With Hermenegild Jirecek he defended in 1862 the genuineness of the Königinhof MS. discovered by Wenceslaus Hanka. He published in the Czech language an anthology of Czech literature (3 vols., 1858-1861), a biographical dictionary of Czech writers (2 vols., 1875-1876), a Czech hymnology, editions of Blahoslaw's Czech grammar and of some Czech classics, and of the works of his father-in-law Pavel Josef Safarik (1795-1861). His brother HERMENEGILD JIRECEK, Ritter von Samakow (1827- ), Bohemian jurisconsult, who was born at Vysoké Mýto on the 13th of April 1827, was also an official in the education department. Among his important works on Slavonic law were _Codex juris bohemici_ (11 parts, 1867-1892), and a _Collection of Slav Folk-Law_ (Czech, 1880), _Slav Law in Bohemia and Moravia down to the 14th Century_ (Czech, 3 vols. 1863-1873). JIRECEK, KONSTANTIN JOSEF (1854- ), son of Josef, taught history at Prague. He entered the Bulgarian service in 1879, and in 1881 became minister of education at Sofia. In 1884 he became professor of universal history in Czech at Prague, and in 1893 professor of Slavonic antiquities at Vienna. The bulk of Konstantin's writings deal with the history of the southern Slavs and their literature. They include a _History of the Bulgars_ (Czech and German, 1876), _The Principality of Bulgaria_ (1891), _Travels in Bulgaria_ (Czech, 1888), &c. JIZAKH, a town of Russian Central Asia, in the province of Samarkand, on the Transcaspian railway, 71 m. N.E. of the city of Samarkand. Pop. (1897), 16,041. As a fortified post of Bokhara it was captured by the Russians in 1866. JOAB (Heb. "Yah[weh] is a father"), in the Bible, the son of Zeruiah, David's sister (1 Chron. ii. 16). His brothers were Asahel and Abishai. All three were renowned warriors and played a prominent part in David's history. Abishai on one occasion saved the king's life from a Philistine giant (2 Sam. xxi. 17), and Joab as warrior and statesman was directly responsible for much of David's success. Joab won his spurs, according to one account, by capturing Jerusalem (1 Chron. xi. 4-9); with Abishai and Ittai of Gath he led a small army against the Israelites who had rebelled under Absalom (2 Sam. xviii. 2); and he superintended the campaign against Ammon and Edom (2 Sam. xi. 1, xii. 26; 1 Kings xi. 15). He showed his sturdy character by urging the king after the death of Absalom to place his duty to his people before his grief for the loss of his favourite son (2 Sam. xix. 1-8), and by protesting against David's proposal to number the people, an innovation which may have been regarded as an infringement of their liberties (2 Sam. xxiv.; 1 Chron. xxi. 6).