The House of the Forest of Lebanon is called “the armory of the house of the forest” at Isaiah 22:8. So the house was evidently used for the storage and display of valuable arms and utensils.

HOUSES OF THE SOUL

[Heb., bat·theʹ han-neʹphesh].

Neʹphesh (“soul”) may, in this case, signify “that which is breathed” or “smelled,” and bat·tehʹ (“houses”) can also mean “receptacles.” Hence this literally translated expression “houses of the soul” probably denotes “perfume receptacles.” These may have been suspended from a chain or necklace and worn by ‘the haughty daughters of Zion’ around their necks. (Isa. 3:16, 18, 20) The name “houses of the soul” may have been a popular designation for such articles in that period.

HRO

or, as commonly anglicized, rho [Ρ, ρ]. The seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet, from which the English “r” is derived. The liquid hro is virtually identical in sound with the English “r,” an initial hro, however, having a hard breathing and being pronounced like hr.

The numerical symbol for 100 in Greek is accented (ρ΄), and for 100,000, hro with the subscript (,ρ).

HUKKOK

(Hukʹkok) [possibly, hewn in, decreed].

A border city of Naphtali. (Josh. 19:32, 34) Whereas some consider it to be too far N and E, modern Yaquq is usually identified with ancient Hukkok. This site lies some five and a half miles (9 kilometers) W of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and overlooks the fertile plain of Gennesaret.

HUKOK

(Huʹkok).

Apparently the same as Helkath, a border city in the territory of Asher that was assigned to the Gershonites of the tribe of Levi.—Josh. 19:25; 21:31, 33; 1 Chron. 6:74, 75; see HELKATH.

HUL

[possibly, circle, circuit].

A “son” of Aram. (Gen. 10:23) At 1 Chronicles 1:17, though, Hul appears to be listed as a “son” of Shem. In the Alexandrine Manuscript and Hebrew manuscript Kennicott 175, 1 Chronicles 1:17 reads as does Genesis 10:23, having the phrase “and the sons of Aram” before listing Uz, Hul, Gether and Mash. So, the omission of the words “and the sons of” at 1 Chronicles 1:17 in the Masoretic text may be due to scribal error. But this is not necessarily the case; in the Scriptures, “sons” can also include grandsons and even later descendants. (For what might be a comparable situation, see 1 Chronicles 1:4, where Shem, Ham and Japheth are not introduced as sons of Noah, perhaps because their relationship to Noah was so well known that the original writer felt it unnecessary to make the identification.)

The area settled by the descendants of Hul is not definitely known. Josephus identifies Hul (UI) as the founder of Armenia. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book I, chap. VI, par. 4) Others have suggested areas in Mesopotamia and elsewhere. Many favor the Huleh region in the vicinity of the Biblical “waters of Merom” that lay N of the Sea of Galilee, since the name “Hul” seems to be preserved in “Huleh” and also in “Ulatha,” a town in that area mentioned by Josephus.

HULDAH

(Hulʹdah) [possibly, mole rat].

The wife of Shallum; a prophetess residing at Jerusalem in the second quarter during the reign of faithful King Josiah of Judah. When Josiah heard the reading of “the very book of the law” found by Hilkiah the high priest during the temple repair work, he sent a delegation to inquire of Jehovah. They went to Huldah, who, in turn, relayed the word of Jehovah, indicating that all the calamities for disobedience recorded in the “book” would befall the apostate nation. Huldah added that Josiah, because of having humbled himself before Jehovah, would not have to look upon the calamity but would be gathered to his forefathers and taken to his graveyard in peace.—2 Ki. 22:8-20; 2 Chron. 34:14-28.

Some consider Huldah’s prophecy to be in error in view of Josiah’s death in an unnecessary battle. (2 Ki. 23:28-30) However, the “peace” in which Josiah would be gathered to his graveyard is obviously in contrast with the “calamity” due to come upon Judah. Josiah died prior to the coming of that calamity in 607 B.C.E., when the Babylonians besieged and destroyed Jerusalem. Additionally, that the expression ‘to be gathered to one’s forefathers’ does not necessarily exclude dying a violent death in warfare is indicated by the use of the comparable expression ‘to lie down with one’s forefathers’ with reference to a death in battle as well as a nonviolent death.—Compare Deuteronomy 31:16; 1 Kings 2:10; 22:34, 40.

HUMILITY

In the Hebrew Scriptures, from a root word (ʽa·nahʹ) meaning ‘to be bowed down, afflicted; to be humbled; to be lowly.’ Words drawn from this root are variously translated “humility,” “meekness,” “condescension,” “lowliness,” and so forth. in the Christian Greek Scriptures the word ta·pei·no·phro·syʹne is translated “humility” and “lowliness of mind.” It is drawn from the words ta·pei·noʹo, “to make low,” and phren, “the mind.” The English word “humility” comes from the Latin word humus, “earth,” “ground,” and means “freedom from pride or arrogance.” A person who has true humility will be meek and lowly in spirit.

One can achieve a state of humility by reasoning on his relationship to God and to his fellowmen, as outlined in the Bible, and then practicing the principles learned. A Hebrew word, hith·rap·pesʹ, translated “humble yourself,” means, literally, “trample on yourself.” It well expresses the action described by the wise writer of Proverbs: “My son, if you have gone surety for your fellow man, . . . if you have been ensnared by the sayings of your mouth, . . . you have come into the palm of your fellow man: Go humble [trample on] yourself and storm your fellow man with importunities. . . . Deliver yourself.” (Prov. 6:1-5) In other words, throw away your pride, acknowledge your mistake, set matters straight and seek forgiveness. Jesus admonished that a person humble himself before God as a child and, instead of trying to be prominent, minister to or serve his brothers.—Matt. 18:4; 23:12.

Or, a person may learn humility by being brought low, humbled by experience. Jehovah told Israel that he humbled them by causing them to walk forty years in the wilderness in order to put them to the test so as to know what was in their heart, and to make them know that “not by bread alone does man live but by every expression of Jehovah’s mouth does man live.” (Deut. 8:2, 3) Many of the Israelites no doubt profited from this severe experience and gained humility from it. (Compare Leviticus 26:41; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 12:6, 7.) If a person or a nation refuses to become humble or to accept humbling discipline, such will suffer humiliation in due time.—Prov. 15:32, 33; Isa. 2:11; 5:15.

PLEASES GOD

Humility has great value in the eyes of Jehovah. Although God does not owe mankind anything, in undeserved kindness he is ready to show mercy and favor to those humbling themselves before him. Such ones show that they are not trusting or boasting in themselves, but look to him and want to do his will. As the inspired Christian writers James and Peter say: “God opposes the haughty ones, but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones.”—Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5.

Even those who have in the past practiced very bad things, if they truly humble themselves before Jehovah and beseech him for mercy, will be heard by him. King Manasseh of Judah had seduced the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem “to do worse than the nations that Jehovah had annihilated from before