In biblical contexts, the term "register" often refers to a written record or list, particularly of genealogies, censuses, or other important enumerations. Registers were crucial in maintaining the lineage and heritage of the Israelite tribes, ensuring the fulfillment of God's promises through specific family lines, and organizing the community for religious, military, and civil purposes.

Genealogical Registers

One of the most significant uses of registers in the Bible is in the recording of genealogies. These genealogical records were essential for establishing tribal identities and inheritance rights. For instance, the Book of Genesis provides genealogical registers that trace the lineage from Adam through the patriarchs, emphasizing the covenantal line leading to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 serve as foundational registers that connect humanity to God's redemptive plan.

In the New Testament, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke present genealogical registers of Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:1-17 traces Jesus' lineage through Joseph, highlighting His legal right to the throne of David, while Luke 3:23-38 provides a register through Mary, emphasizing His connection to all humanity.

Census Registers

Registers were also used for census purposes, as seen in the Book of Numbers, where God commands Moses to take a census of the Israelite community. Numbers 1:2-3 states, "Take a census of the whole congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army." This register was vital for organizing the Israelites for military service and ensuring the proper distribution of land and resources.

Another significant census register is found in the Book of Ezra, where the returning exiles are listed by family and clan. Ezra 2:1-2 records, "Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar the king. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah." This register was crucial for re-establishing the community in the Promised Land and restoring the worship of Yahweh.

Priestly and Levitical Registers

Registers were also maintained for the priestly and Levitical families, ensuring that only those of the appropriate lineage could serve in the temple. In Nehemiah 7:64-65 , it is noted, "These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim and Thummim." This highlights the importance of accurate registers for maintaining the sanctity and order of religious service.

Spiritual Significance

Beyond their practical purposes, registers in the Bible carry spiritual significance. They underscore God's faithfulness in preserving His people and fulfilling His promises through specific lineages. The meticulous recording of genealogies and censuses reflects the divine order and purpose in history, pointing ultimately to the coming of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.

In summary, registers in the Bible serve as vital records for genealogical, census, and priestly purposes, reflecting both the practical and spiritual dimensions of God's covenantal relationship with His people.1. (n.) A written account or entry; an official or formal enumeration, description, or record; a memorial record; a list or roll; a schedule.

2. (n.) A record containing a list and description of the merchant vessels belonging to a port or customs district.

3. (n.) A certificate issued by the collector of customs of a port or district to the owner of a vessel, containing the description of a vessel, its name, ownership, and other material facts. It is kept on board the vessel, to be used as an evidence of nationality or as a muniment of title.

4. (n.) One who registers or records; a registrar; a recorder; especially, a public officer charged with the duty of recording certain transactions or events; as, a register of deeds.

5. (n.) That which registers or records.

6. (n.) A contrivance for automatically noting the performance of a machine or the rapidity of a process.

7. (n.) The part of a telegraphic apparatus which records automatically the message received.

8. (n.) A machine for registering automatically the number of persons passing through a gateway, fares taken, etc.; a telltale.

9. (n.) A lid, stopper, or sliding plate, in a furnace, stove, etc., for regulating the admission of air to the fuel; also, an arrangement containing dampers or shutters, as in the floor or wall of a room or passage, or in a chimney, for admitting or excluding heated air, or for regulating ventilation.

10. (n.) The inner part of the mold in which types are cast.

11. (n.) The correspondence of pages, columns, or lines on the opposite or reverse sides of the sheet.

12. (n.) The correspondence or adjustment of the several impressions in a design which is printed in parts, as in chromolithographic printing, or in the manufacture of paper hangings. See Register, v. i. 2.

13. (n.) The compass of a voice or instrument; a specified portion of the compass of a voice, or a series of vocal tones of a given compass; as, the upper, middle, or lower register; the soprano register; the tenor register.

14. (n.) A stop or set of pipes in an organ.

15. (n.) To enter in a register; to record formally and distinctly, as for future use or service.

16. (n.) To enroll; to enter in a list.

17. (v. i.) To enroll one's name in a register.

18. (v. i.) To correspond in relative position; as, two pages, columns, etc. , register when the corresponding parts fall in the same line, or when line falls exactly upon line in reverse pages, or (as in chromatic printing) where the various colors of the design are printed consecutively, and perfect adjustment of parts is necessary.

REGISTER

rej'-is-ter.

See GENEALOGY; QUIRINIUS.

1449. eggrapho -- to inscribe, to enter in a register
... to inscribe, to enter in a register. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: eggrapho
Phonetic Spelling: (eng-graf'-o) Short Definition: I write, inscribe ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1449.htm - 6k

582. apographe -- a register, enrollment
... a register, enrollment. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: apographe
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-og-raf-ay') Short Definition: an enrollment, census ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/582.htm - 6k

583. apographo -- to copy, enroll
... copy, enroll. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: apographo Phonetic Spelling:
(ap-og-raf'-o) Short Definition: I enroll, inscribe in a register Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/583.htm - 6k

2639. katalego -- to lay down, choose out
... down, choose out. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katalego Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-al-eg'-o) Short Definition: I enter in a list, register Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2639.htm - 6k

3791. kethab -- a writing
... Word Origin from kathab Definition a writing NASB Word Usage decree (1), edict
(2), letter (1), register (1), registration* (2), regulation (1), script (4 ...
/hebrew/3791.htm - 6k

5612. sepher -- a missive, document, writing, book
... scroll* (3), writ (1). bill, book, evidence, learned letter, register, scroll.
Or (feminine) ciphrah (Psa. 56:8; Psa. 56:9) {sif-raw ...
/hebrew/5612.htm - 6k

6485. paqad -- to attend to, visit, muster, appoint
... officers (2), oversight (3), punish (46), punished (6), put him in charge (1), put
in charge (1), put under (1), put under the charge (1), register (2), see (1 ...
/hebrew/6485.htm - 7k

1799. dikrown -- memorandum, record
... record (Aramaic) or dokran {dok-rawn'} (Aramaic); corresponding to zikrown; a register
-- record. see HEBREW zikrown. 1798, 1799. dikrown. 1799a . ...
/hebrew/1799.htm - 5k

CM Chr. Register. Faith Triumphant Over Sorrow.
... VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 275. CM Chr. Register. Faith Triumphant Over Sorrow.
1 Not that Thy boundless love, my God, Sheds blessing ...
/.../various/book of hymns for public and private devotion/275 c m chr register.htm

Baptists.
... Baptists. The following table, from the Baptist Register of 1842, exhibits the
statistics of the Regular or Associated Baptists in a perspicuous light:" ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/baptists 2.htm

From 1787 to 1791 Inclusive
... Question 19. Shall any directions be given concerning the register-books?
Answers Let register-books be provided by all the societies ...
/.../a history of the methodist episcopal church volume i/chapter 2 from 1787 to.htm

Note
... CCLX. is a poll-tax register of AD.72-3, based on the Household-Enrollment of
61-2; and references to older poll-tax registers are made, which imply previous ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ramsay/was christ born in bethlehem/note.htm

Index.
... when to be made, 87. " Register's charge for, 3, in not. " what to be presented,
14, 15. ... Recusants presentabie, 6, in notis. Register books, 95, &c. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/prideaux/directions to church-wardens/index 2.htm

The Life of Sir Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston.
... deserving he was of the trust reposed in him, by producing on the table five books
(being now seven in all), which were sufficient to make up a register of the ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of sir archibald.htm

Our Status.
... A person's sex is determined not by his condition, but by what the registrar
of vital statistics in his register has declared him to be. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxi our status.htm

The Deaf and Dumb.
... Those, in the same way, who in the infancy of European science, thought it worth
while to register natural phenomena, registered exclusively the exceptions. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon v the deaf and.htm

Care of the Speaker's Throat
... These are the "chest" register, in which the vocal cords vibrate their whole length,
and the quality of tone derives most of its character from the chest cavity ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kleiser/talks on talking/care of the speakers throat.htm

Concerning Things done in Illumination.
... of him, if he would thus live,"after his promise he places his right hand upon his
head, and when he has sealed him, commands the priests to register the man ...
/.../dionysius/ecclesiastical hierarchy/caput ii i concerning things.htm

Register (14 Occurrences)
... or records; a registrar; a recorder; especially, a public officer charged with the
duty of recording certain transactions or events; as, a register of deeds. ...
/r/register.htm - 13k

Genealogical (26 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 4:33 and all their villages that were round about these cities, as
far as Baal. These were their habitations and their genealogical register. ...
/g/genealogical.htm - 15k

Poll (5 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) A number or aggregate of heads; a list or register of heads or individuals. ...
(vt) To enter, as polls or persons, in a list or register; to enroll, esp. ...
/p/poll.htm - 12k

Control (88 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to
correct or check another account or register; a counter register. ...
/c/control.htm - 33k

Registration (17 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Ezra 2:62 These sought their register, that is, the genealogy, but it
was not found; therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood. ...
/r/registration.htm - 11k

Located (5 Occurrences)
... Ezra 2:62 These sought their register among those who were reckoned by genealogy,
but they were not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the ...
/l/located.htm - 8k

Genealogies (17 Occurrences)
... Ezra 2:62 These sought their register, that is, the genealogy, but it was not found;
therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood. (See RSV). ...
/g/genealogies.htm - 12k

Record (71 Occurrences)
... or the like; to make note of; to write or enter in a book or on parchment, for the
purpose of preserving authentic evidence of; to register; to enroll; as, to ...
/r/record.htm - 29k

Excluded (14 Occurrences)
... Ezra 2:62 These sought their register among those who were reckoned by genealogy,
but they were not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the ...
/e/excluded.htm - 10k

Enlist (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To enroll; to register; as to enlist for
military service. 2. (vt) To engage for military or naval ...
/e/enlist.htm - 7k

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