Reference: Teraphim
American
Small idols or superstitious figures, from the possession, adoration, and consultation of which extraordinary benefits were expected. See margin 2Ki 23.24; Eze 21.21. The Eastern people are still much addicted to this superstition of talismans. The ancient teraphim appear to have been household gods, and their worship was sometimes blended with that of Jehovah, Jg 17. They seem in one case to have resembled the human form in shape and size, 1Sa 19:13,16. The images of Rachel,
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Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, - so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,
But, now, though thou, didst even take thy journey, because thou, didst sorely long, for the house of thy father,, wherefore didst thou steal away my gods?
Now, the man Micah, had a house of gods, - and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.
Then responded the five men who had been to spy out the land of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Know ye that there are in these houses, an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image, - now, therefore, know what ye will do!
Then was the heart of the priest glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, - and came into the midst of the people.
And Michal took the household god, and put it in the bed, and, a fly-net of goats-hair, put she at its head, - and covered it with the clothes.
And, when the messengers entered, lo! the household god in the bed, - with a fly-net of goats-hair at its head.
For, many days, shall the sons of Israel tarry, without king, and without ruler, and without sacrifice, and without pillar; and without ephod, or household gods.
Easton
givers of prosperity, idols in human shape, large or small, analogous to the images of ancestors which were revered by the Romans. In order to deceive the guards sent by Saul to seize David, Michal his wife prepared one of the household teraphim, putting on it the goat's-hair cap worn by sleepers and invalids, and laid it in a bed, covering it with a mantle. She pointed it out to the soldiers, and alleged that David was confined to his bed by a sudden illness (1Sa 19:13-16). Thus she gained time for David's escape. It seems strange to read of teraphim, images of ancestors, preserved for superstitious purposes, being in the house of David. Probably they had been stealthily brought by Michal from her father's house. "Perhaps," says Bishop Wordsworth, "Saul, forsaken by God and possessed by the evil spirit, had resorted to teraphim (as he afterwards resorted to witchcraft); and God overruled evil for good, and made his very teraphim (by the hand of his own daughter) to be an instrument for David's escape.", Deane's David, p. 32. Josiah attempted to suppress this form of idolatry (2Ki 23:24). The ephod and teraphim are mentioned together in HO 3:4. It has been supposed by some (Cheyne's Hosea) that the "ephod" here mentioned, and also in Jg 8:24-27, was not the part of the sacerdotal dress so called (Ex 28:6-14), but an image of Jehovah overlaid with gold or silver (comp. Jg 17; 17:13; 9/type/emb'>1Sa 21:9; 23:6,9; 30:7-8), and is thus associated with the teraphim. (See Thummim.)
Illustration: Teraphim
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And they shall make the ephod, - of gold, blue and purple crimson and fine-twined linen, the work of a skilful weaver. Two joining shoulderpieces, shall there be to it upon the two extremities thereof that it may be joined together, read more. And the curious band for fastening it, that is upon it, like the work thereof of the same, shall it be, - of gold blue and purple and crimson and fine-twined linen, And thou shalt take two onyx stones, - and engrave upon them the names of the sons of Israel: six of their names, on the one stone, - and the names of the six that remain, on the second stone according to their births: with the work of a stone engraver, like seal-ring engravings, shalt thou engrave the two stones, after the names of the sons of Israel, - to be encircled with settings of gold, shalt thou make them. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulderpieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, - so shall Aaron bear their names before Yahweh upon his two shoulders, for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold; and two chains of pure gold, like cord, shalt thou make them, of wreathen work, and thou shalt put the wreathen chains on the ouches.
And Gideon said unto them - I would make to you a request, Give me, then, every man the nose-ring of his spoil. For they had, nose-rings of gold, for, Ishmaelites, they were. And they said, We will, freely give. So they spread out a mantle, and cast therein, every man the nose-ring of his spoil. read more. And so it was, that the weight of the nose-rings of gold which he requested, was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, - besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the raiment of purple that were upon the kings of Midian, and besides the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels. And Gideon made thereof an Ephod, and set it up in his own city, in Ophrah, and all Israel went unchastely astray after it there, - so it became, to Gideon and to his house, a snare.
And Michal took the household god, and put it in the bed, and, a fly-net of goats-hair, put she at its head, - and covered it with the clothes. And, when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said - He is, sick. read more. So Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, - Bring him up in the bed unto me, that I may put him to death. And, when the messengers entered, lo! the household god in the bed, - with a fly-net of goats-hair at its head.
And the priest said: The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou didst smite in the vale of Elah, lo! that, is wrapped up in a cloth, behind the ephod, if, that, thou wilt take to thee, take it, for there is no other, save that, here. And David said - There is none, like it, give it me.
Now it came to pass, when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled unto David to Keilah, that he came down with, an ephod, in his hand.
And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, - so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
Then said David to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Do bring near me, I pray thee, the ephod. So Abiathar brought near the ephod, unto David. And David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake it? And he said unto him: Pursue, for thou shalt, overtake, and thou shalt, rescue.
Moreover also, them who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the household gods, and the manufactured gods, and the abominations which were to be seen in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah consume, - that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh.
Fausets
(See IDOL.) Sometimes left untranslated; elsewhere "images ... idolatry" (Ge 31:19,30,34; 35:2, "strange gods".) Worshipped by Abram's kindred in Mesopotamia (Jos 24:14). Images in human form; Maurer thinks busts, cut off at the waist, from taaraph "to cut off," tutelary household gods; small enough to be hidden beneath the camel's furniture or palanquin on which Rachel sat. Michal put them in David's bed to look like him (1Sa 19:13; Jg 17:5; 18:14,17-18,20). Condemned as idolatrous (1Sa 15:23; 2Ki 23:24).
Used for divination (Eze 21:21; Zec 10:2), and to secure good fortune to a house, as the penates. From Arabic tarafa, "to enjoy the good things of life," according to Gesenius. The Syriac teraph means "to inquire" of an oracle, Hebrew toreph "an inquirer" (Ho 3:4-5). The Israelites used the teraphim for magic purposes and divination, side by side with the worship of Jehovah. Related perhaps to seraphim, the recognized symbol attending Jehovah; so perverted into a private idol meant to represent Him, a talisman whereby to obtain responses, instead of by the lawful priesthood through the Urim and Thummim. (See GATE.)
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Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, - so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,
But, now, though thou, didst even take thy journey, because thou, didst sorely long, for the house of thy father,, wherefore didst thou steal away my gods?
Now Rachel, had taken the household gods and put them in the basket-saddle of the camel, and taken her seat upon them. And Laban felt about throughout all the tent, and found them not.
And Jacob said unto his house, and unto all who were with him, - Put away the gods of the alien which are in your midst, and purify yourselves, and change your garments;
Now, therefore, revere ye Yahweh, and serve him, in sincerity and in truth, - and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve ye Yahweh.
Now, the man Micah, had a house of gods, - and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.
Then responded the five men who had been to spy out the land of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Know ye that there are in these houses, an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image, - now, therefore, know what ye will do!
Then went up the five men who had been to spy out the land, they came in thither, they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, - now, the priest, was standing at the entrance of the gate, with the six hundred men who were begirt with weapons of war. But, when, these, had entered the house of Micah, and taken the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What are ye doing?
Then was the heart of the priest glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, - and came into the midst of the people.
For, as the sin of divination, is, rebelliousness, - and, as transgression with household gods, is, stubbornness, - Because thou hast rejected the word of Yahweh, therefore hath he rejected thee from being king.
And Michal took the household god, and put it in the bed, and, a fly-net of goats-hair, put she at its head, - and covered it with the clothes.
For the king of Babylon hath come tea stand At the parting of the way. At the head of the two ways To divine a divination:He hath shaken with arrows He hath asked of the household gods, He hath inspected the liver.
For, many days, shall the sons of Israel tarry, without king, and without ruler, and without sacrifice, and without pillar; and without ephod, or household gods. Afterwards, shall the sons of Israel return, and seek Yahweh their God, and David their king, - and shall turn with throbbing hearts unto Yahweh and unto his goodness, in the afterpart of the days.
For, the household gods, have spoken vanity, and, the diviners, have had vision of falsehood, and, deceitful dreams, do they relate, vainly, do they console, - for this reason, have they moved about like a flock, they suffer ill, because there is no shepherd.
Hastings
Morish
This is a Hebrew word in the plural. It refers to domestic idols, as for instance those Rachel stole from her father; there the word, as elsewhere, is translated 'images' with'teraphim' in the margin. Ge 31:19,34-35. Michal the wife of David had one in her house, and laid it in the bed when David escaped. 1Sa 19:13,16. Micah also had them in his house, and regarded them as 'gods.' Jg 17:5; 18:14-20. They were used in some way for divination, and are included among the images and idols which Josiah cleared from the land. 2Ki 23:24; Eze 21:21; Zec 10:2. In Ho 3:4 the Jews are described as having neither king, nor prince, nor sacrifice, nor image, nor ephod, nor teraphim
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Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, - so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,
Now Rachel, had taken the household gods and put them in the basket-saddle of the camel, and taken her seat upon them. And Laban felt about throughout all the tent, and found them not. And she said unto her father, Let it not be vexing in the eyes of my lord that I cannot rise up at thy presence, for, the way of women, is upon me. So he made search, but found not the household gods,
Now, the man Micah, had a house of gods, - and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.
Then responded the five men who had been to spy out the land of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Know ye that there are in these houses, an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image, - now, therefore, know what ye will do! So they turned aside thither, and entered into the house of the young man the Levite, the house of Micah, - and asked him of his welfare. read more. Now, the six hundred men, begirt with weapons of war, were standing at the entrance of the gate, - they being of the sons of Dan. Then went up the five men who had been to spy out the land, they came in thither, they took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, - now, the priest, was standing at the entrance of the gate, with the six hundred men who were begirt with weapons of war. But, when, these, had entered the house of Micah, and taken the graven image and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them, What are ye doing? And they said unto him - Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and become to us a father and a priest, - is it better that thou be priest to the house of one man, or that thou be priest to a tribe and to a family in Israel? Then was the heart of the priest glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, - and came into the midst of the people.
And Michal took the household god, and put it in the bed, and, a fly-net of goats-hair, put she at its head, - and covered it with the clothes.
And, when the messengers entered, lo! the household god in the bed, - with a fly-net of goats-hair at its head.
Moreover also, them who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the household gods, and the manufactured gods, and the abominations which were to be seen in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah consume, - that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh.
For the king of Babylon hath come tea stand At the parting of the way. At the head of the two ways To divine a divination:He hath shaken with arrows He hath asked of the household gods, He hath inspected the liver.
For, many days, shall the sons of Israel tarry, without king, and without ruler, and without sacrifice, and without pillar; and without ephod, or household gods.
For, the household gods, have spoken vanity, and, the diviners, have had vision of falsehood, and, deceitful dreams, do they relate, vainly, do they console, - for this reason, have they moved about like a flock, they suffer ill, because there is no shepherd.
Smith
Teraphim.
This word occurs only in the plural, and denotes images connected with magical rites. The derivation of the name is obscure. In one case --
--a single statue seems to be intended by the plural. The teraphim, translated "images" in the Authorized Version, carried away from Laban by Rachel were regarded by Laban as gods, and it would therefore appear that they were used by those who added corru
Teraphim were consulted for oracular answers by the Israelites,
comp. Judg 18:5,6; 1Sam 15:22,23; 19:13,16, LXX., and 2Kin 23:24 and by the Babylonians in the case of Nebuchadnezzar.
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So they said unto him - Ask of God, we pray thee, - that we may know whether the journey on which we are going shall have good success. And the priest said unto them - Go! and prosper, - before Yahweh, is your journey on which ye go.
And Michal took the household god, and put it in the bed, and, a fly-net of goats-hair, put she at its head, - and covered it with the clothes.
And, when the messengers entered, lo! the household god in the bed, - with a fly-net of goats-hair at its head.
Moreover also, them who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the household gods, and the manufactured gods, and the abominations which were to be seen in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah consume, - that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Yahweh.
Thou, therefore son of man. Appoint thee two ways For the sword of the king of Babylon to enter, Out of one land shall those two ways come, - And a hand, engrave thou, At the head of the way to the city, engrave it.; A way, shalt thou appoint, for the sword to enter. Even to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, - And to Judah against Jerusalem, the defenced, read more. For the king of Babylon hath come tea stand At the parting of the way. At the head of the two ways To divine a divination:He hath shaken with arrows He hath asked of the household gods, He hath inspected the liver. On his right hand, hath come the divination - Jerusalem! To plant battering-rams. To open a hole by breach To lift up the voice with a war-shout, - To plant battering-rams against the gates, To cast up an earth-work To bud a siege-wall.
For, the household gods, have spoken vanity, and, the diviners, have had vision of falsehood, and, deceitful dreams, do they relate, vainly, do they console, - for this reason, have they moved about like a flock, they suffer ill, because there is no shepherd.
Watsons
TERAPHIM. It is said, Ge 31:19, that Rachel had stolen the images (teraphim) of her father. What then were these teraphim? The Septuagint translate this word by "oracle," and sometimes by "vain figures." Aquila generally translates it by figures." It appears, indeed, from all the passages in which this word is used, that they were idols or superstitious figures. Some Jewish writers tell us the teraphim were human heads placed in niches, and consulted by way of oracles. Others think they were talismans or figures of metal cast and engraven under certain aspects of the planets, to which they ascribed extraordinary effects. All the eastern people are much addicted to this superstition, and the Persians still call them telefin, a name nearly approaching to teraphim. M. Jurieu supposes them to have been a sort of dii penates, or household gods; and this appears to be, perhaps, the most probable opinion.
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Now, Laban, had gone, to shear his sheep, - so Rachel stole the household gods that belonged to her father,