striking manner what mighty heroes priesthood; executed that office unDavid and his attendants were; that der Samuel; and was succeeded by himself was too prudent to lodge all his sons; first Ahiah, and then Ahinight with his friends, but would be melech, 1 Sam. iv. and xiv. 3. There hid in some pit; that he and his party were besides two Ahitubs, both fabeing so valiant, and besides enraged thers of Zadoks, and descended of and desperate, it was hard to say what ELEAZAR. But it does not appear, slaughter they might make of Ahi-that the first of them could execute thophel's 12,000 in the night; and the office of highpriest, 1 Chron. vi. what terror might seize Ahithophel 8, 11. himself; and so a small loss at the AHOLAH and АHOLIBAH, two first magnified by report, might dis-feigned names, whereby the prophet courage the whole party, and ruin it Ezekiel represents the kingdoms of before it was firmly established. Hu-Israel and Judah: the first signifying shai therefore proposed, that every a tent, denotes Samaria and the ten Hebrew, able to bear arms, should be tribes: the second signifying my tent assembled; that Absalom himself is in her, denotes Jerusalem and her should take the honour of command-subjects. Both are represented as ing this prodigious host; and fall of Egyptian extraction, because of upon his father, as the dew falls on the Hebrews sojourning in Egypt; the ground; quite overwhelm him and as prostituting themselves to the with numbers; and even draw the Egyptians and Assyrians; imitating city, whither he might flee, with their idolatries, and relying on their ropes into the adjacent river. This help. For which reason, the Lord humorous proposal, designed for threatens to make these very peotheir ruin, so gratified the pride of ple their oppressors, and the means Absalom and his nobles, that they of their captivity and cruel servitude, preferred it to that of Ahithophel.Ahithophel, partly from a proud indignation that his advice was not followed, and perhaps partly from foresight that Hushai's measures effectually tended to reinstate David, he saddled his ass;' rode home to Giloh; ordered the affairs of his family; and then hanged himself, 2 Sam. xv. 12. and xvi. 20. and xvii.* Ezek. xxiii. AHUZZATH, a friend of the 2d ABIMELECH, who reigned at Gerar, and who, with Phichol, attended him when he came to establish an alliance with Isaac. The Chaldaic targum, and such versions as follow it, render his name a company of friends, Gen. xxvi. 26. AI, AIATH, AIJA, HAI, a city aAHITUB, the son of Phinehas,bout 9 miles north-east of Jerusalem, and brother of Ichabod. His father and one eastward of Bethel. Near being slain in that unhappy engage-it, Abraham sometime sojourned, ment, in which the ark of God was and built an altar, Gen. xii. 8. and taken by the Philistines, he succeed-xiii. 3. After the taking of Jericho, ed ELI his grandfather in the high Joshua sent spies to view Ai: they represented it as improper to send above 3000 chosen men to attack so • Dr. Lightfoot and others, suppose small a place; and no more were that David penned the 55th Psalm, upon occasion of his hearing that Ahithophel had sent. To punish the transgression joined Absalom's party, and that he is the of ACHAN, they were divinely perman complained of in v. 13. who had beenmitted to suffer a repulse, and thirtyhis equal, his guide, and his acquaintance: who seems also to be meant in Psal. xli. 13. In those passages Ahithophel appears to be considered as figurative of Judas, the betrayer of our Lord. VOL. I. six of them were slain. The expiation of that crime being finished in the death of its author, Joshua, according to the direction of God, H marched to attack that city. Two || here that Saul's army stopped their bodies, one of 25,000, and another pursuit of the routed Philistines, of 5000, he placed in ambuscade. 1 Sam. xiv. 31. (2.) A city in the He himself with the main army, tribe of Benjamin, about three miles openly marched towards the walls. eastward of Bethel. It was fortiThe king of Ai, proud of his late fied by Rehoboam, 2 Chron. xi. 10. inconsiderable success, sallied forth || (3.) A city in the tribe of Ephraim, against the Hebrews: they retreat- about two miles south of Shechem, ed, as in flight, till they had drawn and assigned to the Kohathites, is the men of Ai, and their assistants of marked by some authors: but I Bethel, into the open plain. Joshua doubt of the existence of this place, then, raising his shield on the top of and suppose it no other than that in his spear, gave the appointed signal the tribe of Dan, which might come to the forces that lay in ambush on into the hands of the Ephraimites; the other side of the city. They compare Josh. xxi. 24. with 1 Chron. immediately rushed in, and set itvi. 69. (4.) Another in the tribe of wholly on fire. This done, they || Zebulun, where Elon the judge of came up with the rear of the Canaanites, while Joshua and his forces turned on their front; and inclosing them, cut them to pieces, without suffering one to escape. The king was taken prisoner, and brought to Joshua. After the inhabitants of this city were utterly destroyed, and the city burnt into ruins, himself was hanged; and before sun-set taken down, and his corpse thrown into the entrance of the city, and a heap of stones raised over it. The work of the day was finished with the Hebrews' division of their spoil. A was some time after rebuilt by the AIR, a thin, fluid, transparent, Benjamites; and long after taken by compressible, and dilatable body, surSENNACHERIB, Joshua vii. and viii.rounding our earth to a considerable Isa. x. 28. It was rebuilt after the captivity in Babylon, Neh. xi. 31. 2. Ai, a city of the country of Moab, taken and pillaged by the Chaldeans, Jer. xlix. 3. To AID; to help; assist, Judg. ix. 24. Israel was buried, Judg. xii. 12. It is not certain over which of these AIJALONS Joshua desired the moon to hover. The first lay south-west; the second north-east; the fourth north-west of him, Josh. x. 12. To AIL; to distress; displease, Gen. xxi. 10. AIN, a city first given to the tribe of Judah, and then disposed of to the Simeonites, Josh. xv. 32. 1 Chron. iv. 32. As AIN signifies a fountain, it is often a part of the compounded names of places, and pronounced EN. height; perhaps to the extent of 50 miles. Vulgar air consists chiefly of light and fire flowing into it from the celestial bodies; and of vapours and dry exhalations from the earth and its productions. Whether the simple and elementary air would refract light without this mixture, we know not. The air is fluid, allow AIJALON, (1.) A city of the tribe of Dan, assigned to the Levites descended of Kohath, but the Amo-ing a passage for other bodies:rites kept possession of it. It stood hence hearing and smelling, &c. are between Timnah and Bethshemesh. strong or weak, as the air is gross or It appears to have been taken by thin; and on the tops of high mounUzziah, or some other potent kingtains these senses are of very little of Judah: it was wrested from them use. Air has a considerable weight. by the Philistines, under Ahaz, Josh. || At a medium it may be reckoned the xix. 42. and xxi. 24. Judges i. 35. thousandth part of the weight of wa 2 Chron. xxviii. 18. Perhaps it was ter: about 2160 pound weight of it calcines in the fire, but gives no flame There presses on every square foot; and ALABASTER, a beautiful bright allowing the surface of an human stone allied to the marble, but more body to be 15 square feet, the pres-brittle: it ferments with the acids, sure of air on it must amount to 32,400 pounds weight. With this pressure, not perceptibly felt, till the internal air be exhausted, God inwraps our world, as with a swaddlingband. Its elasticity, or power of contracting itself when pressed, and ex-ble; the yellow-whitish, called Phenpanding itself when free, is quite gites; and the yellow-reddish, called astonishing. The air we breathe in, simply alabaster; and sometimes at a medium, is by its own weight ONYX. contracted into the 13,679th part of space which it would occupy in vacuo; and some imagine it may be condensed or pressed together, till it become heavier than gold. The air is much altered by the vapour, smoke, and other exhalations, which arise from the earth. The ancients called boxes that contained precious ointment, alabaster boxes, though not made of that stone and in relation hereto, a if it be carried to a place where the air is replenished with the fumes of new wine, then fermenting, it will begin to ferment afresh. In chemistry, the parts of animals and vegetables can only be calcined in open air; in close vessels they never become any other than black coals. It is im-known that iron and copper readily dissolve, and become rusty in air, unless well defended with oil. Boerhaave assures us that he has seen pillars of iron so reduced by air, that they might be crumbled to dust between the fingers; and as for copper, it is converted by the air, into a substance much like the verdigris produced by vinegar. Mr. Boyle relates, that in the southern English colonies the great guns rust so fast, that after lying in the air for a few years, large cakes of crocus The AIR is the element in which all animals breathe, and the winged fly, 2 Sam. xxi. 10. Job xli. 16. To beat the air, or speak to the air, ports, acting in the most vain and unprofitable manner, 1 Cor. ix. 26. and xiv. 9. The air darkened at the sounding of the 5th trumpet, may signify the church and scripture, which are the means of conveying light and grace to men; and the scripture is the breath of God, whereby he communicates his influence to us: and both which, by the abound-martis may be separated from them. Aing of error and delusion, by the con- lead, and considerably increases its weight. costa, adds, that in Peru the air dissolves cealment and misinterpretation of Yet gold is generally esteemed indissolvascripture, under Antichrist and Ma-ble by air, being never found to contract hometism are darkened. Nor is it rust, though exposed to it ever so long. unworthy of notice, that just after the rise of this double delusion, the natural sun was so darkened from June to October, A. D. 626, that but a small part of his light appeared, Rev. ix. 2. The AIR of the Anti-lungs. christian kingdom, into which the 7th and the effect is proportionally more sen"A quart of air weighs about 17 grains, angel pours his vial of wrath, may de-sible, if the same vessel be weighed with note the last remains of Antichrist's power, after which his form and life can no longer subsist, Rev. xvi. 17.* Among the many extraordinary qualities and effects of air, the following may be noted. "Pure well fermented wine, "Those who travel up high mountains, find themselves, as they ascend, more and more relaxed; and at length become subject to a spitting of blood, and other hemorrhages; because the air does not sufficiently constringe the vessels of the condensed air in a receiver void of air. Galileo first discovered that air had weight, but the pressure of the atmosphere was observed by his disciple Torricelli; and the variations of it depending on different heights, by Mr. Paschal." Chamber's Cyclo. art. AIR. measure containing ten ounces of wine, and nine of oil, was called alabaster. In which of these three senses the box of ointment wherewith Mary anointed Jesus is called alabaster, we dare not peremptorily determine; though we incline to think the box was an alabaster stone, Matth. xxvi. 6, 7.* ALARM, (1.) A broken quivering sound of the Hebrews' silver trumpets. It warned them to take their journey in the wilderness, and to attack their enemies in battle, Numb. x. 59. (2.) A noise or bustle, importing the near approach of danger and war, Joel ii. 1. ALAS, wo is me. It expresses terror, perplexity, and grief, 2 Kings vi. 5. Rev. xviii. 10, 16, 19. ALBEIT, though, Ezek. xiii. 7. ALEMETH, or ALMON, a city pertaining to the tribe of Benjamin, and given to the priests. It stood near Anathoth, and possibly had its name from Alemeth the son of Becher, or the son of Jehoadah, Josh. xxi. 18. 1 Chron. vi. 60. and vii. 8. and viii. 36. ALEXANDER and Rufus, two noted Christians, were the sons of Simon the Cyrenian, who assisted our Saviour in bearing his cross, Mark xv. 21. Rom. xvi. 13. (2.) Alexander Lysimachus, the brother of the famed Philo. He was Alabarch or chief publican of Alexandria; and reckoned the richest Jew of his time; and made a vast deal of valuable presents to the temple. He was cast into prison by Caligula, probably for refusing to worship that mad monarch; and continued so till the emperor Claudius set him at liberty. He is thought to be the Alexander, who was in company with the chief priests and elders when they imprisoned the apostles for healing the impotent man, Acts iv. 6. (3.) Alexander the coppersmith. For a time he espoused the Christian faith; but, commencing blasphemer, Paul delivered him over to Satan. This enraged him more and more; he did the apostle all the hurt that lay in his power, 1 Tim. i. 20. 2 Tim. iv. 14, 15. It is uncertain whether it was he who ran some danger of his life, by attempting to quell the mob which Demetrius the silversmith raised at Ephesus: nor is it so much as certain, whether that Alexander was a Christian, Acts xix. 33. ALEXANDRIA, a celebrated city in Lower Egypt. It was situated between the lake Mareotis and the canopic or western branch of the Nile, at a small distance from the Mediterranean sea, and 125 miles N. *“The fineness and clearness of this stone renders it in some measure transparent; whence it has been sometimes employed for windows. There is a church at Florence still illuminated by alabasterwindows; instead of panes of glass, there are slabs of alabaster near 15 feet high, each of which forms a single window, through which the light is conveyed. The countries in Europe which abound most in alabaster are Germany, toward Coblentz ; the province of Maconnois, in the neigh-W. of Cairo. This city was built by bourhood of Cluni in France; Italy, toward Rome; where that of Montaiout is particularly remarkable not only for its whiteness, but also for the bigness of its blocks, some of which are so large, that statues as big as the life may easily be cut out of them. "The stream at the baths of St. Philip, in Tuscany, deposites a peculiar kind of sand, which, when collected and condensed in the cavities of any body employed to oppose its current, acquires the nature, hardness, and colour of alabaster, and assumes the forms of those cavities in which it is thus lodged." Encyclo. vol. i. p. 346. Alexander the Great, soon after the overthrow of Tyre, about 333 years before Christ; and, a few years after, he was there interred in a coffin of gold. It was built in the form of a Macedonian clock; and took up about fifteen miles. The palace, which was a fifth part of the city, stood by the sea, and contained the royal residence, the museum, and the sepulchres. A street of 2000 feet wide began at the gate of the sea, and ter of consecrating the chief bishops of the Ethiopian church, if they have it not still.† ALIANT, ALIEN; stranger; fo ALIENATE. ALIKE. (1.) Without any difference, Rom. xiv. 5. (2.) After one and the same manner, Psal. xxxiii. 15. (3.) Equally troublesome, Prov. xxvii. 15. One ALIVE, possessed of LIFE. is alive, (1.) Naturally, Gen. xliii. 27. (2.) Supernaturally, when raised from the dead, Luke xxiv. 23. (3.) Spiritually, when justified, regenerate, and sanctified, Luke xv. 24, 32.This is to be alive unto God, to his honour and service, Rom. vi. 11. (4.) In opinion only, when men vain minated at the gate of Canopus. The Ptolemies who succeeded Alexander the Great in Egypt, made it their residence for more than 200 years; by which means it became the metro-reigner, Exod. xviii. 3. Job xix. 15. polis of Egypt. Its nearness to the To be aliens from the commonwealth Red and Mediterranean seas, drew to of Israel, is to be without interest in it the trade of both east and west, the true church, or new covenant of and rendered it, for many ages, the|| God, Eph. ii. 12. mart of commerce to the most of the (1.) To become known world; and one of the most strange to, or averse from, Eph. iv. flourishing cities, second to none but|| 18. (2.) To put a thing to a comRome. It was famed for a library|| mon, strange, or wrong use, Ezek. of 700,000 volumes, which for the xlviii. 14. last time was madly burnt by the Arabs or Saracens, A. D. 642. To relate its various sieges and captures by the Syrian-Greeks, the Romans, Persians, Saracens, Turks, and others, would be improper for this work. When the Arabs took it, it contained 4000 palaces, and 400 squares, and 12,000 persons that sold herbs and fruits. It is now dwindled to a large village, with nothing remarkable but ruinous reliques of ancient grandeur, and some considerable trade. Prodigious numbers of Jews dwelt here all along from the|ly imagine themselves capable of time of Alexander, sometimes near or above 100,000 at a time: part of these, being at Jerusalem, raised a furious persecution against Stephen, Acts vi. 9. Here Apollos was born, Acts xviii. 24. Fifty thousand Jews were murdered here under the emperor Nero. When the Arabs took it, as above, they found forty thousand Jews who paid tribute. In a ship belonging to Alexandria, Paul sailed for Rome, Acts xxvii. 6. Christianity was early planted in this place. Mark the evangelist is said to have been the founder of it. Here Clemens, Origen, Athanasius, and a vast number of other great men flourished. The bishop of this place was for many ages sustained one of the four chiefs of the Christian church, having the churches in the eastern part of Africa under his jurisdiction: nor is it long since the bishops here had the prerogative good works, holy, righteous, and entitled to eternal life: so men are alive without the law, i. e. without the convictions of it, Rom. vii. 9. of travellers at Alexandria, is the Pillar "What most engages the attention of Pompey, as it is commonly called, situated at a quarter of a league from the southern gate. It is composed of red granite. The capital is Corinthian, with palm leaves, and not indented. It is nine feet of the base are of one piece of 90 feet high. The shaft and the upper member long, and 9 in diameter. The base is a square of about 15 feet on each side. This block of marble, 60 feet in circumference, rests on two layers of stone bound togemajesty of this monument; seen from a ther with lead. Nothing can equal the distance, it overtops the town, and serves as a signal for vessels. "It was taken by the French under Buonaparte in their predatory expedition abandon it. Lon. 31 11 E. lat. 30 21 N." to Egypt, but they have been forced to Brooke's Gazetteer. |