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WESTMINSTER
BIBLE DICTIONARY.
i2^>
THE
/
WESTMINSTER
BIBLE DICTIONARY.
PREPARED FOR THE BOARD
BY THE
Rev. THOMAS J. SHEPHERD, D.D.
PHILADELPHIA : PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION,
1334 Chestnut Street.
Copyright, 1880, by
THE TRUSTEES OF THE PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION.
Westcott a Thomson,
SUreotypert and Slectrotypera, PMlada.
INTRODUCTION.
The quickening of Bible study on the part of our Sabbath-school teachers and scholars at the present time, in connection with the re- markable additions recently made -to our knowledge on topics related to Scripture interpretation, aifords abundant reason for the issue of the Westminster Bible Dictionary. It will meet an existing: call for a compact dictionary abreast of the times.
The work was entrusted by the Board of Publication to the Rev. Thomas J, Shepherd, D. D,, who has devoted to it much study and patient as well as skillful labor. Free use has been made by Dr. Shepherd of all accessible authorities, and especially of Dr. William Smith's invaluable, though not perfect, Dictionary of the Bible, as well as of the Bible Dictionary prepared by the Rev. W, M. En- gles, D. D., and previously published by the Board. The thanks of the author and of the publishers are also given to Professor Isaac H. Hall, by whom the sheets of the Dictionary were read, and who, from his stores of Oriental, linguistic and archaeological infor- mation, has rendered the work an important service.
Numerous engravings illustrating the articles are distributed through the volume, and valuable maps are given at its close.
In the preparation of this Dictionary the leading aims have been —
1. To make a Bible Dictionary, including only words in our An-
INTRODUCTION.
thorized Version of the Scriptures needing explanation. A few proper names, such as " Dead Sea " and " Esdraelon," not occurring in our English Bible, are given because of their common use and to assist reference to their scriptural designations. Occasionally, also, a word, such as "Games," has been admitted because of frequent allu- sions made thereto in the Bible.
2. To indicate the precise sense in which each word treated is used in the Scriptures. The root-ideas of the Hebrew and Greek originals, and the English equivalents of these ideas, are carefully stated.
3. To embody the results of such recent explorations in Bible lands, and of such study of the historic monuments of Egypt, As- syria, Babylonia and Persia, as have thrown light upon the text of Scripture.
4. To treat with entire freedom, and such fullness as the size of the volume permitted, the words underlying the faith and order of the Christian Church, as "Baptism," "Bishop," "Elder," "Elec- tion," "Predestination" and the like.
5. And, in all, to put the largest amount of information into the smallest space possible.
J. W. D.
THE WESTMINSTER
Bible Dictionary.
A 'a-ron [signification uncertain, prob- ably enlightened^, eldest son of Amram and Jochebed, both of the tribe of Levi, and elder brother of Moses. He was born B. c. 1574, according to the chronol- ogy of Usher, three years before Moses (Ex. 7:7), and probably one year before Pharaoh's decree of death to the sons of the enslaved Hebrews. His name occurs first (Ex. 4 : 14) when the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses in Horeb because of his reluctance to carry God's message to the king of Egypt. The Lord said, " Is not Aaron, the Levite, tiiy broth- er? I know that he can speak well. And also he cometh forth to meet thee. . . . He shall be thy spokesman unto tlie people ; he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." Aa- ron was then on his way, under a divine call (Ex. 4 : 27), to invite the return of Moses to Egypt. After a separation of forty years, and when Aaron was eighty- three years of age, they met in Horeb, and together returned to fulfill their commis- sion to their brethren of the house of Is- rael and to Pharaoh.
From the first communication by Moses to Aaron of the honorable but perilous work to which God had called them, he stood unflinchingly by his brother. He introduced Moses to the elders of Israel,
rehearsed to them the divine message, and then went with him into the presence of the proud king of Egypt. All through the interview with Pharaoh, Aaron stood at his great brother's side, sustaining him and acting as his spokesman. In the Sinai wilderness, when the Israelites were met and attacked by the Amalekites, we find Aaron and Hur with Moses on the hill from which he viewed the battle, uphold- ing ills weary hands, and thus securing suc- cess in the conflict (Ex. 17 : 8-13). When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the law from God, Aaron and his sons, Nadab and Abihu, with seventy elders of Israel, were permitted, as a special token of the divine favor, to accompany him a part of the way, and to behold the symbol of God's presence ( Ex. 24 : 9, 10). It was during his absence that Moses received directions for the organization of the ecclesiastical estab- lishment, according to which Aaron was to be constituted high priest, and his sons and their descendants priests (Ex. 28). While Moses was absent in the mount, Aaron and Hur were entrusted with the direction and control of tlie Israelites. In the interval the people became impatient, and required Aaron to make them gods to go before them. Partly through timidity, partly from an imperfect conviction of the sin he was committing, he complied with their
7
8
AARON.
wicked suggestions, and constructed a gold- en calf, in imitation of the Ivgvptian system of idolatry, by wiiicli lie aflixcd an indelible Ktainon iiisowu diaraoterand provoked the displeasure of the Almighty. He attempt- ed in vain to excuse liis conduct by transfer- ring the guilt of it to those whose clamors liad induced it. As a leader of the people he should have indignantly rejected the proposal (Ex. 32).
Having, however, repented of this sin, he was received into favor, and was conse- crated with imposing ceremonials the high priest of tiie people (Lev. 8), and the of- fice was confined to his family. Two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, shortly after their consecration, probably under the in- fluence of strong drink, were guilty of ir- reverence in their ministrations, and were destroyed by fire from the Lord (Lev. 10). Aaron, though deeply wounded, accepted the chastisement without a murmur.
When Miriam, through jealousy of Moses' wife, revolted against his author- ity, Aaron gave her his countenance (Num. 12). Miriam was stricken with leprosy. Aaron promptly confessed his fault, and was not similarly pimished ; but, as he had thus questioned the authority of Moses, his own authority in after yeai-s was re- sisted by a consi)iracy headed by Korah, Dathan and Abiram, who maintained that he was not entitled to any exclusive priest- ly rights. A fearful judgment from God arrested this conspiracy and miserably de- stroyed its chief actors. A rebellious spirit, however, had taken jiossession of the peo- ple, and now broke forth. The anger of the Lord was kindled, and a grievous plague destroyed upward of fourteen thou- sand of them, and was only stayed by Aa- ron's oflScial intercession (Num. 16). This event afforded a striking attestation of Aaron's authority. That he and liis family might be recognized by the people as un- doubtedly invested with this priestly pre- rogative, the princes of the different tribes
were required to bring to Moses each a rod inscribed with his name, Aaron's name being placed on the rod of Levi. These rods were deposited, by divine command, in the tabernacle. On the following day it was found tiiat while the rods of the other tribes remained unchanged, that of Aaron had budded, blossomed and brought forth almonds. This rod was preserved as a memorial, and for a long series of years no instance of invasion of the priest's of- fice was known (Num»17).
At the waters of Meribah, Aaron was ' implicated with Moses in the distrust of God there evinced, and for this they were forbidden to enter into the promised land (Num. 20 : 8-13). Not many months af- ter this the hosts of Israel came to Mount Hor, and Aaron, accompanied by Closes \ and by his son Eleazar, was directed to as- cend to the top of the mountain, in view of the people. Having been divested of his priestly robes, which were transferred to Eleazar, he there expired, being one hundred and twenty-three years old. He was buried on the mountain (Num. 20 : 22-29; 33 : 38, 39), and the Israelites mourned for him thirty days. Mount Hor is a rocky peak in the mountains of i Edom, and is still known as " Mount I Aaron." The Arabs show what they I claim to be the tomb of Aaron on its sum- mit, and manifest great reverence for his memory. In Deut. 10 : 6, Aaron is said to have died at Mosera (plural, Moseroih, Num. 33 : 30), which appears to have been the name of a station near Mount Hor.
Aaron married Elisheba, sister of Naa- shon, a prince of the house of Judah. He had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar (Ex. 6 : 23), of whom the first two died before him. The high priesthood pa.ssed to the descendants of the other two.
Aaron was a man of true godliness. The weak side of his character was a readiness to be undulv influenced bv others. Whilst
AARONITES— ABDON.
with Moses he was brave, steadfast, unflinch- ing, but away from him he was apt to fall in with suggestions that he should have re- sisted. This is noticeable in the affairs of the golden calf and Miriam's revolt. Yet is he to be honored for his long and noble devotion to his work as a leader, for his willingness to stand second to his younger brother, for his submission to the rebukes of the Lord, and for the unhesitating faith with which he obeyed the commands of the God of Israel. He was eminently honored in receiving the high-priestly office, which typified the nobler priesthood of the Christ to come.
See Moses, Priest, Hor.
A'a-ron-ites, descendants of Aaron, and therefore priests. Jehoiada led 3700 Aaronites in arms to the support of David at Hebron ( 1 Chron. 1 2 : 27 ) ; later, Zadok was their chief (1 Chron. 27 : 17).
Ab, the Hebrew word for father, which enters into the composition of many prop- er names, as Absalom, Abner, Abigail, A,bi- jah, Moab, etc.
Ab, the name given after the Babylo- nian captivity to one of the Jewish months, being the fifth of the sacred and the elev- enth of the civil year reckoning. It cor- responded with parts of July and August, and consisted of thirty days. See Month.
A-bad'don [destruction or the des- iroyerl is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek ApoUyon, the title given in Rev. 9:11 to the angel of the bottomless pit or abyss. In the Old Testament the term Abaddon is applied to destruction (Job 31 : 12), and to the place of destruction (Job 26 : 6 ; Prov. 15 : 11). ApoUyon in Rev. 9:11 may be either the idea of destruc- tion personified or a personal destroyer, Satan, the angel of the bottomless pit.
Ab'a-na [in the margin Amana, still preserved in Arabic and Greek, meaning faithful, probably as continually flowing], a river of Damascus, Syria, mentioned in 2 Kings 5 : 12. Naaman, spurning the
direction of Elisha to wash in Jordan for the cure of his leprosy, indignantly asks, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?" Its modern name is Barada. It rises in the mountains west of Damas- cus, some twenty-tliree miles from the city. After flowing through the plain and the city of Damascus, and carrying in its flow an extraordinary fertility and beauty, it loses itself in a marshy lake on the east. (See engraving on p. 11.)
Ab^a-rim \_pasmfjex over fords], a range of highlands on the east of the Jordan, in Moab, facing Jericho and forming at that part the eastern wall of the Jordan valley. The range presents many distinct masses and elevations, commanding exten- sive and exquisite views of the country west of the river. From one of the high- est of these, called Mount Nebo, Moses surveyed the Promised Land. From the manner in which the names Abarim, Ne- bo and Pisgah are associated in Deut. 32 : 49 and 34 : 1, it has been inferred that Abarim is the general name for the mountain-chain, Pisgah the specific name of a ridge, and Nebo the topmost peak of Pisgah. See Nebo and Pisgah.
Ab'ba [^father], from the Hebrew word Ab, of which it is the Aramaic form, oc- curs in Mark 14 : 3G ; Rom. 8 : 15 ; Gal. 4 : 6, where it is translated /a<Aer. It was used as a term of endearment by children in speaking to their fother, like our "papa," and expresses trustful love. It is a title given to priests of Oriental churches; and the old I]nglish title of abbot, the head or father of a religious community, is derived from it, as is also pope (papa). When believers receive the Spirit of adoption, they are justified in ad- dressing God as Abba, Father (Gal. 4:6).
Ab'don [.secviVe], the name of a judge and of a city.
1. The tenth judge of Israel, who seems to have enjoyed a peaceful government of
10
ABEDNEGO— ABEL-MIZRAIM.
eight years. He had forty sons and thirty nephews who rode on young asses, an evi- dence of the influence of liis family ( Judg. 12 : 13-15). The name was a common one, as four other persons bearing it are men- tioned (1 Chron. 8 : 2o, 30; 9 : 36; 2 Chron. 34 : 20).
2. A city of the tribe of Asher, given to the Lovites (Josh. 21 : 30).
A-bed'ne-go [servant of Kego or Nebol, the Chaldean name given to Aza- riah, one of the three captive princes who were companions, of Daniel at the court of Babylon (Dan. 1:7). He, with Shad- rach and Meshach, was cast into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up in the ^^lain of Dura, and was miraculously delivered (Dan. 3).
A'bel, Hebrew, Hebel {^breath, vapor, tnaifiitoriness^, the second son of Adam and Fve, born after their fall into sin and their expulsion from Eden. His story is told in Gen. 4. Abel, although inherit- ing the corrupt nature of his parents, was eminent for piety. Our Lord (Matt. 23 : 35) distinguishes him as the " righte^rs Abel." He was the first of the human family who endured the pains of death, the first martyr who scaled his testimony to the gospel with his blopd. In obedi- ence to God's command, he offered in sac- rifice the firstlings of his flock, wliilst his elder brother, Cain, refused to do so, and in the spirit of presumption and pride brought a bloodle-ss ofi'ering of "fruit of the ground." By some visible sign — such, most likely, as the sending of fire from heaven to consume the victim — God at- tested the acceptance of Abel's oflTering and the rejection of Cain's. This so en- raged Cain that lie " rose up against Abel his brotlicr and slew him" (Gen. 4: 8). In Heb. 11:4 the superior excellence, and the consequent acceptance, of Abel's offering are referred to his " faith." Hence we infer that God had revealed with
more or less clearness the grand doctrine of redemption, and had required bloody sacrifices as the significant types of the one great sacrifice. This revelation Abel received ; this requirement Abel met.
I Cain, however, rejected both, and was himself rejected.
A'bel signifies a meadow or grassy plain, and, with distinguishing additions, is asso- ciated with several towns in Palestine.
A'bel-Beth-Ma^a-chah [Abel of the bouse of Maachnh], a city in the north
[ of Palestine, within the limits of the tribe of Naphtali, in the neighborhood of Dan. From its importance it is designated (2
: Sam. 20 : 19) "a mother in Israel;" that is, a metropolis. It was also called Abel-
I Maim, or "Abel on the waters." (Com- pare 2 Sam. 20 : 14, 15 and 2 Chron. 16 : 4.) It was besieged by Joab on account of its sheltering Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, who had rebelled against King David, but was saved from over- throw by the compliance of its inhabit- ants with the suggestion of a wise woman
! that the head of Sheba should be struck off" and cast over the wall (2 Sam. 20 : 14- 22). It was afterward taken by Benha- dad (1 Kings 15 : 20), and two hundred years after by Tiglath-pileser, who car- ried its inhabitants into captivity (2 Kings 15 : 29).
A'bel-Ce-ra'mim [plain of the vine- yards'l. It is referred to, by a translation of its name, in Judg. 11 : 33. It wiis a village of the Ammonites, east of Jordan. A'bel-Me-ho'lah [plain of the dance], in the north part of the Jordan valley, west of Jordan and ten miles south of Bethshean (1 Kings 4 : 12). It was the birthplace or residence of Elisiia (1 Kings 19 : 16). The Midianites fled thither to reach the river when defeated by Gideon (Judg. 7 : 22).
A'bel-Miz'ra-im [the mourning of the Egypt iiins'l, the name given to the threshing-floor of Atad, because there
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AIDE— ABIJAH.
13
{
13 : 4), afterward called Nisan (Ni. 2 : 1). As the month of newly-ripe giin, it indicates the season of spring, and ■ sup- posed to correspond with part of larch and part of April. Because on its £eenth day the Israelites made their exod; from Egypt, it was associated with the psover, and was reckoned the first month n the sacred year reckoning.
Abide, an old English word aving the sense of await (Acts 20 : 2^ and passing by easy transition to the stse of bear, endure (Num. 31 : 23; Joel 211).
Ab'i-el [my father is God], thfather of Kish, and grandfather of Saul ii first king of the Israelites (1 Sam. 9 : 1 An- other of the same name was one>f the thirty of the most distinguished en of David's army (1 Chron. 11 : 32).
A-bi-e'zer [my father is help,r help- ful], a native of Anathoth, one of avid's thirty chief warriors (2 Sam. 23 27; 1 Chron. 11 : 28; 27 : 12). The ilitary exploits of a family of the sammame, d > ;ended from Manasseh (Josh. 7 : 2), and to which Gideon belonged (Jig. G : 11), are referred to in Judg. 8 : 2.
Ab't-gail [my father is jny, >yous], the name of two women.
1. David's sister, tlie wife of Jcier or Itlira, an Ishmaelite, and the mcier of Amasa (1 Chron. 2 : 17).
2. Tlie wife of Nabal, a wealthy nn with ions in Carniel of Juda about
of Hebron. Thedispsitions n striking contrast. Nabal selfish, while his ife was shed for her p-sonal discretion an kind- was fleeing fim the "" with his fcowers Mv where abal's iresence as the On re'esent- ' a for ane re- i\ wii rude- •ate David
that he would have visited Nabal with sig- nal vengeance had not Abigail disarmed him by kindness and delicate liberality. David was so pleased with her beauty and discretion that he married her after the death of Nabal (1 Sam. 25). See Nabal.
A-bi-ha'il [my father is might, mighty], the second wife of Eehoboam, kinjj of Judah. She is called the daughter of Eliab, David's elder brother; but as Da- vid began to reign more than eighty years before her marriage, and was thirty years old when he became king, we are no doubt to understand the expression as meaning that she was a descendant of Eliab, the term "daughter" often having this general sense (2 Chron. 11 : 18).
Several other persons bear the same name, as (1) Abihail, father of Zuriel, the father of the Levitical families of Merari (Num. 3 : 35); (2) the wife of Abishur (1 Chron. 2 : 29); (3) Abihail, one of the heads of families of the tribe of Gad (1 Chron. 5:14); and (4) Abihail, the father of Queen Esther and uncle of Mordecai (Esth. 2 : 15).
A-bi'hu [my father is He — i. e. God, meaning worshiper of God], the second of the sons of Aaron, who, with his three broth- ers, was consecrated to the priesthood (Ex. 28 : 1). The priests were required, in burning the daily incense, to use the per- petual fire which was kept burning on the great brazen altar. Nadab and Abihu used common, or, as it is called in Scripture, strange fire, and for this irreverence were destroyed by fire from heaven (Lev. 10 : 1-] 1 ). The prohibition of wine and strong drink to priests whose turn it should be to enter the tabernacle, which follows the narration of this judgment on Nadab and Abihu, leads to the belief that intoxica- tion was the cause of their sin and punish- ment. Both died childless (Num. 3:4).
A-bi'jah [my father is Juh — /. e. wor- shiper of Jehovah^, a common Hebrew name, the same as Abia and Abiah (which see).
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12
A BEL-SH I TTI M— A BIB.
Joseph and the funeral procession tliat aocompanied him from Egypt "mourned with a great and very sore lamentation" over the patriarch Jacob (Gen. 50: 11). Its position lias been a question in dis- pute. We should look for it in the neighborhood of Hebron, where was the cave of Maclipelah.
A'bel-Shit'tim [meadow of the acn- r/fi.s-], a town in the plains of Moab, on the east of Jordan, between which and Betli- Jesimoth the Israelites made tlieir last encampments before the passage of Jor- dan (Num. 33 : 49). It is often called Shitfini, as in Num. 25 : 1. From this l>lace Joshua sent out spies to visit Jeri- cho (Josh. 2:1). Here too the Israel- ites were seduced by the daughters of Moab into the obscene idolatries of Baal- peor, and were punished tlierefor by a plague (Num. 25 : 1-9).
A'bi, sliortened form of Abijah, the mother of King Hezekiah. (Compare 2 Kings 18 : 2 with 2 Chron. 29 : 1.)
A-bi'a, the Greek form of the Hebrew Abijah (Matt. 1:7). In Luke 1 : -5, Za- charias the priest, and father of John the Baptist, is spoken of as pertaining to the "course of Abia." The priests were di- vided into twenty-four courses or classes, each in its turn to be engaged in the pub- lic ministrations (1 Chron. 24). The course of Abia or Abijah was the eighth in order.
A-bi'ah, a less correct English form of Abijah. It occurs four times in the Old Testament, notably as the name of the second son of tiie propliet Samuel, by whom he was appointed a judge over Is- rael, in connection with his brother Joel. Their administration, however, was so glaringly corrupt that tiie people beciime disgusted, and demanded a king (1 Sam. 8 : 2-5).
A-bi'a-thar [fnlhcr of ahundance, or liberal'], the sou of Ahimelech, liigh priest of Israel, and loiitli in descent from Eli
in the line of Itliamar. When his father, who was iiigli ])riest, was slain by the conunand of Saul for his supposed friend- siup for David (1 Sam. 22), Abiathar es- caped the massacre to whicii his family was doomed, and takinix witli iiim tlie epliod, a priestly garment, he repaired to David at the cave of Adullam. He be- came the priest of David's party, and in- quired of the Lord for him in times of doubt and danger (1 Sam. 23 : 9 ; 30 : 7), adhering to him in all his trials.
On David's accession to the throne he seems to have recognized both Abiathar and Zadok as high priests (1 Kings 4:4). At the abdication of David in favor of Solo- mon, Abiathar wrongly favored the succes- sion of Adonijah to the throne. For this, Solomon, on his accession, displaced him, and recognized Zadok as having exclusive possession of the office ( 1 Kings 2 : 26, 27). The deposition of Abiathar was in strict fulfilment of the doom pronounced by the Lord against the house of Eli, he being the last of the priests in that line (1 Sam. 2 : .30-36).
In Mark 2 : 26 there is a reference to David's eating the shew-bread in the house of God in the days of Abiathar the higli priest, and in 1 Sam. 21 : 1-6 this is saiil to have occurred when Ahimelech was high priest. Abiathar was probably as- sociated in service with his father at that time, and, afterward becoming high priest was spoken of as high priest in connection with that event — {. e. " in the days of Abi- athar, afterward high priest." In 2 Sam. 8 : 17; 1 Chron. 18 : 16; 24 : .3, 6, 31, Ahimelech or Abimelecli is spoken of as the son of Abiathar, or as high priest in the days of David. The two names seem to have been transposed by a copyist. The Syriac and Arabic versions have "Abiathar the son of Ahimelech" in these places (Kitto). See Zadok.
A'bib [heads or ears of grain, green ears}, one of the Hebrew months (Ex.
ABIDE— ABU AH.
13
13 : 4), afterward called Nisan (Neh. 2 : 1 ). As the montli of newly-ripe grain, it indicates the season of spring, and is sup- posed to correspond with part of March and part of April. Because on its fifteenth day the Israelites made their exodus from Egypt, it was associated with the passover, and was reckoned the first month in the sacred year reckoning.
Abide, an old English word having the sense of mvait (Acts 20 : 23), and passing by easy transition to the sense of bear, endure (Num. 31 : 23 ; Joel 2 : 11).
Ab'i-el [my father is God}, the father of Kish, and grandfather of Saul the first king of the Israelites (1 Sam. 9:1). An- other of the same name was one of the thirty of the most distinguished men of David's army (1 Chron. 11 : 32).
A-bi-e''zer [my father is help, or help- ful], a native of Anathoth, one of David's thirty chief warriors (2 Sam. 23 : 27 ; 1 Chron. 11 : 28 ; 27 : 12). The military exploits of a family of the same name, d '■ ;ended from Manasseh (Josh. 17:2), and to which Gideon belonged ( Judg. 6 : 11), are referred to in Judg. 8 : 2.
Ab'i-gail [my father is joy, joyous}, the name of two women.
1. David's sister, the wife of Jether or Ithra, an Ishmaelite, and the mother of Amasa (1 Chron. 2 : 17).
2. The wife of Nabal, a wealthy man with large possessions in Carmel of Judah, about ten miles south of Hebron. The dispositions of the two were in striking contrast. Nabal was churlish and selfish, while his wife was not only distinguished for her personal beauty, but for her discretion and kind- ness. When David was fleeing from the fury of Saul he came with his followers to the mountainous country where Nabal's flocks were fed, and his presence was the means of their protection. On represent- ing this to Nabal, and asking for some re- turn of kindness, he was treated with rude- ness and insult. This so exasperated David
that he would have visited Nabal with sig- nal vengeance had not Abigail disarmed him by kindness and delicate liberality. David was so pleased with her beauty and discretion that he married her after the death of Nabal (1 Sam. 25). See Nabal.
A-bi-ha^il [my father is might, mighty}, the second wife of Rehoboam, king of Judah. She is called the daughter of Eliab, David's elder brother ; but as Da- vid began to reign more than eighty years before her marriage, and was thirty years old when he became king, we are no doubt to understand the expression as meaning that she was a descendant of Eliab, the term "daughter" often having this general sense (2 Chron. 11 : 18).
Several other persons bear the same name, as (1) Abihail, father of Zuriel, the father of the Levitical families of Merari (Num. 3 : 35) ; (2) the wife of Abishur (1 Chron. 2 : 29); (3) Abihail, one of the heads of families of the tribe of Gad (1 Chron. 5:14); and (4) Abihail, the father of Queen Esther and uncle of Mordecai (Esth. 2 : 15).
A-bi'hu [my father is He — i. e. God, meaning worshiper of God}, the second of the sons of Aaron, who, with his three broth- ers, was consecrated to the priesthood (Ex. 28 : 1). The priests were required, in burning the daily incense, to use the per- petual fire which was kept burning on the great brazen altar. Nadab and Abihu used common, or, as it is called in Scripture, strange fire, and for this irreverence were destroyed by fire from heaven (Lev. 10 : 1-1 ] ). The prohibition of wine and strong drink to priests whose turn it should be to enter the tabernacle, which follows the narration of this judgment on Nadab and Ablhu, leads to the belief that intoxica- tion was the cause of their sin and punish- ment. Both died childless (Num. 3: 4).
A-bi'jah [my father is Jah — /. e. wor- shiper of Jehovah}, a common Hebrew name, the same as Abia and Abiah (which see).
14
A RI LKN P:— ABINADAB.
1 . The son of Rehoboam and grandson of Solomon, second king of the separate kingdom of Judah. He began to reign B. c. 958, and reigned three years. On taking tlie throne he made an earnest at- tempt to bring back the ten tribes to their allegiance. Although he defeated the army of Israel led by Jerol)oani, he failed to unite the ten tribes with Judah (2 Chron. 13). His speech to the army of Jeroboam shows that he recognized Jehovah as the sove- reign God, but his life was not that of a child of God. "He walked in all the sins of his father, and was not perfect with the Lord" (1 Kings 15 : 3). In Kings he is called Abijam, perhaps because deemed unworthy of the title of a worshiper of Jehovah.
2. A little son of Jeroboam, the story of whose death is touchingly told in 1 Kings 14.
3. The daughter of Zechariah, mother of King Hezekiah and wife of Ahaz (2 Chron. 29 : 1 ), called Abi (2 Kings 18:2).
A-bi-le'ne, a tract of country the ex- tent of which is not precisely known, but it is thought to have embraced the eastern declivities of Anti-Libanus and the fertile valleys at its base. In Luke 3 : 1, Lysa- nias is referred to as the tetrarch of Abi- lene, and Pococke mentions an inscription among the ruins of Abila (now Su/c Warhj Barada), the chief city of the province, containing the words " Lysanias Tetrarch."
A-biin'e-lech [my father is king'], the common title of the kings of Philistia, as Pharaoh was that of the kings of Egypt.
1. The first one of the name mentioned in Scripture was Abimelech, king of Ge- rar, who was contemporary with Abram. In Gen. 20 is a narrative connected with Abram's visit to Gerar. Abimelech, sup- posing Sarai to be the sister, and not the wife, of Abram, had her brought into his harem, an act of violence quite in accord- ance with Oriental ideas. In obedience to
a divine warning, Abimelech restored Sa- rai to her husband.
2. At a subsequent period Isaac was driven by stress of famine to visit the same place, which was then governed by another king of the same name, and, following his fa- ther's evil example, he was guilty of a similar deception in regard to his wife Rebekah (Gen. 26).
3. A son of Gideon, one of the judges of Israel. Gideon had seventy sons, among whom Abimelech was the most enterpris- ing and unprincipled. Having insinuated himself into the favor of the Shechemites, he slew all his brothers except Jotham, the youngest, who escaped. After this barba- rous massacre he was made king. Retrib- utive justice awaited liim. Many of his subjects revolted, and while he was at- tempting to reduce Thebez, which was en- gaged in the revolt, a woman threw down from the tower a piece of millstone, which fractured his skull. Finding himself mor- tally wounded, he commanded his armor- bearer to thrust him through the body, lest it should be said that he fell by a woman's hand (Judg. 9 : 54). For a war- rior to be slain by a woman was regarded as a terribly ignominious death. Vainly, however, did Abimelech attempt to escape this disgrace, for the fact of his death by the hand of a woman was long after asso- ciated with his memory (2 Sam. 11 : 21).
A-bin'a-dab [?»?/ father is noble — noble], the name of several men.
1. The Levite of Kirjath-jearim in whose house the ark was deposited after the Philistines had restored it to the Israelites. There it remained eighty years, until removed by David (1 Sam. 7 : 1 ; 2 Sam. 6 : 3, 4; 1 Chron. 13 : 7).
2. One of Saul's sons, who was slain with him at the battle of Gilboa (1 Sam. 31 : 2).
3. The second of the eight sons of Jes- se, the flither of David (1 Sam. 16 : 8; 17 : 13).
ABIRAM— ABOMINABLE.
15
4. The father of one of the twelve offi- cers appointed by Solomon to provide for the royal household (1 Kings 4 : 11).
A-bi^ram [my father is exalted].
1. A chief of the tribe of Reuben, and one of the conspirators against Moses in the wilderness, for which crime he, with Korah and Dathan, was engulfed by the opening earth (Num. 16 : 1-33).
2. The eldest son of Hiel the Bethelite, who died prematurely in fulfillment of the curse pronounced against the man who should rebuild Jericho (Josh. 6 : 26 and 1 Kings 16 : 34).
Ab'i-shag [meaning doubtful, per- haps given to error], a fair young woman of Shunem, in the tribe of Issachar, se- lected to cherish David in his declining age (1 Kings 1 : 3). After the death of David, Adonijah, as a step to the throne, engaged in an intrigue to marry Abishag, and thereupon was put to death by Sol- omon (1 Kings 2 : 17-25).
Ab'i-shai [my father is a gift — gifted], a nephew of David, through his sister Ze- ruiah, who zealously devoted himself to the interests of his uncle. He was David's companion in the daring exploit of pass- ing through the sleeping guards to where Saul slept (1 Sam. 26 : 5-9). When Shim- ei reviled David, Abishai turned to slay the foul-mouthed assailant of his king (2 Sam. 16 : 9). In suppressing the rebel- lion of Absalom he commanded one of the three divisions of David's army (2 Sam. 18 : 2). When David's life was en- dangered by the giant Ishbi-benob, Abi- shai interposed for his succor and killed the giant (2 Sam. 21 : 16, 17). He was distinguished as having slain three hun- dred men (1 Chron. 11 : 20). The victory over Edom in the Valley of Salt is ascribed to him (1 Chron. 18 : 12) ; and he probably was the one who gained the battle, al- though in 2 Sam. 8:13 the achieve- ment is ascribed to David as commander- in-chief. He was a valiant man, chival-
rous and impetuous, and intensely attached to David, who valued him more as a dar- ing warrior than as a wise counsellor. His history is closely associated with that of his more politic brother, Joab.
Ab'ner [my father is light — tliat is, en- lightener], the son of Ner and uncle of Saul, of whose armies he was the chief leader (1 Sam. 14 : 50; 17 : 55; 20 : 25; 26 : 5). Although it was known that Da- vid had been divinely designated as the successor of Saul, at that monarch's death Abner, presuming on the great influence he had acquired with the people, pro- claimed Ishbosheth, Saul's feeble son (2 Sam. 2 : 8), and upheld his government until it suited his schemes to abandon him. The tribe of Judah adhered to David, who appointed Joab his chief captain. The two armies, led by Joab and Abner, engaged in battle, which re- sulted in the defeat of the latter. In his flight Abner was pursued by Asahel, Joab's brother. Notwithstanding the warning of Abner, Asahel came so near that Abner, by a back thrust of his spear, pierced him through the body (2 Sam. 2 : 23). On a subsequent occasion Ishbo- sheth enraged Abner by rebuking him for marrying Eizpah, Saul's concubine, and the treacherous captain immediately made overtures to David to deliver up to him the kingdom. While engaged in settling the preliminaries, Joab availed himself of a secret opportunity of killing Abner in revenge for his brother Asahel's death, and at the same time to remove a rival. David lamented the death of Ab- ner and paid him high fimeral honors (2 Sam. 3 : 38). Abner left one son, Jaasiel (1 Chron. 27 : 21), who was made chief of the tribe of Benjamin by Solomon.
A-bom'i-na-ble, A-bom-i-na'- tion. These terms are applied in the Scriptures to objects awakening disgust or abhorrence, to impurity, falsehood, fraud,
16
ABRAHAM.
pride, but especially to idols and idolatry. See Idolatry.
In Gen 4;5 : 32 it is said that it is an abomination to the Efjyptians to eat bread with the Hebrews. The P^gyptians were ceremonially defiled by eating witli for- eigners, and so with the Hebrews. This feeling was intensified as to the Hebrews by the fact that they offered in sacrifice the cow and ate its flesh, whilst to the Egyp- tians it was a sacred animal and an object of worship (Ex. 8 : 26).
In Gen. 46 : 34, it is said that " every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyp- tians." This seems to have reference to nomads or wandering shepherds, such as are the Bedouin of to-day, and to have been due to an early invasion and oppres- sion of the Egyptians by their nomadic neiglibors on the north-east, and to the ir- ritations of local depredations at a later day. This feeling still exists between the Egyptians and the Bedouin.
The Abomination of Desolation, or " the abomination that maketh desolate," spoken of in Dan. 9 : 27 ; 11 : 31 ; and J 2 : 11, refers to the idolatrous symbols which the desolating conqueror of Jerusalem would set up in the holy place. These prophecies were fulfilled, first, in the pol- lution of the temple by Antiochus Epiph- anes, who dedicated it to Jupiter, 170 B. c. ; and secondly, a.s foretold by Christ in Matt. 24 : 15: "When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place," in the advance of the Roman ar- mies upon Jerusalem and their planting in the temple their military standards. These standards were crowned with im- ages, were paid idolatrous homage by the Romans and were regarded a.s idols by the Jews. Such was the abomination of the Jews for these standards that the Roman soldiers quartered in Jerusalem did not bring them into tlie city, even Pilate con- ceding this point to its people. History
tells us that the Christians in Jerusalem, admonished by their Master's words (Matt. 24 : 16), found opportunity to leave Jeru-
! salem on the approach of Vespasian, before the siege had been beg\in by Titus, and to take refuge in Pella. Titus surrounded the city with a wall in three days, wlien escape would have been impossible.
A'bra-hara [father of a multitude^, originally called Abram [high father], the son of Terah and a descendant of
I Shem in the ninth generation. He was
i the brother of Nahor and Haran. The latter died young, leaving a son. Lot, to the care of his uncle. Haran also left two daughters, of whom one, Iscah, called also Sarai, became the wife of Abraham. He was born in "Ur of the Chaldees" about B. c. 1996 (Gen. 11 : 27, 28). Obe- dient to a divine call, he left the place of his nativity, and abode in Haran or Char- ran (Acts 7:4) until the death of his fa- ther. After this event, when seventy-five years old, in company with his wife Sarai (afterward Sarah) and his nephew Lot, he journeyed to the land of Canaan, then thinly populated by the Canaanites, and there lived a pastoral life, dwelling in tents and feeding his flocks where the pastures proved inviting.
On his arrival at Sichem the Lord ap-
1 peared to him and renewed his promise that he would make of him a great nation and secure Canaan as a heritage for his posterity. The promise of God not only respected his temporal greatness, but, inas- much as it declared that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed, it in- cluded the spiritual blessings which should
' enrich the world on the coming of the Mes- siah, who was to descend from him (Gen. 12:2, 3). A famine driving Abraham
1 into Egypt, then the granary of the world,
I he was guilty of deceit in relation to his wife. Fear lest the beauty of Sarai might prompt the Egyptians to kill him induced him to call her his sister, and led to her
ABRAHAM.
17
being taken to the harem of the king (Gen. 12 : 10-20). Pharaoh, liowever, who had been deceived by him, instead of punish- ing him, loaded him with favors and sent him away.
Having acquired considerable wealtli (Gen. 13 : 2), he left Egypt with Lot, and returned to Canaan. The extent of their flocks was the occasion of a differ- ence which induced them amicably to sep- arate, the choice being nobly conceded by Abraham to his nephew, who chose the well-watered plain in which Sodom was situated. Shortly after this the Lord cheered Abraham by a repetition of his promise that he should possess Canaan with a numerous posterity (Gen. 13 : 14- 17). He then repaired to Mamre, near Hebron. The country in which Lot dwelt was at this time tributary to Chedorlao- mer, king of Elam, east of the Euphrates. This king invaded the land on its refusing to pay him the customary tribute; Lot, with his household and flocks, was, with others, seized and carried into captivity. Abraham, hearing of his disaster, armed his servants to the number of three hun- dred and eighteen, and, pursuing the cap- tors, overtook them near the springs of the Jordan, defeated them, liberated Lot and recovered his property. Reaching Salem on his return, he was met by its king and priest, Melchizedek, to whom he presented a tenth of the spoils. By strict right, ac- cording to war-usages, all that had been recovei'ed belonged to Abraham. This was recognized by the king of Sodom, but Abraham, with characteristic dignity and generosity, positively refused to re- ceive any compensation.
Abraham was at this time childless, and the promise was again renewed that he should have a posterity which, after be- ing in bondage four hundred years, should inherit the land. Sarai proposed that he should take Hagar as a second wife, and by her he had Ishmael. Thirteen years 2
after, when Abraham was ninety-nine years old, he had a remarkable Vision, in which God assured him that the heir of the prom- ise was not yet born, and that Sarai should bear him a son. At this time his name was changed from Abram to Abraham, and his wife's from Sarai to Sarah (Gen. 17). Circumcision was also appointed as the seal of the covenant between God and him, and the male members of his family received the seal. A few months after this, three persons, in appearance travellers, ap- proached the tent of Abraham as he sat at its door in the heat of the day. As the language used on the occasion plainly shows, one was the Lord, or, as may be in- ferred, the Son of God, with two attend- ant angels, who communicated to Abra- ham the intention of the Lord to destroy the cities of the plain. Abraham was permitted to intercede for the doomed cities, and if there had been ten righteous persons found in them his intercession would have availed for their safety. As it was. Lot and his daughters were the only persons saved from the cities of the plain.
Abraham then went to Gerar, where he was guilty of a duplicity similar to that practiced by him in Egypt (Gen. 20). See Abimelech.
About the year b. c. 1897, Isaac, the child of promise, was born. This greatly altered the situation of Ishmael in his fa- ther's house, and resulted in the exile of himself and his mother Hagar.
When Isaac was about twenty years old the Lord was pleased to subject the faith of Abraham to a very sore trial. He was commanded to go to the mountainous coun- try of Moriah, and there to offer up his son, the child of promise, as a sacrifice. Being assured that tlie commandment, mysterious as it was, came from tlie Lord, he instant- ly prepared to obey it, believing that " God was able to raise him up even from the dead" (Heb. 11 : 17-19). The Lord in-
IS
ABSALOM.
terposed after Isaac had been bound and laid upon tlie altar, and a ram Wiis pro- vided for the sacrifice (Gen. 22).
Eight years after this Sarah died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven, at or near Hebron (Gen. 23 : 1, 2). This led Abraham to take steps to secure a place for burial. He purchased the cave of Machpclah as a family -sepulchre, the only possession he ever had in the land of prom- ise (Gen. 23). The next care of the patri- arch was to obtain a suitable wife for his son Isaac. This was done by the embassy of Eliezer, who was instructed to go to Abraham's kindred in Haran (Gen. 24), whence in due time he returned with Rebekah, the daughter of iSTahor's son Bethuel.
Abraham afterward married Keturah, and had several children, to whom lie gave portions, but Isaac was constituted his heir and the head of his house. At the age of one lumdred and seventy-five the patriarcli died, and Avas buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the same tomb with Sarah at Hebron ((Jen. 25 : 8-10). A Mohammedan mosque now covers the spot.
Abraham's name is honored the world over. Besides the Israelites, the Edom- itcs, ^lidianites and Ishmaelites of ancient time looked up to him as their progenitor. He was honored with the title of " Friend of God " (James 2 : 23), and by that title he is still known and revered by the Moham- medans of every land. All Cliristians are accounted as his spiritual seed and are heirs with him of the promise. As a man he was the type of devotion, faith, courtesy and magnanimity, but he is more eminent for having been called of God to be the head of the visible Church, to con- serve the worsiiip of the true God, to be the progenitor of Christ and the father of the faithful in all lands and ages. Inter- esting as is the study of his life for the light it throws upon the patriarchal times.
ftir more important is it for its illustrations of tlie divine plans and government.
Abraham's Bos'om. Our Lord, in speaking of the condition of Lazarus after death, represents it as that of one "carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom" ( Luke 16 : 22). He thus conveys to the mind of a Jew the very definite idea of a state cha- racterized by equal happiness and honor, the highest joys of paradise. His al- lusion is to that Eastern mode of re- clining at table by which tlie one who sat next to tlie master of the feast was neces- sarily brought almost into his bosom, and was consequently regarded as occupying the place of highest distinction.
Ab'sa-lom \_father of peace, or peace- full, called also Abishalom \_7ny father is peace], (1 Kings 15 : 2, 10), son of David by Maachah, daughter of Tal- mai, king of Geshur (2 Sam. 3 : 3). He was distinguished by his beauty, in- herited from both his father and mother, and also by vanity, ambition and a reck- lessness that stopped at no crime in the pursuit of his aims. His personal for- tunes were determined and darkened by the fact that he was the son of one of David's numerous wives.
Polygamy is a sin against the family as well as against God. David's polygamy cursed his home and himself. Rival in- terests sprang up in the circle that God meant for a unit. David's eldest son, Amnon, who dishonored his half-sister Tamar, and was in consequence murdered by her full brother Absalom (2 Sam. 13 : 29), was the son of Ahinoam. His sec- ond son, by Abigail, disappeared from his- tory and probably died young. Absalom, the third son, owned a third mother, Maa- chah, daughter of a Syrian prince, "the king of (jeshur." Doubtless David sought by this alliance greater security, changing his troublesome neighbors in the rocky Lejah, on his north-eastern border, from foes to kinsmen. But discord entered
ABSALOM.
19
David's household. Aninon might well aspire to the throne by virtue of prior- ity in birth, whilst Absalom, son of a king and with a king's daughter for his mother, would despise the son of the hiunble Jezreelitess, wedded by David whilst yet but a private person. But it was yet another son of another mother who was chosen by God to succeed his father on the throne. Here entered dis- cord, jealousy, enmity, to sow the seeds of strife and assassination.
Absalom did not inherit from his mother his peerless beauty alone. From her, no doubt, he caught the traits of the Syrian of the Lejali. Reckless, cunning, ambitious, passionate, he reflected the characteristics of the heathenism which David brought into his harem. If the mother determines the formative years of the boy where tlie family is a unit, much more will slie have this power wliere each mother is the head of her own inner cir- cle, and where the father to that circle is but a fraction of a father. When with his fatlier, Absalom was the spoiled boy of beauty — the petted, the fondled, the indulged, but not the disciplined son. Tlius he grew to manhood, with the ele- ments of evil stored away in his soul, and ready in a moment to combine and to burst into fearfid violence.
A spark at length dropped on the mag- azine. Hitherto, Absalom had been the brilliant, liandsome, fascinating prince. Tlie cruel wrong done his sister Tamar by his elder brother Amnon wa.s the spark. But the explosion did not im- mediately follow. With true Oriental power of repression, for two long years he locked his purpose of revenge within his own breast. Month after month the avenger's anger kept hot, whilst outward- ly all was calm. At length his opportu- nity came. Amnon ceased to be on his guard, and the knives of his brother's re- tainers were in his heart (2 Sam. 13 : 1-29).
Absalom's flight to his Syrian grand- father's fastness secured his life, but did not mend his morals. Three years at a heathen court, with nothing good to do, might spoil a better man than Absalom. He returned to Jerusalem, to wait yet two years for permission to enter his father's presence, and to brood over his exclusion. At length, by a contrivance of Joab, he was admitted again to the presence of the king (2 Sam. 14). But no sooner was he received at court than he began to plot for the usurpation of his Other's throne.
Pillar of Absalom,
When the plot was sufSciently matured he repaired to Hebron and caused him- self to be proclaimed king. Ahitliophel, a man of great political sagacity, became his counselor, and advised a prompt move- ment against David before he could make proper preparations for defence. Had this counsel been followed, humanly speaking, his success would liave been certain. David, however, had prayed that the counsel of Ahithophel might be defeated, and through Husliai, the secret friend of David, Absalom was prevailed on to delay, by which he lost the oppor-
20
ABSTINENCE— ACCHO.
tunity of completing his revolution (2 Sam. 17).
David retired to the east of the Jordan, and made his stand at Mahanaim, near the ford of tlie torrent Jabbok. At the end of three months Absalom moved upon his father's army, and an engage- ment took place in the wood of Ephraim, which resulted in the defeat of the rebel- lious son.
A company of David's men came upon him riding on his mule. He turned aside to escape, but his liead was caught and jammed between tlie branches of a great terebinth tree — Josephus says, entangled by his flowing hair — so that he was held fast, while the mule passed from imder him and left him hanging " between lieaven and earth." This situation was speedily reported to Joab, who seized three javelins, and, coming to the place, thrust them into the swaying body, and was soon followed by his armor-bearers, who gave the finishing-strokes.
Joab with tlie trumj^et gave the signal for a halt, and withdrew the army. The rebellion ceased in the deatli of the rebel, and no more blood was to be shed. The body of Absalom was thrown into a pit and stones were cast upon it (2 Sam. 18).
The name of Absalom is execrated alike by Jew, Mohammedan and Chris- tian. Having no male children, he had erected in the King's Dale, near Jerusa- lem, a column to perpetuate his memory. A monument called " Absalom's Pillar" is shown in the valley of Jehoshaphat, wliich is unquestionably a structure of mucli more modern date than tlie times of Absalom, liut may stand on the site of tiie original monument. Every Jew who passes casts a stone at it in abhorrence of the memory of the unnatural prince.
Ab'stinence [not eatiiir/'], a general term to express the refraining from some- thing to which we are inclined or in which we find pleasure. It occurs but
once in the New Testament (Acts 27 : 21), where it has the sense of refraining from food. The verb abstain, from a diflferent Greek root, is not infrequently met with, and is associated with injunctions to re- frain from numerous forms of evil (Acts 15 : 20 ; 1 Tliess. 4 : 3 ; 1 Pet. 2:11).
Ac'cad [fortress], one of tlie cities built by Nimrod in the land of Shinar (Gen. 10 : 10). About five miles from Bagdad, in the midst of a marsh west of the Tigris, there is a gigantic pile of ruins which some suppose to be the site of an- cient Accad. Another and perhaps a more probable conjecture locates the city above Babylon, near Sepharvaim. Before Bab- ylon emerged from obscurity Accad was prominent. About B. c. 1800, Sargon I. re- built it, made it his capital and the seat of a famous library of Accadian literature.
The city of Accad was the capital of a dis- trict of tlie same name, and city and dis- trict were thus denominated from their or- iginal inhabitants, the Accadai or " High- landers." These Accadai were Hamites, who in the earliest times possessed them- selves of a portion of Shinar, who orig- inated the Tigro-Euphratean arts and sciences, who developed a remarkable agglutinative language and an equally remarkable system of writing, and who made their land the country of classical cuneiform literature, from which, subse- quently, all the great Assyrian works were copied.
Ac^cho [hotsond], the modern Acca or Acre. In the partition of the Holy Land this place was assigned to the tribe of Asher, but the original inhabitants were not dis- possessed ( Judg. 1 : 31 ). It is situated about thirty miles south of Tyre, on the north-western point of a commodious bay called the Bay of Acre, the southern point of which is formed by Mount C'arniel. Its western shore is washed by tlie Mediterra- nean. Before the Christian era it fell into the hands of one of the Ptolemies of Egypt,
ACCURSED— ACHISH.
21
probably Soter, who enlarged and beautified it, and from him it received the name of Ptolemais. Under this name it is referred to (Acts 21 : 7) as a place in which the gos- pel had met with some success. During the Crusades it was known as Aeon, and the knights of St. John of Jerusalem, having taken possession of it, gave it the name of St. Jean d'Acre. Modern travelers have discovered many striking remains of this ancient city, but these are rapidly disap- pearing, being used as materials for other structures. It is a place susceptible of strong defence, and in its eventful history, even down to very late times, it has fre- quently been besieged. At present it con- tains about eight thousand inhabitants, but its internal does not correspond with its im- posing external appearance. Its trade is now nuich reduced and the bazaars are deserted. The whole place has a desolate appearance.
Ac-cur'sed [cherem in Hebrew, and anathema in Greek] is a term signifying primarily a devotion of persons or things to Jehovah, to be his entirely. Persons thus devoted were to die (Lev. 27 : 29 ; 1 Sam. 14 : 24, 44) ; cattle and other prop- erty were to be given to the service of the Lord in the tabernacle or by the priest- hood (Lev. 27 : 2S ; Num. 18 : 14). The law in respect to idolatrous cities is stated in Deut. 1.3 : 12-17. Of an accursed city and of an accursed man, Jericho and Achan are examples respectively. Jer- icho was accursed, devoted to destruction (Josh. 6 : 17) ; Achan, having violated the anathema (Josh. 7:11), was punished witli death (Josh. 7 : 15-25). It has also a more general sense, as in Rom. 9 : o ; 1 Cor. 12 : 3; 16: 22; Gal. 1 : 9.
Subsequently the same term was used to signify excommunication, the casting of a Jew out of the synagogue. See Anath- ema.
A-ceUda-ma [field of blood], the field near Jerusalem purchased with the money
which Judas received for betraying Our Lord, and so called from his violent death therein (Matt. 27 : 3-8; Acts 1 : 18, 19). It was well known as the Potter's Field, and was tlienceforward used as a burial- place for strangers. The traditional site of Aceldama is on the northern declivity of the steep clifi" on the south of the valley of Hinnom.
A-chai 'a, a province of ancient Greece, of which Corinth was the capital. Under the Romans, Greece was divided into the two provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, the former embracing Macedonia proper, with Illyricum, Epirus and Thessaly, and the latter all that lay south of that. The New Testament references to it (such as Acts 18 : 12; 19 : 21 ; 2 Cor. 11 : 10) are made witli a view to this division.
A'chan [troubler], an Israelite of the tribe of Judah, who when Jericho and all that it contained were devoted to destruc- tion, contrary to the express prohibition of God and under the impulse of covet- ousness, secreted in his tent some valu- able articles from the spoils, presuming that he could escape detection. The an- ger of the Lord was revealed against the community of which he was a member, and they were defeated before Ai. A search was then instituted for the oilend- er, and, being discovered, he and his fam- ily were devoted to destruction in the valley of Aclior, so called from the trouble which Achan had occasioned (Josh. 7).
A'char, the same as Achan (1 Chron. 2:7).
Acll'bor [probably field-movse^, the father of Baal-hanan, one of the kings of Edom (Gen. 36 : 38). Another of the same name is referred to in 2 Kings 22 : 12, who is also called Abdon (2 Chron. 34 : 20).
A'chish [perhaps anf/ry],the name of two kings.
1. A Philistine king of Gath, to whom
22
ACHMETHA— ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
David twice applied for protection when fleeing from Saul. On the fii-st occasion, thinkins: his life to be in danger, David unjustitiably feigned madness (1 Sam. 21 : 10-13). On his returning again to Gath, David asked for a residence, and Ziklag was given to him by the Philis- tine king (1 Sam. 27). Achish expressed great confidence in David, and would have promoted him to a command in his army in the campaign which ended in the deatli of Saul, had he not been de- terred by the jealousy of the lords of the Philistines (1 Sam. 29).
2. Another king of Gath at a later day, bearing the same name or title, to whom two servants of Shimei fled (1 Kings 2 : .39).
Ach'me-tha, the Ecbatana of clas- sical writers and the capital of the Medes ( Ezra 6:2). It was a city of great strength and of considerable architectural beauty. Its ancient site is now occupied by the mod- ern Hanmclan, Persia.
A'chor [trouble], the name of a valley near Jericho, given because of the trouble occasioned to the Israelites by the sin of Achan, who wa.s stoned to death and bur- ied there (Josh. 7 : 24-26). See Achan. It is supposed to be identical with the Wddy Kelt, running from the spring of that name, and south of Eriha (Jericho), Ijast Jiljulieh (Gilgal) into the Jordan.
Ach'sah [anklet], the daughter of Caleb, whom he promised in marriage to the leader who should attack Kirjath- sepher, or Debir, in the southern part of Judah, and take it from tlie Philistines. His nephew, Othniel, took the place and won Achsah as his wife (Josh. 1-5 : 16, 17). Whilst being conducted to her new home she asked and received from her father the gift of the " upper and nether springs," which no doubt added much to the value of her dower ( Judg. 1 : 15).
Ach'shaph Ifascmntion], a city with- in the territory of Asher, originally the
seat of a Canaanite king (Josh. 11:1; 12 : 2U).
Ach'zib [Jalxehood], the name of two places mentioned in Scripture.
1. A town in the plain of Judah (Josh. 15 : 44). At the Assyrian invasion it proved faithless to the national cause, and Micah the prophet taunts it by a play on its name : " The houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel" (Mic. 1 : 14).
2. A maritime town assigned to the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19 : 29), but from which the Canaanites were not expelled (Judg. 1 : 31). It lay on the Mediterra- nean coast some ten miles north of Accho or Acre. An insignificant village called Zib now occupies its ancient site.
A'cre, the rendering in our Author- ized Version of a Hebrew word which has the indefinite sense of a measure of ground (Isa. 5 : 10), but of which the precise ex- tent is not known. The Hebrew word literally means "a yoke," and indicates most likely as much land as a yoke of oxen will plough in a day (1 Sam. 14 : 14).
Acts of the Apostles, the fifth and last of the historical books of the New Testament. An almost universal consent and the very strongest internal evidence asci'ibe the authorship to Luke, the writer of the Gospel which bears his name. In Col. 4:14, Luke is designated " the beloved physician." He was a man of education, and his style is regarded Ijy critics as purer than that of the other evangelists. A companion of Paul in some of his missionary excursions, he was an eye-witness of many of the events he records. The book narrates the labors of the early preachers of the gospel, more especially those of Peter and Paul, and the wonderful extension of Christianity throughout the numerous countries then subject to tlie Roman power. It was written in the Greek language, about A. D. 63, and most likely at Eome. Designed to supply by select and suitable instances
ADAH— ADAM.
23
an illustration of the divine power of that religion which Jesus died to estab- lish, it everywhere represents the risen and enthroned Christ as the supreme Sovereign and Saviour of men. Christ appoints that twelfth witness who takes the place of the fallen apostle (eh. 1 : 24). Christ, liaving received "the promise of the Father," sends down the Holy Spirit (ch. 2 : 33), Christ turns the people from their iniquities and adds them to the membershii^ of his Church (chs. 2 : 47 ; 3 : 26). Christ works miracles from time to time by the hands of the apostles (chs. 3:6; 5:12); receives into glory the spirit of the martyred Stephen (ch. 7 : 59) ; instructs Philip to go and meet the Ethiopian (ch. 8 : 26) ; arrests Saul in his career of persecution and makes him a chosen vessel to the Gentiles (ch. 9:15); sends Peter to open the door of faith to the Gentiles (ch. 10 : 45) ; and tlirough all the marvellous history con- tinually appears, presiding over the af- fairs of his Cliurch, directing his ser- vants in tlieir course, protecting them from the hands of their enemies, and in the midst of much that was adveree giv- ing effect to their ministrations and caus- ing the truth of the gospel to grow and bear fruit. Hence, in the Acts we have not merely a narrative of focts wliich fall out at the beginning of the Christian Church, but we have, first of all and in all, the ever-present, controlling, adminis- trative agency of the Lord Jesus Clirist himself shedding forth the powers of his risen life and giving shape and form to his spiritual and everlasting kingdom.
A'dah [ornavient], one of the wives of Lamech (Gen. 4:19); also one of the wives of Esau (Gen. 36 : 2).
Ad'am [man, cognate with Edom, rerf], the progenitor of the human fam- ily. His body was formed of the dust of the earth and animated by the breath of God. His history is given
with great simplicity in the first four chapters of Genesis. God having, by the word of his power, called into exist- ence the inanimate elements, then the vegetable creation, then beings possessed of mere animal life, at last produced man, made in the divine image, endowed with a rational and immortal soul and invested with dominion over the inferior works of creation. The maturity of his powers was not attained by gradual progress. He came at once from the hand of his Creator, perfect in form and pure and sin- less in nature.
A beautiful garden provided with every object to charm the senses was the resi- dence of the first man. The beasts of the field were subject to him, and were named by him. To complete his happi- ness, Eve was formed as pure and inno- cent as himself, and became his com- panion.
It pleased God to subject this first pair to a test of obedience simple and easy in itself. They were forbidden to eat of the fruit of one particular tree in the garden called the " tree of tlie knowledge of good and evil," whilst the fullest liberty to par- take of all the rest was given to them.
Although they were created sinless, they were nevertheless capable of sin- ning ; and Satan, the great spirit of evil, who had fallen from his own high state, taking advantage of this peculiarity, by the most artful devices induced Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, and she, in her turn, became the successful tempter of Adam. Thus they violated the covenant wliich they had made with God, accord- ing to the terms of which their obedience would have secured to them the uninter- rupted enjoyment of life, happiness and the communion of their Maker, whilst disobedience subjected them to the loss of the divine image, the depravation of their holy nature, the interruption of their haijpiness and the loss of natural and
24
ADAM— ADDER.
spiritual life. Sad was the change! God no longer talked with them as a friend, hut in his anger drove them from tlie garden under a heavy curse.
The curse was distinctly pronounced on Adam and Eve, and the general tenor of it, hy which its effects are transmitted to tlieir latest posterity, clearly demonstrates that Adam stood in the relation of a rep- resentative of the human race, and that they were so identified with liim in his representative ciiaracter as to he liable to all the disastrous consequences of his first sin. We " sinned in him, and fell with him in his first trangression." Thus was sin introduced into the world, the taint of which attaches to every human being, while the earth groans under unnumbered woes. The gloomy scene was cheered by the first promise of Messiah, who as " the seed of the woman" should "bruise the serpent's head," and tlius repair the ruins of the fall.
The history of Adam's subsequent life is not noted with much particularity. He lived long to suffer and repent. He be- came a sorrowful spectator of the murder- ed body of his second-born son ; saw his first-born driven out as a wanderer; be- held the corruption of his numerous and increasing posterity ; felt conscious that he was the guilty author of all ; and when nine hundred and thirty years old yielded his life to the touch of death (Gen. 5:5).
Ad'am, a city mentioned in Josh. 3 : 16 as beside Zaretan, beyond which the overflow of the Jordan extended when it was crossed by the Israelites. As Zaretan was near Bethshean (1 Kings 4:12), Adam must have been flir up the Jordan and on high ground on its west side.
Ad'a-mah [ground], a fortified city of Naphtali (Josh. 19 : 36).
Ad'a-mant. The Hebrew word thus rendered in Ezek. 3 : 9 and Zcch. 7 : 12, is in Jer. 17 : 1 rendered "diamond," and
represents some stone of excessive hard- ness. As the Hebrews were unacquainted apparently with the true diamond, it is probable that the word rendered "ada- mant" designates emery, a variety of co- rundum, a mineral inferior only to the diamond in hardness.
A'dar [aploultd], the sixth month of the civil and the twelfth of the sacred year — reckoning among the Jews, corresponding with part of our February and March (Esth. 3 : 7). The name was introduced after the Captivity (Ezra. 6 : 15).
A'dar [t^plendor, or wide extent], a place mentioned in Josh. 15 : 3 as marking the border of Judah. It seems to be the same as Hazar-addar (Num. 34 : 4).
Ad'der, a general name for several spe- cies of venomous serpents belonging to the viper family. In our English version of the Old Testament it is the rendering of
Horned Cerastes.
four different Hebrew words, each indica- tnig some specific difference. The first of these words occurs only in Ps. 140 : 3, and expresses the action of a serpent lurking in ambush and coiling himself to strike. The second of these words, twice rendered adder (Ps. 58 : 4 ; 91 : 13), but elsewhere asp, is from a root meaning to thrust out ; in allusion, it is said, to the animal's cus- tom of thrusting out its fangs. It is de- scribed by the Psalmist (Ps. 58 : 4, 5) as deaf, and hence as indifferent to the voice of the charmer; from which we infer that the art of charming serpents by music was
ADJUKE— ADONIZEDEK.
25
practiced in David's time. See Ser- pent. Tlie tliird of these words, once rendered adder (Pro v. 23 : 32) and four times cockatrice (Isa. 11 : 8; 14 : 29; 59 : 5; Jer. 8 : 17), is derived from a root meaning to hiss. The fourth of these words, used but once (Gen. 49 : 17), wliere it is rendered adder, comes from a root which means to puncture or wound, and is commonly supposed to be the Coluber Ce- rastes, or horned viper of Linnaeus, a small and very poisonous snake.
Ad-jure', a form of urgent appeal in wliich one is required to speak or act as if under the solemnity of an oath (Josh. G : 2G ; Matt. 26 : 63; Mark 5:7; Acts 19 : 13).
Ad^mah [earth], one of the five cities in the vale of Siddim which had a king of its own (Gen. 10 : 19). It was des- troyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (Deut. 29 : 23).
Ad-mi-ra'tion, a word which when our Authorized Version was made had the simple sense of u-onder, and did not carry with it that notion of approval, wh'wh our modern usage does. In Rev. 17 : 6, "won- dered with great admiration" is ec|Uivalent to " wondered greatly."
A-do'ni-Be'zek \_the lord of Bezek'\, a petty tyrant living not for from Jerusa- lem at the time of the entrance of the Is- raelites into Canaan. In his conquests of neighboring chiefs he had mutilated sev- enty of tliem by cutting off tiieir thumbs and great toes, thus disqualifying them for future warfare. He was the first of the Ca- naanitish kings conquered by the Israelites after the death of Joshua, and, as a right- eous retribution, he was dealt with in tlie same manner as lie had treated others. He acknowledged the justice of his pun- ishment, and afterward died a captive in Jerusalem (Judg. 1 : 5-7).
Ad-o-ni'jah [my Lord is Jehovah'], the fourtli son of David by Haggith, and I)orn at Hebron (2 Sam. 3 : 4). After the death
of his brothers, Amnon, Chileab and Ab- salom, Adonijah was by birth heir to the throne, but his claims had been previously set aside in favor of Solomon. He gathered around him a number of influential men, including Joab and Abiathar, and caused himself to be proclaimed king. David, who was then near the close of life, awa- kened to the danger of the movement by Bathsheba, counteracted it by proclaiming Solomon as his successor and at once in- vesting him with the regal dignity. This prompt and timely measure dispirited the followers of Adonijah, who immediately forsook him. He himself fled, and laid hold of the horns of the altar as a place of safety. He was pardoned by Solomon, with the reservation that his future course should be loyal ; otherwise he should die. Subsequently he desired Abishag, the young virgin concubine of his father David, to be given to him as his wife ; and Solomon, perceiving that his design was thus to strengthen his pretensions to the throne, ordered him to be put to death (1 Kings 1 and 2).
Ad-o-ni'ram [lord of exaltation'], the receiver-general of taxes under David and Solomon (1 Kings 4 : 6; 2 Sam. 20 : 24), called also Adoram and Hadoram. Wlien Rehoboam succeeded Solomon on the throne, his refusal to lighten the burdens of the people led to the revolt of ten tribes and the murder of the obnoxious collector of taxes (1 Kings 12 : 18; 2 Chron. 10 :
18).
Ad-O'ni-ze'dek [lord of rightrous- nefts], the Canaanitish king of Jerusalem when Palestine was invaded liy the Is- raelites, and the first who seriously at- tempted to arrest their progress. Secur- ing the alliance of the other four Amor- itish kings, he first made a descent on the Gibeonites to punish them for entering into a treaty with Joshua. When he heard of it, Joshua made a forced march from Gilgal, and coming unexpectedly on the
20
ADOPTION— ADRI EL.
Amorites defeated them. During the pur- suit Josliua commanded the sun and moon to stand still, that the day might be pro- longed and tlie defeat be more signal. The hostile kings were captured in a cave in which they had concealed them- selves, and after tlie Hebrew chiefs had placed their feet on their necks, in token of triuniph, according to tlie custom of the times, they were hanged and their bodies buried in the cave (Josh. 10 : 1-27).
A-dop'tion, the act by which a stran- ger is received into a family as a child, with a title to all the privileges of sonship. Adoption was and still is common among the Shemitic races. It was more rare among the Hebrews, because the Mosaic code of laws provided for the descent of property where there were not sons to in- herit it. Yet it was not a strange practice to them. In the time of Christ and the apostles the practice of adoption by the Greeks and Romans rendered it a thing familiarly understood. Hence the use of it in the New Testament as an illustration of God's dealings with his people.
In its spiritual application it denotes the filial relation between God and the believer, by which the latter is received into the number, and has a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God. It is a dignity to Avhich believei's are predes- tinated, not for any foreseen loveliness or excellency in themselves, but of the good pleasure of God (Epli. 1 : 5). It is by the Holy Spirit that the believer is en- aljled to ascertain and appreciate the re- lation (Rom. 8 : 15, 16; Gal. 4 : 6). As adopted children, believers become joint lieirs with Christ, God's only-begotten Son (Rom. 8 : 17). They are enabled as little children to rest in their almighty Father ; to approach his mercy-seat with confidence ; to regard all the sorrows that he may send or permit as fatherly chas- tisements; and to look forward with as-
surance to the glorious inheritance laid up for them in heaven.
A-do'ram. See Adoniram.
Ad-ram 'me-lech [ylonj of the kint/; or, rather, in tlic liglit of recent discover- ies, Adar is king, Adar being an Assyrian deity].
1. The name of an idol worshiped by the inhabitants of Sepharvaim, who were transported from Assyria to Samaria. To it children were offered as burnt sacrifices. It is noticed in 2 Kings 17 : 31 in connec- tion with Anammelech \^Anu is kiny], an- otlier Assyrian deity. It is supposed to represent the male power of the sun, as Anammelecli is supposed to represent the female power.
2. One of the sons and murderers of Sennacherib, a king of Assyria (2 Kings 19 : 37 ; Isa. 37 : 38).
Ad-ra-myt'ti-um, a city of Asia Minor, on the coast of Mysia, facing the island of Lesbos and at the foot of Mount Ida. To it belonged the ship in wliich Paul embarked when on liis way to Italy as a prisoner (Acts 27 : 2). Its modern name is Adrami/t, and it is still a place of some commerce, but its general appear- ance is poor.
Ad'ria. Luke, in his account of Paul's journey to Italy, says (Acts 27 : 27), "As we were driven up and down in Adria," a name then applied to all t!i:it part of the Mediterranean which lies between Crete and Sicily.
The term "Adriatic " now designates only the gulf which lies between Italy on the one side and the coast of Dalmatia on the other. The wider extension of the ancient term removes the objection that jNIelita, or Malta, where Paul was wrecked, is not within the limits of the pi-esent Adriatic Gulf; for whilst it lies beyond the gulf, it is within the limits of the Adriatic Sea.
Ad'i'i-el [flock nf God], a son of Bar- zillai, to whom Said gave in marriage his daughter Merab, who had been promised
ADULLAM.
27
to David (1 Sam. xviii. 19). He had five sons, who were given up to the Gibe- onites, according to the principle of blood revenge, on account of the cruelties exer- cised toward that people by Saul. In 2 Sam. 21 ; 8 these five sons are said to be tlie sons of Michal, whom "she brought up for Adriel." The word properly means "bare," or "'which Michal bare to Adriel." Some reconcile tlie difli- culty by supposing that tlie name of Michal was substituted for that of Merab by a mistake of the copyist ; and others, that Michal, having no children, adopted those of Merab, her sister, and was hence regarded as their mother.
A-dul'lam [justice of the peoplel, the name of a city and of a cave.
1. The city was in the territory of Judah, be- tween tlie highlands and the sea. It had been one of the royal cities of the Canaaniles (Josh. 15 : 35). It was fortified by Reho- boam (2 Chron. 11 : 7), and is styled the "glory of Israel" (Mic. 1 : 15). From its place in the list of the cities which Reho- boam fortified, it appears to have been not very far from the Philistine city of (jatli. Lieutenant
Conder, of the English Survey Expedi- tion, places its site on a high rounded hill, almost isolated by valleys and cov- ered with ruins, a natural fortress in near vicinity to two ancient wells.
2. The Cave of Adullam, from the circumstance that David with four hun-
dred followers took refuge in it (1 Sam. 22 : 1, 2), and from the persuasion that no cave in the vicinity of the city was sufficiently large to accommodate such a body of men, has from very early times been located in the mountainous wilder- ness in the east of Judah, toward the Dead Sea. Here numerous caves are
The Cave of Adullam.
found, one of which, about six miles south-east of Bethleiiem, in the side of a deep ravine, is tlie traditional Cave of Adullam. It is an immense natural cavern, the mouth of wliicli can be ap- proached only on foot along the side of the clifi'. It has large chambers and
28
ADULTERY— AGATE.
many winding passages, and is admirably adapted not only to siieltcr, liut also to hide, a much greater host than that of David. Lieutenant Conder states that the sides of the valley which anciently led to the city of Adullam are lined with rows of caves, some of them quite large, and argues that if the city of Adullam were near Gath, David upon hastily leaving Gath (1 Sam. 21 : 12-15) would naturally seek the nearest and most accessible ref- uge. It is said, too, that if David occupied a cave in the vicinity of the city of Adul- lam, he was in position to cover the line of Philistine advance on the cornfields of Keilah, and in case of necessity to re- treat to the thickets of Kareth, three miles away. But tlie probabilities are still in favor of the traditional site south- east of Betlileliem.
A-dul'te-ry, unfoithfulness to the marriage covenant on the part of the husband or the wife. A crime of special enormity, it was punished by the law of Moses with death (Lev. 20 : 10). In Matt. 5 : 31, 32 it is represented by our Lord as the true and justifiable ground of divorce. From its sense of unfaithfulness to cove- nant it is frequently employed in Scripture as the symbol of idolatry and apostasy from the worship of the true God ( Jer. 3 : 8, 9 ; Ezek. 23:37). "An adulterous genera- tion" (Matt. 12 : 39) means a faithless and impious one, untrue to its God.
A-dum'tnim [the red ovbhodij place^, a hill or ascending ground between Jerusa- lem and Jericho, mentioned in Josh. 15 : 7 and 18 : 17. It is described as a difficult and narrow pass much infested by robbers, and was probably the place referred to by our Lord in the parable of the man who in his journey from .Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves (Luke 10 : 30). It is supposed to have been on tlio south foce of the gorge of the Wudy Kelt.
Ad'ver-sa-ry, an opposer, an enemy (1 Kings 11 : 14; Matt. 5 : 25). It is ap-
plied to Satan, the great adversary or en- emy of man (1 Pet. 5 : 8).
Ad'vo-cate, one who pleads the cause of another. Christ is the exalted and successful Advocate of believers (1 John 2:1; Heb. 7 : 25).
^'non \_)^pruigR, fountains]. See Enon.
Af-fln'i-ty, relationship by marriage, as distinguished from consanguinity or blood-relationship (1 Kings 3 : 1 ; 2 Chron. 18 : 1). Thus, a woman is aunt to a man by consanguinity when she is the sister of his father, or she may become his aunt by affinity by being the sister of his wife's father. The Levitical law which specifies the relations within which marriage may be contracted is recorded in Lev. 18 : 6-17.
Ag'a-bus [perhaps beloved], a prophet of the early Churcii who predicted the great famine which should prevail tlu'ough the tlien known world (Acts 11 : 28). He af- terward predicted Paul's sufferings by the hands of the Jews (Acts 21 : 10, 11).
A'gag [flamiiig\ tlie name of two kings of the Amalekites, and probably a titular name peculiar to tiieir kings (Num. 24 ; 7). When Saul defeated the Amalekites he spared Agag, their king, contrary to the express injunction of tlie Lord's prophet. Samuel, when lie heard tlii:^, repaired to Saul, and after rebuking him for his dis- obedience, hewed Agag in pieces a.s a just reward for his crimes, saying, " As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women" (1 Sam. 15 : 33). Hainan is called the Agagite in Esth. 3 : 1, 10; 8 : 3, 5, and is held by the Jews to have been a descendant of the king whom Samuel slew, and to have had a hereditary hatred of the Jewish people.
Ag'ate, an ornamental stone worn in tiie breastj)late of the high priest (Ex. 28 : 19), and held in higli esteem for its beauty (Isa. 54 : 12; Ezek. 27 : 16). It is the representative of two Hebrew words, the one meaning shining, the other spark-
AGE— AHAB.
29
ling. The stone now known by this name is a semi-pelhicid, uncrvstallized species of quartz, found in parallel or concentric layers of various colors and presenting many different tints in the same speci- men. The finest agates were brought from India, but equally beautiful specimens are met with in Europe and America.
Age, Old. The attainment of old age is in Scripture promised and represented as a blessing (Gen. 15 : 15). Wisdom and understanding are supposed to be the ac- companiments of it (1 Kings 12 : 6, 8). Cruelty to the aged is distinguished for its peculiar enormity (2 Chron. 3G : 17). Most of the Eastern nations paid a pro- found respect to the aged. In tiie social and political system of the Jews the aged occupied a prominent place. In private life they were looked up to as the deposi- taries of knowledge (Job 15 : 10) , in their presence the young were ordered to rise up (Lev. 19 : 32) ; their opinion was given first (Job 32 : 4) ; their gray hairs, especially when associated with piety, were to be ac- counted "a crown of glory" (Prov. 16 : 31 ). In pubhc affairs they were the rep- resentatives of the people in all matters of difficulty and deliberation. The old men, or elders, thus became a class, the title being used in an official sense wlien, as was at length the case, it had ceased to convey the notion of age.
Ag^o-ny [contesti, a word borrowed from the Grecian games, and metaphor- ically applied to a severe struggle or con- flict with pain and suflfering. In Luke 22 ; 44 it is used to describe the fearfiil and mysterious struggle which, in the Garden of Gethsemane, our Lord passed through. In this agony the si^ffering of soul so wrought upon the body that " his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
A-grip^pa. The name of two mem- bers of the Herodian family mentioned in the New Testament.
1. The grandson of Herod the Great, whose name he bore as a surname, and under the emperor Caligula the king of all Palestine. To conciliate the Jews he slew with the sword the apostle James and shut up in prison the apostle Peter (Acts 12: 2, 4). His fate was a fearful one. On a certain public occasion, when giving audience to the people of Tyro and Sidon, he made an address to them, which they applauded by impiously saying it was " the voice of a god, and not of a man." Uplifted with pride, " he gave not God the glory, and was eaten of worms " (Acts 12 : 20-23).
2. The son and successor of the fore- going. He also bore the surname of Her- od, but ruled a much smaller realm than his father. It was before him that Paul was brought (Acts 25 . 13, 26). He was the last of his family, surviving the de- struction of Jerusalem and dying at the age of nearly seventy years.
A'gur [gathered], the son of Jakeh, an unknown Israelite sage, the author of the sayings contained in Prov. 30.
A-hab' [f(ither\<^ brother], the name of two men.
1. The son of Omri, and the seventh king of the separate kingdom of Israel. He ascended the throne B. c. 919, and reigned twenty-two years. He was a weak man, and, surrendering himself to the guidance of Jezebel, his resolute, un- scrupulous and depraved wife, he sank to an appalling depth of wickedness ( 1 Kings 16 : 30). Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Tyre, and success- fully used her influence over Ahab for the establishment in Israel of the impure and demoralizing worship of Baal. In obedience to her wislies, Ahab erected in Samaria a temple in honor of Baal, and consecrated to Astarte, the Phoenician Ve- nus, the symbols or image used in her worship. With a fixed determination to extirpate the true religion, Jezebel
30
AHASUEKUS.
hunted down and put to death God's prophets and utterly suppressed all pub- lic worship of Jehovah. In this emer- gency God raised up the prophet Elijah, who boldly reproved the wicked king and stood forth to vindicate the claims of the true God. His triumph over the priests of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18 : 21-40) was a remarkable attestation of his prophetical mission and of his supe- riority to the idolatrous ministers. It wrought, liowever, no change in Ahab, and so exasperated Jezebel that Elijah was compelled to flee for his life. One of Ahab's leading tastes was that for splendid architecture, which he indulged in several cities of the kingdom, but chiefly in the beautiful city of Jezreel (now Zerin), where he built a palace and laid out a park. Desiring to add to his pleasure-grounds the vineyard of his neighbor Naboth, he proposed to buy it or give land in exchange for it; and, when Naboth refused his proposals, he secured against him a false accusation of blasphemy, and caused him and his sons to be stoned to death (1 Kings 21 : 13; 2 Kings 9 : 26). For this atrocious crime, the crowning act of a long course of wick- ! edness, the judgments of God, involving the ^ entire extirpation of his house, Avere pro- nounced U])on him by Elijah, and were literally and terribly fulfilled (1 Kings ' 21 ; 17-24; 2 Kings 9 : 3."); 10: 11).
2. A lying pro]ihet, who, with Zede- kiah, a man of like character, deceived the captive Israelites at Babylon by false promises. Because of this wickedness he [ and his confederate were denounced by the prophet Jeremiah, who predicted their vio- lent death by Nebuchadnezzar, the king. The literal fulfillment of Jeremiah's pre- diction originated a common form of mal- ediction, " The Lord make thee like Zed- ekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire !" ( Jer. 29 : 21, 22).
A-has-u-e'rus, the Hebrew form of Xerxes, and the name or title of one Me- dian and two Persian kings mentioned in the Old Testament. The orthography of the name Xerxes has recently been ascer- tained from the cuneiform inscripticms of Persepolis, where it is written Khslnjursha or Ksharsn, meaning "eye of the realm" or "ruling eye."
1. The first Ahasuerus, mentioned in Dan. 9 : 1 as the father of Darias the Mede, is usually regarded as the Astyages of profane history. He is regarded by others, however, as Cyaxares, the father of Astyages.
2. The second Ahasuerus, mentioned in Ezra 4 : 6, is believed to be Cambyses, the son and immediate successor of Cyrus, B. c. 529. He was a man of furious tem- per, and is not to be mistaken, as is some- times done, for the third Ahasuerus.
3. The third Ahasuerus, introduced to us in the book of Esther, is identified with Xerxes, the Persian king who invaded Greece. He reigned with great jwmp and magnificence. In the third year of his reign he made a sumptuous ban- quet for his nobility, and prolonged the feast for one hundred and eighty days. Merry with wine on one occasion, he or- dered his queen, Vashti, to appear be- fore his guests for the public display of her marvellous beauty. On her re- fusal he immediately and indignantly divorced her. In the seventh year of his reign he married Esther, a Jewess, know- ing not her parentage. In the twelfth year of his reign he acceded to tlie re- quest of his minister Haman, who had received some slights from Mordecai the Jew, that .on an appointed day the Jews in all parts of the empire should be mas- sacred. The wicked plot was defeated through the agency of Esther, Mordecai's niece. By righteous retribution, Haman met a more ignominious doom than that he had designed for Mordecai, while
AHAVA— AHAZIAH.
31
Mordecai was promoted to the highest honors.
A-ha'va [probably waterl, tlie river on the banks of which Ezra collected the second expedition that relumed with him from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 8 : 21). Its position is not easily identified. The latest researches are in favor of its being the Euphrates itself at the point where stands the modern Hil, due east of Da- mascus.
A'haz [possessor], the eleventh king of Judah, the son and successor of Jotham. In 2 Kings 16 : 2 he is said to have as- cended the throne at the age of twenty years, a mistake of the copyist for twenty- five years, and to have reigned sixteen years. He surpassed all his predecessors in wickedness. He was impious in his total disregard of God and the institu- tions of religion ; l.e was sacrilegious in stripping the temple of all its valualile utensils and ornaments and mutilating its furniture; he was idolatrous in prin- ciple and practice, scandalous in life, su- perstitious in spirit, and infamous in every respect. He made molten images for Baal ; he sacrificed his children to Moloch in the valley of Hinnom ; he closed the temple against any who sought to worship there ; in every city of Judah he erected high places, and in every corner of Jerusa- lem he reared idol altars. His punishment quickly followed. The kings of Syria and Israel, on the east and north of his king- dom, formed a league against him ; tlie Edomites attacked him from the south, and the Philistines from the west ; on every side the difficulties of his position were multiplying and the dangers to his life and crown steadily thickening. In his dilemma he applied for help to Tig- lath-pileser, king of Assyria, whose in- tervention, although it freed him from attack by the Syrians and Israelites, yet availed him little. At length, worn down by anxieties and excesses, he died at an
early age, and because of his impiety was not honored with a burial in the sepul- chres of the kings (2 Kings 16; 2 Chron. 28; Isa. 7).
A-ha-zi'ah [Jtliorah sustamsl, the name of two Jewish kings.
1. The eighth king of the separate kingdom of Israel, the son and successor of Ahab, whose wickedness he emulated (1 Kings 22 : 40). He reigned but two years. His vassals, the Moabites, revolt- ed against him and refused to pay trib- ute ; but before he could take measures to coerce them he received a serious bod- ily injury by a fall through a lattice in his palace at Samaria. In health he had wor- sliiped the gods of his mother Jezebel, and now he sent messengers to inquire of the oracle of Baalzebub, in the Philis- tine city of Ekron, whether he should re- cover. On the way the messengers met Elijah, who sent them back to tell the
I king he should certainly die. Exaspe- rated at this, he despatched several com- panies of men to arrest the prophet, who, after destroying by fire from heaven two companies of fifty men each, went to him at the Lord's bidding and announced the certainty of his speedy death (2 Kings 1 : 1-17).
2. The fifth king of Judah, son of Je- horam and Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, and therefore nephew of the preceding Ahaziah. He is called Azariah (2 Chron. 22 : 6) and Jehoahaz (2 Chron. 21 : 17). He reigned but one year, and, altogether controlled by the wicked counsels of his idolatrous mother, he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 8 : 24-29). Pie joined his uncle, Jehoram of Israel, in an expedition against Hazael, king of Damascene Syria, and afterward paid him a visit while he lay wounded in his summer palace of Jezreel. Jehu hav- ing meanwhile been proclaimed king of Israel, Jehoram and Ahaziah went against him in battle. Jehoram wa.s killed, and
32
AHIAH— AHIMELECH.
Ahaziah, mortally wounded, had only strength to reach Megiddo, where he died (2Kmgs9: 27).
A-hi'ah, a form of Ahijah (1 Sam. 14:3; 1 Kings 4:3; 1 Chron. 8:7). See Ahijah.
A-hi'jah [my brother is JeJiovaK], the name of several men, of whom two only need special mention.
1. A son of Ahitub, and high priest in the reign of Saul (1 Sam. 14 : 3). He was probably the same as Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, who was high priest at Nob in the same reign (1 Sam. 21 : 1), and was slain by Saul for assisting David (1 Sam. 22 : 11-19).
2. A prophet of Shiloli (1 Kings 14 : 2), called the Shilonite (1 Kings 11 : 29), in the days of Solomon and Jeroboam. Of his prophecies two are extant ; the one in 1 Kings 11 : 29-39, addressed to Jeroboam, announcing the rending of the ten tribes from Solomon in punish- ment of his idolatries and the transfer of the kingdom to Jeroboam, b. c. 973; the other in 1 Kings 14 : 5-16, addressed to Jeroboam's wife, announcing the destruc- tion of Jeroboam's house and foretelling the captivity of Israel " beyond the river Euphrates," b. c. 952.
A-hi'kam [my brother arose], one of the five distinguished persons sent by King Josiah to consult Huldah the prophetess concerning the book of the law found in the temple (2 Kings 22 : 12-14) ; after- ward protected the prophet Jeremiah from the persecuting fury of King Jehoiakim (Jer. 26 : 24).
A-him'a-az [_my brother i,s- anger], son and successor of Zadok, the joint high priest in David's time and sole high priest in that of Solomon. During tlie re- volt of Absalom, who took possession of Jerusalem when David fled from it, the two high priests, Zadok and Abiathar, re- maining in the city with the ark, posted their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan outside
the walls, to be in readiness to bear off to David any important information respect- ing Absalom's movements and designs wliich they might receive. When Hush- ai, David's friend, had defeated that crafty counsel of Ahithophel which, if Absalom had followed it, would in all human prob- ability have proved fatal to David, he communicated the fact to the high priests, and they in turn committed it to their sons with directions to carry tiie news to David. Absalom, being informed of the flight of the messengers, caused tliem to be pursued ; but, by the aid ol' a certain woman who ingeniously concealed them, they escaped (2 Sam. 15 : 24-37; 17 : 15-21 ). Ahimaaz was remarkably swift of foot. On the defeat and death of Absalom, Joab sent him with the tidings to David (2 Sam. 18 ; 19-29).
A-hi'man [my brother is a gift], one of the three giants of the race of Anak who dwelt at Hebron when the Hebrew spies explored Canaan (Num. 13 : 22).
A-him'e-lech [my brother is king], the name of two men.
1. The son of Ahitub (1 Sam. 22 : 12), and high priest at Nob in the days of Saul. When David was fleeing from Saul, he came to Nob, and, representing himself as on an expedition for the king, he obtained from Ahimelech the sword of Goliatli and a portion of the tabernacle shew-bread. Doeg the Edomite maliciously reported this to Saul, who sent for Aliimelech and the other priests then at Nob, and, not- withstanding their declaration that tliey were not aware of the position in which David stood to the king, he cruelly or- dered them to be slain, to the number of eighty-five. Abiatliar was the only one who escaped (1 Sam. 22 : 20). See Abi- athar.
2. A Hittite, one of David's companions whilst he was persecuted by Saul (1 Sam. 26 : 6).
AHINADAB— AIJALON.
33
A-hin'a-dab [my brother is noble'], one of the twelve officers appointed by Solomon to raise supplies for the royal household (1 Kings 4 : 14).
A-hin^O-am [viy brother is pleasant- ness, pleasant], the name of two women.
1. The daughter of Ahimaaz and wife of King Saul (1 Sam. 14 : 50).
2. A woman of Jezreel, the wife of Da- vid and mother of Amnon. When the Amalekites plundered Ziklag she was taken captive, but was recovered by Da- vid (1 Sam. 30 : 5, 18).
A-hi'o [brotherly], one of the sons of Abinadab, who with his brother Uz- zah drove the new cart on wliich the ark was placed when David attempted to re- move it from their house to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:3).
A-hi'ra [my brother is evil], chief of the tribe of Naplitali when the Israelites left Egypt (Num. 1 : 15).
A-hi'shar [my brother sings], an of- ficer set over the household of Solomon (1 Kings 4 : 6), a station of high honor and power.
A-hith^O-phel [my brother is folly], an eminent counsellor, distinguished for his political sagacity and wisdom (2 Sam. 16 : 23). Although he was the confi- dential adviser of David, he suffered him- self to be involved in the revolt of Absa- lom. When David heard that Ahithophel had joined the conspiracy, he prayed the Lord to turn his counsel into foolishness (2 Sam. 15 : 31), in allusion probably to the signification of his name. This pray- er was remarkably answered; for, when Ahitliophel judiciously advised an im- mediate prosecution of the war before Da- vid could collect his forces, Hushai, the secret friend of David, advised and ob- tained delay. When Ahithophel saw that Hushai's advice had prevailed, he de- spaired of success and, returning to his home at Giloh, hung himself (2 Sam. 17 : 1-23).
A-hi'tub [my brother is goodness], the name of two priests.
1. The son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli the high priest (1 Sam. 14:3). His father Phinehas being slain when the ark of God was taken by the Philis- tines, he may have succeeded Eli in his office, but this foct is not mentioned.
2. The father of Zadok the high priest (1 Chron. 6:8; 2 Sam. 8 : 17).
A-ho'lah [in her my tent], and A-hoF- i-bah [lent of loftiness], two fictitious or symbolical names under which Ezekiel represented Samaria and Judah (Ezek. 23 : 4).
A-ho'li-ab [father's tent] a man of the tribe of Dan and a skillful weaver and embroiderer, to wliom, with Bezaleel, Moses entrusted the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 35 : 34).
A-huz'zath [possession], a friend of Abimelech, the king of Gerar, who accom- panied him on his visit to Isaac for the purpose of forming an alliance (Gen. 26 : 26).
A'i [rM«?.s],aroyal city of the Canaanites, lying east of Bethel. Its name is variously written in Scripture. In the times of Abra- ham, who built near it an altar (Gen. 12 : 8), it Avas called Hai. In the times of Joshua, who utterly destroyed it, it was called Ai (Josh. 8 : 28). In the times of Isaiah, when a new town occupied its site, it was called Aiath (Isa. 10 : 28). In the times of Nehemiah it was called Aija (Neh. 11 : 31 ). The chief historical events which Scripture associates with it are the repulse before it of a part of Joshua's army be- cause of Achan's sin, the ambuscade by which Joshua surprised and stormed it, and the utter extermination of its inhab- itants (Josh. 7 and 8). It is located be- tween the modern villages of Deir Diwdn and Mukhmds, where are the remains of a large ancient town.
Ai'ja-lon or Aj'a-lon [place of ga- zelles], a town originally allotted to the tribe
34
AIN— ALEXANDRIA.
of Dan (Josh. 19 : 42), but held in posses- sion by the Amorites ( Judg. 1 : 35). Being on the frontier of the two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, it is sometimes spoken of as in Epliraim and sometimes as in Judah and Benjamin. Its name is most familiar to us from its mention in the celebrated speech of Joshua during his pursuit of the Ca- naanites (Josh. 10 : 12). It is represented by the modern Ydlo, south of Beth-Horon, now Beit- Ur.
A^in or A'en [cm eye], a city of the tribe of Judah, and afterward of that of Simeon (Josh. 15 : 32; 1 Chron. 4 : 32). The word in Hebrew is used to denote a spring or fountain, the eye of the landscape, and is found combined with names of places, usually rendered En in English, as En- Gedi, fountain of kids; En-Ganiihn, foun- tain of the gardens ; En-Haddah, swift fountain.
Air, the atmosphere surrounding the earth (1 Thess. 4: 17). "Speaking into the air," as in 1 Cor. 14 : 9, is a pro- verbial expression, denoting to speak in vain ; as we say, " throwing his words to the winds." " Beating the air," as in 1 (3or. 9 : 26, denotes an abortive effort, in allusion to an ineffectual blow in a pugi- listic combat. "The powers of the air," in Eph. 2 : 2 is an expression probably allusive to a common opinion of the Jews that the air or atmosphere was filled with evil spirits.
Ak-rab'bim [.seorpi'ons], one of the points designating the southern frontier- line of the Promised Land (Josh. 15 : 3). It was an ascent or chain of hills, prob- ably infested with scorpions, according to the signification of its name.
AFa-bas-ter. In Matt. 26 : 7 ; Mark 14 : 3; Luke 7 : 37 we have an account of a woman who came to the house of Simon, where Jesus was dining, and who, in token of her profound regard, poured upon his head from an alabaster vase a most costly and precious ointment of
spikenard. In Mark 14 : 3 it is said she broke the alabaster box, by which we are evidently to understand that she broke the seal, which had never before been disturb- ed, and by which the perfume was pre- served from evaporation. The alabaster which was manufactured in ancient times into pots for holding perfumes, and which was so called from Alabastron, the town in Egypt where the manufacture was first begun, is supposed to have been a harder and more compact stone than that beau- tiful species of gypsum of the same name which is now so well known as the mate- rial of ornamental vases. From the ap- plication of this substance to this partic- ular use, eventually all kinds of pots and vases used to hold perfume, although made of gold, ivory or other substances, were called alabaster vases.
AFa-moth [virrjinFi], a supposed mu- sical term of unknown signification. It is used in 1 Chron. 15 : 20 and in the title to Ps. 46, where it is thought to be a di- rection to the choristers to sing in the fe- male voice, i. e. our treble or soprano.
Al-ex-an'der. The name of several persons in the New Testament.
1 . The son of Simon the Cyrenian ( Mark 15 : 21).
2. A distinguished Jew, a member of the council before which Peter and John were interrogated for healing tb.e lame man (Acts 4 : 6).
3. A Jew of Ephesus who took a prom- inent part in the controversy between Paul and the populace of the city, and attempted without success to quell the tumult (Acts 19 : 33).
4. A professed convert to Christianity, who for apostasy was "delivered unto Satan," that is, excommunicated by Paul (1 Tim. 1 : 19, 20). This last was prob- ably the same with " Alexander the cop- persmith," mentioned 2 Tim. 4 : 14.
Al-ex-an'dri-a, mentioned Acts 18 : 24; 27 : 6. A celebrated city in Lower
ALEXANDRIANS— ALLIANCES.
36
Egypt, occupying a strip of land from the Mediterranean on the north to Lake Ma- reotis on the south. It was founded by Alexander the Great, b. c. 332. It was a place of great commercial enterprise and wealth, and abounded in magnificent buildings. According to Pliny the histo- rian, its circuit was fifteen miles. After the death of Alexander, who was buried there, it became tlie regal city of Egypt, and under the Ptolemies, a Greek dy- nasty, its splendor rose to the highest point. Its population was six hundred thousand, half of which was composed of slaves. Among other things it was celebrated for its library of seven hun- dred thousand volumes, which, guarded for centuries with great care, was at length destroyed by the torch of war.
At an early age Christianity was intro- duced into Alexandria. Apollos, the elo- quent convert, was a native of the city, and two-fifths of the population were Jews. Its history from the first has been eventful, and, for centuries, disastrous. Its commer- cial importance passed away; its popula- tion deserted it ; its edifices fell into ruin or were used to build up younger cities. In the year 640 it was yet a great city, for when Amru captured it he wrote to the Moslem caliph Omar, " I have taken the great city of the West, which contains four thousand palaces, four thousand baths, four hundred theatres, twelve thousand shops and forty thousand tributary Jews." But even this measure of greatness was soon lost.
In more recent times Alexandria has again revived and become an important centre of commerce. In 1870 its popula- tion was estimated at 238,888, composed of Arabs, Turks, Copts, French, Italians and others.
Al-ex-an'dri-ans, Jews from Alex- andria (Acts 6:9).
AFgum, a transposed form of the He- brew term Almtjg (which see).
APle-gO-ry, a figure of speech re-
sembling the parable, and much used by all Oriental peoples. It is a personifica- tion either of irrational and inanimate ob- jects or of moral qualities, and an illus- tration and enforcement of truth by their conduct or by a supposed conversation be- tween them. The word occurs but once in the Scriptures (Gal. 4 : 24) and there the passage should be rendered " which things are allegorized." Paul refers to certain events in the history of Israel and Ish- mael which he uses to foreshadow import- ant gospel truths, and which, therefore, he allegorizes. He does not mean to say that the historic facts he cites are them- selves an allegory.
Al-le-lu'ia [pra/se ye the Lordi, a Grecised form (Rev. 19 : 1, 3, 4, 6) of the Hebrew Hallelujah (which see).
Al-li'ances. In our Authorized Vei-sion this word, as expressive of the social and political relations which the ancient people of God were or were not permitted to form with strangers, ap- pears but once in its verbal root " allied " (Neh. 13 : 4), but the thought which it embodies is found not infrequently.
In respect to social or family alliances the Mosaic Law was explicit. The covenant people of Jehovah could enter into no marriage covenant Avith the daughters of a strange god, for this was to poison their life at the fountain-head. Such alliances were expressly forbidden in the Law (Deut. 7 : 3), and in actual life were stern- ly denounced as violations of the funda- mental principles of the covenant (Ezra 9 : 2; 10 : 2, 3; Neh. 13 : 23-25; Mai. 2 : 11, 12). It was allowable, however, for He- brews to marry wives from other nations, on condition that the person so wedded renounced the gods and corrupt mannei's of their country and embraced in tiieir stead the faith and worship of Israel. Of this several examples are recorded, as in the cases of Zipporah, Rahab and Ruth.
In respect to political or national alii-
36
ALLON— ALMOND.
ances, the legislation of Moses laid down nothing very explicit except as regards the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan. With them the Israelites were enjoined to make no league, public or pri- vate, but to carry into effect the decree of God, wliich doomed them, because of their enormous sins, to an utter destruction (Deut. 7:2; Judg. 2 : 2). What was said respecting the surrounding nations bore upon the religion and manners preva- lent among them, rather than upon the peo- ple themselves. Israel was not to copy their idolatrous and sinful practices, but might cultivate with them peaceful and friendly relations. Accordingly, when Is- rael became an established commonwealth formal alliances Avere entered into with several of the neighboring states. Solo- mon concluded two important treaties ex- clusively for commercial purposes: the first with Hiram, king of Tyre, originally with the view of obtaining materials and woi'kmen for the erection of the temple, and afterward for the supply of shipbuild- ers and sailors (1 Kings 5 : 2-12; 9 : 27) ; the second with a Pharaoh, king of Egypt, by which he secured a monopoly of the trade in horses and other products of that country (1 Kings 10 : 28, 29). After the division of the kingdom the alliances were of an offensive and defensive nature. When war broke out between Amaziali and Jer- oboam II., a coalition was formed between Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah on the one side, and Ahaz and Tiglatli-pileser, king of Assyria, on the other (2 Kings 16 : 5-9). An opening for the advances of Assyria was thus made ; and the king- doms of Israel and Judah, as they were successively attacked, sought the alliance of the Egyptians, wlio were strongly inter- ested in maintaining the independence of the Jews as a barrier against the encroach- ments of the Assyrian power (2 Kings 17 : 4; 19: 9, 36; Isa. 30: 2).
The formation of an alliance was at-
tended with various religious rites. A vic- tim was slain and divided into two parts, between which the contracting parties passed (Gen. 15 : 10; Jer. 34 : 18-20). Generally speaking, the oath alone is men- tioned in the contracting of alliances either between individuals (Gen. 26 : 28; 31 : 53 ; 1 Sam. 20 : 17 ; 2 Kings 11:4) or nations (Josh. 9 : 15). The event was celebrated by a feast (Ex. 24 : 11 ; 2 Sam. 3 : 12, 20). Salt, the symbol of fidelity, was used, and occasionally a memorial pillar or a heap of stones was set up (Gen. 31 : 52). The fidelity of the Jews to their engagements was conspicuous at all periods of their his- tory (.Josh. 9 : 18), and any breach of cov- enant was visited with very severe punish- ment (2 Sam. 21 : 1 ; Ezek. 17 : 16).
Al'lon [oak]. Large trees were com- paratively rare in the plains of Palestine, were naturally designated as landmarks, and were favorite places for residence and sepulture. The spot wliere Rebekah's nurse was buried is called AUon-Bachuth, the "oak of weeping" (Gen. 35 : 8).
Al'ra.on-Dib-la-tha'irQ [covering of the two fig-cakes], one of the encampments of the Israelites on their way from Mount Hor to the plains of Moab (Num. 33 : 46).
Almond.
Al'mond, a well-known nut, the ker- nel of which is esculent and nutritious.
ALMS— ALTAR.
37
In Palestine it is still cultivated and of excellent quality. The tree on which it grows resembles the peach tree in leaves and blossoms, and is remarkable for the rapidity with which it matures its fruit. As it has its Hebrew name from a verb signifying " to watch, to make haste," it is strikingly alluded to in Jer. 1 : 11, 12 as a symbol of the vigilance with which the Lord watches over his word to fulfill it, or of the haste with wliich he executes his judgments.
Alms [alms-deeds], (Matt. 6:2; Acts 9 : 36), showings of kindness or pity to the needy, gifts or deeds of charity. The duty of almsgiving is much insisted on in Scripture (Deut. 15 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 16 : 1-3), and the deed of almsgiving is approvingly associated with acceptable prayer (Acts 10 : 2). The provisions of the Jewish law for the relief of tlie poor were singularly judi- cious and kind ( Lev. 25 : 35-43 ; Deut. 15: 7-11).
Al'mug (or Argum) Trees, the former occurring in 1 Kings 10 : 11, 12, the latter in 2 Chron. 2:8; 9 : 10, 11. The two words are evidently identical, and indi- cate trees which furnished a rare and costly wood in great demand for fine work. The wood probably was the red sandal-wood of India and Ceylon. It is very heavy, hard, fine-grained and of a beautiful garnet col- or, and used in the ornamental work of the temple and for musical instruments.
AFoes, or Lign-Aroes, an East Indian tree, the flower and wood of which yielded an exquisite and expensive per- fume (Num. 24 : 6; Ps. 45 : 8 ; Prov. 7 : 17 ; Song 4 : 14). Its wood was also used for fine cabinet and ornamental work. An- other species of aloes, the juice of wliicli when boiled produces the resin which is largely used in medicine, is supposed to be referred to in John 19 : 89, where it is mentioned in connection with the process of embalming. It is doubtful, however, whether the Scriptures refer to more than
one kind of aloes, the fragrant lign-aloes of the East.
Arpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet, as Omega is the last. Our Lord says of himself in expression of liis eterni- ty of being, " I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the la,st" (Rev. 1 : 8, 11 ; 21 : 6; 22 : 13). The like form of expression to denote the eternity of God is found in Isa. 41 : 4.
Al-phe^us, the name of two men in the New Testament.
1. The father of the apostle James the Less (Matt. 10 : 3; Acts 1 : 13), and the husband of that Mary who, with the mother of Jesus and others, was standing by the cross during the crucifixion (John 19 : 25). Alphens is the Greek, and Cleophas or Clo- pas the Hebrew or Syriac, name of the I same person.
! 2. The father of the evangelist Levi or I Matthew (Mark 2 : 14).
Al'tar. This word is derived from the Latin alius, high, lofty, and is used to desig- ; nate a raised or elevated structure on which i offerings of any kind were made to God. ! The first altar of which we have any ac- I count is that built by Noah when he left [ the ark (Gen. 8 : 20). At first the altar I was eitlier a heap of stones or a mound ! of earth, and in construction and form was j quite rude. If made of stone, it was to be I of unhewn stone ; upon it no iron tools were to be employed and no figures or images were to be sculptured (Ex. 20 : 25; ' Deut. 27 : 5, 6; Josh. 8 : 31). Moses was 1 directed to make two altars — the one the ' altar of burnt-ofi:ering (Ex. 27 : 1-8; 38 : ! 1-7), the other the altar of incense (Ex. I 30: 1-10; 37 : 25-28). ; 1. The altar of burnt-oflfering. This was ordinarily simply called the altar, but I sometimes "the brazen altar" (Ex. 38 : j 30). It differed in construction at differ- ! ent times. In the tabernacle it was com- paratively small and portable. In shape it I was square, five cubits in length, the same
38
ALTAR.
in breadth, and three cubits high. It was made of phmks of shittim or acacia wood overhiid witli brass. The interior was liol- low. At tlic four corners were four projec- tions called horns, made like the altar itself
Altar of Burnt-offerin
of acacia wood overlaid with brass. They probably projected upward, and to them the victim was bound when about to be sacrificed (Ps. 118 : 27). Seized by one in peril of his life, they also furnished an asylum which was generally, but not al- ways, respected (1 Kings 2 : 28-31). On the occasion of the consecration of the priests (Ex. 29 : 12) and the offering of the sin-offering (Lev. 4:7) part of the blood of the victim was applied to these horns by the priest's finger, and the rest was poured at the bottom of the altar. Round the altar, midway between the top and the bottom, ran a projecting ledge ("compass" in our Authorized Version, Ex. 27 : 5), on which, perhaps, the priests stood when they officiated. To the outer edge of this again a grating or network of brass was affixed, and reached to the bottom of tlie altar, which thus present- ed the appearance of being larger below than above. At the four corners of the network were four brazen rings, into which were inserted the staves by which the altar was carried. Those staves were of the same material as the altar itself. As the priests were forbidden
to ascend the altar by steps (Ex. 20 : 26), it has been conjectured that a slope of earth led gradually up to the ledge from which they officiated. The place of the altar was at " the door of the taber- nacle of the congregation" (Ex. 40 : 29). In Solomon's temple the altar was consid- erably larger in its dimensions. Like the former, it was square, but the length and breadth were now twenty cubits and the heiglit ten (2 Chron. 4:1). It differed, too, in the material of which it was made, being entirely of brass (1 Kings 8 : 64; 2 Cliron. 7:7). It had no grating, and in- stead of a single gradual slope, the ascent to it was probably made by three succes- sive platforms, to each of which steps led. Upon it, twice each day, sacrifices were offered, and were burned with fire mirac- ulously kindled at the first, and guarded from generation to generation with the most assiduous care (Lev. 6:12, 13; 9: 24).
2. The altar of incense, called also the golden altar (Ex. 39 : 33) to distinguish it from the brazen altar of burnt-offering, was in the tabernacle, made of acacia wood over- laid with pure gold. In shape it was square, being a cubit in length and breadth and two cubits in height (Ex. 30 : 2). Like
Altar of Incense.
the altar of burnt-offering, it had horns at the four corners, which were of one piece
AL-TASCHITH— AMAZIAH.
39
with the rest of the altar. Its appear- ance may be illustrated by the annexed figure.
This altar stood in the Holy Place, " be- fore the vail that is by the ark of the tes- timony" (Ex. 30 : 6; 40 : 5). In Solo- mon's temple the altar was similar, but was made of cedar overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6 : ] 8, 22 ; 7 : 48 ; 1 Chron. 28 : 1 8). Upon this altar every morning and every even- ing, in connection with the daily sacrifice, incense was burnt, and the service was de- nominated "a perpetual incense before the Lord" (Ex. 30 : 8). Upon it neither burnt-offering nor meat-offering nor drink- offering was at any time allowed (Ex. 30 : 9), nor was it ever stained with blood ex- cept once a year, when the priest made atonement (Lev. IG : 18, 19).
Al-Tasch'ith, found in the introduc- tory verse to Psalms 57, 58, 59, 75. It lit- erally means " destroy not," and is probably the beginning of some song or psalm to the tune of which those psalms were to be chanted.
Am'a-lek, a son of Eliphaz and grand- son of Esau (Gen. 36 : 16). He was not the father of the Amalekites, who are mentioned as a powerful people long before the birth of Amalek (Gen. 14 : 7).
Am'alek-ites, a powerful nomadic people occupying the peninsula of Sinai and the wilderness between Southern Pal- estine and Egypt, and called in Num. 24 : 20 " the first of the nations." They be- longed, not unlikely, to a branch of the great Hamitic family. They came into conflict with the Israelites at Rephidim soon after the exodus from Egypt, were signally defeated, and, for their guilt in opposing the progress of God's people, be- came the objects of terrible denunciations and judgments (Ex. 17 : 8-14; Deut. 25 : 17-19). They were defeated by Gideon (Judg. 7 : 12), by Saul (1 Sam. 15), and by David (1 Sam. 30), and at last, in fulfill- ment of the word of the Lord, their name
was blotted from the earth (1 Sam. 30 : 17 and 1 Chron. 4 : 43).
Am'a-na, the marginal reading in 2 Kings 5 : 12 of the stream near Damascus called in the text Abana. It is used in Song 4 : 8 to designate a mountain, the re- sort of wild beasts. Mount Amana, appar- ently, was the southern part or summit of Anti-Libanus, and was so called, perhaps, from containing the sources of the river Amana or Abana. See Abana.
Am-a-ri'ah [Jehovah hath mid — i. e. promised], the name of several distinct but undistinguished persons mentioned in Scripture (1 Chron. 6 : 7 ; 23 : 19 ; 2 Chron. 19 : 11 ; Ezra 7:3; 10 : 42; Neh. 10 : 3 ; Zeph. 1:1).
Am'a-sa [burden], the name of two men.
1. A nephew of King David and the leader of Absalom's army in the rebel- lion (2 Sam. 17 : 25). He was defeated by Joab, but because of his valor and near re- lationship to King David was not only par- doned, but also promoted above Joab, who subsequently and most treacherously slew him (2 Sam. 20 : 4-10).
2. A chief of Ephraim, who with others vehemently and successfully resisted the re- tention as prisoners of the persons whom Pekah, king of Israel, had taken captive in a successful campaign against Ahaz, king of Judah (2 Chron. 28 : 12).
Am-a'sa-i [burdeihsome^, the name of several men, but especially of the leader of a considerable company from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who came to Da- vid at Ziklag, when he was fleeing from Saul, and offered him their services (1 Chron. 12 : 16-18).
Ani-a-zi'ah [Jehovah has strength- ened], the name of two men.
1. The son and successor of Joash, and eighth king of Judah. He ascend- ed the throne at the age of twenty-five, about B. c. 837, and reigned twenty- nine years (2 Kings 14 : 1-20). The
40
AMBASSADOK— AMEN.
first part of his reign promised well, but the promise was soon darkened by insincerity of soul. The record re- specting him is, " He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart" (2 Chron. 25:2). Resolving to subdue the Edomites, who several years before his accession had re- volted from the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 8 : 20), and presuming tliat his own army of three hundred thousand men would not be sufficient, he lured one liundred thou- sand men from the king of Israel, to whom he paid one hundred thousand talents of silver. Before he set out upon the expe- dition he was bidden by a prophet of the Lord to dismiss his hired soldiers, upon pain, if he did not, of falling before his enemies. After some hesitation lie sent the Israelites home, and was rewarded by a signal victory over the Edomites, slay- ing ten thousand, taking ten thousand prisoners, and capturing Petra the capital. Elated by his success and alienated in heart from Jehovah, he took tlie idols which liis vanquislied enemy had wor- shiped and made tliem liis gods. Tlie anger of the Lord was kindled against him, and he was given over to follow his own devices. He sought an occasion of war with the king of Israel, but, defeated and made a prisoner, lie was compelled to submit to the plundering of the temple and the spoiling of Jerusalem. After this disgraceful defeat he lived fifteen years, despised by liis subjects and de- rided by his neighbors. At length he was murdered by conspirators at Lacliish, whither he had fled for safety (2 Chron. 25 : 27).
2. The priest of the golden calves at Bethel, who complained to Jeroboam II., king of Israel, of the prophecies of evil which Amos was uttering, and who, by the prophet, was tlireatened with degra- dation and death (Amos 7 : 10-17).
Ara-bas'sa-dor, a person sent to a
foreign court as the representative of his king (2 Chron. 32 : 31). In tlie Old Tes- tament the word is of frequent occurrence, and in tlie New Testament (2 Cor 5 : 20) it is applied to tlie apostles in the sense that they were sent forth by divine au- thority and furnished with divine creden- tials to proclaim the terms of pardon and peace to the rebellious and condemned subjects of God's government in this world. Paul when a prisoner in Pome styles himself " an ambassador in bonds " (Eph. 6 : 20), with the intimation that the outrage done to him is an outrage done to his divine Sovereign.
Am'ber, in ordinary acceptation a beautiful fossil resin, susceptible of a fine polish and presenting several colors, the most common being yellow and orange. It is found in lumps near the shores of the Baltic Sea. The word occurs in three pas- sages (Ezek. 1 : 4, 27 ; 8 : 2), where the reference is thought by some to be not to the resin, but to a very brilliant metal composed of silver and gold, and much prized by the ancients ; but the prophet speaks only of amber color, which resem- bles that of fire.
Am'bush, or Ambushment (Josh. 8:2; 2C]iron. 13: 13), a military manoeuvre by which a hostile party is exposed to cap- ture or destruction by coming unawares upon their hidden and waiting foes. Joshua arranged such an ambush in the vicinity of Ai, and by it signally defeat- ed the inhabitants of that city (Josh. 8).
A'men [true, faithful]. This word, when occurring at the close of a sentence, singly or doubly, is an affirmative response denoting assent or entire acquiescence. Af- ter a creed it means " So it is ;" after a prayer "So let it be" (Deut. 27 : 15; 1 Kings 1 : 36; Jer. 11 : 5; Ps. 41 : 13). It is some- times translated verily, and by our Lord is frequently used at the beginning of a sentence to introduce some emphatic and important truth. Its repetition, " Verily,
AMEKCE— AMON.
41
verilv, I say unto you," is intended to strengthen the assertion. Among the early Cliristians all the worshipers said Amen at the close of the prayer or of the giving of thanks (1 Cor. 14 : 16). As our Lord is " the faithful and true Witness," Amen is one of his titles (Rev. 3 : 14).
A-merce', to punish by a fine (Deut. 22 : 19).
Am'e-thyst, the name of a beautiful stone of a purple or violet color, greatly esteemed by the ancients for rings and cameos, and believed by them to possess the power of dispelling drunkenness. It was the ninth stone in the high priest's breastplate (Ex. 28 : 19), and the twelfth in the foundations of the New Jerusalem (Eev. 21. 20).
Am 'mi [my people] and Ru-ha'mah [having obtained merry'], figurative names bestowed by Jehovah on the people of Is- rael to indicate his mercy toward them in their restoration (Hos. 2:1).
Am-min'a-dab [my people is noble^, the father of Nahslion, who was the prince of the tribe of Judah at the Exodus (Num. 1 : 7 ; 2 : 3). He was the fourth generation after Judah, and one of our Lord's ances- tors (Matt. 1:4).
In Solomon's Song (6 : 12) the chariots of AmminacUb (the last syllable different- ly spelled) are mentioned as proverbial for their swiftness. The person referred t(\was probably a celebrated charioteer.
Am'mion [of the peoplel, Am'mon- ites, Children of Ammon, a peo- ple descended from Ben-Ammi, the son whom Lot's younger daughter bore to him after the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19 : 38). Although they dispossessed the Rephaim or giants, called Zamzummim (Deut. 2 : 20), of the territory lying east of the Jordan between the rivers Jabbok and Arnon and stretching indefinitely into the desert of Arabia, yet through most of their liistory they were not so much residents on the soil as wanderers
and fierce marauders (1 Sam. 11 : 1-3). They were gross idolaters (Judg. 10 : 6). Their chief idol was Moloch, the same with Baal and Milcom. They were al- ways hostile to the Israelites, were fre- quently denounced by the prophets, and were finally swept away in the flood of God's judgments (Jer. 49 : 1,2; Ezek. 25 : 3-7 ; Amos 1 : 13-15).
Am'non [faithful] the eldest son of David, by Ahinoam of Jezreel (1 Chron. 3:1), born at Hebron (2 Sam. 3:2). He is only known for his violation of his half sister Tamar, and for his assassination there- for by her full brother Absalom (2 Sam. 13 : 1-29). See Absalom.
A'mon, the name of a divinity and of a king.
Anion.
1. An Egyptian and Libyan god, the Zeus and Jupiter of the classical writers. The name occurs in that of No-amon (Nah. 3 : 8), in our Authorized Version
0
42
AMORITE— AMPHIPOLIS.
"populous No." The ancient Egyptian name is Amen. He was the chief god of the Theban triad, and was worshiped as Amen-Ra, or " Amen the Sun."
2. A king of Judah, son and successor of Manasseh. He reigned two years, Irom B. c. G42 to 640. He devoted himself wholly to the service of false gods, and was assassinated in a court conspiracy. He was avenged by the ^^eople, who jiut the regicides to death and raised to the tlirone his son Josiah, then eight years old (2 Kings 21 : 1S-2G ; 2 Chron. 33: 20-25). To his reign is to be referred the terrible picture wliich the prophet Zepha- niah gives of the moral and religious state of Jerusalem.
Am'or-ite [mountaineer], the Am^- or-ites, one of the chief nations who possessed the land of Canaan before its conquest by the Israelites. In the gene- alogical table of Gen. 10 " the Amorite " is mentioned as the fourth son of Canaan. Dwellers on the highlands of the country, they are contrasted with the Canaanites or dwellers on the lowlands. In the early times they occupied the barren heights immediately west of the Dead Sea (Gen. 14:7). From this point they stretched west to Hebron, where Abram met with them (Gen. 14 : 13). Thence they seem to have extended eastward, crossing the valley of the Jordan and dispossessing the Moabites of the ricli pastuVe-lands south of the Jabbok. Here we find them at the date of the Israelitish invasion of the country. Sihon, their king, refused the request of the Israelites to pass tlirougli the country to tlie fords of the Jordan, and, aided by other kings, mustered an immense host to dispute the passage. The Amorites were signally defeated, and their territory was apportioned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad (Deut. 4 : 46- 49; Josh. 12 : 1-6 ; Judg. 11 : 19-22). Af- ter the conquest of Canaan tlie Scriptures are silent respecting the Amorites, with
the exception of an occasional mention of their name among the early inhabit- ants of the country.
A'mos [burden-bcarcr], one of the twelve minor jjrophets, a contemporaiy of Isaiah and Hosea. He was a native of Tekoa, about six miles south of Bethlehem, in- habited chiefly by slicpherds, to which class he belonged. He was called by God's Spirit to be a prophet, although not trained in any of the regular prophetic schools (Amos 1:1; 7 : 14, 15). He traveled from Judah into the northern kingdom of Israel, and there for a short time exercised his ministry. He was driven from Bethel upon false represen- tations made to King Jeroboam II. by the idolatrous priest Amaziah (Amos 7 : 10, 11). The time and manner of his death are uncertain. His prophecy be- gins with awful denunciation of the na- tions surrounding Israel, and passes to a terrific sketch of Israel's own punishment. Thence he rises to a loftier, more evangel- ical strain, and anticipates the time when the hope of Messiah's kingdom shall be ful- filled, and when the cliosen people shall be forgiven and established in the enjoy- ment of God's blessings. His style is viv- id, combining great splendor of imagery with powerful invective and appeal.
A'moz [■^frony'], the father of the propliet Isaiah and, according to rabbin- ical tradition, the brotlier of Amaziah, king of Judah (2 Kings 19:2; Isa. 1:1).
Am-phip'O-lis [a city on both sidex], a city of Macedonia, situated near the mouth and witliin a bend of the river Strymon. It was built by Cimon the
I Athenian about B. c. 470. Paul and Silas passed tlirough this city on their way to
I Tliessalonica from Philippi (Acts 17 : 1). It has long been in ruins, and a village of
! about one hundred houses, called in Turk- ish Jeni-K'i'vi, or New Town, now occupies part of its site. A miserable village near
AMPLIAS— ANANIAS.
43
it is called by the Turks Emboli, a corrup- tion of the ancient name.
Am'pli-as, a Christian at Rome, mentioned by Paul as one whom he es- pecially loved (Rom. 16 : 8).
Am'ram [the people is exalted, lofty people^, a Levite of the family of the Kohathites, and father of Moses, Aaron and Miriam (Ex. G : 18, 20; Num. 3 : 19; 1 Cliron. 6 : 2, 3, 18). He is called the " son " of Kohath, and is said to have mar- ried Jochebed, "his fatlier's sister;" but inasmuch as from Joseph to Joshua ten generations are recorded, whilst from Levi to Moses there are but three ( 1 Chron. G : IG, 18; 7 : 23, 25-27), it has been conjec- tured that several generations between Kohath and Amram have been omitted. If such be the case, then tlie "son" is simply the descendant of Kohath, and Jochebed, " his father's sister," is a rela- tive of the Koliathite family.
Am'ra-phel [ihe son is ruler, Babylo- nian], a king (Ilamite probably) of Sliinar or Babylonia, who confederated with Che- dorlaomer, king of Elam, and two other kings to make war on Sodom and the neighboring cities, whicli tlicy plundered. Among the captives whom they carried off was Lot, Abraham's nephew. Abra- ham pursued them, retook Lot and re- covered the spoil (Gen. 14 : 1-lG).
Am^u-lets, charms or preservatives against the power of evil. The word is not found in our Authorized Version, but is the proper rendering of the Hebrew word which in Gen. 35 : 4 ; Isa. 3 : 20 and Hos. 2 : 13 is translated " ear-rings." See Ear-rings.
A^nah [nnsivering'l, the son of Zibeon, the son of feeir the Horite (Gen. 3G : 20, 24), a " duke " or prince of his tribe, and father of Aholibamah, one of the wives of Esau (Gen. 36 : 2, 14, 25). While feed- ing asses in the desert he discovered " hot springs " (not " mules," as in our Author- ized Version, Gen. 36 : 24), which in the
region east of the Dead Sea exist to this day.
A'nak [long-necked, i. e. a giant'], the son of Arba, wlio founded Kirjath-Arba (afterward Hebron), the progenitor of a race of giants (Josh. 15 : 13).
An'a-kim [gianta], a nomadic tribe of giants descended from Arba and bear- ing the name of Anak, their immediate progenitor (Num. 13 : 22, 33; Deut. 9:2; Josh. 14 : 15). They dwelt in the south- 1 ern part of Palestine, in the vicinity of Hebron. Although their warlike appear- ance terrified the spies whom Moses sent to ascertain the defences of Canaan (Num. 13 : 28), they yet were easily dispossessed by Joshua, and, except a small remnant that found refuge in the Philistine cities, Gaza, Gath and Ashdod (Josh. 11:21, 22), were utterly driven from the land. Their chief city, Hebron, became the possession of Caleb (Josh. 15 : 13, 14; Judg. 1 : 20). After the conquest they vanish from his- tory.
An'a-mim, a tribe descending from Mizraim (Gen. 10 : 13), supposed to be an East African tribe contiguous to Egypt, but their exact position is not known.
A-nam'mel-ech [in Assyrian, Anu- melik — Ann, is fcingl, the companion idol to Adrammelech, both of whom were wor- shiped by the colonists introduced into Sa- maria from Sepharvaim (2 Kings 17 : 31).
An-a-ni^as [Greek form of the He- brew Atssani An, protected by Jehovali]. In the New Testament it is the name of three persons.
1. A Christian of Damascus (Acts 9 : 10-17) held in high repute (Acts 22 : 12), who was sent to Saul of Tarsus after he had been miraculously stricken blind on his way to Damascus, and through whom his sight was as miraculously restored.
2. A Jew of Jerusalem, who, professing to be a convert to Christianity, conspired with his wife Sapphira to deceive the apostles by a willful falsehood (Acts 5 :
44
ANATHEMA— ANDREW.
1-1 1 ). Having sold his goods for the ben- efit of the Church, he kept back a part of the price, and alleged the part which he brought to be the -whole. For this hy- pocrisy and falsehood he and his wife were struck dead, as an awful warning to all who might be tempted to repeat their sin.
3. A son of Nebeda-us, made high priest by Herod, king of Chalcis, about A. d. 48. When Paul was brought before him, he commanded the officers to strike the apostle in the face for saying that " he had lived in all good conscience before God until that day" (Acts 23 : 1, 2). Indignant at his in- justice, Paul fearlessly replied, " God shall smite thee, thou whited wall." This predic- tion was literally and terribly fulfilled. Af- ter his displacement from the high priest- hood, and amid his lavish expenditure of ill-gotten wealth, he was assailed in his pal- ace by a band of assassins and murdered.
A-nath'e-ma, a Greek word which literally means something laid up or sus- pended as a votive offering, and which is the equivalent of a Hebrew word signifying a thing or person devoted. Whatever was thus devoted to Jeliovah was irredeemable. If inanimate, it was to be given to the priests (Num. 18 : 14) ; if living, it was to be slain (Lev. 27 : 28, 29). Hence, with a thing de- voted there came to be associated the two ideas of curse and extermination. Hence, too, the word anathema received that rab- binical sense of it which connects it with ex- coiHiaunicalion. Among the Jews, accord- ing to the rabbins, there were three forms of excommunication. The first and sliglit- est was the separation of an individual for thirty days from the privileges of the syn- agogue and intercourse with his brethren. If this failed to bring him to repentance, the second form, entitled "the curse," was resorted to, and tliis was pronounced more solemnly, with imprecations. By this the excomnumicated person was completely cut oft' from all social and religious priv- ileges, and it was unlawful to eat, drink
or deal with him. If the offender re- mained still impenitent, a sentence of a still severer kind was pronounced against him. This most formidable ban was tan- tamount to an utter excision from the Church and the giving up of the criminal to the justice of God and final perdition.
The ANATHEMA MARAN-ATHA wllicll
Paul denounces against all who love not the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 16 : 22) is a Syriac exclamation, signifying Accursed, our Lord Cometh. The words "maran-atha" add weight to the " anathema ;" they affirm that the curse will remain, for the Lord who Cometh will take vengeance on those who reject him. See Accursed.
An'a-thoth [answers, that is, to prayers], a priests' city in the tribe of Benjamin, about four miles north-east of Jerusalem (Josh. 21 : 18). It was mem- orable as the birtliplace of Jeremiah ( Jer. 1:1). On the return of the captives from Babylon only one hundred and twenty- eight of the men of this place returned (Ezra 2 : 23). Dr. Robinson identifies it with the present village of Anafa, where the remains of an ancient wall and the foundations of ancient buildings are still to be seen.
An'ohor, an instrument which, fast- ened in the bottom of the sea, holds a ves- sel firm during a storm. From tlie pas- sage in Acts 27 : 29, 30 it appears that the vessels of Roman commerce carried each several anchors, some attached to tlie stern and others to the prow. The word anchor is used metaphorically to denote what sustains the soul amid tlie storms of earthly griefs and fears (Heb. 6 : 19).
An'cient of Days, a title applied to God the Fatlicr, denoting his eternity (Dan. 7 : 9, 13, 22).
An'drew [maniiil, one of the twelve apostles and brother of Simon Peter (.John 1 : 40). He was a native of Betlisaida in Galilee, and by occupation a fisiierman. Originally a disciple of John the Baptist,
ANDEONICUS— ANNAS.
45
he attached himself to our Lord on hear- ing John style him " the Lamb of God," and, seeking forthwith his brother Simon, brought him also to Jesus (John 1 : 41, 42). He is several times referred to by the evangelists, but of the scene of his labors and the place of his death there is no reli- able record. It is generally agreed that he suffered martyrdom.
An-dro-ni^cus [man of victory'], a kinsman and fellow-prisoner of Paul (Rom. 16 : 7),
A^ner. 1. A Canaanite chief who, with Eshcol and Mamre, joined Abraham in pursuing the host of Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14 : 24). 2. The name of a Levitical town in the tribe of Manasseh (1 Cliron. 6 : 70).
An^gels [messengers], a race of spir- itual beings of a nature exalted far above tliat of man, altliough infinitely removed from that of God, whose office is "to do Jehovah service in heaven, and by his appointment to succor and defend men on earth." Our knowledge of them is derived wholly from revelation, and that rather in- cidentally. Tlieir appearance is majestic (Gen. 19:1; Judg. 13 : 6; Matt. 28 : 2-7 ; Eev, 22 : 8). Their eviployment is benev- olent (Ps. 34 : 7 ; 91 : 11 ; Matt. 18 : 10 ; Heb. 1 : 14). Their number is vast (Ps. 68 : 17 ; Dan. 7:10; Matt. 26 : 53 ; Heb. 12 : 22). Their strenyih is great (Ps. 103 : 20; Dan. 6 : 22; 2 Pet. 2 : 11 ; Rev. 18 : 21 ). Their activity is wonderful (Isa. 6:6; Dan. 9:21; Acts 27 : 23 ; Rev. 8 : 13). Such, in some few particulars, are the intimations which revelation gives of the angels of God.
But according to the Scriptures there is also an order of evil spirits, called angels (Matt. 25 : 41) and devils (Luke 8 : 27), fallen from their first estate, ministering to the will of the prince of darkness, and both active and powerful in their opposi- tion to God's will and government. Among them, as among the holy angels, differences of rank and power exist i^Eph. 6 : 12).
An'g-er, a strong emotion of dis- pleasure against a real or supposed injury. It is not evil in itself, but when inordinate and excessive it becomes evil. It is as- scribed to God (Ps. 7 : 11; 90 : 11) and to good men (Neh. 5:6; 2 Pet. 2 : 7, 8) in the sense of displeasure against sin. Anger, degenerating into malignity and revenge, is severely denounced (Eph. 4 : 31; Col. 3 : 8).
An'gle, An^gling, the capture of fisli by the use of hook and line. That this method of taking fish Avas well known to the ancients is evident from Isa. 19:8; Hab. 1 : 15, as well as from ancient Egyp- tian monuments.
An'ise, an annual plant witli aro- matic fragrance. The word in the original, it is thought, should have been translated dill. It was an herb which grew abun- dantly in Judasa, of which the Pharisees, wliile neglecting the weightier matters of the Law, Avere careful to devote a tithe or tenth to the service of religion (Matt. 23 : 23).
An'na, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. During her long widowhood she devoutly and con- stantly attended the temple-service. She was eighty-four years of age when the in- fant Jesus was brought into the temple, and as Simeon pronounced the proplietic blessing she united in it with great fervor (Luke 2 : 36-38).
An'nas, a liigh priest of the Jews. He is spoken of as joint high priest with Caiaplias (Luke 3:2). He held this of- fice under Quirinus, proconsul of Syria, but was deprived of it at the beginning of the reign of Tiberius. Having held the office, he still bore the title, and prob- ably assisted Caiaphas, who was properly tlie incumbent, and who was his son-in- law. He was a man of great influence. To him Our Lord, when apprehended, was first carried in order to secure his sanction of the purposed death, and by him Our
46
ANOINTING— ANT.
Lord was sent in bonds to Caiaphas (John 18 : 13-24).
A-noint'ing-, the custom of pouring perfumed oils on persons, places and things. In the East it was of extensive use and wide application.
1. Ordinary Anointixg. "With the Jews, as with ether Oriental nations, it was a common practice to anoint the body or head (Deut. 28 : 40; Ruth 3:3; Mic. 6 : 15). Abstinence from it was a sign of mourning (2 Sam. 14 : 2; Dan. 10 : 3; Matt. 6 : 17). Anointing the head was also a mark of respect sometimes paid by a host to his guests (Luke 7 : 4G; Ps. 23 : 5).
2. Official Anointing. Anointing was a principal ceremony in the rite of inauguration into each of the three typical offices of the Jewish commonwealth — that of prophets, that of priests and that of kings (1 Kings 19:16; Ps. 105:15; Ex. 40 : 15; Lev. 16 : 32; 1 Sam. 9 : 16; 1 Kings 1 : 34, 39).
3. CONSECRATORY ANOINTING. Inan- imate objects were anointed in token of their being set apart for religious ser- vice. Thus Jacob anointed a pillar at Bethel (Gen. 31 : 13), and thus, too, in the wilderness the tabernacle and all its furniture were anointed (Ex. 30 : 26-28'.
4. EcCLESIASTICAIi ANOINTING. The
apostle James prescribes anointing in the name of the Lord and with prayer by the elders of tiie Church for the recovery of the sick (James 5 : 14). Analogous to this is the anointing practiced by the twelve (Mark 6 : 13) and by our Lord in restoring a blind man to sight (John 9: 6, 11).
5. SpiRiTrAi. Anointing. The ideas associated with official and consecratory anointing re.adily and by metaphor passed into the higher idea of spiritual anointing. With this the Scriptures connect two con- ceptions.
a. In the Old Testament a deliverer is
promised under the title of Messiah or Anointed (Ps. 2:2; Dan. 9 : 25, 26), and the nature of his anointing is described to be spiritual, with the Holy Ghost (Isa. 01 : 1). In the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth is shown to be the Messiah or Christ or Anointed of the Old Testament (John 1 : 41 ; Acts 9 : 22 ; 17 : 2, 3 ; 18:4, 28), and the historical fact of his being anointed with the Holy Ghost is asserted and re- corded (John 1 : 32, 33; Acts 4 : 27 ; 10 : 38).
b. Spiritual anointing with the Holy Ghost is conferred by God upon Chris- tians (2 Cor. 1 : 21), who, in consequence thereof, are described as having an unc- tion from the Holy One by which they know all things (1 John 2 : 20, 27).
Ant, a small and well-known insect. It is mentioned but twice in Scripture (Prov. 6:6; 30 : 25) : First, as an exam- ple of dilif/eyice in "gathering food in the harvest;" second, as an examjde oi tcisclom in " preparing meat in the summer." Both passages imply that the ant anticipates its need of food in the winter, and makes in the summer the requisite provision. This obvious sense of the two passages has been represented as inconsistent with an alleged finding of science that the ant is dormant in winter, and needs no food. Biblical critics, too, have so far yielded to these representations as to apologize for King Solomon and the Scriptures by alleging that the two passages mean not a pro- vision for the winter in summer, but a general provision of food in season. Prominent among these apologies for the assumed mistake of Scrii ture is that con- tained in Smith's Didiovary of the Bible. But a profounder science has at length vindicated Scripture. Moggridge of Eng- land and McCook of Philadelphia, by their studies of the habits of the harvesting ant, two species of which are found in Pales- tine, have abundantly corroborated the statements of Solomon in the Proverbs,
ANTICHRIST— ANTIPATRIS.
47
and have conclusively shown that in in- stinct and industry the ant surpasses most insects. Thus the ant in diligently and wisely improving the opportunity to gather food which summer gives, very pointedly rebukes the sluggard, who, in the indul- gence of sloth and idleness, lets the sum- mer pass and the harvest end.
An^tichrist [against Christ], a word occurring only in the Epistles of John, where it characterizes certain false teach- ers who denied the real humanity of our Lord (1 John 2 : 18, 22 ; 4:3; 2 John 7). The denial of Christ " in the flesh " was the capital error of that Gnostic heresy which existed in the times of John and whicli wrought great havoc in the Church. Although the term Antichrist has in John's Epistles a specific sense, it has yet been adopted by theologians as a convenient designation of some great power which, according to Scripture hints, is to arise in the future, and which is to oppose with great virulence and blasphemy the doc- trines and the disciples of Christ. It has been applied to the " little horn " of the "king of fierce countenance" (Dan. 7 and 8) ; to the false Christ predicted by our Lord (Matt. 24); to the "man of sin" whom Paul describes (2 Thess. 2 : 3-10) ; and to the "beasts" of the Apocalypse (Rev. 13 and 17). The adequate discus- sion of the theme transcends the limits of a brief article. See "Man of Sin" under Man.
An'ti-och, the name of two cities mentioned in the New Testament.
1. Antioch in Syria, the capital of the Greek kings of Syria, and afterward the residence of the Roman governors of the province, which bore the same name. It was situated on the river Orontes, and about thirty miles from the Mediterra- nean, seven hundred from Alexandria, and the same from Constantinople. It was founded in the year B. c. 300 by Seleucus Nicator, and named in honor
of his father, Antiochus. It was cele- brated for its opulence, luxury and licen- tiousness, and at the same time for its cultivation of the fine arts. No city, af- ter Jerusalem, is so intimately connected with the apostolic Church. Here the first Gentile church was gathered (Acts 11 : 20, 21) ; here Barnabas and Paul preached "a whole year" (Acts 11 : 26) ; and here the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11 : 26). Whether the name Christians, like that of Nazarenes, was given by way of reproach or not, is uncertain ; it seems, however, to have been adopted by the disciples (1 Pet. 4 : 16), and has ever since been retained as an appropriate distinguishing name. In the time of Chrysostom, at tlie close of the fourth century, the population of Antioch was computed at two hundred thousand, of which one half professed to be Christians. The city afterward passed through mani- fold convulsions and changes, and at length by war, pestilence and earthquake was con- verted into what it now is, a heap of ruins. The present town, called Anlakia by the Arabs, a shrunken and miserable place, occupies but a small portion of the site of the ancient city.
2. Antioch in Pisidia, the capital of the province of Pisidia in Asia Minor. It was also founded by Seleucus Nicator. Its site has been identified by Arundell and Hamilton with a place called Yalo- batch. Here Paul and Barnabas preached, and here they encountered such violent persecution that they were compelled to flee for their lives (Acts 13 : 14-51 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 11).
An'ti-pas, a faithful martyr of the church of Pergamos (Rev. 2 : 13). He is said to have been one of Our Lord's first disciples, and to have been burned in a brazen bull during the reign of the empe- ror Domitian.
An-tip'a-tris, a town of Palestine, situated on a fertile plain between Caesa-
48
APE— APOSTLE.
rea and Jerusalem. It was built by Her- od the Great, and named after his father, Antipater. To this place Paul was brought by the Roman guard when on his way to Csesarea to escape the Jewish conspirators (Acts 23 : 31). The remains of a Roman road from Jerusalem, by Beth-Horon, to Antipatris are still plainly visible.
Ape, an animal of the monkey tribe mentioned in 1 Kings 10: 22 and 2 Chron. 9 : 21 among the merchandise brought by the fleets of Solomon and Hiram once in every three years. The name in Hebrew has been borrowed from the Sanskrit, and points to Ceylon or India.
A-pel'les, a Christian at Rome whom Paul salutes (Rom. 16 : 10). His history is unknown, but his character is given in three words : approved in Christ.
A-phar'sa-chites, otherwise A-phar'sath-chites and A-phar'- sites, the name of the nation to which belonged one portion of the colonists whom the Assyrian leader Asnapper planted in Samaria in place of the ex- patriated northern tribes, and who vio- lently opposed the Jews in rebuilding Jerusalem (Ezra 4:9; 5:6; 6:6).
A'phek {firmness], the name of seve- ral cities.
1. A city of the tribe of Asher (Josh.
19 : 30). It was the same with Aphik, which the Israelites were unable to cap- ture from the Canaanites (Judg. 1 : 31), and the site of a famous temple of Venus. It is now Af/ca.
2. A city in the tribe of Issachar, not far from Jezreel. Here the Philistines twice encamped before joining battle with the Israelites (1 Sam. 4 : 1 and 29 : 1).
3. A city on the military road between Damascus and Palestine. Near it Ben- hadad, king of Syria, was defeated by the Israelites, and in it took refuge (1 Kings
20 : 29, 30). It is now called Fik; and is six miles east of the Sea of Galilee.
A-pol-lo'ni-a, a city of Macedonia,
situated between Amphipolis and Thessa- lonica, and about thirty miles from the for- mer. Paul passed through this place on his way to Thessalonica (Acts 17 : 1).
A-porios, a Jew from Alexandria, described as a learned or eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures and the Jewish religion (Acts 18 : 24). He was a disciple of John the Baptist, but, com- ing to Ephesus and taught by Aquila and Priscilla, whom Paul had left there dur- ing his temporary absence, that Jesus was the Christ, he espoused with great ardor the higher doctrine, and proclaimed it with extraordinary zeal and power. He labored in the gospel, first in Achaia and then in Corinth (Acts 18 : 27; 19 : 1), where he watered that which Paul had planted. When Paul wrote his first Epis- tle to the Corintliians, Apollos was with or near him (1 Cor. 16 : 12). He is men- tioned but once more in the New Testa- ment (Tit. 3 : 13). A doubtful tradition makes him bishop of Csesarea, and he is thought by some scholars to be the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
A-poll'yon, the Greek equivalent (Rev. 9 : 11) of the Hebrew Abaddon (which see).
A-pos'tle [one sent forth]. Our Lord, the Christ, who was God's great ambassador to reconcile a fallen and rebellious world, is called an apostle (Heb. 3:1). The term, however, particularly designates those twelve disciples whom our Lord selected and invested with authority to preach the gospel, administer the sacra- ments, work miracles and build up the Church. The office was evidently an ex- traordinary one, and differed materially from tliat of the ordinary minister of tlie gospel. This appears from its character- istic features.
1 . It was essential that those who exer- cised this office should have seen the Lord, that they might be both eye and ear wit- nesses of that to which thev testified
APOTHECARY— APPLE TREE.
49
(John 15 : 27) ; and tliis was laid down as a requisite in the one who was to be chosen to succeed Judas (Acts 1 : 21, 22). Paul refers to this mark of an apostle in his own case (1 Cor. 9:1; 15 : 8).
2. It was necessary that tlie apostles should be immediately called to the othce by Our Lord himself; this was the case with all of them (Luke 6 : 13). Paul was no exception, for he was called by Christ on his way to Damascus ; neither was Matthias, for the lot by which he was chosen was by the disposal of the Lord (Acts 1 : 26).
3. They were infallibly inspired to ex- pound the Old Testament and to give forth the revelation of the New. Our Lord promised to "teach them all things;" to "bring all things to their remembrance" (John 14 : 26) ; to "guide them into all truth ;" and to " show them things to come" (John 16:13). Their word, therefore, was to be received, " not as the word of man, but, as it is in truth, the word of God" (1 Thess. 2 : 13).
4. The working of miracles, the speak- ing with tongues and the conferring mirac- ulous gifts on others were apostolical quali- fications (Mark 16 : 20 ; Acts 2 : 43). Paul said, " Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds" (2 Cor. 12: 12).
5. The universality of their mission was a characteristic of the office. They were not to be confined to any particular place as ordinary pastore (2 Cor. 11 : 28).
Now, as these marks of an apostle can- not possibly meet in any one at the pres- ent time, it is presumption in any branch of the Church to claim that their ministers are, in office, the successors of the apostles. Their office as an extraordinary one ceased witli them, and tliere is not a particle of proof that tlie Head of the Cliurch de- signed to perpetuate it.
The apostles of our Lord were — 1, Si- 4
mon Peter; 2, Andrew; 3, James; 4, John; 5, Philip; 6, Bartholomew; 7, Thomas ; 8, Matthew, also called Levi : 9, James the Less; 10, Jude, also called Lebbeus and Thaddeus, and (in John 14 : 22) Judas; 11, Simon the Canaanite; 12, Judas Iscariot. When Judas Iscariot had destroyed himself, Matthias was chosen in his place, and Paul was afterward added to the college of the apostles.
A-poth'e-ca-ry, a perfumer or deal- er in perfumes (Ex. 30 : 25, 35 ; 37 : 29 ; Eccles. 10 : 1). See Ointment.
Ap-par^eL See Clothes.
Ap-pe^al, a legal provision by which a cause is carried up from an inferior judge or court to a superior one. The principle was recognized by the Mosaic Law (Deut. 17 : 8, 9), and through all the ages of the Jewish commonwealtli was incorporated in permanently-estab- lished courts ( Judg. 4 : 5 ; 2 Sam. 15 : 3 ; 2 Chron. 19 : 8; Ezra 7 : 25). After the institution of the Sanhedrim the final appeal lay to it. Paul, as a Roman citizen, exercised his right of appeal from the jur- isdiction of the local court to the empe- ror at Rome (Acts 25 : 11).
Ap'pi-i Fo'rura, a market-town . in Italy, on the Appian Way, forty-three miles from Rome. When Paul was taken to Italy, some of the Christians of Rome journeyed to meet him as far as "Appii Forum," and others as far as the " Three Taverns" (Acts 28 : 15). Three Taverns (Tres Taberna;) was the title of a place ten miles nearer to Rome than Appii Forum.
Ap'ple Tree, Ap'ple. The apple tree is mentioned in tlie Song 2:3; 8:5; Joel 1 : 12; the apple is alluded to in Prov. 25 : 11 and the Song 2:5; 7:8. What the specific tree and fruit really are it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to say. The quince, whose fragrance was held in high esteem by the ancients, has some plausible arguments in its favor. The
50
AQUILA— ARABIA.
general opinion, however, inclines to the citron, whose ricli color, fragrant odor and handsome appearance, meet well the re- quii'ements of Scripture allusion, wliilst Canon Tristram prefers tlie apricot tree.
Aq'ui-la, a Jew whom Paul found at Corinth on his first visit to that city (Acts 18 : 1-3). He was a native of Pontus in Asia Minor, and by occupation a tent- maker. He and liis wife Priscilla liad embraced Christianity at Eome, but, in consequence of an oi'der by tiie emperor Claudius that all Jews on pain of deatli must leave the capital, liad fled to Cor- inth. They became efficient helpers to Paul, who lield them in liigli esteem (Rom. 16 : 3). They had a cliurch in their house (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16: 19).
Ar [city'], or Ar of Moab, the capi- tal city of the Moabites (Num. '21 : 28 ; Isa. 15 : 1), south of and near tlie river Arnon (Deut. 2: 18, 24; Num. 21 : 13-15). It was also called Rabbah and Rabbath-Moab, to distinguisii it from Rabbath of Amnion. In later times its name was Grecized Are- opoUs, '' city of Ares or Mars." The site is still called Eabba. It is about seventeen miles east of tlie Dead Sea, ten miles south of .the Arnon, and about the same distance north of Kerak.
Ar'a-bah [rfe.s-eri place], the name of a region and of a town.
1. As the name of a region it occurs but once in our Version (Josh. 18 : 18), but repeatedly in the original, and is translated in our Version " plain," " wil- derness," "desert" (Deut. 1:1; 2:8; 3 : 17 ; 4 : 49 ; Josh. 3:16; 12:3; 2 Kings 14 : 25 ; Amos 6 : 14). In its widest usage the Arabali designates that deep depression or valley which stretclies from the moun- tains of Lebanon on the north to the Ela- nitic or Eastern Gulf of the Red Sea on the soutli, a distance of two hundred and fifty miles. Its northern half is the chan- nel of the Jordan ; its middle portion, tlie basin of tlie Dead Sea ; and its southern
portion, a frightful desert. It is restricted by the modern Arabs to the valley south of the Dead Sea. The wiiole valley north and south of the Dead Sea is the most re- markable depression known to exist on the surface of the globe.
2. As the name of a town it is mentioned in Josh. 18:18. It belongefl to the tribe of Benjamin, and was ordinarily called Beth-Arabah (.Josh. 15 : 61 and 18 : 22).
A-ra'bi-a, an extensive region of country occupying the south-western ex- tremity of Asia, bounded on the nortii by a part of Syria, on the east by the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on tlie west by the Red Sea. It lies south and south-east from Palestine. It is a country sacred from its associations. It was the residence of Job, the temporary refuge of Moses and Elijah, and the scene of tlie re- markable vicissitudes through which the Israelites passed in their protracted joui'- ney to the Holy Land. The inhabitants, deriving their origin from Ishmael and from Joktan, son of Heber, of the family of Sliem, are among the most interesting peoples of the world, and amid changes which have proved destructive to other nations have retained possession of their original territory and much of their orig- inal cliaracter.
Arabia comes to view in the Old Testa- ment Scriptures under two designations :
I. The eaH country (Gen. 25 : 6), or perhaps the east (Gen. 10: 30), and land of the people of the east (Gen. 29 : 1) ; Gentile name, children or men of the east ( Judg. 6 : 3 ; 7:12; 1 Kings 4 : 30 ; Job 1:3; Isa. 11 : 14; Jer. 49 : 28; Ezek. 25 : 4). From these passages it is clear that the land of the east and children of the east indicate, primarily, the country east of Palestine and the tribes descended from Ishmael and from Keturah, and tli;it this original signification may have become gradually extended to Arabia and its inhabitants
ARABIA— ARAM.
51
generally, though without any strict lim- itation.
II. 'Ardb and ^Arab, whence Arabia (1 Kings 10 : 15; 2 Chron. 9 : 14; Isa. 21 : U; Jer. 25:24; Ezek. 27 : 21). This name seems to have the same geograph- ical reference as the former name to tlie country and tribes east of the Jordan and chiefly north of the Arabian peninsula.
In the New Testament, Arabia is men- tioned twice (Gal. 1:17; 4 : 25). In the first passage the reference is probably to tlie tract adjacent to Damascene Syria ; in the second, to the region about Mount Sinai.
Of the several divisions into which Arabia is distributed, the most conve- nient and characteristic are those of tlie Gteek geographers — namely, Arabia J)e- serla, or desert ; Arabia Petrcea, or rocky ; and Arabia Felix, or happy.
1. Arabia Deserta — or, as the Arabs call it, El-Bad ieh — is bounded on tlie nortli- east by the river Euplirates, on tlie north- west by Syria, and on tlie west by Pales- tine. It is a vast and burning waste of sand, almost wholly destitute of water and vegetation, without fixed liabitations, and relieved only by the tents of tlie wander- ing Arab tribes called Bedouin. Its early inliabitants were the Rephaim, the Emim, the Zuzim and the Zamzumniim (Gen. 14 : 5; Deut. 2: 10, 11), succeeded by tlie Am- monites, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Hagarenes, the Nabatheans and the peo- pile of Kedar.
2. Arabia Pelnea lies soutli of tlie Holy Land. It is the peninsula between tlie gulfs of Suez and Akabah. Mount Sinai is witliin its bounds, and wliat is now call- ed the Desert of Mount Sinai was the scene of the wanderings of tlie tribes of Israel. Its chief cliaracteristics are wildernesses of rocks and craggy precipices, interspersed witli narrow defiles and innumerable sandy valleys, many of which are nearly as bar- ren as the rocks. Its ancient inhabitants
were the southern Edomites, the Amalek- ites and the Hivites. Petra, the rock-city whose ruins are so remarkable and so cele- brated, was its principal city and, at one time, the strong capital of its chief prov- ince, Edom.
3. Arabia Felix — or, according to its Arabic name, Yemen — is the region which lies between tlie Red Sea on the west and the Persian Gulf on the east ; and as it is not near tlie Holy Land, it is not so frequently referred to in Scripture as the other divisions. Although called Happy Arabia, or, in the language of the poets, " Araby tlie blest," it is only so in compar- ison with the other parts of Arabia. Tlie population, consisting cliiefly of Ishmael- ites, is of a more fixed character, and sustains itself by agriculture and com- merce. Witliin its boundaries were Seba and Sheba, wliose kings are mentioned in Ps. 72 : 10, and whence it is surmised came the queen of Sheba wlio visited Solomon (1 Kings 10 : 1 ; 2 Cliron. 9:1). The country was ricli in gems and gold, in spices, odoriferous slirubs and fragrant gums, the articles of a varied and valu- able trade (1 Kings 10 : 10 ; Ezek. 27 : 22). Tlie famous cities of Mecca and Medina (the first the birth-place, the second the burial-place, of Mohammed) are within its limits. But, whilst tliis division em- braces the greater portion of the country known to us as Arabia, it is to a very large extent an unknown land. Its ac- cessible districts have been but imper- fectly explored, and very little of its in- terior has been visited as yet by any Eu- ropean traveler.
A'rad, an ancient city of Palestine, twenty miles soutli of Hebron. Its king opposed the passage of the Israelites, and for this he with his people was utterly de- stroyed (Num. 21 : 1-3).
A^ram \_hi(jh rer/lon'], (Num. 23 : 7), tlie Hebrew designation of Syria (which .see).
52
ARARAT— ARCHANGEL.
ilouut Aiaiiii.
Ar'a-rat, a name sometimes applied to a province and sometimes to the whole country of Armenia. When in Gen. 8 : 4 we read that "the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat," we are to understand that great Armenian plateau which rises as a rocky island out of a sea of plain to a height of six or seven thou- sand feet, whence, as from a fresh base, spring lofty mountain-ranges. In one of these ranges there is a peak which is com- monly but erroneously regarded as the resting-place of the ark. Its summit is upward of seventeen thousand feet above the level of the sea, and in comparison with it all the surrounding peaks dwin- dle into insignificance. It is grand and imposing in its appearance, and its top is capped with everlasting snow. In the year 1829, Professor Parrot of Germany, after repeated failures, succeeded in reach- ing its top, and he describes it as being a circular platform about tAVO hundred and twenty feet in diameter, which descends steeply on all sides. It has been ascended several times since, and Parrot's descrip- tion of it has been fully confirmed. It could not have been the peak where the
ark grounded, since the safe descent from it of Noah and liis family, with all the "living creatures" committed to their care, would have been a greater miracle than their deliverance from the Flood. Most likely the ark touched earth on some one of the lower Armenian hills or plains.
A-rau'nah, a Jebusite, one of the people who inhabited Jerusalem before it was occupied by the Israelites. He owned on Mount Moriah a threshing- floor, which, with his oxen, he sold to David wlien the king was commanded to offer there a sacrifice in order to stay the desolating plague brought on -Jerusalem by his presumptuous sin. The thresh- ing-floor became the site of the temple which Solomon built (2 Sara. 24 : 18). In 1 Chron. 21 : 18, Arannah is called Oman.
Ar'ba, or Kirjath-Ar'ba [city of Arba}, the ancient name of Hebron (Gen. 35 : 27 ; Josh. 20 : 7 ; 21 : 11). See He- bron.
Arch-an'gel [chief angell. The word occurs in the New Testament but twice (1 Thess. 4 : 16; Jude 9). It is supposed
ARCHELAUS— ARIEL.
53
to denote tliose angels who occupy the highest rank in tlie celestial order or hierarchy. Of these there are said to be seven who stand immediately before the throne of God (Eev .8:2), who have au- tiiority over other angels, and are the pa- trons of particular nations (Rev. 12:7; Dan. 10 : 13). The names of two only are found in Scripture — Michael, the pa- tron of the Jewish nation (Dan. 10 : 13, 21 ; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12 : 7), and Ga- briel (Dan. 8 : 16; 9 : 21 ; Luke 1 : 19, 26).
Ar-che-la'us [ruler of the people], a son of Herod the Great, and his successor in the kingdom (Matt. 2 : 22). Like his father, he was a man of malignant and cruel disposition, and after enjoying his dignity for ten years he was accused be- fore the Roman emperor for his cruel- ties, and banished to Vienne in Gaul, where he died.
Ar^cher, one skilled in the use of the bow (Gen. 21 : 20). Before the invention of firearms tlie bow was much used in war and hunting. See Arms, Armor.
Ar-chip'pus [ruler of (he horse'], a Christian minister whom Paul styles his "fellow-soldier" (Philem. 2), and to whom on another occasion he sends a message to take heed to tlie ministry that he had re- ceived, and to fulfill it (Col. 4:17).
Arc-tu'rus [bear-warden]. This name is found twice in the book of Job (9:9 and 38 : 32). The etymology of the original word is obscure. Most critics regard it as denoting the principal star in the tail of the Great Bear, and of course take the "sons" of Arcturus in the sense of the smaller stars near it. Other critics, however, suppose that Arcturus and the other stars men- tioned in Job were the leading constella- tions of spring and autumn in tlie days of the patriarcli, and they seek, by calcu- lations based upon the precession of the equinoxes, to fix the time when the book of Job was written.
Ar-e-op'a-gus [the hill of Ares or
Mars], (Acts 17 : 19), a rocky height in Athens opposite the western end of the Acropolis. It had its name from the legend that Ares (Mars), the god of war, was hei-e tried by the other gods on a cliarge of murder. Here was held that noted council, the Areopagus, which took cognizance of questions of religion, edu- cation and politics, and which considered and determined all kinds of oflfences, but especially such as related to religion. Be- fore this court, on the hill of Mars, the apostle Paul was arraigned on the charge of being "a setter-forth of strange gods" (Acts 17 : 18). His noble defence of him- self and his clear exposition of the grand facts and doctrines of the gospel resulted in the conversion of one of his judges, " Dionysius the Areopagite," and in his dismissal without rebuke (Acts 17 : 32- 34).
A-re'tas, the name of several kings of Arabia Petraea, one only of whom is referred to in Scripture. Having made an incursion upon Damascus, he took the city and appointed a governor over it. It was during the incumbency of this subor- dinate officer that the attempt was made, at the instigation of the Jews, to seize and imprison the apostle Paul, of which wlien his friends were apprised, they let him down from the walls at night in a basket (2 Cor. 11 : 32 and Acts 9 : 24, 25).
Ar'gob [stone-heap], a district in Baslian, east of the Lake of Gennesa- ret, which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Deut. 3 : 4, 13 ; 1 Kings 4 : 13). In later times it was called Trachonitis [the rough] ; now it is the Lejdh, south of Damascus. The region is a very re- markable one. It is oval in shape, twenty- two miles by fourteen, and is thickly stud- ded with ruined cities and villages. It is described as an "ocean of basaltic rocks."
A'ri-el [lion of God], a designation of Jerusalem (Isa. 29 : 1, 2, 7), originating, probably, from the fact that Jerusalem
54
ARIMATHEA— ARK.
was the chief city of the tribe of Judah, whose emblem was a lion (Gen. 49 : 9).
Ar-i-ma-the'a, probably the birth- place, certainly the residence, of Joseph, the rich counselor in whose sepulchre Our Lord was laid (Matt. 27 : 57-60). It is called in Luke 23 : 51 "a city of the Jews" or of Judaea. Some identify it with Raraah, Samuel's birthplace ; others with the modern Ramleh, on the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem.
Ar-is-tar^chus [bed ruler], a native of Thessalonica and a faithful and esteemed co-laborer with Paul (Acts 20 : 4 ; 27 : 2), In Col. 4 : 10, Paul styles him his "fel- low-prisoner ;" in Philem. 24, his " fellow- laborer." In the tumult raised against Paul by the silversmiths of Ephesus he was nearly killed (Acts 19 : 29). He was a companion of Paul on the perilous voy- age to Rome and during his first impris- onment there. According to tradition, he was finally beheaded at Rome.
Ark [coffer, chesti, the designation in the Scriptures of three specially important vessels :
1. Ark of Noah. This was built by Noah, at God's command, for the preserva- tion of himself and family when the earth was devas- tated by the Flood. Accord- ing to ordinary calculation, it was four hundred and fifty feet in length, seventy-five in breadth and forty-five in height, but most probably its real dimensions were very mucli greater. Its form is supposed to have been tiiat of an oblonor floatina: house, witii a roof either flat or only sliglitly inclined. It was constructed with three stories, and with a door in the side. It had sufficient capacity for its purposed use, and kept alive those human beings
and those selected animals which floated in it. As the second cradle of the human race the ark entered largely into the tra- ditions of the ancient world, and reap- peared in the mysteries and religious cer- emonies of many primeval nations.
2. Ark of Bulrushes. In Ex. 2 : 3 we read that Moses was exposed among the flags of the Nile in an ark or boat of bul- rushes daubed with slime and with pitch. Tlie bulrush was the papyrus reed, which, grew abundantly in Egypt, and which, with many other uses, was largely em- ployed in the weaving of boats. These boats were noted for lightness and swift- ness, and are alluded to in Isa. 18 : 2.
3. Ark of the Covenant. This was the first piece of the tabernacle's furniture for which precise directions were delivered (I']x. 25). It appears to liave been an oblong chest of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long by one and a half broad and deep. Within and without gold was overlaid on the wood, and on the upper side or lid, which was edged around
Ark of the Covenant.
about with gold, tlie mercy-seat was placed. It was fitted witli rings, one at each of the four cornel's, througli wliich
ARKITE— ARMS.
55
were passed the acacia staves, overlaid witli gold, whereby it was carried (Num. 7:9; 10 : 21). When transported, it was enveloped in tlie veil of the dismantled tabernacle, in the curtain of badgers' skins and in a blue cloth overall ; it was tiierefore not seen. It contained the two tables of the moral law, that covenant be- tween God and his people from wiiicli it derived its title (1 Kings 8 : 9). Occupy- ing the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary, it excluded every idol from the centre of worsliip. It was also the support of the mercy-seat, symbolizing materially, per- liaps, the grand truth that the " covenant " was that on which mercy rested.
After the children of Israel had passed the Jordan the ark in the tabernacle was placed at Gilgal. Thence it was removed to Shiloh, where it was stationary some three or four hundred years. When taken out and borne before the army — which, renouncing faith in God, thus degraded the symbol of his presence into a magical charm — it fell into the hands of the Phil- istines at the defeat of the Israelites near Aphek (1 Sam. 4). The Philistines took it to Ashdod, and placed it by the side of their idol-god Dagon (1 Sam. 5). They were taught, however, in a very surprising manner that their profane use of it was highly displeasing to God, and they re- turned it to the people of Israel, who lodged it at Kirjath-jearim (1 Sam. 6, 7). When David had fixed his residence at Jerusalem it was removed thither, and kept until the temple was prepared to re- ceive it. When Jerusalem was sacked by Nebucliadnezzar it was either carried away or destroyed.
Ark'ite, one of the families of the Ca- naanites, located in the north of Phoenicia (Gen. 10 : 17; 1 Chron. 1 : 15). The site which now bears the name of Ar/;a lies on the coast, some five miles from the sea and about twelve miles north of Tripoli.
Arm, the common instrument of hu-
j man strength and power, and so the sym- bol of God's almightiness (Ps. 89 : 13; I Isa. 53 : 1). To break the arm of any [ one is to destroy his power (Ezek. 30 : 21). The expressions "making bare the arm " and " redeeming with an outstretcheil arm " refer to the action of warriors or other persons employed in vigorous and energet- ic working, who, in order to accomplisli their purpose, must have fidl and free scope for the arm.
Ar-ma-ged'don, a name used em- blematically for a place of slaughter and mourning (Rev. 16 : 16). It means the mountain of Megiddo, on which stood the city of the same name, on tlie soutliern border of the plain of Jezi-eel or Es- draelon, that great battle-field where Ba- rak and Gideon conquered ( Judg. 5:19; 6 : 33), and where Saul and Josiah fell (1 Sara. 29 : 1 ; 31:8; 2 Sam. 4:4; 2 Chron. 35 : 20-24). It is to be under- stood as pointing prophetically to the utter overthrow of the marshaled hosts of Anti- christ at some place which shall revive the memories of Megiddo, and at some time in the future.
Ar-ine''ni-a, a country of Western Asia between the Caucasus and Taurus Moun- tains and the Mediterranean, the Black and the Caspian seas. It is an elevated table-land triangular in shape, and the base from which rises the gigantic Ararat. In it the great rivers Euphrates and Ti- gris have their springs, and through it flow the Araxes and Kur. It is men- tioned in Scripture in connection witli but one event, tiie death of Sennacherib, king of Assyria (2 Kings 19:37; Isa. 37 : 38). Christianity was introduced into it in the fourtli century, but, in the present Armenian Church, is greatly cor- rupted.
Arms, Ar^mor, the weapons of of- fence and the equipment for defence.
1. Arms, or the Weapons of Of- fence.— These were the sword, the spear.
56
ARMS.
the javelin, the dart, the lance, the sling, the bow and arrow and the battle-axe.
The sword was the earliest known and the most widely-used weapon (Gen. 27 : 40). Little can be ascertained as to its shape, size, material or mode of use. It was j)robably a ligliter and shorter weapon than the modern sword, resembling w^hat we call a dagger. It was carried in a sheath or scabbard (1 Sam. 17 : 51 ; 1 Chron 21 : 27 ; Jer. 47 : 6), slung by a girdle (1 Sam. 25 : 13), and rested upon the thigh (Judg. 3 : 16) or upon the hip (2 Sam. 20 : 8). From allusions to its l)rightness and "glittering" (Deut. 32 : 41) we infer that its material was metal.
Shield, Axe, Sword, Bow and Quiver.
The spear (Josh. 8 : 18), the javelin (Num. 25 : 7, 8), the dart (2 Sam. 18 : 14) and the lance f Jer. 50 : 42) differed chief- ly in length and size. The spear was a long wooden staff with a stout metal point at one end. Tlie lance was shaped like the spear, but was a lighter Avcapon. The javelin w;is a short spear, and was cast with the hand (1 Sam. 18 : 11). The dart was still smaller than the javelin, and was used in like manner.
The sling (1 Sam. 17 : 40) was an early weapon of war, by which stones were thrown with great force and surprising accuracy of aim (Judg. 20 : 15, 16).
The bow and arrow held the foremost place among the missile weapons of of- fence. From the earliest times they were in use both for the chase and for war (Gen. 21 : 20 ; 48 : 22). Tlie bows were made of flexible wood or steel (Ps. 18 : 34), and the bow-string of leather, horse-hair or the ten- dons of animals. The arrows were orig- inally made of reeds, and afterward of any light wood ; they were carried in a case or box called a "quiver," slung over the shoulders in such a position that the ar- rows could be readily drawn out when wanted. Those who shot them were called archers.
The battle-axe (Jer. 51 : 20) was a pow- erful weapon of war, but of its form and manner of use we have now no definite knowledge.
Coats-of-Maii.
2. Armor, or the Equipment for Defence. — This comprised tlie sliield or buckler or target, the coat-of-mail or ha- bergeon or breastplate or brigandine, the greaves and the helmet.
The shield or buckler or target, differ- ing in size and perhaps in form, was a de- fence against sword-blows and spear-thrusts, and such missiles as stones, javelins, darts and arrows. It was one of the earliest pieces of armor (Gen. 15 : 1 ; Ps. 5:12). It was usually made of light wood, and covered with several folds or thicknesses
ARMOR-BEAEER— ARPAD.
57
of stout hides. Sometimes osiers or reeds woven like basket-work were used to stretch tlie hide upon. Sometimes the shield was either made entirely of brass or gold, or covered with thick plates of those metals (1 Kings 14 : 26, 27). It was held by the left 'arm, and sometimes was attached to the neck by a thong.
The coat-of-mail (1 Sam. 17 : 5) or ha- bergeon (Neh. 4: 16) or breastplate (Rev. 9:9) covered the body upon and below the breast and back. It consisted of two parts, and was fastened together at the sides. As it was the principal and most complete part of the armor, it is an ap- propriate emblem of defence and safety (Isa. 59 : 17; Eph. 6 : 14).
The greaves (1 Sam. 17 : 6) resembled boots without feet, and protected the legs. They were usually made of brass.
Helmets and Swords.
The helmet was a cap to protect the head. It was made of thick, tough hide, sometimes of plated brass, and was often ornamented with a crest or plume.
Arms and armor, the weapons of of- fence and the equipment for defence, fur- nish some of the most vivid Scripture al- lusions and figures. A fine example is in Eph. 6 : 11-18, where the Christian is rep- resented as clothed in the panoply (or whole armor) of God, and as so using the sword
of the Spirit that in the good fight of faith he achieves a certain and glorious triumph.
Ar'mor-Bear^er, a soldier selected by a king or general from the bravest of his followers to carry his armor until he was ready to equip himself for battle, and during the contest to stand beside him ( 1 Sam. 16 : 21 ; Judg. 9 : 54).
Ar'mo-ry, the place where, in times of peace, arms and armor were deposited (Song 4 : 4).
Army. See Soldier and War.
Ar'non [rushiny, roarivf/], a river rising in the mountains of Gilead east of Jordan, and flowing into the Dead Sea (Num. 22 : 36; Deut. 2 : 24). It was originally the boundary between the Mo- abites and Amorites (Num. 21 : 13), and afterward between Moab and the tribe of Reuben (Josh. 13 : 15, 16). It is now called El-Mojeh, and is described as flowing in a deep ravine or chasm cut through red and brown and yellow sand- stone. The stream, although rapid and wild in winter, is nearly dried up in sum- mer. See Moab for a picture of the Arnon.
Ar'oer, the name of several places.
1. A city on the north bank of the tor- rent Arnon, assigned after the conquest of Sihon, king of the Amorites, to the tribe of Reuben (Deut. 2:32-36; Josh. 13: 15, 16), but later again in the possession of Moab (Jer. 48 : 16-20). Near this city Jephthah defeated the Ammonites (Judg. 11 : 33). The site, marked by ruins, with the name ^A-rd'ir, is on the old Roman road, upon the very edge of the precipi- tous north bank of Wady-ti-Mojeb.
2. One of the towns " built " or probably rebuilt by the tribe of Gad (Num. 32 : 34).
3. A city in the south of Judah, to which David sent presents after recov- ering from the Amalekites the spoil of Ziklag (1 Sam. 30 : 26-28). It aiipears to have been the native city of two of David's warriors (1 Chron. 11 : 44).
! Ar^pad, sometimes Ar^phad, a city
58
AEPHAXAD— ASAHEL.
of Syria, always mentioned in connection with Hamath, and probably in the vicin- ity of Dani;iscus, but its exact site is now unknown (2 Kings IS : 34 ; Isa. 10 : 9 ; 36 : 19; 37 : 13; Jer. 49 : 23).
Ar-phax'ad, a son of Shem, born two years after the Flood (Gen. 11:10).
Ar'row (see Arms, Armor), a word of extended symbolical use. As a means of domestic power and self-defence chil- dren are called arrows (Ps. 127 : 4, 5). Lightnings are described as Jehovah's arrows (Ps. 18 : 14; Hab. 3 : 11) ; so also are providential calamities (Job 6 : 4; Ps. 38 : 2). Words of bitterness and false- hood are strikingly compared to arrows (Ps. 64: 3; 120: 3, 4).
Ar-ta-xerx'es [great ivarrior'], the name of two Persian monarchs mentioned in Scripture.
1. The monarch who obstructed the building of tlie temple (Ezra 4 : 7-21). He is supposed, with good reason, to have been the Magian impostor Smerdis, who usurped the throne B. c. 522 and reigned eight months.
2. The monarch who in the seventh year of his reign permitted Ezra to re- turn into Judaea with such of his country- men as chose to follow him (Ezra 7 : 1,7), and who, fourteen years afterward, allowed Nehemiah to return and build Jerusalem (Neh. 2:1). He has been identified with Artaxerxes Longimanus, the son and suc- cessor of Xerxes.
Ar^te-mas, an esteemed disciple whom Paul proposed to send to Crete to supply the place of Titus, while the latter should visit the apostle at Nicop- olis (Tit. 3 : 12).
Ar-tirie-ry. This word, found in 1 Sam. 20 : 40, is applied to the arrows which Jonathan had been shooting. It is Old English for offensive, especially missile, weapons ; it must not be confounded with modern artillery, of which the ancients had no knowledge.
A-ru'raah or Ru'mah, a village near Shechem where Abimelech lived (Judg. 9 : 41 ; 2 Kings 23 : 30).
Ar 'vad, a small island and city on the coast of Syria, still known under the name of Ruad. The inhabitants, who are called Arvadites (Gen. 10 : 18), were celebrated as mariners (Ezek. 27 : 8-11).
A'sa [healing or physician], the third king of Judah, son and successor of Abi- jam. He began to reign about B. c. 956, and reigned forty-one yeai-s in Jerusalem (1 Kings 15 : 9, 10). When he assumed the government he displayed a commend- able zeal in suppressing all idolatrous prac- tices and the gross immoralities which be- fore had been tolerated (1 Kings 15 : 12). He did not spare his grandmother Maa- chah, who occupied the special dignity of " king's mother." He burnt the symbol of her religion (1 Kings 15 : 13), and threw its ashes into the brook Kidron ; he then deposed Maachah from her dig- nity. He strengthened the kingdom and made the best use of his resources. His reliance on the divine aid was rewarded by a signal victory over Zerah the Ethio- pian (2 Chron. 14 : 9-15). Although it is said, " Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days," we are to understand tliis not of every particular act of his life, but of his continuing to maintain the sound prin- ciples with which he began his career. His alliance with tlie king of Syria in his war with Israel evinced a distrust of God, and his treatment of the Lord's prophet for faithfully rebuking him on this ac- count was inexcusable (2 Chron. 16 : 1-10). In tlie latter part of his life he suffered from the gout, and, to his re- proach, relied more on the skill of his physicians than on God's help (2 Chron. 16 : 12). He died, greatly loved and hon- ored, in the forty-first year of his reign, and was buried with extraordinary pomj).
A'sa-hel [(lod. Aas* made], nepiiew of David and brother of Joab, distin-
ASAPH— ASHDOD.
59
guislied for his swiftness in running. At the battle of Gibeon he pursued Abner, who, in self-defence, was obliged to kill him (2 Sam. 2 : 19-23).
A'saph lassemblei-l, the name of three persons.
1. A Levite of the family of Gershom, son of Berachiah (1 Chron. 6 : 39; 15 : 17), eminent as a musician, and appoint- ed by David to preside over the sacred choral services which he organized (1 Chron. 16 : 5). The office appears to have been hereditary, for his sons are mentioned as choristers in the temple (1 Chron. 25 : 1, 2). To twelve of the Psalms, the fiftieth and the seventy-third to the eighty-third inclusive, his name is prefixed, but his authorship of them all is, on good grounds, disputed. He may have been the founder of a school of poets and musical composers, who were called after him "the sons of Asaph."
2. The " father " of Joah, the " recorder " in the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18 : 18, 37 ; Isa. 36 : 3, 22).
3. A "keeper of the king's forests" (in Lebanon probably), to whom Nehemiah requested of Artaxerxes Longimanus an order for timber to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem (Neb. 2:8).
As-cen^sion, our Lord's. See Christ.
As'e-nath, daughter of Potipherah, priest (or possibly prince) of On, wife of Joseph (Gen. 41 : 45) and mother of Ma- nasseh and Ephraim (Gen. 41 : 50; 46 : 20).
Ash. This word occurs but once in Scripture (Isa. 44 : 14). Whether it des- ignates the ash-tree or a pine is uncertain.
Ash'an [smokel, a city in the plain, spoken of as belonging sometimes to Ju- dah (Josh. 15 : 42), sometimes to Simeon (Josh. 19 : 7 and 1 Chron. 4 : 32), and sometimes to the sons of Aaron (1 Chron. 6 : 59). Its site has not been identified.
The Modem AsliUod.
Ash'dod [s^tronghold, castle'], one of to the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15 : 47), but the five cities of the Philistines assigned not permanently conquered. The Greeks
60
ASHER— ASHTAROTH.
called it Azotus (Acts 8 : 40). It was sit- uated about three miles from the Mediter- ranean, midway between Gaza and Joppa. In it was the temple of Dagon, to which the Pliilistines bore the captured ark (1 Sam. 5 : 2). It is now an insignificant vil- lage called Esdiid, the prophetic denun- ciations (Amos 1 : 8, Zeph. 2 : 4) having been literally fulfilled.
Asli'er [happy one'}, the name of a man, of the tribe descended from him and of a city.
1. One of the sons of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid (Gen. 30 : 13). No par- ticulars of his personal history are re- corded.
2. The tribe descended from Asher has a-s little prominence in Scripture history as Asher himself After the conquest it took the territory allotted to it without any special mention, and, so far as the rec- ords show, participated in none of the stir- ring events of succeeding times. Its gen- eral position was on the seashore from Carmel northward, with Manasseh on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the south- east and Naphtali on the north-east. Its territory, some sixty miles long by ten broad, contained some of the richest soil in all Palestine, and to this fact, and to the tribe's proximity to the commercial and luxurious Phoenician cities, may pos- sibly be attributed the degeneracy of the Asher ites (Judg. 1 : 31, 32).
3. A city on the boundary of the tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 17 : 7).
Ash'es. As in the East persons in deep ailliction were accustomed to scatter (lust or ashes on their heads or in their hair, and to sit or lie, or even roll, in ashes, so it was not unnatural that ashes should become the symbol of penitential mourning (Job 42 : 6 ; Matt. 11 : 21), and should contribute to many figurative forms of expression. "When the Psalmist (Ps. 102:9) says, "I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weep-
ing," he means that he has eaten the bread of humiliation and drunk the water of affliction. When, too, Isaiah (44 : 20) says of the idolater, " He feedeth on ashes," his meaning evidently is that idolatry can afford no spiritual nourishment, and that to practice it is to die.
Ash'i-raa, the idol-god of the people of Hamath, whose worsliip the colonists settled by Shalmanezer introduced into Samaria (2 Kings 17 : 30). It is said to have had the form of a goat, and to have been the same as the Pan of the Greeks and the Phoenician god Esmun. Probably it is the Persian Asuman.
Ash^ke-lon. See Askelon.
Ash'ke-naz, son of Gomer and grand- son of Japheth (Gen. 10 : 3), the probable ancestor of those who irihabited a country of the same name (Jer. 51 : 27) lying along the northern and south-eastern shores of the Black Sea.
Ash'ta-roth, the name of a goddess and the designation of two cities.
1. As the name of a goddess, Ashta- ROTii is the plural form of Ashtoreth, the great female divinity of the Canaan- itish nations, the partner of Baal,