Edrei

2 definitions found

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Edrei
     mighty; strength. (1.) One of the chief towns of the kingdom of
     Bashan (Josh. 12:4, 5). Here Og was defeated by the Israelites,
     and the strength of the Amorites broken (Num. 21:33-35). It
     subsequently belonged to Manasseh, for a short time apparently,
     and afterwards became the abode of banditti and outlaws (Josh.


     13:31). It has been identified with the modern Edr'a, which
     stands on a rocky promontory on the south-west edge of the Lejah
     (the Argob of the Hebrews, and Trachonitis of the Greeks). The
     ruins of Edr'a are the most extensive in the Hauran. They are 3
     miles in circumference. A number of the ancient houses still
     remain; the walls, roofs, and doors being all of stone. The wild
     region of which Edrei was the capital is thus described in its
     modern aspect: "Elevated about 20 feet above the plain, it is a
     labyrinth of clefts and crevasses in the rock, formed by
     volcanic action; and owing to its impenetrable condition, it has
     become a refuge for outlaws and turbulent characters, who make
     it a sort of Cave of Adullam...It is, in fact, an impregnable
     natural fortress, about 20 miles in length and 15 in breadth"
     (Porter's Syria, etc.). Beneath this wonderful city there is
     also a subterranean city, hollowed out probably as a refuge for
     the population of the upper city in times of danger. (See {BASHAN}.)
     
       (2.) A town of Naphtali (Josh. 19:37).
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Edrei, a very great mass, or cloud