Bible Dictionary
Constellation
A constellation is a recognized group or pattern of stars. Isaiah 13:10 and Job refer to the constellation Orion, using it in descriptions of God’s judgments and mighty works.
Definition
A constellation is a group or apparent pattern of stars that has been reduced to a recognized figure for classification and remembrance. The biblical constellation identified in the supplied material is Orion.
Biblical Usage
In Isaiah, the constellation is associated with judgment, while Job refers to Orion among the mighty works of God. The Hebrew name kesil means “fool” and was associated with Orion and, in the supplied interpretation, with Nimrod as a symbol of folly and impiety.
Historical Background
Ancient observers grouped stars into recognizable figures such as the Great Bear, the Bull, and Orion. Some interpreters understand the biblical term as “the giant,” a heaven-daring rebel chained to the sky for impiety.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A cluster of stars, or stars which appear to be near each other in the heavens, and which astronomers have reduced to certain figures (as the “Great Bear,” the “Bull,” etc.) for the sake of classification and of memory. In Isa. 13:10, where this word only occurs, it is the rendering of the Hebrew kesil, i.e., “fool.” This was the Hebrew name of the constellation Orion (Job 9:9; 38:31), a constellation which represented Nimrod, the symbol of folly and impiety. The word some interpret by “the giant” in this place, “some heaven-daring rebel who was chained to the sky for his impiety.”