Bible Dictionary
Standards
Standards were military banners or emblems used to identify and guide armies. Ancient Assyrian and Egyptian standards often displayed animals, deities, royal symbols, or other sacred emblems.
Definition
Standards were military banners or emblematic objects used to lead and guide armies. Ancient standards could display animals, divine emblems, symbols of power and wisdom, victory groups, royal names, or royal portraits.
Biblical Usage
The supplied material gives no specific biblical appearance or function for standards beyond identifying them with military banners and emblems.
Historical Background
Assyrian standards reflected the religion of the people and could be artistically fashioned and costly. Egyptian standards similarly displayed sacred emblems, gods represented as animals, victory symbols, and royal insignia.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The Assyrian standards were emblematic of their religion, and were therefore the more valuable as instruments for leading and guiding men in the army. The forms were imitations of animals (1), emblems of deities (2), and symbols of power and wisdom (3). Many of them were crude, but others were highly artistic and of great cost. The Egyptian standards were designed in the same idea as those of the Romans, exhibiting some sacred emblem (5,6,8), or a god in the form of an animal (3,4), a group of victory (7), or the king’s name or his portrait as (1), of lower, and (2) of upper, Egypt, or an emblematic sign, as No. 9.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>stand'-ardz.</p><p>See WAR, 5; BANNER; ASTRONOMY, sec. II, 7.</p>