Biblical Encyclopedia: I
123 entries · Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
The principal rooms were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. According to 1 Kings 6, the house was sixty cubits long, twenty wide, and thirty high; the inner sanctuary was a cube of twenty cubits. A vestibule stood before the eastern entrance. The Most Holy Place was dark, while the Holy Place was lit by lamps. Cedar walls and the cypress floor were carved with cherubim, palms, flowers, and open blossoms and overlaid with gold. Doors and a veil separated the holy spaces.
I) The altar of burnt offering
(in the prophet Malachi: “the table of the LORD”) was built differently at various times.
Ibhar
, otherwise Evkhar (chosen) (2 Sam. 5:15) — one of David’s sons, born in Jerusalem.
(Lev 11:17, Deut 14:16)—a well-known bird of the marsh-dwelling kind, or of those living on riverbanks. The Law of Moses forbade eating it, regarding it as unclean. The ancient Egyptians saw in their river, the Nile, the giver and creator of all life, and accordingly deified it. In keeping with this belief, the ibis, which appeared in Egypt at the time of the river’s flooding as a reliable herald of the coming abundance, was held in special esteem and honor and was reckoned by them as a deity.
Ibzan Abaissan
(splendor) (Judg. 12:8, 10) — one of the judges of Israel, who judged Israel for seven years after Jephthah. He was a native of Bethlehem; nothing particular is recorded of his rule in Holy Scripture, except that he had thirty sons and thirty daughters.
(inglorious) (1 Sam 4:21) - son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli. His mother gave him this name because he was born immediately after she received the sorrowful news that the Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant and that her father-in-law and husband had died. 'The glory is departed from Israel,' she exclaimed as she died, 'for the ark of God is taken' (1 Sam 4:22).
(Acts 13:51) - the capital of ancient Lycaonia in Asia Minor, at the foot of the Taurus Mountains. In the Middle Ages (1096-1308) it was the capital of the Seljuk sultans. It is now called Konieh or Konia and has more than 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the great road between Ephesus and the western shore of the peninsula. The apostles Paul and Barnabas once visited this city; here they preached the Gospel and suffered such persecution for their preaching that they were forced to leave it (Acts 14:1-6).
Idalah Jericho
(Josh 19:15)—a city in the tribe of Zebulun. It apparently lay to the north of the plain of Jezreel; others place it in the present-day village of Jeida or Jeda, some 8 or 10 English miles to the west of Nazareth.
Idbash Jebdas
(sweetish) (1 Chr 4:3)—a name found in the enumeration of the descendants of Judah, though it may also be the name of some locality.
Iddei
(1 Esdras 9:35)—an Israelite in the days of Ezra. In Ezra 10:43 he is read as: Taddai.
Iddo
(timely) and Giddo. See Iddo [Addah].
(timely, life-giving, loving) — the name of the following persons: a) (1 Kings 4:14) father of Ahinadab; b) (2 Chron. 12:15) a seer and writer, contemporary of Solomon and his successors Rehoboam, Abijah, and Jeroboam; c) (Zech. 1:1, 7) grandfather of the prophet Zechariah; d) (1 Chron. 6:21) a Levite, son of Joah, father of Zerah; e) (Ezra 8:17) chief man in the place called Casiphia in the days of Ezra, before his departure from Babylon to Jerusalem; f) (1 Chron. 27:21) son of Zechariah, one of the chief men in Gilead in the reign of David; g) (Neh. 12:4–16) one of the chief priests who returned from captivity with Zerubbabel.
(Ex 20:3-4, Deut 4:16, Rom 2:22, 1 Cor 8:4, 1 John 5:21)—the likeness of any creature of heaven, or of earth, or of the waters, which is worshiped and served in the place of God. The second commandment forbids the worship of idols, whether as imagined deities or as images of false gods. The names for idols in the Hebrew language are various, the most commonly used being the following: Elilim, or vanity, worthlessness. Idols were so called because the true worshipers of God regarded them as a thing of no significance whatever.
Elil (Isa 57:5?)—false gods. Gillulim (Lev 26:30 and elsewhere)—blocks, stumps, logs. Gevel, or Aven (Deut 32:21 and elsewhere)—emptiness, vanity. Hammanim (2 Chr 34:7)—perhaps an image of Baal-hamon, the sun god. Miphletzeth (1 Kings 15:13)—an object of dread, of horror, a fright-idol. Shikkuts (2 Chr 15:8[?])—a pagan abomination. Semel (2 Chr 33:7, 15)—an image, symbol, likeness. Teraphim (Zech 10:2)—images of household gods, similar to the penates of the Romans. They were regarded as the authors of domestic good fortune and were consulted as oracles (Judg 17:5, Ezek 21:21 and elsewhere).
(Col 3:5). After the Flood, as can be seen from the sacred history of the Old Testament, wicked people and wicked deeds multiplied among men, and it came to the point that they ceased to honor God, and having ceased to honor Him, began to forget Him altogether. But when they had forgotten the true God, while some feeling still remained in their conscience that one could not be without a God, they took it into their heads to honor the sun, moon, stars, and other creatures as God. This is what is called idolatry, idol-service, or otherwise, paganism.
Knowledge of the true God in the earliest ages of the world was barely preserved among the descendants of Shem. St. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, admirably explains the origin and causes of idolatry among men in the following words: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (1:22-23). The deification of animals in Egypt serves as a striking confirmation of the apostle Paul’s words.
We find representations of the various forms of idol-worship, besides in the Bible, also on ancient monuments, in classical writers, in the apologies of very early Christian writers, and in the accounts of various travelers concerning present-day pagans. Nowhere does the extreme immorality of man and his obstinacy in sin appear so clearly and strikingly as in ancient and modern idolatry. The strong pull of men toward this sin explains not only its universal prevalence in the ancient world, but also the history of the Jews from the time of Moses to the Babylonian captivity.
Despite God’s condemnations, rebukes, and punishments for this sin, the Jews repeatedly fell into idolatry; but after the captivity they renounced it forever. Christianity has always sought to protect its followers from this dreadful evil. This great aim has been pursued continually by all true Christians with greater or lesser steadfastness even to our own time, and it is to be hoped, on the basis of the experience of the past and of the divine word, that idolatry will disappear entirely from the earth.
Being in itself an immense evil, it is at the same time the root of countless evils; and therefore, for the good of mankind and the glory of God, it is incumbent upon all of us to watch, to pray, and to labor zealously against idolatry.
Iduel
(2 Esdras 8:43)—one of the leaders and learned men among the Jews in the days of Ezra, before his return from Babylon to Judea. In Ezra 8:16 he is given as: Ariel.
(red) (Gen 25:30)—a land and people that received their name from Esau, or Edom, from the color of the pottage (the red lentil stew) for which he sold his birthright to Jacob. The Greeks and Romans called this land Idumea (Ps 60:1[?], Jer 27:3). This land, inhabited by the Horites (Deut 2:12), lay to the south of the Dead Sea as far as the northern end of the Gulf of Elath, on the borders of the land of Moab. Idumea, otherwise the land or mountain of Seir, in biblical times comprised a narrow strip of land between the wilderness of Zin on the west and rocky Arabia on the east.
The climate there was excellent, and the land was noted for its fertility. The ancient capital of Idumea was the city of Bozrah, probably the present-day Bessaireh, mentioned by the prophet Isaiah (63:1): “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” Other cities were Sela, which later became the capital and is better known by its Greek translation: Petra. The ruins of this ancient city, with its many caves, tombs, palaces, and triumphal arches, were discovered in 1812 by Burckhardt, in the region of Wadi Musa, to the east of Mount Hor, on which the high priest Aaron died.
This city, as is known from 2 Kings 14:7, was captured by King Amaziah, when 10,000 Idumeans fell in battle and 10,000 captive Idumeans were hurled down by the victors from the cliffs. Amaziah gave the city the name Joktheel. A third ancient Idumean city, Teman, is mentioned already in the book of Genesis (36:34) (thought to be the present-day Ma’an, to the south of Petra). The inhabitants of Teman were renowned for their wisdom (Jer 49:7). The Idumeans were ruled by kings before there reigned any king over the children of Israel (Gen 36:31), until the time of their subjugation by David (2 Sam 8:14), whereby was fulfilled the prophecy given by Isaac to his son Jacob (Gen 27:29) concerning the descendants of Esau (the Idumeans).
During the reign of David, the Idumeans, as noted above, were defeated by him in the Valley of Salt, and his general Joab destroyed nearly the entire male population (1 Kings 11:15-16). In honor of this victory the psalmist exclaims in the person of the Lord: “Over Edom will I cast out my shoe” (Ps 60:8). Hadad, a member of the royal Idumean family, fled to Egypt, where, being graciously received by Pharaoh, he later became one of Solomon’s most dangerous enemies (1 Kings 11:14-22).
Afterward the inhabitants of southern Edom rebelled against Jehoram, king of Judah, and for nearly half a century maintained their independence (2 Chr 21:8). When Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, the Idumeans joined him and took an active part in the plunder and slaughter of the vanquished Jerusalemites. Their bloodthirstiness and cruelty on that occasion are recalled in Psalm 137:7: “Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.” There is not a single country on the face of the whole earth whose present condition so clearly, precisely, and fully confirms the truth of prophetic words as does Idumea.
The prophecies concerning its fate in the book of Isaiah (34:5, 10-17), as well as elsewhere, are especially striking in their fulfillment. The exact fulfillment of these prophecies is fully confirmed even by the testimony of the very enemies of the Bible. Modern travelers unanimously testify that on the site of ancient, once glorious and warlike Idumea there now stretches a wide, wild, and barren plain. In the place where the kings of Edom once reigned in splendor and the nobles gathered, where the numerous and varied manifestations of ancient power and wealth were concentrated, where royal palaces, temples, and mausoleums once stood magnificent, there is now a wild, gloomy desert, almost uninhabited by anyone.
“And I will possess it,” the prophet Isaiah once prophesied concerning Idumea, “the pelican and the hedgehog… the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it… and thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof… and it shall be a habitation of dragons… the wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island… there shall the great owl make her nest… it shall be an habitation of jackals, and a court for owls” (Isa 34:11-15).
And indeed, nothing could more precisely or vividly convey the present state of the once-warlike Idumea than these words of the divinely-inspired prophet. In conclusion, let it be said that the remnants of the Idumeans, having mingled with the Arabian and other tribes according to prophecy (Amos 9:12, Isa 11:14), were at one time to enter into the kingdom of the Lord; we see that during the earthly life of the Savior, many of the descendants of the Idumeans followed Christ, having heard of His great works (Mark 3:7-8).
Igal
(deliverer, liberator)—the name of two persons:
Igeal
(of the same meaning as the preceding word)—one of the sons of Shemaiah, mentioned in 1 Chr 3:22, a person essentially identical with Igal.
The Second Temple was built after the exile on the site of Solomon’s Temple. Ezra records Cyrus’s authorization and the grief of older worshipers who remembered the former house (Ezra 3:12–13; 6:3). It was less magnificent and lacked the ark and several other sacred objects associated with the First Temple. Later Jewish testimony describes a stone in the Most Holy Place where the ark had stood, and the Holy Place had an incense altar, a lampstand, and a table for the Bread of the Presence.
, also called the golden altar to distinguish it from the altar of burnt offering, which bore the name “bronze” (Exod. 38:30). The name “altar” belongs to this one not entirely fittingly, for no sacrifices were offered upon it; only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, did the high priest sprinkle its horns with the blood of the sin offering (Exod. 30:10).
Herod the Great rebuilt and greatly enlarged the Second Temple complex, so extensively that little of the earlier structure remained visible. The sanctuary stood upon a white-stone platform and retained the tripartite order of porch, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place. The Holy Place contained the lampstand, the table for the Bread of the Presence, and the incense altar. A great golden vine adorned the entrance, and the flat roof was fitted with spikes to keep birds away. Side buildings provided numerous chambers.
Iim Bacoc
(Josh 15:29) - a city in southern Judah.
Ijon
(ruins) (2 Chr 16:4) - a northern city of Naphtali mentioned with Dan and Abel-maim, which Ben-hadad king of Damascus captured. Second Kings 15:29 says that Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria also took it. Robinson identified Ijon's ruins with Tell Dibbin, a ruined hill west of Hasbaya.
Ikkesh
(seducing, crafty) (1 Chr 11:28) - a Tekoite, father of Ira.
Ilai Usathite Eli
(highest, full) (1 Chr 11:29) - an Ahohite, one of David's chief warriors. In the list in 2 Samuel 23:28 the name is read as Zalmon.
Ilam
- the name of two persons who returned from the Babylonian captivity: (a) 2 Esdras 5:12, the first with Zerubbabel; and (b) 2 Esdras 8:33, the second with Ezra.
Iliadun Eliadun
(2 Esdras 5:56) - a Levite, father of Ira. In Ezra 3:9 the name is given as Henadad.
Illiah
(freed by the Lord) (1 Chr 8:18)—a Benjamite, of the sons of Elpaal, a chief or head of the families of the tribe of Benjamin, who lived in Jerusalem, evidently in the days of David.
Illustrations, continued.
Batch 46 adds two source illustrations: the Breastplate of judgment (source page 501) and Indian nard (source page 502). The cumulative inline-image count is now 170.
Batch 47 adds six source illustrations: View of Nineveh (source page 513), City of Nob (source page 515), Ape on one of the ancient monuments and A detail of the ape figure (source page 517), Depictions of apes on ancient monuments (source page 518), and Examples of ancient footwear (source page 519). The cumulative inline-image count is now 176.
Batch 48 contains four source illustrations: Sheepfold (source page 521), Syrian sheep (source page 522), Examples of Eastern garments (source page 525), and the deer engraving already present at the page-530 boundary. The cumulative inline-image count after batch 48 is 180. Batch 49 adds Eagle, Sea eagle, Pistachio nuts, Mount Hor and Idumea, and Mercy seat. The cumulative inline-image count is now 185. Batch 50 adds Peacock (source page 544), Palestine, or the Land of Canaan (source page 546), Date palm and Wild date palm (both source page 549).
Each has a visible caption and embedded alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 189. Batch 51 adds Island of Patmos (source page 554), Geometrical web of a spider (source page 555), Pelican (source page 556), Pergamum (source page 558), and Quail (source page 559). Each has a visible caption and embedded alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 194. Batch 52 adds Ancient seals (source page 562) and Tares (source page 569). Each has a visible caption and embedded alt text.
The cumulative inline-image count is now 196. Batch 53 adds Slinger (source page 576), with a visible caption and embedded alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 197. Batch 54 adds Wheat (source page 587) and Rabbah of the Ammonites (source page 590), each with a visible caption and embedded alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 199. Batch 55 adds Ramah or Arimathea (source page 594) and Rachel’s Tomb (source page 598), each with a visible caption and embedded alt text.
The cumulative inline-image count is now 201. Batch 56 adds Ancient Rome (source page 603), Modern Rome (source page 604), the Island of Rhodes and a Rhodian coin (source page 606), the Rose of Sharon (source page 607), and rue (source page 609), each with a visible caption and embedded alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 207. Batch 57 contains no substantive illustration within the translated entries. The sandals engraving on source page 623 belongs to the next, untranslated Sandals entry and is reserved for a later batch.
The cumulative inline-image count remains 207. Batch 58 adds Sandals (source page 623), the Vicinity of Sardis (source page 625), and Pig (source page 629), each with a visible English caption and matching embedded alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 210. Batch 59 contains no substantive source illustration. The shekel and half-shekel coin figures on source page 641 belong to the later Shekel entry and are reserved for the next installment. The cumulative inline-image count remains 210. Batch 60 adds all six substantive source image components belonging to the installment: two faces each of the shekel and half-shekel, the synagogue in Jerusalem, and Mount Sinai.
The cumulative inline-image count is now 216. Batch 61 adds all five substantive source engravings belonging to the installment: the ruins of Shechem, a scorpion, Smyrna, a fig tree, and a fig-tree branch. The cumulative inline-image count is now 221. Batch 62 contains no new substantive engravings. The fig-tree branch on source page 662 was already included in Batch 61 with the completed Fig Tree entry. The cumulative inline-image count remains 221. Batch 63 adds the substantive Roman courtroom engraving from source page 679. The cumulative inline-image count is now 222. Batch 64 adds four substantive source engravings: ancient Eastern seating, worship of Tammuz, Tarsus, and the golden calf.
The cumulative inline-image count is now 226. Batch 65 adds seven substantive source engravings: the ancient underground prison, pagan sacrifice beneath a terebinth, thorns and thistles, a silver coin of Tiberius, the mole, the ruins of Tyre, and Egyptian spinning and weaving. The cumulative inline-image count is now 233. Batch 66 adds six substantive source engravings: an Egyptian winepress, reed plants, ancient musical trumpets, the source’s mulberry tree, jerboas reflecting its obsolete shaphan identification, and a gourd-family plant illustrating Jonah’s plant.
The cumulative inline-image count is now 239. Batch 67 adds three substantive source engravings: a nineteenth-century Cairo street, a panorama of Urfa retained as evidence of the source’s obsolete Ur identification, and the Wilderness of Paran. The cumulative inline-image count is now 242. Batch 68 adds two substantive source engravings: a nineteenth-century view of Philadelphia (Alaşehir) and a reproduced Macedonian coin associated with Philip II. The cumulative inline-image count is now 244. Batch 69 contains no substantive source illustration.
Tiny extracted objects on the scanned pages are rules, page-number fragments, masks, or isolated OCR text and have not been inserted as figures. The cumulative inline-image count remains 244. Batch 70 contains no substantive source illustration. Extracted objects on pages 741-751 are full-page scan layers, masks, rules, or isolated word fragments. The large Temple plan that appears later belongs to the untranslated Temple article and is reserved for a future installment. The cumulative inline-image count remains 244. Batch 71 adds three genuine source figures: the full-page historical plan of the Jerusalem Temple complex, the paired engraving of phylacteries, and the full-page historical map of Christ’s public ministry.
Each is placed with its article, carries a modern English caption and descriptive alt text, and preserves the original Russian labels within the image. The cumulative inline-image count is now 247. Batch 72 contains no substantive source illustration. The large blank area on source page 774 is the alphabetical divider for the Cyrillic letter Ц, not a missing figure. The cumulative inline-image count remains 247. Batch 73 adds two genuine source engravings: the turtle illustrating the traditional rendering of Hebrew tsav on source page 785 and the historical view of the Red Sea at Suez on page 786. Each is placed within its article with a modern English caption and descriptive alt text.
The cumulative inline-image count is now 249. Batch 74 adds the genuine saffron botanical engraving from source page 794, placed within its article with a modern English caption and descriptive alt text. The cumulative inline-image count is now 250.
- an extensive region in Europe along the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, north of Epirus and west of Macedonia and Moesia. St. Paul mentions it when he says that he preached the Gospel 'from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum' (Rom 15:19). By the second century after Christ, a Christian church already existed in Illyricum and continued in being even until the ninth century. At present this region belongs partly to the Austrian Empire and partly to European Turkey. Its inhabitants are of mixed race, speak a distinct language, and belong to different confessions. Strictly speaking, only the part belonging to Austria is now called Illyria; the Turkish part is called Albania.
Imadabun
(2 Esdras 5:56) - one of the Levites in the days of Ezra. This name does not occur in Ezra 3:9.
(Gen. 1:26-27)—a likeness or representation. Humanity is created in the image and likeness of God, a dignity expressed in rational and moral capacity, personal communion, stewardship of creation, freedom, and a vocation to holiness. Sin wounds and obscures the image but does not erase the human person’s God-given worth. Renewal in Christ restores humanity toward “righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).
Imlah
(God fills) (1 Kgs 22:8-9) - an ancestor, or the father, of the prophet Micaiah, from whom Kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat sought counsel concerning their campaign against Ramoth-gilead.
(God with us) — the Hebrew name of the Lord Jesus, occurring for the first time in Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the birth of the Savior from a Virgin (7:14). The occasion on which this prophecy was uttered by the prophet Isaiah was as follows. Two kings allied themselves against Ahaz, king of Judah — Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel — with the aim of conquering Judah, deposing Ahaz from the throne, destroying the entire royal house of David, and setting up a new dynasty.
In this difficult situation Ahaz resolved to seek help from the Assyrians (2 Kings 16:7). Then the prophet Isaiah came to Ahaz and, in the name of God, offered him the choice of any sign he wished, as confirmation that the designs of the allied kings would fail and their plan come to nothing. But when Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, the prophet, turning to the whole house of David, foretold: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” When the prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Christ the Savior from a Virgin — something natural human reason could never have conceived — and when, several hundred years after this prophecy, our Lord Jesus Christ was indeed born of the Most Holy Virgin, one cannot fail to see that the prophecy was the word of the all-knowing God, and its fulfillment the work of the almighty God. For this reason St. Matthew the Evangelist, in relating the birth of Christ, cites this prophecy in the following words: “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:22–23). See Ahaz.
Immer
(talkative, eloquent) (Jer. 20:1) — father of the priest Pashhur, overseer in the house of the LORD in the days of the prophet Jeremiah.
Immer
(high, exalted) - the name of a person and a place:
Immeruth.
See 2 Esdras 5:24. In 1 Ezra (2:37) this is read: Immer.
Imnah
(hindering) - the name of three persons:
Imrah Imran
(resistance) (1 Chr 7:36) - one of the sons of Zophah, a descendant of Asher.
Imri
(eloquent) - the name of two persons:
(Exod. 30:34-38; Lev. 16:12-13; Sir. 24:15; Matt. 2:11; Luke 1:9)—a fragrant offering burned in Israel’s worship. God commanded Moses to prepare a sacred compound from aromatic substances—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense in equal proportions—seasoned with salt, pure, and holy. It was reserved for the LORD; anyone who made the same mixture for personal enjoyment was to be cut off from the people (Exod. 30:34-38).
(Esth 1:1, 8:9). Holy Scripture of the Old Testament says very little about India and the Indians. In 2 Esdras 3:2, for example, the boundaries of the regions subject to King Darius are described in the words, 'from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces.' Likewise, in the book of Esther, in connection with the banquet given by Ahasuerus to the satraps of the provinces over which he reigned, the limits of his kingdom are marked by the words 'from India even unto Ethiopia' (Esth 1:1, 8:9).
In 1 Maccabees 6:37 it is said that the army of Antiochus Eupator included thirty-two elephants trained for war and that an Indian was stationed upon each elephant. Yet long before the times just mentioned, even in the earliest days of the world's creation, there are certain indirect references to India. Thus some, not without reason, see the Indian rivers Indus and Ganges in the names of the rivers of Paradise, Pishon and Gihon (Gen 2:11-13). The land of Ophir, to which Solomon's ships sailed and from which they brought gold, red wood, precious stones, ivory, apes, and peacocks (1 Kings 9:28 and elsewhere), is also thought with considerable probability to have been located in India, specifically on the island of Ceylon.
Christianity in India, as is known from church history, was planted by the holy apostle Thomas, who there received the crown of martyrdom. Indian Christians on the Malabar Coast still call themselves Christians of Thomas and trace the beginning of their Church to that apostle. According to tradition, the Syriac Church of St. Thomas at Parur in Malabar is the most ancient. When Vasco da Gama and the Portuguese arrived at Cochin on the Malabar Coast in 1503, they found there many Christian churches whose priests were governed by bishops receiving their ordination from the Patriarch of Antioch; this succession of governance had continued among them without interruption for nearly three hundred years. All this points to the very great antiquity of the Syrian Christian Church in India.
(Gen. 31:14)—in its modern usage, this word denotes the property or estate which children inherit upon the death of their father, and who, on this account, are called heirs. However, in eastern countries, inheritance was often given to children even during the lifetime of their father. Among the Hindus, a father was obligated to make an equal distribution of his property among his children, whatever they might be. This is why the father mentioned by the Lord in the parable of the prodigal son, who had two sons, divided his property between them at the request of the younger of them (Luke 15:12).
The word “inheritance” is also used in a more general sense to denote property or a share in an estate (Acts 7:5). The laws concerning inheritance, according to the legislation of Moses, were very simple among the Hebrews. Land could be mortgaged, but it could not be sold outright. The eldest, or firstborn, son received a double portion of the inheritance (Deut. 21:15). Illegitimate children had no share whatever in this inheritance, contenting themselves only with gifts from the father, and were sent away from the house even before the division of the inheritance, or were removed by the lawful heirs (Gen. 21:10 and following).
Daughters had a right only to maintenance from their father’s estate until their marriage, and upon marrying sometimes received a dowry (Josh. 15:18). If, however, someone had no children at all, his estate passed to his brothers, and, failing brothers, to his father’s brothers, and if there were none of these either, to his nearest relatives (Num. 27:8–11). The order of inheritance was as follows: if a man died having no son, his portion was transferred to his daughter; if the deceased had no daughter, then the portion passed to his brothers; if he had no brothers, then the portion was given to his father’s brothers; if his father had no brothers, then the portion passed to his nearest relative (Num. 27:8–11). A surviving widow had no share in the inheritance whatsoever, but was to receive maintenance from her children or from the heirs
Iniquity; Lawlessness
(Gen. 15:16)—an act or condition opposed to God’s law and righteous will. “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). See Sin.
(Jer. 36:18; Ezek. 9:2)—the writing fluid and the container that held it. Baruch told the officials that he wrote Jeremiah’s words on the scroll with ink. In Ezekiel’s vision a man clothed in linen carries a scribe’s inkhorn at his side. Ancient black ink was commonly made from soot or finely divided carbon mixed with water and gum; other pigments and preparations were also known. Iron-gall ink became widespread later. Scribes could carry reed pens and small ink containers in a case or writing kit fastened at the belt.
Insects
. See concerning them under the proper name of each of them.
Ion
(heap or ruins) (2 Kgs 15:29) - a city of Naphtali taken by Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria during the reign of Pekah king of Israel. Following Edward Robinson, the source locates ancient Ion at Tell Dibbin, a ruined hill west of Heshbon.
(Matt. 5:18)—the ninth and smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, written ι. Jesus says that until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one stroke will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. The expression joins the smallest Greek letter with the smallest written mark to affirm that no part of God’s purpose is insignificant or disposable.
Iphdeiah Jathin
(Jehovah delivers) (1 Chr 8:25) - a Benjamite, son of Shashak.
Ir
(watchful) - the name of five persons:
Ir-melah
(City of Salt) (Josh 15:62) - a city in the wilderness of Judah, in the Valley of Salt, south of the Dead Sea.
Ir-shemesh Sammaus
(Josh 19:41) - a city in the tribe of Dan, given to the Levites. Its name means City of the Sun and probably arose from the worship of that luminary by the city's ancient inhabitants.
Ira
(city) - the name of three persons:
Irad Gaidad
(wild ass) (Gen 4:18) - son of Enoch and father of Mehujael.
Iram
(citizen) (Gen 36:43) - one of the chiefs of Edom named in the cited verse and likewise in 1 Chronicles 1:54.
Iri
(God is watchful) (1 Chr 7:7) - a Benjamite, son of Bela.
Irijah
(he shall see God) (Jer 37:13-14) - son of Shelemiah and captain of the guard at the Benjamin Gate in the reign of Zedekiah. Because of his false accusation the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned by the princes.
(Gen. 4:22; Prov. 27:17). The use of this well-known metal, so necessary to civil life, dates from the most remote antiquity. “And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain,” it is already said at the beginning of the book of Genesis, “an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron” (Gen. 4:22). Og, king of Bashan, had an iron bedstead in his court (Deut. 3:11). The Canaanites had iron chariots in their army (Josh. 17:16). Iron was further used for making axes (2 Kings 6:5, 6), for the fashioning of weapons of war (1 Sam. 17:7), for making fetters (Ps. 105:18 [104:18]), prison doors (Acts 12:10), and other things.
By “iron from the north” (Jer. 15:12) is probably meant a kind of iron ore, notable for its hardness, found in a country bordering the Euxine Sea (the Black Sea), and undoubtedly to the north of Judea. From the context it is natural to suppose that by the expression “a land whose stones are iron” (Deut. 8:9) is meant the abundance of iron found in that land. Iron in Holy Scripture often carries a figurative meaning. It serves as an image now of strength (Job 41:27 [41:19]), now of sorrow and bitterness (Ps. 107:10 [106:10]), now of hardness and stubbornness (Isa. 48:4). The expression “the iron furnace” (1 Kings 8:51) is a metaphorical expression, denoting the weight of the bondage in which the Hebrews languished in Egypt.
Iron
(fearful, terrible) (Josh 19:38) - a city in the tribe of Naphtali between En-hazor and Migdal-el. It may be the present village of Yarun, with the ruins of an ancient synagogue and numerous fragments of ancient sarcophagi.
Irpeel Caphan
(healed by God) (Josh 18:27) - an unidentified city in the tribe of Benjamin.
(laughter) (Gen 21:1-7) - the child of promise, son of Abraham and Sarah, born when Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah ninety. Eight days after his birth he was circumcised, and three years later he was weaned. On that occasion Abraham made a great feast, at which Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar, mocked Isaac; this resulted in Hagar and her son being expelled from Abraham's house (Gen 21:9-13). The holy apostle Paul calls this persecution by him who was born according to the flesh against him who was born according to the Spirit, and sees in it a sign of the world's persecution of believing Christians (Gal 4:29).
Moreover, God plainly testified to Abraham: 'In Isaac shall thy seed be called' (Gen 21:12; Heb 11:18); that is, the promised Savior of the world was to descend from Isaac. Especially noteworthy is the fact that when Isaac had fully grown, and, according to Josephus, was already twenty-five years of age, his father Abraham received God's command to offer his only son as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah (Gen 22:1-2). This was required to test Abraham's faith, and he courageously endured the trial because he believed that God was able to raise Isaac even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure (Heb 11:17-19).
It also tested Isaac's faith, and not only his faith but his patience and obedience. When Isaac was thirty-seven years old, his mother Sarah died at the age of one hundred twenty-seven (Gen 23:1-2). At forty Isaac married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel. The narrative of how Rebekah, who until then had lived with her relatives in Mesopotamia, became Isaac's wife is told in Genesis 24 with majestic simplicity, vividly portraying the customs and manners of the East. See Rebekah. Twenty years passed, and Rebekah had no children.
At last God heard Isaac's prayers for Rebekah, and she bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob, the first of whom was his father's favorite and the second his mother's (Gen 25:21, 24). A famine arose, and Isaac went to the Philistine city of Gerar, as his father Abraham had once done. There, like Abraham, he committed a very serious error by presenting Rebekah as his sister and thus exposing her to great danger (Gen 26:1-10). Nevertheless, God abundantly blessed Isaac with earthly goods, and he became exceedingly rich in herds of cattle, both large and small.
This aroused the envy of the Philistines who saw his prosperity. At last, because of the increasing dispute over the wells dug by his father's servants, he withdrew to Beersheba. There the Lord appeared to him and blessed him, and there Abimelech, king of Gerar, visited him and made a covenant of friendship with him (Gen 26:23-31). During Isaac's subsequent infirm old age and failing eyesight, his younger son Jacob, at his mother's prompting, craftily appropriated the paternal blessing that rightly belonged to his elder brother Esau (Gen 27:28-29).
In giving Jacob a richer blessing than Esau, Isaac nevertheless spoke in a prophetic spirit, and the later history of Esau and Jacob shows how astonishingly exact his predictions were. After this event Isaac sent Jacob to Padan-aram in Mesopotamia to take a wife from among the daughters of his kinsman Laban. Jacob remained there several years and returned only shortly before his father's death. As Ishmael and Isaac together had buried their father Abraham (Gen 25:9), so Jacob and Esau together buried their father, who died at the age of one hundred eighty, in the cave of Machpelah (Gen 35:29).
Several special traditions about Isaac exist among Jews and Muslims. Among the more remarkable are these: that he was one of three who had no sin, and one of six over whom the angel of death had no power; that he received knowledge of divine revelation from Shem; and that he introduced the morning prayer.
Isaiah
- the name of four persons:
(salvation of Jehovah) (2 Kings 20:1) - one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, son of Amoz and, according to Jewish tradition, the brother of King Amaziah. Holy Scripture tells us that he lived in Jerusalem, had two sons, and prophesied in the reigns of the kings of Judah Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isa 7:3; 8:3, 18). Isaiah was called to the prophetic ministry in an extraordinary and miraculous way. He saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Seraphim flew around Him and cried one to another: 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' At the sight of this majesty of God's glory Isaiah cried: 'Woe is me! for I am undone... because I am a man of unclean lips... for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim touched Isaiah's lips with a burning coal taken with tongs from the altar and said: 'Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.' The Lord said to him: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Isaiah answered: 'Here am I; send me' (Isa 6).
Isaiah entered the prophetic ministry in the last year of Uzziah's reign (Isa 6:1), 759 years before Christ, and continued for more than sixty years. From 2 Chronicles 32:32 it may be seen that he lived even after Hezekiah's death; and according to ancient tradition, accepted by many Fathers of the Church, at the command of King Manasseh he was sawn in two with a wooden saw between cedar boards because he rebuked the king and nobles for their impiety. According to Jerome, the apostle Paul's words 'were sawn asunder' (Heb 11:37) refer precisely to the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah's prophecies are distinguished by extraordinary clarity and precision. Among the many, it is enough to point, for example, to his prophecy of the Savior's birth from a Virgin (Isa 7:14) and of the Savior's sufferings (Isa 53). Because of the astonishing clarity of his prophecies, Isaiah is called the Old Testament Evangelist. He describes the future so clearly, says blessed Jerome, that he seems not so much to foretell the future as to recount the history of times already past.
Iscah Jescha
(Jehovah beholds) (Gen 11:29) - daughter of Haran, Abraham's brother. Nothing more is said of her anywhere. Some, relying on the testimony of Josephus and on ancient traditions, suppose this name to be identical with Sarah; but this does not agree with Genesis 20:12 and is therefore incorrect.
Iscariot
(Matt 26:14; Mark 14:10; Luke 22:3; John 6:71, 12:4 and elsewhere) - the name given in the Gospels to Judas the betrayer, from his birthplace in the city of Kerioth in the tribe of Judah. In Hebrew it is read Ish-Kerioth, meaning man of Kerioth.
Isdail
(2 Esdras 5:33) - one of the descendants of Solomon's servants in Zerubbabel's days.
(man of reproach or shame) (2 Sam 2:8) - a son of Saul, son of Kish. After Saul's death, Abner persuaded him to go to Mahanaim and assume the reins of government. While David reigned in Hebron, most of the people of Israel proclaimed Ish-bosheth their king by lawful succession when he was forty years old. A fierce and decisive battle took place near the pool of Gibeon between David's army under Joab and Ish-bosheth's under Abner, in which Abner suffered a severe defeat. Soon afterward Ish-bosheth insulted Abner, who therefore abandoned his cause and went over to David.
With Abner's death the house of Saul lost its last support. When Ish-bosheth heard of it, 'his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled' (2 Sam 4:1). At last, helpless, he himself was killed by two of his captains as he slept upon his bed at noon, in the heat of the day (2 Sam 4:1-8). The next day the murderers brought Ish-bosheth's head to David, but instead of the expected reward they were put to death at his command for their shameful deed. Ish-bosheth's head was buried in the tomb of his relative Abner at Hebron. He reigned only two years (2 Sam 2:10), and with his death the short-lived dynasty of Saul's house came to an end.
(man of the land of Tob, or man of Tob) (2 Sam 10:6-8) - the name of a people or country beyond the Jordan. Jephthah withdrew to the land of Tob after his brothers expelled him from his father's house in the days of the judges (Judg 11:3). The Ammonites purchased Ish-tob's alliance during the wars with David. It is very possible that the word denotes the inhabitants of Tob. Josephus takes it as the name of a king.
Ishbah Jesba
(praising) (1 Chr 4:17) - father of Eshtemoa, of the family of Judah.
Ishbak
(left behind) (Gen 25:2; 1 Chr 1:32) - one of the sons of Abraham and Keturah and progenitor of a tribe of northern Arabs. In Bunsen's opinion, the locality of Esh-Shobak, a fortress in Arabia Petraea, preserves a trace of Ishbak's name.
Ishbi-benob Jesbi
(dwelling on the height) (2 Sam 21:16-17) - a descendant of the Rephaim who attacked David and was killed by Abishai.
Ishhod Malecheth Isud
(man of splendor) (1 Chr 7:18) - one of the sons of Hammoleketh, the sister of Gilead.
Ishi
(1 Chr 5:24) - one of the chiefs of the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan.
Ishi
(deliverer, victor) - the name of three persons:
Ishiah
(the precise meaning of the word is uncertain) - the name of the following four persons:
Ishma Jesman
(dweller in the wilderness) (1 Chr 4:3) - a descendant of Judah, mentioned in Judah's genealogy, and a son of the founder of Etam.
Ishmael
(God heareth)—the name of the following persons:
(Gen 25:16, 18)—the descendants of Ishmael, whose twelve sons became princes of the peoples or tribes of Ishmael. The book of Genesis relates that the sons of Ishmael were princes of their tribes, that they originally dwelt to the east of Egypt, in the direction of Assyria. In later times they undoubtedly scattered much farther beyond the land they had originally occupied. The predictions of the angel to Hagar concerning the Ishmaelites and their descendants were fulfilled almost to the letter (Gen 16:12, 17:20, 21:18).
The Arabs are generally regarded as the present-day representatives of the Ishmaelites. The name of the ancient Ishmaelites occurs repeatedly in Holy Scripture. Thus, for instance, we see in the story of Joseph that Joseph’s brothers, looking up, saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh (Gen 37:25). These Ishmaelites, otherwise called Midianite merchants, bought Joseph from his brothers for twenty pieces of silver and resold him again in Egypt.
It was probably these same Ishmaelites who lived in the land of Midian. In the book of Judges (8:24) it is likewise said of the Midianites defeated by Gideon that they were Ishmaelites. The father of Amasa is called Jether the Ishmaelite (1 Chr 2:17). In the psalm (83:6) the Ishmaelites are also mentioned. Josephus testifies that the descendants of Ishmael occupied the whole land from the river Euphrates to the Red Sea and called it Nabatea (Antiquities 1, 12, 2, 4). Mohammed claimed to be a descendant of Ishmael and speaks of him in the Koran as an apostle and prophet.
In the course of time the Ishmaelites fell into gross idolatry, taking to worshiping the heavenly bodies and other creatures. Nevertheless, faith in the one God, it seems, was not entirely extinguished in their hearts, as can be seen from what follows. Some of the Ishmaelite tribes later converted to Judaism, and after apostolic times many of them accepted Christianity. Later, the dominant religion among them became Islam, which the majority still hold to this day. “He will be” among men, said the angel of the Lord to Hagar at the spring Beer-lahai-roi concerning Ishmael, “a wild ass of a man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen 16:12).
And indeed, the descendants of Ishmael—the Arabs, or the Bedouins, as they are called, the “children of the desert”—to this day live by robbery and predatory raids upon their neighbors. Their dwelling is a tent or booth, almost without any household furnishings. The Arabs have large herds of cattle and especially horses. Even within their Muslim religion they still preserve to this day a great many pagan rites and customs, remaining among them from the most ancient times, from close relations (of trade, marriage, war) with the pagan peoples of Ammon, Moab, and Edom.
Ishmaiah
(heard by God) - the name of the following two persons:
Ishmerai Isamari
(God is guardian) (1 Chr 8:18) - a Benjamite, one of the sons of Elpaal and a chief in the tribe.
Ishpah Jespha
(hairless) (1 Chr 8:16) - one of the sons of Beriah and chiefs in the tribe of Benjamin.
Ishpan Jesphan
(bald) (1 Chr 8:22) - son of Shashak, one of the princes of the tribe of Benjamin.
Ishvah
(self-equal) (Gen 46:17) - the second son of Asher, Jacob's son by Zilpah, Leah's maidservant.
Ishvi
(equal to himself) (1 Sam 14:49) - one of Saul's sons, of whom the sacred historian says nothing further.
. Properly, islands are lands surrounded by water on every side. Scripture sometimes speaks of them generally (Esth. 10:1; Isa. 13; Rev. 6:14). First Maccabees mentions the islands of the sea, that is, the Mediterranean (6:29; 15:23). Sometimes “islands” denotes coastal lands, such as those of the Philistines and Phoenicians (Isa. 23:2–6), or the Greek islands (Ezek. 27:7, 15). Individual islands are treated under their own names.
Isles of the nations, or of the Gentiles
(Gen. 10:5; Zeph. 2:11)—a general expression for those parts of Europe best known to the ancient inhabitants of Asia and lying chiefly along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Ismachiah Samachia
(sustained by God) (2 Chr 31:13) - one of the overseers charged with receiving the tithes and the people's offerings in the temple during the reign of Hezekiah.
Ismair
(2 Esdras 9:34) - one of the Israelites, of the sons of Bani, in the days of Ezra.
(he who strove with God) (Gen 32:28)—the name given to Jacob when he wrestled with God in the person of the angel of God. “I said (to him): thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God, and hast prevailed with men.” After this event the names Jacob and Israel are used, apparently, interchangeably. On account of the meaning of the name Israel, given by God to Jacob on so momentous and mysterious an occasion, this latter name came into common use.
In a figurative sense it embraces the whole Church of God (Isa 49:3, Rom 9:6). After the division of the kingdom under Rehoboam, the name Israel came to designate specifically the kingdom of the ten tribes. After the Babylonian captivity this name was applied to all Jews, as it is used even at the present day.
—the journey from Egypt toward Canaan narrated chiefly in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. God led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire, gave manna, supplied water, established the covenant at Sinai, and ordered the people’s worship and communal life. The bitter water at Marah was made drinkable, water came from the rock, and God preserved the people despite the dangers of the wilderness.
Israelite
[descendant of Zerah, son of the patriarch Judah] (1 Chr 27:8)—a designation of Shamhuth, one of David’s chief captains who assisted him in all his affairs. He was so called from his descent from Zerah.
Issachar
(recompense, reward) - the name of two persons:
Istalcurus
(2 Esdras 8:40) - father of Uthi, one of the tribal leaders in the days of Ezra. In Ezra 8:14, Uthi is instead called Uthai.
Italian
- belonging to Italy (Acts 10:1). This word also designates the cohort commanded by Cornelius; it probably received its name because it was composed of Romans, although it was stationed in the East. The Italian legion mentioned by Tacitus was organized by Nero at a later date.
(Acts 18:2; 27:1, 6; Heb 13:24) - the well-known European state whose capital in the days of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles was Rome, on the Tiber River. In the New Testament the word denotes the Italian Peninsula, extending from the Alps in the north to the island of Sicily in the south. From remote antiquity Italy was famed for its civilization. Long before the founding of Rome, the Etruscans were distinguished for their arts and crafts. Southern Italy was called Magna Graecia because of the many Greek colonists who settled there.
The history of Italy is closely connected with the history of Rome; see Rome. Italy was one of the first European countries in which the Gospel was preached. A Christian church evidently existed there even before the holy apostle Paul visited the country. From Hebrews 13:24 one may conclude that this epistle was written by St. Paul in Italy. Acts 28:13-14 shows that on the way to Rome the holy apostle Paul spent seven days with the brethren in Puteoli, Italy. At that time many Jews still lived in Italy, although not long before, Emperor Claudius had issued an edict expelling them from Rome (Acts 18:2).
(land of palms) (Exod 6:23; 28:1; Lev 10:16) - Aaron's fourth son. After the death of his brothers Nadab and Abihu, he and his elder brother Eleazar were called to priestly service. During the Hebrews' wandering in the Arabian wilderness, he was entrusted with chief oversight of the sons of Gershon and Merari (Exod 38:21; Num 4:21-33), and under his supervision the Levites made an accounting of what had been used to construct the tabernacle. When the divisions for temple service were assigned, Eleazar had more family heads than Ithamar; therefore eight courses were appointed from Ithamar's family and sixteen from Eleazar's (1 Chr 24).
The high priesthood ordinarily remained hereditary in the senior line, with the exception of Eli, who, as is known, descended from the house of Ithamar and became high priest for an unknown reason. Under Abiathar, however, who sided with Adonijah, the high priesthood returned to Eleazar's house in accordance with Samuel's prophecy (1 Sam 2:35; 1 Kings 2:26-27). One of Ithamar's descendants, Daniel, returned from the Babylonian captivity with Ezra (Ezra 8:2).
Ithiel
(God is with him) - the name of two persons:
Ithlah Silatha
(high, exalted) (Josh 19:42) - a city in the tribe of Dan, mentioned with Aijalon and Shaalabbin.
Ithmah Jethama
(orphan) (1 Chr 11:46) - a Moabite, one of the mighty warriors in David's guard.
Ithnan Maenam
(given, or, according to Fuerst, a fortified place) (Josh 15:23) - a city at the extreme south of the tribe of Judah. The village of Idna, whose name somewhat resembles this one, lies between Hebron and Jerusalem and is therefore much too far north to correspond to the Ithnan of Joshua.
Ithran
(remainder, abundance) - the name of two persons:
Ithream
(the meaning is the same as that of the preceding word) (1 Chr 3:3) - David's sixth son, born to him in Hebron by his wife Eglah. In 2 Samuel 3:5 the same name is used.
Ithream
(remnant of the people) (2 Sam 3:5) - David's sixth son, born at Hebron by Eglah. First Chronicles 3:3 calls him Ithream by Eglah his wife.
Ithrite
(2 Sam 23:38) - the designation of two chief warriors in David's guard, Ira and Gareb.
Ittah-kazin
(the meaning of the name has not been determined) (Josh 19:13) - a city on the border of the tribe of Zebulun. Its location is unknown.
(perhaps: existing, living) (2 Sam. 15:19, and elsewhere) — one of David’s commanders, a God-fearing Philistine, a native of Gath. He was one of the six hundred men who followed David from Gath and shared his fortunes in the wilderness (1 Sam. 27:2, and elsewhere [as given]). During Absalom’s rebellion he followed David. The king asked him to return to his own master, meaning either Absalom, or, more likely, Ahithophel, but Ittai firmly refused and received permission to follow David and his men.
On the eve of the decisive battle between David and Absalom he was appointed, together with Joab and Abishai, chief commander over a third part of David’s army. Nothing further is said of his subsequent fate in Holy Scripture (2 Sam. 18:2, 5, and elsewhere). Frog (Exod. 8:2) — a well-known and unattractive amphibious creature, of the family of tailless frogs, generally found on the shores of lakes, ponds, and marshes, and feeding on worms, insects, and the like. Frogs were sent upon Egypt as a punishment to Pharaoh for his hardness and stubbornness in refusing to let the Israelites go into the Promised Land.
Ittai
(existing, living) (2 Sam 23:29) - son of Ribai, from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, a warrior in David's guard.
(Luke 3:1) - a region southeast of Mount Hermon. It received its name from Jetur, a son of Ishmael, and at present is called Jedur by the Arabs. The territory of Iturea bordered Trachonitis and Gaulanitis on the east and south. The ancient Roman road from Damascus to Tiberias passes through the center of Iturea. Its eastern parts are generally elevated and hilly; in the south its soil is fertile. The first reference to Iturea is found in 1 Chronicles 5:19-23, in the form Jetur, in the account of the invasion of the Hagrites.
Several Greek and Roman writers mention Iturea in their works, including Strabo, Pliny, Cicero, Virgil, and others. Most of these classical authors describe the Itureans as celebrated archers and raiders. The only New Testament reference to Iturea is in Luke 3:1. Ancient writers often confused Iturea with Auranitis; although the two regions lay near one another, they were undoubtedly distinct.
Ivhar, otherwise Evhar
(chosen) (1 Chr 3:6, 2 Sam 5:15)—one of the sons born to David in Jerusalem.
Ivleam.
See Bileam [Ibleam].
Ivri
(a stranger from the other side) (1 Chr 24:27)—a Levite of Merari, son of Jaaziah—one of those chosen by lot to serve in the House of the Lord.
Ivsam
(pleasant, dear) (1 Chr 7:2)—a descendant of Tola, the eldest son of Issachar, one of the chief men of his generations; their number in the days of David was 22,600 men.
(ruin or heap) (2 Kings 18:34)—the name of an Assyrian city or region, which locality, according to the Hebrew, is read: Ava. It is thought that this is the actual region of Is or Ihi, on the Euphrates, not far from Cutha. Ivvah is thought to have received its name from the Babylonian deity Iva, who represented heaven or the ether—a deity to whom the city itself was dedicated. In this case Ivvah is the most correct rendering of the name. This locality was at all times renowned for its abundance of tar-springs, which still exist to this day at Hit, and sufficiently prove the identity of Hit with Herodotus’s Is, and therefore, probably, with the Ivvah of Scripture.
Ivy
(2 Macc. 6:7; 3 Macc. 2:21)—a plant sacred to Dionysus, or Bacchus. Ptolemy IV Philopator ordered Alexandrian Jews to be branded with an ivy leaf, and Antiochus Epiphanes compelled Jews to take part in a procession wearing ivy wreaths and offering pagan sacrifices.
Ivzai
(built by God) (1 Chr 9:8)—son of Jeroham, a Benjamite.
Ivzya
—the same person as the preceding entry.
Iye-abarim
(ruins of Abarim) (Num 21:11) - one of Israel's last encampments as the people approached the Promised Land, 'in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.' The preceding camp was at Oboth; the next after Iye-abarim stood in the Valley of Zered, somewhat southeast of the Dead Sea.
Izhar
(shining) (Exod 6:18, 21 and elsewhere) - son of Kohath, brother of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron, and progenitor of the family of the Izharites.
Izrahiah Ozi Jezraia
(God rising, appearing)—the name of the following persons:
Izri Jesri
(form, image) (1 Chr 25:3, 11) - son of Jeduthun, a Levite and chief of the fourth division at the temple. In verse 3 he is called Zeri.
Izziah
(chosen of God) (Ezra 10:25)—one of the descendants of Parosh, who at Ezra’s insistence put away his foreign wife. In 2 Esdras 9:26 he is given as: Ezrias.
Search the whole Encyclopedia
All 4,575 entries, searchable, with every entry linked to the verses it explains.