Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the term "flagon" refers to a vessel used for holding and serving liquids, particularly wine. The word appears in several passages of the Bible, and its meaning can vary slightly depending on the context. In the Berean Standard Bible, the term is often associated with abundance and celebration, as well as with offerings and worship.
Biblical References:1.
Song of Solomon 2:5 : "Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love." In this poetic and romantic context, the term "flagons" is often translated as "raisin cakes" or "cakes of raisins," which were delicacies made from dried grapes. These were considered luxurious and were often associated with love and celebration.
2.
2 Samuel 6:19 : "Then he distributed to every man and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. Then all the people departed, each to his own home." Here, the distribution of raisin cakes, sometimes referred to as flagons, is part of a celebratory event as King David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. This act of giving symbolizes joy and communal sharing in the presence of God.
3.
Hosea 3:1 : "Then the LORD said to me, 'Go, show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.'" In this passage, the term "raisin cakes" or "flagons" is used metaphorically to describe the Israelites' idolatrous practices. The raisin cakes were likely offerings to pagan deities, indicating a departure from true worship of Yahweh.
Cultural and Religious Significance:Flagons, or vessels for wine, were significant in ancient Near Eastern culture, where wine was a staple beverage. In the context of the Bible, wine often symbolizes joy, blessing, and divine provision. The use of flagons in religious ceremonies and celebrations underscores the importance of wine in both daily life and spiritual practices.
In the Old Testament, wine offerings were part of the sacrificial system, symbolizing the joy and abundance provided by God. The presence of flagons in these contexts highlights the role of wine as a symbol of God's blessings and the joy of communal worship.
Symbolism and Interpretation:From a theological perspective, flagons and their contents can be seen as symbols of God's provision and the joy found in His presence. The use of wine in the Bible often points to themes of celebration, covenant, and divine favor. In the New Testament, wine takes on additional significance in the context of the Last Supper, where it represents the blood of Christ and the new covenant.
The references to flagons in the Bible, therefore, carry both literal and symbolic meanings, reflecting the cultural practices of the time and the deeper spiritual truths conveyed through these practices.
Library
The Comforts Belonging to Mourners
... Stay me withflagons' (Canticles 2:5). In metonymy the name of an accompanying thing
is substituted for the thing meant. Theflagons' are put for the wine....
The Spiced Wine of My Pomegranate;
... Communications from my loving Lord. Stay me withflagons full of choicest
wine,. Press... me. Stay me withflagons, Saviour, hear my cry,....
Chapter ii.
... 5. Stay me withflagons, comfort me with apples; for I am sick of love.5. Stay me
with flowers, strew me with apples; for I am sick of love.6. His left hand is...
Political and Religious Life of the Jewish Dispersion in the West...
... offerings by the Ptolemies, of a golden wreath which Sosius offered after he had
taken Jerusalem in conjunction with Herod, and of richflagons which Augustus...
Whether Devils have Faith
... it is the gift of God." Now the gloss on Hosea 3:1, "who look to other gods, and
loveflagons of wine," says that the devils forfeited the gift of grace by...
Do You Know Him?
... Theflagons which he sends me, and the love-tokens which he gives me, they stay
me for awhile with the assurance of his affection but they only impel me onward...
The Shortest of the Seven Cries
... He is thirsty still, you see, for our poor love, and surely we cannot deny it to
him. Come let us pour out fullflagons, until his joy is fulfilled in us....
Assurance of Salvation.
... glory of His father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity,
from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels offlagons" (xxii.23...
The Schoolboy of Madaura
... mystic. And all quieted down among the cups and leatherflagons of wine,
the grease and meats of banquets in the open air. Even...
The Covenant of Works
... How long will ye love vanity?' Psalm 4:4. Who look to other gods, and loveflagons
of wine.' Hosea 3:3: Sin is a dish men cannot forbear, though it makes them...
Thesaurus
Flagons (7 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Flagons (7 Occurrences).
... (See RSV). Song of Songs 2:5 Stay
me with
flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. (KJV WBS).
...Flagon (4 Occurrences)
... 2:5; Hosea 3:1), meaning properly "a cake of pressed raisins." "Flagons of wine"
of the Authorized Version should be, as in the Revised Version, "cakes of...
Jars (28 Occurrences)
... Exodus 25:29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and
theflagons thereof, and the bowls thereof, wherewith to pour out: of pure...
Pans (19 Occurrences)
... Exodus 25:29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and
theflagons thereof, and the bowls thereof, wherewith to pour out: of pure...
Shewbread (16 Occurrences)
... table upon which the fiat cakes were to lie (Exodus 25:23-30; Exodus 37:10-16),
it held a series of golden vessels comprising dishes, spoons,flagons and bowls...
Wherewith (182 Occurrences)
... Exodus 25:29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and the spoons thereof, and
theflagons thereof, and the bowls thereof, wherewith to pour out: of pure...
Quality (14 Occurrences)
... on him All the honour of the house of his father, The offspring and the issue, All
vessels of small quality, From vessels of basins to all vessels offlagons....
Offshoots (1 Occurrence)
... him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels
of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels offlagons...
Wine (282 Occurrences)
... as in the Revised Version, "and of the blood of the grape [`enabh] thou drankest
wine [hemer]." In Hosea 3:1 the phrase in Authorized Version, "flagons of wine...
Flagrant (3 Occurrences)
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