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Bible Dictionaries
Kiss
People's Dictionary of the Bible
or Kiss. Kissing the lips in salutation was customary among near relatives of both sexes. Genesis 29:11; Song of Solomon 8:1. Between individuals of the same sex, and in a limited degree between those of different sexes, the kiss on the cheek as a mark of respect or an act of salutation has at all times been customary in the East. In the Christian Church the kiss of charity was practiced not only as a friendly salutation, but as an act symbolical of love and Christian brotherhood. Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14 Among the Arabs the women and children kiss the beards of their husbands or fathers. The superior returns the salute by a kiss on the forehead. In Egypt an inferior kisses the hand of a superior, generally on the back, but sometimes, as a special favor, on the palm also. Kissing is spoken of in Scripture as a mark of respect or adoration to idols. 1 Kings 19:18; Hosea 13:2.
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Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Kiss'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/k/kiss.html. 1893.
