Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical literature, the term "bowl" is used to describe a variety of vessels, often associated with religious rituals, offerings, and divine judgments. Bowls are mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, serving as significant symbols in the narrative of God's interaction with humanity.
Old Testament UsageIn the Old Testament, bowls are frequently mentioned in the context of the Tabernacle and Temple worship. They were used for holding incense, oil, and sacrificial blood. In
Exodus 25:29, God instructs Moses regarding the construction of the Tabernacle: "And you are to make its plates and dishes, as well as its pitchers and bowls, with which to pour out drink offerings; make them of pure gold." Here, bowls are part of the sacred utensils made of gold, signifying their importance in worship and offerings to God.
The use of bowls in sacrificial rituals is further emphasized in
Leviticus 8:31, where Moses instructs Aaron and his sons to eat the meat of the ram of ordination and the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, using bowls as part of the ceremonial process.
New Testament UsageIn the New Testament, bowls take on a more symbolic role, particularly in the Book of Revelation. The Apostle John describes the vision of the seven angels with seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God.
Revelation 16:1 states, "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go, pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath.'" These bowls represent the final judgments upon the earth, highlighting the theme of divine retribution and the ultimate triumph of God's justice.
Symbolism and Theological SignificanceThroughout Scripture, bowls are often associated with the concept of fullness and completion. In the context of worship, they symbolize the offering of one's best to God, as seen in the use of gold and the careful instructions for their creation and use. In the prophetic and apocalyptic literature, bowls signify the culmination of God's plan and the outpouring of His righteous judgment.
The imagery of bowls in Revelation also serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the certainty of divine justice. The pouring out of the bowls of wrath underscores the inevitable consequences of rebellion against God and the ultimate vindication of His holiness.
Cultural and Historical ContextIn ancient Near Eastern cultures, bowls were common household items, used for eating, drinking, and various domestic purposes. However, in the biblical context, their use in religious ceremonies elevated their significance, marking them as vessels of divine service.
The craftsmanship of bowls, particularly those made of gold and silver, reflects the wealth and resources dedicated to the worship of God, as well as the reverence and awe with which the Israelites approached their covenant relationship with Him.
ConclusionThe biblical concept of bowls encompasses both practical and symbolic dimensions, serving as instruments of worship and as powerful symbols of God's interaction with His people. Whether in the context of sacrificial offerings or apocalyptic visions, bowls in the Bible remind believers of the importance of purity, devotion, and the ultimate fulfillment of God's righteous purposes.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The sockets of the lamps of the golden candlestick of the tabernacle are called bowls (
Exodus 25:31, 33, 34;
37:17, 19, 20); the same word so rendered being elsewhere rendered "cup" (
Genesis 44:2, 12, 16), and wine "pot" (
Jeremiah 35:5). The reservoir for oil, from which pipes led to each lamp in Zechariah's vision of the candlestick, is called also by this name (
Zechariah 4:2, 3); so also are the vessels used for libations (
Exodus 25:29;
37:16).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemispherical), to hold liquids, etc.
2. (n.) Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convivial drinking.
3. (n.) The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold.
4. (n.) The hollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.
5. (n.) A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the other, so as to give it a bias when rolled.
6. (n.) An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased balls on a level plat of greensward.
7. (n.) The game of tenpins or bowling.
8. (v. t.) To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball.
9. (v. t.) To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled rapidly along the road.
10. (v. t.) To pelt or strike with anything rolled.
11. (v. i.) To play with bowls.
12. (v. i.) To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc.
13. (v. i.) To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled along.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BOWLbol:
(1) The primitive Hebrews, like the wandering Bedouin of today, probably used bowls of wood, as less breakable than earthenware. Some hollow dish of the sort would be indispensable, even in the lowest stage of nomad life, to receive the milk of the flock, and as the common dish in which to serve the family meal. We have abundant proof, however, that vessels of earthenware of various sorts were in use by the settled peoples of Canaan in the earliest times. Many interesting specimens, characteristic of different peoples and ages, have been found by excavators of the PEF, especially recently by Flinders Petrie and Fred. Bliss at Tell el-Hesy (see Tell el-Hesy (Lachish), by Petrie, and A Mound of Many Cities, by Bliss) and by Macalister and others at Gezer, Taanach, Megiddo, etc. (see PEFS).
It was probably in some such dish-"a bowl fit for lords" (English Versions, "a lordly dish")-that Jael offered. Sisera a draught of sour milk (Judges 5:25; compare Arabic leben), and the bowl into which Gideon wrung the water from his fleece (Judges 6:38) is denoted by the same word (cephel; Septuagint lekane), though this may have been of earthenware instead of wood. Certainly the cephel was a dish of goodly size.
(2) Another word rendered sometimes "bowl" and sometimes "basin" is mizraq. It is used of the large silver bowls presented by "the princes of the congregation" (Numbers 7:13 f). SeeBASIN. It is also applied byAmos 6:6 to the costly bowls used by the nobles of Samaria in their debaucheries.
(3) A still larger bowl is mentioned byJeremiah 35:5, the King James Version "pot" (gabhia`). This same word is used of Joseph's cup (Genesis 44:2 f): "Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth." As used at banquets it corresponds to the crater, from which the drinking cups (kocoth) were replenished. The material seems to have been uniformly silver. But see (4).
(4) Bowl is used in the King James Version to translation gabhia`, "the bowls made like almonds" (Exodus 25:33 the King James Version), as applied to the "cups" (Revised Version), or calyxes, used to ornament the golden candlestick (see TABERNACLE). It seems to have been an elastic term.
(5) The bowl ofZechariah 4:3 (gullah, found also in 5:2 correct text), is represented as the receptacle for oil in the candlestick of the prophet's vision. It is likewise used of "the lamp of life" (Ecclesiastes 12:6) and to designate the bowl-shaped capitals of Jachin and Boaz (1 Kings 7:41, 422 Chronicles 4:12, 13).
(6) Bowl is found inIsaiah 51:17, 22 the Revised Version (British and American), "bowl of the cup" (the King James Version "dregs of the cup"). Some think the second word here (qubba`ath koc) is a gloss to explain the unusual preceding word.
(7) In Re where the King James Version has "vial" (phiale) the Revised Version (British and American) has "bowl."
SeeBASIN.
George B. Eager
Greek
5357. phiale -- a (shallow)bowl... a (shallow)
bowl. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: phiale Phonetic
Spelling: (fee-al'-ay) Short Definition: a shallow and flat
bowl Definition: a
...5165. trublion -- abowl, dish
... abowl, dish. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: trublion Phonetic Spelling:
(troob'-lee-on) Short Definition: a platter Definition: a deep dish...
3953. paropsis -- a side dish of delicacies
... a side dish of delicacies. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: paropsis
Phonetic Spelling: (par-op-sis') Short Definition: abowl, dish, platter...
Strong's Hebrew
4219. mizraq --bowl, basin... 4218, 4219. mizraq. 4220 .
bowl, basin. Transliteration: mizraq Phonetic
Spelling: (miz-rawk') Short Definition:
bowl. Word Origin
...1543. gullah -- a basin,bowl
... 1542, 1543. gullah. 1544 . a basin,bowl. Transliteration: gullah Phonetic
Spelling: (gool-law') Short Definition: bowls....bowl, pommel, spring....
5602. sephel -- abowl
... 5601, 5602. sephel. 5603 . abowl. Transliteration: sephel Phonetic
Spelling: (say'-fel) Short Definition:bowl. Word Origin of...
1531. gol --bowl
... 1530, 1531. gol. 1532 .bowl. Transliteration: gol Phonetic Spelling: (gole)
Short Definition:bowl....bowl From galal; a cup for oil (as round) --bowl....
4518. menaqqith -- a sacrificialbowl
... 4517, 4518. menaqqith. 4519 . a sacrificialbowl. Transliteration: menaqqith
Phonetic Spelling: (men-ak-keeth') Short Definition: bowls....bowl....
3713a. kephor -- abowl
... abowl. Transliteration: kephor Short Definition: bowls. Word Origin from an unused
word Definition abowl NASB Word Usage bowls (5), eachbowl (2)....
101. aggan -- abowl, basin
... 100, 101. aggan. 102 . abowl, basin. Transliteration: aggan Phonetic
Spelling: (ag-gawn') Short Definition: basins. Word Origin...
1375. gabia -- a cup,bowl
... 1374, 1375. gabia. 1376 . a cup,bowl. Transliteration: gabia Phonetic
Spelling: (gheb-ee'-ah) Short Definition: cups. Word Origin...
3713. kphowr -- abowl
... 3712, 3713. kphowr. 3713a . abowl. Transliteration: kphowr Phonetic Spelling:
(kef-ore') Short Definition: bason. bason, hoary frost...
5592. caph -- a basin, goblet
... caph. 5592a . a basin, goblet. Transliteration: caph Phonetic Spelling: (saf)
Short Definition: bason. bason,bowl, cup, door post, gate, post, threshold...
Library
Letter ix. To Titus, Hierarch, Asking by Letter what is the House...
... LETTER IX. To Titus, Hierarch, asking by letter what is the house of wisdom,
what thebowl, and what are its meats and drinks? SECTION I....
I Will Lay Hold Upon Thee and Bring Thee into My Mother's House...
... 2. I will lay hold upon thee and bring thee into my mother's house; there thou shalt
teach me, and I will give thee abowl of spiced wine, and new wine of my...
"Not by Might, nor by Power"
... And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with abowl upon
the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps...
The Source of Power
... And I said, I have looked, and behold, a candlestick all of gold, with abowl upon
the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven...
Choosing the Tens
... Presently she removed the fowl and forked it off the spit into a capacious
earthenwarebowl near by.... Deborah pointed to the smokingbowl....
Things Unknown
... with basins to the rich people in the parish, and beg bread and other victuals of
them; and the rule was, that every gentleman was to fill thebowl that was...
The Story of Jacob
... Once, when Esau came home, hungry and tired from hunting in the fields, he saw that
Jacob had abowl of something that he had just cooked for dinner....
The Mystery of the vision of Zechariah.
... And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with abowl upon
the top of it....And two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the...
The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist
... before the admission of worshippers but to bring out the lamb, once again to make
sure of its fitness for sacrifice, to water it from a goldenbowl, and then...
Zion Awakened
... Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, Which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the
cup of his fury; Thou hast drunken thebowl of the cup of staggering, and...
Thesaurus
Bowl (44 Occurrences)... drinking. 3. (n.) The contents of a full
bowl; what a
bowl will hold. 4.
(n.) The hollow part of a thing; as, the
bowl of a spoon. 5
...Bowl-full (1 Occurrence)
Bowl-full. Bowlful,Bowl-full. Bowls . Multi-Version Concordance
Bowl-full (1 Occurrence). Judges 6:38 And it was so...
Bowl-shaped (4 Occurrences)
Bowl-shaped. Bowls,Bowl-shaped. Bowman . Multi-Version Concordance
Bowl-shaped (4 Occurrences). 1 Kings 7:20 There...
Charger (17 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Abowl or deep dish. The silver vessels given by
the heads of the tribes for the services of the tabernacle...
Platter (20 Occurrences)
... Numbers 7:13 and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one
hundred thirty shekels, one silverbowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel...
Pour (137 Occurrences)
... Revelation 16:2 The first went, and poured out hisbowl into the earth, and it became
a harmful and evil sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and...
Lamp (45 Occurrences)
... the wicked shall be put out" (Job 21:17 Proverbs 13:9; and perhaps Job 18:6). The
early Canaanite or Amorite lamp was a shallow, saucer-likebowl with rounded...
Dish (54 Occurrences)
... In Judges 6:38 the same Hebrew word is rendered "bowl.".... 1. (n.) A vessel, as a
platter, a plate, abowl, used for serving up food at the table....
Shekel (37 Occurrences)
... Numbers 7:13 and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one
hundred thirty shekels, one silverbowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel...
Whereof (94 Occurrences)
... Numbers 7:13 and his oblation was one silver platter, the weight whereof was a hundred
and thirty 'shekels', one silverbowl of seventy shekels, after the...
Resources
What are the seven bowls/vials of Revelation? | GotQuestions.orgIs it okay to skip church to watch the Super Bowl? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the prayers of the saints in Revelation 5:8? | GotQuestions.orgBowl: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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