Pleiades
“A heap or cluster”
Summary
The Pleiades is a cluster of stars mentioned in Job and Amos as evidence of God's creative power and sovereignty over the heavens.
☩Biblical References
The Hebrew word 'kimah' (meaning 'a heap or collection') is translated 'Pleiades' in Job and 'seven stars' in Amos. God challenges Job: 'Can you bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?' This rhetorical question emphasizes that only God controls the celestial bodies and their effects on earth. The Pleiades appear with Arcturus and Orion as examples of God's creative majesty.
☩Astronomical Significance
The Pleiades are a group of stars situated on the shoulder of the constellation Taurus. While many stars comprise the cluster, seven are visible to the naked eye, hence the name 'seven stars.' The phrase 'sweet influences' in Job 38:31 reflects the ancient belief in stellar influence over human destiny, though it may also relate to the Pleiades' appearance in mid-April, associated with spring's return. Modern astronomy has discovered remarkable gravitational binding within this cluster—Madler of Dorpat found that our entire solar system moves around Alcyone, the brightest Pleiades star.
References
- 1.George Morrish, "Pleiades," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Pleiades," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Pleiades," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).