Glean - The corners of fields were not to be reaped,
and the sheaf accidentally left behind was not to be fetched away, according to
the law of Moses (Lev. 19:9; 23:22; Deut. 24:21). They were to be left for the
poor to glean. Similar laws were given regarding vineyards and oliveyards.
(Comp. Ruth 2:2.)
Glede - an Old English name for the common kite,
mentioned only in Deut. 14:13 (Heb. ra'ah), the Milvus ater or black kite. The
Hebrew word does not occur in the parallel passage in Leviticus (11:14, da'ah,
rendered "vulture;" in R.V., "kite"). It was an unclean bird. The Hebrew name is
from a root meaning "to see," "to look," thus designating a bird with a keen
sight. The bird intended is probably the buzzard, of which there are three
species found in Palestine. (See VULTURE.)
Glorify - (1.) To make glorious, or cause so to
appear (John 12:28; 13:31, 32; 17:4,5).
(2.) Spoken of God to "shew forth his praise" (1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31).
Glory - (Heb. kabhod; Gr. doxa). (1.) Abundance,
wealth, treasure, and hence honour (Ps. 49:12); glory (Gen. 31:1; Matt. 4:8;
Rev. 21:24, 26).
(2.) Honour, dignity (1 Kings 3:13; Heb. 2:7 1 Pet. 1:24); of God (Ps. 19:1;
29:1); of the mind or heart (Gen. 49:6; Ps. 7:5; Acts 2:46).
(3.) Splendour, brightness, majesty (Gen. 45:13; Isa. 4:5; Acts 22:11; 2 Cor.
3:7); of Jehovah (Isa. 59:19; 60:1; 2 Thess. 1:9).
(4.) The glorious moral attributes, the infinite perfections of God (Isa.
40:5; Acts 7:2; Rom. 1:23; 9:23; Eph. 1:12). Jesus is the "brightness of the
Father's glory" (Heb. 1:3; John 1:14; 2:11).
(5.) The bliss of heaven (Rom. 2:7, 10; 5:2; 8:18; Heb. 2:10; 1 Pet. 5:1,
10).
(6.) The phrase "Give glory to God" (Josh. 7:19; Jer. 13:16) is a Hebrew
idiom meaning, "Confess your sins." The words of the Jews to the blind man,
"Give God the praise" (John 9:24), are an adjuration to confess. They are
equivalent to, "Confess that you are an impostor," "Give God the glory by
speaking the truth;" for they denied that a miracle had been wrought.
Glutton - (Deut. 21:20), Heb. zolel, from a word
meaning "to shake out," "to squander;" and hence one who is prodigal, who wastes
his means by indulgence. In Prov. 23:21, the word means debauchees or wasters of
their own body. In Prov. 28:7, the word (pl.) is rendered Authorized Version
"riotous men;" Revised Version, "gluttonous." Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34, Greek
phagos, given to eating, gluttonous.
Gnash - Heb. harak, meaning "to grate the teeth",
(Job 16:9; Ps. 112:10; Lam. 2:16), denotes rage or sorrow. (See also Acts 7:54;
Mark 9:18.)
Gnat - only in Matt. 23:24, a small two-winged
stinging fly of the genus Culex, which includes mosquitoes. Our Lord alludes
here to the gnat in a proverbial expression probably in common use, "who strain
out the gnat;" the words in the Authorized Version, "strain at a gnat," being a
mere typographical error, which has been corrected in the Revised Version. The
custom of filtering wine for this purpose was common among the Jews. It was
founded on Lev. 11:23. It is supposed that the "lice," Ex. 8:16 (marg. R.V.,
"sand-flies"), were a species of gnat.
Goad - (Heb. malmad, only in Judg. 3: 31), an
instrument used by ploughmen for guiding their oxen. Shamgar slew six hundred
Philistines with an ox-goad. "The goad is a formidable weapon. It is sometimes
ten feet long, and has a sharp point. We could now see that the feat of Shamgar
was not so very wonderful as some have been accustomed to think."
In 1 Sam. 13:21, a different Hebrew word is used, dorban, meaning
something pointed. The expression (Acts 9:5, omitted in the R.V.), "It is hard
for thee to kick against the pricks", i.e., against the goad, was proverbial for
unavailing resistance to superior power.
Goat - (1.) Heb. 'ez, the she-goat (Gen. 15:9; 30:35;
31:38). This Hebrew word is also used for the he-goat (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 4:23; Num.
28:15), and to denote a kid (Gen. 38:17, 20). Hence it may be regarded as the
generic name of the animal as domesticated. It literally means "strength," and
points to the superior strength of the goat as compared with the sheep.
(2.) Heb. 'attud, only in plural; rendered "rams" (Gen. 31:10,12); he-goats
(Num. 7:17-88; Isa. 1:11); goats (Deut. 32:14; Ps. 50:13). They were used in
sacrifice (Ps. 66:15). This word is used metaphorically for princes or chiefs in
Isa. 14:9, and in Zech. 10:3 as leaders. (Comp. Jer. 50:8.)
(3.) Heb. gedi, properly a kid. Its flesh was a delicacy among the Hebrews
(Gen. 27:9, 14, 17; Judg. 6:19).
(4.) Heb. sa'ir, meaning the "shaggy," a hairy goat, a he-goat (2 Chr.
29:23); "a goat" (Lev. 4:24); "satyr" (Isa. 13:21); "devils" (Lev. 17:7). It is
the goat of the sin-offering (Lev. 9:3, 15; 10:16).
(5.) Heb. tsaphir, a he-goat of the goats (2 Chr. 29:21). In Dan. 8:5, 8 it
is used as a symbol of the Macedonian empire.
(6.) Heb. tayish, a "striker" or "butter," rendered "he-goat" (Gen. 30:35;
32:14).
(7.) Heb. 'azazel (q.v.), the "scapegoat" (Lev. 16:8, 10,26).
(8.) There are two Hebrew words used to denote the undomesticated goat:,
Yael, only in plural mountain goats (1 Sam. 24:2; Job 39:1; Ps.104:18).
It is derived from a word meaning "to climb." It is the ibex, which abounded in
the mountainous parts of Moab. And 'akko, only in Deut. 14:5, the wild
goat.
Goats are mentioned in the New Testament in Matt. 25:32,33; Heb. 9:12,13, 19;
10:4. They represent oppressors and wicked men (Ezek. 34:17; 39:18; Matt.
25:33).
Several varieties of the goat were familiar to the Hebrews. They had an
important place in their rural economy on account of the milk they afforded and
the excellency of the flesh of the kid. They formed an important part of
pastoral wealth (Gen. 31:10, 12;32:14; 1 Sam. 25:2).
Goath - a lowing, a place near Jerusalem, mentioned
only in Jer. 31:39.
Gob - a pit, a place mentioned in 2 Sam. 21:18, 19;
called also Gezer, in 1 Chr. 20:4.
Goblet - a laver or trough for washing garments. In
Cant. 7:2, a bowl or drinking vessel, a bowl for mixing wine; in Ex. 24:6, a
sacrificial basin. (See CUP.)
God - (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the
name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from
a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The
singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more
commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the
only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly
rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The
existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any
argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid
of understanding (Ps. 14:1).
The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God
are:
(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.
(2.) The a posteriori argument, by which we proceed logically from the facts
of experience to causes. These arguments are,
(a) The cosmological, by which it is proved that there must be a First Cause
of all things, for every effect must have a cause.
(b) The teleological, or the argument from design. We see everywhere the
operations of an intelligent Cause in nature.
(c) The moral argument, called also the anthropological argument, based on
the moral consciousness and the history of mankind, which exhibits a moral order
and purpose which can only be explained on the supposition of the existence of
God. Conscience and human history testify that "verily there is a God that
judgeth in the earth."
The attributes of God are set forth in order by Moses in Ex. 34:6,7. (see
also Deut. 6:4; 10:17; Num. 16:22; Ex. 15:11; 33:19; Isa. 44:6; Hab. 3:6; Ps.
102:26; Job 34:12.) They are also systematically classified in Rev. 5:12 and
7:12.
God's attributes are spoken of by some as absolute, i.e., such as belong to
his essence as Jehovah, Jah, etc.; and relative, i.e., such as are ascribed to
him with relation to his creatures. Others distinguish them into communicable,
i.e., those which can be imparted in degree to his creatures: goodness,
holiness, wisdom, etc.; and incommunicable, which cannot be so imparted:
independence, immutability, immensity, and eternity. They are by some also
divided into natural attributes, eternity, immensity, etc.; and moral, holiness,
goodness, etc.
Godhead - (Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9), the
essential being or the nature of God.
Godliness - the whole of practical piety (1 Tim. 4:8;
2 Pet. 1:6). "It supposes knowledge, veneration, affection, dependence,
submission, gratitude, and obedience." In 1 Tim. 3:16 it denotes the substance
of revealed religion.
Goel - in Hebrew the participle of the verb
gaal, "to redeem." It is rendered in the Authorized Version "kinsman,"
Num. 5:8; Ruth 3:12; 4:1,6,8; "redeemer," Job 19:25; "avenger," Num. 35:12;
Deut. 19:6, etc. The Jewish law gave the right of redeeming and repurchasing, as
well as of avenging blood, to the next relative, who was accordingly called by
this name. (See REDEEMER.)
Gog - (1.) A Reubenite (1 Chr. 5:4), the father of
Shimei.
(2.) The name of the leader of the hostile party described in Ezek. 38,39, as
coming from the "north country" and assailing the people of Israel to their own
destruction. This prophecy has been regarded as fulfilled in the conflicts of
the Maccabees with Antiochus, the invasion and overthrow of the Chaldeans, and
the temporary successes and destined overthrow of the Turks. But "all these
interpretations are unsatisfactory and inadequate. The vision respecting Gog and
Magog in the Apocalypse (Rev. 20:8) is in substance a reannouncement of this
prophecy of Ezekiel. But while Ezekiel contemplates the great conflict in a more
general light as what was certainly to be connected with the times of the
Messiah, and should come then to its last decisive issues, John, on the other
hand, writing from the commencement of the Messiah's times, describes there the
last struggles and victories of the cause of Christ. In both cases alike the
vision describes the final workings of the world's evil and its results in
connection with the kingdom of God, only the starting-point is placed further in
advance in the one case than in the other."
It has been supposed to be the name of a district in the wild north-east
steppes of Central Asia, north of the Hindu-Kush, now a part of Turkestan, a
region about 2,000 miles north-east of Nineveh.
Golan - exile, a city of Bashan (Deut. 4:43), one of
the three cities of refuge east of Jordan, about 12 miles north-east of the Sea
of Galilee (Josh. 20:8). There are no further notices of it in Scripture. It
became the head of the province of Gaulanitis, one of the four provinces into
which Bashan was divided after the Babylonish captivity, and almost identical
with the modern Jaulan, in Western Hauran, about 39 miles in length and 18 in
breath.
Gold - (1.) Heb. zahab, so called from its yellow
colour (Ex. 25:11; 1 Chr. 28:18; 2 Chr. 3:5).
(2.) Heb. segor, from its compactness, or as being enclosed or treasured up;
thus precious or "fine gold" (1 Kings 6:20; 7:49).
(3.) Heb. paz, native or pure gold (Job 28:17; Ps. 19:10; 21:3, etc.).
(4.) Heb. betzer, "ore of gold or silver" as dug out of the mine (Job 36:19,
where it means simply riches).
(5.) Heb. kethem, i.e., something concealed or separated (Job 28:16,19; Ps.
45:9; Prov. 25:12). Rendered "golden wedge" in Isa. 13:12.
(6.) Heb. haruts, i.e., dug out; poetic for gold (Prov. 8:10; 16:16; Zech.
9:3).
Gold was known from the earliest times (Gen. 2:11). It was principally used
for ornaments (Gen. 24:22). It was very abundant (1 Chr. 22:14; Nah. 2:9; Dan.
3:1). Many tons of it were used in connection with the temple (2 Chr. 1:15). It
was found in Arabia, Sheba, and Ophir (1 Kings 9:28; 10:1; Job 28:16), but not
in Palestine.
In Dan. 2:38, the Babylonian Empire is spoken of as a "head of gold" because
of its great riches; and Babylon was called by Isaiah (14:4) the "golden city"
(R.V. marg., "exactress," adopting the reading marhebah, instead of the
usual word madhebah).
Golden calf - (Ex. 32:4,8; Deut. 9:16; Neh. 9:18).
This was a molten image of a calf which the idolatrous Israelites formed at
Sinai. This symbol was borrowed from the custom of the Egyptians. It was
destroyed at the command of Moses (Ex. 32:20). (See AARON ¯T0000002; MOSES.)
Goldsmith - (Neh. 3:8,32; Isa. 40:19; 41:7; 46:6).
The word so rendered means properly a founder or finer.
Golgotha - the common name of the spot where Jesus
was crucified. It is interpreted by the evangelists as meaning "the place of a
skull" (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17). This name represents in Greek
letters the Aramaic word Gulgaltha, which is the Hebrew Gulgoleth (Num. 1:2; 1
Chr. 23:3, 24; 2 Kings 9:35), meaning "a skull." It is identical with the word
Calvary (q.v.). It was a little knoll rounded like a bare skull. It is obvious
from the evangelists that it was some well-known spot outside the gate (comp.
Heb. 13:12), and near the city (Luke 23:26), containing a "garden" (John 19:41),
and on a thoroughfare leading into the country. Hence it is an untenable idea
that it is embraced within the present "Church of the Holy Sepulchre." The
hillock above Jeremiah's Grotto, to the north of the city, is in all probability
the true site of Calvary. The skull-like appearance of the rock in the southern
precipice of the hillock is very remarkable.
Goliath - great. (1.) A famous giant of Gath, who for
forty days openly defied the armies of Israel, but was at length slain by David
with a stone from a sling (1 Sam. 17:4). He was probably descended from the
Rephaim who found refuge among the Philistines after they were dispersed by the
Ammonites (Deut. 2:20, 21). His height was "six cubits and a span," which,
taking the cubit at 21 inches, is equal to 10 1/2 feet. David cut off his head
(1 Sam. 17:51) and brought it to Jerusalem, while he hung the armour which he
took from him in his tent. His sword was preserved at Nob as a religious trophy
(21:9). David's victory over Goliath was the turning point in his life. He came
into public notice now as the deliverer of Israel and the chief among Saul's men
of war (18:5), and the devoted friend of Jonathan.
(2.) In 2 Sam. 21:19 there is another giant of the same name mentioned as
slain by Elhanan. The staff of his apear "was like a weaver's beam." The
Authorized Version interpolates the words "the brother of" from 1 Chr. 20:5,
where this giant is called Lahmi.
Gomer - complete; vanishing. (1.) The daughter of
Diblaim, who (probably in vision only) became the wife of Hosea (1:3).
(2.) The eldest son of Japheth, and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah
(Gen. 10:2, 3), whose descendants formed the principal branch of the population
of South-eastern Europe. He is generally regarded as the ancestor of the Celtae
and the Cimmerii, who in early times settled to the north of the Black Sea, and
gave their name to the Crimea, the ancient Chersonesus Taurica. Traces of their
presence are found in the names Cimmerian Bosphorus, Cimmerian Isthmus, etc. In
the seventh century B.C. they were driven out of their original seat by the
Scythians, and overran western Asia Minor, whence they were afterwards expelled.
They subsequently reappear in the times of the Romans as the Cimbri of the north
and west of Europe, whence they crossed to the British Isles, where their
descendants are still found in the Gaels and Cymry. Thus the whole Celtic race
may be regarded as descended from Gomer.
Gomorrah - submersion, one of the five cities of the
plain of Siddim (q.v.) which were destroyed by fire (Gen. 10:19; 13:10; 19:24,
28). These cities probably stood close together, and were near the northern
extremity of what is now the Dead Sea. This city is always mentioned next after
Sodom, both of which were types of impiety and wickedness (Gen. 18:20; Rom.
9:29). Their destruction is mentioned as an "ensample unto those that after
should live ungodly" (2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 1:4-7). Their wickedness became
proverbial (Deut. 32:32; Isa. 1:9, 10; Jer. 23:14). But that wickedness may be
exceeded (Matt. 10:15; Mark 6:11). (See DEAD SEA ¯T0000991).
Goodly trees - boughs of, were to be carried in
festive procession on the first day of the feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:40).
This was probably the olive tree (Neh. 8:15), although no special tree is
mentioned.
Goodness - in man is not a mere passive quality, but
the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance
of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good.
Goodness of God - a perfection of his character which
he exercises towards his creatures according to their various circumstances and
relations (Ps. 145:8, 9; 103:8; 1 John 4:8). Viewed generally, it is
benevolence; as exercised with respect to the miseries of his creatures it is
mercy, pity, compassion, and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering
patience; as exercised in communicating favour on the unworthy it is grace.
"Goodness and justice are the several aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely
wise, and sovereign moral perfection. God is not sometimes merciful and
sometimes just, but he is eternally infinitely just and merciful." God is
infinitely and unchangeably good (Zeph. 3:17), and his goodness is
incomprehensible by the finite mind (Rom. 11: 35, 36). "God's goodness appears
in two things, giving and forgiving."
Gopher - a tree from the wood of which Noah was
directed to build the ark (Gen. 6:14). It is mentioned only there. The LXX.
render this word by "squared beams," and the Vulgate by "planed wood." Other
versions have rendered it "pine" and "cedar;" but the weight of authority is in
favour of understanding by it the cypress tree, which grows abundantly in
Chaldea and Armenia.
Goshen - (1.) A district in Egypt where Jacob and his
family settled, and in which they remained till the Exodus (Gen. 45:10; 46:28,
29, 31, etc.). It is called "the land of Goshen" (47:27), and also simply
"Goshen" (46:28), and "the land of Rameses" (47:11; Ex. 12:37), for the towns
Pithom and Rameses lay within its borders; also Zoan or Tanis (Ps. 78:12). It
lay on the east of the Nile, and apparently not far from the royal residence. It
was "the best of the land" (Gen. 47:6, 11), but is now a desert. It is first
mentioned in Joseph's message to his father. It has been identified with the
modern Wady Tumilat, lying between the eastern part of the Delta and the west
border of Palestine. It was a pastoral district, where some of the king's cattle
were kept (Gen. 47:6). The inhabitants were not exclusively Israelites (Ex.
3:22; 11:2; 12:35, 36).
(2.) A district in Palestine (Josh. 10:41; 11:16). It was a part of the
maritime plain of Judah, and lay between Gaza and Gibeon.
(3.) A town in the mountains of Judah (Josh. 15:51).
Gospel - a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning
"God's spell", i.e., word of God, or rather, according to others, "good spell",
i.e., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, i.e., "good
message." It denotes (1) "the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as
preached by our Lord and his followers. (2.) It was afterwards transitively
applied to each of the four histories of our Lord's life, published by those who
are therefore called 'Evangelists', writers of the history of the gospel (the
evangelion). (3.) The term is often used to express collectively the gospel
doctrines; and 'preaching the gospel' is often used to include not only the
proclaiming of the good tidings, but the teaching men how to avail themselves of
the offer of salvation, the declaring of all the truths, precepts, promises, and
threatenings of Christianity." It is termed "the gospel of the grace of God"
(Acts 20:24), "the gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 4:23), "the gospel of Christ"
(Rom. 1:16), "the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15), "the glorious gospel," "the
everlasting gospel," "the gospel of salvation" (Eph. 1:13).
Gospels - The central fact of Christian preaching was
the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world (Matt. 4:23; Rom.
10:15); and the first Christian preachers who called their account of the person
and mission of Christ by the term evangelion_ (= good message) were called
_evangelistai (= evangelists) (Eph. 4:11; Acts 21:8).
There are four historical accounts of the person and work of Christ: "the
first by Matthew, announcing the Redeemer as the promised King of the kingdom of
God; the second by Mark, declaring him 'a prophet, mighty in deed and word'; the
third by Luke, of whom it might be said that he represents Christ in the special
character of the Saviour of sinners (Luke 7:36; 15:18); the fourth by John, who
represents Christ as the Son of God, in whom deity and humanity become one. The
ancient Church gave to Matthew the symbol of the lion, to Mark that of a man, to
Luke that of the ox, and to John that of the eagle: these were the four faces of
the cherubim" (Ezek. 1:10).
Date. The Gospels were all composed during the latter part of the first
century, and there is distinct historical evidence to show that they were used
and accepted as authentic before the end of the second century.
Mutual relation. "If the extent of all the coincidences be represented by
100, their proportionate distribution will be: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 53;
Matthew and Luke, 21; Matthew and Mark, 20; Mark and Luke, 6. Looking only at
the general result, it may be said that of the contents of the synoptic Gospels
[i.e., the first three Gospels] about two-fifths are common to the three, and
that the parts peculiar to one or other of them are little more than one-third
of the whole."
Origin. Did the evangelists copy from one another? The opinion is well
founded that the Gospels were published by the apostles orally before they were
committed to writing, and that each had an independent origin. (See MATTHEW,
GOSPEL OF.)
Gourd - (1.) Jonah's gourd (Jonah 4:6-10), bearing
the Hebrew name kikayon (found only here), was probably the kiki of the
Egyptians, the croton. This is the castor-oil plant, a species of ricinus, the
palma Christi, so called from the palmate division of its leaves. Others with
more probability regard it as the cucurbita the el-keroa of the Arabs, a kind of
pumpkin peculiar to the East. "It is grown in great abundance on the alluvial
banks of the Tigris and on the plain between the river and the ruins of
Nineveh." At the present day it is trained to run over structures of mud and
brush to form boots to protect the gardeners from the heat of the noon-day sun.
It grows with extraordinary rapidity, and when cut or injured withers away also
with great rapidity.
(2.) Wild gourds (2 Kings 4:38-40), Heb. pakkuoth, belong to the family of
the cucumber-like plants, some of which are poisonous. The species here referred
to is probably the colocynth (Cucumis colocynthus). The LXX. render the word by
"wild pumpkin." It abounds in the desert parts of Syria, Egypt, and Arabia.
There is, however, another species, called the Cucumis prophetarum, from the
idea that it afforded the gourd which "the sons of the prophets" shred by
mistake into their pottage.
Government of God - See PROVIDENCE.
Governments - (1 Cor. 12:28), the powers which fit a
man for a place of influence in the church; "the steersman's art; the art of
guiding aright the vessel of church or state."
Governor - (1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous
person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chr. 28:7; comp.
1 Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chr. 9:11; Jer. 20:1), the leader of the
Aaronites (1 Chr. 12:27), keeper of the sacred treasury (26:24), captain of the
army (13:1), the king (1 Sam. 9:16), the Messiah (Dan. 9:25).
(2.) Heb. nasi, raised; exalted. Used to denote the chiefs of families (Num.
3:24, 30, 32, 35); also of tribes (2:3; 7:2; 3:32). These dignities appear to
have been elective, not hereditary.
(3.) Heb. pakid, an officer or magistrate. It is used of the delegate of the
high priest (2 Chr. 24:11), the Levites (Neh. 11:22), a military commander (2
Kings 25:19), Joseph's officers in Egypt (Gen. 41:34).
(4.) Heb. shallit, one who has power, who rules (Gen. 42:6; Ezra 4:20; Eccl.
8:8; Dan. 2:15; 5:29).
(5.) Heb. aluph, literally one put over a thousand, i.e., a clan or a
subdivision of a tribe. Used of the "dukes" of Edom (Gen. 36), and of the Jewish
chiefs (Zech. 9:7).
(6.) Heb. moshel, one who rules, holds dominion. Used of many classes of
rulers (Gen. 3:16; 24:2; 45:8; Ps. 105:20); of the Messiah (Micah 5:2); of God
(1 Chr. 29:12; Ps. 103:19).
(7.) Heb. sar, a ruler or chief; a word of very general use. It is used of
the chief baker of Pharaoh (Gen. 40:16); of the chief butler (40:2, etc. See
also Gen. 47:6; Ex. 1:11; Dan. 1:7; Judg. 10:18; 1 Kings 22:26; 20:15; 2 Kings
1:9; 2 Sam. 24:2). It is used also of angels, guardian angels (Dan. 10:13, 20,
21; 12:1; 10:13; 8:25).
(8.) Pehah, whence pasha, i.e., friend of the king; adjutant; governor
of a province (2 Kings 18:24; Isa. 36:9; Jer. 51: 57; Ezek. 23:6, 23; Dan. 3:2;
Esther 3: 12), or a perfect (Neh. 3:7; 5:14; Ezra 5:3; Hag. 1:1). This is a
foreign word, Assyrian, which was early adopted into the Hebrew idiom (1 Kings
10:15).
(9.) The Chaldean word segan is applied to the governors of the
Babylonian satrapies (Dan. 3:2, 27; 6:7); the prefects over the Magi (2:48). The
corresponding Hebrew word segan is used of provincial rulers (Jer. 51:23,
28, 57); also of chiefs and rulers of the people of Jerusalem (Ezra 9:2; Neh.
2:16; 4:14, 19; 5:7, 17; 7:5; 12:40).
In the New Testament there are also different Greek words rendered thus.
(1.) Meaning an ethnarch (2 Cor. 11:32), which was an office distinct from
military command, with considerable latitude of application.
(2.) The procurator of Judea under the Romans (Matt. 27:2). (Comp. Luke 2:2,
where the verb from which the Greek word so rendered is derived is used.)
(3.) Steward (Gal. 4:2).
(4.) Governor of the feast (John 2:9), who appears here to have been merely
an intimate friend of the bridegroom, and to have presided at the marriage
banquet in his stead.
(5.) A director, i.e., helmsman; Lat. gubernator, (James 3:4).
Gozan - a region in Central Asia to which the
Israelites were carried away captive (2 Kings 17:6; 1 Chr. 5:26; 2 Kings 19:12;
Isa. 37:12). It was situated in Mesopotamia, on the river Habor (2 Kings 17:6;
18:11), the Khabur, a tributary of the Euphrates. The "river of Gozan" (1 Chr.
5:26) is probably the upper part of the river flowing through the province of
Gozan, now Kizzel-Ozan.
Grace - (1.) Of form or person (Prov. 1:9; 3:22; Ps.
45:2). (2.) Favour, kindness, friendship (Gen. 6:8; 18:3; 19:19; 2 Tim. 1:9).
(3.) God's forgiving mercy (Rom. 11:6; Eph. 2:5). (4.) The gospel as
distinguished from the law (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14; 1 Pet. 5:12). (5.) Gifts
freely bestowed by God; as miracles, prophecy, tongues (Rom. 15:15; 1 Cor.
15:10; Eph. 3:8). (6.) Christian virtues (2 Cor. 8:7; 2 Pet. 3:18). (7.) The
glory hereafter to be revealed (1 Pet. 1:13).
Grace, means of - an expression not used in
Scripture, but employed (1) to denote those institutions ordained by God to be
the ordinary channels of grace to the souls of men. These are the Word,
Sacraments, and Prayer.
(2.) But in popular language the expression is used in a wider sense to
denote those exercises in which we engage for the purpose of obtaining spiritual
blessing; as hearing the gospel, reading the Word, meditation, self-examination,
Christian conversation, etc.
Graft - the process of inoculating fruit-trees (Rom.
11:17-24). It is peculiarly appropriate to olive-trees. The union thus of
branches to a stem is used to illustrate the union of true believers to the true
Church.
Grain - used, in Amos 9:9, of a small stone or
kernel; in Matt. 13:31, of an individual seed of mustard; in John 12:24, 1 Cor.
15:37, of wheat. The Hebrews sowed only wheat, barley, and spelt; rye and oats
are not mentioned in Scripture.
Grape - the fruit of the vine, which was extensively
cultivated in Palestine. Grapes are spoken of as "tender" (Cant. 2:13, 15),
"unripe" (Job 15:33), "sour" (Isa. 18:5), "wild" (Isa. 5:2,4). (See Rev. 14:18;
Micah 7:1; Jer. 6:9; Ezek. 18:2, for figurative use of the word.) (See VINE.)
Grass - (1.) Heb. hatsir, ripe grass fit for mowing
(1 Kings 18:5; Job 40:15; Ps. 104:14). As the herbage rapidly fades under the
scorching sun, it is used as an image of the brevity of human life (Isa. 40:6,
7; Ps. 90:5). In Num. 11:5 this word is rendered "leeks."
(2.) Heb. deshe', green grass (Gen. 1:11, 12; Isa. 66:14; Deut. 32:2). "The
sickly and forced blades of grass which spring up on the flat plastered roofs of
houses in the East are used as an emblem of speedy destruction, because they are
small and weak, and because, under the scorching rays of the sun, they soon
wither away" (2 Kings 19:26; Ps. 129:6; Isa. 37:27).
The dry stalks of grass were often used as fuel for the oven (Matt. 6:30;
13:30; Luke 12:28).
Grasshopper - belongs to the class of neuropterous
insects called Gryllidae. This insect is not unknown in Palestine.
In Judg. 6:5; 7:12; Job 39:30; Jer. 46:23, where the Authorized Version has
"grasshopper," the Revised Version more correctly renders the Hebrew word
('arbeh) by "locust." This is the case also in Amos 7:1; Nah. 3:17, where the
Hebrew word gob is used; and in Lev. 11:22; Num. 13:33; Eccl. 12:5; Isa.
40:22, where hagab is used. In all these instances the proper rendering
is probably "locust" (q.v.).
Grate - a network of brass for the bottom of the
great altar of sacrifice (Ex. 27:4; 35:16; 38:4, 5, 30).
Grave - Among the ancient Hebrews graves were outside
of cities in the open field (Luke 7:12; John 11:30). Kings (1 Kings 2:10) and
prophets (1 Sam. 25:1) were generally buried within cities. Graves were
generally grottoes or caves, natural or hewn out in rocks (Isa. 22:16; Matt.
27:60). There were family cemeteries (Gen. 47:29; 50:5; 2 Sam. 19:37). Public
burial-places were assigned to the poor (Jer. 26:23; 2 Kings 23:6). Graves were
usually closed with stones, which were whitewashed, to warn strangers against
contact with them (Matt. 23:27), which caused ceremonial pollution (Num. 19:16).
There were no graves in Jerusalem except those of the kings, and according to
tradition that of the prophetess Huldah.
Graven image - Deut. 27:15; Ps. 97:7 (Heb. pesel),
refers to the household gods of idolaters. "Every nation and city had its own
gods...Yet every family had its separate household or tutelary god."
Graving - (1.) Heb. hatsabh. Job 19:24, rendered
"graven," but generally means hewn stone or wood, in quarry or forest.
(2.) Heb. harush. Jer. 17:1, rendered "graven," and indicates generally
artistic work in metal, wood, and stone, effected by fine instruments.
(3.) Heb. haqaq. Ezek. 4:1, engraving a plan or map, rendered "pourtray;" Job
19:23, "written."
(4.) Heb. pasal points rather to the sculptor's or the carver's art (Isa.
30:22; 40:19; 41:7; 44:12-15).
(5.) Pathah refers to intaglio work, the cutting and engraving of precious
stones (Ex. 28:9-11, 21; Zech. 3:9; Cant. 1:10, 11).
(6.) Heret. In Ex. 32:4 rendered "graving tool;" and in Isa. 8:1, "a pen."
Greaves - only in 1 Sam. 17:6, a piece of defensive
armour (q.v.) reaching from the foot to the knee; from French greve, "the shin."
They were the Roman cothurni.
Grecians - Hellenists, Greek-Jews; Jews born in a
foreign country, and thus did not speak Hebrew (Acts 6:1; 9:29), nor join in the
Hebrew services of the Jews in Palestine, but had synagogues of their own in
Jerusalem. Joel 3:6 =Greeks.
Greece - orginally consisted of the four provinces of
Macedonia, Epirus, Achaia, and Peleponnesus. In Acts 20:2 it designates only the
Roman province of Macedonia. Greece was conquered by the Romans B.C. 146. After
passing through various changes it was erected into an independent monarchy in
1831.
Moses makes mention of Greece under the name of Javan (Gen. 10:2-5); and this
name does not again occur in the Old Testament till the time of Joel (3:6). Then
the Greeks and Hebrews first came into contact in the Tyrian slave-market.
Prophetic notice is taken of Greece in Dan. 8:21.
The cities of Greece were the special scenes of the labours of the apostle
Paul.
Greek - Found only in the New Testament, where a
distinction is observed between "Greek" and "Grecian" (q.v.). The former is (1)
a Greek by race (Acts 16:1-3; 18:17; Rom. 1:14), or (2) a Gentile as opposed to
a Jew (Rom. 2:9, 10). The latter, meaning properly "one who speaks Greek," is a
foreign Jew opposed to a home Jew who dwelt in Palestine.
The word "Grecians" in Acts 11:20 should be "Greeks," denoting the heathen
Greeks of that city, as rendered in the Revised Version according to the reading
of the best manuscripts ("Hellenes").
Greyhound - (Prov. 30:31), the rendering of the
Hebrew zarzir mothnayim, meaning literally "girded as to the lions." Some
(Gesen.; R.V. marg.) render it "war-horse." The LXX. and Vulgate versions render
it "cock." It has been by some interpreters rendered also "stag" and "warrior,"
as being girded about or panoplied, and "wrestler." The greyhound, however, was
evidently known in ancient times, as appears from Egyptian monuments.
Grind - (Ex. 32:20; Deut. 9:21; Judg. 16:21), to
crush small (Heb. tahan); to oppress the poor (Isa. 3:5). The hand-mill was
early used by the Hebrews (Num. 11:8). It consisted of two stones, the upper
(Deut. 24:6; 2 Sam. 11:21) being movable and slightly concave, the lower being
stationary. The grinders mentioned Eccl. 12:3 are the teeth. (See MILL.)
Grizzled - party-coloured, as goats (Gen. 31:10, 12),
horses (Zech. 6:3, 6).
Grove - (1.) Heb. 'asherah, properly a wooden image,
or a pillar representing Ashtoreth, a sensual Canaanitish goddess, probably
usually set up in a grove (2 Kings 21:7; 23:4). In the Revised Version the word
"Asherah" (q.v.) is introduced as a proper noun, the name of the wooden symbol
of a goddess, with the plurals Asherim (Ex. 34:13) and Asheroth (Judg. 3:13).
The LXX. have rendered asherah in 2 Chr. 15:16 by "Astarte." The
Vulgate has done this also in Judg. 3:7.
(2.) Heb. 'eshel (Gen. 21:33). In 1 Sam. 22:6 and 31:13 the Authorized
Version renders this word by "tree." In all these passages the Revised Version
renders by "tamarisk tree." It has been identified with the Tamariscus
orientalis, five species of which are found in Palestine.
(3.) The Heb. word 'elon, uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by
"plain," properly signifies a grove or plantation. In the Revised Version it is
rendered, pl., "oaks" (Gen. 13:18; 14:13; 18:1; 12:6; Deut. 11:30; Josh. 19:33).
In the earliest times groves are mentioned in connection with religious worship.
The heathen consecrated groves to particular gods, and for this reason they were
forbidden to the Jews (Jer. 17:3; Ezek. 20:28).
Guard - (1.) Heb. tabbah (properly a "cook," and in a
secondary sense "executioner," because this office fell to the lot of the cook
in Eastern countries), the bodyguard of the kings of Egypt (Gen. 37:36) and
Babylon (2 Kings 25:8; Jer. 40:1; Dan. 2:14).
(2.) Heb. rats, properly a "courier," one whose office was to run before the
king's chariot (2 Sam. 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5). The couriers were also military
guards (1 Sam. 22:17; 2 Kings 10:25). They were probably the same who under
David were called Pelethites (1 Kings 14:27; 2 Sam. 15:1).
(3.) Heb. mishmereth, one who watches (Neh. 4:22), or a watch-station (7:3;
12:9; Job 7:12).
In the New Testament (Mark 6:27) the Authorized Version renders the Greek
spekulator by "executioner," earlier English versions by "hangman," the
Revised Version by "soldier of his guard." The word properly means a "pikeman"
or "halberdier," of whom the bodyguard of kings and princes was composed. In
Matt. 27:65, 66; 28:11, the Authorized Version renders the Greek kustodia
by "watch," and the Revised Version by "guard," the Roman guard, which consisted
of four soldiers, who were relieved every three hours (Acts 12:4). The "captain
of the guard" mentioned Acts 28:16 was the commander of the Praetorian troops,
whose duty it was to receive and take charge of all prisoners from the
provinces.
Guest-chamber - the spare room on the upper floor of
an Eastern dwelling (Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11). In Luke 2:7 the word is translated
"inn" (q.v.).
Gur - a whelp, a place near Ibleam where Jehu's
servants overtook and mortally wounded king Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:27); an ascent
from the plain of Jezreel.
Gur-baal - sojourn of Baal, a place in Arabia (2 Chr.
26:7) where there was probably a temple of Baal.
Gutter - Heb. tsinnor, (2 Sam. 5:8). This Hebrew word
occurs only elsewhere in Ps. 42:7 in the plural, where it is rendered
"waterspouts." It denotes some passage through which water passed; a
water-course.
In Gen. 30:38, 41 the Hebrew word rendered "gutters" is rahat, and
denotes vessels overflowing with water for cattle (Ex. 2:16); drinking-troughs.
Habakkuk - embrace, the eighth of the twelve minor
prophets. Of his personal history we have no reliable information. He was
probably a member of the Levitical choir. He was contemporary with Jeremiah and
Zephaniah.
Habakkuk, Prophecies of - were probably written about
B.C. 650-627, or, as some think, a few years later. This book consists of three
chapters, the contents of which are thus comprehensively described: "When the
prophet in spirit saw the formidable power of the Chaldeans approaching and
menacing his land, and saw the great evils they would cause in Judea, he bore
his complaints and doubts before Jehovah, the just and the pure (1:2-17). And on
this occasion the future punishment of the Chaldeans was revealed to him (2). In
the third chapter a presentiment of the destruction of his country, in the
inspired heart of the prophet, contends with his hope that the enemy would be
chastised." The third chapter is a sublime song dedicated "to the chief
musician," and therefore intended apparently to be used in the worship of God.
It is "unequalled in majesty and splendour of language and imagery."
The passage in 2:4, "The just shall live by his faith," is quoted by the
apostle in Rom. 1:17. (Comp. Gal. 3:12; Heb. 10:37, 38.)
Habergeon - an Old English word for breastplate. In
Job 41:26 (Heb. shiryah) it is properly a "coat of mail;" the Revised Version
has "pointed shaft." In Ex. 28:32, 39:23, it denotes a military garment strongly
and thickly woven and covered with mail round the neck and breast. Such linen
corselets have been found in Egypt. The word used in these verses is
tahra, which is of Egyptian origin. The Revised Version, however, renders
it by "coat of mail." (See ARMOUR.)
Habitation - God is the habitation of his people, who
find rest and safety in him (Ps. 71:3; 91:9). Justice and judgment are the
habitation of God's throne (Ps. 89:14, Heb. mekhon, "foundation"), because all
his acts are founded on justice and judgment. (See Ps. 132:5, 13; Eph. 2:22, of
Canaan, Jerusalem, and the temple as God's habitation.) God inhabits eternity
(Isa. 57:15), i.e., dwells not only among men, but in eternity, where time is
unknown; and "the praises of Israel" (Ps. 22:3), i.e., he dwells among those
praises and is continually surrounded by them.
Habor - the united stream, or, according to others,
with beautiful banks, the name of a river in Assyria, and also of the district
through which it flowed (1 Chr. 5:26). There is a river called Khabur which
rises in the central highlands of Kurdistan, and flows south-west till it falls
into the Tigris, about 70 miles above Mosul. This was not, however, the Habor of
Scripture.
There is another river of the same name (the Chaboras) which, after a course
of about 200 miles, flows into the Euphrates at Karkesia, the ancient Circesium.
This was, there can be little doubt, the ancient Habor.
Hachilah - the darksome hill, one of the peaks of the
long ridge of el-Kolah, running out of the Ziph plateau, "on the south of
Jeshimon" (i.e., of the "waste"), the district to which one looks down from the
plateau of Ziph (1 Sam. 23:19). After his reconciliation with Saul at Engedi
(24:1-8), David returned to Hachilah, where he had fixed his quarters. The
Ziphites treacherously informed Saul of this, and he immediately (26:1-4)
renewed his pursuit of David, and "pitched in the hill of Hachilah." David and
his nephew Abishai stole at night into the midst of Saul's camp, when they were
all asleep, and noiselessly removed the royal spear and the cruse from the side
of the king, and then, crossing the intervening valley to the height on the
other side, David cried to the people, and thus awoke the sleepers. He then
addressed Saul, who recognized his voice, and expostulated with him. Saul
professed to be penitent; but David could not put confidence in him, and he now
sought refuge at Ziklag. David and Saul never afterwards met. (1 Sam. 26:13-25).
Hadad - Adod, brave(?), the name of a Syrian god.
(1.) An Edomite king who defeated the Midianites (Gen. 36:35; 1 Chr. 1:46).
(2.) Another Edomite king (1 Chr. 1:50, 51), called also Hadar (Gen. 36:39; 1
Chr. 1:51).
(3.) One of "the king's seed in Edom." He fled into Egypt, where he married
the sister of Pharaoh's wife (1 Kings 11:14-22). He became one of Solomon's
adversaries.
Hadad, sharp, (a different name in Hebrew from the preceding), one of the
sons of Ishmael (1 Chr. 1:30). Called also Hadar (Gen. 25:15).
Hadadezer - Hadad is help; called also Hadarezer,
Adod is his help, the king of Zobah. Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, hired
among others the army of Hadadezer to assist him in his war against David. Joab,
who was sent against this confederate host, found them in double battle array,
the Ammonities toward their capital of Rabbah, and the Syrian mercenaries near
Medeba. In the battle which was fought the Syrians were scattered, and the
Ammonites in alarm fled into their capital. After this Hadadezer went north "to
recover his border" (2 Sam. 8:3, A.V.); but rather, as the Revised Version
renders, "to recover his dominion", i.e., to recruit his forces. Then followed
another battle with the Syrian army thus recruited, which resulted in its being
totally routed at Helam (2 Sam. 10:17). Shobach, the leader of the Syrian army,
died on the field of battle. The Syrians of Damascus, who had come to help
Hadadezer, were also routed, and Damascus was made tributary to David. All the
spoils taken in this war, "shields of gold" and "very much brass," from which
afterwards the "brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass" for the
temple were made (1 Chr. 18:8), were brought to Jerusalem and dedicated to
Jehovah. Thus the power of the Ammonites and the Syrians was finally broken, and
David's empire extended to the Euphrates (2 Sam. 10:15-19; 1 Chr. 19:15-19).
Hadad-rimmon - (composed of the names of two Syrian
idols), the name of a place in the valley of Megiddo. It is alluded to by the
prophet Zechariah (12:11) in a proverbial expression derived from the
lamentation for Josiah, who was mortally wounded near this place (2 Chr.
35:22-25). It has been identified with the modern Rummaneh, a village "at the
foot of the Megiddo hills, in a notch or valley about an hour and a half south
of Tell Metzellim."
Hadar - Adod, brave(?). (1.) A son of Ishmael (Gen.
25:15); in 1 Chr. 1:30 written Hadad.
(2.) One of the Edomitish kings (Gen. 36:39) about the time of Saul. Called
also Hadad (1 Chr. 1:50, 51).
It is probable that in these cases Hadar may be an error simply of
transcription for Hadad.
Hadarezer - Adod is his help, the name given to
Hadadezer (2 Sam. 8:3-12) in 2 Sam. 10.
Hadashah - new, a city in the valley of Judah (Josh.
15:37).
Hadassah - myrtle, the Jewish name of Esther (q.v.),
Esther 2:7.
Hadattah - new, one of the towns in the extreme south
of Judah (Josh. 15:25).
Hades - that which is out of sight, a Greek word used
to denote the state or place of the dead. All the dead alike go into this place.
To be buried, to go down to the grave, to descend into hades, are equivalent
expressions. In the LXX. this word is the usual rendering of the Hebrew sheol,
the common receptacle of the departed (Gen. 42:38; Ps. 139:8; Hos. 13:14; Isa.
14:9). This term is of comparatively rare occurrence in the Greek New Testament.
Our Lord speaks of Capernaum as being "brought down to hell" (hades), i.e.,
simply to the lowest debasement, (Matt. 11:23). It is contemplated as a kind of
kingdom which could never overturn the foundation of Christ's kingdom (16:18),
i.e., Christ's church can never die.
In Luke 16:23 it is most distinctly associated with the doom and misery of
the lost.
In Acts 2:27-31 Peter quotes the LXX. version of Ps. 16:8-11, plainly for the
purpose of proving our Lord's resurrection from the dead. David was left in the
place of the dead, and his body saw corruption. Not so with Christ. According to
ancient prophecy (Ps. 30:3) he was recalled to life.
Hadid - pointed, a place in the tribe of Benjamin
near Lydda, or Lod, and Ono (Ezra 2:33; Neh. 7:37). It is identified with the
modern el-Haditheh, 3 miles east of Lydda.
Hadlai - resting, an Ephraimite; the father of Amasa,
mentioned in 2 Chr. 28:12.
Hadoram - is exalted. (1.) The son of Tou, king of
Hamath, sent by his father to congratulate David on his victory over Hadarezer,
king of Syria (1 Chr. 18:10; called Joram 2 Sam. 8:10).
(2.) The fifth son of Joktan, the founder of an Arab tribe (Gen. 10:27; 1
Chr. 1:21).
(3.) One who was "over the tribute;" i.e., "over the levy." He was stoned by
the Israelites after they had revolted from Rehoboam (2 Chr. 10:18). Called also
Adoram (2 Sam. 20:24) and Adoniram (1 Kings 4:6).
Hadrach - the name of a country (Zech. 9:1) which
cannot be identified. Rawlinson would identify it with Edessa. He mentions that
in the Assyrian inscriptions it is recorded that "Shalmanezer III. made two
expeditions, the first against Damascus B.C. 773, and the second against Hadrach
B.C. 772; and again that Asshurdanin-il II. made expeditions against Hadrach in
B.C. 765 and 755."
Haemorrhoids - or Emerods, bleeding piles known to
the ancient Romans as mariscae, but more probably malignant boils of an
infectious and fatal character. With this loathsome and infectious disease the
men of Ashdod were smitten by the hand of the Lord. This calamity they
attributed to the presence of the ark in their midst, and therefore they removed
it to Gath (1 Sam. 5:6-8). But the same consequences followed from its presence
in Gath, and therefore they had it removed to Ekron, 11 miles distant. The
Ekronites were afflicted with the same dreadful malady, but more severely; and a
panic seizing the people, they demanded that the ark should be sent back to the
land of Israel (9-12; 6:1-9).
Haft - a handle as of a dagger (Judg. 3:22).
Hagar - flight, or, according to others, stranger, an
Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid (Gen. 16:1; 21:9, 10), whom she gave to Abraham
(q.v.) as a secondary wife (16:2). When she was about to become a mother she
fled from the cruelty of her mistress, intending apparently to return to her
relatives in Egypt, through the desert of Shur, which lay between. Wearied and
worn she had reached the place she distinguished by the name of Beer-lahai-roi
("the well of the visible God"), where the angel of the Lord appeared to her. In
obedience to the heavenly visitor she returned to the tent of Abraham, where her
son Ishmael was born, and where she remained (16) till after the birth of Isaac,
the space of fourteen years. Sarah after this began to vent her dissatisfaction
both on Hagar and her child. Ishmael's conduct was insulting to Sarah, and she
insisted that he and his mother should be dismissed. This was accordingly done,
although with reluctance on the part of Abraham (Gen. 21:14). They wandered out
into the wilderness, where Ishmael, exhausted with his journey and faint from
thirst, seemed about to die. Hagar "lifted up her voice and wept," and the angel
of the Lord, as before, appeared unto her, and she was comforted and delivered
out of her distresses (Gen. 21:18, 19).
Ishmael afterwards established himself in the wilderness of Paran, where he
married an Egyptian (Gen. 21:20,21).
"Hagar" allegorically represents the Jewish church (Gal. 4:24), in bondage to
the ceremonial law; while "Sarah" represents the Christian church, which is
free.
Hagarene - or Hagarite. (1.) One of David's mighty
men (1 Chr. 11:38), the son of a foreigner.
(2.) Used of Jaziz (1 Chr. 27:31), who was over David's flocks. "A Hagarite
had charge of David's flocks, and an Ishmaelite of his herds, because the
animals were pastured in districts where these nomadic people were accustomed to
feed their cattle."
(3.) In the reign of Saul a great war was waged between the trans-Jordanic
tribes and the Hagarites (1 Chr. 5), who were overcome in battle. A great booty
was captured by the two tribes and a half, and they took possession of the land
of the Hagarites.
Subsequently the "Hagarenes," still residing in the land on the east of
Jordan, entered into a conspiracy against Israel (comp. Ps. 83:6). They are
distinguished from the Ishmaelites.
Haggai - festive, one of the twelve so-called minor
prophets. He was the first of the three (Zechariah, his contemporary, and
Malachi, who was about one hundred years later, being the other two) whose
ministry belonged to the period of Jewish history which began after the return
from captivity in Babylon. Scarcely anything is known of his personal history.
He may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. He
began his ministry about sixteen years after the Return. The work of rebuilding
the temple had been put a stop to through the intrigues of the Samaritans. After
having been suspended for fifteen years, the work was resumed through the
efforts of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 6:14), who by their exhortations roused
the people from their lethargy, and induced them to take advantage of the
favourable opportunity that had arisen in a change in the policy of the Persian
government. (See DARIUS ¯T0000975 [2].) Haggai's prophecies have thus been
characterized:, "There is a ponderous and simple dignity in the emphatic
reiteration addressed alike to every class of the community, prince, priest, and
people, 'Be strong, be strong, be strong' (2:4). 'Cleave, stick fast, to the
work you have to do;' or again, 'Consider your ways, consider, consider,
consider' (1:5, 7;2:15, 18). It is the Hebrew phrase for the endeavour,
characteristic of the gifted seers of all times, to compel their hearers to turn
the inside of their hearts outwards to their own view, to take the mask from off
their consciences, to 'see life steadily, and to see it wholly.'", Stanley's
Jewish Church. (See SIGNET.)
Haggai, Book of - consists of two brief,
comprehensive chapters. The object of the prophet was generally to urge the
people to proceed with the rebuilding of the temple.
Chapter first comprehends the first address (2-11) and its effects (12-15).
Chapter second contains,
(1.) The second prophecy (1-9), which was delivered a month after the first.
(2.) The third prophecy (10-19), delivered two months and three days after
the second; and
(3.) The fourth prophecy (20-23), delivered on the same day as the third.
These discourses are referred to in Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Heb. 12:26. (Comp. Hag.
2:7, 8, 22.)
Haggith - festive; the dancer, a wife of David and
the mother of Adonijah (2 Sam. 3:4; 1 Kings 1:5, 11; 2:13; 1 Chr. 3:2), who,
like Absalom, was famed for his beauty.
Hagiographa - the holy writings, a term which came
early into use in the Christian church to denote the third division of the Old
Testament scriptures, called by the Jews Kethubim, i.e., "Writings." It
consisted of five books, viz., Job, Proverbs, and Psalms, and the two books of
Chronicles. The ancient Jews classified their sacred books as the Law, the
Prophets, and the Kethubim, or Writings. (See BIBLE.)
In the New Testament (Luke 24:44) we find three corresponding divisions,
viz., the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
Hail! - a salutation expressive of a wish for the
welfare of the person addressed; the translation of the Greek Chaire,
"Rejoice" (Luke 1:8). Used in mockery in Matt. 27:29.
Hail - frozen rain-drops; one of the plagues of Egypt
(Ex. 9:23). It is mentioned by Haggai as a divine judgment (Hag. 2:17). A
hail-storm destroyed the army of the Amorites when they fought against Joshua
(Josh. 10:11). Ezekiel represents the wall daubed with untempered mortar as
destroyed by great hail-stones (Ezek. 13:11). (See also 38:22; Rev. 8:7; 11:19;
16:21.)
Hair - (1.) The Egyptians let the hair of their head
and beard grow only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times.
"So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it was a subject
of reproach and ridicule; and whenever they intended to convey the idea of a man
of low condition, or a slovenly person, the artists represented him with a
beard." Joseph shaved himself before going in to Pharoah (Gen. 41:14). The women
of Egypt wore their hair long and plaited. Wigs were worn by priests and laymen
to cover the shaven skull, and false beards were common. The great masses of
hair seen in the portraits and statues of kings and priests are thus altogether
artificial.
(2.) A precisely opposite practice, as regards men, prevailed among the
Assyrians. In Assyrian sculptures the hair always appears long, and combed
closely down upon the head. The beard also was allowed to grow to its full
length.
(3.) Among the Greeks the custom in this respect varied at different times,
as it did also among the Romans. In the time of the apostle, among the Greeks
the men wore short hair, while that of the women was long (1 Cor. 11:14, 15).
Paul reproves the Corinthians for falling in with a style of manners which so
far confounded the distinction of the sexes and was hurtful to good morals.
(See, however, 1 Tim. 2:9, and 1 Pet. 3:3, as regards women.)
(4.) Among the Hebrews the natural distinction between the sexes was
preserved by the women wearing long hair (Luke 7:38; John 11:2; 1 Cor. 11:6),
while the men preserved theirs as a rule at a moderate length by frequent
clipping.
Baldness disqualified any one for the priest's office (Lev. 21).
Elijah is called a "hairy man" (2 Kings 1:8) from his flowing locks, or more
probably from the shaggy cloak of hair which he wore. His raiment was of camel's
hair.
Long hair is especially noticed in the description of Absalom's person (2
Sam. 14:26); but the wearing of long hair was unusual, and was only practised as
an act of religious observance by Nazarites (Num. 6:5; Judg. 13:5) and others in
token of special mercies (Acts 18:18).
In times of affliction the hair was cut off (Isa. 3:17, 24; 15:2; 22:12; Jer.
7:29; Amos 8:10). Tearing the hair and letting it go dishevelled were also
tokens of grief (Ezra 9:3). "Cutting off the hair" is a figure of the entire
destruction of a people (Isa. 7:20). The Hebrews anointed the hair profusely
with fragrant ointments (Ruth 3:3; 2 Sam. 14:2; Ps. 23:5; 45:7, etc.),
especially in seasons of rejoicing (Matt. 6:17; Luke 7:46).
Hakkoz - the thorn, the head of one of the courses of
the priests (1 Chr. 24:10).
Halah - a district of Media to which captive
Israelites were transported by the Assyrian kings (2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; 1 Chr.
5:26). It lay along the banks of the upper Khabur, from its source to its
junction with the Jerujer. Probably the district called by Ptolemy Chalcitis.
Halak - smooth; bald, a hill at the southern
extremity of Canaan (Josh. 11:17). It is referred to as if it were a landmark in
that direction, being prominent and conspicuous from a distance. It has by some
been identified with the modern Jebel el-Madura, on the south frontier of Judah,
between the south end of the Dead Sea and the Wady Gaian.
Halhul - full of hollows, a town in the highlands of
Judah (Josh. 15:58). It is now a small village of the same name, and is situated
about 5 miles north-east of Hebron on the way to Jerusalem. There is an old
Jewish tradition that Gad, David's seer (2 Sam. 24:11), was buried here.
Hall - (Gr. aule, Luke 22:55; R.V., "court"), the
open court or quadrangle belonging to the high priest's house. In Matt. 26:69
and Mark 14:66 this word is incorrectly rendered "palace" in the Authorized
Version, but correctly "court" in the Revised Version. In John 10:1,16 it means
a "sheep-fold." In Matt. 27:27 and Mark 15:16 (A.V., "common hall;" R.V.,
"palace") it refers to the proetorium or residence of the Roman governor at
Jerusalem. The "porch" in Matt. 26:71 is the entrance-hall or passage leading
into the central court, which is open to the sky.
Hallel - praise, the name given to the group of
Psalms 113-118, which are preeminently psalms of praise. It is called "The
Egyptian Hallel," because it was chanted in the temple whilst the Passover lambs
were being slain. It was chanted also on other festival occasions, as at
Pentecost, the feast of Tabernacles, and the feast of Dedication. The Levites,
standing before the altar, chanted it verse by verse, the people responding by
repeating the verses or by intoned hallelujahs. It was also chanted in private
families at the feast of Passover. This was probably the hymn which our Saviour
and his disciples sung at the conclusion of the Passover supper kept by them in
the upper room at Jerusalem (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26).
There is also another group called "The Great Hallel," comprehending Psalms
118-136, which was recited on the first evening at the Passover supper and on
occasions of great joy.