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Hemlock

Disambiguation

The source enumerates 2 distinct subjects under Hemlock. Jump to one below, or read in order.

  1. 1.Heb.
  2. 2.Heb.

  1. Hemlock (1)

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    Heb. rosh (Hos. 10:4; rendered “gall” in Deut. 29:18; 32:32; Ps. 69:21; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; “poison,” Job 20:16; “venom,” Deut. 32:33). “Rosh is the name of some poisonous plant which grows quickly and luxuriantly; of a bitter taste, and therefore coupled with wormwood (Deut. 29:18; Lam. 3:19). Hence it would seem to be not the hemlock cicuta, nor the colocynth or wild gourd, nor lolium darnel, but the poppy so called from its heads” (Gesenius, Lex.).

  2. Hemlock (2)

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    Heb. la’anah, generally rendered “wormwood” (q.v.), Deut. 29:18, Text 17; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; 23:15. Once it is rendered “hemlock” (Amos 6:12; R.V., “wormwood”). This Hebrew word is from a root meaning “to curse,” hence the accursed.

Also from Smith's (1884) +

the common ground or dwarf hemlock, a bitter, poisonous plant. The Hebrew rosh is rendered “hemlock” in two passages, (Hosea 10:4; Amos 6:12) but elsewhere “gall.” [Gall] (It is possible that the plant is rather the poppy than an hemlock.—Cook.)

In the Bible

2

Verses where Hemlock is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).

  • Amos 6:12

    “Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

  • Hosea 10:4

    They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

Scripture on Hemlock

9

See all 9 +

Hemlock references

6

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Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)

Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.