The pencil, as a modern writing instrument, does not appear in the biblical text, as it was developed long after the time of the Bible's composition. However, the concept of writing and recording information is deeply rooted in Scripture, and various tools for writing are mentioned throughout the Bible.

Writing in Biblical Times

In biblical times, writing was primarily done on materials such as papyrus, parchment, clay tablets, and stone. Instruments used for writing included styluses for clay tablets and reed pens for papyrus and parchment. The act of writing was significant in the ancient world, serving as a means to record God's laws, prophecies, historical events, and personal correspondence.

Scriptural References to Writing

The Bible frequently emphasizes the importance of writing and recording God's words. In Exodus 31:18, God gives Moses the tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments: "When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God" . This divine act of writing underscores the sacredness and authority of God's commandments.

In Habakkuk 2:2, the Lord instructs the prophet to write down a vision: "Then the LORD answered me: 'Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it'" . This passage highlights the importance of making God's message accessible and understandable to others.

Symbolism of Writing

Writing in the Bible often symbolizes permanence and authority. In Jeremiah 31:33, God speaks of writing His law on the hearts of His people: "But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people" . This metaphorical use of writing signifies an intimate and enduring relationship between God and His people.

The Role of Scribes

Scribes played a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of biblical texts. They were responsible for copying and maintaining the accuracy of Scripture. Ezra, a priest and scribe, is noted for his dedication to studying and teaching God's law. Ezra 7:10 states, "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel" .

Modern Application

While the pencil itself is not mentioned in the Bible, the principles of writing and recording remain relevant for Christians today. The act of writing can be a spiritual discipline, aiding in the study and meditation of Scripture. Journaling, note-taking during sermons, and personal reflection are ways believers can engage with God's Word, much like the scribes and prophets of old.

In summary, while the pencil is a contemporary tool, the biblical emphasis on writing as a means of communication, preservation, and reflection continues to hold significance for believers seeking to deepen their understanding and relationship with God.1. (n.) A small, fine brush of hair or bristles used by painters for laying on colors.

2. (n.) A slender cylinder or strip of black lead, colored chalk, slate etc., or such a cylinder or strip inserted in a small wooden rod intended to be pointed, or in a case, which forms a handle, -- used for drawing or writing. See Graphite.

3. (n.) Hence, figuratively, an artist's ability or peculiar manner; also, in general, the act or occupation of the artist, descriptive writer, etc.

4. (n.) An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.

5. (n.) A number of lines that intersect in one point, the point of intersection being called the pencil point.

6. (n.) A small medicated bougie.

7. (v. t.) To write or mark with a pencil; to paint or to draw.

PENCIL

pen'-sil (Isaiah 44:13, margin "red ochre," the King James Version "line").

See LINE; OCHRE, RED.

Cast Your Eye Round the Room in which You Sit...
... The modern man will wave a cigarette instead of a stick; he will cut his pencil
with a little screwing pencil-sharpener instead of a knife; and he will even ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 17 cast your eye.htm

The Divine Word Our Model.
... of mind, but only by the passive way of abandonment to, its reception, and by yielding
to it like metal in a mould, or canvas under the pencil, or stone in the ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/section xii the divine word our.htm

How to Use this Book
... This study should be pursued with pencil in hand, so that you may readily
underscore phrases which make a special appeal to you. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/how to use this book.htm

A New Year's Benediction
... Have you never seen a canvas upon which the hand of the painter has sketched
with daring pencil some marvellous scene of grandeur? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/a new years benediction.htm

On Counter Promises.
... of truth, are they made fitter for receiving the instruction that is to come; as
if, when one would paint an image, he were first with a light pencil to trace ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter xi on counter promises.htm

Questions which Ought to be Asked
... Have you gone abroad through the various fields of nature, and have you never wished
to know him whose breath perfumes the flowers, whose pencil paints the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/questions which ought to be.htm

Prayer Takes in the Whole Man
... He was at my home years ago and we were talking about prayer.' Why, Trumbull,' I
said, you don't mean to say if you lost a pencil you would pray about it, and ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/i prayer takes in the.htm

Money for Postage.
... I looked it over, and there were only these words in pencil: 'For a Bible, and three
dollars.' We looked at each other; I could not say a word, until she said ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/money for postage.htm

To the Right Honourable the Earl of Lichfield.
... Thoughts, such as shall revisit your last hour; Visit uncall'd, and live when
life expires; And thy dark pencil, Midnight! darker still. ...
/.../young/youngs night thoughts/to the right honourable the.htm

The Ancestral Home
... The wheat was ripe, and it has been harvested. No painter's pencil or poet's
rhythm could describe that magnificent sun setting. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/i the ancestral home.htm

Pencil (1 Occurrence)
... 5. (n.) A number of lines that intersect in one point, the point of intersection
being called the pencil point. 6. (n.) A small medicated bougie. ...PENCIL. ...
/p/pencil.htm - 8k

Mark (182 Occurrences)
... 8. (n.) A trace, dot, line, imprint, or discoloration, although not regarded as
a token or sign; a scratch, scar, stain, etc.; as, this pencil makes a fine mark ...
/m/mark.htm - 93k

Ochre
... o'-ker, (Isaiah 44:13, "He marketh it out with a pencil," margin "red ochre," the
King James Version "line"; seredh, a word found only here, and of unknown ...
/o/ochre.htm - 7k

Outline (4 Occurrences)
... contour. 2. (n.) In art: A line drawn by pencil, pen, graver, or the like,
by which the boundary of a figure is indicated. 3. (n ...
/o/outline.htm - 8k

Tools (3 Occurrences)
... invented. The pencil of Isaiah 44:13 is probably a stylus, for engraving
as well as for marking out lines. ... used. See LINE; PENCIL. ...
/t/tools.htm - 14k

Line (131 Occurrences)
... clothesline; a towline. 8. (n.) A more or less threadlike mark of pen, pencil,
or graver; any long mark; as, a chalk line. 9. (n.) The ...
/l/line.htm - 43k

Pendant (1 Occurrence)

/p/pendant.htm - 8k

Pence (8 Occurrences)

/p/pence.htm - 9k

Red (124 Occurrences)
... o'-ker, (Isaiah 44:13, "He marketh it out with a pencil," margin "red ochre," the
King James Version "line"; seredh, a word found only here, and of unknown ...
/r/red.htm - 77k

Writing (194 Occurrences)
... This hand gesture, refined, condensed and adapted to mechanical conditions, and
provided with pencil, chisel, or pen and ink, is handwriting. ...
/w/writing.htm - 70k

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