-
AsahelAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
4. The father of a certain Jonathan who, with others, opposed a proposal with regard to the putting away of foreign wives among the returned exiles (after 468 B.C.E.).—Ezra 10:10, 11, 15.
-
-
AsaiahAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
ASAIAH
(A·saiʹah) [Jah has made].
1. A descendant of Merari, Levi’s third son, and a head of a paternal house. He was one of the chief men among the Levites who formed part of the group of 862 chosen to share in bringing up the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem at the time of David’s second (and successful) attempt.—1 Chron. 6:29, 30; 15:6, 11, 12.
2. A chieftain of the tribe of Simeon in the days of King Hezekiah (745-716 B.C.E.). He was among those Simeonites who took part in conquering a rich valley in the area of Gedor, till then occupied by Hamites and the Meunim.—1 Chron. 4:36-41.
3. Called “the king’s servant,” he was one of a commission of five, headed by Hilkiah, whom King Josiah sent to the prophetess Huldah to inquire of Jehovah about the meaning of the recently discovered book of the Law (about 642 B.C.E.).—2 Ki. 22:12-14; 2 Chron. 34:20, 21.
4. The firstborn of the Shilonites (1 Chron. 9:1-3, 5), listed among those returning from Babylon after the exile. At Nehemiah 11:5 mention is made of Maaseiah as a “Shelanite” descendant of Judah, and due to the similar meaning of the names (Maaseiah meaning “work of Jehovah”) some consider them to be the same and descended from Shelah, the youngest son of Judah by the daughter of Shua the Canaanite.—Gen. 38:2, 5; See MAASEIAH No. 17.
-
-
AsaphAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
ASAPH
(Aʹsaph) [collector, assembler; or, perhaps, Jehovah has gathered].
1. A son of Levi through Gershom. (1 Chron. 6:39, 43) During King David’s reign (1077-1037 B.C.E.) Asaph was appointed by the Levites as a chief singer and player of cymbals, accompanying the Ark as it was brought up from Obed-edom’s home to the “city of David.” (1 Chron. 15:17, 19, 25-29) Thereafter Asaph, along with Herman and Ethan, served before the tabernacle in directing the music and singing. (1 Chron. 6:31-44) Like Heman and Jeduthun (perhaps the same as Ethan), Asaph is called a “visionary,” who did “prophesying with the harp.”—1 Chron. 25:1-6; 2 Chron. 29:30; 35:15.
Asaph’s sons continued to form a special group in the orchestral and choral arrangements, taking a prominent part at the time of the temple’s inauguration and the bringing up of the Ark from Zion to the temple location (2 Chron. 5:12); at the time of King Hezekiah’s reforms (2 Chron. 29:13-15); and at the time of the great Passover celebrated during King Josiah’s reign. (2 Chron. 35:15, 16) Some of his descendants were also among the first group returning to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile.—Ezra 2:1, 41; Neh. 7:44.
The traditional superscriptions for Psalms 50, 73-83 credit these songs to Asaph. However, it seems likely that the name is there used as referring to the house of which he was paternal head, since some of the psalms (Pss. 79, 80) evidently describe events later than Asaph’s day.
2. A descendant of Levi’s son Kohath. His descendants were gatekeepers in the tabernacle service in King David’s time.—1 Chron. 26:1; Num. 16:1.
3. Among the officials of King Hezekiah (745-716 B.C.E.) is mentioned “Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.” (2 Ki. 18:18, 37; Isa. 36:3, 22) While Kitto’s Cyclopœdia of Biblical Literature (Vol. I, p. 233) applies the phrase “the recorder” to Asaph, most authorities view it as applying to Joah (thus, Joah ben Asaph, the recorder). Since the term “son” is often used in the sense of “descendant,” some suggest that this Asaph is the same as No. 1 above.
4. The “keeper of the park” for King Artaxerxes at the time of Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem (455 B.C.E.). (Neh. 2:8) The park was a wooded area, perhaps in Lebanon, which was also under Persian control. The park keeper’s Hebrew name may indicate that he was a Jew occupying this official position, even as Nehemiah had served in the relatively important position of the king’s cupbearer.—Neh. 1:11.
-
-
AsarelAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
ASAREL
(Asʹa·rel) [God has bound].
One of four sons of Jehallelel of the tribe of Judah.—1 Chron. 4:16.
-
-
AscensionAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
ASCENSION
The ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven was a very essential event of his post-resurrection activity.
Jesus’ ascension took place forty days from the time of his resurrection, according to Acts 1:3-9. Therefore, there is a time lapse involved between the events recorded at Luke 24:1-49 as occurring on Jesus’ resurrection day and the ascension of Jesus as described in verse 51 of that chapter. It may also be noted that the words “and began to be borne up to heaven,” appearing in that verse, are lacking in some ancient manuscripts and are therefore omitted in some modern translations (RS, AT). They do appear, however, in the Alexandrine Manuscript and the Vatican Manuscript No. 1209 and in other ancient manuscripts.
The scene of Jesus’ ascension was the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9, 12), near the town of Bethany (Luke 24:50), which town lies on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. Those witnessing the ascension formed a limited group, his faithful apostles. (Acts 1:2, 11-13) The record states that, “while they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud caught him up from their vision.” They continued looking into the sky until advised otherwise by the angels, who informed them: “This Jesus who was received up from you into the sky will come thus in the same manner as you have beheld him going into the sky.”—Acts 1:9-11.
It is to be noted that the angels referred to the “manner” (Gr., troʹpos) not the form (Gr., mor·pheʹ) in which Jesus departed. The Acts account shows the manner of his ascension to have been without ostentation or fanfare, discerned by only a few faithful followers and that for only the initial part of the ascension. It appears that the manner of his ascension was such as would qualify the apostles to serve as witnesses of that fact, even as they were of Jesus’ resurrection. (Acts 1:3) Thus, he did not simply ‘disappear’ from them, as he did earlier from the two disciples at Emmaus, nor as the angel who had appeared to Gideon “vanished from his sight.” (Luke 24:31; Judg. 6:21, 22) To an extent, his ascension was more like that of the angel who appeared to Manoah and his wife and had them prepare a sacrifice, and “as the flame ascended from off the altar heavenward, then Jehovah’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar while Manoah and his wife were looking on.”—Judg. 13:20, 21.
EFFECT ON DISCIPLES
Up until the day of Jesus’ ascension it appears that the disciples still thought in terms of an earthly kingdom ruled by him, as seen by their statement at Acts 1:6. By beginning his ascension in a visible way and allowing his disciples to witness the initial portion of it, Jesus thus made obvious to them that his kingdom was heavenly and that, different from David who “did not ascend to the heavens,” Jesus’ position from then onward would be at ‘God’s right hand,’ as Peter boldly testified on the day of Pentecost.—Acts 2:32-36.
Such action likewise should call to their mind and cause them to comprehend Jesus’ many previous statements pointing to such a heavenly position. He had shocked some by saying: “What, therefore, if you should behold the Son of man ascending to where he was before?” (John 6:62); and he told the Jews: “You are from the realms below; I am from the realms above.” (John 8:23) On the night of his
-