(1) Usually ( ים , yām ), "sea" because the Mediterranean lies to the West of Palestine; not usually in figurative expressions; but compare Hosea 11:10 . (2) Often (מערב , ma‛ărābh ); compare Arabic (gharb ), and (maghrib ), "west" (maghrib -ush -shems ), or simply (maghrib ), "sunset." (3) (השׁמשׁ מבוא , mebhō' ha -shemesh ), "entrance of the sun," (מבוא , mābhō' , root בּוא , bō' ), "to come in." (Just as מזרח , mizrāḥ , is the rising of the sun, or east, so מבוא , mābhō' (or מערב , ma‛ărābh , is the setting of the sun, or west: "From the rising of the sun (mizraḥ -shemesh ) unto the going down (mābhō' ) thereof" (Psalm 50:1; compare Psalm 113:3; Malachi 1:11 ).) (4) (δυσμή , dusmḗ , from δύω , dúō ), "to enter," "sink," "set." The Greek usage is parallel to the Hebrew just cited: "Many shall come from the east anatolḗ , "rising") and the west" (dusmḗ , "setting") (Matthew 8:11 ).
The chief figurative use of the word "west" is in combination with "east" to denote great or infinite distance, as:
"As far as the east is from the west,
So far hath he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12 ).
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