Dial. An instrument for showing the time of day from the shadow of a style or gnomon on a graduated arc or surface; rendered "steps" in Authorized Version, Exodus 20:26; 2 Kings 10:19, and "degrees," 2 Kings 20:9-11; Isaiah 38:8, where, to give a consistent rendering, we should read with the margin the "degrees" rather than the "dial" of Ahaz.
It is probable that the dial of Ahaz was really a series of steps or stairs, and that the shadow, (perhaps of some column or obelisk on the top), fell on a greater or smaller number of them according as the sun was low or high. The terrace of a palace might easily be thus ornamented.
More than 4,500 subjects and proper names are defined and analyzed with corresponding Scripture references. Bible students have used "Smith's Bible Dictionary" since its introduction in the 1880s, making it a trustworthy classic.Wikipedia
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