Bible Dictionary
Stars
Stars are lights of the heavens, used to mark seasons and times. In Scripture they may also symbolize rulers, God’s people, the Messiah, angels, or heavenly signs, and their worship is condemned as idolatry.
Definition
Stars are luminous bodies or lights of the heavens. In the supplied biblical material, the term includes ordinary heavenly stars, unusual heavenly signs, and symbolic stars used to represent persons or heavenly realities.
Biblical Usage
Stars mark times and seasons and appear in biblical visions and signs. Scripture also uses them symbolically for rulers, God’s people, the Messiah, and angels. The worship of stars is condemned as idolatry, while the star associated with Jesus’ birth is presented as a special sign.
Historical Background
The supplied material distinguishes between stars used in ordinary heavenly observation and stars or luminous phenomena associated with particular biblical signs, including the sign seen in the East at Christ’s birth.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The eleven stars (Gen. 37:9); the seven (Amos 5:8); wandering (Jude 1:13); seen in the east at the birth of Christ, probably some luminous meteors miraculously formed for this specific purpose (Matt. 2:2-10); stars worshipped (Deut. 4:19; 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3; Jer. 19:13); spoken of symbolically (Num. 24:17; Rev. 1:16, 20; 12:1). (See ASTROLOGERS.)