Forepart (Hastings' Dictionary)

The forepart (always one word in 1611) is either the front portion of a thing (Heb. a-i^/ace), Ex 28" 39^ (of^ the ' ephod '), 1 K 6 (of the 'oracle'), Ezk 4'2' (of the 'chambers' of Ezekiel's temple, RV ' before ') ; or specifically the prow or bow of a vessel (Trpwpa), Ac 27', where it is opposed to the ' liinder part' (so 1611) or stem (irpvpiva). RV gives 'foreship' in the hu^t passage, so as to correspond with v.*" (the only other occurrence of the Ur.

word), where AV and RV have ' foreship.' The Oxf. Eng. Dirt, queries if ' forepart ' is obsolete in this sense ; it has founil no later instance than Dampier (1699), Voyages, II. i. 74, ' The head or fore-part is not altogether so high as the Stem.' Jor illustration of 'fore part,' meaning generally the front, takeT. Adams, J I Peter, on P ' There is a helmet for the head, a corselet for the breast, a shield for the foreparts; hut no guard, no regard for the back ' ; and Bunyan, Holy Hnr (Clar.

Pr. ed. p. 224, 1. 35), ' Every door also was filled with persons who had adorned every one their fore-port against theil 54 FORERUNXEE FORETELL house with somethin<» of variety and singular excellency, to entertain him withal as he passed in the streets,' where the ' fore-part' is explained by the editor as ' the space lying between a house and tlie public street or highway, the plot of ground forming a garden or fore-court.' J. Hastings. FORERUNNER {-rrpSSpo/to!) occurs once in Apocr.

and once in NT. Wis 12' ' Thou sentest hornets as forerunners of thy host ' ; He &" ' whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us.' The meanin" of both these passages is illustrated by the classical usage of Trp6Spoij.oi as a military term (Herod, i. 60, iv. 121, 122 ; ^sch. Theb. SO ; Time. ii. 22, etc.) It was applied especially to the light-armed soldiers who were sent in advance of an army as scouts. A special corps of Tp6Sponoi was attached to the Macedonian army (Arrian, Anab. i.

12; Diod. xvii. 17). When a king was to travel, a forerunner was sent to see that the way was in good order (Is 40'if- ; cf. Mai 3>). Both these OT passages are applied in NT to John the Baptist as the fore- runner of Jesus (Mt ll'", Mk 1=, Lk 7"). In Lk 9'= Jesus sends ' messengers before his face to make ready for him.' Cf. Jn 14* ' I go to prepare a place for you.'

The kings of Israel had runners before their chariots (1 S S") ; Doeg the Edomite was the mightiest of Saul's runners (1 S 21', readin" c'^T for o-jn) ; Absalom and Adonijah prepared fifty men to run before them (2 S 15', 1 K P) ; Elijah ran before the chariot of Ahab (1 K. IS'"'). See further under GUAED, RUNNERS. J. A. Selbie.