Maacah(oppression).
+The mother of Absalom; also called [826]Maachah. (2 Samuel 3:3)
+Maacah, or (in (1 Chronicles 19:6,7)) Maachah, a small kingdom in
close proximity to Palestine which appears to have lain outside Argob,
(3:14) and Bashun. (Joshua 12:5) The Ammonite war was the only occasion
on which the Maacathites came into contact with Israel when their king
assisted the Ammonites against Joab with a force which he led himself.
(2 Samuel 10:6,8; 1 Chronicles 19:7)
Maachah(oppression).
+The daughter of Nahor by his concubine Beumah. (Genesis 22:24)
+The father of Achish who was king of Gath at the beginning of
Solomon's reign. (1 Kings 2:39)
+The daughter, or more probably granddaughter, of Absalom named after
his mother; the third and favorite wife of Rehoboam, and mother of
Abijah. (1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles 11:20-22) The mother of Abijah is
elsewhere called "Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah." (2
Chronicles 13:2) During the reign of her grandson Asa she occupied at
the court of Judah the high position of "king's mother," comp. (1 Kings
15:13) but when he came of age she was removed because of her
idolatrous habits. (2 Chronicles 15:16)
+The concubine of Caleb the son of Hezron. (1 Chronicles 2:48)
+The daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, and mother of Absalom (1
Chronicles 3:2) also called Maacah in Authorized Version of (2 Samuel
3:3)
+The wife of Machir the Manassite. (1 Chronicles 7:15,16)
+The wife of Jehiel, father or founder of Gibeon. (1 Chronicles 8:20;
9:35)
+The father of Hanan, one of the heroes of David body-guard. (2
Chronicles 11:43)
+A Simeonite, father of Sephatiah, prince of his tribe in the reign of
David. (1 Chronicles 27:16)
Maachathi(oppression)
and Maach'athites, The, two words which denote the inhabitants of the
small kingdom of Maachah. (3:14; Joshua 12:5; 13:11,13); (2 Samuel
23:34; 2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8)
Maadai,
Or Maadai(ornament
of Jehovah), one of the sons of Kani, who had married a foreign wife.
(Ezra 10:34)
Maadiahone
of the priests who returned with Zerubbabel, (Nehemiah 12:5) elsewhere
(ver. (Nehemiah 12:17)) called [827]Moadiah.
Maai(compassionate),
one of the Bene-Asaph who took part in the solemn musical service by
which the wall of Jerusalem was dedicated. (Nehemiah 12:36)
Maalehacrabbim(ascent
of scorpions), the full form of the name given as [828]Akrabbim in
(Joshua 15:3) [[829]Akrabbim]
Maaseiah(work
of the Lord), the name of four persons who had married foreign wives.
In the time of Ezra,
+A descendant of Jeshua the priest. (Ezra 10:18)
+A priest, of the sons of Harim. (Ezra 10:21)
+A priest, of the sons of Pashur. (Ezra 10:22)
+One of the laymen, a descendant of Pahath-moab. (Ezra 10:30)
+The father of Azariah. (Nehemiah 3:23)
+One of those who stood on the right hand of Ezra when he read the law
to the people. (Nehemiah 8:4)
+A Levite who assisted on the same occasion. (Nehemiah 8:7)
+One of the heads of the people whose descendants signed the covenant
with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:25)
+Son of Baruch the descendant of Pharez the son of Judah, (Nehemiah
11:5)
+A Benjamite, ancestor of Sallu. (Nehemiah 11:7)
+Two priests of this name are mentioned, (Nehemiah 12:41,42) as taking
part in the musical service which accompanied the dedication of the
wall of Jerusalem under Ezra. One of them is probably the same as No. 6.
+Father of Zephaniah, who was a priest in the reign of Zedekiah.
(Jeremiah 21:1; 29:25; 37:3)
+Father of Zedekiah the false prophet. (Jeremiah 29:21)
+One of the Levites of the second rank, appointed by David to sound
"with psaltries on Alamoth." (1 Chronicles 15:18,20)
+The son of Adaiah, and one of the captains of hundreds in the reign of
Joash king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 23:1)
+An officer of high rank in the reign of Uzziah. (2 Chronicles 26:11)
He was probably a Levite, comp: (1 Chronicles 23:4) and engaged in a
semi-military capacity.
+The "king's son," killed by Zichri the Ephraimitish hero in the
invasion of Judah by Pekah king of Israel, during the reign of Ahaz. (2
Chronicles 28:7)
+The governor of Jerusalem in the reign of Josiah. (2 Chronicles 34:8)
+The son of Shallum, a Levite of high rank in the reign of Jehoiakim.
(Jeremiah 35:4) comp, 1Chr 9:19
+A priest; ancestor of Baruch and Seraiah, the sons of Neriah.
(Jeremiah 32:12; 51:59)
Maasiai(work
of the Lord), a priest who after the return from Babylon dwelt in
Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 9:12)
Maath(small),
son of Mattathias in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. (Luke 3:26)
Maaziah(consolation
of Jehovah).
+One of the priests who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah
10:8)
+A priest in the reign of David, head of the twenty-fourth course. (1
Chronicles 24:18)
Macaerusa
castle of the Herods on the southern border of their Perean dominions,
nine miles east of the northern end of the Dead Sea. Here John the
Baptist was imprisoned, and here was held the feast where Herodias, at
whose request John was beheaded, danced before the king.
Maccabees(a
hammer), The. This title, which was originally the surname of Judas,
one of the sons of Mattathias, was afterward extended to the heroic
family of which he was one of the noblest representatives. Asmonaeans
or Hasmonaeans is the Proper name of the family, which is derived from
Cashmon, great grandfather of Mattathias. The Maccabees were a family
of Jews who resisted the authority of Antiochus Epiphanes king of Syria
and his successors who had usurped authority over the Jews, conquered
Jerusalem, and strove to introduce idolatrous worship. The standard of
independence was first raised by Mattathias, a priest of the course of
Joiarih. He seems, however, to have been already advanced in years when
the rising was made, and he did not long survive the fatigues of active
service. He died B.C. 166, having named Judas--apparently his third
son--as his successor in directing the war of independence. After
gaining several victories over the other generals of Antiochus, Judas
was able to occupy Jerusalem except the "tower," and purified the
temple exactly three years after its profanation. Nicanor was defeated,
first at Capharsalama, and again in a decisive battle at Adasa B.C.
161, where he was slain. This victory was the greatest of Judas'
successes, and practically decided the question of Jewish independence;
but shortly after Judas fell at Eleasa, fighting at desperate odds
against the invaders. After the death of Judas, Jonathan his brother
succeeded to the command, and later assumed the high-priestly office.
He died B.C. 144, and was succeeded by Simon the last remaining brother
of the Maccabaean family, who died B.C. 135. The efforts of both
brothers were crowned with success. On the death of Simon, Johannes
Hyrcanus, one of his sons, at once assumed the government, B.C. 135,
and met with a peaceful death B.C. 105. His eldest son, Aristobulus I.,
who succeeded him B.C. 105-101, was the first who assumed the kingly
title, though Simon had enjoyed the fullness of the kingly power.
Alexander Jannaeus was the next successor B.C. 104-78. Aristobulus II.
and Hyrcanus III. engaged in a civil war On the death of their mother,
Alexandra, B.C. 78-69, resulting in the dethronement of Aristobulus
II., B.C. 69-69, and the succession of Hyrcanus under Roman rule but
without his kingly title, B.C. 63-40. From B.C. 40 to B.C. 37
Antigonus, a son of Aristobulus II., ruled, and with his two
grandchildren, Aristobulus and Mariurnne, the Asmonaean dynasty ended.
Maccabees,
Books OfFour
books which bear the common title of "Maccabees" are found in some MSS.
of the LXX. Two of these were included in the early current Latin
versions of the Bible, and thence passed into the Vulgate. As forming
part of the Vulgate they were received as canonical by the Council of
Trent, and retained among the Apocrypha by the reformed churches. The
two other books obtained no such wide circulation and have only a
secondary connection with the Maccabaean history.
+THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES contains a history of the patriotic
struggle of the Jews in resisting the oppressions of the Syrian kings,
from the first resistance of Mattathias to the settled sovereignty and
death of Simon, a period of thirty-three years--B.C. 168-135. The great
subject of the book begins with the enumeration of the Maccabaean
family, ch, 2:1-5, which is followed by an account of the part which
the aged Mattathias took in rousing and guiding the spirit of his
countrymen. ch. 2:6-70. The remainder of the narrative is occupied with
the exploits of Mattathias' five sons. The great marks of
trustworthiness are everywhere conspicuous. Victory and failure end
despondency are, on the whole, chronicled with the same candor. There
is no attempt to bring into open display the working of Providence. The
testimony of antiquity leaves no doubt that the book was first written
in Hebrew. Its whole structure points to Palestine as the place of its
composition. There is, however, considerable doubt as to its date.
Perhaps we may place it between B.C. 120-100. The date and person of
the Greek translator are wholly undetermined.
+THE SECOND BOOK OF MACCABEES.--The history of the second book of
Maccabees begins some years earlier than that of the first book. and
closes with the victory of Judas Maccabaeus over Nicanor. It thus
embraces a period of twenty years, from B.C. 180 to B.C. 161. The
writer himself distinctly indicates the source of his narrative--the
five books of Jason of Cyrene, ch. 2:23, of which he designed to
furnish a short and agreeable epitome for the benefit of those who
would be deterred from studying the larger work. Of Jason himself
nothing more is known than may be gleaned from this mention of him. The
second book of Maccabcees is not nearly so trustworthy as the first. In
the second book the groundwork of facts is true, but the dress in which
the facts are presented is due in part at least to the narrator. The
latter half of the book, chs. 8-15, is to be regarded as a series of
special incidents from the life of Judas, illustrating the providential
interference of God in behalf of his people, true in substance, but
embellished in form.
+THE THIRD BOOK OF MACCABEES contains the history of events which
preceded the great Maccabaean struggle beginning with B.C. 217.
+THE FOURTH BOOK OF MACCABEES contains a rhetorical narrative of the
martyrdom of Eleazar and of the "Maccabaean family," following in the
main the same outline as 2 Macc.
Macedonia(extended
land), a large and celebrated country lying north of Greece, the first
part of Europe which received the gospel directly from St. Paul, and an
important scene of his subsequent missionary labors and those of his
companions. It was bounded by the range of Haemus or the Balkan
northward, by the chain of Pindus westward, by the Cambunian hills
southward, by which it is separated from Thessaly, an is divided on the
east from Thrace by a less definite mountain boundary running southward
from Haemus. Of the space thus enclosed, two of the most remarkable
physical features are two great plains, one watered by the Axius, which
comes to the sea, at the Thermaic Gulf, not far from Thessalonica; the
other by the Strymon, which after passing near Philippi, flows out
below Amphipolis. Between the mouths of these two rivers a remarkable
peninsula projects, dividing itself into three points, on the farthest
of which Mount Athos rises nearly into the region of perpetual snow.
Across the neck of this peninsula St. Paul travelled more than once
with his companions. This general sketch sufficiently describes the
Macedonia which was ruled over by Philip and Alexander and which the
Romans conquered from Perseas. At first the conquered country was
divided by Aemilius Paulus into four districts, but afterward was made
one province and centralized under the jurisdiction of a proconsul, who
resided at Thessalonica. The character of the Christians of Macedonia
is set before us in Scripture in a very favorable light. The candor of
the Bereans is highly commented, (Acts 17:11) the Thessalonians were
evidently objects of St. Paul's peculiar affection, (1 Thessalonians
2:8,17-20; 3:10) and the Philippians, besides their general freedom
from blame, are noted as remarkable for their liberality and
self-denial. (Philemon 4:10; 14-19) see 2Cor 9:2; 11:9
Machbanai(bond
of the Lord), one of the lion-faced warriors of Gad, who joined the
fortunes of David when living in retreat at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:13)
Machbenah(bond).
Sheva, the father of Machbena, is named in the genealogical list of
Judah as the offspring of Manchah, the concubine of Caleb ben-Hezron.
(1 Chronicles 2:49)
Machi(decrease),
the father of Geuel the Gadite, who went with Caleb and Joshua to spy
out the land of Canaan. (Numbers 13:15)
Machir(sold).
+The eldest son, (Joshua 17:1) of the patriarch Manasseh by an Aramite
or Syrian concubine. (1 Chronicles 7:14) At the time of the conquest
the family of Machir had become very powerful, and a large part of the
country on the east of Jordan was subdued by them. (Numbers 32:39; 3:15)
+The son of Ammiel, a powerful sheikh of one of the transjordanic
tribes, who rendered essential service to the cause of Saul and of
David successively. (2 Samuel 9:4,5; 17:27-29)
Machirites,
Thethe
descendants of Machir the father of Gilead. (Numbers 26:29)
Machnadebai(what
is like the liberal?), one of the sons of Bani who put away his foreign
wife at Ezra's command. (Ezra 10:40)
Machpelah(double,
or a portion). [[830]Hebron]
Madai(middle
land), (Genesis 10:2) is usually called the third son of Japhet, and
the progenitor of the Medes; but probably all that is intended is that
the Medes, as well as the Gomerites, Greeks, Tabareni, Moschi, etc.,
descended from Japhet.
Madian(Acts
7:29) [[831]Midian]
Madmannah(dunghill),
one of the towns in the south district of Judah. (Joshua 15:31) In the
time of Eusebius and Jerome it was called Menois, and was not far from
Gaza. The first stage southward from Gaza is now el-Minyay, which is
perhaps the modern representative of Menois, and therefore of Madmannah.
Madmen(dunghill),
a place in Moab, threatened with destruction in the pronunciations of
Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 48:2)
Madmenah(dunghill),
one of the, Benjamite villages north of Jerusalem the inhabitants of
which were frightened away by the approach of Sennacherib along the
northern road. (Isaiah 10:31)
MadnessIn
Scripture "madness" is recognized as a derangement proceeding either
from weakness and misdirection of intellect or from ungovernable
violence of passion. In one passage alone, (John 10:20) is madness
expressly connected with demoniacal possession by the Jews in their
cavil against our Lord; in none is it referred to any physical causes.
Madon(strife)
one of the principal cities of Canaan before the conquest, probably in
the north. Its king joined Jabin and his confederates in their attempt
against Joshua at the waters of Xierom, and like the rest was killed.
(Joshua 11:1; 12:19)
Magadan(a
tower). (The name given in the Revised Version of (Matthew 15:39) for
Magdala. It is probably another name for the same place, or it was a
village so near it that the shore where Christ landed may have belonged
to either village.--ED.)
Magbish(congregating),
a proper name in (Ezra 2:30) but whether of a man or of a place is
doubtful; probably the latter, as all the names from (Ezra 2:20) to 34,
except Elam and Harim, are names of places.
Magdala(a
tower). The chief MSS. and versions exhibit the name as [832]Magadan,
as in the Revised Version. Into the limits of Magadan Christ came by
boat, over the Lake of Gennesareth after his miracle of feeding the
four thousand on the Mountain of the eastern side, (Matthew 15:39) and
from thence he returned in the same boat to the opposite shore. In the
parallel narrative of St. Mark, ch. (Mark 8:10) we find the "parts of
Dalmanutha," on the western edge of the Lake of Gennesareth. The
Magdala, which conferred her name on "Mary the Magdalene one of the
numerous migdols, i.e. towers, which stood in Palestine, was probably
the place of that name which is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud as
near Tiberias, and this again is as probably the modern el-Mejdel, a
miserable little Muslim village, of twenty huts on the water's edge at
the southeast corner of the plain of Gennesareth. It is now the only
inhabited place on this plain.
Magdiel(prince
of God), one of the "dukes" of Edom, descended from Esau. (Genesis
36:43; 1 Chronicles 1:54)
Magi(Authorized
Version wise men).
+In the Hebrew text of the Old Testament the word occurs but twice, and
then only incidentally. (Jeremiah 29:3,13) "Originally they were a
class of priests among the Persians and Medes who formed the king's
privy council, and cultivated as trology, medicine and occult natural
science. They are frequently referred to by ancient authors. Afterward
the term was applied to all eastern philosophers."--Schaff's Popular
Commentary. They appear in Herodotus' history of Astyages as
interpreters of dreams, i. 120; but as they appear in Jeremiah among
the retinue of the Chaldean king, we must suppose Nebuchadnezzar's
conquests led him to gather round him the wise men and religious
teachers of the nations which he subdued, and that thus the sacred
tribe of the Medes rose under his rule to favor and power. The Magi
took their places among "the astrologers and star gazers and monthly
prognosticators." It is with such men that, we have to think of Daniel
and his fellow exiles as associated. The office which Daniel accepted
(Daniel 5:11) was probably rab-mag--chief of the Magi.
+The word presented itself to the Greeks as connected with a foreign
system of divination and it soon became a byword for the worst form of
imposture. This is the predominant meaning of the word as it appears in
the New Testament. (Acts 8:9; 13:8)
+In one memorable instance, however, the word retains its better
meaning. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, ch. (Matthew 2:1-12) the Magi
appear as "wise men"--properly Magians--who were guided by a star from
"the east" to Jerusalem, where they suddenly appeared in the days of
Herod the Great, inquiring for the new-born king of the Jews, whom they
had come to worship. As to the country from which they came, opinions
vary greatly; but their following the guidance of a star seems to point
to the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, where astronomy was
Cultivated by the Chaldeans. [See [833]Star Of The Wise Men OF THE
[834]East] (Why should the new star lead these wise men to look for a
king of the Jews? (1) These wise men from Persia were the most like the
Jews, in religion, of all nations in the world. They believed in one
God, they had no idols, they worshipped light as the best symbol of
God. (2) The general expectation of such a king. "The Magi," says)
Ellicott, "express the feeling which the Roman historians Tacitus and
Suetonius tell us sixty or seventy years later had been for a long time
very widely diffused. Everywhere throughout the East men were looking
for the advent of a great king who was to rise from among the Jews. It
had fermented in the minds of men, heathen as well as Jews, and would
have led them to welcome Jesus as the Christ had he come in accordance
with their expectation." Virgil, who lived a little before this, owns
that a child from heaven was looked for, who should restore the golden
age and take away sin. (3) This expectation arose largely from the
dispersion of the Jews among all nations, carrying with them the hope
and the promise of a divine Redeemer. Isai 9, 11; Dani 7 (4) Daniel
himself was a prince and chief among this very class of wise men. His
prophecies: were made known to them; and the calculations by which he
pointed to the very time when Christ should be born became, through the
book of Daniel, a part of their ancient literature.--ED.) According to
a late tradition, the Magi are represented as three kings, named
Gaspar, Melchior and Belthazar, who take their place among the objects
of Christian reverence, and are honored as the patron saints of
travellers.
Magic,
MagiciansMagic
is "the science or practice of evoking spirits, or educing the occult
powers of nature to produce effects apparently supernatural." It formed
an essential element in many ancient religions, especially among the
Persians, Chaldeans and Egyptians. The Hebrews had no magic of their
own. It was so strictly forbidden by the law that it could never
afterward have had any: recognized existence, save in times of general
heresy or apostasy and the same was doubtless the case in the
patriarchal ages. The magical practices which obtained among the
Hebrews were therefore borrowed from the nations around. From the first
entrance into the land of promise until the destruction of Jerusalem we
have constant glimpses of magic practiced in secret, or resorted to not
alone by the common but also as the great. It is a distinctive
characteristic of the Bible that from first to last it warrants no such
trust or dread. Laban attached great value to, and was in the habit of
consulting, images. (Genesis 31:30,32) During the plagues in Egypt the
magicians appear. (Exodus 7:11; 8:18,19) Balaam also practiced magic.
(Numbers 22:7) Saul consulted the witch of Endor. An examination of the
various notices of magic in the Bible gives this general result: They
do not, act far as can be understood, once state positively that any
but illusive results were produced by magical rites. (Even the
magicians of Egypt could imitate the plagues sent through Moses only so
long as they had previous notice and time to prepare. The time Moses
sent the plague unannounced the magicians failed; they "did so with
their enchantments," but in vain. So in the case of the witch of Endor.
Samuel appearance was apparently unexpected by her; he did not come
through the enchantments.--Ed.) The Scriptures therefore afford no
evidence that man can gain supernatural powers to use at his will. This
consequence goes some way toward showing that we may conclude that
there is no such thing se real magic; for although it is dangerous to
reason on negative evidence, yet in a case of this kind it is
especially strong. [[835]Divination]
Magog(region
of Gog). In (Genesis 10:2) Magog appears as the second son of Japheth;
in (Ezekiel 38:2; 39:1,6) it appears as a country or people of which
Gog was the prince. The notices of Magog would lead us to fix a
northern locality: it is expressly stated by Ezekiel that "he was to
come up from the sides of the north," (Ezekiel 39:2) from a country
adjacent to that of Togarmah or Armenia, ch. 58:6 and not far from "the
isles" or maritime regions of Europe. ch. (Ezekiel 39:6) The people of
Magog further appear as having a force of cavalry, (Ezekiel 38:16) and
as armed with the bow. ch. (Ezekiel 39:3) From the above data, may
conclude that Magog represents the important race of the Scythians.
Magormissabib(terror
on every side), the name giver. by Jeremiah to Pashur the priest when
he smote him and put him in the stocks for prophesying against the
idolatry of Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 20:3)
Magpiash(moth-killer)
one of the heads of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah.
(Nehemiah 10:20) The same as [836]Magbish in (Ezra 2:30)
Mahalah(disease),
one of the three children of Hammoleketh the sister of Gilead. (1
Chronicles 7:18)
Mahalaleel(praise
of God).
+The fourth in descent from Adam, according to the Sethite genealogy,
and son of Cainan. (Genesis 6:12,13,15-17; 1 Chronicles 1:2; Luke 3:37)
Revised Version.
+A descendant of Perez or Pharez the son of Judah. (Nehemiah 11:4)
Mahalaththe
title of p, 53, and Mahalath-leannoth, the title of Ps. 88. The meaning
of these words is uncertain. The conjecture is that mahalath is a
guitar, and that leannoth has reference to the character of the psalm,
and might be rendered "to humble or afflict," in which sense the root
occurs in ver. 7. (stringed instrument) one of the eighteen wives of
King Rehoboam, apparently his first. (2 Chronicles 11:18) only. She was
her husband's cousin, being the daughter of King David's son Jerimoth.
(stringed instrument), the daughter of Ishmael, and one of the wives of
Esau. (Genesis 28:9)
Mahali(sick),
Mah'li, the son of Merari. (Exodus 6:19)
Mahanaima
town on the east of the Jordan. The name signifies two hosts or two
camps,and was given to it by Jacob, because he there met "the angels of
God." (Genesis 32:1,2) We next meet with it in the records of the
conquest. (Joshua 13:26,30) It was within the territory of Gad, (Joshua
21:38,39) and therefore on the south side of the torrent Jabbok. The
town with its "suburbs" was allotted to the service of the Merarite
Levites. (Joshua 21:39; 1 Chronicles 6:80) Mahanaim had become in the
time of the monarchy a place of mark. (2 Samuel 2:8,12) David took
refuge there when driven out of the western part of his kingdom by
Absalom. (2 Samuel 17:24; 1 Kings 2:8) Mahanaim was the seat of one of
Solomon's commissariat officers. (1 Kings 4:14) and it is alluded to in
the song which bears his name. ch. (Song of Solomon 6:13) There is a
place called Mahneh among the villages of the part of Jordan, through
its exact position is not certain.
Mahanehdan(camp
of Dan), spoken of as "behind Kirjath-jearim," (Judges 18:12) and as
between Zorah and Eshtaol." ch. (Judges 13:25)
Maharai(impetuous),
(2 Samuel 23:28; 1 Chronicles 11:30; 27:13) an inhabitant of Netophah
in the tribe of Judah, and one of David's captains.
Mahath(grabbing).
+A Zohathite of the house of Korah. (1 Chronicles 6:35)
+Also a Kohathite, in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 29:12; 31:13)
Mahavite,
Thethe
designation of Eliel, one of the warriors of King David's guard, whose
name is preserved in the catalogue of (1 Chronicles 11:46) only.
Mahazioth(visions).
One of the fourteen sons of Heman the Kohathite. (1 Chronicles 25:4,30)
Mahershalalhashbaz(i.e.
hasten-booty speedspoil), whose name was given by divine direction to
indicate that Damascus and Samaria were soon to be plundered by the
king of Assyria. (Jeremiah 8:14)
Mahlah(disease),
the eldest of the five daughters of Zelophehad the grandson of
Manasseh. (Numbers 27:1-11)
Mahli(sick).
+Son of Merari, the son of Levi and ancestor of the family of the
Mahlites. (Numbers 3:20; 1 Chronicles 6:19,29; 24:26)
+Bon of Mushi and grandson of Merari. (1 Chronicles 6:47; 23:23; 24:30)
Mahlon(sick)
the first husband of Ruth; son of Eiimelech and Naomi. (Ruth 1:2,5;
4:9,10) comp. 1Sam 17:12
Mahol(dancing),
the father of the four men most famous for wisdom next to Solomon
himself. (1 Kings 4:31; 1 Chronicles 2:6)
Makaz(end),
a place, apparently a town, named once only-- (1 Kings 4:9)--in the:
specification of the jurisdiction of Solomon a commissariat officer,
Ben-Dekar. Makaz has not been discovered.
Makheloth(place
of assemblies), a place mentioned only in (Numbers 33:26) as that of a
desert encampment of the Israelites.
Makkedah(place
of shepherds), a place memorable in the annals of the conquest of
Canaan as the scene of the execution by Joshua of the five confederate
kings, (Joshua 10:10-50) who had hidden themselves in a cave at this
place. (It was a royal city of the Canaanites, in the plains of Judah.
Conder identifies it with the modern el-Moghar, 25 miles northwest of
Jerusalem, where are two caves large enough to contain five men each.
Schaff says that "one cave has, curiously enough, five loculi rudely
scooped in its side, and an enthusiast might contend that this was the
very place of sepulchre of the five kings."-ED.)
Maktesh(a
mortar or deep hollow), a place evidently in Jerusalem, the inhabitants
of which are denounced by Zephaniah. (Zephaniah 1:11) Ewald conjectures
that it was the Phoenician quarter" of the city.
Malchishua(king
of help), one of the sons of King Saul. (1 Samuel 14:49; 31:2; 1
Chronicles 8:33; 9:39)
Malchus(king
or kingdom), the name of the servant of the high priest whose right ear
Peter cut off at the time of the Saviour's apprehension in the garden.
(Matthew 26:51; Mark 14:17; Luke 22:49,51; John 18:10)
Maleleel,
Or Mahalaleelthe
son of Cainan. (Genesis 5:12) marg.; Luke 3:37
Mallothi(my
fullness), a Kohathite, one of the fourteen sons of Heman the singer.
(1 Chronicles 25:4,26)
Mallows(Job
30:4)
Malluch(counsellor).
+A Levite of the family of Merari, and ancestor of Ethan the singer (1
Chronicles 6:44)
+One of the sons of Bani. (Ezra 10:29) and
+One of the descendants of Harim, (Ezra 10:32) who had married foreign
wives.
+A priest or family of priests. (Nehemiah 10:4) and
+One of the heads of the people who signed the covenant with Nehemiah.
(Nehemiah 10:27)
+One of the families of priests who returned with Zerubbabel, (Nehemiah
12:2) probably the same as No. 4.
Mamaiasapparently
the same with [837]Shemaiah in (Ezra 8:16)
Mammon(riches)
(Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:9) a word which often occurs in the Chaldee
Terguma of Onkelos and later writers, and in the Syriac version, and
which signifies "riches." It is used in St. Matthew as a
personification of riches.
Mamre(strength,
fatness) an ancient Amorite, who with his brothers, Eshcol and Aner,
was in alliance with Abram, (Genesis 14:13,51) and under the shade of
whose oak grove the patriarch dwelt in the interval between his
residence at Bethel and at Beersheba. ch. (Genesis 13:18; 18:1) In the
subsequent chapters Mamre is a mere local appellation. ch, (Genesis
23:17,19; 25:9; 49:30; 50:13)
ManFour
Hebrew terms are rendered "man" in the Authorized Version:
+Adam, the name of the man created in the image of God. It appears to
be derived from adam, "he or it was red or ruddy," like Edom. This was
the generic term for the human race.
+Ish, "man," as distinguished from woman, husband.
+Geber, "a man," from gabar, "to be strong," generally with reference
to his strength.
+Methim, "men," always masculine. Perhaps it may be derived from the
root muth, "he died."
Manaen(comforter)
is mentioned in (Acts 13:1) as one of the teachers and prophets in the
church at Antioch at the time of the appointment of Saul and Barnabas
as missionaries to the heathen. He is said to have been brought up with
Herod Antipas. He was probably his foster-brother.
Manahath(rest)
one of the sons of Shobal, and descendant of Seir the Horite. (Genesis
36:23; 1 Chronicles 1:40) (rest), a place named in (1 Chronicles 8:6)
only in connection with the genealogies of the tribe of Benjamin.
Manahetbites(inhabitants
of Mannahath), The. "Half the Manahethites" are named in the
genealogies of Judah as descended from Shobal, the father of
Kirjath-jearim (1 Chronicles 2:52) and half from Salma, the founder of
Bethlehem. ver. 54.
Manasseh(forgetting).
+The thirteenth king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, (2 Kings 21:1) ascended
the throne at the age of twelve, and reigned 55 years, from B.C. 608 to
642. His accession was the signal for an entire change in the religious
administration of the kingdom. Idolatry was again established to such
an extent that every faith was tolerated but the old faith of Israel.
The Babylonian alliance which the king formed against Assyria resulted
in his being made prisoner and carried off to Babylon in the
twenty-second year of his reign, according to a Jewish tradition. There
his eyes were opened and he repented, and his prayer was heard and the
Lord delivered him, (2 Chronicles 33:12,13) and he returned after some
uncertain interval of time to Jerusalem. The altar of the Lord was
again restored, and peace offerings and thank offerings were sacrificed
to Jehovah. (2 Chronicles 38:15,16) But beyond this the reformation did
not go. On his death, B.C. 642, he was buried as Ahaz had been, not
with the burial of a king, in the sepulchres of the house of David, but
in the garden of Uzza, (2 Kings 21:26) and long afterward, in suite of
his repentance, the Jews held his name in abhorrence.
+One of the descendants of Pahathmoab, who in the days of Ezra had
married a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:30)
+One of the laymen, of the family of Hashum who put away his foreign
wife at Ezra command. (Ezra 10:33) (forgetting), the eldest son of
Joseph, (Genesis 41:51; 46:20) born 1715-10 B.C. Both he and Ephraim
were born before the commencement of the famine. He was placed after
his younger brother, Ephraim, by his grandfather Jacob, when he adopted
them into his own family, and made them heads of tribes. Whether the
elder of the two sons was inferior in form or promise to the younger,
or whether there was any external reason to justify the preference of
Jacob, we are not told. In the division of the promised land half of
the tribe of Manasseh settled east of the Jordan in the district
embracing the hills of Gilead with their inaccessible heights and
impassable ravines, and the almost impregnable tract of Argob. (Joshua
13:29-33) Here they throve exceedingly, pushing their way northward
over the rich plains of Jaulan and Jedur to the foot of Mount Hermon.
(1 Chronicles 5:23) But they gradually assimilated themselves with the
old inhabitants of the country, and on them descended the punishment
which was ordained to he the inevitable consequence of such misdoing.
They, first of all Israel, were carried away by Pul and
Tiglath-pileser, and settled in the Assyrian territories. (1 Chronicles
5:25,26) The other half tribe settled to the west of the Jordan, north
of Ephraim. (Joshua 17:1) ... For further particulars see [838]Ephraim,
[839]Ephraim.
Manasses
+Manasseh, king of Judah. (Matthew 1:10)
+Manasseh the son of Joseph. (Revelation 7:6)
Manassites,
Thethat
is, the members of the tribe of Manasseh. (4:43; Judges 12:4; 2 Kings
10:33)
Mandrakes(Heb.
dudraim) are mentioned in (Genesis 30:14,16) and in Song 7:13 The
mandrake, Atropa mandragora, is closely allied to the well-known deadly
nightshade, A. bellndonna, and to the tomato, and belongs to the order
Solanaceae, or potato family. It grows in Palestine and Mesopotamia.
(It grows low, like lettuce, which its leaves somewhat resemble, except
that they are of a dark green. The flowers are purple,and the root is
usually forked. Its fruit when ripe (early in May) is about the size of
a small apple, 24 inches in diameter, ruddy or yellow and of a most
agreeable odor (to Orientals more than to Europeans) and an equally
agreeable taste. The Arabs call it "devil's apple," from its power to
excite voluptuousness. Dr. Richardson ("Lectures on Alcohol," 1881)
tried some experiments with wine made of the root of mandrake, and
found it narcotic, causing sleep, so that the ancients used it as an
anaesthetic. Used in small quantities like opium, it excites the
nerves, and is a stimulant.--ED.)
Maneh(a
portion (by weight)). [[840]Weights And Measures AND [841]Measures]
MangerThis
word occurs only in (Luke 2:7,12,16) in connection with the birth of
Christ. It means a crib or feeding trough; but according to Schleusner
its real signification in the New Testament is the open court-yard
attached to the inn or khan, in which the cattle would be shut at
night, and where the poorer travellers might unpack their animals and
take up their lodging, when they mere either by want of means excluded
from the house.
Manna(what
is this?) (Heb. man). The most important passages of the Old Testament
on this topic are the following: (Exodus 16:14-36; Numbers 11:7-9;
11:5,16; Joshua 5:12; Psalms 78:24; 25) From these passages we learn
that the manna came every morning except the Sabbath, in the form of a
small round seed resembling the hear frost that it must be gathered
early, before the sun became so hot as to melt it; that it must be
gathered every day except the Sabbath; that the attempt to lay aside
for a succeeding day, except on the clay immediately preceding the
Sabbath, failed by the substance becoming wormy and offensive; that it
was prepared for food by grinding and baking; that its taste was like
fresh oil, and like wafers made with honey, equally agreeable to all
palates; that the whole nation, of at least 2,000,000, subsisted upon
it for forty years; that it suddenly ceased when they first got the new
corn of the land of Canaan; and that it was always regarded as a
miraculous gift directly from God, and not as a product of nature. The
natural products of the Arabian deserts and other Oriental regions
which bear the name of manna have not the qualities or uses ascribed to
the manna of Scripture. The latter substance was undoubtedly wholly
miraculous, and not in any respect a product of nature, though its name
may have come from its resemblance to the natural manna The substance
now called manna in the Arabian desert through which the Israelites
passed is collected in the month of June from the tarfa or tamarisk
shrub (Tamarix gallica). According to Burckhardt it drops from the
thorns on the sticks and leaves with which the ground is covered, and
must be gathered early in the day or it will be melted by the sun. The
Arabs cleanse and boil it, strain it through a cloth and put it in
leathern bottles; and in this way it can be kept uninjured for several
years. They use it like honey or butter with their unleavened bread,
but never make it into cakes or eat it by itself. The whole harvest,
which amounts to only five or six hundred pounds, is consumed by the
Bedouins, "who," says Schaff consider it the greatest dainty their
country affords." The manna of European commerce conies mostly from
Calabria and Sicily. It's gathered during the months of June and July
from some species of ash (Ornus europaea and O. rotundifolia), from
which it drops in consequence of a puncture by an insect resembling the
locust, but distinguished from it by having a sting under its body. The
substance is fluid at night and resembles the dew but in the morning it
begins to harden.
Manoah(rest),
the father of Samson; a Danite, native of the town of Zorah. (Judges
13:2) (B.C. 1161) [[842]Samson]
Manslayerone
who kills another unintentionally, and is thus distinguished from a
murderer, who kills with malice aforethought. The cases of manslaughter
mentioned in Scripture appear to be a sufficient indication of the
intention of the lawgiver.
+Death by a blow in a sudden quarrel. (Numbers 35:22)
+Death by a stone or missile thrown at random. Ibid. (Numbers 35:22,23)
+By the blade of an axe flying from its handle. (19:5) In all these and
the like cases the manslayer was allowed to retire to a city of refuge.
A thief overtaken at night in the act of stealing might lawfully be put
to death, but if the sun had risen the killing him was to be regarded
as murder. (Exodus 22:2,8)
Mantlethe
word employed in the Authorized Version to translate no less than four
Hebrew terms, entirely distinct and independent in both derivation and
meaning.
+(Judges 4:18) the garment with which Jael covered Sisera.
+Rendered "mantle" in (1 Samuel 15:27; 28:14; Ezra 9:3,5) etc. This
word is in other passages of the Authorized Version rendered "coat,"
"cloak" and "robe."
+(Isaiah 3:22) only. Apparently some article of a lady's dress.
+(1 Kings 19:13,19; 2 Kings 2:8,13,14) The sole garment of the prophet
Elijah. It was probably of sheepskin, such as is worn by the modern
dervishes.
Maoch(oppression)
the father of Achish king of Gath, with whom David took refuge. (1
Samuel 27:2)
Maon(habitation),
one of the cities of the tribe of Judah, in the district of the
mountains. (Joshua 15:55) Its interest for us lies in its connection
with David. (1 Samuel 23:24,25) The name of Maon still exists in Main,
a lofty conical hill, south of and about seven miles distant from
Hebron.
Maonites,
Thea
people mentioned in one of the addresses of Jehovah to the repentant
Israelites, (Judges 10:12) elsewhere in the Authorized Version called
Mehunim.
Mara(sad,
bitter), the name which Naomi adopted in the exclamation forced from
her by the recognition of her fellow citizens at Bethlehem. (Ruth 1:20)
Marah(bitterness),
a place which lay in the wilderness of Shur or Etham, three days
journey distant, (Exodus 15:23; Numbers 33:8) from the place at which
the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and where was a spring of bitter
water, sweetened subsequently by the casting in of a tree which "the
Lord showed" to Moses. Howarah, distant 16 1/2 hours (47 miles) from
Ayoun Mousa, the Israelites' first encampment, has been by many
identified with it, apparently because it is the bitterest water in the
neighborhood.
Maralah(trembling)
one of the land marks on the boundary of the tribe of Zebulun. (Joshua
19:11)
Maranathaan
Aramaic or Syriac expression used by St. Paul at the conclusion of his
first Epistle to the Corinthians, ch. (1 Corinthians 16:22) signifying
"our Lord cometh."
MarbleThe
Hebrew shesh, the generic term for marble, may probably be taken to
mean almost any shining stone. The so-called marble of Solomon's
architectural works may thus have been limestone. There can be no doubt
that Herod both in the temple and elsewhere employed Parian or other
marble. The marble pillars and tesserae of various colors of the palace
at Susa came doubtless from Persia. (Esther 1:8)
Marcheshvan[[843]Month]
Marcusthe
evangelist Mark. (Colossians 4:10); Phle 1:24; 1Pet 5:13 [[844]Mark]
Mareshah,
Or Mareshah(crest
of a hill), one of the cities of Judah in the low country. (Joshua
15:44) It was one of the cities fortified and garrisoned by Rehoboam
after the rupture with the northern kingdom. (2 Chronicles 11:8) Near
it was fought the great battle between Asa and Zerah. (2 Chronicles
14:9-12) It is mentioned once or twice in the history of the Maccabaean
war of independence. 2 Macc. 12:35. About 110 B.C. it was taken from
the Idumaeans by John Hyrcanus. It was in ruins in the fourth century,
when Eusebius and Jerome describe it as in the second mile from
Eleutheropolis. South-southwest of Beitjibrin--in all probability
Eleutheropolis-and it little over a Roman mile therefrom is a site
called Marash, which is possibly the representative of the ancient
Mareshah.
Markone
of the evangelists, and probable author of the Gospel bearing his name.
(Marcus was his Latin surname. His Jewish name was John, which is the
same as Johanan (the grace of God). We can almost trace the steps
whereby the former became his prevalent name in the Church. "John,
whose surname was Mark" in (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37) becomes "John" alone
in (Acts 13:5,13) "Mark" in (Acts 15:39) and thenceforward there is no
change. (Colossians 4:10); Phlm 1:24; 2Tim 4:11 The evangelist was the
son of a certain Mary, a Jewish matron of some position who dwelt in
Jerusalem, (Acts 12:12) and was probably born of a Hellenistic family
in that city. Of his father we know nothing; but we do know that the
future evangelist was cousin of Barnabas of Cyprus, the great friend of
St. Paul. His mother would seem to have been intimately acquainted with
St. Peter, and it was to her house, as to a familiar home, that the
apostle repaired, A.D. 44, after his deliverance from prison (Acts
12:12) This fact accounts for St. Mark's intimate acquaintance with
that apostle, to whom also he probably owed his conversion, for St.
Peter calls him his son. (1 Peter 5:13) We hear Of him for the first
time in Acts 15:25 where we find him accompanying and Barnabas on their
return from Jerusalem to Antioch, A.D. 45. He next comes before us on
the occasion of the earliest missionary journey of the same apostles,
A.D. 48, when he joined them as their "minister." (Acts 13:8) With them
he visited Cyprus; but at Perga in Pamphylia, (Acts 13:13) when they
were about to enter upon the more arduous part of their mission, he
left them, and, for some unexplained reason, returned to Jerusalem to
his mother and his home. Notwithstanding this, we find him at Paul's
side during that apostle's first imprisonment at Rome, A.D. 61-63, and
he Is acknowledged by him as one of his few fellow laborers who had
been a "comfort" to him during the weary hours of his imprisonment.
(Colossians 4:10,11); Phle 1:24 We next have traces of him in (1 Peter
5:13) "The church that is in Babylon ... saluteth you, and so doth
Marcus my son." From this we infer that he joined his spiritual father,
the great friend of his mother, at Babylon, then and for same hundred
years afterward one of the chief seats of Jewish culture. From Babylon
he would seem to have returned to Asia Minor; for during his second
imprisonment A.D. 68 St. Paul, writing to Timothy charges him to bring
Mark with him to me, on the ground that he was "profitable to him For
the ministry." (2 Timothy 4:11) From this point we gain no further
information from the New Testament respecting the evangelist. It is
most probable, however that he did join the apostle at Rome whither
also St. Peter would seem to have proceeded, and suffered martyrdom
with St. Paul. After the death of these two great pillars of the
Church; ecclesiastical tradition affirms that St. Mark visited Egypt,
founded the church of Alexandria, and died by martyrdom.--Condensed
from Cambridge Bible for Schools.--ED.)
Mark,
Gospel Of
+By whom written.--The author of this Gospel has been universally
believed to be Mark or Marcus, designated in (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37) as
John Mark, and in ch. 5,13 as John.
+When is was written.--Upon this point nothing absolutely certain can
be affirmed, and the Gospel itself affords us no information. The most
direct testimony is that of Irenaeus, who says it was after the death
of the apostles Peter and Paul. We may conclude, therefore, that this
Gospel was not written before A.D. 63. Again we may as certainly
conclude that it was not written after the destruction of Jerusalem,
for it is not likely that he would have omitted to record so remarkable
a fulfillment of our Lord's predictions. Hence A.D. 63-70 becomes our
limit, but nearer than this we cannot go.--Farrar.
+Where it was written .--As to the place, the weight of testimony is
uniformly in favor of the belief that the Gospel was written and
published at Rome. In this Clement, Eusebius, Jerome, Epiphanius, all
agree. Chrysostom, indeed, asserts that it was published at Alexandria;
but his statement receives no confirmation, as otherwise it could not
fail to have done, from any Alexandrine writer.--Farrar.
+In what language.--As to the language in which it was written, there
never has been any reasonable doubt that it was written in Greek.
+Sources of information .--Mark was not one of the twelve; and there is
no reason to believe that he was an eye and ear witness of the events
which he has recorded but an almost unanimous testimony of the early
fathers indicates Peter as the source of his information. The most
important of these testimonies is that of Papias, who says, "He, the
Presbyter (John), said, Mark, being the Interpreter of Peter, wrote
exactly whatever he remembered but he did not write in order the things
which were spoken or done by Christ. For he was neither a hearer nor a
follower of the Lord, but, as I said, afterward followed Peter, who
made his discourses to suit what was required, without the view of
giving a connected digest of the discourses of our Lord. Mark,
therefore, made no mistakes when he wrote down circumstances as he
recollected them; for he was very careful of one thing, to omit nothing
of what he heard, and to say nothing false in what he related." Thus
Papias writes of Mark. This testimony is confirmed by other
witnesses.--Abbott.
+For whom it was written.--The traditional statement is that it was
intended primarily for Gentiles, and especially for those at Rome. A
review of the Gospel itself confirms this view.
+Characteristics .-- (1) Mark's Gospel is occupied almost entirely with
the ministry in Galilee and the events of the passion week. It is the
shortest of the four Gospels, and contains almost no incident or
teaching which is not contained in one of the other two synoptists; but
(2) it is by far the most vivid and dramatic in its narratives, and
their pictorial character indicates not only that they were derived
from an eye and ear witness, but also from one who possessed the
observation and the graphic artistic power of a natural orator such as
Peter emphatically was. (3) One peculiarity strikes us the moment we
open it,--the absence of any genealogy of our Lord. This is the key to
much that follows. It is not the design of the evangelist to present
our Lord to us, like St. Matthew as the Messiah, "the son of David and
Abraham," ch. 1:1, or, like St. Luke, as the universal Redeemer, "the
son of Adam, which was the son of God." ch. 3:38. (4) His design is to
present him to us as the incarnate and wonder-working Son of God,
living and acting among men; to portray him in the fullness of his
living energy.--Cambridge Bible for Schools.
Market
Of Appius(Acts
28:15) In the Revised Version for Appii Forum of the Authorized
Version, which see.
Marketplaces(Matthew
20:3; Mark 12:38; Luke 7:35; Acts 16:19) (any open place of public
resort in cities or towns where public trials and assemblies were held
and goods were exposed for sale. "The market-places or bazaars of the
East were, and are at this day, the constant resort of unoccupied
people, the idle, the news-mongers."--Hackett s Ill. S.S.--ED.)
Maroth(bitterness),
one of the towns of the western lowland of Judah. (Micah 1:12)
Marriage
+Its origin and history .--The institution of marriage dates from the
time of man's original creation. (Genesis 2:18-25) From (Genesis 2:24)
we may evolve the following principles: (1) The unity of man and wife,
as implied in her being formed out of man. (2) The indissolubleness of
the marriage bond, except on; the strongest grounds, Comp. (Matthew
19:9) (3) Monogamy, as the original law of marriage (4) The social
equality of man and wife. (5) The subordination of the wife to the
husband. (1 Corinthians 11:8,9; 1 Timothy 2:13) (6) The respective
duties of man and wife. In the patriarchal age polygamy prevailed,
(Genesis 16:4; 25:1,8; 28:9; 29:23,26; 1 Chronicles 7:14) but to a
great extent divested of the degradation which in modern times attaches
to that practice. Divorce also prevailed in the patriarchal age, though
but one instance of it is recorded. (Genesis 21:14) The Mosaic law
discouraged polygamy, restricted divorce, and aimed to enforce purity
of life. It was the best civil law possible at the time, and sought to
bring the people up to the pure standard of the moral law. In the
Post-Babylonian period monogamy appears to have become more prevalent
than at any previous time. The practice of polygamy nevertheless still
existed; Herod the Great had no less than nine wives at one time. The
abuse of divorce continued unabated. Our Lord and his apostles
re-established the integrity and sanctity of the marriage bond by the
following measures: (a) By the confirmation of the original charter of
marriage as the basis on which all regulations were to be framed.
(Matthew 19:4,5) (b) By the restriction of divorce to the case of
fornication, and the prohibition of remarriage in all persons divorced
on improper grounds. (Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Romans 7:3; 1 Corinthians
7:10,11) (c) By the enforcement of moral purity generally (Hebrews
13:4) etc., and especial formal condemnation of fornication. (Acts
15:20)
+The conditions of legal marriage .--In the Hebrew commonwealth
marriage was prohibited (a) between an Israelite and a non-Israelite.
There were three grades of prohibition: total in regard to the
Canaanites on either side; total on the side of the males in regard to
the Ammonites and Moabites; and temporary on the side of the males in
regard to the Edomites and Egyptians, marriages with females in the two
latter instances being regarded as legal. The progeny of illegal
marriages between Israelites and non-Israelites was described as
"bastard." (23:2) (b) between an Israelite and one of his own
community. The regulations relative to marriage between Israelites and
Israelites were based on considerations of relationship. The most
important passage relating to these is contained in (Leviticus 18:6-18)
wherein we have in the first place a general prohibition against
marriage between a man and the "flesh of his flesh," and in the second
place special prohibitions against marriage with a mother, stepmother,
sister or half-sister, whether "born at home or abroad," granddaughter,
aunt, whether by consanguinity on either side or by marriage on the
father's side, daughter in-law, brother's wife, stepdaughter, wife's
mother, stepgranddaughter, or wife's sister during the lifetime of the
wife. An exception is subsequently made, (26:5-9) in favor of marriage
with a brother's wife in the event of his having died childless. The
law which regulates this has been named the "levirate," from the Latin
levir, "brother-in-law."
+The modes by which marriage was effected .--The choice of the bride
devolved not on the bridegroom himself, but on his relations or on a
friend deputed by the bridegroom for this purpose. The consent of the
maiden was sometimes asked (Genesis 24:58) but this appears to have
been subordinate to the previous consent of the father and the adult
brothers. (Genesis 24:51; 34:11) Occasionally the whole business of
selecting the wife was left in the hands of a friend. The selection of
the bride was followed by the espousal, which was a formal proceeding
undertaken by a friend or legal representative on the part of the
bridegroom and by the parents on the part of the bride; it was
confirmed by oaths, and accompanied with presents to the bride. The act
of betrothal was celebrated by a feast, and among the more modern Jews
it is the custom in some parts for the bride. groom to place a ring on
the bride's finger. The ring was regarded among the Hebrews as a token
of fidelity (Genesis 41:42) and of adoption into a family. (Luke 15:25)
Between the betrothal sad the marriage so interval elapsed, varying
from a few days in the patriarchal age, (Genesis 24:55) to a full year
for virgins and a month for widows in later times. During this period
the bride-elect lived with her friends, and all communication between
herself and her future husband was carried on through the medium of a
friend deputed for the purpose, termed the "friend of the bridegroom."
(John 3:29) She was now virtually regarded as the wife of her future
husband; hence faithlessness on her part was punishable with death,
(22:23,24) the husband having, however, the option of "putting her
away." (24:1; Matthew 1:19) The essence of the marriage ceremony
consisted in the removal of the bride from her father's house to that
of the bridegroom or his father. The bridegroom prepared himself for
the occasion by putting on a festive dress, and especially by placing
on his head a handsome nuptial turban. (Psalms 45:8; Song of Solomon
4:10,11) The bride was veiled. Her robes were white, (Revelation 19:8)
and sometimes embroidered with gold thread, (Psalms 45:13,14) and
covered with perfumes! (Psalms 45:8) she was further decked out with
jewels. (Isaiah 49:18; 61:10; Revelation 21:2) When the fixed hour
arrived, which was, generally late in the evening, the bridegroom set
forth from his house, attended by his groomsmen (Authorized Version
"companions," (Judges 14:11) "children of the bride-chamber," (Matthew
9:15) preceded by a band of musicians or singers, (Genesis 31:27;
Jeremiah 7:34; 16:9) and accompanied by persons hearing flambeaux,
(Jeremiah 25:10) 2 Esdr. 10:2; (Matthew 25:7; Revelation 18:23) and
took the bride with the friends to his own house. At the house a feast
was prepared, to which all the friends and neighbors were invited,
(Genesis 29:22; Matthew 22:1-10; Luke 14:8; John 2:2) and the
festivities were protracted for seven or even fourteen days. (Judges
14:12; Job 8:19) The guests were provided by the host with fitting
robes, (Matthew 22:11) and the feast was enlivened with riddles,
(Judges 14:12) and other amusements. The last act in the ceremonial was
the conducting of the bride to the bridal chamber, (Judges 15:1; Joel
2:16) where a canopy was prepared. (Psalms 19:5; Joel 2:16) The bride
was still completely veiled, so that the deception practiced on Jacob,
(Genesis 29:23) was not difficult. A newly married man was exempt from
military service, or from any public business which might draw him away
from his home, for the space of a year, (24:5) a similar privilege was
granted to him who was 'betrothed. (20:7)
+The social and domestic conditions of married life .--The wife must
have exercised an important influence in her own home. She appears to
have taken her part in family affairs, and even to have enjoyed a
considerable amount of independence. (Judges 4:18; 1 Samuel 25:14; 2
Kings 4:8) etc. In the New Testament the mutual relations of husband
and wife are a subject of frequent exhortation. (Ephesians 5:22,33;
Colossians 3:18,19; Titus 2:4,5; 1 Peter 3:1-7) The duties of the wife
in the Hebrew household were multifarious; in addition to the general
superintendence of the domestic arrangements, such as cooking, from
which even women of rank were not exempt. (Genesis 18:8; 2 Samuel 13:5)
and the distribution of food at meal times, (Proverbs 31:13) the
manufacture of the clothing and of the various fabrics required in her
home devolved upon her, (Proverbs 31:13,21,22) and if she were a model
of activity and skill, she produced a surplus of fine linen shirts and
girdles, which she sold and so, like a well-freighted merchant ship,
brought in wealth to her husband from afar. (Proverbs 31:14,24) The
legal rights of the wife are noticed in (Exodus 21:10) under the three
heads of food, raiment, and duty of marriage or conjugal right.
+The allegorical and typical allusions to marriage have exclusive
reference to one object, viz., to exhibit the spiritual relationship
between God and his people. In the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah
3:14; Hosea 2:19) In the New Testament the image of the bridegroom is
transferred from Jehovah to Christ, (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29) and that
of the bride to the Church, (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:7;
21:2,9)
Mars
Hillthe
hill of Mars or Ares, better known by the name of Areopagus, of which
hill of Mars or Ares is a translation. The Areopagus was a rocky height
in Athens, opposite the western end of the Acropolis. It rises
gradually from the northern end, and terminates abruptly on the south,
over against the Acropolis, at which point it is about fifty or sixty
feet above the valley. The spot is memorable as the place of meeting of
the Council of Areopagus. This body existed as a criminal tribunal
before the time of Solon, and was the most ancient and venerable of all
the Athenian courts. It consisted of all persons who had held the
office of archon, and who were members of the council for life unless
expelled for misconduct. Before the time of Solon the court tried only
cases of willful murder, wounding, poison, and arson: but he gave it
extensive powers of a censorial and political nature. The council
continued to exist even under the Roman emperors. Its meetings were
held on the southeastern summit of the rock. The Areopagus possesses
peculiar interest to the Christian as the spot from which St. Paul
delivered his memorable address to the men of Athens. (Acts 17:22-31)
St. Paul "disputed daily" in the "market" or agora, (Acts 17:17) which
was situated south of the Areopagus in the valley lying between this
and the hills of the Acropolis, the Pnyx and the Museum. Attracting
more and more attention, "certain philosophers of the Epicureans and
Stoics" brought him up from the valley, probably by the stone steps, to
the Areopagus above, that they might listen to him more conveniently.
Marsena(worthy),
one of the seven of Persia, "wise men which knew the times," which saw
the king's face and sat first in the kingdom. (Esther 1:14)
Martha(a
lady), the sister of Lazarus and Mary. [[845]Lazarus] The facts
recorded in Luke 10 and John 11 indicate a character devout after the
customary Jewish type of devotion, sharing in Messianic hopes and
accepting Jesus as the Christ. When she first comes before us, (Luke
10:38) her spirit is "cumbered with much serving," is "careful and
troubled about many things." Her love, though imperfect in its form, is
yet recognized as true, and she has the distinction of being one whom
Jesus loved. (John 11:5) Her position is obviously that of the elder
sister the head and manager of the household. In the supper at Bethany
(John 12:2) the old character shows itself still, but it has been freed
from evil. She is no longer "cumbered," no longer impatient. Activity
has been calmed by trust.
Marya
Roman Christian who is greeted by St. Paul in his Epistle to the
Romans, ch. (Romans 16:6) as having toiled hard for him. (a tear) of
Cle'ophas. So in Authorized Version, but accurately "of Clopas," i.e.
the wife of Clopas (or Alphaeus). She is brought before us for the
first time on the day of the crucifixion, standing by the cross. (John
19:25) In the evening of the same day we find her sitting desolate at
the tomb with Mary Magdalene, (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47) and at the
dawn of Easter morning she was again there with sweet spices, which she
had prepared on the Friday night, (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56)
and was one of those who had "a vision of angels, which said that he
was alive." (Luke 24:23) She had four sons and at least three
daughters. The names of the daughters are unknown to us; those of the
sons are, James, Joses, Jude and Simon, two of whom became enrolled
among the twelve apostles [[846]James The Less], and a third
[[847]Simon] may have succeeded his brother ill charge of the church of
Jerusalem. By many she is thought to have been the sister of the Virgin
Mary.
Mary
MagdaleneDifferent
explanations have been given of this name; but the most natural is that
she came from the town of Magdala. She appears before us for the first
time in (Luke 8:2) among the women who "ministered unto him of their
substance." All appear to have occupied a position of comparative
wealth. With all the chief motive was that of gratitude for their
deliverance from "evil spirits and infirmities." Of Mary it is said
specially that "seven devils went out of her," and the number indicates
a possession of more than ordinary malignity. She was present during
the closing hours of the agony on the cross. (John 19:25) She remained
by the cross till all was over, and waited till the body was taken down
and placed in the garden sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathaea, (Matthew
27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55) when she, with Salome and Mary the
mother of James, "bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint"
the body. (Mark 16:1) The next morning accordingly. in the earliest
dawn, (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2) they came with Mary the mother of James
to the sepulchre. Mary Magdalene had been to the tomb and had found it
empty, and had seen the "vision of angels." (Matthew 28:5; Mark 16:6)
To her first of all Jesus appeared after his resurrection. (John
20:14,15) Mary Magdalene has become the type of a class of repentant
sinners; but there is no authority for identifying her with the
"sinner" who anointed the feet of Jesus in (Luke 7:36-50) neither is
there any authority for the supposition that Mary Magdalene is the same
as the sister of Lazarus. Neither of these theories has the slightest
foundation in fact.
Mary
The Virginthe
mother of our Lord. There is no person perhaps in sacred or profane
history around whom so many legends have been grouped a the Virgin
Mary; and there are few whose authentic history is more concise. She
was, like Joseph, of the tribe of Judah and of the lineage of David.
(Psalms 132:11; Luke 1:32; Romans 1:3) She had a sister, named, like
herself, (John 19:25) and she was connected by marriage, (Luke 1:36)
with Elizabeth, who was of the tribe of Levi and of the lineage of
Aaron. This is all that we know of her antecedents. She was betrothed
to Joseph of Nazareth; but before her marriage she became with child by
the Holy Ghost, and became the mother of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of
the world. Her history at this time, her residence at Bethlehem, flight
to Egypt, and return to her early home st Nazareth, are well known.
Four times only does she appear after the commencement of Christ's
ministry. These four occasions are--
+The marriage at Cana in Galilee took place in the three months which
intervened between the baptism of Christ and the passover of the year
27. Mary was present, and witnessed the first miracle performed by
Christ, when he turned the water into wine. She had probably become a
widow before this time.
+Capernaum, (John 2:12) and Nazareth, (Matthew 4:13; 13:54; Mark 6:1)
appear to have been the residence of Mary for a considerable period.
The next time that she is brought before us we find her at Capernaum,
where she, with other relatives, had gone to inquire about the strange
stories they had heard of her son Jesus. They sought an audience with
our Lord, which was not granted, as he refused to admit any authority
on the part of his relatives, or any privilege on account of their
relationship.
+The next scene in Mary's life brings us to the foot of the cross. With
almost his last words Christ commended his mother to the care of him
who had borne the name of the disciple whom Jesus loved: "Woman, behold
thy son." And front that hour St. John assures us that he took her to
his own abode. So far as Mary is portrayed to us in Scripture, she is,
as we should have expected the most tender, the most faithful humble,
patient and loving of women, but a woman still.
+In the days succeeding the ascension of Christ Mary met with the
disciples in the upper room, (Acts 1:14) waiting for the coming of the
Holy Spirit with power.
Mary,
Mother Of Mark(Colossians
4:10) was sister to Barnabas. (Acts 4:36; 12:15) She was among the
earliest disciples, and lived at Jerusalem. She gave up her house to be
used as one of the chief places of meeting. The fact that Peter went to
that house on his release from prison indicates that there was some
special intimacy, (Acts 12:12) between them. (There is a tradition that
the place of meeting of the disciples, and hence Mary's house, was on
the upper slope of Zion, and that it was here that the Holy Ghost came
upon the disciples with tongues of flame on the day of Pentecost.--ED.)
Mary,
Sister Of LazarusShe
and her sister Martha appear in (Luke 10:40) as receiving Christ in
their house. Mary sat listening eagerly for every word that fell from
the divine Teacher. She had chosen that good part, the "one thing
needful." The same character shows itself in the history of (John 11:1)
... Her grief was deeper, but less active. Her first thought, when she
saw the Teacher in whose power and love she that trusted, was one of
complaint. But the great joy and love which her brother's return to
life called up in her poured themselves out in larger measure than had
been seen before. The treasured alabaster box of ointment was brought
forth at the final feast of Bethany. (John 12:3)
Maschil(song
of wisdom), the title of thirteen Psalms
32,45,44,45,52-55,74,78,68,69,142 Ewald regards (Psalms 47:7)
(Authorized Version, "sing ye praises with understanding; " Heb.
maschil) as the key to the meaning of maschil, which in his opinion is
a musical term denoting a melody requiring great skill in its execution.
Mash(drawn
out), one of the sons of Aram. (Genesis 10:23) In (1 Chronicles 1:17)
the name appears as Meshech. The name Mash is probably represented by
the Mons Masius of classical writers, a range which forms the northern
boundary of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates.
Mashal(entreaty),
the same as Misheal or Mishal. (1 Chronicles 6:74)
Massa(burden),
a son of Ishmael. (Genesis 26:14; 1 Chronicles 1:30) His descendants
were not improbably the Masani, placed by Ptolemy in the east of
Arabia, near the borders of Babylonia.
Massah(temptation),
a name given to the spot, also called Meribah, where the Israelites
tempted Jehovah. (Exodus 16:7; Psalms 95:8,9; Hebrews 3:8)
Massrekah(vineyard
of noble vines), an ancient place, the native spot of Samiah, one of
the old king of the Edomites. (Genesis 36:36; 1 Chronicles 1:47)
Mathusala=
[848]Methuselah, the son of Enoch. (Luke 3:37)
Matithiah(gift
of God).
+A Levite who presided over the offerings made in the pans. (1
Chronicles 9:31) comp. Levi 6:20 (Levi 6:12) etc.
+One of the Levites appointed by David to minister before the ark in
the musical service, (1 Chronicles 16:5) "with harps upon Sheminith,"
comp. (1 Chronicles 16:21) to lead the choir. (1 Chronicles 15:18,21;
26:3,21)
+One of the family of Nebo who had married a foreign wife, in the days
of Ezra. (Ezra 10:43)
+Probably a priest, who stood at the right hand of Ezra when he read
the law to the people. (Ezra 8:4)
Matred(pushing
forward) daughter of Mezahab and mother of Mehetabel, who was wife of
Hadar or Hadad of Pau, king of Edom. (Genesis 36:39; 1 Chronicles 1:50)
Matri(rain
of Jehovah), a family of the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul the King
of Israel belonged. (1 Samuel 10:21)
Mattan(a
gift).
+The priest of Baal slain before his altars in the idol temple at
Jerusalem. (2 Kings 11:18; 2 Chronicles 23:17) He probably accompanied
Athalia from Samaria.
+The father of Shephatiah. (Jeremiah 38:1)
Mattanah(gift
of Jehovah), a station the latter part of the wandering of the
Israelites. (Numbers 21:18,19) It was probably situated to the
southeast of the Dead Sea.
Mattaniah(gift
of Jehovah).
+The original name of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was changed when
Nebuchadnezzar placed him on the throne. (2 Kings 24:17)
+A Levite singer of the sons of Asaph. (1 Chronicles 9:15) He was
leader of the temple choir after its restoration, (Nehemiah 11:17;
12:8) in the time of Nehemiah, and took part in the musical service
which accompanied the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah
12:25,35)
+A descendant of Asaph, and ancestor of Jahaziel the Levite, in the
reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 20:14)
+One of the sons of Elam. (Ezra 10:26)
+One of the sons of Zattu. (Ezra 10:27)
+A descendant of Pahath-moab, (Ezra 10:30) and
+One of the sons of Bani. (Ezra 10:37) who all put away their foreign
wives at Ezra's command.
+A Levite, father of Zaccur and ancestor of Hanan the under-treasurer
who had charge of the offerings for the Levites in the time of
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 13:13)
+One of the fourteen sons of Heman, whose office it was to blow the
horns in the temple service appointed by David. (1 Chronicles 25:4,16)
+A descendant of Asaph the Levite minstrel, who assisted in the
purification of the temple in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles
29:13)
Mattathah(gift
of Jehovah), probably a contraction of Mattathiah.
+Son of Nathan and grandson of David, in the genealogy of Christ. (Luke
3:31) (B.C. after 1014.)
+An Israelite, son of Hashun, who divorced his Gentile wife after the
return from Babylon. (Ezekiel 10:33) (B.C. 458.)
Mattathias(gift
of Jehovah), the Greek form of Mattathiah.
+Son of Amos, in the genealogy of Christ. (Luke 3:25) (B.C. after 406.)
+Son of Semei. (Luke 3:26)
+The father of the Maccabees. (B.C. 168 and previous.)
Mattenai(gift
of Jehovah), a contraction of Mattaniah.
+Two Israelites who divorced their Gentile wives after the return from
the Babylonish captivity. (Ezra 10:33,37) (B.C. 469.)
+A priest, son of Joiarib, in the time of Joiakim. (Nehemiah 12:19)
(B.C. after 536.)
Matthan(gift),
grandfather of Joseph the husband of the Virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:15)
Matthat(gift
of God), a form of the name Matthan.
+son of Levi, in the genealogy of Christ. (Luke 3:20) (B.C. after 623.)
+Grandfather of the Virgin Mary. (Luke 3:21)
Matthew(gift
of Jehovah). (A contraction, as is also Matthias, of Mattathias. His
original name was Levi, and his name Matthew was probably adopted as
his new apostolic name was a Jew. His father's name was Alphaeus. His
home was at Capernaum His business was the collection of dues and
customs from persons and goods crossing the Sea of Galilee, or passing
along the great Damascus road which ran along the shore between
Bethsaida, Julius and Capernaum. Christ called him from this work to he
his disciple. He appears to have been a man of wealth, for he made a
great feast in his own house, perhaps in order to introduce his former
companions and friends to Jesus. His business would tend to give him a
knowledge of human nature, and accurate business habits, and of how to
make a way to the hearts of many publicans and sinners not otherwise
easily reached. He is mentioned by name, after the resurrection of
Christ, only in (Acts 1:15) but he must have lived many years as an
apostle, since he was the author of the Gospel of Matthew which was
written at least twenty years later. There is reason to believe that he
remained for fifteen years at Jerusalem, after which he went as
missionary to the Persians, Parthians and Medes. There is a legend that
he died a martyr in Ethiopia.--ED.)
Matthew,
Gospel Of
+Its authorship .--That this Gospel was written by the apostle Matthew
there is no reason to doubt. Seventeen independent witnesses of the
first four centuries attest its genuineness.
+Its original language .--The testimony of the early Church is
unanimous that Matthew wrote originally in the Hebrew language. On the
otherhand doubt is thrown over this opinion, both statements of by an
examination of the fathers and by a consideration of peculiar forms of
language employed in the Gospel itself. The question is unsettled, the
best scholars not agreeing in their Judgment concerning it. If there
was a Hebrew original, it disappeared at a very early age. The Greek
Gospel which we now possess was it is almost certain, written in
Matthew's lifetime; and it is not at all improbable that he wrote the
Gospel in both the Greek and Hebrew languages.--Lyman Abbolt. It is
almost certain that our Lord spoke in Greek with foreigners, but with
his disciples and the Jewish people in Aramaic (a form of language
closely allied to the Hebrew).--Schaff. The Jewish historian Josephus
furnishes an illustration of the fate of the Hebrew original of
Matthew. Josephus himself informs us that he, wrote his great work "The
History of the Jewish Wars," originally in Hebrew, his native tongue,
for the benefit of his own nation, and he afterward translated it into
Greek. No notices of the Hebrew original now survive.--Professor D.S.
Gregory.
+The date .-- The testimony of the early Church is unanimous that
Matthew wrote first of the early Church is among the evangelists.
Irenieus relates that Matthew wrote his Gospel while Peter and Paul
were preaching, and founding the Church at Rome, after A.D. 61. It was
published before the destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 50.--Alford. We
would place our present Gospel between A.D. 60 and 66. If there was an
original Hebrew Gospel, an earlier date belongs to it--Ellicott.
+Its object .-- This Gospel was probably written in Palestine for
Jewish Christians. It is an historical proof that Jesus is the Messiah.
Matthew is the Gospel for the Jew. It is the Gospel of Jesus, the
Messiah of the prophets. This Gospel takes the life of Jesus as it was
lived on earth, and his character as it actually appeared, and places
them alongside the life and character of the Messiah as sketched in the
prophets, the historic by the side of the Prophetic, that the two may
appear in their marvellous unity and in their perfect
identity.--Professor Gregory.
Matthias(gift
of God), the apostle elected to fill the place of the traitor Judas.
(Acts 1:26) All beyond this that we know of him for certainty is that
he had been a constant attendant upon the Lord Jesus during the whole
course of his ministry; for such was declared by St. Peter to be the
necessary qualification of one who was to be a witness of the
resurrection. It is said that he preached the gospel and suffered
martyrdom in Ethiopia.
Mattock(Isaiah
7:25) The tool used in Arabia for loosening the ground, described by
Neibuhr, answers generally to our mattock or grubbing-axe, i.e. a
single-headed pickaxe. The ancient Egyptian hoe was of wood, and
answered for hoe, spade and pick.
Maul(i.e.
a hammer), a sort of battleaxe or hammer, used as an implement of war.
(25:18)
Mauzzim(fortresses).
The marginal note to the Authorized Version of (Daniel 11:38) "the god
of forces," gives as the equivalent of the last word "Mauzzim, or gods
protectors, or munitions." There can be little doubt that mauzzim is to
be taken in its literal sense of "fortresses," just as in (Daniel
11:19,39) "the god of fortresses" being then the deity who presided
over strongholds. The opinion of Gesenius is that "the god of
fortresses" was Jupiter Capitolinus, for whom Antiochus built a temple
at Antioch. Liv. xli. 20.
Mazzaroth(the
twelve signs). The margin of the Authorized Version of (Job 38:32)
gives Mazzaroth as the name of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Meadow
+In (Genesis 41:2,18) meadow appears to be an Egyptian term meaning
some kind of flag or waterplant, as its use in (Job 8:11) (Authorized
Version "flag") seems to show.
+In (Judges 20:33) the sense of the Hebrew word translated meadow is
doubly uncertain. The most plausible interpretation is that of the
Peshito-Syriac, which by a slight difference in the vowel-points makes
the word mearah, "the cave."
Meah(a
hundred), The tower of, one of the towers of the wall of Jerusalem when
rebuilt by Nehemiah, (Nehemiah 3:1; 12:39) appears to have been
situated somewhere at the northeast part of the city, outside of the
walls of Zion.
MealsOur
information on the subject of meals is but scanty. The early Hebrews do
not seem to have given special names to their several meals, for the
terms rendered "dine" and "dinner" in the Authorized Version ((Genesis
43:16; Proverbs 15:17)) are in reality general expressions, which might
more correctly be rendered "eat" and "portion of food." In the New
Testament "dinner" and "supper," (Luke 14:12; John 21:12) are more
properly "breakfast" and "dinner." There is some uncertainty as to the
hours at which meals were taken; the Egyptians undoubtedly took their
principal mean at noon, (Genesis 43:16) laborers took a light meal at
that time. (Ruth 2:14) comp. ver. Ruth 2:17 The Jews rather followed
the custom that prevails among the Bedouins, and made their principal
meal after sunset, and a lighter meal at about 9 or 10 A.M. The old
Hebrews were in the habit of sitting . (Genesis 27:19; Judges 19:6; 1
Samuel 20:5,24; 1 Kings 13:20) The table was in this case but slightly
elevated above the ground, as is still the case in Egypt. As luxury
increased, the practice of sitting was exchanged for that of reclining
was the universal custom. As several guests reclined on the same couch,
each overlapped his neighbor, as it were, and rested his head on or
near the breast of the one who lay behind him; he was then said to
"lean on the bosom" of his neighbor. (John 13:23; 21:20) The ordinary
arrangement of the couches was in three sides of a square, the fourth
being left open for the servants to bring up the dishes. Some doubt
attends the question whether the females took their meals along with
the males. Before commencing the meal the guests washed their hands.
This custom was founded on natural decorum: not only was the hand the
substitute for our knife and for, but the hands of all the guests were
dipped into one and the same dish. Another preliminary step was the
grace or blessing, of which we have but one instance in the Old
Testament-- (1 Samuel 9:13)--and more than one pronounced by our Lord
himself in the new Testament--Matt 15:36; Luke 9:16; John 6:11 The mode
of taking the food differed in no material point from the modern usages
of the East. Generally there was a single dish, into which each guest
dipped his hand. (Matthew 26:23) Occasionally separate portions were
served out to each. (Genesis 43:34; Ruth 2:14; 1 Samuel 1:4) A piece of
bread was held between the thumb and two fingers of the right hand, and
was dipped either into a bowl of melted grease (in which case it was
termed "a sop,") (John 13:26) or into the dish of meat, whence a piece
was conveyed to the mouth between the layers of bread. At the
conclusion of the meal, grace was again said in conformity with (8:10)
and the hands were again washed. On state occasions more ceremony was
used, and the meal was enlivened in various ways. A sumptuous repast
was prepared; the guests were previously invited, (Esther 5:8; Matthew
22:3) and on the day of the feast a second invitation was issued to
those that were bidden. (Esther 6:14; Proverbs 9:3; Matthew 22:4) The
visitors were received with a kiss, (Luke 7:45) water was furnished for
them to wash their feet with, (Luke 7:44) the head, the beard, the
feet, and sometimes the clothes, were perfumed with ointment, (Psalms
23:5; John 12:3) on special occasions robes were provided, (Matthew
22:11) and the head was decorated with wreaths. (Isaiah 28:1) The
regulation of the feast was under the superintendence of a special
officer, (John 2:8) (Authorized Version "governor of the feast"), whose
business it was to taste the food and the liquors before they were
placed on the table, and to settle about the toasts and amusements; he
was generally one of the guests, Ecclus. 32:1,2, and might therefore
take part in the conversation. The places of the guests were settled
according to their respective rand, (Genesis 43:33; Mark 12:39)
portions of food were placed before each, (1 Samuel 1:4) the most
honored guests receiving either larger, (Genesis 43:34) or more choice,
(1 Samuel 9:24) portions than the rest. The meal was enlivened with music,
singing and dancing, (2 Samuel 19:35) or with riddles, (Judges 14:12)
and amid these entertainments the festival was prolonged for several
days. (Esther 1:3,4)
Mearah(a
cave), a place named in (Joshua 13:4) only. The word means in Hebrew a
cave, and it is commonly assumed that the reference is to some
remarkable cavern in the neighborhood of Zidon.
Measures[[849]Weights
And Measures AND MEASURES]
MeatIt
does not appear that the word "meat" is used in any one instance in the
Authorized Version of either the Old or New Testament in the sense
which it now almost exclusively bears of animal food. The latter is
denoted uniformly by "flesh." The word "meat," when our English version
was made, meant food in general; or if any particular kind was
designated, it referred to meal, flour or grain. The only real and
inconvenient ambiguity caused by the change which has taken place in
the meaning of the word is in the case of the "meat offering."
[[850]Meat Offering OFFERING]
Meat
OfferingThe
law or ceremonial of the meat offering is described in (Leviticus 2:1)
... and Levi 6:14-23 It was to be composed of fine flour, seasoned with
salt and mixed with oil and frankincense, but without leaven; and it
was generally accompanied by a drink offering of wine. A portion of it,
including all the frankincense, was to be burnt on the altar as "a
memorial;" the rest belonged to the priest; but the meat offerings
offered by the priests themselves were to be wholly burnt. Its meaning
appears to be exactly expressed in the words of David. (1 Chronicles
29:10-14) It will be seen that this meaning involves neither of the
main ideas of sacrifices--the atonement for sin and self-dedication to
God. It takes them for granted, and is based on them. Rather it
expresses gratitude and love to God as the giver of all. Accordingly
the meat offering, properly so called, seems always to have been a
subsidiary offering, needing to be introduced by the sin offering which
represented the one idea, and to have formed an appendage to the burnt
offering, which represented the other. The unbloody offerings offered
alone did not properly belong to the regular meat offerings; they were
usually substitutes for other offerings. Comp. (Leviticus 5:11; Numbers
5:15) [[851]Meat]
Mebunnai(building
of Jehovah). In this form appears, In one passage only--2Sam 23:27--The
name of one of David's guard, who is elsewhere called [852]Sibbechai,
(2 Samuel 21:18; 1 Chronicles 20:4) or [853]Sibbecai, (1 Chronicles
11:29; 27:11) in the Authorized Version.
Mecherathite,
Thethat
is, the native or inhabitant of a place called Mecherah. (1 Chronicles
11:36) In the parallel list of (2 Samuel 23:1) ... the name appears,
with other variations, as "the Maachathite." ver. (2 Samuel 23:34)
Medad(love).
[[854]Eldad AND MEDAD]
Medan(contention),
a son of Abraham and Keturah. (Genesis 23:5; 1 Chronicles 1:42)
Medeba(water
of rest), a town on the eastern side of Jordan, first alluded to in
(Numbers 21:30) Here it seems to denote the limit of the territory of
Heshbon. It next occurs in the enumeration of the country divided among
the transjordanic tribes, (Joshua 13:9) as giving its name to a
district of level downs called "the Mishor of Medeba" or "the Mishor on
Medeba." At the time of the conquest Medeba belonged to the Amorites,
apparently one of the towns taken from Moab by them. In the time of
Ahaz Medeba was a sanctuary of Moab. (Isaiah 15:2) It has retained its
name down, our own times, and lies four miles southeast of Heshbon, on
it rounded but rocky hill.
Medes,
Media(middle
land). Media lay northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the
Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, west and northwest of the
great salt desert of Iran. Its greatest length was from north to south,
and in this direction it extended from the 32d to the 40th parallel, a
distance of 550 miles. In width it reached front about long. 45 degrees
to 53 degrees; but its average breadth was not more than from 250 to
300 miles. The division of Media commonly recognized by the Greeks and
Romans was that into Media Magna and Media Atropatene.
+Media Atropatene corresponded nearly to the modern Azerbijan, being
the tract situated between the Caspian and the mountains which run
north from Zagros.
+Media Magna lay south and east of Atropatene. It contained great part
of Kurdistan and Luristan, with all Ardelan and Arak Ajemi . It is
indicative of the division that there were two Ecbatanas, respectively
the capitals of the two districts. The Medes were a nation of very high
antiquity; we find a notice of them in the primitive Babylonian history
of Berosus, who says that the Medes conquered Babylon at a very remote
period (cir. B.C. 2458), and that eight Median monarchs reigned there
consecutively, over a space of 224 years. The deepest obscurity hangs,
however, over the whole history of the Medes from the time of their
bearing sway in Babylonia, B.C. 2458-2234, to their first appearance in
the cuneiform inscriptions among the enemies of Assyria, about B.C.
880. Near the middle of the seventh century B.C. the Median kingdom was
consolidated, and became formidable to its neighbors; but previous to
this time it was not under the dominion of a single powerful monarch,
but was ruled by a vast number of petty chieftains. Cyaxares, the third
Median monarch, took Nineveh and conquered Assyria B.C. 625. The limits
of the Median empire cannot be definitely fixed. From north to south it
was certainly confined between the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates on
the one side, the Black and Caspian Seas on the other. From east to
west it had, however, a wide expansion, since it reached from the Halys
at least as far as the Caspian Gates, and possible farther. It was
separated from Babylonia either by the Tigris or more probably by a
line running about halfway between that river and the Euphrates. Its
greatest length may be reckoned at 1500 miles from northwest to
southeast, and its average breadth at 400 or 450 miles. Its area would
thus be about 600,000 square miles, or somewhat greater than that of
modern Persia. Of all the ancient Oriental monarchies the Median was
the shortest in duration. It was overthrown by the Persians under
Cyrus, B.C. 558, who captured its king, Astyages. The treatment of the
Medes by the victorious Persians was not that of an ordinary conquered
nation. Medes were appointed to stations of high honor and importance
under Cyrus and his successors. The two nations seem blended into one,
and we often find reference to this kingdom as that of the "Medes and
Persians." (Daniel 5:28; 6:8,12,15) The references to the Medes in the
canonical Scriptures are not very numerous, but they are striking. We
first hear of certain "cities of the Medes," in which the captive
Israelites were placed by "the king of Assyria" on the destruction of
Samaria, B.C. 721 (2 Kings 17:6; 18:12) Soon afterward Isaiah
prophesies the part which the Medes shall take in the destruction of
Babylon, (Isaiah 13:17; 21:2) which is again still more distinctly
declared by Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 51:11,28) who sufficiently indicates
the independence of Media in his day. ch. (Jeremiah 25:25) Daniel
relates the fact of the Medo-Persia conquest, (Daniel 5:25,31) giving
an account of the reign of Darius the Mede, who appears to have been
made viceroy by Cyrus. (Daniel 6:1-58) In Ezra we have a mention of
Achmetha (Ecbatana), "the palace in the province of the Medes," where
the decree of Cyrus was found, (Ezra 6:2-5)--a notice which accords
with the known facts that the Median capital was the seat of government
under Cyrus, but a royal residence only, and not the seat of
government, under Darius Hystaspis. Finally, in Esther the high rank of
Media under the Persian kings, yet at the same time its subordinate
position, is marked by the frequent composition of the two names in
phrases of honor, the precedence being in every ease assigned to the
Persians.
Median,
TheDarius,
"the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes," (Daniel 9:1) or "the
Mede," ch. (Daniel 11:1) is thus denoted in (Daniel 5:31)
MedicineEgypt
was the earliest home of medical and other skill for the region of the
Mediterranean basin, and every Egyptian mummy of the more expensive and
elaborate sort involved a process of anatomy. Still we have no trace of
any philosophical or rational system of Egyptian origin; still medicine
in Egypt was a mere art or profession. Compared with the wild countries
around them, however, the Egyptians must have seemed incalculably
advanced. Representations of early Egyptian surgery apparently occur on
some of the monuments of Beni-Hassan. Those who have assisted at the
opening of a mummy have noticed that the teeth exhibited a dentistry
not inferior in execution to the work of the best modern experts. This
confirms the statement of Herodotus that every part of the body was
studied by a distinct practitioner. The reputation of Egypt's
practitioners in historical times was such that both Cyrus and Darius
sent to that country for physicians or surgeons. Of midwifery we have a
distinct notice, (Exodus 1:1) and of women as its Practitioners, which
fact may also be verified from the scriptures. The scrupulous attention
paid to the dead was favorable to the health of the living. The
practice of physic was not among the Jews a privilege of the
priesthood. Any one might practice it, and this publicity must have
kept it pure. Rank and honor are said to be the portion of the
physician, and his office to be from the Lord. Ecclus. 38:1,3,12. To
bring down the subject to the period of the New Testament, St. Luke,
"the beloved physician," who practiced at Antioch whilst the body was
his care, could hardly have failed to be convenient with all the
leading opinions current down to his own time. Among special diseases
named in the Old Testament is ophthalmia, (Genesis 29:17) which is
perhaps more common in Syria and Egypt than anywhere else in the world;
especially in the fig season, the juice of the newly-ripe fruit having
the power of giving it. It may occasion partial or total blindness. (2
Kings 6:18) The "burning boil," (Leviticus 13:23) is merely marked by
the notion of an effect resembling that of fire, like our "carbuncle."
The diseases rendered "scab" and "scurvy" in (Leviticus 21:20; 22:22;
28:27) may be almost any skin disease. Some of these may be said to
approach the type of leprosy. The "botch (shechin) of Egypt," (28:27)
is so vague a term as to yield a most uncertain sense. In (28:35) is
mentioned a disease attacking the "knees and legs," consisting in a
"sore botch which cannot be healed," but extended, in the sequel of the
verse, from the "sole of the foot to the top of the head." The
Elephantiasis gracorum is what now passes under the name of "leprosy;"
the lepers, e.g., of the: huts near the Zion gate of modern Jerusalem
are elephantissiacs. [[855]Leper, Leprosy] The disease of King
Antiochus, 2 Macc. 9:5-10, etc., was that of a boil breeding worms. The
case of the widow's son restored by Elisha, (2 Kings 4:19) was probably
one of sunstroke. The palsy meets us in the New Testament only, and in
features too familiar to need special remark. palsy, gangrene and
cancer were common in all the countries familiar to the scriptural
writers, and neither differs from the modern disease of the same name.
Mention is also made of the bites and stings of poisonous reptiles.
(Numbers 21:6) Among surgical instruments or pieces of apparatus the
following only are alluded to in Scripture: A cutting instrument,
supposed a "sharp stone," (Exodus 4:25) the "knife" of (Joshua 5:2) The
"awl" of (Exodus 21:6) was probably a surgical instrument. The "roller
to bind" of (Ezekiel 30:21) was for a broken limb, and is still used. A
scraper, for which the "potsherd" of Job was a substitute. (Job 2:8;
Exodus 30:23-25) is a prescription in form. An occasional trace occurs
of some chemical knowledge, e.g. the calcination of the gold by Moses,
(Exodus 32:20) the effect of "vinegar upon natron," (Proverbs 25:20);
comp. Jere 2:22 The mention of "the apothecary," (Exodus 30:35;
Ecclesiastes 10:1) and of the merchant in "powders," (Song of Solomon
3:6) shows that a distinct and important branch of trade was set up in
these wares, in which, as at a modern druggist's, articles of luxury,
etc., are combined with the remedies of sickness. Among the most
favorite of external remedies has always been the bath. There were
special occasions on which the bath was ceremonially enjoined. The
Pharisees and Essenes aimed at scrupulous strictness in all such rules.
(Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:5; Luke 11:38) River-bathing was common but
houses soon began to include a bathroom. (Leviticus 15:13; 2 Samuel
11:2; 2 Kings 5:10)
Megiddo(place
of crowns) was in a very marked position on the southern rim of the
plain of Esdraelon, on the frontier line of the territories of the
tribes of Issachar and Manasseh, 6 miles from Mount Carmel and 11 from
Nazareth. It commanded one of those passes from the north into the hill
country which were of such critical importance on various occasions in
the history of Judea. Judith 4:7. The first mention occurs in (Joshua
12:21) where Megiddo appears as the city of one of the kings whom
Joshua defeated on the west of the Jordan. The song of Deborah brings
the place vividly before us, as the scene of the great conflict between
Sisera and Barak. When Pharaoh-necho came from Egypt against the king
of Assyria, Josiah joined the latter, and was slain at Megiddo. (2
Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22-24) Megiddo is the modern el-Lejjun,
which is undoubtedly the Legio of Eusebius and Jerome. There is a
copious stream flowing down the gorge, and turning some mills before
joining the Kishon. Here are probably the "waters of Megiddo" of
(Judges 5:19)
Mehetabel(favored
of God), the daughter of Matred, and wife of Hadad king of Edom.
(Genesis 36:39)
Mehetableel(favored
of God), another and less correct form of Mehetabel. The ancestor of
Shemaiah the prophet who was hired against Nehemiah by Tobiah and
Sanballat. (Nehemiah 6:10)
Mehida(famous,
noble), a family of Nethinim, the descendants of Mehida. returned from
Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:52; Nehemiah 7:54)
Mehir(price),
the son of Chelub the brother of Shuah. (1 Chronicles 4:11)
Meholathite,
Thea
word occurring once only-- (1 Samuel 18:19) It no doubt denotes that
Adriel belonged to a place celled Meholah.
Mehujael(smitten
by God), the son of Irad, and fourth in descent from Cain. (Genesis
4:18)
Mehuman(faithful),
one of the seven eunuchs of Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:10)
Mehunim(habitations).
(Ezra 2:50) Elsewhere called Mehunims and Meunim.
Mehunims,
Thea
people against whom King Uzziah waged a successful war. (2 Chronicles
26:7) The name is the plural of Maon [[856]Maon]. Another notice of the
Mehunims in the reign of Hezekiah (cir. B.C. 726-697) is found in (1
Chronicles 4:41) Here they are spoken of as it pastoral people, either
themselves Hamites or in alliance with Hamites quiet and peaceable,
dwelling in tents. Here, however, the Authorized Version treats the
word as an ordinary noun and renders it "habitations." The latest
appearance of the name Mehunims in the Bible is in the lists of those
who returned front the captivity with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:50)
Authorized Version "Mehunim;" (Nehemiah 7:52) Authorized Version
"Meunim."
Mejarkon(hunters
of yellowness) a town in the territory of Dan. (Joshua 19:46) only in
the neighborhood of Joppa or Japho.
Mekonah(foundation),
one of the towns which were reinhabited after the captivity by the men
of Judah. (Nehemiah 11:28)
Melatiah(Jehovah
delivers), a Gibeonite who assisted in rebuilding the wall of
Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:7)
Melchi(my
king, my counsel).
+The son of Janna, and ancestor of Joseph in the genealogy of Jesus
Christ. (Luke 3:24)
Melchiah(Jehovah's
king), a priest, the father of Pashur. (Jeremiah 21:1)
Melchisedec(king
of righteousness). (Hebrews 5:1; Hebrews 6:1; Hebrews 7:1) ...
[[857]Melchizedek]
MelchishuaA
son of Saul. (1 Samuel 14:49; 31:2) Elsewhere correctly given
Malchishua.
Melchizedek(king
of righteousness), king of Salem and priest of the most high God, who
met Abram in the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley, bought
out bread and wine, blessed him, and received tithes from him. (Genesis
14:18-20) The other places in which Melchizedek is mentioned are
(Psalms 110:4) where Messiah is described as a priest forever, "after
the order of Melchizedek," and (Hebrews 5:1; Hebrews 6:1; Hebrews 7:1)
... where these two passages of the Old Testament are quoted, and the
typical relation of Melchizedek to our Lord is stated at great length.
There is something surprising and mysterious in the first appearance of
Melchizedek, and in the subsequent reference to him. Bearing a title
which Jews in after ages would recognize as designating their own
sovereign, bearing gifts which recall to Christians the Lord's Supper,
this Canaanite crosses for a moment the path of Abram, and is
unhesitatingly recognized as a person of higher spiritual rank than the
friend of God. Disappearing as suddenly as he came, he is lost to the
sacred writings for a thousand years. Jewish tradition pronounces
Melchizedek to be a survivor of the deluge, the patriarch Shem. The way
in which he is mentioned in Genesis would rather lead to the inference
that Melchizedek was of one blood with the children of Ham, among whom
he lived, chief (like the king od Sodom) of a settled Canaanitish
tribe. The "order of Melchizedek," in (Psalms 110:4) is explained to
mean "manner" = likeness in official dignity = a king and priest. The
relation between Melchizedek and Christ as type and antitype is made in
the Epistle to the Hebrews to consist in the following particulars:
Each was a priest, (1) not of the Levitical tribe; (2) superior to
Abraham; (3) whose beginning and end are unknown; (4) who is not only a
priest, but also a king of righteousness and peace. A fruitful source
of discussion has been found in the site of Salem. [[858]Salem]
Meleathe
son of Menan, and ancestor of Joseph in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
(Luke 3:31)
Melechthe
second son of Micah, the son of Merib-baal or Mephibosheth. (1
Chronicles 8:35; 9:41)
Melicuthe
same as [859]Malluch 6. (Nehemiah 12:14) comp. ver. Nehe 12:2
Melita(honey),
the modern Malta. This island lies in the Mediterranean 60 miles south
of Cape Passaro in Sicily, 900 miles from Gibraltar and about 1200 from
Jerusalem. It is 17 miles long. by 13 or 10 broad. It is naturally a
barren rock, with no high mountains, but has been rendered fertile by
industry and toil. It is famous for its honey and fruits. It is now in
the hands of the English.--McClintock and Strong. This island has an
illustrious place in Scripture as the scene of that shipwreck of St.
Paul which is described in such minute detail in the Acts of the
Apostle. (Acts 27:1) ... The wreck probably happened at the place
traditionally known as St.Paul's day, an inlet with a creek two miles
deep and one broad. The question has been set at rest forever by Mr.
Smith of Jordan Hill, in his "Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul," the
first published work in which it was thoroughly investigated from a
sailor's point of view. The objection that there are no vipers in Malta
is overruled by the fact that Mr. Lewin saw such a serpent there and
that there may have been vipers in the wilder ancient times, even were
none found there now. As regards the condition of the island of Melitu,
when St. Paul was there it was a dependency of the Roman province of
Sicily. Its chief officer (under the governor of Sicily) appears from
inscriptions to have had the title of protos Melitaion, or Primus
Melitensium and this is the very phrase which Luke uses. (Acts 28:7)
Melita, from its position in the Mediterranean and the excellence of
its harbors, has always been important in both commerce and war. It was
a settlement of the Phoenicians at an early period, and their language
in a corrupted form, was still spoken there in St. Paul's day.
Melons(Heb.
abattichim) are mentioned only in (Numbers 11:5) By the Hebrew word we
are probably to understand both the melon (Cumcumis melo) and the
watermelon (Cucurbita citrullus). The watermelon, which is now
extensively cultivated in all hot countries, is a fruit not unlike the
common melon, but the leaves are deeply lobed and gashed; the flesh is
pink or white, and contains a large quantity of cold watery juice with
out much flavor; the seeds are black.
Melzar(steward).
The Authorized Version is wrong in regarding melzar as a proper name;
it is rather an official title, (Daniel 1:11,16) the marginal reading,
"the steward," is therefore more correct.
Memphis(haven,
of the good), a city of ancient Egypt, situated on that western bank of
the Nile, about nine miles south of Cairo and five from the great
pyramids and the sphinx. It is mentioned by (Isaiah 40:14,19) and
Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 30:13,16) under the name of Noph. Though some regard
Thebes as the more ancient city, the monuments of Memphis are of higher
antiquity than those of Thebus. The city is said to have had a
circumference of about 10 miles. The temple of Apis was one of the most
noted structures of Memphis. It stood opposite the southern portico of
the temple of Ptah; and Psammetichus, who built that gateway, also
erected in front of the sanctuary of Apis a magnificent colonnade,
supported by colossal statues or Osiride pillars, such as may still be
seen at the temple of Medeenet Habou at Thebes. Herod. ii, 153. Through
this colonnade the Apis was led with great pomp upon state occasions.
At Memphis was the reputed burial-place of Isis; it has also a temple
to that "myriad-named" divinity. Memphis had also its Serapeium, which
probably stood in the western quarter of the city. The sacred cubit
until other symbols used in measuring the rise of the Nile were
deposited in the temple of Serapis. The Necropolis, adjacent to
Memphis, was on a scale of grandeur corresponding with the city itself.
The "city of the pyramids" is a title of Memphis in the hieroglyphics
upon the monuments. Memphis long held its place as a capital; and for
centuries a Memphite dynasty ruled over all Egypt. Lepsius, Bunsen and
Brugsch agree in regarding the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth
dynasties of the old empire as Memphite, reaching through a period of
about 1000 years. The city's overthrow was distinctly predicted by the
Hebrew prophets. (Isaiah 19:13; Jeremiah 46:19) The latest of these
predictions was uttered nearly 600 years before Christ, and a half a
century before the invasion of Egypt by Cambyses (cir, B.C. 525).
Herodotus informs us that Cambyses, engaged at the opposition he
encountered at Memphis, committed many outrages upon the city. The city
never recovered from the blow inflicted by Cambyses. The rise of
Alexandria hastened its decline. The caliph conquerors founded Fostat
(old Cairo) upon the opposite bank of the Nile, a few miles north of
Memphis, and brought materials from the old city to build their new
capital, A.D. 638. At length so complete was the ruin of Memphis that
for a long time its very site was lost. Recent explorations have
brought to light many of its antiquities.
Memucan(dignified),
one of the seven princes of Persia in the reign of Ahasuerus, who "saw
the king's face," and sat first in the kingdom. (Esther 1:14,16,21)
Menahem(comforter),
son of Gadi, who slew the usurper Shallum, and seized the vacant throne
of Israel. B.C. 772. His reign, which lasted ten years, is briefly
recorded in (2 Kings 15:14-22) He maintained the calf-worship of
Jeroboam. The contemporary prophets Hosea and Amos have left a
melancholy picture of the ungodliness, demoralization and feebleness of
Israel. Menahem reigned B.C. 771-760.
Menan(called
Menna in the Revised Version), one of the ancestors of Joseph in the
genealogy of Jesus Christ. (Luke 3:31)
Mene(numbered),
the first word of the mysterious inscription written upon the wall of
Belshazzar's palace, in which Daniel read the doom of the king and his
dynasty. (Daniel 5:25,26)
Meni(fate,
fortune). (Isaiah 65:11) This word is a proper name, and is also the
proper name of an object of idolatrous worship cultivated by the Jews
in Babylon.
MennaIn
the Revised Version of (Luke 3:31) for Menan.
Meonenim(enchanters),
The plain of, an oak or terebinth. or other great tree. (Judges 9:37)
The meaning of Meonenim if interpreted as a Hebrew word, is enchanters
or "observers of times," as it is elsewhere rendered (18:10,14) in
(Micah 5:12) it is soothsayers.
Meonothai(my
habitations), one of the sons of Othniel, the younger brother of Caleb.
(1 Chronicles 4:14)
Mephaath(splendor
height), city of the Reubenites, one of the towns independently an
Heshhon, (Joshua 13:18) lying in the district of the Mishor comp. ver.
(Joshua 13:17) and Jere 48:21 Authorized Version "plain," which
probably answered to the modern Belka . It was one of the cities
allotted with their suburbs to the Merarite Levites. (Joshua 21:37; 1
Chronicles 6:79) Its site is uncertain.
Mephibosheth(exterminating
the idol), the name borne by two members of the family of Saul--his son
and his grandson.
+Saul's son by Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, his concubine. (2 Samuel
21:8) He and his brother Armoni were among the seven victims who were
surrendered by David to the Gibeonites, and by them crucified to avert
a famine from which the country was suffering.
+The son of Jonathan, grandson of Saul and nephew of the preceding;
called also Merib-baal. (1 Chronicles 8:34) His life seems to have
been, from beginning to end, one of trial and discomfort. When his
father and grandfather were slain on Gilboa he was an infant but five
years old. At this age he met with an accident which deprived him for
life of the use of both feet. (2 Samuel 4:4) After this he is found a
home with Machir ben-Ammiel a powerful Gadite, who brought him up, and
while here was married. Later on David invited him to Jerusalem, and
there treated him and his son Micha with the greatest kindness. From
this time forward he resided at Jerusalem, of Mephibosheth's behavior
during the rebellion of Absalom we possess two accounts--his own, (2
Samuel 13:24-30) and that of Ziba, (2 Samuel 16:1-4) They are naturally
at variance with each other. In consequence of the story of Ziba, he
was rewarded by the possessions of his master. Mephibosheth's
story--which however, he had not the opportunity of telling until
several days later, when he met David returning to his kingdom at the
western bank of Jordan--was very different from Ziba's. That David did
not disbelieve it is shown by his revoking the judgment he had
previously given. That he did not entirely reverse his decision, but
allowed Ziba to retain possession of half the lands of Mephibosheth, is
probably due partly to weariness at the whole transaction, but mainly
to the conciliatory frame of mind in which he was at that moment.
"Shall there any man be put to death this day?" is the keynote of the
whole proceeding.
Merab(increase),
eldest daughter of King Saul. (1 Samuel 14:49) In accordance with the
promise which he made before the engagement with Goliath, ch. (1 Samuel
17:25) Saul betrothed Merab to David. ch. (1 Samuel 18:17) Before the
marriage Merab's younger sister Michal had displayed her attachment for
David, and Merab was then married to Adriel the Meholathite to whom she
bore five sons. (2 Samuel 21:8)
Meraiah(rebellion),
a priest in the day of Joiakim. (Nehemiah 12:13)
Meraioth(rebellious).
+A descendant of Eleazar the son of Aaron and head of a priestly house.
(1 Chronicles 6:61; 7:62) It is apparently another Meraioth who comes
in between Zadok and Ahitub in the genealogy of Azariah. (1 Chronicles
9:11; Nehemiah 11:11)
+The head of one of the houses of priests, which in the time of Joiakim
the son of Jeshua was represented by helkai. (Nehemiah 12:15)
Merarath(bareness),
one of the towns of Judah, in the district of the mountains. (Joshua
15:59) The places which occur in company with have been identified at a
few miles to the north of Hebron, but Maarath has hitherto eluded
observation.
Merari,
Merarites(bitter,
unhappy), third son of Levi and head of the third great division of the
Levites, the Merarites. (Genesis 46:8,11) At the time of the exodus and
the numbering in the wilderness, the Merarites consisted of two
families, the Mahlites and the Mushites, Mahli and Mushi being either
the two sons of the son and grandson of Merari. (1 Chronicles 6:19,47)
Their chief at that time was Zuriel. Their charge was the cords of the
tabernacle and the court, and all the tools connected with setting them
up. In the division of the land by Joshua, the merarites had twelve
cities assigned to them, out of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun. (Joshua 21:7;
34-40; 1 Chronicles 6:63; 77-81) In the days of Hezekiah the Merarites
were still flourishing. (2 Chronicles 29:12,15)
Merathaim(double
rebellion), The land of, alluding to the country of the Chaldeans, and
to the double captivity which it had inflicted on the nation of Israel.
(Jeremiah 50:21)
Mercurius(herald
of the gods), properly Hermes, the Greek deity, whom the Romans
identified with their Mercury, the god of commerce and bargains. Hermes
was the son of Zeus (Jupiter) and Maia the daughter of Atals, and is
constantly represented as the companion of his father in his wandering
upon earth. The episode of Baucis and Philemon, Ovid, Metam . viii.
620-724, appears to have formed part of the folk-lore of Asia Minor,
and strikingly illustrates the readiness with which the simple people
of Lystra recognized in Barnabas and Paul the gods who, according to
their wont, had come down in the likeness of men. (Acts 14:11)
Mercury(Acts
14:12) the translation of the above in the Revised Version.
Mercyseat(Exodus
25:17; 37:6; Hebrews 9:5) This appears to have been merely the lid of
the ark of the covenant, not another surface affixed thereto. (It was a
solid plate of gold, 2 1/2 cubits (6 1/3 feet) long by 1 1/2 cubits (2
2/3 feet) wide, representing a kind of throne of God, where he would
hear prayer and from which he spoke words of comfort.--ED.) It was that
whereon the blood of the yearly atonement was sprinkled by the high
priest; and in this relation it is doubtful whether the sense of the
word in the Hebrew is based on the material fact of its "covering" the
ark, or derived from this notion of its reference to the "covering"
(i.e. atonement) of sin.
Mered(rebellion).
This name occurs in a fragmentary genealogy in (1 Chronicles 4:17,18)
as that of one of the sons of Ezra. Tradition identifies him with Caleb
and Moses.
Meremoth(elevations),
+Son of Uriah or Urijah the priest, of the family of Koz or Hakkoz, the
head of the seventh course of priests as established by David. In (Ezra
8:33) Meremoth is appointed to weigh and register the gold and silver
vessels belonging to the temple. In the rebuilding of the wall of
Jerusalem under Nehemiah we find Meremoth taking an active part.
(Nehemiah 3:4)
+A layman of the sons of Bani, who had married a foreign wife. (Ezra
10:36)
+A priest, or more probably a family of priests, who sealed the
covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:5)
Meres(lofty),
one of the seven counsellors of Ahasuerus. (Esther 1:14)
Meribah(strife,
contention). In (Exodus 17:7) we read, "he called the name of the place
Massah and Meribah," where the people murmured and the rock was
smitten. [For the situation see [860]Rephidim] The name is also given
to Kadesh, (Numbers 20:13,24; 27:14; 32:51) (Meribah-kadesh), because
there also the people, when in want of water, strove with God.
Meribbaa(contender
against Baal). (1 Chronicles 8:34; 9:40) [See [861]Mephibosheth].
Merodach(death),
(Jeremiah 50:2) identical with the famous Babylonian Bel or Belus, the
word being probably at first a mere epithet of the god, which by
degrees superseded his proper appellation.
Merodachbaladan(worshipper
of Baal) is mentioned as king of Babylon in the days of Hezekiah both
in the second hook of Kings, ch. (2 Kings 20:12) and in Isaiah. ch.
(Isaiah 39:1) In the former place he is called Berodach-baladan. The
name of Merodach-baladan has been recognized in the Assyrian
inscriptions. It appears there were two reigns of this king, the first
from B.C. 721 to B.C. 709, when he was deposed; and the second after
his recovery of the throne in B.C. 702, which lasted only half a year.
There is some doubt as to the time at which he went his ambassadors to
Hezekiah, for the purpose of inquiring as to the astronomical marvel of
which Judea had been the scene, (2 Chronicles 32:31) but it appears to
have been B.C. 713.
Merom(high
place), The waters of, a lake formed by the river Jordan, about ten
miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It is a place memorable in the
history of the conquest of Palestine. Here Joshua completely routed the
confederacy of the northern chiefs under Jabin. (Joshua 11:5,7) It is a
remarkable fact that though by common consent "the waters of Merom" are
identified with the lake thorough which the Jordan runs between Banias
and the Sea of Galilee--the Bahr el-Huleh of the modern Arabs-- Yet
that identity cannot be proved by any ancient record. In form the lake
is not far from a triangle, base being at the north and the apex at the
south. It measures about three miles in each direction, and eleven feet
deep. The water is clear and sweet; it is covered in parts by a
broad-leaved plant, and abounds in water-fowl. (The northern part is a
dense swamp of papyrus reeds, as large as the lake itself. See "Rob Roy
on the Jordan."--ED.)
Meronothithe,
Thethat
is, the native of the place called probably Meronoth, of which,
however, no further traces have yet been discovered. The Meronothites
are named in the Bible--
+Jehdeiah, (1 Chronicles 27:30)
+Jadon, (Nehemiah 3:7)
Meroz(refuge),
a place, (Judges 5:23) denounced because its inhabitants had refused to
take any part in the struggle with Sisera. Meroz must have been in the
neighborhood of the Kishon, but its real position is not known.
Possibly it was destroyed in the obedience to the curse.
Mesech,
Meshech(drawing
out), a son of Japhet, (Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5) and the
progenitor of a race frequently noticed in Scripture in connection with
Tubal, Magog and other northern nations. They appear as allies of God,
(Ezekiel 38:2,3; 39:1) and as supplying the Tyrians with copper and
slaves. (Ezekiel 27:13) In (Psalms 120:5) they are noticed as one of
the remotest and at the same time rudest nations of the world. Both the
name and the associations are in favor of the identification of Meshech
with the Moschi, a people on the borders of Colchis and Armenia.
Mesha(freedom).
+The name of one of the geographical limits of the Joktanites when they
first settled in Arabia. (Genesis 10:30)
+The king of Moab who was tributary to Ahab, (2 Kings 3:4) but when
Ahab fell at Ramoth-gilead, Mesha refused to pay tribute to his
successor, Jehoram. When Jehoram succeeded to the throne of Israel, one
of his first acts was to secure the assistance of Jehoshaphat, his
father's ally, in reducing the Moabites to their former condition of
tributaries. The Moabites were defeated, and the king took refuge in
his last stronghold, and defended himself with the energy of despair.
With 700 fighting men he made a vigorous attempt to cut his way through
the beleaguering army, and when beaten back, he withdrew to the wall of
his city, and there, in sight of the allied host, offered his
first-born son, his successor in the kingdom, as a burnt offering to
Chemosh, the ruthless fire-god of Moab. His bloody sacrifice had so far
the desired effect that the besiegers retired from him to their own
land. (At Dibon in Moab has lately been discovered the famous Moabite
Stone, which contains inscriptions concerning King Mesha and his wars,
and which confirms the Bible account.--ED.)
+The eldest son of Caleb the son of Hezron by his wife Azubah, as
Kimchi conjectures. (1 Chronicles 2:42)
+A Benjamite, son of Shabaraim by his wife Hodesh, who bore him in the
land of Moab. (1 Chronicles 8:9)
Meshach(guest
of a king), the name given to Mishael, one of the companions of Daniel,
who with three others was taught, (Daniel 1:4) and qualified to "stand
before" King Nebuchadnezzar, (Daniel 1:5) as his personal attendants
and advisers. (Daniel 1:20) But notwithstanding their Chaldeans
education, these three young Hebrews were strongly attached to the
religion of their fathers; and their refusal to join in the worship of
the image on the plain of Dura gave a handle of accusation to the
Chaldeans. The rage of the king, the swift sentence of condemnation
passed upon the three offenders, their miraculous preservation from the
fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than usual, the king's
acknowledgement of the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, with
their restoration to office, are written in the third chapter of
Daniel, and there the history leaves them.
Meshelemiah(whom
Jehovah repays), a Korhite porter or gate-keeper of the house of
Jehovah in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 9:21; 26:1,2,9)
Meshezabeel(delivered
by God).
+Ancestor of Meshullam, who assisted Nehemiah in rebuilding the wall of
Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:4)
+One of the "heads of the people," probably a family, who sealed the
covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:21)
+The father of Pethahiah, and descendant of Zerah the son of Judah.
(Nehemiah 11:24)
Meshillemith(recompense),
the son of Immer, a priest. (Nehemiah 11:13; 1 Chronicles 9:12)
Meshillemoth(recompense).
+An Ephraimite, one of the chiefs of the tribe in the reign of Pekah.
(2 Chronicles 28:12)
+The same as [862]Meshillemith. (Nehemiah 11:13)
Meshullam(friend).
+Ancestor of Shaphan the scribe. (2 Kings 22:3)
+The son of Zerubbabel. (1 Chronicles 3:19)
+A Gadite in the reign of Jotham king of Judah. (1 Chronicles 5:13)
+A Benjamite, of the sons of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:17)
+A Benjamite, father of Sallu. (1 Chronicles 9:7; Nehemiah 11:7)
+A Benjamite who lived at Jerusalem after the captivity. (1 Chronicles
9:8)
+The same as Shallum, who was high priest probably in the reign of
Amon, and father of Hilkiah. (1 Chronicles 9:11; Nehemiah 11:11)
+A priest, son of Meshillemith or Meshillemoth the son of Immer, and
ancestor of Maasiai or Amashai. (1 Chronicles 9:12) comp. Nehe 11:13
+A Kohathite or a family of Kohathite Levites, in the reign of Josiah.
(2 Chronicles 34:12)
+One of the "heads" sent by Ezra to Iddo, "the head," to gather
together the Levites to join the caravan about to return to Jerusalem.
(Ezra 8:16)
+A chief man who assisted Ezra in abolishing the marriages which some
of the people had contracted with foreign wives. (Ezra 10:15)
+One of the descendants of Bani, who had married a foreign wife and put
her away. (Ezra 10:29)
+(Nehemiah 3:30; 6:18) The son of Berechiah, who assisted in rebuilding
the wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:4)
+The son of Besodeiah: he assisted Jehoiada the son of Paseah in
restoring the old gate of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:6)
+One of those who stood at the left hand of Ezra when he read the law
to the people. (Nehemiah 8:4)
+A priest or family of priests who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah.
(Nehemiah 10:7)
+One of the heads of the people who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah.
(Nehemiah 10:20)
+A priest in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, and representative
of the house of Ezra. (Nehemiah 12:13)
+Also a priest at the same time as the preceding, and head of the
priestly family of Ginnethon. (Nehemiah 12:16)
+A family of porters, descendants of Meshullam, (Nehemiah 12:25) who is
also called Meshelemiah, (1 Chronicles 26:1) Shelemiah, (1 Chronicles
26:14) and Shallum. (Nehemiah 7:45)
+One of the princes of Judah at the dedication of the wall of
Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:33)
Meshullemeth(friend),
the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah, wife of Manasseh king of Judah, and
mother of his successor, Amon. (2 Kings 21:19)
Mesobaite,
Thea
title attached to the name of Jasiel. (1 Chronicles 11:47) It is
impossible to pronounce with any certainty to what it refers.
Mesopotamia(between
the rivers), the entire country between the two rivers, the Tigris and
the Euphrates. This is a tract nearly 700 miles long and from 20 to 250
miles broad, extending in a southeasterly direction from Telek to
Kurnah . The Arabian geographers term it "the Island," a name which is
almost literally correct, since a few miles only intervene between the
source of the Tigris and the Euphrates at Telek . But the region which
bears the name of Mesopotamia, par excellence, both in Scripture and in
the classical writers, is the northwestern portion of this tract, or
the country between the great bend of the Euphrates, lat. 35 degrees to
37 degrees 30', and the upper Tigris. We first hear of Mesopotamia in
Scripture as the country where Nahor and his family settled after
quitting Ur of the Chaldees. (Genesis 24:10) Here lived Bethuel and
Laban; and hither Abraham sent his servants to fetch Isaac a wife.
Ibid. ver. 38. Hither too, a century later, came Jacob on the same
errand; and hence he returned with his two wives after an absence of
twenty-one years. After this we have no mention of Mesopotamia till the
close of the wanderings int he wilderness. (23:4) About half a century
later we find, for the first and last time, Mesopotamia the seat of a
powerful monarchy. (Judges 3:1) ... Finally, the children of Ammon,
having provoked a war with David, "sent a thousand talents of silver to
hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of
Syria-maachah, and out of Zobah." (1 Chronicles 19:6) According to the
Assyrian inscriptions Mesopotamia was inhabited in the early times of
the empire, B.C. 1200-1100, by a vast number of petty tribes, each
under its own prince, and all quite independent of one another. The
Assyrian monarchs contended with these chiefs at great advantage, and
by the time of Jehu, B.C. 880, had fully established their dominion
over them. On the destruction of the Assyrian empire, Mesopotamia seems
to have been divided between the Medes and the Babylonians. The
conquests of Cyrus brought it wholly under the Persian yoke; and thus
it continued to the time of Alexander. Since 1516 it has formed a part
of the Turkish empire. It is full of ruins and mounds of ancient
cities, some of which are now throwing much light on the Scripture.
Messiah(anointed).
This word (Mashiach) answers to the word Christ (Christos) in the New
Testament, and is applicable in its first sense to any one anointed
with the holy oil. The kings of Israel were called anointed, from the
mode of their consecration. (1 Samuel 2:10,35; 12:3,5) etc. This word
also refers to the expected Prince of the chosen people who was to
complete God's purposes for them and to redeem them, and of whose
coming the prophets of the old covenant in all time spoke. He was the
Messiah, the Anointed, i.e. consecrated as the king and prophet by
God's appointment. The word is twice used in the New Testament of
Jesus. (John 1:41; 4:25) Authorized Version "Messias." The earliest
gleam of the gospel is found in the account of the fall. (Genesis 3:15)
the blessings in store for the children of Shem are remarkable
indicated int he words of Noah. (Genesis 9:26) Next follows the promise
to Abraham. (Genesis 12:2,3) A great step is made in (Genesis 49:10)
This is the first case in which the promises distinctly centre in one
person. The next passage usually quoted is the prophecy of Balaam.
(Numbers 24:17-19) The prophecy of Moses, (18:18) claims attention.
Passages in the Psalms are numerous which are applied to the Messiah in
the New Testament; such as Psal 2,16,22,40,110. The advance in
clearness in this period is great. The name of Anointed, i.e. King,
comes in, and the Messiah is to come of the Lineage of David. He is
described in his exaltation, with his great kingdom that shall be
spiritual rather than temporal. Psal 2,21,40,110. In other places he is
seen in suffering and humiliation. Psal 16,22,40. Later on the prophets
show the Messiah as a king and ruler of David's house, who should come
to reform and restore the Jewish nation and purify the Church, as in
Isai 11,40-66 The blessings of the restoration, however, will not be
confined to Jews; the heathen are made to share them fully. (Isaiah
2:66) The passage of (Micah 5:2) (comp. Matt 2:6) left no doubt in the
mind of the Sanhedrin as to the birthplace of the Messiah. The lineage
of David is again alluded to in (Zechariah 12:1-14) The coming of the
Forerunner and of the Anointed is clearly revealed in (Malachi 3:1;
4:5,6) The Pharisees and those of the Jews who expected Messiah at all
looked for a temporal prince only. The apostles themselves were
infected with this opinion till after the resurrection. (Matthew
20:20,21; Luke 24:21; Acts 1:6) Gleams of a purer faith appear in (Luke
2:30; 23:42; John 4:25)
Messias(anointed),
the Greek form of Messiah. (John 1:41; 4:25)
MetalsThe
Hebrews, in common with other ancient nations, were acquainted with
nearly all the metals known to modern metallurgy, whether as the
products of their own soil or the results of intercourse with
foreigners. One of the earliest geographical definitions is that which
describes the country of Havilah as the land which abounded in gold,
and the gold of which was good. (Genesis 2:11-12) "Abram was very rich
in cattle, in silver, and in gold," (Genesis 13:2) silver, as will be
shown hereafter, being the medium of commerce, while gold existed in
the shape of ornaments, during the patriarchal ages. Tin is first
mentioned (Numbers 31:22) and lead is used to heighten the imagery of
Moses' triumphal song. (Exodus 15:10) Whether the ancient Hebrews were
acquainted with steel, properly so called, is uncertain; the words so
rendered in the Authorized Version, (2 Samuel 22:35; Job 20:24; Psalms
18:34; Jeremiah 15:12) are in all others passages translated brass, and
would be more correctly copper . The "northern iron" of (Jeremiah
15:12) is believed more nearly to correspond to what we call steel
[[863]Steel] It is supposed that the Hebrews used the mixture of copper
and tin known as bronze. The Hebrews obtained their principal supply
from the south of Arabia and the commerce of the Persian Gulf. (Joshua
7:21) The great abundance of gold in early times is indicated by its
entering into the composition of all articles of ornament and almost
all of domestic use. Among the spoils of the Midianites taken by the
Israelites in their bloodless victory when Balaam was slain were
earrings and jewels to the amount of 16,750 shekels of gold, (Numbers
31:48-54) equal in value to more than,000. Seventeen hundred shekels of
gold (worth more than,000) in nose jewels (Authorized Version
"ear-rings") alone were taken by Gideon's army from the slaughtered
Midianites. (Judges 8:26) But the amount of treasure accumulated by
David from spoils taken in war is so enormous that we are tempted to
conclude the numbers exaggerated. Though gold was thus common, silver
appears to have been the ordinary medium of commerce. The first
commercial transaction of which we possess the details was the purchase
of Ephron's field by Abraham for 400 shekels of silver . (Genesis
23:16) The accumulation of wealth in the reign of Solomon was so great
that silver was but little esteemed. (1 Kings 10:21,27) Brass, or more
properly copper, was a native product of Palestine. (8:9; Job 28:2) It
was plentiful in the days of Solomon, and the quantity employed in the
temple could not be estimated, it was so great. (1 Kings 7:47) No
allusion is found to zinc; but tin was well known. Arms, (2 Samuel
21:16; Job 20:24; Psalms 18:34) and armor, (1 Samuel 17:5,6,38) were
made of copper, which was capable of being so wrought as to admit of a
keen and hard edge. Iron, like copper, was found in the hills of
Palestine. Iron-mines are still worked by the inhabitants of Kefr
Hunch, in the sought of the valley of Zaharani .
Methegammah(bridle
of the metropolis), a place which David took from the Philistines,
apparently in his last war with them. (2 Samuel 8:1) Ammah may be taken
as meaning "mother-city" or "metropolis," comp. (2 Samuel 20:19) and
Metheg-he-Ammah "the bridle of the mother-city"--viz. of Gath, the
chief town of the Philistines.
Methusael(man
of God), the son of Mehujael, fourth in descent from Cain, and father
of Lamech. (Genesis 4:18)
Methuselah(man
of the dart), the son of Enoch, sixth in descent from Seth, and father
of Lamech. (Genesis 5:25-27)
Meunim(habitations).
(Nehemiah 7:52) Elsewhere given in Authorized Version as Mehunim and
Mehunims.
Meuzai(Ezekiel
27:19) marg. [[864]Uzal]
Mezahab(waters
of gold), the father of Matred and grandfather of Mehetabel, who was
wife of Hadar or Hadad, the last-named king of Edom. (Genesis 36:39; 1
Chronicles 1:50)
Miamin(from
the right hand).
+A layman of Israel who had married a foreign wife and put her away at
the bidding of Ezra. (Ezra 10:25)
+A priest or family of priests who went up from Babylon with
Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 12:5)
Mibhar(choicest),
one of David's heroes in the list given in (1 Chronicles 11:38)
Mibsam(sweet
odor).
+A son of Ishmael. (Genesis 25:13; 1 Chronicles 1:29)
+A son of Simeon. (1 Chronicles 4:25)
Mibzar(fortress),
one of the "dukes" of Edom. (Genesis 36:42; 1 Chronicles 1:53)
Micah(who
is like God?), the same name as Micaiah. [[865]Micaiah]
+An Israelite whose familiar story is preserved in the 17th and 18th
chapters of Judges. Micah is evidently a devout believers in Jehovah,
and yet so completely ignorant is he of the law of Jehovah that the
mode which he adopts of honoring him is to make a molten and graven
image, teraphim or images of domestic gods, and to set up an
unauthorized priesthood, first in his own family, (Judges 17:5) and
then in the person of a Levite not of the priestly line. ver. (Judges
17:12) A body of 600 Danites break in upon and steal his idols from him.
+The sixth in order of the minor prophets. He is called the Morasthite,
that is, a native of Moresheth, a small village near Eleutheropolis to
the east, where formerly the prophet's tomb was shown, though in the
days of Jerome it had been succeeded by a church. Micah exercised the
prophetical office during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah,
kings of Judah, giving thus a maximum limit of 59 years, B.C. 756-697,
from the accession of Jotham to the death of Hezekiah, and a minimum
limit of 16 years, B.C. 742-726, from the death of Jotham to the
accession of Hezekiah. He was contemporary with Hosea and Amos during
the part of their ministry in Israel, and with Isaiah in Judah.
+A descendant of Joel the Reubenite. (1 Chronicles 5:5)
+The son of Meribbaal or Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan. (1
Chronicles 8:34,35; 9:40,41)
+A Kohathite levite, the eldest son of Uzziel the brother of Amram. (1
Chronicles 23:30)
+The father of Abdon, a man of high station in the reign of Josiah. (2
Chronicles 34:20)
Micah,
The Book OfThree
sections of this work represent three natural divisions of the
prophecy--1, 2; 3-5; 6,7--each commencing with rebukes and threatening
and closing with a promise. The first section opens with a magnificent
description of the coming of Jehovah to judgment for the sins and
idolatries of Israel and Judah, ch. 1:2-4, and the sentence pronounced
upon Samaria, vs. 5-9, by the Judge himself. The sentence of captivity
is passed upon them. (Micah 2:10) but is followed instantly by a
promise of restoration and triumphant return. ch. (Micah 2:12,13) The
second section is addressed especially to the princes and heads of the
people: their avarice and rapacity are rebuked in strong terms; but the
threatening is again succeeded by a promise of restoration. In the last
section, chs. 6,7, Jehovah, by a bold poetical figure, is represented
as holding a controversy with his people, pleading with them in
justification of his conduct toward them and the reasonableness of his
requirements. The whole concludes with a triumphal song of joy at the
great deliverance, like that from Egypt, which jehovah will achieve,
and a full acknowledgment of his mercy and faithfulness of his
promises. vs. 16-20. The last verse is reproduced in the song of
Zacharias. (Luke 1:72,73) Micah's prophecies are distinct and clear. He
it is who says that the Ruler shall spring from Bethlehem. ch. (Luke
5:2) His style has been compared with that of Hosea and Isaiah. His
diction is vigorous and forcible, sometimes obscure from the abruptness
of its transitions, but varied and rich.
Micaiah(who
is like God?). Micahiah, the son of Imlah, was a prophet of Samaria,
who in the last year of the reign of Ahab king of Israel predicted his
defeat and death, B.C. 897. (1 Kings 22:1-35; 2 Chronicles 18:1) ...
Micha(who
is like God?).
+The son of Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 9:12)
+A Levite who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:11)
+The father of Mattaniah, a Gershonite Levite and descendant of Ashaph.
(Nehemiah 11:17,22)
Michael(who
is like God?).
+An Asherite, father of Sethur, one of the twelve spies. (Numbers 13:13)
+One of the Gadites who settled in the land of Bashan. (1 Chronicles
5:13)
+Another Gadite, ancestor of Abihail. (1 Chronicles 5:14)
+A Gershionite Levite, ancestor of Asaph. (1 Chronicles 6:40)
+One of the five sons of Izrahiah, of the tribe of Issachar. (1
Chronicles 7:3)
+A Benjamite of the sons of Beriah. (1 Chronicles 8:16)
+One of the captains of the "thousands" of Manasseh who joined David at
Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:20)
+The father or ancestor of Omri, chief of the tribe of Issachar in the
reign of David. (1 Chronicles 27:18)
+One of the sons of Jehoshaphat who were murdered by their elder
brother, Jehoram. (2 Chronicles 21:2,4)
+The father or ancestor of Zebadiah, of the sons of Shephatiah. (Ezra
8:8)
+"One," or "the first, of the chief princes" or archangels, (Daniel
10:21) as the "prince" of Israel, and in ch. (Daniel 12:1) as "the
great prince which standeth" in time conflict "for the children of thy
people."
Michah(who
is like God?), eldest son of Uzziel the son of Kohath, (1 Chronicles
24:24,25) elsewhere, (1 Chronicles 23:20) called [866]Micah.
Michaiah(who
is like God?).
+Same as [867]Micah 6. (2 Chronicles 34:25)
+Same as [868]Micha 3. (1 Chronicles 9:15; Nehemiah 12:35)
+One of the priests at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem.
(Nehemiah 12:41)
+The daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah
king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 13:2) [[869]Maachah,3]
+One of the princes of Jehoshaphat whom he sent to teach the law of
Jehovah in the cities of Judah. (2 Chronicles 17:7)
+The son of Gemariah. He is only mentioned on one occasion. (Jeremiah
36:11,13,14)
Michal(who
is like God?), the younger of Saul's two daughters, (1 Samuel 14:49)
who married David. The price fixed on Michal's hand was no less than
the slaughter of a hundred Philistines. David by a brilliant feat
doubled the tale of victims, and Michal became his wife. Shortly
afterward she saved David from the assassins whom her father had sent
to take his life. (1 Samuel 19:11-17) When the rupture between Saul and
David had become open and incurable, she was married to another man,
Phalti or Phaltiel of Gallim. (1 Samuel 25:44) After the death of her
father and brothers at Gilboa, David compelled her new husband to
surrender Michal to him. (2 Samuel 3:13-16) How Michal comported
herself in the altered circumstances of David's household we are not
told; but it is plain from the subsequent occurrences that something
had happened to alter the relations of herself and David, for on the
day of David's greatest triumph, when he brought the ark of Jehovah to
Jerusalem, we are told that "she despised him in her heart." All
intercourse between her and David ceased from that date. (2 Samuel
6:20-23) Her name appears, (2 Samuel 21:8) as the mother of five of the
grandchildren of Saul.
Michmas
Or Michmash(hidden),
a town which is known to us almost solely by its connection with the
Philistine war of Saul and Jonathan. (1 Samuel 13:1; 1 Samuel 14:1) ...
It has been identified with great probability in a village which still
bears the name of Mukhmas, about seven miles north of Jerusalem. The
place was thus situated in the very middle of the tribe of Benjamin. In
the invasion of Sennacherib in the reign of Hezekiah, it is mentioned
by Isaiah. (Isaiah 10:28) After the captivity the man of the place
returned. (Ezra 2:27; Nehemiah 7:31) At a later date it became the
residence of Jonathan Maccabaeus and the seat of his government. 1
Macc. 9:73. In the time of Eusebius and Jerome it was "a very large
village, retaining its ancient name, and lying near Ramah in the
district of AElia (Jerusalem), at ten miles distance therefrom."
Immediately below the village the great wady spreads out to a
considerable width--perhaps half a mile; and its bed is broken up into
an intricate mass of hummocks and mounds, two of which, before the
torrents of three thousand winters had reduced and rounded their forms,
were probably the two "teeth of cliff"--the Bozes and Seneh of
Jonathan's adventure.
Michmethah(hiding-place),
a place which formed one of the landmarks of the boundary of the
territories of Ephraim and Manasseh on the western side of Jordan.
(Joshua 17:7) The position of the place must be somewhere on the east
of and not far distant from Shechem.
Michri(worthy
of price), ancestor of Elah, one of the heads of the fathers of
Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 9:8)
Michtam(golden
psalm). This word occurs in the titles of six psalms (16,56-60), all of
which are ascribed to David. The marginal reading of our Authorized
Version is "a golden psalm," while in the Geneva version it is
described as "a certain tune." From the position which it occupies in
the title we may infer that michtam is a term applied to these psalms
to denote their musical character, but beyond this everything is
obscure.
Middin(measures),
a city of Judah, (Joshua 15:61) one of the six specified as situated in
the district of "the midbar" (Authorized Version "wilderness").
Midian(strife),
a son of Abraham and Keturah, (Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32)
progenitor of the Midianites, or Arabians dwelling principally in the
desert north of the peninsula of Arabia. Southward they extended along
the eastern shore of the Gulf of Eyleh (Sinus AElaniticus); and
northward they stretched along the eastern frontier of Palestine. The
"land of Midian," the place to which Moses fled after having killed the
Egyptian, (Exodus 2:15,21) or the portion of it specially referred to,
was probably the peninsula of Sinai. The influence of the Midianties on
the Israelites was clearly most evil, and directly tended to lead them
from the injunctions of Moses. The events at Shittim occasioned the
injunction to vex Midian and smite them. After a lapse of some years,
the Midianites appear again as the enemies of the Israelites,
oppressing them for seven years, but are finally defeated with great
slaughter by Gideon. [[870]Gideon] The Midianites are described as true
Arabs, and possessed cattle and flocks and camels as the sand of the
seashore for multitude. The spoil taken in the war of both Moses and of
Gideon is remarkable. (Numbers 31:22; Judges 8:21,24-26) We have here a
wealthy Arab nation, living by plunder, delighting in finery; and,
where forays were impossible, carrying ont he traffic southward into
Arabia, the land of gold--if not naturally, by trade-- and across to
Chaldea, or into the rich plains of Egypt.
Migdalel(tower
of God), one of the fortified towns of the possession of Naphtali,
(Joshua 19:38) only, possibly deriving its name from some ancient
tower--the "tower of El," or God.
Migdalgad(tower
of Gad), a city of Judah, (Joshua 15:37) in the district of the
Shefelah, or maritime lowland.
Migdol(tower),
the name of one of two places on the eastern frontier of Egypt.
+A Migdol is mentioned int he account of the exodus, (Exodus 14:2;
Numbers 33:7,8) near the head of the Red Sea.
+A Migdol is spoken of by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The latter prophet
mentions it as a boundary-town, evidently on the eastern border.
(Ezekiel 29:10; 30:6) In the prophecy of Jeremiah the Jews in Egypt are
spoken of as dwelling at Migdol. (Jeremiah 44:1) It seems plain, from
its being spoken of with Memphis, and from Jews dwelling there, that
this Midgol was an important town.
Migron(precipice),
a town or a spot in the neighborhood of Gibeah. (1 Samuel 14:23) Migron
is also mentioned in Sennacherib's approach to Jerusalem. (Isaiah 10:28)
Mijamin(from
the right hand).
+The chief of the sixth of the twenty-four courses of priests
established by David. (1 Chronicles 24:9)
+A family of priests who signed the covenant with Nehemiah; probably
the descendants of the preceding. (Nehemiah 10:7)
Mikloth(staves).
+One of the sons of Jehiel, the father or prince of Gibeon, by his wife
Maachah. (1 Chronicles 8:32; 9:37,38)
+The leader of the second division of David's army. (1 Chronicles 27:4)
Mikneiah(possession
of Jehovah), one of the Levites of the second rank, gatekeepers of the
ark, appointed by David to play in the temple band "with harps upon
Sheminith." (1 Chronicles 15:18,21)
Milalai(eloquent),
probably a Gershonite Levite of the sons of Asaph, who assisted at the
dedication of the walls of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:36)
Milcah(queen
or counsel).
+Daughter of Haran and wife of her uncle Nahor, Abraham's brother, to
whom she bore eight children. (Genesis 11:29; 22:20,23; 24:15,24,47)
+The fourth daughter of Zelophehad. (Numbers 26:33; 27:1; 36:11; Joshua
17:3)
Milcom(great
king). [[871]Molech]
Milea
Roman measure of length, equal to 1618 English yards--4854 feet, or
about nine-tenths of an English mile. It is only once noticed in the
Bible, (Matthew 5:41) the usual method of reckoning both in the New
Testament and in Josephus being by the stadium. The mile of the Jews is
said to have been of two kinds, long or short, dependent on the length
of the pace, which varied in different parts, the long pace being
double the length of the short one.
Miletus(Acts
20:15,17) less correctly called MILETUM in (2 Timothy 4:20) It lay on
the coast, 36 miles to the south of Ephesus, a day's sail from
Trogyllium. (Acts 20:15) Moreover, to those who are sailing from the
north it is in the direct line for Cos. The site of Miletus has now
receded ten miles from the coast, and even in the apostles' time it
must have lost its strictly maritime position. Miletus was far more
famous five hundred years before St. Paul's day than it ever became
afterward. In early times it was the most flourishing city of the
Ionian Greeks. In the natural order of events it was absorbed in the
Persian empire. After a brief period of spirited independence, it
received a blow from which it never recovered, in the siege conducted
by Alexander when on his eastern campaign. But still it held, even
through the Roman period, the rank of a second-rate trading town, and
Strabo mentions its four harbors. At this time it was politically in
the province of Asia, though Caria was the old ethnological name of the
district in which it was situated. All that is left now is a small
Turkish village called Melas, near the site of the ancient city.
MilkAs
an article of diet, milk holds a more important position in eastern
countries than with us. It is not a mere adjunct in cookery, or
restricted to the use of the young, although it is naturally the
characteristic food of childhood, both from its simple and nutritive
qualities. (1 Peter 2:2) and particularly as contrasted with meat, (1
Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12) but beyond this it is regarded as
substantial food adapted alike to all ages and classes. Not only the
milk of cows, but of sheep, (32:14) of camels, (Genesis 32:15) and of
goats, (Proverbs 27:27) was used; that latter appears to have been most
highly prized.
MillThe
mills of the ancient Hebrews probably differed but little from those at
present in use in the East. These consist of two circular stones, each
about eighteen inches or two feet in diameter, the lower of which is
fixed, and has its upper surface slightly convex, fitting into a
corresponding concavity in the upper stone. In the latter is a hole
thorough which the grain passes, immediately above a pivot or shaft
which rises from the centre of the lower stone, and about which the
upper stone is turned by means of an upright handle fixed near the
edge. It is worked by women, sometimes singly and sometimes two
together, who are usually seated on the bare ground. (Isaiah 47:1,2)
"facing each other; both have hold of the handle by which the upper is
turned round on the 'nether' millstone. The one whose right hand is
disengaged throws in the grain as occasion requires through the hole in
the upper stone. It is not correct to say that one pushes it half round
and then the other seizes the handle. This would be slow work, and
would give a spasmodic motion to the stone. Both retain their hold, and
pull to or push from, as men do with the whip or cross-cut saw. The
proverb of our Saviour, (Matthew 24:41) is true to life, for women only
grind. I cannot recall an instance in which men were at the
mill."--Thomson, "The Land and the Book," c.34. So essential were
millstones for daily domestic use that they were forbidden to be taken
in pledge. (24:6) There were also larger mills that could only be
turned by cattle or asses. Allusion to one of these is made in (Matthew
18:6) With the movable upper millstone of the hand-mill the woman of
Thebez broke Abimelech's skull. (Judges 9:53)
Milleta
kind of grain. A number os species are cultivated in the East. When
green it is used as fodder, and for bread when ripe. (Ezekiel 4:9) It
is probable that both the Sorghum vulgare and that Panicum miliaceum
were used, and the Hebrew dochan may denote either of these plants.
Millo(a
rampart, mound) a place in ancient Jerusalem. Both name and place seem
to have been already in existence when the city was taken from the
Jebusites by David. (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8) Its repair or
restoration was one of the great works for which Solomon raised his
"levy," (1 Kings 9:15,24; 11:27) and it formed a prominent part of the
fortifications by which Hezekiah prepared for the approach of the
Assyrians. (2 Chronicles 32:5) The last passage seems to show that "the
Milo" was part of the "city of David," that is, of Zion. Comp. (2 Kings
12:20)
Millo,
The House Of
+Apparently a family or clan, mentioned in (Judges 9:6,20) only, in
connection with the men or lords of Shechem.
+The spot at which King Joash was murdered by his slaves. (2 Kings
12:20)
Mines,
MiningA
highly-poetical description given by the author of the book of Job of
the operations of mining as known in his day is the only record of the
kind which we inherit from the ancient Hebrews. (Job 28:1-11) In the
Wady Magharah, "the valley of the cave," are still traces of the
Egyptian colony of miners who settled there for the purpose of
extracting copper from the freestone rocks, and left their hieroglyphic
inscriptions upon the face of the cliff. The ancient furnaces are still
to be seen, and on the coast of the Red Sea are found the piers and
wharves whence the miners shipped their metal in the harbor of Abu
Zelimeh. Three methods were employed for refining gold and silver: (1)
by exposing the fused metal to a current of air; (2) by keeping the
alloy in a state of fusion and throwing nitre upon it; and (3) by
mixing the alloy with lead, exposing the whole to fusion upon a vessel
of bone-ashes or earth, and blowing upon it with bellows or other
blast. There seems to be reference to the latter in (Psalms 12:6;
Jeremiah 6:28-30; Ezekiel 22:18-22) The chief supply of silver in the
ancient world appears to have been brought from Spain. The Egyptians
evidently possessed the art of working bronze in great perfection at a
very early time, and much of the knowledge of metals which the
Israelites had must have been acquired during their residence among
them. Of tin there appears to have been no trace in Palestine. The
hills of Palestine are rich in iron, and the mines are still worked
there, though in a very simple, rude manner.
Miniamin(from
the right hand).
+A Levite in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 31:15)
+The same as Miamin 2 and Mijamin 2. (Nehemiah 12:17)
+One of the priests at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem.
(Nehemiah 12:41)
MinisterThis
term is used in the Authorized Version to describe various officials of
a religious and civil character. Its meaning, as distinguished from
servant, is a voluntary attendant on another. In the Old Testament it
is applied (1) to an attendance upon a person of high rank, (Exodus
24:13; Joshua 1:1; 2 Kings 4:43) (2) to the attaches of a royal court,
(1 Kings 10:5; 2 Chronicles 22:8) comp. Psal 104:4 (3) To the priests
and Levites. (Ezra 8:17; Nehemiah 10:36; Isaiah 61:6; Ezekiel 44:11;
Joel 1:9,13) One term in the New Testament betokens a subordinate
public administrator, (Romans 13:6; 15:16; Hebrews 8:2) one who
performs certain gratuitous public services. A second term contains the
idea of actual and personal attendance upon a superior, as in (Luke
4:20) The minister's duty was to open and close the building, to
produce and replace the books employed in the service, and generally to
wait on the officiating priest or teacher. A third term, diakonos (from
which comes our word deacon), is the one usually employed in relation
to the ministry of the gospel: its application is twofold,--in a
general sense to indicate ministers of any order, whether superior or
inferior, and in a special sense to indicate an order of inferiors
ministers. [[872]Deacon]
Minni(division),
(Jeremiah 51:27) already noticed as a portion of Armenia. [[873]Armenia]
Minnith(distribution),
a place on the east of the Jordan, named as the point to which
Jephthah's slaughter of the Ammonites extended. (Judges 11:33) The
"wheat of Minnith" is mentioned in (Ezekiel 27:17) as being supplied by
Judah and Israel to Tyre; but there is nothing to indicate that the
same place is intended, and indeed the word is believed by some not to
be a proper name.
MinstrelThe
Hebrew word in (2 Kings 3:15) properly signifies a player upon a
stringed instruments like the harp or kinnor [[874]Harp], whatever its
precise character may have been, on which David played before Saul, (1
Samuel 16:16; 18:10; 19:9) and which the harlots of the great cities
used to carry with them as they walked, to attract notice. (Isaiah
23:16) The "minstrels" in (Matthew 9:23) were the flute-players who
were employed as professional mourners, to whom frequent allusion is
made. (2 Chronicles 35:25; Ecclesiastes 12:5; Jeremiah 9:17-20)
MintThis
name occurs only in (Matthew 23:23) and Luke 11:42 As one of those
herbs the tithe of which the Jews were most scrupulously exact in
paying. The horse mint, M. Sylvestris, and several other species of
mint are common in Syria.
Miphkad(appointed
place), The gate, one of the gates of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:31) It was
probably not in the wall of Jerusalem proper, but in that of the city
of David, or Zion, and somewhere near to the junction of the two on the
north side.
MiraclesA
miracle may be defined to be a plain and manifest exercise by a man, or
by God at the call of a man, of those powers which belong only to the
Creator and Lord of nature; and this for the declared object of
attesting that a divine mission is given to that man. It is not,
therefore, the wonder, the exception to common experience, that
constitutes the miracle, as is assumed both in the popular use of the
word and by most objectors against miracles. No phenomenon in nature,
however unusual, no event in the course of God's providence, however
unexpected, is a miracle unless it can be traced to the agency of man
(including prayer under the term agency), and unless it be put forth as
a proof of divine mission. Prodigies and special providences are not
miracles. (A miracle is not a violation of the laws of nature. It is
God's acting upon nature in a degree far beyond our powers, but the
same king of act as our wills are continually exerting upon nature. We
do not in lifting a stone interfere with any law of nature, but exert a
higher force among the laws. Prof. Tyndall says that "science does
assert that without a disturbance of natural law quite as serious as
the stoppage of an eclipse, or the rolling of the St. Lawrence up the
falls of Niagara, no act of humiliation, individual or nation, could
call one shower from heaven." And yet men by firing cannon during
battle can cause a shower: does that cause such a commotion among the
laws of nature? The exertion of a will upon the laws does not make a
disturbance of natural law; and a miracle is simply the exertion of
God's will upon nature.--ED.) Again, the term "nature" suggests to many
persons the idea of a great system of things endowed with powers and
forces of its own--a sort of machine, set a-going originally by a first
cause, but continuing its motions of itself. Hence we are apt to
imagine that a change in the motion or operation of any part of it by
God would produce the same disturbance of the other parts as such a
change would be likely to produce in them if made by us or by any other
natural agent. But if the motions and operations of material things be
produced really by the divine will, then his choosing to change, for a
special purpose, the ordinary motion of one part does not necessarily
or probably imply his choosing to change the ordinary motions of other
parts in a way not at all requisite for the accomplishment of that
special purpose. It is as easy for him to continue the ordinary course
of the rest, with the change of one part, as of all the phenomena
without any change at all. Thus, though the stoppage of the motion of
the earth in the ordinary course of nature would be attended with
terrible convulsions, the stoppage of the earth miraculously, for a
special purpose to be served by that only, would not of itself be
followed by any such consequences. (Indeed, by the action of
gravitation it could be stopped, as a stone thrown up is stopped, in
less than two minutes, and yet so gently as not to stir the smallest
feather or mote on its surface.--ED.) From the same conception of
nature as a machine, we are apt to think of interferences with the
ordinary course of nature as implying some imperfection in it. But it
is manifest that this is a false analogy; for the reason why machines
are made is to save us trouble; and, therefore, they are more perfect
in proportion as they answer this purpose. But no one can seriously
imagine that the universe is a machine for the purpose of saving
trouble to the Almighty. Again, when miracles are described as
"interferences with the law of nature," this description makes them
appear improbable to many minds, from their not sufficiently
considering that the laws of nature interfere with one another, and
that we cannot get rid of "interferences" upon any hypothesis
consistent with experience. The circumstances of the Christian miracles
are utterly unlike those of any pretended instances of magical wonders.
This difference consists in-- (1) The greatness, number, completeness
and publicity of the miracles. (2) In the character of the miracles.
They were all beneficial, helpful, instructive, and worthy of God as
their author. (3) The natural beneficial tendency of the doctrine they
attested. (4) The connection of them with a whole scheme of revelation
extending from the origin of the human race to the time of Christ.
Miriam(rebellion),
the sister of Moses, was the eldest of that sacred family; and she
first appears, probably as a young girl, watching her infant brother's
cradle in the Nile, (Exodus 2:4) and suggesting her mother as a nurse.
ver. 7. After the crossing of the Red Sea "Miriam the prophetess" is
her acknowledged title. ch. (Exodus 15:20) The prophetic power showed
itself in her under the same form as that which it assumed in the days
of Samuel and David,--poetry, accompanied with music and processions.
ch. (Exodus 15:1-19) She took the lead, with Aaron, in the complaint
against Moses for his marriage with a Cushite, (Numbers 12:1,2) and for
this was attacked with leprosy. This stroke and its removal, which took
place at Hazeroth, form the last public event of Miriam's life. ch.
(Numbers 12:1-15) She died toward the close of the wanderings at
Kadesh, and was buried there. ch. (Numbers 20:1) (B.C. about 1452.)
Mirma(fraud),
a Benjamite, born in the land of Moab. (1 Chronicles 8:10)
Mirror(Exodus
38:8; Job 37:18) The Hebrew women on coming out of Egypt probably
brought with them mirrors like those which were used by the Egyptians,
and were made of a mixed metal, chiefly copper, wrought with admirable
skill, and susceptible of a bright lustre. (1 Chronicles 13:12)
Misgab(height),
a place in Moab. (Jeremiah 48:1) It appears to be mentioned also in
(Isaiah 25:12) thorough there rendered in the Authorized Version "high
fort."
Mishael(who
is what God is?).
+One of the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron and Moses. (Exodus 6:22)
when Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for offering strange fire,
Mishael and his brother Elzaphan, at the command of Moses, removed
their bodies from the sanctuary, and buried them without the camp,
their loose-fitting tunics serving for winding-sheets. (Leviticus
10:4,5)
+One of those who stood at Ezra's left hand when he read the law to the
people. (Nehemiah 8:4) [[875]Meshach]
Mishal,
Or Misheal(entreaty),
one of the towns in the territory of Asher, (Joshua 19:26) allotted to
the Gershonite Levites. ch. (Joshua 21:30)
Misham(purification),
a Benjamite, son of Elpaal and descendant of Shaharaim. (1 Chronicles
8:12)
Mishma(a
hearing).
+A son of Ishmael and brother of Mibsam. (Genesis 25:14; 1 Chronicles
1:30)
+A son of Simeon, (1 Chronicles 4:25) brother of Mibsam.
Mishmannah(fatness),
the fourth of the twelve lion-faced Gadites who joined David at Ziklag.
(1 Chronicles 12:10)
Mishraites,
Thethe
fourth of the four "families of Kirjath-jearim," i.e. colonies
proceeding therefrom and founding towns. (1 Chronicles 2:53)
Misperethone
of those who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua from Babylon.
(Nehemiah 7:7)
Misrephothmaim(the
flew of waters), a place in northern Palestine. Dr. Thomson treats
Misrephoth-maim as identical with a collection of springs called
Ain-Musheirifeh, on the seashore close under the Ras en-Nakhura ; but
this has the disadvantage of being very far from Sidon. May it not
rather be the place with which we are familiar in the later history as
Zarephat, near Sidon?
Mitea
coin current in Palestine in the time of our Lord. (Mark 12:41-44; Luke
21:1-4) It seems in Palestine to have been the smallest piece of money
(worth about one-fifth of a cent), being the half of the farthing,
which was a coin of very low value. From St. Mark's explanation, "two
mites, which make a farthing," ver. 42, it may perhaps be inferred that
the farthing was the commoner coin.
Mithcah(sweetness),
the name of an unknown desert encampment of the Israelites. (Numbers
33:28,29)
Mithnite,
Thethe
designation of Joshaphat, one of David's guard in the catalogue of (1
Chronicles 11:43)
Mithredath(given
by Mithra).
+The treasurer of Cyrus king of Persia, to whom the king gave the
vessels of the temple. (Ezra 1:8)
+A Persian officer stationed at Samaria. (Ezra 4:7)
Mitre(something
rolled around the head), the turban or headdress of the high priest,
made of fine linen cloth, eight yards long, folded around the head. On
the front was a gold plate on which was inscribed Holiness to the Lord
. (Exodus 28:4,37,39; 39:28,30; Leviticus 8:9)
Mitylene(mutilated),
the chief town of Lesbos, an island of the AEgean Sea, 7 1/2 miles from
the opposite point of Asia Minor. The city is situated on the east
coast of the island. Mitylene is the intermediate place where St. Paul
stopped for the night between Assos and Chios. (Acts 20:14,15) The town
itself was celebrated in Roman times for the beauty of its buildings.
In St. Paul's day it had the privileges of a free city. (It is now a
place of no importance, called Mitelin . It contains about 1100 houses,
Greek and Turkish, with narrow and filthy streets.--ED.)
Mixed
MultitudeWhen
the Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, the first stage of
the exodus from Egypt, there were up with them "a mixed multitude."
(Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4) They were probably the offspring of
marriages contracted between the Israelites and the Egyptians; and the
term may also include all those who were not of pure Israelite blood.
In Exodus and Numbers it probably denoted the miscellaneous hangers-on
of the Hebrew camp, whether they were the issue of spurious marriages
with Egyptians or were themselves Egyptians, or belonging to other
nations. The same happened on the return from Babylon, and in (Nehemiah
13:3) (comp. vs Nehe 13:23-30) a slight clue is given by which the
meaning of the "mixed multitude" may be more definitely ascertained.
Mizar(small),
The hill, a mountain apparently in the northern part of transjordanic
Palestine, from which the author of Psalm 42 utters his pathetic
appeal. ver. 6. (It is probably a summit of the eastern ridge of
Lebanon, not far from Mahanaim, where David lay after escaping from the
rebellion of Absalom.--McClintock and Strong.)
Mizpahand
Miz'peh (a watch-tower), the name of several places in Palestine.
+The earliest of all, in order of the narrative, is the heap of stones
piled up by Jacob and Laban, (Genesis 31:48) on Mount Gilead, ver.
(Genesis 31:25) to serve both as a witness to the covenant then entered
into and as a landmark of the boundary between them. ver. (Genesis
31:52) On this natural watch-tower did the children of Israel assemble
for the choice of a leader to resist the children of Ammon. (Judges
10:17) There the fatal meeting took place between Jephthah and his
daughter on his return from the war. ch. (Judges 11:34) It seems most
probable that the "Mizpeh-gilead" which is mentioned here, and here
only, is the same as the "ham-Mizpah" of the other parts of the
narrative; and both are probably identical with the Ramath-mizpeh and
Ramoth-gilead, so famous in the later history.
+A second Mizpeh, on the east of Jordan, was the Mizpeh-moab, where the
king of that nation was living when David committed his parents to his
care. (1 Samuel 22:3)
+A third was "the land of Mizpeh," or more accurately "of Mizpah," the
residence of the Hivites who joined the northern confederacy against
Israel, headed by Jabin king of Hazor. (Joshua 11:3) No other mention
is found of this district in the Bible, unless it be identical with--
+The valley of Mizpeh, to which the discomfited hosts of the same
confederacy were chased by Joshua, (Joshua 11:8) perhaps identical with
the great country of Coele-Syria.
+Mizpeh, a city of Judah, (Joshua 15:38) in the district of the
Shefelah or maritime lowland.
+Mizpeh, in Joshua and Samuel; elsewhere Mizpah, a "city" of Benjamin,
not far from Jerusalem. (Joshua 18:26; 1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles
16:6; Nehemiah 3:7) It was one of the places fortified by Asa against
the incursions of the kings of northern Israel, (1 Kings 15:22; 2
Chronicles 16:6; Jeremiah 41:10) and after the destruction of Jerusalem
it became the residence of the superintendent appointed by the king of
Babylon, (Jeremiah 40:7) etc., and the scene of his murder and of the
romantic incidents connected with the name of Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah. It was one of the three holy cities which Samuel visited in
turn as judge of the people, (1 Samuel 7:6,16) the other two being
Bethel and Gilgal. With the conquest of Jerusalem and the establishment
there of the ark, the sanctity of Mizpah, or at least its reputation,
seems to have declined. From Mizpah the city or the temple was visible.
These conditions are satisfied by the position of Scopus, the broad
ridge which forms the continuation of the Mount of Olives to the north
and cast, from which the traveller gains, like Titus, his first view,
and takes his last farewell, of the domes, walls and towers of the holy
city.
Mizpar(number);
properly Mispar, the same as [876]Mispereth. (Ezra 2:2)
Mizpeh[[877]Mizpah]
Mizraim,
Or Mizraim(the
two Egypts; red soil), the usual name of Egypt in the Old Testament the
dual of Mazor, which is less frequently employed. Mizraim first occurs
in the account of the Hamites in (Genesis 10:1) ... In the use of the
name Mizraim for Egypt there can be no doubt that the dual indicates
the two regions, upper and lower Egypt, into which the country has
always been divided by nature as well as by its inhabitants.
Mizzah(fear),
son of Reuel and grandson of Esau. (Genesis 36:13,17; 1 Chronicles 1:37)
Mnason(remembering)
is honorably mentioned in Scripture. (Acts 21:16) It is most likely
that his residence at this time was not Caesarea, but Jerusalem. He was
a Cyprian by birth, and may have been a friend of Barnabas. (Acts 4:36)
Moab(of
his father), Mo'abites. Moab was the son of the Lot's eldest daughter,
the progenitor of the Moabites. Zoar was the cradle of the race of Lot.
From this centre the brother tribes spread themselves. The Moabites
first inhabited the rich highlands which crown the eastern side of the
chasm of the Dead Sea, extending as far north as the mountain of
Gilead, from which country they expelled the Emims, the original
inhabitants, (2:11) but they themselves were afterward driven southward
by the warlike Amorites, who had crossed the Jordan, and were confined
to the country south of the river Arnon, which formed their northern
boundary. (Numbers 21:13; Judges 11:18) The territory occupied by Moab
at the period of its greatest extent, before the invasion of the
Amorites, divided itself naturally into three distinct and independent
portions:-- (1) The enclosed corner or canton south of the Arnon was
the "field of Moab." (Ruth 1:1,2,6) etc. (2) The more open rolling
country north of the Arnon, opposite Jericho, and up to the hills of
Gilead, was the "land of Moab." (1:5; 32:49) etc. (3) The sunk district
in the tropical depths of the Jordan valley. (Numbers 22:1) etc. The
Israelites, in entering the promised land, did not pass through the
Moabites, (Judges 11:18) but conquered the Amorites, who occupied the
country from which the Moabites had been so lately expelled. After the
conquest of Canaan the relations of Moab with Israel were of a mixed
character, sometimes warlike and sometimes peaceable. With the tribe of
Benjamin they had at least one severe struggle, in union with their
kindred the Ammonites. (Judges 3:12-30) The story of Ruth, on the other
hand, testifies to the existence of a friendly intercourse between Moab
and Bethlehem, one of the towns of Judah. By his descent from Ruth,
David may be said to have had Moabite blood in his veins. He committed
his parents to the protection of the king of Moab, when hard pressed by
Saul. (1 Samuel 22:3,4) But here all friendly relations stop forever.
The next time the name is mentioned is in the account of David's war,
who made the Moabites tributary. (2 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 18:2) At
the disruption of the kingdom Moab seems to have fallen to the northern
realm. At the death of Ahab the Moabites refused to pay tribute and
asserted their independence, making war upon the kingdom of Judah. (2
Chronicles 22:1) ... As a natural consequence of the late events,
Israel, Judah and Edom united in an attack on Moab, resulting in the
complete overthrow of the Moabites. Falling back into their own
country, they were followed and their cities and farms destroyed.
Finally, shut up within the walls of his own capital, the king, Mesha,
in the sight of the thousands who covered the sides of that vast
amphitheater, killed and burnt his child as a propitiatory sacrifice to
the cruel gods of his country. Isaiah, chs. (Isaiah 15,16,25:10-12)
predicts the utter annihilation of the Moabites; and they are
frequently denounced by the subsequent prophets. For the religion of
the Moabites see [878]Chemosh; [879]Molech; [880]Peor. See also
Tristram's "Land of Moab." Present condition.--(Noldeke says that the
extinction of the Moabites was about A.D. 200, at the time when the
Yemen tribes Galib and Gassara entered the eastern districts of the
Jordan. Since A.D. 536 the last trace of the name Moab, which lingered
in the town of Kir-moab, has given place to Kerak, its modern name.
Over the whole region are scattered many ruins of ancient cities; and
while the country is almost bare of larger vegetation, it is still a
rich pasture-ground, with occasional fields of grain. The land thus
gives evidence of its former wealth and power.--ED.)
Moabite
Stone, TheIn
the year 1868 Rev. F. Klein, of the Church Missionary Society at
Jerusalem, found at Dhiban (the biblical Dibon), in Moab, a remarkable
stone, since called the Moabite Stone. It was lying on the ground, with
the inscription uppermost, and measures about 3 feet 9 inches long, 2
feet 4 inches wide and 1 foot 2 inches thick. It is a very heavy,
compact black basalt. An impression was made of the main block, and of
certain recovered parts broken off by the Arabs. It was broken by the
Arabs, but the fragments were purchased by the French government for
32,000 francs, and are in the Louvre in Paris. The engraved face is
about the shape of an ordinary gravestone, rounded at the top. On this
stone is the record in the Phoenician characters of the wars of Mesha,
king of Moab, with Israel. (2 Kings 3:4) It speaks of King Omri and
other names of places and persons mentioned in the Bible, and belongs
to this exact period of jewish and Moabite history. The names given on
the Moabite Stone, engraved by one who knew them in daily life, are, in
nearly every case, identical with those found in the Bible itself, and
testify to the wonderful integrity with which the Scriptures have been
preserved. "The inscription reads like a leaf taken out of a lost book
of Chronicles. The expressions are the same; the names of gods, kings
and of towns are the same."--(See Rawlinson's "Historical
Illustrations;" American Cyclopedia ; and Bibliotheca Sacra, Oct. 20,
1870.--ED.)
Moadiah(Nehemiah
12:17) Elsewhere Nehe 12:5 Called [881]Maadiah.
Modina
place not mentioned in either the Old or the New Testament, though
rendered immortal by its connection with the history of the Jews in the
interval between the two. It was the native city of the Maccabaean
family, 1 Macc. 13:25, and as a necessary consequence contained their
ancestral sepulchre. ch. 2:70; 9:19; 13:25-30. At Modin the Maccabean
armies encamped on the eves of two of their most memorable
victories--that of Judas over Antiochus Eupator, 2 Macc. 13:14, and
that of Simon over Cendebeus. 1 Macc. 16:4. The only indication of the
position of the place to be gathered from the above notices is
contained in the last, from which we may infer that it was near "the
plain," i.e. the great maritime lowland of Philistia. ver. 5. The
description of the monuments seems to imply that the spot was so lofty
as to be visible from the sea, and so near that even the details of the
sculpture were discernible therefrom. All these conditions, excepting
the last, are tolerably fulfilled in either of the two sides called
Latran and Kubub .
Moladah(birth,
race), a city of Judah, one of those which lay in the district of "the
south." (Joshua 15:26; 19:2) In the latter tribe it remained at any
rate till the reign of David, (1 Chronicles 4:28) but by the time of
the captivity it seems to have come back into the hands of Judah, by
whom it was reinhabited after the captivity. (Nehemiah 11:26) It may be
placed at el-Milh, which is about 4 English miles from Tell Arad, 17 or
18 from Hebron, and 9 or 10 due east of Beersheba.
Mole
+Tinshemeth. (Leviticus 11:30) It is probable that the animals
mentioned with the tinshemeth in the above passage denote different
kinds of lizards; perhaps, therefore, the chameleon is the animal
intended.
+Chephor peroth is rendered "moles" in (Isaiah 2:20) (The word means
burrowers, hole-diggers, and may designate any of the small animals, as
rats and weasels, which burrow among ruins. Many scholars, according to
McClintock and Strong's "Cyclopedia," consider that the Greek aspalax
is the animal intended by both the words translated mole. It is not the
European mole, but is a kind of blind mole-rat, from 8 to 12 inches
long, feeding on vegetables, and burrowing like a mole, but on a larger
scale. It is very common in Russia, and Hasselquiest says it is
abundant on the plains of Sharon in Palestine.--ED.)
Molech(king).
The fire-god Molech was the tutelary deity of the children of Ammon,
and essentially identical with the Moabitish Chemosh. Fire-gods appear
to have been common to all the Canaanite, Syrian and Arab tribes, who
worshipped the destructive element under an outward symbol, with the
most inhuman rites. According to Jewish tradition, the image of Molech
was of brass, hollow within, and was situated without Jerusalem. "His
face was (that) of a calf, and his hands stretched forth like a man who
opens his hands to receive (something) of his neighbor. And they
kindled it with fire, and the priests took the babe and put it into the
hands of Molech, and the babe gave up the ghost." Many instances of
human sacrifices are found in ancient writers, which may be compared
with the description of the Old Testament of the manner in which Molech
was worshipped. Molech was the lord and master of the Ammonites; their
country was his possession, (Jeremiah 49:1) as Moab was the heritage of
Chemosh; the princes of the land were the princes of Malcham. (Jeremiah
49:3; Amos 1:15) His priests were men of rank, (Jeremiah 49:3) taking
precedence of the princes. The priests of Molech, like those of other
idols, were called Chemarim. (2 Kings 23:5; Hosea 10:5; Zephaniah 1:4)
MoliMahli,
the son of Merari. 1 Esdr. 8:47; comp (Ezra 8:18)
Molid(begetter),
the son of Abishur by his wife Abihail, and descendant of Jerahmeel. (1
Chronicles 2:29)
MolochThe
same as Molech. [882]Molech
Money
+Uncointed money.--It is well known that ancient nations that were
without a coinage weighed the precious metals, a practice represented
on the Egyptian monuments, on which gold and silver are shown to have
been kept in the form of rings. We have no evidence of the use of
coined money before the return from the Babylonian captivity; but
silver was used for money, in quantities determined by weight, at least
as early as the time of Abraham; and its earliest mention is in the
generic sense of the price paid for a slave. (Genesis 17:13) The 1000
pieces of silver paid by Abimelech to Abraham, (Genesis 20:16) and the
20 pieces of silver for which Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites,
(Genesis 37:28) were probably rings such as we see on the Egyptian
monuments in the act of being weighed. In the first recorded
transaction of commerce, the cave of Machpelah is purchased by Abraham
for 400 shekels of silver. The shekel weight of silver was the unit of
value through the whole age of Hebrew history, down to the Babylonian
captivity.
+Coined money.--After the captivity we have the earliest mention of
coined money, in allusion, as might have been expected, to the Persian
coinage, the gold daric (Authorized version dram). (Ezra 2:69; 8:27;
Nehemiah 7:70,71,72) [[883]Daric] No native Jewish coinage appears to
have existed till Antiochus VII. Sidetes granted Simon Maccabaeus the
license to coin money, B.C. 140; and it is now generally agreed that
the oldest Jewish silver coins belong to this period. They are shekels
and half-shekels, of the weight of 220 and 110 grains. With this silver
there was associated a copper coinage. The abundant money of Herod the
Great, which is of a thoroughly Greek character, and of copper only,
seems to have been a continuation of the copper coinage of the
Maccabees, with some adaptation to the Roman standard. In the money of
the New Testament we see the native copper coinage side by side with
the Graeco-Roman copper, silver and gold. (The first coined money
mentioned in the Bible refers to the Persian coinage, (1 Chronicles
29:7; Ezra 2:69) and translated dram . It is the Persian daric, a gold
coin worth about .50. The coins mentioned by the evangelists, and first
those of silver, are the following: The stater, (Matthew 17:24-27)
called piece of money, was a Roman coin equal to four drachmas. It was
worth 55 to 60 cents, and is of about the same value as the Jewish
stater, or coined shekel. The denarius, or Roman penny, as well as the
Greek drachma, then of about the same weight, are spoken of as current
coins. (Matthew 22:15-21; Luke 20:19-25) They were worth about 15
cents. Of copper coins the farthing and its half, the mite, are spoken
of, and these probably formed the chief native currency. (The Roman
farthing (quadrans) was a brass coin worth .375 of a cent. The Greek
farthing (as or assarion) was worth four Roman farthings, i.e. about
one cent and a half. A mite was half a farthing, and therefore was
worth about two-tenths of a cent if the half of the Roman farthing, and
about 2 cents if the half of the Greek farthing. See table of Jewish
weights and measures.--ED.)
Moneychangers(Matthew
21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:15) According to (Exodus 30:13-15) every
Israelite who had reached or passed the age of twenty must pay into the
sacred treasury, whenever the nation was numbered, a half-shekel as an
offering to Jehovah. The money-changers whom Christ, for their impiety,
avarice and fraudulent dealing, expelled from the temple were the
dealers who supplied half-shekels, for such a premium as they might be
able to exact, to the Jews from all parts of the world who assembled at
Jerusalem during the great festivals, and were required to pay their
tribute or ransom money in the Hebrew coin.
MonthFrom
the time of the institution of the Mosaic law downward the religious
feasts commencing with the passover depended not simply on the month,
but on the moon; the 14th of Abib was coincident with the full moon;
and the new moons themselves were the occasions of regular festivals.
(Numbers 10:10; 28:11-14) The commencement of the month was generally
decided by observation of the new moon. The usual number of months in a
year was twelve, as implied in (1 Kings 4:7; 1 Chronicles 27:1-15) but
since twelve lunar months would make but 354 1/2 days, the years would
be short twelve days of the short twelve days of the true year, and
therefore it follows as a matter of course that an additional month
must have been inserted about every third year, which would bring the
number up to thirteen. No notice, however, is taken of this month in
the Bible. In the modern Jewish calendar the intercalary month is
introduced seven times in every nineteen years. The usual method of
designating the months was by their numerical order, e.g. "the second
month," (Genesis 7:11) "the fourth month," (2 Kings 25:3) and this was
generally retained even when the names were given, e.g. "in the month
Zif, which is the second month." (1 Kings 6:1) The names of the months
belong to two distinct periods. In the first place we have those
peculiar to the period of Jewish independence, of which four only, even
including Abib, which we hardly regard as a proper name are mentioned,
viz.: Abib, in which the passover fell, (Exodus 13:4; 23:15; 34:18;
16:1) and which was established as the first month in commemoration of
the exodus, (Exodus 12:2) Zif, the second month, (1 Kings 6:1,37) Bul,
the eighth, (1 Kings 6:38) and Ethanim, the seventh. (1 Kings 6:38) and
Ethanim, the seventh. (1 Kings 8:2) In the second place we have the
names which prevailed subsequent to the Babylonish captivity; of these
the following seven appear in the Bible: Nisan, the first, in which the
passover was held, (Nehemiah 2:1; Esther 3:7) Sivan, the third (Esther
8:9) Bar. 1:8; Elul, the sixth, (Nehemiah 6:15) 1 Macc. 14:27; Chisleu,
the ninth, (Nehemiah 1:1; Zechariah 7:1) 1 Macc. 1:54; Tebeth, the
tenth, (Esther 2:16) Sebat, the eleventh, (Zechariah 1:7) 1 Macc.
16:14; and Adar, the twelfth. (Esther 3:7; 8:1) 2 Macc. 15:36. The
names of the remaining five occur int he Talmud and other works; they
were, Iyar, the second, Targum; (2 Chronicles 30:2) Tammuz, the fourth;
Ab, the fifth; Tisri, the seventh; and Marcheshvan, the eighth. The
name of the intercalary month was Ve-adar, i.e. the additional Adar.
The identification of the jewish months with our own cannot be effected
with precision on account of the variations that must inevitably exist
between the lunar and the solar month. Nisan (or Abib) answers to
March; Zif or Iyar to May; Sivan to June; Tammuz to July; Ab to August;
Elul to September; Ethanim or Tisri to October; Bul or Marcheshvan to
November; Chisleu to December; Tebeth to January; Sebat to February;
and Adar to March.
MoonThe
moon held an important place in the kingdom of nature, as known to the
Hebrews. Conjointly with the sun, it was appointed "for signs and for
seasons, and for days and years;" though in this respect it exercised a
more important influence, if by the "seasons" we understand the great
religious festivals of the Jews, as is particularly stated in (Psalms
104:19) and more at length in Ecclus 43:6,7. The worship of the moon
prevailed extensively among the nations of the East, and under a
variety of aspects. It was one of the only two deities which commanded
the reverence of all the Egyptians. The worship of the heavenly bodies
is referred to in (Job 31:26,27) and Moses directly warns the Jews
against it. (4:19) In the figurative language of Scripture, the moon is
frequently noticed as presaging events of the greatest importance
through the temporary or permanent withdrawal of its light. (Isaiah
13:10; Joel 2:31; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24)
Moon,
New[NEW
MOON] NEW MOON - 3185
Morasthite,
Thethat
is, the native of a place named Moresheth. It occurs twice-- (Jeremiah
26:18; Micah 1:1)--each time as the description of the prophet Micah.
Mordecai(little
man, or worshipper or Mars), the deliverer, under divine Providence, of
the Jews from the destruction plotted against them by Haman the chief
minister of Xerxes; the institutor of the feast of Purim. The incidents
of his history are too well known to need to be dwelt upon.
[[884]Esther, Book Of] Three things are predicated of Mordecai in the
book of Esther: (1) That he lived in Shushan; (2) That his name was
Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish the Benjamite who was
taken captive with Jehoiachin; (3) That he brought up Esther.
Moreh(teacher).
+The plain or plains (or, as it should rather be rendered, the oak or
oaks) of Moreh. The oak of Moreh was the first recorded halting-place
of Abram after his entrance into the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:6) It
was at the "place of Shechem," ch. (Genesis 12:6) close to the
mountains of Ebal and Gerizim. (11:30)
+The hill of Moreh, at the foot of which the Midianites and Amalekites
were encamped before Gideon's attack upon them. (Judges 7:1) It lay in
the valley of Jezreel, rather on the north side of the valley, and
north also of the eminence on which Gideon's little band of heroes was
clustered. These conditions are most accurately fulfilled if we assume
Jebel ed-Duhy, the "Little Hermon" of the modern travellers, 1815 feet
above the Mediterranean, to be Moreh, the Ain-Jalood to be the spring
of Harod, and Gideon's position to have been on the northeast slope of
Jebel Fukua (Mount Gilboa), between the village of Nuris and the
last-mentioned spring.
Moreshethgath(possession
of Gath), a place named by the prophet Micah. (Micah 1:14) The prophet
was himself a native of a place called Moresheth.
Moriah(chosen
by Jehovah).
+The land of Moriah--On "one of the mountains" in this district took
place the sacrifice of Isaac. (Genesis 22:2) Its position is doubtful,
some thinking it to be Mount MOriah, others that Moreh, near Shechem,
is meant. [See [885]Mount, [886]Mount, Mountain MORIAH]
+Mount Moriah .--The elevation on which Solomon built the temple, where
God appeared to David "in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."
it is the Eastern eminence of Jerusalem, separated from Mount Zion by
the Tyropoeon valley. The tope was levelled by Solomon, and immense
walls were built around it from the base to enlarge the level surface
for the temple area. A tradition which first appears in a definite
shape in Josephus, and is now almost universally accepted, asserts that
the "Mount Moriah" of the Chronicles is identical with the "mountain"
in "the land of Moriah" of Genesis, and that the spot on which Jehovah
appeared to David, and on which the temple was built, was the very spot
of the sacrifice of Isaac. (Smith, Stanley and Grove are, however,
inclined to doubt this tradition.)
Mortar(Genesis
11:3; Exodus 1:14; Leviticus 14:42,45; Isaiah 41:25; Ezekiel
13:10,11,14,15; 22:28; Nehemiah 3:14) The various compacting substances
used in Oriental buildings appear to be--
+Bitumen, as in the Babylonian structures;
+Common mud or moistened clay;
+A very firm cement compounded of sand, ashes and lime, in the
proportions respectively of 1,2,3, well pounded, sometimes mixed and
sometimes coated with oil, so as to form a surface almost impenetrable
to wet or the weather. In Assyrian and also Egyptian brick buildings,
stubble or straw, as hair or wool among ourselves, was added to
increase the tenacity. "a wide-mouthed vessel in form of an inverted
bell, in which substances are pounded or bruised with a
pestle."--Webster. The simplest and probably most ancient method of
preparing corn for food was by pounding it between two stones. The
Israelites in the desert appear to have possessed mortars and handmills
among their necessary domestic utensils. When the manna fell they
gathered it, and either ground it in the mill or pounded it in the
mortar till it was fit for use. (Numbers 11:8) So in the present day
stone mortars are used by the Arabs to pound wheat for their national
dish kibby . Another word occurring in (Proverbs 27:22) probably
denotes a mortar of a larger kind in which corn was pounded: "Though
thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet
will not his foolishness depart from him." Corn may be separated from
its husk and all its good properties preserved by such an operation,
but the fool's folly is so essential a part of himself that no
analogous process can remove it from him. Such seems the natural
interpretation of this remarkable proverb. The language is
intentionally exaggerated, and there is no necessity for supposing an
allusion to a mode of punishment by which criminals were put to death
by being pounded in a mortar. A custom of this king existed among the
Turks, but there is no distinct trace of it among the Hebrews. Such,
however, is supposed to be the reference in the proverb by Mr. Roberts,
who illustrates it from his Indian experience.
Moserah(bonds),
(10:6) apparently the same as Moseroth, (Numbers 33:30) its plural
form, the name of a place near Mount Hor.
Moses(Heb.
Mosheh, "drawn," i.e. from the water; in the Coptic it means "saved
from the water"), the legislator of the Jewish people, and in a certain
sense the founder of the Jewish religion. The immediate pedigree of
Moses is as follows: Levi was the father of: Gershon-- Kohath-- Merari
Kohath was the father of: Amram = Jochebed Amram = Jochebed was the
father of: Hur = Miriam-- Aaron = Elisheba-- Moses = Zipporah Aaron =
Elisheba was the father of: Nadab-- Abihu-- Eleazar-- Ithamar Eleazar
was the father of: Phineas Moses = Zipporah was the father of:
Gershom-- Eliezer Gershom was the father of: Jonathan The history of
Moses naturally divides itself into three periods of 40 years each.
Moses was born at Goshen, In Egypt, B.C. 1571. The story of his birth
is thoroughly Egyptian in its scene. His mother made extraordinary
efforts for his preservation from the general destruction of the male
children of Israel. For three months the child was concealed in the
house. Then his mother placed him in a small boat or basket of papyrus,
closed against the water by bitumen. This was placed among the aquatic
vegetation by the side of one of the canals of the Nile. The sister
lingered to watch her brother's fate. The Egyptian princess, who,
tradition says, was a childless wife, came down to bathe in the sacred
river. Her attendant slaves followed her. She saw the basket in the
flags, and despatched divers, who brought it. It was opened, and the
cry of the child moved the princess to compassion. She determined to
rear it as her own. The sister was at hand to recommend a Hebrew nurse,
the child's own mother. here was the first part of Moses' training,--a
training at home in the true religion, in faith in God, in the promises
to his nation, in the life of a saint,--a training which he never
forgot, even amid the splendors and gilded sin of Pharaoh's court. The
child was adopted by the princess. From this time for many years Moses
must be considered as an Egyptian. In the Pentateuch this period is a
blank, but in the New Testament he is represented as "learned in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians," and as "mighty in words and deeds." (Acts
7:22) this was the second part of Moses' training. The second period of
Moses' life began when he was forty years old. Seeing the sufferings of
his people, Moses determined to go to them as their helper, and made
his great life-choice, "choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt." (Hebrews 11:25,26) Seeing an Israelite suffering the bastinado
from an Egyptian, and thinking that they were alone, he slew the
Egyptian, and buried the corpse in the sand. But the people soon showed
themselves unfitted as yet to obtain their freedom, nor was Moses yet
fitted to be their leader. He was compelled to leave Egypt when the
slaying of the Egyptian became known, and he fled to the land of
Midian, in the southern and southeastern part of the Sinai peninsula.
There was a famous well ("the well,") (Exodus 2:15) surrounded by tanks
for the watering of the flocks of the Bedouin herdsmen. By this well
the fugitive seated himself and watched the gathering of the sheep.
There were the Arabian shepherds, and there were also seven maidens,
whom the shepherds rudely drove away from the water. The chivalrous
spirit which had already broken forth in behalf of his oppressed
countrymen broke forth again in behalf of the distressed maidens. They
returned unusually soon to their father, Jethro, and told him of their
adventure. Moses, who up to this time had been "an Egyptian," (Exodus
2:19) now became for a time an Arabian. He married Zipporah, daughter
of his host, to whom he also became the slave and shepherd. (Exodus
2:21; 3:1) Here for forty years Moses communed with God and with
nature, escaping from the false ideas taught him in Egypt, and sifting
out the truths that were there. This was the third process of his
training for his work; and from this training he learned infinitely
more than from Egypt. Stanely well says, after enumerating what the
Israelites derived from Egypt, that the contrast was always greater
than the likeness. This process was completed when God met him on
Horeb, appearing in a burning bush, and, communicating with him,
appointed him to be the leader and deliverer of his people. Now begins
the third period of forty years in Moses' life. He meets Aaron, his
next younger brother, whom God permitted to be the spokesman, and
together they return to Goshen in Egypt. From this time the history of
Moses is the history of Israel for the next forty years. Aaron spoke
and acted for Moses, and was the permanent inheritor of the sacred
staff of power. But Moses was the inspiring soul behind. he is
incontestably the chief personage of the history, in a sense in which
no one else is described before or since. He was led into a closer
communion with the invisible world than was vouchsafed to any other in
the Old Testament. There are two main characters in which he
appears--as a leader and as a prophet. (1) As a leader, his life
divides itself into the three epochs--the march to Sinai; the march
from Sinai to Kadesh; and the conquest of the transjordanic kingdoms.
On approaching Palestine the office of the leader becomes blended with
that of the general or the conqueror. By Moses the spies were sent to
explore the country. Against his advice took place the first disastrous
battle at hormah. To his guidance is ascribed the circuitous route by
which the nation approached Palestine from the east, and to his
generalship the two successful campaigns in which Sihon and Og were
defeated. The narrative is told so briefly that we are in danger of
forgetting that at this last stage of his life Moses must have been as
much a conqueror and victorious soldier as was Joshua. (2) His
character as a prophet is, from the nature of the case, more distinctly
brought out. He is the first as he is the greatest example of a prophet
in the Old Testament. His brother and sister were both endowed with
prophetic gifts. The seventy elders, and Eldad and Medad also, all
"prophesied." (Numbers 11:25-27) But Moses rose high above all these.
With him the divine revelations were made "mouth to mouth." (Numbers
12:8) Of the special modes of this more direct communication, four
great examples are given, corresponding to four critical epochs in his
historical career. (a) The appearance of the divine presence in the
flaming acacia tree. (Exodus 3:2-6) (b) In the giving of the law from
Mount Sinai, the outward form of the revelation was a thick darkness as
of a thunder-cloud, out of which proceeded a voice. (Exodus 19:19;
20:21) on two occasions he is described as having penetrated within the
darkness. (Exodus 24:18; 34:28) (c) It was nearly at the close of these
communications in the mountains of Sinai that an especial revelation of
God was made to him personally. (Exodus 33:21,22; 34:5,6,7) God passed
before him. (d) The fourth mode of divine manifestation was that which
is described as beginning at this juncture, and which was maintained
with more or less continuity through the rest of his career. (Exodus
33:7) It was the communication with God in the tabernacle from out the
pillar of cloud and fire. There is another form of Moses' prophetic
gift, viz., the poetical form of composition which characterizes the
Jewish prophecy generally. These poetical utterances are--
+"The song which Moses and the children of Israel sung" (after the
passage of the Red Sea). (Exodus 15:1-19)
+A fragment of the war-song against Amalek. (Exodus 17:16)
+A fragment of lyrical burst of indignation. (Exodus 32:18)
+The fragments of war-songs, probably from either him or his immediate
prophetic followers, in (Numbers 21:14,15,27-30) preserved in the "book
of the wars of Jehovah," (Numbers 21:14) and the address to the well.
ch. (Numbers 21:14) and the address to the well. ch. (Numbers
21:16,17,18)
+The song of Moses, (32:1-43) setting forth the greatness and the
failings of Israel.
+The blessing of Moses on the tribes, (33:1-29)
+The 90th Psalm, "A prayer of Moses, the man of God." The title, like
all the titles of the psalms, is of doubtful authority, and the psalm
has often been referred to a later author. Character .--The prophetic
office of Moses can only be fully considered in connection with his
whole character and appearance. (Hosea 12:13) He was in a sense
peculiar to himself the founder and representative of his people; and
in accordance with this complete identification of himself with his
nation is the only strong personal trait which we are able to gather
from his history. (Numbers 12:3) The word "meek" is hardly an adequate
reading of the Hebrew term, which should be rather "much enduring." It
represents what we should now designate by the word "disinterested."
All that is told of him indicates a withdrawal of himself, a preference
of the cause of his nation to his own interests, which makes him the
most complete example of Jewish patriotism. (He was especially a man of
prayer and of faith, of wisdom, courage and patience.) In exact
conformity with his life is the account of his end. The book of
Deuteronomy describes, and is, the long last farewell of the prophet to
his people. This takes place on the first day of the eleventh month of
the fortieth year of the wanderings, in the plains of Moab. (1:3,5)
Moses is described as 120 years of age, but with his sight and his
freshness of strength unabated. (34:7) Joshua is appointed his
successor. The law is written out and ordered to be deposited in the
ark. ch. 31. The song and the blessing of the tribes conclude the
farewell. chs. 32,33. And then comes the mysterious close. He is told
that he is to see the good land beyond the Jordan, but not to possess
it himself. He ascends the mount of Pisgah and stands on Nebo, one of
its summits, and surveys the four great masses of Palestine west of the
Jordan, so far as it can be discerned from that height. The view has
passes into a proverb for all nations. "So Moses the servant of Jehovah
died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. And
he buried him in a 'ravine' in the land of Moab, 'before' Beth-peor:
but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day... And the children
of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days." (34:5,6,8)
This is all that is said in the sacred record. (This burial was thus
hidden probably-- (1) To preserve his grave from idolatrous worship or
superstitious reverence; and (2) Because it may be that God did not
intend to leave his body to corruption, but to prepare it, as he did
the body of Elijah, so that Moses could in his spiritual body meet
Christ, together with Elijah, on the mount of transfiguration.) Moses
is spoken of as a likeness of Christ; and as this is a point of view
which has been almost lost in the Church, compared with the more
familiar comparisons of Christ to Adam, David, Joshua, and yet has as
firm a basis in fact as any of them, it may be well to draw it out in
detail. (1) Moses is, as it would seem, the only character of the Old
Testament to whom Christ expressly likens himself: "Moses wrote of me."
(John 5:46) It suggests three main points of likeness: (a) Christ was,
like Moses, the great prophet of the people--the last, as Moses was the
first. (b) Christ, like Moses, is a lawgiver: "Him shall ye hear." (c)
Christ, like Moses, was a prophet out of the midst of the nation, "from
their brethren." As Moses was the entire representative of his people,
feeling for them more than for himself, absorbed in their interests,
hopes and fears, so, with reverence be it said, was Christ. (2) In
(Hebrews 3:1-19; 12:24-29; Acts 7:37) Christ is described, though more
obscurely, as the Moses of the new dispensation--as the apostle or
messenger or mediator of God to the people--as the controller and
leader of the flock or household of God. (3) The details of their lives
are sometimes, though not often, compared. (Acts 7:24-28; 35) In (Jude
1:9) is an allusion to an altercation between Michael and Satan over
the body of Moses. It probably refers to a lost apocryphal book,
mentioned by Origen, called the "Ascension" or "Assumption of Moses."
Respecting the books of Moses, see [887]Pentateuch, The.
MothBy
the Hebrew word we are certainly to understand some species of
clothes-moth (tinea). Reference to the destructive habits of the
clothes-moth is made in (Job 4:19; 13:28; Psalms 39:11) etc. (The moth
is a well-known insect which in its caterpillar state is very
destructive to woollen clothing, furs, etc. The egg of the moth, being
deposited on the fur or cloth, produces a very small shining insect,
which immediately forms a house for itself by cuttings from the cloth.
It east away the nap, and finally ruins the fabric. There are more than
1500 species of moths.--McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia.)
MotherThe
superiority of the Hebrew over all contemporaneous systems of
legislation and of morals is strongly shown in the higher estimation of
the mother in the Jewish family, as contrasted with modern Oriental as
well as ancient Oriental and classical usage. The king's mother, as
appears in the case of Bath-sheba, was treated with special honor.
(Exodus 20:12; Leviticus 19:3; 5:16; 21:18,21; 1 Kings 2:29; Proverbs
10:1; 15:20; 17:25; 29:15; 31:1,30)
Mount(Isaiah
29:3; Jeremiah 6:6) etc. [SIEGE]
Mount,
MountainThe
Hebrew word har, like the English "mountain." is employed for both
single eminences more or less isolated, such as Sinai. Gerizim, Ebal,
Zion and Olivet, and for ranges, such as Lebanon. It is also applied to
a mountainous country or district.
Mountain
Of The Amoritesspecifically
mentioned (1:19,20) comp. Deuteronomy 1:44 It seems to be the range
which rises abruptly from the plateau of et-Tih, south of Judea,
running from a little south of west to north of east, and of which the
extremities are the Jebel Araif en-Nakah westward and Jebel el-Mukrah
eastward, and from which line the country continues mountainous all the
way to Hebron.
MourningOne
marked feature of Oriental mourning is what may be called its studies
publicity and the careful observance of the prescribed ceremonies.
(Genesis 23:2; Job 1:20; 2:12)
+Among the particular forms observed the following may be mentioned:
(a) Rending the clothes. (Genesis 37:29,34; 44:13) etc. (b) Dressing in
sackcloth. (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 21:10) etc. (c) Ashes, dust
or earth sprinkled on the person. (2 Samuel 13:19; 15:32) etc. (d)
Black or sad-colored garments. (2 Samuel 14:2; Jeremiah 8:21) etc. (e)
Removal of ornaments or neglect of person. (21:12,13) etc. (f) Shaving
the head, plucking out the hair of the head or beard. (Leviticus 10:6;
2 Samuel 19:24) etc. (g) Laying bare some part of the body. (Isaiah
20:2; 47:2) etc. (h) Fasting or abstinence in meat and drink. (2 Samuel
1:12; 3:35; 12:16,22) etc. (i) In the same direction may be mentioned
diminution in offerings to God, and prohibition to partake of
sacrificial food. (Leviticus 7:20; 26:14) (k) Covering the "upper lip,"
i.e. the lower part of the face, and sometimes the head, in token of
silence. (Leviticus 13:45; 2 Samuel 15:30; 19:4) (l) Cutting the flesh,
(Jeremiah 16:6,7; 41:5) beating the body. (Ezekiel 21:12; Jeremiah
31:19) (m) Employment of persons hired for the purpose of mourning.
(Ecclesiastes 12:5; Jeremiah 9:17; Amos 5:16; Matthew 9:23) (n) Akin to
the foregoing usage the custom for friends or passers-by to join in the
lamentations of bereaved or afflicted persons. (Genesis 50:3; Judges
11:40; Job 2:11; 30:25) etc. (o) The sitting or lying posture in
silence indicative of grief. (Genesis 23:3; Judges 20:26) etc. (p)
Mourning feast and cup of consolation. (Jeremiah 16:7,8)
+The period of mourning varied. In the case of Jacob it was seventy
days, (Genesis 50:3) of Aaron, (Numbers 20:29) and Moses, Deuteronomy
34:8 thirty. A further period of seven days in Jacob's case. (Genesis
50:10) Seven days for Saul, which may have been an abridged period in
the time of national danger. (1 Samuel 31:13) With the practices above
mentioned, Oriental and other customs, ancient and modern, in great
measure agree. Arab men are silent in grief, but the women scream, tear
their hair, hands and face, and throw earth or sand on their heads.
Both Mohammedans and Christians in Egypt hire wailing-women, and wail
at stated times. Burckhardt says the women of Atbara in Nubia shave
their heads on the death of their nearest relatives--a custom prevalent
also among several of the peasant tribes of upper Egypt. He also
mentions wailing-women, and a man in distress besmearing his face with
dirt and dust in token of grief. In the "Arabian Nights" are frequent
allusions to similar practices. It also mentions ten days and forty
days as periods of mourning. Lane, speaking of the modern Egyptians,
says, "After death the women of the family raise cries of lamentation
called welweleh or wilwal, uttering the most piercing shrieks, and
calling upon the name of the deceased, 'Oh, my master! Oh, my resource!
Oh, my misfortune! Oh, my glory!" See (Jeremiah 22:18) The females of
the neighborhood come to join with them in this conclamation:
generally, also, the family send for two or more neddabehs or public
wailing-women. Each brings a tambourine, and beating them they exclaim,
'Alas for him!' The female relatives, domestics and friends, with their
hair dishevelled and sometimes with rent clothes, beating their faces,
cry in like manner, 'Alas for him!' These make no alteration in dress,
but women, in some cases, dye their shirts, head-veils and
handkerchiefs of a dark-blue color. They visit the tombs at stated
periods."--Mod. Eg. iii. 152,171,195.
Mouse(the
corn-eater). The name of this animal occurs in (Leviticus 11:29; 1
Samuel 6:4,5; Isaiah 66:17) The Hebrew word is in all probability
generic, and is not intended to denote any particular species of mouse.
The original word denotes a field-ravager, and may therefore comprehend
any destructive rodent. Tristram found twenty-three species of mice in
Palestine. It is probable that in (1 Samuel 6:5) the expression "the
mice that mar the land" includes and more particularly refers to the
short-tailed field-mice (Arvicola agrestis, Flem.), which cause great
destruction to the corn-lands of Syria.
MowingAs
the great heat of the climate in Palestine and other similarly situated
countries soon dries up the herbage itself, hay-making in our sense of
the term is not in use. The "king's mowings," (Amos 7:1) may perhaps
refer to some royal right of early pasturage for the use of the cavalry.
Moza(fountain).
+Son of Caleb the son of Hezron. (1 Chronicles 2:46)
+Son of Zimri and descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:36,37; 9:42,43)
Mozah(fountain),
one of the cities in the allotment of Benjamin, (Joshua 18:26) only,
named between hae-Cephirah and Rekem.
Muaz(wrath),
son of Ram, the first-born of Jerahmeel. (1 Chronicles 2:27)
Mulbury
Trees(Heb.
becaim). Mention of these is made only in (2 Samuel 5:23,24) and 1Chr
14:14 We are quite unable to determine what kind of tree is denoted by
the Hebrew word. Some believe pear trees are meant; others the aspen or
poplar, whose leaves tremble and rustle with the slightest breeze, even
when the breeze is not otherwise perceptible. It may have been to the
rustling of these leaves that the "going in the tree tops" refers. (2
Samuel 5:23,24)
Mulea
hybrid animal, the offspring of a horse and an ass. "The mule is
smaller than the horse, and is a remarkably hardy, patient, obstinate,
sure-footed animal, living, ordinarily, twice as long as a
horse."--McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia. It was forbidden to the
Israelites to breed mules, but sometimes they imported them. It would
appear that only kings and great men rode on mules. We do not read of
mules at all in the New Testament; perhaps therefore they had ceased to
be imported.
Muppim(serpent),
a Benjamite, and one of the fourteen descendants of Rachael who
belonged to the original colony of the sons of Jacob in Egypt. (Genesis
46:21) (B.C. 1706.) In (Numbers 26:39) the name is given as
[888]Shupham.
MurderThe
law of Moses, while it protected the accidental homicide, defined with
additional strictness the crime of murder. It prohibited compensation
or reprieve of the murderer, or his protection if he took refuge in the
refuge city, or even at the altar of Jehovah. (Exodus 21:12,14;
Leviticus 24:17,21; 1 Kings 2:5,6,31) The duty of executing punishment
on the murderer is in the law expressly laid on the "revenger of
blood;" but the question of guilt was to be previously decided by the
Levitical tribunal. In regal times the duty of execution of justice on
a murderer seems to have been assumed to some extent by the sovereign,
as was also the privilege of pardon. (2 Samuel 13:39; 14:7,11; 1 Kings
2:34) It was lawful to kill a burglar taken at night in the act, but
unlawful to do so after sunrise. (Exodus 22:2,3)
Mushi(yielding),
the son of Merari the son of Kohath. (Exodus 6:19; Numbers 3:20; 1
Chronicles 6:19,47; 23:21,23; 24:26,30)
Music
+The most ancient music.--The inventor of musical instruments, like the
first poet and the first forger of metals, was a Cainite. We learn from
(Genesis 4:21) that Jubal the son of Lamech was "the father of all such
as handle the harp and organ," that is, of all players upon stringed
and wind instruments. The first mentioned of music in the times after
the deluge is in the narrative of Laban's interview with Jacob,
(Genesis 32:27) so that, whatever way it was preserved, the practice of
music existed in the upland country of Syria, and of the three possible
kinds of musical instruments two were known and employed to accompany
the song. The three kinds are alluded to in (Job 21:12) On the banks of
the Red Sea Moses and the children of Israel sang their triumphal song
of deliverance from the hosts of Egypt; and Miriam, in celebration of
the same event, exercised one of her functions as a prophetess by
leading a procession of the women of the camp, chanting in chorus the
burden of the song of Moses. The song of Deborah and Barak is cast in a
distinctly metrical form, and was probably intended to be sung with a
musical accompaniment as one of the people's songs. The simpler
impromptu with which the women from the cities of Israel greeted David
after the slaughter of the Philistines was apparently struck off on the
spur of the moment, under the influence of the wild joy with which they
welcomed their national champion. "the darling of the sons of Israel."
(1 Samuel 18:6,7) Up to this time we meet with nothing like a
systematic cultivation of music among the Hebrews, but the
establishment of the schools of the prophets appears to have supplied
this want. Whatever the students of these schools may have been taught,
music was an essential part of their practice. Professional musicians
soon became attached to the court.
+The golden age of Hebrew music . David seems to have gathered round
him "singing men and singing women." (2 Samuel 19:35) Solomon did the
same, (Ecclesiastes 2:8) adding to the luxury of his court by his
patronage of art, and obtaining a reputation himself as no mean
composer. (1 Kings 4:32) But the temple was the great school of music,
and it was consecrated to its highest service in the worship of
Jehovah. Before, however the elaborate arrangements had been made by
David for the temple choir, there must have been a considerable body of
musicians throughout the country. (2 Samuel 6:5) (David chose 4000
musicians from the 38,000 Levies in his reign, or one in ten of the
whole tribe. Of these musicians 288 were specially trained and
skillful. (1 Chronicles 26:6,7) The whole number was divided into 24
courses, each of which would thus consist of a full band of 154
musicians, presided over by a body of 12 specially-trained leaders,
under one of the twenty-four sons of Asaph, Heman or Jeduthun as
conductor. The leaders appear to have played on the cymbals, perhaps to
make the time. (1 Chronicles 15:19; 16:5) All these joined in a special
chant which David taught them, and which went by his name. (1
Chronicles 23:5) Women also took part in the temple choir. (1
Chronicles 13:8; 25:5,6) These great choirs answered one to another in
responsive singing; thus the temple music most have been grand and
inspiring beyond anything known before that time.
+Character of Hebrew music .--As in all Oriental nations, the music of
the Hebrews was melody rather than harmony, which latter was then
unknown. All old and young, men and maidens, singers and instruments,
appear to have sung one part only in or in octaves. "The beauty of the
music consisted altogether in the melody;" but this, with so many
instruments and voices, was so charming that "the whole of antiquity is
full of the praises of this music. By its means battles were won,
cities conquered, mutinies quelled, diseases cured."--ED.)
+Uses of music .--In the private as well as in the religions life of
the Hebrews music held a prominent place. The kings had their court
musicians, (2 Chronicles 35:25; Ecclesiastes 2:8) and in the luxurious
times of the later monarchy the effeminate gallants of Israel amused
themselves with devising musical instruments while their nation was
perishing ("as Nero fiddled while Rome was burning"). But music was
also the legitimate expression of mirth and gladness The bridal
processions as they passed through the streets were accompanied with
music and song. (Jeremiah 7:34) The music of the banquets was
accompanied with song and dancing. (Luke 15:26) The triumphal
processions which celebrated victory were enlivened by minstrels and
singers. (Exodus 15:1,20; Judges 5:1; 11:34) There were also religious
songs. (Isaiah 30:29; James 5:13) Love songs are alluded to; in (Psalms
45:1) title, and Isai 5:1 There were also the doleful songs of the
funeral procession, and the wailing chant of the mourners. The
grape-gatherers sang at their work, and the women sang as they toiled
at the mill, and on every occasion the land of the Hebrews during their
national prosperity was a land of music and melody.
Musical
Instruments Of The Hebrews(There
has been great obscurity as to the instruments of music in use among
the Hebrews, but the discoveries on the monuments of Egypt and Assyria
have thrown much light upon the form and nature of these instruments.
I. STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.--
+The harp or lyre. [See illustration]
+The psaltery, the name of various large instruments of the harp kind.
+The sackbut, a harp-like instrument of four strings and of triangular
form.
+A kind of lute or guitar (mahalath), in titles to (Psalms 53:1) and
Psal 88:1 With a long, flat neck, and a hollow body of wood whose
surface was perforated with holes. There were three strings, end the
whole instrument was three or four feet long.
+The gittith, in titles to (Psalms 8:1; 81:1; 84:1) a stringed
instrument, probably found by David st Gath, whence its name. II.
INSTRUMENTS OF PERCUSSION.
+The timbrel, a form of tambourine, a narrow hoop covered with a
tightened skin, and struck with the hand on the Egyptian monuments are
three kinds--the circular, the square, and another formed by two
squares separated by a bar.
+The drum (toph). Of this there were many varieties, some of them
resembling modern drums. The Egyptians had along drum, of wood or
copper, 2 1/2 feet long, resembling the tom-tom of India, and beaten by
the hand. Another form was shaped like a cask with bulging centre, and
was made of copper. It was of the same length as the other, but larger
around, and was beaten with sticks. Another drum was more like our
kettledrum; and one of these, the rabbins say, was placed in the temple
court to the priests to prayer, and could be heard from Jerusalem to
Jericho.
+Bells (paanton), attached to the high priest's dress, and rung by
striking against the knobs, shaped like pomegranates, which were hung
near them.
+Cymbals . The earliest cymbals were probably finger cymbals -small
plates of metal fastened to the thumb and middle finger, and struck
together. Afterward there were the large cymbals, played with both
hands.
+Systra (menaanim), (2 Samuel 6:5) there translated comets. The systrum
was a carved bronze or copper frame, with a handle, in all from 8 to 18
inches long, with movable rings and bars. It was shaken with the hand,
and the rings and bars made a piercing metallic sound by striking
against the bronze frame.
+The triangle (shalishim), (1 Samuel 18:6) a musical instrument
(machol) used for accompanying the dance, and several times translated
dancing. (Psalms 150:3,45) It was a metallic rim or frame sometimes
with a handle and had small bells attached to it, or bars across on
which were strung metallic rings or plates. It was held in the hand,
and was played by the women at weddings and merry-makings. III. WIND
INSTRUMENTS.--
+The syrinx, pandean pipe or bagpipe (ugab); translated "organ" in
(Genesis 4:21) Either like the bagpipe, or a series of pipes from 5 to
23 in number, though usually only 7.
+The horn,in the form of an animal's horn even when made of metal but
originating in the use of the horns of cattle.
+The trumpet (shophar) same as horn, 2.
+The straight trumpet .
+The flute (halil, meaning "bored through "), a pipe perforated with
holes, originally made from reeds, but afterward of wood bone, horn or
ivory. It was chiefly consecrated to joy or pleasure.
+The flute, alluded to in (Daniel 3:6) probably a kind of double
flageolet.
+The dulcimer, (Daniel 3:5) a kind of bagpipe with two shrill reeds.
The modern dulcimer is a triangular instrument strung with about 60
brass wires, and played upon with little sticks or metallic rods. It
more resembles the ancient psaltery than the dulcimer of (Daniel
3:5)--ED.)
Mustardis
mentioned in (Matthew 13:31; 17:20; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:19; 17:6) It is
generally agreed that the mustard tree of Scripture is the black
mustard (Sinapis nigru). The objection commonly made against any
sinapis being the plant of the parable is that the reed grew into "a
tree," in which the fowls of the air are said to come and lodge. As to
this objection, it is urged with great truth that the expression is
figurative and Oriental, and that in a proverbial simile no literal
accuracy is to be expected. It is an error, for which the language of
Scripture is not accountable, to assert that the passage implies that
birds "built their nests" in the tree: the Greek word has no such
meaning; the word merely means "to settle or rest upon" anything for a
longer or shorter time; nor is there any occasion to suppose that the
expression "fowls of the air" denotes any other than the smaller
insessorial kinds--linnets, finches, etc. Hiller's explanation is
probably the correct one,--that the birds came and settled on the
mustard-plant for the sake of the seed, of which they are very fond.
Dr. Thomson also says he has seen the wild mustard on the rich plain of
Akkar as tall as the horse and the rider. If, then, the wild plant on
the rich plain of Akkar grows as high as a man on horseback, it might
attain to the same or a greater height when in a cultivated garden. The
expression "which is indeed-the least of all seeds" is in all
probability hyperbolical, to denote a very small seed indeed, as there
are many seeds which are smaller than mustard. The Lord in his popular
teaching," says Trench ("Notes on Parables", 108), "adhered to the
popular language;" and the mustard-seed was used proverbially to denote
anything very minute; or may mean that it was the smallest of all
garden seeds, which it is in truth.
Muthlabben"To
the chief musician upon Muth-labben" is the title of (Psalms 9:1) which
has given rise to infinite conjecture. It may be either upon the death
(muth) of the fool (labben), as an anagram on Nabal or as Gesenius, "to
be chanted by boys with virgins' voices," i.e. in the soprano.
Myraan
important town in Lycia, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor, on the
river Andriacus, 21 miles from its mouth referred to in (Acts 27:5)
Myra (named Dembra by the Greeks) Is remarkable still for its remains
of various periods of history.
MyrrhThis
substance is mentioned in (Exodus 30:23) as one of the ingredients of
the "oil of holy ointment:" in (Esther 2:12) as one of the substances
used in the purification of women; in (Psalms 45:8; Proverbs 7:17) and
in several passages in Canticles, as a perfume. The Greek occurs in
(Matthew 2:11) among the gifts brought by the wise men to the infant
Jesus and in (Mark 15:23) it is said that "wine mingled with myrrh" was
offered to but refused by, our Lord on the cross. Myrrh was also used
for embalming. See John 19;39 and Herod. ii. 86. The Balsamodendron
myrrha, which produces the myrrh of commerce, has a wood and bark which
emit a strong odor; the gum which exudes from the bark is at first
oily, but becomes hard by exposure to the air. (This myrrh is in small
yellowish or white globules or tears. The tree is small, with a stunted
trunk, covered with light-gray bark, It is found in Arabia Felix. The
myrrh of (Genesis 37:25) was probably ladalzum, a highly-fragrant resin
and volatile oil used as a cosmetic, and stimulative as a medicine. It
is yielded by the cistus, known in Europe as the rock rose, a shrub
with rose-colored flowers, growing in Palestine and along the shores of
the Mediterranean.--ED.) For wine mingled with myrrh see [889]Gall.
Myrtlea
plant mentioned in (Nehemiah 8:15; Isaiah 41:19; 55:13; Zechariah
1:8,10,11) The modern Jews still adorn with myrtle the booths and sheds
at the feast of tabernacles. Formerly, as we learn from Nehemiah,
(Nehemiah 8:15) myrtles grew on the hills about Jerusalem. "On Olivet."
says Dean Stanley, "nothing is now to be seen but the olive and the fig
tree:" on some of the hills near Jerusalem, however, Hasselquist
observed the myrtle. Dr. Hooker says it is not uncommon in Samaria and
Galilee. The Myrtus communis is the kind denoted by the Hebrew word.
(It is a shrub or low tree sometimes ten feet high, with green shining
leaves, and snow-white flowers bordered with purple, "which emit a
perfume more exquisite than that of the rose." The seeds of the myrtle,
dried before they are ripe, form our allspice.--ED.)
Mysia(land
of beech trees) (Acts 16:7,8) was the region about the frontier of the
provinces of Asia and Bithynia. The term is evidently used in an
ethnological, not a political, sense.