Seal
Seal
(, vb. )
A seal is (1) the graven implement with which an impression is made on wax, clay, or other soft substance; and (2) the impression itself. The use of seals can be traced back almost to the dawn of civilization. The scarab seal was peculiar to Egypt and the cylinder to Babylonia. Having a distinctive character, requiring to be always at hand for use, and being a highly-prized and carefully-guarded possession, the seal naturally became a means of personal adornment. Seal and staff were the insignia of a man of rank among the Israelites as among the Babylonians (Herodotus, i. 195). A cord was passed through the seal, which was worn either as a necklace or as a bracelet (Gen 38:18, Ca 8:6, Jer 22:24). In later times the signet-ring came into use among the Jews. The ring displayed by the rich worshipper () in the early Christian assembly (Jam 2:2) was probably of this description. Signet-rings were largely in use among the Greeks and Romans, and many of these have been preserved.
The seal was used at all times for the purpose of safeguarding valuable possessions: wine jars were stopped and sealed, letters written and sealed, rolls folded and sealed, doors closed and sealed. Horace associates locks and seals-claves et sigilla (Ep. I. xx. 3). Property, security, secrecy, finality are the ideas suggested by the act of solemnly attaching ones seal to anything.
The figurative uses of the term are numerous. (a) Circumcision is regarded by St. Paul as the seal of a righteousness which existed before the rite was instituted (Rom 4:11). The same figure of speech was frequently used, though somewhat differently interpreted, by the Rabbis. Ye shall not eat of the passover unless the seal of Abraham be in your flesh (Shemoth Rabba, 19). Many parallels are given by J. J. Wetstein, Novum Testamentum Graecum, 1752, ad loc. (b) Vindicating his apostleship, St. Paul points to his converts as the seal which Christ Himself has affixed to his work (1Co 9:2). Can his opponents dispute a claim so clearly and authoritatively attested? (c) Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph 1:13). They gave themselves to Christ at their conversion, and the Spirit marked them as Christs peculium, consecrated to His service and destined for His eternal Kingdom. Sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph 4:30), they receive in time an earnest of what they are to be in eternity (2Co 1:22). On all such believers, who are Gods firm foundation, there is impressed the seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his (2Ti 2:19). It is often said that the Scriptural seal with which Christians are sealed is baptism, a natural enough interpretation, seeing that baptism early took the place of circumcision, which was expressly called a seal. J. H. Bernard (Expositors Greek Testament , 2 Corinthians, 1903) argues that the aorists in 2Co 1:22 (, ) point to acts completed at a definite moment in the past; and this can only mean the moment of baptism. But why not the hour of conscious regeneration or personal consecration? Lightfoot, Hatch, and Harnack question whether any apostle ever transferred the metaphor of the seal to baptism (see Sanday-Headlam, International Critical Commentary , Romans5, 1902, p. 107) (d) When St. Paul speaks of sealing the contribution () of the Gentiles (Rom 15:26; Rom 15:28) to the poor saints at Jerusalem, he means, not that he needs, as a good steward, literally to seal and secure the collection which has been made for them, but that he figuratively sets his seal (cf. Joh 3:33) to the offering of material things which is the fruit of their spiritual gifts to the Gentile world. He uses language of great dignity and solemnity, for he knows that money, which is sometimes mere filthy lucre (Tit 1:11), comes to have almost a sacramental value when it is the outward and visible sign or seal of an inward and spiritual love. (e) The apocalyptic roll of destiny, containing the Divine counsel regarding the order of events which is to usher in the end, is sealed with seven seals. No angel is able to open them, but they are opened one after the other by Christ (Revelation 5, 6). Roman wills required to be attested with seven seals, and T. Zahn (Introduction to the NT, 3 vols., 1909, iii. 394, following E. Huschke, Das Buch, mit sieben Siegeln, 1860; cf. E. Hicks, Traces of Greek Philosophy and Roman Law in the NT, 1896, pp. 157, 158) holds that the roll () is here a testamentum. As he confesses, omne simile claudicat; but this one would halt too badly, since God the Testator cannot die, and the is a book of doom rather than a will bequeathing a heritage. And the Roman parallel is unnecessary, for the use of seals was as familiar to the Jews as to the Romans, and seven was the Jewish sacred number. (f) According to the writer of the Revelation, the servants of God are sealed on their foreheads with the seal of the living God; 12,000 of every tribe of Israel are sealed. Those who have not the seal are exposed to great danger (Rev 7:3-8; Rev 9:4). (g) Satan is to be cast into the abyss, which will be shut and sealed upon him (Rev 20:3). (h) The roll of the apocalypse is not to be sealed (Rev 22:10), because its contents-unlike those of Daniel (Dan 12:4; Dan 12:9)-are not intended for a distant age, but are for use at the present juncture and in the immediate future.
Literature.-Article Gem in Encyclopaedia Britannica 11; article Seal, Sealing, in Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) ; C. W. King, Antique Gems and Rings, 2 vols., 1872.
James Strahan.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
seal
(Latin: sigillum)
A design impressed on wax or other plastic material, or the same adhering to, if attached by cords to a document as evidence of its authenticity. The use of a seal by men of wealth and position was common before the Christian era. Through the centuries the practise spread and at the synpd pf Chalons-sur-Saone in 818, it was enacted that letters under the bishop’s seal should be given to priests when they lawfully quitted their own diocese. The custom of bishops possessing seals may be assumed to have been rather general from this date. At tirst the seal was used for securing the document, but later it was attached to its face and served as an authentication; the deed was thus held to be valid as long as the seal remained intact. It soon followed that not only kings and bishops but every kind of body corporate, cathedral chapters, municipalities, monasteries, etc., used a seal to validate the acts executed in their name. During the early Middle Ages lead seals, or “bulls” were used, but except in the case of the papal chancery, it became the universal practise to take the impressions in wax. The importance of the seal necessitated that when authority passed into new hands the old seal should be destroyed and a new one made; when the pope dies it is the first duty of the Cardinal Camerlengo to break up the fisherman’s ring, the papal seal.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Seal
The use of a seal by men of wealth and position was common before the Christian era. It was natural then that high functionaries of the Church should adopt the habit as soon as they became socially and politically important. An incidental allusion in one of St. Augustine’s letters (217 to Victorinus) lets us know that he used a seal. The practice spread and it seems to be taken for granted by Clovis at the very beginning of the Merovingian period (Mon. Germ. Hist.: Leg., II, 2). Later ecclesiastical synods require that letters under the bishop’s seal should be given to priests when for some reason they lawfully quitted their own proper diocese. So it was enacted at Chalon-sur-Saône in 813. Pope Nicholas I in the same century complains that the bishops of Dôle and Reims had contra morem sent their letters to him unsealed (Jaffé, “Regesta”, nn. 2789, 2806, 2823). The custom of bishops possessing seals may from this date be assumed to have been pretty general. At first they were only used for securing the document from impertinent curiosity and the seal was commonly attached to the ties with which it was fastened. When the letter was opened by the addressee the seal was necessarily broken. Later the seal served as an authentication and was attached to the face of the document. The deed was thus only held to be valid so long as the seal remained intact. It soon came to follow from this point of view that not only real persons like kings and bishops, but also every kind of body corporate, cathedral chapters, municipalities, monasteries, etc., also required a common seal to validate the acts which were executed in their name,
During the early Middle Ages seals of lead, or more properly “bulls”, were in common use both in East and West, but except in the case of the papal chancery, these leaden authentications soon went out of favour in western Christendom and it became the universal practice to take the impressions in wax. In England hardly any waxen seals have survived of earlier date than the Norman Conquest. In the British Museum collection the earliest bishop’s seals preserved are those of William of St. Carileph, Bishop of Durham (1081-96) and of St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury (1093-1109). The importance of the seal as a means of authentication necessitated that when authority passed into new hands the old seal should be destroyed and a new one made. When the pope dies it is the first duty of the Cardinal Camerlengo to obtain possession of the Fisherman’s Ring, the papal signet, and to see that it is broken up. A similar practice prevailed in the Middle Ages and it is often alluded to by historians, as it seems to have been a matter of some ceremony. Thus we are concisely told: “There died in this year Robert de Insula, Bishop of Durham. After his burial, his seal was publicly broken up in the presence of all by Master Robert Avenel.” (Hist. Dunel. Scrip. Tres., p. 63). Matthew Paris gives a similar description of the breaking of the seal of William, Abbot of St. Albans, in 1235.
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GIRY, Manuel de Diplomatique (Paris, 1894), 622-657; DEMAY, Inventaire des sceaux de la Normandie (Paris, 1881); BIRCH, Seals, Connoisseurs’ Library (1907); BIRCH, Catalogue of Seals in British Museum (London, 1887-99); D’ARCQ, Collection de Sceaux (3 vols., Paris, 1868).
HERBERT THURSTON. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIIICopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Seal
(, chotham, ). The seal, together with the staff, has been in tile East from the earliest times (Gen 38:18) the favorite trinket of the men (see Son 8:6; Hag 2:23; Jer 22:24; Sir 17:22; comp. Rosenmuller, Morgenl. 6:252). Both are included in the attire of the Babylonians (Herod. i, 195; Strabo, 16:746). It was attached, as still in Persia, by a cord, and worn upon the bosom or in a finger-ring on the right hand (Gen 41:42; Est 3:10; Est 3:8; Est 8:2; Jer 22:24; comp. Chardin, 4:23; v, 454 sq.; Robinson, i, 58, and see especially Longus, De AnnuL Sign. [Mail. 1615; Lips. 1709]). The art of graving seals is an ancient one (Exo 28:11). The seal usually contains no figures (yet see the drawing of one found at Cusa, in Ker Porter, Tray. i, 425, pl. lxxx, 2), but simply the name of the wearer, sometimes with a sentence from the Koran, and it is customary to give an impression of it instead of a signature (Chardin, i, 289, 355; iii, 112, 362, 366, with plates; Olearins, Trav. p. 633; Rosenmuller, Morgenl. iii, 205 sq. Comp. Curtius, iii, 6, 7; Herod. iii, 128). For this purpose the seal is moistened with a kind of black ink (Harmer, Obs. ii, 468, 470; iii, 478); but in sealing letters (1Ki 21:8; comp. Josephus, Life, p. 44), bags (Job 14:17), and sacks (Mishna, Shabb. 8:5), as well as doors, clay or sealing-earth was used (ibid.). Among the Jews the women also carried seal-rings (ibid. 6:3). Eastern princes confer the dignity of minister or regent by tbe deliver)-of the state-sea], or a seal-ring (Gen 41:42; Est 3:10; Est 8:2; Esther 1 Mace. 6:15; comp. Curtius, 10:5, 4; Aristoph. Eq. 947; see Schulz, Leitung, 4:218 sq.; Tournefort, Voyage, ii, 383), and sometimes they invested successors in the same manner (Josephus, Ant. 20:2, 3), In the later language of the Jews the word chotam meant a counter or token, perhaps with a seal. Such were Used in the second Temple (Mishna, Shekal. v, 3 sq.), and a special officer of the seals was stationed there (ibid. v, 1). SEE RING
The seal, with the owner’s name or some other device engraven upon it, was usually employed to authenticate public or private documents. Seals for this purpose, made of burned clay, or of copper, silver, gold, or precious stones set in metal, were anciently used in the East. Sometimes the signet-ring was used for this purpose (Gen 38:18; Jer 32:10). If a door had to be sealed, it was first fastened with some ligament, over which was placed some well-compacted clay, and then impressed with the seal, so that any violation of it would be discovered at once (Job 38:14; Son 4:12; Mat 27:66). Important documents were sometimes put in sealed bags and enclosed in earthenware vessels for greater security (Deu 32:34; Jer 32:14; Job 14:17). The seal, if a cylinder, was rolled on the moist clay, hence Job says, “it is turned as clay to the seal” (Job 38:14); and sometimes the tablet or impression was placed in the furnace and baked. The term “sealed” is sometimes used figuratively for that which is permanent (Isa 8:16) and confirmed (Joh 6:29; Rom 4:11), also for that which is to be kept secret until the appointed time (Dan 8:26; Dan 12:4; Dan 12:9). So also the “book or roll sealed with seven seals” symbolized the plan of the divine government, which is impenetrable to every creature, but fully comprehended by the Saviour, who is exalted to the throne of the universe (Rev 5:2-8). The “seal of the living God,” on Which is supposed to be engraven the name of “Jehovah,” which was impressed upon the foreheads of the faithful, symbolizes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rev 7:2-17; Eph 1:13-14; Eph 6:30; 2Co 1:22; Eze 9:4; Eze 9:6; 2Ti 2:19). SEE SIGNET.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Seal
commonly a ring engraved with some device (Gen. 38:18, 25). Jezebel “wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal” (1 Kings 21:8). Seals are frequently mentioned in Jewish history (Deut. 32:34; Neh. 9:38; 10:1; Esther 3:12; Cant. 8:6; Isa. 8:16; Jer. 22:24; 32:44, etc.). Sealing a document was equivalent to the signature of the owner of the seal. “The use of a signet-ring by the monarch has recently received a remarkable illustration by the discovery of an impression of such a signet on fine clay at Koyunjik, the site of the ancient Nineveh. This seal appears to have been impressed from the bezel of a metallic finger-ring. It is an oval, 2 inches in length by 1 inch wide, and bears the image, name, and titles of the Egyptian king Sabaco” (Rawlinson’s Hist. Illus. of the O.T., p. 46). The actual signet-rings of two Egyptian kings (Cheops and Horus) have been discovered. (See SIGNET)
The use of seals is mentioned in the New Testament only in connection with the record of our Lord’s burial (Matt. 27:66). The tomb was sealed by the PhariSee s and chief priests for the purpose of making sure that the disciples would not come and steal the body away (ver. 63, 64). The mode of doing this was probably by stretching a cord across the stone and sealing it at both ends with sealing-clay. When God is said to have sealed the Redeemer, the meaning is, that he has attested his divine mission (John 6:27). Circumcision is a seal, an attestation of the covenant (Rom. 4:11). Believers are sealed with the Spirit, as God’s mark put upon them (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). Converts are by Paul styled the seal of his apostleship, i.e., they are its attestation (1 Cor. 9:2). Seals and sealing are frequently mentioned in the book of Revelation (5:1; 6:1; 7:3; 10:4; 22:10).
Fuente: Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Seal
Used to stamp a document, giving it legal validity. Judah probably wore his suspended from the neck over the breast (Gen 38:18; Son 8:6; Job 38:14). As the plastic clay presents various figures impressed on it by the revolving cylinder seal (one to three inches long, of terra cotta or precious stone, such as is found in Assyria), as “it is turned,” so the morning light rolling on over the earth, previously void of form through the darkness, brings out to view hills, valleys, etc. Treasures were sealed up (Deu 32:34); the lions’ den in Daniel’s case (Dan 6:17); so our Lord’s tomb (Mat 27:66).
Sealing up was also to ensure secrecy (Dan 12:4; Rev 5:1). The signet ring was the symbol of royal authority (Gen 12:41-42; Est 3:10; Est 8:10). Clay hardens in the heat, and was therefore used in Assyria and Babylon rather than wax, which melts. A stone cylinder in the Alnwick Museum bears the date of Osirtasin I, between 2,000 and 3,000 B.C. The Assyrian documents were often of baked clay, sealed while wet and burnt afterwards. Often the seal was a lump of clay impressed with a seal and tied the document. Such is the seal of Sabacho or So, king of Egypt (711 B.C.), found at Nimrud (2Ki 17:4).
Fuente: Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Seal
SEAL.The only reference in the Gospels to the literal use of a seal is Mat 27:66,* [Note: A finger-ring (), In which the seal was usually set, is mentioned in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luk 15:22).] where we read that the chief priests and Pharisees, after consultation with Pilate, in order to guard against the removal of our Lords body by the disciples, secured the sepulchre to the best of their power by setting their seal upon the entrance stone (cf. Dan 6:17) as well as by placing soldiers to guard it. The process would be accomplished by stretching a cord across the stone that blocked the entrance, and by sealing the two ends of the cord against the wall of rock. Twice in the Fourth Gospel the act of sealing is used figuratively to describe (a) the solemn confirmation by the believer, from his own experience, that God is true (Joh 3:33); (b) the destination and authentication of the Son by the Father as the bestower of the food which nourishes eternal life (Joh 6:27). In all of these three cases it is the verb that is used, the noun not being found in the Gospels.
C. L. Feltoe.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Seal
We find the use of seals of great antiquity, and they are so spoken of through the whole book of God. Judah gave Tamor the seal, or signet and pledge, as a token. (Gen 38:17-18) And the custom was uniform among all the persons of the east. (1Ki 21:8; Est 3:12) But what I have thought particularly worth our notice under this article is, that the Lord himself condescends to make use of this custom in relation to divine things. Hence the work of the Holy Ghost upon the heart is called the seal of the Spirit. (Eph 1:13) Yea Christ himself is said to be sealed by the Father. (Joh 6:27) And very sweetly the church, under the consciousness of these precious things being sealed, cries out in an earnestness to her Beloved, “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death jealousy is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.” (Son 8:6) Some have thought that this is the desire of Christ, to be set as a seal upon the arm and in the heart of the church, and for the same reasons. And it is possible it may be so; indeed I see no reason why we may not make application of them to both. But be this as it may the Scripture sense of sealing is the same; Christ desires his church, and his church desires her Christ, that there may be such a nearness, and connection, and union, and intimacy between them as is formed between those where the arm is always lifted up to protect and help, and the heart hath an everlasting impression in love abiding, so that the person and interest is never taken off from the mind. Abide in me, said Jesus to his disciples, and I in you. (Joh 15:4) One in heart, in mind, in all!
Fuente: The Poor Mans Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures
Seal
sel (substantive , hotham, seal, signet, , tabbaath, signet-ring; Aramaic , izka’; , sphrags; verb , hatham, (Aramaic , hatham); (, sphragzo), (, katasphragzomai, to seal):
I. Literal Sense.
A seal is an instrument of stone, metal or other hard substance (sometimes set in a ring), on which is engraved some device or figure, and is used for making an impression on some soft substance, as clay or wax, affixed to a document or other object, in token of authenticity.
1. Prevalence in Antiquity:
The use of seals goes back to a very remote antiquity, especially in Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria. Herodotus (i. 195) records the Babylonian custom of wearing signets. In Babylonia the seal generally took the form of a cylinder cut in crystal or some hard stone, which was bored through from end to end and a cord passed through it. The design, often accompanied by the owner’s name, was engraved on the curved part. The signet was then suspended by the cord round the neck or waist (compare the Revised Version (British and American) cord in Gen 38:18; upon thy heart … upon thine arm, i.e. one seal hanging down from the neck and another round the waist; Son 8:6). In Egypt, too, as in Babylonia, the cylinder was the earliest form used for the purpose of a seal; but this form was in Egypt gradually superseded by the scarab (= beetle-shaped) as the prevailing type. Other forms, such as the cone-shaped, were also in use. From the earliest period of civilization the finger-ring on which some distinguishing badge was engraved was in use as a convenient way of carrying the signet, the earliest extant rings being those found in Egyptian tombs. Other ancient peoples, such as the Phoenicians, also used seals. From the East the custom passed into Greece and other western countries. Devices of a variety of sorts were in use at Rome, both by the emperors and by private individuals. In ancient times, almost every variety of precious stones was used for seals, as well as cheaper material, such as limestone or terra-cotta. In the West wax came early into use as the material for receiving the impression of the seal, but in the ancient East clay was the medium used (compare Job 38:14). Pigment and ink also came into use.
2. Seals Among the Hebrews:
That the Israelites were acquainted with the use in Egypt of signets set in rings is seen in the statement that Pharaoh delivered to Joseph his royal signet as a token of deputed authority (Gen 41:41 f). They were also acquainted with the use of seals among the Persians and Medes (Est 3:12; Est 8:8-10; Dan 6:17). The Hebrews themselves used them at an early period, the first recorded instance being Gen 38:18, Gen 38:25, where the patriarch Judah is said to have pledged his word to Tamar by leaving her his signet, cord and staff. We have evidence of engraved signets being in important use among them in early times in the description of the two stones on the high priest’s ephod (Exo 28:11; Exo 39:6), of his golden plate (Exo 28:36; Exo 39:30), and breastplate (Exo 39:14). Ben-Sirach mentions as a distinct occupation the work of engraving on signets (Sirach 38:27). From the case of Judah and the common usage in other countries, we may infer that every Hebrew of any standing wore a seal. In the case of the signet ring, it was usual to wear it on one of the fingers of the right hand (Jer 22:24). The Hebrews do not seem to have developed an original type of signets. The seals so far discovered in Palestine go to prove that the predominating type was the Egyptian, and to a less degree the Babylonian.
3. Uses of Sealing:
(1) One of the most important uses of sealing in antiquity was to give a proof of authenticity and authority to letters, royal commands, etc. It served the purposes of a modern signature at a time when the art of writing was known to only a few. Thus Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal (1Ki 21:8); the written commands of Ahasuerus were sealed with the king’s ring, for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse (Est 8:8, Est 8:10; Est 3:12). (2) Allied to this is the formal ratification of a transaction or covenant. Jeremiah sealed the deeds of the field which he bought from Hanamel (Jer 32:10-14; compare Jer 32:44); Nehemiah and many others affixed their seal to the written covenant between God and His people (Neh 9:38; Neh 10:1 ff). (3) An additional use was the preservation of books in security. A roll or other document intended for preservation was sealed up before it was deposited in a place of safety (Jer 32:14; compare the book … close sealed with seven seals, Rev 5:1). In sealing the roll, it was wrapped round with flaxen thread or string, then a lump of clay was attached to it impressed with a seal. The seal would have to be broken by an authorized person before the book could be read (Rev 5:2, Rev 5:5, Rev 5:9; Rev 6:1, Rev 6:3, etc.). (4) Sealing was a badge of deputed authority and power, as when a king handed over his signet ring to one of his officers (Gen 41:42; Est 3:10; Est 8:2; 1 Macc 6:15). (5) Closed doors were often sealed to prevent the entrance of any unauthorized person. So the door of the lion’s den (Dan 6:17; compare Bel and the Dragon verse 14). Herodotus mentions the custom of sealing tombs (ii. 121). So we read of the chief priests and Pharisees sealing the stone at the mouth of our Lord’s tomb in order to make the sepulchre sure against the intrusion of the disciples (Mat 27:66). Compare the sealing of the abyss to prevent Satan’s escape Rev 20:3). A door was sealed by stretching a cord over the stone which blocked the entrance, spreading clay or wax on the cord, and then impressing it with a seal. (6) To any other object might a seal be affixed, as an official mark of ownership; e.g. a large number of clay stoppers of wine jars are still preserved, on which seal impressions of the cylinder type were stamped, by rolling the cylinder along the surface of the clay when it was still soft (compare Job 38:14).
II. Metaphorical Use of the Term.
The word seal, both substantive and verb, is often used figuratively for the act or token of authentication, confirmation, proof, security or possession. Sin is said not to be forgotten by God, but treasured and stored up with Him against the sinner, under a seal (Deu 32:34; Job 14:17). A lover’s signet is the emblem of love as an inalienable possession (Son 8:6); an unresponsive maiden is a spring shut up, a fountain sealed (Son 4:12). The seal is sometimes a metaphor for secrecy. That which is beyond the comprehension of the uninitiated is said to be as a book that is sealed (Isa 29:11 f; compare the book with seven seals, Rev 5:1 ff). Daniel is bidden to shut up the words of his prophecy and seal the book, even to the time of the end, i.e. to keep his prophecy a secret till it shall be revealed (Dan 12:4, Dan 12:9; compare Rev 10:4). Elsewhere it stands for the ratification of prophecy (Dan 9:24). The exact meaning of the figure is sometimes ambiguous (as in Job 33:16; Eze 28:12). In the New Testament the main ideas in the figure are those of authentication, ratification, and security. The believer in Christ is said to set his seal to this, that God is true (Joh 3:33), i.e. to attest the veracity of God, to stamp it with the believer’s own endorsement and confirmation. The Father has sealed the Son, i.e. authenticated Him as the bestower of life-giving bread (Joh 6:27). The circumcision of Abraham was a sign and seal, an outward ratification, of the righteousness of faith which he had already received while uncircumcised (Rom 4:11; compare the prayer offered at the circumcision of a child, Blessed be He who sanctified His beloved from the womb, and put His ordinance upon his flesh, and sealed His offering with the sign of a holy covenant; also Targum Song 38: The seal of circumcision is in your flesh as it was sealed in the flesh of Abraham). Paul describes his act in making over to the saints at Jerusalem the contribution of the Gentiles as having sealed to them this fruit (Rom 15:28); the meaning of the phrase is doubtful, but the figure seems to be based on sealing as ratifying a commercial transaction, expressing Paul’s intention formally to hand over to them the fruit (of his own labors, or of spiritual blessings which through him the Gentiles had enjoyed), and to mark it as their own property. Paul’s converts are the seal, the authentic confirmation, of his apostleship (1Co 9:2). God by His Spirit indicates who are His, as the owner sets his seal on his property; and just as documents are sealed up until the proper time for opening them, so Christians are sealed up by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30; 2Co 1:22). Ownership, security and authentication are implied in the words, The firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his (2Ti 2:19). The seal of God on the foreheads of His servants (Rev 7:2-4) marks them off as His own, and guarantees their eternal security, whereas those that have not the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev 9:4) have no such guaranty.
On the analogy of the rite of circumcision (see above), the term seal (sphragis) was at a very early period applied to Christian baptism. But there is no sufficient ground for referring such passages as Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30; 2Co 1:22 to the rite of baptism (as some do). The use of the metaphor in connection with baptism came after New Testament times (early instances are given in Gebhardt and Lightfoot on 2 Clem 2Co 7:6). Harnack and Hatch maintain that the name seal for baptism was taken from the Greek mysteries, but Anrich and Sanday-Headlam hold that it was borrowed from the Jewish view of circumcision as a seal. See MYSTERY.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Seal
There seem to have been two kinds of seals in use among the Hebrews. A notion appears to exist that all ancient seals, being signets, were rings, intended to be worn on the hand. But this was by no means the case; nor is it so now in the East, where signet rings are still, probably, as common as they ever were in ancient times. Their general use of seals was very different from ours, as they were employed not for the purpose of impressing a device on wax, but in the place of a sign manual, to stamp the name of the owner upon any document to which he desired to affix it. The name thus impressed had the same legal validity as the actual signature, as is still the case in the East. This custom was ancient, and, no doubt, existed among the Hebrews (Gen 38:18; Son 8:6; Hag 2:23). These seals are often entirely of metalbrass, silver, or gold; but sometimes of stone set in metal.
If a door or box was to be sealed, it was first fastened with some ligament, over which was placed some well-compacted clay to receive the impression of the seal. Clay was used because it hardens in the heat, which would dissolve wax; and this is the reason that wax is not used in the East. There are distinct allusions to this custom in Job 38:14; Son 4:12.
Signet rings were very common, especially among persons of rank. They were sometimes wholly of metal, but often the inscription was borne by a stone set in silver or gold. The impression from the signet ring of a monarch gave the force of a royal decree to any instrument to which it was affixed. Hence the delivery or transfer of it to any one gave the power of using the royal name, and created the highest office in the state (Gen 41:42; Est 3:10; Est 3:12; Est 8:2; Jer 22:24; Dan 6:10; Dan 6:13; Dan 6:17; comp. 1Ki 21:8).
Fuente: Popular Cyclopedia Biblical Literature
Seal
1. A stamp used for signifying documents:
– Given as a pledge
Gen 38:18
– Engraved
Exo 28:11; Exo 28:21; Exo 28:36; Exo 39:6; Exo 39:14; Exo 39:30; 2Ti 2:19
– Decrees signified by
1Ki 21:8; Est 8:8
– Documents sealed with:
b Ahab’s letter
1Ki 21:8
b Covenants
Neh 9:38; Neh 10:1; Isa 8:16
b Decrees
Est 8:8; Dan 6:9
b Deeds
Jer 32:10
– Treasures secured by
Deu 32:34
– Lion’s den made sure by
Dan 6:17
– Sepulcher of Jesus made sure by
Mat 27:66
– Circumcision a seal of righteousness
Rom 4:11
– Figurative:
b Of secrecy
Dan 12:9; Rev 5:1
b Of certainty of divine approval
Joh 6:27; Rom 15:28; 2Co 1:22; Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30; Rev 7:3-4
2. An amphibious animal. Skins of, were used as a covering of the tabernacle
Exo 25:5; Exo 26:14; Exo 35:7; Exo 35:23; Exo 36:19; Exo 39:34; Num 4:25
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Seal
Seal. Among seals used in Egypt at a very early period were engraved stones, pierced through their length and hung by a string or chain from the arm or neck, or set in rings for the finger. The most ancient form used for this purpose was the scarabus (beetle), formed of precious or common stone, or even of blue pottery or porcelain, on the fiat side of which some inscription or device was engraved. In many cases the seal consisted of a lump of to the document by strings. In sealing a sepulchre the fastening was covered with clay or wax, and the seal was stamped upon it, so that it could not be broken open without discovery. The signet-ring was an ordinary part of a man’s equipment. Gen 38:18. The ring or the seal as an emblem of authority in Egypt, Persia, and elsewhere is mentioned in Gen 41:42; 1Ki 21:8; Est 3:10; Est 3:12; Est 8:2; Dan 6:17; and as an evidence of a covenant, in Jer 32:10; Jer 32:44; Neh 9:38; Neh 10:1; Hag 2:23. Engraved signets were in use among the Hebrews in early times. Exo 28:11; Exo 28:36; Exo 39:6.
Fuente: People’s Dictionary of the Bible
Seal
Seal. The importance attached to seal, s in the East, is so great that, without one, no document is regarded as authentic. Among the methods of sealing used in Egypt, at a very early period, were engraved stones, graved stones, pierced through their length, and hung by a string or chain, from the arm or neck, or set in rings for the finger. The most ancient form used for this purpose was the scarabaeus, formed of precious or common stone, or even of blue pottery or porcelain, on the flat side of which, the inscription or device was engraved. In many cases, the seal consisted of a lump of clay, impressed with the seal and attached to the document, whether of papyrus or other material, by strings. In other cases, wax was used.
In sealing a sepulchre or box, the fastening was covered with clay or wax, and the impression from a seal, of one in authority, was stamped upon it, so that it could not be broken open without discovery. The signet-ring was an ordinary part of a man’s equipment. Gen 38:18. The ring or the seal as an emblem of authority in Egypt, Persia and elsewhere is mentioned in Gen 41:42; 1Ki 21:8; Est 3:10; Est 3:12; Est 8:2; Dan 6:17, and as an evidence of a covenant, in Jer 32:10; Jer 32:44; Neh 9:38; Neh 10:1; Hag 2:23. Engraved signets were in use, among the Hebrews, in early times. Exo 28:11; Exo 28:36; Exo 39:6.
Fuente: Smith’s Bible Dictionary
SEAL
See SEALING.
Fuente: A Symbolical Dictionary
SEAL
a signet, or stamp
1Ki 21:8; Est 8:8; Jer 32:10; Dan 6:17; Mat 27:66
Fuente: Thompson Chain-Reference Bible
Seal
The ancient Hebrews wore their seals or signets, in rings on their fingers, or in bracelets on their arms, as is now the custom in the east. Haman sealed the decree of King Ahasuerus against the Jews with the king’s seal, Est 3:12. The priests of Bel desired the king to seal the door of their temple with his own seal. The spouse in the Son 8:6, wishes that his spouse would wear him as a signet on her arm. Pliny observes, that the use of seals or signets was rare at the time of the Trojan war, and that they were under the necessity of closing their letters with several knots. But among the Hebrews they are much more ancient. Judah left his seal as a pledge with Tamar, Gen 38:25. Moses says, Deu 32:34, that God keeps sealed up in his treasuries, under his own seal, the instruments of his vengeance. Job says, Job 9:7, that he keeps the stars as under his seal, and allows them to appear when he thinks proper. He says also, My transgression is sealed up in a bag, Job 14:7. When they intended to seal up a letter, or a book, they wrapped it round with flax, or thread, then applied the wax to it, and afterward the seal. The Lord commanded Isaiah to tie up or wrap up the book in which his prophecies were written, and to seal them till the time he should bid him publish them, Isa 8:16-17. He gives the same command to Dan 12:4. The book that was shown to St. John the evangelist, Rev 5:1; Rev 6:1-2, &c, was sealed with seven seals. It was a rare thing to affix such a number of seals, but this insinuated the great importance and secrecy of the matter. In civil contracts they generally made two originals: one continued open, and was kept by him for whose interest the contract was made; the other was sealed and deposited in some public office.