Bilhan

BILHAN, the Son of Jediael, and Father of Jeush. 1 Chr. vii. 10.

To BIND and loose, are taken in Scripture for condemning and absolving: I will Matt. xvi. 19.give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

By binding and loosing, in the language of the Jews¹, is understood likewise permitting or forbidding, or declaring any thing in a judicial manner to be permitted or forbidden; and in the Promotion of their Doctors, they put Keys into their hands, with these words, Receive the power of binding and loosing.

Mat. v.17.I am not come to unloose the law, but to compleat it, says our Saviour; that is to say, I am not come to destroy the Law, but to perfect it. Religion has perfected the Law of Moses, discovered the true Spirit of it, unravel’d all its secret Meanings, and accomplished all the Figures of it; and if it has abrogated some of its ceremonial Institutions, it was only with a design of making the essential points of it observ’d the better.

Deut. xxv. 4. Judg. xv. 10.Ye shall not bind or muzzle the Ox’s mouth that treadeth out the corn. See to Thresh. To Bind is used for putting in Bonds, and in Prison. We are come to bind Samson, to make him our prisoner.

To bind the Law upon one’s hand for a Deut. vi, 8.sign; to wear it like a Bracelet on one’s arm. And Prov. vi. 21. Bind my precepts about thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. And again, vii. 3. Bind my Commandments upon thy fingers, and write them upon the table of thine heart. In Isai. viii. 16. Liga testimonium, signa legem, is to be understood in another sense. Seal what thou hast been writing, bind it about with thread or ribband, and put thy seal to it.

It is said that Daniel was found to be the most learned of the Diviners, Magi, and Interpreters of Dreams, and things hidden. Spiritus amplior—, & interpretatio somniorum, & ostensio secretorum & so lutio ligatorum inventæ sunt in eo. And lower, Quod possit obscura interpretari & ligata dissolvere, &c. Where we see, that loosing things which were bound, is used as an expression to explain things concealed. Dan. v, vi. 16.

Read this article in its place on the printed pages