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Cyrus the Great

(Encyclopedia)Cyrus the Great sīˈrəs [key], d. 529 b.c., king of Persia, founder of the greatness of the Achaemenids and of the Persian Empire. According to Herodotus, he was the son of an Iranian noble, the eld...

Heres

(Encyclopedia)Heres här– [key], in the Bible, town, S ancient Palestine, probably the same as Beth-shemesh (2.) ...

Zorah

(Encyclopedia)Zorah zōrēˈə [key], in the Bible, town, ancient Palestine, the modern Zora, Israel, W of Jerusalem. Zorah was the home of Samson. The town was also called Zareah, and its inhabitants were known as...

Beth-shemesh

(Encyclopedia)Beth-shemesh bĕth-shēˈmĕsh [key], in the Bible. 1 The Egyptian Heliopolis. 2 Town of ancient Palestine, the modern Tel Bet Shemesh (Israel), W of Jerusalem. Excavations there have revealed traces ...

Beth-zur

(Encyclopedia)Beth-zur bĕth-zûrˈ [key], town, ancient Palestine, N of Hebron, on the Jerusalem road. It is the modern Khirbat Tubaygah, the West Bank. Excavations (1924, 1931, 1957) have revealed settlements fro...

Hadrian, Roman emperor

(Encyclopedia)Hadrian hāˈdrēən [key], a.d. 76–138, Roman emperor (117–138), b. Spain. His name in full was Publius Aelius Hadrianus. An orphan, he became the ward of Trajan. Hadrian distinguished himself as...

Dothan, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Dothan dōthāˈĭm [key], city, central ancient Palestine, in the uplands NE of Samaria. In the Bible, it was in the vicinity of Dothan that Joseph was sold into slavery and that the Syrians were bli...

Hebron, in the Bible

(Encyclopedia)Hebron hēˈbrn [key], in the Bible. 1 A Kohathite descendant of Levi. 2 A name appearing in the genealogical lists of Judah. 3 City, see Hebron, city, West Bank. 4 An unlocated boundary town of N anc...

Asher

(Encyclopedia)Asher ăshˈər [key] [Heb.,=happy], in the Bible, tribe of Israel. Its eponym was Jacob's eighth son. It occupied the northwestern part of ancient Palestine, and its position laid Asher open to influ...

Succoth

(Encyclopedia)Succoth sŭkˈŏth [key], in the Bible. 1 City, ancient Palestine, E of the Jordan, by the Jabbok River, where Jacob paused on his return to his native land. Through it Gideon passed in pursuit of the...