{
  "id": "dict_003325",
  "term": "Lime",
  "slug": "lime",
  "letter": "L",
  "entry_type": "biblical_background_material",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Lime is a caustic building and coating material made from limestone, used in biblical times for plaster, whitewash, and similar construction work.",
  "simple_one_line": "A building material used for plastering, coating, and whitewashing in the ancient world.",
  "tooltip_text": "A caustic material produced from limestone, sometimes used in Bible-era construction and figurative descriptions.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "plaster",
    "whitewash",
    "mortar",
    "stone",
    "building materials",
    "judgment imagery"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "chalk",
    "masonry",
    "wall",
    "hypocrisy",
    "Isaiah",
    "Amos"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Lime in the Bible refers to a practical building and coating material rather than a doctrinal concept. It helps explain passages about plastering, whitewashing, and judgment imagery in the ancient Near East.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Lime is an ancient construction material produced from limestone and used in plastering, coating, or whitewashing surfaces.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Practical building material, not a theological doctrine",
    "Related to plaster, mortar, and whitewash",
    "Appears in biblical background and imagery",
    "Helpful for understanding certain judgment and construction passages"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "In biblical contexts, lime refers to a practical construction and coating material associated with plastering, whitewashing, and similar uses. It belongs in Bible-background study rather than as a distinct theological category.",
  "description_academic_full": "Lime in biblical and ancient Near Eastern settings is a practical material derived from limestone and used in construction, coating, or whitewashing surfaces. In Scripture it serves mainly as background for understanding ancient building practices and some figurative language. It is not itself a doctrinal term, so the entry is better classified as a biblical background material than as a theological headword.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Lime is relevant where Scripture refers to plastered walls, whitewashed surfaces, or material prepared for construction and finishing. It can also appear in imagery that contrasts outward appearance with inward reality, especially where whitewashed surfaces suggest concealment or false security.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient world, lime was commonly produced by heating limestone and then used in building and finishing work. Its caustic properties made it useful for plaster, coating, and whitening surfaces.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Israel and its neighbors used limestone-based materials in construction, and lime/whitewash language would have been familiar in everyday life. That background helps readers understand biblical references that depend on visual appearance, durability, or judgment imagery.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Isaiah 27:9",
    "Amos 2:1"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "See also passages on plastered or whitewashed surfaces in the prophets and in general ancient-building background."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "English translations vary. In some contexts the underlying term refers to lime, chalk, plaster, or a whitewashing material depending on the passage and translation.",
  "theological_significance": "Lime has no independent doctrinal meaning, but it can support interpretation of passages where outward appearance, cleansing, or judgment is illustrated through building materials.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "This is a concrete, physical term used in ordinary life. Its significance is contextual rather than conceptual: the material matters because biblical authors use familiar building practices to communicate truth.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not turn lime into a theological symbol on its own. Read it in context, and allow translation differences between lime, chalk, plaster, and whitewash to shape understanding of each passage.",
  "major_views_note": "Most disagreement concerns translation and exact material identification, not doctrine. The main question is whether a given passage uses lime literally or figuratively.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Lime is not a doctrine, sacrament, ordinance, or spiritual state. Its role is descriptive and contextual, not confessional.",
  "practical_significance": "This entry helps readers understand biblical references to construction, whitewashing, and judgment imagery without confusing a building material with a theological theme.",
  "meta_description": "Lime in the Bible refers to a practical construction and whitewashing material used in ancient building and imagery.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/lime/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/lime.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}