Gaal – Ghost

Gaal

Judg 9:26-41, son of Ebed, perhaps a descendant of Hamor, the father of Shechem, Ge 34:2-6. He joined the Shechemites when revolting against Aimelech, son of Gideon, inflamed their passions, and led them to battle, but was defeated, and excluded from the city.

Gaash

A hill of Ephraim, north of which stood Timnath-seres, celebrated for Joshua’s tomb, Jos 24.30. The brooks, or valleys of Gaash, 2Sa 23:30; 1Ch 11:32, were probably at the foot of the hill.

Gabbatha

An elevated place, the name of a place in front of Pilate’s palace, whence he pronounced sentence against our Savior, Joh 19:13. In Greek it was called the pavement. It was not the usual judgment hall, which the Jews could not then enter, but some palace in the vicinity of the crowd without, Joh 18:28; 19:4,9,13. It appears to have been a checkered marble pavement, or mosaic floor, on which his seat of judgment was erected. Such ornamented pavements had become common at that day among the wealthy Romans.

Gabriel

A principal angel. He was sent to the prophet Daniel to explain his vision; also to Zacharias, to announce to him the future birth of John the Baptist, Da 8:16; 9:21; Lu 1:11,19. Six months afterwards, he was sent to Nazareth, to the Virgin Mary, Lu 1:26-38.

Gad

Prosperity, fortune,

1. Son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah’s servant, Ge 30:11. Leah called him Gad, and said, "A troop cometh." Compare Ge 49:19; but many Hebrew scholars prefer the rendering, good fortune or prosperity cometh. The tribe of Gad came out of Egypt in number forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty, Ge 46:16; Nu 1:24. After the defeat of the kings Og and Sihon, Gad and Reuben desired to have their allotment east of Jordan, alleging their great number of cattle. Moses granted their request, on condition that they should accompany their brethren, and assist in conquering the land west of Jordan, Nu 32:1-42. The inheritance of the tribe of Gad lay between Manesseh on the north, Reuben on the south, the Jordan on the west, and the Ammonites on the east. The northwest point stretched to the Sea of Galilee. It was a fine pastoral region, though its exposure to the incursion of eastern Arabians compelled the Gadites to be well armed and on the alert, Ge 49:19; De 33:20; 1Ch 5:18-22,25,26; 12:8. The principal cities of Gad are called cities of Gilead, Jos 13:25.

2. David’s friend, who followed him when persecuted by Saul, and was often sent with a divine message to David, 1Sa 22:5; 2Sa 24:11-19; 1Ch 21:9-19; 2Ch 29:25. Scriptures styles him a prophet, and David’s seer. He appears to have written a history of David’s life;

which is cited in 1Ch 29:29.

3. Rendered "troops" in Isa 65:11, but generally supposed to be the name of a heathen god of fortune; and perhaps of the planet Jupiter, the star of good fortune. Compare Jos 11:17; 15:37. MENI in the same verse, translated "number," is supposed by some to mean destiny; by others, the planet Benus, and the goddess of good fortune.

Gadara

Now Um-keis, a fortified chief city of Decapolis, of considerable importance in the time of Christ, and having many Greek inhabitants. It lay south of the river Hieromax, seven miles level summit of a steep limestone hill. A few ruins are found on the top of the hill; many excavated tombs on its sides, still partly occupied as residences; and warm springs at its base. The country of the Gadarenes extended to the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee; and in the part of its bordering on the lake occurred the miracle recorded in Mt 8:28; 9:1; Mr 5:1-20; Lu 8:26-39. A legion of demons were cast out of two men, and entered a herd of swine, causing their destruction. See GERGESENES.

Gaius Or Caius

1. A Macedonian, who accompanied Paul in his travels, and whose life was in danger at Ephesus, Ac 19:29.

2. A Corinthian convert of Paul, who hospitable entertained the apostle while laboring at Corinth, Ro 16:23; 1Co 1:14.

3. Of Derbe; an attendant of Paul from Corinth, in his last journey to Jerusalem, Ac 20:4.

The third epistle of John is addressed "to the well-beloved Gaius;" whose character for hospitality comports well with that of 2. above. The name was a common one wherever the Romans lived; and yet it is not certain that more than one or two different individuals of this name are spoken of in Scripture.

Galatia

A province of Asia Minor, lying south and southeast of Bithynia and Paphlagonia, west of Pontus, north and northwest of Cappadocia, and north and northwest of Cappadocia, and north and northeast of Lycaonia and Phrygia. Its name was derived from the Gauls; of whom two tribes, (Trocmi and Tolistoboii,) migrated thither after the sacking of Rome by Brennus; and mingling with the former inhabitants, the whole were called Gallogracci, B. C. 280. The Celtic language continued to be spoken by their descendants at least until the time of Jerome, six hundred years after the migration; and these Gauls of Asia also retained much of the mercurial and impulsive disposition of the Gallic race. Compare Ga 1:6; 4:15; 5:7. Under Augustus, about B. C. 26, this country was reduced to the form of a Roman province, and was governed by a proprietor. Galatia was distinguished for the fertility of its soil and the flourishing state of its trade. It was also the seat of colonies from various nations, among whom were many Jews; and from all of these Paul appears to have made many converts to Christianity, 1Co 16:1. His first visit, Ac 16:6, probably took place about A. D. 51-2; and the second, Ac 18:28, after which his epistle to the Galatians appears to have been written, was several years later. At his first visit he was sick; yet they received him "as an angel of God," and most heartily embraced the gospel. Four or five years afterwards Jewish teachers, professing Christianity, came among them; they denied Paul’s apostolic authority, exalted the works of the law, and perverted the true gospel by intermixing with it the rites of Judaism. Paul, learning their state, probably at Corinth, A. D. 57-8, wrote his epistle to the Galatians. He indignantly rebukes his children in Christ for their sudden alienation from him and from the truth; vindicates his authority and his teachings as an apostle, by showing that he received them from Christ himself; and forcibly presents the great doctrine of Christianity, justification by faith, with its relations to the law on the one hand, and to holy living on the other. The general subject of the epistle is the same as of the epistle to the Romans, and it appears to have been written at about the same time with that. The churches of Galatia are mentioned in ecclesiastical history for about nine hundred years.

Galbanum

An ingredient in the incense burned at the golden altar, in the Holy Place, Ex 30:34. It is the gum of a plant growing in Abyssinia, Arabia, and Syria, called by Pliny stagonitis, but supposed to be the same as the Bubon Galbanum of Linnaeus. The gum is unctuous and adhesive, of a strong and somewhat astringent smell.

Galilee

In the time of Christ, included all the northern part of Palestine lying west of the Jordan and north of Samaria. Before the exile the name seems to have been applied only to a small tract bordering on the northern limits, 1Ki 9:11. Galilee, in the time of Christ, was divided into Upper and Lower, the former lying north of the territory of the tribe of Zebulun, and abounding in mountains; the latter being more level and fertile, and very populous; the whole comprehending the four tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Asher. Lower Galilee is aid to have contained four hundred and four towns and villages, of which Josephus mentions Tiberias, Sepphoris, and Gabara, as the principal; though Capernaum and Nazareth are the most frequently mentioned in the New Testament, Mr 1:9; Lu 2:39; Joh 7:52, etc. "Galilee of the Gentiles" is supposed to be Upper Galilee, either because it bordered on Tyre and Zidon, or because Phenicians, Syrians, Arabs, and other heathen were numerous among it inhabitants. The Galileans were accounted brave and industrious; though other Jews affected to consider them as not only stupid and unpolished, but also seditious, and therefore proper objects of contempt, Lu 13:1; 23:6; Joh 1:47; 7:52. They appear to have used a peculiar dialect, by which they were easily distinguished from the Jews of Jerusalem, Mr 14:70. Many of the apostles and first converts to Christianity were men of Galilee, Ac 1:11; 2:7, as well as Christ himself; and the name Galilean was often given as an insult, both to him and his followers. The apostate emperor Julian constantly used it, and in his dying agony and rage cried out, "O Galilean, thou hast conquered!" Our Savior resided here from infancy till he was thirty years of age, and during much of his public ministry; and the cities of his public ministry; and the cities of Nazareth, Nain, Cana, Capernaum, with the whole region of the sea of Galilee, are sacredly endeared to all his people by the words he there spoke, and the wonders he wrought. For the Sea of Galilee, see SEA 3.

Gall

A general name for anything very bitter. In Job 16:13; 20:14,25, it means the animal secretion usually called the bile. In many other places, where a different word is used in the original, it refers to some better and noxious plant, according to some, the poppy. See De 29:18; Jer 9:15; 23:15. In Ho 10:4; Am 6:12, the Hebrew word is translated "hemlock". In Mt 27:34, it is said they gave Jesus to drink, vinegar mixed with gall, which in Mr 15:23, is called wine mingled with myrrh. It was probably the sour wine which the Roman soldiers used to drink, mingled with myrrh and other bitter substances, very much like the "bitters" of modern times, Ps 69:21. The word gall is often used figuratively for great troubles, wickedness, depravity, etc., Jer 8:14; Am 6:12; Ac 8:23.

Galley

Isa 33:21. See SHIP.

Gallio

A proconsul of Archaia, under the emperor Claudius, in the time of Paul, Ac 18:12-17. He was the elder brother of the philosopher Seneca, who describes him as uncommonly amiable and upright. His residence was at Corinth; and when the Jews of the city made an insurrection against Paul, and dragged him before the judgment seat, Gallio refused to entertain their clamorous and unjust demands. The Greeks who were present, pleased with the rebuff the persecuting Jews had received, fell upon Sosthenes their leader, and beat him upon the spot, a mode of retribution that Gallio ought not to have allowed. Like his brother Seneca, he suffered death by order of the tyrant Nero.

Gamaliel

A celebrated Pharisee in the generation after Christ, a doctor of the law, and member of the Sanhedrin. He possessed great influence among the Jews, and is said by some to have presided over the Sanhedrin during the reigns of Tiberius, Cains, and Claudius. The Talmundists say that he was the son of Rabbi Simeon, and grandson of Hillel, the celebrated teacher of the law, and that upon his death the glory of the law departed. His noble intervention before the Sanhedrin saved the apostles from an ignominious death, and shows that he was gifted with great wisdom and tolerance, if not strongly inclined towards the gospel, Ac 5:33-40. The apostle Paul thought it a high honor to have been one of his pupils, Ac 22:3, and no doubt received from him not only a zealous enthusiasm for the Jewish law, but many lessons of candor, impartiality, and liberality. His high renown, however, among the Jewish rabbins of later ages, seems inconsistent with the tradition that he embraced Christianity.

Gammadim

Is used in the English Bible, Eze 27:11, as the name of a people; but it rather means simply the brave, the warlike.

Gardens

Are often mentioned in Scripture, though in a sense somewhat peculiar; for in the language of the Hebrews, every place where plants and trees were cultivated with greater care than in the open field, was called a garden. Fruit and shade trees, with aromatic shrubs, sometimes constituted the garden; though roses, lilies, and various gardens were used only for table vegetables, Ge 2:8-10; 15:1-21; 1Ki 21:2; Ec 2:5,6. They were located if possible beside a river or fountain, Ge 13:10; Nu 24:6. In other places reservoirs were provided, from which the water was distributed in various ways, as occasion required, Pr 21:1; Song 4:12-16; Isa 58:11. Gardens were inclosed by walls, or by hedges of rose bushes, wild pomegranate trees, or to her shrubs, many of which in Palestine have long and sharp thorns, 2Sa 23:6,7; Job 1:10; Pr 15:19; Ho 2:6. Often, however, they were left unenclosed, and were watched when their fruits began to ripen, Isa 1:8; Jer 4:16,17. It is still customary in Egypt, Arabia, and Hindostan, to plant a large level tract with melons, cucumbers, etc., and place a small hut or booth on a mound in the center. In this a solitary keeper is stationed, who remains day and night until the fruits are gathered, Job 27:18; Isa 1:8. Gardens and groves were often furnished with pavilions, seats, etc., and were resorted to for banqueting and mirth, Isa 51:3; for retirement and meditation, Joh 18:1; for devotional purposes, Mt 26:30; Joh 1:48; 18:1,2; and for idolatrous abominations, 1Ki 14:23; Isa 1:29; 65:3; 66:17; Jer 2:20; 3:6. A family tomb was often prepared in a garden, Joh 19:41.

Garlic

A bulbous vegetable, of pungent smell and taste, and highly prized in the East. The Jews acquired a liking for it in Egypt, Nu 11:5. One variety, called the eschalot, or shallot, was introduced into Europe from Ascalon.

Garments

The chief garments of the Hebrews were the tunic or inner garment, and the mantle or outer garment. These seem to have constituted a "change of Rainment," Judg 14:13; 19:1-30; Ac 9:39. The tunic was of linen, and was worn next to the skin, fitting close to the body; it had armholes, and sometimes wide and open sleeves, and reached below the knees; that worn by females reached to the ankles. The tunic was sometimes woven without seam, like that of Jesus, Joh 19:23. The upper garment or mantle was a piece of cloth nearly square, and two or three yards in length and breadth, which was wrapped round the body, or tied over the shoulders. A man without this robe on was sometimes said to be "naked," Isa 20:2-4; Joh 21:7. This could be so arranged as to form a large bosom for carrying things; and the mantle also served the poor as a bed by night, Ex 22:26,27; Job 22:6. See BOSOM and BED.

Between these two garments, the Hebrews sometimes wore a third, called me-il, a long and wide robe or tunic of cotton or linen, without sleeves.

The head was usually bare, or covered from too fierce a sunshine, or from rain, by a fold of the outer mantle, 2Sa 15:30; 1Ki 19:13; Es 6:12. The priests, however, wore a mitre, bonnet, or sacred turban; and after the captivity, the Jews adopted to some extent the turban, now so universal in the East. Women wore a variety of plain and ornamented headdresses. Veils were also an article of female dress, Isa 3:19. They were of various kinds, and were used alike by married and unmarried women; generally as a token of modesty, or of subjection to the authority of the husband, Ge 24:65; 1Co 11:3-10; but sometimes for the purpose of concealment, Ge 38:14.

As the Hebrews did not change the fashion of their clothes, as we do, it was common to lay up stores of rainment beforehand, in proportion to their wealth, Isa 3:6. To this Christ alludes when he speaks of treasures, which the moth devours, Mt 6:19; Jas 5:1,2. But though there was a general uniformity in dress from age to age, no doubt various changes took place in the long course of Bible history; and at all times numerous and increasing varieties existed among the different classes, especially in materials and ornaments. In early ages, and where society was wild and rude, the skins of animals were made into clothing, Ge 3:21; Heb 11:37. Spinning, weaving, and needlework soon began to be practiced, Ex 35:25; Judg 5:30. A coarse cloth was made of goats’ or camels’ hair, and finer cloths of woolen, linen, and probably cotton. Their manufacture was a branch of domestic industry, Pr 31:13-24.

The great and wealthy delighted in white rainment; and hence this is also a mark of opulence and prosperity, Ec 9:8. Angels are described as clothed in pure and cheerful white; and such was the appearance of our Savior’s rainment during his transfiguration, Mt 17:2. The saints, in like manner, are described as clothed in white robes, Re 7:9,13,14; the righteousness of Christ in which they are clothed is more glorious than that of the angels.

The garments of mourning among the Hebrews were sackcloth and haircloth, and their color dark brown or black, Isa 50:3; Re 6:12. As the prophets were penitents by profession, their common clothing was mourning. Widows also dressed themselves much the same. The Hebrews, in common with their neighbors, sometimes used a variety of colors for their gayer and more costly dresses, Judg 5:30. So also according to our version, Ge 37:3,23; 2Sa 13:18; though in these passages some understand a tunic with long sleeves. Blue, scarlet, and purple are most frequently referred to, the first being a sacred color. Embroidery and fine needlework were highly valued among them, Judg 5:30; Ps 45:14.

The dress of females differed from that of males less than is customary among us. Yet there was a distinction; and Moses expressly forbade any exchange of apparel between the sexes, De 22:5, a custom associated with immodesty, and with the worship of certain idols. It is not clear for what reason clothing in which linen and woolen were woven together was prohibited, De 22:11; but probably it had reference to some superstitious usage of heathenism. In Isa 3:16-23, mention is made of the decorations common among the Hebrew women of that day; among which seem to be included tunics, embroidered vests, wide flowing mantles, girdles, veils, caps of network, and metallic ornaments for the ears and nose, for the neck, arms, fingers, and ankles; also smelling-bottles and metallic mirrors. In Ac 19:12, mention is made of handkerchiefs and aprons. Drawers were used, Ex 28:42, but perhaps not generally. See GIRDLES, RINGS, and SANDALS.

Presents of dresses are alluded to very frequently in the historical books of Scripture, and in the earliest times. Joseph gave to each of his brethren a change of rainment, and to Benjamin five changes, Ge 45:22. Naaman gave to Gehazi two changes of rainment; and even Solomon received rainment as presents, 2Ch 9:24. This custom is still maintained in the East, and is mentioned by most travelers. In Turkey, the appointment to any important office is accompanied with the gift of a suitable official rove. In the parable of the wedding garment, the king expected to have found all his guests clad in roes of honor of his own providing, Mt 22:11.

Gate

The gates of eastern walled towns were usually of wood, Judg 16:3, often covered with thick plates of iron or copper, Ps 107:16; Isa 45:2; Ac 12:10, secured by bolts and bars, De 3:5; 1Ki 4:13, and flanked by towers, 2Sa 18:24,33. A city was usually regarded as taken when its gates were won, De 28:52; Judg 5:8. Hence "gate" sometimes signifies power, dominion; almost in the same sense as the Turkish sultan’s palace is called the Porte, or Gate. God promises Abraham that his posterity shall possess the gates of their enemies- their towns, their fortresses, Ge 22:17. So too, "the gates of hell," that is, the power of hell, or hell itself.

In oriental cities there was always an open space or place adjacent to each gate, and these were at the same time the market places, and the place of justice, Ge 23:10-18; Ru 4:1-12; De 16:18; 21:19; 25:6,7; Pr 22:22; Am 5:10,12,15. There, too, people assembled to spend their leisure hours, Ge 19:1. Hence "they that sit in the gate" is put for idlers, loungers, who are coupled with drunkards, Ps 69:12. The woes of a city were disclosed in the mourning or loneliness of these places of resort, Isa 14:31; Jer 14:2. Here too the public proclamations were made, and the messages of prophets delivered, Pr 1:21; 8:3; Isa 29:21; Jer 17:19; 26:10. Near the gate of a city, but without it, executions took place, 1Ki 21:13; Ac 7:58; Heb 13:12. To exalt the gate of a house through pride, increased one’s exposure to robbery, Pr 17:19. To open it wide and high was significant of joy and welcome, as when the Savior ascended to heaven, Ps 24:7,9; and the open gates of the new Jerusalem in contrast with those of earthly cities carefully closed and guarded at nightfall, indicate the happy security of that world of light, Re 21:25.

Gath

A city of the Philistines, and one of their five principalities, 1Sa 5:8; 6:17. It was a notable city, in the border of the Philistines nearest to Jerusalem; but its site has long been lost. It was the home of Goliath, 1Sa 17:4. Compare Jos 11:22; 2Sa 21:19-22. Here David sought a refuge form Saul, 1Sa 21:10; 27:2-7. It came under his power in the beginning of his reign over all Israel, 1Ch 18:1, and continued subject to his successors till the declension of the kingdom of Judah. Rehoboam rebuilt or fortified it, 2Ch 11:8. It was afterwards recovered by the Philistines, but Uzziah reconquered it, 2Ch 26:6. Its inhabitants were called Gittites, Jos 13:3; and David had tow of them in his service, who faithfully adhered to him during the rebellion of Absalom, 2Sa 15:18-22.

Gath-Hepher

In Zebulun, was the birthplace of Jonah, 1Ki 4:10; 2Ki 14:25. It lay near Sepphoris, on a road leading to Tiberias.

Gaulan Or Golan

A Levitical town of Bashan, in Manasseh beyond Jordan. From it was named the small province of Gaulonitis, De 4:43; Jos 20:8; 21:27; 1Ch 6:71.

Gaza Or Azzah

Now Ghuzzeh, an ancient city in the southwest corner of Canaan, Ge 10:19, belonging to the Avim, De 2:23, and afterwards to the Philistines. Joshua assigned it to the tribe of Judah, but did not conquer it, Jos 10:41; 11:21,22; 13:3; 15:47. Judah seems to have held possession of it for a while; but in the time of the judges it was independent, and one of the five chief cities of the Philistines, Judg 1:18; 3:3; 13:1; 16:1-31. Samson carried away its gates, and afterwards perished under the ruins of its vast temple. The ark of God was there in the days of Eli, 1Sa 6:1-21. It yielded allegiance to David and Solomon, recovered its liberty in the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, but was reconquered by Hezekiah, 2Ki 18:8. At subsequent periods it was occupied by Chaldeans, Persians, and Egyptians, Jer 47:1. About 96 B. C. the Jewish king Alexander Jannaeus captured and destroyed it. The Roman general Gabinius rebuilt it; and not long after the ascension of the Savior, a Christian church was planted there to struggle with the prevailing idolatry. In A. D. 634 it came under the Mohammedan yoke; and in the era of the Crusades had fallen into ruins. It was partially rebuilt and fortified, and is now a city of some 15,000 inhabitants. The few remains of the old city cover a large but low hill, two or three miles from the sea, once so strongly fortified as to withstand Alexander the Great for five months. The modern city lies more in the plain, which is exceedingly fertile, and abounds in gardens, date-trees, and olive-trees. There was a landing-place and "port" for ancient Gaza, but no harbor worthy of the name. It was often referred to by the prophets, Jer 25:20; 47:5; Am 1:6,7; Zep 2:4; Zec 9:5. The southern route form Jerusalem to Gaza, memorable in the history of the Ethiopian eunuch, is called "desert" in Ac 8:26, as passing through a region then destitute of villages.

Gazelle

See ROE.

Geba

A Levitical town of Benjamin, Jos 18:24; 21:17; 1Ch 8:6, near Ramah, Ne 7:30; Isa 10:29, and not far from the northern border of the kingdom of Judah, 2Ki 23:8; Zec 14:10. Near Geba David defeated the Philistines, 2Sa 5:25. Asa renewed it from the ruins of Ramah, 1Ki 15:22. It was six or seven miles from Jerusalem, and was separated from Michmash on the north by a deep valley. See GIBEAH.

Gebal

1. The Gebalene of the Romans, was a district of Idumea, called also at the present day Djebal, signifying mountains. It is the northern part of the range of mountains skirting the eastern side of the great valley El-Arabah, which runs from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea, Ps 83:7.

2. A seaport and district of Phoenicia north of Beyroot, called Byblos by the Greeks, now Jebail; population, 2,000. The inhabitants were called Giblites, and are denoted in the Hebrew word rendered "stone-squarer" in 1Ki 5:18. Their land and all Lebanon were assigned to the Israelites, but never fully possessed, Jos 13:5. It was an important place, Eze 27:9, and the seat of the worship of Thammuz.

Gedaliah

Son of Ahikam, appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to govern Judea after the destruction of Jerusalem. Like his father, he honored and befriended Jeremiah, Jer 40:5. He began the administration of his government at Mizpeh with wisdom, but in two months was treacherously murdered by one Ishmael, 2Ki 25:22-26; Jer 39:14; 40:5-41:18.

Geder

The word signifies a wall, inclosure, fortified place; as do also the two names following, which are derived from it. Geder itself was an ancient Canaanitish place, in the plain of Judah, Jos 12:13, and was probably the same with the following Gederah.

Gederah

A city in the plain of Judah, Jos 15:36, probably the same with the preceding Geder, and with Beth-Gader, 1Ch 2:51. It would thence seem to have pertained to the family of Caleb.

Gedor

A city in the mountains of Judah, surrounded by fat pastures, and formerly occupied by the Amalekites, 1Ch 4:39; 12:7; Jos 15:58. It is now called Jedur, and lies about eight miles southwest of Bethlehem. Gedor is also the name of a man, 1Ch 8:31; 9:37.

Gehazi

A confidential attendant of Elisha. He appears in the story of the Shunammite woman, 2Ki 4:14-37, and in that of Naaman the Syrian, form whom he fraudulently obtained a portion of the present his master had refused. His covetousness and falsehoods were punished by a perpetual leprosy, 2Ki 5:20-27, B. C. 894. We afterwards find him recounting to king Jehoram the wonderful deeds of Elisha, at the moment when the providence of god brought the woman of Shunem before the king, to claim the restoration of her lands, 2Ki 8:1-6.

Gehenna

See HINNOM.

Gemariah

1. The son Shaphan, a scribe of the temple in the time of Jehoiakim. In his apartment Baruch read aloud the prophecies of Jeremiah; and he, with others, secured a second and more public reading, and brought the roll to be read to the king, who cause it to be burned, Jer 36:1-32.

2. The son of Hilkiah, sent to Babylon by King Hezekiah with tribute money for Nebuchadnezzar. He was also the bearer of a letter in which Jeremiah warned the captive Jews against false prophets who promised them a speedy return, Jer 29:3,4.

Genealogy

A record of one’s ancestors, either the line of natural descent from father to son, or the line in which, by the laws, the inheritance descended, or that preserved in the public records. Never was a nation more careful to preserve their genealogies than the Hebrews, for on them rested the distinction of tribes, the ownership of lands, and the right to the highest offices and privileges, 1Ch 5:1,17; 9:1; 2Ch 12:15; Ezr 2:62. Hence their public tables of genealogies were kept secure amid all vicissitudes. We find in the Bible a record carried on for more than 3,500 years, 1Ch 1:1-54; 3:1-24; 6:1-81; and thus were guarded the proofs that Christ was born according to prophecy of the seed of Abraham, and heir to the throne of his father David, Lu 1:32; 2Ti 2:8; Heb 7:14. In the evangelists we have the genealogy of Christ for 4,000 years. The two accounts in Mt 1.1-25 and Lu 3:1-38, differ from each other; one giving probably the genealogy of Christ’s reputed father Joseph, and the other that of his mother Mary. The two lines descend from Solomon and Nathan, David’s sons; they unite in Salathiel, and again in Christ. Joseph was the legal father of Christ, and of the same family connections with Mary; so that the Messiah was a descendant of David both by law and "according to the flesh." The discrepancies between the various genealogies may be reconciled in accordance with peculiar Jewish laws. The public records, which Josephus says were scrupulously kept down to his day, perished with the ruin of the Jews as a nation. It is now, therefore, impossible for any pretended Messiah to prove his descent from David.

Melchizedek was "without descent," Heb 7:3, as regards the Jewish race. No sacred records proved his right to be numbered among that people of God. His priesthood was of a different kind from that of Aaron and his sons. Compare Ezr 2:62.

Generation

Besides the common acceptation of this word, as signifying race, descent, lineage, it is used for the history and genealogy of a person, as in Ge 5:1, "the book of the generations of Adam," that is, the history of Adam’s creation and of his posterity. So in Ge 2:4, "The generations of the heavens and of the earth," that is, their genealogy, so to speak, the history of the creation of heaven and earth; also in Mt 1:1, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ," that is, the genealogy of Jesus Christ," that is, the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the history of his descent and life. "The present generation" comprises all those who are now alive; "This generation shall not pass till all be fulfilled," some now living shall witness the even foretold, Mt 24:34. "Save yourselves from this untoward generation," form the punishment which awaits these perverse men, Ac 2:40.

The Hebrews, like other ancient nations, sometimes computed loosely by the fourth generation thy descendants shall come hither again." The duration of a generation is of course very uncertain; indeed, it is impossible to establish any precise limits. It is, however, generally admitted that a generation in the earliest periods is to be reckoned longer than one in later times. The Greeks regarded a generation as one-third of a century. It is now currently reckoned as thirty years.

Genesis

The first of the sacred books in the Old Testament; so called from the title given to it in the Septuagint, signifying "the book of a generation," or production of all things. Moses is generally admitted to have been the writer of this book; and it is supposed that he penned it after the promulgation of the law. Its authenticity is attested by the most indisputable evidence, and it is cited as an inspired record thirty-three times in the course of the Scriptures. The history related in it comprises a period of about 2,369 years, according to the lowest computation, but according to Dr. Hales, a much larger period. It contains an account of the creation; the primeval state and fall of man; the history of Adam and his descendants, with the progress of religion and the origin of the arts; the genealogies age, and death of the patriarchs until Noah; the general defection and corruption of mankind, the general deluge, and the preservation of Noah and his family in the ark; the history of Noah and his family subsequent to the time of the deluge; the repeopling and division of the earth among the sons of Noah; the building of Babel, the confusion of tongues, and the dispersion of mankind; the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. The book of Genesis was written, like the rest of Scripture, "by inspiration of God." Yet many of the facts it records must have been of the facts it records must have been well known among the Jews; the account given by Adam himself may have been verbally transmitted through seven of the patriarchs to Moses, and he may also have had ancient historical writings to consult. The book of Genesis lays the foundation for all the subsequent books of the Bible; and its value in the history of the earth, of man, and of religion, is inestimable.

Gennesaret

Supposed to be a corruption of Chinnereth, which see. "The land of Gennesaret," Mt 14:34; Mr 6:53, was a tract of land some three of four; miles long on the western border of the Sea of Galilee. It was a lovely and exceedingly fertile region; in it probably lay Capernaum and Bethsaida of Galilee, places often visited by our Lord. See SEA 4.

Gentiles

A name given by the Hebrews to all those that had not received the Law of Moses. Foreigners who embraced Judaism, they called proselytes. Since the promulgation of the gospel, the true religion has been extended to all nations; God, who had promised by his prophets to call the Gentiles to the faith, with a superabundance of grace, having fulfilled his promise; so that the Christian church is composed principally of Gentile converts, the Jews being too proud of their privileges to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Redeemer. In the writings of Paul, the Gentiles are generally called Greeks, Ro 1:14,16; 1Co 1:22,24; Ga 3:28. So also in those of Luke, in the Ac 6:1; 11:20; 18:4. Paul is commonly called the apostle of the Gentiles, Ga 2:8; 1Ti 2:7, because he preached Christ principally to them; whereas Peter, etc., preached generally to the Jews, and are called apostles of the circumcision, Ga 2:8.

Gentiles, Court Of The

Josephus says there was in the court of the temple a wall or balustrade, breast high, having pillars at regular distances, with inscriptions on them in Greek and Latin, importing that strangers were forbidden to approach nearer to the altar, Eph 2:14. See TEMPLE.

Gentiles, Isle Of The

Ge 10:5, Asia Minor and the whole of Europe, peopled by the descendants of Japheth.

Gerah

The smallest weight or coin among the Jews, the twentieth part of a shekel, and worth about two and a half cents, Ex 30:13.

Gerar

An ancient town or place of the Philistines in the times of Abraham and Isaac, Ge 10:19; 20:1; 26:1,6,17. It lay not far from Gaza, in the south of Judah, but its exact site is now unknown. See 2Ch 14:13,14.

Gergesenes

Mt 8:28, in the parallel passages in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes. See GADARA. Some manuscripts have Gadarenes in Mt 8:28, and others Gerasenes; but Gerasa lay forty miles southeast of the scene of the miracle. Some have thought that the remnant of the ancient Gergashites gave their name to this district. A recent explorer finds ruins called Cherza or Gersa, midway on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee; and this may be the ancient Gergesa.

Gerizim

A mountain in Ephraim, between which and Ebal lay the city of Shechem, Judg 9:7. The world has beheld few scenes more awful and suggestive than when, having conquered Canaan, all the Israelites were summoned to this place, and six tribes were stationed on mount Gerizim to pronounce blessings on those who should obey God’s law, and the other six on Mount Ebal to denounce curses on those who should break it; while all the people solemnly said, AMEN, De 11:29; 27:12-26; 28:1-68. See VIEW IN SHECHEM.

After the captivity, Manasseh, a seceding priest, by permission of Alexander the Great, built a temple on Gerizim, and the Samaritans joined the worship of the true God to that of their idols; "They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away form thence," 2Ki 17:33. See SAMARITANS and SANBALLAT.

This temple was destroyed by John Hyrcanus; yet its site has always retained its ancient sacredness. In our Savior’s time the true God was worshipped by the Samaritans, though ignorantly, Joh 4:1- 54. Herod the Great having rebuilt Samaria, and called it Sebaste, in honor of Augustus, would have compelled the Samaritans to worship in the temple which he had erected; but they constantly refused and have continued to this day to guard their sacred Scriptures, to keep the law, to pray towards their holy place on the summit of Gerizim, and to worship God there four times in the year.

Gershom

A stranger there, one of the two sons of Moses and Zipporah, in the land of Midian, Ex 2:22; 18:3. Moses appears to have given them no rank or emoluments but those of simple Levites, 1Ch 23:15.

Gershon

The eldest son of Levi, and head of one of the three branches of the Levitical tribe, Ge 46:11; Ex 6:16. The Gershonites encamped west of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and carried its curtains and other parts form station to station, Nu 3:17,25; 4:24-28,38- 41; 10:17. Thirteen cities were assigned to them in northern Canaan, Jos 21:6; 1Ch 6:62,71.

Geshem Or Gashmu

An Arabian, who opposed the work of the Lord in the time of Nehemiah, by ridicule and plots, Ne 2:19; 6:1-9; about 445 B. C.

Geshur, Geshuri, Geshurites

The name of a district and people in Syria. Geshur lay upon the eastern side of the Jordan between Bashan, Maachah, and Mount Hermon, and within the limits of the Hebrew territory; but the Israelites did not expel its inhabitants, Jos 12:5; 13:13. They appear to have been brought under tribute, 1Ch 2:23, but to have retained their own kings. One of David’s wives, Maachah the mother of Absalom, was daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; and it was here that Absalom found refuge after the murder of Amnon, and remained three years with his grandfather, 2Sa 3:3; 13:37; 15:8. The word Geshur signifies bridge; and in the border of the region, where, according to the above data, we must place Geshur, between mount Hermon and the lake of Tiberias, there still exists an ancient stone bridge of four arches over the Jordan, called Jisr-Beni-Jakub, that is, the bridge of the children of Jacob. There seems to have been here an important pass on the route to Damascus and the East.

There was also a people of the same name in the south of Palestine, near the Philistines, Jos 13:2; 1Sa 27:8.

Gethsemane

Oil-press, a garden or grove in the valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives, over against Jerusalem, to which our Savior sometimes retired, and in which he endured his agony, and was betrayed by Judas, Mt 26:36-57. Early tradition locates Gethsemane near the base of Mount Olivet, beyond the brook Kidron. The place now enclosed by a low stone wall may be but a part of the original "garden." It is about fifty-two yards square, and contains eight aged olive-trees, whose roots in many places project above the ground and are protected by heaps of stones. Here, or at most not far off, the Savior endured that unspeakable "agony and bloody sweat" so nearly connected with his expiatory death; and here in deep submission he mingled and closed his prayers for relief with their cry, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." From this garden he could readily see the crowd of men "with lanterns and torches" emerging from the city gate, and hastening, under the guidance of Judas, to seize him. It is the spot which the Christian visitor at Jerusalem first seeks out, and where he lingers longest and last ere he turns homeward. A recent traveler, Professor Hackett, passing by Gethsemane one day, saw a shepherd in the act of shearing a sheep. The animal lay on the ground, with its feet tied, the man’s knee pressed rudely against its side, while it seemed as if every movement of the shears would lacerate its flesh; yet during the whole, it struggled not and opened not its mouth—a touching memento, upon that sacred spot, of the Lamb of God, Isa 53:7.

Gezer

A royal city of the Canaanites, Jos 10:33; 12:12; between Bethhoron and the Mediterranean, Jos 16:3; afterwards on the western border of Ephraim, and assigned to the Levites, Jos 16:3; 21:21. The Canaanites long retained a foothold in it, Jos 16:10; Judg 1:29; but were dispossessed by a king of Egypt, and the place given to his daughter, the wife of Solomon, 1Ki 9:16, who fortified it.

Ghost

The spirit, or principle of life in man. To "give up the ghost," is to die, to yield the soul to God who gave it, Ge 25:8; Lu 23:46. See SPIRIT.