Elah

(Gn 36«, 1 Ch 1»«) The fifth 'duke of Edom.' These names prob. ' itlcate districts called after certain chieftains. ^mp. the use of Mamr£, Caleb, etc. 2. (1 K IG'^'*) King of Israel, son of Baasha. His reign can scarcely have lasted two years, since he came to the throne in the 26th year of Asa, and was killed in the 27th. The story of Elah's death suggests that he was a worthless sot ('drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza his steward, I K 16"). Jos. [A7it. VIII. xii.

4) says that Zimri took advan- tage of the absence of the army at Gibbethon (1 K 16") to kill Elah while unprotected. His death wag followed by the extirpation of his family, in fulfil- ment of the prophecy of Jehu (1 K 16'-^) ; but tlie sacred narrative reminds us that the fact of a man's being the rod of God's anger does not exempt him from punishment for tlie crimes he commits in accomplishing the design of Providence (1 K 16'), cf.

Hos I'', Am 1^ The office which Arza held was a very high one, see 1 K 4-' *. 3. Father of Hoshea, last king of Israel (2 K \5^ 17' 18'-»). 4. (1 Ch 4") Second son of Caleb. Rawlinson suggests that the last words of the verse should be : ' and the sons of Elah, Jehallelel and Kenaz.' (So KeU.) Similar omissions occur in &^ 8=" 9-". 5. (1 Cli 9") A Ben- iamite who dwelt in Jerus. in tlie time of Neh. He is not mentioned in the parallel list, Neh 11. N. J. D. White.

ELAH, THE VALLEY OF (rhm p;s) ; t, «.Xas 'H\a, A Tri% Spvis 'the valley of the terebinth'). — The scene of the defeat of the Phil, champion Goliath at the hands of David (1 S 17»- '* 219). '>ri,e valley of E. is probably the modem Wady es- Sunt ( = terebinth), the third and most southerly of the valleys which cut through the Shephelah, and so lead up from the Phil, plain into the heart of Judfea.

' An hour's ride from Tell es-Safi ' (at the entrance to the Phil, plain) ' up the winding vale of E. brings us through the Shephelah to the spot where the Wady es-Sur turns S. towards Hebron, and the narrow Wady el-Jindy strikes up towards Bethlehem. At the junction of the three there is a level plain, a quarter of a mile broad, cut by two streams, which combine to form the stream dowc Wady es-Sunt. This plain is probably the scene of David's encounter with Goliath ' (G. A. Smith, Bist. Geogr.

p. 227). The Philistines had pitched their camp between Socoh and Azekah, i.e. on a ridge separated from the rest of the low hills, and facing the Israelites across the vaUey. The ' gai ' (n;?) or ravine, which separated the two armies, is the deep trench formed by the combination of the two streams ; this, in fact, formed a valley within the valley.

The Israelites had taken up their position on the farther or eastern side of the vale, somewhere on the slopes of the Wady el-Jindy, thus securing their line of retreat up the Wady. The natural stren";th of both positions was thus very great, since, if either army attacked, they must not only cross the ravine, but also climb the opposite slopes, and so place them- selves at a great disadvantage ; the long delay of the two armies, in face of each other, was probably due to this fact. J. F.

StenninO.