There are six Hebrew words rendered "oak."
1. 'El occurs only in the word El-paran Ge 14:6 The LXX.
renders by "terebinth." In the plural form this word occurs in Isa
1:29 57:5 (A.V. marg. and R.V., "among the oaks"); Isa 61:3
("trees"). The word properly means strongly, mighty, and hence a
strong tree.
2. 'Elah, Ge 35:4 "under the oak which was by
Shechem" (R.V. marg., "terebinth"). Isa 6:13 A.V.,
"teil-tree; "R.V., "terebinth." Isa 1:30 R.V. marg.,
"terebinth." Absalom in his flight was caught in the branches of a
"great oak" 2Sa 18:9 R.V. marg., "terebinth").
3. 'Elon, Jud 4:11 9:6 (R.V., "oak; "A.V.,
following the Targum, "plain") properly the deciduous species of oak
shedding its foliage in autumn.
4. 'Elan, only in Da 4:11,14,20 rendered "tree"
in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Probably some species of the oak is intended.
5. 'Allah, Jos 24:26 The place here referred to is called
Allon-moreh ("the oak of Moreh, "as in R.V.) in Ge 12:6 35:4
6. 'Allon, always rendered "oak." Probably the
evergreen oak (called also ilex and holm oak) is intended. The oak woods of
Bashan are frequently alluded to Isa 2:13 Eze 27:6 Three species of oaks are
found in Palestine, of which the "prickly evergreen oak" (Quercus
coccifera) is the most abundant. "It covers the rocky hills of Palestine
with a dense brushwood of trees from 8 to 12 feet high, branching from the
base, thickly covered with small evergreen rigid leaves, and bearing acorns copiously."
The so-called Abraham's oak at Hebron is of this species. Tristram says that
this oak near Hebron "has for several centuries taken the place of the
once renowned terebinth which marked the site of Mamre on the other side of the
city. The terebinth existed at Mamre in
the time of Vespasian, and under it the captive Jews were sold as slaves. It
disappeared about A.D. 330 and no tree now marks the grove of Mamre. The
present oak is the noblest tree in Southern Palestine, being 23 feet in girth,
and the diameter of the foliage, which is unsymmetrical, being about 90
feet."
See HEBRON See TEIL-TREE
A solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions De
6:13 Jer 4:2 in various forms Ge 16:5 2Sa 12:5 Ru 1:17 Ho 4:15 Ro 1:9 and taken
in different ways Ge 14:22 24:2 2Ch 6:22 God is represented as taking an oath
Heb 6:16-18 so also Paul Ro 9:1 Ga 1:20 Php 1:8 The precept, "Swear not at
all, "refers probably to ordinary conversation between man and man Mt
5:34,37 But if the words are taken as referring to oaths, then their intention
may have been to show "that the proper state of Christians is to require
no oaths; that when evil is expelled from among them every yea and nay will be
as decisive as an oath, every promise as binding as a vow."
Servant of the Lord.
1. An Israelite who was chief in the household of King
Ahab 1Ki 18:3 Amid great spiritual degeneracy he maintained his fidelity to
God, and interposed to protect The Lord's prophets, an hundred of whom he hid
at great personal risk in a cave 1Ki 18:4,13 Ahab seems to have held Obadiah in
great honour, although he had no sympathy with his piety 1Ki 18:5,6,7 The last
notice of him is his bringing back tidings to Ahab that Elijah, whom he had so
long sought for, was at hand 1Ki 18:9-16. "Go, "said Elijah to him,
when he met him in the way, "go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is
here."
2. A chief of the tribe of Issachar 1Ch 7:3
3. A descendant of Saul 1Ch 8:38
4. A Levite, after the Captivity 1Ch 9:16
5. A Gadite who joined David at Ziklag 1Ch 12:9
6. A prince of Zebulun in the time of David 1Ch 27:19
7. One of the princes sent by Jehoshaphat to instruct the
people in the law 2Ch 17:7
8. A Levite who superintended the repairs of the temple
under Josiah 2Ch 34:12
9. One who accompanied Ezra on the return from Babylon
Ezr 8:9
10. A prophet, fourth of the minor prophets in the Hebrew
canon, and fifth in the LXX. He was probably contemporary with Jeremiah and
Ezekiel. Of his personal history nothing is known.
Consists of one chapter, "concerning Edom, "its
impending doom Ob 1:1-16 and the restoration of Israel Ob 1:17-21 This is the
shortest book of the Old Testament. There are on record the account of four
captures of Jerusalem,
1. by Shishak in the reign of Rehoboam 1Ki 14:25
2. by the Philistines and Arabians in the reign of
Jehoram 2Ch 21:16
3. by Joash, the king of Israel, in the reign of Amaziah
2Ki 14:13 and
4. by the Babylonians, when Jerusalem was taken and
destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 586) Obadiah Ob 1:11-14 speaks of this
capture as a thing past. He sees the calamity as having already come on
Jerusalem, and the Edomites as joining their forces with those of the Chaldeans
in bringing about the degradation and ruin of Israel. We do not indeed read
that the Edomites actually took part with the Chaldeans, but the probabilities
are that they did so, and this explains the words of Obadiah in denouncing
against Edom the judgments of God.
The date of his prophecies was thus in or about the year
of the destruction of Jerusalem. Edom is the type of Israel's and of God's last
foe Isa 63:1-4 These will finally all be vanquished, and the kingdom will be
the Lord's (comp.) Ps 22:28
Stripped, the eight son of Joktan Ge 10:28 called also
Ebal 1Ch 1:22
Serving; worshipping.
1. A son of Boaz and Ruth Ru 4:21,22 and the grandfather
of David Mt 1:5
2. 1Ch 2:34-38
3. 1Ch 26:7
4. 2Ch 23:1
Servant of Edom.
1. "The Gittite" (probably so called because he
was a native of Gath-rimmon), a Levite of the family of the Korhites 1Ch
26:1,4-8 to whom was specially intrusted the custody of the ark 1Ch 15:18 When
David was bringing up the ark "from the house of Abinadab, that was in
Gibeah" (probably some hill or eminence near Kirjath-jearim), and had
reached Nachon's threshing-floor, he became afraid because of the "breach
upon Uzzah, "and carried it aside into the house of Obededom 2Sa 6:1-12
There it remained for six months, and was to him and his house the occasion of
great blessing. David then removed it with great rejoicing to Jerusalem, and set
it in the midst of the tabernacle he had pitched for it.
2. A Merarite Levite, a temple porter, who with his eight
sons guarded the southern gate 1Ch 15:18,21 26:4,8,15
3. One who had charge of the temple treasures 2Ch 25:24
Homage or reverence to any one Ge 37:7 43:28
A keeper of camels, an Ishmaelite who was "over the
camels" in the time of David 1Ch 27:30
Bottles, an encampment of the Israelites during the
wanderings in the wilderness Nu 33:43 the first after the setting up of the
brazen serpent.
Restoring, or setting up.
1. Father of the prophet Azariah 2Ch 15:1,8
2. A prophet in the time of Ahaz and Pekah 2Ch 28:9-15
1. An injury or wrong done to one 1Sa 25:31 Ro 5:15
2. A stumbling-block or cause of temptation Isa 8:14 Mt
16:23 18:7 Greek skandalon, properly that at which one stumbles or takes
offence. The "offence of the cross" Ga 5:11 is the offence the Jews
took at the teaching that salvation was by the crucified One, and by him alone.
Salvation by the cross was a stumbling-block to their national pride.
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
Ge 4:3,4 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.
See SACRIFICE
Gigantic, the king of Bashan, who was defeated by Moses
in a pitched battle at Edrei, and was slain along with his sons De 1:4 and
whose kingdom was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of
Manasseh Nu 21:32-35 De 3:1-13 His bedstead (or rather sarcophagus) was of iron
(or ironstone), 9 cubits in length and 4 cubits in breadth. His overthrow was
afterwards celebrated in song Ps 135:11 136:20
See SIHON
United, or power, the third son of Simeon Ge 46:10
A house; tent, the fourth son of Zerubbabel 1Ch 3:20
Only olive oil seems to have been used among the Hebrews.
It was used for many purposes:
1. for anointing the body or the hair Ex 29:7 2Sa 14:2 Ps
23:5 92:10 Ps 104:15 Lu 7:46
2. in some of the offerings Ex 29:40 Le 7:12 Nu 6:15 15:4
3. but was excluded from the sin-offering Le 5:11 and the
jealousy-offering Nu 5:15
4. for burning in lamps Ex 25:6 27:20 Mt 25:3
5. for medicinal purposes Isa 1:6 Lu 10:34 Jas 5:14
6. for anointing the dead Mt 26:12 Lu 23:56
It was one of the most valuable products of the country
De 32:13 Eze 16:13 and formed an article of extensive commerce with Tyre Eze 27:17
The use of it was a sign of gladness Ps 92:10 Isa 61:3 and its omission a token
of sorrow 2Sa 14:2 Mt 6:17 It was very abundant in Galilee.
See OLIVE
Isa 41:19 R.V. marg., "oleaster"), Heb. 'etz
shemen, rendered "olive tree" in 1Ki 6:23,31,32,33 (R.V., "olive
wood") and "pine branches" in Ne 8:15 (R.V., "branches of
wild olive"), was some tree distinct from the olive. It was probably the
oleaster (Eleagnus angustifolius), which grows abundantly in almost all parts
of Palestine, especially about Hebron and Samaria. "It has a fine hard
wood, "says Tristram, "and yields an inferior oil, but it has no
relationship to the olive, which, however, it resembles in general appearance."
Various fragrant preparations, also compounds for medical
purposes, are so called Ex 30:25 Ps 133:2 Isa 1:6 Am 6:6 Joh 12:3 Re 18:13
One of the gates in the north wall of Jerusalem, so
called because built by the Jebusites Ne 3:6 12:39
The fruit of the olive-tree. This tree yielded oil which
was highly valued. The best oil was from olives that were plucked before being
fully ripe, and then beaten or squeezed De 24:20 Isa 17:6 24:13 It was called
"beaten, "or "fresh oil" Ex 27:20 There were also
oil-presses, in which the oil was trodden out by the feet Mic 6:15 James Jas
3:12 calls the fruit "olive berries." The phrase "vineyards and
olives" Jud 15:5 A.V. should be simply "olive-yard, " or
"olive-garden, "as in the Revised Version.
See OIL
Is frequently mentioned in Scripture. The dove from the
ark brought an olive-branch to Noah Ge 8:11 It is mentioned among the most
notable trees of Palestine, where it was cultivated long before the time of the
Hebrews De 6:11 8:8 It is mentioned in the first Old Testament parable, that of
Jotham Jud 9:9 and is named among the blessings of the "good land,
"and is at the present day the one characteristic tree of Palestine. The
oldest olive-trees in the country are those which are enclosed in the Garden of
Gethsemane. It is referred to as an emblem of prosperity and beauty and
religious privilege Ps 52:8 Jer 11:16 Ho 14:6 The two "witnesses"
mentioned in Re 11:4 are spoken of as "two olive trees standing before the
God of the earth." (Comp.) Zec 4:3,11-14 The "olive-tree, wild by
nature" Ro 11:24 is the shoot or cutting of the good olive-tree which,
left ungrafted, grows up to be a "wild olive." In Ro 11:17 Paul
refers to the practice of grafting shoots of the wild olive into a
"good" olive which has become unfruitful. By such a process the sap
of the good olive, by pervading the branch which is "graffed in,
"makes it a good branch, bearing good olives. Thus the Gentiles, being a
"wild olive, " but now "graffed in, "yield fruit, but only
through the sap of the tree into which they have been graffed. This is a
process "contrary to nature" Ro 11:24
So called from the olive trees with which its sides are
clothed, is a mountain ridge on the east of Jerusalem 1Ki 11:7 Eze 11:23 Zec
14:4 from which it is separated by the valley of Kidron. It is first mentioned
in connection with David's flight from Jerusalem through the rebellion of
Absalom 2Sa 15:30 and is only once again mentioned in the Old Testament, in Zec
14:4 It is, however, frequently alluded to 1Ki 11:7 2Ki 23:13 Ne 8:15 Eze 11:23
It is frequently mentioned in the New Testament Mt 21:1 26:30 etc. It now bears
the name of Jebel et-Tur, i.e., "Mount of the Summit; "also sometimes
called Jebel ez-Zeitun, i.e., "Mount of Olives." It is about 200 feet
above the level of the city. The road from Jerusalem to Bethany runs as of old
over this mount. It was on this mount that Jesus stood when he wept over
Jerusalem. "No name in Scripture, "says Dr. Porter, "calls up
associations at once so sacred and so pleasing as that of Olivet. The 'mount'
is so intimately connected with the private, the devotional life of the
Saviour, that we read of it and look at it with feelings of deepest interest
and affection. Here he often sat with his disciples, telling them of wondrous
events yet to come, of the destruction of the Holy City; of the sufferings, the
persecution, and the final triumph of his followers Mt 24:1ff. Here he gave
them the beautiful parables of the ten virgins and the five talents Mt 25:1-13
here he was wont to retire on each evening for meditation, and prayer, and rest
of body, when weary and harassed by the labours and trials of the day Lu 21:37
and here he came on the night of his betrayal to utter that wonderful prayer,
'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as
I will, but as thou wilt' Mt 26:39 And when the cup of God's wrath had been
drunk, and death and the grave conquered, he led his disciples out again over
Olivet as far as to Bethany, and after a parting blessing ascended to heaven Lu
24:50,51 Ac 1:12 This mount, or rather mountain range, has four summits or
peaks:
1. the "Galilee" peak, so called from a
tradition that the angels stood here when they spoke to the disciples Ac 1:11
2. the "Mount of Ascension, "the supposed site
of that event, which was, however, somewhere probably nearer Bethany Lu
24:51,52
3. the "Prophets, "from the catacombs on its
side, called "the prophets' tombs; "and
4. the "Mount of Corruption, "so called because
of the "high places" erected there by Solomon for the idolatrous
worship of his foreign wives 1Ki 11:7 2Ki 23:13 Vulg., "Mount of
Offence".
A Roman Christian whom Paul salutes Ro 16:15
Eloquent, the son of Eliphaz, who was Esau's eldest son
Ge 36:11-15
Re 1:8 the last letter in the Greek alphabet.
See A
A handful, one-tenth of an ephah=half a gallon dry
measure Ex 16:22,32,33,36 ="tenth deal."
Servant of Jehovah. When Elah was murdered by Zimri at
Tirzah 1Ki 16:15-27 Omri, his captain, was made king (B.C. 931) For four years
there was continued opposition to his reign, Tibni, another claimant to the
throne, leading the opposing party; but at the close of that period all his
rivals were defeated, and he became king of Israel, "Tibni died and Omri
reigned" (B.C. 927) By his vigour and power he gained great eminence and
consolidated the kingdom. He fixed his dynasty on the throne so firmly that it
continued during four succeeding reigns. Tirza was for six years the seat of
his government. He then removed the capital to Samaria (q.v.), where he died,
and was succeeded by his son Ahab. "He wrought evil in the eyes of the
Lord, and did worse than all that were before him." Beth-omri, "the
house" or "city of Omri, "is the name usually found on Assyrian
inscriptions for Samaria. In the stele of Mesha (the "Moabite
stone"), which was erected in Moab about twenty or thirty years after
Omri's death, it is recorded that Omri oppressed Moab till Mesha delivered the
land: "Omri, king of Israel, oppressed Moab many days, for Chemosh was
angry with his land. His son succeeded him, and he also said, I will oppress
Moab" (comp.) 2Ki 1:1 3:4,5 The "Moabite stone" also records
that "Omri took the land of Medeba, and occupied it in his day and in the
days of his son forty years."
Light; the sun, Ge 41:45,50 the great seat of
sun-worship, called also Bethshemesh Jer 43:13 and Aven Eze 30:17 stood on the
east bank of the Nile, a few miles north of Memphis, and near Cairo, in the
north-east. The Vulgate and the LXX. Versions have "Heliopolis"
("city of the sun") instead of On in Genesis and of Aven in Ezekiel.
The "city of destruction" Isaiah speaks of Isa 19:18 marg. "of
Heres; "Heb. 'Ir-ha-heres, which some MSS. read Ir-ha-heres, i.e.,
"city of the sun") may be the name given to On, the prophecy being
that the time will come when that city which was known as the "city of the
sun-god" shall become the "city of destruction" of the sun-god,
i.e., when idolatry shall cease, and the worship of the true God be
established. In ancient times this city was full of obelisks dedicated to the
sun. Of these only one now remains standing. "Cleopatra's Needle" was
one of those which stood in this city in front of the Temple of Tum, i.e.,
"the sun." It is now erected on the Thames Embankment, London.
"It was at On that Joseph wooed and won the dark-skinned Asenath, the
daughter of the high priest of its great temple." This was a noted university
town, and here Moses gained his acquaintance with "all the wisdom of the
Egyptians."
Strong, the second son of Judah Ge 38:4-10 comp. De 25:5
Mt 22:24 He died before the going down of Jacob and his family into Egypt.
Useful, a slave who, after robbing his master Philemon
(q.v.) at Colosse, fled to Rome, where he was converted by the apostle Paul,
who sent him back to his master with the epistle which bears his name. In it he
beseeches Philemon to receive his slave as a "faithful and beloved
brother." Paul offers to pay to Philemon anything his slave had taken, and
to bear the wrong he had done him. He was accompanied on his return by
Tychicus, the bearer of the Epistle to the Colossians Phm 1:16,18 The story of
this fugitive Colossian slave is a remarkable evidence of the freedom of access
to the prisoner which was granted to all, and "a beautiful illustration both
of the character of St. Paul and the transfiguring power and righteous
principles of the gospel."
Bringing profit, an Ephesian Christian who showed great
kindness to Paul at Rome. He served him in many things, and had oft refreshed
him. Paul expresses a warm interest in him and his household 2Ti 1:16-18 4:19
The Israelites in the wilderness longed for the
"onions and garlick of Egypt" Nu 11:5 This was the _betsel_ of the
Hebrews, the Allium cepe of botanists, of which it is said that there are some
thirty or forty species now growing in Palestine. The onion is "the
'undivided' leek, _unio_, _unus_, one."
A town of Benjamin, in the "plain of Ono" 1Ch
8:12 Ezr 2:33 now Kefr 'Ana, 5 miles north of Lydda, and about 30 miles
north-west of Jerusalem. Not succeeding in their attempts to deter Nehemiah
from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Sanballat and Tobiah resorted to
strategem, and pretending to wish a conference with him, they invited him to
meet them at Ono. Four times they made the request, and every time Nehemiah
refused to come. Their object was to take him prisoner.
A nail; claw; hoof, (Heb. sheheleth;)Ex 30:34 a Latin
word applied to the operculum, i.e., the claw or nail of the strombus or
wing-shell, a univalve common in the Red Sea. The opercula of these shell-fish
when burned emit a strong odour "like castoreum." This was an
ingredient in the sacred incense.
A hail; claw; hoof, (Heb. shoham), a precious stone
adorning the breast-plate of the high priest and the shoulders of the ephod Ex
28:9-12,20 35:27 Job 28:16 Eze 28:13 It was found in the land of Havilah Ge
2:11-12 The LXX. translates the Hebrew word by smaragdos, an emerald. Some
think that the sardonyx is meant. But the onyx differs from the sardonyx in
this, that while the latter has two layers (black and white) the former has
three (black, white, and red).
Ge 38:14,21 mar. Enaim; the same probably as Enam Jos
15:34 a city in the lowland or Shephelah.
Hill; mound, the long, narrow, rounded promontory on the
southern slope of the temple hill, between the Tyropoeon and the Kedron valley
2Ch 27:3 33:14 Ne 3:26,27 It was surrounded by a separate wall, and was
occupied by the Nethinim after the Captivity. This wall has been discovered by
the engineers of the Palestine Exploration Fund at the south-eastern angle of
the temple area. It is 4 feet below the present surface. In 2Ki 5:24 this word
is translated "tower" (R.V., "hill"), denoting probably
some eminence near Elisha's house.
1. One of the sons of Joktan Ge 10:29
2. Some region famous for its gold 1Ki 9:28 10:11 22:48
Job 22:24 28:16 Isa 13:12 In the LXX. this word is rendered "Sophir,
"and "Sofir" is the Coptic name for India, which is the rendering
of the Arabic version, as also of the Vulgate. Josephus has identified it with
the Golden Chersonese, i.e., the Malay peninsula. It is now generally
identified with Abhira, at the mouth of the Indus. Much may be said, however,
in favour of the opinion that it was somewhere in Arabia.
Mouldy, a city of Benjamin Jos 18:24
A fawn. 1Ch 4:14
1. A city of Benjamin Jos 18:23 probably identical with
Ephron 2Ch 13:19 and Ephraim Joh 11:54
2. "Of the Abi-ezrites." A city of Manasseh, 6
miles south-west of Shechem, the residence of Gideon Jud 6:11 8:27,32 After his
great victory over the Midianites, he slew at this place the captive kings Jud
8:18-21 He then assumed the function of high priest, and sought to make Ophrah
what Shiloh should have been. This thing "became a snare" to Gideon
and his house. After Gideon's death his family resided here till they were put
to death by Abimelech Jud 9:5 It is identified with Ferata.
In the Old Testament used in every case, except 2Sa 16:23
to denote the most holy place in the temple 1Ki 6:5,19-23 8:6 In 2Sa 16:23 it
means the Word of God. A man inquired "at the oracle of God" by means
of the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate on the high priest's ephod. In the
New Testament it is used only in the plural, and always denotes the Word of God
Ro 3:2 Heb 5:12 etc. The Scriptures are called "living oracles"
(comp.) Heb 4:12 because of their quickening power Ac 7:38
Raven, a prince of Midian, who, being defeated by Gideon
and put to straits, was slain along with Zeeb Jud 7:20-25 Many of the
Midianites perished along with him Ps 83:9 Isa 10:26
The place where Gideon slew Oreb after the defeat of the
Midianites Jud 7:25 Isa 10:26 It was probably the place now called Orbo, on the
east of Jordan, near Bethshean.
Ash or pine, the son of Jerahmeel 1Ch 2:25
Some kind of wind instrument, probably a kind of Pan's
pipes Ge 4:21 Job 21:12 Ps 150:4 which consisted of seven or eight reeds of
unequal length.
Heb. Kesil; i.e., "the fool", the name of a
constellation Job 9:9 Job 38:31 Am 5:8 consisting of about eighty stars. The
Vulgate renders thus, but the LXX. renders by Hesperus, i.e., "the
evening-star, "Venus. The Orientals "appear to have conceived of this
constellation under the figure of an impious giant bound upon the sky."
This giant was, according to tradition, Nimrod, the type of the folly that
contends against God. In Isa 13:10 the plural form of the Hebrew word is
rendered "constellations."
1Ch 21:15
See ARAUNAH
Forelock or fawn, a Moabitess, the wife of Chilion Ru
1:4,14 On the death of her husband she accompanied Naomi, her mother-in-law,
part of the way to Bethlehem, and then returned to Moab.
La 5:3 i.e., desolate and without protectors. The word
occurs only here. In Joh 14:18 the word there rendered "comfortless"
(R.V., "desolate; "marg., "orphans") properly means
"orphans." The same Greek word is rendered "fatherless" in
Jas 1:27
Heb. 'ozniyyah, an unclean bird according to the Mosaic
law Le 11:13 De 14:12 the fish-eating eagle (Pandion haliaetus); one of the
lesser eagles. But the Hebrew word may be taken to denote the short-toed eagle
(Circaetus gallicus of Southern Europe), one of the most abundant of the eagle
tribe found in Palestine.
Heb. peres to "break" or "crush", the
lammer-geier, or bearded vulture, the largest of the whole vulture tribe. It
was an unclean bird Le 11:13 De 14:12 It is not a gregarious bird, and is found
but rarely in Palestine. "When the other vultures have picked the flesh
off any animal, he comes in at the end of the feast, and swallows the bones, or
breaks them, and swallows the pieces if he cannot otherwise extract the marrow.
The bones he cracks [hence the appropriateness of the name ossifrage, i.e.,
"bone-breaker"] by letting them fall on a rock from a great height.
He does not, however, confine himself to these delicacies, but whenever he has
an opportunity will devour lambs, kids, or hares. These he generally obtains by
pushing them over cliffs, when he has watched his opportunity; and he has been known
to attack men while climbing rocks, and dash them against the bottom. But
tortoises and serpents are his ordinary food...No doubt it was a lammer-geier
that mistook the bald head of the poet AEschylus for a stone, and dropped on it
the tortoise which killed him" (Tristram's Nat. Hist.).
La 4:3 the rendering of Hebrew pl. enim; so called from
its greediness and gluttony. The allusion here is to the habit of the ostrich
with reference to its eggs, which is thus described: "The outer layer of
eggs is generally so ill covered that they are destroyed in quantities by
jackals, wild-cats, etc., and that the natives carry them away, only taking
care not to leave the marks of their footsteps, since, when the ostrich comes
and finds that her nest is discovered, she crushes the whole brood, and builds
a nest elsewhere." In Job 39:13 this word in the Authorized Version is the
rendering of a Hebrew word (notsah) which means "feathers, "as in the
Revised Version. In the same verse the word "peacocks" of the
Authorized Version is the rendering of the Hebrew pl. renanim, properly meaning
"ostriches, "as in the Revised Version.
See OWL
A lion of Jehovah, a son of Shemaiah, and one of the
temple porters in the time of David 1Ch 26:7 He was a "mighty man of
valour."
Lion of God, the first of the judges. His wife Achsah was
the daughter of Caleb Jos 15:16,17 Jud 1:13 He gained her hand as a reward for
his bravery in leading a successful expedition against Debir (q.v.). Some
thirty years after the death of Joshua, the Israelites fell under the
subjection of Chushan-rishathaim (q.v.), the king of Mesopotamia. He oppressed
them for full eight years, when they "cried" unto Jehovah, and
Othniel was raised up to be their deliverer. He was the younger brother of
Caleb Jud 3:8,9-11 He is the only judge mentioned connected with the tribe of
Judah. Under him the land had rest forty years.
An Old English word denoting cavities or sockets in which
gems were set Ex 28:11
Heb. tannur, Ho 7:4 In towns there appear to have been
public ovens. There was a street in Jerusalem Jer 37:21 called "bakers'
street" (the only case in which the name of a street in Jerusalem is
preserved). The words "tower of the furnaces" Ne 3:11 12:38 is more
properly "tower of the ovens" (Heb. tannurim). These resemble the
ovens in use among ourselves. There were other private ovens of different
kinds. Some were like large jars made of earthenware or copper, which were
heated inside with wood 1Ki 17:12 Isa 44:15 Jer 7:18 or grass Mt 6:30 and when
the fire had burned out, small pieces of dough were placed inside or spread in
thin layers on the outside, and were thus baked.
See FURNACE Pits were also formed for the same purposes,
and lined with cement. These were used after the same manner. Heated stones, or
sand heated by a fire heaped over it, and also flat irons pans, all served as
ovens for the preparation of bread. (See) Ge 18:6 1Ki 19:6
1. Heb. bath-haya'anah, "daughter of
greediness" or of "shouting." In the list of unclean birds Le
11:16 De 14:15 also mentioned in Job 30:29 Isa 13:21 34:13 43:20 Jer 50:39 Mic
1:8 In all these passages the Revised Version translates "ostrich"
(q.v.), which is the correct rendering.
2. Heb. yanshuph, rendered "great owl" in Le
11:17 De 14:16 and "owl" in Isa 34:11 This is supposed to be the
Egyptian eagle-owl (Bubo ascalaphus), which takes the place of the eagle-owl
(Bubo maximus) found in Southern Europe. It is found frequenting the ruins of
Egypt and also of the Holy Land. "Its cry is a loud, prolonged, and very
powerful hoot. I know nothing which more vividly brought to my mind the sense
of desolation and loneliness than the re-echoing hoot of two or three of these
great owls as I stood at midnight among the ruined temples of Baalbek"
(Tristram). The LXX. and Vulgate render this word by "ibis", i.e.,
the Egyptian heron.
3. Heb. kos, rendered "little owl" in Le 11:17
De 14:16 and "owl" in Ps 102:6 The Arabs call this bird "the
mother of ruins." It is by far the most common of all the owls of
Palestine. It is the Athene persica, the bird of Minerva, the symbol of ancient
Athens.
4. Heb. kippoz, the "great owl" Isa 34:15
Revised Version, "arrow-snake; "LXX. and Vulgate, "hedgehog,
"reading in the text, kippod, instead of kippoz. There is no reason to
doubt the correctness of the rendering of the Authorized Version. Tristram
says: "The word [i.e., kippoz] is very possibly an imitation of the cry of
the scops owl (Scops giu), which is very common among ruins, caves, and old
walls of towns...It is a migrant, returning to Palestine in spring."
5. Heb. lilith, "screech owl" Isa 34:14 marg.
and R.V., "night monster"). The Hebrew word is from a root signifying
"night." Some species of the owl is obviously intended by this word.
It may be the hooting or tawny owl (Syrnium aluco), which is common in Egypt
and in many parts of Palestine. This verse in Isaiah is "descriptive of
utter and perpetual desolation, of a land that should be full of ruins, and
inhabited by the animals that usually make such ruins their abode."
Heb. bakar, "cattle; "
1. "neat cattle", Ge 12:16 34:28 Job 1:3,14
42:12 etc.;
2. not to be muzzled when treading the corn De 25:4
3. Referred to by our Lord in his reproof to the
Pharisees Lu 13:15 14:5
Mentioned only in Jud 3:31 the weapon with which Shamgar
(q.v.) slew six hundred Philistines. "The ploughman still carries his
goad, a weapon apparently more fitted for the hand of the soldier than the
peaceful husbandman. The one I saw was of the 'oak of Bashan, 'and measured
upwards of ten feet in length. At one end was an iron spear, and at the other a
piece of the same metal flattened. One can well understand how a warrior might
use such a weapon with effect in the battle-field" (Porter's Syria, etc.).
See GOAD
Strong.
1. One of David's brothers; the sixth son of Jesse 1Ch
2:15
2. A son of Jerahmeel 1Ch 2:25
Son of Joram Mt 1:8 called also Uzziah 2Ki 15:32,34
Hearing, one of the sons of Gad; also called Ezbon Ge
46:16 Nu 26:16