(Herb. nesher; properly the griffon vulture or great
vulture, so called from its tearing its prey with its beak), referred to for
its swiftness of flight De 28:49 2Sa 1:23 its mounting high in the air Job
39:27 its strength Ps 103:5 its setting its nest in high places Jer 49:16 and
its power of vision Job 39:27-30 This "ravenous bird" is a symbol of
those nations whom God employs and sends forth to do a work of destruction,
sweeping away whatever is decaying and putrescent Mt 24:28 Isa 46:11 Eze 39:4
De 28:49 Jer 4:13 48:40 It is said that the eagle sheds his feathers in the
beginning of spring, and with fresh plumage assumes the appearance of youth. To
this, allusion is made in Ps 103:5 and Isa 40:31 God's care over his people is
likened to that of the eagle in training its young to fly Ex 19:4 De 32:11,12
An interesting illustration is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy:, "I once
saw a very interesting sight above the crags of Ben Nevis. Two parent eagles
were teaching their offspring, two young birds, the maneuvers of flight. They
began by rising from the top of the mountain in the eye of the sun. It was
about mid-day, and bright for the climate. They at first made small circles,
and the young birds imitated them. They paused on their wings, waiting till
they had made their flight, and then took a second and larger gyration, always
rising toward the sun, and enlarging their circle of flight so as to make a
gradually ascending spiral. The young ones still and slowly followed,
apparently flying better as they mounted; and they continued this sublime
exercise, always rising till they became mere points in the air, and the young
ones were lost, and afterwards their parents, to our aching sight." (See)
Isa 40:31 There have been observed in Palestine four distinct species of
eagles,
1. the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos);
2. the spotted eagle (Aquila naevia);
3. the common species, the imperial eagle (Aquila
heliaca); and
4. the Circaetos gallicus, which preys on reptiles. The
eagle was unclean by the Levitical law Le 11:13 De 14:12
Used frequently in a figurative sense Ps 34:15 To
"uncover the ear" is to show respect to a person 1Sa 20:2 marg. To
have the "ear heavy", or to have "uncircumcised ears" Isa
6:10 is to be inattentive and disobedient. To have the ear "bored"
through with an awl was a sign of perpetual servitude Ex 21:6
An Old English word (from the Latin aro, I plough),
meaning "ploughing." It is used in the Authorized Version in Ge 45:6
Ex 34:21 1Sa 8:12 De 21:4 Isa 30:24 but the Revised Version has rendered the
original in these places by the ordinary word to plough or till.
The Spirit is the earnest of the believer's destined
inheritance 2Co 1:22 5:5 Eph 1:14 The word thus rendered is the same as that rendered
"pledge" in Ge 38:17-20 "indeed, the Hebrew word has simply
passed into the Greek and Latin languages, probably through commercial dealings
with the Phoenicians, the great trading people of ancient days. Originally it
meant no more than a pledge; but in common usage it came to denote that
particular kind of pledge which is a part of the full price of an article paid
in advance; and as it is joined with the figure of a seal when applied to the
Spirit, it seems to be used by Paul in this specific sense." The Spirit's
gracious presence and working in believers is a foretaste to them of the
blessedness of heaven. God is graciously pleased to give not only pledges but
foretastes of future blessedness.
Rings properly for the ear Ge 35:4 Nu 31:50 Eze 16:12 In
Ge 24:47 the word means a nose-jewel, and is so rendered in the Revised
Version. In Isa 3:20 the Authorized Version has "ear-rings, "and the
Revised Version "amulets, "which more correctly represents the
original word (lehashim), which means incantations; charms, thus remedies
against enchantment, worn either suspended from the neck or in the ears of
females. Ear-rings were ornaments used by both sexes Ex 32:2
1. In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the
word _adamah'_.In Ge 9:20 "husbandman" is literally "man of the
ground or earth." Altars were to be built of earth Ex 20:24 Naaman asked for
two mules' burden of earth 2Ki 5:17 under the superstitious notion that
Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on
his own soil.
2. As the rendering of_'erets_, it means the whole world
Ge 1:2 the land as opposed to the sea Ge 1:10 _Erets_ also denotes a country Ge
21:32 a plot of ground Ge 23:15 the ground on which a man stands Ge 33:3 the
inhabitants of the earth Ge 6:1 11:1 all the world except Israel 2Ch 13:9 In
the New Testament "the earth" denotes the land of Judea Mt 23:35 also
things carnal in contrast with things heavenly Joh 3:31 Col 3:1,2
Mentioned among the extraordinary phenomena of Palestine
Ps 18:7 comp. Hab 3:6 Na 1:5 Isa 5:25 The first earthquake in Palestine of
which we have any record happened in the reign of Ahab 1Ki 19:11,12 Another
took place in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah Zec 14:5 The most memorable
earthquake taking place in New Testament times happened at the crucifixion of
our Lord Mt 27:54 An earthquake at Philippi shook the prison in which Paul and
Silas were imprisoned Ac 16:26 It is used figuratively as a token of the
presence of the Lord Jud 5:4 2Sa 22:8 Ps 77:18 97:4 104:32
1. The orient (mizrah); the rising of the sun. Thus
"the east country" is the country lying to the east of Syria, the
Elymais Zec 8:7
2. Properly what is in front of one, or a country that is
before or in front of another; the rendering of the word _kedem_. In pointing
out the quarters, a Hebrew always looked with his face toward the east. The
word _kedem_ is used when the four quarters of the world are described Ge 13:14
28:14 and _mizrah_ when the east only is distinguished from the west Jos 11:3
Ps 50:1 Ps 103:12 etc. In Ge 25:6 "eastward" is literally "unto
the land of kedem; "i.e., the lands lying east of Palestine, namely,
Arabia, Mesopotamia, etc.
The Arabs as a whole, known as the Nabateans or
Kedarenes, nomad tribes Jud 6:3,33 7:12 8:10
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 Version (1611) was formed, the word
"passover" was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred,
except in Ac 12:4 In the Revised Version the proper word, "passover,
"is always used.
Jer 19:2 properly the Potter's gate, the gate which led to
the potter's field, in the valley of Hinnom.
Joe 2:20 Eze 47:18 the Dead Sea, which lay on the east
side of the Holy Land. The Mediterranean, which lay on the west, was hence
called the "great sea for the west border" Nu 34:6
The wind coming from the east Job 27:21 Isa 27:8 etc.
Blight caused by this wind, "thin ears" Ge 41:6 the withered
"gourd" Jon 4:8 It was the cause and also the emblem of evil Eze
17:10 19:12 Ho 13:15 In Palestine this wind blows from a burning desert, and
hence is destitute of moisture necessary for vegetation.
The ancient Hebrews would not eat with the Egyptians Ge
43:32 In the time of our Lord they would not eat with Samaritans Joh 4:9 and
were astonished that he ate with publicans and sinners Mt 9:11 The Hebrews
originally sat at table, but afterwards adopted the Persian and Chaldean
practice of reclining Lu 7:36-50 Their principal meal was at noon Ge 43:16 1Ki
20:16 Ru 2:14 Lu 14:12 The word "eat" is used metaphorically in Jer
15:16 Eze 3:1 Re 10:9 In Joh 6:53-58 "eating and drinking" means
believing in Christ. Women were never present as guests at meals (q.v.).
Stony.
1. A mountain 3,076 feet above the level of the sea, and
1,200 feet above the level of the valley, on the north side of which stood the
city of Shechem (q.v.). On this mountain six of the tribes De 27:12,13 were
appointed to take their stand and respond according to a prescribed form to the
imprecations uttered in the valley, where the law was read by the Levites De
11:29 29:4,13 This mountain was also the site of the first great altar erected
to Jehovah De 27:5-8 Jos 8:30-35 After this the name of Ebal does not again
occur in Jewish history. See GERIZIM
2. A descendant of Eber 1Ch 1:22 called also Obal Ge
10:28
3. A descendant of Seir the Horite Ge 36:23
Slave, the father of Gaal, in whom the men of Shechem
"put confidence" in their conspiracy against Abimelech Jud
9:26,26,30,31
A servant of the king; probably an official title, an
Ethiopian, "one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house; "i.e., in
the palace of Zedekiah, king of Judah. He interceded with the king in
Jeremiah's behalf, and was the means of saving him from death by famine Jer
38:7-11 comp. Jer 39:15-18
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 1Sa 7:7-12 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 in the field about four thousand
men" 1Sa 4:1,2 here, and at 1Sa 5:1 called "Eben-ezer" by anticipation).
In this extremity the Israelites fetched the ark out of Shiloh and carried it
into their camp. The Philistines a second time immediately attacked them, and
smote them with a very great slaughter, "for there fell of Israel thirty
thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken" 1Sa 4:10 And now in the
same place the Philistines are vanquished, and the memorial stone is erected by
Samuel (q.v.). The spot where the stone was erected was somewhere "between
Mizpeh and Shen." Some have identified it with the modern Beit Iksa, a
conspicuous and prominent position, apparently answering all the necessary
conditions; others with Dier Aban, 3 miles east of 'Ain Shems.
Beyond.
1. The third post-duluvian patriach after Shem Ge 10:24
11:14 He is regarded as the founder of the Hebrew race Ge 10:21 Nu 24:24 In Lu
3:35 he is called Heber.
2. One of the seven heads of the families of the Gadites
1Ch 5:13
3. The oldest of the three sons of Elpaal the Benjamite
1Ch 8:12
4. One of the heads of the familes of Benjamites in
Jerusalem 1Ch 22:1ff.
5. The head of the priestly family of Amok in the time of
Zerubbabel Ne 12:20
See HEBER
A black, hard wood, brought by the merchants from India
to Tyre Eze 27:15 It is the heart-wood, brought by Diospyros ebenus, which
grows in Ceylon and Southern India.
Passage, one of the stations of the Israelites in their
wanderings Nu 33:34,35 It was near Ezion-geber.
Ezr 6:2 marg.
See ACHMETHA
The Greek rendering of the Hebrew _Koheleth_, which means
"Preacher." The old and traditional view of the authorship of this
book attributes it to Solomon. This view can be satisfactorily maintained,
though others date it from the Captivity. The writer represents himself
implicitly as Solomon Ec 1:12 It has been appropriately styled The Confession
of King Solomon. "The writer is a man who has sinned in giving way to selfishness
and sensuality, who has paid the penalty of that sin in satiety and weariness
of life, but who has through all this been under the discipline of a divine
education, and has learned from it the lesson which God meant to teach
him." "The writer concludes by pointing out that the secret of a true
life is that a man should consecrate the vigour of his youth to God." The
key-note of the book is sounded in ch. Ec 1:2 "Vanity of vanities! saith
the Preacher, Vanity of vanities! all is vanity!" i.e., all man's efforts
to find happiness apart from God are without result.
Alluded to in Am 8:9 Mic 3:6 Zec 14:6 Joe 2:10 Eclipses
were regarded as tokens of God's anger Joe 3:15 Job 9:7 The darkness at the
crucifixion has been ascribed to an eclipse Mt 27:45 but on the other hand it
is argued that the great intensity of darkness caused by an eclipse never lasts
for more than six minutes, and this darkness lasted for three hours. Moreover,
at the time of the Passover the moon was full, and therefore there could not be
an eclipse of the sun, which is caused by an interposition of the moon between
the sun and the earth.
Witness, a word not found in the original Hebrew, nor in
the LXX. and Vulgate, but added by the translators in the Authorized Version,
also in the Revised Version, of Jos 22:34 The words are literally rendered:
"And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar. It is
a witness between us that Jehovah is God." This great altar stood probably
on the east side of the Jordan, in the land of Gilead, "over against the
land of Canaan." After the division of the Promised Land, the tribes of
Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, on returning to their own
settlements on the east of Jordan Jos 22:1-6 erected a great altar, which they
affirmed, in answer to the challenge of the other tribes, was not for
sacrifice, but only as a witness('Ed) or testimony to future generations that
they still retained the same interest in the nation as the other tribes.
Tower of the flock, a tower between Bethlehem and Hebron,
near which Jacob first halted after leaving Bethlehem Ge 35:21 In Mic 4:8 the
word is rendered "tower of the flock" (marg., "Edar"), and
is used as a designation of Bethlehem, which figuratively represents the royal
line of David as sprung from Bethlehem.
Delight.
1. The garden in which our first parents dewlt Ge 2:8-17
No geographical question has been so much discussed as that bearing on its
site. It has been placed in Armenia, in the region west of the Caspian Sea, in
Media, near Damascus, in Palestine, in Southern Arabia, and in Babylonia. The
site must undoubtedly be sought for somewhere along the course of the great
streams the Tigris and the Euphrates of Western Asia, in "the land of
Shinar" or Babylonia. The region from about lat. 33 degrees 30 to lat. 31
degrees, which is a very rich and fertile tract, has been by the most competent
authorities agreed on as the probable site of Eden. "It is a region where
streams abound, where they divide and re-unite, where alone in the Mesopotamian
tract can be found the phenomenon of a single river parting into four arms,
each of which is or has been a river of consequence." Among almost all
nations there are traditions of the primitive innocence of our race in the
garden of Eden. This was the "golden age" to which the Greeks looked
back. Men then lived a "life free from care, and without labour and
sorrow. Old age was unknown; the body never lost its vigour; existence was a
perpetual feast without a taint of evil. The earth brought forth spontaneously
all things that were good in profuse abundance."
2. One of the markets whence the merchants of Tyre
obtained richly embroidered stuffs Eze 27:23 the same, probably, as that
mentioned in 2Ki 19:12 Isa 37:12 as the name of a region conquered by the
Assyrians.
3. Son of Joah, and one of the Levites who assisted in
reforming the public worship of the sanctuary in the time of Hezekiah 2Ch 29:12
Flock.
1. A city in the south of Judah, on the border of Idumea
Jos 15:21
2. The second of the three sons of Mushi, of the family
of Merari, appointed to the Levitical office 1Ch 23:23 24:30
1. The name of Esau (q.v.), Ge 25:30 "Feed me, I
pray thee, with that same red pottage [Heb. haadom, haadom, i.e., 'the red
pottage, the red pottage']was his name called Edom", i.e., Red.
2. Idumea Isa 34:5,6 Eze 35:15 "The field of
Edom" Ge 32:3 "the land of Edom" Ge 36:16 was mountainous Ob
1:8,9,19,21 It was called the land, or "the mountain of Seir, "the
rough hills on the east side of the Arabah. It extended from the head of the Gulf
of Akabah, the Elanitic gulf, to the foot of the Dead Sea 1Ki 9:26 and
contained, among other cities, the rock-hewn Sela (q.v.), generally known by
the Greek name Petra 2Ki 14:7 It is a wild and rugged region, traversed by
fruitful valleys. Its old capital was Bozrah Isa 63:1 The early inhabitants of
the land were Horites. They were destroyed by the Edomites De 2:12 between whom
and the kings of Israel and Judah there was frequent war 2Ki 8:20 2Ch 28:17 At
the time of the Exodus they churlishly refused permission to the Israelites to
pass through their land Nu 20:14-21 and ever afterwards maintained an attitude
of hostility toward them. They were conquered by David 2Sa 8:14 comp. 1Ki 9:26
and afterwards by Amaziah 2Ch 25:11,12 But they regained again their
independence, and in later years, during the decline of the Jewish kingdom 2Ki
16:6 R.V. marg., "Edomites"), made war against Israel. They took part
with the Chaldeans when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, and afterwards they
invaded and held possession of the south of Palestine as far as Hebron. At
length, however, Edom fell under the growing Chaldean power Jer 27:3,6 There
are many prophecies concerning Edom Isa 34:5,6 Jer 49:7-18 Eze 25:13 35:1-15
Joe 3:19 Am 1:11 Obad 1:1-21 Mal 1:3,4 which have been remarkably fulfilled.
The present desolate condition of that land is a standing testimony to the
inspiration of these prophecies. After an existence as a people for above
seventeen hundred years, they have utterly disappeared, and their language even
is forgotten for ever. In Petra, "where kings kept their court, and where
nobles assembled, there no man dwells; it is given by lot to birds, and beasts,
and reptiles." The Edomites were Semites, closely related in blood and in
language to the Israelites. They dispossessed the Horites of Mount Seir; though
it is clear, from Ge 36:1ff. that they afterwards intermarried with the
conquered population. Edomite tribes settled also in the south of Judah, like
the Kenizzites Ge 36:11 to whom Caleb and Othniel belonged Jos 15:17 The
southern part of Edom was known as Teman.
Mighty; strength.
1. One of the chief towns of the kingdom of Bashan Jos
12:4,5 Here Og was defeated by the Israelites, and the strength of the Amorites
broken Nu 21:33-35 It subsequently belonged to Manasseh, for a short time
apparently, and afterwards became the abode of banditti and outlaws Jos 13:31
It has been identified with the modern Edr'a, which stands on a rocky promontory
on the south-west edge of the Lejah (the Argob of the Hebrews, and Trachonitis
of the Greeks). The ruins of Edr'a are the most extensive in the Hauran. They
are 3 miles in circumference. A number of the ancient houses still remain; the
walls, roofs, and doors being all of stone. The wild region of which Edrei was
the capital is thus described in its modern aspect: "Elevated about 20
feet above the plain, it is a labyrinth of clefts and crevasses in the rock,
formed by volcanic action; and owing to its impenetrable condition, it has
become a refuge for outlaws and turbulent characters, who make it a sort of
Cave of Adullam. It is, in fact, an impregnable natural fortress, about 20
miles in length and 15 in breadth" (Porter's Syria, etc.). Beneath this
wonderful city there is also a subterranean city, hollowed out probably as a
refuge for the population of the upper city in times of danger. See BASHAN
2. A town of Naphtali Jos 19:37
See CALL
Occurs in Authorized Version, Jas 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."
(Heb. beytsah, "whiteness"). Eggs deserted Isa
10:14 of a bird De 22:6 an ostrich Job 39:14 the cockatrice Isa 59:5 In Lu
11:12 an egg is contrasted with a scorpion, which is said to be very like an
egg in its appearance, so much so as to be with difficulty at times
distinguished from it. In Job 6:6 ("the white of an egg") the word
for egg (hallamuth')occurs nowhere else.
It has been translated "purslain" (R.V. marg.), and the whole
phrase "purslain-broth", i.e., broth made of that herb, proverbial
for its insipidity; and hence an insipid discourse. Job applies this expression
to the speech of Eliphaz as being insipid and dull. But the common rendering,
"the white of an egg", may be satisfactorily maintained.
A heifer, one of David's wives, and mother of Ithream 2Sa
3:5 1Ch 3:3 According to a Jewish tradition she was Michal.
Two ponds, Isa 15:8 probably En-eglaim of Eze 47:10
The bullock; place of heifers.
1. Chieftain or king of one of the Moabite tribes Jud
3:12-14 Having entered into an alliance with Ammon and Amalek, he overran the
trans-Jordanic region, and then crossing the Jordan, seized on Jericho, the
"city of palm trees, "which had been by this time rebuilt, but not as
a fortress. He made this city his capital, and kept Israel in subjection for
eighteen years. The people at length "cried unto the Lord" in their
distress, and he "raised them up a deliverer" in Ehud (q.v.), the son
of Gera, a Benjamite.
2. A city in Judah, near Lachish Jos 15:39 It was
destroyed by Joshua Jos 10:5,6 It has been identified with Tell Nejileh, 6
miles south of Tell Hesy or Ajlan, north-west of Lachish.
See LACHISH
The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom
of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture.
The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their original home is still a
matter of dispute. Many scholars believe that it was in Southern Arabia, and
recent excavations have shown that the valley of the Nile was originally
inhabited by a low-class population, perhaps belonging to the Nigritian stock,
before the Egyptians of history entered it. The ancient Egyptian language, of
which the latest form is Coptic, is distantly connected with the Semitic family
of speech. Egypt consists geographically of two halves, the northern being the
Delta, and the southern Upper Egypt, between Cairo and the First Cataract. In
the Old Testament, Northern or Lower Egypt is called Mazor, "the fortified
land" Isa 19:6 37:25 where the A.V. mistranslates "defence" and
"besieged places"); while Southern or Upper Egypt is Pathros, the
Egyptian Pa-to-Res, or "the land of the south" Isa 11:11 But the
whole country is generally mentioned under the dual name of Mizraim, "the
two Mazors." The civilization of Egypt goes back to a very remote
antiquity. The two kingdoms of the north and south were united by Menes, the
founder of the first historical dynasty of kings. The first six dynasties
constitute what is known as the Old Empire, which had its capital at Memphis,
south of Cairo, called in the Old Testament Moph Ho 9:6 and Noph. The native
name was Mennofer, "the good place." The Pyramids were tombs of the
monarchs of the Old Empire, those of Gizeh being erected in the time of the
Fourth Dynasty. After the fall of the Old Empire came a period of decline and
obscurity. This was followed by the Middle Empire, the most powerful dynasty of
which was the Twelfth. The Fayyum was rescued for agriculture by the kings of
the Twelfth Dynasty; and two obelisks were erected in front of the temple of
the sun-god at On or Heliopolis (near Cairo), one of which is still standing.
The capital of the Middle Empire was Thebes, in Upper Egypt. The Middle Empire
was overthrown by the invasion of the Hyksos, or shepherd princes from Asia,
who ruled over Egypt, more especially in the north, for several centuries, and
of whom there were three dynasties of kings. They had their capital at Zoan or
Tanis (now San), in the north-eastern part of the Delta. It was in the time of
the Hyksos that Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph entered Egypt. The Hyksos were
finally expelled about B.C. 1600 by the hereditary princes of Thebes, who
founded the Eighteenth Dynasty, and carried the war into Asia. Canaan and Syria
were subdued, as well as Cyprus, and the boundaries of the Egyptian Empire were
fixed at the Euphrates. The Soudan, which had been conquered by the kings of
the Twelfth Dynasty, was again annexed to Egypt, and the eldest son of the
Pharaoh took the title of "Prince of Cush." One of the later kings of
the dynasty, Amenophis IV., or Khu-n-Aten, endeavoured to supplant the ancient
state religion of Egypt by a new faith derived from Asia, which was a sort of
pantheistic monotheism, the one supreme god being adored under the image of the
solar disk. The attempt led to religious and civil war, and the Pharaoh
retreated from Thebes to Central Egypt, where he built a new capital, on the
site of the present Tell-el-Amarna. The cuneiform tablets that have been found
there represent his foreign correspondence (about B.C. 1400 He surrounded
himself with officials and courtiers of Asiatic, and more especially
Canaanitish, extraction; but the native party succeeded eventually in
overthrowing the government, the capital of Khu-n-Aten was destroyed, and the
foreigners were driven out of the country, those that remained being reduced to
serfdom. The national triumph was marked by the rise of the Nineteenth Dynasty,
in the founder of which, Rameses I., we must see the "new king, who knew
not Joseph." His grandson, Rameses II., reigned sixty-seven years (B.C.
1348 and was an indefatigable builder. As Pithom, excavated by Dr. Naville in
1883 was one of the cities he built, he must have been the Pharaoh of the
Oppression. The Pharaoh of the Exodus may have been one of his immediate
successors, whose reigns were short. Under them Egypt lost its empire in Asia, and
was itself attacked by barbarians from Libya and the north. The Nineteenth
Dynasty soon afterwards came to an end; Egypt was distracted by civil war; and
for a short time a Canaanite, Arisu, ruled over it. Then came the Twentieth
Dynasty, the second Pharaoh of which, Rameses III., restored the power of his
country. In one of his campaigns he overran the southern part of Palestine,
where the Israelites had not yet settled. They must at the time have been still
in the wilderness. But it was during the reign of Rameses III. that Egypt
finally lost Gaza and the adjoining cities, which were seized by the Pulista,
or Philistines. After Rameses III., Egypt fell into decay. Solomon married the
daughter of one of the last kings of the Twenty-first Dynasty, which was
overthrown by Shishak I., the general of the Libyan mercenaries, who founded
the Twenty-second Dynasty 1Ki 11:40 14:25,26 A list of the places he captured
in Palestine is engraved on the outside of the south wall of the temple of
Karnak. In the time of Hezekiah, Egypt was conquered by Ethiopians from the
Soudan, who constituted the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. The third of them was
Tirhakah 2Ki 19:9 In B.C. 674 it was conquered by the Assyrians, who divided it
into twenty satrapies, and Tirhakah was driven back to his ancestral dominions.
Fourteen years later it successfully revolted under Psammetichus I. of Sais,
the founder of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. Among his successors were Necho 2Ki
23:29 and Hophra, or Apries Jer 37:5,7,11 The dynasty came to an end in B.C.
525 when the country was subjugated by Cambyses. Soon afterwards it was
organized into a Persian satrapy. The title of Pharaoh, given to the Egyptian
kings, is the Egyptian Per-aa, or "Great House, "which may be
compared to that of "Sublime Porte." It is found in very early
Egyptian texts. The Egyptian religion was a strange mixture of pantheism and
animal worship, the gods being adored in the form of animals. While the
educated classes resolved their manifold deities into manifestations of one
omnipresent and omnipotent divine power, the lower classes regarded the animals
as incarnations of the gods. Under the Old Empire, Ptah, the Creator, the god
of Memphis, was at the head of the Pantheon; afterwards Amon, the god of
Thebes, took his place. Amon, like most of the other gods, was identified with
Ra, the sun-god of Heliopolis. The Egyptians believed in a resurrection and
future life, as well as in a state of rewards and punishments dependent on our
conduct in this world. The judge of the dead was Osiris, who had been slain by
Set, the representative of evil, and afterwards restored to life. His death was
avenged by his son Horus, whom the Egyptians invoked as their
"Redeemer." Osiris and Horus, along with Isis, formed a trinity, who
were regarded as representing the sun-god under different forms. Even in the
time of Abraham, Egypt was a flourishing and settled monarchy. Its oldest
capital, within the historic period, was Memphis, the ruins of which may still
be seen near the Pyramids and the Sphinx. When the Old Empire of Menes came to
an end, the seat of empire was shifted to Thebes, some 300 miles farther up the
Nile. A short time after that, the Delta was conquered by the Hyksos, or
shepherd kings, who fixed their capital at Zoan, the Greek Tanis, now San, on
the Tanic arm of the Nile. All this occurred before the time of the new king
"which knew not Joseph" Ex 1:8 In later times Egypt was conquered by
the Persians (B.C. 525) and by the Greeks under Alexander the Great (B.C. 332)
after whom the Ptolemies ruled the country for three centuries. Subsequently it
was for a time a province of the Roman Empire; and at last, in A.D. 1517 it
fell into the hands of the Turks, of whose empire it still forms nominally a
part. Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt in the time of the shepherd kings. The
exile of Joseph and the migration of Jacob to "the land of Goshen"
occurred about 200 years later. On the death of Solomon, Shishak, king of
Egypt, invaded Palestine 1Ki 14:25 He left a list of the cities he conquered. A
number of remarkable clay tablets, discovered at Tell-el-Amarna in Upper Egypt,
are the most important historical records ever found in connection with the
Bible. They most fully confirm the historical statements of the Book of Joshua,
and prove the antiquity of civilization in Syria and Palestine. As the clay in
different parts of Palestine differs, it has been found possible by the clay
alone to decide where the tablets come from when the name of the writer is
lost. The inscriptions are cuneiform, and in the Aramaic language, resembling
Assyrian. The writers are Phoenicians, Amorites, and Philistines, but in no
instance Hittites, though Hittites are mentioned. The tablets consist of
official dispatches and letters, dating from B.C. 1480 addressed to the two Pharaohs,
Amenophis III. and IV., the last of this dynasty, from the kings and governors
of Phoenicia and Palestine. There occur the names of three kings killed by
Joshua, Adoni-zedec, king of Jerusalem, Japhia, king of Lachish Jos 10:3 and
Jabin, king of Hazor Jos 11:1 also the Hebrews (Abiri) are said to have come
from the desert. The principal prophecies of Scripture regarding Egypt are
these, Isa 19:1ff. Jer 43:8-13 44:30 46:1ff. Eze 29:1-32:32, and it might be easily shown that they have
all been remarkably fulfilled. For example, the singular disappearance of Noph
(i.e., Memphis) is a fulfilment of Jer 46:19 Eze 30:13
Union.
1. A descendant of Benjamin 1Ch 7:10 his great-grandson.
2. The son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin Jud 3:15
After the death of Othniel the people again fell into idolatry, and Eglon, the
king of Moab, uniting his bands with those of the Ammonites and the Amalekites,
crossed the Jordan and took the city of Jericho, and for eighteen years held
that whole district in subjection, exacting from it an annual tribute. At
length Ehud, by a stratagem, put Eglon to death with a two-edged dagger a cubit
long, and routed the Moabites at the fords of the Jordan, putting 10,000 of
them to death. Thenceforward the land, at least Benjamin, enjoyed rest
"for fourscore years" Jud 3:12-30 See QUARRIES But in the south-west
the Philistines reduced the Israelites to great straits Jud 5:6 From this
oppression Shamgar was raised up to be their deliverer.
Firm-rooted, the most northerly of the five towns
belonging to the lords of the Philistines, about 11 miles north of Gath. It was
assigned to Judah Jos 13:3 and afterwards to Dan Jos 19:43 but came again into
the full possession of the Philistines 1Sa 5:10 It was the last place to which
the Philistines carried the ark before they sent it back to Israel 1Sa 5:10
6:1-8 There was here a noted sanctuary of Baal-zebub 2Ki 1:2,3,6,16 Now the
small village Akir. It is mentioned on monuments in B.C. 702 when Sennacherib
set free its king, imprisoned by Hezekiah in Jerusalem, according to the
Assyrian record.
Terebinth or oak.
1. Valley of, where the Israelites were encamped when
David killed Goliath 1Sa 17:2,19 It was near Shochoh of Judah and Azekah 1Sa
17:1 It is the modern Wady es-Sunt, i.e., "valley of the acacia."
"The terebinths from which the valley of Elah takes its name still cling
to their ancient soil. On the west side of the valley, near Shochoh, there is a
very large and ancient tree of this kind known as the 'terebinth of Wady Sur,
'55 feet in height, its trunk 17 feet in circumference, and the breadth of its
shade no less than 75 feet. It marks the upper end of the Elah valley, and
forms a noted object, being one of the largest terebinths in Palestine."
Geikie's, The Holy Land, etc.
2. One of the Edomite chiefs or "dukes" of
Mount Seir Ge 36:41
3. The second of the three sons of Caleb, the son of
Jephunneh 1Ch 4:15
4. The son and successor of Baasha, king of Israel 1Ki
16:8-10 He was killed while drunk by Zimri, one of the captains of his
chariots, and was the last king of the line of Baasha. Thus was fullfilled the
prophecy of Jehu 1Ki 16:7-11
5. The father of Hoshea, the last king of Israel 2Ki
15:30 17:1
Highland, the son of Shem Ge 10:22 and the name of the
country inhabited by his descendants Ge 14:1,9 Isa 11:11 21:2 etc., lying to
the east of Babylonia, and extending to the shore of the Mediterranean, a
distance in a direct line of about 1,000 miles. The name Elam is an Assyrian
word meaning "high." "The inhabitants of Elam, or 'the
Highlands, 'to the east of Babylon, were called Elamites. They were divided
into several branches, speaking different dialects of the same agglutinative
language. The race to which they belonged was brachycephalic, or short-headed,
like the pre-Semitic Sumerians of Babylonia. "The earliest Elamite kingdom
seems to have been that of Anzan, the exact site of which is uncertain; but in
the time of Abraham, Shushan or Susa appears to have already become the capital
of the country. Babylonia was frequently invaded by the Elamite kings, who at
times asserted their supremacy over it (as in the case of Chedorlaomer, the
Kudur-Lagamar, or 'servant of the goddess Lagamar, 'of the cuneiform texts).
"The later Assyrian monarchs made several campaigns against Elam, and
finally Assur-bani-pal (about B.C. 650) succeeded in conquering the country,
which was ravaged with fire and sword. On the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Elam
passed into the hands of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce). This country was
called by the Greeks Cissia or Susiana.
God made.
1. One of the descendants of Judah, of the family of
Hezron 1Ch 2:39 "Eleasah".
2. A descendant of king Saul 1Ch 8:37 9:43
3. The son of Shaphan, one of the two who were sent by
Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar, and also took charge of Jeremiah's letter to the
captives in Babylon Jer 29:3
Grove; trees, De 2:8 also in plural form Eloth 1Ki 9:26
etc.; called by the Greeks and Romans Elana; a city of Idumea, on the east,
i.e., the Elanitic, gulf, or the Gulf of Akabah, of the Red Sea. It is first
mentioned in De 2:8 It is also mentioned along with Ezion-geber in 1Ki 9:26 It
was within the limits of Solomon's dominion, but afterwards revolted. It was,
however, recovered and held for a time under king Uzziah 2Ki 14:22 Now the ruin
Aila.
God of Bethel, the name of the place where Jacob had the
vision of the ladder, and where he erected an altar Ge 31:13 35:7
Whom God has loved, one of the seventy elders whom Moses
appointed Nu 11:26,27 to administer justice among the people. He, with Medad,
prophesied in the camp instead of going with the rest to the tabernacle, as
Moses had commanded. This incident was announced to Moses by Joshua, who
thought their conduct in this respect irregular. Moses replied, "Enviest
thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets" Nu
11:24-30 comp. Mr 9:38 Lu 9:49
A name frequently used in the Old Testament as denoting a
person clothed with authority, and entitled to respect and reverence Ge 50:7 It
also denoted a political office Nu 22:7 The "elders of Israel" held a
rank among the people indicative of authority. Moses opened his commission to
them Ex 3:16 They attended Moses on all important occasions. Seventy of them
attended on him at the giving of the law Ex 24:1 Seventy also were selected
from the whole number to bear with Moses the burden of the people Nu 11:16,17
The "elder" is the keystone of the social and political fabric
wherever the patriarchal system exists. At the present day this is the case
among the Arabs, where the sheik (i.e., "the old man") is the highest
authority in the tribe. The body of the "elders" of Israel were the
representatives of the people from the very first, and were recognized as such
by Moses. All down through the history of the Jews we find mention made of the
elders as exercising authority among the people. They appear as governors De
31:28 as local magistrates De 16:18 administering justice De 19:12 They were
men of extensive influence 1Sa 30:26-31 In New Testament times they also appear
taking an active part in public affairs Mt 16:21 21:23 26:59 The Jewish eldership
was transferred from the old dispensation to the new. "The creation of the
office of elder is nowhere recorded in the New Testament, as in the case of
deacons and apostles, because the latter offices were created to meet new and
special emergencies, while the former was transmitted from the earlies times.
In other words, the office of elder was the only permanent essential office of
the church under either dispensation." The "elders" of the New
Testament church were the "pastors" Eph 4:11 "bishops or overseers"
Ac 20:28 "leaders" and "rulers" Heb 13:7 1Th 5:12 of the
flock. Everywhere in the New Testament
bishop and presbyter are titles given to one and the same officer of the
Christian church. He who is called presbyter or elder on account of his age or
gravity is also called bishop or overseer with reference to the duty that lay
upon him Ti 1:5-7 Ac 20:17-28 Php 1:1
God has ascended, a place in the pastoral country east of
Jordan, in the tribe of Reuben Nu 32:3,37 It is not again mentioned till the
time of Isaiah Isa 15:4 16:9 and Jeremiah Jer 48:34 It is now an extensive ruin
called el-A'al, about one mile north-east of Heshbon.
God has helped.
1. The third son of Aaron Ex 6:23 His wife, a daughter of
Putiel, bore him Phinehas Ex 6:25 After the death of Nadab and Abihu Le 10:12
Nu 3:4 he was appointed to the charge of the sanctuary Nu 3:32 On Mount Hor he
was clothed with the sacred vestments, which Moses took from off his brother
Aaron and put upon him as successor to his father in the high priest's office,
which he held for more than twenty years Nu 20:25-29 He took part with Moses in
numbering the people Nu 26:3,4 and assisted at the inauguration of Joshua. He
assisted in the distribution of the land after the conquest Jos 14:1 The
high-priesthood remained in his family till the time of Eli, into whose family
it passed, till it was restored to the family of Eleazar in the person of Zadok
1Sa 2:35 comp. 1Ki 2:27 "And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they
buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son" Jos 24:33 The
word here rendered "hill" is Gibeah, the name of several towns in
Palestine which were generally on or near a hill. The words may be more
suitably rendered, "They buried him in Gibeah of Phinehas", i.e., in
the city of Phinehas, which has been identified, in accordance with Jewish and
Samaritan traditions, with Kefr Ghuweirah='Awertah, about 7 miles north of
Shiloh, and a few miles south-east of Nablus. "His tomb is still shown
there, overshadowed by venerable terebinths." Others, however, have
identified it with the village of Gaba or Gebena of Eusebius, the modern Khurbet
Jibia, 05 miles north of Guphna towards Nablus.
2. An inhabitant of Kirjath-jearim who was
"sanctified" to take charge of the ark, although not allowed to touch
it, while it remained in the house of his father Abinadab 1Sa 7:1,2 comp. Nu
3:31 4:15
3. The son of Dodo the Ahohite, of the tribe of Benjamin,
one of the three most eminent of David's thirty-seven heroes 1Ch 11:12 who
broke through the Philistine host and brought him water from the well of
Bethlehem 2Sa 23:9,16
4. A son of Phinehas associated with the priests in
taking charge of the sacred vessels brought back to Jerusalem after the Exile
Ezr 8:33
5. A Levite of the family of Merari 1Ch 23:21,22
The Scripture speaks
1. of the election of individuals to office or to honour
and privilege, e.g., Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David, Solomon, were all chosen by
God for the positions they held; so also were the apostles.
2. There is also an election of nations to special
privileges, e.g., the Hebrews De 7:6 Ro 9:4
3. But in addition there is an election of individuals to
eternal life 2Th 2:13 Eph 1:4 1Pe 1:2 Joh 13:18 The ground of this election to
salvation is the good pleasure of God Eph 1:5,11 Mt 11:25,26 Joh 15:16,19 God
claims the right so to do Ro 9:16,21 It is not conditioned on faith or
repentance, but is of soverign grace Ro 11:4-6 Eph 1:3-6 All that pertain to
salvation, the means Eph 2:8 2Th 2:13 as well as the end, are of God Ac 5:31
2Ti 2:25 1Co 1:30 Eph 2:5,10 Faith and repentance and all other graces are the
exercises of a regenerated soul; and regeneration is God's work, a "new
creature." Men are elected "to salvation, ""to the adoption
of sons, ""to be holy and without blame before him in love" 2Th
2:13 Ga 4:4,5 Eph 1:4 The ultimate end of election is the praise of God's grace
Eph 1:6,12
See PREDESTINATION
To whom the Second Epistle of John is addressed 2Jo 1:1 Some
think that the word rendered "lady" is a proper name, and thus that
the expression should be "elect Kyria."
Mighty one; God of Israel, the name which Jacob gave to the
alter which he erected on the piece of land where he pitched his tent before
Shechem, and which he afterwards purchased from the sons of Hamor Ge 33:20
In its primary sense, as denoting the first principles or
constituents of things, it is used in 2Pe 3:10 "The elements shall be
dissolved." In a secondary sense it denotes the first principles of any
art or science. In this sense it is used in Ga 4:3,9 Col 2:8,20 where the expressions,
"elements of the world, ""week and beggarly elements, "
denote that state of religious knowledge existing among the Jews before the
coming of Christ, the rudiments of religious teaching. They are "of the
world, "because they are made up of types which appeal to the senses. They
are "weak, "because insufficient; and "beggarly, "or
"poor, "because they are dry and barren, not being accompanied by an
outpouring of spiritual gifts and graces, as the gospel is.
Not found in Scripture except indirectly in the original
Greek word (elephantinos) translated "of ivory" in Re 18:12 and in
the Hebrew word (shenhabim, meaning "elephant's tooth") rendered
"ivory" in 1Ki 10:22 2Ch 9:21
Whom God has graciously bestowed.
1. A warrior of the time of David famed for his exploits.
In the Authorized Version 2Sa 21:19 it is recorded that "Elhanan the son
of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath." The Revised
Version here rightly omits the words "the brother of." They were
introduced in the Authorized Version to bring this passage into agreement with
1Ch 20:5 where it is said that he "slew Lahmi the brother of
Goliath." Goliath the Gittite was killed by David 1Sa 17:1ff. The exploit
of Elhanan took place late in David's reign.
2. The son of Dodo, and one of David's warriors 2Sa 23:24
1. Ascent, the high priest when the ark was at Shiloh 1Sa
1:3,9 He was the first of the line of Ithamar, Aaron's fourth son 1Ch 24:3
comp. 2Sa 8:17 who held that office.
The office remained in his family till the time of Abiathar 1Ki 2:26,27 whom Solomon
deposed, and appointed Zadok, of the family of Eleazar, in his stead 1Ki
2:35. He acted also as a civil judge in
Israel after the death of Samson 1Sa 4:18 and judged Israel for forty years.
His sons Hophni and Phinehas grossly misconducted themselves, to the great
disgust of the people 1Sa 2:27-36 They were licentious reprobates. He failed to reprove them so sternly as he
ought to have done, and so brought upon his house the judgment of God 1Sa
2:22-33 3:18 The Israelites proclaimed war against the Philistines, whose army
was encamped at Aphek. The battle,
fought a short way beyond Mizpeh, ended in the total defeat of Israel. Four
thousand of them fell in "battle array". They now sought safety in having the "ark of the covenant of
the Lord" among them. They fetched it from Shiloh, and Hophni and Phinehas
accompanied it. This was the first time since the settlement of Israel in
Canaan that the ark had been removed from the sanctuary. The Philistines put themselves again in
array against Israel, and in the battle which ensued "Israel was smitten,
and there was a very great slaughter." The tidings of this great disaster
were speedily conveyed to Shiloh, about 20 miles distant, by a messenger, a
Benjamite from the army. There Eli sat outside the gate of the sanctuary by the
wayside, anxiously waiting for tidings from the battle-field. The full extent
of the national calamity was speedily made known to him: "Israel is fled
before the Philistines, there has also been a great slaughter among the people,
thy two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead, and the ark of God is taken"
1Sa 4:12-18 When the old man, whose eyes were "stiffened" (i.e.,
fixed, as of a blind eye unaffected by the light) with age, heard this sad
story of woe, he fell backward from off his seat and died, being ninety and
eight years old. See ITHAMAR
2. Eli, Heb. eli, "my God", Mt 27:46 an
exclamation used by Christ on the cross. Mark Mr 15:34 as usual, gives the
original Aramaic form of the word, Eloi.
To whom God is father.
1. A Reubenite, son of Pallu Nu 16:1,12 26:8,9 De 11:6
2. A son of Helon, and chief of the tribe of Zebulun at
the time of the census in the wilderness Nu 1:9 2:7
3. The son of Jesse, and brother of David 1Sa 16:6 It was
he who spoke contemptuously to David when he proposed to fight Goliath 1Sa
17:28
4. One of the Gadite heroes who joined David in his
stronghold in the wilderness 1Ch 12:9
Whom God cares for.
1. One of David's sons born after his establishment in
Jerusalem 2Sa 5:16
2. A mighty man of war, a Benjamite 2Ch 17:17
3. An Aramite of Zobah, captain of a marauding band that troubled
Solomon 1Ki 11:23
Whom God will raise up.
1. The son of Melea Lu 3:30 and probably grandson of
Nathan.
2. The son of Abiud, of the posterity of Zerubbabel Mt
1:13
3. The son of Hilkiah, who was sent to receive the
message of the invading Assyrians and report it to Isaiah 2Ki 18:18 19:2 Isa
36:3 37:2 In his office as governor of the palace of Hezekiah he succeeded
Shebna Isa 22:15-25 He was a good man Isa 22:20 2Ki 18:37 and had a splendid
and honourable career.
4. The original name of Jehoiakim, king of Judah 2Ki
23:34 He was the son of Josiah.
God's people.
1. The father of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah 2Sa 11:3 In
1Ch 3:5 his name is Ammiel.
2. This name also occurs as that of a Gilonite, the son
of Ahithophel, and one of David's thirty warriors 2Sa 23:34 perhaps these two
were the same person.
The Greek form of Elijah Mt 11:14 16:14 etc., which the
Revised Version has uniformly adopted in the New Testament.
See ELIJAH
Whom God will restore.
1. A priest, head of one of the courses of the priests of
the time of David 1Ch 24:12
2. A high priest in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah Ne
12:22,23 He rebuilt the eastern city wall Ne 3:1 his own mansion being in that
quarter, on the ridge Ophel Ne 3:20,21 His indulgence of Tobiah the Ammonite
provoked the indignation of Nehemiah Ne 13:4,7
To whom God will come, one of the fourteen sons of the
Levite Heman, and musician of the temple in the time of David 1Ch 25:4
Whom God has loved, son of Chislon, and chief of the
tribe of Benjamin; one of those who were appointed to divide the Promised Land
among the tribes Nu 34:21
To whom God is might.
1. A chief of Manasseh, on the east of Jordan 1Ch 5:24
2. A Gadite who joined David in the hold at Ziklag 1Ch
12:11
3. One of the overseers of the offerings in the reign of
Hezekiah 2Ch 31:13
God his help.
1. "Of Damascus, "the "steward"
(R.V., "possessor") of Abraham's house Ge 15:2,3 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 Ge 24:1ff.
2. The son of Becher, and grandson of Benjamin 1Ch 7:8
3. One of the two sons of Moses, born during his sojourn
in Midian Ex 18:4 1Ch 23:15,17 He remained with his mother and brother Gershom
with Jethro when Moses returned to Egypt. Ex 18:4 They were restored to Moses
when Jethro heard of his departure out of Egypt.
4. One of the priests who blew the trumpet before the ark
when it was brought to Jerusalem 1Ch 15:24
5. Son of Zichri, and chief of the Reubenites under David
1Ch 27:16
6. A prophet in the time of Jehoshaphat 2Ch 20:37 Others
of this name are mentioned Lu 3:29 Ezr 8:16 10:18,23,31
Whose God is he.
1. "The son of Barachel, a Buzite" Job 32:2 one
of Job's friends. When the debate between Job and his friends is brought to a close,
Elihu for the first time makes his appearance, and delivers his opinion on the
points at issue Job 32:1ff.
2. The son of Tohu, and grandfather of Elkanah 1Sa 1:1 He
is called also Eliel 1Ch 6:34 and Eliab 1Ch 6:27
3. One of the captains of thousands of Manasseh who
joined David at Ziklag 1Ch 12:20
4. One of the family of Obed-edom, who were appointed
porters of the temple under David 1Ch 26:7
Whose God is Jehovah.
1. "The Tishbite, "the "Elias" of the
New Testament, is suddenly introduced to our notice in 1Ki 17:1 as delivering a
message from the Lord to Ahab. There is mention made of a town called Thisbe,
south of Kadesh, but it is impossible to say whether this was the place
referred to in the name given to the prophet. Having delivered his message to
Ahab, he retired at the command of God to a hiding-place by the brook Cherith,
beyond Jordan, where he was fed by ravens. When the brook dried up God sent him
to the widow of Zarephath, a city of Zidon, from whose scanty store he was
supported for the space of two years. During this period the widow's son died,
and was restored to life by Elijah 1Ki 17:2-24 During all these two years a
famine prevailed in the land. At the close of this period of retirement and of
preparation for his work (comp.) Ga 1:17,18 Elijah met Obadiah, one of Ahab's
officers, whom he had sent out to seek for pasturage for the cattle, and bade
him go and tell his master that Elijah was there. The king came and met Elijah,
and reproached him as the troubler of Israel. It was then proposed that
sacrifices should be publicly offered, for the purpose of determining whether
Baal or Jehovah were the true God. This was done on Carmel, with the result
that the people fell on their faces, crying, "The Lord, he is the
God." Thus was accomplished the great work of Elijah's ministry. The
prophets of Baal were then put to death by the order of Elijah. Not one of them
escaped. Then immediately followed rain, according to the word of Elijah, and
in answer to his prayer Jas 5:18 Jezebel, enraged at the fate that had befallen
her priests of Baal, threatened to put Elijah to death 1Ki 19:1-13 He therefore
fled in alarm to Beersheba, and thence went alone a day's journey into the
wilderness, and sat down in despondency under a juniper tree. As he slept an
angel touched him, and said unto him, "Arise and eat; because the journey
is too great for thee." He arose and found a cake and a cruse of water.
Having partaken of the provision thus miraculously supplied, he went forward on
his solitary way for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God,
where he took up his abode in a cave. Here the Lord appeared unto him and said,
"What dost thou here, Elijah?" In answer to his despondent words God
manifests to him his glory, and then directs him to return to Damascus and
anoint Hazael king over Syria, and Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha to be
prophet in his room 1Ki 19:13-21 comp. 2Ki 8:7-15 9:1-10 Some six years after
this he warned Ahab and Jezebel of the violent deaths they would die 1Ki
21:19-24 22:38 He also, four years afterwards, warned Ahaziah (q.v.), who had
succeeded his father Ahab, of his approaching death 2Ki 1:1-16. See NABOTH
During these intervals he probably withdrew to some quiet retirement, no one
knew where. His interview with Ahaziah's messengers on the way to Ekron, and
the account of the destruction of his captains with their fifties, suggest the
idea that he may have been in retirement at this time on Mount Carmel. The time
now drew near when he was to be taken up into heaven 2Ki 2:1-12 He had a
presentiment of what was awaiting him. He went down to Gilgal, where was a
school of the prophets, and where his successor Elisha, whom he had anointed
some years before, resided. Elisha was solemnized by the thought of his
master's leaving him, and refused to be parted from him. "They two went
on, "and came to Bethel and Jericho, and crossed the Jordan, the waters of
which were "divided hither and thither" when smitten with Elijah's
mantle. Arrived at the borders of Gilead, which Elijah had left many years
before, it "came to pass as they still went on and talked" they were
suddenly separated by a chariot and horses of fire; and "Elijah went up by
a whirlwind into heaven, "Elisha receiving his mantle, which fell from him
as he ascended. No one of the old prophets is so frequently referred to in the
New Testament. The priests and Levites said to the Baptist Joh 1:25 "Why
baptizest thou, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias?" Paul Ro 11:2
refers to an incident in his history to illustrate his argument that God had
not cast away his people. James Jas 5:17 finds in him an illustration of the
power of prayer. (See also) Lu 4:25 9:54 He was a type of John the Baptist in the
sternness and power of his reproofs Lu 9:8 He was the Elijah that "must
first come" Mt 11:11,14 the forerunner of our Lord announced by Malachi.
Even outwardly the Baptist corresponded so closely to the earlier prophet that
he might be styled a second Elijah. In him we see "the same connection
with a wild and wilderness country; the same long retirement in the desert; the
same sudden, startling entrance on his work 1Ki 17:1 Lu 3:2 even the same
dress, a hairy garment, and a leathern girdle about the loins 2Ki 1:8 Mt 3:4
How deep the impression was which Elijah made "on the mind of the nation
may be judged from the fixed belief, which rested on the words of Malachi Mal
4:5,6 which many centuries after prevailed that he would again appear for the
relief and restoration of the country.
Each remarkable person as he arrives on the scene, be his habits and
characteristics what they may, the stern John equally with his gentle
Successor, is proclaimed to be Elijah Mt 11:13,14 16:14 Mt 17:10 Mr 9:11 15:35
Lu 9:7,8 Joh 1:21 His appearance in glory on the mount of transfiguration does
not seem to have startled the disciples. They were 'sore afraid, 'but not
apparently surprised."
2. The Elijah spoken of in 2Ch 21:12-15 is by some
supposed to be a different person from the foregoing. He lived in the time of
Jehoram, to whom he sent a letter of warning (comp.) 1Ch 28:19 Jer 36:1ff. and
acted as a prophet in Judah; while the Tishbite was a prophet of the northern
kingdom. But there does not seem any necessity for concluding that the writer
of this letter was some other Elijah than the Tishbite. It may be supposed
either that Elijah anticipated the character of Jehoram, and so wrote the
warning message, which was preserved in the schools of the prophets till
Jehoram ascended the throne after the Tishbite's translation, or that the
translation did not actually take place till after the accession of Jehoram to
the throne 2Ch 21:12 2Ki 8:16
God is his rejector, one of David's thirty-seven
distinguished heros 2Sa 23:25
Trees, Ex 15:27 Nu 33:9 the name of the second station
where the Israelites encamped after crossing the Red Sea. It had "twelve
wells of water and threescore and ten palm trees." It has been identified
with the Wady Ghurundel, the most noted of the four wadies which descend from
the range of et-Tih towards the sea. Here they probably remained some considerable
time. The form of expression in Ex 16:1 seems to imply that the people
proceeded in detachments or companies from Elim, and only for the first time
were assembled as a complete host when they reached the wilderness of Sin
(q.v.).
God his king, a man of the tribe of Judah, of the family
of the Hezronites, and kinsman of Boaz, who dwelt in Bethlehem in the days of the
judges. In consequence of a great dearth he, with his wife Naomi and his two
sons, went to dwell in the land of Moab. There he and his sons died Ru 1:2,3
2:1,3 4:3,9 Naomi afterwards returned to Palestine with her daughter Ruth.
Toward Jehovah are my eyes, the name of several men
mentioned in the Old Testament 1Ch 7:8 4:36 Ezr 10:22,27 Among these was the
eldest son of Neariah, son of Shemaiah, of the descendants of Zerubbabel. His
family are the latest mentioned in the Old Testament 1Ch 3:23,24
God his deliverance, one of David's sons 2Sa 5:16 called
also Eliphelet 1Ch 3:8
God his strength.
1. One of Job's "three friends" who visited him
in his affliction Job 4:1 He was a "Temanite", i.e., a native of Teman,
in Idumea. He first enters into debate with Job. His language is uniformly more
delicate and gentle than that of the other two, although he imputes to Job
special sins as the cause of his present sufferings. He states with remarkable
force of language the infinite purity and majesty of God Job 4:12-21 15:12-16
2. The son of Esau by his wife Adah, and father of
several Edomitish tribes Ge 36:4,10,11,16
God will distinguish him, one of the porters appointed to
play "on the Sheminith" on the occasion of the bringing up of the ark
to the city of David 1Ch 15:18,21
God his deliverance.
1. One of David's distinguished warriors 2Sa 23:34 called
also Eliphal in 1Ch 11:35
2. One of the sons of David born at Jerusalem 1Ch 3:6
14:5 called Elpalet in 1Ch 14:5
3. Also another of David's sons 1Ch 3:8 called Eliphalet
in 2Sa 5:16 1Ch 14:7
4. A descendant of king Saul through Jonathan 1Ch 8:39
God her oath, the mother of John the Baptist Lu 1:5 She
was a descendant of Aaron. She and her husband Zacharias (q.v.) "were both
righteous before God" Lu 1:5,13 Mary's visit to Elisabeth is described in
Lu 1:39-63
God his salvation, the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah,
who became the attendant and disciple of Elijah 1Ki 19:16-19 His name first
occurs in the command given to Elijah to anoint him as his successor 1Ki 19:16
This was the only one of the three commands then given to Elijah which he
accomplished. On his way from Sinai to Damascus he found Elisha at his native
place engaged in the labours of the field, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen.
He went over to him, threw over his shoulders his rough mantle, and at once
adopted him as a son, and invested him with the prophetical office (comp.) Lu
9:61,62 Elisha accepted the call thus given (about four years before the death
of Ahab), and for some seven or eight years became the close attendant on
Elijah till he was parted from him and taken up into heaven. During all these
years we hear nothing of Elisha except in connection with the closing scenes of
Elijah's life. After Elijah, Elisha was accepted as the leader of the sons of
the prophets, and became noted in Israel. He possessed, according to his own
request, "a double portion" of Elijah's spirit 2Ki 2:9 and for the
long period of about sixty years (B.C. 892) held the office of "prophet in
Israel" 2Ki 5:8 After Elijah's departure, Elisha returned to Jericho, and
there healed the spring of water by casting salt into it 2Ki 2:21 We next find
him at Bethel 2Ki 2:23 where, with the sternness of his master, he cursed the
youths who came out and scoffed at him as a prophet of God: "Go up, thou
bald head." The judgment at once took effect, and God terribly visited the
dishonour done to his prophet as dishonour done to himself. We next read of his
predicting a fall of rain when the army of Jehoram was faint from thirst 2Ki
3:9-20 of the multiplying of the poor widow's cruse of oil 2Ki 4:1-7 the
miracle of restoring to life the son of the woman of Shunem 2Ki 4:18-37 the
multiplication of the twenty loaves of new barley into a sufficient supply for
an hundred men 2Ki 4:42-44 of the cure of Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy 2Ki
5:1-27 of the punishment of Gehazi for his falsehood and his covetousness; of
the recovery of the axe lost in the waters of the Jordan 2Ki 6:1-7 of the
miracle at Dothan, half-way on the road between Samaria and Jezreel; of the
siege of Samaria by the king of Syria, and of the terrible sufferings of the
people in connection with it, and Elisha's prophecy as to the relief that would
come 2Ki 6:24-33, 7:1-2 We then find Elisha at Damascus, to carry out the
command given to his master to anoint Hazael king over Syria 2Ki 8:7-15
thereafter he directs one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu, the son
of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel, instead of Ahab. Thus the three commands given to Elijah 2Ki 9:1-10 were at length
carried out. We do not again read of him till we find him on his death-bed in
his own house 2Ki 13:14-19 Joash, the grandson of Jehu, comes to mourn over his
approaching departure, and utters the same words as those of Elisha when Elijah
was taken away: "My father, my father!
the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." Afterwards when a
dead body is laid in Elisha's grave a year after his burial, no sooner does it
touch the hallowed remains than the man "revived, and stood up on his
feet" 2Ki 13:20-21
The oldest of the four sons of Javan Ge 10:4 whose
descendants peopled Greece. It has been supposed that Elishah's descendants
peopled the Peloponnesus, which was known by the name of Elis. This may be
meant by "the isles of Elishah" Eze 27:7
Whom God hears.
1. A prince of Benjamin, grandfather of Joshua Nu 1:10
1Ch 7:26
2. One of David's sons 2Sa 5:16
3. Another of David's sons 1Ch 3:6
4. A priest sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the people the
law 2Ch 17:8
Whom God has judged, one of the "captains of
hundreds" associated with Jehoiada in the league to overthrow the
usurpation of Athaliah 2Ch 23:1
God is her oath, the daughter of Amminadab and the wife
of Aaron Ex 6:23
God his salvation, a son of David, 2Sa 5:15 =Elishama,
1Ch 3:6
God-created.
1. The second son of Korah Ex 6:24 or, according to 1Ch
6:22,23 more correctly his grandson.
2. Another Levite of the line of Heman the singer,
although he does not seem to have performed any of the usual Levitical offices.
He was father of Samuel the prophet 1Ch 6:27,34 He was "an
Ephrathite" 1Sa 1:1,4,8 but lived at Ramah, a man of wealth and high
position. He had two wives, Hannah, who was the mother of Samuel, and Peninnah.
God my bow, the birth-place of Nahum the prophet Na 1:1
It was probably situated in Galilee, but nothing definite is known of it.
The oak or heap of Assyria, a territory in Asia of which
Arioch was king Ge 14:1,9 It is supposed that the old Chaldean town of Larsa
was the metropolis of this kingdom, situated nearly half-way between Ur (now
Mugheir) and Erech, on the left bank of the Euphrates. This town is represented
by the mounds of Senkereh, a little to the east of Erech.
Ho 4:13 rendered "terebinth" in the Revised
Version. It is the Pistacia terebinthus of Linn., a tree common in Palestine,
long-lived, and therefore often employed for landmarks and in designating
places Ge 35:4 Jud 6:11,19 Rendered "oak" in both A.V. and R.V.
See TEIL TREE
Whom God has given.
1. An inhabitant of Jerusalem, the father of Nehushta,
who was the mother of king Jehoiachin 2Ki 24:8 Probably the same who tried to
prevent Jehoiakim from burning the roll of Jeremiah's prophecies Jer 26:22
36:12
2. Ezr 8:16
Oak.
1. A city of Dan Jos 19:43
2. A Hittite, father of Bashemath, Esau's wife Ge 26:34
3. One of the sons of Zebulun Ge 46:14
4. The eleventh of the Hebrew judges. He held office for
ten years Jud 12:11,12 He is called the Zebulonite.
Oak of Paran, a place on the edge of the wilderness bordering
the territory of the Horites Ge 14:6 This was the farthest point to which
Chedorlaomer's expedition extended. It is identified with the modern desert of
et-Tih.
See PARAN
God is its fear, a city in the tribe of Dan. It was a
city of refuge and a Levitical city Jos 21:23 It has been identified with
Beit-Likia, north-east of latrum.
Ne 6:15 the name of the sixth month of the ecclesiastical
year, and the twelfth of the civil year. It began with the new moon of our
August and September, and consisted of twenty-nine days.
Magician or sorcerer, the Arabic name of the Jew
Bar-jesus, who withstood Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus. He was miraculously
struck with blindness Ac 13:11
The process of preserving a body by means of aromatics Ge
50:2,3,26 This art was practised by the Egyptians from the earliest times, and
there brought to great perfection. This custom probably originated in the
belief in the future reunion of the soul with the body. The process became more
and more complicated, and to such perfection was it carried that bodies
embalmed thousands of years ago are preserved to the present day in the
numberless mummies that have been discovered in Egypt. The embalming of Jacob
and Joseph was according to the Egyptian custom, which was partially followed
by the Jews 2Ch 16:14 as in the case of king Asa, and of our Lord Joh 19:39,40
Lu 23:56 24:1
See PHARAOH
The art of embroidery was known to the Jews Ex 26:36
35:35 38:23 Jud 5:30 Ps 45:14 The skill of the women in this art was seen in
the preparation of the sacerdotal robes of the high priest Ex 28:1ff. It seems
that the art became hereditary in certain families 1Ch 4:21 The Assyrians were
also noted for their embroidered robes Eze 27:24
Heb. nophek Ex 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 Re 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."
See HAEMORRHOIDS
Terrors, a warlike tribe of giants who were defeated by
Chedorlaomer and his allies in the plain of Kiriathaim. In the time of Abraham
they occupied the country east of Jordan, afterwards the land of the Moabites
Ge 14:5 De 2:10 They were, like the Anakim, reckoned among the Rephaim, and
were conquered by the Moabites, who gave them the name of Emims, i.e.,
"terrible men" De 2:11 The Ammonites called them Zamzummims De 2:20
God with us, Mt 1:23
See IMMANUEL
Hot baths, a village "three-score furlongs"
from jerusalem, where our Lord had an interview with two of his disciples on
the day of his resurrection Lu 24:13 This has been identified with the modern
el-Kubeibeh, lying over 7 miles north-west of Jerusalem. This name, el-Kubeibeh,
meaning "little dome, "is derived from the remains of the Crusaders'
church yet to be found there. Others have identified it with the modern Khurbet
Khamasa i.e., "the ruins of Khamasa", about 8 miles south-west of
Jerusalem, where there are ruins also of a Crusaders' church. Its site, however
has been much disputed.
An ass, Ac 7:16
See HAMOR
An encampment was the resting-place for a longer or
shorter period of an army or company of travellers Ex 13:20 14:19 Jos 10:5 11:5
The manner in which the Israelites encamped during their march through the
wilderness is described in Nu 2:1-3:51 The order of the encampment
See CAMP was preserved in the march Nu 2:17 the signal
for which was the blast of two silver trumpets. Detailed regulations affecting
the camp for sanitary purposes are given Le 4:11,12 6:11 8:17 10:4,5 13:46 Le
14:3 Nu 12:14,15 31:19 De 23:10,12 Criminals were executed without the camp Le
24:14 comp. Joh 19:17,20 and there also the young bullock for a sin-offering
was burnt comp. Le 4:12 Heb 13:12 In the subsequent history of Israel frequent
mention is made of their encampments in the time of war Jud 7:18 1Sa
13:2,3,16,23 17:3 29:1 1Sa 30:9,24 The temple was sometimes called "the
camp of the Lord" 2Ch 31:2 R.V.; comp. Ps 78:28 The multitudes who flocked
to David are styled "a great host (i.e., "camp; "Heb. mahaneh), like the host of God" 1Ch
12:22
1. The rendering of Hebrew _latim_ or _lehatim_, which
means "something covered, ""muffled up; "secret arts,
tricks Ex 7:11,22 8:7,18 by which the Egyptian magicians imposed on the
credulity of Pharaoh.
2. The rendering of the Hebrew _keshaphim_,
"muttered spells" or "incantations, "rendered
"sorceries" in Isa 47:9,12 i.e., the using of certain formulae under
the belief that men could thus be bound.
3. Hebrew _lehashim_, "charming, "as of
serpents Jer 8:17 comp. Ps 58:5
4. Hebrew _nehashim_, the enchantments or omens used by
Balaam Nu 24:1 his endeavouring to gain omens favourable to his design.
5. Hebrew _heber_ Isa 47:9,12 "magical spells."
All kinds of enchantments were condemned by the Mosaic law Le 19:26 De 18:10-12
See DIVINATION
In Heb 13:7 is the rendering of the unusual Greek word
_ekbasin_, meaning "outcome", i.e., death. It occurs only elsewhere
in 1Co 10:13 where it is rendered "escape."
Fountain of Dor; i.e., "of the age", a place in
the territory of Issachar Jos 17:11 near the scene of the great victory which
was gained by Deborah and Barak over Sisera and Jabin (comp.) Ps 83:9,10 To
Endor, Saul resorted to consult one reputed to be a witch on the eve of his
last engagement with the Philistines 1Sa 28:7 It is identified with the modern
village of Endur, "a dirty hamlet of some twenty houses, or rather huts,
most of them falling to ruin, "on the northern slope of Little Hermon,
about 7 miles from Jezreel.
Fountain of two calves, a place mentioned only in Eze
47:10 Somewhere near the Dead Sea.
Fountain of gardens.
1. A town in the plains of Judah Jos 15:34 north-west of
Jerusalem, between Zanoah and Tappuah. It is the modern Umm Jina.
2. A city on the border of Machar Jos 19:21 allotted to
the Gershonite Levites Jos 21:29 It is identified with the modern Jenin, a
large and prosperous town of about 4,000 inhabitants, situated 15 miles south
of Mount Tabor, through which the road from Jezreel to Samaria and Jerusalem
passes. When Ahaziah, king of Judah, attempted to escape from Jehu, he
"fled by the way of the garden house" i.e., by way of En-gannim. Here
he was overtaken by Jehu and wounded in his chariot, and turned aside and fled
to Megiddo, a distance of about 20 miles, to die there.