040. "Now We See Through a Glass Darkly"

"Now We See Through a Glass Darkly"

(1 Corinthians 13:12) After seeing the mirrors of the Bible days, we understand the meaning of these words of the apostle Paul. The word glass was never in the original, but mirror. When the Hebrews left Egypt, they brought with them their mirrors, which were made of bronze, copper alloyed with tin, the brass of the Bible. They were so well made that they had a wonderful lustre.

Tourists in Boaz’ field
A lodge in a garden of cucumbers.
Where the laborer rests during harvest.

Pile of witness stones.

"Thy neighbor’s landmark."
The small pile of stones which separates one man’s field from his neighbor’s.

Watch tower near Bethlehem.

"A cottage in a vineyard," where the peasant finds shelter from the sun during harvest. A great many mirrors found in tombs at Thebes, although buried in the earth for many centuries, have been cleaned and polished until they again give a fairly clear reflection. The mirrors were always round, with a metal handle.

How illuminating is the account given us of the sacrifice of the children of Israel giving their mirrors, which were melted and used as the metal for the production of the laver in the court of the Tabernacle.

It was natural to translate "mirror" as "glass," but the spade has shown us that all the mirrors of Bible days were metal.

"Now we see through or by means of a mirror, darkly, but then face to face."