Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • Gull
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • upon rocks to break them open and make possible the eating of their contents. Despite its avid appetite for carrion, the gull is exceptionally clean in its habits.

      Several varieties of gulls, including the common gull or herring gull, and different types of the black-headed gull, are found in Palestine along the Mediterranean seacoast and around the Sea of Galilee. Their color is usually white, though the back and upper side of the wings may be a pearl gray. The bill is strong and slightly curved. They usually live in colonies, nesting on cliff ledges or along the shores. Ranging in body size from that of a pigeon up to some thirty inches (76 centimeters) in length, the gull’s wingspan may be as much as five feet (1.5 meters) across. A restless and seemingly tireless bird, the gull is able to continue flying even in stormy gales. Its abundant and overlapping feathers, as many as 6,544 being counted on a single large gull, keep the body warm and dry during sustained periods of rest in the water.

      A member of the gull family, the tern, is also abundant on Palestine’s shores. It has a leaner body than the gull, is not a carrion eater and has long tapering wings that are narrower than those of the gulls and a forked tail. Most terns are white, though generally wearing a black or gray cap. Feeding mainly on small fish, the tern hovers about and then darts quickly into the water with its long, straight, slender bill pointed downward to seize its prey. The tern is the greatest long-distance migrator of all birds, the Arctic tern covering as much as 22,000 miles (35,398 kilometers) annually. Some terns, however, prefer the coastal waters of the warmer regions. Their rapidmoving, very graceful flight has earned them the name of ‘swallows of the sea.’

      Like the falcon and the ibis, the gull was viewed as a sacred bird in ancient Egypt.

  • Gulloth-maim
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • GULLOTH-MAIM

      (Gulʹloth-maʹim) [Heb., Gul·lothʹ maʹyim; perhaps, springs of water].

      A site requested by Caleb’s daughter at the time of her marriage to Othniel. (Josh. 15:17-19; Judg. 1:13-15) Many versions render Gul·lothʹ maʹyim as “springs of water,” while “Upper Gul·lothʹ and Lower Gul·lothʹ” are generally translated ‘upper springs and lower springs.’ (See AV, JB, RS, Yg.) It may be noted, however, that Caleb’s daughter apparently did not simply desire “springs” from her father. She desired “a field,” according to Joshua 15:18. Thus Gul·lothʹ maʹyim is sometimes rendered “well-watered land.” (Kx; see also Dy.) Because of the uncertainty, some scholars choose to leave it untranslated, simply employing the transliterations “Gullath-maim” (AT) or “Gulloth-maim.” (NW) The exact location of Gulloth-maim is unknown.—See DEBIR No. 2.

  • Guni
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • GUNI

      (Guʹni).

      1. The second-named son of Naphtali, included among those of Jacob’s household in Egypt. (Gen. 46:24, 26; 1 Chron. 7:13) He founded the family of Gunites in the tribe of Naphtali.—Num. 26:48.

      2. Ancestor of a prominent Gadite.—1 Chron. 5:11, 15.

  • Gunites
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • GUNITES

      (Guʹnites).

      A family descended from Guni, a son of Naphtali.—Num. 26:48; Gen. 46:24.

  • Gur
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • GUR

      [cub].

      Ahaziah, king of Judah, was riding “on the way up to Gur, which is by Ibleam,” when he was struck down at Jehu’s orders. (2 Ki. 9:27) The location of Gur is now unknown.

      The wounding of Ahaziah at Gur is not mentioned in the parallel account of his death at 2 Chronicles 22:8, 9, but it appears that the two accounts complement each other and must be combined to gain the full picture of the events.—See AHAZIAH No. 2.

  • Gurbaal
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • GURBAAL

      (Gur·baʹal) [dwelling of Baal].

      A place inhabited by Arabs in King Uzziah’s time. (2 Chron. 26:3, 7) Although its exact site is unknown, some would connect it with Jagur in southern Judah.—Josh. 15:21; see JAGUR.

  • Haahashtari
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HAAHASHTARI

      (Ha·a·hashʹta·ri) [the Ahashtarite].

      A descendant of Judah; son of Ashhur.—1 Chron. 4:1, 5, 6.

  • Habaiah
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HABAIAH

      (Ha·baiʹah) [Jah has concealed].

      A priest whose descendants returned from exile in Babylon. But as his “sons” were unable to establish their genealogy, they were barred from the priesthood and were not permitted to “eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.”—Ezra 2:1, 2, 61-63; Neh. 7:63-65.

  • Habakkuk
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HABAKKUK

      (Ha·bakʹkuk) [embrace (of love); ardent embrace].

      Hebrew prophet of Judah and writer of the Bible book bearing his name. (Hab. 1:1; 3:1) From the book’s closing notation (“To the director on my stringed instruments”) and the dirge in chapter three, it has been inferred that Habakkuk was a Levitical temple musician. But the words following Habakkuk 3:19 do not make that certain, and dirges were also taken up by persons other than Levites. (2 Sam. 1:17, 18) While there are various traditions about Habakkuk, these are unreliable, and the Scriptures themselves furnish no information concerning the prophet’s parentage, tribe, circumstances in life or his death. Evidence in the book of Habakkuk seems to indicate that he prophesied early in the reign of Jehoiakim, before the Judean king became vassal to Babylon in 620 B.C.E.—2 Ki. 24:1; see HABAKKUK, BOOK OF.

  • Habakkuk, Book of
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HABAKKUK, BOOK OF

      A book of the Hebrew Scriptures in eighth place among the so-called “Minor Prophets” in the Hebrew and Septuagint texts, as well as in common English Bibles. It is in two parts: (1) A dialogue between the writer and Jehovah (chaps. 1, 2); (2) a prayer in dirges.—Chap. 3.

      WRITER

      The writer is identified in the book itself. The composition of both sections is ascribed to “Habakkuk the prophet.”—1:1; 3:1; see HABAKKUK.

      CANONICITY

      The canonicity of the book of Habakkuk is confirmed by ancient catalogues of the Hebrew Scriptures. While they do not mention it by name, the book evidently was embraced by their references to the ‘twelve minor prophets,’ for otherwise the number twelve would be incomplete. The book’s canonicity is unquestionably supported by quotations from it in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Though not referring to Habakkuk by name, Paul quoted Habakkuk 1:5 (LXX) while speaking to faithless Jews. (Acts 13:40, 41) He quoted from Habakkuk 2:4 (“But as for the righteous one, by his faithfulness he will keep living”) when encouraging Christians to display faith.—Rom. 1:16, 17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38, 39.

      Among the Dead Sea Scrolls is a manuscript of “Habakkuk (chaps. 1, 2) consisting of a pre-Masoretic Hebrew text with an accompanying commentary. Though its date is uncertain, this scroll may be of the first century B.C.E. Even if of more recent origin, it is apparently the oldest extant Hebrew manuscript of the book of “Habakkuk. Interestingly, this scroll reads “Chaldeans” at Habakkuk 1:6, where certain scholars (with “Greeks” or “Macedonians” under Alexander the Great in mind) have sought to substitute “Kittim.” This manuscript thus agrees with the Masoretic text in showing that the Chaldeans were those Jehovah would raise up as his agency.

      DATE AND SETTING

      The statement “Jehovah is in his holy temple” (Hab. 2:20) and the note that follows Habakkuk 3:19 (“To the director on my stringed instruments”) indicate that Habakkuk prophesied before the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. Also, Jehovah’s declaration “I am raising up the Chaldeans” (1:6) and the prophecy’s general tenor show that the Chaldeans (or Babylonians) had not yet desolated Jerusalem. But Habakkuk 1:17 may suggest that they had already begun to overthrow some nations. The Chaldeans and Medes took Nineveh in 632 B.C.E., and Babylon was then on its way toward becoming a world power. (Nah. 3:7) This was during the reign of Judah’s good king Josiah (659-629 B.C.E.).

      There are some who hold, in agreement with rabbinical tradition, that Habakkuk prophesied earlier, during the reign of King Manasseh of Judah. They believe that he was one of the prophets mentioned or alluded to at 2 Kings 21:10 and 2 Chronicles 33:10. They hold that the Babylonians were not yet a menace, which fact made Habakkuk’s prophecy more unbelievable to the Judeans.—See Habakkuk 1:5, 6.

      On the other hand, in the early part of Jehoiakim’s reign, Judah was within the Egyptian sphere of influence (2 Ki. 23:34, 35), and this could also be a time when God’s raising up of the Chaldeans to punish the wayward inhabitants of Judah would be to them ‘an activity they would not believe, though it was related.’ (Hab. 1:5, 6) Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Nechoh at Carchemish in 625 B.C.E., in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim’s reign. (Jer. 46:2) So, Habakkuk may have prophesied and recorded the prophecy before that event, possibly completing the writing thereof about 628 B.C.E. in Judah. The use of the future tense regarding the Chaldean threat may indicate a date earlier than Jehoiakim’s vassalship to Babylon (620-618 B.C.E.).—2 Ki. 24:1.

      STYLE

      The style of writing is both forceful and moving. Vivid illustrations and comparisons are employed. (Hab. 1:8, 11, 14, 15; 2:5, 11, 14, 16, 17; 3:6, 8-11) Commenting on Habakkuk’s style, the scholar Driver said: “The literary power of Habakkuk is considerable. Though his book is a brief one, it is full of force; his descriptions are graphic and powerful; thought and expression are alike poetic.” Such qualities are, of course, primarily due to divine inspiration.

      The book of Habakkuk emphasizes Jehovah’s supremacy over all nations (Hab. 2:20; 3:6, 12), highlighting his universal sovereignty. It also places emphasis on the fact that the righteous live by faith. (2:4) It engenders reliance upon Jehovah, showing that he does not die (1:12), that he justly threshes the nations, and that he goes forth for the salvation of his people. (3:12, 13) For those exulting in him, Jehovah is shown to be the God of salvation and the Source of vital energy.—3:18, 19.

      OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

      I. Plea for aid; Jehovah announces coming judgment (1:1-17)

      A. Habakkuk cries for aid due to violence, wickedness in Judah (1:1-4)

      B. Jehovah identifies Chaldeans as his instrument of judgment against the nations (1:5-11)

      1. This frightful nation will swiftly gather captives like sand (1:5-9)

      2. It will jeer kings, move onward like wind and become guilty (1:10, 11)

      C. Habakkuk wonders why God allows the wicked to swallow up the righteous (1:12-17)

      1. He asks why Jehovah, the Rock, looks on those dealing treacherously (1:12, 13)

      2. God has made all Judah as fishes and creeping things without a ruler (1:14-16)

      3. Will the enemy be allowed to keep killing nations constantly? (1:17)

      II. Righteous live by faithfulness, but Chaldeans will be destroyed (2:1-20)

      A. Prophet is to record vision, which will eventually come true (2:1-3)

      B. By faithfulness, the righteous one will keep living (2:4)

      C. The Chaldean’s end due, as shown by five woes (2:5-19)

      1. For “multiplying what is not his own”; will be despoiled by others for his bloodshed and violence (2:5-8)

      2. For “making evil gain for his house”; a stone of the wall will cry out (2:9-11)

      3. Due to “building a city by bloodshed”; it is from Jehovah that peoples will toil on only for the fire (2:12-14)

      4. For making companions drunk ‘to look upon their parts of shame’; will drink cup of Jehovah’s right hand and be disgraced (2:15-18)

      5. Due to trusting in idols; there is no breath in them (2:19)

      D. Jehovah is in his holy temple and all earth to keep silent (2:20)

      III. Habakkuk prays for mercy amid judgment (3:1-19)

      A. Makes plea for divine mercy and represents God as a mighty warrior (3:1-15)

      1. God marches through earth with denunciation, threshing the nations (3:1-12)

      2. He has gone forth for the salvation of His people (3:13-15)

      B. Agitated, Habakkuk awaits “the day of distress,” expressing determination to exult in Jehovah, the God of salvation (3:16-19)

      See the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” pp. 161-163.

  • Habazziniah
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HABAZZINIAH

      (Hab·az·zi·niʹah).

      A descendant of Jonadab the son of Rechab. “Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah the son of Habazziniah” was one of the Rechabites tested by the prophet Jeremiah in the days of King Jehoiakim.—Jer. 35:1-6.

  • Habor
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HABOR

      (Haʹbor).

      This proper name has been understood as applying either to a place or to a river. At 1 Chronicles 5:26, though, the reference is definitely to a city or district to which the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III exiled numerous Israelites of the ten-tribe kingdom. Some scholars have linked this Habor with Abhar, a town located on the Qizil Uzun River of NW Iran about 130 miles (209 kilometers) W of Tehran. At 2 Kings 17:6 and 18:11 some favor the reading “Habor, the river of Gozan” (AS, RS), and suggest identifying the Habor with a tributary of the Euphrates, the Khabur River of SE Turkey and NE Syria. However, in agreement with 1 Chronicles 5:26, this phrase may instead be translated “Habor at [or, by] the river Gozan.”—NW, Yg; see GOZAN.

  • Hacaliah
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HACALIAH

      (Hac·a·liʹah) [possibly, wait for Jehovah].

      Governor Nehemiah’s father.—Neh. 1:1; 10:1.

  • Hachilah
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HACHILAH

      (Hach·iʹlah) [dark].

      A hill in the wilderness of Ziph, where David and his men concealed themselves from King Saul. (1 Sam. 23:19; 26:1-3) Today its exact location is unknown. While some would identify Hachilah with Dahr el-Kola (a long ridge about ten miles [16 kilometers] W of En-gedi), this has been questioned on the basis that the Hebrew word for “hill” does not apply to a long ridge.

  • Hachmoni
    Aid to Bible Understanding
    • HACHMONI

      (Hachʹmo·ni) [wise].

      1. Ancestor of Zabdiel and his son Jashobeam. Jashobeam was the head one of David’s top three mighty men and is called “the son of a Hachmonite.” (1 Chron. 11:11; 27:2) “Hachmonite” is spelled “Tahchemonite” at 2 Samuel 23:8. If 1 Chronicles 12:6 refers to the same Jashobeam, the Hachmonites were descendants of the Levite Korah.—See JOSHEB-BASSHEBETH.

      2. Father or ancestor of Jehiel. Jehiel was with King David’s sons, presumably as a tutor. (1 Chron. 27:32) Possibly the same as No. 1 above.

English Publications (1950-2026)
Log Out
Log In
  • English
  • Share
  • Preferences
  • Copyright © 2025 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Settings
  • JW.ORG
  • Log In
Share