Seal

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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).
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
By Andrew Robert Fausset, co-Author of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's 1888.

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.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
By Dr. William Smith.Published in 1863

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.
Biblical and Theological Dictionary by Richard Watson
PRINTER 1849.

sēl (substantive חותם, ḥōthām, ?seal,? ?signet,? טבּעת, ṭabba‛ath, ?signet-ring?; Aramaic עזקא, ‛izḳā'; σφραγίς, sphragı́s; verb חתם, ḥātham, (Aramaic חתם, ḥătham); (σφραγίζω, sphragı́zō), (κατασφραγίζομαι, katasphragı́zomai, ?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.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.

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 metal?brass, 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).




The Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
by John Kitto.


(חוֹתָם, chotham, σφραγίς). 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.



CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.

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