ELTEKON (Ipn^?), Jos 15™.- A town of Judah, noticed with Maarath and Beth-anoth. It was in the mountains. The site is unknown. Possibly Tekoa.
ELTOLAD (i'?'iB^Si). Jos 15".— A town in the ex- treme S. of Judah, given to Simeon (W*) ; probably Tolad (1 Ch 4^). The site is unknown.
ELUL (S)^g, 'EXoi/X, Elul, Neh 6", 1 Mao 14»').— See Time.
ELDZAI Ci'V^y 'God is my strength ').— One of the mighty men who joined David at Ziklag (1 Ch VI').
ELYMAEANS.— See Elamites.
ELYMAIS CEXi/Mais).- This name, which repre sents the OT Elam, was given to a district of Persia, lying, according to Strabo (xvi. p. 744), alonjr the southern spurs of Mt. Zagros, S of Media and N of Susiana. In 1 Mac 6', according to the common reading, which is adopted by the AV,
ELYMAS
EMERODS
69C
Elymais is named as a rich city in Persia, No eucli cit}*, however, is mentioned elsewliere, except by Josejilius (Anl. XII. ix. 1), wlio is simply follow- ing 1 Mac. There can be no doubt, therefore, that we should correct the text with A {iy 'EXiz/ies), « {iv Av^att), and most cursives, and read ' in Elj'- mais in Persia there was a city ' ; so P'ritzsche and RV. In the year B.C. 164 Antiochus Epiphanes made an unsuccessful attack upon the rich treas- ures of a temple of Artemis in this province, but the name of the place is unknown. Polj'bius (xxxi. 11), like 1 Mac, merely speaks of the temple as being in Elymais ; while Persepolis, which is mentioned by the later account in 2 Mac 9'^, was not situated in this district. Comp. Kawlinson (Speaker's Comment.), and Strack and Zockler on 1 Mac 6'. H. A. White.
ELYMAS See Barjksus.
ELYON.— See El Elvon, God.
ELZABAD (n;i^K ' God hath given •).—!. A Gadite chief who joined David (1 Ch 12"). 2. A Korahite doorkeeper (1 Ch 20").
EMADABUN {'UiiaSa^oir, AV Madiabun, after the Aldine text MaSia/ioC^), 1 Es .5»« (" LXX).— E., of the sons of Jesua (AV ' the sous of Madiabun'), is mentioned among the Levites who super- intended the restoration of the temple. There is no corresponding name in the parallel Ezr 3°, and it is omitted in the Vulg. : it is probably due to a repetition of the namo wliich follows, EiXiadouv. H. St. J. Thackeray.
EMATHEIS (B 'E/uieeis, A 'Efiaeds, AV Ama- theis), 1 Es 9».— Called Athlai, Ezr Iff".
EMBALMING See Medicine.
EMBROIDERY was the ornamentation of cloth, u.sually linen, by means of variegated colour and artistic design.
(1) rSif'n tashbef (the verb in Pi. and Pu. occurs Ex 28*- •» [all], the noun n'i^yV 8 times in Ex 28. 39, and in Ps 45") is used (only) of the high priest's coat (n;n|). AV has ' broidered,' RV ' chequer- work,' Ex 28*. This was simply a surface device of lustre upon one colour giving an eflect of broken lii;ht, like the sparkle of jetbead ornament. Work ofthis kind is still done by hand by the Jewish women of Damascus, and by the people around Iconiuni. The coat is cut in two kinds of material, the outer one often of silk or of shining linen, the inner of white or coloured cotton. Then threads of cotton-twist are inserted between the two, and are carefully and patiently stitched in according to pattern. This has been copied in modern manu- facture in such articles as the white honeycomb bedcover, except that the hand-wrought article is the same on both sides. This ornamental ellect of light ujion a uniform surface seems to be the origin of damask in all its beautiful varieties. The ' coat ' of the high priest would be of this description, either sewn by hand or woven in squares and lines, BO as to give the ellect of chequer and lustre.
(2) n^p-i rikmi'th, needle -work, broidered-work, Jg S"", Ezk I'e'"- '>• '» 20'" 27' "• " (cf. Ex 2G*> 35=», Ps 45"). The same word is used in 1 Ch 29- of stones, and in Ezk 17* of feathers. In both instances AV and RV tr. 'of divers colours.' nph nfvo 'work of the variegator' (^Z"/? uses this term consistently) occurs 6 times in Kx, and opT ' the variegator' by itself twice (of. Ps 139" 'POpi ' I was curiously wrought.' AV. RV).
(3) spn niri'C ' work of the designer ' (of artistic designs in weaving; QPB 'pattern weaver'). Ex !>«'• «* '»«■ '» 36» » 39»- '. cf. 3B>n Ex 38-» and (some-
what more generally) nj;;^^:: :rn Ex 31* (' to devisp designs') 35*"- ", 2 Ch 2", cf. Ex 35'' ('designed work ').
Where the process was that of needlework, the cloth was stretched and held in a frame, and the sewn work in coloured thread was added ; or it might be introduced during the weaving.
Anything in nature or art that was variegated by spots, lines, squares, etc., was rikmAli, some- thing embroidered. Where a principal part of the charm was due to originality of decorative design, or successful drawing of resemblances, the in- tellectual distinction would give it the name cunning-work (' work of the designer').
Oriental broidered cloth, whetlier hand-wrought or woven, is usually the same on both sides. In Damascus, prayer-cloths are made in stripes of crimson, sky-blue, white, purple, etc., with gold thread interwoven, after the manner of the tabernacle fabrics.