cheek Summary and Overview

Smiting on the cheek was accounted a grievous injury and insult (Job 16:10; Lam. 3:30; Micah 5:1). The admonition (Luke 6:29), "Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other," means simply, "Resist not evil" (Matt. 5:39; 1 Pet. 2:19-23). Ps. 3:7 = that God had deprived his enemies of the power of doing him injury.

CHEEK . To be struck upon the cheek was, among the Hebrews, to be grossly insulted. In proof see 1 Kgs 22:24; Job 16:10; Matt 5:39. CHEESE was a common article of food among the Hebrews. The word occurs but three times in the Bible, and in each case the original word is different. 1 Sam 17:18; 2 Sam 17:29; Job 10:10. It is difficult to decide how far these terms correspond with our notion of cheese. In the original the first word means "a cutting," "ten sections of curds," soft cheese; the root of the second word means "to scrape," implying that the cheese was grated; while the third word means "curdled milk." The modern Bedouins use a kind of coagulated butter-milk, which is ground when dried hard, and eaten mixed with butter.