Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terminology, the term "stripe" often refers to a mark or wound inflicted by a whip or rod, typically as a form of punishment or discipline. The concept of stripes is significant in both the Old and New Testaments, symbolizing suffering, chastisement, and ultimately, healing and redemption.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, the use of stripes is frequently associated with corporal punishment. The Law of Moses provided guidelines for the administration of such punishment.
Deuteronomy 25:2-3 states, "If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes appropriate for his crime. He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight." This passage underscores the importance of justice tempered with mercy, ensuring that punishment does not become excessive or dehumanizing.
Stripes also appear in the context of prophecy and poetry, often symbolizing the suffering of the righteous or the consequences of sin. In
Isaiah 53:5 , a prophetic passage about the Suffering Servant, it is written, "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." This verse is pivotal in Christian theology, as it is interpreted as a foretelling of the atoning work of Jesus Christ, whose suffering and stripes bring spiritual healing and redemption to humanity.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the concept of stripes is closely associated with the suffering of Jesus Christ. The Gospels recount the scourging of Jesus prior to His crucifixion, a fulfillment of the prophetic imagery found in Isaiah.
Matthew 27:26 notes, "Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified." The physical stripes borne by Jesus are seen as a manifestation of His sacrificial love and the means by which believers receive spiritual healing.
The Apostle Peter echoes this theme in his epistle, drawing a direct connection between Christ's suffering and the believer's salvation. In
1 Peter 2:24 , he writes, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. 'By His stripes you are healed.'" This passage emphasizes the transformative power of Christ's suffering, encouraging believers to live righteously in response to the grace they have received.
Theological SignificanceTheologically, stripes represent both the justice and mercy of God. They serve as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the necessity of atonement. At the same time, they highlight the profound love and grace of God, who provides healing and redemption through the suffering of His Son. The imagery of stripes thus encapsulates the core message of the Gospel: that through Christ's suffering, believers are reconciled to God and granted new life.
In summary, the concept of stripes in the Bible is rich with meaning, encompassing themes of justice, suffering, and redemption. It points to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose stripes bring healing and salvation to all who believe.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A line, or long, narrow division of anything of a different color or structure from the ground; hence, any linear variation of color or structure; as, a stripe, or streak, of red on a green ground; a raised stripe.
2. (n.) A pattern produced by arranging the warp threads in sets of alternating colors, or in sets presenting some other contrast of appearance.
3. (n.) A strip, or long, narrow piece attached to something of a different color; as, a red or blue stripe sewed upon a garment.
4. (n.) A stroke or blow made with a whip, rod, scourge, or the like, such as usually leaves a mark.
5. (n.) A long, narrow discoloration of the skin made by the blow of a lash, rod, or the like.
6. (n.) Color indicating a party or faction; hence, distinguishing characteristic; sign; likeness; sort; as, persons of the same political stripe.
7. (n.) The chevron on the coat of a noncommissioned officer.
8. (v. t.) To make stripes upon; to form with lines of different colors or textures; to variegate with stripes.
9. (v. t.) To strike; to lash.
Greek
4127. plege -- a blow, wound... a blow, wound. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: plege Phonetic Spelling:
(play-gay') Short Definition: a blow,
stripe, wound Definition: a blow
...3468. molops -- a bruise
... a bruise. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: molops Phonetic Spelling:
(mo'-lopes) Short Definition: a bruise,stripe Definition: a bruise,stripe...
Strong's Hebrew
2250. chabburah -- astripe, blow... 2251 . a
stripe, blow. Transliteration: chabburah or chabburah or chaburah
Phonetic Spelling: (khab-boo-raw') Short Definition: bruise.
...6479. pitslah -- a peeled spot orstripe
... 6478, 6479. pitslah. 6480 . a peeled spot orstripe. Transliteration: pitslah
Phonetic Spelling: (pets-aw-law') Short Definition: stripes....
2272. chabarburah --stripe, mark
... 2271, 2272. chabarburah. 2273 .stripe, mark. Transliteration: chabarburah
Phonetic Spelling: (khab-ar-boo-raw') Short Definition: spots....
4347. makkah -- a blow, wound, slaughter
... wound (8), wounded (1), wounds (9). beaten, blow, plague, slaughter, smote,
sore,stripe, stroke,. Or (masculine) makkeh {muk-keh...
5061. nega -- a stroke, plague, mark
... wounds (1). plague, sore, stricken,stripe, stroke, wound. From naga';
a blow (figuratively, infliction); also (by implication) a...
4112. mahalummoth -- strokes, blows
... Word Origin from halam Definition strokes, blows NASB Word Usage blows (2).stripe,
stroke. From halam; a blow --stripe, stroke. see HEBREW halam. 4111, 4112...
8377. teo -- antelope
... wild bull ox. And towt (the original form) {toh}; from ta'ah; a species of antelope
(probably from the whitestripe on the cheek) -- wild bull (ox)....
Library
Some of God's Laws Defended as Good, which the Marcionites...
... confidence than those which heresy has shown such a longing for?"as the statute
of retaliation, requiring eye for eye, tooth for tooth, andstripe forstripe...
What did Moses Write?
... 19,20.) So in Exodus 21:24, "Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, burning for burning, wound for wound,stripe forstripe...
One Way to Help Boys
... If he is punctual and does his drill thoroughly, tell him that at the end of the
year he will get astripe. He will get a cent's worth of braid....
For State Reasons, the Various Orders of the Citizens Also are...
... You belong to Him, for you have been enrolled in the books of life. [428] There
the blood of the Lord serves for your purple robe, and your broadstripe is His...
Anti-Unionistic Attitude.
... your place among them.' That some were much displeased by this objection to the
general union is not to be wondered at, for some of thatstripe were present....
The Majesty of Christ.
... And the Lord is pleased to cleanse Him from thestripe. If He be given
for sin, your soul shall see His seed prolonged in days....
Rom. xiv. 1, 2
... attention. And this is a sign of extreme debility. "Not to doubtful
disputations." [1588] See, he has laid on a thirdstripe. For...
St. Ambrose, in Concluding the Second Book, Ascribes any Good...
... to love the sound of patting their necks, that they may not refuse the yoke, and
are first trained with words of enticement before thestripe of discipline....
"Weep for Yourselves, and for Your Children. "
... 1 We mourn for those who toil, The slave who ploughs the main, Or him who hopeless
tills the soil Beneath thestripe and chain: For those who, in the race, O...
Chapter xii
... Aside from being a begging of the principle, critics of thisstripe are ready to
concede Israel's distinct superiority in the matter of religion....
Thesaurus
Stripe (1 Occurrence)... long, narrow division of anything of a different color or structure from the ground;
hence, any linear variation of color or structure; as, a
stripe, or streak
...List (17 Occurrences)
... 12. (n.) Astripe. 13.... 20. (vt) To cover with list, or with strips of cloth; to
put list on; as, to list a door; tostripe as if with list. 21....
Pale (16 Occurrences)
... 9. (n.) Astripe or band, as on a garment. 10. (n.) One of the greater ordinaries,
being a broad perpendicularstripe in an escutcheon...
Band (150 Occurrences)
... fetter. 2. (n.) A continuous tablet,stripe, or series of ornaments, as
of carved foliage, of color, or of brickwork, etc. 3. (vt...
Belt (32 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a
belt; a strip orstripe; as, a belt of trees; a belt of sand....
Branding (3 Occurrences)
... with a hot iron; (See NAS). Exodus 21:25 branding for branding, wound for
wound,stripe forstripe. (DBY). Isaiah 3:24 It shall happen...
Striped (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & pp) ofStripe. 2. (a.) Having stripes of different
colors; streaked. Multi-Version Concordance Striped (6 Occurrences)....
Strip (33 Occurrences)
Reed (41 Occurrences)
... 10. (n.) A frame having parallel flatstripe of metal or reed, between which the
warp threads pass, set in the swinging lathe or batten of a loom for beating...
Mustache (3 Occurrences)
... It has yellow whiskers, and a triangular blue mark on the nose. 3. (n.) Any conspicuous
stripe of color on the side of the head, beneath the eye of a bird....
Resources
Stripe: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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