the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Bible Dictionaries
Kiss
People's Dictionary of the Bible
or Kiss. Kissing the lips in salutation was customary among near relatives of both sexes. Genesis 29:11; Song of Solomon 8:1. Between individuals of the same sex, and in a limited degree between those of different sexes, the kiss on the cheek as a mark of respect or an act of salutation has at all times been customary in the East. In the Christian Church the kiss of charity was practiced not only as a friendly salutation, but as an act symbolical of love and Christian brotherhood. Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14 Among the Arabs the women and children kiss the beards of their husbands or fathers. The superior returns the salute by a kiss on the forehead. In Egypt an inferior kisses the hand of a superior, generally on the back, but sometimes, as a special favor, on the palm also. Kissing is spoken of in Scripture as a mark of respect or adoration to idols. 1 Kings 19:18; Hosea 13:2.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Kiss'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/k/kiss.html. 1893.
