(1) A prominent official in Israel. With Aaron he held up Moses' hands during the battle against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:10,12) and assisted him as judicial head of the people during Moses' stay in the mount (Exodus 24:14).

(2) Grandfather of Bezalel, the head artificer in the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:2; 35:30; 38:22; 2 Chronicles 1:5). He is here assigned to the tribe of Judah, and in 1 Ch is connected with the same by descent through Caleb (2 Chronicles 2:18,18,18; 4:1,4). Josephus (Ant., III, ii, 4; vi, 1) makes him identical with (1) and the husband of Miriam.

(3) One of the five kings of Midian slain along with Balaam when Israel avenged the "matter of Peor" upon this people (Numbers 31:8; compare Numbers 31:1-2,16). In Joshua 13:21 these kings are spoken of as "chiefs (nesi'im) of Midian" and "princes (necikhim) of Sihon," king of the Amorites.

(4) According to 1 Kings 4:8 the King James Version, the father of one of Solomon's twelve officers who provided food for the king's household, and whose district was the hill country of Ephraim. Here the Revised Version (British and American) has "Ben-hur," taking the Hebrew ben, "son of," as part of the proper name; and the same is true in reference to the names of four others of these officers (compare 1 Kings 4:9-10,11,13).

(5) Father of Rephaiah, who was one of the builders of the wall under Nehemiah, and ruler of half the district of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:9).

Benjamin Reno Downer

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

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