Dabareh ( Joshua 21:28 ). Dabba-sheth (“hump of a camel” ) Town on a hill,ZEBULON.

Daberath Isaiah Leviticus ( Joshua 21:28). Now Deburieh, west of Mount Tabor. Beautifully situated on a rocky platform, with Tabor behind and the broad plain of Esdraelon in front. Boundary of Zebulon ( Joshua 19:12).

Dabria One of five scribes employed by Esdras (2 Esdras 14:24).

Dacobi (1 Esdras 5:28 ). .

Dad Deus (1 Esdras 8:45). Dagon (Hebrew: dag “little fish, dear” ) The type of the god of the Philistines. His temples were at Gaza and Ashdod ( Judges 16:21; 1 Samuel 5:5). Traces of the worship are left in the names Cephar-dagon and Beth-dagon. Sanconiatho says the name is derived from dagon, grain, and it was the god of agriculture: but this origin does not agree so well with the idea, which was to multiply, increase, as fish do by millions. This god was known in Assyria, and is sculptured there, as shown in the large picture in the book. Miss Fanny Corbeaux (“ The Rephaim”) shows that the Chaldean Oannes, the Philistine Dagon, and Egyptian On, are identical. was the female (as Dagon was the male), and was worshiped at Ashkelon. She had a woman’s face, and fishbody. Atergatis, Argatis, Arathis, and Argata, are different forms of Derceto.

Daisan (1 Esdras 5:31 ). Error for Dalaiah (“Jehovah delivers” ) Son of Elioenai, of Judah ( 1 Chronicles 3:24).

Dale ( Genesis 14:17 ): valley.

Dalmanutha On the shore of the Sea of Galilee; visited by Jesus ( Mark 8:10). Near Magdala. Possibly it is the same as Salmon, near Tiberias, now called Ain el Barideh (the cold fountain), where are fine fountains and the ruins of a city (Rob. ii. 396). Dalmatia Illyricum. On the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, northwest of Greece. Visited by Paul ( Romans 15:19), and Titus ( 2 Timothy 4:10) during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome.

Dalphon Son ofHAMAN ( Esther 9:7).

Dama Capital of the Ledja. . Damaris (“heifer” ) A disciple in Athens ( Acts 17:34), and (perhaps) the wife of Dionysius the Areopagite. Correctly, Damascus On the east of Anti-Lebanon, 2,200 feet above the sea, in a fertile plain near the desert. The oldest city known to history. It is cut through by the Barada river, which divides into many branches, and together with the Helbon on the north and the Awaj on the south, fertilizes a region 30 miles in extent, which being favored by the finest climate, produces almost every valuable product of forest, field and garden. First mentioned in Genesis 14:15 and in Genesis 15:2, as the city of Abraham’s steward. For years, from Abraham to David, the Scriptures are silent on Damascus. David put a garrison in Damascus ( 1 Kings 11:23; 2 Samuel 8:6; Josephus, Antiquities vii. 5, section 2). During Asa’s reign Benhadad pillaged cities in Naphtali ( 1 Kings 15:19,20). After this it is mentioned many times. Naaman, the leper, who was cured by Elisha the prophet, was of Damascus ( 2 Kings 5:1). The Assyrian king, Tiglath Pileser, took the city and carried captive the people to Kir ( 2 Kings 16:7-9). Isaiah’s prophesy ( Isaiah 17:3; Amos 1:4,5). Jeremiah described it, B.C. 600: “Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her” ( Jeremiah 49:24). At the time of the Apostle Paul the city was under Roman rule, and Aretas, the Arabian, king ( 2 Corinthians 11:22; Josephus, Antiquities xvi. 11, section 9). Has now 150,000 people: Christians 15,000; Jews, 6,000. The fine fabrics of Damascus were celebrated as early as 800 B.C. ( Amos 3:12). The damask silk and sword-blades are still famous. Certain localities are pointed out as having a historical connection with Paul’s time. The “street called straight” is now the street of Bazaars; there is a “house of Judas;” the house of Ananias; the scene of the conversion, which is an open green spot surrounded with trees, now used as a Christian burial-ground; the place where Paul was let down by the wall in a basket; and also several spots connected with the history of the prophet Elisha. The old city stands on the south bank of the principal river, surrounded by a ruinous wall of ancient Roman foundations, and a patchwork of all the succeeding ages. The city is splendid, when viewed at a distance, but the houses are rudely built; the narrow streets, paved with big rough stones, or not at all, partly roofed across with mats, or withered branches: the bazaars are covered ways with a few stalls on both sides, each trade having its own quarter. Although rough and rude on the street, yet the interior of the private houses is neat, paved, with fountain and fruit-trees, with grateful shade, and the rooms opening from the court decorated with carving, gilding, and all that wealth and taste can provide. Modern name Damascenes Inhabitants of Damascus ( 2 Corinthians 11:32). Damnation (condemnation ), ( Mark 16:16 ).

Damon Near Shefa Amer. East of Acre. Dan (“judge” ) 1. Fifth son of Jacob. First son of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid ( Genesis 30:6). One of the twelve tribes. The last to receive its portion, and the least portion, but among the most fertile in the land. 2. The city originally called . ( Joshua 19:47). They were idolaters from the beginning ( Genesis 14:14; Deuteronomy 34:1; Judges 18). The worship was continued by Jeroboam ( 1 Kings 12:29,30; Amos 8:14). “From Dan to Beersheba,” was the common form of speaking of the extent of Palestine ( Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20, etc.). Tell el Kadi (“judge’s mound”) is the modern name, and is a long, steep hill, covered with ruins, from the base of which flows one of the largest fountains in the world (Rob. 396). Dance (Hebrew: machol ), to move or leap in a circle, twist or turn around, as the dancing Dervishes now do in the East. The sacred song and dance always go together ( Exodus 15:20); words, and music and motion, aiding each other in expressing the joy or sorrow of the soul ( Judges 11:34; Ecclesiastes 3:4). The Romans also danced in their worship; so, also, the Egyptians. In the modern Oriental dance a woman leads off, and goes through a number of graceful and artistic attitudes, and then all the others of the party follow her in every motion. The two companies of dancers are called by an error “armies” in Song of Solomon 6:13.

Daniel (God’s Judge ). 1. David’s son ( 1 Chronicles 3:1). 2. A Levite ( Ezra 8:2). 3. A celebrated prophet in the Chaldean and Persian period, and a (princely) descendant of Judah. He was taken with other captives (Ananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) to Babylon, B.C. 607, at the age of 12 to 16, educated thoroughly and made a cupbearer at the court, when he was given a new name Belshatzar (“favorite of Bel”). He kept the Jewish law of clean and unclean meat ( Daniel 1:8,16), and was constant and faithful in his devotions to God. After three years service he interpreted a dream ( Daniel 5:17) on the occasion of the king’s decree against the magi, and for this service was made “ruler” and “chief governor” over the province and magistrates of Babylon. He interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream, and the handwriting on the wall, thus introducing the knowledge of the true God, and alluding to the profane use (and consequent insult to God) of the holy vessels of the temple, as one of the crowning sins of the king and his people, which were the means of ending the nation’s life, by the conquest of the Medes and Persians ( Daniel 5:10,28), while he lived at Susa, and after he had been removed from office, when he was again placed in one of the highest offices of trust and honor. During an interval in which no event in Daniel’s life is recorded, his three companions were delivered from a fiery furnace. Darius made him first of the three presidents of the empire. Having exercised the rites of his religious faith, contrary to law, he was thrown to the lions, but was delivered alive ( Daniel 6:10,23). He was in favor with the king in the third year of Cyrus and saw his last vision on the banks of the Tigris (B.C. 534), when the prophesy of the 70 weeks was delivered to him (Daniel 9). He died at the age of over 90, at Susa, where there was a monument to his memory in the 12th century, described by Benjamin of Tudela.

Danjaan ( Psalm 2:26 ). .

Dannah Town in Judah ( Joshua 15:49), southwest of Hebron. Lost.

Daphne A grove and sanctuary sacred to Apollo, 5 miles southwest of Antioch, Syria, founded by Seleucus Nicator. . The right of asylum — where criminals could shelter themselves from justice, because it was thought to be sacrilege to take anyone away by force — was an honor attached to this place (2 Macc. 4:33). The sacred right was often violated, especially when a good man sought safety from the wicked, as in the case of Onias. Now called Beit el Maa — house of water (Josephus, Wars, i. 12, section 5).

Dara Son of Mahol; a wise man, in Solomon’s age ( 1 Kings 4:31). Son of Zerach ( 1 Chronicles 2:6). Sirach or Esrachite?

Daric Gold coin of Persia, current in Palestine after the captivity ( Ezra 2:69; 8:27; Nehemiah 7:70, etc.). The darics that have been found among the ruins are thick pieces of pure gold, stamped, as in the engraving. The gold pieces found at Sardis are of older date, and were made by Croesus. The name daric may be derived from dara , the Persian name for king, or from “Darius, the king.” Plutarch mentions silver darics. Darius (in Hebrew: Darjavesh ). The Assyrian title lord-king — Dara, “lord”; shah, “king”. 1. The first mentioned is ( Daniel 5:31, etc.), called also Cyaxares (B.C. 538). The gold coin was named Daric — that is, king’s money. 2. (Vashtaspa), made king B.C. 521. He conquered Babylon, Scythia, Libya, Thrace, Macedonia and some of the islands in the Aegean sea, but the Greeks defeated him at Marathon (B.C. 490). Died B.C. 485 ( Ezra 4:7). 3. Darius II, Nothus, king of Persia, B.C. 424-404. Perhaps ( Nehemiah 12:22). Darkness Opposite of light, absence of light ( Genesis 1:2). Three times mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis, at the creation; at the Exodus, as one of the plagues of Egypt, and at the crucifixion. Used as a figure of adversity and misery ( Job 18:6; <19A710> Psalm 107:10). “Works of darkness,” pagan rites and ceremonies ( Ephesians 5:11), “outer darkness,” shut out of heaven (which is glorious with light).

Darkon Children of Darkon were among the servants of Solomon, who returned from the captivity ( Ezra 2:56).

Darling My only one ( Isaiah 22:20).

Darom (“south” ), ( Deuteronomy 33:23 ). Naphtali was to possess the sea and Darom. Jerome and others so name Philistia and the plain toward Egypt.

Daron (“south” ) Fort built by the Crusaders at Deir el Beiah (convent of dates), near Gaza, on ancient ruins).

Dates Fruit of the palm tree, called clusters in Song of Solomon 7:7, and honey in 2 Chronicles 31:5, dates in the margin. In many parts of Arabia the staple product and the main source of landed wealth, is the date-palm, of which there are many species. The ripening season is August and September. The fruit is a substitute for the bread of other countries. To cut down the date trees is a great achievement in war — and the absence of those trees from Palestine indicates a long period of wars and an unsettled condition. To plant the palm on new ground is a sign of prosperity — as now in Egypt. The Arabs believe the tree is a blessing granted only to them, and denied to all other people. Mohammed taught, “Honor the date tree, she is your mother.” There are 139 varieties, 70 of which are well known, each of which has its peculiar name. Some six kinds are superior. El Shelebi, the best, are two inches long, with small stones. The value in Arabia is about three cents a pound.

Dathan (“fountain” ) Chief in Reuben, who joined Korah in rebellion against Moses and Aaron.

Dathema Fort in Gilead (1 Macc. 5:9), near Mizpeh. Daughter 1. Female offspring; of the wife; or adopted; or of a sister; or of a cousin ( Ruth 3:18; Genesis 34:17); or a grand-daughter. 2. The female inhabitants of a place, or those who hold the faith of a certain place, as “daughters of Zion” ( Isaiah 3:16), “daughters of the Philistines,” “daughters of Jerusalem,” “daughters of Aaron” ( Numbers 25:1; 2 Samuel 1:20; Luke 1:5). Cities were named or spoken of under female names, and were said to have daughters, suburbs or villages near. A vine had daughters (branches, in Genesis 49:22). Sarah was the daughter of 90 years — that is, she was 90 years old. David (“beloved” ) Born at Bethlehem in Judah, B.C. 1084. His father, Jesse; his mother’s name not recorded ( 1 Samuel 16:10,17,58). He had 7 elder brothers — Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, Nethaneel, Raddai, Ozem, and Elihu; and two sisters — Zeruiah, and Abigail. He watched the flocks in the field, and in their defense killed a lion and a bear. He was short, light, “comely,” had red hair and blue eyes; was strong, and swift of foot; valiant and prudent. At a yearly family feast he was anointed king by Samuel “from the sheepcote” ( 2 Samuel 7:8). He went to carry food to his three brothers in Saul’s army, and was introduced to the king as valiant and brave. He killed Goliath with a stone from a sling. The sword and armor of the giant were first taken to his tent in Bethlehem, afterward to Nob, and laid up in the Tabernacle ( Psalm 8:19,29). Saul takes David into his service as a minstrel. Jonathan, his friend. Women sing his praise as superior to Saul. Saul jealous; seeks twice to kill David. Being afraid of David he made him captain of 1,000. David behaved wisely, and all Israel and Judah loved him. Merab is offered to David as a wife as a reward for his service against Goliath, the Philistine. But Saul gave Merab to Adriel. Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David, and Saul offered her to David for a price, and David paid double the price, for he killed 200 Philistines. He paid twice for his wife, killed Goliath and the 200. He is made armor-bearer and captain of the body guard, with a place at the king’s table. Saul seeks to kill him; sets men to watch for him; Michal assists his escape. Goes to Ramah to Samuel (Psalm 59). Michal is given to Phaltiel. Secret meeting with Jonathan. The sign of the arrow. David flees. Saul tries to take him at Ramah. David eats consecrated bread, and gets Goliath’s sword at Nob (Psalm 52); against Doeg, who informed against David and killed the priests. David goes to Abimelech (Achish), and feigning madness, escapes ( Psalm 34:56). In the cave of Adullam. Joined by his family beside outlaws, debtors, etc. The incident of the water at Bethlehem ( Chronicles 11:17). Moves to Herodium or to Masada. Takes his parents to the king of Moab; (they are never mentioned again). Nahash, of Ammon, treats him kindly. Gadites swim the Jordan River at its flood and join him. God influences a move to the forest of Hareth. Amasai, Benjamite, joins him. Relieves Keilah, where Abiathar the priest joins him with an ephod. His troop is now 600. Saul appears; David flees to Ziph. Twice the Ziphim betray him to Saul, who hunts him “like a partridge” with 3,000 men (Psalm 54), in the wilderness of Maon. Sees Saul two or three times, once at the cliff of divisions, again in a cave near Engedi, when he cuts off his skirt, and then in a fortified camp, when David carried off by night the water-jar and spear from Saul’s bedside. Twice Saul repented, and said he was reconciled to David. Psalms of this date Psalm 54; Psalm 57; Psalm 63; Psalm 142: Nabal and Abigail; marries Ahinoam, and Abigail. David again goes to Achish, with his troop. Achish gives him Ziklag. Benjamite archers join him. Studies the Philistines’ art of war. Attacks the Bedouins to deceive Achish. Philistine nobles suspicious, and cause him to be sent back from the army. Saul and Jonathan killed on Gilboa. Manassites join David. Amalekites plunder Ziklag. Abiathar prophesies victory, and David recovers the spoil from the Amalekites. Makes a present to many friends, whose places “he was wont to haunt.” Makes a law of division of the spoils (1 Samuel 30). News of the battle on Gilboa: kills the messenger. Laments for Saul and Jonathan. David anointed king at Hebron (30 years old) Thanked the men of Jabesh-Gilead for burying Saul. , king in Mahanaim. David the only king west of the Jordan River. War between the two sections. Abner kills Asahel, David’s nephew: Abner quarrels with Ishbosheth, and comes to David. Michal restored to David. Abner and Ishbosheth murdered. David executes the two assassins. Reigned in Hebron 7 1/2 years. David crowned (3rd time) king of all Israel (Psalm 78; Psalm 70). Constitutional law. Festival 3 days; the tribes send produce, fruits, etc., to the feast, and contingents to the army, which was “like the host of God” ( Chronicles 12:22). Joab (his nephew) commander: Issacharites his counselors. Jehoiada and Zadok join him. (Psalm 27). Jebus taken. Joab made commander-in-chief. Royal residence in the City of David — Zion. His wives were increased by hostages from surrounding princes. Two attacks by Philistines repulsed, their idols burned. Hiram of Tyre an ally: sends cedar-wood for David’s palace. The ark removed from Kirjath Jearim — Obed Edom. The new Tabernacle on Zion; the old left standing at Gibeon. The great assembly on Zion. Musical art developed. Zadok and Abiathar. Nathan the prophet. David, as a priest and minstrel, in the procession. He blesses the people from the new Tabernacle on Zion (Psalm 15; Psalm 24; Psalm 29; Psalm 30; Ps.68; Ps.101; Psalm 132). “The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory” (Psalm 24; Psalm 10). Michal reproaches him, and is rebuked. God’s house designed. Prophesy by Nathan of a Messiah ( 2 Samuel 7:12-17). David organizes a court and camp. Mephibosheth cared for, in memory of Jonathan. Hanun, son of Nahash, abuses David’s messengers Ammon and Syria beaten. Joab commander-in-chief ( 1 Chronicles 11:6): divisions of 24,000 men, one for each month, all infantry, without cavalry. Chain armor in use. Benaiah captain of David’s body-guard, the Cherethites and Pelethites — Ittai. The band of 600 continued as Gibborim, heroes; Abishai, David’s nephew, captain. Social and moral institutions formed. Ahithophel and Jonathan, Hushai, Shera the scribe, Jehoshaphat, and Adoram, councillors. Gad the seer and Nathan the prophet advisers. Abiathar and Zadok high priests; the musicians, under Asaph, Heman, and the Levites, guardians of the gates and treasures. The Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Edomites (Psalm 60), and Ammonites, subdued. Rabbah taken. David wears the gold crown of Milcom ( Psalm 21:3, 89:39). Uriah murdered. Nathan’s rebuke ( Psalm 22:51), “Thou art the man.” Bathsheba taken. David fasts for his sick child. The child dies: “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” Solomon, “the peaceful,” born, ( Psalm 20:21). Educated by Nathan the prophet. His daughter Tamar outraged; his oldest son Amnon murdered. Absalom fled to Geshur. The artifice of Joab and the widow of Tekoa, to restore Absalom. Absalom waits two years to see his father; burning Joab’s field, is brought to the king. Absalom plots — rebels: David a wanderer again. Leaves the city; a vast multitude go with him. Ittai the faithful, Zadok and Abiathar with the ark, which David sent back. Hushai, “the friend”, sent to watch Ahithopbel (grandfather of Bathsheba), who was untrue. Absalom arrives from Hebron. At Bahurim, Ziba’s deceit — Shimei’s curses. David rested in the Jordan River valley, near the ford ( Psalm 3:143). They cross the Jordan River to Mahanaim (Psalm 42) against Ahithophel (Psalm 55; Psalm 69; Psalm 109:). Barzillai, Shobi, and Machir his friends. Ahithophel kills himself. Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, were there. Amasa, David’s nephew, was with Absalom. Battle in the forest of Ephraim. Absalom killed by Joab. David waiting in the gate. The two messengers, Ahimaaz, and Cushi. David vows to supersede Joab by Amasa. The return to Jerusalem. Shimei forgiven. Mephibosheth partly reinstated; Barzillai rewarded in his son Chimham. Judah and Israel are reconciled. Sheba’s rebellion. David’s ten women shut up. Amasa sent to assemble the militia. The forces sent after Sheba. Joab killed Amasa. Sheba’s head cast out of Abel. Adoram over the tribute; Jehoshaphat, recorder; Sheva, scribe; Zadok and Abiathar, priests; and Ira, a chief ruler. A famine of three years on account of the Gibeonites’ murder by Saul. David delivered 7 sons of Saul to be hanged, as an atonement. The bones of Saul and Jonathan buried in Zelah. David grows faint in the fight with the Philistines. Ishbibenob, the giant, thought to kill David. Abishai kills the giant. Psalm of thanksgiving (2 Samuel 22). David numbered the people unlawfully, in pride. Joab and the captains opposed it. Gad, the prophet, warns of 3 calamities; David would not choose, and the 3 days’ pestilence killed 70,000, and was stayed at the threshing-floor of Ornan. David bought the site for a sanctuary, and it is now marked by an ancient church — the Dome of the Rock (see ). David renews his resolve to build a house for the Lord, and gathers materials. Charges Solomon with the solemn duty (1 Chronicles 22). The young Abishag. Adonijah’s rebellion. Joab and Abiathat helped ( Psalm 92:2). By David’s order Solomon is anointed king at Gihon. Adonijah pardoned by Solomon. David’ s last song ( 2 Samuel 23:1-7).

David’s last words ( 1 Kings 2:1-9), describe the perfect ruler fearing God. Died at the age of 70. Buried “between Siloah and the guard-house.” Reigned in Jerusalem 33 years ( Nehemiah 3:16). The site of his tomb is lost. 1. Michal (no children, 2 Samuel 6). 2. Ahinoam — son Amnon ( 1 Chronicles 3:1). 3. Abigail — so, Daniel ( 1 Chronicles 3:1) 4. Maachah — son Absalom, three sons died. Tamar (2 Samuel 13). 5. Haggith — son Adonijah (2 Samuel 3). 6. Abital — son Shephatiah (1 Chronicles 3). 7. Eglah — son Ithream. Sons whose mothers are not named: Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, Eliphalet and Jerimoth ( 1 Chronicles 14:7; 2 Chronicles 11:18). 8. Bathsheba — sons: one died — Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Jedidjah or Shelomoh = Solomon ( 2 Samuel 12:25). The children of the concubines, and their mothers, are not named. There is no reason to suppose he had more than eight wives. The text of 2 Samuel 5:13, probably refers to Michal, Bathsheba and the 10 women whom he took at Jerusalem. David was a soldier, shepherd, poet, prophet, priest, statesman and king, a romantic friend, chivalrous leader, devoted father. He represents the Jewish people at the point of the change from the lofty writers of their older system to the higher civilization of the newer, and was a type of the Messiah, who is called the Son of David. David as king is almost above reproach; his private life only proved him a man. Next to Abraham’s, David’s is the most dearly cherished name of all the ancient patriarchs. The Psalms whether his own or others’ writings, have been the source of consolation and instruction far beyond any other of the holy scriptures, and are the only expressions of devotion that have been equally used by all branches of the Christian church and by the Jews. It is now thought that the saying that David was a man after God’s own heart meant only that he was chosen, while Saul was rejected — and his excellence as a king justified the choice. The noble qualities of his soul, his sublime piety, which was the habit of his life, his intense struggle against fiery passions, and his mournful remorse over occasional sins, far outweighed his faults. Because he passed through temptation, passion and humiliation, we are instructed and comforted; and through the divine psalms which he wrote we are provided with language for our times of distress and trouble.

Day .

Day’s Journey Daysman Arbitrator; one to appeal to ( Job 9:33). David, City of Zion in Jerusalem, and also Bethlehem. Deacon Assistant, helper. Christ is called a deacon (King James Version: minister, Romans 15:8). The Apostles appointed officers and made rules as circumstances required. The 7 deacons appointed to care for the widows (serving tables), had special duties which passed away with the occasion. But there was then a difference made between the ministers of spiritual and of material things. They also assisted at the communion by carrying the food and drink to the members. They received the contributions; cared for the sacred vessels; read the gospel sometimes, and baptized. They were to be grave, venerable, of good report in life, sincere, truthful, temperate, not using their office for profit, keeping the faith in a pure conscience, husband of one wife, ruling their children and house well (1 Timothy 3; Acts 6).

Deaconess (Romans 6 ). The records show that they were useful in the early centuries — a service which was afterward absorbed into the nunneries.

Dead Sea This name is first met in history, about 200 years after Christ. In the Old Testament it is called the Salt Sea, Sea of the Plain. . Death 1. Natural death; end of the life of the body. 2. Spiritual death; insensible to holiness; alienation from God ( Matthew 8:22; Ephesians 2; Romans 6:21). The poetic expressions are “return to dust” ( Genesis 3:19); “removal from the body” ( Job 10:21); “asleep” ( Jeremiah 51:39; John 11:11); “losing the breath” ( <19A429> Psalm 104:29); the soul laying off its clothing” ( 2 Corinthians 5:3); “to depart” ( Philippians 1:23); “for a great trial” ( 2 Corinthians 1:10). ( Job 38:17); doors of the shadow. Some believe that we should be able to live forever if we did not break God’s law. But the Bible is a spiritual book and not a treatise on Natural History. Debir (“oracle” ) 1. Ancient royal city of Canaan ( Joshua 10:33). Kirjath-sopher (book city). Now Dibeh, six miles southwest of Hebron, where there is a fine spring and aqueduct. 2. Judah near the valley of Achor. Wady Daboral the northwest corner of the Dead Sea ( Joshua 15:7). 3. Boundary of Gad, near Mahanaim. Lo-debar ( Joshua 13:26). 4. A king of Eglon, hanged by Joshua ( Joshua 10:3).

Debora Mother of Tobeil, the father of Tobit, (Tobit 1:8). Deborah (“bee” ) 1. Rebekah’s nurse ( Genesis 35:8). Buried under an oak called Allonbachuth. 2. A prophetess, wife of Lapidoth who lived near a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel ( Judges 4:4). She composed a song (Judges 5) in memory of the victory over Sisera (by Barak and Deborah) which, for poetic beauty, is much valued, and gives her the title of prophetess (singer). Debtor The strict law of inheritance, of Moses, provided against commercial speculation and debts, by requiring all landed property and slaves to be freed on the year of jubilee (7th) ( Leviticus 25:39). No debtor could be sent to prison, or whipped, or oppressed unfairly, except by breaking the law. In Egypt the creditor could send the debtor to prison, and seize his family tomb and prevent burials there. The Roman laws were very severe against the debtor, and hard on slaves (made by debt). Bankers and sureties in the commercial sense were unknown ( Proverbs 22:26). No interest could be lawfully taken from a poor person, but relief was to be given without price, laws being made to prevent evading this rule ( Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35, etc.). Nehemiah corrected such abuses (Nehemiah 5), and Jesus approved of the law of Moses, although in the later times the custom of usury had become popular, and usurers had their tables in the courts of the Temple. Loans could be secured by pledges, under certain rules: 1. The cloak, which was used day and night by the poor, must be returned at sundown. A bedstead (a luxury) might be taken (Exodus 22); no widow’s garments, or a millstone, could be taken ( Deuteronomy 24:6,17). The creditor could not enter a house for his pledge but must wait outside ( Deuteronomy 24:10). Debtors held as slaves must be released at the jubilee, and might be redeemed for a price. Foreign slaves were not released ( Leviticus 25:44). A year was allowed to redeem houses sold for debt. The Romans superseded the law of the jubilee year, and the debtor could be held in prison until the last farthing was paid ( Matthew 5:26).

Decalogue (“ten words” ) (Exodus 20). The basis of all laws. The number ten was regarded as perfect or complete, therefore theTEN GREAT WORDS were the perfect law of God ( Psalm 19:7), given on Sinai. They were cut on two tables of stone, and kept for several centuries in the ark, in the very center of the holy place, as a symbol of the center of the whole system. The two tables indicate a division of the law, into duties toward God, and duties toward our neighbor ( Matthew 22:37-39). Some critics point out more an 20 decalogues in the laws of Moses. in the .

Decapolis (“ten cities” ) Mentioned three times in the New Testamnet. ( Matthew 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31), and many times in Josephus and other ancient writers. Soon after the Romans conquered Palestine they rebuilt and colonized ten cities, and gave them special privileges. The list of the names of these ten cities is given differently by various writers. Pliny names Scythopohs, Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Gerasa, Don Canatha, Damascus, and Raphana. Ptolemy includes Capitolias; and an inscription in Palmyra makes Abila one. The name was probably given to a large district in Christ’s time. Damascus is the only one of the ten cities left, all the others being in ruins.

Dedan (“low country” ) 1. Son of Raamah, grandson of Cush ( Genesis 10:7). An island on the shore of the Persian Gulf is called Dadan, and another Sheba. 2. A son of Jokshan, grandson of Abraham by Keturah ( Genesis 25:3). In each case the brother is named Sheba, and both tribes may have intermarried and occupied the same country. “The traveling companies of Dedanim” of Isaiah 21:13, are caravans, They traded with Tyre ( Ezekiel 26:15,20) in ivory, ebony and fine dry goods (precious cloths).

Dedication, Feast of the Instituted in memory of the purification of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus after driving out tim Syrians (B.C. 164), (1 Macc. 4:52; Jeremiah 10:22). It lasted 8 days — Dec. 25 ( ) to January 3. Carrying branches of trees and singing, especially the Hallelujah song, every day. Deep, the Abyss. Bottomless pit in the KJV ( Luke 8:31; Revelation 9:l,2,11; 20:1,3; 2 Corinthians 11:25). In Revelation 10:6,7, “ascend into heaven,” “descend into the deep,” the place of the dead. This does not include Hades, which is supposed to include the deep, which is, then, only a part of the great unknown place of the dead.

Degree 1 Timothy 3:13, should read: “For they who well served as deacons obtain for themselves a good degree, and much confidence in faith in Christ Jesus.” That is, in spiritual matters.

Degrees, the Song of (“stairs” or “steps” ), is a title of 15 Psalms by different authors. Pilgrim songs, sung by the people as they went up to Jerusalem ( Exodus 34:24; 1 Kings 12:27; Ezra 7:9; <19C204> Psalm 122:4). 5 were written by David (4) and Solomon (1), and the other 10 after the return from Captivity. See Psalm 120—134. in the .

Dehavites (“villagers” ), ( Ezra 4:9 ). Planted in Samaria by Assyria. Dahi (Herodotus i.125), in Persia; and Daci, in Europe (Dacia).

Dekar An officer of Solomon’s in Judah ( 1 Kings 4:9).

Delaiah (“Jehovah’s freedman” ) 1. Priest in David’s time, leader of the 23rd course ( 1 Chronicles 24:18). 2. Children of Delaiah returned from Captivity ( Ezra 2:60). 3. Son of Mehetable ( Nehemiah 6:19). 4. Son of Shemaiah, in Jehoikim’s time ( Jeremiah 36:12). Delilah (“drooping, languishing” ) Samson’s love; lived in the valley of Sorek, Philistia. She was a wily seducer, who loved the bribes, and not her honor or her lover’s safety, and captivated only to destroy. Her bribe was large — 5,500 pieces of silver — shekels ($2,750), equal to 33,000 as to our standard of wages. .

Deluge Flood (Hebrew: hammabal “the fullness of waters”), from yubal , a river (fullness). Deluge is used instead of flood. The belief in a deluge of greater or less extent is of very ancient date, in all nations who have kept records, or have traditions. It is very often noticed in the Bible, as a fact from which a great lesson is to be learned ( Matthew 24:38), and its history is given in Genesis 6—8. The account next in value to this is that of the Greeks (Ovid) — the flood of Deucalion and Pyrrha. The Hindus (Sir William Jones, Asiatic Res iii. 116) also have an account, which, with the Greek, agrees with that in Genesis in many points. The Chinese legend is not very parallel, but agrees in a few items. The Parsee account says the flood washed away all the wickedness which Ahri-man (the Evil One) had brought about. The Chaldee (Josephus Ap. i. 19), that Noa saved Sem, Japet, and Chem. The Assyrian is (Eusebius, Ev. Praep. c. ix.) similar. The Scandinavian, Mexican, Peruvian, and others, have each a story to tell, of a great flood, and a few persons saved. The Scripture account is, the God sent the deluge as a punishment for sin, destroying all flesh but such as he directed Noah to place in the ark. The time occupied was 358 days, 7 days less than our year, or 1 year and days by the Jews calendar. The present majority opinion is, that the subject has a moral rather than a physical character. That mankind had not spread beyond the valley of the Euphrates and Tigris, and Syria; and that the deluge only extended far enough to be universal as to mankind. There has been no evidence yet brought to light, such as human bones, or teeth, proving any great destruction of life in this, or any other region, which can be dated to the time of the deluge. The size of the ark is a great argument against the deluge being so universal as to cover the whole globe, There are now known 1,700 species of animals, about 1,000 of which are clean, of whom 7 of each species were to be kept; 6,000 species of birds, 1,000 of reptiles, and 550,000 of insects; and the entire space in the ark — 54? by 91 feet (21 inches to the cubit) 3 stories high — is 150,000 square feet, too small, by many times, for standing-room, besides food and storage And how could 8 persons attend to so many animals daily? Many animals, some in the polar regions, others in the tropics, cannot bear a change of climate, even if they could be carried so far from their homes. Peculiar species belong to each quarter of the globe, whose ancestors have left their record in the ancient rocks, fossilized, showing an unbroken succession. It was also impossible to lay up provision for the wild beasts. Seeds and plants must have perished by so long a soaking in water, and fresh-water fish also, if covered by the salt ocean several months. The notion of a universal deluge is at variance with the light of reason. Geological records (in the rocks, etc.) show the results of many floods in the past history of the earth. Vast extents of the earth’s surface have been raised or depressed in modern times (in Chili 100,000 square miles, 2 feet high), and the work of sinking is now going on in Holland. The temple of Jupiter, near Naples, shows that it has been sunk, with the island on which it stands, under the waters of the Bay of Baiae, half its height, by the holes halfway up the marble columns, all round the temple on a water-line that were bored by a shell-fish that lives under water only. Those who suppose the deluge related only to the ancestors of the Hebrews, and had no reference to any other races, are answered by a denial of the remote antiquity of Egypt and Assyria. The evidences of the antiquity of Egypt and Assyria are far more convincing than any yet offered for the deluge.

Delus (Greek: delos, “visible” ) The smallest of the Cyclades, islands in the Grecian Archipelago, the chief seat of the worship of Apollo and his sister Diana (1 Macc. 15:23). The island was said to have suddenly appeared anciently, as several others have in our time. It was the center of an extensive commerce B.C. 146.

Demas , or . Companion to Paul ( Philemon 1:24; Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10). One of Keble’s grandest hymns is founded on the association of Demas and Luke with Paul in his earlier trials, and of the desertion of Demas after.

Demetrius (“votary of Demeter, Ceres” ) 1. Maker of silver shrines of Artemis at Ephesus ( Acts 19:24). They were small models of the great statue of Diana. He made an adroit speech against Paul, exciting their religious and selfish feelings against the new sect, which aimed to spoil the business of shrine-making. 2. Another Demetrius is commended by John as having a character so purely Christian as to carry its own testimony with it ( 3 John 1:12). 3. , king of Syria, son of Seleucus IV. ( and ). 4. , son of No. 3, who was excluded by Alexander Balas from the throne until B.C. 146. He first treated the Jews well, but afterward so badly that they took sides with Antiochus Theos. Killed at Tyre, B.C. 126. Demon (Greek: daimon, “god” ) At first the Supreme, then a god, and later, to spirits believed to be between gods and men; a kind of messenger, who became tutelary deities of men and cities; and finally the notion of evil demons the latest form. Some believed they were the spirits of evil men after death. It was used to denote fortune, chance, fate. In the Hebrew it is used for a pestilence ( Psalm 91:6) idols ( Psalm 96:5; Leviticus 19:4), devils ( Deuteronomy 32:17), God (“troop” in the KJV), the goddess of fortune ( Isaiah 65:11), satyrs ( Isaiah 13:21; 34:14). The Hebrews meant evil spirits. In the New Testament they are spiritual, evil, at enmity with God, having power to work evil to man with disease and sin, positively and actively wicked. Called “devils” in 1 Corinthians 10:20; 1 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 9:20. The modern notion is that there is but one devil (Lardner), although demons are innumerable (Dr. Campbell). The devil, the old serpent, the adversary, Satan, prince of the power of the air, etc., are one. God and his angels are opposed to the devil and his angels, the demons. The angels are sent forth from God’s presence to minister on earth to the heirs of salvation; it is the spirit of God which gives his people that character of life-giving and blessed fruits by which they are known; on the contrary, the devil and his demon agency are discovered in the strong delusions and grievous oppressions which men have suffered and do suffer from their power.

Demoniacs Men subject to the power of demons, and who are deaf, dumb, blind, epileptic, frenzied, hypochrondriac, imbecile, and suffer ills both of body and mind. Demons cannot be known to our senses, nor their powers distinguished from natural causes; and the few words about them in the Scripture do not help to a clear idea of them. Some suppose that the demoniacs were madmen — under the influence of melancholia or mania — in neither case using reason. There are accounts of some who were maniacs and others lunatics. Some also ascribe every form of disease, physically or mental, to demons. Jesus said the casting out of demons was a part of his work, and by this work he brought the kingdom of God to us ( Leviticus 13:32; Matthew 12:28).

Demophon Syrian general, under Antiochus V, (2 Macc. 12:2).

Denarius Penny. 12 to 15 cents. . Deputy Proconsul ( Acts 13:7, etc.).

Derbe Lycaonia, on the road from Tarsus to Iconium ( Acts 14:6), which passes through the famous , and where the pass opens upon the plains of Lycaonia, the city of Derbe stood. Gaius belonged here ( Acts 20:14).

Descry To reconnoitre ( Judges 1:23). Desert Four words of the Hebrew text are translated desert, and they are: 1. arabah . The Ghor — the Jordan River valley; Jericho at the south, and Bethshean at the north ( Ezekiel 47:8; Isaiah 35:1,6, 40:3, 41:19, etc.; Jeremiah 2:6, 5:6, etc.). 2. midbar . Pasture grounds, or the wilderness of the wanderings, where the Israelites had flocks and herds with them during the whole of the passage from Egypt to Canaan ( Exodus 3:1, 5:3, 10:26, 12:38, 19:2; Numbers 11:22, 32:21; 30:15). 3. charbah . Waste places, dryness, desolation ( <19A206> Psalm 102:6; Isaiah 48:21); west of Sinai ( Ezekiel 13:4; Job 3:14). 4. jeshimon . Waste places on each side of the Dead Sea. Usually translated Beth Jeshimon ( Numbers 21:20; 1 Samuel 23:19). Is more expressive of utter desolation than any of the others ( Deuteronomy 32:10).

Dessau Judah (2 Macc. 14:16.) Nicanor’s army encamped there. Supposed to be Adasa.

Deuel (“El knows” ) Father of Eliasaph ( Numbers 1:14). .

Deuteronomy (Greek: “second law” ) Fifth book of the Pentateuch. Named in Hebrew: ’elleh haddevarim ,” these are the words”. . Devil (Greek: diabolos, “slanderer, false accuser” ) Called saTan (“to lie in wait, oppose”) by the Hebrews, and Shatan by the Arabs. This character expresses the antagonistic, malicious, and perverse nature of the enemy of God and man. . It is not believed (by all) that he is an independent, self-existent spirit of evil, though some do so believe, with the Manicheans. He is also called Dragon, Evil One, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Prince of this World, the God of this World, Prince of the Power of the Air, Apollyon, Abaddon, Belial, Beelzebub. The word “Satan” is used also to mean an adversary. Hadad the Edomite was an adversary (Hebrew: saTan ) to Solomon ( 1 Kings 11:14); David is suspected of being an adversary (saTan in 1 Samuel 29:4) to the Philistines; the angel of the Lord was a saTan (adversary) to Balaam ( Numbers 22:22); a wicked man is a saTan in <19A906> Psalm 109:6. The wicked wives are adversaries (satans, diabolous ; the Hebrew saTan is the Greek diabolos ) in 1 Timothy 3:1; false accusers, 2 Timothy 3:3, and Titus 2:3; and Jesus said one of the 12 was a devil (diabolos , saTan ), an adversary. The Hebrew marks, by the article, a difference between a satan, an adversary, and the Satan, a person, the chief. In Zechariah 3:1,2, it is the Satan, and also, in Job 1—2, and <132101> Chronicles 21:1; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 8:12; John 8:44; Acts 13:101 Ephesians 6:11; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9. It is said that the Devil is spiritual, but not spirit — not eternal. He works by deceiving, producing or keeping in ignorance, misunderstanding, evil thoughts, unholy desires, pride, anger, revenge, discontent and repining; and besides these moral, he works in physical ways, producing disease ( Job 2:7; Luke 13:6; Acts 10:38), which is sometimes used as a divine chastisement ( 1 Timothy 1:20). As God is the only supreme self-existence, and Satan is not eternal nor in accord with God, but an adversary, he will be overcome, when he has served the will of God, and will go down into the abyss, with death and hell, into utter and final annihilation ( Revelation 20:2,10,14). Devotions Objects of worship — temples, images, altars, etc. Paul meant objects of devotion in Acts 17:23.

Dew The dew falls copiously in Palestine, at night, in spring and autumn, but very little in the summer — May to August. It falls some weeks before, and also after the rains, and so shortens the dry season, it is used as a figure of God’s goodness in Hosea 14:5, “I will be as the dew unto Israel;” and in Job, of his prosperity ( Job 29:19), “the dew lay all night on my branch;” in <19B003> Psalm 110:3, of freshness arid energy, “dew of his youth” (Christ); of eloquent speech, “distilling like the dew” ( Deuteronomy 32:2); of brotherly love, as the “dew of Hermon” ( <19D303> Psalm 133:3); and as a sign of calamity, if wanting, in 2 Samuel 1:21, indicating barrenness. Diadem (“bound around” ) . Only four passages have this, and they might be read, “fillet,” “mitre,” “tiara,” or “turban,” the original meaning rolled together, or around, like the modern Eastern head-dress ( Isaiah 3:23). The diadem as worn by kings, as a badge of absolute power, was a band about two inches wide, made of silk, ornamented with gold, tied behind, as in No. 7. The ends of the ribbon are frequently shown on the coins. Gibbon describes one as “a broad white fillet, set with pearls” like No. 5. Nos. 1, and 3 are Egyptian; 4, 5, 6, Assyrian; 7, from a coin of Tigranes, king of Syria; 8, sculpture at Persepolis; 9, Roman, civic, of leaves, from a coin. See page 66 in the book.

Dial (Hebrew: maaloth, “degrees” ) The earliest mention of the sun-dial is among the Babylonians, 540 B.C. Herodotus says the Greeks adopted it from them, as also the division of the day into 12 parts, being introduced to Greece by the astronomer Berosus, the Chaldean. The first notice of “the hour” is by Daniel ( Daniel 3:6). The degrees of Ahaz ( 2 Kings 20:11), cannot be explained. It may have reference to a dial with degrees (lines numbered). This might have been a present from Tiglath Pileset, the ally of Ahaz, and made in Babylon.

Diamond (Hebrew: yahalom, precious stone, and shamer, “sharp point” ) The hardest and most precious of all the gems. One was in the sacred breast-plate of the high priest, though some say that (yahalom ) was an onyx. Ezekiel speaks of making his forehead hard as a diamond (shamir , adamant in the KJV, Ezekiel 3:9), and Jeremiah of an iron pen pointed with a diamond ( Jeremiah 17:1), and Zechariah, of hearts as hard as an adamant stone ( Zechariah 7:12). The same word shamir is Hebrew for brier. Diana Latin. (Greek: Artemis ). The twin sister of Apollo, the sun-god. She is the moon goddess. The Assyrians named them Adrammelech and Anamelech. Diana was called the goddess of hunting, chastity, marriage, and nocturnal incantations. In Palestine the name was . The services were performed by women (melissai), and eunuchs (megabissoi), with a high priest (essene). The great temple at Ephesus, and grove at Daphne were the most noted shrines of this worship. The image at Ephesus was said to have fallen out of heaven complete. The great temple was 425 by 220 feet, and had 127 columns of marble, each 60 feet high. .

Diblaim Mother of Hosea’s symbolical wife Gomer ( Hosea 1:3).

Diblath By some supposed to be the same as . By others it is located in Moab, where it is applied to a district in which was Almon-Diblathaim ( Numbers 33:46), and Beth Diblath ( Jeremiah 48:22). Southeast of Heshbon.

Dibon 1. East border of Moab,3 miles north of the Arnon river ( Numbers 34:45). Rebuilt by the Gadites. Dibon-Gad ( Numbers 32:34). In Reuben ( Joshua 13:9,17). The ruins are still called Diban, and are extensive.

Dimon ( Isaiah 15:9). 2. Judah. ( Nehemiah 11:25).

Dibri Father of Shelomith, who had married an Egyptian, and her son having “blasphemed the name” was stoned ( Leviticus 24:11).

Didymus (twin ). The apostle Thomas ( John 11:16).

Diklah (“palm-tree” ) There is a district in Arabia, extending along the Red Sea, from Edom to Medina, called Dakalah, from its fruitful palm-groves. Another district is Yemen, now called Minaei, also fruitful in palms, is thought to be the the real location; where there is a tribe of Arabs Duklai. (Burckhardt). ( Genesis 10:27,31; 1 Chronicles 1:21).

Dilean (place of cucumbers ). Judah ( Joshua 15:38 ). Lost. Possibly Tima, near Ekron.

Dilly Hauran, 6 miles west of Edraa, on the edge of a large marsh: the aqueduct for conveying water to Gadara begins here.

Dimas Village on east slope of Hermon; on Damascus — Beirut road.

Dimnah Zeb. ( Joshua 21:35; Lev.) Damon, near Accho.

Dimon, Waters of Streams east of the Dead Sea. Moab ( Isaiah 15:9). .

Dimonah Judah. South, near the desert ( Joshua 15:22).

Dimreh Eight miles south of Askulan, on the west Esneid.

Dinah (“acquitted” ) Daughter of Jacob by Leah. Her history is a short tragedy (Genesis 34). Her two full brothers took her part against Shechem, and for their deceit and cruelty were condemned by Jacob on his death-bed. Among all the tribes of the East, to this day, any wrong to a sister must be avenged by her brothers or father, or the whole family is disgraced. She may have gone with Jacob into Egypt ( Genesis 46:15), but she is not mentioned again, nor is her death recorded.

Dinaites Cuthean colonists who were placed in Samaria ( Ezra 4:9).

Dinhabah (“present” ) ( Genesis 36:32 ). Capital city and birthplace of Bela, son of Beor, king of Edom. Eight miles from Ar. toward the river Arnon. Seven miles from Heshbon, on Mount Peor (Eusebius). was a bishop’s see in Palmyrene, Syria (Zosimus iii. 27).

Dionysia Feast of Bacchus (2 Macc. 6:7).

Dionysius, the Areopagite ( Acts 17:34 ).

Dionysus or Bacchus. He was a member of the supreme court of the Areopagus, and one of the few converts of Paul at Athens. A.D. 420, a writer called Pseudo-Dionysius wrote a book in the name of the disciple, which was believed to be genuine for a long time, but is now condemned.

Dionysus (3 Macc. 2:29).

Diocaesarea .

Diotrephes (“Jove-nurtured” ) A disciple who resisted the apostle John, in Asia-Minor.

Dirweh Ruin and fountain east of Beth-Zur,4 miles north of Hebron. Disciple Believer. Member of the church of Christ. Discover To uncover. “The voice of the Lord — discovereth the forests,” that is, the lightning strips off the bark and branches ( Psalm 29:9).

Discus A quoit of iron, copper, or stone, for throwing in play, in the gymnasium. Jason introduced Greek games into Jerusalem in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, which the priests indulged in to the neglect of their duties (2 Macc. 4:14).

Dish (Hebrew: sephel, tsallachath, and kehah, and Greek: trublion ) Bowl, charger. , .

Dishan 1. Youngest son of Seir the mountaineer (a Horite). ( 1 Chronicles 1:38). ( Genesis 36:21). 2. Son of Anah, and grandson of Seir ( 1 Chronicles 1:41).

Dissolve To explain ( Daniel 5:16).

Dispersion, the Jews of the Those who remained in Babylonia after the return from captivity were called the “dispersed,” or “of the dispersion,” or in Hebrew “stripped naked.” “Removed” in Deuteronomy 28:25; Jeremiah 34:17. This included the 12 tribes. The Jewish faith succeeded to the kingdom of David at the return of the remnant, and faithful Jews everywhere contributed the half-shekel to the temple services (Josephus, Antiquities xviii. 9, 1). Three sections of the dispersion are noticed in history, of Babylon, of Syria, and of Egypt. The Greek conquests extended the limits of the dispersed, by securing greater liberties to the Jews. . The African dispersion centerd at Alexandria, the best fruit of which is the Septuagint. After the rise of the Jews, in Trajan’s time, they were nearly exterminated and the remnant driven into Europe. Those in Rome followed Pompey after his victories in the East. They were banished from the city under Claudius, because they “were continually raising disturbances, Chrestus being their leader” (Suetonius, c. 25). Probably on account of their opposition to the preaching of Christ by Paul and others. The dispersion influenced the spread of the gospel, because the apostles and preachers followed the Jews into “all the world” (Acts 2).

Distaff . ( Proverbs 31:19).

Dives A Greek word meaning “rich”, which Jesus used in the parable of Lazurus and the “rich” man ( Luke 16:19). It has since Chaucer’s time (see Sompnoure’s Tale, “Lazar and Dives”) been used in theological literature as a proper name. Divination (Hebrew: kesek, “to divide” ) Imitation of prophesy; the art of pretending to foretell future events, from the appearance of cards, dice, liquids in a vial, or sediment in a cup ( Genesis 44:4) which had magical writing on it, or engraving on it; of the earth, sea, and sky; the entrails of animals; the flight of birds; of graves; in dreams: ( Numbers 12:6), (“good dreams are one of the great parts of prophesy.” — Koran) by talismans, images, oracles; by arrows (see Assyrian sculptures, where the king holds divining arrows, or a rod); and also by magic arts. Plato calls it science without reason. It was taught that the gods gave signs of future events, all through the universe, and that men of observation and study could read those signs. Moses condemned the whole system ( Deuteronomy 18:10-12), and those who practiced it as impious impostors. The desire to know the future was proper, and would be gratified by God’s own prophet, who should speak as he was inspired. This superstition is found among all people, at this day, and is even now practiced under the name of clairvoyants, second-sight, trance-mediums, seventh daughter or son, by cards, water, rods, palm, etc. The result of such practices is the same in all ages, a certain loss of judgment, of purity, and piety, and is as hateful now as ever ( 1 Samuel 15:23). The divination by lot seems to be an exception, and is said to be divine ( Proverbs 16:33), and with the Hebrews was conducted solemnly and with religious preparations ( Joshua 7:13), as in the case of Achan and of the division of the Promised Land ( Numbers 26:55), the election of Saul as king ( 1 Samuel 10:20), and the chosing of Matthias to the vacant apostleship ( Acts 1:26). Many appearances are recorded as of the direct work of God, as the serpent rod of Moses; leprous hand; burning bush; plagues; cloud; Aaron’s budding rod; the dew of Gideon, etc., and also visions ( Numbers 12:6). on p. 37 in the book. Divorce The law of Moses is found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, and Deuteronomy 22:19,29. The original words are “some uncleanness” (Hebrew: ervath dabar ), and are very loosely explained by the Jewish doctors, so that many causes for divorce were admitted. One school (Shammai) limited it to a moral cause, and another (Hillel) included many others: as a bad breath, snoring, a running sore, and burning the food when cooking. When Jesus was appealed to ( Matthew 5:31, with a view to entangle him in their disputes), he said, The practice allowed by the Mosaic law of divorcing a wife without crime on her part, and on the ground of dislike or disgust, is opposed to the original, divine idea of marriage according to which a man and his wife are joined together by God, to be one flesh, and are not to be put asunder by man. He who puts away his wife by a bill of divorce without her crime, causes her to commit adultery by placing it within her power to marry another man. The party who permits the divorce is criminal in marrying again. The mere exchange of a piece of writing will not dissolve the spiritual bond. Unless the union is dissolved by crime, any who unite with either party are criminal. The apostle Paul allowed (1 Corinthians 8) separation of a believer from an unbeliever, but not to marry another, but to seek reconciliation and reunion. In the Roman church a marriage with an unbeliever may be annulled by the believer, who may marry another. Some Protestants follow the same custom, and also in case of desertion. .

Dizahab (“place of gold” ) On the Red Sea, now Dohab ( Deuteronomy 1:1). Doctor Teacher ( Luke 3:46). .

Docus (“small fort” ) Near Jericho (1 Macc. 16:15). Built by Ptolemeus, son of Abubus, in which he entertained and murdered his father-in-law, Simon Maccabaeus and his two sons (Antiquities xiii. 8). Dagon, ruins near Ain Duk, are supposed to mark the site (Rob. ii. 309).

Dodai (“loving” ) An Ahohite, captain of the course of the army (24,000), who served in the 2nd month (1 Chronicles 32:4). ? Brother of ?

Dodanim Descendants of the 4th son of Javan ( Genesis 10:4). Rodanim. The island of Rhodes and the river Rhone are relics of the name.

Dodavah (“love of Jah” ) Father of Eliezer, who denounced Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahaziah ( 2 Chronicles 20:37).

Dodo (“God his friend” ) 1. Of Bethlehem, father of Elhanan, one of David’s noted 30 captains ( Chronicles 11:26). 2. Dodai, the 2nd in chief command of David’s army ( 2 Samuel 23:9,24; 1 Chronicles 11:12). 3. Of Issachar, forefather of Tola, the judge ( Judges 10:1).

Doeg (“fearful” ) Chief of Saul’s herdsmen ( 1 Samuel 22:9). He obeyed king Saul, and killed the priests of Nob (85, and their families also). He was a proselyte to the Jewish faith, attending there to fulfill a vow. Dog (Hebrew: xeleb, “seizer”; Arabic: kelb ). From most ancient times the humble friend and servant of man. Sculptured on the monuments of Assyria and Egypt. Mentioned as shepherd dogs by Job ( Job 30:1); Moses as property ( Deuteronomy 23:18), and Solomon ( Ecclesiastes 9:4). The vile rulers of Israel were compared to dogs by Isaiah ( Isaiah 56:10,11). The dog is almost ownerless in the East, and runs, half-wild, in the streets; never caressed, or made pets of, and seldom admitted to a house or tent. They eat anything that comes in their way, and also each other, if a dog strays from his proper district. Jezebel’s fate (2 Kings 9) might be repeated any day or night in any city of the East. Byron writes in his Siege of Corinth: “He saw the lean dogs, beneath the wall, Hold o’er the dead their carnival; Gorging and growling o’er carcass and limb, They were too busy to bark at him.” David wrote of Saul’s hired assassins lying in wait to kill him: “They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied” ( Psalm 59:6). He also speaks of them in Psalm 22:16,20. The caravans to Mecca have many dogs, going from Egypt, Syria and Persia. The dog was held to be unclean, and was despised, and is now, the name being a term of reproach, commonly applied to Christians by the Muslims. Door (Hebrew: shaar, “to divide”, “gate”; pethah, “entering”; saph, “threshold”; daleth, “to hang down as a curtain”, a “door”; tera, pule, pulon “gate” ). The door had a threshold, side posts and lintel in houses and was an opening in the side of a tent. The door is generally of wood, and sometimes of cedar, handsomely carved, and also a cloth for inside use. In the Hauran are now to be seen doors of stone, turning on hinges of stone, dating from antiquity. Doors and doorways in the East are generally small and mean in appearance compared with ours, or with the interior to which they open. The gates of cities are built strong for defense, with towers and chambers ( 2 Samuel 18:24), and rooms inside for public assembly, for hearing the news, buying or selling, or judicial affairs. In Assyrian cities they were similar; and in the temples were highly ornamented with sculpture and colors. The doorway in the engraving from the ruins of the palace (or temple) at Koyunjik (a part of Nineveh), shows the magnificent style of sculpture, in the use of ideal figures combining men, and animals, and birds. (See the picture on page 54 in the book.) The principal doorways in the palaces were guarded by symbolic bulls, or winged gods. Images of the gods were hidden in the walls and floor as a kind of protection. The Egyptian temple was a kind of fort, with massive walls, and a gate with strong, high towers. The doors had double leaves, often plated with metal. They were provided with locks and bars of metal. The gates of Babylon are said to have been of bronze (brass). On the doors of Egypt in our day, there are sentences from the holy book, following the ancient custom ( Deuteronomy 6:9; Isaiah 54:12; Revelation 21:21; Lane, Mod. Egyptians, Wilkinson). Petitions were presented to the king at the gate; and the gate was sometimes made a place of sanetuary — a refuge for criminals. The doors of Solomon’s Temple are described as being very valuable, richly carved, and overlaid with gold ( 1 Kings 6:34, etc). Those of the holy place were double. The Beautiful Gate of Herod’s Temple is said to have been of Corinthian brass (bronze), (Josephus, Wars, v. 5, section 3), and required twenty men to move it. The gates of precious stones of Revelations and Isaiah were suggested to the writers by the stone doors of the Hauran, which are often several inches thick, of fine hard bazalt, beautifully carved. To open, or lift up as a curtain, a door to a coming guest, was and is an especial honor, as alluded to in Psalm 24:7. “I would rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness ( Psalm 84:10), may be better understood as meaning “I would rather lay at the door of the house of my God (like Lazarus), than have a home in their tents.”

Dophkah (“cattle driving” ) Station of the Exodus ( Numbers 33:12). .

Dor (“habitation” ) Royal city of the Canaanites ( Joshua 17:11; 1 Kings 4:11). On the Great Sea,14 miles south of Carmel,7 miles north of Caesarea. Its king was defeated with others near the waters of Merom ( Judges 1:27), in Manasseh, but the ancient people were never expelled. Solomon made them pay tribute. This was tHe most southern city built by the Phoenicians. The rains are on a hill and extend half a mile, the most conspicuous being an old tower, which is a landmark, called Tantura (“the horn”).

Dora (1 Macc. 15:11 ). .

Dorcas .

Dorymenes Father of Ptolemy (1 Macc. 3:38). He fought against Antiochus the Great (Polybius, v. 61).

Dositheus 1. Captain under Judas Maccabaeus against Timotheus (2 Macc. 12:19). 2. A horseman of Bacenor’s band (2 Macc. 12:35). 3. Son of Drimlus, an apostate Jew at Raphia (3 Macc. 1:3). 4. “Said he was a priest and Levite,” messenger to carry the translation of Esther to Egypt (Esther 11:1, Doway). Another mentioned by Josephus (contra Apion 2:5).

Dothan Dothaim (“two wells”) 14 miles north of Shechem ( Genesis 37:17). Joseph was sold by his brethren here to the Egyptians ( Genesis 37:25-28). Elisha, the prophet, lived at Dothan when Benhadad thought to capture him ( 2 Kings 6:8-23). Tell Dothan is now at the south end of a rich plain, separated by slight hills from Esdraelon, and the ruins are on a very large hill; with a fine spring at its foot. The massive ancient Jewish or Roman pavement is to be seen in the road that runs near, from Beisan to Egypt, Do to wit To make known. Not used. ( 2 Corinthians 8:1). Dove (Hebrew: yonah ). Two species are mentioned in the law — turtle-dove and pigeon. Both were to be offered in burnt offering ( Deuteronomy 1:14). It is a symbol of peace, and the most exalted of animals, as symbolizing the Holy Spirit, and the meekness, purity and splendor of righteousness. Two ancient relics show its use as a national ensign — one on a Phoenician coin, where the dove, with rays about its head and wings closed, stands on a globe; and the other, a sculpture in the Hauran, where the dove’s wings are spread, also stands on a globe, the rays behind terminating in stars. Carrier pigeons are figured in Egvpt. A dove has carried a letter from Babylon to Aleppo in two days. The “dove’s dung” of 2 Kings 6:2, has been explained as chick-peas or the roots of the ornithogalum umbellatum, or the Star of Bethlehem, used now by the poor. Pigeon cotes are common all over the East, usually made of coarse stone jars piled into a kind of house, by itself or on a roof.

Drachma . Dragon (Hebrew: tannim, “dragons” ) A mammal, living in the desert ( Isaiah 13:22), crying like a child Job 30:29); probably the jackal, which has a mournful howl. Another (Hebrew: tannin ) was a great sea monster. Used as a metaphor of the Pharaoh ( Isaiah 51:9; Ezekiel 29:3), where it means the crocodile (see Jeremiah 51:34). The word is also used as a metaphor for the devil in Revelation 12. Dream We know that God needs no rest, and is as active when we sleep as when we wake, and therefore we may suppose that divine influences fashion our dreams, as well as direct our waking thoughts. It is supposed that God appeared to Moses, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, in dreams. So the Greeks believed (Homer, Iliad i. 63). Moses promised such visitations ( Numbers 12:6); Peter (Acts 10), and Paul ( 2 Corinthians 12:1), had such dreams. Jeremiah condemns those who pretended to have revelations in dreams ( Jeremiah 23:25), and in visions, etc. Jeremiah 27:9), and Ezekiel also ( Ezekiel 13:2-9). The modern imitators of Spiritism pretend to a divine converse — perhaps deluding themselves — believing that the wild fancies of their trances are the work of the divine mind. Dress Oriental dress has preserved a peculiar uniformity in all ages, from Abraham to the modern Bedouin. The monument at Behistun exhibits the antiquity of the costume, which can be compared with that of figures of modern Syrians and Egyptians. The dress for men and women differed but very little; many articles being worn by both in common, varied only by the manner of putting them on. Men wore the shawl over the head and shoulders, or over the shoulders, while the women used it around the waist. The drawers are scant or full, gathered around the waist. They are fastened just below the knee by garters. The shirt reaches to or falls a little below the knees, and is worn outside of the drawers generally. When dressed in the drawers and shirt only, a person was said to be naked ( Mark 14:51). They also wear a vest, like ours, buttoned up to the chin. The buttons are sewed on the edge of the garment, and passed through a loop, never using a buttonhole. The coat has sleeves to the wrist, or longer, and skirts to the knees or ankles. Over the coat is worn the girdle ( Acts 21:11), which is two or three yards long and about half a yard wide, and is made of any material, from a strip of leather or a rope, to the finest silk, with embroidery. The coat, when cut off at the hips, is sometimes embroidered very highly. The same garment is worn by women, and is called Yelek. This is the robe of ceremony for both sexes, referred to in 1 Kings 5:5, and Chronicles 9:4, and (the long skirt) the present that Jehu gave the prophets of Baal ( 2 Kings 10:22). The cloak ( , ) is a large square bag, open on one side, with holes at the upper corners for the hands, and a band around the neck. Goat’s or camel’s hair is used in the desert ( Matthew 3:4) as worn by John the Baptist. Joseph’s coat of (many) colors was of this pattern; and such rich garments are common among the wealthy, being made of silk or wool, and richly embroidered. The same garment is called a burnoos when it has a hood, as worn in Algeria. The hyke is a square shawl, folded cornerwise, and worn as in the cut of Egyptians. Bedouins use a cloth woven with threads of silver or gold, called Akal. The head is covered first with a white cotton cap (libdeh), over which is worn the tarbush (see ), a red woolen cap, generally with a blue tassel. Around the tarbush a narrow shawl (three or more yards long) is wound, forming the turban. Women cover themselves with a thin cloak and a veil, leaving only the eyes (or only one eye) visible (Oriental street costume). The ancient Jewesses did not vail their faces, but covered the hair only. Women wear the hair long, braided, curled, etc., and decorated with jewels and coins. Men generally shave the head ( 2 Samuel 14:26). The ancient Jews probably wore the hair as low as the ears or neck, and, as Josephus says of the body-guard of Solomon, used powder (Antiquities viii. 7, 3). In mourning the head was shaved ( Isaiah 22:12, etc.). There are many ornaments in use for the hair, head, ears, nose, and neck, not very much different from those in use here; except the nose-ring. The eyebrows and lashes are frequently colored. The feet are loosely covered, and are seldom deformed as ours are by tight shoes. The inner slippers are very soft, and only worn in the house; the over-shoes and boot being worn out doors, and always left at the door. Stockings and leggings for cold weather are in common use. Sandals are still used in the house, but could never have been in common use out doors, because of the many thorns and briers. The Kubcobs are high wooden stilts, used in the bath, or on wet floors. . Josephus, Antiquities iii .7, section 7: “The vestments of the high priest, being made of linen, signified the earth; the blue denoted the sky, being like lightning in its pomegranates; and in the noise of the bells, resembling thunder. And for the Ephod, it showed that God had made the universe of four elements; and as for the gold interwoven, I suppose it related to the splendor by which all things are enlightened. He also appointed the breastplate to be placed in the middle of the ephod, to resemble the earth, for that has the very middle place. And the girdle which encompassed the highpriest round, signified the ocean, for that goes round about and includes the universe. And for the turban, which was of a blue color, it seems to me to mean heaven, for how otherwise could the name of God be inscribed upon it?” Exodus 28: “And these are the garments which they shall make — the breast-plate, and the ephod, and the robe, and the coat of checker-work, the turban, and the girdle;” all of which were peculiar to and worn only by the high priest. In this description the under-garments are not mentioned. In Exodus 28:42, linen drawers are directed to be worn, and it may be presumed that the other undergarments worn by the upper classes were used by the priests. Breastplate ( Exodus 28:4,15). This was embroidered, in two halves sewed together, the front to receive the 12 stones, and the back to shield the studs; and besides, so as to fit the chest better, because the stuff was thick and stiff from embroidery, and the fine wires of gold worked into the design. The making of the wires is described in Exodus 39:3. In it were set four rows of engraved stones, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Each stone was set in a rim of gold, like a cameo (or breast-pin), with a button or stud at the back, which was put through a button-hole in the breastplate. Putting the twelve stones into their places was a solemn service, showing the presence of the twelve tribes before the altar of Jehovah, and they were called and — (Urim and Thummim). It was two spans high, and one wide. Two cord-like chains of gold wire were fastened to the upper corners of the breast-plate by two rings of gold ( Exodus 39:14), which were attached to the engraved stones on the shoulders, one to each stone. Two gold rings on the lower corners of the breastplate were opposite two rings in the girdle; and a blue cord tied the rings together and kept the breastplate in its place ( Exodus 39:21,26,27,28). The other garments were peculiar only in color and ornament, their pattern being similar to those already described.

Drink (Hebrew: srecar, any intoxicating beverage ). Strong drink was made from several fruits besides grapes: as pomegranates ( Song of Solomon 8:2), figs, apples, dates, carob fruit, and from gram: as wheat, barley, millet, and from honey. A fine wine is made by putting raisins in water and burying the jars in the ground until after fermentation.

Dromedary (Hebrew: becher, bicrah, recesh, rammac ). . The KJV translates in error recesh in 1 Kings 4:28, and Esther 8:10,14, “dromedaries”, when the original means swift horses; also rammac in Esther 8:10,14, “mules” instead of “mares”.

Dropping, a continual ( Proverbs 27:15 ) Drops of rain in a wintry day drive a man out of his house; in the same manner also does an abusive woman (Lamentations 20). .

Drusilla (feminine of the Latin, Drusus ). Daughter of Herod Agrippa I, and Cypros ( Acts 12:1). She was betrothed to Antiochus Epiphanes, but on his refusing to become a Jew she was married to Azizus, king of Emesa. She afterward left her husband for Felix ( Acts 24:24). She, with her son. perished in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Duke Translation of the Hebrew: alluph which means “patriarch”, head of a family, or, in Arabic, sheikh, chief, leader.

Dulcimer (Hebrew or Aramaic: sumphonyah ). Musical instrument mentioned by Daniel ( Daniel 3:5,15). The modern dulcimer is a box, strung with about 50 wires — the longest 36 inches, the shortest 18 inches — played with two small hammers, held in the hands. .

Dumah (“silence” ) Son of Ishmael, founder of a tribe of Ishmaelites. The district was in the north of Arabia, near Edom ( Genesis 25:15; Isaiah 21:11), where there is now a city called Doomah el Jendel, 240 miles east of Petra, in a circular valley, surrounded by very fine gardens and orchards. An ancient castle, of massive masonry, is in ruins. Another is in Judah,17 miles from Eleutheropolis, 6 miles southwest of Hebron. Dumb Unable to speak ( Exodus 4:11). . Dung (Hebrew: gilala ). Used both for manure and for fuel. Its use as manure is very much the same as with us. For fuel it is carefully dried. Many poor people spread cow dung on the outside of their houses to dry for fuel ( Ezra 4:12). See Deuteronomy 23:12. The word was omitted in writing, as in 2 Kings 10:27, where draught-house is substituted. One of the gates of Jerusalem was named ( Nehemiah 3:13, Dung Port). Public execration or insult was shown by using his house as a “draught-house.” Dung-Gate .