Bible Dictionary · H
Harness
(1.) Heb. ‘asar, “to bind;” hence the act of fastening animals to a cart (1 Sam 6:7, 1 Sam 6:10; Jer 46:4, etc.).
(2.) An Old English word for “armour;” Heb. neshek (2 Chr 9:24).
(3.) Heb. shiryan, a coat of mail (1 Kgs 22:34; 2 Chr 18:33; rendered “breastplate” in Isa 59:17).
(4.) The children of Israel passed out of Egypt “harnessed” (Ex 13:18), i.e., in an orderly manner, and as if to meet a foe. The word so rendered is probably a derivative from Hebrew hamesh (i.e., “five”), and may denote that they went up in five divisions, viz., the van, centre, two wings, and rear-guard.
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.
