ELASA
and
sack
of
Susa
(c.
B.C.
645).
The
conqueror
Ashur-banipal
(Bibl.
Osnappar)
completed
the
subjugation
of
Elam
by
deporting
many
of
its
inhabitants,
among
the
exiles
beinga
detachment
sent
to
the
province
of
Samaria
(Ezr
4»).
Shortly
thereafter,
when
Assyria
itself
decUned
and
fell,
Elam
was
occupied
by
the
rising
Aryan
tribes,
the
Medes
from
the
north
and
the
Persians
from
the
south.
Cyrus
the
Persian
(born
about
B.C.
590)
was
the
fourth
hereditary
prince
of
Anshan.
Elam
has
a
somewhat
prominent
place
in
the
prophetic
writings,
in
which
Media
+
Elam
=
Persian
empire.
See
esp.
Is
21™-,
Jer
49^-,
and
cf.
Is
22«,
Jer
25'*,
Ezlf
322*.
Particular
interest
attached
to
the
part
taken
by
the
Elamites
in
the
overthrow
of
Babylonia.
An
effect
of
this
participation
is
curiously
shown
in
the
fact
that
after
the
Exile,
Elam
was
a
fairly
common
name
among
the
Jews
themselves
(Ezr
2'-
",
Neh
7'^
1
Ch
8"
et
cU.).
J.
F.
McCurdy.
ELASA
(1
Mac
9').
—
The
scene
of
the
defeat
and
death
of
Judas
MaccabEeus.
The
site
may
be
at
the
ruin
Il'asa,
near
Beth-horon.
ELASAH
('God
hath
made').
—
1.
One
of
those
who
had
married
a
foreign
wife
(Ezr
10").
2.
The
son
of
Shaphan,
who,
along
with
Gemariah
the
son
of
Hilkiah,
carried
a
message
from
king
Zedekiah
to
Babylon
(Jer
293).
ELATH
(called
also
Eloth,
'the
great
trees').
—
An
important
Edomite
town
on
the
N.E.
arm
of
the
Red
Sea,
near
Ezion-geber.
It
is
mentioned
as
one
of
the
places
passed
by
the
Israelites
during
their
wanderings
(Dt
2').
Close
to
it
liing
Solomon's
navy
was
con-structed
(1
K
9^).
Subsequently
the
town
must
have
been
destroyed,
as
we
read
in
2
K
14"
of
its
being
built
by
Azariah.
Later
on
it
was
conquered
by
the
Edomites
(so
RVm).
W.
O.
E.
Oesterley,
EL-BEEITH.—
See
Baai^-berith.
EL
-BETHEL.
—
The
name
which
Jacob
is
said
to
have
given
to
the
scene
of
his
vision
on
liis
way
back
from
Paddan-aram,
Gu
35'
(P
7).
ELDAAH.—
A
sou
of
Midian
(Gn
25',
1
Ch
1").
ELDAD
.
—
One
of
the
seventy
elders
appointed
to
assist
Moses
in
the
government
of
the
people.
On
one
occasion
he
and
another
named
Medad
were
not
present
with
Moses
and
the
rest
of
the
elders
at
the
door
of
the
Taber-nacle
to
hear
God's
message
and
receive
His
spirit.
But
the
spirit
of
the
Lord
came
upon
them
where
they
were,
and
they
prophesied
in
the
camp.
Joshua
regarded
this
as
an
irregularity,
but
Moses
declined
to
interfere
(Nu
11»-").
ELDER
(in
OT).
—
The
rudimentary
form
of
govern-ment
which
prevailed
amongst
the
Hebrews
in
primitive
times
grew
out
of
family
Ufe.
As
the
father
is
head
of
the
household,
so
the
chiefs
of
the
principal
families
ruled
the
clan
and
the
tribe,
their
authority
being
ill-defined,
and,
like
that
of
an
Arab
sheik,
depending
on
the
consent
of
the
governed.
In
our
earUest
documents
the
'elders
of
Israel'
are
the
men
of
position
and
influence,
who
represent
the
community
in
both
religious
and
civil
affairs
(Ex
3i«-
is
12"
17"-
18>2
19',
Nu
11",
Dt
5"
271
312S):
the
'elders'
of
Ex
24>
are
the
'nobles'
of
v.".
Josephus
sums
up
correctly
when
he
makes
Moses
declare:
'Aristocracy
...
is
the
best
constitution'
(Ant.
VI.
viil.
17).
The
system
existed
in
other
Semitic
races
(Nu
22*,
Jos
9",
Ezk
27',
Ps
105").
After
the
settlement
in
Canaan
the
'elders'
still
possessed
much
weight
(1
S
4'
8*
153",
2
S
3"
5'
17"'-,
1
K
8I).
And
now
we
find
'
elders
of
the
city
'
the
governing
body
of
the
town
(Eu
42-
»,
1
S
ll',
1
K
218-
",
2
K
lO'-
»);
the
little
town
of
Succoth
boasted
no
fewer
than
seventy-
seven
(Jg
8").
Deuteronomy
brings
into
prominence
their
judicial
functions
(Dt
16is
19'2
21™-
22>m-
25'B),
which
were
doubtless
infringed
upon
by
the
position
of
the
king
as
supreme
judge
(1
S
8^",
2
S
15S
1
K
3»,
2
K
155,
Is
11',
Am
2'),
but
could
not
be
abolished
ELECTION
(1
K
20"'-,
2
K
lO'ff-
23').
During
the
Exile
the
'elders'
are
the
centre
of
the
people's
Ufe
(Jer
29',
Ezk
8'
14'
20',
Ezr
d*"-
6'"-
;
cf.
Sus
'),
and
after
the
Return
they
continue
active
(Ezr
lOs-
",
Ps
107»,
Pr
3123,
ji
111
2111).
It
is
not
improbable
that
the
later
Sanhedrin
is
a
develop-ment
of
this
institution.
J.
Taylor.
ELDER
(in
NT)
.
—
See
Bishop
;
Church
Government,
6(2).
ELEAD.—
An
Ephraimite
(1
Ch
721).
ELEADAH.—
An
Ephraimite
(1
Ch
72°).
ELEALEH
(Nu
323-
37,
ig
154
les,
jer
483«).—
A
town
of
the
Moabite
plateau,
conquered
by
Gad
and
Reuben,
and
rebuilt
by
the
latter
tribe.
It
is
now
the
ruined
mound
of
el-
Al,
about
a
mile
N.
of
Heshbon.
ELEASAH.—
1.
A
Judahite
(1
Ch
239-
").
2.
A
descendant
of
Saul
(1
Ch
83'
9").
ELEAZAR
('
God
hath
helped').—!,
A
son
of
Aaron.
It
was
natural
that
priestly
traditions
should
have
much
to
say
about
him.
But
in
earlier
writings
his
name
appears
only
twice,
both
probably
from
E:
Dt
10'
(his
succession
to
the
priestly
office
at
Aaron's
death),
Jos
2433
(his
death
and
burial).
In
P
he
is
the
third
son
of
Aaron
by
Elisheba,
his
brothers
being
Nadab,
Abihu,
and
Ithamar
(Ex
6",
Nu
32).
With
them
he
was
consecrated
priest
(Ex
28'),
and
was
chief
over
the
Levites
(Nu
3^).
Nadab
and
Abihu
having
died
(Lv
10"-),
he
succeeded
Aaron
as
chief
priest
(Nu
2023-28).
He
took
part
in
the
census
in
Moab
(Nu
26'-
33),
and
afterwards
played
a
prominent
part
in
the
history
of
the
settlement
under
Joshua
(Jos
14'
17*
19"
21').
He
married
a
daughter
of
Putiel,
and
she
bore
him
Fhinehas
(Ex
62*).
When
the
Zadokite
priests
returned
from
Babylon,
they
traced
their
descent
to
Aaron
through
Eleazar,
ignoring
the
house
of
Eli
(1
Ch
63-3);
in
some
cases,
however,
the
claim
was
made
through
Ithamar
(1
Ch
245'
).
2.
Son
of
Abinadab
(1
S
7').
3.
One
of
David's
three
heroes
(2
S
23',
1
Ch
1112').
4.
A
Levite
(1
Ch
232'
2428).
5.
1
Es
8"
=
Eliezer,
Ezr
10'8.
6.
A
priest
(Ezr
8=3,
Neh
12«2,
1
Es
8«3).
7.
1
Es
9i'=Eliezer,
Ezr
lO".
8.
One
who
took
a
non-Israelite
wife
(Ezr
1023,
1
Es
923).
9.
A
brother
of
Judas
Maccabeeus
(1
Mac
23
6"-<6,
2Mac823).
10.
A
martyr
under
Antiochus
Epiphanes
(2
Mac
6I8-31).
H.
Father
of
Jason;(l
MacS").
12.
Sirach
Eleazar
(Sir
502').
13.
An
ancestor
of
Jesus
(Mt
li3).
A.
H.
M'Neile.
ELECTION.^The
idea
of
election,
as
expressive
of
God's
method
of
accomplishing
His
purpose
for
the
world
in
both
providence
and
grace,
though
(as
befits
the
character
of
the
Bible
as
peculiarly
'the
history
of
redemption')
especially
in
grace,
goes
to
the
heart
of
Scripture
teaching.
The
word
'election'
itself
occurs
but
a
few
times
(Ac
9"
'vessel
of
election,'
Ro
911
11»-
'•
28,
1
Th
1\
2
P
113);
'elect'
in
NT
much
oftener
(see
below);
but
equivalent
words
in
OT
and
NT,
as
'choose,'
'chosen,'
'foreknow'
(in
sense
of
'fore-designate'),
etc.,
considerably
extend
the
range
of
usage.
In
the
OT,
as
will
be
seen,
the
special
object
of
the
Divine
election
is
Israel
(e.g.
Dt
43'
7'
etc.);
but
within
Israel
are
special
elections,
as
of
the
tribe
of
Levi,
the
house
of
Aaron,
Judah,
David
and
his
house,
etc.
;
while,
in
a
broader
sense,
the
idea,
if
not
the
expression,
is
present
wherever
individuals
are
raised
up,
or
separated,
for
special
service
(thus
of
Cyrus,
Is
442s
451-3).
In
the
NT
the
term
'elect'
is
frequently
used,
both
by
Christ
and
by
the
Apostles,
for
those
who
are
heirs
of
salvation
(e.g.
Mt
2422-
21.
si||,
Lk
18',
Ro
833,
Col
312,
2
Ti
2i»,
Tit
li,
1
P
12),
and
the
Church,
as
the
new
Israel,
is
described
as
'an
elect
race'
(1
P
2').
Jesus
Himself
is
called,
with
reference
to
la
421,
God's
'chosen'
or
'elect'
One
(Mt
12i8,
Lk
93=
RV,
2335);
and
mention
is
once
made
of
'elect'
angels
(1
Ti
621).
In
St.
Paul's
Epistles
the
idea
has
great
prominence
(Ro
9,
Eph
1*
etc.).
It
is
now
necessary
to
investigate
the
implications
of
this
idea
more
carefully.
