Hoglah - partridge, one of the daughters of
Zelophehad the Gileadite, to whom portions were assigned by Moses (Num. 26:33;
27:1; 36:11).
Hoham - Jehovah impels, the king of Hebron who joined
the league against Gibeon. He and his allies were defeated (Josh. 10:3, 5,
16-27).
Hold - a fortress, the name given to David's
lurking-places (1 Sam. 22:4, 5; 24:22).
Holiness - in the highest sense belongs to God (Isa.
6:3; Rev. 15:4), and to Christians as consecrated to God's service, and in so
far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God (Rom. 6:19, 22; Eph.
1:4; Titus 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:15). Personal holiness is a work of gradual
development. It is carried on under many hindrances, hence the frequent
admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 7:1;
Eph. 4:23, 24). (See SANCTIFICATION.)
Holy Ghost - the third Person of the adorable
Trinity.
His personality is proved (1) from the fact that the attributes of
personality, as intelligence and volition, are ascribed to him (John 14:17, 26;
15:26; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11; 12:11). He reproves, helps, glorifies, intercedes (John
16:7-13; Rom. 8:26). (2) He executes the offices peculiar only to a person. The
very nature of these offices involves personal distinction (Luke 12:12; Acts
5:32; 15:28; 16:6; 28:25; 1 Cor. 2:13; Heb. 2:4; 3:7; 2 Pet. 1:21).
His divinity is established (1) from the fact that the names of God are
ascribed to him (Ex. 17:7; Ps. 95:7; comp. Heb. 3:7-11); and (2) that divine
attributes are also ascribed to him, omnipresence (Ps. 139:7; Eph. 2:17, 18; 1
Cor. 12:13); omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10, 11); omnipotence (Luke 1:35; Rom. 8:11);
eternity (Heb. 9:4). (3) Creation is ascribed to him (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; Ps.
104:30), and the working of miracles (Matt. 12:28; 1 Cor. 12:9-11). (4) Worship
is required and ascribed to him (Isa. 6:3; Acts 28:25; Rom. 9:1; Rev. 1:4; Matt.
28:19).
Holy of holies - the second or interior portion of
the tabernacle. It was left in total darkness. No one was permitted to enter it
except the high priest, and that only once a year. It contained the ark of the
covenant only (Ex. 25:10-16). It was in the form of a perfect cube of 20 cubits.
(See TABERNACLE.)
Holy place - one of the two portions into which the
tabernacle was divided (Ex. 26:31; 37:17-25; Heb. 9:2). It was 20 cubits long
and 10 in height and breadth. It was illuminated by the golden candlestick, as
it had no opening to admit the light. It contained the table of showbread (Ex.
25:23-29) and the golden altar of incense (30:1-11). It was divided from the
holy of holies by a veil of the most costly materials and the brightest colours.
The arrangement of the temple (q.v.) was the same in this respect. In it the
walls of hewn stone were wainscotted with cedar and overlaid with gold, and
adorned with beautiful carvings. It was entered from the porch by folding doors
overlaid with gold and richly embossed. Outside the holy place stood the great
tank or "sea" of molten brass, supported by twelve oxen, three turned each way,
capable of containing two thousand baths of water. Besides this there were ten
lavers and the brazen altar of burnt sacrifice.
Homer - heap, the largest of dry measures, containing
about 8 bushels or 1 quarter English = 10 ephahs (Lev. 27:16; Num. 11:32) = a
COR. (See OMER.)
"Half a homer," a grain measure mentioned only in Hos. 3:2.
Honey - (1.) Heb. ya'ar, occurs only 1 Sam. 14:25,
27, 29; Cant. 5:1, where it denotes the honey of bees. Properly the word
signifies a forest or copse, and refers to honey found in woods.
(2.) Nopheth, honey that drops (Ps. 19:10; Prov. 5:3; Cant. 4:11).
(3.) Debash denotes bee-honey (Judg. 14:8); but also frequently a vegetable
honey distilled from trees (Gen. 43:11; Ezek. 27:17). In these passages it may
probably mean "dibs," or syrup of grapes, i.e., the juice of ripe grapes boiled
down to one-third of its bulk.
(4.) Tsuph, the cells of the honey-comb full of honey (Prov. 16:24; Ps.
19:10).
(5.) "Wild honey" (Matt. 3:4) may have been the vegetable honey distilled
from trees, but rather was honey stored by bees in rocks or in trees (Deut.
32:13; Ps. 81:16; 1 Sam. 14:25-29).
Canaan was a "land flowing with milk and honey" (Ex. 3:8). Milk and honey
were among the chief dainties in the earlier ages, as they are now among the
Bedawin; and butter and honey are also mentioned among articles of food (Isa.
7:15). The ancients used honey instead of sugar (Ps. 119:103; Prov. 24:13); but
when taken in great quantities it caused nausea, a fact referred to in Prov.
25:16, 17 to inculcate moderation in pleasures. Honey and milk also are put for
sweet discourse (Cant. 4:11).
Hood - (Heb. tsaniph) a tiara round the head (Isa.
3:23; R.V., pl., "turbans"). Rendered "diadem," Job 29:14; high priest's
"mitre," Zech. 3:5; "royal diadem," Isa. 62:3.
Hoof - a cleft hoof as of neat cattle (Ex. 10:26;
Ezek. 32:13); hence also of the horse, though not cloven (Isa. 5:28). The
"parting of the hoof" is one of the distinctions between clean and unclean
animals (Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:7).
Hook - (1.) Heb. hah, a "ring" inserted in the
nostrils of animals to which a cord was fastened for the purpose of restraining
them (2 Kings 19:28; Isa. 37:28, 29; Ezek. 29:4; 38:4). "The Orientals make use
of this contrivance for curbing their work-beasts...When a beast becomes unruly
they have only to draw the cord on one side, which, by stopping his breath,
punishes him so effectually that after a few repetitions he fails not to become
quite tractable whenever he begins to feel it" (Michaelis). So God's agents are
never beyond his control.
(2.) Hakkah, a fish "hook" (Job 41:2, Heb. Text, 40:25; Isa. 19:8; Hab.
1:15).
(3.) Vav, a "peg" on which the curtains of the tabernacle were hung (Ex.
26:32).
(4.) Tsinnah, a fish-hooks (Amos 4:2).
(5.) Mazleg, flesh-hooks (1 Sam. 2:13, 14), a kind of fork with three teeth
for turning the sacrifices on the fire, etc.
(6.) Mazmeroth, pruning-hooks (Isa. 2:4; Joel 3:10).
(7.) 'Agmon (Job 41:2, Heb. Text 40:26), incorrectly rendered in the
Authorized Version. Properly a rush-rope for binding animals, as in Revised
Version margin.
Hope - one of the three main elements of Christian
character (1 Cor. 13:13). It is joined to faith and love, and is opposed to
seeing or possessing (Rom. 8:24; 1 John 3:2). "Hope is an essential and
fundamental element of Christian life, so essential indeed, that, like faith and
love, it can itself designate the essence of Christianity (1 Pet. 3:15; Heb.
10:23). In it the whole glory of the Christian vocation is centred (Eph. 1:18;
4:4)." Unbelievers are without this hope (Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13). Christ is
the actual object of the believer's hope, because it is in his second coming
that the hope of glory will be fulfilled (1 Tim. 1:1; Col. 1:27; Titus 2:13). It
is spoken of as "lively", i.e., a living, hope, a hope not frail and perishable,
but having a perennial life (1 Pet. 1:3). In Rom. 5:2 the "hope" spoken of is
probably objective, i.e., "the hope set before us," namely, eternal life (comp.
12:12). In 1 John 3:3 the expression "hope in him" ought rather to be, as in the
Revised Version, "hope on him," i.e., a hope based on God.
Hophni - pugilist or client, one of the two sons of
Eli, the high priest (1 Sam. 1:3; 2:34), who, because he was "very old,"
resigned to them the active duties of his office. By their scandalous conduct
they brought down a curse on their father's house (2:22, 12-27, 27-36; 3:11-14).
For their wickedness they were called "sons of Belial," i.e., worthless men
(2:12). They both perished in the disastrous battle with the Philistines at
Aphek (4:11). (See PHINEHAS.)
Hophra - i.e., PHARAOH-HOPHRA (called Apries by the
Greek historian Herodotus) king of Egypt (B.C. 591-572) in the time of Zedekiah,
king of Judah (Jer. 37:5 44:30; Ezek. 29:6, 7).
Hor - mountain. (1.) One of the mountains of the
chain of Seir or Edom, on the confines of Idumea (Num. 20:22-29; 33:37). It was
one of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (33:37), which they
reached in the circuitous route they were obliged to take because the Edomites
refused them a passage through their territory. It was during the encampment
here that Aaron died (Num. 33:37-41). (See AARON.)
The Israelites passed this mountain several times in their wanderings. It bears
the modern name of Jebel Harun, and is the highest and most conspicious of the
whole range. It stands about midway between the Dead Sea and the Elanitic gulf.
It has two summits, in the hallow between which it is supposed that Aaron died.
Others, however, suppose that this mountain is the modern Jebel Madurah, on the
opposite, i.e., the western, side of the Arabah.
(2.) One of the marks of the northern boundary of Palestine (Num. 34:7, 8).
Nowhere else mentioned. Perhaps it is one of the peaks of Lebanon.
Horeb - desert or mountain of the dried-up ground, a
general name for the whole mountain range of which Sinai was one of the summits
(Ex. 3:1; 17:6; 33:6; Ps. 106:19, etc.). The modern name of the whole range is
Jebel Musa. It is a huge mountain block, about 2 miles long by about 1 in
breadth, with a very spacious plain at its north-east end, called the Er Rahah,
in which the Israelites encamped for nearly a whole year. (See SINAI.)
Horem - consecrated, one of the fenced cities of
Naphtali (Josh. 19:38).
Horites - cave-men, a race of Troglodytes who dwelt
in the limestone caves which abounded in Edom. Their ancestor was "Seir," who
probably gave his name to the district where he lived. They were a branch of the
Hivites (Gen. 14:6; 36:20-30; 1 Chr. 1:38, 39). They were dispossessed by the
descendants of Esau, and as a people gradually became extinct (Deut. 2:12-22).
Hormah - banning; i.e., placing under a "ban," or
devoting to utter destruction. After the manifestation of God's anger against
the Israelites, on account of their rebellion and their murmurings when the
spies returned to the camp at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, with an evil
report of the land, they quickly repented of their conduct, and presumed to go
up "to the head of the mountain," seeking to enter the Promised Land, but
without the presence of the Lord, without the ark of the convenant, and without
Moses. The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down and "smote and discomfited
them even unto Hormah" (Num. 14:45). This place, or perhaps the watch-tower
commanding it, was originally called Zephath (Judg. 1:17), the modern Sebaiteh.
Afterwards (Num. 21:1-3) Arad, the king of the Canaanites, at the close of the
wanderings, when the Israelites were a second time encamped at Kadesh, "fought
against them, and took some of them prisoners." But Israel vowed a vow unto the
Lord utterly to destroy the cities of the Canaanites; they "banned" them, and
hence the place was now called Hormah. But this "ban" was not fully executed
till the time of Joshua, who finally conquered the king of this district, so
that the ancient name Zephath became "Hormah" (Josh. 12:14; Judg. 1:17).
Horn - Trumpets were at first horns perforated at the
tip, used for various purposes (Josh. 6:4,5).
Flasks or vessels were made of horn (1 Sam. 16:1, 13; 1 Kings 1:39).
But the word is used also metaphorically to denote the projecting corners of
the altar of burnt offerings (Ex. 27:2) and of incense (30:2). The horns of the
altar of burnt offerings were to be smeared with the blood of the slain bullock
(29:12; Lev. 4:7-18). The criminal, when his crime was accidental, found an
asylum by laying hold of the horns of the altar (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28).
The word also denotes the peak or summit of a hill (Isa. 5:1, where the word
"hill" is the rendering of the same Hebrew word).
This word is used metaphorically also for strength (Deut. 33:17) and honour
(Job 16:15; Lam. 2:3). Horns are emblems of power, dominion, glory, and
fierceness, as they are the chief means of attack and defence with the animals
endowed with them (Dan. 8:5, 9; 1 Sam. 2:1; 16:1, 13; 1 Kings 1:39; 22:11; Josh.
6:4, 5; Ps. 75:5, 10; 132:17; Luke 1:69, etc.). The expression "horn of
salvation," applied to Christ, means a salvation of strength, or a strong
Saviour (Luke 1:69). To have the horn "exalted" denotes prosperity and triumph
(Ps. 89:17, 24). To "lift up" the horn is to act proudly (Zech. 1:21).
Horns are also the symbol of royal dignity and power (Jer. 48:25; Zech. 1:18;
Dan. 8:24).
Hornet - Heb. tsir'ah, "stinging", (Ex. 23:28; Deut.
7:20; Josh. 24:12). The word is used in these passages as referring to some
means by which the Canaanites were to be driven out from before the Israelites.
Some have supposed that the word is used in a metaphorical sense as the symbol
of some panic which would seize the people as a "terror of God" (Gen. 35:5), the
consternation with which God would inspire the Canaanites. In Palestine there
are four species of hornets, differing from our hornets, being larger in size,
and they are very abundant. They "attack human beings in a very furious manner."
"The furious attack of a swarm of hornets drives cattle and horses to madness,
and has even caused the death of the animals."
Horonaim - two caverns, a city of Moab to the south
of the Arnon, built, apparently, upon an eminence, and a place of some
importance (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:3, 5, 34).
Horonite - the designation of Sanballat (Neh. 2:10,
19), a native of Horonaim, or of one of the two Beth-horons, the "upper" or the
"nether," mentioned in Josh. 16:3,5.
Horse - always referred to in the Bible in connection
with warlike operations, except Isa. 28:28. The war-horse is described Job
39:19-25. For a long period after their settlement in Canaan the Israelites made
no use of horses, according to the prohibition, Deut. 17:16. David was the first
to form a force of cavalry (2 Sam. 8:4). But Solomon, from his connection with
Egypt, greatly multiplied their number (1 Kings 4:26; 10:26, 29). After this,
horses were freely used in Israel (1 Kings 22:4; 2 Kings 3:7; 9:21, 33; 11:16).
The furniture of the horse consisted simply of a bridle (Isa. 30:28) and a curb
(Ps. 32:9).
Horse-gate - a gate in the wall of Jerusalem, at the
west end of the bridge, leading from Zion to the temple (Neh. 3:28; Jer. 31:40).
Horse-leech - occurs only in Prov. 30:15 (Heb.
'alukah); the generic name for any blood-sucking annelid. There are various
species in the marshes and pools of Palestine. That here referred to, the
Hoemopis, is remarkable for the coarseness of its bite, and is therefore not
used for medical purposes. They are spoken of in the East with feelings of
aversion and horror, because of their propensity to fasten on the tongue and
nostrils of horses when they come to drink out of the pools. The medicinal leech
(Hirudo medicinalis), besides other species of leeches, are common in the waters
of Syria.
Horseman - Heb. ba'al parash, "master of a horse."
The "horsemen" mentioned Ex. 14:9 were "mounted men", i.e., men who rode in
chariots. The army of Pharaoh consisted of a chariot and infantry force. We find
that at a later period, however, the Egyptians had cavalry (2 Chr. 12:3). (See
HORSE.)
Hosah - refuge. (1.) A place on the border of the
tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:29), a little to the south of Zidon.
(2.) A Levite of the family of Merari (1 Chr. 16:38).
Hosanna - Save now! or Save, we beseech, (Matt.
21:9). This was a customary form of acclamation at the feast of Tabernacles.
(Comp. Ps. 118:25.)
Hose - (Dan. 3:21), a tunic or undergarment.
Hosea - salvation, the son of Beeri, and author of
the book of prophecies bearing his name. He belonged to the kingdom of Israel.
"His Israelitish origin is attested by the peculiar, rough, Aramaizing diction,
pointing to the northern part of Palestine; by the intimate acquaintance he
evinces with the localities of Ephraim (5:1; 6:8, 9; 12:12; 14:6, etc.); by
passages like 1:2, where the kingdom is styled 'the land', and 7:5, where the
Israelitish king is designated as 'our' king." The period of his ministry
(extending to some sixty years) is indicated in the superscription (Hos. 1:1,
2). He is the only prophet of Israel who has left any written prophecy.
Hosea, Prophecies of - This book stands first in
order among the "Minor Prophets." "The probable cause of the location of Hosea
may be the thoroughly national character of his oracles, their length, their
earnest tone, and vivid representations." This was the longest of the prophetic
books written before the Captivity. Hosea prophesied in a dark and melancholy
period of Israel's history, the period of Israel's decline and fall. Their sins
had brought upon them great national disasters. "Their homicides and
fornication, their perjury and theft, their idolatry and impiety, are censured
and satirized with a faithful severity." He was a contemporary of Isaiah. The
book may be divided into two parts, the first containing chapters 1-3, and
symbolically representing the idolatry of Israel under imagery borrowed from the
matrimonial relation. The figures of marriage and adultery are common in the Old
Testament writings to represent the spiritual relations between Jehovah and the
people of Israel. Here we see the apostasy of Israel and their punishment, with
their future repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
The second part, containing 4-14, is a summary of Hosea's discourses, filled
with denunciations, threatenings, exhortations, promises, and revelations of
mercy.
Quotations from Hosea are found in Matt. 2:15; 9:15; 12:7; Rom. 9:25, 26.
There are, in addition, various allusions to it in other places (Luke 23:30;
Rev. 6:16, comp. Hos. 10:8; Rom. 9:25, 26; 1 Pet. 2:10, comp. Hos. 1:10, etc.).
As regards the style of this writer, it has been said that "each verse forms
a whole for itself, like one heavy toll in a funeral knell." "Inversions (7:8;
9:11, 13; 12: 8), anacolutha (9:6; 12:8, etc.), ellipses (9:4; 13:9, etc.),
paranomasias, and plays upon words, are very characteristic of Hosea (8:7; 9:15;
10:5; 11:5; 12:11)."
Hoshea - salvation. (1.) The original name of the son
of Nun, afterwards called Joshua (Num. 13:8, 16; Deut. 32:44).
(2.) 1 Chr. 27:20. The ruler of Ephraim in David's time.
(3.) The last king of Israel. He conspired against and slew his predecessor,
Pekah (Isa. 7:16), but did not ascend the throne till after an interregnum of
warfare of eight years (2 Kings 17:1, 2). Soon after this he submitted to
Shalmaneser, the Assyrian king, who a second time invaded the land to punish
Hoshea, because of his withholding tribute which he had promised to pay. A
second revolt brought back the Assyrian king Sargon, who besieged Samaria, and
carried the ten tribes away beyond the Euphrates, B.C. 720 (2 Kings 17:5, 6;
18:9-12). No more is heard of Hoshea. He disappeared like "foam upon the water"
(Hos. 10:7; 13:11).
Host - an entertainer (Rom. 16:23); a tavern-keeper,
the keeper of a caravansary (Luke 10:35).
In warfare, a troop or military force. This consisted at first only of
infantry. Solomon afterwards added cavalry (1 Kings 4:26; 10:26). Every male
Israelite from twenty to fifty years of age was bound by the law to bear arms
when necessary (Num. 1:3; 26:2; 2 Chr. 25:5).
Saul was the first to form a standing army (1 Sam. 13:2; 24:2). This example
was followed by David (1 Chr. 27:1), and Solomon (1 Kings 4:26), and by the
kings of Israel and Judah (2 Chr. 17:14; 26:11; 2 Kings 11:4, etc.).
Hostage - a person delivered into the hands of
another as a security for the performance of some promise, etc. (2 Kings 14:14;
2 Chr. 25:24).
Host of heaven - The sun, moon, and stars are so
designated (Gen. 2:1). When the Jews fell into idolatry they worshipped these
(Deut. 4:19; 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3,5; 23:5; Jer. 19:13; Zeph. 1:5; Acts 7:42).
Hough - to hamstring, i.e., sever the "tendon of
Achilles" of the hinder legs of captured horses (Josh. 11:6; 2 Sam. 8:4; 1 Chr.
18:4), so as to render them useless.
Hour - First found in Dan. 3:6; 4:19, 33;5:5. It is
the rendering of the Chaldee shaah, meaning a "moment," a "look." It is used in
the New Testament frequently to denote some determinate season (Matt. 8:13; Luke
12:39).
With the ancient Hebrews the divisions of the day were "morning, evening, and
noon-day" (Ps. 55:17, etc.). The Greeks, following the Babylonians, divided the
day into twelve hours. The Jews, during the Captivity, learned also from the
Babylonians this method of dividing time. When Judea became subject to the
Romans, the Jews adopted the Roman mode of reckoning time. The night was divided
into four watches (Luke 12:38; Matt. 14:25; 13:25). Frequent allusion is also
made to hours (Matt. 25:13; 26:40, etc.). (See DAY.)
An hour was the twelfth part of the day, reckoning from sunrise to sunset,
and consequently it perpetually varied in length.
House - Till their sojourn in Egypt the Hebrews dwelt
in tents. They then for the first time inhabited cities (Gen. 47:3; Ex. 12:7;
Heb. 11:9). From the earliest times the Assyrians and the Canaanites were
builders of cities. The Hebrews after the Conquest took possession of the
captured cities, and seem to have followed the methods of building that had been
pursued by the Canaanites. Reference is made to the stone (1 Kings 7:9; Isa.
9:10) and marble (1 Chr. 29:2) used in building, and to the internal wood-work
of the houses (1 Kings 6:15; 7:2; 10:11, 12; 2 Chr. 3:5; Jer. 22:14). "Ceiled
houses" were such as had beams inlaid in the walls to which wainscotting was
fastened (Ezra 6:4; Jer. 22:14; Hag. 1:4). "Ivory houses" had the upper parts of
the walls adorned with figures in stucco with gold and ivory (1 Kings 22:39; 2
Chr. 3:6; Ps. 45:8).
The roofs of the dwelling-houses were flat, and are often alluded to in
Scripture (2 Sam. 11:2; Isa. 22:1; Matt. 24:17). Sometimes tents or booths were
erected on them (2 Sam. 16:22). They were protected by parapets or low walls
(Deut. 22:8). On the house-tops grass sometimes grew (Prov. 19:13; 27:15; Ps.
129:6, 7). They were used, not only as places of recreation in the evening, but
also sometimes as sleeping-places at night (1 Sam. 9:25, 26; 2 Sam. 11:2; 16:22;
Dan. 4:29; Job 27:18; Prov. 21:9), and as places of devotion (Jer. 32:29;
19:13).
Hukkok - decreed, a town near Zebulun, not far from
Jordan, on the border of Naphtali (Josh. 19:34). (See HELKATH.)
Hul - circle, the second son of Aram (Gen. 10:23),
and grandson of Shem.
Huldah - weasel, a prophetess; the wife of Shallum.
She was consulted regarding the "book of the law" discovered by the high priest
Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chr. 34:22-28). She resided in that part of
Jerusalem called the Mishneh (A.V., "the college;" R.V., "the second quarter"),
supposed by some to be the suburb between the inner and the outer wall, the
second or lower city, Akra. Miriam (Ex. 15:20) and Deborah (Judg. 4:4) are the
only others who bear the title of "prophetess," for the word in Isa. 8:3 means
only the prophet's wife.
Humiliation of Christ - (Phil. 2:8), seen in (1) his
birth (Gal. 4:4; Luke 2:7; John 1:46; Heb. 2:9), (2) his circumstances, (3) his
reputation (Isa. 53; Matt. 26:59, 67; Ps. 22:6; Matt. 26:68), (4) his soul (Ps.
22:1; Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 22:44; Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15), (5) his death (Luke 23;
John 19; Mark 15:24, 25), (6) and his burial (Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57, 58, 60).
His humiliation was necessary (1) to execute the purpose of God (Acts 2:23,
24; Ps. 40:6-8), (2) fulfil the Old Testament types and prophecies, (3) satisfy
the law in the room of the guilty (Isa. 53; Heb. 9:12, 15), procure for them
eternal redemption, (4) and to show us an example.
Humility - a prominent Christian grace (Rom. 12:3;
15:17, 18; 1 Cor. 3:5-7; 2 Cor. 3:5; Phil. 4:11-13). It is a state of mind well
pleasing to God (1 Pet. 3:4); it preserves the soul in tranquillity (Ps. 69:32,
33), and makes us patient under trials (Job 1:22).
Christ has set us an example of humility (Phil. 2:6-8). We should be led
thereto by a remembrance of our sins (Lam. 3:39), and by the thought that it is
the way to honour (Prov. 16:18), and that the greatest promises are made to the
humble (Ps. 147:6; Isa. 57:15; 66:2; 1 Pet. 5:5). It is a "great paradox in
Christianity that it makes humility the avenue to glory."
Hunting - mentioned first in Gen. 10:9 in connection
with Nimrod. Esau was "a cunning hunter" (Gen. 25:27). Hunting was practised by
the Hebrews after their settlement in the "Land of Promise" (Lev. 17:15; Prov.
12:27). The lion and other ravenous beasts were found in Palestine (1 Sam.
17:34; 2 Sam. 23:20; 1 Kings 13:24; Ezek. 19:3-8), and it must have been
necessary to hunt and destroy them. Various snares and gins were used in hunting
(Ps. 91:3; Amos 3:5; 2 Sam. 23:20).
War is referred to under the idea of hunting (Jer. 16:16; Ezek. 32:30).
Hur - a hole, as of a viper, etc. (1.) A son of Caleb
(1 Chr. 2:19, 50; 4:1, 4; comp. 2 Chr. 1:5).
(2.) The husband of Miriam, Moses' sister (Ex. 17:10-12). He was associated
with Aaron in charge of the people when Moses was absent on Sinai (Ex. 24:14).
He was probably of the tribe of Judah, and grandfather of Bezaleel (Ex. 31:2;
35:30; 1 Chr. 2:19).
(3.) One of the five princes of Midian who were defeated and slain by the
Israelites under the command of Phinehas (Num. 31:8).
Hurai - linen-worker, one of David's heroes, a native
of the valley of Mount Gaash (1 Chr. 11:32).
Husband - i.e., the "house-band," connecting and
keeping together the whole family. A man when betrothed was esteemed from that
time a husband (Matt. 1:16, 20; Luke 2:5). A recently married man was exempt
from going to war for "one year" (Deut. 20:7; 24:5).
Husbandman - one whose business it is to cultivate
the ground. It was one of the first occupations, and was esteemed most
honourable (Gen. 9:20; 26:12, 14; 37:7, etc.). All the Hebrews, except those
engaged in religious services, were husbandmen. (See AGRICULTURE.)
Hushai - quick, "the Archite," "the king's friend" (1
Chr. 27:33). When David fled from Jerusalem, on account of the rebellion of
Absalom, and had reached the summit of Olivet, he there met Hushai, whom he sent
back to Jerusalem for the purpose of counteracting the influence of Ahithophel,
who had joined the ranks of Absalom (2 Sam. 15:32, 37; 16:16-18). It was by his
advice that Absalom refrained from immediately pursuing after David. By this
delay the cause of Absalom was ruined, for it gave David time to muster his
forces.
Husk - In Num. 6:4 (Heb. zag) it means the "skin" of
a grape. In 2 Kings 4:42 (Heb. tsiqlon) it means a "sack" for grain, as rendered
in the Revised Version. In Luke 15:16, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, it
designates the beans of the carob tree, or Ceratonia siliqua. From the
supposition, mistaken, however, that it was on the husks of this tree that John
the Baptist fed, it is called "St. John's bread" and "locust tree." This tree is
in "February covered with innumerable purple-red pendent blossoms, which ripen
in April and May into large crops of pods from 6 to 10 inches long, flat, brown,
narrow, and bent like a horn (whence the Greek name keratia, meaning 'little
horns'), with a sweetish taste when still unripe. Enormous quantities of these
are gathered for sale in various towns and for exportation." "They were eaten as
food, though only by the poorest of the poor, in the time of our Lord." The bean
is called a "gerah," which is used as the name of the smallest Hebrew weight,
twenty of these making a shekel.
Hymn - occurs only Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16. The verb
to "sing an hymn" occurs Matt. 26:30 and Mark 14:26. The same Greek word is
rendered to "sing praises" Acts 16:25 (R.V., "sing hymns") and Heb. 2:12. The
"hymn" which our Lord sang with his disciples at the last Supper is generally
supposed to have been the latter part of the Hallel, comprehending Ps. 113-118.
It was thus a name given to a number of psalms taken together and forming a
devotional exercise.
The noun hymn is used only with reference to the services of the Greeks, and
was distinguished from the psalm. The Greek tunes required Greek hymns. Our
information regarding the hymnology of the early Christians is very limited.
Hypocrite - one who puts on a mask and feigns himself
to be what he is not; a dissembler in religion. Our Lord severely rebuked the
scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). "The hypocrite's
hope shall perish" (Job 8:13). The Hebrew word here rendered "hypocrite" rather
means the "godless" or "profane," as it is rendered in Jer. 23:11, i.e.,
polluted with crimes.
Hyssop - (Heb. 'ezob; LXX. hyssopos), first mentioned
in Ex. 12:22 in connection with the institution of the Passover. We find it
afterwards mentioned in Lev. 14:4, 6, 52; Num. 19:6, 18; Heb. 9:19. It is spoken
of as a plant "springing out of the wall" (1 Kings 4:33). Many conjectures have
been formed as to what this plant really was. Some contend that it was a species
of marjoram (origanum), six species of which are found in Palestine. Others with
more probability think that it was the caper plant, the Capparis spinosa of
Linnaeus. This plant grew in Egypt, in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. It
was capable of producing a stem three or four feet in length (Matt. 27:48; Mark
15:36. Comp. John 19:29).
Ibhar - chosen, one of David's sons (1 Chr. 3:6; 2
Sam. 5:15).
Ibleam - people-waster, a city assigned to Manasseh
(Josh. 17:11), from which the Israelites, however, could not expel the
Canaanites (Judg. 1:27). It is also called Bileam (1 Chr. 6:70). It was probably
the modern Jelamah, a village 2 1/2 miles north of Jenin.
Ibzan - illustrious, the tenth judge of Israel (Judg.
12:8-10). He ruled seven years.
Ice - frequently mentioned (Job 6:16; 38:29; Ps.
147:17, etc.). (See CRYSTAL.)
Ichabod - When the tidings of the disastrous defeat
of the Israelites in the battle against the Philistines near to Mizpeh were
carried to Shiloh, the wife of Phinehas "was near to be delivered. And when she
heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and
her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed" (1 Sam. 4:19-22). In her
great distress she regarded not "the women that stood by her," but named the
child that was born "Ichabod" i.e., no glory, saying, "The glory is departed
from Isreal;" and with that word on her lips she expired.
Iconium - the capital of ancient Lycaonia. It was
first visited by Paul and Barnabas from Antioch-in-Pisidia during the apostle's
first missionary journey (Acts 13:50, 51). Here they were persecuted by the
Jews, and being driven from the city, they fled to Lystra. They afterwards
returned to Iconium, and encouraged the church which had been founded there
(14:21,22). It was probably again visited by Paul during his third missionary
journey along with Silas (18:23). It is the modern Konieh, at the foot of Mount
Taurus, about 120 miles inland from the Mediterranean.
Idalah - snares(?), a city near the west border of
Zebulun (Josh. 19:15). It has been identified with the modern Jeida, in the
valley of Kishon.
Iddo - (1.) Timely (1 Chr. 6:21). A Gershonite
Levite.
(2.) Lovely. The son of Zechariah (1 Chr. 27:21), the ruler of Manasseh in
David's time.
(3.) Timely. The father of Ahinadab, who was one of Solomon's purveyors (1
Kings 4:14).
(4.) Lovely. A prophet of Judah who wrote the history of Rehoboam and Abijah
(2 Chr. 12:15). He has been identified with Oded (2 Chr. 15:1).
(5.) Lovely. The father of Berachiah, and grandfather of the prophet
Zechariah (Zech. 1:1, 7). He returned from Babylon (Neh. 12:4).
Idol - (1.) Heb. aven, "nothingness;" "vanity" (Isa.
66:3; 41:29; Deut. 32:21; 1 Kings 16:13; Ps. 31:6; Jer. 8:19, etc.).
(2.) 'Elil, "a thing of naught" (Ps. 97:7; Isa. 19:3); a word of contempt,
used of the gods of Noph (Ezek. 30:13).
(3.) 'Emah, "terror," in allusion to the hideous form of idols (Jer. 50:38).
(4.) Miphletzeth, "a fright;" "horror" (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chr. 15:16).
(5.) Bosheth, "shame;" "shameful thing" (Jer. 11:13; Hos. 9:10); as
characterizing the obscenity of the worship of Baal.
(6.) Gillulim, also a word of contempt, "dung;" "refuse" (Ezek. 16:36; 20:8;
Deut. 29:17, marg.).
(7.) Shikkuts, "filth;" "impurity" (Ezek. 37:23; Nah. 3:6).
(8.) Semel, "likeness;" "a carved image" (Deut. 4:16).
(9.) Tselem, "a shadow" (Dan. 3:1; 1 Sam. 6:5), as distinguished from the
"likeness," or the exact counterpart.
(10.) Temunah, "similitude" (Deut. 4:12-19). Here Moses forbids the several
forms of Gentile idolatry.
(11.) 'Atsab, "a figure;" from the root "to fashion," "to labour;" denoting
that idols are the result of man's labour (Isa. 48:5; Ps. 139:24, "wicked way;"
literally, as some translate, "way of an idol").
(12.) Tsir, "a form;" "shape" (Isa. 45:16).
(13.) Matztzebah, a "statue" set up (Jer. 43:13); a memorial stone like that
erected by Jacob (Gen. 28:18; 31:45; 35:14, 20), by Joshua (4:9), and by Samuel
(1 Sam. 7:12). It is the name given to the statues of Baal (2 Kings 3:2; 10:27).
(14.) Hammanim, "sun-images." Hamman is a synonym of Baal, the sun-god of the
Phoenicians (2 Chr. 34:4, 7; 14:3, 5; Isa. 17:8).
(15.) Maskith, "device" (Lev. 26:1; Num. 33:52). In Lev. 26:1, the words
"image of stone" (A.V.) denote "a stone or cippus with the image of an idol, as
Baal, Astarte, etc." In Ezek. 8:12, "chambers of imagery" (maskith), are
"chambers of which the walls are painted with the figures of idols;" comp. ver.
10, 11.
(16.) Pesel, "a graven" or "carved image" (Isa. 44:10-20). It denotes also a
figure cast in metal (Deut. 7:25; 27:15; Isa. 40:19; 44:10).
(17.) Massekah, "a molten image" (Deut. 9:12; Judg. 17:3, 4).
(18.) Teraphim, pl., "images," family gods (penates) worshipped by Abram's
kindred (Josh. 24:14). Put by Michal in David's bed (Judg. 17:5; 18:14, 17, 18,
20; 1 Sam. 19:13).
"Nothing can be more instructive and significant than this multiplicity and
variety of words designating the instruments and inventions of idolatry."
Idolatry - image-worship or divine honour paid to any
created object. Paul describes the origin of idolatry in Rom. 1:21-25: men
forsook God, and sank into ignorance and moral corruption (1:28).
The forms of idolatry are, (1.) Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers,
hills, stones, etc.
(2.) Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed
powers of nature.
(3.) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes.
In Scripture, idolatry is regarded as of heathen origin, and as being
imported among the Hebrews through contact with heathen nations. The first
allusion to idolatry is in the account of Rachel stealing her father's teraphim
(Gen. 31:19), which were the relics of the worship of other gods by Laban's
progenitors "on the other side of the river in old time" (Josh. 24:2). During
their long residence in Egypt the Hebrews fell into idolatry, and it was long
before they were delivered from it (Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:7). Many a token of
God's displeasure fell upon them because of this sin.
The idolatry learned in Egypt was probably rooted out from among the people
during the forty years' wanderings; but when the Jews entered Palestine, they
came into contact with the monuments and associations of the idolatry of the old
Canaanitish races, and showed a constant tendency to depart from the living God
and follow the idolatrous practices of those heathen nations. It was their great
national sin, which was only effectually rebuked by the Babylonian exile. That
exile finally purified the Jews of all idolatrous tendencies.
The first and second commandments are directed against idolatry of every
form. Individuals and communities were equally amenable to the rigorous code.
The individual offender was devoted to destruction (Ex. 22:20). His nearest
relatives were not only bound to denounce him and deliver him up to punishment
(Deut. 13:20-10), but their hands were to strike the first blow when, on the
evidence of two witnesses at least, he was stoned (Deut. 17:2-7). To attempt to
seduce others to false worship was a crime of equal enormity (13:6-10). An
idolatrous nation shared the same fate. No facts are more strongly declared in
the Old Testament than that the extermination of the Canaanites was the
punishment of their idolatry (Ex. 34:15, 16; Deut. 7; 12:29-31; 20:17), and that
the calamities of the Israelites were due to the same cause (Jer. 2:17). "A city
guilty of idolatry was looked upon as a cancer in the state; it was considered
to be in rebellion, and treated according to the laws of war. Its inhabitants
and all their cattle were put to death." Jehovah was the theocratic King of
Israel, the civil Head of the commonwealth, and therefore to an Israelite
idolatry was a state offence (1 Sam. 15:23), high treason. On taking possession
of the land, the Jews were commanded to destroy all traces of every kind of the
existing idolatry of the Canaanites (Ex. 23:24, 32; 34:13; Deut. 7:5, 25;
12:1-3).
In the New Testament the term idolatry is used to designate covetousness
(Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13; Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5).
Idumaea - the Greek form of Edom (Isa. 34:5, 6; Ezek.
35:15; 36:5, but in R.V. "Edom"). (See EDOM ¯T0001129).
Igal - avengers. (1.) Num. 13:7, one of the spies of
the tribe of Issachar. (2.) Son of Nathan of Zobah, and one of David's warriors
(2 Sam. 23:36). (3.) 1 Chr. 3:22.
Iim - ruins. (1.) A city in the south of Judah (Josh.
15:29).
(2.) One of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 33:45).
Ije-abarim - ruins of Abarim, the forty-seventh
station of the Israelites in the wilderness, "in the border of Moab" (Num.
33:44).
Ijon - a ruin, a city of Naphtali, captured by
Ben-hadad of Syria at the instance of Asa (1 Kings 15:20), and afterwards by
Tiglath-pileser of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29) in the reign of Pekah; now el-Khiam.
Ilai - an Ahohite, one of David's chief warriors (1
Chr. 11:29); called also Zalmon (2 Sam. 23:28).
Illyricum - a country to the north-west of Macedonia,
on the eastern shores of the Adriatic, now almost wholly comprehended in
Dalmatia, a name formerly given to the southern part of Illyricum (2 Tim. 4:10).
It was traversed by Paul in his third missionary journey (Rom. 15:19). It was
the farthest district he had reached in preaching the gospel of Christ. This
reference to Illyricum is in harmony with Acts 20:2, inasmuch as the apostle's
journey over the parts of Macedonia would bring him to the borders of Illyricum.
Imagery - only in the phrase "chambers of his
imagery" (Ezek. 8:12). (See CHAMBER.)
Imla - replenisher, the father of Micaiah the prophet
(2 Chr. 18:7,8).
Immanuel - God with us. In the Old Testament it
occurs only in Isa. 7:14 and 8:8. Most Christian interpreters have regarded
these words as directly and exclusively a prophecy of our Saviour, an
interpretation borne out by the words of the evangelist Matthew (1:23).
Immer - talkative. (1.) The head of the sixteenth
priestly order (1 Chr. 24:14). (2.) Jer. 20:1. (3.) Ezra 2:37; Neh. 7:40. (4.)
Ezra 2:59; Neh. 7:61. (5.) The father of Zadok (Neh. 3:29).
Immortality - perpetuity of existence. The doctrine
of immortality is taught in the Old Testament. It is plainly implied in the
writings of Moses (Gen. 5:22, 24; 25:8; 37:35; 47:9; 49:29, comp. Heb. 11:13-16;
Ex. 3:6, comp. Matt. 22:23). It is more clearly and fully taught in the later
books (Isa. 14:9; Ps. 17:15; 49:15; 73:24). It was thus a doctrine obviously
well known to the Jews.
With the full revelation of the gospel this doctrine was "brought to light"
(2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
Imputation - is used to designate any action or word
or thing as reckoned to a person. Thus in doctrinal language (1) the sin of Adam
is imputed to all his descendants, i.e., it is reckoned as theirs, and they are
dealt with therefore as guilty; (2) the righteousness of Christ is imputed to
them that believe in him, or so attributed to them as to be considered their
own; and (3) our sins are imputed to Christ, i.e., he assumed our "law-place,"
undertook to answer the demands of justice for our sins. In all these cases the
nature of imputation is the same (Rom. 5:12-19; comp. Philemon 1:18, 19).
Incarnation - that act of grace whereby Christ took
our human nature into union with his Divine Person, became man. Christ is both
God and man. Human attributes and actions are predicated of him, and he of whom
they are predicated is God. A Divine Person was united to a human nature (Acts
20:28; Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 2:8; Heb. 2:11-14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Gal. 4:4, etc.). The
union is hypostatical, i.e., is personal; the two natures are not mixed or
confounded, and it is perpetual.
Incense - a fragrant composition prepared by the "art
of the apothecary." It consisted of four ingredients "beaten small" (Ex.
30:34-36). That which was not thus prepared was called "strange incense" (30:9).
It was offered along with every meat-offering; and besides was daily offered on
the golden altar in the holy place, and on the great day of atonement was burnt
by the high priest in the holy of holies (30:7, 8). It was the symbol of prayer
(Ps. 141:1,2; Rev. 5:8; 8:3, 4).
India - occurs only in Esther 1:1 and 8:9, where the
extent of the dominion of the Persian king is described. The country so
designated here is not the peninsula of Hindustan, but the country surrounding
the Indus, the Punjab. The people and the products of India were well known to
the Jews, who seem to have carried on an active trade with that country (Ezek.
27:15, 24).
Inkhorn - The Hebrew word so rendered means simply a
round vessel or cup for containing ink, which was generally worn by writers in
the girdle (Ezek. 9:2, 3,11). The word "inkhorn" was used by the translators,
because in former times in this country horns were used for containing ink.
Inn - in the modern sense, unknown in the East. The
khans or caravanserais, which correspond to the European inn, are not alluded to
in the Old Testament. The "inn" mentioned in Ex. 4:24 was just the halting-place
of the caravan. In later times khans were erected for the accommodation of
travellers. In Luke 2:7 the word there so rendered denotes a place for loosing
the beasts of their burdens. It is rendered "guest-chamber" in Mark 14:14 and
Luke 22:11. In Luke 10:34 the word so rendered is different. That inn had an
"inn-keeper," who attended to the wants of travellers.
Inspiration - that extraordinary or supernatural
divine influence vouchsafed to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering
their writings infallible. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (R.V.,
"Every scripture inspired of God"), 2 Tim. 3:16. This is true of all the "sacred
writings," not in the sense of their being works of genius or of supernatural
insight, but as "theopneustic," i.e., "breathed into by God" in such a sense
that the writers were supernaturally guided to express exactly what God intended
them to express as a revelation of his mind and will. The testimony of the
sacred writers themselves abundantly demonstrates this truth; and if they are
infallible as teachers of doctrine, then the doctrine of plenary inspiration
must be accepted. There are no errors in the Bible as it came from God, none
have been proved to exist. Difficulties and phenomena we cannot explain are not
errors. All these books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired. We do not
say that they contain, but that they are, the Word of God. The gift of
inspiration rendered the writers the organs of God, for the infallible
communication of his mind and will, in the very manner and words in which it was
originally given.
As to the nature of inspiration we have no information. This only we know, it
rendered the writers infallible. They were all equally inspired, and are all
equally infallible. The inspiration of the sacred writers did not change their
characters. They retained all their individual peculiarities as thinkers or
writers. (See BIBLE ¯T0000580; WORD OF GOD.)
Intercession of Christ - Christ's priestly office
consists of these two parts, (1) the offering up of himself as a sacrifice, and
(2) making continual intercession for us.
When on earth he made intercession for his people (Luke 23:34; John 17:20;
Heb. 5:7); but now he exercises this function of his priesthood in heaven, where
he is said to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:12,24).
His advocacy with the Father for his people rests on the basis of his own
all-perfect sacrifice. Thus he pleads for and obtains the fulfilment of all the
promises of the everlasting covenant (1 John 2:1; John 17:24; Heb. 7:25). He can
be "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," and is both a merciful and a
faithful high priest (Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15, 16). This intercession is an
essential part of his mediatorial work. Through him we have "access" to the
Father (John 14:6; Eph. 2:18; 3:12). "The communion of his people with the
Father will ever be sustained through him as mediatorial Priest" (Ps. 110:4;
Rev. 7:17).
Intercession of the Spirit - (Rom. 8:26, 27; John
14:26). "Christ is a royal Priest (Zech. 6:13). From the same throne, as King,
he dispenses his Spirit to all the objects of his care, while as Priest he
intercedes for them. The Spirit acts for him, taking only of his things. They
both act with one consent, Christ as principal, the Spirit as his agent. Christ
intercedes for us, without us, as our advocate in heaven, according to the
provisions of the everlasting covenant. The Holy Spirit works upon our minds and
hearts, enlightening and quickening, and thus determining our desires 'according
to the will of God,' as our advocate within us. The work of the one is
complementary to that of the other, and together they form a complete whole.",
Hodge's Outlines of Theology.
Iphedeiah - set free by Jehovah, a chief of the tribe
of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:25).
Ira - citizen; wakeful. (1.) A Tekoite, one of
David's thirty warriors (2 Sam. 23:26).
(2.) An Ithrite, also one of David's heroes (2 Sam. 23:38).
(3.) A Jairite and priest, a royal chaplain (2 Sam. 20:26) or confidential
adviser (comp. 2 Sam. 8:18; 1 Chr. 18:17).
Irad - runner; wild ass, one of the antediluvian
patriarchs, the father of Mehujael (Gen. 4:18), and grandson of Cain.
Iram - citizen, chief of an Edomite tribe in Mount
Seir (Gen. 36:43).
Irha-heres - according to some MSS., meaning "city of
destruction." Other MSS. read 'Irhahares; rendered "city of the sun",
Isa. 19:18, where alone the word occurs. This name may probably refer to
Heliopolis. The prophecy here points to a time when the Jews would so increase
in number there as that the city would fall under their influence. This might be
in the time of the Ptolemies. (See ON.)
Iron - Tubal-Cain is the first-mentioned worker in
iron (Gen. 4:22). The Egyptians wrought it at Sinai before the Exodus. David
prepared it in great abundance for the temple (1 Chr. 22:3: 29:7). The merchants
of Dan and Javan brought it to the market of Tyre (Ezek. 27:19). Various
instruments are mentioned as made of iron (Deut. 27:5; 19:5; Josh. 17:16, 18; 1
Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 2 Kings 6:5, 6; 1 Chr. 22:3; Isa. 10:34).
Figuratively, a yoke of iron (Deut. 28:48) denotes hard service; a rod of
iron (Ps. 2:9), a stern government; a pillar of iron (Jer. 1:18), a strong
support; a furnace of iron (Deut. 4:20), severe labour; a bar of iron (Job
40:18), strength; fetters of iron (Ps. 107:10), affliction; giving silver for
iron (Isa. 60:17), prosperity.
Irrigation - As streams were few in Palestine, water
was generally stored up in winter in reservoirs, and distributed through gardens
in numerous rills, which could easily be turned or diverted by the foot (Deut.
11:10).
For purposes of irrigation, water was raised from streams or pools by
water-wheels, or by a shaduf, commonly used on the banks of the Nile to the
present day.
Isaac - laughter. (1) Israel, or the kingdom of the
ten tribes (Amos 7:9, 16).
(2.) The only son of Abraham by Sarah. He was the longest lived of the three
patriarchs (Gen. 21:1-3). He was circumcised when eight days old (4-7); and when
he was probably two years old a great feast was held in connection with his
being weaned.
The next memorable event in his life is that connected with the command of
God given to Abraham to offer him up as a sacrifice on a mountain in the land of
Moriah (Gen. 22). (See ABRAHAM.)
When he was forty years of age Rebekah was chosen for his wife (Gen. 24). After
the death and burial of his father he took up his residence at Beer-lahai-roi
(25:7-11), where his two sons, Esau and Jacob, were born (21-26), the former of
whom seems to have been his favourite son (27,28).
In consequence of a famine (Gen. 26:1) Isaac went to Gerar, where he
practised deception as to his relation to Rebekah, imitating the conduct of his
father in Egypt (12:12-20) and in Gerar (20:2). The Philistine king rebuked him
for his prevarication.
After sojourning for some time in the land of the Philistines, he returned to
Beersheba, where God gave him fresh assurance of covenant blessing, and where
Abimelech entered into a covenant of peace with him.
The next chief event in his life was the blessing of his sons (Gen. 27:1). He
died at Mamre, "being old and full of days" (35:27-29), one hundred and eighty
years old, and was buried in the cave of Machpelah.
In the New Testament reference is made to his having been "offered up" by his
father (Heb. 11:17; James 2:21), and to his blessing his sons (Heb. 11:20). As
the child of promise, he is contrasted with Ishmael (Rom. 9:7, 10; Gal. 4:28;
Heb. 11:18).
Isaac is "at once a counterpart of his father in simple devoutness and purity
of life, and a contrast in his passive weakness of character, which in part, at
least, may have sprung from his relations to his mother and wife. After the
expulsion of Ishmael and Hagar, Isaac had no competitor, and grew up in the
shade of Sarah's tent, moulded into feminine softness by habitual submission to
her strong, loving will." His life was so quiet and uneventful that it was spent
"within the circle of a few miles; so guileless that he let Jacob overreach him
rather than disbelieve his assurance; so tender that his mother's death was the
poignant sorrow of years; so patient and gentle that peace with his neighbours
was dearer than even such a coveted possession as a well of living water dug by
his own men; so grandly obedient that he put his life at his father's disposal;
so firm in his reliance on God that his greatest concern through life was to
honour the divine promise given to his race.", Geikie's Hours, etc.
Isaiah - (Heb. Yesh'yahu, i.e., "the salvation of
Jehovah"). (1.) The son of Amoz (Isa. 1:1; 2:1), who was apparently a man of
humble rank. His wife was called "the prophetess" (8:3), either because she was
endowed with the prophetic gift, like Deborah (Judg. 4:4) and Huldah (2 Kings
22:14-20), or simply because she was the wife of "the prophet" (Isa. 38:1). He
had two sons, who bore symbolical names.
He exercised the functions of his office during the reigns of Uzziah (or
Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1). Uzziah reigned fifty-two years (B.C.
810-759), and Isaiah must have begun his career a few years before Uzziah's
death, probably B.C. 762. He lived till the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, and in
all likelihood outlived that monarch (who died B.C. 698), and may have been
contemporary for some years with Manasseh. Thus Isaiah may have prophesied for
the long period of at least sixty-four years.
His first call to the prophetical office is not recorded. A second call came
to him "in the year that King Uzziah died" (Isa. 6:1). He exercised his ministry
in a spirit of uncompromising firmness and boldness in regard to all that bore
on the interests of religion. He conceals nothing and keeps nothing back from
fear of man. He was also noted for his spirituality and for his deep-toned
reverence toward "the holy One of Israel."
In early youth Isaiah must have been moved by the invasion of Israel by the
Assyrian monarch Pul (q.v.), 2 Kings 15:19; and again, twenty years later, when
he had already entered on his office, by the invasion of Tiglath-pileser and his
career of conquest. Ahaz, king of Judah, at this crisis refused to co-operate
with the kings of Israel and Syria in opposition to the Assyrians, and was on
that account attacked and defeated by Rezin of Damascus and Pekah of Samaria (2
Kings 16:5; 2 Chr. 28:5, 6). Ahaz, thus humbled, sided with Assyria, and sought
the aid of Tiglath-pileser against Israel and Syria. The consequence was that
Rezin and Pekah were conquered and many of the people carried captive to Assyria
(2 Kings 15:29; 16:9; 1 Chr. 5:26). Soon after this Shalmaneser determined
wholly to subdue the kingdom of Israel. Samaria was taken and destroyed (B.C.
722). So long as Ahaz reigned, the kingdom of Judah was unmolested by the
Assyrian power; but on his accession to the throne, Hezekiah (B.C. 726), who
"rebelled against the king of Assyria" (2 Kings 18:7), in which he was
encouraged by Isaiah, who exhorted the people to place all their dependence on
Jehovah (Isa. 10:24; 37:6), entered into an alliance with the king of Egypt
(Isa. 30:2-4). This led the king of Assyria to threaten the king of Judah, and
at length to invade the land. Sennacherib (B.C. 701) led a powerful army into
Palestine. Hezekiah was reduced to despair, and submitted to the Assyrians (2
Kings 18:14-16). But after a brief interval war broke out again, and again
Sennacherib (q.v.) led an army into Palestine, one detachment of which
threatened Jerusalem (Isa. 36:2-22; 37:8). Isaiah on that occasion encouraged
Hezekiah to resist the Assyrians (37:1-7), whereupon Sennacherib sent a
threatening letter to Hezekiah, which he "spread before the Lord" (37:14). The
judgement of God now fell on the Assyrian host. "Like Xerxes in Greece,
Sennacherib never recovered from the shock of the disaster in Judah. He made no
more expeditions against either Southern Palestine or Egypt." The remaining
years of Hezekiah's reign were peaceful (2 Chr. 32:23, 27-29). Isaiah probably
lived to its close, and possibly into the reign of Manasseh, but the time and
manner of his death are unknown. There is a tradition that he suffered martyrdom
in the heathen reaction in the time of Manasseh (q.v.).
(2.) One of the heads of the singers in the time of David (1 Chr. 25:3,15,
"Jeshaiah").
(3.) A Levite (1 Chr. 26:25). (4.) Ezra 8:7. (5.) Neh. 11:7.
Isaiah, The Book of - consists of prophecies
delivered (Isa. 1) in the reign of Uzziah (1-5), (2) of Jotham (6), (3) Ahaz
(7-14:28), (4) the first half of Hezekiah's reign (14:28-35), (5) the second
half of Hezekiah's reign (36-66). Thus, counting from the fourth year before
Uzziah's death (B.C. 762) to the last year of Hezekiah (B.C. 698), Isaiah's
ministry extended over a period of sixty-four years. He may, however, have
survived Hezekiah, and may have perished in the way indicated above.
The book, as a whole, has been divided into three main parts: (1.) The first
thirty-five chapters, almost wholly prophetic, Israel's enemy Assyria, present
the Messiah as a mighty Ruler and King. (2.) Four chapters are historical
(36-39), relating to the times of Hezekiah. (3.) Prophetical (40-66), Israel's
enemy Babylon, describing the Messiah as a suffering victim, meek and lowly.
The genuineness of the section Isa. 40-66 has been keenly opposed by able
critics. They assert that it must be the production of a deutero-Isaiah, who
lived toward the close of the Babylonian captivity. This theory was originated
by Koppe, a German writer at the close of the last century. There are other
portions of the book also (e.g., ch. 13; 24-27; and certain verses in ch. 14 and
21) which they attribute to some other prophet than Isaiah. Thus they say that
some five or seven, or even more, unknown prophets had a hand in the production
of this book. The considerations which have led to such a result are various:
(1.) They cannot, as some say, conceive it possible that Isaiah, living in B.C.
700, could foretell the appearance and the exploits of a prince called Cyrus,
who would set the Jews free from captivity one hundred and seventy years after.
(2.) It is alleged that the prophet takes the time of the Captivity as his
standpoint, and speaks of it as then present; and (3) that there is such a
difference between the style and language of the closing section (40-66) and
those of the preceding chapters as to necessitate a different authorship, and
lead to the conclusion that there were at least two Isaiahs. But even granting
the fact of a great diversity of style and language, this will not necessitate
the conclusion attempted to be drawn from it. The diversity of subjects treated
of and the peculiarities of the prophet's position at the time the prophecies
were uttered will sufficiently account for this.
The arguments in favour of the unity of the book are quite conclusive. When
the LXX. version was made (about B.C. 250) the entire contents of the book were
ascribed to Isaiah, the son of Amoz. It is not called in question, moreover,
that in the time of our Lord the book existed in the form in which we now have
it. Many prophecies in the disputed portions are quoted in the New Testament as
the words of Isaiah (Matt. 3:3; Luke 3:4-6; 4:16-41; John 12:38; Acts 8:28; Rom.
10:16-21). Universal and persistent tradition has ascribed the whole book to one
author.
Besides this, the internal evidence, the similarity in the language and
style, in the thoughts and images and rhetorical ornaments, all points to the
same conclusion; and its local colouring and allusions show that it is obviously
of Palestinian origin. The theory therefore of a double authorship of the book,
much less of a manifold authorship, cannot be maintained. The book, with all the
diversity of its contents, is one, and is, we believe, the production of the
great prophet whose name it bears.
Iscah - spy, the daughter of Haran and sister of
Milcah and Lot (Gen. 11:29, 31).
Ishbak - leaving, one of Abraham's sons by Keturah
(Gen. 25:2).