ECLIPSE (e-klips'). The Hebrews do not seem to have philosophized much on eclipses, which they considered as visible marks of Cod's auger (see Joel ii:to, 31; iii:15; Job ix:71. Ezekiel (xxxii: 7), and Job (xxxvi:32), speak more particularly, that God covers the sun with clouds when lie de prives the earth of its light by eclipses.
Fite date of Amos coincides with a total eclipse, which occurred Feb. 9, B. C. 784 ; and was visible at Jerusalem shortly after noon (Hitzig, Comm. in Proph.) ; that of Micah with the eclipse of June 5, B. C. 716, referred to by Dionys. ii:56, to which same period the latter part of the book of Zechariah may be probably assigned. A passing notice in Jer. xv :9 coincides in date with the eclipse of Sept. 3o, B. C. 61o, so well known from Herodotus' account (i :74, 103). The darkness that overspread the world at the crucifixion cannot with reason be attributed to an eclipse, as the moon was at the full at the time of the Passover.
(See DARKNESS.) ED (ed), (Ileb. ayd a witness), a word in serted in the A. V. of Josh. xxii:34, apparently on the authority of a few manuscripts, and also of the Syriac and Arabic versions, but not existing in the generally received Hebrew text.
It was the name given to the altar erected by the two tribes and a half, who were settled be yond Jordan ( Josh. xxii :34). It was probably a copy or repetition of that which was used among the I lebrews. their brethren, and it was built to witness to posterity the interest of these tribes in the altar common to the descendants of the patri arch Israel.
Perhaps a better translation would be: "It (the altar) is a bcIwren us that Jehovah is God." The entire sentence formed its name and was written on the altar. not merely In this case "Ed" would not be a props r name.
EDAR (e'dar), Web. ay'der, a thIck1„1 place mentioned in Con. xxxv:21, beyond which was Jacobs Iirst halting place between Bethlehem and IIebnai.
As Bethlehem was a pastoral country and, even at this time. abounds in watchtowers from which the shepherds ovt rlook their flocks, Edar may have been a well known tower of that kind.
EDEN (e'd'n), (lIch. den). The red origin of the name probably is (»mid in the Assyr ian /dim/ )(nun Aceadian r,/tut, lint Eden has generally bet n supposed to mean de li/rids, Ideasantnesc (I.X X Tpuovf: \'ulg.'o/u/du).
1. The home of Adam and Eve before their fall (Gen. ii :15). Its site has not been fixed. Two of its rivers are identified, the Euphrates, and the Hiddekel or Tigris ; the others are disputed. Some say Gihon was the Nile and Pison the Indus. The best authorities agree that the "garden of Eden eastward" was in the highlands of Armenia, or in the valley of the Euphrates, but its precise location cannot be determined. The Bible, after the history of the fall of our first parents, withdraws paradise lost from our view, and directs our hope to the more glorious paradise of the future, with its river of life and tree of life (Rev. xxii :2). (See PARA DISE.) 2. One of the places which furnished Tyre with richly embroidered stuffs. It is mentioned with Haran, Sheba, and Asshur ; also with Beth-Eden (Amos i :5). The sons of Eden are mentioned with Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, as subjects of As syrian conquest (2 Kings xix :12; Is. xxxvii :12). Telassar seems to have been the chief place of the tribe. Eden was probably situated in the north west of Mesopotamia, but positive evidence is wanting.
3. Beth-Eden (Heb.17% ns;,bayth ay'den, house of pleasure, house of Eden), was probably the name of a house of pleasure of the kings of Da mascus (Amos i :5).
4. A Levite, son of Joah, who was one of the two who represented Ins family in the purification of the Temple in the days of Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxix:12), B. C. 726.
5. A Levite, probably identical with Eden, who had charge of the freewill offering of God, under Kore, son of Inmali (2 Chron. xxxi :15).
EDER (e'der), (Heb. 7:t.% ay'der, a flock).
1. One of the towns in the south of Judah on the borders of Edoin. Its identity with the mod ern Arad has been suggested (Josh. xv :21).
2. A Levite, of the family of Merari, in the time of David (I Chron. xxiii :23; xxiv :30), B. C. 1013.