obedient ones of mankind. As foretold under divine inspiration, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means ‘house or place of bread’ (Mic. 5:2; Luke 2:11), and through Jesus Christ life-giving “bread” is provided for all believing mankind.—John 6:31-35; see SHOWBREAD.

BREAST, BOSOM

The human breast is used figuratively in the Scriptures to denote closeness, intimacy and favor (Song of Sol. 1:13; John 13:25; 21:20); maturity (Song of Sol. 8:8, 10; Ezek. 16:7); beauty, symbolic of spiritual beauty (Song of Sol. 4:5; 7:3, 7, 8); sexual intercourse (“between her breasts” [Hos. 2:2]; “breasts were squeezed,” ‘bosoms pressed’ [Ezek. 23:3, 21]); fertility (Gen. 49:25; Hos. 9:14); exultation and prosperity. (Isa. 60:16; 66:11) ‘Beating the breasts’ or ‘tearing out the breasts’ signified extreme humiliation, distress and grief.—Isa. 32:12; Ezek. 23:34; Luke 18:13; 23:48.

A woman hearing Jesus speak cried out: “Happy is the womb that carried you and the breasts that you sucked!” Since it was every woman’s desire to have a worthy son, and Jewish women desired the privilege of being the mother of a prophet and particularly the Messiah, it is understandable that this Jewish woman made such a remark. But Jesus’ answer, “No, rather, Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!” showed that it was not being close to Jesus in a fleshly way that counted; spirituality was the important thing. This principle precludes any veneration of Mary as the mother of our Lord.—Luke 11:27, 28.

Because of the nearness of Jerusalem’s destruction, accompanied by the appalling slaughter of its inhabitants, Jesus said: “Look! days are coming in which people will say, ‘Happy are the barren women, and the wombs that did not give birth and the breasts that did not nurse!’”—Luke 23:29; compare Jeremiah 16:1-4.

The Hebrew Scriptures, by using a different term, make a distinction between the human breast and the breast of animals, which is anatomically different. The breast of a sacrificial animal was the portion that became the priest’s for his food, in communion sacrifices made by the Israelites.—Lev. 7:29-35; 10:14, 15.

BOSOM

The word is used in a manner very similar to the usage of breast, although it has more specific reference to the fold in the upper part of the robe than to the breast itself. A dearly beloved or cherished one would be held close to one’s bosom, as Naomi did with Ruth’s baby Obed, in acknowledging him as the legal heir of Naomi’s dead husband Elimelech. (Ruth 4:16) In the custom of reclining at meals the one in front of the bosom of another was in a position or intimacy with him, generally the favored position. (John 13:23) Jesus employed this well-known custom in illustrating Lazarus as being in “the bosom position of Abraham,” signifying favor with God. (Luke 16:22, 23) The apostle John described Jesus as being “in the bosom position with the Father,” as the intimate of Jehovah, the one person who could explain God to a fuller and more thorough extent than any other.—John 1:18.

The garment worn by Israelites in Bible times was quite voluminous over the chest, so that in its folds a person could hide his hands, place money or other articles and even carry a baby or a young lamb. (Ex. 4:6, 7; Num. 11:12; 2 Sam. 12:3) Jehovah says he will carry his lambs in his bosom, an illustration of his tender love and care for them. (Isa. 40:11) The expression “wife of [one’s] bosom,” as in some translations (AV; Ro; RS; AT), is given clearer meaning when rendered, “wife thou dost cherish in thy bosom” (Kx), “your cherished wife.” (NW) (Deut. 13:6; 28:54; Mic. 7:5) Intercourse is sometimes referred to.—Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:8.

To “render the reward into their own bosom” or to ‘measure out their wages into their own bosom’ are understandable expressions when we appreciate that the pockets of garments were not in one’s skirts or the lower part of the garment as today. (Isa. 65:6, 7; Ps. 79:12; Jer. 32:18) Similarly, the expressions ‘carrying reproach in one’s bosom,’ ‘raking fire together into his bosom,’ ‘taking a bribe from the bosom’ and “a bribe in the bosom” have reference to the use of the upper folds of the garment.—Ps. 89:50; Prov. 6:27; 17:23; 21:14; see BOSOM POSITION.

BREASTBAND

A sash or girdle worn by a bride on her wedding day. It marked her status as a married woman. Jehovah as a “husband” to Israel illustrates the sin and extreme disregard of Israel toward him, saying: “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, a bride her breastbands? And yet my own people—they have forgotten me days without number.” Israel’s God should have been her greatest ornament, but she had forsaken him for other gods.—Jer. 2:32; Isa. 3:20; compare Isaiah 49:18.

BREASTPIECE

The sacred embroidered pouch worn by Israel’s high priest over his heart whenever he entered the Holy. The breastpiece was to serve as a “memorial,” and was apparently referred to as the “breastpiece of judgment” because of containing the Urim and Thummim by means of which Jehovah’s judgments were revealed.—Ex. 28:15, 29, 30.

Like the ephod, the breastpiece was made of the finest materials, gold, blue thread, wool dyed reddish purple, coccus scarlet material and fine twisted linen. (Ex. 28:15) The same fabrics were used in making the ten tent cloths embroidered with cherubs, the curtain separating the Holy from the Most Holy and the screen for the entrance of the tent, the needed materials having been voluntarily contributed by the Israelites and fashioned into final form either directly by Bezalel and Oholiab or under their direction.—Ex. 26:1, 31, 36; 31:2-6; 35:21-29.

The fabric for the breastpiece was evidently a cubit in length and a span in width so as to make a square when folded, thus forming a pouch into which the Urim and Thummim may have been placed. The front of the breastpiece was adorned with twelve precious stones fitted into sockets of gold and arranged in four rows of three stones each. On each stone the name of one of the tribes of Israel was engraved. (Ex. 28:15-21, 28; 39:8-14; Lev. 8:8) The jewels in each row may have been arranged as listed from right to left (as in reading Hebrew). It cannot be stated with any certainty which precious stone corresponded to which tribe. All attempts to do so are merely conjectures.—See the precious stones under their individual headings.

The breastpiece was securely mounted on the ephod in the following manner: Two wreathed chains of pure gold were attached to two gold rings at opposite corners of the upper part of the breastpiece. These chains, in turn, were fastened to the two gold settings of the shoulder pieces of the ephod. Two other gold rings were affixed at opposite extremities of the bottom edge of the breastpiece upon the side facing the ephod. These rings were tied by means of a blue string to the two gold rings on the forefront of the ephod just above its girdle.—Ex. 28:22-28; 39:15-21.

BREASTPLATE

See ARMS, ARMOR.

BREATH

See SPIRIT.

BRIBE

Generally a valuable consideration given with a view to influencing its recipient to act, usually unjustifiably or corruptly, in behalf of the giver. The Scriptures indicate that the accepting of bribes led not only to the perversion of justice but even to bloodshed.—Deut. 16:19; 27:25; Ezek. 22:12.

Accepting bribes was specifically prohibited by God’s law to Israel, and Jehovah, as the Supreme Judge, set the perfect example by always rendering impartial decisions and never accepting bribes. (Ex. 23:8; 2 Chron. 19:7) Hence, those who would be guests in Jehovah’s tent must imitate him in this respect.—Ps. 15:1, 5; see also Isaiah 33:15, 16.

The Bible contains numerous examples of those who were not free from bribery. Delilah was bribed to betray Samson, each axis lord of the Philistines paying 1,100 silver pieces ($522.50, if the “silver pieces” were shekels). (Judg. 16:5) The sons of Samuel the prophet and judge, unlike their father, accepted bribes and perverted judgment. (1 Sam. 8:3; 12:3) David speaks of those whose right hand, which should have been supporting the cause of right, was full of bribery. (Ps. 26:10) Likely the two witnesses whose false testimony, at the instigation of Jezebel, resulted in Naboth’s being stoned, had been bribed. (1 Ki. 21:9-13) Kings Asa and Ahaz bribed the king of Syria and the king of Assyria respectively for military aid. (1 Ki. 15:18, 19; 2 Ki. 16:8) The head ones or princes of unfaithful Jerusalem proved to be lovers of bribes. (Isa. 1:23; 5:23; Mic. 3:11) Unlike ordinary prostitutes who receive hire, unfaithful Jerusalem actually bribed others to come to her.—Ezek. 16:33.

In the first century C.E., Judas Iscariot, in effect, accepted a bribe to betray Jesus Christ (Matt. 26:14-16, 47-50), and Governor Felix withheld justice in Paul’s case in the hope of receiving a bribe from the apostle.—Acts 24:26, 27.

The expressions “a bribe from the bosom” and “a bribe in the bosom” can be better understood when considering that in Hebrew the word “bosom” may also refer to the fold of a garment above the belt. Therefore, these expressions indicate that the bribe apparently was hidden in the upper fold of the garment and then given in secrecy to another who, in turn, likewise concealed it.—Prov. 17:23; 21:14; see GIFTS, PRESENTS.

BRICK

Generally, a building block made of hardened mud or clay. From earliest times brick has been widely used in Bible lands. The builders of ancient Babel found no stone in the vicinity of the site they chose for their city and, therefore, utilized bricks instead of stone, and bitumen instead of mortar. Apparently the bricks were kiln-dried, that is, hardened “with a burning process.” (Gen. 11:3) In ancient Egypt, the enslaved Israelites labored at brickmaking. Their lot was made more difficult by having to gather the straw themselves and still produce the same number of bricks. (Ex. 5:7-19) In the Promised Land, the Israelites continued using bricks in construction work, although it appears that stone was preferred. (Isa. 9:10) While abundant in the hills of Palestine, in some sections little good-quality building stone is available. Hence in the lowlands, at cities such as Jericho and Ezion-geber, brick was used not only for the city walls but also for dwellings. In modern times, in parts of Syria and Palestine, houses have been built partly of hewn stone and the remainder of sun-dried brick, the hewn stone being used for the walls most exposed to winter storms.

In the manufacture of bricks, after foreign substances were removed from the mud or clay, it was generally mixed with finely chopped straw or other vegetable matter. This is borne out by the Papyrus Anastasi, an ancient Egyptian document, which reads: “I am without equipment. There are no people to make bricks, and there is no straw in the district.” Although bricks made without straw have been found in Egypt, this was evidently an exception and provides no valid basis for concluding that the Israelites resorted to making bricks without straw when forced to obtain it themselves. Experiments conducted in recent years indicate that adding straw to clay makes it easier to work and triples the strength of the bricks produced therefrom.

The mixture of mud or clay and straw was moistened with water, trampled underfoot and then molded by hand or pressed into four-sided wooden molds. (Compare Nahum 3:14.) So that the molds could be slipped off easily, the sides thereof, as today, were probably dusted with dry earth. Often, while the brick was still wet, it was stamped with the mark of the reigning monarch. (Bricks bearing the stamp of King Nebuchadnezzar can still be found in present-day peasant houses near ancient Babylon.) The bricks were then left to dry in the sun or were kiln-dried.

In Babylonia bricks were commonly kiln-dried and such bricks were generally used for city walls and the walls and floors of palaces. Sometimes sun-dried bricks were used in the interiors of buildings or laid with burnt bricks in alternate layers several feet thick. In Egypt, Assyria and Palestine sun-drying appears to have predominated. Kiln-processed bricks are superior in quality to those dried in the sun. The latter tend to disintegrate when subjected to floods and to shrivel under the intense heat of the summer sun. In certain cases, however, sun-dried bricks have proved to be very substantial, such as those at Ezion-geber, which have remained for centuries.—See KILN.

The extensive use of sun-dried brick explains why the sites of certain ancient cities have remained undiscovered for centuries. Mounds of earth much like the surrounding soil were formed by the crumbled bricks of former cities. In Palestine and Syria such mounds frequently contain the ruins of several cities.

Bricks varied considerably in size and shape. In Egypt the rectangular shape was common, and wedge-shaped bricks were used in the construction of arches. Egyptian bricks were approximately 14 to 20 inches (36 to 51 centimeters) in length, 6 to 9 inches (15 to 23 centimeters) in width and 4 to 7 inches (10 to 18 centimeters) in thickness. In Babylonia, square, oblong triangular and wedge-shaped bricks have been found. However, brick of later periods, as that from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, was generally