Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
these converts naturally prepared the way for the apostles int he interval which preceded the
beginning of the separate apostolic missions. St. James and St. Peter wrote to the Jews of the
Dispersion. (James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1)
Divination
is a “foretelling future events, or discovering things secret by the aid of superior beings, or other
than human means.” It is used in Scripture of false systems of ascertaining the divine will. It has
been universal in all ages, and all nations alike civilized and savage. Numerous forms of divination
are mentioned, such as divination by rods, (Hosea 4:12) divination by arrows, (Ezekiel 21:21)
divination by cups, (Genesis 44:5) consultation of teraphim, (1 Samuel 15:23; Ezekiel 21:21;
Zechariah 10:2) [Teraphim]; divination by the liver, (Ezekiel 21:21) divination by dreams, (13:2,3;
Judges 7:13; Jeremiah 23:32) consultation of oracles. (Isaiah 41:21-24; 44:7) Moses forbade every
species of divination, because a prying into the future clouds the mind with superstition, and because
it would have been an incentive to idolatry. But God supplied his people with substitutes for
divination which would have rended it superfluous, and left them in no doubt as to his will in
circumstances of danger, had they continued faithful. It was only when they were unfaithful that
the revelation was withdrawn. (1 Samuel 28:6; 2 Samuel 2:1; 5:23) etc. Superstition not unfrequently
goes hand in hand with skepticism, and hence, amid the general infidelity prevalent throughout the
Roman empire at our Lord’s coming, imposture was rampant. Hence the lucrative trade of such
men as Simon Magus, (Acts 8:9) Bar-jesus, (Acts 13:6) the slave with the spirit of Python, (Acts
16:16) the vagabond jews, exorcists, (Luke 11:19; Acts 19:13) and others, (2 Timothy 3:13;
Revelation 19:20) etc., as well as the notorious dealers in magical books at Ephesus. (Acts 19:19)
Divorce
“a legal dissolution of the marriage relation.” The law regulating this subject is found (24:1-4)
and the cases in which the right of a husband to divorce his wife was lost are stated ibid ., (22:19,29)
The ground of divorce is appoint on which the Jewish doctors of the period of the New Testament
differed widely; the school of Shammai seeming to limit it to a moral delinquency in the woman,
whilst that the Hillel extended it to trifling causes, e.g., if the wife burnt the food she was cooking
for her husband. The Pharisees wished perhaps to embroil our Saviour with these rival schools by
their question, (Matthew 19:3) by his answer to which, as well as by his previous maxim, (Matthew
5:31) he declares that he regarded all the lesser causes than “fornication” as standing on too weak
ground, and declined the question of how to interpret the words of Moses.
Dizahab
(region of gold), a place in the Arabian desert, mentioned (1:1) is identified with Dahab, a cape
on the western shore of the Gulf of Akabah.
Dodai
(loving, amorous), an Ahohite who commanded the course of the second month. (1 Chronicles
27:4) It is probable that he is the same as Dodo. 2.
Dodanim
(leaders), (Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7) a family or race descended from Javan, the son of
Japhet. (Genesis 10:4; 1 Chronicles 1:7) Dodanim is regarded as identical with the Dardani, who
were found in historical times in Illyricum and Troy.
Dodavah
(love of the Lord), a man of Maresha in Judah; father of Eliezer, who denounced Jehoshaphat’s
alliance with Ahaziah. (2 Chronicles 20:37)
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William Smith