by a party of four soldiers (John 19:23; Matthew 27:36, 54), with their
centurion. The “breaking of the legs” of the malefactors was intended to
hasten death, and put them out of misery (John 19:31); but the unusual
rapidity of our Lord’s death (19:33) was due to his previous sufferings and
his great mental anguish. The omission of the breaking of his legs was the
fulfilment of a type (Exodus 12:46). He literally died of a broken heart, a
ruptured heart, and hence the flowing of blood and water from the wound
made by the soldier’s spear (John 19:34). Our Lord uttered seven
memorable words from the cross, namely, (1) Luke 23:34; (2) 23:43; (3)
John 19:26; (4) Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34; (5) John 19:28; (6) 19:30; (7)
Luke 23:46.
- CRUSE a utensil; a flask or cup for holding water (1 Samuel 26:11, 12,
16; 1 Kings 19:6) or oil (1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16). In 1 Kings 14:3 the word
there so rendered means properly a bottle, as in Jeremiah 19:1, 10, or
pitcher. In 2 Kings 2:20, a platter or flat metal saucer is intended. The
Hebrew word here used is translated “dish” in 21:13; “pans,” in 2
Chronicles 35:13; and “bosom,” in Proverbs 19:24; 26:15 (R.V., “dish”). - CRYSTAL (Ezekiel 1:22, with the epithet “terrible,” as dazzling the
spectators with its brightness). The word occurs in Revelation 4:6; 21:11;
22:1. It is a stone of the flint order, the most refined kind of quartz. The
Greek word here used means also literally “ice.” The ancients regarded the
crystal as only pure water congealed into extreme hardness by great length
of time. - CUBIT Hebrews ‘ammah; i.e., “mother of the arm,” the fore-arm, is a
word derived from the Latin cubitus, the lower arm. It is difficult to
determine the exact length of this measure, from the uncertainty whether it
included the entire length from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger, or
only from the elbow to the root of the hand at the wrist. The probability is
that the longer was the original cubit. The common computation as to the
length of the cubit makes it 20.24 inches for the ordinary cubit, and 21.888
inches for the sacred one. This is the same as the Egyptian measurements.
A rod or staff the measure of a cubit is called in Judges 3:16 gomed, which
literally means a “cut,” something “cut off.” The LXX. and Vulgate render
it “span.”
- CUCKOO (Hebrews shahaph), from a root meaning “to be lean;
slender.” This bird is mentioned only in Leviticus 11:16 and Deuteronomy