Whale

As to the signification of the Hebrew terms tan and tannin, variously rendered in the Authorized Version by "dragon," "whale," "serpent," "sea-monster" see [1292]Dragon. It remains for us in this article to consider the transaction recorded in the book of Jonah, of that prophet having been swallowed up by some great fish" which in (Matthew 12:40) is called cetos (ketos), rendered in our version by "whale." In the first glace, it is necessary to observe that the Greek word cetos, used by St. Matthew is not restricted in its meaning to "a whale," or any Cetacean ; like the Latin cete or cetus, it may denote any sea-monster, either "a whale," Or "a shark," or "a seal," or "a tunny of enormous size." Although two or three species of whale are found in the Mediterranean Sea, yet the "great fish" that swallowed the prophet cannot properly be identified with any Cetacean, for, although the sperm whale has a gullet sufficiently large to admit the body of a man, yet, it can hardly be the fish intended, as the natural food of Cetaceans consists of small animals, such as medusae and crustacea. The only fish, then, capable of swallowing a man would be a large specimen of the white shark (Carcharias vulgaris), that dreaded enemy of sailors, and the most voracious of the family of Squalidae . This shark, which sometimes attains the length of thirty feet, is quite able to swallow a man whole. The whole body of a man in armor has been found in the stomach of a white shark: and Captain King, in his survey of Australia, says he had caught one which could have swallowed a man with the greatest ease. Blumenbach mentions that a whole horse has' been found in a shark, and Captain Basil Hall reports the taking of one in which, besides other things, he found the whole skin of a buffalo which a short time before had been thrown overboard from his ship (p. 27). The white shark is not uncommon in the Mediterranean.


Wheat

the well-known valuable cereal, cultivated from the earliest times, is first mentioned in ((Genesis 30:14) in the account of Jacob's sojourn with Laban in Mesopotamia. Egypt in ancient times was celebrated for the growth of its wheat; the best quality was all bearded; and the same varieties existed in ancient as in modern times, among which may be mentioned the seven-eared quality described in Pharaoh's dream. (Genesis 41:22) Babylonia was also noted for the excellence of its wheat and other cereals. Syria and Palestine produced wheat of fine quality and in large quantities. (Psalms 81:16; 147:14) etc. There appear to be two or three kinds of wheat at present grown in Palestine, the Triticum vulgare, the T. spelta, and another variety of bearded wheat which appears to be the same as the Egyptian kind, the T. compositum . In the parable of the sower our Lord alludes to grains of wheat which in good ground produce a hundred-fold. (Matthew 13:8) The common Triticum vulgare will sometimes produce one hundred grains in the ear. Wheat is reaped to ward the end of April, in May, and in June, according to the differences of soil and position; it was sown either broadcast and then ploughed in or trampled in by cattle, (Isaiah 32:20) or in rows, if we rightly understand (Isaiah 28:25) which seems to imply that the seeds were planted apart in order to insure larger and fuller ears. The wheat was put into the ground in the winter, and some time after the barley; in the Egyptian plague of hail, consequently, the barley suffered, but the wheat had not appeared, and so escaped injury.


Widow

Under the Mosaic dispensation no legal provision was made for the maintenance of widows. They were left dependent partly on the affection of relations, more especially of the eldest son, whose birthright, or extra share of the property, imposed such a duty upon him, and partly on the privileges accorded to other distressed classes, such as a participation in the triennial third tithe, (14:29; 26:12) in leasing, (24:19-21) and in religious feasts. (16:11,14) With regard to the remarriage of widows, the only restriction imposed by the Mosaic law had reference to the contingency of one being left childless in which case the brother of the deceased husband had a right to marry the widow. (25:5,6; Matthew 22:23-30) In the apostolic Church the widows were sustained at the public expense, the relief being daily administered in kind, under the superintendence of officers appointed for this special purpose, (Acts 6:1-6) Particular directions are given by St.Paul as to the class of persons entitled to such public maintenance. (1 Timothy 5:3-16) Out of the body of such widows a certain number were to be enrolled, the qualifications for such enrollment being that they were not under sixty years of age; that they had been "the wife of one man," probably meaning but once married ; and that they had led useful and charitable lives. vs. (1 Timothy 5:9,10) We are not disposed to identify the widows of the Bible either with the deaconesses or with the presbutides Of the early Church. The order of widows existed as a separate institution, contemporaneously with these offices, apparently for the same eleemosynary purpose for which it was originally instituted.


Wilderness Of The Wandering

(The region in which the Israelites spent nearly 38 years of their existence after they had left Egypt, and spent a year before Mount Sinai. They went as far as Kadesh, on the southernmost border of Palestine, from which place spies were sent up into the promised land. These returned with such a report of the inhabitants and their walled cities that the people were discouraged, and began to murmur and rebel. For their sin they were compelled to remain 38 years longer in the wilderness, because it showed that they were not yet prepared and trained to conquer and to hold their promised possessions. The wilderness of the wandering was the great central limestone plateau of the sinaitic peninsula. It was bordered on the east by the valley of the Arabah, which runs from the Dead Sea to the head of the eastern branch of the Red Sea. On the south and south west were the granite mountains of Sinai and on the north the Mediterranean Sea and the mountainous region south of Judea. It is called the Desert of Paran, and Badiet et-Tih, which means "Desert of the Wandering." The children of Israel were not probably marching as a nation from place to place in this wilder new during these 38 years, but they probably had a kind of headquarters at Kadesh, and were "compelled to linger on as do the Bedouin Arabs of the present day, in a half-savage, homeless state, moving about from place to place, and pitching their tents wherever they could find pasture for their flocks and herds."--E.H. Palmer. Toward the close of the forty years from Egypt they again assembled at Kadesh, and, once more under the leadership of the Shechinah, they marched down the Arabah on their way to the promised land.--ED.)


Willows

are mentioned in (Leviticus 23:40; Job 40:22; Psalms 137:2; Isaiah 44:4) With respect to the tree upon which the captive Israelites hung their harps, there can be no doubt that the weeping willow Salix babylonica, is intended. This tree grows abundantly on the banks of the Euphrates, in other parts of Asia as in Palestine. The Hebrew word translated willows is generic, and includes several species of the large family of Salices, which is well represented in Palestine and the Bible lands, such as the Salix alba, S. viminalis (osier), S. aegyptiaca .


Willows, The Brook Of The

a wady mentioned by Isaiah, (Isaiah 15:7) in his dirge over Moab. It is situated on the southern boundary of Moab, and is now called Wady el-Aksa.


Wills

Under a system of close inheritance like that of the Jews, the scope forbid bequest in respect of land was limited by the right of redemption and general re-entry in the jubilee year; but the law does not forbid bequests by will of such limited interest in land as was consistent with those rights. The case of houses in walled towns was different, and there can be no doubt that they must, in fact, have frequently been bequeathed by will, (Leviticus 25:30) Two instances are recorded in the Old Testament under the law of the testamentary disposition, (1) effected in the case of Ahithophel, (2 Samuel 17:23) (2) recommended in the case of Hezekiah. (2 Kings 20:1; Isaiah 38:1) [[1294]Heir]


Wimple

an old English word for hood or veil, used in the Authorized Version of (Isaiah 3:22) The same Hebrew word is translated "veil" in (Ruth 3:15) but it signifies rather a kind of shawl of mantle.


Window

The window of an Oriental house consists generally of an aperture closed in with lattice-work. (Judges 5:28; Proverbs 7:6) Authorized Version "casement;" (Ecclesiastes 12:3) Authorized Version "window;" (Song of Solomon 2:9; Hosea 13:3) Authorized Version "chimney." Glass has been introduced into Egypt in modern times as a protection against the cold of winter, but lattice-work is still the usual, and with the poor the only, contrivance for closing the window. The windows generally look into the inner court of the house, but in every house one or more look into the street. In Egypt these outer windows generally project over the doorway. [[1295]House]


Winds

That the Hebrews recognized the existence of four prevailing winds as issuing, broadly speaking, from the four cardinal points, north, south, east and west, may be inferred from their custom of using the expression "four winds" as equivalent to the "four quarters" of the hemisphere. (Ezekiel 37:9; Daniel 8:8; Zechariah 2:6; Matthew 24:31) The north wind, or, as it was usually called "the north," was naturally the coldest of the four, Ecclus. 43:20 and its presence is hence invoked as favorable to vegetation in (Song of Solomon 4:16) It is described in (Proverbs 25:23) as bringing rain; in this case we must understand the northwest wind. The northwest wind prevails from the autumnal equinox to the beginning of November, and the north wind from June to the equinox. The east wind crosses the sandy wastes of Arabia Deserts before reaching Palestine and was hence termed "the wind of the wilderness." (Job 1:19; Jeremiah 13:14) It blows with violence, and is hence supposed to be used generally for any violent wind. (Job 27:21; 38:24; Psalms 48:7; Isaiah 27:8; Ezekiel 27:26) In Palestine the east wind prevails from February to June. The south wind, which traverses the Arabian peninsula before reaching Palestine, must necessarily be extremely hot. (Job 37:17; Luke 12:55) The west and southwest winds reach Palestine loaded with moisture gathered from the Mediterranean, and are hence expressly termed by the Arabs "the fathers of the rain." Westerly winds prevail in Palestine from November to February. In addition to the four regular winds, we have notice in the Bible of the local squalls, (Mark 4:37; Luke 8:23) to which the Sea of Gennesareth was liable. In the narrative of St. Paul's voyage we meet with the Greek term Lips to describe the southwest wind; the Latin Carus or Caurus, the northwest wind (Acts 27:12) and Euroclydon, a wind of a very violent character coming from east-northeast. (Acts 27:14)


Wine

The manufacture of wine is carried back in the Bible to the age of Noah, (Genesis 9:20,21) to whom the discovery of the process is apparently, though not explicitly, attributed. The natural history and culture of the vine are described under a separate head. [[1296]Vine] The only other plant whose fruit is noticed as having been converted into wine was the pomegranate. (Song of Solomon 8:2) In Palestine the vintage takes place in September, and is celebrated with great rejoicing. The ripe fruit was gathered in baskets, (Jeremiah 6:9) as represented in Egyptian paintings, and was carried to the wine-press. It was then placed in the upper one of the two vats or receptacles of which the winepress was formed, and was subjected to the process of "treading," which has prevailed in all ages in Oriental and south European countries. (Nehemiah 13:15; Job 24:11; Isaiah 18:10; Jeremiah 25:30; 48:33; Amos 9:13; Revelation 19:15) A certain amount of juice exuded front the ripe fruit from its own pressure before treading commenced. This appears to have been kept separate from the rest of the juice, and to have formed the "sweet wine" noticed in (Acts 2:13) [See below] The "treading" was effected by one or more men, according to the size of the vat. They encouraged one another by shouts. (Isaiah 16:9,10; Jeremiah 25:30; 48:33) Their legs and garments were dyed red with the juice. (Genesis 40:11; Isaiah 63:2,3) The expressed juice escaped by an aperture into the lower vat, or was at once collected in vessels. A hand-press was occasionally used in Egypt, but we have no notice of such an instrument in the Bible. As to the subsequent treatment of the wine we have but little information. Sometimes it was preserved in its unfermented state and drunk as must, but more generally it was bottled off after fermentation and if it were designed to be kept for some time a certain amount of lees was added to give it body. (Isaiah 25:6) The wine consequently required to be "refined" or strained previous to being brought to table. (Isaiah 25:6) To wine, is attributed the "darkly-flashing eye," (Genesis 40:12) Authorized Version "red," the unbridled tongue, (Proverbs 20:1; Isaiah 28:7) the excitement of the spirit, (Proverbs 31:6; Isaiah 5:11; Zechariah 9:15; 10:7) the enchained affections of its votaries, (Hosea 4:11) the perverted judgment, (Proverbs 31:5; Isaiah 28:7) the indecent exposure, (Habakkuk 2:15,16) and the sickness resulting from the heat (chemah, Authorized Version "bottles") of wine. (Hosea 7:5) The allusions to the effects of tirosh are confined to a single passage, but this a most decisive one, viz. (Hosea 4:11) "Whoredom and wine (yayin) and new wine (tirosh) take away the heart," where tirosh appears as the climax of engrossing influences, in immediate connection with yayin . It has been disputed whether the Hebrew wine was fermented; but the impression produced on the mind by a general review of the above notices is that the Hebrew words indicating wine refer to fermented, intoxicating wine. The notices of fermentation are not very decisive. A certain amount of fermentation is implied in the distension of the leather bottles when new wine was placed in them, and which was liable to burst old bottles. It is very likely that new wine was preserved in the state of must by placing it in jars or bottles and then burying it in the earth. The mingling that we read of in conjunction with wine may have been designed either to increase or to diminish the strength of the wine, according as spices or water formed the ingredient that was added. The notices chiefly favor the former view; for mingled liquor was prepared for high festivals, (Proverbs 9:2,5) and occasions of excess. (Proverbs 23:30; Isaiah 5:22) At the same time strength was not the sole object sought; the wine "mingled with myrrh," given to Jesus, was designed to deaden pain, (Mark 15:23) and the spiced pomegranate wine prepared by the bride, (Song of Solomon 8:2) may well have been of a mild character. In the New Testament the character of the "sweet wine," noticed in (Acts 2:13) calls for some little remark. It could not be new wine in the proper sense of the term, inasmuch as about eight months must have elapsed between the vintage and the feast of Pentecost. The explanations of the ancient lexicographers rather lead us to infer that its luscious qualities were due, not to its being recently made, but to its being produced from the very purest juice of the grape. There can be little doubt that the wines of palestine varied in quality, and were named after the localities in which they were made. The only wines of which we have special notice belonged to Syria these were the wine of Helbon (Ezekiel 27:18) and the wine of Lebanon, famed for its aroma. (Hosea 14:7) With regard to the uses of wine in private life there is little to remark. It was produced on occasions of ordinary hospitality, (Genesis 14:18) and at festivals, such as marriages. (John 2:3) Under the Mosaic law wine formed the usual drink offering that accompanied the daily sacrifice, (Exodus 29:40) the presentation of the first-fruits, (Leviticus 23:13) and other offerings. (Numbers 15:5) Tithe was to be paid of wine, as of other products. The priest was also to receive first-fruits of wine, as of other articles. (18:4) comp. (Exodus 22:29) The use of wine at the paschal feast was not enjoined by the law, but had become an established custom, at all events in the post-Babylonian period. The wine was mixed with warm water on these occasions. Hence in the early Christian Church it was usual to mix the sacramental wine with water. (The simple wines of antiquity were incomparably less deadly than the stupefying and ardent beverages of our western nations. The wines of antiquity were more like sirups; many of them were not intoxicant; many more intoxicant in a small degree; and all of them, as a rule, taken only when largely diluted with water. They contained, even undiluted, but 4 or 5 percent of alcohol.--Cannon Farrar.)


Winepress

From the scanty notices contained in the Bible we gather that, the wine-presses of the Jews consisted of two receptacles of vats placed at different elevations, in the upper one of which the grapes were trodden, while the lower one received the expressed juice. The two vats are mentioned together only in (Joel 3:13) "The press is full: the fats overflow"--the upper vat being full of fruit, the lower one overflowing with the must. [[1297]Wine] The two vats were usually hewn out of the solid rock. (Isaiah 5:2) margin; (Matthew 21:33) Ancient winepresses, so constructed, are still to he seen in Palestine.


Wisdom, The, Of Solomon

a, book of the Apocrypha, may be divided into two parts, the first, chs. 1-9, containing the doctrine of wisdom in its moral and intellectual aspects: the second, the doctrine of wisdom as shown in history. chs. 10-19. The first part contains the praise of wisdom as the source of immortality, in contrast with the teaching of sensualists; and next the praise of wisdom as the guide of practical and intellectual life, the stay of princes, and the interpreter of the universe. The second part, again, follows the action of wisdom summarily, as preserving God's servants, from Adam to Moses, and more particularly in the punishment of the Egyptians and Canaanites. Style and language .--The literary character of the book is most remarkable and interesting. In the richness and freedom of its vocabulary it most closely resembles the Fourth Book of Maccabees, but it is superior to that fine declamation in both power and variety of diction. The magnificent description of wisdom ch. 7:22-8:1, must rank among the noblest passages of human eloquence, and it would be perhaps impossible to point out any piece of equal length in the remains of classical antiquity more pregnant with noble thought or more rich in expressive phraseology. Doctrinal character.--The theological teaching of the book offers, in many respects, the nearest approach to the language and doctrines of Greek philosophy that is found in any Jewish writing up to the time of Philo. There is much in the views which it gives of the world of man and of the divine nature which springs rather from the combination or conflict of Hebrew and Greek thought than from the independent development of Hebrew thought alone. The conception is presented of the body as a mere weight and clog to the soul. ch, 9:15; contrast (2 Corinthians 5:1-4) There is, on the other hand no trace of the characteristic Christian doctrine of a resurrection of the body. The identification of the tempter, (Genesis 3:1) ... directly or indirectly with the devil, as the bringer "of death into the world" ch. 2:23, 24, is the most remarkable development of biblical doctrine which the book contains. Generally, too, it may be observed that, as in the cognate books, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, there are few traces of the recognition of the sinfulness even of the wise man in his wisdom, which forms in the Psalms and the prophets, the basis of the Christian doctrine of the atonement: yet comp. (Genesis 15:2) In connection with the Old Testament Scriptures, the book, as a whole, may be regarded as carrying on one step farther the great problem of life contained in Ecclesiastes and Job. Date.--From internal evidence it seems most reasonable to believe that the work was composed in Greek at Alexandria some time before the time of Philo-about 120-80 B.C. It seems impossible to study this book dispassionately and not feel that it forms one of the last links in the chain of providential connection between the Old and New Covenants. It would not be easy to find elsewhere any pre-Christian view of religion equally wide, sustained and definite.


Witness

Among people with whom writing is not common the evidence of a transaction is given by some tangible memorial or significant ceremony: Abraham gave seven ewe-lambs to Abimelech as an evidence of his property in the well of Beersheba. Jacob raised a heap of stones, "the heap of witness." as a boundary-mark between himself and Laban. (Genesis 21:30; 31:47,52) The tribes of Reuben and Gad raised an "altar" as a witness to the covenant between themselves and the rest of the nation. Joshua set up a stone as an evidence of the allegiance promised by Israel to God. (Joshua 22:10,26,34; 24:26,27) But written evidence was by no means unknown to the Jews. Divorce was to be proved by a written document. (24:1,3) In civil contracts, at least in later times documentary evidence was required and carefully preserved. (Isaiah 8:16; Jeremiah 32:10-16) On the whole the law was very careful to provide and enforce evidence for all its infractions and all transactions bearing on them. Among special provisions with respect to evidence are the following:

+ Two witnesses at least are required to establish any charge. (Numbers 35:30; 17:6; John 8:17; 2 Corinthians 13:1) comp. 1Tim 5:19 + In the case of the suspected wife, evidence besides the husband's was desired. (Numbers 5:13) + The witness who withheld the truth was censured. (Leviticus 5:1) + False witness was punished with the penalty due to the offence which it sought to establish. + Slanderous reports and officious witness are discouraged. (Exodus 20:16; 23:1; Leviticus 18:16,18) etc. + The witnesses were the first executioners. (15:9; 17:7; Acts 7:58) + In case of an animal left in charge and torn by wild beasts, the keeper was to bring the carcass in proof of the fact and disproof of his own criminality. (Exodus 22:13) + According to Josephus, women and slaves were not admitted to bear testimony. In the New Testament the original notion of a witness is exhibited in the special form of one who attests his belief in the gospel by personal suffering. Hence it is that the use of the ecclesiastical term ("martyr." the Greek word for "witness," has arisen.


Wolf

There can be little doubt that the wolf of Palestine is the common Canis lupus, and that this is the animal so frequently mentioned in the Bible. (The wolf is a fierce animal of the same species as the dog, which it resembles. The common color is gray with a tinting of fawn, and the hair is long and black. The Syrian wolf is of lighter color than the wolf of Europe it is the dread of the shepherds of Palestine.--ED.) Wolves were doubtless far more common in biblical times than they are now, though they are occasionally seen by modern travellers. The following are the scriptural allusions to the wolf: Its ferocity is mentioned in (Genesis 49:27; Ezekiel 22:27); Habb 1:8; Matt 7:15 Its nocturnal habits, in (Jeremiah 5:6; Zephaniah 3:3); Habb 1:8 Its attacking sheep and lambs, (Matthew 10:16; Luke 10:3; John 10:12) Isaiah (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25) foretells the peaceful reign of the Messiah under the metaphor of a wolf dwelling with a lamb: cruel persecutors are compared with wolves. (Matthew 10:16; Acts 20:29)


Women

The position of women in the Hebrew commonwealth contrasts favorably with that which in the present day is assigned to them generally in eastern countries. The most salient point of contrast in the usages of ancient as compared with modern Oriental society was the large amount of liberty enjoyed by women. Instead of being immured in a harem, or appearing in public with the face covered. The wives and maidens of ancient times mingled freely and openly with the other sex in the duties and amenities of ordinary life. Rebekah travelled on a camel with her face unveiled until she came into the presence of her affianced. (Genesis 24:64,65) Jacob saluted Rachel with a kiss in the presence of the shepherds. (Genesis 29:11) Women played no inconsiderable part in public celebrations (Exodus 15:20,21; Judges 11:34) The odes of Deborah, Judg 5, and of Hannah, (1 Samuel 2:1) etc., exhibit a degree of intellectual cultivation which is in itself a proof of the position of the sex in that period. Women also occasionally held public office, particularly that of prophetess or inspired teacher. (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Nehemiah 6:14; Luke 2:36) The management of household affairs devolved mainly on the women. The value of a virtuous and active housewife forms a frequent topic in the book of Proverbs. ch. (Proverbs 11:16; 12:4; 14:1; 31:10) etc. Her influence was of course proportionably great.


Wool

was an article of the highest value among the Jews, as the staple material for the manufacture of clothing. (Leviticus 13:47; 22:11; Job 31:20; Proverbs 31:13; Ezekiel 34:3; Hosea 2:5) The importance of wool is incidentally shown by the notice that Mesha's tribute was paid in a certain number of rams "with the wool." (2 Kings 3:1) The wool of Damascus was highly prized in the mart of Tyre. (Ezekiel 27:18)


Worm

the representative in the Authorized Version of several Hebrew words. Sas, which occurs in (Isaiah 51:18) probably denotes some particular species of moth, whose larva is injurious to wool. Rimmah, (Exodus 16:20) points evidently to various kinds of maggots and the larvae of insects which feed on putrefying animal matter, rather than to earthworms. Toleah is applied in (28:39) to some kinds of larvae destructive to the vines. In (Job 19:26; 21:26; 24:20) there is an allusion to worms (insect larvae) feeding on the dead bodies of the buried. There is the same allusion in (Isaiah 66:24) which words are applied by our Lord, (Mark 9:44,46,48) metaphorically to the torments of the guilty in the world of departed spirits. The valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, where the filth of the city was cast, was alive with worms. The death of Herod Agrippa I, was caused by worms. (Acts 12:23)


Wormwood

Four kinds of wormwood are found in Palestine-- Artemisia nilotica, A. Judaica, A. fructicosa and A. cinerea . The word occurs frequently in the Bible, and generally in a metaphorical sense. In (Jeremiah 9:15; 23:15; Lamentations 3:15,19) wormwood is symbolical of bitter calamity and sorrow; unrighteous judges are said to "turn judgment to wormwood." (Amos 5:7) The Orientals typified sorrows, cruelties and calamities of any kind by plants of a poisonous or bitter nature.


Worshipper

a translation of the Greek word neocoros, used once only, (Acts 19:35) in the margin, "temple-keeper." The neocoros was originally an attendant in a temple probably intrusted with its charge. The term neocoros became thus applied to cities or communities which undertook the worship of particular emperors even during their lives. The first occurrence of the term in connection with Ephesus is on coins of the age of Nero, A.D. 54-68.


Writing

There is no account in the Bible of the origin of writing. That the Egyptians in the time of Joseph were acquainted with writing of a certain kind there is evidence to prove, but there is nothing to show that up to this period the knowledge extended to the Hebrew family. At the same time there is no evidence against it. Writing is first distinctly mentioned in (Exodus 17:14) and the connection clearly implies that it was not then employed for the first time but was so familiar as to be used for historic records. It is not absolutely necessary to infer from this that the art of writing was an accomplishment possessed by every Hebrew citizen. If we examine the instances in which writing is mentioned in connection with individuals, we shall find that in all cases the writers were men of superior position. In (Isaiah 29:11,12) there is clearly a distinction drawn between the man who was able to read and the man who was not, and it seems a natural inference that the accomplishments of reading and writing were not widely spread among the people, when we find that they are universally attributed to those of high rank or education-kings, priests, prophets and professional scribes. In the name Kirjathsepher (book-town), (Joshua 15:15) there is an indication of a knowledge of writing among the Phoenicians. The Hebrews, then, a branch of the great Semitic family, being in possession of the art of writing, according to their own historical records, at a very early period, the further questions arise, what character they made use of, and whence they obtained it. Recent investigations have shown that the square Hebrew character is of comparatively modern date, and has been formed from a more ancient type by a gradual process of development. What then was this ancient type? Most probably the Phoenician. Pliny was of opinion that letters were of Assyrian origin. Dioderus Siculus (v. 74) says that the Syrians invented letters, and from them the Phoenicians, having learned them transferred them to the Greeks. According to Tacitus (Ann. xi. 14,, Egypt was believed to be the source whence the Phoenicians got their knowledge. Be this as it may, to the Phoenicians, the daring seamen and adventurous colonizers of the ancient world the voice of tradition has assigned the honor of the invention of letters. Whether it came to them from an Aramean or an Egyptian source can at best he but the subject of conjecture. It may, however, be reasonably inferred that the ancient Hebrews derived from or shared with the Phoenicians the knowledge of writing and the use of letters. The names of the Hebrew letters indicate that they must have been the invention of a Shemitic people, and that they were moreover a pastoral people may be inferred from the same evidence. But whether or not the Phoenicians were the inventors of the Shemitic alphabet, there can be no doubt of their just claim to being its chief disseminators; and with this understanding we may accept the genealogy of alphabets as given by Gesenius, and exhibited in the accompanying table. The old Semitic alphabets may he divided into two principal classes:

+ The Phoenician as it exists in the inscriptions in Cyprus, Malta, Carpentras, and the coins of Phoenicia and her colonies. From it are derived the Samaritan and the Greek character. + The Hebrew-Chaldee character; to which belong the Hebrew square character; the which has some traces of a cursive hand; the Estrangelo, or ancient Syriac; and the ancient Arabic or Cufic. It was probably about the first or second century after Christ that the square character assumed its present form; though in a question involved in so much uncertainty it is impossible to pronounce with great positiveness. The alphabet .--The oldest evidence on the subject of the Hebrew alphabet is derived from the alphabetical psalms and poems: Psal 25,34,37,111,112,119,145; (Proverbs 31:10-31; Lamentations 1:1-4) From these we ascertain that the number of the letters was twenty-two, as at present. The Arabic alphabet originally consisted of the same number. It has been argued by many that the alphabet of the Phoenicians at first consisted of only sixteen letters. The legend, as told by Pliny (vii. 56), is as follows; Cadmus brought with him into Greece sixteen letters; at the time of the Trojan war Palamedes added four others, theta, epsilon, phi, chi, and Simonides of Melos four more dzeta, eta, psi, omega. Divisions of words.--Hebrew was originally written, like most ancient languages, without any divisions between the words. The same is the case with the Phoenician inscriptions, The various readings in the LXX. show that, at the version was made, in the Hebrew MSS. which the translators used the words were written in a continuous series. The modern synagogue rolls and the MSS. of the Samaritan Pentateuch have no vowel-points, but the words are divided, and the Samaritan in this respect differs hut little from the Hebrew. Writing materials, etc.--The oldest documents which contain the writing of a Semitic race are probably the bricks of Nineveh and Babylon, on which are impressed the cuneiform Syrian inscriptions. There is, however, no evidence that they were ever used by the Hebrews. It is highly probable that the ancient as well as the most common material which the Hebrews used for writing was dressed skin in some form or other. We know that the dressing of skins was practiced by the Hebrews, (Exodus 25:5; Leviticus 13:48) and they may have acquired the knowledge of the art from the Egyptians, among whom if had attained great perfection, the leather-cutters constituting one of the principal subdivisions of the third caste. Perhaps the Hebrews may have borrowed among their either acquirements, the use of papyrus from the Egyptians, but of this we have no positive evidence. In the Bible the only allusions to the use of papyrus are in (2 John 1:12) where chartes (Authorized Version "paper") occurs, which refers especially to papyrus paper, and 3 Macc. 4:20, where charteria is found in the same sense. Herodotus, after telling us that the Ionians learned the art of writing from the Phoenicians, adds that they called their books skins, because they made use of sheep-skins and goat-skins when short of paper. Parchment was used for the MSS. of the Pentateuch in the time of Josephus, and the membranae of (2 Timothy 4:13) were skins of parchment. It was one of the provisions in the Talmud that the law should be written on the skins of clean animals, tame or wild, or even of clean birds. The skins when written upon were formed into rolls (megilloth). (Psalms 40:7) comp. Isai 34:4; Jere 36:14; Ezek 2:9; Zech 5:1 They were rolled upon one or two sticks and fastened with a thread, the ends of which were sealed. (Isaiah 29:11; Daniel 12:4; Revelation 5:1) etc. The rolls were generally written on one side only, except in (Ezekiel 2:9; Revelation 5:1) They were divided into columns (Authorized Version "leaves,") (Jeremiah 36:23) the upper margin was to be not less than three fingers broad, the lower not less than four; and a space of two fingers breadth was to be left between every two columns. But besides skins, which were used for the more permanent kinds of writing, tablets of wood covered with wax, (Luke 11:63) served for the ordinary purposes of life. Several of these were fastened together and formed volumes. They were written upon with a pointed style, (Job 19:24) sometimes of iron. (Psalms 45:1; Jeremiah 8:8; 17:1) For harder materials a graver, (Exodus 32:4; Isaiah 8:1) was employed. For parchment or skins a reed was used. (3 John 1:13) 3 Macc. 5:20. The ink, (Jeremiah 36:18) literally "black," like the Greek melan, (2 Corinthians 3:3; 2 John 1:12; 3 John 1:13) was of lampblack dissolved in gall-juice. It was carried in an inkstand which was suspended at the girdle, (Ezekiel 9:2,3) as is done at the present day in the East. To professional scribes there are allusions in (Ezra 7:8; Psalms 45:1) 2 Esdr. 14:24.


Yarn

The notice of yarn is contained in an extremely obscure passage in (1 Kings 10:28; 2 Chronicles 1:16) The Hebrew Received Text is questionable. Gesenius gives the sense of "number" as applying equally to the merchants and the horses: "A band of the king's merchants bought a drove (of horses) at a price."


Year

the highest ordinary division of time. Two years were known to, and apparently used by, the Hebrews.

+ A year of 360 days appears to have been in use in Noah's time. + The year used by the Hebrews from the time of the exodus may: be said to have been then instituted, since a current month, Abib, on the 14th day of which the first Passover was kept, was then made the first month of the year. The essential characteristics of this year can be clearly determined, though we cannot fix those of any single year. It was essentially solar for the offering of productions of the earth, first-fruits, harvest produce and ingathered fruits, was fixed to certain days of the year, two of which were in the periods of great feasts, the third itself a feast reckoned from one of the former days. But it is certain that the months were lunar, each commencing with a new moon. There must therefore have been some method of adjustment. The first point to be decided is how the commencement of each gear was fixed. Probably the Hebrews determined their new year's day by the observation of heliacal or other star-risings or settings known to mark the right time of the solar year. It follows, from the determination of the proper new moon of the first month, whether by observation of a stellar phenomenon or of the forwardness of the crops, that the method of intercalation can only have been that in use after the captivity,--the addition of a thirteenth month whenever the twelfth ended too long before the equinox for the offering of the first-fruits to be made at the time fixed. The later Jews had two commencements of the year, whence it is commonly but inaccurately said that they had two years, the sacred year and the civil. We prefer to speak of the sacred and civil reckonings. The sacred reckoning was that instituted at the exodus, according to which the first month was Abib; by the civil reckoning the first month was the seventh. The interval between the two commencements was thus exactly half a year. It has been supposed that the institution at the time of the exodus was a change of commencement, not the introduction of a new year, and that thenceforward the year had two beginnings, respectively at about the vernal and the autumnal equinox. The year was divided into-- + Seasons . Two seasons are mentioned in the Bible, "summer" and "winter." The former properly means the time of cutting fruits, the latter that, of gathering fruits; they are therefore originally rather summer and autumn than summer and winter. But that they signify ordinarily the two grand divisions of the year, the warm and cold seasons, is evident from their use for the whole year in the expression "summer and winter." (Psalms 74:17; Zechariah 14:18) + Months . [MONTHS] + Weeks . [WEEKS]


Yoke

+ A well-known implement of husbandry, frequently used metaphorically for subjection, e.g. (1 Kings 12:4,9-11; Isaiah 9:4; Jeremiah 5:5) hence an "iron yoke" represents an unusually galling bondage. (28:48; Jeremiah 28:13) + A pair of oxen, so termed as being yoked together. (1 Samuel 11:7; 1 Kings 19:19,21) The Hebrew term is also applied to asses, (Judges 19:10) and mules, (2 Kings 5:17) and even to a couple of riders. (Isaiah 21:7) + The term is also applied to a certain amount of land, (1 Samuel 14:14) equivalent to that which a couple of oxen could plough in a day, (Isaiah 5:10) (Authorized Version "acre"), corresponding to the Latin jugum .


Zaanaim

(removings), The plain of, or more accurately, "the oak by Zaanaim," a tree-probably a sacred tree--mentioned as marking the spot near which Heber the Kenite was encamped when Sisera took refuge in his tent. (Judges 4:11) Its situation is defined as "near Kedesh," i.e. Kedesh-naphtali, the name of which still lingers on the high ground north of Safed and two or three miles west of the lake of el-Huleh (waters of Merom). This whole region abounds in oaks.


Zaavan, Or Zavan

(migratory), a Horite chief, son of Ezer the son of Seir. (Genesis 36:27; 1 Chronicles 1:42)


Zabad

+ Son of Nathan son of Attai, son of Ahlai Sheshan's daughter, (1 Chronicles 2:31-37) and hence called son of Ahlai. (1 Chronicles 11:41) (B.C. 1046.) He was one of David's mighty men but none of his deeds have been recorded. The chief interest connected with him is in his genealogy, which is of considerable importance in a chronological point of view. + An Ephraimite, if the text of (1 Chronicles 7:21) Isa correct. + Son of Shimeath, an Ammonitess; an assassin who, with Jehozabad, slew King Joash, according to (2 Chronicles 24:26) (B.C. 840); but in (2 Kings 12:21) his name is written, probably more correctly, [1310]Jozachar. + A layman of Israel, of the sons of Zattu, who put away his foreign wife at Ezra's command. (Ezra 10:27) (B.C. 458.) + One of the descendants of Hashum who had married a foreign wife after the captivity. (Ezra 10:33) (B.C. 458.) + One of the sons of Nebo whose name is mentioned under the same circumstances as the two preceding. (Ezra 10:43)


Zabadeans

an Arab tribe who were attacked and spoiled by Jonathan, on his way back to Damascus from his fruitless pursuit of the army of Demetrius. 1 Macc. 12:31. Their name probably survives in the village of Zebdany, about 26 miles from Damascus.


Zabbai

+ One of the descendants of Bebai who had married a foreign wife in the days of Ezra. (Ezra 10:28) (B.C. 458.) + Father of Baruch who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the city wall. (Nehemiah 3:20) (B.C. before 446.)


Zabbud

(given) one of the sons of Bigvai, who returned in the second caravan with Ezra. (Ezra 8:14) (B.C. 459.)


Zabdi

+ Son of Zerah the son of Judah, and ancestor of Achan. (Joshua 7:1,17,18) (B.C. before 1480.) + A Benjamite, of the sons of Shimhi. (1 Chronicles 8:19) (B.C. about 1442.) + David's officer over the produce of the vineyards for the wine-cellars. (1 Chronicles 21:27) (B.C. 1043.) + Son of Asaph the minstrel, (Nehemiah 11:17) called [1311]Zaccur in (Nehemiah 12:35) and [1312]Zichri in (1 Chronicles 9:15) (B.C. before 446.)


Zabdiel

+ Father of Jashobeam, a chief of David's guard. (1 Chronicles 27:2) (B.C. before 1046.) + A priest, son of the great men or as the margin gives it, "Haggedolim." (Nehemiah 11:14) (B.C. 459.)


Zabud

(given), son of Nathan, (1 Kings 4:5) is described as a priest (Authorized Version "principal officer"), and as holding at the court of Solomon the confidential post of "king's friend," which had been occupied by Hushai the Archite during the reign of David. (2 Samuel 15:37; 16:16; 1 Chronicles 27:33) (B.C. 1012.)


Zabulon

the Greek form of the name Zebulun. (Matthew 4:13; 15; Revelation 7:8)


Zaccai

(pure). The sons of Zaccai to the number of 760, returned with Zerrubbabel. (Ezra 2:9; Nehemiah 7:14) (B.C. before 536.)


Zacchaeus

(pure), a tax-collector near Jericho, who, being short in stature climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to obtain a sight of Jesus as he passed through that place. (Luke 19:1-10) Zacchaeus was a Jew, as may be inferred from his name and from the fact that the Saviour speaks of him expressly as "a son of Abraham." The term which designates his office -"the chief among the publicans" -is unusual, but describes him, no doubt, as the superintendent of customs or tribute in the district of Jericho, where he lived. The office must have been a lucrative one in such a region, and it is not strange that Zacchaeus is mentioned by the evangelists as a rich man. The Saviour spent the night probably in the house of Zacchaeus, and the next day pursued his journey. He was in the caravan from Galilee which was going to Jerusalem to keep the Passover.


Zacchur

a Simeonite, of the family of Mishma. (1 Chronicles 4:26)


Zaccur

+ Father of Shammua, the Reubenite spy. (Numbers 13:4) (B.C. 1451.) + A Merarite Levite, son of Jaaziah. (1 Chronicles 24:27) + Son of Asaph the singer. (1 Chronicles 25:2,10; Nehemiah 12:35) + The son of Imri who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the city wall. (Nehemiah 3:2) (B.C. 446.) + A Levite, or family of Levites, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:18) (B.C. 410.) + A Levite whose son or descendant Hanan was one of the treasurers over the treasuries appointed by Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 13:13)


Zachariah

(remembered by Jehovah), or properly Zechariah.

+ Son of Jeroboam II., fourteenth king of Israel, and the last of the house of Jehu. There is a difficulty about the date of his reign. Most chronologers assume an interregnum of eleven years between Jeroboam's death and Zachariah's accession. The latter event took place B.C. 772-1. His reign lasted only six months. He was killed in a conspiracy of which Shallum was the head, and by which the prophecy in (2 Kings 10:30) was accomplished, + The father of Abi or Abijah, Hezekiah's mother. (2 Kings 18:2)


Zacharias

+ Father of John the Baptist. (Luke 1:5) etc. He was a priest of the course of Abia. the eighth of the twenty-four courses who ministered at the temple in turn. He probably lived at Hebron. His wife's name was Elisabeth. John was born to them in their old age, and the promise of this son was communicated to Zacharias by an angel while he was offering incense and praying in the temple. + Son of Barachias, who, our Lord says, was slain by the Jews between the altar and the temple. (Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:61) There has been much dispute who this Zacharias was. Many of the Greek fathers have maintained that the father of John the Baptist is the person to whom our Lord alludes but there can be little or no doubt that the allusion is to Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, (2 Chronicles 24:20,21) and he may have been called "the son" of Barachias from his grandfather. (B.C. 838.) He is mentioned as being the martyr last recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures (as Abel was the first) -d Chronicles being the last book in their canon.


Zacher

(memorial), one of the sons of Jehiel, the father or founder of Gibeon, by his wife Maachah. (1 Chronicles 8:31) (B.C. about 1450.)


Zadok

+ Son of Ahitub and one of the two chief priests in the time of David, Abiathar being the other. Zadok was of the house of Eleazar the son of Aaron, (1 Chronicles 24:3) and eleventh in descent from Aaron. (1 Chronicles 12:28) He joined David at Hebron after Saul's death, (1 Chronicles 12:28) and thenceforth his fidelity to David was inviolable. When Absalom revolted and David fled from Jerusalem, Zadok and all the Levites bearing the ark accompanied him. When Absalom was dead, Zadok and Abiathar were the persons who persuaded the elders of Judah to invite David to return. (2 Samuel 19:11) When Adonijah, in David's old age, set up for king, and had persuaded Joab, and Abiathar the priest, to join his party, Zadok was unmoved, and was employed by David to anoint Solomon to be king in his room. (1 Kings 1:34) For this fidelity he was rewarded by Solomon who "thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord," and "put in Zadok the priest" in his room. (1 Kings 2:27,35) From this time, however, we hear little of him. Zadok and Abiathar were of nearly equal dignity. (2 Samuel 15:35,36; 19:11) The duties of the office were divided, Zadok ministered before the tabernacle at Gibeon, (1 Chronicles 16:39) Abiathar had the care of the ark at Jerusalem. + According to the genealogy of the high priests in (1 Chronicles 6:12) there was a second Zadok, son of a second Ahitub son of Amariah, about the time of King Ahaziah. It is probable that no such person as this second Zadok ever existed, but that the insertion of the two names is a copyist's error. + Father of Jerushah, the wife of King Uzziah and mother of King Jotham. (2 Kings 15:33; 2 Chronicles 27:1) + Son of Baana, and 5. Son of Immer, persons who repaired a portion of the wall in Nehemiah's time. (Nehemiah 3:4,29) + In (1 Chronicles 9:11) and Nehe 11:11 Mention is made, in a genealogy, of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub; but it can hardly be doubtful that Meraioth is inserted by the error of a copyist, and that Zadok the son of Ahitub is meant.


Zaham

(fatness), son of Rehoboam by Abihail the daughter of Eliab. (2 Chronicles 11:19)


Zair

(small), a place named in (2 Kings 8:21) only, in the account of Joram's expedition against the Edomites. It has been conjectured that Zair is identical with Zoar.


Zalaph

(wound) father of Hanun, who assisted in rebuilding the city wall. (Nehemiah 3:30)


Zalmon

(shady), an Ahohite one of David's guard. (2 Samuel 23:28)


Zalmon, Mount

a wooded eminence in the immediate neighborhood of Shechem. (Judges 9:48) The name of Dalmanutha has been supposed to be a corruption of that of Zalmon.


Zalmonah

(shady), a desert station of the Israelites, (Numbers 33:41) lies on the east side of Edom.


Zamzummim

(Deuteronomy 2:20) only, the Ammonite name for the people who by others were called Rephaim. They are described as having originally been a powerful and numerous nation of giants. From a slight similarity between the two names, and from the mention of the Emim in connection with each, it is conjectured that the Zamzummim are identical with the Zuzim.


Zanoah

+ A town of Judah in the Shefelah or plain, (Joshua 15:34; Nehemiah 3:13; 11:30) possibly identical with Zanu'a . + A town of Judah in the highland district, (Joshua 15:66) not improbably identical with Sanute, about 10 miles south of Hebron. + In the genealogical lists of the tribe of Judah in 1 Chron., Jekuthiel is said to have been the father of Zanoah. ch. (1 Chronicles 4:18) As Zanoah is the name of a town of Judah, this mention of Bithiah probably points to some colonization of the place by Egyptians or by Israelites directly from Egypt.


Zaphnathpaaneah

a name given by Pharaoh to Joseph. (Genesis 41:45) The rabbins interpreted Zaphnath-paaneah as Hebrew in the sense revealer of a secret . As the name must have been Egyptian, it has been explained from the Coptic as meaning the preserver of the age.


Zaphon

(north), a place mentioned in the enumeration of the allotment of the tribe of Gad. (Joshua 13:27)


Zarah, Or Zerah

the son of Judah. (Genesis 38:30; 48:12)


Zareah

the same as Zorah and Zoreah. (Nehemiah 11:29)


Zareathites, The

the inhabitants of Zareah or Zorah. (1 Chronicles 2:53)


Zarephath

(smelting place), the residence of the prophet Elijah during the latter part of the drought. (1 Kings 17:9,10) It was near to, or dependent on, Zidon. It is represented by the modern village of Sura-fend . Of the old town considerable indications remain. One group of foundations is on a headland called Ain el-Kanatarah ; but the chief remains are south of this, and extend for a mile or more, with many fragments of columns, slabs and other architectural features. In the New Testament Zarephath appears under the Greek form of [1315]Sarepta. (Luke 4:26)


Zarethshahar

(splendor of the dawn), a place mentioned only in (Joshua 13:19) in the catalogue of the towns allotted to Reuben.


Zarhites, The

a branch of the tribe of Judah, descended from Zerah the son of Judah. (Numbers 26:13,20; Joshua 7:17; 1 Chronicles 27:11,15)


Zartanah

(1 Kings 4:12) [[1316]Zaretan, Or Zarthan, [1317]Zarthan]


Zarthan

+ A place in the circle of Jordan, mentioned in connection with Succoth. (1 Kings 7:46) + It is also named in the account of the passage of the Jordan by the Israelites, (Joshua 3:18) where the authorized Version has Zaretan. + A place with the similar name of Zartanah. (1 Kings 4:12) + Further, Zeredathah, named in (2 Chronicles 4:17) only in specifying the situation of the foundries for the brass-work of Solomon's temple, is substituted for Zarthan; and this again is not impossibly identical with the Zererath of the story of Gideon. (Judges 7:22) All these spots agree in proximity to the Jordan, but beyond this we are absolutely at fault as to their position.


Zattu

The sons of Zattu were a family of laymen of Israel who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:8; Nehemiah 7:13)


Zavan

(1 Chronicles 1:42) [[1318]Zaavan, Or Zavan]


Zaza

one of the sons of Jonathan, a descendant of Jerahmeel. (1 Chronicles 2:33)


Zebadiah

+ A Benjamite of the sons of Beriah. (1 Chronicles 8:15) + A Benjamite of the sons of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:17) + One of the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. (1 Chronicles 12:7) + Son of Asahel, the brother of Joab. (1 Chronicles 27:7) + Son of Michael, of the sons of Shephatiah. (Ezra 8:8) + A priest Of the sons of Immer, who had married a foreign wife after the return from Babylon. (Ezra 10:20) + Third son of Meshelemiah the Korhite. (1 Chronicles 26:3) + A Levite in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:8) + The son of Ishmael and prince of the house of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 19:11)


Zebah

and Zalmun'na (deprived of protection), the two "kings" of Midian who commanded the great invasion of Palestine, and who finally fell by the hand of Gideon himself. (Judges 8:5-21; Psalms 83:11) (B.C. 1250.) While Oreb and Zeeb, two of the inferior leaders of the incursion, had been slain, with a vast number of their people, by the Ephraimites, at the central fords of the Jordan the two kings had succeeded in making their escape by a passage farther to the north (probably the ford near Bethshean), and thence by the Wady Yabis, through Gilead, to Kurkor, high up on the Hauran. Here they sere reposing their with 15,000 men, a mere remnant of their huge horde, when Gideon overtook them. The people fled in dismay, and Gideon captured the two kings and brought them to his native village, Ophrah where he slew them because they had killed his brothers.


Zebaim

(the gazelles), mentioned in the catalogue of the families of "Solomon's slaves" who returned from the captivity with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:57; Nehemiah 7:59)


Zebedee

(my gift) (Greek form of Zabdi) a fisherman of Galilee, the father of the apostles James the Great and John (Matthew 4:21) and the husband of Salome. (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40) He probably lived either at Bethsaida or in its immediate neighborhood. It has been inferred from the mention of his "hired servants," (Mark 1:20) and from the acquaintance between the apostle John and Annas the high priest, (John 18:15) that the family of Zebedee were in easy circumstances. comp. (John 19:27) although not above manual labor. (Matthew 4:21) He appears only twice in the Gospel narrative, namely, in (Matthew 4:21,22; Mark 1:19,20) where he is seen in his boat with his two sons mending their nets.


Zebina

(purchase), one of the sons of Nebo who had taken foreign wives after the return from Babylon, (Ezra 10:43)


Zeboim

+ One of the five cities of the "plain" or circle of Jordan. It is mentioned in (Genesis 10:19; 14:2,8; 29:23; Hosea 11:8) in each, of which passages it is either coupled with Admah or placed next it in the lists--perhaps represented by Talaa Sebaan, a name attached to extensive ruins on the high ground between the Dead Sea and Kerak . In (Genesis 14:2,8) the name is given more correctly in the Authorized Version ZEBOIIM. + The valley of Zeboim, a ravine or gorge, apparently east of Michmash, mentioned only in (1 Samuel 13:18) The road running from Michmash to the east is specified as "the road of the border that looketh to the ravine of Zeboim toward the wilderness." The wilderness is no doubt the district of uncultivated mountain tops and sides which lies between the central district of Benjamin and the Jordan valley. In that very district there is a wild gorge bearing the name of Shuk ed-Dubba', ravine of the hyena, "the exact equivalent of Ge hat-tsebo'im .


Zebudah

(bestowed), wife of Josiah and mother of King Jehoiakim. (2 Kings 23:36) (B.C. 653.)


Zebul

(habitation), chief man (Authorized Version "ruler") of the city of Shechem at the time of the contest between Abimelech and the native Canaanites. (Judges 9:28,30,36,41) (B.C. 1209.)


Zebulonite

a member of the tribe of Zebulun. (Judges 12:11,12) Applied only to Elon, the one judge produced by the tribe. (Judges 12:11,12)


Zebulun

(a habitation), the tenth of the sons of Jacob, according to the order in which their births are enumerated, the sixth and last of Leah. (Genesis 30:20; 35:23; 46:14; 1 Chronicles 2:1) His birth is mentioned in (Genesis 30:19,20) Of the individual Zebulun nothing is recorded. The list of Genesis46 ascribes to him three sons, founders of the chief families of the tribe (comp.) (Numbers 26:26) at the time of the migration to Egypt. The tribe is not recorded to have taken part, for evil or good, in any of the events of the wandering or the conquest. The statement of Josephus is probably in the main correct, that it reached on the one side to the Lake of Gennesareth and on the other to Carmel and the Mediterranean. On the south it was bounded by Issachar, who lay in the great plain or valley of the Kishon; on the north it had Naphtali and Asher. Thus remote from the centre of government, Zebulun remains throughout the history with one exception, in the obscurity which envelops the whole of the northern tribes. That exception, however, is a remarkable one. The conduct of the tribe during the struggle with Sisera, when they fought with desperate valor side by side with their brethren of Naphtali, was such as to draw down the special praise of Deborah, who singles them out from cell the other tribes. (Judges 5:18)


Zebulunites, The

the members of the tribe of Zebulun. (Numbers 26:27) only.


Zechariah

+ The eleventh in order of the twelve minor prophets. He is called in his prophecy the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo, whereas in the book of Ezra, (Ezra 5:1; 6:14) he is said to have been the son of Iddo. It is natural to suppose as the prophet himself mentions his father's name, whereas the book of Ezra mentions only Iddo, that Berechiah had died early, and that there was now no intervening link between the grandfather and the grandson. Zechariah, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel before him, was priest as well as prophet. He seems to have entered upon his office while yet young, (Zechariah 2:4) and must have been born in Babylon whence he returned with the first caravan of exiles under Zerubbabel and Jeshua. It was in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, that he first publicly discharged his office. In this he acted in concert with Haggai. Both prophets had the same great object before them; both directed all their energies to the building of the second temple. To their influence we find the rebuilding of the temple in a great measure ascribed. If the later Jewish accounts may be trusted, Zechariah, as well as Haggai, was a member of the Great Synagogue. The genuine writings of Zechariah help us but little in our estimate of his character. Some faint traces, however, we may observe in them, of his education in Babylon. He leans avowedly on the authority of the older prophets, and copies their expressions. Jeremiah especially seems to have been his favorite; and hence the Jewish saying that "the spirit of Jeremiah dwelt in Zechariah." But in what may be called the peculiarities of his prophecy, he approaches more nearly to Ezekiel and Daniel. Like them he delights in visions; like them he uses symbols and allegories rather than the bold figures and metaphors which lend so much force and beauty to the writings of the earlier prophets. Generally speaking, Zechariah's style is pure, and remarkably free from Chaldaisms. + Son of Meshelemiah or Shelemiah a Korhite, and keeper of the north gate of the tabernacle of the congregation, (1 Chronicles 9:21) (B.C. 1043.) + One of the sons of Jehiel. (1 Chronicles 9:37) + A Levite of the second order in the temple band as arranged by David, appointed to play "with psalteries on Alamoth." (1 Chronicles 15:18,20) (B.C. 1043.) + One of the princes of Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:7) (B.C. 910.) + Son of the high priest Jehoiada, in the reign of Joash king of Judah (2 Chronicles 24:20) and therefore the king's cousin. After the death of Jehoiada, Zechariah probably succeeded to his office, and in attempting to check the reaction in favor of idolatry which immediately followed he fell a victim to a conspiracy formed against him by the king, and was stoned in the court of the temple. He is probably the same as the "Zacharias son of Barachias" who was slain between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23:35) [[1319]Zacharias, No. 2] (B.C. 838.) + A Kohathite Levite in the reign of Josiah. (2 Chronicles 34:12) (B.C. 628.) + The leader of the sons of Pharosh who returned with Ezra. (Ezra 8:3) (B.C. 450.) + Son of Behai. (Ezra 8:11) + One of the chiefs of the people whom Ezra summoned in council at the river Ahava. (Ezra 8:16) He stood at Ezra's left hand when he expounded the law to the people. (Nehemiah 8:4) (B.C. 459.) + One of the family of Elam who had married a foreign wife after the captivity. (Ezra 10:26) (B.C.458.) + Ancestor of Athaiah or Uthai. (Nehemiah 11:4) + A Shilonite, descendant of Perez. (Nehemiah 11:5) + A priest, son of Pashur. (Nehemiah 11:12) + The representative of the priestly family of Iddo in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua. (Nehemiah 12:16) (B.C. 536.) possibly the same as Zechariah the prophet, the son of Iddo. + One of the priests, son of Jonathan, who blew with the trumpets at the dedication of the city wall by Ezra and Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 12:36,41) (B.C. 446.) + A chief of the Reubenites at the time of the captivity by Tiglath-pileser. (1 Chronicles 5:7) (B.C. 740.) + One of the priests who accompanied the ark from the house of Obed-edom. (1 Chronicles 15:24) (B.C. 1043.) + Son of Isshiah or Jesiah, a Kohathite Levite descended from Uzziel. (1 Chronicles 24:25) (B.C. 1043.) + Fourth son of Hosah of the children of Merari. (1 Chronicles 26:11) + A Manassite. (1 Chronicles 27:21,22) + The father of Jahaziel. (2 Chronicles 20:14) + One of the sons of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 21:2) + A prophet in the reign of Uzziah who appears to have acted as the king's counsellor, but of whom nothing is known. (2 Chronicles 26:5) (B.C. 807.) + The father of Abijah or Abi, Hezekiah's mother. (2 Chronicles 29:1) + One of the family of Asaph in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 29:13) (B.C. 727.) + One of the rulers of the temple in the reign of Josiah. (2 Chronicles 35:8) (B.C. 628.) + The son of Jeberechiah, who was taken by the prophet Isaiah as one of the "faithful witnesses to record," when he wrote concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz. (Isaiah 8:2) (B.C. 723.) He may have been the Levite of the same name who in the reign of Hezekiah assisted in the purification of the temple. (2 Chronicles 29:13) Another conjecture is that he is the same as Zechariah the father of Abijah, the queen of Ahaz.


Zechariah, The Book Of

The book of Zechariah, in its existing form, consists of three principal parts, vis. chs. 1-8; chs. 9-11; chs. 12-14.

+ The first of these divisions is allowed by the critics to be the genuine work of Zechariah the son of Iddo. It consists, first, of a short introduction or preface in which the prophet announces his commission; then of a series of visions, descriptive of all those hopes and anticipations of which the building of the temple was the pledge and sure foundation and finally of a discourse, delivered two years later, in reply to questions respecting the observance of certain established fasts. + The remainder of the book consists of two sections of about equal length, chs. 9-11 and 12-14, each of which has an inscription. (1) In the first section he threatens Damascus and the seacoast of Palestine with misfortune, but declares that Jerusalem shall be protected. (2) The second section is entitled "The burden of the word of Jehovah for Israel." But Israel is here used of the nation at large, not of Israel as distinct from Judah. Indeed the prophecy which follows concerns Judah and Jerusalem, in this the prophet beholds the near approach of troublous times, when Jerusalem should be hard pressed by enemies. But in that day Jehovah shall come to save them an all the nations which gather themselves against Jerusalem shall be destroyed. Many modern critics maintain that the later chapters, from the ninth to the fourteenth, were written by some other prophet, who lived before the exile. The prophecy closes with a grand and stirring picture. All nations are gathered together against Jerusalem, and seem already sure of their prey. Half of their cruel work has been accomplished, when Jehovah himself appears on behalf of his people. He goes forth to war against the adversaries of his people. He establishes his kingdom over all the earth. All nations that are still left shall come up to Jerusalem, as the great centre of religious worship, and the city; from that day forward shall be a holy city. Such is, briefly, an outline of the second portion of that book which is commonly known as the Prophecy of Zechariah. Integrity . -Mede was the first to call this in question. The probability that the later chapters, from the ninth to the fourteenth, were by some other prophet seems first to have been suggested to him by the citation in St. Matthew. He rests his opinion partly on the authority of St. Matthew and partly-on the contents of the later chapters, which he considers require a date earlier than the exile. Archbishop Newcombe went further. He insisted on the great dissimilarity of style as well as subject between the earlier and later chapters and he was the first who advocated the theory that the last six chapters of Zechariah are the work of two distinct prophets.


Zedad

(mountain side), one of the landmarks on the north border of the land of Israel, as Promised by Moses, (Numbers 34:8) and as restored by Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 47:15) A place named Sudud exists to the east of the northern extremity of the chain of Anti-Libanus, about fifty miles east-northeast of Baalbec . This may be identical with Zedad.


Zedekiah

+ The last king of Judah and Jerusalem. He was the son of Josiah by his wife Hamutal, and therefore own brother to Jehoahaz. (2 Kings 24:18) comp. 2Kin 23:31 His original name was Mattaniah, which was changed to Zedekiah by Nebuchadnezzar when he carried off his nephew Jehoiachim to Babylon and left him on the throne of Jerusalem. Zedekiah was but twenty-one years old when he was thus placed in charge of an impoverished kingdom, B.C. 597. His history is contained in a short sketch .of the events of his reign given in (2 Kings 24:17; 2 Kings 25:7) and, with some trifling variations in (Jeremiah 39:1-7; 62:1-11) together with the still shorter summary in (1 Chronicles 38:10) etc.; and also in Jere 21,24,27,28,29,32,34,37,38 and (Ezekiel 16:11-21) From these it is evident that Zedekiah was a man not so much bad at heart as weak in will. It is evident from Jere 27 and 28 that the earlier portion of Zedekiah's reign was marked by an agitation throughout the whole of Syria against the Babylonian yoke. Jerusalem seems to have taken the lead, since in the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign we find ambassadors from all the neighboring kingdoms--Tyre, Sidon, Edom and Moab--at his court to consult as to the steps to be taken. The first act of rebellion of which any record survives was the formation of an alliance with Egypt, of itself equivalent to a declaration of enmity with Babylon. As a natural consequence it brought on Jerusalem an immediate invasion of the Chaldaeans. The mention of this event in the Bible though indisputable, is extremely slight, and occurs only in (Jeremiah 37:5-11; 34:21) and Ezek 17:15-20 But Josephus (x.7,3) relates it more fully, and gives the date of its occurrence, namely, the eighth year of Zedekiah. (B.C. 589.) Nebuchadnezzar at once sent an army to ravage Judea. This was done, and the whole country reduced, except Jerusalem and two strong places in the western plain, Lachish and Azekah, which still held out. (Jeremiah 34:7) Called away for a time by an attack from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, on the tenth day of the tenth month of Zedekiah's ninth year the Chaldeans were again before the walls. (Jeremiah 52:4) From this time forward the siege progressed slowly but surely to its consummation, The city was indeed reduced to the last extremity. The bread had for long been consumed, (Jeremiah 38:9) and all the terrible expedients had been tried to which the wretched inhabitants of a besieged town are forced to resort in such cases. At last, after sixteen dreadful months the catastrophe arrived. It was on the ninth day of the fourth month, about the middle of July at midnight, as Josephus with careful minuteness informs us, that the breach in those strong and venerable walls was effected. The moon, nine days old, had gone down. The wretched remnants of the army acquitted the city in the dead of night; and as the Chaldaean army entered the city at one end, the king and his wives fled from it by the opposite gate. They took the road toward the Jordan. As soon as the dawn of day permitted it, swift pursuit was made. The king's party were overtaken near Jericho and carried to Nebuchadnezzar, who was then at Riblah, at the upper end of the valley of Lebanon. Nebuchadnezzar, with a refinement of barbarity characteristic of those cruel times ordered the sons of Zedekiah to be killed before him, and lastly his own eyes to be thrust out. He was then loaded with brazen fetters, and at a later period taken to Babylon, where he died. + Son of Chenaanah, a false prophet at the court of Ahab, head, or, if not head, virtual leader, of the college. (B.C. 896.) He appears but once viz. as spokesman when the prophets are consulted by Ahab on the result of his proposed expedition to Ramoth-gilead. 1Kin 22; 2Chr 18. Zedekiah had prepared himself for the interview with a pair of iron horns, with which he illustrated the manner in which Ahab should drive the Syrians before him. When Micaiah the prophet of the Lord appeared and had delivered his prophecy, Zedekiah sprang forward and struck him a blow on the face, accompanying it by a taunting sneer. + The son of Maaseiah, a false prophet in Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:21,22) He was denounced in the letter of Jeremiah for having, with Ahab the son of Kolaiah, buoyed up the people with false hopes, not for profane and flagitious conduct. Their names were to become a by-word, tend their terrible fate a warning. (B.C. 595.) + The son of Hananiah, one of the princes of Judah in the time of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 38:12) (B.C. 605.)


Zeeb

(wolf), one of the two "princes" of Midian in the great invasion of Israel. (B.C. about 1250.) He is always named with Oreb. (Judges 7:25; 8:3; Psalms 83:11) Zeeb and Oreb were not slain at the first rout of the Arabs, but at a later stage of the struggle, probably ill crossing the Jordan at a ford farther down the river. Zeeb, the wolf, was brought to bay in a wine-press which in later times bore his name--the "wine-press of Zeeb." [[1320]Oreb]


Zelah

(a rib), a city in the allotment of Benjamin, (Joshua 18:28) contained the family tomb of Kish, the father of Saul. (2 Samuel 21:14) [Perhaps the same as [1321]Zelzah]


Zelok

(fissure), an Ammonite, one of David's guard. (2 Samuel 23:37; 1 Chronicles 11:39)


Zelophehad

(first-born), son of Zepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh. (Joshua 17:3) (B.C. before 1450.) He was apparently the second son of Hepher. (1 Chronicles 7:15) Zelophehad came out of Egypt with Moses, but died in the wilderness, as did the whole of that generation. (Numbers 14:35; 27:3) On his death without male heirs, his five daughters, just after the second numbering in the wilderness, came before Moses and Eleazar to claim the inheritance of their father in the tribe of Manasseh. The claim was admitted by divine direction. (Numbers 26:33; 27:1-11)


Zelotes

the epithet given to the apostle Simon to distinguish him from Simon Peter. (Luke 6:15) [[1322]Canaanite, The; [1323]Simon, 5]


Zelzah

(shadow), a place named once only, (1 Samuel 10:2) as on the boundary of Benjamin close to Rachel's sepulchre, five miles southwest of Jerusalem.


Zemaraim

(double fleece of wool), a town in the allotment of Benjamin, (Joshua 18:22) perhaps identical with Mount Zemaraim, mentioned in (2 Chronicles 13:4) only, which was "in Mount Ephraim," that is to say, within the general district of the highlands of that great tribe. (2 Chronicles 13:4)


Zemarite, The

one of the Hamite tribes who in the genealogical table of (Genesis 10:18) and 1Chr 1:16 Are represented as "sons of Canaan." Nothing is certainly known of this ancient tribe. The old interpreters place them at Emessa, the modern Hums .


Zemira

(a song), one of the sons of Becher the son of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 7:8) (B.C. after 1706.)


Zenan

(pointed), a town in the allotment of Judah, situated in the district of the Shefelah. (Joshua 15:37) It is probably identical with [1324]Zaanan. (Micah 1:11)


Zenas

a believer, and, as may be inferred from the context, a preacher of the gospel, who is mentioned in (Titus 3:13) in connection with Apollos. He is further described as "the lawyer." It is impossible to determine whether Zenas was a Roman jurisconsult or a Jewish doctor.


Zephaniah

+ The ninth in order of the twelve minor prophets. His pedigree is traced to his fourth ancestor, Hezekiah, (Zephaniah 1:1) supposed to be the celebrated king of that name. The chief characteristics of this book are the unity and harmony of the composition, the grace, energy and dignity of its style, and the rapid and effective alternations of threats and promises. The general tone of the last portion is Messianic, but without any specific reference to the person of our Lord. The date of the book is given in the inscription--viz, the reign of Josiah, from 642 to 611 B.C. It is most probable moreover, that the prophecy was delivered before the eighteenth year of Josiah. + The son of Maaseiah, (Jeremiah 21:1) and sagan or second priest in the reign of Zedekiah. (B.C. 588.) He succeeded Jehoida, (Jeremiah 29:25,26) and was probably a ruler of the temple, whose office it was, among others, to punish pretenders to the gift of prophecy. (Jeremiah 29:29) On the capture of Jerusalem he was taken and slain at Riblah. (Jeremiah 52:24,27; 2 Kings 25:18,21) + Father of Josiah, 2, (Zechariah 6:10) and of Hen, according to the reading of the received text of (Zechariah 6:14)


Zephath

(watch-tower), the earlier name, (Judges 1:17) of a Canaanite town, which after its capture and destruction was called by the Israelites Hormah. [[1325]Hormah]


Zephathah

(watch-tower), The valley of, the spot in which Asa joined battle with Zerah the Ethiopian. (2 Chronicles 14:10) only.


Zepho

(watch-tower), son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, (Genesis 36:11) and one of the "dukes" or phylarchs of the Edomites. ver. (Genesis 36:15) In (1 Chronicles 1:36) he is called [1327]Zephi. (B.C. after 1760.)


Zephon

(watch), the son of Gad, (Numbers 26:15) and ancestor of the family of the Zephonites. Called [1328]Ziphion In (Genesis 46:16) (B.C. 1706.)


Zer

(flint), a fortified town in the allotment of Naphtali, (Joshua 19:35) only, probably in the neighborhood of the southwest side of the Lake of Gennesareth.


Zerah

+ A son of Reuel, son of Esau, (Genesis 36:13; 1 Chronicles 1:37) and one of the "dukes" or phylarchs of the Edomites. (Genesis 36:17) (B.C. after 1760.) + Less properly, Zarah, twin son, with his elder brother Pharez, of Judah and Tamar. (Genesis 38:30; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Matthew 1:3) (B.C. about 1728.) His descendants were called Zarhites, Ezrahites and Izrahites. (Numbers 26:20; 1 Kings 4:31; 1 Chronicles 27:8,11) + Son of Simeon, (1 Chronicles 4:24) called [1329]Zohar in (Genesis 46:10) (B.C. 1706.) + A Gershonite Levite, son of Iddo or Adaiah. (1 Chronicles 6:21,41) (B.C. 1043.) + The Ethiopian or Cushite, an invader of Judah, defeated by Asa about B.C. 941. [[1330]Asa] Zerah is probably the Hebrew name of Usarken I., second king of the Egyptian twenty-second dynasty; or perhaps more probably Usarken II his second successor. In the fourteenth year of Asa, Zerah the Ethiopian, with a mighty army of or million, invaded his kingdom, and advanced unopposed in the field as far as the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. The Egyptian monuments enable us to picture the general disposition of Zerah's army. The chariots formed the first corps in a single or double line; behind them, massed in phalanxes, were heavy-armed troops; probably on the flanks stood archers and horsemen in lighter formations. After a prayer by Asa, his army attacked the Egyptians and defeated them. The chariots, broken by the charge and with horses made unmanageable by flights of arrows must have been forced back upon the cumbrous host behind. So complete was the overthrow that the Hebrews could capture and spoil the cities around Gerah which must have been in alliance with Zerah. The defeat of the Egyptian army is without parallel in the history of the Jews. On no other occasion did an Israelite army meet an army of one of the great powers and defeat it.


Zerahiah

+ A priest, son of Uzzi and ancestor of Ezra the scribe. (1 Chronicles 6:6,51; Ezra 7:4) + Father of Elihoenai of the sons of Pahath-moab, whose descendants returned from the captivity with Ezra. (Ezra 8:4)


Zered

(osier brook), (2:13,14) or Za'red, (Numbers 21:12) a brook or valley running into the Dead Sea near its southeast corner, which Dr. Robinson with some probability suggests as identical with the Wady el-Ahsy . It lay between Moab and Edom and is the limit of the proper term of the Israelites' wandering. (2:14)


Zereda

(the fortress) the native place of Jeroboam. (1 Kings 11:26) Zereda or Zeredah has been supposed to be identical with Zeredathah and Zarthan or Zartanah; but the last two were in the valley of the Jordan, while Zeredah was, according to the repeated statement of the LXX., on Mount Ephraim.


Zeredathah

[[1331]Zaretan, Or Zarthan, [1332]Zarthan]


Zererath

[[1333]Zaretan, Or Zarthan, [1334]Zarthan]


Zeresh

(gold), the wife of Haman the Agagite. (Esther 5:10,14; 6:13) (B.C. 475.)


Zereth

(splendor), son of Ashur, the founder of Tekoa, by his wife Helah. (1 Chronicles 4:7) (B.C. 1440.)


Zeri

(built), one of the sons of Jeduthun in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 25:3) (B.C. 1043.)


Zeror

(a bundle), a Benjamite, ancestor of Kish the father of Saul. (1 Samuel 9:1) (B.C. about 1730.)


Zeruah

(full breasted), the mother of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (1 Kings 11:26) (B.C. 973.)


Zerubbabel

(born at Babel, i.e. Babylon), the head of the tribe of Judah at the time of the return from the Babylonish captivity in the first year of Cyrus. The history of Zerabbabel in the Scriptures is as follows: In the first year of Cyrus he was living at Babylon, and was the recognized prince of Judah in the captivity,--what in later times was called "the prince of the captivity," or "the prince." On the issuing of Cyrus' decree he immediately availed himself of it, and placed himself at the head of those of his countrymen "whose spirit God had raised to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem." It is probable that he was in the king of Babylon's service, both from his having, like Daniel and the three children, received a Chaldee name, Sheshbazzar, and from the fact that he was appointed by the Persian king to the office of governor of Judea. On arriving at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel's great work, which he set about immediately, was the rebuilding of the temple. In the second month of the second year of the return the foundation was laid with all the pomp which could be commanded. The efforts of the Samaritans were successful in putting a stop to the work during the seven remaining years of the reign of Cyrus and through the eight years of Cambyses and Smerdis. Nor does Zerubbabel appear quite blameless for this long delay. The difficulties in the way of building the temple were not such as need have stopped the work and during this long suspension of sixteen years Zerubbabel and the rest of the people had been busy in building costly houses for themselves. But in the second year of Darius, light dawned upon the darkness of the colony from Babylon. In that year--it was the most memorable event in Zerabbabel's life--the spirit of prophecy suddenly blazed up with a most brilliant light among the returned captives. Their words fell like sparks upon tinder. In a moment Zerubbabel roused from his apathy, threw his whole strength into the work. After much opposition [see [1335]Nehemiah, The Book Of] and many hindrances find delays, the temple was at length finished, in the sixth pear of Darius, and was dedicated with much pomp and rejoicing. [[1336]Temple] The only other works of Zerubbabel of which we learn from Scripture are the restoration of the courses of priests and Levites and of the provision for their maintenance, according to the institution of David (Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 12:47) the registering the returned captives according to their genealogies, (Nehemiah 7:5) and the keeping of a Passover in the seventh year of Darius, with which last event ends all that we know of the life of Zerubbabel, His apocryphal history is told in 1 Esdr. 3-7. The exact parentage of Zerubbabel is a little obscure, from his being always called the son of Shealtiel, (Ezra 3:2,8; 5:2) etc.; (Haggai 1:1,12,14) etc., end appearing as such in the genealogies of Christ (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27) whereas in (1 Chronicles 3:19) he is represented as the son of Pedaiah, Shealtiel or Salathiel's brother, and consequently as Salathiel's nephew. Zerubbabel was the legal successor and heir of Jeconiah's royal estate, the grandson of Neri and the lineal descendant of Nathan the son of David. In the New Testament the name appears in the Greek form of Zorobabel.


Zeruiah

(balsam), the mother of the three leading heroes of David's army--Abishai, Joah and Asahel-- known as the "sons of Zeruiah." Of Zeruiah's husband there is no mention in the Bible. (B.C. before 1046.)


Zetham

(olive), the son of Laadan, a Gershonite Levite. (1 Chronicles 23:8) (B.C. 1043.)


Zethan

(olive), a Benjamite of the sons of Bilhan. (1 Chronicles 7:10) (B.C. probably 1014.)


Zethar

(star), one of the seven eunuchs of Ahasuerus, (Esther 1:10) (B.C. 453.)


Zia

(motion), one of the Gadites who dwelt in Bashan. (1 Chronicles 5:13) (B.C. 1014.)


Ziba

(statue), a servant of Saul whom David made steward of Saul's son Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 9:2-18; 16:1-4; 19:17,29) [[1337]Mephibosheth] (B.C. 1023.)


Zibeon

(robber), father of Anah, whose daughter Aholibamah was Esau's wife. (Genesis 36:2) (B.C. 1797.) Although called a Hivite, he is probably the same as Zibeon the son of Seir the Horite. (Genesis 36:20,24,29; 1 Chronicles 1:38,40)


Zibia

(roe), a Benjamite, apparently the son of Shaharaim by his wife Hodesh. (1 Chronicles 8:9) (B.C. 1440.)


Zibiah

(roe), a native of Beersheba and mother of King Joash. (2 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 24:1) (B.C. 876)


Zichri

+ Son of Ishar the son of Kohath. (Exodus 6:21) (B.C. 1401.) + A Benjamite of the sons of Shimhi. (1 Chronicles 8:19) (B.C. 1440.) + A Benjamite of the sons of Shashak. (1 Chronicles 8:23) + A Benjamite of the sons of Jeroham. (1 Chronicles 8:27) + Son of Asaph, elsewhere called [1338]Zabdi and ZACCUB. (1 Chronicles 9:15) + A descendant of Eliezer the son of Moses. (1 Chronicles 26:25) (B.C. before 1043.) + The father of Eliezer, the chief of the Reubenites in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 27:16) (B.C. before 1043.) + One of the tribe of Judah, father of Amasiah. (2 Chronicles 11:16) + Father of Elishaphat, one of the conspirators with Jehoiada. (2 Chronicles 23:1) (B.C. before 876.) + An Ephraimite hero in the invading army of Pekah the son of Remaliah. (2 Chronicles 28:7) (B.C. 734.) + Father or ancestor of [1339]Joel, 14. (Nehemiah 11:9) + A priest of the family of Abijah, in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua. (Nehemiah 12:17) (B.C. 480.)


Ziddim

(the declivities), a fortified town in the allotment of Naphtali, (Joshua 10:35)


Zidkijah

(justice of Jehovah) a priest or family of priests who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:1) (B.C. 410.)


Zidon, Or Sidon

(Genesis 10:15,19; Joshua 11:8; 19:28; Judges 1:31; 18:28; Isaiah 23:2,4,12; Jeremiah 25:22; 27:3; Ezekiel 28:21,22; Joel 3:4) (Joel 4:4); Zech 9:2; Matt 11:21,22; 15:21; Mark 3:8; 1:24,31; Luke 6:17; 10:13,14 An ancient and wealthy city of Phoenicia, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, less than twenty English miles to the north of Tyre. Its Hebrew name, Tsidon, signifies fishing or fishery . Its modern name is Saida . It is situated in the narrow plain between the Lebanon and the sea. From a biblical point of view this city is inferior in interest to its neighbor Tyre; though in early times Sidon was the more influential of the two cities. This view is confirmed by Zidonians being used as the generic name of Phoenicians or Canaanites. (Joshua 13:6; Judges 18:7) From the time of Solomon to the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar Zidon is not often directly mentioned in the Bible, and it appears to have been subordinate to Tyre. When the people called "Zidonians" are mentioned, it sometimes seems that the Phoenicians of the plain of Zidon are meant. (1 Kings 5:6; 11:1,5,33; 16:31; 2 Kings 23:13) All that is known are respecting the city is very scanty, amounting to scarcely more than that one of its sources of gain was trade in slaves, in which the inhabitants did not shrink from selling inhabitants of Palestine and that it was governed by kings. (Jeremiah 25:22; 27:3) During the Persian domination Zidon seems to have attained its highest point of prosperity; and it is recorded that, toward the close of that period, it far excelled all other Phoenician cities in wealth and importance. Its prosperity was suddenly cut short by an unsuccessful revolt against Persia, which ended in the destruction of the town, B.C. 351. Its king, Tennes had proved a traitor and betrayed the city to Ochus, king of the Persians; the Persian troops were admitted within the gates, and occupied the city walls. The Zidonians, before the arrival of Ochus, had burnt their vessels to prevent any one's leaving the town; and when they saw themselves surrounded by the Persian troops, they adopted the desperate resolution of shutting themselves up with their families, and setting fire each man to his own house. Forty thousand persons are said to have perished in the flames. Zidon however, gradually recovered from the blow, and became again a flourishing town. It is about fifty miles distant from Nazareth, and is the most northern city which is mentioned in connection with Christ's journeys. (The town Saida still shows signs of its former wealth, and its houses are better constructed and more solid than those of Tyre, many of them being built of stone; but it is a poor, miserable place, without trade or manufactures worthy of the name. The city that once divided with Tyre the empire of the seas is now almost without a vessel. Silk and fruit are its staple products. Its population is estimated at 10,000, 7000 of whom are Moslems, and the rest Catholics, Maronites and Protestants.--McClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia. There is a flourishing Protestant mission here.--ED.)


Zidonians

the inhabitants of Zidon. They were among the nations of Canaan; left to give the Israelites practice in the art of war, (Judges 3:3) and colonies of them appear to have spread up into the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephothmaim, (Joshua 13:4,6) whence in later times they hewed cedar trees for David and Solomon. (1 Chronicles 22:4) They oppressed the Israelites on their first entrance into the country, (Judges 10:12) and appear to have lived a luxurious, reckless life. (Judges 18:7) They were skillful in hewing timber, (1 Kings 5:8) and were employed for this purpose by Solomon. They were idolaters, and worshipped Ashtoreth as their tutelary goddess, (1 Kings 11:5,33; 2 Kings 23:13) as well as the sun-god Baal from whom their king was named. (1 Kings 16:31)


Ziha

+ The children of Ziha were a family of Nethinim who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:43; Nehemiah 7:46) (B.C. 536.) + Chief of the Nethinim in Ophel. (Nehemiah 11:21) The name is probably identical with the preceding.


Ziklag

(winding), a place which possesses a special interest from its having been the residence and the private property of David. It is first mentioned in the catalogue of the towns of Judah in (Joshua 15:31) and occurs, in the same connection among the places which were allotted out of the territory of Judah to Simeon. (Joshua 19:5) We next encounter it in the possession of the Philistines (1 Samuel 27:6) when it was, at David's request, bestowed upon him by Achish king of Gath. He resided there for a year and four months. (1 Samuel 27:6,7; 30:14,26; 1 Chronicles 12:1,20) It was there he received the news of Saul's death. (2 Samuel 1:1; 4:10) He then relinquished it for Hebron. (2 Samuel 2:1) Ziklag is finally mentioned as being reinhabited by the people of Judah after their return from captivity. (Nehemiah 11:28) The situation of the town is difficult to determine, and we only know for certain that it was in the south country.


Zilpah

(a trickling), a Syrian given by Laban to his daughter Leah as an attendant, (Genesis 29:24) and by Leah to Jacob as a concubine. She was the mother of Gad and Asher. (Genesis 30:9-13; 35:26; 37:2; 46:18) (B.C. 1753.)


Zilthai

+ A Benjamite, of the sons of Shimhi. (1 Chronicles 8:20) + One of the captains of thousands of Manasseh who deserted to David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:20) (B.C. 1054.)


Zimmah

+ A Gershonite Levite, son of Jahath. (1 Chronicles 6:20) (B.C. after 1706.) + Another Gershonite, son of Shimei, (1 Chronicles 6:42) possibly the same as the preceding. + Father of ancestor of Joab, a Gershonite in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 29:12) (B.C. before 726.) At a much earlier period we find the same collocation of names, Zimmah and Joah as father and son. (1 Chronicles 6:20)


Zimran

(celebrated), the eldest son of Keturah. (Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32) His descendants are not mentioned, nor is any hint given that he was the founder of a tribe. (B.C. 1855.)


Zimri

+ The son of Salu, a Simeonite chieftain, slain by Phinehas with the Midianitish princess Cozbi. (Numbers 25:14). (B.C. 1450.) + Fifth sovereign of the separate kingdom of Israel, of which he occupied the throne for the brief period of seven days, B.C. 930 or 929. Originally in command of half the chariots in the royal army, he gained the crown by the murder of King Elah; son of Baasha. But the army made their general, Omri, king, who marched against Tirzah, where Zimri was. Zimri retreated into the innermost part of the late king's palace, set it on fire, and perished in the ruins. (1 Kings 16:9-20) + One of the five sons of Zerah the son of Judah. (1 Chronicles 2:6) (B.C. after 1706.) + Son of Jehoadah and descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:36; 9:42) + An obscure name, mentioned (Jeremiah 25:25) in probable connection with Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, the "mingled people." Nothing further is known respecting Zimri, but the name may possibly be the same as, or derived from, [1342]Zimran, which see.


Zin

(flat), the name given to a portion of the desert tract between the Dead Sea, Ghor, and Arabah on the east, and the general plateau of the Tih which stretches westward. The country in question consists of two or three successive terraces of mountain converging to an acute single at the Dead Sea's southern verge, toward which also they slope. Kadesh lay in it, and here also Idumea was conterminous with Judah; since Kadesh was a city in the border of Edom. [See [1343]Kadesh, Kadeshbarnea]. (Numbers 13:21; 20:1; 27:14; 33:36; 34:3; Joshua 15:1)


Zina

(abundance); Zizah, the second son of Shimei the Gershonite. (1 Chronicles 23:10) comp. 1Chr 23:11


Zior

(smallness), a town in the mountain district of Judah. (Joshua 15:54) It belongs to the same group with Hebron.


Ziph

(battlement), the name of two towns in Judah.

+ In the south, named between Ithnan and Telem. (Joshua 15:24) It does not appear again in the history, nor has any trace of has been met with. + In the highland district, named between Carmel and Juttah. (Joshua 15:55) The place is immortalized by its connection with David. (1 Samuel 23:14,15,24; 26:2) These passages show that at that time it had near it a wilderness (i.e., a waste pasture-ground) and a wood. The latter has disappeared but the former remains. The name of Zif if, found about three miles south of Hebron, attached to a rounded hill of some 100 feet in height, which is called Tell Zif . + Son of Jehaleleel. (1 Chronicles 4:16)


Ziphah

(feminine of Ziph), another son of Jehaleleel. (1 Chronicles 4:16)


Ziphim, The

the inhabitants of [1345]Ziph, 2. In this form the name is found in the Authorized Version only in the title of (Psalms 54:1) In the narrative it occurs in the more usual form of ZIPHITES. (1 Samuel 23:19; 26:1)


Ziphion

son of Gad (Genesis 46:18) elsewhere called Zephon.


Ziphran

(fragrance), appoint in the north boundary of the promised land as specified by Moses. (Numbers 34:9)


Zippor

(sparrow), father of Balak king of Moab. (Numbers 22:2,4,10,16; 23:18; Joshua 24:9; Judges 11:25) Whether he was the "former king of Moab" alluded to in (Numbers 21:26) we are not told. (B.C. 1451.)


Zipporah, Or Zipporah

daughter of Reuel or Jethro, the priest of Midian, wife of Moses and mother of his two sons Gershom and Eliezer. (Exodus 2:21; 4:25; 18:2) comp. Exod 18:6 (B.C. 1530.) The only incident recorded in her life is that of the circumcision of Gershom. (Exodus 4:24-28)


Zithri

(protection of Jehovah), properly Sithri; one of the sons of Uzziel the son of Kohath. (Exodus 6:22) In (Exodus 6:21) Zithri should be Zichri, as in Authorized Version of 1611.


Ziz

(the projection), The cliff of, the pass by which the horde of Moabites, Ammonites and Mehunim made their way up from the shores of the Dead Sea to the wilderness of Judah near Tekoa. (2 Chronicles 20:16) only; comp. 2Chr 20:20 It was the pass of Ain Jidy--the very same route which is taken by the Arabs in their marauding expeditions at the present day.


Ziza

+ Son of Shiphi, a chief of the Simeonites in the reign of Hezekiah. (1 Chronicles 4:37) (B.C. about 725.) + Son of Rehoboam by Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom. (2 Chronicles 11:20) (B.C. after 973.)


Zizah

a Gershonite Levite, second son of Shimei, (1 Chronicles 23:11) called [1346]Zina in ver. (1 Chronicles 23:10)


Zoan

(place of departure), an ancient city of lower Egypt, called Tanis by the Greeks. It stood on the eastern bank of the Tanitic branch of the Nile. Its name indicates a place of departure from a country, and hence it has been identified with Avaris (Tanis, the modern San), the capital of the Shepherd dynasty in Egypt, built seven years after Hebron and existing before the time of Abraham. It was taken by the Shepherd kings in their invasion of Egypt, and by them rebuilt, and garrisoned, according to Manetho, with 240,000 men. This cite is mentioned in connection with the plagues in such a manner as to leave no doubt that it is the city spoken of in the narrative in Exodus as that where Pharaoh dwelt, (Psalms 78:42,43) and where Moses wrought his wonders on the field of Zoan a rich plain extending thirty miles toward the east. Tanis gave its name to the twenty-first and twenty-third dynasties and hence its mention in Isaiah. (Isaiah 19:13; 30:4) (The present "field of Zoan" is a barren waste, very thinly inhabited. "One of the principal capitals of Pharaoh is now the habitation of fishermen the resort of wild beasts, and infested with reptiles and malignant fevers." There have been discovered a great number of monuments here which throw light upon the Bible history. Brugsch refers to two statues of colossal size of Mermesha of the thirteenth dynasty, wonderfully perfect in the execution of the individual parts and says that memorials of Rameses the Great lie scattered broadcast like the mouldering bones of generations slain long ago. The area of the sacred enclosure of the temple is 1500 feet by 1250.-ED.)


Zoar

(smallness), one of the most ancient cities of the land of Canaan. Its original name was [1347]Bela. (Genesis 14:2,8) It was in intimate connection with the cities of the "plain of Jordan"--Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, See also (Genesis 13:10) but not Genesis10:19 In the general destruction of the cities of the plain Zoar was spared to afford shelter to Lot. (Genesis 19:22,23,30) It is mentioned in the account of the death of Moses as one (of the landmarks which bounded his view from Pisgah, (34:3) and it appears to have been known in the time both of Isaiah, (Isaiah 15:5) and Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 48:34) These are all the notices of Zoar contained in the Bible. It was situated in the same district with the four cities already mentioned, viz. in the "plain" or "circle" of the Jordan, and the narrative of (Genesis 19:1)... evidently implies that it was very near to Sodom. vs. (Genesis 19:15; 23:27) The definite position of Sodom is, and probably will always be, a mystery; but there can be little doubt that the plain of the Jordan was at the north side of the Dead Sea and that the cities of the plain must therefore have been situated there instead of at the southern end of the lake, as it is generally taken for granted they were. [[1348]Sodom] (But the great majority of scholars from Josephus and Eusebius to the present of the Dead Sea.)


Zoba, Or Zobah

(station), the name of a portion of Syria which formed a separate kingdom in the time of the Jewish monarchs Saul, David and Solomon. It probably was eastward of Coele-Syria, and extended thence northeast and east toward, if not even to, the Euphrates. We first hear of Zobah in the time of Saul, when we find it mentioned as a separate country, governed apparently by a number of kings who owned no common head or chief. (1 Samuel 14:47) Some forty years later than this we find Zobah under a single ruler Hadadezer son of Rehob. He had wars with Toi king of Hamath, (2 Samuel 8:10) and held various petty Syrian princes as vassals under his yoke. (2 Samuel 10:19) David, (2 Samuel 8:3) attacked Hadadezer in the early part of his reign, defeated his army, and took from him a thousand chariots, seven hundred (seven thousand,) (1 Chronicles 18:4) horsemen and 20,000 footmen. Hadadezer's allies, the Syrians of Damascus, were defeated in a great battle. The wealth of Zobah is very apparent in the narrative of this campaign. A man of Zobah, Rezon son of Eliadah, made himself master of Damascus where he proved a fierce adversary to Israel all through the reign of Solomon. (1 Kings 11:23-25) Solomon also was, it would seem engaged in a war with Zobah itself. (2 Chronicles 8:3) This is the last that we hear of Zobah in Scripture. The name however, is found at a later date in the inscriptions of Assyria, where the kingdom of Zobah seems to intervene between Hamath and Damascus.


Zobebah

(the slow), son of Coz, of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:8)


Zohar

+ Father of Ephron the Hittite. (Genesis 23:8; 25:9) (B.C. before 1860.) + One of the sons of Simeon (Genesis 46:10; Exodus 6:15) called [1349]Zarah, Or Zerah, [1350]Zerah in (1 Chronicles 4:24)


Zoheleth

(serpent), The stone, This was "by En-rogel," (1 Kings 1:9) and therefore, if En-rogel be the modern Um-ed-Deraj, this stone, "where Adonijah slew sheep and oxen," was in all likelihood not far from the well of the Virgin.


Zoheth

son of Ishi of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:20)


Zophah

(a cruse) son of Helem or Hotham the son of Heber, an Asherite. (1 Chronicles 7:35,36)