PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
A Dictionary of the Bible — Volume 1
James Hastings · 1,192,276 words · 1189 reading sections
Section 301
By squaring the various linear measures, we obtain the corresponding superficial measure. As early as the time of the kings of Ur we meet with the 'field' (f/an) = 1800 'gardens' (sar) ; and the 'garden' (60 sq. cubits ?)=fi0 3(H.t Then the Jin ( 1 sq. cul)it ?) was divided into 180 she. Besides the great r/an of 1800 …
1,002 wordsSECTION 302Section 302
* The ICfvp. word fittiiili ('Ipt) la, however. Itself urlKinallv derlvid fi-oin the Ital). /»//«. + This ffitniMli Is the Perso-Indlan ktirun/ia, which Is also a weight of 10 shekels. 220 BABYLONIA BABYLONIA much later period. The Bab. temples, formed of brick like Bab. buildings in general, were in ' stage ' for…
991 wordsSECTION 303Section 303
(rt) The Creation epos. ' When heaven above had not yet been named and earth below yet bore no name — but the ocean {npsii, Dc:s), the primeval, their progenitor, and chaos {Tihamat or mtimmn T.) the bearer of them all, yet mingled their waters together, when as yet no cornfield was cultivated, and no reed seen — when …
988 wordsSECTION 304Section 304
* Aft R jii<liriiu-nt on the pins of ttio hilmbitniits of SuHppAlc. Thtft Is clfiir from the close of tlio Dclucestory, t.ff. Hues IS^i-.^ (or, ftcc. to nnollicr rcckoninjf, I. l"ii). where we reiwl. ' I'poii the jtiniior iel lils sin He, mid upon the Irnnftpresmor his trnns- fcr^^Mon, liitUel no titmd come an 1/ mure …
978 wordsSECTION 305Section 305
(ft) The legends of the god Zfl (Siimer. Im-dugud, the 'storm-bird god'). Ace. to one form of the story, Zfi steals the tablets of destiny from Bel- Merodach, and Ramnian and various other gods decline, from fear, to take them back from him. Ace. to another text, the god Lugal-banda (the moon-god) sets out for the dist…
1,064 wordsSECTION 306Section 306
BABYLONIA BABYLONIA 223 sisted for the most part of so-called brick stamps,* altlioujih ill Babel inoio considiTable inscriptions Were found, datins; especially from the period of the New Bab. empire. Meanwhile Henry Kawlin- son had deciphered the Bab. version (the so-called third form) of the trilingual Ach;emenid;…
1,124 wordsSECTION 307Section 307
Chronology. Besides the Canon of Ptolemy and the As.syr. anil Egj-p. synchronisms already described in art. Assvitl.v, Impcn-lant chronological data are supplied by the later historical inscrip- tions, esp. those of N.abonldns, and by .some earlier monuments. In using these data, however. It must always be borne in min…
907 wordsSECTION 308Section 308
At the period to which the oldest hitherto dis- covered inscriptions belong, the canal running from N. to S. (the modern Sliatt-el-Hai), and uniting the Tigris with the Euphrates, formed the boundary between two very ancient kingdoms — the Sumer. kingdom of Sirgulla (Lagash) or Girsu, lying to the E. of the above-named…
1,083 wordsSECTION 309Section 309
Whether the rule of these kings of Agade en- dured yet longer we know not. On the other hand, the pate.^i of Sirgulla must have for many centuries maintained their supremacy over S. E. liabylonia. < )ne of these, the famous Gudea, prob- ably exttMuled his sway over even tlio whole of Babylonia. In his numerous and leng…
947 wordsSECTION 310Section 310
The last of these monarchs, Ishmi-Dagan, was followed by the so-called younger kings of Ur. The first of these was one Gungunu. probably, as his name suggests, a usurper. Besides him we know of three successive kings, Ini-Sin, Bur-Sin (written differently from the king of Xisin of the same name), and Gimil-Sin. In addi…
1,029 wordsSECTION 311Section 311
• It is certiinlv no fortuit<>iis circumstance tbat in Egypt, abont tbe same pei-iod, an Arabian dynasty, the so-called Uylisos, held rule. years Samsu-iluna ' H5(son of former) Abishu'a . . 25 ,, Ammi-satana 2.5 ,, Ammi-zaduga 22 ,, Samsu-satana 31 ,, BABYLONIA BABYLONIA 227 From the time of Kliaiiimurabi onwa…
1,289 wordsSECTION 312Section 312
228 BABYLOXIA BABYLONIA belong the oldest known boundary-stones with the zodiacal signs portrayed upon them.* (These are fully described by T. G. Pinches, in liis Guide tu the Nimroud Central Saloon, London, 1880, pp. 44-55. After the last of these Kassite kings Zamama-sum-idina (B.C. 1180) and Bel-sum-idina (1180-1…
1,119 wordsSECTION 313Section 313
Xabu-kudurri-uznr II. (the Nebuchadrezzar of OT), during his long reign of 44 years (B.i-. 604- 561), contrived to make Babylonia in the fullest sense the heir of the shatt(>red As.syr. empire. At the same time, by his building activity, he con- verted his capital Babylon into one of the most magnificent and most beaut…
1,390 wordsSECTION 314Section 314
The later history of Babylon is bound np with 230 BABYLONIA BACCHIDES that of Persia, and afterwards of Alexander the Great and his successors, the Seleucid and Arsacid kings. The names of all these rulers occur in Connexion with the dating of Bab. contract-tablets and in other inscriptions. There is extant, for in…
985 wordsSECTION 315Section 315
F. HOMMEL. BABYLONISH GARMENT n}^' ^V'*, <A'Xi to<- kIXt], RV Bab. mantle). — The Heb. means, liter- ally, 'mantle of Shinar' (Jos 7-i), the name by which Bab. was known to the ancient Hebrews. Naturally, it is not an ea.sy matter to decide, even approximately, what kind of garment this can have been. Jos (Ant. v. i. …
1,103 wordsSECTION 316Section 316
BADGER, BADGERS' SKINS (d-n tnhn^h, my cxm '6rOth trMshim). — LXX. tr. ti'luUhim by vaKlvBiiia. and vivdiva, and Vulg. by ianthinm, whicli signifies sky-blue. Some ancient VSS translate the word black. There is, however, no etymo- logical rea-son for tliis. Tlie badger, Melcs tnxus, L., is found in moderate numbers th…
909 wordsSECTION 317Section 317
{(/) In the NT this bag or purse is also expressed by fcJi'T) (Mt 3^ 10", Ac 21", Rev 1" 15«). A modern illustration of this is found in the waist-belt of BAG. OmDLB-Prm.SR, ;(wnb the Syrian peasant, which is double for a foot and a half from the buckle, thus making a safe and well-guarded purse. G. M. Mackie. BAGGA…
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The more ancient and far more picturesque story is that contained in Nu 22--24. According to this, Balaam is a prophet from Pethor, wliich is by the Euphrates, a place otherwise unknown, who is bribed by Balak, king of Moab, to come and pronounce a curse on the Israelites. Bahiam earnestly endeavours to carry out Balak…
1,057 wordsSECTION 319Section 319
But the most important difference in the stories is the contrast which they present in the character of Balaam. In J there is nothing rejiroachful in his conduct. He acts up to his light with perfect consistency. But the Balaam of E is of a much lower order. He has imlced a higher perception of the moral beauty of righ…
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BALANCB BEAM, WOOD. a circular bar, tapering to the ends ; the suspension was by a hole through it, or sometimes merely by a string tied around it, which would give great opening for fraud ; the pans were hung by cords, which passed through slanting holes cut in the beam, emerging in the width of the ends. In OT the …
939 wordsSECTION 321Section 321
Artificial baldness, by shaving, was a sign of mourning, not only among the Jews, but among other races. Bion s comment on its folly, nuasi calvitii) mirror Icvetur, is quoted by Cicero (fuse. Disp. iii. 26). In this manner Mardonius and his army mourned for Ma.si.stiua, cutting otl" not only their own hair, but that o…
1,029 wordsSECTION 322Section 322
Mecca balsnm, the product of Balsamodendron (Hlenden.ie, Kth., and B. Opobalsnmum, Kth., has the weight of tradition in its favour. Jos. {A7it. viii. vi. ti) says that the Jews believe that the queen of Sheba, who doubtless had botanical gardens in many places, gave Solomon a root of it ; and we have evidence that it w…
1,142 wordsSECTION 323Section 323
BANl BANI\^ER 237 tiling for chastising, lience a bond for curbing, Job 39" ' who hatli loosed the bands of tlie wild ass?', Ps 2* 'Let us break their bands asunder,' 107", Is 2S» 5-2», Jer 2-'". In all these passages Amer. RV gives ' bonds,' but Eng. Kv retains 'bands,' and even turns 'bonds' into 'bands' in Jer 5'…
914 wordsSECTION 324Section 324
The RV has changed ' thine enemies Bhall cast a trench about thee,' Lk 19^, into 'thine enemies shall cast up a bankabou. thee,' although the Revisers did not read nttpifi^akourt* with L marg., T, WH ; but accepted wipi$i^Xiu9i9 of TR. On the reading; see Plununer's Luke, This meaning, now obsoL, is nearer the origina…
912 wordsSECTION 325Section 325
The only possible exceptions are Job 41' 'Shall the companions make a b. of him ? ' (RV ' make traffic of him,' Heb. nij kArah ' to bargain ' ; and Am 6' 'the b. (RV 'revelry') of them that stretched themselves' (Heb. cp? mirzeafi, from root = to scream, ' here used of yells of joy ' — Orelli). But in these passages al…
920 wordsSECTION 326Section 326
St. Paul takes the Israelites being under the cloud and pas-sing through the sea a-s an image of baptism (1 Co lu'-'^); where being under the cloud points to submen-ion, while passing through the sea may signify emersion; or (less well) the cloud may typify the spiritual element in baptism, and the sea tlie mat<;rial e…
1,176 wordsSECTION 327Section 327
Sroselytes were baptized on their admission to udai.sm, is not in dispute. What is wanted is direct evidence that before John the Baptist made so remarkable a use of the rite, it wa-s the custom to make all proselytes submit to baptism ; and such evidence is not forthcoming. Nevertheless, the fact is not really doubtf…
909 wordsSECTION 328Section 328
John's baptism differed from proselyte baptism in bein" administered to Jews. The meaning of the challenge, ' Why then baptizest thou ? ' (Jn 1^) seems to be, ' What right hast thou, who art neither the Messiah nor the Prophet, to treat Israelites as if they were proselytes? Jews are fit for the Messianic kingdom witho…
1,070 wordsSECTION 329Section 329
Various explanations of these statements in the Acts have been suggested. (1) This baptism into or in the name of Jesns Christ is that which was practised by Christ's disciples during His ministrj' (Jn 4'-'). HaWng been accustomed to this form, they continued lo u»e it ' probably through life,' although Christ had exp…
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Of these four explanations the second and third are far more satisfactory than the other two, and tlie third seems to be the best. It is a violent hypothesis to suppose that words of such importance as Mt 28" were never spoken by Christ, and yet were authoritatively attributed to Him in the First Go.'ipel. The insertio…
1,134 wordsSECTION 331Section 331
(c) The Minister in baptism is not determined ; and lay baptism is in much the same position as infant baptism. It can be neither proved nor disproved from Scripture. The commission to baptize was given in the first instance to the Eleven (Mt 28""*), but we are not sure that no others were present. Moreover, it is in v…
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(2) This new birth brings us into a new relation- ship to God : the baptized are ni.ado His children or sons. ' For ye are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesu.s. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ' (Gal S-"-'^). 'lo them gave he the right to become children of God' (Jn 1"; comp.…
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These are the chief effects when valid baptism has been administered to those who are duly qualified by repentance and faith to receive it. But what is the result when these two sets of con- ditions are separateil ? There is the case of those who are qualified, but are not baptized. And there is the case of those who a…
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BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD BARABBAS 245 that it has been baptized, and may be no evidence of the writer's convictions as to the immediate effect of baptism on infants. LiTlRATrRE. — For tlie abundant litt-ratiire on baptism. Bee Smith. /»^ I, :(,►«. and Oicl.o/ thr. AnI.i. 17i; Schairilcraj^'. t'nci/cl.' 1. li"^, •JoS ; …
994 wordsSECTION 335Section 335
The name 'Jesus' before that of Barabbas in Mt 271*- 1' is an interesting reading found in a few cursives, in the Armenian Version, anil in some copies of the .Jerusalem Syriac, AVith this insertion Pilate's question runs thus : ' Wliom will ye that I release unto you ? Jesus Barabbas, or .Jesus which is called Christ …
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• Many tnnaluto 6" ' lead captive thy captors,' pointing 7f2V tor Ii;j5i. enjoyed by only the Barbaric half of the human race. In Col 3" St. Paul speaks of ' Greek and Jew, . . . barbarian, Scythian. Yet the Scythians were typical barbarians. But the context proves that St. Paul is not here aiming at a scientific div…
1,119 wordsSECTION 337Section 337
BARJONAH.— See Bar and Peter. BARKOS (oNiri;, cf. Bab. Barkftsu).— Ancestor of certain Nethiniin who returned with Zerul). (Kzr 2«, Neh 7" = Barchu8, 1 Es 5==). See GENEALOGY. BARLEY (.Tivif sedr&h, KpiO-fi, hordeum). — Barley (.'\riib. .iha'ir) is a well-known grain, of whidi several varieties are cultivated, Ilorde…
926 wordsSECTION 338Section 338
Eerliaps from bis tall and venerable appearance, e was identified with Jupiter, while Paul, as the chief speaker, passed for Mercury (Ac 14'-). The journey ended, as it had begun, at Antioch, and fioni this city B. once more accompanied Paul and certain other brethren to Jerus. to consult with the apostles and elders r…
1,022 wordsSECTION 339Section 339
J. A. Selbie. BARTIMJEUS (Bo/>7-i/iaios, i.e. the son of Timaius, a name varioiisly derived from the Gr. n/iaios, honourable ; or from the Arab, asamm, blind ; oi from .\ram. tamya, unclean, polluted). — One of two blind beggars healed by our Lord at the gate of Jericho, and whose name alone is given, apparently from …
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iii. Analysis of the Book.— The author, cr rather authors, of this book write in the name of Baruch, the son of Ni^riah, for literary purposes. The scene is laid in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and the time embraces the period immediately pre- ceding and subsequent to the capture of the city by the Clialda'ans. Baru…
1,308 wordsSECTION 341Section 341
(69-74). Baruch then expi-esses his wonder over God's wisdom and mercy, o.^d receives a fresh revelation as to his coming departure from the earth. First, however, he is to summon the people together and instruct them (75. 76). This Baruch does, and admonishes the people to be faithful ; for though teacher and prophet …
1,343 wordsSECTION 342Section 342
LiTER*TrR«.— In ultlitlon U) tho workii alriiuly clt«l In this uticlt! the rvafier may consult IjinRfn, I)e ajtrtcatmnti Tinntrh anno mjuTxnri pn'iDtim fftita rnwineiiliitto (\t<lS7) ; Kwald, ^^(f^ g'l. Ameiqrn (1807). rP ITOni". ITJO; llinlar]/ of Itrnrl, lill. S7-fll ; llruminonil. The .lru-<»h M -miah (1877), pp. 11…
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Date of Composition. — The foregoing analysis helps materially in this decision. First, it shows Reusch, Welte, and other Romanists to be mistaken in claiming that l"-3* is the work of the historical Baruch in B.C. 583 : for (a) if so, there would be in the suppliants the sense of personal demerit ; and (6) their descr…
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It is a remarkable fact that most of the above awkward renderings occur in the LXX Gr. of Jer. There can be little doubt that he who translated Jer also translated Bar l'-3*, and probably found it in Heb. attached to Jer. (So Westcott in Smith DB. ) The Greek of the rest of Baruch is almost certainly from another hand.…
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Orii/inal Liingunrje. — We would submit that 3'-4' was first composed in Aramaic. The evi- dence we oll'ir is based on a comparison of the Greek with the versions — the Peshitta and Syr. Hcxapla. When the various readings are tr. into Aramaic we obtain cither one Aramaic word with the two desiderated meanings, or two w…
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List of Canonical Books. Melito . . c. 180 Is, Jer, XII. Proph. Origen , . t 253 Jer, Lara, Ep, but quotes Bar as Jer. Cone. Laod. . 363 Jer, Bar, Lam, Ep (of Jeremy). Hilary . . t 367 Jer, Lam, Ep, but quotes Bar as Jer. Athanasius . t 373 Jer, Bar, Lam, Ep. Cvril Jer. , i SStJ Jer, Bar, Lam, Ep. Cone. Carth. . 3:>7 J…
1,359 wordsSECTION 347Section 347
Base, as subst. (from Lat. batis after Or. $iril, 'a stepping,' then 'that on which one steps, or anything stands') ia distinci from the adj. in origin ana meaning, and once was distinct in pronunciation. It occurs freq. in AV as tr. of (1) mikhinah BASE.MATH BASKET 255 (evp. in 1 K 7 of the Htandtt for the lavers …
1,009 wordsSECTION 348Section 348
B. was celebrated for its breed of cattle (Dt 32"), which are also the types throughout OT of cruel and loud-mouthed oppressors ; similarly, Amos calls the censorious and tyrannical matrons of Samaria 'kineof B.' (4'). The name B. survived in Gr. times as Batana^a (as described above). Batanoea was part of Philip's te…
923 wordsSECTION 349Section 349
In the NT three words are used which are translated basket— 1. Ko<pi.iioi, used in all the accounts of the miracle of feeding the 5000, for the basksts in which the fragments were gathered, Mt 14*", Mk 6*", Lk 9", Jn 6". According to Juvenal (Sat. iii. 14, .i. 541) the Jews carried about with them the.se wicker basket…
1,011 wordsSECTION 350Section 350
' For *X\ he taught the tender ymp was but To b&uiBb oowardlxe and bastarti feare.' J. Hastings. BASTHAI (BaaBci, AV Bastal), 1 Es 5" = BesaI, Ext 2" Neh 7". BAT (']''9B 'dfalUph, rvrrriplt, vesvtrtUio). — The bat is placed at the end of tne unclean fowls (I>v 11» Dt 14"), but in Lv 11» the explanatory clause, ' all …
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3. The cleansing properties of water were in- creased, as among other nations, by the use of a • This simple distinction (Hvea the key to the often misunder- ■tood n&ssoKe Jn 1310 (see Westcott in Spfaker*t Com.), t It IH tii(!refore somewhat niisleaclint; to apply such expres ■Ions as* bathohimself in the water' {Lv…
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BATHSHOA (1 Ch 2» 3»).— See Bathshkba, Shua. BATTERING-RAM.— This instrument is first clearly mentioned in Ezk (4' 21^ 'rams'=Dn| kdrim). The Hebrews probably adopted it from the Assyrians, the great takers of cities. In its essence it was a stout pole, probably with a metal ferule or head, worked with a motion which …
1,026 wordsSECTION 353Section 353
• If bdellium b« the correct translation for b/dfilah. then, according to Jonephiu, tt wal 'one of the «weet apicca,' Ant. m. I. e. t The LXX rende™ ft hy iiS^acl In On and by xft/rroLkXtt in Nu. The tranHlatonl, therefore, conBldered it to he a pri-''ion9 ■tone, but leave tlie readier a choice i)ctween two veiy dilTe…
1,006 wordsSECTION 354Section 354
In NT, only Jo/cit, Mt 7*-«-», Lk 6""w of the beam in the eye : a common classical word for a beam of wood, esp. for roofing. T.XX uses it for tr" of ^ah, Gn W, 1 K 6»- », Ca 1". J. Hastings. BEANS (^>'is p6l, Kia/u)t, /aJa).— There is no reason to doubt that the vegetable alluded to is the horse-bean, Faba vulgaris, …
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A large graceful beard is a coveted distinction in the East, often securing respect for its pos- sessor. Carefully tended, it may yet in grief be neglected, and actually plucked (2 S 19**). The Arab who shaves disgraces his family, who for fenerations are called 'sons of the shaven one.' o injure a man's beard is a de…
1,025 wordsSECTION 356Section 356
The first difference explains the second. The oniversal declarations in Alt require the spiritual conditions. The special declarations in Lk, being addressed to disciples, do not. Even for pagans, to be poor in spirit and to hunger after righteous- ness are bles.sed things : but it is only to the faithful Christian tha…
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2. Aianv*!, lit. ' to nod throu^'h,' Lk 123 of Zacharias* beckon- ing (RV * making signs ') to the people, im perhaps expressing the range — not to one, but to many. 3. K«Tiic,(v«i, lit. * to nod down to,' Lk 6^ * they beckoned unto their partners in the other boat.' Other compounds of »iy«, found in NT, but not tr* …
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There is usually some portion of the house set apart as a room where the whole family m.ay sleep. ' My children are with me in bed, I cannot rise and give tliee ' (Lk 11''"). Among the very poorest a portion of the floor is set apart, and this is often somewhat raised up above the surrounding flocr so as to serve as a …
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J. F. Stexnino. BEDEIAH (n.-t3=.\-;3!; 'servant of J"').— One of those who had taken foreign wives (Ezr llP) : in 1 Es 9** apparently Pedias. BEE (.Tj'131 dibdrdh, fUXuraa, anw).— The bee is known in Arab, as nahl, but dabr is a swarm of bees, pi. dubur. The common term for wasp or hornet is dabbiir, which is a corru…
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ftluch controversy has taken place over the swarm of bees in the carcase of the lion (Jg 14*). The simple fact is, that in a few hours after an animal is dead, jackals, dogs, and vultures often reduce the carcase to a ligamentous skeleton, which is soon dried in the fierce heat, and would make as savoury a hive as the …
1,000 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical reference work (1898–1905); OCR text from Internet Archive. Historical scholarship and terminology reflect its era; OCR may contain errors. Verify quotations and current scholarly claims independently.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.