OLYMPAS (’OAvuras).—The name of a member of
the Roman Church greeted by St. Paul in Ro 16",
It is an abbreviated form, like several others in the
chapter, being apparently shortened for Olympio- dorus. He was commemorated Nov. 10.
OLYMPIUS (Ὀλύμπιο:).---Απ epithet of Zeus, de-
rived from Mt. es fee in Thessaly, the abode of
the gods. Antiochus Epiphanes, who was occu- ΕΣ in building the magnificent temple of Zeus
lympius (whom he specially honoured, see art. JUPITER) at Athens ( ‘olyb. xxvi. 10, 12), caused the temple at Jerusalem to be dedicated to the same divinity in December, B.c. 168 (2 Mac 6°, cf. 1 Mac 1559),
OMAR (7\x, perhaps=‘ eloquent ’).—A grandson of Esau, Gn 36" (’Qudy); as of the ‘dukes’ of Edom, v.% ('Qudp). Cf. the parallel passage 1 Ch 155 (μάρ). The clan of which he is the eponym has not been identified.
OMEGA.—See ALPHA AND OMEGA. OMER.—See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
OMRI (">y).—4. A king of Israel. See followin article. 2, A descendant of Benjamin, 1 Ch 78 ( "Aueped, A "Auapid). 3. One of the ancestors of a Judahite family living at Jerusalem, 1 Ch 94 (B "Aupel, AAupl). 4. A prince of Issachar in the time of David, 1 Ch 2718 (Β᾿Αμβρεί, A ᾿Αμαρὶ).
OMRI (“>y, LXX ᾿Αμβρ(ε)ί, Assyr. Humri or Humria*) was the first king of a ayaa which reigned nearly sixty years, and consisted of four successive rulers (B.C. 900-842). Omri first appears in biblical history as the general of Elah’s army, at that time engaged in conducting siege opera- tions against the Philistine town Gibbethon (1K 16'**-). On the other hand, at this very moment another military commander, Zimri, was carrying on a plot against the besotted and helpless Israelite king, Elah, who suffered assassination in his royal residence in Tirzah. This conspiracy, however, was only partially successful, as it never succeeded in gathering Israel under its standard. The nation preferred to rally round the more powerful as well
* The equivalence of Hebrew-Canaanite » with Assyr. A is Mlustrated in Schrader, COT3i. p. 179. Thus ΠῊΣ is in Assyr. Haziti, vyy sahru, }222 is Kinahhi (Tel el-Amarna Inscr.),
| ΤΡ probably=Habiri, Ammi-rabi (Amraphel)= Hammu-rabi.
His disciples
quelle und Oclberg, 1882; Btanley, SP 185ff., 452 ff. ; Robinson, BRP i. 274 δ. SWP, Barclay, City of the Great King, Index ; Porter, Ha to Syria, 4.0. ; Thomson, Land and Book, i. 416 ff. ; and for the traditions, Quaresmius, Elucidatio Terra Sancta, ii. 277 ff. (with Robinson's note, BRP ii. 6041.), together with the vols. of the Pal. Pilgrim Text
Ee to the name of the
ui vocatur olineti’) by Wyclif, who all the Eng. versions (in- e Geneva (‘the mount that
OMRI
as more loyal military rival, Omri, at Gibbethon, and made him king. Under that capable leader Tirzah was besieged and captured, Zimri was com- pelled to seek refuge in the fortress-citadel of the royal palace, and perished amid the flames kindled either by his own hands or by those of his fees Omri, however, was not even now left without a competitor for the vacant throne. Yet the opposi- tion of Tibni was probably soon crushed, and Omri commenced a reign not only longer but certainly of far greater importance than the brief narrative 1K 16*-*5 would lead us to suppose. Even in that short section the military character of the monarch is clearly revealed to us by the reference to his erection of the fortress-city Samaria as a royal residence and capital of the Northern kingdom, to take the place of the less defensible town of Tirzah. The superior strategic position of Samaria, a conical hill standing 400 ft. above the base of the broad valley, is evidenced by the long siege which it endured and the stout resist- ance which it offered to the armies of Sargon (B.C. 722), as well as to the Spot hosts in the preceding century (1 K 20, 2K 6%). Its pictur- esque appearance is described by Isaiah (28) as ‘Ephraim’s proud crown on the summit of a fertile valley.’ This place is said to have been purchased by Omri from Shemer (so also LXX) for two silver talents (or about £800).
Respecting the wars waged by Omri scarcely say Hunk is stated in the biblical narrative. From 1 K 20 we derive a valuable hint. Syria, the formidable foe of David, had remained quiescent since that monarch had inflicted upon it a series of overwhelming defeats. But in the days of the divided kingdom Syria became a: gressive, and aggrandized itself at the expense of its weakened Southern neighbour. From 1 K 20“ we learn that Omri must have sustained some reverses in his war with Syria, and was compelled to cede some streets or quarters in Samaria to the Aramezean residents. But these reverses may have been—probably were —only temporary. In any case, they are wholly pueatiene to warrant us in following Wellhausen in supposing that Israel became thereby reduced to vassalage by Aram * (see art. AHAB). Kittel is
robably right in considering it fairly certain that
mri made heroic efforts to rid himself of the ressure of his Northern foe which he had inherited rom his predecessors, but without complete sue- cess.t It is quite evident, however, that the struggle did not leave him in the least degree crippled. Otherwise he would not have been in a position to conduct a war of conquest against his South-eastern neighbour Chemosh-Melech, king of Moab (see below).