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Bible Dictionaries
Seal
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or Seal. The importance attached to seal, s in the East, is so great that, without one, no document is regarded as authentic. Among the methods of sealing used in Egypt, at a very early period, were engraved stones, graved stones, pierced through their length, and hung by a string or chain, from the arm or neck, or set in rings for the finger. The most ancient form used for this purpose was the scarabaeus, formed of precious or common stone, or even of blue pottery or porcelain, on the flat side of which, the inscription or device was engraved. In many cases, the seal consisted of a lump of clay, impressed with the seal and attached to the document, whether of papyrus or other material, by strings. In other cases, wax was used.
In sealing a sepulchre or box, the fastening was covered with clay or wax, and the impression from a seal, of one in authority, was stamped upon it, so that it could not be broken open without discovery. The signet-ring was an ordinary part of a man's equipment. Genesis 38:18. The ring or the seal as an emblem of authority in Egypt, Persia and elsewhere is mentioned in Genesis 41:42; 1 Kings 21:8; Esther 3:10; Esther 3:12; Esther 8:2; Daniel 6:17, and as an evidence of a covenant, in Jeremiah 32:10; Jeremiah 32:44; Nehemiah 9:38; Nehemiah 10:1; Haggai 2:23. Engraved signets were in use, among the Hebrews, in early times. Exodus 28:11; Exodus 28:36; Exodus 39:6.
These files are public domain.
Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Seal'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/s/seal.html. 1901.
