ARIEL . 1 . One of Ezra’s chief men ( Ezra 8:16 ). 2 . The name of a Moabite (according to RV [Note: Revised Version.] of 2 Samuel 23:20 , 1 Chronicles 11:22 ) whose two sons were slain by Benaiah. 3 . A name of uncertain meaning, perhaps = ‘God’s altar-hearth,’ given to Jerusalem by Isaiah ( Isaiah 29:1 ff.). It has recently been proposed to read Uri-el (‘city of God’) as a paronomasia or play of words on Uru-salim , the earliest recorded form of the name ‘Jerusalem.’
A. R. S. Kennedy.