gold he could find in his own exche-| ASAIAH, a creature of the Lord, quer, or in the temple, and sent it to a servant of king Josiah, who was Benhadad king of Syria; begging sent by that prince to consult the that he would break his league with prophetess Huldah concerning the Baasha, and enter into one with him. book of the law, which had been Instigated by the valuable present, found in the temple, 2 Chron. and the hopes of extending his power, xxxiv. 20. Benhadad fell upon the north parts ASAPH, one that assembles people of Baasha's kingdom, and took se- together. His ancestors, reckoning veral cities. Meanwhile, Asa from upwards, were Berachiah, Shimea, the south retook Ramah, and carried Michael, Baaseiah, Malchiah, Ethni, off the materials prepared for its Zerah, Adaiah, Ethan, Zimmah, Shifortifications, and with them fortified mei, Jahath, Gershom, Levi; his Geba and western Mizpah. sons were Zaccur, Joseph, Netha

Asa's distrust, of the divine power niah, and Asarelah. He was one of and goodness, which had so lately ren- the three principal singers, and his dered him victorious over a more children constituted the 1st, 3d, 5th, formidable enemy, and his treache- and 7th classes of the temple musicirous application for heathenish aid, ans, 1 Chron. vi. 39-43. and xxv. 2, highly displeased the Lord. By di- 9-14. It seems their station was vine direction, Hanani the prophet on the south side of the brazen altar sharply reproved him; and assured The 50th, 78d, and ten following him, that henceforth he should have Psalms are ascribed to Asaph; but wars. Instead of thankfully receiv-it is certain he could not compose ing the admonitions of God, he im- them all, as sundry of them relate prisoned the prophet, and oppressed to later times. Perhaps their title such of his subjects as showed any means no more, but that they were displeasure at his conduct. He and chiefly sung by his posterity. Baasha continued after that in a To ASCEND, to rise higher in state of war. In the last part of place or dignity; to go or climb uphis life, he appears to have become wards, Josh. vi. 5. God's essence beextremely peevish; and in the 39th ing every where present, is incapable year of his reign he was seized with of motion; his ascent can therefore the gout, or some other complaint mean no more than the upward moin his feet. He rather applied to tion or departure of some visible his physicians than to his God for token of his presence, Gen. xxxv. relief. 12. Christ's ascending to Jerusalem, After two years' illness he died, we imports its honour and situation, hope in peace, although it is much Luke xix. 28. His ascending into to be lamented, that so excellent a heaven, while he continued in his king should have forgotten the di- debased estate, denotes his perfect vine goodness even in his last stage knowledge of every heavenly thing, of life, 1 Kings xv. 2 Chron. xiv. xv. of all the perfections, mysteries, and and xvi. purposes, of God, John iii. 13.ASAHEL, the work or creature of Every where else, his ascension to God, the son of Zeruiah, and brother heaven signifies the passage of his of Joab. He was one of David's human nature thither, forty days after thirty heroes, and was extremely his resurrection, Eph. iv. 8. The swift of foot. At the battle of Gi-ascending and descending of angels on beon he so obstinately pursued Ab-Jacob's ladder, or on the Son of man, ner, that he excited that general to import their earnest prying into the kill him. Joab afterwards resented mystery of our Saviour's incarnation this slaughter in the murder of and mediatorial work; and their acAbner, 2 Sam. ii. 18, 19. and iii. tive administration to him and his 26, 27. people, Gen. xxviii. 12. John i. 51.

The ascent of the smoke of the ceremo- ought to be always ashamed of sin, nial sacrifices, and incense; and the Rom. vi. 21.

ascent of the smoke of the incense before ASHDOD, inclination, or AzoGod, out of the angel's hand, signify rus, a strong city on the south-east how acceptable the sacrifice and in-coast of the Mediterranean sea, about tercession of Christ are to his Fa- 25 miles, or according to Diodorus, ther; and how effectual to procure 34, north of Gaza, 13 or 14 south of his favour and blessing to us, Rev. Ekron, and 34 west of Jerusalem. viii. 4. To ascend the hill of God, It was the property of the tribe of Psalm xxiv. 3. respects the resurrec- Judah, Josh. xv. 47. but the PHItion and ascension of Christ into the LISTINES either retained or retook heavenly, holy place. The ascent of it. Here stood the famous temple of the Chaldean king to heaven, im- DAGON. Hither the captive ark of ported his advancing himself to God was first brought, and broke supereminent power, honour, and to pieces that idol, and plagued the greatness, Isa. xiv. 13. The ascent inhabitants, 1 Sam. v. 1-6. Uz of the beast from the bottomless pit, is ziah demolished the walls of this thought to import Antichrist's ob-place, and built some adjacent forts taining of great power and authority, to command it, 2 Chron. xxvi. 6. by the contrivance and aid of Satan Tartan, the Assyrian general, took it and his agents, Rev. ix. 7. by force, and it seems, put a strong To ASCRIBE, to attribute to as a garrison into it, who held out 29 cause or agent in a work, 1 Sam. years against the siege of Psammitixviii. 8. cus, king of Egypt, Isa. xx. 1. NeASENATH, peril or misfortune, buchadnezzar's troops took, and terthe daughter of Potipherah, and wife ribly ravaged it. Alexander and of JOSEPH. Some have imagined she the Greek troops did the same. Jowas the daughter of Potiphar; and nathan the Jewish Maccabee, burnt that her discovering to her father, her it and the temple of Dagon to ashes; mother's wicked behaviour towards but it was rebuilt. Here Philip the Joseph, endeared her to that young evangelist early preached the gospatriarch; but this is not certain, Gen. pel; and a Christian church conti'xli. 45. nued probably after the ravage of the Saracens, Zeph. ii. 4. Zech. ix. 6. Acts viii. 4.

ASH, a well known tree, which grows quickly, and is of almost universal use where the wood can be ASHER, blessedness, or happiness, kept dry. Its flower is of the apetalous the son of Jacob by Zilpah his maid, kind; and its stamina have usually and father of one of the Hebrew double heads; the pistil at last becomes tribes. His children were Jimnah, a fruit of the figure of a tongue; and Ishua, Issui, and Beriah, of whom which contains seed of the same figure. sprung the Jimnites, Jesuites, BeriTournefort mentions four kinds of ites, and Serah their sister. Forty

ash. Of part of this wood the idola- and one thousand and five hundred ters formed their idols, and baked of this tribe of war came out of their bread; and warmed themselves Egypt, under the command of Pagiel with the rest, Isa. xlv. 14. the son of Ocran. Their spy, for ASHAMED, filled or covered searching the promised land, was with SHAME. True hope maketh not Sethur the son of Michael; and their ashamed, as it never will be disap- prince, for the division of it, was pointed of what good it expects, and Abihud the son of Shelomi, Gen. has the love of God shed abroad in xlvi. 17. 1 Chron. vii. 30-40. the heart as an earnest of it, Rom. Numb. xxvi. 44. and i. 13, 40. and v. 5. We must not be ashamed of xiii. 13. and xxxiv. 27. They inChrist, or any thing which his word creased in the wilderness to 53,400, commands, Mark viii. 38. But we Numb. xxvi. 47. Their inheritance

fell by lot in the north-west of Ca- signifying the sun, or a naked goat naan, where the soil was extremely or ape, we are quite unable to ascerfertile, and the mines plentiful; but, tain, 2 Kings xvii. 30.

through faintness and cowardice, ASHKENAZ, fire that spreads, the they suffered the Canaanites to retain eldest son of GOMER. Probably the the cities of Zidon, Ahiab, Achzib, Ascantes, who dwelt about the PaHelbon, Aphek, and Rehob, Gen. lus Mæotis, and the ancient Gerxlix. 20. Deut. xxxiii. 24, 25. Josh. mans, if not also part of the Phryxix. 24―31. Judg. i. 31, 32. This gians, were descended from him, tribe was one of the six who echoed Gen. x. 3. 1 Chron. i. 6. AMEN to the curses from mount ASHPENAZ, the governor of NeEBAL. They tamely submitted to buchadnezzar's eunuchs: he changthe oppression of Jabin, king of Ca- ed the name of Daniel and his three naan; but some time after assisted companions, into such as imported Gideon in the pursuit of the Midian- relation to the Chaldean idols. He ites, Judg. v. 17. and vii. 16, 23. was afraid to allow those Jews to Forty thousand of them, all expert live on pulse, lest their leanness warriors, attended at David's coro- should discover it, and the king be nation to be king over Israel. Baa- offended with him: but Melzar, his nah, the son of Hushai, was their de- inferior steward, allowed them, Dan. puty-governor under Solomon; di- i. 3—17.

vers of them joined in Hezekiah's re- ASHTAROTH, ASHTORETH, or formation, 1 Chron. xii. 36. 1 Kings ASTARTE, a famed goddess of the iv. 16. 2 Chron. xxx. 11. Zidonians. Her name in the Syriac

ASHES, the remains of burnt language signifies, ewes whose teats are fuel, Lev. vi. 10. Man is compared full of milk; or it may come from to dust and ashes, to denote his mean- ASHERA, a grove; a blessed one. It ness, insignificancy, vileness, and may be in the plural number, bereadiness to be easily blown from off cause the Phenicians had sundry shethe earth, Gen. xviii. 27. To be co- deities. The Phenicians about Carvered with ashes, to eat ashes, to become thage reckoned Ashtaroth the same ashes, and to be ashes under the soles as Juno of the Romans: others will of the feet, is to be reduced to a poor, have her to have been the wife of contemptible, distressed, and ruinous Ham, the father of the Canaanites. condition, Lam. iii. 16. Psa. cii. 9. Lucian thinks, and I suppose very Job xxx. 19. Mal. iv. 3. To cast justly, that the moon, or queen of ashes on the head, to spread ashes under heaven, was worshipped under this one, or wallow in dust and ashes, im- name. Cicero calls her the fourth ports great humiliation and grief, 2 Venus of Syria. The Phenician Sam. xiii. 19. Isa. lviii. 5. and lxi. priests affirmed to Lucian, that she 3. Jer. vi. 26. A lie or lustral water, was Europa, the daughter of their made with the ashes of an heifer, king Agenor, whom Jupiter carried sacrificed on the great day of expi- off by force; and who was deified by ation, was used in purifications, her father's subjects, to comfort him Numb. xix. 17. Trusting in idols for his loss. Perhaps she is the is called a feeding on ashes, to show Aestar or Eostre of the Saxons, from how vain, base, vile, shameful, and whom our term of Easter is derived; destructive it is, Isa. xliv. 20. and not far different the British godASHIMA, crime, an idol of the dess Andraste. She is variously reHamathite Samaritans. Whether presented; sometimes in a long, it was the same with the Ashemath of sometimes in a short, habit; someSamaria, by which the Israelites times as holding a long stick with a swore, Amos viii. 14. or the SHA- cross at the top; sometimes she is MAIM, or heavens; or whether it crowned with rays; at other times was an idol in the form of a lion, and with a bull's head, whose horns, acVOL. I. P

cording to Sanchoniatho, were em- Ashurim made benches of ivory to Her tem- the Tyrians, 2 Sam. ii. 9. Psa. lxxxiii. blems of the new moon. ple at Aphek in Lebanon was an hor- 8. Ezek. xxvii. 6. I cannot but think rible sink of the most bestial lewd-a colony of Assyrians had settled in ness; because there, it was pretend- Arabia Deserta, perhaps about the ed, Venus had her first intercourse time of Cushan-rishathaim. ASIA, muddy, boggy, (1.) One of with her beloved Adonis, or TAMMUZ. She was probably worship- the four great divisions of the EARTH. ped by the Amorites in the days of (2.) Lesser Asia, Natolia, or the LeAbraham; and gave name to Ashta- vant, lying between the Hellespont e. the Ashtaroth and Euxine sea on the north, and the roth-karnaim, i. with two horns, Gen. xiv. 5. Soon east end of the Mediterranean sea on after the death of Joshua, the Israel- the south. It was about 600 miles ites began to adore ; and in all in length, and 320 in breadth, and their relapses into idolatry, as under contained the provinces of Mysia, Jephthah, Eli, and Solomon, &c. she Lydia, Ionia, and Caria, on the west; was one of their idols. Jezebel, the on the east of these, Bithynia, Phrywife of Ahab, settled her worship in gia, Pisidia, Pamphylia, and Lycia; all the shocking abominations thereof eastward of these were Paphlagonia, among the ten tribes: and appointed Galatia, and Lycaonia: on the east four hundred priests for her service. of which were Pontus and CappadoUnder Manasseh and Amon, she cia. (3.) Proper Asia, which Attawas, with great pomp and care, lus bequeathed to the Romans. It adored in Judah; and the women comprehended Phrygia, Mysia, CaASIA is perhaps wrought hangings for her residence. ria, and Lydia. The remnant of the Jews left with always used in this sense in the New Here the seven famed Gedaliah obstinately clave to her Testament. worship: pretending that their for- churches stood, Acts xvi. 6. Rev. i. saking of it under Josiah had been 11. Here Paul, in his first journey the cause of all their subsequent dis-northward, was divinely forbidden asters, Judg. ii. 13. and x. 6. 1 Kings to preach the gospel; and here a xi. 5. and xviii. 19. 2 Kings xxiii. great part of the professed Christians, by means of false apostles, conceived 4, 13. Jer. xliv. ASHTAROTH-KARNAIM, a city a dislike to him while he lay prisoner belonging to the half-tribe of Manas- at Rome, Acts xvi. 6. 2 Tim. i. 15. seh, eastward of Jordan. It was-Lesser Asia, Lydia perhaps exabout six miles from Edrei. Here cepted, was originally peopled by Chedorlaomer smote the gigantic the offspring of Japheth; and anciRephaims here was the residence of ently parcelled out into a great many Og, king of Bashan, Gen. xiv. 5. small sovereignties; the kingdoms of Deut. i. 4. But the place is long Troas, Lydia, Pontus, Cappadocia, ago dwindled into a little village, and the Grecian states, were the most noted. They do not appear to called Karnion or Karnia.

:

ASHUR, one that walks prosper- have been reduced by the Assyrian ously, (1.) The son of Shem, and fa- or Chaldean conquerors; but, no ther of the ASSYRIANS. (2.) Ashur doubt, part of the others were subsometimes denotes Assyria, Numb.ject to the Lydians in their flourish3. When ing state. The Persians extended xxiv. 22, 24. Hos. xiv. I consider that Eupolemus says, that their power over the greater part of David conquered the Assyrians in it, which made it a scene of disputes Galadene or Gilead; that Ishbosheth between them and the Greeks.— was made king over the Ashurites in About 330 years before our Saviour's Gilead; that Ashur was in the alli-birth, the Greeks under Alexander ance with the Ammonites and Moab-made themselves masters of the whole ites against Jehoshaphat; that the of it. It next fell under the Romans,

and partly continued so, till the Sa-plead for, and firmly expect, whatracens and Turks wrested it from the ever he hath promised in his word, emperors of the east. For 300 years suited to our need, and capacity of past it hath been wholly subject to enjoyment, John xiv. 13. Jam. i. 6. the Ottoman Turks, by whose ravage We ask amiss, when we pray for and tyranny this once glorious coun- what God has neither commanded try is reduced to a comparative de- nor promised; when we request any sert, noted for scarcely any thing but thing in an ignorant, careless, unbeancient ruins. lieving manner; or seek it to answer No doubt this country was one of some unworthy and sinful end, Jam. those denominated in ancient predic- iv. 3. The nation that asked not for tions, the isles of the sea; and here Christ, and were not called by his Christianity was almost universally name, are the Gentiles, who under planted in the apostolic age; here the Old Testament were destitute of for a long time, were flourishing the knowledge of Christ, void of dechurches; and here the famed coun- sire after him, and made no profescils of Nice, Ephesus, Chalcedon, &c. sion of regard to him, Isa. lxv. 1. were held. The ravages of the Ara- We ask the beasts, fowls, fishes, and bians or Saracens began in the 7th, earth, that they may declare unto us, and continued in the three subse- when we earnestly observe how the quent centuries; the conquests of the divine power, wisdom, and goodSeljukian Turks in the 11th; and not ness, are manifested in their crealong after the marches of the Croi- tion, preservation, and government, sades; and at last the enslaving power Job xii. 7. 8.

of the Ottoman Turks, rendered their ASKELON, a weight, or balance, church state exceedingly deplorable. or fire of infamy, a capital city of At present they have a number of the Philistines on the coast of the bishops; but these are in a very poor Mediterranean sea, about 16 miles and wretched condition, Isa. xlii. north of Gaza, and 9 south of Ash4, 10. Zeph. ii. 11.

ASIDE, (1.) To another part at some distance, 2 Kings iv. 4. Mark vii. 33. (2.) To put off, John xiii. 4. Heb. xii. 1. (3.) Out of the proper way, or from the right course of obedience to God, and of promoting our own true happiness, Jer. xv. 5. Psa. xiv. 3.

dod, and about 40 west of Jerusalem. It was anciently famed for its fine wines and other fruits; and for its temple and fish-pond, sacred to the goddess Derceto. It was the strongest city belonging to the Philistines; but, along with Gaza and Ekron, was wrested from them by the tribe of Judah: under some of To ASK, (1.) To inquire, Gen. the Judges the Philistines recovered xxxii. 29. Mark ix. 32. (2.) To require it, Judg. i. 18. and xiv. 19. It was or demand, Gen. xxxiv. 12. Dan. ii. taken and plundered by the Assy12. (3.) To seek counsel, Isa. xxx. rians, destroyed by the Chaldeans, 2. Hag. ii. 11. (4.) To pray, John taken and rebuilt by Alexander and xv. 7. Jam. i. 5. (5.) To expect, the Greeks, and afterwards by the Luke xii. 48. (6.) To salute, 1 Sam. Jewish Maccabees, Amos i. 8. Jer. xxv. 5. 2 Sam. viii. 10. (7.) To xlvii. 5-7. Zech. ix. 5. Here a lay to one's charge, Psa. xxxv. 11. Christian church was planted soon -Christ's asking of the Father, im- after our Saviour's ascension, and ports his pleading in our nature for continued for sundry ages. Now, favours to us, as the due reward of the place is scarcely worthy of nohis obedience unto death, Psa. xxi. tice. 4. and ii. 8. We ask in Christ's name

ASLEEP. See SLEEP.

and in faith, when by the help of ASNAPPER, unhappiness, a famed his Spirit, and in a believing de-prince, who, from different places pendence on his intercession, we brought and settled the original Sa