not certain that he was the Clopas of John 19:25, or the Alphaeus of
Matthew 10:3, although he may have been so.
- CLEOPHAS (in the spelling of this word h is inserted by mistake from
Latin MSS.), rather Cleopas, which is the Greek form of the word, while
Clopas is the Aramaic form. In John 19:25 the Authorized Version reads,
“Mary, the wife of Clopas.” The word “wife” is conjecturally inserted
here. If “wife” is rightly inserted, then Mary was the mother of James the
Less, and Clopas is the same as Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3; 27:56). - CLOAK an upper garment, “an exterior tunic, wide and long, reaching to
the ankles, but without sleeves” (Isaiah 59:17). The word so rendered is
elsewhere rendered “robe” or “mantle.” It was worn by the high priest
under the ephod (Exodus 28:31), by kings and others of rank (1 Samuel
15:27; Job 1:20; 2:12), and by women (2 Samuel 13:18).
The word translated “cloke”, i.e., outer garment, in Matthew 5:40 is in its
plural form used of garments in general (Matthew 17:2; 26:65). The cloak
mentioned here and in Luke 6:29 was the Greek himation, Latin pallium,
and consisted of a large square piece of wollen cloth fastened round the
shoulders, like the abba of the Arabs. This could be taken by a creditor
(Exodus 22:26,27), but the coat or tunic (Gr. chiton) mentioned in
Matthew 5:40 could not.
The cloak which Paul “left at Troas” (2 Timothy 4:13) was the Roman
paenula, a thick upper garment used chiefly in travelling as a protection
from the weather. Some, however, have supposed that what Paul meant
was a travelling-bag. In the Syriac version the word used means a
bookcase. (See Dress.)
- CLOSET as used in the New Testament, signifies properly a storehouse
(Luke 12: 24), and hence a place of privacy and retirement (Matthew 6:6;
Luke 12:3). - CLOUD The Hebrew so rendered means “a covering,” because clouds
cover the sky. The word is used as a symbol of the Divine presence, as
indicating the splendour of that glory which it conceals (Exodus 16:10;
33:9; Numbers 11:25; 12:5; Job 22:14; Psalm 18:11). A “cloud without
rain” is a proverbial saying, denoting a man who does not keep his promise
(Proverbs 16:15; Isaiah 18:4; 25:5; Jude 1:12). A cloud is the figure of that
which is transitory (Job 30:15; Hos. 6:4). A bright cloud is the symbolical