The varied senses, literal and figurative, of the words tr. 'vanity' indicate the wide range of ita use in the Scriptures. The literal tr. ' breath ' would probably be better than ' vanity ' in several passages (Ps 78^ 94" 144*, Is 57") in which the word IS used to indicate the evanescence of man's life (also Ec 6* 11«, cf. Ro 8-'"), which itself is unsub- stantial and unsatisfving (Job 7'-", Ps S^-*-", Hab 2'^). Man himself cannot be trusted (P« 60" 62'), and this his worthlessness is shown alike in falsehood (Job 31», Ps 12» 418, p, 308^ jg gs* 69*)
VASH2JI
VEIL
847
and in wickedness (Job 11" 31', Ps 10', Is 5", Eph 4'', 2 P 2'*), of which the dis<aster and disappoint- ment of his lot are but the punishment (Job 15-"- *', Is 30-'', Pr 22'), although man dares to question God's meanin" in making him (Ps Sg", of. Is 45").
As there is out one Gud, idols are unreal (Is 60', Jer 10'* 51", of. 1 Co S*) ; their worship is unprofit- able (Dt 32=', 1 S lo'^, 2 K 17", Ps 4- 24* 31«, Jer 2» 103. 8 1^19 ig« cf. Ac 14"), and their worshippers worthless (1 S la"-", 2 K 17", Is 41-"' 449). (jnjgr the same judgment come false prophecy (Jer 23", La 2", Ezk 13'"-=', Zee 10=), reliance on any other help than God's (Is 30', Jer 3^, La 4"), and ritual without righteousness (Is 1", of. Ja l-» 2=»). WhUe to doubt or unbelief, God's service (Ps 73", Mai 3"), Bis dealing (Jer 2™, Is 49^), and even His law (Jer 8"), may seem to come to naught, vet He does reward those who do His will (Dt 32", Is 65'^), and fulfils His promises (la 45") as His threats (Ezk e"). AVitliout His blessing (Ps 127''), or by His curse (Lv 20'°), man's labour is profitless (cf. Pr 13" 21°), for man before God is notliing (Is 40"- ^), and his charms worthless (Pr SI*').
Jesus pronounced worthless alike Gentile ritual (Mt C) and Pharisaic piety (.Mt 15«, Mk 7', cf.
1 1" 1'*), and Paul so judged pagan philosophy and the speculative theology which, under its inlluence, was finding entrance into the Church (Ko 1'-', Eph 5», 1 Co 3-", Col 28, and 1 Ti 1' 6=", 2 Ti 2", Tit l'» 3'). Christian faith, life, and service have worth ana use (1 Co Id'"-"*, 1 Th 2'), but may lose these through man's failure or faithlessness (1 Co 9'°,
2 Co & 9r>, Ph 2'«, 1 Th 3"). Denial of the resurrec- tion of Christ m.nkes Christian preaching false (1 Co 15") and Christian faith profitless (1 Co 15") ; and even belief in works emi)tie3 faith of worth (Ro 4") and Christ's death of meaning (Gal 2-').
Thus, in tlie Bible, ' vanity ' is used in the ob- jective sense of emptiness, wortlilessness, unprofit- ableness, uselessness, deceit, and illusion ; in the subjective sense of conceit or pride it is not used, but the idea is expressed by the compound words vainglory (Ph 2") and vainglorious (Gal 5=°). The fullest treatment of the vanity of niiin's life, work, joy, and hope is found in the Bk. of EcCLE.sia.stes (w"hich see). A. E. Garvie.
YASHNI. — Samuel's firstborn son, according to MT of 1 Ch 0" (Eng.28)^ wliich is followed by AV. RV, following the Syr. (see mg.), and on the strength of v. "*(*>) and the || 1 S 8=, supplies Joel as the name of Samuel's oldest son, and substitutes ' and the .second Abiah ' (nj^x 'jsni) for ' Vaahni and Ahiah ' (i;;xi -jifi). This is supported also by Luc. [although BA have i:op(e)i] luJA rai i SiOrfpos A/3id, and is adopted by Driver, Kittel, Benzinger, tt al.
YASHTI CPt'I, peril. = Per8. vahista, 'best' [Jen- ten, Zl-uhr. /. Kundc d. Morgenl. 1892, jip. 63, 70, connects the name with that of the Elamite god- de.s8 Haiti or Waiti ; see also Wildeboer, Kurzer Udnim. • Esther,' p. 173] ; BA 'Affrlf, Luc. OOikttIi'). —The name of the queen of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), Est 1»- "• "■ "• >•• "• '» 2'- *■ ". See art. Esther in vol. i. p. 775.
VAU OR WAW (1) The sixth letter of the He- brew alphabet, and as such emidoyed in the 119th Psalm to designate the 6th part, each verse of which begins with this letter. In this Dictionary it is transliterated, when consonantal, by v or w.
VEDAN (pi [AV, taking ) as conjunction, tr. •Dan also'],"Ezk 27'°).— >liime of a city (Rashi). It is identical in form with the Arabic Wadd.in, a name clearly connected with the god NVadd, w'lio was worshipped by Kalb and other tribes. The
geographers mention three places of this name, of which the only one that can be plausibly identi- fied with Vedan is midway between Mecca and Medinah, six miles from Abwa on the pilgrims' road (Istakhri, etc.). It was celebrated in Islam as the scene of Mohammed's first campaign, and al.so as the home of the poet Nusaib. .Modem travellers in this perilous region do not appear to mention the name. P^zekiel says that Vedan ex- ported goods from Uzal to Tj-re, impl3'ing that the first was a port. Waddan may at one time have been one, and have ceased to be so owing to the recession of the sea. If Uzal is Saii'a, the goods had to come a long distance. According to Burck- hardt {Travels in Arabia, French ed. ii. 216), the pilgrims take forty-three days from §ana to Medinah. See Uzal.