(Daboia xanthina), one of the most dangerous vipers, from its size and its
nocturnal habits (Isaiah 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; Jeremiah 8:17; in all which the
Revised Version renders the Hebrew tziph’oni by “basilisk”). In Proverbs
23:32 the Hebrew tzeph’a is rendered both in the Authorized Version and
the Revised Version by “adder;” margin of Revised Version “basilisk,” and
of Authorized Version “cockatrice.”
- COCK-CROWING In our Lord’s time the Jews had adopted the Greek
and Roman division of the night into four watches, each consisting of three
hours, the first beginning at six o’clock in the evening (Luke 12:38;
Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48). But the ancient division, known as the first
and second cock-crowing, was still retained. The cock usually crows
several times soon after midnight (this is the first crowing), and again at the
dawn of day (and this is the second crowing). Mark mentions (14:30) the
two cock-crowings. Matthew (26:34) alludes to that only which was
emphatically the cock-crowing, viz, the second. - COCKLE occurs only in Job 31:40 (marg., “noisome weeds”), where it is
the rendering of a Hebrew word (b’oshah) which means “offensive,”
“having a bad smell,” referring to some weed perhaps which has an
unpleasant odour. Or it may be regarded as simply any noisome weed,
such as the “tares” or darnel of Matthew 13:30. In Isaiah 5:2, 4 the plural
form is rendered “wild grapes.” - COELE-SYRIA hollow Syria, the name (not found in Scripture) given by
the Greeks to the extensive valley, about 100 miles long, between the
Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon range of mountains. - COFFER the receptacle or small box placed beside the ark by the
Philistines, in which they deposited the golden mice and the emerods as
their trespass-offering (1 Samuel 6:8, 11, 15). - COFFIN used in Genesis 50:26 with reference to the burial of Joseph.
Here, it means a mummy-chest. The same Hebrew word is rendered
“chest” in 2 Kings 12:9, 10. - COGITATIONS (or “thoughts,” as the Chaldee word in Daniel 7:28
literally means), earnest meditation. - COIN Before the Exile the Jews had no regularly stamped money. They
made use of uncoined shekels or talents of silver, which they weighed out
(Genesis 23:16; Exodus 38:24; 2 Samuel 18:12). Probably the silver ingots