J. Hastings. FORMER. — This comparative adj. was at one time freely used to express the more advanced of two positions. Thus Wyclif (138S), after saying that Jacob 'departide (1382 'dyuydide') the puple that was with hym ... in to twei cumpenyes,' adds (Gn 32"), ' And he comaundide to the formere (1382 'forther'), and seide, If thou schalt mete my brothir Esau,' etc. ; and Knox, Hist. 88, ' Fif tie horse and men of the first rank lay dead at once, without any hurt done to the Scottish Armie, except that the Speares of the former two rankes were broken.' In this way 'former' is used in Zee 14' ' Living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea' ('jto-iBn D;n, AVm and liV ' the eastern sea ') ; the ' eastern ' sea being the Dead Sea, and the ' hinder ' or ' western ' sea ([nqxrr D;n) the Mediterranean.
FORNICATION. — See Crimes and Punish- ments.
FORSOMOCH. — Wis 12" 'Forsomnch then as chou art righteous thyself (Skaios 5^ &v, RV 'But being righteous'); and Lk 19" ' forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham ' (/caSiri, RV ' forasmuch as'). The form is rare. Far more common is ' forasmuch,' which occurs forty - three times in AV, and was introduced generally by Tindale (it docs not seem to occur in the Wyclifite versions). Tindale always keeps the parts of the word dis- tinct, ' for as raoche ' ; AV always presents an undivided word. It is Rogers (Matthew's Bible) that gives ' for so much ' in Wis 12'° ; but in Lk 19' A V is the first to use that form (perhaps by a slip of the pen or the printer), Tindale and others having 'for as moche.
FORSWEAR.— To 'forswear' is to undo one's swearing, in accord.ance with the meaning of /or (see under FoREOO). In AV it is always used rellexively, ' to forswear oneself,' with the mean- ing to swear fal.scly, to perjure oneself : 1 Es 1** ' .\nd after that king Nabuchodonosor had made him to swear by the name of the Lord, he for- swore himself, and rebelled' (^0iopK>)jas aTriarri) ; Wis 142" 'they . . . lightly forswear themselves' (iinopKodctii Tij.x(<^^) ; and Mt 5^ ' Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths' (oiJk ^lop/ojireis ; AV is Tindaic's tr", Wyclif baa the intrans. form, ' Thou shalt not forswere ' : with which we may compare T, Adams,
// Peter, on 1' ' Peter swore like a ruffian, and forswore like a renegade, till Christ looked on him, and then he wept'). For the AV tr° cf. Shaks. /// Henry VI. V. v. 75—
* ClarcTia. Did'st thou not hear me swear 1 would not
do it? Q. Margaret. Ay, but thou uscst to forswear thyself ; 'Twaa 6iu before, but now 'tis charity.*
FORT.— See War.
FORTH.— As Germ, fort from vor, so ' forth ' is an adverb formed from ' fore ' ; and its general mean- ing is ' to the front.' When used with sucli verbs as ' brin" ' or ' come ' it means forward into view, as Pr 25" ' Put not forth thyself in the presence of the kin^ ' (RV ' put not thyself forward,' RVm ' Heb. glorify not thyself ') ; Jn 8" ' I proceeded forth, and came from God ' (i^r)Kdov, RV ' 1 canio forth'). In this, its most characteristic meaning, it is used both literally and figuratively, and accom- panies a great many difl'erent verbs, as bring, Gn 1" ' Let the earth bring forth grass,' Is 412i ' bring forth your strong reasons ' ; come. Job 14' ' He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down'; put, Mt Vi'* 'Another parable put he forth unto them' (vapiBrtKev airoU, R V ' set he before them'); stretch. Ex 25"' ' the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on nigh' (RV 'spread out'); shoot, Gn 40'" 'her blossoms shot forth ' ; send. Ex 15' ' Thou sentest forth thy wrath ' ; show, Mt 14^ ' mighty works do show forth themselves in him ' (a! Svviiiea ii'epyovcTLy, RV ' these powers work ') ; and in like manner : set, Lk 1' ; stand, Jer 46^, Mk 3' ; call. Is 31^ ; bud, Ca 7'* ; spring. Job 38'-' ; creep, Pa 104™ ; reach, Pr 31™ ; shed, Ac 2^.
Sometimes the idea expressed is motion from a confined place to a more open, as 2 S 222" = P8 18" ' He brought me forth also into a large place ' ; Nu 24° ' As the valleys are they spread forth ' ; 2 S 1 1' ' at the time when kings go forth to war.' This meaning is also expressed by 'abroad.' When ' forth ' is used, it is always with a verb of motion ; never as in Shaks. Comedy of Errors, VL iL 212 — • Sirrah, if any ask for your master, Say, be dines forth, and let no creature enter.'
Then ' forth ' expresses generally movement away from, a place, as Gn 3^ ' QoA sent him forth from the garden ' ; and more particularly movement onwards from a given point, as Jos 18" ' the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph ' (RV ' the border of their lot went out') ; Mt 9" 'Jesus passed forth from thence ' (RV ' by ') ; Ph 3" ' forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching fortii unto those things which are before' (RV ' stretching forward '). Cf. Ezk 6'* Cov. ' from the wildemesse off Debl at forth ' ; and Ps 72' (Stem, and Hopk.) ' His large and great dominion shall from sea to sea extend : it from the river shall reach forth unto earth's utmost end.'