Charge, chargeable (Hastings' Dictionary)

To charge (late Lat. carricarc to load, from carrus a wagon, whence old I'r.rArtr7Cr)is'toload,'andacAar(7cis'aload,'aa we still speak of ' charging' a gun, an(( of its 'charge.' But in the Bible the word is used only hguratively. 1. To burden one, or be a burden on one, AV 'be chargeable,' Neh 5" ' the former governors, that had been before me, were c. unto the people ' ('T?jn Si', lit. ' made heavy on,' RVm ' laid burdens upon ') ; esp. in the matter of expense, 2 S 13^ ' let us not all now go [to the sheep-shearini/ feast], lest we be c. unto thee ' (i;?), RV ' be burden- some ') ; 1 Th 2' ' because we would not be c. unto any of you' (i-mfiapiu, 'be a weight upon,' RV ' that we might not burden ' ; .so 2 1 h 3") ; and 2 Co 1 1" ' I was c. to no man ' (icaTarap/idw, only here and 12"- ", though LXX gives simple vapKia as tr. of ro; 'to be ditilocated,' 'torn away,' (Jn 32^- '-'"', Job 33", Dn [LXX] 11«. The vb. k. is to benumb, as a torpedo [yipK-n] might benumb, and so to paralyse one by laying another's maintenance on him). Cf. Geneva B. ' I was not slothful to the hinderance of anie man ' ; RV ' I was not a burden on any man.' 2. The burden of expanse is also expressed by 'charge,' both verb and subst. : Neh 1(/- ' to c. ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God' (ICi) ; 1 Ti 5" 'let not the church be charged' (/3ape£(re(u,'RV 'be burdened' as in 2 Co 5' EV) : 1 Co 9" ' that ... I may make the gospel without c' (aSiiravoi) ; 9' 'who goeth a warfare anytime at his own cliarges?' (ioiois &\pu>Aoi^)\ Ac 21- ' be at charges with them' (IIV 'for them,' Sairavrjacii iw' airroU, ' spend upon them '). Cf. Shaks. Bieh. III. I. iL25l>— ' I'D be at charges for a looking-glass.' 3. To lay a speci.al duty upon one, as 2 Ch 36^ = Ezr P ' he hath charged me to build him an house in .lerus.' (^i':5). Then this duty or responsibility is expres-sed bj" the subst. 'charge,' Job 34" ' %Vho hath given him (God) a c. over the earth?' (ip?) ; Jlh 7"- ' he dispersed the people every one to their own c' (waptfifioX-/)). Then the word is freely used (as tr. of n-ijy::), esp. in Nu (P) in a half-technical .sense, quite foreign to any modern idiom. Thus the duty is called, Nu 4" 'the c. of this burden.' Since J" imposes it, it is ' the c. of the Lord,' Lv 8". It is also called ' the c. of the sons of Gershon' (Nu 3-^), because on them the burden lies. And from its object or extent it is described as • 1" 'the c. of the tabernacle of the testimony ' ; '.f ' the c. of the ark' ; 3" ' the c. of the children of Israel ' ; or 3 ' the c. of the sanctuary, for the c. of the children of Israel.' 4. This meaning ixusses easily intt) rare OT cnstodi/; 2 K 7" ' to ajipoint to the c. of the gMte' (Tp?.7) ; 1 Ch 9- (Sv) ; Ac S-' ' who had the c. of all her treasure' (^irl) ; Nu 31" ' the men of war which are under our c' It) : cf. Ac 1^ AVm ' (i(/ice OT charge' ({irtaKonfi, AV ' bishoprick,' RV 'oHioe,' R\'m 'over.seership'). 3. From ' give a c' (Ml 4°, Lk 4'", 1 Ti ti"), or ' give in c' (1 Ti .5' ' these things give in c.,' TrapayyiWu, RV 'command'), there njiturally arises the meaning of 'enjoin' or 'com- mand,' of wiiich the examples are numerous and obvious, and the subst. c. = a command, as 2 S 18', Ac 18'^ ('charging the jailor to keep them safely; who, having received such a c.'), 1 Ti 1" 6". 6. The last and heaviest weight to lay on one is to 'lay blame.' fouml chielly in the phrase 'lay to the c. of,' Ut 2r, I's 35", Ac 7' 23-, Ro S", 2 'I'i 4". But the simple verb is also used in this sense, 2 S 3' ' thou chargest me to-day with a fault con- cernin-' this woman'; Job 1" 'nor charged (Jod foolishly' (RV 'with foolishness'), 4" 'his angels he chargeth with folly.' J. Hastings. CHARGER (orig. either something that may be loaded or something to load with. See Chahck). — A charger is ' a large plate or Hat dici. for carrying a large joint of meat,' Orf. Eng. Dwt. The word is • H>it ico Ml 93", Mk l-" -.-.rultly chnrged." i^^.u««i»«i, with Thavcr on that word, Gould'a Dute on Mk I^, and Kxpoa. TimfjL vol.i. p. 172(1. 372 CUARIOT CHARIOT Dsed as tr. of (1) nri^p Nu I passim, the silver c. ottered by various princes as a dedication gift ; (2) Sp-i:!! Ezr l"" ' tliirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver,' being part of the vessels of the house of the Lord restored by Cyrus ; (3) irirof Mt U8- ", Mk 6^- ^ of the charger in which Jolin the Baptist's head was presented to Salome, and by her to her mother. See BASKET, Food. J. Hastings. CHARIOT {33^, 3tr) Ps 104', n;;n;, nSj^ Ps 46', ipiM., xurrus). — In ancient times war chariots formed an important part of the military strength of a nation. We learn from Egyptian monu- ments that they were largely employed in the armies of the Hittite and Palestinian kings, and thence they were introduced into E^pt about the 17th cent. B.C. (Brugsch, Hist, of Egypt, i. 295). An Egyp. poem mentions that the Hittites brought 2500 chariots against Ramses II. (B.C. 1360) ; and when the Egyptians defeated the allied forces of the Syrians at ilegiddo in the 14th cent. B.C., they captured 2041 horses and 924 chariots. A papyrus relating to the same period described the adven- tures of an Egyptian mohar or official, who drove through PaL in a chariot, accompanied by his servant. In the OT we read of the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus (Ex U"- 15'-). In Pal. the Israelites must have become familiar with the use of chariots in war long before they adopted them. Thus they were used by the Can. kings defeated at the Waters of Merom (Jos ll"'), by Jabin and Sisera, who had 900 chariots of iron (Jg 4'- '' 5-) ; and it was through their iron chariots that the Canaanites of the valleys were able to maintain themselves against tlie conquering Israelites (Jg 1", cf. Jos 17"' '). These chariots were doubtless built of wood (cf. Jos 11' 'burnt their chariots') and plated or strengthened with iron. The translation of Vulg. currus falcati ( Jg 1^' 4'- ") seems to involve an anachronism ; for the use of scythes attached to the axles of war chariots was probably introduced from Persia. Certainly, chariots of this kind are never represented on the monuments of Egypt or Assyria, and Xenophon attributes tlie invention to Cyrus (Cyrop. vi. 1. 27). In the time of Saul the Philistines invaded the country of Israel with 3000 chariots (1 S 13» LXX[Luc.]; see Driver, Text of Sam.). David, during liis Syrian wars, captured 1000 chariots (1 Ch 18), and on another occasion 700 (2 S 10'«) ; but, following the example of Joshua (Jos 11'), he maimed the horses, reserving only sullicient for 100 chariots (2 S 8). The introduction of chariots into the Israelite army dates from the time of Solomon, who maintained an establishment of 1400 cliariots (1 K 10^«, 2 Ch 1") and 4000 horses (2 Ch 9-», in 1 K 4» [Heb. 5«] wronc;ly 40,000). These were stationed partly in Jcrusalom and partly in more suitable cities selected for the purpose ( 1 Iv 9'" Iff). Both chariots and horses were mainly im- ported from Egy|it, and aprofitable trade in them was carried on with the Hittite and Sj-rian kings. We are told that a chariot was brought from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150 shekels ( 1 K lO"-, 2 Ch 1>«'-). Prom this time onwards chariots form a regular part of the army both in the northern and southern kingdoms (1 K iO^ 2 K 7" g'"; ^> 10= 13'- " 8-'>, Is 2',Mic 5'" etc. ). In particular, the king seems regularly to have gone to battle in his chariot (1 K22"-, 2 K 23»», cf. 1 K 12'«, 2 K9='). Zimri held the important office of captain of half the chariots (1 K 16'). There seem, however, to have often been difficulties in securing a sufficient supply of horses (2 K 7"'- IS-^") ; hence in the time of Isaiah there was a strong party in Judah which favoured a close alliance with Egj'pt (Is 30', '" 31' 36'-'). But the consciousness still survived that the use of chariots had been introduced from heathen countries. Hence, while the historian looks upoa them as a mark of regal despotism (1 S 8"), and the Deuteronomic law forbids the king to multiply horses (Dt 17"), the prophets regard horses and chariots as a sign of dependence on human aid instead of on divine protection (Hos 1' 14^ [Heb. ■], Is 2' 30" 31')> and they predict their destruction in the Messianic future (Mic 5'" [Heb. '], Zee 9'»). Frequent allusion is made to the use of war chariots by the Syrians (1 K 20'"-^ 22^', 2 K 6'«-), the Assyrians (Is 5^ 37-'', Nah 3-), the Egyptians (2 K 7«, Jer 46-'- '), and others (Ezk 23-" 26', Is 43", Jer 51-', Hag 2^). Chariots were used also in the later Syrian kingdom (Dn 11", 1 Mac 1" 8«), and Antiochus Eupator is said to have possessed 300 chariots armed with scythes (2 Mac 13-). The chariot was employed also in times of peace (Gn 50^ 1 K IS"-, 2 K 5»»i 10'"-, Is 66-), and was regarded as a mark of high rank. Thus Pharaoh assigned to Joseph his ' second chariot' (Gn 41^) ; Absalom and Adonijah prepared chariots and horses to mark their claims to the throne (2 S 15', 1 K 1°) ; cf. also Is 22", Jer 17=» 2->». In the NT the only chariot mentioned, except in Rev 9', cf. 18', is that of the Ethiopian treasurer of Candace (Ac S-"-). The heathenish practice of dedicating horses and chariots to the sun, introduced by some of the later kings of Judah, was abolished by Josiah (2 K 23"). The chariots of the Hebrews doubtless resembled those used by the surrounding nations, and repre- sented on Egyp. and Assyr. monuments. Tliey were two-wheeled vehicles, open behind, dra«Ti by two horses, and containing two (1 K 22**) or perhaps three persons (2 K 9'-^). The latter view is sup ported by the special Heb. term for an officer, shallih (i-\y), lit. third mnn ; see Ex 14' 15^ 2 K 7^ 9-^ 10^ 15-^ etc. The Egyp. chariots were of light and suuple construction, the material employed being wood, as is proved by sculptures represent- ing the manufacture of chariots. The axle was set far back, and the bottom of the car, which rested on tliis and on the pole, was sometimes formed of a frame interlaced \vith a network of thongs or ropes. The chariot was entirely open behind, and for the greater part of the sides, which were formed by a curved rail rising from each side of the b.ack of the base, and resting on a wooden upright above the pole in front. From this rail, which was strengthened by leather thongs, a bow case of leather, often richly ornamented, hung on tlie right-hand side, slanting forwards; w-hile the (juiver and spear cases inclined in the opposite direc- tion. Tlie wheels, which were fastened on the axle by a linch-pin secured with a short thong, had six spokes in tlie case of war chariots, but in private vehicles sometimes only four. The pole sloped up- wards, and to the end of it a curved yoke was attached. A small saddle at each end of the yoke rested on the withers of the horses, and was secured in its place by breast-band and girth. No traces are to be seen. The bridle was often orna- mented ; a bearing-rein was fastened to the saddle, and the other reins passed through a ring at the side of this. The number of horses to a chariot seems always to have been two ; and in the car, which cont;lined no seat, only rarely are more than two persons depicted, except in triumphal processions. -Assyrian chariots did not ditl'er in any essential points from the Egyptian. They were, however, completely panelled at the sides, and a shield was sometimes hung at the back. The wheels had six, or, at a later period, eight spokes ; the felloes were broad, and seem to have been formed of three distinct circles of wood, sometimes surrounded by a metal tire. While only two horses were attached to the yoke, in the older monuments a third horse is generally to be seen, which was prob CHARITY CHASKBA 373 ably used as a reserve. The later chariots are square in front, not rounded ; tlie car itself is lar^'er and higher ; the cases for weapons are ijlaced in front, not at tlie side ; and only two horses are used. The harness dill'ers somewhat from the Egj'ptian. A broad collar pjisses round the neck, from which hangs a breast ornament, the whole being secured by a triple strap under the belly of the horse. As in tgypt, there are no traces visible ; two driving-reins are attached to each horse, but the bearing-rein seems to be un- known. In addition to the warrior and the charioteer, we often see a third man, who bears a shield ; and a fourth occupant of the chariot some- times appears. The Hittite chariots, as represented on Egyp. monuments, regularly contain three warriors. In constructiun they are plainer and more solid than the Egyptian, and the sides are not open. The chariots on Persian sculptures closely resemble the Assyrian. In Sir 49" the first vision of Ezekiel is alluded to as ' the chariot of the cherubim,' and that cliapter (Ezk 1), under the title of 'the chariot,' Hgures largely in later Jewish mystical speculation. Cf. Schurer, HJP II. i. 347. LinSRiTUttB.— La.vanI, Xineveh (1849), it 348-356; RawUnson, Fivt Great ilonarchUa (1804), ii. l-2i ; Wilkinson. Aucunt Hjyptiant {\^1\ L 336-369; Nowock, i?«6. Archtiolonie, i. 300 f. H. A. White.