The meaning of Ascent in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
a-sent':
(1) The rendering in the King James Version twice, the Revised Version (British and American) 14 times correctly, of Hebrew ma'aleh, "ascent," "pass," as a geographical term (the King James Version Numbers 34:4; II Samuel 15:30; the Revised Version (British and American) Joshua 10:10; Judges 8:13, etc.).
(2) The rendering in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) of 'olah in I Kings 10:5, "his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Yahweh"; but 'olah everywhere else means "burnt-offering," and all ancient versions support the Revised Version, margin, "his burnt-offering which he offered" (caused to go up), etc.
(3) In II Chronicles 9:4 (parallel I Kings 10:5) a very slight textual correction (supported by Septuagint) gives us the same words as in 1Ki. instead of the difficult 'aliyah, "upper chamber," not "ascent" as the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) render it against all usage elsewhere.
(4) In the Revised Version (British and American) Ezekiel 40:31, Ezekiel 40:34, Ezekiel 40:37; Nehemiah 12:37, of a flight of steps, stairs.
(5) In the Revised Version (British and American) (Hebrew 'aliyah), Nehemiah 3:31-32, margin "upper chamber" is to be preferred to text "ascent."
F. K. Farr
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