DECREE

for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.' This valley is evidently the valley of Jehoshaphat mentioned in the preceding context (vv.^- i^). The decision is that of Jehovah Himself, His final judgment upon the heathen assembled. The scene of this judg-ment has been fixed by Jews, Roman CathoUcs, and Mohammedans in the Valley of the Kidron. The valley of Jehoshaphat has been identified with the Valley of the Kidron since the time of Eusebius. Orelli, Michaelis, Robinson, and others think the valley of this prophecy is purely a symbolic one, the valley of 'Jehovah's judgment,' as the Heb. name Jehoshaphat ('Jehovah hath judged') suggests. D. A. Hayes.

DECREE . — What theologians speak of as the ' decrees of God,' and describe as one, immutable, eternal, all- embracing, free, etc., do not receive this designation in Scripture. The equivalents are to be sought for under such headings as Election, Predestination, Providence, Reprobate. In the EV the term is frequently used in Esther, Ezra, Daniel, with different Heb. and Aram, words, for royal decrees (in Dn 6 RV 'interdict'; in 2' RV 'law,' elsewhere 'decree'). In the NT also the Gr. word dogmata is employed of decrees of Caesar (Lk 2', Ac 17'); in Ac 16' it is used of decrees of the Church; elsewhere (Eph 2'^ Col. 221) it is tr. 'ordinances.' The nearest approach to the theological sense of the term is, in OT, in the Heb. word hsk, ordinarily tr. 'statute,' which is used in various places of God's sovereign appointments in nature and providence (Job 2%^, Ps 148«, Pr 8", Jer 522, Zeph 2'). The Hebrews had not the modern conception of 'laws of nature,' but they had a good equivalent in the Idea of the world as ordered and founded by God's decrees; as regulated by His ordi-nances (cf. Ps 1046- 1 II9BB-91, Jer lO'^ff.). The same word is used in Ps 2' of God's 'decree' regarding His king; in Dn 4"- 24 (Aram.) we have 'decree' of 'the watchers' and 'the most High.' James Orr.

DEDAN, — A north Arabian people, according to Gn 10' descended from Gush, and according to 25' from Abraham through Keturah. The combination is not difficult to understand when we remember the Arabian afflhations of the Cushites (cf. Is 21"). In Ezk 26'B Dedan is placed almost within the Edomite territory, which it must have bordered on the south-east (cf. Jer 26''' 49S). The Dedanites were among the Arabian peoples who sent their native wares to the markets of Tyre (Ezk 27'»). In Ezk 27ib read ' Rodan' (Rhodians) for 'Dedan.' J^ F. McCurdy.

DEDICATION.— See House, § 3.

DEDICATION, FEAST OFTHE.— Afterthe desecra-tion of the Temple and altar by Antiochus Epiphanes, Judas Maccabaeus re-consecrated them in B.C. 165 on the 25th day of Chislev (December); cf. 1 Mac 452-5s, 2 Mac 10". This event was henceforward celebrated by a feast all over the country (Jn 10^). It lasted 8 days. There was no suspension of business or labour, and but few additions were made to the ordinary synagogue services. The special feature of the festival was the illumination of private houses, whence came its alternative name — 'the Feast of Lights.' (There were divergent rules for these illuminations in the various schools of traditionalists.) It was an occasion for feasting and jollity: the people assembled at the synagogues, carrying branches of palms and other trees; the services were jubilant, no fast or mourning could begin during the period, and the Hallel (Pss 113-118) was chanted. The resemblances of this celebration to the Feast of Tabernacles were perhaps intentional.

A. W. F. Blunt.

DEEP.— See Abyss.

DEER. — See Fallow-deer, Hart. DEFENCED.— In AV 'defenced' means 'provided with fences,' 'protected,' 'fortified.' It is used in

DELUGE

AV of fortified cities, and once (Zee 11^ marg.) of a forest.

DEFILEMENT.— See Clean and Unclean.

DEGREES, SONGS OF.— See Psalms.

DEHAITES (AV Dehavites, Ezr 4=).- The Dehaites were among the peoples settled in Samaria by Osnappar, i.e. probably the Assyr. king Ashurbanipal. The name has been connected with that of a nomadic Persian tribe, the Daoi, mentioned in Herod, i. 125, or with the name of the city Du'-ua, mentioned on Assyr. contract-tablets; but these identifications are very doubtful.

DELAIAH.— 1. One of the sons of Elioenai (1 Ch 3", AV Dalaiah) . 2. A priest and leader of the 23rd course of priests (1 Ch 24i8). 3. The son of Sheraaiah (Jer 3612. 26). 4. The son of Mehetabel, and father of Shema-iah (Neh a"). 6. The head of a family that returned with Zerubbabel (Ezr 2««=Neh 7"^). The name in 1 Es 5" is Dalan.

DELILAH. — The Philistine woman who betrayed Samson into the hands of the Philistines. See Samson.

DELOS. — A small rocky island in the ^gaean Sea, which has played an extraordinary part in history. It was the seat of a wide-spread worship of Apollo, who, with his sister Artemis, was said to have been born there. In B.C. 478 it was chosen as the meeting-place of the confederacy of Greek States united against their common enemy the Persians, and became a rival of Athens. In the 2nd and 1st cents. B.C. it became a great harbour, and was under Roman protection from B.C. 197 to 167. It was later a portion of the Roman province Achaia. It is mentioned in the famous letter of the Romans in favour of the Jews (b.c. 139-138, 1 Mac 15"'-23). It was a great exchange, where slaves and other products of the E. were bought for the Italian market. It was the scene in b.c 87 of a horrible massacre carried out by Mithradates, king of Pontus, who slaughtered 80,000 Italians there and in neigh-bouring islands. It never fully recovered, and in the Empire became insignificant. A. Souter.

DELUGE. — 1. The Biblical story, Gn 6'-9" [6i-« is probably a separate tradition, unconnected with the Deluge (see Driver, Genesis, p. 82)]. - The two narratives of J and P have been combined; the verses are assigned by Driver as follows: J 6'-' 7'-'- '-'"• "■

16b. 17b. 22. 23 g2b-3a. 6-12. 13b. 20-22. p 69-22 76. 11. ]3-16a.

17.. 18-21. 24 81. 2». 3b-B. 13.. 14-19 91.17. J aloue relates the sending out of the birds, and the sacrifice with which J" is so pleased that He determines never again to curse the ground. P alone gives the directions with regard to the size and construction of the ark, the blessing of Noah, the commands against murder and the eating of blood, and the covenant with the sign of the rainbow. In the portions in which the two narratives overlap, they are at variance in the following points, (a) In P one pair of every kind of animal (6i8-20)_ jn J one pair of the unclean and seven of the clean (7^- '), are to be taken into the ark. (In 7' a redactor has added the words 'two and two' to make J's representation con-form to that of P.) The reason for the difference is that, according to P, animals were not eaten at all till after the Deluge (9'), so that there was no distinction required between clean and unclean. (6) In P the cause of the Deluge is not only raintbut also the bursting forth of the subterranean abyss (6"); J mentions rain only (v.12). (c) In P the water begins to abate after 150 days (8^), the mountain tops are visible after 8 months and 13 days (7" 8'), and the earth is dry after a year and 10 days (8"); in J the Flood lasts only 40 days (7'^ 8»), and the water had begun to abate before that.

2. The Historicity of the story. — The modern study of geology and comparative mythology has made it impossible to see in the story of the Deluge the literal record of an historical event. (The fact that marine

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