stat̬´ū́r ( מד , madh , מדּה , middāh , "measure" ( Numbers 13:32 , etc.), קומה , ḳōmāh , "standing up" (1 Samuel 16:7 , etc.); ἡλικία , hēlikı́a , "greatness"): This last word means "height of the body," "stature," in Luke 2:52; Luke 19:3; Ephesians 4:13 , but it can mean "length of life" equally well and has this force in John 9:21 , John 9:23; Hebrews 11:11 . And this meaning, not "stature" (as in the King James Version), is fixed for Matthew 6:27 parallel Luke 12:25 , for to add some 18 inches (see CUBIT ) to one's "stature" would be a grotesque feat, while it is the smallness of the act that is emphasized. Hence, the translation "able to extend his long path of life by a single cubit" (the Revised Version (British and American) "measure of life"). Compare also "great of stature" Baruch 3:26 (εὐμεγέθης , eumegéthēs ).
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.
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