Camp -During
their journeys across the wilderness, the twelve tribes formed encampments at
the different places where they halted (Ex. 16:13; Num. 2:3). The diagram here
given shows the position of the different tribes and the form of the encampment
during the wanderings, according to Num. 1:53; 2:2-31; 3:29, 35, 38; 10:13-28.
The area of
the camp would be in all about 3 square miles. After the Hebrews entered Palestine,
the camps then spoken of were exclusively warlike (Josh. 11:5, 7; Judg. 5:19,
21; 7:1; 1 Sam. 29:1; 30:9, etc.).
Camphire
- (Heb. copher), mentioned in Cant. 1:14 (R.V., "henna-flowers"); 4:13 (R.V.,
"henna"), is the al-henna of the Arabs, a native of Egypt, producing clusters
of small white and yellow odoriferous flowers, whence is made the Oleum Cyprineum.
From its leaves is made the peculiar auburn dye with which Eastern women stain
their nails and the palms of their hands. It is found only at Engedi, on the shore
of the Dead Sea. It is known to botanists by the name Lawsonia alba or inermis,
a kind of privet, which grows 6 or 8 feet high. The margin of the Authorized Version
of the passages above referred to has "or cypress," not with reference to the
conifer so called, but to the circumstance that one of the most highly appreciated
species of this plant grew in the island of Cyprus.
Cana
- reedy, a town of Galilee, near Capernaum. Here our Lord wrought his first
miracle, the turning of water into wine (John 2:1-11; 4:46). It is also mentioned
as the birth-place of Nathanael (21:2). It is not mentioned in the Old Testament.
It has been identified with the modern Kana el-Jelil, also called Khurbet Kana,
a place 8 or 9 miles north of Nazareth. Others have identified it with Kefr Kenna,
which lies on the direct road to the Sea of Galilee, about 5 miles north-east
of Nazareth, and 12 in a direct course from Tiberias. It is called "Cana of Galilee,"
to distinguish it from Cana of Asher (Josh. 19:28).
Canaan
- (1.) The fourth son of Ham (Gen. 10:6). His descendants were under a curse
in consequence of the transgression of his father (9:22-27). His eldest son, Zidon,
was the father of the Sidonians and Phoenicians. He had eleven sons, who were
the founders of as many tribes (10:15-18).
(2.)
The country which derived its name from the preceding. The name as first used
by the Phoenicians denoted only the maritime plain on which Sidon was built. But
in the time of Moses and Joshua it denoted the whole country to the west of the
Jordan and the Dead Sea (Deut. 11:30). In Josh. 5:12 the LXX. read, "land of the
Phoenicians," instead of "land of Canaan."
The
name signifies "the lowlands," as distinguished from the land of Gilead on the
east of Jordan, which was a mountainous district. The extent and boundaries of
Canaan are fully set forth in different parts of Scripture (Gen. 10:19; 17:8;
Num. 13:29; 34:8). (See CANAANITES ¯T0000705, PALESTINE.)
Canaanite
- a name given to the apostle Simon (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18). The word here
does not, however, mean a descendant of Canaan, but is a translation, or rather
almost a transliteration, of the Syriac word Kanenyeh (R.V. rendered "Cananaen"),
which designates the Jewish sect of the Zealots. Hence he is called elsewhere
(Luke 6:15) "Simon Zelotes;" i.e., Simon of the sect of the Zealots. (See SIMON.)
Canaanites
- the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham. Migrating from their original
home, they seem to have reached the Persian Gulf, and to have there sojourned
for some time. They thence "spread to the west, across the mountain chain of Lebanon
to the very edge of the Mediterranean Sea, occupying all the land which later
became Palestine, also to the north-west as far as the mountain chain of Taurus.
This group was very numerous, and broken up into a great many peoples, as we can
judge from the list of nations (Gen. 10), the 'sons of Canaan.'" Six different
tribes are mentioned in Ex. 3:8, 17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11. In Ex. 13:5 the "Perizzites"
are omitted. The "Girgashites" are mentioned in addition to the foregoing in Deut.
7:1; Josh. 3:10.
The "Canaanites,"
as distinguished from the Amalekites, the Anakim, and the Rephaim, were "dwellers
in the lowlands" (Num. 13:29), the great plains and valleys, the richest and most
important parts of Palestine. Tyre and Sidon, their famous cities, were the centres
of great commercial activity; and hence the name "Canaanite" came to signify a
"trader" or "merchant" (Job 41:6; Prov. 31:24, lit. "Canaanites;" comp. Zeph.
1:11; Ezek. 17:4). The name "Canaanite" is also sometimes used to designate the
non-Israelite inhabitants of the land in general (Gen. 12:6; Num. 21:3; Judg.
1:10).
The Israelites, when
they were led to the Promised Land, were commanded utterly to destroy the descendants
of Canaan then possessing it (Ex. 23:23; Num. 33:52, 53; Deut. 20:16, 17). This
was to be done "by little and little," lest the beasts of the field should increase
(Ex. 23:29; Deut. 7:22, 23). The history of these wars of conquest is given in
the Book of Joshua. The extermination of these tribes, however, was never fully
carried out. Jerusalem was not taken till the time of David (2 Sam. 5:6, 7). In
the days of Solomon bond-service was exacted from the fragments of the tribes
still remaining in the land (1 Kings 9:20, 21). Even after the return from captivity
survivors of five of the Canaanitish tribes were still found in the land.
In
the Tell-el-Amarna tablets Canaan is found under the forms of Kinakhna and Kinakhkhi.
Under the name of Kanana the Canaanites appear on Egyptian monuments, wearing
a coat of mail and helmet, and distinguished by the use of spear and javelin and
the battle-axe. They were called Phoenicians by the Greeks and Poeni by the Romans.
By race the Canaanites were Semitic. They were famous as merchants and seamen,
as well as for their artistic skill. The chief object of their worship was the
sun-god, who was addressed by the general name of Baal, "lord." Each locality
had its special Baal, and the various local Baals were summed up under the name
of Baalim, "lords."
Canaan,
the language of - mentioned in Isa. 19:18, denotes the language spoken by
the Jews resident in Palestine. The language of the Canaanites and of the Hebrews
was substantially the same. This is seen from the fragments of the Phoenician
language which still survive, which show the closest analogy to the Hebrew. Yet
the subject of the language of the "Canaanites" is very obscure. The cuneiform
writing of Babylon, as well as the Babylonian language, was taught in the Canaanitish
schools, and the clay tablets of Babylonian literature were stored in the Canaanitish
libraries. Even the Babylonian divinities were borrowed by the Canaanites.
Candace
- the queen of the Ethiopians whose "eunuch" or chamberlain was converted
to Christianity by the instrumentality of Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:27). The
country which she ruled was called by the Greeks Meroe, in Upper Nubia. It was
long the centre of commercial intercourse between Africa and the south of Asia,
and hence became famous for its wealth (Isa. 45:14).
It
is somewhat singular that female sovereignty seems to have prevailed in Ethiopia,
the name Candace (compare "Pharaoh," "Ptolemy," "Caesar") being a title common
to several successive queens. It is probable that Judaism had taken root in Ethiopia
at this time, and hence the visit of the queen's treasurer to Jerusalem to keep
the feast. There is a tradition that Candace was herself converted to Christianity
by her treasurer on his return, and that he became the apostle of Christianity
in that whole region, carrying it also into Abyssinia. It is said that he also
preached the gospel in Arabia Felix and in Ceylon, where he suffered martyrdom.
(See PHILIP.)
Candle
- Heb. ner, Job 18:6; 29:3; Ps. 18:28; Prov. 24:20, in all which places the
Revised Version and margin of Authorized Version have "lamp," by which the word
is elsewhere frequently rendered. The Hebrew word denotes properly any kind of
candle or lamp or torch. It is used as a figure of conscience (Prov. 20:27), of
a Christian example (Matt. 5:14, 15), and of prosperity (Job 21:17; Prov. 13:9).
Candlestick
- the lamp-stand, "candelabrum," which Moses was commanded to make for the
tabernacle, according to the pattern shown him. Its form is described in Ex. 25:31-40;
37:17-24, and may be seen represented on the Arch of Titus at Rome. It was among
the spoils taken by the Romans from the temple of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). It was
made of fine gold, and with the utensils belonging to it was a talent in weight.
The tabernacle was a tent
without windows, and thus artificial light was needed. This was supplied by the
candlestick, which, however, served also as a symbol of the church or people of
God, who are "the light of the world." The light which "symbolizes the knowledge
of God is not the sun or any natural light, but an artificial light supplied with
a specially prepared oil; for the knowledge of God is in truth not natural nor
common to all men, but furnished over and above nature."
This
candlestick was placed on the south side of the Holy Place, opposite the table
of shewbread (Ex. 27:21; 30:7, 8; Lev. 24:3; 1 Sam. 3:3). It was lighted every
evening, and was extinguished in the morning. In the morning the priests trimmed
the seven lamps, borne by the seven branches, with golden snuffers, carrying away
the ashes in golden dishes (Ex. 25:38), and supplying the lamps at the same time
with fresh oil. What ultimately became of the candlestick is unknown.
In
Solomon's temple there were ten separate candlesticks of pure gold, five on the
right and five on the left of the Holy Place (1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chr. 4:7). Their
structure is not mentioned. They were carried away to Babylon (Jer. 52:19).
In
the temple erected after the Exile there was again but one candlestick, and like
the first, with seven branches. It was this which was afterwards carried away
by Titus to Rome, where it was deposited in the Temple of Peace. When Genseric
plundered Rome, he is said to have carried it to Carthage (A.D. 455). It was recaptured
by Belisarius (A.D. 533), and carried to Constantinople and thence to Jerusalem,
where it finally disappeared.
Cane
- a tall sedgy plant with a hollow stem, growing in moist places. In Isa.
43:24; Jer. 6:20, the Hebrew word kaneh is thus rendered, giving its name
to the plant. It is rendered "reed" in 1 Kings 14:15; Job 40:21; Isa. 19:6; 35:7.
In Ps. 68:30 the expression "company of spearmen" is in the margin and the Revised
Version "beasts of the reeds," referring probably to the crocodile or the hippopotamus
as a symbol of Egypt. In 2 Kings 18:21; Isa. 36:6; Ezek. 29:6, 7, the reference
is to the weak, fragile nature of the reed. (See CALAMUS.)
Canker
- a gangrene or mortification which gradually spreads over the whole body
(2 Tim. 2:17). In James 5:3 "cankered" means "rusted" (R.V.) or tarnished.
Cankerworm
- (Heb. yelek), "the licking locust," which licks up the grass of the field;
probably the locust at a certain stage of its growth, just as it emerges from
the caterpillar state (Joel 1:4; 2:25). The word is rendered "caterpillar" in
Ps. 105:34; Jer. 51:14, 17 (but R.V. "canker-worm"). "It spoileth and fleeth away"
(Nah. 3:16), or as some read the passage, "The cankerworm putteth off [i.e., the
envelope of its wings], and fleeth away."
Canneh
- Mentioned only in Ezek. 27:23. (See CALNEH.)
Canon
- This word is derived from a Hebrew and Greek word denoting a reed or cane.
Hence it means something straight, or something to keep straight; and hence also
a rule, or something ruled or measured. It came to be applied to the Scriptures,
to denote that they contained the authoritative rule of faith and practice, the
standard of doctrine and duty. A book is said to be of canonical authority when
it has a right to take a place with the other books which contain a revelation
of the Divine will. Such a right does not arise from any ecclesiastical authority,
but from the evidence of the inspired authorship of the book. The canonical (i.e.,
the inspired) books of the Old and New Testaments, are a complete rule, and the
only rule, of faith and practice. They contain the whole supernatural revelation
of God to men. The New Testament Canon was formed gradually under divine guidance.
The different books as they were written came into the possession of the Christian
associations which began to be formed soon after the day of Pentecost; and thus
slowly the canon increased till all the books were gathered together into one
collection containing the whole of the twenty-seven New Testament inspired books.
Historical evidence shows that from about the middle of the second century this
New Testament collection was substantially such as we now possess. Each book contained
in it is proved to have, on its own ground, a right to its place; and thus the
whole is of divine authority.
The
Old Testament Canon is witnessed to by the New Testament writers. Their evidence
is conclusive. The quotations in the New from the Old are very numerous, and the
references are much more numerous. These quotations and references by our Lord
and the apostles most clearly imply the existence at that time of a well-known
and publicly acknowledged collection of Hebrew writings under the designation
of "The Scriptures;" "The Law and the Prophets and the Psalms;" "Moses and the
Prophets," etc. The appeals to these books, moreover, show that they were regarded
as of divine authority, finally deciding all questions of which they treat; and
that the whole collection so recognized consisted only of the thirty-nine books
which we now posses. Thus they endorse as genuine and authentic the canon of the
Jewish Scriptures. The Septuagint Version (q.v.) also contained every book we
now have in the Old Testament Scriptures. As to the time at which the Old Testament
canon was closed, there are many considerations which point to that of Ezra and
Nehemiah, immediately after the return from Babylonian exile. (See BIBLE ¯T0000580,
EZRA ¯T0001294, QUOTATIONS.)
Capernaum
- Nahum's town, a Galilean city frequently mentioned in the history of our
Lord. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament. After our Lord's expulsion from
Nazareth (Matt. 4:13-16; Luke 4:16-31), Capernaum became his "own city." It was
the scene of many acts and incidents of his life (Matt. 8:5, 14, 15; 9:2-6, 10-17;
15:1-20; Mark 1:32-34, etc.). The impenitence and unbelief of its inhabitants
after the many evidences our Lord gave among them of the truth of his mission,
brought down upon them a heavy denunciation of judgement (Matt. 11:23).
It
stood on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The "land of Gennesaret," near,
if not in, which it was situated, was one of the most prosperous and crowded districts
of Palestine. This city lay on the great highway from Damascus to Acco and Tyre.
It has been identified with Tell Hum, about two miles south-west of where the
Jordan flows into the lake. Here are extensive ruins of walls and foundations,
and also the remains of what must have been a beautiful synagogue, which it is
conjectured may have been the one built by the centurion (Luke 7:5), in which
our Lord frequently taught (John 6:59; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:33). Others have conjectured
that the ruins of the city are to be found at Khan Minyeh, some three miles further
to the south on the shore of the lake. "If Tell Hum be Capernaum, the remains
spoken of are without doubt the ruins of the synagogue built by the Roman centurion,
and one of the most sacred places on earth. It was in this building that our Lord
gave the well-known discourse in John 6; and it was not without a certain strange
feeling that on turning over a large block we found the pot of manna engraved
on its face, and remembered the words, 'I am that bread of life: your fathers
did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.'", (The Recovery of Jerusalem.)
Caphtor
- a chaplet, the original seat of the Philistines (Deut. 2:23; Jer. 47:4;
Amos 9:7). The name is found written in hieroglyphics in the temple of Kom Ombos
in Upper Egypt. But the exact situation of Caphtor is unknown, though it is supposed
to be Crete, since the Philistines seem to be meant by the "Cherethites" in 1
Sam. 30:14 (see also 2 Sam. 8:18). It may, however, have been a part of Egypt,
the Caphtur in the north Delta, since the Caphtorim were of the same race as the
Mizraite people (Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12).
Cappadocia
- the easternmost and the largest province of Asia Minor. Christianity very
early penetrated into this country (1 Pet. 1:1). On the day of Pentecost there
were Cappadocians at Jerusalem (Acts 2:9).
Captain
- (1.) Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered "chief," Gen. 40:2;
41:9; rendered also "prince," Dan. 1:7; "ruler," Judg. 9:30; "governor,' 1 Kings
22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a military captain (Ex. 18:21; 2 Kings 1:9;
Deut. 1:15; 1 Sam. 18:13, etc.), the "captain of the body-guard" (Gen. 37:36;
39:1; 41:10; Jer. 40:1), or, as the word may be rendered, "chief of the executioners"
(marg.). The officers of the king's body-guard frequently acted as executioners.
Nebuzar-adan (Jer. 39:13) and Arioch (Dan. 2:14) held this office in Babylon.
The "captain of the guard"
mentioned in Acts 28:16 was the Praetorian prefect, the commander of the Praetorian
troops.
(2.) Another word
(Heb. katsin) so translated denotes sometimes a military (Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6,
11; Isa. 22:3 "rulers;" Dan. 11:18) and sometimes a civil command, a judge, magistrate,
Arab. kady, (Isa. 1:10; 3:6; Micah 3:1, 9).
(3.)
It is also the rendering of a Hebrew word (shalish) meaning "a third man," or
"one of three." The LXX. render in plural by tristatai; i.e., "soldiers
fighting from chariots," so called because each war-chariot contained three men,
one of whom acted as charioteer while the other two fought (Ex. 14:7; 15:4; 1
Kings 9:22; comp. 2 Kings 9:25). This word is used also to denote the king's body-guard
(2 Kings 10:25; 1 Chr. 12:18; 2 Chr. 11:11) or aides-de-camp.
(4.)
The "captain of the temple" mentioned in Acts 4:1 and 5:24 was not a military
officer, but superintendent of the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch
in the temple by night. (Comp. "the ruler of the house of God," 1 Chr. 9:11; 2
Chr. 31:13; Neh. 11:11.)
(5.)
The Captain of our salvation is a name given to our Lord (Heb. 2:10), because
he is the author and source of our salvation, the head of his people, whom he
is conducting to glory. The "captain of the Lord's host" (Josh. 5:14, 15) is the
name given to that mysterious person who manifested himself to Abraham (Gen. 12:7),
and to Moses in the bush (Ex. 3:2, 6, etc.) the Angel of the covenant. (See ANGEL.)
Captive
- one taken in war. Captives were often treated with great cruelty and indignity
(1 Kings 20:32; Josh. 10:24; Judg. 1:7; 2 Sam. 4:12; Judg. 8:7; 2 Sam. 12:31;
1 Chr. 20:3). When a city was taken by assault, all the men were slain, and the
women and children carried away captive and sold as slaves (Isa. 20; 47:3; 2 Chr.
28:9-15; Ps. 44:12; Joel 3:3), and exposed to the most cruel treatment (Nah. 3:10;
Zech. 14:2; Esther 3:13; 2 Kings 8:12; Isa. 13:16, 18). Captives were sometimes
carried away into foreign countries, as was the case with the Jews (Jer. 20:5;
39:9, 10; 40:7).
Captivity
- (1.) Of Israel. The kingdom of the ten tribes was successively invaded by
several Assyrian kings. Pul (q.v.) imposed a tribute on Menahem of a thousand
talents of silver (2 Kings 15:19, 20; 1 Chr. 5:26) (B.C. 762), and Tiglath-pileser,
in the days of Pekah (B.C. 738), carried away the trans-Jordanic tribes and the
inhabitants of Galilee into Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; Isa. 9:1). Subsequently Shalmaneser
invaded Israel and laid siege to Samaria, the capital of the kingdom. During the
siege he died, and was succeeded by Sargon, who took the city, and transported
the great mass of the people into Assyria (B.C. 721), placing them in Halah and
in Habor, and in the cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17:3, 5). Samaria was never
again inhabited by the Israelites. The families thus removed were carried to distant
cities, many of them not far from the Caspian Sea, and their place was supplied
by colonists from Babylon and Cuthah, etc. (2 Kings 17:24). Thus terminated the
kingdom of the ten tribes, after a separate duration of two hundred and fifty-five
years (B.C. 975-721).
Many
speculations have been indulged in with reference to these ten tribes. But we
believe that all, except the number that probably allied themselves with Judah
and shared in their restoration under Cyrus, are finally lost.
"Like
the dew on the mountain, Like the foam on the river, Like the bubble on the fountain,
They are gone, and for ever."
(2.)
Of Judah. In the third year of Jehoiachim, the eighteenth king of Judah (B.C.
605), Nebuchadnezzar having overcome the Egyptians at Carchemish, advanced to
Jerusalem with a great army. After a brief siege he took that city, and carried
away the vessels of the sanctuary to Babylon, and dedicated them in the Temple
of Belus (2 Kings 24:1; 2 Chr. 36:6, 7; Dan. 1:1, 2). He also carried away the
treasures of the king, whom he made his vassal. At this time, from which is dated
the "seventy years" of captivity (Jer. 25; Dan. 9:1, 2), Daniel and his companions
were carried to Babylon, there to be brought up at the court and trained in all
the learning of the Chaldeans. After this, in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, a great
national fast was appointed (Jer. 36:9), during which the king, to show his defiance,
cut up the leaves of the book of Jeremiah's prophecies as they were read to him
in his winter palace, and threw them into the fire. In the same spirit he rebelled
against Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:1), who again a second time (B.C. 598) marched
against Jerusalem, and put Jehoiachim to death, placing his son Jehoiachin on
the throne in his stead. But Jehoiachin's counsellors displeasing Nebuchadnezzar,
he again a third time turned his army against Jerusalem, and carried away to Babylon
a second detachment of Jews as captives, to the number of 10,000 (2 Kings 24:13;
Jer. 24:1; 2 Chr. 36:10), among whom were the king, with his mother and all his
princes and officers, also Ezekiel, who with many of his companions were settled
on the banks of the river Chebar (q.v.). He also carried away all the remaining
treasures of the temple and the palace, and the golden vessels of the sanctuary.
Mattaniah, the uncle of Jehoiachin,
was now made king over what remained of the kingdom of Judah, under the name of
Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17; 2 Chr. 36:10). After a troubled reign of eleven years
his kingdom came to an end (2 Chr. 36:11). Nebuchadnezzar, with a powerful army,
besieged Jerusalem, and Zedekiah became a prisoner in Babylon. His eyes were put
out, and he was kept in close confinement till his death (2 Kings 25:7). The city
was spoiled of all that was of value, and then given up to the flames. The temple
and palaces were consumed, and the walls of the city were levelled with the ground
(B.C. 586), and all that remained of the people, except a number of the poorest
class who were left to till the ground and dress the vineyards, were carried away
captives to Babylon. This was the third and last deportation of Jewish captives.
The land was now utterly desolate, and was abondoned to anarchy.
In
the first year of his reign as king of Babylon (B.C. 536), Cyrus issued a decree
liberating the Jewish captives, and permitting them to return to Jerusalem and
rebuild the city and the temple (2 Chr. 36:22, 23; Ezra 1; 2). The number of the
people forming the first caravan, under Zerubbabel, amounted in all to 42,360
(Ezra 2:64, 65), besides 7,337 men-servants and maid-servants. A considerable
number, 12,000 probably, from the ten tribes who had been carried away into Assyria
no doubt combined with this band of liberated captives.
At
a later period other bands of the Jews returned (1) under Ezra (7:7) (B.C. 458),
and (2) Nehemiah (7:66) (B.C. 445). But the great mass of the people remained
still in the land to which they had been carried, and became a portion of the
Jews of the "dispersion" (John 7:35; 1 Pet. 1:1). The whole number of the exiles
that chose to remain was probably about six times the number of those who returned.
Carbuncle
- (Ex. 28:17; 39:10; Ezek. 28:13). Heb. barkath; LXX. smaragdos; Vulgate,
smaragdus; Revised Version, marg., "emerald." The Hebrew word is from a root meaning
"to glitter," "lighten," "flash." When held up to the sun, this gem shines like
a burning coal, a dark-red glowing coal, and hence is called "carbunculus", i.e.,
a little coal. It was one of the jewels in the first row of the high priest's
breastplate. It has been conjectured by some that the garnet is meant. In Isa.
54:12 the Hebrew word is 'ekdah, used in the prophetic description of the
glory and beauty of the mansions above. Next to the diamond it is the hardest
and most costly of all precious stones.
Carcase
- contact with a, made an Israelite ceremonially unclean, and made whatever
he touched also unclean, according to the Mosaic law (Hag. 2:13; comp. Num. 19:16,
22; Lev. 11:39).
Carchemish
- fortress of Chemosh, a city on the west bank of the Euphrates (Jer. 46:2;
2 Chr. 35:20), not, as was once supposed, the Circesium at the confluence of the
Chebar and the Euphrates, but a city considerably higher up the river, and commanding
the ordinary passage of the Euphrates; probably identical with Hierapolis. It
was the capital of the kingdom of the northern Hittites. The Babylonian army,
under Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Nabopolassar, here met and conquered the army
of Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt (B.C. 607). It is mentioned in monuments in B.C.
1600 and down to B.C. 717.
Carmel
- a park; generally with the article, "the park." (1.) A prominent headland
of Central Palestine, consisting of several connected hills extending from the
plain of Esdraelon to the sea, a distance of some 12 miles or more. At the east
end, in its highest part, it is 1,728 feet high, and at the west end it forms
a promontory to the bay of Acre about 600 feet above the sea. It lay within the
tribe of Asher. It was here, at the east end of the ridge, at a place called el-Mukhrakah
(i.e., the place of burning), that Elijah brought back the people to their allegiance
to God, and slew the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Here were consumed the "fifties"
of the royal guard; and here also Elisha received the visit of the bereaved mother
whose son was restored by him to life (2 Kings 4:25-37). "No mountain in or around
Palestine retains its ancient beauty so much as Carmel. Two or three villages
and some scattered cottages are found on it; its groves are few but luxuriant;
it is no place for crags and precipices or rocks of wild goats; but its surface
is covered with a rich and constant verdure." "The whole mountain-side is dressed
with blossom, and flowering shrubs, and fragrant herbs." The western extremity
of the ridge is, however, more rocky and bleak than the eastern. The head of the
bride in Cant. 7:5 is compared to Carmel. It is ranked with Bashan on account
of its rich pastures (Isa. 33:9; Jer. 50:19; Amos 1:2). The whole ridge is deeply
furrowed with rocky ravines filled with dense jungle. There are many caves in
its sides, which at one time were inhabited by swarms of monks. These caves are
referred to in Amos 9:3. To them Elijah and Elisha often resorted (1 Kings 18:19,
42; 2 Kings 2:25). On its north-west summit there is an ancient establishment
of Carmelite monks. Vineyards have recently been planted on the mount by the German
colonists of Haifa. The modern Arabic name of the mount is Kurmul, but more commonly
Jebel Mar Elyas, i.e., Mount St. Elias, from the Convent of Elias.
(2.)
A town in the hill country of Judah (Josh. 15:55), the residence of Nabal (1 Sam.
25:2, 5, 7, 40), and the native place of Abigail, who became David's wife (1 Sam.
27:3). Here king Uzziah had his vineyards (2 Chr. 26:10). The ruins of this town
still remain under the name of Kurmul, about 10 miles south-south-east of Hebron,
close to those of Maon.
Carmi
- vine-dresser. (1.) The last named of the four sons of Reuben (Gen. 46:9).
(2.) A descendant of Judah
(1 Chr. 4:1). He is elsewhere (2:18) called Caleb (q.v.).
(3.)
The son of Zimri, and the father of Achan (Josh. 7:1), "the troubler of Israel."
Carnal
- Unconverted men are so called (1 Cor. 3:3). They are represented as of a
"carnal mind, which is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:6, 7). Enjoyments that minister
to the wants and desires of man's animal nature are so called (Rom. 15:27; 1 Cor.
9:11). The ceremonial of the Mosaic law is spoken of as "carnal," because it related
to things outward, the bodies of men and of animals, and the purification of the
flesh (Heb. 7:16; 9:10). The weapons of Christian warfare are "not carnal", that
is, they are not of man's device, nor are wielded by human power (2 Cor. 10:4).
Carpenter
- an artificer in stone, iron, and copper, as well as in wood (2 Sam. 5:11;
1 Chr. 14:1; Mark 6:3). The tools used by carpenters are mentioned in 1 Sam. 13:19,
20; Judg. 4:21; Isa. 10:15; 44:13. It was said of our Lord, "Is not this the carpenter's
son?" (Matt. 13:55); also, "Is not this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3). Every Jew,
even the rabbis, learned some handicraft: Paul was a tentmaker. "In the cities
the carpenters would be Greeks, and skilled workmen; the carpenter of a provincial
village could only have held a very humble position, and secured a very moderate
competence."
Carriage
- In the Authorized Version this word is found as the rendering of many different
words. In Judg. 18:21 it means valuables, wealth, or booty. In Isa. 46:1 (R.V.,
"the things that ye carried about") the word means a load for a beast of burden.
In 1 Sam. 17:22 and Isa. 10:28 it is the rendering of a word ("stuff" in 1 Sam.
10:22) meaning implements, equipments, baggage. The phrase in Acts 21:15, "We
took up our carriages," means properly, "We packed up our baggage," as in the
Revised Version.
Cart
- a vehicle moving on wheels, and usually drawn by oxen (2 Sam. 6:3). The
Hebrew word thus rendered, 'agalah (1 Sam. 6:7, 8), is also rendered "wagon"
(Gen. 45:19). It is used also to denote a war-chariot (Ps. 46:9). Carts were used
for the removal of the ark and its sacred utensils (Num. 7:3, 6). After retaining
the ark amongst them for seven months, the Philistines sent it back to the Israelites.
On this occasion they set it in a new cart, probably a rude construction, with
solid wooden wheels like that still used in Western Asia, which was drawn by two
milch cows, which conveyed it straight to Beth-shemesh.
A
"cart rope," for the purpose of fastening loads on carts, is used (Isa. 5:18)
as a symbol of the power of sinful pleasures or habits over him who indulges them.
(See CORD.) In Syria
and Palestine wheel-carriages for any other purpose than the conveyance of agricultural
produce are almost unknown.
Carve
- The arts of engraving and carving were much practised among the Jews. They
were practised in connection with the construction of the tabernacle and the temple
(Ex. 31:2, 5; 35:33; 1 Kings 6:18, 35; Ps. 74:6), as well as in the ornamentation
of the priestly dresses (Ex. 28:9-36; Zech. 3:9; 2 Chr. 2:7, 14). Isaiah (44:13-17)
gives a minute description of the process of carving idols of wood.
Casement
- a barrier of open-work placed before windows (Prov. 7:6). In Judg. 5:28
the Hebrew word is rendered "lattice," in the LXX. "network," an opening through
which cool air is admitted.
Casiphia
- silver, a place between Babylon and Jerusalem, where Iddo resided (Ezra
8:17); otherwise unknown.
Casluhim
- fortified, a people descended from Mizraim (Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12). Their
original seat was probably somewhere in Lower Egypt, along the sea-coast to the
south border of Palestine.
Cassia
- (1.) Hebrew kiddah', i.e., "split." One of the principal spices of
the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:24), and an article of commerce (Ezek. 27:19).
It is the inner bark of a tree resembling the cinnamon (q.v.), the Cinnamomum
cassia of botanists, and was probably imported from India.
(2.)
Hebrew pl. ketzi'oth (Ps. 45:8). Mentioned in connection with myrrh and
aloes as being used to scent garments. It was probably prepared from the peeled
bark, as the Hebrew word suggests, of some kind of cinnamon.
Castaway
- Gr. adokimos, (1 Cor. 9:27), one regarded as unworthy (R.V., "rejected");
elsewhere rendered "reprobate" (2 Tim. 3:8, etc.); "rejected" (Heb. 6:8, etc.).
Castle
- a military fortress (1 Chr. 11:7), also probably a kind of tower used by
the priests for making known anything discovered at a distance (1 Chr. 6:54).
Castles are also mentioned (Gen. 25:16) as a kind of watch-tower, from which shepherds
kept watch over their flocks by night. The "castle" into which the chief captain
commanded Paul to be brought was the quarters of the Roman soldiers in the fortress
of Antonia (so called by Herod after his patron Mark Antony), which was close
to the north-west corner of the temple (Acts 21:34), which it commanded.
Castor
and Pollux - the "Dioscuri", two heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. Their
figures were probably painted or sculptured on the prow of the ship which Luke
refers to (Acts 28:11). They were regarded as the tutelary divinities of sailors.
They appeared in the heavens as the constellation Gemini.
Caterpillar
- the consumer. Used in the Old Testament (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chr. 6:28; Ps.
78:46; Isa. 33:4) as the translation of a word (hasil) the root of which means
"to devour" or "consume," and which is used also with reference to the locust
in Deut. 28:38. It may have been a species of locust, or the name of one of the
transformations through which the locust passes, locust-grub. It is also found
(Ps. 105:34; Jer. 51:14, 27; R.V., "cankerworm") as the rendering of a different
Hebrew word, yelek, a word elsewhere rendered "cankerworm" (q.v.), Joel
1:4; 2:25. (See LOCUST.)
Catholic
epistles - the epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude; so called because
they are addressed to Christians in general, and not to any church or person in
particular.
Cattle
- abounded in the Holy Land. To the rearing and management of them the inhabitants
chiefly devoted themselves (Deut. 8:13; 12:21; 1 Sam. 11:5; 12:3; Ps. 144:14;
Jer. 3:24). They may be classified as,
(1.)
Neat cattle. Many hundreds of these were yearly consumed in sacrifices or used
for food. The finest herds were found in Bashan, beyond Jordan (Num. 32:4). Large
herds also pastured on the wide fertile plains of Sharon. They were yoked to the
plough (1 Kings 19:19), and were employed for carrying burdens (1 Chr. 12:40).
They were driven with a pointed rod (Judg. 3:31) or goad (q.v.).
According
to the Mosaic law, the mouths of cattle employed for the threshing-floor were
not to be muzzled, so as to prevent them from eating of the provender over which
they trampled (Deut. 25:4). Whosoever stole and sold or slaughtered an ox must
give five in satisfaction (Ex. 22:1); but if it was found alive in the possession
of him who stole it, he was required to make double restitution only (22:4). If
an ox went astray, whoever found it was required to bring it back to its owner
(23:4; Deut. 22:1, 4). An ox and an ass could not be yoked together in the plough
(Deut. 22:10).
(2.) Small
cattle. Next to herds of neat cattle, sheep formed the most important of the possessions
of the inhabitants of Palestine (Gen. 12:16; 13:5; 26:14; 21:27; 29:2, 3). They
are frequently mentioned among the booty taken in war (Num. 31:32; Josh. 6:21;
1 Sam. 14:32; 15:3). There were many who were owners of large flocks (1 Sam. 25:2;
2 Sam. 12:2, comp. Job 1:3). Kings also had shepherds "over their flocks" (1 Chr.
27:31), from which they derived a large portion of their revenue (2 Sam. 17:29;
1 Chr. 12:40). The districts most famous for their flocks of sheep were the plain
of Sharon (Isa. 65: 10), Mount Carmel (Micah 7:14), Bashan and Gilead (Micah 7:14).
In patriarchal times the flocks of sheep were sometimes tended by the daughters
of the owners. Thus Rachel, the daughter of Laban, kept her father's sheep (Gen.
29:9); as also Zipporah and her six sisters had charge of their father Jethro's
flocks (Ex. 2:16). Sometimes they were kept by hired shepherds (John 10:12), and
sometimes by the sons of the family (1 Sam. 16:11; 17:15). The keepers so familiarized
their sheep with their voices that they knew them, and followed them at their
call. Sheep, but more especially rams and lambs, were frequently offered in sacrifice.
The shearing of sheep was a great festive occasion (1 Sam. 25:4; 2 Sam. 13:23).
They were folded at night, and guarded by their keepers against the attacks of
the lion (Micah 5:8), the bear (1 Sam. 17:34), and the wolf (Matt. 10:16; John
10:12). They were liable to wander over the wide pastures and go astray (Ps. 119:176;
Isa. 53:6; Hos. 4:16; Matt. 18:12).
Goats
also formed a part of the pastoral wealth of Palestine (Gen. 15:9; 32:14; 37:31).
They were used both for sacrifice and for food (Deut. 14:4), especially the young
males (Gen. 27:9, 14, 17; Judg. 6:19; 13:15; 1 Sam. 16:20). Goat's hair was used
for making tent cloth (Ex. 26:7; 36:14), and for mattresses and bedding (1 Sam.
19:13, 16). (See GOAT.)
Caul
- (Heb. yothe'reth; i.e., "something redundant"), the membrane which covers
the upper part of the liver (Ex. 29:13, 22; Lev. 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; 7:4; marg.,
"midriff"). In Hos. 13:8 (Heb. seghor; i.e., "an enclosure") the pericardium,
or parts about the heart, is meant.
Cauls
- In Isa. 3:18 this word (Heb. shebisim), in the marg. "networks," denotes
network caps to contain the hair, worn by females. Others explain it as meaning
"wreaths worn round the forehead, reaching from one ear to the other."
Causeway
- a raised way, an ascent by steps, or a raised slope between Zion and the
temple (1 Chr. 26:16, 18). In 2 Chr. 9:11 the same word is translated "terrace."
Cave
- There are numerous natural caves among the limestone rocks of Syria, many
of which have been artificially enlarged for various purposes.
The
first notice of a cave occurs in the history of Lot (Gen. 19:30).
The
next we read of is the cave of Machpelah (q.v.), which Abraham purchased from
the sons of Heth (Gen. 25:9, 10). It was the burying-place of Sarah and of Abraham
himself, also of Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (Gen. 49:31; 50:13).
The
cave of Makkedah, into which the five Amorite kings retired after their defeat
by Joshua (10:16, 27).
The
cave of Adullam (q.v.), an immense natural cavern, where David hid himself from
Saul (1 Sam. 22:1, 2).
The
cave of Engedi (q.v.), now called 'Ain Jidy, i.e., the "Fountain of the Kid",
where David cut off the skirt of Saul's robe (24:4). Here he also found a shelter
for himself and his followers to the number of 600 (23:29; 24:1). "On all sides
the country is full of caverns which might serve as lurking-places for David and
his men, as they do for outlaws at the present day."
The
cave in which Obadiah hid the prophets (1 Kings 18:4) was probably in the north,
but it cannot be identified.
The
cave of Elijah (1 Kings 19:9), and the "cleft" of Moses on Horeb (Ex. 33:22),
cannot be determined.
In
the time of Gideon the Israelites took refuge from the Midianites in dens and
caves, such as abounded in the mountain regions of Manasseh (Judg. 6:2).
Caves
were frequently used as dwelling-places (Num. 24:21; Cant. 2:14; Jer. 49:16; Obad.
1:3). "The excavations at Deir Dubban, on the south side of the wady leading to
Santa Hanneh, are probably the dwellings of the Horites," the ancient inhabitants
of Idumea Proper. The pits or cavities in rocks were also sometimes used as prisons
(Isa. 24:22; 51:14; Zech. 9:11). Those which had niches in their sides were occupied
as burying-places (Ezek. 32:23; John 11:38).
Cedar
- (Heb. e'rez, Gr. kedros, Lat. cedrus), a tree very frequently mentioned
in Scripture. It was stately (Ezek. 31:3-5), long-branched (Ps. 80:10; 92:12;
Ezek. 31:6-9), odoriferous (Cant. 4:11; Hos. 14:6), durable, and therefore much
used for boards, pillars, and ceilings (1 Kings 6:9, 10; 7:2; Jer. 22:14), for
masts (Ezek. 27:5), and for carved images (Isa. 44:14).
It
grew very abundantly in Palestine, and particularly on Lebanon, of which it was
"the glory" (Isa. 35:2; 60:13). Hiram supplied Solomon with cedar trees from Lebanon
for various purposes connected with the construction of the temple and the king's
palace (2 Sam. 5:11; 7:2, 7; 1 Kings 5:6, 8,10; 6:9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 20; 7:2,
3, 7, 11, 12; 9:11, etc.). Cedars were used also in the building of the second
temple under Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:7).
Of
the ancient cedars of Lebanon there remain now only some seven or eight. They
are not standing together. But beside them there are found between three hundred
and four hundred of younger growth. They stand in an amphitheatre fronting the
west, about 6,400 feet above the level of the sea.
The
cedar is often figuratively alluded to in the sacred Scriptures. "The mighty conquerors
of olden days, the despots of Assyria and the Pharaohs of Egypt, the proud and
idolatrous monarchs of Judah, the Hebrew commonwealth itself, the war-like Ammonites
of patriarchal times, and the moral majesty of the Messianic age, are all compared
to the towering cedar, in its royal loftiness and supremacy (Isa. 2:13; Ezek.
17:3, 22, 23, 31:3-9; Amos 2:9; Zech. 11:1, 2; Job 40:17; Ps. 29:5; 80:10; 92:12,
etc).", Groser's Scrip. Nat. Hist. (See BOX-TREE ¯T0000636.)
Cedron
- the black torrent, the brook flowing through the ravine below the eastern
wall of Jerusalem (John 18:1). (See KIDRON.)
Ceiling
- the covering (1 Kings 7:3,7) of the inside roof and walls of a house with
planks of wood (2 Chr. 3:5; Jer. 22:14). Ceilings were sometimes adorned with
various ornaments in stucco, gold, silver, gems, and ivory. The ceilings of the
temple and of Solomon's palace are described 1 Kings 6:9, 15; 7:3; 2 Chr. 3:5,9.
Cellar
- a subterranean vault (1 Chr. 27:28), a storehouse. The word is also used
to denote the treasury of the temple (1 Kings 7:51) and of the king (14:26). The
Hebrew word is rendered "garner" in Joel 1:17, and "armoury" in Jer. 50:25.
Cenchrea
- millet, the eastern harbour of Corinth, from which it was distant about
9 miles east, and the outlet for its trade with the Asiatic shores of the Mediterranean.
When Paul returned from his second missionary journey to Syria, he sailed from
this port (Acts 18:18). In Rom. 16:1 he speaks as if there were at the time of
his writing that epistle an organized church there. The western harbour of Corinth
was Lechaeum, about a mile and a half from the city. It was the channel of its
trade with Italy and the west.
Censer
- the vessel in which incense was presented on "the golden altar" before the
Lord in the temple (Ex. 30:1-9). The priest filled the censer with live coal from
the sacred fire on the altar of burnt-offering, and having carried it into the
sanctuary, there threw upon the burning coals the sweet incense (Lev. 16:12, 13),
which sent up a cloud of smoke, filling the apartment with fragrance. The censers
in daily use were of brass (Num. 16:39), and were designated by a different Hebrew
name, miktereth (2 Chr. 26:19; Ezek. 8:11): while those used on the day
of Atonement were of gold, and were denoted by a word (mahtah) meaning "something
to take fire with;" LXX. pureion = a fire-pan. Solomon prepared for the temple
censers of pure gold (1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chr. 4:22). The angel in the Apocalypse
is represented with a golden censer (Rev. 8:3, 5). Paul speaks of the golden censer
as belonging to the tabernacle (Heb. 9:4). The Greek word thumiaterion, here rendered
"censer," may more appropriately denote, as in the margin of Revised Version,
"the altar of incense." Paul does not here say that the thumiaterion was in the
holiest, for it was in the holy place, but that the holiest had it, i.e., that
it belonged to the holiest (1 Kings 6:22). It was intimately connected with the
high priest's service in the holiest.
The
manner in which the censer is to be used is described in Num. 4:14; Lev. 16:12.
Census
- There are five instances of a census of the Jewish people having been taken.
(1.) In the fourth month after the Exodus, when the people were encamped at Sinai.
The number of men from twenty years old and upward was then 603,550 (Ex. 38:26).
(2.) Another census was made just before the entrance into Canaan, when the number
was found to be 601,730, showing thus a small decrease (Num. 26:51). (3.) The
next census was in the time of David, when the number, exclusive of the tribes
of Levi and Benjamin, was found to be 1,300,000 (2 Sam. 24:9; 1 Chr. 21:5). (4.)
Solomon made a census of the foreigners in the land, and found 153,600 able-bodied
workmen (2 Chr. 2:17, 18). (5.) After the return from Exile the whole congregation
of Israel was numbered, and found to amount to 42,360 (Ezra 2:64). A census was
made by the Roman government in the time of our Lord (Luke 2:1). (See TAXING.)
Centurion
- a Roman officer in command of a hundred men (Mark 15:39, 44, 45). Cornelius,
the first Gentile convert, was a centurion (Acts 10:1, 22). Other centurions are
mentioned in Matt. 8:5, 8, 13; Luke 7:2, 6; Acts 21:32; 22:25, 26; 23:17, 23;
24:23; 27:1, 6, 11, 31, 43; 28:16. A centurion watched the crucifixion of our
Lord (Matt. 27:54; Luke 23:47), and when he saw the wonders attending it, exclaimed,
"Truly this man was the Son of God." "The centurions mentioned in the New Testament
are uniformly spoken of in terms of praise, whether in the Gospels or in the Acts.
It is interesting to compare this with the statement of Polybius (vi. 24), that
the centurions were chosen by merit, and so were men remarkable not so much for
their daring courage as for their deliberation, constancy, and strength of mind.",
Dr. Maclear's N. T. Hist.
Cephas
- a Syriac surname given by Christ to Simon (John 1:42), meaning "rock." The
Greeks translated it by Petros, and the Latins by Petrus.
Chaff
- the refuse of winnowed corn. It was usually burned (Ex. 15:7; Isa. 5:24;
Matt. 3:12). This word sometimes, however, means dried grass or hay (Isa. 5:24;
33:11). Chaff is used as a figure of abortive wickedness (Ps. 1:4; Matt. 3:12).
False doctrines are also called chaff (Jer. 23:28), or more correctly rendered
"chopped straw." The destruction of the wicked, and their powerlessness, are likened
to the carrying away of chaff by the wind (Isa. 17:13; Hos. 13:3; Zeph. 2:2).
Chain
- (1.) A part of the insignia of office. A chain of gold was placed about
Joseph's neck (Gen. 41:42); and one was promised to Daniel (5:7). It is used as
a symbol of sovereignty (Ezek. 16:11). The breast-plate of the high-priest was
fastened to the ephod by golden chains (Ex. 39:17, 21).
(2.)
It was used as an ornament (Prov. 1:9; Cant. 1:10). The Midianites adorned the
necks of their camels with chains (Judg. 8:21, 26).
(3.)
Chains were also used as fetters wherewith prisoners were bound (Judg. 16:21;
2 Sam. 3:34; 2 Kings 25:7; Jer. 39:7). Paul was in this manner bound to a Roman
soldier (Acts 28:20; Eph. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:16). Sometimes, for the sake of greater
security, the prisoner was attached by two chains to two soldiers, as in the case
of Peter (Acts 12:6).
Chalcedony
- Mentioned only in Rev. 21:19, as one of the precious stones in the foundation
of the New Jerusalem. The name of this stone is derived from Chalcedon, where
it is said to have been first discovered. In modern mineralogy this is the name
of an agate-like quartz of a bluish colour. Pliny so names the Indian ruby. The
mineral intended in Revelation is probably the Hebrew nophekh, translated
"emerald" (Ex. 28:18; 39:11; Ezek. 27:16; 28:13). It is rendered "anthrax" in
the LXX., and "carbunculus" in the Vulgate. (See CARBUNCLE.)
Chaldea
- The southern portion of Babylonia, Lower Mesopotamia, lying chiefly on the
right bank of the Euphrates, but commonly used of the whole of the Mesopotamian
plain. The Hebrew name is Kasdim, which is usually rendered "Chaldeans" (Jer.
50:10; 51:24,35).
The country
so named is a vast plain formed by the deposits of the Euphrates and the Tigris,
extending to about 400 miles along the course of these rivers, and about 100 miles
in average breadth. "In former days the vast plains of Babylon were nourished
by a complicated system of canals and water-courses, which spread over the surface
of the country like a network. The wants of a teeming population were supplied
by a rich soil, not less bountiful than that on the banks of the Egyptian Nile.
Like islands rising from a golden sea of waving corn stood frequent groves of
palm-trees and pleasant gardens, affording to the idler or traveller their grateful
and highly-valued shade. Crowds of passengers hurried along the dusty roads to
and from the busy city. The land was rich in corn and wine."
Recent
discoveries, more especially in Babylonia, have thrown much light on the history
of the Hebrew patriarchs, and have illustrated or confirmed the Biblical narrative
in many points. The ancestor of the Hebrew people, Abram, was, we are told, born
at "Ur of the Chaldees." "Chaldees" is a mistranslation of the Hebrew Kasdim,
Kasdim being the Old Testament name of the Babylonians, while the Chaldees were
a tribe who lived on the shores of the Persian Gulf, and did not become a part
of the Babylonian population till the time of Hezekiah. Ur was one of the oldest
and most famous of the Babylonian cities. Its site is now called Mugheir, or Mugayyar,
on the western bank of the Euphrates, in Southern Babylonia. About a century before
the birth of Abram it was ruled by a powerful dynasty of kings. Their conquests
extended to Elam on the one side, and to the Lebanon on the other. They were followed
by a dynasty of princes whose capital was Babylon, and who seem to have been of
South Arabian origin. The founder of the dynasty was Sumu-abi ("Shem is my father").
But soon afterwards Babylonia fell under Elamite dominion. The kings of Babylon
were compelled to acknowledge the supremacy of Elam, and a rival kingdom to that
of Babylon, and governed by Elamites, sprang up at Larsa, not far from Ur, but
on the opposite bank of the river. In the time of Abram the king of Larsa was
Eri-Aku, the son of an Elamite prince, and Eri-Aku, as has long been recognized,
is the Biblical "Arioch king of Ellasar" (Gen. 14:1). The contemporaneous king
of Babylon in the north, in the country termed Shinar in Scripture, was Khammu-rabi.
(See BABYLON ¯T0000409; ABRAHAM ¯T0000054; AMRAPHEL.)
Chaldee
language - employed by the sacred writers in certain portions of the Old Testament,
viz., Dan. 2:4-7, 28; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Gen. 31:46; Jer. 10:11. It is the
Aramaic dialect, as it is sometimes called, as distinguished from the Hebrew dialect.
It was the language of commerce and of social intercourse in Western Asia, and
after the Exile gradually came to be the popular language of Palestine. It is
called "Syrian" in 2 Kings 18:26. Some isolated words in this language are preserved
in the New Testament (Matt. 5:22; 6:24; 16:17; 27:46; Mark 3:17; 5:41; 7:34; 14:36;
Acts 1:19; 1 Cor. 16:22). These are specimens of the vernacular language of Palestine
at that period. The term "Hebrew" was also sometimes applied to the Chaldee because
it had become the language of the Hebrews (John 5:2; 19:20).
Chaldees
- or Chaldeans, the inhabitants of the country of which Babylon was the capital.
They were so called till the time of the Captivity (2 Kings 25; Isa. 13:19; 23:13),
when, particularly in the Book of Daniel (5:30; 9:1), the name began to be used
with special reference to a class of learned men ranked with the magicians and
astronomers. These men cultivated the ancient Cushite language of the original
inhabitants of the land, for they had a "learning" and a "tongue" (1:4) of their
own. The common language of the country at that time had become assimilated to
the Semitic dialect, especially through the influence of the Assyrians, and was
the language that was used for all civil purposes. The Chaldeans were the learned
class, interesting themselves in science and religion, which consisted, like that
of the ancient Arabians and Syrians, in the worship of the heavenly bodies. There
are representations of this priestly class, of magi and diviners, on the walls
of the Assyrian palaces.
Chamber
- "on the wall," which the Shunammite prepared for the prophet Elisha (2 Kings
4:10), was an upper chamber over the porch through the hall toward the street.
This was the "guest chamber" where entertainments were prepared (Mark 14:14).
There were also "chambers within chambers" (1 Kings 22:25; 2 Kings 9:2). To enter
into a chamber is used metaphorically of prayer and communion with God (Isa. 26:20).
The "chambers of the south" (Job 9:9) are probably the constelations of the southern
hemisphere. The "chambers of imagery", i.e., chambers painted with images, as
used by Ezekiel (8:12), is an expression denoting the vision the prophet had of
the abominations practised by the Jews in Jerusalem.
Chambering
- (Rom. 13:13), wantonness, impurity.
Chamberlain
- a confidential servant of the king (Gen. 37:36; 39:1). In Rom. 16:23 mention
is made of "Erastus the chamberlain." Here the word denotes the treasurer of the
city, or the quaestor, as the Romans styled him. He is almost the only convert
from the higher ranks of whom mention is made (comp. Acts 17:34). Blastus, Herod's
"chamberlain" (Acts 12:20), was his personal attendant or valet-de-chambre. The
Hebrew word saris, thus translated in Esther 1:10, 15; 2:3, 14, 21, etc.,
properly means an eunuch (as in the marg.), as it is rendered in Isa. 39:7; 56:3.
Chameleon
- a species of lizard which has the faculty of changing the colour of its
skin. It is ranked among the unclean animals in Lev. 11:30, where the Hebrew word
so translated is coah (R.V., "land crocodile"). In the same verse the Hebrew
tanshemeth, rendered in Authorized Version "mole," is in Revised Version
"chameleon," which is the correct rendering. This animal is very common in Egypt
and in the Holy Land, especially in the Jordan valley.
Chamois
- only in Deut. 14:5 (Heb. zemer), an animal of the deer or gazelle species.
It bears this Hebrew name from its leaping or springing. The animal intended is
probably the wild sheep (Ovis tragelephus), which is still found in Sinai and
in the broken ridges of Stony Arabia. The LXX. and Vulgate render the word by
camelopardus, i.e., the giraffe; but this is an animal of Central Africa, and
is not at all known in Syria.
Champion
- (1 Sam. 17:4, 23), properly "the man between the two," denoting the position
of Goliath between the two camps. Single combats of this kind at the head of armies
were common in ancient times. In ver. 51 this word is the rendering of a different
Hebrew word, and properly denotes "a mighty man."
Chance
- (Luke 10:31). "It was not by chance that the priest came down by that road
at that time, but by a specific arrangement and in exact fulfilment of a plan;
not the plan of the priest, nor the plan of the wounded traveller, but the plan
of God. By coincidence (Gr. sungkuria) the priest came down, that is, by the conjunction
of two things, in fact, which were previously constituted a pair in the providence
of God. In the result they fell together according to the omniscient Designer's
plan. This is the true theory of the divine government." Compare the meeting of
Philip with the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26, 27). There is no "chance" in God's empire.
"Chance" is only another word for our want of knowledge as to the way in which
one event falls in with another (1 Sam. 6:9; Eccl. 9:11).
Chancellor
- one who has judicial authority, literally, a "lord of judgement;" a title
given to the Persian governor of Samaria (Ezra 4:8, 9, 17).
Changes
of raiment - were reckoned among the treasures of rich men (Gen. 45:22; Judg.
14:12, 13; 2 Kings 5:22, 23).
Channel
- (1.) The bed of the sea or of a river (Ps. 18:15; Isa. 8:7).
(2.)
The "chanelbone" (Job 31:22 marg.), properly "tube" or "shaft," an old term for
the collar-bone.
Chapel
- a holy place or sanctuary, occurs only in Amos 7:13, where one of the idol
priests calls Bethel "the king's chapel."
Chapiter
- the ornamental head or capital of a pillar. Three Hebrew words are so rendered.
(1.) Cothereth (1 Kings 7:16; 2 Kings 25:17; 2 Chr. 4:12), meaning a "diadem"
or "crown." (2.) Tzepheth (2 Chr. 3:15). (3.) Rosh (Ex. 36:38; 38:17,
19, 28), properly a "head" or "top."
Chapter
- The several books of the Old and New Testaments were from an early time
divided into chapters. The Pentateuch was divided by the ancient Hebrews into
54 parshioth or sections, one of which was read in the synagogue every
Sabbath day (Acts. 13:15). These sections were afterwards divided into 669 sidrim
or orders of unequal length. The Prophets were divided in somewhat the same manner
into haphtaroth or passages.
In
the early Latin and Greek versions of the Bible, similar divisions of the several
books were made. The New Testament books were also divided into portions of various
lengths under different names, such as titles and heads or chapters.
In
modern times this ancient example was imitated, and many attempts of the kind
were made before the existing division into chapters was fixed. The Latin Bible
published by Cardinal Hugo of St. Cher in A.D. 1240 is generally regarded as the
first Bible that was divided into our present chapters, although it appears that
some of the chapters were fixed as early as A.D. 1059. This division into chapters
came gradually to be adopted in the published editions of the Hebrew, with some
few variations, and of the Greek Scriptures, and hence of other versions.
Charashim
- craftsmen, a valley named in 1 Chr. 4:14. In Neh. 11:35 the Hebrew word
is rendered "valley of craftsmen" (R.V. marg., Geha-rashim). Nothing is known
of it.
Charger
- a bowl or deep dish. The silver vessels given by the heads of the tribes
for the services of the tabernacle are so named (Num. 7:13, etc.). The "charger"
in which the Baptist's head was presented was a platter or flat wooden trencher
(Matt. 14:8, 11; Mark 6:25, 28). The chargers of gold and silver of Ezra 1:9 were
probably basins for receiving the blood of sacrifices.
Chariot
- a vehicle generally used for warlike purposes. Sometimes, though but rarely,
it is spoken of as used for peaceful purposes.
The
first mention of the chariot is when Joseph, as a mark of distinction, was placed
in Pharaoh's second state chariot (Gen. 41:43); and the next, when he went out
in his own chariot to meet his father Jacob (46:29). Chariots formed part of the
funeral procession of Jacob (50:9). When Pharaoh pursued the Israelites he took
600 war-chariots with him (Ex. 14:7). The Canaanites in the valleys of Palestine
had chariots of iron (Josh. 17:18; Judg. 1:19). Jabin, the king of Canaan, had
900 chariots (Judg. 4:3); and in Saul's time the Philistines had 30,000. In his
wars with the king of Zobah and with the Syrians, David took many chariots among
the spoils (2 Sam. 8:4; 10:18). Solomon maintained as part of his army 1,400 chariots
(1 Kings 10:26), which were chiefly imported from Egypt (29). From this time forward
they formed part of the armies of Israel (1 Kings 22:34; 2 Kings 9:16, 21; 13:7,
14; 18:24; 23:30).
In the
New Testament we have only one historical reference to the use of chariots, in
the case of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts. 8:28, 29, 38).
This
word is sometimes used figuratively for hosts (Ps. 68:17; 2 Kings 6:17). Elijah,
by his prayers and his counsel, was "the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof."
The rapid agency of God in the phenomena of nature is also spoken of under the
similitude of a chariot (Ps. 104:3; Isa. 66:15; Hab. 3:8).
Chariot
of the cherubim (1 Chr. 28:18), the chariot formed by the two cherubs on the mercy-seat
on which the Lord rides.
Chariot
cities were set apart for storing the war-chariots in time of peace (2 Chr. 1:14).
Chariot horses were such
as were peculiarly fitted for service in chariots (2 Kings 7:14).
Chariots
of war are described in Ex. 14:7; 1 Sam. 13:5; 2 Sam. 8:4; 1 Chr. 18:4; Josh.
11:4; Judg. 4:3, 13. They were not used by the Israelites till the time of David.
Elijah was translated in a "chariot of fire" (2 Kings 2:11). Comp. 2 Kings 6:17.
This vision would be to Elisha a source of strength and encouragement, for now
he could say, "They that be with us are more than they that be with them."
Charity
- (1 Cor. 13), the rendering in the Authorized Version of the word which properly
denotes love, and is frequently so rendered (always so in the Revised Version).
It is spoken of as the greatest of the three Christian graces (1 Cor. 12:31-13:13).
Charmer
- one who practises serpent-charming (Ps. 58:5; Jer. 8:17; Eccl. 10:11). It
was an early and universal opinion that the most venomous reptiles could be made
harmless by certain charms or by sweet sounds. It is well known that there are
jugglers in India and in other Eastern lands who practise this art at the present
day.
In Isa. 19:3 the word
"charmers" is the rendering of the Hebrew 'ittim, meaning, properly, necromancers
(R.V. marg., "whisperers"). In Deut. 18:11 the word "charmer" means a dealer in
spells, especially one who, by binding certain knots, was supposed thereby to
bind a curse or a blessing on its object. In Isa. 3:3 the words "eloquent orator"
should be, as in the Revised Version, "skilful enchanter."
Charran
- another form (Acts 7:2, 4) of Haran (q.v.).
Chebar
- length, a river in the "land of the Chaldeans" (Ezek. 1:3), on the banks
of which were located some of the Jews of the Captivity (Ezek. 1:1; 3:15, 23;
10:15, 20, 22). It has been supposed to be identical with the river Habor, the
Chaboras, or modern Khabour, which falls into the Euphrates at Circesium. To the
banks of this river some of the Israelites were removed by the Assyrians (2 Kings
17:6). An opinion that has much to support it is that the "Chebar" was the royal
canal of Nebuchadnezzar, the Nahr Malcha, the greatest in Mesopotamia, which connected
the Tigris with the Euphrates, in the excavation of which the Jewish captives
were probably employed.
Chedorlaomer
- (= Khudur-Lagamar of the inscriptions), king of Elam. Many centuries before
the age of Abraham, Canaan and even the Sinaitic peninsula had been conquered
by Babylonian kings, and in the time of Abraham himself Babylonia was ruled by
a dynasty which claimed sovereignity over Syria and Palestine. The kings of the
dynasty bore names which were not Babylonian, but at once South Arabic and Hebrew.
The most famous king of the dynasty was Khammu-rabi, who united Babylonia under
one rule, and made Babylon its capital. When he ascended the throne, the country
was under the suzerainty of the Elamites, and was divided into two kingdoms, that
of Babylon (the Biblical Shinar) and that of Larsa (the Biblical Ellasar). The
king of Larsa was Eri-Aku ("the servant of the moon-god"), the son of an Elamite
prince, Kudur-Mabug, who is entitled "the father of the land of the Amorites."
A recently discovered tablet enumerates among the enemies of Khammu-rabi, Kudur-Lagamar
("the servant of the goddess Lagamar") or Chedorlaomer, Eri-Aku or Arioch, and
Tudkhula or Tidal. Khammu-rabi, whose name is also read Ammi-rapaltu or Amraphel
by some scholars, succeeded in overcoming Eri-Aku and driving the Elamites out
of Babylonia. Assur-bani-pal, the last of the Assyrian conquerors, mentions in
two inscriptions that he took Susa 1635 years after Kedor-nakhunta, king of Elam,
had conquered Babylonia. It was in the year B.C. 660 that Assur-bani-pal took
Susa.
Cheek
- Smiting on the cheek was accounted a grievous injury and insult (Job 16:10;
Lam. 3:30; Micah 5:1). The admonition (Luke 6:29), "Unto him that smiteth thee
on the one cheek offer also the other," means simply, "Resist not evil" (Matt.
5:39; 1 Pet. 2:19-23). Ps. 3:7 = that God had deprived his enemies of the power
of doing him injury.
Cheese
- (A.S. cese). This word occurs three times in the Authorized Version as the
translation of three different Hebrew words: (1.) 1 Sam. 17:18, "ten cheeses;"
i.e., ten sections of curd. (2.) 2 Sam. 17:29, "cheese of kine" = perhaps curdled
milk of kine. The Vulgate version reads "fat calves." (3.) Job 10:10, curdled
milk is meant by the word.
Chemarim
- black, (Zeph. 1:4; rendered "idolatrous priests" in 2 Kings 23:5, and "priests"
in Hos. 10:5). Some derive this word from the Assyrian Kamaru, meaning "to throw
down," and interpret it as describing the idolatrous priests who prostrate themselves
before the idols. Others regard it as meaning "those who go about in black," or
"ascetics."
Chemosh
- the destroyer, subduer, or fish-god, the god of the Moabites (Num. 21:29;
Jer. 48:7, 13, 46). The worship of this god, "the abomination of Moab," was introduced
at Jerusalem by Solomon (1 Kings 11:7), but was abolished by Josiah (2 Kings 23:13).
On the "Moabite Stone" (q.v.), Mesha (2 Kings 3:5) ascribes his victories over
the king of Israel to this god, "And Chemosh drove him before my sight."
Chenaanah
- merchant. (1.) A Benjamite (1 Chr. 7:10). (2.) The father of Zedekiah (1
Kings 22:11, 24).
Chenaiah
- whom Jehovah hath made. "Chief of the Levites," probably a Kohathite (1
Chr. 15:22), and therefore not the same as mentioned in 26:29.
Chephirah
- village, one of the four cities of the Gibeonitish Hivites with whom Joshua
made a league (9:17). It belonged to Benjamin. It has been identified with the
modern Kefireh, on the west confines of Benjamin, about 2 miles west of Ajalon
and 11 from Jerusalem.
Cherethim
- (Ezek. 25:16), more frequently Cherethites, the inhabitants of Southern
Philistia, the Philistines (Zeph. 2:5). The Cherethites and the Pelethites were
David's life-guards (1 Sam. 30:14; 2 Sam. 8:18; 20:7, 23; 23:23). This name is
by some interpreted as meaning "Cretans," and by others "executioners," who were
ready to execute the king's sentence of death (Gen. 37:36, marg.; 1 Kings 2:25).
Cherith
- a cutting; separation; a gorge, a torrent-bed or winter-stream, a "brook,"
in whose banks the prophet Elijah hid himself during the early part of the three
years' drought (1 Kings 17:3, 5). It has by some been identified as the Wady el-Kelt
behind Jericho, which is formed by the junction of many streams flowing from the
mountains west of Jericho. It is dry in summer. Travellers have described it as
one of the wildest ravines of this wild region, and peculiarly fitted to afford
a secure asylum to the persecuted. But if the prophet's interview with Ahab was
in Samaria, and he thence journeyed toward the east, it is probable that he crossed
Jordan and found refuge in some of the ravines of Gilead. The "brook" is said
to have been "before Jordan," which probably means that it opened toward that
river, into which it flowed. This description would apply to the east as well
as to the west of Jordan. Thus Elijah's hiding-place may have been the Jermuk,
in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Cherub
- plural cherubim, the name of certain symbolical figures frequently mentioned
in Scripture. They are first mentioned in connection with the expulsion of our
first parents from Eden (Gen. 3:24). There is no intimation given of their shape
or form. They are next mentioned when Moses was commanded to provide furniture
for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:17-20; 26:1, 31). God promised to commune with Moses
"from between the cherubim" (25:22). This expression was afterwards used to denote
the Divine abode and presence (Num. 7:89; 1 Sam. 4:4; Isa. 37:16; Ps. 80:1; 99:1).
In Ezekiel's vision (10:1-20) they appear as living creatures supporting the throne
of God. From Ezekiel's description of them (1;10; 41:18, 19), they appear to have
been compound figures, unlike any real object in nature; artificial images possessing
the features and properties of several animals. Two cherubim were placed on the
mercy-seat of the ark; two of colossal size overshadowed it in Solomon's temple.
Ezekiel (1:4-14) speaks of four; and this number of "living creatures" is mentioned
in Rev. 4:6. Those on the ark are called the "cherubim of glory" (Heb. 9:5), i.e.,
of the Shechinah, or cloud of glory, for on them the visible glory of God rested.
They were placed one at each end of the mercy-seat, with wings stretched upward,
and their faces "toward each other and toward the mercy-seat." They were anointed
with holy oil, like the ark itself and the other sacred furniture.
The
cherubim were symbolical. They were intended to represent spiritual existences
in immediate contact with Jehovah. Some have regarded them as symbolical of the
chief ruling power by which God carries on his operations in providence (Ps. 18:10).
Others interpret them as having reference to the redemption of men, and as symbolizing
the great rulers or ministers of the church. Many other opinions have been held
regarding them which need not be referred to here. On the whole, it seems to be
most satisfactory to regard the interpretation of the symbol to be variable, as
is the symbol itself.
Their
office was, (1) on the expulsion of our first parents from Eden, to prevent all
access to the tree of life; and (2) to form the throne and chariot of Jehovah
in his manifestation of himself on earth. He dwelleth between and sitteth on the
cherubim (1 Sam. 4:4; Ps. 80:1; Ezek. 1:26, 28).
Chesalon
- strength; confidence, a place on the border of Judah, on the side of Mount
Jearim (Josh. 15:10); probably identified with the modern village of Kesla, on
the western mountains of Judah.
Chesed
- gain, the son of Nahor (Gen. 22:22).
Chesil
- ungodly, a town in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:30); probably the same as
Bethul (19:4) and Bethuel (1 Chr. 4:30); now Khelasa.
Chest
- (Heb. 'aron, generally rendered "ark"), the coffer into which the
contributions for the repair of the temple were put (2 Kings 12:9, 10; 2 Chr.
24:8, 10, 11). In Gen. 50:26 it is rendered "coffin." In Ezek. 27:24 a different
Hebrew word, genazim (plur.), is used. It there means "treasure-chests."
Chestnut
tree - (Heb. 'armon; i.e., "naked"), mentioned in connection with Jacob's
artifice regarding the cattle (Gen. 30:37). It is one of the trees of which, because
of its strength and beauty, the Assyrian empire is likened (Ezek. 31:8; R.V.,
"plane trees"). It is probably the Oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis) that
is intended. It is a characteristic of this tree that it annually sheds its outer
bark, becomes "naked." The chestnut tree proper is not a native of Palestine.
Chesulloth
- fertile places; the loins, a town of Issachar, on the slopes of some mountain
between Jezreel and Shunem (Josh. 19:18). It has been identified with Chisloth-tabor,
2 1/2 miles to the west of Mount Tabor, and north of Jezreel; now Iksal.
Chezib
- deceitful, a town where Shelah, the son of Judah, was born (Gen. 38:5).
Probably the same as Achzib (q.v.).
You are invited to join our Forum
and discuss any issues
pertaining to faith or the search for it.
Your comments are published here instantly.
CrossCurrents
Forum
(To see the current list of
topics your browser must allow Active Content)
CrossCurrents
Recent Discussions
Please take a moment to let us know you
were here!
Just send us an email to subscribe to our free newsletter.
If you want to talk with someone in person, please feel free to call 212-864-5436
The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and
Executive Director of CrossCurrents.
He is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2005).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2007).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.