Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, a peg was a small but significant object used for various purposes, both practical and symbolic. The term "peg" appears in several contexts within the Bible, often carrying deeper meanings beyond its immediate utility.
Practical Uses1.
Tent Pegs: In the nomadic lifestyle of the Israelites, tent pegs were essential for securing tents. These pegs were driven into the ground to hold the tent ropes taut, providing stability and shelter. The importance of tent pegs is highlighted in the account of Jael in the Book of Judges. Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, used a tent peg to kill Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, thereby delivering Israel from oppression (
Judges 4:21).
2.
Construction and Security: Pegs were also used in construction, particularly in the tabernacle and later in the temple. They served to secure structures and ensure their stability. In
Isaiah 22:23, the peg is used metaphorically to describe a person who is firmly established: "I will drive him like a peg into a firm place, and he will become a throne of glory for his father's house" .
Symbolic Meanings1.
Stability and Security: The peg symbolizes stability and security, often representing a person or thing that provides support and holds things together. This symbolism is evident in the prophetic literature, where leaders or key figures are likened to pegs that hold the community or nation together.
2.
Judgment and Deliverance: The account of Jael and Sisera also imbues the peg with themes of judgment and deliverance. Jael's act of driving the peg through Sisera's temple is seen as a divinely orchestrated deliverance for Israel, showcasing God's power to use seemingly insignificant objects and people to achieve His purposes.
3.
Covenant and Commitment: In
Ezra 9:8, the peg is used metaphorically to describe a place of security and hope for the Israelites returning from exile: "But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a little relief in our bondage" . Here, the peg represents a secure foothold in the land, a sign of God's ongoing covenant and commitment to His people.
Cultural and Historical ContextIn the ancient Near East, pegs were typically made of wood or metal, depending on their intended use. Their design and material would vary based on the specific needs, whether for temporary structures like tents or more permanent constructions. The use of pegs in biblical narratives often reflects the broader cultural practices of the time, where such objects were integral to daily life and survival.
Theological ReflectionsThe imagery of the peg in Scripture invites reflection on themes of divine providence, human agency, and the interplay between the two. It serves as a reminder of how God can use ordinary means to accomplish extraordinary ends, and how individuals, like pegs, can play pivotal roles in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe peg.
2. (n.) A wooden pin, or nail, on which to hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon.
3. (n.) One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained.
4. (n.) One of the pins used for marking points on a cribbage board.
5. (n.) A step; a degree; esp. in the slang phrase To take one down peg.
6. (v. t.) To put pegs into; to fasten the parts of with pegs; as, to peg shoes; to confine with pegs; to restrict or limit closely.
7. (v. t.) To score with a peg, as points in the game; as, she pegged twelve points.
8. (v. i.) To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; -- usually with on, at, or away; as, to peg away at a task.
Greek
4338. proseloo -- to nail to... nail to. From pros and a derivative of helos; to
peg to, ie Spike fast -- nail to.
see GREEK pros. see GREEK helos. (proselosas) -- 1 Occurrence. 4337, 4338.
...4078. pegnumi -- to make fast
... A prolonged form of a primary verb (which in its simpler form occurs only as an
alternate in certain tenses); to fix ("peg"), ie (specially) to set up (a tent...
Strong's Hebrew
3489. yathed -- apeg, pin... 3488, 3489. yathed. 3490 . a
peg, pin. Transliteration: yathed Phonetic
Spelling: (yaw-thade') Short Definition: pegs. Word Origin
...2053. vav -- a hook, pin,peg
... 2052, 2053. vav. 2054 . a hook, pin,peg. Transliteration: vav Phonetic
Spelling: (vaw) Short Definition: hooks. Word Origin of...
4548. masmer -- a nail
... masmrah (Eccles. 12:11) {mas-mer-aw'}; from camar; apeg (as bristling from
the surface) -- nail. see HEBREW camar. 4547, 4548. masmer...
4930. masmerah -- nail
... Word Origin the same as masmer, qv. nail For macmer fem.; apeg -- nail. see HEBREW
macmer. 4929, 4930. masmerah. 4931 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
Hearken and Look; Or, Encouragement for Believers
... and inaction. The smallestpeg suffices to hang an excuse upon when we
are anxious to escape from the stern service of faith. "I...
Notes on Tauler's Teaching
... Sometimes moreover he expounds a text like a homilist; sometimes his text is barely
referred to, and becomes a merepeg on which to hang a discourse on a...
God's Use of Weak Things.
... A nail or tent-pin, only a woodenpeg, in the hands of a woman with a hammer helps
to make the enemy's defeat more decisive.[27] Three hundred young men with...
Hobab
... One of them came to be somebody, the Jael who struck the tent-peg through the temples
of the sleeping Sisera, for she is called 'the wife of Heber the Kenite...
Elucidations.
... of pious exercise. Baronius, more suo, grasps at this word askesis, as
apeg to hang the system of monkery upon. Casaubon answers...
The Mustard Seed: a Sermon for the Sabbath-School Teacher
... what the truth itself says. It is wicked to take the Gospel and make a
peg of it to hang our old clothes upon. The Gos el is not...
Princely Service.
... The little pet had found a small piece of wood, and had bored a hole in it with
her scissors, in which she had inserted apeg, and on the top had hung half a...
Christ Thwarted
... Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.' We have an inheritance like that of men
who get a piece of land in some mining district: so much as wepeg out and...
The Evangelical Revival.
... a different direction"not indeed, in over-estimating the character of this remarkable
man, but in making him a mere name to conjure with, a merepeg to hang...
The Hallowing of Work and of Rest
... God in times when the whole nature is somewhat relaxed, and the strings are loosened,
like those of a violin screwed down a turn or two of thepeg, than there...
Thesaurus
Peg (8 Occurrences)... 1. (n.) A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in
attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe
peg.
...Pin (10 Occurrences)
... etc., generally cylindrical, used for fastening separate articles together, or as
a support by which one article may be suspended from another; apeg; a bolt....
Nail (9 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary For fastening. (1.) Hebrew yathed, "piercing,"
apeg or nail of any material (Ezek. 15:3), more especially...
Ja'el (6 Occurrences)
... Judges 4:21 But Ja'el the wife of Heber took a tentpeg, and took a hammer in her
hand, and went softly to him and drove thepeg into his temple, till it went...
Temples (17 Occurrences)
... Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tentpeg, and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced...
Pierced (63 Occurrences)
... Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tentpeg, and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced...
Sis'era (19 Occurrences)
... him, and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking."
So he went in to her tent; and there lay Sis'era dead, with the tentpeg in his...
Jael (6 Occurrences)
... Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tentpeg, and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced...
Hammer (15 Occurrences)
... Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a tentpeg, and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced...
Sisera (18 Occurrences)
... came out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you
seek." He came to her; and behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tentpeg was in...
Resources
Who was Jael in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the story of Deborah and Barak? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Sisera in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgPeg: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
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