Taanach (“sandy soil”) ( Joshua 12:21). An ancient city of Canaan, built on the end of a ridge which runs northward from the hills of Manasseh into the plains of Esdraelon, at the base of which is the modern village of the same name (Arabic, Taannuk ). It was the headquarters of the army of Deborah and Barak, and Sisera’s host was encamped between it and Megiddo ( Judges 5:19).

Taanath-shiloh (“approach to Shiloh” ) ( Joshua 16:6). Supposed to be Shiloh; Taanath being the Canaanite and Shiloh the Hebrew name of the same city.

Tabaoth TABBAOTH (1 Esdras 5:29).

Tabbaoth (“rings” ). Ancestor of a family of Nethinim, who returned from Captivity ( Ezra 2:43).

Tabbath ( Judges 7:22 ). In the Jordan valley, below and not far from Bethshean. It may be Tubakat Fahil (Terrace of Fahil).

Tabeal The “son of Tabeal” was apparently a Syrian, whom the Syrians and Israelites intended to place on the throne ( Isaiah 7:6).

Tabeel (“God is good” ) An officer of the Persian government ( Ezra 4:7).

Tabellius TABEEL (1 Esdras 2:16.)

Taberah (“burning” ) ( Numbers 11:3; Deuteronomy 9:22). In the Sinai district, but not identified.

Tabering The obsolete word thus used in the A.V. of Nahum 2:7 requires some explanation. The Hebrew word connects itself with toph, “a timbrel.” The A.V. reproduces the original idea. The “tabour,” or “tabor,” was a musical instrument of the drum-type, which with the pipe formed the band of a country village. To “tabour,” accordingly, is to beat with loud strokes as men beat upon such an instrument. Tabernacle (“a tent” ) . Tabernacles, the Feast of .

Tabitha also called Dorcas by Luke: a female disciple of Joppa, “full of good works,” among which that of making clothes for the poor is specifically mentioned. While St. Peter was at the neighboring town of Lydda, Tabitha died; upon which the disciples at Joppa sent an urgent message to the apostle, begging him to come to them without delay. Upon his arrival, Peter found the deceased already prepared for burial, and laid out in an upper chamber, where she was surrounded by the recipients and the tokens of her charity. After the example of our Saviour in the house of Jairus ( Matthew 9:25; Mark 5:40), Peter put them all forth,” prayed for the divine assistance, and then commanded Tabitha to arise (comp. Mark 5:41; Luke 8:54). She opened her eyes and sat up, and then, assisted by the apostle, rose from her couch. This great miracle, as we are further told, produced an extraordinary effect in Joppa, and was the occasion of many conversions there ( Acts 9:36-42). The name of “Tabitha” is the Aramaic form, answering to the Hebrew tsebiyah , a “female gazelle.” Luke gives “Dorcas” as the Greek equivalent of the name. Table (Hebrew: LUAH, a table or tablet ). Used especially of the tablets or slabs of stone on which were the ( Exodus 24:12). Also of other tablets for ( Isaiah 30:8). Hebrew: MESAB ( Song of Solomon 1:12), “at his table.” Hebrew: SHULHAN, a table spread with food ( Exodus 25:23 ff.); Greek: kline, a bed ( Mark 7:4); also, a couch for resting or reclining at ( Matthew 9:2,6).

Tablets 1. Hebrew: BOTTEYHAN NEFESH , houses of the soul; perfume-boxes. 2. Hebrew CUMAZ ( Exodus 35:22), (a globule of gold, or, rather, a string of gold). Drops like beads were worn round the neck, or arm, by the Israelites in the desert. Tabor, Mount (“height” ) (Josh 19:22). On the border of Issachar and Zebulun. It is of limestone, 1,800 feet high, rounded in form, and is studded with forests of oaks, pistachios, terebinths, mock-oranges, and other trees and bushes. Wolves, boars, lynxes, and other wild animals, besides reptiles, are found. It is now called Jebel et Tur, and is one of the most favorable points for beautiful and extensive views. The plain of Esdraelon is seen, spread out like a carpet, between the hills of Samaria and those of Galilee, ending at Carmel and in the season of early harvest (March and April) is diversified with the various colors of different fields in cultivation: some red from recent plowing — some yellow, white, or green, as the state of the crop may determine. The sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean are visible. The course of the Jordan can be traced for many miles. Lebanon and Hermon, with their snow-capped summits, and the hills of Galilee, including Hattin, the Mount of Beatitudes, are on the north, and the countless hills and valleys of Bashan (Hauran), and Gilead, are to the east; Little Hermon (Hill Mizar) and Gilboa to the south, while the mountains of Samaria fill up the view to the west, ending in the ridge of Carmel to the northwest, where we began. All around the top are foundations of a thick wall, built of large stones, some of which are beveled. There are ruins of towers and bastions.

Toward the east end of this enclosure are confused heaps of ruins of houses, churches, towers, and other buildings — some of hewn and others of beveled stones. One tall, pointed arch is standing, called the Gate of the Wind. The ruins are of different ages. from remote antiquity, the time of Josephus, the Crusades, and still later days. The early Christians adopted the legend of the Transfiguration of the Saviour on this mountain (Rob. ii. 358), but this is now located on Hermon, near Paneas. Tabor, the Plain of It has been already pointed out that this is an incorrect translation, and should be . It is mentioned in 1 Samuel 10:3 only, as one of the points in the homeward journey of Saul after his anointing by Samuel. But unfortunately, like so many of the other spots named in this interesting passage, the position of the Oak of Tabor has not yet been fixed. Ewald seems to consider it certain that Tabor and Deborah are merely different modes of pronouncing the same name, and he accordingly identifies the Oak of Tabor with the tree under which Deborah, Rachael’s nurse, was buried ( Genesis 25:8). But this, though most ingenious, can only be received as a conjecture.

Tabret . Tabrimon Properly Tabrimmon, i.e. “good is Rimmon,” the Syrian god. The father of Benhadad I, king of Syria in the reign of Asa ( 1 Kings 15:18).

Tache The word thus rendered occurs only In the description of the structure of the Tabernacle and its fittings ( Exodus 26:6,11,33; 35:11; 36:13; 39:33), and appears to indicate the small hooks by which a curtain is suspended to the rings from which it hangs, or connected vertically, as in the case of the veil of the Holy of Holies, with the loops of another curtain.

Tachmonite, the “The Tachmonite that sat in the seat,” chief among David’s captains ( Samuel 23:8), is in 1 Chronicles 40:11 called Jashobeam an Hachmonite,” or, as the margin gives it, “son of Hachmoni.” Kennicott has shown that the words translated “he that sat in the seat” are a corruption of Jashobeam, and that “the Tachmonite” is a corruption of the “son of Hachmoni, which was the family or local name of Jashobeam. Therefore he concludes “Jashobeam the Hachmonite” to have been the true reading.

Tadmor called “Tadmor in the wilderness” ( 2 Chronicles 8:4). There is no reasonable doubt that this city, said to have been built by Solomon, is the same as the one known to the Greeks and Romans and to modern Europe by the name, in some form or other, of Palmyra. The identity of the two cities results from the following circumstances: First, The same city is specially mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities viii. 6, 1) as bearing in his time the name of Tadmor among the Syrians, and Palmyra among the Greeks; and in his Latin translation of the Old Testament, Jerome translates Tadmor by Palmira ( 2 Chronicles 8:4). Secondly, The modern Arabic name of Palmyra is substantially the same as the Hebrew word, being Tadtour or Tathmur. Thirdly, The word Tadmor has nearly the same meaning as Palmyra, signifying probably the “City of Palms,” from Tamar, a palm. Fourthly, The name Tadmot or Tadmor actually occurs as the name of the city in Aramaic and Greek inscriptions which have been found there. Fifthly, In the Chronicles, the city is mentioned as having been built by Solomon after his conquest of Hamath Zobah, and it is named in conjunction with “all the store cities which he built in Hamath.” This accords fully with the situation of Palmyra ; and there is no other known city, either in the desert or not in the desert, which can lay claim to the name of’ Tadmor. In addition to the passage in the Chronicles, there is a passage in the Book of Kings ( 1 Kings 9:18) in which, according to the marginal reading (Qeri), the statement that Solomon built Tadmor likewise occurs. But on referring to the original text (kethibh), the word is found to be not Tadmor, but Tamar. Now, as all the other towns mentioned in this passage with Tamar are in Palestine (Gezer, Bethboron, Baalath), as it is said of Tamar that it was “in the wilderness in the land,” and as, in Ezekiel’s prophetic description of the Holy Land, there is a Tamar mentioned as one of the borders of the land on the south ( Ezekiel 47:19), where, as is notorious, there is a desert, it is probable that the author of the Book of Kings did not really mean to refer to Palmyra, and that the marginal reading of “Tadmor” was founded on the passage in the Chronicles. If this is admitted, the suspicion naturally suggests itself, that the compiler of the Chronicles may have misapprehended the original passage in the Book of Kings, and may have incorrectly written “Tadmor” instead of “Tamar.” On this hypothesis, there would have been a curious circle of mistakes; and the final result would be that any supposed connection between Solomon and the foundation of Palmyra must be regarded as purely imaginary. This conclusion is not necessarily incorrect or unreasonable; but there are not sufficient reasons for adopting it. As the city is nowhere else mentioned in the whole Bible, it would be out of place to enter into a long, detailed history of it on the present occasion. The following leading facts, however, may be mentioned:

The first author of antiquity who mentions Palmyra is Pliny the Elder. Afterward it was mentioned by Appian, in connection with a design of Mark Antony to let his cavalry plunder it. In the second century A.D. it seems to have been beautified by the emperor Hadrian. In the beginning of the third century A.D. it became a Roman colony under Caracalla (211-217 A.D.), and received the jus Italicum. Subsequently, in the reign of Gallienus, the Roman senate invested Odenathus, a senator of Palmyra, with the regal dignity, on account of his services in defeating Sapor king of Persia. On the assassination of Odenathus, his celebrated wife Zenobia seems to have conceived the design of erecting Palmyra into an independent monarchy; and, in prosecution of this object, she for a while successfully resisted the Roman arms. She was at length defeated and taken captive by the emperor Aurelian (A.D. 273), who left a Roman garrison in Palmyra. This garrison was massacred in a revolt; and Aurelian punished the city by the execution not only of those who were taken in arms, but likewise of common peasants, of old men, women, and children. From this blow Palmyra never recovered, though there are proofs of its having continued to be inhabited until the downfall of the Roman Empire.

Tahan (“station” ) Descendant of Ephraim ( Numbers 26:35).

Tahanites, the Descendants of ( Numbers 26:35).

Tahapanes .

Tahath ( 1 ) (“below” ) 1. Ancestor of Samuel and Heman ( 1 Chronicles 6:37). 2. Son of Bered ( 1 Chronicles 7:20). 3. Grandson of No. 2 ( 1 Chronicles 7:20).

Tahath ( 2 ) (“lower” ) ( Numbers 33:26). Desert station. Lost.

Tahpanhes (Daphne? ) An important town in Lower Egypt in the land of Goshen, near Pelusium ( Jeremiah 43:7). Located at Tel Defenneh, in the present Delta.

Tahpenes An Egyptian queen, wife of Pharaoh 6 ( 1 Kings 11:18-20).

Tahrea (“cunning” ) Son of Micah ( 1 Chronicles 9:41).

Tahtim Hodshi, the Land of ( 2 Samuel 24:6 ). Lost. Supposed by some to be Harosheth (compare Judges 4:2 ). Talent (Hebrew: KIKKAR; Greek: talanton ).

The greatest weight of the Hebrews. , .

Talitha Cumi Two Syriac words, meaning damsel arise ( Mark 5:41). The Aramaic paraphrase on Proverbs 9:3, signifies a girl. Gesenius says the same word means a lamb.

Talmai (“furrowed”) 1. Son of ( Numbers 13:22). 2. Son of Ammihud, and king of Geshur ( 2 Samuel 3:3).

Talmon (“oppressed”) Head of the porters for the camps of the sons of Levi ( 1 Chronicles 9:17).

Talmud It is the work which embodies the canonical and civil law of the Jews. It contains those rules, precepts and interpretations by which the Jewish people profess to be guided, in addition to the Old Testament, and includes not merely religion, but philosophy, medicine, jurisprudence, history and the various branches of practical duty. The Jews have been accustomed to divide their law into written and unwritten: the written contained in the Pentateuch, the unwritten handed down orally, until it was found necessary to write it. Some Jews have assigned the same antiquity to both, alleging that Moses received them on the Mount. Midrashim, or explanations of biblical topics, were of gradual growth. The system of interpretation which they exemplify and embody existed in the age of the so-called Sopherim (Scribes), who succeeded the prophets. The oldest Mishna is accredited to Hillel. It is divided into 6 orders or books, 63 treatises (MASSIKLOTH), and 525 chapters (PERAKIM). The first Seder treats of sowing, the productions of the earth, trees, and the uses of fruits, seeds, etc. The second Seder (MOED), the order of festivals. The third Seder (NASHIM) discusses the rights of men and women, marriage and divorce. The fourth Seder (NEZIKIN), consisting of ten treatises, with the losses and injuries which one person may bring upon another. The fifth (KODASHIM) treats of sacrifices, oblations, etc. The sixth (TAHAROTH) relates to purifications of vessels, household furniture, etc. Rabbinical Jews have always set a high value on the Talmud, often placing it above the old Mosaic law. Hence, we find in the Masseceth Soferim the saying, “The Biblical text is like water, and the Mishna like wine, and the six orders like aromatic wine.” In another passage “The law is like salt, the Mishna like pepper, but the six orders like fine spices.” Again, “The words of the Scribes are lovely, above the words of the law; for the words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the scribes are all weighty.” These extravagant praises of the oral traditions agree with the Saviour’s words: “Making the word of God of none effect, through your tradition, which ye have believed” ( Mark 7:13).

The first complete edition of the Babylonian Talmud was published at Venice in 1520-1523, in 12 vols. folio. This is the celebrated Bomberg edition now so rare, but not accurate.

The Jerusalem Talmud was first published by Bomberg about 1522-1523, at Venice, folio; and subsequently at Cracow, 1609, folio.

The entire Talmud has not been translated into any language. The Mishna appeared in Latin in Surenhusius’ edition, Amsterdam, 1698-1703, fol.

Talsas (1 Esdras 9:22).

Tamah (“laughter”) Ancestor of Nethinim, who returned from Captivity ( Nehemiah 7:55).

Tamar ( 1 ) (Hebrew: THAMAR , palm-tree) 1. Wife of Er and Onan, the two sons of Judah ( Genesis 38:6-30). She practiced a deception upon Judah, in retaliation for his neglect to give her his third son, Shelah, for a husband. 2. Daughter of David, mother of Absalom. She was badly treated by her brother Arenon ( 2 Samuel 13:1-32). 3. Daughter of Absalom ( 2 Samuel 14:7). The mother of Maachah 3, queen of Judah ( 1 Kings 15:3).

Tamar ( 2 ) (“palm-tree”) ( Ezekiel 47:19). A town south of Hebron, now called Kurnub.

Tamuz A Syrian idol mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14, where the women are represented as weeping for it. It is generally supposed that Tammuz was the same deity as the Phoenician Adonis. The fabled death and restoration of Adonis, supposed to symbolize the departure and return of the sun, were celebrated at the summer solstice with lamentations first, and then rejoicings and obscene revels. Tanach TAANACH ( Joshua 21:25).

Tanhumeth (“comfort”) Father of Seraiah ( 2 Kings 25:23).

Tanis Zoan, in Egypt ( Judges 1:10).

Tapestry (Hebrew: MARBADDIM ) Cloth for hangings and bed-covers, ornamented with needle-work ( Proverbs 7:16).

Taphath (“drops”) Daughter of Solomon ( 1 Kings 4:11).

Tappuah (“apple-region”) Son of Hebron ( 1 Chronicles 2:43).

Taphon (1 Macc. 9:50). Beth Tappuah near Hebron.

Tappuah ( Joshua 15:34). 1. In the Shefelah, 12 miles west of Jerusalem. 2. EN-TAPPUAH ( Joshua 16:8; 17:7,8). On the boundary of the children of Joseph — city and a district of the same name. Supposed to be southwest of Shechem. Perhaps in Wady Falaik.

Tarah Desert station. Lost.

Taralah ( Joshua 18:27). City of Benjamin. Site lost.

Tarea ( 1 Chronicles 8:35).

Tares A noxious plant, of the grass family, supposed to mean the darnel. It grows among the wheat everywhere in Palestine, and bears a great resemblance to it while growing — so closely that, before they head out, the two plants can hardly be distinguished. The grains are found, 2 or 3 together, in small husks, scattered on a rather long head. The Arabs do not separate the darnel from the wheat, unless by means of a fan or sieve, after threshing ( Matthew 13:25-30). If left to mingle with the bread, it occasions dizziness, and often acts as an emetic.

Target A small, round shield ( 1 Samuel 17:6).

Targum A translation of the Scriptures in the Aramaic language. Of these, the Targum of Jonathan, and that of Onkelos, are held in most esteem by the Jews.

Tarpelites ( Ezra 4:9). Supposed to refer to the people of Tripolis, Phoenicia. Tarshish ( Genesis 10:4; Psalm 72:10; Jonah 1:3, etc.). 1. Probably Tartassus, in Spain (Strabo, iii. 148). There was a city and a river in Spain of the same name; perhaps the same river is now called Guadalquiver. The articles brought to Tyre from Tarshish, such as silver, iron, lead, and tin ( Ezekiel 27:12), were productions of Spain. 2. ( 2 Chronicles 9:21; 20:36). From these passages it seems that there was another Tarshish, which was in the direction of the Red Sea, and probably in India, judging from the articles brought from there, which were gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks ( 1 Kings 10:22). India was the native land of the peacock (Cuvier, viii. 136). Tarsus Chief town of ; the birthplace of Paul the Apostle ( Acts 9:11; 21:39). It was an important city in the time of the Greek kings. Alexander conquered it; and it was under the rule of Antioch, and also that of the Ptolemies. Caesar changed its name to Juliopolis. Augustus made it a free city. It was a celebrated seat of learning in the time of the early Roman emperors, and was compared by Strabo to Athens and Alexandria, and considered superior to them (xiv. 673). Among its famous citizens were Athenodorus, the tutor of Augustus, and Nestor, the tutor of Tiberius. Antony and Cleopatra met on the banks of the river Cydnus, which divides Tarsus in two.

Tartak One of the gods of the Avite (or Avvite) colonists of Samaria ( 2 Kings 17:31). According to rabbinical tradition, Tartak is said to have been worshipped under the form of an ass. A Persian or Pehlvi origin has been suggested for the name, according to which it signifies either “intense darkness,” or “hero of darkness,” or the under-world, and so perhaps some planet of ill luck, as Saturn or Mars.

Tartan which occurs only in 2 Kings 18:17 and Isaiah 20:1, has been generally regarded as a proper name. Recent discoveries make it probable that in Tartan, as in Rabsaris and Rabshakeh, we have not a proper name at all, but a title or official designation, like Pharaoh or Surena. The Assyrian Tartan is a general or commander-in-chief.

Tatnai (“gift”) satrap of the province west of the Euphrates in the time of Darius Hystaspis ( Ezra 5:3,6; 6:6,13). The name is thought to be Persian.

Tau (Hebrew: TAV a mark or sign) The 23rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Taverns Three Taverns. A station on the Appian road between Putcoli and Rome, where Paul met brethren when on his way from Jerusalem. The modern Cisteran is probably near the site of the ancient place, which was about miles from Rome. Taxes I. Under the Judges, according to the theocratic government contemplated by the law, the only payments incumbent upon the people as of permanent obligation were the , the , the of the firstborn, and other offerings as belonging to special occasions. The payment by each Israelite of the halfshekel as “atonement-money,” for the service of the Tabernacle, on taking the census of the people ( Exodus 30:13), does not appear to have had the character of a recurring tax, but to have been supplementary to the freewill-offerings of Exodus 25:1-7, levied for the one purpose of the construction of the sacred tent. In later times, indeed, after the return from Babylon, there was an annual payment for maintaining the fabric and services of the Temple; but the fact that this begins by the voluntary compact to pay one-third of a shekel ( Nehemiah 10:32) shows that until then there was no such payment recognized as necessary. A little later the third became a half, and under the name of the didrachma ( Matthew 17:24) was paid by every Jew, in whatever part of the world he might be living. II. The kingdom, with its centralized government and greater magnificence, involved, of course, a larger expenditure, and therefore a heavier taxation. The chief burdens appear to have been, (1) A tithe of the produce both of the soil and of live stock ( Samuel 8:15,17). (2) Forced military service for a month every year ( 1 Samuel 8:12; 1 Kings 9:22; 1 Chronicles 27:1). (3) Gifts to the king ( 1 Samuel 10:27; 16:20; 17:18). (4) Import duties ( 1 Kings 10:15). (5) The monopoly of certain branches of commerce ( 1 Kings 9:28; 10:28,29; 22:48). (6) The appropriation to the king’s use of the early crop of hay ( Amos 7:1). At times, too, in the history of both the kingdoms, there were special burdens. A tribute of fifty shekels a head had to be paid by Menahem to the Assyrian king ( 2 Kings 15:20), and under his successor Hoshea this assumed the form of an annual tribute ( Kings 17:4). III. Under the Persian Empire, the taxes paid by the Jews were, in their broad outlines, the same in kind as those of other subject races. The financial system which gained for Darius Hystaspis the name of the “shopkeeper-king” involved the payment by each satrap of a fixed sum as the tribute due from his province. In Judaea, as in other provinces, the inhabitants had to provide in kind for the maintenance of the governor’s household, besides a money payment of forty shekels a day ( Nehemiah 5:14,15). In Ezra 4:13,20; 7:24, we get a formal enumeration of the three great branches of the revenue. The influence of Ezra secured for the whole ecclesiastical order, from the priests down to the Nethinim, an immunity from all three ( Ezra 7:24); but the burden pressed heavily on the great body of the people. IV. Under the Egyptian and Syrian kings, the taxes paid by the Jews became yet heavier. The “farming” system of finance was adopted in its worst form. The taxes were put up to auction. The contract sum for those of Phoenicia, Judaea, Samaria had been estimated at about 8,000 talents. An unscrupulous adventurer would bid double that sum, and would then go down to the province, and by violence and cruelty, like that of Turkish or Hindu collectors, squeeze out a large margin of profit for himself. V. The pressure of Roman taxation, if not absolutely heavier, was probably more galling, as being more thorough and systematic, more distinctively a mark of bondage. The capture of Jerusalem by Pompey was followed immediately by the imposition of a tribute, and within a short time the sum thus taken from the resources of the country amounted to 10,000 talents. When Judaea became formally a Roman province, the whole financial system of the empire came as a natural consequence. The taxes were systematically farmed, and the publicans appeared as a new curse to the country. The Portoria were levied at harbors, piers, and the gates of cities ( Matthew 17:24; Romans 13:7). In addition to this, there was the poll-tax paid by every Jew, and looked upon, for that reason, as the special badge of servitude. United with this, as part of the same system, there was also, in all probability, a property-tax of some kind. In addition to these general taxes, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were subject to a special houseduty about this period Taxing The English word now conveys to us more distinctly the notion of a tax or tribute actually levied; but it appears to have been used in the 16th century for the simple assessment of a subsidy upon the property of a given county, or the registration of the people for the purpose of a poll-tax. Two distinct registrations, or taxings, are mentioned in the New Testament, both of them by Luke. The first is said to have been the result of an edict of the emperor Augustus, that “all the world (i.e. the Roman Empire) should be taxed” ( Luke 2:1), and is connected by the evangelist with the name of Cyrenius, or Quirinus. The second, and more important ( Acts 5:37), is distinctly associated, in point of time, with the revolt of Judas of Galilee. Teacher One that imparts instruction, and communicates knowledge of religious truth or other things. Tears Drops of water from the eye ( 2 Kings 20:5). The ancient Romans collected the tears of mourners for the dead, and preserved them in a bottle, of thin glass or simple pottery. They used to be placed in the sepulchres of the dead, in Rome and Palestine, where they are found in great numbers, on opening ancient tombs ( Psalm 56:8).

Tebah (“slaughter”) Oldest son of II ( Genesis 22:24).

Tebaliah (“whom Jah has purified”) Third son of Hosah ( 1 Chronicles 26:11).

Tebeth The tenth month of the Hebrew sacred year, commencing with the new moon in January ( Esther 2:16).

Tehaphnehes .

Tehinnah (“mercy”) Founder of , Son of Eshton ( 1 Chronicles 4:12).

Teil-tree The lime-tree, or linden.

Tekoa (“strikers”) ( 2 Chronicles 11:6). East of Hebron; built by Ashur, son of Hezron ( 2 Chronicles 2:24). Residence of the wise woman who made peace between David and Absalom (2 Samuel 14). Ira, the Tekoite, was one of David’s 30 “mighty men” ( 2 Samuel 23:26). Rehoboam fortified it ( 2 Chronicles 11:6). Its people helped Nehemiah rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the return from Babylon ( Nehemiah 3:5,27). The prophet Amos was born here (Amos 1; Amos 7:14). The modern name is Tekua, and it is a small village of Arab houses, on an elevated hill, from which there is an extensive view reaching to the mountains of Moab, Dead Sea, the hills around Jerusalem, and west to Hebron, while toward the south the mountains of Edom fill the horizon. There are ruins of walls of houses, cisterns, broken columns, and heaps of building-stones. Some of the stones have the peculiar Hebrew bevel, proving their antiquity. The ruins of Khureitun (possibly , the city, of Judas) are near Tekua, on the brink of a frightful precipice A name occurring in the genealogies of Judah ( 1 Chronicles 2:24; 4:5) as the son of Ashur. There is little doubt that the town of Tekoa is meant.

Tekoite, the ben Ikkesh, one of David’s warriors, is thus designated ( Samuel 23:26; 1 Chronicles 11:28; 27:9). The common people among displayed great activity in the repairs of the wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah ( Nehemiah 3:5,27).

Tel-abib (“hill Abib”) This was probably a city of Chaldaea or Babylonia, not of Upper Mesopotamia, as generally imagined ( Ezekiel 3:15). The whole scene of Ezekiel’s preaching and visions seems to have been Chaldaea Proper.

Telah (“breach”) A descendant of Ephraim, and ancestor of Joshua ( 1 Chronicles 7:25).

Telaim The place at which Saul collected and numbered his forces before his attack on Amalek ( 1 Samuel 15:4, only). It may be identical with . On the other hand, the reading of the LXX. in 1 Samuel 15:4, viz. Gilgal, is remarkable, and is almost sufficient to induce the belief that in this case the LXX. and Josephus have preserved the right name, and that, instead of Telaim, we should, with them, read Gilgal. The Targum renders it “lambs of the Passover,” according to a curious fancy, mentioned elsewhere in the Jewish books, that the army met at the Passover, and that the census was taken by counting the lambs.

Telassar (“hill of Asshur”) It is mentioned in 2 Kings 19:12 and in Isaiah 37:12 as a city inhabited by “the children of Eden,” which had been conquered, and was held in the time of Sennacherib by the Assyrians. In both it is connected with Gozan (Gauzanitis), Haran (Carrhae, now Harran), and Rezeph (the Razappa of the Assyrian inscriptions), all of which belong to the hillcountry above the Upper Mesopotamian plain. Telassar, the chief city of a tribe known as the Beni Eden, must have been in Western Mesopotamia, in the neighborhood of Harran and Orfa.

Telem ( 1 ) (“oppression”) Judah ( Joshua 15:24). South of Hebron. Now called Dhullam.

Telem ( 2 ) A porter of the Temple ( Ezra 10:24).

Tel-harsa (“hill of the wood”) ( Ezra 2:59; Nehemiah 7:61). In the low country of Babylonia, near the Persian Gulf.

Tell Hum Tell Hum has recently been proved to be the site of the ancient . The original building of the synagogue, as appears by an inspection of the ruins, was 74 feet 9 inches long by 56 feet 9 inches wide; longer between north and south, with entrances at the south end. Many finely-cut capitals were found in the interior, buried in the rubbish; and also several of the pedestals in their proper places. Epiphanius says there was a Christian church there A.D. 600, some of the ruins of which are found near the synagogue. The plan of the synagogue was always peculiar, and different from that adopted by the Christians, or Pagans, or Mohammedans, so that there is no difficulty in determining the nature of certain ruins. This building may have been the one built by the centurion ( Luke 7:45), and that in which Jesus delivered the discourse recorded in John 6. One of the stones has a pot of manna sculptured on it. At the north end of the town there are the remains of two very interesting tombs. One was built of limestone blocks, in a chamber cut from the basalt; and the other a building above ground, which had been whitewashed inside and out. (See Matthew 22:27).

Tel-melah (“hill of salt”) A city of the low district near the Persian Gulf. The city is called Thelme, by Ptolemy (v. 20).

Tema (“desert”) ( Genesis 25:15; Isaiah 21:14.) A small town on the border of Syria, on the pilgrim route from Damascus to Mecca. It was once a stronghold.

Teman ( Genesis 36:11). A city or country named after one of the dukes of Edom, in the south of the land of Edom. Eusebius and Jerome mention it as being 15 miles from Petra.

Temani ( Genesis 36:34). .

Temanite Descendant of ( 1 Chronicles 1:45). , the Temanite, was Job’s friend, and one of the wise men of Edom ( Job 2:11).

Temeni (“lucky”) Son of Ashur ( 1 Chronicles 4:6). Temple Hebrew: 1. MISHKAN, “dwelling”; an open enclosed place, which can be dwelt in), ( Exodus 25:9; Leviticus 8:10; 17:13; Numbers 1:50-53). It connects itself with the Jewish wordSHECHINAH, as describing the dwelling-place of the Divine Glory. 2. OHEL, the tent, as a whole, or, perhaps, the covering, or roof only ( Genesis 4:20; 9:21, etc.). This is used when applied to the Sacred Tent ( Exodus 26:9). 3. BAYITH house ( Exodus 23:19). 4. KODESH, “holy”. 5. MIKDASH sanctuary ( Exodus 25:8); Hebrew and Aramaic. 6. HEYKAL, “temple,” “palace” ( 2 Kings 24:13; 1 Samuel 1:9). 7. MOED, “place of meeting” ( Exodus 29:42). 8. HAEDUTH, place of a fixed meeting ( Numbers 9:15). 9. OHEL HAEDUTH, “tabernacle of testimony” ( Numbers 17:7); so named from the two tables of testimony. The tabernacle was a tent-like structure, adapted to the roving life of the desert, and made more important than the ordinary tent, or even than the best tents of the wealthiest sheiks, which are lined with silk, or fine linen, or woolen, and very showy in form and color. Its form was twice the length of its width, 30 cubits (45 feet) long by cubits (15 feet) wide, and the side-walls were 10 cubits (15 feet) high. It stood in an enclosed place, 50 cubits (75 feet) wide by 100 cubits (150 feet) long, 15 feet from the west end. (See the plan on the map of the ). The Holy of Holies, at the west end, was a cube of 10 cubits each way, and in it was the mercy-seat, on the lid of the ark, the cherubim, the ark and the Book of the Law. The room in front was cubits long by 10 wide, and called the Holy Place. In it were the table of shewbread and the seven-branched candlestick and the altar of incense (Exodus 25). The tent had a ridge, forming a right-angle, over which the roof coverings of cloth and skins were thrown. These extended 5 cubits beyond the walls all round the tent, like wide, projecting eaves. There were three coverings to the sides; the inner of fine linen; the next of badgerskins; the outer of ram-skins dyed red; and besides these, the roof had one of goats’ hair. It was made under the direction of Bezaleel and Aholiab. Its place was in the center of the camp ( ), where it was set up on the first day of the second year of the Exodus ( Exodus 40:2). It was the place where man met with God ( Numbers 11:24,25). It was moved from its place (a moving Bethel) in the Wilderness and in Canaan until the Temple was built, or rather until it lost its glow,, when the ark was captured by the Philistines ( 1 Samuel 4:22; Psalm 78:60).

The form and size of the tent were symbolical; and to the Hebrews, who believed in the mystical and occult powers of numbers, it was peculiarly sacred because of its peculiar structure. On its altar of incense no strange fire must ever be used.

Tempt to, and Temptation These words denote the trying or putting one to the proof. (Hebrew: BAHAN MASSAH ; Greek: peirazo, ekpeirazo, peirasmos, etc.). Designate the action of God or the course of His providence, or the earthly trial by which human character and feelings are brought out ( Genesis 22:1).

The Temptation may be used with reference to our first parents (Genesis 3) or of the Jesus ( Matthew 4:1-11) in which Satan was the Tempter. Tempter One who tempts or entices another to sin ( Matthew 4:3).

Ten Commandments .

Tent (Hebrew: OHEL ). Dwelling in tents was very general in ancient times among Eastern nations ( Genesis 4:20). The patriarchs, the Israelites from Egypt, dwelt in tents until they obtained the Promised Land, and to some extent afterward ( Judges 7:8; Hebrews 11:9). The people of the East live much in the open air. But those most remarkable for this unsettled and wandering life are the Arabs, who still live in tents. This kind of dwelling is not confined to the Arabs, but is used throughout Asia. Tents were usually made of canvas stretched out, and resting on poles, with cords secured to pegs driven into the ground ( Isaiah 33:20). The house of God, and heaven, are spoken of in Scripture as the tent or tabernacle of Jah ( Psalm 15:1). Says Lord Lindsay: “There is something very melancholy in our morning flittings. The tent-pins are plucked up, and in a few minutes a dozen holes, a heap or two of ashes, and the marks of the camels’ knees in the sand, soon to be obliterated, are the only traces left of what has been for a while our home. Often we found ourselves shelterless before being fully dressed.” What a type of the tent of our body! Tents are of various colors; black ( <19C005> Psalm 120:5), red, yellow, and white. They are also of various shapes; some circular, others of an oblong figure like the bottom of a ship turned upside down. In Syria the tents are generally made of cloth of goats’ hair ( Exodus 35:26). Those of the Arabs are of black goats’ hair.

The Egyptian and Moorish inhabitants of Askalon use white tents. An Arab sheikh will have a number of tents ( Genesis 31:33). Usually one tent suffices for a family, being divided, if large, into apartments by curtains. Tentmakers ( Acts 18:3 ).

Tentation ( Exodus 17:7 ). .

Tenth The tenth part of an ephah, probably the same as the Omer, about five pints ( Leviticus 23:17).

Terah (“station” ) Son of Nahor, and father of Abram ( Genesis 11:24-32). 2, and 1, and through them the ancestor of the great families of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites, Moabites, and Amonites. He dwelt in Ur, and was an idolater ( Joshua 24:2). He lived 205 years, and died in Haran ( Genesis 11:31,32).

Teraphim This word is rendered “images,” “idolatry,” or the like. Now understood to represent small images, used as household gods. Rachel is said to have stolen her father’s teraphim ( Genesis 31:19). Laban calls them his gods ( Genesis 31:30). In the history of Micah of Mount Ephraim the teraphim appeared as objects of worship, and as part of the furniture which he provided for what is called “his house of Gods” ( Judges 17:5). Jacob pointed to the teraphim, when he called upon his household to put away “the strange gods” that were among them ( Genesis 35:2); to them also Josiah referred ( 2 Chronicles 34:7; Kings 22:24). They are named by Hosea among the articles of false worship, and are among the objects of superstitious regard with the king of Babylon ( Ezekiel 21:21).

Teresh (“severe” ) One of the eunuchs who was discovered in his plot to assassinate Ahasuerus (Esth. 2:21) Tertius A disciple who assisted Paul ( Romans 16:22).

Tertullus A Roman orator, whom the Jews employed to bring forward their accusation against Paul ( Acts 24:1-2).

Testament . Testimony (Hebrew: EDAH, EDUTH, TEUDAH; Greek: marturia, marturion ). Witness, evidence, proof ( Matthew 8:4; John 3:32,33, etc.). Applied also to the precepts, law, revelation of God ( Psalm 19:7), and especially to the , or ( Exodus 16:34).

Teta (1 Esdras 5:28).

Teth (Hebrew: TEYTH, “a serpent” ) The ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (Psalm 119). Tetrarch Governor of the fourth part of a country. 1. ( Matthew 14:11), who is distinguished as “Herod the tetrarch;” also the title of king is assigned to him ( Matthew 14:9). 2. is called tetrarch of ( Luke 3:1); ( Luke 3:1), tetrarch of . This title was probably applied to petty tributary, princes also. Thaddeus (Hebrew: TADDAY, “courageous” ) , . Also called Lebbeus and Thaddeus (Matthew 10). One of the twelve. He is only mentioned as among those who could not see the spiritual kingdom of Jesus ( John 14:22). Of his life, labors, and death, we know nothing. Tradition says he preached at Edessa, and died a martyr there ( Mark 3:18).

Thahash . Son of 2 by his second wife, Reumah ( Genesis 22:24).

Thamah Ancestor of a family of Nethinim ( Ezra 2:53), who returned from Captivity.

Thamar 1 ( Matthew 1:3).

Thamnatha (1 Macc. 9:50). Now called Tibneh, half-way between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean.

Thank-offering .

Thara ( Luke 3:34).

Tharra (Esth. 12:1).

Tharshish 1. ( 1 Kings 10:22). 2. A Benjamite of the family of Bilhan ( 1 Chronicles 7:10).

Thassi (“debilitation” ) The surname of Simon the son of Mattathias (1 Macc. 2:3). Theater For the general subject, see Dict. of Ant., pp. 995-998. For the explanation of the biblical allusions, two or three points only require notice. The Greek term, like the corresponding English term, notes the place where dramatic performances are exhibited, and also the scene itself, or spectacle, which is witnessed there. It occurs in the first or local sense in Acts 19:29. It was in the theater at Caesarea that Herod Agrippa I gave audience to the Tyrian deputies, and was himself struck with death, because he heard so gladly the impious acclamations of the people ( Acts 12:21-23). The other sense of the term “theatre” occurs in 1 Corinthians 4:9, where the Common Version renders, “God hath set forth us, the apostles, last, as it were appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” Instead of “spectacle” (so also Wycliffe and the Rhemish translators after the Vulgate) some might prefer the more energetic Saxon, “gazing-stock,” as in Tyndale, Cranmer, and the Geneva Version.

Thebes (A.V., No, the multitude of No, populous No ) A chief city of ancient Egypt, long the capital of the upper country, and the seat of the diospolitan dynasties that ruled over all Egypt at the era of its highest splendor. The sacred name of Thebes was P-amen,” the abode of Amon,” which the Greeks reproduced in their Diospolis, especially with the addition the Great. No-Amon is the name of Thebes in the Hebrew Scriptures ( Jeremiah 46:25; Nah. 3:8). Ezekiel uses No simply to designate the Egyptian seat of Ammon ( Ezekiel 30:14,16). The name of Thebes in the hieroglyphics is explained under No-AMON.

The origin of the city is lost in antiquity. Niebuhr is of opinion that Thebes was much older than Memphis, and that, “after the centre of Egyptian life was transferred to Lower Egypt, Memphis acquired its greatness through the ruin of Thebes.” Other authorities assign priority to Memphis. But both cities date from our earliest authentic knowledge of Egyptian history. The first allusion to Thebes in classical literature is the familiar passage of the Iliad (ix. 381-385): “Egyptian Thebes, where are vast treasures laid up in the houses; where are a hundred gates, and from each two hundred men go forth with horses and chariots.” It has been questioned whether Herodotus visited Upper Egypt; but he says, “I went to Heliopolis and to Thebes, expressly to try whether the priests of those places would agree in their accounts with the priests at Memphis” (ii. 3). Afterward he describes the features of the Nile Valley, and the chief points and distances upon the river, as only an eye-witness would be likely to record them. In the first century before Christ, Diodorus visited Thebes; and he devotes several sections of his general work to its history and appearance. Though he saw the city when it had sunk to quite secondary importance, he preserves the tradition of its early grandeur, its circuit of one hundred and forty stadia, the size of its public edifices, the magnificence of its temples, the number of its monuments, the dimensions of its private houses — some of them four or five stories high — all giving it an air of grandeur and beauty surpassing not only all other cities of Egypt, but of the world. Diodorus deplores the spoiling of its buildings and monuments by Cambyses (Diod. i. 45, 46). Strabo, who visited Egypt. a little later, at about the beginning of the Christian era, describes (xvii. p. 816) the, city under the name Diospolis. But, in the uncertainty of these historical allusions, the monuments of Thebes are the most reliable witnesses for the ancient grandeur of the city.

These are found in almost equal proportions upon both sides of the river.

The parallel ridges which skirt the narrow Nile Valley upon the east and west from the northern limit of Upper Egypt, here sweep outward upon either side, forming a circular plain whose diameter is nearly ten miles. The plan of the city, as indicated by the principal monuments, was nearly quadrangular, measuring two miles from north to south, and four from east to west. Its four great landmarks were Karnak and Luxor upon the eastern or Arabian side, and Qoornah and Medeenet Haboo upon the western or Libyan side. There are indications that each of these temples may have been connected with those facing it upon two sides by grand dromoi, lined with sphinxes and other colossal figures. Upon the western bank there was almost a continuous line of temples and public edifices for a distance of two miles, from Qoornah to Medeenet Haboo; and Wilkinson conjectures that from a point near the latter, perhaps in the line of the colossi, the “Royal Street” ran down to the river, which was crossed by a ferry terminating at Luxor on the eastern side. Beginning at the northern extremity on the western bank, the first conspicuous ruins are those, of the Menephtheion, a palace-temple of the nineteenth dynasty, and therefore belonging to the middle style of Egyptian architecture. Nearly a mile southward from the Menephtheion are the remains of the combined palace and temple known since the days of Strabo as the Memnonium. An examination of its sculptures shows that this name was inaccurately applied, since the building was clearly erected by Rameses II. The general form of the Memnonium is that of a parallelogram in three main sections, the interior areas being successively narrower than the first court, and the whole terminating in a series of sacred chambers beautifully sculptured and ornamented. But the most remarkable feature of these ruins is the gigantic statue of Rameses II. Proceeding again toward the south for about the same distance, we find, at Medeenet Haboo, ruins upon a more stupendous scale than at any other point upon the western bank of Thebes. These consist of a temple founded by Thothmes I., which presents some of the grandest effects of the old Egyptian architecture, and its battle scenes are a valuable contribution to the history of Rameses III. Behind this long range of temples and palaces are the Libyan hills, which, for a distance of five miles, are excavated to the depth of several hundred feet for sepulchral chambers. Some of these, in the number and variety of their chambers, the finish of their sculptures, and the beauty and freshness of their frescoes, are among the most remarkable monuments of Egyptian grandeur and skill.

The eastern side of the river is distinguished by the remains of Luxor and Karnak, the latter being of itself a city of temples. The approach to Karnak from the south is marked by a series of majestic gateways and towers, which were the appendages of later times to the original structure. The temple properly faces the the river — i. e. toward the northwest. The courts and propylaea connected with this structure occupy a space nearly 1800 feet square, and the buildings represent almost every dynasty of Egypt, from Sesortasen I to Ptolemy Euergetes I. Courts, pylons, obelisks, statues, pillars, everything pertaining to Karnak, are on the grandest scale.

The grandeur of Egypt is here in its architecture, and almost every pillar, obelisk, and stone tells its historic legend of her greatest monarchs. We have alluded to the debated question of the priority of Thebes to Memphis. As yet the data are not sufficient for its satisfactory,, solution, and Egyptologists are not agreed. When the Shepherds or Hyksos, a nomadic race from the East, invaded Egypt, and fixed their capital at Memphis, a native Egyptian dynasty was maintained at Thebes, at times tributary to the Hyksos, and at times in military alliance with Ethiopia against the invaders; until at length, by a general uprising of the Thebaid, the Hyksos were expelled, and Thebes became the capital of all Egypt under the resplendent eighteenth dynasty. This supremacy continued until the close of the nineteenth dynasty, or for a period of more than five hundred years; but under the twentieth dynasty the glory of Thebes began to decline, and after the close of that dynasty her name no more appears in the lists of kings. Still the city was retained as the capital, in whole or in part, and the achievements of Shishonk the Bubastite, of Tirhakah the Ethiopian, and other monarchs of celebrity, are recorded upon its walls. Ezekiel proclaims the destruction of Thebes by the arm of Babylon ( Ezekiel 30:14-16).

The Persian invader completed the destruction that the Babylonian had begun.

Thebez (“brightness” ) ( Judges 9:50). A place 13 miles northeast of Shechem, now called Tubas, on a gentle hill, surrounded by large groves of olives, and wellcultivated fields (Rob. iii. 305). Abimelech was killed here by a piece of a millstone ( 2 Samuel 11:21).

Thecoe (“the wilderness” ) the Greek form of , which see. Theft PUNISHMENTS.

Thelasar TEL-ASSAR ( 2 Kings 19:12).

Thelersas TEL-HARSA (1 Esdras 5:36).

Theman (Baruch 3:22,23).

Theocanus .

Theodotus (“God-given” ) An envoy, sent by Nicanor to Judas Maccabaeus, about B.C. 162 (2 Macc. 14:19). Theophilus (“friend of God” ) 1. The person to whom Luke inscribes his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles ( Luke 1:3). 2. A Jewish , A.D. 37-41; the son of .

Theophylact (“God guarded” ) A native of Constantinople, and Archbishop of Acris, A.D. 1077 ( Mark 7:3).

Theras (1 Esdras 8:41,61).

Thermeleth (1 Esdras 5:36).

Thessalonians People of .

Thessalonians, First and Second Epistles to the . Thessalonica Named after the sister of Alexander the Great. She was wife of Cassander, who rebuilt and enlarged the city. Its original name was Therma. In Macedonia, between the rivers of the Thermaic Gulf. It is still the most important town in European Turkey, after Constantinople, having a population of 70,000, about one-third of whom are Jews. It was the residence of Cicero at one time, and the headquarters of Pompey and his Senate, and was made a free city by Octavius Caesar. In the 1st century A.D., the time of Paul’s visit and his two Epistles to the Thessalonians, it was the most populous city in Maccedonia. This was the chief station on the great Roman Road, the , which led from Rome toward the whole country north of the seas, and therefore a most important center for spreading the gospel. Its commerce was equal to Corinth and Ephesus. The first Christians of this city mentioned by name were Jason ( Romans 16:21), Demas ( 2 Timothy 4:10), Gaius ( Acts 19:29), and Aristarchus and Secundus ( Acts 20:4). The truth and accuracy of the Scripture are confirmed in the mention of the fact of this being a free city and in giving the peculiar and correct term for the chief magistrate, who was called in Greek ( Acts 17:6). This name is found nowhere else, and is preserved on an arch of the Imperial times, which spans the main street of the city (Aug. Beck. Insc. No. 1967). For several centuries after Christ this was called “The Orthodox City,” and was the great center of Oriental Christianity.

Theudas (“gift of God” ) An insurgent Jew, mentioned by Gamaliel A.D. 33 ( Acts 5:35-39), as of the preceding generation, and not to be confounded with a Theudas of A.D. 44, mentioned by Josephus. Thieves, the Two (Greek: lestai, robbery ).

The men who appear in the history of the crucifiction ( Matthew 27:38,44; Mark 15:37,42) were robbers, belonging to the lawless bands in Palestine. Against these brigands every Roman procurator had to wage war. They kept an armed police to encounter them ( Luke 22:52).

Thimnathah Dan ( Joshua 19:43). Between Eglon and Ekron. The residence of Samson’s wife. There must have been several towns of the same name. One is now known as Tibneh, ten miles south of Akir (Ekron).

Thisbe Naphtali (Tobit 1:2). The birthplace of the prophet ( 1 Kings 17:1). The place has not been identified, but is looked for in the vicinity of Safed or Kadesh. Thistles and Thorns There are nearly twenty Hebrew words which point to different kinds of prickly or thorny shrubs, and are variously rendered “thorns,” “briers,” “thistles,” “brambles,” etc. Thistles of various species are numerous in Palestine, and often of prodigious size, and in some parts the thorns and briers grow so luxuriantly that they must be burned off before the plow can operate (Thess. 2:5,28). They were a symbol of desolation ( Proverbs 24:31); and were often used as fuel ( Isaiah 33:12); also for hedges ( Hosea 2:6). Thomas (“a twin”; Greek: Dydimus, “a twin”. Lydia was his twin sister ). A native of Galilee. It has been suggested that he was a twin brother of Jesus, but there is no proof that he was any relation to him. He was slow to believe, weighing the difficulties of the case, of a desponding heart, but ardently attached to his Master. He was ready to go with Jesus into any danger, but was incredulous about the unknown future; and after the resurrection, he would and he could only believe after he had seen and felt the very wounds made by the nails and the spear, he was one of the seven apostles who saw Jesus at the Sea of Galilee, and met with the others in the “upper room” after the ascension. Tradition says he preached in Parthia, was a martyr, and was buried at Edessa. The church in Malabar claims him as its founder, and shows a tomb as his.

Thracia (2 Macc. 12:35 ).

Thrace anciently included the whole country north of Macedonia and the Black Sea. It is supposed that , in Genesis 10:2, means Thrace. It is also supposed that Tiras was the ancestor of the Tyrsi or Tyrseni, the Etruscans of Italy.

Thraseas Father of Appollonius 1 (2 Macc. 3:5).

Threshold (Hebrew: MIFTAN, SAF ). door-sill, a piece of timber or stone under a door or entrance ( Judges 19:27).

Thresholds, the (Hebrew: ASUPPEY ) ( Nehemiah 12:25 ).

The thresholds of the gates, Hebrew: ASUPPEY HASH-SHEARIM, the store-chambers of the gates. Throne (Hebrew: CISSE; Greek: thronos ). Any elevated seat occupied by a person in authority as high priest ( Samuel 1:9); judge ( <19C205> Psalm 122:5); or a military chief ( Jeremiah 1:15). The use of a chair in a country where squatting and reclining were the usual postures was regarded as a symbol of dignity ( 2 Kings 4:10). Solomon’s throne was approached by six steps ( 1 Kings 10:19), and Jehovah’s throne was high and lifted up ( Isaiah 6:1). The materials and workmanship were costly ( 1 Kings 10:18-20). Heaven is called God’s throne, and the earth his footstool ( Isaiah 66:1).

Thummin . Thunder (Hebrew: RAAM, Greek: brante ), and are extremely rare, during the summer, in Palestine hence it was selected by Samuel as an expression of the divine displeasure toward the Israelites ( 1 Samuel 12:17). As a symbol of God’s power and majesty, thunder is frequently referred to in Scripture ( Exodus 19:16).

Thyatira , and the .

Thyine-wood An aromatic, evergreen tree, resembling the cedar, and found in Barbary, growing to the height of 15 to 25 feet. The wood was used in burning incense, and, under the name of citron-wood, was highly prized by the Romans for ornamental wood-work. The rezin, known as sandarach is, the product of this tree ( Revelation 18:12).

Tiberias A city on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee ( John 6:23). Some have supposed that it was built on the ruins (or near) of an ancient city, Rakkath, or Chinneroth (see Land and Book). Josephus says that it was built over an ancient cemetery, and was, therefore, unclean. Jesus never visited Tiberias, and it is scarcely mentioned in the Gospels. It was the capital of Galilee from its origin to the time of Herod Agippa II. Celebrated schools of learning flourished here for several centuries. The was compiled here by Rabbi Judah Hakkodesh, A.D. 190. That most important work, the MASORAH (“traditions”), originated here. By it has been preserved the vowel system and pronunciation of the Hebrew, and therefore the correct reading and understanding of the Old Testament. The Christians held it during the Crusades, and now it is under Turkish rule. Population about 4,000, 1/4th being Jews. The Jews hold that four cities are holy, which are, Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias. An earthquake, in 1837, nearly destroyed the city, and its effects are still seen, in walls tumbled down and houses in heaps. Tiberius The second emperor of Rome, successor of , A.D. 14- 37. He was the son of Claudius Nero and Livia. He distinguishedd himself in various wars. At first he was moderate and just, but soon became infamous for his vices and crimes, and died A.D. 37, after a reign of 23 years. He is several times mentioned under the title of Caesar ( Luke 20:22-25; 23:22; John 19:12). His subjects were commanded to worship his images.

Tibhath (“slaughter” ) A city of Hardarezer, king of Zobah (1 Chronicles 18). On the eastern skirts of Anti-Lebanon.

Tibni (“building of Jah” ) An unsuccessful competitor with Omri, the general, for the throne of Israel ( 1 Kings 16:18-23).

Tidal (“fear” ) “A king of nations,” underCHEDORLAOMER ( Genesis 14:1-16).

Tiglath-pileser (“lord of the Tigris” ) King of Assyria; was invited by Ahaz, king of Judah, to assist him against the kings of Assyria and Israel ( 2 Kings 16:7-10). He exacted a heavy tribute, so as to distress him without helping him ( 2 Chronicles 28:20-21). He made captive many of the inhabitants of Israel, and placed them in his kingdom, B.C. 740 ( 1 Chronicles 6:26), thus fulfilling unconsciously the predictions of Isaiah 7:17; 8:4).

Tigris (“arrow” ) River of Mesopotamia. Called Hiddekel in Hebrew. Like the Euphrates, it has two sources; the principal one is near the high mountain-lake Golenjik, which lies in the great bend of the Euphrates, in lat. 38 degrees longitude, 39 degrees 20 longitude, and only 2 or 3 miles from that river.

The c