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Carna – Chief of Asia
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Carna
Carna m, 1 Maccabees 5:26, 43, 4, and Camion, 2 Mac X22I. 28 (RVm Oarnain). — The ancient Ashteroth-karnaim (wh. see).
Carnelian
See Agate under Jewels.
Carnion
See Carnaim.
Carob
Carob () RVm.- See Husks.
Carpenter
See Arts and Crafts, § 1.
Carpus
An inhabitant of Troas, with whom St. Paul stayed, probably on his last journey to Rome (). The name is Greek, but we have no means of proving his nationality.
Carriage
This word is always used in the AV in the literal sense of ‘something carried,’ never in the modern sense of a vehicle used for carrying. Thus ‘^e took up our carriages’ (RV ‘baggage’).
Carshena
One of the wise men or counsellors of king Ahasuerus ().
Cart, Wagon
The cart, like the chariot, is an Asiatic invention. The earliest wheeled carts show a light framework set upon an axle with solid wheels (illust. in Wilkinson, Anc. Egyp. [1878], i. 249). The type of cart in use under the Heb. monarchy may be seen in the Assyrian representation of the siege of Lachish (Layard, Monuments of Nineveh, ii. pi. 23), where women captives and their children are shown seated in wagons with a low wooden body (cf. ). furnished with wheels of 6 and 8 spokes. They were drawn by a pair of oxen (, , ) — exceptionally by two cows () — yoked to a pole which passed between them, and were used for the transport of persona ( ff.) and goods (Nu i.e. )i including sheaves of grain to the threshing-floor (). . The rendering ‘covered wagons’ () is doubtful. For the threshing-wagon, see Aqbicultukb, § 3.
A. R. S. Kennedy.
Casement
Only AV; RV ‘lattice,’ as , where the same word is used In both places parallel to ‘window.’ Cf . also the Heb. text of Sirach 42:11 ‘Let there be no lattice to the room where thy daughter dwells.’ See, further. House, § 7.
Casiphia
A settlement In the neighbourhood of Ahava (wh. see) In North Babylonia (). whose site has not been Identified. .J. F. McCtnsDY.
Casluhim
A name occurring in , In connexion with the names of other peoples there spoken of as descended from Mizraim, esp. the Caphtorim and Philistines.
Casphor
Casphor (1 Maccabees 5, AV Casphon; 2 Maccabees 12:13 Caspin). — Near a large lake in Gilead. The site is unknown.
Cassia
1. giddaft, . . 2. qetsi’ Slh, . Both these words apparently refer to some kind of cassia wood. The cassia bark from the Cinnamomum cassia is very similar in smell and properties to cinnamon (wh. see). E. W. G. Mastehman.
Castanet
See Music and MnsiCAL lNSTHUMENTS.
Castle
1. In . , , an obsolete, if not erroneous, rendering in AV of a word denoting a nomad ‘encampment’ (so RV).
2. In , AV speaks of the ‘castle’ of Zion, the citadel or acropolis of the Jebusite city, but RV renders as in , ‘stronghold.’ A different word (tnrah) is used of the castle or fort which in Nehemiah’s day defended the Temple ( ). and of the fortified royal residence of the Persian kings at Susa (. etc.; RV ‘palace,’ marg. ‘castle’). The fortress in Jerusalem to which the authors of the books of Maccabees and Josephus give the name of Acra, is termed ‘the castle’ in 2 Maccabees 4:27 5 lO^" AV, where RV has throughout ‘citadel’ (so also 1 Maccabees 1:33 and elsewhere). See, further, Citt, FoRTincATioN and
SlEGEOKAFT, § 4. A. R. S. KENNEDY.
Castor and Pollux
See Dioscuri.
Cat
This animal is mentioned only in the Apocr. (Ep. Jer V.22 [Gr. There are two species of wild cat in the Holy Land.
Caterpillar
See Locust.
Catholic Epistles
The title of ‘Catholic’ was given by the early Church to the seven Epistles which bear the names of James, Peter, Jude, and John. There is much uncertainty as to the meaning of the title. Perhaps the most probable explanation is that this group of Epistles was looked upon as addressed to the Church generally, while the Pauline Epistles were written to particular churches and were called forth by local circumstances.
Cathua
Cathua (1 Esdras 5:30). One of the heads of families of Temple servants who returned with Zerubbabel from captivity. It appears to correspond to Giddel in Ezr 2"; cf. .
Cattle
The word commonly used in OT is migneh, meaning primarily possessions or wealth — oxen, camels, sheep, and goats being the only wealth of peoples in a nomadic stage of civilization. It includes sometimes horses and asses, e.g. , . The word is also sometimes rendered ‘possessions’ (.e.g. ). ‘flocks’ (), and ‘herds’ (Gn47’»). For other words rendered in EV ‘cattle,’ see Beast. See also Ox, Sheep, Shepherd, etc. E. W. G. Mastehman.
Cauda
Cauda (AV wrongly Clauda; now Oaudho) is an island oS the S. coast of Crete. St. Paul’s ship, sailing from Myra to Rome, shortly after rounding Cape Matala was making in a W.N.W. direction, when a sudden
119 strong wind coming from E.N.E. drove It along at a rapid rate for about 23 miles, till it got under the lee of Cauda (). Such a change of wind Is frequent there at the present day. A. Souter.
Caul
The Eng. word ‘caul’ is used (1) in for a veil of net-work. (2) In , , , Q’"- for the fatty mass at the opening of the liver (wb. see). (3) In for the pericardium.
Causey
This Eng. word was used in the original edition of AV in , and in the margin of and . It is now found only in marg., being changed in modern editions in the other places into causeway. The Heb. word is literally ‘a raised way,’ and is used of a public road, but never of a street in a city. The word ‘causey’ is still used in Scotland for the raised footpath by the side of a road or street.
Cate
The soft limestone hills of Palestine abound in caves, natural and artificial; and these must have attracted attention from a very early period. The aboriginal race of Horites were cave-dwellers, and the excavation at Gezer has revealed remains of a probably analogous race in W. Palestine. Lot () and David ( etc.) dwelt for a time in caves; and their use as places of hiding and refuge Is illustrated by many passages, e.g., . , etc. Caves were also used, at all periods in the history of Palestine, for sepulture, as in the case of Machpelah (). Probably the most remarkable series of caves yet discovered in Palestine are the great labyrinths tunnelled in the hills round Beit Jibrin; one of these, in Tell Sandahannak, contains sixty chambers, united by doors and passages, and groups containing fourteen or fifteen chambers are quite common in the same hill. Another artificial cave near Beit Jibrin contains a hall 80 ft. high and 400 ft. long; it has now fallen in. Other groups of caves, only less extensive, occur in various parts of Palestine on both sides of the Jordan. Little or nothing is known about the history of these great excavations; no definite information about their origin has yet been yielded by them, so far as they have been scientifically explored. R. A. S. Maoaijster.
Cedar
(erez). The finest of the trees of Lebanon, the principal constituent of its ‘glory’ ( ) it was noted for its strength (). its height () and its majesty (. . Zee ll’- ‘). Its wood was full of resin (). and, largely on that account, was one of the most valuable kinds of timber for building, especially for internal fittings. It was exceedingly durable, being not readily infected with worms, and took a high polish (cf. . . ). It was suitable, too, for carved work (, ). In all these respects the’ cedar of Lebanon’ (Cedrus Libani) answers to the requirements. Though but a dwarf in comparison with the Indian cedar, it is the most magnificent tree in Syria; it attains a height of from 80 to 100 feet, and spreads out its branches horizontally so as to give a beautiful shade () it is evergreen, and has characteristic egg-shaped cones. The great region of this cedar is now the Cilician Taurus Mountains beyond Mersina, but small groves survive in places in the Lebanon. The most famous of these Is that at Kadisha, where there are upwards of 400 trees, some of great age. In a few references erez does not mean the Cedrus Libani, but some other conifer. This is specially the case where ‘cedar-wood’ is used in the ritual of cleansing after defilement by contact with a leper () or a dead body (). Probably erez here is a species of juniper, Juniperus Sabina, which grows in the wilderness. The reference in to ‘cedar trees beside the waters’ can hardly apply to the Lebanon cedar, which fiourishes best on bare mountain slopes, E. W. G. Mastehman.
Cedron
See Kidhon.
Ceiled, Oeilikc
Ceiled, oeilikc r. — See Oieled, Ciblinq.
Cellar
See House.
Cenchbe
Cenchbe iE (AV Cenchrea Is wrong) was the southern harbour of Corinth, and was on the Saronic Gull about 7 miles E. of Corinth. It was a mere village, and existed solely for the transit of goods to and from Corinth. Thence St. Paul set sail for Syria (). Phcebe, the lady commended for her service to the church here (). carried St. Paul’s Epistle to Rome. A. Souteb.
Cendebs
Cendebs iUS. — A general of Antlochus vii. Sidetes, who was given the command of the sea-coast, and sent with an army into Palestine in order to enforce the claims of Antlochus against Simon Maccabeus. In a battle which took place in a plain not tar from Modin the Jews gained a complete victory over Cendebteus, and pursued the Syrians as far as Kidron and the neighbourhood of Ashdod (1 Maccabees 15:38 16:9) cf. Jos. Ant. XIII. vii. 3).
Censer
See Firepan, Incense.
Census
See Quirintos.
Centurion
A centurion was a Roman military ofBcer, corresponding in the number of infantry commanded by him (100) to the modern ‘captain,’ but In his status like our non-commissioned ofBcers. The passage to the higher ranks was even more difficult in his case than it is amongst our non-commissioned officers. However, the chief centurion of a legion, known as the ‘centurion of the first (chief) pike,’ was sometimes promoted to the equestrian order. The Capernaum centurion (. ) was probably in Herod’s army, not in the Roman army strictly so called. Some of those mentioned in the NT were on special service in command of their units, and separated from the cohorts or legions of which they formed a part.
A. Souteb.
Cephas
See Peter.
Chabris
One of the three rulers of Bethulia (Judith 6:15 8:10 10:6).
Choreas
Choreas (AV Chereaa) held command at the fortress of Gazara, i.e. probably Jazer In the trans- Jordanic territory (see 1 Maccabees 5:6–8). He was slain upon the capture of Gazara by Judas Maccabseus (2 Mac
Chaff
See Aghiculturb, § 3.
Chain
Chain is used in two different senses. 1. Cnains for securing prisoners are denoted by a variety of words in OT and NT, which are also rendered by ‘bonds’ or ‘fetters,’ although the monuments show that ropes were more generally used for this purpose. 2. A chain of precious metal was worn as a sign of rank, as by Joseph and Daniel, or purely as an ornament. See Ornaments, § 2. A. R. S. Kennedy.
Chalcedony
See Jewels and Precious Stones.
CHALD.SiA, CHALD.a:ANS.— The Heb. Kasdim is generally rendered ‘Chaldees’ (). and in 61 . and often, is used for ‘Babylonian.’ The word is derived from the Bab. name KaldU for the district S.E. of Babylonia proper, on the sea-coast as it then was. From B.C. 1000 onwards its capital was Bit Yakin. The people were Aramaeans, independent and aggressive. In the time of Babylonian weakness they pushed into the country, and Merodach-baladan was a Chaldaean usurper. Nabopolassar was also a Chaldsean, and, from his time, Chaldaea meant Babylonia. The Chaldseans were Semites and not the same as the Kashdu, Kashshu, or Kassltes, who conquered Babylonia, and ruled it from the 13th cent. B.C. onwards, but they came through, and probably had absorbed a part of, the country to which the Kassltes had already assured the name Kashda.
The name as applied since Jerome to the Aramaic portions of Daniel and Ezra is incorrect. The use of the term ‘Chaldsean’ ( and often) to denote a class of astrologers is not found in native sources, but arose from a transfer of a national name to the Babylonians in general, and occurs in Strabo, Diodorus, etc. It can hardly be older than Persian times.
C. H. W. Johns.
Chalk-stones
( only). The expression is of much interest, as showing that the practice of burning limestone and slaking with water was followed in Pal. in OT times.
Challenge
To ‘challenge’ in the language of AV is to daim, as in Golding’s tr. of Calvin’s Joh, p. 578; ‘lob neuer went about to challenge such perfection, as to haue no sinne in him.’ The word occurs in , in the heading of ‘By his omnipotency he challengeth obedience/ and in AVm.
Chalphi
(AV Calphi). The father of Judas, one of the two captains of Jonathan Maccabeeus who stood firm in a battle fought against the Syrians at Hazor in N. Galilee (1 Maccabees 11:70).
Chamber
Now obsolescent, is used by AV in a variety of connexions where modern usage employs ‘room,’ as e.g. ‘bed-chamber,’ ‘upper chamber,’ etc. See, generally. House. For the Temple chambers, see Temple.
Chamberlain
In OT the word occurs in 2 K 23" and repeatedly in Est., where the original is ‘eunuch’ (sorts); but it is generally believed that this name is not to be taken always in a literal sense, and hence it is often rendered by the word ‘ofiicer.’ In Esther, however, the chamberlain evidently belongs to that class of persons who are entrusted with the watchful care of the harems of Oriental monarchs. In NT at it is said that the people of Tyre and Sidon sought the favour of Herod Agrippa through the mediation of Blastus ‘the king’s chamberlain,’ showing that the office was one of considerable influence. The word occurs again in AV in . but is rendered in RV more accurately ‘treasurer of the city.’
Chambers of the South
See Stars.
Chameleon
Thechameleon (CftaTTWsicontiirfffaris) is a very common Palestine lizard. It may be found on hot days clinging with its bird-like feet and prehensile tail to the trees, or passing with slow and deliberate walk over the ground . It is remarkable tor its marvellous protective gift of changing the colour of its skin to resemble its surroundings, and for its eyes which, moving independently, one looking backwards while the other looks to the front, give it an unusual range of vision. Even to-day it is supposed by the ignorant, as in olden times, to live’ upon air. In reality it lives on small insects, catching them by means of its long sticky tongue, which it can protrude and withdraw with extraordinary quickness. Two words In are rendered ‘chameleon’ in the Eng. versions. In the A V kSach is so translated, but in the RV we have ‘land CTOCodile’ (see Lizard); while in the RV Hnshemeth — ‘mole’ in AV — is tr. ‘chameleon.’ Both renderings are very uncertain. See Mole. E. W. G. Mastehman.
Chamois
Chamois (zemer, Dt. ). The tr. of zemer as ‘chamois’ in EV and as ‘camelopard,’ i.e. giraffe. In LXX, are both certainly incorrect, as neither of these animals occurs in Palestine. Tristram suggests the wild sheep, Ovis tragelaphus, an animal about 3 feet high with long curved horns. It is well known to the Bedouin. E. W. G. Masterman.
Champaign
This spelling in modern editions of AV has replaced champion (. Judith 6:1) and chatnpian ( marg.) of the 1611 edition of AV. The word means an open plain.
Chancellor
See Beeltethmus and Bbhum.
Changes of Eaime
Changes of eaime lfT (. f.; ). — A literal tr. of a Heb. expression which not merely denotes a change of garments in the modern sense, but implies that the ‘changes’ are superior, in material or texture or both, to those ordinarily worn. Hence ‘gala dresses,’ ‘festal robes,’ or the like, may be taken as a fair equivalent. Gifts of such gala robes have always been common in the East as special marks of favour or distinction. Cf. Dress, § 7.
A. R. S. Kennedy.
Chanuneus
Chanuneus (AVChamiuneus), l Es8".— A Levite, answering to Merari, if to anything, in the parallel list in .
Chaphenatha
Chaphenatha (1 Maccabees 12). Close to Jerusalem on the east. Unknown.
Chapiter
See Temple.
Chapisan
A chapman is a trader, the word being still used in some places for a travelling merchant. It occurs In AV and RV, and also in RV. The Amer. RV has ‘trader’ in both places.
Chaeaathalan
Chaeaathalan (AV Charaathalar), 1 Esdras 5:36. A name given to a leader of certain families who returned under Zerubbabel. But ‘Charaathalan leading them and Allar’ is due to some perversion of the original, which has ‘Cherub, Addan, Immer,’ three names of places in Babylonia, from which the return was made (; cf. ).
Charax
Charax (2 Maccabees 12:17. RV ‘to Charax,’ AV ‘to Characa’). — East of Jordan, and apparently in the land of Tob. Unknown.
CHAREA, 1 Esdras 5:32, . .
Charger
An obsolete word for a large flat dish on which meat was served. The Amer. RV everywhere substitutes ‘platter,’ e.g. ff.: and parallels.
Chariot
The original home of the chariot was Western Asia, from which it passed to Egypt and other countries. In OT chariots are associated mainly with war-like operations, although they also appear not infrequently as the ‘carriages,’ so to say, of kings, princes, and high dignitaries (, . ; cf. the case of the Ethiopian eunuch) in times of peace. When royal personages drove in state, they were preceded by a body of ‘runners’ (.
).
The war chariot appears to have been introduced among the Hebrews by David ( LXX), but it did not become part of the organized military equipment of the State till the reign of Solomon. This monarch is said to have organized a force of 1400 chariots (I K lO^", ). which he distributed among the principal cities of his realm ( lO^"). At this time, also, a considerable trade sprang up in connexion with the importation of chariots and horses. It was not from Egypt, however, which was never a horse-breeding country, that these were imported as stated in the corrupt text of f.: but from two districts of Asia Minor, In the region of Cappadocia and Cilicia, named Musri and Kue (see Skinner, Cent. Bible, in loc). In the following verse a chariot from Musri is said to have cost 600 shekels of silver (see Money), and a horse 150, but the Gr. text gives 100 shekels and SO shekels respectively. Similarly in the reference is to the chariotry of the Hittites and their allies of Musri.
Until the Macedonian period, when we first hear of chariots armed with scythes (2 Maccabees 13:2). the war chariot of antiquity followed one general type, alike among the Assyrians and the Egyptians, the Hittites and the Syrians. It consisted of a hght wooden body, which was always open behind. The axle, fitted with stout wheels with 6 or 8 spokes (for the Heb. terms see ). was set as far back as possible for the sake of greater steadiness, and consequently a surer aim. The pole was fixed into the axle, and after passing beneath the floor of the chariot was bent upwards and connected by a band of leather to the front of the chariot. The horses, two in number, were yoked to the pole. Traces were not used. In Assyrian representations a third horse sometimes appears, evidently as a reserve. The body of the chariot naturally received considerable decora^ tion, tor which, and for other details, reference may be made to Wilkinson’s Anc. Egyp. (1878), i. 224-241, and Bawlinson’s Five Great Monarchies (1864), ii. 1-21, where numerous illustrationss are also given. The ‘chariots of iron’ of the ancient Canaanites (. ) were chariots of which the woodwork was strengthened by metal plates.
In Egypt and Assyria the normal number of the occupants of a war chariot was two — the driver, who was often armed with a whip, and the combatant, an archer whose bow-ease and quiver were usually attached to the right-hand side of the car. Egyptian representations of Hittite chariots, however, show three occupants, of whom the third carries a shield to protect his comrades. This was almost certainly the practice among the Hebrews also, since a frequently recurring military term, shSMsh, signifies ‘the third man,’ presumably in such a chariot.
Mention may be made, finally, of the chariots set up at the entrance to the Temple at Jerusalem, which were destroyed by Josiah. They were doubtless dedicated originally to J", although they are termed by the Hebrew historian ‘chariots of the sun’ (). their installation having been copied from the Babylonian custom of representing Shamash, the sun-god, riding in a chariot. A. R. S. Kennedy.
Charity
The word ‘charity’ never occurs in AV in the sense of almsgiving, but always with the meaning of love. It comes from the Vulg. caritas, which was frequently used to translate the Greek agapi, probably because amor had Impure associations, and because dilectio (which is sometimes so used) was scarcely strong enough. Wyclif followed the Vulg., as did afterwards the Rhemish translators. Tindale and the Genevan Version preferred ‘love’; but in the Bishops’ Bible ‘charity’ was again often used, and the AV followed the Bishops in this. In the RV, however, ‘charity’ never occurs, the Gr. agap’S being everywhere rendered ‘love.’
For Feast of Charity (Jude " AV) see Love Feast.
Charm
See Amulets and Chakms; and Maoic Divination and Sorcery.
Charme
Charme (1 Esdras 5:25). Called Harim, . . The form in 1 Es. is derived from the Heb., and not from the Gr. form in the canonical books.
Charmis
Charmis (). Son of Melchiel, one of three rulers or elders of Bethulia (Judith 6:15 8:10 10:6).
Chase
See Huntino.
Chebar
A canal in Babylonia ( ff.) beside which the principal colony of the first Exile of Judah was planted. It has been identified by the Pennsylvania expedition with the canal Kabaru, named in cuneiform documents of the time of Artaxerxes i. It apparently lay to the east of Nippur. The name means ‘great.’ Hence for ‘the river Chebar’ we may read ‘the Grand Canal.’ J. F. McCuhdy.
Checkerwork
A designationapplied in lK?" (only) to the net-ornament on the pillars before the Temple.
Cheek
The seat of health and beauty ( ). To be smitten on the cheek was the climax of insult and violence. That the command in is not to be interpreted literally is shown by Christ’s own protest in . C. W. Emmet.
Cheese
See Mile.
Chelal
One who had married a foreign wife ().
Chellians
Probably the inhabitants of the town Chellus (wh. see). Cf. Judith 1:9 2:23.
Chellus
From the text (Judith 1:9) this place is supposed to have been situated S.W. of Jerus. near Betane and N. of Kadesh and the ‘river of Egypt,’ i.e. the Wady-el-‘Arish; but any certain identification is impossible.
Chelod
Judith 1 reads, not as AV and RV ‘many nations of the sons of Chelod assembled themselves to battle,’ but ‘there came together many nations unto the array (or ranks) of the sons of Cheleul.’ It is not certain whether the ‘many nations’ are allies of Nebuchadrezzar or of Arphaxad, or whether they come to help or to fight the ‘sons of Chelod.’ Probably v.«i> summarizes v.’"; hence ‘sons of Chelod’ should be Nebuchadrezzar’s army. But he is, in Jth., king of Assyrians, not Chaldseans. No probable conjecture as to Aram, original has been made.
Chelub
1. A descendant of Judah (). 2. The father of Ezri, one of David’s superintendents ().
Chelubai
Chelubai (). Another form of Caleb. Cf. , . and see Caleb, and Cakmi, No. 2.
Cheluhi
One of the sons of Bani who had married a foreign wife ().
Chemarim
In EV this word is found only in Zeph 1’ ; but the original of which it is the transliteration is used also at and . and in both instances Chemdrim is placed in the margin of AV and RV. ChSmer, of which Chemarim is the plural, is of Aram, origin, and when used in Syr. carries no unfavourable connotation. In the Heb. of the OT, however, ChemSrim always has a bad sense; it is applied to the priests who conducted the worship of the calves (, ). and to those who served the Baalim (). Kimchi believed the original significance of the verbal form was ‘to be black,’ and explained the use of the noun by the assertion that the idolatrous priests wore black garments. Others take the root to mean, ‘to be sad,’ the chumra being a sad, ascetic person, a monk or priest.
Chemosh
The national god of the Moabites (; in probably ‘Chemosh’ is a scribal or other error for ‘Milcom’ [wh. see], who held the same position among the Ammonites). His rites seem to have included human sacrifice (cf. ). It was for this ‘abomination of Moab’ that Solomon erected a temple (), later destroyed by Josiah ().
N. KOENIG.
Chenaanah
1. A Benjamite (). 2. The father of Zedekiah the false prophet in the reign of Ahab (. ).
Chenani
A Levite ().
Chenaniah
Chief of the Levltes at the removal of the ark from the house of Obed-edom (, ). named among the officers and judges over Israel ().
CHEPHAR-AMMONI {‘village of the Ammonites,’ ). — A town of Benjamin. Probably the ruin Kefr ‘Ana near Bethel.
CHEPHIRAH C village,’ IS^*, . ). — One of the four Hivite cities which made peace with the Hebrews; re-peopled after the Captivity, having belonged to Benjamin; called in 1 Esdras 5:19 Caphira. Now Kefireh S.W. of Gibeon.
Chequer Work
See Spinning and Weaving.
Cheran
One of the children of Disbon, the son of Seir, the Horite (. ).
Cherethites and Pelethites
These were mercenary soldiers, who probably began to attach themselves to David whilst he was an outlaw ( etc.), and subsequently became the king’s bodyguard and the nucleus of his army ( IS’* . 1 K . ). Benaiah, whom Josephus calls ‘captain of the guard’ (Ant. vii. xi. 8), was their commander. They accompanied David in his retreat from Jerusalem (). fought against Absalom (, ). acted as Solomon’s bodyguard at his coronation (, ). The Cherethites were a Philistine clan (). dwelling on the coast (Ezk . ) ; and the name Pdethites may have been a corrupt form of Philistines. Unwillingness to believe that foreigners stood so near the national hero led certain Jewish scholars to assert that the two clans were Israelites. The appellation ‘Cherethite’ seems to be connected with Crete, and there is good ground (but see Caphtor) for the belief that Caphtor, from which says the Philistines came, is to be identified with Crete. The LXX of . uses Cretans as the equivalent of Cherethites. J. Taylor.
Cherith
The ‘brook’ by which Elijah lived (, ) was ‘before,’ i.e. on the E. of Jordan. The popular identification of Cherith with the Wady Kelt between Jerusalem and Jericho is unwarranted.
Cherub
Cherub (. ). One of the places from which certain families, on the return from Babylon, failed to prove their register as genuine branches of the Israelite people. See Chaeaathalan.
CHERUBIM, — 1. The most important passage for determining-STre origin of the Hebrew conception of the cherubim is . The poet, in describing a theophany of Jehovah, represents the God of Israel as descending to earth on the black thunder-cloud: ‘He rode upon a cherub and did fly, yea, he soared on the wings of the wind.’ According to this passage, the cherub is a personification of the storm-cloud, or, as others prefer to interpret, of the storm-wind which bears Jehovah from heaven to earth.
2. We shall next discuss the part the cherubim play in the religious symbolism of the OT. In the Tabernacle there were two small golden cherubim, one at each end of the mercy-seat. It was these figures that invested the ark with its special significance as an emblem of the immediate presence of Jehovah. Cherubic figures were embroidered on the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, and on the other tapestries of the sanctuary. In the ITemple two huge cherubim of olive wood, overlaid with gold, overshadowed the ark with their wings <1 K ). Cherubic figures were also found among the other decorations of the Temple (). In both sanctuaries they are figures of religious symbolism; they act as bearers of Deity, and are consequently emblematic of Jehovah’s immediate presence. Hence we have the phrase ‘Thou that sittest on the cherubim’ ( et al.). In Ezekiel’s inaugural vision (ch. 1) the four composite figures of the living creatures are in a later passage termed cherubim (). They support the firmament on which the throne of Jehovah rests, and in this connexion we again have them as bearers of Deity. In the Paradise story, the cherubim perform another function; they appear as guardians of the tree of life ( J). A different version of this story is alluded to by Ezekiel () according to this prophet, a cherub expels the prince of Tyre from Eden, the garden of God. In both these passages they perform the function of guardians of sacred things, and in view of this it is probable that, in the Temple and Tabernacle, they were looked upon as guardians of the contents of the ark as well as emblems of the Divine presence.
3. As to the figure of the cherubim in the sanctuaries we have no clue, and Josephus is probably correct when he says that no one knows or can guess their form. The prophet Ezekiel and the results of Babylonian excavations assist us in solving the enigma. The prophet’s living creatures were composite figures, each having the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. We are not to suppose that these forms corresponded exactly to anything that the prophet had seen, but he worked out these figures in his gorgeous imagination, combining elements Hebrew and Babylonian. The native element is to some extent an unsolved riddle, but of the contribution made by Babylonian art there can be no reasonable doubt. The huge composite figures with human head, eagle’s wings, and bull’s body, which were placed as guardians at the doors of temples and palaces in Babylonia, supplied the prophet with the material for his vision. The writer of the story of the Garden of Eden had some such figures in mind. Basing his conjecture on Ezekiel’s vision, Schultz (OT Theol. ii. p. 236) imagines that the cherubim of the sanctuary were composite figures with feet of oxen, wings of eagles, manes of lions, and human bodies and faces, standing upright and spreading their wings over the ark. This view is somewhat problematic. Cheyne and Dillmann prefer to associate them with the griffin, which so often appears in mythology as a guardian of sacred treasures. The former asserts that the Hebrew cherubim were of Hlttite origin. It is not correct to suppose that they were directly borrowed either from the Babylonians or the Hittites, but the Hebrew imagination combined foreign and native elements as they were suited to its purpose. The derivation of the Heb. word from the Bab. kurubu, a designation of the steer-god, is, although advocated by Delitzsch, exceedingly uncertain and is denied by Zimmern. We are now in a position to judge the three theories as to the nature of the cherubim, — that they were (1) real, (2) symbolical, and (3) mythical. That they were higher angelic beings with actual existence is now generally discarded. They were in reality creations of the imagination, the form being borrowed from mythological sources and afterwards invested with a symbolic meaning.
4. In Jewish theology the cherubim are one of the three highest classes of angels, the other two being the seraphim and ophanim, Which guard the throne of the Most High. They appear as youthful angels in Rabbinical literature. Philo allegorizes them as representing two supreme attributes of God — His goodness and authority; he also mentions other views (for Jewish ideas, cf. JE s.v.). The living creatures of the Apocalyptic vision are borrowed from Ezekiel’s imagery. Starting with this passage (). and borrowing elements from Jewish theology, some Christian theologians have incorrectly maintained that the cherubim of Scripture were supramundane spiritual essences.
James A. Kelso.
Chesalon
Near Kiriath-jearim on the border of Judah (). Now the village Kesla on the hill N. of Kiriath-jearim.
Chesed
One of the sons of Nahor and Miloah ( J). He is obviously here introduced into the genealogy of the Terahites as the presumptive forefather of the Kasdim or Chaldaeans. This probably represents a different tradition from that in P, where Ur of the Chaldees (.i.e. Kasdim) is spoken of as the dwelling place of Terah (), Nahor’s father.
Chesil
Chesil (). The LXX reads Bethel, probably for Bethvi, as in the parallel passage, , and Chesil of MT is prob. a textual error.
CHESTNUT TREE {‘armSn, , . RV plane). — There is no doubt that the RV is correct. The chestnut tree is only an exotic in Palestine, but the plane (Arab. dUb) is one of the finest trees of the land. It attains great development; a wonderful specimen, which has a small room or shop within its hollow trunk, is to be seen in one of the streets of Damascus. The plane (Planus orientalis) peels its outer layers of bark annually, leaving a white streaky surface. It flourishes specially by watercourses (Sirach 24:14).
E. W. G. Mastebman.
Chesulloth
Chesulloth (). The same as Chislothtabor, . A place on the border of Zebulun. Now the ruin Iks&l at the foot of the Nazareth hills, in the fertile plain W. of Tabor.
Cheth
Eighth letter of Heb. alphabet, and as such used in the 119th Psalm to designate the 8th part, each verse of which begins with this letter.
Chezib
Chezib (). See Achzib, No. 2.
Chidon
The name, ace. to , of the threshing-floor where Uzzah was struck dead for rashly touching the ark (see Uzzah). In the name is given as Nacon. No locality has ever been identified with either name.
Chief of Asia
; RV ‘chief oflScers of Asia’ ; RVm ‘Asiarchs.’ See Asiahch.
James Hastings (ed.), with John A. Selbie and John C. Lambert, Dictionary of the Bible (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909). Public domain. Scan of Cornell University Library’s copy from the Internet Archive; text from its OCR, with the Bible references read again from the page images.