Basic HTML Version
my pilgrimage … have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers
…” (Gen. 47:9).
P
PALM (OF HAND)
A. Noun.
( , 3709), “palm (of hand).” Cognates of this noun are attested in Akkadian,
Ugaritic, Aramaic, Arabic, Ethiopic, and Egyptian. It appears about 193 times in biblical
Hebrew and at all periods.
Basically,
represents the “palm,” the hollow part of the hand as distinguished
from its fingers, thumbs, and back. Thus we read that part of the ritual for cleansing a
leper is that a “priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own
left hand” (Lev. 14:15).
The word represents the entire inside of the hand when it is cupped, or the “hollow of
the hand.” God told Moses: “… While my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift
of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by” (Exod. 33:22; cf. Ps.
139:5).
This word means fist, specifically the inside of a fist. The woman of Zarephath told
Elijah: “… I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse
…” (1 Kings 17:12). This was, indeed, a very small amount of flour—enough for only
one little biscuit.
also refers to the flat of the hand, including the fingers and the thumb. These are
what one claps together in joy and applause: “And he brought forth the king’s son, and
put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and
anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king” (2 Kings
11:12). Clapping the hands may also be an expression of scorn and contempt (Num.
24:10). The flat of the hands may be raised heavenward in prayer to symbolize one’s
longing to receive. Moses told Pharaoh: “As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will
spread abroad my hands unto the Lord …” (Exod. 9:29).
This word can suggest the inside part of a hand grasp as distinguished from the hand
as a whole: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail.
And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand” (Exod. 4:4). A
mutual hand grasp may signify entrance into a pledge (Prov. 6:1). To take one’s life
(
) into one’s own hands is to put oneself into danger (Judg. 12:3).
In many passages
is synonymous with the entire hand. Jacob tells Laban that
“God hath seen … the labor of my hands …” (Gen. 31:42). Perhaps the same nuance
occurs in passages such as Gen. 20:5: “… In the integrity of my heart and innocency of
my hands have I done this.”
The word may be used symbolically and figuratively meaning “power.” Gideon
complained to the Angel of the Lord that “now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered