Foot
FOOT
The expressions in Deu 32:35, “their foot shall slide in due time,” and in the traveler’s song, Psa 121:3, “he will not suffer thy foot to be moved,” Psa 66:9 Jer 13:16, have reference to the dangerous character of the narrow roads or paths of the East, over rocks and beside precipices where a sliding foot was often fatal. See also Isa 8:14 Luk 2:34 . Nakedness of feet was a sign of mourning. God says to Ezekiel, “Make no mourning for the dead, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet,” Eze 24:17 . It was likewise a mark of respect. Moses put off his shoes to approach the burning bush; and most commentators are of opinion that the priests served in the tabernacle with their feet naked, as they did afterwards in the temple. The Turks never enter their mosques till after they have washed their feet and their hands, and have put off the outward covering of their legs. The Christians of Ethiopia enter their churches with their shoes off, and the Indian Brahmins and others have the same respect for their pagodas and temples. Eastern conquerors used to set their feet on the necks of conquered princes, Jos 10:22, and action often figured in ancient sculptures, Psa 8:6 Isa 49:23 1Co 15:25 Heb 2:8 . See NINEVEH.The orientals used to wash the feet of strangers who came off a journey, because they commonly walked with their legs bare, and their feet defended only by sandals, Gen 24:32 43:24. So Abraham washed the feet of the three angels, Gen 18:4 . This office was usually performed by servants and slaves; and hence Abigail answers David, who sought her in marriage, that she should think it an honor to wash the feet of the king’s servants, 1Sa 25:41 . Paul would have a widow assisted by the church, to be one who had hospitably washed the feet of saints, 1Ti 5:10 . The practice is still met with in Palestine. Says Dr. Robinson, at Ramleh, “Our youthful host now proposed, in the genuine style of ancient oriental hospitality, that a servant should wash our feet. This took me by surprise; for I was not aware that the custom still existed here. Nor does it indeed towards foreigners, though it is quite common among the natives. We gladly accepted the proposal, both for the sake of the refreshment and of the scriptural illustration. A female Nubian slave accordingly brought water, which she poured upon our feet over a large shallow basin of tinned copper, kneeling before us and rubbing our feet with her hands, and wiping them with a napkin. It was one of the most gratifying minor incidents of our whole journey.” Our Savior, after his last supper, gave a striking lesson of humility, by washing his disciples’ feet, Joh 13:5-6,8, though the eighth verse shows that he had also a deeper meaning. See SANDALS.
Fuente: American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
Foot
(properly , re’gel, ). Of the various senses in which the word foot is used in Scripture The following are the most remarkable. Such phrases as the slipping of the foot, the stumbling of the foot, from head to foot (to express the entire body), and footsteps (to express tendencies, as when we say of one that he walks in another’s footstep), require no explanation, being common to most languages.
The extreme modesty of the Hebrew language, which has perhaps seldom been sufficiently appreciated dictated the use of the word feet to express the parts and the acts which it is not allowed to name. Hence such phrases as the hair of the feet, the water of the feet, between the feet, to open the feet, to cover the feet, all of which are sufficiently intelligible, except perhaps the last, While certainly does not mean going to sleep, as some interpreters suggest, but to dismiss the refuse of nature.
To be under any one’s feet denotes the subordination of a subject to his sovereign, or of a servant to his master (Psa 8:6; comp. Heb 2:8; 1Co 15:26); and was doubtless derived from the symbolical action of conquerors, who set their feet upon the neck or body of the chiefs whom they had vanquished, in token of their triumph. This custom is expressly mentioned in Scripture (Jos 10:23), and is figured on the monuments of Egypt, Persia, and Rome., SEE TRIUMPH.
In like manner, to be at any one’s feet is used for being at the service of any one, following him, or willingly receiving his instructions (Jdg 4:10). The last passage, in which Paul is described as being brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, will appear still clearer if we understand that, as thee Jewish writers allege, pupils actually did sit on the floor before, and therefore. at the feet of, the doctors of the law, who themselves were raised on an elevated seat. SEE DISCIPLE.
Lameness of feet generally denotes affliction or calamity, as in Psa 35:15; Psa 38:18; Jer 20:10; Mic 4:6-7; Zec 3:9. SEE LAME.
To set one’s foot in a place signifies to take possession of it, as in Deuteronomy 1:36; 11:34, and elsewhere.
To water with the feet (Deu 11:10) implies that the soil was watered with as much ease as a garden, in which the small channels for irrigation may be turned, etc., with the foot. SEE GARDEN.
An elegant phrase, borrowed from the feet, occurs in Gal 2:14, where Paul says, When I saw that they walked not uprightly, , literally, not with a straight foot, or did not foot it straightly.
Nakedness of feet expressed mourning (Eze 24:17). This must mean. appearing abroad with naked feet, for there is reason to think that the Jews never used their sandals or shoes within doors. The modern Orientals consider it disrespectful to enter a room without taking off the outer covering of their feet. It is with them equivalent to uncovering the head among Europeans. The practice of feet-washing implies a similar usage among the Hebrews. SEE ABLUTION; SEE WASHING. Uncovering the feet was also a mark of adoration. Moses put off his sandals to approach the burning bush where the presence of God was manifested (Exo 3:5). Among the modern Orientals it would be regarded as the height of profanation to enter a place of worship with covered feet. The Egyptian priests officiated barefoot; and most commentators. are of opinion that the Aaronite priests served with bare feet in the tabernacle, as, according to all the Jewish writers, they afterwards did in the Temple, and as the frequent washings of their feet enjoined by the law seem to imply. SEE SANDALS.
The passage, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings, that publisheth peace (Isa 52:7 ), appears to signify that, although the feet of messengers and travelers are usually rendered disagreeable by the soil and dust of the way, yet the feet of these blessed messengers seemed, notwithstanding, even beautiful, on account of the glad tidings which they bore.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Foot (2)
Kissing of the Pope’s. The kissing of the feet of rulers was an Oriental mode of testifying reverence or subjection. It was also done in the West to some, at least, of the Roman emperors, Dioclesian is said to have had gems fastened to his shoes, that the honor of kissing his feet might be more willingly paid. It was introduced as a sign of reverence for the pope of Rome at some, date not precisely known. In defense of this practice, the Roman writers adduce an early usage of the sort in favor of all bishops; but it was kissing of the hand, not of the foot, that seems to have been the usage (Bingham, Orig. Eccles. book 2, chapter 9). The first example of an emperor kissing the pope’s foot is that of Justin with the foot of pope John I, A.D. 525. It is now practiced (1) after the election of a new pope, when all the cardinals kiss his foot; (2) on the election of a new cardinal, when he kisses the pope’s foot, formally, in sign of homage and submission; (3) at public audiences of the pope, when persons presented kiss his foot. Protestants are not required to perform this homage when presented. A crucifix is fastened to the slipper, that the act of adoration may be interpreted as paid to Christ in the person of his so-called vicar.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Foot
Sandals covered only the soles, so that the feet needed washing when coming from a journey. In Joh 13:10 a distinct Greek word expresses bathing the whole person and washing the feet; “he that is washed (leloumenos) needeth not save to wash (nipsasthai) his feet, but is clean every whit.” When one has been, as Peter, once for all wholly forgiven in regeneration, and so received the bathing of the whole man, i.e. justification through faith in Jesus, he needs no repetition of this as Peter requested; all he needs is cleansing from the soils that his feet contract in his daily life walk. Hence we daily pray, “give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as,” etc. (1Jo 1:9.) So the priests in entering the house of God (Exo 30:19).
It was an act of humble deference to guests to wash the feet (Luk 7:38-44; 1Ti 5:10). Disciples, after Christ’s example, were to wash one another’s feet, “by love serving one another” (Gal 5:13). The sandals were taken off in entering a house, hence the command to Moses (Exo 3:5) and to Joshua (Jos 5:15); compare Ecc 5:1. To put them on was to prepare for active duty (Eze 24:17); whereas mourners went barefoot (2Sa 15:30). To “cover the feet” was the delicate expression for easing oneself, preparatory to which the loose garment was let fall to cover the person (1Sa 24:3; compare margin 2Ki 18:27). Putting the feet on captives’ necks, as Joshua did (Jos 10:24), symbolizes complete mastery (Psa 110:1; 1Co 15:25; Isa 60:14).
Fuente: Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Foot
FOOT.The references in this connexion arise chiefly from the fact that the foot in relationship to the head is the inferior part of the body.
1. Humility and defilement.A still lower level was reached by the shoes or sandals, which were in direct contact with the common earth. John the Baptist indicated his inferiority to Christ by saying that he was unworthy to unfasten His shoelatchet (Mar 1:7). To walk barefoot was the sign of a captive prisoner (Isa 20:4), and as a voluntary act of self-infliction often forms part of a personal vow. To be trodden under foot was the symbol of utter degradation (Mat 5:13, Luk 21:24, Heb 10:29). At the entrance to an Oriental house the shoes are removed, not merely for the sake of cleanliness as a preliminary to sitting down with the feet drawn under the dress, but also out of regard to the sanctity of family life, so that no defilement may touch the rugs and mats that have been hallowed by prayer and the Divine presence. He who stood on holy ground had to put off his shoes (Exo 3:5, Jos 5:15).
Orientals are not accustomed to wear stockings with their open shoes, and it was an act not only of ceremonial duty, but of personal comfort, to bathe the feet after a journey over the hot and dusty ground. It was a courtesy due to a guest to see that this ministry was not omitted. Christ drew attention to the fact that in the house of one who prided himself upon his precise fulfilment of the Law this service had been more than rendered to Him by a woman whom the Pharisee despised as a sinner (Luk 7:44; Luk 7:46). The charge to His disciples to shake the dust from their feet wherever the message of the Kingdom was not received (Mat 10:14, Mar 6:11, Luk 9:5; Luk 10:11), was a demonstration to both parties of the unfitness of such people for its membership. When Christ washed the disciples feet, the cleansing meant not only that the feet under which His sacred hands had been placed could never turn aside to paths of evil, but that they could never be set down with harsh and proud authority over the lives and rights of others. His service could never lay upon those disciples any greater humiliation than had been rendered to them. It became a law of the Kingdom to wash one anothers feet (Joh 13:5; Joh 13:14).
2. Authority and subjection.To approach the feet of the great was the conceded right of the weak in seeking the presence and help of the powerful. To kneel down and clasp the feet and even to kiss them is still the Oriental preliminary to an important request. When inferiors salute those of higher rank, the first act of gesture is to lower the hand towards the ground as if to imply that the whole body should be there. Sometimes the word is allowed to do service for the deed, as when the supplicant says, Allow me to kiss your feet. The impression meant to be produced is that the party addressed has the power to do what is asked, and that the only unsettled point is the question of his willingness (Mat 18:29; Mat 20:20, Mar 1:40; Mar 10:17).
The foot on the neck as a symbol of conquest seems to have been borrowed from the primitive pastoral life. When an Oriental shepherd wishes to punish a straying and inattentive sheep, he casts it on its side, and with all his weight presses and rubs the iron-studded sole of his shoe against its neck (1Co 15:25; 1Co 15:27). In killing a serpent, the Syrian peasant, even with a stick in his hand, usually, after a blow or two, jumps upon the serpent, and by a quick succession of stamps bruises it to death (Psa 91:13, Rom 16:20). To sit at the feet of his teacher was the attitude of the disciple (Mat 10:24, Luk 10:39, Act 22:3). The Pharisees thus sat in Moses seat (Mat 23:2).
The risen Lord was recognized by the marks in His hands and His feet (Luk 24:40); see Print. On Mat 18:8 || see Asceticism, p. 129.
G. M. Mackie.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Foot
FOOT.Isa 3:18; Isa 3:18 refers to the ornaments of womens feet. Most of the metaphorical or figurative usages are connected with the idea of the feet as the lowest part of the body, opposed to the head; hence falling at a mans feet, as the extreme of reverence or humility, kissing the feet (Luk 7:38), sitting at the feet, as the attitude of the pupil (Luk 10:39, Act 22:3). The foot was literally placed on the neck of conquered foes (Jos 10:24), as may be seen in Egyptian monuments. Hence under foot is used of subjection (Psa 8:6, 1Co 15:27). In Deu 11:10 the reference is to some system of irrigation in vogue in Egypt, either to the turning of a water-wheel by the foot, or to a method of distributing water from a canal by making or breaking down with the foot the small ridges which regulate its flow (Driver, ad loc.). Other usages arise from the feet as stained or defiled in walking. The shaking of dust from the feet (Mat 10:14, Act 13:51) was the sign of complete rejection; the land was as a heathen land, and its dust unclean. So the sandals were removed as a sign of reverence (Exo 3:5, Jos 5:15; cf. covering the feet, Isa 6:2). To remove the sandal was also the sign of the renunciation of a right (Deu 25:9, Rth 4:8). To walk barefoot was the symbol of mourning (2Sa 15:30) or slavery (Isa 20:2). Jer 2:25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, i.e. do not wear the shoes off your feet in running after strange gods.
Washing the feet stained with the dust of the road was part of the regular duty of hospitality (Gen 18:4, Exo 30:19, 2Sa 11:8, Son 5:3, Luk 7:44). The use of ointment for this purpose was the sign of the penitents lavish love (Luk 7:38, Joh_Joh 12:3). The washing of the feet at the Last Supper is primarily connected with this custom (Joh 13:1-38). Christ the Lord and Master assumes the garb and does the work of a slave (Joh 13:4). The lesson is not merely one of humility (cf. the dispute in Luk 22:24), but of ready and self-sacrificing service. An interesting Rabbinic parallel is quoted on Eze 16:9 : Among men the slave washes his master; but with God it is not so. Edersheim further sees in the act a substitute for the washing of hands which was part of the Paschal ceremonial; and there may be a reference to the proverb, connected with the Greek mysteries, that a great undertaking must not be entered upon with unwashed feet. The service of the Kingdom of heaven (or in particular the crisis of that night) is not to be approached in the spirit of unthinking pride shown in the dispute about precedence (see D. Smith, The Days of His Flesh, p. 440). Besides the lesson of humility, there is also the symbolism of purification. St. Peter, at first protesting, afterwards characteristically accepts this as literal. Christs reply takes up the figure of one who has walked from the bath to his hosts house, and needs only to have the dust of his journey removed. Broadly, they are clean by their consecration to Him, but they need continual cleansing from the defilements of daily life. It seems impossible not to see in the word bathed a foreshadowing of the idea of Christian baptism (Westcott, ad loc.). The same or other commentaries should be consulted for later imitations of the ceremony (cf. 1Ti 5:10).
C. W. Emmet.
Fuente: Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible
Foot
See Feet
Fuente: The Poor Mans Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures
Foot
foot (, reghel, , karsol (only twice in parallel passages: 2Sa 22:37 = Psa 18:36, where it probably means ankle); , pous): The dusty roads of Palestine and other eastern lands make a much greater care of the feet necessary than we are accustomed to bestow upon them. The absence of socks or stockings, the use of sandals and low shoes rather than boots and, to an even greater degree, the frequent habit of walking barefoot make it necessary to wash the feet repeatedly every day. This is always done when entering the house, especially the better upper rooms which are usually carpeted. It is a common dictate of good manners to perform this duty to a visitor, either personally or through a servant; at least water for washing has to be presented (Gen 18:4; Luk 7:44). This has therefore become almost synonymous with the bestowal of hospitality (1Ti 5:10). At an early date this service was considered one of the lowest tasks of servants (1Sa 25:41), probably because the youngest and least trained servants were charged with the task, or because of the idea of defilement connected with the foot. It was, for the same reason, if rendered voluntarily, a service which betokened complete devotion. Jesus taught the greatest lesson of humility by performing this humble service to His disciples (Joh 13:4-15). The undoing of the latchets or leather thongs of the sandals (Mar 1:7; Luk 3:16; Joh 1:27) seems to refer to the same menial duty.
Often the feet and shoes were dusted on the highway, as is being done in the Orient to this day, but if it were done in an ostentatious manner in the presence of a person or a community who had refused hospitality to a stranger, it was understood in the same sense in which the cutting in two of the tablecloth was considered in the days of knighthood: it meant rejection and separation (Mat 10:14; Act 13:51).
The roads of the desert were not only dusty but rough, and the wanderer was almost sure to ruin his ill-made shoes and wound his weary feet. A special providence of God protected the children of Israel from this experience during the long journey through the wilderness. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years (Deu 8:4; Deu 29:5).
In the house shoes and sandals were never worn; even the most delicate would put on shoes only when going out (Deu 28:56). The shoes were left outside of the house or in a vestibule. This was especially done in the house of God and at the time of prayer, for whenever or wherever that might be, the law was: Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground (Exo 3:5; Jos 5:15; Act 7:33). This custom still prevails among the Moslems of our day. Probably it was the idea of defilement through contact with the common ground which gave rise to its moral application by the Preacher, Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God (Ecc 5:1 (Hebrew 4:17)).
Nakedness of the feet in public, especially among the wealthier classes, who used to wear shoes or sandals, was a token of mourning (Eze 24:17 and probably also Jer 2:25 and Isa 20:2-4). A peculiar ceremony is referred to in Deu 25:9, Deu 25:10, whereby a brother-in-law, who refused to perform his duty under the Levirate law, was publicly put to shame. And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. See also Rth 4:7, Rth 4:8.
Numerous are the phrases in which the word foot or feet is used in Biblical language. To cover the feet (1Sa 24:3) is synonymous with obeying a call of Nature. To speak with the feet is expressive of the eloquence of abusive and obscene gesticulation among oriental people, where hands, eyes and feet are able to express much without the use of words (Pro 6:13). To sit at the feet, means to occupy the place of a learner (Deu 33:3; Luk 10:39; Act 22:3). Vanquished enemies had to submit to being trodden upon by the conqueror (a ceremony often represented on Egyptian monuments; Jos 10:24; Psa 8:6; Psa 110:1; compare Isa 49:23). James warns against an undue humiliation of those who join us in the service of God, even though they be poor or mean-looking, by bidding them to take a lowly place at the feet of the richer members of the congregation (Jam 2:3). We read of dying Jacob that he gathered up his feet into the bed, for he had evidently used his bed as a couch, on which he had been seated while delivering his charge to his several sons (Gen 49:33). Foot or feet is sometimes used euphemistically for the genitals (Deu 28:57; Eze 16:25). In Deu 11:10 an interesting reference is made to some Egyptian mode of irrigating the fields, ‘the watering with the foot,’ which mode would be unnecessary in the promised land of Canaan which drinketh water of the rain of heaven. It is, however, uncertain whether this refers to the water-wheels worked by a treadmill arrangement or whether reference is made to the many tributary channels, which, according to representations on the Egyptian monuments, intersected the gardens and fields and which could be stopped or opened by placing or removing a piece of sod at the mouth of the channel. This was usually done with the foot. Frequently we find references to the foot in expressions connected with journeyings and pilgrimages, which formed so large a part in the experiences of Israel, e.g. Psa 91:12, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone; Psa 94:18, My foot slippeth; Psa 121:3, He will not suffer thy foot to be moved, and many more. Often the reference is to the walk, i.e. the moral conduct of life (Psa 73:2; Job 23:11; Job 31:5).
Figurative: In the metaphorical language of Isa 52:7 the feet are synonymous with the coming.
Fuente: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Foot
Of the various senses in which the word ‘foot’ is used in Scripture, the following are the most remarkable. Such phrases as the ‘slipping’ of the foot, the ‘stumbling’ of the foot, ‘from, head to foot’ (to express the entire body), and ‘foot-steps’ (to express tendencies, as when we say of one that he walks in another’s footsteps), require no explanation, being common to most languages. The extreme modesty of the Hebrew language, which has perhaps seldom been sufficiently appreciated, dictated the use of the word ‘feet,’ to express the parts and the acts which it is not allowed to name. Hence such phrases as the ‘hair of the feet,’ the ‘water of the feet,’ ‘between the feet,’ ‘to open the feet,’ ‘to cover the feet,’ all of which are sufficiently intelligible, except perhaps the last, which certainly does not mean ‘going to sleep’ as some interpreters suggest, but ‘to dismiss the refuse of nature.’
‘To be under any one’s feet’ denotes the subjection of a subject to his sovereign, or of a servant to his master (Psa 8:6; comp. Heb 2:8; 1Co 15:25); and was, doubtless, derived from the symbolical action of conquerors, who set their feet upon the neck or body of the chiefs whom they had vanquished, in token of their triumph. This custom is expressly mentioned in Scripture (Jos 10:24), and is figured on the monuments of Egypt, Persia, and Rome.
In like manner, ‘to be at any one’s feet,’ is used for being at the service of any one, following him, or willingly receiving his instructions (Jdg 4:10). The passage (Act 22:3) where Paul is described as being brought up ‘at the feet of Gamaliel,’ will appear still clearer, if we understand that, as the Jewish writers allege, pupils actually did sit on the floor before, and therefore at the feet of, the doctors of the law, who themselves were raised on an elevated seat.
‘Lameness of feet’ generally denotes affliction or calamity, as in Psa 25:15; Psa 38:16; Jer 14:10; Mic 4:6-7; Zep 3:19.
‘To set one’s foot’ in a place signifies to take possession of it, as in Deu 1:36; Deu 11:24, and elsewhere.
‘To water with the feet’ (Deu 11:10) implies that the soil was watered with as much ease as a garden, in which the small channels for irrigation may be turned, etc. with the foot [GARDEN].
An elegant phrase, borrowed from the feet, occurs in Gal 2:14, where St. Paul says, ‘When I saw that they walked not uprightly’literally, ‘not with a straight foot,’ or ‘did not foot it straightly.’
Nakedness of feet expressed mourning (Eze 24:17). This must mean appearing abroad with naked feet; for there is reason to think that the Jews never used their sandals or shoes within doors. The modern Orientals consider it disrespectful to enter a room without taking off the outer covering of their feet. It is with them equivalent to uncovering the head among Europeans. The practice of feet-washing implies a similar usage among the Hebrews [WASHING OF FEET]. Uncovering the feet was also a mark of adoration. Moses put off his sandals to approach the burning where the presence of God was manifested (Exo 3:5). Among the modern Orientals it would be regarded the height of profanation to enter a place of worship with covered feet. The Egyptian priests officiated barefoot; and most commentators are of opinion that the Aaronite priests served with bare feet in the tabernacle, as, according to all the Jewish writers, they did afterwards in the temple, and as the frequent washings of their feet enjoined by the law seem to imply [SANDAL].
Respecting the ‘washing of feet,’ see Ablution and Washing.
Fuente: Popular Cyclopedia Biblical Literature
Foot
Washing the feet:
– Of the disciples by Jesus
Joh 13:4-16
– Of disciples
1Ti 5:10 Ablution; Purification
Footwear
Shoe
Figurative
Mat 18:8
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Foot
Anciently it was customary, to wash the feet of strangers coming off a journey, because generally they travelled barefoot, or wore sandals only, which did not secure them from dust or dirt. Jesus Christ washed the feet of his Apostles, and thereby taught them to perform the humblest services for one another. Feet, in the sacred writers, often mean inclinations, affections, propensities, actions, motions: Guide my feet in thy paths. Keep thy feet at a distance from evil. The feet of the debauched woman go down to death. Let not the foot of pride come against me. To be at any one’s feet, signifies obeying him, listening to his instructions and commands. Moses says that the Lord loved his people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at his feet, Deu 33:3. St. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. Mary sat at our Saviour’s feet, and heard his word, Luk 10:39.
It is said that the land of Canaan is not like Egypt, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, Deu 11:10. Palestine is a country which has rains, plentiful dews, springs, rivulets, brooks, &c, that supply the earth with the moisture necessary to its fruitfulness. On the contrary, Egypt has no river except the Nile: there it seldom rains, and the lands which are not within reach of the inundation continue parched and barren. To supply this want, ditches are dug from the river, and water is distributed throughout the several villages and cantons: there are great struggles who shall first obtain it; and, in this dispute, they frequently come to blows. Notwithstanding these precautions, many places have no water; and in the course of the year, those places which are nearest the Nile require to be watered again by means of art and labour. This was formerly done by the help of machines, one of which is thus described by Philo: It is a wheel which a man turns by the motion of his feet, by ascending successively the several steps that are within it. This is what Moses means in this place by saying, that, in Egypt they water the earth with their feet. The water in thus conveyed to cisterns; and when the gardens want refreshment, water is conducted by trenches to the beds in little rills, which are stopped by the foot, and turned at pleasure into different directions.
2. To be under any one’s feet, to be a footstool to him, signifies the subjection of a subject to his sovereign, of a slave to his master. To lick the dust of one’s feet, is an abject manner of doing homage. In Mr. Hugh Boyd’s account of his embassy to the king of Candy, in Ceylon, there is a paragraph which singularly illustrates this, and shows the adulation and obsequious reverence with which an eastern monarch is approached. Describing his introduction to the king, he says, The removal of the curtain was the signal of our obeisances. Mine, by stipulation, was to be only kneeling. My companions immediately began the performance of theirs, which were in the most perfect degree of eastern humiliation. They almost literally licked the dust; prostrating themselves with their faces almost close to the stone floor, and throwing out their arms and legs; then, rising on their knees, they repeated, in a very loud voice, a certain form of words of the most extravagant meaning that can be conceived, that the head of the king of kings might reach beyond the sun; that he might live a thousand years, &c. Nakedness of feet was a sign of mourning. God says to Ezekiel, Make no mourning for the dead, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, &c. It was also a mark of respect: Put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground, Exo 3:5. The rabbins say that the priests went barefoot in the temple. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day,
Isa 58:13; if thou forbear walking and travelling on the Sabbath day, and do not then thine own will. We know that journeys were forbidden on the Sabbath day, Mat 24:20; Act 1:12. Kissing the feet was often practised as a mark of affection and reverence.
Fuente: Biblical and Theological Dictionary
Foot
Deu 32:35 (a) In this way the Lord is indicating that the enemies of GOD will be cut off and die.
Deu 33:24 (a) By this we learn that the walk of the Godly man shall be a spiritual one filled with the richness and sweetness of GOD’s blessings.
Psa 68:23 (a) This type is used to describe the victory over their enemies of those who walk in fellowship with GOD.
Psa 94:18 (b) David uses this type to describe his feeling; that he was drifting away from GOD’s path.
Ecc 5:1 (b) By this figure we are admonished to watch the walk and the manner of life.
Isa 1:6 (c) The whole person is evidently wicked and vile in GOD’s sight. Men are mad in their walk and their thought. The feet represent our walk, the head represents the thought. There is nothing at all in a human being that is acceptable to GOD until we trust JESUS CHRIST and become GOD’s children.
Eze 1:7 (b) These are types of the walk of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. The calf is sure-footed and leaves a definite imprint where it steps. So CHRIST JESUS walked in a sure and certain path without sin, and left the imprint of His holiness wherever He went.
Mat 5:13 (a) Here we find a type of the actions of the world against the professing Christian who claims that he belongs to the Lord, yet shows no proofs of it in his daily life. Neither the world nor the church has any confidence in that man, and refuses to receive his testimony. This truth is also found in Joh 15:6.
Mat 18:8 (b) In this way the Lord is telling us that if we want to walk in the ways of the world so that the feet take us astray to the picture show, the tavern, the dance, it is best to cut off that foot so that such desires cannot and will not keep us away from CHRIST. (See also Mar 9:45).
Mat 22:13 (c) In many places in the Bible what we do, what we say, and how we walk and work are compared to garments or robes. Evidently the teaching in this passage is that this man wanted to be at the king’s banquet in his own self-righteousness. Since this self-righteousness comes from the hands (what we do), and from the feet (how we walk), the Lord is indicating how worthless these are by telling the servant to bind him “hand and foot,” and to cast him out of His presence.
1Co 12:15 (b) This is a type of a Christian, any Christian. The Lord is telling us here that no part of the body is independent from the rest of the body. Every Christian is essential to the entire church of GOD. No, believer, no matter how humble or obscure, is overlooked by the Lord, either as to his care or his usefulness.
Heb 10:29 (b) Here is a picture of the hatred that some had and some now have toward the person of our Lord JESUS. It is a picture of utter contempt for CHRIST, and a desire to crush Him.
Rev 10:2 (b) This figure represents the absolute power and authority of our Lord over all nations and His ability to punish all people.