Uzal

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

UZAL . 1. A son of Joktan (  Genesis 10:27 ,   1 Chronicles 1:21 ). 2. A place named in   Ezekiel 27:19 (RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘from Uzal,’ AVm [Note: Authorized Version margin.] ‘ Meuzal ’) a difficult passage, the text being in disorder. Davidson ( Ezekiel, in loc .) suggests that, although the most serious objections occur to the rendering, it might read, ‘ Vedan and Javan of Uzal furnished their wares, etc.’ Uzal is thought to be the ancient name of San‘a , the capital of el-Yemen . The name San‘a may have been given by the Abyssinians, in whose tongue it means ‘fortress.’ The modern Jewish inhabitants, who occupy a separate quarter, are reported to have come from India. But although none of the pre-Islamic Jewish stock remains, they were influential in the century before Mohammed (Harris, el-Yemen , 313). Probably the name Azal or Izal , by which the town was then known, may have been due to their revival of the ancient name (Glaser, Skizze , ii. 427). In Arabic azal means ‘eternity.’ This may account for the Arabs’ belief that it is the world’s oldest city (Margoliouth in Hastings’ D B [Note: Dictionary of the Bible.] , s.v .). Iron is found in several districts of Central Arabia (Doughty, Arabia Deserta ). The steel made in San‘a is still highly esteemed, especially the sword- and dagger-blades (Harris, op. cit . 310 ff.).

Standing on the floor of a spacious valley, 7250 feet above the level of the sea, San‘a is dominated by a fortress on Jebel Nujûm , which rises abruptly to the east. The height renders the climate delightful. The gardens and orchards are luxurious and fruitful. A river bed lies through the city, and in the rainy season is full of water. In the dry months water is supplied by deep wells. The splendid palace of Ghumdan, and the adjoining temple dedicated to Zahrah, the Arabian Venus, were destroyed by Othman, the third Caliph. The same fate befell the famous Christian church built by Abraha el-Ashran, viceroy of el-Yemen under the Abyssinian king Aryat, for the building of which the Emperor of Rome is said to have sent marble and workmen (Harris, op. cit . 291 322). According to Ibn Khaldun, San‘a was the seat of the Himyarite kings for centuries before Islam.

W. Ewing.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

U'zal. (Separate). The sixth son of Joktan,  Genesis 10:27;  1 Chronicles 1:21, whose settlements are clearly traced in the ancient name of San'A , the capital city of the Yemen (a district of Arabia), which was originally Awzal .

From its position in the centre of the best portion of that kingdom, it must always have been an important city. ( San'A is situated about 150 miles from Aden and 100 miles from the coast of the Red Sea. It is one of the most imposing cities of Arabia - Editor).

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Joktan's sixth son ( Genesis 10:27;  1 Chronicles 1:21). The capital of the Yemen (Arabia Felix) was originally Awzal (now San'a), anciently the most flourishing of Arab communities, its rivals being Sheba and Sephar. The Greek and Roman writers (Pliny, N. H. 12:16) call it Auzara, a city of the Gebanitae. Uzal is situated on an elevation, with a stream running through it from Mount Sawafee; it has a citadel. Transl. for "going to and fro,"  Ezekiel 27:19, "from Uzal." This is added to "Javan" to mark which Javan is meant,  Genesis 10:27.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Son of Joktan, a descendant of Shem.  Genesis 10:27;  1 Chronicles 1:21 . His descendants are traced to Sana (the ancient name of which was Awzal), the capital of the Yemen in Southern Arabia.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 10:27 1 Chronicles 1:21 Ezekiel 27:19

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 10:27 1 Chronicles 1:21

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A son of Joktan, located in Arabia Felix,  Genesis 10:27 .

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Usal', אוּזָל , perhaps Separate; Sept. Αἰζηλ and Ἰζήν , v.r. Αἰβήλ and Αἰσήλ ; Vulg. Uzal and Huzal ) , the sixth named of the thirteen sons of Joktan among the descendants of Shem ( Genesis 10:27;  1 Chronicles 1:21). B.C. post 2400. (See Joktan).

Abraham Zakuth, a learned Jewish writer, states that Sanaa, the metropolis of Yemen, is by the Jews called Uzal (Bochart, Opera, 1, 114); and in the Kamis, Azal (or Uzal) is said to be the ancient name of Sanaa (Golius, Lex. Arab. s.v.). This was still further confirmed by Niebuhr, who heard, when traveling in Yemen, the same statement made by Mohammedan natives (Description de l'Arabie, 3, 252). It was originally Awz Á l (Ibn-Khaldun, ap. Caussin, Essai, 1, 40, note; Mardsid, s.v.; Gesen. Lex. s.v.; Bunsen, Bibelwerk, etc.). The printed edition of the Mardsid writes the name Uzdl, and says, "It is said that its name was Uzdl; and when the Abyssinians arrived at it, and saw it to be beautiful, they said ‘ San'a,' which means beautiful: therefore it was called San'a." The Hebrew name probably appears in the Ausara ( Αὔσαρα or '''''Α''''' '''''Ü''''' Ζαρα ) of Ptolemy ( Geogr. 6:7), and the Ausaritis of Pliny, a city of Arabia Felix, celebrated for, its myrrh ( Hist. Nat. 12 :36). (See Etihnology) …

Sanaa is situated in a mountainous region in the center of Yemen, about 150 miles froth Aden and 100 from the coast of the Red Sea. Its commanding position, its strong fortifications, the number of its mosques and minarets, and the size of its houses render it one of the most imposing cities in Arabia. It has a citadel on the site of a famous temple called Beit-Ghumdn, said to have been founded by Shurabil, which was razed by order of Othman. It is abundantly watered by mountain streams; and the gardens, orchards, and fields around it are said to rival in luxuriance and beauty the famous plain of Damascus. In the town of Sanaa there are still some 15,000 Jews, while in the various parts of Yemen their numbers are supposed to amount to 200,000. Seer Michaelis, Spicileg. 2, 164-175; Forster; Geogr. of Arabia, 1, 143; Ritter, Erdkunde, 12:815-840. (See Arabia).

Ezekiel, in his description of Tyre, says, as rendered in the A. V. "Dan and Jaxvan'going to and fro (Heb. aleiizal, מְאוּזָל ; Sept. Ἐξ᾿ Ασήλ ; Vulg. Mosel ) , occupied in thy fairs; bright; iron, cassia, and, calamus were in thy market" ( Ezekiel 27:19). The structure of the passage unquestionably favors the translation, "Dan, aind Javan Of Uzal ( מֵאוּזָל ), conveyed to your markets wrought iron, cassia," etc. There can be little doubt, therefore, that the prophet alludes to the great city of Yemen, the neighborhood of which is known to have been famous for its spices and perfumes. This view is strengthened by the fact that Javan occurs in the Kamus, and is said to be a town of Yemen. The expression Javan of Uzal is thus appropriate, for the latter was the name of the capital and of a district connected with it. The names Dedan, Arabia, Kedar, and Sheba, following immediately in the prophetic narrative, indicate the country to which the eye of the sacred writer was directed. (See Javan).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ū´zal ( אוּזל , 'ūzāl ): Sixth son of Joktan (  Genesis 10:27;  1 Chronicles 1:21 ). Uzal as the name of a place perhaps occurs in  Ezekiel 27:19 . the Revised Version (British and American) reads, "Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for thy wares." Here an obscure verbal form, me'ūzzāl , is taken to mean "something spun," "yarn." But with a very slight change we may read me'ūzāl = "from Uzal."

The name is identical with the Arabic ‛Auzāl , the old capital of Yemen, later called Ṣan‛ā' . Ṣan‛ā' is described as standing high above sea-level in a fertile land, and traversed by a river bed which in the rainy season becomes a torrent. Under the Himyarite dynasty it succeeded Zafar as the residence of the Tubba's. If it is the same place as the Audzara or Ausara of the classics, it is clear why Arabic geographers dwell upon its great antiquity. The most celebrated feature of the town was Ghumdan, an immense palace, the building of which tradition ascribes to Shorabbil, the 6th known king of the Himyarites. According to Ibn Khaldoun this building had four fronts in color red, white, yellow and green respectively. In the midst rose a tower of seven stories, the topmost being entirely of marble (Caussin de Perceval, Essai , II, 75). In the 7th century Ad the town became the capital of the Zaidite Imams, and the palace was destroyed toward the middle of that century by order of the caliph Othman.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

U´zal, a descendant of Joktan, founder of one of the numerous tribes of Joktanidae in Yemen .