the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Encyclopedias
Elkosh
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (אֶלְקשׁ, i.e., God is its bow, see Furst, Hebr. Handw. s.v.), the birthplace of the prophet Nahum, hence called "the Elkoshite" (Nahum 1:1). Two widely differing Jewish traditions assign as widely different localities to this place. In the time of Jerome it was believed to exist in a small village of Galilee. The ruins of some old buildings were pointed out by his guide as the remains of the ancient Elkosh (Jerome, on Nahum 1:1). Cyril of Alexandria (Comm. on Nahum) says that the village of Elkosh was somewhere or other in the country of the Jews. Pseudo-Epiphanius (De Vitis prophetarum, in his Opp. 2:247) places Elkosh on the east of the Jordan, at Bethabara (είς Βηγαβάρ, Chron. Pasch. page 150, Cod. B, has εἰς βηταβαρήν ), where he says the prophet died in peace. According to Schwartz (Palestine, page 188), the grave of Nahum is shown at Kefr Tanchum, a village 2½ English miles north of Tiberias. A village of the name El-Kauzah is found about 2 hours S.W. of Tibnin, which seems to correspond with Jerome's notice. Another village of that name, also an ancient site, lies on a high hill rather more than 2 hours S. of Nablous (Van de Velde, Memoir, page 309). But medieval tradition, perhaps for the convenience of the Babylonian Jews, attached the fame of the prophet's burial place to El-Kush, or Alkosh, a village on the east bank of the Tigris, near the monastery of Rabban Hormuzd, and about two miles north of Mosul. It is situated on a stony declivity, has a few gardens, and contains about 30 papal Nestorian families (Perkins, in the Biblioth. Sacra, July, 1852, page 643). Benjamin of Tudela (page 53, ed. Asher) speaks of the synagogues of Nahum, Obadiah, and Jonah at Asshur, the modern Mosul. R. Petachia (page 35, ed. Benisch) was shown the prophet's grave, at a distance of four parasangs from that of Baruch, the son of Neriah, which was itself distant a mile from the tomb of Ezekiel. It is mentioned in a letter of Masius, quoted by Assemani (Bibl. Orient. 1:525). Jews from the surrounding districts make a pilgrimage to it at certain seasons. The synagogue which is built over the tomb is described by Colonel Shiel, who visited it in his journey through Kurdistan (Journ. Geog. Soc. 8:93). Rich evidently believed in the correctness of the tradition, considering the pilgrimage of the Jews as almost sufficient test (Kurdistan, 1:101). Layard, however, speaks less confidently (Nineveh, 1:197). Gesenius doubts the genuineness of either locality (Thes. Hebrews page 1211 b). The. tradition which assigns Elkosh to Galilee is more in accordance with the internal evidence afforded by the prophecy, which gives no sign of having been written in Assyria (Knobel, Prophet. 2:208; Hitzig, Kl. Prorh. page 212; Edwards, in the Bibliotheca Sacra, August 1848, page 557 sq.). (See NAHUM).
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Elkosh'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/e/elkosh.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
