The Hebrew word for “engraved” is chaqaq. It means “to be cut into or cut open.” The practice of having an image on the palms of your hands was a familiar one to Jews. The practice was called “ensigns of Jerusalem.” Jewish men would engrave pictures of the temple or of Jerusalem on the palms of their hands. It meant for the devout Jew that these images would be always before them. This is what they did. They would choose an image and then have it cut into a block of wood. Then they’d dip the image into powder or charcoal and apply it to the palms of their hands. Next, they would tie two
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