HANANIAH (h'an'a-ni'ah), (Heb. M.,;=2:I„ khan an-yaw', Jehovah's goodness).
1. A chief captain of the army of King Uz ziah (2 Chron xxvi :ri), B. C. 803.
2. Son of Heman and chief of the 16th course of Levites ( Chron. xxv :4, 5, 23), B. C. to14.
3. A false prophet of Gibeon, who, by opposing his prophecies to those of Jeretniah, brought upon himself the terrible sentence, 'Thou shalt die this year, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.' He died accordingly (Jer. xxviii sq.), B. C. 596.
4. Father of Zedckiah, and a prince in the reign of Jehoiakim, King of Judah (Jer. xxxvi: 12), B. C. 6o5.
5. Grandfather of Irijah (Jer. xxxvii :13), B. C. before 589.
6. }lead of a Tienjamite house (1 Chron. viii: 24), R. C. 6o5.
7. (See SHADRAcii.) 8. Son of Zerubbabel from whom Christ was descended (t Chron. ill:19), B. C. after 536.
9. Sons of Rebai who returned from captivity with Ezra (Ezra x:28), B. C. 459.
10. A priest who had the charge of making the ointments (Ex'od. xxx :22-38; t Chron. ix :3o). He built a part of the wall in the time of Nehe miah (Neh. iii :8). Perhaps the same as the one mentioned in verse 3o. (B. C. 446.) 11. The person who was associated with Nehe miah's brother Hanani in the charge of the gates of Jerusalem. The high eulogy is bestowed upon him, that 'he was a faithful man, and feared God above many' (Neh. vii :2). (See HANANI 2.) 12. Head of the priestly course of Jeremiah under Joiakim the high-priest (Neh. xii:t2), B. C. 446.
13. An Israelite mentioned (Neh. x:23). (See ANANIAS.) HAND (hInd), Heb.1.7,yawd, the open palm kafth, the hollow of the hand; Gr. xetp, kitire), The organ of feeling, and rightly denomina ted by Galen the instrument of instruments, SilICC by its position at the end of the fore-arm, its struc ture and its connection with the mind, the hand admirably executes the behests of the human will, and acquires and imparts to man incompar able skill and power. By the peculiarities of Its conformation-the inclination of the thumb to tne palm, the comparative length of the thumb and of the fingers, 'the hollow of the hand,' and the fleshy protuberances by which that hollow is mainly formed-this member is wonderfully adapted to the purposes for which it was designed, and serves to illustrate the wisdom and providence of the great Creator (The Hand, its Mechanism.
and vital Endowments, as evincing Design, by Sir Charles lien).
The hand itself serves to distinguish man from all other terrestrial beings. No other animai has any member comparable with the human hand The trunk of the elephant unites the attributes of skill and power to a surprising extent, but yields the palm to the hand.
Of the two hands the right has a preference, derived from natural endowment. Its universal use, as the chief instrument in acting, serves to show that its superiority is something more than an accident. But the preference which it holds is only a part of the general advantage which the right side has over the left, not only in muscu lar strength, but also in its vital or constitutional properties (Bell).
From • the properties already described, the student of Scripture is prepared to see the hand employed in holy writ as a symbol of skill, strength, and efficacy.
As the hand is the great instrument of action, so is it eminently fitted for affording aid to the mind, by the signs and indications which it makes. Thus to lay the hand on any one was a means of pointing him out, and consequently an emblem of setting any one apart for a partic ular office or dignity. Imposition of hands ac cordingly formed, at an early period, a part of the ceremonial observed on the appointment and con secration of persons to high and holy under takings. (See Num. xxvii :18-23; Acts viii :15-u; I Tim. iv :14; 2 Tim. i :6.) A corruption of thi5 doctrine was, that the laying on of hands gave of itself divine powers, and on this account Simon. the magician (Acts viii :18), offered money, say ing 'Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost,' in tending probably to carry on a gainful trade by connnunicating the gift to others. (See HANDS, IMPOSITION OF. ) J. R. B.