The Man with Six Fingers and Toes
"And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of a giant." 1 Chronicles 20:6
The Rule of the Gleaners
"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:9,10 This practice of leaving a little behind also applied to the oliveyard. This act of charity required that the needy person still had to work for what he received, but was left with his dignity.
A Man Should Not Shave His Beard?
"Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." Leviticus 19:27. The Jews considered their beards as a sign of manhood. It has been suggested that some heathen cut off part of their beards as an offering to pagan gods. Some read into this text that no man should not shave his beard. This would be a problem for American Indians and underscores the absurdity of mis-using the Bible.
No Cuttings in Your Flesh?
"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead..." Leviticus 19:28. The cutting of the flesh was an ancient ceremonial rite practiced by some heathen in connection with their dead ancestors. This prohibition was meant to instruct the Hebrews not to follow the uncivilized custom of cutting, scratching or beating one's self until blood was drawn on behalf of the dead.
No Tattoos?
"You shall not...print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." Leviticus 19:28. This probably refers to tattooing or branding of the flesh. Both means of displaying the name of a heathen deity on the body were known in the time of ancient times of Israel. There is what seems to be a negative reference to a tattoo in II Chronicles 36:8, "Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, that which was found in him..." Although it is only a guess, this abdominal king of Israel seemed to have been found with tattoos of a heathen deity "In him." This would be quite probable since Egyptian mummies dating back to 1300 B.C. have been found with blue tattoo marks under their skin.
Adam's Apple
There is a legend that a man has an Adam's Apple because Adam choked on the forbidden apple when it stuck in his throat. The Adam's Apple is really the larynx which is a thyroid cartilage consisting of two wing-shaped plates that meet to form the projection on the front of a man's throat. This "Adam's Apple" projection develops in the male at puberty and its only known purpose is as an identifying mark of a male.
Hollow of the Thigh
This legend holds that there is a place near everyone's hip joint that has an indention or hollow. When we stand, there is indeed an indention on the side of our hip that this legend probably refers to. The Scripture referred to is, Genesis 32:25, "And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him."
Genesis 32:32, "Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."
The Hebrew word translated "shrank" is not clear. Perhaps it could be translated "hip" with the passage reading, "the sinew of the hip." Some Jews refrain from eating the Achilles' tendon of animals used for food, but how this part of Jacob's anatomy came to be identified as the "sinew" that "shrank," is uncertain.
Adam's Rib
Legend says that a man has one less rib than a woman because God removed it to create Eve. The Bible says, "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." Genesis 2:21,22.
As in the case of many legends, this one is based on a true event, but the legend itself is untrue. Statements from and orthopaedic surgeon and a professor of anatomy and physiology both confirm that men and women have exactly the same number of ribs. The biblical event was true but the man-made legend is false.

Blessings in your study of God's Word!

Marvin Hunt

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Blessings!
Marvin Hunt

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