The teraphimwere transformed into drinking vessels, and Laban had to desist from his fruitless search.
Now Jacob, who did not know that Rachel had stolen her father's teraphim in order to turn him aside from his idolatrous ways, was wroth with Laban, and began to chide with him.
Their Serapes reappear in the Teraphim of Laban, and many of the forms they used reappear in the Penates, Lares, and genii of Latin countries.
The resemblance of teraphim to the Tarasca (connected by some with G.
Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim{teraphim were household idols that may have been associated with inheritance rights to the household property.
For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams.
The teraphim were also magical, as we learn from Ezek.
Hosea by declaring that "the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams" (x.
The latter chapter shows that the teraphim were worshipped and served by the descendants of Moses down to the time of David (see Revised Version).
Laban, although a believer in Elohim, calls the teraphim "his gods" (Genesis xxxi.
From the most careful researches we learn that these teraphim were used for divining the future, and that they were made in the human form.
This passage has given no little trouble to commentators; but most of them seem to consider these teraphim or images as something of a magical nature.
At all events the teraphim were means of divination among believers and unbelievers; they were known among the Egyptians and among Syrians.
The teraphimwas an idol about the size of a man: how did Michal use it to deceive Saul's messengers?
And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof.
In short, when enemies have carried on the poor teraphim and fetishes which are their proper capture they have but compelled religion to be itself, compelled it to find its spiritual God, its eternal creed and to understand its Bible.
The tribes reached Canaan substantially free from idolatry, though teraphim or fetishes may have been used in secret with magical ceremonies.
They came to worship in his sanctuary and to inquire of the ecclesiastic, who in some way endeavoured to discover the will of God by means of the teraphim and ephod.
Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod and teraphim and a graven image and a molten image?
And indeed it is open to question if he got rid of them then, for the subsequent history of Israel renders it more than doubtful whether the teraphim were regarded as "strange gods" even as late as the eighth century B.
The teraphim were certainly images of family gods, and, as such, in all probability represented deceased ancestors.
The reference in the Bible to the Teraphimof Jacob's family reminds us that Terah was the name of Abraham's father, and that he was a maker of images.
Undoubtedly theTeraphim were the same as the Seraphim; that is, were serpent images and were the household charms of the Semitic worshippers of the Sun-God, to whom the serpent was sacred.
The Teraphim are intermediate deities, by means of which the future is to be disclosed (compare the remarks on Zech.
The teraphim were little figures which in some way by movements or mysterious noises gave an answer to questions.
During their dispersion they will have neither the old worship of Jehovah nor will they hold any longer to the teraphim and ask guidance of them.
Stade points out that this is the only passage of the Old Testament in which the Teraphim are said to speak.
Jehovah, and not fromTeraphim and diviners, whom their false shepherds follow.
But the Teraphim speak nothingness, and the sorcerers see lies, and dreams discourse vanity, and they comfort in vain.
We have spoken before of the teraphim of Laban, of the idols or pretended oracles of Micah and Gideon.
Rachel, it appears, believed that the teraphim of her father Laban were capable of giving her information concerning things hidden and to come.
With regard to the teraphim which Rachel took with her when Jacob fled from her father, there is not much that can be said.
Whether the theft of her father's teraphimby Rachel (Gen.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "teraphim" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
