the Fourth Week of Advent
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Dictionaries
Bit, Bridle
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or BIT, BRIDLE . The Hebrews were doubtless well acquainted with the bit , but there is no clear mention of it as distinct from the bridle , the words for which in Gr. and Lat. include bit, headstall, and reins. In James 3:3 the context is decisive for ‘bridle’ (RV [Note: Revised Version.] and AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘bit’); in Psalms 32:9 for ‘bit and bridle’ we should probably render ‘bridle and halter,’ and so in the other passages where the two Hebrew words respectively occur, e.g . ‘bridle,’ Proverbs 26:3 , but ‘halter,’ Job 30:11 .
In Psalms 39:1 ‘bridle’ should certainly be ‘muzzle’ (cf. the corresponding verb in Deuteronomy 25:4 ). The crocodile’s ‘double bridle’ ( Job 41:13 ) is his jaws, but the text is doubtful.
A. R. S. Kennedy.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Hastings, James. Entry for 'Bit, Bridle'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/b/bit-bridle.html. 1909.
