Arioch

views updated May 18 2018

ARIOCH

ARIOCH (Heb. אַרְיוֹך). (1) A king of an unknown region, Ellasar, allied with *Chedorlaomer, king of Elam (Gen. 14:1 ff.). (2) A captain of the guard in Babylon in the days of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel (Dan. 2:14 ff.). (3) A king of the Elymaeans (Elamites) in Judith 1:6. (4) An angel in ii Enoch (the Slavonic Enoch) 33:11. While the first three cannot be identified with any independently attested persons, the name Arioch is probably identical with those of Arri(w)uk(i), a vassal of King Zimrilim of Mari (c. 1700 b.c.e.), and possibly related to Awariku king of the Danunians, and superior of Azatiwadda the author of the Phoenician-Hieroglyphic Luwian bilingual inscriptions of Karatepe (Adana, Turkey; first half of the first millennium b.c.e.).

bibliography:

Koehler-Baumgartner, 87, 1054; H. Donner and W. Roellig, Kanaanaeische und aramaeische Inschriften, 2 (1963), 39; W. Baumgartner, Hebraeisches und aramaeisches Lexikon zum Alten Testament, 1 (1967), 85. add. bibliography: K. Younger, in: cos, 2, 148.

[Harold Louis Ginsberg]

Arioch

views updated May 17 2018

Arioch

Demon of vengeance, according to some demonologists. Arioch differs from Alastor and occupies himself only with vengeance in particular cases where he is employed for that purpose.

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