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Bible Dictionaries
Lamp
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or LAMP . 1. The earliest illuminant everywhere was supplied by pieces of resinous wood. Such probably were the torches of Gideon’s adventure ( Judges 7:16; Judges 7:20 RV [Note: Revised Version.] for AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘lamps’) and other passages. There is no evidence of anything of the nature of our candles , which is a frequent AV [Note: Authorized Version.] rendering of the ordinary Heb. word ( nçr ) for ‘ lamp ,’ now introduced throughout by RV [Note: Revised Version.] except in Zephaniah 1:12 (but Amer. RV [Note: Revised Version.] here also ‘lamp’). The unearthing of thousands of lamps in the course of recent Palestine exploration, sometimes as many as two or three hundred from a single grave, has made it possible to trace the development of the lamp from early pre-Israelite to Byzantine times. Only the barest outline can be attempted here.
2 . Two main stages in this development have to be recognized, the first that of the open , the second that of the closed , lamp. ( a ) The earliest form found in pre-Israelite strata is that of the plain open clay lamp in the shape of a shell, or shallow bowl, with rounded bottom. It is distinguished from the later form of open lamp by having the rim only slightly pinched along about one-third of its circumference, to keep the wick in position. ( b ) In the later forms just referred to, which are those of the late Canaanite and early Hebrew periods, the lips are drawn much more closely together, so as to form an elongated spout, as may be seen in the illust. in Hastings’ DB [Note: Dictionary of the Bible.] iii. 24, fig. 1; Bliss and Macalister, Excavations in Palestine (in the sequel cited as BM Exc .), plate 66; Bliss, Mound of Many Cities , 87. For types of ( a ) and ( b ) side by side, see PEFSt [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1904, 327. ( c ) The next step apparently was to substitute a flat base for the rounded forms of ( a ) and ( b ). This type of open lamp has continued in use to the present day in certain parts of Syria.
3 . The introduction of the closed lamp cannot as yet be dated with certainty, but is probably due to Western influence. According to Bliss ( BMExc . 130), ‘by Seleucidan times the open lamp appears largely to have given way to the closed lamp.’ ( a ) The earlier specimens of this type consist of a circular bowl closed at the top, with the exception of a round opening for pouring in the oil, with a flat or concave base. They are further characterized by their long tapering, and sometimes straight, spout, which ‘forms a distinct angle with the bowl.’ These lamps are entirely without ornament, and, like all the others, without handles. ( b ) The later closed lamps, on the other hand, have their upper surface ornamented with an endless variety of design, ranging from simple lines through chevrons, spirals, etc., to animal forms. Numerous specimens of ( a ) and ( b ) are illustrated in BMExc . pl. 62, 63. For a typical lamp of the Maccabæan period, see PEFSt [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1904, 348, pl. iii. No. 5. This may be assumed to have been the prevailing type of lamp in NT times.
4 . Many of the specimens hitherto given as illustrations of the lamps of OT are really of early Christian or even Byzantine date. A typical Byzantine form is given in BM Exc . pl. 66, No. 6. This type is distinguished from the previous closed type by the fact that ‘the curve of the body is continuous with the top of the spout, giving a generally oval shape.’ See the collections illustrated PEFSt [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1892, 125; 1904, plate iii; 1905, 150.
5 . In addition to the normal lamp with a single wick, the excavations in northern and southern Palestine have brought to light numerous specimens of ‘multiple lamps,’ a favourite form of which consisted of a bowl, having its rim pinched into three, four, or seven spouts (see BM Exc . pl. 66). As in other lands, the Palestinian potter sometimes gave his lamp the shape of an animal, such as the remarkable clay duck from Gezer described and illustrated in PEFSt [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] , 1903, 40.
The favourite material in all ages was clay. A good specimen of a bronze lamp with a handle, from the Greek period, is shown in BMExc . 60. Silver lamps are mentioned in Jdt 10:22 . Those of the Tabernacle and Temple were of gold. The usual illuminant was the oil of the olive; other oils, including naphtha, are named in the Mishna ( Shabbath , ii. 1ff.), where may be found, also, a list of the substances for wicks in addition to the ordinary wick of twisted flax ( Isaiah 42:3 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ), and other details regarding the household lamp.
6 . In the poorer houses the lamp was placed, as it still is, in a niche in the wall. It is in the case of a ‘great woman’ that we first hear of a lampstand in a private house. Lampstands of stone, about 30 inches in height, have been found in the recent excavations in Crete; one of limestone is figured in Bliss, Mound , etc. 104, from Lachish. The candlestick of AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , which, strangely enough, is retained in RV [Note: Revised Version.] (except in Matthew 5:15 , where ‘stand’ is substituted), is of course a lampstand. For the elaborate lampstands or ‘candlesticks’ of the Tabernacle and the Temple see those articles. An interesting specimen of a lamp with seven spouts and stand in one piece was found by Sellin at Taanach (illust. in his Eine Nachlese , etc. 22; Benzinger, Heb. Arch . 2 [1907] 99).
In ancient times, as at the present day, it was customary to keep the household lamp continually alight, hence the figure in 1 Kings 11:36 , 2 Kings 8:19; conversely, the putting out of the lamp of the wicked ( Job 18:8 [AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘candle’], Proverbs 13:9 ) denotes their utter extinction.
For a recently discovered, and still obscure, early rite in which lamps and bowls played an essential part, see House, § 3; and for a later rite, see Dedication [Feast of].
A. R. S. Kennedy.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Lamp'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/l/lamp.html. 1909.
