the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Encyclopedias
Elamite
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (Chald. Elemay', עֵַלְמִי , in the plural עֵלְמָיֵא; Gr. Ε᾿λυναῖοι, Strabo, Ptolemy; or Ε᾿λαμῖται, Acts 2:9; Vulg. AElamitae). This word is found in the O.T. only in Ezra 4:9, and is omitted in that place by the Sept. translators, who probably regarded it as a gloss upon "Susanchites," which had occurred only a little before. The Elamites were the original inhabitants of the country called Elam; they were descendants of Shem, and drew their name from an actual man, Elam (Genesis 10:22). It has been observed in the preceding article that the Elamites yielded before a Cossaean or Cushite invasion. (See ELAM).
They appear to have been driven in part to the mountains, where Strabo places them (11:13, § 6; 16:1, § 17), in part to the coast, where they are located by Ptolemy (6:3). Little is known of their manners and customs, or of their ethnic character. (See Muller, in the Journal Asiatique, 1839, 7:299; Wahl, Asien, page 603; Mannert, Geogr. 5:2:158; comp. Plutarch, Vit. Pomp. 36; Justin. 36:1; Tacit. Annul. 6:44). Strabo says they were skillful archers (15:3, § 10; comp. Xenoph. Cyrop. 2:1, 16; Livy, 35:48; Appian, Syr. 32), and with this agree the notices both of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the latter of whom speaks of "the bow of Elam" (Jeremiah 49:35), while the former says that "Elam bare the quiver" (Jeremiah 22:6). Isaiah also adds in this place that they fought both on horseback and from chariots. They appear to have retained their nationality with peculiar tenacity, for it is plain from the mention of them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9) that they still at that time kept their own language, and the distinct notice of them by Ptolemy more than a century later seems to show that they were not even then merged in the Cossaeans. — (See Hassel, Erdbeschr. v. Asien, 2:769 sq.; Assemani, Bibl. Or. III, 2:419, 744; comp. Herod. 1:102; Arrian, Ind. 42; Pliny, 6:31; Strabo, 15:728.) In Judith 1:6, the name is given in the Greek form as Elymaeans, and in 1 Maccabees 6:1, mention is made of a city ELYMAYS (See ELYMAYS) (q.v.).