Jahath - union. (1.) A son of Shimei, and grandson of Gershom (1 Chr. 23:10).

(2.) One of the sons of Shelomoth, of the family of Kohath (1 Chr. 24:22).

(3.) A Levite of the family of Merari, one of the overseers of the repairs of the temple under Josiah (2 Chr. 34:12).

Jahaz - trodden down (called also Jahaza, Josh. 13:18; Jahazah , 21:36; Jahzah, 1 Chr. 6:78), a town where Sihon was defeated, in the borders of Moab and in the land of the Ammonites beyond Jordan, and north of the river Arnon ( Num. 21:23; Deut. 2:32). It was situated in the tribe of Reuben, and was assigned to the Merarite Levites ( Josh. 13:18;Josh 21:36). Here was fought the decisive battle in which Sihon (q.v.) was completely routed, and his territory (the modern Belka) came into the possession of Israel. This town is mentioned in the denunciations of the prophets against Moab ( Isa. 15:4; Jer. 48:34).

Jahaziel - beheld by God. (1.) The third son of Hebron (1 Chr. 23:19).

(2.) A Benjamite chief who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:4).

(3.) A priest who accompanied the removal of the ark to Jerusalem (1 Chr. 16:6).

(4.) The son of Zechariah, a Levite of the family of Asaph (2 Chr. 20:14-17). He encouraged Jehoshaphat against the Moabites and Ammonites.

Jahdai - grasper, a descendant of Caleb, of the family of Hezron (1 Chr. 2:47).

Jahzeel - allotted by God, the first of the sons of Naphtali ( Gen. 46:24).

Jahzerah - returner, the son of Meshullam, and father of Adiel (1 Chr. 9:12).

Jailer - (of Philippi), Acts 16:23. The conversion of the Roman jailer, a man belonging to a class "insensible as a rule and hardened by habit, and also disposed to despise the Jews, who were the bearers of the message of the gospel," is one of those cases which illustrate its universality and power.

Jair - enlightener. (1.) The son of Segub. He was brought up with his mother in Gilead, where he had possessions (1 Chr. 2:22). He distinguished himself in an expedition against Bashan, and settled in the part of Argob on the borders of Gilead. The small towns taken by him there are called Havoth-jair, i.e., "Jair's villages" ( Num. 32:41; Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:30).

(2.) The eighth judge of Israel, which he ruled for twenty-two years. His opulence is described in Judg. 10:3-5. He had thirty sons, each riding on "ass colts." They had possession of thirty of the sixty cities (1 Kings 4:13; 1 Chr. 2:23) which formed the ancient Havoth-jair.

(3.) A Benjamite, the father of Mordecai, Esther's uncle ( Esther 2:5).

(4.) The father of Elhanan, who slew Lahmi, the brother of Goliath (1 Chr. 20:5).

Jairus - a ruler of the synagogue at Capernaum, whose only daughter Jesus restored to life ( Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41). Entering into the chamber of death, accompanied by Peter and James and John and the father and mother of the maiden, he went forward to the bed whereon the corpse lay, and said, Talitha cumi, i.e., "Maid, arise," and immediately the spirit of the maiden came to her again, and she arose straightway; and "at once to strengthen that life which had come back to her, and to prove that she was indeed no ghost, but had returned to the realities of a mortal existence, he commanded to give her something to eat" ( Mark 5:43).

Jakeh - pious, the father of Agur ( Prov. 30:1). Nothing is known of him.

Jakim - establisher. (1.) Chief of the twelfth priestly order (1 Chr. 24:12).

(2.) A Benjamite (1 Chr. 8:19).

(3.) Margin in Matt. 1:11 means Jehoiakim.

Jalon - lodger, the last of the four sons of Ezra, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chr. 4:17).

Jambres - one of those who opposed Moses in Egypt (2 Tim. 3:8). (See JANNES.)

James - (1.) The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter ( Matt. 20:20;Matt 27:56). With John and Peter he was present at the transfiguration ( Matt. 17:1; Mark 9:2), at the raising of Jairus's daughter ( Mark 5:37-43), and in the garden with our Lord ( Mark 14:33). Because, probably, of their boldness and energy, he and John were called Boanerges, i.e., "sons of thunder." He was the first martyr among the apostles, having been beheaded by King Herod Agrippa ( Acts 12:1,Acts 12:2), A.D. 44. (Comp. Matt. 4:21; Matt 20:20-23).

(2.) The son of Alphaeus, or Cleopas, "the brother" or near kinsman or cousin of our Lord ( Gal. 1:18,Gal. 1:19), called James "the Less," or "the Little," probably because he was of low stature. He is mentioned along with the other apostles ( Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). He had a separate interview with our Lord after his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7), and is mentioned as one of the apostles of the circumcision ( Acts 1:13). He appears to have occupied the position of head of the Church at Jerusalem, where he presided at the council held to consider the case of the Gentiles ( Acts 12:17;Acts 15:13-29: 21:18-24). This James was the author of the epistle which bears his name.

James, Epistle of - (1.) Author of, was James the Less, the Lord's brother, one of the twelve apostles. He was one of the three pillars of the Church ( Gal. 2:9).

(2.) It was addressed to the Jews of the dispersion, "the twelve tribes scattered abroad."

(3.) The place and time of the writing of the epistle were Jerusalem, where James was residing, and, from internal evidence, the period between Paul's two imprisonments at Rome, probably about A.D. 62.

(4.) The object of the writer was to enforce the practical duties of the Christian life. "The Jewish vices against which he warns them are, formalism, which made the service of God consist in washings and outward ceremonies, whereas he reminds them ( Gal 1:27) that it consists rather in active love and purity; fanaticism, which, under the cloak of religious zeal, was tearing Jerusalem in pieces ( Gal 1:20); fatalism, which threw its sins on God ( Gal 1:13); meanness, which crouched before the rich ( Gal 2:2); falsehood, which had made words and oaths play-things ( Gal 3:2-12); partisanship ( Gal 3:14); evil speaking ( Gal 4:11); boasting ( Gal 4:16); oppression ( Gal 5:4). The great lesson which he teaches them as Christians is patience, patience in trial ( Gal 1:2), patience in good works ( Gal 1:22-25), patience under provocation ( Gal 3:17), patience under oppression ( Gal 5:7), patience under persecution ( Gal 5:10); and the ground of their patience is that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, which is to right all wrong ( Gal 5:8)."

"Justification by works," which James contends for, is justification before man, the justification of our profession of faith by a consistent life. Paul contends for the doctrine of "justification by faith;" but that is justification before God, a being regarded and accepted as just by virtue of the righteousness of Christ, which is received by faith.

Jannes - one of the Egyptians who "withstood Moses" (2 Tim. 3:8).

Janoah - or Jano'hah, rest. (1.) A town on the north-eastern border of Ephraim, in the Jordan valley ( Josh. 16:6,Josh. 16:7). Identified with the modern Yanun, 8 miles south-east of Nablus.

(2.) A town of Northern Palestine, within the boundaries of Naphtali. It was taken by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29).

Janum - slumber, a town in the mountains of Judah ( Josh. 15:53).

Japheth - wide spreading: "God shall enlarge Japheth" (Heb. Yaphat Elohim le-Yephet, Gen. 9:27. Some, however, derive the name from yaphah, "to be beautiful;" hence white), one of the sons of Noah, mentioned last in order (Gen. 5:32; 6:10; 7:13), perhaps first by birth (10:21; comp. 9:24). He and his wife were two of the eight saved in the ark (1 Pet. 3:20). He was the progenitor of many tribes inhabiting the east of Europe and the north of Asia (Gen. 10:2-5). An act of filial piety (9:20-27) was the occasion of Noah's prophecy of the extension of his posterity.

After the Flood the earth was re-peopled by the descendants of Noah, "the sons of Japheth" ( Gen. 10:2), "the sons of Ham" (6), and "the sons of Shem" (22). It is important to notice that modern ethnological science, reasoning from a careful analysis of facts, has arrived at the conclusion that there is a three-fold division of the human family, corresponding in a remarkable way with the great ethnological chapter of the book of Genesis (10). The three great races thus distinguished are called the Semitic, Aryan, and Turanian (Allophylian). "Setting aside the cases where the ethnic names employed are of doubtful application, it cannot reasonably be questioned that the author [of Gen. 10] has in his account of the sons of Japheth classed together the Cymry or Celts (Gomer), the Medes (Madai), and the Ionians or Greeks (Javan), thereby anticipating what has become known in modern times as the 'Indo-European Theory,' or the essential unity of the Aryan (Asiatic) race with the principal races of Europe, indicated by the Celts and the Ionians. Nor can it be doubted that he has thrown together under the one head of 'children of Shem' the Assyrians (Asshur), the Syrians (Aram), the Hebrews (Eber), and the Joktanian Arabs (Joktan), four of the principal races which modern ethnology recognizes under the heading of 'Semitic.' Again, under the heading of 'sons of Ham,' the author has arranged 'Cush', i.e., the Ethiopians; 'Mizraim,' the people of Egypt; 'Sheba and Dedan,' or certain of the Southern Arabs; and 'Nimrod,' or the ancient people of Babylon, four races between which the latest linguistic researches have established a close affinity" (Rawlinson's Hist. Illustrations).

Japhia - splendid. (1.) The king of Lachish, who joined in the confederacy against Joshua ( Josh. 10:3), and was defeated and slain. In one of the Amarna tablets he speaks of himself as king of Gezer. Called also Horam ( Josh. 10:33).

(2.) One of the sons of David (2 Sam. 5:15), born in Jerusalem.

(3.) A town in the southern boundary of Zebulum ( Josh. 19:12); now Yafa, 2 miles south-west of Nazareth.

Japho - beauty, a sea-port in Dan ( Josh. 19:46); called Joppa (q.v.) in 2 Chr. 2:16; Ezra 3:7; Jonah 1:3; and in New Testament.

Jared - descent. (1.) The fourth antediluvian patriarch in descent from Seth ( Gen. 5:15-20; Luke 3:37), the father of Enoch; called Jered in 1 Chr. 1:2.

(2.) A son of Ezra probably (1 Chr. 4:18).

Jarib - an adversary. (1.) A son of Simeon (1 Chr. 4:24).

(2.) One of the chiefs sent by Ezra to bring up the priests to Jerusalem ( Ezra 8:16).

(3.) Ezra 10:18.

Jarmuth - height. (1.) A town in the plain of Judah ( Josh. 15:35), originally the residence of one of the Canaanitish kings ( Josh 10:3,Josh 10:5,Josh 10:23). It has been identified with the modern Yarmuk, a village about 7 miles north-east of Beit-Jibrin.

(2.) A Levitical city of the tribe of Issachar ( Josh. 21:29), supposed by some to be the Ramah of Samuel (1 Sam. 19:22).