Topic
Knife
28 passages cited, from 4 classic reference works.
These works date from 1884–1915 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 They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently.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 22:6Easton · ISBE · Nave An edged tool used by Abraham in offering Isaac
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
- 1 Kings 18:28Smith · ISBE · Nave Self-flagellation with, in idolatrous worship
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
- Ezra 1:9Easton · ISBE · Nave Of the temple, returned from Babylon
And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,
- Jeremiah 36:23Smith · ISBE · Nave Used for sharpening pens
And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
- Genesis 22:10Easton · ISBE
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
- Exodus 4:25Easton · ISBE
Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
- Joshua 5:2Easton · ISBE
¶ At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
- Joshua 5:3Easton · ISBE
And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
- Proverbs 23:2Easton · ISBE
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
- Proverbs 30:14Easton · ISBE
There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
- Isaiah 18:5Easton · Smith
For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
- Ezekiel 5:1Easton · Smith
And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
Show 16 more
- Exodus 20:25 Easton
- Leviticus 7:33 Smith
- Leviticus 7:34 Smith
- Leviticus 8:15 Smith
- Leviticus 8:20 Smith
- Leviticus 8:25 Smith
- Leviticus 9:13 Smith
- Numbers 6:5 Smith
- Numbers 6:9 Smith
- Numbers 6:19 Smith
- Numbers 18:18 Smith
- Judges 19:29 ISBE
- 1 Samuel 9:24 Smith
- Jeremiah 36:26 Easton
- Ezekiel 5:12 ISBE
- Ezekiel 26:9 Easton
In the reference works
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · 13 references
(1.) Heb. hereb, “the waster,” a sharp instrument for circumcision (Josh. 5:2, 3, lit. “knives of flint;” comp. Ex. 4:25); a razor (Ezek. 5:1); a graving tool (Ex. 20:25); an axe (Ezek. 26:9).
(2.) Heb. maakeleth, a large knife for slaughtering and cutting up food (Gen. 22:6, 10; Prov. 30:14).
(3.) Heb. sakkin, a knife for any purpose, a table knife (Prov. 23:2).
(4.) Heb. mahalaph, a butcher’s knife for slaughtering the victims offered in sacrifice (Ezra 1:9).
(5.) Smaller knives (Heb. ta’ar, Jer. 36:26) were used for sharpening pens. The pruning-knives mentioned in Isa. 18:5 (Heb. mizmaroth) were probably curved knives.
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884) · 15 references
- The knives of the Egyptians, and of other nations in early times, were probably only of hard stone, and the use of the flint or stone knife was sometimes retained for sacred purposes after the introduction of iron and steel.
- In their meals the Jews, like other Orientals, made little use of knives, but they were required both for slaughtering animals, either for food or sacrifice, and for cutting up the carcass. (Leviticus 7:33,34; 8:15,20,25; 9:13; Numbers 18:18; 1 Samuel 9:24) etc.
- Smaller knives were in use for paring fruit (Josephus) and for sharpening pens. (Jeremiah 36:23)
- The razor was often used for Nazarite purposes, for which a special chamber was reserved in the temple. (Numbers 6:5,9,19; Ezekiel 5:1), etc.
- The pruning-hooks of (Isaiah 18:5) were probably curved knives.
- The lancets of the priests of Baal were doubtless pointed knives. (1 Kings 18:28)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 12 references
nif:
(1) ma'akheleth, literally, an instrument for eating; but used of large knives for slaying animals, cutting up a carcass or a sacrificial victim (Ge 22:6,10; Jud 19:29; Pr 30:14).
(2) cherebh, rendered generally "sword," but in Jos 5:2,3 of stone knives for circumcision (compare Ex 4:25), probably of similar knives in 1Ki 18:28, used by Baal prophets in gashing themselves. In Eze 5:12 the King James Version, "knife," probably better the Revised Version (British and American), "sword."
(3) ta`ar, usually rendered "razor," in combination with ha-copher, "knife of the writer," or "penknife" (Jer 36:23).
(4) machalaphim, "slaughter-knives" (Ezr 1:9).
(5) sakkin, Aramaic, "knife" (Pr 23:2). Early knives were commonly made of sharp stones, especially of flint, later of bronze and iron. The-former remained in use in religious ceremonies long after the latter were in common use.
Knives were not generally used at meals, meats being cut into bits before served, and bread being. broken into fragments. Herod used a knife for paring apples, and attempted suicide with the instrument (Josephus, Ant, XVII, vii, 1; BJ, I, xxxiii, 7).
Edward Bagby Pollard
In the topical indexes
Texts: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897); Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915); Nave's Topical Bible (1896), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.