Topaz - Heb. pitdah ( Ezek. 28:13; Rev. 21:20), a golden yellow or "green" stone brought from Cush or Ethiopia ( Job 28:19). It was the second stone in the first row in the breastplate of the high priest, and had the name of Simeon inscribed on it ( Ex. 28:17). It is probably the chrysolite of the moderns.

Tophel - lime, a place in the wilderness of Sinai ( Deut. 1:1), now identified with Tafyleh or Tufileh, on the west side of the Edomitish mountains.

Tophet - =Topheth, from Heb. toph "a drum," because the cries of children here sacrificed by the priests of Moloch were drowned by the noise of such an instrument; or from taph or toph, meaning "to burn," and hence a place of burning, the name of a particular part in the valley of Hinnom. "Fire being the most destructive of all elements, is chosen by the sacred writers to symbolize the agency by which God punishes or destroys the wicked. We are not to assume from prophetical figures that material fire is the precise agent to be used. It was not the agency employed in the destruction of Sennacherib, mentioned in Isa. 30:33...Tophet properly begins where the Vale of Hinnom bends round to the east, having the cliffs of Zion on the north, and the Hill of Evil Counsel on the south. It terminates at Beer 'Ayub, where it joins the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The cliffs on the southern side especially abound in ancient tombs. Here the dead carcasses of beasts and every offal and abomination were cast, and left to be either devoured by that worm that never died or consumed by that fire that was never quenched." Thus Tophet came to represent the place of punishment. (See HINNOM.)

Torches - On the night of his betrayal, when our Lord was in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas, "having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons" ( John 18:1-3). Although it was the time of full moon, yet in the valley of the Kidron "there fell great, deep shadows from the declivity of the mountain and projecting rocks; there were there caverns and grottos, into which a fugitive might retreat; finally, there were probably a garden-house and tower, into whose gloom it might be necessary for a searcher to throw light around." Lange's Commentary. ( Nahum 2:3, "torches," Revised Version, "steel," probably should be "scythes" for war-chariots.)

Torment - Gr. basanos ( Matt. 4:24), the "touch-stone" of justice; hence inquisition by torture, and then any disease which racks and tortures the limbs.

Tortoise - (Heb. tsabh). Ranked among the unclean animals ( Lev. 11:29). Land tortoises are common in Syria. The LXX. renders the word by "land crocodile." The word, however, more probably denotes a lizard, called by the modern Arabs dhabb.

Tow - ( Judg. 16:9). See FLAX.

Tower of the furnaces - ( Neh. 3:11;Neh 12:38), a tower at the north-western angle of the second wall of Jerusalem. It was probably so named from its contig uity to the "bakers' street" ( Jer. 37:21).

Towers - of Babel ( Gen. 11:4), Edar ( Gen. 35:21), Penuel ( Judg. 8:9,Judg. 8:17), Shechem ( Judg 9:46), David ( Cant. 4:4), Lebanon ( Cant 7:4), Syene ( Ezek. 29:10), Hananeel ( Zech. 14:10), Siloam ( Luke 13:4). There were several towers in Jerusalem (2 Chr. 26:9; Ps. 48:12). They were erected for various purposes, as watch-towers in vineyard ( Isa. 5:2; Matt. 21:33) and towers for defence.

Trachonitis - a rugged region, corresponds to the Heb. Argob (q.v.), the Greek name of a region on the east of Jordan ( Luke 3:1); one of the five Roman provinces into which that district was divided. It was in the tetrarchy of Philip, and is now called the Lejah.

Tradition - any kind of teaching, written or spoken, handed down from generation to generation. In Mark 7:3, Mark 7:9, Mark 7:13, Col. 2:8, this word refers to the arbitrary interpretations of the Jews. In 2 Thess. 2:15;2 Thess 3:6, it is used in a good sense. Peter (1 Pet. 1:18) uses this word with reference to the degenerate Judaism of the "strangers scattered" whom he addresses (comp. Acts 15:10; Matt. 15:2-6; Gal. 1:14).

Trance - (Gr. ekstasis, from which the word "ecstasy" is derived) denotes the state of one who is "out of himself." Such were the trances of Peter and Paul, Acts 10:10; Acts 11:5; Acts 22:17, ecstasies, "a preternatural, absorbed state of mind preparing for the reception of the vision", (comp. 2 Cor. 12:1-4). In Mark 5:42 and Luke 5:26 the Greek word is rendered "astonishment," "amazement" (comp. Mark 16:8; Acts 3:10).

Transfiguration, the - of our Lord on a "high mountain apart," is described by each of the three evangelists ( Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). The fullest account is given by Luke, who, no doubt, was informed by Peter, who was present on the occasion. What these evangelists record was an absolute historical reality, and not a mere vision. The concurrence between them in all the circumstances of the incident is exact. John seems to allude to it also ( John 1:14). Forty years after the event Peter distinctly makes mention of it (2 Pet. 1:16-18). In describing the sanctification of believers, Paul also seems to allude to this majestic and glorious appearance of our Lord on the "holy mount" ( Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18).

The place of the transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon (q.v.), and not Mount Tabor, as is commonly supposed.

Treasure cities - store cities which the Israelites built for the Egyptians ( Ex. 1:11). (See PITHOM.) Towns in which the treasures of the kings of Judah were kept were so designated (1 Chr. 27:25).

Treasure houses - the houses or magazines built for the safe keeping of treasure and valuable articles of any kind ( Ezra 5:17;Ezra 7:20; Neh. 10:38; Dan. 1:2).

Treasury - ( Matt. 27:6; Mark 12:41; John 8:20). It does not appear that there was a separate building so called. The name was given to the thirteen brazen chests, called "trumpets," from the form of the opening into which the offerings of the temple worshippers were put. These stood in the outer "court of the women." "Nine chests were for the appointed money-tribute and for the sacrifice-tribute, i.e., money-gifts instead of the sacrifices; four chests for freewill-offerings for wood, incense, temple decoration, and burnt-offerings" (Lightfoot's Hor. Heb.).

Tree of life - stood also in the midst of the garden of Eden ( Gen. 2:9;Gen 3:22). Some writers have advanced the opinion that this tree had some secret virtue, which was fitted to preserve life. Probably the lesson conveyed was that life was to be sought by man, not in himself or in his own power, but from without, from Him who is emphatically the Life ( John 1:4;John 14:6). Wisdom is compared to the tree of life ( Prov. 3:18). The "tree of life" spoken of in the Book of Revelation ( Rev. 2:7;Rev 22:2,Rev. 2:14) is an emblem of the joys of the celestial paradise.

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil - stood in the midst of the garden of Eden, beside the tree of life (Gen. 2, 3). Adam and Eve were forbidden to take of the fruit which grew upon it. But they disobeyed the divine injunction, and so sin and death by sin entered our world and became the heritage of Adam's posterity. (See ADAM.)

Trespass offering - (Heb. 'asham, "debt"), the law concerning, given in Lev. 5:14-6:7; also in Num. 5:5-8. The idea of sin as a "debt" pervades this legislation. The asham, which was always a ram, was offered in cases where sins were more private. (See OFFERING.)

Tribe - a collection of families descending from one ancestor. The "twelve tribes" of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In Matt. 24:30 the word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred to as types of the spiritual family of God (Rev. 7). (See ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF ; JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.)

Tribulation - trouble or affiction of any kind ( Deut. 4:30; Matt. 13:21; 2 Cor. 7:4). In Rom. 2:9 "tribulation and anguish" are the penal sufferings that shall overtake the wicked. In Matt. 24:21, Matt. 24:29, the word denotes the calamities that were to attend the destruction of Jerusalem.

Tribute - a tax imposed by a king on his subjects (2 Sam. 20:24; 1 Kings 4:6; Rom. 13:6). In Matt. 17:24-27 the word denotes the temple rate (the "didrachma," the "half-shekel," as rendered by the R.V.) which was required to be paid for the support of the temple by every Jew above twenty years of age ( Ex. 30:12; 2 Kings 12:4; 2 Chr. 24:6,2 Chr. 24:9). It was not a civil but a religious tax.

In Matt. 22:17, Mark 12:14, Luke 20:22, the word may be interpreted as denoting the capitation tax which the Romans imposed on the Jewish people. It may, however, be legitimately regarded as denoting any tax whatever imposed by a foreign power on the people of Israel. The "tribute money" shown to our Lord ( Matt. 22:19) was the denarius, bearing Caesar's superscription. It was the tax paid by every Jew to the Romans. (See PENNY.)

Trinity - a word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person.

Troas - a city on the coast of Mysia, in the north-west of Asia Mino r, named after ancient Troy, which was at some little distance from it (about 4 miles) to the north. Here Paul, on his second missionary journey, saw the vision of a "man of Macedonia," who appeared to him, saying, "Come over, and help us" ( Acts 16:8-11). He visited this place also on other occasions, and on one of these visits he left his cloak and some books there (2 Cor. 2:12; 2 Tim. 4:13). The ruins of Troas extend over many miles, the site being now mostly covered with a forest of oak trees. The modern name of the ruins is Eski Stamboul i.e., Old Constantinople.

Trogyllium - a town on the western coast of Asia Minor, where Paul "tarried" when on his way from Assos to Miletus, on his third missionary journey ( Acts 20:15).