Oracle

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

denotes something delivered by supernatural wisdom; and the term is also used in the Old Testament to signify the most holy place from whence the Lord revealed his will to ancient Israel,  1 Kings 6:5;  1 Kings 6:19-21;  1 Kings 6:23 . But when the word occurs in the plural number, as it mostly does, it denotes the revelations contained in the sacred writings of which the nation of Israel were the depositories. So Moses is said by Stephen to have received the "lively oracles" to give unto the Israelites. These oracles contained the law, both moral and ceremonial, with all the types and promises relating to the Messiah which are to be found in the writings of Moses. They also contained all the intimations of the divine mind which he was pleased to communicate by means of the succeeding prophets who prophesied beforehand of the coming and of the sufferings of the Messiah with the glory that should follow. The Jews were a highly privileged people in many and various respects,  Romans 9:4-5; but the Apostle Paul mentions it as their chief advantage that "unto them were committed the oracles of God,"  Romans 3:2 . "What nation," says Moses, "is there that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?"  Deuteronomy 4:8 . The psalmist David enumerates their excellent properties under various epithets; such as the law of the Lord, his testimony, his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, &c. Their properties are extolled as perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, and righteous altogether; more to be desired than much fine gold; sweeter than honey and the honey comb. Their salutary effects are all mentioned; such as their converting the soul, making wise the simple, rejoicing the heart, enlightening the eyes; and the keeping of them is connected with a great reward, Psalms 19. The hundred and nineteenth Psalm abounds with praises of the lively oracles, the word of the living God; it abounds with the warmest expressions of love to it, of delight in it, and the most fervent petitions for divine illumination in the knowledge of it. Such was the esteem and veneration which the faithful entertained for the lively oracles under the former dispensation, when they had only Moses and the prophets; how, then, ought they to be prized by Christians, who have also Christ and his Apostles!

Among the Heathen the term oracle is usually taken to signify an answer, generally couched in very dark and ambiguous terms, supposed to be given by demons of old, either by the mouths of their idols, or by those of their priests, to the people, who consulted them on things to come. Oracle is also used for the demon who gave the answer, and the place where it was given. Seneca defines oracles to be enunciations by the mouths of men of the will of the gods; and Cicero simply calls them, deorum oratio, the language of the gods. Among the Pagans they were held in high estimation; and they were consulted on a variety of occasions pertaining to national enterprises and private life. When they made peace or war, enacted laws, reformed states, or changed the constitution, they had in all these cases recourse to the oracle by public authority. Also, in private life, if a man wished to marry, if he proposed to take a journey, or to engage in any business of importance, he repaired to the oracle for counsel. Mankind have had always a propensity to explore futurity; and conceiving that future events were known to their gods, who possessed the gift of prophecy, they sought information and advice from the oracles, which, in their opinion, were supernatural and divine communications. The institution of oracles seemed to gratify the prevalent curiosity of mankind, and proved a source of immense wealth, as well as authority and influence, to those who had the command of them. Accordingly, every nation, in which idolatry has subsisted, had its oracles, by means of which imposture practised on superstition and credulity. The principal oracles of antiquity are, that of Abae, mentioned by Herodotus; that of Amphiaraus, at Oropus in Macedonia; that of the Branchidae at Didymeum: that of the camps at Lacedaemon; that of Dodona; that of Jupiter Ammon; that of Nabarca in the country of the Anariaci, near the Caspian Sea; that of Trophonius, mentioned by Herodotus; that of Chrysopolis; that of Claros, in Ionia; that of Amphilochus at Mallos; that of Petarea; that of Pella in Macedonia; that of Phaselides in Cilicia; that of Sinope in Paphlagonia; that of Orpheus's head at Lesbos, mentioned by Philostratus. But of all oracles, the oracle of Apollo Pythius at Delphi was the most celebrated: this was consulted in the dernier resort by most of the princes of those ages.

Most of the Pagan deities had their appropriate oracles. Apollo had the greatest number: such as those of Claros, of the Branchidae, of the suburbs of Daphne at Antioch, of Delos, of Argos, of Troas, AEolis, &c, of Baiae in Italy, and others in Cilicia, in Egypt, in the Alps, in Thrace, at Corinth, in Arcadia, in Laconia, and in many other places enumerated by Van Dale. Jupiter, beside that of Dodona and some others, the honour of which he shared with Apollo, had one in Boeotia under the name of Jupiter the Thunderer, and another in Elis, one at Thebes and at Meroe, one near Antioch, and several others. AEsculapius was consulted in Cilicia, at Apollonia, in the isle of Cos, at Epidaurus, Pergamos, Rome, and elsewhere. Mercury had oracles at Patras, upon Harmon, and in other places; Mars, in Thrace, Egypt and elsewhere; Hercules, at Cadiz, Athens, in Egypt, at Tivoli, in Mesopotamia, where he issued his oracles by dreams, whence he was called Somnialis. Isis, Osiris, and Serapis delivered in like manner their oracles by dreams, as we learn from Pausanias, Tacitus, Arrian, and other writers; that of Amphilochus was also delivered by dreams; the ox Apis had also his oracle in Egypt. The gods, called Cabiri, had their oracle in Boeotia. Diana, the sister of Apollo, had several oracles in Egypt, Cilicia, Ephesus, &c. Those of fortune at Praeneste, and of the lots at Antium are well known. The fountains also delivered oracles, for to each of them a divinity was ascribed: such was the fountain of Castalia at Delphi, another of the same name in the suburbs of Antioch, and the prophetic fountain near the temple of Ceres in Achaia. Juno had several oracles: one near Corinth, one at Nysa, and others at different places. Latona had one at Butis in Egypt; Leucothea had one in Colchis; Memnon in Egypt; Machaon at Gerania in Laconia; Minerva had one in Egypt, in Spain, upon mount AEtna, at Mycenae and Colchis, and in other places. Those of Neptune were at Delphos, at Calauria, near Neocesarea, and elsewhere. The nymphs had theirs in the cave of Corycia. Pan had several, the most famous of which was that in Arcadia. That of the Palici was in Sicily. Pluto had one at Nysa. Saturn had oracles in several places, but the most famous were those of Cumae in Italy, and of Alexandria in Egypt. Those of Venus were dispersed in several places, at Gaza, upon Mount Libanus, at Paphos, in Cyprus, &c. Serapis had one at Alexandria, consulted by Vespasian. Venus Aphacite had one at Aphaca between Heliopolis and Byblus. Geryon, the three-headed monster slain by Hercules, had an oracle in Italy near Padua, consulted by Tiberius; that of Hercules was at Tivoli, and was given by lots, like those of Praeneste and Antium. The demi-gods and heroes had likewise their oracles, such were those of Castor and Pollux at Lacedaemon, of Amphiaraus, of Mopsus in Cilicia, of Ulysses, Amphilochus, Sarpedon in Troas, Hermione in Macedonia, Pasiphae in Laconia, Chalcas in Italy, Aristaeus in Boeotia, Autolycus at Sinope, Phryxus among the Colchi, Zamolxis among the Getae, Hephaestion the minion of Alexander, and Antinous, &c.

The responses of oracles were delivered in a variety of ways: at Delphi, they interpreted and put into verse what the priestess pronounced in the time of her furor. Mr. Bayle observes that at first this oracle gave its answers in verse; and that it fell at length to prose, upon the people's beginning to laugh at the poorness of its versification. The Epicureans made this the subject of their jests, and said, in raillery, it was surprising enough, that Apollo, the god of poetry, should be a much worse poet than Homer, whom he himself had inspired. By the railleries of these philosophers, and particularly by those of the Cynics and Peripatetics, the priests were at length obliged to desist from the practice of versifying the responses of the Pythia, which, according to Plutarch, was one of the principal causes of the declension of the oracle of Delphos. At the oracle of Ammon, the priests pronounced the response of their god; at Dodona, the response was issued from the hollow of an oak; at the cave of Trophonius, the oracle was inferred from what the supplicant said before he recovered his senses; at Memphis, they drew a good or bad omen, according as the ox Apis received or rejected what was presented to him, which was also the case with the fishes of the fountain of Limyra. The suppliants, who consulted the oracles, were not allowed to enter the sanctuaries where they were given; and accordingly, care was taken that neither the Epicureans nor Christians should come near them. In several places, the oracles were given by letters sealed up, as in that of Mopsus, and at Mallus in Cilicia. Oracles were frequently given by lot, the mode of doing which was as follows: the lots were a kind of dice, on which were engraven certain characters or words, whose explanations they were to seek on tables made for the purpose. The way of using these dice for knowing futurity, was different, according to the places where they were used. In some temples, the person threw himself; in others, they were dropped from a box; whence came the proverbial expression, "The lot is fallen." This playing with dice was always preceded by sacrifices and other customary ceremonies. The ambiguity of the oracles in their responses, and their double meaning, contributed to their support.

Ablancourt observes, that the study or research of the meaning of oracles was but a fruitless thing; and that they were never understood till after their accomplishment. Historians relate, that Croesus was tricked by the ambiguity and equivocation of the oracle:

Κροισος Αλυν διαβας μεγαλην αρχην καταλυσει . Thus rendered in Latin:

"Croesus Halym superans magnam pervertet opum vim."

[If Croesus cross the Halys he will overthrow a great empire.] Thus, if the Lydian monarch had conquered Cyrus, he overthrew the Assyrian empire: if he himself was routed, he overturned his own. That delivered to Pyrrhus, which is comprised in this Latin verse,

"Credo equidem AEacidas Romanos vincere posse,"

[I believe indeed that the sons of AEacus the Romans will conquer,] had the same advantage; for, according to the rules of syntax, either of the two accusatives may be governed by the verb, and the verse be explained, either by saying the Romans shall conquer the AEacidae, of whom Pyrrhus was descended, or those shall conquer the Romans. When Alexander fell sick at Babylon, some of his courtiers who happened to be in Egypt, or who went thither on purpose, passed the night in the temple of Serapis, to inquire if it would not be proper to bring Alexander to be cured by him. The god answered, it was better that Alexander should remain where he was. This in all events was a very prudent and safe answer. If the king recovered his health, what glory must Serapis have gained by saving him the fatigue of the journey! If he died, it was but saying he died in a favourable juncture after so many conquests; which, had he lived, he could neither have enlarged nor preserved. This is actually the construction they put upon the response; whereas had Alexander undertaken the journey, and died in the temple, or by the way, nothing could have been said in favour of Serapis. When Trajan had formed the design of his expedition against the Parthians, he was advised to consult the oracle of Heliopolis, to which he had no more to do but send a note under a seal. That prince, who had no great faith in oracles, sent thither a blank note; and they returned him another of the same kind. By this Trajan was convinced of the divinity of the oracle. He sent back a second note to the god, in which he inquired whether he should return to Rome after finishing the war he had in view. The god, as Macrobius tells the story, ordered a vine, which was among the offerings of his temple, to be divided into pieces, and brought to Trajan. The event justified the oracle; for the emperor dying in that war, his bones were carried to Rome, which had been represented by that broken vine. As the priests of that oracle knew Trajan's design, which was no secret, they happily devised that response, which, in all events, was capable of a favourable interpretation, whether he routed and cut the Parthians in pieces, or if his army met with the same fate. Sometimes the responses of the oracles were mere banter, as in the case of the man who wished to know by what means he might become rich, and who received for answer from the god, that he had only to make himself master of all that lay between Sicyon and Corinth. Another, wanting a cure for the gout, was answered by the oracle, that he was to drink nothing but cold water.

There are two points in dispute on the subject of oracles; namely, whether they were human, or diabolical machines; and whether or not they ceased upon the publication or preaching of the Gospel. Most of the fathers of the church supposed that the devil issued oracles; and looked on it as a pleasure he took to give dubious and equivocal answers, in order to have a handle to laugh at them. Vossius allows that it was the devil who spoke in oracles; but thinks that the obscurity of his answers was owing to his ignorance as to the precise circumstances of events. That artful and studied obscurity in which the answers were couched, says he, showed the embarrassment the devil was under; as those double meanings they usually bore provided for their accomplishment. Where the thing foretold did not happen accordingly, the oracle, for-sooth, was misunderstood. Eusebius has preserved some fragments of a philosopher, called OEnomaus; who, out of resentment for his having been so often fooled by the oracles, wrote an ample confutation of all their impertinencies: "When we come to consult thee," says he to Apollo, "if thou seest what is in futurity, why dost thou use expressions that will not be understood? Dost thou not know, that they will not be understood? If thou dost, thou takest pleasure in abusing us; if thou dost not, be informed of us, and learn to speak more clearly. I tell thee, that if thou intendest to equivoque, the Greek word whereby thou affirmedst that Croesus should overthrow a great empire was ill chosen; and that it could signify nothing but Croesus's conquering Cyrus. If things must necessarily come to pass, why dost thou amuse us with thy ambiguities? What doest thou, wretch as thou art, at Delphi? employed in muttering idle prophecies!" But OEnomaus is still more out of humour with the oracle, for the answer which Apollo gave the Athenians, when Xerxes was about to attack Greece with all the strength of Asia. The Pythian declared, that Minerva, the protectress of Athens, had endeavoured in vain to appease the wrath of Jupiter; yet that Jupiter, in complaisance to his daughter, was willing the Athenians should save themselves within wooden walls; and that Salamis should behold the loss of a great many children, dear to their mothers, either when Ceres was spread abroad, or gathered together. Here OEnomaus loses all patience with the god of Delphi. "This contest," says he, "between father and daughter is very becoming the deities! It is excellent, that there should be contrary inclinations and interests in heaven. Poor wizard, thou art ignorant whose the children are that Salamis shall see perish; whether Greeks or Persians. It is certain they must be either one or the other; but thou needest not to have told so openly, that thou knewest not which. Thou concealest the time of the battle under those fine poetical expressions, ‘either when Ceres is spread abroad, or gathered together;' and wouldest thou cajole us with such pompous language? Who knows not, that if there be a sea fight, it must either be in seed time or harvest? It is certain it cannot be in winter. Let things go how they will, thou wilt secure thyself by this Jupiter, whom Minerva is endeavouring to appease. If the Greeks lose the battle, Jupiter proved inexorable to the last; if they gain it, why then Minerva at length prevailed."

It is a very general opinion among the more learned, that oracles were all mere cheats and impostures; either calculated to serve the avaricious ends of the Heathen priests, or the political views of the princes. Bayle says positively, they were mere human artifices, in which the devil had no hand. He was strongly supported by Van Dale and Fontenelle, who have written expressly on the subject. Father Balthus, a Jesuit, wrote a treatise in defence of the fathers with regard to the origin of oracles; but without denying the imposture of the priests, often blended with the oracles. He maintains the intervention of the devil in some predictions, which, could not be ascribed to the cheats of the priests alone. The Abbe Banier espouses the same side of the question, and objects that oracles would not have lasted so long, and supported themselves with so much splendour and reputation, if they had been merely owing to the forgeries of the priests. Bishop Sherlock, in his "Discourses concerning the Use and Intent of Prophecy," expresses his opinion, that it is impious to disbelieve the Heathen oracles, and to deny them to have been given out by the devil; to which assertion, Dr. Middleton, in his "Examination," &c, replies, that he is guilty of this impiety, and that he thinks himself warranted to pronounce from the authority of the best and wisest of the Heathens themselves, and the evidence of plain facts, which are recorded of those oracles, as well as from the nature of the thing itself, that they were all mere imposture, wholly invented and supported by human craft, without any supernatural aid or interpositon whatsoever. He alleges, that Cicero, speaking of the Delphic oracle, the most revered of any in the Heathen world, declares, that nothing was become more contemptible, not only in his days, but long before him; that Demosthenes, who lived about three hundred years earlier, affirmed of the same oracle, in a public speech to the people of Athens, that it was gained to the interests of King Philip, an enemy to that city; that the Greek historians, tell us, how, on several other occasions, it had been corrupted by money, to serve the views of particular persons and parties, and the prophetess sometimes had been deposed for bribery and lewdness; that there were some great sects of philosophers, who, on principle, disavowed the authority of all oracles; agreeably to all which Strabo tells us, that divination in general and oracles had been in high credit among the ancients, but in his days were treated with much contempt; lastly, that Eusebius also, the great historian of the primitive church, declares, that there were six hundred writers among the Heathens themselves who had publicly written against the reality of them. Plutarch has a treatise on the ceasing of some oracles; and Van Dale, a Dutch physician, has a volume to prove they did not cease at the coming of Christ; but that many of them ceased long before, and that others held till the fall of Paganism, under the empire of Theodosius the Great, when Paganism being dissipated, these restitutions could no longer subsist. Van Dale was answered by a German, one Moebius, professor of theology at Leipsic, in 1685. Fontenelle espoused Van Dale's system, and improved upon it in his "History of Oracles;" and showed the weakness of the argument used by many writers in behalf of Christianity, drawn from the ceasing of oracles. Cicero says, the oracles became dumb in proportion as people, growing less credulous, began to suspect them for cheats. Plutarch alleges two reasons for the ceasing of oracles: the one was Apollo's chagrin; who, it seems, took it in dudgeon to be interrogated about so many trifles. The other was, that in proportion as the genii, or demons, who had the management of the oracles, died, and became extinct, the oracles must necessarily cease. He adds a third and more natural cause for the ceasing of oracles; namely, the forlorn state of Greece, ruined and desolated by wars; for, hence, the smallness of the gains let the priests sink into a poverty and contempt too bare to cover the fraud. That the oracles were silenced about or soon after the time of our Saviour's advent, may be proved, says Dr. Leland, in the first volume of his learned work on "The Necessity and Advantage of Revelation," &c, from express testimonies, not only of Christian but of Heathen authors. Lucan, who wrote his "Pharsalia" in the reign of Nero, scarcely thirty years after our Lord's crucifixion, laments it as one of the greatest misfortunes of that age, that the Delphian oracle, which he represents as one of the choicest gifts of the gods, was become silent.

Non ullo saecula dono

Nostra carent majore Deum, quam Delphica sedes

Quod sileat. — Pharsal. lib. v. 111.

"Of all the wants with which the age is curst, The Delphic silence surely is the worst." ROWE.

In like manner, Juvenal says,

Delphis oracula cessant,

Et genus humanum damnat caligo futuri.

Sat. v. 554.

"Since Delphi now, if we may credit fame, Gives no responses, and a long dark night Conceals the future hour from mortal sight." GIFFORD.

Lucian says, that when he was at Delphi, the oracle gave no answer, nor was the priestess inspired. This likewise appears from Plutarch's treatise, why the oracles cease to give answers, already cited; whence it is also manifest, that the most learned Heathens were very much at a loss how to give a tolerable account of it. Porphyry, in a passage cited from him by Eusebius, says, "The city of Rome was overrun with sickness, AEsculapius, and the rest of the gods having withdrawn their converse with men because since Jesus began to be worshipped, no man had received any public help or benefit from the gods." With respect to the origin of oracles, they were probably imitations, first, of the answers given to the holy patriarchs from the divine presence or Shechinah, and secondly, of the responses to the Jewish high priest from the mercy seat: for all Paganism is a parody of the true religion.

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

Among the Heathens, was the answer which the gods were supposed to give to those who consulted them upon any affair of importance. It is also used for the god who was thought to give the answer, and for the space where it was given. Learned men are much divided as to the source of these oracles. Some suppose that they were only the invention of priests; while others conceive that there was a diabolical agency employed in the business. There are, as one observes, several circumstances leading to the former hypothesis: such as the gloomy solemnity with which many of them were delivered in caves and subterraneous caverns: the numerous and disagreeable ceremonies enjoined, as sometimes sleeping in the skins of beasts, bathing, and expensive sacrifices; the ambiguous and unsatisfactory answers frequently returned: these look very much like the contrivances of artful priests to disguise their villany; the medium of priests, speaking images, vocal groves, &c. seem much to confirm it. On the other hand, if we may credit the relation of ancient writers, either among Heathens or Christians, this hypothesis will hardly account for many of the instances they mention.

And since it cannot be proved either impossible or unscriptural, is it not probable that God sometimes permits an intercourse with infernal spirits, with a design, in the end, to turn this and every other circumstance to his own glory? Respecting the cessation of these oracles, there have been a variety of opinions. It has been generally held, indeed, that oracles ceased at the birth of Jesus Christ: yet some have endeavoured to maintain the contrary, by showing that they were in being in the days of Julian, commonly called the apostate, and that this emperor himself consulted them; nay, farther, say they, history makes mention of several laws published by the Christian emperors, Theodosius, Gratian, and Valentinian, to punish persons who interrogated them, even in their days; and that the Epicureans were the first who made a jest of this superstition, and exposed the roguery of its priests to the people. But on the other side it is observed,

1. That the question, properly stated, is not. Whether oracles became extinct immediately upon the birth of Christ, or from the very moment he was born; but, Whether they fell gradually into disesteem, and ceased as Christ and his Gospel became known to mankind? And that they did so is most certain from the concurrent testimonies of the fathers, which whoever would endeavour to invalidate, may equally give up the most respectable traditions and relations of every kind.

2dly, But did not Julian the apostate consult these oracles? We answer in the negative: he had, indeed, recourse to magical operations, but it was because oracles had already ceased; for he bewailed the loss of them, and assigned pitiful reasons for it; which St. Cyril has vigorously refuted, saying, that he never could have offered such, but from an unwillingness to acknowledge, that, when the world had received the light of Christ, the dominion of the devil was at an end.

3dly. The Christian emperors do, indeed, seem to condemn the superstition and idolatry of those who were still for consulting oracles; but the edicts of those princes do not prove that oracles actually existed in their times, any more than that they ceased in consequence of their laws. It is certain that they were for the most part extinct before the conversion of Constantine.

4thly. Some Epicureans might make a jest of this superstition; however, the Epicurean philosopher Celsus, in the second century of the church, was for crying up the excellency of several oracles, as appears at large from Origen's seventh book against him. Among the Jews there were several sorts of real oracles. They had,

first, oracles that were delivered viva voice; as when God spake to Moses face to face, and as one friend speaks to another, Numb. 12: 8.

Secondly, Prophetical dreams sent by God; as the dreams which God sent to Joseph, and which foretold his future greatness,  Genesis 27:5-6 .

Thirdly, Visions; as when a prophet in an ecstacy, being neither properly asleep nor awake, had supernatural revelations,  Genesis 15:1 .  Genesis 46:2 .

Fourthly, The oracle of the Urim and Thummim, which was accompanied with the ephod, or the pectoral worn by the high priest, and which God had endued with the gift of foretelling things to come, Numb. 12: 6.  Joel 2:28 . This manner of inquiring of the Lord was often made use of, from Joshua's time to the erection of the temple at Jerusalem. Fifthly, After the building of the temple, they generally consulted the prophets, who were frequent in the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

From Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who are the last of the prophets that have any of their writings remaining, the Jews pretend that God gave them what they call Bathkol, the Daughter of the Voice, which was a supernatural manifestation of the will of God, which was performed either by a strong inspiration or internal voice, or else by a sensible and external voice, which was heard by a number of persons sufficient to bear testimony of it. For example, such was the voice that was heard at the baptism of Jesus Christ, saying, This is my beloved Son, &c.  Matthew 3:17 . The scripture affords us examples likewise of profane oracles. Balaam, at the instigation of his own spirit, and urged on by his avarice, fearing to lose thy recompence that he was promised by Balak, king of the Moabites, suggests a diabolical expedient to this prince of making the Israelites fall into idolatry and fornication, (Numb. 24: 14. Numb. 31: 16.) by which he assures him of a certain victory, or at least of considerable advantage against the people of God. Micaiah, the son of Imlah, a prophet of the Lord, says ( 1 Kings 22:20 , &c.) that he saw the Almighty, sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven round about him; and the Lord said, Who shall tempt Ahab, king of Israel, that he may go to war with Ramoth Gilead, and fall in the battle? One answered after one manner, and another in another.

At the same time an evil spirit presented himself before the Lord, and said, I will seduce him. And the Lord asked him, How? To which Satan answered, I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets. And the Lord said, Go, and thou shalt prevail. This dialogue clearly proves these two things; first, that the devil could do nothing by his own power; and, secondly, that, with the permission of God, he could inspire the false prophets, sorcerers, and magicians, and make them deliver false oracles.

See Vandals and Fontenelle's Hist. de Orac; Potter's Greek Antiquities, vol. 1: b. 2. ch. 7; Edwards's Hist. of Red. P. 408; Farmer on Mir. p. 281, 285; Enc. Brit. article ORACLE.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

We find mention made ( 2 Samuel 16:23) of the oracle of God; but we are at a loss to understand so as to speak with certainty concerning the meaning. In the building of Solomon's temple we are told, that there was "a part for the oracle, even for the most holy place." ( 1 Kings 6:16) By which it should seem, that the mercy-seat or propitiatory, was intended by the word oracle. And the Psalmist seems to throw a farther light upon the term, considered in this point of view, when he saith, ( Psalms 28:2) "Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands towards thy holy oracle." For where should a soul lift up his hands and his heart, but to the mercy seat, God in Christ speaking from between the cherubim? The word Dabir, which is the word used for oracle,  1 Kings 6:16, properly signifies oracle. But the word Caphoreth (from Capher or Copher, to expiate or pardon) is used for the mercy seat,  Exodus 25:18. But in either sense, or in both, by oracle must imply the answers of the Lord to his people. And what is said, of the answers by Urim and Thummim, by visions of the night, by prophecy, and the like, all is one and the same, when the Lord makes known the sacred purposes of his will. Hence the apostle, speaking of those who ministered in holy things, enjoined this precept, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;" that is, the truths of God. ( 1 Peter 4:11. See  Genesis 27:5-6;  Numbers 13:6-8)

Morrish Bible Dictionary

It was said of Ahithophel that his counsel was "as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God," or at the 'word' of God.  2 Samuel 16:23 . In all other places in the O.T. the word 'oracle' applies to the holy of holies. It is doubtless so called because God said, "There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel."  Exodus 25:22 . And it was from thence that Moses received many of the laws.  1 Kings 6:5-31;  1 Kings 7:49;  1 Kings 8:6,8;  2 Chronicles 3:16;  2 Chronicles 4:20;  2 Chronicles 5:7,9;  Psalm 28:2 .

In the N.T. the word thus translated is λόγιον; it is applied to the law given to Moses, and committed to Israel; and also to truths revealed in N.T. times.  Acts 7:38;  Romans 3:2;  Hebrews 5:12;  1 Peter 4:11 . It signifies 'a message or answer given by God,' and thence the place from which such were given.

In the learned heathen world, Satan had places in imitation of this, at which it was professed that an answer from their gods could be obtained; but the answers were often purposely vague in order that afterwards they could be interpreted differently according as the event turned out. Thus the persons were duped who asked the questions.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

In the literature of the Apostolic Church the word ‘oracle’ has lost its technical pagan meaning. λόγιον occurs four times in the NT ( Acts 7:38,  Romans 3:2,  Hebrews 5:12,  1 Peter 4:11). In the first three of these passages it means the Canonical Scriptures of the OT. That is probably also its meaning in 1 Peter: ‘If any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God,’ i.e. treating his words as seriously as if they were inspired Scripture. Clement of Rome uses the word three times (ad Cor. xix., liii., lxii.), always in the sense of authoritative Scripture, i.e. the OT. Eusebius (Historia Ecclesiastica (Eusebius, etc.)III. xxxix. 16) quotes Papias as saying that ‘Matthew composed the oracles (sc. of the Lord) in Hebrew, and each one interpreted them as he could.’ E. C. Selwyn holds that these were the Messianic prophecies of the OT which Matthew collected (The Oracles in the New Testament, London, 1912, p. 396 ff.). The adjective λόγιος (Revised Version‘learned’) is applied to Apollos ( Acts 18:24).

R. H. Malden.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) A wise sentence or decision of great authority.

(2): ( n.) The sanctuary, or Most Holy place in the temple; also, the temple itself.

(3): ( n.) The communications, revelations, or messages delivered by God to the prophets; also, the entire sacred Scriptures - usually in the plural.

(4): ( n.) Any person reputed uncommonly wise; one whose decisions are regarded as of great authority; as, a literary oracle.

(5): ( n.) Hence: The deity who was supposed to give the answer; also, the place where it was given.

(6): ( v. i.) To utter oracles.

(7): ( n.) One who communicates a divine command; an angel; a prophet.

(8): ( n.) The answer of a god, or some person reputed to be a god, to an inquiry respecting some affair or future event, as the success of an enterprise or battle.

King James Dictionary

OR'ACLE, n. L. oraculum, from oro, to utter.

1. Among pagans, the answer of a god or some person reputed to be a god, to an inquiry made respecting some affair of importance, usually respecting some future event, as the success of an enterprise or battle. 2. The deity who gave or was supposed to give answers to inquiries as the Delphic oracle. 3. The place where the answers were given. 4. Among christians, oracles, in the plural, denotes the communications, revelations or messages delivered by God to prophets. In this sense it is rarely used in the singular but we say, the oracles of God, divine oracles, meaning the Scriptures. 5. The sanctuary or most holy place in the temple, in which was deposited the ark of the covenant.  1 Kings 6 . 6. Any person or place where certain decisions are obtained. 7. Any person reputed uncommonly wise, whose determinations are not disputed, or whose opinions are of great authority. 8. A wise sentence or decision of great authority.

OR'ACLE, To utter oracles.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A supernatural communication; applied to single divine revelations and to the entire word of god,  Acts 7:38   Romans 3:2   Hebrews 5:12 , etc. It is also spoken of the covering of he ark of the covenant; as if God there sat enthroned, and delivered his oracles,  2 Samuel 16:23 . See Mercy Seat In other places, it means the "Holy of Holies" in the temple, where the ark was placed,  1 Kings 6:5,16,19   8:6 .

Strikingly unlike the true and living oracles of God were the famous counterfeit oracles of numerous heathen temples. The priests who pretended to convey to applicants the responses of their gods, often gave a reply capable of two opposite interpretations, when neither private information nor their own experience or sagacity gave them the clue to a safe answer. Thus Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, was encouraged to a war, with Rome, by an oracle which was found after his defeat to foretell defeat as much as victory: Aio te, Aeacida, Romanos vincere posse.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Λόγιον (Strong'S #3051 — Noun Neuter — logion — log'-ee-on )

a diminutive of logos, "a word, narrative, statement," denotes "a Divine response or utterance, an oracle;" it is used of (a) the contents of the Mosaic Law,  Acts 7:38; (b) all the written utterances of God through OT writers,  Romans 3:2; (c) the substance of Christian doctrine,  Hebrews 5:12; (d) the utterance of God through Christian teachers,  1—Peter 4:11 .

 Exodus 28:15

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 2 Samuel 16:23 1 Kings 6:5,19-23 8:6 2 Samuel 16:23  Romans 3:2 Hebrews 5:12 Hebrews 4:12 Acts 7:38

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 1 Peter 4:11 (a) Here we see a description of the character, authenticity and forcefulness of the man of GOD who delivers GOD's message in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

ORACLE. See Magic, etc., Temple.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

occurs in several places in the Auth. Ver. as the rendering of the Heb. דְּבַיר , Debir, ordinarily derived from דָּבִר , in the sense To Say, Speak; i . e. The Response or Place Of The Voice of God. But the best critics understand it to mean properly A Back-Chamber, A Back Or West Room, from דָּבִר , To Be Behind (see Gesenius, Thes., and esp. Furst, Lex. s.v.); hence The Inner or Most Secret Room Of The Temple (1 Kings 6, passim; 7:49; 8:6, 8;  2 Chronicles 3:16;  2 Chronicles 4:20;  2 Chronicles 5:7;  2 Chronicles 5:9;  Psalms 28:2), elsewhere called " The Holy Of Holies " (Heb. הִקָּדָשַׁים קֹרֶשׁ ,  1 Kings 6:16;  2 Chronicles 4:22, and often). (See Temple). The Sept. in these passages simply adoptsthe Hebrew word:( Τὸ Δαβίρ ) "but Jerome Followed " by some modern versions, renders Oraculum — the word used by the heathen to denote the places where they consuited their gods. In  2 Samuel 16:23, the Hebrew word rendered oracle is dabdr ( דָּבָר )., which usually means Word, and is often applied thus to the word or revelation of God (see margin, ad loc.; so  Jeremiah 1:4;  Jeremiah 1:11). In the N.T. only the word Oracles is found, in the plural (as the rendering of the Greek Λόγια ,  Acts 7:38), especially The Oracles Of God ( Τὰ Λόγια Τοῦ Θεοῦ ,  Romans 3:2; comp.  Hebrews 5:12;  1 Peter 4:11), in reference to the divine communications which had been given to the Jews throughout their history, (See Holy Of Holies); (See Urim).

The manner of such utterances among the Hebrews was various. God spake to his people of old at sundry times and in divers manners — sometimes face to face, as with Abraham and Moses — sometimes by dreams and visions, as with Joseph and Pharaoh — sometimes by signs and tokens, as with Gideon and Barak — sometimes by the word of prophecy — and sometimes by a regularly organized system of communication, as by the Urim and Thummim. (See Priest).

These last, which had a distinct locality, and were always accessible, were especially the Hebrew oracles. We have an instance in the case of David ( 1 Samuel 23:9); when he desired to know whether it would be safe for him to take refuge with the men of Keilah, against the persecution of Saul, he inquired of Abiathar the priest. "Bring hither," said he, "the ephod;" and the reply to his inquiry was that it would not be safe, for the men of Keilah would deliver him up to the king. Another similar instance occurs in the same book ( 1 Samuel 30:7-8); and there appears no reason to doubt that such was the mode of "inquiring at the mouth of the Lord" for a considerable period. (See Divination); (See Ephod); (See Inspiration); (See Revelation).

The most ancient oracle on record, probably, is that given to Rebekah ( Genesis 25:22); but the most complete scriptural instance is that of the child Samuel (1 Samuel 3). The place was the residence of the ark, the regular station of worship. The manner was by an audible and distinct voice: "The Lord called Samuel;" and the child mistook the voice for that of Eli (and this more than once), "for he did not yet know the word of the Lord." The subject was of high national importance; no less than a public calamity, with the ruin of the first family in the land. Nor could the child have any inducement to deceive Eli; as in that case he would have rather invented something flattering to his venerable superior. This communicative voice, issuing from the interior of the sanctuary, was properly an oracle. (See Samuel).

Heathen oracles are occasionally referred to in the Scriptures, and one in particular seems to have been very celebrated. This was the oracle of Baalzebub, or Baalzebul, at Ekron. Ahaziah, the son of Ahab ( 2 Kings 1:2), having fallen through a lattice in his upper chamber, and suffering greatly in consequence, sent to Ekron to inquire of this oracle, and his messenger was stopped by Elijah, who administered to the king of Israel a reproof for consulting a false god, and gave him the assurance of speedy death. The name Baalzebub, signifying "lord of a fly," has been occasionally interpreted as a derisive appellation bestowed by the Jews on the god worshipped at Ekron; but there is little ground for this criticism. Ekron was much infested by flies, and these were often believed to bring with them contagious disorders. The god whom the inhabitants supposed able to deliver them from these minute but vexatious enemies might well take a title from the exploit, just as the Jupiter, or rather Zeus, of the Greeks assumed among other epithets those of Μυιώδης and Μυίαγρος . (See Beel-Zebub).

Other oracular means in Palestine were the Teraphim, as that of Micah ( Judges 17:1-5); the ephod of Gideon (8:27, etc.), and the false gods adored in the kingdom of Samaria, which had their false prophets, and consequently. their oracles.  Hosea 4:12 reproaches Israel with consulting wooden idols, as does the book of Wisdom (13:16, 17) and the prophet in  Habakkuk 2:19. (See Idolatry). For the daemoniacal responses referred to in  Acts 16:16, (See Pythoness)... Among the heathen the term Oracle was usually taken to signify an answer, generally conveyed in very dark and ambiguous terms, supposed to be given by daemons of old, either by the mouths of their idols or by those of their priests, to the people who consulted them; Oracle is also used for the daemon who gave the answer, and the place where it was given. Seneca defines oracles to be communications by the mouths of men of the will of the gods; and Cicero simply calls them Deorum Oratio, the language of the gods. Among the pagans they were held in high estimation; and they were consulted on a variety of occasions pertaining to national enterprises and private life. When the heathen made peace or war, enacted laws, reformed states, or changed the constitution, they had in all these cases recourse to the oracle by public authority. Also, in private life. if a man wished to marry, if he proposed to take a journey, or to engage in any business of importance, he repaired to the oracle for counsel. Mankind have always had a propensity to explore futurity; and, conceiving that future events were known to their gods, who possessed the gift of prophecy, they sought information and advice from the oracles, which in their opinion were supernatural and divine communications. Accordingly, every nation in which idolatry has subsisted has also had its oracles, by means of which imposture was practiced on superstition and credulity. (See Prophecy).

The principal oracles of antiquity among the Greeks were that of Abe, mentioned by Herodotus; that of Amphiaraus, at Oropus, in Macedonia; that of the Branchidae, at Didymeum; that of the camps at Lacedaemon; that of Dodona; that of Jupiter Ammon; that of Nabarca, in the country of the Anariaci, near the Caspian Sea; that of Trophonius. mentioned by Herodotus; that of Chrysopolis; that of Claros, in Ionia; that of. Amphilochus, at Mallos; that of Petarea; that of Pella, in Macedonia; that of Phaselides, in Cilicia; that of Sinope, in Paphlagonia; that of Orpheus's head at Lesbos, mentioned by Philostratus. But of all the oracles, the oracle of Apollo Pythius, at Delphi, was' the most celebrated. The responses of oracles were delivered in a variety of ways: At Delphi the priestess of Apollo was seated on a tripod over a fissure in the rock, from which issued an intoxicating vapor, under the influence of which the priestess delivered incoherent hexameter verses, which were interpreted by the priests. At Dodona the responses were uttered from beneath the shade of a venerable oak. The oracle of Tropholius was in a cavern, in which the inquirer spent the night. The god replied by visions, which were usually of so awful a character that it was said that he who had passed a night in the cave of Trophonius was never again seen to smile. Uniformly the answers of oracles were given in ambiguous terms, and capable of quite opposite and contradictory interpretations. The Romans, who had the Sibylline books, augury, and many other means of discovering the will of the gods, never adopted the oracle. The ancient Scandinavians had their oracles, and it was generally believed by all the Northern nations that the Three Destinies gave forth these oracles. Some, among whom were nearly all the fathers of the early Church, contend that these oracular responses were really given by daemons; citing as proof a host of testimonies to their truth in ancient times, the fact that all oracles died away soon after the coming of Christ, who gave to the early Church miraculous gifts by which such utterances were stopped; and arguing that much more glory is given to God by a theory which allowed the reality and continuance of diabolic power than by one which resolved all such wonders into mere fraud and imposture. Others, among whom are Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Eusebius, maintain that they were but more or less refined examples of imposture; dwelling on the ambiguity of most of the recorded responses — which indeed were so contrived that, whatever happened, the event would justify the oracle the merely traditional testimony concerning those cited as true, and observing that oracles continued after Christ, and that some of the most remarkable miracles claimed by the post-apostolic Church rest upon that continued existence. The ambiguity of the oracles in their responses, and their double meaning, contributed much to their support. But notwithstanding all these and other precautions, the heathen priests succeeded very imperfectly in maintaining the credit of the oracles.

The wiser and more sagacious of the heathen, especially in later times, held them in utter contempt. They were ridiculed by the comic poets; and the pretendedly inspired priestess was, in several instances, even popularly accused of being bribed to prophesy according to the interests of a particular party. Such was the poor success of false prophecy, even with all the aids of art, and a systematic plan of imposture, to preserve it from detection. The ancient and beautiful tradition (see Plutarch, De Oraculorunm defectu) above referred to, that immediately on our Savior's death all the heathen oracles became silent, cannot indeed be supported in the face of many testimonies of ancient writers to responses given after that time (see esp. Plutarch, De Pyth. Orac. c. xxiv); but the legend, in the sense in which it has passed into modern Christian poetry as emblematic of the triumphs of the cross, is sufficiently justified by their rapid decline in the apostolic age (comp. Strabo, 9, p. 420; Pausan. 10:7,1). See Manger, De Adyto דביר (Tr. ad Bk. 1751); Milton, Hymns On The Nativity; E. B. Browning, The Dead Pan; Schiller, Gotter Griechenlands. (See Necromancer); (See Witchcraft).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

or´a - k ' 50  : (1) A divine utterance delivered to man, usually in answer to a request for guidance. So in   2 Samuel 16:23 for דּבר , dābhar ("word," as in the Revised Version margin). The use in this passage seems to indicate that at an early period oracular utterances were sought from Yahweh by the Israelites, but the practice certainly fell into disuse at the rise of prophecy, and there are no illustrations of the means employed ( 1 Samuel 14:18 ,  1 Samuel 14:19 ,  1 Samuel 14:36-42 , etc., belong rather to Divination (which see)). In. the Revised Version margin of such passages as  Isaiah 13:1 , "oracle" is used in the titles of certain special prophecies as a substitute for Burden (which see) (משּׂא , massā' ), with considerable advantage (especially in  Lamentations 2:14 ). (2) In heathen temples "oracle" was used for the chamber in which the utterances were delivered (naturally a most sacred part of the structure). This usage, coupled with a mistake in Hebrew philology (connecting דּביר , debhı̄r , "hinder part," with דּבּר , dibbēr , "speak"), caused English Versions of the Bible to give the title "oracle" to the Most Holy Place of the Temple, in  1 Kings 6:5 , etc., following the example of Aquila, Symmachus and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) But the title is very unfortunate, as the Most Holy Place had nothing to do with the delivery of oracles, and the Revised Version (British and American) should have corrected (compare  Psalm 28:2 margin). (3) In the New Testament English Versions of the Bible employs "oracle" as the translation of λόγιον , lógion , "saying," in four places. In all, divine utterances are meant, specialized in  Acts 7:38 as the Mosaic Law ("living oracles" = "commandments enforced by the living God"), in   Romans 3:2 as the Old Testament in general, and in   Hebrews 5:12 as the revelations of Christianity (  Hebrews 6:2 ,  Hebrews 6:3 ). In  1 Peter 4:11 the meaning is debated, but probably the command is addressed to those favored by a supernatural "gift of speech." Such men must keep their own personality in the background, adding nothing of their own to the inspired message as it comes to them.