Lexical Summary eli: pestle Original Word: עֱלִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance pestle From alah; a pestle (as lifted) -- pestle. see HEBREW alah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alah Definition a pestle NASB Translation pestle (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֱלִי noun [masculine] pestle (as rising before the blow); — Proverbs 27:22. Topical Lexicon Definition and Occurrenceעֱלִי (’elî) appears once in the Hebrew Scriptures, Proverbs 27:22, where it denotes the pestle used with a mortar. In that single verse it functions as a vivid metaphor illustrating the stubbornness of folly in the human heart. Cultural Background: Mortar and Pestle in Ancient Israel In agrarian Israel, a mortar and pestle were common household implements for pulverizing grain, herbs, and spices. The pestle—often wooden or stone—was wielded with decisive, repetitive force. Its purpose was total reduction of a substance into meal or powder, symbolizing thoroughness and finality. Because these tools were part of everyday life, Solomon could rely on them to communicate a moral lesson instantly grasped by his audience. Textual Context: Proverbs 27:22 “Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and pestle, yet his folly will not depart from him.” (Proverbs 27:22) The imagery is stark. Just as grain succumbs completely under the pounding of a pestle, the reader expects the fool to yield to severe discipline. Instead, Scripture declares the opposite: even the harshest external pressure cannot dislodge entrenched folly. The pestle (עֱלִי) thus underscores the futility of merely mechanical or punitive approaches to spiritual transformation. Theological and Moral Implications 1. Human Depravity and Stubbornness The verse affirms that folly is not superficial but embedded in the sinner’s nature (compare Jeremiah 17:9). External forces—symbolized by the pestle—cannot extract it. Only the regenerative work of God (Ezekiel 36:26; John 3:3) reaches that depth. 2. Limits of Discipline Scripture endorses loving discipline (Proverbs 13:24; Hebrews 12:6), yet Proverbs 27:22 warns that discipline alone, absent inward repentance, cannot cure folly. The pestle represents corrective measures that, while necessary, remain insufficient without internal submission to wisdom. 3. Call to Heart Transformation The proverb drives the reader to seek divine wisdom rather than rely on coercion or self-reformation. It anticipates the New Covenant promise of the law written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33). Practical Ministry Applications • Discipleship: Church leaders must pair corrective action with gospel proclamation, knowing that behavior modification without heart change breeds hypocrisy. Typological Insights and Christological Reflections The pestle’s relentless pounding foreshadows Christ, who “was pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). Whereas the fool resists until ruin, the sinless Savior submitted to crushing judgment on behalf of sinners. The contrast magnifies grace: what human stubbornness rejects, Christ willingly embraced, making new hearts possible. Related Biblical Imagery • The Potter’s Wheel (Jeremiah 18:1-6) – God’s sovereign shaping contrasts with the fool’s resistance. Summary עֱלִי powerfully illustrates the impotence of external force to eradicate folly. The single biblical occurrence reminds readers that true wisdom and transformation flow not from the crushing blows of circumstance but from the redemptive work of God in the heart. Forms and Transliterations בַּֽעֱלִ֑י בעלי ba‘ĕlî ba·‘ĕ·lî baeLiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Proverbs 27:22 HEB: בְּת֣וֹךְ הָ֭רִיפוֹת בַּֽעֱלִ֑י לֹא־ תָס֥וּר NAS: in a mortar with a pestle along KJV: wheat with a pestle, [yet] will not his foolishness INT: along crushed A pestle will not depart 1 Occurrence |
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