the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Seal, Signet
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or SEAL, SIGNET . The existence of seals is attested for the early dynasties of Egypt, and for an equally remote period in the history of Babylonia. The first mention of a seal in the OT is in connexion with the patriarch Judah, who fared forth with his staff in his hand and his seal hung round his neck by a cord ( Genesis 38:18 RV [Note: Revised Version.] ), precisely as was the custom of every Babylonian gentleman in the days of Herodotus (i. 195). The seals hitherto found in Palestine show little initiative on the part of the Hebrews in this branch of the fine arts, the great majority plainly showing the predominant influence of Egypt, or to a less extent of Babylonia.
As regards material, almost every variety of precious stone was used for this purpose, although ordinary limestone, and even baked clay, were used by those who could afford nothing better. An almost equal wealth of form is attested by the extant seals. Thus the scarab and the scaraboid forms were distinctive of Egypt, as the cylinder was of Babylonia. Other seals, again, were conical in shape, while the square form is not unknown.
Most of the extant seals bearing evidence of a Hebrew origin, however, are oval in outline. This was also the usual form for seals intended to be set in the bezel of a ring . In this case it was customary to wear the ring on one of the fingers of the right hand ( Jeremiah 22:24; cf. Genesis 41:42 ). The distinctively Jewish type of seal is marked by two features: ( a ) the absence of figures, Divine or human, in the field, and ( b ) the presence of two parallel lines, set close together, which cross the field longitudinally, and divide the inscription into two parts. The legend, as a rule, contains the name of the owner, preceded by the preposition signifying ‘belonging to’ thus ‘[the property] of X, the son of Y,’ or ‘of M, the daughter of N,’ for women also had their seals. Many seals, however, whose owners, to judge from their names, were Hebrews, bear figures and symbols in the field, one of them showing the earliest example of the so-called ‘shield of David.’
Another of this class is the finest known specimen of a Hebrew seal. It is of jasper, and oval in shape; the greater part of the field is occupied by a lion, of the most delicate workmanship in the Babylonian style, while above and below is the legend: ‘[The property] of Shema, the servant [ i.e. court official] of Jeroboam.’ This seal was discovered in 1904 during the German excavations on the site of the ancient Megiddo, and is fully described by Kautzsch in MNDPV [Note: NDPV Mittheil. u. Nachrichten d. Deutch. Pal.-Vereins.] 1904, 1 14, 81 83; cf. Lidzbarski. Ephemeris f. Sem. Epigraphik , ii. 140 ff., where other seals are also discussed; and PEFSt [Note: Quarterly Statement of the same.] 1904, 287 ff., with reproductions of the eize of the original and enlarged. It is impossible to decide whether or not the Shema of the Megiddo seal is identical with the I original owner of another seal of the more severe type above described, the legend of which runs: ‘[the property] of Shema, the servant of the king.’
A series of excellent reproductions of typical seals found in Palestine is given by Benzinger in his Heb. Arch . 2 [1907], 82, 179 f., 225 230, while a collection of twenty seal inscriptions, dating from 9th 6th cent. b.c., with ample references, will be found in Lidzbarski’s Attsemit. Texte , part i., 10 f.
The engraving of seals was done by means of a graver with a diamond point (Jeremiah 17:1 ). Ben-Sira ( c [Note: circa, about.] . b.c. 180 175) makes honourable mention of them ‘that cut gravings of signets’ ( Sir 38:27 RV [Note: Revised Version.] ).
As regards the varied uses of the seal in antiquity, one of the most important was to authenticate written documents (1 Kings 21:8 , Jeremiah 32:19 f.), after the manner of a modern signature (cf. Nehemiah 10:1 ). A roll or other document intended for preservation was sealed up before it was parted with ( Daniel 12:4 ); the seals, accordingly, had to be broken before it could be read ( Revelation 6:3 etc.). In the ordinary business of life sealing was continually employed as a precaution against a deposit of any sort being tampered with by unauthorized persons. Wine jars, for example, invariably had their stoppers covered with soft clay, on which the owner impressed his seal. Such impressions are referred to in Job 38:14 .
Newberry in his Scarabs illustrates the Egyptian (and doubtless Hebrew) practice of sealing doors by means of a piece of string attaching the door to the jamb, and sealed with a clay seal. Darius’ ‘den of lions’ ( Daniel 6:17 ) and the sepulchre of our Lord ( Matthew 27:66 ) were both in all probability sealed in this way by means of a cord which passed over the stone covering the entrance, and was sealed at either end by a lump of clay impressed with one or more seals (cf. Dn. l.c. ).
From the universal use of the seal in ratifying and authenticating documents, and safeguarding deposits, the writers both of the OT and of the NT have derived a rich variety of figures. Thus, in Daniel 9:24 , sealing is a figure for the ratification of prophecy; in John 6:27 the figure is based on the public acknowledgment of the seal as one nowadays acknowledges one’s signature. St. Paul’s converts, again, are the ‘seal’ of his Apostleship ( 1 Corinthians 9:2 ), in other words, they authenticate his status and mission as a true Apostle. As a document or vessel, finally, is sealed up until the time for opening it arrives, so the Christian believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit ‘unto the day of redemption’ ( Ephesians 4:30; cf. Ephesians 1:13 , 2 Corinthians 1:22 ).
A. R. S. Kennedy.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Seal, Signet'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/s/seal-signet.html. 1909.
