Reference: Seal
Easton
commonly a ring engraved with some device (Ge 38:18,25). Jezebel "wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal" (1Ki 21:8). Seals are frequently mentioned in Jewish history (De 32:34; Ne 9:38-10:1; Es 3:12; Song 8:6; Isa 8:16; Jer 22:24; 32:44, etc.). Sealing a document was equivalent to the signature of the owner of the seal. "The use of a signet-ring by the monarch has recently received a remarkable illustration by the discovery of an impression of such a signet on fine clay at Koyunjik, the site of the ancient Nineveh. This seal appears to have been impressed from the bezel of a metallic finger-ring. It is an oval, 2 inches in length by 1 inch wide, and bears the image, name, and titles of the Egyptian king Sabaco" (Rawlinson's Hist. Illus. of the O.T., p. 46). The actual signet-rings of two Egyptian kings (Cheops and Horus) have been discovered. (See Signet.)
The use of seals is mentioned in the New Testament only in connection with the record of our Lord's burial (Mt 27:66). The tomb was sealed by the Pharisees and chief priests for the purpose of making sure that the disciples would not come and steal the body away (Mt 27:63-64). The mode of doing this was probably by stretching a cord across the stone and sealing it at both ends with sealing-clay. When God is said to have sealed the Redeemer, the meaning is, that he has attested his divine mission (Joh 6:27). Circumcision is a seal, an attestation of the covenant (Ro 4:11). Believers are sealed with the Spirit, as God's mark put upon them (Eph 1:13; 4:30). Converts are by Paul styled the seal of his apostleship, i.e., they are its attestation (1Co 9:2). Seals and sealing are frequently mentioned in the book of Revelation (Re 5:1; 6:1; 7:3; 10:4; 22:10).
Illustration: Ancient Jewish Seals Illustration: Egyptian Signet-Rings
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And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, I am with child. And she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose these are, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.
Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, [and] who dwelt with Naboth.
Then the king's scribes were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it. And there was written according to all that Haman commanded to the king's satraps, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the r
Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as Sheol. The flashes of it are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.
As I live, says LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet I would pluck thee from there,
Men shall buy fields for money, and sign the deeds, and seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill-country, and in the citie
saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, After three days I am raised. Command therefore to secure the tomb until the third day, lest his disciples having come by night steal him away, and say to the people, He was raised from the dead. And the last error will be worse than the first.
And having gone, they made the tomb secure, with the security having sealed the stone.
Work not for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you, for God the Father put a seal on this man.
And he received the sign of circumcision, as a seal of the righteousness of his faith during uncircumcision, for him to be father of all those who believe during uncircumcision (for righteousness to also be imputed to them),
If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you, for ye are the seal of my apostleship in Lord.
In whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the good-news of your salvation, in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise,
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye are sealed for a day of redemption.
And I saw at the right hand of him who sits on the throne a book, written inside and outside, sealed with seven seals.
And I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. And I heard one of the four beings saying like the sound of thunder, Come and see.
saying, Do not harm the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we may seal the bondmen of our God on their foreheads.
And when the seven thunders uttered, I was going to write. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up what the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.
And he says to me, Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
Fausets
Used to stamp a document, giving it legal validity. Judah probably wore his suspended from the neck over the breast (Ge 38:18; Song 8:6; Job 38:14). As the plastic clay presents various figures impressed on it by the revolving cylinder seal (one to three inches long, of terra cotta or precious stone, such as is found in Assyria), as "it is turned," so the morning light rolling on over the earth, previously void of form through the darkness, brings out to view hills, valleys, etc. Treasures were sealed up (De 32:34); the lions' den in Daniel's case (Da 6:17); so our Lord's tomb (Mt 27:66).
Sealing up was also to ensure secrecy (Da 12:4; Re 5:1). The signet ring was the symbol of royal authority (Ge 12:20; Es 3:10; 8:10). Clay hardens in the heat, and was therefore used in Assyria and Babylon rather than wax, which melts. A stone cylinder in the Alnwick Museum bears the date of Osirtasin I, between 2,000 and 3,000 B.C. The Assyrian documents were often of baked clay, sealed while wet and burnt afterwards. Often the seal was a lump of clay impressed with a seal and tied the document. Such is the seal of Sabacho or So, king of Egypt (711 B.C.), found at Nimrud (2Ki 17:4).
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And Pharaoh gave men command concerning him. And they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had.
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound hi
And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.
And he wrote the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by post on horseback, riding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service bred of the stud,
It is changed as clay under the seal, and [all things] stand forth as a garment.
Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as Sheol. The flashes of it are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
And having gone, they made the tomb secure, with the security having sealed the stone.
And I saw at the right hand of him who sits on the throne a book, written inside and outside, sealed with seven seals.
Smith
Seal.
The importance attached to seals in the East is so great that without one no document is regarded as authentic. Among the methods of sealing used in Egypt at a very early period were engraved stones, graved stones, pierced through their length and hung by a string or chain from the arm or neck, or set in rings for the finger. The most ancient form used for this purpose was the scarabaeus, formed of precious or common stone, or even of blue pottery or porcelain, on the flat side of which the inscription or device was engraved. In many cases the seal consisted of a lump of clay, impressed with the seal and attached to the document, whether of papyrus or other material, by strings. In other cases wax was used. In sealing a sepulchre or box, the fastening was covered with clay or wax, and the impression from a seal of one in authority was stamped upon it, so that it could not be broken open without discovery. The signet-ring was an ordinary part of a man's equipment.
The ring or the seal as an emblem of authority in Egypt, Persia and elsewhere is mentioned in
Ge 41:42; 1Ki 21:8; Es 3:10,12; 8:2; Da 6:17
and as an evidence of a covenant, in
Jer 32:10,44; Ne 9:38-10:1; Hag 2:23
Engraved signets were in use among the Hebrews in early times.
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And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
And Pharaoh took his signet ring from off his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.
With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, thou shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the sons of Israel. Thou shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.
And thou shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO LORD.
And they wrought the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, engraved with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.
Then the king's scribes were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it. And there was written according to all that Haman commanded to the king's satraps, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the r
And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
And I signed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
Men shall buy fields for money, and sign the deeds, and seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill-country, and in the citie
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
In that day, says LORD of hosts, I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says LORD, and will make thee as a signet. For I have chosen thee, says LORD of hosts.
Watsons
SEAL. The ancient Hebrews wore their seals or signets, in rings on their fingers, or in bracelets on their arms, as is now the custom in the east. Haman sealed the decree of King Ahasuerus against the Jews with the king's seal, Es 3:12. The priests of Bel desired the king to seal the door of their temple with his own seal. The spouse in the Song 8:6, wishes that his spouse would wear him as a signet on her arm. Pliny observes, that the use of seals or signets was rare at the time of the Trojan war, and that they were under the necessity of closing their letters with several knots. But among the Hebrews they are much more ancient. Judah left his seal as a pledge with Tamar, Ge 38:25. Moses says, De 32:34, that God keeps sealed up in his treasuries, under his own seal, the instruments of his vengeance. Job says, Job 9:7, that he keeps the stars as under his seal, and allows them to appear when he thinks proper. He says also, "My transgression is sealed up in a bag," Job 14:7. When they intended to seal up a letter, or a book, they wrapped it round with flax, or thread, then applied the wax to it, and afterward the seal. The Lord commanded Isaiah to tie up or wrap up the book in which his prophecies were written, and to seal them till the time he should bid him publish them, Isa 8:16-17. He gives the same command to Da 12:4. The book that was shown to St. John the evangelist, Re 5:1; 6:1-2, &c, was sealed with seven seals. It was a rare thing to affix such a number of seals, but this insinuated the great importance and secrecy of the matter. In civil contracts they generally made two originals: one continued open, and was kept by him for whose interest the contract was made; the other was sealed and deposited in some public office.
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When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, I am with child. And she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose these are, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.
Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up among my treasures?
Then the king's scribes were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it. And there was written according to all that Haman commanded to the king's satraps, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the r
who commands the sun, and it does not rise, and seals up the stars,
For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch of it will not cease.
Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as Sheol. The flashes of it are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame.
Bind thou up the testimony. Seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait for LORD, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will {be a man who has trusted (LXX/NT)} in him.
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
And I saw at the right hand of him who sits on the throne a book, written inside and outside, sealed with seven seals.
And I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. And I heard one of the four beings saying like the sound of thunder, Come and see. And behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it having a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering, and so that he might conquer.