sit´ing ( רשׁב , yāshabh , "to sit down or still," דּגר , dāghar , "to brood," "hatch"; καθέζομαι , kathézomai , "to sit down," ἀνάκειμαι , anákeimai , "to lie back," "recline"): The favorite position of the Orientals ( Malachi 3:3; Matthew 9:9; Matthew 26:55 (compare Matthew 5:1; Luke 4:20; Luke 5:3 ); Mark 14:18; Luke 18:35; John 2:14 , etc.).
"In Palestine people sit at all kinds of work; the carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting upon the ground or upon the plank he is planing. The washerwoman sits by the tub, and, in a word, no one stands where it is possible to sit.... On the low shopcounters the turbaned salesmen squat in the midst of the gay wares" ( LB , II, 144,275; III, 72,75).
(1) To sit with denotes intimate fellowship ( Psalm 1:1; Psalm 26:5; Luke 13:29; Revelation 3:21 ); (2) to sit in the dust indicates poverty and contempt ( Isaiah 47:1 ), in darkness , ignorance (Matthew 4:16 ) and trouble (Micah 7:8 ); (3) to sit on thrones denotes authority, judgment, and glory ( Matthew 19:28 ).
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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