International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

me'-rom (me-merom; hudor Marron or hudor Merron): The place which was the scene of Joshua's victory over Jabin and his confederates (Joshua 11:7), commonly identified with Lake Huleh in the upper part of the Jordan valley, but with doubtful propriety. Josephus says (Ant., V, i, 18) that the camp of the allies was at Beroth in upper Galilee, and that Beroth was not far from Kadesh, which is upon the summit of the Galilean hills. According to the Scriptural account, the pursuit was to Sidon and Hazor on the West of the mountains (see HAZOR), while the names of the confederates are those of places in lower Galilee and the maritime plain. It seems improbable that a force of chariots should be brought over to be hemmed in by the rugged mountains which border the narrow plain of Huleh on both sides, plains that are made still narrower by the swamps surrounding the lake (see JORDAN VALLEY) in Joshua's time, when they were much larger than they are now after having been filled with the accumulation of sediment brought down by mountain streams for 3,000 years. Conder, with much reason, supposes the "waters of Merom" to be the perennial stream Wady el-Melek, near Shimrom-Merom (Semunieh), 5 miles West of Nazareth. Were Lake Huleh referred to, the proper phrase would be Sea (yam) of Merom, rather than waters (mayim).

George Frederick Wright

WATERS

wo'-terz (mayim, plural of may, "water"; in the New Testament hudor, "water"; kindunois potamon (2 Corinthians 11:26), the King James Version "perils of waters," is in the Revised Version (British and American) "perils of rivers"): In the New Testament there is frequent reference to the water of baptism. Pilate washes his hands with water to signify his guiltlessness. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman of the living water. The Lamb shall guide the redeemed unto fountains of waters of life.

The uses of mayim are well classified in BDB, especially the figurative references, as follows: a symbol of distress, "when thou passest through the waters" (Isaiah 43:2); of force, "like the breach of waters" (2 Samuel 5:20); of that which is overwhelming, "a tempest of mighty waters overflowing" (Isaiah 28:2); of fear, "The hearts of the people.... became as water" (Joshua 7:5); of transitoriness, "Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away" (Job 11:16); of refreshment, "as streams of water in a dry place" (Isaiah 32:2); of peace, "He leadeth me beside still waters" (Psalm 23:2); of legitimate pleasures, "waters out of thine own cistern" (Proverbs 5:15); of illegitimate pleasures, "Stolen waters are sweet" (Proverbs 9:17); of that which is poured out abundantly, blood (Psalm 79:3), wrath (Hosea 5:10), justice (Amos 5:24), groanings (Job 3:24).

Alfred Ely Day

CITY OF WATERS

See RABBAH.