No fewer than at least six different words are used in the Old Testament for the lion. (1.) Gor (i.e., a "suckling"), the lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9; Jer. 51:38, etc.). (2.) Kephir (i.e., "shaggy"), the young lion (Judg. 14:5; Job 4:10; Ps. 91:13; 104:21), a term which is also used figuratively of cruel enemies (Ps. 34:10; 35:17; 58:6; Jer. 2:15). (3.) 'Ari (i.e., the "puller" in pieces), denoting the lion in general, without reference to age or sex (Num. 23:24; 2 Sam. 17:10, etc.). (4.) Shahal (the "roarer"), the mature lion (Job 4:10; Ps. 91:13; Prov. 26:13; Hos. 5:14). (5.) Laish, so called from its strength and bravery (Job 4:11; Prov. 30:30; Isa. 30:6). The capital of Northern Dan received its name from this word. (6.) Labi, from a root meaning "to roar," a grown lion or lioness (Gen. 49:9; Num. 23:24; 24:9; Ezek. 19:2; Nah. 2:11).
The lion of Palestine was properly of the Asiatic variety, distinguished from the African variety, which is larger. Yet it not only attacked flocks in the presence of the shepherd, but also laid waste towns and villages (2 Kings 17:25, 26) and devoured men (1 Kings 13:24, 25). Shepherds sometimes, single-handed, encountered lions and slew them (1 Sam. 17:34, 35; Amos 3:12). Samson seized a young lion with his hands and "rent him as he would have rent a kid" (Judg. 14:5, 6). The strength (Judg. 14:18), courage (2 Sam. 17:10), and ferocity (Gen. 49:9) of the lion were proverbial.
Lip - besides its literal sense (Isa. 37:29, etc.),
is used in the original (saphah) metaphorically for an edge or border, as of a
cup (1 Kings 7:26), a garment (Ex. 28:32), a curtain (26:4), the sea (Gen.
22:17), the Jordan (2 Kings 2:13). To "open the lips" is to begin to speak (Job
11:5); to "refrain the lips" is to keep silence (Ps. 40:9; 1 Pet. 3:10). The
"fruit of the lips" (Heb. 13:15) is praise, and the "calves of the lips"
thank-offerings (Hos. 14:2). To "shoot out the lip" is to manifest scorn and
defiance (Ps. 22:7). Many similar forms of expression are found in Scripture.
Litter - (Heb. tsab, as being lightly and gently
borne), a sedan or palanquin for the conveyance of persons of rank (Isa. 66:20).
In Num. 7:3, the words "covered wagons" are more literally "carts of the litter
kind." There they denote large and commodious vehicles drawn by oxen, and fitted
for transporting the furniture of the temple.
Liver - (Heb. kabhed, "heavy;" hence the liver, as
being the heaviest of the viscera, Ex. 29:13, 22; Lev. 3:4, 1, 10, 15) was burnt
upon the altar, and not used as sacrificial food. In Ezek. 21:21 there is
allusion, in the statement that the king of Babylon "looked upon the liver," to
one of the most ancient of all modes of divination. The first recorded instance
of divination (q.v.) is that of the teraphim of Laban. By the teraphim the LXX.
and Josephus understood "the liver of goats." By the "caul above the liver," in
Lev. 4:9; 7:4, etc., some understand the great lobe of the liver itself.
Living creatures - as represented by Ezekiel (1-10)
and John (Rev. 4, etc.), are the cherubim. They are distinguished from angels
(Rev. 15:7); they join the elders in the "new song" (5:8, 9); they warn of
danger from divine justice (Isa. 6:3-5), and deliver the commission to those who
execute it (Ezek. 10:2, 7); they associate with the elders in their sympathy
with the hundred and forty-four thousand who sing the new song (Rev. 14:3), and
with the Church in the overthrow of her enemies (19:4).
They are supposed to represent mercy, as distinguished from justice, mercy in
its various instrumentalities, and especially as connected with the throne of
God, the "throne of grace."
Lizard - Only in Lev. 11:30, as rendering of Hebrew
letaah, so called from its "hiding." Supposed to be the Lacerta gecko or
fan-foot lizard, from the toes of which poison exudes. (See CHAMELEON.)
Lo-ammi - not my people, a symbolical name given by
God's command to Hosea's second son in token of Jehovah's rejection of his
people (Hos. 1:9, 10), his treatment of them as a foreign people. This Hebrew
word is rendered by "not my people" in ver. 10; 2:23.
Loan - The Mosaic law required that when an Israelite
needed to borrow, what he asked was to be freely lent to him, and no interest
was to be charged, although interest might be taken of a foreigner (Ex. 22:25;
Deut. 23:19, 20; Lev. 25:35-38). At the end of seven years all debts were
remitted. Of a foreigner the loan might, however, be exacted. At a later period
of the Hebrew commonwealth, when commerce increased, the practice of exacting
usury or interest on loans, and of suretiship in the commercial sense, grew up.
Yet the exaction of it from a Hebrew was regarded as discreditable (Ps. 15:5;
Prov. 6:1, 4; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 27:13; Jer. 15:10).
Limitations are prescribed by the law to the taking of a pledge from the
borrower. The outer garment in which a man slept at night, if taken in pledge,
was to be returned before sunset (Ex. 22:26, 27; Deut. 24:12, 13). A widow's
garment (Deut. 24:17) and a millstone (6) could not be taken. A creditor could
not enter the house to reclaim a pledge, but must remain outside till the
borrower brought it (10, 11). The Hebrew debtor could not be retained in bondage
longer than the seventh year, or at farthest the year of jubilee (Ex. 21:2; Lev.
25:39, 42), but foreign sojourners were to be "bondmen for ever" (Lev.
25:44-54).
Lock - The Hebrews usually secured their doors by
bars of wood or iron (Isa. 45:2; 1 Kings 4:3). These were the locks originally
used, and were opened and shut by large keys applied through an opening in the
outside (Judg. 3:24). (See KEY.)
Lock of hair (Judg. 16:13, 19; Ezek. 8:3; Num. 6:5, etc.).
Locust - There are ten Hebrew words used in Scripture
to signify locust. In the New Testament locusts are mentioned as forming part of
the food of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6). By the Mosaic law they were
reckoned "clean," so that he could lawfully eat them. The name also occurs in
Rev. 9:3, 7, in allusion to this Oriental devastating insect.
Locusts belong to the class of Orthoptera, i.e., straight-winged. They are of
many species. The ordinary Syrian locust resembles the grasshopper, but is
larger and more destructive. "The legs and thighs of these insects are so
powerful that they can leap to a height of two hundred times the length of their
bodies. When so raised they spread their wings and fly so close together as to
appear like one compact moving mass." Locusts are prepared as food in various
ways. Sometimes they are pounded, and then mixed with flour and water, and baked
into cakes; "sometimes boiled, roasted, or stewed in butter, and then eaten."
They were eaten in a preserved state by the ancient Assyrians.
The devastations they make in Eastern lands are often very appalling. The
invasions of locusts are the heaviest calamites that can befall a country.
"Their numbers exceed computation: the hebrews called them 'the countless,' and
the Arabs knew them as 'the darkeners of the sun.' Unable to guide their own
flight, though capable of crossing large spaces, they are at the mercy of the
wind, which bears them as blind instruments of Providence to the doomed region
given over to them for the time. Innumerable as the drops of water or the sands
of the seashore, their flight obscures the sun and casts a thick shadow on the
earth (Ex. 10:15; Judg. 6:5; 7:12; Jer. 46:23; Joel 2:10). It seems indeed as if
a great aerial mountain, many miles in breadth, were advancing with a slow,
unresting progress. Woe to the countries beneath them if the wind fall and let
them alight! They descend unnumbered as flakes of snow and hide the ground. It
may be 'like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them is a desolate
wilderness. At their approach the people are in anguish; all faces lose their
colour' (Joel 2:6). No walls can stop them; no ditches arrest them; fires
kindled in their path are forthwith extinguished by the myriads of their dead,
and the countless armies march on (Joel 2:8, 9). If a door or a window be open,
they enter and destroy everything of wood in the house. Every terrace, court,
and inner chamber is filled with them in a moment. Such an awful visitation
swept over Egypt (Ex. 10:1-19), consuming before it every green thing, and
stripping the trees, till the land was bared of all signs of vegetation. A
strong north-west wind from the Mediterranean swept the locusts into the Red
Sea.", Geikie's Hours, etc., ii., 149.
Lo-debar - no pasture, (2 Sam. 17:27), a town in
Gilead not far from Mahanaim, north of the Jabbok (9:4, 5). It is probably
identical with Debir (Josh. 13:26).
Lodge - a shed for a watchman in a garden (Isa. 1:8).
The Hebrew name melunah is rendered "cottage" (q.v.) in Isa. 24:20. It
also denotes a hammock or hanging-bed.
Log - the smallest measure for liquids used by the
Hebrews (Lev. 14:10, 12, 15, 21, 24), called in the Vulgate sextarius. It is the
Hebrew unit of measure of capacity, and is equal to the contents of six ordinary
hen's eggs=the twelfth part of a him, or nearly a pint.
Lois - the maternal grandmother of Timothy. She is
commended by Paul for her faith (2 Tim. 1:5).
Loop - a knotted "eye" of cord, corresponding to the
"taches" or knobs in the edges of the curtains of the tabernacle, for joining
them into a continuous circuit, fifty to a curtain (Ex. 26:4, 5, 10, 11).
Lord - There are various Hebrew and Greek words so
rendered.
(1.) Heb. Jehovah, has been rendered in the English Bible LORD, printed in
small capitals. This is the proper name of the God of the Hebrews. The form
"Jehovah" is retained only in Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4, both in the
Authorized and the Revised Version.
(2.) Heb. 'adon, means one possessed of absolute control. It denotes a
master, as of slaves (Gen. 24:14, 27), or a ruler of his subjects (45:8), or a
husband, as lord of his wife (18:12).
The old plural form of this Hebrew word is 'adonai. From a
superstitious reverence for the name "Jehovah," the Jews, in reading their
Scriptures, whenever that name occurred, always pronounced it 'Adonai.
(3.) Greek kurios, a supreme master, etc. In the LXX. this is invariably used
for "Jehovah" and "'Adonai."
(4.) Heb. ba'al, a master, as having domination. This word is applied to
human relations, as that of husband, to persons skilled in some art or
profession, and to heathen deities. "The men of Shechem," literally "the baals
of Shechem" (Judg. 9:2, 3). These were the Israelite inhabitants who had reduced
the Canaanites to a condition of vassalage (Josh. 16:10; 17:13).
(5.) Heb. seren, applied exclusively to the "lords of the Philistines" (Judg.
3:3). The LXX. render it by satrapies. At this period the Philistines were not,
as at a later period (1 Sam. 21:10), under a kingly government. (See Josh. 13:3;
1 Sam. 6:18.) There were five such lordships, viz., Gath, Ashdod, Gaza,
Ashkelon, and Ekron.
Lord's day - only once, in Rev. 1:10, was in the
early Christian ages used to denote the first day of the week, which
commemorated the Lord's resurrection. There is every reason to conclude that
John thus used the name. (See SABBATH.)
Lord's Prayer - the name given to the only form of
prayer Christ taught his disciples (Matt. 6:9-13). The closing doxology of the
prayer is omitted by Luke (11:2-4), also in the R.V. of Matt. 6:13. This prayer
contains no allusion to the atonement of Christ, nor to the offices of the Holy
Spirit. "All Christian prayer is based on the Lord's Prayer, but its spirit is
also guided by that of His prayer in Gethsemane and of the prayer recorded John
17. The Lord's Prayer is the comprehensive type of the simplest and most
universal prayer."
Lord's Supper - (1 Cor. 11:20), called also "the
Lord's table" (10:21), "communion," "cup of blessing" (10:16), and "breaking of
bread" (Acts 2:42).
In the early Church it was called also "eucharist," or giving of thanks
(comp. Matt. 26:27), and generally by the Latin Church "mass," a name derived
from the formula of dismission, Ite, missa est, i.e., "Go, it is discharged."
The account of the institution of this ordinance is given in Matt. 26:26-29,
Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19, 20, and 1 Cor. 11:24-26. It is not mentioned by John.
It was designed, (1.) To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in
remembrance of me." (2.) To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the
benefits of the new covenant. In this ordinance Christ ratifies his promises to
his people, and they on their part solemnly consecrate themselves to him and to
his entire service. (3.) To be a badge of the Christian profession. (4.) To
indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ. (5.) To
represent the mutual communion of believers with each other.
The elements used to represent Christ's body and blood are bread and wine.
The kind of bread, whether leavened or unleavened, is not specified. Christ used
unleavened bread simply because it was at that moment on the paschal table.
Wine, and no other liquid, is to be used (Matt. 26:26-29). Believers "feed" on
Christ's body and blood, (1) not with the mouth in any manner, but (2) by the
soul alone, and (3) by faith, which is the mouth or hand of the soul. This they
do (4) by the power of the Holy Ghost. This "feeding" on Christ, however, takes
place not in the Lord's Supper alone, but whenever faith in him is exercised.
This is a permanent ordinance in the Church of Christ, and is to be observed
"till he come" again.
Lo-ruhamah - not pitied, the name of the prophet
Hosea's first daughter, a type of Jehovah's temporary rejection of his people
(Hos. 1:6; 2:23).
Lot - (Heb. goral, a "pebble"), a small stone used in
casting lots (Num. 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always resorted to by the
Hebrews with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of
ascertaining the divine will (Prov. 16:33), and in serious cases of doubt
(Esther 3:7). Thus the lot was used at the division of the land of Canaan among
the serveral tribes (Num. 26:55; 34:13), at the detection of Achan (Josh. 7:14,
18), the election of Saul to be king (1 Sam. 10:20, 21), the distribution of the
priestly offices of the temple service (1 Chr. 24:3, 5, 19; Luke 1:9), and over
the two goats at the feast of Atonement (Lev. 16:8). Matthias, who was "numbered
with the eleven" (Acts 1:24-26), was chosen by lot.
This word also denotes a portion or an inheritance (Josh. 15:1; Ps. 125:3;
Isa. 17:4), and a destiny, as assigned by God (Ps. 16:5; Dan. 12:13).
Lot, (Heb. lot), a covering; veil, the son of Haran, and nephew of Abraham
(Gen. 11:27). On the death of his father, he was left in charge of his
grandfather Terah (31), after whose death he accompanied his uncle Abraham into
Canaan (12:5), thence into Egypt (10), and back again to Canaan (13:1). After
this he separated from him and settled in Sodom (13:5-13). There his righteous
soul was "vexed" from day to day (2 Pet. 2:7), and he had great cause to regret
this act. Not many years after the separation he was taken captive by
Chedorlaomer, and was rescued by Abraham (Gen. 14). At length, when the judgment
of God descended on the guilty cities of the plain (Gen. 19:1-20), Lot was
miraculously delivered. When fleeing from the doomed city his wife "looked back
from behind him, and became a pillar of salt." There is to this day a peculiar
crag at the south end of the Dead Sea, near Kumran, which the Arabs call Bint
Sheik Lot, i.e., Lot's wife. It is "a tall, isolated needle of rock, which
really does bear a curious resemblance to an Arab woman with a child upon her
shoulder." From the words of warning in Luke 17:32, "Remember Lot's wife," it
would seem as if she had gone back, or tarried so long behind in the desire to
save some of her goods, that she became involved in the destruction which fell
on the city, and became a stiffened corpse, fixed for a time in the saline
incrustations. She became "a pillar of salt", i.e., as some think, of asphalt.
(See SALT.)
Lot and his daughters sought refuge first in Zoar, and then, fearing to
remain there longer, retired to a cave in the neighbouring mountains (Gen.
19:30). Lot has recently been connected with the people called on the Egyptian
monuments Rotanu or Lotanu, who is supposed to have been the hero of the Edomite
tribe Lotan.
Lotan - coverer, one of the sons of Seir, the Horite
(Gen. 36:20, 29).
Love - This word seems to require explanation only in
the case of its use by our Lord in his interview with "Simon, the son of Jonas,"
after his resurrection (John 21:16, 17). When our Lord says, "Lovest thou me?"
he uses the Greek word agapas; and when Simon answers, he uses the Greek
word philo, i.e., "I love." This is the usage in the first and second
questions put by our Lord; but in the third our Lord uses Simon's word. The
distinction between these two Greek words is thus fitly described by Trench:,
"Agapan has more of judgment and deliberate choice; philein has
more of attachment and peculiar personal affection. Thus the 'Lovest thou' (Gr.
agapas) on the lips of the Lord seems to Peter at this moment too cold a word,
as though his Lord were keeping him at a distance, or at least not inviting him
to draw near, as in the passionate yearning of his heart he desired now to do.
Therefore he puts by the word and substitutes his own stronger 'I love' (Gr.
philo) in its room. A second time he does the same. And now he has conquered;
for when the Lord demands a third time whether he loves him, he does it in the
word which alone will satisfy Peter ('Lovest thou,' Gr. phileis), which alone
claims from him that personal attachment and affection with which indeed he
knows that his heart is full."
In 1 Cor. 13 the apostle sets forth the excellency of love, as the word
"charity" there is rendered in the Revised Version.
Lubims - the inhabitants of a thirsty or scorched
land; the Lybians, an African nation under tribute to Egypt (2 Chr. 12:3; 16:8).
Their territory was apparently near Egypt. They were probably the Mizraite
Lehabim.
Lucas - a friend and companion of Paul during his
imprisonment at Rome; Luke (q.v.), the beloved physician (Philemon 1:24; Col.
4:14).
Lucifer - brilliant star, a title given to the king
of Babylon (Isa. 14:12) to denote his glory.
Lucius - of Cyrene, a Christian teacher at Antioch
(Acts 13:1), and Paul's kinsman (Rom. 16:21). His name is Latin, but his
birthplace seems to indicate that he was one of the Jews of Cyrene, in North
Africa.
Lucre - from the Lat. lucrum, "gain." 1 Tim. 3:3,
"not given to filthy lucre." Some MSS. have not the word so rendered, and the
expression has been omitted in the Revised Version.
Lud - (1.) The fourth son of Shem (Gen. 10:22; 1 Chr.
1:17), ancestor of the Lydians probably.
(2.) One of the Hamitic tribes descended from Mizraim (Gen. 10:13), a people
of Africa (Ezek. 27:10; 30:5), on the west of Egypt. The people called Lud were
noted archers (Isa. 66:19; comp. Jer. 46:9).
Ludim - probably the same as Lud (2) (comp. Gen.
10:13; 1 Chr. 1:11). They are associated (Jer. 46:9) with African nations as
mercenaries of the king of Egypt.
Luhith - made of boards, a Moabitish place between
Zoar and Horonaim (Isa. 15:5; Jer. 48:5).
Luke - the evangelist, was a Gentile. The date and
circumstances of his conversion are unknown. According to his own statement
(Luke 1:2), he was not an "eye-witness and minister of the word from the
beginning." It is probable that he was a physician in Troas, and was there
converted by Paul, to whom he attached himself. He accompanied him to Philippi,
but did not there share his imprisonment, nor did he accompany him further after
his release in his missionary journey at this time (Acts 17:1). On Paul's third
visit to Philippi (20:5, 6) we again meet with Luke, who probably had spent all
the intervening time in that city, a period of seven or eight years. From this
time Luke was Paul's constant companion during his journey to Jerusalem
(20:6-21:18). He again disappears from view during Paul's imprisonment at
Jerusalem and Caesarea, and only reappears when Paul sets out for Rome (27:1),
whither he accompanies him (28:2, 12-16), and where he remains with him till the
close of his first imprisonment (Philemon 1:24; Col. 4:14). The last notice of
the "beloved physician" is in 2 Tim. 4:11.
There are many passages in Paul's epistles, as well as in the writings of
Luke, which show the extent and accuracy of his medical knowledge.
Luke, Gospel according to - was written by Luke. He
does not claim to have been an eye-witness of our Lord's ministry, but to have
gone to the best sources of information within his reach, and to have written an
orderly narrative of the facts (Luke 1:1-4). The authors of the first three
Gospels, the synoptics, wrote independently of each other. Each wrote his
independent narrative under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Each writer has some things, both in matter and style, peculiar to himself,
yet all the three have much in common. Luke's Gospel has been called "the Gospel
of the nations, full of mercy and hope, assured to the world by the love of a
suffering Saviour;" "the Gospel of the saintly life;" "the Gospel for the
Greeks; the Gospel of the future; the Gospel of progressive Christianity, of the
universality and gratuitousness of the gospel; the historic Gospel; the Gospel
of Jesus as the good Physician and the Saviour of mankind;" the "Gospel of the
Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man;" "the Gospel of womanhood;" "the
Gospel of the outcast, of the Samaritan, the publican, the harlot, and the
prodigal;" "the Gospel of tolerance." The main characteristic of this Gospel, as
Farrar (Cambridge Bible, Luke, Introd.) remarks, is fitly expressed in the
motto, "Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil" (Acts 10:38; comp. Luke 4:18). Luke wrote for the "Hellenic world." This
Gospel is indeed "rich and precious."
"Out of a total of 1151 verses, Luke has 389 in common with Matthew and Mark,
176 in common with Matthew alone, 41 in common with Mark alone, leaving 544
peculiar to himself. In many instances all three use identical language." (See
MATTHEW ¯T0002442; MARK ¯T0002419; GOSPELS.)
There are seventeen of our Lord's parables peculiar to this Gospel. (See List
of Parables in Appendix.) Luke also records seven of our Lord's miracles which
are omitted by Matthew and Mark. (See List of Miracles in Appendix.) The
synoptical Gospels are related to each other after the following scheme. If the
contents of each Gospel be represented by 100, then when compared this result is
obtained:
Mark has 7 peculiarities, 93 coincidences. Matthew 42 peculiarities, 58
coincidences. Luke 59 peculiarities, 41 coincidences.
That is, thirteen-fourteenths of Mark, four-sevenths of Matthew, and
two-fifths of Luke are taken up in describing the same things in very similar
language.
Luke's style is more finished and classical than that of Matthew and Mark.
There is less in it of the Hebrew idiom. He uses a few Latin words (Luke 12:6;
7:41; 8:30; 11:33; 19:20), but no Syriac or Hebrew words except sikera, an
exciting drink of the nature of wine, but not made of grapes (from Heb. shakar,
"he is intoxicated", Lev. 10:9), probably palm wine.
This Gospel contains twenty-eight distinct references to the Old Testament.
The date of its composition is uncertain. It must have been written before
the Acts, the date of the composition of which is generally fixed at about 63 or
64 A.D. This Gospel was written, therefore, probably about 60 or 63, when Luke
may have been at Caesarea in attendance on Paul, who was then a prisoner. Others
have conjectured that it was written at Rome during Paul's imprisonment there.
But on this point no positive certainty can be attained.
It is commonly supposed that Luke wrote under the direction, if not at the
dictation of Paul. Many words and phrases are common to both; e.g., compare:
Luke 4:22; with Col. 4:6. Luke 4:32; with 1 Cor. 2:4. Luke 6:36; with 2 Cor.
1:3. Luke 6:39; with Rom. 2:19. Luke 9:56; with 2 Cor. 10:8. Luke 10:8; with 1
Cor. 10:27. Luke 11:41; with Titus 1:15. Luke 18:1; with 2 Thess. 1:11. Luke
21:36; with Eph. 6:18. Luke 22:19, 20; with 1 Cor. 11:23-29. Luke 24:46; with
Acts 17:3. Luke 24:34; with 1 Cor. 15:5.
Lunatic - probably the same as epileptic, the
symptoms of which disease were supposed to be more aggravated as the moon
increased. In Matt. 4:24 "lunatics" are distinguished from demoniacs. In 17:15
the name "lunatic" is applied to one who is declared to have been possessed.
(See DAEMONIAC.)
Lust - sinful longing; the inward sin which leads to
the falling away from God (Rom. 1:21). "Lust, the origin of sin, has its place
in the heart, not of necessity, but because it is the centre of all moral forces
and impulses and of spiritual activity." In Mark 4:19 "lusts" are objects of
desire.
Luz - a nut-bearing tree, the almond. (1.) The
ancient name of a royal Canaanitish city near the site of Bethel (Gen. 28:19;
35:6), on the border of Benjamin (Josh. 18:13). Here Jacob halted, and had a
prophetic vision. (See BETHEL.)
(2.) A place in the land of the Hittites, founded (Judg. 1:26) by "a man who
came forth out of the city of Luz." It is identified with Luweiziyeh, 4 miles
north-west of Banias.
Lycaonia - an inland province of Asia Minor, on the
west of Cappadocia and the south of Galatia. It was a Roman province, and its
chief towns were Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The "speech of Lycaonia" (Acts
14:11) was probably the ancient Assyrian language, or perhaps, as others think,
a corrupt Greek intermingled with Syriac words. Paul preached in this region,
and revisited it (Acts 16:1-6; 18:23; 19:1).
Lycia - a wolf, a province in the south-west of Asia
Minor, opposite the island of Rhodes. It forms part of the region now called
Tekeh. It was a province of the Roman empire when visited by Paul (Acts 21:1;
27:5). Two of its towns are mentioned, Patara (21:1, 2) and Myra (27:5).
Lydda - a town in the tribe of Ephraim, mentioned
only in the New Testament (Acts 9:32, 35, 38) as the scene of Peter's miracle in
healing the paralytic AEneas. It lay about 9 miles east of Joppa, on the road
from the sea-port to Jerusalem. In the Old Testament (1 Chr. 8:12) it is called
Lod. It was burned by the Romans, but was afterwards rebuilt, and was known by
the name of Diospolis. Its modern name is Ludd. The so-called patron saint of
England, St. George, is said to have been born here.
Lydia - (1.) Ezek. 30:5 (Heb. Lud), a province in the
west of Asia Minor, which derived its name from the fourth son of Shem (Gen.
10:22). It was bounded on the east by the greater Phrygia, and on the west by
Ionia and the AEgean Sea.
(2.) A woman of Thyatira, a "seller of purple," who dwelt in Philippi (Acts
16:14, 15). She was not a Jewess but a proselyte. The Lord opened her heart as
she heard the gospel from the lips of Paul (16:13). She thus became the first in
Europe who embraced Christianity. She was a person apparently of considerable
wealth, for she could afford to give a home to Paul and his companions. (See THYATIRA.)
Lysanias - tetrarch of Abilene (Luke 3:1), on the
eastern slope of Anti-Lebanon, near the city of Damascus.
Lysias, Claudius - the chief captain (chiliarch) who
commanded the Roman troops in Jerusalem, and sent Paul under guard to the
procurator Felix at Caesarea (Acts 21:31-38; 22:24-30). His letter to his
superior officer is an interesting specimen of Roman military correspondence
(23:26-30). He obtained his Roman citizenship by purchase, and was therefore
probably a Greek. (See CLAUDIUS.)
Lystra - a town of Lycaonia, in Asia Minor, in a wild
district and among a rude population. Here Paul preached the gospel after he had
been driven by persecution from Iconium (Acts 14:2-7). Here also he healed a
lame man (8), and thus so impressed the ignorant and superstitious people that
they took him for Mercury, because he was the "chief speaker," and his companion
Barnabas for Jupiter, probably in consequence of his stately, venerable
appearance; and were proceeding to offer sacrifices to them (13), when Paul
earnestly addressed them and turned their attention to the true source of all
blessings. But soon after, through the influence of the Jews from Antioch in
Pisidia and Iconium, they stoned Paul and left him for dead (14:19). On
recovering, Paul left for Derbe; but soon returned again, through Lystra,
encouraging the disciples there to steadfastness. He in all likelihood visited
this city again on his third missionary tour (Acts 18:23). Timothy, who was
probably born here (2 Tim. 3:10, 11), was no doubt one of those who were on this
occasion witnesses of Paul's persecution and his courage in Lystra.
Maachah - oppression, a small Syrian kingdom near
Geshur, east of the Hauran, the district of Batanea (Josh. 13:13; 2 Sam. 10:6,8;
1 Chr. 19:7).
(2.) A daughter of Talmai, king of the old native population of Geshur. She
became one of David's wives, and was the mother of Absalom (2 Sam. 3:3).
(3.) The father of Hanan, who was one of David's body-guard (1 Chr. 11:43).
(4.) The daughter of Abishalom (called Absalom, 2 Chr. 11:20-22), the third
wife of Rehoboam, and mother of Abijam (1 Kings 15:2). She is called "Michaiah
the daughter of Uriel," who was the husband of Absalom's daughter Tamar (2 Chr.
13:2). Her son Abijah or Abijam was heir to the throne.
(5.) The father of Achish, the king of Gath (1 Kings 2:39), called also Maoch
(1 Sam. 27:2).
Maaleh-acrabbim - ascent of the scorpions; i.e.,
"scorpion-hill", a pass on the south-eastern border of Palestine (Num. 34:4;
Josh. 15:3). It is identified with the pass of Sufah, entering Palestine from
the great Wady el-Fikreh, south of the Dead Sea. (See AKRABBIM.)
Maarath - desolation, a place in the mountains of
Judah (Josh. 15:59), probably the modern village Beit Ummar, 6 miles north of
Hebron.
Maaseiah - the work of Jehovah. (1.) One of the
Levites whom David appointed as porter for the ark (1 Chr. 15:18, 20).
(2.) One of the "captains of hundreds" associated with Jehoiada in restoring
king Jehoash to the throne (2 Chr. 23:1).
(3.) The "king's son," probably one of the sons of king Ahaz, killed by
Zichri in the invasion of Judah by Pekah, king of Israel (2 Chr. 28:7).
(4.) One who was sent by king Josiah to repair the temple (2 Chr. 34:8). He
was governor (Heb. sar, rendered elsewhere in the Authorized Version "prince,"
"chief captain," chief ruler") of Jerusalem.
(5.) The father of the priest Zephaniah (Jer. 21:1; 37:3).
(6.) The father of the false prophet Zedekiah (Jer. 29:21).
Maase'iah, refuge is Jehovah, a priest, the father of Neriah (Jer. 32:12;
51:59).
Maasiai - work of Jehovah, one of the priests
resident at Jerusalem at the Captivity (1 Chr. 9:12).
Maath - small, a person named in our Lord's ancestry
(Luke 3:26).
Maaziah - strength or consolation of Jehovah. (1.)
The head of the twenty-fourth priestly course (1 Chr. 24:18) in David's reign.
(2.) A priest (Neh. 10:8).
Maccabees - This word does not occur in Scripture. It
was the name given to the leaders of the national party among the Jews who
suffered in the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes, who succeeded to the
Syrian throne B.C. 175. It is supposed to have been derived from the Hebrew word
(makkabah) meaning "hammer," as suggestive of the heroism and power of this
Jewish family, who are, however, more properly called Asmoneans or Hasmonaeans,
the origin of which is much disputed.
After the expulsion of Antiochus Epiphanes from Egypt by the Romans, he gave
vent to his indignation on the Jews, great numbers of whom he mercilessly put to
death in Jerusalem. He oppressed them in every way, and tried to abolish
altogether the Jewish worship. Mattathias, an aged priest, then residing at
Modin, a city to the west of Jerusalem, became now the courageous leader of the
national party; and having fled to the mountains, rallied round him a large band
of men prepared to fight and die for their country and for their religion, which
was now violently suppressed. In 1 Macc. 2:60 is recorded his dying counsels to
his sons with reference to the war they were now to carry on. His son Judas,
"the Maccabee," succeeded him (B.C. 166) as the leader in directing the war of
independence, which was carried on with great heroism on the part of the Jews,
and was terminated in the defeat of the Syrians.
Maccabees, Books of the - There were originally five
books of the Maccabees. The first contains a history of the war of independence,
commencing (B.C. 175) in a series of patriotic struggles against the tyranny of
Antiochus Epiphanes, and terminating B.C. 135. It became part of the Vulgate
Version of the Bible, and was thus retained among the Apocrypha.
The second gives a history of the Maccabees' struggle from B.C. 176 to B.C.
161. Its object is to encourage and admonish the Jews to be faithful to the
religion of their fathers.
The third does not hold a place in the Apocrypha, but is read in the Greek
Church. Its design is to comfort the Alexandrian Jews in their persecution. Its
writer was evidently an Alexandrian Jew.
The fourth was found in the Library of Lyons, but was afterwards burned. The
fifth contains a history of the Jews from B.C. 184 to B.C. 86. It is a
compilation made by a Jew after the destruction of Jerusalem, from ancient
memoirs, to which he had access. It need scarcely be added that none of these
books has any divine authority.
Macedonia - in New Testament times, was a Roman
province lying north of Greece. It was governed by a propraetor with the title
of proconsul. Paul was summoned by the vision of the "man of Macedonia" to
preach the gospel there (Acts 16:9). Frequent allusion is made to this event
(18:5; 19:21; Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 1:16; 11:9; Phil. 4:15). The history of Paul's
first journey through Macedonia is given in detail in Acts 16:10-17:15. At the
close of this journey he returned from Corinth to Syria. He again passed through
this country (20:1-6), although the details of the route are not given. After
many years he probably visited it for a third time (Phil. 2:24; 1 Tim. 1:3). The
first convert made by Paul in Europe was (Acts 16:13-15) Lydia (q.v.), a "seller
of purple," residing in Philippi, the chief city of the eastern division of
Macedonia.
Machaerus - the Black Fortress, was built by Herod
the Great in the gorge of Callirhoe, one of the wadies 9 miles east of the Dead
Sea, as a frontier rampart against Arab marauders. John the Baptist was probably
cast into the prison connected with this castle by Herod Antipas, whom he had
reproved for his adulterous marriage with Herodias. Here Herod "made a supper"
on his birthday. He was at this time marching against Aretas, king of Perea, to
whose daughter he had been married. During the revelry of the banquet held in
the border fortress, to please Salome, who danced before him, he sent an
executioner, who beheaded John, and "brought his head in a charger, and gave it
to the damsel" (Mark 6:14-29). This castle stood "starkly bold and clear" 3,860
feet above the Dead Sea, and 2,546 above the Mediterranean. Its ruins, now
called M'khaur, are still visible on the northern end of Jebel Attarus.
Machbanai - clad with a mantle, or bond of the Lord,
one of the Gadite heroes who joined David in the wilderness (1 Chr. 12:13).
Machir - sold. (1.) Manasseh's oldest son (Josh.
17:1), or probably his only son (see 1 Chr. 7:14, 15; comp. Num. 26:29-33; Josh.
13:31). His descendants are referred to under the name of Machirites, being the
offspring of Gilead (Num. 26:29). They settled in land taken from the Amorites
(Num. 32:39, 40; Deut. 3:15) by a special enactment (Num. 36:1-3; Josh. 17:3,
4). He is once mentioned as the representative of the tribe of Manasseh east of
Jordan (Judg. 5:14).
(2.) A descendant of the preceding, residing at Lo-debar, where he maintained
Jonathan's son Mephibosheth till he was taken under the care of David (2 Sam.
9:4), and where he afterwards gave shelter to David himself when he was a
fugitive (17:27).
Machpelah - portion; double cave, the cave which
Abraham bought, together with the field in which it stood, from Ephron the
Hittite, for a family burying-place (Gen. 23). It is one of those Bible
localities about the identification of which there can be no doubt. It was on
the slope of a hill on the east of Hebron, "before Mamre." Here were laid the
bodies of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah (Gen. 23:19;
25:9; 49:31; 50:13). Over the cave an ancient Christian church was erected,
probably in the time of Justinian, the Roman emperor. This church has been
converted into a Mohammedan mosque. The whole is surrounded by the el-Haram
i.e., "the sacred enclosure," about 200 feet long, 115 broad, and of an average
height of about 50. This building, from the immense size of some of its stones,
and the manner in which they are fitted together, is supposed by some to have
been erected in the days of David or of Solomon, while others ascribe it to the
time of Herod. It is looked upon as the most ancient and finest relic of Jewish
architecture.
On the floor of the mosque are erected six large cenotaphs as monuments to
the dead who are buried in the cave beneath. Between the cenotaphs of Isaac and
Rebekah there is a circular opening in the floor into the cavern below, the cave
of Machpelah. Here it may be that the body of Jacob, which was embalmed in
Egypt, is still preserved (much older embalmed bodies have recently been found
in the cave of Deir el-Bahari in Egypt, see PHARAOH ¯T0002923), though those of
the others there buried may have long ago mouldered into dust. The interior of
the mosque was visited by the Prince of Wales in 1862 by a special favour of the
Mohammedan authorities. An interesting account of this visit is given in Dean
Stanley's Lectures on the Jewish Church. It was also visited in 1866 by the
Marquis of Bute, and in 1869 by the late Emperor (Frederick) of Germany, then
the Crown Prince of Prussia. In 1881 it was visited by the two sons of the
Prince of Wales, accompanied by Sir C. Wilson and others. (See Palestine
Quarterly Statement, October 1882).
Madai - middle land, the third "son" of Japheth (Gen.
10:2), the name by which the Medes are known on the Assyrian monuments.
Madmannah - dunghill, the modern el-Minyay, 15 miles
south-south-west of Gaza (Josh. 15:31; 1 Chr. 2:49), in the south of Judah. The
Pal. Mem., however, suggest Umm Deimneh, 12 miles north-east of Beersheba, as
the site.
Madmen - ibid., a Moabite town threatened with the
sword of the Babylonians (Jer. 48:2).
Madmenah - ibid., a town in Benjamin, not far from
Jerusalem, towards the north (Isa. 10:31). The same Hebrew word occurs in Isa.
25:10, where it is rendered "dunghill." This verse has, however, been
interpreted as meaning "that Moab will be trodden down by Jehovah as teben
[broken straw] is trodden to fragments on the threshing-floors of Madmenah."
Madness - This word is used in its proper sense in
Deut. 28:34, John 10:20, 1 Cor. 14:23. It also denotes a reckless state of mind
arising from various causes, as over-study (Eccl. 1:17; 2:12), blind rage (Luke
6:11), or a depraved temper (Eccl. 7:25; 9:3; 2 Pet. 2:16). David feigned
madness (1 Sam. 21:13) at Gath because he "was sore afraid of Achish."
Madon - strife, a Canaanitish city in the north of
Palestine (Josh. 11:1; 12:19), whose king was slain by Joshua; perhaps the ruin
Madin, near Hattin, some 5 miles west of Tiberias.
Magdala - a tower, a town in Galilee, mentioned only
in Matt. 15:39. In the parallel passage in Mark 8:10 this place is called
Dalmanutha. It was the birthplace of Mary called the Magdalen, or Mary
Magdalene. It was on the west shore of the Lake of Tiberias, and is now probably
the small obscure village called el-Mejdel, about 3 miles north-west of
Tiberias. In the Talmud this city is called "the city of colour," and a
particular district of it was called "the tower of dyers." The indigo plant was
much cultivated here.
Magdalene - a surname derived from Magdala, the place
of her nativity, given to one of the Marys of the Gospels to distinguish her
from the other Marys (Matt. 27:56, 61; 28:1, etc.). A mistaken notion has
prevailed that this Mary was a woman of bad character, that she was the woman
who is emphatically called "a sinner" (Luke 7:36-50). (See MARY.)
Magic - The Jews seem early to have consulted the
teraphim (q.v.) for oracular answers (Judg. 18:5, 6; Zech. 10:2). There is a
remarkable illustration of this divining by teraphim in Ezek. 21:19-22. We read
also of the divining cup of Joseph (Gen. 44:5). The magicians of Egypt are
frequently referred to in the history of the Exodus. Magic was an inherent part
of the ancient Egyptian religion, and entered largely into their daily life.
All magical arts were distinctly prohibited under penalty of death in the
Mosaic law. The Jews were commanded not to learn the "abomination" of the people
of the Promised Land (Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:9-14). The history of Saul's
consulting the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28:3-20) gives no warrant for attributing
supernatural power to magicians. From the first the witch is here only a
bystander. The practice of magic lingered among the people till after the
Captivity, when they gradually abandoned it.
It is not much referred to in the New Testament. The Magi mentioned in Matt.
2:1-12 were not magicians in the ordinary sense of the word. They belonged to a
religious caste, the followers of Zoroaster, the astrologers of the East. Simon,
a magician, was found by Philip at Samaria (Acts 8:9-24); and Paul and Barnabas
encountered Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, at Paphos (13:6-12). At Ephesus there was
a great destruction of magical books (Acts 19:18, 19).
Magicians - Heb. hartumim, (dan. 1:20) were sacred
scribes who acted as interpreters of omens, or "revealers of secret things."
Magistrate - a public civil officer invested with
authority. The Hebrew shophetim, or judges, were magistrates having authority in
the land (Deut. 1:16, 17). In Judg. 18:7 the word "magistrate" (A.V.) is
rendered in the Revised Version "possessing authority", i.e., having power to do
them harm by invasion. In the time of Ezra (9:2) and Nehemiah (2:16; 4:14;
13:11) the Jewish magistrates were called seganim, properly meaning
"nobles." In the New Testament the Greek word archon, rendered
"magistrate" (Luke 12:58; Titus 3:1), means one first in power, and hence a
prince, as in Matt. 20:25, 1 Cor. 2:6, 8. This term is used of the Messiah,
"Prince of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5). In Acts 16:20, 22, 35, 36, 38,
the Greek term strategos, rendered "magistrate," properly signifies the
leader of an army, a general, one having military authority. The
strategoi were the duumviri, the two praetors appointed to preside over
the administration of justice in the colonies of the Romans. They were attended
by the sergeants (properly lictors or "rod bearers").
Magog - region of Gog, the second of the "sons" of
Japheth (Gen. 10:2; 1 Chr. 1:5). In Ezekiel (38:2; 39:6) it is the name of a
nation, probably some Scythian or Tartar tribe descended from Japheth. They are
described as skilled horsemen, and expert in the use of the bow. The Latin
father Jerome says that this word denotes "Scythian nations, fierce and
innumerable, who live beyond the Caucasus and the Lake Maeotis, and near the
Caspian Sea, and spread out even onward to India." Perhaps the name "represents
the Assyrian Mat Gugi, or 'country of Gugu,' the Gyges of the Greeks" (Sayce's
Races, etc.).
Magor-missabib - fear on every side, (Jer. 20:3), a
symbolical name given to the priest Pashur, expressive of the fate announced by
the prophet as about to come upon him. Pashur was to be carried to Babylon, and
there die.
Mahalaleel - praise of God. (1.) The son of Cainan,
of the line of Seth (Gen. 5:12-17); called Maleleel (Luke 3:37).
(2.) Neh. 11:4, a descendant of Perez.
Mahalath - a lute; lyre. (1.) The daughter of
Ishmael, and third wife of Esau (Gen. 28:9); called also Bashemath (Gen. 36:3).
(2.) The daughter of Jerimoth, who was one of David's sons. She was one of
Rehoboam's wives (2 Chr. 11:18).
Mahalath Leannoth Maschil - This word leannoth seems
to point to some kind of instrument unknown (Ps. 88, title). The whole phrase
has by others been rendered, "On the sickness of affliction: a lesson;" or,
"Concerning afflictive sickness: a didactic psalm."
Mahalath Maschil - in the title of Ps. 53, denoting
that this was a didactic psalm, to be sung to the accompaniment of the lute or
guitar. Others regard this word "mahalath" as the name simply of an old air to
which the psalm was to be sung. Others, again, take the word as meaning
"sickness," and regard it as alluding to the contents of the psalm.
Mahanaim - two camps, a place near the Jabbok, beyond
Jordan, where Jacob was met by the "angels of God," and where he divided his
retinue into "two hosts" on his return from Padan-aram (Gen. 32:2). This name
was afterwards given to the town which was built at that place. It was the
southern boundary of Bashan (Josh. 13:26, 30), and became a city of the Levites
(21:38). Here Saul's son Ishbosheth reigned (2 Sam. 2:8, 12), while David
reigned at Hebron. Here also, after a troubled reign, Ishbosheth was murdered by
two of his own bodyguard (2 Sam. 4:5-7), who brought his head to David at
Hebron, but were, instead of being rewarded, put to death by him for their
cold-blooded murder. Many years after this, when he fled from Jerusalem on the
rebellion of his son Absalom, David made Mahanaim, where Barzillai entertained
him, his headquarters, and here he mustered his forces which were led against
the army that had gathered around Absalom. It was while sitting at the gate of
this town that tidings of the great and decisive battle between the two hosts
and of the death of his son Absalom reached him, when he gave way to the most
violent grief (2 Sam. 17:24-27).
The only other reference to Mahanaim is as a station of one of Solomon's
purveyors (1 Kings 4:14). It has been identified with the modern Mukhumah, a
ruin found in a depressed plain called el-Bukie'a, "the little vale," near
Penuel, south of the Jabbok, and north-east of es-Salt.
Mahaneh-dan - Judg. 18:12 = "camp of Dan" 13:25
(R.V., "Mahaneh-dan"), a place behind (i.e., west of) Kirjath-jearim, where the
six hundred Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol encamped on their way to capture the
city of Laish, which they rebuilt and called "Dan, after the name of their
father" (18:11-31). The Palestine Explorers point to a ruin called 'Erma,
situated about 3 miles from the great corn valley on the east of Samson's home.
Mahath - grasping. (1.) A Kohathite Levite, father of
Elkanah (1 Chr. 6:35).
(2.) Another Kohathite Levite, of the time of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 29:12).
Mahazioth - visions, a Kohathite Levite, chief of the
twenty-third course of musicians (1 Chr. 25:4, 30).
Maher-shalal-hash-baz - plunder speedeth; spoil
hasteth, (Isa. 8:1-3; comp. Zeph. 1:14), a name Isaiah was commanded first to
write in large characters on a tablet, and afterwards to give as a symbolical
name to a son that was to be born to him (Isa. 8:1, 3), as denoting the sudden
attack on Damascus and Syria by the Assyrian army.
Mahlah - disease, one of the five daughters of
Zelophehad (Num. 27:1-11) who had their father's inheritance, the law of
inheritance having been altered in their favour.
Mahlon - sickly, the elder of Elimelech the
Bethlehemite's two sons by Naomi. He married Ruth and died childless (Ruth 1:2,
5; 4:9, 10), in the land of Moab.
Mahol - dance, the father of four sons (1 Kings 4:31)
who were inferior in wisdom only to Solomon.
Mail, Coat of - "a corselet of scales," a cuirass
formed of pieces of metal overlapping each other, like fish-scales (1 Sam.
17:5); also (38) a corselet or garment thus encased.
Main-sail - (Gr. artemon), answering to the modern
"mizzen-sail," as some suppose. Others understand the "jib," near the prow, or
the "fore-sail," as likely to be most useful in bringing a ship's head to the
wind in the circumstances described (Acts 27:40).
Makheloth - assemblies, a station of the Israelites
in the desert (Num. 33:25, 26).
Makkedah - herdsman's place, one of the royal cities
of the Canaanites (Josh. 12:16), near which was a cave where the five kings who
had confederated against Israel sought refuge (10:10-29). They were put to death
by Joshua, who afterwards suspended their bodies upon five trees. It has been
identified with the modern village called Sumeil, standing on a low hill about 7
miles to the north-west of Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin), where are ancient
remains and a great cave. The Palestine Exploration surveyors have, however,
identified it with el-Mughar, or "the caves," 3 miles from Jabneh and 2 1/2
southwest of Ekron, because, they say, "at this site only of all possible sites
for Makkedah in the Palestine plain do caves still exist." (See ADONI-ZEDEC
¯T0000099.)
Maktesh - mortar, a place in or near Jerusalem
inhabited by silver merchants (Zeph. 1:11). It has been conjectured that it was
the "Phoenician quarter" of the city, where the traders of that nation resided,
after the Oriental custom.
Malachi - messenger or angel, the last of the minor
prophets, and the writer of the last book of the Old Testament canon (Mal. 4:4,
5, 6). Nothing is known of him beyond what is contained in his book of
prophecies. Some have supposed that the name is simply a title descriptive of
his character as a messenger of Jehovah, and not a proper name. There is reason,
however, to conclude that Malachi was the ordinary name of the prophet.
He was contemporary with Nehemiah (comp. Mal. 2:8 with Neh. 13:15; Mal.
2:10-16 with Neh. 13:23). No allusion is made to him by Ezra, and he does not
mention the restoration of the temple, and hence it is inferred that he
prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah, and when the temple services were still
in existence (Mal. 1:10; 3:1, 10). It is probable that he delivered his
prophecies about B.C. 420, after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia (Neh.
13:6), or possibly before his return.
Malachi, Prophecies of - The contents of the book are
comprised in four chapters. In the Hebrew text the third and fourth chapters (of
the A.V.) form but one. The whole consists of three sections, preceded by an
introduction (Mal. 1:1-5), in which the prophet reminds Israel of Jehovah's love
to them. The first section (1:6-2:9) contains a stern rebuke addressed to the
priests who had despised the name of Jehovah, and been leaders in a departure
from his worship and from the covenant, and for their partiality in
administering the law. In the second (2:9-16) the people are rebuked for their
intermarriages with idolatrous heathen. In the third (2:17-4:6) he addresses the
people as a whole, and warns them of the coming of the God of judgment, preceded
by the advent of the Messiah.
This book is frequently referred to in the New Testament (Matt. 11:10; 17:12;
Mark 1:2; 9:11, 12; Luke 1:17; Rom. 9:13).
Malcam - (2 Sam. 12:30, Heb., R.V., "their king;"
Jer. 49:1, 3, R.V.; Zeph. 1:5), the national idol of the Ammonites. When Rabbah
was taken by David, the crown of this idol was among the spoils. The weight is
said to have been "a talent of gold" (above 100 lbs.). The expression probably
denotes its value rather than its weight. It was adorned with precious stones.
Malchiah - Jehovah's king. (1.) The head of the fifth
division of the priests in the time of David (1 Chr. 24:9).
(2.) A priest, the father of Pashur (1 Chr. 9:12; Jer. 38:1).
(3.) One of the priests appointed as musicians to celebrate the completion of
the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:42).
(4.) A priest who stood by Ezra when he "read in the book of the law of God"
(Neh. 8:4).
(5.) Neh. 3:11.
(6.) Neh. 3:31.
(7.) Neh. 3:14.
Malchi-shua - king of help, one of the four sons of
Saul (1 Chr. 8:33). He perished along with his father in the battle of Gilboa (1
Sam. 31:2).
Malchus - reigning, the personal servant or slave of
the high priest Caiaphas. He is mentioned only by John. Peter cut off his right
ear in the garden of Gethsemane (John 18:10). But our Lord cured it with a touch
(Matt. 26:51; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:51). This was the last miracle of bodily cure
wrought by our Lord. It is not mentioned by John.
Mallothi - my fulness, a Kohathite Levite, one of the
sons of Heman the Levite (1 Chr. 25:4), and chief of the nineteenth division of
the temple musicians (26).
Mallows - occurs only in Job 30:4 (R.V., "saltwort").
The word so rendered (malluah, from melah, "salt") most probably denotes the
Atriplex halimus of Linnaeus, a species of sea purslane found on the shores of
the Dead Sea, as also of the Mediterranean, and in salt marshes. It is a tall
shrubby orach, growing to the height sometimes of 10 feet. Its buds and leaves,
with those of other saline plants, are eaten by the poor in Palestine.
Malluch - reigned over, or reigning. (1.) A Levite of
the family of Merari (1 Chr. 6:44).
(2.) A priest who returned from Babylon (Neh. 12:2).
(3.) Ezra 10:29. (4.) Ezra 10:32
Mammon - a Chaldee or Syriac word meaning "wealth" or
"riches" (Luke 16:9-11); also, by personification, the god of riches (Matt.
6:24; Luke 16:9-11).
Mamre - manliness. (1.) An Amoritish chief in
alliance with Abraham (Gen. 14:13, 24).
(2.) The name of the place in the neighbourhood of Hebron (q.v.) where
Abraham dwelt (Gen. 23:17, 19; 35:27); called also in Authorized Version (13:18)
the "plain of Mamre," but in Revised Version more correctly "the oaks [marg.,
'terebinths'] of Mamre." The name probably denotes the "oak grove" or the "wood
of Mamre," thus designated after Abraham's ally.
This "grove" must have been within sight of or "facing" Machpelah (q.v.). The
site of Mamre has been identified with Ballatet Selta, i.e., "the oak of rest",
where there is a tree called "Abraham's oak," about a mile and a half west of
Hebron. Others identify it with er-Rameh, 2 miles north of Hebron.
Man - (1.) Heb. 'Adam, used as the proper name of the
first man. The name is derived from a word meaning "to be red," and thus the
first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also
the generic name of the human race (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:2; 8:21; Deut. 8:3). Its
equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Matt. 5:13, 16). It
denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen. 3:12; Matt. 19:10).
(2.) Heb. 'ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in
opposition to a woman (1 Sam. 17:33; Matt. 14:21); a husband (Gen. 3:16; Hos.
2:16); man with reference to excellent mental qualities.
(3.) Heb. 'enosh, man as mortal, transient, perishable (2 Chr. 14:11; Isa.
8:1; Job 15:14; Ps. 8:4; 9:19, 20; 103:15). It is applied to women (Josh. 8:25).
(4.) Heb. geber, man with reference to his strength, as distinguished from
women (Deut. 22:5) and from children (Ex. 12:37); a husband (Prov. 6:34).
(5.) Heb. methim, men as mortal (Isa. 41:14), and as opposed to women and
children (Deut. 3:6; Job 11:3; Isa. 3:25).
Man was created by the immediate hand of God, and is generically different
from all other creatures (Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:7). His complex nature is composed of
two elements, two distinct substances, viz., body and soul (Gen. 2:7; Eccl.
12:7; 2 Cor. 5:1-8).
The words translated "spirit" and "soul," in 1 Thess. 5:23, Heb. 4:12, are
habitually used interchangeably (Matt. 10:28; 16:26; 1 Pet. 1:22). The "spirit"
(Gr. pneuma) is the soul as rational; the "soul" (Gr. psuche) is the same,
considered as the animating and vital principle of the body.
Man was created in the likeness of God as to the perfection of his nature, in
knowledge (Col. 3:10), righteousness, and holiness (Eph. 4:24), and as having
dominion over all the inferior creatures (Gen. 1:28). He had in his original
state God's law written on his heart, and had power to obey it, and yet was
capable of disobeying, being left to the freedom of his own will. He was created
with holy dispositions, prompting him to holy actions; but he was fallible, and
did fall from his integrity (3:1-6). (See FALL.)