The CoBNBB-OATB (TlSfin ^?^) of Jemsalem, spoken of in 2 Kings xiv, 13; 2 Chron. xxvi, 9; Jer. xxxi, 38, was on the N.W. side of the ancient city, in Josephus's "second wall," and between the present sites of Calvary and the Damascus Gate. (See Strong's Harmony and Exposition of the Goepelij Appendix ii, p. 17.) See Jebusalbm.
CoBNBK-SToins (nSB I^K, Job xzxviii, 6; Isa. xxvlii, 16 ; Sept. and N. T^ Kt(paXrj ywi//ac), a quoin or block of great importance in binding together the sides of a building. (On Psa. cxliv, 12, see No. 9 above.) Some of the comer-stones in the ancient work of the temple foundations are 17 or 19 feet long, and 7i feet thick (Robinson, Jiesearches, i, 422). Comer- stones are usually laid sideways and endways alter- nately, BO that the end of one appears above or below the side-face of the next. At Nineveh the comers are sometimes formed of one angular stone (Layard, JVine- ^ ii, 201). The corresponding expresdon, "head of the comer" (PJB ^Sx-n), in Psa. cxviii, 22, is by Bome understood to mean the coping or ridge, " coign of vantage," L e. topstone of a building ; but as in any 1^ a comer-itone must of necessity i^e of great im-
portance, the phrase "comer-stone" is sometimas osed to denote any principal person, as the princes of Egypt (Isa. xix, 13), and is thus applied to our Lord, who, having been once rejected, was afterward set in the highest honor (Matt, xxi, 42; see Grotius on Psa. cxviii ; comp. Harmer, Obi, ii, 856). The symbolical title of " chief comer-stone" (\i9ot iucpoytavidloQ) is also applied to Christ in Eph. ii, 20, and 1 Pet. ii, 8, 16, which last passage Is a quotation from Isa. xxviii, 16, where the Sept. has the same words. The "comer- stone," or half-underlying buttress, properly makes no part of theybufwia^Km, from which it is distinguished in Jer. Ii, 56 ; thougli, as the edifice rests thereon, it may be so called. Sometimes it denotes those mas- sive slabs which, being placed towards the bottom of any wall, serve to bind the wori^ together, as in Isa. xxviii, 16. Of these there were often two layers, without cement or mortar (Bloomfield, Beema. Synop* on Eph. ii, 20). Christ is called a "comer-stone," (1.) In reference to his being the foundation of the Christian fiuth (Eph. 11, 20) ; (2.) In reference to the importance and conspicuousness of the place he occu- pies (1 Pet. ii, 6) ; and (8.) Since men often stumble against a projecting comer-stone, Christ is therefore so called, because his gospel will be the cause of ag- gravated condemnation to those who reject it (Matt, xxi, 44). See SruMBLiifO-STONB.
The prophet (Zech. x, 4), speaking of Judah, after the return from the exile, says, " out of him came [L e. shall come] forth the comer [i. e. prince], out of him the nail;" probably referring ultimately to the " comer-stone," the Messiah.
Comenui, Christophobus (Eorveb), a German divine, was bom in Franconia 1518, and was educated under his uncle, Conrad Wimpina. In 1540 he was made professor at Frankfort-on-the-Oder and ecclesi- astical superintendent. He aided Andre& in the prep- aration of the Formula of Concord (see Cohcobd), and wrote several works in Biblical literature and theology, now of little account. He died April 17, 1549.--^Mel- chior Adam, Vita ErtuUtorumy i, 815.
Comet, properly ^fii^, ahaphar^ (prob. from ^Bltf, to be bright, with reference to the clearness of sound ; comp. l^'^B^, Psa. xvi, 6), Gr. oaXmy^, Lat. bueana, a loud-sounding instrament, made of the horn of a ram or of a chamois (sometimes of an ox), and used by the ancient Hebrews for signals, for announcing the ^^'l*^, " jubflee" (Lev. xxv, 9), for proclaiming the new year (Mishna, Eosh Hashanah, iii and iv), for the purpose of war (Jer. iv, 5, 19 ; comp. Job xxxix, 25), as well as for the sentinels placed at the watch-towers to give notice of the approach of an enemy (Ezek. xxxiii, 4, 5). Shophar is generally rendered in the A.V. " trompet," but " cornet" is used in 1 Chron. xv, 28 ; 2 Chron. xv, 14; Psa. xcviii, 6; Hos. v, 8. "Comet" is also em- ployed in 2 Sam. vi, 5, for O'lyp^Sp, menadmmff aistrOf a musical instrament or rattle, which gave a tinkling sound on being ahakem (used in Egypt in the worship of Isis ; see Wilkinson, ii, 828 sq.). Finally, in Dan. iii, 5, 7, 10, 15, for the Chald. (and Heb.) term I'^jJ, he'ren, a kom (as elsewhere rendered) or sbnple tube.
Oriental scholars for the mosit part consider the «^ phar and the keren to be one and the same musical in- strument ; but some Biblical critics regard the thoj^ar and the M'^SCi^tn, chatsotaerah' (InvtmMy rendered "trumpet" in the A,Y,\ as belonging to the species of the heren, the general term for a hom (Joel Brill, in preface to Mendelssohn's version of the Psalms). Jahn distinguishes keren, " the hom or crooked trumpet," from chatsotaerah, the straight trumpet, an instrument a cubit hi length, hollow throughout, and at the larger extremity so shaped as to resemble the mouth of a short bill" (Archkolog, xcv, 4, 5); but the generally received opinion is, that keren designates the crooked
CORNET
020
CORNICE
horn, and Jiophar the long and straight one. The comet properly denotes a shrill wind military instru- ment of wood, now mostly superseded by the oboe. It was blown with a mouth-piece, and varied in size and tone (Mersenne's HamumU UfdverteUe), The sounds emitted from the oomet in modern times are exceed- ingly harsh, although they produce a solemn effect. See MuBic.