MERCY-SEAT (flrIhm ; Sept. iXaartiiptofr , Vulg. propitiatorium ; Luth. gnadenstlehl). The Hebrew name literally denotes a cover, and, in fact, describes the lid of the ark with cherubim, over which appeared 4 the glory of God' (Exod. xxvi. 17, seq. ; xxx. S • xxxi. 7, and elsewhere). [ARK.] Compare I Chron. xxviii. II, where the holy of holies is called the ronzri roz, house of the mercy-seat.' The idea involved in these trans lations seems to be founded upon the metaphorical application of the word 1M7 copher, to cover, thus making ' to cover sin' mean to forgive or expiate it. The word used in the Septuagint and N. T. to translate the term, is IXaarlhow, the ' expiatory,' or ' propitiatory,' in allusion to that application of the Hebrew word which we have noted : which application is in this instance justified and ex plained by reference to the custom of the high priest once a year entering the most holy place, and sprinkling the lid of the ark with the blood of an expiatory victim, whereby ' he made atonement for the sins of the people.' As this was the most solemn and significant act of the Hebrew ritual, it is natural that a reference to it should be involved in the name which the covering of the ark acquired. By a comparison of the texts in which the word occurs, it will be seen that there would, in fact, have been little occasion to name the cover of the ark separately from the ark itself, but for this im portant ceremonial. From this it seems to follow that 'mercy-seat' is not a good or correct represen tative of the idea involved in the metaphorical sense of the original Hebrew, and still less of the Greek lActerrOtov. It carries the idea a stage further from the original. The lid of the ark was no doubt the seat of mercy,' but it was mercy conferred through the act of expiation ; and therefore a name bringing the sense nearer to the idea of expiation or of pro pitiation would be more exact. The term mercie seat' occurs in Barker's Bible, but is explained there by or covering, or propitiatorie ;' and the notion which led the English translators to call it mercie-seate,' is expressed in the note—' There God appeared mercifully unto them : and this was a figure of Christ' In the same Bible a figure of the covering of the ark is given separately, and the explanatory description is, The propitiatorie, or mercie-seate, which is the covering of the arke of the testimonie.'—J. K.
MERED (1-c, LXX. Mwpd3, Mcop.i/3), a man the tribe of Judah, mentioned in an obscure part of its genealogies (r Chron. iv. 17, 18). His period is uncertain, but it is probable that he lived not long after the occupation of Pales tine. Othniel, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
are mentioned just before him (13, 15), and amongst his apparent sons were fathers of cities, therefore probably founders or first Israelite oc cupiers of them (z8). In his genealogy the name Miriam also occurs, seemingly as that of a daugh ter. Respecting him a remarkable circumstance is related, that he married an Egyptian princess. It is said, after mention of the names thought to be of his children, And these [are] the sons of Bitbiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took' (i8). Another wife is spoken of called the Jewess' Jehudijah (IS), apparently the same as Hodiah (19). It has been supposed that Pharaoh is here the name of an Israelite, but there are strong reasons for the common and con trary opinion. The name Bithiah, daughter,' that is Servant, of the Lord,' is appropriate to a convert. It may be observed that the Muslims of the present day very frequently give the name 'Ab dallah, Servant of God,' to those who adopttheir J religion. That another wife was called the Jewess, is in favour of Bithiah's Egyptian origin. The name Miriam, if, as we believe, Egyptian, is especially suitable to the child of an Egyptian. We therefore suppose Mered's wife Bithia to have been the daughter of an Egyptian king. [BITHIA.] If, as we hold, the Exodus took place before the 18th dynasty, her father may have been one of the contemporary sovereigns who then ruled Egypt, and she may have been taken in border warfare. If she were the daughter of a king of the 18th or a later dy nasty of the empire, it would be probable that she was given in marriage to Mered, who would appear to have been a powerful chief, from the mention of towns colonized, as it seems, by his descendants.—R. S. P.
Alex. Map.c60.) A priest to whom was entrusted the weighing of the silver, the gold, and the vessels of the temple in the time of Ezra (viii. 33). He is mentioned also by Nehemiah (iii. 4; Sept. Pa/.14,58) as taking part in the building of the wall of Jeru salem, and it is probably the same person who is named in ver. 21 (Sept. Mepap.0). He was the son of of the family of Koz. After the statement in Ezra ii. 62 respecting the exclusion of this family from the priesthood, it is puzzling to find one of this family recognised as a priest ; but probably the exclusion did not extend to the whole family, some being able to establish their pedigree. -2. One of the sons of Bani who had married a foreign wife (Ezra x. 36Sept. Mapt/460).-3. A priestly family who signed the covenant (Neh. x. 5 ; xii. 3, Illepagth0). In the days of Jeshua this family was represented by Helkai. [MER,UOTH, L A.