LrrRRATiTRB. — A full list of the wide lit. on the subject is ^ven in Schurer, HJP n. iii. 93-114. The beat critical edd. o( the Lat. text are in the Camb. Texts and Studif«, vol. iii. 2. ed. Bensly and James, 1895 ; and Bensly, The MUging Fragtaeni of the Fourth Book of Ezra, 1875. The versions are collected in Hilgenfeld's Messias Judce&nim (Lips. 18(19). Eng. coin- mentaries and introductions are Lupton in the Speaker's Comin. on the Apoc. ; Bissell (in Lange's 01 Coinm.) ; Churton's CTnca/i. and Ap9er. Scriptures ; and Druramond's Jewish Messiah,
1877. H. St. J. Thackeray.
ESDRIS ('E<rJpi5).— Mentioned only 2 Mac 12^'. The text is probably corrupt. AV has Gorgias, and this is likely enough to be correct.
ESEK (piry), 'contention,' Gn 26*'.— A well dug by Isaac, in the region near Rehoboth and Gerar. ITie site is nnkno\vn.
ESERE6I&S ('E<r<p6/3tat, AV Esebrias), 1 Es 8» See Sherebiah.
ESHAN (IVfK), Jos IS"".— A town of Judah in the Hebron mountains, noticed with Arab and Dumah. The site is doubtful.
ESHBAAL. — See Ishbosbeth.
ESHBAN (i;?'K).— An Edomite chief (Gn 86", 1 Ch 1"). See g'enealoov.
ESHCOL ('jSy'n). — The brother of Mamre and Aner, the Amorite confederates of Abraham, who assisted the patriarch in his pursuit and defeat of Chedorlaoraer's forces (Gn M"-**). He lived in the neighbourhood of Hebron (Gn 13") ; and possibly gave his name to the valley of Eshcol, that lay a little to the N. of Hebron (Nu 13»).
It is noteworthy that Josephus, in recording the event described in Gn H'*"**, mentions Eshcol first. ' The first of them was called Eshcol, the second Enner, and the third Mambres' (Ant. I. x. 2). In the Heb. of Gn 14** they are mentioned in the order Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. But in the LXX the order is 'EirxiiX, kivir, tAaiippiii ; and this ordei is found also in Philo {De Migrat. Abrnh. § 30, i. 461). H. E. Ryle.
ESHCOL ('?b?'ti), Nn 13»-»* 32», Dt 1".— Awady, with vineyards and pomegranates, apparently near Hebron. E. is usually rendered ' bunch of grapes.' The name has not been recovered, since the Air>
ESHEK
ESSENES
767
Keshkahh at Hebron has no connexion with the Hebrew.
LiTSiuTCai.— Robinson, BRP i. 114; Tristram, Land 0/ Itrofl, SS8, 393: Conder, Tent-Work, 237; Bible Ptacat, 89; 6«8&Dt, Thirty ieanf Work «n lAo Holy Land, 70, 84.
C. R. Conder. ESHEK (pys).— A descendant of Saul (1 Ch 8").
See G E.N E A LOGY.
ESHTAOL(Mk?;'k Job 15" 19*', Jg 13='16" 18>-»-»). — A town in the Shephelah, first assigned to Judah, afterwards to Dan, always named with Zorah, now Sura'a, which is beside 'Ain Shems, where the Wady es-Surar is joined by valleys from tlie N. and S. and a great basin formed, fertile and well- watered, iust Deneath the hill country of .Judnca. Eshua', close to Sura'a, represents Eslitaol. Guerin says he heard in the neighbourhood that it formerly was called Eshu'al or Eshthu'al, which, if con- finned, might be held decisive ; but the degenera- tion of Eslitaol into Eshua is not impossible. Between Zorah and E. was the 'camp of Dan' j and there (Jg 13^) Samson's achievements began, and there he was buried (16"). (See Smith's Ilkt. Geog. p. 218.) The Eshtaolitcs (/»<. ' Eshtaolite') were, according to 1 Ch 2'*, descended from the families of Kiriath-jearim, etc., who are there de-scribed as Calebites. The narratives of Jos 15" and 19*" suggest how mingling of the tribes of Judah and of Dan miglit arise, perhaps lead- ing to the Danite migration from Zorah and Eshtaol.
LiTKKiTt-HK.— PBF5(, 1874, 17; Conder, Palestine, 49; Smith, HGUL, 218; Gu6rin, Jvdie, ii. 129. ; SWP Memoir),
lu- 2S- A. Henderson.
E8HTEM0A {v'^op^^tf), named in Jos 15" (where it is called Eshtemoh, ns^ff) among towns of Judah. It was made afterwards a Levitical city (21", 1 Ch 6"). During David's wanderings in .S. Judah its inhabitants were on his side (1 S 30^). It is said in 1 Ch 4" to have been inhabited by the descendants of Ishbah ; and Eshtemoa, its founder, is called (4") a Maacathite, which would naturally suggest that he came from the small kingdom of Maacah (wh. see). It may have been here ' the Maacathite ' among his heroes Joined David (2 S 23"). The site was recovered by Robin- son some 8 miles S. of Hebron. It is now Es- Semua, a considerable village (BR ii. p. 204), and full of ancient remains (PEF Memoirs, iii. 403, 412). A. Henderson.
E8HTEH0H.— See Eshtemoa.
ESHTON (I^Bt'V. perhaps ' uxoriouB ').— A Jndah- it« ( 1 Ch 4"- "). See Genealogy.
E8LI ('EffXfJ, perhap8=<n;%e 'J" hath reserved'). — An ancestor of Jesus (Lk 3"). See Genealogy.
ESPOUSAL, ESPOUSE.— To espouse (fr. Lat. tponsiu, ptcp. of spondere, to betroth, through Old Fr. espnuser) meant either to betroth or to marry. Thus Camden, Hem. (1637) 414, 'Two Lovers who being espoused, djed both before they were married ' ; but Shaks. litc/i. III. IV. v. 8 —
* withal, Bay, that the Queono hath heartily consented, He should espouse Elizabeth her dauKht<.'r.'
So also ' espousal ' is nsed in botli senses, and Murray {Ox/. Eng. Diet, .i.v.) thinks marriage is the primary sense. In A V ' e.ipouse ' occurs 2 S 3" 'Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to mc' (RV, 'whom I betrothed to me,' Heb. '^ 'n^K, whicli always means ' betroth ') j Mt 1", Lk 1" 2", all of the "Virgin Mary (RV 'betrothed'; Gr. firrirrtvu, always ' to atk or engage in marriage ') ; 2 Co 11' 'I have espoused 3'ou to one husband'