Alliance – Ammizabad

Alliance

In the patriarchal age alliances between the Chosen People and foreign nations were frequent. Many of the agreements between individuals recorded in Genesis implied, or really were, treaties between the tribes or clans represented (Genesis 21:22 ff. 31:44 ff.). ‘During the period of the Judges confederations between the more or less isolated units of which the nation was composed were often made under the pressure of a common danger (Judges 4:10 6:35). When Israel became consolidated under the monarchy, alliances with foreigners were of a more formal character, e.g. Solomon’s treaty with Hiram (1 K S. 9). His marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter probably had a political significance (3:1 9:16). The policy of alliance between Israel and Phcenicia was continued by Omri and Ahab (16:31) Amos 1:9 speaks of it as a’ covenant of brethren’; it rested, no doubt, on reciprocal commercial interests (cf. Acts 12:20). Asa and Baasha contended for alliance with Benhadad (1 Kings 15:19). and Judah and Israel themselves are allied during the reigns of Jehoshaphat and Ahab. Such a friendship is denounced in 2 Chronicles 25. Pekah and Rezin are united against Judah (2 Kings 16:5. Isaiah 7). With the appearance of Assyria, relations with foreign nations become important and complicated. The temptation is to stave off the danger from the east by alliance with Damascus or Egypt. Sennacherib assumes that this will be the policy of Hezekiah (2 K 18). The prophets from the first set their faces against it (Deuteronomy 17:16. Hosea 8. Isaiah 20. 30, Jeremiah 2:18, 36). It is ‘the hiring of lovers’ in place of J", leading to sin and idolatry (2 Kings 16), and is politically unsound, resting ‘on a broken reed.’ The parties being so unequal, the ally easily becomes the tributary (16:7). After the Return, Ezra and Nehemiah oppose any alliance with ‘the people of the land.’ In later times, for a short period only, did the nation gain sufficient independence to make an alliance; in this case it was with Rome (1 Maccabees 8:17 15:16).

C. W. Emmet.

Allots

1 . The head of a family of ‘Solomon’s servants’(1 Esdras 5:34). He may be the same as Ami (Ezra 2:57). or Amon (Nehemiah 7:59). 2. A Simeonlte prince (1 Chronicles 4:37).

Allon Bacuth

(‘oak of weeping’). The place where Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, was buried; it was near Bethel (Genesis 35:8).

All to Break

This phrase (Judges 9:53) means altogether broke. The ‘all’ is used for altogether, as in 1 Kings 14:10 ‘till it be all gone’; and the ‘to’ is not the sign of the infin., but an adverb like Germ, zer, meaning thoroughly. Thus, ‘His brest to-broken with his sadil bowe’ — Chaucer, Knight’s Tale, 2759. The correct spelling(as in the original ed. of AV) is ‘all to brake.’

ALLOW, — To ‘allow’ generally means in AV ‘to approve,’ as Romans 7:15 ‘that which I do I allow not.’ But in Acts 24:16 it has the mod. sense, admit.

Alloy

RVm (Isaiah 1:25) for EV ‘tin.’ See Mining and Metals.

Almighty

Almighty is the regular rendering of Shaddai, which occurs altogether 45 times in the OT; 6 times qualifying El (God) and 39 times [31 of these in Job) standing by itself. In the Hexateuch its use is almost confined to P, according to which source it is the name by which God revealed Himself to the patriarchs (Exodus 6:3. cf. Genesis 17:1 35:11). The meaning and derivation are alike obscure. The LXX usually render by PantokratBr (‘Almighty’); 6 times by a fanciful derivation they paraphrase by ‘He that is sufficient.’ But in Gn. Bl Shaddai is always represented in the LXX by a pronoun, ‘my (or thy) God’; in Ezekiel 10:5 it is merely transliterated. Other suggested renderings are ‘the Destroyer," i.e.’ the Storm-God,’ ‘the Pourer,’ i.e. ‘the Rain-God,’ ‘the Mountain’ (cf. ‘Rock’ as a title of God in Deuteronomy 32:4, 18, 3 "), or ‘Lord.’ The last two have the most probability on their side, and it is hard to choose between them; but the fact that in Babylonian ‘the Great Mountain’ ^shadu rabu) is a common title of Bel seems to turn the scale in favour of the former of the two meanings proposed: some slight confirmation is perhaps afforded by 1 Kings 20:23. In composition the word occurs in two personal names: Zurishaddai (Numbers 1:6) and Ammishaddai (Numbers 1:12) perhaps also in Shedeur (Numbers 1:5). The first (‘Shaddai is my Rock’) is specially interesting if the meaning given above is correct.

In the NT, with the exception of 2 Corinthians 6:18 (a quotation from 2 Samuel 7:14). the name is confined to the Apocalypse. That it renders Shaddai rather than Sabaoth seems proved (in spite of 4:8 from Isaiah 6:3) by the fact that it always either stands alone or qualifies ‘God,’ never ‘Lord.’ The writer is fond of piling up the titles or attributes of God, and among them his favourite is that ancient title which carries him back to the patriarchal age, the title El Shaddai. H. C. O. Lanchester.

Al-modad

Al-modad was, according to Genesis 10:26 (1 Chronicles 1:20). the oldest son of Joktan (wh. see). Joktan is the eponym of the tribes and peoples of eastern and southern Arabia. From the position of Al-modad in the list of ‘sons,’ it would appear that he is to be located in the south of the peninsula. As yet the name can neither be explained nor identified with any known region.

J. F. McCUEDY.

Almon

See Allemeth.

Almon-diblathaim

A station in the journeyings (Numbers 33:46, 47), prob. identical with Beth-diblathaim (Jeremiah 48:22). The meaning of Diblathaim is a double cake of figs; its application to a town may indicate the appearance of the place or neighbourhood.

Almond

(shaqed). Tiie fruit in Genesis 43:11, Exodus 25:33, 34 37i9-2o_ Numbers 17:8; the tree in Ecclesiastes 12:5. Jeremiah 1:11. Luz (Genesis 30:37). mistranslated ‘hazel,’ is certainly the almond; it is the name of the almond in modern Arabic. The almond (Amygdalus communis) is in Palestine the earliest harbinger of spring, bursting into beautiful white blossom late in January in Jerusalem, before its leaves appear. Hence its name and symbolism: shdged means to waken or watch, and in Jeremiah 1:11, 12 there is a play on the word ‘almond’ (shaqM), and ‘I will hasten’ {shbqM). Probably the whiteness of the blossom from a little distance — the delicate pink at the bases of the petals being visible only on closer inspection — suggested its comparison to the white hair of age (Ecclesiastes 12:5). The fruit is a great favourite. It is eaten green before the shell hardens, especially by children, and the ripe kernels are eaten by themselves or with nuts and puddings, and are also made into sweetmeats with sugar, both as ‘almond icing’ and ‘burnt almonds.’ A present of Palestine almonds would be sure to be appreciated in Egypt (Genesis 43:11), as they did not grow in the latter country. e. W. G. Mastebman.

Alms, Almsgiving

‘An alms’ (Acts 3:3) is something freely given, in money or in kind, to the needy, from motives of love and pity for the recipient, and of gratitude to the Giver of all. Hence what is given or paid to the poor under the authority and compulsion of la,w, as the modern poor rate, is not alms. For such legal provision in OT times see Poor. Much might

V, f’ . ?l the humane spirit which pervades the whole of the Hebrew legislation, and in particular the legislation of Dt, of which, in this respect, 15i mav be taken as the epitome: ‘Thou shalt surely open thine hand unto thy brother, to thy needy and to thy poor’ (RV). The writings of the prophets, also, are full of generous advocacy of the rights of the poor. In the later pre-Christian centuries almsgiving became one of the most prominent of religious duties (Psalms 112:9. Proverbs 14:21 19:17 31:20. Job 29:12 f.). The sentiment of the 2nd cent. B.C. — by which time it is signiflcant that the Hebrew word for ‘righteousness’ had acquired the special sense of almsgiving as in the true text of Matthew 6:1 (see RV) — is fully reflected in the Books of Sirach (7:10 17:22 29) ) and Tobit (see esp. 4:7–11). From this time onwards, indeed, almsgiving was considered to possess an atoning or redemptive efficacy (Sirach 3:30 ‘alms (RV’ almsgiving’] maketh an atonement for sins,’ Tobit 4:10 12:9 ‘alms delivereth from death,’ cf. Daniel 4:27). After the cessation of sacrifice, almsgiving appears to have ranked among the Jews as the first of religious duties, more meritorious even than prayer and fasting. Arrangements were made by the Jewish authorities for the systematic collection and distribution of the alms of the people. An offertory for the poor also formed a recognized part of the synagogue service.

Almsgiving occupies a prominent place in the teaching of our Lord, who rebukes the ostentatious charity of His day (Matthew 6:1–4). emphasizes the blessedness of giving (Acts 20:35). its opportunities (Matthew 25:35 ff.), and its highest motive, ‘in my name’ (Mark 9:41). In the early Christian community of Jerusalem the needs of the poor were effectively supplied, for its members ‘had all things common, neither was there among them any that lacked’ (Acts 4:32, 34). The need for careful distribution of the Church’s alms led to the institution of the diaconate (Acts 6:1 ff.). The provision of a poor’s fund for the behoof of the mother Church was much in the thoughts of the Apostle of the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 16:1 ff.: 2 Corinthians 9:1 ff.). and until a period wittun living memory the care of God’s poor continued to be the almost exclusive privilege of the Christian Church. A. R. S. Kennedy.

ALMTTG, or ALGITM (1 Kings 10:11, 12. 2 Chronicles 2:8 Q"- >‘; the two names are probably variants of the same word, caused by transposition of letters, as is common in Heb. and Arabic). — This tree was imported by Solomon from Ophir (1 Kings 10:11, 12) and from Lebanon (2 Chronicles 2:8) for staircases, balustrades, and musical instruments. There is nothing certain known of the nature of this wood, but as Jewish tradition states that it was a red wood, red sandal wood (.Pterocarpus santalinus) — now used chiefly for its colouring properties — has been very generally accepted. E. W. G. Masterman.

Aloes

Aloes i’ahmim, Proverbs 7:17, Numbers 24:6 [‘lign aloes’]; ‘ahaloth, Psalms 45. Song of Songs 4:14; also alol, John 19:39). — This is the modern eagle-wood (a name derived from the Skr. aguTu); it has nothing to do with the familiar bitter aloes of medicine, or with the American aloe, now much cultivated in gardens in Palestine, but a recent importation. This eagle-wood is obtained from plants of the order Aquilariaceae, but the fragrant parts are those which are diseased; the odoriferous qualities are due to the infiltration with resin, and the best kinds sink when placed in water. The development of this change in the wood is hastened by burying it in the ground. A trade in this wood has gone on from early times; it comes from India, the Malay Peninsula, etc., and has long been a favourite with the Arabs, who call it el ‘ud.

The use of the word (translated ‘lign aloes,’ Numbers 24:6) by Balaam creates a difficulty. Either he must have referred to the tree ‘^om mere hearsay, or some other plant of the same name may at that time have grown in the Jordan valley, or, as seems most probable, the Heb. word has been wrongly transcribed. Both’ palms ‘and’ terebinths’ have been suggested as suitable alternatives. E. W. G. Mastehman.

Alpha and Omega

A title of God in Rev 1’ 21«, of Jesus in 22" [its presence in 1" AV is not Justified by the MSS]. Alpha was the first, and Omega the last letter of the Greek, as Aleph and Taw were the first and the last of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Talmud,’ From Aleph to Taw’ meant ‘From first to last,’ including all between. Cf. Shabb. 51. 1 (on Ezekiel 9:6) ‘Do not read " My Sanctuary," but " My saints," who are the sons of men who have kept the whole Law from Aleph to Taw.’

This explains the title. In each instance St. John defines it. Revelation 1:8 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty’ (AV ‘the beginning and the ending’ is an interpolation from 21 22:13) i.e. the Eternal, the Contemporary of every generation. Revelation 21:6 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end’; 22:13 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last (cf. Isaiah 44:6 48:12). the beginning and the end,’ i.e. He who comprehends and embraces ail things, from whom all come and to whom all return, the tons et clausula, the starting-point and the goal of history (cf. Colossians 1:17). The ascription of this title to Jesus as well as to God in a writing so early as the Apocalypse strikingly attests the view of our Lord’s Person which prevailed in the primitive Church.

Aurelius Prudentius makes fine use of the title in his hymn on The Lard’s Nativity (‘Corde natus ex parentis ‘), thus rendered by Neale:’ Of the Father’s love begotten Ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega,

He the source, the ending He, Of the things that are, that have been. And that future yeara shall see, Evermore and evermore,’

David Smith.

Alphabet

See Whiting.

Alph

Alph fflUS.— 1. The father of James the Apostle (Matthew 10:3 3 6:15 = Acts 1:13). commonly identified with James the Little, son of Mary and brother of Joses or Joseph (Mark 15:40 27). The identification is confirmed by John 19:25. if it be allowed that Clopas is the same name as Alphaeus. And this is most likely. Both names probably represent the Aramaic Chaiphai (cf. 1 Maccabees 11:70). St. John’s ‘Clopas’ is almost a transliteration, while ‘Alphseus’ is the name in a Greek dress, the disguise being more apparent if it be written, with WH, ‘Halphasus.’

2. The father of Levi the tax-gatherer (Mark 2:14). afterwards Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist (Matthew 9:9 10). It is remarkable that in Mark 2:14 Codex Bezae and some cursives read James for Levi, and there is a tradition (Chrysost. in Matih. xxxiii.) that the Apostles Matthew and James had both been tax-gatherers. It is perhaps possible that Alphseus the father of James was identical with Alphaeus the father of Levi, and that the two tax-gatherer Apostles were brothers. Nothing is recorded of Alphaeus; yet, if these identifications be allowed, great was his glory. He was evidently himself a believer; his son Joses, though undistinguished, was evidently a believer also; his son James was an Apostle; his son Matthew was an Apostle and an Evangelist; and his wife Mary was one of the faithful women who stood by the Cross and visited the Sepulchre (Mark 16:1).

David Smith.

Altab

1. The original purpose of an altar was to serve as a means by which the blood of an animal offered in sacrifice might be brought into contact with, or otherwise transferred to, the deity of the worshipper. For this purpose in the earliest period a single stone sufficed. Either the blood was poured over this stone, which was regarded as the temporary abode of the deity, or the stone was anointed with part, and the rest poured out at its base. The introduction of flre to consume the flesh in whole or in part belongs to a later stage in the history of sacrifice (wh. see). But even when this stage had long been reached, necessity might compel a temporary reversion to the earlier modus operandi, as we learn from Saul’s procedure in 1 Samuel 14:33 f. From the altar of a single ‘great stone’ (1 Samuel 6:14) the transition was easy to an altar built of unhewn stones (Exodus 20:25. Deuteronomy 27:5 f. RV), which continued to be the normal type of Hebrew altar to the end (see 1 Maccabees 4:41; Jos. BJ V. v. 6).

2. Another type of pre-historic altar, to which much less attention has been paid, had its origin in the primitive conception of sacrifice as the food of the gods. As such it was appropriately presented on a table. Now the nearest analogy to the disc of leather spread on the ground,which was and is the table of the Semitic nomad, was the smooth face of the native rock, such as that on which Manoah spread his offering (Judges 13:19 f.: of. 6:20 f.). The well-known rock-surfaces, in Palestine and elsewhere, with their mysterious cup-marks — typical specimens are illustrated PEFSt, 1900, 32 ff., 249— to receive the sacrificial blood, can scarcely be other than pre-historic table-altars. The similarly marked tablestones of Syrian dolmens also belong here. A further stage in the evolution of the table altar is seen in the elaborate structures recently discovered within the West-Semitic area. In these the rock Is cut away so as to leave the altar standing free, to which rock-cut steps lead up, an arrangement forbidden, from motives of decency, by the earliest legislation (Exodus 20. with which cf. 28:42 f. and parall. from a later date). The uppermost step served as a platform for the ofiiciating priest. Some show cup-hollows for libations of blood (see illust. in Moore’s ‘Judges’ in SB O T p. 83), while that first discovered at Petra has a depression for the altar-hearth {PEFSt, raOO, 350 ff. with sketch; see also Ariel). Its dimensions are 9 ft. by 6, with a height above the platform of 3 ft. The altars of the more important sanctuaries under*the debrew monarchy, such as Bethel, were probably of a similar nature. A description of ‘the altar of burnt-offering’ of the Tabernacle will be given under Tabeknacle ; for the corresponding altars of the Temple of Solomon and its successors, and of Ezekiel’s sketch, see Temple.

3. A third variety of primitive altar is the mound of earth (Exodus 20:24). a copy in miniature of the hill-tops which were at all times favourite places of worship (see High Place).

4. All the types of altar above described were intended for the ordinary open-air sacrificial service, details of which will be found under Sacrifice. There is no clear reference earlier than Jeremiah to the use of incense, and no reference at all to any altar of incense in the legitimate worship before the Exile, for 1 Kings 7:48 in its present form is admittedly late, and the altar of 1 Kings 6:20 must be the table of shewbread (see Temple, Shewbread).

5. From what has already been said, it is evident that an altar was the indispensable requisite of every place of worship. It was not until the 7th cent. b.c. that Josiah succeeded in abolishing ‘the high places’ and destroying or desecrating their altars (2 Kings 23:5 ff.). in accordance with the fundamental demand of the Deuteronomic law-code (Deuteronomy 12:1 ff.). In the older historical and prophetical writings, however, and even in the earliest legislation (see Exodus 20:24 RV), the legitimacy of the local altars is never called in question. On the contrary, religious leaders such as Samuel and Elijah show their zeal for the worship of J" by the erection and repair of altars.

6. As altars to which a special interest attaches may be mentioned that erected by David on the threshing floor of Araunah (2 Samuel 24:18 ff.). ■), the site of which is marked by the present mosque of ‘the Dome of the Rock’ ; the altar erected by Ahaz after the model of one seen by him at Damascus (2 Kings 16:10 ff.) the sacrificial and incense altars to the host of heaven in the courts and probalbly even on the roof of the Temple (2 Kings 23:12. Jeremiah 19:13) ; and finally, the altar to Olympian Zeus placed by Antiochus Epiphanea on the top of the altar of burnt-offering (1 Maccabees 1:54).

7. Reference must also be made to altars as places of refuge for certain classes of criminals, attested both by legislation (Exodus 21:13 f.) and history (1 Kings 1:51 2:28; see more fully, Refuge [Cities of]). The origin and precise significance of the horns of the altar, of which the refugee laid hold (1 K !!. cc.), and which played anlmportant part in the ritual (Exodus 29:12. Leviticus 4:7 ff.). have not yet received a satisfactory explanation. A small limestone altar, showing the horns in the form of rounded knobs at the four corners, has just been discovered at Gezer (PEFSt, 1907, p. 196, with illust.). A. R. S. Kennedy.

Al-tashheth

Pss 57. 58. 69. 65. (titles). See Psalms.

Alush

A station in the journeyings (Numbers 33:13, 14).

Alvan

Son of Shobal, a Horite (Genesis 36:23) called in 1 Chronicles 1:40 Aliau, in Genesis 36:40 Alvah, 1 Chronicles 1:51 Aliah, one of the ‘dukes’ of Edom.

Amad

(Joshua 19:26 only). A city of Asher. The site is doubtful; there are several ruins called ‘Amud in this region.

Akiadathus

(Esther 12 leio. n). See Hammedatha.

Amal

A descendant of Asher (1 Chronicles 7:35).

Amalek, Amalekites

A tribe which roamed, from the days of the Exodus till the time of king Saul, over the region from the southern boundary of Judah to the Egyptian frontier and the peninsula of Sinai. They are not counted among the kindred of the Israelites, and probably were among the inhabitants of the region whom the Hebrew and Aramsean immigrants found already in the land. With this agrees the statement of a poem quoted in Numbers 24:20 ‘Amalek was the first of the nations.’

Israel first met with the Amalekites in the region near Sinai, when Amalek naturally tried to prevent the entrance of a new tribe into the region (cf . Exodus 17:8–16). The battle which ensued produced such a profound impression, that one of the few things which the Pentateuch claims that Moses wrote is the ban of Jahweh upon Amalek (Exodus 17:14). It appears from Deuteronomy 25:17–19 that Amalek made other attacks upon Israel, harassing her rear. On the southern border of Palestine the Amalekites also helped at a later time to prevent Israel’s entrance from Kadesh (Numbers 13:29 14:25).

During the period of the Judges, Amalekites aided the Moabites in raiding Israel (Judges 3:13), and at a later time they helped the Midianites to do the same thing (6 7:12). This kept alive the old enmity. King Saul attempted to shatter their force, and captured their king, whom Samuel afterwards slew (I S 15). Although Saul is said to have taken much spoil, the Amalekites were still there for David to raid during that part of Saul’s reign when David was an outlaw (1 Samuel 27:8). The boundaries of the habitat of the Amalekites at this time are said to have been from Telem, one of the southern cities of Judah (Joshua 15:24). to Shur on the way to Egypt (1 Samuel 15:4). Most modern critics also read Telem for Havilah in 1 Samuel 15:7, and for ‘of old’ in 1 Samuel 27:8.

It was formerly supposed, on the basis of Judges 5:14 and 12. that there was at one time a settlement of Amalekites farther north, in the hill country of Ephraim. That is, however, improbable,, for in both passages the text seems to be corrupt. In 5:14 ‘Amalek’ is corrupted from the Hebrew for ‘valley,’ and in 12:15 from the proper name ‘Shalim.’ Individual Amalekites, nevertheless, sojourned in Israel (2 Samuel 1:8, 13).

In 1 Chronicles 4:42 ff. there is a remarkable statement that a remnant of the Amalekites had escaped and dwelt in Edom, and that 600 Simeonites attacked and smote them. Perhaps this accounts for the priestly genealogies which make Amalek a descendant of Esau and a subordinate Edomite. tribe (cf. Genesis 36:12, 16 and 1 Chronicles 1:36). Perhaps here we learn how the powerful Amalek of the earlier time faded away. Pa 83 a late composition —refers to the Amalekites as still aiding Israel ‘s enemies • but this is probably a poetical imitation of ancient conditions. On their close kindred, the Kenites, see Kenites. George A. Barton.

Amam

(Joshua 15:26 only). An unknown city of Judah, in the desert south of Beersheba.

Awatt

1. The persecutor of Achiacharus (Tobit 14:10). 2. Esther 12 16. See Haman.

Amasa

(Song of Songs 4:8). Probably the mountains near the river Abana or Amana, being connected with Hermon and Lebanon; or else Mount Amanus In the north of Syria.

AMABIAH C J" said’ or ‘promised’).— 1. Zephaniah 1:1. great-grandfather of the prophet Zephaniah, and son of a Hezekiah who may be the king. This is the only instance of the name that is certainly pre-exilic. 2. 1 Chronicles 6:7, 52. grandfather of Zadok the priest. 3. 1 Ch 23:19 24:23. a Levlte in David’s time. 4. 1 Chronicles 6:11. Ezra 7:3 (Amarias, 1 Esdras 8:2. 2 Esdras 1). son of Azariah, who is said to have ministered in Solomon’s temple. The lists in which 2 and 4 occur are very uncertain, and the name may refer to the same person in both. 6.

2 Chronicles 19:11, a high priest in the reign of Jehoshaphat.

6. 2 Chronicles 31:15, a Levite, a gate-porter, in Hezekiah’s time. 7. Nehemiah 12 10:3. a priestly clan which returned to Jerusalem, and sealed the covenant under Nehemiah (probably the same as Immer, 1 Oh 24. Ezra 2:37 lO^", Nehemiah 7:40 [Meruth, 1 Esdras 5:24)). 8. Ezra 10:42. a Judahite, one of the sons of Bani (v. 34. of. 1 Chronicles 9:4) who had taken strange wives. 9. Nehemiah 11:4. a Judahite who offered to dwell in Jerusalem. 10. Nehemiah 12:12. where Ueraiah is probably a corruption of Amariah (which is found in Syr. and Luc). A. H. M’Neile.

A1WAB.TAS (1 Esdras 8:2). — An ancestor of Ezra, called Amariah in Ezra 7:3.

Amasa

1. The son of Ithra an Ishmaelite, and of Abigail the sister of king David. He commanded the army of the rebel Absalom (2 Samuel 17:25). but was completely routed by Joab in the forest of Ephraim (18:6–8). David not only pardoned him, but gave him the command of the army in place of Joab (19:13). He was treacherously slain by Joab at ‘the great stone of Gibeon’ (2 Samuel 20:9–12). 2. An Ephraimite who opposed the bringing into Samaria of the Jewish prisoners, whom Pekah, king of Israel, had taken in his campaign against Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:12). .

Amasai

1. A Kohathite (1 Chronicles 6:25, 35) the eponym of a family (2 Chronicles 29:12). 2. One of the priests who blew trumpets on the occasion of David’s bringing the ark to Jerus. (1 Chronicles 15:24). 3. One of David’s officers at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:18). possibly to be identified with Amasa, No. 1.

Amashsai

Amashsai (Nehemiah 11:13). A priest of the family of Immer.

Amasiah

One of Jehoshaphat’s commanders (2 Chronicles 17:16).

Awaztah

1. Son of Jehoash of Judah. He came to the throne after the assassination of his father. It is recorded in his favour (2 Kings 4:6) that although he put the murderers of his father to death he spared their children — something unheard of up to that time, we infer. Our sources know of a successful campaign of his against Edom, and an unsuccessful one against Israel. In this he seems to have been the aggressor; and after refusing to hear the advice of Jehoash, whom he had challenged to a trial of strength, he had the mortification of seeing his own capital plundered. The conspiracy by which he perished may have been prompted by his conduct in this war. In the matter of religion he receives qualified praise from the author of Kings (2 Kings 14:3 f.). while the Chronicler accuses him of gross apostasy (2 Chronicles 25:14 ff.). 2. The priest at Bethel who opposed the prophet Amos (Amos 7). 3. A Simeonite (1 Chronicles 4:34). 4. A Merarite (1 Chronicles 6:45). H. P. Smith.

Ambassador, Ambassage

As diplomatic agents of sovereigns or other persons in high authority, ambassadors are frequently mentioned in OT and Apocrypha from the days of Moses (see below) to those of the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 9:70 11:9 14:21 15:17). Insult to their persons was a sufficient casus belli (2 Samuel 10:4 ff.). In several passages (.e.g. Numbers 20:14 21:21. Deuteronomy 2:26. Judges 11:12, 19, 2 Samuel 5:11. 2 Kings 19:9) the ‘messengers’ of EV are practically ‘ambassadors,’ as the Heb. word is elsewhere rendered (2 Chronicles 35:21. Isaiah 30:4. Ezekiel 17:15). Joshua 9:4. however, should be read as in RVm. The ambassador of Jeremiah 49:14 ( = Obi) is probably an angel. In NT the word is used only metaphorically (2 Corinthians 5:20. Ephesians 6:20).

‘Ambassage,’ the mission of an ambassador (2 Maccabees 4:11 RV), is used also as a collective for ambassadors themselves(Lk 14:32 19:14 RV). In 1 Maccabees 14:23 read with RV ‘the copy of their words.’ A. R. S. Kennedy.

Amber

Amber (chashmcU, Ezk !’■ 8:2). translation ‘amber’ is much questioned, a metallic substance being generally considered more probable. Prof. Ridgeway {Bncyc. Bill., s.v.) has, however, shown that amber may well have been known to Ezekiel. The amber commonly seen is the opaque yellow variety from the Baltic, a resinous substance changed by long submersion in the sea. It is a favourite ornament, in necklaces and bracelets, in the Orient, especially among Jewesses, and is credited with medicinal virtues. E. W. G. Mastekman.

Ambush

See War.

Amen

A Hebrew form of affirmation usually translated in the LXX by an equivalent Greek expression (Numbers 5:22. Deuteronomy 27:15 ‘so be it,’ Jeremiah 28:6 (36:6) ‘truly’), but sometimes transliterated (1 Chronicles 16:36) as in English. It is an indication of solemn assent, chiefly in prayer, to the words of another, on the part either of an individual (Numbers 5:22) or of an assembly (Deuteronomy 27:15) sometimes reduplicated (Psalms 41:13). sometimes accompanied by a rubrical direction (Psalms 106:48). From the synagogue it passed into the liturgical use of Christian congregations, and is so referred to in 1 Corinthians 14:16 — ‘the (customary) Amen at thy giving of thanks’ (?Eucharist). The use peculiar to the NT is that ascribed to our Lord in the Gospels, where the word — ‘verily’ followed by ‘I say’ — introduces statements which He desires to invest with special authority (Matthew 5:18. Mark 3:28. Luke 4:24 etc.) as worthy of unquestioning trust. The Fourth Gospel reduplicates — a form which, though Christ may Himself have varied the phrase in this manner, is nevertheless stereotyped by this Evangelist (John 1:51 and 24 other places), and marks the peculiar solemnity of the utterances it introduces. The impression created by this idiom may have influenced the title of ‘the Amen’ given to the Lord in the Epistle to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14). A strikingly similar phrase is used by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:20 — ‘through him (i.e. Jesus Christ as preached) is the Amen’ — the seal of God’s promises. Its use in doxologies is frequent. J. G. Simpson.

Amethyst

See Jewels and Precious Stones.

Ami

The head of a family of ‘Solomon’s servants’ (Ezra 2:57) called in Nehemiah 7:59 Amon.

Amittai

(‘true’). Father of the prophet Jonah (2 Kings 14:25. Jonah 1:1).

Ammah

(2 Samuel 2:24 only). A hill near Giah, in the wilderness of Gibeon. Site unknown.

Ammi

(‘my people’). The name to be applied to Israel in the time of restoration. It is to take the place of Lo-ammi ( = ‘not my people’), the name given in the first instance by Hosea to Gomer’s third child, but in the prophetic fragment, Hosea 1:9–11 [in Heb 2:1–3). referred to the people of Israel.

Ammidioi

One of the families that returned with Zerubbabel (1 Esdras 5:20) omitted in the parallel lists (Ezr 2= Neh 7).

Ammiel

(‘kinsman is God’). 1. Son of Gemalli, and spy of the tribe of Dan (Numbers 13:12 (P)). 2. Father of Machir (2 Samuel 9:4 f. 7:27). 3. The sixth son of Obed-edom, who with his family constituted one of the courses of doorkeepers In the time of David ; to them was allotted charge of the S. gate (of the Temple) and the storehouse (1 Chronicles 26, esp. vv. 5, 15) 4. See Eliam, 1.

AiynVTl H UD (‘kinsman is majesty ‘). — 1. An Ephraimite, father of Elishama (Numbers 1:10 2:18 7:48, 53 lozz (p)). 2. A Simeonite, father of Shemuel (Numbers 34:20 (P)). 3. A NaphtaUte, father of Pedahel (Numbers 34:28 (P)). 4. According to the Qeri of 2 Samuel 13:37 and the AV, the name of the father of the Geshurite king Talmai {Kethibh and RV Ammihur). 5. Son of Omri, father of Uthai (1 9:4).

Ammihur

See Ammihud, No. 4.

AlVnvriH’ADAB .—1 . Son of Ram and father of Nahshon (Ruth 4:19 f. = 1 Chronicles 2:10. Matthew 1:4; Numbers 1:7 2:3 7:12 10:14) father-in-law of Aaron (Exodus 6:23). 2. Son of Kohath and father of Korah (1 Chronicles 6:22). 3. A chief of a Levitical house (1 Chronicles 15:10 f.).

Amminadib

Amminadib occurs in AV and R Vm of a very obscure passage, Song of Songs 6:12. ‘my goul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.’ RV and AVm do not regard the term as a proper name, but render ‘my soul set me on (RV ‘among’) the chariots of my willing (RV ‘princely’) people.’

Akimishaddai

A Danlte, father of Ahiezer (Numbers 1:12 2:25 7 10:25 (P)).

Ammizabad

Son of Benaiah (1 Chronicles 27:6).