Topical Encyclopedia
The term "barbed" is not directly mentioned in the Bible; however, the concept of barbs or barbed objects can be inferred through various scriptural references to weapons and tools used in ancient times. In biblical contexts, barbed items are often associated with warfare, hunting, and agriculture, reflecting the practical and sometimes violent aspects of life in the ancient Near East.
Weapons and WarfareIn the Bible, weapons such as arrows and spears are sometimes described in ways that suggest they could be barbed. For instance, arrows are frequently mentioned as instruments of war and judgment. In
Psalm 64:7 , it is written, "But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded." While the text does not specify barbs, the imagery of arrows piercing and wounding implies a design meant to inflict maximum damage, akin to barbed arrows used in various ancient cultures.
The use of spears is also prevalent in biblical narratives. In
1 Samuel 17:7, the description of Goliath's spear includes the detail that "the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point weighed six hundred shekels." Although the text does not explicitly mention barbs, the formidable nature of such weapons suggests they were designed for effective penetration and retention in targets, characteristics typical of barbed implements.
Hunting and AgricultureBarbed tools were also likely used in hunting and agriculture, though the Bible does not provide explicit descriptions. The practice of hunting is mentioned in
Genesis 10:9, where Nimrod is described as "a mighty hunter before the LORD." While the specific tools used by hunters like Nimrod are not detailed, it is reasonable to assume that barbed arrows or spears could have been employed to capture and kill game effectively.
In agriculture, barbed tools may have been used for tasks such as threshing or clearing land.
Isaiah 41:15 states, "Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth." The imagery of a threshing sledge with "many teeth" suggests a tool designed to tear and separate grain from chaff, similar to the function of barbs in gripping and tearing.
Symbolism and MetaphorThe concept of barbs can also be understood metaphorically in the Bible, representing the idea of entrapment or entanglement. In
Job 18:8-10 , Bildad describes the fate of the wicked: "For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he wanders into its mesh. A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare grips him." The imagery of nets and snares evokes the idea of being caught or held fast, much like a barbed hook or trap.
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a "thorn in the flesh" in
2 Corinthians 12:7 to describe a persistent affliction: "To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." While not explicitly barbed, the notion of a thorn suggests something that causes ongoing pain and difficulty, akin to the persistent irritation of a barb.
In summary, while the Bible does not explicitly mention barbed objects, the concept is woven into the fabric of biblical narratives through descriptions of weapons, tools, and metaphorical language. These elements reflect the realities of ancient life and the spiritual truths conveyed through Scripture.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
imp. & p. p.) of Barb.
2. (a.) Accoutered with defensive armor; -- said of a horse. See Barded.
3. (a.) Furnished with a barb or barbs; as, a barbed arrow; barbed wire.
Greek
5512. chleuazo -- to jest, mock, jeer... 5512 (from , "a joke") -- properly, to joke (jest), ie to scoff (ridicule)
using
barbed humor and mocking jeers (used only in Ac 17:32).
...Strong's Hebrew
7905. sukkah -- a barb, spear...barbed iron. Feminine of sok in the sense of sek; a dart (as pointed like a thorn) --
barbed iron. see HEBREW sok. see HEBREW sek. 7904, 7905. sukkah. 7906 >
...Library
The Earth Brings Forth, as if by Suppuration...
... that succession of knots in the scorpion, which in the inside is a thin poisoned
veinlet, rising up with a bow-like bound, draws tight abarbed sting at the end...
The Christian view of Sorrow
... and for your children." As though he had said, "You have a right to weep; weep,
then, in that great catastrophe which is coming, whenbarbed affliction shall...
Grace and Truth
... These all partake of the one characteristic, that they help nothing to the fulfilment
of their own behests, and that they arebarbed with threatenings of...
Transformation by Beholding
... One of the most obvious peculiarities of his style is his habit of 'going off at
a word.' Each thought is, as it were,barbed all round, and catches and draws...
The Tears of the Penitent.
... brings down upon his head for all his remaining years a cataract of calamities,
and makes his name and his religion a target for thebarbed sarcasms of each...
Argument: Man Ought Indeed to Know Himself, but this Knowledge...
... protection provided by animated creatures against one another?"some armed with horns,
some hedged with teeth, and shod with claws, andbarbed with stings, or...
Yokes of Wood and Iron
... and frown down upon him. The sheep that stops inside the pasture is never
torn by thebarbed wires of the fence. If you think of...
How the Britons, Being Ravaged by the Scots and Picts, Sought...
... On the other side, the enemy constantly attacked them withbarbed weapons, by which
the cowardly defenders were dragged in piteous fashion from the wall, and...
The victory of the King
... apparently nil. The bait is skilfully wound over thebarbed hook. Christ's
answer tears it away, and discloses the sharp points. He...
The Three Parables of Warning: to the Individual, to the Nation...
... rich towards God.'. It was abarbed arrow, we might say, out of the Jewish
quiver, but directed by the Hand of the Lord. For, we...
Thesaurus
Barbed (1 Occurrence)... See Barded. 3. (a.) Furnished with a barb or barbs; as, a
barbed arrow;
barbed wire. Multi-Version Concordance
Barbed (1 Occurrence).
...Fishing (4 Occurrences)
... See FISHHOOK. (2) With Spears: Job 41:7 probably refers to an instrument much
like thebarbed spear still used along the Syrian coast....
Barbarous (1 Occurrence)
Barber
Grain (413 Occurrences)
... 22. (n.) One the branches of a valley or of a river. 23. (n.) An iron first
speak or harpoon, having four or morebarbed points. 24....
Irons (5 Occurrences)
... quiet. (See NIV). Job 41:7 Can you fill his skin withbarbed irons, or his
head with fish spears? (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT). Psalms...
Fork (8 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) One of the parts into which anything is furcated or divided; a prong; a
branch of a stream, a road, etc.; abarbed point, as of an arrow....
Fish-spears (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Fish-spears (1 Occurrence). Job 41:7 Canst thou fill his
skin withbarbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears? (ASV BBE DBY JPS YLT)....
Arrow (34 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) A missile weapon of offense, slender, pointed,
and usually feathered andbarbed, to be shot from a bow. Int....
Spears (25 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Job 41:7 Can you fill his
skin withbarbed irons, or his head with fish spears? (WEB...
Resources
Should a Christian prank / do pranks? Is it wrong to play a practical joke on someone? | GotQuestions.orgBarbed: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
