but
this
is
probably
a
poetical
imitation
of
ancient
conditions.
On
their
close
kindred,
the
Kenites,
see
Kenites.
George
A.
Barton.
AMAM
(Jos
IS"
only).
—
An
unknown
city
of
Judah,
in
the
desert
south
of
Beersheba.
AWATT
—
1.
The
persecutor
of
Achiacharus
(To
14i»).
2.
Est
12»
16'»-
".
See
Haman.
AMASA
(Ca
4»).
—
Probably
the
mountains
near
the
river
Abana
or
Amana,
being
connected
with
Hermon
and
Lebanon;
or
else
Mount
Amanus
In
the
north
of
Syria.
AMABIAH
CJ"
said'
or
'promised').—
1.
Zeph
li,
great-grandfather
of
the
prophet
Zephaniah,
and
son
of
a
Hezekiah
who
may
be
the
king.
This
is
the
only
instance
of
the
name
that
is
certainly
pre-exilic.
2.
1
Ch
6'-
52,
grandfather
of
Zadok
the
priest.
3.
1
Ch
2319
24»,
a
Levlte
in
David's
time.
4.
1
Ch
6",
Ezr
7'
(Amarias,
l
Es
8^,
2
Es
1"),
son
of
Azariah,
who
is
said
to
have
ministered
in
Solomon's
temple.
The
lists
in
which
2
and
4
occur
are
very
uncertain,
and
the
name
may
refer
to
the
same
person
in
both.
6.
2
Ch
19",
a
high
priest
in
the
reign
of
Jehoshaphat.
6.
2
Ch
31>',
a
Levite,
a
gate-porter,
in
Hezekiah's
time.
7.
Neh
122-
15
10>,
a
priestly
clan
which
returned
to
Jerusalem,
and
sealed
the
covenant
under
Nehemiah
(probably
the
same
as
Immer,
1
Oh
24",
Ezr
2"
lO^",
Neh
7"
[Meruth,
1
Es
S"]).
8.
Ezr
ICH^,
a
Judahite,
one
of
the
sons
of
Bani
(v.*",
of.
1
Ch
9*)
who
had
taken
strange
wives.
9.
Neh
11',
a
Judahite
who
offered
to
dwell
in
Jerusalem.
10.
Neh
la'^,
where
Ueraiah
is
probably
a
corruption
of
Amariah
(which
is
found
in
Syr.
and
Luc).
A.
H.
M'Neile.
A1WAB.TAS
(1
Es
8').
—
An
ancestor
of
Ezra,
called
Amariah
in
Ezr
T.
AMASA.
—
1.
The
son
of
Ithra
an
Ishmaelite,
and
of
Abigail
the
sister
of
king
David.
He
commanded
the
army
of
the
rebel
Absalom
(2
S
IT^);
but
was
completely
routed
by
Joab
in
the
forest
of
Ephraim
(18*-*).
David
not
only
pardoned
him,
but
gave
him
the
command
of
the
army
in
place
of
Joab
(19'').
He
was
treacherously
slain
by
Joab
at
'the
great
stone
of
Gibeon'
(2
S
aO'-'^).
2.
An
Ephraimite
who
opposed
the
bringing
into
Samaria
of
the
Jewish
prisoners,
whom
Pekah,
king
of
Israel,
had
taken
in
his
campaign
against
Ahaz
(2
Ch
28>2)
.
AMASAI.—
1.
A
Kohathite
(1
Ch
e^s-
»);
theeponym
of
a
family
(2
Ch
29'^).
2.
One
of
the
priests
who
blew
trumpets
on
the
occasion
of
David's
bringing
the
ark
to
Jerus.
(1
Ch
15").
3.
One
of
David's
officers
at
Ziklag
(1
Ch
1218),
possibly
to
be
identified
with
Amasa,
No.
1.
AMASHSAI
(Neh
11").—
A
priest
of
the
family
of
Immer.
AHASIAH.
—
One
of
Jehoshaphat's
commanders
(2
Ch
1716).
AWAZTAH.
—
1.
Son
of
Jehoash
of
Judah.
He
came
to
the
throne
after
the
assassination
of
his
father.
It
is
recorded
in
his
favour
(2
K
4")
that
although
he
put
the
murderers
of
his
father
to
death
he
spared
their
children
—
something
unheard
of
up
to
that
time,
we
infer.
Our
sources
know
of
a
successful
campaign
of
his
against
Edom,
and
an
unsuccessful
one
against
Israel.
In
this
he
seems
to
have
been
the
aggressor;
and
after
refusing
to
hear
the
advice
of
Jehoash,
whom
he
had
challenged
to
a
trial
of
strength,
he
had
the
mortification
of
seeing
his
own
capital
plundered.
The
conspiracy
by
which
he
perished
may
have
been
prompted
by
his
conduct
in
this
war.
In
the
matter
of
religion
he
receives
qualified
praise
from
the
author
of
Kings
(2
K
14"),
while
the
Chronicler
accuses
him
of
gross
apostasy
(2
Ch
25i"').
2.
The
priest
at
Bethel
who
opposed
the
prophet
Amos
(Am
7i»ff).
3.
A
Simeonite
(1
Ch
4").
4.
A
Merarite
(1
Ch
6«).
H.
P.
Smith.
AMBASSADOR,
AMBASSAGE.—
As
diplomatic
agents
of
sovereigns
or
other
persons
in
high
authority,
ambas-
sadors
are
frequently
mentioned
in
OT
and
Apocrypha
from
the
days
of
Moses
(see
below)
to
those
of
the
Maccabees
(1
Mac
9'"
11»
142'
15").
Insult
to
their
persons
was
a
sufficient
casus
belli
(2
S
lO*").
In
several
passages
(.e.g.
Nu
20"
2121,
Dt
2?>,
Jg
ll"-
i»,
2
S
511,
2
K
19»)
the
'messengers'
of
EV
are
practically
'ambassadors,'
as
the
Heb.
word
is
elsewhere
rendered
(2
Ch
352',
Is
30<,
Ezk
1715).
Jos
9<,
however,
should
be
read
as
in
RVm.
The
ambassador
of
Jer
49"
(
=
Obi)
is
probably
an
angel.
In
NT
the
word
is
used
only
metaphorically
(2
Co
6'",
Eph
6^').
'Ambassage,'
the
mission
of
an
ambassador
(2
Mac
4"
RV),
is
used
also
as
a
collective
for
ambassadors
them-selves
(Lk
14=2
19"
RV).
In
1
Mac
142=
read
with
RV
'the
copy
of
their
words.'
A.
R.
S.
Kennedy.
AMBER
(chashmcU,
Ezk
!'■
27
82)._The
translation
'amber'
is
much
questioned,
a
metallic
substance
being
generally
considered
more
probable.
Prof.
Ridgeway
{Bncyc.
BiU.,
s.v.)
has,
however,
shown
that
amber
may
well
have
been
known
to
Ezekiel.
The
amber
commonly
seen
is
the
opaque
yellow
variety
from
the
Baltic,
a
resinous
substance
changed
by
long
submersion
in
the
sea.
It
is
a
favourite
ornament,
in
necklaces
and
bracelets,
in
the
Orient,
especially
among
Jewesses,
and
is
credited
with
medicinal
virtues.
E.
W.
G.
Mastekman.
AMBUSH.—
See
War.
AMEK.
—
A
Hebrew
form
of
affirmation
usually
trans-lated
in
the
LXX
by
an
equivalent
Greek
expression
(Nu
522,
Dt
27"
'so
be
it,'
Jer
28«
(36«)
'truly'),
but
sometimes
transliterated
(1
Ch
16^)
as
in
English.
It
is
an
indication
of
solemn
assent,
chiefly
in
prayer,
to
the
words
of
another,
on
the
part
either
of
an
individual
(Nu
522)
or
of
an
assembly
(Dt
271');
sometimes
reduplicated
(Ps
41"),
sometimes
accom-panied
by
a
rubrical
direction
(Ps
106").
From
the
synagogue
it
passed
into
the
liturgical
use
of
Christian
congregations,
and
is
so
referred
to
in
1
Co
14"
—
'
the
(customary)
Amen
at
thy
giving
of
thanks
'
(?Eucharist).
The
use
peculiar
to
the
NT
is
that
ascribed
to
our
Lord
in
the
Gospels,
where
the
word
—
'
verily
'
followed
by
'I
say'
—
introduces
statements
which
He
desires
to
invest
with
special
authority
(Mt
51s,
Mk
32',
Lk
4?*
etc.)
as
worthy
of
unquestioning
trust.
The
Fourth
Gospel
reduplicates
—
a
form
which,
though
Christ
may
Himself
have
varied
the
phrase
in
this
manner,
is
never-theless
stereotyped
by
this
Evangelist
(Jn
I'l
and
24
other
places),
and
marks
the
peculiar
solemnity
of
the
utterances
it
introduces.
The
impression
created
by
this
idiom
may
have
influenced
the
title
of
'the
Amen'
given
to
the
Lord
in
the
Epistle
to
Laodicea
(Rev
3").
A
strikingly
similar
phrase
is
used
by
St.
Paul
in
2
Co
12"
—
'through
him
(i.e.
Jesus
Christ
as
preached)
is
the
Amen'
—
the
seal
of
God's
promises.
Its
use
in
doxologies
is
frequent.
J.
G.
Simpson.
AMETHYST.
—
See
Jewels
and
Precious
Stones.
AMI.
—
The
head
of
a
family
of
'
Solomon's
servants
'
(Ezr
2");
called
in
Neh
7"
Amon.
AMITTAI
('true').—
Father
of
the
prophet
Jonah
(2
K
1426,
Jon
H).
AMMAH
(2
S
22*
only).—
A
hill
near
Giah,
in
the
wilderness
of
Gibeon.
Site
unknown.
AMMI
('my
people').
—
The
name
to
be
applied
to
Israel
in
the
time
of
restoration.
It
is
to
take
the
place
of
Lo-ammi
(
=
'not
my
people'),
the
name
given
in
the
first
instance
by
Hosea
to
Gomer's
third
child,
but
in
the
prophetic
fragment,
Hos
l'-"
[in
Heb
2i-'],
referred
to
the
people
of
Israel.
AMMIDIOI.
—
One
of
the
families
that
returned
with
Zerubbabel
(1
Es
52»);
omitted
in
the
parallel
lists
(Ezr
2=Neh
7).
AMMIEL
('kinsman
is
God').
—
1.
Son
of
Gemalli,
and
spy
of
the
tribe
of
Dan
(Nu
1312
(P)).
2.
Father
of
Machir
(2
S
9"-
I72').
3.
The
sixth
son
of
Obed-edom,
