ACHOR
trouble, a valley near Jericho, so called in consequence of the trouble which the sin of Achan caused Israel (Josh. 7:24, Josh. 7:26). The expression "valley of Achor" probably became proverbial for that which caused trouble, and when Isaiah (Isa. 65:10) refers to it he uses it in this sense: "The valley of Achor, a place for herds to lie down in;" i.e., that which had been a source of calamity wo......
ANCHOR
From Acts 27:29, Acts 27: 30, 40, it would appear that the Roman vessels carried several anchors, which were attached to the stern as well as to the prow. The Roman anchor, like the modern one, had two teeth or flukes. In Heb. 6:19 the word is used metaphorically for that which supports or keeps one steadfast in the time of trial or of doubt. It is an emblem of hope. "If you fear, Put all your......
BETH-HORON
house of the hollow, or of the cavern, the name of two towns or villages (2-Chr 8:5; 1-Chr 7:24) in the territory of Ephraim, on the way from Jerusalem to Joppa. They are distinguished as Beth-horon "the upper" and Beth-horon "the nether." They are about 2 miles apart, the former being about 10 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Between the two places was the ascent and descent of Beth-horon, leading ......
CHOR-ASHAN
smoking furnace, one of the places where "David himself and his men were wont to haunt" (1-Sam 30:30, 1-Sam 30: 31). It is probably identical with Ashan (Josh. 15:42;19:7), a Simeonite city in the Negeb, i.e., the south, belonging to Judah. The word ought, according to another reading, to be "Bor-ashan." ......
CHORAZIN
named along with Bethsaida and Capernaum as one of the cities in which our Lord's "mighty works" were done, and which was doomed to woe because of signal privileges neglected (Matt. 11:21; Luke 10:13). It has been identified by general consent with the modern Kerazeh, about 2 1/2 miles up the Wady Kerazeh from Capernaum; i.e., Tell Hum. ......
CROWN OF THORNS
our Lord was crowned with a, in mockery by the Romans (Matt. 27:29). The object of Pilate's guard in doing this was probably to insult, and not specially to inflict pain. There is nothing to show that the shrub thus used was, as has been supposed, the spina Christi, which could have been easily woven into a wreath. It was probably the thorny nabk, which grew abundantly round about Jerusalem, and w......
HOR
mountain. (1.) One of the mountains of the chain of Seir or Edom, on the confines of Idumea (Num. 20:22;33:37). It was one of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (33:37), which they reached in the circuitous route they were obliged to take because the Edomites refused them a passage through their territory. It was during the encampment here that Aaron died (Num. 33:37). (See AARON.) T......
HOREB
desert or mountain of the dried-up ground, a general name for the whole mountain range of which Sinai was one of the summits (Exo 3:1;17:6;33:6; Psa 106:19, Psa 106: etc.). The modern name of the whole range is Jebel Musa. It is a huge mountain block, about 2 miles long by about 1 in breadth, with a very spacious plain at its north-east end, called the Er Rahah, in which the Israelites encamped fo......
HOREM
consecrated, one of the fenced cities of Naphtali (Josh. 19:38). ......
HORITES
cave-men, a race of Troglodytes who dwelt in the limestone caves which abounded in Edom. Their ancestor was "Seir," who probably gave his name to the district where he lived. They were a branch of the Hivites (Gen. 14:6;36:20; 1-Chr 1:38, 1-Chr 1: 39). They were dispossessed by the descendants of Esau, and as a people gradually became extinct (Deut. 2:12). ......
HORMAH
banning; i.e., placing under a "ban," or devoting to utter destruction. After the manifestation of God's anger against the Israelites, on account of their rebellion and their murmurings when the spies returned to the camp at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, with an evil report of the land, they quickly repented of their conduct, and presumed to go up "to the head of the mountain," seeking to en......
HORN
Trumpets were at first horns perforated at the tip, used for various purposes (Josh. 6:4, Josh. 6:5). Flasks or vessels were made of horn (1-Sam 16:1, 1-Sam 16: 13; 1-Kings 1:39). But the word is used also metaphorically to denote the projecting corners of the altar of burnt offerings (Exo 27:2) and of incense (30:2). The horns of the altar of burnt offerings were to be smeared with the blood ......
HORNET
Heb. tsir'ah, "stinging", (Exo 23:28; Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12). The word is used in these passages as referring to some means by which the Canaanites were to be driven out from before the Israelites. Some have supposed that the word is used in a metaphorical sense as the symbol of some panic which would seize the people as a "terror of God" (Gen. 35:5), the consternation with which God would inspi......
HORONAIM
two caverns, a city of Moab to the south of the Arnon, built, apparently, upon an eminence, and a place of some importance (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:3, Jer. 48: 5, 34). ......
HORONITE
the designation of Sanballat (Neh. 2:10, Neh. 2: 19), a native of Horonaim, or of one of the two Beth-horons, the "upper" or the "nether," mentioned in Josh. 16:3, Josh. 16:5. ......
HORSE
always referred to in the Bible in connection with warlike operations, except Isa. 28:28. The war-horse is described Job 39:19. For a long period after their settlement in Canaan the Israelites made no use of horses, according to the prohibition, Deut. 17:16. David was the first to form a force of cavalry (2-Sam 8:4). But Solomon, from his connection with Egypt, greatly multiplied their number (1-......
HORSE-GATE
a gate in the wall of Jerusalem, at the west end of the bridge, leading from Zion to the temple (Neh. 3:28; Jer. 31:40). ......
HORSE-LEECH
occurs only in Prov. 30:15 (Heb. 'alukah); the generic name for any blood-sucking annelid. There are various species in the marshes and pools of Palestine. That here referred to, the Hoemopis, is remarkable for the coarseness of its bite, and is therefore not used for medical purposes. They are spoken of in the East with feelings of aversion and horror, because of their propensity to fasten on the......
HORSEMAN
Heb. ba'al parash, "master of a horse." The "horsemen" mentioned Exo 14:9 were "mounted men", i.e., men who rode in chariots. The army of Pharaoh consisted of a chariot and infantry force. We find that at a later period, however, the Egyptians had cavalry (2-Chr 12:3). (See HORSE.) ......
INKHORN
The Hebrew word so rendered means simply a round vessel or cup for containing ink, which was generally worn by writers in the girdle (Ezek. 9:2, Ezek. 9: 3,11). The word "inkhorn" was used by the translators, because in former times in this country horns were used for containing ink. ......
JEHORAM
Jehovah-exalted. (1.) Son of Toi, king of Hamath, sent by his father to congratulate David on the occasion of his victory over Hadadezer (2-Sam 8:10). (2.) A Levite of the family of Gershom (1-Chr 26:25). (3.) A priest sent by Jehoshaphat to instructruct the people in Judah (2-Chr 17:8). (4.) The son of Ahab and Jezebel, and successor to his brother Ahaziah on the throne of Israel. He reigne......
NAHOR
snorting. (1.) The father of Terah, who was the father of Abraham (Gen. 11:22; Luke 3:34). (2.) A son of Terah, and elder brother of Abraham (Gen. 11:26, Gen. 11: 27; Josh. 24:2, Josh. 24: R.V.). He married Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran, and remained in the land of his nativity on the east of the river Euphrates at Haran (Gen. 11:27). A correspondence was maintained between the famil......
ONESIPHORUS
bringing profit, an Ephesian Christian who showed great kindness to Paul at Rome. He served him in many things, and had oft refreshed him. Paul expresses a warm interest in him and his household (2-Tim 1:16;4:19). ......
PETHOR
interpretation of dreams, identified with Pitru, on the west bank of the Euphrates, a few miles south of the Hittite capital of Carchemish (Num. 22:5, Num. 22: "which is by the river of the land of the children of [the god] Ammo"). (See BALAAM.) ......
SHIHOR
dark, (1-Chr 13:5), the southwestern boundary of Canaan, the Wady el-'Arish. (See SIHOR; NILE.)......
SHIHOR-LIBNATH
black-white, a stream on the borders of Asher, probably the modern Nahr Zerka, i.e., the "crocodile brook," or "blue river", which rises in the Carmel range and enters the Mediterranean a little to the north of Caesarea (Josh. 19:26). Crocodiles are still found in the Zerka. Thomson suspects "that long ages ago some Egyptians, accustomed to worship this ugly creature, settled here (viz., at Caesar......
SIHOR
(correctly Shi'hor) black; dark the name given to the river Nile in Isa. 23:3; Jer. 2:18. In Josh. 13:3 it is probably "the river of Egypt", i.e., the Wady el-Arish (1-Chr 13:5), which flows "before Egypt", i.e., in a north-easterly direction from Egypt, and enters the sea about 50 miles south-west of Gaza. ......
THORN
(1.) Heb. hedek (Prov. 15:19), rendered "brier" in Micah 7:4. Some thorny plant, of the Solanum family, suitable for hedges. This is probably the so-called "apple of Sodom," which grows very abundantly in the Jordan valley. "It is a shrubby plant, from 3 to 5 feet high, with very branching stems, thickly clad with spines, like those of the English brier, with leaves very large and woolly on the un......
THORN IN THE FLESH
(2-Cor 12:7). Many interpretations have been given of this passage. (1.) Roman Catholic writers think that it denotes suggestions to impiety. (2.) Luther, Calvin, and other Reformers interpret the expression as denoting temptation to unbelief. (3.) Others suppose the expression refers to "a pain in the ear or head," epileptic fits, or, in general, to some severe physical infirmity, which was a......
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