sacrifice of blood. It was presented every day with the burnt-offering
(Exodus 29:40, 41), and consisted of flour or of cakes prepared in a special
way with oil and frankincense.
- MEBUNNAI construction, building of Jehovah, one of David’s bodyguard
(2 Samuel 23:27; comp. 21:18); called Sibbechai and Sibbecai (1 Chronicles
11:29; 27:11). - MEDAD love, one of the elders nominated to assist Moses in the
government of the people. He and Eldad “prophesied in the camp”
(Numbers 11:24-29). - MEDAN contention, the third son of Abraham by Keturah (Genesis
25:2). - MEDE (Hebrews Madai), a Median or inhabitant of Media (Daniel 11:1).
In Genesis 10:2 the Hebrew word occurs in the list of the sons of Japheth.
But probably this is an ethnic and not a personal name, and denotes
simply the Medes as descended from Japheth. - MEDEBA waters of quiet, an ancient Moabite town (Numbers 21:30). It
was assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:16). Here was fought the
great battle in which Joab defeated the Ammonites and their allies (1
Chronicles 19:7-15; comp. 2 Samuel 10:6-14). In the time of Isaiah (15:2)
the Moabites regained possession of it from the Ammonites. (See
HANUN.)
The ruins of this important city, now Madeba or Madiyabah, are seen
about 8 miles south-west of Heshbon, and 14 east of the Dead Sea. Among
these are the ruins of what must have been a large temple, and of three
cisterns of considerable extent, which are now dry. These cisterns may
have originated the name Medeba, “waters of quiet.” (See OMRI.)
- MEDIA Hebrews Madai, which is rendered in the Authorized Version (1)
“Madai,” Genesis 10:2; (2) “Medes,” 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; (3) “Media,”
Esther 1:3; 10:2; Isaiah 21:2; Daniel 8:20; (4) “Mede,” only in Daniel 11:1.
We first hear of this people in the Assyrian cuneiform records, under the
name of Amada, about B.C. 840. They appear to have been a branch of the
Aryans, who came from the east bank of the Indus, and were probably the
predominant race for a while in the Mesopotamian valley. They consisted
for three or four centuries of a number of tribes, each ruled by its own