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Zidon - a fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the "first-born" of Canaan, the grandson of Noah ( Gen. 10:15,Gen. 10: 19). It was the first home of the Phoenicians on the coast of Palestine, and from its extensive commercial relations became a "great" city ( Josh. 11:8;Josh 19:28). It was the mother city of Tyre. It lay within the lot of the tribe of Asher, but was never subdued ( Judg. 1:31). The Zidonians long oppressed Israel ( Judg. 10:12). From the time of David its glory began to wane, and Tyre, its "virgin daughter" ( Isa. 23:12), rose to its place of pre-eminence. Solomon entered into a matrimonial alliance with the Zidonians, and thus their form of idolatrous worship found a place in the land of Israel (1 Kings 11:1,1 Kings 11: 33). This city was famous for its manufactures and arts, as well as for its commerce (1 Kings 5:6;1 Kings 1 . 22:4; Ezek. 27:8). It is frequently referred to by the prophets ( Isa. 23:2,Isa. 23: 4,Isa. 23: 12; Jer. 25:22; Jer 27:3; Jer 47:4; Ezek. 27:8; Ezek 28:21, Ezek. 27: 22; Ezek 32:30; Joel 3:4). Our Lord visited the "coasts" of Tyre and Zidon = Sidon (q.v.), Matt. 15:21; Mark 7:24; Luke 4:26; and from this region many came forth to hear him preaching ( Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17). From Sidon, at which the ship put in after leaving Caesarea, Paul finally sailed for Rome ( Acts 27:3,Acts 27: 4).

This city is now a town of 10,000 inhabitants, with remains of walls built in the twelfth century A.D. In 1855, the sarcophagus of Eshmanezer was discovered. From a Phoenician inscription on its lid, it appears that he was a "king of the Sidonians," probably in the third century B.C., and that his mother was a priestess of Ashtoreth, "the goddess of the Sidonians." In this inscription Baal is mentioned as the chief god of the Sidonians.

Zif - brightness; splendour; i.e., "the flower month," mentioned only in 1 Kings 6:1,1 Kings 6: 37, as the "second month." It was called Iyar by the later Jews. (See MONTH.)

Ziha - drought. (1.) The name of a family of Nethinim ( Ezra 2:43; Neh. 7:46). (2.) A ruler among the Nethinim ( Neh. 11:21).

Ziklag - a town in the Negeb, or south country of Judah ( Josh. 15:31), in the possession of the Philistines when David fled to Gath from Ziph with all his followers. Achish, the king, assigned him Ziklag as his place of residence. There he dwelt for over a year and four months. From this time it pertained to the kings of Judah (1 Sam. 27:6). During his absence with his army to join the Philistine expedition against the Israelites 1 Sam 29:11), it was destroyed by the Amalekites 1 Sam 30:1,1 Sam 30: 2), whom David, however, pursued and utterly routed, returning all the captives (1 Sam. 30:26-31). Two days after his return from this expedition, David received tidings of the disastrous battle of Gilboa and of the death of Saul (2 Sam. 1:1-16). He now left Ziklag and returned to Hebron, along with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and his band of 600 men. It has been identified with 'Asluj, a heap of ruins south of Beersheba. Conder, however, identifies it with Khirbet Zuheilikah, ruins found on three hills half a mile apart, some seventeen miles north-west of Beersheba, on the confines of Philistia, Judah, and Amalek.

Zillah - shadow, one of the wives of Lamech, of the line of Cain, and mother of Tubal-cain ( Gen. 4:19,Gen. 4: 22).

Zilpah - drooping, Leah's handmaid, and the mother of Gad and Asher ( Gen. 30:9-13).

Zilthai - shadow (i.e., protection) of Jehovah. (1.) A Benjamite (1 Chr. 8:20). (2.) One of the captains of the tribe of Manasseh who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:20).

Zimmah - mischief. (1.) A Gershonite Levite (1 Chr. 6:20).

(2.) Another Gershonite Levite (1 Chr. 6:42).

(3.) The father of Joah (2 Chr. 29:12).

Zimran - vine-dressers; celebrated, one of the sons of Abraham by Keturah ( Gen. 25:2).

Zimri - praise-worthy. (1.) A son of Salu, slain by Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, because of his wickedness in bringing a Midianitish woman into his tent ( Num. 25:6-15).

(2.) Murdered Elah at Tirzah, and succeeded him on the throne of Israel (1 Kings 16:8-10). He reigned only seven days, for Omri, whom the army elected as king, laid siege to Tirzah, whereupon Zimri set fire to the palace and perished amid its ruins (11-20). Omri succeeded to the throne only after four years of fierce war with Tibni, another claimant to the throne.

Zin - a low palm-tree, the south-eastern corner of the desert et-Tih, the wilderness of Paran, between the Gulf of Akabah and the head of the Wady Guraiyeh ( Num. 13:21). To be distinguished from the wilderness of Sin (q.v.).

Zina - ornament, one of the sons of Shimei (1 Chr. 23:10).

Zion - sunny; height, one of the eminences on which Jerusalem was built. It was surrounded on all sides, except the north, by deep valleys, that of the Tyropoeon (q.v.) separating it from Moriah (q.v.), which it surpasses in height by 105 feet. It was the south-eastern hill of Jerusalem.

When David took it from the Jebusites ( Josh. 15:63;Josh 2 . 5:7) he built on it a citadel and a palace, and it became "the city of David" (1 Kings 8:1;1 Kings 2 19:21, 19: 31; 1 . 11:5). In the later books of the Old Testament this name was sometimes used ( Ps. 87:2;Ps 149:2; Isa. 33:14; Joel 2:1) to denote Jerusalem in general, and sometimes God's chosen Israel ( Ps. 51:18;Ps 87:5).

In the New Testament (see S) it is used sometimes to denote the Church of God ( Heb. 12:22), and sometimes the heavenly city ( Rev. 14:1).

Zior - littleness, a city in the mountains of Judah ( Josh. 15:54); the modern Si'air, 4 1/2 miles north-north-east of Hebron.

Ziph - flowing. (1.) A son of Jehaleleel (1 Chr. 4:16).

(2.) A city in the south of Judah ( Josh. 15:24), probably at the pass of Sufah.

(3.) A city in the mountains of Judah ( Josh. 15:55), identified with the uninhabited ruins of Tell ez-Zif, about 5 miles south-east of Hebron. Here David hid himself during his wanderings (1 Sam. 23:19; Ps. 54, title).

Ziphah - a descendant of Judah (1 Chr. 4:16).

Ziphron - sweet odour, a city on the northern border of Palestine ( Num. 34:9), south-east of Hamath.

Zippor - a little bird, the father of Balak, king of Moab ( Num. 22:2,Num. 22: 4).

Zipporah - a female bird. Reuel's daughter, who became the wife of Moses ( Ex. 2:21). In consequence of the event recorded in Ex. 4:24-26, she and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when so far on the way with Moses toward Egypt, were sent back by him to her own kinsfolk, the Midianites, with whom they sojourned till Moses afterwards joined them Ex 18:2-6).

Zithri - the Lord protects, a Levite, son of Uzziel ( Ex. 6:22).

Ziz - projecting; a flower, a cleft or pass, probably that near En-gedi, which leads up from the Dead Sea (2 Chr. 20:16) in the direction of Tekoa; now Tell Hasasah.

Ziza - splendour; abundance. (1.) A Simeonite prince (1 Chr. 4:37-43).

(2.) A son of Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:20).

Zizah - a Gershonite Levite (1 Chr. 23:11).

Zoan - (Old Egypt. Sant= "stronghold," the modern San). A city on the Tanitic branch of the Nile, called by the Greeks Tanis. It was built seven years after Hebron in Palestine ( Num. 13:22). This great and important city was the capital of the Hyksos, or Shepherd kings, who ruled Egypt for more than 500 years. It was the frontier town of Goshen. Here Pharaoh was holding his court at the time of his various interviews with Moses and Aaron. "No trace of Zoan exists; Tanis was built over it, and city after city has been built over the ruins of that" (Harper, Bible and Modern Discovery). Extensive mounds of ruins, the wreck of the ancient city, now mark its site ( Isa. 19:11,Isa. 19: 13;Isa 30:4; Ezek. 30:14). "The whole constitutes one of the grandest and oldest ruins in the world."

This city was also called "the Field of Zoan" ( Ps. 78:12,Ps. 78: 43) and "the Town of Rameses" (q.v.), because the oppressor rebuilt and embellished it, probably by the forced labour of the Hebrews, and made it his northern capital.

Zoar - small, a town on the east or south-east of the Dead Sea, to which Lot and his daughters fled from Sodom ( Gen. 19:22,Gen. 19: 23). It was originally called Bela ( Gen 14:2,Gen 14: 8). It is referred to by the prophets Isaiah ( Gen 15:5) and Jeremiah ( Gen 48:34). Its ruins are still seen at the opening of the ravine of Kerak, the Kir-Moab referred to in 2 Kings 3, the modern Tell esh-Shaghur.