Teraphim in the Bible

Meaning: images; idols

Exact Match

And Laban had gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the teraphim that belonged to her father.

Verse ConceptsCriminalsHousehold GodsSheepStealingSuffering, Causes OfSheep ShearingRobbing Gods

Now Rachel had taken the teraphim and put them under the camel's saddle; and she sat upon them. And Laban explored all the tent, but found nothing.

Verse ConceptsHousehold GodsPeople Sitting DownSeeking For Concrete ThingsNot Findinghidingstatues

And she said to her father, Let it not be an occasion of anger in the eyes of my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for it is with me after the manner of women. And he searched carefully, but did not find the teraphim.

Verse ConceptsMenstruationBleedingSeeking For Concrete ThingsNot FindingNot Able To Get Upwomanhood

And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Verse ConceptsephodsPriests, Institution In Ot TimesShrinesConsecration

Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

Verse ConceptsFive People

And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.

Verse ConceptsDishonesty, Examples OfFive PeopleSix To Seven HundredStanding In The GatewaySix Hundred And Above

And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?

Verse ConceptsHousehold GodsCarvingWhat Do You Do?

And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

Verse ConceptsRobbing Gods

Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes.

Verse ConceptsHairsHairclothThose Who Deceived

When the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head.

Verse ConceptsHaircloth

Moreover the necromancers and the soothsayers, and the teraphim and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Josiah took away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkijah the priest had found in the house of Jehovah.

Verse ConceptsAbolitionHousehold GodsMediumsSpiritismFortunetellingSpiritism AvoidedAbandoning IdolsThe Law Given To IsraelOccultismwitchespsychics

For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows to and fro, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.

Verse ConceptsLiversMagical Arts, Practice OfArrows, Uses OfHousehold GodsPeople Shaking

For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without statue, and without ephod and teraphim.

Verse ConceptsephodsJudaismPrincesStonesObelisksAvoiding IdolatryNo King

For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams: they comfort in vain. Therefore they have gone away as a flock, they are in distress, because there is no shepherd.

Verse ConceptsAstrologyFutilityencouragement, examples ofdiscouragementGuidance, Need For God'sHousehold GodsPeace, Human Destruction OfRestlessnessSheepSorcery And MagicVisionsDivinationWanderersMisleading DreamsProphesying LiesNo ComfortDreams And False Prophets

Thematic Bible



Jacob said to his family and those who were with him: Get rid of the foreign gods that you have. Wash yourselves until you are ritually clean. Change your clothes. After that let us go to Bethel. I will make an altar there to God, who answered me when I was troubled and who has been with me wherever I have gone. So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings. He buried them under the oak (big) tree near Shechem.

Rachel said to her father: Do not be angry, Father, but I cannot get up to greet you. I am having my period. So even though Laban had made a thorough search, he did not find the idols. Jacob lost his temper. What crime have I committed? he asked angrily. What law have I broken that gives you the right to hunt me down? Now that you have searched through all my belongings, what household article have you found that belongs to you? Put it out here where your men and mine can see it. Let them decide which one of us is right. read more.
I have been with you now for twenty years. Your sheep and your goats have not failed to reproduce. I have not even eaten any rams from your flocks. I always absorbed the loss when wild animals killed a sheep. I did not take it to you to show that it was not my fault. You demanded that I make good anything that was stolen during the day or during the night.


Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.

The five men who had gone to spy on the country around Laish said to their companions: Did you know that here in one of these houses there is a wooden idol covered with silver? There are also other idols and an ephod. Consider what you should do.

The five spies went straight into the house. They took the wooden idol covered with silver, the other idols, and the ephod. The priest stayed at the gate with the six hundred armed men. The men went into Micah's house and took the sacred objects. The priest asked them: What are you doing? They told him: Be quiet. Do not say a word. Come with us and be our priest and adviser. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel? read more.
This filled the priest with joy. He took the sacred objects and went along with them.


When Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household idols.

It appears that you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house. But why have you taken my gods? Jacob answered Laban: I was afraid you might take your daughters from me by force. As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death. Make a search in front of us all for what is yours, and take it. Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken them. read more.
So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there. He left Leah's tent and went into Rachel's. Rachel took the images. She put them in the camels' basket and was seated on them. Laban searched through the tent and did not find them. Rachel said to her father: Do not be angry, Father, but I cannot get up to greet you. I am having my period. So even though Laban had made a thorough search, he did not find the idols.


References

Hastings

Easton

American

Fausets

Morish

Smith

Watsons