AIJA

See AI No. 1.

AIJALON

(Aiʹja·lon) [place of deer or harts].

1. A city of the Shephelah or hilly lowlands of Palestine, on a hill at the S end of the beautiful low plain or valley of Aijalon. The village at this site is now called Yalo and is situated just N of the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa, about fourteen miles (22.5 kilometers) NW of Jerusalem.

The valley of Aijalon is the northernmost of several valleys cutting across the hills of the Shephelah and was an important pass leading from the coastal plains up into the central mountainous region. Joshua was evidently near this plain when he called for the sun and the moon to stand “motionless” over Gibeon and over the “low plain of Aijalon,” when he was completing his victorious battle against the five Amorite kings who had warred against Gibeon. (Josh. 10:12-14) After the end of Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, Aijalon was assigned to the tribe of Dan. (Josh 19:40-42) It was later assigned to the sons of Kohath as a Levite city. (Josh. 21:24) The Danites at first proved unable to oust the Amorites from Aijalon, but it appears that Ephraim from the N came to their aid and “the hand of the house of Joseph got to be so heavy that they [the Amorites] were forced into task work.” (Judg. 1:34, 35) This may be the reason why 1 Chronicles 6:69 lists Aijalon as belonging to Ephraim and as given by them to the Kohathites. (See, however, the corresponding case of GATH-RIMMON.) Later on, perhaps after the division of the kingdom, it is spoken of as the city of certain prominent Benjamites.—1 Chron. 8:13.

At Aijalon Saul won his first victory over the Philistines, when Israel “kept striking down the [fleeing] Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon.” (1 Sam. 14:31) Many years after that, when the kingdom had been divided after King Solomon’s death (997 B.C.E.), his son and successor Rehoboam fortified Aijalon and made it one of his strongholds against the N and W. (2 Chron. 11:5-12) Almost two and a half centuries later, Aijalon was lost to the Philistines during the reign of unfaithful King Ahaz (761-745 B.C.E.).—2 Chron. 28:18.

Aijalon is apparently mentioned in one of the Tell el-Amarna Letters as Aialuna.

2. A place in the territory of Zebulun, where Judge Elon of that tribe was buried. (Judg. 12:12) Its site is not known today, but it is thought by some to be Tell el-Butmeh, situated in the plain of Asochis in Galilee, not far from Rimmon.

AIN

(Aʹin) [spring, natural fountain].

The word literally means an “eye,” but by analogy is used to mean a natural spring or fountain as distinguished from a man-made well or tank, which latter water source is expressed by the terms “Beer” and “Bor.” (Gen. 49:22; Deut. 8:7) It is often written “En-” when used in compounds, as En-rimmon, En-gedi, En-gannim.

1. A place mentioned by Jehovah when setting out the E boundary of Israel to Moses. (Num. 34:11) The “Riblah” mentioned in this text as being “on the east of Ain” evidently does not refer to the Riblah in the land of Hamath considerably to the N of Damascus, inasmuch as Ain is named in relation to the Sea of Chinnereth (or Sea of Galilee). It lay to the N of that sea, but its exact location is uncertain.

2. Originally assigned to the tribe of Judah as one of its southernmost cities (Josh. 15:32), then assigned to the tribe of Simeon when part of Simeon’s allotment was taken out from Judah’s overly large territory. (Josh. 19:1, 7, 9; 1 Chron. 4:24, 32) Ain was near the city of Rimmon, and it appears that when it was resettled following the exile in Babylon the names of the two places were combined as one: En-rimmon. (Neh. 11:29) As such, it is usually identified with Khirbet Umm er-Ramamin, lying about nine miles (14.5 kilometers) N-NE of Beer-sheba.—See EN-RIMMON; RIMMON No. 2.

3. At Joshua 21:16 Ain is listed as one of the cities given to the Levites; however, a comparison of this text with Joshua 15:42; 19:7; and 1 Chronicles 6:59 indicates that the city here referred to is elsewhere called “Ashan.”—See ASHAN.

AKAN

(Aʹkan) [acute, twisted].

Last named of three sons of Sheik Ezer of the Seirites. (Gen. 36:20, 21, 27) The Masoretic text reads “Jaakan” at 1 Chronicles 1:42, but the Alexandrine and twenty-two Hebrew manuscripts read Akan in agreement with Genesis.

AKELDAMA

(A·kelʹda·ma) [Aramaic, field of blood].

The name applied by the Jews to the plot of land whose purchase resulted from “the wages for unrighteousness” paid to Judas Iscariot for his betrayal of Christ Jesus. (Acts 1:18, 19) At least since the fourth century C.E. it has been identified as the Hakk-ed-Dumm on the S side of the Valley of Hinnom, on the “Hill of Evil Counsel,” which is a level plot of land a short distance up the slope. As Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament points out, the statement at Acts 1:18 that Judas “purchased a field” does not mean that he made the contract and payment but, rather, that he furnished the means, or was the occasion of purchasing the field. The record at Matthew 27:3-10 shows that the priests used the thirty pieces of silver thrown into the temple by Judas to make the actual purchase and that this “Field of Blood” was previously a potter’s field and was obtained by them “to bury strangers.” The suggested location has been used as a burial site from early centuries.

The fulfillment of prophecy recorded by Matthew is based on “what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.” Jeremiah was at times placed first in the “Book of the Prophets,” and this section of prophecies therefore included not only Jeremiah’s writings but also those of Zechariah. (Compare Luke 24:44.) The quotation made by Matthew appears to be drawn principally from Zechariah 11:12, 13, but paraphrased by Matthew and applied to the circumstances fulfilling it, this under inspiration by God’s spirit. As a “potter’s field” the land would be considered as worn out and of little value, worth only the price of a slave.

AKKUB

(Akʹkub) [follower; insidious].

1. Father of a family of Nethinim who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel, 537 B.C.E.—Ezra 2:1, 2, 45.

2. A postexilic Levitical gatekeeper and family head of gatekeepers.—1 Chron. 9:17; Ezra 2:42; Neh. 7:45; 11:19; 12:25.

3. One of the thirteen Levites who assisted Ezra with “explaining the law to the people” and “putting of meaning into it.”—Neh. 8:7, 8.

4. Fourth named of seven sons of Elioenai, among the last descendants of David enrolled in Hebrew Scripture genealogy.—1 Chron. 3:24.

AKRABBIM

(A·krabʹbim) [scorpions].

An upward slope or ascent on the SE frontier of Judah that constituted a boundary division when Canaan was apportioned to Israel. (Num. 34:4; Judg. 1:36) It was situated about eighteen miles (29 kilometers) SW of the southern end of the Dead Sea and near the Wilderness of Zin. The area has been identified with present-day Neqb es-Safa, where the road from Beer-sheba to the Arabah descends abruptly into the Wadi Murra. The name may have derived from the abundance of scorpions in this desert country or perhaps from the way the road repeatedly curves back on itself like the tail of a scorpion. It was evidently an ancient route used to go down to Edom and S to Aqabah on the Gulf of Aqabah.

ALABASTER

(alʹa·bas·ter).

The name of small perfume vaselike vessels originally made of a stone found near Alabastron, Egypt. The stone itself, a form of calcium carbonate, also came to be known by the same name. David collected “alabaster stones in great quantity” for the building of Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem. (1 Chron. 29:2) This ancient or “oriental alabaster” should not be confused with a modern alabaster, a hydrated calcium sulfate that is easily scratched. The original alabaster is usually white, and, due to being a stalagmite formation, sometimes has streaks of various colors. It approaches the hardness of marble but will not receive quite as high a polish. The solid alabaster was bored or drilled out to contain as much as a pound (.45 kilogram) of liquid. (John 12:3) It was usually fashioned with a narrow neck that could be effectively sealed to prevent the escape of the precious scent. When less costly materials such as gypsum were used to make such cases, these too were called alabasters simply because of the use to which they were put. However, cases made from geniune alabaster were used for the more costly ointments and perfumes, like those with which Jesus was anointed on two occasions—once in the house of a Pharisee in Galilee (Luke 7:37), and once in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany.—Matt. 26:6, 7; Mark 14:3.

ALAMOTH

(Alʹa·moth) [Heb., ʽala·mohthʹ].

Evidently a term of musical execution, its apparent meaning being “the voice of young women” or “in the style of maiden[s],” suggesting the higher tones of the musical scale. In 1 Chronicles 15:20, stringed instruments are described as being “tuned to Alamoth,” the term being transliterated. However, in the superscription to Psalm 46 ʽala·mohthʹ is translated “Maidens.”

At 1 Chronicles 15:21, the verse following the above citation another musical expression is transliterated, namely, sh^emi·nithʹ, referring to “harps tuned to Sheminith.” In the superscriptions of Psalms 6 and 12 (NW) this word is translated “lower octave.” While the two terms Alamoth and Sheminith are not necessarily opposites in meaning, some scholars believe they do stand in contrast to each other. The contents of the respective Psalms seem to indicate this also: Both Psalms (6 and 12), containing sh^emi·nithʹ in their superscriptions, are somewhat plaintive and would accordingly be accompanied in a more somber, lower range; whereas Psalm 46, containing ʽala·mohthʹ in its superscription, is joyous and reasonably would have accompaniment or be sung in a higher register.—See HARP; MUSIC.

ALEMETH

(Alʹe·meth) [a covering, from the root “to conceal”].

1. Listed as the last of nine sons of Becher born in Egypt some time after 1728 B.C.E.—1 Chron. 7:8; Gen. 46:21, 26.

2. A son of Jehoaddah (or Jarah) and a direct descendant of King Saul. His two brothers were Azmaveth and Zimri.—1 Chron. 8:36; 9:42.

3. A town of Benjamin. See ALMON.

ʼAʹLEPH

[א]

The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The name assigned to this letter means “bull (cattle).” The letter is also later used outside the Hebrew Bible as a number and, when so used, denotes unity or one.

The Greek name alʹpha is derived from this Hebrew letter’s name, and our letter “a” is, in turn, drawn from the Greek letter. However, in Hebrew ʼaʹleph is not a vowel but a consonant and has no true equivalent in English. It is transliterated in writing by a raised comma (ʼ). As pronounced in Hebrew it is the softest of guttural sounds (that is, sounds pronounced in the throat), and is like the slight guttural sound given to the silent “h” at the beginning of the English word “hour,” or like with the second “o” in “cooperate.”

In the Hebrew, the first eight verses in Psalm 119 begin with ʼaʹleph.—see ALPHABET.

ALEXANDER

(Al·ex·anʹder) [man’s defender].

1. Alexander the Great, son of Phillip II of Macedonia and his wife Olympias, born in Pella about October 356 B.C.E. Although not mentioned by name in the Bible, his rule of the fifth world empire was foretold two centuries before his birth.—Dan. 8:5-7, 20, 21.

Ascending the throne following the assassination of his father, Alexander, two years later when in his early twenties, set out to conquer the world. (Dan. 8:5) This dashing young military strategist deployed his comparatively small army in deep-ranked phalanx formation, a tactic introduced by his father and which he developed to a high degree of efficiency. Rather than pursuing the fleeing Persians after two decisive victories in Asia Minor (the first at the Granicus River; the second on the plain of Issus, where a great Persian army estimated at half a million met utter defeat), Alexander turned his attention to the island city of Tyre. Centuries earlier it had been foretold that the walls, towers, houses, and the very dust of Tyre would be pitched into the sea. (Ezek. 26:4, 12) It is, therefore, quite significant that Alexander took the rubble of the old mainland city destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar some years before and built with it a half-mile (.8 kilometer) causeway out to the island city. The pounding by his navy and engines of war destroyed that proud mistress of the sea in July 332 B.C.E.

Jerusalem, on the other hand, opened its gates in surrender and (if we are to believe Josephus) the high priest showed Alexander the book of Daniel’s prophecy, presumably chapter 8, where a mighty Greek king would subdue and conquer the Persian Empire. Thereupon, Alexander spared Jerusalem and pushed S into Egypt, where he was greeted as a deliverer. There he founded the city of Alexandria, the seat of learning where the Septuagint version was made. Looking eastward, Alexander returned from Egypt through Palestine, and with 47,000 men overpowered a reorganized Persian army of 1,000,000 near Gaugamela. In quick succession Darius III was murdered by one-time friends, Babylon surrendered, and Alexander pushed on to secure Susa and Persepolis. From there he continued his campaign into India before looking westward again.

POST-CONQUEST EVENTS

Alexander had great plans for rebuilding Babylon and making it his capital, but they were never realized. As Daniel had foretold, he was cut down and broken in death. (Dan. 8:8) Alexander’s ambition to rebuild Babylon failed to materialize not simply because he suddenly died of malarial fever complicated by his reckless living in the prime of life, at thirty-two, in 323 B.C.E.; Jehovah had determined long before that Babylon would never be rebuilt.—Jer. 50:35-40.

During his short career Alexander married Roxana, the daughter of the conquered Bactrian king, and also Statire, a daughter of the Persian king Darius III. By Roxana he had a son who was named Alexander (Allou). And by a certain Barsine he had an illegitimate son named Heracles (Hercules). However, the prophecy of Daniel had foretold that “not to his posterity” would his empire be left; so it was that all Alexander’s family and heirs were done away with before many years passed. (Dan. 11:3, 4) Furthermore, it was written: “And that one having been broken, so that there were four that finally stood up instead of it, there are four kingdoms from his nation that will stand up, but not with his power.” (Dan. 8:22) It was, therefore, no mere historical coincidence that the empire was divided among four of Alexander’s generals: Seleucus Nicator taking Mesopotamia and Syria; Cassander, Macedonia and Greece; Ptolemy Lagus, Egypt and Palestine; and Lysimachus, Thrace and Asia Minor.

Alexander’s conquest left its greatest mark on history by spreading the Greek language and culture far and