Bible Dictionary
WAYFARING MAN
A wayfaring man is a traveler or passing stranger journeying along a road. The expression occurs in narratives and prophetic passages describing people on a journey.
Definition
A wayfaring man is a traveler, passing stranger, or person journeying along a road. The expression describes someone encountered or imagined while traveling.
Biblical Usage
The term appears in narratives and prophetic passages concerning travelers, strangers, and people passing along a path. In every cited usage its meaning is traveler.
Historical Background
The expression translates several Hebrew descriptions, including one who journeys, one passing on a path, and one walking on a road.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>wa'-far-ing, The translation in Jud 19:17; 2Sa 12:4; Jer 9:2; 14:8 of ('oreach), the participle of 'arach, "to journey." In Isa 33:8 of `obher 'orach, "one passing on a path," and in Isa 35:8 of holekh derekh, "one walking on a road." "Traveler" is the meaning in all cases.</p>