Reference: Stars
Easton
The eleven stars (Ge 37:9); the seven (Am 5:8); wandering (Jude 1:13); seen in the east at the birth of Christ, probably some luminous meteors miraculously formed for this specific purpose (Mt 2:2-10); stars worshipped (De 4:19; 2Ki 17:16; 21:3; Jer 19:13); spoken of symbolically (Nu 24:17; Re 1:16,20; 12:1). (See Astrologer.)
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And he will dream yet another dream, and he will recount it to his brethren, and he will say, Behold I dreamed a dream yet again: and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars worshipping to me.
I shall see him and not now: I shall look after him, and not near: a star came forth from Jacob, and a rod rose up from Israel and dashed in pieces the faces of Moab, and undermined all the sons of Seth.
And lest thou shalt lift up thine eyes to the heavens, and seeing the sun and the moon and the stars, all the army of the heavens, and thou wert driven and didst worship to them, and didst serve them, which Jehovah thy God divided them out to all the peoples under all the heavens.
And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah were defiled as the place of Tophet to all the houses which they burnt incense upon their roofs to all the army of the heavens, and pouring out libations to other gods
He made the seven stars and Orion, and he turned the shadow of death to the morning, and he darkened the day to night: calling to the water of the sea, and he will pour them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name:
Where is he born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the sunrising, and have come to worship him. And Herod the king having heard, was stirred up, and all Jerusalem with him. read more. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus has it been written by the prophet: And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means art thou least among the leaders of Judah for out of thee shall come forth the leader, who shall feed my people. Then Herod having secretly called for the magi, searched thoroughly from them the time of the star appearing. And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said, Having gone, examine thoroughly concerning the child; and when ye should find, announce ye to me, so that I also, having gone, will worship him. And they having heard the king went forth; and, behold the star they saw in the sunrising, it led before them, till having come, it stood above where the young child was. And seeing the star, they rejoiced with great joy exceedingly.
Fierce waves of the sea, foaming out their own shames; wandering stars, to whom the obseurity of darkness has been kept forever.
And having in his right hand seven stars: and going out of his mouth a sharp two-mouthed sword: and his sight as the sun shines in his power.
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest upon my right hand, and the seven golden chandeliers. The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches: and the seven chandeliers which thou sawest are the seven churches.
And a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman surrounded by the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Hastings
The stars form part of the Divine creation in Ge 1. They are invisible in the sunlight, but begin to appear about sunset (Ne 4:21). In poetical passages hyperbolical expressions are used concerning them. At the creation 'the morning stars sang together' (Job 38:7); at the battle between Barak and Sisera 'the stars in their courses fought against Sisera' (Jg 5:20): in the former passage it may be that the angels are described as stars (cf. Re 1:20 'the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches'). The difference of magnitude in the stars is recognized by St. Paul: 'one star differeth from another star in glory' (1Co 15:41). The stars were looked upon as innumerable: 'tell the stars, if thou be able to tell them' (Ge 15:5). The appearance of a bright particular star was supposed to portend some great event. Thus Balaam prophesied 'There shall come forth a star out of Jacob' (Nu 24:17), and this was afterwards interpreted as applying to the Epiphany star (Mt 2:2; see Star of the Magi); and so in 2Pe 1:19 we read of the day-star arising in men's hearts. Caution is given against the worship of the stars, in the legislation of Deuteronomy (De 4:19), and the punishment of death assigned for the convicted worshipper (see Host of Heaven). In Apocalyptic literature (Re 22:16) our Lord describes Himself as 'the bright, the morning star'; whilst 'they that turn many to righteousness' are to shine 'as the stars for ever and ever' (Da 12:3). The day of the Lord is to be heralded by signs in the stars as well as in the sun and moon (Lu 21:25). The appearance of shooting stars, which come out of the darkness and go back into it, is alluded to in Jude 1:13 'wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved for ever.' Special numbers of stars are mentioned; in Rev (Re 1:16; 12:1), the seven stars and twelve stars illustrate a conventional use of those numbers common in apocalyptic literature. In the OT the seven stars of the AV of Am 5:8 are the Pleiades; and the 'eleven stars' which made obeisance to Joseph in his dream are simply a conventional number to correspond with that of his brethren.
Of individual stars or constellations, the Bear (AV Arcturus), Orion, and the Pleiades occur; all three in Job 9:9; 38:31-32, the last two also in Am 5:8. The mazzaroth (Job 38:32) are most probably the signs of the Zodiac (Revised Version margin; cf. 2Ki 23:5. margin). In 2Ki 23:5 the Heb. form of the word mazzaloth is different, and RV (text) renders it 'the planets.' The chambers of the south (Job 9:9) are probably the stars of the southern hemisphere.
Of worship connected with the stars we have two notable instances. That of 'the queen of heaven' was popular in Jerusalem (Jer 7:18) immediately before the Captivity, and to the neglect of it the captives in Egypt ascribed their disasters, in an address to Jeremiah (Jer 44:15-23) at Pathros. This worship consisted of the offering of incense and drink-offerings, and the making of cakes, with her figure, apparently, upon them. This Queen of Heaven seems to have been without doubt Venus, or Istar, whose star was considered the most beautiful in the heavens. This goddess is identical with Ashtoreth or Astarte. The second instance of star-worship is one that presents some difficulty. In Amos (Am 5:26) we meet with an image of Chiun, if the word be a proper name, who is called 'the star of your god.' This passage is quoted by St. Stephen (Ac 7:43), where the expression is rendered 'the star of the god Rephan.' There seems little reason to doubt that Chiun is the same as the Assyrian Kaiw
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And he will bring him forth without, and will say, Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if thou shalt be able to count them: and he will say to him, So shall be thy seed.
I shall see him and not now: I shall look after him, and not near: a star came forth from Jacob, and a rod rose up from Israel and dashed in pieces the faces of Moab, and undermined all the sons of Seth.
And lest thou shalt lift up thine eyes to the heavens, and seeing the sun and the moon and the stars, all the army of the heavens, and thou wert driven and didst worship to them, and didst serve them, which Jehovah thy God divided them out to all the peoples under all the heavens.
From the heavens they fought; The stars from their raised ways fought with Sisera.
And he caused the obscurations to cease which the kings of Judah gave, and he will burn incense in the heights in the cities of Judah, and those being round about Jerusalem, and those burning incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations and to all the army of the heavens.
And he caused the obscurations to cease which the kings of Judah gave, and he will burn incense in the heights in the cities of Judah, and those being round about Jerusalem, and those burning incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations and to all the army of the heavens.
And we doing in the work: and half of them holding fast upon the spears from the ascending of the dawn even till the coming forth of the stars.
He made Ash-Chesil and Cimah, and the chambers of the south;
He made Ash-Chesil and Cimah, and the chambers of the south;
In the rejoicing together of the stars of morning, and all the sons of God will shout for joy?
Wilt thou bind the bands of the cluster, or wilt thou open the cords of Orion? Wilt thou bring forth the twelve signs in its time? and the great bear and his sons, wilt thou guide them?
Wilt thou bring forth the twelve signs in its time? and the great bear and his sons, wilt thou guide them?
Thou wert wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Shall those searching out the heavens, those looking upon the stars, causing to know concerning the months, now stand and save thee from what shall come upon thee?
The sons are gathering up woods, and the fathers kindling the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the queen of the heavens, and to pour out libations to other gods, to irritate me.
And they will answer Jeremiah, all the men knowing that their wives burn incense to other gods, and all the women standing, a great convocation, and all the people dwelling in the land of Egypt in Pathros, saying, The word which thou spakest to us in the name of Jehovah, we hear not to thee read more. But doing, we will do all the word which went forth from our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the heavens, to pour out libations to her, as we did, we and our fathers, our kings and our chiefs in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: and we shall be filled with bread, and we shall be well, and see not evil. From then we ceased to burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out libations to her, we wanted all things, and were consumed by sword and by famine. And when we burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and pour out libations to her, did we without our men make cakes to her, to serve her, and pour out libations to her? And Jeremiah will say to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people answering him the word, saying, The incense which ye burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your chiefs, and the people of the land, did not Jehovah remember them, and it will come up upon his heart? And Jehovah shall no more be able to lift up from the face of the evil of your doings from the face of the abominations which ye did; and your land shall be for a waste, and for an astonishment, and for a curse, without any inhabitant, as this day. From the face of what ye burned incense, and what ye sinned against Jehovah, and ye heard not to the voice of Jehovah, and in his instructions and in his laws and in his testimonies ye went not; for this, this evil befell you as this day.
And those understanding shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and those justifying many, as the stars forever and ever.
He made the seven stars and Orion, and he turned the shadow of death to the morning, and he darkened the day to night: calling to the water of the sea, and he will pour them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name:
He made the seven stars and Orion, and he turned the shadow of death to the morning, and he darkened the day to night: calling to the water of the sea, and he will pour them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah his name:
Ye lifted up the tent of your king and the statue of your images, the star of your God which he made for you.
And Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold the magi from the sunrisings arrived in Jerusalem, saying: Where is he born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the sunrising, and have come to worship him.
Where is he born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the sunrising, and have come to worship him.
And signs shall be in the sun, and moon, and stars; and upon earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and commotion resounding.
And ye took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, types which ye made to worship them: and I will transplant you beyond Babylon.
One glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for star differs from star in glory.
And we have the prophetic word more firm; which holding to, ye do well, as to a light shining in a dusty place, even till the day shine through, and the morning star spring up in your hearts:
Fierce waves of the sea, foaming out their own shames; wandering stars, to whom the obseurity of darkness has been kept forever.
And having in his right hand seven stars: and going out of his mouth a sharp two-mouthed sword: and his sight as the sun shines in his power.
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest upon my right hand, and the seven golden chandeliers. The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches: and the seven chandeliers which thou sawest are the seven churches.
And a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman surrounded by the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
I Jesus sent mine angel to testify these things to you, to the churches. I am the root and stock of David, the shining and morning star.