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Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced
[The Lord] will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.
Bāla’, the Hebrew word rendered destroy in this prophecy, means swallow up—a translation that appears in the stories of Aaron’s rod swallowing those of Pharaoh’s magicians and Jonah being swallowed by a great fish (see Exodus 7:10–12; Jonah 1:17). Here it describes utter annihilation.
Both “the face of the covering” and “the veil” are seen as allusions to mourning and death. However, one Bible authority adds this interpretation: “The covering or veil is the mist of ignorance as to . . . the way to eternal life, which enveloped the nations (Eph 4:18) and the unbelieving Jew (2 Co 3:15).”
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Resources quoted in this issue
GT: Jamieson, Robert, Andrew Robert Fausset, and David Brown. A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. 2 vols. Hartford, CT: S. S. Scranton, 1871. Also available at biblestudytools.com/commentaries.
Cit. 3: Barker, Kenneth, et al., eds. The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995; Hendrickson Publishers. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991.
Cit. 4: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 5, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
Cit. 18: Barker, Kenneth, et al., eds. The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995.
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Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked New International Reader’s Version are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version™, NIrV™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Scriptural quotations marked Common English Bible are taken from the Common English Bible, copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.
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© 2022 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
