Biblical Encyclopedia: D
125 entries · Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(to pasture, to drive out to pasture, hence: pasture, enclosure) (Josh. 19:12) — at first glance it would seem that this was a city of the tribe of Zebulun, but from the book of Joshua (21:28) and 1 Chronicles (6:72) it is evident that it was located in the tribe of Issachar and was only on the border with the tribe of Zebulun. Situated on the western slope of Mount Tabor, it is, in all probability, identical with the village now called Deburieh. Calmet, following the etymology he accepted, supposes that this place was famed for its learning, being something in the nature of a Levitical and priestly academy.
The ancient tradition, relating that the boy possessed by a demon at the new moon (Matt. 17:14–18) was healed by the Lord after the Transfiguration precisely in this village, is fairly plausible; as is also another tradition, which points in this same place to the well of the nine apostles, at which they waited during the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor — this too is not without due foundation.
Dabbesheth Magelda
(hump of a camel) (Josh. 19:11) — a city on the border of the tribe of Zebulun.
Dabria
(my word) (Lev. 24:14): a) father of Shelomith, mother of an Israelite man who blasphemed the name of the Lord and was stoned for blasphemy under Moses; b) See 2 Esdras 14:24.
(some think this word derives from “dagan” — grain, others from a word meaning “large fish”) (Judg. 16:23; 1 Sam. 5:2–7) — this was the name of the Philistine idol, with a human head and hands, but the body of a fish. He was worshiped in the city of Gaza (Judg. 16:23), in Ashdod (1 Sam. 5:1–3), where his temple was burned by Jonathan in the time of the Maccabees (1 Macc. 10:83, 84), in Beth-dagon, where there was a shrine or temple of Dagon, on the borders of the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:41), in a city of the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:27), and in several other places.
The fall and destruction of the idol, when the Ark of God, having been brought from Eben-ezer to Ashdod, was carried into the temple of Dagon and set beside the idol, represents one of the most remarkable events of Jewish history;
(1 Chron. 24:3; 2 Chron. 8:14) — the division made by David of the Levites and priests for the performance of the priestly service. The priests were divided into 24 courses, each of which served in the Temple for a week, from Sabbath to Sabbath. To determine which priest received which course for a given day’s service, lots were customarily drawn (Luke 1:9). The Levites were divided into four classes (1 Chron. 24:1), but, according to Josephus, for their service in the sanctuary they were divided into 24 classes, each of which, like the priests, served by the week. The courses of the priests and Levites, according to their assignment, were reestablished by Hezekiah (2 Chron. 31:2) and afterward by Ezra (Ezra 6:18).
Dakuv.
See 2 Esdras 5:28. In 1 Ezra (2:42) it reads: Akkub.
Dalan. Ladan
See 2 Esdras 5:37. This same name in the book of 1 Ezra (2:60) reads Delaiah, and in Nehemiah (7:62) Delaiah.
(Mark 8:10) — the name of a village near Magdala, as is evident from a comparison of the passages in the Gospel of Mark (8:10) and Matthew (15:39). In the former citation it is said of Jesus that, after the miraculous feeding of the 4,000, He crossed the Sea of Gennesaret and came into the borders of Dalmanutha, while in the parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew it is said that after performing this miracle He entered the boat and came into the borders of Magdala. All traces of the exact location of this village have long since vanished, and no traveler, ancient or modern, has been able to indicate where this, probably insignificant, locality was located.
(2 Tim. 4:10) — a mountainous region on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea; formerly it formed part of the Roman province of Illyricum, bordering on Macedonia and Upper Moesia, and separated from Liburnia. In the Middle Ages Dalmatia belonged to the Venetian Republic, but by the Treaty of Campo Formio, in 1798, it passed to Austria, to which it still belongs today. In this region the Gospel was preached by St. Titus the Apostle, disciple and companion of St. Paul the Apostle. Its chief cities in ancient times were: Salona, near modern Split, and Epidaurus, now Ragusa Vecchia, and Lissus.
Dalphon Phasga
(a Persian word) (Esther 9:7) — second of the ten sons of Haman, put to death by the Jews on the 13th day of the month of Adar.
Daluiah
(resembling his father, or like him) (2 Sam. 3:3) — second son of David by Abigail of Carmel, born at Hebron. In 2 Samuel, in the Hebrew, he is named (3:3) Chileab.
(young heifer) (Acts 17:34) — an Athenian woman, converted to Christ by St. Paul the Apostle. Some of the holy fathers of the Church, among them St. John Chrysostom, not without foundation consider her to have been the wife of Dionysius the Areopagite. St. John Chrysostom speaks of her with great praise (On the Priesthood, 4:7).
(from Syriac: place of activity, business) (Gen. 15:2) — capital of ancient Syria, for three centuries the residence of the Syrian kings, and one of the most ancient cities still existing at the present day. Damascus is now sometimes called El-Sham. It is situated on the river Barada (biblical Abana), nearly 200 English miles south of Antioch and 120 miles northeast of Jerusalem. The environs of the city, which has up to 150,000 inhabitants, are abundantly watered and very fertile (see Abana, Pharpar).
The city is about two English miles in length and is surrounded by walls. The streets are narrow but well paved, and one of them, running through the middle of the city and its suburbs, is still called “Straight.” The city is reckoned one of the wealthiest in industry. Damascus blades, razors, silk, leather, and dried fruits form the chief articles of export (Acts 9:11). The environs of the city are so picturesque in setting and so rich in every kind of vegetation (chestnuts, oranges, myrtles, apricots, pears, lemons, apples, olives, and others) that Damascus, both to the ancients and to modern inhabitants of the East, was and is regarded as one of the paradises of the earth.
It is said that one of the Roman emperors, on account of the majesty and picturesqueness of Damascus’s setting, called it “the eye of the East,” and that Muhammad, seeing this city for the first time from a distant height, was so delighted by its picturesqueness that he did not wish to enter it,
(judge). So named because Rachel, at his birth, said: “God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son” (Gen. 30:6). Fifth son of Jacob by Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, progenitor of the tribe of Dan. Jacob’s prophecy concerning Dan: “Dan shall judge his people… Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels” (49:16, 17), is interpreted variously, but most likely it points to the cunning of his descendants, just as does the other prediction concerning Dan: “Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan” (Deut. 33:22), from the slopes of Hermon, where he lies in wait for his prey, points to the strength and warlike nature of the descendants of Dan. Indeed, we know that Samson, who came from the city of Zorah, of the tribe of Dan — the most famous of the Danites for his strength — was also distinguished by his cunning and craftiness (Judg. 14, 15). Perhaps this same warlike spirit and cunning were the distinguishing traits of the whole tribe of Dan.
(city) (Gen. 14:14; Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:29) — the city of Dan was rebuilt from Laish, as mentioned by us in the preceding article. It was located at the northern extremity of the land of Israel, in the tribe of Naphtali, at the foot of Lebanon, near the source of the Jordan, and, as some think, gave its name to that river (Jor — spring, Dan — Dan). This etymology, however, is unfounded. The Jordan has no connection with the word “Dan.” This name was given to the river long before the time in question.
“Jordan” derives from a Hebrew word meaning “to flow down,” and denotes a spring flowing swiftly and continuously. The city of Dan was taken by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29 [as given]). Here Jeroboam set up one of the golden calves and established solemn worship of it (1 Kings 12:29; Amos 8:14), although idolatry had prevailed here even before him (Judg. 18:17–19, 24–31). At present the site of Dan is placed east of Banias, on a small hill: Tell el-Qadi. The springs at Tell el-Qadi correspond directly to the spring which Josephus calls another source of the Jordan, likewise under the name “Dan.”
Dan (city)
(Ezek. 27:19) traded with Tyre and Jaffa in iron, cassia, and sweet cane; its location is not precisely known. See Dedan.
Dan-jaan
(2 Sam. 24:6) is mentioned only in the cited passage. It was located between Gilead and Sidon, and is probably the same city spoken of above, that is, the northern Dan, or the former Laish.
(Matt. 11:17; Mark 6:22)—rhythmic bodily movement used in biblical lands to express joy, victory, worship, or celebration. Miriam and the women answered the deliverance at the sea with timbrels and dancing (Exod. 15:20); women greeted Saul and David after victory with song and dance (1 Sam. 18:6); and David danced before the ark with all his might (2 Sam. 6:14). Dancing also accompanied family festivity, as in the return of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25), and prophetic visions of restoration (Jer. 31:4, 13).
(judge of God, that is, one who reveals God’s will on His behalf) — a) (Ezek. 14:14) fourth of the major prophets (Matt. 24:15), whose history is related in great detail in the book bearing his name. He was, according to some, a descendant of David, or, at the very least, of royal lineage, and while still a youth was carried off to Babylon among the other captive Jews. Endowed with fine qualities of soul and body, he there learned the language and wisdom of the Chaldeans, and together with his three companions, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, was taken into royal service under the name of Belteshazzar and lived in the royal palace (Dan. 1:1–4).
From his early years he was distinguished by piety and wisdom, to which the writer who was his contemporary, the prophet Ezekiel, testifies (14:14–20; 28:3), and finally he attained a high position at the court of the king of Babylon. Daniel interpreted the king’s remarkable dreams for him, and was himself deemed worthy of repeated visions, in which the most important and remarkable events were revealed to him. Upon the accession of Darius to the throne, he was made first of the three governors of the empire, and was miraculously saved from the mouths of lions, having been cast into the lions’ den for his devotion to the faith of his fathers (Dan. 6:10–24).
It is not known where Daniel died, though it is supposed that he died at the age of 90 in one of the regions of Chaldea. The fame of Daniel’s wisdom and righteousness spread far even during his own lifetime. He is placed alongside Noah and Job (Ezek. 14:14–20). The Lord Himself draws particular attention to Daniel’s prophecies, showing both the historical reality of his person and the great significance of his prophecies (Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20).
Danna
(low country) (Josh. 15:49) — a city in the hill country of the tribe of Judah. Its location has not yet been precisely determined.
(laurel tree) (2 Macc. 4:33) — a celebrated grove and shrine of Apollo and Artemis, near Syrian Antioch, situated, it is supposed, on the left bank of the Orontes, in the present-day locality of Beit el-Ma. The building of the shrine is attributed to Seleucus Nicator. It enjoyed, among other things, the right of asylum and was considered inviolable, and it was here that the unworthy high priest Onias took refuge from persecution, as is mentioned in the second book of Maccabees, in the citation given above.
Dara Darad
(pearl of wisdom) (1 Chron. 2:6) — one of the sons of Zerah.
(pearl of wisdom) (1 Kings 4:31) — a wise man, contemporary of Solomon. He is mentioned among four persons distinguished for their wisdom, who, however, were surpassed in it by Solomon (1 Kings 4:31). The first of these wise men was Ethan the Ezrahite, the second Heman, then Chalcol and Darda — sons of Mahol.
(Persian: king, ruler; on ancient monuments: Darayavaush) — the name of several kings mentioned in Holy Scripture: a) (Dan. 5:31, and elsewhere) Darius I the Mede (11:1), son and heir of Ahasuerus — the last Median king. To his proper name “Darius” was added the designation “Astyages,” probably a general royal title, otherwise “Ashdahak,” which means “biting serpent” — a symbol of the Median kingdom. Under this king Daniel was raised to the highest dignity (6:2) and deemed worthy by God of new revelations.
After the miraculous deliverance of Daniel from the lions’ den, Darius issued a decree throughout his realm: “that men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end” (6:26); b) (Ezra 4:5; Hag. 1:1; Zech. 1:1) — a second king of the same line, son of Hystaspes, who ascended the Persian throne after the killing of the false Smerdis. In his reign the Jews returned to Jerusalem and resumed work on the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.
In the sixth year of his reign the building of the Temple was completed, it was consecrated, and the Passover was solemnly celebrated in it. The city of Babylon, dissatisfied with some of Cyrus’s decrees, rebelled, and Darius, after a siege lasting nearly two years (in which the prophecy of Isaiah [47:7–9] was almost literally fulfilled), took possession of this city. According to the testimony of Herodotus, he ordered the hundred bronze gates of Babylon torn down and razed to their foundations (Jer. 51:58).
Darius was defeated by the Greeks in the famous battle of Marathon; c) (Neh. 12:22; 1 Macc. 1:1) — third and last king of Persia, Darius III, otherwise Darius Codomannus. Alexander of Macedon defeated him first at the Granicus, then at Issus and Arbela, and thereby put an end to the Persian monarchy. Thus were fulfilled the prophecies of Daniel (2:39, 40; 7:5, 6, 20–22); d) (1 Macc. 12:7–20) — one of the kings of the Lacedaemonians, contemporary of the high priest Onias I. In the Alexandrian codex and in the Vulgate this name reads: Areus.
(Gen. 1:2)—the absence of visible light and, in Scripture, a powerful image of chaos, ignorance, sorrow, judgment, death, or the realm of evil. Darkness covered the deep before God commanded light. The ninth plague brought a darkness over Egypt that could be felt and halted ordinary movement for three days, while the Israelites had light where they lived (Exod. 10:21-23). The source’s atmospheric explanation is conjectural; Exodus presents the darkness as a divine sign.
Darkon
(bearer) (Ezra 2:56; Neh. 7:58) — a servant of Solomon; his descendants returned from captivity with Zerubbabel. In 2 Esdras (5:33) it reads: Lozon.
Date Palm
(John 12:13). See Palm.
(spring) (Num. 16:1–26; Deut. 11:6; Ps. 106 [105]:17) — a Reubenite, son of Eliab, who together with his brother Abiram, the Levites Korah, On, and others, formed a conspiracy against Moses and Aaron, and was punished for it by God with a terrible death. The household of Korah, with the exception of his sons, who probably repented (26:11), and Dathan and Abiram with their followers, were swallowed alive by the earth, while two hundred and fifty men who took part in the rebellion were consumed by fire from heaven. See Korah.
Dathema
(1 Macc. 5:9) — a stronghold in Gilead, in which the Jews took refuge, pursued by pagans in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, and afterward delivered from their enemies by the Maccabees Judas and Jonathan (1 Macc. 5:9, 24–54).
(Gen. 24:48) — a word used not only to denote direct female offspring, but also to signify female descendants generally. It is also used to mean woman in general (Gen. 6:2; Luke 23:28), to denote women given to idolatry (1 Sam. 1:16), and to denote secondary towns dependent on other cities (2 Sam. 20:19; Ps. 137:8 [136:8]). Among the Hebrews generally it was customary to call towns and their populations “daughters” or “virgins” (Matt. 21:5).
Daughter of Zion
(Matt. 21:5) — so the prophets call the city of Jerusalem together with its inhabitants. Jerusalem is so called after Zion, the chief and highest of its hills, on which it was situated.
(beloved) (1 Sam. 16:13) — was the youngest son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah, great-grandson of the pious Boaz and Ruth. He was born, in the opinion of most historians, in the year 1085 B.C., in the city of Bethlehem. The Lord rejected Saul for his disobedience and defiance of the word of God, and in his place chose as king over Israel one of the sons of Jesse, and commanded Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint the chosen one to the throne of Israel. The seven elder sons of Jesse, presented to Samuel, were not God’s chosen ones.
The chosen one proved to be the youngest son — this was David, who, among his brothers, was anointed by Samuel to the kingdom. He was then only 19 years old, and he tended his father’s flocks of sheep in the fields. He was of very handsome appearance, had fair hair, and, like his nephew Asahel, was distinguished by swiftness of foot and strength of muscle (Ps. 18 [17]:33–35 [as given]). His account to Saul of how he slew the lion or the bear that sometimes attacked the sheep (1 Sam. 17:34–36), the shepherd’s staff in his hand and the bag on his shoulder, with which he never parted in the carrying out of his shepherd’s duties (v. 40), and especially the numerous references to pastoral life which we find in the book of Psalms (22 [21]:1–6; 78 [77]:70, 72) — all this speaks directly in favor of the fact that David spent the greater part of his youth
— the reflection of the sun’s rays in the air before sunrise and after sunset (Gen. 32:26 [32:24]). The phenomenon of the morning and evening dawn, beautiful everywhere, is especially majestic in the East. The dawn is often mentioned in Holy Scripture, and especially the morning dawn. “Let me go,” said He who wrestled all night with Jacob, “for the day breaketh [the dawn has risen]” (Gen. 32:26 [32:24]). “If I take the wings of the morning,” exclaims the Psalmist, “and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me” (Ps. 139:9–10 [138:9–10]).
The dawn is mentioned in various other places, e.g., Gen. 19:15; Job 38:12; Josh. 6:15, and elsewhere. In the Song of Songs, the beloved bride of the mystical Bridegroom is compared to the dawn: “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning?” and so on (6:10), exclaims the writer of the sacred book. The joyful event of true conversion to God is likewise compared to the dawn. “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning,” says the prophet Isaiah (58:8). To the dawn, the daybreak, the morning star, is likened the prophetic word in the hearts of believers in relation to the light of the Gospel (2 Pet. 1:19). In the book of Job (3:9) the dawn is called “the eyelids of the morning.”
(Gen. 30:36; 31:23; Exod. 3:18; Num. 10:33; Luke 2:44) — the most common measure among the ancients for reckoning distances: a day’s journey, two days’ journey, three days’ journey. But since the length of a day varies, and the speed of walking or riding depends on many conditions, a day’s journey is reckoned variously — anywhere from six to eight or ten hours.
(Luke 2:22)—the period prescribed after childbirth in Leviticus 12. After the birth of a son the mother completed forty days before bringing the required offering; after a daughter the period was eighty days. A lamb was prescribed for a burnt offering and a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering, but a poor family could bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. Luke records that Mary and Joseph brought the offering permitted to the poor and presented the firstborn Jesus to the Lord (Luke 2:22-24; compare Exod. 13:2, 12-15).
The plural “their purification” in many manuscripts has generated discussion, since the Mosaic rite concerns the mother, while Luke joins the purification with the presentation of the child.
(a Greek word meaning “servant”) (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8–12) — so called because the duty of a deacon is to serve at the sacraments. The diaconate is the lowest degree of the priesthood, instituted already in apostolic times. The election and ordination by the apostles of the first seven deacons — Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas — is described in detail in the book of Acts (6:1–7). Originally the office of deacon consisted in serving at table and caring for the poor and the sick; afterward deacons also served at the celebration of the sacraments and at public worship, and in general were helpers to the bishops and presbyters in their ministry.
They could even teach and preach the Gospel, as we see from the examples of Stephen and Philip (Acts 6:8–10; 8:5–8, and elsewhere). The moral qualities required of deacons and their wives are set out in detail by the Apostle Paul in his first epistle to Timothy (3:8–13).
The institution of deaconesses goes back to apostolic times: “I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea,” writes the Apostle Paul to the Romans (16:1). In the canons of the Council of Laodicea they are called “elder women,” since older widows were chosen for the office — mothers not less than 60 years of age and married only once. Their chief duties consisted in watching the door through which women entered the church; observing the virgins and widows; teaching the young women and women newly received into the church; assisting the bishop at the baptism of women, anointing in his place the parts of the body other than the forehead; caring for the poor and the sick; and being present at private conversations of bishops, presbyters, and deacons with women.
In times of persecution, deaconesses sometimes ministered to martyrs and confessors in prison, when prudence did not allow such commissions to be entrusted to deacons. They are called “widows” because they were generally chosen from among widows, though there were deaconesses chosen from virgins as well. The sister of St. Gregory of Nyssa, Macrina, was a deaconess while remaining a virgin.
Dead Sea.
See Asphalt Sea.
—both bodily and spiritual. Bodily death is the separation of the soul from the body that it animated. Spiritual death is the soul’s loss of divine grace, which had quickened it to the higher spiritual life. The soul does not perish as the body decays; when dead through sin it remains in darkness, grief, and suffering. Scripture teaches that death entered the world through the sin of humanity’s first parents: “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men” (Rom. 5:12).
Debir
(scribe) (Josh. 10:3) — name of the king of the city of Eglon, hanged by Joshua together with four other Canaanite kings (10:3–23).
(Josh. 10:38, 39; 11:21; Judg. 1:14; 1 Chron. 6:58; Josh. 15:49): a) — a city in the hill country of the tribe of Judah and, in all likelihood, the center of learning of the Canaanite people, as we may judge from its name; for the word “Debir” means “oracle,” “sanctuary,” while “Kiriath-sepher” means “city of books,” and “Kiriath-sannah” means “learning.” This place served as a stronghold for the Anakim who lived in it, but was afterward conquered by Joshua (Josh. 10:38, 39) and given to the tribe of Judah.
The Canaanites reconquered it, but under Othniel, son of Kenaz, it was again returned to the Israelites (Judg. 15:15, 17). Afterward it became a city of the Levites (Josh. 21:15). There was another city under this same name, otherwise Lo-debar, located in the territory of the tribe of Gad, east of the Jordan (Josh. 13:26), known as the dwelling place of Mephibosheth during his youth (2 Sam. 9:4, 5), and a third on the border of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin (cf. Josh. 13:26 and 15:7), near the valley of Achor; b) (1 Kings 6:5; 8:19–23, and elsewhere) — the compartment in Solomon’s Temple for the Holy of Holies, or the inner part of Solomon’s Temple, where, between the cherubim, under their wings, the Ark of the Covenant was placed.
Deborah
(bee) (Tobit 1:8) — grandmother of Tobit, in whose care he was raised, and to whose instruction he was probably indebted for his piety (Tobit 1:4–12 [as given]) for the whole of his subsequent life. In the Vulgate and in Luther’s translation this name does not occur here.
(bee) — the names of two women: a) (Gen. 24:59) — nurse of Rebekah, who accompanied her to the land of Canaan, when she left the house of her brother Laban in Mesopotamia to marry Isaac. In the book of Genesis (35:8) it is said that upon her death she was buried under an oak near Bethel, called the oak of weeping. From this we may conclude that this servant enjoyed particular love within the patriarch’s family, in which her loss was deeply felt. The custom of burial beneath trees was very widespread among the Hebrews (1 Sam. 31:13; 2 Kings 21:18).
Deborah’s Palm
(Judg. 4:5)—the palm beneath which the prophetess Deborah lived in the days of the Judges. It stood between Ramah and Bethel, in the territory of Benjamin, in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came there to seek her judgment in their disputes.
(Matt. 6:12)—in the Lord’s Prayer, a figure for sins and the guilt incurred by failing to render God and neighbor what love and righteousness require. Matthew has “debts,” while Luke says, “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us” (Luke 11:4), showing the moral meaning. The petition does not teach that forgiveness can be purchased; it joins the mercy we ask from God with the mercy we must extend to others.
(low-lying) — the name of two localities: a) (Jer. 25:23; Ezek. 25:13) a region of Arabia Petraea, south of Edom, settled by the descendants of Dedan, son of Jokshan, son of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. 25:3); b) (Ezek. 25:13; 27:15–20; 38:13) — a country in Arabia near the Persian Gulf, which traded with Tyre in ivory, ebony, and the like, and was populated by the descendants of Dedan, son of Raamah (Gen. 10:7), of the descendants of Cush. In this country, for a long time after the fall of Tyre, there continued to exist a city called Dedan, which carried on extensive trade, in part in the very articles mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel.
The location of these places is unknown, though traces of the name Dedan are found in the present-day Dadena, one of the islands in the Persian Gulf. In the prophecy concerning Arabia (Isa. 21:13): “In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim!” In this last word, evidently, the merchant inhabitants of Dedan are meant.
(the Lord is deliverer) — the name of the following five persons: (1 Chron. 3:24) a) one of the seven sons of Elioenai, a descendant of David; b) (1 Chron. 24:18) name of the head of the 23rd of the 24 divisions into which the priests were divided by David; c) (Jer. 36:12–25) son of Shemaiah, of the nobles at the court of King Jehoiakim; d) (Ezra 2:60; Neh. 7:62) a person whose sons are listed among those who returned from captivity with Zerubbabel; e) (Neh. 6:10) son of Mehetabel and father of Shemaiah.
Delilah Dalida
(miserable, poor, unfortunate) (Judg. 16:4) — a Philistine woman of loose morals, living in the valley of Sorek, in the tribe of Dan, whom Samson loved, and who, having wheedled out of him the secret of his extraordinary strength, betrayed him into the hands of the Philistines. See Samson.
(1 Macc. 15:23) — the smallest of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, according to mythology considered the birthplace of Apollo and his sister Artemis, or Diana. There once existed here the oracle of Delos, considered the most trustworthy. On this island, according to Josephus, lived a considerable number of Jews, and its trade was so developed that on some days as many as a thousand slaves were sold in the markets of Delos (Josephus, Antiquities, 14, p. 668). At present Delos is almost uninhabited, on account of its unhealthy climate.
(Col. 4:14) — at first a zealous disciple and fellow-worker of St. Paul the Apostle (Philem. 1:24), who afterward fell away from the faith, or at least from the work of gospel preaching, owing to excessive love of the world (2 Tim. 4:10; 1 John 2:15). Epiphanius says that he became a follower of Cerinthus, Ebion, and others. The Apostle Paul writes of him on this occasion only that he “loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). He serves as an image of those believers in whom love of the world stifles the word, so that it becomes unfruitful (Matt. 13:22).
Demetrius
(belonging to Demeter, the Roman Ceres, goddess of agriculture) — name of four persons:
Demon
(Tobit 6:8) — an evil spirit that possessed Sarah, daughter of Raguel, who lived at Ecbatana in Media, and who was afterward miraculously delivered from him by the special mercy of God. See Asmodeus.
— evil spirits that serve the devil and together with him make up the kingdom of darkness, whose head is the devil (Matt. 12:24–29, and elsewhere). References in the Old and New Testaments to the existence of demons are numerous: in the Old Testament it is related that more than once, when the angels of God appeared before the face of God, the devil appeared together with them, and afterward the various calamities are described in detail with which, by God’s permission, the devil tempted the righteous Job (Job 1:6; 2:2 [as given]).
It is also related that when the Spirit of God departed from Saul, an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him (1 Sam. 16:14). In the Book of Wisdom of Solomon it is said that “through envy of the devil came death into the world” (Wisd. 2:24). In the New Testament, besides the designation “demons,” other names are also used for them, namely: evil spirits (Luke 7:21), spirits (Matt. 10:1), spirits of wickedness (Eph. 6:12), angels of the devil (Matt. 25:41), and the angels of the dragon (Rev. 12:7, 9).
(Matt. 4:24; Mark 1:23; Luke 6:35 [as given]; John 10:20, 21, and others) — this is the name for people possessed by evil spirits. In Holy Scripture evil spirits are depicted as entering into and going out of people. Those who do not acknowledge the existence of evil spirits in the proper sense, and think that by the latter must be understood the sick — lunatics, epileptics, the insane, and others — and that the Lord, in speaking of demons, was merely accommodating Himself to Jewish notions, think in gravest error.
In Holy Scripture demoniacs are plainly distinguished from people afflicted with grave bodily and mental illnesses; to them are ascribed such actions as are not characteristic of ordinary sick people: thus, for example, they know that Christ is the Son of God; Jesus Christ converses with them, and they answer Him. He commands the demons to be silent, or to come out of a man, and they obey; upon going out of people, demons seek rest, and not finding it, return to their former dwelling, taking into their company other, more wicked spirits; upon going out of the Gadarene demoniacs, the demons enter into a herd of swine, and the whole herd perishes in the sea.
Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His Apostles received the demon-possessed as truly possessed by evil spirits, and nowhere give the slightest occasion to think that these were only apparently possessed, and that their actions proceeded not from the influence of evil spirits but from bodily or mental illnesses, such as, for example, from disorder of the mental faculties, of imagination, of reason, and the like. Exactly so has this been understood by the whole Christian Church from the very times of the apostles.
The same degree of power that was permitted by God to Satan over the righteous, long-suffering Job can undoubtedly manifest itself in various forms over other persons as well, by God’s permission. Many well-known European physicians, such as, for example, the Spaniard Vskunrol [?], admit that instances of demonic possession, or being under the power of evil spirits, are encountered not infrequently even in the present unbelieving age.
Demophon
(2 Macc. 12:2) — a Syrian military commander in Palestine under Antiochus Eupator.
(Matt. 18:28; 20:2; 22:19, and elsewhere) — the most commonly used Roman silver coin in Palestine during the earthly life of the Savior, equal to a quarter-shekel, or about 21 kopecks silver. In antiquity the denarius bore the image of the goddess Roma, and in imperial times, the Roman emperor and his inscription. There were also gold denarii, equal to 25 silver denarii. One denarius made up a day’s wage for a hired laborer, as is evident from the Lord’s parable of the hiring of laborers into the vineyard (Matt. 20:2).
(the meaning of the word is unknown) (Acts 20:4) — a city in Lycaonia, Asia Minor. Its exact location is unknown. Gaius and Timothy, it is thought, were natives of Derbe. St. Paul the Apostle visited this city during his first and second missionary journeys (Acts 14:19–26; 16:1), and, very probably, also during his third.
Desan.
See 2 Esdras (5:31 [as given]). In the parallel passages, 1 Ezra 2:48 and Nehemiah 7:50, it reads: Rezin.
Desau
(2 Macc. 14:16) — the site of a battle in Judea between Judas Maccabeus and Nicanor, commander of the army of the Syrian king Demetrius. According to Wald, Desau corresponds to Adasa.
Deuteronomy
—a book consisting of thirty-four chapters, contains the repetition by Moses of the laws for the new generation of Hebrews that had grown up in the wilderness of Arabia. It also describes the last days of the life of Moses.
Deuteronomy.
See Moses, the Pentateuch of Moses.
(2 Sam. 1:21)—water vapor condensed during the cool of night into droplets upon the ground and plants. Dew is so abundant in Judea that it often supplies moisture in the absence of rain. It therefore becomes an image of God’s spiritual blessing (Deut. 32:2), while its withdrawal signifies judgment (2 Sam. 1:21). God says through Hosea, “I will be as the dew unto Israel” (Hos. 14:5), and Job speaks of dew lying all night upon his branch (Job 29:19).
(Exod. 28:18; Ezek. 3:9) — the third precious stone in the second row of stones of the high priest’s breastplate of judgment, the hardest and most valuable of precious stones, found chiefly in the East Indies and Brazil. The diamond consists of pure carbon, and when subjected to the strong action of fire it burns away completely. A perfectly clear diamond is usually called a diamond of the first water. The diamond is mentioned among the precious stones of the king of Tyre (Ezek. 28:13). In Jeremiah (17:1) the engraving of Judah’s sin “with a point of diamond” expresses the depth and indelibility of that sin.
Diana.
See Artemis.
(circle) (2 Kings 25:6 [as given]) — a city or settlement in Hamath, in which King Jehoahaz of Judah was put in chains by Pharaoh Necho, and afterward died in Egypt. Here Zedekiah was tried by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:6). In the parallel passage (2 Kings 23:33, 34) it reads: Riblah. According to Robinson, this is probably the present-day Ribleh, on the road from Baalbek to Homs, midway between the two.
Diblaim Debelaim
(softness and pleasantness of the taste of fruit) (Hos. 1:3) — name of the father, or mother, of Gomer, wife of the prophet Hosea. Some take it as a common noun, meaning a wife given to voluptuousness, devoted to pleasures.
(district) (Ezek. 6:14) — a locality forming one of the extremities of the land of Israel; probably this was Riblah, on the eastern bank of the Orontes, at which the priests and nobles of Jerusalem were slain by the king of Babylon, and many cruelties were inflicted upon the last king of Judah, Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:6, 20, 21).
(according to Fürst, place of springs; according to Gesenius, wasting away, pining) (Num. 21:30; Josh. 13:9): a) A city, apparently originally belonging to the Moabites (Num. 21:29, 30). The tribe of Gad rebuilt it (32:34 [as given]), but Moses assigned it to the tribe of Reuben (Josh. 13:17). In the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah it was again taken by the Moabites (Isa. 15:2; Jer. 48:18). Dibon was located on the eastern side of the Jordan. Even in the time of Jerome there existed a place with a similar name.
However, modern travelers have not been able to determine with certainty the location of Dibon. Eusebius and Jerome mention Dibon under the name Dabon or Devon. In their time Dibon was a largelarge village beyond the Arnon. Today it bears the name Dhiban and lies 5 versts north of the Arnon, in the Wadi Mojib.
(Num. 32:45, 46) — one of the camps of the Israelites in the land of Moab during their 40-year wandering. This place is undoubtedly identical with Dibon, but why it is called “of Gad,” and when it received this designation, is difficult to determine. Most likely it received its name from having been rebuilt by the sons of Gad.
(two drachmas) (Matt. 17:24) — a Greek silver coin, equal in our reckoning to about 48 kopecks silver. It was equal to half a shekel and was collected, by the Law of Moses, for the Temple from every Jew who had reached twenty years of age (Exod. 30:11–16). After the destruction of Jerusalem, Vespasian ordered this small coin to be paid into the state treasury.
Didymus
(twin) (John 11:16; 20:24) — surname of the apostle Thomas. See Thomas.
Diklah Decla
(place of palm trees) (Gen. 10:26, 27; 1 Chron. 1:21) — one of the 13 sons of Joktan, son of Eber. The name means “palm tree,” and perhaps points to a people descended from Joktan who dwelt in that part of Arabia which abounds in palms (Strabo and Pliny), though there is no firm basis for this.
Dilean Dalad
(place of gourds, cucumbers) (Josh. 15:38) — a city located in the valley or lowland of the land of Judah, in the Shephelah; it is mentioned in the Bible only once.
(dunged, manured) (Josh. 21:35) — a small town of the tribe of Zebulun, given to the Levites of the line of Merari. It is not named in the other lists of Levitical cities, probably owing to its insignificance. Van de Velde locates Dimnah at the village of El-Damun, southeast of Acre, toward Tiberias.
Dimon.
See Josh. 15:22.
Dimovon
(2 Macc. 12:2)¹ — name of one of the local Syrian military commanders under Judas Maccabeus and Antiochus Eupator.
(judgment) (Gen. 30:21; 34:1) — daughter of Jacob by Leah, and sister of Simeon and Levi. When, at fifteen or sixteen years of age, she went out alone, out of curiosity, to see the young women of Shechem at a great public festival in the city of Shechem, the son of Hamor, prince of Shechem, captivated by her beauty, dishonored her, and then persuaded his father to consent to his marriage with Dinah. They opened negotiations with Jacob on the matter, offering, according to the custom of the time, a large dowry and gifts.
But Dinah’s brothers resolved to avenge the outrage done to their sister. They said they agreed to the marriage, but on condition that all the male population of Shechem be circumcised. The Shechemites agreed to this condition, and on the third day after the circumcision, while all the males were still in a state of pain, Simeon and Levi attacked the city and put to death all its male inhabitants, not excluding Hamor and his sons. This greatly troubled Jacob, and he did not forget the cruelty of his sons even on his deathbed: “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations… for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall.
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel” (Gen. 49). Dinah is mentioned among the other persons who moved with Jacob to Egypt (Gen. 46:15).
(Ezra 4:9) — one of the Assyrian peoples resettled by Asnapper into Samaria, after the Israelites had been carried into captivity by Shalmaneser. Together with the other settlers, they tried to hinder the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple under Zerubbabel, and for a time succeeded in halting the work by writing a letter to Artaxerxes (the false Smerdis) about the harm of permitting the building of the Temple to king and kingdom. But when, at the command of Darius, the work resumed, the Dinaites again interfered (Ezra 5:3–6) with the building; Darius, however, commanded them to assist the builders. It is now impossible to determine with precision where they dwelt.
Dinhabah Dennaba
(place of plunder and refuge) (Gen. 36:32) — chief city of Edom under king Bela, son of Beor. Its location is not known.
Dinner and supper
(Luke 14:12-24). Dinners among the Hebrews were customarily prepared from ten o’clock in the morning until noon, and consisted chiefly of fruits, cheese, milk, and the like.
(Acts 17:34) — a member of the Athenian Areopagus, converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Apostle Paul during his first journey to Athens. As a member of the Areopagus he undoubtedly enjoyed great influence among his countrymen. Besides the brief mention of him in the book of Acts, there also exists a tradition that he studied philosophy in Athens and afterward in Egypt, and that during the sufferings of the Lord, while he was in Egypt and an extraordinary darkness spread over the earth, he exclaimed: “Either God Himself suffers, or He suffers with him who suffers.” According to the testimony of Eusebius, Dionysius was the first bishop of Athens, and, as Nicephorus notes, died a martyr’s death in that city in the year 96 A.D., under the emperor Domitian.
His memory is kept by the Church on October 3. For several centuries, works of a mystical-religious character circulated under the name of Dionysius, exerting particular influence in the Middle Ages; but at present, according to the Biblical History of Metropolitan Philaret and others, they are numbered among the doubtful writings.
(2 Macc. 6:7) — the pagan god of wine; according to Homer, simply a raging god, and moreover “the delight of mortals”; later he was regarded as the god of fertility, of civilization, and of happiness. In honor of Dionysus, or Bacchus, various festivals were instituted (bacchanalia), accompanied by disorderly conduct, drunkenness, debauchery, and the like. It was precisely these festivals that were introduced, and forced, among the Jews in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, compelling them to take part in solemn processions in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy on their heads (ivy, like the grapevine and other plants, was considered sacred to Dionysus).
Diopetes
(fallen from Jupiter) (Acts 19:35) — a statue of the goddess Artemis, or Diana, in the temple at Ephesus, which, according to popular tradition, was believed to have fallen from Jupiter, or Zeus.
Dioscorinthius
(a month of the year) (2 Macc. 11:21) — which month of the year is meant here is not known; most interpreters, however, take it to be the Hebrew month Tishri, corresponding to our October.
(divinely nourished) (3 John 1:9) — a Christian of the apostolic church. Judging by the apostle’s description of him, one may suppose that he held some important position in the church, though he was not its bishop. He is described as one “loving to have the preeminence,” and it is said of him that he did not recognize the authority of the apostle or the obligations of hospitality. The apostle promised, upon his arrival, to call these deeds of Diotrephes to mind personally — that is, probably to expose him before the whole assembly of believers.
(Matt. 10:24)—a learner, adherent, or follower of a teacher. The New Testament speaks of disciples of John the Baptist, the Twelve and wider circle of Jesus’ followers, and, in Acts, the whole community of believers. A disciple receives teaching in order to embody it: “Learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). Jesus also warns that a disciple is not above the teacher, so following him includes sharing his pattern of service and suffering.
Discus
(2 Macc. 4:14) — a round disk of stone or metal, thrown by the ancients during games over long distances. In these and similar games, in the time of the apostate high priest Jason, even priests took part, preferring these games to their service at the altar.
(a deep bowl, vessels with a flat bottom and low sides) (Exod. 25:29; 37:16; 2 Kings 21:13; Ezra 1:9; Num. 7:13; Matt. 26:23) — vessels used by the Hebrews for various purposes, both sacred and ordinary, and of various forms. Sometimes they were covered with lids. The evangelists’ expression “he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish” (Matt. 26:23; Mark 14:20) indicates that Judas reclined at the Last Supper near the Lord Jesus.
Dishon:
a) (Gen. 36:21) — youngest of the sons of Seir the Horite. b) (Gen. 36:24) — son of Anah and grandson of Seir. Attempts have been made to identify the descendants of these persons with certain Arab tribes, but without success.
Dispersion
(John 7:35)—a term commonly applied to the Jews who, after the captivities and the final destruction of their holy city, were scattered east and west, as the gathering at Pentecost illustrates. John 7:35 refers specifically to the dispersion among the Greeks, that is, the western dispersion.
Divination
(Ezek. 12:24; 13:6; Isa. 8:19 [as given]; Jer. 29:8; Lev. 19:26; Num. 23:23, and elsewhere) — was known from the deepest antiquity and strictly forbidden by the Law of Moses (Deut. 18:10, 11).
(Deut. 18:10)—one who attempts to discover or predict hidden things by forbidden arts. Divination could involve omens, lots, arrows, cups, necromancy, or ritual techniques. Israel was commanded not to imitate such practices, which belong to idolatry and seek control or secret knowledge apart from trust in God (Deut. 18:9-14). Biblical prophecy is not a Christian form of fortune-telling: a true prophet receives and speaks God’s word, whereas divination manipulates signs or spirits.
(Deut. 18:10; Num. 22:7; 1 Sam. 6:2). In Holy Scripture the word is used chiefly of false prediction and is equivalent to soothsaying, fortune-telling, or sorcery. Deuteronomy 18:10 mentions diviners together with enchanters, those who consult the dead, and other pagan abominations from which Israel was commanded to abstain.
(Deut. 22:19; 24:1; Jer. 3:8; Matt. 19:7). The Law of Moses did not forbid divorce absolutely, but the source explains this civil concession in view of Israel’s social conditions and the disorder that might otherwise have followed. Divorce therefore remained possible among the Jews, though it was often abused. In the source’s account, the school of Hillel allowed divorce for very slight causes, while the school of Shammai restricted it to grave marital unfaithfulness.
(place abounding in gold) (Deut. 1:1) — name of a locality in the Arabian desert, mentioned in the cited passage, where Moses delivered his final address to the Israelites; but the locality is spoken of so indefinitely that it is scarcely possible to indicate its exact position. Some, including Dr. Robinson, think it identical with the present-day Dahab, a cape on the western shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, with a harbor and date palms. Its name, according to some, it may have received from the plates of mica found here in great quantity, glittering like gold.
Dodai
(friendship) (1 Chron. 27:4) — an Ahohite, a commander in David’s army, of the royal guard for the second month. Probably the same person as Dodo, son of Ahohi (2 Sam. 23:9).
Dodanim Tharseis Cetians Rhodians
(Gen. 10:4; 1 Chron. 1:7) — considered to be descendants of Javan, son of Japheth, and hence of Ionian race. Owing to the resemblance of this name to Dodona, the seat of the ancient oracle of Zeus (Jupiter) in Epirus, some think that the Dodanim dwelt in that region. Others, on the contrary, suppose this name to be a contraction of “Dardanim,” and thus identify them with the Dardanians, or Trojans. In the Septuagint, and in some manuscripts, we read instead “Rodanim,” and in all likelihood the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes are meant. It is worth noting here that this people is mentioned alongside the people Kittim, who by general agreement were originally the inhabitants of Cyprus.
Dodavah
(friendship) (2 Chron. 20:37) — a man of Mareshah, father of Eliezer, who rebuked Jehoshaphat for his alliance with Ahaziah, king of Israel.
Doddei
(2 Esdras 8:44) — a corrupted form of the name Iddo, as he is also called in 1 Esdras (8:17) — a leading man in the locality of Casiphia.
Dodo
(friend of God). a) (Judg. 10:1) — a man of the tribe of Issachar, grandfather² of Tola, one of the judges; b) (2 Sam. 23:24) — a man of Bethlehem, father of Elhanan; c) (2 Sam. 23:9) — father of Eleazar. By Jewish tradition he was David’s uncle on his father’s side.
(fearful, timid) (1 Sam. 21:7) — called Doeg also by the Psalmist (Ps. 52:2 [51:2]) — an Edomite who was found before the Lord at Nob, probably as a proselyte and overseer of Saul’s herds. Some commentators explain Doeg’s presence in the Tabernacle by supposing that, being a proselyte, he was there performing some vow or rite of purification. He saw Ahimelech give David the holy bread and the sword of Goliath, and reported this to Saul; and when Saul, in punishment for the supposed conspiracy of Ahimelech and all the priests of Nob together with David against him, ordered his bodyguards to kill Ahimelech, his whole household, and all the priests, Doeg alone proved willing to carry out the cruel sentence — which he did, killing eighty-five priests (in the Greek translation, three hundred and five), together with their wives and children, and destroying their property. In this massacre only Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, escaped alive and fled to David (1 Sam. 22:9; Ps. 52:2 [51:2]).
—an animal often mentioned in Scripture. Under the Mosaic law it was unclean, and its price could not be brought as a sacred offering (Deut. 23:18). “Dead dog” was a term of extreme self-abasement or insult (1 Sam. 24:14; 2 Sam. 9:8). Dogs guarded flocks (Job 30:1), roamed streets, and consumed refuse or unburied bodies. Yet Ecclesiastes observes that “a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Eccles. 9:4), since life retains hope. Tobit’s dog accompanies him in the deuterocanonical narrative (Tob. 6:1; 11:4).
Dog flies
. See Fly.
(1 Macc. 16:15) — a small fortress near Jericho, where the high priest Simon was murdered. According to the testimony of Josephus, this fortress was called Docus. Traces of it are found today six versts northwest of Jericho, near the spring Ain Duk. These ruins perhaps belong to the biblical Dok, or, more likely, to the medieval Knights Templar.
Dophkah Raphaca
(driving of cattle) (Num. 33:12) — one of the camps of the Israelites during their wandering
(circle, circumference; perhaps: dwelling) (Josh. 12:23) — one of the ancient Canaanite cities, whose king entered into alliance with Jabin, king of Hazor, against Joshua, and was defeated. The city of Dor was founded by the Phoenicians. Small shells were gathered nearby, from which the Phoenicians produced purple dye. Coins of this city are found not infrequently, bearing the inscription “Dora Hiera.” Though the city lay within the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, it was afterward ceded to the tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 17:11).
The Manassites could not drive out the native inhabitants of Dor (Judg. 1:27), but by David’s time it again belonged to Israel. Solomon set his son-in-law, Ben-abinadab, over it as governor (1 Kings 4:11). Besieged and destroyed by Antiochus Sidetes, it was rebuilt by Gabinius, the Roman general, and for many years afterward was renowned as a considerable city. In the early Christian centuries Dor was the seat of a bishop, but by the fourth century Jerome saw there only the ruins of the city.
According to Jerome, Dor lay 9 miles from Caesarea on the road to Ptolemais. On the site there now stands a small village, Tantura, amid large heaps of rubble and fragments of columns.
(Acts 9:36)—a disciple of Christ at Joppa, known for diligence and works of mercy. Her illness and death deeply grieved the Christians there and gave Peter occasion, through her miraculous restoration, to bring many to faith in Christ. When Peter entered the house, widows stood weeping and showed him the tunics and garments Dorcas had made. He sent everyone out, prayed, and said to the body, “Tabitha, arise.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. Taking her by the hand, he raised her and presented her alive to the saints and widows. The source holds up her story as an enduring image of Christian women’s active charity.
Dorymenes
(1 Macc. 3:38) — father of Ptolemy, surnamed Macron.
Dositheus
— name of four persons mentioned in the Bible:
(well, spring gushing upward) (Gen. 37:17; 2 Kings 6:18; Judith 4:6) — a place near which Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites; notable also as the dwelling place of Elisha and the site of the vision of fiery horses and chariots around Elisha, and where he struck the Syrians with blindness. Dothan is mentioned several times in the book of Judith in the description of the siege of Bethulia by Holofernes. Eusebius and Jerome place it 12 Roman miles north of Samaria. Its ruins were recently discovered by Robinson and others. The well into which, according to tradition, Joseph was thrown is still shown to travelers today.
Drachma
(Luke 15:8, 9) — a small silver Greek coin, equal in our money to about 21½ kopecks silver, equivalent to a quarter of a shekel, or silverling.
(Deut. 32:33) — it is difficult to determine exactly what animal is meant by this name. It is not improbable that this is a generic name, denoting a certain class of animals distinguished by some common characteristic feature; yet from Lamentations (4:3) and Micah (1:8) it is evident that by this name is meant some particular animal, which howls, gives suck, and nurses its young. In the last-cited passage, however, it is rendered in Russian by the word “jackal.” The word rendered by the prophet Isaiah (27:1) as “leviathan,” “the writhing serpent,” “the sea monster,” is rendered in the book of Genesis (1:21) by the words “great fish/whale,” in Job (7:12) as “sea monster,” in Exodus (7:9) as “serpent,” and in Deuteronomy (32:33) as “dragon.” In general it should be noted here that among the Greeks and Romans, “dragon” meant a great and terrible serpent, a monster of extraordinary strength, size, and venomousness, with wings and a mouth breathing flame, dwelling now in the seas, now on land, especially in deserts.
In the New Testament, in the Apocalypse (Rev. 12:3; 13:11), by the words “great dragon,” depicted as red, with 7 heads and 10 horns, and an exceedingly great tail, is meant Satan, “that old serpent, the devil,” according to the explanation given within that same book.
(Neh. 2:13) — a spring located outside Jerusalem, between the Dung Gate and the Valley Gate. In Robinson’s opinion, this was none other than the spring Gihon, in the valley of Hinnom; Porter, Lewin, and others hold the same view. The Serpent’s Pool, mentioned by Josephus (Wars V, 3, 2), was probably situated nearby and corresponds to the present-day Birket Mamilla; our own Russian traveler Norov identifies the spring in question with the Spring of the Blessed Virgin.
—experiences of sleep or divinely granted revelation. Scripture distinguishes ordinary dreams, which may arise from bodily condition, memory, fear, or the press of daily concerns (Job 7:14; Eccles. 5:3, 7), from dreams sent by God for warning, instruction, or prophecy. Such revelatory dreams include those of Abimelech, Jacob, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and others (Gen. 20:3; 28:12; 41:1–32; Dan. 2; 4). Joel foretells that under the outpouring of God’s Spirit the old shall dream dreams and the young shall see visions (Joel 2:28).
(Ps. 75:8 [74:9]; Jer. 48:11) — the sediment left from wine. New wine was often poured onto the lees of old wine, probably in order to strengthen its body, aroma, and preserve its color. It is to this, no doubt, that the prophet Isaiah alludes when he compares spiritual blessings and the triumph of gospel preaching to the very purest wine — wine on the lees. Before wine was used it was clarified of its lees, and such wine was called “refined.” To drink the dregs signified a certain degree of punishment (Ps. 75:8 [74:9]).
The prophet Jeremiah (48:11) says of the Moabites, and the prophet Zephaniah (1:12) of the Jews, that both “settle on their lees” — an expression probably indicating that they had become good for nothing, incapable of moral purification.
Drimylus Drimulus
(3 Macc. 1:3) — father of Dositheus.
(Acts 24:24) — third daughter of Herod [Agrippa I], mentioned in the book of Acts (12:1–4, 20–23); she was married to Felix, the Roman governor, while her first husband, Azizus, king of Emesa, was still living, contrary to her ancestral laws. When the Apostle Paul preached before Felix at Caesarea, Drusilla was present there together with her husband. Felix had a son by Drusilla who perished, together with his mother, in the eruption of Vesuvius, during the reign of Titus.
(perhaps: silent, or silence): a) (Gen. 25:14) one of the sons of Ishmael; b) (Josh. 15:52) — a city in the tribe of Judah, not far from Hebron. A village called Duma still exists near Damascus, but this is not the place mentioned in the book of Joshua. Robinson identifies it with the present-day ruins of Ed-Daumeh in the province of Wadi Dilbeh, 9 versts southwest of Hebron; c) (Isa. 21:11) — a region in Arabia, also called Dumah, or one of the Ishmaelite tribes deriving its name from the city of Duma.
(Ex. 29:14, Lev. 4:11, 8:17, 2 Kings 18:27, Luke 13:8). In many eastern countries wood is so valuable and scarce that it is sold by weight. For this reason, as travelers testify, animal dung is frequently used for fuel, and constitutes chiefly the material for heating ovens, even among people of means. Dung, that is, the excrement and urine of animals, mixed with straw bedding, was also used for fertilizing the land (Luke 13:8, 14:35). With dung and the excrement of animals the deep degradation of the impious is frequently compared in Holy Scripture: “their carcasses shall be as dung in the streets… Moab shall be trodden down in his place, even as straw is trodden down in the dunghill,” says the prophet Isaiah (as cited).
The Syrian commander threatens the Jews that, for their disobedience to Sennacherib, they will be brought to such an extremity that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine (2 Kings 18:27, Is. 36:12). Such an extremity the Jews did in fact experience (2 Kings 6:25), when, during the siege of Samaria, they ate dove’s dung, which was sold for five shekels of silver a fourth part of a kab, and they experienced it especially during the siege of Jerusalem by Titus. According to Niebuhr’s account, the dung of asses and camels in Arabia is gathered in the streets by children and mixed with chopped straw; it is then set out to dry in the sun, and thus becomes fit for fuel.
Sanitary regulations concerning such refuse were strictly prescribed in the Law of Moses (Deut. 23:12). For the maintenance of cleanliness, ordinary houses had special receptacles for refuse. To build one’s dwelling on heights where refuse was deposited, or where people generally relieved themselves, was considered a great dishonor (Dan. 2:5, 3:29). The extreme humiliation of the priests of the Old Testament is depicted by the prophet Malachi as the scattering of the dung of sacrificial animals upon their faces, and their being cast out along with the dung (Mal. 2:3).
A similar disgrace was expressed in the days of Jehu, king of Israel, upon the idols, when the statues of Baal were burned, his temple was destroyed, and his place was made into a place for refuse (2 Kings 10:27).
(Ezek. 4:12)—animal dung was dried and used as fuel in regions where wood was scarce. Ezekiel was commanded to bake bread over human excrement as a sign of the defiled food Israel would eat among the nations; after his protest God allowed cow dung instead (Ezek. 4:12-15). Refuse heaps outside Jerusalem gave the Dung Gate its name (Neh. 2:13). The “dove’s dung” sold during the siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6:25) may denote literal refuse or a cheaply valued plant product; the Hebrew expression is debated.
Rabshakeh’s obscene siege threat concerned people reduced to consuming their own waste (2 Kings 18:27), not the siege of Samaria as the source mistakenly states.
(circle, circumference) (Dan. 3:1) — a vast plain in the land of Babylon, on which Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image. Some think that this plain, still called Dura to this day, was located on the left bank of the Tigris, while others, with greater probability, suppose that it is identical with a valley southeast of Baalath (Baalath), where, according to the testimony of the learned traveler Oppert, on the so-called Tell el-Mokattah, remains of the pedestal of a colossal statue still exist to this day.
Dura Deira
(Dan. 3:1) — a plain in the land of Babylon, on which Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image. See Dur (the plain of Dura, treated earlier under that name).
(Job 2:12)—a sign of humiliation, mourning, judgment, and mortality. Job’s friends threw dust into the air over their heads when they saw his suffering; Joshua and the elders put dust on their heads after Israel’s defeat (Josh. 7:6). Shimei threw stones and flung dust while cursing David (2 Sam. 16:13), and the Jerusalem crowd threw dust into the air in rage against Paul (Acts 22:23). To shake the dust from one’s feet signified solemn testimony against those who rejected the apostolic message (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51), not contempt for the physical land itself.
Dwellings.
See Houses.
(bloody flux, or disease of the bowels). Although this disease is not often indicated in Holy Scripture, it appears to have been very widespread in Palestine—Jehoram was afflicted with it in its most acute form (2 Chron. 21:15)—and to this day the inhabitants of Palestine often suffer from the tormenting attacks of dysentery, owing partly to the influence of the climate and partly to the immoderate consumption of fruit and unboiled green vegetables.
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