Reading

Reading - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

RE'ADING, ppr.

1. Pronouncing or perusing written or printed words or characters of a book or writing.

2. Discovering by marks; understanding.

RE'ADING, n.

1. The act of reading; perusal.

2. Study of books; as a man of extensive reading.

3. A lecture or prelection.

4. Public recital.

The Jews had their weekly readings of the law.

5. In criticism, the manner of reading the manuscripts of ancient authors, where the words or letters are obscure. No small part of the business of critics is to settle the true reading, or real words used by the author; and the various readings of different critics are often perplexing.

6. A commentary or gloss on a law, text or passage.

7. In legislation, the formal recital of a bill by the proper officer, before the house which is to consider it. In Congress and in the state legislatures, a bill must usually have three several readings on different days, before it can be passed into a law.

red'-ing (miqra'; anagnosis): As a noun occurs once in the Old Testament (Ne 3:8) and 3 times in the New Testament (Ac 13:15; 2Co 3:14; 1Ti 4:13), each time with reference to the public reading of the Divine Law. The verb "to read" (qara'; anaginosko) occurs frequently both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament: (1) often in the sense of reading aloud to others, especially of the public reading of God's Law or of prophecy, as by Moses (Ex 24:7), Ezra (Ne 8:3,18), Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth (Lu 4:16), of the regular reading of the Law and the Prophets in the synagogues (Ac 13:27; 15:21), and of the reading of apostolic epistles in the Christian church (Col 4:16; 1Th 5:27); (2) also in the sense of reading to one's self, whether the divine word in Law or prophecy (De 17:19; Ac 8:28-30, etc.), or such things as private letters (2Ki 5:7; 19:14; Ac 23:34, etc.).

D. Miall Edwards