Jump to: Smith's • ISBE • Easton's • Webster's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Greek • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms Topical Encyclopedia In biblical times, cords were essential tools used for various practical and symbolic purposes. The term "cord" appears in several contexts throughout the Bible, often signifying strength, measurement, or binding.Hebrew and Greek Terms The Hebrew word most commonly translated as "cord" is "חֶבֶל" (chebel), which can also mean rope, line, or territory. In the New Testament, the Greek word "σχοινίον" (schoinion) is used, particularly in the context of a small rope or cord. Practical Uses Cords were used in everyday life for tasks such as binding, measuring, and construction. In Exodus 35:18, cords are mentioned as part of the tabernacle's construction: "the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, along with their ropes." Here, cords were essential for securing the structure, highlighting their practical importance in ancient Israelite society. Symbolic Uses Cords also carry symbolic meanings in Scripture. In Ecclesiastes 4:12, the strength of unity is illustrated with the metaphor of a cord: "Though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken." This passage emphasizes the strength found in unity and companionship, using the imagery of a multi-stranded cord to convey resilience and support. Cords in Judgment and Deliverance Cords are sometimes associated with judgment or deliverance. In Psalm 18:4-5, David uses the imagery of cords to describe his peril and subsequent deliverance by God: "The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me." Here, cords symbolize the entrapment and danger from which God rescues the faithful. Cords in Prophecy In prophetic literature, cords can symbolize the binding or loosening of nations and individuals. In Isaiah 5:18, cords are used metaphorically to describe those who draw sin to themselves: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes." This imagery underscores the deliberate and binding nature of sin. New Testament References In the New Testament, cords appear in the context of Jesus cleansing the temple. John 2:15 states, "So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables." Here, the cords are part of a whip used by Jesus to assert His authority and purify the temple, symbolizing righteous indignation and the call to holiness. Conclusion Throughout the Bible, cords serve as powerful symbols and practical tools, representing strength, unity, judgment, and deliverance. Their varied uses and meanings reflect the rich tapestry of biblical narrative and theology. Smith's Bible Dictionary CordThe materials of which cord was made varied according to the strength required; the strongest rope was probably made of strips of camel hide, as still used by the Bedouins. The finer sorts were made of flax, (Isaiah 19:9) and probably of reeds and rushes. In the New Testament the term is applied to the whip which our Saviour made, (John 2:15) and to the ropes of a ship. (Acts 27:32) Easton's Bible Dictionary Frequently used in its proper sense, for fastening a tent (Exodus 35:18; 39:40), yoking animals to a cart (Isaiah 5:18), binding prisoners (Judges 15:13; Psalm 2:3; 129:4), and measuring ground (2 Samuel 8;2; Psalm 78:55). Figuratively, death is spoken of as the giving way of the tent-cord (Job 4:21. "Is not their tent-cord plucked up?" R.V.). To gird one's self with a cord was a token of sorrow and humiliation. To stretch a line over a city meant to level it with the ground (Lamentations 2:8). The "cords of sin" are the consequences or fruits of sin (Proverbs 5:22). A "threefold cord" is a symbol of union (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The "cords of a man" (Hosea 11:4) means that men employ, in inducing each other, methods such as are suitable to men, and not "cords" such as oxen are led by. Isaiah (5:18) says, "Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope." This verse is thus given in the Chaldee paraphrase: "Woe to those who begin to sin by little and little, drawing sin by cords of vanity: these sins grow and increase till they are strong and are like a cart rope." This may be the true meaning. The wicked at first draw sin with a slender cord; but by-and-by their sins increase, and they are drawn after them by a cart rope. Henderson in his commentary says: "The meaning is that the persons described were not satisfied with ordinary modes of provoking the Deity, and the consequent ordinary approach of his vengeance, but, as it were, yoked themselves in the harness of iniquity, and, putting forth all their strength, drew down upon themselves, with accelerated speed, the load of punishment which their sins deserved."Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary 1. (n.) A string, or small rope, composed of several strands twisted together.2. (n.) A solid measure, equivalent to 128 cubic feet; a pile of wood, or other coarse material, eight feet long, four feet high, and four feet broad; -- originally measured with a cord or line. 3. (n.) Fig.: Any moral influence by which persons are caught, held, or drawn, as if by a cord; an enticement; as, the cords of the wicked; the cords of sin; the cords of vanity. 4. (n.) Any structure having the appearance of a cord, esp. a tendon or a nerve. See under Spermatic, Spinal, Umbilical, Vocal. 5. (n.) See Chord. 6. (v. t.) To bind with a cord; to fasten with cords; to connect with cords; to ornament or finish with a cord or cords, as a garment. 7. (v. t.) To arrange (wood, etc.) in a pile for measurement by the cord. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia CORDkord (chebhet, yether, methar, `abhoth; schoinion): Greek 4979. schoinion -- a rope (made of rushes) ... a rope (made of rushes). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: schoinion Phonetic Spelling: (skhoy-nee'-on) Short Definition: a cord, rope Definition: a ... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4979.htm - 6k 1029. brochos -- a noose, halter Strong's Hebrew 2339. chut -- thread, cord, line... 2338, 2339. chut. 2340 . thread, cord, line. Transliteration: chut Phonetic Spelling: (khoot) Short Definition: thread. ... cord, fillet, line, thread. ... /hebrew/2339.htm - 6k 4340. methar -- cord, string 8270. shor -- umbilical cord 8615a. tiqvah -- cord 6616. pathil -- cord, thread 5688. aboth -- cord, rope, cordage 2256a. chebel -- cord, territory, band 8615. tiqvah -- cord 4189. moshekah -- a cord 3499b. yether -- a cord Library A Threefold Cord A Fourfold Cord The Threefold Cord of Jesus' Life. Five Kings in a Cave How a Little Child who had Entered the Order Saw St Francis in ... Sunday School Union Jubilee, 1853 And it is not Matter of Surprise that in Certain Generations There ... "Therefore, Brethren, we are Debtors, not to the Flesh, to Live ... Letter xxxvi (Circa AD 1131) to the Same Hildebert, who had not ... In his Father's House. Thesaurus Cord (47 Occurrences)... Figuratively, death is spoken of as the giving way of the tent-cord (Job 4:21. "Is not their tent-cord plucked up?" RV). To gird ... /c/cord.htm - 27k Flax-cord (1 Occurrence) Tent-cord (1 Occurrence) Rope (10 Occurrences) String (12 Occurrences) Line (131 Occurrences) Twists (12 Occurrences) Group (32 Occurrences) Tie (18 Occurrences) Seal (47 Occurrences) Resources Who was Amy Carmichael? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the significance of a scarlet thread? | GotQuestions.org What is a plumb line in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Cord: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Concordance Cord (47 Occurrences)Matthew 21:2 Mark 11:2 Luke 19:30 John 1:27 Genesis 14:23 Genesis 38:18 Genesis 38:25 Genesis 49:11 Exodus 26:4 Exodus 26:10 Exodus 28:28 Exodus 28:37 Exodus 36:11 Exodus 36:17 Exodus 39:21 Exodus 39:31 Numbers 15:38 Joshua 2:15 Joshua 2:18 Joshua 2:21 Joshua 9:4 2 Samuel 8:2 1 Kings 7:15 2 Kings 19:28 Job 4:21 Job 18:10 Job 28:4 Job 30:11 Job 39:10 Job 41:1 Job 41:2 Psalms 11:2 Psalms 93:1 Proverbs 7:22 Proverbs 26:8 Ecclesiastes 4:12 Ecclesiastes 12:6 Isaiah 3:24 Isaiah 5:27 Isaiah 11:5 Isaiah 30:28 Isaiah 37:29 Isaiah 48:4 Jeremiah 52:21 Ezekiel 16:4 Ezekiel 40:3 Micah 2:5 Subtopics Cord: Ancient Uses of Binding Prisoners Cord: Ancient Uses of Fastening Tents Cord: Ancient Uses of Hitching to Cart or Plough Cord: Ancient Uses of in Casting Lots Cord: Ancient Uses of Leading or Binding Animals Cord: Ancient Uses of Measuring Ground Cord: Ancient Uses of Worn on the Head As a Sign of Submission Cord: Symbolical Uses of Signifying an Inheritance Cord: Symbolical Uses of Token in Mourning Related Terms |