Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical contexts, the term "scrape" is often associated with actions involving the removal or cleaning of a surface, typically using a sharp or abrasive tool. This action can be both literal and metaphorical, appearing in various passages to convey themes of purification, judgment, or distress.
Literal Usage:1.
Levitical Laws and Ritual Purity: In the Old Testament, particularly within the Levitical laws, scraping is mentioned as part of the purification process. For instance, in the context of cleansing a house afflicted by mildew or mold, the priest is instructed to "scrape the house" (
Leviticus 14:41). This act symbolizes the removal of impurity and the restoration of holiness to the dwelling.
2.
Job's Suffering: The Book of Job provides a vivid depiction of scraping in a literal sense. Job, afflicted with painful sores, uses a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself (
Job 2:8). This act underscores his intense physical and emotional suffering, as well as his desperate attempt to find relief amidst his trials.
Metaphorical Usage:1.
Judgment and Destruction: Scraping can also symbolize divine judgment and the removal of sin or corruption. In prophetic literature, the imagery of scraping is sometimes used to describe the thoroughness of God's judgment against sin. For example, in the context of divine retribution, cities or nations may be metaphorically "scraped" clean of their iniquities.
2.
Repentance and Renewal: The act of scraping away the old to reveal the new can also be seen as a metaphor for repentance and spiritual renewal. Just as a surface is scraped to remove dirt or decay, believers are called to rid themselves of sin and embrace a renewed life in Christ.
Theological Implications:From a theological perspective, the concept of scraping aligns with the broader biblical themes of purification and sanctification. It reflects the necessity of removing sin and impurity to achieve spiritual cleanliness and holiness before God. The physical act of scraping serves as a tangible representation of the spiritual cleansing that believers undergo through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Cultural and Historical Context:In ancient Near Eastern cultures, scraping was a common practice for cleaning and maintaining various objects, from household items to personal grooming. The biblical references to scraping would have resonated with the original audience, who understood the practical and symbolic significance of such actions.
Overall, the term "scrape" in the Bible encompasses both physical and spiritual dimensions, illustrating the importance of purification and the transformative power of God's grace in the lives of His people.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. t.) To rub over the surface of (something) with a sharp or rough instrument; to rub over with something that roughens by removing portions of the surface; to grate harshly over; to abrade; to make even, or bring to a required condition or form, by moving the sharp edge of an instrument breadthwise over the surface with pressure, cutting away excesses and superfluous parts; to make smooth or clean; as, to scrape a bone with a knife; to scrape a metal plate to an even surface.
2. (v. t.) To remove by rubbing or scraping (in the sense above).
3. (v. t.) To collect by, or as by, a process of scraping; to gather in small portions by laborious effort; hence, to acquire avariciously and save penuriously; -- often followed by together or up; as, to scrape money together.
4. (v. t.) To express disapprobation of, as a play, or to silence, as a speaker, by drawing the feet back and forth upon the floor; -- usually with down.
5. (v. i.) To rub over the surface of anything with something which roughens or removes it, or which smoothes or cleans it; to rub harshly and noisily along.
6. (v. i.) To occupy one's self with getting laboriously; as, he scraped and saved until he became rich.
7. (v. i.) To play awkwardly and inharmoniously on a violin or like instrument.
8. (v. i.) To draw back the right foot along the ground or floor when making a bow.
9. (n.) The act of scraping; also, the effect of scraping, as a scratch, or a harsh sound; as, a noisy scrape on the floor; a scrape of a pen.
10. (n.) A drawing back of the right foot when bowing; also, a bow made with that accompaniment.
11. (n.) A disagreeable and embarrassing predicament out of which one can not get without undergoing, as it were, a painful rubbing or scraping; a perplexity; a difficulty.
Greek
2833. knetho -- to scratch, itch... Word Origin a late form of knao (to
scrape) Definition to scratch, itch
NASB Word Usage tickled (1). itching. From a primary knao
...2991. laxeutos -- hewn (in stone)
... Word Origin from a comp. of laas (a stone) and xeo (toscrape) Definition hewn
(in stone) NASB Word Usage cut into the rock (1). hewn in stone....
631. apomasso -- to wipe off
... wipe off. Middle voice from apo and masso (to squeeze, knead, smear); toscrape
away -- wipe off. see GREEK apo. (apomassometha) -- 1 Occurrence. 630, 631....
Strong's Hebrew
5500. sachah -- toscrape... sachah. 5501 . to
scrape. Transliteration: sachah Phonetic Spelling: (saw-khaw')
Short Definition:
scrape.
... root Definition to
scrape NASB Word Usage
scrape (1)
...1623. garad -- toscrape, scratch
... toscrape, scratch. Transliteration: garad Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-rad') Short
Definition:scrape.... root Definition toscrape, scratch NASB Word Usagescrape (1)....
7106. qatsa' -- toscrape,scrape off
... 7105b, 7106. qatsa'. 7106a . toscrape,scrape off. Transliteration: qatsa'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-tsah') Short Definition:scrape. cause toscrape, corner...
7106a. qatsa -- toscrape,scrape off
... qatsa. 7106b . toscrape,scrape off. Transliteration: qatsa Short Definition:
scraped.... root Definition toscrape,scrape off NASB Word Usage scraped (1)....
4448b. malal -- to rub,scrape
... malal. 4448c . to rub,scrape. Transliteration: malal Short Definition: signals.
Word Origin a prim. root Definition to rub,scrape NASB Word Usage signals (1...
7287b. radah -- toscrape out
... radah. 7288 . toscrape out. Transliteration: radah Short Definition: scraped.
Word Origin a prim. root Definition toscrape out NASB Word Usage scraped (2)....
7096. qatsah -- to cut off
... root Definition to cut off NASB Word Usage cut off (1), cuts off (1), cutting off
(1),scrape off (1), scraped (1). cut off, cut short,scrape off....
5502. sachaph -- prostrate
... root Definition prostrate NASB Word Usage become prostrate (1), driving (1). sweep
away. A primitive root; toscrape off -- sweep (away). 5501b, 5502....
5595. saphah -- to sweep or snatch away, catch up
... A primitive root; properly, toscrape (literally, to shave; but usually figuratively)
together (ie To accumulate or increase) or away (ie To scatter, remove...
1639. gara -- to diminish, restrain, withdraw
... A primitive root; toscrape off; by implication, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold --
abate, clip, (di-)minish, do (take) away, keep back, restrain, make small...
Library
Fun and Mischief. His Little Cousin and the "Gnats. " the Aurora...
... Fun and Mischief. His Little Cousin and the "Gnats." The Aurora Borealis. A
Bumble-beeScrape. Another BeeScrape.... A Bumble-beeScrape. Another BeeScrape....
Psalm LII.
... "As with a sharp razor thou hast done deceit" (ver.3). See what do evil men to Saints,
theyscrape their hair.... Hair it is toscrape, it is to make a man bald....
Death in Life
... nothing but that; breaks God's law for that, as if that was the thing to which he
was a debtor, bound by some law which he could not avoid toscrape andscrape...
Thou Shalt not Steal.
... acquired possession thrives. How many there are who rake andscrape day
and night, and yet grow not a farthing richer! And though...
Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel
... CHAPTER IV. Fun and Mischief. His Little Cousin and the "Gnats." The Aurora Borealis.
A Bumble-beeScrape. Another BeeScrape. Justification by Faith alone....
Satan Considering the Saints
... prince became worse than a pauper, and he who was rich and happy was poor and wretched,
filled with disease from head to foot, and fain toscrape himself with...
True Repentance a Thing Divine, Originated by God, and Subject to...
... inveterate error had imparted, whatever contamination in the heart of man ignorance
had engendered, that repentance should sweep andscrape away, and cast out...
Petty Dishonesty.
... INTRODUCTION."The dishonest Steward in to-day's Gospel shows us the natural tendency
of the human heart when in ascrape"to have recourse to dishonesty to...
Argument: He Briefly Shows, Moreover, what Ridiculous, Obscene...
... You wipe, cleanse,scrape, and you protect and fear those whom you make; while not
one of you thinks that he ought to know God before he worships Him; desiring...
Indwelling Sin
... declared himself to be just and upright: he had said, "My righteousness I will hold
fast, and I will not let it go;" and notwithstanding he didscrape his body...
Thesaurus
Scrape (3 Occurrences)... edge of an instrument breadthwise over the surface with pressure, cutting away excesses
and superfluous parts; to make smooth or clean; as, to
scrape a bone
...Scraped (5 Occurrences)
... (imp. & pp) ofScrape.... (See JPS DBY NAS RSV). Job 2:8 And he took him a potsherd
toscrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes. (See NIV)....
Paw (4 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The hand. 3. (vi) To draw the forefoot along the ground; to beat orscrape
with the forefoot.... 5. (vt) Toscrape or beat with the forefoot. Int....
Goad (2 Occurrences)
... The pointed end is to prod the oxen while plowing. The flattened iron at the
other end is toscrape off the earth which clogs the plowshare....
Tyrus (18 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 26:4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers:
I will alsoscrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock....
Rubble (17 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Ezekiel 26:4 They shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her
towers: I will alsoscrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock....
Erase (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (vt) To rub orscrape out, as letters or characters written, engraved, or painted;
to efface; to expunge; to cross out; as, to erase a word or a name....
Debris (2 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 26:4 They shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers: I
will alsoscrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock. (See NAS)....
Plaster (13 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 14:41 And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and
they shall pour out the mortar that theyscrape off without the city into an...
Potsherd (6 Occurrences)
... Potsherd (6 Occurrences). Job 2:8 He took for himself a potsherd toscrape himself
with, and he sat among the ashes. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)....
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