Aaron - the eldest son of Amram and Jochebed, a
daughter of Levi (Ex. 6:20). Some explain the name as meaning mountaineer,
others mountain of strength, illuminator. He was born in Egypt three years
before his brother Moses, and a number of years after his sister Miriam (2:1,4;
7:7). He married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab of the house of Judah
(6:23; 1 Chr. 2:10), by whom he had four sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and
Ithamar. When the time for the deliverance of Isarael out of Egypt drew nigh, he
was sent by God (Ex. 4:14,27-30) to meet his long-absent brother, that he might
co-operate with him in all that they were required to do in bringing about the
Exodus. He was to be the "mouth" or "prophet" of Moses, i.e., was to speak for
him, because he was a man of a ready utterance (7:1,2,9,10,19). He was faithful
to his trust, and stood by Moses in all his interviews with Pharaoh.
When the ransomed tribes fought their first battle with Amalek in Rephidim,
Moses stood on a hill overlooking the scene of the conflict with the rod of God
in his outstretched hand. On this occasion he was attended by Aaron and Hur, his
sister's husband, who held up his wearied hands till Joshua and the chosen
warriors of Israel gained the victory (17:8-13).
Afterwards, when encamped before Sinai, and when Moses at the command of God
ascended the mount to receive the tables of the law, Aaron and his two sons,
Nadab and Abihu, along with seventy of the elders of Israel, were permitted to
accompany him part of the way, and to behold afar off the manifestation of the
glory of Israel's God (Ex. 19:24; 24:9-11). While Moses remained on the mountain
with God, Aaron returned unto the people; and yielding through fear, or
ignorance, or instability of character, to their clamour, made unto them a
golden calf, and set it up as an object of worship (Ex. 32:4; Ps. 106:19). On
the return of Moses to the camp, Aaron was sternly rebuked by him for the part
he had acted in this matter; but he interceded for him before God, who forgave
his sin (Deut. 9:20).
On the mount, Moses received instructions regarding the system of worship
which was to be set up among the people; and in accordance therewith Aaron and
his sons were consecrated to the priest's office (Lev. 8; 9). Aaron, as high
priest, held henceforth the prominent place appertaining to that office.
When Israel had reached Hazeroth, in "the wilderness of Paran," Aaron joined
with his sister Miriam in murmuring against Moses, "because of the Ethiopian
woman whom he had married," probably after the death of Zipporah. But the Lord
vindicated his servant Moses, and punished Miriam with leprosy (Num. 12). Aaron
acknowledged his own and his sister's guilt, and at the intercession of Moses
they were forgiven.
Twenty years after this, when the children of Israel were encamped in the
wilderness of Paran, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram conspired against Aaron and his
sons; but a fearful judgment from God fell upon them, and they were destroyed,
and the next day thousands of the people also perished by a fierce pestilence,
the ravages of which were only stayed by the interposition of Aaron (Num. 16).
That there might be further evidence of the divine appointment of Aaron to the
priestly office, the chiefs of the tribes were each required to bring to Moses a
rod bearing on it the name of his tribe. And these, along with the rod of Aaron
for the tribe of Levi, were laid up overnight in the tabernacle, and in the
morning it was found that while the other rods remained unchanged, that of Aaron
"for the house of Levi" budded, blossomed, and yielded almonds (Num. 17:1-10).
This rod was afterwards preserved in the tabernacle (Heb. 9:4) as a memorial of
the divine attestation of his appointment to the priesthood.
Aaron was implicated in the sin of his brother at Meribah (Num. 20:8-13), and
on that account was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. When the tribes
arrived at Mount Hor, "in the edge of the land of Edom," at the command of God
Moses led Aaron and his son Eleazar to the top of that mountain, in the sight of
all the people. There he stripped Aaron of his priestly vestments, and put them
upon Eleazar; and there Aaron died on the top of the mount, being 123 years old
(Num. 20:23-29. Comp. Deut. 10:6; 32:50), and was "gathered unto his people."
The people, "even all the house of Israel," mourned for him thirty days. Of
Aaron's sons two survived him, Eleazar, whose family held the high-priesthood
till the time of Eli; and Ithamar, in whose family, beginning with Eli, the
high-priesthood was held till the time of Solomon. Aaron's other two sons had
been struck dead (Lev. 10:1,2) for the daring impiety of offering "strange fire"
on the alter of incense.
The Arabs still show with veneration the traditionary site of Aaron's grave
on one of the two summits of Mount Hor, which is marked by a Mohammedan chapel.
His name is mentioned in the Koran, and there are found in the writings of the
rabbins many fabulous stories regarding him.
He was the first anointed priest. His descendants, "the house of Aaron,"
constituted the priesthood in general. In the time of David they were very
numerous (1 Chr. 12:27). The other branches of the tribe of Levi held
subordinate positions in connection with the sacred office. Aaron was a type of
Christ in his official character as the high priest. His priesthood was a
"shadow of heavenly things," and was intended to lead the people of Israel to
look forward to the time when "another priest" would arise "after the order of
Melchizedek" (Heb. 6:20). (See MOSES.)
Aaronites - the descendants of Aaron, and therefore
priests. Jehoiada, the father of Benaiah, led 3,700 Aaronites as "fighting men"
to the support of David at Hebron (1 Chr. 12:27). Eleazar (Num. 3:32), and at a
later period Zadok (1 Chr. 27:17), was their chief.
Abaddon - destruction, the Hebrew name (equivalent to
the Greek Apollyon, i.e., destroyer) of "the angel of the bottomless pit" (Rev.
9:11). It is rendered "destruction" in Job 28:22; 31:12; 26:6; Prov. 15:11;
27:20. In the last three of these passages the Revised Version retains the word
"Abaddon." We may regard this word as a personification of the idea of
destruction, or as sheol, the realm of the dead.
Abagtha - one of the seven eunuchs in Ahasuerus's
court (Esther 1:10; 2:21).
Abana - stony (Heb. marg. "Amanah," perennial), the
chief river of Damascus (2 Kings 5:12). Its modern name is Barada, the
Chrysorrhoas, or "golden stream," of the Greeks. It rises in a cleft of the
Anti-Lebanon range, about 23 miles north-west of Damascus, and after flowing
southward for a little way parts into three smaller streams, the central one
flowing through Damascus, and the other two on each side of the city, diffusing
beauty and fertility where otherwise there would be barrenness.
Abarim - regions beyond; i.e., on the east of Jordan,
a mountain, or rather a mountain-chain, over against Jericho, to the east and
south-east of the Dead Sea, in the land of Moab. From "the top of Pisgah", i.e.,
Mount Nebo (q.v.), one of its summits, Moses surveyed the Promised Land (Deut.
3:27; 32:49), and there he died (34:1,5). The Israelites had one of their
encampments in the mountains of Abarim (Num. 33:47,48) after crossing the Arnon.
Abba - This Syriac or Chaldee word is found three
times in the New Testament (Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6), and in each case
is followed by its Greek equivalent, which is translated "father." It is a term
expressing warm affection and filial confidence. It has no perfect equivalent in
our language. It has passed into European languages as an ecclesiastical term,
"abbot."
Abda - servant. (1.) The father of Adoniram, whom
Solomon set over the tribute (1 Kings 4:6); i.e., the forced labour (R.V.,
"levy").
(2.) A Levite of the family of Jeduthun (Neh. 11:17), also called Obadiah (1
Chr. 9:16).
Abdeel - servant of God, (Jer. 36:26), the father of
Shelemiah.
Abdi - my servant. (1.) 1 Chr. 6:44. (2.) 2 Chr.
29:12. (3.) Ezra 10:26.
Abdiel - servant of God, (1 Chr. 5:15), a Gadite
chief.
Abdon - servile. (1.) The son of Hillel, a
Pirathonite, the tenth judge of Israel (Judg. 12:13-15). He is probably the
Bedan of 1 Sam. 12:11.
(2.) The first-born of Gibeon of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:30; 9:36).
(3.) The son of Micah, one of those whom Josiah sent to the prophetess Huldah
to ascertain from her the meaning of the recently discovered book of the law (2
Chr. 34:20). He is called Achbor in 2 Kings 22:12.
(4.) One of the "sons" of Shashak (1 Chr. 8:23).
This is the name also of a Levitical town of the Gershonites, in the tribe of
Asher (Josh. 21:30; 1 Chr. 6:74). The ruins of Abdeh, some 8 miles north-east of
Accho, probably mark its site.
Abednego - servant of Nego=Nebo, the Chaldee name
given to Azariah, one of Daniel's three companions (Dan. 2:49). With Shadrach
and Meshach, he was delivered from the burning fiery furnace (3:12-30).
Abel - (Heb. Hebhel), a breath, or vanity, the second
son of Adam and Eve. He was put to death by his brother Cain (Gen. 4:1-16).
Guided by the instruction of their father, the two brothers were trained in the
duty of worshipping God. "And in process of time" (marg. "at the end of days",
i.e., on the Sabbath) each of them offered up to God of the first-fruits of his
labours. Cain, as a husbandman, offered the fruits of the field; Abel, as a
shepherd, of the firstlings of his flock. "The Lord had respect unto Abel and
his offering; but unto Cain and his offering he had not respect" (Gen. 4:3-5).
On this account Cain was angry with his brother, and formed the design of
putting him to death; a design which he at length found an opportunity of
carrying into effect (Gen. 4:8,9. Comp. 1 John 3:12). There are several
references to Abel in the New Testament. Our Saviour speaks of him as
"righteous" (Matt. 23:35). "The blood of sprinkling" is said to speak "better
things than that of Abel" (Heb. 12:24); i.e., the blood of Jesus is the reality
of which the blood of the offering made by Abel was only the type. The
comparison here is between the sacrifice offered by Christ and that offered by
Abel, and not between the blood of Christ calling for mercy and the blood of the
murdered Abel calling for vengeance, as has sometimes been supposed. It is also
said (Heb. 11:4) that "Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than
Cain." This sacrifice was made "by faith;" this faith rested in God, not only as
the Creator and the God of providence, but especially in God as the great
Redeemer, whose sacrifice was typified by the sacrifices which, no doubt by the
divine institution, were offered from the days of Adam downward. On account of
that "faith" which looked forward to the great atoning sacrifice, Abel's
offering was accepted of God. Cain's offering had no such reference, and
therefore was rejected. Abel was the first martyr, as he was the first of our
race to die.
Abel (Heb. 'abhel), lamentation (1 Sam. 6:18), the name given to the great
stone in Joshua's field whereon the ark was "set down." The Revised Version,
however, following the Targum and the LXX., reads in the Hebrew text
'ebhen (= a stone), and accordingly translates "unto the great stone,
whereon they set down the ark." This reading is to be preferred.
Abel (Heb. 'abhel), a grassy place, a meadow. This word enters into the
composition of the following words:
Abel-beth-maachah - meadow of the house of Maachah, a
city in the north of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Dan and Ijon, in the
tribe of Naphtali. It was a place of considerable strength and importance. It is
called a "mother in Israel", i.e., a metropolis (2 Sam. 20:19). It was besieged
by Joab (2 Sam. 20:14), by Benhadad (1 Kings 15:20), and by Tiglath-pileser (2
Kings 15:29) about B.C. 734. It is elsewhere called Abel-maim, meadow of the
waters, (2 Chr. 16:4). Its site is occupied by the modern Abil or Abil-el-kamh,
on a rising ground to the east of the brook Derdarah, which flows through the
plain of Huleh into the Jordan, about 6 miles to the west-north-west of Dan.
Abel-cheramim - (Judg. 11:33, R.V.; A. V., "plain of
the vineyards"), a village of the Ammonites, whither Jephthah pursued their
forces.
Abel-meholah - meadow of dancing, or the
dancing-meadow, the birth-place and residence of the prophet Elisha, not far
from Beth-shean (1 Kings 4:12), in the tribe of Issachar, near where the Wady
el-Maleh emerges into the valley of the Jordan, "the rich meadow-land which
extends about 4 miles south of Beth-shean; moist and luxuriant." Here Elisha was
found at his plough by Elijah on his return up the Jordan valley from Horeb (1
Kings 19:16). It is now called 'Ain Helweh.
Abel-mizraim - meadow of Egypt, or mourning of Egypt,
a place "beyond," i.e., on the west of Jordan, at the "threshing-floor of Atad."
Here the Egyptians mourned seventy days for Jacob (Gen. 50:4-11). Its site is
unknown.
Abel-shittim - meadow of the acacias, frequently
called simply "Shittim" (Num. 25:1; Josh. 2:1; Micah 6:5), a place on the east
of Jordan, in the plain of Moab, nearly opposite Jericho. It was the
forty-second encampment of the Israelites, their last resting-place before they
crossed the Jordan (Num. 33:49; 22:1; 26:3; 31:12; comp. 25:1; 31:16).
Abez - tin, or white, a town in the tribe of Issachar
(Josh. 19:20), at the north of the plain of Esdraelon. It is probably identified
with the ruins of el-Beida.
Abia - my father is the Lord, the Greek form of
Abijah, or Abijam (Matt. 1:7), instead of Abiah (1 Chr. 7:8). In Luke 1:5, the
name refers to the head of the eighth of the twenty-four courses into which
David divided the priests (1 Chr. 24:10).
Abi-albon - father of strength; i.e., "valiant", one
of David's body-guard of thirty mighty men (2 Sam. 23:31); called also Abiel (1
Chr. 11:32).
Abiasaph - father of gathering; the gatherer, the
youngest of the three sons of Korah the Levite, head of a family of Korhites
(Ex. 6:24); called Ebisaph (1 Chr. 6:37).
Abiathar - father of abundance, or my father excels,
the son of Ahimelech the high priest. He was the tenth high priest, and the
fourth in descent from Eli. When his father was slain with the priests of Nob,
he escaped, and bearing with him the ephod, he joined David, who was then in the
cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:20-23; 23:6). He remained with David, and became
priest of the party of which he was the leader (1 Sam. 30:7). When David
ascended the throne of Judah, Abiathar was appointed high priest (1 Chr. 15:11;
1 Kings 2:26) and the "king's companion" (1 Chr. 27:34). Meanwhile Zadok, of the
house of Eleazar, had been made high priest. These appointments continued in
force till the end of David's reign (1 Kings 4:4). Abiathar was deposed (the
sole historical instance of the deposition of a high priest) and banished to his
home at Anathoth by Solomon, because he took part in the attempt to raise
Adonijah to the throne. The priesthood thus passed from the house of Ithamar (1
Sam. 2:30-36; 1 Kings 1:19; 2:26, 27). Zadok now became sole high priest. In
Mark 2:26, reference is made to an occurrence in "the days of Abiathar the high
priest." But from 1 Sam. 22, we learn explicitly that this event took place when
Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar, was high priest. The apparent discrepancy is
satisfactorily explained by interpreting the words in Mark as referring to the
life-time of Abiathar, and not to the term of his holding the office of high
priest. It is not implied in Mark that he was actual high priest at the time
referred to. Others, however, think that the loaves belonged to Abiathar, who
was at that time (Lev. 24:9) a priest, and that he either himself gave them to
David, or persuaded his father to give them.
Abib - an ear of corn, the month of newly-ripened
grain (Ex. 13:4; 23:15); the first of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, and the
seventh of the civil year. It began about the time of the vernal equinox, on
21st March. It was called Nisan, after the Captivity (Neh. 2:1). On the
fifteenth day of the month, harvest was begun by gathering a sheaf of barley,
which was offered unto the Lord on the sixteenth (Lev. 23:4-11).
Abida - or Abi'dah, father of knowledge; knowing, one
of the five sons of Midian, who was the son of Abraham by Keturah (1 Chr. 1:33),
and apparently the chief of an Arab tribe.
Abidan - father of judgment; judge, head of the tribe
of Benjamin at the Exodus (Num. 1:11; 2:22).
Abieezer - father of help; i.e., "helpful." (1.) The
second of the three sons of Hammoleketh, the sister of Gilead. He was the
grandson of Manasseh (1 Chr. 7:18). From his family Gideon sprang (Josh. 17:2;
comp. Judg. 6:34; 8:2). He was also called Jeezer (Num. 26:30).
(2.) One of David's thirty warriors (2 Sam. 23:27; comp. 1 Chr. 27:12).
(3.) The prince of the tribe of Dan at the Exodus (Num. 1:12).
Abiel - father (i.e., "possessor") of God = "pious."
(1.) The son of Zeror and father of Ner, who was the grandfather of Saul (1 Sam.
14:51; 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39). In 1 Sam. 9:1, he is called the "father," probably
meaning the grandfather, of Kish. (2.) An Arbathite, one of David's warriors (1
Chr. 11:32); called also Abi-albon (2 Sam. 23:31).
Abiezrite - father of help, a descendant of Abiezer
(Judg. 6:11,24; 8:32).
Abigail - father (i.e., "leader") of the dance, or
"of joy." (1.) The sister of David, and wife of Jether an Ishmaelite (1 Chr.
2:16,17). She was the mother of Amasa (2 Sam. 17:25).
(2.) The wife of the churlish Nabal, who dwelt in the district of Carmel (1
Sam. 25:3). She showed great prudence and delicate management at a critical
period of her husband's life. She was "a woman of good understanding, and of a
beautiful countenance." After Nabal's death she became the wife of David (1 Sam.
25:14-42), and was his companion in all his future fortunes (1 Sam. 27:3; 30:5;
2 Sam. 2:2). By her David had a son called Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3), elsewhere
called Daniel (1 Chr. 3:1).
Abihail - father of might. (1.) Num. 3:35. (2.) 1
Chr. 2:29. (3.) 1 Chr. 5:14.
(4.) The second wife of King Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:18), a descendant of Eliab,
David's eldest brother.
(5.) The father of Esther and uncle of Mordecai (Esther 2:15).
Abihu - father of Him; i.e., "worshipper of God", the
second of the sons of Aaron (Ex. 6:23; Num. 3:2; 26:60; 1 Chr. 6:3). Along with
his three brothers he was consecrated to the priest's office (Ex. 28:1). With
his father and elder brother he accompanied the seventy elders part of the way
up the mount with Moses (Ex. 24:1,9). On one occasion he and Nadab his brother
offered incense in their censers filled with "strange" (i.e., common) fire,
i.e., not with fire taken from the great brazen altar (Lev. 6:9, etc.), and for
this offence they were struck dead, and were taken out and buried without the
camp (Lev. 10:1-11; comp. Num. 3:4; 26:61; 1 Chr. 24:2). It is probable that
when they committed this offence they were intoxicated, for immediately after is
given the law prohibiting the use of wine or strong drink to the priests.
Abihud - father (i.e., "possessor") of renown. (1.)
One of the sons of Bela, the son of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:3); called also Ahihud
(ver. 7).
(2.) A descendant of Zerubbabel and father of Eliakim (Matt. 1:13, "Abiud");
called also Juda (Luke 3:26), and Obadiah (1 Chr. 3:21).
Abijah - father (i.e., "possessor or worshipper") of
Jehovah. (1.) 1 Chr. 7:8. (2.) 1 Chr. 2:24.
(3.) The second son of Samuel (1 Sam. 8:2; 1 Chr. 6:28). His conduct, along
with that of his brother, as a judge in Beer-sheba, to which office his father
had appointed him, led to popular discontent, and ultimately provoked the people
to demand a royal form of government.
(4.) A descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, a chief of one of the
twenty-four orders into which the priesthood was divided by David (1 Chr.
24:10). The order of Abijah was one of those which did not return from the
Captivity (Ezra 2:36-39; Neh. 7:39-42; 12:1).
(5.) The son of Rehoboam, whom he succeeded on the throne of Judah (1 Chr.
3:10). He is also called Abijam (1 Kings 14:31; 15:1-8). He began his three
years' reign (2 Chr. 12:16; 13:1,2) with a strenuous but unsuccessful effort to
bring back the ten tribes to their allegiance. His address to "Jeroboam and all
Israel," before encountering them in battle, is worthy of being specially
noticed (2 Chr. 13:5-12). It was a very bloody battle, no fewer than 500,000 of
the army of Israel having perished on the field. He is described as having
walked "in all the sins of his father" (1 Kings 15:3; 2 Chr. 11:20-22). It is
said in 1 Kings 15:2 that "his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of
Abishalom;" but in 2 Chr. 13:2 we read, "his mother's name was Michaiah, the
daughter of Uriel of Gibeah." The explanation is that Maachah is just a
variation of the name Michaiah, and that Abishalom is probably the same as
Absalom, the son of David. It is probable that "Uriel of Gibeah" married Tamar,
the daughter of Absalom (2 Sam. 14:27), and by her had Maachah. The word
"daughter" in 1 Kings 15:2 will thus, as it frequently elsewhere does, mean
grand-daughter.
(6.) A son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. On account of his severe
illness when a youth, his father sent his wife to consult the prophet Ahijah
regarding his recovery. The prophet, though blind with old age, knew the wife of
Jeroboam as soon as she approached, and under a divine impulse he announced to
her that inasmuch as in Abijah alone of all the house of Jeroboam there was
found "some good thing toward the Lord," he only would come to his grave in
peace. As his mother crossed the threshold of the door on her return, the youth
died, and "all Israel mourned for him" (1 Kings 14:1-18).
(7.) The daughter of Zechariah (2 Chr. 29:1; comp. Isa. 8:2), and afterwards
the wife of Ahaz. She is also called Abi (2 Kings 18:2).
(8.) One of the sons of Becher, the son of Benjamin (1 Chr. 7:8). "Abiah,"
A.V.
Abijam - father of the sea; i.e., "seaman" the name
always used in Kings of the king of Judah, the son of Rehoboam, elsewhere called
Abijah (1 Kings 15:1,7,8). (See ABIJAH ¯T0000036, 5.)
Abilene - a plain, a district lying on the east slope
of the Anti-Lebanon range; so called from its chief town, Abila (Luke 3:1),
which stood in the Suk Wady Barada, between Heliopolis (Baalbec) and Damascus,
38 miles from the former and 18 from the latter. Lysanias was governor or
tetrarch of this province.
Abimael - father of Mael, one of the sons or
descendants of Joktan, in Northern Arabia (Gen. 10:28; 1 Chr. 1:22).
Abimelech - my father a king, or father of a king, a
common name of the Philistine kings, as "Pharaoh" was of the Egyptian kings.
(1.) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of Abraham (Gen. 20:1-18). By an
interposition of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem, and was
restored to her husband Abraham. As a mark of respect he gave to Abraham
valuable gifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country; while
at the same time he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practised
a deception upon him in pretending that Sarah was only his sister. Among the
gifts presented by the king were a thousand pieces of silver as a "covering of
the eyes" for Sarah; i.e., either as an atoning gift and a testimony of her
innocence in the sight of all, or rather for the purpose of procuring a veil for
Sarah to conceal her beauty, and thus as a reproof to her for not having worn a
veil which, as a married woman, she ought to have done. A few years after this
Abimelech visited Abraham, who had removed southward beyond his territory, and
there entered into a league of peace and friendship with him. This league was
the first of which we have any record. It was confirmed by a mutual oath at
Beer-sheba (Gen. 21:22-34).
(2.) A king of Gerar in the time of Isaac, probably the son of the preceeding
(Gen. 26:1-22). Isaac sought refuge in his territory during a famine, and there
he acted a part with reference to his wife Rebekah similar to that of his father
Abraham with reference to Sarah. Abimelech rebuked him for the deception, which
he accidentally discovered. Isaac settled for a while here, and prospered.
Abimelech desired him, however, to leave his territory, which Isaac did.
Abimelech afterwards visited him when he was encamped at Beer-sheba, and
expressed a desire to renew the covenant which had been entered into between
their fathers (Gen. 26:26-31).
(3.) A son of Gideon (Judg. 9:1), who was proclaimed king after the death of
his father (Judg. 8:33-9:6). One of his first acts was to murder his brothers,
seventy in number, "on one stone," at Ophrah. Only one named Jotham escaped. He
was an unprincipled, ambitious ruler, often engaged in war with his own
subjects. When engaged in reducing the town of Thebez, which had revolted, he
was struck mortally on his head by a mill-stone, thrown by the hand of a woman
from the wall above. Perceiving that the wound was mortal, he desired his
armour-bearer to thrust him through with his sword, that it might not be said he
had perished by the hand of a woman (Judg. 9:50-57).
(4.) The son of Abiathar, and high priest in the time of David (1 Chr.
18:16). In the parallel passage, 2 Sam. 8:17, we have the name Ahimelech, and
Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech. This most authorities consider the more correct
reading. (5.) Achish, king of Gath, in the title of Ps. 34. (Comp. 1 Sam.
21:10-15.)
Abinadab - father of nobleness; i.e., "noble." (1.) A
Levite of Kirjath-jearim, in whose house the ark of the covenant was deposited
after having been brought back from the land of the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:1). It
remained there twenty years, till it was at length removed by David (1 Sam.
7:1,2; 1 Chr. 13:7).
(2.) The second of the eight sons of Jesse (1 Sam. 16:8). He was with Saul in
the campaign against the Philistines in which Goliath was slain (1 Sam. 17:13).
(3.) One of Saul's sons, who peristed with his father in the battle of Gilboa
(1 Sam. 31:2; 1 Chr. 10:2).
(4.) One of Solomon's officers, who "provided victuals for the king and his
household." He presided, for this purpose, over the district of Dor (1 Kings
4:11).
Abinoam - father of kindness, the father of Barak
(Judg. 4:6; 5:1).
Abiram - father of height; i.e., "proud." (1.) One of
the sons of Eliab, who joined Korah in the conspiracy against Moses and Aaron.
He and all the conspirators, with their families and possessions (except the
children of Korah), were swallowed up by an earthquake (Num. 16:1-27; 26:9; Ps.
106:17).
(2.) The eldest son of Hiel the Bethelite, who perished prematurely in
consequence of his father's undertaking to rebuild Jericho (1 Kings 16:34),
according to the words of Joshua (6:26). (See JERICHO.)
Abishag - father of (i.e., "given to") error, a young
woman of Shunem, distinguished for her beauty. She was chosen to minister to
David in his old age. She became his wife (1 Kings 1:3,4,15). After David's
death Adonijah persuaded Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, to entreat the king to
permit him to marry Abishag. Solomon suspected in this request an aspiration to
the throne, and therefore caused him to be put to death (1 Kings 2:17-25).
Abishai - father of (i.e., "desirous of") a gift, the
eldest son of Zeruiah, David's sister. He was the brother of Joab and Asahel (2
Sam. 2:18; 1 Chr. 2:16). Abishai was the only one who accompanied David when he
went to the camp of Saul and took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's
bolster (1 Sam. 26:5-12). He had the command of one of the three divisions of
David's army at the battle with Absalom (2 Sam. 18:2,5,12). He slew the
Philistine giant Ishbi-benob, who threatened David's life (2 Sam. 21:15-17). He
was the chief of the second rank of the three "mighties" (2 Sam. 23:18, 19; 1
Chr. 11:20,21); and on one occasion withstood 300 men, and slew them with his
own spear (2 Sam. 23:18). Abishai is the name of the Semitic chief who offers
gifts to the lord of Beni-Hassan. See illustration facing page 10.
Abishua - father of welfare; i.e., "fortunate." (1.)
The grandson of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:4).
(2.) The son of Phinehas the high priest (1 Chr. 6:4,5,50; Ezra 7:5).
Abishur - father of the wall; i.e., "mason", one of
the two sons of Shammai of the tribe of Judah (1 Chr. 2:28,29).
Abital - father of dew; i.e., "fresh", David's fifth
wife (2 Sam. 3:4).
Abitub - father of goodness, a Benjamite (1 Chr.
8:11).
Abjects - (Ps. 35:15), the translation of a Hebrew
word meaning smiters; probably, in allusion to the tongue, slanderers. (Comp.
Jer. 18:18.)
Ablution - or washing, was practised, (1.) When a
person was initiated into a higher state: e.g., when Aaron and his sons were set
apart to the priest's office, they were washed with water previous to their
investiture with the priestly robes (Lev. 8:6).
(2.) Before the priests approached the altar of God, they were required, on
pain of death, to wash their hands and their feet to cleanse them from the soil
of common life (Ex. 30:17-21). To this practice the Psalmist alludes, Ps. 26:6.
(3.) There were washings prescribed for the purpose of cleansing from
positive defilement contracted by particular acts. Of such washings eleven
different species are prescribed in the Levitical law (Lev. 12-15).
(4.) A fourth class of ablutions is mentioned, by which a person purified or
absolved himself from the guilt of some particular act. For example, the elders
of the nearest village where some murder was committed were required, when the
murderer was unknown, to wash their hands over the expiatory heifer which was
beheaded, and in doing so to say, "Our hands have not shed this blood, neither
have our eyes seen it" (Deut. 21:1-9). So also Pilate declared himself innocent
of the blood of Jesus by washing his hands (Matt. 27:24). This act of Pilate may
not, however, have been borrowed from the custom of the Jews. The same practice
was common among the Greeks and Romans.
The Pharisees carried the practice of ablution to great excess, thereby
claiming extraordinary purity (Matt. 23:25). Mark (7:1-5) refers to the
ceremonial ablutions. The Pharisees washed their hands "oft," more correctly,
"with the fist" (R.V., "diligently"), or as an old father, Theophylact, explains
it, "up to the elbow." (Compare also Mark 7:4; Lev. 6:28; 11: 32-36; 15:22) (See
WASHING.)
Abner - father of light; i.e., "enlightening", the
son of Ner and uncle of Saul. He was commander-in-chief of Saul's army (1 Sam.
14:50; 17:55; 20:25). He first introduced David to the court of Saul after the
victory over Goliath (1 Sam. 17:57). After the death of Saul, David was made
king over Judah, and reigned in Hebron. Among the other tribes there was a
feeling of hostility to Judah; and Abner, at the head of Ephraim, fostered this
hostility in the interest of the house of Saul, whose son Ish-bosheth he caused
to be proclaimed king (2 Sam. 2:8). A state of war existed between these two
kings. A battle fatal to Abner, who was the leader of Ish-boseth's army, was
fought with David's army under Joab at Gibeon (2 Sam. 2:12). Abner, escaping
from the field, was overtaken by Asahel, who was "light of foot as a wild roe,"
the brother of Joab and Abishai, whom he thrust through with a back stroke of
his spear (2 Sam. 2: 18-32).
Being rebuked by Ish-bosheth for the impropriety of taking to wife Rizpah,
who had been a concubine of King Saul, he found an excuse for going over to the
side of David, whom he now professed to regard as anointed by the Lord to reign
over all Israel. David received him favourably, and promised that he would have
command of the armies. At this time Joab was absent from Hebron, but on his
return he found what had happened. Abner had just left the city; but Joab by a
stratagem recalled him, and meeting him at the gate of the city on his return,
thrust him through with his sword (2 Sam. 3:27, 31-39; 4:12. Comp. 1 Kings 2:5,
32). David lamented in pathetic words the death of Abner, "Know ye not that
there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?" (2 Sam. 3:33-38.)
Abomination - This word is used, (1.) To express the
idea that the Egyptians considered themselves as defiled when they ate with
strangers (Gen. 43:32). The Jews subsequently followed the same practice,
holding it unlawful to eat or drink with foreigners (John 18:28; Acts 10:28;
11:3).
(2.) Every shepherd was "an abomination" unto the Egyptians (Gen. 46:34).
This aversion to shepherds, such as the Hebrews, arose probably from the fact
that Lower and Middle Egypt had formerly been held in oppressive subjection by a
tribe of nomad shepherds (the Hyksos), who had only recently been expelled, and
partly also perhaps from this other fact that the Egyptians detested the lawless
habits of these wandering shepherds.
(3.) Pharaoh was so moved by the fourth plague, that while he refused the
demand of Moses, he offered a compromise, granting to the Israelites permission
to hold their festival and offer their sacrifices in Egypt. This permission
could not be accepted, because Moses said they would have to sacrifice "the
abomination of the Egyptians" (Ex. 8:26); i.e., the cow or ox, which all the
Egyptians held as sacred, and which they regarded it as sacrilegious to kill.
(4.) Daniel (11:31), in that section of his prophecies which is generally
interpreted as referring to the fearful calamities that were to fall on the Jews
in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, says, "And they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate." Antiochus Epiphanes caused an altar to be erected on the
altar of burnt-offering, on which sacrifices were offered to Jupiter Olympus.
(Comp. 1 Macc. 1:57). This was the abomination of the desolation of Jerusalem.
The same language is employed in Dan. 9:27 (comp. Matt. 24:15), where the
reference is probably to the image-crowned standards which the Romans set up at
the east gate of the temple (A.D. 70), and to which they paid idolatrous
honours. "Almost the entire religion of the Roman camp consisted in worshipping
the ensign, swearing by the ensign, and in preferring the ensign before all
other gods." These ensigns were an "abomination" to the Jews, the "abomination
of desolation."
This word is also used symbolically of sin in general (Isa. 66:3); an idol
(44:19); the ceremonies of the apostate Church of Rome (Rev. 17:4); a detestable
act (Ezek. 22:11).
Abraham - father of a multitude, son of Terah, named
(Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir
of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in
his native country of Chaldea. He then, with his father and his family and
household, quitted the city of Ur, in which he had hitherto dwelt, and went some
300 miles north to Haran, where he abode fifteen years. The cause of his
migration was a call from God (Acts 7:2-4). There is no mention of this first
call in the Old Testament; it is implied, however, in Gen. 12. While they
tarried at Haran, Terah died at the age of 205 years. Abram now received a
second and more definite call, accompanied by a promise from God (Gen. 12:1,2);
whereupon he took his departure, taking his nephew Lot with him, "not knowing
whither he went" (Heb. 11:8). He trusted implicitly to the guidance of Him who
had called him.
Abram now, with a large household of probably a thousand souls, entered on a
migratory life, and dwelt in tents. Passing along the valley of the Jabbok, in
the land of Canaan, he formed his first encampment at Sichem (Gen. 12:6), in the
vale or oak-grove of Moreh, between Ebal on the north and Gerizim on the south.
Here he received the great promise, "I will make of thee a great nation," etc.
(Gen. 12:2,3,7). This promise comprehended not only temporal but also spiritual
blessings. It implied that he was the chosen ancestor of the great Deliverer
whose coming had been long ago predicted (Gen. 3:15). Soon after this, for some
reason not mentioned, he removed his tent to the mountain district between
Bethel, then called Luz, and Ai, towns about two miles apart, where he built an
altar to "Jehovah." He again moved into the southern tract of Palestine, called
by the Hebrews the Negeb; and was at length, on account of a famine, compelled
to go down into Egypt. This took place in the time of the Hyksos, a Semitic race
which now held the Egyptians in bondage. Here occurred that case of deception on
the part of Abram which exposed him to the rebuke of Pharaoh (Gen. 12:18). Sarai
was restored to him; and Pharaoh loaded him with presents, recommending him to
withdraw from the country. He returned to Canaan richer than when he left it,
"in cattle, in silver, and in gold" (Gen. 12:8; 13:2. Comp. Ps. 105:13, 14). The
whole party then moved northward, and returned to their previous station near
Bethel. Here disputes arose between Lot's shepherds and those of Abram about
water and pasturage. Abram generously gave Lot his choice of the pasture-ground.
(Comp. 1 Cor. 6:7.) He chose the well-watered plain in which Sodom was situated,
and removed thither; and thus the uncle and nephew were separated. Immediately
after this Abram was cheered by a repetition of the promises already made to
him, and then removed to the plain or "oak-grove" of Mamre, which is in Hebron.
He finally settled here, pitching his tent under a famous oak or terebinth tree,
called "the oak of Mamre" (Gen. 13:18). This was his third resting-place in the
land.
Some fourteen years before this, while Abram was still in Chaldea, Palestine
had been invaded by Chedorlaomer, King of Elam, who brought under tribute to him
the five cities in the plain to which Lot had removed. This tribute was felt by
the inhabitants of these cities to be a heavy burden, and after twelve years
they revolted. This brought upon them the vengeance of Chedorlaomer, who had in
league with him four other kings. He ravaged the whole country, plundering the
towns, and carrying the inhabitants away as slaves. Among those thus treated was
Lot. Hearing of the disaster that had fallen on his nephew, Abram immediately
gathered from his own household a band of 318 armed men, and being joined by the
Amoritish chiefs Mamre, Aner, and Eshcol, he pursued after Chedorlaomer, and
overtook him near the springs of the Jordan. They attacked and routed his army,
and pursued it over the range of Anti-Libanus as far as to Hobah, near Damascus,
and then returned, bringing back all the spoils that had been carried away.
Returning by way of Salem, i.e., Jerusalem, the king of that place, Melchizedek,
came forth to meet them with refreshments. To him Abram presented a tenth of the
spoils, in recognition of his character as a priest of the most high God (Gen.
14:18-20).
In a recently-discovered tablet, dated in the reign of the grandfather of
Amraphel (Gen. 14:1), one of the witnesses is called "the Amorite, the son of
Abiramu," or Abram.
Having returned to his home at Mamre, the promises already made to him by God
were repeated and enlarged (Gen. 13:14). "The word of the Lord" (an expression
occurring here for the first time) "came to him" (15:1). He now understood
better the future that lay before the nation that was to spring from him. Sarai,
now seventy-five years old, in her impatience, persuaded Abram to take Hagar,
her Egyptian maid, as a concubine, intending that whatever child might be born
should be reckoned as her own. Ishmael was accordingly thus brought up, and was
regarded as the heir of these promises (Gen. 16). When Ishmael was thirteen
years old, God again revealed yet more explicitly and fully his gracious
purpose; and in token of the sure fulfilment of that purpose the patriarch's
name was now changed from Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:4,5), and the rite of
circumcision was instituted as a sign of the covenant. It was then announced
that the heir to these covenant promises would be the son of Sarai, though she
was now ninety years old; and it was directed that his name should be Isaac. At
the same time, in commemoration of the promises, Sarai's name was changed to
Sarah. On that memorable day of God's thus revealing his design, Abraham and his
son Ishmael and all the males of his house were circumcised (Gen. 17). Three
months after this, as Abraham sat in his tent door, he saw three men
approaching. They accepted his proffered hospitality, and, seated under an
oak-tree, partook of the fare which Abraham and Sarah provided. One of the three
visitants was none other than the Lord, and the other two were angels in the
guise of men. The Lord renewed on this occasion his promise of a son by Sarah,
who was rebuked for her unbelief. Abraham accompanied the three as they
proceeded on their journey. The two angels went on toward Sodom; while the Lord
tarried behind and talked with Abraham, making known to him the destruction that
was about to fall on that guilty city. The patriarch interceded earnestly in
behalf of the doomed city. But as not even ten righteous persons were found in
it, for whose sake the city would have been spared, the threatened destruction
fell upon it; and early next morning Abraham saw the smoke of the fire that
consumed it as the "smoke of a furnace" (Gen. 19:1-28).
After fifteen years' residence at Mamre, Abraham moved southward, and pitched
his tent among the Philistines, near to Gerar. Here occurred that sad instance
of prevarication on his part in his relation to Abimelech the King (Gen. 20).
(See ABIMELECH.)
Soon after this event, the patriarch left the vicinity of Gerar, and moved down
the fertile valley about 25 miles to Beer-sheba. It was probably here that Isaac
was born, Abraham being now an hundred years old. A feeling of jealousy now
arose between Sarah and Hagar, whose son, Ishmael, was no longer to be regarded
as Abraham's heir. Sarah insisted that both Hagar and her son should be sent
away. This was done, although it was a hard trial to Abraham (Gen. 21:12). (See
HAGAR ISHMAEL.)
At this point there is a blank in the patriarch's history of perhaps
twenty-five years. These years of peace and happiness were spent at Beer-sheba.
The next time we see him his faith is put to a severe test by the command that
suddenly came to him to go and offer up Isaac, the heir of all the promises, as
a sacrifice on one of the mountains of Moriah. His faith stood the test (Heb.
11:17-19). He proceeded in a spirit of unhesitating obedience to carry out the
command; and when about to slay his son, whom he had laid on the altar, his
uplifted hand was arrested by the angel of Jehovah, and a ram, which was
entangled in a thicket near at hand, was seized and offered in his stead. From
this circumstance that place was called Jehovah-jireh, i.e., "The Lord will
provide." The promises made to Abraham were again confirmed (and this was the
last recorded word of God to the patriarch); and he descended the mount with his
son, and returned to his home at Beer-sheba (Gen. 22:19), where he resided for
some years, and then moved northward to Hebron.
Some years after this Sarah died at Hebron, being 127 years old. Abraham
acquired now the needful possession of a burying-place, the cave of Machpelah,
by purchase from the owner of it, Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 23); and there he
buried Sarah. His next care was to provide a wife for Isaac, and for this
purpose he sent his steward, Eliezer, to Haran (or Charran, Acts 7:2), where his
brother Nahor and his family resided (Gen. 11:31). The result was that Rebekah,
the daughter of Nahor's son Bethuel, became the wife of Isaac (Gen. 24). Abraham
then himself took to wife Keturah, who became the mother of six sons, whose
descendants were afterwards known as the "children of the east" (Judg. 6:3), and
later as "Saracens." At length all his wanderings came to an end. At the age of
175 years, 100 years after he had first entered the land of Canaan, he died, and
was buried in the old family burying-place at Machpelah (Gen. 25:7-10).
The history of Abraham made a wide and deep impression on the ancient world,
and references to it are interwoven in the religious traditions of almost all
Eastern nations. He is called "the friend of God" (James 2:23), "faithful
Abraham" (Gal. 3:9), "the father of us all" (Rom. 4:16).
Abraham's bosom - (Luke 16:22,23) refers to the
custom of reclining on couches at table, which was prevalent among the Jews, an
arrangement which brought the head of one person almost into the bosom of the
one who sat or reclined above him. To "be in Abraham's bosom" thus meant to
enjoy happiness and rest (Matt. 8:11; Luke 16:23) at the banquet in Paradise.
(See BANQUETMEALS.)
Abram - exalted father. (see ABRAHAM.)
Abronah - R.V., one of Israel's halting-places in the
desert (Num.33:34,35), just before Ezion-gaber. In A.V., "Ebronah."
Absalom - father of peace; i.e., "peaceful" David's
son by Maacah (2 Sam. 3:3; comp. 1 Kings 1:6). He was noted for his personal
beauty and for the extra-ordinary profusion of the hair of his head (2 Sam.
14:25,26). The first public act of his life was the blood-revenge he executed
against Amnon, David's eldest son, who had basely wronged Absalom's sister
Tamar. This revenge was executed at the time of the festivities connected with a
great sheep-shearing at Baal-hazor. David's other sons fled from the place in
horror, and brought the tidings of the death of Amnon to Jerusalem. Alarmed for
the consequences of the act, Absalom fled to his grandfather at Geshur, and
there abode for three years (2 Sam. 3:3; 13:23-38).
David mourned his absent son, now branded with the guilt of fratricide. As
the result of a stratagem carried out by a woman of Tekoah, Joab received
David's sanction to invite Absalom back to Jerusalem. He returned accordingly,
but two years elapsed before his father admitted him into his presence (2 Sam.
14:28). Absalom was now probably the oldest surviving son of David, and as he
was of royal descent by his mother as well as by his father, he began to aspire
to the throne. His pretensions were favoured by the people. By many arts he
gained their affection; and after his return from Geshur (2 Sam. 15:7; marg.,
R.V.) he went up to Hebron, the old capital of Judah, along with a great body of
the people, and there proclaimed himself king. The revolt was so successful that
David found it necessary to quit Jerusalem and flee to Mahanaim, beyond Jordan;
where upon Absalom returned to Jerusalem and took possession of the throne
without opposition. Ahithophel, who had been David's chief counsellor, deserted
him and joined Absalom, whose chief counsellor he now became. Hushai also joined
Absalom, but only for the purpose of trying to counteract the counsels of
Ahithophel, and so to advantage David's cause. He was so far successful that by
his advice, which was preferred to that of Ahithophel, Absalom delayed to march
an army against his father, who thus gained time to prepare for the defence.
Absalom at length marched out against his father, whose army, under the
command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. Twenty
thousand of Absalom's army were slain in that fatal battle, and the rest fled.
Absalom fled on a swift mule; but his long flowing hair, or more probably his
head, was caught in the bough of an oak, and there he was left suspended till
Joab came up and pierced him through with three darts. His body was then taken
down and cast into a pit dug in the forest, and a heap of stones was raised over
his grave. When the tidings of the result of that battle were brought to David,
as he sat impatiently at the gate of Mahanaim, and he was told that Absalom had
been slain, he gave way to the bitter lamentation: "O my son Absalom, my son, my
son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Sam.
18:33. Comp. Ex. 32:32; Rom. 9:3).
Absalom's three sons (2 Sam. 14:27; comp. 18:18) had all died before him, so
that he left only a daughter, Tamar, who became the grandmother of Abijah.
Acacia - (Heb. shittim) Ex. 25:5, R.V. probably the
Acacia seyal (the gum-arabic tree); called the "shittah" tree (Isa. 41:19). Its
wood is called shittim wood (Ex. 26:15,26; 25:10,13,23,28, etc.). This species
(A. seyal) is like the hawthorn, a gnarled and thorny tree. It yields the
gum-arabic of commerce. It is found in abundance in the Sinaitic peninsula.
Accad - the high land or mountains, a city in the
land of Shinar. It has been identified with the mounds of Akker Kuf, some 50
miles to the north of Babylon; but this is doubtful. It was one of the cities of
Nimrod's kingdom (Ge 10:10). It stood close to the Euphrates, opposite Sippara.
(See SEPHARVAIM.)
It is also the name of the country of which this city was the capital,
namely, northern or upper Babylonia. The Accadians who came from the "mountains
of the east," where the ark rested, attained to a high degree of civilization.
In the Babylonian inscriptions they are called "the black heads" and "the black
faces," in contrast to "the white race" of Semitic descent. They invented the
form of writing in pictorial hieroglyphics, and also the cuneiform system, in
which they wrote many books partly on papyrus and partly on clay. The Semitic
Babylonians ("the white race"), or, as some scholars think, first the Cushites,
and afterwards, as a second immigration, the Semites, invaded and conquered this
country; and then the Accadian language ceased to be a spoken language, although
for the sake of its literary treasures it continued to be studied by the
educated classes of Babylonia. A large portion of the Ninevite tablets brought
to light by Oriental research consists of interlinear or parallel translations
from Accadian into Assyrian; and thus that long-forgotten language has been
recovered by scholars. It belongs to the class of languages called
agglutinative, common to the Tauranian race; i.e., it consists of words "glued
together," without declension of conjugation. These tablets in a remarkable
manner illustrate ancient history. Among other notable records, they contain an
account of the Creation which closely resembles that given in the book of
Genesis, of the Sabbath as a day of rest, and of the Deluge and its cause. (See
BABYLON CHALDEA.)
Accho - sultry or sandy, a town and harbour of
Phoenicia, in the tribe of Asher, but never acquired by them (Judg. 1:31). It
was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans by the name of Ptolemais, from
Ptolemy the king of Egypt, who rebuilt it about B.C. 100. Here Paul landed on
his last journey to Jerusalem (Acts 21:7). During the crusades of the Middle
Ages it was called Acra; and subsequently, on account of its being occupied by
the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem, it was called St. Jean d'Acre, or simply
Acre.
Accuser - Satan is styled the "accuser of the
brethren" (Rev. 12:10. Comp. Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1), as seeking to uphold his
influence among men by bringing false charges against Christians, with the view
of weakening their influence and injuring the cause with which they are
identified. He was regarded by the Jews as the accuser of men before God, laying
to their charge the violations of the law of which they were guilty, and
demanding their punishment. The same Greek word, rendered "accuser," is found in
John 8:10 (but omitted in the Revised Version); Acts 23:30, 35; 24:8; 25:16, 18,
in all of which places it is used of one who brings a charge against another.
Aceldama - the name which the Jews gave in their
proper tongue, i.e., in Aramaic, to the field which was purchased with the money
which had been given to the betrayer of our Lord. The word means "field of
blood." It was previously called "the potter's field" (Matt. 27:7, 8; Acts
1:19), and was appropriated as the burial-place for strangers. It lies on a
narrow level terrace on the south face of the valley of Hinnom. Its modern name
is Hak ed-damm.
Achaia - the name originally of a narrow strip of
territory in Greece, on the north-west of the Peloponnesus. Subsequently it was
applied by the Romans to the whole Peloponnesus, now called the Morea, and the
south of Greece. It was then one of the two provinces (Macedonia being the
other) into which they divided the country when it fell under their dominion. It
is in this latter enlarged meaning that the name is always used in the New
Testament (Acts 18:12, 27; 19:21; Rom. 15: 26; 16:5, etc.). It was at the time
when Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles under the proconsular form of
government; hence the appropriate title given to Gallio as the "deputy," i.e.,
proconsul, of Achaia (Acts 18:12).
Achaichus - (1 Cor. 16:17), one of the members of the
church of Corinth who, with Fortunatus and Stephanas, visited Paul while he was
at Ephesus, for the purpose of consulting him on the affairs of the church.
These three probably were the bearers of the letter from Corinth to the apostle
to which he alludes in 1 Cor. 7:1.
Achan - called also Achar, i.e., one who troubles (1
Chr. 2:7), in commemoration of his crime, which brought upon him an awful
destruction (Josh. 7:1). On the occasion of the fall of Jericho, he seized,
contrary to the divine command, an ingot of gold, a quantity of silver, and a
costly Babylonish garment, which he hid in his tent. Joshua was convinced that
the defeat which the Israelites afterwards sustained before Ai was a proof of
the divine displeasure on account of some crime, and he at once adopted means by
the use of the lot for discovering the criminal. It was then found that Achan
was guilty, and he was stoned to death in the valley of Achor. He and all that
belonged to him were then consumed by fire, and a heap of stones was raised over
the ashes.
Achbor - gnawing = mouse. (1.) An Edomitish king
(Gen. 36:38; 1 Chr. 1:49).
(2.) One of Josiah's officers sent to the prophetess Huldah to inquire
regarding the newly-discovered book of the law (2 Kings 22:12, 14). He is also
called Abdon (2 Chr. 34:20).
Achish - angry, perhaps only a general title of
royalty applicable to the Philistine kings. (1.) The king with whom David sought
refuge when he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 21:10-15). He is called Abimelech in the
superscription of Ps. 34. It was probably this same king to whom David a second
time repaired at the head of a band of 600 warriors, and who assigned him
Ziklag, whence he carried on war against the surrounding tribes (1 Sam.
27:5-12). Achish had great confidence in the valour and fidelity of David (1
Sam. 28:1,2), but at the instigation of his courtiers did not permit him to go
up to battle along with the Philistine hosts (1 Sam. 29:2-11). David remained
with Achish a year and four months. (2.) Another king of Gath, probably grandson
of the foregoing, to whom the two servants of Shimei fled. This led Shimei to go
to Gath in pursuit of them, and the consequence was that Solomon put him to
death (1 Kings 2:39-46).
Achmetha - (Ezra 6:2), called Ecbatana by classical
writers, the capital of northern Media. Here was the palace which was the
residence of the old Median monarchs, and of Cyrus and Cambyses. In the time of
Ezra, the Persian kings resided usually at Susa of Babylon. But Cyrus held his
court at Achmetha; and Ezra, writing a century after, correctly mentions the
place where the decree of Cyrus was found.
Achor - trouble, a valley near Jericho, so called in
consequence of the trouble which the sin of Achan caused Israel (Josh. 7:24,26).
The expression "valley of Achor" probably became proverbial for that which
caused trouble, and when Isaiah (Isa. 65:10) refers to it he uses it in this
sense: "The valley of Achor, a place for herds to lie down in;" i.e., that which
had been a source of calamity would become a source of blessing. Hosea also
(Hos. 2:15) uses the expression in the same sense: "The valley of Achor for a
door of hope;" i.e., trouble would be turned into joy, despair into hope. This
valley has been identified with the Wady Kelt.
Achsah - anklet, Caleb's only daughter (1 Chr. 2:49).
She was offered in marriage to the man who would lead an attack on the city of
Debir, or Kirjath-sepher. This was done by Othniel (q.v.), who accordingly
obtained her as his wife (Josh. 15:16-19; Judg. 1:9-15).
Achshaph - fascination, a royal city of the
Canaanites, in the north of Palestine (Josh. 11:1; 12:20; 19:25). It was in the
eastern boundary of the tribe of Asher, and is identified with the modern ruined
village of Kesaf or Yasif, N.E. of Accho.
Achzib - falsehood. (1.) A town in the Shephelah, or
plain country of Judah (Josh. 15:44); probably the same as Chezib of Gen. 38:5 =
Ain Kezbeh.
(2.) A Phoenician city (the Gr. Ecdippa), always retained in their possession
though assigned to the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:29; Judg. 1:31). It is
identified with the modern es-Zib, on the Mediterranean, about 8 miles north of
Accho.
Acre - is the translation of a word (tse'med), which
properly means a yoke, and denotes a space of ground that may be ploughed by a
yoke of oxen in a day. It is about an acre of our measure (Isa. 5:10; 1 Sam.
14:14).
Acts of the Apostles - the title now given to the
fifth and last of the historical books of the New Testament. The author styles
it a "treatise" (1:1). It was early called "The Acts," "The Gospel of the Holy
Ghost," and "The Gospel of the Resurrection." It contains properly no account of
any of the apostles except Peter and Paul. John is noticed only three times; and
all that is recorded of James, the son of Zebedee, is his execution by Herod. It
is properly therefore not the history of the "Acts of the Apostles," a title
which was given to the book at a later date, but of "Acts of Apostles," or more
correctly, of "Some Acts of Certain Apostles."
As regards its authorship, it was certainly the work of Luke, the "beloved
physician" (comp. Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1). This is the uniform tradition of
antiquity, although the writer nowhere makes mention of himself by name. The
style and idiom of the Gospel of Luke and of the Acts, and the usage of words
and phrases common to both, strengthen this opinion. The writer first appears in
the narrative in 16:11, and then disappears till Paul's return to Philippi two
years afterwards, when he and Paul left that place together (20:6), and the two
seem henceforth to have been constant companions to the end. He was certainly
with Paul at Rome (28; Col. 4:14). Thus he wrote a great portion of that history
from personal observation. For what lay beyond his own experience he had the
instruction of Paul. If, as is very probable, 2 Tim. was written during Paul's
second imprisonment at Rome, Luke was with him then as his faithful companion to
the last (2 Tim. 4:11). Of his subsequent history we have no certain
information.
The design of Luke's Gospel was to give an exhibition of the character and
work of Christ as seen in his history till he was taken up from his disciples
into heaven; and of the Acts, as its sequel, to give an illustration of the
power and working of the gospel when preached among all nations, "beginning at
Jerusalem." The opening sentences of the Acts are just an expansion and an
explanation of the closing words of the Gospel. In this book we have just a
continuation of the history of the church after Christ's ascension. Luke here
carries on the history in the same spirit in which he had commenced it. It is
only a book of beginnings, a history of the founding of churches, the initial
steps in the formation of the Christian society in the different places visited
by the apostles. It records a cycle of "representative events."
All through the narrative we see the ever-present, all-controlling power of
the ever-living Saviour. He worketh all and in all in spreading abroad his truth
among men by his Spirit and through the instrumentality of his apostles.
The time of the writing of this history may be gathered from the fact that
the narrative extends down to the close of the second year of Paul's first
imprisonment at Rome. It could not therefore have been written earlier than A.D.
61 or 62, nor later than about the end of A.D. 63. Paul was probably put to
death during his second imprisonment, about A.D. 64, or, as some think, 66.
The place where the book was written was probably Rome, to which Luke
accompanied Paul.
The key to the contents of the book is in 1:8, "Ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth." After referring to what had been recorded in a "former treatise"
of the sayings and doings of Jesus Christ before his ascension, the author
proceeds to give an account of the circumstances connected with that event, and
then records the leading facts with reference to the spread and triumphs of
Christianity over the world during a period of about thirty years. The record
begins with Pentecost (A.D. 33) and ends with Paul's first imprisonment (A.D. 63
or 64). The whole contents of the book may be divided into these three parts:
(1.) Chaps. 1-12, describing the first twelve years of the Christian church.
This section has been entitled "From Jerusalem to Antioch." It contains the
history of the planting and extension of the church among the Jews by the
ministry of Peter.
(2.) Chaps. 13-21, Paul's missionary journeys, giving the history of the
extension and planting of the church among the Gentiles.
(3.) Chaps. 21-28, Paul at Rome, and the events which led to this. Chaps.
13-28 have been entitled "From Antioch to Rome."
In this book it is worthy of note that no mention is made of the writing by
Paul of any of his epistles. This may be accounted for by the fact that the
writer confined himself to a history of the planting of the church, and not to
that of its training or edification. The relation, however, between this history
and the epistles of Paul is of such a kind, i.e., brings to light so many
undesigned coincidences, as to prove the genuineness and authenticity of both,
as is so ably shown by Paley in his Horae Paulinae. "No ancient work
affords so many tests of veracity; for no other has such numerous points of
contact in all directions with contemporary history, politics, and topography,
whether Jewish, or Greek, or Roman." Lightfoot. (See PAUL.)
Adah - ornament. (1.) The first of Lamech's two
wives, and the mother of Jabal and Jubal (Gen. 4:19, 20, 23).
(2.) The first of Esau's three wives, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Gen.
36:2,4), called also Bashemath (26:34).
Adam - red, a Babylonian word, the generic name for
man, having the same meaning in the Hebrew and the Assyrian languages. It was
the name given to the first man, whose creation, fall, and subsequent history
and that of his descendants are detailed in the first book of Moses (Gen.
1:27-ch. 5). "God created man [Heb., Adam] in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them."
Adam was absolutely the first man whom God created. He was formed out of the
dust of the earth (and hence his name), and God breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and gave him dominion over all the lower creatures (Gen. 1:26;
2:7). He was placed after his creation in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it,
and to enjoy its fruits under this one prohibition: "Of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
The first recorded act of Adam was his giving names to the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the air, which God brought to him for this end.
Thereafter the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and while in an
unconscious state took one of his ribs, and closed up his flesh again; and of
this rib he made a woman, whom he presented to him when he awoke. Adam received
her as his wife, and said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." He called her Eve,
because she was the mother of all living.
Being induced by the tempter in the form of a serpent to eat the forbidden
fruit, Eve persuaded Adam, and he also did eat. Thus man fell, and brought upon
himself and his posterity all the sad consequences of his transgression. The
narrative of the Fall comprehends in it the great promise of a Deliverer (Gen.
3:15), the "first gospel" message to man. They were expelled from Eden, and at
the east of the garden God placed a flame, which turned every way, to prevent
access to the tree of life (Gen. 3). How long they were in Paradise is matter of
mere conjecture.
Shortly after their expulsion Eve brought forth her first-born, and called
him Cain. Although we have the names of only three of Adam's sons, viz., Cain,
Abel, and Seth, yet it is obvious that he had several sons and daughters (Gen.
5:4). He died aged 930 years.
Adam and Eve were the progenitors of the whole human race. Evidences of
varied kinds are abundant in proving the unity of the human race. The
investigations of science, altogether independent of historical evidence, lead
to the conclusion that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to
dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26. Comp. Rom. 5:12-12; 1 Cor.
15:22-49).
Adamah - red earth, a fortified city of Naphtali,
probably the modern Damieh, on the west side of the sea of Tiberias (Josh.
19:33, 36).
Adamant - (Heb. shamir), Ezek. 3:9. The Greek word
adamas means diamond. This stone is not referred to, but corundum or some kind
of hard steel. It is an emblem of firmness in resisting adversaries of the truth
(Zech. 7:12), and of hard-heartedness against the truth (Jer. 17:1).
Adam, a type - The apostle Paul speaks of Adam as
"the figure of him who was to come." On this account our Lord is sometimes
called the second Adam. This typical relation is described in Rom. 5:14-19.
Adam, the city of - is referred to in Josh. 3:16. It
stood "beside Zarethan," on the west bank of Jordan (1 Kings 4:12). At this city
the flow of the water was arrested and rose up "upon an heap" at the time of the
Israelites' passing over (Josh. 3:16).
Adar - large, the sixth month of the civil and the
twelfth of the ecclesiastical year of the Jews (Esther 3:7, 13; 8:12; 9:1, 15,
17, 19, 21). It included the days extending from the new moon of our March to
the new moon of April. The name was first used after the Captivity. When the
season was backward, and the lambs not yet of a paschal size, or the barley not
forward enough for abib, then a month called Veadar, i.e., a second Adar, was
intercalated.
Adbeel - miracle of God, the third of the twelve sons
of Ishmael, and head of an Arabian tribe (Gen. 25:13; 1 Chr. 1:29).
Addar - ample, splendid, son of Bela (1 Chr. 8:3);
called also "Ard" (Gen. 46:21)
Adder - (Ps. 140:3; Rom. 3:13, "asp") is the
rendering of, (1.) Akshub ("coiling" or "lying in wait"), properly an asp or
viper, found only in this passage. (2.) Pethen ("twisting"), a viper or venomous
serpent identified with the cobra (Naja haje) (Ps. 58:4; 91:13); elsewhere
"asp." (3.) Tziphoni ("hissing") (Prov. 23:32); elsewhere rendered "cockatrice,"
Isa. 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; Jer. 8:17, as it is here in the margin of the Authorized
Version. The Revised Version has "basilisk." This may have been the yellow
viper, the Daboia xanthina, the largest and most dangerous of the vipers of
Palestine. (4.) Shephiphon ("creeping"), occurring only in Gen. 49:17, the small
speckled venomous snake, the "horned snake," or cerastes. Dan is compared to
this serpent, which springs from its hiding-place on the passer-by.
Addi - ornament, (Luke 3:28), the son of Cosam, and
father of Melchi, one of the progenitors of Christ.
Addon - low, one of the persons named in Neh. 7:61
who could not "shew their father's house" on the return from captivity. This,
with similar instances (ver. 63), indicates the importance the Jews attached to
their genealogies.
Adiel - ornament of God. (1.) The father of Azmaveth,
who was treasurer under David and Solomon (1 Chr. 27:25). (2.) A family head of
the tribe of Simeon (1 Chr. 4:36). (3.) A priest (1 Chr. 9:12).
Adin - effeminate. (1.) Ezra 8:6. (2.) Neh. 10:16.
Adina - slender, one of David's warriors (1 Chr.
11:42), a Reubenite.
Adino - the Eznite, one of David's mighty men (2 Sam.
23:8). (See JASHOBEAM.)
Adjuration - a solemn appeal whereby one person
imposes on another the obligation of speaking or acting as if under an oath (1
Sam. 14:24; Josh. 6:26; 1 Kings 22:16).
We have in the New Testament a striking example of this (Matt. 26:63; Mark
5:7), where the high priest calls upon Christ to avow his true character. It
would seem that in such a case the person so adjured could not refuse to give an
answer.
The word "adjure", i.e., cause to swear is used with reference to the casting
out of demons (Acts 19:13).
Admah - earth, one of the five cities of the vale of
Siddim (Gen. 10:19). It was destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (19:24;
Deut. 29:23). It is supposed by some to be the same as the Adam of Josh. 3:16,
the name of which still lingers in Damieh, the ford of Jordan. (See ZEBOIM.)
Adnah - delight. (1.) A chief of the tribe of
Manasseh who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:20). (2.) A general under
Jehoshaphat, chief over 300,000 men (2 Chr. 17:14).
Adonibezek - lord of Bezek, a Canaanitish king who,
having subdued seventy of the chiefs that were around him, made an attack
against the armies of Judah and Simeon, but was defeated and brought as a
captive to Jerusalem, where his thumbs and great toes were cut off. He confessed
that God had requited him for his like cruelty to the seventy kings whom he had
subdued (Judg. 1:4-7; comp. 1 Sam. 15:33).
Adonijah - my Lord is Jehovah. (1.) The fourth son of
David (2 Sam. 3:4). After the death of his elder brothers, Amnon and Absalom, he
became heir-apparent to the throne. But Solomon, a younger brother, was
preferred to him. Adonijah, however, when his father was dying, caused himself
to be proclaimed king. But Nathan and Bathsheba induced David to give orders
that Solomon should at once be proclaimed and admitted to the throne. Adonijah
fled and took refuge at the altar, and received pardon for his conduct from
Solomon on the condition that he showed himself "a worthy man" (1 Kings 1:5-53).
He afterwards made a second attempt to gain the throne, but was seized and put
to death (1 Kings 2:13-25).
(2.) A Levite sent with the princes to teach the book of the law to the
inhabitants of Judah (2 Chr. 17:8).
(3.) One of the "chiefs of the people" after the Captivity (Neh. 10:16).
Adonikam - whom the Lord sets up, one of those "which
came with Zerubbabel" (Ezra 2:13). His "children," or retainers, to the number
of 666, came up to Jerusalem (8:13).