Opening of the Lord, "the Arbite, "one of
David's heroes 2Sa 23:35 called also Naarai, 1Ch 11:37
A plain, occurring only in Ge 48:7 where it designates
Padan-aram.
The plain of Aram, or the plain of the highlands, Ge
25:20 28:2,5-7 Ge 31:18 etc., commonly regarded as the district of Mesopotamia
(q.v.) lying around Haran.
God allots, a prince of the tribe of Asher Nu 1:13 in the
wilderness.
Governor of Moab, a person whose descendants returned
from the Captivity and assisted in rebuilding Jerusalem Ezr 2:6 8:4 10:30
Jezebel "painted her face" 2Ki 9:30 and the
practice of painting the face and the eyes seems to have been common Jer 4:30
Eze 23:40 An allusion to this practice is found in the name of Job's daughter
Job 42:14 Kerenhappuch (q.v.). Paintings in the modern sense of the word were
unknown to the ancient Jews.
Used now only of royal dwellings, although originally
meaning simply (as the Latin word palatium, from which it is derived, shows) a
building surrounded by a fence or a paling. In the Authorized Version there are
many different words so rendered, presenting different ideas, such as that of
1. citadel or lofty fortress or royal residence Ne 1:1 Da
8:2
2. It is the name given to the temple fortress Ne 2:8
3. and to the temple itself 1Ch 29:1
4. It denotes also a spacious building or a great house
Da 1:4 4:4,29 Es 1:5 7:7
5. and a fortified place or an enclosure Eze 25:4
6. Solomon's palace is described in 1Ki 7:1-12 as a series
of buildings rather than a single great structure. Thirteen years were spent in their erection. This palace stood on
the eastern hill, adjoining the temple on the south.
7. In the New Testament it designates the official
residence of Pilate or that of the high priest Mt 26:3,58,69 Mr 14:54,66 Joh
18:15
8. In Php 1:13 this word is the rendering of the Greek
praitorion, meaning the praetorian cohorts at Rome (the life-guard of the
Caesars). Paul was continually chained to a soldier of that corps Ac 28:16 and
hence his name and sufferings became known in all the praetorium. The
"soldiers that kept" him would, on relieving one another on guard,
naturally spread the tidings regarding him among their comrades. Some, however,
regard the praetroium (q.v.) as the barrack within the palace (the palatium) of
the Caesars in Rome where a detachment of these praetorian guards was
stationed, or as the camp of the guards placed outside the eastern walls of
Rome. "In the chambers which were occupied as guard-rooms, "says Dr.
Manning, "by the praetorian troops on duty in the palace, a number of rude
caricatures are found roughly scratched upon the walls, just such as may be
seen upon barrack walls in every part of the world. Amongst these is one of a
human figure nailed upon a cross. To add to the 'offence of the cross, 'the
crucified one is represented with the head of an animal, probably that of an
ass. Before it stands the figure of a Roman legionary with one hand upraised in
the attitude of worship. Underneath is the
rude, misspelt, ungrammatical inscription, Alexamenos worships his god. It can
scarcely be doubted that we have here a contemporary caricature, executed by
one of the praetorian guard, ridiculing the faith of a Christian comrade."
Originally denoted only the sea-coast of the land of
Canaan inhabited by the Philistines Ex 15:14 Isa 14:29,31 Joe 3:4 and in this
sense exclusively the Hebrew name Pelesheth (rendered "Philistia" in)
Ps 60:8 83:7 87:4 108:9 occurs in the Old Testament. Not till a late period in
Jewish history was this name used to denote "the land of the Hebrews"
in general Ge 40:15 It is also called:
1. "the holy land" Zec 2:12
2. the "land of Jehovah" Ho 9:3 Ps 85:1
3. the "land of promise" Heb 11:9 because
promised to Abraham Ge 12:7 24:7
4. the "land of Canaan" Ge 12:5
5. the "land of Israel" 1Sa 13:19
6. and the "land of Judah" Isa 19:17
The territory promised as an inheritance to the seed of
Abraham Ge 15:18-21 Nu 34:1-12 was bounded on the east by the river Euphrates,
on the west by the Mediterranean, on the north by the "entrance of Hamath,
"and on the south by the "river of Egypt." This extent of
territory, about 60,000 square miles, was at length conquered by David, and was
ruled over also by his son Solomon 2Sa 8:1ff. 1Ch 18:1ff. 1Ki 4:1,21 This vast
empire was the Promised Land; but Palestine was only a part of it, terminating
in the north at the southern extremity of the Lebanon range, and in the south
in the wilderness of Paran, thus extending in all to about 144 miles in length.
Its average breadth was about 60 miles from the Mediterranean on the west to
beyond the Jordan. It has fittingly been designated "the least of all
lands." Western Palestine, on the south of Gaza, is only about 40 miles in
breadth from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea, narrowing gradually toward the
north, where it is only 20 miles from the sea-coast to the Jordan. Palestine, "set in the midst" Eze
5:5 of all other lands, is the most remarkable country on the face of the
earth. No single country of such an extent has so great a variety of climate,
and hence also of plant and animal life. Moses describes it as "a good
land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of
valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and
pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt not eat
bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones
are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass" De 8:7-9 "In
the time of Christ the country looked, in all probability, much as now. The
whole land consists of rounded limestone hills, fretted into countless stony
valleys, offering but rarely level tracts, of which Esdraelon alone, below
Nazareth, is large enough to be seen on the map. The original woods had for
ages disappeared, though the slopes were dotted, as now, with figs, olives, and
other fruit-trees where there was any soil.
Permanent streams were even then unknown, the passing rush of winter
torrents being all that was seen among the hills. The autumn and spring rains,
caught in deep cisterns hewn out like huge underground jars in the soft
limestone, with artificial mud-banked ponds still found near all villages,
furnished water. Hills now bare, or at best rough with stunted growth, were
then terraced, so as to grow vines, olives, and grain. To-day almost desolate,
the country then teemed with population. Wine-presses cut in the rocks, endless
terraces, and the ruins of old vineyard towers are now found amidst solitudes
overgrown for ages with thorns and thistles, or with wild shrubs and poor
gnarled scrub" (Geikie's Life of Christ). From an early period the land
was inhabited by the descendants of Canaan, who retained possession of the
whole land "from Sidon to Gaza" till the time of the conquest by
Joshua, when it was occupied by the twelve tribes. Two tribes and a half had
their allotments given them by Moses on the east of the Jordan De 3:12-20 comp.
Nu 1:17-46 Jos 4:12-13 The remaining tribes had their portion on the west of
Jordan. From the conquest till the time
of Saul, about four hundred years, the people were governed by judges. For a period
of one hundred and twenty years the kingdom retained its unity while it was
ruled by Saul and David and Solomon. On the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam
ascended the throne; but his conduct was such that ten of the tribes revolted,
and formed an independent monarchy, called the kingdom of Israel, or the
northern kingdom, the capital of which was first Shechem and afterwards
Samaria. This kingdom was destroyed. The Israelites were carried captive by
Shalmanezer, king of Assyria, B.C. 722
after an independent existence of two hundred and fifty-three years. The place
of the captives carried away was supplied by tribes brought from the east, and
thus was formed the Samaritan nation 2Ki 17:24-29 Nebuchadnezzar came up
against the kingdom of the two tribes, the kingdom of Judah, the capital of which
was Jerusalem, one hundred and thirty-four years after the overthrow of the
kingdom of Israel. He overthrew the city, plundered the temple, and carried the
people into captivity to Babylon (B.C. 587) where they remained seventy years.
At the close of the period of the Captivity, they returned to their own land,
under the edict of Cyrus Ezr 1:1-4 They rebuilt the city and temple, and
restored the old Jewish commonwealth. For a while after the Restoration the
Jews were ruled by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and afterwards by the high
priests, assisted by the Sanhedrin. After the death of Alexander the Great at
Babylon (B.C. 323) his vast empire was
divided between his four generals. Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, and Coele-Syria
fell to the lot of Ptolemy Lagus.
Ptolemy took possession of Palestine in B.C. 320 and carried nearly one hundred thousand of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem into Egypt. He made Alexandria the capital of his kingdom, and
treated the Jews with consideration, confirming them in the enjoyment of many
privileges. After suffering persecution
at the hands of Ptolemy's successors, the Jews threw off the Egyptian yoke, and
became subject to Antiochus the Great, the king of Syria. The cruelty and
opression of the successors of Antiochus at length led to the revolt under the
Maccabees (B.C. 163) when they threw
off the Syrian yoke. In the year B.C. 68 Palestine was reduced by Pompey the
Great to a Roman province. He laid the walls of the city in ruins, and
massacred some twelve thousand of the inhabitants. He left the temple, however,
unijured. About twenty-five years after this the Jews revolted and cast off the
Roman yoke. They were however, subdued by Herod the Great (q.v.). The city and
the temple were destroyed, and many of the inhabitants were put to death. About
B.C. 20 Herod proceeded to rebuild the city and restore the ruined temple,
which in about nine years and a half was so far completed that the sacred
services could be resumed in it (comp.) Joh 2:20 He was succeeded by his son
Archelaus, who was deprived of his power, however, by Augustus, A.D. 6 when
Palestine became a Roman province, ruled by Roman governors or procurators.
Pontius Pilate was the fifth of these procurators. He was appointed to his
office A.D. 25 Exclusive of Idumea, the kingdom of Herod the Great comprehended
the whole of the country originally divided among the twelve tribes, which he
divided into four provinces or districts. This division was recognized so long
as Palestine was under the Roman dominion. These four provinces were,
1. Judea, the southern portion of the country;
2. Samaria, the middle province, the northern boundary of
which ran along the hills to the south of the plain of Esdraelon;
3. Galilee, the northern province; and
4. Peraea (a Greek name meaning the "opposite
country"), the country lying east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea. This
province was subdivided into these districts,
a. Peraea proper, lying between the rivers Arnon and
Jabbok;
b. Galaaditis (Gilead);
c. Batanaea;
d. Gaulonitis (Jaulan);
e. Ituraea or Auranitis, the ancient Bashan;
f. Trachonitis;
g. Abilene;
h. Decapolis, i.e., the region of the ten cities. The
whole territory of Palestine, including the portions alloted to the
trans-Jordan tribes, extended to about eleven thousand square miles. Recent
exploration has shown the territory on the west of Jordan alone to be six
thousand square miles in extent, the size of the principality of Wales.
Separated, the second son of Reuben 1Ch 5:3 called
Phallu, Ge 46:9 He was the father of the Phalluites Ex 6:14 Nu 26:5,8
(Heb. gazam). The English word may denote either a caterpillar
(as rendered by the LXX.), which wanders like a palmer or pilgrim, or which
travels like pilgrims in bands Joe 1:4 2:25 the wingless locusts, or the
migratory locust in its larva state.
(Heb. tamar), the date-palm characteristic of Palestine.
It is described as
1. "flourishing" Ps 92:12
2. tall So 7:7
3. "upright" Jer 10:5
Its branches are a symbol of victory Re 7:9 "Rising
with slender stem 40 or 50 at times even 80 feet aloft, its only branches, the
feathery, snow-like, pale-green fronds from 6 to 12 feet long, bending from its
top, the palm attracts the eye wherever it is seen." The whole land of
Palestine was called by the Greeks and Romans Phoenicia, i.e., "the land
of palms." Tadmor in the desert was called by the Greeks and Romans
Palmyra, i.e., "the city of palms." The finest specimens of this tree
grew at Jericho De 34:3 and Engedi and along the banks of the Jordan. Branches
of the palm tree were carried at the feast of Tabernacles Le 23:40 At our
Lord's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem the crowds took palm branches, and
went forth to meet him, crying, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel
that cometh in the name of the Lord" Mt 21:8 Joh 12:13
See DATE
The name given to Jericho (q.v.), De 34:3 Jud 1:16 3:13
A shorter form of "paralysis." Many persons
thus afflicted were cured by our Lord Mt 4:24 8:5-13 9:2-7 Mr 2:3-11 Lu 7:2-10
Joh 5:5-7 and the apostles Ac 8:7 9:33,34
Deliverance from the Lord, one of the spies representing
the tribe of Benjamin Nu 13:9
Deliverance of God, the prince of Issachar who assisted
"to divide the land by inheritance" Nu 34:26
The designation of one of David's heroes 2Sa 23:26 called
also the Pelonite 1Ch 11:27
Paul and his company, loosing from Paphos, sailed
north-west and came to Perga, the capital of Pamphylia Ac 13:13,14 a province
about the middle of the southern sea-board of Asia Minor. It lay between Lycia
on the west and Cilicia on the east. There were strangers from Pamphylia at
Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost Ac 2:10
A vessel of metal or earthenware used in culinary
operations; a cooking-pan or frying-pan frequently referred to in the Old
Testament Le 2:5 6:21 Nu 11:8 1Sa 2:14 etc. The "ash-pans" mentioned
in Ex 27:3 were made of copper, and were used in connection with the altar of
burnt-offering. The "iron pan" mentioned in Eze 4:3 (marg.,
"flat plate or "slice") was probably a mere plate of iron used
for baking. The "fire-pans"
of Ex 27:3 were fire-shovels used for taking up coals. The same Hebrew word is
rendered "snuff-dishes" Ex 25:38 37:23 and "censers" Le
10:1 16:12 Nu 4:14 etc. These were probably simply metal vessels employed for
carrying burning embers from the brazen altar to the altar of incense. The "frying-pan" mentioned in Le
2:7 7:9 was a pot for boiling.
Eze 27:17 (marg. R.V., "perhaps a kind of
confection") the Jews explain as the name of a kind of sweet pastry.
Others take it as the name of some place, identifying it with Pingi, on the
road between Damascus and Baalbec. "Pannaga" is the Sanscrit name of
an aromatic plant (comp.) Ge 43:11
The expression in the Authorized Version Isa 19:7
"the paper reeds by the brooks, "is in the Revised Version more
correctly "the meadows by the Nile." The words undoubtedly refer to a
grassy place on the banks of the Nile fit for pasturage. In 2Jo 1:12 the word
is used in its proper sense. The material so referred to was manufactured from
the papyrus, and hence its name. The papyrus (Heb. gome) was a kind of bulrush
(q.v.). It is mentioned by Job Job 8:11 and Isaiah Isa 35:7 It was used for
many purposes. This plant (Papyrus Nilotica) is now unknown in Egypt; no trace
of it can be found. The unaccountable disappearance of this plant from Egypt
was foretold by Isaiah Isa 19:6,7 as a part of the divine judgment on that
land. The most extensive papyrus growths now known are in the marshes at the
northern end of the lake of Merom.
The capital of the island of Cyprus, and therefore the
residence of the Roman governor. It was visited by Paul and Barnabas on their
first missionary tour Ac 13:6 It is new Paphos which is here meant. It lay on
the west coast of the island, about 8 miles north of old Paphos. Its modern name
is Baffa.
(Gr. parabole), a placing beside; a comparison;
equivalent to the Heb. mashal, a similitude. In the Old Testament this is used
to denote
1. a proverb 1Sa 10:12 24:13 2Ch 7:20
2. a prophetic utterance Nu 23:7 Eze 20:49
3. an enigmatic saying Ps 78:2 Pr 1:6 In the New
Testament,
1. a proverb Mr 7:17 Lu 4:23
2. a typical emblem Heb 9:9 11:19
3. a similitude or allegory Mt 15:15 24:32 Mr 3:23 Lu
5:36 14:7
4. ordinarily, in a more restricted sense, a comparison
of earthly with heavenly things, "an earthly story with a heavenly
meaning, "as in the parables of our Lord. Instruction by parables has been
in use from the earliest times. A large portion of our Lord's public teaching
consisted of parables. He himself explains his reasons for this in his answer
to the inquiry of the disciples, "Why speakest thou to them in
parables?" Mt 13:13-15 Mr 4:11,12 Lu 8:9,10 He followed in so doing the
rule of the divine procedures, as recorded in Mt 13:13 The parables uttered by
our Lord are all recorded in the synoptical (i.e., the first three) Gospels.
The fourth Gospel contains no parable properly so called, although the
illustration of the good shepherd Joh 10:1-16 has all the essential features of
a parable.
A Persian word (pardes), properly meaning a
"pleasure-ground" or "park" or "king's garden."
See EDEN It came in course of time to be used as a name
for the world of happiness and rest hereafter Lu 23:43 2Co 12:4 Re 2:7 For
"garden" in Ge 2:8 the LXX. has "paradise."
The heifer, a town in Benjamin Jos 18:23 supposed to be
identical with the ruins called Far'ah, about 6 miles north-east of Jerusalem,
in the Wady Far'ah, which is a branch of the Wady Kelt.
Abounding in foliage, or abounding in caverns, Ge 21:21 a
desert tract forming the north-eastern division of the peninsula of Sinai,
lying between the 'Arabah on the east and the wilderness of Shur on the west.
It is intersected in a north-western direction by the Wady el-'Arish. It bears
the modern name of Badiet et-Tih, i.e., "the desert of the
wanderings." This district, through which the children of Israel wandered,
lay three days' march from Sinai Nu 10:12,33 From Kadesh, in this wilderness,
spies (q.v.) were sent to spy the land Nu 13:3,26 Here, long afterwards, David
found refuge from Saul 1Sa 25:1,4
probably the hilly region or upland wilderness on the
north of the desert of Paran forming the southern boundary of the Promised Land
De 33:2 Hab 3:3
1Ch 26:18 a place apparently connected with the temple,
probably a "suburb" (q.v.), as the word is rendered in 2Ki 23:11 a
space between the temple wall and the wall of the court; an open portico into
which the chambers of the official persons opened 1Ch 26:18
Isa 35:7 Heb. sharab, a "mirage", a phenomenon
caused by the refraction of the rays of the sun on the glowing sands of the
desert, causing them suddenly to assume the appearance of a beautiful lake. It
is called by the modern Arabs by the same Hebrew name _serab_.
A skin prepared for writing on; so called from Pergamos
(q.v.), where this was first done 2Ti 4:13
The forgiveness of sins granted freely Isa 43:25 readily
Ne 9:17 Ps 86:5 abundantly Isa 55:7 Ro 5:20 Pardon is an act of a sovereign, in
pure sovereignty, granting simply a remission of the penalty due to sin, but
securing neither honour nor reward to the pardoned. Justification (q.v.), on the other hand, is the act of a judge,
and not of a sovereign, and includes pardon and, at the same time, a title to
all the rewards and blessings promised in the covenant of life.
(from the Fr. parler, "to speak") denotes an
"audience chamber, "but that is not the import of the Hebrew word so
rendered. It corresponds to what the Turks call a kiosk, as in Jud 3:20 (the
"summer parlour"), or as in the margin of the Revised Version
("the upper chamber of cooling"), a small room built on the roof of
the house, with open windows to catch the breeze, and having a door communicating
with the outside by which persons seeking an audience may be admitted. While
Eglon was resting in such a parlour, Ehud, under pretence of having a message
from God to him, was admitted into his presence, and murderously plunged his
dagger into his body Jud 3:21,22 The "inner parlours" in 1Ch 28:11
were the small rooms or chambers which Solomon built all round two sides and
one end of the temple 1Ki 6:5 "side chambers; "or they may have been,
as some think, the porch and the holy place. In 1Sa 9:22 the Revised Version
reads "guest chamber, "a chamber at the high place specially used for
sacrificial feasts.
Strong-fisted, a son of Haman, slain in Shushan Es 9:9
Constant, one of the seven "deacons" Ac 6:5
An interpreter of the law, the eldest of Haman's sons, slain
in Shushan Es 9:7
Were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost Ac 2:9 Parthia lay
on the east of Media and south of Hyrcania, which separated it from the Caspian
Sea. It corresponded with the western half of the modern Khorasan, and now
forms a part of Persia.
(Heb. kore, i.e., "caller"). This bird, unlike
our own partridge, is distinguished by "its ringing call-note, which in
early morning echoes from cliff to cliff amidst the barrenness of the
wilderness of Judea and the glens of the forest of Carmel" hence its
Hebrew name. This name occurs only twice in Scripture. In 1Sa 26:20 "David
alludes to the mode of chase practised now, as of old, when the partridge,
continuously chased, was at length, when fatigued, knocked down by sticks
thrown along the ground." It endeavours to save itself "by running,
in preference to flight, unless when suddenly started. It is not an inhabitant
of the plain or the corn-field, but of rocky hill-sides" (Tristram's Nat.
Hist.). In Jer 17:11 the prophet is illustrating the fact that riches
unlawfully acquired are precarious and short-lived. The exact nature of the illustration
cannot be precisely determined. Some interpret the words as meaning that the
covetous man will be as surely disappointed as the partridge which gathers in
eggs, not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them; others (Tristram),
with more probability, as denoting that the man who enriches himself by unjust
means "will as surely be disappointed as the partridge which commences to
sit, but is speedily robbed of her hopes of a brood" by her eggs being
stolen away from her. The commonest partridge in Palestine is the Caccabis
saxatilis, the Greek partridge. The partridge of the wilderness (Ammo-perdix
heyi) is a smaller species. Both are essentially mountain and rock birds, thus
differing from the English partridge, which loves cultivated fields.
Flourishing, the father of Jehoshaphat, appointed to
provide monthly supplies for Solomon from the tribe of Issachar 1Ki 4:17
The name of a country from which Solomon obtained gold
for the temple 2Ch 3:6 Some have identified it with Ophir, but it is uncertain
whether it is even the name of a place. It may simply, as some think, denote
"Oriental regions."
Clearing, one of the sons of Japhlet, of the tribe of
Asher 1Ch 7:33
The border of blood Ephes-dammim (q.v.), between Shochoh
and Azekah 1Sa 17:1 1Ch 11:13
Release.
1. The son of Immer (probably the same as Amariah,)Ne
10:3 12:2 the head of one of the priestly courses, was "chief governor
[Heb. paqid nagid, meaning "deputy governor"] of the temple" Jer
20:1,2 At this time the _nagid_, or "governor, "of the temple was
Seraiah the high priest 1Ch 6:14 and Pashur was his _paqid_, or
"deputy." Enraged at the plainness with which Jeremiah uttered his
solemn warnings of coming judgements, because of the abounding iniquity of the
times, Pashur ordered the temple police to seize him, and after inflicting on
him corporal punishment (forty stripes save one,)De 25:3 comp. 2Co 11:24 to put
him in the stocks in the high gate of Benjamin, where he remained all night. On
being set free in the morning, Jeremiah went to Pashur Jer 20:3,5 and announced
to him that God had changed his name to Magor-missabib, i.e., "terror on
every side." The punishment that fell upon him was probably remorse, when
he saw the ruin he had brought upon his country by advising a close alliance
with Egypt in opposition to the counsels of Jeremiah Jer 20:4-6 He was carried
captive to Babylon, and died there.
2. A priest sent by king Zedekiah to Jeremiah to inquire
of the Lord Jer 21:1 38:1-6 He advised that the prophet should be put to death.
3. The father of Gedaliah. He was probably the same as
No. 1.
Denotes in Jos 22:11 as is generally understood, the
place where the children of Israel passed over Jordan. The words "the
passage of" are, however, more correctly rendered "by the side of,
"or "at the other side of, "thus designating the position of the
great altar erected by the eastern tribes on their return home. This word also
designates the fords of the Jordan to the south of the Sea of Galilee Jud
12:5,6 and a pass or rocky defile 1Sa 13:23 14:4 "Passages" in Jer
22:20 is in the Revised Version more correctly "Abarim" (q.v.), a
proper name.
Only once found, in Ac 1:3 meaning suffering, referring
to the sufferings of our Lord.
The name given to the chief of the three great historical
annual festivals of the Jews. It was kept in remembrance of the Lord's passing
over the houses of the Israelites Ex 12:13 when the first born of all the Egyptians
were destroyed. It is called also the "feast of unleavened bread" Ex
23:15 Mr 14:1 Ac 12:3 because during its celebration no leavened bread was to
be eaten or even kept in the household Ex 12:15 The word afterwards came to
denote the lamb that was slain at the feast Mr 14:12-14 1Co 5:7 A detailed
account of the institution of this feast is given in Ex 12:1-13:1ff. It was
afterwards incorporated in the ceremonial law Le 23:4-8 as one of the great
festivals of the nation. In after times many changes seem to have taken place
as to the mode of its celebration as compared with its first celebration
(comp.) De 16:2,5,6 2Ch 30:16 Le 23:10-14 Nu 9:10,11 28:16-24 Again, the use of
wine Lu 22:17,20 of sauce with the bitter herbs Joh 13:26 and the service of praise
were introduced. There is recorded only one celebration of this feast between
the Exodus and the entrance into Canaan, namely, that mentioned in Nu 9:5
See JOSIAH It was primarily a commemorative ordinance,
reminding the children of Israel of their deliverance out of Egypt; but it was,
no doubt, also a type of the great deliverance wrought by the Messiah for all
his people from the doom of death on account of sin, and from the bondage of
sin itself, a worse than Egyptian bondage 1Co 5:7 Joh 1:29 Joh 19:32-36 1Pe
1:19 Ga 4:4,5 The appearance of Jerusalem on the occasion of the Passover in
the time of our Lord is thus fittingly described: "The city itself and the
neighbourhood became more and more crowded as the feast approached, the narrow
streets and dark arched bazaars showing the same throng of men of all nations
as when Jesus had first visited Jerusalem as a boy. Even the temple offered a
strange sight at this season, for in parts of the outer courts a wide space was
covered with pens for sheep, goats, and cattle to be used for offerings. Sellers shouted the merits of their beasts,
sheep bleated, oxen lowed. Sellers of doves also had a place set apart for
them. Potters offered a choice from huge stacks of clay dishes and ovens for
roasting and eating the Passover lamb. Booths for wine, oil, salt, and all else
needed for sacrifices invited customers. Persons going to and from the city
shortened their journey by crossing the temple grounds, often carrying
burdens...Stalls to change foreign money into the shekel of the temple, which
alone could be paid to the priests, were numerous, the whole confusion making
the sanctuary like a noisy market" (Geikie's Life of Christ).
A city on the south-west coast of Lycia at which Paul
landed on his return from his third missionary journey Ac 21:1,2 Here he found
a larger vessel, which was about to sail across the open sea to the coast of
Phoenicia. In this vessel he set forth, and reached the city of Tyre in perhaps
two or three days.
The name generally given to Upper Egypt (the Thebaid of
the Greeks), as distinguished from Matsor, or Lower Egypt Isa 11:11 Jer 44:1,15
Eze 30:14 the two forming Mizraim. After the destruction of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar, colonies of Jews settled "in the country of Pathros"
and other parts of Egypt.
A small rocky and barren island, one of the group called
the "Sporades, "in the AEgean Sea. It is mentioned in Scripture only
in Re 1:9 It was on this island, to which John was banished by the emperor
Domitian (A.D. 95) that he received from God the wondrous revelation recorded
in his book. This has naturally invested it with the deepest interest for all
time. It is now called Patmo.
See JOHN
A name employed in the New Testament with reference to
Abraham Heb 7:4 the sons of Jacob Ac 7:8,9 and to David Ac 2:29 This name is
generally applied to the progenitors of families or "heads of the
fathers" Jos 14:1 mentioned in Scripture, and they are spoken of as
antediluvian (from Adam to Noah) and post-diluvian (from Noah to Jacob)
patriachs. But the expression "the patriarch, "by way of eminence, is
applied to the twelve sons of Jacob, or to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
"Patriachal longevity presents itself as one of the most striking of the
facts concerning mankind which the early history of the Book of Genesis places
before us...There is a large amount of consentient tradition to the effect that
the life of man was originally far more prolonged than it is at present,
extending to at least several hundred years. The Babylonians, Egyptians, and
Chinese exaggerated these hundreds into thousands. The Greeks and Romans, with
more moderation, limited human life within a thousand or eight hundred years.
The Hindus still farther shortened the term. Their books taught that in the
first age of the world man was free from diseases, and lived ordinarily four
hundred years; in the second age the term of life was reduced from four hundred
to three hundred; in the third it became two hundred; in the fourth and last it
was brought down to one hundred" (Rawlinson's Historical Illustrations).
A Christian at Rome to whom Paul sent salutations Ro
16:14
Ge 36:39 or Pai 1Ch 1:50 bleating, an Edomitish city
ruled over by Hadar.
=Saul (q.v.) was born about the same time as our Lord.
His circumcision-name was Saul, and probably the name Paul was also given to
him in infancy "for use in the Gentile world, "as "Saul"
would be his Hebrew home-name. He was a native of Tarsus, the capital of
Cilicia, a Roman province in the south-east of Asia Minor. That city stood on
the banks of the river Cydnus, which was navigable thus far; hence it became a
centre of extensive commercial traffic with many countries along the shores of
the Mediterranean, as well as with the countries of central Asia Minor. It thus
became a city distinguished for the wealth of its inhabitants. Tarsus was also
the seat of a famous university, higher in reputation even than the
universities of Athens and Alexandria, the only others that then existed. Here
Saul was born, and here he spent his youth, doubtless enjoying the best
education his native city could afford. His father was of the straitest sect of
the Jews, a Pharisee, of the tribe of Benjamin, of pure and unmixed Jewish
blood Ac 23:6 Php 3:5 We learn nothing regarding his mother; but there is
reason to conclude that she was a pious woman, and that, like-minded with her
husband, she exercised all a mother influence in moulding the character of her
son, so that he could afterwards speak of himself as being, from his youth up,
"touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" Php 3:6
We read of his sister and his sister's son Ac 23:16 and of other relatives Ro
16:7,11,12 Though a Jew, his father was a Roman citizen. How he obtained this
privilege we are not informed. "It might be bought, or won by
distinguished service to the state, or acquired in several other ways; at all
events, his son was freeborn. It was a valuable privilege, and one that was to
prove of great use to Paul, although not in the way in which his father might
have been expected to desire him to make use of it." Perhaps the most
natural career for the youth to follow was that of a merchant. "But it was
decided that...he should go to college and become a rabbi, that is, a minister,
a teacher, and a lawyer all in one." According to Jewish custom, however,
he learned a trade before entering on the more direct preparation for the
sacred profession. The trade he acquired was the making of tents from goats'
hair cloth, a trade which was one of the commonest in Tarsus. His preliminary
education having been completed, Saul was sent, when about thirteen years of
age probably, to the great Jewish school of sacred learning at Jerusalem as a
student of the law. Here he became a pupil of the celebrated rabbi Gamaliel, and
here he spent many years in an elaborate study of the Scriptures and of the
many questions concerning them with which the rabbis exercised themselves.
During these years of diligent study he lived "in all good conscience,
"unstained by the vices of that great city. After the period of his
student-life expired, he probably left Jerusalem for Tarsus, where he may have
been engaged in connection with some synagogue for some years. But we find him
back again at Jerusalem very soon after the death of our Lord. Here he now
learned the particulars regarding the crucifixion, and the rise of the new sect
of the "Nazarenes." For some two years after Pentecost, Christianity
was quietly spreading its influence in Jerusalem. At length Stephen, one of the
seven deacons, gave forth more public and aggressive testimony that Jesus was
the Messiah, and this led to much excitement among the Jews and much
disputation in their synagogues. Persecution arose against Stephen and the
followers of Christ generally, in which Saul of Tarsus took a prominent part.
He was at this time probably a member of the great Sanhedrin, and became the
active leader in the furious persecution by which the rulers then sought to
exterminate Christianity. But the object of this persecution also failed.
"They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word."
The anger of the persecutor was thereby kindled into a fiercer flame. Hearing
that fugitives had taken refuge in Damascus, he obtained from the chief priest
letters authorizing him to proceed thither on his persecuting career. This was
a long journey of about 130 miles, which would occupy perhaps six days, during
which, with his few attendants, he steadily went onward, "breathing out
threatenings and slaughter." But the crisis of his life was at hand. He
had reached the last stage of his journey, and was within sight of Damascus. As
he and his companions rode on, suddenly at mid-day a brilliant light shone
round them, and Saul was laid prostrate in terror on the ground, a voice sounding
in his ears, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" The risen Saviour
was there, clothed in the vesture of his glorified humanity. In answer to the
anxious inquiry of the stricken persecutor, "Who art thou, Lord?" he
said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest" Ac 9:5 22:8 26:15 This was
the moment of his conversion, the most solemn in all his life. Blinded by the
dazzling light Ac 9:8 his companions led him into the city, where, absorbed in
deep thought for three days, he neither ate nor drank Ac 9:11 Ananias, a
disciple living in Damascus, was informed by a vision of the change that had
happened to Saul, and was sent to him to open his eyes and admit him by baptism
into the Christian church Ac 9:11-16 The whole purpose of his life was now
permanently changed. Immediately after his conversion he retired into the
solitudes of Arabia Ga 1:17 perhaps of "Sinai in Arabia, "for the
purpose, probably, of devout study and meditation on the marvellous revelation
that had been made to him. "A veil of thick darkness hangs over this visit
to Arabia. Of the scenes among which he moved, of the thoughts and occupations
which engaged him while there, of all the circumstances of a crisis which must
have shaped the whole tenor of his after-life, absolutely nothing is known. 'Immediately,
'says St. Paul, 'I went away into Arabia.' The historian passes over the
incident [comp. Ac 9:23 1Ki 11:38,39 It is a mysterious pause, a moment of
suspense, in the apostle's history, a breathless calm, which ushers in the
tumultuous storm of his active missionary life." Coming back, after three
years, to Damascus, he began to preach the gospel "boldly in the name of
Jesus" Ac 9:27 but was soon obliged to flee Ac 9:25 2Co 11:33 from the
Jews and betake himself to Jerusalem. Here he tarried for three weeks, but was
again forced to flee Ac 9:28,29 from persecution. He now returned to his native
Tarsus Ga 1:21 where, for probably about three years, we lose sight of him. The
time had not yet come for his entering on his great life-work of preaching the
gospel to the Gentiles. At length the city of Antioch, the capital of Syria,
became the scene of great Christian activity. There the gospel gained a firm
footing, and the cause of Christ prospered. Barnabas (q.v.), who had been sent
from Jerusalem to superintend the work at Antioch, found it too much for him,
and remembering Saul, he set out to Tarsus to seek for him. He readily
responded to the call thus addressed to him, and came down to Antioch, which
for "a whole year" became the scene of his labours, which were
crowned with great success. The disciples now, for the first time, were called
"Christians" Ac 11:26 The church at Antioch now proposed to send out
missionaries to the Gentiles, and Saul and Barnabas, with John Mark as their
attendant, were chosen for this work. This was a great epoch in the history of
the church. Now the disciples began to give effect to the Master's command:
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
The three missionaries went forth on the first missionary tour. They sailed
from Seleucia, the seaport of Antioch, across to Cyprus, some 80 miles to the
south-west. Here at Paphos, Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, was converted,
and now Saul took the lead, and was ever afterwards called Paul. The missionaries
now crossed to the mainland, and then proceeded 6 or 7 miles up the river
Cestrus to Perga Ac 13:13 where John Mark deserted the work and returned to
Jerusalem. The two then proceeded about 100 miles inland, passing through
Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia. The towns mentioned in this tour are the
Pisidian Antioch, where Paul delivered his first address of which we have any
record Ac 13:16-51 comp. Ac 10:30-43 Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. They returned
by the same route to see and encourage the converts they had made, and ordain
elders in every city to watch over the churches which had been gathered. From
Perga they sailed direct for Antioch, from which they had set out. After
remaining "a long time", probably till A.D. 50 or 51 in Antioch, a
great controversy broke out in the church there regarding the relation of the
Gentiles to the Mosaic law. For the purpose of obtaining a settlement of this
question, Paul and Barnabas were sent as deputies to consult the church at
Jerusalem. The council or synod which
was there held Ac 15:1ff. decided against the Judaizing party; and the
deputies, accompanied by Judas and Silas, returned to Antioch, bringing with
them the decree of the council. After a short rest at Antioch, Paul said to
Barnabas: "Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we
have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do." Mark proposed
again to accompany them; but Paul refused to allow him to go. Barnabas was resolved to take Mark, and thus
he and Paul had a sharp contention. They separated, and never again met. Paul,
however, afterwards speaks with honour of Barnabas, and sends for Mark to come
to him at Rome Col 4:10 2Ti 4:11 Paul took with him Silas, instead of Barnabas,
and began his second missionary journey about A.D. 51 This time he went by
land, revisiting the churches he had already founded in Asia. But he longed to
enter into "regions beyond, "and still went forward through Phrygia
and Galatia Ac 16:6 Contrary to his intention, he was constrained to linger in
Galatia (q.v.), on account of some bodily affliction Ga 4:13,14 Bithynia, a
populous province on the shore of the Black Sea, lay now before him, and he
wished to enter it; but the way was shut, the Spirit in some manner guiding him
in another direction, till he came down to the shores of the AEgean and arrived
at Troas, on the north-western coast of Asia Minor Ac 16:8 Of this long journey
from Antioch to Troas we have no account except some references to it in his
Epistle to the Galatians Ga 4:13 As he waited at Troas for indications of the
will of God as to his future movements, he saw, in the vision of the night, a
man from the opposite shores of Macedonia standing before him, and heard him
cry, "Come over, and help us" Ac 16:9 Paul recognized in this vision
a message from the Lord, and the very next day set sail across the Hellespont,
which separated him from Europe, and carried the tidings of the gospel into the
Western world. In Macedonia, churches were planted in Philippi, Thessalonica,
and Berea. Leaving this province, Paul passed into Achaia, "the paradise
of genius and renown." He reached Athens, but quitted it after, probably,
a brief sojourn Ac 17:17-31 The Athenians had received him with cold disdain,
and he never visited that city again. He passed over to Corinth, the seat of
the Roman government of Achaia, and remained there a year and a half, labouring
with much success. While at Corinth, he wrote his two epistles to the church of
Thessalonica, his earliest apostolic letters, and then sailed for Syria, that
he might be in time to keep the feast of Pentecost at Jerusalem. He was
accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla, whom he left at Ephesus, at which he
touched, after a voyage of thirteen or fifteen days. He landed at Caesarea, and
went up to Jerusalem, and having "saluted the church" there, and kept
the feast, he left for Antioch, where he abode "some time" Ac
18:20-23 He then began his third missionary tour. He journeyed by land in the
"upper coasts" (the more eastern parts) of Asia Minor, and at length
made his way to Ephesus, where he tarried for no less than three years, engaged
in ceaseless Christian labour. "This city was at the time the Liverpool of
the Mediterranean. It possessed a splendid harbour, in which was concentrated
the traffic of the sea which was then the highway of the nations; and as
Liverpool has behind her the great towns of Lancashire, so had Ephesus behind
and around her such cities as those mentioned along with her in the epistles to
the churches in the book of Revelation, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It was a city of vast wealth, and it was given over
to every kind of pleasure, the fame of its theatres and race-course being
world-wide" (Stalker's Life of St. Paul). Here a "great door and
effectual" was opened to the apostle. His fellow-labourers aided him in
his work, carrying the gospel to Colosse and Laodicea and other places which
they could reach. Very shortly before his departure from Ephesus, the apostle
wrote his First Epistle to the Corinthians (q.v.). The silversmiths, whose
traffic in the little images which they made was in danger
See DEMETRIUS organized a riot against Paul, and he left
the city, and proceeded to Troas 2Co 2:12 whence after some time he went to
meet Titus in Macedonia. Here, in consequence of the report Titus brought from
Corinth, he wrote his second epistle to that church. Having spent probably most
of the summer and autumn in Macedonia, visiting the churches there, specially
the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, probably penetrating into
the interior, to the shores of the Adriatic Ro 15:19 he then came into Greece,
where he abode three month, spending probably the greater part of this time in
Corinth Ac 20:2 During his stay in this city he wrote his Epistle to the
Galatians, and also the great Epistle to the Romans. At the end of the three
months he left Achaia for Macedonia, thence crossed into Asia Minor, and
touching at Miletus, there addressed the Ephesian presbyters, whom he had sent
for to meet him Ac 20:17 and then sailed for Tyre, finally reaching Jerusalem,
probably in the spring of A.D. 58 While at Jerusalem, at the feast of
Pentecost, he was almost murdered by a Jewish mob in the temple.
See TEMPLE, HEROD'S Rescued from their violence by the
Roman commandant, he was conveyed as a prisoner to Caesarea, where, from
various causes, he was detained a prisoner for two years in Herod's praetorium
Ac 23:35 "Paul was not kept in close confinement; he had at least the
range of the barracks in which he was detained. There we can imagine him pacing
the ramparts on the edge of the Mediterranean, and gazing wistfully across the
blue waters in the direction of Macedonia, Achaia, and Ephesus, where his
spiritual children were pining for him, or perhaps encountering dangers in
which they sorely needed his presence. It was a mysterious providence which
thus arrested his energies and condemned the ardent worker to inactivity; yet
we can now see the reason for it. Paul was needing rest. After twenty years of
incessant evangelization, he required leisure to garner the harvest of
experience...During these two years he wrote nothing; it was a time of internal
mental activity and silent progress" (Stalker's Life of St. Paul). At the
end of these two years Felix (q.v.) was succeeded in the governorship of
Palestine by Porcius Festus, before whom the apostle was again heard. But judging it right at this crisis to claim
the privilege of a Roman citizen, he appealed to the emperor Ac 25:11 Such an
appeal could not be disregarded, and Paul was at once sent on to Rome under the
charge of one Julius, a centurion of the "Augustan cohort." After a
long and perilous voyage, he at length reached the imperial city in the early
spring, probably, of A.D. 61 Here he was permitted to occupy his own hired
house, under constant military custody. This privilege was accorded to him, no
doubt, because he was a Roman citizen, and as such could not be put into prison
without a trial. The soldiers who kept
guard over Paul were of course changed at frequent intervals, and thus he had
the opportunity of preaching the gospel to many of them during these "two
whole years, "and with the blessed result of spreading among the imperial
guards, and even in Caesar's household, an interest in the truth Php 1:13 His
rooms were resorted to by many anxious inquirers, both Jews and Gentiles Ac
28:23,30,31 and thus his imprisonment "turned rather to the furtherance of
the gospel, "and his "hired house" became the centre of a
gracious influence which spread over the whole city. According to a Jewish
tradition, it was situated on the borders of the modern Ghetto, which has been
the Jewish quarters in Rome from the time of Pompey to the present day. During
this period the apostle wrote his epistles to the Colossians, Ephesians,
Philippians, and to Philemon, and probably also to the Hebrews. This first
imprisonment came at length to a close, Paul having been acquitted, probably
because no witnesses appeared against him. Once more he set out on his
missionary labours, probably visiting western and eastern Europe and Asia
Minor. During this period of freedom he wrote his First Epistle to Timothy and
his Epistle to Titus. The year of his release was signalized by the burning of
Rome, which Nero saw fit to attribute to the Christians. A fierce persecution
now broke out against the Christians. Paul was siezed, and once more conveyed
to Rome a prisoner. During this imprisonment he probably wrote the Second
Epistle to Timothy, the last he ever wrote. "There can be little doubt that
he appered again at Nero's bar, and this time the charge did not break down. In
all history there is not a more startling illustration of the irony of human
life than this scene of Paul at the bar of Nero. On the judgment-seat, clad in
the imperial purple, sat a man who, in a bad world, had attained the eminence
of being the very worst and meanest being in it, a man stained with every
crime, a man whose whole being was so steeped in every nameable and unnameable
vice, that body and soul of him were, as some one said at the time, nothing but
a compound of mud and blood; and in the prisoner's dock stood the best man the
world possessed, his hair whitened with labours for the good of men and the
glory of God. The trial ended: Paul was condemned, and delivered over to the
executioner. He was led out of the city, with a crowd of the lowest rabble at
his heels. The fatal spot was reached; he knelt beside the block; the
headsman's axe gleamed in the sun and fell; and the head of the apostle of the
world rolled down in the dust" (probably A.D. 66) four years before the
fall of Jerusalem.
It was the custom of the Roman governors to erect their
tribunals in open places, as the market-place, the circus, or even the highway.
Pilate caused his seat of judgment to be set down in a place called "the
Pavement" Joh 19:13 i.e., a place paved with a mosaic of coloured stones.
It was probably a place thus prepared in front of the "judgment
hall."
See GABBATHA
A tent or tabernacle 2Sa 22:12 1Ki 20:12-16 or enclosure
Ps 18:11 27:5 In Jer 43:10 it probably denotes the canopy suspended over the
judgement-seat of the king.
(Heb. shelamim), detailed regulations regarding given in
Le 3:1ff. Le 7:11-21,29-34 They were of three kinds,
1. eucharistic or thanksgiving offerings, expressive of
gratitude for blessings received;
2. in fulfilment of a vow, but expressive also of thanks
for benefits recieved; and
3. free-will offerings, something spontaneously devoted
to God.
(Heb. tuk, apparently borrowed from the Tamil tokei).
This bird is indigenous to India. It was brought to Solomon by his ships from
Tarshish 1Ki 10:22 2Ch 9:21 which in this case was probably a district on the
Malabar coast of India, or in Ceylon. The word so rendered in Job 39:13
literally means wild, tumultuous crying, and properly denotes the female
ostrich (q.v.).
(Heb. gabish,)Job 28:18 Gr. margarites, Mt 7:6 13:46 Re
21:21 The pearl oyster is found in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Its shell
is the "mother of pearl, "which is of great value for ornamental
purposes 1Ti 2:9 Re 17:4 Each shell contains eight or ten pearls of various
sizes.
As used in the phrase "peculiar people" in 1Pe
2:9 is derived from the Lat. peculium, and denotes, as rendered in the Revised
Version ("a people for God's own possession"), a special possession
or property. The church is the "property" of God, his "purchased
possession" Eph 1:14 R.V., "God's own possession".
Redeemed of God, the son of Ammihud, a prince of Naphtali
Nu 34:28
Rock of redemption, the father of Gamaliel and prince of
Manasseh at the time of the Exodus Nu 1:10 2:20
Redemption of the Lord.
1. The father of Zebudah, who was the wife of Josiah and
mother of king Jehoiakim 2Ki 23:36
2. The father of Zerubbabel 1Ch 3:17-19
3. The father of Joel, ruler of the half-tribe of
Manasseh 1Ch 27:20
4. Ne 3:25
5. A Levite Ne 8:4
6. A Benjamite Ne 11:7
7. A Levite Ne 13:13
Open-eyed, the son of Remaliah a captain in the army of
Pekahiah, king of Israel, whom he slew, with the aid of a band of Gileadites,
and succeeded (B.C. 758) on the throne 2Ki 15:25 Seventeen years after this he
entered into an alliance with Rezin, king of Syria, and took part with him in
besieging Jerusalem 2Ki 15:37 16:5 But Tiglath-pilser, who was in alliance with
Ahaz, king of Judah, came up against Pekah, and carried away captive many of
the inhabitants of his kingdom 2Ki 15:29 This was the beginning of the
"Captivity." Soon after this Pekah was put to death by Hoshea, the
son of Elah, who usurped the throne 2Ki 15:30 16:1-9 Comp. Isa 7:16 8:4 9:12 He
is supposed by some to have been the "shephard" mentioned in Zec
11:16
The Lord opened his eyes, the son and successor of
Menahem on the throne of Israel. He was murdered in the royal palace of Samaria
by Pekah, one of the captains of his army 2Ki 15:23-26 after a reign of two
years (B.C. 761) He "did that which was evil in the sight of the
Lord."
Probably a place in Babylonia Jer 50:21 Eze 23:23 It is
the opinion, however, of some that this word signifies "visitation,
""punishment, " and allegorically "designates Babylon as
the city which was to be destroyed."
Distinguished of the Lord.
1. One of David's posterity 1Ch 3:24
2. A Levite who expounded the law Ne 8:7
Deliverance of the Lord.
1. A son of Hananiah and grandson of Zerubbabel 1Ch 3:21
2. A captain of "the sons of Simeon" 1Ch 4:42
3. Ne 10:22
4. One of the twenty-five princes of the people against
whom Ezekiel prophesied on account of their wicked counsel Eze 11:1-13
Division, one of the sons of Eber; so called because
"in his days was the earth divided" Ge 10:25 Possibly he may have
lived at the time of the dispersion from Babel. But more probably the reference
is to the dispersion of the two races which sprang from Eber, the one spreading
towards Mesopotamia and Syria, and the other southward into Arabia.
Deliverance.
1. A descendant of Judah 1Ch 2:47
2. A Benjamite who joined David at Ziklag 1Ch 12:3
Swiftness.
1. A Reubenite whose son was one of the conspirators
against Moses and Aaron Nu 16:1
2. One of the sons of Jonathan 1Ch 2:33
Mentioned always along with the Cherethites, and only in
the time of David. The word probably means "runners" or "couriers,
"and may denote that while forming part of David's bodyguard, they were
also sometimes employed as couriers 2Sa 8:18 20:7,23 1Ki 1:38,44 1Ch 18:17
Some, however, think that these are the names simply of two Philistine tribes
from which David selected his body-guard. They are mentioned along with the
Gittites 2Sa 15:18 another body of foreign troops whom David gathered round
him.
Are frequently met with at the waters of Merom and the
Sea of Galilee. The pelican is ranked among unclean birds Le 11:18 De 14:17 It
is of an enormous size, being about 6 feet long, with wings stretching out over
12 feet. The Hebrew name (kaath, i.e., "vomiter") of this bird is
incorrectly rendered "cormorant" in the Authorized Version of Isa
34:11 Zep 2:14 but correctly in the Revised Version. It receives its Hebrew
name from its habit of storing in its pouch large quantities of fish, which it
disgorges when it feeds its young. Two species are found on the Syrian coast,
the Pelicanus onocrotalus, or white pelican, and the Pelicanus crispus, or
Dalmatian pelican.
See COMORANT
(Gr. denarion), a silver coin of the value of about 7 1/2
or 8d. of our present money. It is thus rendered in the New Testament, and is
more frequently mentioned than any other coin Mt 18:28 20:2,9,13 Mr 6:37 14:5
etc. It was the daily pay of a Roman soldier in the time of Christ. In the
reign of Edward III. an English penny was a labourer's day's wages. This was
the "tribute money" with reference to which our Lord said,
"Whose image and superscription is this?" When they answered, "Caesar's,
"he replied, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's" Mt 22:19 Mr 12:15
The five-fold volume, consisting of the first five books
of the Old Testament. This word does not occur in Scripture, nor is it
certainly known when the roll was thus divided into five portions Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Probably that was done by the LXX.
translators. Some modern critics speak of a Hexateuch, introducing the Book of
Joshua as one of the group. But this book is of an entirely different character
from the other books, and has a different author. It stands by itself as the
first of a series of historical books beginning with the entrance of the
Israelites into Canaan.
See JOSHUA The books composing the Pentateuch are
properly but one book, the "Law of Moses, "the "Book of the Law
of Moses, "the "Book of Moses, "or, as the Jews designate it,
the "Torah" or "Law." That in its present form it
"proceeds from a single author is proved by its plan and aim, according to
which its whole contents refer to the covenant concluded between Jehovah and
his people, by the instrumentality of Moses, in such a way that everything
before his time is perceived to be preparatory to this fact, and all the rest
to be the development of it. Nevertheless, this unity has not been stamped upon
it as a matter of necessity by the latest redactor: it has been there from the
beginning, and is visible in the first plan and in the whole execution of the
work.", Keil, Einl. i.d. A. T. A certain school of critics have set
themselves to reconstruct the books of the Old Testament. By a process of
"scientific study" they have discovered that the so-called historical
books of the Old Testament are not history at all, but a miscellaneous
collection of stories, the inventions of many different writers, patched
together by a variety of editors! As regards the Pentateuch, they are not
ashamed to attribute fraud, and even conspiracy, to its authors, who sought to
find acceptance to their work which was composed partly in the age of Josiah,
and partly in that of Ezra and Nehemiah, by giving it out to be the work of
Moses! This is not the place to enter into the details of this controversy. We
may say frankly, however, that we have no faith in this "higher
criticism." It degrades the books of the Old Testament below the level of
fallible human writings, and the arguments on which its speculations are built
are altogether untenable. The evidences in favour of the Mosaic authorship of
the Pentateuch are conclusive. We may thus state some of them briefly:
1. These books profess to have been written by Moses in
the name of God Ex 17:14 24:3,4,7 32:7-10,30-34 34:27 Le 26:46 27:34 De
31:9,24,25
2. This also is the uniform and persistent testimony of
the Jews of all sects in all ages and countries (comp.) Jos 8:31,32 1Ki 2:3 Jer
7:22 Ezr 6:18 Ne 8:1 Mal 4:4 Mt 22:24 Ac 15:21
3. Our Lord plainly taught the Mosaic authorship of these
books Mt 5:17,18 19:8 22:31,32 23:2 Mr 10:9 12:26 Lu 16:31 20:37 Lu 24:26,27,44
Joh 3:14 5:45,46,47 6:32,49 7:19,22 In the face of this fact, will any one
venture to allege either that Christ was ignorant of the composition of the
Bible, or that, knowing the true state of the case, he yet encouraged the
people in the delusion they clung to?
4. From the time of Joshua down to the time of Ezra there
is, in the intermediate historical books, a constant reference to the
Pentateuch as the "Book of the Law of Moses." This is a point of much
importance, inasmuch as the critics deny that there is any such reference; and
hence they deny the historical character of the Pentateuch. As regards the
Passover, e.g., we find it frequently spoken of or alluded to in the historical
books following the Pentateuch, showing that the "Law of Moses" was
then certainly known. It was celebrated in the time of Joshua Jos 5:10 cf. Jos
4:19 Hezekiah 2Ch 30:1ff. Josiah 2Ki 23:1ff. 2Ch 35:1ff. and Zerubbabel Ezr
6:19-22 and is referred to in such passages as 2Ki 23:22 2Ch 35:18 1Ki 9:25
("three times in a year"); 2Ch 8:13 Similarly we might show frequent
references to the Feast of Tabernacles and other Jewish institutions, although
we do not admit that any valid argument can be drawn from the silence of
Scripture in such a case. An examination of the following texts, 1Ki 2:9 2Ki
14:6 2Ch 23:18 25:4 34:14 Ezr 3:2 7:6 Da 9:11,13 will also plainly show that
the "Law of Moses" was known during all these centuries. Granting that in the time of Moses there
existed certain oral traditions or written records and documents which he was
divinely led to make use of in his history,this will fully account for certain
peculiarities of expression which critics have called "anachronisms"
and "contradictions, "but in no way militates against the doctrine
that Moses was the original author of the whole of the Pentateuch. It is not
necessary for us to affirm that the whole is an original composition; but we
affirm that the evidences clearly demonstrate that Moses was the author of
those books which have come down to us bearing his name. The Pentateuch is
certainly the basis and necessary preliminary of the whole of the Old Testament
history and literature.
See DEUTERONOMY
i.e., "fiftieth", found only in the New
Testament Ac 2:1 20:16 1Co 16:8 The festival so named is first spoken of in Ex
23:16 as "the feast of harvest, "and again in Ex 34:22 as "the
day of the firstfruits" Nu 28:26 From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan
(the second day of the Passover), seven complete weeks, i.e., forty-nine days,
were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the fiftieth day. The manner in
which it was to be kept is described in Le 23:15-19 Nu 28:27-29 Besides the
sacrifices prescribed for the occasion, every one was to bring to the Lord his
"tribute of a free-will offering" De 16:9-11 The purpose of this
feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest. Its
distinguishing feature was the offering of "two leavened loaves" made
from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved
before the Lord as a thank offering. The day of Pentecost is noted in the
Christian Church as the day on which the Spirit descended upon the apostles,
and on which, under Peter's preaching, so many thousands were converted in
Jerusalem Ac 2:1ff.
Face of God, a place not far from Succoth, on the east of
the Jordan and north of the river Jabbok. It is also called "Peniel."
Here Jacob wrestled Ge 32:24-32 "with a man" ("the angel",
Ho 12:4 Jacob says of him, "I have seen God face to face") "till
the break of day." A town was afterwards built there Jud 8:8 1Ki 12:25 The
men of this place refused to succour Gideon and his little army when they were
in pursuit of the Midianites Jud 8:1-21 On his return, Gideon slew the men of
this city and razed its lofty watch-tower to the ground.
Opening.
1. A mountain peak Nu 23:28 to which Balak led Balaam as
a last effort to induce him to pronounce a curse upon Israel. When he looked on
the tribes encamped in the acacia groves below him, he could not refrain from
giving utterance to a remarkable benediction Nu 24:1-9 Balak was more than ever
enraged at Balaam, and bade him flee for his life. But before he went he gave
expression to that wonderful prediction regarding the future of this mysterious
people, whose "goodly tents" were spread out before him, and the
coming of a "Star" out of Jacob and a "Sceptre" out of
Israel Nu 24:14-17
2. A Moabite divinity, called also "Baal-peor"
Nu 25:3,5,18 comp. De 3:29