Mak'tesh (Heb. Maktesh', מִכתֵּשׁ [but with the art.], a mortar, as in Pr 27:12, or the sockets of a tooth, as in Jg 15:19; Sept. renders κατακεκομμένη, Vulg. Pila), a place in or near Jerusalem, mentioned as inhabited. apparently by silver-merchants (Zep 1:11). Gesenius regards it as the name of a valley, so called from its mortar-like shape (Thesaurus, p. 725). The rabbins understand the Kedron and other less likely places to be meant. Ewald conjectures (Propheten, p. 364) that it was the "Phoenician quarter" of the city, in which the traders of that nation-the Canaanites (A. Vers. "merchants"), who in this passage are associated with Maktesh — resided, after the custom in Oriental towns. Dr. Barclay (City of the Great King, p. 100,157, 173) ingeniously suggests that it may have been a quarter devoted to minting operations, and therefore situated near the goldsmith's bazaar, which was doubtless located somewhere in Acra or the lower city, but whether in the Tyropceon adjoining the Temple, where he places it, is uncertain.
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