[sa·hhaqʹ], only to have him bring the house down upon them.—Judg. 16:25-30.

Jeremiah, aware of the seriousness of the times and undergoing persecution for his preaching, states that he did not sit down with “those playing jokes [m^esa·hhaqimʹ]” and exulting. (Jer. 15:17) Though he foretold doom for Jerusalem, he also prophesied of the time when her inhabitants would again go forth with rejoicing in the dance of those laughing, decked with tambourines. (Jer. 30:19; 31:4) Zechariah similarly foretold the day when the public squares of restored Jerusalem would be filled with children playing.—Zech. 8:5; see DANCING; GAMES; THEATER.

AMZI

(Amʹzi) [my strength].

1. A Levite of the familly of Merari and an ancestor of Ethan, who was one of the singers appointed by David at Jehovah’s house.—1 Chron. 6:31, 46.

2. A priest, son of Zechariah, and an ancestor of Adaiah, who is listed as residing in Jerusalem and doing service at the temple in the time of Nehemiah.—Neh. 11:12.

ANAB

(Aʹnab) [grapes].

A town in the S part of the hill country of Judah from which the giant Anakim were expelled by Joshua. (Josh. 11:21; 15:48, 50) The site is identified with the modern village of ‘‏Anab or the nearby ruins of Khirbet ʽAnab. It lies on the Wadi el-Khalil about fifteen miles (24 kilometers) SW of Hebron or about halfway between Hebron and Beersheba.

The original name of the city may have been Kiriath-anab, since Egyptian texts apparently mention it as Qrtʽnb.

ANAH

(Aʹnah) [answer].

A son of Zibeon and the father of Esau’s wife Oholibamah. (Gen. 36:2, 14, 18, 20, 24, 25; 1 Chron. 1:34, 40, 41) At Genesis 36:2 the Hebrew text reads “Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon.” The Syriac Peshitta, the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek Septuagint versions here all read “son of Zibeon,” in agreement with verse 24, which shows Anah to be Zibeon’s son. Some modern translations follow this rendering and say ‘son of Zibeon’ in both verse 2 and verse 14. (RS, AT, JB) However, the Hebrew word for “daughter” here also allows for the broader meaning of granddaughter and may thus apply to Oholibamah rather than to Anah. Hence the New World Translation at verse 2 reads: “Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite.”

Some believe the name Anah applies to two persons, inasmuch as Anah is spoken of as a “Hivite” in verse 2 while the Anah of verses 20 and 29 is called a “Horite.” However, there is evidence to show that the term “Horite” can mean simply a “cave dweller” (see The Anchor Bible [1964], Genesis, page 283) and may thus be used to describe the cave-dwelling habits of the Seirites rather than being used in a genealogical sense. The word “sons” in verse 20 thus appears to have the more general meaning of descendants. As the Cyclopœdia of M’Clintock and Strong (Vol. I, p. 212) states: “The intention of the genealogy plainly is not so much to give the lineal descent of the Seirites as to enumerate those descendants who, being heads of tribes, came into connection with the Edomites. It would thus appear that Anah, from whom Esau’s wife sprang, was the head of a tribe independent of his father, and ranking on an equality with that tribe.”

ANAHARATH

(A·na·haʹrath) [narrow way, pass].

A city of the tribe of Issachar. (Josh. 19:18, 19) It has been identified with en-Naʽurah, about five and a half miles (8.8 kilometers) NE of Jezreel, in the eastern part of the Plain of Esdraelon. Anaharath is also mentioned in the ancient records of places captured by Thutmose III, as well as Amenhotep II on his second campaign. It apparently lay near the “Via Maris” in the important section leading back to the sea of Chinnereth.

ANAIAH

(A·naiʹah) [Jehovah has answered].

1. One of the men who stood at Ezra’s right hand when he read the law to the people, on the first day of the seventh month. Probably a priest or prince.—Neh. 8:4.

2. One of the headmen of the people whose descendant, if not himself, attested to the confession contract of Nehemiah.—Neh. 10:1, 22.

ANAK

(Aʹnak) [long-necked].

The name applied to the progenitor of a tribe of unusually tall men and probably to the tribe itself, since at Numbers 13:22 and 28 the article is used with the name in Hebrew. While it seems to be the personal name of the son of “Arba . . . the father of Anak” (Josh. 15:13), it may be, instead, a descriptive name that first applied to Arba himself (as the original “longneck”) and thereafter to his progeny. (Compare Joshua 15:14 with 14:15, where Arba is called “the great man among the Anakim.”)—See ANAKIM.

ANAKIM

(Anʹa·kim).

A race of people of extraordinary size who inhabited the mountainous regions of Canaan, as well as some coastal areas, particularly in the S thereof. Three prominent men of the Anakim, Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, resided at Hebron. (Num. 13:22) It was here that the twelve Hebrew spies first saw the Anakim, and ten of the spies subsequently gave a frightening report of the experience, alleging that these men were descendants of the pre-Flood Nephilim and that, by comparison with them, the Hebrews were like “grasshoppers.” (Num. 13:28-33; Deut. 1:28) Their great stature caused them to be used as a standard of comparison in describing even the giantlike men of the Emim and the Rephaim. Their strength apparently produced the proverbial saying: “Who can make a firm stand before the sons of Anak?”—Deut. 2:10, 11, 20, 21; 9:1-3.

In Joshua’s rapid sweep through Canaan he gained victories over the Anakim in the mountainous regions, destroying their cities, but others remained in the Philistine cities of Gaza, Ashdod and Gath. Whether the Anakim were related to the Philistines, as some suggest, or were only associated with them, is not stated in the record. (Josh. 11:21, 22) Later, Caleb requested the city of Hebron (or Kiriath-arba) and its territory, as promised him by God. (Josh. 14:12-15; Num. 14:24) It appears that the Anakim had reestablished themselves in this area, perhaps while Joshua and his army were continuing their conquest in the northern parts of Canaan, and hence Caleb was now obliged to reconquer the territory.—Judg. 1:10, 20.

Egyptian Execration Texts (from pottery on which the names of enemies of the pharaoh were written and which was then broken as a curse) make reference to a tribe of Anak in Palestine.

ANAMIM

(Anʹa·mim).

Hamitic descendants of Mizraim. Since Mizraim became synonymous with Egypt, it is probable that the Anamim settled there or in that area. (Gen. 10:13; 1 Chron. 1:11) A cuneiform text considered as of the time of Sargon II of Assyria (latter part of the eighth century B.C.E.) apparently refers to them under the name Anami.

ANAMMELECH

(A·namʹme·lech).

A deity of the Sepharvites that proved unable to deliver them from the Assyrian aggressors. (2 Ki. 18:34) The worship of Anammelech included the revolting practice of child sacrifice.—2 Ki. 17:31.

It has been suggested that the name “Anammelech” may be understood to mean “Anu-melekh,” that is, the Babylonian sky-god Anu worshiped in the manner of the Ammonite god Melekh (Molech).—Compare 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31.

ANAN

(Aʹnan) [cloud].

One of the heads of the people of Israel, whose representative, if not himself, together with Nehemiah and others, sealed the