MIGDOL
MIGDOL a Hebrew word signifying “a tower,” and used as a complement of several proper names of places in Holy Scripture.
1.
MIGDOL-EDER, translated in
Gen. 35.21 (5.16 in LXX.),
τοῦ πύργου Γαδέρ, Auth. Ver. “the tower of Eder;” and in
Micah, 4.8.,
πύργος ποιμνίου, Auth. Ver. “tower of the flock” (marg. “Edar” ). From the first cited passage, it would appear to have been near Bethlehem ; and St. Jerome mentions a shepherd's tower a mile from Bethlehem, so called, as he suggests, in prophetic anticipation of the angelic announcement of the Nativity. (
Onomast. s. v.; Reland,
Palaestina, s. v. p. 898.)
2.
MIGDOL-EL, a town in the tribe of Naphthali (
Josh. 19.38), where the LXX., running two names together, read
Μεγαλααρίμ for “Migdal-el, Horem.” Eusebius and St. Jerome mention it as a large village named Magdiel, ix. M. P. (St. Jerome writes v. M. P.) from Dora on the road to Ptolemais, probably identical with the modern
El-Mejdel, in the plain of Esdraelon, a little to the SW. of
Shefa ‘Amar, which is, however, more remote than even Eusebius states from Dora, i. e. the modern
Tantura. Neither could this have any connection with the Migdal-el of Naphthali, as Reland, in agreement with his two authors, seems to imagine, seeing it was situated in the tribe of Asher or Issachar. (Reland,
Palaestina, p. 898.) The Magdala of Galilee (now
El-Mejdel) is much more probably the Migdal-el of Naphthali. [
MAGDALA]
3.
MIGDAL-GAD (
Μαγαδαλγάδ,LXX.), a city of the tribe of Judah. (
Josh. 15.37.)
4.
MIGDAL-SENNA, corrupted to
Μεγάλη Σεννά in Eusebius (
Onomast. s. v. Sena), which, however, St. Jerome's translation enables us to correct to
Μιγδὰλ Σέννα, “quod interpretatur turris Senna.” There is yet another corruption of the Greek corrected in the Latin; the former having
ὅριον τῆς Ἰδουμαίας, the latter, correctly, “terminus Judae.” A village of this name existed in their days 7 miles north of Jericho. [
G.W]
