Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Excerpt

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary The Most Accurate and Comprehensive Bible Dictionary Available By: J.D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney

Created to help you get more out of your study of the Bible, this book contains: • 7,200 entries • 500 full-color photographs, charts, and illustrations • 75 full-color maps • Scripture index

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ZONDERVAN Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary Copyright © 1987, 2011 by Zondervan This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks. Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Zondervan illustrated Bible dictionary / [edited by] J. D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney; revised by Moisés Silva. p.  cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-310-22983-4 (hardcover, printed) 1. Bible — Dictionaries. I. Douglas, J. D. (James Dixon) II. Tenney, Merrill C. (Merrill Chapin), 1904-1985. III. Silva, Moisés. IV. Zondervan encyclopedia of the Bible. BS440.Z66 2011 220.3 — dc22

2010034210

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Maps by International Mapping. Copyright © 2009 by Zondervan. All rights reserved. Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design: Mark Sheeres Printed in the United States of America 11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  /DCI/  23  22  21  20  19  18  17  16  15  14  13  12  11  10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

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Introduction W

found in ZEB, may be regarded to some extent as an abbreviated version of its multivolume cousin. What this means for the reader is the benefit of using ZIBD with greater confidence. One-volume Bible dictionaries often report information or make claims that—because of space limitations or for other reasons—are not properly documented. If an item seems unusual (e.g., a statement is made that contradicts an alternate work of reference), readers may find it quite difficult to verify the information. Users of ZIBD, in contrast, knowing that most of the material is treated more fully in ZEB (which usually includes argumentation, some technical data, and extensive bibliographies), can readily consult the larger work for further details. Although much of the material in ZIBD can still be traced back to one or both of the previous editions, the changes have been so extensive that attributing articles to individual authors would in most cases prove misleading. Rather than make arbitrary decisions in specific cases, all the entries now appear unsigned. The revising editor and all readers, however, will continue to be indebted to the original writers, whose names appear listed in both of the earlier editions. All biblical quotations, unless otherwise noted, come from the NIV/TNIV. Because using this dual reference is cumbersome and usually unnecessary, the abbreviation NIV should be assumed to include TNIV; when the latter has a different rendering relevant to the discussion, the difference is noted. Other translations, especially the NRSV, are often noted to indicate alternate interpretations. Quotations of the Apocrypha are taken from the NRSV. Because of the historical significance and continued use of the KJV, attention is given to its distinct name forms, to selected problems related to

hen the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary appeared in 1963, under the general editorship of the well-known New Testament scholar Merrill C. Tenney, it quickly established itself as a standard one-volume reference work for the study of Scripture. Almost twenty-five years later, a completely revised edition, which came to be known as the New International Bible Dictionary, was published under the capable direction of J. D. Douglas. The present revision preserves a fundamental continuity with the two previous editions, yet in many important respects it represents a new work. The most obvious difference is of course its general appearance. Printed in full color throughout, the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary (ZIBD) includes more than 470 striking photographs and more than 17 freshly produced maps. The new artistic design and use of fonts greatly enhance the attractiveness and clarity of the work. More substantial, however, are the changes in content. Almost 1,800 new entries have been added, bringing the total to over 7,200 (including many useful cross-references that make it easier for the user to find desired information). Articles dealing with the books of the Bible now include a sidebar with concise information concerning authorship, historical setting, purpose, and contents. Every article has been revised and updated, and although in some cases the changes required were minor, most entries involved thorough revision or even total rewriting. In this process, the editor had the advantage of being able to make use of the revised edition of the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (ZEB). Particularly in the case of shorter articles, material from ZEB was often transferred (with only minor revisions) to the corresponding ZIBD entries. Thus the one-volume work, while retaining many distinctive features not v

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IntRODUCTION

it (such as words and phrases not easily understood today), and to some of its influential renderings. For the benefit of readers who are not proficient in the biblical languages, the Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbers are included with individual Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words. The transliteration of such words follows the academic style adopted in The SBL Handbook of Style (1999), chapter 5. To aid the user in finding relevant material, thousands of crossreferences are included; these are indicated with small caps. Within the body of the articles, cross-references are normally marked only on first mention.

Because the article on “seal” extends several paragraphs—so that the entry “sea monster” could pass unnoticed—the reader may infer that “sea gull” is the last “sea” entry. In short, users should not assume that an article is missing if they do not find it on first try. The only exception to strict alphabetical order is in the case of dual articles that treat the same topic focusing respectively on the OT and the NT. For example, “chronology (OT)” comes before “chronology (NT).”

Alphabetization

The representation of Middle Eastern names in English is fraught with difficulties, resulting in a bewildering diversity of spellings (except in the case of widely used names whose English orthography has become conventional). Some writers adopt a precise transliteration, using numerous diacritical markings that distinguish between fairly subtle sound differences; others prefer a greatly simplified system that ignores even important distinctions. The present work seeks a middle ground. For example, in the representation of Arabic names (used for most archaeological sites and modern villages in the Holy Land), vowel length is ignored, but differences in the consonants have been carefully preserved (e.g., h / h> / hr). With regard to biblical names specifically, the spelling follows the NIV, but alternate forms are also included (primarily from the TNIV, KJV, and NRSV). The articles begin with initial parenthetical information that gives the original form in transliterated Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, followed by the meaning of the name, if known. Most of these meanings cannot be confirmed definitively, however, and even when there is a reasonable degree of certainty, one cannot be sure what may have motivated the parents to choose a particular name (a characteristic of the child? an event at the time of birth? a parental hope? the desire to honor an ancestor or an important figure by using that person’s name? an ascription of praise to God not specifically related to the child? merely the perception that the name had a pleasant sound?). Pronunciation guides have been provided for all biblical names as well as for selected names found outside the Bible. With relatively few exceptions,

The entries in this dictionary are alphabetized according to the so-called letter-by-letter system: a parenthesis or a comma interrupts the alphabetizing, but all other punctuation marks and word spaces are ignored (cf. The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. [2003], sect. 18.56–59). Note the order in the following example: Beth Anoth Bethany Beth Ashbea Some dictionaries and encyclopedias follow the word-by-word method, according to which any punctuation mark or word space also interrupts the alphabetizing. In the example above, they would place “Beth Ashbea” and many other “Beth-” compounds before “Bethany.” Usually these differences do not create obstacles, but in certain cases—when a large number of items or a long article separates similar entries—the user may on first try be unable to find a particular entry where expected. Note the potential confusion in the following example: sea sea, brazen Sea, Great sea, molten sea cow sea gull seah seal sea monster sea of glass

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Proper Names

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IntRODUCTION

the information is taken from W. O. Walker Jr. et al., The HarperCollins Bible Pronunciation Guide (1989), which uses a simple system for indicating English sounds, as shown below. There exists of course a standard pronunciation for a large number of well-known biblical names. Numerous other names, however, are not in common use and thus there is no “accepted” or conventional pronunciation for them. The approach used by Walker and his associate editors gives preference to what would likely be considered a natural English pronunciation (i.e., consistent with how

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similarly spelled words in English are usually pronounced). Biblical scholars, however, frequently favor a pronunciation that comes closer to that of the original languages, particularly in the case of Hebrew names. Thus for the name Hazor, Walker gives the pronunciation hay´zor, but many biblical students prefer hah-tsor´. In short, then, the pronunciation guides included in this dictionary are not presented as authoritative prescriptions; many of them should be regarded only as reasonable suggestions. Moisés Silva

Pronunciation Key a

cat

ihr

ear

ou

how

ah

father

j

joke

p

pat

ahr

lard

k

king

r

run

air

care

kh

s

so

aw

jaw

ch as in German Buch

sh

sure

vex

t

toe

ay

pay

ks

b

bug

kw

quill

th

thin

ch

chew

l

love

th

then

d

do

m

mat

ts

tsetse

e, eh

pet

n

not

tw

twin

ee

seem

ng

sing

uh

ago

er

error

o

hot

uhr

her

f

fun

oh

go

v

vow

good

oi

boy

w

weather

hot

oo

foot

y

young

hw

whether

oo

boot

z

zone

i

it

oor

poor

zh

vision

i

sky

or

for

g h

Stress accents are printed after stressed syllables: ´ primary stress ´ secondary stress

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Preface to the Second Edition (Abbreviated) F

the Bible are further at risk because some of their subjects lend themselves to controversy. In treating them, mention may be made either of opinions not within the Evangelical tradition or of widely divergent interpretations within that tradition. We hope that this policy will have no adverse effect on anyone’s blood pressure. It was, indeed, an eminent physician, Sir Wilfred Grenfell, who reminded us that two men can think differently without either being wicked. The consulting editors are not to be held accountable for the finished revision. None of them has seen all of it. All of them responded to the initial invitation to comment on what needed to be done. Moreover, all were contributors as well as consultants, and the work has greatly benefited. But someone had to see the work last, so for the final choice of material the revising editor alone is responsible. In addition to article writers, a number of people worked very hard and lightened the editorial task. Doug Buckwalter and David Lazell shared their expertise in the peculiarly demanding job of adapting some of the omnibus articles to NIV usage. Myra Wilson cheerfully did a mass of accurate typing and checking; Ruj Vanavisut meticulously performed a daunting load of secretarial and kindred chores; Louan and Walter Elwell selflessly provided a second home and library facilities for a traveling editor. For the publisher, Stan Gundry was a model of restraint in letting the editor get on with the project unhindered but was ready to respond promptly to editorial requests. J. D. Douglas

or more than two decades the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary has been a best-seller. During that period, however, more background information has become available. Archaeological excavations have been carried out on biblical sites. New books have been written to enhance our understanding of the Bible. A further dimension was added with the publication of the New International Version of the Bible. These developments are reflected in this revision. The revision has been so thorough, in fact, that the dictionary merits a new name: New International Dictionary of the Bible. There is, for example, a completely new entry on archaeology, and, where necessary, notes have been added to the individual entries dealing with particular sites. Every reviser is in debt to the original editors and writers and lives with a nagging feeling of presumptuousness in setting out to amend or supersede the work of bygone saints. Why did they say this or that? Did they know something we don’t know? This haunting and not-unlikely possibility is a healthy inhibiting factor for brandishers of blue pencils. This is especially relevant when confronting a presentation that is put a little more forcefully than one would expect in a dictionary of the Bible. In the following pages a reasonable amount of idiosyncrasy has been perpetuated in certain entries; with a certain affectionate indulgence we recognize that that was the way in which some of our elders drew attention to the importance of their topics. Dictionaries are particularly vulnerable because a writer has to say in a few words what others expand into whole books. Contributors to dictionaries of

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Preface to the First Edition (Abbreviated) R

the opportunity for a fresh venture in this field, the Zondervan Publishing House, inspired by the interest and foresight of Mr. Peter deVisser, Di­ rector of Publications, has undertaken the task of creating a totally new dictionary, enlisting the cooperation of sixty-five competent scholars in every field from archaeology to zoology. The content includes more than 5,000 entries, among which may be found a number of important monographs on biblical and theological topics. In addition, the dictionary contains an extensive series of articles on Christian doctrines. This Pictorial Bible Dictionary is a completely new, fully illustrated one-volume work. It is designed to provide quick access to explanatory data, both by the verbal exposition of biographical, chronological, geographical, and historical aspects of the Bible, and by the illustrations related to them. The pictures have been selected for their relevance to the subject matter, for their historical value, and also with an eye to human interest. The scope of a one-volume dictionary is necessarily limited. The articles are not intended to be exhaustive, nor are they planned primarily for professional scholars. They are gauged for the use of pastors, Sunday-school teachers, Bibleclass leaders, and students who desire concise and accurate information on questions raised by ordinary reading. For intensive research, a more detailed and critical work is recommended. Although the articles are written from a conservative viewpoint, each writer has been free to express his own opinions and is responsible for the material that appears over his signature. There may be minor disagreements between statements by different persons; in such instances there is room for debate, and the contributors have liberty

obert A. Millikan, American physicist and Nobel prizewinner, once said that a knowledge of the Bible is an indispensable qualification of a well-educated man. No other single book in the history of literature has been so widely distributed or read, or has exercised so powerful an influence upon civilization. It is the fountainhead of Western culture, and is the sole source of spiritual life and revelation for all Christians. For the development of Christian experience and for the propagation of faith, a study of the Scriptures is absolutely necessary.The history, laws, prophecies, sermons and letters which they contain provide God’s estimate of man and His disclosure of Himself through the historic process of revelation culminating in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Understanding the Bible is often difficult for the average reader because of the unfamiliar names of persons, places, and objects to which it alludes. The historical and cultural backgrounds are alien to those of the modern day and presuppose knowledge that is not easily attainable. The function of a Bible dictionary is to render accessible a body of information that will enable one to comprehend the meaning of the text he is reading, and to obtain ready and complete data concerning any related subject. Within recent years, the need for a new, upto-date reference work has become increasingly urgent. Fresh discoveries in archaeology, better understanding of the history and geography of the Middle East, and the fruit of multiplied research have provided new insights and interpretations. The advance of the graphic arts has improved greatly the effectiveness of photography, so that the artifacts and inscriptions of the past can be reproduced vividly for public exhibition. Realizing ix

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PREFACE

to differ. Uncertainty still exists in some fields, since sufficient data are not available for final conclusions. Special acknowledgments are due to Dr. Steven Barabas, Associate Editor, who collaborated in preparing articles for publication, and who contributed many himself; to Dr. E. M. Blaiklock, Professor Wick Broomall, Dr. Howard Z. Cleveland, the Rev. Charles Cook, Dr. Carl De Vries, the Rev. Arthur B. Fowler, the Rev. J. P. Freeman, Dr. Guy B. Funderburk, the Rev. Clyde E. Harrington, Dr. D. Edmond Hiebert, the Rev. John G. Johansson, the Rev. Brewster Porcella,

Professor Arthur M. Ross, Dr. Emmet Russell, and Dr. Walter Wessel, who, in addition to the initialed articles published under their names, contributed many of the unsigned articles; to Miss Verda Bloomhuff and the Rev. Briggs P. Dingman, who assisted in correction of copy and proof; and to Mrs. Carol Currie and Mrs. Alice Holmes for invaluable secretarial service. The General Editor wishes to express his gratitude to all those scholars named in the list of contributors who have lent their time and counsel to the production of this book. Merrill C. Tenney

Abbreviations General Abbreviations Akk. ANE ANET aor. Apoc. approx. Arab. Aram. Assyr. ASV b. c. cent. cf. ch(s). cm. contra d. DSS E

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Akkadian Ancient Near East(ern) Ancient Near East Texts Relating to the Old Testament, ed. J. B. Pritchard, 3rd ed. (1969) aorist Apocrypha approximate(ly) Arabic Aramaic Assyrian American Standard Version born circa, about, approximately century confer, compare chapter(s) centimeters in contrast to died, date of death Dead Sea Scrolls east

ed(s). e.g. Egyp. Eng. ERV esp. ESV et al. f. fem. fig. fl. ft. Ger. Gk. GNB Heb. Hitt. ibid. i.e. illus. impf. impv.

editor(s), edited, edition exempli gratia, for example Egyptian English English Revised Version especially English Standard Version et alii, and others and following (pl. ff.) feminine figure, figurative(ly) floruit, flourished feet German Greek Good News Bible Hebrew Hittite ibidem, in the same place id est, that is illustration imperfect imperative

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ABBREVIATIONS

in. JB Jos. JPS

KJV km. l. Lat. lit. LXX m. masc. mg. mi. MS(S) MT N n. NAB NASB NCV NE NEB neut. NIV NJB NJPS

NKJV NLT no. NT NW orig. OT p., pp. pass. pf. pl. prob. ptc. REB rev. Rom. RSV

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inches Jerusalem Bible Josephus Jewish Publication Society, The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation . . . (1945) King James Version kilometers liters Latin literal; literally Septuagint meters masculine margin miles manuscript(s) Masoretic Text north note (pl. nn.) New American Bible New American Standard Bible New Century Version northeast New English Bible neuter New International Version (1984 ed.) New Jerusalem Bible Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures. The New JPS translation according to the Traditional Hebrew Text New King James Version New Living Translation number New Testament northwest original(ly) Old Testament page, pages passive perfect plural probably participle Revised English Bible revised Roman Revised Standard Version

RV S SE sect. sing. Sumer. s.v. SW Syr. TEV TNIV TR trans. Ugar. v., vv. vol(s). vs. Vulg. W

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Revised Version south southeast section singular Sumerian sub verbo, under the word southwest Syriac Today’s English Version Today's New International Version Textus Receptus translated by; translation Ugaritic verse, verses volume(s) versus Vulgate west

II. Books of the Bible Old Testament

Gen. Exod. Lev. Num. Deut. Josh. Jdg. Ruth 1 Sam. 2 Sam. 1 Ki. 2 Ki. 1 Chr. 2 Chr. Ezra Neh. Esth. JobJob Ps. Prov. Eccl. Cant. Isa. Jer. Lam.

Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther

Psalm(s) Proverbs Ecclesiastes Canticles (Song of Songs) Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations

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ABBREVIATIONS

Ezek. Dan. Hos. Joel Amos Obad. Jon. Mic. Nah. Hab. Zeph. Hag. Zech. Mal.

Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

New Testament

Matt. Mk. Lk. Jn. Acts Rom. 1 Cor. 2 Cor. Gal. Eph. Phil. Col. 1 Thess. 2 Thess. 1 Tim. 2 Tim. Tit. Phlm. Heb. Jas. 1 Pet. 2 Pet. 1 Jn. 2 Jn. 3 Jn. Jude Rev.

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Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

Apocrypha

1 Esd. 2 Esd. Tob. Jdt. Add. Esth. Wisd. Sir. Bar. Ep. Jer. Pr. Azar. Sg. Sus. Bel Pr. Man. 1 Macc. 2 Macc.

1 Esdras 2 Esdras (= 4 Ezra) Tobit Judith Additions to Esther Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach) Baruch Epistle of Jeremy Prayer of Azariah ThreeSong of the Three Children (or Young Men) Susanna Bel and the Dragon Prayer of Manasseh 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees

III. Pseudepigrapha As. Moses 2 Bar. 3 Bar. 1 En. 2 En. 4 Ezra Jub. Let. Aris. Life Adam 3 Macc. 4 Macc. Mart. Isa. Pss. Sol. Sib. Or. T. Benj. T. 12 Patr. Zad. Frag.

Assumption of Moses 2 Baruch 3 Baruch 1 Enoch 2 Enoch 4 Ezra (= 2 Esdras) Book of Jubilees Letter of Aristeas Life of Adam and Eve 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Martyrdom of Isaiah Psalms of Solomon Sibylline Oracles Testament of Benjamin (etc.) Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs Zadokite Fragments

Other Christian, Jewish, and Greco-Roman texts are referred to by their standard abbreviations. See, e.g., The SBL Handbook of Style (1999), chapter 8, appendix F, and appendix H.

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A. The symbol used to designate Codex Alexandrinus. See Septuagint; text and versions (NT).

Moses protested that he did not have sufficient ability in public speaking to undertake the mission to Pharaoh, God declared that Aaron should be spokesman for his brother (4:10-16). So Aaron met Moses at “the mountain of God” (4:27) after forty years’ separation, and took him back to the family home in Goshen. Aaron introduced him to the elders of the people and persuaded them to accept him as their leader. Together Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh’s court, where they carried on the negotiations that finally brought an end to the oppression of the Israelites and precipitated the exodus from Egypt.

© Dr. James C. Martin

Aaron. air´uhn (Heb. ,ahărôn H195, derivation uncertain, possibly an Egyp. name; Gk. Aarōn G2). The oldest son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, and brother of Moses and Miriam (Exod. 6:20; Num. 26:59). He was born during the captivity in Egypt, before Pharaoh’s edict that all male infants should be destroyed, and was three years older than Moses (Exod. 7:7). His name first appears in God’s commission to Moses. When

A

According to Islamic tradition, the tomb of Aaron lies atop Jebel Harun (Mt. Hor) located a few miles S of Petra. (View to the NW.)

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A

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Aaron

During Moses’ forty years in the wilderness Aaron had married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, a prince of the tribe of Judah (Exod. 6:23; 1 Chr. 2:10). They had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exod. 6:23). After the Israelites left Egypt, Aaron assisted his brother during the wandering in the wilderness. On the way to Sinai, in the battle with Amalek, Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands (Exod. 17:9-13), in which was the staff of God. Israel consequently won the battle. With the establishment of the tabernacle, Aaron became high priest in charge of the national worship and the head of the hereditary priesthood (see priest). In character Aaron was weak and occasionally jealous. He and Miriam criticized Moses for having married a Cushite woman (Num. 12:1-2; see Cush #3). This complaint may have been an intentionally insulting reference to Zipporah. (See Hab. 3:7 for a linking of Midian and Cush; Zipporah is always elsewhere described as a Midianite.) Behind this personal slight lies a more serious threat to Moses’ position. Aaron was high priest and thus the supreme religious leader of Israel; Miriam was a prophetess (Exod. 15:20). The great issue was not whether Moses had married a particular person but whether he could any longer be considered the sole, authoritative mouthpiece of God. As Aaron and Miriam said, “Hasn’t he [the Lord] also spoken through us?” (Num. 12:2). It is in the light of this basic challenge to Moses’ Godgiven status that we must understand and appreciate the prompt and dramatic response of the Lord (12:4-15). We may further note that Aaron’s own authority as priest did not go unchallenged. It becomes clear that when Korah and his company (Num. 16) challenged Moses’ leadership, Aaron’s priesthood too was called into question. By the miraculous sign of the flowering and fruit-bearing staff, the Lord identified Aaron as his chosen priest (17:1-9) and accorded him a perpetual priesthood by ordering his staff to be deposited in the sanctuary (17:10). When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the tablets of the law from God, Aaron acceded to the people’s demand for a visible god that they

could worship. Taking their personal jewelry, he melted it in a furnace and made a golden calf similar to the familiar bull-god of Egypt. The people hailed this image as the god who had brought them out of Egypt. Aaron did not remonstrate with them but built an altar and proclaimed a feast to the Lord on the next day, which the people celebrated with revelry and debauchery (Exod. 32:16). When Moses returned from the mountain and rebuked Aaron for aiding this abuse, Aaron gave this naive answer: “They gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (32:24). It may be that Aaron meant to restrain the people by a compromise, but he was wholly unsuccessful. See also calf worship. In the biblical narrative much is made of the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests. The “dignity and honor” (Exod. 28:2) of their office was expressed in garments of great beauty and significance: the breastpiece, ephod, robe, tunic, turban, and sash. The ceremony of appointment is described in Exod. 29 and enacted in Lev. 8. It involved presenting a sin offering and a burnt offering on behalf of the priests-to-be (Exod. 29:10-14, 15-18), for though they were priests, they were first of all sinners needing the grace of God in atonement (Heb. 5:2-3). See sacrifice and offerings. The consecration included three special ceremonies: (1) their ears, hands, and feet were touched with the blood of a ram (Exod. 29:1920), signifying respectively the hallowing of the mind and of the acts and directions of life—what they would hear, what they would do, where they would go; (2) they were anointed with oil mingled with the sacrificial blood (29:21), symbolizing the grace of God in atonement (blood) and endowment (oil); (3) their hands were filled with some of the fat of the slain beasts along with various sorts of bread, and the whole was lifted up in offering to the Lord (29:22-23). Just as we say that a busy person “has his hands full,” so they consecrated to the Lord the whole business of living—life’s special duties, seen in the fat of the sacrifices, and life’s ordinary cares and needs, seen in the bread. After eight days (Lev. 9:1) Aaron and his sons entered their public ministry, presenting the sin offering, burnt offering, and fellowship offering on behalf of the people. This first act of ministry

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Abana

received divine ratification in the appearing of the glory of the Lord and the fire of God that fell on the offering (9:23-24). At the end of the wilderness wandering, Aaron was warned of his impending death. He and Moses went up Mount Hor, where Aaron was stripped of his priestly robes, which passed in succession to his son Eleazar. Aaron died at the age of 123 and was buried on the mountain (Num. 20:22-29; 33:38; Deut. 10:6; 32:50). The people mourned for him thirty days. The Psalms speak of the priestly line as the “house of Aaron” (Ps. 115:10, 12; 118:3; 135:19), and Aaron is mentioned in Hebrews as a type of Christ, who was “called by God, just as Aaron was” (Heb. 5:4-5), though the eternal priesthood of Christ is stated explicitly to be derived from Melchizedek and not from Aaron (7:11). Aaronites. air´uh-nits. This term is used by the KJV in two passages where the Hebrew simply has Aaron, but where the reference is clearly to his descendants (1 Chr. 12:27; 27:17; in the former passage the NIV translates, “the family of Aaron”). Aaron’s staff (rod). When Korah and his confederates challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Num. 16-17, possibly the most important event during the thirty-seven years of wandering described in chs. 15-19), Moses demanded that the staffs of each of the princes of the tribes be given him; and he placed their staffs with Aaron’s “before the Lord in the Tent of the Testimony” (17:7). The next day Aaron’s staff was found to have budded, vindicating the divine authority of Aaron as high priest (17:8). It was then placed before the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies to be preserved as a witness against all who might rebel against his authority (17:8-10). (It is possible that the staff was subsequently placed inside the ark, as Heb. 9:4 suggests.) The staff referred to is very likely the same shepherd’s staff Moses was carrying at the time of his call (Exod. 4:2). When turned into a serpent, it became a sign to Moses and Aaron, to Israel, and to Pharaoh of the divine mission and authority of Moses (v. 17). It is twice called “the staff of God” (4:20; 17:9). In the battle with Amalek the staff

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was in Moses’ hand; and Aaron and Hur supported his arms when he was weary (17:9-13). Moses was commanded to take the staff, and he and Aaron were told to “speak to that rock” (Num. 20:8). Instead of following these instructions implicitly, Moses (evidently with Aaron’s support) spoke arrogantly to the people, and Moses lifted up his hand with his staff and smote the rock twice (v. 11), acts of presumption for which he and Aaron were severely punished. All of the expressions used are natural in view of the significance of the staff. It was called “the staff of God,” for it was the symbol of God’s authority; it was Moses’ staff, because it belonged to him and was carried by him; it was also Aaron’s staff, because Aaron at times spoke and acted for Moses.

3

A

Ab. ab. The fifth month ( July-August) in the Babylonian calendar used by postexilic Israel. This name is not found in the Bible. Abaddon. uh-bad´uhn (Gk. Abaddōn G3). This Hebrew name, with its Greek equivalent Apollyon, is used once in the NT with reference to the evil angel who reigns over the infernal regions of the abyss (Rev. 9:11). The Hebrew noun ,ăbaddôn H11, meaning “[place of ] destruction, ruin,” but variously translated, occurs only in a few poetic passages ( Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Ps. 88:11; Prov. 15:11; 27:20). Abagtha. uh-bag´thuh (Heb. ,ăbagtā , H5, possibly an Iranian name). One of the seven eunuchs sent by the Persian king Xerxes (Ahasuerus) to bring Queen Vashti to a royal feast (Esth. 1:10). Abana. ab´uh-nuh (Heb. ,ăbānâ H76, “stony”). Also Abanah. The name of a river that flows through Damascus, mentioned in the Bible only once, when Naaman asked, “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel?” (2 Ki. 5:12; an alternate reading in the Heb. MSS is Amana). The Greeks called it the Chrysorrhoas (“golden stream”); it is the same as the modern Barada River. Beginning 23 mi. (37 km.) NW of Damascus in the ­Antilebanon Mountains, this river makes ­Damascus, though bordering on a desert, a very lovely and fertile area.

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4

A

Abarim

It divides into nine or ten branches and spreads out like an open fan into the plain E of Damascus. Abarim. ab´uh-rim (Heb. ôah> H291). The NRSV renders

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44

A

Ahohite

2 Sam. 23:9 literally as “Dodo son of Ahohi,” whereas KJV and NIV, on the basis of the parallel passage (1 Chr. 11:12), have “Dodo [Dodai] the Ahohite.” See Ahohite. Ahohite. uh-hoh´hit (Heb. ,ăh>ôh>î H292, apparently a gentilic of ,ăh>ôah> H291). Probably a patronymic used by the descendants of Ahoah. The term is used only in connection with military heroes in David’s time: Dodai (2 Sam. 23:9; 1 Chr. 11:12; 27:14) and Zalmon (2 Sam. 23:28; called Ilai in 1 Chr. 11:29). Aholah; Aholiab; Aholibah; Aholibamah. KJV forms of Oholah; Oholiab; Oholibah; Oholibamah. Ahumai. uh-hyoo´mi (Heb. ,ăh>ûmay H293, “it is indeed a brother”). Son of Jahath and descendant of Judah through Shobal (1 Chr. 4:2). He and his brother Lahad are referred to as “the clans of the Zorathites” (see Zorah). Ahuzam. See Ahuzzam. Ahuzzam. uh-huh´zuhm (Heb. ,ăh>uzzām H303, possibly “possessor”). KJV Ahuzam. Son of Ashhur and descendant of Judah (1 Chr. 4:6). Ahuzzath. uh-huh´zath (Heb. ,ăh>uzzat H304, possibly “possession”). A personal adviser (Heb. mērē