Ain

On the northern boundary of Israel, as given Nu 34". It lay west (S W. ) of Riblah. It is almost impossible now to describe the boundary there given. Riblah has been identified with the village stUl bearing that name, 20 miles south-west of Hums (Emesa) and Zedad, viith Sadad some 30 miles east of Riblah : other points are unknowTi. Kobin- son following Thomson, places Ain at Am el-Asy, the main fountain of the Orontes, about 15 miles soutli-west of Riblah (Researches (1852), p. 538).

Conder identifies this ^vith Hazor-Enan (Heth and Muab p. 7 ff.) A description of this fountain of the Orontes -n-ill be found in the passaws referred to. On the whole question, see under Palestine, and other places named with Am in Nu 34'-"; also A. B. Davidson's Eze/ael, pp. 351 352 2. Jos 15*' 19' and 1 Ch 4». Here Ain and Rimmon should apparently be read as one name, Ain-Rimmon = En-^inimon, which see. A. Henderson.

AIR (c-nt, i-^P, oipav6,) is the first of the three divisions— 'the heaven above,' 'the earth bene.atli, and 'the water under the earth.' Its usual sense is the atmosphere resting upon the earth, with special terms for the highest heavens and for air iA motion, as wind, breath, etc. As the loca ity ol air is above the earth, so its language is that ot the supernatural.

As the emblem of the insub- stantial, and the antithesis of 'flesh and blood (Eph 6"), it is regarded as the dwelling-place of powers which, though under God, are over ™"satan is described as ' the prince of the power of the air' (Eph 2"), and the war of the Loid is there lifted out of all tribal provincialism, and declared to be a world-wide conflict between elemental good and evil. For safety and success in this battle ' the whole armour of God' is needed.

In Dt 32" the heathen gods are called Shedhim, the term by which modern Jews denote the malignant spirits tjiat are considered to infest the air. The fear of offending them makes the uneducated Jewish woman say, AKAi^f ALCIMUS 59 ' By your leave ' ! when throwing out water from her uoor-stcp ; and the dread of their congregated power makes tlie Jews walk quickly in the funeral procession. The same superstition passed into the Christian Church with regard to the efficacy of the passing bell.

The Jews in the synagogue- worship, when repeating the solemn watchword of Israel, ' Hear, U Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord,' prolong the pronunciation of the word ici>< 'one,' as a protection against the hostility of the air-powers. See Demon. G. M. Mackie.