Tiberias - a city, the modern Tubarich, on the western shore of the Sea of Tiberias. It is said to have been founded by Herod Antipas (A.D. 16), on the site of the ruins of an older city called Rakkath, and to have been thus named by him after the Emperor Tiberius. It is mentioned only three times in the history of our Lord ( John 6:1,John 6:23;John 21:1).

In 1837 about one-half of the inhabitants perished by an earthquake. The population of the city is now about six thousand, nearly the one-half being Jews. "We do not read that our Lord ever entered this city. The reason of this is probably to be found in the fact that it was practically a heathen city, though standing upon Jewish soil. Herod, its founder, had brought together the arts of Greece, the idolatry of Rome, and the gross lewdness of Asia. There were in it a theatre for the performance of comedies, a forum, a stadium, a palace roofed with gold in imitation of those in Italy, statues of the Roman gods, and busts of the deified emperors. He who was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel might well hold himself aloof from such scenes as these" (Manning's Those Holy Fields).

After the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), Tiberias became one of the chief residences of the Jews in Palestine. It was for more than three hundred years their metropolis. From about A.D. 150 the Sanhedrin settled here, and established rabbinical schools, which rose to great celebrity. Here the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud was compiled about the beginning of the fifth century. To this same rabbinical school also we are indebted for the Masora, a "body of traditions which transmitted the readings of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, and preserved, by means of the vowel-system, the pronunciation of the Hebrew." In its original form, and in all manuscripts, the Hebrew is written without vowels; hence, when it ceased to be a spoken language, the importance of knowing what vowels to insert between the consonants. This is supplied by the Masora, and hence these vowels are called the "Masoretic vowel-points."

Tiberias, Sea of - called also the Sea of Galilee (q.v.) and of Gennesaret. In the Old Testament it is called the Sea of Chinnereth or Chinneroth. John ( John 21:1) is the only evangelist who so designates this lake. His doing so incidentally confirms the opinion that he wrote after the other evangelists, and at a period subsequent to the taking of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). Tiberias had by this time become an important city, having been spared by the Romans, and made the capital of the province when Jerusalem was destroyed. It thus naturally gave its name to the lake.

Tiberius Caesar - i.e., as known in Roman history, Tiberius Claudius Nero, only mentioned in Luke 3:1. He was the stepson of Augustus, whom he succeeded on the throne, A.D. 14. He was noted for his vicious and infamous life. In the fifteenth year of his reign John the Baptist entered on his public ministry, and under him also our Lord taught and suffered. He died A.D. 37. He is frequently referred to simply as "Caesar" ( Matt. 22:17,Matt. 22:21; Mark 12:14, Mark 12:16, Mark 12:17; Luke 20:22, Luke 20:24, Luke 20:25; Luke 23:2; John 19:12, John 19:15).

Tibni - building of Jehovah, the son of Ginath, a man of some position, whom a considerable number of the people chose as monarch. For the period of four years he contended for the throne with Omri (1 Kings 16:21,1 Kings 16:22), who at length gained the mastery, and became sole monarch of Israel.

Tidal - (in the LXX. called "Thorgal"), styled the "king of nations" ( Gen .14:1-9). Mentioned as Tudkhula on Arioch's brick (see facing page 139). Goyyim, translated "nations," is the country called Gutium, east of Tigris and north of Elam.

Tiglath-Pileser I. - (not mentioned in Scripture) was the most famous of the monarchs of the first Assyrian empire (about B.C. 1110). After his death, for two hundred years the empire fell into decay. The history of David and Solomon falls within this period. He was succeeded by his son, Shalmaneser II.

Tiglath-Pileser III. - or Tilgath-Pil-neser, the Assyrian throne-name of Pul (q.v.). He appears in the Assyrian records as gaining, in the fifth year of his reign (about B.C. 741), a victory over Azariah (= Uzziah in 2 Chr .26:1), king of Judah, whose achievements are described in 2 Chr. 26:6-15. He is first mentioned in Scripture, however, as gaining a victory over Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin of Damascus, who were confederates. He put Rezin to death, and punished Pekah by taking a considerable portion of his kingdom, and carrying off (B.C. 734) a vast number of its inhabitants into captivity (2 Kings 15:29;2 Kings 16:5-9; 1 Chr. 5:6,1 Chr. 5:26), the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh whom he settled in Gozan. In the Assyrian annals it is further related that, before he returned from Syria, he held a court at Damascus, and received submission and tribute from the neighbouring kings, among whom were Pekah of Samaria and "Yahu-khazi [i.e., Ahaz], king of Judah" (comp. 2 Kings 16:10-16).

He was the founder of what is called "the second Assyrian empire," an empire meant to embrace the whole world, the centre of which should be Nineveh. He died B.C. 728, and was succeeded by a general of his army, Ulula, who assumed the name Shalmaneser IV.

Timaeus - defiled, the father of blind Bartimaeus ( Mark 10:46).

Timbrel - (Heb. toph), a small drum or tambourine; a tabret (q.v.). The antiquity of this musical instrument appears from the scriptural allusions to it ( Gen. 31:27; Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34, etc.) (See MUSIC.)

Timnah - a portion. (1.) A town of Judah ( Josh. 15:10). The Philistines took possession of it in the days of Ahaz (2 Chr. 28:18). It was about 20 miles west of Jerusalem. It has been identified with Timnatha of Dan ( Josh. 19:43), and also with Timnath ( Judg. 14:1,Judg. 14:5).

(2.) A city in the mountains of Judah ( Josh .15:57)= Tibna near Jeba'.

(3.) A "duke" or sheik of Edom ( Gen. 36:40).

Timnath - Gen. 38:12, Gen. 38:14. (1.) Heb. Timnathah, which is appropriately rendered in the Revised Version, Timnah, a town in Judah.

(2.) The town where Samson sojourned, probably identical with "Timnah" (1) ( Judg. 14:1-18).

Timnath-heres - portion of the sun, where Joshua was buried ( Judg. 2:9). It was "in the mount of Ephraim, in the north side of the hill Gaash," 10 miles south-west of Shechem. The same as the following.

Timnath-serah - remaining portion, the city of Joshua in the hill country of Ephraim, the same as Timnath-heres ( Josh. 19:50;Josh 24:30). "Of all sites I have seen," says Lieut. Col. Conder, "none is so striking as that of Joshua's home, surrounded as it is with deep valleys and wild, rugged hills." Opposite the town is a hill, on the northern side of which there are many excavated sepulchres. Among these is the supposed tomb of Joshua, which is said to be "the most striking monument in the country." It is a "square chamber with five excavations in three of its sides, the central one forming a passage leading into a second chamber beyond. A great number of lamp-niches cover the walls of the porch, upwards of two hundred, arranged in vertical rows. A single cavity with a niche for a lamp has been thought to be the resting-place of the warrior-chief of Israel." The modern Kefr Haris, 10 miles south-west of Shechem.

Timnite - a man of Timnah. Samson's father-in-law is so styled ( Judg. 15:6).

Timon - honouring, one of the seven deacons at Jerusalem ( Acts 6:5). Nothing further is known of him.

Timotheus - the Greek form of the name of Timothy ( Acts 16:1, etc.; the R.V. always "Timothy").

Timothy - honouring God, a young disciple who was Paul's companion in many of his journeyings. His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, are mentioned as eminent for their piety (2 Tim. 1:5). We know nothing of his father but that he was a Greek ( Acts 16:1). He is first brought into notice at the time of Paul's second visit to Lystra ( Acts 16:2), where he probably resided, and where it seems he was converted during Paul's first visit to that place (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 3:11). The apostle having formed a high opinion of his "own son in the faith," arranged that he should become his companion ( Acts 16:3), and took and circumcised him, so that he might conciliate the Jews. He was designated to the office of an evangelist (1 Tim. 4:14), and went with Paul in his journey through Phrygia, Galatia, and Mysia; also to Troas and Philippi and Berea ( Acts 17:14). Thence he followed Paul to Athens, and was sent by him with Silas on a mission to Thessalonica ( Acts 17:15; 1 Thess. 3:2). We next find him at Corinth (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1) with Paul. He passes now out of sight for a few years, and is again noticed as with the apostle at Ephesus ( Acts 19:22), whence he is sent on a mission into Macedonia. He accompanied Paul afterwards into Asia ( Acts 20:4), where he was with him for some time. When the apostle was a prisoner at Rome, Timothy joined him ( Phil. 1:1), where it appears he also suffered imprisonment ( Heb. 13:23). During the apostle's second imprisonment he wrote to Timothy, asking him to rejoin him as soon as possible, and to bring with him certain things which he had left at Troas, his cloak and parchments (2 Tim. 4:13). According to tradition, after the apostle's death he settled in Ephesus as his sphere of labour, and there found a martyr's grave.

Timothy, First Epistle to - Paul in this epistle speaks of himself as having left Ephesus for Macedonia 2 Tim 1:3), and hence not Laodicea, as mentioned in the subscription; but probably Philippi, or some other city in that region, was the place where this epistle was written. During the interval between his first and second imprisonments he probably visited the scenes of his former labours in Greece and Asia, and then found his way into Macedonia, whence he wrote this letter to Timothy, whom he had left behind in Ephesus.

It was probably written about A.D. 66 or 67.

The epistle consists mainly, (1) of counsels to Timothy regarding the worship and organization of the Church, and the responsibilities resting on its several members; and (2) of exhortation to faithfulness in maintaining the truth amid surrounding errors.

Timothy, Second Epistle to - was probably written a year or so after the first, and from Rome, where Paul was for a second time a prisoner, and was sent to Timothy by the hands of Tychicus. In it he entreats Timothy to come to him before winter, and to bring Mark with him (comp. Phil. 2:22). He was anticipating that "the time of his departure was at hand" (2 Tim. 4:6), and he exhorts his "son Timothy" to all diligence and steadfastness, and to patience under persecution 2 Tim 1:6-15), and to a faithful discharge of all the duties of his office 2 Tim 4:1-5), with all the solemnity of one who was about to appear before the Judge of quick and dead.

Tin - Heb. bedil ( Num. 31:22; Ezek. 22:18, Ezek. 22:20), a metal well known in ancient times. It is the general opinion that the Phoenicians of Tyre and Sidon obtained their supplies of tin from the British Isles. In Ezek. 27:12 it is said to have been brought from Tarshish, which was probably a commercial emporium supplied with commodities from other places. In Isa. 1:25 the word so rendered is generally understood of lead, the alloy with which the silver had become mixed (ver. 22). The fire of the Babylonish Captivity would be the means of purging out the idolatrous alloy that had corrupted the people.

Tinkling ornaments - ( Isa. 3:18), anklets of silver or gold, etc., such as are still used by women in Syria and the East.

Tiphsah - passing over; ford, one of the boundaries of Solomon's dominions (1 Kings 4:24), probably "Thapsacus, a great and wealthy town on the western bank of the Euphrates," about 100 miles north-east of Tadmor. All the land traffic between the east and the west passed through it. Menahem undertook an expedition against this city, and "smote Tiphsah and all that were therein" (2 Kings 15:16). This expedition implied a march of some 300 miles from Tirzah if by way of Tadmor, and about 400 if by way of Aleppo; and its success showed the strength of the Israelite kingdom, for it was practically a defiance to Assyria. Conder, however, identifies this place with Khurbet Tafsah, some 6 miles west of Shechem.

Tiras - the youngest of the sons of Japheth ( Gen. 10:2; 1 Chr. 1:5).

Tires - "To tire" the head is to adorn it (2 Kings 9:30). As a noun the word is derived from "tiara," and is the rendering of the Heb. p'er, a "turban" or an ornament for the head ( Ezek. 24:17; R.V., "headtire ;" 24:23). In Isa. 3:18 the word saharonim is rendered "round tires like the moon," and in Judg. 8:21, Judg. 8:26"ornaments," but in both cases "crescents" in the Revised Version.