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Tishbite – Tyropoeon Valley

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Tishbite

Elijah the prophet was thus named (; , , etc.). In the word rendered "inhabitants" is in the original the same as that rendered "Tishbite," hence that verse may be read as in the LXX., "Elijah the Tishbite of Tishbi in Gilead." Some interpret this word as meaning "stranger," and read the verse, "Elijah the stranger from among the strangers in Gilead." This designation is probably given to the prophet as denoting that his birthplace was Tishbi, a place in Upper Galilee (mentioned in the apocryphal book of Tobit), from which for some reason he migrated into Gilead. Josephus, the Jewish historian (Ant. 8:13, 2), however, supposes that Tishbi was some place in the land of Gilead. It has been identified by some with el-Ishtib, a some place 22 miles due south of the Sea of Galilee, among the mountains of Gilead.

Tisri

The first month of the civil year, and the seventh of the ecclesiastical year. See [635]ETHANIM (). Called in the Assyrian inscriptions Tasaritu, i.e. "beginning."

Tithe

A tenth of the produce of the earth consecrated and set apart for special purposes. The dedication of a tenth to God was recognized as a duty before the time of Moses. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (; ); and Jacob vowed unto the Lord and said, "Of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."

The first Mosaic law on this subject is recorded in . Subsequent legislation regulated the destination of the tithes (, ; , , , ; , ). The paying of the tithes was an important part of the Jewish religious worship. In the days of Hezekiah one of the first results of the reformation of religion was the eagerness with which the people brought in their tithes (, ). The neglect of this duty was sternly rebuked by the prophets (; ). It cannot be affirmed that the Old Testament law of tithes is binding on the Christian Church, nevertheless the principle of this law remains, and is incorporated in the gospel (, ); and if, as is the case, the motive that ought to prompt to liberality in the cause of religion and of the service of God be greater now than in Old Testament times, then Christians outght to go beyond the ancient Hebrew in consecrating both themselves and their substance to God.

Every Jew was required by the Levitical law to pay three tithes of his property (1) one tithe for the Levites; (2) one for the use of the temple and the great feasts; and (3) one for the poor of the land.

Tittle

A point, (; ), the minute point or stroke added to some letters of the Hebrew alphabet to distinguish them from others which they resemble; hence, the very least point.

Titus

Honourable, was with Paul and Barnabas at Antioch, and accompanied them to the council at Jerusalem (; ), although his name nowhere occurs in the Acts of the Apostles. He appears to have been a Gentile, and to have been chiefly engaged in ministering to Gentiles; for Paul sternly refused to have him circumcised, inasmuch as in his case the cause of gospel liberty was at stake. We find him, at a later period, with Paul and Timothy at Ephesus, whence he was sent by Paul to Corinth for the purpose of getting the contributions of the church there in behalf of the poor saints at Jerusalem sent forward (; ). He rejoined the apostle when he was in Macedonia, and cheered him with the tidings he brought from Corinth (7:6-15). After this his name is not mentioned till after Paul's first imprisonment, when we find him engaged in the organization of the church in Crete, where the apostle had left him for this purpose (). The last notice of him is in , where we find him with Paul at Rome during his second imprisonment. From Rome he was sent into Dalmatia, no doubt on some important missionary errand. We have no record of his death. He is not mentioned in the Acts.

Titus, Epistle to

Was probably written about the same time as the first epistle to Timothy, with which it has many affinities. "Both letters were addressed to persons left by the writer to preside in their respective churches during his absence. Both letters are principally occupied in describing the qualifications to be sought for in those whom they should appoint to offices in the church; and the ingredients of this description are in both letters nearly the same. Timothy and Titus are likewise cautioned against the same prevailing corruptions, and in particular against the same misdirection of their cares and studies. This affinity obtains not only in the subject of the letters, which from the similarity of situation in the persons to whom they were addressed might be expected to be somewhat alike, but extends in a great variety of instances to the phrases and expressions. The writer accosts his two friends with the same salutation, and passes on to the business of his letter by the same transition (comp. , with , ; with , ; ; with , ).", Paley's Horae Paulinae.

The date of its composition may be concluded from the circumstance that it was written after Paul's visit to Crete (). That visit could not be the one referred to in , when Paul was on his voyage to Rome as a prisoner, and where he continued a prisoner for two years. We may warrantably suppose that after his release Paul sailed from Rome into Asia and took Crete by the way, and that there he left Titus "to set in order the things that were wanting." Thence he went to Ephesus, where he left Timothy, and from Ephesus to Macedonia, where he wrote First Timothy, and thence to Nicopolis in Epirus, from which place he wrote to Titus, about A.D. 66 or 67.

In the subscription to the epistle it is said to have been written from "Nicopolis of Macedonia," but no such place is known. The subscriptions to the epistles are of no authority, as they are not authentic.

Tob-adonijah

Good is Jehovah, my Lord, a Levite sent out by Jehoshaphat to instruct the people of Judah in the law ().

Tobiah

Pleasing to Jehovah, the "servant," the "Ammonite," who joined with those who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Exile (). He was a man of great influence, which he exerted in opposition to the Jews, and "sent letters" to Nehemiah "to put him in fear" (). "Eliashib the priest" prepared for him during Nehemiah's absence "a chamber in the courts of the house of God," which on his return grieved Nehemiah sore, and therefore he "cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber" (13:7, 8).

Tobijah

Id., a Levite sent out through Judah by Jehoshaphat to teach the people ().

Tob, The land of

A district on the east of Jodan, about 13 miles south-east of the Sea of Galilee, to which Jephthah fled from his brethren (, ). It was on the northern boundary of Perea, between Syria and the land of Ammon (, ). Its modern name is Taiyibeh.

Tochen

Measured, a town of Simeon ().

Togarmah

(1.) A son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth ().

(2.) A nation which traded in horses and mules at the fairs of Tyre (; ); probably an Armenian or a Scythian race; descendants of (1).

Tohu

One of Samuel's ancestors ().

Toi

A king of Hamath, who sent "Joram his son unto King David to salute him," when he "heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer" (, ). Called Tou (, ).

Tola

A scarlet worm. (1.) Eldest son of Issachar ().

(2.) A judge of the tribe of Issachar who "judged" Israel twenty-three years (, ), when he died, and was buried in Shamir. He was succeeded by Jair.

Tolad

Productive, a town of Simeon, in the south of Judah ().

Tolaites

Descendants of Tola (; , ).

Toll

One of the branches of the king of Persia's revenues (; ), probably a tax levied from those who used the bridges and fords and highways.

Tombs

Of the Hebrews were generally excavated in the solid rock, or were natural caves. Mention is made of such tombs in ; ; ; . They were sometimes made in gardens (; ; ). They are found in great numbers in and around Jerusalem and all over the land. They were sometimes whitewashed (, ). The body of Jesus was laid in Joseph's new rock-hewn tomb, in a garden near to Calvary. All evidence is in favour of the opinion that this tomb was somewhere near the Damascus gate, and outside the city, and cannot be identified with the so-called "holy sepulchre." The mouth of such rocky tombs was usually closed by a large stone (Heb. golal), which could only be removed by the united efforts of several men (; comp. ). (See [636]GOLGOTHA.)

Tongues, Confusion of

At Babel, the cause of the early separation of mankind and their division into nations. The descendants of Noah built a tower to prevent their dispersion; but God "confounded their language" (), and they were scattered over the whole earth. Till this time "the whole earth was of one language and of one speech." (See [637]SHINAR.)

Tongues, Gift of

Granted on the day of Pentecost (), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have argued that it was merely an outward sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit among the disciples, typifying his manifold gifts, and showing that salvation was to be extended to all nations. But the words of Luke () clearly show that the various peoples in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost did really hear themselves addressed in their own special language with which they were naturally acquainted (comp. , ).

Among the gifts of the Spirit the apostle enumerates in :30, "divers kinds of tongues" and the "interpretation of tongues." This "gift" was a different manifestation of the Spirit from that on Pentecost, although it resembled it in many particulars. Tongues were to be "a sign to them that believe not."

Tooth

One of the particulars regarding which retaliatory punishment was to be inflicted (; ; ). "Gnashing of teeth" =rage, despair (; ); "cleanness of teeth" =famine (); "children's teeth set on edge" =children suffering for the sins of their fathers ().

Topaz

Heb. pitdah (; ), a golden yellow or "green" stone brought from Cush or Ethiopia (). It was the second stone in the first row in the breastplate of the high priest, and had the name of Simeon inscribed on it (). It is probably the chrysolite of the moderns.

Tophel

Lime, a place in the wilderness of Sinai (), now identified with Tafyleh or Tufileh, on the west side of the Edomitish mountains.

Tophet

=Topheth, from Heb. toph "a drum," because the cries of children here sacrificed by the priests of Moloch were drowned by the noise of such an instrument; or from taph or toph, meaning "to burn," and hence a place of burning, the name of a particular part in the valley of Hinnom. "Fire being the most destructive of all elements, is chosen by the sacred writers to symbolize the agency by which God punishes or destroys the wicked. We are not to assume from prophetical figures that material fire is the precise agent to be used. It was not the agency employed in the destruction of Sennacherib, mentioned in ...Tophet properly begins where the Vale of Hinnom bends round to the east, having the cliffs of Zion on the north, and the Hill of Evil Counsel on the south. It terminates at Beer Ayub, where it joins the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The cliffs on the southern side especially abound in ancient tombs. Here the dead carcasses of beasts and every offal and abomination were cast, and left to be either devoured by that worm that never died or consumed by that fire that was never quenched." Thus Tophet came to represent the place of punishment. (See [638]HINNOM.)

Torches

On the night of his betrayal, when our Lord was in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas, "having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons" (). Although it was the time of full moon, yet in the valley of the Kidron "there fell great, deep shadows from the declivity of the mountain and projecting rocks; there were there caverns and grottos, into which a fugitive might retreat; finally, there were probably a garden-house and tower, into whose gloom it might be necessary for a searcher to throw light around." Lange's Commentary. (, "torches," Revised Version, "steel," probably should be "scythes" for war-chariots.)

Torment

Gr. basanos (), the "touch-stone" of justice; hence inquisition by torture, and then any disease which racks and tortures the limbs.

Tortoise

(Heb. tsabh). Ranked among the unclean animals (). Land tortoises are common in Syria. The LXX. renders the word by "land crocodile." The word, however, more probably denotes a lizard, called by the modern Arabs dhabb.

Tow

(). See [639]FLAX.

Tower of the furnaces

(; ), a tower at the north-western angle of the second wall of Jerusalem. It was probably so named from its contiguity to the "bakers' street" ().

Towers

Of Babel (), Edar (), Penuel (, ), Shechem (9:46), David (), Lebanon (7:4), Syene (), Hananeel (), Siloam (). There were several towers in Jerusalem (; ). They were erected for various purposes, as watch-towers in vineyard (; ) and towers for defence.

Trachonitis

A rugged region, corresponds to the Heb. Argob (q.v.), the Greek name of a region on the east of Jordan (); one of the five Roman provinces into which that district was divided. It was in the tetrarchy of Philip, and is now called the Lejah.

Tradition

Any kind of teaching, written or spoken, handed down from generation to generation. In , , , , this word refers to the arbitrary interpretations of the Jews. In ; , it is used in a good sense. Peter () uses this word with reference to the degenerate Judaism of the "strangers scattered" whom he addresses (comp. ; ; ).

Trance

(Gr. ekstasis, from which the word "ecstasy" is derived) denotes the state of one who is "out of himself." Such were the trances of Peter and Paul, ; ; , ecstasies, "a preternatural, absorbed state of mind preparing for the reception of the vision", (comp. ). In and the Greek word is rendered "astonishment," "amazement" (comp. ; ).

Transfiguration, the

Of our Lord on a "high mountain apart," is described by each of the three evangelists (; ; ). The fullest account is given by Luke, who, no doubt, was informed by Peter, who was present on the occasion. What these evangelists record was an absolute historical reality, and not a mere vision. The concurrence between them in all the circumstances of the incident is exact. John seems to allude to it also (). Forty years after the event Peter distinctly makes mention of it (). In describing the sanctification of believers, Paul also seems to allude to this majestic and glorious appearance of our Lord on the "holy mount" (; ).

The place of the transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon (q.v.), and not Mount Tabor, as is commonly supposed.

Treasure cities

Store cities which the Israelites built for the Egyptians (). (See [640]PITHOM.) Towns in which the treasures of the kings of Judah were kept were so designated ().

Treasure houses

The houses or magazines built for the safe keeping of treasure and valuable articles of any kind (; ; ; ).

Treasury

(; ; ). It does not appear that there was a separate building so called. The name was given to the thirteen brazen chests, called "trumpets," from the form of the opening into which the offerings of the temple worshippers were put. These stood in the outer "court of the women." "Nine chests were for the appointed money-tribute and for the sacrifice-tribute, i.e., money-gifts instead of the sacrifices; four chests for freewill-offerings for wood, incense, temple decoration, and burnt-offerings" (Lightfoot's Hor. Heb.).

Tree of life

Stood also in the midst of the garden of Eden (; ). Some writers have advanced the opinion that this tree had some secret virtue, which was fitted to preserve life. Probably the lesson conveyed was that life was to be sought by man, not in himself or in his own power, but from without, from Him who is emphatically the Life (; ). Wisdom is compared to the tree of life (). The "tree of life" spoken of in the Book of Revelation (; , ) is an emblem of the joys of the celestial paradise.

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil

Stood in the midst of the garden of Eden, beside the tree of life (). Adam and Eve were forbidden to take of the fruit which grew upon it. But they disobeyed the divine injunction, and so sin and death by sin entered our world and became the heritage of Adam's posterity. (See [641]ADAM.)

Trespass offering

(Heb. asham, "debt"), the law concerning, given in :7; also in . The idea of sin as a "debt" pervades this legislation. The asham, which was always a ram, was offered in cases where sins were more private. (See [642]OFFERING.)

Tribe

A collection of families descending from one ancestor. The "twelve tribes" of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In the word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred to as types of the spiritual family of God (Rev. 7). (See [643]ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF; [644]JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.)

Tribulation

Trouble or affiction of any kind (; ; ). In "tribulation and anguish" are the penal sufferings that shall overtake the wicked. In , , the word denotes the calamities that were to attend the destruction of Jerusalem.

Tribute

A tax imposed by a king on his subjects (; ; ). In the word denotes the temple rate (the "didrachma," the "half-shekel," as rendered by the R.V.) which was required to be paid for the support of the temple by every Jew above twenty years of age (; ; , ). It was not a civil but a religious tax.

In , , , the word may be interpreted as denoting the capitation tax which the Romans imposed on the Jewish people. It may, however, be legitimately regarded as denoting any tax whatever imposed by a foreign power on the people of Israel. The "tribute money" shown to our Lord () was the denarius, bearing Caesar's superscription. It was the tax paid by every Jew to the Romans. (See [645]PENNY.)

Trinity

A word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (; ; ; , ; ). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person.

Troas

A city on the coast of Mysia, in the north-west of Asia Minor, named after ancient Troy, which was at some little distance from it (about 4 miles) to the north. Here Paul, on his second missionary journey, saw the vision of a "man of Macedonia," who appeared to him, saying, "Come over, and help us" (). He visited this place also on other occasions, and on one of these visits he left his cloak and some books there (; ). The ruins of Troas extend over many miles, the site being now mostly covered with a forest of oak trees. The modern name of the ruins is Eski Stamboul i.e., Old Constantinople.

Trogyllium

A town on the western coast of Asia Minor, where Paul "tarried" when on his way from Assos to Miletus, on his third missionary journey ().

Trophimus

A foster-child, an Ephesian who accompanied Paul during a part of his third missionary journey (; ). He was with Paul in Jerusalem, and the Jews, supposing that the apostle had brought him with him into the temple, raised a tumult which resulted in Paul's imprisonment. (See [646]TEMPLE, HEROD'S.) In writing to Timothy, the apostle says, "Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick" (). This must refer to some event not noticed in the Acts.

Trumpets

Were of a great variety of forms, and were made of divers materials. Some were made of silver (), and were used only by the priests in announcing the approach of festivals and in giving signals of war. Some were also made of rams' horns (). They were blown at special festivals, and to herald the arrival of special seasons (; ; ; ; ; ).

"Trumpets" are among the symbols used in the Book of Revelation (; ). (See [647]HORN.)

Trumpets, Feast of

Was celebrated at the beginning of the month Tisri, the first month of the civil year. It received its name from the circumstances that the trumpets usually blown at the commencement of each month were on that occasion blown with unusual solemnity (; ; ). It was one of the seven days of holy convocation. The special design of this feast, which is described in these verses, is not known.

Truth

Used in various senses in Scripture. In , , it denotes that which is opposed to falsehood. In , , , it means fidelity or truthfulness. The doctrine of Christ is called "the truth of the gospel" (), "the truth" (; ). Our Lord says of himself, "I am the way, and the truth" ().

Tryphena and Tryphosa

Two female Christians, active workers, whom Paul salutes in his epistle to the Romans (16:12).

Tubal

(1.) The fifth son of Japheth ().

(2.) A nation, probably descended from the son of Japheth. It is mentioned by Isaiah (66:19), along with Javan, and by Ezekiel (27:13), along with Meshech, among the traders with Tyre, also among the confederates of Gog (, ; ), and with Meshech among the nations which were to be destroyed (32:26). This nation was probably the Tiberini of the Greek historian Herodotus, a people of the Asiatic highland west of the Upper Euphrates, the southern range of the Caucasus, on the east of the Black Sea.

Tubal-cain

The son of Lamech and Zillah, "an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron" (; R.V., "the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron").

Turtle, Turtle-dove

Its peculiar peaceful and gentle habit its often referred to in Scripture. A pair was offered in sacrifice by Mary at her purification (). The pigeon and the turtle-dove were the only birds permitted to be offered in sacrifice (; ; ; , , etc.). The Latin name of this bird, turtur, is derived from its note, and is a repetition of the Hebrew name tor. Three species are found in Palestine, (1) the turtle-dove (Turtur auritus), (2) the collared turtle (T. risorius), and (3) the palm turtle (T. Senegalensis). But it is to the first of these species which the various passages of Scripture refer. It is a migratory bird (; , ). "Search the glades and valleys, even by sultry Jordan, at the end of March, and not a turtle-dove is to be seen. Return in the second week of April, and clouds of doves are feeding on the clovers of the plain. They overspread the whole face of the land." "Immediately on its arrival it pours forth from every garden, grove, and wooded hill its melancholy yet soothing ditty unceasingly from early dawn till sunset. It is from its plaintive and continuous note, doubtless, that David, pouring forth his heart's sorrow to God, compares himself to a turtle-dove" ().

Tychicus

Chance, an Asiatic Christian, a "faithful minister in the Lord" (, ), who, with Trophimus, accompanied Paul on a part of his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem (). He is alluded to also in , , and as having been with Paul at Rome, whence he sent him to Ephesus, probably for the purpose of building up and encouraging the church there.

Type

Occurs only once in Scripture (, A.V. marg.). The Greek word tupos is rendered "print" (), "figure" (; ), "fashion" (), "manner" (), "form" (), "example" or "ensample" (, ; ; ; ; ). It properly means a "model" or "pattern" or "mould" into which clay or wax was pressed, that it might take the figure or exact shape of the mould. The word "type" is generally used to denote a resemblance between something present and something future, which is called the "antitype."

Tyrannus

Prince, a Greek rhetorician, in whose "school" at Ephesus Paul disputed daily for the space of two years with those who came to him (). Some have supposed that he was a Jew, and that his "school" was a private synagogue.

Tyre

A rock, now es-Sur; an ancient Phoenician city, about 23 miles, in a direct line, north of Acre, and 20 south of Sidon. Sidon was the oldest Phoenician city, but Tyre had a longer and more illustrious history. The commerce of the whole world was gathered into the warehouses of Tyre. "Tyrian merchants were the first who ventured to navigate the Mediterranean waters; and they founded their colonies on the coasts and neighbouring islands of the AEgean Sea, in Greece, on the northern coast of Africa, at Carthage and other places, in Sicily and Corsica, in Spain at Tartessus, and even beyond the pillars of Hercules at Gadeira (Cadiz)" (Driver's Isaiah). In the time of David a friendly alliance was entered into between the Hebrews and the Tyrians, who were long ruled over by their native kings (; ; ).

Tyre consisted of two distinct parts, a rocky fortress on the mainland, called "Old Tyre," and the city, built on a small, rocky island about half-a-mile distant from the shore. It was a place of great strength. It was besieged by Shalmaneser, who was assisted by the Phoenicians of the mainland, for five years, and by Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 586-573) for thirteen years, apparently without success. It afterwards fell under the power of Alexander the Great, after a siege of seven months, but continued to maintain much of its commercial importance till the Christian era. It is referred to in and . In A.D. 1291 it was taken by the Saracens, and has remained a desolate ruin ever since.

"The purple dye of Tyre had a worldwide celebrity on account of the durability of its beautiful tints, and its manufacture proved a source of abundant wealth to the inhabitants of that city."

Both Tyre and Sidon "were crowded with glass-shops, dyeing and weaving establishments; and among their cunning workmen not the least important class were those who were celebrated for the engraving of precious stones." (, ).

The wickedness and idolatry of this city are frequently denounced by the prophets, and its final destruction predicted (; ; Ezek. 26; 28:1-19; , ; ).

Here a church was founded soon after the death of Stephen, and Paul, on his return from his third missionary journey spent a week in intercourse with the disciples there (). Here the scene at Miletus was repeated on his leaving them. They all, with their wives and children, accompanied him to the sea-shore. The sea-voyage of the apostle terminated at Ptolemais, about 38 miles from Tyre. Thence he proceeded to Caesarea ().

"It is noticed on monuments as early as B.C. 1500, and claiming, according to Herodotus, to have been founded about B.C. 2700. It had two ports still existing, and was of commercial importance in all ages, with colonies at Carthage (about B.C. 850) and all over the Mediterranean. It was often attacked by Egypt and Assyria, and taken by Alexander the Great after a terrible siege in B.C. 332. It is now a town of 3,000 inhabitants, with ancient tombs and a ruined cathedral. A short Phoenician text of the fourth century B.C. is the only monument yet recovered."

Tyropoeon Valley

(i.e., "Valley of the Cheesemongers"), the name given by Josephus the historian to the valley or rugged ravine which in ancient times separated Mount Moriah from Mount Zion. This valley, now filled up with a vast accumulation of rubbish, and almost a plain, was spanned by bridges, the most noted of which was Zion Bridge, which was probably the ordinary means of communication between the royal palace on Zion and the temple. A fragment of the arch (q.v.) of this bridge (called "Robinson's Arch"), where it projects from the sanctuary wall, was discovered by Robinson in 1839. This arch was destroyed by the Romans when Jerusalem was taken.

The western wall of the temple area rose up from the bottom of this valley to the height of 84 feet, where it was on a level with the area, and above this, and as a continuance of it, the wall of Solomon's cloister rose to the height of about 50 feet, "so that this section of the wall would originally present to view a stupendous mass of masonry scarcely to be surpassed by any mural masonry in the world."

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897). Public domain. Text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.