A tremendous earthquake, apparently coupled with volcanic action, provided an awe-inspiring setting for the inauguration of the Law covenant at Sinai. (Ex. 19:18; Ps. 68:8) Jehovah had a direct hand in this display of power, for he spoke out of the mountain by means of an angel.—Ex. 19:19; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 12:18-21.

At times the fear-inspiring force of earthquakes has been an evidence of Jehovah’s hand in judging violations of his law. (Nah. 1:3-6) An earthquake was the executional method used by Jehovah against the rebellious Dathan and Abiram and the household of Korah, the earth opening its mouth and swallowing them down alive into Sheol. (Num. 16:27, 32, 33) Elijah experienced a quaking of the earth before Jehovah spoke to correct his viewpoint and to send him back to further service assignments. (1 Ki. 19:11-18) Earthquakes have been a miraculous aid to Jehovah’s people, as when Jonathan and his armor-bearer courageously attacked a Philistine outpost. Jehovah backed up their faith in him by bringing about an earthquake that threw the entire camp of the Philistines into confusion, so that these killed off one another and were thoroughly routed.—1 Sam 14:6, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 23.

On the day of Jesus’ death, about three o’clock in the afternoon, an earthquake took place, splitting rock-masses open, causing the memorial tombs to be opened and causing dead bodies to be thrown from their graves. The curtain of the sanctuary in the temple rebuilt by Herod was torn in two, from top to bottom. Prior to this, darkness had fallen over the land. Some think that volcanic action was involved, for often volcanoes belch out smoke and dust that blacken the sky. But there is no real evidence that there was any volcanic action connected with this earthquake. (Matt. 27:45, 51-54; Luke 23:44, 45) Another earthquake occurred on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, when an angel descended from heaven and rolled away the stone from in front of his tomb. (Matt. 28:1, 2) The apostle Paul and his companion Silas, while in prison at Philippi, had their prayers and songs of praise answered by a great earthquake that opened the prison doors and loosened the bonds of the prisoners. This led to the conversion of the jailer and his household.—Acts 16:25-34.

Jesus foretold earthquakes in great number and magnitude as a feature of the sign of his second presence. (Matt. 24:3, 7, 8; Mark 13:4, 8) Since 1914 C.E., and especially since 1948, there has been an increase in the number of earthquakes, especially of major ones. Before 1948, they occurred in clusters, with a rest period between, but since then there has been a major quake almost annually, in addition to a great number of smaller ones.—See The Encyclopedia Americana, Annuals, 1965-1967, under “Earthquakes.”

In the fifty-one-year period 1915-1965, 592,036 persons were reported killed by major earthquakes. There are 1,000 quakes a year large enough to cause damage.—World Almanac 1967, pp. 254, 276.

FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLIC USES

Earthquakes are often used figuratively in the Scriptures to describe the shaking and overthrow of nations and kingdoms. Ancient Babylon trusted in false gods such as Nebo and Marduk, which in the people’s imaginations filled their heavens. They also relied greatly on the strength of their mighty military force, but God said in pronouncement against Babylon: “I shall cause heaven itself to become agitated, and the earth will rock out of its place at the fury of Jehovah of armies.” (Isa. 13:13) As far as Babylon was concerned, it must have been a great shock when her empire fell and her territory ceased to belong to Babylon as the third world power and became merely a province in the Persian Empire—Dan. 5:30, 31.

Elsewhere, David describes Jehovah as fighting for him as by means of an earthquake. (2 Sam. 22:8; Ps. 18:7) Jehovah speaks of rocking the heavens and the earth, and the sea and the dry ground, of rocking all nations in behalf of his people, with the result that the desirable things of all the nations would come in and he would fill his house with glory.—Hag. 2:6, 7.

The apostle Paul uses as an illustration the awe-inspiring display at Sinai, comparing it with the greater and more awesome assemblage of the Christian congregation of the firstborn before God and his Son and Mediator at the heavenly Mount Zion. He goes on to follow through with the illustration of the earthquake that took place at Sinai and gives a symbolic application, encouraging Christians to continue serving in courage and faith, realizing that the Kingdom and those who hold on to it will be able to remain standing while all other things of the symbolic heavens and earth are shaken to pieces.—Heb. 12:18-29.

The greatest earthquake of all yet to come is a symbolic one, described in connection with the seventh of the symbolic seven final plagues of Revelation. It is pictured as wrecking, not one or two cities, as some of the most violent earthquakes have done, but “the cities of the nations.” John’s account of this cataclysm reads: “A great earthquake occurred such as had not occurred since men came to be on the earth, so extensive an earthquake, so great. And the great city [Babylon the Great] split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.”—Rev. 16:18, 19.

EAST

[Heb., miz·rahhʹ, sunrising (Deut. 3:27; 1 Chron. 4:39); qeʹdhem, front, in front of (Ezek. 48:2)].

It was the practice of the Hebrews to face the rising sun when determining direction, which meant that E was in front of them, W was behind, N on the left hand and S on the right hand.

Sometimes qeʹdhem was used to mean a generally eastward direction, as at Genesis 11:2. At other times it meant the “east” in relation to something else, as at Numbers 34:11, where the expression “east of Ain” is used. At still other times it referred to the area that lay E and NE of Israel. This included the lands of Moab and Ammon, the Arabian Desert, Babylonia, Persia, Assyria and Armenia.

The various peoples living in the lands referred to by the word “east” were spoken of as “Orientals.”—Job was called “the greatest of all the Orientals.” (Job 1:3) He lived in this eastern area. When Jacob went to Mesopotamia to get a wife, he went, we are told, to “the land of the Orientals.” (Gen. 29:1) The people to the E of Israel were also called “Easterners,” as at Judges 6:3; 8:10.

In Palestine the E wind was a hot wind that blew in from desert lands to the E and was destructive to vegetation. (Ezek. 19:12) This is the basis for the expression “fill [one’s] belly with the east wind.”—Job 15:2.

The tabernacle faced the E (Num. 3:38), as did the temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel, also this second temple as repaired or rebuilt by Herod. Ezekiel’s visionary temple faced eastward. (Ezek. 47:1) The coming of Jehovah and Christ to the temple would therefore be expected from the E.

At Isaiah 46:11, Cyrus, the Persian king, is spoken of as coming from “the east,” AV; “the sunrising,” NW. The reports foretold as coming from “the east,” AV, are, literally, “out of the sunrising,” or miz·rahhʹ. (Dan. 11:44) In the book of Revelation back-reference is made to Darius and Cyrus as prophetic of the “kings from the rising of the sun,” in connection with the drying up of the symbolic Euphrates in the time of Babylon the Great’s judgment.—Rev. 16:12, 19.

The astrologers that came to see Jesus at the time of his birth came from the direction of Babylon, from “eastern parts.” (Matt. 2:1) When they said that they saw his star “in the east” [Gr., a·na·to·leʹ], as some Bible translations state, they did not mean that it was E of where their land was but that they saw it when they were in the East.—Compare Matthew 2:2, “have seen his star rise,” AT; “when we were in the east,” NW; “the rising of his star,” NE; “seen . . . out in the east,” Kx.

EASTERN SEA

See SALT SEA.

EAST GATE

See GATE, GATEWAY.

EBAL

(Eʹbal) [possibly, bare].

The third-named son of the Horite sheik Shobal descended from Seir. (Gen. 36:20, 23; 1 Chron. 1:40) The Horites dwelt in Seir before being dispossessed and annihilated by the sons of Esau.—Deut. 2:12.

EBAL, MOUNT

(Eʹbal) [possibly, bare].

A mountain now identified as Jebel Eslamîyeh, situated in the district of Samaria. Mount Ebal is opposite Mount Gerizim, these mountains being separated by a beautiful narrow valley, the Vale of Shechem, in which nestles the city of Nablus, not far from ancient Shechem. The possible meaning of the name fits the characteristics of the mountain, for only its lower slopes sustain such vegetation as vines and olive trees, the higher elevations being quite barren and rocky. Like other mountains in Samaria, Ebal consists of a limestone core with an outer shelf of chalk. It stands to the NE of Mount Gerizim and rises to a peak of over 3,000 feet (c. 914 meters) above the level of the Mediterranean. The peaks of Mounts Ebal and Gerizim are about one and a half miles (c. 2.4 kilometers) apart, and these mountains are situated to the W of the Jordan River.—Deut. 11:29, 30.

Looking N from the summit of Ebal, one can see the greater part of the land of Galilee and also Mount Hermon. The heights in the vicinity of Jerusalem can be seen to the S and the Plain of Sharon and the Mediterranean to the W. It is possible to see as far as the Hauran across the Jordan to the E. Abram (Abraham) once camped in the valley between these two mountains, near the big trees of Moreh.—Gen. 12:6.

Moses told the Israelites that when Jehovah brought them into the land that they were going to possess they “must also give the blessing upon Mount Gerizim and the malediction upon Mount Ebal.” (Deut. 11:29, 30) He also instructed that great uncut stones be selected, whitewashed with lime and set on Mount Ebal. An altar was to be erected there, upon which sacrifices were to be presented to Jehovah. Moses also said, “You must write on the stones all the words of this law, making them quite clear.”—Deut. 27:1-8.

After Israel crossed the Jordan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali were to “stand for the malediction on Mount Ebal,” and the other tribes were to “stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim.” At that time the blessings to be enjoyed by those obeying God’s law would be recited, as well as the curses or maledictions to be experienced by those breaking his law. (Deut. 27:12-14) When the curses for disobedience were pronounced, all the people were to say “Amen!” that is, “So be it!” to show they agreed that practicers of wickedness merited condemnation.—Deut. 27:15-26.

After Israel’s victory at Ai, Joshua complied with Moses’ instructions, building an altar to Jehovah in Mount Ebal. Upon stones (perhaps, but not necessarily, those of the altar itself) he wrote “a copy of the law of Moses that he had written before the sons of Israel.” Then, in front of the congregation of Israel (including the alien residents) assembled as Moses had directed, Joshua “read aloud all the words of the law, the blessing and the malediction, according to all that is written in the book of the law.” Half the congregation stood in front of Mount Ebal and the other half in front of Mount Gerizim, the ark of the covenant and the Levites being between the two groups. (Josh. 8:30-35) The location of Mount Ebal in relation to Mount Gerizim provided excellent acoustics for this occasion. Notably, too, these things occurred approximately in the heart of the land of promise and in the vicinity where Jehovah promised the land to Israel’s forefather Abram (Abraham).—Gen. 12:6, 7.

Jewish tradition holds that the Levites, standing between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, faced Mount Gerizim when pronouncing a blessing, to which the people assembled there answered “Amen!” Then it is said that they alternated, facing Mount Ebal and pronouncing one of the curses, to which those assembled on that side said “Amen!” The Scriptures, however, do not outline the exact procedure followed on that notable occasion.

At Deuteronomy 27:4 it is said that the stones were to be set up in Mount “Gerizim” according to the Samaritan Pentateuch. However, the reading is “Ebal” according to the Masoretic text, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac Peshitta Version and the Greek Septuagint Version. Joshua 8:30-32 indicates that it was on Mount Ebal that Joshua set up the stones on which “a copy of the law of Moses” was written.

EBED

(Eʹbed) [servant].

1. Father of Gaal, the one who led the landowners of Shechem in an unsuccessful rebellion against Abimelech.—Judg. 9:26, 29, 39-41.

2. Son of Jonathan. Ebed, accompanied by fifty males of the paternal house of Adin, returned with Ezra to Jerusalem from Babylon.—Ezra 8:6.

EBED-MELECH

(Eʹbed-meʹlech) [king’s servant].

An Ethiopian eunuch in the house of King Zedekiah who, by his course of action, demonstrated that he was in full agreement with the work of Jehovah’s prophet Jeremiah. When the princes of Judah falsely charged Jeremiah with sedition, Zedekiah surrendered the prophet into their hands. These princes then took Jeremiah and threw him into the miry cistern of Malchijah in the Courtyard of the Guard, there to die without food. (Jer. 38:4-6) Courageously, notwithstanding the danger in which it placed him because of the prevailing bitter hatred for Jeremiah and his message, Ebed-melech publicly approached the king seated in the gate of Benjamin and there presented an appeal in behalf of Jeremiah. Zedekiah responded favorably. Then Ebed-melech, at the king’s command, took thirty men to the cistern and let down ropes with worn-out rags and pieces of cloth for Jeremiah to place under his armpits so as to bring him up out of the cistern. (Jer. 38:7-13) Likely Zedekiah directed Ebed-melech to take thirty men along, not that so many men were needed to get Jeremiah out of the cistern, but in order to effect a successful deliverance despite any possible interference on the part of the princes or the priests. Because of this righteous act toward God’s prophet, Ebed-melech was assured by Jehovah, through Jeremiah, that he would not perish during the Babylonian siege but would be furnished an escape.—Jer. 39:15-18; see EUNUCH.

EBENEZER

(Eb·en·eʹzer) [the stone of help].

1. A site near which Israel was twice defeated by the Philistines, resulting not only in the death of thirty-four thousand Israelites, including Hophni and Phinehas, but also in enemy capture of the ark of the covenant. News of this latter event precipitated the death of Eli the priest. (1 Sam. 4:1-11, 17, 18; 5:1) Bible geographers tentatively place Ebenezer at Majdel Yaba, some two and a half miles (4 kilometers) SE of the suggested site of Ephraimite Aphek (where the Philistines were encamped), and eleven miles (17.7 kilometers) E of modern Tel Aviv.

2. The name given to a stone erected by Samuel more than twenty years after the events mentioned in the preceding texts, likely to commemorate Israel’s victory over the Philistines by God’s help. (1 Sam. 7:2, 12) Although its exact location is today unknown, it was apparently a number of miles SE of No. 1 above, “between Mizpah and Jeshanah.”