In biblical times, receptacles played a significant role in daily life and religious practices. These containers, made from various materials, were used for storing, carrying, and preserving a wide range of items, from food and water to sacred offerings and precious oils. The Bible provides numerous references to different types of receptacles, each serving a specific purpose within the cultural and religious context of ancient Israel and the surrounding regions.

Materials and Types

Receptacles in the Bible were crafted from materials such as clay, metal, wood, and leather. Clay pots and jars were common due to their availability and ease of production. For instance, the prophet Jeremiah was instructed to visit a potter's house to receive a message from the Lord, illustrating the significance of pottery in daily life (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Metal receptacles, often made of bronze or gold, were used in the tabernacle and temple for sacred purposes. The bronze laver, for example, was a large basin used by priests for ceremonial washing (Exodus 30:18). Gold and silver vessels were also employed in the temple service, highlighting their value and the importance of purity in worship (2 Chronicles 24:14).

Uses and Symbolism

Receptacles served both practical and symbolic functions. In domestic settings, they were used for storing grain, oil, and wine, essential commodities in the ancient Near Eastern diet. The widow of Zarephath's jar of flour and jug of oil, which miraculously did not run out during a famine, exemplifies God's provision through everyday objects (1 Kings 17:14-16).

In religious contexts, receptacles held offerings and sacred items. The Ark of the Covenant, a wooden chest overlaid with gold, was the most significant receptacle, containing the tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna (Hebrews 9:4). It symbolized God's presence and covenant with Israel.

Receptacles also appear in parables and teachings of Jesus. The parable of the ten virgins, for instance, uses oil lamps and flasks of oil to convey the importance of readiness and vigilance in awaiting the bridegroom, representing Christ's return (Matthew 25:1-13).

Cultural and Religious Significance

The use of receptacles in biblical narratives often reflects broader cultural and religious themes. They symbolize God's provision, the sanctity of worship, and the readiness required of believers. The meticulous care in crafting and using these containers underscores the reverence for God's instructions and the sacredness of the items they held.

In summary, receptacles in the Bible are more than mere containers; they are integral to understanding the daily life, religious practices, and spiritual lessons of the biblical world. Through their varied uses and symbolic meanings, they offer insight into the relationship between the divine and the mundane, illustrating how God's presence permeates all aspects of life.

Of the Intestines in Man, and their Use.
... Since, therefore, there are in man two receptacles,"one of the air which nourishes
the soul, [1890] the other of the food which nourishes the body,"there ...
/.../lactantius/on the workmanship of god/chap xi of the intestines in.htm

The Service Common to Two or Many Hierarchs.
... the intelligent power of the divine and holy faith, the rivers golden-streamed,
the all-bright lamps, the champions of the Trinity, the receptacles of the ...
/.../anonymous/the general menaion/chapter xi the service common.htm

Of the Sibyl.
... And in the middle of the basilica they showed us three receptacles cut out of one
stone, in which, when filled with water, they said that she washed, and ...
/.../justin/justins hortatory address to the greeks/chapter xxxvii of the sibyl.htm

Third Tractate. Problems of the Soul (1).
... Mind] there was duality, so that we would expect differences of condition in things
of part: how some things rather than others come to be receptacles of the ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/third tractate problems of the.htm

The Details of Our Bodily Sex, and of the Functions of Our Various ...
... Women, moreover, have within them receptacles where human seed may collect; but
are they not designed for the secretion of those sanguineous issues, which ...
/.../tertullian/on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter lxi the details of our.htm

O Fool, Thou Dost not Die to God.
... have previously done. Now has the governor made for us receptacles of
death, and after our ashes we shall behold them. Thou art ...
/.../commodianus/the instructions of commodianus/xxvii o fool thou dost not.htm

Chastity the Chief Ornament of the True Tabernacle; Seven
... by His all-sufficient will and inconceivable power; the earth still yielding its
fruits, and the waters being gathered together in their receptacles; and the ...
/.../chapter i chastity the chief ornament.htm

A Description of the Sea-Coast, Out of Pliny and Strabo.
... The Jews, also, that go down to the sea, use this port. But these ports are
receptacles for robbers. And so was the wood and Carmel.". ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 10 a description of.htm

The Thief Gained the Faith which Gained Him, and Brought Him up ...
... Hands fixed thee, when thou wast embodied, into thy receptacles; for thou art in
the crown as upon a cross, and in a coronet as in a victory; thou art upon the ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn iv the thief gained.htm

Alexander
... he put Alexandrium into his hands afterwards; all which Gabinius demolished, at
the persuasion of Alexander's mother, that they might not be receptacles of men ...
/.../chapter 8 alexander.htm

Receptacles (7 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Receptacles (7 Occurrences). Exodus 25:27 Close to the
margin shall the rings be, as receptacles of the staves to carry the table. ...
/r/receptacles.htm - 8k

Margin (4 Occurrences)
... about. (DBY). Exodus 25:27 Close to the margin shall the rings be, as
receptacles of the staves to carry the table. (DBY). Exodus ...
/m/margin.htm - 8k

Reception (5 Occurrences)

/r/reception.htm - 8k

Recently (8 Occurrences)

/r/recently.htm - 9k

Border (233 Occurrences)
... of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make
them, on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the ...
/b/border.htm - 40k

Wine-press (11 Occurrences)
Wine-press. Winepress, Wine-press. Winepresses . Easton's Bible Dictionary
Consisted of two vats or receptacles, (1) a trough (Hebrews gath, Gr. ...
/w/wine-press.htm - 11k

Winepress (19 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Consisted of two vats or receptacles, (1) a trough
(Hebrews gath, Gr. lenos) into which the grapes were ...
/w/winepress.htm - 14k

Bucket (1 Occurrence)
... 3. (n.) One of the receptacles on the rim of a water wheel into which the water
rushes, causing the wheel to revolve; also, a float of a paddle wheel. ...
/b/bucket.htm - 8k

Bag (52 Occurrences)
... kept and reckoned against me (compare also 1 Samuel 9:7; 1 Samuel 21:5 where the
Hebrew keli, is rendered by "vessels" and stands for receptacles for carrying ...
/b/bag.htm - 29k

Bottle (28 Occurrences)
... See HDB, under the word. Of course in the settled life of the Orient water, milk,
wine and other liquids are often kept in earthen jars or other receptacles. ...
/b/bottle.htm - 23k

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