A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

James Hastings • SECTION 36

Section 36

← A Dictionary of the Bible — Volume 1

LrrKaATrRB. — There is a good article on Achaia in Pauly- Wisaowa, RB : see also Marquardt, Ham. Staatgverw. i. p. 821 f. ; Mommsen, Provinces of Ram. Emp. {Horn. Gcsch. v.) ch. vii.

W. M. RAM.SAY.

ACHAICUS ('AxaiVis). — The name is Roman (see CouiNTH), and appears to have been perpetuated in the family of L. Mummius, who earned it by his conquest of Corinth and Achaia, B.C. 146. The A. of 1 Co 16" may have been a freedman or client of tlie Mummii. In company with Stephanas and Fortunatus he had appeared at Ephesus, and had ' refreshed the spirit of St. Paul, and, he adds, of the Corinthians also ; they thus ' supplied ' something which ' was lacking ' on the part of the Corinthians. This suggests that they were distinct from (1) the bearers of the Cor. letter (1 Co 7') to St. Paul J and from (2) ol X\d>)j (1 Co 1"), who had more recently brought back to Ephesus the disquieting news, under the fresh impression of whi(,-h 1 Co was written. (See Stkphanas, FOUTUNATUS, CULOE ; COIUNTHIANS, FlIlST EPIS-

TLK TO). A. Robertson.

ACHAN (i;v. in I Ch Sf tjV, Sept. 'hxdp, prob. the correct form of the name, cf. ' Valley of Ai-hor'). — A man of the tribe of Judah, son of Carmi, also calh-d (Jos 22'") son of Zerah, who was his great-grandfather. After the fall of Jericho, ho coveted and took a portion of the spoil, which had been devoted to utter destruction. This sin in the devoted thing, involving the breach of a vow made by the nation as one Ixjdy, brought wratli upon all Israel, and their first attack ujion Ai was repulsed with the loss of thirty-six moii.

34

ACHAR

ACHOR

Investigation was made by lot to discover who liad sinned, and Actian was singled out. Ue made full confession of his etiilt, and the stolen treasure was found hid under liis tent. Instant execution fol- lowed. Not only Achan himself, but his tent, his goods, his spoil, his cattle, and his children, were taken to the valley, afterwards called the valley of Achor. There they stoned him, and all that belonged to him, afterwards consuming the whole with tire, and raising over the ashes a great heap of stones. This act of vengeance is represented as being in some measure an expiation of the crime. ' The Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger.' The supposition that his family were accessories to his crime finds no support in the narrative. The language of Jos 7^ ('all Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire') has been regarded as implying that Achan alone suffered the death penalty, the plural number referring to the oxen, asses, and sheep, and that his sons and daughters were brought to the valley merely as spectators, that they might have a terrible warning. It is doubt- ful if the text will bear this construction, and the sweeping nature of the act of judgment recorded is rather to be explained by reference to the stage of moral development which Israel had reached at the time (Jos V'*). R. M. Boyd.

ACHAR.— The form in 1 Ch 2?, 2 Es 7" of the name ACHAN (wh. see).

ACHBOR (ita^B 'mouse' or 'jerboa').—!. An Edomite (Gn 3(3"*). 2. A courtier under Josiah, mentioned as one of the deputation sent by the king to Huldah the prophetess ; son of Micaiah (2 K 22i»- "), and father of Elnathan (Jer 26*" om. LXX, 36"). CaUed Abdon (2 Ch 34-").

C. F. BURNEY.

ACHIACHARUS ('Ax"tix«poi B, 'Axf'x"Pos «. ''P'P'' Aram, and Ueb., ivnn Syr.), the nephew of Tobit, was governor under barchedonus = Esarhaddon (To l** etc.), or, according to the Aramaic text, 'Rab over all that was his (the king's), and Shalit over all the land of Assyria ' ; of. Dn 2*". The nearest Hebrew name is Ahihud (■"3""'5)> ^ ^^ 8'. J. T. Masshalu

ACHIAS.— An ancestor of Ezra (2 Es 1'), omitted in Ezr and 1 Es.

ACHIM ('Axel/i). — Perhaps a shortened form of Jehoiachim, an ancestor of our Lord (Mt 1"). See Genkalooy.

iCHIOR CAxuip, i^Kins 'brother of light').— 1. In LXX Nu 34" for Ahihud. 2. In Jtli (5» etc.), a general of the Ammonites, spokesman for the Jewish cause, and afterwards convert (ch. 14). 3. In Vttlg. To II" by mistake. F. C. Porter.

ACHIPHA (B 'Axu^i, A 'Axt<pd, AV Acipha), 1 Es 5". — His children were among the 'temple servants' or Nethinim who returned with Zerub- babel. Called Hakupha, Ezr 2»i, Neh 1'^.

ACHISH (a-zK, 'Arxovs).—The king of Gath to whom David lied for refuge after the massacre of the priests at Nob. Finding himself recognised as the slayer of Goliath, David feigned madness, and BO escaped from the Phil, court (1 S 21'"). (This incident belongs to one of the later documents of Samuel.) In 1 S 27' (belonging to the Judaic or earliest document) A. is called ' the son of Maoch' (possibly = ' son of Maacah.'l K2*), receives David with his band of 6(H) men, and a-isigns him the city of Ziklag in the S. of Judah. De.s|iite the vlabes of A., the other Phil, princes refuse to let

David take part in the final campaign against Saul. J. F. Stenning.

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