Fable The deliberate choice of statements known to be inventions, which are intended to teach general truth. The Mythus is an unconscious evolution of traditional thought or fancy. The parable assumes that what is related might have been true, and deals with matters of human life, using the acts of men to figure those of a higher order of being. The fable draws its materials from the brute creation and inanimate nature, attributing the qualities of humanity to brutes, trees, etc. The fable of Jotham about the trees of Shechem is the oldest extant (B.C. 1209), and as beautiful as any made since ( Judges 9:8-15). The fable in Ezekiel 17:1-10, brings before us the lower forms of creation as representatives of human characters and destinies. The great Lokman, the Arabian writer of fables, lived about the time of David (B.C. 1025), Hesiod and Aesop of the Greeks are still later (B.C. 550). The fable exhibits relations between man and man, the parable those between man and God. The fables and inventions alluded to in 1 Timothy 4:7; Titus 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16, were false and weak, probably, and unfit for instruction.

Face The most peculiarly indicative part of the human figure. The face is the presence; to stand before the face is to stand in the presence. The face is also the favor — as the prince’s face, or favor. To turn away the face is to deny a favor. And the face of the Lord means His presence. “No one can see the face of God and live,” but Jacob did see it, as he says so, and lived ( Genesis 32:30.) Jacob’ first mentions God’s face, at Peniel. God’s grace or favor is indicated in such passages as “seeking face,” “lift on us the light of thy face,” “pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord” ( Lamentations 2:19).

Fair Havens Harbor on the south side of Crete, east of Cape Matala, and near Lasea ( Acts 27:8). Visited by Paul on his voyage to Rome, A.D. 60. (Greek: Kaloi Limenes).

Fairs (Hebrew: izebonim ). Only in Ezekiel 27, where it is found seven times, once translated “wares” in Ezekiel 27:33. The word means “exchange”, and the sense of the chapter is much improved by this rendering. Faith (Hebrew: emun, “faith”; emunah “faithful”; Greek elpis, “faith or hope”; pistis, “one belief” ). Faith is the assent of the mind to the truth of God’s revealed will. There are two kinds: 1. Historical, which assents to the statements about the life and works of Jesus and the apostles, as historical truths. 2. Evangelical, or saving faith, is an assent to the truth of revelation, and an entire trust and confidence in God’s character, and Christ’s teachings; with an unreserved surrender of the will. Jesus Christ is then received into the heart as the Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King, to be loved and obeyed. This is instrumentally a means of salvation, an essential grace, and a mainspring of Christian life.

Fallow-Deer (Hebrew: yachmur ). Permitted as food by the law, and supplied to Solomon’s table ( Deuteronomy 14:5; 1 Kings 4:23). Two kinds of deer were known to the Hebrews in Palestine. Jacob refers to one in his blessing on Naphtali. Its beauty, speed and agility are frequently used by the poets and prophets. The opening of the 42nd psalm is as beautiful as familiar: “As the hart pants after the water-brooks, So does my soul pant for thee, O God.” This was written by David when Saul was hunting him from one place to another like a deer or “a partridge.” Figures of deer are sculptured on the ancient monuments in Egypt. The bubale is classed among cattle in the east, and is found from Gibraltar to the Persian Gulf, living in small herds. The fallow-deer is quite rare, a few living around Mount Tabor, and Lebanon, and is not found in Arabia, but Persia and Armenia are its peculiar home.

Fallow-Ground Land that has been left to rest untilled a year or more. Figuratively, backsliding, unfruitful in spiritual things ( Hosea 10:12).

Familiar Spirit . Famine A scarcity of food. Several are noticed: Genesis 12:10; 26:1; 41; Ruth 1:1; 2 Kings 6:25; Acts 11:27. The most noted is that of seven years in Egypt, by which the whole people were reduced to dependence on the king, when Joseph I was prime minister. Famine results from want of rain, visits of locusts and other insects. Amos predicted a spiritual famine ( Amos 8:11). Fan 1. A hand machine, like a flat basket, for winnowing grain ( Isaiah 30:24). 2. A large fork with a long handle, with which the grain is thrown up against the wind ( Jeremiah 15:7; Matthew 3:12). Farthing (Greek: quadran, “one fourth of the as, or assarion” ) Equal to two lepta (“mites”), about 3/8 of a cent. The specimens now extant are very neatly and artistically made, of copper or bronze, except that, like all ancient coin, the edge is unfinished.

Fast There is no word in the Pentateuch which means to fast. It was a voluntary, not a legal, act. This was probably a silent protest against the tendency to asceticism, so prevalent in the East. The vow of the Nazarite was voluntary, and only included wine and things related to it in origin, and the cases where it was necessary were few. Once a year, at the yearly atonement, the people were called to do what became, after a while, a fast in common terms ( Leviticus 16:29; Acts 27:9), but there is no rule against eating or drinking, while there is against work — it was to be “a Sabbath of rest.” Isaiah notices that when the spiritual element declined the ceremonial increased, and fasts became popular as an easy means of atonement ( Isaiah 58:5). The true fast is to have a serious and heartfelt sorrow for sin, with earnest strivings to be delivered from it, as Isaiah says. Holiness and mourning are always, in the Hebrew mind, contrasts — opposite states of feeling. The public fast anciently among the Hebrews as well as among the modern Arabs, was a total abstinence from food for twenty-four hours, beginning at sunset. The forty days fast of Moses, Elijah and Jesus were miraculous. Jesus did not institute fast, except the life-long fast of his disciples, after his death, intimated in Luke 5:34,35, and directed those who did fast to conceal the fact by washing and dressing as usual, so as not to appear to fast before men and not really fast before God ( Matthew 6:17). The mere fast is no essential part of the gospel plan, although it was practiced by the apostles ( 1 Corinthians 7:5; Acts 13:2, etc.). The real fast is the sacrifice of the personal will, which Isaiah meant by the term “afflicting the soul” ( Isaiah 58:5).

Fat 1. The fat, as being the choice part of animals, and especially sacred to the Lord, was always to be burned in sacrifice, even when other parts were to be eaten. The fat and the blood were not to be eaten ( Leviticus 3:16,17; 7:23-27). The term fat was applied to the best and most excellent of all things, as the fat of the earth, of the wheat, of the oil, the vine, and even the fat of the mighty. The burning of it in the sacrifice is typical of the offering of what was best and loftiest in Christ’s pure humanity. In him alone was there anything strictly good to offer. The offering of his followers is only acceptable through the working of his grace in their hearts ( Psalm 12:1). 2. Fat, for vat, in wine fat. Father 1. Male parent. 2. Any male ancestor as Father Abraham. 3. Any man in the position of a father, as Joseph to Pharaoh. 4. The inventor or teacher of an art was called its father, and the father of those who practiced it. “Jubal was the father of all such as handle the harp or organ,” that is, he was a teacher of music, if not its inventor; and “Jabal, the father of such as dwell in tents” ( Genesis 4:20,21). 5. The builder or founder of a city, as Salma, the father of Bethlehem ( Chronicles 2:51). 6. Anyone who makes a thing or produces it, or tells a story, or recites a poem, is called the father of such a thing or poem. The authority of the father was sanctioned by the law of Moses, as standing between God and man. His blessing conferred special benefits, and his curse special injury. His sins affected his children, but they were not liable to punishment for them. The command to honor the parents was the only one to which a promise was attached, in the decalogue, while disrespect and filial insubordination were the worst of crimes. The principle of respect to age and authority, so universal in the East, is derived from the patriarchal spirit, which still prevails outside of the walled cities, especially among the Arabs. Fathom . Fatling Fat beast. In good condition.

Fanchion Falchion, a short crooked sword (Judith 13:6; 16:9). Cimeter. Feasts . Feet , . Felix Claudius Antonius Felix was the Roman governor (procurator) of Judaea, from A.D. 53 to 60. He was originally a slave and was freed by the Emperor Claudius. His brother Pallas was also freed by the Emperor’s mother Antonia, and deservedly had great influence with Claudius. Felix is said to have ruled Judaea in a mean, cruel, and profligate manner. Under the pretense of destroying robbers he crucified hundreds of good and patriotic Jews. He had trouble with false Messiahs also, followers of a “certain Egyptian magician.” He married Drusilla a Jewess, sister of the younger Agrippa; whom he enticed from her second husband Azizus. He kept Paul in prison two years, hoping that his friends would buy his liberty with a heavy bribe (see ). Felix being recalled to Rome, was succeeded by Festus, and being charged with crimes by citizens of Caesarea would have been condemned to death but for the influence in his favor of his brother Pallas.

Feller Who cuts trees down, for timber or wood ( Isaiah 14:8).

Fenced Cities (Hebrew: mibzar, “cut off, separate” ) The difference between a city and a village in the Bible is the wall around the city. The village had a watch-tower only. Sometimes the houses are built close together around a space, forming a wall, the entrance having a gate. Jerusalem, as described by Josephus, had three walls on some sides, with towers and battlements. Some of the cities in Assyria were surrounded with very wide and high walls, with a ditch outside for water, and a palisade in the middle of the ditch. These are found drawn in the sculptures.

Ferret (Hebrew: anakah, “sighs or groans” ) Formerly translated shrew-mouse, but now the Gecko, of which there are several in Palestine. It is also called the Fan-foot. It is a lizard, with padded feet, and can move up and down walls like a fly, without noise, except what it makes with its voice, which sounds like its name — geck-o. They are red, brown, green, or bright blue, and all studded with clear white spots over the back and flanks.

Ferry Boat (Hebrew: abarah ). Perhaps a raft ( 2 Samuel 19:18).

Festivals The law plainly intended stated and regular meetings for worship, at shorter or longer intervals. No rule was made for any particular form of gathering, but each community was left to direct its own affairs. When synagogues were built, after the Captivity, the service was made more uniform. These gatherings were intended to be holy ( Isaiah 1:13; Psalm 81:3, etc.). They were sacred seasons — feasts of the soul. 1. (Hebrew: shabbath , “a day of rest”). The 7th day of the week ( Genesis 2:3), was established by law ( Exodus 16:23,29), to be kept by the whole people ( Exodus 25:25). Isaiah utters solemn warning against profaning, and promises blessings for the due observance of it ( Isaiah 58:13). The Scribes and Pharisees invented many strict rules, which hedged about the day and bound the people hand and foot, so that Jesus found it necessary to repeat the saying that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” It was the key-note to a system consisting of 7th day, 7th week, 7th month, 7th year, and year of jubilee, which was at the end of 7 times 7 years. Each of these periods had its sacred day. It was lawful and customary for the priests to light fires, bake the shewbread, and do other needed work about the Temple. “There was no Sabbath in holy things.” 2. . It was kept in the 14th day of the first month, “between the two evenings “ — that is, late in the evening is the Lord’s Passover. On the next day, the 15th, is the feast of the unleavened bread, continuing 7 days ( Leviticus 23:5). The lamb sacrificed for the Passover must be of the first year, and without blemish ( 1 Corinthians 5:7). The flesh of the paschal lamb was eaten to show the actual fellowship which the partakers of the feast held with God as the result of the atoning sacrifice. was the annual national birthday festival, and was held in the first month when the ears of grain were forming. The lamb was roasted (not boiled), not a bone broken, and was entirely eaten, the persons standing, with loins girt, a stag in hand, shoes on, ready for a journey, in memory of the Exodus. The Pharisees excused the custom of reclining at the table in their day, by saving that it was a sign of the rest that the Lord had granted his people. The bitter herbs eaten with the lamb were reminders of the bondage in Egypt, and of the anxiety and trouble mingled with blessings in life, an emblem of the crucifixion of nature. Leavened bread was not to be eaten for a week — unleavened bread was “the bread of affliction,” “for they came out of Egypt in haste.” Leaven is a species of corruption — against which Jesus warned his disciples as in the peculiar errors of the Pharisees ( Matthew 16:6). The feast also pointed to the future — to the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb ( Luke 22:15,16). (Greek name Pentecost ). The presentation of the first ripe ears of barley. It was also the feast of firstfruits and of harvest. The offering was made by the priest waving two loaves, made of the best of the crop, of fine wheat flour, leavened and baked, but not put on the altar (where no leaven could be placed), ( Deuteronomy 26:2). This feast was in memory of the giving of the Law. It was the end of the harvest, as the second day of the Passover was the first, and it was the end of the Week of Weeks — seven times seven days. Canaan was in a peculiar sense God’s land, and as He manifests his care in providing, He should be honored by those who are partakers of his bounty, in spiritual matters it was also the harvest season — the end of Christ’s personal ministry on earth. . The year was reckoned by the moon, twelve or more moons making a year (see ). Besides the usual offerings ( Numbers 22:11-15), there was a blowing of trumpets, as sung in Psalm 81:3. It occurred on the first of the 7th month, near our October. The voice of God and the voice of the trumpet on Mount Sinai were heard together ( Exodus 19:16-19). It was a symbol of the mighty voice of God. The first was the sacred month, and was therefore placed seventh in the calendar. Four days were sabbaths, the 10th was the Day of Atonement, the 15th was the Feast of Tabernacles. (see ). It was the occasion above all others, on which the ideas of sin and atonement rose to their highest potency in the ritual of the old covenant, exhibiting those ideas in their clearest light, how one ordained from among men, for the purpose of drawing near to God, mediates in behalf of his fellow men in things pertaining to sin and salvation. , the last of the pointed festivals under the old covenant, beginning on the 15th of the 7th month, and lasting seven days. The real name is booths, and was rated “in the end of the year, when they had gathered in their labors out of the field” ( Exodus 23:16). The crops and the vintage are supposed to be ended, and this was practically the end of the year. The booths were temporary and slight structures of sticks and leaves ( Nehemiah 8:16). Its object was to keep in memory the sojourn in the wilderness, a sort of perpetual renewing of their religious youth, when the covenant of the Law was first given. There was the same sin-offering for each day, and double the other offerings, two rams and fourteen lambs each day, and thirteen bullocks on the first day, one less each day, ending with seven on the seventh day. After the Captivity, and in later times, there was the , in memory of the fresh consecration of the temple after it had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Macc. 4:52-59), B.C. ( John 10:22). It was held beginning on the 15th day of the 9th month (December) and lasted eight days. The modern Jews light one light on the first day, two on the next, etc. (8 on the last), making it “Feast of Lights” (Antiquities xii. 7, 7). Business and jollity going on as usual. The is kept on the 14th and 15th of the 12th month, Adar (“March”). in the . . . Festus Porcius The successor of Felix as governor of Judaea, A.D. 60. His term was short, for he died in a little while (A.D. 62). He was superior to Felix, and would have set Paul at liberty, if he had understood the case, which Paul seeing, he appealed to Caesar ( Acts 24:27). He gave the apostle a hearing in the presence of Agrippa and Berenice, and was astonished at his preaching, but supposed it came from a heated imagination aided by the peculiar dreamy speculations of the East. He got into a quarrel with the priests at Jerusalem by building a dining room in the governor’s house, which overlooked the temple courts, when the priests built a high wall, cutting off the view. The emperor afterward sustained the priests (Antiquities xx. 8). He was a good man and governor, but indifferent to religion.

Fetters Chains to confine the feet, made of bronze or iron ( Judges 16:21; brass, iron in <19A515> Psalm 105:15). Fever (Hebrew: kaddachath ). Burning ague in Leviticus 26:21. Dalleketh is translated “inflammation” in Deuteronomy 28:22, and charchur, “extreme burnings”. Greek: puretos, “fever” in Matthew 8:15, etc. Malignant fevers are still met with in Palestine, near water, in the spring and autumn, especially about the Sea of Galilee (Land and Book, i. 547). Field (Hebrew: saber ). A field which is not fenced; an open field ( Numbers 22:23,24). Separate plots were marked by stones ( Deuteronomy 19:14), which might be removed ( Job 14:2); and it was necessary to watch the flocks and herds day and night to prevent trespass. , . Fig (Hebrew: teenah; Arab. tin, the ficus carica tree; Greek: suke, fig-tree; suka (“sycamore” ) figs. Three kinds are cultivated: 1. The early fig (Hebrew: bokkore “early fig”; biccurah , “first ripe”), ripe in June, green in co1or. 2. The summer fig (kermous ), ripe in August, is sweet and the best, purple in color; and the green fig (pag ) which remains on the tree all winter. (Beth-phage, “place of figs”), debelah , “cake of figs” in 1 Samuel 30:12. It is still used in the East as the most convenient and the best poultice ( 2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21). It is one of the few plants which grow wild all over the country. The fig tree puts forth its earliest fruit buds before its leaves, and the foliage forms a very dense shade. “To sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,” indicates in the East the fullest idea of peace, security and prosperity. Jeremiah (as well as several other prophets) uses the fig through all of his books as an emblem of good or evil, and particularly in Jeremiah 24. Jesus made frequent use of the tree or its fruit as an emblem or a means of instruction, especially in the case of the barren fig tree, as a lesson against deceit. It grows best near a fountain or stream. The sycamore fig grows to a large size in Palestine and Egypt — sometimes 50 feet in circumference — and is evergreen. The fruit is purple, smaller than the other kinds, sweetish, and not so valuable. They ripen from November to June. The wood is used for many purposes, as it is almost the only; large tree in Egypt.

File (Hebrew: petsirsah ). In 1 Samuel 13:21, translated “file”. The word means “notched”. Finger (Hebrew: etsaba ). The priest sprinkled with his forefinger ( Leviticus 4:6). A certain gesture of the finger indicated contempt ( Isaiah 58:9). The is his power ( Exodus 8:19).

Fir (Hebrew: berosh, beroth, “to cut up into boards” ) Pine, cypress, juniper, or various evergreen trees. Found in the mountains. The timber was supplied to King Solomon by Hiram for the temple, for the floors and doors. It was used for musical instruments ( 2 Samuel 6:5). The tree is next in size to the cedar. It is used by the poets and prophets among their figures. Fire (Hebrew: esh ). The symbol of Jehovah’s presence, and first kindled by the Lord ( Leviticus 6:9; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Sacred fire could only be had from the altar, and the crime of Nadab and Abihu was in using “strange fire” from some other source. No fire could be kindled on the Sabbath, except by the priests for holy purposes. Fire for cooking is made with sticks, grass and dried dung. To set fire to a grain field is a capital offense. Any damage by a careless fire must be made good ( Exodus 22:6). Fire was used to burn certain criminals and prisoners, and in some cases to destroy an enemy’s city, and in the art of metallurgy. Fire was a symbol of fierce passion, calamities etc., and an emblem of healing spiritually ( Malachi 3:2). A baptism by fire. Fire-pan (Hebrew: machtah ). Snuff-dish, or some utensil used about the altar.

Firkin ( John 2:6; Greek: metretes ). The firkin is a larger vessel than the one meant in the text.

Firmament (Hebrew: rakia ). The expanse; the sky over our heads. On the second day the expanse was made; on the fourth, in the expanse was made the sun, moon and stars. Firstborn (Hebrew: bechor ). . The religious bearing was the most important. Christ is the firstborn of all creation ( Colossians 1:16,18), and the firstborn from the dead. Firstfruits (biccurim ). Among fruits what the firstborn is among men and beasts. The first or best of the oil, of the wine, of the wheat, of all the harvest, was sacred to the Lord, to be given in quantity, according to the will and inclination of each person. The faithful priest reaped a rich reward from the holy zeal that he instilled into the hearts of his people. The doctors limited the gifts to the 60th part as the least that would be accepted. In the later times the Jews turned the gifts into money. This custom was not peculiar to Israel. The first-fruits were often sent to Jerusalem from foreign countries. Fish (Hebrew: dag, dagah; Greek: icthus ). No particular kind of fish is mentioned by name in the Bible; but there are frequent references to fish generally. It is a little remarkable that the apostles, who were professed fishermen, did not designate by name any kinds of fish, saleable or unsaleable, and especially the one bearing the tribute-money. It would have been interesting to know the name of the fish, as well as that of the coin. Even the law of Moses does not mention names (as among animals), but character only, as fins and scales for pure or clean, that might be eaten. Solomon’s treatise on fish ( 1 Kings 4:33), is lost. The Greek furnishes 400 names for varieties of fish, but the Hebrew has not one. Jacob knew how rapidly they increase, for he alludes to this fact in his blessings (Gen 48:16), “multitude,” etc., meaning in the original “as fish do increase.” Fish were eaten from the earliest times ( Numbers 11:22), and one of the gates of Jerusalem was called Fish Gate. In Egypt, the monuments show many pictures of fish and fishing. The historians speak of the vast quantities of fish taken, from which the royal revenue was derived for the queen’s special use, for jewelry perfumery, etc., of $350,000 a year. The Assyrian sculptures also show men fishing. The Egyptians also dried and salted fish, as shown in the sculptures.

Fitches (Hebrew: ketzach ). “The fitches are beaten out with a staff,” ( Isaiah 28:27). The fennelflower, a coarse kind of pea, hard, but nutritious. In the great famine in England in 1555 wild fitches saved many people from starving. It grows all over Europe and Asia. The “fitches” in Ezekiel’s symbolized bread ( Ezekiel 4:9) was spelt (Hebrew: kussemeth ), a grain something like wheat.

Flag (Hebrew: suph and achu ). The ark of Moses was floated among the flags ( Exodus 2:3), suph. Isaiah predicts that the reeds and flags shall wither ( Isaiah 19:6) in Egypt: “Can the flag grow without water?” (achu, Job 8:11 ). It is rendered meadow or marsh in Genesis 41:2,18. Any water-plant would answer the case. The Edible Rush, and Flowering Rush grow both in Egypt and Palestine. The name of the Red Sea is Yam Suph.

Flagon (Hebrew: ashishah ). 1. In 2 Samuel 6:19; Song of Solomon 2:15, and Hosea 3:1, it is a cake of raisins. 2. (Hebrew: nebel ). In Isaiah 22:24 it is a bottle of skin or pottery.

Flax (Hebrew: pishtah, “peeled” ) Very few plants are so beautiful and so useful as the slender flax, with its tall, taper leaves, large purple flowers, and its strong fiber from which the most delicate lawn or coarsest canvas is made. The holy garments of Aaron, and the curtains of the tabernacle were partly of linen. Its whiteness, in linen, was a symbol of purity. The ancient sculptures represent the manufacture of linen ( Proverbs 31:13).

Flea (Hebrew: parosh ). “The king of the fleas holds his court in Tiberias,” now as ever in old times. Frequent change of linen is the only means of keeping clear of them in the East. They almost disappear in the heat of summer. They swarm on travelers, when scarcely touching natives. They are said to produce a healthy irritation in the skin. David says: “After whom is the king of Israel come out? * * * after one flea?” ( 1 Samuel 24:14; 26:20). Flesh (basar ). All that is of flesh and blood ( Genesis 6:13); and the human race ( Luke 3:6, etc.). The weakness, and frailty of man is also flesh ( Romans 4:1). Flesh is also the antipathy to spirit ( Romans 8:1). Flies (Hebrew: zebub , arob ). Common house-flies swarm in great numbers in the East. The peculiar gray fly (Arabic: thebab ) which comes with the rise of the Nile is productive of disease in both man and animals. The arob was the fly, or swarm of insects of one of the plagues in Egypt. Flies in the East are very persistent in settling on persons, never quitting until dark, and are the means of carrying diseases from one to another. The Philistines had a god, Baal-zebub, whose special duty it was to take care of flies. Judging from their number they are well cared for. The “ointment (perfume) of the apothecary” ( Ecclesiastes 10:1) was attractive to flies, and their dead bodies spoiled its odor, and so would little follies spoil the reputation of a wise man. The man is the perfume, his little folly the dead fly, his disgrace the bad odor.

Flint (challamish ). Used in Deuteronomy 8:15; and <19B408> Psalm 114:8, in reference to God’s bringing water and oil out of the naturally barren rocks for the sake of his people. In Isaiah 1:7, it is a metaphor of the firmness of the prophet in resisting his enemies, as also in Ezekiel 3:9. Flood .

Floor , Flour . Flowers Flowering plants and shrubs are found in great numbers and variety all over Palestine, except in the highest regions of the mountains, and in the shifting sands of the desert. 2,500 have been named and classified, 500 of which are well known in Europe. The most abundant families of plants are leguminous, pod-bearing, such as peas, beans, pulse; the Astragalus and the Acacia. A vast number of thistles, centauries, and other like plants, cover the richest plains and the stony hills. Many sweet flowering shrubs, such as marjoram, thyme, lavender, calaminth, sage, and others similar. A vast number and variety of weeds, mustard being the king of all. Fennel, Bupleurum, and Eryngium form dense rows of foliage and flowers along the border of woods, and in damp hollows. Soap plant is conspicuous, and the Boragineoe, annual weeds, besides which are the Echiums, Anchusas, and other fine species. Scrophularia, Veronica, Linaria and Verbascum (mulleins) are very abundant. Grasses are very numerous, many species bearing silky plumes of flowers of great beauty and grace. The variety and beauty of the family of lilies is no where exceeded. The lily springs up everywhere, and the Amaryllids are of great size, beauty, and variety.

Fritillarias and squiils are in abundance, and bear pretty flowers. Violets and geraniums are very numerous and finely colored. Roses are a subject of profitable cultivation for attar, and a valley near Jerusalem is called the Valley of Roses (Wady el Werd). The Narcissus is very beautiful, abundant and in several varieties, and is believed to be the flower alluded to by the poet in Song of Solomon 2:1, and the prophet in Isaiah 35:1. Several other Amaryllids are found in great numbers, and almost the most showy plants in the field. Iris crocus, and gladiolus grow very large and show Broom, ivy, dog-rose, elder, honeysuckle, berberry, hawthorn, and jasmine are found in Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, at and above 4,000 feet elevation. Rhododendrons, primrose, and a great variety of plants, from 5,000 to 7,000, and some kinds are found even up to the limits of the snow line; at 8,000 Vicia forms tufts of pale blue, at 9,000 there are Arenaria, Arabis, Drabas, Festuca, and Potentilia, while the little Nocea and the Oxyria grows on the very summit of Khodib, 10,200 feet high. From the sands of the desert to the snows of the mountain summits there are flowers of many varieties, blooming in every month of the year.

Flute (Aramaic, mashrokitha ). Made of one or more pipes. Pipe in 1 Kings 1:40. One of the simplest and oldest of musical instruments. Used at banquets ( Isaiah 5:12), at public worship ( Daniel 3:5, etc.), marriages, funerals, and by pilgrims on the way to the yearly meeting.

Flux Dysentery of a very severe kind in the East, attended with fever ( Acts 28:8). The Oriental custom of wearing a bandage around the bowels is a preventive of bowel disorder by protecting against the sudden changes from hot to cold which always follows sundown. When bloody the dysentery is less dangerous. King Jehorum had a chronic dysentery, with prolapsus ani ( 2 Chronicles 21:15). Food Some kind of prohibition in what may be eaten or may not has been known from the earliest times. The human race can eat “every herb bearing seed,” and “every tree in which is the fruit of a tree” ( Genesis 1:29), and also “every moving thing that liveth,” but flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood, was prohibited ( Genesis 9:3,4). And other rules made distinctions of clean and unclean among animals, fowls and fish, for food. ( ). The climate influences the diet all over the world. Animal food is not needed, and cannot be used, during the greater part of the year, nor can it be kept in a healthy state for any length of time in the hot season. The sacrificial feasts occurring at long intervals when animal food was eaten, were very acceptable, on account of the abstinence preceding them. Bread is the chief food besides fruit and vegetables. Rice is much used. ( .) Neither eggs nor fowls are mentioned among gifts of firstfruits, although they are largely used now in the East. Almost every known fruit and vegetable can be had, in plenty and of good quality. Milk, cheese, butter (melted as oil), oil of olives, and honey, or molasses from grapes (dibs) can be found everywhere. Condiments of many kinds are in common use; and much use is made of aromatic herbs in cookery. Nuts cooked with meat adds delicacy to the flavor. Highly seasoned food, with spices, salt, onions, garlic, lemons, pomegranates, and verjuice, makes a savory dish. Cracked wheat is boiled with meat. “Killing, cooking, and eating in rapid succession is a very old custom” (Land and Book, ii. 162). The Arabs have many caustic terms of contempt for the man who neglects to honor a guest with a “sacrifice” of a lamb, kid, or calf, as required by the laws of hospitality. ( , , ). Milk and honey, and oil with honey, or butter with honey, are choice dishes, eaten with bread, usually for breakfast. Fool Used of moral more than of intellectual deficiencies, of one who does not fear God, and acts without regard to His law ( Psalm 14:1). Foot ( ). The foot was used as a symbol of many ideas. Such phrases as “slipping of the foot,” “stumbling,” and “from head to foot,” need no explanation. “To be under the feet,” means subject to a king, or as a servant to the master ( Psalm 8:6; Hebrews 2:6); derived from the symbolical act of a conqueror who placed his foot on the neck of his subdued enemies in token of triumph ( Joshua 10:24), as may be seen in the sculptures on the ancient monuments. To be at anyone’s feet meant service or pupilage ( Judges 4:10), and Paul actually sat at the feet of Gamaliel (who sat on a raised seat), as was the custom then ( Acts 22:3). “Lameness of feet” is affliction or calamity ( Psalm 35:15). To set one’s foot in a place is to take possession ( Deuteronomy 1:36). To water with the foot is to turn the little rills easily (this was a mark of the superiority of Palestine to Egypt, because rain and brooks were there instead of the Nile and the artificial canals); ( Deuteronomy 11:10.) To walk with a straight foot “uprightly” in Galatians 2:14. Naked feet (out of doors) was poverty or mourning ( Ezekiel 24:17). Uncovering the feet, or taking off the overshoe in the East, is equivalent to taking off the hat with us. Uncovering the feet was a part of the act of adoration ( Exodus 3:4), as Moses before the burning bush. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings” ( Isaiah 52:7). The Hebrews were modest in their writings, and used the word foot for certain parts and actions which could not be named. “Hair of the foot,” “water of the foot,” “between the feet” ( Deuteronomy 28:57), “he covereth his feet” ( Judges 3:24 for “dismisses the refuse of nature.”) Footmen (Hebrew: ragli ). 1. Soldiers; not horsemen. 2. (Hebrew: rootz ). Swift runners ( 1 Samuel 8:11; 22:17). Paul refers to them ( 1 Corinthians 9:24). Elijah ran before Ahab as a footman.

Fords Places for crossing a river by wading. . Forehead ( Ezekiel 9:4 ). It was (and is now in India) the custom in the East to mark or color the forehead, to distinguish the holy from the profane ( Revelation 13:16), the devotees of certain idols, and also slaves. “Jewels for the forehead” ( Ezekiel 16:12), means nose-rings, or, it may be, strings of coins.

Forest (Hebrew: yaar, “abundance, forest”; chorest, “thick wood”; pardes, “orchard” ) Since the historical era, Palestine has had few forests, the trees being mostly fruit or ornamental. The highlands were probably once well wooded. Several forests are mentioned: of Lebanon, which must have been one of great extent (see , ); of Hareth; of Carmel; of Ephraim, etc. There are now extensive forests in Persia, of oak, terebinth ( Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 27:6). “The house of the forest of Lebanon” was built of cedar and fir from Lebanon, with many pillars like a forest, in Jerusalem ( 1 Kings 7:2). The forest supplies the poets and prophets with many fine figures.

Forks ( 1 Samuel 13:21 ). Hay-forks with three or more prongs; used, also, in winnowing grain. Fornication .

Fortification ( Micah 7:12).

Fortress ( 2 Samuel 22:2; Psalm 18:2; Isaiah 25:12 ). Fortunatus Disciple at Ephesus, native of Corinth ( 1 Corinthians 16:17). He is also mentioned in Clement’s Epistle. Foundation, Gate of the ( 2 Chronicles 23:5 ). .

Founder ( Judges 17:4:; Jeremiah 6:29 ). . Fountain (Hebrew: ayin, “to flow”; mayan, “a gushing”; bor, “a cistern”; mabbua, “to bubble out”, makor, “to dig” ). These several words are translated “fountain”, but only one, ayin really means a “spring of water”. The springs of Palestine are remarkable for their great number, and some of them for their immense volume. Water there is fertility and life, and the whole land is full of great fountains, such as those of the Dog River; of the River of Beirut; Damur; Owely; Zahrany; Litany at Baalbek; Zahleh; Ainjar, and Mushgarah; Ras el Ain at Tyre; Kabery and Naamany near Acre; of the Kishon at Janin, Lejjun, and Wady Kusaby; Zerka near Caesarea; Aujeh at Antipatris, and the Ras in Sharon. And so we might go all through Palestine, on both sides of the Jordan River. Some are hot, as at Tiberias, Gadara, and Callirrhoe; others are intermittent as the Fuarr, the source of the Sabbatic River, and the Menbej, east of Beit Jenn, Mount Hermon (Land and Book, i. 405). The fountain at Nazareth has a traditional antiquity and importance. Wealthy men in the East build handsome structures over fountains for their preservation, and the benefit of residents and travelers. Fountain Gate ( Nehemiah 12:37). Fowl (Hebrew: barburim ( 1 Kings 4:23 ) “fatted fowl” ) Barn-door fowl, or geese. The Egyptian paintings represent catching, keeping, feeding, killing, salting, cooking, and eating of fowl. Fox (Hebrew: shual, “to dig through” ) The Arab name for jackal is shikal, but a little different from the Hebrew shual and it is evident from the habits of the animal referred to that the jackal is meant. They are plenty now in Palestine, and are night-prowlers, lying concealed in the day-time, in caves, holes, or among the ruins. They go in packs of hundreds. They eat any carcass of either animal or man ( Psalm 63:9,10). The Orientals never spare pain in men or animals, and Samson, who was revengeful and unscrupulous, tied a firebrand between two jackals and sent them into the dry wheat-fields of the Philistines, destroying vast fields probably. ( .) Jackals are very fond of grapes ( Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58). Frankincense (Hebrew: lebonah ). Resin of the Boswellia tree, which grows 40 feet high in India and Arabia Felix. It has a balsamic smell, and burns with a white flame and fragrant odor. Its burning was symbolical of the holiness of Jehovah ( Chronicles 9:29) and of prayer ( <19E102> Psalm 141:2; Luke 1:10; Revelation 8:3).

Fray ( Deuteronomy 28:26, etc. ). To terrify. Not used now. Freedom . .

Free-will Offering ( Leviticus 22:18 ). Free gifts. .

Fret ( Leviticus 13:55 ). A plague spot in a leprous garment.

Fringes (Hebrew: zithzith, “flourish” ) Bobs, tassels or fringes ( Numbers 15:38). They are shown on many ancient figures. Frog (Hebrew: zephardea, “marsh-leaper”) Mentioned but three or four times in the Bible (always of the plague), but very common in Palestine and Egypt ( Exodus 8:2-14; Psalm 78:45; 105:30; Wisdom 19:10). It is believed that the frogs of the plague were the edible variety. Their noise is heard from one end of the land to the other (L. and B. i. 368). In Egypt they were regarded as a type of the Creator (Pthah).

Frontlet (Hebrew: Totaphoth ). Something bound on the forehead, “between the eyes,” and as a sign or token in the hand (a ring?). Originally the meaning of the law or direction was to keep in memory, as in Proverbs 6:21: “Bind them on the heart, and tie them on the neck.” But after the return from captivity the Jews made the law literal, and wrote it out ( Exodus 13:2-10,11-16; Deuteronomy 6:5-9; 11:13-21) on bits of parchment, called Phylacteries, which were put in little cases of leather (metal in our day), and tied on the forehead and left arm. The ribbon for tying them was colored purple by the Pharisees, and made showy and broad ( Mark 7:3,4), and were worn by all Jews except Kavaites, women and slaves. The Rabbis made many rules about their uses. They were not worn on the Sabbath, because the Sabbath was itself a sign; the person reading them in the morning must stand; in the evening he may sit; the color of the thread might be changed to red in times of persecution; both hands must be used in writing them; the parchment must not have a hole in it; only one blot or error was permitted; a person wearing them must keep six feet off from a cemetery — and many others. They were a means of religious vanity, hypocrisy and display,, and were so denounced by Jesus. The Rabbis said (by a kind of pious fraud) that God wore them, arguing from Isaiah 49:16; 62:8; Deuteronomy 33:2. They were a kind of amulet, such as the modern Arabs use. Frost (Hebrew: hanamal, “hail-stones”, Psalm 78:47 ); kerach, “ice” ( Genesis 31:40); kephor, “hoar-frost” ( Exodus 16:40). There is a great difference between the temperature of the day and night in the East. Fruit (Hebrew: peri, fruit in general; kayits, summer fruits ). Their great variety and excellence would fill a volume.

Frying-pan .

Fuel Fuller Business of cleaning and whitening cloth. It was carried on outside the city of Jerusalem, where was the Fuller’s Field, mentioned three times in the Bible ( 2 Kings 8:17; Isaiah 7:3; 36:2), so close, that one speaking in the field could be heard by one standing on the city wall. Perhaps near the pool of Gihon, or it might have been at En Rogel. Rabshakeh and his great host must have come on the north side.

Funeral . See the pictures on pages 7 and 110 in the book. Furlong The stadium; Roman, 201 45/100 yards; English, 220 yards ( Luke 24:13). Furnace Several kinds are mentioned: 1. tanner “oven” ( Genesis 15:17); kibshan “lime-kiln” ( Genesis 19:28); kur “furnace for smelting metals”; attun “furnace” ( Daniel 3:6); Greek: kaminos , baker’s oven ( Matthew 13:42).