Bible Dictionaries
Landmark
Holman Bible Dictionary
A pillar or heap of stones serving as a boundary marker (Genesis 31:51-52 ). Some Babylonian and Egyptian examples are elaborately carved. Many ancient law codes (Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman) prohibited the removal of a landmark (Deuteronomy 19:14; compare Deuteronomy 27:17; Proverbs 22:28 ). In Job 24:2 , removal of a marker parallels theft. Proverbs 23:10 warns against removing markers to rob orphans. Hosea 5:10 condemns the ruthless rulers of Judah as like those who remove landmarks, that is, those who have no regard for justice or for the traditional law. Moving the landmark meant changing the traditional land allotments (compare Joshua 13-19 ) and cheating a poor landowner of what little land he owned.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Landmark'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​hbd/​l/landmark.html. 1991.