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Zerubbabel – Zuzim, The
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Zerubbabel
(born at Babel , i.e. Babylon), the head of the tribe of Judah at the time of the return from the Babylonish captivity in the first year of Cyrus. The history of Zerabbabel in the Scriptures is as follows: In the first year of Cyrus he was living at Babylon, and was the recognized prince of Judah in the captivity, --what in later times was called "the prince of the captivity," or "the prince." On the issuing of Cyrus’ decree he immediately availed himself of it, and placed himself at the head of those of his countrymen "whose spirit God had raised to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem." It is probable that he was in the king of Babylon’s service, both from his having, like Daniel and the three children, received a Chaldee name, Sheshbazzar, and from the fact that he was appointed by the Persian king to the office of governor of Judea. On arriving at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel’s great work, which he set about immediately, was the rebuilding of the temple. In the second month of the second year of the return the foundation was laid with all the pomp which could be commanded. The efforts of the Samaritans were successful in putting a stop to the work during the seven remaining years of the reign of Cyrus and through the eight years of Cambyses and Smerdis. Nor does Zerubbabel appear quite blameless for this long delay. The difficulties in the way of building the temple were not such as need have stopped the work and during this long suspension of sixteen years Zerubbabel and the rest of the people had been busy in building costly houses for themselves. But in the second year of Darius, light dawned upon the darkness of the colony from Babylon. In that year --it was the most memorable event in Zerabbabel’s life --the spirit of prophecy suddenly blazed up with a most brilliant light among the returned captives. Their words fell like sparks upon tinder. In a moment Zerubbabel roused from his apathy, threw his whole strength into the work. After much opposition [see NEHEMIAH, THE BOOK OF] and many hindrances find delays, the temple was at length finished, in the sixth pear of Darius, and was dedicated with much pomp and rejoicing. [TEMPLE] The only other works of Zerubbabel of which we learn from Scripture are the restoration of the courses of priests and Levites and of the provision for their maintenance, according to the institution of David (; ) the registering the returned captives according to their genealogies, () and the keeping of a Passover in the seventh year of Darius, with which last event ends all that we know of the life of Zerubbabel, His apocryphal history is told in 1 Esdr. 3-7. The exact parentage of Zerubbabel is a little obscure, from his being always called the son of Shealtiel, (,; ) etc.; (,,) etc., end appearing as such in the genealogies of Christ (; ) whereas in () he is represented as the son of Pedaiah, Shealtiel or Salathiel’s brother, and consequently as Salathiel’s nephew. Zerubbabel was the legal successor and heir of Jeconiah’s royal estate, the grandson of Neri and the lineal descendant of Nathan the son of David. In the New Testament the name appears in the Greek form of Zorobabel.
Zeruiah
(balsam), the mother of the three leading heroes of David’s army --Abishai, Joah and Asahel-- known as the "sons of Zeruiah." Of Zeruiah’s husband there is no mention in the Bible. (B.C. before 1046.)
Zetham
(olive), the son of Laadan, a Gershonite Levite. () (B.C. 1043.)
Zethan
(olive), a Benjamite of the sons of Bilhan. () (B.C. probably 1014.)
Zethar
(star), one of the seven eunuchs of Ahasuerus, () (B.C. 453.)
Zia
(motion), one of the Gadites who dwelt in Bashan. () (B.C. 1014.)
Ziba
(statue), a servant of Saul whom David made steward of Saul’s son Mephibosheth. (; ; ,) [MEPHIBOSHETH] (B.C. 1023.)
Zibeon
(robber), father of Anah, whose daughter Aholibamah was Esau’s wife. () (B.C. 1797.) Although called a Hivite, he is probably the same as Zibeon the son of Seir the Horite. (,,; ,)
Zibia
(roe), a Benjamite, apparently the son of Shaharaim by his wife Hodesh. () (B.C. 1440.)
Zibiah
(roe), a native of Beersheba and mother of King Joash. (; ) (B.C. 876)
Zichri
(memorable).
1. Son of Ishar the son of Kohath. () (B.C. 1401.)
2. A Benjamite of the sons of Shimhi. () (B.C. 1440.)
3. A Benjamite of the sons of Shashak. ()
4. A Benjamite of the sons of Jeroham. ()
5. Son of Asaph, elsewhere called ZABDI and ZACCUB. ()
6. A descendant of Eliezer the son of Moses. () (B.C. before 1043.)
7. The father of Eliezer, the chief of the Reubenites in the reign of David. () (B.C. before 1043.)
8. One of the tribe of Judah, father of Amasiah. ()
9. Father of Elishaphat, one of the conspirators with Jehoiada. () (B.C. before 876.)
10. An Ephraimite hero in the invading army of Pekah the son of Remaliah. () (B.C. 734.)
11. Father or ancestor of JOEL, 14. ()
12. A priest of the family of Abijah, in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua. () (B.C. 480.)
Ziddim
(the declivities), a fortified town in the allotment of Naphtali, ()
Zidkijah
(justice of Jehovah) a priest or family of priests who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. () (B.C. 410.)
Zidon, Or Sidon
(,; ; ; ; ; ,,; ; ; ,; ) (Joel 4:4); ; ,; ; ; ,; ; ,14 An ancient and wealthy city of Phoenicia, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, less than twenty English miles to the north of Tyre. Its Hebrew name, Tsidon , signifies fishing or fishery . Its modern name is Saida . It is situated in the narrow plain between the Lebanon and the sea. From a biblical point of view this city is inferior in interest to its neighbor Tyre; though in early times Sidon was the more influential of the two cities. This view is confirmed by Zidonians being used as the generic name of Phoenicians or Canaanites. (; ) From the time of Solomon to the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar Zidon is not often directly mentioned in the Bible, and it appears to have been subordinate to Tyre. When the people called "Zidonians" are mentioned, it sometimes seems that the Phoenicians of the plain of Zidon are meant. (; ,,; ; ) All that is known are respecting the city is very scanty, amounting to scarcely more than that one of its sources of gain was trade in slaves, in which the inhabitants did not shrink from selling inhabitants of Palestine and that it was governed by kings. (; ) During the Persian domination Zidon seems to have attained its highest point of prosperity; and it is recorded that, toward the close of that period, it far excelled all other Phoenician cities in wealth and importance. Its prosperity was suddenly cut short by an unsuccessful revolt against Persia, which ended in the destruction of the town, B.C. 351. Its king, Tennes had proved a traitor and betrayed the city to Ochus, king of the Persians; the Persian troops were admitted within the gates, and occupied the city walls. The Zidonians, before the arrival of Ochus, had burnt their vessels to prevent any one’s leaving the town; and when they saw themselves surrounded by the Persian troops, they adopted the desperate resolution of shutting themselves up with their families, and setting fire each man to his own house. Forty thousand persons are said to have perished in the flames. Zidon however, gradually recovered from the blow, and became again a flourishing town. It is about fifty miles distant from Nazareth, and is the most northern city which is mentioned in connection with Christ’s journeys. (The town Saida still shows signs of its former wealth, and its houses are better constructed and more solid than those of Tyre, many of them being built of stone; but it is a poor, miserable place, without trade or manufactures worthy of the name. The city that once divided with Tyre the empire of the seas is now almost without a vessel. Silk and fruit are its staple products. Its population is estimated at 10,000, 7000 of whom are Moslems, and the rest Catholics, Maronites and Protestants. --McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopaedia. There is a flourishing Protestant mission here. --ED.)
Zidonians
the inhabitants of Zidon. They were among the nations of Canaan; left to give the Israelites practice in the art of war, () and colonies of them appear to have spread up into the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephothmaim, (,) whence in later times they hewed cedar trees for David and Solomon. () They oppressed the Israelites on their first entrance into the country, () and appear to have lived a luxurious, reckless life. () They were skillful in hewing timber, () and were employed for this purpose by Solomon. They were idolaters, and worshipped Ashtoreth as their tutelary goddess, (,; ) as well as the sun-god Baal from whom their king was named. ()
Zif
() [MONTH]
Ziha
(parched).
1. The children of Ziha were a family of Nethinim who returned with Zerubbabel. (; ) (B.C. 536.)
2. Chief of the Nethinim in Ophel. () The name is probably identical with the preceding.
Ziklag
(winding), a place which possesses a special interest from its having been the residence and the private property of David. It is first mentioned in the catalogue of the towns of Judah in () and occurs, in the same connection among the places which were allotted out of the territory of Judah to Simeon. () We next encounter it in the possession of the Philistines () when it was, at David’s request, bestowed upon him by Achish king of Gath. He resided there for a year and four months. (,; ,; ,) It was there he received the news of Saul’s death. (; ) He then relinquished it for Hebron. () Ziklag is finally mentioned as being reinhabited by the people of Judah after their return from captivity. () The situation of the town is difficult to determine, and we only know for certain that it was in the south country.
Zillah
(shade). [LAMECH]
Zilpah
(a trickling), a Syrian given by Laban to his daughter Leah as an attendant, () and by Leah to Jacob as a concubine. She was the mother of Gad and Asher. (; ; ; ) (B.C. 1753.)
Zilthai
(shady).
1. A Benjamite, of the sons of Shimhi. ()
2. One of the captains of thousands of Manasseh who deserted to David at Ziklag. () (B.C. 1054.)
Zimmah
(purpose).
1. A Gershonite Levite, son of Jahath. () (B.C. after 1706.)
2. Another Gershonite, son of Shimei, () possibly the same as the preceding.
3. Father of ancestor of Joab, a Gershonite in the reign of Hezekiah. () (B.C. before 726.) At a much earlier period we find the same collocation of names, Zimmah and Joah as father and son. ()
Zimran
(celebrated), the eldest son of Keturah. (; ) His descendants are not mentioned, nor is any hint given that he was the founder of a tribe. (B.C. 1855.)
Zimri
1. The son of Salu, a Simeonite chieftain, slain by Phinehas with the Midianitish princess Cozbi. (). (B.C. 1450.)
2. Fifth sovereign of the separate kingdom of Israel, of which he occupied the throne for the brief period of seven days, B.C. 930 or 929. Originally in command of half the chariots in the royal army, he gained the crown by the murder of King Elah; son of Baasha. But the army made their general, Omri, king, who marched against Tirzah, where Zimri was. Zimri retreated into the innermost part of the late king’s palace, set it on fire, and perished in the ruins. ()
3. One of the five sons of Zerah the son of Judah. () (B.C. after 1706.)
4. Son of Jehoadah and descendant of Saul. (; )
5. An obscure name, mentioned () in probable connection with Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, the "mingled people." Nothing further is known respecting Zimri, but the name may possibly be the same as, or derived from, ZIMRAN, which see.
Zin
(flat), the name given to a portion of the desert tract between the Dead Sea, Ghor , and Arabah on the east, and the general plateau of the Tih which stretches westward. The country in question consists of two or three successive terraces of mountain converging to an acute single at the Dead Sea’s southern verge, toward which also they slope. Kadesh lay in it, and here also Idumea was conterminous with Judah; since Kadesh was a city in the border of Edom. [See KADESH, KADESHBARNEA]. (; ; ; ; ; )
Zina
(abundance); Zizah, the second son of Shimei the Gershonite. () comp.
Zion
[JERUSALEM]
Zior
(smallness), a town in the mountain district of Judah. () It belongs to the same group with Hebron.
Ziph
(battlement), the name of two towns in Judah.
1. In the south, named between Ithnan and Telem. () It does not appear again in the history, nor has any trace of has been met with.
2. In the highland district, named between Carmel and Juttah. () The place is immortalized by its connection with David. (,,; ) These passages show that at that time it had near it a wilderness (i,e, a waste pasture-ground) and a wood. The latter has disappeared but the former remains. The name of Zif if, found about three miles south of Hebron, attached to a rounded hill of some 100 feet in height, which is called Tell Zif .
3. Son of Jehaleleel. ()
Ziphah
(feminine of Ziph), another son of Jehaleleel. ()
Ziphim, The
the inhabitants of ZIPH, 2. In this form the name is found in the Authorized Version only in the title of () In the narrative it occurs in the more usual form of ZIPHITES. (; )
Ziphion
son of Gad () elsewhere called Zephon.
Ziphran
(fragrance), appoint in the north boundary of the promised land as specified by Moses. ()
Zippor
(sparrow), father of Balak king of Moab. (,,,; ; ; ) Whether he was the "former king of Moab" alluded to in () we are not told. (B.C. 1451.)
Zipporah, Or Zipporah
daughter of Reuel or Jethro, the priest of Midian, wife of Moses and mother of his two sons Gershom and Eliezer. (; ; ) comp. (B.C. 1530.) The only incident recorded in her life is that of the circumcision of Gershom. ()
Zithri
(protection of Jehovah), properly Sithri; one of the sons of Uzziel the son of Kohath. () In () Zithri should be Zichri, as in Authorized Version of 1611.
Ziz
(the projection), The cliff of, the pass by which the horde of Moabites, Ammonites and Mehunim made their way up from the shores of the Dead Sea to the wilderness of Judah near Tekoa. () only; comp. It was the pass of Ain Jidy --the very same route which is taken by the Arabs in their marauding expeditions at the present day.
Ziza
(shining).
1. Son of Shiphi, a chief of the Simeonites in the reign of Hezekiah. () (B.C. about 725.)
2. Son of Rehoboam by Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom. () (B.C. after 973.)
Zizah
a Gershonite Levite, second son of Shimei, () called ZINA in ver. ()
Zoan
(place of departure), an ancient city of lower Egypt, called Tanis by the Greeks. It stood on the eastern bank of the Tanitic branch of the Nile. Its name indicates a place of departure from a country, and hence it has been identified with Avaris (Tanis, the modern San), the capital of the Shepherd dynasty in Egypt, built seven years after Hebron and existing before the time of Abraham. It was taken by the Shepherd kings in their invasion of Egypt, and by them rebuilt, and garrisoned, according to Manetho, with 240,000 men. This cite is mentioned in connection with the plagues in such a manner as to leave no doubt that it is the city spoken of in the narrative in Exodus as that where Pharaoh dwelt, (,) and where Moses wrought his wonders on the field of Zoan a rich plain extending thirty miles toward the east. Tanis gave its name to the twenty-first and twenty-third dynasties and hence its mention in Isaiah. (; ) (The present "field of Zoan" is a barren waste, very thinly inhabited. "One of the principal capitals of Pharaoh is now the habitation of fishermen the resort of wild beasts, and infested with reptiles and malignant fevers." There have been discovered a great number of monuments here which throw light upon the Bible history. Brugsch refers to two statues of colossal size of Mermesha of the thirteenth dynasty, wonderfully perfect in the execution of the individual parts and says that memorials of Rameses the Great lie scattered broadcast like the mouldering bones of generations slain long ago. The area of the sacred enclosure of the temple is 1500 feet by 1250.-ED.)
Zoar
(smallness), one of the most ancient cities of the land of Canaan. Its original name was BELA. (,) It was in intimate connection with the cities of the "plain of Jordan" --Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, See also () but not Genesis10:19 In the general destruction of the cities of the plain Zoar was spared to afford shelter to Lot. (,,) It is mentioned in the account of the death of Moses as one (of the landmarks which bounded his view from Pisgah, (34:3) and it appears to have been known in the time both of Isaiah, () and Jeremiah. () These are all the notices of Zoar contained in the Bible. It was situated in the same district with the four cities already mentioned, viz. in the "plain" or "circle" of the Jordan, and the narrative of ()... evidently implies that it was very near to Sodom. vs. (; 23:27) The definite position of Sodom is, and probably will always be, a mystery; but there can be little doubt that the plain of the Jordan was at the north side of the Dead Sea and that the cities of the plain must therefore have been situated there instead of at the southern end of the lake, as it is generally taken for granted they were. [SODOM] (But the great majority of scholars from Josephus and Eusebius to the present of the Dead Sea.)
Zoba, Or Zobah
(station), the name of a portion of Syria which formed a separate kingdom in the time of the Jewish monarchs Saul, David and Solomon. It probably was eastward of Coele-Syria, and extended thence northeast and east toward, if not even to, the Euphrates. We first hear of Zobah in the time of Saul, when we find it mentioned as a separate country, governed apparently by a number of kings who owned no common head or chief. () Some forty years later than this we find Zobah under a single ruler Hadadezer son of Rehob. He had wars with Toi king of Hamath, () and held various petty Syrian princes as vassals under his yoke. () David, () attacked Hadadezer in the early part of his reign, defeated his army, and took from him a thousand chariots, seven hundred (seven thousand,) () horsemen and 20,000 footmen. Hadadezer’s allies, the Syrians of Damascus, were defeated in a great battle. The wealth of Zobah is very apparent in the narrative of this campaign. A man of Zobah, Rezon son of Eliadah, made himself master of Damascus where he proved a fierce adversary to Israel all through the reign of Solomon. () Solomon also was, it would seem engaged in a war with Zobah itself. () This is the last that we hear of Zobah in Scripture. The name however, is found at a later date in the inscriptions of Assyria, where the kingdom of Zobah seems to intervene between Hamath and Damascus.
Zobebah
(the slow), son of Coz, of the tribe of Judah. ()
Zohar
(light).
1. Father of Ephron the Hittite. (; ) (B.C. before 1860.)
2. One of the sons of Simeon (; ) called ZARAH, OR ZERAH, ZERAH in ()
Zoheleth
(serpent), The stone, This was "by En-rogel," () and therefore, if En-rogel be the modern Um-ed-Deraj , this stone, "where Adonijah slew sheep and oxen," was in all likelihood not far from the well of the Virgin.
Zoheth
son of Ishi of the tribe of Judah. ()
Zophah
(a cruse) son of Helem or Hotham the son of Heber, an Asherite. (,)
Zophai
(descended from Zuph), a Kohathite Levite, son of Elkanah and ancestor of Samuel. () (11). In ver. 35 he is called ZUPH.
Zophar
(sparrow), one of the three friends of Job. (; ; ; )
Zophim
(watchers), The field of, a spot on or near the top of Pisgah, from which Balaam had his second view of the encampment of Israel. () The position of the field of Zophim is not defined. Possibly it is the same place which later in the history is mentioned as Mizpah-moab.
Zorah
(hornet), a town in the allotment of the tribe of Dan, () It is previously mentioned ch. () in the catalogue of Judah, among the places in the district of the Shefelah (Authorized Version "Zoreah"), It was the residence of Manoah and the native place of Samson. It is mentioned among the places fortified by Rehoboam. () It is perhaps identical with the modern village of Sur’ah .
Zorathites, The
i.e. the people of Zorah, mentioned in () as descended from Shobal.
Zoreah
[ZORAH]
Zorites, The
are named in the genealogies of Judah, () apparently among the descendants of Salma and near connections of Joab.
Zorobabel
(,; ) [ZERUBBABEL]
Zuar
(littleness), father of Nethaneel the chief of the tribe of Issachar at the time of the exodus. (; ; ,; ) (B.C. 2491.)
Zuph
a Kohathite Levite, ancestor of Elkanah and Samuel. (; ) In () he is called ZOPHAI.
Zuph
(honeycomb), The land of, a district at which Saul and his servant arrived after passing through the possessions of Shalisha, of Shalim and of the Benjamites. () only. It evidently contained the city in which they encountered Samuel, ver. 6, and that again was certainly not far from the "tomb of Rachel." It may perhaps be identified with Soba, a well-known place about seven miles due west of Jerusalem.
Zur
(a rock).
1. Father of Cozbi, () and one of the five princes of Midian who were slain by the Israelites when Balaam fell. () (B.C. 1451.)
2. Son of Jehiel, the founder of Gideon. (; ), (B.C. after 1445.)
Zuriel
(my rock is God) son of Abihail, and chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the exodus. ()
Zurishaddai
(my rock is the Almighty), father of Shelumiel, the chief of the tribe of Simeon at the time of the exodus. (; ; ,; )
Zuzim, The
An ancient people who, lying in the path of Chedorlaomer and his allies, were attacked and overthrown by them. () The Zuzim perhaps inhabited the country of the Ammonites, who were identical with the Zamzummim, who are known to have ben exterminated and succeeded in their land by the Ammonites [ZAMZUMMIM].
William Smith, A Dictionary of the Bible (1884 edition). Public domain. Text from the CrossWire Bible Society.