Abida
Or Abi’dah, father of knowledge; knowing, one of the five sons of Midian, who was the son of Abraham by Keturah ( 1 Chr. 1:33 ), and apparently the chief of an Arab tribe.
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Matthew George Easton
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition (1897) · 3,964 entries on site
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Abimelech
My father a king, or father of a king, a common name of the Philistine kings, as “Pharaoh” was of the Egyptian kings. (1.) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of Abraham ( Gen. 20:1-18 ). By an interposition of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem, and was restored to her husband Abraham. As a mark of respect he gave to Abraham valuable gifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country; while at the same time he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practised a deception upon him in pretending that Sarah was only his sister. Among the gifts presented by the king were a thousand pieces of silver as a “covering of the eyes” for Sarah; i.e., either as an atoning gift and a testimony of her innocence in the sight of all, or rather for the purpose of procuring a veil for Sarah to conceal her beauty, and thus as a reproof to her for not having worn a veil which, as a married woman, she ought to have done. A few years after this Abimelech visited Abraham, who had removed southward beyond his territory, and there entered into a league of peace and friendship with him. This league was the first of which we have any record. It was confirmed by a mutual oath at Beer-sheba ( Gen. 21:22-34 ). (2.) A king of Gerar in the time of Isaac, probably the son of the preceeding ( Gen. 26:1-22 ). Isaac sought refuge in his territory during a famine, and there he acted a part with reference to his wife Rebekah similar to that of his father Abraham with reference to Sarah. Abimelech rebuked him for the deception, which he accidentally discovered. Isaac settled for a while here, and prospered. Abimelech desired him, however, to leave his territory, which Isaac did. Abimelech afterwards visited him when he was encamped at Beer-sheba, and expressed a desire to renew the covenant which had been entered into between their fathers ( Gen. 26:26-31 ). (3.) A son of Gideon ( Judg. 9:1 ), who was proclaimed king after the death of his father ( Judg. 8:33-9:6 ). One of his first acts was to murder his brothers, seventy in number, “on one stone,” at Ophrah. Only one named Jotham escaped. He was an unprincipled, ambitious ruler, often engaged in war with his own subjects. When engaged in reducing the town of Thebez, which had revolted, he was struck mortally on his head by a mill-stone, thrown by the hand of a woman from the wall above. Perceiving that the wound was mortal, he desired his armour-bearer to thrust him through with his sword, that it might not be said he had perished by the hand of a woman ( Judg. 9:50-57 ). (4.) The son of Abiathar, and high priest in the time of David ( 1 Chr. 18:16 ). In the parallel passage, 2 Sam. 8:17 , we have the name Ahimelech, and Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech. This most authorities consider the more correct reading. (5.) Achish, king of Gath, in the title of Ps. 34 . (Comp. 1 Sam. 21:10-15 .)
Abraham
Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named ( Gen. 11:27 ) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred in his native country of Chaldea. He then, with his father and his family and household, quitted the city of Ur, in which he had hitherto dwelt, and went some 300 miles north to Haran, where he abode fifteen years. The cause of his migration was a call from God ( Acts 7:2-4 ). There is no mention of this first call in the Old Testament; it is implied, however, in Gen. 12 . While they tarried at Haran, Terah died at the age of 205 years. Abram now received a second and more definite call, accompanied by a promise from God ( Gen. 12:1 , 2 ); whereupon he took his departure, taking his nephew Lot with him, “not knowing whither he went” ( Heb. 11:8 ). He trusted implicitly to the guidance of Him who had called him. Abram now, with a large household of probably a thousand souls, entered on a migratory life, and dwelt in tents. Passing along the valley of the Jabbok, in the land of Canaan, he formed his first encampment at Sichem ( Gen. 12:6 ), in the vale or oak-grove of Moreh, between Ebal on the north and Gerizim on the south. Here he received the great promise, “I will make of thee a great nation,” etc. ( Gen. 12:2 , 3 , 7 ). This promise comprehended not only temporal but also spiritual blessings. It implied that he was the chosen ancestor of the great Deliverer whose coming had been long ago predicted ( Gen. 3:15 ). Soon after this, for some reason not mentioned, he removed his tent to the mountain district between Bethel, then called Luz, and Ai, towns about two miles apart, where he built an altar to “Jehovah.” He again moved into the southern tract of Palestine, called by the Hebrews the Negeb; and was at length, on account of a famine, compelled to go down into Egypt. This took place in the time of the Hyksos, a Semitic race which now held the Egyptians in bondage. Here occurred that case of deception on the part of Abram which exposed him to the rebuke of Pharaoh ( Gen. 12:18 ). Sarai was restored to him; and Pharaoh loaded him with presents, recommending him to withdraw from the country. He returned to Canaan richer than when he left it, “in cattle, in silver, and in gold” ( Gen. 12:8 ; 13:2 . Comp. Ps. 105:13 , 14 ). The whole party then moved northward, and returned to their previous station near Bethel. Here disputes arose between Lot’s shepherds and those of Abram about water and pasturage. Abram generously gave Lot his choice of the pasture-ground. (Comp. 1 Cor. 6:7 .) He chose the well-watered plain in which Sodom was situated, and removed thither; and thus the uncle and nephew were separated. Immediately after this Abram was cheered by a repetition of the promises already made to him, and then removed to the plain or “oak-grove” of Mamre, which is in Hebron. He finally settled here, pitching his tent under a famous oak or terebinth tree, called “the oak of Mamre” ( Gen. 13:18 ). This was his third resting-place in the land. Some fourteen years before this, while Abram was still in Chaldea, Palestine had been invaded by Chedorlaomer, King of Elam, who brought under tribute to him the five cities in the plain to which Lot had removed. This tribute was felt by the inhabitants of these cities to be a heavy burden, and after twelve years they revolted. This brought upon them the vengeance of Chedorlaomer, who had in league with him four other kings. He ravaged the whole country, plundering the towns, and carrying the inhabitants away as slaves. Among those thus treated was Lot. Hearing of the disaster that had fallen on his nephew, Abram immediately gathered from his own household a band of 318 armed men, and being joined by the Amoritish chiefs Mamre, Aner, and Eshcol, he pursued after Chedorlaomer, and overtook him near the springs of the Jordan. They attacked and routed his army, and pursued it over the range of Anti-Libanus as far as to Hobah, near Damascus, and then returned, bringing back all the spoils that had been carried away. Returning by way of Salem, i.e., Jerusalem, the king of that place, Melchizedek, came forth to meet them with refreshments. To him Abram presented a tenth of the spoils, in recognition of his character as a priest of the most high God ( Gen. 14:18-20 ). In a recently-discovered tablet, dated in the reign of the grandfather of Amraphel ( Gen. 14:1 ), one of the witnesses is called “the Amorite, the son of Abiramu,” or Abram. Having returned to his home at Mamre, the promises already made to him by God were repeated and enlarged ( Gen. 13:14 ). “The word of the Lord” (an expression occurring here for the first time) “came to him” (15:1). He now understood better the future that lay before the nation that was to spring from him. Sarai, now seventy-five years old, in her impatience, persuaded Abram to take Hagar, her Egyptian maid, as a concubine, intending that whatever child might be born should be reckoned as her own. Ishmael was accordingly thus brought up, and was regarded as the heir of these promises ( Gen. 16 ). When Ishmael was thirteen years old, God again revealed yet more explicitly and fully his gracious purpose; and in token of the sure fulfilment of that purpose the patriarch’s name was now changed from Abram to Abraham ( Gen. 17:4 , 5 ), and the rite of circumcision was instituted as a sign of the covenant. It was then announced that the heir to these covenant promises would be the son of Sarai, though she was now ninety years old; and it was directed that his name should be Isaac. At the same time, in commemoration of the promises, Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah. On that memorable day of God’s thus revealing his design, Abraham and his son Ishmael and all the males of his house were circumcised ( Gen. 17 ). Three months after this, as Abraham sat in his tent door, he saw three men approaching. They accepted his proffered hospitality, and, seated under an oak-tree, partook of the fare which Abraham and Sarah provided. One of the three visitants was none other than the Lord, and the other two were angels in the guise of men. The Lord renewed on this occasion his promise of a son by Sarah, who was rebuked for her unbelief. Abraham accompanied the three as they proceeded on their journey. The two angels went on toward Sodom; while the Lord tarried behind and talked with Abraham, making known to him the destruction that was about to fall on that guilty city. The patriarch interceded earnestly in behalf of the doomed city. But as not even ten righteous persons were found in it, for whose sake the city would have been spared, the threatened destruction fell upon it; and early next morning Abraham saw the smoke of the fire that consumed it as the “smoke of a furnace” ( Gen. 19:1-28 ). After fifteen years’ residence at Mamre, Abraham moved southward, and pitched his tent among the Philistines, near to Gerar. Here occurred that sad instance of prevarication on his part in his relation to Abimelech the King ( Gen. 20 ). (See ABIMELECH .) Soon after this event, the patriarch left the vicinity of Gerar, and moved down the fertile valley about 25 miles to Beer-sheba. It was probably here that Isaac was born, Abraham being now an hundred years old. A feeling of jealousy now arose between Sarah and Hagar, whose son, Ishmael, was no longer to be regarded as Abraham’s heir. Sarah insisted that both Hagar and her son should be sent away. This was done, although it was a hard trial to Abraham ( Gen. 21:12 ). (See HAGAR ; ISHMAEL .) At this point there is a blank in the patriarch’s history of perhaps twenty-five years. These years of peace and happiness were spent at Beer-sheba. The next time we see him his faith is put to a severe test by the command that suddenly came to him to go and offer up Isaac, the heir of all the promises, as a sacrifice on one of the mountains of Moriah. His faith stood the test ( Heb. 11:17-19 ). He proceeded in a spirit of unhesitating obedience to carry out the command; and when about to slay his son, whom he had laid on the altar, his uplifted hand was arrested by the angel of Jehovah, and a ram, which was entangled in a thicket near at hand, was seized and offered in his stead. From this circumstance that place was called Jehovah-jireh, i.e., “The Lord will provide.” The promises made to Abraham were again confirmed (and this was the last recorded word of God to the patriarch); and he descended the mount with his son, and returned to his home at Beer-sheba ( Gen. 22:19 ), where he resided for some years, and then moved northward to Hebron. Some years after this Sarah died at Hebron, being 127 years old. Abraham acquired now the needful possession of a burying-place, the cave of Machpelah, by purchase from the owner of it, Ephron the Hittite ( Gen. 23 ); and there he buried Sarah. His next care was to provide a wife for Isaac, and for this purpose he sent his steward, Eliezer, to Haran (or Charran, Acts 7:2 ), where his brother Nahor and his family resided ( Gen. 11:31 ). The result was that Rebekah, the daughter of Nahor’s son Bethuel, became the wife of Isaac ( Gen. 24 ). Abraham then himself took to wife Keturah, who became the mother of six sons, whose descendants were afterwards known as the “children of the east” ( Judg. 6:3 ), and later as “Saracens.” At length all his wanderings came to an end. At the age of 175 years, 100 years after he had first entered the land of Canaan, he died, and was buried in the old family burying-place at Machpelah ( Gen. 25:7-10 ). The history of Abraham made a wide and deep impression on the ancient world, and references to it are interwoven in the religious traditions of almost all Eastern nations. He is called “the friend of God” ( James 2:23 ), “faithful Abraham” ( Gal. 3:9 ), “the father of us all” ( Rom. 4:16 ).
Abraham’s bosom
( Luke 16:22 , 23 ) refers to the custom of reclining on couches at table, which was prevalent among the Jews, an arrangement which brought the head of one person almost into the bosom of the one who sat or reclined above him. To “be in Abraham’s bosom” thus meant to enjoy happiness and rest ( Matt. 8:11 ; Luke 16:23 ) at the banquet in Paradise. (See banquet ; MEALS .)
Abram
Exalted father. (see ABRAHAM .)
Alliance
A treaty between nations, or between individuals, for their mutual advantage. Abraham formed an alliance with some of the Canaanitish princes ( Gen. 14:13 ), also with Abimelech (21:22-32). Joshua and the elders of Israel entered into an alliance with the Gibeonites ( Josh. 9:3-27 ). When the Israelites entered Palestine they were forbidden to enter into alliances with the inhabitants of the country ( Lev. 18:3 , 4 ; 20:22, 23). Solomon formed a league with Hiram ( 1 Kings 5:12 ). This “brotherly covenant” is referred to 250 years afterwards ( Amos 1:9 ). He also appears to have entered into an alliance with Pharaoh ( 1 Kings 10:28 , 29 ). In the subsequent history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel various alliances were formed between them and also with neighbouring nations at different times. From patriarchal times a covenant of alliance was sealed by the blood of some sacrificial victim. The animal sacrificed was cut in two (except birds), and between these two parts the persons contracting the alliance passed ( Gen. 15:10 ). There are frequent allusions to this practice ( Jer. 34:18 ). Such alliances were called “covenants of salt” ( Num. 18:19 ; 2 Chr. 13:5 ), salt being the symbol of perpetuity. A pillar was set up as a memorial of the alliance between Laban and Jacob ( Gen. 31:52 ). The Jews throughout their whole history attached great importance to fidelity to their engagements. Divine wrath fell upon the violators of them ( Josh. 9:18 ; 2 Sam. 21:1 , 2 ; Ezek. 17:16 ).
Altar
(Heb. mizbe’ah, from a word meaning “to slay”), any structure of earth ( Ex. 20:24 ) or unwrought stone (20:25) on which sacrifices were offered. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places ( Gen. 22:9 ; Ezek. 6:3 ; 2 Kings 23:12 ; 16:4 ; 23:8 ; Acts 14:13 ). The word is used in Heb. 13:10 for the sacrifice offered upon it—the sacrifice Christ offered. Paul found among the many altars erected in Athens one bearing the inscription, “To the unknown God” ( Acts 17:23 ), or rather “to an [i.e., some] unknown God.” The reason for this inscription cannot now be accurately determined. It afforded the apostle the occasion of proclaiming the gospel to the “men of Athens.” The first altar we read of is that erected by Noah ( Gen. 8:20 ). Altars were erected by Abraham ( Gen. 12:7 ; 13:4 ; 22:9 ), by Isaac ( Gen. 26:25 ), by Jacob (33:20; 35:1, 3), and by Moses ( Ex. 17:15 , “Jehovah-nissi”). In the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, two altars were erected. (1.) The altar of burnt offering ( Ex. 30:28 ), called also the “brasen altar” ( Ex. 39:39 ) and “the table of the Lord” ( Mal. 1:7 ). This altar, as erected in the tabernacle, is described in Ex. 27:1-8 . It was a hollow square, 5 cubits in length and in breadth, and 3 cubits in height. It was made of shittim wood, and was overlaid with plates of brass. Its corners were ornamented with “horns” ( Ex. 29:12 ; Lev. 4:18 ). In Ex. 27:3 the various utensils appertaining to the altar are enumerated. They were made of brass. (Comp. 1 Sam. 2:13 , 14 ; Lev. 16:12 ; Num. 16:6 , 7 .) In Solomon’s temple the altar was of larger dimensions ( 2 Chr. 4:1 . Comp. 1 Kings 8:22 , 64 ; 9:25), and was made wholly of brass, covering a structure of stone or earth. This altar was renewed by Asa ( 2 Chr. 15:8 ). It was removed by Ahaz ( 2 Kings 16:14 ), and “cleansed” by Hezekiah, in the latter part of whose reign it was rebuilt. It was finally broken up and carried away by the Babylonians ( Jer. 52:17 ). After the return from captivity it was re-erected ( Ezra 3:3 , 6 ) on the same place where it had formerly stood. (Comp. 1 Macc. 4:47 .) When Antiochus Epiphanes pillaged Jerusalem the altar of burnt offering was taken away. Again the altar was erected by Herod, and remained in its place till the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (70 A.D.). The fire on the altar was not permitted to go out ( Lev. 6:9 ). In the Mosque of Omar, immediately underneath the great dome, which occupies the site of the old temple, there is a rough projection of the natural rock, of about 60 feet in its extreme length, and 50 in its greatest breadth, and in its highest part about 4 feet above the general pavement. This rock seems to have been left intact when Solomon’s temple was built. It was in all probability the site of the altar of burnt offering. Underneath this rock is a cave, which may probably have been the granary of Araunah’s threshing-floor ( 1 Chr. 21:22 ). (2.) The altar of incense ( Ex. 30:1-10 ), called also “the golden altar” (39:38; Num. 4:11 ), stood in the holy place “before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony.” On this altar sweet spices were continually burned with fire taken from the brazen altar. The morning and the evening services were commenced by the high priest offering incense on this altar. The burning of the incense was a type of prayer ( Ps. 141:2 ; Rev. 5:8 ; 8:3 , 4 ). This altar was a small movable table, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold ( Ex. 37:25 , 26 ). It was 1 cubit in length and breadth, and 2 cubits in height. In Solomon’s temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood ( 1 Kings 6:20 ; 7:48 ) overlaid with gold. In Ezek. 41:22 it is called “the altar of wood.” (Comp. Ex. 30:1-6 .) In the temple built after the Exile the altar was restored. Antiochus Epiphanes took it away, but it was afterwards restored by Judas Maccabaeus ( 1 Macc. 1:23 ; 4:49 ). Among the trophies carried away by Titus on the destruction of Jerusalem the altar of incense is not found, nor is any mention made of it in Heb. 9 . It was at this altar Zacharias ministered when an angel appeared to him ( Luke 1:11 ). It is the only altar which appears in the heavenly temple ( Isa. 6:6 ; Rev. 8:3 , 4 ).
Amalekite
A tribe that dwelt in Arabia Petraea, between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. They were not the descendants of Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, for they existed in the days of Abraham ( Gen. 14:7 ). They were probably a tribe that migrated from the shores of the Persian Gulf and settled in Arabia. “They dwelt in the land of the south...from Havilah until thou comest to Shur” ( Num. 13:29 ; 1 Sam. 15:7 ). They were a pastoral, and hence a nomadic race. Their kings bore the hereditary name of Agag ( Num. 24:7 ; 1 Sam. 15:8 ). They attempted to stop the Israelites when they marched through their territory ( Deut. 25:18 ), attacking them at Rephidim ( Ex. 17:8-13 ; comp. Deut. 25:17 ; 1 Sam. 15:2 ). They afterwards attacked the Israelites at Hormah ( Num. 14:45 ). We read of them subsequently as in league with the Moabites ( Judg. 3:13 ) and the Midianites ( Judg. 6:3 ). Saul finally desolated their territory and destroyed their power ( 1 Sam. 14:48 ; 15:3 ), and David recovered booty from them ( 1 Sam. 30:18-20 ). In the Babylonian inscriptions they are called Sute, in those of Egypt Sittiu, and the Amarna tablets include them under the general name of Khabbati, or “plunderers.”
Anakim
The descendants of Anak ( Josh. 11:21 ; Num. 13:33 ; Deut. 9:2 ). They dwelt in the south of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Hebron ( Gen. 23:2 ; Josh. 15:13 ). In the days of Abraham ( Gen. 14:5 , 6 ) they inhabited the region afterwards known as Edom and Moab, east of the Jordan. They were probably a remnant of the original inhabitants of Palestine before the Canaanites, a Cushite tribe from Babel, and of the same race as the Phoenicians and the Egyptian shepherd kings. Their formidable warlike appearance, as described by the spies sent to search the land, filled the Israelites with terror. They seem to have identified them with the Nephilim, the “giants” ( Gen. 6:4 ; Num. 13:33 ) of the antediluvian age. There were various tribes of Anakim ( Josh. 15:14 ). Joshua finally expelled them from the land, except a remnant that found a refuge in the cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod ( Josh. 11:22 ). The Philistine giants whom David encountered ( 2 Sam. 21:15-22 ) were descendants of the Anakim. (See GIANTS .)
Aner
A boy. (1.) A Canaanitish chief who joined his forces with those of Abraham in pursuit of Chedorlaomer ( Gen. 14:13 , 24 ). (2.) A city of Manasseh given to the Levites of Kohath’s family ( 1 Chr. 6:70 ).
Angel
A word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a “messenger,” and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger ( Job 1:14 : 1 Sam. 11:3 ; Luke 7:24 ; 9:52 ), of prophets ( Isa. 42:19 ; Hag. 1:13 ), of priests ( Mal. 2:7 ), and ministers of the New Testament ( Rev. 1:20 ). It is also applied to such impersonal agents as the pestilence ( 2 Sam. 24:16 , 17 ; 2 Kings 19:35 ), the wind ( Ps. 104:4 ). But its distinctive application is to certain heavenly intelligences whom God employs in carrying on his government of the world. The name does not denote their nature but their office as messengers. The appearances to Abraham at Mamre ( Gen. 18:2 , 22 . Comp. 19:1), to Jacob at Peniel ( Gen. 32:24 , 30 ), to Joshua at Gilgal ( Josh. 5:13 , 15 ), of the Angel of the Lord, were doubtless manifestations of the Divine presence, “foreshadowings of the incarnation,” revelations before the “fulness of the time” of the Son of God. (1.) The existence and orders of angelic beings can only be discovered from the Scriptures. Although the Bible does not treat of this subject specially, yet there are numerous incidental details that furnish us with ample information. Their personal existence is plainly implied in such passages as Gen. 16:7 , 10 , 11 ; Judg. 13:1-21 ; Matt. 28:2-5 ; Heb. 1:4 , etc. These superior beings are very numerous. “Thousand thousands,” etc. ( Dan. 7:10 ; Matt. 26:53 ; Luke 2:13 ; Heb. 12:22 , 23 ). They are also spoken of as of different ranks in dignity and power ( Zech. 1:9 , 11 ; Dan. 10:13 ; 12:1 ; 1 Thess. 4:16 ; Jude 1 :9; Eph. 1:21 ; Col. 1:16 ). (2.) As to their nature, they are spirits ( Heb. 1:14 ), like the soul of man, but not incorporeal. Such expressions as “like the angels” ( Luke 20:36 ), and the fact that whenever angels appeared to man it was always in a human form ( Gen. 18:2 ; 19:1 , 10 ; Luke 24:4 ; Acts 1:10 ), and the titles that are applied to them (“sons of God,” Job 1:6 ; 38:7 ; Dan. 3:25 ; comp. 28) and to men ( Luke 3:38 ), seem all to indicate some resemblance between them and the human race. Imperfection is ascribed to them as creatures ( Job 4:18 ; Matt. 24:36 ; 1 Pet. 1:12 ). As finite creatures they may fall under temptation; and accordingly we read of “fallen angels.” Of the cause and manner of their “fall” we are wholly ignorant. We know only that “they left their first estate” ( Matt. 25:41 ; Rev. 12:7 , 9 ), and that they are “reserved unto judgement” (2 Pet. 2:4). When the manna is called “angels’ food,” this is merely to denote its excellence ( Ps. 78:25 ). Angels never die ( Luke 20:36 ). They are possessed of superhuman intelligence and power ( Mark 13:32 ; 2 Thess. 1:7 ; Ps. 103:20 ). They are called “holy” ( Luke 9:26 ), “elect” ( 1 Tim. 5:21 ). The redeemed in glory are “like unto the angels” ( Luke 20:36 ). They are not to be worshipped ( Col. 2:18 ; Rev. 19:10 ). (3.) Their functions are manifold. (a) In the widest sense they are agents of God’s providence ( Ex. 12:23 ; Ps. 104:4 ; Heb. 11:28 ; 1 Cor. 10:10 ; 2 Sam. 24:16 ; 1 Chr. 21:16 ; 2 Kings 19:35 ; Acts 12:23 ). (b) They are specially God’s agents in carrying on his great work of redemption. There is no notice of angelic appearances to man till after the call of Abraham. From that time onward there are frequent references to their ministry on earth ( Gen. 18 ; 19 ; 24:7 , 40 ; 28:12 ; 32:1 ). They appear to rebuke idolatry ( Judg. 2:1-4 ), to call Gideon ( Judg. 6:11 , 12 ), and to consecrate Samson (13:3). In the days of the prophets, from Samuel downward, the angels appear only in their behalf ( 1 Kings 19:5 ; 2 Kings 6:17 ; Zech. 1 -6; Dan. 4:13 , 23 ; 10:10, 13, 20, 21). The Incarnation introduces a new era in the ministrations of angels. They come with their Lord to earth to do him service while here. They predict his advent ( Matt. 1:20 ; Luke 1:26-38 ), minister to him after his temptation and agony ( Matt. 4:11 ; Luke 22:43 ), and declare his resurrection and ascension ( Matt. 28:2-8 ; John 20:12 , 13 ; Acts 1:10 , 11 ). They are now ministering spirits to the people of God ( Heb. 1:14 ; Ps. 34:7 ; 91:11 ; Matt. 18:10 ; Acts 5:19 ; 8:26 ; 10:3 ; 12:7 ; 27:23 ). They rejoice over a penitent sinner ( Luke 15:10 ). They bear the souls of the redeemed to paradise ( Luke 16:22 ); and they will be the ministers of judgement hereafter on the great day ( Matt. 13:39 , 41 , 49 ; 16:27 ; 24:31 ). The passages ( Ps. 34:7 , Matt. 18:10 ) usually referred to in support of the idea that every individual has a particular guardian angel have no such meaning. They merely indicate that God employs the ministry of angels to deliver his people from affliction and danger, and that the angels do not think it below their dignity to minister even to children and to the least among Christ’s disciples. The “angel of his presence” ( Isa. 63:9 . Comp. Ex. 23:20 , 21 ; 32:34; 33:2; Num. 20:16 ) is probably rightly interpreted of the Messiah as the guide of his people. Others have supposed the expression to refer to Gabriel ( Luke 1:19 ).
Ass
Frequently mentioned throughout Scripture. Of the domesticated species we read of, (1.) The she ass (Heb. ‘athon), so named from its slowness ( Gen. 12:16 ; 45:23 ; Num. 22:23 ; 1 Sam. 9:3 ). (2.) The male ass (Heb. hamor), the common working ass of Western Asia, so called from its red colour. Issachar is compared to a strong ass ( Gen. 49:14 ). It was forbidden to yoke together an ass and an ox in the plough ( Deut. 22:10 ). (3.) The ass’s colt (Heb. ‘air), mentioned Judg. 10:4 ; 12:14 . It is rendered “foal” in Gen. 32:15 ; 49:11 . (Comp. Job 11:12 ; Isa. 30:6 .) The ass is an unclean animal, because it does not chew the cud ( Lev. 11:26 . Comp. 2 Kings 6:25 ). Asses constituted a considerable portion of wealth in ancient times ( Gen. 12:16 ; 30:43 ; 1 Chr. 27:30 ; Job 1:3 ; 42:12 ). They were noted for their spirit and their attachment to their master ( Isa. 1:3 ). They are frequently spoken of as having been ridden upon, as by Abraham ( Gen. 22:3 ), Balaam ( Num. 22:21 ), the disobedient prophet ( 1 Kings 13:23 ), the family of Abdon the judge, seventy in number ( Judg. 12:14 ), Zipporah ( Ex. 4:20 ), the Shunammite ( 1 Sam. 25:30 ), etc. Zechariah (9:9) predicted our Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, “riding upon an ass, and upon a colt,” etc. ( Matt. 21:5 , R.V.). Of wild asses two species are noticed, (1) that called in Hebrew ’arod , mentioned Job 39:5 and Dan. 5:21 , noted for its swiftness; and (2) that called pe’re , the wild ass of Asia ( Job 39:6-8 ; 6:5 ; 11:12 ; Isa. 32:14 ; Jer. 2:24 ; 14:6 , etc.). The wild ass was distinguished for its fleetness and its extreme shyness. In allusion to his mode of life, Ishmael is likened to a wild ass ( Gen. 16:12 . Here the word is simply rendered “wild” in the Authorized Version, but in the Revised Version, “wild-ass among men”).