(Heb. Ibtsan', אַבְצָן, from אָבִוֹ, to shine, hence illustrious; but accord. to Gesen. perh. of tin, or grievous, from the Chald.; Sept. Ε᾿βεσάν v.r. Ἀβαισσάν; Joseph. Ἀψάνης, Ant. 5, 7, 13), the tenth "judge of Israel" (Judges 12:8-10). He was of Bethlehem probably the Bethlehem of Zebulun (so Michaelis and Hezel), and not of Judah (as Josephus says). He governed seven years, B.C. 1249-1243. The prosperity of Ibzan is marked by the great number of his children (thirty sons and thirty daughters), and his wealth by their marriages-for they were all married. Some have held, with little probability, that Ibzan was the same with Boaz.-Kitto.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More