Topic
Compass; Compasses
22 passages cited, from 1 classic reference work.
These works date from 1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Genesis 2:11ISBE
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
- Exodus 27:5ISBE
And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
- Numbers 34:5ISBE
And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.
- Deuteronomy 2:1ISBE
Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.
- Joshua 15:3ISBE
And it went out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:
- 2 Samuel 5:23ISBE
And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
- 2 Samuel 22:5ISBE
When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
- 2 Kings 3:9ISBE
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
- Job 26:10ISBE
He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
- Psalms 18:4ISBE
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
- Proverbs 8:27ISBE
When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
- Isaiah 44:13ISBE
The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
Show 10 more
- Isaiah 50:11 ISBE
- Jeremiah 31:22 ISBE
- Wisdom of Solomon 19:17 ISBE
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 24:5 ISBE
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 43:12 ISBE
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 45:9 ISBE
- 1 Esdras 4:34 ISBE
- Acts 28:13 ISBE
- Hebrews 5:2 ISBE
- Hebrews 12:1 ISBE
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 24 references
kum'-pas, kum'-pas-iz: "Compass," noun, is the translation of chugh, "a circle," "vault" or "arch" ("when he set a compass upon the face of the depth" Pr 8:27 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American), the American Standard Revised Version "circle"; compare Job 26:10; and see CIRCLE; VAULT OF EARTH); of karkobh, "a margin" "border" (Ex 27:5, "the compass of the altar," the Revised Version (British and American) "the ledge round," so 38:4); the phrase "to fetch a compass" is the translation of sabhabh, "to turn about," "go round about" (Nu 34:5; Jos 15:3, the Revised Version (British and American) "turn about," 2Sa 5:23; 2Ki 3:9, the Revised Version (British and American) "make a circuit"); of perierchomai, "to go about" (Ac 28:13, the Revised Version (British and American) "made a circuit"; margin "Some ancient authorities read cast loose"; see CIRCUIT).
"Compasses" is the Revised Version (British and American) for "compass," mechughah, an instrument for describing a circle: "He marketh it out with the compasses" (Isa 44:13) in making an idol.
The verb "to compass" occurs frequently in the senses of "to surround" and "to go round about," e.g. Ge 2:11, "which compasseth the whole land of Havilah," De 2:1, "We compassed (went around) mount Seir many days"; in Jer 31:22 we have "A new thing on the earth: a woman shall compass a man," the Revised Version (British and American) "encompass"; possibly as a suitor; but more probably as a protector. In those happy days, the protection of women (under God, 31:28) will be sufficient, while the men are at their work; "to encompass" ("The cords of death compassed me" Ps 18:4; "the waves of death," 2Sa 22:5). "To gird" (Isa 50:11 the Revised Version (British and American)); "to lie around," "to be laid around" (Heb 5:2, "compassed with infirmity" (clothed with it); Heb 12:1, "compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses").
In Apocrypha we have "compassed about with yawning darkness" (The Wisdom of Solomon 19:17); "compassed the circuit of heaven" (Ecclesiasticus 24:5); "compassed with pomegranates of gold" (Ecclesiasticus 45:9); "The rainbow compasseth the heaven" (Ecclesiasticus 43:12); the course of the sun (1 Esdras 4:34).
W. L. Walker
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.