Thieves, The two. The men who under this name appear in the history of the crucifixion were robbers rather than thieves, belonging to the lawless bands by which Palestine was at that time and afterward infested. Against these brigands every Roman procurator had to wage continual war. It was necessary to use an armed police to encounter them. Luke 22:52. Of the previous history of the two who suffered on Golgotha we know nothing. They had been tried and condemned, and were waiting their execution before our Lord was accused. It is probable enough, as the death of Barabbas was clearly expected at the same time, that they had taken part in his insurrection. They had expected to die with Jesus Barabbas. They find themselves with one who bore the same name, but who was described in the superscription on his cross as Jesus of Nazareth. They could hardly have failed to hear something of his fame as a prophet, of his triumphal entry as a king. They catch at first the prevailing tone of scorn. But over one of them there came a change. He looked back upon his past life, and saw an infinite evil. He looked to the man dying on the cross beside him, and saw an infinite compassion. There indeed was one unlike all other “kings of the Jews” whom the robber had ever known. Such a one must be all that he had claimed to be. To be forgotten by that king seems to him now the most terrible of all punishments; to take part in the triumph of his return, the most blessed of all hopes. The yearning prayer was answered, not in the letter, but in the spirit.SBD Thieves The two.2

Thimnathah

Thim’nathah, a town in the allotment of Dan. Joshua 19:43 only. It is named between Elon and Ekron. The name is the same as that of the residence of Samson’s wife. [See TIMNAH.]SBD Thimnathah.2

Thistle

Thistle. [THORNS AND THISTLES.]SBD Thistle.2

Thomas

Thom’as (a twin), one of the apostles. According to Eusebius, his real name was Judas. This may have been a mere confusion with Thaddeus, who is mentioned in the extract. But it may also be that Thomas was a surname. Out of this name has grown the tradition that he had a twin-sister, Lydia, or that he was a twin-brother of our Lord; which last, again, would confirm his identification with Judas. Comp. Matthew 13:55. He is said to have been born at Antioch. In the catalogue of the apostles he is coupled with Matthew in Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15, and with Philip in Acts 1:13. All that we know of him is derived from the Gospel of St. John; and this amounts to three traits, which, however, so exactly agree together that, slight as they are, they place his character before us with a precision which belongs to no other of the twelve apostles except Peter, John, and Judas Iscariot. This character is that of a man slow to believe, seeing all the difficulties of a case, subject to despondency, viewing things on the darker side, yet full of ardent love of his Master. The latter trait was shown in his speech when our Lord determined to face the dangers that awaited him in Judea on his journey to Bethany. Thomas said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” John 11:16. His unbelief appeared in his question during the Last Supper: “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?” John 14:5. It was the prosaic, incredulous doubt as to moving a step in the unseen future, and yet an eager inquiry as to how this step was to be taken. The first-named trait was seen after the resurrection. He was absent—possibly by accident, perhaps characteristically—from the first assembly when Jesus had appeared. The others told him what they had seen. He broke forth into an exclamation, the terms of which convey to us at once the vehemence of his doubt, and at the same time the vivid picture that his mind retained of his Master’s form as he had last seen him lifeless on the cross. John 20:25. On the eighth day he was with them at their gathering, perhaps in expectation of a recurrence of the visit of the previous week; and Jesus stood among them. He uttered the same salutation, “Peace be unto you”; and then turning to Thomas, as if this had been the special object of his appearance, uttered the words which convey as strongly the sense of condemnation and tender reproof as those of Thomas had shown the sense of hesitation and doubt. The effect on him was immediate. The conviction produced by the removal of his doubt became deeper and stronger than that of any of the other apostles. The words in which he expressed his belief contain a far higher assertion of his Master’s divine nature than is contained in any other expression used by apostolic lips—“My Lord and my God.” The answer of our Lord sums up the moral of the whole narrative: “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen me, and yet have believed.” John 20:29. In the New Testament we hear of Thomas only twice again, once on the Sea of Galilee with the seven disciples where he is ranked next after Peter, John 21:2, and again in the assemblage of the apostles after the ascension. Acts 1:13. The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century, represent him as preaching in Parthia or Persia, and as finally buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east. His martyrdom, whether in Persia or India, is said to have been occasioned by a lance, and is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21, by the Greek Church on October 6, and by the Indians on July 1.SBD Thomas.2

Thorns

Thorns and Thistles. There appear to be eighteen or twenty Hebrew words which point to different kinds of prickly or thorny shrubs. These words are variously rendered in the Authorized Version by “thorns,” “briers,” “thistles,” etc. Palestine abounded in a great variety of such plants. (“Travellers call the holy land ‘a land of thorns.’ Giant thistles, growing to the height of a man on horseback, frequently spread over regions once rich and fruitful, as they do on the pampas of South America; and many of the most interesting historic spots and ruins are rendered almost inaccessible by thickets of fiercely-armed buckthorns. Entire fields are covered with the troublesome creeping stems of the spinous ononis, while the bare hillsides are studded with the dangerous capsules of the paliurus and tribulus. Roses of the most prickly kinds abound on the lower slopes of Hermon; while the sub-tropical valleys of Judea are choked up in many places by the thorny lycium.”—Biblical Things not generally Known.) Crown of thorns.—The “crown of thorns,” Matthew 27:29, which was put in derision upon our Lord’s head before his crucifixion, is by some supposed to have been the Thamnus, or Spina Christí but although abundant in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, it cannot be the plant intended, because its thorns are so strong and large that it could not have been woven into a wreath. The large-leaved acanthus (bear’s-foot) is totally unsuited for the purpose. Had the acacia been intended, as some suppose, the phrase would have been ἐξ ἀκάνθης. Obviously some small, flexile, thorny shrub is meant; perhaps Cappares spinosŜ. Hasselquist (“Travels,” p. 260) says that the thorn used was the Arabian nabk. “It was very suitable for their purpose, as it has many sharp thorns, which inflict painful wounds; and its flexible, pliant, and round branches might easily be plaited in the form of a crown.” It also resembles the rich dark green of the triumphal ivy-wreath, which would give additional pungency to its ironical purpose.SBD Thorns.2

Palestine Thorn.SBD Thorns.3

Three Taverns

Three Taverns, a station on the Appian Road, along which St. Paul travelled from Puteoli to Rome. Acts 28:15. The distances, reckoning southward from Rome, are given as follows in the Autonine Itinerary: “to Aricia, 16 miles; to Three Taverns, 17 miles; to Appii Forum, 10 miles”; and, comparing this with what is still observed along the line of road, we have no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that “Three Taverns” was near the modern Cisterna. Just at this point a road came in from Antium on the coast. There is no doubt that “Three Taverns” was a frequent meeting-place of travellers.SBD Three Taverns.2

Threshing

Threshing. [AGRICULTURE.]SBD Threshing.2

Threshold

Threshold. Of the two words so rendered in the Authorized Version, one, miphthân, seems to mean sometimes a projecting beam or corbel. Ezekiel 9:3; Ezekiel 10:4, Ezekiel 10:18.SBD Threshold.2

Thresholds The

Thresholds, The. This word, Asuppê, appears to be inaccurately rendered in Nehemiah 12:25, though its real force has perhaps not yet been discovered. The “house of Asuppim,” or simply “the Asuppim,” is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 26:15, 1 Chronicles 26:17 as a part, probably a gate, of the enclosure of the “house of Jehovah,” apparently at its southwest corner. The allusion in Nehemiah 12:25 is undoubtedly to the same place. [GATE.]SBD Thresholds The.2

Throne

Throne. The Hebrew word so translated applies to any elevated seat occupied by a person in authority, whether a high priest, 1 Samuel 1:9, a judge, Psalm 122:5, or a military chief. Jeremiah 1:15. The use of a chair in a country where the usual postures were squatting and reclining was at all times regarded as a symbol of dignity. 2 Kings 4:10; Proverbs 9:14. In order to specify a throne in our sense of the term, it was necessary to add to the word the notion of royalty; hence the frequent occurrence of such expressions as “throne of the kingdom.” Deuteronomy 17:18; 1 Kings 1:46; 2 Chronicles 7:18. The characteristic feature in the royal throne was its elevation: Solomon’s throne was approached by six steps, 1 Kings 10:19; 2 Chronicles 9:18; and Jehovah’s throne is described as “high and lifted up.” Isaiah 6:1. The materials and workmanship of Solomon’s throne were costly. It was made of wood inlaid with ivory and then covered with gold except where the ivory showed. It was furnished with arms or “stays.” The steps were also lined with pairs of lions. As to the form of chair, we are only informed in 1 Kings 10:19 that “the top was round behind.” The king sat on his throne on state occasions. At such times he appeared in his royal robes. The throne was the symbol of supreme power and dignity. Genesis 41:40. Similarly, “to sit upon the throne” implied the exercise of regal power. Deuteronomy 17:18; 1 Kings 16:11.SBD Throne.2

Assyrian Throne or Chair of State.SBD Throne.3

Thummim

Thummim. [URIM AND THUMMIM.]SBD Thummim.2

Thunder

Thunder is hardly ever heard in Palestine from the middle of April to the middle of September; hence it was selected by Samuel as a striking expression of the divine displeasure toward the Israelites. 1 Samuel 12:17. Rain in harvest was deemed as extraordinary as snow in summer, Proverbs 26:1, and Jerome states that he had never witnessed it in the latter part of June or in July. Comm. on Amos 4:7. In the imaginative philosophy of the Hebrews, thunder was regarded as the voice of Jehovah, Job 37:2, Job 37:4-5; Job 40:9; Psalm 18:13; Psalm 29:3-9; Isaiah 30:30-31, who dwelt behind the thunder-cloud. Psalm 81:7. Thunder was, to the mind of the Jew, the symbol of divine power, Psalm 29:3, etc., and vengeance. 1 Samuel 2:10; 2 Samuel 22:14.SBD Thunder.2

Thyatira

Thyati’ra, a city on the Lycus, founded by Seleucus Nicator, lay to the left of the road from Pergamos to Sardis, 27 miles from the latter city, and on the very confines of Mysia and Ionia, so as to be sometimes reckoned within the one and sometimes within the other. Dyeing apparently formed an important part of the industrial activity of Thyatira, as it did of that of Colossæ and Laodicea. It is first mentioned in connection with Lydia, “a seller of purple.” Acts 16:14. One of the Seven Churches of Asia was established here. Revelation 2:18-29. The principal deity of the city was Apollo; but there was another superstition, of an extremely curious nature, which seems to have been brought thither by some of the corrupted Jews of the dispersed tribes. A fane stood outside the walls, dedicated to Sambatha—the name of the sibyl who is sometimes called Chaldæan, sometimes Jewish, sometimes Persian—in the midst of an enclosure designated “the Chaldæans’ court.” This seems to lend an illustration to the obscure passage in Revelation 2:20-21, which some interpret of the wife of the bishop. Now there is evidence to show that in Thyatira there was a great amalgamation of races. If the sibyl Sambatha was in reality a Jewess, lending her aid to the amalgation of different religions, and not discountenanced by the authorities of the Judeo-Christian Church at Thyatira, both the censure and its qualification become easy of explanation. (The present name of the city is ak-Hissar (“white castle”). It has a reputation for the manufacture of scarlet cloth. Its present population is 15,000 to 20,000. There are nine mosques.—Ed.)SBD Thyatira.2

Thyatira.SBD Thyatira.3

Thyine wood

Thyine wood occurs in Revelation 18:12, where the margin has “sweet” (wood). There can be little doubt that the wood here spoken of is that of the Thuya articulata, Desfont., the Callitris quadrivalvis of present botanists. It is a cone-bearing tree and allied to the pine. This tree was much prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans on account of the beauty of its wood for various ornamental purposes. By the Romans the tree was called citrus, the wood citrum. It is a native of Barbary, and grows to the height of 15 to 25 feet.SBD Thyine wood.2

Thyine Wood (Thuya articulata).SBD Thyine wood.3

Tiberias

Tibe’rias, a city in the time of Christ, on the Sea of Galilee; first mentioned in the New Testament, John 6:1, John 6:23; John 21:1, and then by Josephus, who states that it was built by Herod Antipas, and was named by him in honor of the emperor Tiberius. Tiberias was the capital of Galilee from the time of its origin until the reign of Herod Agrippa II, who changed the seat of power back again to Sepphoris, where it had been before the founding of the new city. Many of the inhabitants were Greeks and Romans, and foreign customs prevailed there to such an extent as to give offence to the stricter Jews. It is remarkable that the Gospels give us no intimation that the Saviour, who spent so much of his public life in Galilee, ever visited Tiberias. The place is only mentioned in the New Testament in John 6:23. History.—Tiberias has an interesting history apart from its strictly biblical associations. It bore a conspicuous part in the wars between the Jews and the Romans. The Sanhedrin, subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem, after a temporary sojourn at Jamnia and Sepphoris, became fixed there about the middle of the second century. Celebrated schools of Jewish learning flourished there through a succession of several centuries. The Mishna was compiled at this place by the great Rabbi Judah Hakkodesh, a.d. 190. The city has been possessed successively by Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Turks. It contains now, under the Turkish rule, a mixed population of Mohammedans, Jews, and Christians, variously estimated at from two to four thousand. Present city.—The ancient name has survived in that of the modern Tubarieh, which occupies the original site. Near Tubarieh, about a mile farther south along the shore, are the celebrated warm baths, which the Roman naturalists reckoned among the greatest known curiosities of the world. Tiberias is described by Dr. Thomson as “a filthy place, fearfully hot in summer.” It was nearly destroyed in 1837 by an earthquake, by which 600 persons lost their lives.SBD Tiberias.2

Tiberias and the Lake of Galilee.SBD Tiberias.3

Tiberias The Sea of

Tibe’rias, The Sea of. John 21:1. [GENNESARET, SEA OF.]SBD Tiberias The Sea of.2

Tiberius

Tibe’rius (in full, Tiberius Claudius Nero), the second Roman emperor, successor of Augustus, who began to reign a.d. 14 and reigned until a.d. 37. He was the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia, and hence a stepson of Augustus. He was born at Rome on the 16th of November, b.c. 45. He became emperor in his fifty-fifth year, after having distinguished himself as a commander in various wars, and having evinced talents of a high order as an orator and an administrator of civil affairs. He even gained the reputation of possessing the sterner virtues of the Roman character, and was regarded as entirely worthy of the imperial honors to which his birth and supposed personal merits at length opened the way. Yet, on being raised to the supreme power, he suddenly became, or showed himself to be, a very different man. His subsequent life was one of inactivity, sloth, and self-indulgence. He was despotic in his government, cruel and vindictive in his disposition. He died a.d. 37, at the age of 78, after a reign of twenty-three years. Our Saviour was put to death in the reign of Tiberius.SBD Tiberius.2

Head of Emperor Tiberius.SBD Tiberius.3

Tibhath

Tib’hath (extension), a city of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, 1 Chronicles 18:8, which in 2 Samuel 8:8 is called Betah. Its exact position is unknown.SBD Tibhath.2

Tibni

Tib’ni (intelligent). After Zimri had burnt himself in his palace, there was a division in the northern kingdom, half of the people following Tibni the son of Ginath, and half following Omri. 1 Kings 16:21-22. Omri was the choice of the army. Tibni was probably put forward by the people of Tirzah, which was then besieged by Omri and his host. The struggle between the contending factions lasted four years (comp. 1 Kings 16:15, 1 Kings 16:23), b.c. 926–922, when Tibni died.SBD Tibni.2

Tidal

Ti’dal (great son) is mentioned only in Genesis 14:1, Genesis 14:9. (b.c. about 1900.) He is called “king of nations,” from which we may conclude that he was a chief over various nomadic tribes who inhabited different portions of Mesopotamia at different seasons of the year, as do the Arabs at the present day.SBD Tidal.2

Tiglath-pileser

Tig’lath-pile’ser. (In 1 Chronicles 5:26, and again in 2 Chronicles 28:20, the name of this king is given as Tilgath-pilneser.) Tiglath-pileser is the second Assyrian king mentioned in Scripture as having come into contact with the Israelites. He attacked Samaria in the reign of Pekah, b.c. 756–736, probably because Pekah withheld his tribute, and, having entered his territories, he “took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.” 2 Kings 15:29. The date of this invasion cannot be fixed. After his first expedition a close league was formed between Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, having for its special object the humiliation of Judah. At first great successes were gained by Pekah and his confederate, 2 Kings 15:37; 2 Chronicles 28:6-8; but on their proceeding to attack Jerusalem itself, Ahaz applied to Assyria for assistance, and Tiglath-pileser, consenting to aid him, again appeared at the head of an army in these regions. He first marched, naturally, against Damascus, which he took, 2 Kings 16:9, razing it to the ground, and killing Rezin, the Damascene monarch. After this, probably, he proceeded to chastise Pekah, whose country he entered on the northeast, where it bordered upon “Syria of Damascus.” Here he overran the whole district to the east of Jordan, carrying into captivity “the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.” 1 Chronicles 5:26. Before returning into his own land, Tiglath-pileser had an interview with Ahaz at Damascus. 2 Kings 16:10. This is all that Scripture tells us of Tiglath-pileser. He reigned certainly from b.c. 747 to b.c. 730, and possibly a few years longer, being succeeded by Shalmaneser at least as early as b.c. 725. Tiglath-pileser’s wars do not, generally, appear to have been of much importance. No palace or great building can be ascribed to this king. His slabs, which are tolerably numerous, show that he must have built or adorned a residence at Calah (Nimrud), where they were found.SBD Tiglath-pileser.2

Tigris

Ti’gris is used by the LXX as the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Hiddekel, and occurs also in several of the apocryphal books, as in Tobit, ch. Tobit 6:1, Judith, ch. Judith 1:6, and Ecclesiasticus, ch. Sirach 24:25. The Tigris, like the Euphrates, rises from two principal sources in the Armenian mountains, and flows into the Euphrates. Its length, exclusive of windings, is reckoned at 1146 miles. It receives, along its middle and lower course, no fewer than five important tributaries. These are the river of Zakko or eastern Khabour, the Great Zab (Zab Ala), the Lesser Zab (Zab Asfal), the Adhem, and the Diyaleh or ancient Gyndes. All these rivers flow from the high range of Zagros. We find but little mention of the Tigris in Scripture. It appears, indeed, under the name of Hiddekel, among the rivers of Eden, Genesis 2:14, and is there correctly described as “running eastward to Assyria”; but after this we hear no more of it, if we except one doubtful allusion in Nahum, ch. Nahum 2:6, until the captivity, when it becomes well known to the prophet Daniel. With him it is “the Great River.” The Tigris, in its upper course, anciently ran through Armenia and Assyria.SBD Tigris.2

Tikvah

Tik’vah (hope).SBD Tikvah.2

1. The father of Shallum the husband of the prophetess Huldah. 2 Kings 22:14. (b.c. before 632.)SBD Tikvah.3

2. The father of Jahaziah. Ezra 10:15. (b.c. 458.)SBD Tikvah.4

Tikvath

Tik’vath (assemblage) (properly Tôkehath or Tokhath), Tikvah the father of Shallum. 2 Chronicles 34:22.SBD Tikvath.2

Tilgath-pilneser

Til’gath-pilne’ser, a variation, and probably a corruption, of the name Tiglath-pileser. 1 Chronicles 5:6, 1 Chronicles 5:26; 2 Chronicles 28:20.SBD Tilgath-pilneser.2

Tilon

Ti’lon (gift), one of the four sons of Shimon, whose family is reckoned in the genealogies of Judah. 1 Chronicles 4:20. (b.c. 1451.)SBD Tilon.2

Timæus

Timæus (Timaeus) — the father of the blind man, Bartimaus. (Mark 10:46)SBD Timæus.2

Timbrel tabret

Timbrel, tabret (Heb. tôph). In old English tabor was used for any drum. Tabouret and tabourine are diminutives of tabor, and denote the instrument now known as the tambourine. Tabret is a contraction of tabouret. The Hebrew tôph is undoubtedly the instrument described by travellers as the duff or diff of the Arabs. It was played principally by women, Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1 Samuel 18:6; Psalm 68:25, as an accompaniment to the song and dance. The diff of the Arabs is described by Russell as “a hoop (sometimes with pieces of brass fixed in it to make a jingling) over which a piece of parchment is stretched. It is beaten with the fingers, and is the true tympanum of the ancients.” In Barbary it is called tar.SBD Timbrel tabret.2

Timbrel.SBD Timbrel tabret.3

Timna

Tim’na, or Tim’nah (restraint).SBD Timna.2

1. A concubine of Eliphaz son of Esau, and mother of Amalek, Genesis 36:12; it may be presumed that she was the same as Timna sister of Lotan. Ibid. ver. Genesis 36:22, and 1 Chronicles 1:39. (b.c. after 1800.)SBD Timna.3

2. A duke or phylarch of Edom in the last list in Genesis 36:40-43; 1 Chronicles 1:51-54. Timnah was probably the name of a place or a district. [See the following article.]SBD Timna.4

Timnah

Tim’nah (portion).SBD Timnah.2

1. A place which formed one of the landmarks on the north boundary of the allotment of Judah. Joshua 15:10. It is probably identical with the Thimnathah of Joshua 19:43, and that again with the Timnath, or, more accurately, Timnathah, of Samson, Judges 14:1-2, Judges 14:5, and the Thamnatha of the Maccabees. The modern representative of all these various forms of the same name is probably Tibneh, a village about two miles west of Ain Shems (Bethshemesh). In the later history of the Jews, Timnah must have been a conspicuous place. It was fortified by Bacchides as one of the most important military posts of Judea. 1 Maccabees 9:50.SBD Timnah.3

2. A town in the mountain district of Judah. Joshua 15:57. A distinct place from that just examined.SBD Timnah.4

3. Inaccurately written Timnath in the Authorized Version, the scene of the adventure of Judah with his daughter-in-law Tamar. Genesis 38:12-14. There is nothing here to indicate its position. It may be identified either with the Timnah in the mountains of Judah [No. 2] or with the Timnathah of Samson [No. 1].SBD Timnah.5

Timnath

Tim’nath. [TIMNAH.]SBD Timnath.2

Timnathah

Tim’nathah, the residence of Samson’s wife. Judges 14:1-2, Judges 14:5.SBD Timnathah.2

Timnath-heres

Tim’nath-he’res (portion of the sun), the name under which the city and burial-place of Joshua, previously called Timnath-serah, is mentioned in Judges 2:9. [TIMNATH-SERAH.]SBD Timnath-heres.2

Timnath-serah

Tim’nath-se’rah (portion of abundance), the name of the city which was presented to Joshua after the partition of the country, Joshua 19:50, and in “the border” of which he was buried. Joshua 24:30. It is specified as “in Mount Ephraim on the north side of Mount Gaash.” In Judges 2:9 the name is altered to Timnath-heres. The latter form is that adopted by the Jewish writers. Accordingly, they identify the place with Kefar-cheres, which is said by Jewish travellers to be about five miles south of Shechem (Nablûs). No place with that name appears on the maps. Another identification has, however, been suggested by Dr. Eli Smith. In his journey from Jifna to Mejdel-Yaba, about six miles from the former he discovered the ruins of a considerable town. Opposite the town was a much higher hill, in the north side of which are several excavated sepulchres. The whole bears the name of Tibneh.SBD Timnath-serah.2

Timnite The

Tim’nite, The, Samson’s father-in-law, a native of Timnathah. Judges 15:6.SBD Timnite The.2

Timon

Ti’mon, one of the seven, commonly called “deacons.” Acts 6:1-6. He was probably a Hellenist. (a.d. 34.)SBD Timon.2

Timotheus

Timo’theus.SBD Timotheus.2

1. A “captain of the Ammonites,” 1 Maccabees 5:6, who was defeated on several occasions by Judas Maccabæus, b.c. 164. 1 Maccabees 5:6, 1 Maccabees 5:11, 1 Maccabees 5:34-44. He was probably a Greek adventurer.SBD Timotheus.3

2. In 2 Macc. a leader named Timotheus is mentioned as having taken part in the invasion of Nicanor, b.c. 166. 2 Maccabees 8:30; 2 Maccabees 9:3.SBD Timotheus.4

3. The Greek name of Timothy. Acts 16:1; Acts 17:14, etc.SBD Timotheus.5

Timothy

Tim’othy. The disciple thus named was the son of one of those mixed marriages which, though condemned by stricter Jewish opinion, were yet not uncommon in the later periods of Jewish history. The father’s name is unknown; he was a Greek, i.e., a Gentile, by descent. Acts 16:1, Acts 16:3. The absence of any personal allusion to the father in the Acts or Epistles suggests the inference that he must have died or disappeared during his son’s infancy. The care of the boy thus devolved upon his mother Eunice and her mother Lois. 2 Timothy 1:5. Under their training his education was emphatically Jewish. “From a child” he learned to “know the Holy Scriptures” daily. The language of the Acts leaves it uncertain whether Lystra or Derbe was the residence of the devout family. The arrival of Paul and Barnabas in Lycaonia, a.d. 44, Acts 14:6, brought the message of glad tidings to Timothy and his mother, and they received it with “unfeigned faith.” 2 Timothy 1:5. During the interval of seven years between the apostle’s first and second journeys the boy grew up to manhood. Those who had the deepest insight into character, and spoke with a prophetic utterance, pointed to him, 1 Timothy 1:18; 1 Timothy 4:14, as others had pointed before to Paul and Barnabas, Acts 13:2, as specially fit for the missionary work in which the apostle was engaged. Personal feeling led St. Paul to the same conclusion, Acts 16:3, and he was solemnly set apart to do the work and possibly to bear the title of evangelist. 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6; 2 Timothy 4:5. A great obstacle, however, presented itself. Timothy, though reckoned as one of the seed of Abraham, had been allowed to grow up to the age of manhood without the sign of circumcision. With a special view to the feelings of the Jews, making no sacrifice of principle, the apostle, who had refused to permit the circumcision of Titus, “took and circumcised” Timothy. Acts 16:3. Henceforth Timothy was one of his most constant companions. They and Silvanus, and probably Luke also, journeyed to Philippi, Acts 16:12, and there the young evangelist was conspicuous at once for his filial devotion and his zeal. Philippians 2:22. His name does not appear in the account of St. Paul’s work at Thessalonica, and it is possible that he remained some time at Philippi. He appears, however, at Berea, and remains there when Paul and Silas are obliged to leave, Acts 17:14, going afterward to join his master at Athens. 1 Thessalonians 3:2. From Athens he is sent back to Thessalonica, ibid., as having special gifts for comforting and teaching. He returns from Thessalonica, not to Athens, but to Corinth, and his name appears united with St. Paul’s in the opening words of both the letters written from that city to the Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1. Of the next five years of his life we have no record. When we next meet with him, it is as being sent on in advance when the apostle was contemplating the long journey which was to include Macedonia, Achaia, Jerusalem, and Rome. Acts 19:22. It is probable that he returned by the same route and met St. Paul according to a previous arrangement, 1 Corinthians 16:11, and was thus with him when the Second Epistle was written to the church of Corinth. 2 Corinthians 1:1. He returns with the apostle to that city, and joins in messages of greeting to the disciples whom he had known personally at Corinth, and who had since found their way to Rome. Romans 16:21. He forms one of the company of friends who go with St. Paul to Philippi, and then sail by themselves, waiting for his arrival by a different ship. Acts 20:3-6. The absence of his name from Acts 27 leads to the conclusion that he did not share in the perilous voyage to Italy. He must have joined the apostle, however, apparently soon after his arrival at Rome, and was with him when the Epistles to the Philippians, to the Colossians, and to Philemon were written. Philippians 1:1; Philippians 2:19; Colossians 1:1; Philemon 1. All the indications of this period point to incessant missionary activity.SBD Timothy.2

From the two Epistles addressed to Timothy we are able to put together a few notices as to his later life. It follows from 1 Timothy 1:3 that he and his master, after the release of the latter from his imprisonment, a.d. 63, revisited proconsular Asia; that the apostle then continued his journey to Macedonia, while the disciple remained, half reluctantly, even weeping at the separation, 2 Timothy 1:4, at Ephesus, to check, if possible, the outgrowth of heresy and licentiousness which had sprung up there. The position in which he found himself might well make him anxious. He had to rule presbyters most of whom were older than himself. 1 Timothy 4:12. Leaders of rival sects were there. The name of his beloved teacher was no longer honored as it had been. We cannot wonder that the apostle, knowing these trials, should be full of anxiety and fear for his disciple’s steadfastness. In the Second Epistle to him, a.d. 67 or 68, this deep personal feeling utters itself yet more fully. The last recorded words of the apostle express the earnest hope, repeated yet more earnestly, that he might see him once again. 2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21. We may hazard the conjecture that he reached him in time, and that the last hours of the teacher were soothed by the presence of the disciple whom he loved so truly. Some writers have seen in Hebrews 13:23 an indication that he even shared St. Paul’s imprisonment, and was released from it by the death of Nero. Beyond this all is apocryphal and uncertain. He continued, according to the old traditions, to act as bishop of Ephesus, and died a martyr’s death under Domitian or Nerva. A somewhat startling theory as to the intervening period of his life has found favor with some. If he continued, according to the received tradition, to be bishop of Ephesus, then he, and no other, must have been the “angel” of the church of Ephesus to whom the message of Revelation 2:1-7 was addressed.SBD Timothy.3

Timothy Epistles of Paul to

Timothy, Epistles of Paul to. The Epistles to Timothy and Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles, because they are principally devoted to directions about the work of the pastor of a church. The First Epistle was probably written from Macedonia, a.d. 65, in the interval between St. Paul’s first and second imprisonments at Rome. The absence of any local reference but that in 1 Timothy 1:3 suggests Macedonia or some neighboring district. In some MSS and versions Laodicea is named in the inscription as the place from which it was sent. The Second Epistle appears to have been written a.d. 67 or 68, and in all probability at Rome. The following are the characteristic features of these epistles:—(1) The ever-deepening sense in St. Paul’s heart of the divine mercy of which he was the object, as shown in the insertion of the word “mercy” in the salutations of both epistles, and in the “obtained mercy” of 1 Timothy 1:13. (2) The greater abruptness of the Second Epistle. From first to last there is no plan, no treatment of subjects carefully thought out. All speaks of strong overflowing emotion, memories of the past, anxieties about the future. (3) The absence, as compared with St. Paul’s other epistles, of Old Testament references. This may connect itself with the fact just noticed, that these epistles are not argumentative, possibly also with the request for the “books and parchments” which had been left behind. 2 Timothy 4:13. (4) The conspicuous position of the “faithful sayings” as taking the place occupied in other epistles by the Old Testament Scriptures. The way in which these are cited as authoritative, the variety of subjects which they cover, suggests the thought that in them we have specimens of the prophecies of the apostolic Church which had most impressed themselves on the mind of the apostle and of the disciples generally. 1 Corinthians 14 shows how deep a reverence he was likely to feel for such spiritual utterances. In 1 Timothy 4:1 we have a distinct reference to them. (5) The tendency of the apostle’s mind to dwell more on the universality of the redemptive work of Christ, 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 1 Timothy 4:10, and his strong desire that all the teaching of his disciples should be “sound.” (6) The importance attached by him to the practical details of administration. The gathered experience of a long life had taught him that the life and well-being of the Church required these for its safeguards. (7) The recurrence of doxologies, 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:15-16; 2 Timothy 4:18, as from one living perpetually in the presence of God, to whom the language of adoration was as his natural speech.SBD Timothy Epistles of Paul to.2

Tin

Tin. Among the various metals found in the spoils of the Midianites, tin is enumerated. Numbers 31:22. It was known to the Hebrew metal-workers as an alloy of other metals. Isaiah 1:25; Ezekiel 22:18, Ezekiel 22:20. The markets of Tyre were supplied with it by the ships of Tarshish. Ezekiel 27:12. It was used for plummets, Zechariah 4:10, and was so plentiful as to furnish the writer of Ecclesiasticus, Sirach 47:18, with a figure by which to express the wealth of Solomon. Tin is not found in Palestine. Whence, then, did the ancient Hebrews obtain their supply? “Only three countries are known to contain any considerable quantity of it: Spain and Portugal, Cornwall and the adjacent parts of Devonshire, and the islands of Junk, Ceylon, and Banca, in the Straits of Malacca.” (Kenrick, “Phœnicia,” p. 212.) There can be little doubt that the mines of Britain were the chief source of supply to the ancient world. [See TARSHISH.] (“Tin ore has lately been found in Midian.”—Schaff.)SBD Tin.2

Tiphsah

Tiph’sah (ford) is mentioned in 1 Kings 4:24 as the limit of Solomon’s empire toward the Euphrates, and in 2 Kings 15:16 it is said to have been attacked by Menahem. It was known to the Greeks and Romans under the name of Thapsacus, and was the point where it was usual to cross the Euphrates. Thapsacus has been generally placed at the modern Dêr; but the Euphrates expedition proved that there is no ford at Dêr, and that the only ford in this part of the course of the Euphrates is at Suriyeh, 45 miles below Balis, and 165 above Dêr. This, then, must have been the position of Thapsacus.SBD Tiphsah.2

Tirras

Tir’ras (desire), the youngest son of Japheth, Genesis 10:2, usually identified with the Thracians, as presenting the closest verbal approximation to the name.SBD Tirras.2

Tirathites The

Ti’rathites, The, one of the three families of scribes residing at Jabez, 1 Chronicles 2:55, the others being the Shimeathites and Sucathites. The passage is hopelessly obscure.SBD Tirathites The.2

Tire

Tire, an old English word for headdress. It was an ornamental headdress worn on festive occasions, Ezekiel 24:17, Ezekiel 24:23, and perhaps, as some suppose, also an ornament for the neck worn by both women, Isaiah 3:18, and men, and even on the necks of camels. Judges 8:21, Judges 8:26.SBD Tire.2

Tirhakah

Tir’hakah, or Tirha’kah (exalted?), king of Ethiopia (Cush), the opponent of Sennacherib. 2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9. He may be identified with Tarkos or Tarakos, who was the third and last king of the twenty-fifth dynasty, which was of Ethiopians. His accession was probably about b.c. 695. Possibly Tirhakah ruled over Ethiopia before becoming king of Egypt.SBD Tirhakah.2

Tirhanah

Tir’hanah (favor), son of Caleb ben-Hezron by his concubine Maachah. 1 Chronicles 2:48. [b.c. about 1451.]SBD Tirhanah.2

Tiria

Tir’ia (fear), son of Jehaleleel, of the tribe of Judah. 1 Chronicles 4:16. (b.c. about 1451.)SBD Tiria.2

Tirshatha

Tirshatha (always written with the article), the title of the governor of Judea under the Persians, perhaps derived from a Persian root signifying stern, severe, is added as a title after the name of Nehemiah, Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 10:1, and occurs also in three other places. In the margin of the Authorized Version, Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65; Nehemiah 10:1, it is rendered “governor.”SBD Tirshatha.2

Tirzah

Tir’zah (delight), youngest of the five daughters of Zelophehad. Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11; Joshua 17:3. (b.c. 1450.)SBD Tirzah.2

Tirzah

Tir’zah, an ancient Canaanite city, whose king is enumerated among those overthrown in the conquest of the country. Joshua 12:24. It reappears as a royal city, the residence of Jeroboam and of his successors, 1 Kings 14:17-18; and as the seat of the conspiracy of Menahem ben-Gaddi against the wretched Shallum. 2 Kings 15:16. Its reputation for beauty throughout the country must have been widespread. It is in this sense that it is spoken of in the Song of Solomon. Eusebius mentions it in connection with Menahem, and identifies it with a “village of Samaritans in Batanea.” Its site is Tellûzah, a place in the mountains north of Nablûs.SBD Tirzah.2

Tishbite The

Tish’bite, The, the well-known designation of Elijah. 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 21:17, 1 Kings 21:28; 2 Kings 1:3, 2 Kings 1:8; 2 Kings 9:36. The name naturally points to a place called Tishbeh, Tishbi, or rather perhaps Tesheb, as the residence of the prophet. Assuming that a town is alluded to as Elijah’s native place, it is not necessary to infer that it was itself in Gilead, as many have imagined. The commentators and lexicographers, with few exceptions, adopt the name “Tishbite” as referring to the place Thisbe in Naphtali, which is found in the Septuagint text of Tobit 1:2.SBD Tishbite The.2

Tithe

Tithe or tenth, the proportion of property devoted to religious uses from very early times. Instances of the use of tithes are found prior to the appointment of the Levitical tithes under the law. In biblical history the two prominent instances are—SBD Tithe.2

1. Abram presenting the tenth of all his property, or rather of the spoils of his victory, to Melchizedek. Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:2, Hebrews 7:6. 2. Jacob, after his vision at Luz, devoting a tenth of all his property to God in case he should return home in safety. Genesis 28:22. The first enactment of the law in respect of tithe is the declaration that the tenth of all produce, as well as of flocks and cattle, belongs to Jehovah, and must be offered to him; that the tithe was to be paid in kind, or, if redeemed, with an addition of one fifth to its value. Leviticus 27:30-33. This tenth is ordered to be assigned to the Levites as the reward of their service, and it is ordered further that they are themselves to dedicate to the Lord a tenth of these receipts, which is to be devoted to the maintenance of the high priest. Numbers 18:21-28. This legislation is modified or extended in the book of Deuteronomy, i.e., from thirty-eight to forty years later. Commands are given to the people—SBD Tithe.3

1. To bring their tithes, together with their votive and other offerings and first-fruits, to the chosen centre of worship, the metropolis, there to be eaten in testive celebration in company with their children, their servants, and the Levites. Deuteronomy 12:5-18. 2. All the produce of the soil was to be tithed every year, and these tithes, with the firstlings of the flock and herd, were to be eaten in the metropolis. 3. But in case of distance, permission is given to convert the produce into money, which is to be taken to the appointed place, and there laid out in the purchase of food for a festal celebration, in which the Levite is, by special command, to be included. Deuteronomy 14:22-27. 4. Then follows the direction that at the end of three years all the tithe of that year is to be gathered and laid up “within the gates,” and that a festival is to be held, of which the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, together with the Levite, are to partake. Ibid., Deuteronomy 5:28-29. 5. Lastly, it is ordered that after taking the tithe in each third year, “which is the year of tithing,” an exculpatory declaration is to be made by every Israelite that he has done his best to fulfill the divine command. Deuteronomy 26:12-14. From all this we gather—(1) That one tenth of the whole produce of the soil was to be assigned for the maintenance of the Levites. (2) That out of this the Levites were to dedicate a tenth to God for the use of the high priest. (3) That a tithe, in all probability a second tithe, was to be applied to festival purposes. (4) That in every third year, either this festival tithe or a third tenth was to be eaten in company with the poor and the Levites. (These tithes in early times took the place of our modern taxes, as well as of gifts for the support of religious institutions.—Ed.)SBD Tithe.4

Titus

Ti’tus. Our materials for the biography of this companion of St. Paul must be drawn entirely from the notices of him in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the Galatians, and to Titus himself, combined with the Second Epistle to Timothy. He is not mentioned in the Acts at all. Taking the passages in the epistles in the chronological order of the events referred to, we turn first to Galatians 2:1, Galatians 2:3. We conceive the journey mentioned here to be identical with that (recorded in Acts 15) in which Paul and Barnabas went from Antioch to Jerusalem to the conference which was to decide the question of the necessity of circumcision to the Gentiles. Here we see Titus in close association with Paul and Barnabas at Antioch. He goes with them to Jerusalem. His circumcision was either not insisted on at Jerusalem, or, if demanded, was firmly resisted. He is very emphatically spoken of as a Gentile, by which is most probably meant that both his parents were Gentiles. Titus would seem, on the occasion of the council, to have been specially a representative of the church of the uncircumcision. It is to our purpose to remark that, in the passage cited above, Titus is so mentioned as apparently to imply that he had become personally known to the Galatian Christians. After leaving Galatia, Acts 18:23, and spending a long time at Ephesus, Acts 19:1-20:1, the apostle proceeded to Macedonia by way of Troas. Here he expected to meet Titus, 2 Corinthians 2:13, who had been sent on a mission to Corinth. In this hope he was disappointed, but in Macedonia Titus joined him. 2 Corinthians 7:6-7, 2 Corinthians 7:13-15. The mission to Corinth had reference to the immoralities rebuked in the First Epistle, and to the collection, at that time in progress, for the poor Christians of Judea. 2 Corinthians 8:6. Thus we are prepared for what the apostle now proceeds to do after his encouraging conversations with Titus regarding the Corinthian church. He sends him back from Macedonia to Corinth, in company with two other trustworthy Christians, bearing the Second Epistle, and with an earnest request, ibid., 2 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 8:17, that he would see to the completion of the collection. ch. 2 Corinthians 8:6.SBD Titus.2

A considerable interval now elapses before we come upon the next notices of this disciple. St. Paul’s first imprisonment is concluded, and his last trial is impending. In the interval between the two, he and Titus were together in Crete. Titus 1:5. We see Titus remaining in the island when St. Paul left it, and receiving there a letter written to him by the apostle. From this letter we gather the following biographical details: In the first place we learn that he was originally converted through St. Paul’s instrumentality. Titus 1:4. Next we learn the various particulars of the responsible duties which he had to discharge in Crete. He is to complete what St. Paul had been obliged to leave unfinished, ch. Titus 1:5, and he is to organize the church throughout the island by appointing presbyters in every city. Next he is to control and bridle, ver. Titus 1:11, the restless and mischievous Judaizers. He is also to look for the arrival in Crete of Artemas and Tychicus, ch. Titus 3:12, and then is to hasten to join St. Paul at Nicopolis, where the apostle purposes to pass the winter. Zenas and Apollos are in Crete, or expected there; for Titus is to send them on their journey, and to supply them with whatever they need for it. ch. Titus 3:13. Whether Titus did join the apostle at Nicopolis we cannot tell; but we naturally connect the mention of this place with what St. Paul wrote, at no great interval of time afterward, in the last of the Pastoral Epistles, 2 Timothy 4:10; for Dalmatia lay to the north of Nicopolis, at no great distance from it. From the form of the whole sentence, it seems probable that this disciple had been with St. Paul in Rome during his final imprisonment; but this cannot be asserted confidently. The traditional connection of Titus with Crete is much more specific and constant, though here again we cannot be certain of the facts. He is said to have been permanent bishop in the island, and to have died there at an advanced age. The modern capital, Candia, appears to claim the honor of being his burial-place. In the fragment by the lawyer Zenas, Titus is called bishop of Gortyna. Lastly, the name of Titus was the watchword of the Cretans when they were invaded by the Venetians.SBD Titus.3

Titus Epistle to

Titus, Epistle to. There are no specialties in this epistle which require any very elaborate treatment distinct from the other Pastoral Letters of St. Paul. It was written about the same time and under similar circumstances with the other two; i.e., from Ephesus, in the autumn of 67, in the interval between Paul’s two Roman imprisonments.SBD Titus Epistle to.2

Titus Justus

Ti’tus Jus’tus. (The form given in the Revised Version, of the proselyte Justus, at whose house in Corinth Paul preached when driven from the synagogue. He is possibly the same as Titus the companion of Paul.)SBD Titus Justus.2

Tizite The

Ti’zite, The, the designation of Joha, one of the heroes of David’s army. 1 Chronicles 11:45. It occurs nowhere else, and nothing is known of the place or family which it denotes.SBD Tizite The.2

Toah

To’ah (lowly), a Kohathite Levite, ancestor of Samuel and Heman. 1 Chronicles 6:34(1 Chronicles 6:19).SBD Toah.2

Tob-adonijah

Tob-adoni’jah (Adonijah the good), one of the Levites sent by Jehoshaphat through the cities of Judah to teach the law to the people. 2 Chronicles 17:8. (b.c. 910.)SBD Tob-adonijah.2

Tob

Tob (good), The land of, a place in which Jephthah took refuge when expelled from home by his half-brother, Judges 11:3, and where he remained, at the head of a band of freebooters, till he was brought back by the sheikhs of Gilead. ver. Judges 11:5. The narrative implies that the land of Tob was not far distant from Gilead; at the same time, from the nature of the case, it must have lain out toward the eastern deserts. It is undoubtedly mentioned again in 2 Samuel 10:6, 2 Samuel 10:8, as Ishtob, i.e., man of Tob, meaning, according to a common Hebrew idiom, the men of Tob. After a long interval it appears again, in the Maccabæan history, 1 Maccabees 5:13, in the names Tobie and Tubieni. 2 Maccabees 12:17. No identification of the ancient district with any modern one has yet been attempted.SBD Tob.2

Tobiah

Tobi’ah (goodness of Jehovah).SBD Tobiah.2

1. “The children of Tobiah” were a family who returnned with Zerubbabel, but were unable to prove their connection with Israel. Ezra 2:60; Nehemiah 7:62. (b.c. before 536.)SBD Tobiah.3

2. “Tobiah the slave, the Ammonite,” played a conspicuous part in the rancorous opposition made by Sanballat the Moabite and his adherents to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. (b.c. 446.) The two races of Moab and Ammon found in these men fit representatives of that hereditary hatred to the Israelites which began before the entrance into Caanan, and was not extinct when the Hebrews had ceased to exist as a nation. But Tobiah, though a slave, Nehemiah 2:10, Nehemiah 2:19—unless this is a title of opprobrium—and an Ammonite, found means to ally himself with a priestly family, and his son Johanan married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. Nehemiah 6:18. He himself was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, Nehemiah 6:17, and these family relations created for him a strong faction among the Jews.SBD Tobiah.4

Tobijah

Tobi’jah (goodness of Jehovah).SBD Tobijah.2

1. One of the Levites sent by Jehoshaphat to teach the law in the cities of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:8. (b.c. 910.)SBD Tobijah.3

2. One of the captivity in the time of Zechariah, in whose presence the prophet was commanded to take crowns of silver and gold and put them on the head of Joshua the high priest. Zechariah 6:10, Zechariah 6:14. (b.c. 519.)SBD Tobijah.4

Tobit Book of

To’bit, Book of, a book of the Apocrypha, which exists at present in Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Hebrew texts, but it was probably written originally in Greek. The scene of the book is placed in Assyria, whither Tobit, a Jew, had been carried as a captive by Shalmaneser. It is represented as completed shortly after the fall of Nineveh (b.c. 606), Tobit 14:15, and written, in the main, some time before. Tobit 12:20. But the whole tone of the narrative bespeaks a later age; and above all, the doctrine of good and evil spirits is elaborated in a form which belongs to a period considerably posterior to the Babylonian captivity. Asmodeus iii. 8; vi. 14; viii. 3; Raphael xii. 15. It cannot be regarded as a true history. It is a didactic narrative; and its point lies in the moral lessons which it conveyes, and not in the incidents. In modern times the moral excellence of the book has been rated highly, except in the heat of controversy. Nowhere else is there preserved so complete and beautiful a picture of the domestic life of the Jews after the return. Almost every family relation is touched upon with natural grace and affection. A doctrinal feature of the book is the firm belief in a glorious restoration of the Jewish people. Tobit 14:5; Tobit 13:9-18. But the restoration contemplated is national, and not the work of a universal Saviour. In all there is not the slightest trace of the belief in a personal Messiah.SBD Tobit Book of.2

Tochen

To’chen (task), a place mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:32 only, among the towns of Simeon.SBD Tochen.2

Togarmah

Togar’mah, a son of Gomer, of the family of Japheth, and brother of Ashkenaz and Riphath. Genesis 10:3. His descendants became a people engaged in agriculture, breeding horses and mules to be sold in Tyre. Ezekiel 27:14. They were also a military people, well skilled in the use of arms. Togarmah was probably the ancient name of Armenia.SBD Togarmah.2

Tohu

To’hu (lowly), an ancestor of Samuel the prophet, perhaps the same as TOAH. 1 Samuel 1:1; comp. 1 Chronicles 6:34.SBD Tohu.2

Toi

To’i (erring), king of Hamath on the Orontes, who, after the defeat of his powerful enemy the Syrian king Hadadezer by the army of David, sent his son Joram or Hadoram to congratulate the victor and do him homage with presents of gold and silver and brass. 2 Samuel 8:9-10. (b.c. 1036.)SBD Toi.2

Tola

To’la.SBD Tola.2

1. The first-born of Issachar, and ancestor of the Tolaites. Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23; 1 Chronicles 7:1-2. (b.c. about 1700.)SBD Tola.3

2. Judge of Israel after Abimelech. Judges 10:1-2. He is described as “the son of Puah the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar.” Tola judged Israel for twenty-three years at Shamir in Mount Ephraim, where he died and was buried. (b.c. 1206–1183.)SBD Tola.4

Tolad

To’lad, one of the towns of Simeon, 1 Chronicles 4:29, elsewhere called El-tolad.SBD Tolad.2

Tolaites The

To’laites, The, the descendants of Tola the son of Issachar. Numbers 26:23.SBD Tolaites The.2

Tomb

Tomb. From the burial of Sarah in the cave of Machpelah, Genesis 23:19, to the funeral rites prepared for Dorcas, Acts 9:37, there is no mention of any sarcophagus, or even coffin, in any Jewish burial. Still less were the rites of the Jews like those of the Pelasgi or Etruscans. They were marked with the same simplicity that characterized all their religious observances. This simplicity of rite led to what may be called the distinguishing characteristic of Jewish sepulchres—the deep loculus—which, so far as is now known, is universal in all purely Jewish rock-cut tombs, but hardly known elsewhere. Its form will be understood by referring to the following diagram, representing the forms of Jewish sepulture. In the apartment marked A there are twelve such loculi, about two feet in width by three feet high. On the ground floor these generally open on the level of the floor; when in the upper story, as at C, on a ledge or platform, on which the body might be laid to be anointed, and on which the stones might rest which closed the outer end of each loculus. The shallow loculus is shown in chamber B, but was apparently only used when sarcophagi were employed, and therefore, so far as we know, only during the Græco-Roman period, when foreign customs came to be adopted. The shallow loculus would have been singularly inappropriate and inconvenient where an unembalmed body was laid out to decay, as there would evidently be no means of shutting it off from the rest of the catacomb. The deep loculus, on the other hand, was strictly conformable with Jewish customs, and could easily be closed by a stone fitted to the end and luted into the groove which usually exists there. This fact is especially interesting as it affords a key to much that is otherwise hard to be understood in certain passages in the New Testament. Thus in John 11:39, Jesus says, “Take away the stone,” and (ver. John 11:40) “they took away the stone,” without difficulty, apparently. And in ch. John 20:1 the same expression is used, “the stone is taken away.” There is one catacomb—that known as the “tomb of the kings”—which is closed by a stone rolled across its entrance; but it is the only one, and the immense amount of contrivance and fitting which it has required is sufficient proof that such an arrangement was not applied to any other of the numerous rock tombs around Jerusalem, nor could the traces of it have been obliterated had it anywhere existed. Although, therefore, the Jews were singularly free from the pomps and vanities of funereal magnificence, they were at all stages of their independent existence an aminently burying people. Tombs of the patriarchs.—One of the most striking events in the life of Abraham is the purchase of the field of Ephron the Hittite at Hebron, in which was the cave of Machpelah, in order that he might therein bury Sarah his wife, and that it might be a sepulchre for himself and his children. There he and his immediate descendants were laid 3700 years ago, and there they are believed to rest now, under the great mosque of Hebron; but no one in modern times has seen their remains, or been allowed to enter into the cave where they rest. From the time when Abraham established the burying-place of his family at Hebron till the time when David fixed that of his family in the city which bore his name, the Jewish rulers had no fixed or favorite place of sepulture. Each was buried on his own property, or where he died, without much caring for either the sanctity or convenience of the place chosen. Tomb of the kings.—Of the twenty-two kings of Judah who reigned at Jerusalem from 1048 to 590 b.c., eleven, or exactly one half, were buried in one hypogeum in the “city of David.” Of all these it is merely said that they were buried in “the sepulchres of their fathers” or “of the kings” in the city of David, except of two—Asa and Hezekiah. Two more of these kings—Jehoram and Joash—were buried also in the city of David, “but not in the sepulchres of the kings.” The passage in Nehemiah 3:16 and in Ezekiel 43:7, Ezekiel 43:9, together with the reiterated assertion of the books of Kings and Chronicles that these sepulchres were situated in the city of David, leaves no doubt that they were on Zion, or the Eastern Hill, and in the immediate proximity of the temple. Up to the present time we have not been able to identify one single sepulchral excavation about Jerusalem which can be said with certainty to belong to a period anterior to that of the Maccabees, or, more correctly, to have been used for burial before the time of the Romans. The only important hypogeum which is wholly Jewish in its arrangement, and may consequently belong to an earlier or to any epoch, is that known as the tombs of the prophets, in the western flank of the Mount of Olives. It has every appearance of having originally been a natural cavern improved by art, and with an external gallery some 140 feet in extent, into which twenty-seven deep or Jewish loculi open. Græco-Roman tombs.—Besides the tombs above enumerated, there are around Jerusalem, in the valleys of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat and on the plateau to the north, a number of remarkable rock-cut sepulchres, with more or less architectural decoration, sufficient to enable us to ascertain that they are all of nearly the same age, and to assert with very tolerable confidence that the epoch to which they belong must be between the introduction of Roman influence and the destruction of the city by Titus, a.d. 70. In the village of Siloam there is a monolithic cell of singularly Egyptian aspect, which De Sauley assumes to be a chapel of Solomon’s Egyptian wife. It is probably of very much more modern date, and is more Assyrian than Egyptian in character. The principal remaining architectural sepulchres may be divided into three groups: first, those existing in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and known popularly as the tombs of Zechariah, of St. James and of Absalom. Second, those known as the tombs of the judges, and the so-called Jewish tomb about a mile north of the city. Third, that known as the tomb of the kings, about half a mile north of the Damascus gate. Of the three first-named tombs the most southern is known as that of Zechariah, a popular name which there is not even a shadow of tradition to justify. Tombs of the judges.—The hypogeum known as the tombs of the judges is one of the most remarkable of the catacombs around Jerusalem, containing about sixty deep loculi, arranged in three stories; the upper stories with ledges in front, to give convenient access, and to support the stones that close them; the lower flush with the ground; the whole, consequently, so essentially Jewish that it might be of any age if it were not for its distance from the town and its architectural character. Tombs of Herod.—The last of the great groups enumerated above is that known as the tomb of the kings—Kebûr es Sultan—or the Royal Caverns, so called because of their magnificence, and also because that name is applied to them by Josephus. They are twice again mentioned under the title of the “monuments of Herod.” There seems no reason for doubting that all the architectural tombs of Jerusalem belong to the age of the Romans. Tomb of Helena of Adiabene.—There was one other very famous tomb at Jerusalem, which cannot be passed over in silence, though not one vestige of it exists—the supposed tomb of Helena. We are told that “she with her brother was buried in the pyramids which she had ordered to be constructed at a distance of three stadia from Jerusalem.” Joseph. Ant. xx. 4, §3. This is confirmed by Pausanias. viii. 16. The tomb was situated outside the third wall, near a gate between the tower Psephinus and the Royal Caverns. B.J. v. 22 and v. 4, §2. The people still cling to their ancient cemeteries in the valley of Jehoshaphat with a tenacity singularly characteristic of the East. [BURIAL.]SBD Tomb.2

Diagram of Jewish Sepulchre.SBD Tomb.3

Entrance to Tomb of the Kings, with Stone at its Mouth.SBD Tomb.4

Façade of the Tomb of the Judges.SBD Tomb.5

Façade of Herod’s Tomb.SBD Tomb.6

Tongues Confusion of

Tongues, Confusion of. The unity of the human race is most clearly implied, if not positively asserted, in the Mosaic writings. Unity of language is assumed by the sacred historian apparently as a corollary of the unity of race. (This statement is confirmed by Philologists.) No explanation is given of the origin of speech, but its exercise is evidently regarded as coeval with the creation of man. The original unity of speech was restored in Noah. Disturbing causes were, however, early at work to dissolve this twofold union of community and speech. The human family endeavored to check the tendency to separation by the establishment of a great central edifice and a city which should serve as the metropolis of the whole world. The project was defeated by the interposition of Jehovah, who determined to “confound their language, so that they might not understand one another’s speech.” Contemporaneously with, and perhaps as the result of, this confusion of tongues, the people were scattered abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and the memory of the great event was preserved in the name Babel. [BABEL, TOWER OF.] Inscription of Nebuchadnezzar.—In the Borsippa inscription of Nebuchadnezzar there is an allusion to the confusion of tongues. “We say for the other, that is, this edifice, the house of the Seven Lights of the Earth, the most ancient monument of Borsippa: a former king built it [they reckon forty-two ages], but he did not complete its head. Since a remote time people had abandoned it, without order expressing their words. Since that time the earthquake and the thunder had dispersed its sun-dried clay; the bricks of the casing had been split, and the earth of the interior had been scattered in heaps.” It is unnecessary to assume that the judgment inflicted on the builders of Babel amounted to a loss, or even a suspension, of articulate speech. The desired object would be equally attained by a miraculous forestallment of those dialectical differences of language which are constantly in process of production. The elements of the one original language may have remained, but so disguised by variations of pronunciation and by the introduction of new combinations as to be practically obliterated. The confusion of tongues and the dispersion of nations are spoken of in the Bible as contemporaneous events. The divergence of the various families into distinct tribes and nations ran parallel with the divergence of speech into dialects and languages, and thus the tenth chapter of Genesis is posterior in historical sequence to the events recorded in the eleventh chapter.SBD Tongues Confusion of.2

Tongues Gift of

Tongues, Gift of. I. Γλω̈̂ττα, or γλω̈̂σσα, the word employed throughout the New Testament for the gift now under consideration, is used—(1) for the bodily organ of speech; (2) for a foreign word, imported and half-naturalized in Greek; (3) in Hellenistic Greek, for “speech” or “language.” The received traditional view, which starts from the third meaning, and sees in the gift of tongues a distinctly linguistic power, is the more correct one. II. The chief passages from which we have to draw our conclusions as to the nature and purpose of the gift is question are—SBD Tongues Gift of.2

1. Mark 16:17. 2. Acts 2:1-13; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:6. 3. 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 14. III. The promise of a new power coming from the divine Spirit, giving not only comfort and insight into truth, but fresh powers of utterance of some kind, appears once and again in our Lord’s teaching. The disciples are to take no thought what they shall speak, for the spirit of their Father shall speak in them. Matthew 10:19-20; Mark 13:11. The lips of Galilean peasants are to speak freely and boldly before kings. The promise of our Lord to his disciples, “They shall speak with new tongues,” Mark 16:17, was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when cloven tongues like fire sat upon the disciples, and “every man heard them speak in his own language.” Acts 2:1-12. IV. The wonder of the day of Pentecost is, in its broad features, familiar enough to us. What views have men actually taken of a phenomenon so marvellous and exceptional? The prevalent belief of the Church has been that in the Pentecostal gift the disciples received a supernatural knowledge of all such languages as they needed for their work as evangelists. The knowledge was permanent. Widely diffused as this belief has been, it must be remembered that it goes beyond the data with which the New Testament supplies us. Each instance of the gift recorded in the Acts connects it, not with praise and adoration; not with the normal order of men’s lives, but with exceptional epochs in them. The speech of St. Peter which follows, like most other speeches addressed to a Jerusalem audience, was spoken apparently in Aramaic. When St. Paul, who “spake with tongues more than all,” was at Lystra, there is no mention made of his using the language of Lycaonia. It is almost implied that he did not understand it. Acts 14:11. Not one word in the discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14 implies that the gift was of this nature, or given for this purpose. Nor, it may be added, within the limits assigned by the providence of God to the working of the apostolic Church, was such a gift necessary. Aramaic, Greek, Latin, the three languages of the inscription on the cross, were media of intercourse throughout the empire.SBD Tongues Gift of.3

Some interpreters have seen their way to another solution of the difficulty by changing the character of the miracle. It lay not in any new character bestowed on the speakers, but in the impression produced on the hearers. Words which the Galilean disciples uttered in their own tongue were heard as in their native speech by those who listened. There are, it is believed, weighty reasons against both the earlier and later forms of this hypothesis.SBD Tongues Gift of.4

1. It is at variance with the distinct statement of Acts 2:4: “They began to speak with other tongues.” 2. It at once multiplies the miracle and degrades its character. Not the 120 disciples, but the whole multitude of many thousands, are in this case the subjects of it. 3. It involves an element of falsehood. The miracle, on this view, was wrought to make men believe what was not actually the fact. 4. It is altogether inapplicable to the phenomena of 1 Corinthians 14. Critics of a negative school have, as might be expected, adopted the easier course of rejecting the narrative either altogether or in part. What, then, are the facts actually brought before us? What inferences may be legitimately drawn from them? (a) The utterance of words by the disciples, in other languages than their own Galilean Aramaic, is distinctly asserted. (b) The words spoken appear to have been determined, not by the will of the speakers, but by the Spirit which “gave them utterance.” (c) The word used, ἀποφθέγγεσθαι, has in the LXX a special association with the oracular speech of true or false prophets, and appears to imply a peculiar, perhaps musical, solemn intonation. Comp. 1 Chronicles 25:1; Ezekiel 13:9. (d) The “tongues” were used as an instrument, not of teaching, but of praise. (e) Those who spoke them seemed to others to be under the influence of some strong excitement, “full of new wine.” (f) Questions as to the mode of operation of a power above the common laws of bodily or mental life lead us to a region where our words should be “wary and few.” It must be remembered, then, that in all likelihood such words as they then uttered had been heard by the disciples before. The difference was that before, the Galilean peasants had stood in that crowd, neither heeding nor understanding nor remembering what they heard, still less able to reproduce it; now they had the power of speaking it clearly and freely. The divine work would in this case take the form of a supernatural exaltation of the memory, not of imparting a miraculous knowledge of words never heard before. (g) The gift of tongues, the ecstatic burst of praise, is definitely asserted to be a fulfillment of the prediction of Joel 2:28. We are led, therefore, to look for that which answers to the gift of tongues in the other element of prophecy which is included in the Old Testament use of the word; and this is found in the ecstatic praise, the burst of song. 1 Samuel 10:5-13; 1 Samuel 19:20-24; 1 Chronicles 25:3. (h) The other instances in the Acts offer essentially the same phenomena. By implication in ch. Acts 14:15-19, by express statement in ch. Acts 10:47; Acts 11:15, Acts 11:17; Acts 19:6, it belongs to special critical epochs. V. The First Epistle to the Corinthians supplies fuller data. The spiritual gifts are classified and compared, arranged, apparently, according to their worth. The facts which may be gathered are briefly these:SBD Tongues Gift of.5

1. The phenomena of the gift of tongues were not confined to one church or section of a church. 2. The comparison of gifts, in both the lists given by St. Paul—1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30—places that of tongues and the interpretation of tongues lowest in the scale. 3. The main characteristic of the “tongue” is that it is unintelligible. The man “speaks mysteries,” prays, blesses, gives thanks, in the tongue, 1 Corinthians 14:15-16, but no one understands him. 4. The peculiar nature of the gift leads the apostle into what at first appears a contradiction. “Tongues are for a sign,” not to believers, but to those who do not believe; yet the effect on unbelievers is not that of attracting, but of repelling. They involve of necessity a disturbance of the equilibrium between the understanding and the feelings. Therefore it is that, for those who believe already, prophecy is the greater gift. 5. The “tongues,” however, must be regarded as real languages. The “divers kinds of tongues,” 1 Corinthians 12:28, the “tongues of men,” 1 Corinthians 13:1, point to differences of some kind, and it is easier to conceive of these as differences of language than as belonging to utterances all equally wild and inarticulate. 6. Connected with the “tongues” there was the corresponding power of interpretation. VI.SBD Tongues Gift of.6

1. Traces of the gift are found in the Epistles to the Romans, the Galatians, the Ephesians. From the Pastoral Epistles, from those of St. Peter and St. John, they are altogether absent, and this is in itself significant. 2. It is probable, however, that the disappearance of the “tongues” was gradual. There must have been a time when “tongues” were still heard, though less frequently and with less striking results. For the most part, however, the place which they had filled in the worship of the Church was supplied by the “hymns and spiritual songs” of the succeeding age. After this, within the Church we lose nearly all traces of them. The gift of the day of Pentecost belonged to a critical epoch, not to the continuous life of the Church. It implied a disturbance of the equilibrium of man’s normal state; but it was not the instrument for building up the Church.SBD Tongues Gift of.7

Topaz

Topaz, one of the gems used in the high priest’s breastplate, Exodus 28:17; Exodus 39:10; Ezekiel 28:13; one of the foundations also of the New Jerusalem, in St. John’s description of the city. Revelation 21:20. The topaz of the ancient Greeks and Romans is generally allowed to be our chrysolite, while their chrysolite is our topaz. Chrysolite is a silicate of magnesia and iron; it is so soft as to lose its polish unless carefully used. It varies in color from a pale-green to a bottle-green. It is supposed that its name was derived from Topazos, an island in the Red Sea where these stones were procured.SBD Topaz.2

Tophel

To’phel (mortar), Deuteronomy 1:1, has been identified with Tufı̂leh on a wady of the same name running north of Bozra toward the southeast corner of the Dead Sea.SBD Tophel.2

Topheth

To’pheth, and once To’phet (place of burning), was in the southeast extremity of the “valley of the son of Hinnom,” Jeremiah 7:31, which is “by the entry of the east gate.” Jeremiah 19:2. The locality of Hinnon is given elsewhere. [HINNOM.] It seems also to have been part of the king’s gardens, and watered by Siloam, perhaps a little to the south of the present Birket el-Hamra. The name Tophet occurs only in the Old Testament. 2 Kings 23:10; Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 7:31-32; Jeremiah 19:6, Jeremiah 19:11-14. The New does not refer to it, nor the Apocrypha. Tophet has been variously translated. The most natural meaning seems that suggested by the occurrence of the word in two consecutive verses, in one of which it is a tabret and in the other Tophet. Isaiah 30:32-33. The Hebrew words are nearly identical; and Tophet was probably the king’s “music-grove” or garden, denoting originally nothing evil or hateful. Certainly there is no proof that it took its name from the drums beaten to drown the cries of the burning victims that passed through the fire to Molech. Afterward it was defiled by idols and polluted by the sacrifices of Baal and the fires of Molech. Then it became the place of abomination, the very gate or pit of hell. The pious kings defiled it and threw down its altars and high places, pouring into it all the filth of the city, till it became the “abhorrence” of Jerusalem.SBD Topheth.2

Tormah

Tor’mah occurs only in the margin of Judges 9:31. By a few commentators it has been conjectured that the word was originally the same with ARUMAH in ver. Judges 9:41.SBD Tormah.2

Tortoise

Tortoise (Heb. tsâb). The tsâb occurs only in Leviticus 11:29, as the name of some unclean animal. The Hebrew word may be identified with the kindred Arabic dhab, “a large kind of lizard,” which appears to be the Psammosaurus scincus of Cuvier.SBD Tortoise.2

Tou

To’u, or To’i, king of Hamath. 1 Chronicles 18:9-10.SBD Tou.2

Tower

Tower. Watch-towers or fortified posts in frontier or exposed situations are mentioned in Scripture, as the tower of Edar, etc., Genesis 35:21; Isaiah 21:5, Isaiah 21:8, Isaiah 21:11; Micah 4:8, etc.; the tower of Lebanon. 2 Samuel 8:6. Besides these military structures, we read in Scripture of towers built in vineyards as an almost necessary appendage to them. Isaiah 5:2; Matthew 21:33; Mark 12:1. Such towers are still in use in Palestine in vineyards, especially near Hebron, and are used as lodges for the keepers of the vineyards.SBD Tower.2

Watch-tower.SBD Tower.3

Towers in the Desert.SBD Tower.4

Town clerk

Town clerk, the title ascribed in our version to the magistrate at Ephesus who appeased the mob in the theatre at the time of the tumult excited by Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen. Acts 19:35. The original service of this class of men was to record the laws and decrees of the state, and to read them in public.SBD Town clerk.2

Trachonitis

Trachoni’tis (a rugged region), Luke 3:1, is in all probability the Greek equivalent for the Aramaic Argob, one of the five Roman provinces into which the country northeast of the Jordan was divided in New Testament times. [ARGOB.]SBD Trachonitis.2

Trance

Trance. (1) In the only passage—Numbers 24:4, Numbers 24:16—in which this word occurs in the English of the Old Testament there is, as the italics show, no corresponding word in Hebrew. In the New Testament we meet with the word three times—Acts 10:10; Acts 11:5; Acts 22:17. The εʼκστασις (i.e., trance) is the state in which a man has passed out of the usual order of his life, beyond the usual limits of consciousness and volition, being rapt in visions of distant or future things. The causes of this state are to be traced commonly to strong religious impressions. Whatever explanation may be given of it, it is true of many, if not of most, of those who have left the stamp of their own character on the religious history of mankind, that they have been liable to pass at times into this abnormal state. The union of intense feeling, strong volition, long-continued thought (the conditions of all wide and lasting influence), aided in many cases by the withdrawal from the lower life of the support which is needed to maintain a healthy equilibrium, appears to have been more than the “earthen vessel” will bear. The words which speak of “an ecstasy of adoration” are often literally true. As in other things, so also here, the phenomena are common to higher and lower, to true and false, systems. We may not point to trances and ecstasies as proofs of a true revelation, but still less may we think of them as at all inconsistent with it. Thus, though we have not the word, we have the thing in the “deep sleep,” the “horror of great darkness,” that fell on Abraham. Genesis 15:12. Balaam, as if overcome by the constraining power of a Spirit mightier than his own, “sees the vision of God, falling, but with opened eyes.” Numbers 24:4. Saul, in like manner, when the wild chant of the prophets stirred the old depths of feeling, himself also “prophesied” and “fell down”—most, if not all, of his kingly clothing being thrown off in the ecstasy of the moment—“all that day and all that night.” 1 Samuel 19:24. Something there was in Jeremiah that made men say of him that he was as one that “is mad and maketh himself a prophet.” Jeremiah 29:26. In Ezekiel the phenomena appear in more wonderful and awful forms. Ezekiel 3:15. As other elements and forms of the prophetic work were revived in “the apostles and prophets” of the New Testament, so also was this. Though different in form, it belongs to the same class of phenomena as the gift of tongues, and is connected with “visions and revelations of the Lord.” In some cases, indeed, it is the chosen channel for such revelations. Acts 10; Acts 11; Acts 22:17-21. Wisely for the most part did the apostle draw a veil over these more mysterious experiences. 2 Corinthians 12:1-4.SBD Trance.2

Transfiguration The

Transfiguration, The. (The event in the earthly life of Christ which marks the culminating point in his public ministry, and stands midway between the temptation in the wilderness and the agony in Gethsemane. Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36. Place.—Though tradition locates the transfiguration on Mount Tabor, there is little to confirm this view, and modern critics favor Mount Hermon, the highest mountain-top in Gaulanitis, or one of the spurs of the Anti-Lebanus. Time.—The transfiguration probably took place at night, because it could then be seen to better advantage than in daylight, and Jesus usually went to mountains to spend there the night in prayer. Matthew 14:23-24; Luke 6:12; Luke 21:37. The apostles were asleep, and are described as having kept themselves awake through the act of transfiguration. Luke 9:32. The actors and witnesses.—Christ was the central figure, the subject of transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appeared from the heavenly world, as the representatives of the Old Testament, the one of the law, the other of prophecy, to do homage to him who was the fulfillment of both. Mr. Ellicott says, “The close of the ministry of each was not after the ‘common death of all men.’ No man knew of the sepulchre of Moses, Deuteronomy 34:6; and Elijah had passed away in the chariot and horses of fire. 2 Kings 2:11. Both were associated in men’s minds with the glory of the kingdom of the Christ. The Jerusalem Targum on Exodus 12 connects the coming of Moses with that of the Messiah. Another Jewish tradition predicts his appearance with that of Elijah.” Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the chief of the prophets both appear talking with Christ the source of the gospel, to show that they are all one and agree in one. St. Luke, Luke 9:31, adds the subject of their communing: “They spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” Among the apostles the three favorite disciples, Peter, James, and John, were the sole witnesses of the scene—“the sons of thunder and the man of rock.” The event itself.—The transfiguration or transformation, or, as the Germans call it, the glorification, consisted in a visible manifestation of the inner glory of Christ’s person, accompanied by an audible voice from heaven. It was the revelation and anticipation of his future state of glory, which was concealed under the veil of his humanity in the state of humiliation. The cloud which overshadowed the witnesses was bright or light-like, luminous, of the same kind as the cloud at the ascension. Significance of the miracle.—SBD Transfiguration The.2

1. It served as a solemn inauguration of the history of the passion and final consummation of Christ’s work on earth. 2. It confirmed the faith of the three favorite disciples, and prepared them for the great trial which was approaching, by showing them the real nature and glory and power of Jesus. 3. It was a witness that the spirits of the lawgiver and the prophet accepted the sufferings and the death which had shaken the faith of the disciples as the necessary conditions of the messianic kingdom.—Ellicott. As envoys from the eternal Majesty, they audibly affirmed that it was the will of the Father that with his own precious blood he should make atonement for sin. They impressed a new seal upon the ancient, eternal truth that the partitionwall which sin had raised could be broken down by no other means than by the power of his sufferings; that he, as the good Shepherd, could only ransom his sheep with the price of his own life.—Krummacher. 4. It furnishes also to us all a striking proof of the unity of the Old and New Testaments, for personal immortality, and the mysterious intercommunion of the visible and invisible worlds. Both meet in Jesus Christ; he is the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments, between heaven and earth, between the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory. It is very significant that at the end of the scene the disciples saw no man save Jesus alive. Moses and Elijah, the law and the promise, types and shadows, pass away; the gospel, the fulfillment, the substance, Christ remains—the only one who can relieve the misery of earth and glorify our nature, Christ all in all.SBD Transfiguration The.3

Treasure-cities

Treasure-cities. The kings of Judah had keepers of their treasures both in city and country, 1 Chronicles 27:25, and the places where these magazines were laid up were called treasure-cities, and the buildings treasure-houses. Pharaoh compelled the Hebrews to build him treasure-cities. Exodus 1:11.—McClintock and Strong. [PITHOM.]SBD Treasure-cities.2

Treasury

Treasury, Mark 12:41; Luke 21:1, a name given by the rabbins to thirteen chests in the temple, called trumpets from their shape. They stood in the court of the women. It would seem probable that this court was sometimes itself called “the treasury” because it contained these repositories.SBD Treasury.2

Trespass offering

Trespass offering. [SIN OFFERING.]SBD Trespass offering.2

Trial

Trial. Information on the subject of trials under the Jewish law will be found in the articles on JUDGES and SANHEDRIN, and also in JESUS CHRIST.SBD Trial.2

Tribute

Tribute. The chief biblical facts connected with the payment of tribute have been already given under TAXES. The tribute (money) mentioned in Matthew 17:24-25 was the half shekel (worth from 25 to 27 cents) applied to defray the general expenses of the temple. After the destruction of the temple this was sequestrated by Vespasian and his successors and transferred to the temple of the Capitoline Jupiter. This “tribute” of Matthew 17:24 must not be confounded with the tribute paid to the Roman emperor. Matthew 22:17. The temple rate, though resting on an ancient precedent—Exodus 30:13—was, as above, a fixed annual tribute of comparatively late origin.SBD Tribute.2

Tribute money

Tribute money. [TAXES; TRIBUTE.]SBD Tribute money.2

Troas

Tro’as, the city from which St. Paul first sailed, in consequence of a divine intimation, to carry the gospel from Asia to Europe. Acts 16:8, Acts 16:11. It is mentioned on other occasions. Acts 20:5-6; 2 Corinthians 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 4:13. Its full name was Alexandria Troas (Liv. xxxv. 42), and sometimes it was called simply Alexandria, sometimes simply Troas. It was first built by Antigonus, under the name of Antigonea Troas, and peopled with the inhabitants of some neighboring cities. Afterward it was embellished by Lysimachus, and named Alexandria Troas. Its situation was on the coast of Mysia, opposite the southeast extremity of the island of Tenedos. Under the Romans it was one of the most important towns of the province of Asia. In the time of St. Paul it was a colonia with the Jus Italicum. The modern name is Eski-Stamboul, with considerable ruins. We can still trace the harbor in a basin about 400 feet long and 200 broad.SBD Troas.2

Site of Troas.SBD Troas.3

Trogyllium

Trogyl’lium is the rocky extremity of the ridge of Mycale, exactly opposite Samos. Acts 20:15. A little to the east of the extreme point there is an anchorage, which is still called St. Paul’s port. [SAMOS.]SBD Trogyllium.2

Troop Band

Troop, Band. These words are employed to represent the Hebrew word gedûd, which has invariably the sense of an irregular force, gathered with the object of marauding and plunder.SBD Troop Band.2

Trophimus

Troph’imus (nutritious). Both Trophimus and Tychicus accompanied Paul from Macedonia as far as Asia, but Tychicus seems to have remained there, while Trophimus proceeded with the apostle to Jerusalem. (a.d. 54.) There he was the innocent cause of the tumult in which St. Paul was apprehended. Acts 21:27-29. From this passage we learn two new facts, viz. that Trophimus was a Gentile, and that he was a native of Ephesus. Trophimus was probably one of the two brethren who, with Titus, conveyed the second Epistle to the Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 8:16-24. [TYCHICUS.]SBD Trophimus.2

Trumpet

Trumpet. [CORNET.]SBD Trumpet.2

Trumpets Feast of

Trumpets, Feast of, Numbers 29:1; Leviticus 23:24, the feast of the new moon, which fell on the first of Tisri. It differed from the ordinary festivals of the new moon in several important particulars. It was one of the seven days of holy convocation. Instead of the mere blowing of the trumpets at the temple at the time of the offering of the sacrifices, it was “a day of blowing of trumpets.” In addition to the daily sacrifices and the eleven victims offered on the first of every month, there were offered a young bullock, a ram, and seven lambs of the first year, with the accustomed meat offerings, and a kid for a sin offering. Numbers 29:1-6. The regular monthly offering was thus repeated, with the exception of the young bullock. It has been conjectured that Psalm 81, one of the sons of Asaph, was composed expressly for the Feast of Trumpets. The psalm is used in the service for the day by the modern Jews. Various meanings have been assigned to the Feast of Trumpets; but there seems to be no sufficient reason to call in question the common opinion of Jews and Christians, that it was the festival of the New Year’s day of the civil year, the first of Tisri, the month which commenced the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee.SBD Trumpets Feast of.2

Ancient Trumpets.SBD Trumpets Feast of.3

Tryphena

Tryphe’na and Trypho’sa (luxurious), two Christian women at Rome, enumerated in the conclusion of St. Paul’s letter. Romans 16:12. (a.d. 55.) They may have been sisters, but it is more likely that they were fellow deaconnesses. We know nothing more of these two sister workers of the apostolic time.SBD Tryphena.2

Tryphon

Try’phon, a usurper of the Syrian throne. His proper name was Diodotus, and the surname Tryphon was given to him or adopted by him after his accession to power. He was a native of Cariana. 1 Maccabees 11:39; 1 Maccabees 12:39-50, etc. “Tryphon, by treason and successive wars, gained supreme power, killed Antiochus and assumed the throne. The coins bear his head as Antiochus and Trypho.”SBD Tryphon.2

Tryphon.SBD Tryphon.3

Tryphosa

Trypho’sa. [TRYPHENA.]SBD Tryphosa.2

Tubal

Tu’bal is reckoned with Javan and Meshech among the sons of Japheth. Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5. The three are again associated in the enumeration of the sources of the wealth of Tyre. Ezekiel 27:13. Tubal and Javan, Isaiah 66:19, Meshech and Tubal, Ezekiel 32:26; Ezekiel 38:2-3; Ezekiel 39:1, are nations of the north. Ezekiel 38:15; Ezekiel 39:2. Josephus identified the descendants of Tubal with the Iberians, that is, the inhabitants of a tract of country between the Caspian and Euxine Seas, which nearly corresponded to the modern Georgia.SBD Tubal.2

Tubal-cain

Tu’bal-cain, the son of Lamech the Cainite by his wife Zillah. Genesis 4:22. (b.c. about 3000.) He is called “a furbisher of every cutting instrument of copper and iron.”SBD Tubal-cain.2

Turpentine tree

Turpentine tree occurs only once, viz. in the Apocrypha. Sirach 24:16. It is the Pistacia terebinthus, terebinth tree, common in Palestine and the East. The terebinth occasionally grows to a large size. It belongs to the natural order Anacardiaceæ, the plants of which order generally contain resinous secretions.SBD Turpentine tree.2

Taanach — Theudas

Turtle Turtle-dove — Tyrus