one of the four cardinal points of the world; namely, that
particular point of the horizon in which the sun is seen to rise. The
Hebrews express the east, west, north, and south by words which signify
before, behind, left, and right, according to the situation of a man who
has his face turned toward the east. By the east, they frequently
describe, not only Arabia Deserta, and the lands of Moab and Ammon,
which lay to the east of Palestine, but also Assyria, Mesopotamia,
Babylonia, and Chaldea, though they are situated rather to the north
than to the east of Judea. Balaam, Cyrus, and the wise men who visited
Bethlehem at the time Christ was born, are said to come from the east,
Num. xxiii, 7; Isaiah xlvi, 11; Matt. ii, 1.
particular point of the horizon in which the sun is seen to rise. The
Hebrews express the east, west, north, and south by words which signify
before, behind, left, and right, according to the situation of a man who
has his face turned toward the east. By the east, they frequently
describe, not only Arabia Deserta, and the lands of Moab and Ammon,
which lay to the east of Palestine, but also Assyria, Mesopotamia,
Babylonia, and Chaldea, though they are situated rather to the north
than to the east of Judea. Balaam, Cyrus, and the wise men who visited
Bethlehem at the time Christ was born, are said to come from the east,
Num. xxiii, 7; Isaiah xlvi, 11; Matt. ii, 1.