ZERUIAH (■';'^^in2S 14ilCW23a'^;-'J; hXXZap- ouEid and Zapovid ; Saruia). — The mother of David's officers, Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. Her husband's name is never mentioned, and the three heroes are always referred to as ' the sons of Zeruiah ' (once in
1 Sam,, 13 times in 2 Sam,, 3 limes in 1 Kings, and 7 times in 1 Chronicles), This fact may simply imply that Zeruiah's hiLsband died early and w,is forgotten ; or it may signify that the mother of these famous men was herself so remarkable a woman that her husband's name was comparatively unworthy of preservation ; or it may be an interest- ing relic of the ancient custom of tracing kinship through the female line.
In the genealogy given in 1 Ch 2, Zeruiah and Abigail aro mentioned as sisters of the sons of .Jesse (2''M. The e.vpi-ession seems to imply that they were not daughters of Jesse, and in
2 S 17" one of the two, Abigail, is called the dangliter of Nahash, On this pas8.igo Stanley bases tlie conjecture that •lesso's wife was the mother of ZeVuiah and Abigail by a pre- vious marriage with Nahash, king of the Ammonites; l)ut Buddo prefers to emend irni into 't*' (Jesse). 8ee Nahash,
J, STIiACHAN, ZETHAM (=7-0. — A Gershonite Levite, 1 Ch 23' (B ZefliM, -V ZaiOi/j.) 26^ (B ZeOiii, A ZoSAyn, Luc. in both passages Zijddv).
ZETHAN(t7'.0.— ABenjamite, lCh7"'(BZoi9(i^, A'UWde, l.uc, Zridi).
ZETHAR CvO- — ^ eunuch of king Ahasucrus, Est li"(HA 'A/SoTofd). The llcb. form of the name is compared by Oppert {Esther, 26) with Pers. zaitar, ' conqueror.'
ZIA (>:'!). — A Gadite, I Ch 5" (BA ZoCe, Luc. 7.ta).
ZIBA (X?"?, "?» in 2 S 10< ; B 2ei/jd, A ZL^i. and in 2 S lO'S-H ili^/id ; Silnt). — A servant or slave (■>?>•) of the house of Saul (2 S i)2). The Thilistino inviusion, which was so fatal to his m<a.ster's house, probably gave him his liberty (cf, Jos. Ant. vii. V. 5), and he comes on the scene at the head of a
980
ZIBEON
ZIDOX
household of his o«Ti, consisting of 15 sons and 20 slaves (2 S 9'"). He is consulted b}- David, who wishes for Jonathan's sake to show kindness to any surviving representative of the house of Saul, and informs the king of the existence of Mepiiibosheth, Jonathan's lame son, in the ob- scurity of Lo-debar (2 S 9^-*). When David there- upon receives Mephibosheth into his own house as a permanent guest, and confers upon him the estate wliich had belonfjed to Saul, Ziba is appointed Me- phibosheth's land -steward (2 S Q"- '»). At a later period, Ziba dexterously turns Absalom's rebel- lion and Mephibosheth's weakness to his personal account. To display his own loyalty, he fetches David a large supply of provisions during the latter's flight across the Mount of Olives, and at the same time, apparently without anj' grounds, accuses his master of having gone o\er to the enemy in the hope of obtaining the kingdom of Saul. For this sinister service Ziba is rewarded with a grant of all Mephibosheth's property (2 S le'"*). When the rebellion is stamped out, and the king returns to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth is able to rebut the false charges made against him by his treacherous servant. The king might justly punish Ziba, but in the hour of victory he is in a conciliatory mood. If Ziba has not been faithful to his master, he has at any rate been loyal and serviceable to his king. David accordingly contents liimself with restoring half the property of Saul to Mephiboshetli and confirming Ziba in the possession of the other half (2 S IQ--""*^). J. Steachan.
ZIBEON (pv:s)-— Gn SG^- "•»•".» i Ch l^s- " (Sffif^ci^ except 1 Ch 1^ A Zf^^nit,). See Anah.
ZIBIA (n;:v).— A Benjamite, 1 Ch 8' (B 'If^ia, A -e^id, Luc. ^a/3id). This and the name Zibiah may be connected with 'Zf, fera. .t;s ' gazelle,' as totem.
ZIBIAH {^■:!i).— The mother of Joash of Judah, 2 K I2> 12)=2 Ch 24' (BA'A^id). See also Zibia.
ZICHRI (-!:;i).— 1. A grandson of Kohath, Ex 6=' (B 7jexpei, A Zfxc')i misspelt in modem edd. of AV Zithri, although ed. of 1611 has correctly Zichn. 2. 3. 4. S. Four Benjamites, 1 Ch 8"* (B Zaxpf', A Zfx/)i), v.=s (B Zexpef, A Zoxfii), v." (B Zaxpd, A Zexpi), Neh 11» (B Zf^pf', A Zexp', and so in the next three occurrences). 6. An Asaphite, 1 Ch 9" II Neh 11" (see Zabdi, No. 4). 7. A descendant of Eliezer, 1 Ch 2&^. 8. A Reubenite, 1 Ch 27'". 9. A Judahite, 2 Ch 17'" (B 7.apd, A Zax^-O. 10. Fatlier of a captain in Jehoiada's time, 2 Ch 23' (B Vjaxipia., A Zaxapi'os). 11. A mightv man of Ephraini, 2 Ch 28' (B 'Effxpei, A ''E^cKpl, Luc. Zaxapfas). 12. A priest in the days of Joiakim, Neh 12" (BS*A om., ««■ ' ■»« k" Zexp€l, Luc. Zaxapias).
ZIDDIM.— See Zer.
ZIDON (jiTV and [rv ; ^{c)iiiiv, Arab. Saida).— Till' ancient city of Zidon lay 20 miles to the S. of Bervtus (BejTout), and about the same distance to tlie N. of its great rival Tyre. It was situated behind a small promontory, and, like T3're and Jatla, owed its maritime existence and commercial prosperity to a ledge of rock lying oil' a short distance from the shore. In the case of Zidon, this reef, with its detached islets rounding the N. side of tlie promontory, presented half a mile of break- water, and alibrded an excellent protection to its shipping. On the S. side of the promontory there was another harbour, more capacious, but le.ss sheltered. The section of Phoenician plain belong- ing to Zidon stretched from the river Tamyras,