Biblical Encyclopedia: O
72 entries · Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Gen. 35:4; Isa. 6:13; Josh. 24:26, and elsewhere) — a well-known tree of the seed-bearing class, of the catkin-blossoming order. Oaks were a very common growth in Palestine, differing from the European oak in that the underside of the leaves of the Palestinian oak is whitish (Norov’s Travels, 1835). Oaks are said to grow to 1,000 years of age and more, and when the tree grows old and dries out, young shoots spring up from beneath the root, so that this tree may be called ever-growing.
For this reason the oaks of Palestine are frequently used by the sacred writers to designate and identify particular localities. Examples of this may be seen in the following passages of Holy Scripture (Gen. 12:6; Deut. 11:30; 2 Sam. 18:9).
Oak grove of Mamre.
See Mamre and Terebinth.
Oak grove.
See Sacred groves.
(1 Sam. 10:3)—a landmark on the road from Rachel’s tomb toward Gibeah. After Samuel anointed Saul, he foretold that Saul would meet three men there going up to God at Bethel: one carrying three young goats, one carrying three loaves, and one carrying a skin of wine. They would greet Saul and give him two loaves. Samuel then described further signs, culminating in the Spirit of the LORD coming powerfully upon Saul so that he would prophesy and be changed into another man (1 Sam. 10:3-7). The landmark’s relation to Mount Tabor is uncertain.
- a solemn appeal to almighty God as the faithful and impartial witness of what is affirmed or denied. Hebrew oaths were direct or indirect. A direct appeal to God as supreme witness was allowed by the Law (Deut 6:13) and took several forms: 'The LORD judge between me and thee' (Gen 16:5); 'As the LORD liveth' (2 Sam 12:5); 'The LORD do so to me' (Ruth 1:17); and 'God is my witness' (Rom 1:9). Matthew 5:34 also treats oaths that appeal to God indirectly without naming Him. Hebrews sometimes swore by the king's life (Gen 42:16), another person's life (1 Sam 1:26), the creatures of the field (Song 2:7), the temple, altar, or offerings (Matt 23:16-22).
(servant of Jehovah). In Holy Scripture no fewer than twelve persons bearing the name Obadiah are mentioned. Of these, six are especially notable: a) (1 Chron. 6:44) of the family of Merari, ancestor of the singer Ethan, who lived in the reign of Solomon; b) (2 Chron. 17:7) one of the princes whom Jehoshaphat sent to teach the people in the cities of Judah; c) (2 Chron. 34:12) one of the Levites who oversaw the restoration of the Temple in the reign of Hezekiah; d) (1 Kings 18:3 and elsewhere) a God-fearing man who was over the household of King Ahab of Israel, who hid a hundred prophets from the murderous persecution of Jezebel and fed them with bread and water; e) (Ezra 10:26) son of Elam, who had a foreign wife; f) one of the minor prophets, a contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, of whose life, origin, and deeds nothing is known from Holy Scripture.
Obadiah
(servant of the LORD)—name of several persons:
Obed
(born at a favorable time, timely) (1 Chron. 12:11) — one of the warriors of the tribe of Gad, who went over to David at Ziklag even before he became king over Israel.
Obed-edom
(servant of Edom)—name of several persons:
(2 Sam. 6:10–12) — a man of Gath, in whose house David placed the Ark of the Covenant for a time, after Uzzah was struck dead for attempting to touch it. The three months’ sojourn of the Ark in the house of Obed-Edom brought down upon him and his household an abundant blessing of God. In the Hebrew text he is read as Oved-Edom (1 Chron. 15:25).
Oboth
(waterskins; according to others: pits, caves) (Num. 33:43)—a station of the Hebrews in the wilderness, following the station at Dibon-gad, on the way to Iye-abarim, on the borders of Moab.
Ochiel
(2 Esdras 1:9)—one of the leaders of the Levites under King Josiah, mentioned during that king’s solemn and magnificent celebration of Passover.
Oded
(restoring, confirming)—name of two persons:
Ogad
(to love, to be united together) (Gen. 46:10)—third son of Simeon, son of the patriarch Jacob.
Ogel
(house) (1 Chron. 3:20)—fourth son of Zerubbabel.
Ogola
(having her own tent) (Ezek. 23:4). The prophet Ezekiel, in order to express the falling away of the ten tribes of Samaria from God and their idolatrous imitation of the corrupt pagan peoples around them, calls them by this symbolic name.
Oholibamah
(tent of the height)—name of the following persons:
Ointment.
See Myrrh.
Okina
(Judith 2:28)—a city or region mentioned in the history of Judith. By the word “Okina” some understand Acco, or Ptolemais, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea.
Okodil
(2 Ezra 9:22)—a priest of the sons of Pashhur, in the days of Ezra. In 1 Ezra (10:24) he reads: Jozabad, son of Pashhur.
Oks
(Judith 8:1)—a person among the ancestors of Judith.
Olam
(2 Ezra 9:30)—of the sons of Bani, an Israelite. In 1 Ezra (10:29) he reads: Meshullam, son of Bani.
(Job 15:10)—the closing season of earthly life. The law commands reverence before the gray head (Lev. 19:32), and Scripture often treats length of days as a blessing (Job 5:26; Ps. 128:6). Gray hair is “a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness” (Prov. 16:31), while the strength of youth and the beauty of old men each have their proper honor (Prov. 20:29). Zechariah’s vision of restored Jerusalem includes aged men and women sitting safely in its streets (Zech. 8:4).
—among the many wonders narrated in the Old Testament, the source lists examples accomplished directly by God: Enoch taken by God (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5), the confusion of languages (Gen. 11:7-9), the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14:15-31), manna (Exod. 16:4-35), quail (Num. 11:18-32), Miriam struck with leprosy and restored (Num. 12:10-15), water for Samson (Judg. 15:18-19), Elijah fed by ravens (1 Kings 17:2-6), Elijah taken up (2 Kings 2:9-12), the three youths in the furnace (Dan. 3:16-28), and Daniel preserved among the lions (Dan. 6:20-24).
(from the Hebrew verb pasach, to pass over) (Deut. 16:2–6; Ex. 12:3–20; Lev. 23:5–8; Num. 28:16–25)—the most important feast of the Hebrews. It was joined to the Feast of Unleavened Bread and appointed for the middle of the first month, Abib or Nisan, corresponding to the latter half of March and the first half of April.
(Job 15:33). The soil and climate of Syria were very favorable for the growing of olive trees, which are mentioned very frequently in Holy Scripture (Deut 6:11; 7:13; 8:8; 1 Kings 5:11 and elsewhere). The fruit of the olive is oblong and fleshy, resembling a plum; at first it is green, then a pale color, and finally, when fully ripe, it turns black and begins to wrinkle. The fruit of this tree is very valuable, since oil is pressed from it by various methods, forming one of the most important articles of trade and luxury (Job 24:11; Ezek 27:17). The fruit of the olive tree is gathered either by beating (Deut 24:20) or by shaking the tree.
Olympas
(Rom. 16:15)—one of the Roman Christians whom the holy Apostle Paul greets; according to tradition, one of the Seventy Apostles. His memory is kept on January 4 and November 10.
Omar
(eloquent) (Gen. 36:11, 15, 1 Chron. 1:36)—second son of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau.
Omega
(ō)—the last letter of the Greek alphabet, so called in distinction from the short or small o (omicron). The Lord calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega, as the fullness, the end, and the completion of all things (Rev. 1:8, 10, 21:6, 22:13).
(servant, or disciple, of Jehovah) (1 Kings 16:16) — a commander in the army of Israel. He was besieging the Philistine city of Gibbethon at the time news reached him that Zimri, another commander in the army, had killed Elah, king of Israel, and had made himself king in his place. The army unanimously proclaimed Omri king, and, abandoning the siege of Gibbethon, marched with their chosen king to besiege the city of Tirzah, where Zimri resided, and took it. Zimri, seeing that the city was taken, went into the innermost chamber of the royal palace, set the palace on fire around himself, and perished in the flames.
The Israelites thereby divided into two factions; but after a brief struggle, Omri’s faction triumphed, and he occupied the royal throne, which he afterward, during his twelve-year reign, defiled with various iniquities and impiety. “Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord,” notes the sacred writer of him, “and did worse than all that were before him” (v. 25). He built Samaria, a city that afterward became the capital of the ten tribes.
Omri
(servant of the LORD, or, according to others, “God is my portion”)—name of the following persons:
Onager
(swift, fleet of foot). See Donkey.
Onam
(strong)—name of the following persons:
Onan
(Gen. 38:4)—one of the sons of Judah, son of the patriarch Jacob, who, for his transgression in the marriage bond with Tamar, was punished by God with death.
The Creed calls the Church one because she is one spiritual body, has one Head, Jesus Christ, and is animated by one Spirit: “one body and one Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:4-6). The local Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Russia, and others are not separate bodies but members of the one universal Church. Their unity is visibly expressed in a common confession of faith and communion in prayer and the sacraments.
(profitable) (Philem. 10)—a Phrygian from the city of Colossae, a slave of Philemon, who fled from his master and was converted by the holy Apostle Paul in Rome to faith in Christ. In the Epistle to the Colossians Paul calls him a faithful and beloved brother (Col. 4:9). According to tradition, Onesimus later became bishop of Ephesus after Timothy and suffered martyrdom at Rome in the reign of Trajan. St. Ignatius the God-bearer mentions Onesimus in his Epistle to the Ephesians. His memory is kept on February 15.
(bringing profit) (2 Tim. 1:16)—a leading Christian who lived at Ephesus and rendered many important services to the Apostle Paul. He was one of the Seventy Apostles and a disciple of Paul. When the apostle was imprisoned at Rome, Onesiphorus came there and again ministered diligently to him. “The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus,” writes Paul, “for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.... The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day” (2 Tim. 1:16, 18).
According to one tradition he was bishop of Colophon near Ephesus; according to another, bishop of Caesarea, though it is not said whether this was Caesarea Philippi, Caesarea of Palestine, or Caesarea in Cappadocia. He suffered martyrdom at Parium on the Hellespont. His memory is kept on January 4, September 7, and December 8.
Onias
—the name of the following persons mentioned in the Books of Maccabees:
(Num 11:5) - when Israel tired of manna in the wilderness, the people murmured to Moses: 'We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.' Onions grew abundantly and in excellent form in Egypt. Travelers described Egyptian onions as larger and more pleasant than other kinds; one said that they differed from European onions as much as a bad turnip differs in taste from a good apple.
(strong, firm) (1 Chron. 8:12)—a city of the tribe of Benjamin, built by the sons of Elpaal and probably situated near Lod, or Lydda. Ezra mentions it in his first book (2:33), as does Nehemiah (7:37). According to Reland, the city stood three miles from Lydda. Its actual position remains unknown, though it is thought to have stood in the plain of Ono, which contained many villages (Neh. 6:2).
Onus
(2 Esdras 5:22)—the same as the preceding city, that is, a city of the tribe of Benjamin.
(in Hebrew, shoham, otherwise sardonyx) (Gen. 2:12, Ex. 28:9, 20)—one of the precious stones, highly prized as an ornament. It occupied the second place in the fourth row of stones on the high priest’s breastplate of judgment. The stone is usually green with whitish lines, though onyx also occurs in a pale color resembling that of a fingernail.
(hill, elevation, tower) (2 Chron. 27:3; Neh. 3:26)—a part of Jerusalem, apparently east of Zion. In Nehemiah’s time it was inhabited by the temple servants. A very high tower crowned the summit of the hill and is repeatedly mentioned in Scripture. Uzziah and Jotham constructed the tower upon Ophel’s wall and other fortifications.
Ophi, or Ephai
(dark, gloomy) (Jer. 40:8)—a native of Netophah and one of the leaders of the scattered Jews who had not been carried to Babylon. At Gedaliah’s urging they submitted to Babylonian rule, but were afterward slain by Ishmael, together with Gedaliah at Mizpah (Jer. 41:3).
Ophir
(from Arabic, wealth)—the name of a person and a country:
Ophrah
(house, or farm, homestead) (Micah 1:10) — a city in the tribe of Benjamin, near the land of the Philistines, also called Ophrah.
Ophrah
(dust; according to others, a doe or deer)—the name of two cities and a person:
The prevalence of this disease in Egypt, where a large part of the population suffers from it, or goes entirely blind from it, is known to every traveler in Egypt. In Palestine, too, a considerable portion of the population is subject to eye diseases, and on the basis of biblical references we may suppose that it was likewise widespread in ancient times. The blind are frequently mentioned in the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments, and the humane measures prescribed by the Law of Moses concerning the treatment of this class of unfortunates give grounds for thinking that their number among the Hebrew people was considerable (Lev. 19:14, Deut. 27:18).
- a plant named only once in Scripture, in Job 30:4 as 'mallows by the bushes.' The Septuagint uses Atriplex. J. Good thought the plant probably belonged to the genus Salsola, the familiar saltworts. One species, Atriplex halimus, grows in dry sandy places such as the Arabian wilderness and is eaten by the poor, especially in years of famine. It has a long branching stem, dense leaves, and small reddish flowers at the ends of its branches. Job was reviled not only by the rich and his former friends but even by the poor whose food was this worthless shrub.
Oreb
—the name of a person and a place:
Oren Aram
(strong, hard wood) (1 Chron. 2:25)—a son of Jerahmeel, of the tribe of Judah.
(Job 9:9)—the name of a constellation (Hebrew kesil), one of the most beautiful and brilliant constellations in the heavens. It consists of two stars of the first magnitude, five of the second, and many smaller stars arranged like a great parallelogram. Half of it lies above and half below the equator, and it is therefore visible in the Southern Hemisphere around the middle of November. For this reason it is commonly associated with cold weather, figuratively expressed by the word “bands,” which no human power can break.
In the Northern Hemisphere it likewise becomes visible at the end of autumn and shines brightly on clear winter nights. “Canst thou,” the Lord God said to Job from heaven, “bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?” (Job 38:31).
, especially those worn by women, existed among the Hebrews from the most ancient times, from the days of the patriarchs (Gen. 24:47). The inventor of women’s ornaments is considered to be Naamah, sister of Tubal-cain (Gen. 4:22). Men, for the most part, confined themselves to wearing signet rings, rings, and staffs (Gen. 38:18 and others), and did not cut their hair or shave their beards (Ezek. 44:20, Judg. 16:13). Israelite women wore in their ears not only earrings (Gen. 24:47) but also nose rings, made partly of metal, partly of precious stones or pearls (Song of Songs 1:9, 10).
Around their necks they wore several necklaces, to which were sometimes attached, on little chains, small boxes or vials of perfume (Is. 3:19); on their arms they wore several rings, little chains, bracelets, and signet rings (Gen. 24:22, 30, Ezek. 16:11). There were adornments for the feet as well, that is, anklets, or bands worn around the shin, near the ankle, were worn. These bands were made of ivory, gold, silver, or other metal. Sometimes they were adorned with small metal bells, so that during walking, at the movement of the feet, they would make a jingling sound.
Besides this, Hebrew women used polished hand mirrors of copper (Sirach 12:11), which, as an ornament, it should be supposed, were carried in the hand. They also loved to arrange the hair upon their heads (1 Pet. 3:3, 4). The adornment of brides even became proverbial (Is. 61:10, Jer. 2:32). Concerning women’s
(Ruth 1:4; 4:10) (a lock of a woman’s hair, hair upon the forehead)—a Moabite woman, Naomi’s daughter-in-law and the wife of Chilion, one of the sons of Naomi and Elimelech. After her husband’s death, she intended to go with Naomi to Bethlehem, Naomi’s native land, but lacked resolution and returned to her parents’ home.
Orthosias
(1 Macc. 15:37)—a Phoenician coastal city north of Tripoli. Its ruins were pointed out on the north side of Nahr el-Barid.
Osei
. See 2 Esdras 8:47. In 1 Ezra 8:19 the name is Jeshaiah.
Osnappar Assenaphar
(great, exalted) (Ezra 4:10) — one of the kings of Assyria; to his name is added the word “great, glorious,” and it is said of him that he settled the Cuthites in the cities of Samaria.
(Job 39:13–18)—the great flightless bird of Africa and Arabia, adapted to open desert country and remarkable for speed. Job’s poem contrasts its apparently careless treatment of eggs with the strength and swiftness God has given it. The passage is poetic wisdom, not a complete zoological account. Terms rendered “owl” or “ostrich” in the lists of unclean birds and in descriptions of desolate places are not always identifiable with certainty (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15; Lam. 4:3). The encyclopedia’s measurements and commercial observations belong to nineteenth-century natural history.
(lion of God) a) (Josh. 1:13; 15:16, 17) — the first of the judges of Israel, son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. He took the city of Kiriath-sepher and for this received, as a reward, Caleb’s daughter Achsah as wife (Josh. 15:16, 17). After the death of Joshua, probably some 30 years later, when the Israelites, having intermarried with the daughters of the Canaanites, fell into idolatry and were punished for it with eight years of servitude to the king of Mesopotamia, then, in consequence of their repentance, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer in the person of Othniel.
“The Spirit of the Lord was upon him,” the sacred writer relates of him, “and he judged Israel… and the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand” (Judg. 3:10). He judged Israel until his death, and the land of Israel had rest for 40 years (Judg. 3:11). According to 1 Chronicles (4:13, 14), Othniel had sons, of whom one was named Hathath, and another Meonothai; b) (Judith 6:15) father of Chabris, one of the chiefs of the city of Bethulia, besieged by Holofernes.
Othonia
(2 Esdras 9:28)—one of the sons of Zamoath who had married a foreign woman and, at Ezra’s urging, put her away. The parallel passage in 1 Ezra 10:27 reads Mattaniah, of the sons of Zattu.
The source arranges Gospel places and events into a harmonized itinerary. First come the hidden years at Nazareth, Christ’s Baptism near the Jordan, the temptation in the wilderness, John’s testimony, the first disciples, the wedding at Cana, and a stay at Capernaum. A first Passover journey includes the cleansing of the Temple, signs in Jerusalem, the conversation with Nicodemus, ministry near the Jordan, the journey through Samaria, and the conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 1–4).
Oval
(leafless, bare) (Gen. 10:28)—eighth son of Joktan, son of Eber, ancestor of the Joktanite Arabs. The locality chosen by them for their dwelling is not exactly determined. According to Bochart, it lay in Africa, in Ethiopia, near the port of Avalites; it was otherwise called Evam (1 Chron. 1:22).
Ovdiy
(2 Ezra 5:38). In 1 Ezra (2:61) it reads: Habaiah, and in the Book of Nehemiah (7:63): Havaiah.
Oved
(servant, minister)—name of three persons:
Ovid
(serving, obliging)—name of two persons:
Ovil
(from the Arabic—possessing many camels, or one who tends camels) (1 Chron. 27:30)—an Ishmaelite. The meaning of his name is explained by his office, namely, that he was chief over David’s camels.
Oviv
(2 Ezra 8:32)—of the sons of Adin, son of Jonah, one of the heads by their families and by seniority, who went up with Ezra from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes. In 1 Ezra (8:6) he is called: Ebed.
Owl
(Lev. 11:16)—a nocturnal bird of prey listed among the unclean birds. The exact species denoted by the biblical Hebrew term is uncertain. Owls inhabit desolate places and ruins, a circumstance reflected in prophetic images of abandoned cities.
Owl
. See Suva; Tsoba.
Ozem
(strong)—the name of two persons:
Ozi
(hearing) (Num. 26:16)—fourth son of Gad, otherwise called Ezbon (Gen. 46:16).
Ozni Selom
(lion) (1 Chron. 26:7)—a son of Shemaiah, grandson of Obed-edom, and one of the temple gatekeepers in David’s time.
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