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AMASA, the son of Hadlai. See АHAZ.

off his and his servants' wives, and caused his body to be covered with children, and wealth. But he pur- a cloth, because the army stopped as sued them, slew part, dispersed the they passed by to look on it, 2 Sam. rest, and recovered the booty, with xvii. 25. and xviii. and xix. 13. and considerable advantages, 1 Sam. xx. xxvii. and xxx. About 160 years after they joined in the grand alliance against Jehoshaphat; but it issued to AMASAI, strong, the son of Eltheir hurt, Psa. lxxxiii. 7. In the kanah. It is probably he who was days of Hezekiah, 500 Simeonites chief of the captains of Judah and cut off the remnant of them, and Benjamin under Saul, and came to dwelt in their land, 1 Chron. iv. 43. David in his exile, in company with About A. M. 3498, Haman, an Ama- a number of his friends. Informed of lekite projected the universal de- their approach, David went to meet struction of the Jews. His plot is-them; assuring them, that if they sued in the ruin of himself and his came peaceably, his heart should be friends. Since which the name of knit to them; and wishing that God Amalekites is no more mentioned in might rebuke them, if they intended history, but perished for ever, Esth. to betray him into the hand of Saul. iii. and ix. Numb. xxiv. 20-22. Prompted by God, Amasai replied Exod. xvii. 14, 16. in their name, Thine are we, DaAMANA, integrity and truth, ei- vid; and on thy side, thou son of ther the mountain Amanus, which Jesse: peace be unto thee, and to separates Syria on the north-east thine helpers.' David immediatefrom Cilicia; for so far did the do-ly received them, and gave them the minion of David and Solomon extend; command of some troops, 1 Chron. or rather a mountain beyond Jordan, xii. 16-19. in the lot of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Song iv. 8. See LEBANON.

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AMAZED, filled with wonder, or perplexity, Acts ix. 21. Judg. xx. 4. AMASA, a forgiving people, the AMAZIAH, the strength of the son of Jether or Ithra, and Abigail Lord, the eighth king of Judah, son the sister of David. He was general and successor of Joash. In the 25th of the rebels under Absalom; but Da-year of his age, he began his reign, vid displeased with Joab for killing of A. M. 3169, and reigned 29 years, Absalom, easily pardoned Amasa, and In the beginning of it, he behavell made him general of his army instead well, but not with an upright heart. of Joab. When Sheba, the son of Bi-He quickly executed just punishment chri, seduced the Israelites into a new on the murderers of his father; but revolt, Amasa was ordered to assem-according to the law of Moses, though ble the men of Judah, and pursue the contrary to the then bloody custom rebels with all expedition. But he of many countries, spared their intook up more time than was assigned nocent children. Intending to rehim. Abishai was therefore despatch-duce the Edomites, who about 54 ed with the household troops to pur-years before revolted from king Jesue the rebels before the rest came up. horam, he levied 300,000 of his own Joab went with his brother as a volun-subjects, and with an hundred tateer. They had just marched north-lents of silver, or 34,2181. 5s. sterward to the great stone of Gibeon, ling, hired 100,000 men of Israel. when Amasa came up with them with A prophet remonstrated to him, that his army. At their meeting, Joab the idolatrous Israelites would bring with seeming kindness, inquired af- a curse on his undertaking, unless ter his cousin's health, and took him he dismissed them: with no small by the beard to kiss him; meanwhile grudge for the loss of his 100 tahe treacherously stabbed him under lents, he sent them home. He then the fifth rib, shed out his bowels, and proceeded against the Edomites;

attacked their army in the valley Lord. His own servants were, there of Salt, and killed ten thousand on fore, permitted to form a conspiracy the spot. He next made himself against him; he fled to Lachish, but master of Selah, their metropolis: they despatched a party after him, ten thousand of his prisoners he bar- and slew him. His corpse was barously threw from the top of the brought back, and interred in the rock whereon the city was built, and royal sepulchres, and Azariah, or dashed them to pieces; and changed Uzziah, his son, reigned in his stead, the name of the place into Joktheel, 2 Kings xiv. 2 Chron. xxv. which, it seems, was its ancient AMAZIAH, the idolatrous high name before the Edomites took it priest of the golden calf of Bethel. from Judah. He also carried off When Amos the prophet predicted their idols, and quickly became a the ruin of the high places of Israel, worshipper of them. A prophet re-and the utter extirpation of the fabuked him for his folly, as he had mily of JEROBOAM, the son of Joash, seen they could not deliver their vo- Amaziah accused the prophet to the taries out of his hand. He threaten-king as a traitor, who discouraged ed to punish the prophet, except he and troubled the people; and addesisted. The prophet forbore; but vised the prophet to get home to his told him, that for his obstinacy in own country, if he consulted his his idolatry, the Lord had determined safety, and prophesy no more at to destroy him. Bethel, where king Jeroboam had a

Taking it as an high affront, and chapel and his court. The prophet perhaps disappointed of the expected, boldly assured him, that his persebooty of Edom, the Israelitish troops cution of him should be resented by he had dismissed, in their return God: his wife, for baseness or poverhome, fell upon the cities of Judah; ty, should become a common prostiburnt a great many of them north-tute; his sons and daughters be murward from Bethlehem; slew threejdered; his inheritance become the thousand of the inhabitants, and car-possession of his enemies; himself ried off much spoil. Proud of his die in exile; and Israel certainly go victory over Edom, Amaziah de-into captivity, Amos vii. 9-17. manded satisfaction for the injury AMBASSADOR, a messenger done: that not being granted, he sent by the king or state to carry imhaughtily challenged JoASH, or Je-portant tidings, or transact affairs of hoash, king of Israel, to a war. Joash great moment, with another prince returned him for answer a parable of or state, 2 Chron. xxxii. 31. Eliaa wild beast treading down a proud kim, Shebna, and Joah, the servants thistle, that demanded the daughter of king HEZEKIAH, are called amof a strong and stately cedar in mar-bassadors of peace. In their master's riage; and advised him to forbear name they earnestly solicited a peace war, if he consulted the welfare of from the Assyrian monarch; but met himself or his subjects. Contemning with a disappointment and refusal, this haughty, but sensible answer, Isa. xxxvi.

Amaziah immediately marched his The apostles style themselves amtroops to Bethshemesh. There Joash bassadors of Christ, 2 Cor. v. 20. gave him battle, defeated his forces, They were put in trust with the gos took himself prisoner, and carried pel, and were sent forth as his chosen him to Jerusalem; brake down the witnesses to bear his name among wall of that city, to the extent of the nations. In their writings we 240 yards; carried off all the wealth have their ambassage; while they, of the temple and palace, and a num-in Christ's stead, beseech us to be ber of hostages to secure the peace. reconciled to God. After this, Amaziah reigned fifteen AMBASSAGE, a message sent years; but never returned to the by an ambassador, Luke xiv. 32.

AMBER, a yellowish transparent is the language of this little word, substance, of a gummy form and con- AMEN, at the end of our prayers. sistence, of a resinous taste, and a (3.) A confirmation of all our prosmell like oil of turpentine. It is dug fessions, promises, and engagements, up in a great many places of Ger- to God: by which it becomes a somany, Poland, &c. but that which lemn oath in our lips, binding ouris found about the coasts of Prussia selves to the Lord, agreeably to the is reckoned the best. It is originally professions we have made in the prein a liquid state: for leaves, insects, ceding part of our worship. (4.) A &c. are sometimes found in the lively hope of the acceptance of our lumps of it. It is of considerable use prayers, and of the accomplishment in medicine, and numerous arts. of God's gracious promises; that he There is an artificial kind of amber will fulfil all our desires so far as they made of gold and fine brass. Bochart be agreeable to our best interests, and Le Clerc will have this to be the and the designs of his glory. See chasmal, or amber, mentioned in scrip- PRAYER. ture, Ezek. i. 4. and viii. 2. But others render the word a coal fully fired.

To AMEND, (1.) To make better, Jer. vii. 3. (2.) To grow better, AMBUSH, or AMBUSHMENT, a John iv. 52. To make amends, is to company of soldiers, or murderers, make restitution; to give the value stationed in a secret place, that they of, Lev. v. 16.

may unexpectedly fall on an enemy, To AMERCE, to fine, to condemn Josh. viii. 2. Jer. li. 12. 2 Chron, to pay, Deut xxii. 19.

xiii. 13. and xx. 22. AMETHYST, a precious stone of AMEN, (1.) True, faithful, cer- a violet colour, bordering on purple. tain. Our translation often renders There are divers sorts of amethysts; it verily; and when doubled, it ap-those of Asia are of a deep purple proaches towards the solemnity of an colour, and are the hardest, scarcest, oath, John iii. 3. (2.) So be it; so and most valuable; some of them are shall it be, Jer. xxviii. 6. Rev. i. 18. of a pale, and others of a white coChrist is called the Amen; he is the lour. The German amethyst is of a God of truth; is the substance of re-violet colour. The Spanish are some vealed truth; the infallible prophet, of a blackish violet, others white, and the faithful and true witness, and some few tinctured with yelRev. iii. 14. All the promises are low. Some amethysts are colour yea and amen in Christ; they are es-less, and all may be made so; in tablished by his word and oath; are which case they are hardly distinratified by his death, and sealed by guishable from diamonds, but by his Spirit, 2 Cor, i. 20. their softness. This stone is said, It has always been used, both in the but without ground, to prevent drunkJewish and Christian churches, at the enness, preserve from poison, and conclusion of prayer; in which case promote conception. it implies four things. viz. (1.) A ninth in the high priest's breastplate, It was the belief of all that we have said con-Exod. xxviii. 19. and the twelfth in cerning God and ourselves, of all the foundations of the New Jerusaour ascriptions of honour to God, in lem, Rev. xxi. 20. the mention of his name, attributes, AMMAH, my people, a hill oppoand works; and a sensible persua-site to Giah, not far from Gideon, sion of our own unworthiness, our and which had a pool of water at the wants, and our sorrows, which we foot of it, 2 Sam. ii. 24. have before expressed. (2.) A AMMI, idem. The imposing of wishing and desiring to obtain all this name on the ten tribes after their that we have prayed for, longing rejection, imports, that in the latter after it, and looking for it: "Lord, days, God shall redeem them from let it be according to our petition," their misery and bondage, and bring

AM M them into special covenant-relation but upon his laying siege to their city, they offered to acknowledge to himself, Hos. ii. 1. AMMON, or BEN-AMMI, the son his authority. He refused to grant which Lot begat on his younger them any terms, unless they would daughter. He was the father of the consent to have their right eyes put Ammonites, who dwelt on the south-out, as a reproach to their nation. east of Gilead, and northward of the He, however, allowed them several country of Moab, Gen. xix. 38. They days to consider his terms. On the destroyed an ancient race of giants eighth day, when he expected they called Zamzummims, and dwelt in would come forth, Saul with a powtheir land; their capital was RAB-erful army attacked him in his camp, BAH. They were noted idolaters; and so entirely routed his host, that their chief idol was Moloch, which scarcely two could be seen together, This Nahash, or rather might be the same with Baal, Mil-1 Sam. xi.

com, Adrammelech, Anammelech, his son, had shown some favours to and Chemosh. They were dispos- David, when exiled by Saul: David, sessed of part of their territories by therefore, on occasion of his death, InSihon, king of the Amorites; but sent messengers with compliments of God permitted not the Hebrews to condolence to Hanun, his son. seize on any part which they retain-stigated by his servants, Hanun took ed. They were, however, excluded them for spies, and rudely affronted To resent this abuse, David for ever from possessing any rule in them. Israel, because they joined in hiring attacked the Ammonites; in the issue Balaam to curse that people, Deut. he defeated them and their Syrian ii. 19. and xxiii. 4. They joined allies; and conquered the whole Eglon, king of Moab, against the country; and used their chief men Israelites, and shared in the success with no small severity. They conof that war, Judg. iii. About 150 tinued the tributaries of David and years after, they invaded the land Solomon, and probably of the kings of of Israel, and for 18 years mightily Israel till the death of Ahab, 2 Sam. 1 Chron. xix. xx. oppressed them, chiefly those on the x. xi. and xii.

east of Jordan. At last Jephthah, They constituted a part of the grand being chosen general by the Gilead-alliance against JEHOSHAPHAT, but ites, sent an expostulatory message were providentially slaughtered by to the king of the children of Am- one another, 2 Chron. xx. 1, 23. While the Syrians terribly oppresmon relative to his conduct. That monarch replied, that he insisted on sed the ten tribes, the Ammonites the restoration of what the Israelites made the most inhuman ravages in Gihad seized as they came out of lead, ripping up the women with child, Uzziah, king of Judah, Egypt. Jephthah remonstrated, that Amos i. 13. the Hebrews took no territories from rendered them tributary. Under his the Ammonites on that occasion: and son Jotham they rebelled; but were that if they had taken any, the Am-again obliged to submit ; and for three monites had had sufficient time, near years paid a tribute of an hundred 300 years, to settle these claims. talents, and about 80,000 bushels of The Ammonitish king being bent on wheat and barley, 2 Chron. xxvi. When Tiglath-pileser war, Jephthah fell upon him near and xxvii. Aroer, routed his host, and took carried the most of the Reubenites twenty cities from him, Judg. x. and Gadites into the east of Assyria, and xi. About A. M. 3009, Nahash, they seized on the country; but prothe king of the Ammonites, revived bably, along with their neighbours of the old claim to the land of Gilead: Moab, felt the fury of the Assyrians. he ravaged a great part of the coun-Long after, Baalis their last king entry; the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead tered into a league with Zedekiah defended themselves against him, against the Chaldeans; but, when

Jerusalem was destroyed, they exult-ed; and, either ignorant of the law ed over the ruins of the unhappy forbidding the marriage of brothers Jews. For this and former injuries and sisters, or stupified with terror to that nation, the prophets threaten- and perplexity, she proposed he ed them with judgments and ruin. should desire her from their father in About five years after the destruc- marriage. Deaf to all her entreaties, tion of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar's he forced her and lay with her. His troops ravaged their whole country; violent lust, thus gratified, was imburnt Rabbah their capital, and car- mediately changed into as violent ried the remnant into captivity, leav-hatred. He ordered her to be gone ing the land desolate. It seems from his presence; she appearing unCyrus allowed them to return and willing to expose herself to public reinhabit their land. In Nehemiah's view amidst tokens of grief and contime one Tobiah was their chief. fusion, he ordered his servants to During the contests between the thrust her out by force, and bolt the Grecian kings of Egypt and Syria, door after her. When DAVID heard they were subject sometimes to the of this affair, he was extremely afone, and sometimes to the other. flicted; but a sinful indulgence to his Antiochus the Great took Rabbah children made him quite averse to their capital, demolished its walls, violent measures with his eldest son. and put a garrison in it. During ABSALOM, the full brother of Tamar, the persecution of Antiochus Epi- met her all in tears as she was driven phanes, the Ammonites cruelly infest-out by Amnon: he advised her to ed the Jews in their neighbourhood. sit quiet under the abuse she had reTo revenge this, Judas Maccabæus ceived; himself appeared as kind to attacked them, routed their forces, Amnon as ever, but resolved on reburnt their cities, and carried their venge. After two years he obtained wives and children captive. In the his opportunity. Having a feast at second century of the Christian æra, the shearing of his sheep, Absalom Justin Martyr, I suppose by mistake, invited his father and brethren. Dacalls them a numerous nation. It is vid excused himself; but allowed his certain that, quickly after, their poor sons to be present. Before-hand, remains were so blended with the Absalom had ordered his servants to Arabs, that their remembrance ceased murder Amnon whenever they should from among men, Amos i. 11-14. see him merry with wine: these orJer. ix. 25, 26. and xxv. 21, 27. and ders were punctually executed, and xlix. 1-4. Ezek. xxi. 28-32. and Amnon died about A. M. 2974. 2 xxv. 1-7. Zeph. ii. 9-11. Sam. xiii.

AMNON, the eldest son of Da- AMON, faithful, true, (1.) A go. vid by Ahinoam, his second wife. venor of Samaria, whom Ahab orConceiving a violent passion for Ta-dered to imprison the prophet Micamar his half-sister, he grew lean by iah, till he returned safe from the means of it. By the advice of Jo-war at Ramoth-Gilead, 1 Kings xxii. nadab his cousin, a crafty fellow, he 26. (2.) The son of Manasseh by feigned himself sick; and begged Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz. his father would allow Tamar to He was the fourteenth king of Judah. come and make him cakes in his He began his reign in the twentysight, and give him to eat out of her second year of his age, and reigned hand; his request was granted. Ta- two years: he was a very monster mar prepared the cakes and brought of wickedness; nor did he, like his them to him. He refused to eat, un-father Manasseh, repent, but still waxtil every one but Tamar was gone out ed worse and worse. His own serof the room. He then opened to her vants murdered him in his house; and his lustful design, Tamar remon- it seems were in their turn murdered strated against it as foolish and wick-by the mob. Amon was buried in

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