ALLEGORY

seems to correspond to Immer in Ezr 2", Neh 7", one of the places from which these Jews returned. In 1 Es 'Cherub, Addan, and Immer' appear as ' Gharaathalan leading them and Allar.'

ALLEGORY.— See Pakable.

ALLELUIA. — See Hallelujah.

ALLEMETH, AV Alemeth.l Ch 6«»; Almon, Jos 21i».— A Levltical city of Benjamin. It is the present 'Almit on the hills N. of Anathoth.

ALLIANCE . — In the patriarchal age alliances between the Chosen People and foreign nations were frequent. Many of the agreements between individuals recorded in Genesis implied, or really were, treaties between the tribes or clans represented (Gn 21^''- 31"^). 'During the period of the Judges confederations between the more or less isolated units of which the nation was composed were often made under the pressure of a common danger (Jg 4'" 6^). When Israel became consolidated under the monarchy, alliances with foreigners were of a more formal character, e.g. Solomon's treaty with Hiram (1 K S. 9). His marriage with Pharaoh's daughter probably had a political significance (31 918) The policy of alliance between Israel and Phcenicia was continued by Omri and Ahab (16"); Am 1' speaks of it as a 'covenant of brethren'; it rested, no doubt, on reciprocal commercial interests (cf. Ac 12™). Asa and Baasha contended for alliance with Benhadad (1 K 15"), and Judah and Israel them-selves are allied during the reigns of Jehoshaphat and Ahab. Such a friendship is denounced in 2 Ch 25. Pekah and Rezin are united against Judah (2 K 16', Is 7). With the appearance of Assyria, relations with foreign nations become important and complicated. The temptation is to stave off the danger from the east by alUance with Damascus or Egypt. Sennacherib assumes that this will be the policy of Hezekiah (2 K 1821. 24). The prophets from the first set their faces against it (Dt 17«, Hos 8», Is 20. 30, Jer 2"- »). It is ' the hiring of lovers ' in place of J", leading to sin and idolatry (2 K 16), and is politically unsound, resting 'on a broken reed.' The parties being so unequal, the ally easily becomes the tributary (16'). After the Return, Ezra and Nehemiah oppose any alliance with ' the people of the land.' In later times, for a short period only, did the nation gain sufficient independence to make an alliance; in this case it was with Rome (1 Mac 8" 15").

C. W. Emmet.

ALLOTS. — 1 . The head of a family of ' Solomon's ser-vants' (1 Es 5"). He may be the same as Ami (Ezr 2*'), or Amon (Neh 7"). 2. A Simeonlte prince (1 Ch 4").

ALLON BACUTH ('oak of weeping').— The place where Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, was buried; it was near Bethel (Gn 35»).

ALL TO BREAK.— This phrase (Jg 9") means altogether broke. The 'all' is used for altogether, as in 1 K 14'° 'till it be all gone'; and the 'to' is not the sign of the infin., but an adverb like Germ, zer, meaning thoroughly. Thus, ' His brest to-broken with his sadil bowe' — Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 2759. The correct spell-ing (as in the original ed. of AV) is 'all to brake.'

ALLOW, — To 'allow' generally means in AV 'to approve,' as Ro 7i' 'that which I do I allow not.' But in Ac 24" it has the mod. sense, admit.

ALLOY.— RVm (Is 1^) for EV 'tin.' See Mining and Metals.

ALMIGHTY is the regular rendering of Shaddai, which occurs altogether 45 times in the OT; 6 times qualifying El (God) and 39 times [31 of these in Job) standing by itself. In the Hexateuch its use is almost confined to P, according to which source it is the name by which God revealed Himself to the patriarchs (Ex 6^ cf. Gn 17' 35"). The meaning and derivation are aUke obscure. The LXX usually render by PantokratBr ('Almighty'); 6 times by a fanciful derivation they

22

ALMS, ALMSGIVING

paraphrase by 'He that is sufficient.' But in Gn. Bl Shaddai is always represented in the LXX by a pronoun, 'my (or thy) God'; in Ezk 10» it is merely transUterated. Other suggested renderings are 'the Destroyer," i.e. 'the Storm-God,' 'the Pourer,' i.e. 'the Rain-God,' 'the Mountain' (cf. 'Rock' as a title of God in Dt 32«- 's- "'■ "), or 'Lord.' The last two have the most probability on their side, and it is hard to choose between them; but the fact that in Babylonian 'the Great Mountain' ^shadu rabu) is a common title of Bel seems to turn the scale in favour of the former of the two meanings proposed: some slight confirmation is perhaps afforded by 1 K 20^'. In composition the word occurs in two personal names: Zurishaddai (Nu 1*) and Ammishaddai (Nu 1'^); per-haps also in Shedeur (Nu 1'). The first ('Shaddai is my Rock') is specially interesting if the meaning given above is correct.

In the NT, with the exception of 2 Co 6" (a quotation from 2 S 7"), the name is confined to the Apocalypse. That it renders Shaddai rather than Sabaoth seems proved (in spite of 4* from Is 6') by the fact that it always either stands alone or qualifies 'God,' never 'Lord.' The writer is fond of piling up the titles or attributes of God, and among them his favourite is that ancient title which carries him back to the patriarchal age, the title El Shaddai. H. C. O. Lanchester.

AL-MODAD was, according to Gn 10« (1 Ch l^"), the oldest son of Joktan (wh. see). Joktan is the eponym of the tribes and peoples of eastern and southern Arabia. From the position of Al-modad in the list of 'sons,' it would appear that he is to be located in the south of the peninsula. As yet the name can neither be explained nor identified with any known region.

J. F. McCUEDY.

ALMON. — See Allemeth.

ALMON-DIBLATHAIM.— A station in the journey-ings (Nu 33«- "), prob. identical with Beth-diblathaim (Jer 48^2). The meaning of Diblathaim is a double cake of figs; its application to a town may indicate the appearance of the place or neighbourhood.

ALMOND (shaqed). —Tiie fruit in Gn 43", Ex 2535- « 37i9-2o_ Nu 178; the tree in Ec 12*, Jer 1". Luz (Gn 30^'), mistranslated ' hazel,' is certainly the almond; it is the name of the almond in modern Arabic. The almond (Amygdalus communis) is in Palestine the earliest harbinger of spring, bursting into beautiful white blossom late in January in Jerusalem, before its leaves appear. Hence its name and symbolism: shdged means to waken or watch, and in Jer 1"- " there is a play on the word 'almond' (shaqM), and 'I will hasten' {shbqM). Probably the whiteness of the blossom from a little distance — the delicate pink at the bases of the petals being visible only on closer inspection — suggested its comparison to the white hair of age (Ec 12'). The fruit is a great favourite. It is eaten green before the shell hardens, especially by children, and the ripe kernels are eaten by themselves or with nuts and pud-dings, and are also made into sweetmeats with sugar, both as ' almond icing ' and ' burnt almonds. ' A present of Palestine almonds would be sure to be appreciated in Egypt (Gn 43"), as they did not grow in the latter country. e. W. G. Mastebman.

ALMS, ALMSGIVING.— 'An alms' (Ac 3^) is some-thing freely given, in money or in kind, to the needy, from motives of love and pity for the recipient, and of gratitude to the Giver of all. Hence what is given or paid to the poor under the authority and compulsion of la,w, as the modern poor rate, is not alms. For such legal provision in OT times see Poor. Much might

V, f' . ?l the humane spirit which pervades the whole of the Hebrew legislation, and in particular the legislation of Dt, of which, in this respect, 15i mav be taken as the epitome: 'Thou shalt surely open thine hand unto thy brother, to thy needy and to thy poor'