Basic HTML Version
Infrequently,
is translated as “impute”: “And if any of the flesh of the
sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted,
neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it; it shall be an abomination” (Lev.
7:18). When an Israelite killed a sacrifice in any place except an appointed altar, the
blood was “imputed” to that man; the substitute sacrifice would not atone for the offerer
at all, and the offerer would bear his own guilt (Lev. 17:4). David could praise God for
forgiveness because the Lord will not “impute” iniquity after he had confessed his sin
(Ps. 32:2).
B. Adjective.
(
, 2803), “cunning.” This word is applied to those who performed
“cunning” work with parts of the tabernacle: “And with him was Aholiab, son of
Ahisamach, … an engraver, and a cunning workman …” (Exod. 38:23). This meaning of
as “cunning” appears 11 times in Exodus. But this skill was more than human
invention—it indicated how the Spirit of God imparts wisdom, understanding, and
knowledge (cf. Exod. 36:8; 39:3).
THRONE
(
:
, 3678), “throne; seat.” This word, with the basic meaning “seat of
honor,” occurs in many Semitic languages (Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, Syriac,
Arabic) and in ancient Egyptian.
occurs 130 times in the Hebrew Old Testament and, as is to be expected, the
frequency is greater in the historical books and the prophetical works. It is rare in the
Pentateuch. The first usage of
is in Gen. 41:40: “Thou shalt be over my house, and
according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater
than thou.” In modern Hebrew the word mainly denotes a “chair,” and “throne” is further
described as a “royal chair.”
In the Old Testament the basic meaning of
is “seat” or “chair.” Visitors were
seated on a chair (1 Kings 2:19), as well as guests (2 Kings 4:10) and older men (1 Sam.
1:9). When the king or elders assembled to administer justice, they sat on the throne of
justice (Prov. 20:8; cf. Ps. 9:4). In these contexts
is associated with honor.
However, in the case of the prostitute (Prov. 9:14) and soldiers who set up their chairs
(Jer. 1:15— may mean “throne” here; cf.
KJV
,
NASB
, NlV),
signifies a place
and nothing more.
The more frequent sense of
is “throne” or “seat of honor,” also known as the
“royal seat”: “And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he
shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the
Levites” (Deut. 17:18; cf. 1 Kings 1:46). Since the Davidic dynasty received the blessing
of God, the Old Testament has a number of references to “the throne of David” (2 Sam.
3:10; Jer. 22:2, 30; 36:30): “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever” (Isa. 9:7). The “throne of
Israel” is a synonymous phrase for “throne of David” (1 Kings 2:4; cf. 8:20, 25; 9:5;
10:9; 2 Kings 10:30; 15:12, etc.).