BIBLES NET. COM
Dictionary]
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Dye – The art of dyeing is one of
great antiquity, although no special mention is made of it
in the Old Testament. The Hebrews probably learned it from
the Egyptians (see Ex. 26:1; 28:5-8), who brought it to
great perfection. In New Testament times Thyatira was famed
for its dyers (Acts 16:14).
Eagle – (Herb. nesher; properly
the griffon vulture or great vulture, so called from its
tearing its prey with its beak), referred to for its
swiftness of flight (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23), its
mounting high in the air (Job 39:27), its strength (Ps.
103:5), its setting its nest in high places (Jer. 49:16),
and its power of vision (Job 39:27-30).
This “ravenous bird” is a symbol of those nations
whom God employs and sends forth to do a work of
destruction, sweeping away whatever is decaying and
putrescent (Matt. 24:28; Isa. 46:11; Ezek. 39:4; Deut.
28:49; Jer. 4:13; 48:40). It is said that the eagle sheds
his feathers in the beginning of spring, and with fresh
plumage assumes the appearance of youth. To this, allusion
is made in Ps. 103:5 and Isa. 40:31. God’s care over
his people is likened to that of the eagle in training its
young to fly (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11, 12). An interesting
illustration is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy:, “I
once saw a very interesting sight above the crags of Ben
Nevis. Two parent eagles were teaching their offspring, two
young birds, the maneuvers of flight. They began by rising
from the top of the mountain in the eye of the sun. It was
about mid-day, and bright for the climate. They at first
made small circles, and the young birds imitated them. They
paused on their wings, waiting till they had made their
flight, and then took a second and larger gyration, always
rising toward the sun, and enlarging their circle of flight
so as to make a gradually ascending spiral. The young ones
still and slowly followed, apparently flying better as they
mounted; and they continued this sublime exercise, always
rising till they became mere points in the air, and the
young ones were lost, and afterwards their parents, to our
aching sight.” (See Isa. 40:31.)
There have been observed in Palestine four distinct species
of eagles, (1) the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos); (2)
the spotted eagle (Aquila naevia); (3) the common species,
the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca); and (4) the Circaetos
gallicus, which preys on reptiles. The eagle was unclean by
the Levitical law (Lev. 11:13; Deut. 14:12).
figurative sense (Ps. 34:15). To “uncover the
ear” is to show respect to a person (1 Sam. 20:2
marg.). To have the “ear heavy”, or to have
“uncircumcised ears” (Isa. 6:10), is to be
inattentive and disobedient. To have the ear
“bored” through with an awl was a sign of
perpetual servitude (Ex. 21:6).
(from the Latin aro, I plough), meaning
“ploughing.” It is used in the Authorized Version
in Gen. 45:6; Ex. 34:21; 1 Sam. 8:12; Deut. 21:4; Isa.
30:24; but the Revised Version has rendered the original in
these places by the ordinary word to plough or till.
earnest of the believer’s destined inheritance (2 Cor.
1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14). The word thus rendered is the same
as that rendered “pledge” in Gen. 38:17-20;
“indeed, the Hebrew word has simply passed into the
Greek and Latin languages, probably through commercial
dealings with the Phoenicians, the great trading people of
ancient days. Originally it meant no more than a pledge;
but in common usage it came to denote that particular kind
of pledge which is a part of the full price of an article
paid in advance; and as it is joined with the figure of a
seal when applied to the Spirit, it seems to be used by
Paul in this specific sense.” The Spirit’s
gracious presence and working in believers is a foretaste
to them of the blessedness of heaven. God is graciously
pleased to give not only pledges but foretastes of future
blessedness.
Earrings – rings properly for the
ear (Gen. 35:4; Num. 31:50; Ezek. 16:12). In Gen. 24:47 the
word means a nose-jewel, and is so rendered in the Revised
Version. In Isa. 3:20 the Authorized Version has
“ear-rings,” and the Revised Version
“amulets,” which more correctly represents the
original word (lehashim), which means incantations; charms,
thus remedies against enchantment, worn either suspended
from the neck or in the ears of females. Ear-rings were
ornaments used by both sexes (Ex. 32:2).
Earth – (1.) In the sense of soil
or ground, the translation of the word adamah’.
In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man
of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of
earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden
of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion
that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be
acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.
(2). As the rendering of ‘erets, it means the
whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea
(1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot
of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3);
the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world
except Israel (2 Chr. 13:9). In the New Testament “the
earth” denotes the land of Judea (Matt. 23:35); also
things carnal in contrast with things heavenly (John 3:31;
Col. 3:1, 2).
Earthquake – mentioned among the
extraordinary phenomena of Palestine (Ps. 18:7; comp. Hab.
3:6; Nah. 1:5; Isa. 5:25).
The first earthquake in Palestine of which we have any
record happened in the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 19:11, 12).
Another took place in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah
(Zech. 14:5). The most memorable earthquake taking place in
New Testament times happened at the crucifixion of our Lord
(Matt. 27:54). An earthquake at Philippi shook the prison
in which Paul and Silas were imprisoned (Act 16:26).
It is used figuratively as a token of the presence of the
Lord (Judg. 5:4; 2 Sam. 22:8; Ps. 77:18; 97:4; 104:32).
East – (1.) The orient (mizrah);
the rising of the sun. Thus “the east country” is
the country lying to the east of Syria, the Elymais (Zech.
8:7).
(2). Properly what is in front of one, or a country that is
before or in front of another; the rendering of the word
kedem. In pointing out the quarters, a Hebrew always
looked with his face toward the east. The word kedem
is used when the four quarters of the world are described
(Gen. 13:14; 28:14); and mizrah when the east only
is distinguished from the west (Josh. 11:3; Ps. 50:1;
103:12, etc.). In Gen. 25:6 “eastward” is
literally “unto the land of kedem;” i.e., the
lands lying east of Palestine, namely, Arabia, Mesopotamia,
etc.
East, Children of the – the Arabs
as a whole, known as the Nabateans or Kedarenes, nomad
tribes (Judg. 6:3,33; 7:12; 8:10).
Easter – originally a Saxon word
(Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of
whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the
Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival
of the Resurrection of Christ, which occured at the time of
the Passover. In the early English versions this word was
frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the
Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed,
the word “passover” was used in all passages in
which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4. In the
Revised Version the proper word, “passover,” is
always used.
East gate – (Jer. 19:2), properly
the Potter’s gate, the gate which led to the
potter’s field, in the valley of Hinnom.
47:18), the Dead Sea, which lay on the east side of the
Holy Land. The Mediterranean, which lay on the west, was
hence called the “great sea for the west border”
(Num. 34:6).
East wind – the wind coming from
the east (Job 27:21; Isa. 27:8, etc.). Blight caused by
this wind, “thin ears” (Gen. 41:6); the withered
“gourd” (Jonah 4: 8). It was the cause and also
the emblem of evil (Ezek. 17:10; 19:12; Hos. 13:15). In
Palestine this wind blows from a burning desert, and hence
is destitute of moisture necessary for vegetation.
would not eat with the Egyptians (Gen. 43:32). In the time
of our Lord they would not eat with Samaritans (John 4:9),
and were astonished that he ate with publicans and sinners
(Matt. 9:11). The Hebrews originally sat at table, but
afterwards adopted the Persian and Chaldean practice of
reclining (Luke 7:36-50). Their principal meal was at noon
(Gen. 43:16; 1 Kings 20:16; Ruth 2:14; Luke 14:12). The
word “eat” is used metaphorically in Jer. 15:16;
Ezek. 3:1; Rev. 10:9. In John 6:53-58, “eating and
drinking” means believing in Christ. Women were never
present as guests at meals (q.v.).
3,076 feet above the level of the sea, and 1,200 feet above
the level of the valley, on the north side of which stood
the city of Shechem (q.v.). On this mountain six of the
tribes (Deut. 27:12,13) were appointed to take their stand
and respond according to a prescribed form to the
imprecations uttered in the valley, where the law was read
by the Levites (11:29; 29:4, 13). This mountain was also
the site of the first great altar erected to Jehovah (Deut.
27:5-8; Josh. 8:30-35). After this the name of Ebal does
not again occur in Jewish history. (See
GERIZIM.)
(2.) A descendant of Eber (1 Chr. 1:22), called also Obal
(Gen. 10:28).
(3.) A descendant of Seir the Horite (Gen. 36:23).
Ebed – slave, the father of Gaal,
in whom the men of Shechem “put confidence” in
their conspiracy against Abimelech (Judg. 9:26, 26, 30,
31).
Ebed-melech – a servant of the
king; probably an official title, an Ethiopian, “one
of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house;”
i.e., in the palace of Zedekiah, king of Judah. He
interceded with the king in Jeremiah’s behalf, and was
the means of saving him from death by famine (Jer. 38:7-13:
comp. 39:15-18).
Eben-ezer – stone of help, the
memorial stone set up by Samuel to commemorate the divine
assistance to Israel in their great battle against the
Philistines, whom they totally routed (1 Sam. 7:7-12) at
Aphek, in the neighbourhood of Mizpeh, in Benjamin, near
the western entrance of the pass of Beth-horon. On this
very battle-field, twenty years before, the Philistines
routed the Israelites, “and slew of the army in the
field about four thousand men” (4:1,2; here, and at
5:1, called “Eben-ezer” by anticipation). In this
extremity the Israelites fetched the ark out of Shiloh and
carried it into their camp. The Philistines a second time
immediately attacked them, and smote them with a very great
slaughter, “for there fell of Israel thirty thousand
footmen. And the ark of God was taken” (1 Sam. 4:10).
And now in the same place the Philistines are vanquished,
and the memorial stone is erected by Samuel (q.v.). The
spot where the stone was erected was somewhere
“between Mizpeh and Shen.” Some have identified
it with the modern Beit Iksa, a conspicuous and prominent
position, apparently answering all the necessary
conditions; others with Dier Aban, 3 miles east of ‘Ain
Shems.
Eber – beyond. (1.). The third
post-duluvian patriach after Shem (Gen. 10:24; 11:14). He
is regarded as the founder of the Hebrew race (10:21; Num.
24:24). In Luke 3:35 he is called Heber.
(2.) One of the seven heads of the families of the Gadites
(1 Chr. 5:13).
(3.) The oldest of the three sons of Elpaal the Benjamite
(8:12).
(4.) One of the heads of the familes of Benjamites in
Jerusalem (22).
(5.) The head of the priestly family of Amok in the time of
Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:20).
brought by the merchants from India to Tyre (Ezek. 27:15).
It is the heart-wood, brought by Diospyros ebenus, which
grows in Ceylon and Southern India.
stations of the Israelites in their wanderings (Num. 33:34,
35). It was near Ezion-geber.
rendering of the Hebrew Koheleth, which means
“Preacher.” The old and traditional view of the
authorship of this book attributes it to Solomon. This view
can be satisfactorily maintained, though others date it
from the Captivity. The writer represents himself
implicitly as Solomon (1:12). It has been appropriately
styled The Confession of King Solomon. “The writer is
a man who has sinned in giving way to selfishness and
sensuality, who has paid the penalty of that sin in satiety
and weariness of life, but who has through all this been
under the discipline of a divine education, and has learned
from it the lesson which God meant to teach him.”
“The writer concludes by pointing out that the secret
of a true life is that a man should consecrate the vigour
of his youth to God.” The key-note of the book is
sounded in ch. 1:2,
“Vanity of vanities! saith the Preacher, Vanity of
vanities! all is vanity!”
i.e., all man’s efforts to find happiness apart from
God are without result.
Eclipse – of the sun alluded to
in Amos 8:9; Micah 3:6; Zech. 14:6; Joel 2:10. Eclipses
were regarded as tokens of God’s anger (Joel 3:15; Job
9:7). The darkness at the crucifixion has been ascribed to
an eclipse (Matt. 27:45); but on the other hand it is
argued that the great intensity of darkness caused by an
eclipse never lasts for more than six minutes, and this
darkness lasted for three hours. Moreover, at the time of
the Passover the moon was full, and therefore there could
not be an eclipse of the sun, which is caused by an
interposition of the moon between the sun and the
earth.
Ed – witness, a word not found in
the original Hebrew, nor in the LXX. and Vulgate, but added
by the translators in the Authorized Version, also in the
Revised Version, of Josh. 22:34. The words are literally
rendered: “And the children of Reuben and the children
of Gad named the altar. It is a witness between us that
Jehovah is God.” This great altar stood probably on
the east side of the Jordan, in the land of Gilead,
“over against the land of Canaan.” After the
division of the Promised Land, the tribes of Reuben and Gad
and the half-tribe of Manasseh, on returning to their own
settlements on the east of Jordan (Josh. 22:1-6), erected a
great altar, which they affirmed, in answer to the
challenge of the other tribes, was not for sacrifice, but
only as a witness (‘Ed) or testimony to future
generations that they still retained the same interest in
the nation as the other tribes.
tower between Bethlehem and Hebron, near which Jacob first
halted after leaving Bethlehem (Gen. 35:21). In Micah 4:8
the word is rendered “tower of the flock” (marg.,
“Edar”), and is used as a designation of
Bethlehem, which figuratively represents the royal line of
David as sprung from Bethlehem.
Eden – delight. (1.) The garden
in which our first parents dewlt (Gen. 2:8-17). No
geographical question has been so much discussed as that
bearing on its site. It has been placed in Armenia, in the
region west of the Caspian Sea, in Media, near Damascus, in
Palestine, in Southern Arabia, and in Babylonia. The site
must undoubtedly be sought for somewhere along the course
of the great streams the Tigris and the Euphrates of
Western Asia, in “the land of Shinar” or
Babylonia. The region from about lat. 33 degrees 30′ to
lat. 31 degrees, which is a very rich and fertile tract,
has been by the most competent authorities agreed on as the
probable site of Eden. “It is a region where streams
abound, where they divide and re-unite, where alone in the
Mesopotamian tract can be found the phenomenon of a single
river parting into four arms, each of which is or has been
a river of consequence.”
Among almost all nations there are traditions of the
primitive innocence of our race in the garden of Eden. This
was the “golden age” to which the Greeks looked
back. Men then lived a “life free from care, and
without labour and sorrow. Old age was unknown; the body
never lost its vigour; existence was a perpetual feast
without a taint of evil. The earth brought forth
spontaneously all things that were good in profuse
abundance.”
(2.) One of the markets whence the merchants of Tyre
obtained richly embroidered stuffs (Ezek. 27:23); the same,
probably, as that mentioned in 2 Kings 19:12, and Isa.
37:12, as the name of a region conquered by the Assyrians.
(3.) Son of Joah, and one of the Levites who assisted in
reforming the public worship of the sanctuary in the time
of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 29:12).
Eder – flock. (1.) A city in the
south of Judah, on the border of Idumea (Josh. 15:21).
(2.) The second of the three sons of Mushi, of the family
of Merari, appointed to the Levitical office (1 Chr. 23:23;
24:30).
(q.v.), Gen. 25:30, “Feed me, I pray thee, with that
same red pottage [Heb. haadom, haadom, i.e., ‘the red
pottage, the red pottage’] …Therefore was his name
called Edom”, i.e., Red.
(2.) Idumea (Isa. 34:5, 6; Ezek. 35:15). “The field of
Edom” (Gen. 32:3), “the land of Edom” (Gen.
36:16), was mountainous (Obad. 1:8, 9, 19, 21). It was
called the land, or “the mountain of Seir,” the
rough hills on the east side of the Arabah. It extended
from the head of the Gulf of Akabah, the Elanitic gulf, to
the foot of the Dead Sea (1 Kings 9:26), and contained,
among other cities, the rock-hewn Sela (q.v.), generally
known by the Greek name Petra (2 Kings 14:7). It is a wild
and rugged region, traversed by fruitful valleys. Its old
capital was Bozrah (Isa. 63:1). The early inhabitants of
the land were Horites. They were destroyed by the Edomites
(Deut. 2:12), between whom and the kings of Israel and
Judah there was frequent war (2 Kings 8:20; 2 Chr. 28:17).
At the time of the Exodus they churlishly refused
permission to the Israelites to pass through their land
(Num. 20:14-21), and ever afterwards maintained an attitude
of hostility toward them. They were conquered by David (2
Sam. 8:14; comp. 1 Kings 9:26), and afterwards by Amaziah
(2 Chr. 25:11, 12). But they regained again their
independence, and in later years, during the decline of the
Jewish kingdom (2 Kings 16:6; R.V. marg.,
“Edomites”), made war against Israel. They took
part with the Chaldeans when Nebuchadnezzar captured
Jerusalem, and afterwards they invaded and held possession
of the south of Palestine as far as Hebron. At length,
however, Edom fell under the growing Chaldean power (Jer.
27:3, 6).
There are many prophecies concerning Edom (Isa. 34:5, 6;
Jer. 49:7-18; Ezek. 25:13; 35:1-15; Joel 3:19; Amos 1:11;
Obad.; Mal. 1:3, 4) which have been remarkably fulfilled.
The present desolate condition of that land is a standing
testimony to the inspiration of these prophecies. After an
existence as a people for above seventeen hundred years,
they have utterly disappeared, and their language even is
forgotten for ever. In Petra, “where kings kept their
court, and where nobles assembled, there no man dwells; it
is given by lot to birds, and beasts, and reptiles.”
The Edomites were Semites, closely related in blood and in
language to the Israelites. They dispossessed the Horites
of Mount Seir; though it is clear, from Gen. 36, that they
afterwards intermarried with the conquered population.
Edomite tribes settled also in the south of Judah, like the
Kenizzites (Gen. 36:11), to whom Caleb and Othniel belonged
(Josh. 15:17). The southern part of Edom was known as
Teman.
Edrei – mighty; strength. (1.)
One of the chief towns of the kingdom of Bashan (Josh.
12:4, 5). Here Og was defeated by the Israelites, and the
strength of the Amorites broken (Num. 21:33-35). It
subsequently belonged to Manasseh, for a short time
apparently, and afterwards became the abode of banditti and
outlaws (Josh. 13:31). It has been identified with the
modern Edr’a, which stands on a rocky promontory on the
south-west edge of the Lejah (the Argob of the Hebrews, and
Trachonitis of the Greeks). The ruins of Edr’a are the
most extensive in the Hauran. They are 3 miles in
circumference. A number of the ancient houses still remain;
the walls, roofs, and doors being all of stone. The wild
region of which Edrei was the capital is thus described in
its modern aspect: “Elevated about 20 feet above the
plain, it is a labyrinth of clefts and crevasses in the
rock, formed by volcanic action; and owing to its
impenetrable condition, it has become a refuge for outlaws
and turbulent characters, who make it a sort of Cave of
Adullam…It is, in fact, an impregnable natural fortress,
about 20 miles in length and 15 in breadth”
(Porter’s Syria, etc.). Beneath this wonderful city
there is also a subterranean city, hollowed out probably as
a refuge for the population of the upper city in times of
danger.
(2.) A town of Naphtali (Josh. 19:37).
Authorized Version, James 5:16. The Revised Version renders
appropriately: “The supplication of a righteous man
availeth much in its working”, i.e., “it moves
the hand of Him who moves the world.”
“whiteness”). Eggs deserted (Isa. 10:14), of a
bird (Deut. 22:6), an ostrich (Job 39:14), the cockatrice
(Isa. 59:5). In Luke 11:12, an egg is contrasted with a
scorpion, which is said to be very like an egg in its
appearance, so much so as to be with difficulty at times
distinguished from it. In Job 6:6 (“the white of an
egg”) the word for egg (hallamuth’) occurs nowhere
else. It has been translated “purslain” (R.V.
marg.), and the whole phrase “purslain-broth”,
i.e., broth made of that herb, proverbial for its
insipidity; and hence an insipid discourse. Job applies
this expression to the speech of Eliphaz as being insipid
and dull. But the common rendering, “the white of an
egg”, may be satisfactorily maintained.
David’s wives, and mother of Ithream (2 Sam. 3:5; 1
Chr. 3:3). According to a Jewish tradition she was
Michal.
Eglaim – two ponds, (Isa. 15:8),
probably En-eglaim of Ezek. 47:10.
heifers. (1.) Chieftain or king of one of the Moabite
tribes (Judg. 3:12-14). Having entered into an alliance
with Ammon and Amalek, he overran the trans-Jordanic
region, and then crossing the Jordan, seized on Jericho,
the “city of palm trees,” which had been by this
time rebuilt, but not as a fortress. He made this city his
capital, and kept Israel in subjection for eighteen years.
The people at length “cried unto the Lord” in
their distress, and he “raised them up a
deliverer” in Ehud (q.v.), the son of Gera, a
Benjamite.
(2.) A city in Judah, near Lachish (Josh. 15:39). It was
destroyed by Joshua (10:5, 6). It has been identified with
Tell Nejileh, 6 miles south of Tell Hesy or Ajlan,
north-west of Lachish. (See LACHISH.)
Egypt – the land of the Nile and
the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any
record, holds a place of great significance in
Scripture.
The Egyptians belonged to the white race, and their
original home is still a matter of dispute. Many scholars
believe that it was in Southern Arabia, and recent
excavations have shown that the valley of the Nile was
originally inhabited by a low-class population, perhaps
belonging to the Nigritian stock, before the Egyptians of
history entered it. The ancient Egyptian language, of which
the latest form is Coptic, is distantly connected with the
Semitic family of speech.
Egypt consists geographically of two halves, the northern
being the Delta, and the southern Upper Egypt, between
Cairo and the First Cataract. In the Old Testament,
Northern or Lower Egypt is called Mazor, “the
fortified land” (Isa. 19:6; 37: 25, where the A.V.
mistranslates “defence” and “besieged
places”); while Southern or Upper Egypt is Pathros,
the Egyptian Pa-to-Res, or “the land of the
south” (Isa. 11:11). But the whole country is
generally mentioned under the dual name of Mizraim,
“the two Mazors.”
The civilization of Egypt goes back to a very remote
antiquity. The two kingdoms of the north and south were
united by Menes, the founder of the first historical
dynasty of kings. The first six dynasties constitute what
is known as the Old Empire, which had its capital at
Memphis, south of Cairo, called in the Old Testament Moph
(Hos. 9:6) and Noph. The native name was Mennofer,
“the good place.”
The Pyramids were tombs of the monarchs of the Old Empire,
those of Gizeh being erected in the time of the Fourth
Dynasty. After the fall of the Old Empire came a period of
decline and obscurity. This was followed by the Middle
Empire, the most powerful dynasty of which was the Twelfth.
The Fayyum was rescued for agriculture by the kings of the
Twelfth Dynasty; and two obelisks were erected in front of
the temple of the sun-god at On or Heliopolis (near Cairo),
one of which is still standing. The capital of the Middle
Empire was Thebes, in Upper Egypt.
The Middle Empire was overthrown by the invasion of the
Hyksos, or shepherd princes from Asia, who ruled over
Egypt, more especially in the north, for several centuries,
and of whom there were three dynasties of kings. They had
their capital at Zoan or Tanis (now San), in the
north-eastern part of the Delta. It was in the time of the
Hyksos that Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph entered Egypt. The
Hyksos were finally expelled about B.C. 1600, by the
hereditary princes of Thebes, who founded the Eighteenth
Dynasty, and carried the war into Asia. Canaan and Syria
were subdued, as well as Cyprus, and the boundaries of the
Egyptian Empire were fixed at the Euphrates. The Soudan,
which had been conquered by the kings of the Twelfth
Dynasty, was again annexed to Egypt, and the eldest son of
the Pharaoh took the title of “Prince of Cush.”
One of the later kings of the dynasty, Amenophis IV., or
Khu-n-Aten, endeavoured to supplant the ancient state
religion of Egypt by a new faith derived from Asia, which
was a sort of pantheistic monotheism, the one supreme god
being adored under the image of the solar disk. The attempt
led to religious and civil war, and the Pharaoh retreated
from Thebes to Central Egypt, where he built a new capital,
on the site of the present Tell-el-Amarna. The cuneiform
tablets that have been found there represent his foreign
correspondence (about B.C. 1400). He surrounded himself
with officials and courtiers of Asiatic, and more
especially Canaanitish, extraction; but the native party
succeeded eventually in overthrowing the government, the
capital of Khu-n-Aten was destroyed, and the foreigners
were driven out of the country, those that remained being
reduced to serfdom.
The national triumph was marked by the rise of the
Nineteenth Dynasty, in the founder of which, Rameses I., we
must see the “new king, who knew not Joseph.” His
grandson, Rameses II., reigned sixty-seven years (B.C.
1348-1281), and was an indefatigable builder. As Pithom,
excavated by Dr. Naville in 1883, was one of the cities he
built, he must have been the Pharaoh of the Oppression. The
Pharaoh of the Exodus may have been one of his immediate
successors, whose reigns were short. Under them Egypt lost
its empire in Asia, and was itself attacked by barbarians
from Libya and the north.
The Nineteenth Dynasty soon afterwards came to an end;
Egypt was distracted by civil war; and for a short time a
Canaanite, Arisu, ruled over it.
Then came the Twentieth Dynasty, the second Pharaoh of
which, Rameses III., restored the power of his country. In
one of his campaigns he overran the southern part of
Palestine, where the Israelites had not yet settled. They
must at the time have been still in the wilderness. But it
was during the reign of Rameses III. that Egypt finally
lost Gaza and the adjoining cities, which were seized by
the Pulista, or Philistines.
After Rameses III., Egypt fell into decay. Solomon married
the daughter of one of the last kings of the Twenty-first
Dynasty, which was overthrown by Shishak I., the general of
the Libyan mercenaries, who founded the Twenty-second
Dynasty (1 Kings 11:40; 14:25, 26). A list of the places he
captured in Palestine is engraved on the outside of the
south wall of the temple of Karnak.
In the time of Hezekiah, Egypt was conquered by Ethiopians
from the Soudan, who constituted the Twenty-fifth Dynasty.
The third of them was Tirhakah (2 Kings 19:9). In B.C. 674
it was conquered by the Assyrians, who divided it into
twenty satrapies, and Tirhakah was driven back to his
ancestral dominions. Fourteen years later it successfully
revolted under Psammetichus I. of Sais, the founder of the
Twenty-sixth Dynasty. Among his successors were Necho (2
Kings 23:29) and Hophra, or Apries (Jer. 37:5, 7, 11). The
dynasty came to an end in B.C. 525, when the country was
subjugated by Cambyses. Soon afterwards it was organized
into a Persian satrapy.
The title of Pharaoh, given to the Egyptian kings, is the
Egyptian Per-aa, or “Great House,” which may be
compared to that of “Sublime Porte.” It is found
in very early Egyptian texts.
The Egyptian religion was a strange mixture of pantheism
and animal worship, the gods being adored in the form of
animals. While the educated classes resolved their manifold
deities into manifestations of one omnipresent and
omnipotent divine power, the lower classes regarded the
animals as incarnations of the gods.
Under the Old Empire, Ptah, the Creator, the god of
Memphis, was at the head of the Pantheon; afterwards Amon,
the god of Thebes, took his place. Amon, like most of the
other gods, was identified with Ra, the sun-god of
Heliopolis.
The Egyptians believed in a resurrection and future life,
as well as in a state of rewards and punishments dependent
on our conduct in this world. The judge of the dead was
Osiris, who had been slain by Set, the representative of
evil, and afterwards restored to life. His death was
avenged by his son Horus, whom the Egyptians invoked as
their “Redeemer.” Osiris and Horus, along with
Isis, formed a trinity, who were regarded as representing
the sun-god under different forms.
Even in the time of Abraham, Egypt was a flourishing and
settled monarchy. Its oldest capital, within the historic
period, was Memphis, the ruins of which may still be seen
near the Pyramids and the Sphinx. When the Old Empire of
Menes came to an end, the seat of empire was shifted to
Thebes, some 300 miles farther up the Nile. A short time
after that, the Delta was conquered by the Hyksos, or
shepherd kings, who fixed their capital at Zoan, the Greek
Tanis, now San, on the Tanic arm of the Nile. All this
occurred before the time of the new king “which knew
not Joseph” (Ex. 1:8). In later times Egypt was
conquered by the Persians (B.C. 525), and by the Greeks
under Alexander the Great (B.C. 332), after whom the
Ptolemies ruled the country for three centuries.
Subsequently it was for a time a province of the Roman
Empire; and at last, in A.D. 1517, it fell into the hands
of the Turks, of whose empire it still forms nominally a
part. Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt in the time of the
shepherd kings. The exile of Joseph and the migration of
Jacob to “the land of Goshen” occurred about 200
years later. On the death of Solomon, Shishak, king of
Egypt, invaded Palestine (1 Kings 14:25). He left a list of
the cities he conquered.
A number of remarkable clay tablets, discovered at
Tell-el-Amarna in Upper Egypt, are the most important
historical records ever found in connection with the Bible.
They most fully confirm the historical statements of the
Book of Joshua, and prove the antiquity of civilization in
Syria and Palestine. As the clay in different parts of
Palestine differs, it has been found possible by the clay
alone to decide where the tablets come from when the name
of the writer is lost. The inscriptions are cuneiform, and
in the Aramaic language, resembling Assyrian. The writers
are Phoenicians, Amorites, and Philistines, but in no
instance Hittites, though Hittites are mentioned. The
tablets consist of official dispatches and letters, dating
from B.C. 1480, addressed to the two Pharaohs, Amenophis
III. and IV., the last of this dynasty, from the kings and
governors of Phoenicia and Palestine. There occur the names
of three kings killed by Joshua, Adoni-zedec, king of
Jerusalem, Japhia, king of Lachish (Josh. 10:3), and Jabin,
king of Hazor (11:1); also the Hebrews (Abiri) are said to
have come from the desert.
The principal prophecies of Scripture regarding Egypt are
these, Isa. 19; Jer. 43: 8-13; 44:30; 46; Ezek. 29-32; and
it might be easily shown that they have all been remarkably
fulfilled. For example, the singular disappearance of Noph
(i.e., Memphis) is a fulfilment of Jer. 46:19, Ezek. 30:13.
Ehud – union. (1.) A descendant
of Benjamin (1 Chr. 7:10), his great-grandson.
(2.) The son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin (Judg.
3:15). After the death of Othniel the people again fell
into idolatry, and Eglon, the king of Moab, uniting his
bands with those of the Ammonites and the Amalekites,
crossed the Jordan and took the city of Jericho, and for
eighteen years held that whole district in subjection,
exacting from it an annual tribute. At length Ehud, by a
stratagem, put Eglon to death with a two-edged dagger a
cubit long, and routed the Moabites at the fords of the
Jordan, putting 10,000 of them to death. Thenceforward the
land, at least Benjamin, enjoyed rest “for fourscore
years” (Judg. 3:12-30). (See QUARRIES ¯T0003032
[2].) But in the south-west the Philistines reduced the
Israelites to great straits (Judg. 5:6). From this
oppression Shamgar was raised up to be their deliverer.
northerly of the five towns belonging to the lords of the
Philistines, about 11 miles north of Gath. It was assigned
to Judah (Josh. 13:3), and afterwards to Dan (19:43), but
came again into the full possession of the Philistines (1
Sam. 5:10). It was the last place to which the Philistines
carried the ark before they sent it back to Israel (1 Sam.
5:10; 6:1-8). There was here a noted sanctuary of
Baal-zebub (2 Kings 1: 2, 3, 6, 16). Now the small village
Akir. It is mentioned on monuments in B.C. 702, when
Sennacherib set free its king, imprisoned by Hezekiah in
Jerusalem, according to the Assyrian record.
Valley of, where the Israelites were encamped when David
killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17:2, 19). It was near Shochoh of
Judah and Azekah (17:1). It is the modern Wady es-Sunt,
i.e., “valley of the acacia.” “The
terebinths from which the valley of Elah takes its name
still cling to their ancient soil. On the west side of the
valley, near Shochoh, there is a very large and ancient
tree of this kind known as the ‘terebinth of Wady
Sur,’ 55 feet in height, its trunk 17 feet in
circumference, and the breadth of its shade no less than 75
feet. It marks the upper end of the Elah valley, and forms
a noted object, being one of the largest terebinths in
Palestine.” Geikie’s, The Holy Land, etc.
(2.) One of the Edomite chiefs or “dukes” of
Mount Seir (Gen. 36:41).
(3.) The second of the three sons of Caleb, the son of
Jephunneh (1 Chr. 4:15).
(4.) The son and successor of Baasha, king of Israel (1
Kings 16:8-10). He was killed while drunk by Zimri, one of
the captains of his chariots, and was the last king of the
line of Baasha. Thus was fullfilled the prophecy of Jehu
(6, 7, 11-14).
(5.) The father of Hoshea, the last king of Israel (2 Kings
15:30; 17:1).
Elam – highland, the son of Shem
(Gen. 10:22), and the name of the country inhabited by his
descendants (14:1, 9; Isa. 11:11; 21:2, etc.) lying to the
east of Babylonia, and extending to the shore of the
Mediterranean, a distance in a direct line of about 1,000
miles. The name Elam is an Assyrian word meaning
“high.”
“The inhabitants of Elam, or ‘the Highlands,’
to the east of Babylon, were called Elamites. They were
divided into several branches, speaking different dialects
of the same agglutinative language. The race to which they
belonged was brachycephalic, or short-headed, like the
pre-Semitic Sumerians of Babylonia.
“The earliest Elamite kingdom seems to have been that
of Anzan, the exact site of which is uncertain; but in the
time of Abraham, Shushan or Susa appears to have already
become the capital of the country. Babylonia was frequently
invaded by the Elamite kings, who at times asserted their
supremacy over it (as in the case of Chedorlaomer, the
Kudur-Lagamar, or ‘servant of the goddess Lagamar,’
of the cuneiform texts).
“The later Assyrian monarchs made several campaigns
against Elam, and finally Assur-bani-pal (about B.C. 650)
succeeded in conquering the country, which was ravaged with
fire and sword. On the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Elam
passed into the hands of the Persians” (A.H. Sayce).
This country was called by the Greeks Cissia or Susiana.
Elasah – God made. (1.) One of
the descendants of Judah, of the family of Hezron (1 Chr.
2:39, “Eleasah”).
(2.) A descendant of king Saul (1 Chr. 8:37; 9:43).
(3.) The son of Shaphan, one of the two who were sent by
Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar, and also took charge of
Jeremiah’s letter to the captives in Babylon (Jer.
29:3).
2:8), also in plural form Eloth (1 Kings 9:26, etc.);
called by the Greeks and Romans Elana; a city of Idumea, on
the east, i.e., the Elanitic, gulf, or the Gulf of Akabah,
of the Red Sea. It is first mentioned in Deut. 2:8. It is
also mentioned along with Ezion-geber in 1 Kings 9:26. It
was within the limits of Solomon’s dominion, but
afterwards revolted. It was, however, recovered and held
for a time under king Uzziah (2 Kings 14:22). Now the ruin
Aila.
El-Bethel – God of Bethel, the
name of the place where Jacob had the vision of the ladder,
and where he erected an altar (Gen. 31:13; 35:7).
Eldad – whom God has loved, one
of the seventy elders whom Moses appointed (Num. 11:26, 27)
to administer justice among the people. He, with Medad,
prophesied in the camp instead of going with the rest to
the tabernacle, as Moses had commanded. This incident was
announced to Moses by Joshua, who thought their conduct in
this respect irregular. Moses replied, “Enviest thou
for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were
prophets” (Num. 11:24-30; comp. Mark 9:38; Luke
9:49).
Elder – a name frequently used in
the Old Testament as denoting a person clothed with
authority, and entitled to respect and reverence (Gen.
50:7). It also denoted a political office (Num. 22:7). The
“elders of Israel” held a rank among the people
indicative of authority. Moses opened his commission to
them (Ex. 3:16). They attended Moses on all important
occasions. Seventy of them attended on him at the giving of
the law (Ex. 24:1). Seventy also were selected from the
whole number to bear with Moses the burden of the people
(Num. 11:16, 17). The “elder” is the keystone of
the social and political fabric wherever the patriarchal
system exists. At the present day this is the case among
the Arabs, where the sheik (i.e., “the old man”)
is the highest authority in the tribe. The body of the
“elders” of Israel were the representatives of
the people from the very first, and were recognized as such
by Moses. All down through the history of the Jews we find
mention made of the elders as exercising authority among
the people. They appear as governors (Deut. 31:28), as
local magistrates (16:18), administering justice (19:12).
They were men of extensive influence (1 Sam. 30:26-31). In
New Testament times they also appear taking an active part
in public affairs (Matt. 16:21; 21:23; 26:59).
The Jewish eldership was transferred from the old
dispensation to the new. “The creation of the office
of elder is nowhere recorded in the New Testament, as in
the case of deacons and apostles, because the latter
offices were created to meet new and special emergencies,
while the former was transmitted from the earlies times. In
other words, the office of elder was the only permanent
essential office of the church under either
dispensation.”
The “elders” of the New Testament church were the
“pastors” (Eph. 4:11), “bishops or
overseers” (Acts 20:28), “leaders” and
“rulers” (Heb. 13:7; 1 Thess. 5:12) of the flock.
Everywhere in the New Testament bishop and presbyter are
titles given to one and the same officer of the Christian
church. He who is called presbyter or elder on account of
his age or gravity is also called bishop or overseer with
reference to the duty that lay upon him (Titus 1:5-7; Acts
20:17-28; Phil. 1:1).
place in the pastoral country east of Jordan, in the tribe
of Reuben (Num. 32:3, 37). It is not again mentioned till
the time of Isaiah (15:4; 16:9) and Jeremiah (48:34). It is
now an extensive ruin called el-A’al, about one mile
north-east of Heshbon.
Eleazar – God has helped. (1.)
The third son of Aaron (Ex. 6:23). His wife, a daughter of
Putiel, bore him Phinehas (Ex. 6:25). After the death of
Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:12; Num. 3:4) he was appointed to
the charge of the sanctuary (Num. 3:32). On Mount Hor he
was clothed with the sacred vestments, which Moses took
from off his brother Aaron and put upon him as successor to
his father in the high priest’s office, which he held
for more than twenty years (Num. 20:25-29). He took part
with Moses in numbering the people (26:3, 4), and assisted
at the inauguration of Joshua. He assisted in the
distribution of the land after the conquest (Josh. 14:1).
The high-priesthood remained in his family till the time of
Eli, into whose family it passed, till it was restored to
the family of Eleazar in the person of Zadok (1 Sam. 2:35;
comp. 1 Kings 2:27). “And Eleazar the son of Aaron
died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to
Phinehas his son” (Josh. 24:33). The word here
rendered “hill” is Gibeah, the name of several
towns in Palestine which were generally on or near a hill.
The words may be more suitably rendered, “They buried
him in Gibeah of Phinehas”, i.e., in the city of
Phinehas, which has been identified, in accordance with
Jewish and Samaritan traditions, with Kefr
Ghuweirah=’Awertah, about 7 miles north of Shiloh, and
a few miles south-east of Nablus. “His tomb is still
shown there, overshadowed by venerable terebinths.”
Others, however, have identified it with the village of
Gaba or Gebena of Eusebius, the modern Khurbet Jibia, 5
miles north of Guphna towards Nablus.
(2.) An inhabitant of Kirjath-jearim who was
“sanctified” to take charge of the ark, although
not allowed to touch it, while it remained in the house of
his father Abinadab (1 Sam. 7:1, 2; comp. Num. 3:31; 4:15).
(3.) The son of Dodo the Ahohite, of the tribe of Benjamin,
one of the three most eminent of David’s thirty-seven
heroes (1 Chr. 11:12) who broke through the Philistine host
and brought him water from the well of Bethlehem (2 Sam.
23:9, 16).
(4.) A son of Phinehas associated with the priests in
taking charge of the sacred vessels brought back to
Jerusalem after the Exile (Ezra 8:33).
(5.) A Levite of the family of Merari (1 Chr. 23:21, 22).
Election of Grace – The Scripture
speaks (1) of the election of individuals to office or to
honour and privilege, e.g., Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David,
Solomon, were all chosen by God for the positions they
held; so also were the apostles. (2) There is also an
election of nations to special privileges, e.g., the
Hebrews (Deut. 7:6; Rom. 9:4). (3) But in addition there is
an election of individuals to eternal life (2 Thess. 2:13;
Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2; John 13:18).
The ground of this election to salvation is the good
pleasure of God (Eph. 1:5, 11; Matt. 11:25, 26; John 15:16,
19). God claims the right so to do (Rom. 9:16, 21).
It is not conditioned on faith or repentance, but is of
soverign grace (Rom. 11:4-6; Eph. 1:3-6). All that pertain
to salvation, the means (Eph. 2:8; 2 Thess. 2:13) as well
as the end, are of God (Acts 5:31; 2 Tim. 2:25; 1 Cor.
1:30; Eph. 2:5, 10). Faith and repentance and all other
graces are the exercises of a regenerated soul; and
regeneration is God’s work, a “new creature.”
Men are elected “to salvation,” “to the
adoption of sons,” “to be holy and without blame
before him in love” (2 Thess. 2:13; Gal. 4:4, 5; Eph.
1:4). The ultimate end of election is the praise of
God’s grace (Eph. 1:6, 12). (See PREDESTINATION.)
Elect lady – to whom the Second
Epistle of John is addressed (2 John 1:1). Some think that
the word rendered “lady” is a proper name, and
thus that the expression should be “elect
Kyria.”
El-elohe-Isreal – mighty one; God
of Israel, the name which Jacob gave to the alter which he
erected on the piece of land where he pitched his tent
before Shechem, and which he afterwards purchased from the
sons of Hamor (Gen. 33:20).
Elements – In its primary sense,
as denoting the first principles or constituents of things,
it is used in 2 Pet. 3:10: “The elements shall be
dissolved.” In a secondary sense it denotes the first
principles of any art or science. In this sense it is used
in Gal. 4:3, 9; Col. 2:8, 20, where the expressions,
“elements of the world,” “week and beggarly
elements,” denote that state of religious knowledge
existing among the Jews before the coming of Christ, the
rudiments of religious teaching. They are “of the
world,” because they are made up of types which appeal
to the senses. They are “weak,” because
insufficient; and “beggarly,” or
“poor,” because they are dry and barren, not
being accompanied by an outpouring of spiritual gifts and
graces, as the gospel is.
Elephant – not found in Scripture
except indirectly in the original Greek word (elephantinos)
translated “of ivory” in Rev. 18:12, and in the
Hebrew word (shenhabim, meaning “elephant’s
tooth”) rendered “ivory” in 1 Kings 10:22
and 2 Chr. 9:21.
Elhanan – whom God has graciously
bestowed. (1.) A warrior of the time of David famed for his
exploits. In the Authorized Version (2 Sam. 21:19) it is
recorded that “Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a
Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath.” The
Revised Version here rightly omits the words “the
brother of.” They were introduced in the Authorized
Version to bring this passage into agreement with 1 Chr.
20:5, where it is said that he “slew Lahmi the brother
of Goliath.” Goliath the Gittite was killed by David
(1 Sam. 17). The exploit of Elhanan took place late in
David’s reign.
(2.) The son of Dodo, and one of David’s warriors (2
Sam. 23:24).
when the ark was at Shiloh (1 Sam. 1:3, 9). He was the
first of the line of Ithamar, Aaron’s fourth son (1
Chr. 24:3; comp. 2 Sam. 8:17), who held that office. The
office remained in his family till the time of Abiathar (1
Kings 2:26, 27), whom Solomon deposed, and appointed Zadok,
of the family of Eleazar, in his stead (35). He acted also
as a civil judge in Israel after the death of Samson (1
Sam. 4:18), and judged Israel for forty years.
His sons Hophni and Phinehas grossly misconducted
themselves, to the great disgust of the people (1 Sam.
2:27-36). They were licentious reprobates. He failed to
reprove them so sternly as he ought to have done, and so
brought upon his house the judgment of God (2:22-33; 3:18).
The Israelites proclaimed war against the Philistines,
whose army was encamped at Aphek. The battle, fought a
short way beyond Mizpeh, ended in the total defeat of
Israel. Four thousand of them fell in “battle
array”. They now sought safety in having the “ark
of the covenant of the Lord” among them. They fetched
it from Shiloh, and Hophni and Phinehas accompanied it.
This was the first time since the settlement of Israel in
Canaan that the ark had been removed from the sanctuary.
The Philistines put themselves again in array against
Israel, and in the battle which ensued “Israel was
smitten, and there was a very great slaughter.” The
tidings of this great disaster were speedily conveyed to
Shiloh, about 20 miles distant, by a messenger, a Benjamite
from the army. There Eli sat outside the gate of the
sanctuary by the wayside, anxiously waiting for tidings
from the battle-field. The full extent of the national
calamity was speedily made known to him: “Israel is
fled before the Philistines, there has also been a great
slaughter among the people, thy two sons Hophni and
Phinehas are dead, and the ark of God is taken” (1
Sam. 4:12-18). When the old man, whose eyes were
“stiffened” (i.e., fixed, as of a blind eye
unaffected by the light) with age, heard this sad story of
woe, he fell backward from off his seat and died, being
ninety and eight years old. (See ITHAMAR.)
Eli, Heb. eli, “my God”, (Matt. 27:46), an
exclamation used by Christ on the cross. Mark (15:34), as
usual, gives the original Aramaic form of the word, Eloi.
Eliab – to whom God is father.
(1.) A Reubenite, son of Pallu (Num. 16:1, 12; 26:8, 9;
Deut. 11:6).
(2.) A son of Helon, and chief of the tribe of Zebulun at
the time of the census in the wilderness (Num. 1:9; 2:7).
(3.) The son of Jesse, and brother of David (1 Sam. 16:6).
It was he who spoke contemptuously to David when he
proposed to fight Goliath (1 Sam. 17:28).
(4.) One of the Gadite heroes who joined David in his
stronghold in the wilderness (1 Chr. 12:9).
Eliada – whom God cares for. (1.)
One of David’s sons born after his establishment in
Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:16).
(2.) A mighty man of war, a Benjamite (2 Chr. 17:17).
(3.) An Aramite of Zobah, captain of a marauding band that
troubled Solomon (1 Kings 11:23).
Eliakim – whom God will raise up.
(1.) The son of Melea (Luke 3:30), and probably grandson of
Nathan.
(2.) The son of Abiud, of the posterity of Zerubbabel
(Matt. 1:13).
(3.) The son of Hilkiah, who was sent to receive the
message of the invading Assyrians and report it to Isaiah
(2 Kings 18:18; 19:2; Isa. 36:3; 37:2). In his office as
governor of the palace of Hezekiah he succeeded Shebna
(Isa. 22:15-25). He was a good man (Isa. 22:20; 2 Kings
18:37), and had a splendid and honourable career.
(4.) The original name of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (2 Kings
23:34). He was the son of Josiah.
The father of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (2 Sam. 11:3).
In 1 Chr. 3:5 his name is Ammiel.
(2.) This name also occurs as that of a Gilonite, the son
of Ahithophel, and one of David’s thirty warriors (2
Sam. 23:34). perhaps these two were the same person.
Elias – the Greek form of Elijah
(Matt. 11:14; 16:14, etc.), which the Revised Version has
uniformly adopted in the New Testament.
Eliashib – whom God will restore.
(1.) A priest, head of one of the courses of the priests of
the time of David (1 Chr. 24:12).
(2.) A high priest in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh.
12:22, 23). He rebuilt the eastern city wall (3:1), his own
mansion being in that quarter, on the ridge Ophel (3:20,
21). His indulgence of Tobiah the Ammonite provoked the
indignation of Nehemiah (13:4, 7).
Eliathah – to whom God will come,
one of the foureen sons of the Levite Heman, and musician
of the temple in the time of David (1 Chr. 25:4).
Elidad – whom God has loved, son
of Chislon, and chief of the tribe of Benjamin; one of
those who were appointed to divide the Promised Land among
the tribes (Num. 34:21).
(1.) A chief of Manasseh, on the east of Jordan (1 Chr.
5:24).
(2.) A Gadite who joined David in the hold at Ziklag (1
Chr. 12:11).
(3.) One of the overseers of the offerings in the reign of
Hezekiah (2 Chr. 31:13).
“Of Damascus,” the “steward” (R.V.,
“possessor”) of Abraham’s house (Gen. 15:2,
3). It was probably he who headed the embassy sent by
Abraham to the old home of his family in Padan-aram to seek
a wife for his son Isaac. The account of this embassy is
given at length in Gen. 24.
(2.) The son of Becher, and grandson of Benjamin (1 Chr.
7:8).
(3.) One of the two sons of Moses, born during his sojourn
in Midian (Ex. 18:4; 1 Chr. 23:15, 17). He remained with
his mother and brother Gershom with Jethro when Moses
returned to Egypt. (Ex. 18:4). They were restored to Moses
when Jethro heard of his departure out of Egypt.
(4.) One of the priests who blew the trumpet before the ark
when it was brought to Jerusalem (1 Chr. 15:24).
(5.) Son of Zichri, and chief of the Reubenites under David
(1 Chr. 27:16).
(6.) A prophet in the time of Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20:37).
Others of this name are mentioned Luke 3:29; Ezra 8:16;
10:18, 23, 31.
“The son of Barachel, a Buzite” (Job 32:2), one
of Job’s friends. When the debate between Job and his
friends is brought to a close, Elihu for the first time
makes his appearance, and delivers his opinion on the
points at issue (Job 32-37).
(2.) The son of Tohu, and grandfather of Elkanah (1 Sam.
1:1). He is called also Eliel (1 Chr. 6:34) and Eliab
(6:27).
(3.) One of the captains of thousands of Manasseh who
joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:20).
(4.) One of the family of Obed-edom, who were appointed
porters of the temple under David (1 Chr. 26:7).
Elijah – whose God is Jehovah.
(1.) “The Tishbite,” the “Elias” of the
New Testament, is suddenly introduced to our notice in 1
Kings 17:1 as delivering a message from the Lord to Ahab.
There is mention made of a town called Thisbe, south of
Kadesh, but it is impossible to say whether this was the
place referred to in the name given to the prophet.
Having delivered his message to Ahab, he retired at the
command of God to a hiding-place by the brook Cherith,
beyond Jordan, where he was fed by ravens. When the brook
dried up God sent him to the widow of Zarephath, a city of
Zidon, from whose scanty store he was supported for the
space of two years. During this period the widow’s son
died, and was restored to life by Elijah (1 Kings 17:
2-24).
During all these two years a famine prevailed in the land.
At the close of this period of retirement and of
preparation for his work (comp. Gal. 1:17, 18) Elijah met
Obadiah, one of Ahab’s officers, whom he had sent out
to seek for pasturage for the cattle, and bade him go and
tell his master that Elijah was there. The king came and
met Elijah, and reproached him as the troubler of Israel.
It was then proposed that sacrifices should be publicly
offered, for the purpose of determining whether Baal or
Jehovah were the true God. This was done on Carmel, with
the result that the people fell on their faces, crying,
“The Lord, he is the God.” Thus was accomplished
the great work of Elijah’s ministry. The prophets of
Baal were then put to death by the order of Elijah. Not one
of them escaped. Then immediately followed rain, according
to the word of Elijah, and in answer to his prayer (James
5:18).
Jezebel, enraged at the fate that had befallen her priests
of Baal, threatened to put Elijah to death (1 Kings
19:1-13). He therefore fled in alarm to Beersheba, and
thence went alone a day’s journey into the wilderness,
and sat down in despondency under a juniper tree. As he
slept an angel touched him, and said unto him, “Arise
and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”
He arose and found a cake and a cruse of water. Having
partaken of the provision thus miraculously supplied, he
went forward on his solitary way for forty days and forty
nights to Horeb, the mount of God, where he took up his
abode in a cave. Here the Lord appeared unto him and said,
“What dost thou here, Elijah?” In answer to his
despondent words God manifests to him his glory, and then
directs him to return to Damascus and anoint Hazael king
over Syria, and Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha to be
prophet in his room (1 Kings 19:13-21; comp. 2 Kings
8:7-15; 9:1-10).
Some six years after this he warned Ahab and Jezebel of the
violent deaths they would die (1 Kings 21:19-24; 22:38). He
also, four years afterwards, warned Ahaziah (q.v.), who had
succeeded his father Ahab, of his approaching death (2
Kings 1:1-16) During these intervals he probably withdrew to
some quiet retirement, no one knew where. His interview
with Ahaziah’s messengers on the way to Ekron, and the
account of the destruction of his captains with their
fifties, suggest the idea that he may have been in
retirement at this time on Mount Carmel.
The time now drew near when he was to be taken up into
heaven (2 Kings 2:1-12). He had a presentiment of what was
awaiting him. He went down to Gilgal, where was a school of
the prophets, and where his successor Elisha, whom he had
anointed some years before, resided. Elisha was solemnized
by the thought of his master’s leaving him, and refused
to be parted from him. “They two went on,” and
came to Bethel and Jericho, and crossed the Jordan, the
waters of which were “divided hither and thither”
when smitten with Elijah’s mantle. Arrived at the
borders of Gilead, which Elijah had left many years before,
it “came to pass as they still went on and
talked” they were suddenly separated by a chariot and
horses of fire; and “Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into heaven, “Elisha receiving his mantle, which fell
from him as he ascended.
No one of the old prophets is so frequently referred to in
the New Testament. The priests and Levites said to the
Baptist (John 1:25), “Why baptizest thou, if thou be
not that Christ, nor Elias?” Paul (Rom. 11:2) refers
to an incident in his history to illustrate his argument
that God had not cast away his people. James (5:17) finds
in him an illustration of the power of prayer. (See also
Luke 4:25; 9:54.) He was a type of John the Baptist in the
sternness and power of his reproofs (Luke 9:8). He was the
Elijah that “must first come” (Matt. 11:11, 14),
the forerunner of our Lord announced by Malachi. Even
outwardly the Baptist corresponded so closely to the
earlier prophet that he might be styled a second Elijah. In
him we see “the same connection with a wild and
wilderness country; the same long retirement in the desert;
the same sudden, startling entrance on his work (1 Kings
17:1; Luke 3:2); even the same dress, a hairy garment, and
a leathern girdle about the loins (2 Kings 1:8; Matt.
3:4).”
How deep the impression was which Elijah made “on the
mind of the nation may be judged from the fixed belief,
which rested on the words of Malachi (4:5, 6), which many
centuries after prevailed that he would again appear for
the relief and restoration of the country. Each remarkable
person as he arrives on the scene, be his habits and
characteristics what they may, the stern John equally with
his gentle Successor, is proclaimed to be Elijah (Matt.
11:13, 14; 16:14; 17:10; Mark 9:11; 15:35; Luke 9:7, 8;
John 1:21). His appearance in glory on the mount of
transfiguration does not seem to have startled the
disciples. They were ‘sore afraid,’ but not
apparently surprised.”
(2.) The Elijah spoken of in 2 Chr. 21:12-15 is by some
supposed to be a different person from the foregoing. He
lived in the time of Jehoram, to whom he sent a letter of
warning (comp. 1 Chr. 28:19; Jer. 36), and acted as a
prophet in Judah; while the Tishbite was a prophet of the
northern kingdom. But there does not seem any necessity for
concluding that the writer of this letter was some other
Elijah than the Tishbite. It may be supposed either that
Elijah anticipated the character of Jehoram, and so wrote
the warning message, which was preserved in the schools of
the prophets till Jehoram ascended the throne after the
Tishbite’s translation, or that the translation did not
actually take place till after the accession of Jehoram to
the throne (2 Chr. 21:12; 2 Kings 8:16). The events of 2
Kings 2 may not be recorded in chronological order, and
thus there may be room for the opinion that Elijah was
still alive in the beginning of Jehoram’s reign.
Elika – God is his rejector, one
of David’s thirty-seven distinguished heros (2 Sam.
23:25).
Elim – trees, (Ex. 15:27; Num.
33:9), the name of the second station where the Israelites
encamped after crossing the Red Sea. It had “twelve
wells of water and threescore and ten palm trees.” It
has been identified with the Wady Ghurundel, the most noted
of the four wadies which descend from the range of et-Tih
towards the sea. Here they probably remained some
considerable time. The form of expression in Ex. 16:1 seems
to imply that the people proceeded in detachments or
companies from Elim, and only for the first time were
assembled as a complete host when they reached the
wilderness of Sin (q.v.).
Elimelech – God his king, a man
of the tribe of Judah, of the family of the Hezronites, and
kinsman of Boaz, who dwelt in Bethlehem in the days of the
judges. In consequence of a great dearth he, with his wife
Naomi and his two sons, went to dwell in the land of Moab.
There he and his sons died (Ruth 1:2,3; 2:1,3; 4:3,9).
Naomi afterwards returned to Palestine with her daughter
Ruth.
Elioenai – toward Jehovah are my
eyes, the name of several men mentioned in the Old
Testament (1 Chr. 7:8; 4:36; Ezra 10:22, 27). Among these
was the eldest son of Neariah, son of Shemaiah, of the
descendants of Zerubbabel. His family are the latest
mentioned in the Old Testament (1 Chr. 3:23, 24).
Eliphalet – God his deliverance,
one of David’s sons (2 Sam. 5:16); called also
Eliphelet (1 Chr. 3:8).
Eliphaz – God his strength. (1.)
One of Job’s “three friends” who visited him
in his affliction (4:1). He was a “Temanite”,
i.e., a native of Teman, in Idumea. He first enters into
debate with Job. His language is uniformly more delicate
and gentle than that of the other two, although he imputes
to Job special sins as the cause of his present sufferings.
He states with remarkable force of language the infinite
purity and majesty of God (4:12-21; 15:12-16).
(2.) The son of Esau by his wife Adah, and father of
several Edomitish tribes (Gen. 36:4, 10, 11, 16).
Elipheleh – God will distinguish
him, one of the porters appointed to play “on the
Sheminith” on the occasion of the bringing up of the
ark to the city of David (1 Chr. 15:18, 21).
Eliphelet – God his deliverance.
(1.) One of David’s distinguished warriors (2 Sam.
23:34); called also Eliphal in 1 Chr. 11:35.
(2.) One of the sons of David born at Jerusalem (1 Chr.
3:6; 14:5); called Elpalet in 1 Chr. 14:5. Also another of
David’s sons (1 Chr. 3:8); called Eliphalet in 2 Sam.
5:16; 1 Chr. 14:7.
(3.) A descendant of king Saul through Jonathan (1 Chr.
8:39).
mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5). She was a descendant
of Aaron. She and her husband Zacharias (q.v.) “were
both righteous before God” (Luke 1:5, 13). Mary’s
visit to Elisabeth is described in 1:39-63.
Elisha – God his salvation, the
son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, who became the attendant
and disciple of Elijah (1 Kings 19:16-19). His name first
occurs in the command given to Elijah to anoint him as his
successor (1 Kings 19:16). This was the only one of the
three commands then given to Elijah which he accomplished.
On his way from Sinai to Damascus he found Elisha at his
native place engaged in the labours of the field, ploughing
with twelve yoke of oxen. He went over to him, threw over
his shoulders his rough mantle, and at once adopted him as
a son, and invested him with the prophetical office (comp.
Luke 9:61, 62). Elisha accepted the call thus given (about
four years before the death of Ahab), and for some seven or
eight years became the close attendant on Elijah till he
was parted from him and taken up into heaven. During all
these years we hear nothing of Elisha except in connection
with the closing scenes of Elijah’s life. After Elijah,
Elisha was accepted as the leader of the sons of the
prophets, and became noted in Israel. He possessed,
according to his own request, “a double portion”
of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9); and for the long
period of about sixty years (B.C. 892-832) held the office
of “prophet in Israel” (2 Kings 5:8).
After Elijah’s departure, Elisha returned to Jericho,
and there healed the spring of water by casting salt into
it (2 Kings 2:21). We next find him at Bethel (2:23),
where, with the sternness of his master, he cursed the
youths who came out and scoffed at him as a prophet of God:
“Go up, thou bald head.” The judgment at once
took effect, and God terribly visited the dishonour done to
his prophet as dishonour done to himself. We next read of
his predicting a fall of rain when the army of Jehoram was
faint from thirst (2 Kings 3:9-20); of the multiplying of
the poor widow’s cruse of oil (4:1-7); the miracle of
restoring to life the son of the woman of Shunem (4:18-37);
the multiplication of the twenty loaves of new barley into
a sufficient supply for an hundred men (4:42-44); of the
cure of Naaman the Syrian of his leprosy (5:1-27); of the
punishment of Gehazi for his falsehood and his
covetousness; of the recovery of the axe lost in the waters
of the Jordan (6:1-7); of the miracle at Dothan, half-way
on the road between Samaria and Jezreel; of the siege of
Samaria by the king of Syria, and of the terrible
sufferings of the people in connection with it, and
Elisha’s prophecy as to the relief that would come (2
Kings 6:24-7:2).
We then find Elisha at Damascus, to carry out the command
given to his master to anoint Hazael king over Syria (2
Kings 8:7-15); thereafter he directs one of the sons of the
prophets to anoint Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of
Israel, instead of Ahab. Thus the three commands given to
Elijah (9:1-10) were at length carried out.
We do not again read of him till we find him on his
death-bed in his own house (2 Kings 13:14-19). Joash, the
grandson of Jehu, comes to mourn over his approaching
departure, and utters the same words as those of Elisha
when Elijah was taken away: “My father, my father! the
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”
Afterwards when a dead body is laid in Elisha’s grave a
year after his burial, no sooner does it touch the hallowed
remains than the man “revived, and stood up on his
feet” (2 Kings 13:20-21).
Elishah – the oldest of the four
sons of Javan (Gen. 10:4), whose descendants peopled
Greece. It has been supposed that Elishah’s descendants
peopled the Peloponnesus, which was known by the name of
Elis. This may be meant by “the isles of Elishah”
(Ezek. 27:7).
Elishama – whom God hears. (1.) A
prince of Benjamin, grandfather of Joshua (Num. 1:10; 1
Chr. 7:26). (2.) One of David’s sons (2 Sam. 5:16).
(3.) Another of David’s sons (1 Chr. 3:6). (4.) A
priest sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the people the law (2
Chr. 17:8).
Elishaphat – whom God has judged,
one of the “captains of hundreds” associated with
Jehoiada in the league to overthrow the usurpation of
Athaliah (2 Chr. 23:1).
Elisheba – God is her oath, the
daughter of Amminadab and the wife of Aaron (Ex. 6:23).
Elishua – God his salvation, a
son of David, 2 Sam. 5:15 = Elishama, 1 Chr. 3:6.
Elkanah – God-created. (1.) The
second son of Korah (Ex. 6:24), or, according to 1 Chr.
6:22, 23, more correctly his grandson.
(2.) Another Levite of the line of Heman the singer,
although he does not seem to have performed any of the
usual Levitical offices. He was father of Samuel the
prophet (1 Chr. 6:27, 34). He was “an Ephrathite”
(1 Sam. 1:1, 4, 8), but lived at Ramah, a man of wealth and
high position. He had two wives, Hannah, who was the mother
of Samuel, and Peninnah.
birth-place of Nahum the prophet (Nah. 1:1). It was
probably situated in Galilee, but nothing definite is known
of it.
Assyria, a territory in Asia of which Arioch was king (Gen.
14:1, 9). It is supposed that the old Chaldean town of
Larsa was the metropolis of this kingdom, situated nearly
half-way between Ur (now Mugheir) and Erech, on the left
bank of the Euphrates. This town is represented by the
mounds of Senkereh, a little to the east of Erech.
“terebinth” in the Revised Version. It is the
Pistacia terebinthus of Linn., a tree common in Palestine,
long-lived, and therefore often employed for landmarks and
in designating places (Gen. 35:4; Judg. 6:11, 19. Rendered
“oak” in both A.V. and R.V.).
Elnathan – whom God has given.
(1.) An inhabitant of Jerusalem, the father of Nehushta,
who was the mother of king Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:8).
Probably the same who tried to prevent Jehoiakim from
burning the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer. 26:22;
36:12). (2.) Ezra 8:16.
Elon – oak. (1.) A city of Dan
(Josh. 19:43). (2.) A Hittite, father of Bashemath,
Esau’s wife (Gen. 26:34). (3.) One of the sons of
Zebulun (Gen. 46:14). (4.) The eleventh of the Hebrew
judges. He held office for ten years (Judg. 12:11, 12). He
is called the Zebulonite.
Elparan – oak of Paran, a place
on the edge of the wilderness bordering the territory of
the Horites (Gen. 14:6). This was the farthest point to
which Chedorlaomer’s expedition extended. It is
identified with the modern desert of et-Tih.
Eltekeh – God is its fear, a city
in the tribe of Dan. It was a city of refuge and a
Levitical city (Josh. 21:23). It has been identified with
Beit-Likia, north-east of latrum.
Elul – (Neh. 6:15), the name of
the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year, and the twelfth
of the civil year. It began with the new moon of our August
and September, and consisted of twenty-nine days.
Elymas – magician or sorcerer,
the Arabic name of the Jew Bar-jesus, who withstood Paul
and Barnabas in Cyprus. He was miraculously struck with
blindness (Acts 13:11).
preserving a body by means of aromatics (Gen. 50:2, 3, 26).
This art was practised by the Egyptians from the earliest
times, and there brought to great perfection. This custom
probably originated in the belief in the future reunion of
the soul with the body. The process became more and more
complicated, and to such perfection was it carried that
bodies embalmed thousands of years ago are preserved to the
present day in the numberless mummies that have been
discovered in Egypt.
The embalming of Jacob and Joseph was according to the
Egyptian custom, which was partially followed by the Jews
(2 Chr. 16:14), as in the case of king Asa, and of our Lord
(John 19:39, 40; Luke 23:56; 24:1).
Embroider – The art of embroidery
was known to the Jews (Ex. 26:36; 35:35; 38:23; Judg. 5:30;
Ps. 45:14). The skill of the women in this art was seen in
the preparation of the sacerdotal robes of the high priest
(Ex. 28). It seems that the art became hereditary in
certain families (1 Chr. 4:21). The Assyrians were also
noted for their embroidered robes (Ezek. 27:24).
Emerald – Heb. nophek (Ex. 28:18;
39:11); i.e., the “glowing stone”, probably the
carbuncle, a precious stone in the breastplate of the high
priest. It is mentioned (Rev. 21:19) as one of the
foundations of the New Jerusalem. The name given to this
stone in the New Testament Greek is smaragdos, which means
“live coal.”
Emims – terrors, a warlike tribe
of giants who were defeated by Chedorlaomer and his allies
in the plain of Kiriathaim. In the time of Abraham they
occupied the country east of Jordan, afterwards the land of
the Moabites (Gen. 14:5; Deut. 2:10). They were, like the
Anakim, reckoned among the Rephaim, and were conquered by
the Moabites, who gave them the name of Emims, i.e.,
“terrible men” (Deut. 2:11). The Ammonites called
them Zamzummims (2:20).
1:23). (See IMMANUEL.)
“three-score furlongs” from jerusalem, where our
Lord had an interview with two of his disciples on the day
of his resurrection (Luke 24:13). This has been identified
with the modern el-Kubeibeh, lying over 7 miles north-west
of Jerusalem. This name, el-Kubeibeh, meaning “little
dome,” is derived from the remains of the
Crusaders’ church yet to be found there. Others have
identified it with the modern Khurbet Khamasa i.e.,
“the ruins of Khamasa”, about 8 miles south-west
of Jerusalem, where there are ruins also of a
Crusaders’ church. Its site, however has been much
disputed.
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