In biblical times, the concept of being "scratched" or "scratching" is not directly addressed in the same way it might be understood in contemporary contexts. However, the idea of scratching can be related to various biblical themes, such as physical afflictions, marks, or the act of writing or engraving.

Physical Afflictions and Marks:

The Bible often discusses physical afflictions and marks as signs of suffering or divine judgment. In Leviticus 19:28, the Israelites are commanded, "You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." This prohibition against making marks on the body can be seen as a broader principle against altering the body in ways that were associated with pagan practices. While "scratching" in the sense of a minor injury is not explicitly mentioned, the emphasis on maintaining the body as a creation of God is evident.

Writing and Engraving:

The act of scratching can also be metaphorically related to writing or engraving, which is a significant theme in the Bible. In Exodus 31:18, God gives Moses the tablets of the covenant law, "inscribed by the finger of God." The act of inscribing or engraving is a divine action, symbolizing the permanence and authority of God's commandments. Similarly, in Jeremiah 31:33, God promises a new covenant, saying, "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." Here, the metaphorical "scratching" or inscribing of God's law on the heart signifies an intimate and enduring relationship between God and His people.

Symbolism of Marks:

In the New Testament, the concept of marks takes on a symbolic meaning. In Galatians 6:17, the Apostle Paul states, "From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." These "marks" (Greek: stigmata) are understood as the physical and spiritual scars of suffering for Christ, symbolizing Paul's dedication and identification with the sufferings of Jesus. While not a literal "scratch," these marks represent a deeper spiritual truth about the cost of discipleship and the transformative power of suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near Eastern context, scratching or marking the body could be associated with mourning practices, idol worship, or other religious rituals. The biblical injunctions against such practices highlight the distinctiveness of Israel's worship and the call to holiness. The emphasis on avoiding pagan customs underscores the importance of purity and devotion to the one true God.

Overall, while the specific term "scratched" may not appear frequently in the biblical text, the related themes of physical marks, writing, and symbolic inscriptions provide a rich tapestry of meaning that reflects the broader biblical narrative of covenant, identity, and divine-human relationship.(imp. & p. p.) of Scratch.

Book Three the Story of his Student Days in Carthage, his ...
... Because of this my soul was unhealthy; and, full of sores, it exuded itself forth,
itching to be scratched by scraping on the things of the senses. ...
/.../augustine/confessions and enchiridion/book three the story of.htm

Indian Agriculture.
... having been tied to a bar of wood laid across the neck of two bullocks, and placed
under the management of a ploughboy, the ground is scratched a few inches ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hodson/old daniel/chapter eight indian agriculture.htm

Diamond Became a Great Favourite with all the Men About the Mews. ...
... All the time the old horse went on eating his hay, and, but with an occasional whisk
of his tail when Diamond tickled or scratched him, took no notice of the ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 17 diamond became a.htm

Cutting Corners
... the principal thing to notice about those curbs is that you will often find on them
the paint, sometimes red and sometimes black or yellow, scratched off the ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/cutting corners.htm

Packing Most in Least.
... If the hall were quite dark, and I scratched only a parlour-match, instantly as
the little flame broke out of the end of the stick some of the darkness would go ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/packing most in least.htm

John i. 16
... So in patterns and figures, the shape of a man scratched with white lines [372]
upon a black ground is called a man as well as that which has received the ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xiv john i 16.htm

Lovely to a Poet or an Artist's Eye is the Unevenly-Built and ...
... life. Patoux scratched his head over this for a considerable time and ruminated
deeply,"finally he smiled, a dull fat smile. "Good ...
//christianbookshelf.org/corelli/the master-christian/ii lovely to a poet.htm

Some Hymns and Hymn-Books
... The hymn that revolts me, if it has been a means of grace to Christian men, I must
respect as I should respect a communion cup, however scratched its surface ...
/.../manning/the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/some hymns and hymn-books.htm

A New Age and New Standards
... It never even scratched a man or woman who assaulted the soul of another with anger
and curses. Jesus proposed that these sins be restandardized. ...
/.../rauschenbusch/the social principles of jesus/chapter vi a new age.htm

The Red Shoes
... The shoes carried her on over thorn and brier; she scratched herself till she
bled; she danced away across the heath to a little lonely house. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the red shoes.htm

Scratched (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Scratch. Multi-Version Concordance
Scratched (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 21:13 And he changed ...
/s/scratched.htm - 6k

Palace (194 Occurrences)
... occupied as guard-rooms," says Dr. Manning, "by the praetorian troops on duty in
the palace, a number of rude caricatures are found roughly scratched upon the ...
/p/palace.htm - 40k

Scraps (5 Occurrences)

/s/scraps.htm - 7k

Scrawny (1 Occurrence)

/s/scrawny.htm - 6k

Birds (125 Occurrences)
... would increase in large numbers and become so bold that men were often in actual
conflict with them, and no doubt their faces and hands were torn and scratched...
/b/birds.htm - 62k

Shiloah (1 Occurrence)
... It is only a roughly scratched inscription of the nature of a graffito; the flowing
nature of the writing is fully explained by Dr. Reissner's recent discovery ...
/s/shiloah.htm - 17k

Siloah (1 Occurrence)
... It is only a roughly scratched inscription of the nature of a graffito; the flowing
nature of the writing is fully explained by Dr. Reissner's recent discovery ...
/s/siloah.htm - 17k

Shelah (18 Occurrences)
... It is only a roughly scratched inscription of the nature of a graffito; the flowing
nature of the writing is fully explained by Dr. Reissner's recent discovery ...
/s/shelah.htm - 24k

Siloam (4 Occurrences)
... It is only a roughly scratched inscription of the nature of a graffito; the flowing
nature of the writing is fully explained by Dr. Reissner's recent discovery ...
/s/siloam.htm - 21k

Hardness (11 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The cohesion of the particles on the surface of a body, determined by its
capacity to scratch another, or be itself scratched;-measured among minerals ...
/h/hardness.htm - 10k

Scratched: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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