A
The first letter in almost all alphabets. In Hebrew, it is called aleph, in Greek, alpha, the last letter in the Greek alphabet being omega. Both the Hebrews and Greeks used the...
Dictionary
American Tract Society Bible Dictionary
A Dictionary of the Holy Bible, American Tract Society, c. 1859, edited by W. W. Rand.
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242 entries
Aaron
The son of Amram and Jochabed, of the tribe of Levi, and brother of Moses and Miriam, Ex 6:20; born about the year B. C. 1574. He was three years older than Moses, Ex 7:7 and wa...
Aaronites
Descendants of Aaron the high priest, so called 1Ch 12:27; 27:17. Thirteen cities were assigned to them, in Judah and Benjamin, Jos 21:13-19; 1Ch 6:57-60.
Ab
1. Father, found in many compound Hebrew proper names: as Abner, father of light; Absalom, father of peace.2. The fifth month of the sacred, and the eleventh of the civil year a...
Abaddon, Or Apollyon
The former name is Hebrew, and the latter Greek, and both signify the destroyer, Re 9:11. He is called the angel of death, or the destroying angel.
Abana, And Pharpar
Rivers of Damascus, 2Ki 5:12. The Abana, (or, Amana), was undoubtedly the present Barada, the Chrysorrhoas of the Greeks. It is a clear, cold, and swift mountain stream, rising ...
Abarim
Mountains east of the Dead Sea and the lower Jordan, "over against Jericho," within the territory of Moab and the tribe of Reuben. It is impossible to define exactly their exten...
Abba
A Syriac word signifying father. When the Jews came to speak Greek, this word may have been retained from their ancient language, as being easier to pronounce, especially for ch...
Abednego
Servant of Nego; a Chaldee name give to Azariah, one of the three captive young princes of Judah, who were Daniel’s companions at the court of the king of Babylon, Da 1:7. Their...
Abel
1. The second son of Adam and Eve. He became a shepherd, and offered to God a sacrifice from his flocks, at the same time that Cain his brother offered the fruits of the earth. ...
Abelbethmaachah
Meadow of the house of Maachah; a town in the tribe of Naphtali, north of lake Merom. It was besieged in the rebellion of Sheba, 2Sa 20:13-22; eighty years afterwards it was tak...
Abelcarmaim
Meadow of vineyards; a village of the Ammonites, six miles from Rabbath-Ammon; in the history of Jephthah it is called "the plain of the vineyards," Jud 11:33.
Abelmeholah
OrABEL-MEA, a town of Issachar, near the Jordan, ten miles south of Beth-shean. Near this place Gideon defeated the Midianites, Jud 7:22; and here Elisha was born, 1Ki 19:16.
Abelmizraim
Meadow of the Egyptians; so called from the seven days’ lamentation of Joseph and his company, on bringing up the body of Jacob from Egypt for burial, Ge 50:10,11. It lay in the...
Abelshittim
In the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan, and near Mount Peor. It was one of the last encampments of Israel before the death of Moses, Nu 33:49; called also Shittim, Jos 2:1. H...
Abia
In the New Testament the same asABIJAHin the Old Testament, which see.
Abiah
Second son of Samuel, who appointed his brother and him, judges in Israel. Their corruption and injustice were the pretext upon which the people demanded a king, 1Sa 8:1-5.
Abiathar
Son of Ahimelech, and tenth high priest of the Jews. When Saul sent his emissaries to Nob, to destroy all the priests there, Abiathar, who was young, fled to David in the wilder...
Abib
The first month of the ecclesiastical year of the Hebrews; afterwards called Nisan. It answered nearly to our April. Abib signifies green ears of grain, or fresh fruits. It was ...
Abiezer
Great-grandson of Manasseh, Nu 26:29,30, and founder of the family to which Gideon belonged, Joshua 17.2; Jud 6.34; 8.2. In this last verse, "the vintage of Abiezer" means the f...
Abigail
1. Formerly the wife of Nabal of Carmel, and afterwards of David. Upon receiving information of Nabal’s ingratitude to David, 1Sa 25:14, she loaded several asses with provisions...
Abihail
The wife of Rehoboam, king of Judah, 2Ch 11.18; the "daughter" - that is here, the descendant-of Eliab, David’s brother.
Abihu
The second son of Aaron, consecrated to the priesthood with his three brethren, Ex 28:21; but consumed shortly after by fire from the Lord, with Nadab his brother, for burning i...
Abijah
1. Called, in Lu 1:5, Abia; founder of a family among the posterity of Aaron. When David divided the priests into twenty-four courses, to perform the temple-service, in turn, th...
Abilene
The name of a district of country on the eastern declivity of Anti-Lebanon, from twelve to twenty miles north-west of Damascus, towards Heliopolis, or Baalbek; so called from th...
Abimelech
1. King of Gerar of the Philistines, who took Sarah into his harem; but being warned of God in a dream, he restored her to Abraham, and gave him 1,000 pieces of silver as a "cov...
Abinadab
The same as Aminadab, b and m is often interchanged in Hebrew.1. A son of Jesse, one of the three who followed Saul in the war with the Philistines, 1Sa 16:8; 17:13.2. A son of ...