Smith's Bible Dictionary

C

Cab — Chedorlaomer

Cabbon

Cab’bon, a town in the low country of Judah. Joshua 15:40.

Cabul

Ca’bul.

1. One of the landmarks on the boundary of Asher, Joshua 19:27; now Kabûl, 9 or 10 miles east of Accho.

2. Name of the land given to Hiram by Solomon. 1 Kings 9:10-13.

Cæsar

Cæsar (Caesar) — always in the New Testament the Roman emperor, the sovereign of Judea. (John 19:12; John 19:15; Acts 17:7)

Cæsarea (Caesarea) — (Acts 8:40; Acts 9:30; Acts 10:1; Acts 10:24; Acts 11:11; Acts 12:19; Acts 18:22; Acts 21:8; Acts 21:16; Acts 23:23; Acts 23:33; Acts 25:1; Acts 25:4; Acts 25:6; Acts 25:13) was situated on the coast of Palestine, on the line of the great road from Tyre to Egypt, and about halfway between Joppa and Dora. The distance from Jerusalem was about 70 miles; Josephus states it in round numbers as 600 stadia. In Strabos time there was on this point of the coast merely a town called "Stratos Tower," with a landing-place, whereas in the time of Tacitus Caesarea is spoken of as being the head of Judea. It was in this interval that the city was built by Herod the Great. It was the official residence of the Herodian kings, and of Festus, Felix and the other Roman procurators of Judea. Here also lived Philip the deacon and his four prophesying daughters. Caesarea continued to be a city of some importance even in the time of the Crusades, and the name still lingers on the site (Kaisariyeh), which is a complete desolation, many of the building-stones having been carried to other towns.

Cæsarea Philippi

Cæsarea Philippi (Caesarea Philippi) — is mentioned only in the first two Gospels, (Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27) and in accounts of the same transactions. It was at the easternmost and most important of the two recognized sources of the Jordan, the other being at Tel-el-Kadi. The spring rises from and the city was built on a limestone terrace in a valley at the base of Mount Hermon 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It was enlarged by Herod Philip, and named after Caesar, with his own name added to distinguish it from Caesarea. Its present name is Banias , a village of some 50 houses, with many interesting ruins. Caesarea Philippi has no Old Testament history, though it has been not unreasonably identified with Baal-gad . It was visited by Christ shortly before his transfiguration, (Matthew 16:13-28) and was the northern limit of his journeys. (Mark 8:27)

Cage

Cage. The term so rendered in Jeremiah 5:27 is more properly a trap, in which decoy birds were placed. In Revelation 18:2 the Greek term means a prison.

Caiaphas

Ca’iaphas, or Ca-i’aphas (depression), in full Joseph Caiaphas, high priest of the Jews under Tiberius. Matthew 26:3, Matthew 26:57; John 11:49; John 18:13, John 18:14, John 18:24, John 18:28; Acts 4:6. The procurator Valerius Gratus appointed him to the dignity. He was son-in-law of Annas. [ANNAS.]

Cain

Cain (possession). Genesis 4. He was the eldest son of Adam and Eve; he followed the business of agriculture. In a fit of jealousy, roused by the rejection of his own sacrifice and the acceptance of Abel’s, he committed the crime of murder, for which he was expelled from Eden, and led the life of an exile. He settled in the land of Nod, and built a city, which he named after his son Enoch. His descendants are enumerated, together with the inventions for which they were remarkable. (b.c. 4000.)

Cain

Cain, one of the cities in the low country of Judah, named with Zanoah and Gibeah. Joshua 15:57.

Cainan

Cain’an (possessor).

1. Son of Enos, aged 70 years when he begat Mahalaleel his son. He lived 840 years afterwards, and died aged 910. Genesis 5:9-14.

2. Son of Arphaxad, and father of Sala, according to Luke 3:36, Luke 3:37, and usually called the second Cainan. He is nowhere named in the Hebrew MSS. It seems certain that his name was introduced into the genealogies of the Greek Old Testament in order to bring them into harmony with the genealogy of Christ in St. Luke’s Gospel.

Calah

Ca’lah (completion, old age), one of the most ancient cities of Assyria. Genesis 10:11. The site of Calah is probably marked by the Nimrûd ruins. If this be regarded as ascertained, Calah must be considered to have been at one time (about b.c. 930–720) the capital of the empire.

Calamus

Calamus. [REED.]

Calcol

Cal’col (sustenance), a man of Judah, son or descendant of Zerah. 1 Chronicles 2:6. Probably identical with Chalcol.

Caldron

Caldron, a vessel for boiling flesh, for either ceremonial or domestic use. 1 Samuel 2:14; 2 Chronicles 35:13; Job 41:20; Micah 3:3.

Caleb

Ca’leb (capable).

1. According to 1 Chronicles 2:9, 1 Chronicles 2:18, 1 Chronicles 2:19, 1 Chronicles 2:42, 1 Chronicles 2:50, the son of Hezron the son of Pharez the son of Judah, and the father of Hur, and consequently grandfather of Caleb the spy. (b.c. about 1600.)

2. Son of Jephunneh, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to Canaan. Numbers 13:6. (b.c. 1490.) He and Oshea or Joshua the Son of Nun were the only two of the whole number who encouraged the people to enter in boldly to the land and take possession of it. Forty-five years afterwards Caleb came to Joshua and claimed possession of the land of the Anakim, Kirjath-arba or Hebron, and the neighboring hill country. Joshua 14. This was immediately granted to him, and the following chapter relates how he took possession of Hebron, driving out the three sons of Anak; and how he offered Achsah his daughter in marriage to whoever would take Kirjath-sepher, i.e., Debir; and how when Othniel, his younger brother, had performed the feat, he not only gave him his daughter to wife, but with her the upper and nether springs of water which she asked for. It is probable that Caleb was a foreigner by birth—a proselyte, incorporated into the tribe of Judah.

Calf

Calf. The calf was held in high esteem by the Jews as food. 1 Samuel 28:24; Luke 15:23. The molten calf prepared by Aaron for the people to worship, Exodus 32:4, was probably a wooden ship, Exodus 32:4, was probably a wooden figure laminated with gold, a process which is known to have existed in Egypt. [AARON.]

Calneh

Cal’neh, or Cal’no (fortress of Anu), appears in Genesis 10:10 among the cities of Nimrod. Probably the site is the modern Niffer. In the eighth century b.c. Calneh was taken by one of the Assyrian kings, and never recovered its prosperity. Isaiah 10:9; Amos 6:2.

Calvary

Cal’vary. [See GOLGATHA.]

Camel

Camel. The species of camel which was in common use among the Jews and the heathen nations of Palestine was the Arabian or one-humped camel, Camelus arabicus. The dromedary is a swifter animal than the baggage-camel, and is used chiefly for riding purposes; it is merely a finer breed than the other. The Arabs call it the heirie. The speed of the dromedary has been greatly exaggerated, the Arabs asserting that it is swifter than the horse. Eight or nine miles an hour is the utmost it is able to perform; this pace, however, it is able to keep up for hours together. The Arabian camel carries about 500 pounds. “The hump on the camel’s back is chiefly a store of fat, from which the animal draws as the wants of his system require; and the Arab is careful to see that the hump is in good condition before a long journey. Another interesting adaptation is the thick sole protects the foot of the camel from the burning sand. The nostrils may be closed by valves against blasts of sand. Most interesting is the provision for drought made by providing the second stomach with great cells in which water is long retained. Sight and smell is exceedingly acute in the camel.”—Johnson’s Encyc. It is clear from Genesis 12:16 that camels were early known to the Egyptians. The importance of the camel is shown by Genesis 24:64; Genesis 37:25; Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 27:9; 1 Kings 10:2; 2 Chronicles 14:15; Job 1:3; Jeremiah 49:29, Jeremiah 49:32, and many other texts. John the Baptist wore a garment made of camel’s hair, Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6, the coarser hairs of the camel; and some have supposed that Elijah was clad in a dress of the same stuff.

Camels.

Camon

Ca’mon (full of grain), the place in which Jair the judge was buried. Judges 10:5.

Camp

Camp. [ENCAMPMENT.]

Camphire

Camphire. There can be no doubt that “camphire” is the Lawsonia alba of botanists, the henna of Arabian naturalists. The henna plant grows in Egypt, Syria, Arabia, and northern India. The flowers are white and grow in clusters, and are very fragrant. The whole shrub is from four to six feet high. Song of Solomon 4:13.

Camphire.

Cana in Galilee

Ca’na (place of reeds) of Galilee, once Cana in Galilee, a village or town not far from Capernaum, memorable as the scene of Christ’s first miracle, John 2:1, John 2:11; John 4:46, as well as of a subsequent one, John 4:46, John 4:54, and also as the native place of the apostle Nathanael. John 21:2. The traditional site is at Kefr-Kenna, a small village about 4½ miles northwest of Nazareth. The rival site is a village situated farther north, about five miles north of Seffurieh (Sephoris) and nine north of Nazareth.

Kefr-Kenna—Cana in Galilee. (From an original Photograph.)

Canaan

Ca’naan (Ca’nan) (low, flat).

1. The fourth son of Ham, Genesis 10:6; 1 Chronicles 1:8, the progenitor of the Phœnicians [ZIDON], and of the various nations who before the Israelite conquest peopled the seacoast of Palestine, and generally the whole of the country westward of the Jordan. Genesis 10:13; 1 Chronicles 1:13. (b.c. 2347.)

2. The name “Canaan” is sometimes employed for the country itself.

Canaan The land of

Ca’naan, The land of (lit. lowland), a name denoting the country west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and between those waters and the Mediterranean; given by God to Abraham’s posterity, the children of Israel. Exodus 6:4; Leviticus 25:38. [PALESTINE.]

Cananæan

Cananæan (Cananaean) — (Matthew 10:4) Used in the Revised Version in place of "Canaanite." See CANAANITE

Canaanite The

Ca’naanite, The, the designation of the apostle Simon, otherwise known as “Simon Zelotes.” It occurs in Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18, and is derived from a Chaldee or Syriac word by which the Jewish sect or faction of the “Zealots” was designated—a turbulent and seditious sect, especially conspicuous at the siege of Jerusalem. They taught that all foreign rule over Jews was unscriptural, and opposed that rule in every way.

Canaanites The

Ca’naanites, The, a word used in two senses:

1. A tribe which inhabited a particular locality of the land west of the Jordan before the conquest; and 2. The people who inhabited generally the whole of that country.

1. In Genesis 10:18-20 the seats of the Canaanite tribe are given as on the seashore and in the Jordan valley; comp. Joshua 11:3. 2. Applied as a general name to the non-Israelite inhabitants of the land, as we have already seen was the case with “Canaan.” Instances of this are, Genesis 12:6; Numbers 21:3. The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan. Their language was very similar to the Hebrew. The Canaanites were probably given to commerce; and thus the name became probably in later times an occasional synonym for a merchant.

Candace

Canda’ce, or Can’da-ce (prince of servants), a queen of Ethiopia (Meroö), mentioned Acts 8:27. (a.d. 38.) The name was not a proper name of an individual, but that of a dynasty of Ethiopian queens.

Candlestick

Candlestick, which Moses was commanded to make for the tabernacle, is described Exodus 25:31-35; Exodus 37:17-24. It was not strictly a “candlestick,” as it held seven richly-adorned lamps. With its various appurtenances it required a talent of “pure gold”; and it was not moulded, but “of beaten work,” and has been estimated to have been worth in our money over $25,000. From the Arch of Titus, where are sculptured the spoils taken from Jerusalem, we learn that it consisted of a central stem, with six branches, three on each side. It was about five feet high. [See ARCH OF TITUS.] The candlestick was placed on the south side of the first apartment of the tabernacle, opposite the table of shewbread, Exodus 25:37, and was lighted every evening and dressed every morning. Exodus 27:20, Exodus 27:21; Exodus 30:8; comp. 1 Samuel 3:2. Each lamp was supplied with cotton and about two sineglasses of the purest olive oil, which was sufficient to keep it burning during a long night. In Solomon’s temple, instead of or in addition to this candlestick there were ten golden candlesticks similarly embossed, five on the right and five on the left. 1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chronicles 4:7. They were taken to Babylon. Jeremiah 52:19. In the temple of the Zerubbabel there was again a single candlestick. 1 Maccabees 1:21; 1 Maccabees 4:49.

Golden Candlestick. (From the Arch of Titus.)

Candlestick

Candlestick, in Matthew 5:15; Mark 4:21, is merely a lamp-stand, made in various forms, to hold up the simple Oriental hand-lamps.

Cane

Cane. [REED.]

Cankerworm

Cankerworm. [LOCUST.]

Canneh

Can’neh. Ezekiel 27:23. [See CALNEH.]

Canon of Scripture The

Canon of Scripture, The, may be generally described as the “collection of books which form the original and authoritative written rule of the faith and practice of the Christian Church,” i.e., the Old and New Testaments. The word canon, in classical Greek, is properly a straight rod, “a rule” in the widest sense, and especially in the phrases “the rule of the Church,” “the rule of faith,” “the rule of truth.” The first direct application of the term canon to the Scriptures seems to be in the verses of Amphilochius (cir. 380 a.d.), where the word indicates the rule by which the contents of the Bible must be determined, and thus secondarily an index of the constituent books. The uncanonical books were described simply as “those without” or “those uncanonized.” The canonical books were also called “books of the testament,” and Jerome styled the whole collection by the striking name of “the holy library,” which happily expresses the unity and variety of the Bible. After the Maccabean persecution the history of the formation of the Canon is merged in the history of its contents. The Old Testament appears from that time as a whole. The complete Canon of the New Testament, as commonly received at present, was ratified at the third Council of Carthage (a.d. 397), and from that time was accepted throughout the Latin Church. Respecting the books of which the Canon is composed, see the article BIBLE. (The books of Scripture were not made canonical by act of any council, but the council gave its sanction to the results of long and careful investigations as to what books were really of divine authority and expressed the universally-accepted decisions of the church. The Old Testament Canon is ratified by the fact that the present Old Testament books were those accepted in the time of Christ and endorsed by him, and that of the 275 quotations of the Old Testament in the New, no book out of the Canon is quoted from except perhaps the words of Enoch in Jude.—Ed.)

Canopy

Canopy. Judith 10:21; Judith 13:9; Judith 16:19. The canopy of Holofernes is the only one mentioned.

Canticles

Canticles (Song of Songs), entitled in the Authorized Version The Song of Solomon. It was probably written by Solomon about b.c. 1012. It may be called a drama, as it contains the dramatic evolution of a simple love-story. Meaning.—The schools of interpretation may be divided into three: the mystical or typical, the allegorical, and the literal.

1. The mystical interpretation owes its origin to the desire to find a literal basis of fact for the allegorical. This basis is either the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh’s daughter or his marriage with an Israelitish woman, the Shulamite. 2. The allegorical. According to the Talmud the beloved is taken to be God; the loved one, or bride, is the congregation of Israel. In the Christian Church the Talmudical interpretation, imported by Origen, was all but universally received. 3. The literal interpretation. According to the most generally-received interpretation of the modern literalists, the Song is intended to display the victory of humble and constant love over the temptations of wealth and royalty. Canonicity.—The book has been rejected from the Canon by some critics; but in no case has its rejection been defended on external grounds. It is found in the LXX and in the translations of Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion. It is contained in the catalogue given in the Talmud, and in the catalogue of Melito; and in short we have the same evidence for its canonicity as that which is commonly adduced for the canonicity of any book of the Old Testament.

Capernaum

Caper’naum (village of Nahum) was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 4:13; comp. John 6:24. It was in the “land of Gennesaret,” Matthew 14:34; comp. John 6:17, John 6:21, John 6:24. It was of sufficient size to be always called a “city,” Matthew 9:1; Mark 1:33; had its own synagogue, in which our Lord frequently taught, Mark 1:21; Luke 4:33, Luke 4:38; John 6:59; and there was also a customs station, where the dues were gathered both by stationary and by itinerant officers. Matthew 9:9; Matthew 17:24; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27. The only interest attaching to Capernaum is as the residence of our Lord and his apostles, the scene of so many miracles and “gracious words.” It was when he returned thither that he is said to have been “in the house.” Mark 2:1. The spots which lay claim to its site are,

1. Khan Minyeh, a mound of ruins which takes its name from an old khan hard by. This mound is situated close upon the seashore at the northwestern extremity of the plain (now El Ghuweir). 2. Three miles north of Khan Minyeh is the other claimant, Tell Hûm—ruins of walls and foundations covering a space of half a mile long by a quarter wide, on a point of the shore projecting into the lake and backed by a very gently-rising ground. It is impossible to locate it with certainty, but the probability is in favor of Tell Hûm.

Site of Tell Hûm (Capernaum).

Caphar

Caphar, one of the numerous words employed in the Bible to denote a village or collection of dwellings smaller than a city (Ir). Mr. Stanley proposes to render it by “hamlet.” In names of places it occurs in Chephar-ha-Ammonai, Chephirah, Caphar-salama. To us its chief interest arises from its forming a part of the name of Capernaum, i.e., Capharnahum.

Caphtor Caphtorim

Caph’tor, Caph’torim (a crown), thrice mentioned as the primitive seat of the Philistines, Deuteronomy 2:23; Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7, who are once called Caphtorim. Deuteronomy 2:23. Supposed to be in Egypt, or near to it in Africa.

Cappadocia Cappadocians

Cappado’cia, Cappado’cians (province of good horses), Acts 2:9; 1 Peter 1:1, the largest province in ancient Asia Minor. Cappadocia is an elevated table-land intersected by mountain chains. It seems always to have been deficient in wood; but it was a good grain country, and particularly famous for grazing. Its Roman metropolis was Cæsarea. The native Cappadocians seem to have originally belonged to the Syrian stock.

Captain

Captain.

1. As a purely military title, “captain” answers to sar in the Hebrew army and tribune in the Roman. The “captain of the guard” in Acts 28:16 was probably the præfectus prætorio. 2. Kâtsı̂n, occasionally rendered captain, applies sometimes to a military, Joshua 10:24; Judges 11:6, Judges 11:11; Isaiah 22:3; Daniel 11:18, sometimes to a civil command, e.g., Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah 3:6. 3. The “captain of the temple,” mentioned Luke 22:4; Acts 4:1; Acts 5:24, superintended the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch by night in the temple.

Captive

Captive. A prisoner of war. Such were usually treated with great cruelty by the heathen nations. They were kept for slaves, and often sold; but this was a modification of the ancient cruelty, and a substitute for putting them to death. Although the treatment of captives by the Jews seems sometimes to be cruel, it was very much milder than that of the heathen, and was mitigated, as far as possible in the circumstances, by their civil code.

Captivities of the Jews

Captivities of the Jews. The present article is confined to the forcible deportation of the Jews from their native land, and their forcible detention, under the Assyrian or Babylonian kings.

Captivities of Israel.—The kingdom of Israel was invaded by three or four successive kings of Assyria. Pul or Sardanapalus, according to Rawlinson, imposed a tribute (b.c. 771 or 762, Rawl.) upon Menahem. 2 Kings 15:19 and 1 Chronicles 5:26. Tiglath-pileser carried away (b.c. 740) the trans-Jordanic tribes, 1 Chronicles 5:26, and the inhabitants of Galilee, 2 Kings 15:29, comp. Isaiah 9:1, to Assyria. Shalmaneser twice invaded, 2 Kings 17:3, 2 Kings 17:5, the kingdom which remained to Hoshea, took Samaria (b.c. 721) after a siege of three years, and carried Israel away into Assyria. This was the end of the kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel.

Captivities of Judah.—Sennacherib (b.c. 713) is stated to have carried into Assyria 200,000 captives from the Jewish cities which he took. 2 Kings 18:13. Nebuchadnezzar, in the first half of his reign (b.c. 606–562), repeatedly invaded Judea, besieged Jerusalem, carried away the inhabitants to Babylon, and destroyed the temple. The 70 years of captivity predicted by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 25:12, are dated by Prideaux from b.c. 606. The captivity of Ezekiel dates from b.c. 598, when that prophet, like Mordecai the uncle of Esther, Esther 2:6, accompanied Jehoiachin. The captives were treated not as slaves but as colonists. The Babylonian captivity was brought to a close by the decree, Ezra 1:2, of Cyrus (b.c. 536), and the return of a portion of the nation under Sheshbazzar or Zerubbabel (b.c. 535), Ezra (b.c. 458) and Nehemiah (b.c. 445). Those who were left in Assyria, Esther 8:9, Esther 8:11, and kept up their national distinctions, were known as The Dispersion. John 7:35; 1 Peter 1:1; James 1:1.

The lost tribes.—Many attempts have been made to discover the ten tribes existing as a distinct community; but though history bears no witness of their present distinct existence, it enables us to track the footsteps of the departing race in four directions after the time of the Captivity.

1. Some returned and mixed with the Jews. Luke 2:36; Philippians 3:5, etc. 2. Some were left in Samaria, mingled with the Samaritans, Ezra 6:21; John 4:12, and became bitter enemies of the Jews. 3. Many remained in Assyria, and were recognized as an integral part of the Dispersion; see Acts 2:9; Acts 26:7. 4. Most, probably, apostatized in Assyria, adopted the usages and idolatry of the nations among whom they were planted, and became wholly swallowed up in them.

Carbuncle

Carbuncle. This word represents two Hebrew words. The first may be a general term to denote any bright, sparkling gem, Isaiah 54:12; the second, Exodus 28:17; Exodus 39:10; Ezekiel 28:13, is supposed to be the smaragdus or emerald.

Carcas

Car’cas (severe), the seventh of the seven “chamberlains,” i.e., eunuchs, of King Ahasuerus. Esther 1:10. (b.c. 483.)

Carchemish

Car’chemish (fortress of Chemosh) occupied nearly the site of the later Mabug or Hierapolis. It seems to have commanded the ordinary passage of the Euphrates at Bir or Birekjik. Carchemish appears to have been taken by Pharaoh Necho shortly after the battle of Megiddo (cir. b.c. 608), and retaken by Nebuchadnezzar after a battle three years later, b.c. 605. Jeremiah 46:2.

Careah

Care’ah (bald head), father of Johanan, 2 Kings 25:23; elsewhere spelt Kareah.

Caria

Ca’ria, the southern part of the region which in the New Testament is called Asia, and the southwestern part of the peninsula of Asia Minor. Acts 20:15; Acts 27:7.

Carmel

Car’mel (fruitful place or park).

1. A mountain which forms one of the most striking and characteristic features of the country of Palestine. It is a noble ridge, the only headland of lower and central Palestine, and forms its southern boundary, running out with a bold bluff promontory, nearly 600 feet high, almost into the very waves of the Mediterranean, then extending southeast for a little more than twelve miles, when it terminates suddenly in a bluff somewhat corresponding to its western end. In form Carmel is a tolerably continuous ridge, its highest point, about four miles from the eastern end, being 1740 feet above the sea. That which has made the name of Carmel most familiar to the modern world is its intimate connection with the history of the two great prophets of Israel, Elijah and Elisha. 2 Kings 2:25; 2 Kings 4:25; 1 Kings 18:20-42. It is now commonly called Mar Elyas; Kurmel being occasionally, but only seldom, heard.

Mount Carmel and Haifa. (From a Photograph.)

2. A town in the mountainous country of Judah, Joshua 15:55, familiar to us as the residence of Nabal. 1 Samuel 25:2, 1 Samuel 25:5, 1 Samuel 25:7, 1 Samuel 25:40.

Carmi

Car’mi (vine dresser).

1. The fourth son of Reuben, the progenitor of the family of the Carmites. Genesis 46:9; Exodus 6:14; Numbers 26:6; 1 Chronicles 5:3.

2. A man of the tribe of Judah, father of Achan, the “troubler of Israel.” Joshua 7:1, Joshua 7:18; 1 Chronicles 2:7; 1 Chronicles 4:1.

Carpenter

Carpenter. [HANDICRAFT.]

Carpus

Car’pus, a Christian at Troas. 2 Timothy 4:13.

Carriage

Carriage. This word signifies what we now call “baggage.” In the margin of 1 Samuel 17:20 and 1 Samuel 26:5-7, and there only, “carriage” is employed in the sense of a wagon or cart.

Carshena

Carshe’na (illustrious), one of the seven princes of Persia and Media. Esther 1:14.

Cart

Cart, Genesis 45:19, Genesis 45:27; Numbers 7:3, Numbers 7:7, Numbers 7:8, a vehicle drawn by cattle, 2 Samuel 6:6; to be distinguished from the chariot drawn by horses. Carts and wagons were either open or covered, Numbers 7:3, and were used for conveyance of persons, Genesis 45:19, burdens, 1 Samuel 6:7, 1 Samuel 6:8, or produce. Amos 2:13. The only cart used in western Asia has two wheels of solid wood.

Carving

Carving. The arts of carving and engraving were much in request in the construction of both the tabernacle and the temple, Exodus 31:5; Exodus 35:33; 1 Kings 6:18, 1 Kings 6:35; Psalm 74:6, as well as in the ornamentation of the priestly dresses. Exodus 28:9-36; 2 Chronicles 2:7, 2 Chronicles 2:14; Zechariah 3:9.

Casiphia

Casiph’ia (silvery, white), a place of uncertain site on the road between Babylon and Jerusalem. Ezra 8:17.

Casluhim

Cas’luhim (fortified), a Mizraite people or tribe. Genesis 10:14; 1 Chronicles 1:12.

Cassia

Cassia. Exodus 30:24; Ezekiel 27:19. The cassia bark of commerce is yielded by various kinds of Cinnamomum, which grow in different parts of India. The Hebrew word in Psalm 45:8 is generally supposed to be another term for cassia.

Castle

Castle. [FENCED CITIES.]

Castor and Pollux

Cas’tor and Pol’lux, Acts 28:11, the twin sons of Jupiter and Leda, were regarded as the tutelary divinities of sailors; hence their image was often used as a figure-head for ships. They appeared in heaven as the constellation Gemini. In art they were sometimes represented simply as stars hovering over a ship.

Caterpillar

Caterpillar. The representative in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word châsı̂l and yelek.

1. Châsı̂l occurs in 1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chronicles 6:28; Psalm 78:46; Isaiah 33:4; Joel 1:4, and seems to be applied to a locust, perhaps in its larva state. 2. Yelek. [LOCUST.]

Cattle

Cattle. [BULL.]

Cauda

Cau’da. Acts 27:16. The form given in the Revised Version to Clauda, an island south of Crete. It bears a closer relation to the modern name Gaudonesi of the Greek, the Gauda of P. Mela. (Clauda.—Ed.)

Caul

Caul, a sort of ornamental head-dress, Isaiah 3:18, with a net for its base. The name is derived from the caul, the membranous bag which encloses the heart—the pericardium.—Ed.

Cave

Cave. The most remarkable caves noticed in Scripture are, that in which Lot dwelt after the destruction of Sodom, Genesis 19:30; the cave of Machpelah, Genesis 23:17; cave of Makkedah, Joshua 10:10; cave of Adullam, 1 Samuel 22:1; cave of Engedi, 1 Samuel 24:3; Obadiah’s cave, 1 Kings 18:4; Elijah’s cave in Horeb, 1 Kings 19:9; the rock sepulchres of Lazarus and of our Lord. Matthew 27:60; John 11:38. Caves were used for temporary dwelling-places and for tombs.

Cedar

Cedar. The Hebrew word erez, invariably rendered “cedar” by the Authorized Version, stands for that tree in most of the passages where the word occurs. While the word is sometimes used in a wider sense, Leviticus 14:6, for evergreen cone-bearing trees, generally the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is intended. 1 Kings 7:2; 1 Kings 10:27; Psalm 92:12; Song of Solomon 5:15; Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 31:3-6. The wood is of a reddish color, of bitter taste and aromatic odor, offensive to insects, and very durable. The cedar is a type of the Christian, being evergreen, beautiful, aromatic, wide spreading, slow growing, long lived, and having many uses. As far as is at present known, the cedar of Lebanon is confined in Syria to one valley of the Lebanon range, viz., that of the Kedisha river, which flows from near the highest point of the range westward to the Mediterranean, and enters the sea at the port of Tripoli. The grove is at the very upper part of the valley, about 15 miles from the sea, 6500 feet above that level, and its position is moreover above that of all other arboreous vegetation. (“Of the celebrated cedars on Mount Lebanon, eleven groves still remain. The famous B’Sherreh grove is three-quarters of a mile in circumference, and contains about 400 trees, young and old. Perhaps a dozen of these are very old; the largest, 63 feet in girth and 70 feet high, is thought by some to have attained the age of 2000 years.”—Johnson’s Encyc.)

The Cedar.

Cedron

Ce’dron. John 18:1. [See KIDRON.]

Ceiling

Ceiling. The descriptions of Scripture, 1 Kings 6:9, 1 Kings 6:15; 1 Kings 7:3; 2 Chronicles 3:5, 2 Chronicles 3:9; Jeremiah 22:14; Haggai 1:4, and of Josephus, show that the ceilings of the temple and the palaces of the Jewish kings were formed of cedar planks applied to the beams or joists crossing from wall to wall. “Oriental houses seem to have been the reverse of ours, the ceiling being of wood, richly ornamented, and the floor of plaster or tiles.”

Celosyria

Celosyria. [Cœlesyria.]

Cenchrea

Cen’chrea, or Cenchre’a (accurately Cenchre’æ) (millet), the eastern harbor of Corinth (i.e., its harbor on the Saronic Gulf) and the emporium of its trade with the Asiatic shores of the Mediterranean, as Lechæum on the Corinthian Gulf connected it with Italy and the west. St. Paul sailed from Cenchræe, Acts 18:18, on his return to Syria from his second missionary journey. An organized church seems to have been formed here. Romans 16:1.

Censer

Censer, a small portable vessel of metal fitted to receive burning coals from the altar, and on which the incense for burning was sprinkled. 2 Chronicles 26:19; Luke 1:9. The only distinct precepts regarding the use of the censer are found in Leviticus 16:12 and in Numbers 4:14. Solomon prepared “censers of pure gold” as part of the temple furniture. 1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chronicles 4:22. The word rendered “censer” in Hebrews 9:4 probably means the “altar of incense.”

Censer.

Egyptian Censers.

Census

Census. [TAXING.]

Centurion

Centurion. [ARMY.]

Cephas

Ce’phas. [PETER.]

Chaff

Chaff, the husk of corn or wheat which was separated from the grain by being thrown into the air, the wind blowing away the chaff, while the grain was saved. The carrying away of chaff by the wind is an ordinary scriptural image of the destruction of the wicked and of their powerlessness to resist God’s judgments. Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; Hosea 13:3; Zephaniah 2:2.

Chain

Chain. Chains were used,

1. As badges of office; 2. For ornament; 3. For confining prisoners.

1. The gold chain placed about Joseph’s neck, Genesis 41:42, and that promised to Daniel, Daniel 5:7, are instances of the first use. In Ezekiel 16:11 the chain is mentioned as the symbol of sovereignty. 2. Chains for ornamental purposes were worn by men as well as women. Proverbs 1:9; Judith 10:4. The Midianites adorned the necks of their camels with chains. Judges 8:21, Judges 8:26. Step-chains were attached to the ankle-rings. Isaiah 3:16, Isaiah 3:18. 3. The means adopted for confining prisoners among the Jews were fetters similar to our handcuffs. Judges 16:21; 2 Samuel 3:34; 2 Kings 25:7; Jeremiah 39:7. Among the Romans the prisoner was handcuffed to his guard, and occasionally to two guards. Acts 12:6, Acts 12:7; Acts 21:33.

Chalcedony

Chalcedony, only in Revelation 21:19. The name is applied in modern mineralogy to one of the varieties of agate. It is generally translucent and exhibits a great variety of colors. So named because it was found near the ancient Chalcedon, near Constantinople.

Chalcol

Chal’col. 1 Kings 4:31. [CALCOL.]

Chaldea

Chalde’a, more correctly Chaldæ’a, the ancient name of a country of Asia bordering on the Persian Gulf. Chaldea proper was the southern part of Babylonia, and is used in Scripture to signify that vast alluvial plain which has been formed by the deposits of the Euphrates and the Tigris. This extraordinary flat, unbroken except by the works of man, extends a distance of 400 miles along the course of the rivers, and is on an average about 100 miles in width. In addition to natural advantages these plains were nourished by a complicated system of canals, and vegetation flourished bountifully. It is said to be the only country in the world where wheat grows wild. Herodotus declared (i. 193) that grain commonly returned two hundred fold to the sower, and occasionally three hundred fold.

Cities.—Babylonia has long been celebrated for the number and antiquity of its cities. The most important of those which have been identified are Borsippa (Birs-Nimrûd), Sippara or Sepharvaim (Mosaib), Cutha (Ibrahim), Calneh (Niffer), Erech (Warka), Ur (Mugheir), Chilmad (Kalwadha), Larancha (Senkerch), Is (Hit), Duraba (Akkerkuf); but besides these there were a multitude of others, the sites of which have not been determined.

Ruins of Mugheir (probable site of Ur of the Chaldees).

Present condition.—This land, once so rich in corn and wine, is to-day but a mass of mounds, “an arid waste; the dense population of former times is vanished, and no man dwells there.” The Hebrew prophets applied the term “land of the Chaldeans” to all Babylonia and “Chaldeans” to all the subjects of the Babylonian empire.

chaldeans

chalde’ans, or Chaldees’. It appears that the Chaldeans (Kaldai or Kaldi) were in the earliest times merely one out of the many Cushite tribes inhabiting the great alluvial plain known afterwards as Chaldea or Babylonia. Their special seat was probably that southern portion of the country which is found to have so late retained the name of Chaldea. In process of time, as the Kaldi grew in power, their name gradually prevailed over those of the other tribes inhabiting the country; and by the era of the Jewish captivity it had begun to be used generally for all the inhabitants of Babylonia. It appears that while, both in Assyria and in later Babylonia, the Shemitic type of speech prevailed for civil purposes, the ancient Cushite dialect was retained, as a learned language for scientific and religious literature. This is no doubt the “learning” and the “tongue” to which reference is made in the book of Daniel, Daniel 1:4. The Chaldeans were really the learned class; they were priests, magicians, or astronomers, and in the last of the three capacities they probably effected discoveries of great importance. In later times they seem to have degenerated into mere fortune-tellers.

Chaldees

Chaldees’, or Chal’dees. [CHALDEANS.]

Chalk stones

Chalk stones. [LIME.]

Chamber

Chamber. Genesis 43:30; 2 Samuel 18:33; Psalm 19:5; Daniel 6:10. The word chamber in these passages has much the same significance as with us, meaning the private rooms of the house—the guest chamber, as with us, meaning a room set apart for the accommodation of the visiting friend. Mark 14:14, Mark 14:15; Luke 22:12. The upper chamber was used more particularly for the lodgment of strangers. Acts 9:37.

Chamberlain

Chamberlain, an officer attached to the court of a king, who formerly had charge of the private apartments or chambers of the palace. He kept the accounts of the public revenues. The office held by Blastus, “the king’s chamberlain,” was entirely different from this. Acts 12:20. It was a post of honor which involved great intimacy and influence with the king. For chamberlain as used in the Old Testament, see EUNUCH.

Chameleon

Chameleon, a species of lizard. The reference in Leviticus 11:30 is to some kind of an unclean animal, supposed to be the lizard, known by the name of the “monitor of the Nile,” a large, strong reptile common in Egypt and other parts of Africa.

Chameleon.

Chamois

Chamois (pronounced often sham’e), the translation of the Hebrew zemer in Deuteronomy 14:5. But the translation is incorrect; for there is no evidence that the chamois has ever been seen in Palestine or the Lebanon. It is probable that some mountain sheep is intended.

Chanaan

Cha’naan. [CANAAN.]

Chapiter

Chapiter, the capital of a pillar; i.e., the upper part, as the term is used in modern architecture.

Chapman

Chapman (i.e., cheap man), merchant.

Charashim The valley of

Char’ashim, The valley of (ravine of craftsmen), a place near Lydda, a few miles east of Joppa. 1 Chronicles 4:14.

Charchemish

Char’chemish. 2 Chronicles 35:20. [CARCHEMISH.]

Charger

Charger, a shallow vessel for receiving water or blood, also for presenting offerings of fine flour with oil. Numbers 7:79. The daughter of Herodias brought the head of St. John the Baptist in a charger, Matthew 14:8; probably a trencher or platter. [BASIN.]

The Charger.

Chariot

Chariot, a vehicle used either for warlike or peaceful purposes, but most commonly the former. The Jewish chariots were patterned after the Egyptian, and consisted of a single pair of wheels on an axle, upon which was a car with high front and sides, but open at the back. The earliest mention of chariots in Scripture is in Egypt, where Joseph, as a mark of distinction, was placed in Pharaoh’s second chariot. Genesis 41:43. Later on we find mention of Egyptian chariots for a warlike purpose. Exodus 14:7. In this point of view chariots among some nations of antiquity, as elephants among others, may be regarded as filling the place of heavy artillery in modern times, so that the military power of a nation might be estimated by the number of its chariots. Thus Pharaoh in pursuing Israel took with him 600 chariots. The Philistines in Saul’s time had 30,000. 1 Samuel 13:5. David took from Hadadezer, king of Zobah, 1000 chariots, 2 Samuel 8:4, and from the Syrians a little later 700, 2 Samuel 10:18, who, in order to recover their ground, collected 32,000 chariots. 1 Chronicles 19:7. Up to this time the Israelites possessed few or no chariots. They were first introduced by David, 2 Samuel 8:4, who raised and maintained a force of 1400 chariots, 1 Kings 10:25, by taxation on certain cities agreeably to eastern custom in such matters. 1 Kings 9:19; 1 Kings 10:25. From this time chariots were regarded as among the most important arms of war. 1 Kings 22:34; 2 Kings 9:16, 2 Kings 9:21; 2 Kings 13:7, 2 Kings 13:14; 2 Kings 18:24; 2 Kings 23:30; Isaiah 31:1. Most commonly two persons, and sometimes three, rode in the chariot, of whom the third was employed to carry the state umbrella. 1 Kings 22:34; 2 Kings 9:20, 2 Kings 9:24; Acts 8:38. The prophets allude frequently to chariots as typical of power. Psalm 20:7; Psalm 104:3; Jeremiah 51:21; Zechariah 6:1.

Egyptian Chariot.

Charran

Char’ran. Acts 7:2, Acts 7:4. [HARAN.]

Chase

Chase. [HUNTING.]

Chebar

Che’bar (length), a river in the “land of the Chaldeans.” Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 3:15, Ezekiel 3:23, etc. It is commonly regarded as identical with the Habor, 2 Kings 17:6, and perhaps the Royal Canal of Nebuchadnezzar—the greatest of all the cuttings in Mesopotamia.

Chebel

Che’bel (cord), one of the singular topographical terms in which the ancient Hebrew language abounded. We find it always attached to the region of Argob. Deuteronomy 3:4, Deuteronomy 3:13, Deuteronomy 3:14; 1 Kings 4:13.

Chedorlaomer

Chedorlao’mer, or Chedorla’omer (servant of Laomer), a king of Elam, in the time of Abraham, who with three other chiefs made war upon the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar, and reduced them to servitude. Genesis 14:17.