Orator the rendering in the A. V. of one Hebrew and one Greek word.
1. It stands for lachash. a whisper, or "incantation," joined with nebon, "skillful" (נבוֹן לִחִשׁ, Sept. συνετὸς ἀκροατής; Vulg. and Symm. prudens eloquii mystici; Aquila, συνετὸς ψιθυρισμῷ; Theodot. συνετὸς ἐπωδῇ), Isa 3:3, A. V. "eloquent orator," marg. "skillful of speech." The phrase appears to refer to pretended skill in magic (see Gesenius, Thesaur. p. 202, 754; comp. Ps 58:5). SEE DIVINATION.
2. It stands for ῥήτωρ, the title applied to Tertullus (q.v.), who appeared as the advocate or patronus of the Jewish accusers of the apostle Paul before Felix (Ac 24:1). The Latin language was used, and Roman forms observed in provincial judicial proceedings, as, to cite an obviously parallel case, Norman-French was for so many ages the language of English law proceedings. The trial of Paul at Caesarea was distinctly one of a Roman citizen; and thus the advocate spoke as a Roman lawyer, and probably in the Latin language (see Ac 25:9-10; comp. Val. Max. 2:2, 2; Cicero, Pro Coelio, c. 30; Brutus, c. 37, 38,41, where the qualifications of an advocate are described; see Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 1:3; 2:348). SEE ADVOCATE.
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