Dictionaries :: Assemblies, Masters Of

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Assemblies, Masters Of:

a-sem'-bliz, (ba‘ale ‘acuppoth, Ec 12:11): the American Revised Version, margin "collectors of sentences," thus Qimchi, Grotius and others. This has been variously interpreted. Tyler translates "editors of collections." Klienert renders "protectors of the treasure- chambers," ‘acuppoth being considered equivalent to the ‘acuppim of 1Ch 26:15,17; Ne 12:25 (see ASUPPIM). The proverbs are like nails guarding the sacred storehouse, the book closing with this warning against touching the collection (compare Re 22:18,19). Delitzsch translates "like fastened nails which are put together in collections." "As ba‘ale berith (Ge 14:13) signifies ‘the confederates,' ba‘ale shebhu‘ah (Ne 6:18) ‘the sworn,' and the frequently occurring ba‘ale ha-‘ir ‘the citizens':so ba‘ale ‘acuppoth means, the possessors of assemblies and of the assembled themselves, or the possessors of collections and of things collected. Thus ba‘ale ‘acuppoth will be a designation of the ‘words of the wise' (as in shalishim, "choice men" = choice proverbs, Pr 22:20, in a certain measure personified), as of those which form or constitute collections and which stand together in order and rank" ("Eccl," English translation, 434).,/p>

The Jerusalem Talmud takes ‘acuppoth as the Sanhedrin. On the whole it is better to interpret the phrase "persons skilled in collections" of wise sayings, grouped in a compact whole (compare Wright, Eccl, 102).

Written by S. F. Hunter