AVEN
nothingness; vanity. (1.) Hosea speaks of the "high places of Aven" (10:8), by which he means Bethel. He also calls it Beth-aven, i.e., "the house of vanity" (4:15), on account of the golden calves Jeroboam had set up there (1-Kings 12:28). (2.) Translated by the LXX. "On" in Ezek. 30:17. The Egyptian Heliopolis or city of On (q.v.). (3.) In Amos 1:5 it denotes the Syrian Heliopolis, the moder......
AVENGER OF BLOOD
(Heb. goel, from verb gaal, "to be near of kin," "to redeem"), the nearest relative of a murdered person. It was his right and duty to slay the murderer (2-Sam 14:7, 2-Sam 14: 11) if he found him outside of a city of refuge. In order that this law might be guarded against abuse, Moses appointed six cities of refuge (Exo 21:13; Num. 35:13; Deut. 19:1, Deut. 19:9). These were in different parts of t......
BETH-AVEN
house of nothingness; i.e., "of idols", a place in the mountains of Benjamin, east of Bethel (Josh. 7:2;18:12; 1-Sam 13:5). In Hos. 4:15;5:8;10:5 it stands for "Bethel" (q.v.), and it is so called because it was no longer the "house of God," but "the house of idols," referring to the calves there worshipped.......
FAIR HAVENS
a harbour in the south of Crete, some 5 miles to the east of which was the town of Lasea (Acts 27:8). Here the ship of Alexandria in which Paul and his companions sailed was detained a considerable time waiting for a favourable wind. Contrary to Paul's advice, the master of the ship determined to prosecute the voyage, as the harbour was deemed incommodious for wintering in (9-12). The result was t......
GRAVEN IMAGE
Deut. 27:15; Psa 97:7 (Heb. pesel), refers to the household gods of idolaters. "Every nation and city had its own gods...Yet every family had its separate household or tutelary god." ......
HAVEN
a harbour (Psa 107:30; Acts 27:12). The most famous on the coast of Palestine was that of Tyre (Ezek. 27:3). That of Crete, called "Fair Havens," is mentioned Acts 27:8.......
HEAVEN
(1.) Definitions. The phrase "heaven and earth" is used to indicate the whole universe (Gen. 1:1; Jer. 23:24; Acts 17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens, (a) The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven" (Gen. 2:19;7:3, 7: 23; Psa 8:8, Psa 8: etc.), "the eagles of heaven" (Lam. 4:19), etc. (b) The starry heavens (Deut. 17:3; Jer. 8:2; Matt. 24:29). (c) "The heaven of heav......
HOST OF HEAVEN
The sun, moon, and stars are so designated (Gen. 2:1). When the Jews fell into idolatry they worshipped these (Deut. 4:19; 2-Kings 17:16;21:3, 21:5;23:5; Jer. 19:13; Zeph. 1:5; Acts 7:42). ......
LEAVEN
(1.) Heb. seor (Exo 12:15, Exo 12: 19;13:7; Lev. 2:11), the remnant of dough from the preceding baking which had fermented and become acid. (2.) Heb. hamets, properly "ferment." In Num. 6:3, Num. 6: "vinegar of wine" is more correctly "fermented wine." In Exo 13:7, Exo 13: the proper rendering would be, "Unfermented things [Heb. matstsoth] shall be consumed during the seven days; and there shall......
QUEEN OF HEAVEN
(Jer. 7:18;44:17, 44: 25), the moon, worshipped by the Assyrians as the receptive power in nature.......
RAVEN
Heb. 'orebh, from a root meaning "to be black" (comp. 5:11); first mentioned as "sent forth" by Noah from the ark (Gen. 8:7). "Every raven after his kind" was forbidden as food (Lev. 11:15; Deut. 14:14). Ravens feed mostly on carrion, and hence their food is procured with difficulty (Job 38:41; Psa 147:9). When they attack kids or lambs or weak animals, it is said that they first pick out the eyes......
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