Arcturus
“Possibly supporter or barrow”
Summary
A constellation mentioned in Job, now generally identified as Ursa Major (the Great Bear) rather than the star known as Arcturus, highlighting God's sovereign power over the heavens.
☩Biblical References
The Hebrew word 'ash' or 'ayish' is rendered 'Arcturus' in older translations, appearing in passages where God's creative power over the constellations is proclaimed. In Job, the question is asked whether any human can 'guide Arcturus with his sons,' emphasizing that only God can direct the movements of the stars.
☩Identification
Modern scholars generally agree that the Hebrew word refers not to the star Arcturus but to the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear or 'Charles's Wain.' The phrase 'his sons' likely refers to the three stars in the tail of the Bear. This constellation in the northern hemisphere is visible all year round, never setting, with its apparent ceaseless motion around the north star.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Arcturus," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Arcturus," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Arcturus," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Arcturus," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).