ADVERTISEMENT.

WHEN Proposals were first issued for publishing this work, it was contemplated to have taken as copy one printed in Europe several years after Mr. Brown's death: but on comparing it with the volumes of the author's own correcting, published in Edinburgh a short period before his decease, we found that it had been considerably mutilated, many of the articles much altered, others entirely different, and even the opinions of its author frequently contested. This we considered to be ungenerous and unfair-while the reader is lead to believe that he is examining the productions and opinions of one man, it cannot be called less than a deception to impose on him those of another. To do both the author and the reader justice, therefore, we conceived it to be more correct to follow implicitly the original work as corrected by Mr. Brown himself, with the exception of two or three articles in the forepart of the first volume, which are marked as additional, and a few corrections which we have made as tending to render the sentence a little more plain, without in the least affecting the sense of the subject-matter, or giving it a different view than that which the author intended.

In the body of the work, alphabetically placed, we have inserted a brief account of a number of sects of the Religious from the earliest periods of Christianity. This we have done as matter of Church History, and as the articles happened to fall under our view in the progress of the work; not having had the most foreign idea to please the one, while we might unguardedly offend the other, but that it might be useful to all whose reading leads them to this kind of curious research. These articles are all taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica, and the American edition of the Encyclopedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, and are marked thus "Ency." at the end of each article.

THE NOTES, at the foot of the pages, being of a Theological, Literary, and Historical nature, we hope will be found useful, and as adding to the great mass of information with which the whole work is replete. Many of these are also taken from the Encyclopedia, those that are, are marked with "Ency." at the end of each note. Others, learned and illustrative, were furnished us by the Rev. JOHN ANDERSON, of Service and King's creek, Pennsylvania, a friend and pupil of the author's, and to whom we return our thanks for his kind attention and useful labour.

THE Maps and Plates, which are executed in the first style of elegance by our best American artists, and at a very considerable expense, we hope will be found a valuable acquisition to the work: These were never before published in the United States.

UPON the whole, we have spared no pains nor cost, to make the Pittsburgh Edition of Brown's Dictionary of the Holy Bible, worthy the approbation of its numerous and respectable Patrons, to whom we with peculiar pleasure return our most grateful and cordial thanks; to the Reverend Clergy of all denominations in particular; whose zeal and indefatigable industry have been the occasion of the publication of these inestimable and truly celebrated volumes-volumes equally calculated to amuse the most learned, while they instruct and edify the more simple and ignorant. While they afford an inexhaustible fund of ancient History and Geography to one; another is turning over the leaves of Natural History and Botany; another the pages of Astronomy and Philosophy; another Chemistry and Anatomy; another Mineralogy; and the sixth diving into the depths of true Scripture knowledge, and sipping the sweets of the inspired Oracles of God, "By which men live," says our learned and pious author, " and in them is the life of our soul.”

How far our additions to this work may meet the approbation of an enlightened public, remains yet to be decided: Since, however, our motives have been guided by the purest principles of honesty, we hope they will at least receive a candid, and impartial examination, and a judgment fraught with mildness and indulgence. We have aimed to be useful, and if in attempting to do good, we have failed in some points, and committed errors, we shall esteem it a duty highly incumbent on those detecting them, to point them out to us on the same liberal principles by which we have been governed, in order that they may be corrected in a future edition, if it should so happen that another impression be required. It is by the correcting of each other's faults, that we become the better acquainted with the principles of TRUTH.

THAT the volumes which we now issue to the public, may be ever found helpful in promoting our peace and good understanding here, and the happiness of our souls hereafter, is the ardent prayer of the

PREFACE.

NO Volumes equally deserve our attentive perusal as the inspired Oracles of God. By these men live, and in them is the life of our soul. They are the inestimable Testament of God our Saviour; the blessed means of all true and spiritual wisdom, holiness, comfort, and eternal felicity. Let us then daily search the scriptures, and understand what we read; for these are they that testify of Christ. Since they are one of the most valuable talents committed to us, and for which we must give an account at the great day of the Lord, let us, with all our getting, get the understanding of them; let us hide them in our hearts, believing what they assert, receiving what they offer, and doing whatsoever they command us. To assist in the perusal of these divine Volumes, is the following Work offered to the public. How far it differs from these of the kind, published by Illyricus, or Wilson, in one, or by Simon in two, or by Ravanell, or Calmet, in three volumes folio; and of the last of which, a kind of abridgment has been lately published at London, will be easily perceived, by a comparison of a small part of any of them herewith; especially on the larger articles of ANGELS, ANTICHRIST, APOCRYPHA, ARABIA, CHURCH, GOD, GOSPEL, HEBREWS, &c.

hinted.

THE principal significations of emblematic words are here briefly The gospel-signification of types, personal or real, is shortly touched. Whatever I knew of, in history, correspondent to scripturepredictions, relative to persons, nations, churches, or cities, is briefly related; and, except where the predictions were exceeding numerous, as in the article CHRIST, CHURCH, HEBREWS, have quoted the prophetic passages, that the readers, by viewing them in their Bibles, and comparing them with the history here exhibited, may perceive the exactness of their accomplishment.

PERHAPS it may be necessary to observe, (1.) That I have only hinted the significations which words have in the Bible. (2.) That I have omitted many words, which could be rendered no plainer; or that expressed the name of a person or city, of which almost nothing was known; or no more than is plainly hinted in the inspired passage where it is found. (3.) That the mark at the end of an article, signifies, that there are other persons, or things of the same name, but of which nothing important is known. (4.) That a word, different from that of the article, printed in capitals, often refers the reader to its own article. (5.) That the mark † in quotations, signifies a marginal reading. (6.) That, by observing what words in a text are most hard to be understood, and observing the first three letters of a word, and their order in the alphabet, and seeking for the like word here in the same order, one is to expect to have it explained. (7.) Where two or more words, and names of persons or places, are almost alway connected, one will ordinarily find the explication or account, under the word that is first in order in the scripture-text; and where the same person or thing has different names, the explication is to be expected under that which is most common, or which comes first in the order of the alphabet. (8.) Few fancies of the Christian fathers, or of the Jewish or Mahometan writers, are here inserted, as I knew not how they could be of use: nor have I insisted on criticisms of the original words, as these could have been of small use to many of the readers; and the learned can find plenty of them in the later editions of Leigh's Criticia Sacra; or in Gussetius's Hebrew Commentaries; Hiller's Onomasticon; Glassius, Whitby, &c. (9.) I have not wilfully kept back the solution of any difficulty; but it is often given, especially in historical articles, without the least critical noise of parade.

I HAVE bestowed no small pains in rendering this edition considerably more perfect than the former. If God bless it for promoting the knowledge of his word, and the edification of his church, I shall esteem my labour richly rewarded.

A

DICTIONARY

OF THE

HOLY BIBLE.

A,

A, A. This is what we meet and appointed of God to be spokeswith in several places of the man for his brother Moses to PhaVulgate Bible, viz. Jer. i. 6. and xiv. raoh, and the Hebrews; id. iv. 14— 13. in Ezek. iv. 14. xx. 49. and in Joel 16. Along with his brother, he ini. 15. In all which passages, A, A, A, timated God's gracious purpose, of are to be understood in the way of their speedy deliverance, to his disexclamation, as if it were said, alas, tressed kinsmen; and, in the name alas, alas! in Jer. i. 6. Et dixi a, a, a, of God, demanded of Pharaoh an imDomine Deus, ecce nescio loqui qui mediate allowance for them to go into puer ego sum. This, one might think || the wilderness of Arabia, to serve the to be the stammering of a child that Lord their God. Pharaoh ordered cannot speak distinctly. But the He- Aaron and Moses to be gone from brew reads only ahah or heu once his presence, and increased the Hewithout repetition; and after the same brews' servitude, denying them straw manner in Ch. xiv. 13. as well as in wherewith to make their bricks.-the places above cited from Ezek. and Aaron and Moses were hereupon upJoel. So that in all these passages braided and cursed by their brethren, the translation should be, alas! with- for asking their dismission, and so out adding any thing more. [a] occasioning their aggravated labour and misery, id. 5.

AARON, a Levite, the son of Amram, and brother of MOSES and About two months after, while the Miriam. He was born in the year Hebrews, newly delivered from Eof the world 2430, about a year before gypt, fought with Amalek in RephiPharaoh ordered the male infants of dim, Aaron and Hur attended Moses the Hebrews to be slain. When he to the top of an adjacent hill, and was grown up, he married Elisheba held up his hands, while he continued the daughter of Amminadab, a chief encouraging the struggling Hebrews, prince of the tribe of Judah, and had and praying for victory to them, id. by her four sons, Nadab and Abihu, xvii. 10,-13. At Sinai, he, with Eleazar and Ithamar, Exod. vi. 20, his two eldest sons, and seventy of 23. He was an holy and compas-the elders of Israel, accompanied sionate man, an excellent speaker, Moses part of his way up to the VOL. I.

B