ISLE, ISLAND (II, Viand), (Heb. ee, habit able places).
The Hebrew word is invariably translated, either by the former or by the latter of these English words, which, having the same inean mg, will be considered as one. It occurs in the three following senses: First, that of dry land in opposition to water ; as 'I will make the rivers islands' (1s. xlii :15). In Is. xx :6, the Isle of Ashdod means the country, and is so ren dered in the margin. In Is. xxiii :2, 6, 'the isle' means the country of Tyre, and in Ezek. xxvii : 6, 7, that of Chittim and Elishah. (See also Job xxii :3o.) Second, it is used in Hebrew and Eng lish according to its geographical meaning, for a country surrounded by water, as in Jer. xlvii :4, 'the isle (margin) of Caphtor,' which is probably that of Cyprus. 'The isles of the sea' (Esth. x :I) are evidently put in opposition to 'the land,' or continent. ln Ps. xcvii :t, 'the multitude of the isles' seem distinguished from the earth or conti nents, and are evidently added to complete the de scription of the whole world. Third, the word is
used by the Hebrews to designate all those coun tries divided from them by the sea. In Is. xi :it, after an enumeration of countries lying on their own continent, the words, 'and the islands of the sea,' are added in order to comprehend those situate' beyond the ocean. The following are additional instances of this usage of the word, which is of very frequent occurrence (Is. xlii: to ; lix :18 ; lxvi : ; Jer. xxv :22; Ezek. xxvii: 3, 15; Zeph. :11). It is observed by Sir I.
Newton (on Daniel, p. 276), 'By the earth the Jews understood the great continent of all Asia and Africa, to which they had access by land, and by the isles of the sea they understood the places to which they sailed by sea, particularly all Europe.' J. F. D.