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Dictionary of the Bible

959

 
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TYRE

(Ezk 26'-"), but the Babylonian army in vain wearied Itself in trying to subdue the island (29"). It is probable that the city finally capitulated on favourable terms. The long siege, however, had ruined her commerce, and for 60 years Tyre was a poverty-stricken town. An attempt at a republic did not improve her fortunes. She was involved in the struggle between Nebuchadnezzar II. and Pharaoh-hophra (Jer 44*"). was for a time under Egypt, but finally fell to Babylon, and remained a dependency until the overthrow of the Babylonian Empire. Her humbled state did not change her people's temper. Their pride (Ezk 28^), their contempt for the rights of man (Am 1'), their slave-trading propensities (Jl 3'-8} are denounced by the Hebrew prophets. In b.o. 638 Cyrus ii., the founder of the Persian Empire, ordered Tyrian workmen to assist with Lebanon cedars in the re-building of the Jewish Temple (Ezk 3'). Cambyses ii. engaged the Tyrians to supply a fieet for his invasion of Egypt. On his proposing to send them to subdue Carthage they refused, on the score of their blood relationship with the daughter colony of Tyre. Under Artaxerxes Longimanus (b.c. 430) we read of Tyrian fish-merchants at the gates of Jerusalem (Neh 13"). In the Persian-Greek wars Tyrian fleets fought on the Persian side, till, after the Peace of Antalkidas (b.c. 387), Tyre transferred her allegiance to Persia's enemies. Artaxerxes iii. (Ochus) took fearful vengeance. Sidon disappeared in flame and torrents of blood. Tyre in horror opened her gates, and was spared. In b.c. 332 Alexander the Great appeared in front of the city. The Tyrians declined to allow him to sacrifice personally to Melkarth in their fortress. The memorable siege began. Alexander built a mole 200 ft. wide out towards the island. It was repeatedly destroyed. The defence was

UNNI

desperate and successful, till Alexander invested the city with a fleet of 224 ships. Tyre was stormed, 8000 of her inhabitants massacred, 2000 crucified on the shore, and 30,000 sold into slavery. Tyre ceased to be an island, and henceforth was permanently joined to the mainland. Only a blunt headland to-day suggests the existence of the former island fortress. The mole is now i mile broad.

Tyre was again re-peopled. She figured in the wars of the Ptolemys and Seleucidae. In b.c. 314 Antigonus besieged her for 15 months. After 70 years' subjection to Egypt she was under Antioch till b.o. 65, when tho Romans made her a free city. Some of her citizens came to hear the preaching of Jesus (Mk 38). Christ visited the neighbourhood (Mk 7^-"), and got a favour-able reception (Lk lO's). Tyre figured in connexion with St. Paul in Apostolic times (Ac 12™ 218-'). Was the Church in Tyre not a fulfilment of Ps 87«? A Christian church was built on the site of the Melkarth temple. Origen found refuge in Tyre, and died there. Jerome (4th cent.) speaks of it as the ' most noble and beautiful city of Phoenicia.' Captured by the Saracens (a.d. 638), it was recovered (a.d. 1124), and William of Tyre cele-brates its fame under the Crusaders. Here was buried Frederick Barbarossa. Saladin was repelled in 1187, but the spot was abandoned in 1291, and the Moslems took possession of it. Tyre has since sunk to a miserable stagnant village, where the waves mournfully crash amid the ruins of her former magnificence.

G. A. Frank Knight.

TZADE.— The eighteenth letter of theBeb. alphabet, and as such employed in the 119th Psalm to designate the 18th part, each verse of which begins with this letter.

u

tJOAL.— See Ithibi., 2.

XTEL, One of the sons of Bani who had married a foreign wife (Ezr 10") ; called in 1 Es 9=* Juel.

UKNAZ.— In 1 Ch 4" AVm gives 'Uknaz' instead of "even Kenaz' (AV) or 'and Kenaz' (RV). In all prob-ability something has dropped out of the text, which had read originally 'the sons of Elah: . . . and Kenaz.' This is favoured by the plural ' sons.'

1TLAI. A large river of Elam, emptying into the Persian Gulf. According to Dn 8'- " and the Assyrian inscriptions, it flowed past the city of Shushan (Susa). It is the modern Karun, which, however, does not now flow close to the site of Susa, but to the east of it. Cf. also Hydaspes. J. F. McCukdy.

ULAM.— 1. A Manassite family (1 Ch 7i«- "). 2. A Benjamite family, specially noted as archers (1 Ch 8"- "; cf. also2Ch 14' <»)).

ULLA.— An Asherite family (1 Ch 7").

USOIAH. An Asherite city (Jos 19'"), probably a slip, owing to resemblance of Heb. letters m and k, for Aooo (Ptolemais).

UNOHASTITY.— See Makriage, 7. 8.

UNCLEAN, UNOLEANNESS.— See Clean and Un-clean.

UNCTION.— The same Gr. word as that translated 'anointing' in 1 Jn 2" is in 2" rendered 'unction' (RV ' anointing'). It is used there metaphorically of the effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit upon the believer.

UNDERGIBDING.— See Helps; Ships, etc., p. 850i>.

UNDERSETTBR.— Only 1 K 7M- ", in the difficult description of Solomon's lavers (Temple, § 6 (d)). In

older English it meant 'support'; the Heb. word is lit. ' shoulders,' and denotes something of the nature of a strut or brace. See the refl. in the above mentioned article. A. R. S. Kennedy.

UNICORN (re'Sm, Nu 23^2 etc.; rSm, Job 39'; RV in all passages 'wild ox'). This is undoubtedly the nmu of the Assyrians, often figured on their sculptures. A fine bas-relief of this animal was uncovered recently by the excavations of Nineveh. It is probably identical with the aurochs or Bos primigenitis, the urus of Julius Caesar. It was of great size and strength (Nu 23"^ 248, Ps 22"), very wild and ferocious (Job SQ'-'"), and specially dangerous when hunted, because of its powerful double horns (Ps 92'", Dt 33"). In connexion with Is 34' it is interesting to note the inscription of Shal-maneser ii., who says, ' His land I trod down like a Hmu.' The Arab, ri'm, the graceful AntUope leucoryx of Arabia, is a very different animal. E. W. G. Mabterman.

UNKNOWN GOD.— St. Paul, wandering along the streets of Athens, saw an altar bearing the dedication, 'To an Unknown God' (Ac 17^). He used this as the text of his sermon before the Areopagus. There is evidence in other ancient writers in favour of the exist-ence of such a dedication, and the conjecture may be permitted that the altar was erected as a thank-offering for life preserved in some foreign country, the name of the proper divinity of which a very important thing in Greek ritual was unknown to the person preserved.

A. Scoter.

UNLEAVENED BREAD.— See Bread, Leaven. Passover. UNNI.— 1 . A Levitical famUy (1 Ch 16i8). 2 . See Unno.

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