MAACAH
593
MAARATH
written in the original Maacath (Hebrew Madkafh', TTD'S'O, Sept. Maxa^i,Yn\g. Machati, Auth.Vers. "jNIa- achathites"). The identification of the Chaldee version with the district of Epicairus ('ETriicaipoc), mentioned by Ptolemj' (v, 16, 9) as Ij'ing between Callirrhoe and Livias, as also that of the Syriac (on 1 Chron.) with Charan, according to Rosenmiiller (.1 Iterth. I, ii) a tract in the district of the Ledja (Burckhardt, i, 350), is mere- ly traditionary (Reland, Palast. p. 118).
2. The last named of the four children of Nahor by his concubine Reumah, probably a son, although the sex is uncertain (Gen. xxii, '2-i). B.C. cir. 2040. Ew- ald arbitrarily connects the name with the district of Maachah in the Hermon range {Gesch. i, 414, note 1).
3. The sister of Hupham (Huppim) and Shupham (Shuppim), and consequently gTanddaughter of Benja- min ; she married Machir, by whom she had two sons (1 Chron. vii, 15, 16). B.C. post. 1856. See Gileau.
4. The second named of the concubines of Caleb (son of Ilezron), by whom she had several children (1 Chron. ii, 48). B.C." ante 1658.
5. The wife of Jehiel and mother of Gibeon (1 Chron. viii, 29; ix, 35). B.C. cir. 1G58.
6. Adaughterof Talmai, kingof Geshur; she became the wife of David, and mother of Absalom (2 Sam. iii, 3). B.C. 1053. In 1 Sam. xxvii, 8, we read of David's invading the land of the Geshurites, and the Jewish commentators (in Jerome, ad Reg.) allege that he then took the daughter of the king captive, and, in conse- quence of her great beauty, married her, after she had been made a proselyte according to the law in Deut. xxi. But this is a gross mistake, for the Geshur invaded by David was to the south of Judah, whereas the Geshur over which Talmai ruled was to the north, and was re- garded as part of Syria (2 Sam. xv, 8). See Geshi'k. The fact appears to be that David, having married the daughter of this king, contracted an alliance with him, in order to strengthen his interest against Ishbosheth in those parts. Josephus gives her name lAaxa^i] {Ant. vii, 1,4). See David.
7. The father of Hanan, which latter was one of Da- vid's famous body-guard (1 Chron. xi, 43). B.C. ante 1046. ■
8. The father of Shephatiah, which latter was the military chief of the tribe of Simeon under David and Solomon (1 Chron. xxvii, 16). B.C. ante 1014.
9. The father of Achish, which latter was the king of Gath, to whom Shimei went in search of his runaway servants, and thus forfeited his life by transcending the bounds prescribed by Solomon (1 Kings ii, 39). B.C. ante 1010. lie appears to have been different from the Maoch of 1 Sam. xxvii, 2. See Acmsii.
10. A daughter of Abishalom, the wife of Rehoboam, and mother of Abijam (1 Kings xv, 2). B.C. 973-953. In verse 10 we read that Asa's " mother's name was Ma- achah, the daughter of Abishalom." It is evident that here " mother" is used in a loose sense, and means "grandmother," which the Maachah named in verse 2 must have been to the Asa of verso 10. It therelbre appears to be a great error to make two persons of them, as is done by Calmet and others. The Abishalom wlio was the father of this Maachah is called Absalom in 2 Chron. xi, 20-22, and is generally supposed by the Jews to have been Absalom, the son of David ; which seems not improbable, seeing that Rehoboam's two other wives were of his father's family (2 Chron. xi, 18). In 2 Chron. xiii,2, she is called "Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah." But Josephus says that she was the daugh- ter of Tamar, the daughter of Absalom {Ant. viii, 10, 1), and consequently his granddaughter. This seems not unlikely, and in that case this Tamar must have been the wife of Uriel. See AnijAir. It would appear that Asa's own mother was dead before he began to reign : for Maachah bore the rank and state of queen-mother (resembling that of the sultaness Valide among the Turks'), the powers of which she so much abused to the encouragement of idolatry, that Asa commenced his re-
V.— P p
forms by "removing her from being queen, because she had made an idol (lit. afriijht) in a grove" (1 Kings xv, 10-13; 2 Chron. XV, 16).
Maacath. See Maacaii, 1.
Ma'achah (Gen. xxii, 24 ; 1 Kings ii, 39 ; xv, 2, 10, 13; 1 Chron. ii, 48; iii, 2; vii, 15, 16; viii, 29; ix, 35; xi, 43 ; xix, 6, 7 ; xxvii, 16 ; 2 Chron. xi, 20, 21, 22 ; xv, 16). See Maacaii.
Maach'athi (Dent, iii, 14), Maach'athites (Josh, xii, 5; xiii, 11, 13 [in the second occurrence it should be Maacatli] ; 2 Sam. xxiii, 34 ; 2 Kings xxv, 23; 1 Chron. iv, 19; Jer. xl,8). See Maacaii, 1.
Ma'adai (Jlch.Maddcnj','''^V^,oniamental; Sept. MooS'ia), one of the "sons" of Bani who divorced his Gentile wife after the exile (Ezra x, 34). B.C. 459.
Maadi'ah QAch. Maddjah' , ri'^"Ii"a, ornament of Jehovah; Septuag. Maa^i'ac, Vulg. J/nrfM), one of the priests who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel (Neh, xii, 5) ; evidently the same with the Moadi.vii (ll^h. Moddyah' , iT^"!?'''^! festical of Jthovah; Sept. Mna^ni, Vulg. il/ort'ij(«), whose son Piltai is mentioned in verse 17 (where some connection with one Miniamin is obscurely noted) ; the true pointing being perhaps tTi"iya, Moddijah', which will make both forms coin- cide. B.C. 536.