ABRAHAM
father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in his native country of Chaldea. He then, with his father and his family and household, quitted the city of Ur, in which he had hitherto dwelt, and went some 300 miles north to Haran, where he abode f......
ABRAHAM'S BOSOM
(Luke 16:22, Luke 16:23) refers to the custom of reclining on couches at table, which was prevalent among the Jews, an arrangement which brought the head of one person almost into the bosom of the one who sat or reclined above him. To "be in Abraham's bosom" thus meant to enjoy happiness and rest (Matt. 8:11; Luke 16:23) at the banquet in Paradise. (See BANQUET; MEALS.) ......
BAAL-HAMON
place of a multitude, a place where Solomon had an extensive vineyard (8:11). It has been supposed to be identical with Baal-gad, and also with Hammon in the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:28). Others identify it with Belamon, in Central Palestine, near Dothaim.......
BED-CHAMBER
an apartment in Eastern houses, furnished with a slightly elevated platform at the upper end and sometimes along the sides, on which were laid mattresses. This was the general arrangement of the public sleeping-room for the males of the family and for guests, but there were usually besides distinct bed-chambers of a more private character (2-Kings 4:10; Exo 8:3; 2-Kings 6:12). In 2-Kings 11:2 this......
CHAMBER
"on the wall," which the Shunammite prepared for the prophet Elisha (2-Kings 4:10), was an upper chamber over the porch through the hall toward the street. This was the "guest chamber" where entertainments were prepared (Mark 14:14). There were also "chambers within chambers" (1-Kings 22:25; 2-Kings 9:2). To enter into a chamber is used metaphorically of prayer and communion with God (Isa. 26:20).......
CHAMBERING
(Rom. 13:13), wantonness, impurity. ......
CHAMBERLAIN
a confidential servant of the king (Gen. 37:36;39:1). In Rom. 16:23 mention is made of "Erastus the chamberlain." Here the word denotes the treasurer of the city, or the quaestor, as the Romans styled him. He is almost the only convert from the higher ranks of whom mention is made (comp. Acts 17:34). Blastus, Herod's "chamberlain" (Acts 12:20), was his personal attendant or valet-de-chambre. The H......
CHAMELEON
a species of lizard which has the faculty of changing the colour of its skin. It is ranked among the unclean animals in Lev. 11:30, Lev. 11: where the Hebrew word so translated is _coah_ (R.V., "land crocodile"). In the same verse the Hebrew _tanshemeth_, rendered in Authorized Version "mole," is in Revised Version "chameleon," which is the correct rendering. This animal is very common in Egypt an......
CHAMOIS
only in Deut. 14:5 (Heb. zemer), an animal of the deer or gazelle species. It bears this Hebrew name from its leaping or springing. The animal intended is probably the wild sheep (Ovis tragelephus), which is still found in Sinai and in the broken ridges of Stony Arabia. The LXX. and Vulgate render the word by camelopardus, i.e., the giraffe; but this is an animal of Central Africa, and is not at a......
CHAMPION
(1-Sam 17:4, 1-Sam 17: 23), properly "the man between the two," denoting the position of Goliath between the two camps. Single combats of this kind at the head of armies were common in ancient times. In ver. 51 this word is the rendering of a different Hebrew word, and properly denotes "a mighty man." ......
CHIMHAM
pining, probably the youngest son of Barzillai the Gileadite (2-Sam 19:37). The "habitation of Chimham" (Jer. 41:17) was probably an inn or khan, which is the proper meaning of the Hebrew _geruth_, rendered "habitation", established in later times in his possession at Bethlehem, which David gave to him as a reward for his loyalty in accompanying him to Jerusalem after the defeat of Absalom (1-King......
ELISHAMA
whom God hears. (1.) A prince of Benjamin, grandfather of Joshua (Num. 1:10; 1-Chr 7:26). (2.) One of David's sons (2-Sam 5:16). (3.) Another of David's sons (1-Chr 3:6). (4.) A priest sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the people the law (2-Chr 17:8).......
ETHAM
perhaps another name for Khetam, or "fortress," on the Shur or great wall of Egypt, which extended from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez. Here the Israelites made their third encampment (Exo 13:20; Num. 33:6). The camp was probably a little to the west of the modern town of Ismailia. Here the Israelites were commanded to change their route (Exo 14:2), and "turn" towards the south, and encamp ......
GUEST-CHAMBER
the spare room on the upper floor of an Eastern dwelling (Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11). In Luke 2:7 the word is translated "inn" (q.v.).......
HAM
warm, hot, and hence the south; also an Egyptian word meaning "black", the youngest son of Noah (Gen. 5:32; 9:22, 9:24). The curse pronounced by Noah against Ham, properly against Canaan his fourth son, was accomplished when the Jews subsequently exterminated the Canaanites. One of the most important facts recorded in Gen. 10 is the foundation of the earliest monarchy in Babylonia by Nimrod the ......
HAMAN
(of Persian origin), magnificent, the name of the vizier (i.e., the prime minister) of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Esther 3:1, Esther 3: etc.). He is called an "Agagite," which seems to denote that he was descended from the royal family of the Amalekites, the bitterest enemies of the Jews, as Agag was one of the titles of the Amalekite kings. He or his parents were brought to Persia as captives ta......
HAMATH
fortress, the capital of one of the kingdoms of Upper Syria of the same name, on the Orontes, in the valley of Lebanon, at the northern boundary of Palestine (Num. 13:21;34:8), at the foot of Hermon (Josh. 13:5) towards Damascus (Zech. 9:2; Jer. 49:23). It is called "Hamath the great" in Amos 6:2, Amos 6: and "Hamath-zobah" in 2-Chr 8:3. Hamath, now Hamah, had an Aramaean population, but Hittite......
HAMATH-ZOBAH
fortress of Zobah, (2-Chr 8:3) is supposed by some to be a different place from the foregoing; but this is quite uncertain.......
HAMMATH
warm springs, one of the "fenced cities" of Naphtali (Josh. 19:35). It is identified with the warm baths (the heat of the water ranging from 136 degrees to 144 degrees) still found on the shore a little to the south of Tiberias under the name of Hummam Tabariyeh ("Bath of Tiberias").......
HAMMEDATHA
father of Haman, designated usually "the Agagite" (Esther 3:1, Esther 3: 10;8:5).......
HAMMELECH
the king's, the father of Jerahmeel, mentioned in Jer. 36:26. Some take this word as a common noun, "the king", and understand that Jerahmeel was Jehoiakim's son. Probably, however, it is to be taken as a proper name.......
HAMMER
(1.) Heb. pattish, used by gold-beaters (Isa. 41:7) and by quarry-men (Jer. 23:29). Metaphorically of Babylon (Jer. 50:23) or Nebuchadnezzar. (2.) Heb. makabah, a stone-cutter's mallet (1-Kings 6:7), or of any workman (Judg. 4:21; Isa. 44:12). (3.) Heb. halmuth, a poetical word for a workman's hammer, found only in Judg. 5:26, Judg. 5: where it denotes the mallet with which the pins of the ten......
HAMMOLEKETH
the queen, the daughter of Machir and sister of Gilead (1-Chr 7:17, 1-Chr 7: 18). Abiezer was one of her three children.......
HAMMON
warm springs. (1.) A town in the tribe of Asher, near Zidon (Josh. 19:28), identified with 'Ain Hamul. (2.) A Levitical city of Naphtali (1-Chr 6:76).......
HAMMOTH-DOR
warm springs, a Levitical city of Naphtali (Josh. 21:32); probably Hammath 19:35.......
HAMON
See BAAL-HAMON.......
HAMON-GOG
multitude of Gog, the name of the valley in which the slaughtered forces of Gog are to be buried (Ezek. 39:11, Ezek. 39:15), "the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea."......
HAMONAH
multitude, a name figuratively assigned to the place in which the slaughter and burial of the forces of Gog were to take place (Ezek. 39:16).......
HAMOR
he-ass, a Hivite from whom Jacob purchased the plot of ground in which Joseph was afterwards buried (Gen. 33:19). He is called "Emmor" in Acts 7:16. His son Shechem founded the city of that name which Simeon and Levi destroyed because of his crime in the matter of Dinah, Jacob's daughter (Gen. 34:20). Hamor and Shechem were also slain (ver. 26).......
HAMUL
spared, one of the sons of Pharez, son of Judah (1-Chr 2:5). His descendants are called Hamulites (Num. 26:21).......
HAMUTAL
kinsman of the dew, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, wife of king Josiah, and mother of king Jehoahaz (2-Kings 23:31), also of king Zedekiah (2-Kings 24:18).......
HOHAM
Jehovah impels, the king of Hebron who joined the league against Gibeon. He and his allies were defeated (Josh. 10:3, Josh. 10: 5, 16-27). ......
ITHAMAR
palm isle, the fourth and youngest son of Aaron (1-Chr 6:3). He was consecrated to the priesthood along with his brothers (Exo 6:23); and after the death of Nadab and Abihu, he and Eleazar alone discharged the functions of that office (Lev. 10:6, Lev. 10: 12; Num. 3:4). He and his family occupied the position of common priest till the high priesthood passed into his family in the person of Eli (1-......
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH
Jehovah is there, the symbolical title given by Ezekiel to Jerusalem, which was seen by him in vision (Ezek. 48:35). It was a type of the gospel Church. ......
JEROHAM
cherished; who finds mercy. (1.) Father of Elkanah, and grandfather of the prophet Samuel (1-Sam 1:1). (2.) The father of Azareel, the "captain" of the tribe of Dan (1-Chr 27:22). (3.) 1-Chr 12:7; a Benjamite. (4.) 2-Chr 23:1; one whose son assisted in placing Joash on the throne. (5.) 1-Chr 9:8; a Benjamite. (6.) 1-Chr 9:12; a priest, perhaps the same as in Neh. 11:12. ......
JOTHAM
Jehovah is perfect. (1.) The youngest of Gideon's seventy sons. He escaped when the rest were put to death by the order of Abimelech (Judg. 9:5). When "the citizens of Shechem and the whole house of Millo" were gathered together "by the plain of the pillar" (i.e., the stone set up by Joshua,24:26; comp. Gen. 35:4) "that was in Shechem, to make Abimelech king," from one of the heights of Mount Geri......
LO-RUHAMAH
not pitied, the name of the prophet Hosea's first daughter, a type of Jehovah's temporary rejection of his people (Hos. 1:6;2:23). ......
MISHAM
their cleansing or their beholding, a Benjamite, one of the sons of Elpaal (1-Chr 8:12). ......
RAHAM
merciful, one of the descendants of Caleb, the son of Hezron (1-Chr 2:44).......
RUHAMAH
having obtained mercy, a symbolical name given to the daughter of Hosea (2:1). ......
SELA-HAMMAHLEKOTH
cliff of divisions the name of the great gorge which lies between Hachilah and Maon, south-east of Hebron. This gorge is now called the Wady Malaky. This was the scene of the interview between David and Saul mentioned in 1-Sam 26:13. Each stood on an opposing cliff, with this deep chasm between. ......
SHAMGAR
The Philistines from the maritime plain had made incursions into the Hebrew upland for the purposes of plunder, when one of this name, the son of Anath, otherwise unknown, headed a rising for the purpose of freeing the land from this oppression. He repelled the invasion, slaying 600 men with an "ox goad" (q.v.). The goad was a formidable sharpointed instrument, sometimes ten feet long. He was prob......
SHAMIR
a sharp thorn. (1.) One of the sons of Michah (1-Chr 24:24). (2.) A town among the mountains of Judah (Josh. 15:48); probably Somerah, 2 1/2 miles north-west of Debir. (3.) The residence of Tola, one of the judges, on Mount Ephraim (Judg. 10:1, Judg. 10: 2).......
SHAMMAH
desert. (1.) One of the "dukes" of Edom (Gen. 36:13, Gen. 36: 17). (2.) One of the sons of Jesse (1-Sam 16:9). He is also called Shimeah (2-Sam 13:3) and Shimma (1-Chr 2:13). (3.) One of David's three mighty men (2-Sam 23:11, 2-Sam 23: 12). (4.) One of David's mighties (2-Sam 23:25); called also Shammoth (1-Chr 11:27) and Shamhuth (27:8).......
SHAMMUA
heard. (1.) One of the spies sent out by Moses to search the land (Num. 13:4). He represented the tribe of Reuben. (2.) One of David's sons (1-Chr 14:4;3:5, 3: "Shimea;" 2-Sam 5:14). (3.) A Levite under Nehemiah (11:17).......
SHEPHAM
a treeless place, Num. 34:10, Num. 34: 11: "The coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah."......
ZETHAM
olive planter, a Levite (1-Chr 23:8).......