Reference: Head
Hastings
Not the head but the heart was regarded as the seat of intellect; it was, however, the seat of life, and was naturally held in honour. Hence phrases such as 'keeper of my head' (1Sa 28:2; cf. Ps 140:7), 'swearing by the head' (Mt 5:36), and the metaphorical use, common to all languages, as equivalent to 'chief.' In De 28:13; Isa 9:14, we find 'head and tail' as a proverbial expression. Christ is the head of the Church (Eph 4:15; Col 1:18; 2:19), as man is of the woman (Eph 5:23). To lift up the head is to grant success (Ps 27:6; 110:7; Ge 41:13, where there is an obvious ironical parallel in Ge 41:19). The hand on the head was a sign of mourning (2Sa 13:19; Jer 2:37); so dust or ashes (2Sa 1:2; La 2:10); or covering the head (2Sa 15:30; Jer 14:3). On the other hand, to uncover the head, i.e. to loose the turban and leave the hair in disorder, was also a sign of mourning (see AV and Revised Version margin, Le 10:6; 13:45; Eze 24:17). Similarly shaving the head, a common practice in the East (Job 1:20; Isa 15:2; 22:12; Eze 7:18; Am 8:10); it was forbidden to priests (Le 21:5), and, in special forms, to all Israelites (Le 19:27; De 14:1). It might also mark the close of a period of mourning (De 21:12), or of a Nazirite's vow (Nu 6:9; Ac 18:18), or of a Levite's purification (Nu 8:7). In De 32:42 there is a reference to the warrior's long hair, Revised Version margin. Laying hands on the head was (a) part of the symbolism of sacrifice (Le 16:21), (b) a sign of blessing (Ge 48:14), (c) a sign of consecration or ordination (Nu 27:23; Ac 6:6). In 2Ki 2:3 the reference seems to be to the pupil sitting at the feet of his master. 'Head' is also used, like 'face,' as a synonym for 'self' (Ps 7:16; and probably Pr 25:22; Ro 12:20).
C. W. Emmet.
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And it happened just as he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and him he hanged."
And behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, very {ugly and gaunt}--never have I seen [any] as them in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.
And Israel stretched out his right hand and put [it] on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.
Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "You must not let your hair hang loosely, and you must not tear your garments, so that you will not die and he will be angry with all the community. But your brothers, all the house of Israel, may weep [because of] {the burning that Yahweh caused},
"As for the person who is afflicted with a skin disease, his garments must be torn and his {hair} must [be allowed to] hang loosely, and he must cover [his] upper lip, and he must call out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'
And Aaron shall place his two hands on the living goat's head, and he shall confess over it all the {Israelites}' iniquities and all their transgressions for all their sins, and he shall put them on the goat's head, and he shall send [it] away into the desert {with} a man [standing] ready.
You shall not round off the corner [hair] of your head, and you shall not trim the corner of your beard.
" 'And they shall not shave bald patches on their head, and they shall not shave off the corner of their beard, and they shall not make a cut in their body.
" 'If someone dies suddenly and makes the head of his separation unclean, he will shave off [the hair of] his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he will shave it off.
So you will do to them, to purify them: sprinkle on them waters of purification, and {they will shave their whole body} and wash their garments.
And he placed his hands on him and {commissioned him} just as Yahweh spoke by the hand of Moses.
"You [are] children of Yahweh your God; [therefore] you must not gash yourself, and {you must not make your forehead bald} for [the] dead.
then you shall bring her into your household, and she shall shave her head, and she shall trim her nails.
And Yahweh shall make you as head and not the tail, and you shall be only at the top [of the nations], and you shall not be at the bottom, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I [am] commanding you {today} {and diligently observe them}.
I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain, and captives from the heads of the leaders of [the] enemy.'
David said to Achish, "Very well, you will know what your servant can do." Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you {my bodyguard} for life."
On the third day, a man came from the camp from [being with] Saul, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. {When he came} to David, he fell to the ground and bowed down.
Tamar put ashes on her head, and she tore the long-sleeved robe which [was] on her. She put her hand on her head, and {she went away, crying out as she went}.
Now David [was] going up on the Ascent of the Olives, {weeping as he went}, with his head covered and going barefoot. All the people who [were] with him each covered their head {and wept as they went}.
Then the sons of the prophets who [were in] Bethel came out to Elisha, and they said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh [is] going to take your master {from you} today?" He said, "I also know; be quiet!"
Then Job arose and tore his outer garment and shaved his head; {then} he fell upon the ground and he worshiped.
His trouble comes back on his head, and his violence comes down on his skull.
And now my head will be high over my enemies round about me. And I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
He will drink from [the] stream by the road; therefore he will lift up [his] head.
O Yahweh, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in [the] day of battle.
For coals of fire you will heap upon his head, and Yahweh will reward you.
So Yahweh cut off head and tail from Israel, palm branch and reed [in] one day.
It has gone up [to] the house, and Dibon [to] the high places for weeping over Nebo, and Moab wails over Medeba. {Every head is bald}, every beard [is] shaved.
And the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, called on that day for weeping and mourning, and for baldness and girding {with} sackcloth.
Also from there you will come out with your hands on your head, for Yahweh has rejected {those in whom you trust}, and you will not prosper through them.
And their nobles send their servants for water. They come to [the] pits, they find no water. They return [with] their vessels {empty}. They are ashamed, and they are confounded, and they cover their heads.
They sit on the ground, the elders of the daughter of Zion are silent. They cast dust on their head, they have put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their head down to the ground.
And they will wear sackcloth, and horror will cover them, and on all of [the] faces [will be] shame, and baldness on all of their heads.
Sigh in silence [for the] dead; you shall not make a mourning ceremony. Bind your turban on you, and you must put your sandals on your feet. You must not cover your [upper] lip, and the bread of {mourners} you shall not eat."
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all of your songs into lament, and I will put sackcloth on all loins and baldness on every head. And I will make it like the mourning for an only child, and its end like a bitter day.
And do not swear by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.
whom they stood before the apostles. And they prayed [and] placed [their] hands on them.
So Paul, [after] remaining many days longer, said farewell to the brothers [and] sailed away to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved [his] head at Cenchrea, because he had [taken] a vow.
But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him [something] to drink; for [by] doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head."
But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him [with reference to] all [things], who is the head, Christ,
because [the] husband is [the] head of the wife, as also Christ [is the] head of the church (he himself [being the] Savior of the body).
and he himself is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in everything,
and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by the ligaments and sinews, grows with the growth of God.
Morish
Besides the common use of this as 'chief,' referring to the heads of families and heads of tribes, the word was used symbolically of government and power, as when God declared that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's 'head.' Ge 3:15. In the N.T. the term ?????? is employed for the relative position of man in nature, and of Christ and of God: the head of the woman is the man; the head of every man is Christ; and the head of Christ is God. 1Co 11:3. In another connection Christ is the head of the church, Eph 5:23; Col 1:18; and He is head over all things to the church. Eph 1:22; Col 2:10. As head of the church Christ removes entirely every other controlling or guiding authority. As the head of a man guides and controls his body, so Christ has the complete control over His church.
In Re 12:3 the 'head' symbolises a form of power or kingdom; and in Re 17:3,9, the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, representing Rome, which was commonly described as built upon seven hills, and the woman signifies Papal Rome.
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And I will put hostility between you and between the woman, and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will strike you [on the] head, and you will strike him [on the] heel."
But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man [is the] head of the woman, and [the] head of Christ [is] God.
and he subjected all [things] under his feet and gave him [as] head over all [things] to the church,
because [the] husband is [the] head of the wife, as also Christ [is the] head of the church (he himself [being the] Savior of the body).
and he himself is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in everything,
and you are filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority,
And another sign appeared in heaven, and behold, a great fiery red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads [were] seven royal headbands.
And he carried me away into the wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
Here [is] the mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains {on which the woman sits} and they are seven kings.
Watsons
HEAD. This word has several significations, beside its natural one, which denotes the head of a man. It is sometimes used in Scripture for the whole man: "Blessings are upon the head of the just," Pr 10:6.; that is, upon their persons. God says of the wicked, "I will recompense their way upon their head," Ezekiel 9., 10. It signifies a chief or capital city: "The head of Syria is Damascus," Isa 7:8. It denotes a chief or principal member in society: "The Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail. The ancient and honourable, he is the head," Isa 9:14-15. "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent," Ge 3:15; that is, Christ Jesus, the blessed seed of the woman, shall overthrow the power, policy, and works of the devil. The river in paradise was divided into four heads or branches. In times of grief, the mourners covered their heads: they cut and plucked off their hair. Amos, speaking of unhappy times, says, "I will bring baldness upon every head," Am 8:10. In prosperity, they anointed their heads with sweet oils: "Let thy head lack no" perfumed "ointment," Ec 9:8. To shake the head at any one, expresses contempt: "The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee," Isa 37:22.
Head is taken for one that hath rule and preeminence over others. Thus God is the head of Christ; as Mediator, from him he derives all his dignity and authority. Christ is the only spiritual head of the church, both in respect of eminence and influence; he communicates life, motion, and strength to every believer. Also the husband is the head of his wife, because by God's ordinance he is to rule over her, Ge 3:16; also in regard to pre- eminence of sex, 1Pe 3:7, and excellency of knowledge, 1Co 14:35. The Apostle mentions this subordination of persons in 1Co 11:3: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God." "The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner," Ps 118:22. It was the first in the angle, whether it were disposed at the top of that angle to adorn and crown it, or at the bottom to support it. This, in the New Testament is applied to Christ, who is the strength and beauty of the church, to unite the several parts of it, namely, both Jews and Gentiles together.
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And I will put hostility between you and between the woman, and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will strike you [on the] head, and you will strike him [on the] heel." To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase {your pain in childbearing}; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband [shall be] your desire. And he shall rule over you."
[The] stone the builders rejected has become [the] chief cornerstone.
Blessings [belong] to the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Always be clothed in white garments, and never let your head lack oil!
For the head of Aram [is] Damascus, and the head of Damascus [is] Rezin, and in sixty-five years from now Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
So Yahweh cut off head and tail from Israel, palm branch and reed [in] one day. Elders and {the respectable} [are] the head, and prophets who teach lies [are] the tail.
this [is] the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him: She shows contempt for you; she derides you, virgin daughter of Zion; she shakes [her] head behind you, daughter of Jerusalem.
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all of your songs into lament, and I will put sackcloth on all loins and baldness on every head. And I will make it like the mourning for an only child, and its end like a bitter day.
But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man [is the] head of the woman, and [the] head of Christ [is] God.
But if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
Husbands, in the same way live with [your wives] {knowledgeably}, as with the weaker female vessel, showing [them] honor as fellow heirs also of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.