Easton's Bible Dictionary

This is an excerpt from a biblical dictionary or encyclopedia, presenting alphabetical entries for proper nouns — personal names and place names — drawn from the Hebrew Bible. Each entry provides an English gloss of the Hebrew meaning, identifies the person or place, and cites relevant scriptural references. The geographical entries are the most substantive, offering historical and archaeological detail: the entry on Zoan, for instance, identifies it with the Egyptian city of Tanis, describes it as the Hyksos capital and the setting for Moses's confrontations with Pharaoh, and notes its current state as a ruin of exceptional antiquity. The work integrates ancient Near Eastern scholarship alongside scripture, drawing on sources like *Bible and Modern Discovery* and cross-referencing Greek, Egyptian, and Arabic place names to anchor biblical geography in the physical landscape. Entries on figures like Zoar and Zobah similarly tie biblical narrative to identifiable historical and political contexts, such as Saul and David's wars with Syrian kingdoms. This is reference literature aimed at readers who want to understand the biblical text more precisely — useful for scholars, clergy, or serious lay readers, though not offering interpretive or theological argument beyond identification and context.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

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