FIGURATIVE USAGE

This powerful bird of prey was a frequent symbol used by the prophets to represent the warring forces of enemy nations in their sudden and often unexpected attacks. (Deut. 28:49-51; Jer. 48:40; 49:22; Hos. 8:1) The Babylonian and Egyptian rulers were characterized as eagles (Ezek. 17:3, 7; Dan. 7:3, 4), and it is notable that the figure of the eagle was regularly used on the royal scepters, standards and steles of many ancient nations, including Assyria, Persia and Rome, even as it has been used in modern times by Germany, the United States and others.

Some have questioned the use of the word “eagles” at Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37, holding that the texts must refer instead to vultures, gathered around a carcass. However, although the eagle is not primarily a carrion eater, as is the vulture, it does feed on such dead bodies at times. (Palestine Exploration Quarterly, April, 1955, p. 9) So, too, the eagle, though usually a solitary hunter, unlike the gregarious vulture, is known to hunt in pairs occasionally, and the book The Animal Kingdom (1954, Frederick Drimmer, M.A., editor in chief, Vol. II, p. 965) reports an instance in which “a number of them launched a mass attack upon a prong-horned antelope.” Jesus’ prophecy above-mentioned was given in connection with his promised second coming or “presence.” Hence, it would not apply merely to the desolation of the Jewish nation by the Roman armies with their standards emblazoned with the figures of eagles, an event taking place in the year 70 C.E. The later vision at Revelation 19:11-21 parallels Jesus’ prophecy in many respects and depicts a “carcass” formed of earth’s kings, their armies, and all having the mark of the beast. Eagles are elsewhere used in Revelation to represent creatures attending God’s throne and announcing the judgment messages of God for those on earth, doubtless to indicate swiftness and farsightedness.—Rev. 4:7; 8:13; compare Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14.

Another text that many scholars view as applying to the vulture rather than to the eagle is Micah 1:16, which speaks of Israel’s figuratively ‘broadening out its baldness like that of the eagle.’ The eagle’s head is well feathered, even the North American “bald eagle” being called thus only because its white head feathers give it the appearance of baldness from a distance. The Griffon vulture, common in Palestine, has only some soft white down on its head, and the neck is sparsely feathered. If the text applies to it, this would indicate that the Hebrew ne·sherʹ has broader application than to the eagle only. It may be noted that the Griffon vulture, while not classed by ornithologists as of the same “species” or “genus” as the eagle, is counted as of the same “family” (Accipitridae). Some, however, believe Micah 1:16 has reference to the moulting that the eagle undergoes, although this is said to be a quite gradual and rather inconspicuous process. This moulting process, bringing some reduction of activity and strength and followed by a renewal of normal life, may be what the psalmist meant by one’s youth “renewing itself just like that of an eagle.” (Ps. 103:5) Others see in this a reference to the relatively long life of the eagle, some having been known to reach an age of eighty years.

The name “Aquila” (Acts 18:2) is Latin for eagle.

EAR

The organ for hearing, designed and created by Jehovah God. (Ps. 94:9; Prov. 20:12) The ear consists of three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The middle ear is a small chamber that begins with the eardrum and leads to the maze of passageways that constitute the inner ear. Besides its function in connection with hearing, the inner ear also possesses organs having to do with balance and motion. The possession of two ears is a great help in locating the source and direction of sounds.

The human ear detects sounds within the range of about 15 to 15,000 or 20,000 cycles per second, although some younger persons can hear tones up to 23,000 cycles. The ears of many animals are sensitive to tones of higher pitch that are inaudible to the human ear. The range of sound energy perceived by the human ear is remarkable. The loudest sound that the ear can tolerate without danger is two million million times as powerful as the least perceptible sound. The human ear has the maximum sensitivity that it is practical to possess, for if the ears were any keener they would respond to the unceasing molecular motions of the air particles themselves.

Since the Maker of the ear can hear, the Bible speaks of him as possessing ears, symbolically. (Num. 11:18; Ps. 116:1, 2) By this symbolism Jehovah pictures himself as having ears open to the prayers, petitions and cries of the righteous. (Ps. 10:17; 18:6; 34:15; 130:2; Isa. 59:1; 1 Pet. 3:12) While he hears the murmurings of complainers and the wicked speech of his enemies (Num. 11:1; 2 Ki. 19:28), he refuses to hear their distress calls when execution of judgment catches up with them. (Ezek. 8:18) As to idol images, although they may have ears carved or engraved on them they, of course, cannot hear and are powerless to receive or answer the prayers of their worshipers.—Ps. 115:6.

FIGURATIVE USE

In the Bible the word “ear” is used very forcefully in a figurative sense as representing the complete process of hearing. The term is used with respect to the faculty of hearing and then weighing the truthfulness and value of what is spoken. (Job 12:11; 34:3) The way the expression “give ear” or to ‘incline one’s ear’ is used indicates that it means to pay attention with a view to acting on that which is heard. (Ps. 78:1; 86:6; Isa. 51:4) To ‘have the ears opened’ means that the individual receives understanding or enlightenment on a matter. (Isa. 50:5) The expression ‘uncover the ear’ may originate from the fact that, in Oriental lands, a person would partially remove the headdress so as to hear more clearly. This expression, as well as the phrase ‘disclose to the ear,’ refers to the giving of information in private or the revealing of a secret or something not previously known.—1 Sam. 9:15; 20:2, 12, 13; 2 Sam.7:27.

An ‘awakened ear’ is one that is made attentive. (Isa. 50:4) Such an ear may belong to a person who has formerly been among the ones “deaf [spiritually] though they have [literal] ears.” (Isa. 43:8) The righteous man is described in the Bible as listening to God, but stopping up his ear to wickedness. (Isa. 33:15) Similarly Jesus, using the word “listen” with the same sense of ‘giving attention to, understanding and believing the good news,’ said: “My sheep listen to my voice,” and, “a stranger they will by no means follow but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”—John 10:27, 5.

On the other hand, the ears of the rebellious ones are said to be “heavy” (AV) or “unresponsive” and they ‘hear with annoyance.’ (Isa. 6:10; Matt. 13:15; Acts 28:27) Such wicked ones are likened to the cobra that stops up its ears, refusing to listen to the voice of the charmer.—Ps. 58:4.

Jehovah, through his servants, spoke of the stubborn, disobedient Israelites as having ‘uncircumcised ears.’ (Jer. 6:10; Acts 7:51) They are as though stopped up with something that impedes hearing. They are ears that have not been opened by Jehovah, who gives ears of understanding and obedience to those who seek him, but allows the spiritual hearing of the disobedient ones to become dulled. (Deut. 29:4; Rom. 11:8) The apostle Paul foretold a time when some professing to be Christians would apostatize from the true faith, not wanting to hear the truth of God’s Word, but desiring to have their ears “tickled” by things pleasing to them, and would therefore listen to false teachers. (2 Tim. 4:3, 4; 1 Tim. 4:1) Also, one’s ears may “tingle” due to hearing startling news, especially news of calamity.—1 Sam. 3:11; 2 Ki. 21:12; Jer. 19:3.

An example where literal hearing of a sound and hearing with understanding are contrasted is found in the account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and his own recounting of it later. (Acts 9:3-8; 22:6-11) The account at Acts 9:7 says that the men with Saul heard “a voice” (AV) or “the sound of a voice.” (NW) Yet, as recorded at Acts 22:9, Paul (Saul) says that the men did not hear the voice. When what was said in the two verses is properly understood, there is no contradiction. The Greek word for “voice” (pho·neʹ) at Acts 9:7 is in the genitive case (pho·nesʹ) and gives, in this verse, the sense of hearing of a voice—hearing the sound but not understanding. At Acts 22:9 pho·neʹ is in the accusative case (pho·nenʹ): the men “did not hear the voice”—they heard the sound of a voice but did not get the words, the meaning; they did not understand what Jesus was saying to Saul, as Saul did. (Acts 9:4) This knowledge of the Bible’s use of the idea of ‘hearing’ in both senses helps to clear up what would otherwise seem to be discrepancies or absurdities./6

At the installation of the priesthood in Israel, Moses was commanded to take some of the blood of the ram of the installation and to put it on the lobe of the right ear of Aaron and of each of his sons, as well as on the right hand and right foot, indicating that what they listened to, the work they did and the way they walked should be directly affected by what was there taking place. (Lev. 8:22-24) Similarly, in the case of the cleansed leper, the Law said that the priest was to put some of the blood of the ram offered as a guilt offering, as well as some of the oil offered, on the lobe of the leper’s right ear. (Lev. 14:14, 17, 25, 28) An arrangement of comparable nature was found in the provision made for the man who wished to continue in slavery to his master to time indefinite. In such case the slave was to be brought to the doorpost, and his master was to pierce his ear through with an awl. This prominent mark, being made on the organ for hearing, evidently represented the slave’s desire to continue in obedient attention to his master.—Ex. 21:5, 6.

Bearing on the greater importance of hearing God, in the sense of giving close attention and obedience to his words, as the Bible directs us to do, rather than the need to see him, as some demand, R. C. Dentan, writing in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1), remarks interestingly: “In the Bible, the key word for man’s response to God is ‘hearing’ rather than ‘seeing’ . . . . For the mystery religions the highest religious experience was that of ‘seeing’ the god; but for the Bible, where the basic religious attitude is obedience to the divine word, the emphasis is on ‘hearing’ his voice. The most important formula of Israel’s religion begins characteristically: ‘Hear, O Israel.’ ‘He who is of God’ is not the mystic who has seen a vision, but one who ‘hears the words of God’ (John 8:47).”—See DEAFNESS.

EARDROP

See EARRING.

EARRING

A ring or other ornament worn on the ear for purposes of adornment. The Hebrews do not appear to have had a specific word for “earring,” for one of the words they applied to this ornament (neʹzem) can be used for either a nose ring or an earring. The context in which neʹzem appears in the Scriptures sometimes, though not always, makes it possible to determine whether an earring or a nose ring is meant. Probably in many cases earrings and nose rings varied little in shape. The Hebrew word ʽa·ghilʹ is also used to designate an earring and relates to a circular ornament.

In many nations of antiquity men, women and children all wore earrings. That they were worn by men of many lands is evident from representations of foreigners on Egyptian monuments. However, in Egypt it seems that it was not customary for men to wear earrings and whether Israelite men customarily wore them or not is uncertain. Earrings were worn by the Midianites, from whom the Israelites took them as part of the spoils of war. (Num. 31:1, 2, 50) When Aaron was about to make the golden calf in the wilderness, he instructed the Israelites: “Tear off the gold earrings that are in the ears of your wives, of your sons and of your daughters and bring them to me.”—Ex. 32:1-4.

Common with Egyptian women were earrings consisting of large golden hoops, some being an inch and a half to over two inches (c. 3.8 to over 5.1 centimeters) in diameter, though others were even larger and were made of as many as six individual rings soldered together. Silver earrings were found at Thebes, some of them being merely studs. At times Egyptian earrings were quite elaborately designed, as were those of the Assyrians, some of which were cross-shaped. It was customary to attach the earring by passing the ring itself or a hook through a hole that had been pierced in one’s earlobe.

In ancient Egypt, persons of high station sometimes wore golden ear ornaments having the form of an asp, the body of which was studded with precious stones. Middle Eastern earrings at times consisted of rings to which jewels of some sort were attached as pendants. Some were called “eardrops” (Heb., n^eti·phohthʹ from na·taphʹ, which, by implication, means to drop or to fall in drops). This term evidently relates to a drop-shaped ornament or pendant. “Eardrops” could have been pearls or spherical beads of silver or gold, but they are not described in the Bible. (Judg. 8:26) They were among the things Jehovah said he would take away from the haughty “daughters of Zion.”—Isa. 3:16, 19.

Faithful Hebrews and Christians did not wear earrings as amulets, though others of ancient times did so. While the Bible does not specifically say that the “earrings” possessed by Jacob’s household had been viewed as amulets, Jacob buried both “the foreign gods” and the “earrings” of his household under the big tree near Shechem. (Gen. 35:2-4) The “ornamental humming shells” possessed by the haughty “daughters of Zion” were charms of some type that may have been suspended from necklaces or worn on the ears.—Isa. 3:20.

When Israel was granted the privilege of making contributions for the tabernacle, willing-hearted persons donated various articles, including earrings. (Ex. 35:20-22) Centuries later, Jehovah told Jerusalem that, among other things, he had shown her love by placing earrings on her ears. (Ezek. 16:1, 2, 12) And Solomon used a gold earring illustratively when he said: “An earring of gold, and an ornament of special gold, is a wise reprover upon the hearing ear.”—Prov. 25:1, 12.

EARTH

The fifth-largest planet of the solar system and the third in order of position from the sun. It is an oblate spheroid, being slightly flattened at the poles. Satellite observations have indicated other slight irregularities in earth’s shape. Its mass is nearly six sextillion five hundred eighty-eight quintillion U.S. short tons (5.976 [± .005] x 10²¹ metric tons or 5.88 x 10²¹ British tons). Its area is 196,951,072 square miles (510,103,276 square kilometers). Earth’s measurements are (approximately): circumference at the equator, 24,902.4 miles (40,068 kilometers); diameter at the equator, 7,927 miles (12,755 kilometers). Oceans and seas cover approximately 71 percent of its surface, leaving about 57.5 million square miles (148.9 million square kilometers) of land surface.

The earth rotates on its axis, bringing about day and night. (Gen. 1:4, 5) A solar day or an apparent day is a period of twenty-four hours, the time taken for an observer at any one point on the earth to be again in the same position relative to the sun. The tropical year, which concerns the return of the seasons, the interval between two consecutive returns of the sun to the vernal equinox, is 365 days, 5 hours,