KIRIATH-SANNAH, KIRIATH-SEPHEB,

of semi-brigauds of that name who established them-selves there nearly a century ago, and for long held the whole surrounding country at their mercy. Another site, which has been powerfully advocated by Conder, is Khurbet 'Erma, on the S. of the Vale of Sorek, just where the narrow valley opens into the plain. The similarity of ' arim (Ezr 2^*) and ' erma, and the nearness of the site to Zorah and Eshtaol, are in its favour. There, too, are ancient remains, and a great rock platform which would appear to mark an ancient 'high place.' On the other hand, it is tar from the other cities of the Gibeonites (Jos 9"). The question cannot be considered as settled. E. W. G. Masteeman.

EIRIATH-SAKNAH, KIBIATH-SEFHER.— See Debik, No. 1.

KISEUS.— The form in Ad. Est 11^ of Kiah (Est 2=), the name of the great-grandfather of Mordecai. See KisH, No. 4.

EISH. — 1. The father of Saul the first king of Israel (1 S 9' lO" 14", Ac 132"). His home was at Gibeah (rendered 'the iiill of God' and 'the hill' in both AV and RV of 1 S 10' and 10'»). 2. The uncle of the foregoing (1 Ch 8'» 9«). 3. The eponym of a family of Merarite Levites (1 Ch 23"- ™ 2429, 2 Ch 29'^). 4. A Benjamite ancestor of Mordecai (Est 2').

KISHI. — A Merarite Levlte, ancestor of Ethan (1 Ch 6"; the parallel passage, 1 Ch 15", has Eushaiah, probably the correct form of the name).

EISHION. — A town allotted to Issachar (Jos 192"), given to the Levites (2123). The parallel passage, 1 Ch 6™, reads Kedesh, which is perhaps a textual error for Kishion. The latter name has not been recovered.

KISHON (Jg 4' 52", 1 K 18*», Ps 83').— The ancient name of the stream now called Nahr el-Mukatta ', which drains almost the whole area of the great Plain of Esdraelou. The main channel may be considered as rising near the W. foot of Mt. Tabor, and running W. through the centre of the plain until it enters the narrow valley between the S. extension of the Galilsean hills and the E. end of Carmel. After emerging from this it enters the Plain of Akka, running a little N. of the whole length of Carmel, and enters the sea about a mile E. of Haifa. The total length is about 23 miles. In the first part of its course it is in winter a sluggish stream with a bottom of deep mud, and in summer but a chain of small marshes; from just below where the channel is crossed by the Nazareth road near Carmel it usually has a certain amount of water all the year round, and In parts the water, which is brackish, is 10 or 12 feet deep. At its mouth, how-ever, it is almost always fordable. Numerous small watercourses from the Galitean hills on the N. and more important tributaries from 'Little Hermon,' the Mountains of Gilboa, and the whole southern range of Samaria and Carmel on the E. and S., contribute their waters to the main stream. The greater number of these channels, in places 10 or IS feet deep with precipitous sides, are perfectly dry two-thirds of the year, but during the winter's rains are filled with raging torrents. A number of copious springs arise along the edge of the hills to the S. of the plain. At Jenin there are plentiful fountains, but they are, during the summer, entirely used up in irrigation; at Ta'anak, at LejjUn, near Tell el-KaSis, at the E. end of Carmel, and at the 'Ayun eUSa'di, perennial fountains pour their water into the main stream. Those who have seen the stream only in late spring or summer can hardly picture how treacherous and dangerous it may become when the winter's rain fills every channel with a tumultuous flood of chocolate-brown water over a bottom of sticky mud oftenitself several feet deep. Both animals and baggage have not infrequently been lost at such times. Under such conditions, the Kishon, with its steep, uncertain

KNEE, KNEEL

banks, its extremely crooked course, and its treacherous fords, must have been very dangerous to a flying army of horses and chariots (Jg 521- 22). of all parts the section of the river from Megiddo (wh. see) to 'Harosheth of the Gentiles' (now el^Harithlyeh) , where the fiercest of the battle against Sisera was fought (cf. Jg S'" and 4i«), must have been the most dangerous. The other OT incident connected with this river is the slaughter there of the prophets of Baal after Elijah's vindication of Jehovah on the heights of Carmel (1 K 18<»).

E. W. G. Mabtehman. KISS (Heb. neshXqdh, Gr. phillma). — Kissing is a mark of affection between parents and children (Gn 2721", Ru 1", 1 K 192" etc.), members of a family, or near connexions (Gn 29'' 45'=), and equals in rank (2 S 20', Ac 20"). Guests are received with a kiss (Lk 7«). A kiss from a superior marks condescension ^2 S IS^ 19''). These kisses may be on the lips, but are usually on the cheek or neck. The kiss was a token of love (Ca 12 8'), of homage and submission (Gn 41«, Job 312', Ps 212), and was also an act of idolatrous worship(l jj jgis^ Hos 132) . The Moslems kiss the black stone at Mecca. Jimiors and inferiors kiss the hands of seniors and superiors. A wife kisses the hand or beard of her husband. The hand, garments, even the feet of one appealed to may be kissed. Probably Judas presumed to salute with the kiss of an equal (Mt 26" etc.). A kiss on the hand would have been natural. The ' holy kiss,' or 'kiss of love' (1 Co 162», 1 P 5"), marked the tie that united Christians in a holy brotherhood.

W. EWINQ.

KITE.— 1. •ayyah,. In Lv 11", Dt 14" AV renders this word by 'kite,' in Job 28' by 'vulture'; RV has uniformly 'falcon.' 2. da'ah: Lv 11" (AV 'vulture,' RV 'kite'). 3. dayyah; Dt 1413 (EV 'glede' [Old Eng. for 'kite']). Is 34" (AV ' vulture.'RV 'kite'). The red kite, the black kite, and the Egyptian kite are all found in Palestine, but it is impossible to say which birds are denoted by the different words. W. Ewing.

EITRON'. — A Canaanite town in the territory of Zebulun (Jg 1^"). See Kattath.

EITTIM (AV Chittim, which is retained by RV in 1 Mac 1' 8') designates properly the island of Cyprus, and is to be so understood in the geographical list of the descendants of Javan (wh. see), that is, the lonians, ill Gn 10'. The name is based on that of the settle-ment on the south-east of the island, called Kition by the Greeks, the modern Larnaka. 'This was the first trading post of the Phoenicians on the Mediterranean, hence it is vaguely used in Ezk 27" as the mother-city of all the maritime settlements westward. The con-nexion with the lonians or Greeks is not quite clear, since these were not the first settlers on the island. There were, however, undoubtedly Greek colonists there in the 8th cent. B.C., as we learn from the in-scription of the Assyrian Sargon of 720, pointing to a settlement of Ionian Cyprians in Ashdod. A use of the word, still more vague, is found in Dn 11'°, where it refers to the Romans, while in Nu 242* (as in 1 Mac 1' 8') it is applied apparently to the Macedonians.

J. F. M'CUHDT.

KNEADING-TROUGH.— Only Ex 8' 12" and RV of

Dt 28«- " (AV 'store'). See Bread, House, § 9.

KNEE, KNEEL. — The knees are often referred to in Scripture as the place where weakness of the body, from whatever cause, readily manifests itself: e.g. from terror (Job 4<, Dn 5»), or fasting (Ps 1092<). The reference in Dt 2S^ seems to be to 'joint leprosy,' in which, after the toes and fingers, the joints of the larger limbs are attacked (Driver, Dentin loc). The laying of children on the knees of father or grandfather seems to have involved recognition of them as legitimate members of the family (Gn 30' 5023). In many passages of Scrip-ture kneeling is spoken of as the attitude assumed in prayer (1 K 8", Ps 95«, Dn 6I", Ac 20»» etc.). To

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