hairs covering this insect’s oval-shaped body not only permit the flea to move forward readily but also make it more difficult for the victim to remove it. In the case of sheep’s wool, however, this pest gets so hopelessly entangled that it is unable to get out. The flea’s small head is equipped with a beak that is used to pierce the skin of its victim, causing the blood to flow. Its leaping ability is phenomenal. Although less than an eighth of an inch (.3 centimeter) long, the flea that lives on humans can jump more than a foot (.3 meter) horizontally and nearly eight inches (.2 meter) vertically.

In Scripture the flea is mentioned only twice. When David was being pursued by King Saul, he questioned the king: “After whom are you chasing? . . . After a single flea?” By comparing himself to a flea David emphasized his littleness in comparison with Saul, thus showing that it was hardly worth while for the king to chase after him. (1 Sam. 24:14) First Samuel 26:20 conveys a similar thought, but in the Septuagint Version the words “look for a single flea” read “look for my soul.”

FLESH

The soft substance of a physical body, whether of man, beast, bird or fish; more specifically, the parts composed chiefly of muscle and fat. The Bible points out that the flesh of the various kinds of living things differs. (1 Cor. 15:39) This has been found to be the case by researchers, the chemical composition and cellular structure of the flesh of mankind, beasts, birds and fish varying greatly.

Jehovah God the Creator is responsible for the existence of all flesh, and for its life. He is referred to in the Bible as “Jehovah the God of the spirits [life force] of all sorts of flesh.” (Num. 27:16; compare Genesis 6:17.) He states that the soul (life) of the fleshly creature is in the blood. (Lev. 17:11-14) Originally, vegetation and fruit, and not flesh, were given man as his diet. But after the Flood God added animal flesh, commanding, however, that “flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.”—Gen. 9:3, 4.

Cannibalism, the eating of human flesh, naturally repugnant to the human mind, was abhorred by God and his ancient covenant people Israel. (Deut. 28:53-57; 2 Ki. 6:28-30) Neither could they eat the flesh of an animal torn by a wild beast, or one that died of itself. These would be detestable, besides not being properly drained of blood.—Ex. 22:31; Lev. 17:15, 16; Deut. 14:21.

God commanded that, before eating the flesh of an animal, his people were to pour out its blood on the ground and cover it with dust, being careful not to eat the blood, on pain of death. (Deut. 12:23-25; Lev. 7:27) The governing body of the early Christian congregation restated this prohibition, forbidding the eating of animals strangled or not drained of blood. They additionally forbade eating meat as part of a communion offering to idols, a common practice among pagans in those days. (Acts 15:19, 20, 28, 29) The eating of flesh by Christians is proper, but the apostle Paul pointed out that flesh is not absolutely essential to man as food when he said that if his eating of meat was a source of stumbling to other Christians, he would ‘never again eat flesh at all.’—Rom. 14:21; 1 Cor. 8:13.

The fleshly body given to man was to be regarded as inviolate and not to be deliberately mistreated or mutilated, either by the person himself or by another.—Lev. 19:28; Deut. 14:1; Ex. 21:12-27.

KINSHIP

Kinship is expressed by the term “flesh.” Eve bore the closest possible kinship to Adam in that she was, as he said, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” (Gen. 2:23; see also Genesis 29:14; 37:27; 2 Samuel 5:1.) The close relationship of man and wife is forcefully stated: “They must become one flesh.”—Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5, 6.

THE BODY, THE PERSON HIMSELF, ALL HUMANKIND,

OR ALL FLESHLY CREATION

An extension of the idea that flesh composes the visible, tangible parts of the body is the use of the word “flesh” as referring in a general way to the whole body. (Lev. 17:14; 1 Ki. 21:27; 2 Ki. 4:34) It is also used to refer to the person or individual as a human of flesh. (Rom. 7:18; Col. 2:1, 5) All humankind, especially from the viewpoint of God the Spirit, are described as “flesh” (Gen. 6:12; Isa. 66:16; Luke 3:6), and at times the animal creation is included. (Gen. 7:16, 21) The Bible often makes a contrast of flesh with God the Spirit, emphasizing particularly the relative insignificance of man. (Gen. 6:3; 2 Chron. 32:8; Ps. 56:4) Jehovah in his superior position nevertheless recognizes and accordingly takes this fact into account in dealing with mankind with surpassing loving-kindness and merciful long-suffering.—Ps. 78:39; compare Psalm 103:13-15; 1 Peter 1:24, 25.

FLESHLY AND SPIRITUAL BODIES

The apostle Paul declares that “if there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.” (1 Cor. 15:44) This is corroborated by the apostle Peter when he tells persons of fleshly, human nature, called to be joint heirs with Christ, that they are to become partakers of “divine nature,” namely, spirit life in the invisible heavens. (2 Pet. 1:4) This requires a change in organism, for “flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom, neither does corruption inherit incorruption.”—1 Cor. 15:50-54.

JESUS CHRIST’S FLESHLY BODY

Jesus, who was the “Word” of God, “out of heaven,” divested himself of spirit nature and “became flesh.” (John 1:1; 1 Cor. 15:47; Phil. 2:5-8; John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16) That in being born as a human he was no spirit, and that he did not merely assume a fleshly body, as angels had done in the past (Gen. 18:1-3; 19:1; Josh. 5:13-15), is attested to by the apostle John, who says that one is antichrist who denies that Jesus Christ came “in the flesh.” (1 John 4:2, 3) In order to provide the ransom for mankind, and thereby to help those who would be his associates in the heavenly calling, the Word became flesh, being born all human, no incarnation. The Bible tells us this: “Since the ‘young children’ are sharers of blood and flesh, he also similarly partook of the same things.” (Heb. 2:14-16) His earthly sojourn was spoken of as “the days of his flesh.” (Heb. 5:7) “The bread that I shall give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world,” Jesus said. He went on to state that those hoping to remain in union with him must ‘eat his flesh and drink his blood.’ Not appreciating the spiritual, symbolic significance of his words, some construed the statement as cannibalistic and were shocked.—John 6:50-60.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, although he knew that he would be put to death as the ransom sacrifice, his flesh ‘rested in hope.’ This was because of his knowledge that his Father would resurrect him, that his sacrifice would successfully serve the ransom purpose and that his flesh would not see corruption. (Acts 2:26, 31) Jehovah God evidently disposed of Jesus’ fleshly body in his own way (possibly disintegrating it into the atoms of which it was constituted). (Luke 24:2, 3, 22, 23; John 20:2) Jesus did not take back his fleshly body and thereby cancel out the ransom for which it was given. The apostle Peter testifies that Christ went into heaven, the realm of spirits, not flesh, “he being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit.” (1 Pet. 3:18) Before his ascension to heaven Christ, as a mighty, immortal spirit person, did materialize various fleshly bodies to suit the occasion, for the purpose of giving to his disciples visible, palpable evidence of his resurrection.—John 20:13-17, 25-27; 21:1, 4; Luke 24:15, 16.

The curtain in the sanctuary before the Most Holy, which represented heaven itself, is shown to have been symbolic, representing Jesus’ flesh, for before he sacrificed his fleshly body, the way to life in heaven was not open.—Heb. 9:24; 10:19, 20.

MAN IN HIS IMPERFECTION

“Flesh” is often used in the Bible to represent man in his imperfect state, ‘conceived in sin’ as an offspring of rebellious Adam. (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:3) In humans who are trying to serve God ‘the spirit [mental inclination] is eager, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt. 26:41) Within these servants of God there is a constant conflict, God’s holy spirit being a force for righteousness, the sinful flesh continually warring against the spirit’s influence and exerting pressure to induce the individual to perform the works of the flesh. (Rom. 7:18-20; Gal. 5:17) The works of sinful flesh are contrasted with the fruitage of the spirit, at Galatians 5:19-23.

The apostle Paul also tells us that the Law given through Moses to Israel was “weak through the flesh.” The Law under which the Aaronic priesthood served was spiritual, from God, but by it fleshly persons “sold under sin” were condemned, rather than pronounced righteous. (Rom. 7:14) The high priests of the fleshly line of Aaron assigned by the Law were not able to offer an adequate sacrifice for sin.—Rom. 8:3; Heb. 7:11-14, 23; 10:1-4.

In saying that “flesh . . . is not under subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be,” the apostle Paul is not saying that flesh in itself must of necessity be corrupt. He tells us that Jesus Christ, although partaking of blood and flesh, becoming “like his ‘brothers,’” was “guileless undefiled, separated from the sinners,” “tested in all respects like ourselves, but without sin.” (Rom. 8:7; Heb. 2:14, 17; 4:15; 7:26) Jehovah proved that human flesh can be sinless: “God, by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” (Rom. 8:3) Eventually, through the provision of Christ’s sacrifice, all flesh who exercise faith will become perfect, and God’s righteous laws will then be kept perfectly by fleshly mankind.—Rev. 21:4.

VICTORY OVER DESIRES OF THE FLESH

One of the temptations that influenced Eve to sin was “the desire of the flesh.” The Devil used it against Christ but failed. (1 John 2:16; Gen. 3:6; Luke 4:1-4) Jesus’ followers, too, by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness, defeat the sinful flesh.—Rom. 8:1-4.

CHRISTIANS HAVE NO FIGHT WITH THOSE OF FLESH

It is not fleshly reasoning, but Jehovah’s spirit, that reveals God’s purposes to men of faith, and guides them. (Matt. 16:17; 1 Cor. 2:9, 14; Eph. 3:5) Accordingly, Christians do not carry on their Christian warfare “according to [the] flesh,” and they do not have a fight with persons of flesh and blood; neither do they use fleshly weapons against anyone. Their fight is with “wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (2 Cor. 10:3, 4; Eph. 6:12) They trust, not in the ‘arm of flesh,’ but in Jehovah the Spirit. (Jer. 17:5; 2 Cor. 3:17) They are striving, with God’s help, to cleanse themselves of “every defilement of flesh and spirit,” and God views and judges them, not according to what they are in the flesh, as man often does, but according to what they are spiritually.—1 Cor. 4:3-5; 2 Cor. 5:16, 17; 7:1; 1 Pet. 4:6; see DECLARE RIGHTEOUS; SOUL; SPIRIT.

FLINT

An extremely hard stone, harder than steel, so hard that when two pieces are struck together a fire can be started from the spark. It is found in limestone and chalk deposits in Palestine and in the northern Sinai Peninsula. Flint is quite brittle and fractures with a glossy surface. Its chips have very sharp edges, a characteristic that man was quick to recognize and put to use. From very early times knives, axheads, chisels, spearheads, arrowheads, and other tools and weapons have been fashioned out of this rock. It was with a flint that the wife of Moses circumcised her son; when the nation of Israel reached Gilgal similar surgery was successfully performed by the use of knives made of flint. (Ex. 4:25; Josh. 4:19; 5:2, 3, 8, 9) It is suggested by some that flint tools may have been used to bore the ancient underground water tunnel of Gezer. Jehovah brought water out of flinty rock for his people in the wilderness. (Deut. 8:15; Ps. 114:8) The Bible makes reference to flint when, in figures of speech, it emphasizes such qualities as hardness, durability and resistance to opposition.—Isa. 5:28; 50:7; Ezek. 3:9.

FLOGGING

See BEATING.

FLOOD

See DELUGE.

FLOUR

See MILL.

FLUTE

Although there is some dispute as to which modern musical instrument corresponds with the Hebrew hha·lilʹ and its Greek equivalent au·losʹ, many modern translations render the words as “flute,” in harmony with the identification given by prominent lexicographers. (1 Sam. 10:5; 1 Cor. 14:7, AT, JB, NW, RS) The Hebrew root word from which hha·lilʹ is believed to have been derived signifies “to bore, perforate,” and may refer to a process used to make a simple flute, namely, to drill out the center of a section of reed, cane or even bone or ivory, and then perforate it at suitable intervals. Egyptian inscriptions indicate that a variety of flutelike instruments existed in that country. One type was held in an oblique position, with the mouth against the side of the instrument; they also developed a double flute, with the mouth at the end of the two pipes.

Some are inclined to favor the oboe as the instrument comparable to the hha·lilʹ or au·losʹ; others, the clarinet. However, it may be noted that the Greek au·losʹ appears to have been used also as a general designation that included instruments of two types: those utilizing a reed in the mouthpiece, as well as simple flutelike pipes. Hha·lilʹ may also have come to be a general term for all woodwinds, but in modern Hebrew the name is applied only to the flute, and traditional Jewish belief is that the hha·lilʹ of Scripture was the flute.

The flute was one of the most popular of all musical instruments, being played at joyous times, such as banquets and weddings (Isa. 5:12; 30:29; 1 Ki. 1:40), a custom imitated by children in public places. (Matt. 11:16, 17) It was also played at times of sadness. Professional mourners were often accompanied by flutists playing mournful tunes.—Matt. 9:23, 24.

[Picture on page 588]

Various pipes found on Egyptian monuments

FLY

A two-winged insect that usually breeds in decayed or waste matter. The tiny hairs covering the