Biblical Encyclopedia: W
45 entries · Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Song 6:11). The walnut tree is native to Persia and from there passed into Palestine, Greece, and Italy. In the days of Josephus many walnut trees grew along the shores of Lake Gennesaret. Lebanon was especially rich in them in the source’s day, and travelers described long avenues of walnut trees leading into Damascus. Its fruit is the walnut. The tree’s strong and beautiful trunk provides valuable timber for cabinet work, and the well-known walnut oil is pressed from the kernels. See Walnut.
Of war, arms, and warriors, mention is first made in the Book of Genesis (14:14, 15). Abraham, hearing that Lot, his kinsman, had been taken captive, armed his servants, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued the enemies as far as Dan. “And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night… and smote them,” so relates the Book of Genesis. From this it is evident that Abraham had at his disposal a detachment of men trained for military affairs, and that he himself displayed in this affair as much courage as military skill.
Among the Hebrews, every man over 20 years of age became a soldier (Num. 1:3). In the Second Book of Chronicles (13:3; 11:1; 17:14–18, and elsewhere) we read of the enormous numbers of troops maintained within the borders of Palestine in the days of the kings. Taking into account the quality of the weapons of war and the customs of the ancients, one can say without exaggeration that the wars of the Hebrews were truly fierce and deadly. The number of the slain in battles often reached an enormous figure, sometimes up to 500,000 men (2 Chron.
13:17), and the fallen heroes and commanders were mourned by the whole army and solemnly buried (2 Sam. 3:31). To meet the returning victor, the people, and especially the women, usually came out with singing, dancing in a round dance, and playing of musical instruments (Judg. 11:34; 1 Sam. 18:6). Although the military art among the Hebrews was comparatively simple, nevertheless various clever military stratagems and devices were invented and practiced by them. At a time when, for the most part, even at present, enemies were struck and terrified by unexpected division of forces, ambushes, and feigned retreats (Gen. 14:15; Josh. 8:12; Judg. 20:36–39; 2 Kings 7:12), before the invention of firearms it was found necessary to resort to the help of various light and heavy wall-battering engines, from which large stones and other destructive projectiles were hurled.
At the end of the ninth or the beginning of the eighth century B.C., Uzziah devised in Jerusalem special engines, which were placed on the towers and corners for hurling arrows and large stones (2 Chron. 26:15). These evidently resembled the wall-battering machines that were later used by the Greeks and Romans. Among these the first place was occupied by the so-called battering ram. It was nothing other than a long beam of hard wood, usually oak, and served for breaching walls; the end of it, with which the wall-battering blow was struck, was covered with a thick piece of iron or bronze, made in the likeness of a ram’s head; sometimes the very end of the ram was sharply pointed.
These enormous wall-battering engines were at first carried by soldiers on their shoulders, and then struck them against the walls; afterward they began to be carried on wagons, and finally they were attached to heavy iron chains, so that little effort was required on the part of the attackers to strike a blow. The soldiers who operated the battering ram were under cover, made in the form of a roof of raw and hard material, for protection from fire and weapons on the part of the besieged.
Often, too, a wall-battering machine was used in war, which was set in motion by means of ropes. It must be thought that Hushai points precisely to such a machine when he said to Absalom: “If he [that is, David] be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there” (2 Sam. 17:13). However, such a siege engine could only be formidable when the city walls proved to be poor and old and were weakly defended, thereby giving the besiegers the opportunity, by means of wall-battering engines, to open a breach in the wall, the necessary gap or passage into the besieged city, and to bring about the final destruction of the walls damaged by the breach.
But more terrible than the battering rams in times of war were the iron war chariots (Exod. 14:7; Deut. 20:1; Josh. 17:16; Judg. 4:3). They were usually used in war everywhere that horses and horsemen — cavalry — were found (2 Sam. 10:18; 1 Chron. 18:4; 2 Chron. 12:3; 14:9). In fortifications, attention was paid first of all to the walls and towers, which were guarded by so-called garrison troops (2 Sam. 8:6). During sieges, the Hebrew army was forbidden to damage or destroy fruit-bearing trees, except those that bore nothing edible, which, of course, could develop a spirit of plunder and demoralization in the army (Deut. 20:19).
As for military preparations before entering into battle, unfortunately we have little precise information about them, although the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah contains a few general indications on this subject (Jer. 46:3, 4). It was customary among all ancient peoples, before entering into battle, to fortify themselves with food, in order to give themselves vigor and strength. Soldiers, and especially commanders, drew up in ranks in their finest military armor, except in those cases when disguise proved necessary (1 Kings 22:30).
From many passages of Holy Scripture it is evident that the division of the army into detachments was considered customary, as it is at present (Gen. 14:15; Judg. 7:16; 1 Sam. 11:11). The most commonly used division of troops was into fifties, hundreds, and thousands, and each of these divisions had its own particular commander (Judg. 20:10; 1 Sam. 8:12; 2 Sam. 11:4 [as given]). Before the start of battle, the timid and fearful soldier was sent home, lest he “make the heart of his brethren to faint as well as his heart” (Deut. 20:8).
This ancient custom is still preserved intact in Persia to this day. Among the Hebrews, army detachments had some relation to particular tribes, and were under the command of the heads of tribes, acting as officers (2 Chron. 25:5; 26:12). Captains of thousands and captains of hundreds were admitted to participate in councils of war (1 Chron. 13:1). With the armies, besides commanders and other military officials, there were also scribes, chroniclers, and census-takers (1 Kings 4:4 [as given]; 1 Chron.
18:15, 16). In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “where is he that counted the towers?” (Isa. 33:18 [as given]), one can, not without reason, see an indication that in the Hebrew army there were also officers who would today ordinarily be called military engineers. Under David the army of 288,000 men was divided into 12 divisions, each of which contained 24,000 warriors, and each corps had its own commander (1 Chron. 27:14–19). Under Jehoshaphat this division was somewhat altered, and there remained only 5 unequal corps, with the same number of commanders (2 Chron.
17:14–19). A cohort numbered 500 or 600 men, and a legion 10 cohorts. The legion’s troops were equipped with light weapons: bow and arrows, which they used at some distance from the enemy, while the heavily armed had shield and spear (1 Chron. 12:24). Light troops were recruited chiefly from the tribe of Benjamin (2 Chron. 14:8). Kings and commanders had their own armor-bearers, chosen from among the bravest warriors, or from persons close to them, who not only carried their weapons but also stood behind them during battle, executing and conveying their orders (1 Sam. 31:4).
Troops were roused to bravery and courage by the exhortations of the priests, whose duty it was to address them with a speech before the start of battle. Such was the commandment of Moses: “And when ye approach unto the battle, then the priest shall approach and speak unto the people” (Deut. 20:2). In later times, kings themselves were accustomed to address the troops with an exhortation, as, for example, King Abijah (2 Chron. 13:4). Finally, perhaps after the offering of sacrifices, an alarm was sounded on the sacred silver trumpets (Num. 10:9, 10; 2 Chron.
13:12–14). Among the Greeks in later times it was customary, when they were at close quarters with the enemy, to strike up a war song, which was probably formerly also in use among the Hebrews, except that they sang not a war song but a doxology to the Lord. The singers appointed by Jehoshaphat, marching before the armed men in the beauty of holiness, before the start of battle sang praise and said: “Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever” (2 Chron. 20:21); then followed war cries, which among the Romans were accompanied by a loud clashing of helmets and shields struck one against another.
One thunderous war cry is undoubtedly well known to all readers of the Bible, namely: “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon” (Judg. 7:18). War cries before entering battle were common in the East, as we see, for example, among the Turks, even at present. This war alarm, or war cries, is repeatedly referred to in Holy Scripture (1 Sam. 17:52; 2 Chron. 13:15; Job 39:25; Jer. 4:19). The frequent figurative references in Holy Scripture to the arts and weapons of war are clear to everyone without explanation.
(John 13:1-20)—during the meal before Passover, Jesus rose from the table, laid aside his outer garment, tied a towel around himself, poured water into a basin, and began washing and drying the disciples’ feet. He performed the work of a servant while fully conscious that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. His humility therefore reveals, rather than contradicts, his divine mission and love.
(Exod. 14:24; Matt. 14:25)—divisions used for guarding and marking time. Early Israelite usage commonly divides the night into three watches: evening, middle, and morning (Lam. 2:19; Judg. 7:19; Exod. 14:24). Under Greek and Roman influence the night was divided into four watches, beginning about sunset; Mark names them evening, midnight, cockcrowing, and morning (Mark 13:35). Thus the “fourth watch” of Matthew 14:25 and Mark 6:48 was the last part of the night. Psalm 90:4 uses a watch to express how brief a thousand years are before God.
(Gen. 1:6; 9:10, and elsewhere). How highly water — this most necessary gift for man’s life and well-being — was valued in antiquity by the Israelites is attested by Holy Scripture in many places. Placing water among the very first, most necessary things for man, Jesus the son of Sirach says: “The chief thing for life is water, and bread, and clothing, and a house that covers nakedness” (Sirach 29:21 [as given]). Living, fresh, spring water often represents an image of the all-vivifying blessing of God (Isa. 12:3).
Just as in the ritual washings of the Old Testament water served as an image of the moral purification of the Hebrews, so baptism in the New Testament serves as an image of the mysterious cleansing from sins and spiritual regeneration into a new, grace-filled life (John 3:5; Eph. 5:26, and elsewhere). Water, so necessary and beneficial in hot countries, sometimes becomes a dangerous and destructive element, when, during heavy and pouring rains, rushing down from mountain heights, it covers everything, and swollen rivers and streams overflow their banks and carry away and destroy everything (Ps. 18 [17]:16; Jer. 47:2; Isa. 43:2, and elsewhere); for this reason the expressions “to be in the depths of the waters” signifies to suffer; “the raging sea” signifies the unrest of the wicked, and so on. Just as water refreshes and revives the thirsty traveler, so our salvation is a pure source of living water.
(Isa. 15:9) — it is not known what river is meant by this name. Some suppose it to be the Arnon, while others take it for a small river which, flowing through the chief cities of Moab, emptied eastward into the Dead Sea. It seems that this name is used in the passage in place of the word “Dibon.” Whatever river is meant, however, according to the prophecy its waters were to “be full of blood”… and further, the land through which it flowed was to be laid waste — and this prophecy was in due time literally fulfilled.
—a substance produced by bees that softens and melts under heat. Scripture uses its ready dissolution as an image of bodily anguish and of creation trembling before God: “My heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast” (Ps. 22:14), and “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD” (Ps. 97:5; compare Mic. 1:4).
(1 Sam. 17:54). Among the number of military, and partly also hunting, weapons of the Hebrews in general were the following: a) the shield (1 Kings 10:17; Ezek. 26:8) was undoubtedly one of the most ancient articles of armament, since a direct reference to it is already made in the Book of Genesis (15:1) and often in other places. As a defensive weapon, shields are mentioned for the first time in the song of the prophetess Deborah (Judg. 5:8). They were used to deflect the enemy’s blows.
In form, shields were partly oval and partly round; they were made sometimes of wood (Ezek. 39:9), or of willow wicker covered with leather, tin, or bronze; sometimes they were made of thick ox-hide or camel-hide, abundantly smeared with oil (2 Sam. 1:21). In exceptional cases shields were made of bronze and gold, or were covered with thin plates of these metals (1 Sam. 17:6; 1 Kings 10:16, 17). However, it must be thought that these shields were used more for adornment than for use in war, and were carried only by the chief commanders on the field of battle.
On such metal shields various figures were often engraved. Homer’s splendid description of the shield of Achilles is, without doubt, well known to all readers of the classical writers. On the march they were carried on the shoulder, and in battle were fastened to the left arm with a strap. b) The large shield (1 Sam. 17:6) was, in size and weight, larger than the ordinary shield and is mentioned by the sacred writers in connection with the heavy weapons (1 Kings 10:16, 17), whereas the ordinary shield is spoken of alongside light weapons, such as, for example, the sword, spear, and the like.
In form it probably resembled the large Roman shield, which was sometimes 4 feet long and 2½ feet wide, and was so made as to cover the entire body of the warrior. To lose this shield in battle was considered the utmost dishonor. The loss of a shield in Sparta was considered a criminal offense.
Weapons of war
. See Armament.
(Exod. 35:35)—the arts of spinning and weaving were known from great antiquity and were highly developed in Egypt. Israelites employed skilled work in the curtains, veils, coverings, and priestly garments of the Tabernacle. Scripture commonly associates spinning with women’s household labor (Prov. 31:19, 21–22), yet also names craftsmen and specialized woven work. Isaiah compares his life’s end to a weaver cutting finished cloth from the loom (Isa. 38:12), and Job says, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle” (Job 7:6).
(Matt. 22:11)—the garment required of a guest in Christ’s parable of the wedding feast. The source explains it through an Eastern custom in which a host supplied festive clothing, though the extent of that practice is debated. Within the parable, the improperly dressed guest has accepted the invitation without the fitting response demanded by the king. Christian interpretation has therefore seen the garment as the righteousness, holiness, or transformed life that must accompany entrance into the joy of God’s kingdom and the wedding supper of the Lamb.
(Gen. 29:27)—the word “week” in the cited passage denotes the seven days of the wedding celebration. The division of time into weeks of seven days has its origin in the creation of the world (Gen. 2:2–3, 7:4–10, 8:10–12), and traces of it are found among almost all the peoples of the whole world. In all eastern countries, among the most ancient peoples, even among the wild tribes of Africa, this division of time into weeks of days has been preserved. The Hebrews had no special names for the days of the week, but called them simply by a numeral name, such as, for instance, the first, the second, the third day of the week.
The naming of the days at present in Western countries is taken from the Saxon language, in which they have a mythological meaning. Besides the week consisting of seven days and lasting from one sabbath to another, the Hebrews also had a week consisting of seven years, and of forty-nine years, occurring in the fiftieth, or jubilee, year.
Week
. See Week (Seven Days).
Weights and measures of the Hebrews.
See under the word Weight and under the word Money.
(Lev. 19:36). In deep antiquity gold and silver were bought and sold by weight, so that persons engaged in any kind of trade usually carried with them a pair of scales and various weights, consisting of stones of various sizes and kept in special pouches tied to the merchant’s belt. Avaricious merchants kept two sets of scales with them, one lighter for selling, and another heavier for buying. Is it not to this practice that the prophet Micah points, saying: “Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?” (6:11).
It may be supposed that Holy Scripture, besides scales, also mentions the steelyard, or unequal-armed balance (Prov. 16:11; Isa. 40:12). The smallest unit of weight among the Hebrews was the gerah, equal to the weight of a grain of bread. Twenty gerahs made up the sacred shekel (Exod. 30:13; Lev. 27:25, and elsewhere). Half a shekel was called a beka (Gen. 24:22). Three thousand shekels made up a talent (Exod. 25:39; 2 Kings 12:30 [as given]). The mina is mentioned for the first time in 1 Kings (10:17) and afterward in the prophet Ezekiel (45:12).
Sixty minas equaled a talent, since each mina consisted of 50 shekels. The pound, mentioned by the Evangelist John (12:3; 19:39), was the Roman pound. The Aeginetan talent, like the Hebrew, contained 60 minas, and the mina 50 drachmas; only the drachma, equal to the sacred Hebrew shekel, contained not 20 gerahs, as among the Hebrews, but 6 obols. Similar to the Aeginetan and Hebrew talent was also the Babylonian (Neh. 3:91 [as given]).
Well of the oath
- see Beersheba.
(John 4:6) - from the earliest times water was obtained through excavations of varying depth. Because digging was difficult and water precious in the desert, wells were highly valued throughout the East. They occur repeatedly in the history of the patriarchs, and many places took their names from wells (Gen 21:19, 25, 30-31; 24:11; 26:15, 18, 25). Many biblical wells were probably broad basins receiving and preserving water from natural springs. Some Palestinian wells are very deep and bear marks of such antiquity that they may indeed be the same wells named in Scripture.
(Jonah 2:1; Matt 12:40) - the Hebrew tannin and leviathan do not denote a whale in the strict zoological sense but any extraordinarily large or monstrous sea creature. Many naturalists understood Jonah's creature as a shark, a large predatory fish common in the Mediterranean. They argued that sharks follow ships during storms, while timid whales withdraw into the depths; that a shark's throat and stomach can expand enough to swallow people whole, while many whales of northern seas have narrow throats and feed on small animals; and that the Greek ketos used by the Septuagint was an ancient general term for great sea fish or animals.
Wheat
(Gen. 30:14; Judg. 6:11)—the most useful and important of cereal grains, growing abundantly in Canaan. Scripture contains many references to the great quantities cultivated by the Hebrews and neighboring peoples, including the Philistines and Egyptians.
(Isa. 17:13)—a violently rotating wind capable of lifting dust and debris and causing destruction. In desert regions a whirlwind may raise a column of sand; biblical poetry uses the image for sudden scattering and irresistible judgment. The psalmist asks God to make hostile powers “like whirling dust” and to pursue them with storm and tempest (Ps. 83:13-15). Prophetic descriptions should be read for their theological force as well as their natural imagery: what appears secure before human eyes can be swept away before the LORD.
—a sound that can express derision, astonishment, or summons. Ruined Jerusalem and other judged cities become objects at which passersby hiss or whistle in horror and mockery (1 Kings 9:8; Jer. 19:8; 49:17). In Isaiah 5:26 the LORD whistles for distant nations, summoning them swiftly as agents of judgment. The meaning therefore depends on context; the sound itself is not assigned one fixed moral value.
(Rev 2:17) - many commentators connect the phrase with an ancient judicial custom: those favoring an accused person cast a white ball into an urn, while those judging him guilty cast a black one; a majority of white balls meant acquittal. Others see an allusion to white stones awarded to victors in the Olympic games, inscribed with their names and the value of the prize. Still others understand the golden plate upon the high priest's forehead, inscribed with the divine name.
(Matt. 23:27)—Jesus’ image for scribes and Pharisees who appeared righteous outwardly while inwardly harboring hypocrisy and lawlessness. Tombs could be whitened to make them conspicuous and help people avoid the ritual impurity caused by contact with the dead (Num. 19:16). Their clean exterior therefore stood in stark contrast to the bones and decay within. Christ’s rebuke concerns the division between visible religious respectability and an unreformed heart; it is not a condemnation of cleanliness or of Jewish burial practice itself.
(Gen. 38:11; Deut. 16:11, 14, and elsewhere). By this word is usually understood a woman who has lost her husband. More than 200 years before the legislation of Moses, widows left childless by the death of their husbands had the right to marry the younger unmarried brother of the deceased husband, so that he might raise up seed to the departed (Matt. 22:24–30). Thus Tamar was married to two elder sons of Judah, and even a third son, Shelah, was promised to her as husband (Gen. 38).
By the law of Moses such marriages were commanded not without purpose (Deut. 25:5, 6). More distant relatives could act likewise, as we see from the story of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4). Since the bearing of children was considered a great blessing of God, especially among the Hebrew people, from whom the promised Messiah was to come, remaining a widow, especially in the prime and middle years of a woman’s life, was considered a great disgrace and dishonor (Isa. 4:1; 54:4). However, the widows of kings might remain in a state of widowhood and were regarded as the property, though not always, of the wives of his successor, and to ask for one or another of them in marriage meant openly to lay claim to the royal throne (1 Kings 2:13, 25).
The provisions of the law concerning widows were nearly the same as the provisions concerning the poor and needy in general; they were left to the care partly of relatives, partly of the whole community (Exod. 22:22; Deut. 10:18, and others); they had a share in the sacrifices and tithes (Deut. 14:29; 16:11); they were given the sheaves forgotten in the field during harvest (Deut. 24:19), and the remainder on the olive trees and grapevines (v. 21); it was forbidden to take a widow’s garment in pledge (Deut. 24:17); the children of a widow could not be made slaves or made to do slave labor (Lev. 25:39, 40).
With particular force the law impressed upon its hearers not to wrong widows (Exod. 22:22). In the apostolic church, widows were maintained at public expense (Acts 6:1–6), and assistance was given to them daily, under the supervision of special persons, such as, for example, deaconesses (1 Tim. 5:3–16; Rom. 16:1; Acts 6:1–6). St. Paul the Apostle gives special instructions concerning widows. He commands that assistance be given to true widows, who are alone, and God-fearing (1 Tim. 5:3–16; Rom. 16:1).
Wild donkey, onager.
See Donkey.
(Slavonic: “wild apples”) (2 Kings 4:39) — of the gourd family; their leaves and vines resemble the vines of true cucumbers and trail along the ground. Their fruits, having the appearance and size of an egg, are very bitter to the taste, harmful to health, and can even be dangerous to life, as we see from the incident in the days of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:40). In Egypt, wild cucumbers of certain kinds still grow to this day. The shape of the wild cucumber served, among other things, as a model for the ornamental decorations of Solomon’s Temple and the bronze sea (1 Kings 6:18; 7:24).
(Job 39:1) - also called mountain goats because they live on nearly inaccessible peaks. They are difficult to catch and still harder to domesticate, and remained common in many parts of Syria. Bedouins made bottles from their skins and rings from their horns. On precipitous rocks they easily escaped hunters, sometimes leaping twenty feet, though they were more readily caught in valleys. First Samuel 24:2 and Job 39:1 refer to their manner of life.
(Isa. 13:21)—the Hebrew se‘irim literally means “hairy ones” and can denote male goats or goat-like beings associated with desolate places and illicit worship (Lev. 17:7). Older interpreters compared them to the satyrs of Greek mythology. In Isaiah’s oracle the image contributes to the eerie abandonment of Babylon; it need not assert the literal existence of Greek mythological creatures.
Wilderness
. See Palestine.
(1 Sam. 24:2) — part of the wilderness of Judea, in the vicinity of the city of Engedi, in which David hid from Saul, who pursued him even there. Its numerous crags and caves at all times served as a secure refuge for people who, for one reason or another, had to hide from human society, and perhaps from justice.
Wilderness of Judea
(Josh 15:61-62) - situated in southeastern Judea, forming the nearest part of it adjoining the southern end of the Dead Sea.
(low, flat place; Num. 13:21; 20:1; 27:14; 33:36; 34:3-4; Deut. 32:51; Josh. 15:3)—a wilderness at the southern edge of Canaan near Kadesh and the border of Edom. The spies began their survey from this region. Israel later returned to Kadesh in Zin, where the people quarreled at the waters of Meribah and Moses was told that he would not enter the promised land. Zin must be distinguished from the Wilderness of Sin nearer Sinai, though older Russian forms sometimes blur the names.
Willow branch, twig
(Lev. 23:40; Job 40:22, and elsewhere). See Willow, Willow tree.
Willow.
See Verba [willow-tree].
(Exod. 15:10). In Palestine, as a maritime land, surrounded on the one side by the sea and on the other by high mountains, the Israelites at all times distinguished four principal winds: a) the west and southwest; b) the south and southeast; c) the east wind; d) the north or northwest wind. The east wind brought harm to vegetation and was dangerous at sea (Ps. 48 [47]:7). The north wind brought coolness with it, the south wind brought heat (Luke 12:55); the southwest and northeast wind foretold good weather and brought with them a particular freshness of the air (Song of Songs 4:16).
In some places of Holy Scripture, as for example in Psalm 103 [102] (v. 16), the expression “the wind passeth over it (over the field flower), and it is gone” attributes to the wind a certain special power, capable of hastening the withering of a plant. By the hot or scorching east wind (Jonah 4:8) is apparently meant the sirocco and the simoom. These winds, according to the description of travelers, are so hot and stifling, like a burning oven, and usually fill the air with the finest particles of sand in enormous quantity.
Truly, as they say, these winds carry the poison of death on their wings. Travelers journeying during a simoom press their faces to the sand so as not to breathe this poisonous wind. Perhaps it was from the deadly action of this wind that the army of Sennacherib perished. “Behold, I will send a blast (spirit) upon him,” thus the sacred historian speaks of the destruction of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:7). Frequent, violent, gusty winds, dangerous for ships and those sailing, occur in Palestine on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:37; Matt. 8:24; Luke 8:23; John 6:18).
The figurative use of the word “wind” is very extensive. The east wind was considered a symbol of falsehood and deceit (Job 15:2; Hos. 12:2), an expression of the devastating action of war (Jer. 18:17), and especially an expression of the wrath of God (Isa. 27:8). The wind also serves as a symbol of swiftness (Ps. 104 [103]:7 [3]; Heb. 1:7), and of transience (Job 7:7); finally, the wind is repeatedly cited in Holy Scripture as testimony to the creative might of God (Eccl. 11:4), and as an instrument by which the action of the Holy Spirit is manifested (John 3:8; Acts 2:2).
Wine
(Gen. 14:18; 19:32; 27:25; Isa. 5:11; John 2:3, 9, and elsewhere)—see Vine and Grapes.
Winepress
. See Vine and Vineyard.
(Song 2:11; John 18:18, and elsewhere). “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,” says the beloved to his bride in the Song of Songs. “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,” said the Savior, foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple of Jerusalem, and the whole kingdom of Judah (Matt. 24:20). Winter in Palestine usually lasts from mid-December to mid-February. Snow falls not infrequently, but lies on the ground no more than a single day, except in the mountains (Ps. 147:16 [146:16]).
In shaded places the ice sometimes even bears the weight of a man, but melts quickly when the sun rises. The roads in Palestine in winter become muddy, slippery, and impassable from the continual rains and snow, and travel upon them becomes not only difficult but even quite dangerous, especially on the narrow roads and mountain slopes. Hence the force of the Savior’s prediction becomes clear. The severe cold lasts about forty days, from December 12 to January 20. The north wind at this time is especially piercing (Gen. 31:40), but by the end of February the weather is already almost spring-like.
In calm wind and clear, cloudless sunshine, the plains and valleys at this time have great heat, sometimes accompanied by thunder, lightning, and hail; but the fields are already covered with every kind of flower, the brooks fill with water and the rivers rise; the almond tree begins to blossom first, followed by the peach, apricot, and plum. The other trees blossom in March. In this month there are still occasional rains, but the last of the season. Hence the force and meaning of the expression in the Song of Songs (2:11–14) becomes clear.
In the evenings and nights in Palestine, however, even in March, despite the warm, even hot daytime weather, a perceptible chill is sometimes felt, as may be seen from the Gospel of John (18:18).
(Job 28:12; 1 Cor. 1:17–24 and elsewhere). In Scripture the word wisdom has a very broad meaning. Applied to God, it may denote His supreme knowledge, divine teaching, or revelation, and sometimes the pre-eternal and ever-existing Word Himself—Christ, “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24).
Word of God, or Revelation of God
—God’s revelation in oral and written form. See Holy Scripture; Holy Tradition.
(John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1)—the Logos, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, the eternal and personal Word of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This same divine Word became flesh for humanity and for our salvation (John 1:14).
—work was given to humanity by God before the Fall, when Adam was placed in the garden to till and keep it (Gen. 2:15). After the Fall, labor became burdened by toil and the resistance of the ground (Gen. 3:17–19), yet it remains necessary for one’s own needs, for service to others, and for generosity. Paul states, “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10), condemning idle refusal rather than weakness, illness, or involuntary unemployment.
(Exod. 16:20, 24; Jonah 4:7; Job 7:5; 17:14; 21:26)—Scripture uses “worm” for various larvae, maggots, and creeping creatures without zoological precision. Manna kept contrary to God’s command bred worms and stank, though the portion reserved for the Sabbath did not (Exod. 16:20, 24). Worms accompany decay and burial and therefore become images of mortality and humiliation (Job 17:14; 21:26; Isa. 14:11). Job also describes his diseased flesh as clothed with worms (Job 7:5).
Wormwood
(Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4)—a plant of which several species grow in Palestine, all distinguished by extreme bitterness and perhaps harmful to those who consume them. The word wormwood is therefore often joined with poison (Deut. 29:18).
—the origin of writing is unknown. The genealogy in Genesis 5 may imply the existence of written records at a very early time, and the book of Job belongs to remote antiquity. The first form of writing was probably pictorial or hieroglyphic: an eye could signify God’s knowledge, an eye with a scepter a king, and a lion courage or strength.
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