BIBLES NET. COM
Dictionary]
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Week – From the beginning, time
was divided into weeks, each consisting of six days of
working and one of rest (Gen. 2:2, 3; 7:10; 8:10, 12;
29:28). The references to this division of days becomes
afterwards more frequent (Ex. 34:22; Lev. 12:5; Num. 28:26;
Deut. 16:16; 2 Chr. 8:13; Jer. 5:24; Dan. 9:24-27; 10:2,
3). It has been found to exist among almost all
nations.
PENTECOST.
troy-weight, the Hebrew weights were: (1.) The gerah (Lev.
27:25; Num. 3:47), a Hebrew word, meaning a grain or
kernel, and hence a small weight. It was the twentieth part
of a shekel, and equal to 12 grains.
(2.) Bekah (Ex. 38:26), meaning “a half” i.e.,
“half a shekel,” equal to 5 pennyweight.
(3.) Shekel, “a weight,” only in the Old
Testament, and frequently in its original form (Gen. 23:15,
16; Ex. 21:32; 30:13, 15; 38:24-29, etc.). It was equal to
10 pennyweight.
(4.) Ma’neh, “a part” or “portion”
(Ezek. 45:12), equal to 60 shekels, i.e., to 2 lbs. 6 oz.
(5.) Talent of silver (2 Kings 5:22), equal to 3,000
shekels, i.e., 125 lbs.
(6.) Talent of gold (Ex. 25:39), double the preceding,
i.e., 250 lbs.
distinguished from a fountain (Heb. ‘ain). A
“beer” was a deep shaft, bored far under the
rocky surface by the art of man, which contained water
which percolated through the strata in its sides. Such
wells were those of Jacob and Beersheba, etc. (see Gen.
21:19, 25, 30, 31; 24:11; 26:15, 18-25, 32, etc.). In the
Pentateuch this word beer, so rendered, occurs twenty-five
times.
Westward – sea-ward, i.e., toward
the Mediterranean (Deut. 3:27).
tan (plural, tannin) is so rendered in Job 7:12 (A.V.;
but R.V., “sea-monster”). It is rendered by
“dragons” in Deut. 32:33; Ps. 91:13; Jer. 51:34;
Ps. 74:13 (marg., “whales;” and marg. of R.V.,
“sea-monsters”); Isa. 27:1; and
“serpent” in Ex. 7:9 (R.V. marg., “any large
reptile,” and so in ver. 10, 12). The words of Job
(7:12), uttered in bitter irony, where he asks, “Am I
a sea or a whale?” simply mean, “Have I a wild,
untamable nature, like the waves of the sea, which must be
confined and held within bounds, that they cannot
pass?” “The serpent of the sea, which was but the
wild, stormy sea itself, wound itself around the land, and
threatened to swallow it up…Job inquires if he must be
watched and plagued like this monster, lest he throw the
world into disorder” (Davidson’s Job).
The whale tribe are included under the general Hebrew name
tannin (Gen. 1:21; Lam. 4:3). “Even the
sea-monsters [tanninim] draw out the breast.” The
whale brings forth its young alive, and suckles them.
It is to be noticed of the story of Jonah’s being
“three days and three nights in the whale’s
belly,” as recorded in Matt. 12:40, that here the Gr.
ketos means properly any kind of sea-monster of the shark
or the whale tribe, and that in the book of Jonah (1:17) it
is only said that “a great fish” was prepared to
swallow Jonah. This fish may have been, therefore, some
great shark. The white shark is known to frequent the
Mediterranean Sea, and is sometimes found 30 feet in
length.
cultivated grains. It bore the Hebrew name hittah,
and was extensively cultivated in Palestine. There are
various species of wheat. That which Pharaoh saw in his
dream was the Triticum compositum, which bears several ears
upon one stalk (Gen. 41:5). The “fat of the kidneys of
wheat” (Deut. 32:14), and the “finest of the
wheat” (Ps. 81:16; 147:14), denote the best of the
kind. It was exported from Palestine in great quantities (1
Kings 5:11; Ezek. 27:17; Acts 12:20).
Parched grains of wheat were used for food in Palestine
(Ruth 2:14; 1 Sam. 17:17; 2 Sam. 17:28). The disciples,
under the sanction of the Mosaic law (Deut. 23:25), plucked
ears of corn, and rubbing them in their hands, ate the
grain unroasted (Matt. 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1). Before
any of the wheat-harvest, however, could be eaten, the
first-fruits had to be presented before the Lord (Lev.
23:14).
Wheel – (Heb. galgal; rendered
“wheel” in Ps. 83:13, and “a rolling
thing” in Isa. 17:13; R.V. in both, “whirling
dust”). This word has been supposed to mean the wild
artichoke, which assumes the form of a globe, and in autumn
breaks away from its roots, and is rolled about by the wind
in some places in great numbers.
Chr. 5:12; Ps. 51:7; Isa. 1:18; Rev. 3:18; 7:14). Our Lord,
at his transfiguration, appeared in raiment “white as
the light” (Matt. 17:2, etc.).
kindness (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21;
26:12; 27:19, etc.). In the New Testament the same tender
regard for them is inculcated (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Tim. 5:3-16)
and exhibited.
Wife – The ordinance of marriage
was sanctioned in Paradise (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-6).
Monogamy was the original law under which man lived, but
polygamy early commenced (Gen. 4:19), and continued to
prevail all down through Jewish history. The law of Moses
regulated but did not prohibit polygamy. A man might have a
plurality of wives, but a wife could have only one husband.
A wife’s legal rights (Ex. 21:10) and her duties (Prov.
31:10-31; 1 Tim. 5:14) are specified. She could be divorced
in special cases (Deut. 22:13-21), but could not divorce
her husband. Divorce was restricted by our Lord to the
single case of adultery (Matt. 19:3-9). The duties of
husbands and wives in their relations to each other are
distinctly set forth in the New Testament (1 Cor. 7:2-5;
Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:18, 19; 1 Pet. 3:1-7).
Wilderness – (1.) Heb. midhbar,
denoting not a barren desert but a district or region
suitable for pasturing sheep and cattle (Ps. 65:12; Isa.
42:11; Jer. 23:10; Joel 1:19; 2:22); an uncultivated place.
This word is used of the wilderness of Beersheba (Gen.
21:14), on the southern border of Palestine; the wilderness
of the Red Sea (Ex. 13:18); of Shur (15:22), a portion of
the Sinaitic peninsula; of Sin (17:1), Sinai (Lev. 7:38),
Moab (Deut. 2:8), Judah (Judg. 1:16), Ziph, Maon, En-gedi
(1 Sam. 23:14, 24; 24:1), Jeruel and Tekoa (2 Chr. 20:16,
20), Kadesh (Ps. 29:8).
“The wilderness of the sea” (Isa. 21:1).
Principal Douglas, referring to this expression, says:
“A mysterious name, which must be meant to describe
Babylon (see especially ver. 9), perhaps because it became
the place of discipline to God’s people, as the
wilderness of the Red Sea had been (comp. Ezek. 20:35).
Otherwise it is in contrast with the symbolic title in Isa.
22:1. Jerusalem is the “valley of vision,” rich
in spiritual husbandry; whereas Babylon, the rival centre
of influence, is spiritually barren and as restless as the
sea (comp. 57:20).” A Short Analysis of the O.T.
(2.) Jeshimon, a desert waste (Deut. 32:10; Ps. 68:7).
(3.) ‘Arabah, the name given to the valley from the
Dead Sea to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. In Deut.
1:1; 2:8, it is rendered “plain” (R.V.,
“Arabah”).
(4.) Tziyyah, a “dry place” (Ps. 78:17; 105:41).
(5.) Tohu, a “desolate” place, a place
“waste” or “unoccupied” (Deut. 32:10;
Job 12:24; comp. Gen. 1:2, “without form”). The
wilderness region in the Sinaitic peninsula through which
for forty years the Hebrews wandered is generally styled
“the wilderness of the wanderings.” This entire
region is in the form of a triangle, having its base toward
the north and its apex toward the south. Its extent from
north to south is about 250 miles, and at its widest point
it is about 150 miles broad. Throughout this vast region of
some 1,500 square miles there is not a single river. The
northern part of this triangular peninsula is properly the
“wilderness of the wanderings” (et-Tih). The
western portion of it is called the “wilderness of
Shur” (Ex. 15:22), and the eastern the
“wilderness of Paran.”
The “wilderness of Judea” (Matt. 3:1) is a wild,
barren region, lying between the Dead Sea and the Hebron
Mountains. It is the “Jeshimon” mentioned in 1
Sam. 23:19.
(Lev. 23:40; Job 40:22; Isa. 15:7; 44:3, 4; Ps. 137:1, 2).
This was supposed to be the weeping willow, called by
Linnaeus Salix Babylonica, from the reference in Ps. 137.
This tree is frequently found “on the coast,
overhanging wells and pools. There is a conspicuous tree of
this species over a pond in the plain of Acre, and others
on the Phoenician plain.” There are several species of
the salix in Palestine, but it is not indigenous to
Babylonia, nor was it cultivated there. Some are of opinion
that the tree intended is the tamarisk or poplar.
(2.) Heb. tzaphtzaphah (Ezek. 17:5), called by the Arabs
the safsaf, the general name for the willow. This may be
the Salix AEgyptica of naturalists.
Tristram thinks that by the “willow by the
water-courses,” the Nerium oleander, the rose-bay
oleander, is meant. He says, “It fringes the Upper
Jordan, dipping its wavy crown of red into the spray in the
rapids under Hermon, and is nutured by the oozy marshes in
the Lower Jordan nearly as far as to Jericho…On the
Arnon, on the Jabbok, and the Yarmuk it forms a continuous
fringe. In many of the streams of Moab it forms a complete
screen, which the sun’s rays can never penetrate to
evaporate the precious moisture. The wild boar lies safely
ensconced under its impervious cover.”
“shawls”), a wrap or veil. The same Hebrew word
is rendered “vail” (R.V., “mantle”) in
Ruth 3:15.
Window – properly only an opening
in a house for the admission of light and air, covered with
lattice-work, which might be opened or closed (2 Kings 1:2;
Acts 20:9). The spies in Jericho and Paul at Damascus were
let down from the windows of houses abutting on the town
wall (Josh. 2:15; 2 Cor. 11:33). The clouds are
metaphorically called the “windows of heaven”
(Gen. 7:11; Mal. 3:10). The word thus rendered in Isa.
54:12 ought rather to be rendered “battlements”
(LXX., “bulwarks;” R.V., “pinnacles”),
or as Gesenius renders it, “notched battlements, i.e.,
suns or rays of the sun”= having a radiated appearance
like the sun.
quarters of heaven (Jer. 49:36; Ezek. 37:9; Dan. 8:8; Zech.
2:6). The east wind was parching (Ezek. 17:10; 19:12), and
is sometimes mentioned as simply denoting a strong wind
(Job 27:21; Isa. 27:8). This wind prevails in Palestine
from February to June, as the west wind (Luke 12:54) does
from November to February. The south was a hot wind (Job
37:17; Luke 12:55). It swept over the Arabian peninsula.
The rush of invaders is figuratively spoken of as a
whirlwind (Isa. 21:1); a commotion among the nations of the
world as a striving of the four winds (Dan. 7:2). The winds
are subject to the divine power (Ps. 18:10; 135:7).
Wine – The common Hebrew word for
wine is yayin, from a root meaning “to boil
up,” “to be in a ferment.” Others derive it
from a root meaning “to tread out,” and hence the
juice of the grape trodden out. The Greek word for wine is
oinos_, and the Latin _vinun. But besides this
common Hebrew word, there are several others which are thus
rendered.
(1.) Ashishah (2 Sam. 6:19; 1 Chr. 16:3; Cant. 2:5; Hos.
3:1), which, however, rather denotes a solid cake of
pressed grapes, or, as in the Revised Version, a cake of
raisins.
(2.) ‘Asis, “sweet wine,” or “new
wine,” the product of the same year (Cant. 8:2; Isa.
49:26; Joel 1:5; 3:18; Amos 9:13), from a root meaning
“to tread,” hence juice trodden out or pressed
out, thus referring to the method by which the juice is
obtained. The power of intoxication is ascribed to it.
VINEGAR.
(4.) Hemer, Deut. 32:14 (rendered “blood of the
grape”) Isa. 27:2 (“red wine”), Ezra 6:9;
7:22; Dan. 5:1, 2, 4. This word conveys the idea of
“foaming,” as in the process of fermentation, or
when poured out. It is derived from the root hamar,
meaning “to boil up,” and also “to be
red,” from the idea of boiling or becoming inflamed.
(5.) ‘Enabh, a grape (Deut. 32:14). The last clause of
this verse should be rendered as in the Revised Version,
“and of the blood of the grape [‘enabh] thou
drankest wine [hemer].” In Hos. 3:1 the phrase in
Authorized Version, “flagons of wine,” is in the
Revised Version correctly “cakes of raisins.”
(Comp. Gen. 49:11; Num. 6:3; Deut. 23:24, etc., where this
Hebrew word is rendered in the plural “grapes.”)
(6.) Mesekh, properly a mixture of wine and water with
spices that increase its stimulating properties (Isa.
5:22). Ps. 75:8, “The wine [yayin] is red; it is full
of mixture [mesekh];” Prov. 23:30, “mixed
wine;” Isa. 65:11, “drink offering” (R.V.,
“mingled wine”).
(7.) Tirosh, properly “must,” translated
“wine” (Deut. 28:51); “new wine” (Prov.
3:10); “sweet wine” (Micah 6:15; R.V.,
“vintage”). This Hebrew word has been traced to a
root meaning “to take possession of” and hence it
is supposed that tirosh is so designated because in
intoxicating it takes possession of the brain. Among the
blessings promised to Esau (Gen. 27:28) mention is made of
“plenty of corn and tirosh.” Palestine is called
“a land of corn and tirosh” (Deut. 33:28; comp.
Isa. 36:17). See also Deut. 28:51; 2 Chr. 32:28; Joel 2:19;
Hos. 4:11, (“wine [yayin] and new wine [tirosh] take
away the heart”).
(8.) Sobhe (root meaning “to drink to excess,”
“to suck up,” “absorb”), found only in
Isa. 1:22, Hos. 4:18 (“their drink;” Gesen. and
marg. of R.V., “their carouse”), and Nah. 1:10
(“drunken as drunkards;” lit., “soaked
according to their drink;” R.V., “drenched, as it
were, in their drink”, i.e., according to their
sobhe).
(9.) Shekar, “strong drink,” any intoxicating
liquor; from a root meaning “to drink deeply,”
“to be drunken”, a generic term applied to all
fermented liquors, however obtained. Num. 28:7,
“strong wine” (R.V., “strong drink”).
It is sometimes distinguished from wine, c.g., Lev. 10:9,
“Do not drink wine [yayin] nor strong drink
[shekar];” Num. 6:3; Judg. 13:4, 7; Isa. 28:7 (in all
these places rendered “strong drink”). Translated
“strong drink” also in Isa. 5:11; 24:9; 29:9;
56:12; Prov. 20:1; 31:6; Micah 2:11.
(10.) Yekebh (Deut. 16:13, but in R.V. correctly
“wine-press”), a vat into which the new wine
flowed from the press. Joel 2:24, “their vats;”
3:13, “the fats;” Prov. 3:10, “Thy presses
shall burst out with new wine [tirosh];” Hag. 2:16;
Jer. 48:33, “wine-presses;” 2 Kings 6:27; Job.
24:11.
(11.) Shemarim (only in plural), “lees” or
“dregs” of wine. In Isa. 25:6 it is rendered
“wines on the lees”, i.e., wine that has been
kept on the lees, and therefore old wine.
(12.) Mesek, “a mixture,” mixed or spiced wine,
not diluted with water, but mixed with drugs and spices to
increase its strength, or, as some think, mingled with the
lees by being shaken (Ps. 75:8; Prov. 23:30).
In Acts 2:13 the word gleukos, rendered “new
wine,” denotes properly “sweet wine.” It
must have been intoxicating.
In addition to wine the Hebrews also made use of what they
called debash, which was obtained by boiling down
must to one-half or one-third of its original bulk. In Gen.
43:11 this word is rendered “honey.” It was a
kind of syrup, and is called by the Arabs at the present
day dibs. This word occurs in the phrase “a land
flowing with milk and honey” (debash), Ex. 3:8, 17;
13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13: 27. (See
HONEY.)
Our Lord miraculously supplied wine at the marriage feast
in Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11). The Rechabites were
forbidden the use of wine (Jer. 35). The Nazarites also
were to abstain from its use during the period of their vow
(Num. 6:1-4); and those who were dedicated as Nazarites
from their birth were perpetually to abstain from it (Judg.
13:4, 5; Luke 1:15; 7:33). The priests, too, were forbidden
the use of wine and strong drink when engaged in their
sacred functions (Lev. 10:1, 9-11). “Wine is little
used now in the East, from the fact that Mohammedans are
not allowed to taste it, and very few of other creeds touch
it. When it is drunk, water is generally mixed with it, and
this was the custom in the days of Christ also. The people
indeed are everywhere very sober in hot climates; a drunken
person, in fact, is never seen”, (Geikie’s Life of
Christ). The sin of drunkenness, however, must have been
not uncommon in the olden times, for it is mentioned either
metaphorically or literally more than seventy times in the
Bible.
A drink-offering of wine was presented with the daily
sacrifice (Ex. 29:40, 41), and also with the offering of
the first-fruits (Lev. 23:13), and with various other
sacrifices (Num. 15:5, 7, 10). Wine was used at the
celebration of the Passover. And when the Lord’s Supper
was instituted, the wine and the unleavened bread then on
the paschal table were by our Lord set apart as memorials
of his body and blood.
Several emphatic warnings are given in the New Testament
against excess in the use of wine (Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13;
Eph. 5:18; 1 Tim. 3:8; Titus 1:7).
original word (hypolenion) so rendered occurs only here in
the New Testament. It properly denotes the trough or lake
(lacus), as it was called by the Romans, into which the
juice of the grapes ran from the trough above it. It is
here used, however, of the whole apparatus. In the parallel
passage in Matt. 21:33 the Greek word lenos is used.
This properly denotes the upper one of the two vats. (See
WINE-PRESS ¯T0003818.)
vats or receptacles, (1) a trough (Heb. gath, Gr. lenos)
into which the grapes were thrown and where they were
trodden upon and bruised (Isa. 16:10; Lam. 1:15; Joel
3:13); and (2) a trough or vat (Heb. yekebh, Gr.
hypolenion) into which the juice ran from the trough above,
the gath (Neh. 13:15; Job 24:11; Isa. 63:2, 3; Hag. 2:16;
Joel 2:24). Wine-presses are found in almost every part of
Palestine. They are “the only sure relics we have of
the old days of Israel before the Captivity. Between Hebron
and Beersheba they are found on all the hill slopes; they
abound in southern Judea; they are no less common in the
many valleys of Carmel; and they are numerous in
Galilee.” The “treading of the wine-press”
is emblematic of divine judgment (Isa. 63:2; Lam. 1:15;
Rev. 14:19, 20).
Winnow – Corn was winnowed, (1.)
By being thrown up by a shovel against the wind. As a rule
this was done in the evening or during the night, when the
west wind from the sea was blowing, which was a moderate
breeze and fitted for the purpose. The north wind was too
strong, and the east wind came in gusts. (2.) By the use of
a fan or van, by which the chaff was blown away (Ruth 3:2;
Isa. 30:24; Jer. 4:11, 12; Matt. 3:12).
Wise men – mentioned in Dan. 2:12
included three classes, (1) astrologers, (2) Chaldeans, and
(3) soothsayers. The word in the original (hakamim)
probably means “medicine men. In Chaldea medicine was
only a branch of magic. The “wise men” of Matt.
2:7, who came from the East to Jerusalem, were magi from
Persia or Arabia.
than an intellectual quality. To be “foolish” is
to be godless (Ps. 14:1; comp. Judg. 19:23; 2 Sam. 13:13).
True wisdom is a gift from God to those who ask it (Job
28:12-28; Prov. 3:13-18; Rom. 1:22; 16:27; 1 Cor. 1:17-21;
2:6-8; James 1:5). “Wisdom” in Prov. 1:20; 8:1;
9:1-5 may be regarded not as a mere personification of the
attribute of wisdom, but as a divine person, “Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24).
In Matt. 11:19 it is the personified principle of wisdom
that is meant.
Witch – Occurs only in Ex. 22:18,
as the rendering of mekhashshepheh, the feminine
form of the word, meaning “enchantress” (R.V.,
“sorceress”), and in Deut. 18:10, as the
rendering of mekhashshepheth, the masculine form of
the word, meaning “enchanter.”
Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Gal. 5:20).
In the popular sense of the word no mention is made either
of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture.
The “witch of En-dor” (1 Sam. 28) was a
necromancer, i.e., one who feigned to hold converse with
the dead. The damsel with “a spirit of
divination” (Acts 16:16) was possessed by an evil
spirit, or, as the words are literally rendered,
“having a spirit, a pithon.” The reference is to
the heathen god Apollo, who was regarded as the god of
prophecy.
Witness – More than one witness
was required in criminal cases (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They
were the first to execute the sentence on the condemned
(Deut. 13:9; 17:7; 1 Kings 21:13; Matt. 27:1; Acts 7:57,
58). False witnesses were liable to punishment (Deut.
19:16-21). It was also an offence to refuse to bear witness
(Lev. 5:1).
8:16), the consciousness of the gracious operation of the
Spirit on the mind, “a certitude of the Spirit’s
presence and work continually asserted within us”,
manifested “in his comforting us, his stirring us up
to prayer, his reproof of our sins, his drawing us to works
of love, to bear testimony before the world,” etc.
supernatural knowledge and power, “a knowing
one,” as the original Hebrew word signifies. Such an
one was forbidden on pain of death to practise his
deceptions (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; 1 Sam. 28:3; Isa. 8:19;
19:3).
referred to in Scripture as an emblem of treachery and
cruelty. Jacob’s prophecy, “Benjamin shall ravin
as a wolf” (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike
character of that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah
represents the peace of Messiah’s kingdom by the words,
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb” (Isa.
11:6). The habits of the wolf are described in Jer. 5:6;
Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3; Ezek. 22:27; Matt. 7:15; 10:16; Acts
20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in Palestine, and
are the dread of shepherds, as of old.
man” (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the
preeminence. “The head of the woman is the man;”
but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, “as unto
the weaker vessel” (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7).
Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been
endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Ex. 15:20),
Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah
(Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of
Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8, 9). Women are forbidden
to teach publicly (1 Cor. 14:34, 35; 1 Tim. 2:11, 12).
Among the Hebrews it devolved upon women to prepare the
meals for the household (Gen. 18:6; 2 Sam. 13:8), to attend
to the work of spinning (Ex. 35:26; Prov. 31:19), and
making clothes (1 Sam. 2:19; Prov. 31:21), to bring water
from the well (Gen. 24:15; 1 Sam. 9:11), and to care for
the flocks (Gen. 29:6; Ex. 2:16).
The word “woman,” as used in Matt. 15:28, John
2:4 and 20:13, 15, implies tenderness and courtesy and not
disrespect. Only where revelation is known has woman her
due place of honour assigned to her.
FOREST.
13:31). It would seem that in the time of Nehemiah
arrangements were made, probably on account of the
comparative scarcity of wood, by which certain districts
were required, as chosen by lot, to furnish wood to keep
the altar fire perpetually burning (Lev. 6:13).
Wool – one of the first material
used for making woven cloth (Lev. 13:47, 48, 52, 59;
19:19). The first-fruit of wool was to be offered to the
priests (Deut. 18:4). The law prohibiting the wearing of a
garment “of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen
together” (Deut. 22:11) may, like some other laws of a
similar character, have been intended to express
symbolically the separateness and simplicity of God’s
covenant people. The wool of Damascus, famous for its
whiteness, was of great repute in the Tyrian market (Ezek.
27:18).
Word of God – (Heb. 4:12, etc.).
The Bible so called because the writers of its several
books were God’s organs in communicating his will to
men. It is his “word,” because he speaks to us in
its sacred pages. Whatever the inspired writers here
declare to be true and binding upon us, God declares to be
true and binding. This word is infallible, because written
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and therefore free
from all error of fact or doctrine or precept. (See
BIBLE.) All saving knowledge is obtained from the word
of God. In the case of adults it is an indispensable means
of salvation, and is efficacious thereunto by the gracious
influence of the Holy Spirit (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:15, 16;
1 Pet. 1:23).
Word, The – (Gr. Logos), one of
the titles of our Lord, found only in the writings of John
(John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13). As such, Christ is
the revealer of God. His office is to make God known.
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared
him” (John 1:18). This title designates the divine
nature of Christ. As the Word, he “was in the
beginning” and “became flesh.” “The
Word was with God ” and “was God,” and was
the Creator of all things (comp. Ps.33: 6; 107:20; 119:89;
147:18; Isa. 40:8).
Works, Covenant of – entered into
by God with Adam as the representative of the human race
(comp. Gen. 9:11, 12; 17:1-21), so styled because perfect
obedience was its condition, thus distinguishing it from
the covenant of grace. (See COVENANT OF
WORKS.)
Works, Good – The old objection
against the doctrine of salvation by grace, that it does
away with the necessity of good works, and lowers the sense
of their importance (Rom. 6), although it has been answered
a thousand times, is still alleged by many. They say if men
are not saved by works, then works are not necessary. If
the most moral of men are saved in the same way as the very
chief of sinners, then good works are of no moment. And
more than this, if the grace of God is most clearly
displayed in the salvation of the vilest of men, then the
worse men are the better.
The objection has no validity. The gospel of salvation by
grace shows that good works are necessary. It is true,
unchangeably true, that without holiness no man shall see
the Lord. “Neither adulterers, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards” shall inherit the kingdom of
God.
Works are “good” only when, (1) they spring from
the principle of love to God. The moral character of an act
is determined by the moral principle that prompts it. Faith
and love in the heart are the essential elements of all
true obedience. Hence good works only spring from a
believing heart, can only be wrought by one reconciled to
God (Eph. 2:10; James 2:18:22). (2.) Good works have the
glory of God as their object; and (3) they have the
revealed will of God as their only rule (Deut. 12:32; Rev.
22:18, 19).
Good works are an expression of gratitude in the
believer’s heart (John 14:15, 23; Gal. 5:6). They are
the fruits of the Spirit (Titus 2:10-12), and thus spring
from grace, which they illustrate and strengthen in the
heart.
Good works of the most sincere believers are all imperfect,
yet like their persons they are accepted through the
mediation of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17), and so are rewarded;
they have no merit intrinsically, but are rewarded wholly
of grace.
Worm – (1.) Heb. sas (Isa. 51:8),
denotes the caterpillar of the clothes-moth.
(2.) The manna bred worms (tola’im), but on the Sabbath
there was not any worm (rimmah) therein (Ex. 16:20, 24).
Here these words refer to caterpillars or larvae, which
feed on corrupting matter.
These two Hebrew words appear to be interchangeable (Job
25:6; Isa. 14:11). Tola’im in some places denotes the
caterpillar (Deut. 28:39; Jonah 4:7), and rimmah, the
larvae, as bred from putridity (Job 17:14; 21:26; 24:20).
In Micah 7:17, where it is said, “They shall move out
of their holes like worms,” perhaps serpents or
“creeping things,” or as in the Revised Version,
“crawling things,” are meant.
The word is used figuratively in Job 25:6; Ps. 22:6; Isa.
41:14; Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Isa. 66:24.
Artemisia absinthium of botanists. It is noted for its
intense bitterness (Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; Amos
5:7). It is a type of bitterness, affliction, remorse,
punitive suffering. In Amos 6:12 this Hebrew word is
rendered “hemlock” (R.V., “wormwood”).
In the symbolical language of the Apocalypse (Rev. 8:10,
11) a star is represented as falling on the waters of the
earth, causing the third part of the water to turn
wormwood.
The name by which the Greeks designated it, absinthion,
means “undrinkable.” The absinthe of France is
distilled from a species of this plant. The
“southernwood” or “old man,” cultivated
in cottage gardens on account of its fragrance, is another
species of it.
Worship – homage rendered to God
which it is sinful (idolatry) to render to any created
being (Ex. 34:14; Isa. 2:8). Such worship was refused by
Peter (Acts 10:25,26) and by an angel (Rev. 22:8,9).
temple-sweeper (Acts 19:35) of the great goddess Diana).
This name neocoros appears on most of the extant Ephesian
coins
GAMES.
Writing – The art of writing must
have been known in the time of the early Pharaohs. Moses is
commanded “to write for a memorial in a book”
(Ex. 17:14) a record of the attack of Amalek. Frequent
mention is afterwards made of writing (28:11, 21, 29, 36;
31:18; 32:15, 16; 34:1, 28; 39:6, 14, 30). The origin of
this art is unknown, but there is reason to conclude that
in the age of Moses it was well known. The inspired books
of Moses are the most ancient extant writings, although
there are written monuments as old as about B.C. 2000. The
words expressive of “writing,” “book,”
and “ink,” are common to all the branches or
dialects of the Semitic language, and hence it has been
concluded that this art must have been known to the
earliest Semites before they separated into their various
tribes, and nations, and families.
“The Old Testament and the discoveries of Oriental
archaeology alike tell us that the age of the Exodus was
throughout the world of Western Asia an age of literature
and books, of readers and writers, and that the cities of
Palestine were stored with the contemporaneous records of
past events inscribed on imperishable clay. They further
tell us that the kinsfolk and neighbours of the Israelites
were already acquainted with alphabetic writing, that the
wanderers in the desert and the tribes of Edom were in
contact with the cultured scribes and traders of Ma’in
[Southern Arabia], and that the ‘house of bondage’
from which Israel had escaped was a land where the art of
writing was blazoned not only on the temples of the gods,
but also on the dwellings of the rich and powerful.”,
PHOENICIA.)
The “Book of the Dead” was a collection of
prayers and formulae, by the use of which the souls of the
dead were supposed to attain to rest and peace in the next
world. It was composed at various periods from the earliest
time to the Persian conquest. It affords an interesting
glimpse into the religious life and system of belief among
the ancient Egyptians. We learn from it that they believed
in the existence of one Supreme Being, the immortality of
the soul, judgement after death, and the resurrection of
the body. It shows, too, a high state of literary activity
in Egypt in the time of Moses. It refers to extensive
libraries then existing. That of Ramessium, in Thebes,
e.g., built by Rameses II., contained 20,000 books.
When the Hebrews entered Canaan it is evident that the art
of writing was known to the original inhabitants, as
appears, e.g., from the name of the city Debir having been
at first Kirjath-sepher, i.e., the “city of the
book,” or the “book town” (Josh. 10:38;
15:15; Judg. 1:11).
The first mention of letter-writing is in the time of David
(2 Sam. 11:14, 15). Letters are afterwards frequently
spoken of (1 Kings 21:8, 9, 11; 2 Kings 10:1, 3, 6, 7;
19:14; 2 Chr. 21:12-15; 30:1, 6-9, etc.).
10:28, 2 Chr. 1:16. The Heb. word mikveh, i.e., “a
stringing together,” so rendered, rather signifies a
host, or company, or a string of horses. The Authorized
Version has: “And Solomon had horses brought out of
Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received
the linen yarn at a price;” but the Revised Version
correctly renders: “And the horses which Solomon had
were brought out of Egypt; the king’s merchants
received them in droves, each drove at a price.”
“repetition” or “revolution” (Gen.
1:14; 5:3). Among the ancient Egyptians the year consisted
of twelve months of thirty days each, with five days added
to make it a complete revolution of the earth round the
sun. The Jews reckoned the year in two ways, (1) according
to a sacred calendar, in which the year began about the
time of the vernal equinox, with the month Abib; and (2)
according to a civil calendar, in which the year began
about the time of the autumnal equinox, with the month
Nisan. The month Tisri is now the beginning of the Jewish
year.
rendered “inhabitants” in Josh. 17:7, but
probably rather the name of the village Yeshepheh, probably
Yassuf, 8 miles south of Shechem.
Yoke – (1.) Fitted on the neck of
oxen for the purpose of binding to them the traces by which
they might draw the plough, etc. (Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3).
It was a curved piece of wood called ‘ol.
(2.) In Jer. 27:2; 28:10, 12 the word in the Authorized
Version rendered “yoke” is motah, which
properly means a “staff,” or as in the Revised
Version, “bar.”
These words in the Hebrew are both used figuratively of
severe bondage, or affliction, or subjection (Lev. 26:13; 1
Kings 12:4; Isa. 47:6; Lam. 1:14; 3:27). In the New
Testament the word “yoke” is also used to denote
servitude (Matt. 11:29, 30; Acts 15:10; Gal. 5:1).
(3.) In 1 Sam. 11:7, 1 Kings 19:21, Job 1:3 the word thus
translated is tzemed, which signifies a pair, two
oxen yoked or coupled together, and hence in 1 Sam. 14:14
it represents as much land as a yoke of oxen could plough
in a day, like the Latin jugum. In Isa. 5:10 this
word in the plural is translated “acres.”
Yoke-fellow – (Phil. 4:3), one of
the apostle’s fellow-labourers. Some have conjectured
that Epaphroditus is meant. Wyckliffe renders the phrase
“the german felowe”, i.e., “thee, germane
[=genuine] comrade.”
unloading of tents, so called probably from the fact of
nomads in tents encamping amid the cities and villages of
that region, a place in the north-west of Lake Merom, near
Kedesh, in Naphtali. Here Sisera was slain by Jael,
“the wife of Heber the Kenite,” who had pitched
his tent in the “plain [R.V., ‘as far as the
oak’] of Zaanaim” (Judg. 4:11).
It has been, however, suggested by some that, following the
LXX. and the Talmud, the letter b, which in Hebrew means
“in,” should be taken as a part of the word
following, and the phrase would then be “unto the oak
of Bitzanaim,” a place which has been identified with
the ruins of Bessum, about half-way between Tiberias and
Mount Tabor.
mentioned only in Micah 1:11. It may be identified with
Zenan, in the plain country of Judah (Josh. 15:37).
19:33).
“dukes of Edom” (Gen. 36:27); called also Zavan
(1 Chr. 1:42).
David’s valiant men (1 Chr. 11:41), the descendant of
Ahlai, of the “children of Sheshan” (2:31).
(2.) A descendant of Tahath (7:21).
(3.) The son of Shemath. He conspired against Joash, king
of Judah, and slew him (2 Chr. 24:25, 26). He is called
also Jozachar (2 Kings 12:21).
(4.) Ezra 10:27.
(5.) Ezra 10:33.
(6.) Ezra 10:43.
Ezra 10:28.
(2.) The father of Baruch, who “earnestly
repaired” part of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:20;
marg., “Zaccai”).
Zabdi – gift of Jehovah. (1.) An
ancestor of Achan (Josh. 7:1, 17, 18). He is probably the
“Zimri” of 1 Chr. 2:6.
(2.) A Benjamite (1 Chr. 8:19).
(3.) Called “the Shiphmite,” one of David’s
officers, who had charge of his vineyards (1 Chr. 27:27).
(4.) A Levite, one of the sons of Asaph (Neh. 11:17);
probably the same as Zichri (1 Chr. 9:15), and Zaccur (Neh.
12:35).
Zabdiel – gift of God. (1.) The
father of Jashobeam, who was one of David’s officers (1
Chr. 27:2).
(2.) An overseer of the priests after the Captivity (Neh.
11:14).
Zabud – gift, the son of Nathan,
who was “king’s friend” in the court of
Solomon (1 Kings 4:5).
Zabulon – (Matt. 4:13, 15; Rev.
ZEBULUN.
“sons” returned with Zerubbabel to Jerusalem
ZABBAI.)
superintendant of customs; a chief tax-gather (publicanus)
at Jericho (Luke 19:1-10). “The collection of customs
at Jericho, which at this time produced and exported a
considerable quantity of balsam, was undoubtedly an
important post, and would account for Zacchaeus being a
rich man.” Being short of stature, he hastened on
before the multitude who were thronging about Christ as he
passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, and climbed
up a sycamore tree that he might be able to see him. When
our Lord reached the spot he looked up to the publican
among the branches, and addressing him by name, told him to
make haste and come down, as he intended that day to abide
at his house. This led to the remarkable interview recorded
by the evangelist, and to the striking parable of the ten
pounds (Luke 19:12-27). At Er-riha (Jericho) there is a
large, venerable looking square tower, which goes by the
traditional name of the House of Zacchaeus.
Zaccur – mindful. (1.) Father of
Shammua, who was one of the spies sent out by Moses (Num.
13:4).
(2.) A Merarite Levite (1 Chr. 24:27).
(3.) A son of Asaph, and chief of one of the courses of
singers as arranged by David (1 Chr. 25:2, 10).
(4.) Son of Imri (Neh. 3:2).
(5.) A Levite (Neh. 10:12).
(6.) The son of Mattaniah (Neh. 13:13).
Lord. (1.) Son of Jeroboam II., king of Israel. On the
death of his father there was an interregnum of ten years,
at the end of which he succeeded to the throne, which he
occupied only six months, having been put to death by
Shallum, who usurped the throne. “He did that which
was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had
done” (2 Kings 14:29; 15:8-12). In him the dynasty of
Jehu came to an end.
(2.) The father of Abi, who was the mother of Hezekiah (2
Kings 18:2).
Zacharias – (1.) A priest of the
course of Abia, the eighth of the twenty-four courses into
which the priests had been originally divided by David (1
Chr. 23:1-19). Only four of these courses or
“families” of the priests returned from the Exile
(Ezra 2:36-39); but they were then re-distributed under the
old designations. The priests served at the temple twice
each year, and only for a week each time. Zacharias’s
time had come for this service. During this period his home
would be one of the chambers set apart for the priests on
the sides of the temple ground. The offering of incense was
one of the most solemn parts of the daily worship of the
temple, and lots were drawn each day to determine who
should have this great honour, an honour which no priest
could enjoy more than once during his lifetime.
While Zacharias ministered at the golden altar of incense
in the holy place, it was announced to him by the angel
Gabriel that his wife Elisabeth, who was also of a priestly
family, now stricken in years, would give birth to a son
who was to be called John, and that he would be the
forerunner of the long-expected Messiah (Luke 1:12-17). As
a punishment for his refusing to believe this message, he
was struck dumb and “not able to speak until the day
that these things should be performed” (20). Nine
months passed away, and Elisabeth’s child was born, and
when in answer to their inquiry Zacharias wrote on a
“writing tablet,” “His name is John,”
his mouth was opened, and he praised God (60-79). The child
(John the Baptist), thus “born out of due time,”
“waxed strong in spirit” (1:80).
(2.) The “son of Barachias,” mentioned as having
been slain between the temple and the altar (Matt. 23:35;
Luke 11:51). “Barachias” here may be another name
for Jehoiada, as some think. (See
ZECHARIAH.)
Jehiel (1 Chr. 8:31; 9:35); called Zechariah (9:37).
Zadok – righteous. (1.) A son of
Ahitub, of the line of Eleazer (2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 24:3),
high priest in the time of David (2 Sam. 20:25) and Solomon
(1 Kings 4:4). He is first mentioned as coming to take part
with David at Hebron (1 Chr. 12:27, 28). He was probably on
this account made ruler over the Aaronites (27:17). Zadok
and Abiathar acted as high priests on several important
occasions (1 Chr. 15:11; 2 Sam. 15:24-29, 35, 36); but when
Adonijah endeavoured to secure the throne, Abiathar went
with him, and therefore Solomon “thrust him out from
being high priest,” and Zadok, remaining faithful to
David, became high priest alone (1 Kings 2:27, 35; 1 Chr.
29:22). In him the line of Phinehas resumed the dignity,
and held it till the fall of Jerusalem. He was succeeded in
his sacred office by his son Azariah (1 Kings 4:2; comp. 1
Chr. 6:3-9).
(2.) The father of Jerusha, who was wife of King Uzziah,
and mother of King Jotham (2 Kings 15:33; 2 Chr. 27:1).
(3.) “The scribe” set over the treasuries of the
temple by Nehemiah along with a priest and a Levite (Neh.
13:13).
(4.) The sons of Baana, one of those who assisted in
rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 3:4).
Zair – little, a place probably
east of the Dead Sea, where Joram discomfited the host of
Edom who had revolted from him (2 Kings 8:21).
David’s warriors, called the Ahohite (2 Sam. 23:28);
called also Ilai (1 Chr. 11:29).
(2.) A wood near Shechem, from which Abimelech and his
party brought boughs and “put them to the hold”
of Shechem, “and set the hold on fire” (Judg.
9:48). Probably the southern peak of Gerizim, now called
SALMON.)
stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 33:41,
42).
Zalmunna – one of the two kings
of Midian whom the “Lord delivered” into the
hands of Gideon. He was slain afterwards with Zebah (Judg.
ZEBAH.)
Zamzummims – a race of giants;
“a people great, and many, and tall, as the
Anakims” (Deut. 2:20, 21). They were overcome by the
Ammonites, “who called them Zamzummims.” They
belonged to the Rephaim, and inhabited the country
afterwards occupied by the Ammonites. It has been
conjectured that they might be Ham-zuzims, i.e., Zuzims
dwelling in Ham, a place apparently to the south of
Ashteroth (Gen. 14:5), the ancient Rabbath-ammon.
Zanoah – marsh. (1.) A town in
the low country or shephelah of Judah, near Zorah (Josh.
15:34). It was re-occupied after the return from the
Captivity (Neh. 11:30). Zanu’ah in Wady Ismail, 10
miles west of Jerusalem, occupies probably the same
site.
(2.) A town in the hill country of Judah, some 10 miles to
the south-west of Hebron (Josh. 15:56).
Zaphnath-paaneah – the name which
Pharaoh gave to Joseph when he raised him to the rank of
prime minister or grand vizier of the kingdom (Gen. 41:45).
This is a pure Egyptian word, and has been variously
explained. Some think it means “creator,” or
“preserver of life.” Brugsch interprets it as
“governor of the district of the place of life”,
i.e., of Goshen, the chief city of which was Pithom,
“the place of life.” Others explain it as meaning
“a revealer of secrets,” or “the man to whom
secrets are revealed.”
“a workshop for the refining and smelting of
metals”, a small Phoenician town, now Surafend, about
a mile from the coast, almost midway on the road between
Tyre and Sidon. Here Elijah sojourned with a poor widow
during the “great famine,” when the “heaven
was shut up three years and six months” (Luke 4:26; 1
Kings 17:10). It is called Sarepta in the New Testament
(Luke 4:26).
crossed the Jordan, as soon as the feet of the priests were
dipped in the water, the flow of the stream was arrested.
The point of arrest was the “city of Adam beside
Zaretan,” probably near Succoth, at the mouth of the
Jabbok, some 30 miles up the river from where the people
were encamped. There the water “stood and rose upon an
heap.” Thus the whole space of 30 miles of the
river-bed was dry, that the tribes might pass over (Josh.
3:16, 17; comp. Ps. 104:3).
Zareth-shahar – the splendour of
the dawn, a city “in the mount of the valley”
(Josh. 13:19). It is identified with the ruins of Zara,
near the mouth of the Wady Zerka Main, on the eastern shore
of the Dead Sea, some 3 miles south of the Callirrhoe. Of
this town but little remains. “A few broken basaltic
columns and pieces of wall about 200 yards back from the
shore, and a ruined fort rather nearer the sea, about the
middle of the coast line of the plain, are all that are
left” (Tristram’s Land of Moab).
Zarthan – a place near Succoth,
in the plain of the Jordan, “in the clay ground,”
near which Hiram cast the brazen utensils for the temple (1
Kings 7:46); probably the same as Zartan. It is also called
Zeredathah (2 Chr. 4:17). (See
ZEREDA.)
10:14.
descendants returned from the Captivity with Zerubbabel
(Ezra 2:8; Neh. 7:13); probably the same as Zatthu.
Zaza – plenty, a descendant of
Judah (1 Chr. 2:33).
Zeal – an earnest temper; may be
enlightened (Num. 25:11-13; 2 Cor. 7:11; 9:2), or ignorant
and misdirected (Rom. 10:2; Phil. 3:6). As a Christian
grace, it must be grounded on right principles and directed
to right ends (Gal. 4:18). It is sometimes ascribed to God
(2 Kings 19:31; Isa. 9:7; 37:32; Ezek. 5:13).
Zealots – a sect of Jews which
originated with Judas the Gaulonite (Acts 5:37). They
refused to pay tribute to the Romans, on the ground that
this was a violation of the principle that God was the only
king of Israel. They rebelled against the Romans, but were
soon scattered, and became a lawless band of mere brigands.
They were afterwards called Sicarii, from their use of the
sica, i.e., the Roman dagger.
Zebadiah – gift of Jehovah. (1.)
A son of Asahel, Joab’s brother (1 Chr. 27:7).
(2.) A Levite who took part as one of the teachers in the
system of national education instituted by Jehoshaphat (2
Chr. 17:7, 8).
(3.) The son of Ishmael, “the ruler of the house of
Judah in all the king’s matters” (2 Chr. 19:8-11).
(4.) A son of Beriah (1 Chr. 8:15).
(5.) A Korhite porter of the Lord’s house (1 Chr.
26:2). Three or four others of this name are also
mentioned.
Zebah – man-killer, or sacrifice,
one of the two kings who led the vast host of the
Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and over whom
Gideon gained a great and decisive victory (Judg. 8). Zebah
and Zalmunna had succeeded in escaping across the Jordan
with a remnant of the Midianite host, but were overtaken at
Karkor, probably in the Hauran, and routed by Gideon. The
kings were taken alive and brought back across the Jordan;
and confessing that they had personally taken part in the
slaughter of Gideon’s brothers, they were put to death
(comp. 1 Sam. 12:11; Isa. 10:26; Ps. 83:11).
Zebaim – (Ezra 2:57; Neh. 7:59).
“Pochereth of Zebaim” should be read as in the
Revised Version, “Pochereth-hazzebaim”
(“snaring the antelopes”), probably the name of
some hunter.
Zebedee – a Galilean fisherman,
the husband of Salome (q.v.), and the father of James and
John, two of our Lord’s disciples (Matt. 4:21; 27:56;
Mark 15:40). He seems to have been a man of some position
in Capernaum, for he had two boats (Luke 5:4) and
“hired servants” (Mark 1:20) of his own. No
mention is made of him after the call of his two sons by
Jesus.
Zeboim – gazelles or roes. (1.)
One of the “five cities of the plain” of Sodom,
generally coupled with Admah (Gen. 10:19; 14:2; Deut.
29:23; Hos. 11:8). It had a king of its own (Shemeber), and
was therefore a place of some importance. It was destroyed
along with the other cities of the plain.
(2.) A valley or rugged glen somewhere near Gibeah in
Benjamin (1 Sam. 13:18). It was probably the ravine now
bearing the name Wady Shakh-ed-Dub’a, or “ravine
of the hyena,” north of Jericho.
(3.) A place mentioned only in Neh. 11:34, inhabited by the
Benjamites after the Captivity.
Josiah and mother of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:36).
Zebul – habitation, the governor
of Shechem under Abimelech (Judg. 9:28, 30, 36). He
informed his master of the intention of the people of
Shechem to transfer their allegiance to the Hivite tribe of
Hamor. This led to Abimelech’s destroying the city,
when he put its entire population to the sword, and sowed
the ruins with salt (Judg. 9:28-45).
Zebulonite – the designation of
Elon, the judge who belonged to the tribe of Zebulun (Judg.
12:11, 12).
Zebulun – dwelling, the sixth and
youngest son of Jacob and Leah (Gen. 30:20). Little is
known of his personal history. He had three sons
(46:14).
Zebulun, Lot of – in Galilee, to
the north of Issachar and south of Asher and Naphtali
(Josh. 19:10-16), and between the Sea of Galilee and the
Mediterranean. According to ancient prophecy this part of
Galilee enjoyed a large share of our Lord’s public
ministry (Isa. 9:1, 2; Matt. 4:12-16).
Zebulun, Tribe of – numbered at
Sinai (Num. 1:31) and before entering Canaan (26:27). It
was one of the tribes which did not drive out the
Canaanites, but only made them tributary (Judg. 1:30). It
took little interest in public affairs. It responded,
however, readily to the summons of Gideon (6:35), and
afterwards assisted in enthroning David at Hebron (1 Chr.
12:33, 40). Along with the other northern tribes, Zebulun
was carried away into the land of Assyria by
Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:29).
In Deborah’s song the words, “Out of Zebulun they
that handle the pen of the writer” (Judg. 5:14) has
been rendered in the R.V., “They that handle the
marshal’s staff.” This is a questionable
rendering. “The word sopher (‘scribe’
or ‘writer’) defines the word shebhet
(‘rod’ or ‘pen’) with which it is
conjoined. The ‘rod of the scribe’ on the Assyrian
monuments was the stylus of wood or metal, with the help of
which the clay tablet was engraved, or the papyrus
inscribed with characters. The scribe who wielded it was
the associate and assistant of the
‘lawgivers.'” (Sayce).
Zechariah – Jehovah is renowned
or remembered. (1.) A prophet of Judah, the eleventh of the
twelve minor prophets. Like Ezekiel, he was of priestly
extraction. He describes himself (1:1) as “the son of
Berechiah.” In Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 he is called
“the son of Iddo,” who was properly his
grandfather. His prophetical career began in the second
year of Darius (B.C. 520), about sixteen years after the
return of the first company from exile. He was contemporary
with Haggai (Ezra 5:1).
His book consists of two distinct parts, (1) chapters 1 to
8, inclusive, and (2) 9 to the end. It begins with a
preface (1:1-6), which recalls the nation’s past
history, for the purpose of presenting a solemn warning to
the present generation. Then follows a series of eight
visions (1:7-6:8), succeeding one another in one night,
which may be regarded as a symbolical history of Israel,
intended to furnish consolation to the returned exiles and
stir up hope in their minds. The symbolical action, the
crowning of Joshua (6:9-15), describes how the kingdoms of
the world become the kingdom of God’s Christ.
Chapters 7 and 8, delivered two years later, are an answer
to the question whether the days of mourning for the
destruction of the city should be any longer kept, and an
encouraging address to the people, assuring them of
God’s presence and blessing.
The second part of the book (ch. 9-14) bears no date. It is
probable that a considerable interval separates it from the
first part. It consists of two burdens.
The first burden (ch. 9-11) gives an outline of the course
of God’s providential dealings with his people down to
the time of the Advent.
The second burden (ch. 12-14) points out the glories that
await Israel in “the latter day”, the final
conflict and triumph of God’s kingdom.
(2.) The son or grandson of Jehoiada, the high priest in
the times of Ahaziah and Joash. After the death of Jehoiada
he boldly condemned both the king and the people for their
rebellion against God (2 Chr. 24:20), which so stirred up
their resentment against him that at the king’s
commandment they stoned him with stones, and he died
“in the court of the house of the Lord” (24:21).
Christ alludes to this deed of murder in Matt. 23:35, Luke
11:51. (See ZACHARIAS ¯T0003862 [2].)
(3.) A prophet, who had “understanding in the seeing
of God,” in the time of Uzziah, who was much indebted
to him for his wise counsel (2 Chr. 26:5).
Besides these, there is a large number of persons mentioned
in Scripture bearing this name of whom nothing is known.
(4.) One of the chiefs of the tribe of Reuben (1 Chr. 5:7).
(5.) One of the porters of the tabernacle (1 Chr. 9:21).
(6.) 1 Chr. 9:37.
(7.) A Levite who assisted at the bringing up of the ark
from the house of Obededom (1 Chr. 15:20-24).
(8.) A Kohathite Levite (1 Chr. 24:25).
(9.) A Merarite Levite (1 Chr. 27:21).
(10.) The father of Iddo (1 Chr. 27:21).
(11.) One who assisted in teaching the law to the people in
the time of Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 17:7).
(12.) A Levite of the sons of Asaph (2 Chr. 20:14).
(13.) One of Jehoshaphat’s sons (2 Chr. 21:2).
(14.) The father of Abijah, who was the mother of Hezekiah
(2 Chr. 29:1).
(15.) One of the sons of Asaph (2 Chr. 29:13).
(16.) One of the “rulers of the house of God” (2
Chr. 35:8).
(17.) A chief of the people in the time of Ezra, who
consulted him about the return from captivity (Ezra 8:16);
probably the same as mentioned in Neh. 8:4,
(18.) Neh. 11:12.
(19.) Neh. 12:16.
(20.) Neh. 12:35,41.
(21.) Isa. 8:2.
Zedad – side; sloping place, a
town in the north of Palestine, near Hamath (Num. 34:8;
Ezek. 47:15). It has been identified with the ruins of
Sudud, between Emesa (Hums) and Baalbec, but that is
uncertain.
Jehovah. (1.) The last king of Judah. He was the third son
of Josiah, and his mother’s name was Hamutal, the
daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, and hence he was the
brother of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31; 24:17, 18). His
original name was Mattaniah; but when Nebuchadnezzar placed
him on the throne as the successor to Jehoiachin he changed
his name to Zedekiah. The prophet Jeremiah was his
counsellor, yet “he did evil in the sight of the
Lord” (2 Kings 24:19, 20; Jer. 52:2, 3). He ascended
the throne at the age of twenty-one years. The kingdom was
at that time tributary to Nebuchadnezzar; but, despite the
strong remonstrances of Jeremiah and others, as well as the
example of Jehoiachin, he threw off the yoke of Babylon,
and entered into an alliance with Hophra, king of Egypt.
This brought up Nebuchadnezzar, “with all his
host” (2 King 25:1), against Jerusalem. During this
siege, which lasted about eighteen months, “every
worst woe befell the devoted city, which drank the cup of
God’s fury to the dregs” (2 Kings 25:3; Lam. 4:4,
5, 10). The city was plundered and laid in ruins. Zedekiah
and his followers, attempting to escape, were made captive
and taken to Riblah. There, after seeing his own children
put to death, his own eyes were put out, and, being loaded
with chains, he was carried captive (B.C. 588) to Babylon
(2 Kings 25:1-7; 2 Chr. 36:12; Jer. 32:4,5; 34:2, 3;
39:1-7; 52:4-11; Ezek. 12:12), where he remained a
prisoner, how long is unknown, to the day of his death.
After the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuzaraddan was sent to carry
out its complete destruction. The city was razed to the
ground. Only a small number of vinedressers and husbandmen
were permitted to remain in the land (Jer. 52:16).
Gedaliah, with a Chaldean guard stationed at Mizpah, ruled
over Judah (2 Kings 25:22, 24; jer. 40:1, 2, 5, 6).
(2.) The son of Chenaanah, a false prophet in the days of
Ahab (1 Kings 22:11, 24; 2 Chr. 18:10, 23).
(3.) The son of Hananiah, a prince of Judah in the days of
Jehoiakim (Jer. 36:12).
Zeeb – the wolf, one of the two
leaders of the great Midianite host which invaded Israel
and was utterly routed by Gideon. The division of that
host, which attempted to escape across the Jordan, under
Oreb and Zeeb, was overtaken by the Ephraimites, who, in a
great battle, completely vanquished them, their leaders
being taken and slain (Judg. 7:25; Ps. 83:11; Isa.
10:26).
Zelah – slope; side, a town in
Benjamin, where Saul and his son Jonathan were buried (2
Sam. 21:14). It was probably Saul’s birthplace.
Zelek – cleft, an Ammonite; one
of David’s valiant men (2 Sam. 23:37).
Zelophehad – first-born, of the
tribe of Manasseh, and of the family of Gilead; died in the
wilderness. Having left no sons, his daughters, concerned
lest their father’s name should be “done away from
among his family,” made an appeal to Moses, who, by
divine direction, appointed it as “a statute of
judgment” in Israel that daughters should inherit
their father’s portion when no sons were left (Num.
27:1-11). But that the possession of Zelophehad might not
pass away in the year of jubilee from the tribe to which he
belonged, it was ordained by Moses that his daughters
should not marry any one out of their father’s tribe;
and this afterwards became a general law (Num. 36).
Zelotes – (Luke 6:15). See SIMON
ZEALOTS.
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