• ^Vhich impliea that the ' approach to Banioth ' wa» at noma distance from a place at the toot of Momit lltnnon. Tin o|>inion (Bob. iii. MO ; UamatiI, vol. il. p. UiKI") thot the expreii- sioii (lenotod the approocti to t^umatli, not fruiii the ti., but from the IIV*(, is hordly probable (cf. Kcil on Nu »48).
270
EICHES
RIDDLE
end of Lebanon, and tliink the ' approach to 5amath ' must be supposed to have denoted, somewhat vaguely, a more S. part of the vale of Cccle-Syria (KeU and Dilliu. on Nu 34» ; Buhl, Geogr. 66, 110; notice Ueliob in Nu 13='): in this case Riblah is certainly a more N. point than would be expected; on the other hand, if the reading be not adopted, Diblath (RV 'Diblah') must be the name of a place otherwise unknown, which is liardly likely in such a connexion.
2. Nu 34" (n^;-!n, with the art. : LXX diri :^€ir(patmp Bi;\a for •i;?'!? cEift). One of tlie places mentioned on the (in parts) obscurely-defined ideal borders of the promised land, Nu 34^''^ It is described as being on the E. border, somewhere between ^a^ar-'enan— which (Ezk 47" 48') was on the ' border ' of the territory of Damascus, and was to be (Nu 34'"') at the N.E. corner of Israel's territory — and tlie Sea of Chinnereth {i.e. the Sea of Galilee). There is difficulty in determining the site ; for the places mentioned on the N. border of Israel, in both Nu 34'-* and Ezk iV", are very uncertain ; and while some scholars (Robinson, Knob., Conder) think that this border m.ay be drawn (approximately) across the N. extremity of Lebanon (^Jazar-'enfin being then situated at one of the sources of the Orontes — either [Keil] the spring of Lebweh, 22 m. S.W. of Riblah 1 [Rob. iii. 532], or [Conder, Ileth and Moah^, 8, 11 f.] 'Ain el-"Asy, 11 m. S.W. of Riblah 1), others (Bahl, 60 f.; cf. Riblah 1) consider this to be too far N., and tliink that it should be drawn across the S. ex- tremity of Lebanon (Hazar-'enan being then either B.lnias itself, or el-5ad'r, 9 m. E. of it).* The Riblah of Nu 34" is, however, some place between 5a?ar-'enan and the Sea of Galilee ; so that upon none of these suppositions can it be identical with Riblah 1 (which is to the N. even of Ain el-'Asy). No Riblah in a suitable situation seems at present to be known. The suggestion (AVetzst. ; seeDillm.) to read (after LXX) 'to Harbel' (•^^31D) for 'to Riblah,' and to identify Harbel with Harmel (or Hormiil), a place about 8 miles S.W. of Riblah (see Sachau's map, or the one in Bad., Route 31), does not really lessen the difficulty of tlie verse.
S. E. Driver.
RICHES.— See Wealth.
RID. — The original meaning of ' rid ' is to rescue (Anglo-Sax. hreddan, cf. Dutch redden and Germ. retten), and this is its meaning in five of its six AV occurrences (Gn ST**, Ex 6«, Lv 26», Ps 82* 144'- "). Cf . Gn 37^ Tind. ' When Reuben herde that, he went aboute to ryd him out of their handes and s&yde, let ns not kyll him ' ; Tind. Expos. 77, ' Because we be ever in such peril and cumbrance that we cannot rid ourselves out, we must daily and hourly cry to God for aid and succour' ; Jer 15=' Cov. 'And I will ryd the out of the hondes of the wicked, and delyver the out of the honde of Tirauntes.' In the remaining passage the meaning is clear out, drive out, Lv 26" ' I will rid evil beasts out of the land ' (RV ' cause evil beasts to cease out of the land '), wliich is the modern meanin". The process by wliich the word thus practically reversed its meaning (from rescue to destroy) may be illustrated from Spenser, FQ I. i. 36 —
' Unto their lodgings tlien hla guestes he riddea,'
where the meaning is neutral, removes. Cf. also Lv 14" Cov. ' The preast shall comniaunde them to ryd all thinge out of tlie liouase,' and Udall, Erasmus' Paraph, i. 52, ' With these men the Pharisees consulted by what meanes they might ridde Jesus out of tlie waye.' J. Hastings.
• Dillm. and Keil adopt intermediate riewa. Dillm. (p. 218) would not draw it N. o( the preaent road from BCr6t to Dama8c:ua ; Kei) takea it aa far N. aa Lebweh.
RIDDLE (nyp, from root nin lOxf. Eeb. Lex.