Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Usage:In biblical times, a "pick" was a tool used primarily for digging and breaking up hard ground. It typically consisted of a long handle with a pointed metal or stone head. Picks were essential for agricultural and construction purposes, aiding in the preparation of soil for planting and the excavation of foundations for buildings.
Biblical References:While the specific term "pick" is not frequently mentioned in the Bible, the concept of tools used for similar purposes is present. The Bible often refers to implements used in agriculture and construction, which would have included picks or similar tools.
Agricultural Context:In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, tools like picks were vital for survival and prosperity. The land needed to be tilled and prepared for sowing seeds, as seen in the parable of the sower in
Matthew 13:3-9. Although the parable does not explicitly mention picks, the preparation of soil would have required such tools.
Construction Context:The construction of buildings, walls, and other structures in biblical times would have necessitated the use of picks. For example, in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah's leadership, tools for breaking and shaping stone would have been indispensable (
Nehemiah 4:17-18). The workers carried out their tasks with one hand while holding a weapon in the other, indicating the dual necessity of tools for both construction and defense.
Symbolic Meaning:While the Bible does not directly attribute symbolic meaning to picks, tools in general can represent human effort and the cooperation between divine provision and human labor.
Proverbs 14:23 states, "In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." This underscores the value of diligent work, which would have been impossible without the proper tools.
Cultural and Historical Insights:The use of picks and similar tools reflects the technological advancements of ancient civilizations. The Israelites, like their neighboring cultures, developed and utilized various implements to enhance their agricultural and construction capabilities. This not only facilitated their daily lives but also played a role in fulfilling God's commands to cultivate the land and build places of worship.
Theological Implications:The presence and use of tools like picks in the Bible highlight the partnership between God and humanity. While God provides the resources and the land, humans are called to steward these gifts through labor and ingenuity. This partnership is evident in
Genesis 2:15, where God places Adam in the Garden of Eden to "work it and keep it."
Conclusion:The concept of picks, though not explicitly detailed in the Bible, is woven into the broader narrative of human labor and divine provision. These tools symbolize the practical aspects of life in biblical times and the ongoing relationship between God and His people in the stewardship of creation.
Greek
4691. spermologos -- a seed picker, fig. one whopicks up scraps...... one who
picks up scraps of knowledge. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration:
spermologos Phonetic Spelling: (sper-mol-og'-os) Short Definition: a babbler
...Strong's Hebrew
5375. nasa -- to lift, carry, take... married (1), must be carried (1), obtained (1), offer (3), pardon (2), pardons
(1), partial* (2), partiality* (8), pick (1), picked (1),
picks (3), promoted (1
...Library
An Address to the Man who is Down
... It goes into the church andpicks off the man in the pulpit. It goes into
the university andpicks off the flower of the class....
The Right to Live with the People of My Choice
... Of course I may not be able to do it right away"I may have to live with one that
Mr. Gibbpicks for me for a year or two"but I'm getting the one I've...
Types of Talkers
... When all others tacitly drop a subject, he eagerlypicks it up. He is reluctant
to leave it. He would put you in possession of his special knowledge....
Clairvoyance
... This is one of those alluring paradoxes which all great books delight in, which
baffle thought while courting it, but which disclose to whoeverpicks the lock...
The Three Elements of a Complete Life
... Now, that picture is a perfect picture of Christian life; and what is interesting
about it is that itpicks out the three great pedestals of life....
Cleansing.
... purchased it only last week. Shepicks it up, and looks into it to see
if it is clean; she finds it is not. Now she would never...
The King's Highway Opened and Cleared
... You have sometimes seen, perhaps, the newly-invented engine in the streets, the
locomotive that lays down its own pathway and thenpicks it up again....
Diamond and his Mother Sat Down Upon the Edge of the Rough Grass...
... "O you little bird! You have no more sense than a sparrow thatpicks what it wants,
and never thinks of the winter and the frost and, the snow."....
How Three Sunday School Children Met their Fate
... children imprisoned. The neighbors and all hands got their shovels andpicks
and crowbars and were working to set the children free. It...
Believe --Love --Obey.
... Peterpicks up the one bit he understands, and is told that he cannot yet follow
in the tremendous experience lying just ahead for Jesus, but some day he can...
Thesaurus
Picks (7 Occurrences)...Picks (7 Occurrences).
... (WEB RSV NIV). 1 Chronicles 20:3 He brought forth the people
who were therein, and cut them with saws, and with iron
picks, and with axes.
...Pick (37 Occurrences)
... 20. (n.) The blow which drives the shuttle, -- the rate of speed of a loom being
reckoned as so manypicks per minute; hence, in describing the fineness of a...
Axes (10 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:31 He brought forth the people who were therein, and put them under
saws, and under ironpicks, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through...
Saws (4 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:31 He brought forth the people who were therein, and put them under
saws, and under ironpicks, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through...
Picking (4 Occurrences)
Picture (6 Occurrences)
Sharp (115 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:31 He brought forth the people who were therein, and put them under
saws, and under ironpicks, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through...
Quarries (4 Occurrences)
... The channels are wide enough to admit the body of the workman, and the marks of
thepicks on the sides of the channels are plainly visible. Alfred Ely Day....
Kiln (5 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:31 He brought forth the people who were therein, and put them under
saws, and under ironpicks, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through...
Labor (181 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:31 He brought forth the people who were therein, and put them under
saws, and under ironpicks, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through...
Resources
What is Beulah Land? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Romans Road to salvation? | GotQuestions.orgTextual criticism - what is it? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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