- PSALTERY a musical instrument, supposed to have been a kind of lyre,
or a harp with twelve strings. The Hebrew word nebhel, so rendered, is
translated “viol” in Isaiah 5:12 (R.V., “lute”); 14:11. In Daniel 3:5, 7, 10,
15, the word thus rendered is Chaldaic, pesanterin, which is supposed to
be a word of Greek origin denoting an instrument of the harp kind. - PTOLEMAIS a maritime city of Galilee (Acts 21:7). It was originally
called “Accho” (q.v.), and received the name Ptolemais from Ptolemy Soter
when he was in possession of Coele-Syria. - PUAH splendid. (1.) One of the two midwives who feared God, and
refused to kill the Hebrew male children at their birth (Exodus 1:15-21).
(2.) A descendant of Issachar (Judges 10:1).
- PUBLICAN one who farmed the taxes (e.g., Zacchaeus, Luke 19:2) to be
levied from a town or district, and thus undertook to pay to the supreme
government a certain amount. In order to collect the taxes, the publicans
employed subordinates (5:27; 15:1; 18:10), who, for their own ends, were
often guilty of extortion and peculation. In New Testament times these
taxes were paid to the Romans, and hence were regarded by the Jews as a
very heavy burden, and hence also the collectors of taxes, who were
frequently Jews, were hated, and were usually spoken of in very
opprobrious terms. Jesus was accused of being a “friend of publicans and
sinners” (Luke 7:34). - PUBLIUS “the chief man of the island” of Malta (Acts 28:7), who
courteously entertained Paul and his shipwrecked companions for three
days, till they found a more permanent place of residence; for they
remained on the island for three months, till the stormy season had passed.
The word here rendered “chief man” (protos) is supposed by some to be
properly a Maltese term, the official title of the governor. - PUDENS bashful, a Christian at Rome, who sent his greetings to Timothy
(2 Timothy 4:21). (See CLAUDIA.) - PUL (1.) An Assyrian king. It has been a question whether he was
identical with Tiglath-pileser III. (q.v.), or was his predecessor. The weight
of evidence is certainly in favour of their identity. Pul was the throne-name
he bore in Babylonia as king of Babylon, and Tiglath-pileser the
throne-name he bore as king of Assyria. He was the founder of what is
called the second Assyrian empire. He consolidated and organized his