Biblical Encyclopedia: F

Fair Havens

(Acts 27:8)—a harbor near the city of Lasea on Crete, reached by the Apostle Paul on his voyage to Italy.

Faith

— one of the three chief Christian virtues. According to the Apostle Paul, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:1, 6). But faith must be inseparable from good works, otherwise faith without works is dead (James 2:20). St. Cyril explains the necessity of faith thus: “Not only among us, who bear the name of Christ, is faith held to be a great thing, but everything that is accomplished in the world, even by people who are strangers to the Church, is accomplished by faith.

By faith agriculture is established: for whoever does not believe that he will gather the fruits that grow, will not undertake the labor. Seafarers are guided by faith, when, having entrusted their fate to a small piece of wood, they prefer the inconstant rush of the waves to the firmest of elements, the earth, and commit themselves to unknown hopes, having with them only faith, which for them is more dependable than any anchor” (Catechetical Lecture 5).

False Christs

(Matt. 24:24)—persons who falsely claim the name and authority of Christ. The Lord Jesus warned His disciples that false christs and false prophets would arise and seek to deceive even the elect. The source says that at least twenty-four persons had made such claims and that Jewish support for several of them brought severe losses in life and property.

False Miracles

(2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:13-14; 19:20)—lying signs attributed to satanic power or used by false christs and false prophets to deceive and lend credibility to error (Deut. 13:1-3; Matt. 24:24; Rev. 16:14). Scripture condemns sorcery and occult practices (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10-14). The source names Pharaoh’s magicians (Exod. 7:11, 22; 8:7), the medium of Endor (1 Sam. 28:7-14), Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-24), and Bar-Jesus or Elymas (Acts 13:6-12) as examples. Discernment rests not on spectacle alone but on fidelity to God and the truth He has revealed.

False Prophets

. Scripture also mentions false prophets and even pagan priests who, though neither called nor sent by God, prophesied from their own invention to the harm of their neighbors and led them away from the path of truth. Among them were Hananiah in the days of King Zedekiah; Ahab and Shemaiah during the exile; Noadiah the prophetess in Nehemiah’s time; and Bar-jesus, a Jew encountered by the Apostle Paul. Many similar false prophets appeared in the Christian world during the apostolic age.

False witness and lying

- sins against the ninth commandment (Exod 20:16). False witness is of two kinds: judicial, when a person gives false testimony, accusation, or complaint in court; and extrajudicial, when one slanders another behind his back or unjustly reproaches him to his face. Paul speaks generally of lying: 'Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another' (Eph 4:25).

Famine

(Gen. 12:10). Of famine in Palestine and the countries neighboring it, Holy Scripture speaks not infrequently. The most notable was the seven-year famine in Egypt in the days of Joseph. It was distinguished by its duration, its severity, and its universality everywhere. Famine in Judea often arose as a consequence of wars, sieges, and the like (2 Kings 8:1), but sometimes it was also a natural occurrence, as, for example, in those cases when the Nile did not rise sufficiently in Egypt, or when there was no rain in Judea at the usual seasons of the year — spring and autumn — or when worms, locusts, and other insects devoured all vegetation and produce.

Times of famine in Egypt were sometimes distinguished by their duration, lasting 7 years or more, and by their severity. There were occasions when people ate the entrails of animals and even human corpses. Famine in Samaria, briefly described in 2 Kings (6:25; 8:1, 2), likewise lasted seven years. The prophet Amos threatens Israel with a famine more terrible than the famine arising from the lack of ordinary human food — with a famine and thirst for hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11).

Fasting

(1 Kings 21:9; Neh. 9:1; Jer. 36:6). In times of danger or public calamity the Jews customarily imposed a fast upon themselves as a religious duty: they abstained from food, prayed, and offered sacrifices (Judg. 20:26). Individuals did the same before an especially important undertaking or when misfortune struck, as Moses did on Mount Sinai when receiving the Law, David after Saul’s death, and the Ninevites in response to Jonah’s preaching (Ex. 24:18; 2 Sam. 1:12; Jonah 3:5).

Fat

—the fat portions of sacrificial animals were reserved for the LORD and burned upon the altar; Israel was commanded not to eat sacrificial fat or blood (Lev. 3:16–17; 7:22–27). The rule expresses the consecration of the choicest portion to God and the sanctity of blood. It should not be explained by the source’s obsolete claim that dietary fat predisposed Jews to leprosy or contagious disease.

Fat; Fat Tail

(Exod. 29:22)—the fatty portions of a sacrificial animal, including the broad tail of fat-tailed sheep common in the Near East. In peace offerings the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys and their fat, the lobe of the liver, and the entire broad tail were burned upon the altar as the LORD’s food offering (Lev. 3:3-5, 9-11). The source repeats travelers’ reports that exceptionally heavy tails were supported on small carts. Such anecdotes describe particular husbandry claims and are not necessary to interpret the ritual text.

Fathers of the people of Israel

(Gen. 28:13; 32:9; Ex. 3:6 and elsewhere). See Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Fear of God

(1 Pet. 1:17)—reverent awe before God that produces obedience, humility, watchfulness, and hatred of evil. It is not servile terror but the creature’s sober recognition of divine holiness and judgment. Christians are therefore commanded to pass the time of their pilgrimage in fear, even while approaching God as Father. “Perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18) excludes the fear of punishment that torments, not filial reverence. The saying attributed to Anthony the Great—that he no longer fears God as a slave but loves Him as a son—expresses this traditional distinction.

Feast of Dedication; Hanukkah

(John 10:22)—an eight-day festival commemorating the purification and rededication of the Jerusalem Temple after its desecration under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Judas Maccabeus and his followers cleansed the sanctuary, rebuilt the altar, restored the vessels, and dedicated the altar on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev in 164 BC, three years after the pagan desecration (1 Macc. 4:36-59; 2 Macc. 10:1-8). The annual feast became known as the Dedication and later as Hanukkah. John records that Jesus was in Jerusalem during this winter festival.

Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths

(Lev 23:34-36; John 7:2) - one of the three great Jewish festivals (Deut 16:16). It began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tishri, corresponding to the latter half of September and first half of October. It lasted seven days and concluded with an eighth day called especially holy and great (John 7:37). The feast commemorated Israel's forty years of wandering through the Arabian wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. During it the people left their houses and lived in booths or tents made from green branches, rejoicing before the LORD (Lev 23:39-43).

Feast or Banquet

—a meal prepared for a large company. Public feasts were sometimes joined to sacrifices of thanksgiving, while private banquets marked family occasions. Abraham made a great feast when Isaac was weaned; Laban made one for Jacob’s wedding; Pharaoh and Herod held birthday feasts (Gen. 21:8; 29:22; 40:20; Matt. 14:6).

Feasts

(Lev. 23:2 and elsewhere). In the Old Testament Church, feast days were appointed and established by God Himself. The chief observances were as follows:

Feet

(Exod. 3:5)—removing footwear expressed reverence on holy ground and, more broadly in the ancient Near East, respect before a sacred place or superior. Washing a guest’s feet was a common act of hospitality, normally performed by a servant (Gen. 18:4; 1 Sam. 25:41). Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and commanded them to follow his pattern of humble service (John 13:4-15). Proverbs describes the schemer as one who signals with eyes, feet, and fingers (Prov. 6:12-13), showing how bodily gestures can communicate concealed intent. Later Christian foot-washing rites commemorate Christ’s example, but local ceremonies should be distinguished from the biblical narrative itself.

Felix

(Latin, fortunate; Acts 23:24–24:27)—Roman procurator of Judea, generally dated about AD 52–60. He was married to Drusilla, a daughter of Herod Agrippa I. Paul was brought under guard to Caesarea and tried before him. Felix and Drusilla later heard Paul speak concerning faith in Christ Jesus, righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment; Felix became afraid but postponed a decision (Acts 24:24–25).

Fever

(Lev. 26:16; Matt. 8:14; John 4:52; Acts 28:6) — various kinds of acute, inflammatory diseases, among them fever, frequently encountered in the East and raging with particular force in spring and autumn. These are prolonged and dangerous diseases, occurring in nervous, bilious, putrid, and other forms. The miraculous healings by the Lord of fever are the following: the mother-in-lawof Simon Peter, by the touch of His hand (Matt. 8:14), and the son of the nobleman, in his absence, by His miracle-working word (John 4:46–53).

St. Paul the Apostle also healed the father of Publius, chief man of the island of Malta, from a fever, by prayer and the laying on of hands (Acts 28:7, 8). See Diseases.

Fever

(Deut 28:22) - a disease sometimes confused in Scripture with burning fever, marked by rapid pulse, chills alternating with heat, and great weakness. See Pestilence and other Diseases of the Hebrews.

Field

(Gen. 23:19–20). In Holy Scripture this word denotes both cultivated land and any open country. See Akeldama, Aqueducts, and related entries.

Fig Tree and Figs

(Isa. 34:4; Deut. 8:8; Matt. 21:19; John 1:48; Rev. 6:13)—a familiar tree and fruit frequently mentioned in Scripture. The fruit is pear-shaped. The tree spreads broad branches and wide leaves; Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together for coverings (Gen. 3:7). Its ample shade made sitting “under one’s vine and fig tree” an image of peace and prosperity (1 Kings 4:25; Mic. 4:4). One remarkable feature is that the fruit appears without a conspicuous blossom and often before the leaves.

A leafy tree without fruit could therefore be recognized as barren, as in the Lord’s enacted judgment upon the fig tree (Matt. 21:19; Mark 11:13–14). The swelling of its branches and appearance of leaves also signal that summer is near (Matt. 24:32). Destruction of fig trees symbolizes severe divine judgment.

Fine linen

(Gen. 41:42; Exod. 25:4; Luke 16:19; Rev. 19:8) — the name for a very fine, white, costly fabric, prepared with great skill from flax, or from cotton. The first mention of fine linen fabric occurs in the Book of Genesis, in connection with the story of Joseph. Pharaoh, having made Joseph ruler over Egypt, clothed him in garments of fine linen (Gen. 41:42). Fine linen is frequently mentioned in Holy Scripture as material for the making of various sacred garments of the tabernacle, of the high priest, and of the priests (Exod. 26:1; 28:6–8; 39:27, 28).

Among the Jews who worked in the manufacture of fine linen, the house of Ashbea was especially renowned (1 Chron. 4:21, 22); and it is possible that the manufacture of fine linen already existed in ancient times, during the sojourn of the Hebrews in Egypt. Fine linen serves in Holy Scripture as an emblem of righteousness and moral purity (Rev. 19:8). This fabric, so precious in antiquity, is still sometimes found on Egyptian mummies, since they were customarily wrapped in linen and fine-linen fabrics.

Fir

(Ps. 104:17 [103:17]) — a tree of the evergreen conifer family, with needle-like leaves. Its cone is cylindrical and falls off after the seeds have dropped. It grows from 60 to 100 feet in height, in damp lowlands, is rich in resin, and is used for building, fuel, and various manufactures; its bark is used for tanning.

Fire

(Gen. 19:24, 22:6, Ex. 3:2). The ordinary properties and uses of fire are well known. In Holy Scripture fire is often joined with manifestations of the Godhead, as, for instance, at Sinai. We read the same thing in Psalm 18 (v. 8) and in the song of Habakkuk. The Lord Jesus Christ, at His second coming, according to the word of the Apostle, will appear “in flaming fire” (2 Thess. 1:8). The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost was in the form of tongues of fire.

In Old Testament times fire came down from God and consumed the sacrifice that had been prepared. It descended from heaven at the consecration of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and by God’s command it was never to be extinguished. In many ancient religions fire was regarded as a sacred emblem—a representative of the sun. The worshipers of Molech made their children pass through the fire (2 Kings 17:17). A sacred fire was sometimes carried before an army before entering into battle.

The Hebrews were not permitted to kindle a fire in their dwellings on the sabbath day (Ex. 35:3). On this sacred day no honor whatsoever was to be shown to fire in any form. In an agricultural country such as Palestine, where at certain seasons of the year the grass and pastures become easily combustible, the slightest carelessness with fire could produce enormous fires and devastation. Therefore the Law of Moses prescribed the following: “If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution” (Ex. 22:6).

The word “fire” is often used as a metaphor to signify a grievous trial or a great loss. The last work of fire will be the end of the world. “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10-11), and “the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:12-15). Finally, burning in unquenchable fire depicts the terrible state of sinners in hell (Rev. 14:10, 20:10).

Flaming love in the heart is compared to fire (Song of Songs 8:6), as is man’s unbridled tongue (Prov. 16:27, James 3:5 and following), the word of God (Jer. 23:29), and even the Lord Himself is called a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24, Heb. 12:29).

First and Second Epistles to Timothy

. See Epistles of Paul.

First Epistle to the Corinthians

- Paul's letter of sixteen chapters. After he left Corinth, false teachers appeared who demeaned the apostle and taught Christians either to turn back to Jewish customs or to indulge sensual pleasures. Scandals spread and quarrels arose. The Corinthians divided into parties: some claimed Paul, others Cephas, others Apollos, and others Christ (1 Cor 1:12). While at Ephesus, Paul wrote this first epistle to correct them.

Firstfruits

(Num. 18:12). “The first of the fruit of thy land,” it is said in the Law of Moses, “thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God” (Ex. 23:19), and thus, by virtue of this prescription, the first fruits of the harvest, of the vintage, of the oil, the first bread baked from the new wheat, the wool from the sheep, and so on, were brought to the temple for the maintenance of its servants, the priests and Levites (Ex. 23:19, Num. 15:19–21). The quantity of the firstfruits is not specified in the Law of Moses, but it is thought to have been at least a sixteenth part of all the produce.

How the firstfruits were to be brought to the temple is indicated in the Book of Leviticus (23:10–14). The first sheaf of ripened barley was usually brought on the second day of Passover, and the priest waved this sheaf before the LORD; after the threshing of it in the court of the temple, a handful of barley was cleaned, parched, pounded in a mortar, and mixed with oil, and then offered to the LORD on behalf of the whole people, as a sign of gratitude and thanksgiving. Until this waving, the harvest remained untouched.

Seven weeks after this, that is, at the end of the harvest, two loaves of wave offering were prepared from fresh wheat as the first fruit unto the LORD (Lev. 23:16, 17), and until this offering no one was permitted to eat the new bread. The holy Apostle Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans, points to this ordinance not to eat the new bread until, from it, loaves for the wave offering before the LORD on the day of Pentecost had been prepared. “For if the firstfruit be holy,” he says, “the lump is also holy” (11:16).

The loaves were prepared from leavened dough, since they constituted an offering of ordinary food. The sheaf and the loaves were waved before the LORD on behalf of the whole people, but after this the people were required to bring private offerings. Ripe fruits, freshly prepared drinks, all the best of the oil, the grapes, and the grain (Num. 18:12), as well as honey (2 Chron. 31:5), were to be brought to the LORD in the same way as the first fruits. The firstfruits of the wheat, wine, oil, and also of the wool of the sheep were given for the benefit of the priests (Lev. 18:4 [as cited]).

The first fruits from fruit trees, for three years, were reckoned as uncircumcised, and in the fourth year were consecrated for feasts unto the LORD (Lev. 19:23, 24). The Jews who lived in distant countries—Rome, Asia Minor, Egypt—sent to Jerusalem, instead of the first fruits, which might spoil on the journey, money to the value of what they were worth. In conclusion, let us note that the custom of offering to one’s deities the first products of the field and the firstborn of the flocks already existed in the earliest biblical times, as may be seen from the history of Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1–4).

Fish

(Gen. 1:21; John 21:6 and elsewhere)—a principal food in Egypt. Fish were caught in great numbers, especially in the Nile, salted, and stored. Egyptian monuments depict fishing with hooks, nets, and spears. Isaiah threatens Egypt: “The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish” (Isa. 19:8); the source connects verse 10 with artificial fishponds common in Egypt.

Fisher

(a bird) (Lev. 11:17)—a bird classed as unclean under the Mosaic Law. The prophets use its presence as an emblem of ruin and desolation (Isa. 34:11; Zeph. 2:14), although the source observes that the underlying terms in these passages have often been rendered pelican or cormorant and may denote more than one kind of seabird. Its flesh is very fatty, but the Arabs cited by the source ate it readily. The bird is described as dark green, with brown upon the back and wings.

Fishhook Have Do

(Isa. 19:8; Hab. 1:15)—a hook attached to line and, ordinarily, a rod for catching fish. Isaiah’s judgment on Egypt includes the mourning of those who cast hooks into the Nile and spread nets upon the waters, because the river’s failure destroys a major source of food and livelihood. Habakkuk uses fishing gear metaphorically for an empire gathering peoples like fish and rejoicing in conquest.

Flax and linen garments

(Exod 9:31; Lev 13:47) - flax, Hebrew pishtah, was well known in ancient Palestine and Egypt. From very early times Egypt was famous for cultivating and preparing it. Linen and other materials for clothing were made from flax (Isa 19:9), and both ancient and modern peoples valued and cultivated it highly. Clean, bright linen symbolized innocence and moral purity (Rev 15:6).

Flood

(Gen. 6-9)—the judgment in the days of Noah. Genesis describes a world filled with violence and corruption, while Noah found favor with God and walked faithfully. God commanded him to build an ark of gopher wood, three hundred cubits long, fifty wide, and thirty high, with rooms, a roof or opening, and a side door. Noah entered with his wife, his sons and their wives, representatives of land animals and birds, and food. Genesis 6 speaks generally of pairs, while Genesis 7 specifies additional clean animals and birds.

Fly, flies

(Ex. 8:21, Is. 7:18, Eccl. 10:1)—name for a kind of insect well known to everyone for its troublesomeness and the annoyance it causes. Flies are numerous in Egypt and Judea, and one of their kinds, found by modern travelers near the river Nile and called the Abyssinian fly (zebub), is also as large as a bee and so harmful to cattle and other animals that shepherds are often compelled to abandon their pastures and flee from the places where this fly appears, or to save themselves from its sting by throwing themselves into sand or sea mud.

Cattle are struck with terror at the sight of these insects; even the elephant and the rhinoceros, though their skin is covered with an abundant layer of mud, are unable to protect themselves from its sting. The vexation and disturbance caused by this insect were so great that the Canaanites even had a special deity whose particular function was to protect them from flies (Beelzebub—the god of flies). From this we may judge of the terrible nature of the fourth plague of Egypt, mentioned in the Book of Exodus (8:24).

“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the prophet Isaiah, “that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes” (Is. 7:18)—meaning that this scourge would appear even in those very places in which cattle usually take refuge for protection from this tormenting insect.

Some species of flies in hot countries crawl into the nose, ears, and eyes; others lay their eggs under the skin and produce a painful and dangerous disease—a skin inflammation. Ecclesiastes compares a small folly in a person held in honor to the harm and damage done to a precious ointment by a perfumer, if a few dead flies get into it (Eccl. 10:1).

Food

—the food first appointed for humanity consisted of plants and their fruit (Gen. 1:29). After the Flood, the eating of meat was permitted. Salt was an important seasoning and preservative.

Foot

. See Measures of Length.

Footwear

(Acts 7:33). Among ancient peoples, and in the East at the present day, footwear has had many different forms, beginning with sandals, which protected only the sole of the foot, and ending with boots, which covered the whole foot and the knee. It is not easy to give a literal description of some of the parts of footwear, precisely in the form in which it is worn in Egypt, Persia, Turkey, and other places. From certain passages of Holy Scripture we know that the removal of shoes as a sign of reverence was an ancient custom in the East (Josh. 5:15), and since Holy Scripture nowhere mentions footwear among the obligatory priestly vestments, it is thought that they performed divine service without footwear.

To go barefoot also served as an expression of humility and submission (2 Sam. 15:30, Ex. 20:2-4 [as cited]). Hence the expression in the Psalm (60:8 [as printed: 59:10]), “over Edom will I cast out my shoe,” signifying the complete subjection of a given country to a conqueror. The taking off of a sandal from someone’s foot and its being handed to another person served as a significant expression of the transfer of rights and privileges (Ruth 4:7). But a different meaning and significance attached to the removal of the sandal when a sister-in-law removed the sandal from the foot of her husband’s brother before the elders, in consequence of his refusal of marriage with her (levirate marriage) (Deut. 25:9).

Forest and forests

(Deut 19:5; Josh 17:15; Neh 8:15; Isa 9:18 and elsewhere) - Palestine was anciently celebrated for forests and groves, as Scripture's frequent references show. Biblical Palestine undoubtedly had many more forests than in the source's day. Groves adorned cultivated lowlands, while forests covered hills and mountains. Notable biblical forests included Bashan, renowned for oaks; Hereth, where David hid; the forest of Mount Ephraim; Lebanon's cedar forests; and the forests of Carmel.

Fortress

- in the military sense, a place fortified by art, nature, or both. Scripture uses the word of fortified cities already standing in Canaan before Israel possessed it (Num 13:28). Before modern artillery, naturally advantageous sites could be enclosed with stone defenses that attackers could overcome only with scaling ladders, prolonged siege, or starvation. Ancient fortresses often resisted large armies for a long time: Jerusalem's stronghold remained unconquered by Israel until David's reign (2 Sam 5:7), and the final siege of Samaria lasted three years.

Fortunatus

(fortunate; 1 Cor. 16:17)—a Christian who came to Paul with Stephanas and Achaicus and refreshed the apostle’s spirit. A Fortunatus also appears in the closing section of 1 Clement, but the identity of the two cannot be demonstrated. Later tradition numbers Paul’s associate among the Seventy Apostles and commemorates him on January 4.

Fox

(Judg 15:4; Song 2:15; Neh 4:3; Matt 8:20; Luke 13:32 and elsewhere) - the familiar carnivorous animal of the dog family, noted for cunning and craft. Foxes were once very numerous in parts of Judea. They feed upon birds and small quadrupeds and sometimes follow armies secretly to eat the bodies of soldiers who die on campaign. The foxes Samson caught and used to destroy Philistine fields, vineyards, and olive groves show that the animal was common in Palestine during the period of the Judges.

Frankincense

(Exod. 30:34)—an aromatic resin obtained from Boswellia trees by incisions in the bark. The pale resin hardens into fragrant “tears” and releases its aroma when burned. It formed part of Israel’s sacred incense and accompanied offerings (Exod. 30:34-38; Lev. 2:1-2). The Magi gave frankincense to Christ (Matt. 2:11), and Christian interpretation has long associated it with worship and divine honor. The Russian source headword literally means “Lebanon” because of the Church Slavonic term livan, but the substance intended is frankincense, not the country or cedar wood.

Friday

(Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14; Matt. 27:62; Jdt. 8:6) (Preparation)—the day before the Sabbath, devoted among the Jews to preparing for the Sabbath. According to the source, preparations began about the ninth hour, or three in the afternoon, and included preparing food (Ex. 16:5–23), cleaning and setting out festal garments, setting the table, and lighting lamps; ordinary work then ceased.

Friend

(Exod. 33:11). In Holy Scripture this word occurs quite often; it is, however, frequently used merely as an ordinary form of greeting, and not at all in the sense of true, genuine love and friendship. For example, in the parable of the wedding feast, to which all who happened to be found at the crossroads were invited, the king, the host of the feast, said to one of those who had come to the feast: “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?” (Matt. 22:12). The Savior, at the traitorous kiss in the garden of Gethsemane, answered Judas: “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” (Matt. 26:50).

Frog

- see Toad. ** [Source page 441 is blank — apparently a section-divider leaf between the letters Л and М. Translation resumes with page 442, the opening of letter М.]*

Frying Pan

(Lev. 2:5; 7:9; 1 Sam. 2:14; 2 Sam. 13:9)—a cooking vessel of metal or clay, sometimes deep and sometimes nearly flat, used for preparing grain offerings and food. Second Maccabees 7 recounts the martyrdom of seven brothers and their mother, whose tormentors used pans and cauldrons as instruments of torture.

Furnace

(Gen. 15:17). The Hebrews used furnaces for refining precious metals (Prov. 17:3). Egyptian drawings suggest that many were small and therefore portable. People convicted of crimes were also cast into heated furnaces as punishment (Dan. 3:22).