of Naphtali, lying south-east of CesareaPhilippi, and north of the Huleh. To this place Sheba, the son of Bichri, fled and posted himself when pursued by Joab, general of the army of David. The citizens, however, who feared a siege if they harboured him, cut off his head, at the suggestion of a woman, and threw it over the wall to Joab (2 Sam. xx. 14-22). The city was afterwards captured twice; first by Benhadad, and two centuries after by Tiglath-pileser (1 Ki. xv. 20; 2 Ki. xv. 29). Perhaps the phrase, "mother in Israel" (2 Sam. xx. 19), if it was designed to apply to the place at all, may denote its size and importance. Van de Velde and Thomson identify it with a ruin called Abel, on the side of a small stream.

son of Adam and Eve. He was occupied as a | to speak in the 4th verse. Abel spoke of a keeper or feeder of sheep; and in process of time coming atonement, and his sacrifice forebrought of the firstlings of his flock, an offering shadowed it. But Christ's blood speaks of a unto the Lord. God was pleased to accept his past and perfect propitiation, on which every offering, and to give him evidence of it (Heb. one is invited to trust with implicit confidence. xi. 4). At the same time Cain brought of the ABEL, GREAT STONE OF (1 Sam. vi. 18)— fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. was in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, But his oblation was rejected. The superiority where the ark of the Lord rested when it was and excellence of Abel's sacrifice are ascribed returned by the Philistines to Kirjath-jearim. by the apostle to his faith (Heb. xi. 4). Now ABEL-a grassy place or meadow, found in faith implies a previous revelation, for it connection with many names of places. Thus"cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word ABEL-BETH-MAACHAH (2 Ki. xv. 29) of God." May there not have been some pre--a city in the northern district of the tribe vious command in reference to the rite of sacrifice, which Abel complied with, and Cain disobeyed? They both brought the kind of offering which their respective occupations furnished them with; yet, if we may believe in early revelations of mercy through the atonement of a coming Messiah, and in sacrificial types appointed to prefigure the blood of the Lamb of God, the inference is warrantable, that Cain offered only a thank-offering of fruits, expressed merely his naked obligations to God as a creature; while Abel, conscious of his guilt, confessed his faith in the presentation of living victims, laid a sin-offering on the altar, and was accepted. If, with some, we render the clause in God's expostulation with Cain, "sin lieth at the door," by the words, "a sinoffering croucheth at the door"-that is, a sinoffering is easily procured-then the divine reproof points to the sin of Cain, and to its aggravation; for though he was not a keeper of sheep, yet a victim whose blood might be shed as a symbolical propitiation could without any difficulty have been secured and presented. But perhaps the simple clause may not bear this deeper theological meaning. The acceptance of Abel's sacrifice was probably manifested by the descent of fire from heaven, which kindled and consumed the oblation. Cain was enraged that his sacrifice was rejected; "his countenance fell;" the scowl of a fierce malignity lay on it. His works were also evil (1 John iii. 12); for, while his brother and he ABEL-MIZRAIM (Gen. 1. 11)-explained were in the field, he seized the opportunity to mean the mourning of the Egyptians. It to slay him. Thus the first death was a mur- was probably in the plains of Jericho, and is der a murder by the hand of a brother-placed by ancient writers between that city perpetrated in connection with religious service. Our Saviour distinguishes Abel by the title "righteous" (Matt. xxiii. 35). He is also one of the faithful "elders" mentioned in the epistle to the Hebrews (ch. xi.), and is justly called the first martyr.

BLOOD OF ABEL (Heb. xii. 24). One opinion of the meaning of this passage is, that the blood of sprinkling, or the blood of Jesus Christ shed for the remission of sins, speaks better things than the blood of Abel, inasmuch as the latter speaks only of the malice and madness of the heart of man, and cried to God from the ground for vengeance on the murderer's head; while the blood of Christ, which flowed freely for the guilty and ruined sinner, speaks peace and pardon to every penitent and believing soul (1 John i. 7). But the words are simply, "better than Abel;" and Abel himself is said

ABEL-CERAMIM-meadow of vineyards a village of the Ammonites, and still famed in later years for its abundant vintage (Judg. xi. 33).

ABEL-MAIM-meadow of the waters (2 Chr. xvi. 4)-is called Abel-beth-Maachah (1 Ki. xv. 20), and appears to have been the same place.

ABEL-MEHOLAH-meadow of the dance (Judg. vii. 22; 1 Ki. xix. 16)-a town in the northern part of the valley of the Jordan, mentioned in connection with Bethshean; distinguished as the birthplace of Elisha, and as the refuge of the Midianites when pursued by Gideon.

and the river Jordan. The threshing-floor of Atad was here, and the name Abel-mizraim was derived from the circumstance, that here Joseph and his company halted seven_days to mourn, as they were passing from Egypt to Canaan to bury Jacob (Gen. 1. 10, 11). If the term, "beyond Jordan," used in describing the place, refers to the situation of the sacred writer at the time of writing, then, as he was on the east of the river, Abel-mizraim was "beyond," or on the west side. But the narrative seems to imply plainly that it was on the east of the Jordan.

ABEL-SHITTIM, or SHITTIM-meadow of acacias (Num. xxxiii. 49; xxv. 1)—a place on the east bank of the Jordan, in the plains of Moab, and the scene of the last encampment of Israel on that side of the river. According to Stanley, the acacias still mark with a line

of verdure the upper terraces of the Jordan | The Ephraimites complained because they valley (Sinai and Palestine, p. 298). It was at were not called upon to go out to battle against this place, so close to the end of their journey- the Midianites. Gideon attempted to pacify ings, that the people of Israel fell into the them by a dextrous appeal to their vanity; snares of the daughters of Moab, and committed representing his own victory, with a force of the grossest idolatry, for which they were three hundred men, chiefly of the family of visited with a plague which destroyed 24,000 Abiezer, as of very little importance, in comof them. The spies whom Joshua sent to parison with the capture of two of the princes Jericho went from Shittim (Josh. ii. 1). of Midian, which the men of Ephraim had accomplished. Though the latter, in respect to numbers, might be as the gleaning of the vineyard, yet, in the glory and importance of it, it was more than the whole vintage which the men of Abiezer had gathered.

ABIA, COURSE OF (Luke i. 5). In 1 Chr. xxiv. we have an account of the divisions of the priests into twenty-four classes, courses, or orders, who ministered at the altarin rotation. The courses were distinguished by the name of the most prominent member of the family from which the course was taken. The eighth of these courses fell to the family of Abia, or Abijah; and to this course belonged Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

ABIGAIL-father of joy (1 Sam. xxv. 3)-the prudent and beautiful wife of the churlish and wicked Nabal. When her husband had exposed himself to the anger of David, by his rude and contemptuous treatment of his messengers, Abigail hastened to meet him, while he was on his way with 400 men to revenge the insult. She presented to him a handsome gift, and managed the affair with so much prudence as to pacify David, and obtain his blessing. About ten days after her return, Nabal died, and she ultimately became David's wife.

Also a sister of David, and mother of Amasa by Jether an Ishmaelite (1 Chr. ii. 17).

ABIATHAR-father of plenty (1 Sam. xxii. 20)-the tenth high priest of the Jews, and fourth in descent from Eli. Doeg, at the command of King Saul, fell upon the priests of the Lord at Nob, and slew them. Among the slain was Ahimelech. His son, Abiathar, escaped from the carnage, and taking with him the ephod, a distinctive and essential part of the sacerdotal vestments, fled to David at Keilah, and told him what Saul had done. ABIHU-my father, He (Exod. xxviii. David received Abiathar, and protected him, 1)-one of the sons of Aaron, who, with his and he afterwards became high priest, when his brothers, Nadab, Eleazar, and Ithamar, were patron obtained the sovereignty of Judah. separated or set apart by God to the office of There were two high priests at this time-the priesthood. Soon after they entered on their Abiathar and Zadok (2 Sam. viii. 17); but it sacred duties, Nadab and Abihu were guilty of is not easy to account for a double priesthood. a violation of God's commands respecting the In consequence of his supporting Adonijah manner of offering incense, and were instantly in his pretensions to the throne of David, consumed (Lev. x. 1, 2). This event happened Solomon, upon becoming king, thrust Abiathar in the wilderness of Sinai. The nature of their out of the priesthood (1 Ki. ii. 27), and con- offence is very obvious; they used strange, or ferred the office exclusively upon Zadok. common fire, instead of the fire which they Thus was fulfilled the word of God to Eli were required to use, which was fire taken from (1 Sam. ii. 31), for Abiathar was the last of off the altar of burnt offering. The supposithe priests of the house of Ithamar, to which tion is probable that they were drawn into this Eli belonged; and Zadok, who succeeded him, presumptuous sin by the too free use of wine. was of the family of Eleazar; and so the priest-Such an inference is warranted by the solemn hood passed into its former channel. Abiathar, mentioned in Mark ii. 26, has been supposed by some to be the same with Ahimelech. Others have thought (though without much reason) that the evangelist refers to some public document, known as the "history of the days of Abiathar," in which the conduct of David and Ahimelech in the matter of the showbread was recorded, and that the allusion was well understood by those who heard it. The most probable solution of the difficulty is, that as Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech, both officiated at the same time, and both received the title: the name of either was therefore used to designate that period.

command issued in connection with their sin and fate-viz., that the officiating priest was to drink neither wine nor strong drink when he went into the tabernacle of the congregation.

ABIJAH-my father, Jah. 1. (1 Ki. xiv. 1) A son of Jeroboam, who died under interesting circumstances in early life. In the midst of a corrupt family and court, his young heart was filled with pious principles; and his death, according to the prophet's prediction, produced a general mourning. (See JEROBOAM.)

2. (2 Chr. xiii. 1) Abijah, or ABIJAM, the son of Rehoboam and Michaiah, succeeded his father as king of Judah, about B.C. 968. He made war against Jeroboam, king of Israel, ABIB-green ear---the month of green and defeated him, with a loss of 500,000 men. ears; the first month of the Hebrew sacred These very large numbers are corruptions that year. It was afterwards named Nisan, and happen in the copying and transmission of MSS. probably began with the new moon of March;-50,000 was probably the true and original some later critics say, of April.

ABIEZER-father of help (Judg. viii. 2). The passage contains a highly figurative expression. Gideon was of the family of Abiezer.

reading. He began to reign in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam, and was succeeded by his son Asa, in the twentieth year of Jeroboam, so that he reigned only a part of three years.

There is an apparent contradiction in respect to the parentage of this person, as it is given in 1 Ki. xv. 2 and 2 Chr. xiii. 2, which may be explained as follows:-Abishalom is the same with Absalom (2 Chr. xi. 21). The term daughter is given indifferently in the Bible, not only to one's own child, but to a niece, granddaughter, or great-granddaughter. Rehoboam had already taken two wives from the family of David (2 Chr. xi. 18), and of course would find no difficulty in taking a third wife from the same family, in the line of Absalom. Maachah and Michaiah are thus the same person-the daughter of Uriel, and the granddaughter of Absalom.

ABILENE (Luke iii. 1)—a province or tetrarchy of Syria, so called from its capital town Abila, of which Lysanias was tetrarch in the time of John the Baptist.

ABINADAB-father of willinghood. 1. (1 Sam xvi. 8) One of the eight sons of Jesse, and one of the three of his sons who followed Saul in battle.

2. (1 Sam. xxxi. 2) One of Saul's sons who was slain at the battle of Gilboa.

3. (1 Sam. vii. 1, and 1 Chr. xiii. 7) A Levite of Kirjath-jearim, with whom the ark of the Lord was deposited when it was brought back from the Philistines.

4. (1 Ki. iv. 11) One of the twelve officers appointed by Solomon to provide alternately, month by month, food for the king and his household.

ABIRAM-father of height. 1. (Num. xvi. 1) One of the sons of Eliab, the Reubenite, who were destroyed with Korah for a conspiracy against Moses. (See KORAH.) 2. The first-born of Hiel, the Bethelite. (See JERICHO.)

Abila, now called Suk Wady Barada, lies in the picturesque gorge through which the Bar- ABISHAG-father of error (1 Ki. i. 15)— ada rushes down to the plains of Damascus. a fair woman of Shunem, in the tribe of It was called in later times Abila of Lysanias, Issachar, who was selected by the servants of to distinguish it from Abila of Perea. But the David to minister to him in his old age, and to Lysanias in Luke is not to be confounded with cherish him. After David's death, and the an earlier governor of the same name in the ascension of Solomon to the throne, Adonijah days of Cleopatra, by whom he was put to death. desired Abishag in marriage; but Solomon perABIMELECH-father of the king. 1. ceived his policy (see ADONIJAH), and caused (Gen. xx. 2, and xxvi. 1) Was king of Gerar, him to be put to death (1 Ki. ii. 25). Such and being deceived by Abraham, he sent and a connection as Adonijah sought with one of took Sarah to be his wife. God warned him, the royal harem, was either a proclamation of however, in a dream, of Sarah's relation to his right to the throne, or an intended means Abraham, and thus withheld him from the of defending his title to it at some future period. commission of sin, because he did it in ignor- ABISHAI-father of gifts (2 Sam. ii. 18)ance (Gen. xx. 6). Abimelech, having rebuked a son of Zeruiah. He was a nephew of David, Abraham, restored Sarah to him with many and among the chief of his mighty men. gifts, and offered him a dwelling-place in any accompanied David to the camp of Saul, and part of the land. God afterwards remitted the counselled him to take Saul's life. Abishai, punishment of the family of Abimelech. At with Joab his brother, attacked and defeated a subsequent period, Abimelech (or rather his the Syrians and the children of Ammon, (2 Sam. successor of the same name, for the term Abi-x.) David appointed him, in conjunction with melech seems to have been not a proper name, but a royal Philistine designation) was deceived in like manner by Isaac, respecting his wife Rebekah, while they dwelt in Gerar, during a time of famine in Canaan. The property of Isaac during his sojourn among the Philistines was unwonted and great, and himself and the sovereign of the country renewed the covenant originally made between their fathers.

2. (Judg, viii. 31) A son of Gideon, who, after the death of his father, persuaded the men of Shechem to make him king (Judg. ix. 18). He afterwards put to death seventy of his brothers who dwelt in his father's house at Ophrah, leaving only Jotham the youngest alive. It was on this trying occasion that Jotham employed the famous satirical parable of the trees choosing a king. At length the subjects of Abimelech revolted; and in the course of the subsequent warfare he met with several defeats, and was at last mortally wounded by a piece of a millstone thrown upon his head by a woman from the top of a tower in Thebez. That it might not be said a woman slew him, he called to his armourbearer to stab him with his sword, and thus he died (Judg. ix. 54-57).

He

Joab and Ittai, to the command of the people when they went forth to battle against Israel in the wood of Ephraim (2 Sam. xviii. 2). Abishai afterwards rescued David from the giant Philistine Ishbi-benob, whom he smote and killed (2 Sam. xxi. 16, 17). He was also chief of the three heroes who, with such intrepidity, procured David a draught of water from the well of his native village. The victory over the Edomites in the valley of Salt, which is ascribed to David, 2 Sam. viii. 13, is ascribed to Abishai, 1 Chr. xviii. 12. Probably Abishai actually obtained the victory; but the victory of one of his officers might be spoken of as David's achievement. Abishai was associated with Joab in the assassination of Abner (2 Sam. iii. 30).

ABISHALOM. (See ABIJAM.)

ABJECTS (Ps. xxxv. 15)-an old term, signifying low, base persons; thus, in Shakespeare-"We are the queen's abjects, and must obey."

ABNER-father of light (1 Sam. xiv. 50)-the son of Ner, was a near relation of Saul, and a faithful and distinguished general of his armies. We first hear of him, particularly, as the captain of the host, of whom Saul inquired

xxiii. 18) Under the Mosaic law those animals and acts are called abominable, the use or doing of which was prohibited. 3. (Jer. xliv. 4, 2 Ki. xxiii. 13, and Isa. lxvi. 3) Idolatry of every kind is especially denoted by this term.

concerning the stripling David, whose victory | herd, hateful to them. 2. (Lev. xi. 13, and Deut. over Goliath had excited his astonishment; and after a little time Abner introduced David to Saul, with the head of the giant Philistine in his hand. It was through the want of vigilance in Abner that Saul's life was placed in David's power in the wilderness of Ziph, (1 Sam. xxvi.) (See DAVID, SAUL.)

After David was anointed king of Judah, Abner procured the appointment of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, as king of Israel; and in process of time the army of David, under Joab, and the army of Israel, under Abner, arrayed themselves on either side of the pool of Gibeon. While occupying this position, twelve men of each army met and fought desperately. This contest was followed by a general battle which resulted in Abner's defeat. He fled, but was pursued by Asahel, who "was light of foot as a wild roe." During the heat of pursuit, Abner counselled him to desist, and threatened to turn upon him and slay him if he did not; but Asahel refused to turn aside, and Abner "with the hinder end of his spear" smote him so that he died. Joab and Abishai were also engaged in the pursuit; but at Abner's entreaty they desisted and returned.

The ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (Matt. xxiv. 15, and Dan. ix. 27, and xii. 11) probably refers to the ensigns or banners of the Roman army, with the idolatrous, and therefore abominable, images upon them, as in the annexed cut, the approach of which would

SPOR

warn the city of its desolation. When the city should be besieged, and these idolatrous standards should be seen "in the holy place," or in the vicinity of the holy city, thus threatening a complete conquest and speedy destruction, it would be the time for the men of Judea to flee to places of As David's strength increased, the house of refuge to save themSaul, though faithfully served by Abner, selves from tribulabecame gradually weaker, till at length Ishtion and death. But bosheth charged Abner with an offence against the abomination, acSaul's family. The offence was taking to him cording to others, one of Saul's harem, an act, on the part of a was the profane sins subject, that in those days wore a suspicious of the zealots who had command of the temple. and treasonable aspect. He was exceedingly ABRAM, ABRAHAM-father of elevation, irritated by the charge, and immediately for- father of multitude (Gen. xi. 27)-was the son sook the interests of Saul's house, and espoused of Terah, and tenth in descent from Shem in the cause of David. David received him cor- the line of Heber, and was born at Ur of Chaldially, and sent him away in peace to per- dea. (See UR.) While he was dwelling in his suade Israel to submit to the new government. father's house at Ur, God directed him to leave While he was gone on this errand, Joab his country and kindred, and go to a land which returned; and hearing what had been done, he should be shown him; promising, at the same went to the king, and warned him against time, to make of him a great nation, and to bless Abner as a spy and traitor. Soon after, and him, and to make his name great, and that in him without David's knowledge, Joab sent for all the families of the earth should be blessed. Abner; and when he arrived, took him aside Obedient to the heavenly calling, Abram took privately, and murdered him, in revenge for Sarai his wife, and with Terah his father, the death of his brother Asahel; "and they and other members of the family, left Ur to buried him in Hebron." The estimation in remove to Canaan, and stopped at Haran. (See which he was held by the king and people HARAN.) It is supposed by some that, while appears from the sacred history. The king they dwelt in Ur, Abram fell into the idolatrous wept and refused his food, and all the people practices which prevailed around him, for wept; "and the king said unto his servants, Terah and his family served other gods (Josh. Know ye not that there is a prince and a great xxiv. 2); but in the absence of all evidence on man fallen this day in Israel?" (2 Sam. iii. 38.) this point, the contrary may surely be inferred ABOMINABLE, ABOMINATION. 1. from the readiness with which he obeyed God, (Gen. xlvi. 34) An abomination, or an abomin- and the faith he manifested in a manner so able thing, is a thing hateful or detestable, as exemplary and rare. Many of the traditional the employment or calling of shepherds was to and mythological theories as to Abram's early the Egyptians. This aversion of the Egyptians life and character have been evidently borrowed to shepherds did not arise from horror at the from the word Ur, the place of his nativity, Occupation itself, though the sheep was held in a term which signifies light or fire. The phrase, small estimation both for food and for sacrifice. "Abram the Hebrew" (Gen. xiv. 13), may A band of Nomades, the terrible Hyksos, had mean simply, "Abram the emigrant." While invaded Egypt, and during the period of their the emigrants were dwelling at Haran, tyranny had exercised great cruelties. The re- in Mesopotamia, Terah died. Abram, who membrance of such wrongs seems to have made was then seventy-five years old, pursued his the very name of Nomade, or wandering shep-journey to Canaan; and having reached Sichem,