The name Neapolis likewise occurs as that of two cities in Palestine.
a. Iu the form Xablus, it has survived as the name
NEARIAII
892
KEBAIOTH
given during the Roman age to the ancient city of IShechem. Tlie change appears to have taken place during the reign of A'espasian, as upon the coins of that reign we first find the inseri[>tion, " Flavia Xeapolis" the former title taken from Flavins Vespasian (Kckhel, JJoctr. Xummor. iii, 433). Josephus generally calls the city Sichem ; but he has Neapolis in War, iv, 8, 1 ; and the words of l^piphanius afford sufficient jiroof of the identity of Sichem and Neapolis, 'Ev ^Htkifioii:, tovt toTiv, iv Ti) rvvl "Stmruku {Adv. Hcci: iii, 1055; see lieland, /'r/te/. p. 1004). For a description and history of this city, see Siiechem.
h. Neapolis was also the name of an ancient episco- pal city of Arabia, whose bishops were present at the councils of Chalcedon and Constantinople. Porter dis- covered an inscription at the ruined town of Suleim, at the western base of Jebel Hauran, near the ancient Kenath, which shows that Suleim is the episcopal Ne- apolis (Porter's JJamnscus, ii, 85; Keland, PalcEst. p. 217 ; S. Paulo, Gcofjr. Sac. p. 29C).
Neari'ah (Ileb. Xednjah', il'^'^Vi, servant of Jeko- vali ; Sept. 'Sioacia, v. r. Isaapia and 'Stapia; Vulg. NaaHah), the name of two men,
1. The second named of the four sons of Ishi, captains of the 500 Simconites wlio in the reign of Hezekiah drove the Anialekitcs from Mount Scir, and settled there (I Cliron. iv, 41-43). B.C. cir. 715.
2. The fourth named of the six sons of Shemaiah; father of Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam, a descend- ant of David (1 Chron. iii, 22, 23). B.C. cir. 350. He is apparently identical with NAGCiK (q. v.) in the gene- alogy ((J. v.) of Christ (Luke iii, 25).
Ne'bai (Heb. Neyhay', ''yz, fruitful; text "^nia, Nobaf ; Sept. Na>/3ai v. r. Bwrnt; Vulg. Xebai), one of the chief of the people who sealed the covenant with Nchemiah (Xeh. x,"19). B.C. cir. 410.
Nebai'oth (Heb. Xebayoth', n'"'-?, Gen. xxviii, 9; xxxvi, 3; 1 Chron. i, 29; elsewhere defectively n^n?, heirjhts; Sept. 'SafSdiui^, but in Gen. xxv, 13 V. r. Na/Soiwcf; in xxviii, 9 v. r. Nn/Stoi^; in Isa. xi, 7 V. r. 'Savaraloi ; A'ulg. Xabajoih ; A. V. " Nebaioth" in 1 Chron. i, 29; Isa. Ix, 7; elsewhere "Nebajoth"), the name of a man and of a people after him.
1. Tlie first-born son oflshmael (Gen. xxv, 13; 1 Chron. i, 29 ), and the prince or s/ieik (N^ w3, rendered by Jerome (^ifXupxoi;) of one of the twelve Ishmaelitish tribes, vrhich, as well as the territory they occupied, continued to bear his name in after-times (Gen. xxxv, 1 0 ; comp. ch. xvii, 20). B.C. cir. 2000. One of Esau's ^vives, Mahalatli, otherwise called Bashemath, is ex- l)ressly designated as " the sister of Nebaioth" (Gen. xxviii, 9 ; xxxvi, 3) ; and by a singular coincidence the land of Esau, or Edom, was ultimately possessed by the posterity of Nebaioth. See below. See Nebajoth.
2. A tribe of Ishmaclites, descendants of the above, who, in common wiili the other Ishmaelites, first settled in the wilderness '• before" (i. e. to the east of) the other descendants of Abraham; i.e. in tlie great desert lying to tlie east and south-east of Palestine (Gen. xxv". 18; xxi, 21 ; xvi, 12; and see Aisauia). In Gen. xxv, Hi the ICnglish Version speaks of the Ishmaelitish " towns and castles," but the former word in the original sig- nifies '-a movable village of tents" (the liorJe of the Tartars), and the latter seems to denolc folds for cattle and sheep. Both expressions thus jjoint to a nomadic life, which the tribe of Nebaioth seem to have followed for ages afterwards, inasmuch as in tlie days of Isaiah the "rams of Nebaioth" are mentioned (Isa. Ix, 7) as gifts wliich the Bedouin, or "Men of the Desert," would consecrate to the service of Jehovah. The territory at first occupied i)y Nebaioth appears to have been on the I south-east of Palestine, in ami around the mountains of j Edom. There ICsaii met and became allied with them. As tlicir numbers and their Hocks increased, they were I
forced to wander more into the south and east so as to secure pasture ; and they were brought into connection with their brethren the children of Kedar, with whom Isaiah associates them (Ix, 7). It is somewhat remark- able that tills celebrated Arab tribe is so seldom men- tioned in the Bible. Three times the name occurs in Genesis, once in the genealogies of Chronicles (i, 29), and once in Isaiah ; after his age we hear no more of them in Scripture. See Bene-Kedem.
After the close of the O.-T. canon, both Jewish and heathen writers frequently mention an Arabian tribe called Xubatcei, or Xubathmuns {SafiaTa'ioi), as the most influential and numerous of all the tribes of that country. Josephus says regarding the descendants of Ishmael, " These inhabited all the country from the Eu- phrates to the Red Sea, and called it Xabateue" {Safta- Trjvq; Ant. i, 13,4). He regards the Nabata-i as de- scendants of Nebaioth. Jerome afiirms that Nebaioth gave his name to all the region from the Euphrates to the Red Sea (Comm. in Gen. xxv, 13). Arabic writers mention the tribe of Xubat in Babylonian Irak ; but the name is written Xahath (D'llerbelot, Bib. Orient, s. v. Nabat; Pococlv's Spec. Hist. Arab. p. 4G, 2G8). The question of their identity is thus discussed by E. S. Poole in Smith's Diet, of the Bible, s. v. :