v. Hand.

(Miscellaneous articles.)

Laying on of Hands. The laying on of a bishop’s hands in confirmation or ordination.

Putting the Hand under the Thigh. An ancient ceremony used in swearing.

“And Abraham said unto his eldest servant … Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: and I will make thee swear … that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites.”—Genesis xxiv. 2, 3.

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.