Easton's Bible Dictionary

Wax Made by melting the combs of bees. Mentioned (Psa 22:14; Psa 68:2; Psa 97:5; Mic 1:4) in illustration.

Wean Among the Hebrews children (whom it was customary for the mothers to nurse, Exo 2:7; Sa1 1:23; Sol 8:1) were not generally weaned till they were three or four years old.

Weasel (Heb. holedh ), enumerated among unclean animals (Lev 11:29). Some think that this Hebrew word rather denotes the mole (Spalax typhlus) common in Palestine. There is no sufficient reason, however, to depart from the usual translation. The weasel tribe are common also in Palestine.

Weaving Or weavers, weaving was an art practiced in very early times (Exo 35:35). The Egyptians were specially skilled in it (Isa 19:9; Eze 27:7), and some have regarded them as its inventors. In the wilderness, the Hebrews practiced it (Exo 26:1, Exo 26:8; Exo 28:4, Exo 28:39; Lev 13:47). It is referred to in subsequent times as specially the women's work (Kg2 23:7; Pro 31:13, Pro 31:24). No mention of the loom is found in Scripture, but we read of the "shuttle" (Job 7:6), "the pin" of the beam (Jdg 16:14), "the web" (Jdg 16:13, Jdg 16:14), and "the beam" (Sa1 17:7; Sa2 21:19). The rendering, "with pining sickness," in Isa 38:12 (A.V.) should be, as in the Revised Version, "from the loom," or, as in the margin, "from the thrum." We read also of the "wrap" and "woof" (Lev 13:48, Lev 13:49, Lev 13:51, Lev 13:58, Lev 13:59), but the Revised Version margin has, instead of "wrap," "woven or knitted stuff."

Week From the beginning, time was divided into weeks, each consisting of six days of working and one of rest (Gen 2:2, Gen 2:3; Gen 7:10; Gen 8:10, Gen 8:12; Gen 29:28). The references to this division of days becomes afterwards more frequent (Exo 34:22; Lev 12:5; Num 28:26; Deu 16:16; Ch2 8:13; Jer 5:24; Dan 9:24; Dan 10:2, Dan 10:3). It has been found to exist among almost all nations.

Weeks, Feast of See PENTECOST.

Weights Reduced to English troy-weight, the Hebrew weights were:, (1.) The gerah (Lev 27:25; Num 3:47), a Hebrew word, meaning a grain or kernel, and hence a small weight. It was the twentieth part of a shekel, and equal to 12 grains. (2.) Bekah (Exo 38:26), meaning "a half" i.e., "half a shekel," equal to 5 pennyweight. (3.) Shekel , "a weight," only in the Old Testament, and frequently in its original form (Gen 23:15, Gen 23:16; Exo 21:32; Exo 30:13, Exo 30:15; Exo 38:24, etc.). It was equal to 10 pennyweight. (4.) Ma'neh , "a part" or "portion" (Eze 45:12), equal to 60 shekels, i.e., to 2 lb. 6 oz. (5.) Talent of silver (Kg2 5:22), equal to 3,000 shekels, i.e., 125 lb. (6.) Talent of gold (Exo 25:39), double the preceding, i.e., 250 lb.

Well (Heb. beer ), to be distinguished from a fountain (Heb. 'ain ). A "beer" was a deep shaft, bored far under the rocky surface by the art of man, which contained water which percolated through the strata in its sides. Such wells were those of Jacob and Beersheba, etc. (see Gen 21:19, Gen 21:25, Gen 21:30, Gen 21:31; Gen 24:11; Gen 26:15, Gen 26:18, Gen 26:32, etc.). In the Pentateuch this word beer, so rendered, occurs twenty-five times.

Westward Sea-ward, i.e., toward the Mediterranean (Deu 3:27).

Whale The Hebrew word tan (plural, tannin) is so rendered in Job 7:12 (A.V.; but R.V., "sea-monster"). It is rendered by "dragons" in Deu 32:33; Psa 91:13; Jer 51:34; Psa 74:13 (marg., "whales;" and marg. of R.V., "sea-monsters"); Isa 27:1; and "serpent" in Exo 7:9 (R.V. marg., "any large reptile," and so in Exo 7:10, Exo 7:12). The words of Job (Job 7:12), uttered in bitter irony, where he asks, "Am I a sea or a whale?" simply mean, "Have I a wild, untamable nature, like the waves of the sea, which must be confined and held within bounds, that they cannot pass?" "The serpent of the sea, which was but the wild, stormy sea itself, wound itself around the land, and threatened to swallow it up... Job inquires if he must be watched and plagued like this monster, lest he throw the world into disorder" (Davidson's Job). The whale tribe are included under the general Hebrew name tannin (Gen 1:21; Lam 4:3). "Even the sea-monsters [tanninim] draw out the breast." The whale brings forth its young alive, and suckles them. It is to be noticed of the story of Jonah's being "three days and three nights in the whale's belly," as recorded in Mat 12:40, that here the Gr. ketos means properly any kind of sea-monster of the shark or the whale tribe, and that in the book of Jonah (Jon 1:17) it is only said that "a great fish" was prepared to swallow Jonah. This fish may have been, therefore, some great shark. The white shark is known to frequent the Mediterranean Sea, and is sometimes found 30 feet in length.