Jehovah foretold that as slaves to foreign conquerors the haughty women of Judah would come to have “a brand mark [Heb., ki] instead of prettiness.”​—Isa 3:24.

Idol worshipers on occasion had the name, emblem, or image of their idol god reproduced on themselves to display the fact that they were devoted to that god. Deliberate disfigurement of the flesh was prohibited under the Mosaic Law. (Le 19:28) Under the Law the only mark ever put on a slave was the piercing of the ear of one who voluntarily requested slavery to his master “to time indefinite.”​—De 15:16, 17.

Paul wrote to the Galatians: “I am carrying on my body the brand marks [Gr., stigʹma·ta] of a slave of Jesus.” (Ga 6:17) Many were the physical abuses administered to Paul’s fleshly body because of his Christian service, some of which undoubtedly left him scarred, testifying to the authenticity of his claim as a faithful slave belonging to Jesus Christ. (2Co 11:23-27) These things may have been the marks alluded to. Or he may have had reference to the life he lived as a Christian, displaying the fruitage of the spirit, carrying out the work of his Christian ministry.​—See MARK, II.

See COPPER, BRASS, BRONZE.

Generally, a heating device consisting of a panlike receptacle elevated off the ground by means of legs and designed for holding burning coals or charcoal. The Hebrew word rendered “brazier” (ʼach) is of Egyptian origin, suggesting that the brazier itself was an innovation from Egypt.

It appears that in the better homes the brazier was preferred to a depression in the floor of the house, in which a fire could be built. King Jehoiakim had a brazier, likely one made of metal, in his winter house.​—Jer 36:22, 23.

A baked food, sometimes leavened, the basic ingredient of which is flour or meal. Bread (Heb., leʹchem; Gr., arʹtos) was a staple in the diet of the Jews and other peoples of antiquity, the art of bread making being common knowledge among the Israelites, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and others. Even in modern times in some parts of the Middle East, bread is of chief importance, and other types of food are of secondary significance. At times the Bible seems to use “bread” for food in general, as at Genesis 3:19 and in the model prayer, which contains the request: “Give us today our bread for this day.”​—Mt 6:11; compare Ec 10:19, ftn.

In making bread, the Hebrews generally used wheat flour or barley flour. Wheat was more expensive, so persons might often have to content themselves with barley bread. Reference is made to barley bread at Judges 7:13; 2 Kings 4:42; and John 6:9, 13. Some flour was rather coarse, being prepared by the use of mortar and pestle. However, “fine flour” was also in use. (Ge 18:6; Le 2:1; 1Ki 4:22) The manna Jehovah God provided for the Israelites during their wilderness trek was ground in hand mills or pounded in a mortar.​—Nu 11:8.

It was customary to grind the grain and bake fresh bread daily, and often the bread was unleavened (Heb., mats·tsahʹ). The flour was simply mixed with water, and no leaven was added before the kneading of the dough. In making leavened bread, the general practice was to take a piece of dough retained from a previous baking and use it as a leavening agent by crumbling it into the water prior to the mixing in of the flour. Such a mixture would be kneaded and permitted to stand until it leavened.​—Ga 5:9; see CAKE; LEAVEN; LOAF.

Offerings made to Jehovah by the Israelites consisted of some baked things. (Le 2:4-13) It was not permissible to use leaven in offerings made by fire to Jehovah, though certain offerings were not burned on the altar and could contain leaven. (Le 7:13; 23:17) The use of leavened bread was not allowed during the Passover and the Festival of Unfermented Cakes associated with it.​—Ex 12:8, 15, 18; see SHOWBREAD.

The prominence of bread in the daily diet of Biblical times is indicated by repeated references to it throughout the Scriptures. For example, Melchizedek “brought out bread and wine” before blessing Abraham. (Ge 14:18) When Abraham sent away Hagar and Ishmael he “took bread and a skin water bottle and gave it to Hagar.” (Ge 21:14) Imprisoned Jeremiah was given a daily ration of “a round loaf of bread.” (Jer 37:21) On two occasions Jesus Christ miraculously multiplied bread to feed vast crowds. (Mt 14:14-21; 15:32-37) Jesus taught his followers to pray for “bread for the day according to the day’s requirement.” (Lu 11:3) And the psalmist fittingly identified Jehovah God as the one providing “bread that sustains the very heart of mortal man.”​—Ps 104:15.

Figurative Use. The term “bread,” as used in the Bible, has a number of figurative applications. For instance, Joshua and Caleb told the assembled Israelites that the inhabitants of Canaan “are bread to us,” apparently meaning that they could easily be conquered and that the experience would sustain or strengthen Israel. (Nu 14:9) Great sorrow that might be associated with divine disfavor seems to be reflected in Psalm 80:5, where it is said of Israel’s Shepherd Jehovah: “You have made them eat the bread of tears.” Jehovah is also spoken of as giving his people “bread in the form of distress and water in the form of oppression,” evidently referring to conditions they would experience under siege and that would be as common to them as bread and water.​—Isa 30:20.

In speaking of those who are so wicked that they “do not sleep unless they do badness,” the book of Proverbs says: “They have fed themselves with the bread of wickedness.” (Pr 4:14-17) Yes, they seem to sustain themselves on wicked deeds. Of one who may acquire the material provisions for life by deceit or fraud, Proverbs 20:17 states: “Bread gained by falsehood is pleasurable to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” But regarding the good and industrious wife it is said: “The bread of laziness she does not eat.”​—Pr 31:27.

The Bible also uses “bread” figuratively in a favorable sense. Isaiah 55:2 shows that Jehovah’s spiritual provisions are far more important than material things, stating: “Why do you people keep paying out money for what is not bread, and why is your toil for what results in no satisfaction? Listen intently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul find its exquisite delight in fatness itself.”

When instituting the new meal that would commemorate his death (on Nisan 14, 33 C.E.), “Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it and, giving it to the disciples, he said: ‘Take, eat. This means my body.’” (Mt 26:26) The loaf meant Jesus’ own fleshly body “which is to be given in your behalf.”​—Lu 22:19; 1Co 11:23, 24.

About a year earlier, Jesus Christ had contrasted “bread that comes down from heaven” with the manna eaten by the Israelites in the wilderness and had plainly stated: “I am the bread of life.” He showed that he was “the living bread that came down from heaven,” adding: “If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and, for a fact, the bread that I shall give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.” (Joh 6:48-51) This ‘eating’ would have to be done in a figurative way, by exercising faith in the value of Jesus’ perfect human sacrifice. (Joh 6:40) Jesus presented the merit of his ransom sacrifice to his Father Jehovah God upon his ascension to heaven. By means of this merit, Christ can give life to all obedient ones of mankind. As foretold under divine inspiration, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread” (Mic 5:2; Lu 2:11), and through Jesus Christ life-giving “bread” is provided for all believing mankind.​—Joh 6:31-35.

The breast is a mammary gland; frequently, however, the term is used with reference simply to the forepart of the human body (male or female) between the neck and the abdomen. Two Hebrew words that denote human breast are shadh and shodh. (Ca 8:1; Job 24:9) Greek words for breast are ma·stosʹ (Lu 11:27) and steʹthos. (Re 15:6) The human breast is used in the Scriptures to denote closeness, intimacy, and favor (Ca 1:13; Joh 13:25; 21:20); maturity (Ca 8:8, 10; Eze 16:7); beauty (Ca 4:5; 7:3, 7, 8); sexual intercourse (“between her breasts” [Ho 2:2]; “breasts were squeezed,” ‘bosoms pressed’ [Eze 23:3, 21]); fertility (Ge 49:25; Ho 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; Eze 23:34; Lu 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.​—Lu 11:27, 28.

Because of the nearness of Jerusalem’s destruction, to be 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!’”​—Lu 23:29; compare Jer 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. In communion sacrifices made by the Israelites the breast (Heb., cha·zehʹ) of a sacrificial animal was the portion that became the priest’s for his food.​—Le 7:29-35; 10:14, 15.

Bosom. The word is used in a manner very similar to the usage of breast, although it often has reference to the fold in the upper part of the robe, rather than to the breast itself. The bosom was designated in Hebrew by chehq (1Ki 1:2), choʹtsen (Ne 5:13), and the dual form of dadh (Eze