uncircumcised (un-sur'kum-sizd), 1. not circumcised; hence, heathen: Gen. 17:14; Judg.. 14:3; 15: 18. 2. morally impure; unclean: Lev. 26:41; Jer. 6:10.
unclean spirit, an evil spirit that took hold of and controlled a person thereafter described as a demoniac: such a person was not thought to be wicked but he was considered ceremonially clean and contact with him was forbidden. Matt. 10: 1; Mark 3:11; Luke 4:36.
unction (ungk'shan), an anointment; that is (in I John 2:20), a gift from the Holy Spirit, by means of which knowledge may be obtained.
undergird (un-dar-gurd'), to strengthen or brace from the bottom side: said of a ship, as by encircling it with cables amid-ships: Acts 27:17.
undersetter (un-dar-set'ar ), anyone of four pillars forming the framework of the base on which the laver rested: I Kings 7:30,34.
unicorn (u'na-korn), probably, the wild ox (aurochs'), now extinct: noted for its great size, strength, and ferocity: Num. 23:22; Deut. 33:17; Job 39:9.
unknown god, a god of the Greeks whose entity was not known, but whom they felt might be deserving of praise, thanks, sacrifice, etc.: since the Greeks had so many gods, they often did not know which one they should pray to so they would build an altar to an anonymous god in the hope that in this way they would avoid offending or unintentionally neglecting a god from which some benefit had been received. Acts 17:23.
unlade (un-lad'), to unload (a ship): Acts 21:3.
unleavened (un-lev'and), made from unfermented dough: Lev. 2:4,5; Num. 6:19. feast of unleavened bread, a festival beginning the day after Passover and lasting seven days: on each of the seven days this festival (really observed as a double festival with Passover) a sacrifice was offered after the morning sacrifice, at which only unleavened bread was eaten: Ex, 13:7; 34:18. The first and seventh days were celebrated by a holy convocation, with abstinence from work: on intervening days work was permitted unless one of them fell on the sabbath in which case strict adherence to the sabbath law was observed. The feast of unleavened bread was originally an agricultural festival in which grain as the first fruits was the offering, thereby legalizing the use of the remainder of the crop by the owner.
unperfect ( un-pur'fikt ), not yet fully developed; incomplete; imperfect: Ps. 139:16.
unsavoury (un-sa'var-e), 1. without flavor; tasteless: Job 6:6.. 2. obstinately disagreeable; stubborn: II Sam. 22:21.
untempered mortar, the thin coating of liquid clay, which hardened when it dried, spread over the outside walls of brick or stone houses, in an effort to prolong the life of the structure: used figuratively to illustrate the insecurity of the promises of the false prophets: Ezek. 13: 10,11,14, 15; 22:28.
unwashen (un-wosh'an), not washed according to prescribed rituals; ceremonially unclean: Matt. 15:20; Mark 7 :2, 5.
upholden (up-hal'dan), past participle of uphold: Job 4:4; Provo 20:28.
upper room, a room in the upper part of a house, or built on the flat roof, used in summer because it was cooler and often used to entertain guests: such a room was the scene of the Last Supper (Mark 14; 15;): Luke 22:12). Also called upper chamber (II Kings 1:2; Acts 9:31).
Urim and Thummim (yoor'im
thuim'im), certain unidentified objects worn in the breastplate of
the high priest and apparently serving as a device for determining the will
of God: Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8. What they were and how they were used is
unknown but many theories have been advanced including 1) that they were two
(or three) stones kept in a pouch in the ephod and used as lots and
inscribed with "Yes" and "No," the third one, if their was a third, being
blank: if the high priest sought God's answer on an important matter
concerning the nation he drew out, or let fall out, a single stone thereby
getting an affirmative or negative answer or if the
blank one came out it revealed that God had declined to answer; 2) that they
were symbols of the high priest's sanctity and revealed to him, as they
stimulated his supernatural insight, the will of God; 3) that they were
identical with the twelve stones of the breastplate, which glowed before a
successful venture and were dark before a failure. Most scholars believe
that Urim represents the Hebrew word for "lights" and Thummim is the Hebrew
equivalent of "perfection."
usury (u'zhoo-re), 1. the act or practice of lending money or goods at interest: the term does not suggest an excessive or unlawfully high rate of interest as usury today: Provo 28:8; Jer. 15:10. According to the Jewish law, the Israelites were permitted to lend money or goods to their fellow Israelites at an interest rate of any kind; however, they were allowed to exact interest from foreigners (Deut. 23: 19, 20): the practice of lending money and goods was primarily for the relief of the poor who borrowed out of necessity (Lev. 25:36,37 ). 2. the interest paid on a loan: the lending of money at interest is recognized as a legitimate business practice in the New Testament: Matt. 25:27; Luke 19:23.
usward (us'ward), toward us: used after to (i.e.~ to us-ward means "toward us"): Ps. 40:5; Eph. 1:19; II Pet. 3:9.
