Na'amite (Heb. Xud7in', "^"C"} ; Sept. 'Soefiavi), a title of the family descended from Naaman (q. v.), the grandson of Benjamin (Numb, xxv, 40). The name is a contraction, of a kind which does not often occur in Hebrew. Accordingly the Samaritan Codex presents it at length — '• the Naamanites."
Na'arah (Heb. Xadiah', H^?2, a girl, as often; Sept. Noopo V. r. [by interchange] Hwac^d), the second of the two wives of Ashur (q. v.), of the tribe of Judah, by whom he had four sons (1 Chron. iv, 5, G). B.C. cir. 1G18. See also Naauax; Naakath.
Na'arai (Heb. Xadrat/, I'n:'^, youthfitl; Sept. Noopd v. r. yciapcti), an Arbite, tlic son of l^zbai. a military chief in David's army (1 Chron. xi, 37). B.C. cir. 1015; incorrectly called Paahai in 2 Sam. xxiii,35 (see Kennicott, lJisse7t. p. 209 sq.). See David.
Na'aran (Ileb. Xud/ati', "i"^?^, boyish ; Sept. 'Saa- pai' V. r. Saapi'dv and Noopdi'), a town in the terri- tory of Ephraim, on the south-eastern border, between Bethel and Jericho (l Chron. vii, 28). In Josh, xvi, 7 the name is Naakath ((). v.).
'■ In 1 Sam. vi, 21 the I'eshito-Syriac and Arabic ver- sions have respectively Naarin and Naaran for the Kir- jath-jearim of the Hebrew and A. V. If this is any- thing more than an error, the Naaran to which it refers can hardly be that above spoken of, but must have been situated much nearer to Beth-shemesh and the I'hilis- tine lowland" (Smith ).
Na'arath, or rnihcr NA'Ai:Ait (Hob. Xadrah', nii"2, (/ill, as in Naakah ; with H local Hr^S^ ; Sept, fi'e 'Saapaia v. r. ai Kw/int; Vulg. Xaaialha, Auth. Vers, "to Naarath"), a town on the boundarj- between Benjamin and Ephraim, between Ataroth and Jericho (Josh, xvi, 7) ; elsewhere called Naakan (1 Chron. vii, 28) ; probably the Xoo7-(tfh (Nooprij) of Eusebius {Ono- t/iasl. s. v.), iive miles from Jericho, and, according to
NAASENES
817
NABAL
Reland {Palcest. p. 903, 907), identical with the Neara (^Stapa) of Josephus (Ant. xvii, 13, 1); and possibly with the Nouran ("lyii) of the rabbins (Vaijikra Rahba, 23). Schwarz {Palest, p. 147, 169) fixes it at '• Neama," also " five miles from Jericho," meaning per- haps Xawaimek, the name of the lower part of the great Watly Mutyah, or el-Asas, which runs from the foot of the hiU of Rummon into the Jordan valley above Jeri- cho, and in a direction generally parallel to the Wady Suweiiiit (Robinson, Bib. Res. iii, 290). It was prob- ably iu the vicinity of one of the strong springs along the edge of the hills north of Jericho, such as Ain-Duk, Ras el-Ain, etc. ; perhaps at the " high, conical moun- tain" called et-Nejamen (Robinson, Later Bibl. Res, p. 202). See Tkibe.
Naasenes (from the Hcb. ITHD, nachask, a ser- pent), serpent- worshippers. See Ophites.
Na'dshon (Exod. vi, 23). See Nahshon.
Na'asson (Nnao-o-wv), the Grrecized form (Matt. i, 4 ; Luke iii, 32) of the Heb. name Nahshon (q. v.).
Na'athus (Nwa^oe, Vulg. Naathus'), one of the family of Addi, who renounced their Gentile wives after the exile, according to 1 Esdr. ix, 31; but there is no name corresponding in the Hgb. list, Ezra x, 30.
Naatsuts. See Thorn.
Na'bal (Heb. Nabal\ b^i, foolish, as often [comp. 1 Sam. XXV, 25] ; Sept. Na/3a/\), one of the characters in- troduced to us in David's wanderings, apparently to give one detailed glimpse of his whole state of life at that time (1 Sam. xxv). Nabal himself is remarkable as one of the few examples given to us of the private life of a Jewish citizen. (In the following account we avail ourselves somewhat of the graphic description by Stanley in Smith's Bid. of the Bible.) He was a de- scendant of Caleb, who dwelt at IMaon (probably the modern Main, seven miles S.E.of Hebron), when David, already anointed to be king of Israel, was with his ad- herents on the southern borders of Palestine. B.C. lOGO. Some, however, understand that he was simply a resi- dent of that part of the countrj' which bore from its great conqueror the name of Caleb (1 Sam. xxv, 3 : xxx, 14 ; so the Vulgate, A. V., and Ewald). He was himself, according to Josephus (Aiii. vi, 13, 6), a Ziphite, with his residence at Emmaus, a place of that name not otherwise known, on the southern Carmel, in the past- ure lands of Maon. (In the Sept. of xxv, 4 he is called " the Carmelite," and the Sept. reads " Maon" for " Pa- ran" in xxv, 1.) With a usage of the word which re- minds us of the like adaptation of similar words in modern times, he, like BarziUai, is styled " very great," evidently from his wealth. His wealth, as might be expected from his abode, consisted chiefly of sheep and goats, which, as in Palestine at tlie time of the Chris- tian aera (1 Sam. xxv) and at the present day, fed to- gether. The tradition preserved in this case the exact number of each — 3000 of the former, 1000 of the latter. It was the custom of the shepherds to drive them into the wild downs on the slopes of Carmel, in Judah, which lay in the lowlands to the south, and corresponded very much to the territory of the Jehiilin Arabs. These Arabs have the same sort of possessions which the sa- cred narrative ascribes to Nabal; that is, numerous flocks of shee]) and goats, but few cows (Robinson, Res. ii, 176-180 ; Wilson, Z,a«f& of the Bible, ii, 710). It was while the shepherds were on one of these pastoral ex- cursions that they met a band of outlaws, who showed them unexpected kindness, protecting them by day and night, and never themselves committing any depreda- tions (xxv, 7, 15, 16). Such protection is generally so highly valued in the East that a suitable present to the protecting party is understood as a matter of course ; and in most instances the proprietor of the flocks is happy to bestow it cheerfully and liberally. Once a year there was a grand banquet on Carmel, when they