Decr-shootiug uiLhiii ;i >,cU*.a Enclosure. (From the Knyuujik Gallery, IJiitish Museum.)
NETCHAEF
981
NETHINIM
closed in upon them. The usages of the Egyptians, and, | so far as can be ascertained, of other Oriental nations, in this respect, correspond with the intimations of Julius Pollux {Onomast. v, 4), who states that two kinds of nets were employed in this mode of hunting. One, a long net, called by the Greeks Siktvov, was furnished with several ropes, and was supported on forked poles, varying in length to correspond with the inequalities of tiie ground over which it extended. The others were smaller nets, called tviSia, for stopping gaps. These practices are obviously alluded to in such passages as Job xix, 6; Psa. cxl, 5; Isa. li, 20. The method in which the net was applied is familiar to us from the de- scriptions iu Virgil (^yEn. iv, 121, 151 sq. ; x, 707 sq.); it was placed across a ravine or narrow valley, frequented by the animals for the sake of water, and the game was driven in by the hunters, and then despatched either with bow and arrow or spears (comp. Wilkinson, i, 214). The Assyrian monuments likewise contirm this method of taking game. See Hunting.
Netcliaef, Innocent, a Russian prelate and writer, was born in 1722, and was educated for the Church ; and, after filling various offices of distinction, was made arch- bishop of Pskof and of Riga. He died at St. Petersburg, Jan. 24, 1799. Netchaef is known as the author of sev- eral Sei-mons, published by the holy synod in 1775, to be read in the pulpit; and by the following works: Of the Manner of Confessing Children (Moscow, 1769 and 1795, 8vo) : — Counsels of a Bishop to a Pi-iest (St. Pe- tersburg, 1790 and 1795) : — Pirjua-ations for Death (St. Petersburg, 1793). The celebrated poet Derjavin has composed the epitaph of Netchaef's tomb, which may be seen in a cell of St. Alexandre-Nevski. See Diction- naire histoi-ique des ecrivuins ecclesiastiques de VEglise Greco-rttsse, s. v. — Hoefer, Kouv. Biog. Generale, s. v.
Nethan'eel (Jleb. NethaneV , VX5P3, given of God; Sept. ISia^avaljX), the name of ten Hebrews. See also Nathaniel.
1. A son of Zuar and phylarch of Issachar at the time of the exode (Numb, i, 8 ; ii, 5 ; vii, 18, 28 ; x, 15). B.C. 1657.
2. The fourth son of Jesse, and brother of king Da- vid (1 Chron. xi, 14). B.C. cir. 1070.
3. A priest who blew a trumpet before the ark when David brought it from Kirjath-Jearim to Jerusalem (I Chron. xv, 24). B.C. 1043.
4. A Levite, father.of the scribe Shemaiah (1 Chron. xxiv, 6). B.C. ante 1014.
5. A porter of the Temple, fifth-named son of Obed- edom of the family of Korhites in tlie tribe of Levi (1 Chron. xxvi, 4). B.C. cir. 1014.
6. One of five " princes" who were commanded by Jehoshaphat, on his accession, to teach the law from the book, in connection with priests and Levites, through the cities of Judah (2 Chron. xvii, 7). B.C. 912.
7. A chief Levite, brother of Conaniah and Shemaiah, who gave offerings when Josiah renewed the observance of the passover in Jerusalem (2 Chron, xxxv, 9). B.C. 628.
8. Fourth named of six sons of Pashur, of the "sons of the priests," who were found by Ezra to have taken idolatrous wives (Ezra x, 22). B.C. 458.
9. A priest, " son" of Jedaiah, " chief of the fathers," in the davs of the high-priest Joiakim (Neh. xii, 21). B.C. cir. 446.
10. A priest's son, and brother of Zechariah, who bore a trumpet at the dedication of the wails of Jerusa- lem (Neh. xii, 30). B.C. 446. Possibly he was identi- cal with 9.
Nethani'ah (Heb. Nethanyah', tr^'^T\'2, also in the prolonged form Nethanya'hu, iliT'SriS, 1 Chron. xxv, 12 ; 2 Chron. xvii, 8; Jer. xxxvi, 14; xl, 8; xii, 9, <7iVe« of Jehovah ; Sept. 'NaSrainac, v. r. in 2 Kings xxv, 23 MaB^nviag), the name of four Hebrews.
1. Third named of four sons of Asaph, who were ap-
pointed by order of David to minister in the Temple. He was chief of the fifth division of sacred musicians (1 Chron. xxv, 2, 12). B.C. cir. 1015.
2. A Levite, one of those sent with "princes" and priests, on the accession of Jehoshaphat, to teach the law through the cities of Judah (2 Chron. xvii, 8). B.C. cir. 912.
3. Son of Shelamiah and father of Jchudi (q. v.) (Jer. xxxvi, 14). B.C. cir. 638.
4. Son of Elishama (q. v.) of the royal family fif Judah, and father of Ishmael (q. v.) who raurdere'd Ge- daliah (2 Kings xxv, 23, 25; Jer. xl,8, 14, 15; xii, 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18). B.C. cir. 620.
Nether. See Nitke.
Netherlands. See Belgium and Holland. Netherlands Missionary Society. See the article Missions in this volume, especially p. 358.
Neth'inim (Heb. Nethinim, D"^ait73) is the name given in the post-exilian books of the Hebrew Script- ures to the hereditary Temple servants who were as- signed to the Levites to do the subordinate and menial work.
1. Name and its Signification. — The name d'^S'^rS, which is the plural of 'j'^rD, passive adjective from ",r3, to give, " to set apart, to denote," properly denotes given, " the devoted," i. e. to do the menial work of the sanct- uary for the Levites, and, like other terms of office, has become the appellative of that class of men who were thus allotted as hereditary Temple servants to assist the Levites. Hence they are called UpovovXoi by Josephus {Ant. xi, 5, 6), while the Vulg. (Nalhinaei), the Chaldee CpJ'irS), Luther (Xethinim), the Zurich Bible, Cover- dale, Matthew's Bible, the Geneva Version, the Bishops' Bible, and the A. V. uniformly retain the original in all the seventeen passages in which it occurs, except that the A. v., following the example of the preceding Eng- lish versions, incorrectly adds the plural termination s (" Nethinims"') to the Hebrew D^, which is already plural, as it does in " cherubims." The Sept., however, is in- consistent botli ill its spelling and rendering of it. Thus, in nine places out of the seventeen it has oi 'SaBivij.i, Alex. No&n'f('/( (Ezra ii, 70; vii, 7, 24; viii, 20 [twice] ; Neh. iii, 26; vii, 46, 73; x, 28) ; in three ot NaS-ij/aTot (Ezra ii,43 [Vat. NfiSu'ijii] ; Neh. xi,3, 21); in two oi 'Sa^aveifi [Vat. NnSovZ/u] (Ezra ii, 58; Neh. vii, 60); in one 'ABai'tiji (Ezra viii, 17) ; iu another it takes C'^D'^rSil rii^ for one word, and substitutes for it BrjSrav- vaS^irif.i (Neh. iii, 31) ; and in another place again it translates D"'D'^r2 by oi StSo/^iivoi (1 Chron. ix, 2). Theodoret's explanation of D'^S'^PD, Scaig 'law, TovrscTTt, Tov ovTOC Otov (Qu(est. in. i. Paralip.'), which is also that of Bochart, " dedititios apiiellavit, quod se spor.te dededissent" {Phaleg, lib. ii, cap. i; 0pp. i, 67, ed. Lug- duni, 1692), is both contrary to the grammatical mean- ing of the word, which, as "PaH" pa7-ticiple, can only be those given, and not who volunta7-ihj gave themselves, and at variance with facts.