Definition and Significance:
Hand-writing in biblical times refers to the act of writing by hand, a significant means of communication and record-keeping. It is often associated with the recording of divine laws, covenants, and personal correspondence. The act of writing by hand is imbued with authority and permanence, as seen in various biblical narratives.

Biblical Instances:

1. The Ten Commandments:
One of the most notable instances of hand-writing in the Bible is the writing of the Ten Commandments. According to Exodus 31:18, "When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." This divine hand-writing signifies the direct communication and covenant between God and His people.

2. Belshazzar's Feast:
In the Book of Daniel, hand-writing appears as a divine message of judgment. During King Belshazzar's feast, a mysterious hand writes on the wall, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (Daniel 5:25). This writing foretells the fall of Babylon and serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and the consequences of pride and idolatry.

3. Paul's Epistles:
The Apostle Paul often mentions his own hand-writing in his letters, emphasizing authenticity and personal connection. In Galatians 6:11, he writes, "See what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand!" This personal touch underscores the importance of the message and the relationship between Paul and the recipients of his letters.

4. The New Covenant:
The concept of hand-writing is also metaphorically significant in the New Covenant. In Jeremiah 31:33, God promises, "I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people." This internalization of God's law signifies a deeper, more personal relationship with Him, transcending the physical act of writing.

Theological Implications:

Hand-writing in the Bible often represents divine authority, judgment, and covenant. It serves as a tangible reminder of God's interaction with humanity and His desire for a personal relationship with His people. The physical act of writing by hand is a powerful symbol of communication, commitment, and the enduring nature of God's word.5498. cheirographon -- a (handwritten) document, legal note, bond
... note, bond. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: cheirographon Phonetic
Spelling: (khi-rog'-raf-on) Short Definition: a handwriting, bond Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5498.htm - 6k

The Handwriting Blotted Out
... The Handwriting Blotted Out. ... If we had to live forever with our sins in the
handwriting of God on the wall, it would be hell on earth. ...
/.../moody/weighed and wanting/the handwriting blotted out.htm

The Handwriting on the Wall
... THE OLD TESTAMENT THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. Belshazzar, the king, made a great
feast for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine before them all. ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/the handwriting on the wall.htm

The Incidents Properly Affecting the Body which Christ for Our ...
... ye were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He quickened us
with Him, pardoning us all our offences, blotting out the handwriting of the ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter ii the incidents properly.htm

Weighed in the Balances
... under the influence of drink; but they were not so drunk but that they suddenly
became sober as they saw something that was supernatural"a handwriting on the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/weighed in the balances.htm

Sin's Writing and Its Erasure
... 'Blotting out the handwriting that was against us.'"-COL .ii.14. ... I. The handwriting
of sin. Sin committed is indelibly written on the heart of the doer. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/sins writing and its erasure.htm

The Champion of Origen, You See, the Encomiast of Pamphilus ...
... by you. Your handwriting is not forthcoming to shew it; your eloquence
is not so great as that no one can imitate your style. Or ...
/.../10 the champion of origen.htm

But Perhaps You Will Say to Me: "Why do You Fill Your Paper with ...
... with us before the tribunal of opinion, but condemns us on mere suspicion, while
he himself does not hold himself bound even by his own handwriting; since he ...
/.../19 but perhaps you will.htm

Moreover, --To Touch Briefly Some of the More Recondite Topics ...
... This Paul signifies under a great mystery, when he says of Him, "He destroyed the
hand-writing which was against us, nailing it to His cross, and led away ...
/.../15 moreoverto touch briefly some.htm

Book ix. On Jerusalem and Her Enemies
... Handwriting is the record of a sinful man and the devil by the hand of inquity;
in the apostle: the handwriting of a sinner which was against us. [Col.2:14]. ...
/.../eucherius/the formulae of st eucherius of lyons/book ix on jerusalem and.htm

On the Communion of Believers with Christ, and Particularly with ...
... VI. The strength and efficacy of the death of Christ consist in the abolishing of
sin and death, and of the law, which is "the hand-writing that is against us ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation xlvi on the communion.htm

Handwriting (4 Occurrences)
... (Colossians 2:14). The "blotting out the handwriting" is the removal by the grace
of the gospel of the condemnation of the law which we had broken. ...HANDWRITING. ...
/h/handwriting.htm - 8k

Hand-writing (1 Occurrence)
Hand-writing. Handwriting, Hand-writing. Handywork . Multi-Version Concordance ...
Handwriting, Hand-writing. Handywork . Reference Bible.
/h/hand-writing.htm - 6k

Writing (194 Occurrences)
... 2. Image Writing: It was a very long step in the history of handwriting from object
to ...Writing the same things to you is no trouble to me, and for you it is ...
/w/writing.htm - 70k

Galatians (2 Occurrences)
... his practice to close with a few words in his own handwriting, as a ... pelikois grammasin),
that his hand-writing may reflect the energy and determination of his ...
/g/galatians.htm - 43k

Daniel (74 Occurrences)
... feast, he was called in at the instance of the queen-mother (perhaps Nitocris, the
daughter of Nebuchadnezzar) to interpret the mysterious handwriting on the ...
/d/daniel.htm - 79k

Nailing (2 Occurrences)
... Colossians 2:14 wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and
he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; (WEB KJV WEY ASV ...
/n/nailing.htm - 7k

Nailed (9 Occurrences)
... Colossians 2:14 having effaced the handwriting in ordinances which stood out against
us, which was contrary to us, he has taken it also out of the way, having ...
/n/nailed.htm - 9k

Ordinances (119 Occurrences)
... Colossians 2:14 wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and
he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; (WEB KJV ASV DBY ...
/o/ordinances.htm - 37k

Opposed (23 Occurrences)
... Colossians 2:14 wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and
he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; (See NIV). ...
/o/opposed.htm - 13k

Legal (13 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Colossians 2:14 wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against
us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; (See RSV). ...
/l/legal.htm - 10k

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