chan´sel -ẽr : The rendering in Ezra 4:8 , Ezra 4:9 , Ezra 4:17 of the Hebrew בּעל־טעם , be‛ēl ṭe‛ēm ; Septuagint Βάαλ , Báal (Ezra 4:9 ), Βαλγάμ , Balgám (Ezra 4:17 ), the latter being an incorrect translation of Hebrew ע . In 1 Esdras 2:16, 25, Βεέλτεθμος , Beéltethmos (compare Ezra 4:8 ) occurs as a corruption, doubtless of בּעל־טעם , be‛ēl ṭe‛ēm ̌ . The term in question designates an Assyrian office, namely, that of the "master or lord of official intelligence," or "postmaster" (Sayce).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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