MACHBENAH

(Mach·beʹnah) [knob, lump].

The name appears in a list of Caleb’s descendants through his concubine Maacah, her son Sheva being called the “father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea.” (1 Chron. 2:48, 49) Some commentators, noting that many of the names in this section also occur as names of towns, suggest that Machbenah may be the name of a town founded or ‘fathered’ by Sheva. See, however, ATROTH-BETH-JOAB.

MACHI

(Maʹchi) [smiting, or, perhaps, reduced].

A Gadite and the father of Geuel, one of the twelve Israelites sent to spy out Canaan.—Num. 13:1, 2, 15, 16.

MACHIR

(Maʹchir) [sold].

1. The first-named son of Manasseh by his Syrian concubine Machir founded the family of Machirites and is called “the father of Gilead.” His wife was Maacah, and he had sons within Joseph’s lifetime. (Gen. 50:23; Num. 26:29; Josh. 17:1; 1 Chron. 2:21, 23; 7:14-17) The “sons of Machir” captured the region of Gilead, drove out the Amorites, and were given that district as an inheritance. (Num. 32:39, 40; Deut. 3:15; Josh. 13:31) Zelophehad and his daughters were of the Manassite family of Machir. (Num. 27:1; 36:1, 2; Josh. 17:3) In the victory song of Deborah and Barak “Machir” seems to be used poetically for the entire tribe of Manasseh.—Judg. 5:1, 14.

2. Son of Ammiel (and resident of Lo-debar) with whom Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth resided until David sent for him and made provision for his care. (2 Sam. 9:4-7, 13) Later, during Absalom’s rebellion, Machir was among the persons who supplied King David and his associates with food and other provisions.—2 Sam. 17:27-29.

MACHIRITES

(Maʹchir·ites).

A family of the tribe of Manasseh founded by his son Machir.—Num. 26:29; see MACHIR No. 1.

MACHNADEBAI

(Mach·nadʹe·bai) [what (is) like a liberal person?].

A postexilic Israelite among those who sent away their foreign wives in Ezra’s day.—Ezra 10:25, 40, 44.

MACHPELAH

(Mach·peʹlah) [doubling, possibly indicating that the cave had a double entrance or two recesses or receptacles].

The name used with reference to a field and a cave in the vicinity of Hebron, purchased by Abraham from Ephron the Hittite for 400 silver shekels (about $190 in modern values). The cave served as a burial place for Abraham’s wife Sarah and at least five others: Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. (Gen. 23:14-19; 25:9; 49:30, 31; 50:13) The designation “Machpelah” evidently also applied to the surrounding area.—Gen. 23:17.

It is generally accepted that the burial cave is located in modern Hebron beneath a Moslem mosque within an enclosure called Haram el-Khalil (“sacred precinct of the friend of the merciful one, God”).

At Genesis 23:17 the Hebrew-language term indicating the position of the cave of Machpelah in relation to Mamre has been variously rendered “east of” (RS), “before” (AS), “near” (The Bible in Basic English), “opposite” (JB) and “in front of Mamre.” (NW) If the traditional location of Mamre (Ramet el-Khalil) is correct, the rendering “east of Mamre” would not be appropriate, as this site lies about one and two-thirds miles (2.7 kilometers) N of modern Hebron. The phrase “Mamre, that is to say, Hebron” (Gen. 23:19), may mean that Mamre was in the district of Hebron.

MADAI

(Maʹda·i).

The third-listed son of Japheth. (Gen. 10:2; 1 Chron. 1:5) He is believed to be the progenitor of the Medes. Due to this understanding, elsewhere in the Bible the Hebrew Madai is translated as “Medes,” or “Media,” as at 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; Esther 1:3; Isaiah 13:17; 21:2; and other texts. The Medes were also called Madai in Assyro-Babylonian (Akkadian) and Mada in Old Persian. At some point in the past they established themselves in the Iranian plateau region, settling primarily between the Elburz Mountains (S of the Caspian Sea) and the Zagros Mountains to the E of Assyria. The modern name Iran derives from the word “Aryan,” a term used to refer to those of Japhetic descent.

MADMANNAH

(Mad·manʹnah) [dunghill].

1. This name appears in the list of descendants of Judah through Caleb. Caleb’s concubine Maacah is stated to have borne “Shaaph the father of Madmannah.” (1 Chron. 2:49) However, most scholars consider the term “father” to be used here in the sense of “founder” and consider Madmannah in this text to correspond with the town considered below, Shaaph being viewed as the founder or perhaps the rebuilder thereof after its capture. It may be noted that the names of Kiriath-jearim and Bethlehem appear in a similar context in the following verses.—1 Chron. 2:50, 54.

2. A city in the southern part of the territory of Judah. (Josh. 15:21, 31) It is identified with Umm Deimneh in the Negeb region, about eleven miles (18 kilometers) NE of Beer-sheba. A comparison of Joshua 15:31 with the parallel lists at Joshua 19:5 and 1 Chronicles 4:31 indicates it to be the same as Beth-marcaboth. Beth-marcaboth (meaning “place of chariots”) may have been a secondary name of Madmannah.—See BETH-MARCABOTH.

MADMEN

(Madʹmen) [possibly, dunghill].

Seemingly a place in Moab foretold to suffer calamity by sword. At Jeremiah 48:2, “You, too, O Madmen, should keep silent,” translates the Hebrew phrase gam-madh·menʹ tid·domʹmi. Many scholars believe that the initial m in madh·menʹ (“Madmen”) was inadvertently repeated from the previous word (gam). Without the initial m the consonants of Madmen correspond to those of Dimon and, therefore, Madmen is often considered to be the same as Dimon (possibly, Khirbet Dimneh, two and a half miles [4 kilometers] NW of Rabbah). However, perhaps Madmen does not designate an actual location, since the renderings of the Greek Septuagint, Syriac and Latin Vulgate versions suggest that the ancient Hebrew text read, ‘Yes, you [Moab] shall be utterly brought to silence.’

MADMENAH

(Mad·meʹnah) [dunghill].

A site in the path of the Assyrian advance toward Jerusalem. (Isa. 10:24, 31, 32) Today Madmenah’s exact location is unknown. But some would identify it with Shuʽfat, about a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) N of Jerusalem.

MADNESS

Mental derangement, either insanity or a condition of extreme rage or great folly. Various Hebrew and Greek words are employed in the Scriptures to denote such disorders of the mind, whether lasting or temporary. Some of these words seem to be associated with or derived from the weird and sometimes violent or sorrowful cries of persons afflicted with madness.

Madness befell boastful Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. In fulfillment of a prophetic dream explained by Daniel, this monarch was stricken with madness at a time of boasting. For seven years he was insane, “and vegetation he began to eat just like bulls.” (Dan. 4:33) His reason gone, Nebuchadnezzar may have imagined that he was a beast, perhaps a bull. Regarding his mental derangement one reference work says: “The form of madness from which he suffered when pride overthrew his reason was that called lycanthropy, in which the patient fancies himself one of the inferior animals and acts as such.” (The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, p. 422) At the end of the seven years, Jehovah restored his understanding to him.—Dan. 4:34-37.