Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
(the country of Judea), the same word elsewhere rendered Judah and Judea. It occurs several
times in the Apocalypse and the New Testament, but once only in the Old Testament— (Daniel
5:13) Jewry comes to us through the Norman-French, and is of frequent occurrence in Old English.
Jezaniah
(whom Jehovah hears), the son of Hoshaiah the Maachathite, and one of the captains of the
forces who had escaped from Jerusalem during the final attack of the beleaguering army of the
Chaldeans. (B.C. 588.) When the Babylonians had departed, Jezaniah, with the men under his
command, was one of the first who returned to Gedaliah at Mizpah. In the events which followed
the assassination of that officer Jezaniah took a prominent part. (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8;
42:1; 43:2)
Jezebel
(chaste), wife of Ahab king of Israel. (B.C. 883.) She was a Phoenician princess, daughter of
Ethbaal king of the Zidonians. In her hands her husband became a mere puppet. (1 Kings 21:25)
The first effect of her influence was the immediate establishment of the Phoenician worship on a
grand scale in the court of Ahab. At her table were supported no less than 450 prophets of Baal and
400 of Eastward. (1 Kings 16:31,21; 18:19) The prophets of Jehovah were attacked by her orders
and put to the sword. (1 Kings 18:13; 2 Kings 9:7) At last the people, at the instigation of Elijah,
rose against her ministers and slaughtered them at the foot of Carmel. When she found her husband
east down by his disappointment at being thwarted by Naboth, (1 Kings 21:7) she wrote a warrant
in Ahab’s name, and sealed it with his seal. To her, and not to Ahab, was sent the announcement
that the royal wishes were accomplished, (1 Kings 21:14) and on her accordingly fell the prophet’s
curse, as well as on her husband, (1 Kings 21:23) a curse fulfilled so literally by Jehu, whose
chariot-horses trampled out her life. The body was left in that open space called in modern eastern
language “the mounds,” where offal is thrown from the city walls. (2 Kings 9:30-37)
Jezer
(power), the third son of Naphtali, (Genesis 46:24; Numbers 26:49; 1 Chronicles 7:13) and
father of the family of Jezerites.
Jeziah
(whom Jehovah expiates), a descendant of Parosh, who had married a foreign wife. (Ezra 10:25)
Jeziel
(the assembly of God), a Benjamite who joined David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:3) (B.C.
1055.)
Jezliah
(whom God will preserve), a Benjamite of the sons of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:18) (B.C. 588.)
Jezoar
(whiteness), the son of Helah, one of the wives of Asher. (1 Chronicles 4:7)
Jezrahiah
(produced by Jehovah), a Levite, the leader of the choristers at the solemn dedication of the
wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 12:42) (B.C. 446.)
Jezreel
•A
city situated in the plain of the same name between Gilboa and Little Hermon, now generally
called Esdraelon. [Esdraelon] It appears in (Joshua 19:18) but its historical importance dates from
the reign of Ahab, B.C. 918-897, who chose it for his chief residence. The situation of the modern
village of Zerin still remains to show the fitness of his choice. Int he neighborhood, or within the
342
William Smith