Difference between revisions of "Dor"

<p> [[Ancient]] royal city of Canaan, on the most southern border of the coast of Phoenicia. Its king was slain, but [[Manasseh]] could not drive out its inhabitants. It was tributary to [[David]] and Solomon. Joshua 11:2; Joshua 12:23; Joshua 17:11; Judges 1:27; 1 Kings 4:11; 1 Chronicles 7:29 . Identified with <i> Tantura </i> , 32 37' N, 34 55' E . </p>

<p> (1): </p> <p> (n.) A large European scaraboid beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius), which makes a droning noise while flying. The name is also applied to allied American species, as the June bug. Called also dorr, dorbeetle, or dorrbeetle, dorbug, dorrfly, and buzzard clock. </p> <p> (2): </p> <p> (n.) A trick, joke, or deception. </p> <p> (3): </p> <p> (v. t.) To make a fool of; to deceive. </p>

<p> (Hebrews id., דּוֹר, a dwelling, but דּאֹר in Joshua 17:11; 1 Kings 4:11; Sept. Δώρ, but joins with preceding word נָפִת or נְפוֹתּ, in Joshua 11:2 Νεφεδδώρ, in Joshua 12:22 [second clause] Ναφαδδώρ, in 1 Kings 4:11 Νεφθαδώρ; Vulg. Dor; the Dora, τύ Δῶρα, of the [[Apocrypha]] and Josephus, who, as well as [[Greek]] writers, also calls it Dorus, Δοῦρα ), an ancient royal city of the [[Canaanites]] (Joshua 12:23), whose ruler was an ally of Jabin, king of Hazor, against Joshua (Joshua 11:1-2). It was probably the most southern settlement of the Phoenicians (Scylax, page 42, ascribes it to the Sidonians) on the coast of [[Syria]] (Joseph. Life, p. 8; Ant. 15:9, 6). [[Josephus]] describes it as a maritime city (War, 1:21, 5) on the west border of [[Manasseh]] and the north border of [[Dan]] (Ant. 5:1, 22; 8:2, 3; War, 1:7, 7), near Mount [[Carmel]] (Revelation 2:10). One old author tells us that it was founded by Dorus, a son of Neptune, while another affirms that it was built by the Phoenicians, because the neighboring rocky shore abounded in the small shell-fish from which they. got the purple dye (Reland, Palest. page 739). It appears to have been within the territory of the tribe of Asher, though allotted to Manasseh (Joshua 17:11; Judges 1:27). The original inhabitants were never expelled, but during the prosperous reigns of [[David]] and [[Solomon]] they were made tributary (Judges 1:27-28), and the latter monarch stationed at [[Dor]] one of his twelve purveyors (1 Kings 4:11). Reland (Palest. page 744) thinks it is the [[Dura]] (Aoeipa) mentioned by [[Polybius]] (5:409) as the scene of the victory of [[Antiochus]] [[Epiphanes]] over [[Ptolemy]] Philometor. Tryphon, the murderer of [[Jonathan]] Maccabaeus and usurper of the throne of Syria,, having sought an asylum in Dor, the city was besieged and captured by Antiochus Si detes (1 [[Maccabees]] 15:11; 1 Maccabees 15:13; 1 Maccabees 15:25; Joseph. Ant. 13:7, 2; War, 1:2, 2). It was granted the privilege of nominal independence by Pompey (Joseph. Ant. 14:4, 4; War, 1:7, 7), and was rebuilt by Gabinius, the [[Roman]] general, along with Samaria, Ashdod, and other cities of [[Palestine]] (Joseph. Ant. 14:5, 3), and it remained an important place during the early years of the Roman rule in Syria. Its coins are numerous, bearing the legend "Sacred Dora" (Vaillant, Num. Impp.). It became an episcopal city of the province of [[Palaestina]] Prima, but was already ruined and deserted in the fourth century (Jerome, in Epitaph. Paulae). According to Ptolemy (5:15, 5), it was situated in long. 66° 30', lat 32° 40'; according to the Peutinger Table, 20 miles from Ptolemais; and according to [[Eusebius]] and [[Jerome]] (Onomast. s.v. Δὼρ τοῦ Ναφάθ, Dornaphet), it lay on the coast, "in the ninth mile from Caesarea, on the way to Ptolemais." Just at the point indicated is the small village of Tantura (or Tortura, Pococke, 2:84; Arvieux, 2:11: [[Gesenius]] thinks, Thesaur. page 331, either form equal to the Arabic for hill of Dora), consisting of about thirty houses, wholly constructed of ancient materials, and inhabited by Mohammedans (Mangles, Trav. page 190; Schwarz, Palest. pages 77, 91, 149; Thomson, Land and Book, 2:248). Three hundred yards north are low rocky mounds projecting into the sea, covered with heaps of rubbish, massive foundations, and fragments of columns. The most conspicuous ruin is a section of an old tower, 30 feet or more in height, which forms the landmark of the town. On the south side of the promontory, opposite the village, is a little harbor, partially sheltered by two or three small islands. A spur of Mount Carmel, steep and partially wooded, runs parallel to the coast-line, at the distance of about a mile and a half. Between its base and the sandy beach is a rich and beautiful plain — this is possibly the "border," "coast," or "region" (53, [[Symmachus]] παραλία ) of Dor (Joshua 11:2; Joshua 12:23; 1 Kings 4:11). The district is now almost wholly deserted, being exposed to the raids of the wild [[Bedouins]] who pasture their flocks on the rich plain of Sharon. (See Hamath-Dor En-Dor). </p>