Easton's Bible Dictionary

This is a set of entries from a Bible dictionary or biblical encyclopedia, covering terms beginning with the letter "D" — a reference work in the tradition of Victorian-era scriptural scholarship. The entries define and contextualize words appearing in the Old and New Testaments, drawing on Hebrew, the Septuagint, and comparative sources including Rabbinical commentary, European translators (Luther, Grotius), and archaeological findings. Topics range from musical instruments (the dulcimer/bagpipe of Daniel 3) to place names (Dumah, Dura, the Dung-gate of Jerusalem) to cultural practices (dung as fuel and manure, dungeon imprisonment, dust as a sign of mourning or submission). A distinctive feature is the work's effort to ground biblical terms in concrete Near Eastern geography, archaeology, and everyday material culture — for instance, noting that cows' and camels' dung is still used as fuel in Syria, Arabia, and Egypt, or that a statue pedestal at Dura may be Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. The entries are terse and factual rather than devotional, aimed at readers who want precise identification of biblical references rather than theological interpretation.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

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