$$T0003800
\Week\
From the beginning, time was divided into weeks, each consisting
of six days of working and one of rest (Gen. 2:2, 3; 7:10; 8:10,
12; 29:28). The references to this division of days becomes
afterwards more frequent (Ex. 34:22; Lev. 12:5; Num. 28:26;
Deut. 16:16; 2 Chr. 8:13; Jer. 5:24; Dan. 9:24-27; 10:2, 3). It
has been found to exist among almost all nations.

$$T0003801
\Weeks, Feast of\
See PENTECOST ¯T0002893.

$$T0003802
\Weights\
Reduced to English troy-weight, the Hebrew weights were: (1.)
The gerah (Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47), a Hebrew word, meaning a
grain or kernel, and hence a small weight. It was the twentieth
part of a shekel, and equal to 12 grains.

  (2.) Bekah (Ex. 38:26), meaning "a half" i.e., "half a
shekel," equal to 5 pennyweight.

  (3.) Shekel, "a weight," only in the Old Testament, and
frequently in its original form (Gen. 23:15, 16; Ex. 21:32;
30:13, 15; 38:24-29, etc.). It was equal to 10 pennyweight.

  (4.) Ma'neh, "a part" or "portion" (Ezek. 45:12), equal to 60
shekels, i.e., to 2 lbs. 6 oz.

  (5.) Talent of silver (2 Kings 5:22), equal to 3,000 shekels,
i.e., 125 lbs.

  (6.) Talent of gold (Ex. 25:39), double the preceding, i.e.,
250 lbs.

$$T0003803
\Well\
(Heb. beer), to be distinguished from a fountain (Heb. 'ain). A
"beer" was a deep shaft, bored far under the rocky surface by
the art of man, which contained water which percolated through
the strata in its sides. Such wells were those of Jacob and
Beersheba, etc. (see Gen. 21:19, 25, 30, 31; 24:11; 26:15,
18-25, 32, etc.). In the Pentateuch this word beer, so rendered,
occurs twenty-five times.

$$T0003804
\Westward\
sea-ward, i.e., toward the Mediterranean (Deut. 3:27).

$$T0003805
\Whale\
The Hebrew word _tan_ (plural, tannin) is so rendered in Job
7:12 (A.V.; but R.V., "sea-monster"). It is rendered by
"dragons" in Deut. 32:33; Ps. 91:13; Jer. 51:34; Ps. 74:13
(marg., "whales;" and marg. of R.V., "sea-monsters"); Isa. 27:1;
and "serpent" in Ex. 7:9 (R.V. marg., "any large reptile," and
so in ver. 10, 12). The words of Job (7:12), uttered in bitter
irony, where he asks, "Am I a sea or a whale?" simply mean,
"Have I a wild, untamable nature, like the waves of the sea,
which must be confined and held within bounds, that they cannot
pass?" "The serpent of the sea, which was but the wild, stormy
sea itself, wound itself around the land, and threatened to
swallow it up...Job inquires if he must be watched and plagued
like this monster, lest he throw the world into disorder"
(Davidson's Job).

  The whale tribe are included under the general Hebrew name
_tannin_ (Gen. 1:21; Lam. 4:3). "Even the sea-monsters
[tanninim] draw out the breast." The whale brings forth its
young alive, and suckles them.

  It is to be noticed of the story of Jonah's being "three days
and three nights in the whale's belly," as recorded in Matt.
12:40, that here the Gr. ketos means properly any kind of
sea-monster of the shark or the whale tribe, and that in the
book of Jonah (1:17) it is only said that "a great fish" was
prepared to swallow Jonah. This fish may have been, therefore,
some great shark. The white shark is known to frequent the
Mediterranean Sea, and is sometimes found 30 feet in length.

$$T0003806
\Wheat\
one of the earliest cultivated grains. It bore the Hebrew name
_hittah_, and was extensively cultivated in Palestine. There are
various species of wheat. That which Pharaoh saw in his dream
was the Triticum compositum, which bears several ears upon one
stalk (Gen. 41:5). The "fat of the kidneys of wheat" (Deut.
32:14), and the "finest of the wheat" (Ps. 81:16; 147:14),
denote the best of the kind. It was exported from Palestine in
great quantities (1 Kings 5:11; Ezek. 27:17; Acts 12:20).

  Parched grains of wheat were used for food in Palestine (Ruth
2:14; 1 Sam. 17:17; 2 Sam. 17:28). The disciples, under the
sanction of the Mosaic law (Deut. 23:25), plucked ears of corn,
and rubbing them in their hands, ate the grain unroasted (Matt.
12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1). Before any of the wheat-harvest,
however, could be eaten, the first-fruits had to be presented
before the Lord (Lev. 23:14).

$$T0003807
\Wheel\
(Heb. galgal; rendered "wheel" in Ps. 83:13, and "a rolling
thing" in Isa. 17:13; R.V. in both, "whirling dust"). This word
has been supposed to mean the wild artichoke, which assumes the
form of a globe, and in autumn breaks away from its roots, and
is rolled about by the wind in some places in great numbers.

$$T0003808
\White\
a symbol of purity (2 Chr. 5:12; Ps. 51:7; Isa. 1:18; Rev. 3:18;
7:14). Our Lord, at his transfiguration, appeared in raiment
"white as the light" (Matt. 17:2, etc.).

$$T0003809
\Widows\
to be treated with kindness (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29; 16:11, 14;
24:17, 19-21; 26:12; 27:19, etc.). In the New Testament the same
tender regard for them is inculcated (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Tim. 5:3-16)
and exhibited.

$$T0003810
\Wife\
The ordinance of marriage was sanctioned in Paradise (Gen. 2:24;
Matt. 19:4-6). Monogamy was the original law under which man
lived, but polygamy early commenced (Gen. 4:19), and continued
to prevail all down through Jewish history. The law of Moses
regulated but did not prohibit polygamy. A man might have a
plurality of wives, but a wife could have only one husband. A
wife's legal rights (Ex. 21:10) and her duties (Prov. 31:10-31;
1 Tim. 5:14) are specified. She could be divorced in special
cases (Deut. 22:13-21), but could not divorce her husband.
Divorce was restricted by our Lord to the single case of
adultery (Matt. 19:3-9). The duties of husbands and wives in
their relations to each other are distinctly set forth in the
New Testament (1 Cor. 7:2-5; Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:18, 19; 1 Pet.
3:1-7).

$$T0003811
\Wilderness\
(1.) Heb. midhbar, denoting not a barren desert but a district
or region suitable for pasturing sheep and cattle (Ps. 65:12;
Isa. 42:11; Jer. 23:10; Joel 1:19; 2:22); an uncultivated place.
This word is used of the wilderness of Beersheba (Gen. 21:14),
on the southern border of Palestine; the wilderness of the Red
Sea (Ex. 13:18); of Shur (15:22), a portion of the Sinaitic
peninsula; of Sin (17:1), Sinai (Lev. 7:38), Moab (Deut. 2:8),
Judah (Judg. 1:16), Ziph, Maon, En-gedi (1 Sam. 23:14, 24;
24:1), Jeruel and Tekoa (2 Chr. 20:16, 20), Kadesh (Ps. 29:8).

  "The wilderness of the sea" (Isa. 21:1). Principal Douglas,
referring to this expression, says: "A mysterious name, which
must be meant to describe Babylon (see especially ver. 9),
perhaps because it became the place of discipline to God's
people, as the wilderness of the Red Sea had been (comp. Ezek.
20:35). Otherwise it is in contrast with the symbolic title in
Isa. 22:1. Jerusalem is the "valley of vision," rich in
spiritual husbandry; whereas Babylon, the rival centre of
influence, is spiritually barren and as restless as the sea
(comp. 57:20)." A Short Analysis of the O.T.

  (2.) Jeshimon, a desert waste (Deut. 32:10; Ps. 68:7).

  (3.) 'Arabah, the name given to the valley from the Dead Sea
to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. In Deut. 1:1; 2:8, it is
rendered "plain" (R.V., "Arabah").

  (4.) Tziyyah, a "dry place" (Ps. 78:17; 105:41).

  (5.) Tohu, a "desolate" place, a place "waste" or "unoccupied"
(Deut. 32:10; Job 12:24; comp. Gen. 1:2, "without form"). The
wilderness region in the Sinaitic peninsula through which for
forty years the Hebrews wandered is generally styled "the
wilderness of the wanderings." This entire region is in the form
of a triangle, having its base toward the north and its apex
toward the south. Its extent from north to south is about 250
miles, and at its widest point it is about 150 miles broad.
Throughout this vast region of some 1,500 square miles there is
not a single river. The northern part of this triangular
peninsula is properly the "wilderness of the wanderings"
(et-Tih). The western portion of it is called the "wilderness of
Shur" (Ex. 15:22), and the eastern the "wilderness of Paran."

  The "wilderness of Judea" (Matt. 3:1) is a wild, barren
region, lying between the Dead Sea and the Hebron Mountains. It
is the "Jeshimon" mentioned in 1 Sam. 23:19.

$$T0003812
\Willows\
(1.) Heb. 'arabim (Lev. 23:40; Job 40:22; Isa. 15:7; 44:3, 4;
Ps. 137:1, 2). This was supposed to be the weeping willow,
called by Linnaeus Salix Babylonica, from the reference in Ps.
137. This tree is frequently found "on the coast, overhanging
wells and pools. There is a conspicuous tree of this species
over a pond in the plain of Acre, and others on the Phoenician
plain." There are several species of the salix in Palestine, but
it is not indigenous to Babylonia, nor was it cultivated there.
Some are of opinion that the tree intended is the tamarisk or
poplar.

  (2.) Heb. tzaphtzaphah (Ezek. 17:5), called by the Arabs the
safsaf, the general name for the willow. This may be the Salix
AEgyptica of naturalists.

  Tristram thinks that by the "willow by the water-courses," the
Nerium oleander, the rose-bay oleander, is meant. He says, "It
fringes the Upper Jordan, dipping its wavy crown of red into the
spray in the rapids under Hermon, and is nutured by the oozy
marshes in the Lower Jordan nearly as far as to Jericho...On the
Arnon, on the Jabbok, and the Yarmuk it forms a continuous
fringe. In many of the streams of Moab it forms a complete
screen, which the sun's rays can never penetrate to evaporate
the precious moisture. The wild boar lies safely ensconced under
its impervious cover."

$$T0003813
\Wimple\
Isa. 3:22, (R.V., "shawls"), a wrap or veil. The same Hebrew
word is rendered "vail" (R.V., "mantle") in Ruth 3:15.

$$T0003814
\Window\
properly only an opening in a house for the admission of light
and air, covered with lattice-work, which might be opened or
closed (2 Kings 1:2; Acts 20:9). The spies in Jericho and Paul
at Damascus were let down from the windows of houses abutting on
the town wall (Josh. 2:15; 2 Cor. 11:33). The clouds are
metaphorically called the "windows of heaven" (Gen. 7:11; Mal.
3:10). The word thus rendered in Isa. 54:12 ought rather to be
rendered "battlements" (LXX., "bulwarks;" R.V., "pinnacles"), or
as Gesenius renders it, "notched battlements, i.e., suns or rays
of the sun"= having a radiated appearance like the sun.

$$T0003815
\Winds\
blowing from the four quarters of heaven (Jer. 49:36; Ezek.
37:9; Dan. 8:8; Zech. 2:6). The east wind was parching (Ezek.
17:10; 19:12), and is sometimes mentioned as simply denoting a
strong wind (Job 27:21; Isa. 27:8). This wind prevails in
Palestine from February to June, as the west wind (Luke 12:54)
does from November to February. The south was a hot wind (Job
37:17; Luke 12:55). It swept over the Arabian peninsula. The
rush of invaders is figuratively spoken of as a whirlwind (Isa.
21:1); a commotion among the nations of the world as a striving
of the four winds (Dan. 7:2). The winds are subject to the
divine power (Ps. 18:10; 135:7).

$$T0003816
\Wine\
The common Hebrew word for wine is _yayin_, from a root meaning
"to boil up," "to be in a ferment." Others derive it from a root
meaning "to tread out," and hence the juice of the grape trodden
out. The Greek word for wine is _oinos_, and the Latin _vinun_.
But besides this common Hebrew word, there are several others
which are thus rendered.

  (1.) Ashishah (2 Sam. 6:19; 1 Chr. 16:3; Cant. 2:5; Hos. 3:1),
which, however, rather denotes a solid cake of pressed grapes,
or, as in the Revised Version, a cake of raisins.

  (2.) 'Asis, "sweet wine," or "new wine," the product of the
same year (Cant. 8:2; Isa. 49:26; Joel 1:5; 3:18; Amos 9:13),
from a root meaning "to tread," hence juice trodden out or
pressed out, thus referring to the method by which the juice is
obtained. The power of intoxication is ascribed to it.

  (3.) Hometz. See VINEGAR ¯T0003771.

  (4.) Hemer, Deut. 32:14 (rendered "blood of the grape") Isa.
27:2 ("red wine"), Ezra 6:9; 7:22; Dan. 5:1, 2, 4. This word
conveys the idea of "foaming," as in the process of
fermentation, or when poured out. It is derived from the root
_hamar_, meaning "to boil up," and also "to be red," from the
idea of boiling or becoming inflamed.

  (5.) 'Enabh, a grape (Deut. 32:14). The last clause of this
verse should be rendered as in the Revised Version, "and of the
blood of the grape ['enabh] thou drankest wine [hemer]." In Hos.
3:1 the phrase in Authorized Version, "flagons of wine," is in
the Revised Version correctly "cakes of raisins." (Comp. Gen.
49:11; Num. 6:3; Deut. 23:24, etc., where this Hebrew word is
rendered in the plural "grapes.")

  (6.) Mesekh, properly a mixture of wine and water with spices
that increase its stimulating properties (Isa. 5:22). Ps. 75:8,
"The wine [yayin] is red; it is full of mixture [mesekh];" Prov.
23:30, "mixed wine;" Isa. 65:11, "drink offering" (R.V.,
"mingled wine").

  (7.) Tirosh, properly "must," translated "wine" (Deut. 28:51);
"new wine" (Prov. 3:10); "sweet wine" (Micah 6:15; R.V.,
"vintage"). This Hebrew word has been traced to a root meaning
"to take possession of" and hence it is supposed that tirosh is
so designated because in intoxicating it takes possession of the
brain. Among the blessings promised to Esau (Gen. 27:28) mention
is made of "plenty of corn and tirosh." Palestine is called "a
land of corn and tirosh" (Deut. 33:28; comp. Isa. 36:17). See
also Deut. 28:51; 2 Chr. 32:28; Joel 2:19; Hos. 4:11, ("wine
[yayin] and new wine [tirosh] take away the heart").

  (8.) Sobhe (root meaning "to drink to excess," "to suck up,"
"absorb"), found only in Isa. 1:22, Hos. 4:18 ("their drink;"
Gesen. and marg. of R.V., "their carouse"), and Nah. 1:10
("drunken as drunkards;" lit., "soaked according to their
drink;" R.V., "drenched, as it were, in their drink", i.e.,
according to their sobhe).

  (9.) Shekar, "strong drink," any intoxicating liquor; from a
root meaning "to drink deeply," "to be drunken", a generic term
applied to all fermented liquors, however obtained. Num. 28:7,
"strong wine" (R.V., "strong drink"). It is sometimes
distinguished from wine, c.g., Lev. 10:9, "Do not drink wine
[yayin] nor strong drink [shekar];" Num. 6:3; Judg. 13:4, 7;
Isa. 28:7 (in all these places rendered "strong drink").
Translated "strong drink" also in Isa. 5:11; 24:9; 29:9; 56:12;
Prov. 20:1; 31:6; Micah 2:11.

  (10.) Yekebh (Deut. 16:13, but in R.V. correctly
"wine-press"), a vat into which the new wine flowed from the
press. Joel 2:24, "their vats;" 3:13, "the fats;" Prov. 3:10,
"Thy presses shall burst out with new wine [tirosh];" Hag. 2:16;
Jer. 48:33, "wine-presses;" 2 Kings 6:27; Job. 24:11.

  (11.) Shemarim (only in plural), "lees" or "dregs" of wine. In
Isa. 25:6 it is rendered "wines on the lees", i.e., wine that
has been kept on the lees, and therefore old wine.

  (12.) Mesek, "a mixture," mixed or spiced wine, not diluted
with water, but mixed with drugs and spices to increase its
strength, or, as some think, mingled with the lees by being
shaken (Ps. 75:8; Prov. 23:30).

  In Acts 2:13 the word _gleukos_, rendered "new wine," denotes
properly "sweet wine." It must have been intoxicating.

  In addition to wine the Hebrews also made use of what they
called _debash_, which was obtained by boiling down must to
one-half or one-third of its original bulk. In Gen. 43:11 this
word is rendered "honey." It was a kind of syrup, and is called
by the Arabs at the present day dibs. This word occurs in the
phrase "a land flowing with milk and honey" (debash), Ex. 3:8,
17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13: 27. (See HONEY ¯T0001809.)

  Our Lord miraculously supplied wine at the marriage feast in
Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11). The Rechabites were forbidden the
use of wine (Jer. 35). The Nazarites also were to abstain from
its use during the period of their vow (Num. 6:1-4); and those
who were dedicated as Nazarites from their birth were
perpetually to abstain from it (Judg. 13:4, 5; Luke 1:15; 7:33).
The priests, too, were forbidden the use of wine and strong
drink when engaged in their sacred functions (Lev. 10:1, 9-11).
"Wine is little used now in the East, from the fact that
Mohammedans are not allowed to taste it, and very few of other
creeds touch it. When it is drunk, water is generally mixed with
it, and this was the custom in the days of Christ also. The
people indeed are everywhere very sober in hot climates; a
drunken person, in fact, is never seen", (Geikie's Life of
Christ). The sin of drunkenness, however, must have been not
uncommon in the olden times, for it is mentioned either
metaphorically or literally more than seventy times in the
Bible.

  A drink-offering of wine was presented with the daily
sacrifice (Ex. 29:40, 41), and also with the offering of the
first-fruits (Lev. 23:13), and with various other sacrifices
(Num. 15:5, 7, 10). Wine was used at the celebration of the
Passover. And when the Lord's Supper was instituted, the wine
and the unleavened bread then on the paschal table were by our
Lord set apart as memorials of his body and blood.

  Several emphatic warnings are given in the New Testament
against excess in the use of wine (Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13; Eph.
5:18; 1 Tim. 3:8; Titus 1:7).

$$T0003817
\Winefat\
(Mark 12:1). The original word (hypolenion) so rendered occurs
only here in the New Testament. It properly denotes the trough
or lake (lacus), as it was called by the Romans, into which the
juice of the grapes ran from the trough above it. It is here
used, however, of the whole apparatus. In the parallel passage
in Matt. 21:33 the Greek word _lenos_ is used. This properly
denotes the upper one of the two vats. (See WINE-PRESS
¯T0003818.)

$$T0003818
\Wine-press\
Consisted of two vats or receptacles, (1) a trough (Heb. gath,
Gr. lenos) into which the grapes were thrown and where they were
trodden upon and bruised (Isa. 16:10; Lam. 1:15; Joel 3:13); and
(2) a trough or vat (Heb. yekebh, Gr. hypolenion) into which the
juice ran from the trough above, the gath (Neh. 13:15; Job
24:11; Isa. 63:2, 3; Hag. 2:16; Joel 2:24). Wine-presses are
found in almost every part of Palestine. They are "the only sure
relics we have of the old days of Israel before the Captivity.
Between Hebron and Beersheba they are found on all the hill
slopes; they abound in southern Judea; they are no less common
in the many valleys of Carmel; and they are numerous in
Galilee." The "treading of the wine-press" is emblematic of
divine judgment (Isa. 63:2; Lam. 1:15; Rev. 14:19, 20).

$$T0003819
\Winnow\
Corn was winnowed, (1.) By being thrown up by a shovel against
the wind. As a rule this was done in the evening or during the
night, when the west wind from the sea was blowing, which was a
moderate breeze and fitted for the purpose. The north wind was
too strong, and the east wind came in gusts. (2.) By the use of
a fan or van, by which the chaff was blown away (Ruth 3:2; Isa.
30:24; Jer. 4:11, 12; Matt. 3:12).

$$T0003820
\Wise men\
mentioned in Dan. 2:12 included three classes, (1) astrologers,
(2) Chaldeans, and (3) soothsayers. The word in the original
(hakamim) probably means "medicine men. In Chaldea medicine was
only a branch of magic. The "wise men" of Matt. 2:7, who came
from the East to Jerusalem, were magi from Persia or Arabia.

$$T0003821
\Wise, wisdom\
a moral rather than an intellectual quality. To be "foolish" is
to be godless (Ps. 14:1; comp. Judg. 19:23; 2 Sam. 13:13). True
wisdom is a gift from God to those who ask it (Job 28:12-28;
Prov. 3:13-18; Rom. 1:22; 16:27; 1 Cor. 1:17-21; 2:6-8; James
1:5). "Wisdom" in Prov. 1:20; 8:1; 9:1-5 may be regarded not as
a mere personification of the attribute of wisdom, but as a
divine person, "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God"
(1 Cor. 1:24). In Matt. 11:19 it is the personified principle of
wisdom that is meant.

$$T0003822
\Witch\
Occurs only in Ex. 22:18, as the rendering of _mekhashshepheh_,
the feminine form of the word, meaning "enchantress" (R.V.,
"sorceress"), and in Deut. 18:10, as the rendering of
_mekhashshepheth_, the masculine form of the word, meaning
"enchanter."

$$T0003823
\Witchcraft\
(1 Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4;
Gal. 5:20). In the popular sense of the word no mention is made
either of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture.

  The "witch of En-dor" (1 Sam. 28) was a necromancer, i.e., one
who feigned to hold converse with the dead. The damsel with "a
spirit of divination" (Acts 16:16) was possessed by an evil
spirit, or, as the words are literally rendered, "having a
spirit, a pithon." The reference is to the heathen god Apollo,
who was regarded as the god of prophecy.

$$T0003824
\Witness\
More than one witness was required in criminal cases (Deut.
17:6; 19:15). They were the first to execute the sentence on the
condemned (Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts
7:57, 58). False witnesses were liable to punishment (Deut.
19:16-21). It was also an offence to refuse to bear witness
(Lev. 5:1).

$$T0003825
\Witness of the Spirit\
(Rom. 8:16), the consciousness of the gracious operation of the
Spirit on the mind, "a certitude of the Spirit's presence and
work continually asserted within us", manifested "in his
comforting us, his stirring us up to prayer, his reproof of our
sins, his drawing us to works of love, to bear testimony before
the world," etc.

$$T0003826
\Wizard\
a pretender to supernatural knowledge and power, "a knowing
one," as the original Hebrew word signifies. Such an one was
forbidden on pain of death to practise his deceptions (Lev.
19:31; 20:6, 27; 1 Sam. 28:3; Isa. 8:19; 19:3).

$$T0003827
\Wolf\
Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem of
treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin shall ravin
as a wolf" (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike character of
that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah represents the peace of
Messiah's kingdom by the words, "The wolf also shall dwell with
the lamb" (Isa. 11:6). The habits of the wolf are described in
Jer. 5:6; Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3; Ezek. 22:27; Matt. 7:15; 10:16;
Acts 20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in Palestine, and
are the dread of shepherds, as of old.

$$T0003828
\Woman\
was "taken out of man" (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has
the preeminence. "The head of the woman is the man;" but yet
honour is to be shown to the wife, "as unto the weaker vessel"
(1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Several women are mentioned in
Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam
(Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14),
Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of
Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8, 9). Women are forbidden to
teach publicly (1 Cor. 14:34, 35; 1 Tim. 2:11, 12). Among the
Hebrews it devolved upon women to prepare the meals for the
household (Gen. 18:6; 2 Sam. 13:8), to attend to the work of
spinning (Ex. 35:26; Prov. 31:19), and making clothes (1 Sam.
2:19; Prov. 31:21), to bring water from the well (Gen. 24:15; 1
Sam. 9:11), and to care for the flocks (Gen. 29:6; Ex. 2:16).

  The word "woman," as used in Matt. 15:28, John 2:4 and 20:13,
15, implies tenderness and courtesy and not disrespect. Only
where revelation is known has woman her due place of honour
assigned to her.

$$T0003829
\Wood\
See FOREST ¯T0001374.

$$T0003830
\Wood-offering\
(Neh. 10:34; 13:31). It would seem that in the time of Nehemiah
arrangements were made, probably on account of the comparative
scarcity of wood, by which certain districts were required, as
chosen by lot, to furnish wood to keep the altar fire
perpetually burning (Lev. 6:13).

$$T0003831
\Wool\
one of the first material used for making woven cloth (Lev.
13:47, 48, 52, 59; 19:19). The first-fruit of wool was to be
offered to the priests (Deut. 18:4). The law prohibiting the
wearing of a garment "of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen
together" (Deut. 22:11) may, like some other laws of a similar
character, have been intended to express symbolically the
separateness and simplicity of God's covenant people. The wool
of Damascus, famous for its whiteness, was of great repute in
the Tyrian market (Ezek. 27:18).

$$T0003832
\Word of God\
(Heb. 4:12, etc.). The Bible so called because the writers of
its several books were God's organs in communicating his will to
men. It is his "word," because he speaks to us in its sacred
pages. Whatever the inspired writers here declare to be true and
binding upon us, God declares to be true and binding. This word
is infallible, because written under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, and therefore free from all error of fact or doctrine or
precept. (See INSPIRATION ¯T0001884; BIBLE ¯T0000580.) All
saving knowledge is obtained from the word of God. In the case
of adults it is an indispensable means of salvation, and is
efficacious thereunto by the gracious influence of the Holy
Spirit (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:15, 16; 1 Pet. 1:23).

$$T0003833
\Word, The\
(Gr. Logos), one of the titles of our Lord, found only in the
writings of John (John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13). As such,
Christ is the revealer of God. His office is to make God known.
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John
1:18). This title designates the divine nature of Christ. As the
Word, he "was in the beginning" and "became flesh." "The Word
was with God " and "was God," and was the Creator of all things
(comp. Ps.33: 6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:18; Isa. 40:8).

$$T0003834
\Works, Covenant of\
entered into by God with Adam as the representative of the human
race (comp. Gen. 9:11, 12; 17:1-21), so styled because perfect
obedience was its condition, thus distinguishing it from the
covenant of grace. (See COVENANT OF WORKS ¯T0000916.)

$$T0003835
\Works, Good\
The old objection against the doctrine of salvation by grace,
that it does away with the necessity of good works, and lowers
the sense of their importance (Rom. 6), although it has been
answered a thousand times, is still alleged by many. They say if
men are not saved by works, then works are not necessary. If the
most moral of men are saved in the same way as the very chief of
sinners, then good works are of no moment. And more than this,
if the grace of God is most clearly displayed in the salvation
of the vilest of men, then the worse men are the better.

  The objection has no validity. The gospel of salvation by
grace shows that good works are necessary. It is true,
unchangeably true, that without holiness no man shall see the
Lord. "Neither adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards" shall inherit the kingdom of God.

  Works are "good" only when, (1) they spring from the principle
of love to God. The moral character of an act is determined by
the moral principle that prompts it. Faith and love in the heart
are the essential elements of all true obedience. Hence good
works only spring from a believing heart, can only be wrought by
one reconciled to God (Eph. 2:10; James 2:18:22). (2.) Good
works have the glory of God as their object; and (3) they have
the revealed will of God as their only rule (Deut. 12:32; Rev.
22:18, 19).

  Good works are an expression of gratitude in the believer's
heart (John 14:15, 23; Gal. 5:6). They are the fruits of the
Spirit (Titus 2:10-12), and thus spring from grace, which they
illustrate and strengthen in the heart.

  Good works of the most sincere believers are all imperfect,
yet like their persons they are accepted through the mediation
of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17), and so are rewarded; they have no
merit intrinsically, but are rewarded wholly of grace.

$$T0003836
\Worm\
(1.) Heb. sas (Isa. 51:8), denotes the caterpillar of the
clothes-moth.

  (2.) The manna bred worms (tola'im), but on the Sabbath there
was not any worm (rimmah) therein (Ex. 16:20, 24). Here these
words refer to caterpillars or larvae, which feed on corrupting
matter.

  These two Hebrew words appear to be interchangeable (Job 25:6;
Isa. 14:11). Tola'im in some places denotes the caterpillar
(Deut. 28:39; Jonah 4:7), and rimmah, the larvae, as bred from
putridity (Job 17:14; 21:26; 24:20). In Micah 7:17, where it is
said, "They shall move out of their holes like worms," perhaps
serpents or "creeping things," or as in the Revised Version,
"crawling things," are meant.

  The word is used figuratively in Job 25:6; Ps. 22:6; Isa.
41:14; Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Isa. 66:24.

$$T0003837
\Wormwood\
Heb. la'anah, the Artemisia absinthium of botanists. It is noted
for its intense bitterness (Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15;
Amos 5:7). It is a type of bitterness, affliction, remorse,
punitive suffering. In Amos 6:12 this Hebrew word is rendered
"hemlock" (R.V., "wormwood"). In the symbolical language of the
Apocalypse (Rev. 8:10, 11) a star is represented as falling on
the waters of the earth, causing the third part of the water to
turn wormwood.

  The name by which the Greeks designated it, absinthion, means
"undrinkable." The absinthe of France is distilled from a
species of this plant. The "southernwood" or "old man,"
cultivated in cottage gardens on account of its fragrance, is
another species of it.

$$T0003838
\Worship\
homage rendered to God which it is sinful (idolatry) to render
to any created being (Ex. 34:14; Isa. 2:8). Such worship was
refused by Peter (Acts 10:25,26) and by an angel (Rev. 22:8,9).

$$T0003839
\Worshipper\
(Gr. neocoros = temple-sweeper (Acts 19:35) of the great goddess
Diana). This name neocoros appears on most of the extant
Ephesian coins

$$T0003840
\Wrestle\
(Eph. 6:12). See GAMES ¯T0001425.

$$T0003841
\Writing\
The art of writing must have been known in the time of the early
Pharaohs. Moses is commanded "to write for a memorial in a book"
(Ex. 17:14) a record of the attack of Amalek. Frequent mention
is afterwards made of writing (28:11, 21, 29, 36; 31:18; 32:15,
16; 34:1, 28; 39:6, 14, 30). The origin of this art is unknown,
but there is reason to conclude that in the age of Moses it was
well known. The inspired books of Moses are the most ancient
extant writings, although there are written monuments as old as
about B.C. 2000. The words expressive of "writing," "book," and
"ink," are common to all the branches or dialects of the Semitic
language, and hence it has been concluded that this art must
have been known to the earliest Semites before they separated
into their various tribes, and nations, and families.

  "The Old Testament and the discoveries of Oriental archaeology
alike tell us that the age of the Exodus was throughout the
world of Western Asia an age of literature and books, of readers
and writers, and that the cities of Palestine were stored with
the contemporaneous records of past events inscribed on
imperishable clay. They further tell us that the kinsfolk and
neighbours of the Israelites were already acquainted with
alphabetic writing, that the wanderers in the desert and the
tribes of Edom were in contact with the cultured scribes and
traders of Ma'in [Southern Arabia], and that the 'house of
bondage' from which Israel had escaped was a land where the art
of writing was blazoned not only on the temples of the gods, but
also on the dwellings of the rich and powerful.", Sayce. (See
DEBIR ¯T0000995; PHOENICIA ¯T0002943.)

  The "Book of the Dead" was a collection of prayers and
formulae, by the use of which the souls of the dead were
supposed to attain to rest and peace in the next world. It was
composed at various periods from the earliest time to the
Persian conquest. It affords an interesting glimpse into the
religious life and system of belief among the ancient Egyptians.
We learn from it that they believed in the existence of one
Supreme Being, the immortality of the soul, judgement after
death, and the resurrection of the body. It shows, too, a high
state of literary activity in Egypt in the time of Moses. It
refers to extensive libraries then existing. That of Ramessium,
in Thebes, e.g., built by Rameses II., contained 20,000 books.

  When the Hebrews entered Canaan it is evident that the art of
writing was known to the original inhabitants, as appears, e.g.,
from the name of the city Debir having been at first
Kirjath-sepher, i.e., the "city of the book," or the "book town"
(Josh. 10:38; 15:15; Judg. 1:11).

  The first mention of letter-writing is in the time of David (2
Sam. 11:14, 15). Letters are afterwards frequently spoken of (1
Kings 21:8, 9, 11; 2 Kings 10:1, 3, 6, 7; 19:14; 2 Chr.
21:12-15; 30:1, 6-9, etc.).

$$T0003842
\Yarn\
Found only in 1 Kings 10:28, 2 Chr. 1:16. The Heb. word mikveh,
i.e., "a stringing together," so rendered, rather signifies a
host, or company, or a string of horses. The Authorized Version
has: "And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen
yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price;"
but the Revised Version correctly renders: "And the horses which
Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; the king's merchants
received them in droves, each drove at a price."

$$T0003843
\Year\
Heb. shanah, meaning "repetition" or "revolution" (Gen. 1:14;
5:3). Among the ancient Egyptians the year consisted of twelve
months of thirty days each, with five days added to make it a
complete revolution of the earth round the sun. The Jews
reckoned the year in two ways, (1) according to a sacred
calendar, in which the year began about the time of the vernal
equinox, with the month Abib; and (2) according to a civil
calendar, in which the year began about the time of the autumnal
equinox, with the month Nisan. The month Tisri is now the
beginning of the Jewish year.

$$T0003844
\Yeshebi\
the Hebrew word rendered "inhabitants" in Josh. 17:7, but
probably rather the name of the village Yeshepheh, probably
Yassuf, 8 miles south of Shechem.

$$T0003845
\Yoke\
(1.) Fitted on the neck of oxen for the purpose of binding to
them the traces by which they might draw the plough, etc. (Num.
19:2; Deut. 21:3). It was a curved piece of wood called _'ol_.

  (2.) In Jer. 27:2; 28:10, 12 the word in the Authorized
Version rendered "yoke" is _motah_, which properly means a
"staff," or as in the Revised Version, "bar."

  These words in the Hebrew are both used figuratively of severe
bondage, or affliction, or subjection (Lev. 26:13; 1 Kings 12:4;
Isa. 47:6; Lam. 1:14; 3:27). In the New Testament the word
"yoke" is also used to denote servitude (Matt. 11:29, 30; Acts
15:10; Gal. 5:1).

  (3.) In 1 Sam. 11:7, 1 Kings 19:21, Job 1:3 the word thus
translated is _tzemed_, which signifies a pair, two oxen yoked
or coupled together, and hence in 1 Sam. 14:14 it represents as
much land as a yoke of oxen could plough in a day, like the
Latin _jugum_. In Isa. 5:10 this word in the plural is
translated "acres."

$$T0003846
\Yoke-fellow\
(Phil. 4:3), one of the apostle's fellow-labourers. Some have
conjectured that Epaphroditus is meant. Wyckliffe renders the
phrase "the german felowe", i.e., "thee, germane [=genuine]
comrade."

$$T0003847
\Zaanaim\
wanderings; the unloading of tents, so called probably from the
fact of nomads in tents encamping amid the cities and villages
of that region, a place in the north-west of Lake Merom, near
Kedesh, in Naphtali. Here Sisera was slain by Jael, "the wife of
Heber the Kenite," who had pitched his tent in the "plain [R.V.,
'as far as the oak'] of Zaanaim" (Judg. 4:11).

  It has been, however, suggested by some that, following the
LXX. and the Talmud, the letter b, which in Hebrew means "in,"
should be taken as a part of the word following, and the phrase
would then be "unto the oak of Bitzanaim," a place which has
been identified with the ruins of Bessum, about half-way between
Tiberias and Mount Tabor.

$$T0003848
\Zaanan\
place of flocks, mentioned only in Micah 1:11. It may be
identified with Zenan, in the plain country of Judah (Josh.
15:37).

$$T0003849
\Zaanannim\
=Zaanaim, (Josh. 19:33).