a privilege that affords the worshiper opportunity to display his love for Jehovah. Contributions given, not for publicity or selfish motives, but with the proper attitude and to advance true worship bring happiness, along with God’s blessing. (Acts 20:35; Matt. 6:1-4; Prov. 3:9, 10) One can assure himself of a share in this happiness by setting aside something from his material belongings regularly for the support of true worship and the aid of deserving ones.—1 Cor. 16:1, 2.

Jehovah furnishes the best example of giving, for he has bestowed upon humanity “life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25), he has given his only-begotten Son for mankind (John 3:16) and he enriches Christians for every sort of generosity. (2 Cor. 9:10-15) Indeed, “every good gift and every perfect present is from above, for it comes down from the Father of the celestial lights.”—Jas. 1:17; see GIFTS, PRESENTS.

CONVENTION

A gathering or meeting together of people for a specific purpose; an assembly. In the Scriptures the term “convention” is a translation of the Hebrew word miq·raʼʹ, meaning “a calling together” or “convoking.” An alternate rendering of this Hebrew word is “convocation.” Bearing out its basic meaning is its use at Numbers 10:2 to convey the thought of convening the assembly of Israel.

The “holy conventions” were scheduled as follows: (1) Every sabbath (Lev. 23:3); (2) the first and seventh days of the festival of unfermented cakes during Nisan, the first month (March-April) (Num. 28:18, 25; Lev. 23:6-8); (3) the festival of weeks or festival of harvest, later known as Pentecost, held in the third month, Sivan (May-June) (Lev. 23:15-21); (4) the first and tenth days of the seventh month, Ethanim or Tishri (September-October), the latter day being the day of atonement (Lev. 23:23-27; Num. 29:1, 7); (5) the first day of the festival of booths, which began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Ethanim or Tishri, also the day after that seven-day festival.—Lev. 23:33-36.

A unique feature of all of these “holy conventions” was that during them the people were to do no laborious work. For instance, the first and seventh days of the festival of unfermented cakes were “holy conventions,” concerning which Jehovah stated: “No work is to be done on them. Only what every soul needs to eat, that alone may be done for you.” (Ex. 12:15, 16) However, during “holy conventions” the priests were busy offering sacrifices to Jehovah (Lev. 23:37, 38), certainly no violation of any command against doing normal daily work. These occasions were not periods of idleness for the people in general either, but were times of great spiritual benefit. On the weekly sabbath day, the people met together for public worship and instruction. They were then edified by the public reading and explanation of God’s written Word, as in the later synagogues. (Acts 15:21) Therefore, while the people did not do laborious work during the sabbath day or the other “holy conventions,” they would then devote themselves to prayer and meditation on the Creator and his purposes.—See ASSEMBLY.

COOKING, COOKING UTENSILS

Cooking and baking in general were usually considered the duties of the women in the Hebrew household, but on certain occasions meals were prepared by men. (Gen. 18:6-8; 27:3-9, 14, 30, 31; 1 Sam. 8:13; 2 Sam. 13:8) When living in tents the Hebrews probably did most of their cooking outdoors. When settled in Canaan, living in stone houses, they did some cooking in the home, particularly during inclement weather. (Judg. 6:19; 2 Sam. 13:7-11) The bulk of the cooking done was for the evening meal, the major meal of the day. (Luke 14:12; Rev. 3:20) Nothing could be cooked on the regular sabbath day, for the Law forbade even the lighting of a fire.—Ex. 35:3.

The Hebrews used various utensils and pieces of equipment in preparing food. There was the hand mill, operated by the women of the household. (Deut. 24:6; Matt. 24:41; see MILL.) For spices or smaller quantities of grain the mortar and pestle sufficed. (Num. 11:8; see MORTAR, I.) Bread dough was mixed in a kneading trough (Ex. 12:34) and baked on a hearth or in an oven.—Ex. 8:3; 1 Chron. 9:31.

Forks were employed at the tabernacle and, later on, at the temple. (Ex. 27:3; 2 Chron. 4:16) Mention is made of a three-pronged fork used by the priests. (1 Sam. 2:12-14) Household cooks may have used a similar fork to take meat out of a pot. They had knives of various kinds to cut up meat for cooking. There is no Scriptural indication that they used knives and forks when eating.

Vessels designed for cooking were generally made of earthenware, although some of them were of copper, such being particularly mentioned in connection with the sanctuary. (Lev. 6:28) Among household cooking utensils were pots, round containers, varying considerably in size. Bronze cooking pots that stood on legs are depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings, and it is possible that the complaining Israelites in the wilderness had such vessels in mind when they spoke of “sitting by the pots of meat” in Egypt. (Ex. 16:3) The Hebrew word translated “pots” in this passage is the one generally used to designate the widemouthed pot, which might be used for washing (Ps. 60:8) or cooking. (2 Ki. 4:38-41; Ezek. 24:3-5) These came in varied sizes, from the average-sized one about twelve inches (c. 30:5 centimeters) in diameter on up to very large ones. Early specimens of this relatively shallow type of pot lacked handles, but during the time of the divided kingdom in Israel a two-handled variety came into use.

Narrow-mouthed cooking pots having one or two handles have been found. They were of more-or-less spherical shape, from about four to fourteen inches (c. 10.5 to 35.5 centimeters) in diameter.

The Israelites also possessed deep-fat kettles or deep pans and also griddles. Grain offerings were frequently prepared in these. (Lev. 2:5, 7; 7:9; 1 Chron. 23:29) Examples of earthenware griddles have been discovered at Gezer. These had small depressions, comparable to the waffle iron of today. Iron griddles were also in use.—Ezek. 4:1-3.

The Scriptures sometimes use cooking pots in a figurative sense. Jerusalem, which was due to be destroyed in 607 B.C.E., was likened to a widemouthed cooking pot, with its inhabitants as the flesh in it.—Ezek. 11:1-12; 24:6-14; see VESSELS.

COPPER

(Brass, Bronze).

A soft metal easily beaten and shaped into many forms. There is no evidence that the ancients had a secret method for hardening pure copper by tempering, but they knew how to harden the cutting edge of tools simply by cold hammering. When alloyed with other metals hardness is greatly increased. One such alloy is bronze, copper containing tin (ancient findings having from 2 to 18 percent tin). Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. (1 Cor. 13:1) In the Authorized Version the words “brass” and “steel” are usually mistranslations for “copper” or “bronze.”

Copper in the free state was not plentiful; metal-bearing ores consisting of oxides, carbonates or sulfides had to be smelted to release the metallic copper. Copper mines have been located in the Wadi Arabah, that arid part of the Rift Valley that extends S from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah at the eastern head of the Red Sea. (Job 28:2-4) Solomon exploited the copper deposits near Succoth in Palestine proper, which deposits Moses anticipated in describing the Promised Land. (Deut. 8:9) There large castings were made in clay molds. (1 Ki. 7:14-46; 2 Chron. 4:1-18) Copper was found in abundance on Cyprus. The Bible also speaks of Javan, Tubal and Meshech as sources of copper.—Ezek. 27:13.

Copper and its alloys had many varied and practical uses. It being one of the oldest metals known, Tubal-cain prior to the Noachian flood forged tools out of copper. (Gen. 4:22) Household and sanctuary utensils included pots, basins, pans, shovels and forks. (Ex. 38:3; Lev. 6:28; Jer. 52:18) Copper was used for doors, gates, pillars and musical instruments (2 Ki. 25:13; 1 Chron. 15:19; Ps. 107:16; Isa. 45:2); armor, shields, weapons and fetters. (1 Sam. 17:5, 6, 38; 2 Sam. 22:35; 2 Ki. 25:7; 2 Chron. 12:10) The metal was also used in the making of idols. (Rev. 9:20) Copper coins were in circulation in Jesus’ day. (Matt. 10:9) The Scriptures also speak of copper in a figurative or symbolic sense.—Lev. 26:19; Job 6:12; Isa. 48:4; 60:17; Jer. 1:18; Ezek. 1:7; Dan. 2:32; Rev. 1:15; 2:18.

See METALWORKER; MINE, MINING; REFINE, REFINER.

COPPER SERPENT

The copper figure or representation of a serpent made by Moses during Israel’s trek in the wilderness. Near the border of Edom the people showed a rebellious spirit, complaining about the miraculously provided manna and the water supply. Jehovah therefore punished them by sending poisonous serpents among them and many persons died from serpent bites. After the people showed repentance and Moses interceded for them, Jehovah told him to make a figure in the form of a serpent and to place it upon a signal pole. Moses complied, and “it did occur that if a serpent had bitten a man and he gazed at the copper serpent, he then kept alive.”—Num. 21:4-9; 1 Cor. 10:9.

The Scriptures do not identify the type of venomous serpent Jehovah sent among the people. The Hebrew expression for “poisonous serpents” (han-n^ehha·shimʹ has·s^era·phimʹ) at Numbers 21:6 can denote a “fiery serpent,” perhaps from the burning or inflammation-causing effect of its poison. This may indicate that the bite caused a burning sensation because of inflammation or thirst.

The Israelites kept the copper serpent and later improperly began to worship it, making sacrificial smoke to it. Hence, as part of his religious reforms, Judean King Hezekiah (745-716 B.C.E.) had the now more than seven-hundred-year-old copper serpent crushed to pieces because the people had made an idol of it. According to the Hebrew text the account at 2 Kings 18:4 reads in part quite literally, “one (he) began to call it Ne·hushʹtan.” Some translations leave the word “Nehushtan” untranslated (AT; Ro; RS), and suggested meanings of the Hebrew term n^ehhush·tanʹ are “only a bit of bronze” or “a bronze thing” and, probably, “bronze-god.” The New World Translation appropriately says that the copper serpent “used to be called the copper serpent-idol.”—See Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, by Koehler and Baumgartner, p. 610.

Jesus Christ made clear the prophetic meaning of the wilderness event involving the copper serpent when he told Nicodemus: “Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, that everyone believing in him may have everlasting life.” (John 3:13-15) Like the copper serpent Moses placed on a pole in the wilderness, the Son of God was impaled or fastened on a stake, thus appearing to many as an evildoer and a groveling sinner, like a snake, being in the position of one cursed. (Deut. 21:22, 23; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:24) In the wilderness a person who had been bitten by one of the poisonous serpents Jehovah sent among the Israelites evidently had to gaze at the copper serpent in faith. Similarly, to gain everlasting life through Christ it is necessary to exercise faith in him.

COPYIST

Biblically speaking, the term “copyist” applies to a transcriber or person who made copies of written material, specifically of the Scriptures. The Hebrew word rendered “copyist” is so·pherʹ, which has to do with counting and recording and has various meanings. It can denote a scribe (Judg. 5:14), a secretary (Jer. 36:32) and a recorder. (Ezek. 9:2, 3) A “scribe” is either a public writer penning compositions dictated by various persons, a secretary, or copyist or teacher of the Law. However, the term “copyist” is especially apropos when applied to individuals who worked at copying the Law and other portions of the Holy Scriptures. Particularly identified as copyists are Shaphan, a certain Zadok and the priest Ezra.—Jer. 36:10; Neh. 13:13; 12:26, 36.

The priest Ezra, who went from Babylon to Jerusalem with the Jewish remnant in the seventh year of Persian King Artaxerxes (468 B.C.E.), is identified as “a skilled copyist in the law of Moses” and as “a copyist of the words of the commandments of Jehovah and of his regulations toward Israel.” (Ezra 7:6, 7, 11) In his time the Jewish scribes first became prominent as a group of Scripture copyists. Thousands of Jews had remained in Babylon and others had been scattered about because of migrations and for business purposes. Local assembly halls known as synagogues sprang up in different places and, for these, copyists had to make handwritten copies of Biblical manuscripts. They did so with great care.—See SCRIBE.

It was Ezra, the skillful priestly copyist, who read “the book of the law of Moses” to a congregation in restored Jerusalem. Competent explanation and instruction given by Ezra and his assistants on that occasion led to “great rejoicing” and rich blessings for the assembled people.—Neh. chap. 8.

The psalmist, his heart “astir with a goodly matter” concerning God’s Messianic King, said: “May my tongue be the stylus of a skilled copyist.” (Ps. 45:1-5) His wish, it seems, was that his tongue prove to be eloquent, a match for the exalted theme of his composition, which was inspired of God. Thus, the psalmist desired that his tongue function efficiently, like a stylus in the hand of a trained and skillful copyist, one with ability.

COR

A dry measure and also one used for measuring oil. The cor corresponded to the homer and contained ten bath measures. (1 Ki. 4:22; 5:11; 2 Chron. 2:10; Ezek. 45:14) If the bath measure is to be reckoned at 5.81 gallons (22 liters), as favored by archaeological evidence, the cor measure would equal 58.1 gallons (220 liters).

CORAL

The limestone deposits of certain sea organisms called polyps. Living in colonies, these