Handkerchief(kerchief)
“Sweat-cloth, napkin, wrapper (from Latin sudarium)”
Summary
The Greek word soudarion (from Latin sudarium, "sweat-cloth") appears in the New Testament as a napkin, wrapper, or cloth used for wrapping money, binding the face of the dead, and, remarkably, as a medium of healing virtue from the apostle Paul.
☩Uses in Scripture
The handkerchief or napkin appears in several contexts: as a wrapper in which the wicked servant hid his pound rather than investing it; as the cloth bound about the face of Lazarus in death; as the grave-cloth found separately rolled up after Christ's resurrection; and as items brought from Paul's body to heal the sick at Ephesus.
☩Healing Through Contact
At Ephesus, God worked "special miracles" through Paul, so that handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, who were healed and delivered from evil spirits. Among a people famous for "curious arts" (magical practices), these miracles demonstrated the superior power of the true God. Paul had explained that these healings were wrought by God, not by any power in the cloths themselves. This recalls Jesus's words when virtue went out from him to heal the woman who touched his garment.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Handkerchief or Napkin," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Napkin," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Napkin," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).