AGABITS (ag'a-bus), aeab-os, per haps, to love), the name of "a prophet," supposed to have been one of the seventy disciples of Christ. He, with others,came from Judrea to Antioch,while Paul and Barnabas (A. D.43) were there and announced an approaching famine, which actually occurred the following year. Some writers suppose that the famine was general,but most modern commentators unite in understanding that the large terms of the original '0Xne rijv olKovp.ennir, apply not to the whole world, nor even to the whole Roman empire, but, as in Luke ii :1, to Judea only. Statements re specting four famines, which occurred in the reign of Claudius, are produced by the commen tators who support this view ; and as all the countries put together would not make up a tenth part of even the Roman empire, they think it plain that the words must be understood to apply to that famine which, in the fourth year of Claudius, overspread Palestine. The poor Jews, in general, were then relieved by the Queen of Adiabene, who sent to purchase corn in Egypt for them (Joseph. Antiq. XX :2, 6) : and for the relief of the Chris tians in that country contributions were raised by the brethren at Antioch, and conveyed to Jeru salem by Paul and Barnabas (Acts xi :27-30). Many years after, this same Agabus met Paul at Ciesarca, and warned him of the sufferings which awaited him if he prosecuted his journey to Jerusalem (Acts xxi :11-14).
AGAG (Heb. , flame), the name of two kings of the Amalekites, and perhaps a com mon name of all their kings, like Pharaoh in Egypt (Comp. Num. xxiv :7; I Sam. xv :8, g, 20,
32), B. C. 1169. I. The first of these passages would imply that the king of the Amalekites was, then at least, a greater monarch, and his people a greater people, than is commonly imag ined. (See A MALEKITES.) 2. The latter references are to that king of the Amalekites who was spared by Saul, contrary to the solemn vow of devote ment to destruction, whereby the nation, as such, had of old precluded itself from giving any quarter to that people (Exod. xvii :to; Num. 45). Hence, when Samuel arrived in the camp of Saul, he ordered Agag to be brought forth. He came 'pleasantly,' deeming secure the life which the king had spared. But the prophet ordered him to be cut in pieces ; and the expres sion which he employed—'As thy sword bath made women childless, so shall thy in 'tiler be childless among women' (I Sam. xv :32)—in dicates that, apart from the obligations of the vow, some such example of retributive justice was intended, as had been exercised in the case of Adonibezek ; or, in other words, that Agag had made himself infamous by the same treatment of some prisoners of distinction (probably Israelites) as he now received from Samuel. The unusual mode in which his death was inflicted strongly supports this conclusion.