Modern scholarship is more rational in its methods, but attaches no less importance to these ancient names, and finds in them weighty evidence on problems of criticism and theology; and before proceeding to more serious matters, we may note a few somewhat exceptional names. As pointed in the present Hebrew text, _Hazarmaveth_(40) and _Azmaveth_(41) have a certain grim suggestiveness. _Hazarmaveth_, court of death, is given as the name of a descendant of Shem. It is, however, probably the name of a place transferred to an eponymous ancestor, and has been identified with _Hadramawt_, a district in the south of Arabia. As, however, _Hadramawt_, is a fertile district of Arabia Felix, the name does not seem very appropriate. On the other hand _Azmaveth_, "strength of death," would be very suitable for some strong, death-dealing soldier. _Azubah_,(42) "forsaken," the name of Caleb's wife, is capable of a variety of romantic explanations. _Hazelelponi_(43) is remarkable in its mere form; and Ewald's interpretation, "Give shade, Thou who turnest to me Thy countenance," seems rather a cumbrous signification for the name of a daughter of the house of Judah. _Jushab-hesed_,(44) "Mercy will be renewed," as the name of a son of Zerubbabel, doubtless expresses the gratitude and hope of the Jews on their return from Babylon.(45) _Jashubi-lehem_,(46) however, is curious and perplexing. The name has been interpreted "giving bread" or "turning back to Bethlehem," but the text is certainly corrupt, and the passage is one of many into which either the carelessness of scribes or the obscurity of the chronicler's sources has introduced hopeless confusion. But the most remarkable set of names is found in 1 Chron. xxv. 4, where _Giddalti_ and _Romantiezer_, _Joshbekashah_, _Mallothi_, _Hothir_, _Mahazioth_, are simply a Hebrew sentence meaning, "I have magnified and exalted help; sitting in distress,(47) I have spoken(48) visions in abundance." We may at once set aside the cynical suggestion that the author lacked names to complete a genealogy and, to save the trouble of inventing them separately, took the first sentence that came to hand and cut it up into suitable lengths, nor is it likely that a father would spread the same process over several years and adopt it for his family. This remarkable combination of names is probably due to some misunderstanding of his sources on the part of the chronicler. His parchment rolls must often have been torn and fragmentary, the writing blurred and half illegible; and his attempts to piece together obscure and ragged manuscripts naturally resulted at times in mistakes and confusion.