") was the symbolical name given to a son of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:1 , Isaiah 8:3 ). "Prey" does not occur in the New Testament, but is found in the Apoc: 1 Esdras 8:77, "for our sins ... were given up ... for a prey" (pronomḗ ); Judith 9:4; 16:5; 1 Macc 7:47; Ecclesiasticus 27:10 (thḗra ); Judith 5:24 (katábrōma ).
In the Revised Version (British and American) shālāl is generally translated "spoil" ( Judges 5:30; Judges 8:24 , Judges 8:25; Isaiah 10:2 , etc.), while, conversely, "prey" (noun and verb) is occasionally substituted for "spoil," "booty" (Numbers 31:32 , ere). See BOOTY; SPOIL .
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.
But as with any writings of men, the careful student of the Bible must always compare them with Scripture. As you use this helpful study resource, remember that only God's word is pure.
Read More