Esh’col (cluster of grapes), brother of Mamre the Amorite and of Aner, and one of Abraham’s companions in his pursuit of the four kings who had carried off Lot. Genesis 14:13, Genesis 14:24. (b.c. 1912.) SBD Eshcol.2
Esh’col, The valley of or The brook of, a wady in the neighborhood of Hebron (Mamre), explored by the spies who were sent by Moses from Kadesh-barnea. Numbers 13:23, Numbers 13:24; Deuteronomy 1:24. The name is still attached to a spring of fine water called ’Ain Eshkali, in a valley about two miles north of Hebron. SBD Eshcol The valley of.2
Esh’e-an (slope), one of the cities of Judah. Joshua 15:52. SBD Eshe-an.2
E’shek (oppression), one of the late descendants of Saul. 1 Chronicles 8:39. SBD Eshek.2
Esh’kalonites, The. Joshua 13:3. [ASHKELON.] SBD Eshkalonites The.2
Esh’taol (a pass), a town in the low country—the Shefelah—of Judah, afterwards allotted to Dan. Joshua 15:33; Joshua 19:41. Here Samson spent his boyhood, and hither after his last exploit his body was brought. Judges 13:25; Judges 16:31; Judges 18:2, Judges 18:8, Judges 18:11, Judges 18:12. SBD Eshtaol.2
Esh’taulites, The, with the Zareathites, were among the families of Kirjath-jearim. 1 Chronicles 2:53. SBD Eshtaulites The.2
Eshtem’o-a, and in shorter form in the mountains, Joshua 15:50, allotted to the priests. Joshua 21:14; 1 Chronicles 6:57. It was one of the places frequented by David and his followers during the long period of their wanderings. 1 Samuel 30:28; comp. 1 Samuel 30:31. Its site is at Semu’a, a village seven miles south of Hebron. SBD Eshtemo-a.2
Esh’ton (effeminate), a name which occurs in the genealogies of Judah. 1 Chronicles 4:11, 1 Chronicles 4:12. SBD Eshton.2
Es’li, son of Nagge or Naggai, in the genealogy of Christ. Luke 3:25. SBD Esli.2
Es’ril. 1 Esdras 9:34. [AZAREEL, or SHARAI.] SBD Esril.2
Es’rom (enclosed). Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33. [HEZRON.] SBD Esrom.2
Essenes’, a Jewish sect, who, according to the description of Josephus, combined the ascetic virtues of the Pythagoreans and Stoics with a spiritual knowledge of the divine law. It seems probable that the name signifies seer, or the silent, the mysterious. As a sect the Essenes were distinguished by an aspiration after ideal purity rather than by any special code of doctrines. There were isolated communities of Essenes, which were regulated by strict rules, analogous to those of the monastic institutions of a later date. All things were held in common, without distinction of property; and special provision was made for the relief of the poor. Self-denial, temperance and labor—especially agriculture—were the marks of the outward life of the Essenes; purity and divine communion the objects of their aspiration. Slavery, war and commerce were alike forbidden. Their best-known settlements were on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. SBD Essenes.2
Es’ther (a star), the Persian name of Hadassah (myrtle), daughter of Abihail, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. Esther was a beautiful Jewish maiden. She was an orphan, and had been brought up by her cousin Mordecai, who had an office in the household of Ahasuerus king of Persia—supposed to be the Xerxes of history—and dwelt at “Shushan the palace.” When Vashti was dismissed from being queen, the king chose Esther to the place on account of her beauty, not knowing her race or parentage; and on the representation of Haman the Agagite that the Jews scattered through his empire were a pernicious race, he gave him full power and authority to kill them all. The means taken by Esther to avert this great calamity from her people and her kindred are fully related in the book of Esther. The Jews still commemorate this deliverance in the yearly festival Purim, on the 14th and 15th of Adar (February, March). History is wholly silent about both Vashti and Esther. SBD Esther.2
Es’ther, Book of, one of the latest of the canonical books of Scripture, having been written late in the reign of Xerxes, or early in that of his son Artaxerxes Longimanus (b.c. 444–434). The author is not known. The book of Esther is placed among the hagiographa by the Jews, and in that first portion of them which they call “the five rolls.” It is written on a single roll, in a dramatic style, and is read through by the Jews in their synagogues at the feast of Purim, when it is said that the names of Haman’s sons are read rapidly all in one breath, to signify that they were all hanged at the same time; while at every mention of Haman the audience stamp and shout and hiss, and the children spring rattles. It has often been remarked as a peculiarity of this book that the name of God does not once occur in it. Schaff gives as the reason for this that it was to permit the reading of the book at the hilarious and noisy festival of Purim, without irreverence. The style of writing is remarkably chaste and simple. It does not in the least savor of romance. The Hebrew is very like that of Ezra and parts of the Chronicles; generally pure, but mixed with some words of Persian origin and some of Chaldaic affinity. In short it is just what one would expect to find in a work of the age to which the book of Esther professes to belong. SBD Esther Book of.2
E’tam (lair of wild beasts). SBD Etam.2
1. A village of the tribe of Simeon, specified only in the list in 1 Chronicles 4:32; comp. Joshua 19:7. SBD Etam.3
2. A place in Judah, fortified and garrisoned by Rehoboam. 2 Chronicles 11:6. Here, according to the statements of Josephus and the Talmudists, were the sources of the water from which Solomon’s gardens and pleasure-grounds were fed, and Bethlehem and the temple supplied. SBD Etam.4
E’tam, The rock, a cliff or lofty rock, into a cleft or chasm of which Samson retired after his slaughter of the Philistines. Judges 15:8, Judges 15:11. This natural stronghold was in the tribe of Judah; and near it, probably at its foot, were Lehi or Ramath-lehi and Enhakkore. Judges 15:9, Judges 15:14, Judges 15:17, Judges 15:19. The name Etam was held by a city in the neighborhood of Bethlehem, 2 Chronicles 11:6, which is known to have been situated in the extremely uneven and broken country round the modern Urtas. SBD Etam The rock.2
E’tham (bounded by the sea), one of the early resting-places of the Israelites when they quitted Egypt; described as “in the edge of the wilderness.” Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6, Numbers 33:7. Etham may be placed where the cultivable land ceases, near the Seba Biár or Seven Wells, about three miles from the western side of the ancient head of the gulf. SBD Etham.2
E’than (enduring). SBD Ethan.2
1. Ethan the Ezrahite, one of the four sons of Mahol, whose wisdom was excelled by Solomon. 1 Kings 4:31; 1 Chronicles 2:6. His name is in the title of Psalm 89. SBD Ethan.3
2. Son of Kishi or Kushaiah; a Merarite Levite, head of that family in the time of King David, 1 Chronicles 6:44, and spoken of as a “singer.” With Heman and Asaph, the heads of the other two families of Levites, Ethan was appointed to sound with cymbals. 1 Chronicles 15:17, 1 Chronicles 15:19. (b.c. 1014.) SBD Ethan.4
3. A Gershonite Levite, one of the ancestors of Asaph the singer. 1 Chronicles 6:42; Hebrews 27. (b.c. 1420.) SBD Ethan.5
Eth’anim. [MONTH.] SBD Ethanim.2
Ethba’al (with Baal), king of Sidon and father of Jezebel. 1 Kings 16:31. Josephus represents him as king of the Tyrians as well as of the Sidonians. We may thus identify him with Eithobalus, who, after having assassinated Pheles, usurped the throne of Tyre for thirty-two years. The date of Ethbaal’s reign may be given as about b.c. 940–908. SBD Ethbaal.2
E’ther (abundance), one of the cities of Judah in the low country, the Shefelah, Joshua 15:42, allotted to Simeon. Joshua 19:7. SBD Ether.2
Ethio’pia (burnt faces). The country which the Greeks and Romans described as “Æthiopia” and the Hebrews as “Cush” lay to the south of Egypt, and embraced, in its most extended sense, the modern Nubia, Sennaar, Kordofan and northern Abyssinia, and in its more definite sense the kingdom of Meroë. Ezekiel 29:10. The Hebrews do not appear to have had much practical acquaintance with Ethiopia itself, though the Ethiopians were well known to them through their intercourse with Egypt. The inhabitants of Ethiopia were a Hamitic race. Genesis 10:6. They were divided into various tribes, of which the Sabæans were the most powerful. The history of Ethiopia is closely interwoven with that of Egypt. The two countries were not unfrequently united under the rule of the same sovereign. Shortly before our Saviour’s birth a native dynasty of females, holding the official title of Candance (Plin. vi. 35), held sway in Ethiopia, and even resisted the advance of the Roman arms. One of these is the queen noticed in Acts 8:27. SBD Ethiopia.2
Ethio’pian, properly “Cushite,” Jeremiah 13:23; used of Zerah, 2 Chronicles 14:9(2 Chronicles 14:8), and Ebed-melech. Jeremiah 38:7, Jeremiah 38:10, Jeremiah 38:12; Jeremiah 39:16. SBD Ethiopian.2
Ethio’pian eunuch, The, a Jewish proselyte, Acts 8:26, etc., who was treasurer of Candace queen of Ethiopia, but who was converted to Christianity on a visit to Jerusalem, through Philip the evangelist. Nothing is known of him after his return to Ethiopia. SBD Ethiopian eunuch The.2
Ethio’pian woman. The wife of Moses is so described in Numbers 12:1. She is elsewhere said to have been the daughter of a Midianite, and in consequence of this some have supposed that the allusion is to another wife whom Moses married after the death of Zipporah. SBD Ethiopian woman.2
Eth’nan (hire), one of the sons of Helah the wife of Ashur. 1 Chronicles 4:7. SBD Ethnan.2
Eth’ni (munificent), a Gershonite Levite. 1 Chronicles 6:41. SBD Ethni.2
Eubu’lus (prudent), a Christian at Rome mentioned by St. Paul. 2 Timothy 4:21. (a.d. 64.) SBD Eubulus.2
Euni’ce (good victory), mother of Timotheus. 2 Timothy 1:5. (a.d. before 47.) SBD Eunice.2
Eunuch. “The English form of the Greek word which means bed-keeper. In the strict and proper sense they were the persons who had charge of the bed-chambers in palaces and larger houses. But as the jealous and dissolute temperament of the East required this charge to be in the hands of persons who had been deprived of their virility, the word eunuch came naturally to denote persons in that condition. But as some of these rose to be confidential advisers of their royal masters or mistresses, the word was occasionally employed to denote persons in such a position, without indicating anything of their proper manhood.”—Abbott. SBD Eunuch.2
Euo’dia. [See EUODIAS.] SBD Euodia.2
Euo’dias (fragrant), a Christian woman at Philippi. Philippians 4:2. (a.d. 57.) The name is correctly Euodia, as given in the Revised Version. SBD Euodias.2
Euphra’tes is probably a word of Aryan origin, signifying “the good and abounding river.” It is most frequently denoted in the Bible by the term “the river.” The Euphrates is the largest, the longest and by far the most important of the rivers of western Asia. It rises from two chief sources in the Armenian mountains, and flows into the Persian Gulf. The entire course is 1780 miles, and of this distance more than two-thirds (1200 miles is navigable for boats. The width of the river is greatest at the distance of 700 or 800 miles from its mouth—that is to say, from its junction with the Khabour to the village of Werai. It there averages 400 yards. The annual inundation of the Euphrates is caused by the melting of the snows in the Armenian highlands. It occurs in the month of May. The great hydraulic works ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar had for their chief object to control the inundation. The Euphrates is first mentioned in Scripture as one of the four rivers of Eden. Genesis 2:14. We next hear of it in the covenant made with Abraham. Genesis 15:18. During the reigns of David and Solomon it formed the boundary of the promised land to the northeast. Deuteronomy 11:24; Joshua 1:4. Prophetical reference to the Euphrates is found in Jeremiah 13:4-7; Jeremiah 46:2-10; Jeremiah 51:63; Revelation 9:14; Revelation 16:12. “The Euphrates is linked with the most important events in ancient history. On its banks stood the city of Babylon; the army of Necho was defeated on its banks by Nebuchadnezzar; Cyrus the Younger and Crassus perished after crossing it; Alexander crossed it, and Trajan and Severus descended it.”—Appleton’s Cyc. SBD Euphrates.2
Village of Anah on the Euphrates. SBD Euphrates.3
Eurac’quila, the word used in the Revised Version instead of euroclydon, in Acts 27:14. It is compounded of two words meaning east and north, and means a northeast gale. SBD Euracquila.2
Euroc’lydon (a violent agitation), a tempestuous wind or hurricane, cyclone, on the Mediterranean, and very dangerous; now called a “levanter.” This wind seized the ship in which St. Paul was ultimately wrecked on the coast of Malta. It came down from the island, and therefore must have blown more or less from the northward. Acts 27:14. SBD Euroclydon.2
Eu’tychus (fortunate), a youth at Troas, Acts 20:9, who sitting in a window, and having fallen asleep while St. Paul was discoursing, fell from the third story, and being taken up dead, was miraculously restored to life by the apostle. SBD Eutychus.2
Evangelist (publisher of glad tidings). In the New Testament the “evangelists” appear on the one hand after the “apostles” and “prophets”; on the other before the “pastors” and “teachers.” They probably stood between the two. Acts 21:8; Ephesians 4:11. The work of the evangelist is the proclamation of the glad tidings to those who have not known them, rather than the instruction and pastoral care of those who have believed and been baptized. It follows also that the name denotes a work rather than an order. Its use is nearly like our word missionary. The evangelist might or might not be a bishop-elder or a deacon. The apostles, so far as they evangelized, Acts 8:25; Acts 14:7; 1 Corinthians 1:17, might claim the title, though there were many evangelists who were not apostles. If the gospel were a written book, and the office of the evangelists was to read or distribute it, then the writers of such books were pre-eminently the evangelists. In later liturgical language the word was applied to the reader of the gospel for the day. SBD Evangelist.2
Eve (life), the name given in Scripture to the first woman. The account of Eve’s creation is found at Genesis 2:21, Genesis 2:22. Perhaps that which we are chiefly intended to learn from the narrative is the foundation upon which the union between man and wife is built, viz., identity of nature and oneness of origin. Through the subtlety of the serpent Eve was beguiled into a violation of the one commandment which had been imposed upon her and Adam. The Scripture account of Eve closes with the birth of Seth. SBD Eve.2
E’vi (desire), one of the five kings or princes of Midian slain by the Israelites. Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:21. SBD Evi.2
E’vil-mero’dach (the fool of Merodach), 2 Kings 25:27, the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar. He reigned but a short time, having ascended the throne on the death of Nebuchadnezzar in b.c. 561, and being himself succeeded by Neriglissar in b.c. 559. He was murdered by Neriglissar. SBD Evil-merodach.2
Excommunication (expulsion from communion). SBD Excommunication.2
1. Jewish excommunication.—The Jewish system of excommunication was threefold. The twenty-four offences for which it was inflicted are various, and range in heinousness from the offence of keeping a fierce dog to that of taking God’s name in vain. The offender was first cited to appear in court; and if he refused to appear or to make amends, his sentence was pronounced. The term of this punishment was thirty days; and it was extended to a second and to a third thirty days when necessary. If at the end of that time the offender was still contumacious, he was subjected to the second excommunication. Severer penalties were now attached. The sentence was delivered by a court of ten, and was accompanied by a solemn malediction. The third excommunication was an entire cutting off from the congregation. The punishment of excommunication is not appointed by the law of Moses; it is founded on the natural right of self-protection which all societies enjoy. In the New Testament, Jewish excommunication is brought prominently before us in the case of the man that was born blind. John 9. In Luke 6:22 it has been thought that our Lord referred specifically to the three forms of Jewish excommunication: “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” SBD Excommunication.3
2. Christian excommunication.—Excommunication, as exercised by the Christian Church, was instituted by our Lord, Matthew 18:15, Matthew 18:18, and it was practiced and commanded by St. Paul. 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Timothy 1:20; Titus 3:10. In the epistles we find St. Paul frequently claiming the right to exercise discipline over his converts; comp. 2 Corinthians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 13:10. We find, (1) that it is a spiritual penalty, involving no temporal punishment, except accidentally; (2) that it consists in separation from the communion of the Church; (3) that its object is the good of the sufferer, 1 Corinthians 5:5, and the protection of the sound members of the Church, 2 Timothy 3:17; (4) that its subjects are those who are guilty of heresy, 1 Timothy 1:20, or gross immorality, 1 Corinthians 5:1; (1 Corinthians 5:5) that it is inflicted by the authority of the Church at large, Matthew 18:18, wielded by the highest ecclesiastical officer, 1 Corinthians 5:3; Titus 3:10; (Titus 3:6) that this officer’s sentence is promulgated by the congregation to which the offender belongs, 1 Corinthians 5:4, in deference to his superior judgment and command, 2 Corinthians 2:9, and in spite of any opposition on the part of a minority, 2 Corinthians 2:6; (2 Corinthians 2:7) that the exclusion may be of indefinite duration, or for a period; (2 Corinthians 2:8) that its duration may be abridged at the discretion and by the indulgence of the person who has imposed the penalty, 2 Corinthians 2:8; (2 Corinthians 2:9) that penitence is the condition on which restoration to communion is granted, 2 Corinthians 2:8; (2 Corinthians 2:10) that the sentence is to be publicly reversed as it was publicly promulgated. 2 Corinthians 2:10. SBD Excommunication.4
Executioner. The post of executioner was one of high dignity. Potiphar was “captain of the executioners.” Genesis 37:36; see margin. That the “captain of the guard” himself occasionally performed the duty of an executioner appears from 1 Kings 2:25, 1 Kings 2:34. SBD Executioner.2
Ex’odus (that is, going out [of Egypt]), the second book of the law or Pentateuch. Its author was Moses. It was written probably during the forty-years wanderings in the wilderness, between b.c. 1491 and 1451. It may be divided into two principal parts: SBD Exodus.2
1. Historical, chs. Exodus 1:1-18:27; and, 2. Legislative, chs. Exodus 19:40, Exodus 38. SBD Exodus.3
1. The first part contains an account of the following particulars: The great increase of Jacob’s posterity in the land of Egypt, and their oppression under a new dynasty, which occupied the throne after the death of Joseph; the birth, education, flight, and return of Moses; the ineffectual attempts to prevail upon Pharaoh to let the Israelites go; the successive signs and wonders, ending in the death of the first-born, by means of which the deliverance of Israel from the land of bondage is at length accomplished, and the institution of the Passover; finally the departure out of Egypt and the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. SBD Exodus.4
2. This part gives a sketch of the early history of Israel as a nation; and the history has three clearly-marked stages. First we see a nation enslaved; next a nation redeemed; lastly a nation set apart, and through the blending of its religious and political life consecrated to the service of God. SBD Exodus.5
Exodus, The, of the Israelites from Egypt. The common chronology places the date of this event at b.c. 1491, deriving it in this way:—In 1 Kings 6:1 it is stated that the building of the temple, in the fourth year of Solomon, was in the 480th year after the exodus. The fourth year of Solomon was about b.c. 1012. Add the 480 years (leaving off one year because neither the fourth nor the 480th was a full year), and we have b.c. 1491 as the date of the exodus. This is probably very nearly correct; but many Egyptologists place it at 215 years later—about b.c. 1300. Which date is right depends chiefly on the interpretation of the Scripture period of 430 years, as denoting the duration of the bondage of the Israelites. The period of bondage given in Genesis 15:13, Genesis 15:14; Exodus 12:40, Exodus 12:41 and Galatians 3:17 as 430 years has been interpreted to cover different periods. The common chronology makes it extend from the call of Abraham to the exodus, one-half of it, or 215 years, being spent in Egypt. Others make it to cover only the period of bondage spent in Egypt. St. Paul says in Galatians 3:17 that from the covenant with (or call of) Abraham to the giving of the law (less than a year after the exodus) was 430 years. But in Genesis 15:13, Genesis 15:14 it is said that they should be strangers in a strange land, and be afflicted 400 years, and nearly the same is said in Exodus 12:40. But, in very truth, the children of Israel were strangers in a strange land from the time that Abraham left his home for the promised land, and during that whole period of 430 years to the exodus they were nowhere rulers in the land. So in Exodus 12:40 it is said that the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years. But it does not say that the sojourning was all in Egypt, but this people who lived in Egypt had been sojourners for 430 years. (a) This is the simplest way of making the various statements harmonize. (b) The chief difficulty is in the great increase of the children of Israel from 70 to 2,000,000 in so short a period as 215 years, while it is very easy in 430 years. But under the circumstances it is perfectly possible in the shorter period. See on ver. Exodus 12:7. (c) If we make the 430 years to include only the bondage in Egypt, we must place the whole chronology of Abraham and the immigration of Jacob into Egypt some 200 years earlier, or else the exodus 200 years later, or b.c. 1300. In either case special difficulty is brought into the reckoning. (d) Therefore, on the whole, it is as well to retain the common chronology, though the later dates may yet prove to be correct. SBD Exodus The.2
| Authorities | The Pharaoh and Date of the Exodus. | The Pharoah of the Oppression. | Duration of Bondage. | The Pharoah and Date of the Immigration of Jacob. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkinson: Ancient Egyptians. | Thothmes III. | B.C. 1491 | The 18th Dynasty. | 215 | B.C. 1706 | Usirtesen II.16th Dynasty. |
| Osburn: Monumental Egypt. | Siphtha, the successor of Menephthah. | 1314 | Rameses II. | 430 | 1706 | Aphophis, last king of 15th Dynasty. |
| S. Birch: Ancient History from the Monuments—Egypt | Menephthah, son of Rameses II. | 1300 | Rameses II. (Sesostris). B.C. 1355. | 430 | 1730 | Seti, or Seites. |
| Lenormant and Chevallier: Ancient History of the East. | Menephthah. | 1300 | Rameses II. | 400 | 1700 | Seti. |
| HenryBrugsch-Bey: History of Egypt under the Pharaohs | Menephthah. | 1300 | Rameses II.B.C. 1350. | 430 | 1730 | King Nub. |
| Professor Gustav Seyffarth | Thothmes III. | 1866 | The 18th Dynasty. | 213 | 2080 | |
The history of the exodus itself commences with the close of that of the ten plagues. [PLAGUES, THE TEN.] In the night in which, at midnight, the first-born were slain, Exodus 12:29, Pharaoh urged the departure of the Israelites. vs. Exodus 12:32. They at once set forth from Rameses, vs. Exodus 12:39, apparently during the night, v. Exodus 12:42, but towards morning on the 15th day of the first month. Numbers 33:3. They made three journeys, and encamped by the Red Sea. Here Pharaoh overtook them, and the great miracle occurred by which they were saved, while the pursuer and his army were destroyed. [RED SEA, PASSAGE OF.] SBD Exodus The.4
Exorcist, one who pretends to expel evil spirits by conjuration, prayers, and ceremonies. Exorcism was frequently practiced among the Jews. Matthew 12:27; Acts 19:13. David, by playing skillfully on a harp, procured the temporary departure of the evil spirit which troubled Saul. 1 Samuel 16:23. The power of casting out devils was bestowed by Christ while on earth upon the apostles, Matthew 10:8, and the seventy disciples, Luke 10:17-19, and was, according to his promise, Mark 16:17, exercised by believers after his ascension. Acts 16:18. SBD Exorcist.2
Expiation. [SACRIFICE.] SBD Expiation.2
Eye. (The practice of painting the eyelids to make the eyes look large, lustrous and languishing is often alluded to in the Old Testament, and still extensively prevails among the women of the East, and especially among the Mohammedans. Jezebel, in 2 Kings 9:30, is said to have prepared for her meeting with Jehu by painting her face, or, as it reads in the margin, “put her eyes in paint.” See also Ezekiel 23:40. A small probe of wood, ivory, or silver is wet with rose-water and dipped in an impalpable black powder, and is then drawn between the lids of the eye nearly closed, and leaves a narrow black border, which is thought a great ornament.—Ed.) SBD Eye.2
Painted Eyes. SBD Eye.3
Ez’ba-i (shining), father of Naarai, who was one of David’s thirty mighty men. 1 Chronicles 11:37. (b.c. 1046.) SBD Ezba-i.2
Ez’bon (working). SBD Ezbon.2
1. Son of Gad, and founder of one of the Gadite families. Genesis 46:16; Numbers 26:16. SBD Ezbon.3
2. Son of Bela, the son of Benjamin according to 1 Chronicles 7:7. SBD Ezbon.4
Ezeki’as. Matthew 1:9, Matthew 1:10. [HEZEKIAH.] SBD Ezekias.2
Eze’ki-el (the strength of God), one of the four greater prophets, was the son of a priest named Buzi, and was taken captive in the captivity of Jehoiachin, eleven years before the destruction of Jerusalem. He was a member of a community of Jewish exiles who settled on the banks of the Chebar, a “river” or stream of Babylonia. He began prophesying b.c. 595, and continued until b.c. 573, a period of more than twenty-two years. We learn from an incidental allusion, Ezekiel 24:18, that he was married, and had a house, Ezekiel 8:1, in his place of exile, and lost his wife by a sudden and unforseen stroke. He lived in the highest consideration among his companions in exile, and their elders consulted him on all occasions. He is said to have been murdered in Babylon and to have been buried on the banks of the Euphrates. The tomb, said to have been built by Jehoiachin, is shown, a few days journey from Bagdad. SBD Ezeki-el.2
Ezekiel was distinguished by his stern and inflexible energy of will and character and his devoted adherence to the rites and ceremonies of his national religion. The depth of his matter and the marvelous nature of his visions make him occasionally obscure. SBD Ezeki-el.3
Prophecy of Ezekiel.—The book is divided into two great parts, of which the destruction of Jerusalem is the turning-point. Chapters Ezekiel 1-24 contain predictions delivered before that event, and chs. Ezekiel 25-48 after it, as we seen from ch. Ezekiel 26:2. Again, chs. Ezekiel 1-32 are mainly occupied with correction, denunciation and reproof, while the remainder deal chiefly in consolation and promise. A parenthetical section in the middle of the book, chs. Ezekiel 25-32, contains a group of prophecies against seven foreign nations, the septenary arrangement being apparently intentional. There are no direct quotations from Ezekiel in the New Testament, but in the Apocalypse there are many parallels and obvious allusions to the later chapters—Ezekiel 40-48. SBD Ezeki-el.4
E’zel (departure), The stone, a well-known stone in the neighborhood of Saul’s residence, the scene of the parting of David and Jonathan. 1 Samuel 20:19. SBD Ezel.2
E’zem (bone), one of the towns of Simeon. 1 Chronicles 4:29. SBD Ezem.2
E’zer (treasure). SBD Ezer.2
1. A son of Ephraim, who was slain by the aboriginal inhabitants of Gath while engaged in a foray on their cattle. 1 Chronicles 7:21. (b.c. before 1491.) SBD Ezer.3
2. A priest who assisted in the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. Nehemiah 12:42. (b.c. 446.) SBD Ezer.4
3. Father of Hushah of the sons of Hur. 1 Chronicles 4:4. SBD Ezer.5
4. One of the Gadite chiefs who fought with David. 1 Chronicles 12:8, 1 Chronicles 12:9. (b.c. 1054.) SBD Ezer.6
5. One who aided in repairing the wall at Jerusalem; a Levite. Nehemiah 3:19. SBD Ezer.7
E’zion-ga’ber, or E’zion-ge’ber (giant’s backbone), Numbers 33:35; Deuteronomy 2:8; 1 Kings 9:26; 1 Kings 22:48; 2 Chronicles 8:17, the last station named for the encampment of the Israelites before they came to the wilderness of Zin. It probably stood at Ain el-Ghudyân, about ten miles up what is now the dry bed of the Arabah, but which was probably then the northern end of the gulf. SBD Ezion-gaber.2
Ez’nite, The. According to the statement of 2 Samuel 23:8, Adino the Eznite was another name for Jashobeam, a Tachmonite. 1 Chronicles 11:11. (Probably the words are a corruption for the Hebrew “he lifted up his spear.”—Fausset.) SBD Eznite The.2
Ez’ra (help), called Esdras in the Apocrypha, the famous scribe and priest. He was a learned and pious priest residing at Babylon in the time of Artaxerxes Longimanus. The origin of his influence with the king does not appear, but in the seventh year of his reign he obtained leave to go to Jerusalem, and to take with him a company of Israelites. (b.c. 457.) The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took just four months; and the company brought with them a large freewill offering of gold and silver, and silver vessels. It appears that Ezra’s great design was to effect a religious reformation among the Palestine Jews. His first step was to enforce separation upon all who had married foreign wives. Ezra 10. This was effected in little more than six months after his arrival at Jerusalem. With the detailed account of this important transaction Ezra’s autobiography ends abruptly, and we hear nothing more of him till, thirteen years afterwards, in the twentieth of Artaxerxes, we find him again at Jerusalem with Nehemiah. It seems probable that after effecting the above reformations he returned to the king of Persia. The functions he executed under Nehemiah’s government were purely of a priestly and ecclesiastical character. The date of his death is uncertain. There was a Jewish tradition that he was buried in Persia. The principal works ascribed to him by the Jews are— SBD Ezra.2
1. The institution of the great synagogue; 2. The settling the canon of Scripture, and restoring, correcting, and editing the whole sacred volume; 3. The introduction of the Chaldee character instead of the old Hebrew or Samaritan; 4. The authorship of the books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and some add, Esther; and, many of the Jews say, also of the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and the twelve prophets; 5. The establishment of synagogues. SBD Ezra.3
Ez’ra, Book of, is a continuation of the books of Chronicles. The period covered by the book is eighty years, from the first of Cyrus, b.c. 536, to the beginning of the eighth of Artaxerxes, b.c. 456. It consists of the contemporary historical journals kept from time to time, containing, chs. Ezra 1-12, an account of the return of the captives under Zerubbabel, and the rebuilding of the temple in the reign of Cyrus and Cambyses. Most of the book is written in Hebrew, but from chs. Ezra 4:8 to Ezra 6:19 it is written in Chaldee. The last four chapters, beginning with ch. Ezra 7, continue the history after a gap of fifty-eight years—from the sixth of Darius to the seventh of Artaxerxes—narrating his visit to Jerusalem, and giving an account of the reforms there accomplished, referred to under Ezra. Much of the book was written by Ezra himself, though the first chapter was probably written by Daniel; and other hands are evident. SBD Ezra Book of.2
Ez’rahite, The (son of Zerah), a title attached to two persons—Ethan, 1 Kings 4:31; Psalm 89, title, and Heman, Psalm 88, title. SBD Ezrahite The.2
Ez’ri (help of Jehovah), son of Chelub, superintendent of King David’s farm-laborers. 1 Chronicles 27:26. (b.c. 1014.) SBD Ezri.2