Difference between revisions of "Forehead"

<p> As the women veiled their faces, not to do so was a mark of shamelessness; "thou hadst a whore's forehead" (&nbsp;Jeremiah 3:3). The forehead is made the seat of boldness of speech and act (&nbsp;Ezekiel 3:7-9): "the house of [[Israel]] are stiff of forehead ... against their foreheads as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead." Votaries of idols branded themselves with the idol's symbol. So [[Antiochus]] [[Epiphanes]] branded the Jews with the ivy leaf, Bacchus' symbol (&nbsp;2 [[Maccabees]] 6:7; 3 Maccabees 2:29). God's seal and name are in the foreheads of His servants, the conspicuous, noblest part of man's body, the seat of the understanding, whereon the helmet, "the hope of salvation," is worn (&nbsp;Ezekiel 9:4). </p> <p> At the Exodus the mark was on the houses, for then it was families; here it is on the foreheads, for it is individuals whose safety is guaranteed by the Lord's mark. The mark on "the right hand and forehead" of the worshippers of the beast (&nbsp;Revelation 13:16) implies prostration of body and intellect to him. "In the forehead for possession, in the hand for work and service." God's name shall be "in the saints' foreheads." Their sonship shall no longer be a personal secret between them and God (&nbsp;Revelation 3:17), but shall be openly (&nbsp;Revelation 22:4) visible to all citizens of New Jerusalem's that the free flow of mutual love among Christ's family will not be checked by suspicion as here. </p> <p> Upon the harlot's (the apostate church) forehead was written "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." What a contrast to the inscription on the mitre on the high priest's forehead, "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" (&nbsp;Revelation 17:5; &nbsp;Exodus 28:36). In &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:12, "a jewel on thy forehead," rather "a ring in thy nose" (&nbsp;Isaiah 3:21). However, [[Persian]] and [[Egyptian]] women often wear jewels and strings of coins across the forehead. </p>

<p> 1. <i> aph </i> , 'nose.' &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:12 is better translated 'ring upon thy nose.' </p> <p> 2. <i> metsach, </i> μέτωπον, used as a symbol of manifest character. Israel in apostasy is described as having a harlot's forehead, and refusing to be ashamed. &nbsp;Jeremiah 3:3 . Ezekiel's forehead was made as hardas adamant, because of the hardness of Israel's forehead, with whom he had to contend. &nbsp;Ezekiel 3:8,9 . [[Aaron]] wore a plate of gold on his forehead, with 'Holiness to the Lord' engraved thereon, that he might bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel should offer. &nbsp;Exodus 28:36-38 . God set a mark upon the foreheads of those that sighed and cried for the abominations that were done in Jerusalem, and the rest of the inhabitants were to be slain. &nbsp;Ezekiel 9:4,6 . So, in a future day the servants of God will have His mark in their foreheads; Satan will also cause his followers to have a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads. All will then have to be manifest as to whom they belong. &nbsp;Revelation 7:3; &nbsp;Revelation 9:4; &nbsp;Revelation 13:16; Rev.14:1,9; Rev.17:5; Rev.20:4. </p>

<p> '''Forehead.''' The practice of veiling the face, (forehead), in public for women of the high classes, especially married women, in the East, sufficiently stigmatizes with reproach the unveiled face of women of bad character. &nbsp;Genesis 24:64; &nbsp;Jeremiah 3:3. </p> <p> The custom among many Oriental nations, both of coloring the face and forehead, and of impressing on the body marks indicative of devotion to some special deity or religious sect, is mentioned elsewhere. The "jewels for the forehead," mentioned by Ezekiel, &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:12, and in margin of the Authorized Version, &nbsp;Genesis 24:22, were in all probability nose-rings. &nbsp;Isaiah 3:21. </p>

<div> '''1: μέτωπον ''' (Strong'S #3359 — Noun Neuter — metopon — met'-o-pon ) </div> <p> from meta, "with," and ops, "an eye," occurs only in the Apocalypse, 7:3; 9:4; 13:16; 14:1,9; 17:5; 20:4; 22:4. </p>

<p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' n.) The front of that part of the head which incloses the brain; that part of the face above the eyes; the brow. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' n.) The aspect or countenance; assurance. </p> <p> '''(3):''' ''' (''' n.) The front or fore part of anything. </p>

<p> '''''for´ed''''' ( מצח , <i> '''''mēcaḥ''''' </i> ; μέτωπον , <i> '''''métōpon''''' </i> ): </p> <p> (1) In a literal sense the word is used frequently in the Scriptures. Aaron and after him every high priest was to wear on the forehead the golden frontlet having the engraved motto, "Holy to Yahweh" (&nbsp; Exodus 28:36 , &nbsp;Exodus 28:38 ). The condition of the forehead was an important criterion in the diagnosis of leprosy by the priest (&nbsp;Leviticus 13:42 , &nbsp;Leviticus 13:43; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 26:20 ). It was in the forehead that brave young David smote [[Goliath]] with the stone from his sling (&nbsp;1 Samuel 17:49 ). The faulty translation of the King James Version in &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:12 has been corrected in the Revised Version (British and American), reference being had in the passage to a nose-ring, not to an ornament of the forehead. While the cutting or tattooing of the body was strictly forbidden to the [[Israelite]] on account of the heathen associations of the custom (&nbsp; Leviticus 19:28 ), we find frequent mention made of markings on the forehead, which were especially used to designate slaves (see Philo, <i> De [[Monarchia]] </i> , I) or devotees of a godhead (Lucian, De [[Syria]] Dea, 59). In 3 Macc 2:29 we read that [[Ptolemy]] Iv P hilopator branded some Jews with the sign of an ivy leaf, marking them as devotees of Bacchus-Dionysos. Possibly we may compare herewith the translation of &nbsp;Isaiah 44:5 (Revised Version margin): "And another shall write on his hand, Unto Yahweh" (or Yahweh's <i> slave </i> ). Very clear is the passage &nbsp;Ezekiel 9:4 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 9:6 (and perhaps &nbsp; Job 31:35 ), where the word used for "mark" is <i> '''''tāw''''' </i> , the name of the last letter of the [[Hebrew]] alphabet which in its earliest form has the shape of an upright plus sign (Baal [[Lebanon]] Inscr; 11th century bc) or of a lying (St Andrew's) cross X (Moabite Inscr, 9th century bc), the simplest sign in the old Israelite alphabet, and at the same time the character which in the Greek alphabet represents the X, the initial of Christ. In the New Testament we find a clear echo of the above-mentioned Old Testament passage, the marking of the foreheads of the righteous (&nbsp;Revelation 7:3; &nbsp;Revelation 9:4; &nbsp;Revelation 14:1; &nbsp;Revelation 22:4 ). The godless followers of the beast are marked on the (right) hand and on the forehead (&nbsp;Revelation 13:16; &nbsp;Revelation 14:9; &nbsp;Revelation 20:4 ), and the apocalyptic woman dressed in scarlet and purple has her name written on her forehead (&nbsp;Revelation 17:5 ). </p> <p> (2) In a metaphorical sense the expression, "a harlot's forehead," is used (&nbsp; Jeremiah 3:3 ) to describe the shameless apostasy and faithlessness of Israel. Ezek speaks of the stiff-necked obstinacy and the persistent unwillingness of Israel to hear the message of Yahweh: "All the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart" (&nbsp;Jeremiah 3:7 ), and God makes his prophet's "forehead hard ... as an adamant harder than flint," whereby an unflinching loyalty to God and a complete disregard of opposition is meant (&nbsp;Jeremiah 3:8 , &nbsp;Jeremiah 3:9 ). Compare the phrase: "to harden the face," under the word [[Face]] . </p>

<p> The custom among many Oriental nations both of coloring the face and forehead, and of impressing on the body marks indicative of devotion to some special deity or religious sect is mentioned by various writers (Burckhardt, Notes on Bed. 1:51; Niebuhr, Tray. 2:57; Wilkinson, Anc. Eg. 2:342; Lane, Modern Eg. 1:66). Sometimes it extends to serious inflictions. (See [[Cuttings In The Flesh]]). It is doubtless alluded to in Revelation (&nbsp;Revelation 13:16-17; &nbsp;Revelation 14:9; &nbsp;Revelation 17:5; &nbsp;Revelation 20:4), and in the opposite direction by Ezekiel (&nbsp;Ezekiel 9:4-6), and in Revelation (&nbsp;Revelation 7:3; &nbsp;Revelation 9:4; &nbsp;Revelation 14:1; &nbsp;Revelation 22:4). The mark mentioned by Ezekiel with approval has been supposed by some to be the figure of the cross, said to be denoted by the word here used, תָּ• <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These files are public domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Forehead'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and [[Ecclesiastical]] Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/f/forehead.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870. </p> </div> </p>

<p> Marks upon the forehead, for the purpose of distinguishing the holy from the profane, are mentioned in , and again in . </p> <p> The classical idolaters used to consecrate themselves to particular deities on the same principle. The marks used on these occasions were various. Sometimes they contained the name of the god; sometimes his particular ensign, or else they marked themselves with some mystical number whereby the god was described. </p> <p> If this analogy be admitted, the mark on the forehead may be taken to be derived from the analogous custom among the heathen of bearing on their forehead the mark of the gods whose votaries they were. Some, however, would rather understand the allusion to refer to the custom of marking cattle, and even slaves, with the sign of ownership. </p>