ABEL-CHERAMIM
(Judg. 11:33, Judg. 11: R.V.; A. V., "plain of the vineyards"), a village of the Ammonites, whither Jephthah pursued their forces.......
ABIEEZER
father of help; i.e., "helpful." (1.) The second of the three sons of Hammoleketh, the sister of Gilead. He was the grandson of Manasseh (1-Chr 7:18). From his family Gideon sprang (Josh. 17:2; comp. Judg. 6:34;8:2). He was also called Jeezer (Num. 26:30). (2.) One of David's thirty warriors (2-Sam 23:27; comp. 1-Chr 27:12). (3.) The prince of the tribe of Dan at the Exodus (Num. 1:12).......
ABNER
father of light; i.e., "enlightening", the son of Ner and uncle of Saul. He was commander-in-chief of Saul's army (1-Sam 14:50;17:55;20:25). He first introduced David to the court of Saul after the victory over Goliath (1-Sam 17:57). After the death of Saul, David was made king over Judah, and reigned in Hebron. Among the other tribes there was a feeling of hostility to Judah; and Abner, at the he......
ACCUSER
Satan is styled the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev. 12:10. Comp. Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1), as seeking to uphold his influence among men by bringing false charges against Christians, with the view of weakening their influence and injuring the cause with which they are identified. He was regarded by the Jews as the accuser of men before God, laying to their charge the violations of the law of which they ......
ADDER
(Psa 140:3; Rom. 3:13, Rom. 3: "asp") is the rendering of, (1.) Akshub ("coiling" or "lying in wait"), properly an asp or viper, found only in this passage. (2.) Pethen ("twisting"), a viper or venomous serpent identified with the cobra (Naja haje) (Psa 58:4;91:13); elsewhere "asp." (3.) Tziphoni ("hissing") (Prov. 23:32); elsewhere rendered "cockatrice," Isa. 11:8;14:29;59:5; Jer. 8:17, Jer. 8: a......
ADULTERY
conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin. The Mosaic law (Num. 5:11) prescribed that the suspected wife should be tried by the ordeal of the "water of......
ADVERSARY
(Heb. satan), an opponent or foe (1-Kings 5:4;11:14, 11: 23, 25; Luke 13:17); one that speaks against another, a complainant (Matt. 5:25; Luke 12:58); an enemy (Luke 18:3), and specially the devil (1-Pet 5:8).......
AHASUERUS
There are three kings designated by this name in Scripture. (1.) The father of Darius the Mede, mentioned in Dan. 9:1. This was probably the Cyaxares I. known by this name in profane history, the king of Media and the conqueror of Nineveh. (2.) The king mentioned in Ezra 4:6, Ezra 4: probably the Cambyses of profane history, the son and successor of Cyrus (B.C. 529). (3.) The son of Darius Hys......
AHIEZER
brother of help; i.e., "helpful." (1.) The chief of the tribe of Dan at the time of the Exodus (Num. 1:12;2:25;10:25). (2.) The chief of the Benjamite slingers that repaired to David at Ziklag (1-Chr 12:3).......
ALABASTER
occurs only in the New Testament in connection with the box of "ointment of spikenard very precious," with the contents of which a woman anointed the head of Jesus as he sat at supper in the house of Simon the leper (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37). These boxes were made from a stone found near Alabastron in Egypt, and from this circumstance the Greeks gave them the name of the city where they w......
ALEXANDER
man-defender. (1.) A relative of Annas the high priest, present when Peter and John were examined before the Sanhedrim (Acts 4:6). (2.) A man whose father, Simon the Cyrenian, bore the cross of Christ (Mark 15:21). (3.) A Jew of Ephesus who took a prominent part in the uproar raised there by the preaching of Paul (Acts 19:33). The Jews put him forward to plead their cause before the mob. It wa......
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
the king of Macedonia, the great conqueror; probably represented in Daniel by the "belly of brass" (Dan. 2:32), and the leopard and the he-goat (7:6;11:3, 11:4). He succeeded his father Philip, and died at the age of thirty-two from the effects of intemperance, B.C. 323. His empire was divided among his four generals.......
AMBER
(Ezek. 1:4, Ezek. 1: 27;8:2. Heb., hashmal, rendered by the LXX. elektron, and by the Vulgate electrum), a metal compounded of silver and gold. Some translate the word by "polished brass," others "fine brass," as in Rev. 1:15;2:18. It was probably the mixture now called electrum. The word has no connection, however, with what is now called amber, which is a gummy substance, reckoned as belonging t......
ANER
a boy. (1.) A Canaanitish chief who joined his forces with those of Abraham in pursuit of Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:13, Gen. 14:24). (2.) A city of Manasseh given to the Levites of Kohath's family (1-Chr 6:70).......
ANGER
the emotion of instant displeasure on account of something evil that presents itself to our view. In itself it is an original susceptibility of our nature, just as love is, and is not necessarily sinful. It may, however, become sinful when causeless, or excessive, or protracted (Matt. 5:22; Eph. 4:26; Col. 3:8). As ascribed to God, it merely denotes his displeasure with sin and with sinners (Psa 7......
ARCHER
a shooter with the bow (1-Chr 10:3). This art was of high antiquity (Gen. 21:20;27:3). Saul was wounded by the Philistine archers (1-Sam 31:3). The phrase "breaking the bow" (Hos. 1:5; Jer. 49:35) is equivalent to taking away one's power, while "strengthening the bow" is a symbol of its increase (Gen. 49:24). The Persian archers were famous among the ancients (Isa. 13:18; Jer. 49:35;50:9, 50: 14, ......
ARMOUR-BEARER
an officer selected by kings and generals because of his bravery, not only to bear their armour, but also to stand by them in the time of danger. They were the adjutants of our modern armies (Judg. 9:54; 1-Sam 14:7;16:21;31:6).......
AROER
ruins. (1.) A town on the north bank of the Arnon (Deut. 4:48; Judg. 11:26; 2-Kings 10:33), the southern boundary of the kingdom of Sihon (Josh. 12:2). It is now called Arair, 13 miles west of the Dead Sea. (2.) One of the towns built by the tribe of Gad (Num. 32:34) "before Rabbah" (Josh. 13:25), the Ammonite capital. It was famous in the history of Jephthah (Judg. 11:33) and of David (2-Sam 24......
ARTAXERXES
the Greek form of the name of several Persian kings. (1.) The king who obstructed the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 4:7). He was probably the Smerdis of profane history. (2.) The king mentioned in Ezra 7:1, Ezra 7: in the seventh year (B.C. 458) of whose reign Ezra led a second colony of Jews back to Jerusalem, was probably Longimanus, who reigned for forty years (B.C. 464-425); the grandson of......
ARTIFICER
a person engaged in any kind of manual occupation (Gen. 4:22; Isa. 3:3).......
ARTILLERY
1-Sam 20:40, 1-Sam 20: (Heb. keli, meaning "apparatus;" here meaning collectively any missile weapons, as arrows and lances. In Revised Version, "weapons"). This word is derived from the Latin artillaria = equipment of war.......
ASHER
happy, Jacob's eigth son; his mother was Zilpah, Leah's handmaid (Gen. 30:13). Of the tribe founded by him nothing is recorded beyond its holding a place in the list of the tribes (35:26;46:17; Exo 1:4, Exo 1: etc.) It increased in numbers twenty-nine percent, during the thirty-eight years' wanderings. The place of this tribe during the march through the desert was between Dan and Naphtali (Num. 2......
ASHERAH
and pl. Asherim in Revised Version, instead of "grove" and "groves" of the Authorized Version. This was the name of a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols ("groves") are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Exo 34:13; Judg.......
ASHTEROTH KARNAIM
Ashteroth of the two horns, the abode of the Rephaim (Gen. 14:5). It may be identified with Ashtaroth preceding; called "Karnaim", i.e., the "two-horned" (the crescent moon). The Samaritan version renders the word by "Sunamein," the present es-Sunamein, 28 miles south of Damascus.......
ASNAPPER
probably the same as Assur-bani-pal (Sardanapalos of the Greeks), styled the "great and noble" (Ezra 4:10), was the son and successor (B.C. 668) of Esar-haddon (q.v.). He was "luxurious, ambitious, and cruel, but a magnificent patron of literature." He formed at Nineveh a library of clay tablets, numbering about 10,000. These are now mostly in the British Museum. They throw much light on the histo......
ASTROLOGER
(Dan. 1:20;2:2, 2: 10, 27, etc.) Heb. 'ashshaph', an enchanter, one who professes to divine future events by the appearance of the stars. This science flourished among the Chaldeans. It was positively forbidden to the Jews (Deut. 4:19;18:10; Isa. 47:13).......
ATER
shut; lame. (1.) Ezra 2:16. (2.) Neh. 10:17. (3.) Ezra 2:42.......
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......
BAAL-BERITH
covenant lord, the name of the god worshipped in Shechem after the death of Gideon (Judg. 8:33;9:4). 9:46 he is called simply "the god Berith." The name denotes the god of the covenant into which the Israelites entered with the Canaanites, contrary to the command of Jehovah (Exo 34:12), when they began to fall away to the worship of idols.......
BAAL-HERMON
lord of Hermon. (1.) A city near Mount Hermon inhabited by the Ephraimites (1-Chr 5:23). Probably identical with Baal-gad (Josh. 11:17). (2.) A mountain east of Lebanon (Judg. 3:3). Probably it may be the same as Mount Hermon, or one of its three peaks.......
BAAL-PERAZIM
Baal having rents, bursts, or destructions, the scene of a victory gained by David over the Philistines (2-Sam 5:20; 1-Chr 14:11). Called Mount Perazim (Isa. 28:21). It was near the valley of Rephaim, west of Jerusalem. Identified with the modern Jebel Aly.......
BAALATH-BEER
Baalah of the well, (Josh. 19:8, Josh. 19: probably the same as Baal, mentioned in 1-Chr 4:33, 1-Chr 4: a city of Simeon.......
BABEL, TOWER OF
the name given to the tower which the primitive fathers of our race built in the land of Shinar after the Deluge (Gen. 11:1). Their object in building this tower was probably that it might be seen as a rallying-point in the extensive plain of Shinar, to which they had emigrated from the uplands of Armenia, and so prevent their being scattered abroad. But God interposed and defeated their design by......
BADGER
this word is found in Exo 25:5;26:14;35:7, 35: 23;36:19;39:34; Num. 4:6, Num. 4: etc. The tabernacle was covered with badgers' skins; the shoes of women were also made of them (Ezek. 16:10). Our translators seem to have been misled by the similarity in sound of the Hebrew _tachash_ and the Latin _taxus_, "a badger." The revisers have correctly substituted "seal skins." The Arabs of the Sinaitic pe......
BANNER
(1.) The flag or banner of the larger kind, serving for three tribes marching together. These standards, of which there were four, were worked with embroidery and beautifully ornamented (Num. 1:52;2:2, 2: 3, 10, 18, 25; 2:4;6:4, 6: 10). (2.) The flag borne by each separate tribe, of a smaller form. Probably it bore on it the name of the tribe to which it belonged, or some distinguishing device (......
BARACHIAS, BERECHIAH
4 (q.v.), whom Jehovah hath blessed, father of the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 1:1, Zech. 1:7; Matt. 23:35).......
BARBER
Found only once, in Ezek. 5:1, Ezek. 5: where reference is made to the Jewish custom of shaving the head as a sign of mourning. The Nazarites were untouched by the razor from their birth (Num. 6:5). Comp. Judg. 16:19.......
BATTERING-RAM
(Ezek. 4:2;21:22), a military engine, consisting of a long beam of wood hung upon a frame, for making breaches in walls. The end of it which was brought against the wall was shaped like a ram's head. ......
BECHER
first-born; a youth, the second son of Benjamin (Gen. 46:21), who came down to Egypt with Jacob. It is probable that he married an Ephraimitish heiress, and that his descendants were consequently reckoned among the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 26:35; 1-Chr 7:20, 1-Chr 7: 21). They are not reckoned among the descendants of Benjamin (Num. 26:38). ......
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......
BEER
well. (1.) A place where a well was dug by the direction of Moses, at the forty-fourth station of the Hebrews in their wanderings (Num. 21:16) in the wilderness of Moab. (See WELL.) (2.) A town in the tribe of Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Judg. 9:21). Some have identified this place with Beeroth.......
BEER-ELIM
well of heroes, probably the name given to Beer, the place where the chiefs of Israel dug a well (Num. 21:16; Isa. 15:8).......
BEER-LAHAI-ROI
i.e., "the well of him that liveth and seeth me," or, as some render it, "the well of the vision of life", the well where the Lord met with Hagar (Gen. 16:7). Isaac dwelt beside this well (24:62;25:11). It has been identified with 'Ain Muweileh, or Moilahhi, south-west of Beersheba, and about 12 miles W. from Kadesh-barnea.......
BEERI
illustrious, or the well-man. (1.) The father of Judith, one of the wives of Esau (Gen. 26:34), the same as Adah (Gen. 36:2). (2.) The father of the prophet Hosea (1:1).......
BEEROTH
wells, one of the four cities of the Hivites which entered by fraud into a league with Joshua. It belonged to Benjamin (Josh. 18:25). It has by some been identified with el-Bireh on the way to Nablus, 10 miles north of Jerusalem.......
BEEROTH OF THE CHILDREN OF JAAKAN
(Deut. 10:6). The same as Bene-jaakan (Num. 33:31).......
BEERSHEBA
well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact (Gen. 21:31). On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Gen. 26:31). It was a favourite place of abode of both of these patriarchs (21:33:1, 19;26:33;28:10). It is mentioned among the "cities" given to the tribe of Simeon (Josh. 19:2; 1-Chr 4:28). From Dan to Beersheba,......
BERA
gift, or son of evil, king of Sodom at the time of the invasion of the four kings under Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:2, Gen. 14: 8, 17, 21).......
BERACHAH
blessing. (1.) A valley not far from Engedi, where Jehoshaphat overthrew the Moabites and Ammonites (2-Chr 20:26). It has been identified with the valley of Bereikut. (R.V., "Beracah.") (2.) One of the Benjamite warriors, Saul's brethren, who joined David when at Ziklag (1-Chr 12:3).......
BEREA
a city of Macedonia to which Paul with Silas and Timotheus went when persecuted at Thessalonica (Acts 17:10, Acts 17: 13), and from which also he was compelled to withdraw, when he fled to the sea-coast and thence sailed to Athens (14, 15). Sopater, one of Paul's companions belonged to this city, and his conversion probably took place at this time (Acts 20:4). It is now called Verria.......
BERECHIAH
blessed by Jehovah. (1.) Son of Shimea, and father of Asaph the musician (1-Chr 6:39;15:17). (2.) One of the seven Ephraimite chieftains, son of Meshillemoth (2-Chr 28:12). (3.) The fourth of the five sons of Zerubbabel, of the royal family of Judah (1-Chr 3:20). (4.) The father of the prophet Zechariah (1:1, 1:7).......
BERED
hail. (1.) A town in the south of Palestine (Gen. 16:14), in the desert of Shur, near Lahai-roi. (2.) A son of Shuthelah, and grandson of Ephraim (1-Chr 7:20).......
BERIAH
a gift, or in evil. (1.) One of Asher's four sons, and father of Heber (Gen. 46:17). (2.) A son of Ephraim (1-Chr 7:20), born after the slaughter of his brothers, and so called by his father "because it went evil with his house" at that time. (3.) A Benjamite who with his brother Shema founded Ajalon and expelled the Gittites (1-Chr 8:13).......
BERNICE
bearer of victory, the eldest daughter of Agrippa I., the Herod Agrippa of Acts 12:20. After the early death of her first husband she was married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. After his death (A.D. 40) she lived in incestuous connection with her brother Agrippa II. (Acts 25:13, Acts 25: 23;26:30). They joined the Romans at the outbreak of the final war between them and the Jews, and lived a......
BERODACH-BALADAN
the king of Babylon who sent a friendly deputation to Hezekiah (2-Kings 20:12). In Isa. 39:1 he is called Merodach-baladan (q.v.).......
BERYL
the rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word _tarshish_, a precious stone; probably so called as being brought from Tarshish. It was one of the stones on the breastplate of the high priest (Exo 28:20; R.V. marg., "chalcedony;"39:13). The colour of the wheels in Ezekiel's vision was as the colour of a beryl stone (1:16;10:9; R.V., "stone of Tarshish"). It is mentioned in 5:14; Dan. 10......
BETH-HACCEREM
house of a vineyard, a place in the tribe of Judah (Neh. 3:14) where the Benjamites were to set up a beacon when they heard the trumpet against the invading army of the Babylonians (Jer. 6:1). It is probable that this place is the modern 'Ain Karim, or "well of the vineyards," near which there is a ridge on which are cairns which may have served as beacons of old, one of which is 40 feet high and ......
BETHER
dissection or separation, certain mountains mentioned in 2:17; probably near Lebanon. ......
BEZER
ore of gold or silver. (1.) A city of the Reubenites; one of the three cities of refuge on the east of Jordan (Deut. 4:43; Josh. 20:8). It has been identified with the modern ruined village of Burazin, some 12 miles north of Heshbon; also with Kasur-el-Besheir, 2 miles south-west of Dibon. (2.) A descendant of Asher (1-Chr 7:37). ......
BIER
the frame on which dead bodies were conveyed to the grave (Luke 7:14). ......
BITTER
Bitterness is symbolical of affliction, misery, and servitude (Exo 1:14; Ruth 1:20; Jer. 9:15). The Chaldeans are called the "bitter and hasty nation" (Hab. 1:6). The "gall of bitterness" expresses a state of great wickedness (Acts 8:23). A "root of bitterness" is a wicked person or a dangerous sin (Heb. 12:15). The Passover was to be eaten with "bitter herbs" (Exo 12:8; Num. 9:11). The kind of ......
BITTERN
is found three times in connection with the desolations to come upon Babylon, Idumea, and Nineveh (Isa. 14:23;34:11; Zeph. 2:14). This bird belongs to the class of cranes. Its scientific name is Botaurus stellaris. It is a solitary bird, frequenting marshy ground. The Hebrew word (kippod) thus rendered in the Authorized Version is rendered "porcupine" in the Revised Version. But in the passages no......
BOANERGES
sons of thunder, a surname given by our Lord to James and John (Mark 3:17) on account of their fervid and impetuous temper (Luke 9:54). ......
BOLSTER
The Hebrew word _kebir_, rendered "pillow" in 1-Sam 19:13, 1-Sam 19: 16, but in Revised Version marg. "quilt" or "network," probably means some counterpane or veil intended to protect the head of the sleeper. A different Hebrew word (meraashoth') is used for "bolster" (1-Sam 26:7, 1-Sam 26: 11, 16). It is rightly rendered in Revised Version "at his head." In Gen. 28:11, Gen. 28: 18 the Authorized ......
BRAVERY
(Isa. 3:18), an old English word meaning comeliness or beauty. ......
BRIER
This word occurs frequently, and is the translation of several different terms. (1.) Micah 7:4, Micah 7: it denotes a species of thorn shrub used for hedges. In Prov. 15:19 the word is rendered "thorn" (Heb. _hedek_, "stinging"), supposed by some to be what is called the "apple of Sodom" (q.v.). (2.) Ezek. 28:24, Ezek. 28: _sallon'_, properly a "prickle," such as is found on the shoots of the pa......
BROTHER
(1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:1, Luke 3: 19). (2.) A near relation, a cousin (Gen. 13:8;14:16; Matt. 12:46; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19). (3.) Simply a fellow-countryman (Matt. 5:47; Acts 3:22; Heb. 7:5). (4.) A disciple or follower (Matt. 25:40; Heb. 2:11, Heb. 2: 12). (5.) One of the same faith (Amos 1:9; Acts 9:30;11:29; 1-Cor 5:11); whence the early discipl......
BUCKLER
(1.) A portable shield (2-Sam 22:31; 1-Chr 5:18). (2.) A shield surrounding the person; the targe or round form; used once figuratively (Psa 91:4). (3.) A large shield protecting the whole body (Psa 35:2; Ezek. 23:24;26:8). (4.) A lance or spear; improperly rendered "buckler" in the Authorized Version (1-Chr 12:8), but correctly in the Revised Version "spear." The leather of shields requir......
BURNT OFFERING
Hebrew _olah_; i.e., "ascending," the whole being consumed by fire, and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed. Part of every offering was burnt in the sacred fire, but this was wholly burnt, a "whole burnt offering." It was the most frequent form of sacrifice, and apparently the only one mentioned in the book of Genesis. Such were the sacrifices offered by Abel (Gen. 4:3, Gen. 4: 4, he......
BUTLER
properly a servant in charge of the wine (Gen. 40:1;41:9). The Hebrew word, _mashkeh_, thus translated is rendered also (plural) "cup-bearers" (1-Kings 10:5; 2-Chr 9:4). Nehemiah (1:11) was cup-bearer to king Artaxerxes. It was a position of great responsibility and honour in royal households.......
BUTTER
(Heb. hemah), curdled milk (Gen. 18:8; Judg. 5:25; 2-Sam 17:29), or butter in the form of the skim of hot milk or cream, called by the Arabs kaimak, a semi-fluid (Job 20:17;29:6; Deut. 32:14). The words of Prov. 30:33 have been rendered by some "the pressure [not churning] of milk bringeth forth cheese."......
CALKERS
workmen skilled in stopping the seams of the deck or sides of vessels. The inhabitants of Gebel were employed in such work on Tyrian vessels (Ezek. 27:9, Ezek. 27: 27; marg., "strengtheners" or "stoppers of chinks").......
CANKER
a gangrene or mortification which gradually spreads over the whole body (2-Tim 2:17). In James 5:3 "cankered" means "rusted" (R.V.) or tarnished.......
CANKERWORM
(Heb. yelek), "the licking locust," which licks up the grass of the field; probably the locust at a certain stage of its growth, just as it emerges from the caterpillar state (Joel 1:4;2:25). The word is rendered "caterpillar" in Psa 105:34; Jer. 51:14, Jer. 51: 17 (but R.V. "canker-worm"). "It spoileth and fleeth away" (Nah. 3:16), or as some read the passage, "The cankerworm putteth off [i.e., t......
CAPERNAUM
Nahum's town, a Galilean city frequently mentioned in the history of our Lord. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament. After our Lord's expulsion from Nazareth (Matt. 4:13; Luke 4:16), Capernaum became his "own city." It was the scene of many acts and incidents of his life (Matt. 8:5, Matt. 8: 14, 15;9:2, 9: 10-17;15:1; Mark 1:32, Mark 1: etc.). The impenitence and unbelief of its inhabitants af......
CARPENTER
an artificer in stone, iron, and copper, as well as in wood (2-Sam 5:11; 1-Chr 14:1; Mark 6:3). The tools used by carpenters are mentioned in 1-Sam 13:19, 1-Sam 13: 20; Judg. 4:21; Isa. 10:15;44:13. It was said of our Lord, "Is not this the carpenter's son?" (Matt. 13:55); also, "Is not this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3). Every Jew, even the rabbis, learned some handicraft: Paul was a tentmaker. "In ......
CATERPILLAR
the consumer. Used in the Old Testament (1-Kings 8:37; 2-Chr 6:28; Psa 78:46; Isa. 33:4) as the translation of a word (hasil) the root of which means "to devour" or "consume," and which is used also with reference to the locust in Deut. 28:38. It may have been a species of locust, or the name of one of the transformations through which the locust passes, locust-grub. It is also found (Psa 105:34; ......
CENSER
the vessel in which incense was presented on "the golden altar" before the Lord in the temple (Exo 30:1). The priest filled the censer with live coal from the sacred fire on the altar of burnt-offering, and having carried it into the sanctuary, there threw upon the burning coals the sweet incense (Lev. 16:12, Lev. 16: 13), which sent up a cloud of smoke, filling the apartment with fragrance. The c......
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......
CHAPITER
the ornamental head or capital of a pillar. Three Hebrew words are so rendered. (1.) _Cothereth_ (1-Kings 7:16; 2-Kings 25:17; 2-Chr 4:12), meaning a "diadem" or "crown." (2.) _Tzepheth_ (2-Chr 3:15). (3.) _Rosh_ (Exo 36:38;38:17, 38: 19, 28), properly a "head" or "top." ......
CHAPTER
The several books of the Old and New Testaments were from an early time divided into chapters. The Pentateuch was divided by the ancient Hebrews into 54 _parshioth_ or sections, one of which was read in the synagogue every Sabbath day (Acts. 13:15). These sections were afterwards divided into 669 _sidrim_ or orders of unequal length. The Prophets were divided in somewhat the same manner into _haph......
CHARGER
a bowl or deep dish. The silver vessels given by the heads of the tribes for the services of the tabernacle are so named (Num. 7:13, Num. 7: etc.). The "charger" in which the Baptist's head was presented was a platter or flat wooden trencher (Matt. 14:8, Matt. 14: 11; Mark 6:25, Mark 6: 28). The chargers of gold and silver of Ezra 1:9 were probably basins for receiving the blood of sacrifices. ......
CHARMER
one who practises serpent-charming (Psa 58:5; Jer. 8:17; Eccl. 10:11). It was an early and universal opinion that the most venomous reptiles could be made harmless by certain charms or by sweet sounds. It is well known that there are jugglers in India and in other Eastern lands who practise this art at the present day. In Isa. 19:3 the word "charmers" is the rendering of the Hebrew _'ittim_, mea......
CHEDORLAOMER
(= Khudur-Lagamar of the inscriptions), king of Elam. Many centuries before the age of Abraham, Canaan and even the Sinaitic peninsula had been conquered by Babylonian kings, and in the time of Abraham himself Babylonia was ruled by a dynasty which claimed sovereignity over Syria and Palestine. The kings of the dynasty bore names which were not Babylonian, but at once South Arabic and Hebrew. The ......
CHERETHIM
(Ezek. 25:16), more frequently Cherethites, the inhabitants of Southern Philistia, the Philistines (Zeph. 2:5). The Cherethites and the Pelethites were David's life-guards (1-Sam 30:14; 2-Sam 8:18;20:7, 20: 23;23:23). This name is by some interpreted as meaning "Cretans," and by others "executioners," who were ready to execute the king's sentence of death (Gen. 37:36, Gen. 37: marg.; 1-Kings 2:25)......
CHERITH
a cutting; separation; a gorge, a torrent-bed or winter-stream, a "brook," in whose banks the prophet Elijah hid himself during the early part of the three years' drought (1-Kings 17:3, 1-Kings 17: 5). It has by some been identified as the Wady el-Kelt behind Jericho, which is formed by the junction of many streams flowing from the mountains west of Jericho. It is dry in summer. Travellers have de......
CHERUB
plural cherubim, the name of certain symbolical figures frequently mentioned in Scripture. They are first mentioned in connection with the expulsion of our first parents from Eden (Gen. 3:24). There is no intimation given of their shape or form. They are next mentioned when Moses was commanded to provide furniture for the tabernacle (Exo 25:17;26:1, 26: 31). God promised to commune with Moses "fro......
CHINNERETH
lyre, the singular form of the word (Deut. 3:17; Josh. 19:35), which is also used in the plural form, Chinneroth, the name of a fenced city which stood near the shore of the lake of Galilee, a little to the south of Tiberias. The town seems to have given its name to a district, as appears from 1-Kings 15:20, 1-Kings 15: where the plural form of the word is used. The Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11......
CINNERETH
a harp, one of the "fenced cities" of Naphtali (Josh. 19:35; comp. Deut. 3:17). It also denotes, apparently, a district which may have taken its name from the adjacent city or lake of Gennesaret, anciently called "the sea of Chinnereth" (q.v.), and was probably that enclosed district north of Tiberias afterwards called "the plain of Gennesaret." Called Chinneroth (R.V., Chinnereth) Josh. 11:2. The......
CISTERN
the rendering of a Hebrew word _bor_, which means a receptacle for water conveyed to it; distinguished from _beer_, which denotes a place where water rises on the spot (Jer. 2:13; Prov. 5:15; Isa. 36:16), a fountain. Cisterns are frequently mentioned in Scripture. The scarcity of springs in Palestine made it necessary to collect rain-water in reservoirs and cisterns (Num. 21:22). (See WELL.) Emp......
COFFER
the receptacle or small box placed beside the ark by the Philistines, in which they deposited the golden mice and the emerods as their trespass-offering (1-Sam 6:8, 1-Sam 6: 11, 15). ......
COMFORTER
the designation of the Holy Ghost (John 14:16, John 14: 26;15:26;16:7; R.V. marg., "or Advocate, or Helper; Gr. paracletos"). The same Greek word thus rendered is translated "Advocate" in 1-John 2:1 as applicable to Christ. It means properly "one who is summoned to the side of another" to help him in a court of justice by defending him, "one who is summoned to plead a cause." "Advocate" is the pro......
CONVERSATION
generally the goings out and in of social intercourse (Eph. 2:3;4:22; R.V., "manner of life"); one's deportment or course of life. This word is never used in Scripture in the sense of verbal communication from one to another (Psa 50:23; Heb. 13:5). In Phil. 1:27 3:20, 3: a different Greek word is used. It there means one's relations to a community as a citizen, i.e., citizenship. ......
CONVERSION
the turning of a sinner to God (Acts 15:3). In a general sense the heathen are said to be "converted" when they abandon heathenism and embrace the Christian faith; and in a more special sense men are converted when, by the influence of divine grace in their souls, their whole life is changed, old things pass away, and all things become new (Acts 26:18). Thus we speak of the conversion of the Phili......
COPPER
derived from the Greek kupros (the island of Cyprus), called "Cyprian brass," occurs only in the Authorized Version in Ezra 8:27. Elsewhere the Hebrew word (nehosheth) is improperly rendered "brass," and sometimes "steel" (2-Sam 22:35; Jer. 15:12). The "bow of steel" (Job 20:24; Psa 18:34) should have been "bow of copper" (or "brass," as in the R.V.). The vessels of "fine copper" of Ezra 8:27 were......
CORIANDER
Heb. gad, (Exo 16:31; Num. 11:7), seed to which the manna is likened in its form and colour. It is the Coriandrum sativum of botanists, an umbelliferous annual plant with a round stalk, about two feet high. It is widely cultivated in Eastern countries and in the south of Europe for the sake of its seeds, which are in the form of a little ball of the size of a peppercorn. They are used medicinally ......
CORNER
The angle of a house (Job 1:19) or a street (Prov. 7:8). "Corners" in Neh. 9:22 denotes the various districts of the promised land allotted to the Israelites. In Num. 24:17, Num. 24: the "corners of Moab" denotes the whole land of Moab. The "corner of a field" (Lev. 19:9;23:22) is its extreme part, which was not to be reaped. The Jews were prohibited from cutting the "corners," i.e., the extremiti......
COULTER
(1-Sam 13:20, 1-Sam 13: 21), an agricultural instrument, elsewhere called "ploughshare" (Isa. 2:4; Micah 4:3; Joel 3:10). It was the facing-piece of a plough, analogous to the modern coulter. ......
COVERING OF THE EYES
occurs only in Gen. 20:16. In the Revised Version the rendering is "it (i.e., Abimelech's present of 1,000 pieces of silver to Abraham) is for thee a covering of the eyes." This has been regarded as an implied advice to Sarah to conform to the custom of married women, and wear a complete veil, covering the eyes as well as the rest of the face. ......
CUCUMBERS
(Heb. plur. kishshuim; i.e., "hard," "difficult" of digestion, only in Num. 11:5). This vegetable is extensively cultivated in the East at the present day, as it appears to have been in earlier times among the Hebrews. It belongs to the gourd family of plants. In the East its cooling pulp and juice are most refreshing. "We need not altogether wonder that the Israelites, wearily marching through th......
CUP-BEARER
an officer of high rank with Egyptian, Persian, Assyrian, and Jewish monarchs. The cup-bearer of the king of Egypt is mentioned in connection with Joseph's history (Gen. 40:1;41:9). Rabshakeh (q.v.) was cup-bearer in the Assyrian court (2-Kings 18:17). Nehemiah filled this office to the king of Persia (Neh. 1:11). We read also of Solomon's cup-bearers (1-Kings 10:5; 2-Chr 9:4). ......
DABERATH
pasture, a Levitical town of Issachar (Josh. 19:12;21:28), near the border of Zebulum. It is the modern small village of Deburich, at the base of Mount Tabor. Tradition has incorrectly made it the scene of the miracle of the cure of the lunatic child (Matt. 17:14). ......
DAUGHTER
This word, besides its natural and proper sense, is used to designate, (1.) A niece or any female descendant (Gen. 20:12;24:48;28:6). (2.) Women as natives of a place, or as professing the religion of a place; as, "the daughters of Zion" (Isa. 3:16), "daughters of the Philistines" (2-Sam 1:20). (3.) Small towns and villages lying around a city are its "daughters," as related to the metropolis or m......
DERBE
a small town on the eastern part of the upland plain of Lycaonia, about 20 miles from Lystra. Paul passed through Derbe on his route from Cilicia to Iconium, on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1), and probably also on his third journey (18:23;19:1). On his first journey (14:20, 14: 21) he came to Derbe from the other side; i.e., from Iconium. It was the native place of Gaius, one of Paul's ......
DESERT
(1.) Heb. midbar, "pasture-ground;" an open tract for pasturage; a common (Joel 2:22). The "backside of the desert" (Exo 3:1) is the west of the desert, the region behind a man, as the east is the region in front. The same Hebrew word is rendered "wildernes," and is used of the country lying between Egypt and Palestine (Gen. 21:14, Gen. 21: 21; Exo 4:27;19:2; Josh. 1:4), the wilderness of the wand......
DESTROYER
(Exo 12:23), the agent employed in the killing of the first-born; the destroying angel or messenger of God. (Comp. 2-Kings 19:35; 2-Sam 24:15, 2-Sam 24: 16; Psa 78:49; Acts 12:23.) ......
DEUTERONOMY
In all the Hebrew manuscripts the Pentateuch (q.v.) forms one roll or volume divided into larger and smaller sections called _parshioth_ and _sedarim_. It is not easy to say when it was divided into five books. This was probably first done by the Greek translators of the book, whom the Vulgate follows. The fifth of these books was called by the Greeks Deuteronomion, i.e., the second law, hence our......
DISPERSION
(Gr. diaspora, "scattered," James 1:1; 1-Pet 1:1) of the Jews. At various times, and from the operation of divers causes, the Jews were separated and scattered into foreign countries "to the outmost parts of heaven" (Deut. 30:4). (1.) Many were dispersed over Assyria, Media, Babylonia, and Persia, descendants of those who had been transported thither by the Exile. The ten tribes, after existing ......
DOOR-KEEPER
This word is used in Psa 84:10 (R.V. marg., "stand at the threshold of," etc.), but there it signifies properly "sitting at the threshold in the house of God." The psalmist means that he would rather stand at the door of God's house and merely look in, than dwell in houses where iniquity prevailed. Persons were appointed to keep the street door leading into the interior of the house (John 18:16,......
DRAWER OF WATER
(Deut. 29:11; Josh. 9:21, Josh. 9: 23), a servile employment to which the Gibeonites were condemned.......
DRINK-OFFERING
consisted of wine (Num. 15:5; Hos. 9:4) poured around the altar (Exo 30:9). Joined with meat-offerings (Num. 6:15, Num. 6: 17; 2-Kings 16:13; Joel 1:9, Joel 1: 13;2:14), presented daily (Exo 29:40), on the Sabbath (Num. 28:9), and on feast-days (28:14). One-fourth of an hin of wine was required for one lamb, one-third for a ram, and one-half for a bullock (Num. 15:5;28:7, 28: 14). "Drink offerings......
DULCIMER
(Heb. sumphoniah), a musical instrument mentioned in Dan. 3:5, Dan. 3: 15, along with other instruments there named, as sounded before the golden image. It was not a Jewish instrument. In the margin of the Revised Version it is styled the "bag-pipe." Luther translated it "lute," and Grotius the "crooked trumpet." It is probable that it was introduced into Babylon by some Greek or Western-Asiatic m......
EASTER
originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occured at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized V......
EBEN-EZER
stone of help, the memorial stone set up by Samuel to commemorate the divine assistance to Israel in their great battle against the Philistines, whom they totally routed (1-Sam 7:7) at Aphek, in the neighbourhood of Mizpeh, in Benjamin, near the western entrance of the pass of Beth-horon. On this very battle-field, twenty years before, the Philistines routed the Israelites, "and slew of the army i......
EBER
beyond. (1.). The third post-duluvian patriach after Shem (Gen. 10:24;11:14). He is regarded as the founder of the Hebrew race (10:21; Num. 24:24). In Luke 3:35 he is called Heber. (2.) One of the seven heads of the families of the Gadites (1-Chr 5:13). (3.) The oldest of the three sons of Elpaal the Benjamite (8:12). (4.) One of the heads of the familes of Benjamites in Jerusalem (22). (5......
EDER
flock. (1.) A city in the south of Judah, on the border of Idumea (Josh. 15:21). (2.) The second of the three sons of Mushi, of the family of Merari, appointed to the Levitical office (1-Chr 23:23;24:30). ......
EFFECTUAL PRAYER
occurs in Authorized Version, James 5:16. The Revised Version renders appropriately: "The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working", i.e., "it moves the hand of Him who moves the world." ......
ELDER
a name frequently used in the Old Testament as denoting a person clothed with authority, and entitled to respect and reverence (Gen. 50:7). It also denoted a political office (Num. 22:7). The "elders of Israel" held a rank among the people indicative of authority. Moses opened his commission to them (Exo 3:16). They attended Moses on all important occasions. Seventy of them attended on him at the ......
ELIEZER
God his help. (1.) "Of Damascus," the "steward" (R.V., "possessor") of Abraham's house (Gen. 15:2, Gen. 15: 3). It was probably he who headed the embassy sent by Abraham to the old home of his family in Padan-aram to seek a wife for his son Isaac. The account of this embassy is given at length in Gen. 24. (2.) The son of Becher, and grandson of Benjamin (1-Chr 7:8). (3.) One of the two sons of......
EMBROIDER
The art of embroidery was known to the Jews (Exo 26:36;35:35;38:23; Judg. 5:30; Psa 45:14). The skill of the women in this art was seen in the preparation of the sacerdotal robes of the high priest (Exo 28). It seems that the art became hereditary in certain families (1-Chr 4:21). The Assyrians were also noted for their embroidered robes (Ezek. 27:24).......
EMERALD
Heb. nophek (Exo 28:18;39:11); i.e., the "glowing stone", probably the carbuncle, a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest. It is mentioned (Rev. 21:19) as one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem. The name given to this stone in the New Testament Greek is smaragdos, which means "live coal."......
EMEROD
See HAEMORRHOIDS.......
ENGRAVER
Heb. harash (Exo 35:35;38:23) means properly an artificer in wood, stone, or metal. The chief business of the engraver was cutting names or devices on rings and seals and signets (Exo 28:11, Exo 28: 21, 36; Gen. 38:18).......
ENTERTAIN
Entertainments, "feasts," were sometimes connected with a public festival (Deut. 16:11, Deut. 16: 14), and accompanied by offerings (1-Sam 9:13), in token of alliances (Gen. 26:30); sometimes in connection with domestic or social events, as at the weaning of children (Gen. 21:8), at weddings (Gen. 29:22; John 2:1), on birth-days (Matt. 14:6), at the time of sheep-shearing (2-Sam 13:23), and of vin......
EPHER
a calf. (1.) One of the sons of Midian, who was Abraham's son by Keturah (Gen. 25:4). (2.) The head of one of the families of trans-Jordanic Manasseh who were carried captive by Tiglath-pileser (1-Chr 5:24).......
EPHRAIM IN THE WILDERNESS
(John 11:54), a town to which our Lord retired with his disciples after he had raised Lazarus, and when the priests were conspiring against him. It lay in the wild, uncultivated hill-country to the north-east of Jerusalem, betwen the central towns and the Jordan valley.......
ERASTUS
beloved. (1.) The "chamberlain" of the city of Corinth (Rom. 16:23), and one of Paul's disciples. As treasurer of such a city he was a public officer of great dignity, and his conversion to the gospel was accordingly a proof of the wonderful success of the apostle's labours. (2.) A companion of Paul at Ephesus, who was sent by him along with Timothy into Macedonia (Acts 19:22). Corinth was his u......
ERECH
(LXX., "Orech"), length, or Moon-town, one of the cities of Nimrod's kingdom in the plain of Shinar (Gen. 10:10); the Orchoe of the Greeks and Romans. It was probably the city of the Archevites, who were transplanted to Samaria by Asnapper (Ezra 4:9). It lay on the left bank of the Euphrates, about 120 miles south-east of Babylon, and is now represented by the mounds and ruins of Warka. It appears......
ESTHER
the queen of Ahasuerus, and heroine of the book that bears her name. She was a Jewess named Hadas'sah (the myrtle), but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known (Esther 2:7). It is a Syro-Arabian modification of the Persian word satarah, which means a star. She was the daughter of Abihail, a Benjamite. Her family did not avail themselves of the pe......
ESTHER, BOOK OF
The authorship of this book is unknown. It must have been obviously written after the death of Ahasuerus (the Xerxes of the Greeks), which took place B.C. 465. The minute and particular account also given of many historical details makes it probable that the writer was contemporary with Mordecai and Esther. Hence we may conclude that the book was written probably about B.C. 444-434, and that the a......
ETERNAL DEATH
The miserable fate of the wicked in hell (Matt. 25:46; Mark 3:29; Heb. 6:2; 2-Thess 1:9; Matt. 18:8;25:41; Jude 1:7). The Scripture as clearly teaches the unending duration of the penal sufferings of the lost as the "everlasting life," the "eternal life" of the righteous. The same Greek words in the New Testament (aion, aionios, aidios) are used to express (1) the eternal existence of God (1-Tim 1......
ETERNAL LIFE
This expression occurs in the Old Testament only in Dan. 12:2 (R.V., "everlasting life"). It occurs frequently in the New Testament (Matt. 7:14;18:8, 18: 9; Luke 10:28; 18:18). It comprises the whole future of the redeemed (Luke 16:9), and is opposed to "eternal punishment" (Matt. 19:29;25:46). It is the final reward and glory into which the children of God enter (1-Tim 6:12, 1-Tim 6: 19; Rom. 6......
EVERLASTING
eternal, applied to God (Gen. 21:33; Deut. 33:27; Psa 41:13;90:2). We also read of the "everlasting hills" (Gen. 49:26); an "everlasting priesthood" (Exo 40:15; Num. 25:13). (See ETERNAL.) ......
EVIL-MERODACH
Merodach's man, the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (2-Kings 25:27; Jer. 52:31, Jer. 52: 34). He seems to have reigned but two years (B.C. 562-560). Influenced probably by Daniel, he showed kindness to Jehoiachin, who had been a prisoner in Babylon for thirty-seven years. He released him, and "spoke kindly to him." He was murdered by Nergal-sharezer=Neriglissar, his brother-in......
EXECUTIONER
(Mark 6:27). Instead of the Greek word, Mark here uses a Latin word, speculator, which literally means "a scout," "a spy," and at length came to denote one of the armed bodyguard of the emperor. Herod Antipas, in imitation of the emperor, had in attendance on him a company of speculatores. They were sometimes employed as executioners, but this was a mere accident of their office. (See MARK, GOSPEL......
EXERCISE, BODILY
(1-Tim 4:8). An ascetic mortification of the flesh and denial of personal gratification (comp. Col. 2:23) to which some sects of the Jews, especially the Essenes, attached importance. ......
EZER
treasure. (1.) One of the sons of Seir, the native princes, "dukes," of Mount Hor (Gen. 36:21, Gen. 36: 27). (2.) 1-Chr 7:21; (3.)4:4. (4.) One of the Gadite champions who repaired to David at Ziklag (12:9). (5.) A Levite (Neh. 3:19). (6.) A priest (12:42). ......
EZION-GEBER
the giant's backbone (so called from the head of a mountain which runs out into the sea), an ancient city and harbour at the north-east end of the Elanitic branch of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Akabah, near Elath or Eloth (Num. 33:35; Deut. 2:8). Here Solomon built ships, "Tarshish ships," like those trading from Tyre to Tarshish and the west, which traded with Ophir (1-Kings 9:26; 2-Chr 8:17); and h......
FALLOW-DEER
Deut. 14:5 (R.V., "Wild goat"); 1-Kings 4:23 (R.V., "roebucks"). This animal, called in Hebrew _yahmur_, from a word meaning "to be red," is regarded by some as the common fallow-deer, the Cervus dama, which is said to be found very generally over Western and Southern Asia. It is called "fallow" from its pale-red or yellow colour. Some interpreters, however, regard the name as designating the buba......
FATHER
a name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1-Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9;23:30, 23: etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Judg. 17:10;18:19; 1-Sam 10:12; 2-Kings 2:12; Matt. 23:9, Matt. 23: etc.). (3) The author or beginner of anything is also so called; e.g., Jabal and Jubal (Gen. 4:20, Gen. 4: 21; comp. Job 38:28). Applied to God (Exo 4:22; Deut. 32:6; 2-Sam 7......
FERRET
Lev. 11:30 (R.V., "gecko"), one of the unclean creeping things. It was perhaps the Lacerta gecko which was intended by the Hebrew word (anakah, a cry, "mourning," the creature which groans) here used, i.e., the "fan-footed" lizard, the gecko which makes a mournful wail. The LXX. translate it by a word meaning "shrew-mouse," of which there are three species in Palestine. The Rabbinical writers rega......
FERRY BOAT
(2-Sam 19:18), some kind of boat for crossing the river which the men of Judah placed at the service of the king. Floats or rafts for this purpose were in use from remote times (Isa. 18:2). ......
FEVER
(Deut. 28:22; Matt. 8:14; Mark 1:30; John 4:52; Acts 28:8), a burning heat, as the word so rendered denotes, which attends all febrile attacks. In all Eastern countries such diseases are very common. Peter's wife's mother is said to have suffered from a "great fever" (Luke 4:38), an instance of Luke's professional exactitude in describing disease. He adopts here the technical medical distinction, ......
FINER
a worker in silver and gold (Prov. 25:4). In Judg. 17:4 the word (tsoreph) is rendered "founder," and in Isa. 41:7 "goldsmith." ......
FISHER
Besides its literal sense (Luke 5:2), this word is also applied by our Lord to his disciples in a figurative sense (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:17). ......
FLOWERS
Very few species of flowers are mentioned in the Bible although they abounded in Palestine. It has been calculated that in Western Syria and Palestine from two thousand to two thousand five hundred plants are found, of which about five hundred probably are British wild-flowers. Their beauty is often alluded to (2:12; Matt. 6:28). They are referred to as affording an emblem of the transitory nature......
FODDER
Heb. belil, (Job 6:5), meaning properly a mixture or medley (Lat. farrago), "made up of various kinds of grain, as wheat, barley, vetches, and the like, all mixed together, and then sown or given to cattle" (Job 24:6, Job 24: A.V. "corn," R.V. "provender;" Isa. 30:24, Isa. 30: provender"). ......
FOREIGNER
a Gentile. Such as resided among the Hebrews were required by the law to be treated with kindness (Exo 22:21;23:9; Lev. 19:33, Lev. 19: 34;23:22; Deut. 14:28;16:10, 16: 11;24:19). They enjoyed in many things equal rights with the native-born residents (Exo 12:49; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:15;35:15), but were not allowed to do anything which was an abomination according to the Jewish law (Exo 20:10; Lev.......
FORERUNNER
John the Baptist went before our Lord in this character (Mark 1:2, Mark 1: 3). Christ so called (Heb. 6:20) as entering before his people into the holy place as their head and guide. ......
FOWLER
the arts of, referred to Psa 91:3;124:7; Prov. 6:5; Jer. 5:26; Hos. 9:8; Ezek. 17:20; Eccl. 9:12. Birds of all kinds abound in Palestine, and the capture of these for the table and for other uses formed the employment of many persons. The traps and snares used for this purpose are mentioned Hos. 5:1; Prov. 7:23;22:5; Amos 3:5; Psa 69:22; comp. Deut. 22:6, Deut. 22: 7. ......
FREE-WILL OFFERING
a spontaneous gift (Exo 35:29), a voluntary sacrifice (Lev. 22:23; Ezra 3:5), as opposed to one in consequence of a vow, or in expiation of some offence. ......
FULLER
The word "full" is from the Anglo-Saxon fullian, meaning "to whiten." To full is to press or scour cloth in a mill. This art is one of great antiquity. Mention is made of "fuller's soap" (Mal. 3:2), and of "the fuller's field" (2-Kings 18:17). At his transfiguration our Lord's rainment is said to have been white "so as no fuller on earth could white them" (Mark 9:3). En-rogel (q.v.), meaning liter......
FULLER'S FIELD
a spot near Jerusalem (2-Kings 18:17; Isa. 36:2;7:3), on the side of the highway west of the city, not far distant from the "upper pool" at the head of the valley of Hinnom. Here the fullers pursued their occupation. ......
FULLER'S SOAP
(Heb. borith mekabbeshim, i.e., "alkali of those treading cloth"). Mention is made (Prov. 25:20; Jer. 2:22) of nitre and also (Mal. 3:2) of soap (Heb. borith) used by the fuller in his operations. Nitre is found in Syria, and vegetable alkali was obtained from the ashes of certain plants. (See SOAP.) ......
FUNERAL
Burying was among the Jews the only mode of disposing of corpses (Gen. 23:19;25:9;35:8, 35: 9, etc.). The first traces of burning the dead are found in 1-Sam 31:12. The burning of the body was affixed by the law of Moses as a penalty to certain crimes (Lev. 20:14;21:9). To leave the dead unburied was regarded with horror (1-Kings 13:22;14:11;16:4;21:24, 21: etc.). In the earliest times of wh......
GALLERY
(1.) Heb. 'attik (Ezek. 41:15, Ezek. 41: 16), a terrace; a projection; ledge. (2.) Heb. rahit (1:17), translated "rafters," marg. "galleries;" probably panel-work or fretted ceiling.......
GARNER
(1.) Heb. 'otsar, a treasure; a store of goods laid up, and hence also the place where they are deposited (Joel 1:17; 2-Chr 32:27, 2-Chr 32: rendered "treasury"). (2.) Heb. mezev, a cell, storeroom (Psa 144:13); Gr. apotheke, a place for storing anything, a granary (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17).......
GATH-HEPHER
wine-press of the well, a town of Lower Galilee, about 5 miles from Nazareth; the birthplace of Jonah (2-Kings 14:25); the same as Gittah-hepher (Josh. 19:13). It has been identified with the modern el-Meshed, a village on the top of a rocky hill. Here the supposed tomb of Jonah, Neby Yunas, is still pointed out.......
GEBER
a valiant man, (1-Kings 4:19), one of Solomon's purveyors, having jurisdiction over a part of Gilead, comprising all the kingdom of Sihon and part of the kingdom of Og (Deut. 2; 31).......
GEDER
a walled place, (Josh. 12:13), perhaps the same as Gederah or Gedor (15:58).......
GEDERAH
the fortress; a fortified place, a town in the plain (shephelah) of Judah (Josh. 15:36). This is a very common Canaanite and Phoenician name. It is the feminine form of Geder (12:13); the plural form is Gederoth (15:41). This place has by some been identified with Jedireh, a ruin 9 miles from Lydda, toward Eleutheropolis, and 4 miles north of Sur'ah (Zorah), in the valley of Elah.......
GEDERATHITE
an epithet applied to Josabad, one of David's warriors at Ziklag (1-Chr 12:4), a native of Gederah. ......
GENERATION
Gen. 2:4, Gen. 2: "These are the generations," means the "history."5:1, 5: "The book of the generations," means a family register, or history of 37:2, 37: "The generations of Jacob" = the history of Jacob and his 7:1, 7: "In this generation" = in this age. Psa 49:19, Psa 49: "The generation of his fathers" = the dwelling of his fathers, i.e., the grave. Psa 73:15, Psa 73: "The generation of thy ch......
GERA
grain. (1.) The son of Bela and grandson of Benjamin (1-Chr 8:3, 1-Chr 8: 5,7). (2.) The father of Ehud the judge (Judg. 3:15). (3.) The father of Shimei, who so grossly abused David (2-Sam 16:5;19:16, 19: 18). ......
GERAH
a bean, probably of the carob tree, the smallest weight, and also the smallest piece of money, among the Hebrews, equal to the twentieth part of a shekel (Exo 30:13; Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47). This word came into use in the same way as our word "grain," from a grain of wheat. ......
GERAR
a region; lodging-place, a very ancient town and district in the south border of Palestine, which was ruled over by a king named Abimelech (Gen. 10:19;20:1, 20: 2). Abraham sojourned here, and perhaps Isaac was born in this place. Both of these patriarchs were guilty of the sin of here denying their wives, and both of them entered into a treaty with the king before they departed to Beersheba (21:2......
GERGESA
=Gerasa, identified with the modern Khersa, "over against Galilee," close to the lake. This was probably the scene of the miracle, Mark 5:1, Mark 5: etc. "From the base of the great plateau of Bashan, 2,000 feet or more overhead, the ground slopes down steeply, in places precipitously, to the shore. And at the foot of the declivity a bold spur runs out to the water's edge. By it the frantic swine ......
GERIZIM
a mountain of Samaria, about 3,000 feet above the Mediterranean. It was on the left of the valley containing the ancient town of Shechem (q.v.), on the way to Jerusalem. It stood over against Mount Ebal, the summits of these mountains being distant from each other about 2 miles (Deut. 27; Josh. 8:30). On the slopes of this mountain the tribes descended from the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, togeth......
GERSHOM
expulsion. (1.) The eldest son of Levi (1-Chr 6:16, 1-Chr 6: 17, 20, 43, 62, 71;15:7)=GERSHON (q.v.). (2.) The elder of the two sons of Moses born to him in Midian (Exo 2:22;18:3). On his way to Egypt with his family, in obedience to the command of the Lord, Moses was attacked by a sudden and dangerous illness (4:24), which Zipporah his wife believed to have been sent because he had neglected to......
GERSHON
=Ger'shom expulsion, the eldest of Levi's three sons (Gen. 46:11; Exo 6:16). In the wilderness the sons of Gershon had charge of the fabrics of the tabernacle when it was moved from place to place, the curtains, veils, tent-hangings (Num. 3:21). Thirteen Levitical cities fell to the lot of the Gershonites (Josh. 21:27). ......
GEZER
a precipice, an ancient royal Canaanitish city (Josh. 10:33;12:12). It was allotted with its suburbs to the Kohathite Levites (21:21; 1-Chr 6:67). It stood between the lower Beth-horon and the sea (Josh. 16:3; 1-Kings 9:17). It was the last point to which David pursued the Philistines (2-Sam 5:25; 1-Chr 14:16) after the battle of Baal-perazim. The Canaanites retained possession of it till the time......
GIER EAGLE
Heb. raham = "parental affection," Lev. 11:18; Deut. 14:17; R.V., "vulture"), a species of vulture living entirely on carrion. "It is about the size of a raven; has an almost triangular, bald, and wrinkled head, a strong pointed beak, black at the tip, large eyes and ears, the latter entirely on the outside, and long feet." It is common in Egypt, where it is popularly called "Pharaoh's chicken" (t......
GITTAH-HEPHER
(Josh. 19:13). See GATH-HEPHER. ......
GOMER
complete; vanishing. (1.) The daughter of Diblaim, who (probably in vision only) became the wife of Hosea (1:3). (2.) The eldest son of Japheth, and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah (Gen. 10:2, Gen. 10: 3), whose descendants formed the principal branch of the population of South-eastern Europe. He is generally regarded as the ancestor of the Celtae and the Cimmerii, who in early times s......
GOPHER
a tree from the wood of which Noah was directed to build the ark (Gen. 6:14). It is mentioned only there. The LXX. render this word by "squared beams," and the Vulgate by "planed wood." Other versions have rendered it "pine" and "cedar;" but the weight of authority is in favour of understanding by it the cypress tree, which grows abundantly in Chaldea and Armenia. ......
GOVERNMENT OF GOD
See PROVIDENCE. ......
GOVERNMENTS
(1-Cor 12:28), the powers which fit a man for a place of influence in the church; "the steersman's art; the art of guiding aright the vessel of church or state." ......
GOVERNOR
(1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2-Chr 28:7; comp. 1-Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1-Chr 9:11; Jer. 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1-Chr 12:27), keeper of the sacred treasury (26:24), captain of the army (13:1), the king (1-Sam 9:16), the Messiah (Dan. 9:25). (2.) Heb. nasi, raised; exalted. Used to denote the chiefs ......
GRASSHOPPER
belongs to the class of neuropterous insects called Gryllidae. This insect is not unknown in Palestine. In Judg. 6:5;7:12; Job 39:30; Jer. 46:23, Jer. 46: where the Authorized Version has "grasshopper," the Revised Version more correctly renders the Hebrew word ('arbeh) by "locust." This is the case also in Amos 7:1; Nah. 3:17, Nah. 3: where the Hebrew word _gob_ is used; and in Lev. 11:22; Num.......
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.).......
GUTTER
Heb. tsinnor, (2-Sam 5:8). This Hebrew word occurs only elsewhere in Psa 42:7 in the plural, where it is rendered "waterspouts." It denotes some passage through which water passed; a water-course. In Gen. 30:38, Gen. 30: 41 the Hebrew word rendered "gutters" is _rahat_, and denotes vessels overflowing with water for cattle (Exo 2:16); drinking-troughs.......
HABERGEON
an Old English word for breastplate. In Job 41:26 (Heb. shiryah) it is properly a "coat of mail;" the Revised Version has "pointed shaft." In Exo 28:32, Exo 28:39:23, 39: it denotes a military garment strongly and thickly woven and covered with mail round the neck and breast. Such linen corselets have been found in Egypt. The word used in these verses is _tahra_, which is of Egyptian origin. The R......
HADADEZER
Hadad is help; called also Hadarezer, Adod is his help, the king of Zobah. Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, hired among others the army of Hadadezer to assist him in his war against David. Joab, who was sent against this confederate host, found them in double battle array, the Ammonities toward their capital of Rabbah, and the Syrian mercenaries near Medeba. In the battle which was fought the Syr......
HADAREZER
Adod is his help, the name given to Hadadezer (2-Sam 8:3) in 2 Sam. 10.......
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......
HANDKERCHIEF
Only once in Authorized Version (Acts 19:12). The Greek word (sudarion) so rendered means properly "a sweat-cloth." It is rendered "napkin" in John 11:44;20:7; Luke 19:20.......
HARNEPHER
a chief of the tribe of Asher (1-Chr 7:36).......
HAZERIM
villages, probably the name of the temporary villages in which the nomad Avites resided (Deut. 2:23).......
HAZEROTH
fenced enclosures consisting of "a low wall of stones in which thick bundles of thorny acacia are inserted, the tangled branches and long needle-like spikes forming a perfectly impenetrable hedge around the encampment" of tents and cattle which they sheltered. Such like enclosures abound in the wilderness of Paran, which the Israelites entered after leaving Sinai (Num. 11:35;12:16;33:17, 33: 18). ......
HEAVE OFFERING
Heb. terumah, (Exo 29:27) means simply an offering, a present, including all the offerings made by the Israelites as a present. This Hebrew word is frequently employed. Some of the rabbis attach to the word the meaning of elevation, and refer it to the heave offering, which consisted in presenting the offering by a motion up and down, distinguished from the wave offering, which consisted in a repe......
HEBER
passing over. (1.) Son of Beriah and grandson of Asher (Gen. 46:17; 1-Chr 7:31, 1-Chr 7: 32). (2.) The Kenite (Judg. 4:11, Judg. 4: 17;5:24), a descendant of Hobab. His wife Jael received Sisera (q.v.) into her tent and then killed him. (3.) 1-Chr 4:18. (4.) A Benjamite (1-Chr 8:17). (5.) A Gadite (5:13). (See EBER.) ......
HEIFER
Heb. 'eglah, (Deut. 21:4, Deut. 21: 6; Jer. 46:20). Untrained to the yoke (Hos. 10:11); giving milk (Isa. 7:21); ploughing (Judg. 14:18); treading out grain (Jer. 50:11); unsubdued to the yoke an emblem of Judah (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:34). Heb. parah (Gen. 41:2; Num. 19:2). Bearing the yoke (Hos. 4:16); "heifers of Bashan" (Amos 4:1), metaphorical for the voluptuous females of Samaria. The ordinanc......
HEPHER
a well or stream. (1.) A royal city of the Canaanites taken by Joshua (12:17). (2.) The youngest son of Gilead (Num. 26:32;27:1). (3.) The second son of Asher (1-Chr 4:6). (4.) One of David's heroes (1-Chr 11:36). ......
HERB
(1.) Heb. 'eseb, any green plant; herbage (Gen. 1:11, Gen. 1: 12, 29, 30;2:5;3:18, 3: etc.); comprehending vegetables and all green herbage (Amos 7:1, Amos 7: 2). (2.) _Yarak_, green; any green thing; foliage of trees (2-Kings 19:26; Psa 37:2); a plant; herb (Deut. 11:10). (3.) _Or_, meaning "light" In Isa. 26:19 it means "green herbs;" in 2-Kings 4:39 probably the fruit of some plant. (4.) ......
HERD
Gen. 13:5; Deut. 7:14. (See CATTLE.) ......
HERDSMAN
In Egypt herdsmen were probably of the lowest caste. Some of Joseph's brethren were made rulers over Pharaoh's cattle (Gen. 47:6, Gen. 47: 17). The Israelites were known in Egypt as "keepers of cattle;" and when they left it they took their flocks and herds with them (Exo 12:38). Both David and Saul came from "following the herd" to occupy the throne (1 Sam. 9;11:5; Psa 78:70). David's herd-master......
HERES
sun. (1.) "Mount Heres" (Judg. 1:35), Heb. Har-heres, i.e., "sun-mountain;" probably identical with Irshemesh in Josh. 19:41. (2.) Isa. 19:18, Isa. 19: marg. (See ON.) ......
HERESY
from a Greek word signifying (1) a choice, (2) the opinion chosen, and (3) the sect holding the opinion. In the Acts of the Apostles (5:17;15:5;24:5, 24: 14;26:5) it denotes a sect, without reference to its character. Elsewhere, however, in the New Testament it has a different meaning attached to it. Paul ranks "heresies" with crimes and seditions (Gal. 5:20). This word also denotes divisions or s......
HERMAS
Mercury, a Roman Christian to whom Paul sends greetings (Rom. 16:14). Some suppose him to have been the author of the celebrated religious romance called The Shepherd, but it is very probable that that work is the production of a later generation.......
HERMES
Mercury, a Roman Christian (Rom. 16:14).......
HERMOGENES
Mercury-born, at one time Paul's fellow-labourer in Asia Minor, who, however, afterwards abandoned him, along with one Phygellus, probably on account of the perils by which they were beset (2-Tim 1:15).......
HERMON
a peak, the eastern prolongation of the Anti-Lebanon range, reaching to the height of about 9,200 feet above the Mediterranean. It marks the north boundary of Palestine (Deut. 3:8, Deut. 3:4:48; Josh. 11:3, Josh. 11: 17;13:11;12:1), and is seen from a great distance. It is about 40 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It is called "the Hermonites" (Psa 42:6) because it has more than one summit. The ......
HERMONITES, THE
(Psa 42:6, Psa 42: 7) = "the Hermons", i.e., the three peaks or summits of Hermon, which are about a quarter of a mile apart.......
HEROD AGRIPPA I.
son of Aristobulus and Bernice, and grandson of Herod the Great. He was made tetrarch of the provinces formerly held by Lysanias II., and ultimately possessed the entire kingdom of his grandfather, Herod the Great, with the title of king. He put the apostle James the elder to death, and cast Peter into prison (Luke 3:1; Acts 12:1). On the second day of a festival held in honour of the emperor Clau......
HEROD ANTIPAS
Herod's son by Malthace (Matt. 14:1; Luke 3:1, Luke 3: 19;9:7; Acts 13:1). (See ANTIPAS.)......
HEROD ARCHELAUS
(Matt. 2:22), the brother of Antipas (q.v.).......
HEROD ARIPPA II.
the son of Herod Agrippa I. and Cypros. The emperor Claudius made him tetrarch of the provinces of Philip and Lysanias, with the title of king (Acts 25:13;26:2, 26: 7). He enlarged the city of Caesarea Philippi, and called it Neronias, in honour of Nero. It was before him and his sister that Paul made his defence at Caesarea (Acts 25:12). He died at Rome A.D. 100, in the third year of the emperor ......
HEROD PHILIP I.
(Mark 6:17), the son of Herod the Great by Mariamne, the daughter of Simon, the high priest. He is distinguished from another Philip called "the tetrarch." He lived at Rome as a private person with his wife Herodias and his daughter Salome.......
HEROD PHILIP II.
the son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem. He was "tetrarch" of Batanea, Iturea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis. He rebuilt the city of Caesarea Philippi, calling it by his own name to distinguish it from the Caesarea on the sea-coast which was the seat of the Roman government. He married Salome, the daughter of Herodias (Matt. 16:13; Mark 8:27; Luke 3:1).......
HEROD THE GREAT
(Matt. 2:1; Luke 1:5; Acts 23:35), the son of Antipater, an Idumaean, and Cypros, an Arabian of noble descent. In the year B.C. 47 Julius Caesar made Antipater, a "wily Idumaean," procurator of Judea, who divided his territories between his four sons, Galilee falling to the lot of Herod, who was afterwards appointed tetrarch of Judea by Mark Antony (B.C. 40), and also king of Judea by the Roman se......
HERODIANS
a Jewish political party who sympathized with (Mark 3:6;12:13; Matt,22:16; Luke 20:20) the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne. (Comp. Mark 8:15; Matt. 16:6.)......
HERODIAS
(Matt. 14:3; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:19), the daughter of Aristobulus and Bernice. While residing at Rome with her husband Herod Philip I. and her daughter, Herod Antipas fell in with her during one of his journeys to that city. She consented to leave her husband and become his wife. Some time after, Herod met John the Baptist, who boldly declared the marriage to be unlawful. For this he was "cast into ......
HERODION
a Christian at Rome whom Paul salutes and calls his "kinsman" (Rom. 16:11).......
HERON
(Lev. 11:19; Deut. 14:18), ranked among the unclean birds. The Hebrew name is _'anaphah_, and indicates that the bird so named is remarkable for its angry disposition. "The herons are wading-birds, peculiarly irritable, remarkable for their voracity, frequenting marshes and oozy rivers, and spread over the regions of the East." The Ardea russeta, or little golden egret, is the commonest species in......
HIERAPOLIS
sacred city, a city of Phrygia, where was a Christian church under the care of Epaphras (Col. 4:12, Col. 4: 13). This church was founded at the same time as that of Colosse. It now bears the name of Pambuk-Kalek, i.e., "Cotton Castle", from the white appearance of the cliffs at the base of which the ruins are found.......
HOMER
heap, the largest of dry measures, containing about 8 bushels or 1 quarter English = 10 ephahs (Lev. 27:16; Num. 11:32) = a COR. (See OMER.) "Half a homer," a grain measure mentioned only in Hos. 3:2. ......
IMAGERY
only in the phrase "chambers of his imagery" (Ezek. 8:12). (See CHAMBER.) ......
IMMER
talkative. (1.) The head of the sixteenth priestly order (1-Chr 24:14). (2.) Jer. 20:1. (3.) Ezra 2:37; Neh. 7:40. (4.) Ezra 2:59; Neh. 7:61. (5.) The father of Zadok (Neh. 3:29). ......
INTERCESSION OF CHRIST
Christ's priestly office consists of these two parts, (1) the offering up of himself as a sacrifice, and (2) making continual intercession for us. When on earth he made intercession for his people (Luke 23:34; John 17:20; Heb. 5:7); but now he exercises this function of his priesthood in heaven, where he is said to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:12, Heb. 9:24). His advocacy with ......
INTERCESSION OF THE SPIRIT
(Rom. 8:26, Rom. 8: 27; John 14:26). "Christ is a royal Priest (Zech. 6:13). From the same throne, as King, he dispenses his Spirit to all the objects of his care, while as Priest he intercedes for them. The Spirit acts for him, taking only of his things. They both act with one consent, Christ as principal, the Spirit as his agent. Christ intercedes for us, without us, as our advocate in heaven, a......
IRHA-HERES
according to some MSS., meaning "city of destruction." Other MSS. read _'Irhahares_; rendered "city of the sun", Isa. 19:18, Isa. 19: where alone the word occurs. This name may probably refer to Heliopolis. The prophecy here points to a time when the Jews would so increase in number there as that the city would fall under their influence. This might be in the time of the Ptolemies. (See ON.) ......
JAAZER
he (God) helps, a city of the Amorites on the east of Jordan, and assigned, with neighbouring places in Gilead, to Gad (Num. 32:1, Num. 32: 35; Josh. 13:25). It was allotted to the Merarite Levites (21:39). In David's time it was occupied by the Hebronites, i.e., the descendants of Kohath (1-Chr 26:31). It is mentioned in the "burdens" proclaimed over Moab (Isa. 16:8, Isa. 16: 9; Jer. 48:32). Its ......
JAHZERAH
returner, the son of Meshullam, and father of Adiel (1-Chr 9:12). ......
JAILER
(of Philippi), Acts 16:23. The conversion of the Roman jailer, a man belonging to a class "insensible as a rule and hardened by habit, and also disposed to despise the Jews, who were the bearers of the message of the gospel," is one of those cases which illustrate its universality and power. ......
JASHER
upright. "The Book of Jasher," rendered in the LXX. "the Book of the Upright One," by the Vulgate "the Book of Just Ones," was probably a kind of national sacred song-book, a collection of songs in praise of the heroes of Israel, a "book of golden deeds," a national anthology. We have only two specimens from the book, (1) the words of Joshua which he spake to the Lord at the crisis of the battle o......
JASPER
(Heb. yashpheh, "glittering"), a gem of various colours, one of the twelve inserted in the high priest's breast-plate (Exo 28:20). It is named in the building of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18, Rev. 21: 19). It was "most precious," "clear as crystal" (21:11). It was emblematic of the glory of God (4:3). ......
JEALOUSY OFFERING
the name of the offering the husband was to bring when he charged his wife with adultery (Num. 5:11). ......
JEALOUSY, WATERS OF
water which the suspected wife was required to drink, so that the result might prove her guilt or innocence (Num. 5:12, Num. 5: 27). We have no record of this form of trial having been actually resorted to. ......
JERAHMEEL
loving God. (1.) The son of Hezron, the brother of Caleb (1-Chr 2:9, 1-Chr 2: 25, 26, etc.). (2.) The son of Kish, a Levite (1-Chr 24:29). (3.) Son of Hammelech (Jer. 36:26). ......
JEREMIAH
raised up or appointed by Jehovah. (1.) A Gadite who joined David in the wilderness (1-Chr 12:10). (2.) A Gadite warrior (1-Chr 12:13). (3.) A Benjamite slinger who joined David at Ziklag (1-Chr 12:4). (4.) One of the chiefs of the tribe of Manasseh on the east of Jordan (1-Chr 5:24). (5.) The father of Hamutal (2-Kings 23:31), the wife of Josiah. (6.) One of the "greater prophets" of th......
JEREMIAH, BOOK OF
consists of twenty-three separate and independent sections, arranged in five books. I. The introduction, ch. 1. II. Reproofs of the sins of the Jews, consisting of seven sections, (1.) ch. 2; (2.) ch. 3-6; (3.) ch. 7-10; (4.) ch. 11-13; (5.) ch. 7:18; (6.) 17:19ch. 20; (7.) ch. 21-24. III. A general review of all nations, in two sections, (1.) ch. 46-49; (2.) ch. 25; with an historical appendix of......
JERICHO
place of fragrance, a fenced city in the midst of a vast grove of palm trees, in the plain of Jordan, over against the place where that river was crossed by the Israelites (Josh. 3:16). Its site was near the 'Ain es-Sultan, Elisha's Fountain (2-Kings 2:19), about 5 miles west of Jordan. It was the most important city in the Jordan valley (Num. 22:1;34:15), and the strongest fortress in all the lan......
JERIMOTH
heights. (1.) One of the sons of Bela (1-Chr 7:7). (2.) 1-Chr 24:30, 1-Chr 24: a Merarite Levite. (3.) A Benjamite slinger who joined David at Ziklag (1-Chr 12:5). (4.) A Levitical musician under Heman his father (1-Chr 25:4). (5.) 1-Chr 27:19, 1-Chr 27: ruler of Naphtali. (6.) One of David's sons (2-Chr 11:18). (7.) A Levite, one of the overseers of the temple offerings (2-Chr 31:13) ......
JEROBOAM
increase of the people. (1.) The son of Nebat (1-Kings 11:26), "an Ephrathite," the first king of the ten tribes, over whom he reigned twenty-two years (B.C. 976-945). He was the son of a widow of Zereda, and while still young was promoted by Solomon to be chief superintendent of the "burnden", i.e., of the bands of forced labourers. Influenced by the words of the prophet Ahijah, he began to form ......
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. ......
JERUBBAAL
contender with Baal; or, let Baal plead, a surname of Gideon; a name given to him because he destroyed the altar of Baal (Judg. 6:32;7:1;8:29; 1-Sam 12:11). ......
JERUBBESHETH
contender with the shame; i.e., idol, a surname also of Gideon (2-Sam 11:21). ......
JERUEL
founded by God, a "desert" on the ascent from the valley of the Dead Sea towards Jerusalem. It lay beyond the wilderness of Tekoa, in the direction of Engedi (2-Chr 20:16, 2-Chr 20: 20). It corresponds with the tract of country now called el-Hasasah. ......
JERUSALEM
called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the "city of God," the "holy city;" by the modern Arabs el-Khuds, meaning "the holy;" once "the city of Judah" (2-Chr 25:28). This name is in the original in the dual form, and means "possession of peace," or "foundation of peace." The dual form probably refers to the two mountains on which it was built, viz., Zion and Moriah; or, as some suppose, to the two parts ......
JERUSHA
possession, or possessed; i.e., "by a husband", the wife of Uzziah, and mother of king Jotham (2-Kings 15:33). ......
JESHER
uprightness, the first of the three sons of Caleb by Azubah (1-Chr 2:18). ......
JETHER
surplus; excellence. (1.) Father-in-law of Moses (Exo 4:18 marg.), called elsewhere Jethro (q.v.). (2.) The oldest of Gideon's seventy sons (Judg. 8:20). (3.) The father of Amasa, David's general (1-Kings 2:5, 1-Kings 2: 32); called Ithra (2-Sam 17:25). (4.) 1-Chr 7:38. (5.) 1-Chr 2:32; one of Judah's posterity. (6.) 1-Chr 4:17. ......
JEZREEL, TOWER OF
one of the turrets which guarded the entrance to the city (2-Kings 9:17). ......
JOEZER
Jehovah is his help, one of the Korhites who became part of David's body-guard (1-Chr 12:6). ......
JUNIPER
(Heb. rothem), called by the Arabs retem, and known as Spanish broom; ranked under the genus genista. It is a desert shrub, and abounds in many parts of Palestine. In the account of his journey from Akabah to Jerusalem, Dr. Robinson says: "This is the largest and most conspicuous shrub of these deserts, growing thickly in the water-courses and valleys. Our Arabs always selected the place of encamp......
JUPITER
the principal deity of the ancient Greeks and Romans. He was worshipped by them under various epithets. Barnabas was identified with this god by the Lycaonians (Acts 14:12), because he was of stately and commanding presence, as they supposed Jupiter to be. There was a temple dedicated to this god outside the gates of Lystra (14:13).......
KERCHIEF
mentioned only Ezek. 13:18, Ezek. 13: 21, as an article of apparel or ornament applied to the head of the idolatrous women of Israel. The precise meaning of the word is uncertain. It appears to have been a long loose shawl, such as Oriental women wrap themselves in (Ruth 3:15; Isa. 3:22). Some think that it was a long veil or head-dress, denoting by its form the position of those who wore it.......
KEREN-HAPPUCH
horn of the face-paint = cosmetic-box, the name of Job's third daughter (Job. 42:14), born after prosperity had returned to him.......
KERIOTH
cities. (1.) A town in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:25). Judas the traitor was probably a native of this place, and hence his name Iscariot. It has been identified with the ruins of el-Kureitein, about 10 miles south of Hebron. (See HAZOR [4]). (2.) A city of Moab (Jer. 48:24, Jer. 48: 41), called Kirioth (Amos 2:2).......
KIRJATH-SEPHER
city of books, Josh. 15:15; same as Kirjath-sannah (q.v.), now represented by the valley of ed-Dhaberiyeh, south-west of Hebron. The name of this town is an evidence that the Canaanites were acquainted with writing and books. "The town probably contained a noted school, or was the site of an oracle and the residence of some learned priest." The "books" were probably engraved stones or bricks. ......
LADDER
occurs only once, in the account of Jacob's vision (Gen. 28:12). ......
LAVER
(Heb. kiyor), a "basin" for boiling in, a "pan" for cooking (1-Sam 2:14), a "fire-pan" or hearth (Zech. 12:6), the sacred wash-bowl of the tabernacle and temple (Exo 30:18, Exo 30: 28;31:9;35:16;38:8;39:39;40:7, 40: 11, 30, etc.), a basin for the water used by the priests in their ablutions. That which was originally used in the tabernacle was of brass (rather copper; Heb. nihsheth), made from t......
LAWYER
among the Jews, was one versed in the laws of Moses, which he expounded in the schools and synagogues (Matt. 22:35; Luke 10:25). The functions of the "lawyer" and "scribe" were identical. (See DOCTOR.) ......
LEATHER
a girdle of, worn by Elijah (2-Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4). Leather was employed both for clothing (Num. 31:20; Heb. 11:37) and for writing upon. The trade of a tanner is mentioned (Acts 9:43;10:6, 10: 32). It was probably learned in Egypt. ......
LETTER
in Rom. 2:27, Rom. 2: 29 means the outward form. The "oldness of the letter" (7:6) is a phrase which denotes the old way of literal outward obedience to the law as a system of mere external rules of conduct. In 2-Cor 3:6, 2-Cor 3: "the letter" means the Mosaic law as a written law. (See WRITING.) ......
LIBERTINE
found only Acts 6:9, Acts 6: one who once had been a slave, but who had been set at liberty, or the child of such a person. In this case the name probably denotes those descendants of Jews who had been carried captives to Rome as prisoners of war by Pompey and other Roman generals in the Syrian wars, and had afterwards been liberated. In A.D. 19 these manumitted Jews were banished from Rome. Many ......
LITTER
(Heb. tsab, as being lightly and gently borne), a sedan or palanquin for the conveyance of persons of rank (Isa. 66:20). In Num. 7:3, Num. 7: the words "covered wagons" are more literally "carts of the litter kind." There they denote large and commodious vehicles drawn by oxen, and fitted for transporting the furniture of the temple. ......
LIVER
(Heb. kabhed, "heavy;" hence the liver, as being the heaviest of the viscera, Exo 29:13, Exo 29: 22; Lev. 3:4, Lev. 3: 1, 10, 15) was burnt upon the altar, and not used as sacrificial food. In Ezek. 21:21 there is allusion, in the statement that the king of Babylon "looked upon the liver," to one of the most ancient of all modes of divination. The first recorded instance of divination (q.v.) is th......
LORD'S PRAYER
the name given to the only form of prayer Christ taught his disciples (Matt. 6:9). The closing doxology of the prayer is omitted by Luke (11:2), also in the R.V. of Matt. 6:13. This prayer contains no allusion to the atonement of Christ, nor to the offices of the Holy Spirit. "All Christian prayer is based on the Lord's Prayer, but its spirit is also guided by that of His prayer in Gethsemane and ......
LORD'S SUPPER
(1-Cor 11:20), called also "the Lord's table" (10:21), "communion," "cup of blessing" (10:16), and "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42). In the early Church it was called also "eucharist," or giving of thanks (comp. Matt. 26:27), and generally by the Latin Church "mass," a name derived from the formula of dismission, Ite, missa est, i.e., "Go, it is discharged." The account of the institution of th......
LUCIFER
brilliant star, a title given to the king of Babylon (Isa. 14:12) to denote his glory. ......
MACHAERUS
the Black Fortress, was built by Herod the Great in the gorge of Callirhoe, one of the wadies 9 miles east of the Dead Sea, as a frontier rampart against Arab marauders. John the Baptist was probably cast into the prison connected with this castle by Herod Antipas, whom he had reproved for his adulterous marriage with Herodias. Here Herod "made a supper" on his birthday. He was at this time marchi......
MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ
plunder speedeth; spoil hasteth, (Isa. 8:1; comp. Zeph. 1:14), a name Isaiah was commanded first to write in large characters on a tablet, and afterwards to give as a symbolical name to a son that was to be born to him (Isa. 8:1, Isa. 8: 3), as denoting the sudden attack on Damascus and Syria by the Assyrian army. ......
MANGER
(Luke 2:7, Luke 2: 12, 16), the name (Gr. phatne, rendered "stall" in Luke 13:15) given to the place where the infant Redeemer was laid. It seems to have been a stall or crib for feeding cattle. Stables and mangers in our modern sense were in ancient times unknown in the East. The word here properly denotes "the ledge or projection in the end of the room used as a stall on which the hay or other f......
MANSLAYER
one who was guilty of accidental homicide, and was entitled to flee to a city of refuge (Num. 35:6, Num. 35: 12, 22, 23), his compulsory residence in which terminated with the death of the high priest. (See CITY OF REFUGE.) ......
MEAT-OFFERING
(Heb. minhah), originally a gift of any kind. This Hebrew word came latterly to denote an "unbloody" sacrifice, as opposed to a "bloody" sacrifice. A "drink-offering" generally accompanied it. The law regarding it is given in Lev. 2, 6:14. It was a recognition of the sovereignty of God and of his bounty in giving all earthly blessings (1-Chr 29:10; Deut. 26:5). It was an offering which took for gr......
MERAB
increase, the eldest of Saul's two daughters (1-Sam 14:49). She was betrothed to David after his victory over Goliath, but does not seem to have entered heartily into this arrangement (18:2, 18: 17, 19). She was at length, however, married to Adriel of Abel-Meholah, a town in the Jordan valley, about 10 miles south of Bethshean, with whom the house of Saul maintained alliance. She had five sons, w......
MERAIAH
resistance, a chief priest, a contemporary of the high priest Joiakim (Neh. 12:12). ......
MERAIOTH
rebellions. (1.) Father of Amariah, a high priest of the line of Eleazar (1-Chr 6:6, 1-Chr 6: 7, 52). (2.) Neh. 12:15, Neh. 12: a priest who went to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. He is called Meremoth in Neh. 12:3. ......
MERARI
sad; bitter, the youngest son of Levi, born before the descent of Jacob into Egypt, and one of the seventy who accompanied him thither (Gen. 46:11; Exo 6:16). He became the head of one of the great divisions of the Levites (Exo 6:19). (See MERARITES.) ......
MERARITES
the descendants of Merari (Num. 26:57). They with the Gershonites and the Kohathites had charge of the tabernacle, which they had to carry from place to place (Num. 3:20, Num. 3: 33-37;4:29). In the distribution of the oxen and waggons offered by the princes (Num. 7), Moses gave twice as many to the Merarites (four waggons and eight oxen) as he gave to the Gershonites, because the latter had to ca......
MERATHAIM
double rebellion, probably a symbolical name given to Babylon (Jer. 50:21), denoting rebellion exceeding that of other nations. ......
MERCHANT
The Hebrew word so rendered is from a root meaning "to travel about," "to migrate," and hence "a traveller." In the East, in ancient times, merchants travelled about with their merchandise from place to place (Gen. 37:25; Job 6:18), and carried on their trade mainly by bartering (Gen. 37:28;39:1). After the Hebrews became settled in Palestine they began to engage in commercial pursuits, which grad......
MERCURIUS
the Hermes (i.e., "the speaker") of the Greeks (Acts 14:12), a heathen God represented as the constant attendant of Jupiter, and the god of eloquence. The inhabitants of Lystra took Paul for this god because he was the "chief speaker." ......
MERCY
compassion for the miserable. Its object is misery. By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness (Gen. 19:19; Exo 20:6;34:6, 34: 7; Psa 85:10;86:15, 86: 16). In Christ mercy and truth meet together. Mercy is also a Christian grace (Matt. 5:7;18:33). ......
MERCY-SEAT
(Heb. kapporeth, a "covering;" LXX. and N.T., hilasterion; Vulg., propitiatorium), the covering or lid of the ark of the covenant (q.v.). It was of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, or perhaps rather a plate of solid gold, 2 1/2 cubits long and 1 1/2 broad (Exo 25:17;30:6;31:7). It is compared to the throne of grace (Heb. 9:5; Eph. 2:6). The holy of holies is called the "place of the mercy-seat" (1......
MERED
rebellion, one of the sons of Ezra, of the tribe of Judah (1-Chr 4:17). ......
MEREMOTH
exaltations, heights, a priest who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:3), to whom were sent the sacred vessels (Ezra 8:33) belonging to the temple. He took part in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:4). ......
MERIB-BAAL
contender with Baal, (1-Chr 8:34;9:40), elsewhere called Mephibosheth (2-Sam 4:4), the son of Jonathan. ......
MERIBAH
quarrel or strife. (1.) One of the names given by Moses to the fountain in the desert of Sin, near Rephidim, which issued from the rock in Horeb, which he smote by the divine command, "because of the chiding of the children of Israel" (Exo 17:1). It was also called Massah (q.v.). It was probably in Wady Feiran, near Mount Serbal. (2.) Another fountain having a similar origin in the desert of Zin......
MERODACH
death; slaughter, the name of a Babylonian god, probably the planet Mars (Jer. 50:2), or it may be another name of Bel, the guardian divinity of Babylon. This name frequently occurs as a surname to the kings of Assyria and Babylon. ......
MERODACH-BALADAN
Merodach has given a son, (Isa. 39:1), "the hereditary chief of the Chaldeans, a small tribe at that time settled in the marshes at the mouth of the Euphrates, but in consequence of his conquest of Babylon afterwards, they became the dominant caste in Babylonia itself." One bearing this name sent ambassadors to Hezekiah (B.C. 721). He is also called Berodach-baladan (2-Kings 20:12; 2-Chr 20:31). (......
MEROM
height, a lake in Northern Palestine through which the Jordan flows. It was the scene of the third and last great victory gained by Joshua over the Canaanites (Josh. 11:5). It is not again mentioned in Scripture. Its modern name is Bakrat el-Huleh. "The Ard el-Huleh, the centre of which the lake occupies, is a nearly level plain of 16 miles in length from north to south, and its breadth from east ......
MERONOTHITE
a name given to Jehdeiah, the herdsman of the royal asses in the time of David and Solomon (1-Chr 27:30), probably as one being a native of some unknown town called Meronoth. ......
MEROZ
a plain in the north of Palestine, the inhabitants of which were severely condemned because they came not to help Barak against Sisera (Judg. 5:23: 21:8; 1-Sam 11:7). It has been identified with Marassus, on a knoll to the north of Wady Jalud, but nothing certainly is known of it. Like Chorazin, it is only mentioned in Scripture in connection with the curse pronounced upon it. ......
MESSENGER
(Heb. mal'ak, Gr. angelos), an angel, a messenger who runs on foot, the bearer of despatches (Job 1:14; 1-Sam 11:7; 2-Chr 36:22); swift of foot (2-Kings 9:18). ......
MINISTER
one who serves, as distinguished from the master. (1.) Heb. meshereth, applied to an attendant on one of superior rank, as to Joshua, the servant of Moses (Exo 33:11), and to the servant of Elisha (2-Kings 4:43). This name is also given to attendants at court (2-Chr 22:8), and to the priests and Levites (Jer. 33:21; Ezek. 44:11). (2.) Heb. pelah (Ezra 7:24), a "minister" of religion. Here used o......
MONEY-CHANGER
(Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:15). Every Israelite from twenty years and upwards had to pay (Exo 30:13) into the sacred treasury half a shekel every year as an offering to Jehovah, and that in the exact Hebrew half-shekel piece. There was a class of men, who frequented the temple courts, who exchanged at a certain premium foreign moneys for these half-shekels to the Jews who came up to Jerusale......
MOSERA
a bond, one of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (Deut. 10:6), at the foot of Mount Hor. (Comp. Num. 33:37, Num. 33: 38). It has been identified with el-Tayibeh, a small fountain at the bottom of the pass leading to the ascent of Mount Hor. ......
MOSEROTH
bonds, one of the stations in the wilderness (Num. 33:30, Num. 33: 31), probably the same as Mosera. ......
MUFFLERS
(Isa. 3:19), veils, light and tremulous. Margin, "spangled ornaments." ......
MULBERRY
Heb. bakah, "to weep;" rendered "Baca" (R.V., "weeping") in Psa 84:6. The plural form of the Hebrew bekaim is rendered "mulberry trees" in 2-Sam 5:23, 2-Sam 5: 24 and 1-Chr 14:14, 1-Chr 14: 15. The tree here alluded to was probably the aspen or trembling poplar. "We know with certainty that the black poplar, the aspen, and the Lombardy poplar grew in Palestine. The aspen, whose long leaf-stalks ca......
MURDER
Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, Num. 35: 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man's having been made in the likeness of God (Gen. 9:5, Gen. 9: 6; John 8:44; 1-John 3:12, 1-John 3: 15). The Mosiac law prohibited any compensation for murder or the reprieve of the murderer......
MYSTERY
the calling of the Gentiles into the Christian Church, so designated (Eph. 1:9, Eph. 1: 10;3:8; Col. 1:25); a truth undiscoverable except by revelation, long hid, now made manifest. The resurrection of the dead (1-Cor 15:51), and other doctrines which need to be explained but which cannot be fully understood by finite intelligence (Matt. 13:11; Rom. 11:25; 1-Cor 13:2); the union between Christ and......
NECROMANCER
(Deut. 15:11), i.e., "one who interrogates the dead," as the word literally means, with the view of discovering the secrets of futurity (comp. 1-Sam 28:7). (See DIVINATION.)......
NER
light, the father of Kish (1-Chr 8:33). 1-Sam 14:51 should be read, "Kish, the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner, were the sons of Abiel." And hence this Kish and Ner were brothers, and Saul and Abner were first cousins (comp. 1-Chr 9:36). ......
NEREUS
a Christian at Rome to whom Paul sent his salutation (Rom. 16:15). ......
NERGAL
the great dog; that is, lion, one of the chief gods of the Assyrians and Babylonians (2-Kings 17:30), the god of war and hunting. He is connected with Cutha as its tutelary deity. ......
NERGAL-SHAREZER
Nergal, protect the king! (1.) One of the "princes of the king of Babylon who accompanied him in his last expedition against Jerusalem" (Jer. 39:3, Jer. 39: 13). (2.) Another of the "princes," who bore the title of "Rabmag." He was one of those who were sent to release Jeremiah from prison (Jer. 39:13) by "the captain of the guard." He was a Babylonian grandee of high rank. From profane history ......
NERO
occurs only in the superscription (which is probably spurious, and is altogether omitted in the R.V.) to the Second Epistle to Timothy. He became emperor of Rome when he was about seventeen years of age (A.D. 54), and soon began to exhibit the character of a cruel tyrant and heathen debauchee. In May A.D. 64, a terrible conflagration broke out in Rome, which raged for six days and seven nights, an......
NIGER
black, a surname of Simeon (Acts 13:1). He was probably so called from his dark complexion. ......
NIMRIM, WATERS OF
the stream of the leopards, a stream in Moab (Isa. 15:6; Jer. 48:34); probably the modern Wady en-Nemeirah, a rich, verdant spot at the south-eastern end of the Dead Sea. ......
NUMBERING OF THE PEOPLE
Besides the numbering of the tribes mentioned in the history of the wanderings in the wilderness, we have an account of a general census of the whole nation from Dan to Beersheba, which David gave directions to Joab to make (1-Chr 21:1). Joab very reluctantly began to carry out the king's command. This act of David in ordering a numbering of the people arose from pride and a self-glorifying spir......
NUMBERS, BOOK OF
the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew be-midbar, i.e., "in the wilderness." In the LXX. version it is called "Numbers," and this name is now the usual title of the book. It is so called because it contains a record of the numbering of the people in the wilderness of Sinai (1-4), and of their numbering afterwards on the plain of Moab (26). This book is of special histori......
OFFERING
an oblation, dedicated to God. Thus Cain consecrated to God of the first-fruits of the earth, and Abel of the firstlings of the flock (Gen. 4:3, Gen. 4: 4). Under the Levitical system different kinds of offerings are specified, and laws laid down as to their presentation. These are described under their distinctive names. ......
OMER
a handful, one-tenth of an ephah=half a gallon dry measure (Exo 16:22, Exo 16: 32, 33, 36)="tenth deal." ......
PALMER-WORM
(Heb. gazam). The English word may denote either a caterpillar (as rendered by the LXX.), which wanders like a palmer or pilgrim, or which travels like pilgrims in bands (Joel 1:4;2:25), the wingless locusts, or the migratory locust in its larva state.......
PAPER
The expression in the Authorized Version (Isa. 19:7), "the paper reeds by the brooks," is in the Revised Version more correctly "the meadows by the Nile." The words undoubtedly refer to a grassy place on the banks of the Nile fit for pasturage. In 2-John 1:12 the word is used in its proper sense. The material so referred to was manufactured from the papyrus, and hence its name. The papyrus (Heb.......
PASSOVER
the name given to the chief of the three great historical annual festivals of the Jews. It was kept in remembrance of the Lord's passing over the houses of the Israelites (Exo 12:13) when the first born of all the Egyptians were destroyed. It is called also the "feast of unleavened bread" (Exo 23:15; Mark 14:1; Acts 12:3), because during its celebration no leavened bread was to be eaten or even ke......
PEACE OFFERINGS
(Heb. shelamim), detailed regulations regarding given in Lev. 3;7:11, 7: 29-34. They were of three kinds, (1) eucharistic or thanksgiving offerings, expressive of gratitude for blessings received; (2) in fulfilment of a vow, but expressive also of thanks for benefits recieved; and (3) free-will offerings, something spontaneously devoted to God.......
PERAZIM, MOUNT
mount of breaches, only in Isa. 28:21. It is the same as BAAL-PERAZIM (q.v.), where David gained a victory over the Philistines (2-Sam 5:20).......
PERES
divided, one of the mysterious words "written over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall" of king Belshazzar's palace (Dan. 5:28). (See MENE.)......
PEREZ
=Pharez, (q.v.), breach, the son of Judah (Neh. 11:4). "The chief of all the captains of the host for the first month" in the reign of David was taken from his family (1-Chr 27:3). Four hundred and sixty-eight of his "sons" came back from captivity with Zerubbabel, who himself was one of them (1-Chr 9:4; Neh. 11:6).......
PEREZ-UZZAH
the breach of Uzzah, a place where God "burst forth upon Uzzah, so that he died," when he rashly "took hold" of the ark (2-Sam 6:6). It was not far from Kirjath-jearim (q.v.).......
PERFECTION
See SANCTIFICATION. ......
PERFUMES
were used in religious worship, and for personal and domestic enjoyment (Exo 30:35; Prov. 7:17; 3:6; Isa. 57:9); and also in embalming the dead, and in other funeral ceremonies (Mark 14:8; Luke 24:1; John 19:39). ......
PERGA
the capital of Pamphylia, on the coast of Asia Minor. Paul and his companions landed at this place from Cyprus on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13, Acts 13: 14), and here Mark forsook the party and returned to Jerusalem. Some time afterwards Paul and Barnabas again visited this city and "preached the word" (14:25). It stood on the banks of the river Cestrus, some 7 miles from its mouth, ......
PERGAMOS
the chief city of Mysia, in Asia Minor. One of the "seven churches" was planted here (Rev. 1:11;2:17). It was noted for its wickedness, insomuch that our Lord says "Satan's seat" was there. The church of Pergamos was rebuked for swerving from the truth and embracing the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitanes. Antipas, Christ's "faithful martyr," here sealed his testimony with his blood. This c......
PERIDA
kernel, Neh. 7:57. (See PERUDA.) ......
PERIZZITES
villagers; dwellers in the open country, the Canaanitish nation inhabiting the fertile regions south and south-west of Carmel. "They were the graziers, farmers, and peasants of the time." They were to be driven out of the land by the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 15:20; Exo 3:8, Exo 3: 17;23:23;33:2;34:11). They are afterwards named among the conquered tribes (Josh. 24:11). Still lingering in the l......
PERSECUTION
The first great persecution for religious opinion of which we have any record was that which broke out against the worshippers of God among the Jews in the days of Ahab, when that king, at the instigation of his wife Jezebel, "a woman in whom, with the reckless and licentious habits of an Oriental queen, were united the fiercest and sternest qualities inherent in the old Semitic race", sought in t......
PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
their certain continuance in a state of grace. Once justified and regenerated, the believer can neither totally nor finally fall away from grace, but will certainly persevere therein and attain everlasting life. This doctrine is clearly taught in these passages, John 10:28, John 10: 29; Rom. 11:29; Phil. 1:6; 1-Pet 1:5. It, moreover, follows from a consideration of (1) the immutability of the di......
PERSIA
an ancient empire, extending from the Indus to Thrace, and from the Caspian Sea to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Persians were originally a Medic tribe which settled in Persia, on the eastern side of the Persian Gulf. They were Aryans, their language belonging to the eastern division of the Indo-European group. One of their chiefs, Teispes, conquered Elam in the time of the decay of the As......
PERSIS
a female Christian at Rome whom Paul salutes (Rom. 16:12). She is spoken of as "beloved," and as having "laboured much in the Lord." ......
PERUDA
one whose descendants returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:55); called also Perida (Neh. 7:57). ......
PETER
originally called Simon (=Simeon ,i.e., "hearing"), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament. He was the son of Jona (Matt. 16:17). His mother is nowhere named in Scripture. He had a younger brother called Andrew, who first brought him to Jesus (John 1:40). His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged. Here he was brought up by the ......
PETER, FIRST EPISTLE OF
This epistle is addressed to "the strangers scattered abroad", i.e., to the Jews of the Dispersion (the Diaspora). Its object is to confirm its readers in the doctrines they had been already taught. Peter has been called "the apostle of hope," because this epistle abounds with words of comfort and encouragement fitted to sustain a "lively hope." It contains about thirty-five references to the Ol......
PETER, SECOND EPISTLE OF
The question of the authenticity of this epistle has been much discussed, but the weight of evidence is wholly in favour of its claim to be the production of the apostle whose name it bears. It appears to have been written shortly before the apostle's death (1:14). This epistle contains eleven references to the Old Testament. It also contains (3:15, 3: 16) a remarkable reference to Paul's epistles......
PHARAOH'S DAUGHTERS
Three princesses are thus mentioned in Scripture: (1.) The princess who adopted the infant Moses (q.v.), Exo 2:10. She is twice mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 7:21: Heb. 11:24). It would seem that she was alive and in some position of influence about the court when Moses was compelled to flee from Egypt, and thus for forty years he had in some way been under her influence. She was in all pro......
PHYLACTERIES
(Gr. phulakteria; i.e., "defences" or "protections"), called by modern Jews tephillin (i.e., "prayers") are mentioned only in Matt. 23:5. They consisted of strips of parchment on which were inscribed these four texts: (1.) Exo 13:1; (2.) 11-16; (3.) Deut. 6:4; (4.)11:18, 11: and which were enclosed in a square leather case, on one side of which was inscribed the Hebrew letter shin, to which the ra......
PITCHER
a vessel for containing liquids. In the East pitchers were usually carried on the head or shoulders (Gen. 24:15; Judg. 7:16, Judg. 7: 19; Mark 14:13). ......
PORTER
a gate-keeper (2-Sam 18:26; 2-Kings 7:10; 1-Chr 9:21; 2-Chr 8:14). Of the Levites, 4,000 were appointed as porters by David (1-Chr 23:5), who were arranged according to their families (26:1) to take charge of the doors and gates of the temple. They were sometimes employed as musicians (1-Chr 15:18). ......
POTIPHERAH
a priest of On, whose daughter Asenath became Joseph's wife (Gen. 41:45). ......
POTSHERD
a "shred", i.e., anything severed, as a fragment of earthenware (Job 2:8; Prov. 26:23; Isa. 45:9). ......
POTTERS FIELD
the name given to the piece of ground which was afterwards bought with the money that had been given to Judas. It was called the "field of blood" (Matt. 27:7). Tradition places it in the valley of Hinnom. (See ACELDAMA.) ......
POTTERY
the art of, was early practised among all nations. Various materials seem to have been employed by the potter. Earthenware is mentioned in connection with the history of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18), of Abraham (18:4), of Rebekah (27:14), of Rachel (29:2, 29: 3, 8, 10). The potter's wheel is mentioned by Jeremiah (18:3). See also 1-Chr 4:23; Psa 2:9; Isa. 45:9;64:8; Jer. 19:1; Lam. 4:2; Zech. 11:13; R......
PRAYER
is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Exo 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1-Sam 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2-Chr 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "......
PROVERB
a trite maxim; a similitude; a parable. The Hebrew word thus rendered (mashal) has a wide signification. It comes from a root meaning "to be like," "parable." Rendered "proverb" in Isa. 14:4; Hab. 2:6; "dark saying" in Psa 49:4, Psa 49: Num. 12:8. Ahab's defiant words in answer to the insolent demands of Benhadad, "Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off," i......
PROVERBS, BOOK OF
a collection of moral and philosophical maxims of a wide range of subjects presented in a poetic form. This book sets forth the "philosophy of practical life. It is the sign to us that the Bible does not despise common sense and discretion. It impresses upon us in the most forcible manner the value of intelligence and prudence and of a good education. The whole strength of the Hebrew language and ......
PSALTERY
a musical instrument, supposed to have been a kind of lyre, or a harp with twelve strings. The Hebrew word nebhel, so rendered, is translated "viol" in Isa. 5:12 (R.V., "lute");14:11. In Dan. 3:5, Dan. 3: 7, 10, 15, the word thus rendered is Chaldaic, pesanterin, which is supposed to be a word of Greek origin denoting an instrument of the harp kind.......
QUATERNION
a band of four soldiers. Peter was committed by Herod to the custody of four quaternions, i.e., one quaternion for each watch of the night (Acts 12:4). Thus every precaution was taken against his escape from prison. Two of each quaternion were in turn stationed at the door (12:6), and to two the apostle was chained according to Roman custom.......
QUIVER
the sheath for arrows. The Hebrew word (aspah) thus commonly rendered is found in Job 39:23; Psa 127:5; Isa. 22:6;49:2; Jer. 5:16; Lam. 3:13. In Gen. 27:3 this word is the rendering of the Hebrew _teli_, which is supposed rather to mean a suspended weapon, literally "that which hangs from one", i.e., is suspended from the shoulder or girdle.......
RECORDER
(Heb. mazkir, i.e., "the mentioner," "rememberancer"), the office first held by Jehoshaphat in the court of David (2-Sam 8:16), also in the court of Solomon (1-Kings 4:3). The next recorder mentioned is Joah, in the reign of Hezekiah (2-Kings 18:18, 2-Kings 18: 37; Isa. 36:3, Isa. 36: 22). In the reign of Josiah another of the name of Joah filled this office (2-Chr 34:8). The "recorder" was the ch......
REDEEMER
Heb. goel; i.e., one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs (Lev. 25:48, Lev. 25: 49; Num. 5:8; Ruth 4:1; Job 19:25; Psa 19:14;78:35, 78: etc.). This title is peculiarly applied to Christ. He redeems us from all evil by the payment of a ransom (q.v.). (See REDEMPTION.)......
REFINER
The process of refining metals is referred to by way of illustrations in Isa. 1:25; Jer. 6:29; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:2, Mal. 3: 3.......
REGENERATION
only found in Matt. 19:28 and Titus 3:5. This word literally means a "new birth." The Greek word so rendered (palingenesia) is used by classical writers with reference to the changes produced by the return of spring. In Matt. 19:28 the word is equivalent to the "restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21). In Titus 3:5 it denotes that change of heart elsewhere spoken of as a passing from death to life ......
REREWARD
(Josh. 6:9), the troops in the rear of an army on the march, the rear-guard. This word is a corruption of the French arriere-garde. During the wilderness march the tribe of Dan formed the rear-guard (Num. 10:25; comp. 1-Sam 29:2; Isa. 52:12;58:8). ......
RIVER
(1.) Heb. 'aphik, properly the channel or ravine that holds water (2-Sam 22:16), translated "brook," "river," "stream," but not necessarily a perennial stream (Ezek. 6:3;31:12;32:6;34:13). (2.) Heb. nahal, in winter a "torrent," in summer a "wady" or valley (Gen. 32:23; Deut. 2:24;3:16; Isa. 30:28; Lam. 2:18; Ezek. 47:9). These winter torrents sometimes come down with great suddenness and with......
RIVER OF EGYPT
(1.) Heb. nahar mitsraim, denotes in Gen. 15:18 the Nile, or its eastern branch (2-Chr 9:26). (2.) In Num. 34:5 (R.V., "brook of Egypt") the Hebrew word is _nahal_, denoting a stream flowing rapidly in winter, or in the rainy season. This is a desert stream on the borders of Egypt. It is now called the Wady el-'Arish. The present boundary between Egypt and Palestine is about midway between this wa......
RIVER OF GAD
probably the Arno (2-Sam 24:5). ......
RIVER OF GOD
(Psa 65:9), as opposed to earthly streams, denoting that the divine resources are inexhaustible, or the sum of all fertilizing streams that water the earth (Gen. 2:10). ......
RIVERS OF BABYLON
(Psa 137:1), i.e., of the whole country of Babylonia, e.g., the Tigris, Euphrates, Chalonas, the Ulai, and the numerous canals. ......
RIVERS OF DAMASCUS
the Abana and Pharpar (2-Kings 5:12). ......
RIVERS OF JUDAH
(Joel 3:18), the watercourses of Judea. ......
ROBBERY
Practised by the Ishmaelites (Gen. 16:12), the Chaldeans and Sabeans (Job 1:15, Job 1: 17), and the men of Shechem (Judg. 9:25. See also 1-Sam 27:6; 30; Hos. 4:2;6:9). Robbers infested Judea in our Lord's time (Luke 10:30; John 18:40; Acts 5:36, Acts 5: 37;21:38; 2-Cor 11:26). The words of the Authorized Version, "counted it not robbery to be equal," etc. (Phil. 2:6, Phil. 2: 7), are better render......
ROMAMTI-EZER
elevation of help, one of the sons of Heman, "the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn." He was head of the "four-and-twentieth" course of singers (1-Chr 25:4, 1-Chr 25: 31). ......
RUDDER BANDS
Ancient ships had two great broad-bladed oars for rudders. These, when not in use, were lifted out of the water and bound or tied up. When required for use, these bands were unloosed and the rudders allowed to drop into the water (Acts 27:40). ......
SCHOOLMASTER
the law so designated by Paul (Gal. 3:24, Gal. 3: 25). As so used, the word does not mean teacher, but pedagogue (shortened into the modern page), i.e., one who was intrusted with the supervision of a family, taking them to and from the school, being responsible for their safety and manners. Hence the pedagogue was stern and severe in his discipline. Thus the law was a pedagogue to the Jews, with ......
SEA OF JAZER
(Jer. 48:32), a lake, now represented by some ponds in the high valley in which the Ammonite city of Jazer lies, the ruins of which are called Sar. ......
SEER
a name sometimes applied to the prophets because of the visions granted to them. It is first found in 1-Sam 9:9. It is afterwards applied to Zadok, Gad, etc. (2-Sam 15:27;24:11; 1-Chr 9:22;25:5; 2-Chr 9:29; Amos 7:12; Micah 3:7). The "sayings of the seers" (2-Chr 33:18, 2-Chr 33: 19) is rendered in the Revised Version "the history of Hozai" (marg., the seers; so the LXX.), of whom, however, nothin......
SENNACHERIB
Sin (the god) sends many brothers, son of Sargon, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria (B.C. 705), in the 23rd year of Hezekiah. "Like the Persian Xerxes, he was weak and vainglorious, cowardly under reverse, and cruel and boastful in success." He first set himself to break up the powerful combination of princes who were in league against him. Among these was Hezekiah, who had entered into a......
SERAH
abundance; princess, the daughter of Asher and grand-daughter of Jacob (Gen. 46:17); called also Sarah (Num. 26:46; R.V., "Serah"). ......
SERAIAH
soldier of Jehovah. (1.) The father of Joab (1-Chr 4:13, 1-Chr 4: 14). (2.) The grandfather of Jehu (1-Chr 4:35). (3.) One of David's scribes or secretaries (2-Sam 8:17). (4.) A Netophathite (Jer. 40:8), a chief priest of the time of Zedekiah. He was carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon, and there put to death (2-Kings 25:18, 2-Kings 25: 23). (5.) Ezra 2:2. (6.) Father of Ezra th......
SERAPHIM
mentioned in Isa. 6:2, Isa. 6: 3, 6, 7. This word means fiery ones, in allusion, as is supposed, to their burning love. They are represented as "standing" above the King as he sat upon his throne, ready at once to minister unto him. Their form appears to have been human, with the addition of wings. (See ANGELS.) This word, in the original, is used elsewhere only of the "fiery serpents" (Num. 21:6,......
SERED
fear, one of the sons of Zebulun (Gen. 46:14). ......
SERGEANTS
Acts 16:35, Acts 16: 38 (R.V., "lictors"), officers who attended the magistrates and assisted them in the execution of justice. ......
SERGIUS PAULUS
a "prudent man" (R.V., "man of understanding"), the deputy (R.V., "proconsul") of Cyprus (Acts 13:6). He became a convert to Christianity under Paul, who visited this island on his first mission to the heathen. A remarkable memorial of this proconsul was recently (1887) discovered at Rome. On a boundary stone of Claudius his name is found, among others, as having been appointed (A.D. 47) one of ......
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
After spending a night in solemn meditation and prayer in the lonely mountain-range to the west of the Lake of Galilee (Luke 6:12), on the following morning our Lord called to him his disciples, and from among them chose twelve, who were to be henceforth trained to be his apostles (Mark 3:14, Mark 3: 15). After this solemn consecration of the twelve, he descended from the mountain-peak to a more l......
SERPENT
(Heb. nahash; Gr. ophis), frequently noticed in Scripture. More than forty species are found in Syria and Arabia. The poisonous character of the serpent is alluded to in Jacob's blessing on Dan (Gen. 49:17; see Prov. 30:18, Prov. 30: 19; James 3:7; Jer. 8:17). (See ADDER.) This word is used symbolically of a deadly, subtle, malicious enemy (Luke 10:19). The serpent is first mentioned in connec......
SERPENT, FIERY
(LXX. "deadly," Vulg. "burning"), Num. 21:6, Num. 21: probably the naja haje of Egypt; some swift-springing, deadly snake (Isa. 14:29). After setting out from their encampment at Ezion-gaber, the Israelites entered on a wide sandy desert, which stretches from the mountains of Edom as far as the Persian Gulf. While traversing this region, the people began to murmur and utter loud complaints against......
SERUG
branch, the father of Nahor (Gen. 11:20); called Saruch in Luke 3:35. ......
SERVITOR
occurs only in 2-Kings 4:43, 2-Kings 4: Authorized Version (R.V., "servant"). The Hebrew word there rendered "servitor" is elsewhere rendered "minister," "servant" (Exo 24:13;33:11). Probably Gehazi, the personal attendant on Elisha, is here meant. ......
SHAPHER
brightness, one of the stations where Israel encamped in the wilderness (Num. 33:23, Num. 33: 24).......
SHAREZER
(god) protect the king!, a son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. He and his brother Adrammelech murdered their father, and then fled into the land of Armenia (2-Kings 19:37).......
SHEMEBER
soaring on high, the king of Zeboiim, who joined with the other kings in casting off the yoke of Chedorlaomer. After having been reconquered by him, he was rescued by Abraham (Gen. 14:2).......
SHEPHERD
a word naturally of frequent occurence in Scripture. Sometimes the word "pastor" is used instead (Jer. 2:8;3:15;10:21;12:10;17:16). This word is used figuratively to represent the relation of rulers to their subjects and of God to his people (Psa 23:1;80:1; Isa. 40:11;44:28; Jer. 25:34, Jer. 25: 35; Nahum 3:18; John 10:11, John 10: 14; Heb. 13:20; 1-Pet 2:25;5:4). The duties of a shepherd in an ......
SHEREBIAH
flame of the Lord, a priest whose name is prominent in connection with the work carried on by Ezra and Nehemiah at Jerusalem (Ezra 8:17, Ezra 8: 18, 24-30; Neh. 8:7;9:4, 9: 5;10:12).......
SHERESH
root, a descendant of Manasseh (1-Chr 7:16).......
SHEREZER
one of the messengers whom the children of the Captivity sent to Jerusalem "to pray for them before the Lord" (Zech. 7:2).......
SHERIFFS
(Dan. 3:2), Babylonian officers.......
SHILOAH, THE WATERS OF
=Siloah, (Neh. 3:15) and Siloam (q.v.)......
SHIMRON-MERON
the same, probably, as Shimron (Josh. 12:20).......
SHOMER
watchman. (1.) The mother of Jehozabad, who murdered Joash (2-Kings 12:21); called also Shimrith, a Moabitess (2-Chr 24:26). (2.) A man of Asher (1-Chr 7:32); called also Shamer (34). ......
SHRINES, SILVER
little models and medallions of the temple and image of Diana of Ephesus (Acts 19:24). The manufacture of these was a very large and profitable business. ......
SILOAM, TOWER OF
mentioned only Luke 13:4. The place here spoken of is the village now called Silwan, or Kefr Silwan, on the east of the valley of Kidron, and to the north-east of the pool. It stands on the west slope of the Mount of Olives. As illustrative of the movement of small bands of Canaanites from place to place, and the intermingling of Canaanites and Israelites even in small towns in earlier times, M.......
SILVER
used for a great variety of purposes, as may be judged from the frequent references to it in Scripture. It first appears in commerce in Gen. 13:2;23:15, 23: 16. It was largely employed for making vessels for the sanctuary in the wilderness (Exo 26:19;27:17; Num. 7:13, Num. 7: 19;10:2). There is no record of its having been found in Syria or Palestine. It was brought in large quantities by foreign ......
SILVERLING
(Isa. 7:23). Literally the words are "at a thousand of silver", i.e., "pieces of silver," or shekels. ......
SIN, WILDERNESS OF
lying between Elim and sinai (Exo 16:1; comp. Num. 33:11, Num. 33: 12). This was probably the narrow plain of el-Markha, which stretches along the eastern shore of the Red Sea for several miles toward the promontory of Ras Mohammed, the southern extremity of the Sinitic Peninsula. While the Israelites rested here for some days they began to murmur on account of the want of nourishment, as they had......
SIN-OFFERING
(Heb. hattath), the law of, is given in detail in Lev. 6:13;9:7, 9: 22-24;12:6;15:2, 15: 14, 25-30;14:19, 14: 31; Num. 6:10. On the day of Atonement it was made with special solemnity (Lev. 16:5, Lev. 16: 11, 15). The blood was then carried into the holy of holies and sprinkled on the mercy-seat. Sin-offerings were also presented at the five annual festivals (Num. 28, 29), and on the occasion of t......
SISERA
(Egypt. Ses-Ra, "servant of Ra"). (1.) The captain of Jabin's army (Judg. 4:2), which was routed and destroyed by the army of Barak on the plain of Esdraelon. After all was lost he fled to the settlement of Heber the Kenite in the plain of Zaanaim. Jael, Heber's wife, received him into her tent with apparent hospitality, and "gave him butter" (i.e., lebben, or curdled milk) "in a lordly dish." Hav......
SOOTHSAYER
one who pretends to prognosticate future events. Baalam is so called (Josh. 13:22; Heb. kosem, a "diviner," as rendered 1-Sam 6:2; rendered "prudent," Isa. 3:2). In Isa. 2:6 and Micah 5:12 (Heb. yonenim, i.e., "diviners of the clouds") the word is used of the Chaldean diviners who studied the clouds. In Dan. 2:27;5:7 the word is the rendering of the Chaldee gazrin, i.e., "deciders" or "determiners......
SOPATER
the father who saves, probably the same as Sosipater, a kinsman of Paul (Rom. 16:21), a Christian of the city of Berea who accompanied Paul into Asia (Acts 20:4). ......
SORCERER
from the Latin sortiarius, one who casts lots, or one who tells the lot of others. (See DIVINATION.) In Dan. 2:2 it is the rendering of the Hebrew mekhashphim, i.e., mutterers, men who professed to have power with evil spirits. The practice of sorcery exposed to severest punishment (Mal. 3:5; Rev. 21:8;22:15). ......
SOSIPATER
(See SOPATER.) ......
SOVEREIGNTY
of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, Dan. 4: 35; Rom. 9:15; 1-Tim 6:15; Rev. 4:11). ......
SPICERY
Heb. nechoth, identified with the Arabic naka'at, the gum tragacanth, obtained from the astralagus, of which there are about twenty species found in Palestine. The tragacanth of commerce is obtained from the A. tragacantha. "The gum exudes plentifully under the heat of the sun on the leaves, thorns, and exteremity of the twigs." ......
SPIDER
The trust of the hypocrite is compared to the spider's web or house (Job 8:14). It is said of the wicked by Isaiah that they "weave the spider's web" (9:5), i.e., their works and designs are, like the spider's web, vain and useless. The Hebrew word here used is _'akkabish_, "a swift weaver." In Prov. 30:28 a different Hebrew word (semamith) is used. It is rendered in the Vulgate by stellio, and ......
STARGAZERS
(Isa. 47:13), those who pretend to tell what will occur by looking upon the stars. The Chaldean astrologers "divined by the rising and setting, the motions, aspects, colour, degree of light, etc., of the stars." ......
STATER
Greek word rendered "piece of money" (Matt. 17:27, Matt. 17: A.V.; and "shekel" in R.V.). It was equal to two didrachmas ("tribute money,"17:24), or four drachmas, and to about 2s. 6d. of our money. (See SHEKEL.) ......
STOMACHER
(Isa. 3:24), an article of female attire, probably some sort of girdle around the breast. ......
STRANGER
This word generally denotes a person from a foreign land residing in Palestine. Such persons enjoyed many privileges in common with the Jews, but still were separate from them. The relation of the Jews to strangers was regulated by special laws (Deut. 23:3;24:14;25:5;26:10). A special signification is also sometimes attached to this word. In Gen. 23:4 it denotes one resident in a foreign land; Exo......
SUPPER
the principal meal of the day among the Jews. It was partaken of in the early part of the evening (Mark 6:21; John 12:2; 1-Cor 11:21). (See LORD'S+SUPPER.) ......
TABERAH
burning, a place in the wilderness of Paran, where the "fire of the Lord" consumed the murmuring Israelites (Num. 11:3; Deut. 9:22). It was also called Kibroth-hattaavah (q.v.). ......
TABERING
playing on a small drum or tabret. In Nahum 2:7, Nahum 2: where alone it occurs, it means beating on the breast, as players beat on the tabret. ......
TABERNACLE
(1.) A house or dwelling-place (Job 5:24;18:6, 18: etc.). (2.) A portable shrine (comp. Acts 19:24) containing the image of Moloch (Amos 5:26; marg. and R.V., "Siccuth"). (3.) The human body (2-Cor 5:1, 2-Cor 5: 4); a tent, as opposed to a permanent dwelling. (4.) The sacred tent (Heb. mishkan, "the dwelling-place"); the movable tent-temple which Moses erected for the service of God, accordi......
TABERNACLES, FEAST OF
the third of the great annual festivals of the Jews (Lev. 23:33). It is also called the "feast of ingathering" (Exo 23:16; Deut. 16:13). It was celebrated immediately after the harvest, in the month Tisri, and the celebration lasted for eight days (Lev. 23:33). During that period the people left their homes and lived in booths formed of the branches of trees. The sacrifices offered at this time ar......
TAVERNS, THE THREE
a place on the great "Appian Way," about 11 miles from Rome, designed for the reception of travellers, as the name indicates. Here Paul, on his way to Rome, was met by a band of Roman Christians (Acts 28:15). The "Tres Tabernae was the first mansio or mutatio, that is, halting-place for relays, from Rome, or the last on the way to the city. At this point three roads run into the Via Appia, that fr......
TEMPLE, HEROD'S
The temple erected by the exiles on their return from Babylon had stood for about five hundred years, when Herod the Great became king of Judea. The building had suffered considerably from natural decay as well as from the assaults of hostile armies, and Herod, desirous of gaining the favour of the Jews, proposed to rebuild it. This offer was accepted, and the work was begun (B.C. 18), and carried......
TERAH
the wanderer; loiterer, for some unknown reason emigrated with his family from his native mountains in the north to the plains of Mesopotamia. He had three sons, Haran, Nahor, and Abraham, and one daughter, Sarah. He settled in "Ur of the Chaldees," where his son Haran died, leaving behind him his son Lot. Nahor settled at Haran, a place on the way to Ur. Terah afterwards migrated with Abraham (pr......
TERAPHIM
givers of prosperity, idols in human shape, large or small, analogous to the images of ancestors which were revered by the Romans. In order to deceive the guards sent by Saul to seize David, Michal his wife prepared one of the household teraphim, putting on it the goat's-hair cap worn by sleepers and invalids, and laid it in a bed, covering it with a mantle. She pointed it out to the soldiers, and......
TEREBINTH
(R.V. marg. of Deut. 11:30, Deut. 11: etc.), the Pistacia terebinthus of botanists; a tree very common in the south and east of Palestine. (See OAK.) ......
TERESH
severe, a eunuch or chamberlain in the palace of Ahasuerus, who conspired with another to murder him. The plot was detected by Mordecai, and the conspirators were put to death (Esther 2:21;6:2). ......
TERTIUS
the third, a Roman Christian whom Paul employed as his amanuensis in writing his epistle to the Romans (16:22). ......
TERTULLUS
a modification of "Tertius;" a Roman advocate, whom the Jews employed to state their case against Paul in the presence of Felix (Acts 24:1). The charges he adduced against the apostle were, "First, that he created disturbances among the Romans throughout the empire, an offence against the Roman government (crimen majestatis). Secondly, that he was a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes; disturb......
TESTIMONY, TABERNACLE OF
the tabernacle, the great glory of which was that it contained "the testimony", i.e., the "two tables" (Exo 38:21). The ark in which these tables were deposited was called the "ark of the testimony" (0:3), and also simply the "testimony" (27:21;30:6). ......
THUNDER
often referred to in Scripture (Job 40:9; Psa 77:18;104:7). James and John were called by our Lord "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). In Job 39:19, Job 39: instead of "thunder," as in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version translates (ra'amah) by "quivering main" (marg., "shaking"). Thunder accompanied the giving of the law at Sinai (Exo 19:16). It was regarded as the voice of God (Job 37:2; Psa ......
TIBERIAS
a city, the modern Tubarich, on the western shore of the Sea of Tiberias. It is said to have been founded by Herod Antipas (A.D. 16), on the site of the ruins of an older city called Rakkath, and to have been thus named by him after the Emperor Tiberius. It is mentioned only three times in the history of our Lord (John 6:1, John 6:23;21:1). In 1837 about one-half of the inhabitants perished by a......
TIBERIAS, SEA OF
called also the Sea of Galilee (q.v.) and of Gennesaret. In the Old Testament it is called the Sea of Chinnereth or Chinneroth. John (21:1) is the only evangelist who so designates this lake. His doing so incidentally confirms the opinion that he wrote after the other evangelists, and at a period subsequent to the taking of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). Tiberias had by this time become an important city, h......
TIBERIUS CAESAR
i.e., as known in Roman history, Tiberius Claudius Nero, only mentioned in Luke 3:1. He was the stepson of Augustus, whom he succeeded on the throne, A.D. 14. He was noted for his vicious and infamous life. In the fifteenth year of his reign John the Baptist entered on his public ministry, and under him also our Lord taught and suffered. He died A.D. 37. He is frequently referred to simply as "Cae......
TIGLATH-PILESER I.
(not mentioned in Scripture) was the most famous of the monarchs of the first Assyrian empire (about B.C. 1110). After his death, for two hundred years the empire fell into decay. The history of David and Solomon falls within this period. He was succeeded by his son, Shalmaneser II. ......
TIGLATH-PILESER III.
or Tilgath-Pil-neser, the Assyrian throne-name of Pul (q.v.). He appears in the Assyrian records as gaining, in the fifth year of his reign (about B.C. 741), a victory over Azariah (= Uzziah in 2-Chr 26:1), king of Judah, whose achievements are described in 2-Chr 26:6. He is first mentioned in Scripture, however, as gaining a victory over Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin of Damascus, who were conf......
TIMNATH-HERES
portion of the sun, where Joshua was buried (Judg. 2:9). It was "in the mount of Ephraim, in the north side of the hill Gaash," 10 miles south-west of Shechem. The same as the following. ......
TIMNATH-SERAH
remaining portion, the city of Joshua in the hill country of Ephraim, the same as Timnath-heres (Josh. 19:50;24:30). "Of all sites I have seen," says Lieut. Col. Conder, "none is so striking as that of Joshua's home, surrounded as it is with deep valleys and wild, rugged hills." Opposite the town is a hill, on the northern side of which there are many excavated sepulchres. Among these is the suppo......
TOWER OF THE FURNACES
(Neh. 3:11;12:38), a tower at the north-western angle of the second wall of Jerusalem. It was probably so named from its contiguity to the "bakers' street" (Jer. 37:21). ......
TOWERS
of Babel (Gen. 11:4), Edar (Gen. 35:21), Penuel (Judg. 8:9, Judg. 8: 17), Shechem (9:46), David (4:4), Lebanon (7:4), Syene (Ezek. 29:10), Hananeel (Zech. 14:10), Siloam (Luke 13:4). There were several towers in Jerusalem (2-Chr 26:9; Psa 48:12). They were erected for various purposes, as watch-towers in vineyard (Isa. 5:2; Matt. 21:33) and towers for defence. ......
TRESPASS OFFERING
(Heb. 'asham, "debt"), the law concerning, given in Lev. 5:14:7; also in Num. 5:5. The idea of sin as a "debt" pervades this legislation. The _asham_, which was always a ram, was offered in cases where sins were more private. (See OFFERING.) ......
UZZEN-SHERAH
a town probably near Beth-horon. It derived its name from the daughter of Ephraim (1-Chr 7:24). ......
VERSION
a translation of the holy Scriptures. This word is not found in the Bible, nevertheless, as frequent references are made in this work to various ancient as well as modern versions, it is fitting that some brief account should be given of the most important of these. These versions are important helps to the right interpretation of the Word. (See SAMARITAN+PENTATEUCH.) 1. The Targums. After the r......
VIPER
In Job 20:16, Job 20: Isa. 30:6;59:5, 59: the Heb. word eph'eh is thus rendered. The Hebrew word, however, probably denotes a species of poisonous serpents known by the Arabic name of 'el ephah. Tristram has identified it with the sand viper, a species of small size common in sandy regions, and frequently found under stones by the shores of the Dead Sea. It is rapid in its movements, and highly po......
WAFERS
thin cakes (Exo 16:31;29:2, 29: 23; Lev. 2:4;7:12;8:26; Num. 6:15, Num. 6: 19) used in various offerings. ......
WANDERING
of the Israelites in the wilderness in consequence of their rebellious fears to enter the Promised Land (Num. 14:26). They wandered for forty years before they were permitted to cross the Jordan (Josh. 4:19;5:6). The record of these wanderings is given in Num. 33:1. Many of the stations at which they camped cannot now be identified. Questions of an intricate nature have been discussed regardin......
WATER OF JEALOUSY
a phrase employed (not, however, in Scripture) to denote the water used in the solemn ordeal prescribed by the law of Moses (Num. 5:11) in cases of "jealousy." ......
WATER OF PURIFICATION
used in cases of ceremonial cleansings at the consecration of the Levites (Num. 8:7). It signified, figuratively, that purifying of the heart which must characterize the servants of God. ......
WATER OF SEPARATION
used along with the ashes of a red heifer for the ceremonial cleansing of persons defiled by contact with a dead body (Num. 19). ......
WATERSPOUTS
(Psa 42:7; marg. R.V., "cataracts"). If we regard this psalm as descriptive of David's feelings when banished from Jerusalem by the revolt of Absalom, this word may denote "waterfalls," inasmuch as Mahanaim, where he abode, was near the Jabbok, and the region abounded with rapids and falls. ......
WAVE OFFERINGS
parts of peace-offerings were so called, because they were waved by the priests (Exo 29:24, Exo 29: 26, 27; Lev. 7:20;8:27;9:21;10:14, 10: 15, etc.), in token of a solemn special presentation to God. They then became the property of the priests. The first-fruits, a sheaf of barley, offered at the feast of Pentecost (Lev. 23:17), and wheat-bread, the first-fruits of the second harvest, offered at t......
WEAVING, WEAVERS
Weaving was an art practised in very early times (Exo 35:35). The Egyptians were specially skilled in it (Isa. 19:9; Ezek. 27:7), and some have regarded them as its inventors. In the wilderness, the Hebrews practised it (Exo 26:1, Exo 26: 8;28:4, 28: 39; Lev. 13:47). It is referred to in subsequent times as specially the women's work (2-Kings 23:7; Prov. 31:13, Prov. 31: 24). No mention of the l......
WILDERNESS
(1.) Heb. midhbar, denoting not a barren desert but a district or region suitable for pasturing sheep and cattle (Psa 65:12; Isa. 42:11; Jer. 23:10; Joel 1:19;2:22); an uncultivated place. This word is used of the wilderness of Beersheba (Gen. 21:14), on the southern border of Palestine; the wilderness of the Red Sea (Exo 13:18); of Shur (15:22), a portion of the Sinaitic peninsula; of Sin (17:1),......
WOOD-OFFERING
(Neh. 10:34;13:31). It would seem that in the time of Nehemiah arrangements were made, probably on account of the comparative scarcity of wood, by which certain districts were required, as chosen by lot, to furnish wood to keep the altar fire perpetually burning (Lev. 6:13). ......
WORSHIPPER
(Gr. neocoros = temple-sweeper (Acts 19:35) of the great goddess Diana). This name neocoros appears on most of the extant Ephesian coins ......
ZACHER
memorial, a son of Jehiel (1-Chr 8:31;9:35); called Zechariah (9:37).......
ZERAH
sunrise. (1.) An "Ethiopian," probably Osorkon II., the successor of Shishak on the throne of Egypt. With an enormous army, the largest we read of in Scripture, he invaded the kingdom of Judah in the days of Asa (2-Chr 14:9). He reached Zephathah, and there encountered the army of Asa. This is the only instance "in all the annals of Judah of a victorious encounter in the field with a first-class h......
ZERED
=Zared, luxuriance; willow bush, a brook or valley communicating with the Dead Sea near its southern extremity (Num. 21:12; Deut. 2:14). It is called the "brook of the willows" (Isa. 15:7) and the "river of the wilderness" (Amos 6:14). It has been identified with the Wady el-Aksy.......
ZEREDA
the fortress, a city on the north of Mount Ephraim; the birthplace of Jeroboam (1-Kings 11:26). It is probably the same as Zaretan (Josh. 3:16), Zererath (Judg. 7:22), Zartanah (1-Kings 4:12), or the following.......
ZEREDATHAH
a place in the plain of Jordan; the same as Zarthan (2-Chr 4:17; 1-Kings 7:46). Here Solomon erected the foundries in which Hiram made the great castings of bronze for the temple.......
ZERERATH
(Judg. 7:22), perhaps identical with Zereda or Zeredathah. Some identify it with Zahrah, a place about 3 miles west of Beth-shean.......
ZERESH
star of Venus, the wife of Haman, whom she instigated to prepare a gallows for Mordecai (Esther 5:10).......
ZERUAH
stricken, mother of Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes (1-Kings 11:26).......
ZERUBBABEL
the seed of Babylon, the son of Salathiel or Shealtiel (Hag. 1:1; Zorobabel, Matt. 1:12); called also the son of Pedaiah (1-Chr 3:17), i.e., according to a frequent usage of the word "son;" the grandson or the nephew of Salathiel. He is also known by the Persian name of Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8, Ezra 1: 11). In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, he led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360 (......
ZERUIAH
stricken of the Lord, David's sister, and the mother of Abishai, Joab, and Asahel (1-Chr 2:16), who were the three leading heroes of David's army, and being his nephews, they were admitted to the closest companionship with him.......
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