ABEL-MEHOLAH

ABEL - ItlEHOLAH (' meadow of the dance or circle'). — A place in the Jordan valley, the limit of Gideon's pursuit of the Midianites (Jg 7^); in the administrative district of Taanach and Megiddo under Solomon (1 K 4"); the native place of Adriel, husband of Merab, Saul's daughter (1 S 18"), and ot Elisha (1 K 19"). The suggested identifications are uncertain. See Moore's Judges, p. 212. R. A. S. Macalistbk.

ABEL-MIZRAIM ('meadow of the Egyptians').— The scene ot the mourning tor Jacob (Gn 60"). The only clue to its situation is its being ' beyond Jordan.'

ABEL-SHITTIM ('meadow of the acacias').— In the plains of Moab (Nu 33"); otherwise Shittim, the last (Jos 3') trans-Jordanic stage where the Israelites en-camped. Identified with Ghor es-Seisaban, east of the Jordan, opposite Jericho. It was the scene of the offence of Baal-peor (Nu 25'). Hence Joshua sent his spies (Jos 2'). R. A. S. Macalister.

ABI. — The name of a queen-mother of the 8th cent. (2 K 18'), called Abijah in the parallel passage 2 Ch 29>. 'The reading in Kings is the more probable.

ABIAH.— See Abijah.

ABI-ALBON.— See Abiel.

ABIASAPH ( = 'tather has gathered'). Ex 6!" = EBIASAPH ( = ' father has increased'), 1 Ch 6»- s? 9i8._ The name of a division of the Korahite Levites, men-tioned only in the genealogies ot P and the Chronicler. According to 1 Ch 9" 26' (in the latter passage read Ebiasaph for Asaph), a section ot the division acted as doorkeepers.

ABIATHAR. — Son of Ahimelech, who was head ot the family of priests in charge of the sanctuary at Nob (1 S 21'). All except Abiathar were massacred by Saul (1 S 222"). -When the rest obeyed the king's summons, he may have remained at home to officiate. On hearing of the slaughter he took refuge with David, carrying with him the oracular ephod (1 S 23"; see also 1 S 23' 30'). Abiathar and Zadok accompanied the outlaw in his prolonged wanderings. During Absalom's rebellion they and their sons rendered yeoman service to the old king (2 S 15"). At 2 S 8" (so also 1 Ch 18'5 [where, moreover, ' Atimelech ' should be Ahimelech] 24") the names of Abiathar and his father have been transposed. Abiathar's adhesion to Adonijah (1 K 1'- 19- 25) was of great importance, not only because ot his position as priest, but also owing to his long friendship with king David. Solomon, therefore, as soon as he could safely do it, deposed Abiathar from the priesthood, warned him that any future misconduct would entail capital punishment, and relegated him to the seclusion of Anathoth (1 K 2»). His sons (2 S 8") lost the priestly office along with their father (1 K 2''; cf. 1 S 2^'-^). At Mk 2» the erroneous mention of Abiathar is due to his having been so intimately associ-ated with the king in days subsequent to the one mentioned. J. Taylok.

ABIB (the 'green ear' month. Ex 13* etc.). — See Time.

ABIDA ('father hath knowledge'). — A son of Midian (Gn 25S 1 Ch 1*!).

ABIDAD' ('father is judge'). — Representative of the tribe of Benjamin at the census and on certain other occasions, Nu 1" 2=2 7»"- » 10^.

ABIEL. — 1. Father of Kish and Ner, and grand-father ot Saul (1 S 9' 1461). The latter passage should run, ' Kish, the fathei of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner, were sons of Abiel.' 2. One of David's heroes (1 Ch 11'2), from Beth-arabah in the wilderness of Judah (Jos 15«- " 18«). Abi-albon (2 S 23") is a trans-scriber's error, the eye having fallen on albon below: some codices of the LXX have Abiel: possibly the original was Abibaal. J. Tatlor.

ABIEZER ('father is help'). — 1. The name occurs also in the abbreviated form Jezer. He is called the

ABILENE

son of Hammolecheth, sister ot Machlr, the son of Manasseh (1 Ch 7"). His descendants formed one of the smallest clans belonging to the Gileadite branch of the tribe ot Manasseh, the best known member ot which was Gideon. According to Jg 6^ 8'^, the Abiezrites were settled at Ophrah; they were the first to obey the summons of Joshua to fight against the Midianites. —

2. An Anathothite, one of David's thirty-seven chief heroes, who had command of the army during the ninth month (2 S 232', i ch 2712). W. O. E. Oesterley.

ABIGAIL, or ABIGAL.— 1. Wife of Nabal (1 S 25"). She dissuaded David from avenging himself on the surly farmer, and soon after the latter's death married David (1 S 25^'-"), and accom'pariied him to Gath and Ziklag (1 S 27' 30'- 1'). At Hebron she bore him a son, whose name may have been Chileab (2 S 3'), or Daniel (1 Ch 3i), or Dodiel (the LXX at 2 S 3' has Daluya). 2. Step-sister of David, mother of Amasa (2 S 1726, 1 Ch 2'").

J. Taylor.

ABIHAIL ('father is might'). — 1. As the name of a man it occurs (o) in 1 Ch 5" as that of a Gadite who dwelt in the land of Bashan. (6) It was also the name of Esther's father, the uncle of Mordecai (Est 2i6 9'').

2. As the name ot a woman it occurs three times: (a) 1 Ch 22S, the wife ot Abishur, of the tribe of Judah; this is its only occurrence in pre-exilic writings. (6) Nu 3^, a daughter of the sons of Merari, of the tribe of Levi, the mother of Zuriel, a ' prince ' among the families of Merari. (c) 2 Ch llis, the mother of Rehoboam's wife, Mahalath, and daughter of Eliab, David 's eldest brother.

It is a woman's name in Minaean (South Arabian) inscriptions, where it occurs in the form Ili-hail.

W. O. E. Oesterley.

ABIHU ('he is father'). — Second son of Aaron (Ex 623, Nu 32 26«», 1 Ch 6^ 24'); accompanied Moses to the top of Sinai (Ex 241 • '); admitted to the priest's office (Ex 28'); slain along with his brother Nadab for offering strange fire (Lv lOi- 2, Nu 3< 26", 1 Ch 242).

ABIHUD (' father is majesty ').—ABenjamite (1 Ch 8').

ABUAH. — 1. Son and successor of Rehoboam (2 Ch 13'), also called Abijam (1 K 14"). The accounts of him in the Books of Kings and Chronicles are discrepant. The difference begins with the name of his mother, which 2 Ch. gives as Micaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, while 1 K. makes her to have been Maacah, daughter of Abishalom. As the latter is also the name of Asa's mother (1 K 15'°, 2 Ch 16"), there is probably some confusion in the text. Beyond this, the Book ot Kings tells us only that he reigned three years, that he walked in the sins of his father, and that he had war with Jeroboam, king of Israel. 2. Samuel's second son (1 S 82). The RV retains the spelling Abiah in 1 Ch 628.

3. A son of Jeroboam I. who died in childhood (1 K 14).

4. One ot the 'heads ot fathers' houses' of the sons of Eleazar, who gave his name to the 8th of the 24 courses ot priests (1 Ch 24»- '», 2 Ch 8"). To this course Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, belonged (Lk 1'). The name occurs also in the lists of priests who 'went up with Zerubbabel' (Neh 12*), and of those who ' sealed unto the covenant ' in the'timejot Nehemiah(lO').

5. A son of Becher, son of Benjamin, 1 Ch 7*. 6. Wife of Hezron, eldest son of Perez, son of Judah, 1 Ch 22", RV Abiah. 7. Wife of Ahaz, and mother of Hezekiah (2 Ch 29'), named Abi in 2 K 18'. H. P. Smith.

ABILENE. — Mentioned in Lk 3', and also in several references in Josephus, as a tetrarchy of Lysanias [wh. see]. It was situated in the Anti-Lebanon, and its capital was Abila, a town whose ruins are found to-day on the northern bank of the river Barada, near a village called Suk Wady Barada. It is one of the most picturesque spots on the railroad to Damascus. The ancient name is to-day preserved in a Latin in-scription on a deep rock-cutting high up above the rail-way. By a worthless Moslem tradition, Abel is said to have been buried here. E. W. G. Mastebman.