excellency of the new creation, which | ancestors of Christ, according to the we call redemption, and of the latter flesh. Luke, iii: 28. dispensation. Redemption 't was creation more sublime."

In Adam human nature shone in ADER was a Benjamite and the son beautiful colors in the first state; but of Beriah. He was chief of the inhabiby the transgression he tarnished that tants of Aijajon. 1st Chron. viii: 15. nature. In Christ the lost beauty is restored, and many lost relationships to God regained. And human nature is presented again in loveliness in the person of the risen and ascended mediatory Savior.

Adino "lifted up his spear against | were not so scrupulous, and there is no eight hundred whom he slew at one law which forbids them to pronounce it. time." 2d Sam. xxiii: 8.

ADONAI—[Ad′-o-na,[ my Lord.

ADONIBEZEK-[Ad'-o-ne-bee'-zek]

The lightning of the Lord, the Lord of Bezek.

He

ADONIBEZEK, the king of Bezek, was taken as a captive by the associated tribes of Judah and Simon sometime after the death of Joshua. They took his capitol and made him a prisoner, and they punished him by cutting off his thumbs and great toes, that he might never again be able to draw the bow, or handle the sword in war. seems to have acknowledged, in this punishment, a just vengeance upon him for his cruelty toward conquered princes in Canaan in the days of his prosperity. In Judges i: 7 he says, "Three score and ten kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done so God hath requited me. seems to have the knowledge of the true God, and a proper idea of a Divine Providence. He feels that God has brought him to the same state and condition to which he had cruelly reduced the kings whom he had conquered. In this miserable condition he was brought to Jerusalem, and there he died.

He

The three-score and ten kings that had been taken by him, probably about the time Joshua entered Canaan, were simply chieftains or heads of some tribes inhabiting the land; or it may be they were simply military officers.

is my master.

rebellion against David; and Chileab was either dead or inactive, for we hear nothing of him; and David himself, though not a very old man, was feeble and infirm.

ADONAI is one of the plural names ADONIJAH-[Ad-o-ni'-jah] the Lord of the Deity. The Jews use this name for some cause or other, instead of the ADONIJAH was the fourth son of name Jehovah. It may be their rever- King David, born at Hebron. Amnon, ence for God, and awe excited by the oldest, had been killed by Absathe manifestation made to Moses at lom; and Absalom was killed in the Horeb, or the divine power displayed when Moses went with Aaron his brother to satisfy the elders of Israel that God intended to emancipate them, or when he stood before Pharaoh and demanded their freedom. God said unto Moses, "I am the Lord and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known.' The Jews of modern times read Adonai in the room of Jehovah as often as they meet with the name in the Hebrew text. The ancient Jews

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Adonijah made an attempt to seize the kingdom of Israel and reign in the stead of his father. Like Absalom, his brother, he prepared himself a royal equipage of chariots, horses and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. David, the king, saw all this, but did not suspect his full designs. He certainly intended Solomon, the son of

Bathsheba, to reign after him; but yet in his designs in asking for Abishag for he was not displeased with Adonijah's a wife. 1st Kings, i: 5–25. display, nor did he interfere with him

Lord is raised, my Lord hath raised me.

until he was informed by Nathan, the ADONIKAM~[Ad-o-ni-kam,] the prophet, of the fact that Adonijah had waxed powerful, and that Joab, the general, and Abiathar, the high priest, ADONIKAM was one of the captives were with him; that the king's sons, who returned from the Babylonian capexcept Solomon, were then attending a tivity. He is mentioned in Ezra, ii: feast, or splendid entertainment, at En-13, with six hundred and sixty-six of rogel, and were making him king; that his family or relationship, who went up all the great men of the nation were with Zerubbabel from Babylon to Jejoining the new king, except the few rusalem and Judah. that were interested for Solomon.

There are two things that have been noticed rather remarkable, respecting Adonikam. The first is his name as a character of Antichrist, and the second is his children numbered six hundred and sixty-six, corresponding with the number of the beast. Rev. xiii: 18.

ADONIRAM

[Ad-o-ni-ram,

my Lord is most high, the Lord of might and elevation.

David listened to Nathan, the prophet, and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, as they applied to him. The opposers of Adonijah were ordered, at once, to anoint Solomon to the throne. As soon as he was made king, and the shouts of applause went out for him, "Let him that hath understanding Adonijah and his party became alarmed count the number of the beast, for it is and dispersed, wishing no longer to be the number of a man, and his number known as connected with the move-is six hundred, three score and six.” ment. Adonijah himself flew for protection to the sanctuary and took hold of the horns of the altar, and plead for his life. The newly made king Solomon was informed of his position and terror, and sent him word that his life should be safe, provided he demeaned himself properly in the future. He came and presented himself before Solomon, and was forgiven, and, by the king, ordered to retire to his own house. After the death of David, Adonijah set his heart upon the beautiful young woman who had charge of his father during the last year of his life, and desired her for a wife; and, so great was his desire, he asked the queen mother to intercede with Solomon in his behalf, that Abishag might be given him to be his wife. Solomon suspected this men. as a project, on the part of Adonijah, to obtain the kingdom, and ordered ADONIZEDEK~[Ad′-o-ne-zee ́dek,] Benaiah, his general, to kill him, and he did.

It is very doubtful whether Solomon was justifiable in this act, or whether Adonijah at all deserved death. He knew that Abishag, the Shunammite, was selected for David and married to him without any special affection on the part of either, and that she had faithfully served him as a nurse the last few months of his life, and she was a beautiful woman. There is but very little reason to believe, from what is recorded, that he was at all treacherous

ADONIRAM was the principal receiver of Solomon's tribute. He was probably the same as is mentioned in 2d Sam. xx: 24, called Adoram, who was the chief receiver of the taxes for David. It is likely that Solomon retained him in that office. When Hiram, king of Tyre, made a league with Solomon to furnish materials for the building of the temple, Solomon raised a levy of thirty thousand men and sent them to the forests of Lebanon to cut and how timbers with the Sidonians, and he placed Adoniram over the levy as superintendent of the thirty thousand

justice of the Lord.

ADONIZEDEK was the king of Jerusalem when Joshua with Israel entered the land of Canaan. When he was informed that Joshua had taken Jericho and Ai, and that the Gibeonites had given themselves up to Israel, he joined himself with the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, to attack and slaughter the Gibeonites. He intended to punish them for giving themselves up, and also deter any other kingdoms from submitting to the invaders.

taken down and their bodies to be thrown into the cave where they hid themselves. Josh. x: 3–15.

The Gibeonites informed Joshua, and asked of him protection. He gave it to them by engaging with the allied troops in a hard-fought battle, in which he conquered them; for God helped Israel ADORAM, 1-[A-do'-ram,] their to fight, for "the Lord cast down great beauty, their power, their praise. hail-stones from heaven upon them." ADORAM is referred to in 1st Chron. It was in this contest, on the part of xviii: 10. He was the son of Tou, Israel for victory, that the strange phe-king of Hamath, and sent to congratunomenon appeared of the sun standing late David on his victory over Hadastill and the moon staying. Joshua saw rezer.

power, their praise.

ADORAM was the general receiver of tribute, and is referred to in 2d Sam. xx: 24, as being "set over the tribute. He may be the same person as Adoniram, who was receiver of Solomon's tribute and the director of the men who cut timber in the forests of Lebanon. Ist Kings, v: 14.

ADORAM, 3- Their beauty, their

power, their praise.

that God had given him a glorious victory-that the enemies of Israel were ADORAM, 2-Their beauty, their put to flight; yet he saw that the day was rapidly drawing to a close, and that there was a probability of some of the enemy escaping under the cover of the coming night; and he supposed that those who escaped would rally again, and that he would have to meet them on a field of battle; hence, he desired sufficient time to complete the victory, and make an entire destruction of the confederate armics. Being impressed with strong faith in God, he asked Him to perform the most wonderful miracle that had ever been wrought, viz., to arrest the sun in his course, and so prolong the day that he might accomplish the destruction of his enemies. He said, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon. The miracle was performed. "The sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." There never had been before, nor has there been since, a ADRAMMELECH-[Ad-ram'-meperiod of time when the sun was kept so long above the horizon.

ADORAM, or HADORAM, was King Rehoboam's chief treasurer and the overseer of his works. Rehoboam sent him to deal with the ten revolting tribes, and, if possible, reduce them to their allegiance. They became angry at him, and, charging him with encouraging their oppressive taxes, they stoned him to death. Ist Kings, xii: 18; 2d Chron. x: 18.

lek,] the cloak or glory of the king. ADRAMMELECH was a son of SenBut the five kings hid themselves, nacherib, king of Assyria, who invaded for though their soldiery fell, or were the kingdom of Judah in the time of captured, they escaped. Their hiding Hezekiah. Adrammelech was probaplace was a cave near Makkedah. When bly named after one of the gods of the Joshua learned it he stopped the mouth men of Sepharvaim. We know but of the cave with large stones for a few little about him, save that in company hours, until Israel would have sufficient with Sharezer, his brother, he mur leisure to execute them. At the close dered the king, his father. This act of the lengthened day, when the battle was committed by the two sons upon was ended, Joshua had them brought | Sennacherib while he was engaged in out, and made his principal officers trample on their necks. This was done not only as a token of the present complete victory, but as a token of their approaching triumph over all their enemies now inhabiting this land. This is the interpretation given of the act by Joshua himself. Having thus humbled these five kings, he slew them and hanged them on five trees; and as the sun was setting, he ordered them to be

worshiping in the house of Nisroch, his God. It is supposed that these sons had learned that their father intended to sacrifice them to this god, and that they determined to prevent this by slaying him.

The rabbins say that he consulted his wise men to know why it was that such miracles were performed for the Israelites. They informed him that it was because of the virtue and merit of

t t

Abraham, who offered up Isaac on Mt. Juse he made of it was to bind his own Moriah. He then said he would slay hands and feet, emblematical of what his two sons, but they prevented it by was about to be done to him to whom slaying him. It may be they were he was speaking. He claimed divine actuated to this by some great preju-authority for what he was about to dice against him and not by fear of be- utter. The Holy Ghost saith: "So ing sacrificed by him. After they had shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the murdered him they fled into Armenia, man that owneth this girdle, and shall and we hear nothing further of them. deliver him up unto the Gentiles. 2d Kings, xix: 37. The meaning of the prophecy was that the Jews would seek his life; but as they had not the power of life and death, they would apply to the Romans and demand that the sentence of death be pronounced upon him.

ADRIEL-[A'-dri-el,] the flock of

God.

ADRIEL was the son of Barzillai, to whom Saul gave his daughter Merab to wife, when he should have given her to David. 1st Sam. xviii: 19. "But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel, the Meholathite to wife." In 2d Sam. xxi: 8, he is said to be the son of Barzillai, the Mcholathite.

Adriel had five sons as the result of his marriage, and they were all put to death by the Gibeonites, with the sons of Rizpah, Saul's wife--all for the cruelty of Saul to them at some time during his reign.

AGABUS-[Ag-a-bus,] a locust, feast of the father.

the

Now, this prediction of Agabus was literally fulfilled when the chief captain took him and commanded him to be bound with two chains.'

It is supposed, by some, that Agabus suffered martyrdom, as a Christian, at Antioch. Acts, xi: 28; xxi: 10.

AGAG-[A'-gag,] roof, floor.

AGAG was a common name of the kings of Amalek, as Pharaoh was of the kings of Egypt. There are two of these kings that Scripture history speaks of one in the time of Israel's journeyings in the wilderness and the other in the time of Eli and Samuel. Of the former we learn in the prophecy of Balaam when called to curse Israel. In one single phrase we have the greatness of Agag, as king of Amalek, presented. Of Israel he says: "And his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted."

AGABUS was a prophet who foretold the famine that happened in the days of Claudius Cesar. It was at Antioch that a number of prophets from Jerusalem had assembled, and among them Agabus "stood up and signified, by the spirit, that there should be great dearth throughout all the world, which came This Agag was king, probably, when to pass in the days of Claudius Cesar. "Joshua fought with Amalek and was Wo know but little about this pro-victorious; for Amalek was discomfitphet, for he is mentioned in only one ted and Israel prevailed; and God deother place besides the quotation made termined, at that time, to destroy this above. He was probably a Jew, who, people, and made known his determinwhether he was converted to Chris-ation in the following language: tianity or not, was under the influence of the spirit of inspiration. This prophecy was fulfilled shortly after it was made.

Agabus visited Paul at Cesarea and foretold his being bound at Jerusalem. He came, it may be, from Judea specially to have an interview with this apostle and tell him what was before him. His actions and language, in prophecy, are very much like those of the Old Testament prophets. He used a very significant emblem in opening his prophecy, viz: the girdle of Paul. The

,

I

will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses said: "Because the Lord he h sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

Saul

About four hundred years after this, God commanded Saul, by the mouth of Samuel, to destroy the Amalekites, as recorded in 1st Samuel, xv. mustered an army of two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. The command given by God was, to utterly destroy men,