Religion had also its use for these phrases. To turn from the law of God neither to the right hand nor the left is a frequent scriptural expres- sion for loyalty to the divine King. To sit down at His right hand was the glory reserved for the exalted Son (Ps 110>, Mk W).
2. As used to work with or to fight with, th* hand became a sj'nonym for stnnijth (Jos 8*'), and supplied innumerable metaphorical expres- sions, many of which, from their religious use, have become as universal as they are sacred. When he wished to denote God's power, the Is- raelite spoke of God's hand. See AUM. He saw it outstretched to perform wonders of mercy for himself, or wonders of judgment for his enemies. It was a good hand and a inirjhiij hand, and it was watched ' as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress' (rs 123-'). It became, indeed, an emblem not only of might, exerted to defend or destroy, not only of help and guidance, but of Providence (Ps 77'"). Prophetic inspiration, too, was often indicated by the phrase 'the hand of the Lord was uiKjn' (I K IS^"), while God was said to speak ' by the hand of,' i.e. by means of, a prophet.
It is not always easy to determine whether the mention of the hand has passed out of the region of anthropomorphic representation into that of pure metaphor. At all events the imagery is fearlessly bold in expressions like those of I's 74", Is 49'<>.
3. The use of the hands to express emotion gave rise to many familiar biblical expressions. 'They were lifted in pr.ayer (Ps 134°), extended in ex- postulation (Is 6.5-), clasped in a bargain (Pr 6'), folded in sleep (Pr 6'"). By their movement a blessing was conveyed (Lv 9'-), an oath was regis- tered (Dt 32*), or a defiance otlered (2 S 20'^). As a religious symbol, the imposition of hands in ordination to a sacred office grew out of the natural gesture that accompanied the patriarchal blessing. See Lavixg on of Hands.
The act of cleansing the hands was fruitful in phrases. To wash one's own hands was a pro- testation of innocence (Dt 21«-', Mt 27"*); to pour water on the hands of another, of dependence or disciplesbip (2 K 3"). The idea of ceremonial purity or impurity enters into the expressions ' clean hands ' of the Psalms and ' unwashen hands ' of the Gospels.
There is one phrase which, from the obscurity of its origin, causes a little difficulty. 'To fill tlie hand ' ( AVm where the text has ' consecrate,' Ex 28*' etc.) was a regular term for the investi- ture of a priest. Some explain by the supposition that part of the sacrifice was placed in the neo- phyte's hand as a symbol of his office. Others think of the presentation of the priestly tithe. Another, and perhaps better explanation, makes the expression entirely metaphorical for the be- stowal of office, as we might say ' the priesthood was put into bis hands ' (cf . Moore's Judges, p. 380, and see art. Fill). A. S. Aglen.
HANDBREADTH.— See Weights and Mea- sures.
HANDKERCHIEF.— See Napkin.
HANDLE.— The 'handles of the lock ' (properly, as KV, 'the handles of the bolt') of the door tre referred to in Ca 5°, the word being ij, knph, usually the palm of the hand or sole of the foot. See Key, and Lock under art. House.
The verb to ' handle ' occurs frequently. Its primary meaning, to seize or use with the hand, is seen in Ps 115' ' They have hands, but they handle not ' ; and Wis 15" ' gods, which neither have the use of eyes to see . . . nor fingers of hands to handle' (tis ^tTjXd^Tjo-ii'). So we handle the sword (Ezk 38*), the oar (27^), the pen (Jg 5'*), the harp (Gn 4-'), etc. In N'f the meaning is touch, ox feel with the hand. There are two Gr. verbs i
HAXDSONrELY
HANES
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(1) eiyydvu, Co\2-' 'Touch not; taste not ; liaiidlu not' (Mtj dipm firiSt yevaji ixrioi Slyai). KV, aflur Li^'htfoot, renilers ' Handle not, nor taste, nor touch,' for d-TTeirOat is stronger than 6i-/elv, and is best tr' by handle if that word is to be used at all, whieli is somewhat strong for both. (2) ^?)Xo0da), Lk 24" ' liehold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself : handle me, and see ' ; 1 Jn 1' ' That which was from the beginning, which we have heard . . . and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.* If ' handle ' was too strong for Styydfu, it is scarcely strong enough for ■^r]\a(t>ia, which ex- presses the movement of the hands over a surface, BO as to feel it and fix it, or mentally the gropin" after something, as the Athenians 'felt after' God (Ac !"-■', same verb). In He 12"' (only remaining occurrence in NT) it is used of the ' mount that might be touched,' i.e. as Davidson ' palpable and materially sensible.'
But the verb to ' handle ' is found in other senses that are less familiar, as : Be conversant with, hnve to do with, Jer 2" 'The priests said not. Where is the Lord ? and they that handle the law (.Tfirn •stn) knew me not'. Almost in the sense intended by Jeremiah, but somewhat more nar- rowly, this word 'handle' was used about 1611 of the expounding of Scripture, as in James Melvill's Diary (Wodrow, p. 182) in reference to the order of worship at Newcastle under Melvill's ministrj^ : 'Ther saloe daylie Comoun Praj-ers twj'se everie day, befor noone at ten houres, and efter at foure, at quhilk tynie a I'salme salbe read and handlit, sa that the .soum thairof be schortlie gathered, the partes sett doun in ordour, and some scliort notes of doctrine, with exhortation ; bot in sic schortnes that the haill tyme occupied exieid nocht the space of ane hallf lioure.' And so Wodrow, Hclect Biufj. i. 312, 'I have heard him [Mr. John Dykes of kilriniiie] goe through a long chajtter in less than an hour, and pertinently haiullo every pur- pose thereof.' This is the very meaning, however, of 2 Mac 2-'' ' Leaving to the author the exact handling of every jiarticular' (ri iiiv SiaKpiiioCf). In 2 Co 4' we find the expression, ' handling the word of God deceitfully,' where the meaning is difi'erent. The (ir., tr'' ' handle deceitfully,' is the sitnple verb So\iu, to ensnare, corrujit ; Vulg. 'adulterantes,' which Wye. translates 'avoutr- ynge the word of (lod,' (1388) 'doynge avoutrye Di ' ; Khem. 'adulterating' : Tind. has 'corrupte' ; Cran. introduced ' handle deceitfully,' which was a»lopted by Gen., Hish., AV, llV. Tindale's 'corrui>t' is probably as near the meaning as one can go. Itut in the AV tr" 'handle' means to deaf u-ith, treat. So Pr I6-'" 'He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good' ("i^rSv ^",7, AVm 'he that understandeth a matter,' KV 'he that giveth heed unto the word,' KVm as AV). In this sense the word is used also in 2 Mac 7^ 'Then the king, being in a rage, haiulUd him worse than all the rest' {dw/ifTriaty) ; 8" 'the cruel handling of the city' (a/sia^is, KV 'slianieful iKiiiilliiig') ; and Mk 12* 'sent him away shamefully liandloil' (df/ffTfiXai' TiTtfiUfjJyoi', W U rirlfjirjaav, KV ' him they . . . handled shamefully,' Gould 'insulted'; the verb is lit. 'dishonoured'). Of. Kzk 18" Gov. 'he handleth faithfully bctwixte man and man ' ; Gold- ing, Calnn'n Juh (Ser. cxix. on .'t2'"), 'The opinion Rnd imaginacion of Jobs three freends, was that Job was a castaway before God, bycause he was