Definition and Usage:
Hewing refers to the act of cutting, chopping, or shaping something with a tool such as an axe or a chisel. In biblical contexts, hewing is often associated with the preparation of wood or stone for construction, as well as the symbolic act of judgment or destruction.

Biblical References:

1. Construction and Craftsmanship:
Hewing is frequently mentioned in the context of construction, particularly in the building of altars, temples, and other significant structures. In the construction of Solomon's Temple, skilled workers hewed stones and timber to create a magnificent edifice. "The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones" (1 Kings 5:17). This highlights the importance of hewing in preparing materials for sacred purposes.

2. Symbolic Judgment:
Hewing is also used metaphorically to describe divine judgment or the cutting down of nations and individuals who have turned away from God. In Hosea 6:5, the prophet declares, "Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning" . Here, hewing symbolizes the powerful and decisive nature of God's judgment delivered through His prophets.

3. Idolatry and False Worship:
The act of hewing is sometimes associated with idolatry, where people would carve idols from wood or stone. In Deuteronomy 7:5, the Israelites are commanded to destroy the altars and idols of the Canaanites: "But this is how you are to treat them: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire" . Hewing, in this context, is part of the process of purging the land of false worship.

4. Moral and Spiritual Lessons:
The imagery of hewing is used to convey moral and spiritual lessons. In Proverbs 9:1, wisdom is personified as having "built her house; she has hewn out her seven pillars" . This suggests that wisdom involves careful preparation and solid foundation, akin to the deliberate and skilled act of hewing.

Cultural and Historical Context:
In ancient times, hewing was a labor-intensive process requiring skill and precision. Craftsmen and laborers who specialized in hewing were highly valued for their ability to transform raw materials into functional and artistic forms. The tools used for hewing, such as axes and chisels, were essential for both everyday life and religious practices.

Theological Implications:
Hewing, as depicted in the Bible, serves as a powerful metaphor for divine intervention, human craftsmanship, and the consequences of idolatry. It underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands and the transformative power of His word. The act of hewing, whether in construction or judgment, reflects the broader biblical themes of creation, destruction, and redemption.(p. pr. & vb. n.) of Hew.4274. machtseb -- a hewing
... a hewing. Transliteration: machtseb Phonetic Spelling: (makh-tsabe') Short Definition:
hewn. ... From chatsab; properly, a hewing; concretely, a quarry -- hewed(-n). ...
/hebrew/4274.htm - 6k

1496. gazith -- a cutting, hewing
... 1495, 1496. gazith. 1497 . a cutting, hewing. Transliteration: gazith
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-zeeth') Short Definition: stone. Word ...
/hebrew/1496.htm - 6k

Continued.
... And Jehovah rends the cedars of Lebanon, And makes them leap like a calf; Lebanon
and Sirion like a young buffalo The voice of Jehovah hewing flashes of fire! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/the life of david/iii early dayscontinued.htm

Heart's-Ease
... Michael Angelo used to carry stuck on his forehead in a paste-board cap, and which
kept his own shadow from being cast upon his work when he was hewing out his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/brooks/hearts-ease/hearts-ease.htm

A Short and Easy Method of Prayer
... "Come, all ye that are athirst, to these living waters"; nor lose your precious
moments in "hewing out cisterns, broken cisterns that will hold no water" (John ...
/.../guyon/a short and easy method of prayer/a short and easy method.htm

All are Commanded to Pray --Prayer the Great Means of Salvation
... 22:17). Do not amuse yourselves by hewing out to yourselves "broken cisterns
that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). Come, hungry ...
/.../a short method of prayer and spiritual torrents/chapter i all are commanded.htm

San Josef
... The men are hewing down the giant grass with cutlasses; the women stripping off
the leaves, and then piling the cane in carts drawn by mules, the leaders of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter ix san josef.htm

Some Helps to Mourning
... Every blow given to the tree helps forward the felling of the tree. Every
sin is an hewing and chopping down the soul for hellfire. ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/10 some helps to mourning.htm

The Image of Self.
... There he was pictured with his sling going against the giant Goliath. There he was
represented standing over the fallen Philistine and hewing off his head. ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lx the image of self.htm

Joshua Kocherthal.
... Hewing Their Way to the Mohawk Valley."The immigrants had been promised prosperity;
but the English officials were actuated by selfish motives and shamefully ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bente/american lutheranism/joshua kocherthal.htm

Canaan
... apparent, the young artist laid aside his chisel and mallet, and the Arabian desert
knew his footsteps no more for many days after the rough-hewing of Athor's ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xii canaan.htm

And So, Having Made These Remarks as it were by Way of Preface...
... Are you not yourselves every day, in your efforts to illumine the darkness of antiquity,
cutting and hewing with the new axes of imperial rescripts and edicts ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/apology/chapter iv and so having.htm

Hewing (6 Occurrences)
...Hewing (6 Occurrences). 1 Kings 5:15 And king Solomon hath seventy thousand bearing
burdens, and eighty thousand hewing in the mountain, (YLT). ...
/h/hewing.htm - 8k

Axe (19 Occurrences)
... 19:5; 20:19; 1 Kings 6:7, as the translation of a Hebrew word which means "chopping."
It was used for felling trees (Isaiah 10:34) and hewing timber for ...
/a/axe.htm - 18k

Shebna (9 Occurrences)
... We can perhaps safely infer that he was a parvenu from the fact that he was hewing
himself a sepulcher in Jerusalem, apparently among those of the nobility ...
/s/shebna.htm - 20k

Hewn (32 Occurrences)

/h/hewn.htm - 16k

Numbereth (9 Occurrences)
... 2 Chronicles 2:2 and Solomon numbereth seventy thousand men bearing burden, and
eighty thousand men hewing in the mountain, and overseers over them -- three ...
/n/numbereth.htm - 9k

Log (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A Hebrew measure of liquids, containing 2.37 gills. 2. (n.) A bulky
piece of wood which has not been shaped by hewing or sawing. ...
/l/log.htm - 11k

Graving (7 Occurrences)
... and whom has thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him
out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock! ...
/g/graving.htm - 10k

Gravest (1 Occurrence)
... and whom has thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him
out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock! ...
/g/gravest.htm - 6k

Waving (23 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Isaiah 10:15 -- Doth the axe glorify itself Against him who is hewing with
it? Doth the saw magnify itself Against him who is shaking it? ...
/w/waving.htm - 13k

Trench (8 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To cut; to form or shape by cutting; to
make by incision, hewing, or the like. 2. (vt) To fortify ...
/t/trench.htm - 10k

Hewing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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