MERCY SEAT

MESHA

(4) The expression ' be merciful ' in AV of Dt 21 • 32" is corrected by RV to 'forgive' and 'make expiation.'

2. Mercy in NT plays a part subordinate to that of love (wh. see) . It represents a pair of Greek synonyms, both chiefly, but not exclusively, applied (in Scripture) to God. (a) As used in the LXX, the ordinary term (noun, adjective, and verb) in its noun^form reproduced commonly (2) of the Hebrew words above indicated; but in adjective and verb more often (3), less frequently (1). It denotes compassion as a temper and motive of action rather than a sentiment — eleSmosyne (alms) is one of its derivatives; Uke 'mercy,' the Greek eleos regards its objects as weak or suffering, and is therefore narrower in range than the Hebrew (2) above defined. Out of the 27 examples of this noun in NT, 9 occur in OT allusions, 7 in salutations or benedictions; other examples are Mt 5', Lk 16m, Ro 9^, 2 Co 4', Ja 3". The verb is more frequent. (6) The second of the Greek synonyms — verb, noun, and adjective — ^is more pathetic, and corresponds to (1) of the OT terms; hence the Hebraizing combinations of Ph 2', Col 3"', Ja 5" (Hebraistic equivalents replace the regular Greek terms in Eph i^, 1 P 3S). This tenderer significance 'mercy' bears in Lk 6^, Ro 12', 2 Co 1', He 10^', also in Mt 1832 (RV, where AV reads 'pity'), (c) 'Of tender mercies' in Ja 5" (AV; RV 'merciful') repre-sents a Heoraistic compound nearly the same as that rendered 'tender-hearted' in Eph i^ and 1 P 3s (KV; AV 'pitiful'). Akin to these adjectives is the verb occurring 12 times in the Synoptic Gospels, which is rendered 'moved with compassion' (moved to mercy), describing the emotion stirred in the breast of Jesus — e.g. by the cry, 'Have mercy on us,' of Mt 20'' -3«.

G. G. FiNDLAY.

MERCY SEAT.— See Tabehnacle, § 7 6.

MERED.— A Judahite (1 Ch 4").

MEREMOTH.— 1. The head of the 7th course of priests (Ezr 8", Neh 3'i- 21 10=); called in 1 Es 8»2 Marmoth. 2. See Caeabasion. 3. See Mebaioth, No. 3.

IHERES. — One of the seven princes and counsellors of Ahasuerus (Est 1").

MERIBAH.— See Massah and Meribah.

MERI(B)BAAL.— See Mephibosheth.

MERIBOTH-KADESH.— See Massah and Mekibah.

MEBODACH.— The name of the city-god of Babylon, worshipped, after the establishment of Babylon as capital of the Babylonian Empire, as chief god of Baby-lonia. The Babylonian name was Marduk, older form Maruduk. He gradually absorbed the attributes of other gods once supreme through the influence of their city seats of worship, particularly Ellil the old BSl, or lord supreme of Nippur. Hence he was in later times the Bel of Babylonia. Merodach is a Hebraized form occurring only in Jer 50^, but the Bel of the Apocryphal Bel and the Dragon (Is 46', Jer SI") is the same deity. Nebuchadnezzar was specially devoted to his worship, but the Assyrians reverenced him no less; and even Cyrus, on his conquest of Babylon, treated him with the deepest respect. The name occurs in many Babylonian proper names, and appears in the Bible in Merodach-baladan and EvU-merodach, and probably in Mordecai.

C. H. W. Johns.

MERODACH -BALADAN (Is 39'; misspelt [in MT, but not in LXX] Berodach-b. in 2 K 20'2).— In Assyr. the name is written Marduk-bal-iddina, and means ' Merodach has given a son.' For his history see p. 66 f .

MEROM,THEWATERSOF.—Thescene of Joshua's victory over the northern kings; usually identifled with Lake Huleh in the Upper Jordan Valley (Jos 11'- '). This identification is accepted by Robinson iBRPa. 440), G. A. Smith (HGHU, 481), and others. It is questioned by Socin (Baedeker's PalOstina), Buhl (GAP), and Guthe (BibelwHrterbuch, s.v.), the last suggesting an

606

impossible position near Meirdn, at the base of Jebd Jermuk. Joshua's crowning victory would not be located by such 'waters' as are to be found there. The kings were encamped at Beroth, not far from Kadesh (Jos. Ant. V. i. 18), but probably they descended, as did Demetrius at a later date (Ant. xm. v. 7), to battle in the plain, better suited than the rough uplands for the chariots on which they depended. There is nothing to wonder at in the disappearance of the ancient name, in a land where so many names have perished. It is almost certainly the lake Semechonitis of Ant. v. v. 1; the district to the N. was known as Ulatha (Ant. xv. X. 3; BJ 1. XX. 4). This is the first appearance of the modern name — Ulatha = Huleh— which covers both the lake and the district. The water is suppUed by the fountains of the Jordan at Hasbeiyeh, Banlas, and Tell el-Kadi, by the springs at ' Ain el-Balata and ' Ain el-Mellaha on the western side of the valley; Mt. Hermon and the neighbouring slopes also drain into the basin. In shape Baheiret d-HUleh is almost triangular. It lies 7 ft. above sea-level. The open water is about four miles in length by about three miles at the broadest part. It Is from 10 to 16 ft. in depth. To the N. stretch great breadths of marsh land, with dense thickets of papyrus reeds, through which. In various channels, the streams find their way to the lake. Water fowl of all kinds abound, and the place is a sort of fisherman's paradise. The Ghawarineh Arabs occupy the valley, till the soil, tend the buffaloes, hunt, and fish. The hair tent is seldom seen: their 'houses' are 'built' of the papyrus reed. W. Ewinq.

MERONOTHITE.— A designation applied In the OT to two men. 1. Jehdeiah (1 Ch 27»). 2. Jadon (Neh 3'). From the context of Neh 3' Meronoth would appear to have been in the neighbourhood of Gibeon and Mlzpah.

MEROZ. — A place which the angel of Jahweh bids men curse, together with its inhabitants, because they did not come to fight Jahweh's battle against Sisera. It is mentioned only in Jg 5^, and probably owes its mention merely to the fact that it 'lay in the line of Sisera's flight' (Moore). W. O. B. Oesteeley.

MERRAN.— Bar Z'^ only. Probably d was misread r in the Sem. original, and the name =Midian (cf . Gn 37™, Hab 3'- ')•

MESALOTH.— See Arbela.

MESHA. — 1. Son of Shaharaim, a Benjamlte (1 Ch 89). 2. Firstborn of Caleb (1 Ch 2«).

MESHA.— A king of Moab in the 9th cent. B.C. According to an inscription (on the 'Moabite Stone' discovered at Dibon in 1868) describing his deeds, he expelled the IsraeUtish inhabitants from northern Moab, or from a portion of the debatable land between the two monarchies east of the northern third of the Dead Sea. Under Omri, the builder of Samaria, the border of Israel had been extended southwards to near its ancient limits (Nu 21^8.); and Mesha reclaimed it by vindictive warfare, from Kiriathaim as far as Nebo. 2 K 3 also deals with the relation between northern Israel and Mesha, and it is difficult to reconcile the two accounts in every detail. The matter can best be dealt with here by giving the most probable order of the events: (1) the conquest by Omri [Inscription, lines 4, 5] about B.C. 880; (2) the expulsion of the Hebrews by Mesha in the time of Ahab [Inscr. 1. 8 ff.] about B.C. 855, Mesha's 'forty years' being, as also often in Hebrew narrative, a round number; (3) the refusal of Mesha to again submit, which is all that the Hebrew of 2.K 1' 3s (EV 'rebelled') necessarily implies; (4) the un-successful expedition by Joram and his allies to reduce Mesha to submission, recorded in 2 K 38-«.

J. F. M 'Curdy.

MESHA is mentioned as marking one of the boundaries of the territory ascribed to the descendants of Joktan