Glossary

'Ai	"The ruin" in Hebrew, 'Ai was a city reputedly destroyed by Joshua's conquest of Canaan (Josh. 7:2-5; 8:1-29). But archaeology has demonstrated that it had already been abandoned in the thirteenth century b.c.e. when the Israelites entered Palestine.



Absalom	In 2 Samuel, the son of David and Maacah (2 Sam. 3:3). Noted for his physical beauty and fiery temperament, Absalom killed his half-brother Amnon to avenge the rape of his sister Tamar, fled to Geshur in Aram, but was reconciled with his father three years later. He later rebelled against David and drove him from Jerusalem but was defeated and killed by the loyalist Joab (2 Sam. 13-14).



Ahab	Son of Omri and king of Israel from about 869-850 b.c.e. Although Ahab practiced the Yahwist religion, he allowed his wife Jezebel, daughter of a Phoenician ruler, to encourage the Baal cult, which brought the condemnation of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17-22). A contemporary of Judah's King Jehoshaphat, Ahab was killed while defending Israel against Assyria's Shalmaneser III.



Amalekites	According to Genesis 36:12, these nomadic tribes were descendants of Esau who occupied the desert south and southeast of Canaan. Persistent enemies of ancient Israel, the Amalekites attacked Moses' group (Deut. 25:17-19), were defeated by Joshua at Rephidim (Exod. 17), and conquered by Gideon (Judg. 6:33; 7:12) but were still troublesome in Saul and David's time (1 Sam. 15; 30:18).



Assyria	(1) A large territory centered along the upper Tigris River in Mesopotamia, including the major cities of Assur, Calah, and Nineveh. (2) The empire that dominated the Near East from the eleventh to the seventh centuries b.c.e. and whose leaders destroyed Israel in 721 b.c.e. and besieged Jerusalem in 701 b.c.e. It was destroyed by a coalition of Babylonians and Medes in 612 b.c.e.



Barak	An early Israelite judge (military commander), apparently subordinate to the judge Deborah, who fought against the Canaanites oppressing Israel. He failed to capture his chief opponent, Sisera, who was killed by Jael, a woman (Judges 4-5).



Baruch	Secretary and friend of Jeremiah, Baruch (blessed) recorded the prophet's message, which probably became the nucleus of the Jeremiah scroll (Jer. 36; 32:9-14; 43:6). The apocryphal Book of Baruch was attributed to him, as were the apocalypses of 2 and 3 Baruch in the Pseudepigrapha.



Bathsheba	Wife of Uriah, a Hittite soldier working in King David's service, Bathsheba's adultery with David and his murder of her husband evoked the denunciation of the prophet Nathan (2 Sam. 11:1-4; 12:1-23). Mother of Solomon, she conspired to place her son on Israel's throne (1 Kings 1:15-17).



Benjamin	The twelfth and last son of Jacob, second son of the patriarch's favorite wife, Rachel, and thus full brother of Joseph and half-brother of Jacob's other ten sons. Benjamin figures prominently in Joseph's saga (Gen. 42-44) and is regarded as the founder of the tribe of Benjamin, which, under the Israelite monarchy, occupied territory adjacent to that of Judah (Josh. 18:11-28; Judg. 1:8, 21). When the ten northern tribes seceded from the Davidic monarchy, Benjamin remained with the southern kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 12:21; Ezra 4:1).



Carmel	The name (meaning "garden" or "orchard") of a hilly range along the western border of Asher (Josh. 19:26), extending from the hill country of Samaria to the Mediterranean where Mount Carmel projects into the sea. Sacred to Baal because of its lush vegetation, Carmel was the site of Elijah's contest with the Canaanite priests (1 Kings 18).



conquest of Canaan	The gradual occupation of Palestine during the thirteenth and twelfth centuries b.c.e. by previously nomadic Israelites, an idealized account of which is given in Joshua 1-24.



Court History	Also called the Succession Narrative, it is the account of David's reign and Solomon's succession to Israel's throne, the narrative underlying 2 Samuel 9-24 and 1 Kings 1-2.



Dagon	An ancient Canaanite agricultural deity worshiped by the Philistines at Ashdod and Gaza (1 Sam. 5:1-7) and whose Gaza temple reputedly was destroyed by Samson (Judg. 16:23-30).



David	Son of Jesse (Ruth 4:18-22), successor to Saul, and second king of the united twelve-tribe monarchy (1000-961 b.c.e.), David expanded Israel's boundaries to their greatest extent, founded a new administrative and religious capital at Jerusalem, and created a prosperous though short-lived Palestinian Empire. His story is told in 1 Samuel 16 through 1 Kings 2; the Chronicler gives an often unreliable, idealized version of his cultic activities (1 Chron. 2, 3, 10-29). So great was David's effectiveness and popularity, especially in retrospect, that he became the prototype of the Messiah figure, who was prophesied to be his descendant (Isa. 9:5-7; 11:1-16; Jer. 23:5; 30:9; Ezek. 34:23-31; etc.).



Deborah	A judge and prophetess who, with Barak, helped bring about Israel's victories over the Canaanite forces of Sisera (Judg. 4-5).



Delilah	A woman from Sorek whom the Philis-tines bribed to discover and betray the secret of Samson's strength (Judg. 16). Her name means "coquette" or "flirtatious."



Deuteronomistic History (DH)	The Book of Deuteronomy and the books of the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) as compiled and revised from older sources by an anonymous author or editorial school deeply influenced by Deuteronomy's historical philosophy. The first edition was probably compiled late in Josiah's reign (c. 610 b.c.e.), and a second edition followed Jerusalem's destruction in 587 b.c.e. It was further edited during the Babylonian exile.



Ehud	The left-handed judge (military leader) from the tribe of Benjamin who murdered the obese Moabite king, Eglon, at Jericho and then led an Israelite army to rout the Moabite invaders (Judg. 3).



Eli	In 1 Samuel 2:22-4:18, an ineffectual judge and priest at Shiloh under whose jurisdiction young Samuel served (1 Sam. 3:1).



Elijah	Literally, "Yahweh is my God"; a fiercely Yahwist prophet from the northern kingdom whose anti-Baalism and attacks on Ahab's dynasty had a tremendous impact on Israel's political course during the ninth century b.c.e. and who shaped his nation's prophetic traditions for centuries thereafter (1 Kings 17-19; 21; 2 Kings 1-2). Reportedly carried to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1-13), he was expected to reappear shortly before the Day of Yahweh arrived (Mal. 4:5-6). Although some Christian writers identified John the Baptist with Elijah (Luke 1:17; Mark 9:12-13), some contemporaries viewed Jesus as Elijah returned (Mark 9:28; 16:14). Along with Moses, Elijah appears in Jesus' Transfiguration (Mark 9:4; Matt. 17:3; Luke 9:30).



Elisha	A ninth-century c.e. prophet in the northern kingdom, successor to Elijah (1 Kings 19:15-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15). Like his predecessor, Elisha was a clairvoyant who worked numerous miracles, in-cluding the resuscitation of a dead child (2 Kings 4:18-37; 6:32-7:2; 8:7-13; 13:14-19). So great was his prestige that he not only brought an end to the Omri-Ahab-Jezebel dynasty in Israel by having the upstart Jehu anointed king (2 Kings 9:1-13) but also made Hazael king of Syria (2 Kings 8:7-15).



Gad	(1) Firstborn son of Jacob and Zilpah (Gen. 30:1-11; 35:26), Gad was the eponymous ancestor of the Israelite tribe of Gad (Num. 2:14) whose territory was located northeast of the Dead Sea, east of the Jordan River (Num. 32; Deut. 3:16-20). Gad joined the revolt against Rehoboam and was part of the ten-tribe northern kingdom. (2) A prophet at David's court (1 Sam. 22:5; 2 Sam. 24; 1 Chron. 21; 2 Chron. 29:25, 29).



Gideon	Also called Jerubbaal (let Baal plead), a military judge who delivered Israel from the Midianites (Judg. 6-8). Although Gideon refused to accept a crown (Judg. 8:22-32), his son Abimelech reigned for three years at Shechem (Judg. 9).



Goliath	The Philistine giant from Gath whom the young David defeated with a slingshot (1 Sam. 17; 2 Sam. 21:19).



Hannah	Wife of Elkanah and mother of Samuel (1 Sam. 1). Hannah's lyric prayer (1 Sam. 2:1-10) anticipates the Magnificat of Mary (Luke 1:42-45).



Hebron	An ancient city nineteen miles southwest of Jerusalem (Num. 13:22), located near the sacred oaks of Mamre associated with Abraham (Gen. 13:18; 18; 35:27), and one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Palestine.



Hezekiah	Son of Ahaz and fourteenth king of Judah (c. 715-686 b.c.e.), Hezekiah ruled during the Assyrian crisis when Sargon II and then Sennacherib overran Palestine. His reign was notable for the prophetic careers of Isaiah and Micah and for sweep-ing religious reforms, which included purging the Jerusalem Temple of non-Yahwistic elements (2 Kings 18-20; Isa. 22:15-25, 36-39; 2 Chron. 29-32).



Hiram	(1) The name of a series of rulers of Tyre, an ancient Phoenician seaport, with whom David and Solomon engaged in trade and commerce (2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kings 5:1; 9:11; 1 Chron. 14:1; 2 Chron. 3; Ezek. 26-28). (2) A half-Tyrian, half-Israelite architect and craftsman whom King Hiram sent from Tyre to cast the bronze or copper fixtures and decorations of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 7:13-51; 2 Chron. 2:13-14; 4:16).



Israel	(1) The name given Jacob by an angel in Transjordan (Gen. 32:28, J source) and by Yahweh at Bethel (Gen. 35:10, P source). Although interpreted as "he has been strong against God" (Gen. 32:28), it probably means "may God show his strength" or "may God rule." (2) The Israelite nation descended from the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel); the covenant people chosen at Sinai. (3) The northern kingdom as opposed to the southern state of Judah during the period of the divided monarchies (922-721 b.c.e.).



Jael	Wife of Heber the Kenite (member of a nomadic tribe of metal workers), who offered hospitality to Sisera, the Canaanite general, and then murdered him, thus becoming a national heroine in Israel (Judg. 4:11-22; 5:24-31).



Jashar, Book of	Apparently a collection of Hebrew poetry (since lost), quoted in Joshua 10:12-13, 2 Samuel 1:18, and 1 Kings 8:53 (Septuagint ver-sion only).



Jehoiachin	King of Judah (598/597 b.c.e.), son and successor of Jehoiakim. After inheriting the throne at age eight and reigning for only three months and ten days, he was taken captive to Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-12; 2 Chron. 36:9-10), where he remained the rest of his life. Babylonian records indicate that he was at first accorded favored status but later im-prisoned until Nebuchadnezzar's successor, Evil-merodach (Amel-Marduk), released him (562 b.c.e.) and honored him above other captive kings (2 Kings 25:27-30; Jer. 52:31-34).



Jehoiakim	Second son of Josiah, Jehoiakim was made king of Judah about 609 b.c.e., when Pharaoh Necho of Egypt placed him on the throne, deposing his brother Jehoahaz, who had reigned only three months (2 Kings 23:34; 2 Chron. 36:4). Another brother, Zedekiah, replaced Jehoiakim's heir, Jehoiachin, to become Judah's last Davidic monarch. The Deuteronomistic historians, the Chronicler, and the prophet Jeremiah all denounced his religious apostasy and misguided attempts to combat Babylonian domination with Egyptian alliances (2 Kings 23:36-24:6; 2 Chron. 36:5-8; Jer. 25-26; 36). Ignoring Jeremiah's advice (Jer. 36:1-26), Jehoiakim died or was assassinated before paying the consequences of his rebellion against Babylon (2 Kings 24:6). The Chronicler states that he was chained and carried off to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:6-7), but this was the fate of his son and heir, Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:12-16; 2 Chron. 36:10).



Jehoshaphat	Son of Asa and king of Judah (873-849 b.c.e.), his name means "Yahweh judges." Although the Deuteronomistic historians give him short shrift (1 Kings 15:24; 22:41-51), the Chronicler emphasizes the general success of his twenty-four-year reign (2 Chron. 17:1-21:1), which was marked by important religious reforms, effective wars against Edom, Moab, and Ammon (2 Chron. 20:1-30), and the achievement of relative political security and prosperity for his people.



Jehu	A son of Jehoshaphat (not the king of Judah) whom the prophet Elisha had anointed king of Israel in 842 b.c.e. (2 Kings 9:1-3), fulfilling an earlier command of Elijah (1 Kings 19:16-17). Thus commissioned by Israel's prophetic guild, Jehu proceeded to slaughter Ahab's family and all connected with it (2 Kings 9:14-10:27), including King Jehoram, King Ahaziah of Judah and his forty-two sons, Queen Jezebel, Ahab's seventy sons, and numerous other Israelites who worshiped Baal. Jehu's long reign (842-815 b.c.e.) saw Israel's territory shrink to a fraction of what it had been under Omri and Ahab (2 Kings 10:32-33). Although he murdered in Yahweh's name, his actions were condemned by the prophet Hosea (Hos. 1:3-5). Nor was he a wholehearted Yahwist (2 Kings 10:31), though his name means "Yahweh is He."



Jephthah	The son of Gilead and a harlot, Jephthah was driven as a youth from the area of Gilead by his legitimate brothers (Judg. 11:1-3) but was recalled by Gilead's elders when the Ammonites attacked Israel. An effective military leader, he defeated the Ammonites and was judge (general) in Israel for six years (Judg. 12:7). Best known for vowing to make a burnt offering of the first person he met after the battle if Yahweh would grant him victory, he presumably immolated his own daughter, who had come to congratulate him on his success (Judg. 11:29-40; see 2 Kings 3:27). The author of Hebrews praises him for his faith (Heb. 11:32).



Jericho	One of the world's oldest cities, Jericho's ruins lie near an oasis on the west side of the south Jordan River Valley. Partly excavated by archaeologists, its earliest occupation dates to about 7800 b.c.e. Although according to Joshua 2 and 5:13-6:26 its fortified walls crumbled when the Israelites marched around the city, radiocarbon dating indicates that the site was already abandoned at the time of the conquest (thirteenth century b.c.e.). Jericho was partly rebuilt by Hiel of Bethel during Ahab's reign (869-850 b.c.e.) (1 Kings 16:34), but no evidence of this occupation remains. It was extensively rebuilt during Herod's day (40-4 b.c.e.) and is mentioned several times in the New Testament (Matt. 20:29; Mark 10:46; Luke 10:30; 18:35; 19:1; Heb. 11:30).



Jeroboam I	An Ephraimite who led the ten northern tribes' secession from the Davidic monarchy and became the first ruler of the northern kingdom (1 Kings 11:26-12:33). Jeroboam I reigned from approximately 922-901 b.c.e. His first capital was Shechem, site of the old tribal confederacy (Josh. 24), but he later moved his administration to Tirzah, his former home and an ancient Canaanite royal sanctuary (1 Kings 12:24-25). The Deuteronomistic historians condemned Jereboam I for establishing rival Yahwist shrines at Bethel and Dan to compete with the Yahwist Temple at Jerusalem, and they condemned him for tolerating the worship of such foreign deities as Chemosh, Ashtoreth, and the Ammonite Milcom (1 Kings 11:33; 12:26-13:34).



Jeroboam II	A descendant of Jehu, son of King Jehonash, and ruler of Israel (786-746 b.c.e.) whose long reign brought relative peace and material prosperity to the northern kingdom, Jeroboam II won major victories over Ben-hadad, king of Syria, and extended Israel's territory so that it included almost all the territory over which David and Solomon had ruled, except Judah. The Deuteronomistic account of his reign (2 Kings 14:23-29) gives no indication of its importance. The prophets Amos and Hosea, who were active during the time of Jeroboam II, denounced the country's economic oppression of the poor as well as its widespread materialism.



Jezebel	Daughter of King Ethbaal of Tyre and wife of King Ahab, Jezebel promulgated Baal worship in Israel and persecuted Yahweh's prophets (1 Kings 16:29-33; 18:4, 19; 19:1-3). After she perverted the Mosaic Law to confiscate Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16), Elijah predicted her shameful death (1 Kings 21:24-26), a prophecy fulfilled when Jehu threw her body to the dogs to eat during his bloody purge of Ahab's dynasty (2 Kings 9:30-37). In Revelation 2:20, she is a symbol of false religion.



Joab	A son of Zeruiah, half-sister of David (2 Sam. 2:18), Joab was the cruelly efficient commander-in-chief of David's armies who managed the capture of Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:8; 1 Chron. 11:6-8) and successful wars against the Syrians, Ammonites, and Edomites (2 Sam. 12:26-31; 1 Kings 11:15-17). He murdered Abner, general of the northern tribes under Saul's heir, Ishbaal (2 Sam. 2:18-23; 3:22-30); arranged Uriah's death so that David could marry Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:6-21); reconciled David and Absalom (2 Sam. 14:28-33) but later murdered David's rebellious son (2 Sam. 18:9-17); and supported the wrong contender for David's throne (1 Kings 1:5-33), for which he was executed early in Solomon's reign (1 Kings 2:28-34), supposedly on David's deathbed advice (1 Kings 2:5-6).



Jonathan	Son and heir of King Saul (1 Sam. 13:16; 14:49; 1 Chron. 8:33) and famous for his unselfish devotion to young David (1 Sam. 18:1-5; 19:1-7; 20:1-21:1; 23:15-18). Along with his father, Jonathan was killed by the Philistines at the Battle of Gilboa (1 Sam. 31:1; 2 Sam. 1:16), a loss David lamented in one of his most moving psalms (2 Sam. 1:17-27).



Josiah	Son of Amon (642-640 b.c.e.), Josiah (meaning "Yahweh heals") became king of Judah after his father's murder. The outstanding event of his reign (640-609 b.c.e.) was the discovery of a Book of the Law (probably an early edition of Deuteronomy) and the subsequent religious reform it inspired (following 621 b.c.e.). Josiah purged Judah and part of Israel's old territory of their rural shrines and "high places," centering all worship at the Jerusalem Temple (2 Kings 23:27). He was killed at Megiddo attempting to intercept Pharaoh Necho's army on its way to support the collapsing Assyrian Empire (609 b.c.e.) (2 Kings 22:1-23:30; 2 Chron. 34:1-35:27).



judge	(1) In the Book of Judges, charismatic (spirit-filled) men and women who led Israelite tribes or clans mainly by the force of their character; in the period before the monarchy, these leaders rallied some Israelites to fight against oppressors from neighboring Canaanite regions, such as the Moabites or Philistines. There were twelve officially designated as such: Othniel of Judah, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson, though Eli and Samuel were also spoken of as judges (1 Sam. 4:18; 7:15). (2) In the Hebrew Bible, a civil magistrate (Exod. 21:22; Deut. 16:18), administrator of a judiciary system traditionally organized by Moses (Exod. 18:13-26; Deut. 1:15-17; 16:18-20; 17:2-13; 19:15-20). Under the monarchy, the king became the supreme civil judge (2 Sam. 15:2; 1 Kings 3:9, 28; 7:7).



Manasseh	(1) The elder son of Joseph and the Egyptian Asenath, daughter of a high priest at On, who received a lesser blessing from the dying Jacob than his full brother Ephraim (Gen. 48:1-20), reflecting the tribe of Ephraim's greater importance in the later history of Israel. (2) One of Israel's twelve tribes, divided into two sections and occupying land east and west of the Jordan River (Josh. 17:1-18). (3) A son of Hezekiah and Hephzibah who was king of Judah longer than any other Davidic monarch (c. 687-642 b.c.e.). Despite the Deuteronomistic condemnation of him as the most evil ruler of Judah for his encouragement of Baalism, astrology, and human sacrifice, he proved an effective king, maintaining his country's relative independence during troubled times (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chron. 33:1-20). The historicity of his supposed deportation to and return from Babylon has been questioned. In 2 Kings 23:26-27, Judah's final destruction is attributed to Manasseh's wickedness.



Michal	A daughter of Saul (1 Sam. 14:49) who was offered to David as his wife for his exploits against the Philistines (1 Sam. 18:20-27). Michal helped David escape Saul's wrath (1 Sam. 19:11-17), only to be rejected when she criticized his dancing naked before the Ark (2 Sam. 6:14-23).



Naboth	A landowner in the city of Jezreel whose vineyard King Ahab coveted, Naboth was illegally executed through Queen Jezebel's machinations (1 Kings 21:1-16). This crime, denounced by the prophet Elijah, became the focal point of resistance to Ahab's royal dynasty and culminated in its extermination by Jehu (1 Kings 21:17-29; 2 Kings 9:1-10:11).



Nathan	(1) A son of David (2 Sam. 5:14; Zech. 12:12; Luke 3:31). (2) A prophet and political counselor at David's court who enunciated the concept of an everlasting Davidic dynasty (2 Sam. 7), denounced the king for his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:1-23), revealed Adonijah's plan to seize power (1 Kings 1:5-8), helped Solomon succeed to David's throne (1 Kings 1:8-45), and is credited with writing a history of David's and Solomon's reigns (1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29).



Nazirites	From the Hebrew nazar (to dedicate), referring to a group in ancient Israel that rigorously observed ascetic principles, including refusing to drink wine, cut their hair, come in contact with the dead, or eat religiously "unclean" food (Num. 6:1-21). Samson, despite his ill-fated love affairs, belonged to this sect (Judg. 13-16).



Nebuchadnezzar	(1) A Fourth Dynasty king of the Old Babylonian Empire (twelfth century b.c.e.). (2) Son of Nabopolassar and the most powerful ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (605-562 b.c.e.), Nebuchadnezzar II defeated Pharaoh Necho at the Battle of Carchemish (605 b.c.e.) (2 Kings 24:1-7; Jer. 46:2) and brought much of the Near East under his control. He attacked Judah and deported many of its upper classes in 598-597 b.c.e., besieged and destroyed Jerusalem in 587 b.c.e., and took much of its population captive to Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-25; 25:11-21; 2 Chron. 26:6-21; Jer. 39:1-10; 52:1-30). The portrait of him in Daniel is probably not historical (Dan. 2:1-13; 3:1-7; 4:4-37).



Nevi'im (Prophets)	The Hebrew term designating the second major division of the tripartite Hebrew Bible (Tanak), the Prophets.



Omri	Sixth ruler of the northern kingdom (876-869 b.c.e.) and founder of a dynasty that included his son Ahab (869-850 b.c.e.), his grandson Ahaz-iah (850-849 b.c.e.), and a younger son Jehoram (849-842 b.c.e.), whose important military, political, and economic successes are minimized by the Deuteronomistic historians (2 Kings 16:23-28). Omri's leadership raised Israel to a power and prestige considerably above that of Judah. Even a century after his death and the extinction of his dynasty, Assyrian records referred to Israel as the "land of the House of Omri."



Philistines	A people from Aegean Sea islands (called Caphtor in Amos 9:7) who settled along the southern coast of Palestine during the twelfth century b.c.e. to become the Israelites' chief rivals during the period of the judges and early monarchy (c. 1200-1000 b.c.e.) (Josh. 13:2-4; Judg. 1:18-19; 13:1-16:31; 1 Sam. 4:2-7:14; 13:1-14:46; 17:1-54; 2 Sam. 5:17-25; 8:1-2; 21:15-18; see also Jer. 47:1-7; Zeph. 2:4-7).



Phoenicia	A narrow coastal territory along the northeast Mediterranean, lying between the Lebanon range on the east and the sea on the west. It included the ports of Tyre and Sidon. Notable Hebrew Bible Phoenicians are Ethbaal, king of Tyre (1 Kings 16:21); his daughter Jezebel, wife of Ahab (1 Kings 18:19); Hiram, king of Tyre (2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kings 5:1-12; 2 Chron. 2:3-16); and Hiram, the architect-decorator of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 7:13-47; 2 Chron. 2:13). Jesus visited the area, where he healed the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman (Matt. 15:21; Mark 7:24, 31; Acts 15:3; 21:2-7).



Rahab	(1) A prostitute of Jericho, possibly a priestess in a Canaanite fertility cult, who hid Israelite spies and was spared her city's destruction (Josh. 2:1-24; 6:25; Ps. 87:4; Heb. 11:31). (2) A mythological sea monster, the dragon of chaos, whom Yahweh subdued before his creation of the universe (Ps. 89:10); also a symbol of Egypt (Ps. 87:4; Isa. 30:7).



Rehoboam	A son of Solomon and Naamah (an Ammonite princess), the last ruler of the united kingdom (922-915 b.c.e.), whose harsh policies resulted in the ten northern tribes' deserting the Davidic monarchy in Judah and forming the independent northern kingdom of Israel (922 b.c.e.) (1 Kings 11:43; 12:1-24; 14:21-31; 2 Chron. 9:31-12:16) and in Pharaoh Shishak's (Sheshonk I) despoiling the Jerusalem Temple (1 Kings 14:25-28).



Samaritans	Inhabitants of the city or territory of Samaria, the central region of Palestine lying west of the Jordan River. According to a probably biased southern account in 2 Kings 17, the Samaritans were regarded by orthodox Jews as descendants of foreigners who had intermarried with survivors of the northern kingdom's fall to Assyria (721 b.c.e.). Separated from the rest of Judaism after about 400 b.c.e., they had a Bible consisting of their own edition of the Pentateuch (Torah) and a temple on Mount Gerizim, which was later destroyed by John Hyrcanus (128 b.c.e.) (Matt. 10:5; Luke 9:52; John 4:20-21). Jesus discussed correct worship with a woman at Jacob's well in Samaria (John 4:5-42) and made a "good Samaritan" the hero of a famous parable (Luke 10:29-37).



Samson	Son of Manoah of the tribe of Dan, Samson was a Nazirite judge of Israel famous for his supernatural strength, abortive love affair with Delilah, and spectacular destruction of the Philistine temple of Dagon (Judg. 13-16).



Samuel	The son of Hannah and Elkanah, an Ephraimite (1 Sam. 1:1-2), Samuel was Israel's last judge (1 Sam. 7:15; Acts 13:20), a prophet and seer (1 Sam. 9:9) who also performed priestly functions (1 Sam. 2:18, 27, 35; 7:9-12). Trained by the High Priest Eli at Shiloh (1 Sam. 2:11-21; 3:1-10), he became the single greatest influence in Israel's transition from the tribal confederacy to monarchy under Saul, whom he anointed king (1 Sam. 8:1-10:27) but later rejected in favor of David (1 Sam. 13:8-15; 15:10-35).



Sargon II	Successor of Shalmaneser V and king of Assyria (722-705 b.c.e.) who completed his predecessor's three-year siege of Samaria and captured the city, bringing the northern kingdom (Israel) to an end in 721 b.c.e. (Isa. 20:1; 2 Kings 17).



Saul	Son of Kish, a Benjaminite, and the first king of Israel (c. 1020-1000 b.c.e.), Saul was anointed by Samuel to meet the Philistine crisis, which demanded a strong centralized leadership (1 Sam. 9:1-10:27). He defeated the Ammonites (1 Sam. 11:1-11) and Philistines at Geba and Michmash but rapidly lost support after antagonizing Samuel (1 Sam. 13:8-15) and refusing to kill the Amalekite king (1 Sam. 15:7-35). He was also upstaged by David, of whom he became intensely jealous (1 Sam. 18:6-24:23). Saul and his son Jonathan were killed by the Philistines at the Battle of Gilboa (1 Sam. 31) and commemorated by one of David's most beautiful psalms (2 Sam. 1:17-27).



Sennacherib	Son of Sargon II and king of Assyria (704-681 b.c.e.). In 701 b.c.e., Sennacherib devastated Tyre and besieged Jerusalem, after which he levied heavy tribute upon King Hezekiah of Judah (2 Kings 18). A clay prism recording Sennacherib's version of the Judean campaign tallies well with 2 Kings 18:14-16 but strikingly diverges from the story of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers slain by Yahweh's angel in a single night (2 Kings 19:10-35; Isa. 37:9-36).



Shechem	(1) The son of Hamor the Hivite from whom Jacob bought land in Canaan and who later raped and wished to marry Jacob's daughter Dinah (Gen. 33:18-20; 34:1-31). Despite Hamor's friendly wish to ally his clan with Jacob's, Simon and Levi led Jacob's sons in a murderous attack on Shechem's clan to avenge their sister's dishonor. (2) An ancient Canaanite city located about forty-one miles north of Jerusalem in the hill country later allocated to the tribe of Ephraim, Shechem was the first site in Canaan that Abraham visited (Gen. 12:6) and the first place where the Hebrews came in touch with Canaanite culture (Gen. 33:18-20; 34:1-31). Here Joshua held a covenant-renewal ceremony uniting the Israelite tribes under Yahweh and, according to some scholars, including native tribes friendly to the Israelites. Abimelech attempted to make himself king here (Judg. 9), and here Rehoboam came to be crowned (1 Kings 12), only to be divested of his northern territories by Jeroboam I, who made Shechem his capital. Although the Deuteronomists mention its religious importance (Deut. 11:26-32; 17:1-26; Josh. 8:30-37), Shechem fell into obscurity until the mid-fourth century b.c.e. when the Samaritans built a temple on Mount Gerizim. The city was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in the late second century b.c.e. but rebuilt as Flavia Neapolis.



Shiloh	A prominent town and religious center that the Israelites established in the highlands of Ephraim, where Joshua assigned the tribes of Israel their territorial allotments (Josh. 18). Apparently a headquarters for the tribal confederacy during the time of the judges (Josh. 21:2; 22:9; Judg. 21:15-24; 1 Sam. 2; 12-17; 3:30), the Ark of the Covenant was kept there until the Philistine war, when it was taken to a camp at Ebenezer, where the Philistines captured it (1 Sam. 4). Returned, it was not again placed in Shiloh (1 Sam. 6:21-7:2), possibly because the Philistines had devastated the site. Jeremiah predicted that Yahweh would deal with Jerusalem as he had with Shiloh (Jer. 7:12-15; 26:6-9).



Sisera	The Canaanite leader whose forces Deborah and Barak defeated and whom Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, murdered in her tent (Judg. 4-5).



Solomon	Son of David and Bathsheba and Israel's third king (c. 961-922 b.c.e.) (2 Sam. 12:24-25), who inherited the throne through David's fondness and the intrigues of his mother and the prophet Nathan (1 Kings 1:9-2:25). He became famous for his wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-28); allied himself with Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 5); built and dedicated Yahweh's Temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6, 8); built a huge palace for himself (1 Kings 7:1-12); received Yahweh's renewal of the Davidic Covenant (1 Kings 9:1-9); was visited by the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13); worshiped other gods than Yahweh, presumably because of his foreign wives' influence (1 Kings 11:1-40); and died leaving his people financially exhausted and politically discontented (1 Kings 11:41-12:25). An idealized account of his reign is given in 2 Chronicles 1-9.



syncretism	The blending of different religions, a term Bible scholars typically apply to the mingling of Canaanite rites and customs (Baalism) with the Israelites' Mosaic faith. Although a practice repeatedly denounced by the prophets (Judg. 2:13; 3:7; 6:31; 8:33; 1 Kings 16:31; 18:26; 2 Kings 10:18; Jer. 2:8; 7:9; 19:5; 23:13; Hos. 2:8), Judaism borrowed many of its characteristic forms, psalms, concepts, and religious rituals from earlier Canaanite models.



Temple, the	(1) The imposing structure built by King Solomon (using Phoenician architects and craftsmen) on Mount Zion in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant in its innermost room (the Holy of Holies) (1 Kings 5:15-9:25). Later recognized as the only authorized center for sacrifice and worship of Yahweh, it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's troops in 587 b.c.e. (2 Kings 25:8-17; 2 Chron. 36:18-19). (2) The Second Temple, rebuilt by Jews returned from the Babylonian exile under Governor Zerubbabel, was dedicated in about 515 b.c.e. (Ezra 1:1-11; 3:1-13; 4:24-6:22; Hag. 1-2; Zech. 1:1-8:13). (3) Herod's splendid Temple replaced the inferior edifice of Zerubbabel's time and took nearly a half-century to complete (John 2:20). Jesus, who visited the Temple as a child (Luke 2:22-38, 41-50) and often taught there (Matt. 21:23-24:1; Luke 20:1; John 7:14-52; 10:22-39), cleansed it of its moneychangers (Matt. 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-22), and prophesied its destruction (Matt. 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-4; Luke 21:5-7), which was fulfilled when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 c.e. Until that event, the apostles continued to preach and worship there (Acts 3:1-26; 5:42; 21:26-22:29).



Uriah	(1) A Hittite practicer of Yahwism and soldier of David whose wife, Bathsheba, the Israelite king seduced and wished to marry. David ordered him exposed in the front lines of battle so that he was inevitably killed, a crime the prophet Nathan denounced to the king's face (2 Sam. 11-12). (2) A priest whom King Ahaz of Judah (c. 735-716 b.c.e.) commissioned to remodel the Temple area and construct an altar modeled on that which Ahaz had seen in Assyrian-dominated Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-16). (3) A Judean prophet who predicted the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, fled to Egypt to escape King Jehoiakim's wrath, but was murdered. His body was returned to Judah, where it was buried in a common grave (Jer. 26:20-23).



Zedekiah	The last king of Judah (c. 597-587 b.c.e.), Zedekiah reigned as a tribute-paying vassal of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chron. 36:13; Jer. 29:3-7; Ezek. 17:15-18). A weak ruler, he consulted the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 21:1-7) but acceded to his advisers' pressures to seek help from Egypt in throwing off Babylon's yoke (Jer. 27:12-22; 37:6-21; 38:7-28). When he rebelled against Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to and destroyed Jerusalem (587 b.c.e.). Zedekiah tried to escape but was captured, tried, and condemned to having his sons slain before his eyes and his own eyes put out, after which he was imprisoned in Babylon, where he died (2 Kings 24:17-25:7; 2 Chron. 36:10-21; Jer. 39:6-14; 52:1-27).

2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.