Array

Array - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

ARRA'Y, n.

1. Order; disposition in regular lines; as an army in battle array. Hence a posture of defense.

2. Dress; garments disposed in order upon the person.

3. In law, the act of impaneling a jury; or a jury impaneled; that is, a jury set in order by the sheriff, or called man by man.

Commission of array, in English history, was a commission given by the prince to officers in every county, to muster and array the inhabitants, or see them in a condition for war.

ARRA'Y, v.t.

1. To place or dispose in order, as troops for battle.

2. To deck or dress; to adorn with dress; it is applied especially to dress of a splendid kind.

Array thyself with glory. Job 40.

Pharaoh arrayed Joseph with fine linen. Gen 41.

3. To set a jury in order for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them man by man.

4. To envelop.

In gelid caves with horrid glooms arrayed.

a-ra': (1) labhesh, `aTah; periballo, enduomai, himatismos.

(2) `arakh, shith: "Array," composed of prefix "ar-" and "rai," "order," is used in two senses,

(1) in reference to clothing and

(2) in reference to the disposition of an army.

(1) (a) Labhesh is the most common Hebrew word meaning "to clothe," and is used in all cases but one in the Old Testament for "array" (compare Ge 41:42: Pharaoh "arrayed him (Joseph) in vestures of fine linen"; see also 2Ch 28:15; Es 6:9,11; Job 40:10; 2Ch 5:12).

(b) `ATah, meaning "to veil," "to cover," is once used. Nebuchadrezzar "shall array himself with the land of Egypt" (Jer 43:12).

(c) Periballo, "to throw around," is used 6 times in the New Testament. It is the word used of Herod's "arraying" Jesus "in gorgeous apparel" (Lu 23:11; the other references are Mt 6:29; Lu 12:27; Re 7:13; 17:4; 19:8).

(d) Enduomai, middle or passive of enduo, "to enter," means, therefore, "to be entered into" clothing. Once it is used in reference to Herod (Ac 12:21).

(e) Himatismos, "clothing," is translated once "array" = raiment (from same root). This is the only occurrence of "array" in this sense (1Ti 2:9).

(2) (a) `Arakh is the common word in the Old Testament, used in reference to the disposition of an army, and is translated "to put in array," "to set in array," the object being "the battle" or the army. The root meaning is that of orderly arrangement, and the verb is used in other senses than the military, e. g. arranging the table of shewbread. In 1Ch 12:33 the Revised Version (British and American) has "order the battle array" for the King James Version "keep rank," translation of Hebrew `adhar.

(b) Shith, "to set, to place," used once for battle array: "and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate" (Isa 22:7).

S. F. Hunter