BALANCE
- BALANCE
- BALANCE (Heb. פֶּלֶס, peles; Isa. 40:12; Prov.
16:11; cf. pilles "make straight, level," Isa. 26:7; Ps.
78:50; synonomous by synecdoche with pair of scales, moznayim
– Lev. 19:36; Isa. 40:12; Jer. 32:10; et al. – and with balance beam
קָנֶה, kaneh; Isa. 46:6). The equal arm balance of the
ancient Near East (as distinguished from the unequal arm balance with
counterpoise introduced by the Romans) consisted of a horizontal beam
moving freely on a central fulcrum, with the object to be weighed and
standard weights suspended at opposite ends in pans or on hooks. In its
earliest form the beam was suspended at its center by a cord held in the
hand, and equilibrium was estimated visually. Under the 18th
dynasty in Egypt larger balances were developed, supported by an upright
frame resting on the ground. From the frame was suspended a weighing
plummet (Heb. mishkolet, II Kings 21:13; Isa.
28:17) which could be compared with a pointer extending downward at
right angles from the pivotal point of the beam.
The principle of the balance was probably derived from the yoke of the
burden bearer (Isa. 9:3), with its two equalized loads. The earliest
mechanical balances were small, and were used only for objects of high
value in relation to their size, e.g., gold, silver, jewels, spices,
etc. The oldest known example is a stone balance beam from the
pre-dynastic Gerzean civilization in Egypt. Weights from the Sumerian
and Indus civilizations show that the balance was in use there in the
third millennium. Hand balances and large standing balances are
illustrated in many Egyptian reliefs and wall paintings, the former also
on a Hittite relief from Carchemish and the latter on one from ninth
century Assyria. From ancient Israel a crude sketch of a man holding a
pair of scales, incised on the base of a scale-weight of the
seventh-sixth centuries B.C.E., is extant (unpublished).
Biblical references to the balance are both literal (Lev. 19:36; Jer.
32:10; Ezek. 45:10; et al.) and figurative (Isa. 40:12; Ps. 62:10; Job
6:2; et al.). Fraudulent weighing is repeatedly denounced in the Bible,
i.e., substandard weights (Amos 8:5), different sets of weights for
buying and selling (Deut. 25:13), and false balances (Hos. 12:8; Prov.
11:1). An effort to standardize weights by marking them with an official
shekel sign, attributable on archaeological grounds to Josiah, may have
been accompanied by regulations for the construction and operation of
balances. In later times the levites were made custodians of "all
measures of quantity and size" (I Chron. 23:29).
-BIBLIOGRAPHY:
A.B. Kisch, Seals and Weights (1965), 26–78; F.G. Skinner,
Weights and Measures (1967); EM, 4 (1962),
540–3 (incl. bibl.).
(Robert B.Y. Scott)
Encyclopedia Judaica.
1971.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Balance — (de) … Kölsch Dialekt Lexikon
Balance — Bal ance (b[a^]l ans), n. [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilanx, bilancis, having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.] 1. An apparatus for weighing. [1913 Webster] Note: In its simplest form, a balance consists of a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
balance — BALANCE. s. f. Instrument dont on se sert pour peser, composé de deux bassins de même poids, suspendus à un fléau. Balance juste. Fausse balance. Les bassins, les plats d une balance. La languette d une balance. Le fléau d une balance. Tenir la… … Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798
balance — BALANCE. subst. f. Instrument à deux bassins servant à peser. Balance juste. fausse balance. les bassins de la balance. la languette de la balance. le fleau de la balance. tenir la balance juste. faire pencher la balance. On dit que, Le poids… … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
Balance — Bal ance (b[a^]l ans), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Balanced} (b[a^]l anst); p. pr. & vb. n. {Balancing} (b[a^]l an*s[i^]ng).] [From {Balance}, n.: cf. F. balancer.] 1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
balance — 1. The noun is about four centuries older than the verb, and has derived several figurative uses from its primary meaning of ‘an apparatus for weighing’, as for example in accounting (where the notion of balancing the books is ever present) and… … Modern English usage
balance — ► NOUN 1) an even distribution of weight ensuring stability. 2) mental or emotional stability. 3) a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. 4) an apparatus for weighing, especially one with a beam and… … English terms dictionary
Balance — bezeichnet: Gleichgewicht (Physik), ein Gleichgewicht von entgegenwirkenden Kräften oder Aspekten oder einen Zustand der Ausgewogenheit Ausgeglichenheit Eigenschaften einer Datenstruktur; siehe Balancierter Baum Balance (Magazin), ein von der… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Balance — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Balance puede referirse a: Balance (contabilidad), informe financiero que refleja la situación del patrimonio de una entidad en un momento determinado. Balance hídrico, el equilibrio entre todos los recursos hídricos … Wikipedia Español
balance — n 1 Balance, equilibrium, equipoise, poise, tension are comparable when denoting the stability or efficiency resulting from the equalization or exact adjustment of opposing forces. Balance suggests a steadiness that results when all parts are… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
balance — or Balance [bal′əns] n. [ME & OFr, prob. via ML < VL * bilancia < LL bilanx, having two scales < L bis, twice + lanx, a dish, scale < IE * elek , extended stem of base * el , to bend > ELBOW] 1. an instrument for weighing, esp. one … English World dictionary
