the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Dictionaries
Left
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words
is used (a) of the "left" hand, in Matthew 6:3 , the word "hand" being understood; in connection with the armor of righteousness, in 2 Corinthians 6:7 , "(on the right hand and) on the left," lit., "(of the weapons ... the right and) the left;" (b) in the phrase "on the left," formed by ex (for ek), "from," and the genitive plural of this adjective, Mark 10:37 (some mss. have No. 2 here); Luke 23:33 .
lit., "of good name," or "omen" (eu, "well," onoma, "a name"), a word adopted to avoid the ill-omen attaching to the "left" (omens from the "left" being unlucky, but a good name being desired for them, cp. aristeros, lit., "better of two," euphemistic for the ill-omened laios and skaios; cp., too, the Eng., "sinister," from the Latin word meaning "left"), is used euphemistically for No. 1, either (a) simply as an adjective in Revelation 10:2 , of the "left" foot; in Acts 21:3 , "on the left" (lit., "left"); or (b) with the preposition ex (for ek), signifying "on the left hand," Matthew 20:21,23; 25:33,41; 27:38; Mark 10:40 (for ver. 37, in some mss., see No. 1); 15:27.
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Left'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​ved/​l/left.html. 1940.