Achi'as (Lat. id., for the Or. text is no longer extant; prob. for Ahijah), a person named as son of Phinees (Phinehas), and father of Achitob (AhitulO in the list of sacerdotal ancestors of Esdras or Ezra (2 [Vulg. 4] Esdr. i, 2); but, as the parallel list (Ezra ) gives no corresponding name, it is either an in-
A'char (Heb, Akar' , 13-", troubler; Sept. ' A\un~), the son of Carmi, who was punished for violating the ' terpolation or, perhaps, a corruption for the Ahimaaz anathema respecting Jericho (1 Chron. ii, 7); else- oi 1 Chron. vi, 8, 9.
where (Josh, xxii, 20) called Achan (q. v.),
Achashdarpenim. See Satrap.
Achashteranim. Sec Mule.
A'cliaz (Matt, i, 9), elsewhere Aiiaz (q. v.).
Ach'bor (Heb. Akbor , liMS, gnawing, i. q. mouse ,- Sept. 'Ayo/3wo, v. r. in Jer. and Chron. 'Ayoj- j3wp), the name of two men.
1. An Idumaean, father of Baal-hanan, one of the Edomitish kings (Gen. xxxvi, 38; 1 Chron. i, 49), B.C. prob. considerably ante 1619.
Achilles Tatius. See Tatius.
A'chim ('Ayh7<, perh. for "pS^, Jachin [a con- tracted form of Jehoiachim], which the Sept., in 1 Chron. xxiv, 17, Grascizes 'Ayi> [so the Vactican, but other texts have T«xa'i']), the son of Sadoc and father of Eleazar, among the paternal ancestors of Christ (Matt, i, 14), B.C. long ante 40, and post 410.
See Genealogy (of Christ).
A'chior (A\id>p, for Heb. Achior, "fi^HX, broth- er [i. e. full] of light; comp. Num. xxxiv, 27, where
2. The son of Michaiah, and one of the courtiers ! the Sept. has 'Ax^p for Ahihud, apparently reading
ACHISH
52
ACHMETHA
*",'in^nx), the name given in the Apocrypha as that cf the sheik of the Ammonites, who joined Holofernes ■with auxiliary troops during his expedition into Egypt, and who, when called upon to account for the opposi- tion made by the inhabitants of Bethulia to that gen- eral, did so in a speech recounting the history of the country, and the national abhorrence of foreign idol- atry (Judith v). According to the narrative, this so incensed the haughty general and his associates that they demanded the life of Achior by exposure to his enemies, who thereupon befriended and preserved him (chap, vi) till he was eventually released on the death of Holofernes, and then embraced Judaism (chap. xiv). See Judith.
A'chish (Heb. Akish', n^-X, perhaps angry; Sept. 'Akxiq v. r. Ay^of-c), a name which, as it is found applied to two kings of Gath, was perhaps only a general title of royalty, like " Abimelech" (q. v.), another Philistine kingly name, with Avhich, indeed, it is interchanged in the title of Psa. xxxiv.
1. A Philistine king of Gath, with whom David sought refuge from Saul (1 Sam. xxi, 10-15). By this act he incurred imminent danger; for he was rec- ognised and spoken of by the officers of the court as one whose glory had been won at the cost of the Phi- listines. This filled David with such alarm that he feigned himself mad when introduced to the notice of Achish, who, seeing him "scrabbling upon the doors of the gate, and letting his spittle fall down upon his heard," rebuked his people sharply for bringing him to his presence, asking, " Have 1 need of madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence ? Shall this fellow come into my house?" B.C. 1061. After this David lost no time in quitting the territories of Gath (see Kitto's Daily Bible Must, in loc). This prince is elsewhere called Abimelech (Psa. xxxiv, title), possibly a corruption for "Achish the king" ("^"2 ttJ'OK). David's con- duct on this occasion has been illustrated by the sim- ilar proceeding of some other great men, who feigned themselves mad in difficult circumstances — as Ulysses (Cic. Off. iii, 2G; Hygin. f. 05, Sckol. ad Lycophr. 818), the astronomer Meton (.Elian, Hist, xiii, 12), L. Junius Brutus (Liv. i, 5G; Dion. Hal. iv, 68), and the Arabian king Bacha (Schultens, Anth. Yet. Hamasa, p. 535). Sse Mad.
The same Philistine king of Gath is probably meant by Achish, the son of Maoch, to whom, some time af- terward, when the character and position of David became better known, and when he was at the head of not less than 600 resolute adherents, he again re- paired with his troop, and by whom he was received jn a truly royal spirit, and treated with a generous confidence (1 Sam. xxvii, 1-4), of which David took rather more advantage than was creditable to him by making excursions from the city of Ziklag, which had been assigned him, against the neighboring nom- ades, under pretence of carrying on depredations upon Judah (1 Sam. xxvii, 5-12), B.C. 105-1. In the final conflict with Saul, although the confidence of Achish remained so strong in David that he proposed to appoint him captain of his body-guard, the courtiers revived the old reminiscences against him with such force that the king was compelled to give him leave of absence — a circumstance that spared David a par- ticipation in tin' fatal battle (1 Sam. xxviii, 1, 2: sxix, 2-11 ), B.C. 1053.— Kitto, s. v. See David!
2. Another king of Gath, the son of Maachah, to whom the two servants of Shimei tied, and thereby oc- casioned their master the journey which cost him his life (1 Kings ii, 39, 40), B.C. cir." 1012.