The most famous king of the dynasty was Khammu-rabi, who united
Babylonia under one rule, and made Babylon its capital. When he ascended
the throne, the country was under the suzerainty of the Elamites, and was
divided into two kingdoms, that of Babylon (the Biblical Shinar) and that
of Larsa (the Biblical Ellasar). The king of Larsa was Eri-Aku (“the servant
of the moon-God”), the son of an Elamite prince, Kudur-Mabug, who is
entitled “the father of the land of the Amorites.” A recently discovered
tablet enumerates among the enemies of Khammu-rabi, Kudur-Lagamar
(“the servant of the goddess Lagamar”) or Chedorlaomer, Eri-Aku or
Arioch, and Tudkhula or Tidal. Khammu-rabi, whose name is also read
Ammi-rapaltu or Amraphel by some scholars, succeeded in overcoming
Eri-Aku and driving the Elamites out of Babylonia. Assur-bani-pal, the last
of the Assyrian conquerors, mentions in two inscriptions that he took
Susa 1635 years after Kedor-nakhunta, king of Elam, had conquered
Babylonia. It was in the year B.C. 660 that Assur-bani-pal took Susa.
- CHEEK Smiting on the cheek was accounted a grievous injury and insult
(Job 16:10; Lamentations 3:30; Micah 5:1). The admonition (Luke 6:29),
“Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other,” means
simply, “Resist not evil” (Matthew 5:39; 1 Peter 2:19-23). Psalm 3:7 =
that God had deprived his enemies of the power of doing him injury. - CHEESE (A.S. cese). This word occurs three times in the Authorized
Version as the translation of three different Hebrew words: (1.) 1 Samuel
17:18, “ten cheeses;” i.e., ten sections of curd. (2.) 2 Samuel 17:29, “cheese
of kine” = perhaps curdled milk of kine. The Vulgate version reads “fat
calves.” (3.) Job 10:10, curdled milk is meant by the word. - CHEMARIM black, (Zephaniah 1:4; rendered “idolatrous priests” in 2
Kings 23:5, and “priests” in Hos. 10:5). Some derive this word from the
Assyrian Kamaru, meaning “to throw down,” and interpret it as describing
the idolatrous priests who prostrate themselves before the idols. Others
regard it as meaning “those who go about in black,” or “ascetics.” - CHEMOSH the destroyer, subduer, or fish-God, the God of the
Moabites (Numbers 21:29; Jeremiah 48:7, 13, 46). The worship of this
God, “the abomination of Moab,” was introduced at Jerusalem by
Solomon (1 Kings 11:7), but was abolished by Josiah (2 Kings 23:13). On
the “Moabite Stone” (q.v.), Mesha (2 Kings 3:5) ascribes his victories over
the king of Israel to this God, “And Chemosh drove him before my sight.”