International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Course

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Course


Subjects in this Topic:

kōrs (from Latin cursus, “a running,” “race,” “voyage,” “way”):

(1) εὐθυδρομέω, euthudroméō, “forward or onward movement,” as of a ship: “We made a straight course” (; compare ); “We had finished our course.” (the Revised Version (British and American) “voyage,” ).

(2) A (prescribed or self-appointed) path, as of the sun: “Swift is the sun in his course” (1 Esdras 4:34); of the stars: “The stars in their courses fought against Sisera” ( the King James Version) (see ASTRONOMY; ASTROLOGY); of a river (or irrigating canal?): “as willows by the watercourses” (); of a race (τρέχω, tréchō “that the word of the Lord may have free course.” (the Revised Version (British and American) “may run”) ().

(3) A career in such a course (δρόμος, drómos): “I have finished my (the Revised Version (British and American) “the”) course” (); “as John fulfilled (the Revised Version (British and American) “was fulfilling”) his course” (); “that I might finish (the Revised Version (British and American) “may accomplish”) my course” ().

(4) A way or manner, as of life: “Every one turned to his course” (); “their course is evil” (); “walked according to the course αἰών, aiō̇n, the Revised Version, margin “age” of this world” ().

(5) Orderly succession: “sang together by course” (the American Standard Revised Version “sang one to another”) (); “by course” (the Revised Version (British and American) “in turn”) (); the courses of the priests and Levites (-15; ; ; , ). See PRIESTS AND LEVITES.

(6) A row or layer, as of masonry: “All the foundations of the earth are out of count” (the Revised Version (British and American) “are moved”; the American Standard Revised Version “are shaken”) ().

(7) (The tongue) “setteth on fire the course (the Revised Version (British and American) “wheel”) of nature” (). The cycle of generation (tón trochón tḗs genéseōs) here means the physical world as constituted by the round of origin and decay, and typified by the Orphic (legendary) cycle of births and deaths through which the soul passes in metempsychosis. See also GAMES.