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Easton's Bible Dictionary

Easton's Bible Dictionary


By Easton, M.G.
Illustrated Bible Dictionary

M.G. Easton
Third Edition 1897

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(A 'lpha, the first letter of the )reek alphabet, as *me+a is the last. !hese letters occur in the te,t of -e.elation "/0,""1 &"/21 &&/"3, and are represented by 4'lpha5 and 4*me+a5 respecti.ely 6omitted in -.7., "/""8. !hey mean 4the first and last.5 69omp. :ebrews "&/&1 Isaiah #"/#1 ##/21 -e.elation "/"",";1 &/0.8 In the symbols of the early 9hristian 9hurch these two letters are fre<uently combined with the cross or with 9hrist=s mono+ram to denote his di.inity. (AARON the eldest son of 'mram and Jochebed, a dau+hter of $e.i 6E,odus 2/&>8. Some e,plain the name as meanin+ mountaineer, others mountain of stren+th, illuminator. :e was born in E+ypt three years before his brother ?oses, and a number of years after his sister ?iriam 6&/",#1 ;/;8. :e married Elisheba, the dau+hter of 'mminadab of the house of Judah 62/&31 " 9hronicles &/">8, by whom he had four sons, @adab and 'bihu, EleaAar and Ithamar. Bhen the time for the deli.erance of Isarael out of E+ypt drew ni+h, he was sent by )od 6E,odus #/"#,&;C3>8 to meet his lon+Cabsent brother, that he mi+ht coCoperate with him in all that they were re<uired to do in brin+in+ about the E,odus. :e was to be the 4mouth5 or 4prophet5 of ?oses, i.e., was to speak for him, because he was a man of a ready utterance 6;/",&,D,">,"D8. :e was faithful to his trust, and stood by ?oses in all his inter.iews with %haraoh. Bhen the ransomed tribes fou+ht their first battle with 'malek in -ephidim, ?oses stood on a hill o.erlookin+ the scene of the conflict with the rod of )od in his outstretched hand. *n this occasion he was attended by 'aron and :ur, his sister=s husband, who held up his wearied hands till Joshua and the chosen warriors of Israel +ained the .ictory 6";/0C"38. 'fterwards, when encamped before Sinai, and when ?oses at the command of )od ascended the mount to recei.e the tables of the law, 'aron and his two sons, @adab and 'bihu, alon+ with se.enty of the elders of Israel, were permitted to accompany him part of the way, and to
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behold afar off the manifestation of the +lory of Israel=s )od 6E,odus "D/&#1 &#/DC""8. Bhile ?oses remained on the mountain with )od, 'aron returned unto the people1 and yieldin+ throu+h fear, or i+norance, or instability of character, to their clamour, made unto them a +olden calf, and set it up as an obEect of worship 6E,odus 3&/#1 %salm ">2/"D8. *n the return of ?oses to the camp, 'aron was sternly rebuked by him for the part he had acted in this matter1 but he interceded for him before )od, who for+a.e his sin 6Deuteronomy D/&>8. *n the mount, ?oses recei.ed instructions re+ardin+ the system of worship which was to be set up amon+ the people1 and in accordance therewith 'aron and his sons were consecrated to the priest=s office 6$e.iticus 01 D8. 'aron, as hi+h priest, held henceforth the prominent place appertainin+ to that office. Bhen Israel had reached :aAeroth, in 4the wilderness of %aran,5 'aron Eoined with his sister ?iriam in murmurin+ a+ainst ?oses, 4because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married,5 probably after the death of Fipporah. But the $ord .indicated his ser.ant ?oses, and punished ?iriam with leprosy 6@umbers "&8. 'aron acknowled+ed his own and his sister=s +uilt, and at the intercession of ?oses they were for+i.en. !wenty years after this, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wilderness of %aran, Gorah, Dathan, and 'biram conspired a+ainst 'aron and his sons1 but a fearful Eud+ment from )od fell upon them, and they were destroyed, and the ne,t day thousands of the people also perished by a fierce pestilence, the ra.a+es of which were only stayed by the interposition of 'aron 6@umbers "28. !hat there mi+ht be further e.idence of the di.ine appointment of 'aron to the priestly office, the chiefs of the tribes were each re<uired to brin+ to ?oses a rod bearin+ on it the name of his tribe. 'nd these, alon+ with the rod of 'aron for the tribe of $e.i, were laid up o.erni+ht in the tabernacle, and in the mornin+ it was found that while the other rods remained unchan+ed, that of 'aron 4for the house of $e.i5 budded, blossomed, and yielded almonds 6@umbers ";/"C">8. !his rod was afterwards preser.ed in the tabernacle
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6:ebrews D/#8 as a memorial of the di.ine attestation of his appointment to the priesthood. 'aron was implicated in the sin of his brother at ?eribah 6@umbers &>/0C "38, and on that account was not permitted to enter the %romised $and. Bhen the tribes arri.ed at ?ount :or, 4in the ed+e of the land of Edom,5 at the command of )od ?oses led 'aron and his son EleaAar to the top of that mountain, in the si+ht of all the people. !here he stripped 'aron of his priestly .estments, and put them upon EleaAar1 and there 'aron died on the top of the mount, bein+ "&3 years old 6@umbers &>/&3C &D. 9omp. Deuteronomy ">/21 3&/H>8, and was 4+athered unto his people.5 !he people, 4e.en all the house of Israel,5 mourned for him thirty days. *f 'aron=s sons two sur.i.ed him, EleaAar, whose family held the hi+hCpriesthood till the time of Eli1 and Ithamar, in whose family, be+innin+ with Eli, the hi+hCpriesthood was held till the time of Solomon. 'aron=s other two sons had been struck dead 6$e.iticus ">/",&8 for the darin+ impiety of offerin+ 4stran+e fire5 on the alter of incense. !he 'rabs still show with .eneration the traditionary site of 'aron=s +ra.e on one of the two summits of ?ount :or, which is marked by a ?ohammedan chapel. :is name is mentioned in the Goran, and there are found in the writin+s of the rabbins many fabulous stories re+ardin+ him. :e was the first anointed priest. :is descendants, 4the house of 'aron,5 constituted the priesthood in +eneral. In the time of Da.id they were .ery numerous 6" 9hronicles "&/&;8. !he other branches of the tribe of $e.i held subordinate positions in connection with the sacred office. 'aron was a type of 9hrist in his official character as the hi+h priest. :is priesthood was a 4shadow of hea.enly thin+s,5 and was intended to lead the people of Israel to look forward to the time when 4another priest5 would arise 4after the order of ?elchiAedek5 6:ebrews 2/&>8. 6See ?*SES.8 (AARONITES the descendants of 'aron, and therefore priests. Jehoiada, the father of Benaiah, led 3,;>> 'aronites as 4fi+htin+ men5 to the support of Da.id at :ebron 6" 9hronicles "&/&;8. EleaAar 6@umbers 3/3&8, and at a later period Fadok 6" 9hronicles &;/";8, was their chief.
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(ABADDON destruction, the :ebrew name 6e<ui.alent to the )reek 'pollyon, i.e., destroyer8 of 4the an+el of the bottomless pit5 6-e.elation D/""8. It is rendered 4destruction5 in Job &0/&&1 3"/"&1 &2/21 %ro.erbs "H/""1 &;/&>. In the last three of these passa+es the -e.ised 7ersion retains the word 4'baddon.5 Be may re+ard this word as a personification of the idea of destruction, or as sheol, the realm of the dead. (ABA T!A one of the se.en eunuchs in 'hasuerus=s court 6Esther "/">1 &/&"8. (ABANA stony 6:ebrews mar+. 4'manah,5 perennial8, the chief ri.er of Damascus 6& Gin+s H/"&8. Its modern name is Barada, the 9hrysorrhoas, or 4+olden stream,5 of the )reeks. It rises in a cleft of the 'ntiC$ebanon ran+e, about &3 miles northCwest of Damascus, and after flowin+ southward for a little way parts into three smaller streams, the central one flowin+ throu+h Damascus, and the other two on each side of the city, diffusin+ beauty and fertility where otherwise there would be barrenness. (ABARI" re+ions beyond1 i.e., on the east of Jordan, a mountain, or rather a mountainCchain, o.er a+ainst Jericho, to the east and southCeast of the Dead Sea, in the land of ?oab. rom 4the top of %is+ah5, i.e., ?ount @ebo 6<...8, one of its summits, ?oses sur.eyed the %romised $and 6Deuteronomy 3/&;1 3&/#D8, and there he died 63#/",H8. !he Israelites had one of their encampments in the mountains of 'barim 6@umbers 33/#;,#08 after crossin+ the 'rnon. (ABBA !his Syriac or 9haldee word is found three times in the @ew !estament 6?ark "#/321 -omans 0/"H1 )alatians #/28, and in each case is followed by its )reek e<ui.alent, which is translated 4father.5 It is a term e,pressin+ warm affection and filial confidence. It has no perfect e<ui.alent in our lan+ua+e. It has passed into European lan+ua+es as an ecclesiastical term, 4abbot.5 (ABDA ser.ant. 6".8 !he father of 'doniram, whom Solomon set o.er the tribute 6" Gin+s #/281 i.e., the forced labour 6-.7., 4le.y58. 6&.8 ' $e.ite of the family of Jeduthun 6@ehemiah ""/";8, also called
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*badiah 6" 9hronicles D/"28. (ABDEE# ser.ant of )od, 6Jeremiah 32/&28, the father of Shelemiah. (ABDI my ser.ant. 6".8 " 9hronicles 2/##. 6&.8 & 9hronicles &D/"&. 63.8 EAra ">/&2. (ABDIE# ser.ant of )od, 6" 9hronicles H/"H8, a )adite chief. (ABDON ser.ile. 6".8 !he son of :illel, a %irathonite, the tenth Eud+e of Israel 6Jud+es "&/"3C"H8. :e is probably the Bedan of " Samuel "&/"". 6&.8 !he firstCborn of )ibeon of the tribe of BenEamin 6" 9hronicles 0/3>1 D/328. 63.8 !he son of ?icah, one of those whom Josiah sent to the prophetess :uldah to ascertain from her the meanin+ of the recently disco.ered book of the law 6& 9hronicles 3#/&>8. :e is called 'chbor in & Gin+s &&/"&. 6#.8 *ne of the 4sons5 of Shashak 6" 9hronicles 0/&38. !his is the name also of a $e.itical town of the )ershonites, in the tribe of 'sher 6Joshua &"/3>1 " 9hronicles 2/;#8. !he ruins of 'bdeh, some 0 miles northCeast of 'ccho, probably mark its site. (ABEDNE O ser.ant of @e+oI@ebo, the 9haldee name +i.en to 'Aariah, one of Daniel=s three companions 6Daniel &/#D8. Bith Shadrach and ?eshach, he was deli.ered from the burnin+ fiery furnace 63/"&C3>8.

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Sa.iour speaks of him as 4ri+hteous5 6?atthew &3/3H8. 4!he blood of sprinklin+5 is said to speak 4better thin+s than that of 'bel5 6:ebrews "&/&#81 i.e., the blood of Jesus is the reality of which the blood of the offerin+ made by 'bel was only the type. !he comparison here is between the sacrifice offered by 9hrist and that offered by 'bel, and not between the blood of 9hrist callin+ for mercy and the blood of the murdered 'bel callin+ for .en+eance, as has sometimes been supposed. It is also said 6:ebrews ""/#8 that 4'bel offered unto )od a more e,cellent sacrifice than 9ain.5 !his sacrifice was made 4by faith15 this faith rested in )od, not only as the 9reator and the )od of pro.idence, but especially in )od as the +reat -edeemer, whose sacrifice was typified by the sacrifices which, no doubt by the di.ine institution, were offered from the days of 'dam downward. *n account of that 4faith5 which looked forward to the +reat atonin+ sacrifice, 'bel=s offerin+ was accepted of )od. 9ain=s offerin+ had no such reference, and therefore was reEected. 'bel was the first martyr, as he was the first of our race to die. 'bel 6:ebrews Jabhel8, lamentation 6" Samuel 2/"08, the name +i.en to the +reat stone in Joshua=s field whereon the ark was 4set down.5 !he -e.ised 7ersion, howe.er, followin+ the !ar+um and the $KK., reads in the :ebrew te,t ebhen 6I a stone8, and accordin+ly translates 4unto the +reat stone, whereon they set down the ark.5 !his readin+ is to be preferred. 'bel 6:ebrews Jabhel8, a +rassy place, a meadow. !his word enters into the composition of the followin+ words/ (ABE#$BET!$"AA%!A! meadow of the house of ?aachah, a city in the north of %alestine, in the nei+hbourhood of Dan and IEon, in the tribe of @aphtali. It was a place of considerable stren+th and importance. It is called a 4mother in Israel5, i.e., a metropolis 6& Samuel &>/"D8. It was besie+ed by Joab 6& Samuel &>/"#8, by Benhadad 6" Gin+s "H/&>8, and by !i+lathCpileser 6& Gin+s "H/&D8 about B.9. ;3#. It is elsewhere called 'belC maim, meadow of the waters, 6& 9hronicles "2/#8. Its site is occupied by the modern 'bil or 'bilCelCkamh, on a risin+ +round to the east of the brook Derdarah, which flows throu+h the plain of :uleh into the Jordan,
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about 2 miles to the westCnorthCwest of Daniel (ABE#$%!ERA"I" 6Jud+es ""/33, -.7.1 '. 7., 4plain of the .ineyards58, a .illa+e of the 'mmonites, whither Jephthah pursued their forces. (ABE#$"E!O#A! meadow of dancin+, or the dancin+Cmeadow, the birthC place and residence of the prophet Elisha, not far from BethCshean 6" Gin+s #/"&8, in the tribe of Issachar, near where the Bady elC?aleh emer+es into the .alley of the Jordan, 4the rich meadowCland which e,tends about # miles south of BethCshean1 moist and lu,uriant.5 :ere Elisha was found at his plou+h by EliEah on his return up the Jordan .alley from :oreb 6" Gin+s "D/"28. It is now called J'in :elweh. (ABE#$"I&RAI" meadow of E+ypt, or mournin+ of E+ypt, a place 4beyond,5 i.e., on the west of Jordan, at the 4threshin+Cfloor of 'tad.5 :ere the E+yptians mourned se.enty days for Jacob 6)enesis H>/#C""8. Its site is unknown. (ABE#$S!ITTI" meadow of the acacias, fre<uently called simply 4Shittim5 6@umbers &H/"1 Joshua &/"1 ?icah 2/H8, a place on the east of Jordan, in the plain of ?oab, nearly opposite Jericho. It was the fortyC second encampment of the Israelites, their last restin+Cplace before they crossed the Jordan 6@umbers 33/#D1 &&/"1 &2/31 3"/"&1 comp. &H/"1 3"/"28. (ABE& tin, or white, a town in the tribe of Issachar 6Joshua "D/&>8, at the north of the plain of Esdraelon. It is probably identified with the ruins of elCBeida. (ABIA my father is the $ord, the )reek form of 'biEah, or 'biEam 6?atthew "/;8, instead of 'biah 6" 9hronicles ;/08. In $uke "/H, the name refers to the head of the ei+hth of the twentyCfour courses into which Da.id di.ided the priests 6" 9hronicles &#/">8. (ABI$A#BON father of stren+th1 i.e., 4.aliant5, one of Da.id=s bodyC+uard of thirty mi+hty men 6& Samuel &3/3"81 called also 'biel 6" 9hronicles ""/3&8. (ABIASA'! father of +atherin+1 the +atherer, the youn+est of the three sons of Gorah the $e.ite, head of a family of Gorhites 6E,odus 2/&#81 called
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Ebisaph 6" 9hronicles 2/3;8. (ABIAT!AR father of abundance, or my father e,cels, the son of 'himelech the hi+h priest. :e was the tenth hi+h priest, and the fourth in descent from Eli. Bhen his father was slain with the priests of @ob, he escaped, and bearin+ with him the ephod, he Eoined Da.id, who was then in the ca.e of 'dullam 6" Samuel &&/&>C&31 &3/28. :e remained with Da.id, and became priest of the party of which he was the leader 6" Samuel 3>/;8. Bhen Da.id ascended the throne of Judah, 'biathar was appointed hi+h priest 6" 9hronicles "H/""1 " Gin+s &/&28 and the 4kin+=s companion5 6" 9hronicles &;/3#8. ?eanwhile Fadok, of the house of EleaAar, had been made hi+h priest. !hese appointments continued in force till the end of Da.id=s rei+n 6" Gin+s #/#8. 'biathar was deposed 6the sole historical instance of the deposition of a hi+h priest8 and banished to his home at 'nathoth by Solomon, because he took part in the attempt to raise 'doniEah to the throne. !he priesthood thus passed from the house of Ithamar 6" Samuel &/3>C321 " Gin+s "/"D1 &/&2, &;8. Fadok now became sole hi+h priest. In ?ark &/&2, reference is made to an occurrence in 4the days of 'biathar the hi+h priest.5 But from " Samuel &&, we learn e,plicitly that this e.ent took place when 'himelech, the father of 'biathar, was hi+h priest. !he apparent discrepancy is satisfactorily e,plained by interpretin+ the words in ?ark as referrin+ to the lifeCtime of 'biathar, and not to the term of his holdin+ the office of hi+h priest. It is not implied in ?ark that he was actual hi+h priest at the time referred to. *thers, howe.er, think that the loa.es belon+ed to 'biathar, who was at that time 6$e.iticus &#/D8 a priest, and that he either himself +a.e them to Da.id, or persuaded his father to +i.e them. (ABIB an ear of corn, the month of newlyCripened +rain 6E,odus "3/#1 &3/"H81 the first of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, and the se.enth of the ci.il year. It be+an about the time of the .ernal e<uino,, on &"st ?arch. It was called @isan, after the 9apti.ity 6@ehemiah &/"8. *n the fifteenth day of the month, har.est was be+un by +atherin+ a sheaf of barley, which was offered unto the $ord on the si,teenth 6$e.iticus &3/#C""8.
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(ABIDA or 'bi=dah, father of knowled+e1 knowin+, one of the fi.e sons of ?idian, who was the son of 'braham by Geturah 6" 9hronicles "/338, and apparently the chief of an 'rab tribe. (ABIDAN father of Eud+ment1 Eud+e, head of the tribe of BenEamin at the E,odus 6@umbers "/""1 &/&&8. (ABIEE&ER father of help1 i.e., 4helpful.5 6".8 !he second of the three sons of :ammoleketh, the sister of )ilead. :e was the +randson of ?anasseh 6" 9hronicles ;/"08. rom his family )ideon spran+ 6Joshua ";/&1 comp. Jud+es 2/3#1 0/&8. :e was also called JeeAer 6@umbers &2/3>8. 6&.8 *ne of Da.id=s thirty warriors 6& Samuel &3/&;1 comp. " 9hronicles &;/"&8. 63.8 !he prince of the tribe of Dan at the E,odus 6@umbers "/"&8. (ABIE# father 6i.e., 4possessor58 of )od I 4pious.5 6".8 !he son of Feror and father of @er, who was the +randfather of Saul 6" Samuel "#/H"1 " 9hronicles 0/331 D/3D8. In " Samuel D/", he is called the 4father,5 probably meanin+ the +randfather, of Gish. 6&.8 'n 'rbathite, one of Da.id=s warriors 6" 9hronicles ""/3&81 called also 'biCalbon 6& Samuel &3/3"8. (ABIE&RITE father of help, a descendant of 'bieAer 6Jud+es 2/"",&#1 0/3&8. (ABI AI# father 6i.e., 4leader58 of the dance, or 4of Eoy.5 6".8 !he sister of Da.id, and wife of Jether an Ishmaelite 6" 9hronicles &/"2,";8. She was the mother of 'masa 6& Samuel ";/&H8. 6&.8 !he wife of the churlish @abal, who dwelt in the district of 9armel 6" Samuel &H/38. She showed +reat prudence and delicate mana+ement at a critical period of her husband=s life. She was 4a woman of +ood understandin+, and of a beautiful countenance.5 'fter @abal=s death she became the wife of Da.id 6" Samuel &H/"#C#&8, and was his companion in all his future fortunes 6" Samuel &;/31 3>/H1 & Samuel &/&8. By her Da.id had a son called 9hileab 6& Samuel 3/38, elsewhere called Daniel 6" 9hronicles 3/"8. (ABI!AI# father of mi+ht. 6".8 @umbers 3/3H. 6&.8 " 9hronicles &/&D. 63.8 " 9hronicles H/"#.
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6#.8 !he second wife of Gin+ -ehoboam 6& 9hronicles ""/"08, a descendant of Eliab, Da.id=s eldest brother. 6H.8 !he father of Esther and uncle of ?ordecai 6Esther &/"H8. (ABI!( father of :im1 i.e., 4worshipper of )od5, the second of the sons of 'aron 6E,odus 2/&31 @umbers 3/&1 &2/2>1 " 9hronicles 2/38. 'lon+ with his three brothers he was consecrated to the priest=s office 6E,odus &0/"8. Bith his father and elder brother he accompanied the se.enty elders part of the way up the mount with ?oses 6E,odus &#/",D8. *n one occasion he and @adab his brother offered incense in their censers filled with 4stran+e5 6i.e., common8 fire, i.e., not with fire taken from the +reat braAen altar 6$e.iticus 2/D, etc.8, and for this offence they were struck dead, and were taken out and buried without the camp 6$e.iticus ">/"C ""1 comp. @umbers 3/#1 &2/2"1 " 9hronicles &#/&8. It is probable that when they committed this offence they were into,icated, for immediately after is +i.en the law prohibitin+ the use of wine or stron+ drink to the priests. (ABI!(D father 6i.e., 4possessor58 of renown. 6".8 *ne of the sons of Bela, the son of BenEamin 6" 9hronicles 0/381 called also 'hihud 6.er. ;8. 6&.8 ' descendant of Ferubbabel and father of Eliakim 6?atthew "/"3, 4'biud581 called also Juda 6$uke 3/&28, and *badiah 6" 9hronicles 3/&"8. (ABI)A! father 6i.e., 4possessor or worshipper58 of Jeho.ah. 6".8 " 9hronicles ;/0. 6&.8 " 9hronicles &/&#. 63.8 !he second son of Samuel 6" Samuel 0/&1 " 9hronicles 2/&08. :is conduct, alon+ with that of his brother, as a Eud+e in BeerCsheba, to which office his father had appointed him, led to popular discontent, and ultimately pro.oked the people to demand a royal form of +o.ernment. 6#.8 ' descendant of EleaAar, the son of 'aron, a chief of one of the twentyCfour orders into which the priesthood was di.ided by Da.id 6" 9hronicles &#/">8. !he order of 'biEah was one of those which did not return from the 9apti.ity 6EAra &/32C3D1 @ehemiah ;/3DC#&1 "&/"8. 6H.8 !he son of -ehoboam, whom he succeeded on the throne of Judah 6"
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9hronicles 3/">8. :e is also called 'biEam 6" Gin+s "#/3"1 "H/"C08. :e be+an his three years= rei+n 6& 9hronicles "&/"21 "3/",&8 with a strenuous but unsuccessful effort to brin+ back the ten tribes to their alle+iance. :is address to 4Jeroboam and all Israel,5 before encounterin+ them in battle, is worthy of bein+ specially noticed 6& 9hronicles "3/HC"&8. It was a .ery bloody battle, no fewer than H>>,>>> of the army of Israel ha.in+ perished on the field. :e is described as ha.in+ walked 4in all the sins of his father5 6" Gin+s "H/31 & 9hronicles ""/&>C&&8. It is said in " Gin+s "H/& that 4his mother=s name was ?aachah, the dau+hter of 'bishalom15 but in & 9hronicles "3/& we read, 4his mother=s name was ?ichaiah, the dau+hter of Lriel of )ibeah.5 !he e,planation is that ?aachah is Eust a .ariation of the name ?ichaiah, and that 'bishalom is probably the same as 'bsalom, the son of Da.id. It is probable that 4Lriel of )ibeah5 married !amar, the dau+hter of 'bsalom 6& Samuel "#/&;8, and by her had ?aachah. !he word 4dau+hter5 in " Gin+s "H/& will thus, as it fre<uently elsewhere does, mean +randCdau+hter. 62.8 ' son of Jeroboam, the first kin+ of Israel. *n account of his se.ere illness when a youth, his father sent his wife to consult the prophet 'hiEah re+ardin+ his reco.ery. !he prophet, thou+h blind with old a+e, knew the wife of Jeroboam as soon as she approached, and under a di.ine impulse he announced to her that inasmuch as in 'biEah alone of all the house of Jeroboam there was found 4some +ood thin+ toward the $ord,5 he only would come to his +ra.e in peace. 's his mother crossed the threshold of the door on her return, the youth died, and 4all Israel mourned for him5 6" Gin+s "#/"C"08. 6;.8 !he dau+hter of Fechariah 6& 9hronicles &D/"1 comp. Isaiah 0/&8, and afterwards the wife of 'haA. She is also called 'bi 6& Gin+s "0/&8. 60.8 *ne of the sons of Becher, the son of BenEamin 6" 9hronicles ;/08. 4'biah,5 '.7. (ABI)A" father of the sea1 i.e., 4seaman5 the name always used in Gin+s of the kin+ of Judah, the son of -ehoboam, elsewhere called 'biEah 6" Gin+s "H/",;,08. 6See 'BIJ':, H.8
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(ABI#ENE a plain, a district lyin+ on the east slope of the 'ntiC$ebanon ran+e1 so called from its chief town, 'bila 6$uke 3/"8, which stood in the Suk Bady Barada, between :eliopolis 6Baalbec8 and Damascus, 30 miles from the former and "0 from the latter. $ysanias was +o.ernor or tetrarch of this pro.ince. (ABI"AE# father of ?ael, one of the sons or descendants of Joktan, in @orthern 'rabia 6)enesis ">/&01 " 9hronicles "/&&8. (ABI"E#E%! my father a kin+, or father of a kin+, a common name of the %hilistine kin+s, as 4%haraoh5 was of the E+yptian kin+s. 6".8 !he %hilistine kin+ of )erar in the time of 'braham 6)enesis &>/"C"08. By an interposition of %ro.idence, Sarah was deli.ered from his harem, and was restored to her husband 'braham. 's a mark of respect he +a.e to 'braham .aluable +ifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country1 while at the same time he delicately and yet se.erely rebuked him for ha.in+ practised a deception upon him in pretendin+ that Sarah was only his sister. 'mon+ the +ifts presented by the kin+ were a thousand pieces of sil.er as a 4co.erin+ of the eyes5 for Sarah1 i.e., either as an atonin+ +ift and a testimony of her innocence in the si+ht of all, or rather for the purpose of procurin+ a .eil for Sarah to conceal her beauty, and thus as a reproof to her for not ha.in+ worn a .eil which, as a married woman, she ou+ht to ha.e done. ' few years after this 'bimelech .isited 'braham, who had remo.ed southward beyond his territory, and there entered into a lea+ue of peace and friendship with him. !his lea+ue was the first of which we ha.e any record. It was confirmed by a mutual oath at BeerCsheba 6)enesis &"/&&C3#8. 6&.8 ' kin+ of )erar in the time of Isaac, probably the son of the preceedin+ 6)enesis &2/"C&&8. Isaac sou+ht refu+e in his territory durin+ a famine, and there he acted a part with reference to his wife -ebekah similar to that of his father 'braham with reference to Sarah. 'bimelech rebuked him for the deception, which he accidentally disco.ered. Isaac settled for a while here, and prospered. 'bimelech desired him, howe.er, to lea.e his territory, which Isaac did. 'bimelech afterwards .isited him when he was
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encamped at BeerCsheba, and e,pressed a desire to renew the co.enant which had been entered into between their fathers 6)enesis &2/&2C3"8. 63.8 ' son of )ideon 6Jud+es D/"8, who was proclaimed kin+ after the death of his father 6Jud+es 0/33CD/28. *ne of his first acts was to murder his brothers, se.enty in number, 4on one stone,5 at *phrah. *nly one named Jotham escaped. :e was an unprincipled, ambitious ruler, often en+a+ed in war with his own subEects. Bhen en+a+ed in reducin+ the town of !hebeA, which had re.olted, he was struck mortally on his head by a millCstone, thrown by the hand of a woman from the wall abo.e. %ercei.in+ that the wound was mortal, he desired his armourCbearer to thrust him throu+h with his sword, that it mi+ht not be said he had perished by the hand of a woman 6Jud+es D/H>CH;8. 6#.8 !he son of 'biathar, and hi+h priest in the time of Da.id 6" 9hronicles "0/"28. In the parallel passa+e, & Samuel 0/";, we ha.e the name 'himelech, and 'biathar, the son of 'himelech. !his most authorities consider the more correct readin+. 6H.8 'chish, kin+ of )ath, in the title of %salm 3#. 69omp. " Samuel &"/">C"H.8 (ABINADAB father of nobleness1 i.e., 4noble.5 6".8 ' $e.ite of GirEathC Eearim, in whose house the ark of the co.enant was deposited after ha.in+ been brou+ht back from the land of the %hilistines 6" Samuel ;/"8. It remained there twenty years, till it was at len+th remo.ed by Da.id 6" Samuel ;/",&1 " 9hronicles "3/;8. 6&.8 !he second of the ei+ht sons of Jesse 6" Samuel "2/08. :e was with Saul in the campai+n a+ainst the %hilistines in which )oliath was slain 6" Samuel ";/"38. 63.8 *ne of Saul=s sons, who peristed with his father in the battle of )ilboa 6" Samuel 3"/&1 " 9hronicles ">/&8. 6#.8 *ne of Solomon=s officers, who 4pro.ided .ictuals for the kin+ and his household.5 :e presided, for this purpose, o.er the district of Dor 6" Gin+s #/""8. (ABINOA" father of kindness, the father of Barak 6Jud+es #/21 H/"8.
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Easton's Bible Dictionary

(ABIRA" father of hei+ht1 i.e., 4proud.5 6".8 *ne of the sons of Eliab, who Eoined Gorah in the conspiracy a+ainst ?oses and 'aron. :e and all the conspirators, with their families and possessions 6e,cept the children of Gorah8, were swallowed up by an earth<uake 6@umbers "2/"C&;1 &2/D1 %salm ">2/";8. 6&.8 !he eldest son of :iel the Bethelite, who perished prematurely in conse<uence of his father=s undertakin+ to rebuild Jericho 6" Gin+s "2/3#8, accordin+ to the words of Joshua 62/&28. 6See JE-I9:*.8 (ABIS!A father of 6i.e., 4+i.en to58 error, a youn+ woman of Shunem, distin+uished for her beauty. She was chosen to minister to Da.id in his old a+e. She became his wife 6" Gin+s "/3,#,"H8. 'fter Da.id=s death 'doniEah persuaded Bathsheba, Solomon=s mother, to entreat the kin+ to permit him to marry 'bisha+. Solomon suspected in this re<uest an aspiration to the throne, and therefore caused him to be put to death 6" Gin+s &/";C&H8. (ABIS!AI father of 6i.e., 4desirous of58 a +ift, the eldest son of Feruiah, Da.id=s sister. :e was the brother of Joab and 'sahel 6& Samuel &/"01 " 9hronicles &/"28. 'bishai was the only one who accompanied Da.id when he went to the camp of Saul and took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul=s bolster 6" Samuel &2/HC"&8. :e had the command of one of the three di.isions of Da.id=s army at the battle with 'bsalom 6& Samuel "0/&,H,"&8. :e slew the %hilistine +iant IshbiCbenob, who threatened Da.id=s life 6& Samuel &"/"HC";8. :e was the chief of the second rank of the three 4mi+hties5 6& Samuel &3/"0, "D1 " 9hronicles ""/&>,&"81 and on one occasion withstood 3>> men, and slew them with his own spear 6& Samuel &3/"08. 'bishai is the name of the Semitic chief who offers +ifts to the $ord of BeniC:assan. See illustration facin+ pa+e ">. (ABIS!(A father of welfare1 i.e., 4fortunate.5 6".8 !he +randson of BenEamin 6" 9hronicles 0/#8. 6&.8 !he son of %hinehas the hi+h priest 6" 9hronicles 2/#,H,H>1 EAra ;/H8. (ABIS!(R father of the wall1 i.e., 4mason5, one of the two sons of Shammai of the tribe of Judah 6" 9hronicles &/&0,&D8.
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(ABITA# father of dew1 i.e., 4fresh5, Da.id=s fifth wife 6& Samuel 3/#8. (ABIT(B father of +oodness, a BenEamite 6" 9hronicles 0/""8. (A 'lpha, the first letter of the )reek alphabet, as *me+a is the last. !hese letters occur in the te,t of -e.elation "/0,""1 &"/21 &&/"3, and are represented by 4'lpha5 and 4*me+a5 respecti.ely 6omitted in -.7., "/""8. (ABIS!(R father of the wall1 i.e., 4mason5, one of the two sons of Shammai of the tribe of Judah 6" 9hronicles &/&0,&D8. (ABITA# father of dew1 i.e., 4fresh5, Da.id=s fifth wife 6& Samuel 3/#8. (ABIT(B father of +oodness, a BenEamite 6" 9hronicles 0/""8. (AB)E%TS 6%salm 3H/"H8, the translation of a :ebrew word meanin+ smiters1 probably, in allusion to the ton+ue, slanderers. 69omp. Jeremiah "0/"0.8 (AB#(TION or washin+, was practised, 6".8 Bhen a person was initiated into a hi+her state/ e.+., when 'aron and his sons were set apart to the priest=s office, they were washed with water pre.ious to their in.estiture with the priestly robes 6$e.iticus 0/28. 6&.8 Before the priests approached the altar of )od, they were re<uired, on pain of death, to wash their hands and their feet to cleanse them from the soil of common life 6E,odus 3>/";C&"8. !o this practice the %salmist alludes, %salm &2/2. 63.8 !here were washin+s prescribed for the purpose of cleansin+ from positi.e defilement contracted by particular acts. *f such washin+s ele.en different species are prescribed in the $e.itical law 6$e.iticus "&C "H8. 6#.8 ' fourth class of ablutions is mentioned, by which a person purified or absol.ed himself from the +uilt of some particular act. or e,ample, the elders of the nearest .illa+e where some murder was committed were re<uired, when the murderer was unknown, to wash their hands o.er the e,piatory heifer which was beheaded, and in doin+ so to say, 4*ur hands ha.e not shed this blood, neither ha.e our eyes seen it5 6Deuteronomy &"/"CD8. So also %ilate declared himself innocent of the blood of Jesus by
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washin+ his hands 6?atthew &;/&#8. !his act of %ilate may not, howe.er, ha.e been borrowed from the custom of the Jews. !he same practice was common amon+ the )reeks and -omans. !he %harisees carried the practice of ablution to +reat e,cess, thereby claimin+ e,traordinary purity 6?atthew &3/&H8. ?ark 6;/"CH8 refers to the ceremonial ablutions. !he %harisees washed their hands 4oft,5 more correctly, 4with the fist5 6-.7., 4dili+ently58, or as an old father, !heophylact, e,plains it, 4up to the elbow.5 69ompare also ?ark ;/#1 $e.iticus 2/&01 ""/ 3&C321 "H/&&8 6See B'S:I@).8 (ABNER father of li+ht1 i.e., 4enli+htenin+5, the son of @er and uncle of Saul. :e was commanderCinCchief of Saul=s army 6" Samuel "#/H>1 ";/HH1 &>/&H8. :e first introduced Da.id to the court of Saul after the .ictory o.er )oliath 6" Samuel ";/H;8. 'fter the death of Saul, Da.id was made kin+ o.er Judah, and rei+ned in :ebron. 'mon+ the other tribes there was a feelin+ of hostility to Judah1 and 'bner, at the head of Ephraim, fostered this hostility in the interest of the house of Saul, whose son IshCbosheth he caused to be proclaimed kin+ 6& Samuel &/08. ' state of war e,isted between these two kin+s. ' battle fatal to 'bner, who was the leader of IshCboseth=s army, was fou+ht with Da.id=s army under Joab at )ibeon 6& Samuel &/"&8. 'bner, escapin+ from the field, was o.ertaken by 'sahel, who was 4li+ht of foot as a wild roe,5 the brother of Joab and 'bishai, whom he thrust throu+h with a back stroke of his spear 6& Samuel &/ "0C 3&8. Bein+ rebuked by IshCbosheth for the impropriety of takin+ to wife -iApah, who had been a concubine of Gin+ Saul, he found an e,cuse for +oin+ o.er to the side of Da.id, whom he now professed to re+ard as anointed by the $ord to rei+n o.er all Israel. Da.id recei.ed him fa.ourably, and promised that he would ha.e command of the armies. 't this time Joab was absent from :ebron, but on his return he found what had happened. 'bner had Eust left the city1 but Joab by a strata+em recalled him, and meetin+ him at the +ate of the city on his return, thrust him throu+h with his sword 6& Samuel 3/&;, 3"C3D1 #/"&. 9omp. " Gin+s &/H, 3&8. Da.id lamented in pathetic words the death of 'bner, 4Gnow ye not that there is a prince and a +reat man fallen this day in Israel?5 6&
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Samuel 3/33C30.8 (ABO"INATION !his word is used, 6".8 !o e,press the idea that the E+yptians considered themsel.es as defiled when they ate with stran+ers 6)enesis #3/3&8. !he Jews subse<uently followed the same practice, holdin+ it unlawful to eat or drink with forei+ners 6John "0/&01 'cts ">/&01 ""/38. 6&.8 E.ery shepherd was 4an abomination5 unto the E+yptians 6)enesis #2/3#8. !his a.ersion to shepherds, such as the :ebrews, arose probably from the fact that $ower and ?iddle E+ypt had formerly been held in oppressi.e subEection by a tribe of nomad shepherds 6the :yksos8, who had only recently been e,pelled, and partly also perhaps from this other fact that the E+yptians detested the lawless habits of these wanderin+ shepherds. 63.8 %haraoh was so mo.ed by the fourth pla+ue, that while he refused the demand of ?oses, he offered a compromise, +rantin+ to the Israelites permission to hold their festi.al and offer their sacrifices in E+ypt. !his permission could not be accepted, because ?oses said they would ha.e to sacrifice 4the abomination of the E+yptians5 6E,odus 0/&281 i.e., the cow or o,, which all the E+yptians held as sacred, and which they re+arded it as sacrile+ious to kill. 6#.8 Daniel 6""/3"8, in that section of his prophecies which is +enerally interpreted as referrin+ to the fearful calamities that were to fall on the Jews in the time of 'ntiochus Epiphanes, says, 4'nd they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.5 'ntiochus Epiphanes caused an altar to be erected on the altar of burntCofferin+, on which sacrifices were offered to Jupiter *lympus. 69omp. " ?acc. "/H;8. !his was the abomination of the desolation of Jerusalem. !he same lan+ua+e is employed in Daniel D/&; 6comp. ?atthew &#/"H8, where the reference is probably to the ima+eCcrowned standards which the -omans set up at the east +ate of the temple 6'.D. ;>8, and to which they paid idolatrous honours. 4'lmost the entire reli+ion of the -oman camp consisted in worshippin+ the ensi+n, swearin+ by the ensi+n, and in preferrin+ the ensi+n before all other +ods.5 !hese ensi+ns were an 4abomination5 to
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the Jews, the 4abomination of desolation.5 !his word is also used symbolically of sin in +eneral 6Isaiah 22/381 an idol 6##/"D81 the ceremonies of the apostate 9hurch of -ome 6-e.elation ";/#81 a detestable act 6EAekiel &&/""8. (ABRA!A" father of a multitude, son of !erah, named 6)enesis ""/&;8 before his older brothers @ahor and :aran, because he was the heir of the promises. !ill the a+e of se.enty, 'bram soEourned amon+ his kindred in his nati.e country of 9haldea. :e then, with his father and his family and household, <uitted the city of Lr, in which he had hitherto dwelt, and went some 3>> miles north to :aran, where he abode fifteen years. !he cause of his mi+ration was a call from )od 6'cts ;/&C#8. !here is no mention of this first call in the *ld !estament1 it is implied, howe.er, in )enesis "&. Bhile they tarried at :aran, !erah died at the a+e of &>H years. 'bram now recei.ed a second and more definite call, accompanied by a promise from )od 6)enesis "&/",&81 whereupon he took his departure, takin+ his nephew $ot with him, 4not knowin+ whither he went5 6:ebrews ""/08. :e trusted implicitly to the +uidance of :im who had called him. 'bram now, with a lar+e household of probably a thousand souls, entered on a mi+ratory life, and dwelt in tents. %assin+ alon+ the .alley of the Jabbok, in the land of 9anaan, he formed his first encampment at Sichem 6)enesis "&/28, in the .ale or oakC+ro.e of ?oreh, between Ebal on the north and )eriAim on the south. :ere he recei.ed the +reat promise, 4I will make of thee a +reat nation,5 etc. 6)enesis "&/&,3,;8. !his promise comprehended not only temporal but also spiritual blessin+s. It implied that he was the chosen ancestor of the +reat Deli.erer whose comin+ had been lon+ a+o predicted 6)enesis 3/"H8. Soon after this, for some reason not mentioned, he remo.ed his tent to the mountain district between Bethel, then called $uA, and 'i, towns about two miles apart, where he built an altar to 4Jeho.ah.5 :e a+ain mo.ed into the southern tract of %alestine, called by the :ebrews the @e+eb1 and was at len+th, on account of a famine, compelled to +o down into E+ypt. !his took place in
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the time of the :yksos, a Semitic race which now held the E+yptians in bonda+e. :ere occurred that case of deception on the part of 'bram which e,posed him to the rebuke of %haraoh 6)enesis "&/"08. Sarai was restored to him1 and %haraoh loaded him with presents, recommendin+ him to withdraw from the country. :e returned to 9anaan richer than when he left it, 4in cattle, in sil.er, and in +old5 6)enesis "&/01 "3/&. 9omp. %salm ">H/"3, "#8. !he whole party then mo.ed northward, and returned to their pre.ious station near Bethel. :ere disputes arose between $ot=s shepherds and those of 'bram about water and pastura+e. 'bram +enerously +a.e $ot his choice of the pastureC+round. 69omp. " 9orinthians 2/;.8 :e chose the wellCwatered plain in which Sodom was situated, and remo.ed thither1 and thus the uncle and nephew were separated. Immediately after this 'bram was cheered by a repetition of the promises already made to him, and then remo.ed to the plain or 4oakC+ro.e5 of ?amre, which is in :ebron. :e finally settled here, pitchin+ his tent under a famous oak or terebinth tree, called 4the oak of ?amre5 6)enesis "3/"08. !his was his third restin+Cplace in the land. Some fourteen years before this, while 'bram was still in 9haldea, %alestine had been in.aded by 9hedorlaomer, Gin+ of Elam, who brou+ht under tribute to him the fi.e cities in the plain to which $ot had remo.ed. !his tribute was felt by the inhabitants of these cities to be a hea.y burden, and after twel.e years they re.olted. !his brou+ht upon them the .en+eance of 9hedorlaomer, who had in lea+ue with him four other kin+s. :e ra.a+ed the whole country, plunderin+ the towns, and carryin+ the inhabitants away as sla.es. 'mon+ those thus treated was $ot. :earin+ of the disaster that had fallen on his nephew, 'bram immediately +athered from his own household a band of 3"0 armed men, and bein+ Eoined by the 'moritish chiefs ?amre, 'ner, and Eshcol, he pursued after 9hedorlaomer, and o.ertook him near the sprin+s of the Jordan. !hey attacked and routed his army, and pursued it o.er the ran+e of 'ntiC $ibanus as far as to :obah, near Damascus, and then returned, brin+in+ back all the spoils that had been carried away. -eturnin+ by way of Salem,
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i.e., Jerusalem, the kin+ of that place, ?elchiAedek, came forth to meet them with refreshments. !o him 'bram presented a tenth of the spoils, in reco+nition of his character as a priest of the most hi+h )od 6)enesis "#/"0C&>8. In a recentlyCdisco.ered tablet, dated in the rei+n of the +randfather of 'mraphel 6)enesis "#/"8, one of the witnesses is called 4the 'morite, the son of 'biramu,5 or 'bram. :a.in+ returned to his home at ?amre, the promises already made to him by )od were repeated and enlar+ed 6)enesis "3/"#8. 4!he word of the $ord5 6an e,pression occurrin+ here for the first time8 4came to him5 6"H/"8. :e now understood better the future that lay before the nation that was to sprin+ from him. Sarai, now se.entyCfi.e years old, in her impatience, persuaded 'bram to take :a+ar, her E+yptian maid, as a concubine, intendin+ that whate.er child mi+ht be born should be reckoned as her own. Ishmael was accordin+ly thus brou+ht up, and was re+arded as the heir of these promises 6)enesis "28. Bhen Ishmael was thirteen years old, )od a+ain re.ealed yet more e,plicitly and fully his +racious purpose1 and in token of the sure fulfilment of that purpose the patriarch=s name was now chan+ed from 'bram to 'braham 6)enesis ";/#,H8, and the rite of circumcision was instituted as a si+n of the co.enant. It was then announced that the heir to these co.enant promises would be the son of Sarai, thou+h she was now ninety years old1 and it was directed that his name should be Isaac. 't the same time, in commemoration of the promises, Sarai=s name was chan+ed to Sarah. *n that memorable day of )od=s thus re.ealin+ his desi+n, 'braham and his son Ishmael and all the males of his house were circumcised 6)enesis ";8. !hree months after this, as 'braham sat in his tent door, he saw three men approachin+. !hey accepted his proffered hospitality, and, seated under an oakCtree, partook of the fare which 'braham and Sarah pro.ided. *ne of the three .isitants was none other than the $ord, and the other two were an+els in the +uise of men. !he $ord renewed on this occasion his promise of a son by Sarah,
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who was rebuked for her unbelief. 'braham accompanied the three as they proceeded on their Eourney. !he two an+els went on toward Sodom1 while the $ord tarried behind and talked with 'braham, makin+ known to him the destruction that was about to fall on that +uilty city. !he patriarch interceded earnestly in behalf of the doomed city. But as not e.en ten ri+hteous persons were found in it, for whose sake the city would ha.e been spared, the threatened destruction fell upon it1 and early ne,t mornin+ 'braham saw the smoke of the fire that consumed it as the 4smoke of a furnace5 6)enesis "D/"C&08. 'fter fifteen years= residence at ?amre, 'braham mo.ed southward, and pitched his tent amon+ the %hilistines, near to )erar. :ere occurred that sad instance of pre.arication on his part in his relation to 'bimelech the Gin+ 6)enesis &>8. 6See 'BI?E$E9:.8 Soon after this e.ent, the patriarch left the .icinity of )erar, and mo.ed down the fertile .alley about &H miles to BeerCsheba. It was probably here that Isaac was born, 'braham bein+ now an hundred years old. ' feelin+ of Eealousy now arose between Sarah and :a+ar, whose son, Ishmael, was no lon+er to be re+arded as 'braham=s heir. Sarah insisted that both :a+ar and her son should be sent away. !his was done, althou+h it was a hard trial to 'braham 6)enesis &"/"&8. 6See :')'-1 IS:?'E$.8 't this point there is a blank in the patriarch=s history of perhaps twentyC fi.e years. !hese years of peace and happiness were spent at BeerCsheba. !he ne,t time we see him his faith is put to a se.ere test by the command that suddenly came to him to +o and offer up Isaac, the heir of all the promises, as a sacrifice on one of the mountains of ?oriah. :is faith stood the test 6:ebrews ""/";C"D8. :e proceeded in a spirit of unhesitatin+ obedience to carry out the command1 and when about to slay his son, whom he had laid on the altar, his uplifted hand was arrested by the an+el of Jeho.ah, and a ram, which was entan+led in a thicket near at hand, was seiAed and offered in his stead. rom this circumstance that place was called Jeho.ahCEireh, i.e., 4!he $ord will pro.ide.5 !he promises made to 'braham were a+ain confirmed 6and this was the last recorded word of )od to the patriarch81 and he descended the mount with his son,
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and returned to his home at BeerCsheba 6)enesis &&/"D8, where he resided for some years, and then mo.ed northward to :ebron. Some years after this Sarah died at :ebron, bein+ "&; years old. 'braham ac<uired now the needful possession of a buryin+Cplace, the ca.e of ?achpelah, by purchase from the owner of it, Ephron the :ittite 6)enesis &381 and there he buried Sarah. :is ne,t care was to pro.ide a wife for Isaac, and for this purpose he sent his steward, ElieAer, to :aran 6or 9harran, 'cts ;/&8, where his brother @ahor and his family resided 6)enesis ""/3"8. !he result was that -ebekah, the dau+hter of @ahor=s son Bethuel, became the wife of Isaac 6)enesis &#8. 'braham then himself took to wife Geturah, who became the mother of si, sons, whose descendants were afterwards known as the 4children of the east5 6Jud+es 2/38, and later as 4Saracens.5 't len+th all his wanderin+s came to an end. 't the a+e of ";H years, ">> years after he had first entered the land of 9anaan, he died, and was buried in the old family buryin+Cplace at ?achpelah 6)enesis &H/;C">8. !he history of 'braham made a wide and deep impression on the ancient world, and references to it are interwo.en in the reli+ious traditions of almost all Eastern nations. :e is called 4the friend of )od5 6James &/&38, 4faithful 'braham5 6)alatians 3/D8, 4the father of us all5 6-omans #/"28. (ABRA!A"*S BOSO" 6$uke "2/&&,&38 refers to the custom of reclinin+ on couches at table, which was pre.alent amon+ the Jews, an arran+ement which brou+ht the head of one person almost into the bosom of the one who sat or reclined abo.e him. !o 4be in 'braham=s bosom5 thus meant to enEoy happiness and rest 6?atthew 0/""1 $uke "2/&38 at the ban<uet in %aradise. 6See B'@MLE!1 ?E'$S.8 (ABRA" e,alted father. 6see 'B-':'?.8 (ABRONA! -.7., one of Israel=s haltin+Cplaces in the desert 6@umbers 33/3#,3H8, Eust before EAionC+aber. In '.7., 4Ebronah.5 (ABSA#O" father of peace1 i.e., 4peaceful5 Da.id=s son by ?aacah 6& Samuel 3/31 comp. " Gin+s "/28. :e was noted for his personal beauty and for the e,traCordinary profusion of the hair of his head 6& Samuel
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"#/&H,&28. !he first public act of his life was the bloodCre.en+e he e,ecuted a+ainst 'mnon, Da.id=s eldest son, who had basely wron+ed 'bsalom=s sister !amar. !his re.en+e was e,ecuted at the time of the festi.ities connected with a +reat sheepCshearin+ at BaalChaAor. Da.id=s other sons fled from the place in horror, and brou+ht the tidin+s of the death of 'mnon to Jerusalem. 'larmed for the conse<uences of the act, 'bsalom fled to his +randfather at )eshur, and there abode for three years 6& Samuel 3/31 "3/&3C308. Da.id mourned his absent son, now branded with the +uilt of fratricide. 's the result of a strata+em carried out by a woman of !ekoah, Joab recei.ed Da.id=s sanction to in.ite 'bsalom back to Jerusalem. :e returned accordin+ly, but two years elapsed before his father admitted him into his presence 6& Samuel "#/&08. 'bsalom was now probably the oldest sur.i.in+ son of Da.id, and as he was of royal descent by his mother as well as by his father, he be+an to aspire to the throne. :is pretensions were fa.oured by the people. By many arts he +ained their affection1 and after his return from )eshur 6& Samuel "H/;1 mar+., -.7.8 he went up to :ebron, the old capital of Judah, alon+ with a +reat body of the people, and there proclaimed himself kin+. !he re.olt was so successful that Da.id found it necessary to <uit Jerusalem and flee to ?ahanaim, beyond Jordan1 where upon 'bsalom returned to Jerusalem and took possession of the throne without opposition. 'hithophel, who had been Da.id=s chief counsellor, deserted him and Eoined 'bsalom, whose chief counsellor he now became. :ushai also Eoined 'bsalom, but only for the purpose of tryin+ to counteract the counsels of 'hithophel, and so to ad.anta+e Da.id=s cause. :e was so far successful that by his ad.ice, which was preferred to that of 'hithophel, 'bsalom delayed to march an army a+ainst his father, who thus +ained time to prepare for the defence. 'bsalom at len+th marched out a+ainst his father, whose army, under the command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. !wenty thousand of 'bsalom=s army were slain in that fatal battle, and the rest fled. 'bsalom fled on a swift mule1 but his lon+
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flowin+ hair, or more probably his head, was cau+ht in the bou+h of an oak, and there he was left suspended till Joab came up and pierced him throu+h with three darts. :is body was then taken down and cast into a pit du+ in the forest, and a heap of stones was raised o.er his +ra.e. Bhen the tidin+s of the result of that battle were brou+ht to Da.id, as he sat impatiently at the +ate of ?ahanaim, and he was told that 'bsalom had been slain, he +a.e way to the bitter lamentation/ 4* my son 'bsalom, my son, my son 'bsalomN would )od I had died for thee, * 'bsalom, my son, my sonN5 6& Samuel "0/33. 9omp. E,odus 3&/3&1 -omans D/38. 'bsalom=s three sons 6& Samuel "#/&;1 comp. "0/"08 had all died before him, so that he left only a dau+hter, !amar, who became the +randmother of 'biEah. (A%A%IA 6:ebrews shittim8 E,odus &H/H, -.7. probably the 'cacia seyal 6the +umCarabic tree81 called the 4shittah5 tree 6Isaiah #"/"D8. Its wood is called shittim wood 6E,odus &2/"H,&21 &H/">,"3,&3,&0, etc.8. !his species 6'. seyal8 is like the hawthorn, a +narled and thorny tree. It yields the +umCarabic of commerce. It is found in abundance in the Sinaitic peninsula. (A%%AD the hi+h land or mountains, a city in the land of Shinar. It has been identified with the mounds of 'kker Guf, some H> miles to the north of Babylon1 but this is doubtful. It was one of the cities of @imrod=s kin+dom 6)e ">/">8. It stood close to the Euphrates, opposite Sippara. 6See SE%:'-7'I?.8 It is also the name of the country of which this city was the capital, namely, northern or upper Babylonia. !he 'ccadians who came from the 4mountains of the east,5 where the ark rested, attained to a hi+h de+ree of ci.iliAation. In the Babylonian inscriptions they are called 4the black heads5 and 4the black faces,5 in contrast to 4the white race5 of Semitic descent. !hey in.ented the form of writin+ in pictorial hiero+lyphics, and also the cuneiform system, in which they wrote many books partly on papyrus and partly on clay. !he Semitic Babylonians 64the white race58, or, as some scholars think, first the 9ushites, and afterwards, as a second
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immi+ration, the Semites, in.aded and con<uered this country1 and then the 'ccadian lan+ua+e ceased to be a spoken lan+ua+e, althou+h for the sake of its literary treasures it continued to be studied by the educated classes of Babylonia. ' lar+e portion of the @ine.ite tablets brou+ht to li+ht by *riental research consists of interlinear or parallel translations from 'ccadian into 'ssyrian1 and thus that lon+Cfor+otten lan+ua+e has been reco.ered by scholars. It belon+s to the class of lan+ua+es called a++lutinati.e, common to the !auranian race1 i.e., it consists of words 4+lued to+ether,5 without declension of conEu+ation. !hese tablets in a remarkable manner illustrate ancient history. 'mon+ other notable records, they contain an account of the 9reation which closely resembles that +i.en in the book of )enesis, of the Sabbath as a day of rest, and of the Delu+e and its cause. 6See B'BO$*@1 9:'$DE'.8 (A%%!O sultry or sandy, a town and harbour of %hoenicia, in the tribe of 'sher, but ne.er ac<uired by them 6Jud+es "/3"8. It was known to the ancient )reeks and -omans by the name of %tolemais, from %tolemy the kin+ of E+ypt, who rebuilt it about B.9. ">>. :ere %aul landed on his last Eourney to Jerusalem 6'cts &"/;8. Durin+ the crusades of the ?iddle '+es it was called 'cra1 and subse<uently, on account of its bein+ occupied by the Gni+hts :ospitallers of Jerusalem, it was called St. Jean d='cre, or simply 'cre. (A%%(SER Satan is styled the 4accuser of the brethren5 6-e.elation "&/">. 9omp. Job "/21 Fechariah 3/"8, as seekin+ to uphold his influence amon+ men by brin+in+ false char+es a+ainst 9hristians, with the .iew of weakenin+ their influence and inEurin+ the cause with which they are identified. :e was re+arded by the Jews as the accuser of men before )od, layin+ to their char+e the .iolations of the law of which they were +uilty, and demandin+ their punishment. !he same )reek word, rendered 4accuser,5 is found in John 0/"> 6but omitted in the -e.ised 7ersion81 'cts &3/3>, 3H1 &#/01 &H/"2, "0, in all of which places it is used of one who brin+s a char+e a+ainst another.
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(A%E#DA"A the name which the Jews +a.e in their proper ton+ue, i.e., in 'ramaic, to the field which was purchased with the money which had been +i.en to the betrayer of our $ord. !he word means 4field of blood.5 It was pre.iously called 4the potter=s field5 6?atthew &;/;, 01 'cts "/"D8, and was appropriated as the burialCplace for stran+ers. It lies on a narrow le.el terrace on the south face of the .alley of :innom. Its modern name is :ak edCdamm. (A%!AIA the name ori+inally of a narrow strip of territory in )reece, on the northCwest of the %eloponnesus. Subse<uently it was applied by the -omans to the whole %eloponnesus, now called the ?orea, and the south of )reece. It was then one of the two pro.inces 6?acedonia bein+ the other8 into which they di.ided the country when it fell under their dominion. It is in this latter enlar+ed meanin+ that the name is always used in the @ew !estament 6'cts "0/"&, &;1 "D/&"1 -omans "H/ &21 "2/H, etc.8. It was at the time when $uke wrote the 'cts of the 'postles under the proconsular form of +o.ernment1 hence the appropriate title +i.en to )allio as the 4deputy,5 i.e., proconsul, of 'chaia 6'cts "0/"&8. (A%!AI%!(S 6" 9orinthians "2/";8, one of the members of the church of 9orinth who, with ortunatus and Stephanas, .isited %aul while he was at Ephesus, for the purpose of consultin+ him on the affairs of the church. !hese three probably were the bearers of the letter from 9orinth to the apostle to which he alludes in " 9orinthians ;/". (A%!AN called also 'char, i.e., one who troubles 6" 9hronicles &/;8, in commemoration of his crime, which brou+ht upon him an awful destruction 6Joshua ;/"8. *n the occasion of the fall of Jericho, he seiAed, contrary to the di.ine command, an in+ot of +old, a <uantity of sil.er, and a costly Babylonish +arment, which he hid in his tent. Joshua was con.inced that the defeat which the Israelites afterwards sustained before 'i was a proof of the di.ine displeasure on account of some crime, and he at once adopted means by the use of the lot for disco.erin+ the criminal. It was then found that 'chan was +uilty, and he was stoned to death in the .alley of 'chor. :e and all that belon+ed to him were then consumed by fire, and a heap of stones was raised o.er the ashes.
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(A%!BOR +nawin+ I mouse. 6".8 'n Edomitish kin+ 6)enesis 32/301 " 9hronicles "/#D8. 6&.8 *ne of Josiah=s officers sent to the prophetess :uldah to in<uire re+ardin+ the newlyCdisco.ered book of the law 6& Gin+s &&/"&, "#8. :e is also called 'bdon 6& 9hronicles 3#/&>8. (A%!IS! an+ry, perhaps only a +eneral title of royalty applicable to the %hilistine kin+s. 6".8 !he kin+ with whom Da.id sou+ht refu+e when he fled from Saul 6" Samuel &"/">C"H8. :e is called 'bimelech in the superscription of %salm 3#. It was probably this same kin+ to whom Da.id a second time repaired at the head of a band of 2>> warriors, and who assi+ned him Fikla+, whence he carried on war a+ainst the surroundin+ tribes 6" Samuel &;/HC"&8. 'chish had +reat confidence in the .alour and fidelity of Da.id 6" Samuel &0/",&8, but at the insti+ation of his courtiers did not permit him to +o up to battle alon+ with the %hilistine hosts 6" Samuel &D/&C""8. Da.id remained with 'chish a year and four months. 6&.8 'nother kin+ of )ath, probably +randson of the fore+oin+, to whom the two ser.ants of Shimei fled. !his led Shimei to +o to )ath in pursuit of them, and the conse<uence was that Solomon put him to death 6" Gin+s &/3DC#28. (A%!"ET!A 6EAra 2/&8, called Ecbatana by classical writers, the capital of northern ?edia. :ere was the palace which was the residence of the old ?edian monarchs, and of 9yrus and 9ambyses. In the time of EAra, the %ersian kin+s resided usually at Susa of Babylon. But 9yrus held his court at 'chmetha1 and EAra, writin+ a century after, correctly mentions the place where the decree of 9yrus was found. (A%!OR trouble, a .alley near Jericho, so called in conse<uence of the trouble which the sin of 'chan caused Israel 6Joshua ;/&#,&28. !he e,pression 4.alley of 'chor5 probably became pro.erbial for that which caused trouble, and when Isaiah 6Isaiah 2H/">8 refers to it he uses it in this sense/ 4!he .alley of 'chor, a place for herds to lie down in15 i.e., that which had been a source of calamity would become a source of blessin+. :osea also 6:os. &/"H8 uses the e,pression in the same sense/ 4!he .alley of 'chor for a door of hope15 i.e., trouble would be turned into Eoy,
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despair into hope. !his .alley has been identified with the Bady Gelt. (A%!SA! anklet, 9aleb=s only dau+hter 6" 9hronicles &/#D8. She was offered in marria+e to the man who would lead an attack on the city of Debir, or GirEathCsepher. !his was done by *thniel 6<...8, who accordin+ly obtained her as his wife 6Joshua "H/"2C"D1 Jud+es "/DC"H8. (A%!S!A'! fascination, a royal city of the 9anaanites, in the north of %alestine 6Joshua ""/"1 "&/&>1 "D/&H8. It was in the eastern boundary of the tribe of 'sher, and is identified with the modern ruined .illa+e of Gesaf or Oasif, @.E. of 'ccho. (A%!&IB falsehood. 6".8 ' town in the Shephelah, or plain country of Judah 6Joshua "H/##81 probably the same as 9heAib of )enesis 30/H I 'in GeAbeh. 6&.8 ' %hoenician city 6the )r. Ecdippa8, always retained in their possession thou+h assi+ned to the tribe of 'sher 6Joshua "D/&D1 Jud+es "/3"8. It is identified with the modern esCFib, on the ?editerranean, about 0 miles north of 'ccho. (A%RE is the translation of a word 6tse=med8, which properly means a yoke, and denotes a space of +round that may be plou+hed by a yoke of o,en in a day. It is about an acre of our measure 6Isaiah H/">1 " Samuel "#/"#8. (A%TS O+ T!E A'OST#ES the title now +i.en to the fifth and last of the historical books of the @ew !estament. !he author styles it a 4treatise5 6"/"8. It was early called 4!he 'cts,5 4!he )ospel of the :oly )host,5 and 4!he )ospel of the -esurrection.5 It contains properly no account of any of the apostles e,cept %eter and %aul. John is noticed only three times1 and all that is recorded of James, the son of Febedee, is his e,ecution by :erod. It is properly therefore not the history of the 4'cts of the 'postles,5 a title which was +i.en to the book at a later date, but of 4'cts of 'postles,5 or more correctly, of 4Some 'cts of 9ertain 'postles.5 's re+ards its authorship, it was certainly the work of $uke, the 4belo.ed physician5 6comp. $uke "/"C#1 'cts "/"8. !his is the uniform tradition of anti<uity, althou+h the writer nowhere makes mention of himself by
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name. !he style and idiom of the )ospel of $uke and of the 'cts, and the usa+e of words and phrases common to both, stren+then this opinion. !he writer first appears in the narrati.e in "2/"", and then disappears till %aul=s return to %hilippi two years afterwards, when he and %aul left that place to+ether 6&>/28, and the two seem henceforth to ha.e been constant companions to the end. :e was certainly with %aul at -ome 6&01 9olossians #/"#8. !hus he wrote a +reat portion of that history from personal obser.ation. or what lay beyond his own e,perience he had the instruction of %aul. If, as is .ery probable, & !imothy was written durin+ %aul=s second imprisonment at -ome, $uke was with him then as his faithful companion to the last 6& !imothy #/""8. *f his subse<uent history we ha.e no certain information. !he desi+n of $uke=s )ospel was to +i.e an e,hibition of the character and work of 9hrist as seen in his history till he was taken up from his disciples into hea.en1 and of the 'cts, as its se<uel, to +i.e an illustration of the power and workin+ of the +ospel when preached amon+ all nations, 4be+innin+ at Jerusalem.5 !he openin+ sentences of the 'cts are Eust an e,pansion and an e,planation of the closin+ words of the )ospel. In this book we ha.e Eust a continuation of the history of the church after 9hrist=s ascension. $uke here carries on the history in the same spirit in which he had commenced it. It is only a book of be+innin+s, a history of the foundin+ of churches, the initial steps in the formation of the 9hristian society in the different places .isited by the apostles. It records a cycle of 4representati.e e.ents.5 'll throu+h the narrati.e we see the e.erCpresent, allCcontrollin+ power of the e.erCli.in+ Sa.iour. :e worketh all and in all in spreadin+ abroad his truth amon+ men by his Spirit and throu+h the instrumentality of his apostles. !he time of the writin+ of this history may be +athered from the fact that the narrati.e e,tends down to the close of the second year of %aul=s first imprisonment at -ome. It could not therefore ha.e been written earlier than '.D. 2" or 2&, nor later than about the end of '.D. 23. %aul was
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probably put to death durin+ his second imprisonment, about '.D. 2#, or, as some think, 22. !he place where the book was written was probably -ome, to which $uke accompanied %aul. !he key to the contents of the book is in "/0, 4Oe shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.5 'fter referrin+ to what had been recorded in a 4former treatise5 of the sayin+s and doin+s of Jesus 9hrist before his ascension, the author proceeds to +i.e an account of the circumstances connected with that e.ent, and then records the leadin+ facts with reference to the spread and triumphs of 9hristianity o.er the world durin+ a period of about thirty years. !he record be+ins with %entecost 6'.D. 338 and ends with %aul=s first imprisonment 6'.D. 23 or 2#8. !he whole contents of the book may be di.ided into these three parts/ 6".8 9haps. "C"&, describin+ the first twel.e years of the 9hristian church. !his section has been entitled 4 rom Jerusalem to 'ntioch.5 It contains the history of the plantin+ and e,tension of the church amon+ the Jews by the ministry of %eter. 6&.8 9haps. "3C&", %aul=s missionary Eourneys, +i.in+ the history of the e,tension and plantin+ of the church amon+ the )entiles. 63.8 9haps. &"C&0, %aul at -ome, and the e.ents which led to this. 9haps. "3C&0 ha.e been entitled 4 rom 'ntioch to -ome.5 In this book it is worthy of note that no mention is made of the writin+ by %aul of any of his epistles. !his may be accounted for by the fact that the writer confined himself to a history of the plantin+ of the church, and not to that of its trainin+ or edification. !he relation, howe.er, between this history and the epistles of %aul is of such a kind, i.e., brin+s to li+ht so many undesi+ned coincidences, as to pro.e the +enuineness and authenticity of both, as is so ably shown by %aley in his Horae Paulinae. 4@o ancient work affords so many tests of .eracity1 for no other has such numerous points of contact in all directions with contemporary history, politics, and topo+raphy, whether Jewish, or )reek, or -oman.5 $i+htfoot.
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6See %'L$.8 (ADA! ornament. 6".8 !he first of $amech=s two wi.es, and the mother of Jabal and Jubal 6)enesis #/"D, &>, &38. 6&.8 !he first of Esau=s three wi.es, the dau+hter of Elon the :ittite 6)enesis 32/&,#8, called also Bashemath 6&2/3#8. (ADA" red, a Babylonian word, the +eneric name for man, ha.in+ the same meanin+ in the :ebrew and the 'ssyrian lan+ua+es. It was the name +i.en to the first man, whose creation, fall, and subse<uent history and that of his descendants are detailed in the first book of ?oses 6)enesis "/&;Cch. H8. 4)od created man P:ebrews , 'damQ in his own ima+e, in the ima+e of )od created he him1 male and female created he them.5 'dam was absolutely the first man whom )od created. :e was formed out of the dust of the earth 6and hence his name8, and )od breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and +a.e him dominion o.er all the lower creatures 6)enesis "/&21 &/;8. :e was placed after his creation in the )arden of Eden, to culti.ate it, and to enEoy its fruits under this one prohibition/ 4*f the tree of the knowled+e of +ood and e.il thou shalt not eat of it1 for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.5 !he first recorded act of 'dam was his +i.in+ names to the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, which )od brou+ht to him for this end. !hereafter the $ord caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and while in an unconscious state took one of his ribs, and closed up his flesh a+ain1 and of this rib he made a woman, whom he presented to him when he awoke. 'dam recei.ed her as his wife, and said, 4!his is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh/ she shall be called Boman, because she was taken out of ?an.5 :e called her E.e, because she was the mother of all li.in+. Bein+ induced by the tempter in the form of a serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, E.e persuaded 'dam, and he also did eat. !hus man fell, and brou+ht upon himself and his posterity all the sad conse<uences of his trans+ression. !he narrati.e of the all comprehends in it the +reat
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promise of a Deli.erer 6)enesis 3/"H8, the 4first +ospel5 messa+e to man. !hey were e,pelled from Eden, and at the east of the +arden )od placed a flame, which turned e.ery way, to pre.ent access to the tree of life 6)enesis 38. :ow lon+ they were in %aradise is matter of mere conEecture. Shortly after their e,pulsion E.e brou+ht forth her firstCborn, and called him 9ain. 'lthou+h we ha.e the names of only three of 'dam=s sons, .iA., 9ain, 'bel, and Seth, yet it is ob.ious that he had se.eral sons and dau+hters 6)enesis H/#8. :e died a+ed D3> years. 'dam and E.e were the pro+enitors of the whole human race. E.idences of .aried kinds are abundant in pro.in+ the unity of the human race. !he in.esti+ations of science, alto+ether independent of historical e.idence, lead to the conclusion that )od 4hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth5 6'cts ";/&2. 9omp. -omans H/"&C"&1 " 9orinthians "H/&&C#D8. (ADA"A! red earth, a fortified city of @aphtali, probably the modern Damieh, on the west side of the sea of !iberias 6Joshua "D/33, 328. (ADA"ANT 6:ebrews shamir8, EAekiel 3/D. !he )reek word adamas means diamond. !his stone is not referred to, but corundum or some kind of hard steel. It is an emblem of firmness in resistin+ ad.ersaries of the truth 6Fechariah ;/"&8, and of hardCheartedness a+ainst the truth 6Jeremiah ";/"8. (ADA", A T-'E !he apostle %aul speaks of 'dam as 4the fi+ure of him who was to come.5 *n this account our $ord is sometimes called the second 'dam. !his typical relation is described in -omans H/"#C"D. (ADA", T!E %IT- O+ is referred to in Joshua 3/"2. It stood 4beside Farethan,5 on the west bank of Jordan 6" Gin+s #/"&8. 't this city the flow of the water was arrested and rose up 4upon an heap5 at the time of the Israelites= passin+ o.er 6Joshua 3/"28. (ADAR lar+e, the si,th month of the ci.il and the twelfth of the ecclesiastical year of the Jews 6Esther 3/;, "31 0/"&1 D/", "H, ";, "D, &"8. It
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included the days e,tendin+ from the new moon of our ?arch to the new moon of 'pril. !he name was first used after the 9apti.ity. Bhen the season was backward, and the lambs not yet of a paschal siAe, or the barley not forward enou+h for abib, then a month called 7eadar, i.e., a second 'dar, was intercalated. (ADBEE# miracle of )od, the third of the twel.e sons of Ishmael, and head of an 'rabian tribe 6)enesis &H/"31 " 9hronicles "/&D8. (ADDAR ample, splendid, son of Bela 6" 9hronicles 0/381 called also 4'rd5 6)enesis #2/&"8 (ADDER 6%salm "#>/31 -omans 3/"3, 4asp58 is the renderin+ of, 6".8 'kshub 64coilin+5 or 4lyin+ in wait58, properly an asp or .iper, found only in this passa+e. 6&.8 %ethen 64twistin+58, a .iper or .enomous serpent identified with the cobra 6@aEa haEe8 6%salm H0/#1 D"/"381 elsewhere 4asp.5 63.8 !Aiphoni 64hissin+58 6%ro.erbs &3/3&81 elsewhere rendered 4cockatrice,5 Isaiah ""/01 "#/&D1 HD/H1 Jeremiah 0/";, as it is here in the mar+in of the 'uthoriAed 7ersion. !he -e.ised 7ersion has 4basilisk.5 !his may ha.e been the yellow .iper, the Daboia ,anthina, the lar+est and most dan+erous of the .ipers of %alestine. 6#.8 Shephiphon 64creepin+58, occurrin+ only in )enesis #D/";, the small speckled .enomous snake, the 4horned snake,5 or cerastes. Dan is compared to this serpent, which sprin+s from its hidin+Cplace on the passerCby. (ADDI ornament, 6$uke 3/&08, the son of 9osam, and father of ?elchi, one of the pro+enitors of 9hrist. (ADDON low, one of the persons named in @ehemiah ;/2" who could not 4shew their father=s house5 on the return from capti.ity. !his, with similar instances 6.er. 238, indicates the importance the Jews attached to their +enealo+ies. (ADIE# ornament of )od. 6".8 !he father of 'Ama.eth, who was treasurer under Da.id and Solomon 6" 9hronicles &;/&H8. 6&.8 ' family head of the tribe of Simeon 6" 9hronicles #/328. 63.8 ' priest 6" 9hronicles D/"&8. (ADIN effeminate. 6".8 EAra 0/2. 6&.8 @ehemiah ">/"2. (ADINA slender, one of Da.id=s warriors 6" 9hronicles ""/#&8, a
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-eubenite. (ADINO the EAnite, one of Da.id=s mi+hty men 6& Samuel &3/08. 6See J'S:*BE'?.8 (AD)(RATION a solemn appeal whereby one person imposes on another the obli+ation of speakin+ or actin+ as if under an oath 6" Samuel "#/&#1 Joshua 2/&21 " Gin+s &&/"28. Be ha.e in the @ew !estament a strikin+ e,ample of this 6?atthew &2/231 ?ark H/;8, where the hi+h priest calls upon 9hrist to a.ow his true character. It would seem that in such a case the person so adEured could not refuse to +i.e an answer. !he word 4adEure5, i.e., cause to swear is used with reference to the castin+ out of demons 6'cts "D/"38. (AD"A! earth, one of the fi.e cities of the .ale of Siddim 6)enesis ">/"D8. It was destroyed alon+ with Sodom and )omorrah 6"D/&#1 Deuteronomy &D/&38. It is supposed by some to be the same as the 'dam of Joshua 3/"2, the name of which still lin+ers in Damieh, the ford of Jordan. 6See FEB*I?.8 (ADNA! deli+ht. 6".8 ' chief of the tribe of ?anasseh who Eoined Da.id at Fikla+ 6" 9hronicles "&/&>8. 6&.8 ' +eneral under Jehoshaphat, chief o.er 3>>,>>> men 6& 9hronicles ";/"#8. (ADONIBE&E. $ord of BeAek, a 9anaanitish kin+ who, ha.in+ subdued se.enty of the chiefs that were around him, made an attack a+ainst the armies of Judah and Simeon, but was defeated and brou+ht as a capti.e to Jerusalem, where his thumbs and +reat toes were cut off. :e confessed that )od had re<uited him for his like cruelty to the se.enty kin+s whom he had subdued 6Jud+es "/#C;1 comp. " Samuel "H/338. (ADONI)A! my $ord is Jeho.ah. 6".8 !he fourth son of Da.id 6& Samuel 3/#8. 'fter the death of his elder brothers, 'mnon and 'bsalom, he became heirCapparent to the throne. But Solomon, a youn+er brother, was preferred to him. 'doniEah, howe.er, when his father was dyin+, caused himself to be proclaimed kin+. But @athan and Bathsheba induced
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Da.id to +i.e orders that Solomon should at once be proclaimed and admitted to the throne. 'doniEah fled and took refu+e at the altar, and recei.ed pardon for his conduct from Solomon on the condition that he showed himself 4a worthy man5 6" Gin+s "/HCH38. :e afterwards made a second attempt to +ain the throne, but was seiAed and put to death 6" Gin+s &/"3C&H8. 6&.8 ' $e.ite sent with the princes to teach the book of the law to the inhabitants of Judah 6& 9hronicles ";/08. 63.8 *ne of the 4chiefs of the people5 after the 9apti.ity 6@ehemiah ">/"28. (ADONI.A" whom the $ord sets up, one of those 4which came with Ferubbabel5 6EAra &/"38. :is 4children,5 or retainers, to the number of 222, came up to Jerusalem 60/"38. (ADONIRA" 6'doram, " Gin+s "&/"08, the son of 'bda, was 4o.er the tribute,5 i.e., the le.y or forced labour. :e was stoned to death by the people of Israel 6" Gin+s #/21 H/"#8 (ADONI$&EDE% $ord of Eustice or ri+hteousness, was kin+ in Jerusalem at the time when the Israelites in.aded %alestine 6Joshua ">/",38. :e formed a confederacy with the other 9anaanitish kin+s a+ainst the Israelites, but was utterly routed by Joshua when he was en+a+ed in besie+in+ the )ibeonites. !he history of this .ictory and of the treatment of the fi.e confederated kin+s is recorded in Joshua ">/"C&;. 69omp. Deuteronomy &"/&38. 'mon+ the !ell 'marna tablets 6see E)O%!8 are some .ery interestin+ letters from 'doniCAedec to the Gin+ of E+ypt. !hese illustrate in a .ery remarkable manner the history recorded in Joshua ">, and indeed throw li+ht on the wars of con<uest +enerally, so that they may be read as a kind of commentary on the book of Joshua. :ere the con<uerin+ career of the 'biri 6i.e., :ebrews8 is +raphically described/ 4Behold, I say that the land of the kin+ my $ord is ruined5, 4!he wars are mi+hty a+ainst me5, 4!he :ebrew chiefs plunder all the kin+=s lands5, 4Behold, I the chief of the 'morites am breakin+ to pieces.5 !hen he implores the kin+ of E+ypt to send soldiers to help him, directin+ that the army should come by sea to 'scalon or )aAa, and thence march to BruC
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saClim 6Jerusalem8 by the .alley of Elah. (ADO'TION the +i.in+ to any one the name and place and pri.ile+es of a son who is not a son by birth. 6".8 @atural. !hus %haraoh=s dau+hter adopted ?oses 6E,odus &/">8, and ?ordecai Esther 6Esther &/;8. 6&.8 @ational. )od adopted Israel 6E,odus #/&&1 Deuteronomy ;/21 :os. ""/"1 -omans D/#8. 63.8 Spiritual. 'n act of )od=s +race by which he brin+s men into the number of his redeemed family, and makes them partakers of all the blessin+s he has pro.ided for them. 'doption represents the new relations into which the belie.er is introduced by Eustification, and the pri.ile+es connected therewith, .iA., an interest in )od=s peculiar lo.e 6John ";/&31 -omans H/HC08, a spiritual nature 6& %eter "/#1 John "/"38, the possession of a spirit becomin+ children of )od 6" %eter "/"#1 & John #1 -omans 0/"HC &"1 )alatians H/"1 :ebrews &/"H8, present protection, consolation, supplies 6$uke "&/&;C3&1 John "#/"01 " 9orinthians 3/&"C&31 & 9orinthians "/#8, fatherly chastisements 6:ebrews "&/HC""8, and a future +lorious inheritance 6-omans 0/";,&31 James &/H1 %hil. 3/&"8. (ADORA" See 'D*@I-'?. (ADORE to worship1 to e,press re.erence and homa+e. !he forms of adoration amon+ the Jews were puttin+ off the shoes 6E,odus 3/H1 Joshua H/"H8, and prostration 6)enesis ";/31 %salm DH/21 Isaiah ##/"H, ";, "D1 #2/28. !o 4kiss the Son5 in %salm &/"& is to adore and worship him. 6See Daniel 3/H, 2.8 !he word itself does not occur in Scripture. (ADRA""E#E%! 'dar the kin+. 6".8 'n idol1 a form of the sunC)od worshipped by the inhabitants of Sephar.aim 6& Gin+s ";/3"8, and brou+ht by the Sephar.ite colonists into Samaria. 6&.8 ' son of Sennacherib, kin+ of 'ssyria 6& Gin+s "D/3;1 Isaiah 3;/308. (ADRA"-TTI(" a city of 'sia ?inor on the coast of ?ysia, which in early times was called 'Eolis. !he ship in which %aul embarked at 9aesarea belon+ed to this city 6'cts &;/&8. :e was con.eyed in it only to
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?yra, in $ycia, whence he sailed in an 'le,andrian ship to Italy. It was a rare thin+ for a ship to sail from any port of %alestine direct for Italy. It still bears the name 'dramyti, and is a place of some traffic. (ADRIA 6'cts &;/&;1 -.7., 4the sea of 'dria58, the 'driatic Sea, includin+ in %aul=s time the whole of the ?editerranean lyin+ between 9rete and Sicily. It is the modern )ulf of 7enice, the Mare Superum of the -omans, as distin+uished from the Mare Inferum or !yrrhenian Sea. (ADRIE# flock of )od, the son of BarAillai, the ?eholathite, to whom Saul +a.e in marria+e his dau+hter ?erab 6" Samuel "0/"D8. !he fi.e sons that spran+ from this union were put to death by the )ibeonites 6& Samuel &"/0, D. :ere it is said that ?ichal 4brou+ht up5 P-.7., 4bare5Q these fi.e sons, either that she treated them as if she had been their own mother, or that for 4?ichal5 we should read 4?erab,5 as in " Samuel "0/"D8. (AD(##A" one of the royal cities of the 9anaanites, now J'idCelCma 6Joshua "&/"H1 "H/3H8. It stood on the old -oman road in the .alley of Elah 6<...8, which was the scene of Da.id=s memorable .ictory o.er )oliath 6" Samuel ";/&8, and not far from )ath. It was one of the towns which -ehoboam fortified a+ainst E+ypt 6& 9hronicles ""/;8. It was called 4the +lory of Israel5 6?icah "/"H8. !he 9a.e of 'dullam has been disco.ered about & miles south of the scene of Da.id=s triumph, and about "3 miles west from Bethlehem. 't this place is a hill some H>> feet hi+h pierced with numerous ca.erns, in one of which Da.id +athered to+ether 4e.ery one that was in distress, and e.ery one that was in debt, and e.ery one that was discontented5 6" Samuel &&/&8. Some of these ca.erns are lar+e enou+h to hold &>> or 3>> men. 'ccordin+ to tradition this ca.e was at Bady Ghureitun, between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea, but this .iew cannot be well maintained. (AD(##A"ITE an inhabitant of the city of 'dullam 6)enesis 30/", "&, &>8. (AD(#TER- conEu+al infidelity. 'n adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. 'dultery was re+arded as a +reat social wron+, as well as a +reat sin.
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!he ?osaic law 6@umbers H/""C3"8 prescribed that the suspected wife should be tried by the ordeal of the 4water of Eealousy.5 !here is, howe.er, no recorded instance of the application of this law. In subse<uent times the -abbis made .arious re+ulations with the .iew of disco.erin+ the +uilty party, and of brin+in+ about a di.orce. It has been inferred from John 0/"C"" that this sin became .ery common durin+ the a+e precedin+ the destruction of Jerusalem. Idolatry, co.etousness, and apostasy are spoken of as adultery spiritually 6Jeremiah 3/2, 0, D1 EAekiel "2/3&1 :os. "/&/31 -e.elation &/&&8. 'n apostate church is an adulteress 6Isaiah "/&"1 EAekiel &3/#, ;, 3;8, and the Jews are styled 4an adulterous +eneration5 6?atthew "&/3D8. 69omp. -e.elation "&.8 (AD(""I" the red ones, a place apparently on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, 4on the south side of the torrent5 Bady Gelt, lookin+ toward )il+al, mentioned Joshua "H/;1 "0/";. It was nearly halfCway between Jerusalem and Jericho, and now bears the name of !alCatCedC Dumm. It is supposed to ha.e been the place referred to in the parable of the )ood Samaritan 6$uke ">/3>C3;8. -ecently a new carria+eCroad has been completed, and carria+es for the first time ha.e come alon+ this road from Jerusalem. (AD/ERSAR- 6:ebrews satan8, an opponent or foe 6" Gin+s H/#1 ""/"#, &3, &H1 $uke "3/";81 one that speaks a+ainst another, a complainant 6?atthew H/&H1 $uke "&/H081 an enemy 6$uke "0/38, and specially the de.il 6" %eter H/08. (AD/O%ATE 6)r. parakletos8, one who pleads another=s cause, who helps another by defendin+ or comfortin+ him. It is a name +i.en by 9hrist three times to the :oly )host 6John "#/"21 "H/&21 "2/;, where the )reek word is rendered 49omforter,5 <...8. It is applied to 9hrist in " John &/", where the same )reek word is rendered 4'd.ocate,5 the renderin+ which it should ha.e in all the places where it occurs. !ertullus 4the orator5 6'cts &#/"8 was a -oman ad.ocate whom the Jews employed to accuse %aul before eli,.
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