Category:Heaven

Heav"en, n. Etym: [OE. heven, hefen, heofen, AS. heofon; akin to OS. hevan, LG. heben, heven, Icel. hifinn; of uncertain origin, cf. D. hemel, G. himmel, Icel. himmin, Goth. himins; perh. akin to, or influenced by, the root of E. heave, or from a root signifying to cover, cf. Goth. gaham to put on, clothe one's self, G. hemd shirt, and perh. E. chemise.]

1. The expanse of space surrounding the earth; esp., that which seems to be over the earth like a great arch or dome; the firmament; the sky; the place where the sun, moon, and stars appear; -- often used in the plural in this sense. I never saw the heavens so dim by day. Shak. When my eyes shall be turned to behold for the last time the sun in heaven. D. Webster.

2. The dwelling place of the Deity; the abode of bliss; the place or state of the blessed after death. Unto the God of love, high heaven's King. Spenser. It is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell. Shak. New thoughts of God, new hopes of Heaven. Keble.

Note: In this general sense heaven and its corresponding words in other languages have as various definite interpretations as there are phases of religious belief.

3. The sovereign of heaven; God; also, the assembly of the blessed, collectively; -- used variously in this sense, as in No. 2. Her prayers, whom Heaven delights to hear. Shak. The will And high permission of all-ruling Heaven. Milton.

4. Any place of supreme happiness or great comfort; perfect felicity; bliss; a sublime or exalted condition; as, a heaven of delight. "A heaven of beauty." Shak. "The brightest heaven of invention." Shak. O bed! bed! delicious bed! That heaven upon earth to the weary head! Hood.

Note: Heaven is very often used, esp. with participles, in forming compound words, most of which need no special explanation; as, heaven-appeasing, heaven-aspiring, heaven-begot, heaven-born, heaven-bred, heaven-conducted, heaven-descended, heaven-directed, heaven-exalted, heaven-given, heaven-guided, heaven-inflicted, heaven-inspired, heaven-instructed, heaven-kissing, heaven-loved, heaven-moving, heaven-protected, heaven-taught, heaven-warring, and the like.

heaven Heav"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Heavened; p. pr. & vb. n. Heavening.]

Defn: To place in happiness or bliss, as if in heaven; to beatify. [R.] We are happy as the bird whose nest Is heavened in the hush of purple hills. G. Massey.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Heaven - (1.) Definitions., The phrase "heaven and earth" is used to indicate the whole universe (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 23:24; Acts 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens, (a) The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven" (Genesis 2:19; Genesis 7:3, Genesis 7:23; Psalms 8:8, etc.), "the eagles of heaven" (Lamentations 4:19), etc. (b) The starry heavens (Deuteronomy 17:3; Jeremiah 8:2; Matthew 24:29). (c) "The heaven of heavens," or "the third heaven" (Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; Psalms 115:16; Psalms 148:4; 2 Corinthians 12:2). (2.) Meaning of words in the original, (a) The usual Hebrew word for "heavens" is shamayim, a plural form meaning "heights," "elevations" (Genesis 1:1; Genesis 2:1). (b) The Hebrew word marom is also used (Psalms 68:18; Psalms 93:4; Psalms 102:19, etc.) as equivalent to shamayim, "high places," "heights." (c) Heb. galgal, literally a "wheel," is rendered "heaven" in Psalms 77:18 (R.V., "whirlwind"). (d) Heb. shahak, rendered "sky" (Deuteronomy 33:26; Job 37:18; Psalms 18:11), plural "clouds" (Job 35:5; Job 36:28; Psalms 68:34, marg. "heavens"), means probably the firmament. (e) Heb. rakia is closely connected with (d), and is rendered "firmamentum" in the Vulgate, whence our "firmament" (Genesis 1:6; Deuteronomy 33:26, etc.), regarded as a solid expanse. (3.) Metaphorical meaning of term. Isaiah 14:13, Isaiah 14:14; "doors of heaven" (Psalms 78:23); heaven "shut" (1 Kings 8:35); "opened" (Ezekiel 1:1). (See 1 Chronicles 21:16.) (4.) Spiritual meaning. The place of the everlasting blessedness of the righteous; the abode of departed spirits. (a) Christ calls it his "Father's house" (John 14:2). (b) It is called "paradise" (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7). (c) "The heavenly Jerusalem" (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 3:12). (d) The "kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 25:1; James 2:5). (e) The "eternal kingdom" (2 Peter 1:11). (f) The "eternal inheritance" (1 Peter 1:4; Hebrews 9:15). (g) The "better country" (Hebrews 11:14, Hebrews 11:16). (h) The blessed are said to "sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and to be "in Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22; Matthew 8:11); to "reign with Christ" (2 Timothy 2:12); and to enjoy "rest" (Hebrews 4:10, Hebrews 4:11). In heaven the blessedness of the righteous consists in the possession of "life everlasting," "an eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17), an exemption from all sufferings forever, a deliverance from all evils (2 Corinthians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 5:2) and from the society of the wicked (2 Timothy 4:18), bliss without termination, the "fulness of joy" for ever (Luke 20:36; 2 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Corinthians 4:18; 1 Peter 1:4; 1 Peter 5:10; 1 John 3:2). The believer's heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a "place", a place "prepared" for them (John 14:2).