the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Bible Dictionaries
Gall
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or GALL (χολή, fel).—
In LXX Septuagint χολή represents (1) רא̇שׁ (Deuteronomy 32:32, Psalms 69:21); and (2) לַעֵנָה wormwood (Proverbs 5:4, Lamentations 3:15). ״ְ̇שׁ and לַעִנִה are sometimes combined, e.g. Deuteronomy 29:18 רא̇שׁ ולעֲנָה, LXX Septuagint ἐν χολῇ και τικρια, Vulgate fel et amaritudiaem; Lamentations 3:19 לִעֲנָה וָרא̇שׁ, LXX Septuagint τικρια καὶ χολἡ, Vulgate absynthiiet fellis.
It thus appears that χολή was used of any bitter drug, and there is therefore no discrepancy between Matthew 27:34 οἶνον [ὄξος is a copyist’s assimilation to Psalms 69:21] μετὰ χολῆς μεμιγμένον, and Mark 15:23 ἐσμυρνισμένον οἶνον. The potion administered to the cruciarius (see Crucifixion) was composed of wine and a variety of drugs—frankincense, laudanum, myrrh, resin, saffron, mastich.* [Note: Wetstein on Mark 15:23.] Thus ‘wine mixed with gall’ and ‘myrrhed wine’ are equivalent phrases, signifying generally medicated wine (cf. Swete, St. Mark, ad loc.). Matthew 27:34 and Acts 8:23 are the only places in the NT where χολή occurs.
David Smith.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Gall'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/g/gall.html. 1906-1918.
