The hand of God is spoken of as the instrument of power, and to it is ascribed that which strictly belongs to God himself (Job xxvii, 11 ; Psa. xxxi, 16; xcv, 4; Isa, Lxii, 3 ; Prov. xxi, 1 ; Acts iv, 28 ; 1 Pet. v, 6). So the hand of the Lord being upon or Avith any one de- notes divine aid or favor (Ezra vii, 6, 28 ; viii, 18, 22, 13 ; Neh. ii, 8 ; Isa. i, 25 ; Luke i, 66 ; Acts xi, 21) ; fiu:- ther, the hand of the Lord is upon or against thee, de- notes punishment (Exod. ix, 3; Deut. ii, 15; Judg. ii, 15; 1 Sam. vii, 13; xii, 15; Ezek. xiii, 9; Amos i. 8; Acts xiii, 11). In Job xxxiii, 7, " my hand shall not be heavy upon thee," the original term is f ~N, elrph ; and the passage signifies " my dignity shall not Avcigh hea\y upon thee" (Gesenius, s. v.). The hand of God upon a prophet signifies the immediate operation of his Holy Spirit on the soul or body of the prophet, as in 1 Kings xviii, 46 ; 2 Kings iii, 15 ; Ezek. i, 3 ; iii, 22 ; viii, 1. As the hand, so also {he finger of God denotes hi.s power or Spirit (see Luke xi, 20, and comp. JIatt. xii, 28). Thus
HAND
58
HANDFUL
our Saviour cast out devils or daemons by his bare com- roaiul, whereas the Jews cast them out only by the in- vocation of the name of God. So in Exod. viii, 19, the Jiiii/er of God is a work wliidi none but God could per- form. Sec Ak.m.
The hands of the hi(;h-i)riost were laid on the head of the scapc-fjoat when the sins of tlie people were pub- licly confessed (Lev. xvi, 21). AVituesses laid their hands on the hcail of the accused person, as it were to si^fiiify that they chars,'ed upon him the guilt of his blood, and freed tliemselves from it (Deut. xiii, 9; xvii, 7). Tlie Ik-brews, when presenting their sin-offerings at the taljcrnade, confessed their sins while they laid their liands upon the victim (Lev. i, 4). To "fill one's liands," is to take possession of the priesthood, to perform the functions of that office; because in this ceremony tliose parts of the victim which were to be offered were put into the hand of the new-made priest (Judg. xvii, 5, 12 ; Lev. xvi, 32 ; 1 Kings xiii, 33). Jacob laid his hands on Epliraim and ^Manasseh when he gave them his last l)l(■^^ing ((icn. xlviii, 14). The high-priest stretched out his hands to the people as often as he recited the solemn f(jrni of blessing (Lev. ix, 22). Our Saviour laid his liands upon the children that were presented to him and blessed them (ilark x, IG). (See Tiemeroth, De Xiipo^taiq. et xeipoXoyi'^, Erford. 1754.)
Imposition of fi amis formed at an early period a part of the ceremonial observed on the appointment and con- secration of persons to high and holy undertakings. In Numb, xxvii, 19, Jehovah is represented as thus speak- ing to Moses, " Take thee Joshua, tlie son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all tlie congregation, and give him a charge in their sight," etc.: where it is obvious that the laying on of hands did neither originate nor communicate divine gifts; for Joshua had "the spirit" before he received imposition of hands; but it was merely an instrumental sign for marking him out indivichi illy, and setting him apart, in sight of the congregati:r.i,"to his arduous work. Similar appears to be the imjjort of the observ- ance in the primitive Church of Christ (Acts viii, 15- 17; 1 Tim. iv, 14; 2 Tim. i, G). A corruption of this doctrine was that the laying on of hands gave of itself divine powers, and on this account Simon, the magician (Acts viii, 18), offi'red money, saying, "Give me also tliis ])ower, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may re- ceive the Holy (ihost," intending probably to carry on a gainful trade by communicating the gift to others. .See Imposition ok Hands.
The plirase "sitting at the right hand of God," as ai)].hed to tlie Saviour, is derived from the fact that witli eartlily princes a jMsition on the right hand of the tliroiic was accounted the chief place of'honor, dignity, and power: " ui)o:i thy right hand did stand the queen" (I'sa. xlv, 9 ; com]), 1 Kings ii, 19 ; l>sa. Ixxx, 17). The immediate i)assage out of which sprang the phraseology employed by Jesus may be found in I'sa. ex, 1 : " Jdw- vali said unto my Lord, sit tliou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Accordingly the Saviour declares iiefore Caiaphas (Matt.xxvi,G4; Mark xiv, (12 ), " Vc shall :iee the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heav- en; where the meaning obviously is that the Jews of tliat day shouM have manifest proof that Jesus held the most eminent place in the divine favor, and that his present Immilialion woul.l be succeeded bv glory maj- esly. and power (Luke xxiv, 2<;; 1 Tim.' iii, IG). s„ when It issaul(:\Iarkxvi,19; Horn, viii, .-54 ; Col iii ]• 1 I'et. Ill, 22; Ileb. i, 3; viii, 1) that .Jesus "sits at the | riglit h.iiid of <;od," "at the right hand of the IMajestv on high," we arc obviously to uiulerstand tlie assertion I to be that, as his Father, so he worketh always (John V, 1- ) f.,r the advancement of the kingdom of heaven and the salvation of the world. '