1st Missionary Trip - Lorin

The practice of putting one’s hands on another person in the ancient world has roots in the Jewish purification
tradition of temple worship and the symbolical significance of the human hand. 50 Behind all of these actions was
physical contact of one person with another, through hands touching the other person. 51 In most instances, the
hands touched the head of the other person. The Torah clearly forbid touching anything considered unclean, and
this included people as well. To do so was to become defiled and thus unable to worship God until ritual clean-
done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you:...”
One should remember that the modern Christian definitions of religious ordination, even in Protestant church life, owe more to second
through fifth centuries Roman Catholic tradition regarding who was authorized to administer the sacraments, than to the teachings
of scriptures. Ordination today has more secular implications than religious ones, e.g., taxable status with the government, legal ability to
perform weddings etc. Whether ordination is done by a local church or by the denominational group depends largely on the governance
of the religious group. Sometimes appeals will be made to scriptures, mostly in Acts, that either the apostolic leaders ordained, or else
the local church authorized the ordaining. But these appeals fall short of plausibility simply because they provide no basis for the modern
practice of ordination to religious service, which is grounded almost completely in church tradition.
50 HANDS, LAYING ON OF [Heb sāmaḵ yaḏ ˓al—‘lean a hand upon’ (Ex. 29:10, 15, 19; Lev. 1:4), šîṯ yaḏ ˓al—‘place a hand upon’
(Gen. 46:4), etc.; Gk títhēmi tás cheíras ep˒ (Mk. 10:16), epitíthēmi tás cheíras (Mt. 19:15), epíthesis tṓn cheiṛṓn (1 Tim. 4:14), etc.].
The practice of laying hands upon the head of another person, usually a part of a religious rite, sometimes in order to impart a blessing.
In Am. 5:19 the phrase “the laying of the hand upon” is used in a secular sense and is translated by the RSV as “[he] leaned with his
hand against.”
I. In the OT
The laying on of hands was used in several distinct ways: in offering certain sacrifices, in consecrating or ordaining, in imparting
blessings, and in passing judgment. The first two are connected with Heb sāmaḵ and seem to connote a “leaning” of the hands. The third
is expressed by Heb šîṯ and connotes “placing” hands on the other.
A. In Offering The person presenting a peace offering (Lev. 3:1f) or a sin offering (Lev. 3:8, 13; 4:4; Nu. 8:12) was to lay his hands
upon the animal so that he identified himself with the animal being offered. Most scholars believe that there was no transference of the
guilt of sin. Rather, the value seemed to result from the offering of a pure and innocent life or of a being without blemish as an expiation
for the guilt-laden life of the offerer. The only situation where the laying on of hands transferred the guilt of sin was that of the scapegoat
(see AZAZEL). The high priest laid his hands upon the head of the animal, confessing the sins of the people. He then drove the goat,
bearing the sins of the people, into the wilderness (Lev. 16:21).
B. In Ordaining Beginning with the ordination of the Aaronic priesthood (Lev. 8:14, 22) and the consecration of the Levites (Nu.
8:12), the laying on of hands set apart a man for a special office. Moses laid his hands upon Joshua to symbolize his assumption of the
leadership of the nation (27:23). Although Nu. 27:18 states that Joshua already had been given the Holy Spirit, the action does not seem
to convey a special spiritual grace. The rite, however, was always accompanied with a special commission and the man commissioned
was given special authority.
C. In Blessing Jacob laid his hands on his grandsons’ heads to bless them (Gen. 48:14). The laying on of hands was undoubtedly
intended to convey some beneficial virtue.
In one instance God is said to lay (Heb šîṯ) His hand upon David (Ps. 139:5) as a sign of blessing. We should not forget that the divine
blessing underlies human blessing. There is no higher blessing, as Job acknowledged in his confrontation with God (Job 9:33).
D. In Passing Judgment At the trial of a blasphemer each witness, to show his acceptance of the verdict of judgment, placed his
hands upon the one to be executed (Lev. 24:14). In Ex. 7:4 the expression refers to an act of divine judgment by which God would visit
the plagues upon Egypt. When a victim was spared death, as when God allowed the elders and leaders of Israel to see Him V 2, p 612
without executing the judgment of death (Ex. 24:11) or when Abraham was commanded not to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:12), the sparing
of judgment is described in terms of hands not being laid on the possible victim.
II. In the NT
The same basic pattern is followed in the NT except that its sacrificial usage is dropped and the spiritual gifts are added. When Jesus
blessed the children (Mt. 19:15 par Mk. 10:16), He laid His hands upon them. Both Jesus (e.g., Mt. 9:18; Mk. 6:5) and His apostles
(Acts 5:12; 28:8) healed by laying on their hands (cf. 9:12, 17). The miracles often occur, however, without the laying on of hands, so
the miraculous power for the healings was surely a personal power and was not specifically connected to the action of the hands.
Special spiritual gifts seem to have been given through the laying on of hands. The Holy Spirit was given to the Samaritans (Acts
8:17–20) and to the disciples of John the Baptist (19:6) by the laying on of the apostles’ hands. In each case it is possible that the laying
on of the hands confirmed a questionable baptismal practice, for the gift of the Holy Spirit is more normally given at baptism. Timothy
also received special spiritual gifts from the hands of the elders (1 Tim. 4:14) and from the hand of Paul (2 Tim. 1:6). Some consider
these verses to be the basis for the modern practice of confirmation.
On two occasions the laying on of hands was part of the setting of persons aside for special tasks. The seven chosen to care for the
widows were selected by the church (Acts 6:6), while Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit (13:3). The laying on of hands
was a part of the formal ceremony by which the church commissioned them and then sent them into their new service. Paul admonished
Timothy that this act, probably connected with ordination, ought to take place only after the entire matter was properly considered (1
Tim. 5:22).
On He. 6:2 see the comms for a discussion of the problematic context.
[Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 2, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988; 2002), 611-12.
S.V., D.W. Wead, “Hands, Laying on of.”]
51 The laying on of hands expression surfaces in Acts 6:6; 8:17, 19; 9:12, 17; 13:3; 28:8. In Paul’s writings it is found in 1 Tim. 4:14
and 2 Tim. 1:6.
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