the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Property
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Noun.
'Ăchûzzâh (אֲחֻזָּה, Strong's #272), “property; possession.” This word appears 66 times, with most of its appearances being in Genesis-Joshua and Ezekel.
Essentially 'ăchûzzâh is a legal term usually used of land, especially family holdings to be passed down to one’s heirs. In Gen. 17:13 (an early occurrence of the word) Abram is promised the territory of Palestine as a familial or tribal possession until the indiscriminate future. In Gen. 23:20 (cf. vv. 4, 9) the word bears a similar meaning. The difference appears to be that here no feudal responsibilities were attached to this “possession.” However, the rather small lot belonged to Abraham and his descendants as a burial site: “And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth” (Gen. 23:20).
In Lev. 25:45-46 non-lsraelites could also be inheritable property, but a fellow Israelite could not. The “inheritable property” of the Levites was not fields but the Lord Himself (Ezek. 44:28).
B. Verb.
'Ăchaz (אָחַז, Strong's #270), “to seize, grasp, hold fast, bolt (a door).” This verb, which occurs 64 times in biblical Hebrew, occurs also in most other Semitic languages. The verb appears in Gen. 25:26: “… And his hand took hold on Esau’s heel.…” The meaning of “to bolt” (a door) appears in Neh. 7:3: “… Let them shut and bolt [KJV, “bar”] the doors” (NASB). In 2 Chron. 9:18, 'âchaz means “fastened.”
These files are public domain.
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Property'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/p/property.html. 1940.
