珠璣集(13)~聖經文學典故

Gird up your loins 整裝待發

Chapter and verse：Kings 9 : 1                               章節：列王下9：1

And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead. 先知以利沙叫了一個先知門徒來，吩咐他說：「你束上腰，手拿這瓶膏油往基列的拉末去。」



說明與應用：
以色列人衣著寬大，工作旅行很不方便，在緊要關頭就束腰上裝動身工作。
同樣的典故出現在列王上18：46、列王下9：1、列王下4：29，可以看出這是以色列人生活上的習慣動作。
Bunyan 在天路歷程中….Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himself to his journey; Thoreau在Civil Disobedience引用….gird up their loins once more, and continue their pilgrimage toward its fountainhead. 當Churchil 還是記者時
寫道…..gird up your loins and be ready for the battle.