International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
WINKwink (razam, literally, "to roll the eyes"): The act or habit of winking was evidently considered to be evil both in its motives and in its results. The idea of its facetiousness, prevalent in our day, is nowhere apparent in the Scriptures. It is mentioned frequently, but is always associated with sin, in the Old Testament especially in the sense of conceit, pride, and rebellion against God: "Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, that thou turnest thy spirit against God" (Job 15:12, 13 the King James Version). So also Psalm 35:19: "Neither let them wink with the eye that hate roe without a cause." "A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes," etc. (Proverbs 6:12, 13 the King James Version). "He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow" (Proverbs 10:10). See Watkinson, Education of the Heart, "Ethics of Gesture," 194;.
In the New Testament the word is used to express the longsuffering patience and forgiveness of God toward erring Israel: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at" (Acts 17:30 the King James Version, hupereidon, "overlooked," and so translated in the Revised Version (British and American); compare The Wisdom of Solomon 11:23; Ecclesiasticus 30:11). The use of "winked" in this connection would in our day, of course, be considered in bad taste, if not actually irreverent, but it is an excellent example of the colloquialism of the King James Version.
Arthur Walwyn Evans
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. i.) To nod; to sleep; to nap.
2. (v. i.) To shut the eyes quickly; to close the eyelids with a quick motion.
3. (v. i.) To close and open the eyelids quickly; to nictitate; to blink.
4. (v. i.) To give a hint by a motion of the eyelids, often those of one eye only.
5. (v. i.) To avoid taking notice, as if by shutting the eyes; to connive at anything; to be tolerant; -- generally with at.
6. (v. i.) To be dim and flicker; as, the light winks.
7. (v. t.) To cause (the eyes) to wink.
8. (n.) The act of closing, or closing and opening, the eyelids quickly; hence, the time necessary for such an act; a moment.
9. (n.) A hint given by shutting the eye with a significant cast.
Strong's Hebrew
7335. razam -- to wink, flash... to
wink, flash. Transliteration: razam Phonetic Spelling: (raw-zam') Short Definition:
flash.
... root Definition to
wink, flash NASB Word Usage flash (1).
... /hebrew/7335.htm - 5k 7169. qarats -- to nip, pinch
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to nip, pinch NASB Word Usage compresses (1),
formed (1), maliciously* (1), wink (1), winks (2). form, move, wink. ...
/hebrew/7169.htm - 6k
6621. petha -- suddenness
... From an unused root meaning to open (the eyes); a wink, ie Moment (compare
pith'owm) (used only (with or without preposition) adverbially, quickly or ...
/hebrew/6621.htm - 6k
7281. rega -- a moment
... instant, moment, space, suddenly. From raga'. A wink (of the eyes), ie A very short
space of time -- instant, moment, space, suddenly. see HEBREW raga'. ...
/hebrew/7281.htm - 6k
7280. raga' -- to disturb
... violently and suddenly (the sea with waves, the skin with boils); figuratively
(in a favorable manner) to settle, ie Quiet; specifically, to wink (from the ...
/hebrew/7280.htm - 5k
