CHIEF. — 1. In old Eng. as in modem, 'chief was both a subst. and an adj.; but in AV (though it is the tr. of some twenty Heb. words, all substs.) it is seldom if ever a substantive. The Oxf. Eng. Diet, quotes as a subst. the occurrence of ' c' in Nu S*' and Ps 105^ ; but even these are not certain instances. If ' c' were a subst. in Nu 3", then in 3*^ ' Eleazar shall be chief over the chief of t hf
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Levites,' the plu. would be used, ' over the chiefs ' (D'xXf, KV ' princes '), Lliere being no example of the bing. used for tlie plural, it is prob. that ' c' is an adj. with ' men ' understood. In Ps lUo** ' He smote also all the firstborn in the land, the c. of all their strength,' theHeb. (n'^K-i, lit. ' beginning,' the common word for ' tirst-fruits ') is the same as in Am (J' ' c. of the nations ' and 6' ' the c. oint- ments,' wliere the word is clearlv an adj. in the one case, and probably in the other. Ci. Lk 11" 'the c. of the devils ' (apx"''> l^V 'prince'), witli 14' 'one of tlie c. Pharisees' (dpxw, KV 'one of tlio rulers of the P.'). Hence when KV gives 'chiefs' for AV 'chief,' as 'the chiefs of the Levites' 2 Ch 35', ' the cliiefa of the priests' 30'^, Ezr 8**- '^ 10°, it introduces a plu. not found in AV, and a word of doubtful application.
ii. 'Chief is given as tr. of 1. ro'sh, 'head,' esp. in the phrase ' c. of the fathers' (KV ' heads of the fathers' houses '), on which see Kyle on Ezr 1» and art. FAMILY. In Ezk 38^- » 39' ro'sh is taken by KV as a proper name, Rosh (wh. see). 2. KOh/n, 'priest,' referring to David's sons (2 S 8") and to Ira the Jairite (20-°), is mistranslated 'c. ruler' (KV 'priest'), after the gloss of the Chronicler (1 Ch 18"). See Driver, Notes on Samuel, on 2 S 8" and art. Priests. 3. In Pr 16^ 'alluph ("iiVx, fr. [i^k] cleave to) is tr. 'chief friends,' evidently from a recollection that 'alluph also means ' duke ' of Edom throughout Gn 36, and in E.\ 15", 1 Ch !"■ »-• " " ; and in Zee 12»- » ' gover- nor' (liV 'chieftain'). But in the latter sense 'alluph is best taken from 'eleph (l^x), ' a thousand,' that is, ' leader of a thousand,' ' chiliarch.' Dr. Murray (Ox/". E»g. Diet.) thinks this passage in Pr ( 16^ 'a whisperer separateth c. friends ') has sug- gested the Scot. ' chief '=intimate, as 'They're very c. wi' ane anither.' 4. In Is 14' '[Hell] stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the c. ones of tlie earth,' the Heb. for ' c. ones' is 'attudim (□•-iny), lit. ' he-goats,' here as the leaders of the flock ; Clieyne (after Kaj'), ' bell-wethers.' See Cheyne in loc, and cf. Zee lO*.
iii. In NT 'chief renders dpx"" (Lk ll'" RV 'prince,' 14' RV 'ruler'); iiyov/i(yoi, leaders (Ac 15--') ; and rpCrroi, Jirst frequently. In Ac 16'-' ' Philippi, wliicli is the c. city of tluit part of Macedonia,' chief city=capital, metropolis (cf. 1 Ti subscr.) ; but it is a mistrans. , for Amphipolis was the c. city of tliat part of M., Thessalonica being the c. city of the whole province. Here irpwTos must mean ' tirst,' that is, first to be reached in the direction St. Paul came : KV ' a city of M., tli3 first of the district.' For Chief Priest see Phiest ; and for ' Chief of Asia,' Ac 19" 'certain of the c. of Asia' ('Aaiopx'!', KV 'chief officers of Asia,' KVm ' Asiarchs '), see Asiarch.
iv. When c. lost its obsol. sense of supreme, and waa weakened into ' leading ' (cf. Am 0' 'anoint themselves with the cliinf ointments'=choice), comparison became possible. ' Chicfer ' is not found in A V, but ' chiefest ' occurs 1 S 2=» 9--' 21', 2 Ch 32", Ca 5'», 2 Mac 13", Mk 10", 2 Co IP 12" (both ' very chiefest,' Gr. uirepXiav), I Ti xubnrr.
J. Hastings.
CHILD, CHILDREN {■<'::, |3).— The Heb. lan- lunge has a rich variety of worils adapted to the QiU'erent stages by which infancy jiasses into man- hood and womanhood. This wealth of description indicates the importance of what is described. No word in tlie liible contains so much of God's good- ness and human hniipim'ss as is found wrapped up in the word 'child.' Most of these a-ssociatioiis are common to the human family everywhere and in all ages ; some are Oriental, a few are special to Israel. (See IJiinHRiOHT, CIRCUMCISION, Re- demption.)
1. Children as gifts of God and tokens of divine
favour. — The desire to possess children has always been a marked feature of Oriental life. Rachel spoke as the mother of her people when she cried, 'Give me children, or else I die' (Gn 30'). This desire gives their chief value to the tombs of saints and the superstitious shrines of modern Syria. The petition always carries with it a vow to do or give something in honour of the saint appealed to. In the same way, but with a wiser devotion, Hannah went to the tabernacle of God, and after- wards named her child Samuel ('God hath heard '), and surrendered him to the Lord's service (1 S I"'-"). To this devout recognition is due the fact that while many names, such as Lsaac, Manasseh, Moses, Ichabod, were suggested by some incident or anxiety of the hour, and names of females were often taken from objects of beauty in nature, such as Deborah, Esther, Khoda, many others con- tained the name of God, or an attribute of God, as Elimelech, Athaliah, etc. So among the Arabs we have Shikri ('my gratitude'), Saladin (saldh- ed-din 'virtue of religion '),' Abd-ul- Hamid (' servant of the Blessed'), Na'amat-Ullah ('grace of God'). For the same reason. Oriental feelin" is rather against the observance of birthdays, as it seems to turn the sense of favour into an occasion of feasting. In a life so full of uncertainties, it has always seemed -safer to be humbly thankful for a gift than to appear elated by a possession. Nothing is more dreaaed or disliked by an Oriental parent than to have a child's healthy or beautiful appearance com- mented upon without thanks being expressed to (iod in the same breath. The mention of the divine name is understooil to avert the curse of the evil eye. Children are ' the heritage of the Lord ' (Ps 127'), and in Arabic salutation tney are referred to as ' the guarded ones.'