M

Lowth, (Dr.) a very celebrated commentator on portions of the Old Testament Scriptures, General Preface, pp. 8, 10.

Lu, wl, import of this Hebrew interjection when used as a memorial symbol, Masoretic notes at the end of Numbers. {Numbers 36:13} Lucan’s description of the splendour of the apartments of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, Ezekiel 28:14.

Lud, the same with Lydia, Ezekiel 27:10.

Luther, (Martin) character of, 2 Kings 12:6.

Luxury, formerly the characteristic of the Eastern princes, and particularly of the Persians, Esther 1:4.

Lying, excellent advice of a genuine Christian poet against, Joshua 2:24, in fine. Saying of Diphilus upon this subject not defensible upon Christian principles, 1 Samuel 21:2.

Lyranus, or Nicholas de Lyra, account of this commentator, General Preface, p. 3.

M

Maachah, mother of Asa, king of Judah, inquiry into the nature of the idolatry patronized by this woman, 1 Kings 15:13. Mabul, lwbm, a word applied only to the general deluge, Genesis 6:17. Its derivation, Genesis 7:11.

Maccabees, very fanciful rabbinical derivation of the name of this people, Psalm 20:5.

Machpelah, cave at, the first public burying - place mentioned in history, Genesis 49:29.

Macknight, (Dr.) author of a translation of the Epistles, with notes, General Preface, p. 8.

Maedi, a tribe of Arabs, whence so named, Isaiah 42:11. Magian religion, great principle of the, Isaiah 45:7. Magnet, reasons for believing that this stone was known in the East long before its discovery by the Europeans, Job 28:18. Magnitudes, bulks, or volumes of the sun, moon, and planets, compared with that of the earth, Genesis 1:1.

Magog, conjecture where situated, Ezekiel 28:2. Maher - shalal - hash - baz, meaning of the name, Isaiah 8:1. Maimonides, or Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, account of this commentator, General Preface, p. 3.

Major hostia, or chief sacrifice, what so considered by the pagans, according to Livy, Leviticus 1:2.

Makheloth, the twenty - first station of the Israelites in the wilderness, Numbers 33:25.

Malachi, some account of this prophet, Malachi 1:1, in principio. Maldonat, (John) a commentator on particular parts of the Old and New Testaments, General Preface, p. 5.

Manasseh, why so named, Genesis 41:51.

Mandrakes, some account of these plants, Genesis 30:14. Manes, or ghosts of the dead, or spirits presiding over the dead, formerly supposed to have their habitation in the centre of the earth, or in the deepest pits or caverns, Job 28:11. A quotation from Ovid to this effect, ibid. Several captives have sometimes, in time of war, been sacrificed to the manes of the departed hero, 2 Chronicles 16:14, in fine.

Manifesto of the Duke of Brunswick, reflections on this document, 2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 37:9.

Manna, why so named, Exodus 16:15.

Manners of the ancients and moderns compared, 2 Samuel 3:39, in fine.

Mantes, or bald locusts, Dr. Shaw’s account of the, Joel 2:2. Mantle or pallium, the peculiar garb of a Hebrew prophet, 1 Kings 19:19; 2 Kings 2:8. Probably dressed with the hair on, ibid. A sort of mantle was the habit of the Greek philosophers, 1 Kings 19:21, in fine. Marah, the fourth station of the Israelites in the wilderness, where supposed to be situated, Numbers 33:8.

Marble, temple built of large blocks of white marble, beautifully polished, according to Josephus, 1 Chronicles 29:2.

Mareshah, Maresheth, or Marasthi, a place famous for being the birth - place of the prophet Micah, and for a battle fought near it between Asa, king of Judah, and Zerah, king of the AEthiopians, Joshua 15:44. Mark, variety of opinions respecting that which God set upon Cain, Genesis 4:15.

Marks indelibly printed on the hands and other parts of the body, both by ancients and moderns, Isaiah 44:5; Leviticus 19:28. Maroth, tarm, rendered looking - glasses in our version, signifies polished metallic surfaces of any description, Exodus 38:8. Marriage, a very solemn contract among the ancients, Genesis 29:22. Reason for believing that sacrifices were offered and libations poured out on such an occasion, ibid. Customary in the East, according to Sir John Chardin, for youths that were never married always to marry virgins, and widowers, however young, to marry widows, Isaiah 62:5. Remarkable law among the Gentoos respecting marriage, Genesis 29:26. Customary in ancient times for a king or great man to promise his daughter in marriage to him who should take a city, kill an enemy, &c., Joshua 15:16.

Marriage ceremonies among the Romans, Song of Solomon 5:5. Marrow, in what manner this substance is contained in the bones, Proverbs 3:8. The solidity and strength of the bone occasioned by the marrow which is diffused through it, ibid. This circumstance illustrated by an easy experiment, ibid.

Mars, periodic and sidereal revolutions, semimajor axis of orbit in English miles, perigeal and apogeal distances, diameter, relative volume or bulk, time of rotation, inclination of axis to orbit, mass or attractive power compared with that of the earth, (from which the density or specific gravity is easily deducible,) and mean hourly orbitical motion, of this primary planet, Genesis 1:1.

Marseilles, ancient inhabitants of, when afflicted with any pestilence, sacrificed one of their citizens to appease the wrath of the divinity, Leviticus 16:10.

Martin, (David) translator of the Scriptures into French, with notes, General Preface, p. 7.

Maschil or Maskil, why this title is given to several of the Psalms, Psalm 32:1, in principio.

Mashal, what, among the Hebrews, Isaiah 6:10; 14:4; 28:20; 29:17. Mask, definition of a composition so named, Introduction to Solomon’s Song. {Song of Solomon 1:1}

Masoretes, account of these eminent Jewish commentators, General Preface, p. 2.

Masoretic punctuations, critical observations on the, Isaiah 66:24, in fine.

Massa, acm, rendered burden, inquiry into the meaning of this word, Nahum 1:1; Habakkuk 1:1; Zechariah 9:1. Masses, or attractive powers, of the sun, moon, and primary planets, compared with that of the earth, Genesis 1:1.

Mastodon, or Mammoth, an animal long since extinct, Genesis 1:24; Job 40:15. Description of a part of a skeleton of this animal, ibid. Calculation of the probable stature of the mammoth, ibid. Reasons for the supposition that the mammoth is the same with the behemoth of Job, ibid. Materia medica of the ancients extremely simple, Isaiah 1:6. Materiality of the human soul, a doctrine which has no place in the sacred records, Numbers 16:22; Job 14:12; Psalm 78:39; Ecclesiastes 3:21.

Maurbanie, what the Aleppines mean by this term, Song of Solomon 2:11.

Maver - al - nahar, where situated, and why so named, Jeremiah 2:18.

Maxim advanced by some, that children ought not to be taught religion, but should be left to themselves till they are capable of making a choice, considered, Deuteronomy 6:25, in fine.

Measures of capacity among the Hebrews, short account of the, Exodus 16:16.

Mecasheph, ãvkm, its import, Deuteronomy 18:10. Mecholoth, tkjm, rendered dances, what it properly signifies, Exodus 15:20.

Medicine, art of, in the East, in what it principally consists, Isaiah 1:6. Mediterranean, why called the Great Sea in Scripture, Joshua 1:4. Medulla oblongata, or spinal marrow, the silver cord of Scripture, Ecclesiastes 12:6.

Megiddo, the same with Magdolum, according to Usher, 2 Kings 23:30.

Megilloth, what books of the sacred canon are so named by the Jews, Introduction to the Lamentations. {Lamentations 1:1} Meima, armym, and µgtp pithgam, very remarkable distinction between, in the Targum of Joseph, 2 Chronicles 1:9. See Word. Melancthon, (Philip) character of, 2 Kings 12:6. Melas, why the Nile was so named by the Greeks, Isaiah 23:3. Melchizedek, king of Salem, derivation and import of his name, Genesis 14:18; Joshua 10:1.

Melitta, every young woman of Babylon obliged once in her life, according to Herodotus, to prostitute herself to some stranger in honour of this idol, 2 Kings 17:41, in fine. Melitta the same with the Venus of the Greeks and Romans, ibid.

Melo, the same with the Nile, Isaiah 23:3. Why so named, ibid. Memorial symbols of the Jews, several curious examples of the, Masoretic notes at the end of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus , Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. {Genesis 50:26; Exodus 40:38; Leviticus 27:34; Numbers 36:13; Deuteronomy 34:12} Memphis, now Cairo, Hosea 9:6.

Menachash, vjnm, its derivation and import, Deuteronomy 18:10. Meni, supposed to have been an object of idolatrous worship among the ancient Hebrews, Isaiah 65:11.

Menochius, (John) account of this commentator, General Preface, p. 5. Menu, some account of the institutes of, by the late Sir William Jones, Deuteronomy 34:12, in fine.

Merab, or Saba, city of, account of a dreadful inundation by which this ancient city was overthrown, Isaiah 1:30.

Merachepheth, tpjrm inquiry into the meaning of this term, Genesis 1:2.

Mercury, revolutions as measured by the equinoxes and fixed stars; semimajor axis of orbit in English miles; perigeal and apogeal distances, when the radius vector is precisely one half of the line of the apsides; diameter; relative magnitude; volume or bulk; mass or attractive power, that of the earth being considered as unity; and mean hourly orbitical motion, of this primary planet, Genesis 1:1.

Mercury, considered by the ancients as the deity who presided over highways, Proverbs 26:8.

Mercy - seat, why so named, Exodus 25:17. Its description, ibid. Merib - baal, the same with Mephibosheth, 1 Chronicles 8:34. Why the Israelites changed Merib - baal into Mephibosheth, ibid. Meshach, import of the name, Daniel 1:7.

Meshelim, of the ancient Asiatics, probably the same with the poetae of the western world, Numbers 21:27; 22:6.

Mesopotamia, why this country was so named, Genesis 35:26; Judges 3:8. Where situated, ibid.; Amos 9:7. Messiah, import of the term, Genesis 49:8; Exodus 29:7. Metal, some account of a factitious, in use among the Asiatics, as bright and fine as gold, Ezra 8:26.

Metallic image, discourse on Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the, Daniel 2:49, in fine.

Metallurgy, the Israelites employed in, in Egypt, Deuteronomy 4:20. Metheg - ammah, a word of very doubtful import, 2 Samuel 8:1. Variously rendered by the versions, ibid.

Methuselah, the oldest man on record, Genesis 5:27. Meaning of his name, Genesis 5:32, in fine. Apparently prophetical of the destruction of the world by water, ibid.

Mezahab, rabbinical gloss on this name, 1 Chronicles 1:50. Micah, some account of this prophet, Introduction to Micah. {Micah 1:1} Newcome’s observations on the style of his writings, ibid. Michtam, or Mictam, meaning of this word, Psalm 16:1, in principio, Psalm 60:1, in principio.

Mid - day, the time allotted by the heathens for the worshipping of demons, Psalm 91:6.

Migdol, the same with Magdolum, Jeremiah 46:14. Mikoch, jwqm, a word of very uncertain import, 1 Kings 10:28. Variously rendered in the versions, ibid.

Milcom, an idol of the Ammonites, 1 Kings 11:5; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 49:1; Amos 1:15.

Milk and honey, land flowing with, a figure used by sacred and profane writers to denote great fertility, Exodus 3:8; Job 20:17; Ezekiel 20:6.

Milky - way or Galaxy, Dr. Herschel’s idea of the nature of the, Genesis 1:16. Prodigious multitude of stars in the milky - way which passed through the field of view in his telescope in the space of forty - one minutes of time, ibid.

Mill, when the noise of the, is not heard, how a sign of desolation, Jeremiah 25:10.

Mill, behind the, inquiry into the meaning of this phrase, Exodus 11:5.

Millenary of the world, reflections upon our Saviour’s being born at the termination of the fourth, Genesis 1:16.

Mills, grinding at, the work of females in Algiers, Tunis, and other places, Isaiah 47:2.

Mingrelia, inhabitants of, sleep with their swords under their heads, and their other arms by their sides, Isaiah 13:1, in principio. Mining, process of, among the ancients, Job 28:1, &c. Difficulties miners had to encounter previously to the invention of the steam - engine, Job 28:4, &c.

Minister, anecdote of a, Psalm 65:2.

Ministry, Divine call to the, and directions for the proper discharge of the ministerial office, Ezekiel 34:6.

Minor prophets, order and time in which they flourished, according to Archbishop Newcome, Introduction to Hosea. {Hosea 1:1} Mirrors of brass, steel, tin, copper, and silver, in use among the ancients, Exodus 38:8; Isaiah 8:1.

Misenus, funeral rites paid to, as related by Virgil, 2 Chronicles 16:14, in fine.

Misery, in what manner the animal system is affected at the sight of, Jeremiah 4:19.

Mishael, import of this name, Daniel 1:7.

Mishemerotim, µytwrmvm, its derivation and import, Leviticus 26:15.

Mishnah, or oral law of the Jews, account of the, General Preface, p. 2. When composed, according to Prideaux and Lardner, Isaiah 53:8. Mishpat, cpvm, its import, Isaiah 42:1. A beautiful paronomasia on this word, Isaiah 5:7.

Misletoe, held in extraordinary veneration among the ancient Druids, Genesis 21:33. The golden branch mentioned by Virgil apparently an allusion to this plant, ibid.

Mithcah, the twenty - fourth station of the Israelites in the wilderness, Calmet’s conjecture concerning, Numbers 33:28. Mitre, its derivation and import, Exodus 28:4. Mitsevoth, twxm, its derivation and import, Leviticus 26:15. Mizbeach, jbzm, rendered altar, what it properly signifies, Genesis 8:20; 13:18.

Mizmor, rwmzm, why a Psalm was so named among the Hebrews, Introduction to the Psalms; {Psalm 1:1} Psalm 3:1, in principio. Mnevis, an object of idolatry among the ancient Egyptians, Hosea 8:5. Moab, plains of, the forty - first station of the Israelites in the wilderness, Numbers 33:48.

Moadim, µydwm, translated seasons, inquiry into its import, Genesis 1:14.

Moallakat, some account of this collection of Arabic poems, Psalm 60:1, in principio.

Modhahebat, a collection of Arabic poems, why so named, Psalm 60:1, in principio.

Molech, curious rabbinical description of this idol, Leviticus 20:2. Molech, passing through the fire to, several opinions concerning the meaning of this phrase, Leviticus 18:21.

Monarchy, hereditary succession in a, to be preferred to the elective, 1 Kings 1:12.

Mongoz, this animal kept by the inhabitants of the East for the purpose of destroying the snakes that infest them, Amos 5:19. Moneys of different ancient nations, tables of the, Exodus 38:24. Monoceros of Scripture, probably the same with the rhinoceros, Psalm 92:10.

Monodon, see Narwall.

Montgomery’s metrical version of the principal passages in the seventy - second Psalm, Psalm 72:20, in fine.

Months, names of the, among the Hebrews, 1 Kings 6:1. Moon, great probability of her being a habitable globe, Genesis 1:16. Telescopic appearance of her disk, ibid. Periodic and sidereal revolutions; mean distance from the sun; perigeal and apogeal distances; diameter; relative magnitude, volume, or bulk; time of rotation; inclination of axis to orbit; mass, quantity of matter, or attractive power, that of the earth being considered as unity; and mean hourly orbitical motion; of this secondary planet, Genesis 1:1.

Moorish dress, Jackson’s description of the, Judges 14:12. Mosaic chronology, specious objections of modern skeptics against the, answered, Genesis 50:26, in fine.

Mosaic pavement, some account of the, Exodus 24:10. Its origin, Esther 1:6.

Moscovites, from whom descended, Genesis 10:2. Moseroth, the twenty - sixth station of the Israelites in the wilderness, conjectures respecting. Numbers 33:30, 37.

Moses, why so named, Exodus 2:10. His character as a historian, philosopher, and chronologer, Genesis 50:26, in fine. Observations on the staying up of his hands in the conflict of the children of Israel with the Amalekites, Exodus 17:11. Enumeration by Moses of the seven different means used by the Almighty in effecting Israel’s deliverance, Deuteronomy 4:34. Sketch of the history and character of Moses, Exodus 19:24, in fine; Deuteronomy 34:12, in fine. Moths, various modes adopted in the destruction of these insects, Genesis 27:27.

Motto, very singular one affixed to a pamphlet written by a young woman of the city of Gloucester against Bishop Warburton’s Doctrine of Grace, 2 Kings 19:21.

Mountain of God, import of this Hebraism, Psalm 36:6. Mountain torrents, how produced, Job 24:8.

Mourning sometimes indicated among the ancients by the changing or reversing the harness or ornaments of cattle Jonah 3:8. Mourning songs or lamentations, composed by the Hebrews upon the death of great men, princes, and heroes, Lamentations 5:22, in fine. Mourning women, account of the, among the ancients, who were hired to make lamentations for the dead, Jeremiah 9:17. Muaugrus of the Eleans, why this idol mas so named, Exodus 8:24. mullada mullein, a Greek paronomasia, Job 31:40, in fine. Multitia, multicia, or coa vestis, a name given by the Romans to the transparent garments of the Greeks, Isaiah 3:23. Sometimes worn even by the men, but looked upon as a mark of great effeminacy, ibid. Humorous and satirical description of the multitia by Publius Syrus, ibid. Mummies, description of the Egyptian, Genesis 50:2. Peter du Val’s account of a mummy supposed to be the remains of one of the supreme judges, Exodus 28:30. Manner in which the mummies were wrapped round with strong swathings of linen or cotton cloth, Job 40:13; Proverbs 31:22.

Munster, (Sebastian) a Protestant commentator, General Preface, p. 6. muwdhv, why this epithet was applied to the supreme divinity of the heathens, Exodus 8:24.

Murder, the only crime for which a human being should be punished with death, Genesis 9:6.