{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_63528/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_63528","id":"gutenberg_63528","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63528","summary":null,"tags":["Bible. Old Testament -- History of Biblical events","Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality"],"text":"A CLASS-BOOK OF\n OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY.\n\n\n Illustration: (\u2021 Colophon)\n\n\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Transcriber\u2019s Notes \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Punctuation has been standardized. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Characters in small caps have been replaced by all caps. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Non-printable symbols have been presented in square brackets \u2502\n \u2502 with a description [Leo astrological sign] \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Non-printable characteristics have been given the following \u2502\n \u2502 Italic text: --> _text_ \u2502\n \u2502 emphasized text within \u2502\n \u2502 italics --> |text| \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 This book was written in a period when many words had \u2502\n \u2502 not become standardized in their spelling. Words may have \u2502\n \u2502 multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in \u2502\n \u2502 the text. These have been left unchanged unless indicated \u2502\n \u2502 with a Transcriber\u2019s Note. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 The symbol \u2018\u2021\u2019 indicates the description in parenthesis has \u2502\n \u2502 been added to an illustration. This may be needed if there \u2502\n \u2502 is no caption or if the caption does not describe the image \u2502\n \u2502 adequately. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Index references have not been checked for accuracy. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Footnotes are identified in the text with a number in \u2502\n \u2502 brackets [2] and have been accumulated in a single section \u2502\n \u2502 at the end of the text. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Transcriber\u2019s Notes are used when making corrections to the \u2502\n \u2502 text or to provide additional information for the modern \u2502\n \u2502 reader. These notes are identified in the text by a \u2666 symbol, \u2502\n \u2502 and are accumulated in a single section at the end of the \u2502\n \u2502 book. \u2502\n \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2518\n\n\n\n\n Elementary Theological Class-Books.\n\n\n A CLASS-BOOK\n OF\n OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY\n\n\n BY\n\n THE REV. G. F. MACLEAR, D.D.\n\n WARDEN OF ST AUGUSTINE\u2019S COLLEGE, AND\n HONORARY CANON OF CANTERBURY.\n LATE HEAD MASTER OF KING\u2019S COLLEGE SCHOOL, LONDON.\n\n\n _WITH MAPS._\n\n\n London:\n MACMILLAN AND CO.\n AND NEW YORK.\n 1894\n\n [_The Right of Translation is reserved._]\n\n\n _First Edition printed January 1865. Second Edition printed\n November 1865. Reprinted with slight alterations 1866,\n with slight alterations 1868, with slight alterations 1869,\n 1871, 1872, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881,\n 1883, 1884, 1885, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1892, 1894._\n\n\n\n\n NOTICE.\n\n\nTHE present Volume forms a Class-Book of Old Testament History from the\nEarliest Times to those of Ezra and Nehemiah.\n\nIn its preparation the most recent Authorities[1] have been consulted,\nand wherever it has appeared useful, Notes have been subjoined\nillustrative of the Text, and, for the sake of more advanced students,\nreferences added to larger Works.\n\nThe Index has been so arranged as to form a concise Dictionary of the\nPersons and Places mentioned in the course of the Narrative, while the\nMaps, which have been prepared with considerable care at Stanford\u2019s\nGeographical Establishment, will, it is hoped, materially add to the\nvalue and usefulness of the Book.\n\n_London, Christmas, 1864._\n\n\n\n\n SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.\n\n\n BOOK I.\n _From the Creation to the Dispersion of Mankind._\n\n CHAP. I. The Creation\n CHAP. II. The Fall\n CHAP. III. The Flood\n CHAP. IV. The Confusion of Tongues\n CHAP. V. Rise of Idolatry. The Patriarch Job.\n\n BOOK II.\n _The Patriarchal Age._\n\n CHAP. I. The Call of Abraham\n CHAP. II. Life of Abraham continued\n CHAP. III. The History of Isaac\n CHAP. IV. Life of Jacob\n CHAP. V. History of Joseph\n CHAP. VI. Jacob\u2019s Descent into Egypt, and Death of Joseph\n NOTE. _Survey of the Patriarchal Age_\n\n BOOK III.\n _From the Settlement of the Israelites in Egypt\n to the Giving of the Law._\n\n CHAP. I. The Birth and Call of Moses\n CHAP. II. Signs and Wonders in Egypt\n CHAP. III. The Last Plague\u2015\u2015The Passover\u2015\u2015The Exodus\n CHAP. IV. The Journey from the Red Sea to Rephidim\n CHAP. V. Sinai and the Giving of the Law\n CHAP. VI. Moses in the Mount. The Construction of the Golden Calf\n\n BOOK IV.\n _The Mosaic Worship and Polity._\n\n CHAP. I. The Tabernacle\n NOTE. _History of the Tabernacle_\n CHAP. II. The Priests\n CHAP. III. The Sacrifices and Offerings\n CHAP. IV. Holy Times and Seasons\n CHAP. V. The Great Festivals\u2015\u2015The Jewish Calendar\n NOTE. _Laws of Purity, &c._\n CHAP. VI. Civil and Moral Laws\n\n BOOK V.\n _From the Departure from Sinai to the Death of Moses._\n\n CHAP. I. Kadesh-Barnea and the Mission of the Spies\n CHAP. II. The Wanderings\u2015\u2015Death of Miriam and Aaron\n CHAP. III. Conquest of the East of Jordan\u2015\u2015Balaam and Balak\n CHAP. IV. War with the Midianites\u2015\u2015Death of Moses\n NOTE. _His Work and Character_\n\n BOOK VI.\n _Joshua and the Conquest of Western Palestine._\n\n CHAP. I. The Passage of the Jordan, and Fall of Jericho\n CHAP. II. Conquest of the Southern and Central Mountains\n CHAP. III. Battle of Merom, and Division of the Land\n\n BOOK VII.\n _Period of the Judges._\n\n CHAP. I. Events subsequent to the Death of Joshua\n CHAP. II. Micah and the Danites\u2015\u2015The Tribal War\n CHAP. III. Othniel and Ehud, Deborah and Barak\n CHAP. IV. Invasion of the Midianites\u2015\u2015Gideon\n CHAP. V. Abimelech and Jephthah\n CHAP. VI. Invasion from the South-west, Samson\n\n BOOK VIII.\n _From the Time of Samuel to the Accession of David._\n\n CHAP. I. Eli and Samuel\n CHAP. II. Samuel\u2019s Judgeship\n CHAP. III. Election of the First King\n CHAP. IV. The Battle of Michmash\n CHAP. V. Saul and the Amalekites\u2015\u2015David and Goliath\n CHAP. VI. David\u2019s Life as an Outlaw\n CHAP. VII. David at Ziklag\u2015\u2015Battle of Mount Gilboa\n\n BOOK IX.\n _The Reigns of David and Solomon._\n\n CHAP. I. David\u2019s Reign at Hebron\n CHAP. II. David\u2019s Reign at Jerusalem\n CHAP. III. David\u2019s Army, his Conquests, his Sin\n CHAP. IV. The Rebellion of Absalom\n CHAP. V. Close of David\u2019s reign\n FOOTNOTE. _David\u2019s Work and Character_\n CHAP. VI. Accession of Solomon\n CHAP. VII. The Building of the Temple\n CHAP. VIII. Solomon\u2019s reign continued\n\n BOOK X.\n _Kingdoms of Judah and Israel._\n\n PART I.\n _Period of Mutual Hostility._\n\n CHAP. I. The Revolt of the Ten Tribes\n CHAP. II. Rehoboam and Abijah, Jeroboam and Nadab\n CHAP. III. Asa and Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri\n\n PART II.\n _Period of Mutual Alliance, and Hostility to Syria._\n\n CHAP. I. Accession of Ahab\u2015\u2015Era of Elijah\n CHAP. II. Wars of Ahab and Benhadad\n CHAP. III. Murder of Naboth\u2015\u2015Battle of Ramoth Gilead\n CHAP. IV. Wars of Jehoshaphat. Translation of Elijah\n CHAP. V. Jehoshaphat and Jehoram\u2015\u2015Era of Elisha\n CHAP. VI. Elisha and Naaman\u2015\u2015Siege of Samaria\n\n PART III.\n _Renewal of Hostilities; Decline of both Kingdoms\n before the power of the Assyrian Empire._\n\n CHAP. I. Accession of Jehu\n CHAP. II. Athaliah and Joash; Death of Elisha\n CHAP. III. Amaziah and Jeroboam II.; Era of Jonah\n CHAP. IV. Decline and Captivity of the Kingdom of Israel\n CHAP. V. Reign of Hezekiah\n CHAP. VI. Reign of Manasseh\u2015\u2015Reforms of Josiah\n CHAP. VII. Death of Josiah\u2015\u2015Captivity of Judah\n NOTE. _Duration, Relation, Contrasts of the Two Kingdoms_[441]\n\n BOOK XI.\n _From the Captivity to the Close of the Canon._\n\n CHAP. I. Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar\n CHAP. II. Reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius\n CHAP. III. Rebuilding of the Temple\u2015\u2015Esther and Ahasuerus\n CHAP. IV. Times of Ezra and Nehemiah\u2015\u2015Close of Canon\n APPENDIX AND CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES\n INDEX\n\n\n MAPS.\n\n 1. The Dispersion of Noah\u2019s Descendants (Genesis x.)\n\n 2. A Map of Canaan, Egypt, and Sinai, to illustrate the Patriarchal\n History and the Exodus. With Mount Sinai enlarged\n\n 3. The Holy Land divided among the Twelve Tribes\n\n 4. Solomon\u2019s Dominions, The Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and the\n Lands of the Captivities\n\n\n\n\n BOOK I.\n\n FROM THE CREATION TO THE DISPERSION OF MANKIND.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _THE CREATION._\n GEN. I. II. B.C. 4004.\n\n\n_IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth._ With these\nsimple but sublime words commences the History contained in the\nScriptures of the Old Testament, teaching us that the Universe did\nnot exist from all eternity, but owed its origin to the creative act\nof God. To us this truth appears so elementary and self-evident that\nwe can hardly appreciate the dim and uncertain notions on this point,\nwhich the best and wisest of the heathen possessed. Certain it is,\nhowever, they were very much in the dark respecting the origin of the\nworld. Some philosophers held that it existed from all eternity: others\ntaught that there are two independent Causes, the one Light, and the\nother Darkness, and that out of the unending struggle between them\nthe Universe had its origin; others imagined that all the marvellous\norder and harmony we see around us was the result of Chance; others,\nagain, conceived that the world was an emanation from Deity, and a\npart of Deity. Distinct from all these guesses and conceptions is the\n_declaration_ of the Scripture Narrative. It affirms that the world is\nnot eternal; that it had its origin with time and in time; that it owed\nits beginning neither to Chance, nor Necessity, but the Creative will\nof a Personal God, infinitely exalted above it, the Maker and Sustainer\nof all things. (Comp. Joh. i. 1\u20133, Rom. xi. 36, 1 Cor. viii. 6, Col.\ni. 15, 16, Heb. i. 2, 3).\n\nThe creation, however, of the present order of things was not\ninstantaneous, but progressive, and took place in six Days, or vast\nPeriods of time. On the _first_ day light was created, and divided from\nthe darkness; on the _second_, the firmament, or atmosphere encircling\nthe globe; on the _third_, a separation was made between the water and\nthe land, and the surface of the earth was covered with vegetation,\nwith _the herb yielding seed, and the tree yielding fruit after its\nkind_. On the _fourth_, the sun, moon and stars were bidden _to give\nlight upon the earth, and to be for signs and for seasons, and for days\nand years_. On the _fifth_, animal life appeared in its lowest forms,\nthe waters brought forth the various marine tribes after their kind,\nand this was succeeded by the creation of every _winged fowl_. The\n_sixth_ day was marked by the production of land animals, _cattle, and\ncreeping thing, and beast of the earth_, which, like all the preceding\nproducts of Creative Power, received the Divine approval, and were\npronounced to be _very good_.\n\nBut the work of Creation was not yet complete. A being higher than\nany yet created was to be called into existence. Accordingly _God said,\nLet |us| make MAN in |our| image, after |our| likeness, and let them\nhave dominion over every living thing, and over all the earth; and the\nLord God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his\nnostrils the breath of life, and Man became a living soul_. Then having\nseen that all things He had made were _very good_ God ended His work,\nand _rested on the seventh day_, sanctifying it as a day of Rest for\nman. (Gen. i. 2\u201326).\n\nThe language here employed in reference to the creation of man deserves\nattention. It teaches us that man did not, as some have taught, slowly\nemerge by his own efforts from a brutish state. Unlike other created\nobjects, he was originally made in the _image_ and _after the likeness_\nof God. Endowed not only with a body, but also with an immortal soul,\nhe was to combine intellectual power with liberty of will, and the\nfaculty of conscience. And as he was great himself, so also was the\nwork to which he was called. His was to be universal dominion _over\nthe fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every\nliving thing that moveth upon the earth_. As God\u2019s vicegerent, he was\nto exercise lordship over nature, and guide it towards its destined\nperfection (Gen. i. 26).\n\nBut though the first man ADAM, was endued with those high prerogatives,\nhe was not destined to attain immediately to the end for which he\nwas created. His activity was to commence in a particular spot, and\nthence to extend in all directions, until all the earth was subdued and\nmoulded to the will of its Creator. The Almighty, therefore, planted\na garden in a region of the East, corresponding probably to the high\ntable-land of the modern Armenia, and watered by four streams. Of two\nof these, Pison and Gihon, the situation is absolutely unknown, the\nothers were the Tigris and Euphrates. Here, then, in a spot endued with\neverything pleasant to the sight and good for food, man\u2019s work was to\ncommence. Action and not contemplation only was essential to his nature,\nhence a charge was given to him to _dress_ and _keep_ the garden. Nor\namidst everything to gratify his senses and supply material for his\nunderstanding and reflection was he left alone. A responsible being,\n_bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh_, was created a _help-meet\nfor him_. The Lord _caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam_, and taking\none of his ribs, He made thereof a woman, and brought her unto him,\nand EVE, _the mother of all flesh_, one with himself in nature and in\norigin, was united to him in holy bonds, which HE, Who thus instituted\nthem in Paradise, afterwards adorned and hallowed with His own presence\nand first miracle at Cana of Galilee (Joh. ii. 1; Eph. v. 23\u201333).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _THE FALL._\n GEN. III. B.C. 4004.\n\n\nOF the life of the first human pair in Paradise we are told but\nlittle. We know, however, that it was not only a state of innocence,\nand therefore of happiness, but also, like all human life since, of\n_probation_. Besides the charge to dress and keep the fair enclosure\nin which they had been placed, our first parents received but one\nadditional command. It was couched in negative terms, and forbade in\nthe most distinct and solemn manner possible the eating of the fruit\nof a mysterious tree growing in the midst of the Garden, and called the\n_tree of knowledge of Good and Evil_. Of the fruit of every other tree\nthey might eat freely, of the fruit of this tree the Almighty said to\nthem, _Ye shall not eat, for in the day ye eat thereof ye shall surely\ndie_. In this single prohibition lay the test of their loyal obedience\nto their Creator, on it depended their innocence and their happiness\ntemporal and eternal. How long they were faithful and obedient we are\nnot told. But whether the period was long or short, certain it is that\nit came to a close.\n\nThe Tree of _the Knowledge of Good and Evil_, implies that Evil was\nalready present in God\u2019s world, and therefore in part prepares us for\nthe dark shadow that now gathers round the sacred page. The creation\nof man had been watched by a supernatural Being of infinite subtilty\nand malignity, the Enemy of God and of all goodness. Respecting this\nmysterious Being, though the Sacred Narrative does not gratify our\ncuriosity with any lengthened details, yet to his existence and his\nunceasing hostility to man, it bears direct and explicit testimony.\nThe name under which the supernatural Tempter appears in the earliest\nand latest portions of the Bible is the same (comp. Gen. iii. 1, with\n2 Cor. xi. 3; Rev. xii. 9, xx. 2), and though but seldom mentioned in\nthe Old Testament (Job i., ii.; 1 Chron. xxi. 1; Zech. iii. 1, 2), the\nsame attributes are uniformly ascribed to him. Created originally good,\nlike all the works of God, he _abode not in the truth_ (Jn. viii. 44),\nbut rebelled against his Maker and fell from his high estate (1 Tim.\niii. 6), and henceforth, at the head of numerous other spirits (Matt.\nxxv. 41), whom he had dragged down with him in his fall (2 Pet. ii. 4;\nJude 6), he arrayed himself in conscious hostility to the Supreme.\n\nThis Being, then, here called the Serpent, in other places Satan, i.e.\nthe _Enemy_, and the Devil, i.e. the _Slanderer_, approached the woman,\nas being the weaker vessel, for the purpose of seducing her, and so\nher husband, from their allegiance to their Creator. With affected\nsolicitude he began by enquiring, _Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat\nof every tree of the garden?_ To this the woman replied by repeating\nthe Divine prohibition respecting the fruit of one particular tree.\nThereupon the Tempter proceeded to declare that the penalty of death\nwould not follow the eating of this fruit, nay that the Almighty knew\nthat in the day they ate thereof, her eyes and those of her husband\nwould be opened, and they would _become as gods_, knowing good and\nevil. A more subtle scheme for shaking her allegiance to the Almighty,\nand her confidence in His goodness and His love, could not have been\ndevised. A prohibition hitherto regarded as a solemn but merciful\nwarning was now invested with an arbitrary character, and a selfish\nmotive. In mere envy, so the Tempter affirmed, the Almighty had\ndenounced an impossible penalty; what she had been taught to observe\nas the condition of innocence and happiness was nothing more than the\nexpedient of One, who grudged His creatures their rightful advancement,\nlest they should approach too nearly to Himself[2]. The idea of an\nenvious God, of a _hard taskmaster_, was thus instilled into the\nmind of Eve, sapping the foundations of all real faith and trust, and\nrendering the more irresistible the temptation to disobey the command\nof Him, who had thus enviously set these bounds to her freewill. In an\nevil hour she believed the Tempter\u2019s words, and seeing that the _tree\nwas good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be\ndesired to make one wise_, she took of the fruit, and did eat, and gave\nalso unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Thus the fell counsels\nof the Tempter were accomplished. Through want of faith in God\u2019s word,\nthrough a longing for independence, through a vain desire to become\ngods unto themselves, our first parents were beguiled into sin, and\nwhen _their eyes were opened_, instead of greater happiness they now\nexperienced the strange and hitherto unknown consciousness of shame,\nand degradation, and unmeetness for God\u2019s presence (Gen. iii. 1\u20137).\n\nBrief and summary as is the information here given us respecting\nthe enigma of enigmas, the origin of Evil, it is yet of unspeakable\nimportance. For it teaches us that Sin is not a part of man\u2019s nature,\nbut _the fault and corruption_[3] of it, that it did not spring from\nhis nature by any inevitable necessity, but in consequence of his\nyielding to the seductions of a powerful and malignant Foe. He did\nnot, like his Tempter, choose sin for its own sake, but was _beguiled_\ninto it. Hence, though he became liable to all the penal consequences\nof his disobedience, though his being was _poisoned_ with sin, yet it\nwas not _converted_ into sin. He did not lose all remembrance of his\nformer state of purity and innocence; the shame which overwhelmed him\nand made him hide himself from the presence of God, testified to his\nconsciousness of transgression, and in this sense of guilt lay the\npossibility of his restoration[4].\n\nFor now the Sacred Narrative, while it refuses to gratify our curiosity\nrespecting a subject which doubtless passes our understanding, proceeds\nto do what is for us of far greater practical importance, namely,\nto place the inroad of sin in immediate connection with the Divine\nCounsels of Redemption. We learn that God in infinite mercy now\nintervened between His creatures and their Tempter. For them, indeed,\nit remained to taste the bitter fruits of their disobedience and\nmistrust. Eve was informed that sorrow and pain must henceforth be the\ncondition of her existence; _in sorrow should she bring forth children,\nher desire should be to her husband, and he should rule over her_ (Gen.\niii. 16). Adam learnt that with himself henceforth nature too must\nundergo a change; _thorns and thistles_ must grow upon the face of the\nearth, toil must be the price of his existence, and his end the silence\nof the grave, for _dust he was, and unto dust he must return_. Even\nthus, however, Justice was tempered with sweet Mercy, and Love mingled\nblessings with the bitterness of man\u2019s cup. If pain and multiplied\nsorrow was to be woman\u2019s lot, yet through pain she was to know a\nmysterious joy, and her anguish should be no more remembered, when\nshe knew that _a man was born into the world_. And if grievous toil\nand irksome labour were to be the conditions of man\u2019s existence, yet in\nthe provision of these effectual antidotes to idleness and many other\nsins was truest mercy. But these gracious purposes extended only to\nman, they tempered not the judgment denounced on his Seducer. Utterly\n_cursed was he above all cattle, and above every beast of the field_.\nThe very creature, over whom he had seemed to triumph, should prove\nhis ultimate Conqueror. _I will put enmity_, said the Almighty to the\nTempter, _between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her\nseed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel_. In\nthese words we trace the _first_ distinct _Promise_ of man\u2019s ultimate\nRedemption. The state of degradation, into which he had suffered\nhimself to be seduced, was not to last for ever. \u201cIn conformity with\nthe Divine Equity, the deceiver was to be judged by the deceived, the\nConqueror was to be overcome by the conquered[5].\u201d Man need not give\nhimself up to despair; there was still room for hope; in infinite mercy\nthe Almighty had espoused his cause, and He would Himself provide a\nremedy for his fall.\n\nWe need not venture on any profitless speculations touching the precise\namount of hope the early generations of the human family were likely to\nhave derived from this first Gospel, this \u201cfirst Promise\u201d of a Saviour.\nIn terms it was undoubtedly indefinite. Neither the time, nor the\nmethod, nor the precise mediating cause of man\u2019s deliverance was made\nknown. It was not revealed whether the promised \u201cSeed\u201d should be one\nor many, the collective Race, or a single Deliverer. On these points\ngreater light was to be shed as time rolled on, and many things were\nto be revealed, which now man could not comprehend. But of the final\n_Victory_, and of its _certainty_, direct and explicit assurance was\ngiven. \u201cSince religion cannot so much as exist without _hope_, the\nearliest intimation of Prophecy was adapted to the support of that\nessential feeling in the heart of man. It was clearly a promise of\nrelief, an antidote to perfect despair. It contained the prediction\nthat some one should be born of the Seed of the Woman, who \u2018should\nbruise the head of the Tempter,\u2019 by whom, therefore, the penal effect\nof man\u2019s transgression should be in some way reversed. With all its\nuncertainty as to the mode in which this End should be effected, the\nPromise had within it a principle of _Hope_ and _Encouragement_, and\nthe materials of a religious trust fitted to keep man still looking to\nhis Maker[6].\u201d\n\nIn the encouraging assurance thus given to Adam, in this first Promise\nof a Saviour, Sacred History finds its definite starting-point, and\nthe Old Testament becomes a true introduction to the New, because it\nreveals the several steps whereby the Divine Wisdom provided for its\nfulfilment. From first to last Sacred History is \u201cinstinct with life\nand hope;\u201d it ever points onward to the future; its key-note is ever\npreparation for the Coming of HIM, who was to be the true \u201cSeed of\nthe Woman,\u201d in whom the Father counselled before the worlds to _gather\ntogether in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are on\nearth_ (Eph. i. 10; Phil. ii. 9, 10).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _THE FLOOD._\n GEN. IV.\u2013IX. B.C. 4004\u20132348.\n\n\nTHOUGH thus assured of ultimate restoration, the first man, as a fallen\nbeing, could not be permitted to remain in the region, which had been\nthe scene of his trial and his failure. He might take of the fruit of\nanother Tree, that grew in the midst of the Garden, the _Tree of Life_,\nand eat, and live for ever, and thus prevent the possibility of his\nrecovery. Accordingly he was sent forth from the Garden, at the east of\nwhich were stationed Cherubim, a particular order, in all probability,\nof Angels (Comp. Ex. xxv. 17\u201322; Ezek. i. 5, Rev. iv. 6), while a\n_flaming Sword which turned every way_ guarded the approach to the Tree\nof Life.\n\nThus driven forth from Eden, and re-commencing under new and altered\ncircumstances their course of probation, Adam and Eve in due time\nbecame the parents of two sons, CAIN (_gotten_, or _acquired_), and\nABEL (_breath_, _transitoriness_). From their earliest years the most\nopposite tendencies distinguished the brothers. The mysterious rite\nof sacrifice, which meets us at the very threshold of Sacred History,\nand which, it is supposed, not without probability, the Almighty\nHimself instituted, when He made for the first pair _coats of skins,\nand clothed them_ (Gen. iii. 21), became the occasion of a fatal\nquarrel between them. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, Abel of\nthe firstlings of his flock, an offering unto the Lord. The offering\nof Abel was accepted, that of Cain rejected. The reason for this\ndistinction cannot be pronounced with absolute certainty. Either the\noffering of Abel was a free and bounteous presentation of the best\nthat he had, while that of Cain was merely commonplace and perfunctory,\nor Abel brought his offering in a spirit of faith, and trustful\nacquiescence in a divinely-instituted though mysterious command\n(Heb. xi. 4), a motive which the offering of his elder brother lacked.\nWhatever was the precise reason of the distinction, it roused all\nCain\u2019s latent jealousy, and he became his brother\u2019s murderer (1 Joh.\niii. 12). For thus shedding _righteous blood_ (Matt. xxiii. 35) he\nwas condemned by the Almighty to perpetual banishment from the region\nof Eden. Fearful of vengeance from the other children of Adam, whose\nfamily we may infer from the mention of Cain\u2019s wife had largely\nincreased, he feared to depart before he received from the Almighty a\nspecial sign or pledge of security in the land of his banishment[7].\nThis having been granted, he removed into the region of Nod (_exile_),\nand there became the ancestor of numerous descendants, the heads of\nwhom are enumerated to the sixth generation, under the names of Enoch,\nIrad, Mehu-jael, Methu-sael, and Lamech. In this region, too, he\nbuilt the earliest city of which we have any record, and called it\n_Enoch_, after the name of his eldest son. The Cainite families were\ndistinguished for their attention to the development of the arts and\npleasures of life. As Cain built the first city, so Lamech instituted\npolygamy, while of his three sons JABAL introduced the nomadic life,\nJUBAL the use of musical instruments, and TUBAL-CAIN the art of working\nin metals (Gen. iv. 16\u201324).\n\nMeanwhile with another son SETH (_substituted_), who had been given\nto Adam in place of Abel, commenced a line distinct in its social\nand religious tendencies from that of Cain. The heads of this family\nare enumerated to the tenth generation under the names of Seth, Enos,\nCainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. While the\ndescendants of Cain advanced indeed in civilization, but were addicted\nto luxury and violence, the descendants of Seth were distinguished for\npastoral simplicity. They _called upon the name of the Lord_ (Gen. iv.\n26); they were the chosen repositories of the Promise of Redemption,\nand the witnesses for a God of Righteousness in the midst of a\ngeneration which already began to become corrupt, and in the seen\nto forget the unseen. An eminent type of the characteristic virtues\nof this line was ENOCH, the son of Jared, _the seventh from Adam_\n(Jude 14). All his life long he walked in closest communion with the\nMost High and the spiritual world. Faith (Heb. xi. 5), implicit trust\nin a Righteous Ruler of the Universe, was the principle of his life,\nand the secret spring of his holiness. One day he vanished from the\nsociety of his fellowmen. _He was not_, for the God whom he served\n_took him_ to Himself, and translated him to the unseen world, without\nundergoing the penalty of death (Gen. v. 21\u201324).\n\nA peculiar feature of this period was the great length to which human\nlife was prolonged. Adam attained to the age of 930 years, Methuselah\nto that of 969, the others nearly as long. From this accrued many\nadvantages to the race. It tended to promote its speedy increase, it\npreserved uninterrupted such knowledge as men were able to acquire, and\npre-eminently the original revelation respecting the one true God, the\nremembrance of Paradise, and the hope of ultimate Redemption. But the\ngreat longevity of the men of this period did not tend to hinder their\nincreasing alienation from the paths of righteousness, and obedience\nto the Supreme. Amidst the extreme brevity of the sacred narrative it\nis clear that the wickedness of men reached a desperate pitch, _the\nearth was filled with violence_, and _all men corrupted their way_\nupon it. At length this alienation from God reached its culminating\npoint in a catastrophe, to which the Sacred Record attaches a peculiar\nand mysterious importance. _When men began to multiply on the face\nof the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of God saw\nthe daughters of men that they were fair, and they took them wives of\nall that they chose._ Whatever be the true meaning of the expression\n_sons of God_, whether it refers to the Angels, as some have thought,\nor the descendants of Seth, certain it is that a superhuman spirit\nof wickedness broke out at this period. From these mixed marriages\nsprang men remarkable for strength and power, for violence and arrogant\nwickedness, through whom both races speedily became hopelessly corrupt.\nThe salt even in the line of Seth lost its savour, and _the wickedness\nof man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of\nhis heart was only evil continually_ (Gen. vi. 1\u20135).\n\nIn this awful crisis one man only found favour with God, NOAH, the\nson of Lamech, in whom at his birth, with prophetic glance his father\nbeheld a pledge of that _rest_ and _comfort_, which the men of faith\nfelt they so sorely needed from the burden of weary and irksome labour\non _the ground which Jehovah had cursed_ (Gen. v. 29). When Noah\nwas 500 years old, he became the father of three sons, SHEM, HAM,\nand JAPHETH. Like Enoch he was a _righteous and perfect man in his\ngeneration_, and in this age of universal apostasy maintained an\nunflinching trust in the Righteous Ruler of the Universe, and at\nlength, when the cup of man\u2019s iniquity was full, he received intimation\nfrom the Almighty of His intention to bring an awful judgment upon the\nworld. _Behold I, even I_, said God, _do bring a flood of waters upon\nthe earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from\nunder heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die_. From\nthe general catastrophe Noah and his family alone were to be preserved,\nand he was directed to construct an Ark, a huge vessel of enormous\ndimensions, into which, when completed, he was to repair with his wife,\nhis three sons and their wives, and also two of every species of beasts\nand birds accounted \u201cunclean\u201d or unfit for sacrifice, and seven of\nevery species accounted \u201cclean.\u201d The vessel thus ordered was to be\nconstructed of gopher-wood, probably cypress, and was to be overlaid\nwithin and without with pitch or bitumen; in length it was to be\n300 cubits, in breadth 50, in depth 30. But though the impending\nJudgment was thus announced, and a visible pledge of it directed to\nbe constructed, the Doom itself was not to be as yet. He who afterwards\nwaited 400 years till the _cup of the iniquity of the Amorites_ was\nfull, who gave the Ninevites forty days for repentance, now _waited_\n(1 Pet. iii. 20), _with much long-suffering_, for a space of 120 years.\n\nDuring this period _according to all that God commanded Noah, so did\nhe_. Though the things, of which he was warned, _were not yet seen_\n(Heb. xi. 7), nay, must have seemed to the men of his generation in\nthe extremest degree improbable, _moved with fear_ he yet persevered in\nhis awful task, and by this act of faith, as well as by his own works,\ncontinued to warn his fellowmen of what was to come. But his warnings\nfell on unheeding ears. The men of his generation set at naught all\nhis counsel and mocked at his reproofs: they _did eat, they drank, they\nmarried wives, they were given in marriage_ (Matt. xxiv. 38; Lk. xvii.\n26, 27), until the day of Doom arrived. On the seventeenth day of the\nsecond month of the 600th year of Noah\u2019s life he and his family entered\ninto the Ark, and _the Lord shut them in_. Then, after a solemn pause\nof seven days, the elements of destruction were bidden to do their\nwork. _The fountains of the great deep were broken up, the windows of\nheaven were opened_, and the rain descended, till the waters covered\nthe highest hills, _and all flesh wherein was the breath of life died,\nof fowl, of cattle, of wild beast, and of every creeping thing which\ncreepeth upon the earth, and every man_.\n\nIn these simple but impressive words the Sacred Narrative describes\nthe appalling catastrophe. Written for a far higher purpose, it paints\nno scenes as a human writer would have done. \u201cWe see nothing of the\ndeath-struggle; we hear not the cry of despair; we are not called upon\nto witness the frantic agony of husband and wife, of parent and child,\nas they fled in terror before the rising waters. Not a word is said\nof the sadness of the one righteous man who, safe himself, looked upon\nthe destruction, which he could not avert. But one impression is left\nupon the mind with peculiar vividness, from the very simplicity of the\nnarrative, and it is that of utter desolation[8].\u201d All flesh died, Noah\nonly was left, and they that were with him in the ark. For 150 days\nthe waters prevailed, till at length on the 17th day of the 7th month\nthe Ark rested on one of the peaks of Ararat. From this time the waters\ngradually decreased till the first day of the 10th month, when the tops\nof the mountains having begun to appear, Noah sent forth a raven, which\nreturned not to the Ark. A week afterwards he sent forth a dove, to see\nif the waters were abated from the lower and more level country. But\nthe dove finding _no rest for the sole of her foot_ returned unto the\nArk. Again he waited seven days, and once more sent her forth, when\nshe returned with a fresh olive-leaf _pluckt off in her mouth_, a sign\nthat the waters had still further subsided. Yet again, after a similar\ninterval, Noah sent her forth. This time, however, she did not return,\nhaving found on the earth _a rest for the sole of her foot_, and then\nhe knew that the awful Judgment had indeed come to a close, and at\nthe Divine command left the Ark, and set foot on the dry land[9] (Gen.\nviii. 1\u201319).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES._\n GEN. X.\u2013XI. B.C. 2347\u20132233.\n\n\nTHE first act of Noah on leaving the Ark was to build an altar, and\noffer burnt-offerings unto the Lord _of every clean beast, and of every\nclean fowl_. His sacrifice was accepted, and now for the first time a\nsolemn Covenant was ratified between the Almighty and the Patriarch,\nto which definite promises were annexed, and \u201can outward and visible\nsign.\u201d From its baptism of water the Earth had risen once more to be\nthe habitation of man, and Noah and his sons were solemnly assured that\nall flesh should never again be cut off by the waters of a Flood, but\nthat _while the earth remained, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat,\nsummer and winter and day and night should not cease_. Again too the\nblessing of Paradise was bestowed, sovereignty and dominion over the\nanimal creation were assured, and once more men were bidden to _be\nfruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth_. At the same time\nanimal food was expressly allowed, while the sanctity of human life was\nas solemnly enforced, _whoso shed man\u2019s blood, by man should his blood\nbe shed_. Of this covenant the Rainbow was the visible pledge, assuring\nman that he might enter afresh on his course of probation, nor dread\nits interruption by any catastrophe like that with which the earth had\nbeen so lately visited (Gen. ix. 8\u201317).\n\nThe elevation of the Armenian plateau, in the neighbourhood of which\nthe Ark had rested, being equidistant between the Black and Caspian\nSeas on the north, the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea on the south,\nbeing also the region in which all the great rivers of Western Asia,\nthe Tigris, the Euphrates, the Araxes, and the Halys take their rise,\nformed a natural and convenient centre whence the descendants of Noah\nmight overspread the whole earth. But on this migration they did not\nset out, before an unseemly incident revealed the natural character of\nhis sons, prophetic of their future destinies. Noah began to practise\nagriculture, and planted a vineyard, and through ignorance, as it has\nbeen supposed, of its properties, drank of the wine in excess, and\nlay exposed in his tent. Ham, his youngest son, mocked him while he\nlay in this condition, but Shem and Japheth, with more filial feeling,\naverting their eyes covered their father with a garment. Awaking from\nhis slumbers Noah became conscious of what his youngest son had done,\nand justly angry at the irreverence he had displayed, brake forth into\nprophetic utterances of blessing and cursing, foreshadowing the diverse\ndestinies of the descendants of his family. Upon CANAAN, the fourth\nson of Ham, and probably a partaker in his father\u2019s transgression, he\npronounced the doom of perpetual servitude to his brethren[10]. Shem\nhe declared to be _the chosen one of Jehovah_, from whom the promised\nSalvation should proceed, while Japheth, _multiplied_ and _enlarged_\nshould _dwell in his tents_[11], and be received as a partaker in his\nspiritual privileges.\n\nWith their future destinies thus foretold, the sons of Noah went forth,\nand took up their abode for some time on the rich alluvial plain of\nShinar between the Tigris and Euphrates. Here their descendants began\nto form a great fraternal community, which it was the more easy to\ndo, seeing that they all proceeded from the same parental home, and\n_had all one language_. But here, in defiance of the Divine command,\nwhich bade them disperse themselves abroad and _replenish the whole\nearth_, they resolved to make a City and a huge Tower _whose top might\nreach unto heaven_, to serve as a central point of union, and a great\nWorld-Metropolis. But their design was counteracted. The Almighty\ninterposed, and by confounding their language, so that they could\nnot understand one another\u2019s speech, rent the closest bond of human\nsociety. Unable to continue the erection of their City and Tower, which\nwas henceforth called Babel or _Confusion_, they were scattered abroad\nover the face of the earth, and thus constrained to fulfil the eternal\ndesigns of Him, who has _determined the times before appointed, and the\nbounds of the habitations_ of the sons of men (Acts xvii. 26)[12].\n\nBefore, however, it leaves them to pursue their own ways, the Sacred\nNarrative presents to us a Genealogical Table, in which the names\nof the several nations descended from Noah, and their geographical\ndistribution, have been preserved. With this Table antiquity has handed\ndown nothing that can be compared for accuracy or comprehensiveness.\n\u201cIt exposes the fallacies of the mythical genealogies of pagans,\ncontradicts their fables respecting gods, heroes, and periods\nof millions of years, and also affords a firm foundation for\ninvestigations concerning the origin and the traditions of nations.\u201d\nFrom this Table, then, it appears that\n\n(i) The descendants of JAPHETH (_enlargement_) after leaving the\noriginal cradle of the human race, occupied chiefly _the isles of the\nGentiles_, or the coast-lands of the Mediterranean Sea in Asia Minor\nand Europe, and thence spread chiefly in a northerly direction over the\nentire European Continent, and a great portion of Asia. Thus GOMER was\nthe ancestor of the Cymmerians or Cimbri, MAGOG of the Scythians, MADAI\nof the Medes, JAVAN of the Ionians and Greek race, TUBAL and MESECH\nof the Tibareni and Moschi, two Colchian tribes, and TIRAS of the\nThracians.\n\n(ii) The descendants of HAM (\u201c_heat_\u201d) proceeded in a southerly\ndirection, and occupied the whole of Africa, and the Southern\npeninsulas of Asia, India, and Arabia. Of his four sons CUSH extended\nhis settlements from Babylonia to Ethiopia, MIZRAIM colonized Egypt,\nPHUT Libya, and CANAAN the land called by his name.\n\n(iii) The descendants of SHEM established themselves in Central Asia,\nand thence extended in an easterly and westerly direction, ARAM\ncolonising the country afterwards known as Syria, LUD Lydia, ARPHAXAD\nChald\u00e6a, ASSHUR part of Assyria, ELAM Persia, JOKTAN a portion of the\nArabian peninsula (Gen. x. 1\u201326).\n\nThus He, _who hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell\non all the face of the earth_ (Acts xvii. 26), directed the repeopling\nof the world by the descendants of Noah. Like prodigal sons they were\nto go into far countries, and learn by bitter experience that neither\nhuman strength nor human wisdom can work out _the righteousness of\nGod_, or win back for man his lost inheritance. But the preservation\nof their names in this Table of Nations is a proof that no one of\nthem was forgotten by a God of Love; that though they might forget Him\nHe yet guided their destinies, and overruled their counsels only to\nthe accomplishment of His gracious purposes of Redemption. The Day of\nPentecost in the New Testament corresponds to the Confusion of Tongues\nin the Old. Then, not till then, did men hear, each in their tongue\nwherein they were born, the Glad Tidings of ONE, very God and very\nMan, in whom _there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither bond nor free,\nneither male nor female_ (Gal. iii. 28).\n\n Illustration: THE DISPERSION OF NOAH\u2019S DESCENDANTS\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _RISE OF IDOLATRY\u2015\u2015THE PATRIARCH JOB._\n GEN. X. 6\u201312. JOB.\n\n\nSACRED History does not record many facts connected with the immediate\ndescendants of Noah. The scene of the Confusion of Tongues continued to\nattract around it a large number of the early inhabitants of the world,\nand here was established one of the earliest of the great empires\nof the earth by NIMROD, a son of Cush, and grandson of Ham. Of great\npowers and gigantic stature, he first obtained wide-spread renown by\nhis exploits as _a mighty hunter_, and the services he rendered the\nsurrounding populations by ridding them of the terror of noxious and\nterrible animals. In process of time, however, he combined with his\nexploits as a hunter the conquest of men, and founded a great empire\non the plains of Shinar, the chief towns of which were Babel, Erech\n(_Edessa_), Accad (_Nisibis_), and Calneh (_Ctesiphon_). Thence (for\nsuch seems to be the meaning of Gen. x. 11) he extended his dominions\nalong the course of the Tigris into Assyria, amongst the descendants\nof Shem, where he founded a second group of cities, Nineveh, Rehoboth,\nCalah, and Resen. At a period when men\u2019s lives were prolonged so far\nbeyond the period now allotted them, it is probable that this great\nconqueror may have carried on his successful invasions for nearly 200\nyears, and after death was worshipped under the title of Belus, or Bel,\n_the Lord_. Certainly the vast ruins that overspread the site of the\nancient Babylonian empire seem to tell of the days when there were\ngreat heroes in the earth; and to Nimrod the modern Arabs ascribe all\nthe great works of ancient times, the _Birs-Nimr\u00fbd_, near Babylon,\n_Tel Nimr\u00fbd_, near Baghdad, and the _Mount of Nimr\u00fbd_, near Mosul[13].\n\nWhether the practice of idolatrous worship was introduced, as some have\nsupposed, by this great hero of the ancient world, or not, certain it\nis that mankind became more and more addicted to idolatry. Though the\nknowledge of the one true God, and the promise of salvation, had been\nhanded down by tradition, and though His invisible attributes, _even\nHis eternal power and Godhead_, were clearly to be discerned in the\nworks of creation (Rom. i. 19, 20), yet mankind _glorified Him not\nas God, neither were they thankful_. They began _to worship and serve\nthe creature rather than the Creator_. The sun, moon, and stars, the\nprinciple of fire, even the inferior animals and departed heroes, came\nto be regarded with veneration, and usurped the worship due only to\nthe Supreme. With idolatry came its usual consequences, a deep moral\ndegeneracy, cruelty, tyranny, and licentiousness.\n\nOne of the earliest allusions to the worship of the heavenly bodies\noccurs in the Book of Job (xxxi. 26\u201328). The age and writer of this\nbook are alike unknown; by some it is ascribed to Job himself, by\nothers to Moses, by others to some writer who lived at a still later\nperiod. As, however, the scenes therein described had with great\nprobability been referred to a period very little removed from that\nat which we have now arrived, it may be well to speak of them here.\nJOB was an eminent Eastern chief, dwelling in very early times in the\nland of Uz (Job i. 1), probably Arabia Deserta, or, as some suppose,\nMesopotamia. Greatest among \u201cthe sons of the East,\u201d endowed with\nall the riches of his age, he ruled piously and wisely over a happy\nand numerous household, having seven sons and three daughters. To\nconsiderable mental attainments he added a moral uprightness, which\npreserved him blameless in all the relations of life, and was declared\nby the Lord Himself to be _without his like in all the earth, a perfect\nand an upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil_ (Job i. 8).\nWith large and liberal hand he distributed to the necessities of the\npoor, so that whenever _the ear heard him then it blessed him, when the\neye saw him it gave witness to him; the blessing of him that was ready\nto perish came upon him, and he caused the widow\u2019s heart to sing for\njoy_. But in the midst of this almost perfect temporal happiness he was\nsuddenly overwhelmed with the heaviest misfortunes that can befall the\nsons of men. He who slandered God to Eve slandered Job before God, and\naffirmed that he did not fear Him for naught; that if he were stripped\nof all his possessions he would be as other men, and curse the Lord to\nHis face (i. 11). To put, therefore, the patriarch\u2019s faith to the most\ncertain test, the Accuser of mankind received mysterious permission\nto cast him down, and try him with the most grievous afflictions. Blow\nafter blow descended upon him. From being the lord of a numerous and\nattached household he suddenly became childless, for the storm of the\ndesert swept over the house where his sons and daughters were assembled,\nand crushed them all beneath its ruins. From being the richest of the\nsons of the East he suddenly became a beggar, for the thunderbolt, \u201cthe\nfire of God,\u201d fell and struck down all his sheep, as they were grazing\nquietly with their shepherds, while his camels were carried off by a\nband of Chaldean robbers, and his oxen and asses by a horde of Sabeans.\nAnd not only did he become a childless, beggared, ruined man, but upon\nhis own body the black leprosy of the East set its awful mark, making\nhim an object hateful and loathsome to look upon. Smitten with sores\n_from the sole of his foot even unto his crown_, he sat apart, forsaken\nby his friends and even by his wife. But amidst these awful trials his\nfaith was not prostrated. When the terrible tidings reached him of the\nfate of his household he said, in words of sublime resignation, _The\nLord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of\nthe Lord_; when his wife, utterly unable to bear up, bade him curse his\nMaker and die, he replied, _What? shall we receive good at the hand of\nGod, and shall we not receive evil?_ (Job i. 21, ii. 10).\n\nBefore long the news of his terrible affliction was noised abroad,\nand three of his old friends, Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah,\nand Zophar of Naamath, came _to mourn with him and to comfort him_.\nIn their presence Job at length brake forth into desperate words,\nand _cursed the day of his birth_ (Job iii. 1). The storm of his soul\nwas not calmed by the sympathy of his friends. Instead of pouring in\nthe oil of comfort, they only heightened his griefs by ascribing his\ncalamities to some great sin, some secret guilt, if not committed by\nhimself at least by his children, for which he was now punished. A\ndistinct question was thus propounded, Is great suffering a proof of\ngreat guilt? Job\u2019s friends affirmed it was, and exhorted him to repent\nand confess. Job denied, and at great length laboured to refute this\n(Job iv. 5\u2013xxxii). At the close of their dialogue, Elihu, another\nand younger friend of the patriarch, intervened, to moderate between\nthe disputants. Unable to solve the problem of Job\u2019s calamities, he\ndeclared that afflictions, even when not the direct consequences of\nsin, were intended for good, and he reproved his friend for justifying\nhimself rather than the Almighty, and speaking unadvisedly of His\nworks (Job xxxii\u2013xxxvii). At length the Lord Himself condescended to\ninterpose in the controversy. From the midst of a whirlwind, in words\nof incomparable grandeur and sublimity, he silenced the murmurs of\nhis servant, bidding him reflect on the glory of creation, and learn\nfrom the marvels of the animal kingdom the stupendous power and wisdom\nof Him with whom it is useless for a created being to contend (Job\nxxxviii\u2013xli). Thereupon, in deep contrition, Job acknowledged his error\nand supplicated the Divine pardon for the bitterness and arrogance of\nhis complaints. This penitent acknowledgment was accepted, and Job\u2019s\nthree friends were severely reproved for their uncharitable surmises\nrespecting the origin of his misfortunes. On the intercession, however,\nof the patriarch they were pardoned; and He who had suffered him\nto be thus sorely tried, when his trials had served the purpose for\nwhich they had been sent, once more showered down upon him the riches\nof His goodness, restoring him to still greater prosperity than he had\neven enjoyed before, and made him the father of seven sons and three\ndaughters[14], celebrated for their beauty above all the maidens of the\nEast. Job survived his altered fortunes upwards of 140 years, and then,\nhaving seen his children to the fourth generation, died in a good old\nage, an instructive example of integrity (Ezek. xiv. 14, 20), and of\npatience under the most trying calamities (Jas. v. 11).\n\n\n\n\n BOOK II.\n\n THE PATRIARCHAL AGE.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _THE CALL OF ABRAHAM._\n GEN. XI. B.C. 1921.\n\n\nTHERE will always, perhaps, be a doubt as to the exact period after\nthe Flood when Job lived, but there can be no doubt that neither\nhis constancy nor his faithfulness to the one true God, were the\ncharacteristics of the age succeeding the Flood. Within ten generations\nafter that event mankind had again become forgetful of their Maker,\nand corrupted their way, threatening a fresh outbreak of violence\nand irreligion. Now, however, it was not the purpose of the Almighty\nto visit the earth with any universal judgment. In the counsels of\nRedemption it was His will to select a man, and through him, a nation,\nto be His witness upon earth, to withdraw this nation from contact\nwith the surrounding world, to place it under a special and peculiar\nconstitution, to entrust to it the guardianship of ancient truths\nand of future hopes, and out of it to bring, _in the fulness of time_\n(Gal. iv. 4), the promised Saviour of the human race.\n\nAt this point, then, Sacred History becomes more full, and its stream\nhitherto slender widens into a broad river. Mighty empires and great\nnations seem for a while to be forgotten, but only because we are now\nto be more especially concerned with the history of that particular\nnation, in and through which _all nations of the earth were to be\nblessed_ (Gen. xii. 3).\n\nThe man selected by the Almighty to be the ancestor of a people\ndestined to exert so momentous an influence on the salvation of the\nworld was ABRAHAM, or, as he was first called, _Abram_, the son of\nTerah, who lived in the eighth generation from Shem, in Ur of the\nChaldees. Besides Abram, Terah had two other sons, Nahor and Haran,\nbut Abram, though mentioned first, was in all probability the youngest\nof the three. From Ur, which may perhaps be identified with the modern\n_Orfah_[15], in upper Mesopotamia, where his family had become tainted\nwith the generally prevailing idolatry (Josh. xxiv. 2, 14), Terah\nremoved, and travelling in a southerly direction arrived at Haran or\nCharran[16], where he stayed. In this journey he was accompanied by\nhis son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot, and\nseems to have intended to go into the land of Canaan (Gen. xi. 31),\nbut this was prevented by his death at Haran, when he had reached the\nage of 205. After this event, a still more distinct intimation of the\nDivine Will was made to his son Abram, bidding him leave his country,\nhis kindred, and his father\u2019s house, and go to a land which God would\nshew him. _There_, said the Almighty, _I will make of thee a great\nnation, and make thy name great, and in thee shall all the families\nof the earth be blessed_. Severe as were the hardships which this call\ninvolved, painful as it must have been to flesh and blood to sever\nthe ties which bound him to his family and his people, Abram did not\nrefuse to follow the Hand which promised him guidance, protection,\nand a mighty future. At the age of 75, with his wife Sarai, his nephew\nLot, and all that he possessed, he left Haran, crossed the Euphrates,\nand commenced his journey southward and westward towards the _Land of\nPromise_ (Acts vii. 4, 5).\n\nThis country, the future home of the great nation destined to spring\nfrom his loins, was in many respects eminently adapted for its special\nmission in the history of the World. In extent, indeed, it was but\na narrow strip of country, but a little larger than the six northern\ncounties of England, being nearly 180 miles in length[17], and 75 miles\nin breadth, and having an area of about 13,600 English square miles.\nBounded on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, on the north by the\nmountains of Lebanon, on the east by the Syrian desert, on the south\nby the wilderness of Arabia, it was situated at the meeting-point\nof the two continents of Asia and Africa, \u201con the very outpost, on\nthe extremest western edge of the East.\u201d It was a secluded land. A\nwilderness encompassed it on the east and south, mountains shut it in\non the north, and the \u201cGreat Sea\u201d which washed its western shore was\nthe terror rather than the thoroughfare of ancient nations. \u201cUnlike\nthe coast of Europe, and especially of Greece, it had no indentations,\nno winding creeks, no deep havens[18],\u201d but one small port\u2015\u2015that of\nJoppa\u2015\u2015with which to tempt the mariner from the west. But while thus\neminently adapted to be the \u201csilent and retired nursery of the Kingdom\nof God[19],\u201d it was in the very centre of the activity of the ancient\nworld, _in the midst of the nations, and the countries that were round\nabout it_ (Ezek. v. 5). On the South was the great empire of Egypt,\non the North-east the rising kingdom of Assyria. Neither of these\ngreat nations could communicate with the other without passing through\nPalestine, and so learning something of its peculiar institutions and\nreligion; and when the _fulness of time was come_ no country was better\nsuited, from its position at the extremest verge of the Eastern World,\nto be the starting-point whence the glad tidings of Redemption might\nbe proclaimed to all nations[20]. Moreover, narrow as were its limits,\nand secluded as was its position, it yet presented a greater variety of\nsurface, scenery and temperature than is to be found in any other part\nof the world, and needed not to depend on other countries for anything\nthat either the luxuries or actual wants of its inhabitants required.\nFour broadly marked longitudinal regions divided its surface. (i) First,\nthere was the _low plain_ of the western sea-coast, broad towards\nthe south, and gradually narrowing towards the north, famous for the\nShephelah (_the low country_) with its waving corn-fields, and the vale\nof Sharon (_level country_), the garden of Palestine. From this was an\nascent to (ii) _a strip of table-land_, every part of which was more or\nless undulating, but increasing in elevation from north to south[21],\nand broken only by the plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon. To this succeeded\na rapid descent into (iii) _a deep fissure or valley_, through which\nthe Jordan (_the descender_), the only river of importance in the\ncountry, rushes from its source at the base of Hermon into the Dead\nSea, the surface of which is no less than 1316 feet below that of\nthe Mediterranean[22]. Hence was a second ascent to (iv) a _strip of\ntable-land_ on the east similar to that on the west, and seeming with\nits range of purple-tinted mountains to overhang Jerusalem itself.\nCrowned by the forests and upland pastures of Gilead and Bashan,\nthis eastern table-land gradually melted into the desert which rolled\nbetween it and the valley of Mesopotamia. Thus within a very small\nspace were crowded the most diverse features of natural scenery, and\nthe most varied products. It was _a good land, a land of brooks of\nwater, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills, a\nland flowing with milk and honey_ (Deut. viii. 7\u20139; xi. 10\u201312). The low\nplains yielded luxuriant crops of wheat and barley, of rye and maize;\non the table-lands with their equable and moderate climate grew the\nvine, the olive, the fig, the almond, the pomegranate; in the tropical\nneighbourhood of Jericho flourished the palm-tree and the balsam; while\nthe noble cedar waved on the mountains of Lebanon.\n\nSuch was the Land, secluded and yet central, narrow and yet wonderfully\ndiversified alike in its natural features and its products, whither\nthe Almighty now bade Abram direct his steps. Striking across the\ngreat Syrian desert, the patriarch kept on his southward course, and\nhaving crossed the Jordan, _passed through the land_, till he came\nto Shechem[23], situated between the mountains Ebal and Gerizim. This\nspot, destined afterwards to be so celebrated, was then only marked\nby the majestic oak of Moreh, probably a Canaanitish chief, but its\nmany fountains, rills, and water-courses[24] made it then, as it ever\nhas been since, a natural pasture-ground for flocks and herds; and\nhere Abram halted, and learnt that he had reached the goal of his long\njourney. _This land_, said God, _I will give unto thy seed_; and at\nShechem the patriarch built his first altar to the Lord in the \u201cLand\nof Promise[25]\u201d (Gen. xii. 6, 7).\n\nThence he afterwards removed southward a distance of about twenty\nmiles, to the strong mountain country east of Bethel, or as it was then\ncalled Luz; one of the finest tracts of the land for pasturage, and\nhere he erected his second altar unto the Lord. During his sojourn in\nthis neighbourhood he learnt that, though the heir of mighty promises,\nhe was not to be exempt from his share of trials and disappointments.\nThe first that befell him was a grievous famine, caused probably by a\nfailure of the usual rains; in consequence of which, finding himself\nunable to support his numerous dependents, he resolved, though without\ndirect Divine suggestion, to go down into Egypt, then, as always, the\nfertile granary of the neighbouring nations. As he drew near the land\nof the mighty Pharaohs, he reflected that the beauty of his wife might\nexpose her to danger from the sensual, voluptuous Egyptians, and under\nthe influence of these apprehensions persuaded her to stoop to an\nunworthy equivocation, and give herself out as his sister. What he\nanticipated came to pass. The princes of Egypt _beheld the woman that\nshe was fair_, and recommended her to their monarch, by whom she was\ntaken into his palace, while numerous presents of cattle and sheep were\nsent to her supposed brother. But the monarch found that the coming\nof the stranger into his palace involved him in serious troubles, _the\nLord plagued Pharaoh with great plagues_, till, having ascertained the\ntrue relation between her and Abram, he sent her back to her husband,\nwith a strong rebuke to the latter for the deception he had practised.\n\nHow long after this Abram stayed in Egypt we are not told. But at\nlength his wealth in cattle, and gold and silver, having materially\nincreased, he quitted the country, and once more took up his abode on\nhis former camping-ground between Bethel and Ai. Hitherto his nephew\nLot had accompanied him in all his wanderings, but now the increasing\nnumbers of their flocks and herds generated a quarrel between their\nrespective herdsmen, and it was plainly necessary that they should\nseparate. With characteristic generosity Abram bade his nephew take\nthe first choice, and select for himself, whether on the left hand or\nthe right, a place for his new abode. From the high mountain-range[26]\nto the east of Bethel, where they were then encamped, Lot _lifted up\nhis eyes_ and looked down upon the wide and well-watered plain south\nof the Jordan, then a very _garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt_\n(Gen. xiii. 10) they had so lately left. As yet no terrible convulsion\nhad effaced the site of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the\nplain. Fair and fertile the coveted possession stretched onwards unto\nZoar, and in spite of the notorious wickedness of the inhabitants Lot\nchose it for his abode, and the two _separated themselves the one from\nthe other_. Though Abram was thus left to wait alone for the fulfilment\nof the Promise, he was not forgotten by the God in whom he trusted. A\nmore full and more definite promise was now vouchsafed to him. _Lift\nup thine eyes_, said the Almighty, _and look from place to place where\nthou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; all the\nland which thou seest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever;\nand I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man\ncan number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered_\n(Gen. xiii. 14\u201317).\n\nThus encouraged, _the Friend of God_ (Jas. ii. 23) removed his\ntent, and travelling southward took up his abode under the spreading\nterebinth[27] of Mamre, an Amorite prince (Gen. xiv. 13, 24), near\nHebron, or as it was then called Kirjath-Arba, _the City of Arba_\nthe father of Anak and the progenitor of the giant Anakim (Gen.\nxxiii. 2; xxxv. 27; Josh. xiv. 15). While dwelling peacefully in this\nneighbourhood, which like all other places he hallowed with an altar to\nJehovah, he received one day unexpected tidings of his nephew Lot. The\nchiefs of the five cities in the tropical valley of the Jordan, SODOM,\nGOMORRAH, ADMAH, ZEBOIM, and BELAH, had for twelve years been subject\nto CHEDORLAOMER, a powerful king of Elam or Mesopotamia. But they had\nlately united together to throw off his yoke. Thereupon the King of\nElam, aided by three other confederate chiefs, proceeded to make war\nagainst the southern kings. Sweeping down on a sudden foray, he smote\nthe countries on the eastern uplands of the Jordan and the southern\nregion of Mount Seir. Returning thence he ravaged all the country\nof the Amalekites, and with his allied chiefs met the kings of Sodom\nand Gomorrah in pitched battle in the Vale of Siddim, probably at\nthe north-west corner of the Dead Sea. The five southern kings were\nutterly routed, and with much spoil and many captives the Assyrian\ninvader commenced his return northwards. It was the news of this\nsudden invasion which now reached the ears of Abram. Without losing\na moment he instantly armed his 318 trained servants, and, aided by\nthe confederate chief Mamre and his brothers Eshcol and Aner, arose\nand pursued the Assyrians by night. The latter had in the meantime\nreached the neighbourhood of the Sidonian Laish, far up in the northern\nmountains. Thither, however, Abram pursued them, and falling upon\nthem suddenly, while all unconscious of coming danger, he smote them\nand chased them to Hobah, on the left of Damascus. Thence, with the\nrecovered captives, amongst whom was Lot, he returned, and at the\n_King\u2019s Dale_, not far from Hebron, was met by the King of Sodom,\naccompanied by a mysterious personage, who now meets us for the first\nand only time, named MELCHISEDEC, a king of Salem and priest of the\nMost High God. The sudden appearance of one thus uniting the kingly\nand priestly functions, of whose origin and family we know nothing,\nhas led to much speculation. Putting aside more improbable conjectures,\nwe may perhaps conclude that he was an eminent Canaanitish prince in\nthe line of Ham, who had maintained the pure worship of the One true\nGod, and who, according to a custom not uncommon in patriarchal times,\nwas at once king and priest[28]. A sufficient proof of his high dignity\nis afforded by the fact that to him the patriarch Abram reverently\ngave tithes of all that he had taken in his late successful expedition,\nand received his solemn blessing (Heb. vii. 2, 6). Before they parted\nthe King of Sodom pressed Abram to take a portion of the spoil as his\nreward. This, however, the latter with his usual generosity firmly\ndeclined; he would take nothing, _from a thread even to a shoelatchet_\n(Gen. xiv. 23), save only a portion for his allies, the chiefs Aner,\nEshcol, and Mamre, and then returned to the shade of the oak or\nterebinth near Hebron.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _LIFE OF ABRAHAM CONTINUED._\n GEN. XV.\u2013XXV. B.C. 1913\u20131822.\n\n\nWE now enter on another and a different scene in the history of Abram.\nHe had been victorious over the Assyrian kings; he had gotten him\nhonour as the prompt avenger of injustice and oppression before the\nchiefs of the land in which he was a pilgrim and a sojourner; he had\nbeen solemnly blessed by the _King of Righteousness_; but where was\nthe fulfilment of the promise for which he had so long been waiting?\nHe had no son, no single pledge of the mighty nation destined to spring\nfrom his loins. When, therefore, his all-merciful Guide appeared to\nhim again in vision, to assure him of safety and protection, he could\nnot restrain the deep sorrow of his heart, and mournfully complained\nthat in place of a son, _one born in his house_, probably Eliezer of\nDamascus, _would be his heir_. On this occasion the Almighty not only\nsolemnly assured His desponding servant that a son should be born to\nhim, an earnest of a seed as numerous as the stars of heaven, and that\nthe land on which he walked should undoubtedly be their inheritance,\nbut, as in the case of Noah after the Flood, he vouchsafed to him _an\noutward and visible sign_ to strengthen and support his faith. He bade\nthe patriarch take a heifer, a ram, and a she-goat, each three years\nold, together with a turtle-dove and a young pigeon, and after dividing\nthem all, except the birds, to lay them piece by piece over against\nthe other. Familiar, doubtless, with this ancient method of ratifying\na covenant, Abram did as the Lord had told him, slew the victims, and\nlaid the divided portions in order. Then from morning until evening\nhe watched them, and from time to time drove away the birds of prey\nwhich hovered over them. At length the sun went down, and a deep sleep\nfell upon him, and a horror of great darkness gathered around him.\nAmidst the deepening gloom there appeared to him a Smoking Furnace and\na Burning Lamp passing along the space between the divided victims.\nPresently a Voice came to him telling him that _his seed should be a\nstranger in a land that was not theirs, that there they should suffer\naffliction 400 years; that afterwards, in the fourth generation, when\nthe cup of the Amorites was full, they should come out with great\nsubstance, return to the spot where the patriarch now was, and enter\non their promised inheritance_. Thus, amidst mingled light and gloom,\nthe ancestor of the elect nation was warned of the chequered fortunes\nwhich awaited his progeny, while at the same time he was assured of the\nultimate fulfilment of the Promise, and the actual boundaries of the\nlands of his inheritance were marked out from the river of Egypt to the\ndistant Euphrates; and in this confidence Abram was content to _possess\nhis soul in patience_ (Lk. xxi. 19).\n\nAs yet, it will be observed, it had not been expressly said that his\nwife Sarai was the destined mother of the long-promised son. As the\nprospect, therefore, of her contributing to the fulfilment of the\nPromise became more and more remote, she seems to have concluded that\nthis honour was not reserved for her, and accordingly persuaded her\nhusband to take her handmaid, HAGAR, an Egyptian, as a secondary wife,\nthat by her he might obtain what was denied herself. Abram complied\nwith her suggestion, and Hagar conceived; but the consequences did\nnot tend to increase the patriarch\u2019s happiness. In a moment of elation\nHagar mocked her mistress, and Sarai dealt hardly with her, till she\nfled from her into the southern wilderness, on the way that led to her\nnative land. There, as she halted near a fountain of water, an angel\nof the Lord met her, and bade her return and submit herself to her\nmistress, assuring her at the same time that she should give birth\nto a son, whom she was to call ISHMAEL (_whom God hears_). Though the\n_son of a bondwoman_ (Gal. iv. 22, 23), no mean future lay before him;\nhe should become the ancestor of a numerous seed, who, like himself,\nwould be true roving sons of the desert, _their hand against every man,\nand every man\u2019s hand against them_. In remembrance of this incident\nHagar named the fountain _Beer-lahai-roi_, (_the well of the God that\nappeareth_), and returned to the tents of Sarah, where, in process of\ntime she gave birth to Ishmael, when Abram was 86 years old.\n\nAgain thirteen years rolled away, and still the Promise was not\nfulfilled. But when hope might almost have ceased to hope, God\nappeared once more to Abram, recapitulated the main outline of the\nCovenant-Promise, changed his name from Abram (_a high father_), to\nABRAHAM (_the father of a multitude_), and assured him that at length\nthe long-expected time was well-nigh come. But in prospect of the\npeculiar blessing about to be bestowed upon him, he himself, and all\nhis seed after him, must carry about with them a perpetual pledge of\ntheir covenant relation to Jehovah. The rite of Circumcision must now\nbe adopted by him, and instead of being the badge of any favoured class\namongst the nation destined to spring from his loins, was, on pain\nof excommunication, to be open to the lowliest member of the Hebrew\ncommonwealth, even to the bond-servant and the stranger. At the same\ntime it was intimated to the patriarch that his wife Sarai, whose name\nalso was now changed to SARAH (_princess_), and no other, was to be\nthe mother of the promised child, that it would be born during the next\nyear, and be called Isaac (_Laughter_); while Ishmael also, for whom\nAbraham had prayed, would not be forgotten, but be a partaker in the\nDivine blessing, and become the father of twelve princes, the ancestors\nof a great nation. Thereupon Abraham complied with the Divine command,\nand was circumcised, together with Ishmael, now thirteen years of age,\nand all the male members of his household.\n\nShortly after this, as the patriarch sat, in the heat of the day, under\nthe oak of Mamre, he received a visit from three mysterious Strangers,\nwhom he entertained with becoming hospitality. The meal over which he\nhad hastily prepared, one of them inquired for his wife, and formally\nannounced that within the year she would be the mother of a son. His\nwords were overheard by Sarah, and she laughed incredulously at the\npossibility of such an event, but was thereupon reproved by the Speaker,\nand assured in a still more confident manner of the fulfilment of His\nword. Then the Three left the tent and turned their steps eastward\ntowards Sodom. Abraham accompanied them, and on the way one of them, in\nwhom he recognised no other than the _Angel of the Covenant_, informed\nhim of the real purport of this visit to the cities where his nephew\nLot had taken up his abode. The sin of these cities was very great, and\ntheir cup was now full; their inhabitants had wearied themselves with\nwickedness, and their licentiousness and iniquity called to Heaven for\na visible revelation of Divine wrath, and judgment was now _even at the\ndoor_. Informed of the impending doom the _Friend of God_ drew near,\nand with marvellous boldness blended with the deepest humility pleaded\nwith the Almighty for the guilty cities. Peradventure there might be\nfound therein at least fifty, or forty-five, or forty, or thirty, or\ntwenty, or even ten righteous souls, would the _Lord of all the earth\nspare_ them for ten\u2019s sake? Thereupon he was assured that if only ten\nrighteous souls could be found the cities should be spared. While he\nwas thus pleading with God, the two other angels entered Sodom, and\nwere hospitably entertained by Lot. But their celestial beauty only\nserved to excite the wickedness of the inhabitants, who surrounded\nLot\u2019s house, and, in spite of his earnest expostulations, would have\noffered them personal violence had they not been suddenly stricken\nwith blindness. As the night wore on, his visitors assured Lot of the\ncertain destruction of the city, and warned him to gather together with\nall speed every member of his family if he would save them from the\nimpending judgment. Lot did as he was advised; but his warning was\nlost upon his sons-in-law and his daughters-in-law, and he seemed unto\nthem _as one that mocked_. When the day dawned, the angels broke off\nany further delay by laying hold on him, and his wife, and his two\ndaughters, and having dragged them forth beyond the city, bade them\nflee to the neighbouring mountain range if they would not be consumed.\nBut thither Lot was afraid to flee, and in compliance with his urgent\nentreaty was permitted to betake himself to the town of Bela, or Zoar\n(_Little_), on the southern extremity of the Dead Sea. The sun rose\nas he entered this city of refuge, and then _the Lord rained upon\nSodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of heaven_, and utterly swept\naway by an awful convulsion every trace of the guilty cities and their\ninhabitants, the site of which became henceforth a perpetual desolation.\nFew as were the remnants of this fearful overthrow, yet one of these\nfew failed to reach the little city of refuge. In spite of the Angel\u2019s\nreiterated warning, Lot\u2019s wife lingered, looked back, and, caught by\nthe advancing sulphurous tide, was smothered as she stood, and became\na _pillar of salt_ (Gen. xix. 26; Lk. xvii. 32). As for Lot himself,\nafraid to dwell even in Zoar, he fled with his two daughters to the\neastern mountains, and became the father of two sons, Moab and Ben-Ammi,\nthe ancestors of two powerful nations\u2015\u2015the Moabites and Ammonites.\n\nShortly after this terrible judgment, Abraham left the oak of Mamre,\nwhere he had so long encamped, and journeyed in a southerly direction\ntowards Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur, at that time the principal seat\nof the Philistines, whose chief was known by the hereditary title of\nAbimelech, or _Father-King_[29]. Under the same apprehensions which he\nhad felt when drawing nigh to Egypt, Abraham wished that Sarah should\npass for his sister, and again exposed her to imminent risk. But,\nas before, the Lord mercifully intervened, and the Philistine chief\nrestored his wife to the patriarch, together with ample presents (Gen.\nxx. 14\u201316). At length the time had come for which Abraham, now upwards\nof 100 years of age, had so long waited. Either at Gerar or Beersheba,\nSarah gave birth to the _child of promise_, who was duly circumcised\non the eighth day, and named ISAAC (_Laughter_) according to the Divine\ncommand. At the feast given on the occasion of his weaning, Ishmael\nmocked, or in some way insulted the child. This act, observed by Sarah,\nroused all her animosity, and she demanded the instant dismissal of the\nboy and his mother. Though sorely against his will, Abraham, advised\nby God, yielded to his wife, and early on the following morning Hagar\nand her son were sent away to wander in the wilderness of Beersheba.\nIn a short time the water in her skin-bottle was spent, and the boy\ntormented with thirst seemed at the point of death. Unable to endure\nthe sight of his sufferings, Hagar laid him under the shade of the\ndesert shrubs, and sat down about a bowshot off. But the boy was not\nthus to die; God heard his cry, and the angel of the Lord called to\nHagar out of heaven, and bade her not despair. At the same time her\neyes were opened to discern a well of water, with which she filled\nher bottle and gave the lad drink. Thus his life was preserved, and he\ngrew and prospered, and dwelt in the wild desert of Paran, near Mount\nSinai, and was renowned for his skill in the use of the bow. Marrying\nan Egyptian he became the father of twelve sons and one daughter (Gen.\nxxv. 13\u201315; xxviii. 9; xxxvi. 3), the ancestors of the chief portion of\nthe wild Arab tribes, living by warlike forays and plunder, _their hand\nagainst every man, and every man\u2019s hand against them_.\n\nMeanwhile Abraham was living in peace and security, feared and\nrespected by his Philistine neighbours in the south country, near\nBeersheba, when a far keener trial befell him than any he had yet\nexperienced. The call from his own country, the famine that drove him\ninto Egypt, the desertion of Lot, the long deferring of the promised\nseed, the separation from Ishmael, all these had been sore trials to\nflesh and blood. But now, when the hope of his life seemed at length\nto have been gained, he was commanded to take _his son, his only\nson Isaac_ a three days\u2019 journey into the land of Moriah, and offer\nhim up as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that should be\nshown him. Utterly inexplicable as this command must have seemed, and\nindescribably painful to his feelings, the patriarch\u2019s trust in God did\nnot falter. Assured that He who had called him into being could, if it\npleased Him, _raise up_ his son _even from the dead_ (Heb. xi. 19), he\nrose up early in the morning, clave the wood for the sacrifice, saddled\nhis ass, and with two young men and Isaac commenced his journey. On\nthe third day he lifted up his eyes, and beheld the spot afar off;\nthereupon leaving the young men behind, he laid the wood upon his\nson, and with the fire in his hand, and a knife, ascended the mountain\nto the spot[30] of which God had told him. Marvelling that no victim\nhad been brought, but assured that _a lamb would be provided for a\nburnt-offering_, Isaac accompanied his father to the summit, and when\nthe altar had been built and the wood laid thereon, submitted without a\nmurmur to be bound and placed upon it. Another moment and the father\u2019s\nhand was actually outstretched to slay his son, when a voice from\nheaven arrested him, and bade him forbear to proceed further, seeing\nthat the end for which this mysterious trial had been sent was now\ngained, for Abraham had not withheld his only son, but given proof of\nhis willingness to surrender even him to the Divine call. At the same\nmoment the patriarch looked, and beheld behind him a ram caught in a\nthicket by its horns, which he took and offered as a burnt-offering\ninstead of his son. In memory of this eventful day he named the place\n_Jehovah-Jireh_, i.e. _Jehovah will see_ or _provide_, and again\nreceived the assurance of the Divine blessing upon himself and his\nfuture descendants, who should be _multiplied as the stars of heaven,\nand as the sand upon the seashore_, and become the channel of blessings\nto _all the nations of the earth_.\n\nThis is the culminating point in Abraham\u2019s life. Implicit trust\nin the Most High, unfaltering obedience to His will, had never\nbeen more signally displayed, and his faith _was counted to him for\nrighteousness_ (Rom. iv. 3, 9). From this time his course was calm\nand peaceful. Leaving Beersheba he turned northwards, and once more\nabode under the oak of Mamre. Here he lost the partner of his long\nand eventful career. At the age of 127 (the only instance in which\nthe age of a woman is recorded in Scripture) Sarah died, and was laid\nin the _cave of the field of Machpelah_, a spot now covered by the\nMosque of Hebron, which Abraham bought for 400 shekels of silver, _for\na possession of a burying-place_, of Ephron the Hittite. So deep was\nthe respect of the children of Heth for _the mighty prince_ who had so\nlong lived among them, that in spite of the usual Oriental jealousy on\nthis point they would willingly have permitted him to bury his dead in\nthe choicest of their own sepulchres. But this Abraham declined, and\nthe Cave of Machpelah with the surrounding field was made over to him\nfor a possession for ever[31].\n\nThree years afterwards, anxious to prevent an alliance between his son\nand any of the Canaanitish nations, he sent the eldest servant of his\nhouse, probably Eliezer of Damascus, into Mesopotamia, to the city of\nNahor his brother, to procure from thence a wife for him. His servant\nfaithfully discharged his commission, and the piety he displayed\nreflecting the goodness of the patriarch himself was rewarded. At\na well outside the city of Haran he met REBEKAH, the daughter of\nBethuel[32] the son of Nahor, going forth with her pitcher on her\nshoulder to draw water. In answer to his inquiries she told him who\nshe was, and conducted him to the house of her brother Laban. There\nhe recounted all that had befallen his master in the land of his\npilgrimage, and made known the purpose of his errand. Rebekah, when\nasked by her brother and mother, announced her readiness to accompany\nthe servant to the tents of Abraham, and in the course of time became\nIsaac\u2019s wife (Gen. xxiv.).\n\nBefore long Abraham himself also married again, and by KETURAH his\nsecond wife, became the father of six children, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan,\nMidian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Gen. xxv. 2), the ancestors of Arabian and\nMidianitish tribes. Lest they should dispute the inheritance with Isaac,\nthe prudent patriarch, while he yet lived, presented them with gifts,\nand sent them away into the south-east country (Gen. xxv. 6) where\ntheir descendants settled along the borders of the Elanitic Gulf in\nconsiderable numbers. And then the _Father of the Faithful, the Friend\nof God_, being 175 years old, had reached the term of life allotted to\nhim. In _a good old age, and full of years_, he was gathered unto his\npeople, and was laid by Isaac and Ishmael also, who had come up from\nthe wild desert of Paran to assist in these last sad offices, by the\nside of his beloved Sarah, in the cave of Machpelah[33].\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _THE HISTORY OF ISAAC._\n GEN. XXV.\u2013XXVII. B.C. 1822\u20131760.\n\n\nFOR nineteen years after their marriage Isaac and Rebekah were\nchildless. But at length, in answer to earnest prayer, Rebekah became\nthe mother of twin sons, ESAU (_hairy, rough_) and JACOB (_he that\nholds by the heel_, or _supplanter_). The bitter enmity afterwards to\nexist between the brothers was foreshadowed even before their birth,\nand as they grew the difference in their characters became still more\nprominent. Esau became a _cunning hunter_, wild and daring, even as\nhis rough and robust frame betokened, revelling like a true son of the\ndesert in the excitement of the chase. Jacob, on the other hand, was a\nquiet domestic youth, _dwelling in tents_, the favourite of his mother,\nwhile Esau, by a not uncommon caprice of affection, was the favourite\nof the gentle retiring Isaac, whose keen relish for savoury food was\ngratified by his success in the hunting-field (Gen. xxv. 24\u201328).\n\nIt is in connection with his favourite pursuit that Esau first attracts\nour notice. As the eldest son he had several important privileges.\nHe held superior rank in the family (Gen. xlix. 3), and would succeed\nto a double portion of his father\u2019s property (Gen. xlviii. 22; Deut.\nxxi. 17); his also was, in all probability, the priestly office (Num.\nviii. 17\u201319), and the Covenant-Blessing (Heb. xii. 16, 17; Gen. xxvii.\n28, 29, 36). These were the privileges of his birthright, and by an\nOriental patriarch were held as dear as life itself. On one occasion\nEsau returned faint and weary from the chase, and saw his brother Jacob\npreparing some dark red pottage of lentiles[34]. Famished and exhausted,\nhe longed for the fragrant mess, and implored his brother to let him\nhave it. Seeing his distress, Jacob determined to avail himself of\nit for his own ends, and agreed to give his brother the pottage on\ncondition that he sold him his birthright. Unable to control the pangs\nof hunger, bent on the immediate gratification of his appetite, Esau\nwas willing to barter all his privileges for a single meal. But words\nwere not sufficient for his artful brother. He must have an oath\nsolemnly attesting the exchange. _Swear unto me_, said he, and Esau\nswore, and sold his birthright _for one morsel of meat_ (Heb. xii. 16),\nand ate and drank, and rose up and went his way[35].\n\nAt a subsequent period, in consequence of a grievous famine, Isaac\nleft Lahai-roi, and journeyed southward to Gerar, within the fertile\ncoast-line of Philistia. While here he received a warning from\nthe Almighty against going down into Egypt, and was assured of the\ncontinuance of the same blessing which his father had enjoyed (Gen.\nxxvi. 1\u20135). Thus encouraged he continued to dwell at Gerar, but, like\nhis father, was not always proof against temptations to distrust his\nAlmighty Protector. He persuaded Rebekah to represent herself as his\nsister, and subjected himself to a cutting rebuke from Abimelech for\nthis unworthy equivocation. At Gerar his wealth increased exceedingly,\nand he made the first advance beyond the purely pastoral life. He\n_sowed in that land_, and reaped within the year an hundred fold (Gen.\nxxvi. 12). But his wealth and prosperity in time provoked the jealousy\nof the Philistines, and they stopped up the wells which his father had\ndug; nor did the patriarch feel himself secure till he had moved still\nfurther southward to Beersheba. Here, like Abraham before him, he built\nan altar unto Jehovah, and called upon His Name, and was rewarded by\na second confirmation of the covenant Promise, while his contentions\nwith the Philistines were brought to a close, and a mutual compact\nratified between them (Gen. xxvi. 26\u201331). But his domestic happiness\nwas not equally secured. To the great grief of both his parents, Esau,\nnow 40 years of age, contracted an alliance with Judith the daughter\nof Beeri, and Bashemath, the daughter of Elon, both of the race of the\nHittites, to whom he afterwards added Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael\n(Gen. xxvi. 34; xxviii. 9).\n\nOf the greater portion of Isaac\u2019s life at Beersheba the Scripture\nnarrative tells nothing, nor is any incident recorded till we hear that\n_he waxed old and his eyes grew dim so that he could not see_. Then\nreminded of the uncertain tenure of life, he resolved by a solemn act\nto bestow the patriarchal blessing upon his eldest son. Summoning Esau\nbefore him, he bade him go forth to the hunt and bring him venison\nsuch as he loved, promising the blessing as his reward. His words did\nnot escape the quick ears of Rebekah. Eager to obtain this important\nprivilege for her favourite Jacob, she bade him, during the absence\nof his brother, slay two kids, with which she prepared savoury meat\nsuch as Isaac loved. Then arraying him in garments belonging to his\nbrother, and placing the skins upon his hands and neck, she directed\nhim to go into the presence of his father, and pass himself off as his\nwild, rough brother Esau. After some hesitation, Jacob fell in with\nher plan, and in the disguise she had prepared presented himself before\nhis father. But Isaac, though old and dimsighted, was not free from\nhis suspicions. To Jacob\u2019s assurance that he had been to the chase and\nbrought of the prey, he replied by enquiring how he had found it so\nquickly. Nor did the ready but untruthful answer that the Lord had\nbrought it to him relieve his mind. _Come near_, said he, _that I may\nfeel thee, whether thou be my very son Esau or not_. And Jacob went\nnear, and his father felt him. Another question, and another falsehood\nfollowed; and at length Jacob was bidden to present the venison that he\nhad taken, and the old man ate and drank, and then bestowed upon him in\nall its fulness the Covenant Blessing. He prayed that God would _give\nhis son of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty\nof corn and wine; that He would make people to serve him, and nations\nto bow down to him, so that he might be lord over his brethren, and see\nhis mother\u2019s sons bow down to him, a blessing to all that blessed him,\na curse to all that cursed him_ (Gen. xxvii. 28, 29).\n\nThus successful in his shameful artifice, Jacob had scarcely gone forth\nfrom his father\u2019s presence, when the true Esau returned from the chase.\nWith savoury meat he too presented himself before Isaac, and besought\nhis blessing. The old man trembled very exceedingly when he heard the\nvoice of his eldest son, but told him that he had come too late. His\nbrother, _the Supplanter_, had been before him, and the irrevocable\nwords had been spoken. With _a great and exceeding bitter cry_ Esau\nimplored his father for one blessing which perchance might be left; and\nat length Isaac assured him that _his dwelling would be of the fatness\nof the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; but he must live\nby his sword and serve his brother, till the day when he too should\ngain the dominion, and should shake his brother\u2019s yoke from off his\nneck_[36] (Gen. xxvii. 39, 40).\n\nEnraged at the deception which had been practised upon him, Esau\ndid not conceal his design of revenging himself by putting Jacob to\ndeath, and only deferred it till the days of mourning for his father\nwere ended, whose death he deemed to be near at hand. But his dark\nthreat became known to Rebekah. Anxious to save her favourite son, she\npersuaded him to undertake a journey to his uncle Laban at Padan-Aram,\npromising, when a few days were over, and his brother\u2019s wrath was\nappeased, to send for him again. Without communicating her real motive\nin urging this journey, she at the same time secured the acquiescence\nof Isaac, by pretending anxiety that Jacob should marry one of the\ndaughters of Laban, rather than follow his brother\u2019s example, and\ncontract an alliance among the Hittites. Accordingly Isaac sent for\nhis son, and bade him go to Padan-Aram, urging him to take thence a\nwife from amongst his own kindred, and then consciously and purposely\ntransferred to him and his seed after him the blessing of Abraham\n(Gen. xxviii. 1\u20135).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _LIFE OF JACOB._\n GEN. XXVIII.\u2013XXXV. B.C. 1760\u20131716.\n\n\nTHUS solemnly assured of the Covenant Blessing, JACOB bade farewell\nto his mother, whom he was never to see again, and set out a solitary\ntraveller for the Eastern uplands of Aram, where in place of a few\ndays he was destined to spend many weary years, and amidst many trials\nand vicissitudes to find the same measure that he had measured to\nhis brother measured also to himself. As the sun went down on the\nfirst evening of his journey, he reached the site of one of Abraham\u2019s\nencampments, the stony soil[37] near the Canaanite town of Luz. Taking\nof the stones that lay around, he put them for his pillow, and lay down\nto sleep. As he slept, there appeared to him a vision of the night. A\nladder seemed to rise up from the bare ground on which he lay, and the\ntop of it reached even unto heaven, and on it he saw angels ascending\nand descending. Moreover from above there came the Voice of God\nassuring the wanderer of His protection, renewing to him the promise\nof Abraham, and encouraging him with the hope of return from exile.\nJacob awoke trembling and afraid, _Surely_, said he, _the Lord is in\nthis place, and I knew it not; how dreadful is this place! This is\nnone other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven._ Then\nrising early, he took the stone that had formed his pillow, poured oil\nupon it, and set it up for a memorial, calling the spot BETHEL, the\n_House of God_. At the same time he made a solemn vow that, if Jehovah\nwould indeed sustain him in all his ways, and bring him back as He had\npromised, he would not only dedicate the spot as His House, but would\ngive Him the tenth of all that he possessed (Gen. xxviii. 18\u201322).\n\nThen he continued his journey, and striking in a north-easterly\ndirection, at length reached a well in Padan-Aram, round which were\ngathered three flocks with shepherds from Haran. As he was conversing\nwith them, RACHEL, the daughter of his uncle Laban, approached, and\nwith true courtesy Jacob went near, rolled the stone from the well\u2019s\nmouth, and watered the flocks. He then kissed the maiden, and told\nher he was Rebekah\u2019s son, whereupon she ran and told her father, who\nwelcomed Jacob to the tents of Haran. After a stay of one month, Laban\nproposed that the wanderer should serve him as a shepherd, to which\nJacob assented, and promised to serve him seven years on condition\nof receiving the hand of Rachel. The seven years passed away, and he\nwho had _supplanted_ his brother twice, now learnt what it was to be\n_supplanted_ himself. On the evening of his marriage Laban substituted\nher sister LEAH in place of Rachel; nor was the deceit discovered\ntill the following morning, when, in answer to Jacob\u2019s reproaches, he\ninformed him that it was not customary to give the younger before the\nelder daughter, and that if he would have Rachel he must serve seven\nmore years for her. To these hard conditions Jacob assented, and in the\ncourse of time became the father of a numerous family, eleven sons and\none daughter. Of these, REUBEN, SIMEON, LEVI, JUDAH, ISSACHAR, ZEBULUN,\nand a daughter DINAH, were born to Leah; DAN and NAPHTALI to Bilhah\nRachel\u2019s maid, whom the latter, finding she had no children, gave to\nJacob as a secondary wife; GAD and ASHER to Zilpah, Leah\u2019s maid; and\nJOSEPH to Rachel.\n\nShortly after the birth of this last son, Jacob having completed his\ntime of service, proposed to Laban that he should return into his\nown country. But the latter, who had found by experience that his\nson-in-law had brought a blessing to his house, prevailed upon him to\ncontinue in his service, on condition of receiving a certain portion\nof the flocks as his hire. Six years longer, therefore, Jacob staid\nwith his father-in-law, and prospered, and became himself the owner\nof numerous herds. But on Laban\u2019s side the covenant was not strictly\nkept. Again and again he changed the wages of his faithful servant,\ntill at length finding any longer stay rendered impossible by the\nenvy and jealousy of his father-in-law and his sons, and encouraged by\nthe Word of Jehovah, Jacob determined to set out for his native land.\nAccordingly, availing himself of Laban\u2019s absence at a sheep-shearing,\nhe gathered together all his goods, and with his wives and family\ncrossed the river, the great river Euphrates (Gen. xxxi. 21), and set\nhis face towards the uplands of Gilead, on the east of Jordan. Three\ndays after his departure, news of his flight reached the ears of Laban,\nwho forthwith pursued after him a seven days\u2019 journey, and overtook\nhim as he was encamped in the range of Gilead. Warned by God in a dream\nagainst using any violence towards his son-in-law, Laban contented\nhimself with reproaching him for his secret flight, hypocritically\ncomplaining that he had not given him time to send him away with\ndue formality, and accusing him of stealing his household gods, the\n_teraphim_ or images, which Rachel had taken and concealed in the\ncamel\u2019s furniture. After some altercation it was resolved to come to\nterms. Stones were gathered together, and set up as a Pillar of Witness,\nin token of their agreement that neither party to injure the other\nwould cross over what was henceforth to be the boundary between their\nrespective territories; after which Laban returned to his home in the\ndistant East (Gen. xxxi. 43\u201355).\n\nThus relieved from pressing danger, Jacob continued his journey\nwestward. The twenty years of exile was over, and he was bound for his\nnative land. As if to welcome him thither, and to remind him of the\nfulfilment of God\u2019s Promise, the angels, whom he had seen twenty years\nbefore in vision at Bethel, now met him in two hosts, to commemorate\nwhich event he named the spot Mahanaim (_two hosts_). He was now on the\nbrink of the river which divided him from his father\u2019s home, and the\nremembrance of his brother Esau and the uncertainty of the reception he\nmight meet with from him caused the deepest anxiety. Sending messengers\ninto the land of Seir, he informed his _lord_ Esau of his return\nfrom the land of exile, and of the success that had attended him. The\nmessengers went, and returned with the alarming intelligence that Esau\nwas coming to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob\u2019s distress was\nextreme, and he poured forth his whole soul in fervent prayer to God\nfor protection. Then selecting a valuable present from his flocks and\nherds, he sent them to meet and propitiate his approaching brother,\nand at midnight dispatched his wives and sons, and all that he had,\nacross the ford Jabbok, but staid himself behind to renew his earnest\nsupplications for the Divine protection. Through the night, even to the\nbreaking of the day, there wrestled with him One (Hos. xii. 3, 4), whom\nhe knew not, and whose Name he could not prevail upon Him to reveal,\nbut who left upon him a palpable mark of their mysterious conflict,\nfor He _touched the hollow of his thigh so that it was out of joint_.\nBut in memory of this same crisis in his life another sign was given\nhim. His name was changed. No more was he to be called Jacob, the\n_Supplanter_. During the long years of his weary exile old things had\npassed away, and all things were becoming new. Henceforth he was to\nbe known as ISRAEL, _the Prince of God_, for _as a Prince had he power\nwith God and with man, and had prevailed_ (Gen. xxxii. 28). The site\nof this memorable conflict Jacob named Peniel (_the face of God_). When\nthe day broke he looked up, and saw Esau approaching with his retinue.\nThereupon in long procession he went forth to meet him; first advanced\nthe handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah with their children, then followed\nLeah and her children, last of all Rachel and Joseph. Jacob himself\nled the way, bowing to the ground seven times until he came near to his\nbrother, who ran to meet him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him.\nThe reconciliation was complete. After mutual converse, Esau agreed to\nleave to Jacob the land of his inheritance, and retired himself to the\nrugged mountains of Seir[38], whence he and his descendants expelled\nthe aboriginal tribes, and dwelt in their stead in the land henceforth\nknown as Edom or Idum\u00e6a, a race of hunters living by the sword.\n\nMeanwhile Jacob continued his journey towards the valley of the\nJordan, and for a while settled at Succoth, where he puts up booths\n(_Succoth_) for his cattle, as well as a house for himself. Thence\nhe moved westwards, and crossing the Jordan, advanced into the very\nheart of Palestine, and pitched his tent before the city of Shechem.\nOf Hamor its chief he subsequently bought a portion of the rich plain,\neast of the city, and here he settled down, and, like Abraham before\nhim, erected an altar to Jehovah. During his stay at this place, which\nappears to have been somewhat protracted, an unfortunate occurrence\ncaused him for a time the greatest anxiety, and eventually drove him\nfrom the neighbourhood. One day, on the occasion, it is not improbable,\nof some local festival, Dinah the daughter of Leah, at this time from\nthirteen to fifteen years of age, went out _to see the daughters of\nthe land_, and was dishonoured by Shechem, the Hivite chieftain, in\nwhose territory the patriarch had settled. His father Hamor thereupon\nproposed that his son should pay a certain sum, by way of reparation,\nto her father and mother for the injury he had done to the maiden and\nmarry her, and that this should be followed by a general intermarriage\nbetween the two peoples. To this proposition the brothers of Dinah\nassented, but demanded, as the single condition of the treaty, that the\npeople of Shechem should consent to be circumcised. These terms were\nunwittingly accepted by the Shechemites, and three days afterwards,\nSimeon and Levi, Dinah\u2019s own brothers, at the head of their households,\nattacked the city, slew the chiefs and all the males in the place,\nspoiled it of every article of value it contained, and took captive\neven the women and little children. This bloody and treacherous act\nexcited Jacob\u2019s deepest indignation, and shortly afterwards, fearful\nlest the neighbouring tribes should gather together and slay him and\nall his house, in accordance with a Divine warning, he determined to\nrepair to Bethel and dwell there and perform the vow, which till now\nhe seems almost to have forgotten. The journey partook somewhat of a\nreligious pilgrimage, and was preceded by a general purification on the\npart of the patriarch\u2019s followers, and a collection of the _teraphim_\nor strange gods, which had been brought from Mesopotamia, and were now\nhidden under an oak at Shechem. Arrived once more at the scene of his\nwondrous Vision, Jacob erected an altar, which he called El-Bethel,\nand here he was again visited by the Almighty, who renewed to him his\nname of Israel, and assured him of his share in the blessings of the\nCovenant (Gen. xxxv. 9\u201315). During his stay at Bethel his intimacy with\nhis father Isaac, who was still alive, appears to have been renewed;\nfor we are told that Deborah Rebekah\u2019s nurse died, and was buried under\nan oak, henceforth known as Allon-Bachuth, the _Oak of Tears_. But his\ndeparture from the same place a day\u2019s journey southwards was saddened\nby a grievous trial. As he drew near to Ephrath, the Canaanitish name\nof Bethlehem, Rachel his favourite wife died in giving birth to a son,\nwhom she called Ben-oni, _the son of sorrow_, but whom his father named\nBENJAMIN, _the son of my right hand_. Over her grave the sorrowing\nhusband erected a pillar, and moving southward pitched his tent beside\nEdar, or _the watch-tower of the flocks_, and subsequently beneath\nthe oak of Mamre before Hebron, where Isaac died, in the 180th year\nof his age, and was committed to the tomb by Jacob and Esau (Gen.\nxxxvi. 27\u201329).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _HISTORY OF JOSEPH._\n GEN. XXXVII.\u2013XLII. B.C. 1727\u20131707.\n\n\nIT was while he was sojourning in the neighbourhood of Hebron, where,\nlike his father, he united agricultural with pastoral occupations (Gen.\nxxxvii. 7) that the saddest trial of his life befell Jacob. Of all\nhis sons none was dearer to him than Joseph, the child of his beloved\nRachel. In token of his affection he bestowed upon him _a coat of many\ncolours_, probably a tunic furnished with sleeves and reaching down\nto the ankles, worn by youths of the richer class[39]. By some this\nis supposed to indicate his intention of transferring to him, as being\nthe _eldest son of the favourite Rachel_, the right of primogeniture.\nWhether this was so or not, it roused much jealousy and ill-feeling\namongst Joseph\u2019s brothers, already incensed by the circumstance of his\nbearing to his father, when seventeen years of age, an evil report of\nthe sons of Zilpah and Bilhah, with whom he kept the flocks. Another\nincident fanned the flame of ill-feeling. Joseph unwittingly told his\nbrethren of two dreams he had dreamt, in one of which he had seemed to\nsee them binding sheaves in the field, and lo! his sheaf rose and stood\nupright, while their sheaves stood round about and made obeisance\nto his sheaf; in the other he beheld the sun, moon, and the eleven\nstars making obeisance to him. Even Jacob rebuked his favourite son\nfor his seeming self-exaltation, _though he observed the saying_ (Gen.\nxxxvii. 11).\n\nAfter a time an opportunity was presented to the brothers of taking\na cruel revenge. Though Jacob was settled in the vale of Hebron, a\nportion of his numerous flocks and herds were kept by his sons on the\nrich pasture-grounds near Shechem. Thither on one occasion Jacob sent\nhis favourite son to see how his brethren fared, and bring him word\nagain. Joseph set out, and being directed by a man whom he met, to\nDothan[40], or \u201c_the Two Wells_,\u201d a place about twelve miles north of\nShechem, famous for its pasturage, he went thither in quest of them.\nFrom the rising ground, where they were keeping their flocks, the\nbrothers descried the _Dreamer_ approaching, and straightway resolved\nto slay him and cast him into a pit, and then report to his father that\nhe had been devoured by wild beasts. From actually putting him to death\nthey were, however, dissuaded by Reuben, and contented themselves with\nstripping him of his coat of many colours, and casting him into an\nempty cistern, intending probably to let him die by hunger. But when\nthey had done this, and had sat down to eat, a company of Ishmaelite\nor Midianite merchants (for the two names are used interchangeably)\napproached, mounted on camels, and bearing spicery and balm, going down\nthe high road[41] which passed near from Gilead to Egypt. Thereupon\nJudah proposed that they should sell him to these traders, and he was\ntaken up from the pit, and sold to the Ishmaelites, who paid for him\ntwenty pieces of silver, the usual price of a male slave from five to\ntwenty years of age. Reuben was not present when the cruel bargain was\nstruck, and was greatly distressed when, on his return, he found that\nhis brother was gone. But the others killed a kid, dipped Joseph\u2019s\ncoat of many colours in its blood, and brought it to Jacob, with the\nhypocritical enquiry whether it was his son\u2019s coat or no, and informing\nhim that they had found it thus smeared with blood. Even Reuben did\nnot reveal the true state of the case, and Jacob, supposing that his\nfavourite son had been slain by wild beasts, put sackcloth upon his\nloins, and refusing every proffered consolation, mourned for him many\ndays (Gen. xxxvii. 29\u201335).\n\nMeanwhile the Midianitish caravan kept on its southward course, and\neventually reaching Egypt, sold Joseph to POTIPHAR[42], an officer of\nPharaoh, and _Captain of the Executioners_ (Gen. xxxviii. 36 _margin_).\nIn his house, Joseph though a foreigner and a slave, gradually won the\nconfidence of his master, who appears to have been a wealthy man, and\npossessed of property in the field as well as in the house, so that\nbefore long, in the capacity of overseer, he was entrusted with the\nentire possessions of the Egyptian, and the Divine blessing rested upon\nhis house for Joseph\u2019s sake.\n\nBut this period of happiness and prosperity was destined to come to an\nabrupt termination. With the profligacy for which the Egyptian women\nwere notorious, the wife of Potiphar on one occasion tempted Joseph\nto commit adultery with her, and when he resisted all her seductions,\ncharged him to her husband with the very crime she had ineffectually\ntempted him to commit. Thereupon Potiphar, fully believing her story,\nwithout bringing his faithful steward before any public tribunal, cast\nhim into the prison in his own house. But amidst this grievous trial\nJoseph was not forsaken. _The Lord was with him, and gave him favour in\nthe sight of the keeper of the prison_, who, convinced of his fidelity\nand uprightness, entrusted him with the care of all the prisoners there\nconfined. Amongst these there soon appeared the _Chief of Pharaoh\u2019s\nCupbearers_, and the _Chief of his Bakers_, two high officers of the\nEgyptian court, on whom Joseph was specially directed to wait. During\ntheir imprisonment each of them dreamt a dream. The Chief of the\nCupbearers dreamt that _a vine was before him, on which were three\nbranches; that it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth,\nand its clusters brought forth ripe grapes, that of these he took and\npressed them into Pharaoh\u2019s cup which was in his hand, and gave it to\nthat monarch_. The Chief of the Bakers dreamt that _he had three white\nbaskets on his head, the uppermost full of all manner of bakemeats for\nPharaoh, which the birds ate out of the baskets on his head_. Convinced\nthat these dreams portended events of great importance in their lives,\nand unable to interpret them, these high officers were filled with\nsadness. But Joseph, being informed of the cause, by virtue of his\nprophetic gifts interpreted the dreams, and announced to the _Chief of\nthe Butlers_ that within three days, on the anniversary of Pharaoh\u2019s\nbirthday, he should be restored to his office, while, within the same\nperiod, his fellow-prisoner would be hanged upon a tree, where _the\nbirds would eat his flesh from off him_. As he had predicted, so it\ncame to pass. Within the specified period, the one of these grandees\nwas executed, and the other restored to his former high position. But\nthough the Hebrew Captive had told the _Chief of the Butlers_ his own\nsad story, in the hour of prosperity the restored grandee forgat his\nbenefactor, and his touching request that he would intercede with\nPharaoh on his behalf (Gen. xl. 12\u201323).\n\nTwo more years, therefore, of tedious imprisonment passed over Joseph\u2019s\nhead, when one night Pharaoh himself was troubled with two mysterious\ndreams. In the first he seemed _to stand by the banks of the Nile, and\nbehold out of it there came seven well-favoured kine and fatfleshed,\nand fed in the marsh grass that lined the banks. And behold after them\nthere came up seven poor, ill-favoured, leanfleshed kine, and they ate\nup the seven well-favoured and fat kine, and when they had done so,\nit could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still\nas ill-favoured as at the beginning._ In his second dream, the monarch\nbeheld _seven ears of corn growing upon one stalk, full, fat, and good,\nand after them seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind, which\ndevoured the seven full and fat ears_. Troubled with these visions of\nthe night he awoke, and sent for all the magicians of Egypt and all\nthe wise men thereof, and told them his dream, but they were unable\nto give him any interpretation. In this difficulty the _Chief of the\nButlers_ bethought him of his youthful benefactor in the prison, and\ntold Pharaoh what had befallen him there, and how a young man, a Hebrew,\nservant to the Captain of the Executioners, had interpreted his dream.\nUpon this the monarch sent for Joseph, who was brought into the royal\npresence, and having been told the nature of the dreams, informed\nPharaoh that they were sent by the great God to forewarn him of what\nHe was about to do. The seven good kine and the seven good ears denoted\n_seven years of plenty_; the seven thin ill-favoured kine and the seven\nempty ears of corn denoted _seven years of very grievous famine_, about\nto befall the entire land of Egypt. The doubling of the dreams denoted\nthat the event was certain and imminent. He advised, therefore, that\nwithout delay the monarch should set over the land a man _discreet and\nwise_, with overseers under him, to take up the fifth part of the land\nduring the seven years of plenty, and lay up corn and food in various\ncities against the seven years of famine, which were assuredly to come\n(Gen. xli. 14\u201336).\n\nThis advice found favour in the eyes of Pharaoh, and deeming no other\nso well fitted for the post as the interpreter of his dreams, he\nappointed him to fill it, and, in token of his freedom, placed on his\nhand his own signet ring and a gold collar about his neck, and arraying\nhim in vestures of fine linen, he caused him to ride in the second\nchariot that he had, preceded by heralds crying _Bow the knee_. Joseph\nwas thus invested with the dignity of an Oriental Vizier, and could act\nin the name of the king. Besides these marks of honour, Pharaoh changed\nhis name to Zaphnath-paaneah[43], or _the Revealer of Secrets_, and\nunited him in marriage with ASENATH[44], the daughter of Poti-pherah\n(_devoted to Ra_, or _the Sun_), priest or prince (Gen. xli. 45\n_margin_) of ON, the later Heliopolis, and the religious capital of\nthe country.\n\nThus at the age of thirty, after thirteen years of painful vicissitudes,\nthe son of Jacob was elevated to the highest position next to the\nsovereign himself in the great kingdom of Egypt. In accordance with\nthe plan he himself had indicated, he straightway commenced a tour\nthroughout the land, and during the seven years of plenty bought up a\nfifth part of the corn in the country, and laid it up in granaries in\nthe various cities. During the same period he became the father of two\nsons, to whom, though born of an Egyptian wife, he gave Hebrew names,\ncalling the first-born MANASSEH, \u201c_a Forgetter_;\u201d _for God_, said he,\n_hath made me |forget| all my toil and all my father\u2019s house_. The\nsecond he named EPHRAIM, \u201c_Fruitful_;\u201d _for God hath caused me to be\n|fruitful| in the land of my affliction_. At the close of the seven\nyears of plenty, the seven years of dearth drew on, and its effects\nwere felt not only in Egypt, but in all the neighbouring lands. During\nthe first part of this period, the wants of the people were relieved\nby the abundance which the foresight of the Vizier had stored up. He\nopened all his granaries and sold unto the Egyptians, delivering over\nthe money into Pharaoh\u2019s exchequer. When money failed, barter was\nresorted to, and the Egyptians obtained bread in exchange for their\nhorses, cattle, and flocks. When at length these means were exhausted,\nthey sold him their land, except that of the priests, who, being\nprovided from the royal treasury, did not feel the horrors of the\nfamine. Thus possessed of the entire country, Joseph improved the\nopportunity to place the relations between the Egyptian monarch and his\npeople on a settled and legal footing. He made them, indeed, vassals\nof their sovereign, but in place of allowing them to be taxed according\nto royal caprice, he disposed of the land to them, on the understanding\nthat four parts were to be their own, for seed of the field, and for\nfood for them and their families, while a fifth part was to be paid\nannually to the king in place of ground-rent; an arrangement by no\nmeans oppressive, when it is considered that the soil sometimes yielded\nthirty-fold, or even a greater increase (Gen. xli. 46\u201357).\n\nAt an early period during the seven years of famine, ten of Joseph\u2019s\nbrethren went down into Egypt at the suggestion of their father, and\npresented themselves before him with the petition to be allowed to\nbuy corn. In the Viceroy, second only to the great Pharaoh, they did\nnot for a moment recognize the boy whom twenty years before they had\nlowered into the dry pit at Dothan. But though Joseph knew _them_,\nand recognized the fulfilment of his early dreams, he did not reveal\nhimself to them. Through an interpreter he spake roughly unto them,\npronounced them to be spies who had come down to see the nakedness of\nthe land, and when they denied the charge, declared they should be\nimprisoned till one of them had brought down their youngest brother.\nFor three days he actually kept them in ward, and finally, on condition\nthat one remained behind as a hostage, permitted them to return with\ncorn for their families. Stricken with remorse, and not imagining that\nthe Viceroy could understand their language, they acknowledged that\ntheir sin had found them out, and recalled the day when they saw the\nanguish of their brother, and turned a deaf ear to his beseeching\nentreaties that they would not deal hardly with him. Then Simeon\nwas bound before their eyes, and sad and sorrowful they commenced\ntheir return. But on the road they had fresh cause for alarm and\nconfusion. On opening their sacks they discovered not only that corn\nhad been supplied them, but that their money had been restored to\nthem. Marvelling at this strange circumstance, they reached home, and\nrecounted to their father all that had befallen them, and how he could\nnot hope to see Simeon again till they returned with their youngest\nbrother Benjamin into the presence of the Viceroy of Egypt. On hearing\nthis hard condition, Jacob burst forth into bitter complaints, and\nthough Reuben offered the life of his two children as a pledge for\nBenjamin\u2019s safe return, absolutely refused to allow him to accompany\nthem; _his brother_, said he, _is dead, and he is left alone; if\nmischief befall him by the way, then shall ye bring down my grey\nhairs with sorrow to the grave_ (Gen. xlii. 38).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _JACOB\u2019S DESCENT INTO EGYPT\u2015\u2015DEATH OF JOSEPH._\n GEN. XLIII.\u2013L. B.C. 1707\u20131635.\n\n\nBUT as time went on, and the corn the Brothers had brought from Egypt\nwas consumed, it became absolutely necessary to go thither a second\ntime, if they would live and not die. Without Benjamin, however, they\nknew the journey would be useless, and Benjamin their father would\nnot send. At length Judah stood forward as spokesman for the rest,\nand offered to bear for ever in his own person the blame, if any evil\nbefell him, till after a struggle Jacob consented. With a present\nof such things as the land afforded, a _little balm, a little honey,\nspices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds_, with double money also in their\nhand, the brothers took Benjamin from his sorrowing father, and once\nmore commenced their journey to Egypt. Arrived there they were again\npresented to the Viceroy, who perceiving that Benjamin was with them,\nordered the steward of his house to conduct them home, and to slay and\nmake ready, that they might dine with him at noon. Full of fear, the\nbrothers followed the steward, and on the way informed him of their\nsurprise, when on their return from their previous visit, they found\ntheir money in their sacks. The steward, however, answered them kindly,\nrestored Simeon to them, and brought them water to wash their feet.\nAt noon Joseph returned, and the brothers spread out the present their\nfather had sent, bowing themselves before him to the earth. After some\nquestions touching the welfare of the _old man_ they had left in the\nland of Canaan, he _lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin,\nhis mother\u2019s son_, and his whole soul yearned towards him, and he\nentered into his chamber and wept there. Thence having washed his face\nhe returned, commanded the attendants to set on bread, and the brothers\nsat down ranged each according to his age. Joseph sat at a table by\nhimself, and the Egyptians in his retinue by themselves; for to eat\nbread with the Hebrews was regarded by them as an abomination. Then\nfrom Joseph\u2019s table portions were sent to his brethren, but Benjamin\u2019s\nportion was five times as great as any of theirs, and _they drank and\nwere merry with him_ (Gen. xliii. 34).\n\nThe next morning, as soon as it was light, with sacks replenished, and\nrejoicing at the successful termination of their journey, the sons of\nJacob commenced their return to Canaan. But they had proceeded only a\nlittle way from the city, when the Steward of Joseph overtook them, and\ncharged them with returning evil for all the good they had received,\nand stealing the silver _divining cup_[45] (Gen. xliv. 5) belonging to\nhis master. In the full assurance of their innocence, the brothers not\nonly denied the charge, but declared their willingness that the guilty\none should die, and the rest become bondmen to the Viceroy. The sacks\nwere, therefore, taken from the asses, and lo! in Benjamin\u2019s sack,\nwhere it had been purposely placed by Joseph\u2019s command, the cup was\nfound. Horror-struck at the discovery, the brothers returned to the\nhouse, and flinging themselves on the ground before Joseph, expressed\ntheir resolution to become slaves with Benjamin rather than return\nwithout him to his heart-broken father. In the dialogue that ensued\nJudah was again the chief speaker. _God_, he owned, _had found out\ntheir iniquity, and they and he with whom the cup had been found would\nbecome Joseph\u2019s bondmen_. To this, however, Joseph would not consent;\nhe with whom the cup had been found, he alone need remain behind in\nservitude, the rest might return in peace to their father. Then Judah\nwent near to him, _who was even as Pharaoh_ (Gen. xliv. 18), and in\nwords of utmost pathos related how in obedience to his command, their\nfather had with great difficulty been prevailed on to suffer the child\nof his old age to accompany them, and how, if he failed to return,\nhe would certainly die, for his life was bound up in the life of his\nfavourite son. Nay, more, he continued, he himself had become surety\nfor the lad, and was now ready, rather than _bring down_ the old man\u2019s\n_grey hairs with sorrow to the grave_, to remain alone in the land of\nEgypt a bondman unto his lord, if only Benjamin and the rest might\nreturn into the land of Canaan (Gen. xliv. 18\u201334).\n\nAs Judah proceeded with his moving tale, Joseph could restrain himself\nno longer. He desired every man to leave the chamber, and he and his\nbrethren were left alone. Then, amidst many tears, he at length broke\nforth with the astounding words _I am Joseph_, coupling the revelation\nwith the enquiry _Doth my father yet live?_ But the brothers were too\nterrified to answer him a word. Thereupon he bade them come near unto\nhim, and again assured them that he was _Joseph, their brother_, whom\nthey had sold to the Midianitish caravan. Let them not, he said, be\ngrieved that they had sold him into Egypt. God, who orders all things,\nhad sent him thither before them to preserve their lives, and had made\nhim _a father unto Pharaoh, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt_.\nInstead of repining for the past, let them return to the _old man,\ntheir father_, and tell him of all his glory in Egypt, and bring him\ndown, and settle, they and their children, their flocks and their herds,\nand all that they had, in the goodly country of Goshen, _frontier_.\nHaving thus at length poured forth his pent up feelings, Joseph fell\nupon Benjamin\u2019s neck, and wept, and kissed him, and likewise all his\nbrethren. Tidings of what had occurred soon reached the ears of Pharaoh,\nwho readily assented to Joseph\u2019s wish that his father should be\nsuffered to settle in the land. Waggons were then made ready to bring\nhim and all that he had; ample provisions were supplied for the journey,\nand rich presents bestowed upon all the brothers, but especially on\nBenjamin. Then with a parting charge to see that they _fell not out by\nthe way_ (Gen. xlv. 24), the sons of Jacob returned to their father,\nand recounted to him all the strange events that had befallen them.\nThe long lost Joseph, the son of the beloved Rachel, was _alive_, nay,\n_he was governor over all the land of Egypt_. At the first announcement\nJacob\u2019s heart failed him, nor could he believe their words. But when\nthe waggons that Joseph had provided came in sight, then at length his\nspirit revived, and he exclaimed, _It is enough, Joseph my son is yet\nalive, I will go and see him before I die_ (Gen. xlv. 28).\n\nTo forsake, however, the familiar pasture grounds of Hebron, to leave\nthe soil promised to him and to his seed for ever, required of the\npatriarch no little resolution. Abraham had gone down to Egypt, but\nonly to involve himself in great difficulties; Isaac had been on the\npoint of going thither, when he was restrained by the hand of God\n(Gen. xxvi. 2). Did the Divine Blessing rest on that journey, which an\nimperious necessity now induced him to essay? Jacob was not long left\nin doubt. On reaching Beersheba the Almighty appeared to him in vision,\nand bade him lay aside all apprehensions. In Egypt, in the land of the\nmighty Pharaohs, He would not fail to protect him, there He would make\nhim a great nation, and thence in the fulness of time He would bring\nhis seed back to the _Land of Promise_. Thus encouraged Jacob arose\nfrom Beersheba, and with his sons, their wives, and their little ones,\ntheir herds, their flocks, and all the goods they had gotten in the\nland of Canaan, commenced his journey. Judah led the way, and on the\nfrontier of Egypt the patriarch met his long lost son, and _fell upon\nhis neck, and wept on his neck a good while_. Arrived in the land\nof the Pharaohs, five of Joseph\u2019s brethren were introduced to the\nreigning monarch. They told him that they were shepherds, that they\nhad come down into Egypt in consequence of the severity of the famine,\nand requested permission to settle as strangers and foreigners in\nGoshen, the most easterly frontier-land of Egypt, and offered to become\nguardians of the royal herds. Permission was granted, and Jacob himself\nwas introduced to Pharaoh, and bestowed his blessing upon the monarch\n(Gen. xlvii. 1\u201310).\n\nThe period of Jacob\u2019s own sojourning in the _land of Ham_ (Ps. cv. 23)\nwas limited to seventeen years, at the close of which he had reached\nthe age of 147, and perceived that his end was nigh. Informed that his\nfather was sickening, Joseph brought his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh\nand placed them before his bedside. _Guiding his hands wittingly_, the\naged patriarch stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim\u2019s\nhead, though he was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh\u2019s head,\nthough he was the firstborn. At this Joseph was displeased, and would\nhave altered the disposition of his father\u2019s hands. But Jacob refused,\nand with his hands as they were, bestowed upon the young men and their\nfather his solemn and abiding blessing. Though born in Egypt, Ephraim\nand Manasseh were to be reckoned as his own sons, and would both grow\ninto great tribes. But as it had been in Jacob\u2019s own case, so would it\nbe with them; _the younger brother would be greater than the elder, and\nhis seed should become a multitude of nations_. Then turning to Joseph\nthe Patriarch bestowed on him a special mark of affection, even _one\nportion above his brethren_, a piece of land which with _his sword and\nhis bow_ he had conquered from the Amorites, probably outside the green\nvale of Shechem (Gen. xlviii. 22, Josh. xvii. 14, &c.).\n\nAnd now the day drew nigh when the Patriarch\u2019s eventful life must close.\nWishing by virtue of the gift of prophecy, which gained greater power\nthe nearer he approached the borders of the eternal world, to tell\nthem that _which should befall them in the last days_, he desired that\nhis sons might be summoned to his bedside. Obedient to his word, they\ngathered round him, and then in prophetic trance \u201cbut having his eyes\nopen,\u201d he beheld the mighty vision of the future, and predicted their\nseveral fortunes in the land, through which he himself had wandered\nas a pilgrim for more than one hundred years. First, before him\nstood Reuben, over whom in the tents of Laban he had rejoiced as _his\nfirstborn, his might_, and _the beginning of his strength_. To him\nby the law of primogeniture belonged the headship of the family, and\nthe double inheritance. But he had proved unworthy of his vocation.\n_Unstable as water, he should not excel._ Next in order of their\nbirth came Simeon and Levi. Brethren of one mother, they had been\nalso brethren in cruelty and deceit. In their conduct towards the\nShechemites they had proved the fierceness of their anger, and the\ncruelty of their disposition. Unworthy were they to be the head of a\nnation which was to be a blessing and not a curse to all peoples of\nthe earth, therefore were they to be _divided in Jacob, and scattered\nin Israel_. Next came Judah, and to him the patriarch could assign a\nportion at least of the blessing of the firstborn. His should be the\npre-eminence in power and dignity, him should _his brethren praise_,\nbefore him should _his father\u2019s children bow down_; his should be the\n_Sceptre and the Lawgiver_, nor _from beneath his feet should they ever\ndepart, till_ SHILOH, _the Peaceable_ or _Peace-maker came_[46] (Gen.\nxlix. 1\u201310).\n\nHaving thus transferred the privileges of the firstborn to Judah and\npredicted the fortunes of his other sons, the dying Patriarch once more\nsolemnly adjured them, as he had already adjured Joseph, not to leave\nhis bones in Egypt, but to carry them into the land of Hope and Promise,\nand lay them in the cave of Machpelah, in the family-grave of his\nfathers, and then he _gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded\nup the ghost_. Obedient to such reiterated commands, Joseph caused his\nfather\u2019s body to be embalmed in the Egyptian fashion by the physicians,\nand obtained permission from Pharaoh to accompany his remains to the\nburial-place he had marked out for them. Then at the head of a numerous\nretinue, composed not only of the members of his own family, but also\nof the court-officers of Pharaoh, and the grandees of the empire, and\naccompanied by chariots and horsemen, he set out. The nearest road\nwould have been by Gaza, and through the territory of the Philistines.\nInstead of this, the funeral procession took a long circuitous route\nround Mount Seir[47] and the eastern side of the Dead Sea, and halted\nat the threshing-floor of Atad, on the east side of the Jordan,\nopposite Jericho. Here seven days were spent in solemn mourning, and so\ngrievous was the lamentation that the Canaanites of the Jordan valley\ncalled the spot Abel-Mizraim, _the Meadow_, or _the Mourning of the\nEgyptians_. Further than this point the Egyptian retinue do not seem\nto have proceeded. The sons of Jacob alone crossed the Jordan, into the\nland of Canaan, and laid their father in the cave of Machpelah, by the\nside of Abram, Isaac, and Sarah (Gen. l. 1\u201313).\n\nThe funeral over, Joseph and his brethren returned to Egypt. Fearful\nnow their father was dead that the Viceroy would requite them for all\nthe evil they had done towards him, the sons of Jacob sent a messenger\nto intercede in their behalf. But Joseph calmed their fears, and\nassured them of safety and protection. Together, then, they dwelt in\npeace and security in the land of Goshen; and Joseph _saw Ephraim\u2019s\nchildren of the third generation, and the children of Machir the son\nof Manasseh brought up upon his knees_. At length, when he had reached\nthe age of 110, perceiving that his end was near, he sent for his\nbrethren, and having assured them that God would certainly visit them,\nand bring them up out of Egypt into the land which He had promised to\ntheir forefathers, and taken an oath of them that they would remove his\nbones into the same Good Land, he died, and was embalmed, and laid in\na coffin in Egypt (Gen. l. 26).\n\n\n\n\n NOTE.\n\n SURVEY OF THE PATRIARCHAL AGE.\n\n\n WITH the death of Joseph the Patriarchal Age of Israel\u2019s history\n may be said to close. The _Family_ had now thrown out many\n branches, and was on the point of merging into the _Nation_.\n At this juncture, then, it may be well to look back, and review\n some of the chief features of Patriarchal Life.\n\n i. And the first of these that claims attention is its _Nomadic\n character_. Unlike the founders of Egypt, of Babylon, of Nineveh,\n the Patriarchs were not the builders of cities and towns, but\n _pilgrims and sojourners, dwellers in tents_ (Heb. xi. 9). But\n they were very different from rude hordes, like the Amalekites\n and other \u201csons of the desert,\u201d abhorring any higher mode\n of life. Abraham was no stranger to the highest form of\n civilization that his age afforded. He was acquainted with Ur,\n with Nineveh, with Damascus, with Egypt; he had left his home in\n one of the chief cities of Mesopotamia, not from choice, but in\n consequence of a direct personal call from God. Moreover, so far\n from regarding his present mode of life as an ultimate end, he\n and Isaac and Jacob, were ever looking forward to a time when it\n would close, when their descendants should be _settled_ in the\n Land of Promise, and become a great _nation_, when the portable\n _tent_ should give way to the _city that had foundations_ (Heb.\n xi. 10, 13\u201316; comp. Gen. xxiv. 7; xxviii. 4; xlix. 1\u201327; l. 24).\n Hence, from time to time, as opportunity offered, we see the\n wandering life freely and willingly laid aside. Lot settled\n in Sodom (Gen. xiii. 10\u201312); Abraham in Egypt went direct to\n Pharaoh\u2019s court (Gen. xii. 14); at Hebron he settled and became\n a \u201cprince of God\u201d in the midst of the Hittites (Gen. xxiii. 6);\n Isaac not only lived near the Philistines, but occupied a\n _house_ opposite the palace (Gen. xxvi. 8), and practised\n _agriculture_ (Gen. xxvi. 12); and Joseph\u2019s _dream of the\n sheaves_ points out that this was also continued in the time\n of Jacob (Gen. xxxvii. 7)[48].\n\n ii. The _Family_ was the centre of the Patriarchal commonwealth.\n Its head was the source of authority and jurisdiction; he\n possessed the power of life and death (Gen. xxxviii. 24); he\n united in himself the functions of chief and priest; he offered\n the burnt-offering; he had his armed retainers (Gen. xiv. 14;\n xlviii. 22; xxxiv. 25; xxxiii. 20); his intercourse with his\n wives (for polygamy was not forbidden) was free and unrestrained;\n the wife\u2019s consent was asked before wedlock (Gen. xxiv. 57, 58);\n love hallowed the relations of Abraham with Sarah, of Isaac with\n Rebekah, of Jacob with Leah and Rachel; woman, indeed, did not\n occupy the position since conceded to her, but her position\n was far from degraded, and the sanctity of the marriage-bond\n was defended by severe laws, which made death the punishment\n for adultery (Gen. xxxviii. 24). Slavery, it is true, existed,\n but in the tents of Abraham the slave was ever treated with\n consideration, and not excluded from, but made a partaker\n of religious privileges (Gen. xvii. 13). The fidelity and\n attachment of Eliezer the steward of Abraham\u2019s house, the\n mourning for Deborah Rebekah\u2019s nurse (Gen. xxxv. 8), are\n pleasing proofs of the peace that reigned in the Patriarchal\n household.\n\n iii. _Civilization._ The life of the Patriarchs was chiefly\n that of the shepherd, and their wealth mainly consisted in\n their flocks and their herds. But besides practising agriculture\n they were not unacquainted with money and the precious metals.\n Abraham paid for the field of Machpelah with coin (Gen. xxiii.\n 9\u201320), and the sons of Jacob took money with them into Egypt\n (Gen. xlii. 25, 35); while the gold ring and armlets presented\n to Rebekah by Eliezer (Gen. xxiv. 22), the bracelet and signet\n ring of Judah (Gen. xxxviii. 18), the ear-rings of Rachel\n (Gen. xxxv. 4), the many-coloured coat of Joseph, indicate an\n acquaintance with the luxuries of life.\n\n iv. _Religion._ While other nations were rapidly learning\n to deify the powers of nature, the Patriarchs believed not\n only in a God above and beyond nature, but in a God Personal,\n Omnipotent, and Holy. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob\n was no mere abstraction, no mere law. He could and did reveal\n Himself by angelic appearances, by visions, by dreams; He could\n console, strengthen, encourage; He could punish, rebuke, and on\n repentance forgive. Abraham, the _Friend of God_ (Jas. ii. 23),\n intercedes with Him in behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. xviii.\n 23\u201333); Isaac is warned by Him against going down into Egypt\n (Gen. xxvi. 2); Jacob is consoled by Him at Bethel when setting\n out into the land of exile (Gen. xxviii. 13\u201315), and wrestles\n with Him by the fords of Jabbok till the break of day (Gen.\n xxxii. 24); Joseph believes in His invisible but ever-present\n help in prison and in a strange land, and ascribes to Him all\n his wisdom in the interpretation of dreams (Gen. xli. 16).\n The Divine Promise of a great future Abraham believed under\n circumstances of greatest trial, and his faith was _counted to\n him for righteousness_ (Rom. iv. 3). Moreover the God of the\n Patriarchs was no mere \u201cnational or household God.\u201d His sphere\n of operation was not restricted to the Patriarchs and their\n families; He is the God of all the earth (Gen. xxiv. 3), the\n God of Righteousness and Holiness. He punishes the people of\n Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. xix. 24, 25); He plagues Pharaoh\u2019s house\n (Gen. xii. 17); He is the God of the priest-king Melchizedek\n (Gen. xiv. 18), and of the Philistine Abimelech (Gen. xx. 3); He\n protects not only Isaac the \u201cchild of promise,\u201d but the outcast\n Ishmael the \u201cchild of the bondwoman\u201d (Gen. xxi. 13); He is with\n Joseph in prison, but He sends dreams to Pharaoh, and through\n Joseph He saves Egypt from famine (Gen. l. 20).\n\n v. The _Religious Worship_ of the Patriarchs was in keeping\n with the simplicity of their creed. The head of the family\n was also the priest of the family. Whenever Abraham, Isaac, or\n Jacob, reached any new spot in their pilgrimage, they invariably\n erected an altar, generally of stone and on a high situation\n (Gen. xxii. 9; xxvi. 25; xxxv. 7); there they called on the\n name of Jehovah, there they presented their burnt sacrifice,\n there they offered up their prayers. Their history also proves\n the existence of offering covenant-sacrifices, and celebrating\n covenant-feasts (Gen. xv. 9\u201318; xxi. 32); the making and paying\n of vows (Gen. xxviii. 23); the erection of memorial pillars, and\n the consecration of them by pouring upon them oil and wine (Gen.\n xxviii. 18); the rite of circumcision (Gen. xvii. 10\u201314); and\n the paying of tithes (Gen. xiv. 20)[49].\n\n vi. The _Character of the Patriarchs_ is never represented as\n perfect, their faults are freely exposed, theirs is no ideal\n history. If we compare the four most eminent amongst them,\n we seem to trace in (i) _Abraham_, \u201cthe faith that can remove\n mountains\u201d in its power and in its fulness, revealing itself\n in unfaltering trust and unquestioning obedience under the most\n trying circumstances conceivable; in (ii) _Isaac_, the faith\n that can possess itself in patience, and discharge the ordinary\n duties of life in quietness and waiting; in (iii) _Jacob_, the\n violent contest of faith with the flesh, the higher with the\n lower nature, till by hard discipline the latter is purified,\n and the \u201cSupplanter\u201d becomes the \u201cPrince,\u201d the \u201cPrevailer with\n God;\u201d in (iv) _Joseph_, the fidelity and perseverance of faith,\n revealed not only in the patient endurance of the most grievous\n trials, but in energetic action, and at length crowned with\n victory. \u201cHe unites in himself the noble trust and resolution of\n Abraham, with the quiet perseverance of Isaac, and the careful\n prudence of Jacob.\u201d He is moreover an eminent historic type\n of Christ, in (1) his persecution and sale by his brethren,\n (2) his resisting temptation, (3) his humiliation and exaltation,\n (4) his dispensing to a famine-stricken people the bread of life,\n (5) in the fulness of his forgiving love[50].\n\n\n\n\n BOOK III.\n\n FROM THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT\n TO THE GIVING OF THE LAW.\n\n\n\n\n Illustration: A MAP OF CANAAN, EGYPT & SINAI\n to illustrate the\n PATRIARCHAL HISTORY\n and\n THE EXODUS.\n\n Stanford\u2019s Geographical Establishment\n London: Macmillan & Co.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _THE BIRTH AND CALLING OF MOSES._\n EXOD. I.\u2013VI. B.C. 1706\u20131491.\n\n\nTHE district of GOSHEN (_frontier_), also called the _Land of Rameses_\n(Gen. xlvii. 11), where the Israelites were settled during the period\nof their sojourn in the land of the Pharaohs, was the most easterly\nborder-land of Egypt. It was scarcely included within the boundaries of\nEgypt proper, and was inhabited by a mixed population of Egyptians and\nforeigners (Exod. xii. 38). Eminently a pasture land and adapted to the\nrearing of flocks and herds, it included also a considerable portion\nof fruit-bearing soil, which owed its fertility to the overflowing of\nthe Nile, called by the Egyptians Hapi-Mu, _the genius of the waters_,\nby the Israelites Sihor, or Shihor, _the black_ (Is. xxiii. 3; Jer.\nii. 18). Touching on the west the green valley of this wondrous river,\nand stretching onwards to the yellow sands of the Arabian desert\nimmediately south of Palestine, it was then, as it has always been, the\nmost productive part of Egypt, yielding luxuriant crops of wheat and\nmillet, and abounding in cucumbers and melons, gourds and beans, and\nother vegetable growths (Num. xi. 5).\n\nSacred History does not reveal to us many particulars respecting the\nearly portion of the period during which the sons of Jacob sojourned\nin _the land of Ham_. We know that they were _fruitful and multiplied\nand waxed exceeding mighty_, so that when the time came for them to\ngo forth from Egypt they could scarcely have numbered less than two\nmillion souls. We need not, however, suppose that these were all the\ndirect descendants of the seventy immediate relatives of Jacob. When\nthat Patriarch and his sons went down into Egypt they would naturally\ntake with them not only their flocks and herds, but their menservants\nand maidservants (Gen. xlv. 10, 11). Of the number of these we can\nform some calculation by remembering the 318 _trained servants_, who\naccompanied Abraham at the rescue of Lot[51] (Gen. xiv. 14); the _great\nstore of servants_ possessed by Isaac (Gen. xxvi. 13, 14), two-thirds\nat least of whom passed into the possession of Jacob, and must be added\nto the _two hosts_ which he brought from Mesopotamia (Gen. xxxii. 7, 8).\nBut even thus their increase was marvellous, and must be ascribed to\nthe direct superintending Hand of God. The effect, however, of their\nstay was perceptible in other respects. They not only increased in\nnumbers, but became acquainted with many arts and sciences, and thus\nfitted for their future national existence. One portion, indeed, of\nthe nation seems to have retained its pastoral habits even to the\nend. The descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (Num. xxxii. 1)\nprobably tended their large flocks and herds on the eastern border of\nGoshen, but others settled in the cities and villages on the confines\nof the land of Goshen, and not only adopted more generally agricultural\npursuits (Deut. xi. 10), but became acquainted with many useful arts,\nwith writing, the working of precious and common metals, the grinding\nand engraving of precious stones, with carpentry, byssus-weaving, and\npottery (1 Chr. iv. 14, 21, 23), with fishing, gardening (Num. xi. 5),\nand artificial irrigation (Deut. xi. 10)[52]. On the other hand, they\ncould not fail to become acquainted with forms of religious worship\nhitherto utterly unknown to them. Now, for the first time, could\nthey witness the gorgeous and mysterious ceremonies that attended the\nworship of Ra, the \u201cSun-God,\u201d or of Isis and Osiris. Now, for the first\ntime, they might behold the incense burnt three times every day[53],\nand the solemn sacrifice offered once a month to the sacred black calf\nMnevis at On (_Heliopolis_), or to his rival the bull Apis at Memphis.\nNow they saw, as they could scarcely have seen elsewhere, the adoration\nof _the creature rather than the Creator_ carried to its furthest point,\nand divine honours paid not only to the mighty Pharaoh, the Child,\nthe representative of the Sun-God, but to almost everything _in the\nheaven above, and the earth beneath, and the waters under the earth_,\nto the crocodile and the hawk, the cat and the dog, the hippopotamus\nand the serpent. That the simple patriarchal faith of the descendants\nof Abraham and Isaac and Jacob would suffer from contact with such\ndiverse forms of idolatry might naturally be expected. The worship\nof the sacred calf exercised over them a peculiar fascination. _Your\nfathers worshipped other gods in Egypt_, says Joshua afterwards (Josh.\nxxiv. 14), _they forsook not the idols of Egypt_, is the accusation of\nEzekiel (Ezek. xx. 7, 8; xxiii. 3).\n\nBut an important event exercised a still greater influence on their\nsocial and religious condition. A change took place in the reigning\ndynasty. _There arose a new king over Egypt_ (Ex. i. 8; Acts vii. 18)\n_that knew not Joseph_, who regarded with no friendly feelings the\nstrange community with alien rites and traditions, settled on the\neastern outskirts of his realm. He viewed with alarm their rapid\nincrease, and dreaded lest, in the event of a war, instead of guarding\nhis kingdom against, they might join the enemies of Egypt, the roving\ntribes of the East, \u201cthe terror of the inhabitants of the Nile valley,\u201d\nand fight against his own people, and effect their escape from the land.\nAccordingly he determined to reduce them to the condition of public\nserfs or slaves; and in order to crush their free and independent\nspirit, set taskmasters over them, and employed them in gigantic works,\nmaking bricks for his treasure cities, PITHOM and RAAMSES. Day after\nday, therefore, their lives were made bitter with hard bondage, while\nbeneath a burning rainless sky, naked and in gangs, they toiled under\nthe lash in the quarry or the brick-field. But this expedient did not\nproduce the effects the monarch desired. The more they were afflicted,\nthe more this strange people grew and multiplied, and _waxed exceeding\nmighty_. Thereupon instructions were given to the Hebrew midwives to\ndestroy in some secret way every Hebrew man-child. And when this too\nproved ineffectual, from the unwillingness of the midwives to obey so\ncruel a decree, an order was issued that every Hebrew boy should be\nflung into the waters of the Nile. What Abraham had seen in mystic\nvision was now fulfilled (Gen. xv. 12); _a horror of great darkness_\nhad settled upon his descendants; strangers in a strange land, they\nwere suffering grievous affliction, they _sighed by reason of their\nbondage, and their cry came up unto God_ (Ex. ii. 23).\n\nBut it was at this juncture, when every thing seemed at the worst,\nthat the future Deliverer of Israel was born. AMRAM, a man of the\nhouse of Levi, married JOCHEBED, a woman of the same tribe, and became\nthe father of a daughter MIRIAM, a son AARON, and a boy remarkable\nfrom his childhood for peculiar beauty (Ex. ii. 2; Acts vii. 20). For\nthree months his mother succeeded in eluding the vigilance of Pharaoh\u2019s\ninquisitors, and concealing her child. But at the close of that period,\nfinding further concealment impossible, she constructed an ark or\nboat of papyrus stalks, and having protected it with pitch or bitumen,\nplaced the child therein among the reeds of the Nile. There the mother\nleft it, but Miriam the sister stood afar off to watch her brother\u2019s\nfate. As the ark floated with the stream, the daughter of Pharaoh,\nattended by her maidens, came down to bathe in the waters of the sacred\nriver, and as she walked by the bank, her eye lit upon the basket, and\nshe sent one of her attendants to fetch it. It was brought, and when\nopened, _behold! the babe wept_. Struck with compassion the Egyptian\nprincess, though she perceived it was _one of the Hebrews\u2019 children_,\ndetermined to rear it for her own. At this moment Miriam approached,\nand asked permission to call a nurse for the child. Permission was\ngiven, and Jochebed once more saw her boy restored to her, with the\ncommand to rear it for its preserver. The child grew, and after a while\nwas brought to the Princess, and she, in memory of its preservation,\nnamed it MOSES, or in its Egyptian form MO-SHE, from _Mo_, \u201cwater,\u201d and\n_Ushe_, \u201csaved\u201d (Ex. ii. 10).\n\nThe Foundling of the Nile was now formally brought up as the adopted\nson of Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, and, in conformity with his high position,\nreceived a suitable education. He became _learned_, St Stephen tells\nus (Acts vii. 22), _in all the wisdom of the Egyptians_; in all\ntherefore, we may believe, that the science of that day could teach\nhim of arithmetic, writing, astronomy, medicine, and sacred symbolism.\nOn the same authority we further learn that Moses became mighty not\nonly _in words, but also in deeds_ (Acts vii. 22). What these _deeds_\nwere is not known[54], but it is certain that the Hebrew youth was in\na position to have achieved a splendid career. He might have _enjoyed_\nto the full _the pleasures_ of the Egyptian court (Heb. xi. 25),\nand amassed much of its accumulated treasures. But the traditions,\nthe hopes, the creed of his own nation had not, we may believe, been\nconcealed from him by his mother. Hence when he came to the age of\nforty, chancing to go forth from On or Memphis to the land of Goshen,\nhe beheld one of his countrymen not only toiling amidst the shadeless\nbrick-fields, but suffering the bastinado from his Egyptian taskmaster.\nFilled with indignation Moses _looked this way and that way_, and\nseeing no one by, slew the Egyptian, and hid the corpse in the white\nsand of the desert. The next day, seeing two of the Hebrews quarrelling,\nhe tried to act as arbiter between them. His good offices, however,\nwere not only rejected by the one he decided to be in the wrong, but he\ndiscovered that the murder of the Egyptian was no secret. He imagined\nthat his countrymen would have recognised in him a Deliverer sent from\nthe God of their fathers, but they did not. Before long, news of the\nmurder reached the ears of Pharaoh, and Moses perceiving that his life\nwas no longer safe fled from Goshen in a south-easterly direction to\nthe land of Midian, or the peninsula of Sinai in Arabia, peopled by the\ndescendants of Abraham by Keturah (Gen. xxv. 2).\n\nHe was sitting on a well in Midian, when he perceived the approach of\nthe seven daughters of JETHRO[55], the chief and priest of that country,\nto draw water for their flocks. They were in the act of filling the\ntroughs, when certain Arabian shepherds rudely tried to drive them\naway. Thereupon, with the same zeal he had shown in behalf of his own\ncountrymen, Moses intervened, and defended the maidens against the\nintruders. Their unusually early return prompted the enquiries of their\nfather, and led to his introduction to the chivalrous stranger. Moses\nwas contented to dwell with the Midianitish chief, and kept his flocks,\nand afterward married his daughter ZIPPORAH, by whom he became the\nfather of two sons, GERSHOM (_stranger_) and ELIEZER (_God is my help_).\nAnd here amidst \u201cthe granite precipices and silent valleys of Horeb,\u201d\nin quiet and seclusion, forty years of his life passed away (Acts\nvii. 30). Here, as nowhere else, he could commune alone with God, and\nknow himself, and learn the lessons of patience and self-control, and\ndependence on the Unseen, while the daily duties of his shepherd life\nmade him acquainted with every path and track and fountain in a region,\nwhich he was afterwards to revisit under such different circumstances.\n\nMeanwhile, though there was a change of ruler, the lot of the\nIsraelites experienced no alteration. Still they toiled in cruel\nbondage, still their cry went up to the God of their fathers. At length\nthe time drew near when the Promise made to Abraham was to be fulfilled,\nthe oppressing nation _judged_, and the people delivered (Gen. xv. 14).\nOne day Moses was leading the flocks of Jethro some distance from the\nspots, where he seems to have usually tended them, _to the back of\nthe wilderness_, and came to _the mountain of God, even to Horeb_,\nwhen a marvellous sight arrested his attention. He looked, and behold!\nbefore him burning with fire was a bush of wild acacia[56], \u201cthe shaggy\nthorn-bush of the desert.\u201d But though enveloped in flames, it was\nnot consumed! It remained unsinged and uninjured by the fiery element\nwhich played around it! Astonished at the prodigy, Moses determined\nto draw near and ascertain the cause of this _great sight_, and as\nhe approached, lo! a Voice, the Voice of God, called unto him out of\nthe midst of the bush, saying, _Moses, Moses!_ The awe-struck shepherd\nanswered the Voice, and then was directed to draw not nearer, but take\nhis shoes from off his feet, for the place on which he stood was _holy\nground_. Moses complied, and hiding his face, for _he dared not look\nupon God_, listened, while the Lord spake again, assuring him that He\nwas the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob; He had not\nbeen unmindful of the sufferings of His people in Egypt; He had seen\ntheir affliction; He had heard their cry; He had come down to deliver\nthem from their oppressors, and to bring them up into a land _flowing\nwith milk and honey_, and He had appointed no other than Moses himself\nto be their Deliverer, and bring them forth from the land of Egypt.\nFilled with awe and misgiving, Moses at first sought in every way to\nexcuse himself from the tremendous commission. _Who am I_, said he,\n_that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the\nchildren of Israel out of Egypt?_ _I will be with thee_, was the reply.\nBut who was this _I_? When Moses went to the children of Israel, and\nassured them of the commission he had received, what was the Name he\nwas to announce to them as his authority? _Thus shalt thou say unto the\nchildren of Israel_, replied the Almighty, _I AM_\u2015\u2015JEHOVAH, the Eternal,\nthe Self-existent\u2015\u2015_hath sent me unto you_ (Ex. iii. 14).\n\nBut this did not satisfy Moses. What outward and visible assurance\ncould he give the people of his divine mission? This difficulty was\nalso met. The Lord invested him with a threefold miraculous power,\nwhereby to attest his authority, alike before the people and before\nPharaoh. First, he should cast his staff, his shepherd\u2019s crook, upon\nthe ground, and it would become a serpent, and on taking the creature\nby the tail it would resume its former state. Then he should put his\nhand into his bosom, and it would become leprous, but on returning it\nto his bosom would become as his other flesh. Thirdly, if they believed\nneither the first nor the second sign, he was to take of the water of\nthe Sacred Nile, and pour it upon the dry land, and it should become\nblood. But now Moses pleaded another obstacle. He was not _eloquent_,\nhe was _of a slow speech, and a slow tongue_; no words had he wherewith\nto bend the awful Pharaoh on his throne. _Who hath made man\u2019s mouth?_\nwas the reply; _Who maketh the dumb, the deaf, the blind? Have not I\nthe Lord? Go, and I will be with thy mouth, I will teach thee what thou\nshalt say._ Still Moses made another effort to roll off from himself\nthe awful responsibility of the commission. _O my Lord_, he cried,\n_send, I pray Thee, by the hand Thou shouldest send_. This last proof\nof distrust provoked even the Lord to anger, but it was the anger of\nLove, the Love that remembers mercy and sustains the weak. The Lord\nhad already provided a spokesman. Aaron his brother was at this moment\non his way to meet him, and he was known to be able to speak well.\nTogether, like the Apostles afterwards, the Brothers should go in\nbefore Pharaoh; Aaron should be _instead of a mouth_, and Moses should\nbe to him _instead of God_, and with his rod he should perform the\nprescribed signs. Then, at last, his timidity was removed; he consented\nto go, and the object of the Vision of the Burning Bush was thus far\nattained (Ex. iv. 1\u201317).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _SIGNS AND WONDERS IN EGYPT._\n EXOD. IV.\u2013XI. B.C. 1491.\n\n\nTHE first step Moses took towards fulfilling the trust thus confided\nto him was to request of his father-in-law permission to revisit his\nbrethren in Egypt. Jethro gave his consent, and then, having received\nthe Divine assurance that _all the men were dead which sought his life_,\naccompanied by Zipporah and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, Moses\ncommenced his return to Egypt[57]. He had not proceeded far before\nhe encountered his brother Aaron coming forth to meet him, to whom\nhe explained their commission, and the signs that were to attest it.\nOn arriving in the land of Goshen the Brothers gathered together all\nthe clans of the nation. Aaron, as spokesman, rehearsed _the words\nwhich the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of\nthe people_. His announcement had the desired effect. The Israelites\nbelieved that the Lord God of their fathers had indeed interposed in\ntheir behalf, _and bowed their heads and worshipped_. The next step\nwas to procure from Pharaoh the necessary permission for the departure\nof the people. But now, even as the Almighty had forewarned them, the\ndifficulties of the Brothers commenced. On presenting themselves before\nPharaoh, and informing him of the will of Jehovah, the God of Israel,\nthat His people should be permitted to go three days\u2019 journey into the\nwilderness, there to offer sacrifice unto Him (Ex. v. 3), the monarch\nhaughtily asked, _Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His Voice to let\nIsrael go?_ Conceiving the God of Israel to be merely a national god,\nit seemed to him inexplicable that One who had suffered His worshippers\nto endure a lengthened and degrading bondage, could demand of him, the\nmightiest monarch of the earth, to let His people depart. Concluding,\ntherefore, that it was only an expedient to excite aspirations for\nfreedom among the bondslaves, in contemptuous mockery of them and their\nGod, he ordered that the severity of their toil should be doubled.\nHitherto straw had been found them, wherewith to make bricks for the\ntreasure-cities and other gigantic works then in progress; but now it\nwas ordered that they must go and gather straw for themselves, and yet\nthe tale of bricks must not be diminished; what it was before, that it\nwas to remain, and to be completed also. To comply with this tyrannical\ncommand was impossible, and the Israelitish officers, who had been\nset over the people by the Egyptians were beaten, and their complaints\nto Pharaoh were utterly disregarded. This produced a great change\nof feeling towards Moses and Aaron, at whose announcement of speedy\ndeliverance the people had so lately _bowed the head and worshipped_.\nThey heaped reproaches upon them, and openly charged them with being\nthe cause of their now accumulated miseries, of _having made their\nsavour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh_ (Ex. v. 1\u201321).\n\nThus the first attempt of Moses to execute his commission ended\nin complete failure. In deep dejection he laid before Jehovah the\nineffectual issue of his efforts, and in reply not only received a\nsecond assurance of protection and ultimate triumph, but was told that\nas Pharaoh had rejected the _word_ of God, God would now speak to him\nin _deeds_, and multiply His _signs and wonders_ in the land of Egypt,\ntill the Egyptians knew that He was the Lord. But the contest, in which\nMoses was now to engage, was not to be fought with _carnal weapons_.\nAs the accredited servant of Jehovah, he was to contend against the\ngods of Egypt, against those arts, the very lifeblood of heathenism,\nin which Egypt deemed itself so strong, its magic and necromancy, its\npriests and conjurers. Accordingly the Brothers went a second time into\nPharaoh\u2019s presence, and renewed their request. The monarch demanded\na miracle in attestation of their claim. Thereupon Aaron threw down\nhis rod before the king and his courtiers, and straightway it became a\nserpent. But snake-charming was an art in which Egypt bore off the palm\nfrom every other country of the world. Pharaoh, therefore, summoned\nhis magicians[58], who cast down their rods, and they likewise became\nserpents. But though Aaron\u2019s rod swallowed up their rods, the monarch\nwould not acknowledge that his servants had been defeated; he hardened\nhis heart, and refused to recognise in this miracle an authoritative\nwarning to let the people go. The \u201csigns,\u201d therefore, were now to\nbecome _Plagues_ (Ex. vii. 8\u201314).\n\n(i) Accordingly, on the morrow, at the command of God, Moses made his\nappearance before Pharaoh, just as he was going to offer sacrifice to,\nor perform his religious ablutions in the sacred waters of the Nile,\nthe \u201cFather of Life,\u201d the \u201cFather of the Gods[59],\u201d as it was called by\nthe Egyptians. In words few but decisive he announced the reason of his\ncoming, and then the word was given; Aaron lifted up his rod, and in a\nmoment, before the very eyes of the monarch and all his servants, the\nwaters of the sacred, fructifying river, not only in the stream itself,\nbut in the \u201ccanals and tanks, in the vessels of wood and vessels of\nstone, then, as now, used for the filtration of the water from the\nsediment of the river bed,\u201d were turned into blood. The fish, though\nsimilarly objects of religious reverence, died in incredible numbers,\nand the \u201cFather of Waters,\u201d the source of health and blessing, stank,\nnor could the Egyptians drink thereof, for there was blood throughout\nall the land of Egypt. But again the magicians were summoned; with\ntheir enchantments, they caused other water, probably obtained by\ndigging about the river, to assume the same blood-red appearance, and\nPharaoh turned into his house, and hardened his heart, neither _would\nhe let the people go_ (Ex. vii. 14\u201325).\n\n(ii) After an interval, therefore, of seven days, Moses and Aaron\nagain presented themselves before him, and when their request was\nagain denied, inflicted the _second_ plague. From the streams, the\nrivers, the ponds of Egypt, _Frogs_[60] came up over the whole land,\npenetrating into the royal palace, the houses of the courtiers and of\nthe people, defiling bed-chamber and bed, oven and kneading-trough,\nwith their loathsome touch. Again the magicians were summoned, and\nthough they were utterly unable to counteract, they succeeded in\nimitating this plague also. Pharaoh was more deeply moved than before;\nhe not only condescended to beg of Moses and Aaron that they would\nintreat Jehovah to remove this plague from his people, but undertook\nto allow the Israelites to depart and do sacrifice to the Lord. But\nno sooner had the desired deliverance been vouchsafed, than he again\nhardened his heart and refused to fulfil his word (Ex. viii. 1\u201315).\n\n(iii) For the _third_ time, therefore, Aaron uplifted his rod, and\nnow, not from the \u201cFather of Waters,\u201d but from the fertile soil of\nEgypt itself, came forth innumerable swarms either of _Lice_ or of\n_Gnats_[61], which afflicted both man and beast with intolerable\ndiscomfort. This plague all the spells and incantations of the court\nmagicians were unable to imitate, and they were fain to confess to\nPharaoh, _This is the finger of God_, but he hardened his heart, and\n_hearkened not unto them_ (Ex. viii. 16\u201319).\n\n(iv) On the morning after, as he went forth to the waters of the river,\nwhich he had lately seen so grievously dishonoured, he was met by\nMoses, and refused for the _fourth_ time to relieve the people of their\nbondage. On this the servant of Jehovah spake the word, and there came\ninnumerable _Flies_ of various kinds[62], usually a fearful torment\nin Egypt, but now attacking with unwonted fury both man and beast, and\nswarming in every house of the Egyptians, while they touched neither\nhouse nor person of the Israelites in Goshen. Such was the intolerable\nseverity of this plague that Pharaoh so far relented as to permit\nthe people to sacrifice to Jehovah _in the land itself_, but with the\nproviso that they should not leave it. This Moses would not concede.\nTherefore the monarch extended his concession to a journey some little\nway into the wilderness, but on the removal of the judgment revoked it,\nand retained the nation in bondage (Ex. viii. 20\u201332).\n\n(v) The _fifth_ Plague was now inflicted. A grievous _Murrain_ broke\nout amongst the horses, the asses, the camels, the oxen, the sheep\nof the Egyptians, so that all the cattle of Egypt, including not only\nthe useful beasts, but probably \u201cthe sacred goat of Mendes, the ram of\nAmmon, the calf of Heliopolis, the bull Apis[63],\u201d died, while in the\nland of Goshen, as Pharaoh himself ascertained, there was not one of\nthe cattle of the Israelites dead. But even this had no effect on his\nproud heart (Ex. ix. 1\u20137).\n\n(vi) Accordingly Moses and Aaron were commanded to take _handfuls of\nashes of the furnace_, and _sprinkle_ them upwards _towards heaven_,\nand on their so doing, _Boils_ and _Blisters_, and other eruptive\ndisorders, broke forth upon man and upon beast. Even the royal\nmagicians suffered so terribly from this the _sixth_ plague, that they\n_could not stand before Moses_, but the heart of their master was still\nhardened, nor would he yield to the will of God (Ex. ix. 8\u201312).\n\n(vii) With still greater solemnity, therefore, the coming of the\n_Seventh_ Plague was announced to him, and he was warned to send his\nservants and gather together such of his cattle as were grazing in\nthe fields, if he would not have them utterly destroyed by a terrible\n_Storm of thunder, lightning, and hail_[64]. By some, who heard the\nwarning, it was heeded in time, by others it was utterly disregarded.\nBut it was too surely fulfilled. Moses stretched forth his rod toward\nheaven, and on the fair garden of Egypt, with its green meadows\nand fields of corn and barley and maize, the storm burst forth with\nunwonted fury. _The Lord thundered out of heaven, and the Highest gave\nHis thunder_ (Ps. xviii. 13). _The fire ran along upon the ground_,\nthe hail rattled, and smote _the vines and fig-trees_ (Ps. cv. 33),\nand every herb of the field, and every tree of the field, the barley\nthen _in the ear_, and the flax then _bolled_ or risen in the stalk,\nas also the cattle and herdmen that had not been removed to any place\nof shelter. Alarmed beyond measure at this unexampled tempest, Pharaoh\nbegged Moses to intercede for him, owned this time that he had sinned,\nthat the Lord was righteous, that he and his people were wicked, and\npromised to do all that was required of him. But, as before, when the\nfury of the elements was hushed he refused to abide by his word (Ex.\nix. 13\u201335).\n\n(viii) And now for the _eighth_ time the release of the people was\ndemanded, and the monarch was told that, in the event of refusal,\nthe country, already grievously devastated, should be given up to the\nawful ravages of the _Locusts_, which, in numbers, _such as neither his\nfathers nor his fathers\u2019 fathers had seen_, should swarm in the palace\nand the hut, covering the face of the ground, and eating up whatever\nherb or tree had escaped the fury of the late storm. This announcement\nfilled the Egyptians, already suffering severely, with uttermost alarm.\n_Let the people go_, they cried to their king, _that they may serve\nthe Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?_\nEven Pharaoh was fain to lend an ear to this remonstrance. Summoning\nMoses and Aaron, he informed them that he was ready to allow such as\nwere _men_ amongst the Israelites to depart and serve their God, but\ntheir wives and children must remain as a guarantee for their return.\nThe servants, however, of Jehovah, were not empowered to make this\nconcession, and the plague began. A strong east wind blew continuously\nand brought the locusts, which in dense swarms covered the face of\nthe land, so that it was darkened and became a desolate wilderness,\nwithout a leaf upon the trees or a blade of grass in the fields[65].\nThe obduracy of the monarch now broke down, and was followed by a\nbrief repentance, which lasted no longer than the west wind which swept\naway the locusts; for once more, in the face of an utterly devastated\ncountry and a murmuring people, he refused to hearken to the word of\nthe Lord (Ex. x. 1\u201320).\n\n(ix) Without the pre-announcements, therefore, which had preceded\nthe infliction of the other plagues, the _ninth_ now appeared in the\nshape of _Darkness_[66] so dense _that it might be felt_, which for\nthree days enveloped the entire land, save only the favoured country\nof Goshen. During this period the light of the sun was obscured, an\nawful and preternatural gloom shrouded the land, so that the Egyptians\nneither could see one another nor rise from their place. At the end\nof the three days Pharaoh once more capitulated; all the Israelites,\nyoung and old, might depart, the flocks and herds alone must remain.\nThese conditions, however, were rejected by Moses, and he was dismissed\nfrom the palace with the warning to take heed that he saw the face of\nPharaoh no more, for _on the day that he saw his face, he should surely\ndie_ (Ex. x. 21\u201329).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _THE LAST PLAGUE\u2015\u2015THE PASSOVER\u2015\u2015THE EXODUS._\n EXOD. XI.\u2013XV.\n\n\nHITHERTO the elements of nature had each in their turn been\ncommissioned to fight against Pharaoh. In all the preceding plagues\nthere had been human intervention. The rod or the hand of Moses had\nsummoned from the sacred river, or the fertile soil, or the rainless\nair, or the desert sands of Arabia, the ministers of punishment, and\nwrought _signs and wonders in the land of Ham_, and had proved that\nthe God he served was no mere national god, but was Lord over earth and\nair and water, over cattle and man, over tree and herb. But none of the\nelements of nature were to bring on Pharaoh God\u2019s _last sore judgment.\nAt midnight_, said Jehovah, _will I go out into the midst of Egypt, and\nall the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn\nof Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the\nmaid-servant that is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts;\nI will execute judgment against all the gods or princes_ (Ex. xiii. 12\n_Marg._) _of Egypt, I am Jehovah_.\n\nBefore, however, this last great blow was struck, involving the\nfirstborn of the highest and the lowest in one common fate, certain\nimportant preliminaries were to be enacted. It was now the Hebrew\nmonth of Nisan or Abib, the _month of green ears_. On the fourteenth\nday of this month it was announced that the last sore judgment would\nbe inflicted. But on the tenth day of this month, a month to be to\nthe Israelites henceforth the _beginning of months_, the first month\nof their sacred year, the father of every household was to select a\nlamb or kid, without blemish, a male of the first year. It was to be\nkept till the fourteenth day, and then slain just before the evening\ntwilight (Ex. xii. 1\u20136). A portion of the blood was to be sprinkled\nwith a bunch of hyssop on the two side-posts and the upper door-post\nof the houses of the Israelites, and on the selfsame night the lamb,\nroast with fire, whole, not a bone being broken, was to be eaten with\nunleavened bread and bitter herbs. Of this meal each household was\nto partake, with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, their\nstaves in their hands, in haste like persons in a hurry to depart. Of\nthe flesh of the lamb nothing was to be allowed to remain until the\nmorning, and all remnants were to be burnt with fire. And at midnight,\nwhile they were partaking of this mysterious meal, the Lord, they\nwere told, would _pass through the land of Egypt_, and smite all the\nfirstborn, both of man and beast, but when He saw the blood sprinkled\non the houses of the Israelites, He would _pass over_ them, and the\nplague should not be upon them to their destruction (Ex. xii. 7\u201312).\n\nSuch was the ordinance of the PASSOVER, a Memorial-Feast to be\ncelebrated, not on that night only, but throughout all future\ngenerations, and to be kept for a period of seven days, during\nwhich leavened bread was neither to be eaten nor found in any of the\nhouses of the Israelites. On receiving from Moses the Lord\u2019s commands\nrespecting this Feast, the elders of Israel, partakers with him of\na like faith in the certainty of the events about to be enacted (Heb.\nxi. 28), _bowed their heads and worshipped_. On the tenth day of Nisan,\nthe Month of Redemption, each household selected a lamb or kid, kept\nit till the fourteenth day, slew it, sprinkled the blood upon the\nside-posts and the upper door-post of their houses, and at midnight\nwere eating of it with the prescribed ceremonies, when suddenly the\nlast and most awful of all the Ten Plagues began. The Lord smote all\nthe firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of the captive\nthat was in the dungeon unto the firstborn of the mighty Pharaoh\nhimself, and all the firstborn of cattle. In the darkness of that\nawful night the monarch rose up, he and all his servants, and all the\nEgyptians, and a loud frantic cry arose throughout the land, for there\nwas not a house where there was not one dead. Terrified and confounded\nthe stubborn king could no longer resist the power of Jehovah. He\nimplored Moses and Aaron, as an act of kindness, to depart with\nthe utmost speed. And not only he, but all his people joined in\nthe petition, and pressed upon the Israelites jewels of silver and\njewels of gold, earrings, signet-rings, necklaces, and festal apparel.\nThus furnished by the Egyptians themselves with costly ornaments\nbefitting the great day of their deliverance[67], the whole host of\nthe Israelites, numbering 600,000 men capable of bearing arms, besides\nwomen and children and a mixed multitude from the lower orders of the\nEgyptians, went forth from RAMESES, and in the darkness and cool of the\nnight pursued their way (Ex. xii. 37, 38).\n\nThe nearest route to Canaan would have been the usual caravan route,\nwhich runs in a north-easterly direction along the coast of the\nMediterranean, and would not have occupied more than a few days. But\nit would have brought the host into collision with the warlike and\npowerful nation of the Philistines, and for such an encounter they were\nas yet totally unfit. From RAMESES, therefore, which was probably on\nthe eastern skirts of the Delta in the _Wady Tumeilat_, they proceeded\nin a southerly course, and after a day\u2019s journey halted for the first\ntime at SUCCOTH (Ex. xii. 37), the place of _booths_, \u201cformed by the\nluxuriant foliage of tamarisk, sycamore, and palm\u201d at the verge of\nthe cultivated land of Egypt. The next day\u2019s halt was at _Etham in the\nedge of the wilderness_ (Ex. xiii. 20). At this point the Lord Himself\nin an outward and visible form assumed the direction of their march,\nappearing by day in a Pillar of Cloud, and by night in a Pillar of\nFire. Such a miraculous intervention was indeed needed to confirm the\nfaith of the host, for instead of being conducted round the northern\nextremity of the Red Sea, so as to escape with all speed beyond reach\nof their Egyptian oppressors, they were commanded to turn and encamp\nbefore Pihahiroth (_the place of sedge_), between Migdol (a frontier\n_Watchtower_) and the western side of the Red Sea over against\nBaal-zephon. Here they had scarcely encamped, when lifting up their\neyes the Israelites discerned the terrible horses and chariots of\nPharaoh pursuing after them. Astonished that the people had not made\ngood their flight into Asia, and deeming them entangled in the land\nand shut in by the wilderness, the monarch had directed all his forces\nto give chase to the fugitives. In wild alarm the Israelites cried out\nto Moses, and already complained of their deliverance from the bondage\nof Egypt. But the faith of their leader was not shaken. He bade the\ntrembling, panic-stricken host stand still and _see the salvation of\nthe Lord_.\n\nThey had not long to wait. For at this moment the Angel of God,\nwho went before the host of Israel in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire,\nstationed himself behind them so as to deepen the gloom in which the\nEgyptians were advancing, and afford light and encouragement to the\nIsraelites. Simultaneously, Moses advanced towards the Red Sea, either\nat the present fords of Suez, or at some point higher up, and stretched\nover it his rod. Thereupon a strong East wind began to blow, the waters\nwere divided, the bottom of the sea was exposed, and amidst walls of\nwater standing up on either side of them on their right hand and on\ntheir left, the caravan of the Israelites defiled in long procession.\nAll night the wondrous passage continued, and as the morning broke\nthey had safely landed on the further shore. Meanwhile their foes,\ndetermined to prevent the second escape of their prey, had rushed on\namidst the pitchy darkness that surrounded them into the same awful\npass. But, at the morning watch, when they had reached the midst of the\nsea, the Lord looked upon them from the Pillar of Fire and of the Cloud,\nand troubled their hosts, and caused their heavy chariot-wheels to\nsink in the sand, so that _they drave them heavily_. In wild confusion\nthey shouted to one another to turn back, but it was too late. Again\nthe hand of Moses was uplifted, and straightway the waters, till now\ncongealed from their lowest depths (Ex. xv. 8), began to break and give\nway, and the sea _to return to his strength_. All efforts to escape\nwere fruitless, fast and furious the sea swept on, the engulphing waves\nclosed over them, horse and chariot and horseman _sank like lead in the\nmighty waters_. Then from the Israelitish leader, and the host which\nhad stood still and seen the deliverance Jehovah had wrought for them,\nthere burst forth a noble song of praise and thanksgiving, while Miriam\nhis sister, and her women, accompanied them with timbrels and dances.\nTogether they sang the praises of Him who _had triumphed gloriously,\nwho had cast Pharaoh\u2019s chariots and his host into the sea, and drowned\nhis chosen captains in the waves, whose right hand become glorious in\npower had dashed in pieces the enemy, who had blown with His wind, and\ngathered the waters with the blast of His nostrils, and in His mercy\nled forth the people which He had redeemed_. (Ex. xv. 1\u201319. Comp. Ps.\nlxxvii. 16\u201319.)\n\nThus, at length, the word of the Most High, which He spake to the\npatriarch Abraham at least 400 years before, was fulfilled. The seed\nof the Patriarch had grown into a great nation; they had been strangers\nin a land that was not theirs; they had suffered cruel affliction and\ndegradation; but the oppressing nation had been judged, and _with much\nsubstance_ the oppressed had come forth. The jewels of silver and gold\nand the festal apparel, which their late tyrants had forced upon them,\nwell became this their national birthday. Once slaves, they were now\nfree; once a degraded tribe, they were now an independent people. They\nhad left behind them Egypt with its grinding tyranny, and its memories\nof years of suffering. They had been _baptized unto Moses in the cloud\nand in the sea_ (1 Cor. x. 2), their faces were set towards a Promised\nLand, their hopes fastened on a glorious Future.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _THE JOURNEY FROM THE RED SEA TO REPHIDIM._\n EXOD. XV.\u2013XIX. B.C. 1491.\n\n\nAND now the ransomed people commenced their journey. Skirting the\neastern shore of the Red Sea, they \u201centered\u201d the wilderness of Shur\n(or Etham, Num. xxxiii. 8), on the western base of the high table-land\nwhich forms the northern portion of the peninsula of Sinai[68]. A three\ndays\u2019 march brought them to a well, probably _Ain How\u00e2ra_, plentifully\nsupplied, indeed, with water, but so bitter that they could not drink\nof it, whence they called it Marah (\u201c_bitterness_\u201d). This was the first\ntest of their faith in their Invisible Leader, and they proved unequal\nto it. They murmured against Moses, saying, _What shall we drink?_ In\nhis distress Moses turned to the Lord, who bade him cast a tree into\nthe waters, and they were straightway sweetened. Leaving Marah they\nreached ELIM (W\u00e2dy _Ghurundel_, or W\u00e2dy _Useit_), where were twelve\nwells of refreshing water, and three-score and ten palmtrees. Here\nthey probably staid some days, and then passing between vast cliffs,\nprobably at the mouth of the _W\u00e2dy Tayibeh_, again came in sight of the\ndeep blue waters of the Red Sea (Num. xxxiii. 10), where they encamped,\nand were able for the last time to discern the shadowy line of Egypt,\nthe land of bondage. Leaving the sea-shore on the fifteenth day of the\nsecond month, they entered the shadeless desert of Sin (Ex. xvi. 1). By\nthis time the supply of bread they had brought with them from Egypt was\nconsumed, and the people burst forth into loud murmurings against Moses\nand Aaron. _Would God_, they cried, _we had died by the hand of the\nLord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and did eat\nbread to the full_. Thereupon Moses was commissioned to assure them of\nspeedy relief, and that very evening dense flocks of quails, immense\nnumbers of which are found in Arabia Petr\u00e6a and the adjoining countries,\ncovered the ground around their encampment (Ex. xvi. 13). Moreover\nthe next morning, when _the dew had gone up, behold! there lay on the\nface of the wilderness a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost,\nwhite, like coriander seed, the taste of which was like wafers made\nwith honey_. On seeing this curious substance, and not knowing its\norigin or properties, the Israelites exclaimed Man-hu, \u201c_What is it?_\u201d\nwhence the substance hitherto unknown received the name of MANNA (Ex.\nxvi. 14\u201336).\n\nTwo conditions were annexed to the enjoyment of this extraordinary\nand unlooked-for blessing. The people were instructed to gather only a\nsufficient quantity for the wants of a single day, an omer (about five\npints) each man, and they were to leave none of it until the morning.\nSome of them, however, infringed both these conditions, and in both\ninstances found cause to regret their conduct. Some took the trouble\nto gather more than the prescribed quantity, and found that in spite\nof their exertions _he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that\ngathered little had no lack_. Others _did_ leave some of it until the\nmorning, but they too found themselves disappointed, for it was in a\nstate of decomposition and utterly unfit for food. On the sixth day,\nhowever, each man was surprised to find himself able to gather twice\nthe usual quantity. This circumstance Moses explained to them. The\nseventh day was to be observed as a holy SABBATH (_rest_) unto the\nLord, on that day no manna would be found lying on the ground, but\non the sixth day they were to gather twice the usual quantity to make\nprovision for the deficiency on the Sabbath. This command, however,\nwas not universally obeyed. Some went out to gather on the Sabbath,\nbut returned empty-handed. Thus the institution of the Day of Rest\nwas presented as one of peculiar significance, and a preparation was\nmade for the more precise legislation respecting it to be afterwards\npromulgated. In memory of this miraculous supply of the people\u2019s needs,\nMoses directed that an omer of the Manna should be put aside in a\nvessel as a memorial to all future generations (Ex. xvi. 32\u201334; John\nvi. 31, 32; 1 Cor. x. 3; Heb. ix. 4).\n\nAfter a halt of a week in the wilderness of Sin, and also at two\nintermediate stations, DOPHKAH and ALUSH (Num. xxxiii. 12\u201314), the\npositions of which are unknown, the Israelites reached REPHIDIM\n(\u201c_places of Rest_\u201d), most probably the _W\u00e2dy Feir\u00e2n_, and \u201cthe finest\nvalley in the whole peninsula.\u201d Two circumstances distinguished their\nencampment in this valley. In consequence of a second failure of water\nthe murmurings of the people against their leader reached such a pitch,\nthat they showed signs of a readiness even to stone him with stones.\nAgain, however, the Lord interposed, and mercifully directed Moses to\nstrike a rock in Horeb, _i.e._ one of the outer hills in the Sinaitic\ngroup, whereupon a copious stream flowed forth, and refreshed the\nthirsty host. In memory of the murmuring of the people, Moses named the\nspot MASSAH (\u201c_temptation_\u201d), and MERIBAH (\u201c_strife_\u201d) (Ex. xvii. 7).\n\nThe other circumstance which rendered memorable the encampment at this\nspot was of a different nature. One of the main streams of population\noccupying at this time the Sinaitic Peninsula, was the powerful tribe\nof AMALEK. Their settlements extended from the northern part of the\npeninsula, even to the borders of Palestine. They were descended from\nEsau, and were governed by a chief, who bore the title, by some deemed\nhereditary, of AGAG, the \u201c_Burner_\u201d or \u201c_Destroyer_.\u201d (Comp. Num. xxiv.\n7; 1 Sam. xv. 8, 9.) Regarding the encampment of the Israelites in the\nrich and fertile valley of Rephidim with no friendly feelings, they\nmustered their forces, and treacherously falling upon their exhausted\nrear, _smote the hindmost of them and the feeble amongst them, when\nthey were faint and weary_ (Deut. xxv. 17\u201319). To repel this attack\nMoses directed a young man, whose name is here for the first time\nmentioned, JOSHUA, or as he was now called HOSHEA (_salvation_), the\nson of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, to select a body of men, and go\nforth to meet Amalek in the valley. Meanwhile he himself ascended the\nhill, whence, probably, the refreshing streams had issued, with the\nrod of God in his hand, and accompanied by Aaron and Hur. There within\nsight of the battle in the valley below, he stood and stretched forth\nhis hands in supplication to heaven. So long as his hands remained thus\nuplifted, the Israelites made good their superiority over the foe, but\nas often as from weariness his hands drooped Amalek prevailed. For a\nlong time the contest seemed undecided. At length Aaron and Hur, seeing\nMoses wearied with his exertions, took a stone and placed it under him,\nand stayed up his hands in the attitude of supplication, till the sun\nwent down, by which time Amalek had sustained a total defeat, and been\nsmitten with the edge of the sword. This victory and the circumstances\nleading to it were too important to be forgotten. On the summit of the\nhill, where he had stood in the attitude of prayer, Moses erected an\naltar, which he called JEHOVAH-NISSI (_the Lord is my Banner_), and,\nby the Divine direction, inscribed in a book the account of Amalek\u2019s\nattack, and rehearsed it in the ears of Joshua. Their treacherous\nconduct had placed them under the same ban as the nations of Canaan,\nand the Lord _would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from\nunder heaven_ (Ex. xvii. 14; 1 Sam. xv. 2, 3; 2 Sam. viii. 12).\n\nNot long afterwards, JETHRO, the father-in-law of Moses, having\nheard all that the Lord had done for his kinsman, and of the wonderful\ndeliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, left his tents among the\nMidianites and came to meet him, with his daughter Zipporah, and\nher two sons Gershom and Eliezer. After mutual salutation, the two\npassed into the tent, and Moses recounted to his father-in-law the\nmarvels of the Exodus, the travail of the people by the way, and\ntheir late deliverance from the sword of Amalek. Jethro rejoiced at\nthe recital, bestowed upon the Israelites his solemn blessing, and\noffered sacrifices to Jehovah, to which and the thanksgiving-feast that\nfollowed, Aaron the future high-priest, and all the elders of Israel\nwere invited. On the morrow, perceiving Moses occupied from morning\nuntil evening with the administration of justice and the settlement\nof disputes among the people, Jethro ventured to remonstrate with him\non the risk he incurred by undertaking unaided so heavy a burden. He\nsuggested that judges, rulers, and elders, _able men, such as feared\nGod, and hated covetousness_, should be appointed, who should at stated\nseasons see justice done between man and man, and reserve only the\nweightier matters for the attention of Moses himself. His wise advice\nwas adopted, and men were duly appointed to preside over every ten,\nevery fifty, every hundred, and every thousand of the people, and thus\nequalize the burden hitherto sustained by Moses alone (Ex. xviii. 1\u201327).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _SINAI AND THE GIVING OF THE LAW._\n EXOD. XIX. XX. B.C. 1491.\n\n\nAT length the halt at Rephidim came to an end. In the third month (Ex.\nxix. 1), the Israelites once more set out in a southerly direction,\nand after ascending winding valleys and rugged passes and staircases\nof lofty rocks rising one above the other in long succession, reached\na level plain (probably _Er-Raheh_)[69], in front of which \u201ctowered\nthe massive cliffs of Sinai,\u201d rising \u201clike a huge altar in front of\nthe whole congregation.\u201d Here in a spot where they could find water and\npasture for their flocks and herds, they pitched their tents _before\nthe Mount_ (Ex. xix. 2). The natural aspect of everything around them\nwas of a character calculated to exert a most solemnising influence\nupon their feelings. They had reached a kind of \u201cnatural sanctuary, not\nmade with hands,\u201d which for magnificence and grandeur far exceeded any\nof those massive Egyptian temples, on which their eyes had rested by\nthe green valley of the Nile. Far removed from the stir and confusion\nof earthly things[70], amidst a scene of desolate grandeur and a\nsilence unbroken even by the sound of waters or the trickling of rills\ndown the mountain gorges[71], they experienced everything that the\nnatural influence of scenery and association could effect towards\nfitting their minds for the great and sublime transactions now about\nto be enacted between them and the Almighty. They were about to receive\ndirect communication from the Lord of all the earth, and to learn\nwhy _with an outstretched arm, and signs and great wonders_, they had\nbeen delivered from the bondage of Egypt, and thus led forth into the\nwilderness.\n\nBy way of preparation for the great scene, Moses left the congregation\nencamped on the plain, and proceeded up the winding steep ascent of\nSinai. On reaching the summit, the Lord called unto him, and made known\nHis intention of renewing the patriarchal Covenant, which, though it\nmight seem to have been forgotten during the weary years of bondage\nin Egypt, had never been disannulled (Gal. iii. 17), and was now to be\nsolemnly republished. Like all Covenants, it contained a stipulation\nand a promise. If Israel would obey the Voice of Him, who had delivered\nthem from Egypt, and _borne them on eagles\u2019 wings, and brought them to\nHimself_ (Ex. xix. 4), if they would submit themselves to His laws, and\nkeep His commandments, then, _though all the earth was His_, yet should\nthey be _a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people_. Jehovah \u201cwould\nenter into a special relation towards them, He would undertake the\nduties and claim the privileges of sovereignty,\u201d while they should be\nunto Him _a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation_. It was not a single\nand peculiar order that was to be elevated to the high position of a\nmember of the priest-kingdom, as was the case in Egypt. Every Israelite\nwas to sustain this relation, and in the midst of a world given up to\nidolatry, was called to preserve the knowledge of the one true God, and\nexhibit to the nations the spectacle of a people walking in the ways\nof Holiness, Righteousness, and Truth. The conditions of this Covenant\nMoses made known to the Elders and people of Israel; he laid before\nthem _all the words which the Lord commanded Him_, and when they had\nvoluntarily agreed to obey them, he returned with their reply to the\nLord, and was told of the intention of Jehovah to come unto him _in a\nthick cloud, that the people might hear him, and believe him for ever_\n(Ex. xix. 9).\n\nThree days, therefore, were now devoted to preparatory and ceremonial\nablutions, during which the people were commanded to abstain from all\nsensual and worldly enjoyments. Then bounds were set round the mountain\non which a God of Holiness was about to appear, lest any of the people\nshould ascend or even touch it. Of any infringement of this prohibition\ndeath was denounced as the certain penalty, and that not inflicted in\nthe usual way, lest the executioners should themselves be polluted, but\nfrom a distance with stones and arrows (Ex. xix. 12, 13; Heb. xii. 20).\nAt length the morning of the third day dawned, and the awful silence\nof the mountain-sanctuary was broken by peals of thunder, which echoed\nand re-echoed amidst the rocky gorges, while flashes of lightning\nlit up the peaks of Sinai, and revealed by their contrast the pitchy\ndarkness and the thick cloud which had settled upon the mountain-top.\nPresently the Voice _as of a Trumpet_ (comp. Rev. i. 10, iv. 1),\nsounded exceeding loud, audible even above the crash of the thunder,\nso that every soul in the camp trembled. This was the signal God had\nmade known to Moses, who straightway led forth the people out of the\ncamp _to meet with God, and they stood at the nether part of the mount_,\nwhich appeared _altogether on a smoke, like the smoke of a furnace_,\nenshrouding a mysterious flame in which the Lord descended (Ex. xix.\n18). Again the Trumpet pealed with a long-continued blast, and _waxed\nlouder and louder, and Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice_,\nsummoning him to meet Him on the top of Sinai. Arrived there, he was\ncommanded again to warn the people, and even the priests, against\ndrawing too near, or breaking through the bounds that had been set\nabout the mount for the purpose of indulging any profane gaze, and\nso incurring the inevitable penalty of death (Ex. xix. 21). Moses\ntherefore returned to the awestruck crowd on the plain below, and\nrenewed the solemn warning. Then _from out of the midst of the fire,\nand the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a great voice_ (Deut. v.\n22), JEHOVAH Himself spake to the assembled host _face to face_, and\nproclaimed the Ten fundamental Words of the law of the Covenant. Not\nas the Lord of the universe, or the Creator of all things, did the Most\nHigh now reveal Himself to the people, but as their Redeemer, who had\n_brought them out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage_\n(Ex. xx. 2). (I) _Beside Him_, therefore, they were to have _no other\ngod_; (II) _of Him_ they were to make no _representation_, or construct\nany _graven image_, or any _likeness_ in the form of anything either in\nthe heaven above or the earth beneath, or the waters under the earth;\n(III) for His _Name_ they were to entertain the deepest reverence, nor\nprofane it by taking it in vain; (IV) His _Day_, the seventh Day, _the\nDay of rest_, they were ever to observe; six days they might labour,\nand do all their work, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord\ntheir God, no work might be done by the head of the family, or his\nson, or his daughter, his manservant, or his maidservant, his cattle,\nor the stranger sojourning within his gates. Such was the duty of the\nIsraelite towards God. But now also the Almighty proclaimed man\u2019s duty\ntowards his neighbour. He enjoined and connected with a special promise\nof temporal prosperity (V) _filial Reverence for Parents_, and forbade\n(VI) _Murder_, (VII) _Adultery_, (VIII) _Theft_, (IX) _False Witness_,\nand (X) _Covetousness_ (Ex. xx. 1\u201317).\n\nThese were the Ten Words, the fundamentals of the Divine Law, under\nwhich the Israelites were henceforth called to live, and which they\nwere to accept as the charter of their constitution. But so great was\ntheir terror, when they heard God thus speaking to them _face to face_,\nthat they fled, and standing afar off implored Moses to intercede with\nthe Almighty that they might no more hear His voice, lest they should\ndie. _Go |thou| near_, said they, _and hear all that the Lord our God\nshall say, and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak\nunto thee, and we will hear it and do it_ (Deut. v. 27). Their request\nfound favour in the sight of Jehovah, and Moses was now solemnly\nappointed as the Mediator between the Israelites and God. At the same\ntime, the Lord intimated that He would raise up a still greater PROPHET\nthan Moses, from the midst of the Israelites, yet like unto him, _that\nHe would put His words in His mouth, and He should speak unto them all\nthat He commanded_ (Deut. xviii. 13\u201319). Accordingly in his capacity\nof Mediator, Moses now returned up the mountain, and ascended into the\nthick darkness that still abode upon it for the purpose of receiving\nthe further commands of Jehovah. After remaining there for some time,\nhe came back to the people. They had on their part already agreed to\nenter into covenant with God. But it was necessary that this Covenant\nshould now be solemnly ratified by them, its provisions read in their\nhearing, and formally accepted as the basis of their constitution.\nAccordingly Moses first wrote all the words that Jehovah had spoken\nin a book, probably a papyrus-roll, and then, having built an altar at\nthe foot of the mount and set up twelve pillars, he caused calves and\ngoats to be slain as burnt-offerings and peace-offerings by the hands\nof certain selected youths. In the ears of the assembled people he next\nread every word of the Law, and when these conditions of the Covenant\nhad been formally accepted by them, he took the blood of the victims\nalready slain, together with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop (Heb.\nix. 19\u201321), sprinkled one half of the blood on the altar, and the roll\ncontaining the Covenant-conditions, and the other half on the people,\nsaying as he did so, _Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord\nhath made with you concerning all these words_.\n\nBut one portion only of the ceremony was complete. The victims had\nyielded up their life. The blood, the source of life, had been\nsprinkled on the altar and accepted by Jehovah. It was now necessary\nthat the sacrificers should join in the Covenant-feast. To celebrate\nthis, Moses, accompanied by Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders,\nas representatives of the people, ascended to a level spot near the\nsummit of Sinai. There they saw the glory of the God of Israel, under\nwhose feet there was, as it were, _a paved work of a sapphire-stone,\nand the body of heaven in its clearness_. But instead of suffering\nany harm from such close proximity to the majesty of the Supreme, they\nate and drank in His presence of the Covenant-feast, and thereby were\nassured of His mercy and loving-kindness (Ex. xxiv. 9\u201311).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _MOSES IN THE MOUNT\u2015\u2015THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CALF._\n EXOD. XXIV.\u2013XXXIV. B.C. 1491.\n\n\nTHUS the Covenant was formally ratified, and the nation solemnly\ndevoted itself to the service of the God of Israel. Further revelations,\nhowever, awaited Moses, and after committing the charge of the people\nto Aaron and Hur (Ex. xxiv. 14), he again went up into the mount\naccompanied only by Joshua, his minister and attendant. After an\ninterval of six days the voice of God summoned him to ascend alone\nyet higher into the midst of the cloud that still overhung the mount,\nand for forty days and forty nights he there remained in mysterious\nconverse with Jehovah. During this period the Lord showed him in vision\na representation of the sanctuary (Heb. viii. 5), which He required\nshould be the solemn place of meeting between Him and the people, and\ngave him the necessary instructions for its erection (Ex. xxv.\u2013xxviii.),\ntogether with full particulars respecting the order of its services and\nritual (Ex. xxix. xxx.), as also the names of the two men who were to\nbe employed in building it, viz. BEZALEEL of the tribe of Judah, and\nAHOLIAB of the tribe of Dan (Ex. xxxi. 1\u201311). At the same time Moses\nreceived two tables of stone, on which the Ten Commandments had been\nwritten by the finger of God.\n\nWhile, however, the Israelitish leader had been engaged in solemn\nconverse with the Supreme, a far different scene had been going on in\nthe plain below. His prolonged absence had filled the Israelites with\ndoubt and perplexity. When the glory of the Lord descended upon Sinai,\nthey had, indeed, felt the mountain quake, they had heard the thunder\nroar, they had seen the lightning flash, but of JEHOVAH Himself they\nhad beheld no form or similitude. Now to believe in One who did not,\nlike the gods of every other nation round about, reveal Himself under\nany palpable figure, was not easy for men who had so long lived amidst\nthe fascinations of the idolatrous rites of Pagan Egypt. As weeks\ntherefore passed away, and still no sign appeared of the return of\ntheir leader, the people began to lose their trust in Him whom they had\npromised to obey. They wished to break up their long encampment; but\nwho would go before them, and guide them in the way? Yearning therefore\nfor some visible representative of Jehovah, and possibly yielding to\nthe suggestions of some of the Egyptians amongst _the mixed multitude_\nin the camp, they gathered themselves together before Aaron, with the\npetition that he _would make them gods to go before them_, for as for\nMoses, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, they knew\nnot what was become of him. Unable to stem the popular clamour, and\ntaking refuge in an unworthy expediency, Aaron bade them bring him\nthe golden earrings of their wives, their sons, and their daughters,\nand of these he fashioned a calf, probably according to the well-known\nform of the Egyptian Apis or Mnevis, whose worship the people must\noften have witnessed during their sojourn in the Nile Valley. Then\nbuilding an altar he proclaimed a three days\u2019 festival to Jehovah.\nAccordingly, with the earliest dawn of the following day, the people\narose, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the image,\nexclaiming, _These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the\nland of Egypt_, and concluded the ceremony with one of those licentious\norgies, accompanied by song and dance, which were so common amongst\nheathen nations (Ex. xxxii. 4; 1 Cor. x. 7).\n\nIt was while they were in the very act of celebrating this idolatrous\nfestival that Moses, accompanied by Joshua, returned from the presence\nof the nation\u2019s invisible King. He had already received Divine\nintimation of the apostasy of the people, and in his capacity of\nMediator had already interceded in their behalf. Now with the two\ntables of the Law in his hands he descended the Mount. To the ear\nof his companion the noise of the host, as it ascended upwards from\nthe valley below, _sounded like the noise of war in the camp_. But\nMoses knew otherwise. _It is not the noise of them that shout for the\nmastery_, he replied, _neither is it the voice of them that cry for\nbeing overcome, but the noise of them that sing do I hear_. Then as he\ndrew near the camp, and beheld with his own eyes the heathenish orgies\nthat were going on, his feelings overmastered him; his anger waxed\nhot, and he cast the Tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath\nthe Mount. Next advancing towards the senseless image, he seized it,\nburnt it with fire, reduced it to powder[72], strewed the ashes on the\nneighbouring brook of Horeb, and compelled the people to drink thereof.\nThen after sternly rebuking his brother for conniving at so heinous\na sin, he stationed himself at the entrance of the camp, and bade\nall, who still remained faithful to Jehovah, gird on their swords, and\nwithout regard to family tie or private friendship, slay the offenders\nfrom gate to gate with the edge of the sword. It was a severe but\nnecessary test of the fidelity of the people, and the sons of Levi\nwere found faithful. With a zeal very dissimilar from that which had\nanimated their forefather at Shechem (Gen. xxxiv. 25, 26), instead\nof siding with Aaron, though their tribal leader, they arose and slew\nabout 3000 of the offenders, thus effacing the blot on the memory\nof their tribe, and qualifying themselves for high functions in the\nsanctuary (Ex. xxxii. 25\u201329).\n\nIn order to make an atonement for the people\u2019s sin, Moses, on the next\nday, re-ascended the mount, and solemnly interceded with the Almighty\non their behalf. Standing _in the gap_ (Ps. cvi. 23) between a justly\noffended God and an erring nation, he offered, if no other way of\nforgiveness was possible, freely to surrender his own life, and to\nsuffer the blotting out of his own name from God\u2019s Book. Eventually\nhis intercession prevailed. The Almighty promised that the nation\nshould not be cut off, and that He would send His Angel before them,\nwho should lead them into the land promised to their forefathers. But\nfurther punishment certainly awaited them; in the day of His visitation,\nHe would visit their sin upon them, an earnest of which they speedily\nexperienced in the shape of plagues (Ex. xxxii. 35), with which _the\nLord plagued the people_, because of their sin in _turning His glory\ninto the similitude of a calf that eateth hay_ (Ps. cvi. 20).\n\nThe announcement of Moses that their journey into the Promised Land was\nnot to be suspended, but that Jehovah would not go up in their midst,\nwas received by the people with much lamentation (Ex. xxxiii. 4). Their\nsorrow was accepted as a sign of repentance, and Moses caused his own\ntent to be pitched at a long distance without the camp, and named it\nthe _Tent, or Tabernacle of Meeting_ (Ex. xxxiii. 7). Then, accompanied\nonly by Joshua, he passed through the long line of the people\u2019s tents,\nat the doors of which they stood and watched him, and, as he entered\nhis own, the Cloudy Pillar, which hitherto had rested on the top of\nSinai, descended, and stood before it, and amidst the joyful reverence\nof the watching host, the Lord conversed with Moses, _face to face, as\na man speaketh unto his friend_ (Ex. xxxiii. 11). The descent of the\nCloudy Pillar, and its position at the entrance of the tent of Israel\u2019s\nleader, though at a distance from the people, was a sign that his\nintercession had prevailed. In spite of their recent sin, Jehovah had\nnot _forgotten to be gracious_, He would fulfil His promise, and the\nnation should be led into the land assured to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,\nand every one, who sought the Lord, might draw nigh, and consult Him\nthrough His servant Moses in the appointed place of meeting.\n\nEmboldened by this measure of success, Moses expressed a desire,\nsince he was the ordained leader of the people, and had found grace in\nthe sight of God, that he might be permitted to behold the essential\nGlory of Him, with whom he was privileged to speak face to face (Ex.\nxxxiii. 13). He asked for more than he, or any other finite creature,\ncould endure. The Face\u2015\u2015the essential Majesty\u2015\u2015of Jehovah no man could\nsee and live. But if he ascended the mount on the morrow, and took\nprecautions that no man or beast appeared in sight, and brought with\nhim two fresh tables of stone hewn out of the rock, the Lord promised\nthat he should see so much of His Glory as mortal eye could bear.\nAccordingly on the morrow with two fresh-hewn tables he ascended, and\nawaited the mysterious revelation. Every precaution had been taken; no\nman was allowed to be seen throughout all the mount, no flock or herd\nwas suffered to feed before it (Ex. xxxiv. 3). Alone, unattended even\nby the faithful Joshua, the accepted mediator between the people and\ntheir invisible King stood in a cleft of the rock. And while he stood\n\u201ccovered with Jehovah\u2019s hand,\u201d the Lord passed by and proclaimed, _The\nLord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant\nin goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity,\ntransgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty,\nvisiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the\nchildren\u2019s children, unto the third and fourth generation_. As Moses\nlistened to this proclamation of the incommunicable attributes of the\nMost High\u2015\u2015\u201cJustice and Mercy, Truth and Love\u201d\u2015\u2015like Elijah after him\nin a cleft of the same jagged rocks (1 K. xix. 9\u201313), he bowed his head\ntowards the earth and worshipped, and interceded for a more complete\nrenewal of the broken covenant between Jehovah and His people. His\nprayer was heard. The Covenant was once more renewed, and for a second\nperiod of forty days and forty nights Moses remained in the Divine\nPresence, and received fresh instructions respecting the moral and\nceremonial laws of the Theocracy.\n\nAt the close of this period, with the two fresh Tables, inscribed\nwith the Ten Words, he again returned to the people. On this occasion,\nhe retained more permanent marks of the awful converse he had been\npermitted to hold. Aaron and the elders of the people were afraid\nto approach him, for _the skin of his face shone_ with a celestial\nradiance, and the reflection of Jehovah\u2019s glory gilded his brow.\nThe lawgiver himself, not aware of the change that had come over his\nfeatures, called unto them, and at length emboldened to approach, they\nheard at his mouth all the commands of God. But the unearthly splendour\nwas not permanent. Lest, therefore, the people should behold the fading\naway of this visible credential of his interview with the Supreme,\nMoses was in the habit of placing a veil upon his face whenever he\ndeparted from them (Comp. 2 Cor. iii. 13)[73], but removed it as often\nas he was permitted to behold the presence of the Lord, and receive\nfresh renewals of the celestial radiance.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK IV.\n\n THE MOSAIC WORSHIP AND POLITY.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _THE TABERNACLE._\n EXOD. XXXVI.\u2013XL. B.C. 1490.\n\n\nTHE encampment of the Israelites before Sinai continued for more than\na year (Num. i. 1). At this point, then, it will be convenient to group\ntogether and consider the most important of those ordinances which they\nnow received, and the chief features of the constitution under which\nthey were called to live.\n\nThe purpose for which the Jewish nation was raised up was of the\nmost momentous character. In the midst of surrounding idolatry and\nmoral degeneracy, they were called to preserve intact the doctrine of\n_the Unity of God_, to be the guardians of _His gracious promises of\nRedemption_, and to exhibit to the world _holiness_ (See Rom. ix. 4, 5).\n\nThe doctrine of the Divine Unity was the kernel of the Mosaic law, and\nas such was defended by the sternest and most rigorous enactments. The\nIsraelites were forbidden even to mention the names of the gods of the\nCanaanite nations (Ex. xxiii. 13); they were commanded to burn or\ndestroy their images, their altars, their sacred groves (Ex. xxiii. 24;\nxxxiv. 13); they were to deem accursed the precious metals of which\ntheir idols were composed (Deut. vii. 25), and on no pretence whatever\nwere they to conclude any treaty or make any marriage with them (Deut.\nvii. 2, 3). Relapse into idolatry was to be regarded as the greatest\ncrime, and whether committed by a city or an individual was to be\npunished with unrelenting severity. In the latter case, death by\nstoning was the inevitable penalty; in the former, all the inhabitants\nwere to be put to the sword, the whole spoil was to be collected into a\nheap and burnt, and a solemn curse was to be pronounced against any one\nwho attempted to rebuild it (Deut. xiii. 6\u201318). No less vigorous were\nthe enactments against the construction of any representation of the\ntrue God under any form or similitude, whether of man or animal, of\nbird or fish or star.\n\nBut while all idolatrous forms of worship were thus rigorously\nforbidden, the Almighty condescended to make known to His people the\nway in which He was willing to receive their adoration. Stooping to the\ninfirmities of a nation just delivered from degrading bondage, He took\nthem by the hand, and provided for the wants of their religious nature\nin a way marvellously adapted to their native genius and character, as\nalso to their previous habits and modes of thought.\n\nAnd first, that the Israelites might have a visible assurance of\nthe Divine presence in their midst, a sanctuary was to be erected,\nnot according to any model suggested by the people themselves, but\naccording to a Divine pattern shown to Moses in the Mount (Ex. xxv. 9;\nHeb. viii. 5). The Patriarchs had their pillars of stone (Gen. xxviii.\n18, 19), or the shade of the consecrated grove (Gen. xxi. 33). The\nEgyptian had his huge colossal temples, built of vast granite blocks,\nor hewn out of the solid rock. Not such was to be the sanctuary of\nJehovah amongst a people journeying through a wilderness to a Promised\nLand. As the nomad chief had his tent in the midst of his tribe, so\nJehovah, as the Head of the Hebrew pilgrim-nation, ordained that a\nTent or _Tabernacle_ should be erected for Him, where He might _meet\nand speak unto_ His people, and _they might draw nigh to Him. I will\nsanctify_, said God, _the Tabernacle of meeting, ... there will I meet\nwith ... and will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their\nGod, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God_ (Ex. xxix. 42\u201346;\nxxx. 6, 36).\n\nIn the erection of this Pavilion-Temple every member of the nation was\ninvited to take a part, and to contribute either the gold and jewels\nof which the Egyptians had been spoiled, or the arts which, as we have\nseen, many of the Israelites had learnt from them. While, therefore,\nthe superintendence of the work was entrusted to two skilful artificers,\nBEZALEEL of the tribe of Judah, and AHOLIAB of the tribe of Dan (Ex.\nxxxi. 2, 6; xxxv. 34), many of the congregation contributed offerings\nof gold and silver and brass, of blue and red and crimson, of fine\nlinen, and goat-skins, and ram-skins dyed red. Others were despatched\nin different directions throughout the fertile valley where they were\nencamped, to fell the Shittah or Acacia tree, which grew abundantly in\nthe neighbourhood of Sinai, and was exactly adapted by its durability\nand lightness for the construction of a moveable tent, and while the\nworkmen prepared it for its different purposes, the women employed\nthemselves diligently in weaving and spinning blue and crimson hangings,\nthus consecrating the arts which they had learnt, while serving as\nbondslaves in the houses of the princes of Egypt (Ex. xxxv. 20\u201335).\n\n(A) The AREA, or Court, within which the Tabernacle stood, was an\noblong square, 100 cubits[74] in length by 50 in breadth, formed by\ncurtains of fine linen 5 cubits in height, hanging from pillars of wood\nwith capitals overlaid with silver and furnished with sockets of brass.\nThese pillars, 20 on each longer side and 10 on each shorter, were held\ntogether by means of silver rods attached by silver hooks, and were\nfastened into the ground by means of pegs of brass. The entrance[75]\nwas from the east, so as to catch the rays of the rising sun. Here the\ncurtains extended only 15 cubits from each corner, and the intervening\nspace with its 4 pillars formed the entrance, and was overhung with\ncurtains of fine twined linen, of the richest and most brilliant\ncolours, blue and purple and scarlet.\n\nIn a line with the Entrance and the Tabernacle itself stood (a) THE\nALTAR OF BURNT-SACRIFICE, and (b) THE GREAT LAVER FOR PURIFICATION.\n\n(a) _The Altar of Burnt-offering_[76] (called in Malachi i. 7, 12, _the\ntable of the Lord_) was in form a square, 5 cubits long, 5 broad, and\n3 high, and was constructed of hollow boards of acacia-wood overlaid\nwith brass (Ex. xxvii. 4, 5). So long as the Tabernacle was stationed\nin any one place, these were probably filled with earth, which thus\nformed the upper side or surface, on which the sacrifices were offered.\nEach corner of the altar was furnished with horns of acacia-wood\noverlaid with brass; to these the victims were fastened, and on them\ntheir blood was sprinkled at the consecration of the priests, and the\nsacrifice of the sin-offering (Ps. cxviii. 27; Ex. xxix. 12; Levit.\niv. 7, 18, 25). From each side projected a horizontal ledge, to the\nouter edge of which was attached a perpendicular grating of brass,\nresting like the Altar upon the ground, for the purpose of catching\nany portions of the sacrifice or the fuel that might fall. The ledge,\non which the priests officiated, was approached by a slope of earth,\nfor the Law forbade the construction of steps leading up to the altar\n(Ex. xx. 26). The implements used in the sacrifices, such as pans and\nshovels for collecting and removing the ashes, basins for receiving the\nblood, fleshhooks for turning the pieces of flesh, were all of brass\n(Ex. xxvii. 3; see 1 Sam. ii. 13, 14).\n\n(b) _The great Laver for purification_ stood between the Altar of\nBurnt-offering and the Tabernacle. It was made of the brass from\nthe metal mirrors belonging to the women who served at the door of\nthe Tabernacle (Ex. xxxviii. 8), and was probably of a circular form\nstanding on a basis or foot. In it the flesh of the victims was washed,\nas also the hands and feet of the priests, before they performed any\nholy function (Ex. xxx. 18\u201321).\n\n(B) The TABERNACLE itself was entered, at its eastern side, through a\nmagnificent curtain, 10 cubits in width, supported on five pillars (Ex.\nxxvi.). Its dimensions inside were 30 cubits in length, 10 in breadth,\nand 10 in height. It was formed of planks of acacia-wood overlaid with\ngold, fixed into the ground by means of two tenons, each fitting into\na socket of silver, resembling the sharp end of a spear. At the top\nthey were united by bars of acacia-wood, 5 bars to each piece, passing\nthrough golden rings. The roof was formed of several sets of curtains;\nthe innermost, 10 in number, formed of fine twined linen of various\ncolours, and adorned with cherubic figures of curious workmanship;\nnext to these were 11 curtains of goats\u2019 hair; then one of rams\u2019 skins\nwith the wool on dyed red; and lastly, another of badgers\u2019, or, more\nprobably, seals\u2019 skins[77].\n\nThe Tabernacle consisted of two portions, (a) THE HOLY PLACE, and\n(b) THE HOLY OF HOLIES (Ex. xxvi. 33, 34: and comp. Heb. ix. 2, 3).\n\n(a) _The Holy Place_, 20 cubits in length and 10 in height and width,\nwas divided from the _Holy of Holies_ by a veil of the most costly\nmaterials and the most splendid colours. Without any opening to admit\nthe light from above, it was illumined only by a _Golden Lamp_ or\n_Candlestick_, with _seven_ lights, fed with pure olive oil, kept\nburning day and night, and trimmed each morning by a priest with golden\nsnuffers, who carried away the snuff in golden dishes. From the base,\non which the lamp rested, rose a shaft dividing itself on either side\ninto three branches, so that it had seven arms, each adorned with\ncalyxes of almond flowers, apples, and buds of pomegranates or lilies\n(Ex. xxv. 31; xxxvii. 17\u201325; Heb. ix. 2).\n\nOpposite the Golden Lamp was the _Table of Shewbread_ (Ex. xxv. 23\u201329),\nmade of acacia-wood, overlaid with gold, 2 cubits in length, 1 in\nbreadth, and 1\u00bd in height, and standing on 4 feet. It had a border to\nprevent the loaves from falling off, and was furnished with rings and\nstaves for removal. Belonging to it were cups or spoons for incense,\nbowls for wine, dishes for bringing and removing the loaves, all of\ngold. These loaves, called also _bread of the face_, being set _before\nthe face of the Lord_ (Levit. xxiv. 5\u20139), were twelve in number,\naccording to the number of the tribes. Baked of the finest meal, flat\nand thin, they were placed every Sabbath on the Table in 2 rows, 6 in\neach, and sprinkled with incense, and accompanied with libations of\nwine in the golden bowls. Here they remained till the next Sabbath,\nwhen they were taken away and replaced by twelve fresh loaves, and\neaten by the priests[78] in the Holy Place, out of which they might not\nbe carried, the frankincense having been burnt as an oblation on the\nAltar of Sacrifice.\n\nBetween the Table of Shewbread and the Golden Lamp and immediately\nbefore[79] the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies\nwas the _Golden Altar of Incense_ (Ex. xxx. 1\u201311). Made of acacia-wood,\nin shape a square, 1 cubit in length and breadth and 2 in height, and\nornamented round the middle with a golden wreath, it was furnished,\nlike the Altar of Burnt-offering, with horns, rings, and staves; but\nunlike it was wholly overlaid with _gold_. On it incense, carefully\nprepared of four different ingredients (Ex. xxx. 34\u201338), was placed\nby the officiating priest morning and evening, with live coals taken\nfrom the Altar of Burnt-offering, that the smoke of the incense\nmight perpetually ascend before the Lord. Once a year its horns were\nsprinkled with the blood of the sin-offering of the Atonement, and on\nno other occasion, except when a sin-offering was presented for the\nHigh-priest or the congregation.\n\n(b) _The Holy of Holies_, separated, as we have just said, from the\nHoly Place by a costly veil supported on a screen of 4 pillars, formed\n_a perfect cube_ of 10 cubits in length, breadth, and height. While\nthe Holy Place, though never penetrated by the daylight, was illumined\nby the splendid Golden Lamp, the Holy of Holies was left _in utter\ndarkness_, symbolical of Him whom _no man hath seen, nor can see_\n(1 Tim. vi. 16). Within this most sacred enclosure neither priests nor\npeople as a body, but the High-Priest only, and that but once a year,\never entered. Here stood nothing but the ARK _of the Covenant_ (Ex.\nxxv. 10\u201316). This was an oblong chest of acacia-wood overlaid with the\npurest gold within and without, 2\u00bd cubits in length, 1\u00bd in breadth,\n1\u00bd in height. It stood on 4 small feet, which were provided with\n4 golden rings, through which staves of acacia-wood overlaid with gold\nwere passed, and which when once inserted were never to be removed.\nWithin it were placed[80] the two stone tables, on both sides of which\nthe Decalogue had been inscribed. Round the top ran a crown or wreath\nof pure gold, and upon it was the _Mercy-Seat_, of the same dimensions\nas the Ark, made not of wood overlaid with gold, but entirely of pure\ngold. At either end of the Mercy-Seat rose two golden Cherubim, with\noutspread wings and faces turned towards each other, and eyes bent\ndownwards, as though desirous _to look into_ its mysteries (1 Pet.\ni. 12). Neither their size nor their form are distinctly described. By\nsome they are thought to have been handed down by patriarchal tradition\nfrom those which were placed in Paradise (Gen. iii. 24); by others\nto have resembled Egyptian models; while Josephus (_Ant._ III. vi. 5)\ndeclares that they resembled no figures known to men, and that in his\nday their form was utterly lost. In Ezekiel (i. 5\u201313) we find them\nlikened to compound figures with the head of a man, an ox, a lion, and\nan eagle, with four wings, two serving for flight, two to cover the\nbody, and straight feet inflexible at the knee. It is not improbable\nthat they represented the manifold powers of nature\u2015\u2015created life\nin its highest form\u2015\u2015their overshadowing wings meeting as in perfect\nharmony, their eyes cast downwards towards the Divine Law, over which\nseemingly so rigid and unbending was the compassion of ONE _forgiving\niniquity, transgression and sin_[81].\n\n\n\n\n NOTE.\n\n HISTORY OF THE TABERNACLE.\n\n\n SUCH was the Pavilion-Temple which Moses constructed _according\n to the pattern shown him in the Mount_. The chief facts\n connected with its history are as follows.\n\n i. During the wanderings in the wilderness it was the one place,\n where Jehovah \u201cmet His people,\u201d and where from the ineffable\n glory above the mercy-seat He revealed His Will. There the\n Spirit came upon the 70 elders and they prophesied (Num. xi.\n 24, 25); thither Moses and Aaron were summoned on all important\n occasions, as on that of the rebellion of Miriam (Num. xii. 4),\n of the unfaithfulness of the spies (xiv. 10), of the rebellion\n of Korah (xvi. 19), of the sin of Meribah (xx. 6); there on\n the death of Moses his successor was solemnly appointed (Deut.\n xxxi. 14).\n\n ii. During the conquest of Canaan it was, probably, moved from\n place to place, wherever the host of Israel was encamped.\n\n iii. Afterwards it was brought to _Shiloh_ (Josh. ix. 27; xviii.\n 1; xix. 51), on account, doubtless, of its secluded and central\n position, and as being within the territory of the powerful\n tribe of Ephraim, to which Joshua belonged, and here it remained\n during the entire period of the Judges (comp. Josh. xix. 51;\n xxii. 12; Judg. xxi. 21).\n\n iv. But in the time of Eli, the licentiousness of his sons\n stained the sanctity of Shiloh, and degraded the Tabernacle\n almost to the level of a heathen temple (1 Sam. ii. 22), while\n the capture of the ark by the Philistines (1 Sam. iv. 22) still\n further dimmed its glories, and Samuel himself sacrificed at\n other places, Mizpeh (1 Sam. vii. 9), Ramah (ix. 12; x. 3),\n Gilgal (x. 8; xi. 15).\n\n v. After this it was for some time settled at _Nob_ (1 Sam. xx.\n 1\u20136), and thither also misfortune followed it: Saul murdered the\n priests (1 Sam. xxii. 11\u201319), and Abiathar fled with the sacred\n ephod to David (xxiii. 6).\n\n vi. In the time of David and Solomon we find it at _Gibeon_\n (1 Chron. xvi. 39; xxi. 29), but the ark was now removed to\n Kirjath-jearim, and afterwards, on the capture of Jerusalem, to\n that city, where a new Tabernacle was constructed to receive it\n (1 Sam. vi. 17; 1 Chron. xv. 1). Its glory now waned more and\n more, it became connected with the worship of the high-places\n (1 Kings iii. 4), retained only the old altar of burnt-offering\n (1 Chron. xxi. 29), and eventually it seems to have been either\n taken down, or left to be forgotten and \u201c_vanish away_[82].\u201d\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _THE PRIESTS._\n EX. XXVIII. XXIX. LEV. VIII. IX. NUM. III. IV.\n\n\nPRIOR to the Mosaic period, as has been already noticed[83], the head\nof each family and the firstborn appear to have exercised all kinds\nof government, ecclesiastical as well as civil, being both kings and\npriests in their own houses.\n\nAt the departure, however, from Egypt, it was declared that all\nthe firstborn were specially sanctified to God in token of the\nmercy shown to them there (Ex. xiii. 2), and when Moses received the\nDivine commands concerning the construction of the Tabernacle, it was\nordered that from the children of Israel Aaron and his sons should be\nspecially selected _to minister in the priests\u2019 office_ (Ex. xxviii. 1).\nSubsequently, when the whole tribe of Levi displayed such signal zeal\non the occasion of the construction of the golden calf (Ex. xxxii. 26),\nthat tribe was separated for the service of the sanctuary, and accepted\nin the place of the firstborn, as the royal guard to wait on Israel\u2019s\nKing (Num. i. 47\u201354; iii. 5\u201313).\n\nBut though the whole tribe was set apart for these important purposes,\na strictly prescribed order regulated its particular functions to each\nbranch, of which there were three, (a) THE LEVITES, (b) THE PRIESTS,\n(c) THE HIGH-PRIEST.\n\n(a) _The Levites_ entered on their duties at the age of 30 (Num. iv.\n23, 30, 35), and were consecrated, not as the priests, by anointing and\ninvestiture, but by a ceremony of washing accompanied by sacrifices,\nafter which the elders laid their hands upon them, and Aaron presented\nthem _as a wave-offering before the Lord_, in token that they were\noffered to the Lord by the congregation for the service of the\nsanctuary, and handed over by Him to the Priests[84]. Thus occupying\na middle place between the people, who were all ideally _a kingdom\nof priests_, and the higher sacerdotal orders, they might approach\nnearer to the Tabernacle than the other tribes, but they might not\noffer sacrifice, nor burn incense, nor handle the holy vessels of the\nSanctuary, till they were concealed from view (Num. iv. 15).\n\nThe Levites, then, were _the assistants of the priests_, and consisted\nof three families or sections, the sons of GERSHON, KOHATH, and MERARI.\n\ni. The _Kohathites_ held the first rank, as being the family to which\nAaron belonged. It was their duty, on the removal of the Tabernacle, to\nbear all the sacred vessels, including the Ark itself, but not before\nthe priests had concealed them from the profane gaze with a dark blue\npall (Num. iii. 31; iv. 6, 9, 15; Deut. xxxi. 25).\n\nii. The _Gershonites_ were charged with the removal of the curtains,\nveils, and tent-hangings (Num. iv. 22\u201326).\n\niii. To the _Merarites_ was entrusted the heavier portion of the\nTabernacle furniture, such as the boards, pillars, and bars, and\ntherefore with the Gershonites they were permitted to use the oxen\nand waggons contributed by the congregation, while the Kohathites\nwere only suffered to remove the sacred vessels on their shoulders\n(Num. vii. 1\u20139). With this arrangement agreed their position in the\nencampment in the wilderness. While the place of honour on the east\nwas occupied by the sons of Aaron, the Kohathites were on the south,\nthe Gershonites on the west, the Merarites on the north.\n\nIn place of territorial possessions, the Levites received the tithe\nof the produce of land and cattle, of which they again gave one-tenth\nto the priests (Num. xviii. 24\u201326). At the close of the wanderings\nthey would need a more fixed abode, and 48 cities with suburbs of\npasture-land for their flocks and herds were assigned them. Of these\nthe Levites had 35; Kohath 10; Gershon 13; Merari 12; while the\nremaining 13, including the six _Cities of Refuge_, were assigned to\nthe Priests.\n\nIt was also designed that at the settlement of the nation in the Land\nof Promise their functions should be not only diffused as widely as\npossible, but should include others besides those of merely assisting\nthe priests. They were to take the place of the old _household priests_,\nto share in all festivals and rejoicings (Deut. xii. 19; xiv. 26, 27;\nxxvi. 11), to preserve and transcribe the law (Deut. xvii. 9\u201312), and\nto read it publicly at the Feast of Tabernacles every seventh year\n(Deut. xxxi. 9\u201313).\n\n(b) The _Priests_ were consecrated to their office with far more\nimposing ceremonies than the Levites. After laying aside their old\ngarments, they washed their bodies with pure water, were anointed with\nthe holy oil, and then arrayed in their new vestments (Ex. xxix. 4\u20137).\nThemselves _compassed about with infirmity_, they needed to _offer up\nsacrifice first for their own sins_ before they could intercede for\nothers (Heb. v. 2; vii. 27). On the head therefore of a bullock they\nsolemnly laid their hands, and thus symbolically transferred to it the\nguilt that clung to themselves; then in token of their entire devotion\nto their solemn calling, a ram was slain as a burnt-offering, and\nits blood sprinkled on the altar (Ex. xxix. 10\u201318; Lev. viii. 18, 19).\nAnother ram was next slain as a peace-offering, and some of its blood\nwas smeared on the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand,\nthe great toe of the right foot, in token of their intention to devote\nevery member to the service of Jehovah; and finally, as they were\nnot only to intercede for the guilt of the people, but to offer their\npraises and thanksgiving, sacrificial cakes of unleavened bread with\nportions of the sacrifice were placed in their hands, and these they\nwaved before the Lord (Ex. xxix. 19\u201324).\n\nThe vestments they wore during their ministrations consisted of fine\nlinen drawers, and over these a closely-fitting tunic or cassock,\nwhite, woven whole in one piece and broidered, reaching to the feet.\nThis was confined round the waist by a girdle wrought with needle-work,\nexhibiting the three sacred colours, blue, purple, and scarlet,\nintermingled with white. Upon their heads they wore a linen tiara in\nthe form of the calyx of a flower. In all their ministrations they seem\nto have been bare-footed.\n\nCertain qualifications were essential before they could enter on the\ndischarge of their duties. As the victim was required to be without\nblemish, so also was the sacrificer, and in Levit. xxi. 17\u201321 the\ndefects are enumerated, which excluded from the priestly office.\nDuring their period of ministration they might drink neither wine nor\nstrong drink (Levit. x. 9); except in the case of the nearest relatives\nthey might make no mourning for the dead (Levit. xxi. 1\u20135); or shave\ntheir heads, or, like the priests of heathen nations, \u201c_make cuttings\nin their flesh_,\u201d or otherwise mutilate themselves (Levit. xix. 28;\n1 Kings xviii. 28). They were permitted to marry, but might not ally\nthemselves with one of an alien race, or an unchaste woman, or one\nwho had been divorced, or the widow of any one but a priest (Lev. xxi.\n7, 14).\n\nTheir duties were to keep the fire ever burning on the altar of\nburnt-offering both day and night (Levit. vi. 12); to trim and feed\nwith oil the golden lamp (Ex. xxvii. 20, 21); to offer morning and\nevening the regulated sacrifices at the door of the Tabernacle (Ex.\nxxix. 38\u201344); to lay the fresh shewbread on the table every seventh\nday (Lev. xxiv. 8); to blow the silver trumpets and proclaim all solemn\ndays (Num. x. 1\u201310); to examine the lepers and pronounce whether they\nwere clean or unclean (Lev. xiii.); to act as judges and expositors\nof the law, and teach the people the statutes of the Lord (Lev. x. 11;\nDeut. xxxiii. 10).\n\nA distinct provision was made for their support, and consisted of\n(i) one-tenth of the tithes of the whole produce of the country paid\nto the Levites (Num. xviii. 21, 26); (ii) the loaves of shewbread\n(Levit. xxiv. 9); (iii) the firstfruits of oil, wine, and corn (Num.\nxviii. 12); (iv) the redemption-money for the firstborn of man or\nbeast, five shekels a head, and also for everything devoted (Num.\nxviii. 14, 15); (v) the perquisites of the sacrifices, the flesh of\nthe burnt-offerings, peace-offerings, and trespass-offerings, and\nespecially the heave-shoulder and the wave-breast (Num. xviii. 8\u201314;\nLevit. x. 12\u201315); (vi) a fixed portion of the spoils taken in war\n(Num. xxxi. 25\u201347).\n\n(c) The office of _High-priest_ was conferred first on Aaron, then\non his son Eleazar[85] and his descendants. At some period before the\ntime of Eli, the succession passed to the line of Ithamar, and there\ncontinued till the time of Solomon, in whose reign it reverted to the\nline of Eleazar (1 Sam. ii. 35; 1 Kings ii. 35).\n\nThe same ceremonies accompanied the consecration of the High-priest\nas that of the priests, save that the anointing, which in the latter\nappears to have been confined to the sprinkling of their garments with\nthe sacred oil, was more copious in his case, and the oil was poured\nupon his head (Lev. viii. 12; Ps. cxxxiii. 2).\n\nThe vestments of the High-priest were far more rich and splendid than\nthose of the priests. Like the latter he wore the linen drawers, but\nin place of the closely-fitting tunic he wore _the robe of the Ephod_,\nwhich was all blue, of woven work, without sleeves, reaching down to\nthe feet, and drawn over the head through an opening, which was fringed\nwith a border of woven work to prevent its rending. The skirt of\nthis robe was set with a trimming of pomegranates of the three sacred\ncolours, blue, crimson, and purple, with a golden bell between each\npomegranate, designed to give forth a tinkling sound as he went in\nand out of the holy place. Immediately above this robe was _the Ephod_\nitself, a short cloak consisting of two parts, one covering the back,\nand the other the breast and upper part of the body, wrought with\ncolours and gold. The two halves were united on the shoulder with two\nonyx stones, on each of which were engraved the names of six of the\ntribes. It was gathered round the waist by a curious _girdle_ of fine\ntwined linen, adorned with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. Just above\nthe girdle, and attached to the Ephod by rings and ribbons of blue, was\nthe _Breast-plate_, or the _Breast-plate of Judgment_. This, like the\nEphod, was of cunning work, a square of a span breadth, formed double\nso as to make a bag, set with 12 precious stones, in 4 rows, each\nengraved with the name of one of the tribes. Within the Breast-plate\nwas the _Urim and the Thummim_ (_Light_ and _Perfection_, Ex. xxviii.\n15\u201330). Not a word in Scripture explains the meaning of these\nmysterious objects, but they were certainly employed in some way now\nunknown for ascertaining the Divine will (comp. 1 Sam. xxviii. 6;\nJudg. i. 1; xx. 18; 1 Sam. xiv. 3, 18; xxiii. 9; 2 Sam. xxi. 1). Some\nidentify them with the twelve stones inscribed with the names of the\ntwelve tribes, and suppose that \u201cthe illumination, simultaneous or\nsuccessive, of the letters\u201d guided the High-priest to the answer;\nothers think that within the Breast-plate was a stone or a plate of\ngold inscribed with the name of Jehovah, and that by means of this\nhe was enabled to discern the Divine Voice, as it proceeded from the\nglories of the Shechinah.\n\nLike the other members of the order, the High-priest wore on his head a\ntiara, but attached to this by a blue ribbon was a gold plate, on which\nwas engraved _Holiness to the Lord_ (Ex. xxviii. 36\u201339; xxxix. 30).\n\nSome of the functions of the High-priest were peculiar. (i) To him\nalone it appertained to enter the Holy of Holies on one day in the\nyear, the day of Atonement, to sprinkle the blood of the sin-offering\non the mercy-seat, and burn incense within the veil (Lev. xvi.).\nOn this occasion he did not wear his full pontifical dress, but was\narrayed entirely in fine white linen (Lev. xvi. 4, 32), a custom which\nafterwards seems to have undergone some change. (ii) To him alone it\nbelonged to consult the Divine Oracle (Num. xxvii. 21), and preside\nover the Court of Judgment (Deut. xvii. 9). (iii) Even greater purity\nand blamelessness was required of him than of the other priests; he\ncould marry none but a virgin in the first freshness of her youth (Lev.\nxxi. 13), and as illegitimacy was an absolute bar to the office, the\nimportance attached to genealogies was great, and in these the name of\nthe mother as well as father was registered.\n\nThe office lasted for life, but does not seem to have had any peculiar\nemoluments attached to it over and above those enjoyed by the Priests.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _THE SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS._\n EX. XXIX. XXX. LEV. I.\u2013VI. NUM. XV.\n\n\nTHE rite of sacrifice so universal in the ancient world came down\nto the Israelites from the earliest times, from the days of their\nforefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the generations that lived\nbefore the Flood, and was regulated by Moses with the utmost precision.\n\nOne rule applied to all sacrifices. They could only be offered on the\n_Great Brazen Altar of the Tabernacle_. To offer them on high places,\nor spots selected by the caprice of the worshipper was expressly\nforbidden (Lev. xvii. 4; Deut. xii. 13, 14), though this rule appears\nto have been subsequently relaxed in the case of the prophets (1 Sam.\nxiii. 8\u201314; xvi. 1\u20135; 1 Kings xviii. 21\u201340).\n\nPerhaps the simplest classification of sacrifices is that which\narranges them under the heads of (I) THOSE OFFERED WITHOUT, and\n(II) THOSE OFFERED WITH BLOOD.\n\nI. _Unbloody sacrifices_ will include (a) _First-fruits and Tithes_,\n(b) _Meat- and Drink-offerings_, (c) _Incense_.\n\n(a) _First-fruits and Tithes_ were presented by every Israelite to\nthe priests in token of gratitude and humble thankfulness to Jehovah,\nand consisted of the produce of the land either in its natural state,\nas grain, fruit, grapes, wool, or prepared for human use, as meal,\noil, new wine (Ex. xxiii. 19; Num. xviii. 12; Deut. xviii. 4). To the\nLevites also was paid the tenth part of all produce of the land and of\ncattle (Lev. xxvii. 30\u201333; Num. xviii. 21\u201324).\n\n(b) _Meat- and Drink-offerings_ generally accompanied each other.\nThe Meat-offering was composed of fine flour seasoned with salt, and\nmingled with frankincense and oil, but without leaven. A portion of\nthe flour and oil the priest placed upon the altar, together with all\nthe frankincense, and there burnt them, the rest of the flour and oil\nbecoming his own perquisite. Sometimes cakes of fine flour were offered\nwith oil and salt, but without leaven or honey (Lev. ii. and vi. 14\u201323).\nA Drink-offering consisted of wine, which was poured at the foot of the\naltar; the quantity varying according to the victim, being for a lamb\nor kid a quarter of a _hin_ (= 1 gallon, 2 pints); for a ram one-third,\nfor a bullock one-half (Num. xv. 5, 7, 10; xxviii. 14). By these\nofferings, as by those of tithes and first-fruits, the Israelite\nacknowledged the undeserved bounty of Jehovah, and dedicated to Him\nthe best of His gifts, _flour_ the staff of life, _wine_ the symbol\nof strengthening and refreshing, _oil_ the symbol of richness. (Comp.\nPs. civ. 15.)\n\nThe Meat-offering might be presented,\n\nEither (1) by itself as a free-will offering, as in the instance of\n(i) _the twelve unleavened cakes on the Table of Shew-bread_, (ii) _the\nsheaf of the first-fruits of barley on the second day of the Passover_,\n(iii) _the two wheaten loaves at Pentecost_,\n\nOr (2) together with the Burnt- and Thank-offering, but _not_ with\nthe Sin- or Trespass-offering; as (I) of _public_ sacrifices, with\n(i) the daily morning and evening sacrifice, (ii) the Sabbath-offering,\n(iii) the offering at the new moon, (iv) on the great day of Atonement;\n(II) of _private_ sacrifices, at (i) the consecration of priests and\nLevites, (ii) the cleansing of the leper, (iii) the termination of the\nNazarite vow.\n\n(c) _Incense_, the last example of an unbloody offering, accompanied\nevery proper meat-offering, but was also offered daily on the golden\naltar in the Holy Place, and on the great day of Atonement was burnt\nin the Holy of Holies by the High-priest before the Ark. The greatest\npains were taken in its preparation. It was compounded by the \u201cart of\nthe apothecary\u201d of four ingredients beaten small[86], stacte, onycha,\ngalbanum, and pure frankincense (Ex. xxx. 34\u201336), nor could any other\nkind be offered (Ex. xxx. 9). Desecration of this incense by using it\nfor common purposes was to be punished with death (Ex. xxx. 38).\n\nII. In reference to the second class of sacrifices, in which the life\nof a victim was taken and its blood poured upon the Altar, it is to\nbe observed that these were limited to the _herd, the flock, and all\nclean birds_. All wild and unclean beasts were strictly excluded. The\nIsraelite was to select only those animals which were _most nearly\nconnected with man_, and of these, again, such as were _most meek,\ninnocent, pure, and valuable_, such as oxen, sheep, goats, pigeons,\nand turtle-doves[87]. The selected victim was required to be perfect of\nits kind and without blemish, not less than eight days old, and usually\na year. If it was blind, or broken, or maimed, or had any defect, as\na wen or scab, it could not be offered (Lev. xxii. 20\u201327; Deut. xv.\n21, 22; xvii. 1).\n\nSuch being the conditions respecting the victim, the offerer was\nrequired first to purify himself by ablutions, and then to bring the\nvictim to the door of the Tabernacle, _i.e._ to the _Great Brazen Altar\nof Burnt-offering_ in the court. There, whatever might be the precise\nkind of offering, he was to lay his hand on its head in token of\nsurrender, dedication, and substitution, and then to slay it _himself_\n(Lev. i. 5). He had now performed his part, all the rest devolved upon\nthe priest. He began by receiving the blood of the animal in a vessel,\nand then sprinkled it in different ways upon the Brazen Altar (Lev.\niv. 6, 7, 25; v. 9), or, as we shall see, in some cases, on the Golden\nAltar of Incense, and, on one day in the year, on the Mercy-seat in\nthe Holy of Holies. He then performed other ceremonies, which varied\naccording to the nature of the sacrifice. _But uniformly it was\nrequired_ (a) of the _offerer_, (i) to bring his victim to the altar,\n(ii) to lay his hand upon it, and (iii) to slay it; (b) of the _priest_,\n(i) to receive the blood in a vessel, and (ii) to sprinkle it upon the\naltar.\n\nOf the bloody sacrifices the chief were (a) BURNT-OFFERINGS,\n(b) PEACE-OFFERINGS, (c) SIN- AND TRESPASS-OFFERINGS.\n\n(a) In the case of the _Burnt-offering_, any kind of animal fit for\nsacrifice might be offered, but the victim was always required to be\na male, and to be accompanied by a meat-offering. After presentation\nat the great altar, imposition of the hands of the sacrificer, and\nslaughtering, the priest sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about\n(Lev. i. 5, 11). The victim was then flayed, washed with water, and cut\nin pieces, and the parts thus divided were laid on the altar upon the\nwood, and entirely consumed by fire.\n\nThe _burning by fire_ was the chief point in this class of offering,\nand \u201cmarked it as an expression of perpetual obligation to complete,\nsanctified, self-surrender to Jehovah[88].\u201d Hence it was not presented,\nlike the sin- and trespass-offerings, upon the commission of any\nparticular sin, nor like the peace-offerings upon the acceptance of any\nspecial Divine mercies; it embodied the _general idea_ of sacrifice,\nand in a sense represented the whole sacrificial institute. Every\nmorning and evening, therefore, a lamb was sacrificed with its usual\nmeat- and drink-offering as a burnt-offering on behalf of the whole\ncovenant people, and the evening victim was to be so slowly consumed\nthat it might last till the morning, an expressive symbol of that\ncontinual self-dedication to God which is the duty of man[89] (Ex.\nxxix. 38\u201344; Lev. vi. 9\u201313).\n\n(b) Of _Peace-offerings_ there were three kinds, representing various\nemotions of the offerer, the _thank-offering_, the _freewill gift_, and\nthe _vow_ (Lev. iii. 1\u201317; vii. 11\u201321, 28\u201336).\n\nThe nature of the offering was left to the sacrificer; it might be\ntaken from the herd or from the flock, might be male or female, but not\nbirds (Lev. iii. 1). Like the burnt-offering it was always accompanied\nby a meat-offering, which consisted of unleavened cakes mingled with\noil, and leavened bread (Lev. vii. 12, 13).\n\nThe ritual of the Peace-offering was up to a certain point the same\nas that of the Burnt-offering. The sacrificer brought his victim\nto the Brazen Altar, laid his hands upon it and slew it, while the\npriest sprinkled the blood upon the altar; but after this there was\na distinction. The victim was divided, and the priest laid upon the\naltar the fat of the kidneys, and the \u201clobe\u201d or flap of the liver,\nand in the case of a sheep the fat tail, and burnt them with fire. He\nthen separated the right shoulder and breast, and waved them before\nthe Lord, and they became his portion which he was to eat _in a clean\nplace_ with his family and friends. The remaining portions of the\nvictim were then restored to the sacrificer, who the same day feasted\nthereon, together with his whole family and his friends (Lev. vii.\n15\u201321; xix. 6; xxii. 30).\n\nThis _Sacrificial Feast_ was peculiar to the _Peace-offerings_, and\nindicated that the atonement was complete, that the sin was covered\nand cancelled which had separated the offerer from Jehovah, who now\nwelcomed him to His table, and in this meal gave him a pledge of\nreconciliation. \u201cTo an Oriental mind two ideas were inseparably united\nin the notion of a meal; on the one hand, that of fellowship and\nfriendship existing among the participators themselves, and also\nbetween them and the provider of the meal; and on the other hand,\nthat of joy and gladness, so that even the highest and purest joy,\nviz. blessedness in the kingdom of heaven is described under the figure\nof a meal[90]\u201d (Ps. xxiii. 5; xxxvi. 8; Matt. viii. 11; xxii. 2\u201313;\nLk. xiv. 16). As the _total consumption by fire_ on the altar was the\nculminating point in the burnt-offering, so this _sacrificial feast_\nwas that of the peace-offering, which, therefore, whenever presented\nwith other offerings, was invariably the _last_[91]. (Comp. Ex. xxiv.\n5, 11; xxix. 1\u201332).\n\n(c) The _Sin-_ and _Trespass-offerings_ were peculiar to the Mosaic\nLaw, which was _added on account of transgression_ (Gal. iii. 19), and\ndeepened the knowledge and conviction of sin (Rom. vii. 7, &c.).\n\n(a) The _Sin-offering_ consisted of _one animal only_, and was\nnot accompanied by a meat-offering. The victim if offered for the\nwhole covenant people was _a kid of the goats_ (Lev. xvi. 5, 9, 15;\nNum. xxviii. 15, 22, 30); for the priests and Levites at their\nconsecration _a young bullock_ (Ex. xxix. 11; Numb. viii. 8 ff.); for\nthe High-priest on the great day of Atonement _a young bullock_ (Lev.\nxvi. 3, 6, 11); for the purification of women after childbirth _a young\npigeon or turtle-dove_ (Lev. xii. 6, 8; comp. Lk. ii. 22, 24); for\nthe cleansing of a leper or a leprous house _a yearling ewe_; or, in\na case of poverty, _a bird for the leper and two for the house_ (Lev.\nxiv. 13, 22\u201349); for an inadvertent transgression of some prohibition,\n(a) on the part of the whole congregation or the High-priest, _a young\nbullock_, (b) a prince, _a he-goat_, (c) a common man, _a yearling ewe_\nor _kid_ (Lev. iv. 1\u201335).\n\nThe Ritual of the Sin-offering deserves attention. The offerer brought\nthe victim to the great altar, laid his hand upon it with a confession\nof the sin and a prayer for its expiation, and then slew it. The priest\nthen dipped his finger in the blood, and in the case of a prince or\nindividual, sprinkled it seven times on the horns of the Brazen Altar\n(Lev. iv. 7, 18, 30, 34); in that of the High-priest and congregation\nseven times on the veil before the Ark, and seven times on the horns\nof the Golden Altar of Incense (Lev. iv. 6, 17, 25); on the great day\nof Atonement, the High-priest himself sprinkled it seven times on and\nbefore the Mercy-seat, and then seven times streaked with it the horns\nof the Altar of Incense (Lev. xvi. 14, 15, 19); the rest of the blood\nwas poured on the ground before the Brazen Altar. After the sprinkling,\nthe same portions were burnt on the altar, as in the case of the\npeace-offerings, and in ordinary cases the rest of the victim was\neaten by the priest in the court of the Tabernacle with only the males\nof his family; but any vessels in which the flesh had been boiled\nwere required, if earthenware, to be broken; if metal, to be carefully\nscoured (Lev. vi. 24\u201330). But in the case of the more important\nSin-offerings, where the blood was sprinkled within the Holy Place, or\nthe Holy of Holies, the entire carcase, except the altar-pieces, with\nthe hide, entrails, &c., was conveyed to a clean place without the camp,\nand there burnt with fire (Lev. iv. 11, 12, 21; xvi. 27).\n\nExcept when offered for the whole people, or the priests and Levites\nat their consecration, Sin-offerings were presented as an atonement\nfor sins of _culpable weakness and ignorance, negligence and frailty_,\nrepented of by the unpunished offender, who was thus restored to his\nplace in the commonwealth. They could not be offered for _presumptuous_,\nor _deliberate_ and _unrepented_ sins, such as wilful murder or\nadultery, for which the punishment of death was appointed (Num. xv.\n30, 31; Deut. xvii. 12; and comp. Heb. x. 26).\n\n(b) The _Trespass-_ or _Debt-offering_, on the other hand, though\nclosely connected with the Sin-offering and sometimes offered with it,\nas in the case of the leper (Lev. xiv. 12), was always offered for some\n_special act_ of sin, and was regarded in the light of reparation to\nthe Lord for a wrong done to Him. Hence it was presented for sins \u201cin\nwhich the offence given, or the debt incurred by the misdeed, admitted\nof some sort of recompence, which could be actually estimated[92].\u201d\n\nThe following cases will illustrate the occasions on which a\ntrespass-offering could be presented. A leper, on the occasion of\nhis cleansing, owed a debt-offering to Jehovah, for the time of his\nexclusion from the camp; the Nazarite for a temporary suspension of his\nvow by touching a dead body (Num. vi. 12); a man, who had inadvertently\nappropriated or made away with anything consecrated to the Lord (Lev. v.\n15, 16), or unwittingly violated a Divine prohibition (Lev. v. 17, 18),\nor denied a trust or any damage sustained by the thing entrusted, or\ndenied having found some lost article of property, or sworn falsely\nin such a matter (Lev. vi. 2 ff.). In these cases, whether the wrong\ndone was in a matter of property or to the Lord, the damage was made\ngood with an overplus, generally a fifth of the value, while the\ntrespass-offering itself was the substitute for the damages due to\nthe Lord, and assessed by the priest. The victim was, as in the case\nof the sin-offering, _one animal only_, and always a ram.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _HOLY TIMES AND SEASONS._\n EXOD. XX. LEVIT. XXIII. XXV. DEUT. XV. XVI.\n\n\nTHE Holy Times and Seasons of the Israelites may be arranged under\nthree heads.\n\nI. Those that were connected with the _Seventh Day of Rest_, such\nas (a) the _Weekly Sabbath_, (b) the _Month-Sabbath_ or _New Moon_,\n(c) the _Year-Sabbath_, (d) the _Year of Jubilee_.\n\nII. The _Day of Atonement_.\n\nIII. The _Great Historical Festivals_; (a) The _Passover_, (b) The\n_Feast of Pentecost_ or _Weeks_, (c) The _Feast of Tabernacles_.\n\nI. Those connected with the _seventh Day of Rest_.\n\n(a) The observance of the weekly Sabbath, or day of Rest, is not\nimprobably thought to have been known to the Israelites before the\ngiving of the Law (Ex. xvi. 22, 23), as, indeed, the words of the\nFourth Commandment, \u201c_Remember_ the Sabbath-day to keep it holy,\u201d seem\nto imply (Ex. xx. 8\u201311, comp. Gen. ii. 1\u20133). The observance of this\nday was appointed for _a perpetual covenant_, as _a sign between God\nand the children of Israel for ever_ (Ex. xxxi. 16, 17). It was to\nbe shared by the whole people with the stranger; and, to complete the\npicture of tranquillity, with the animals. Bodily labour was strictly\nprohibited: it was unlawful to kindle a fire for cooking food (Ex.\nxxxv. 3; Num. xv. 32), or to go out of the camp to gather manna (Ex.\nxvi. 22\u201330). Wilful desecration of the day was punished by stoning\n(Ex. xxxi. 14; Num. xv. 35).\n\nIn the Tabernacle-service the daily burnt-offering was doubled (Num.\nxxviii. 9), the shew-bread was renewed (Lev. xxiv. 8), and the priestly\ncourse for the week commenced their duties.\n\nThe Sabbath was not regarded as a fast, but a day for rest from\nworldly occupation and holy joy; it was ordained by God _for man_ and\nthe furtherance of his truest and highest interests (Mk. ii. 27, 28).\n\u201cThe thought of HIM, who is raised above all change, and who after the\ncompletion of the works of Creation rejoiced that everything was very\ngood; this coupled with the cessation from work was to lead man up to\nthe contemplation of his own origin from God. As the bodily refreshment\nrestored his physical energies, so should the consciousness of\nunion with the Almighty and the Eternal restore the true life to the\nsoul[93].\u201d\n\n(b) _The Month-Sabbath_, or _New Moon Festival_, was ushered in by\nblowing with the silver trumpets, and by the sacrifice of eleven\nvictims in addition to the daily offering (Num. x. 10; xxviii. 11,\n&c.). Business and trade were in later times suspended (Amos viii. 5),\nsacrificial feasts were held (1 Sam. xx. 5\u201324), and the people resorted\nto the prophets for religious instruction (2 Kings iv. 23).\n\nThe New Moon of the _seventh_ month (_Tisri_, October), being the\ncommencement of the civil year, was observed with still greater\nsolemnity. It was one of the seven[94] days of Holy Convocation. Not\nmerely were the trumpets blown at the time of offering the sacrifices,\nbut it was a day _for the blowing of trumpets_ (Num. xxix. 1\u20136), whence\nits name the _Feast of Trumpets_. In addition to the daily sacrifices,\nand the eleven victims offered on the first day of each month,\nnine other victims were offered as burnt-offerings with a kid for\na sin-offering[95].\n\n(c) During the _Seventh_ or _Sabbatical year_ the land was to lie\nfallow, and _enjoy her Sabbaths_ (Ex. xxiii. 10, 11; Lev. xxv. 2\u20137;\nDeut. xv.). No tillage or cultivation of any sort was to be practised,\nand the spontaneous produce of the fields, instead of being reaped, was\nto be freely gleaned by the poor, the stranger, and even the cattle. By\nthis rest the land, like man, was to do homage to its Lord and Creator,\nand the poorest were to share without stint in those spontaneous\nblessings which by His will it brings forth, and the Israelite,\nwho every seventh day acknowledged God\u2019s claim on his time, thus\nacknowledged also His claim upon his land. In Deut. xv. we find that\nthe seventh year was also to be one of release for debtors. In spite\nof the threatenings in Lev. xxvi. the Sabbatical year, as appears from\n2 Chron. xxxvi. 20, 21, was greatly neglected; after the return from\nthe Captivity its observance revived (see 1 Macc. vi. 49)[96].\n\n(d) _The Year of Jubilee._ At the end of seven times seven years, that\nis, forty-nine entire years, the fiftieth was observed as the year\nof _Jubilee_, a word of uncertain meaning. It was proclaimed by the\nsound of trumpets on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tisri, the\nDay of Atonement. During this year the soil was to lie fallow, as in\nthe Sabbatical year, but in addition to this, all land that had been\nalienated was to return to those to whom it had been allotted at the\noriginal distribution, and all bondmen of Hebrew blood were to be\nliberated (Lev. xxv. 8\u201316, 23\u201335; xxvii. 16\u201325). \u201cAs the weekly Sabbath\nand the Sabbatical year was intended to restore thorough rest to man\nand to the land, so the year of _Jubilee_ was designed to raise the\nwhole people, in respect to their rights and possessions, from the\nchangeableness of outward circumstances to the unchangeableness of the\nDivine appointment; to prevent the inordinate accumulation of wealth\nin the hands of a few; to relieve those whom misfortune or fault had\nreduced to poverty; to restore that equality in outward circumstances\nwhich was instituted on the first settlement of the land by Joshua; and\nto vindicate the right of each Israelite to his part in the Covenant,\nwhich God had made with his fathers respecting the Land of Promise[97].\u201d\n\nII. _The Day of Atonement_ was observed on the tenth day of the seventh\nmonth, Tisri, as the great day of national humiliation, and for the\nexpiation of the sins both of the priests and the people. This was the\nhighest, the most perfect, the most comprehensive of all the acts of\nexpiation, and not only took place but once in the entire year, but was\nperformed by the High-priest alone, and that not in the Holy Place but\nthe Holy of Holies.\n\nIts celebration is prescribed in Lev. xvi.; xxiii. 26\u201332; Num. xxix.\n7\u201311. The day was to be regarded as a _high Sabbath_, a day of _holy\nConvocation_, on which the Israelites, under pain of extirpation, were\nexpected to _afflict their souls_ with fasting and mourning. (Comp.\nLev. xvi. 29, 31 with Acts xxvii. 9.) The ritual was as follows. The\nHigh-priest having bathed, arrayed himself not in his gorgeous robes,\nbut in the white linen garments common to himself and the rest of\nthe priesthood. As a sacrifice for himself and the priests he brought\na bullock for a Sin-offering, and a ram for a Burnt-offering, which\nhe had purchased at his own cost; as a sacrifice for the people two\nhe-goats for a Sin-offering, and a ram for a Burnt-offering, which were\npurchased out of the public treasury. The two he-goats he then brought\nto the Door of the Tabernacle, _i.e._ to the Brazen Altar, and there\nhaving presented them before the Lord, cast two lots upon them, one\ninscribed _for Jehovah_, the other for _Azazel_[98]. This done, as the\nhead of a priesthood itself _compassed with infirmity_ (Heb. v. 2), he\nfirst proceeded to make atonement for his own order. Accordingly he\nslew the bullock, and taking a censer filled with live coals from the\nAltar of Burnt-offering and two handfuls of Incense, he passed with\nthese through the Holy Place onwards behind the veil into the Holy of\nHolies, and there threw the incense upon the coals so that the fragrant\ncloud might envelope the Mercy-Seat. Then returning to the Brazen Altar\nand taking some of the blood of the bullock in a vessel he once more\npassed into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it seven times before\nthe Mercy-Seat, the seat of the glory of Jehovah. Having thus made\nexpiation for himself and his own order, he slew the goat upon which\nthe lot _for Jehovah_ had fallen as a Sin-offering for the people, and\nsprinkled its blood as he had done that of the bullock. Then on his\nreturn from the Holy of Holies he purified the Holy Place, now solitary\nand deserted, by sprinkling the blood of both victims seven times on\nthe horns of the Golden Altar of Incense, and, as some think, on those\nof the Altar of Burnt-offering.\n\nThe purification of the Tabernacle completed, he came forth and laid\nboth his hands upon the goat, on which the lot _for Azazel_ had fallen,\nsolemnly confessed over it the sins of the people, and then gave it\nto a man chosen for the purpose to be led away into the wilderness,\n_into a place not inhabited_, and there let loose. This done, he once\nmore entered the Tabernacle, bathed, and having arrayed himself in\nhis gorgeous robes, offered the two rams as a burnt-offering, one for\nhimself, the other for the people, and at the same time placed upon the\naltar the fat of the two sin-offerings[99]. While these were consuming,\nthe remains of the victims were conveyed outside the camp, nor could\nthey who were deputed for this office, or the man who had led away the\nscape-goat, return into the camp till they had purified themselves and\ntheir clothes with water.\n\nThe distinction between this solemnity and others is very striking.\nIt took place but once a year, five days before the joyous Feast\nof Tabernacles, which testified to the nation\u2019s gratitude for\nthe preservation of _the seasonable fruits of the earth_. In it\nthe High-priest alone officiated. Clad not in his gorgeous robes,\nbut in the simple, pure white robes common to him and the rest of\nthe priesthood, he made expiation for himself, his order, and the\npeople,\u2015\u2015an atonement for the sins of the whole year. On this day,\nand this day only, he entered within the Veil, and sprinkled the blood\nbefore the Mercy-Seat seven times. On this day, and this day only,\nthe idea of the remission of sin found its highest expression in the\nsacrifice of one goat as a sin-offering to Jehovah, and the solemn\nconfession of the sins of the whole people over another, and its\ndismissal laden with its awful typical burden into a far distant and\nseparated land, _a land not inhabited_, lying, as it were, under the\ncurse of Jehovah. This solemnity contained the exact antidote to the\nsombre and often cruel rites of heathenism. The lots were cast over\nboth the goats, both were presented to Jehovah at the Door of the\nTabernacle, at _His_ command the Scape-Goat carried away the burden\nof the people\u2019s sins into an unknown desert land, _He_ sanctified the\npeople, and accepted the atonement for the High-priest, the priestly\norder, and the entire nation, and the purification of the Place where\nHe had condescended to meet the Israelites. In the Epistle to the\nHebrews (ix., x.) we have the key to the expressive imagery of this\nGreat Day in the Jewish year. The fact that once in the year the\nHigh-priest could enter within the Veil, intimated that under a system\nof provisional and typical ordinances the way _into the Holiest of\nall was not as yet made manifest_. But when the true High-priest, even\nJesus Christ, offered Himself unto death on the Altar of His Cross for\nthe sins of the whole world, the Veil of the Temple _was rent in twain\nfrom the top to the bottom_ (Matt. xxvii. 51; Mark xv. 38). He died,\nHe rose again, and, clad not in the resplendent robes of that Divine\nNature He had before the world, but in the garb of our human nature,\nHe ascended into the Heavenly Sanctuary, the antitype of the Jewish\nSanctuary on earth, and there pleads, and will for ever plead, the\nmerits of His blood before the throne of God.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _THE GREAT FESTIVALS._\n EXOD. XXIII. 14\u201317; LEV. XXIII. 1\u201322;\n NUM. XXVIII. 16\u201331; DEUT. XVI. 1\u201316.\n\n\nTHE great Historical Festivals, at which all males amongst the\nIsraelites were required to appear before the Lord, were, as has\nbeen said already, (i) _The Passover_; (ii) _The Feast of Weeks or\nPentecost_; (iii) _The Feast of Tabernacles_.\n\n(i) _The Passover._ The original institution of this Festival has been\nalready noticed. The directions for its yearly celebration are given in\nEx. xxiii. 14\u201317; Lev. xxiii. 5\u20138; Num. xxviii. 16\u201325; Deut. xvi. 1\u20138.\n\nAs in Egypt, so now, on the 10th day of _Nisan_ or _Abib_,\ncorresponding to the close of March or the beginning of April, each\nPaschal company, which might not exceed twenty or be less than ten,\nwas to select a lamb or kid, a male of the first year, and keep it till\nthe 14th day. If pronounced by the priests to be free from blemish, it\nwas to be slain _between the evenings_, in the Court of the Tabernacle,\nand its blood poured round the Altar of Burnt-offering. It was then,\nafter being flayed, to be taken to the house where the Paschal Company\nintended to assemble, to be roasted with fire, whole and entire without\nthe breaking of a single bone, and to be eaten with unleavened bread\nand bitter herbs.\n\nThe Festival lasted from the 14th to the 21st of Nisan, and during\nthis period nothing but unleavened bread might be eaten, and all leaven\nwas to be carefully removed from the house before the 14th. The daily\nsacrifices for the nation consisted of (i) a _Burnt-Offering_ of two\nbullocks, one ram, seven yearling lambs, accompanied by the usual\nmeat-offering, and (ii) one goat for a _Sin-Offering_. Thank-offerings,\ncalled by the Jews _Chagigah_, might also be offered by individuals\nduring the Festival, especially on the 15th, the first day of Holy\nConvocation. (Comp. Lev. vii. 29\u201334; 2 Ch. xxx. 22\u201344; xxxv. 7.)\n\nOn the 16th the first ripe sheaf of barley was to be brought into the\nsanctuary, and there waved by the priest before the Lord, and at the\nsame time a yearling lamb was offered with a meat- and drink-offering\n(see Lev. xxiii. 9\u201314). Till this sheaf had thus been waved, and\nthis offering presented, no produce of the now ripening harvest,\nwhether bread or parched corn, or green ears, might be eaten (Josh.\nv. 11, 12)[100].\n\n(ii) At the end of seven complete weeks from the 16th of Nisan, the\nsecond day of unleavened bread, commenced _the_ FEAST OF WEEKS (Ex.\nxxxiv. 22; Deut. xvi. 10), or of _Harvest_ (Ex. xxiii. 16), or of\n_First-fruits_ (Numb. xxviii. 26), or of _Pentecost_ (Acts ii. 1),\nfrom the Greek word for the _fiftieth_ day.\n\nThe passages bearing on it will be found in Ex. xxiii. 16; Lev. xxiii.\n15\u201322; Num. xxviii. 26\u201331; Deut. xvi. 9\u201312.\n\nThe Festival lasted but one day, which was kept with a holy Convocation.\nIts distinguishing feature was the offering of _two leavened loaves_,\nmade from the new corn of the now completed harvest, which together\nwith two lambs as a thank-offering were waved before the Lord. The\nespecial sacrifices in addition to the daily offering were one young\nbullock, two rams, and seven yearling lambs as a _Burnt-offering_ with\nthe usual meat- and drink-offering, and a goat for a _Sin-offering_;\nbut thank-offerings might, as at the Passover, be made at pleasure by\nindividuals.\n\nThe character of the Festival was pre-eminently an expression of\ngratitude for the harvest, which commenced with the offering of the\nfirst sheaf of ripe barley at the Passover, and ended with that of\nthe two loaves now presented and made of the newly-ripened wheat. In\nits festive joy the man-servant and maid-servant, the stranger, the\nfatherless and the widow were to share with the freeborn Israelite, who\nwas to be reminded of the bondage in Egypt, and his obligation to keep\nthe Law[101] (Deut. xvi. 12).\n\n(iii) The Feast of _Tabernacles_ or of _Ingathering_ (Ex. xxxiv. 22)\nwas so called as being (i) a feast of thanksgiving for the completion\nof the ingathering of fruits and of the vintage, and (ii) as\ncommemorating the dwelling of the Israelites in tents during their\nwanderings in the wilderness (Lev. xxiii. 43).\n\nThe chief passages relating to it are Ex. xxiii. 16; Lev. xxiii. 34\u201343;\nNum. xxix. 13\u201339; Deut. xvi. 13\u201315; and compare with these Neh. viii.\n\nIt was celebrated in the autumn on the 15th of the seventh month Tisri,\nand lasted seven days, of which the first and last were days of Holy\nConvocation. It was the most joyous of all the Festivals. During it the\nIsraelites were commanded to live in tents or booths of green boughs of\nthe olive, palm, pine, myrtle, and other trees with thick foliage (Neh.\nviii. 15, 16). The burnt-offerings were more numerous at this Feast\nthan any other, including, besides the sacrifice on each day of 2 rams,\n14 lambs, and a kid for a sin-offering, that of 70 bullocks, 13 on the\nfirst day, 12 on the second, and so on to the seventh, when 7 bullocks\nonly were offered. If the Festival fell in a Sabbatical year, portions\nof the Law, chiefly Deuteronomy, were read each day in public (Deut.\nxxxi. 10\u201312; Neh. viii. 18). The most remarkable celebrations of this\nFeast were (i) at the dedication of Solomon\u2019s Temple (1 Kings viii.\n2, 65); (ii) after the Captivity (Ezra iii. 4; Neh. viii. 17)[102].\n\nLater festivals were (i) the Feast of PURIM, or _Lots_, instituted\nby Mordecai to commemorate the defeat of Haman\u2019s machinations against\nthe Jews (Esth. iii. 7\u201315; ix. 24\u201326). It began on the 14th day of the\n12th month Adar, and lasted two days. (ii) The Feast of DEDICATION,\nto commemorate the cleansing of the Temple after its defilement by\nAntiochus Epiphanes (Dan. xi. 31). Established by Judas Maccab\u00e6us,\nit was kept on the 25th of the winter month Chisleu, _December_ (Jn.\nx. 22), and lasted eight days, being distinguished by the offering of\nmany sacrifices, a general illumination (hence its name the _Feast of\nLights_), and other rejoicings.\n\nIn Scripture, dates are often fixed by a reference to the seasons\nor productions (Num. xiii. 20; 2 Sam. xxi. 9). The following Table,\ntherefore, is here given, in which the civil and sacred months, their\n_approximate_ English equivalents, the various annual feasts, and the\nchief features of the seasons are combined. It is assumed that _Abib_\nor _Nisan_ answers to April. (See Article _Month_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib.\nDict._ and Angus\u2019s _Bible Handbook_, p. 270.)\n\n CALENDAR\n Year\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 English Seasons\n Sacred Month and\n Civil Month (nearly) Festivals \u2502 Productions\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n i.\u2502 7\u2502 ABIB or \u2502April\u250214. The PASSOVER\u2502 Fall of the _latter_\n \u2502 \u2502 NISAN \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 or _spring_ rain.\n \u2502 \u2502 (_green \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (Deut. xi. 14.)\n \u2502 \u2502 ears_) \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Floods\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 30 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (Josh. iii. 14).\n \u2502 \u2502Exod. xii. 2\u2502 \u250216. First-fruits\u2502HARVEST\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 of \u2502 Barley ripe at Jericho.\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 barley-harvest\u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 presented \u2502 Wheat partly in the ear.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n ii.\u2502 8\u2502 ZIF \u2502 May \u250214. _Second \u2502 Barley harvest general\n \u2502 \u2502(_blossom_) \u2502 \u2502 Passover_ for \u2502 (Ruth i. 22).\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 29 \u2502 \u2502 those who \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 1 Kings \u2502 \u2502 could not keep\u2502 Wheat ripens.\n \u2502 \u2502 vi. 1 \u2502 \u2502 the first. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Num. ix. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 10, 11 \u2502\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n iii.\u2502 9\u2502 SIVAN \u2502 June\u2502 6. PENTECOST \u2502 Wheat harvest. Summer\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 30 \u2502 \u2502 or FEAST OF \u2502 begins.\n \u2502 \u2502 Esth. \u2502 \u2502 WEEKS \u2502 No rain from April\n \u2502 \u2502 viii. 9. \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 to Sept. (1 Sam.\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 xii. 17).\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n iv.\u250210\u2502 THAMMUZ \u2502 July\u2502 \u2502HOT SEASON.\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 29 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Heat increases.\n \u2502 \u2502 Zec. \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 viii. 19 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n v.\u250211\u2502 AB \u2502 Aug.\u2502 \u2502 The streams dry up.\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 30 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Heat intense.\n \u2502 \u2502Esth. vii. 9\u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Vintage (Lev. xxvi. 5).\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n vi.\u250212\u2502 ELUL \u2502Sept.\u2502 \u2502 Heat still intense\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 29 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (2 Kin. iv. 18\u201320).\n \u2502 \u2502Neh. vi. 15 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Grape harvest general\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (Num. xiii. 23).\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n vii.\u2502 1\u2502 TISRI or \u2502 Oct.\u25021. Feast of \u2502SEED TIME\n \u2502 \u2502 ETHANIM \u2502 \u2502 _Trumpets_ \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 30 \u2502 \u250210. Day of \u2502 Former or early rains\n \u2502 \u2502 1 Kin. \u2502 \u2502 ATONEMENT \u2502 begin (Joel ii. 23).\n \u2502 \u2502 viii. 2 \u2502 \u250215. Feast of \u2502 Ploughing and sowing\n \u2502 \u25022 Chr. v. 3 \u2502 \u2502 TABERNACLES \u2502 begin.\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 First-fruits \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 of wine and \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 oil (Lev. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 xxiii. 39) \u2502\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n viii.\u2502 2\u2502 BUL \u2502 Nov.\u2502 \u2502 Rain continues.\n \u2502 \u2502 (_rain_) \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 29 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Wheat and barley\n \u2502 \u2502 1 Kin. \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 sown. Vintage in\n \u2502 \u2502 vi. 38 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 N. Palestine.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n ix.\u2502 3\u2502 CHISLEU \u2502 Dec.\u2502 \u2502WINTER\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 30 \u2502 \u250225. Feast of \u2502 Winter begins. Snow on\n \u2502 \u2502 Neh. i. 1 \u2502 \u2502 _Dedication_ \u2502 the mountains.\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (1 Macc. \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 iv. 52\u201359) \u2502\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n x.\u2502 4\u2502 THEBETH \u2502 Jan.\u2502 \u2502 Coldest month. Hail,\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 29 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 snow (Josh. x. 11).\n \u2502 \u2502Est. ii. 16 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n xi.\u2502 5\u2502 SHEBAT \u2502 Feb.\u2502 \u2502 Weather gradually\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 30 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 becomes warmer.\n \u2502 \u2502 Zech. i. 7 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n xii.\u2502 6\u2502 ADAR \u2502March\u2502 \u2502COLD SEASON\n \u2502 \u2502 Days 29 \u2502 \u250214, 15. Feast of\u2502 Thunder and hail\n \u2502 \u2502Esth. iii. 7\u2502 \u2502 _Purim_ \u2502 frequent.\n \u2502 \u2502Esth. ix. 27\u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Almond-tree blossoms.\n\n\n\n\n NOTE.\n\n _Laws of Purity._\n\n\n Not altogether unconnected with these regulations respecting\n Holy Times and Seasons were other enactments of the Mosaic code,\n having for their object the enforcement of ideas of purity and\n holiness. _Ye shall be holy unto Me_, was the Divine command;\n _for I the Lord thy God am holy, and have severed you from other\n people that ye should be Mine_ (Lev. xix. 2; xx. 7). Many of\n these regulations were, doubtless, laws of health, tending\n to regulate diet, enforce cleanliness, and guard against many\n prevalent disorders. But over and above this, they had a higher\n object, and formed part of the moral discipline of the elect\n nation.\n\n They regard (i) things unclean to eat; (ii) things unclean to\n touch; (iii) unclean matters or conditions[103].\n\n i. _Things unclean to eat._ The prohibitions respecting food\n follow directly the laws concerning sacrifice. Portions of many\n sacrifices, as we have seen, might be eaten. From this eating\n the Law passes on to food generally, the nature of which has\n \u201ccommonly no little influence on the refinement and manners of a\n people.\u201d Concerning vegetable eating, no rules are laid down. In\n respect to animal food, the laws are clear and precise. (i) Of\n _quadrupeds_, the clean were such as _both parted the hoof and\n chewed the cud_, all others were unclean. All animals, therefore,\n used in sacrifice might be eaten, as also the numerous species\n of deer and gazelles (Deut. xiv. 5), but none of the _carnivora_,\n or such animals as the camel, coney, hare, or pig. (ii) Of\n _birds_ also, all that were offered in sacrifice might be eaten,\n such as doves, pigeons, and also quails, but all birds of prey,\n and nearly all the water-fowl, were unclean. (iii) Of _Fish_,\n those only were clean that had both fins and scales. (iv) All\n _Reptiles_ and _Insects_ were unclean, except locusts, and such\n as had four legs for walking and two for springing (Lev. xi.\n 21, 22; comp. Matt. iii. 4). But the Israelite was also strictly\n forbidden to eat anything that died of itself (Ex. xxii. 31), or\n was torn by beasts, emphatically the blood of any animal (Gen.\n ix. 4; Lev. iii. 17; xvii. 10, 12; Comp. 1 Sam. xiv. 32, 33).\n\n (ii) _Things unclean to touch._ An Israelite incurred defilement\n who touched or handled (i) the dead body of any animal, whether\n clean or unclean (Lev. xi. 24\u201328), (ii) the body, bones, or\n grave of a dead man (Num. xix. 11, 13, 16). The latter was\n deemed a defilement calling for special purification. The person\n was unclean seven days. For his cleansing a young red heifer\n was slain outside the camp or town, in the presence of one of\n the priests. Some of the blood the priest was then to sprinkle\n seven times in the direction of the Sanctuary, to burn the\n entire carcase, and cast into the fire cedar-wood, scarlet wool,\n and hyssop. The ashes were then collected, and laid up in a\n clean place, and a portion mixed with water was to be sprinkled\n on whatever had been defiled, man, or place, or vessel. This\n ceremony was to be repeated twice, on the third and on the\n seventh day. On the latter day the person defiled washed his\n clothes, bathed, and was clean at even. But still stricter\n regulations were enforced when a priest or a Nazarite had become\n defiled (Num. xix. 1\u201322).\n\n (iii) _Unclean matters or conditions._ Many are enumerated, but\n we need speak of only one, the disease of LEPROSY. This fearful\n malady, indigenous in Egypt and Asia Minor, disfiguring the\n whole person, and making it horrible to the beholder, was called\n by the Jews _the Stroke_, and even by the Greeks the _first-born\n son of Death_[104]. It made itself apparent by a white swelling\n on the skin, especially on the face, turning the skin white (Ex.\n iv. 6), and the hair white or yellow (Lev. xiii. 3, 10, 30), and\n producing other disfigurements. The person affected with it was\n instantly to repair to the priests (Lev. xiii. 2, 9), whose duty\n it was to make a minute examination, and pronounce whether it\n was a case of \u201ctrue leprosy.\u201d If so, the sufferer was pronounced\n _utterly unclean_, and forthwith assumed the awful badges of\n his sad condition. He rent his clothes, bared his head, put\n a covering on his upper lip (Lev. xiii. 45), as though he was\n mourning for the dead (Ezek. xxiv. 17, 22), and wherever he\n went cried out, _Unclean! unclean!_ An exile from his home, his\n family, his friends (Num. v. 2), he was bound to reside without\n the camp or city in a separate house by himself, or in the\n society of others similarly afflicted (Lev. xiii. 46; 2 Kings\n xv. 5; 2 Kings vii. 3; Lk. xvii. 12). No Israelite ever pretended\n to effect a cure of this awful malady. The priest could pronounce\n upon the symptoms, shut out the sufferer from the congregation,\n but he had no power to heal. If, however, the symptoms abated,\n and there were any signs of a cure, the sufferer again went to\n the priest, who carefully ascertained whether this was the case.\n If so, a peculiar ceremony celebrated the healing. It consisted\n of two stages, (i) Two birds were taken, one killed by the\n priest over running water, the other dipped, together with\n cedar-wood, scarlet wool, and hyssop, in its blood, and suffered\n to fly away into the open air. The priest then sprinkled the\n leper with the blood seven times, and pronounced him clean.\n (ii) But before he could return to the society of his fellowmen,\n he must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, bathe, and\n then present himself at the Sanctuary with a he-lamb as a\n _Trespass-offering_, an ewe lamb as a _Sin-offering_, and\n a he-lamb as a _Burnt-offering_ with its usual meat-offering.\n In cases of poverty two doves or pigeons might be presented\n in place of the two latter offerings, but the he-lamb as a\n _Trespass-offering_ was indispensable. This was first slain,\n and its blood smeared by the priest on the leper\u2019s right ear,\n the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot.\n Consecrated oil was then similarly applied, and poured on his\n head, and the other sacrifices offered, at the conclusion of\n which atonement was deemed to have been made, and the Leper was\n clean (Lev. xiv. 49\u201353).\n\n The regulations respecting this fearful malady were no mere\n sanitary regulations, for it was not catching from one person\n to another (comp. 2 Kings v. 1; viii. 4), and the ordinances\n respecting it did not apply to the stranger and the sojourner.\n \u201cFrom the whole host of maladies and diseases which had\n broken in upon man\u2019s body, God selected this, the sickness of\n sicknesses, that He might thereby testify against that out of\n which it and all other sicknesses grew, against SIN, as not\n from Him, and as grievous in His sight[105].\u201d It was the outward\n and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption, a meet\n emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal\n disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole\n body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man\u2019s inner\n nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the Presence of a Pure\n and Holy God.\n\n (iv) Among the _Vows_ known before the time of Moses (and which,\n as a general rule, were discouraged by him, comp. Deut. xxiii.\n 21\u201323) was that of the _Nazarite_. The person making this vow\n was bound, usually for a certain term, to abstain from wine or\n strong drink, from grapes or anything made from the vine, from\n cutting the hair of his head, or approaching a corpse, even\n that of his nearest relative (Num. vi. 2\u20137). If he accidentally\n touched a corpse, he was obliged on the seventh day to cut\n off his hair, and begin his vow afresh on the next day, after\n presenting to the priest two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons,\n one for a sin, and the other for a burnt-offering, and a lamb\n as a trespass-offering. At the expiration of his vow, he brought\n to the Tabernacle a burnt-, sin-, and thank-offering (Lev. vii.\n 12, 13) with a meat- and drink-offering (Num. vi. 15), had the\n left shoulder of the thank-offering waved upon his hands by the\n priest (Num. vi. 19, 20), and cutting off his hair burnt it in\n the fire on the altar. Of Nazarites for life three are mentioned\n in Scripture, _Samson_ (the only one actually called a Nazarite,\n Judg. xiii. 5), _Samuel_ (1 Sam. i. 11), _John the Baptist_\n (Lk. i. 15).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _CIVIL AND MORAL LAWS._\n EXOD. XXI.\u2013XXIII. DEUT. XIX.\u2013XXIV.\n\n\nHITHERTO we have been concerned with those portions of the Mosaic Law,\nwhich instructed the Israelite in his duty towards God, and the mode in\nwhich He was to be worshipped. We will now turn to the chief of those\nwhich instructed him in his duty as (i) _a member of a family_, and\n(ii) _of a nation_.\n\n(i) The FAMILY RELATIONS include (1) _The mutual duties of Parents and\nChildren_, (2) _of Husband and Wife_, (3) _of Master and Servant_.\n\n(1) _The duties of Parents and Children._ Reverence for parents\nis enjoined in the Decalogue as the first duty next after those\nappertaining to God Himself. _Honour thy father and mother_ is the\nfirst and the only commandment to which a promise of long life and\ncontinuance in the Promised Land is definitely attached (Ex. xx. 12;\nEph. vi. 2), and to smite or revile father or mother is made a capital\noffence (Ex. xxi. 15, 17; Lev. xix. 3; xx. 9). In the Patriarchal\ntimes, as we have already seen[106], the authority of the father over\nhis children was very great. His blessing conferred special benefits,\nhis curse special injury (Gen. ix. 25, 27; xxvii. 27\u201340; xlviii. 15, 20;\nxlix.). His authority was of great moment, not only in the marriage of\nsons (Gen. xxiv. 3), but of daughters, though in the latter case the\nconsent of the brothers, or at least of the elder brother, was deemed\nimportant (Gen. xxiv. 50, 51; xxxiv. 11). But the Mosaic Law did not\ninvest the father with the same boundless power as the Greek or Roman\nLaw[107]. He could not inflict death irresponsibly. The incorrigible\nson, whom he could not restrain from flagrant crimes, he might bring\nbefore the elders of the city, who, having obtained the concurrence of\n_both_ parents, might sentence him to be stoned to death. But in the\nexecution of the judgment the whole congregation were required to take\npart, in order to promote a more general abhorrence of the sin (Deut.\nxxi. 18\u201321). The father could not disinherit his sons; to the firstborn\nhe must give two portions, and equal shares to the rest; but in case of\nextreme indigence he might sell his children, especially his daughters,\ninto servitude, or surrender them to creditors as a pledge (Ex. xxi. 7).\n\n(2) _The Relations of Husband and Wife._ The institution of marriage\nwas jealously guarded by the Mosaic Law. Adultery ranked next to\nmurder, and the punishment for both parties was death by stoning (Lev.\nxviii. 20; xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22). In deference to the universal\ncustom of Oriental nations, and the example of the Patriarchs, polygamy\nwas _allowed_, though by no means _encouraged_, and though frequently\npractised by the kings of Israel, was rare in private life (1 Sam.\ni. 2). The right of divorce was conceded (Deut. xxiv. 1\u20134) on account\nof _the hardness of the hearts_ of the people (Matt. xix. 8), but a\nwoman once divorced and marrying again might not return to her first\nhusband, either on the death of, or when put away by, the second. The\nMosaic Law sanctioned a custom of the Patriarchal age (Gen. xxxviii. 8),\nwhich made it necessary that if a man died childless, his wife should\nbe taken in marriage by his surviving brother, and it was further\nordained that the firstborn son by such a marriage should succeed\nin the name of his brother, that it be not put out in Israel (Deut.\nxxv. 5, &c.). The rigour, however, of the old custom was relaxed. If\nthe brother had children of his own alive, he was exempt; and if he\ndeclared in open court his unwillingness to enter into the marriage,\nthe duty devolved on the next relation of the deceased husband. (See\nRuth iv. 5\u201311.)\n\n(3) _The Relation of Master and Servant._ Slavery existed amongst\nthe Israelites as amongst all other Eastern nations. Slaves could be\nacquired in four ways. (1) They might be taken in war (Num. xxxi. 11,\n35; Deut. xx. 14); (2) they might be purchased of parents or former\nowners or merchants in time of peace (Gen. xvii. 23; Lev. xxv. 44, 45);\n(3) they might have sold themselves in satisfaction for a debt (Lev.\nxxv. 39\u201343; 2 Kings iv. 1); (4) they might be the children of slaves\nborn in their master\u2019s house. But while slavery was thus recognised\nas an institution, it was the aim of the Mosaic Law to mitigate its\nevils as much as possible. Thus, not only does it open with a number\nof precepts relating to slaves (Ex. xxi. 2\u20136), but it ever pronounced\nthem to be equal before God as regarded their spiritual relation, and\nfreely admitted them to all religious privileges, circumcision (Gen.\nxvii. 10\u201314; Ex. xii. 44), the rest of the Sabbath (Ex. xx. 10),\nthe festivals (Ex. xii. 44), and gave them an interest in all the\nsacrifices offered by the family (Deut. xvi. 11, 14).\n\nIn regard, again, to civil rights, the Hebrew slave was never looked\nupon as a mere _thing_ or _chattel_. A master could not chastise a\nslave to death without being punished (Ex. xxi. 20, 21), and if he\ninflicted bodily mutilation, the slave, whether male or female, might\nclaim to be free (Ex. xxi. 26, 27). In the seventh year of his service\nthe Hebrew slave might take up his freedom, leaving, however, his\nwife given him by his master during service and her children (Ex. xxi.\n3, 4); if he declined to avail himself of this privilege, his master\nmight take him before the elders, bore his ear with an awl to the door,\nand then he was his servant for ever, _i.e._ till the year of Jubilee\n(Ex. xxi. 5, 6; Deut. xv. 16, 17). Moreover, as the Israelites when\ndelivered from Egyptian bondage had not gone forth empty, so the\nHebrew bondslave at his release (which took effect in the Jubilee\nyear, even though he had not served his full time) was to be furnished\nliberally out of the flock, the floor, and the winepress (Deut. xv.\n13, 14). Besides bondslaves we also find _hired servants_ among the\nHebrews. They were to be treated kindly, and their wages duly paid (Lev.\nxix. 13; Deut. xxiv. 14, 15). Strangers also within the gates, whether\nrunaway slaves or exiles from their own land, who would naturally be in\nextreme want, were to be treated with great kindness, for the Israelite\nhimself was a _stranger in the land of Egypt_ (Ex. xxii. 21; xxiii. 9).\nTogether with the poor generally, whether Hebrews or heathens, they\nwere to have the free enjoyment of the gleaning of the field and\nthe garden (Lev. xix. 9, 10; xxiii. 22; Deut. xxiv. 19\u201321), of the\nspontaneous produce of the Sabbatical year (Lev. xxv. 5, 6), of the\nsacrificial and tithe-feasts (Deut. xiv. 28, 29), and their share at\njoyous family festivals, such as marriages, circumcision, the weaning\nof children.\n\n(ii) The Laws affecting the Israelite in his civil capacity may be\narranged in three groups, according as they regarded the sanctity of\n(1) _Life_, (2) _Character_, and (3) _Property_.\n\n(1) _Life._ The Laws protecting the life and person include those\nagainst (a) _premeditated murder_, and (b) _unintentional manslaughter_.\n\n(a) _Premeditated murder._ The wilful shedder of man\u2019s blood met with\nno compassion from the Mosaic Code. The original law at Sinai (Ex.\nxxi. 12\u201314) and the subsequent repetition of it (Deut. xix. 11\u201313) made\ndeath the inevitable penalty of murder, even as it had been in the days\nof Noah (Gen. ix. 6). The murderer was regarded as accursed; for him\nthe horns of the altar were to be no refuge; he was to be dragged from\nthem by force to suffer his doom, nor could rank or wealth exempt him\nfrom it, for it was expressly provided that on no pretext whatever\nshould any ransom be taken (Num. xxxv. 31, 32). Nor was his person only\nregarded as accursed, but so long as he remained undiscovered, even\nthe land was looked upon as polluted. If no efforts could detect the\nmurderer, the elders of the nearest town were to take a heifer, and\nbring it down to a _rough valley, neither eared nor sown_, and there\nstrike off its head. They were then to wash their hands over it, and in\nthe presence of the Levites pronounce the following words; _Our hands\nhave not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Be merciful,\nO Lord, unto Thy people, whom Thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent\nblood to Thy people of Israel\u2019s charge_. Thus atonement was to be made\n(Deut. xxi. 1\u20139).\n\n(b) _Unintentional homicide._ Prior to the Mosaic age, the duty of\navenging blood devolved upon the next of kin, who was called the Goel\nor _Avenger_, and together with his office inherited the property of\nthe deceased. Sometimes a whole family took upon them this duty (2 Sam.\nxiv. 7). Amongst the other nations, as the Arab tribes of the present\nday, \u201cany bloodshed whatever, whether wilful or accidental, laid the\nhomicide open to the _duteous_ revenge of the relatives and family of\nthe slain person, who again in their turn were then similarly watched\nand hunted by the opposite party, until a family war of extermination\nhad legally settled itself from generation to generation, without the\nleast prospect of a peaceful termination.\u201d It was the aim of the Mosaic\nLaw, without abolishing this long established custom, to mitigate its\nevils as far as possible. Accordingly it was directed that, on the\narrival of the people in the Promised Land, six _Cities of Refuge_\nshould be set apart, to which the homicide might fly, if not overtaken\nby the _Avenger_. Of these, three were to be on either side of the\nJordan, almost equally remote from each other, and the roads leading\nto them were to be kept in a state of perfect repair (Ex. xxi. 13; Num.\nxxxv. 11; Deut. xix. 3). They were to be chosen out of the priestly\nand Levitical cities, as likely to be inhabited by the most intelligent\nportion of the community. On reaching one of them, the case of the\nhomicide was to be examined by the elders; if they pronounced him\nguilty he was to be delivered up to the Avenger; if innocent, an abode\nwas to be provided him in the city, where he was to remain till the\ndeath of the high-priest, but if found at any time by the Avenger\nbeyond the limit of protection, 2000 cubits, he was liable to be put to\ndeath. On the demise of the high-priest he might return to the city of\nhis possession (Num. xxxv. 25, 28)[108].\n\n(2) The sacredness of a _man\u2019s character_ was enforced by the\ncommandment in the Decalogue forbidding _false witness_, and by laws\nprohibiting calumny, hatred, partiality in judgment for rich or poor\n(Ex. xxiii. 1\u20133; Lev. xix. 16\u201318). No exact penalty was enforced,\nbut it was enjoined that in case of false witness the parties should\nbe brought before the priests and judges, and if after diligent\ninquisition the charge was established, then should be done unto the\nslanderer as he had thought to have done unto his brother, that so the\nevil might be put away (Deut. xix. 19\u201321).\n\n(3) _Property_ was carefully guarded in the Mosaic Law, which forbade\nnot only stealing, the act, but coveting, the intention.\n\n(a) _Direct theft_ was punished by restitution. If the stolen goods\nwere found in the hands of the thief, he was to restore twofold; if\nbefore his detection he had applied them to his own use, he was to\nrestore five oxen for an ox, four sheep for a sheep (Comp. 2 Sam.\nxii. 6); but a still heavier fine was exacted if he had not only sold,\nbut killed and injured. If unable to pay the fine, he was to be sold\ninto slavery to a Hebrew master, and serve him till he could pay (Ex.\nxxii. 1\u20134). A night-thief might be resisted even to death (Ex. xxii. 2).\nMan-stealing or kidnapping was a capital offence (Ex. xxi. 16). The\ncrime of removing a neighbour\u2019s landmark was severely reprobated (Deut.\nxix. 14; xxvii. 17).\n\n(b) _Indirect injury through carelessness or other causes._ This\nincluded injury done to property entrusted to another for safe keeping.\nIf it was stolen and the thief detected, he was to repay double; if he\ncould not be found, the trustee, on being declared guilty of negligence\nby the judges, was to restore twofold. Compensation was also exacted,\nwhere property was injured through a pit being left open, through\ncattle straying amongst other cattle or trespassing on another\u2019s land,\nor through fire spreading to standing corn (Ex. xxi. 33\u201336; xxii. 5, 6).\nStraying or suffering beasts, even if the property of an enemy, were to\nbe brought back or relieved (Ex. xxiii. 4, 5).\n\n _Land._ All land was to be regarded as belonging to God, and\n the holders as His tenants. At the conquest of Palestine each\n tribe was to have its allotment, and each family its portion,\n and these were to remain for ever inalienable (Num. xxvii. 1\u201311;\n xxxvi.; comp. 1 Kings xxi. 3; 2 Kings ix. 25, 26). All sold land,\n therefore, was to return to its original owners at the Jubilee,\n but might be redeemed by the owner or his representative at any\n period before then (Lev. xxv. 13\u201316, 23\u201328).\n\n _Laws of debt._ An Israelite who had fallen into debt from\n any cause, might (i) sell himself as a slave to one of his\n own nation, with the right of resuming his freedom after six\n years, and at the Jubilee recovering his inheritance, (ii) claim\n a timely loan (Deut. xv. 1\u201311), but no usury might be taken\n from an Israelite (Ex. xxii. 25\u201327; Deut. xxiii. 19, 20). Thus\n pledges would become frequent, but they might not be cruelly or\n ruinously exacted. The handmill, a necessity in every family,\n might not be pledged (Deut. xxiv. 6); the cloak must be restored\n before nightfall when it became essential (Ex. xxii. 26, 27;\n Deut. xxiv. 12, 13); the lender was not to go into the house of\n his debtor to claim his pledge, or seize any article he chose;\n he was to stand abroad, and the pledge was to be brought out to\n him (Deut. xxiv. 10, 11).\n\n\n\n\n BOOK V.\n\n FROM THE DEPARTURE FROM SINAI TO THE DEATH OF MOSES.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _KADESH-BARNEA AND THE MISSION OF THE SPIES._\n NUMB. X.\u2013XIV. B.C. 1490.\n\n\nTHE period of the encampment of the Israelites at Sinai had now\noccupied upwards of a year. The Covenant had been concluded, the Law\nhad been given, the Tabernacle had been erected, the priests had been\nconsecrated, and Jehovah dwelt in the midst of His chosen people. It\nwas now time to think of marching onwards towards Canaan. As, however,\nthe occupation of that country must of necessity be preceded by its\nconquest, an organization of the Israelitish forces was the first duty.\nAccordingly, a census was taken of all who were fit for war, or about\ntwenty years old, and the result gave a total of 603,550 fighting\nmen (Num. i. 46), to whom if we add the Levites, the women, and the\nchildren, we may conclude that the host numbered altogether between\ntwo and three millions. The first anniversary of the Passover was then\nduly celebrated, and on the twentieth day of the second month in the\nsecond year, the Pillar of Cloud moved from off the Tabernacle, and\nthis signal for departure having been given, the order of the march\nwas marshalled.\n\nFirst, borne by the Kohathites, went the Ark of the Covenant, the\nlid of which was the throne of Jehovah, and was overspread by the\nCloudy Pillar (Num. x. 33). Then followed the tribe of Judah, the most\nnumerous and the strongest of all the tribes, supported by Issachar\nand Zebulun, under the standard of a \u201cLion,\u201d the ensign of Judah. Then\nfollowed the sons of Gershon and Merari, bearing the external portions\nof the Tabernacle, the coverings and hangings, the boards, the pillars,\nand the sockets. They were succeeded by the tribe of Reuben, flanked by\nGad and Simeon, marching under the common standard of Reuben, a \u201cMan\u2019s\nHead.\u201d Next came the rest of the Kohathites, bearing the sacred vessels\nof the Sanctuary. Then the tribe of Ephraim, flanked by Benjamin and\nManasseh, under the standard of Ephraim, the figure of an \u201cOx;\u201d and\nthe long procession closed with the tribe of Dan, between Naphtali\nand Asher, with the standard of Dan, an \u201cEagle with a Serpent in its\ntalons.\u201d\n\nThese arrangements having been made, the Silver Trumpets sounded, the\nsilence of the desert was broken by the shout, _Rise up, Lord, and let\nThine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before\nThee_ (Num. x. 35; comp. Ps. lxviii. 1, 2), and the march began. At\nthis time there was present in the camp HOBAB, by some supposed to\nhave been the father-in-law, by others the brother-in-law of Moses. The\nIsraelitish leader knew how invaluable would be the experience of one\nso well acquainted with every track and pass in the terrible wilderness\nthey were now about to traverse, and he earnestly entreated him to\ncontinue with them, and share the goodness which the Lord would show\nto Israel (Num. x. 29). There seems little doubt that Hobab consented\nto accompany the people, and to be to them _instead of eyes_ amidst the\ndangers of the inhospitable desert[109].\n\nIn the course of three days the host entered on the sandy plain which\nparts the mountain-mass of Sinai from the table-land of the T\u00eeh[110].\nHaving for more than a year enjoyed the pleasant encampment before\nthe Mount of God, they no sooner entered on this arid tract, than\nthey gave vent to their feelings of discontent. During the journey\nfrom the Red Sea to Sinai God had borne with similar manifestations\nof their weakness. But now that they had been brought into nearer and\nmore visible relations with Him, having the Sanctuary in their midst,\nthe Ark preceding them, and the Manna dropping upon them from day to\nday, their murmurings could not be thus passed over, but brought down\ninstant rebuke and punishment. On this occasion the Divine displeasure\nwas marked by the outbreak of a fire on the extreme outskirts of the\nencampment, which inflicted considerable damage, and was only removed\nby the intercession of Moses, who called the spot TABERAH, or _the\nburning_ (Num. xi. 1\u20133).\n\nBut this judgment had scarcely been removed when the same spirit\nof discontent broke out afresh. The _mixed multitude_, which had\naccompanied them from Egypt, and soon afterwards the Israelites\nthemselves, began to complain of the Manna, _this light food_, as\nthey called it, and lamented the loss of the fish, the cucumbers,\nthe melons, the leeks, and other vegetables, they had enjoyed in the\nfertile valley of the Nile. So loud and general were their complainings,\nthat Moses despaired of accomplishing the purport of his mission, and\npoured out his soul in prayer to God, begging for some relief from the\nburden of daily anxiety which weighed him down. In mercy towards His\ndespairing servant, the Lord bade him select seventy elders, and bring\nthem to the door of the Tabernacle, and promised to take of the spirit\nthat was upon him and bestow a portion on them, that they might share\nwith him the weight of responsibility. He also promised that on the\nmorrow flesh, such as the people had pined after, should be given them,\nand that not for one day only but for a whole month, until it became\neven more loathsome to them than the celestial food they had so lately\ndespised. In obedience to this command, the seventy elders were brought\nbefore the Tabernacle, and the Lord bestowed upon them a portion of\nthe spirit that was upon the Israelitish leader, and _they prophesied,\nand did not cease_. Two of their number, ELDAD and MEDAD, though\nselected for this high office, either from accident or some other cause,\ndid not accompany the rest to the appointed place, and though they\nremained in the camp, and at a distance from the Cloudy Pillar, became\ninspired with the same spirit. This striking incident was announced\nto Moses by Joshua, who, jealous for his master\u2019s honour, thought that\nsuch prophesying ought to be prohibited. But Moses thought otherwise.\n_Enviest thou for my sake?_ he replied; _would God that all the Lord\u2019s\npeople were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them_\n(Num. xi. 24\u201330. Comp. Mk. ix. 38; Lk. ix. 49).\n\nShortly afterwards the second promise of the Lord was also fulfilled.\nA strong wind brought up a prodigious number of quails from the sea\nin the proximity of the Gulf of Akaba, which covered the ground to the\nextent of a day\u2019s journey on either side of the camp. For two days and\na night the people were busily occupied in collecting, and spreading\nthe birds abroad, probably for the purpose of drying them. So they _did\neat and were filled_; for _God gave them of their own desire, they were\nnot estranged from their lust_ (Ps. lxxviii. 29, 30). But while the\nmeat was still _between their teeth_, His _wrath fell upon them_, and\nHe smote them with a severe plague, _and slew the mightiest of them,\neven the chosen ones of Israel_ (Ps. lxxviii. 31), and the spot where\nthey were buried was named KIBROTH HATTAAVAH, the _graves of lust_.\n\nFrom this ill-omened encampment the host proceeded in a\nnorth-easterly direction to _Hazeroth_, which is thought to have\nbeen the modern _Ain-el-Huderah_, and to have consisted of the\nunenclosed semi-permanent villages, in which the Bedouins are found\nto congregate[111]. Here a still severer trial awaited Moses. There\narrived in the camp a Cushite or Ethiopian woman (Num. xii. 1) whom he\nhad married, and who is identified by some with Zipporah, while others\nbelieve her to have been an Egyptian whom he had espoused previous to\nhis flight from that country. Hitherto the position of Miriam had been\none of great influence in the camp, and second only to that of Moses\nand Aaron (Comp. Micah vi. 4). To her the arrival of the stranger was\nmost unwelcome, and she feared she would now be deposed from her high\nposition as a \u201cmother in Israel.\u201d Having, therefore, induced Aaron to\nshare her views, she openly turned against Moses and maintained that he\nwas not the sole expositor of Jehovah\u2019s will, that she and Aaron were\nof equal authority with him (Num. xii. 1\u20134).\n\nWith his wonted self-control Moses was content to endure these\nreproaches in silence. But the Lord interposed to defend the honour\nof His servant. The Pillar of Cloud suddenly appeared before the\nTabernacle, and thither Aaron and Miriam were summoned together with\nMoses himself. There in words of stern rebuke the Lord denounced\ntheir hard speeches against His chosen servant. Very different was\nhis position from that of an ordinary prophet, to whom the Divine\nwill might be made known by vision or dream. _My servant Moses_, said\nJehovah, _is faithful in all my house. With him will I speak mouth to\nmouth, even apparently and not in dark speeches, and the similitude of\nthe Lord shall he behold; wherefore, then, were ye not afraid to speak\nagainst my servant Moses?_ With this vindication of the true position\nof the Hebrew leader the Cloud removed, and Aaron looked on Miriam,\nand behold! she had become leprous, _as white as snow_. Thereupon Moses\ninterceded for her, and the Lord promised that the judgment should\nnot be permanent, but as unclean she must remain without the camp for\nseven days, during which period the host remained at Hazeroth (Num.\nxii. 4\u201316).\n\nThe days of her purification being ended, the Israelites resumed their\nmarch, and striking northwards across the plateau of the T\u00eeh, probably\nafter several intermediate encampments, reached KADESH or KADESH-BARNEA\n(Num. xxxiii. 36). This spot, whether identified with the spring of\n_Ain-K\u016ddes_, or with _Ain-esh-Shehabeh_ south of _Jebel-el-M\u016dkhrah_, or\nwith _Ain-el-Weibeh_ in the _Arabah_[112], was at the very gates of the\nPromised Land. It required but a strenuous and persevering effort to\nreach the final goal of their long journey. This effort Moses exhorted\nthem to make (Deut. i. 20, 21), bidding them not be afraid, but go\nup boldly and possess the land, which the Lord God of their fathers\nhad given them. On this the people proposed (Deut. i. 22) that spies\nshould first be sent to ascertain the best route, and what cities\nought first to be attacked. Moses consented to this proposal, and with\nthe Divine concurrence selected twelve princes, one from each tribe,\nwhom he exhorted to make a thorough search throughout the length and\nbreadth of the land, and ascertain its character, its products, and its\ninhabitants (Deut. i. 23; Num. xiii. 1\u201320).\n\nOne of the select twelve was HOSHEA, the valiant attendant of Moses,\nwhose name was now changed to JEHOSHUA or JOSHUA (_God the Saviour_),\na title which well became the future leader of the Israelitish hosts.\nIt was now _the time of the first ripe grapes_ (Num. xiii. 20), or the\nmonth of September[113]. Setting out from the wilderness of Paran, the\nspies traversed the land as far north as Rehob on the way to Hamath,\nin the valley of the Orontes, which divides the ranges of Lebanon\nand Anti-Lebanon. Then they _ascended by the south_[114], and came to\nHebron, where dwelt Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the gigantic sons of\nAnak. In a valley opening on this city, celebrated even now for its\nvineyards, they plucked pomegranates, and figs, and a bunch with one\ncluster of grapes of such enormous size that it required to be carried\non a staff between two men, whence the valley was named ESHCOL, or\nthe _Valley of the Cluster_. With these proofs of the fertility of the\nland, after an absence of forty days, the spies returned and presented\nthemselves in the camp at Kadesh before the host assembled to hear\ntheir report.\n\nThe productiveness of the promised land, they said, was sufficiently\nattested by the fruits they had brought back. It was, indeed, _a good\nland, and flowed with milk and honey_. But the people, it could not\nbe denied, were strong, and of great stature, and among them were the\nsons of Anak, before whom they themselves appeared as grasshoppers\n(Num. xiii. 33). They were proceeding to enumerate the chief tribes\nwhom they had encountered, when Caleb, the Kenezite, of the tribe\nof Judah, one of their number, anxious to dispel the feelings of\ndespondency with which their report was received, broke in with the\nadvice that the people should make an immediate attack, and promised\nthem speedy and certain success. But, save the valiant Joshua, he found\nno other to support his brave counsels; the rest of the spies dwelt\nonly on the dangers of the expedition, and their despondency found\nbut too faithful an echo in the hearts of the people, who burst forth\ninto lamentation, openly murmured against Moses and Aaron for having\nbrought them thither, and even proposed to appoint a captain to lead\nthem back into Egypt. In vain Joshua and Caleb tried to calm the\ntumult, and to check the mutiny. The host would listen to nothing, and\neven threatened to stone them to death. But at this moment the Glory\nof Jehovah appeared before the Tabernacle in the sight of the whole\npeople. Terrible though most just was His wrath at this signal proof of\nfaithlessness, in spite of all the signs and wonders He had wrought in\ntheir midst. He threatened to destroy them utterly with pestilence, and\nmake of Moses a nation greater and mightier than they. But, as before\non Sinai, so now that unselfish leader stood heroically in the gap.\nHe pleaded earnestly with the justly offended Jehovah; he represented\nthe joy the rejection of the people would cause to the Egyptians and\nthe nations of Canaan, who had all heard of _the mighty Hand and the\nstretched out Arm_, which had guided them through the wilderness.\nFinally, he appealed to the NAME which the Lord Himself had proclaimed\non the top of Sinai[115], _the Lord God, merciful and gracious,\nlongsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth_, and implored the\nforgiveness of the people (Num. xiv. 11\u201319).\n\nHis prayer was heard. The Almighty assured him that the nation, as a\nnation, should be preserved, their name should not be utterly blotted\nout. But, save Joshua and Caleb, not one of that generation, which\nin spite of the wonders they had seen in Egypt and in the wilderness\nhad refused to trust in God, should enter into the promised Land. For\nthem, all hope of entry was cut off; every one, from twenty years old\nand upwards, should die; their carcases should lie bleaching in the\nwilderness (1 Cor. x. 5), while their children, whom they had deemed a\ncertain prey to the Canaanites, should atone for their faithlessness by\nwandering forty years, a year for each day the spies had been engaged\nin searching out the land (Num. xiv. 33, 34). As an earnest of this\njudgment, the ten spies, who by their faithless despondency had been\nthe primary cause of the mutiny, were struck with instant death, and\nthe command was given to the rest of the host to _return into the\nwilderness by the way of the Red Sea_. This announcement was received\nby the people with universal lamentation, and on the morrow they rose\nup, and in spite of the earnest exhortations of Moses (Deut. i. 42, 43),\nand the ominous circumstance that the Cloud had not removed from the\nTabernacle, made a wild rush up the steep and difficult pass, probably\n_es-Sufah_, leading into the uplands of Southern Palestine, where\nthey encountered the Amorites (Deut. i. 44), the _highlanders_ of the\nmountains, and their old enemies the Amalekites (Num. xiv. 45), by whom\nthey were driven back, routed and discomfited as far as Hormah (Num.\nxiv. 20\u201345).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _THE WANDERINGS. DEATH OF MIRIAM AND AARON._\n NUMB. XV.\u2013XXI. B.C. 1490\u20131451.\n\n\nAFTER this signal defeat it was clear that the sentence pronounced\nupon the existing generation was irrevocable, and the host remained\nfor a considerable time at Kadesh (Deut. i. 46). During this period\na formidable conspiracy broke out against the authority of Moses and\nAaron. In their natural state of mortification at recent events, the\npeople were now more than ever likely to lend a ready ear to those\nwho whispered that under the auspices of any other than their present\nleaders, they might escape from their humiliating doom, and reach the\ngoal of their hopes. Such fatal advisers soon appeared in the persons\nof KORAH, a Kohathite, of the tribe of Levi, and DATHAN, ABIRAM, and ON,\nof the tribe of Reuben. The former, jealous probably of the sacerdotal\npre-eminence of the line of Amram, and the latter loth to see their\ntribe deprived of their ancestor\u2019s right of primogeniture, conspired,\nit is thought, \u201cto place Korah at the head of a priesthood chosen by\npopular election, and possibly to restore the tribe of Reuben to the\nrights of the firstborn, of which it had been deprived[116].\u201d\n\nSuccessful in gaining over to their views 250 princes of the people,\nthey rose up against Moses and Aaron, and publicly charged them with\n_taking too much upon themselves_, and usurping functions which ought\nto have been shared by the congregation at large, who were all, every\none of them, _holy unto the Lord_. On hearing these charges Moses\nresolved to refer the matter to the Divine decision, and bade Korah\nand his company assemble on the morrow with lighted censers before the\nTabernacle. A similar summons was addressed to the Reubenite leaders,\nbut they flatly refused to attend at the place of meeting, and charged\nMoses with having disappointed the hopes of the people, and being\nanxious only to make himself a prince over them. Curiosity, however,\ninduced them to stand at the doors of their tents in full view of the\nTabernacle, where Korah and his associates stood with lighted censers\nawaiting the Divine decision (Num. xvi. 1\u201316).\n\nBefore long the Glory of the Lord appeared, and Moses was instructed\nto command that a clear space should be kept round the tents of Korah,\nDathan, and Abiram, and that the people should be careful to touch\nnothing belonging to them, lest they should be consumed in their sin.\nThen the servant of Jehovah offered to submit his claims to an awful\nand infallible test. If the ringleaders in this rebellion _died the\ncommon death of all men, or were visited after the visitation of all\nmen, then the Lord had not sent him_; but if a new and terrible fate\nbefell them, and _the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them\nup_, then it would be known that they had provoked the Lord. His words\nhad hardly been uttered, when this awful catastrophe took place. The\nearth clave asunder, and swallowed up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with\neverything belonging to them, and at the same time a fire burst forth\nand consumed the 250 men, who had presumed to offer incense at the\nSanctuary. Thus this great conspiracy was signally punished, and as a\nmemorial of the occurrence, Eleazar the son of Aaron was directed to\ntake the brazen censers of the offenders, and therewith to make plates\nfor the altar of burnt-sacrifice.\n\nIn spite, however, of this terrible proof of the Divine displeasure,\nthe very next day saw the people again murmuring against Moses and\nAaron, complaining that they had slain _the people of Jehovah_, and\nthreatening to break out into a fresh and general mutiny. Thereupon the\nGlory of Jehovah once more overshadowed the Tabernacle, and a plague\nbroke out amongst the host. But at the exhortation of Moses, Aaron\ntook a lighted censer from off the altar, and standing between the\nliving and the dead, made an atonement for the people, but not before\n14,700 men had by their deaths paid the penalty for their murmuring and\ninsubordination. Thus the divinely-ordained priesthood of Aaron averted,\nwhile that assumed by Korah only brought destruction upon the host. But\nin order that the Aaronic priesthood might be still further attested,\nand that for all future generations, another sign was vouchsafed.\nMoses was directed to receive from the Prince of each tribe an almond\nrod with the name of the tribe inscribed thereon, and to lay these\nrods before the Ark in the Holy of Holies, that on the morrow it might\nbe proved incontestably which tribe had been selected to perform the\npriestly functions. Moses obeyed, and on the morrow, when the rods\nwere removed, behold! that of Levi, on which the name of Aaron had been\ninscribed, instead of being dry like the rest, _had brought forth buds,\nand bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds_. Thus to the confusion of\nall other pretenders, the claims of this branch of the tribe of Levi\nwere confirmed in a way that could not be gainsaid, and the Mystic Rod\nwas directed to be laid up before the Ark, as a testimony against all\nfuture pretenders, and a pledge of the Divine choice (Num. xvii. 1\u201311;\nHeb. ix. 4).\n\nFrom Kadesh the host now _took their journey into the wilderness by\nthe way of the Red Sea_ (Deut. ii. 1), and for thirty-eight years\ncontinued to wander in the deserts of Paran. This long period of\npunishment and humiliation is shrouded by the sacred historian in\nprofound obscurity. It is probable that Kadesh was for some time a sort\nof head-quarters, whence the great mass of the people were scattered\nfar and wide in smaller or larger groups over the peninsula, while\nafterwards encampments were made at different spots, \u2666wherever Moses\nand the Tabernacle were settled (Num. xxxiii. 19\u201336). From a comparison\nof the four passages[117] of Holy Scripture which alone throw any light\nupon this dark period of Israel\u2019s history, Deut. viii. 2\u20136; Josh. v.\n4\u20139; Ezek. xx. 10\u201326; Amos v. 25, 26, we infer that it was a period\nof \u201ctraining and temptation, of humiliation and blessing, of natural\nwants and supernatural existence;\u201d that the rite of circumcision was\nneglected, and the annual celebration of the Passover not kept up,\nwhile the Sabbath also was not strictly observed[118] (Josh. v. 5; Ezek.\nxx. 13). Meanwhile, according to the sentence pronounced upon them, all\nthe men of that generation from twenty years old and upwards died, save\nMoses and his brother, and the two faithful spies Joshua and Caleb.\n\nAt the close, however, of this period, the host once more assembled at\nKadesh. Moses was now far advanced in years, and his second approach to\nthe very threshold of the Promised Land was saddened by two events of a\npeculiarly mournful character. First, Miriam his sister, and companion\nof his childhood, died, and was buried at Kadesh (Num. xx. 1). But,\nhowever afflicted he may have been at her loss, the conduct of the\npeople, whom he led, must have grieved him still more. For, again,\non a failure of water, the new generation proved faithless, and brake\nforth into murmurings and complainings as violent as their forefathers\nat Rephidim. For the second time the ill-omened words of disaffection\nsounded in his ears, and roused in him and his brother feelings of\ngreater irritation than they had ever displayed before. On appealing\nto the Lord, they were commanded to assemble the people before the Rock\nfacing the encampment, and it was promised that it should bring forth\nwater in obedience to their word. Thereupon the Brothers gathered\nthe people together before the Rock, but instead of appealing to _it_,\nMoses began to speak _unadvisedly_ (Ps. cvi. 32, 33) _to them_, saying,\n_Hear now, ye rebels! must we fetch you water out of this rock?_ Then,\ninstead of doing as he had been instructed, he lifted up his hand,\nand with the rod struck the Rock, not once, but twice, on which the\nrefreshing streams indeed flowed forth abundantly, and supplied the\nwants of the people and their cattle, but the fidelity and self-control\nof the Brothers, of the Prophet and the Priest, had alike failed,\nneither had they sanctified Jehovah in the eyes of the host. (Comp.\nNum. xxvii. 14; Deut. xxxiii. 51.) For this sin, whatever may have been\nits precise heinousness, the Almighty pronounced on both the Brothers\nthe sentence of exclusion from the Promised Land. Into it they were\nnever to enter, or realise with the people they had led the hopes and\nanticipations of so many long and weary years.\n\nBut though thus excluded from the goal of his long pilgrimage,\nthere was on the part of Moses no diminution of the zeal he had ever\ndisplayed in behalf of the people. Always preferring their welfare to\nhis own, he was ready to lead them _towards_, if he was not to lead\nthem _into_ the Promised Land, and as a preliminary he sent ambassadors\nto the Edomites and Moabites, requesting a free passage through their\nterritory. But though his messengers recounted the various proofs of\nDivine protection which had accompanied the journeyings of the people,\nand promised to keep to the highway, and injure neither the fields, the\nvineyards, nor the wells, but pay for any water they might use, they\nmet with a direct refusal. Edom not only forbad them a passage through\nhis territory, but posted a strong force to guard all the approaches\ninto it. Thereupon, in obedience to the Divine command, the Israelites\nabstained from any retaliation against the descendants of Esau, and\nthe latter did not openly venture to attack them. But an Amorite tribe\ninhabiting the southern highlands of Palestine, under the command of\ntheir chief Arad, fell upon them, and took some of them prisoners. This\nroused the spirit of the people; they attacked their foes, and utterly\ndestroyed them and their cities, naming the spot in memory of the\nincident Hormah, or _utter Destruction_ (Num. xxi. 1\u20134).\n\nThus debarred from what would have been the natural route towards\nthe country east of the Jordan, nothing remained but to march\nsouthward down the Arabah towards the eastern arm of the Red Sea,\nand then take a long and wearisome circuit round the territory of\nthe Edomites. Accordingly they set out, and reached Mount Hor[119],\nat the edge of the land of Edom (Num. xxxiii. 37), and the highest\nand most conspicuous of the whole range of its sandstone mountains,\novershadowing the mysterious city of Sela, or Petra, _the Rock_. Here\nit was intimated to Moses that another of the few remaining links which\nconnected him with the generation that had come forth from Egypt must\nbe taken from him. He had already laid Miriam in her desert-grave at\nKadesh; now he was told that on the craggy top of Hor he must leave\nhis brother, the high-priest Aaron, who in accordance with his recent\nsentence must die for his sin at the Waters of Strife. For the last\ntime, therefore, the Brothers repaired to the Tabernacle, where Aaron\nwas arrayed in his priestly robes, and then, accompanied by Eleazar\nhis son, the three ascended the toilsome height in the sight of the\nmournful and watching host. Arrived at the summit Moses stripped his\nbrother of his priestly garments, and put them on Eleazar, and there,\nin full view of the desert, the scene of his long pilgrimage, and just\nin sight of the utmost borders of the Land of Promise, on the first day\nof the fifth month, in the 123rd year of his age, the great High-priest\nwas gathered to his fathers. Then Moses and Eleazar reverently interred\nhim in his rocky tomb, and descended from the mount, and Eleazar\nministered \u201cthat evening in the familiar garments of him, whom the\npeople would see no more\u201d (Num. xx. 22\u201329)[120].\n\nThirty days were spent in mourning for Aaron, and then the host\ncontinued their march down the Arabah, and after encamping at\nEzion-geber at the eastern head of the Red Sea, entered on the sandy,\nshadeless waste, which stretched eastward from the mountains of Edom\nfar on to the Persian Gulf, and was even more terrible than the desert\nthey had left. This and the thought of the long circuit that awaited\nthem so wrought upon the spirit of the people, that they again broke\nout into bitterest complaints against their leader, their tedious\nmarch, and their food. The region they were now traversing abounded\nin _fiery_ or deadly serpents[121], of which the Lord sent many among\nthe people, and much people of Israel died. But on the manifestation\nof a spirit of repentance, Moses, by the Divine command, made a Brazen\nSerpent, and fixed it upon a pole in the sight of the congregation,\nand all who looked thereon were healed. The symbol of this wonderful\ndeliverance was long preserved, and was regarded with veneration\nas late as the days of Hezekiah (2 Kings xviii. 4), by whom it was\ndestroyed. The occurrence is also memorable as having suggested one of\nthe most sacred similitudes of the New Testament, for in His well-known\nconversation with Nicodemus, the Saviour likened to the uplifting of\nthis serpent by Moses His own uplifting upon the Cross, _that whosoever\nbelieveth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life_ (John iii.\n14, 15).\n\nAfter this incident the Israelites resumed their march, and pressing\nforward in a northerly direction, skirted the eastern frontier of\nEdom, and eventually encamped near the willow-shaded brook or valley\nof Zered[122], which ran into the Dead Sea near its south-east corner,\nand formed the southern boundary of Moab. Hence they advanced towards\nthe rushing stream of the Arnon (_swift, noisy_), \u201cdashing through a\ndeep defile of sandstone rocks,\u201d the first river they had seen since\nthey left the Nile. Crossing one of its fords, an incident commemorated\nin an ancient song (Num. xxi. 14, 15; Deut. ii. 24), they reached a\nspot which they called by a name sufficient of itself to indicate that\ntheir weary wanderings were at an end, and that they were approaching a\ncultivated land. Needing water, the princes and nobles, at the command\nof Moses, dug in the ground with their staves till they reached a cool\nrefreshing spring. In memory of this grateful discovery they called\nthe spot BEER-ELIM[123], _the well of the Heroes_, and celebrated their\nthanksgiving in a burst of sacred poetry (Num. xxi. 17, 18). They were\nnow encamped on \u201cthe vast range of forest and pasture on the east of\nthe Jordan.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _CONQUEST OF THE EAST OF JORDAN\u2015\u2015BALAAM AND BALAK._\n NUM. XXI.\u2013XXIV. B.C. 1451.\n\n\nTHE country north of the present encampment of the Israelites from the\nArnon to the Jabbok was at this time possessed by the Amorites. We have\nalready met with this tribe on the western side of the Jordan (Gen. xiv.\n7, 13; xiii. 18; Num. xiii. 29[124]). Tempted by the rich pasture lands\neast of this river a colony of them appears to have crossed, and having\ndriven the Moabites with great slaughter and the loss of many captives\nfrom the country south of the Jabbok (Num. xxi. 26\u201329), to have made\nthe wide chasm of the Arnon henceforth the boundary between them.\n\nThe Amorite king at this time was SIHON, and his capital was Heshbon,\ntwenty miles east of the Jordan, on the parallel of the northern end of\nthe Dead Sea. Thither the Israelitish leader sent messengers requesting\na peaceful passage through his territory, and promising the same\nrespect for his land and possessions, which had already been proposed\nto the Edomites. But their request was rudely rejected. Sihon would not\nallow them even to pass through his borders, but assembled his forces,\nand prepared for battle. The Israelites did not decline the engagement,\nwhich took place at Jahaz, probably a short distance south of Heshbon,\nand resulted in the total defeat of the Amorites; Sihon himself, his\nsons, and all his people were smitten with the sword, his walled towns\nAr and Heshbon, Nophah and Medeba were captured, and his numerous\nflocks and herds fell into the hands of the victors, who thus became\nmasters of the entire country between the Arnon and the Jabbok (Num.\nxxi. 27\u201330).\n\nApparently about the same time that Sihon had expelled the Moabites\nfrom the rich territory south of the Jabbok, another Amorite chief\nseized the country extending from that river to the foot of Hermon,\nand known as the land of Bashan. His name was OG, one of the last\nof the giant-race of Rephaim. He ruled over sixty cities, and his\nstronghold was a remarkable oval district, about 22 miles from north\nto south by 14 from west to east, called by the Hebrews _Argob_, or the\n_stony_, afterwards by the Greeks _Trachonitis_, and now _Lejah_. This\nextraordinary region has been described as \u201can ocean of basaltic rocks\nand boulders, tossed about in the wildest confusion, and intermingled\nwith fissures and crevices in every direction, and yet in spite of its\nungainly and forbidding features thickly studded even now with deserted\ncities and villages, in all of which the dwellings are solidly built\nand of remote antiquity[125].\u201d On a rocky promontory south-west of\nthis marvellous region, \u201cwithout water, without access, save over rocks\nand through defiles almost impracticable[126],\u201d was the city of Edrei\n(_strength_). Here, \u201cas if in the Thermopyl\u00e6 of his kingdom,\u201d the giant\nking of Bashan and all his people resolved to encounter the advancing\nhosts of the Israelites, led, it seems probable, by two eminent chiefs\nof the tribe of Manasseh, Jair and Nobah. (Comp. Num. xxxii. 41, 42;\nDeut. iii. 14.) Like the Amorite chief of Heshbon, Og could not\nwithstand the valour of the Israelites. He was utterly routed, and\n_his threescore cities fenced with high walls, gates and bars_, besides\n_unwalled towns a great many_, fell into their hands. A trophy of this\nvictory, long preserved by the children of Ammon in the city of \u2666Rabbah,\nwas the huge iron bedstead[127] of the Amorite king, nine cubits long,\nby four wide; and long afterwards the subjugation of _Sihon king of\nthe Amorites_, and _Og the king of Bashan, great kings, famous kings,\nmighty kings_, was deemed worthy of being ranked with the tokens and\nwonders wrought in the land of Egypt, and the overthrow of Pharaoh in\nthe Red Sea (Ps. cxxxv. 10\u201312; cxxxvi. 15\u201321).\n\nAfter these two decisive engagements, which made them masters of the\nentire country east of the Jordan, from the wide chasm of the Arnon\nto the foot of the snow-capped Hermon, the Israelites encamped in the\nplains of Shittim, or _the Meadow of the Acacias_, amidst \u201cthe long\nbelt of acacia-groves, which, on its eastern as well as its western\nside, line the upper terraces of the Jordan over against Jericho[128].\u201d\nSouth of the Arnon was the little corner of territory occupied by Moab,\nwho viewed with no little alarm the successes of the Israelites against\nsuch _mighty kings_ as Sihon and Og. _This people_, said BALAK the\nking of Moab to the elders of Midian, _lick up all that are round\nabout us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field_. Sensible of the\nuselessness of attacking a nation so manifestly under the protection of\nan Invisible Power, the two confederate tribes resolved before falling\nupon them to place them under an awful curse, which might have the\neffect of paralysing their arms[129]. At this time no man was supposed\nto have greater power in this way than a famous Prophet named BALAAM,\nthe son of Beor. He lived far away from the present encampment of\nthe Israelites at Pethor, beyond the Euphrates, in Aram among _the\nmountains of the East_, but his fame had spread across the Assyrian\ndesert even to the shores of the Dead Sea. His gifts he exercised as a\nProphet of the same God, who had wrought so many miracles in behalf of\nthe Israelites. If, therefore, he could be persuaded to lay upon them\nhis powerful ban, their further success the Moabites thought might be\nchecked, and the children of Lot might not only recover the land of\nwhich they had been deprived by the Amorites, but possibly add to them\nthe fertile territory the Israelites had so lately won from Sihon and\nOg.\n\nAccordingly, elders both of Moab and Midian, with the rewards of\ndivination in their hands, were despatched eastward across the Assyrian\ndesert to intreat the aid of the powerful Prophet. On reaching their\ndestination and announcing the purport of their errand, Balaam,\nuncertain of the lawfulness of complying with it, requested them to\nlodge there that night, while he ascertained the will of Jehovah. The\nanswer he obtained was unfavourable. _Thou shalt not go with them_;\nsaid God, _thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed_.\nOn the morrow, therefore, he sent the messengers away, bidding them\nannounce to their master that Jehovah forbade his accompanying them.\n\nUndeterred by this failure, and possibly informed by his messengers\nthat the Prophet _himself_ did not seem unwilling to come, the king\nof Moab sent a second embassy consisting of princes _more and more\nhonourable than the last_, to inform him that he would advance him to\nvery great honour, and do whatever he commanded, if only he would come.\nAgain, therefore, the toilsome Syrian desert was traversed, and the\nmessengers preferred their request. But again they seemed to have come\nin vain. _If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold_,\nsaid the Prophet, _I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord to do less\nor more_. But instead of at once sending the messengers away, he bade\nthem lodge with him that night, while he consulted the Lord a second\ntime. On this occasion the word of the Lord came to him, and bade him\ngo, but authorized him to speak nothing more and nothing less than the\nvery words that should be put into his mouth. Balaam accordingly set\nout on his journey, but he was not to accomplish it without receiving\nanother and a more terrible warning against it and its object. As\nhe rode upon his ass, the _Angel of the Lord_ stood in the way, with\nhis sword drawn in his hand. As if in derision of his claims to be a\npowerful Seer, the beast alone discerned the celestial Adversary, and\nstarted aside out of the way into a field. On this, Balaam smote it,\nand turned it into a path running through some vineyards. But again\nthe Angel confronted the wilful Prophet, and the frightened ass in its\nefforts to avoid him crushed his foot against the wall. Therefore\nBalaam struck it a second time, and now, as if in still deeper derision\nof one, who claimed to be able to reveal to kings and princes the will\nof the Invisible, the dumb beast, in the accents of a man _forbad the\nmadness of the Prophet_ (2 Pet. ii. 16). On this, Balaam\u2019s eyes were\nat length opened, and as he bowed himself down before the Angel, he was\nsternly rebuked for his wilfulness, and proposed to turn back rather\nthan displease the Lord. But since his mind was wholly bent on that\ncourse, he was a second time bidden to proceed, but a second time also\nwarned against uttering any other words than those which a Divine Power\nshould put into his mouth.\n\nThe journey was now resumed, and at length the watchmen of Balak\nannounced to their master that the mighty Prophet was approaching.\nTherefore Balak went forth to meet him, and after a brief rebuke of his\ndelay, conducted his visitor to Kirjath-Huzoth, _the Town of Streets_,\na place in the furthest borders of his kingdom, and possibly of sacred\nor oracular reputation[130], where he entertained him at a great feast.\nOn the next day he conducted him to the high places dedicated to Baal\n(Num. xxii. 41) that rose above the encampment of the Israelites,\nwhence he might gain a view of the utmost part of the people he had\ndesired him to curse. There by the Prophet\u2019s direction the king erected\nseven altars, and on each they offered together a bullock and a ram,\nand while Balak with his attendant princes stood by his burnt-offering,\nBalaam went forth to _a high place_ (Num. xxiii. 3) to learn the Divine\nwill. _And God met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth_, and returning\nto the expectant king, he declared that it was impossible for him to\ncurse Jacob and defy Israel, that he could not _curse him whom God had\nnot cursed, or defy him whom Jehovah had not defied_.\n\nOn hearing this response so entirely opposite to what he had expected,\nBalak was highly incensed, but thinking a change of view might have\na different influence on the Prophet\u2019s spirit, he brought him to\nZophim[131], a _cultivated field of the Watchmen_ high up on the range\nof Pisgah. Again the altars were built, and the victims slain; again\nthe king stood by his burnt-sacrifice, and again Balaam went forth _to\nmeet the Lord_. But still the answer was unfavourable. The steam of\nsacrifice could not bend the will of Jehovah; _He was not a man that He\nshould lie_, or repent of His fixed purpose; what He had said He would\ndo, what He had spoken He would perform; _in Jacob He had not beheld\niniquity, neither had He seen perverseness in Israel; He had brought\nthem out of Egypt_, and neither augury nor divination could prevail\nagainst them.\n\nMore incensed than before, the king of Moab burst forth into bitter\ncomplaints against the Prophet, and though the latter reminded him\nthat he could speak nothing but the word of Jehovah, yet he determined\nfrom one more point to show him the people, that peradventure he might\nthence effect the potent curse. He led him up, therefore, to a peak,\nwhere stood the sanctuary of Peor (Num. xxiii. 28), looking toward\nJeshimon or _the waste_, \u201cprobably the dreary barren waste of the hills\nlying immediately on the east of the Dead Sea.\u201d There the seven altars\nwere for the third time built, and the victims for the third time slain.\nBut Balaam was now convinced that Jehovah was pleased only to bless the\npeople. Without resorting, therefore, any more to useless divinations,\nhe lifted up his eyes, and looked down upon the tribes encamped in the\nacacia groves below him, with their _goodly tents spread out like the\nvalleys_, or watercourses of the mountains, like the hanging gardens\nbeside his own great river Euphrates, as _lign-aloes which the Lord had\nplanted, as cedar trees beside the waters_ (Num. xxiv. 6). And as he\nstood, \u201cwith tranced yet open gaze\u201d he saw the Vision of the Almighty,\nand \u201cin outline dim and vast\u201d beheld the future of the \u201cdesert-wearied\ntribes\u201d that lay encamped before him \u201cin sight of Canaan[132].\u201d He\nbeheld them _pouring water from their buckets, their seed in many\nwaters, their king higher than any Amalekite Agag_ ruling in the\nArabian wilderness south of where he stood. He knew that God had\n_brought them forth out of Egypt_, and that their _strength was like\nthat of the unicorn_. He foresaw them _couched as a lion, and lying\ndown as a great lion, eating up the nations their enemies, breaking\ntheir bones, and piercing them through with the arrows_ of their\narchers. _Blessed was he that blessed them, and cursed was he that\ncursed them_ (Num. xxiv. 1\u20139).\n\nBalak\u2019s vexation was now increased tenfold. Smiting his hands together\nhe upbraided the Prophet for his deceit, and in place of advancing him,\nas he had intended, to high honour, bade him flee for his life to his\nnative land. Nor was the other loath to go. But before he went, for he\nfelt himself still moved by the prophetic spirit, he would _advertise_\nthe king of what this mysterious people _would do to his people in the\nlatter days_ (Num. xxiv. 14). Again, therefore, he took up his parable,\n_and saw, but not now,\u2015\u2015he beheld but not nigh, a Star_, bright as\nany that spangled the Eastern sky, _coming out of Jacob, and a sceptre\nrising out of Israel, smiting through the princes of Moab[133], and\ndestroying_ all their wild warriors _the sons of tumult_[134]. One by\none he saw \u201cthe giant forms of empires on their way to ruin;\u201d Edom and\nSeir becoming a possession for their enemies; Amalek, then _the first\nof the nations, in his latter end perishing for ever_; the Kenites,\nthen _strong in their dwelling-place, and putting their nest in the_\nneighbouring _rocks_ of En-gedi _wasted and made a prey_; nay even\nIsrael _carried away captive by Asshur_. And yet once more he saw\nwoe in store even for Asshur, even for his own native land. Far\nin the distant future he saw _ships_ coming _from Chittim_, the\nisland of Cyprus, _to afflict Asshur and to afflict Eber_, till the\nproud kingdoms of the Eastern world, and he who should _afflict_\nthem _perished for ever_[135]. And then the Vision closed. The\n\u201ctrue Prophetic light died away,\u201d and the king of Moab, baffled and\ndisappointed, returned to his people.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _WAR WITH THE MIDIANITES\u2015\u2015DEATH OF MOSES._\n NUMB. XXV.\u2013XXXII. DEUT. XXXII. B.C. 1451.\n\n\nBUT though his tongue had pronounced eloquent blessings upon the\npeople he found he could not curse, Balaam\u2019s heart was filled with\nmalice against them. Dismissed by the king of Moab without the promised\nhonours and rewards, he lingered amongst the neighbouring Midianites,\nand with the keen hatred of his now hardened heart counselled them\nto join the children of Moab in seducing the Israelites from their\nallegiance to Jehovah. The festival of Baal-Peor was at hand, and was\ncelebrated with all the unbridled licentiousness of a heathen orgy.\nIf the Israelites could be persuaded to join in it, they might, he\nsuggested, become \u201cas other men,\u201d and the Invisible protection now\nvouchsafed would be withdrawn (Num. xxxi. 16). His artful suggestion\nwas adopted. The festival was celebrated, and the Israelites fell\ninto the snare. They joined themselves to Baal-Peor, took part in\nthe hideous rites, and defiled themselves before the Lord. Thus\nthey brought upon themselves a curse far more real than any that the\ndivinations of Balaam could have effected. Had such apostasy gone\nunpunished, the Strength of Israel would indeed have ceased, and the\ncounsels of the wily Prophet would have been successful. The crisis\nrequired severe and exemplary visitation. A plague broke out which\nswept off upwards of 24,000, and the princes of the tribes, at the\ncommand of Moses, slew the guilty with unsparing vigour, and hanged\nthem up before the Lord. On this occasion PHINEHAS, the son of Eleazar,\nand grandson of Aaron, particularly distinguished himself by his\nrighteous zeal, which was accepted as an atonement for the people,\nand rewarded not only by the cessation of the pestilence, but with\na promise that the priesthood should remain in his family for ever.\n\nBut a terrible vengeance was denounced against the crafty Midianites,\nand after a second numbering of the people by Moses and Eleazar, a\nSacred War was proclaimed. A thousand warriors from each tribe, led not\nby Joshua, but by Phinehas, and accompanied by the Ark, went forth to\nexecute the task of righteous retribution. The silver trumpets sounded\nthe signal for the onset, and the Midianites were utterly routed. Five\nof their chiefs, Evi and Rekem, Zur and Hur and Reba, as also all their\nmales, were put to death; their cities were burnt; their goodly castles\nfired; their women and children taken captive; nor did the crafty\nprophet escape; _he received the wages of his unrighteousness_, and\nperished by the sword (Num. xxxi. 8; 2 Pet. ii. 15).\n\nThe country east of the Jordan, which the Israelites had now wrested\nfrom Sihon and Og, was to a great extent a long table-land of\nundulating downs famed for its rich pasturage[136], and clothed with\nluxuriant vegetation. It was the forest-land, the pasture-land of\nPalestine, _a place for cattle_ (Num. xxxii. 1). Of the tribes of\nIsrael, as we have already noticed[137], Reuben and Gad were eminently\npastoral, _they had a very great multitude of cattle_ (Num. xxxii. 1).\nOn the conclusion, therefore, of the Sacred War against the Midianites,\nthey approached Moses and the elders of Israel with the petition that\nthey might be allowed to settle down in a region so peculiarly suited\nto their requirements. This request seemed to the Israelitish leader\nto savour of a desire to shrink from the arduous work which lay before\nthe nation, and as likely to discourage the people from crossing over\nand attempting the conquest of the rugged western country, and he\nreproached them for their apparent selfishness and indifference to\nthe welfare of their brethren. But the two tribes protested their\nperfect sympathy with the great national cause; they were ready to\nsend the flower of their troops across the river, and only wished for\nthe present _to build sheepfolds for their cattle, and cities for their\nlittle ones_, whither they might return on the conquest of the western\ncountry. This promise was deemed sufficient, and Moses distributed\nbetween them the lately conquered territory, assigning to Reuben\nand Gad the kingdom of Sihon from the Arnon to the Jabbok[138], and\nintrusting to the half of the warlike tribe of Manasseh, whose warriors\nhad taken so prominent a part in the conquest of the east of Jordan\n(Num. xxxii. 39; Deut. iii. 13\u201315), the inaccessible heights and\nimpassible ravines of Bashan, and the almost impregnable tract of\nArgob[139], the chief stronghold of the giant Og.\n\nMeanwhile it had been once and again intimated to the Israelitish\nleader that the day drew near, when he must be gathered unto his\nfathers. Under the special direction, therefore, of Jehovah, he now\noccupied himself with giving final and specific instructions respecting\nthe future government of the nation. Joshua \u201chis minister\u201d was solemnly\nappointed to be his successor; the boundaries of the Promised Land were\ndefinitely marked out (Num. xxxiv.); its cities with their suburbs,\nincluding six \u201ccities of refuge\u201d for the unwitting manslayer, were\nassigned to the tribe of Levi (Num. xxxv.), and other necessary\nregulations were made.\n\nFor an ordinary leader this would have been enough. But the recent sad\noccurrences in the matter of Baal-Peor had only too surely reminded\nMoses of the fickle tendencies of the nation, and none knew better\nthan himself the awful consequences of national apostasy. For the last\ntime, therefore, he assembled the people together and delivered to\nthem his final counsels. Commencing with a retrospect of the past forty\nyears, he reminded them of the _goodness and faithfulness_ which had\nalways followed them, in spite of their murmurings and discontent,\nand the victories they had been enabled to achieve (Deut. i\u2013iv. 43).\nHe recapitulated the Law given on Mount Sinai, with such additions\nor modifications as his own enlarged experience suggested (Deut.\nv. 1\u2013xxvi. 19), and appointed a day, on which, at the conclusion of the\nconquest, its blessings and curses were to be ratified by the nation\nwith the most imposing and solemn ceremonies (Deut. xxvii.). He then,\nfor the last time, enlarged on the exalted vocation of the nation, and\nthe blessings which would assuredly accompany obedience to the Divine\nlaws, _in the city and the field, in their basket and their store,\nin their going out and their coming in_, and dwelt with no less\nearnestness on the terrible punishments which would follow apostasy\nand transgression, \u201cin furnishing images for which the whole realm\nof nature was exhausted, and which nothing excepting the real horrors\nof the Jewish history, the misery of their sieges, the cruelty, the\ncontempt, the oppressions, which for ages this scattered, despised, and\ndetested nation have endured, can approach[140]\u201d (Deut. xxviii.\u2013xxx.).\n\nBut oral delivery was not deemed sufficient. He, therefore, wrote out\nthe Law, with its blessings and its curses, and gave it to the priests,\ncharging them to place it beside the Ark in the Holy of Holies, and to\nread it, in the hearing of all the people, once every seven years, at\nthe Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. xxxi. 9, 26). Then turning to Joshua,\nwhom he had already nominated as his successor, he bade him _Be strong\nand of a good courage_, assuring him that Jehovah would be with him,\nand would make all he did to prosper. But as if to deepen the gloomy\nforebodings past experience must have suggested, the Lord Himself not\nonly announced in the clearest terms the future apostasy of the people\n(Deut. xxxi. 16\u201318), but directed Moses to compose a Song, which the\npeople were to learn and teach their children, as a testimony against\nthemselves in the days to come, when they should have turned unto other\ngods, and served them, and provoked the Lord, and broken His covenant\n(Deut. xxxi. 18, 21; xxxii. 1\u201343). Having composed this Song of\nWitness[141], and pronounced his last solemn blessing, not like Jacob\nupon twelve men gathered round his deathbed, but on a mighty nation, on\n_the ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh_, the aged\nProphet, _whose eye was not dim nor his natural force abated_, was\nwarned that his hour was come. From the plains of Moab he went up the\nmountain of Nebo, to the highest point in the long eastern range over\nagainst Jericho, and there He who called him to his high mission at the\nBurning Bush showed him that land, which had been so long sworn to the\nsons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Eastward and westward, southward and\nnorthward, he surveyed that goodly Land; he saw it all with his eyes\nthough he was not to set his foot thereon. \u201cBeneath him lay the tents\nof Israel ready for the march; and \u2018over against\u2019 them, distinctly\nvisible in its grove of palm-trees, the stately Jericho, key of the\nLand of Promise. Beyond was spread out the whole range of the mountains\nof Palestine, in its fourfold masses; \u2018all Gilead\u2019 with Hermon and\nLebanon in the east and north; the hills of Galilee, overhanging the\nlake of Gennesareth; the wide opening where lay the plain of Esdraelon,\nthe future battle-field of the nations; the rounded summits of Ebal and\nGerizim; immediately in front of him the hills of Jud\u00e6a, and, amidst\nthem, seen distinctly through the rents in their rocky walls, Bethlehem\non its narrow ridge, and the invincible fortress of Jebus[142].\u201d Such\nwas his Pisgah-view, and then all was over. The great Prophet had\nserved his day and his generation, he had reached his 120th year,\nand his work was ended. There, _in the land of Moab_, he died, and He\nwhom he had served faithfully in all His house, buried him in a valley\nor ravine in the land of Moab, over against the idol-sanctuary of\nBeth-Peor (Deut. xxxiv. 6), but _no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto\nthis day_.\n\n\n\n\n NOTE.\n\n\n Three points in reference to Moses deserve attention: (i) His\n work, (ii) His character, (iii) His office. (i) _His work._\n \u201cThe Hebrew lawgiver was a man who, considered merely in\n an historical light, without any reference to his Divine\n inspiration, has exercised a more extensive and permanent\n influence over the destinies of his own nation and mankind\n at large, than any other individual recorded in the annals of\n the world.... To his own nation he was chieftain, historian,\n poet, lawgiver. He was more than all these, he was the founder\n of their civil existence. Other founders of republics and\n distinguished legislators have been, like Numa, already at\n the head of a settled and organized community; or have been\n voluntarily invested with authority, like Lycurgus and Solon,\n by a people suffering the inconvenience of anarchy. Moses had\n first to form his own people, to lead them out of captivity, to\n train them for forty years in the desert, and bestow on them a\n country of their own, before he could create his commonwealth.\u201d\n (ii) _His character._ \u201cThe word _meekness_ (Num. xii. 3)\n which is used in Scripture in reference to his personal\n character \u2018represents what we should now designate by the word\n _disinterested_.\u2019 All that is told of him indicates a withdrawal\n of himself, a preference of the cause of his own nation to his\n own interests, which makes him the most complete example of\n Jewish patriotism.\u201d He joins his countrymen in their degrading\n servitude (Ex. ii. 11; v. 4); he forgets himself to avenge their\n wrongs (Ex. iv. 13). He wishes that not he only, but all the\n nation were gifted alike: _Enviest thou for my sake?_ (Num. xi.\n 29.) When the offer is made that the people should be destroyed,\n and that he should be made a great nation (Ex. xxxii. 10),\n he prays that they may be forgiven\u2015\u2015_if not, blot me, I pray\n thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written_ (Ex. xxxii. 32).\n Even when excluded from realizing the hopes of a lifetime, his\n zeal for his people suffers no diminution. (iii) _His office._\n While other prophets saw Jehovah only in visions and dreams,\n Moses spake with Him _mouth to mouth_, and was entrusted _with\n the whole household of God_ (Heb. iii. 2, 5). He was at once\n Deliverer, Lawgiver, Priest, Teacher, Leader, and Judge. His\n prophetic gift controlled, pervaded, inspired, and regulated\n all these functions, and he was thus an eminent type of a still\n greater PROPHET (Deut. xviii. 15, 18) to be raised up to Israel\n _from among their brethren_, (i) as a Redeemer of his people;\n (ii) as a Mediator between them and God; (iii) as a Teacher and\n Lawgiver; (iv) as receiving the fullest communications from God;\n (v) as the Revealer of a new name of God; (vi) as the founder\n of a new religious society. See Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_,\n I. 214; Article _Moses_, in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Kurtz\u2019s\n _History of the Old Covenant_, III. 478; Davison _On Prophecy_,\n pp. 110\u2013112.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK VI.\n\n JOSHUA AND THE CONQUEST OF WESTERN PALESTINE.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN AND FALL OF JERICHO._\n JOSH. I.\u2013VI. B.C. 1451.\n\n\nJOSHUA, the son of Nun, of the powerful tribe of Ephraim, had, as we\nhave seen, been already selected as the successor of Moses, and the\nleader of the Israelitish forces. When, therefore, the thirty days of\nmourning for that eminent servant of God were ended (Deut. xxxiv. 8),\nhe was encouraged by the Lord to undertake the task of conquest, which\nnow devolved upon him, and was assured of complete success, if careful\nto observe the commandments of the Law. Accordingly preparations\nwere made for the enterprise without delay; provisions for three days\nwere issued to the host, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh,\nalready located on the eastern side of the Jordan, were reminded of\ntheir promise to accompany their brethren, and share the perils and\nhardships of the campaign.\n\n Illustration: THE HOLY LAND\n divided among\n THE TWELVE TRIBES\n\n _Stanford\u2019s Geographical Establishment_\n London & Cambridge Macmillan & Co.\n\nThe general distribution of the nations now inhabiting western\nPalestine has been already described[143]. Along the valley of the\nJordan, and a large portion of the plain of Esdraelon, as also the\nsea-coast, dwelt the CANAANITES proper or _Lowlanders_; the JEBUSITES\nheld the strong fortress of Jebus (_Jerusalem_); the HITTITES Hebron\nand its vicinity; between the HITTITES and the Dead Sea were the\npowerful and warlike AMORITES or _Highlanders_; the HIVITES occupied\nthe country about Gibeon and under Mount Hermon; the PERIZZITES the\nhigh plains under the range of Carmel; while in the extreme north dwelt\na powerful chief, who bore the hereditary name of JABIN, or _the wise_.\nHis fortress was at Hazor, somewhere on the high ground overlooking\nthe waters of Merom, a strong and fortified position, and the principal\ncity of that portion of the land.\n\nThe first step to any complete subjugation of the country was the\ncapture of the important city of Jericho, situated immediately opposite\nthe camp of Joshua in a vast grove of noble palm-trees, nearly three\nmiles broad, and eight miles long, which \u201cmust have recalled to the\nfew survivors of the old generation of the Israelites the magnificent\npalm-groves of Egypt, such as may now be seen stretching along the\nshores of the Nile at Memphis[144].\u201d It was a fenced city, enclosed\nby walls of considerable breadth, was the residence of a king, and not\nonly contained sheep and oxen, but abounded in silver and gold, and\nvessels of brass and iron (Josh. vi. 24). From its position it was the\nkey of Western Palestine, and \u201ccommanded the two main passes into the\nCentral Mountains.\u201d\n\nThe first act of Joshua, therefore, was to send two spies to\nreconnoitre this important place. Setting out from Shittim, or the\n_meadows of Acacia_, and crossing the Jordan, they effected their\nentrance into the house of a woman named Rahab on the city wall. Their\narrival was not unobserved, and was reported to the king of Jericho.\nHe sent to Rahab\u2019s house, and demanded their surrender, but she had\nalready concealed her visitors among the flax-stalks spread out to dry\non the flat roof of her house, and when the king\u2019s messengers arrived,\nshe informed them that the two men had departed, and advised a speedy\npursuit. Misled by this information, the officers of the king went\nafter them in all haste, while she came up to the spies upon the roof,\nand related what had occurred. The townsfolk, she said, had heard of\nthe marvellous passage of the Red Sea, and of the defeat of the great\nAmorite chiefs on the east of Jordan, and despaired of offering any\neffectual resistance to a nation thus visibly protected by a God\npowerful _in heaven above, and in earth beneath_ (Josh. ii. 11). These\nfears she herself shared, and now offered to assist them (Heb. xi. 31,\nJas. ii. 25) in escaping, by letting them down by a cord from her\nwindow, that they might fly to the \u201cjagged range of the white limestone\nmountains[145]\u201d behind the city, and conceal themselves for three days\ntill their pursuers were returned. As a requital for this kindness she\nimplored them at the capture of the city, which she regarded as certain,\nto spare her life, and the lives of her father and mother, and all\nher relatives. To this the spies assented, and having agreed that the\nscarlet cord should be bound in the window whence they effected their\nescape, to mark out the house to their comrades, and be a pledge of its\nsecurity, suffered themselves to be lowered down, and in the course of\nthree days, after hiding in the mountains, once more crossed the Jordan,\nand announced to Joshua the despondency of the people of Jericho.\n\nEarly therefore the next morning the Hebrew leader broke up the\nencampment on the upper terraces of Shittim, and descended to the\nlower banks of the Jordan, where three days were spent in ceremonial\npurifications, and in preparing for the passage of the river. The Ark\nwas to lead the way borne by the priests, and the people were to follow\nat a distance of 2000 cubits, or nearly a mile, and were assured that\nthe feet of the priests should no sooner rest in the river, than the\nwaters from the south would be cut off from the waters that came down\nfrom above, and would stand on a heap, thus at once affording a passage,\nand a pledge of future and complete victory over all the nations of\nCanaan (Josh. iii. 1\u201313).\n\nIt was now the time of harvest, which ripens three weeks earlier in\nthe plain of Jericho than in other parts of Palestine; and the Jordan,\nat this point three quarters of a mile wide, had overflowed all its\nbanks[146]. On the 10th of Nisan, the sacred month, and therefore four\ndays before the Feast of the Passover, the signal for the passage was\ngiven. The priests advanced bearing the Ark, and presently reached the\nbrim or \u201cbroken edge\u201d of Jordan (Josh. iii. 15). But no sooner were\ntheir feet dipped in the water, than far up the river, _in Adam, the\ncity which is beside Zaretan_, that is, about thirty miles from the\nplace where the Israelites were encamped, the waters which rushed down\nfrom above _stood and rose up upon a heap_, while those that came down\ntowards the Salt Sea _failed, and were cut off_ (Josh. iii. 16). Thus\nfrom north to south the waters were _driven backwards_ (Ps. cxiv. 3),\nand the dry river-bed was exposed to view. Into it the priests\ndescended bearing the Ark, and there they stood firm and motionless, as\nif on dry ground. Meanwhile, below the spot where they stood, the host,\nprobably at various points, _hasted and passed over_ (Josh. iv. 10),\nled by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,\nwhose vanguard amounted to 40,000 men ( Josh. iv. 12). When at length\nfrom the deep bed of the river all had ascended to the desert plains\non the further side, Joshua gave the signal to the priests to come\nout of the river. Preceded by twelve chiefs of the tribes with twelve\nhuge stones taken from the bed of the Jordan, which were set up as a\nmemorial on the upper bank of the Jordan valley, they moved from the\nspot where they had stood so long, and no sooner had they reached the\nother side than the waters rushed back to their accustomed channel, and\nthe river overflowed its banks as before (Josh. iv. 18).\n\nIntelligence of this marvellous event reached the ears not only of the\nAmorite mountain-chiefs, but also of the Canaanite lowlanders on the\nsea-coast, and filled them with the utmost alarm, _their heart melted,\nneither was there spirit in them any more_. No attack, therefore,\nwas made upon the Israelites, who were left in quiet possession of\ntheir advanced post on the western side of Jordan. Here the rite of\ncircumcision, so long neglected during their desert wanderings, was\nperformed, and in memory of this removal of the reproach of their\nuncircumcised state, the rising ground of their encampment was called\nGilgal, _rolling away_ (Josh. v. 9). They were now also in a condition\nto keep the Passover, which was duly celebrated on the 14th day of\nthe month at even _on the plains of Jericho_, and the unleavened cakes\nprescribed for this Festival were made of the old corn of the land,\nand not of the manna, which on the next day entirely ceased, and thus\nproved that their desert life was really over (Josh. v. 10\u201312).\n\nThe capture of Jericho was the next step to be taken, and while Joshua\nwas, in all probability, deeply meditating thereon, there appeared\nto him _a Man with his sword drawn in his hand_, who in answer to the\nenquiries of the Israelite leader declared himself to be the _Prince of\nthe army of Jehovah_[147]. In deep reverence Joshua fell on his face to\nthe ground, and was bidden to loose his shoes from off his feet, _for\nthe place on which he stood was holy ground_. Instructions were then\ngiven him respecting the method of the city\u2019s capture. To mark in the\nstrongest manner the singularity of the campaign, to distinguish it\nfrom anything that had been known before, the great frontier fortress\nof the Jordan valley was to fall in a way above all others calculated\nto show that _the Lord fought for Israel_. Once a day for six days\nthe host, preceded by the sacred Ark and seven priests each blowing\na trumpet of ram\u2019s horn, was to march in procession round the city.\nOn the seventh day the circuit was to be made seven times, at the\nconclusion of which the priests were to sound a long blast with the\nrams\u2019 horns. This was to be the signal for a general shout, on which\nJoshua was assured that the walls of Jericho would fall down flat, and\nthe host would be enabled to advance every man straight before him into\nthe doomed city. Once within it, the Israelites were to consider every\nthing save the house and family of Rahab as devoted to Jehovah. Man and\nwoman, young and old, ox and sheep, were to be given up to wholesale\ndestruction, and the city itself was to be burnt with fire, and all\nthat was therein, save the vessels of gold and silver, of brass and\niron, which were to be consecrated to the service of Jehovah.\n\nAccordingly, early the following morning, the strange advance was\nordered. First went a select body of armed men (Josh. vi. 9), then\nfollowed the priests blowing with the trumpets, next the Ark, and\nlastly the vanguard. Save the blast of the trumpets, there was no war\ncry of the troops, no sound even of human voice. Once a day for six\ndays the strange procession passed round the city. What the swords of\nthe Israelites could effect had already been proved in fierce conflicts\nwith Sihon and Og, but now they hung unused in their sheaths. At\nearly dawn on the seventh day the same procession went forth, and\ncompassed the city not once but seven times. The last circuit complete,\nthe priests sounded a long continued blast, and on a given signal\nfrom Joshua, the _great shout_ of the entire army rose to heaven.\nImmediately the walls of Jericho fell down flat, and the host advanced\nstraight into it, and captured it. In the house of Rahab her father and\nmother and other relatives were gathered together as had been agreed,\nand having been identified by the spies, were led forth to a place of\nsafety without the camp of Israel. The rest of the inhabitants without\nexception were slain with the edge of the sword; the city was burnt,\nand everything was consumed save the vessels of gold and silver, of\nbrass and iron. And not only was the proud \u201cCity of Palm-trees\u201d thus\nutterly destroyed, but Joshua imprecated a solemn curse on any one\nwho attempted to rebuild it, he should lay the foundation _thereof\nin his firstborn, and in his youngest son should he set up the gates\nof it_[148] (Josh. vi. 26). Thus the first step in the conquest\nwas brought to a successful end, and the most important town in the\nJordan valley, the key of western Palestine, was in the hands of the\nIsraelites.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _CONQUEST OF THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS._\n JOSH. VII.\u2013XI. B.C. 1451.\n\n\nTHE passes into the central hills being thus secured, Joshua without\ndelay sent men to reconnoitre the position of AI, a royal city,\nstrongly posted beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel, \u201cat\nthe head of the ravines running up from the valley of the Jordan.\u201d\nThe spies reported it as easy of capture, and suggested that two or\nthree thousand men would be amply sufficient for the undertaking.\nActing on their advice Joshua dispatched the suggested number, who\nadvanced boldly up the ravine, but only to meet with an unexpected\nand disastrous repulse. The men of Ai, strong in their high position,\nchased them down the \u201csteep descent\u201d from the gates, and slew about\nthirty-six men.\n\nThis unlooked-for reverse excited the profoundest despondency in\nthe Israelitish camp. Joshua and the elders, with dust upon their\nheads, lay till eventide upon the ground before the Ark, which had so\nlately been led triumphantly round Jericho, anticipated nothing less\nthan a general attack of the collected Canaanites, emboldened by the\ndiscomfiture of the people. From this dejection they were roused by\nthe Voice of the Captain of the Lord\u2019s Host informing them that the\nIsraelites themselves were the cause of this defeat; they had not kept\nthemselves from _the accursed thing_ in the devoted city of Jericho,\nbut had taken and concealed a portion of the spoil, nor till atonement\nwas made for this sin, could they expect any further success to attend\ntheir arms.\n\nOn the morrow, therefore, all Israel was assembled by their tribes,\nand an appeal was made to the sacred Lot to discover the offender. The\ntribe of Judah having been taken, its clans, families, and households\nwere successively led forth, and at length the transgressor was\nfound in the person of ACHAN, the son of Carmi. Adjured by Joshua\nto make a full confession, he owned that from the spoils of Jericho\nhe had secretly set aside a richly ornamented Babylonish or Assyrian\nrobe[149], 200 shekels of silver, and a solid wedge of gold weighing\n50 shekels, and had hidden them in the ground under his tent. Thither\nmessengers were sent, and there the stolen property was found, and\nspread before the assembled host. Achan was then taken to a valley\nsouth or south-west of Jericho, and there stoned to death, together\nwith his sons, his daughters, and all his family; their remains\ntogether with his tent, the stolen property, and all his possessions\nwere then burnt with fire, while a great mound of stones was set up\nover the scene of the execution, and the valley was henceforth known\nas that of Achor (_trouble_).\n\nThe host was now in a position to resume the attack upon Ai.\nSelecting[150] 30,000 men from his forces, Joshua set out from Gilgal,\nand on reaching the neighbourhood of the city detached 5,000 men\nto place themselves during the night in ambush behind it. Meanwhile\nhe himself, with the rest of his army, took up his position on an\neminence near the north side of the town. Early the following morning\nhe descended into the valley, and the king of Ai no sooner detected\nthem than he advanced with all his forces to the encounter. Thereupon\nthe Israelites feigned a retreat, and were hotly pursued by their foes\ntowards the desert of the Jordan[151], while at the signal of Joshua\u2019s\nuplifted spear the ambuscade rushed into Ai and set it on fire. The\nsmoke of their city ascending up to heaven was the first announcement\nto the inhabitants of the success of the stratagem practised by the\nIsraelites. Attacked before and behind they were utterly routed,\nand their whole population, numbering 12,000, were put to the sword.\nThe city itself was sacked and burnt, and its king having been taken\nprisoner was hanged upon a tree till sunset, when the body was taken\ndown, and a huge heap of stones was piled up over his grave.\n\nAfter this signal victory the Israelitish leader determined to take\nadvantage of the terror which the success of his arms had inspired in\nthe hearts of the Canaanites, and carry out the command of Moses[152]\ntouching the ratification of the Law with imposing and solemn\nceremonies, on the mountains Ebal and Gerizim (Deut. xxvii.). From Ai,\nto the north of which the host had already advanced, Ebal was about\n20 miles distant. Thither accordingly the host repaired; an altar of\nunhewn stones was erected, and burnt-offerings and peace-offerings were\nsacrificed to Jehovah. The stones were then plastered with lime, and\nthe words of the Law, probably the Ten Commandments, or the Blessings\nand Cursings contained in Deut. xxvii. inscribed thereon[153]. Half of\nthe assembled tribes then ascended the summit of Ebal, the other half\nthat of Gerizim. In the intermediate valley[154] stood the priests and\nLevites with the Ark, surrounded by the elders, officers, and judges,\nwith Joshua at their head. Of the blessings and cursings of the Law\neach was then read aloud by the Levites, and as they read, to each\ncurse the six tribes on Ebal responded with a unanimous loud _Amen_,\nand to each blessing the assembled thousands on Gerizim similarly\ntestified their acquiescence[155].\n\nOn their return from this solemn ratification of the Covenant the\nIsraelites assembled at Gilgal[156]. Here they were met by an embassy\nfrom GIBEON, now _El-Jib_. It was a royal city, situated exactly\n\u201copposite the opening of the pass of Ai,\u201d inhabited by the commercial\nHivites, and was at this time the head of a small group of confederate\ncities, _Chephirah_, _Beeroth_, and _Kirjath-jearim_ (Josh. ix. 17).\nAlarmed by the successes of Joshua, the Canaanite kings of the hills,\nthe valleys, and the sea-coast had mustered their forces for a general\nattack upon him. In this the Gibeonites had resolved to take no part,\nbut determined if possible to make a league with the Israelites. For\nthis purpose they sent ambassadors arrayed in old and tattered garments\nand clouted shoes, carrying old sacks upon their asses, dry and mouldy\nbread, and goat-skin bottles patched and shrivelled, the better to keep\nup the appearance of being toil-worn travellers from a far country\n(Josh. ix. 3\u201313).\n\nCompletely deceived by this wily embassage, without waiting to take\ncounsel of the Lord, Joshua and the princes concluded a covenant with\nthem, and solemnly swore that they would spare their lives. Within\nthree days, however, they arrived in the midst of their cities, and\nascertained that instead of being very far off, they were their near\nneighbours. Loud was the murmuring of the people against their chiefs,\nwhen they saw how they had been duped. But the latter nobly determined\nto abide by their oaths, and in place of putting the Gibeonites to\ndeath reduced them to the condition of bondmen, and made them _hewers\nof wood and drawers of water_ for the congregation, and for the altar\nof the Lord[157].\n\nMeanwhile news of the capitulation of Gibeon having reached the ears of\nthe southern kings, they resolved to attack the recreant city, and five\npowerful chiefs, the king of JEBUS, the king of HEBRON or KIRJATH-ARBA,\nthe king of JARMUTH, the king of LACHISH, the king of EGLON, marched\nagainst it, and commenced a regular siege. In their alarm the\nGibeonites sent an urgent message to Joshua at Gilgal, bidding him\n_slack not his hand_, but come to their aid with the utmost speed, and\ndeliver them from their powerful foes. Perceiving that not a moment was\nto be lost, Joshua instantly arrayed all his forces, and by a forced\nmarch suddenly burst upon the Amorite kings, as they lay encamped\nbefore the city. Unable to offer any effectual resistance to this\nutterly unexpected attack, they were helpless before the Hebrew leader,\nand _the Lord who fought for Israel_. Numbers were slaughtered at\nGibeon itself, numbers fled along the rocky ascent leading to Upper\nBeth-horon (_the house of Caves_), about four miles distant. Hence,\nhowever, they were chased by the triumphant Israelites along the rough\ndescent leading to Lower Beth-horon, and thence to Azekah and Makkedah,\nwhen a terrific storm burst forth; _the Lord thundered out of heaven_\nand _cast down great hailstones_ upon the flying Canaanites, _so\nthat they were more which died with the hailstones than they whom the\nchildren of Israel slew with the sword_ (Josh. x. 11). Standing on\nthe summit of Upper Beth-horon[158], Joshua watched the foe flying in\nhelpless confusion towards the western lowlands. The Lord had already\ndelivered them into his hands, and time only was needed to render the\nrout complete and enable his forces to _avenge themselves_ on their\nenemies. But the day was far advanced, and he feared the Canaanites\nmight yet make good their escape. _In the sight_, then, _of all Israel_,\nhe cried, _Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the\nvalley of Ajalon_ (_the place of deer_ or _gazelles_). And the Lord,\nwho fought for Israel, hearkened to the voice of His servant: _the\nsun stood still, and the moon stayed_, and in the lengthened afternoon\nthe pursuit was continued without pause or rest. Arrived at Makkedah,\nsomewhere in the Shephelah or maritime plain, the five kings hid\nthemselves in a well-known cave[159] shaded by trees. But thither\nalso the tide of battle brought the triumphant Joshua, who bade his\nfollowers only pause _to roll great stones to the mouth of the cave,\nand set men by it for to keep them_. Longer he would not tarry; intent\nupon the pursuit he urged his forces to smite the hindmost of their\nfoes, and prevent their escaping into their cities. His words were\nobeyed, nor till they had made an end of slaying the Canaanites with\na great slaughter did the pursuers return to Makkedah. Here a camp was\nformed, and the mouth of the cave having been opened, the five kings\nwere dragged forth in the sight of Joshua and all the men of Israel.\nAs they lay prostrate upon the ground, the Israelite leader bade the\ncaptains of the men of war put their feet on their necks, and then\nsmote them, and slew them, and hanged them upon five trees, until\nthe evening. Then, as the sun went down upon that memorable day, like\nwhich was _no day before or after it_, they were taken down, and flung\ninto the cave where they had vainly tried to conceal themselves, great\nstones were once more rolled to its mouth, and the royal sepulchre was\nclosed (Josh. x. 16\u201327).\n\nSuch was the issue of the eventful battle of Beth-horon. It sealed the\nfate of every important city of southern Palestine. One after another,\nMakkedah and Libnah, Lachish and Eglon, Hebron and Debir fell before\nthe victorious Israelites. From one captured city they passed on to\nanother conquering and to conquer, till they had smitten _all the\ncountry of the hills and of the south, and of the vale, and of the\nsprings_ from Kadesh-Barnea in the southern desert to the central plain\nof Esdraelon (Josh. x. 41).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _BATTLE OF MEROM AND DIVISION OF THE LAND._\n JOSH. XI.\u2013XXI. B.C. 1450\u20131444.\n\n\nINTELLIGENCE of the decisive battle of Beth-horon before long reached\nthe ears of that powerful chief in northern Palestine, who has been\nalready mentioned, JABIN, _the Wise_, whose capital Hazor was the\nprincipal fortress in that part of the country. Determined to make a\nlast effort to defeat the Israelites he rallied round his standard[160]\nnot only the chiefs in his own immediate neighbourhood, but from the\nplains south of the sea of Galilee, or, as it was then called, _the sea\nof Chinnereth_, from the valley of the Jordan, the maritime plain of\nDor, and the as yet unconquered fortress of Jebus.\n\nAgain encouraged by the Lord with the promise of a decisive victory,\nJoshua did not shrink from encountering this formidable confederacy.\nSetting forth on a forced march, he burst upon the combined armies\nof the northern chiefs, as they were encamped by the waters of Merom.\nAs before, his attack was irresistible. The Lord delivered the vast\nhosts of the foe into the hands of Israel, who smote them with great\nslaughter, and chased them as far as the friendly city of great Zidon\non the west, and the valley of Mizpeh on the east. This was the first\noccasion on which the Israelites encountered the horses and iron\nchariots of the Canaanites. According to the special command of their\nleader (Josh. xi. 6), they cut the ham-strings of their horses, so as\nto render them unfit for further use, and burnt the chariots with fire.\nHazor, the stronghold of Jabin, was captured and burnt, its king and\nall its inhabitants were put to the sword, the flocks and herds only\nbeing reserved as spoil for the people.\n\nThe battle of Merom was the last of Joshua\u2019s recorded engagements, but\na long war, considered to have lasted nearly seven years, now occupied\nhis energies, during which he proved his fidelity to the instructions\ngiven by the great Lawgiver of the nation. _As the Lord commanded Moses\nHis servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua_, till by\nthe time he had completed his campaigns, six nations and thirty-one\nkings had swelled the roll of his triumphs (Josh. xi. 18\u201323; xii. 24).\n\nAt length, when he was old and stricken in years, he was commanded to\ndivide the conquered territory among the nine tribes and the half tribe\nof Manasseh.\n\nThe mode adopted was twofold.\n\n1. In some cases individual chiefs claimed particular spots on the\nscore of their own prowess, or putting themselves at the head of armed\npredatory expeditions conquered certain portions with the sword. The\nchief instance of this was afforded by the aged compeer of Joshua,\nCALEB the son of Jephunneh, who now won distinction and renown for his\nown tribe of Judah. Forty-five years had elapsed since as one of the\ntwelve spies in company with Joshua he had come down the _Valley of the\nCluster_ to Hebron, the fortress of the giant Arba, where they gathered\nthe enormous bunch of Syrian grapes. On that memorable day Moses had\nrewarded his eminent faithfulness by promising him the _land whereon\nhis feet had trod as an inheritance for himself and his children for\never_ (Num. xiv. 23, 24; Josh. xiv. 9). This winding _Valley_, then,\n_of the Cluster_, this _mountain_ (Josh. xiv. 12) on which rose the\nstronghold of the Anakims, was the portion Caleb desired for himself,\nand hence with the Divine aid he vowed to drive forth its gigantic\npossessors, and take it for his own.\n\nJoshua willingly granted his request, and the great warrior of the\ntribe of Judah went up against the city of Arba, and drove out the sons\nof Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. Thence he proceeded southward to\nDEBIR or Kirjath-sephir[161], _the City of Books_, probably a sacred\noracular place, and promised to give to its successful assailant his\ndaughter Achsah in marriage. Thereupon OTHNIEL his nephew, or according\nto others his younger brother, attacked and took the fortress, and won\nthe promised prize. On the way to Othniel\u2019s house, Achsah dismounted\nfrom the ass on which she rode, and begged her father to give her some\n\u201cbetter heritage than the dry and thirsty frontier of the desert.\u201d\nBelow the spot on which rose the newly captured fortress was a bubbling\nrivulet, falling into a rich valley. _Thou hast given me_, said she,\n_a south land, give me also the bubbling rills_, and he gave her _the\nupper and lower bubblings_, and thus Hebron and Debir with the rich\nvalley below became the inheritance of the great warrior of Judah, and\nwas long after known by his name (1 Sam. xxv. 3; xxx. 14).\n\n2. But the more general mode of dividing the conquered land, in\naccordance with the Divine instructions, was by casting lots before the\nTabernacle at Shiloh[162], in the presence of Joshua, the High-priest,\nand the elders of the nation. As the distribution of the tribes of\nREUBEN, GAD, and the half-tribe of MANASSEH on the east of the Jordan\nhas been already described, we may confine ourselves to those on the\nwestern side, under the threefold division of (a) _The South_, (b) _the\nCentre_, (c) _the North_.\n\n\n (a) _The South._\n\n i. The most southerly frontier was assigned first to Judah but\n afterwards to SIMEON (Josh. xix. 9), and is often called in\n Scripture _the South_ (Josh. x. 40; Judg. i. 9). Like Reuben on\n the east of Jordan, Simeon was destined to have little influence\n on the subsequent history, to be _divided in Jacob and scattered\n in Israel_ (Gen. xlix. 5\u20137), and to be constantly exposed to\n the attacks of the Amalekites and other nomadic tribes on its\n frontier (comp. 1 Chron. iv. 39\u201343).\n\n ii. Next to Simeon on the North was the territory of the lion\n tribe of JUDAH, comprising the undulating pasture country of the\n South, the fertile lowland of the West, the hill fortresses of\n the centre, and the wild desert bordering on the Dead Sea. Part\n of his inheritance was fertile, and covered with corn fields and\n vineyards (Gen. xlix. 11), part was a wild country, \u201cthe lair\n of savage beasts,\u201d where amidst caverns, ravines and mountains,\n Judah, true to the description in the blessing of Jacob, could\n _stoop down and couch as a lion_, guarding the southern frontier\n of the Promised Land.\n\n iii. North-east of Judah was the warlike little tribe (Ps.\n lxviii. 27; 1 Sam. ix. 21) of BENJAMIN, famous for its archers\n (2 Sam. i. 22), slingers (Judg. xx. 16), and left-handed\n warriors (Judg. iii. 15; xx. 16). Its territory was small, being\n hardly larger than the county of Middlesex, but its position\n was of great importance. Containing numerous rounded hills[163],\n which presented favourable sites for strong fortresses, it\n commanded the chief passes leading down from the central hills\n to the Jordan on the one side, and the plains of Philistia on\n the other. In this broken and hilly country the tribe became\n warlike and indomitable, _ravening as a wolf_ (Gen. xlix. 27).\n\n iv. Compressed into the narrow space between the north-western\n hills of Judah and the Mediterranean was the tribe of DAN,\n containing within the 14 miles from Joppa to Ekron one of the\n most fertile tracts in the land, the corn-field and garden of\n southern Palestine. But for this rich prize it had to contend\n first with the Amorites (Judg. i. 34), and afterwards with the\n Philistines (Judg. xiv. &c.), and eventually, as we shall see,\n was obliged to seek a new home in the North (Judg. xviii. 27\u201329).\n\n\n (b) _The Centre._\n\n The central portion of the Holy Land, the _Samaria_ of after\n ages, was assigned to the two brother tribes of the _house of\n Joseph_, EPHRAIM and MANASSEH. Of this territory, which may\n be roughly estimated at 55 miles from E. to W., and 70 from\n N. to S., and which was about equal in extent to the counties\n of Norfolk and Suffolk combined[164], (i) the more southerly\n portion was assigned to Joshua\u2019s own tribe of EPHRAIM. It\n extended as far south as Ramah and Bethel within a few miles\n of Jerusalem, and was rich in fountains and streamlets, in\n \u201cwide plains in the hearts of mountains, and continued tracts\n of vegetation,\u201d in corn-fields and orchards, _the precious\n things of the earth and the fulness thereof_, which the Lawgiver\n invoked on _the ten thousands of Ephraim_ (Deut. xxxiii. 13\u201317),\n and of whose father Jacob had said that he should be _a fruitful\n bough, a fruitful bough by a well_ (Gen. xlix. 22). (ii) And\n as the duty of guarding the northern outposts on the east of\n Jordan had been assigned to one half of the tribe of MANASSEH,\n so to the remaining half on the west was assigned the duty\n of defending the passes into the great plain of Jezreel. Its\n territory stretched westwards to the Mediterranean and the\n slopes of Carmel, but did not quite reach the Jordan on the East.\n\n\n (c) _The North._\n\n The northern portion of the Holy Land, the _Galilee_ of after\n times, extending from the range of Carmel to the mountains\n of Lebanon, was assigned to four tribes \u201callied by birth, and\n companions on the desert march,\u201d ISSACHAR, ZEBULUN, ASHER, and\n NAPHTALI.\n\n i. The territory of ISSACHAR lay above that of Manasseh, and\n exactly consisted of the plain of Esdraelon (the Greek form of\n the Hebrew _Jezreel_, = _the seed-plot of God_). The luxuriance\n of this plain,\u2015\u2015the battle-field of Palestine[165]\u2015\u2015is the theme\n of every traveller. The soil yielded corn and figs, wine and\n oil (1 Chr. xii. 40), the stately palm waved over the villages,\n and the very weeds to this day testify to its extraordinary\n fertility. Here Issachar rejoiced in his _tents_ (Deut. xxxiii.\n 18, 19), couched down as the strong he-ass (Gen. xlix. 14, 15)\n used for burden and field-work, and seeing that _rest was good,\n and the land that it was pleasant, bowed his shoulder to bear,\n and became a servant to the tribute_, which various marauders,\n Canaanites (Judg. iv. 3, 7), Midianites, Amalekites (Judg. vi.\n 3, 4), Philistines (1 Sam. xxix. 1; xxxi. 7\u201310) exacted, bursting\n through his frontier open both on the east and west, and tempted\n by his luxuriant crops[166].\n\n ii. Immediately north of Issachar was the allotment of ZEBULUN,\n extending from the _Sea of Chinnereth_[167] (afterwards _the\n Lake of Gennesareth_) on the east, towards the Mediterranean on\n the west. Besides the fertile plain near the fisheries of the\n lake, this tribe possessed the _goings out_ (Deut. xxxiii. 18),\n the outlet of the plain of Akka, where it could _suck of the\n abundance of the seas_.\n\n iii. The land of NAPHTALI stretched from the Sea of Chinnereth\n to the valley which separates the ranges of Lebanon and\n Anti-Lebanon, and was one of the most densely wooded districts\n of the country; its forests surpassed even those of Carmel,\n and the land has been described as a \u201cnatural park of oaks and\n terebinths.\u201d Its soil also was rich and fertile, _full with the\n blessing of the Lord_ (Deut. xxxiii. 23).\n\n iv. To the West of Naphtali and resting on the sea-shore was\n the lot of the tribe of ASHER. It was an important position,\n including the creeks and harbours (Judg. v. 17, 18) on the coast,\n and commanding all approaches to Palestine from the sea on the\n north. Its soil was pre-eminently fertile, and well fulfilled\n the blessings of Jacob and Moses. Here Asher could dip his foot\n in the _oil_ of his luxuriant olive-groves (Deut. xxxiii. 24),\n fatten on the _bread_, the fruit of his rich plains, and the\n _royal dainties_ (Gen. xlix. 20), the produce of his vineyards\n and pastures, while _for_ or _under his shoes_ (Deut. xxxiii. 25)\n was the _iron_ ore of Lebanon, and the _brass_, or copper, of\n the neighbouring Ph\u0153nician settlements[168].\n\n One tribe alone received no share in this allotment. Like Simeon,\n but in a different sense, the tribe of LEVI was to be _divided\n in Jacob and scattered in Israel_ (Gen. xlix. 7). Devoted to the\n service of the sanctuary and sacrificial and other ministrations,\n this tribe depended for its maintenance on the tithes of the\n produce of land and cattle (Num. xviii.); but besides this,\n from each tribe, four cities and their suburban pastures, or\n forty-eight in all, were set apart for it, and amongst these\n were included the _six cities of Refuge_, three on each side of\n the Jordan,\n\n _On the West._\n\n 1. _Kedesh_ in Naphtali.\n 2. _Shechem_ in Mt Ephraim.\n 3. _Hebron_ in Judah.\n\n _On the East._\n\n 4. _Golan_ in Bashan.\n 5. _Ramoth-Gilead_ in Gad.\n 6. _Bezer_ in Reuben.\n\nThe division of the Promised Land being thus concluded, and his own\ninheritance having been assigned to him at Timnath-serah in Mount\nEphraim, where he built a city and settled amongst the people he had\nled so prudently, Joshua summoned the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the\nhalf tribe of Manasseh, and having commended them for their bravery\nand fidelity, gave them his blessing, and bade them return to their\nown settlements beyond the Jordan (Josh. xxii. 1\u20136).\n\nAccordingly these tribes departed. But while yet on the western side\nof the river they set up a great Altar, not indeed for burnt-offering\nor for sacrifice, which could only be presented at the Brazen Altar of\nthe Tabernacle at Shiloh (Lev. xvii. 8, 9; Deut. xii. 4\u201329), but as a\nstanding witness to all generations, that though parted by that river,\nthey were not sundered in religion or national interests from their\nwestern brethren. No sooner, however, was the erection of this altar\nannounced to the other tribes, than they assembled at Shiloh, and\nmade war upon their brethren, whom they deemed guilty of apostasy. But\nfirst, they prudently resolved to send an embassy, with Phinehas and\nten princes at its head, to try the effect of a friendly expostulation.\nPhinehas accordingly set out and laid before them the complaint of\ntheir brethren. What trespass, he asked, was this of which they were\nguilty in building this altar? Had they forgotten the judgments the\nnation had incurred by their sin in the matter of Baal-Peor, or the\ntrouble the nation suffered in consequence of the trespass of Achan?\nWhat, then, did they mean by this turning away from following the Lord,\nand exposing the whole people to His deserved wrath?\n\nStartled at this suspicion of faithlessness, the two tribes and a\nhalf reiterated the most solemn protestations of their innocence. The\nAltar they had erected was not intended for any sacrificial purposes\nwhatsoever. It was simply an Altar of Memorial, a Testimony to future\ngenerations that they had the same part and lot in the interests of\nthe nation as their brethren on the west of Jordan. Even the zealous\nPhinehas could not but be satisfied with this explanation. It was\nno apostasy or rebellion, but at the worst an error in judgment. And\nthe embassy returned with the joyful intelligence that there were no\ngrounds for a quarrel or an appeal to arms, while the two tribes and a\nhalf, having named the altar ED, or a Witness, continued their journey\nto their eastern homes, where they settled down in the territories\nassigned them by Moses.\n\nAnd now at length the land had rest. The tribes east and west of Jordan\nestablished themselves in _the lands of the heathen, and inherited\nthe labour of the people_ (Ps. cv. 44). Before long Joshua, already\nstricken in age, became aware that the day was at hand when he must go\nthe way of all the earth. Summoning, therefore, the tribes of Israel,\nwith their elders, their judges, and their officers to Shechem, a spot\nconsecrated by the remains of Joseph (Josh. xxiv. 33), and the national\nacceptance of the blessings and cursings of the law (Josh. viii. 30\u201335),\nhe for the last time exhorted the nation to faithfulness to Jehovah.\nHe reviewed their history from the day that their fathers dwelt on the\nother side of the Euphrates in the old time until now, when the Lord\nhad given them cities which they builded not, vineyards and oliveyards\nwhich they planted not. The call of Abraham, the descent of Jacob into\nEgypt, the wonders of the Exodus, the desert wanderings, the conquest\nof the Amorites on the east of Jordan, of the Canaanites on this, all\nthese great events in their history were reviewed, and then the aged\nChief solemnly bade them choose whom they would serve, Jehovah who had\ndone so great things for them, or the gods of their fathers and of the\nnations in whose land they dwelt. Thereupon the people solemnly renewed\nthe Covenant they had before made on the same spot, and as an abiding\nmemorial of their promise Joshua set up a Stone Pillar under a sacred\noak of Abraham and Jacob[169], and wrote out the words of the Covenant\nin the _Book of the Law of God_ (Josh. xxiv. 26). This done, he bade\nevery man depart unto his inheritance, and shortly afterwards, at the\nage of 110, this devout, blameless, fearless warrior died, and was\nburied in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah[170] (Josh.\nxxiv. 30).\n\n\n\n\n BOOK VII.\n\n PERIOD OF THE JUDGES.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO THE DEATH OF JOSHUA._\n JUDG. I. B.C. CIRC. 1425.\n\n\nTHE position of the Israelites at the death of Joshua was eminently\nfavourable. A nation of freemen, entrusted at Sinai with the \u201cOracles\nof God,\u201d they were now in possession of the Promised Land. Though their\nlate leader had not appointed any successor to those extraordinary\nfunctions he had retained throughout his life, a complete form of\ngovernment had always obtained amongst them ever since they became a\nnation in Egypt. This was mainly kept up by the chiefs of the several\ntribes, the heads of the great families or clans, and the heads of\nhouses. (Comp. Josh. viii. 33; xxiii. 2; xxiv. 1.) God Himself was\ntheir King, and in a sensible and living presence manifested Himself at\nthe Tabernacle now set up at Shiloh, and revealed His will through the\nmediation of the High-priest.\n\nBut though their position was one of great privileges and blessings,\nit was none the less one of trial and probation. The purposes for\nwhich the Vine of Israel had been called out of Egypt (Ps. lxxx. 8) and\nplanted in this goodly land could not be fulfilled without trouble and\nexertion. There were enemies without and within their newly-acquired\nterritory, ready at the first opportunity to attempt its recovery\nfrom their hands. If they were secure from their old oppressors\nthe Egyptians, yet on the south and south-east the Midianites and\nAmalekites were only too likely to attack a people, whose late\nvictories must have been a continual source of jealousy; while on the\nnorth-east were formidable chiefs, who might, as in the days of their\nforefather Abraham[171], sweep down upon the country beyond the Jordan,\nand grievously harass the eastern tribes. Moreover, extensive as the\nconquests of Joshua had been, they had not achieved nor were they\nintended to achieve the entire extirpation of the Canaanites. The\nconquered population retained large tracts and important positions in\nthe very heart of the country. The Philistines retained the fertile\nplain of the Shephelah in the south-west; the almost impregnable\nfortress of Jebus still remained unconquered on the very border of\nJudah; well nigh the entire sea-coast from Dor to Sidon was in the\nhands of the Ph\u0153nicians; the strong towns of Beth-shean, of Taanach,\nand Megiddo were still held by the Canaanites in the fertile plain\nof Jezreel; while on the north still lingered formidable remnants of\nthe great confederacy under Jabin. These nations had _not been driven\nout hastily_, but had been left to test and prove the fidelity of the\ngeneration that _had not known the wars of Canaan_ (Judg. ii. 22), and\nthe duty of subjugating them had been solemnly enforced by Joshua in\nhis last address to the assembled tribes (Josh. xxiii. 5\u201310).\n\nAccordingly we find that all the days of the elders that outlived\nJoshua, the nation did not forget its vocation, but carried on the work\nto which it had been called (Judg. ii. 7).\n\n1. Thus _Judah_, whose conquest of Hebron and its vicinity has been\nalready related, in alliance with the neighbouring tribe of Simeon,\nattacked Bezek, slew 10,000 of its Canaanite and Perizzite inhabitants,\nand captured its ferocious king Adoni-bezek, whose cruel mutilation of\nseventy vassal princes gives us an insight into the character of the\nnative chiefs, whom Israel was commissioned to expel (Judg. i. 6, 7).\nAs he had done to others, so Judah did to him. They _cut off his thumbs\nand his great toes_, and carried him captive to Jerusalem, _i.e._\nto the Lower City, which was taken, and set on fire. But the Upper\nCity resisted all their efforts, as afterwards those of the tribe of\nBenjamin (Judg. i. 21[172]). They were more successful, however, in\nother places, and reduced numerous cities of the Canaanites in the\ncentral mountains, the southern desert, and the low country of the west\n(Judg. i. 17, 18).\n\n2. The powerful house of _Joseph_ was not behind-hand in following the\nexample of the lion-tribe of Judah. They sent spies to descry the town\nof Luz, who seeing a man coming from thence, seized him, but consented\nto spare his life and that of his family on condition that he shewed\nthem the entrance, on ascertaining which, they smote the place with\nthe edge of the sword. Thus in addition to Shechem, the house of\nJoseph became possessed of another spot consecrated by the most sacred\nassociations, even the town, near which was the stone Pillar their\nfather Jacob had set up on his way to Padan-Aram, and called the\nplace Beth-el, _the House of God_ (Judg. i. 22\u201326). But they were not\nsimilarly successful in expelling the Canaanites from Gezer near lower\nBeth-horon (Judg. i. 29), or from their strongholds in the plain of\nJezreel, Taanach, Megiddo, and Beth-shean. Instead of utterly driving\nthem out, they put them under tribute, as also the Amorites, who\nsucceeded in thrusting the children of Dan from the fertile lowland of\nthe sea-coast into the mountains, to be themselves dispossessed in turn\nby the Philistines (Judg. i. 34, 35).\n\n3. Similar declensions from the strict line of duty marked the conduct\nof other tribes. _Zebulun_ contented itself with merely imposing\ntribute on the nations within its borders; _Asher_ made no attempt to\nexpel the powerful Ph\u0153nicians on the sea-coast from Accho to Zidon,\nor from their more inland settlements; and _Naphtali_ spared the\ninhabitants of the fenced cities of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath\n(Judg. i. 30\u201333). This neglect of an obvious duty soon led to worse\nresults. Contrary to the express commands of the Law, and the repeated\nexhortations of Moses and Joshua, the Israelites began to make leagues\nwith the heathen nations. Leagues with nations led to marriages with\nindividuals, and these to their natural consequences. Their new\nrelatives invited the Israelites to their idolatrous festivals, where\nthe consecrated licentiousness gratified their sensual appetites, and\nbefore long there _arose a generation, which knew not the Lord, nor yet\nthe works which He had done for Israel_ (Judg. ii. 10). Forgetting Him\nwho had done so great things for them, they bowed themselves to strange\ngods, and practised the worst abominations, even sacrificing their\nsons and their daughters to Baal and Ashtaroth (Ps. cvi. 37, 38; Judg.\nii. 13).\n\nThis gradual spread of idolatry, and as a natural consequence, of\nmoral and social degeneracy, is strikingly illustrated by two incidents\nrecorded in the last five chapters of the Book of Judges, which seem to\nhave been inserted for this very purpose as a kind of appendix to that\nBook[173].\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _MICAH AND THE DANITES, THE TRIBAL WAR._\n JUDG. XVII.\u2013XXI. B.C. CIRC. 1406.\n\n\nTHERE was living about twenty years after the death of Joshua in\nMount Ephraim in central Palestine a man named MICAH, whose mother\none day lost 1100 shekels of silver. So terrible was the curse she\nimprecated on the thief, that her son in alarm confessed that he had\nabstracted the money. Instead of reproaching him, his mother thereupon\ninformed him that she had dedicated this sum, probably the savings of\na lifetime[174], to the Lord, to make a graven and a molten image. Upon\nthis Micah restored the money to his mother, who sent 200 shekels to\na founder for the purpose of fashioning the idol. When made, it was\nset up in Micah\u2019s house, and he consecrated one of his sons as priest,\nand arrayed him in a sacred vestment, probably made in imitation\nof the ephod of the High-priest. Not satisfied, however, with the\nministrations of his son, on the arrival of a young Levite of Bethlehem\nin Jud\u00e6a, travelling, probably, in search of employment as a teacher of\nthe Law, he persuaded him also to become his priest, and agreed to give\nhim 10 shekels of silver a-year, suitable sacerdotal vestments, and his\nliving. On these terms the Levite was content to dwell with him, became\nhis priest, and _was unto him as one of his sons_.\n\nSoon after this it happened that the tribe of Dan being still hard\npressed by the Amorites[175], and desirous of an addition to their\nterritory, sent five spies from two towns in the low country to\ndiscover a new and advantageous settlement. The spies set out, and\non their way came to Mount Ephraim, where they obtained a lodging\nin the house of Micah. Recognizing the voice of the young Levite,\nthey enquired the cause of his presence there, and on ascertaining\nthe position he held, begged him to ask counsel of Jehovah as to the\nsuccess of their expedition. The Levite did so, and the answer was\npropitious. Thereupon the spies resumed their journey, and tracking the\nJordan to its source beyond the waters of Merom, came to an eminence\non which rose the town of Laish (_Tell el-K\u00e2dy_), a colony from Sidon,\nwhose inhabitants, \u201cseparated from their mother-city[176] by the huge\nmass of Lebanon and half of Anti-Lebanon,\u201d _dwelt quiet and secure_\n(Judg. xviii. 7) in the enjoyment of the warm climate and exquisite\nscenery, and tilling the fertile soil irrigated by many streams.\n\nThe spies marked the spot, and on their return bade their brethren\narise, and take possession of a place _where there was no want of\nanything that is in the earth_ (Judg. xviii. 10). Upon this, six\nhundred Danites from Zorah and Eshtaol girded on their weapons of war,\nand went up and encamped at a spot behind Kirjath-jearim, which though\nit belonged to Judah, they named Mahaneh-Dan, or _the Camp of Dan_.\nThence they ascended into the mountain-range of Ephraim, and like the\nspies before them, drew near the house of Micah. Informed that here\nthere was an ephod and teraphim, a graven image and a molten image, the\nsix hundred warriors took their stand by the gateway leading into the\ncourt, and engaged the Levite in conversation, while the spies ascended\ninto the sanctuary, and stole away the images with the sacerdotal\nvestments. On re-appearing, the Levite tried to expostulate, but was\nspeedily bidden to hold his peace, and without much difficulty suffered\nhimself to be persuaded that it would be better to accompany them,\nand instead of being a priest unto one man, to become a priest _unto a\ntribe and a family in Israel_ (Judg. xviii. 19). With such secrecy was\ntheir departure effected, that the Danites had got a good way from the\nhouse of Micah, before the latter became aware of the grievous wrong he\nhad sustained. Gathering together the inhabitants of the houses, which\nhad gradually clustered round his idolatrous sanctuary, he pursued\nafter the roving warriors. But it was in vain that he gave vent to his\ngrief and rage. The spoilers only mocked him, and bade him take care he\ndid not lose his life as well as his gods; consequently he was fain to\nreturn to his rifled sanctuary, while the six hundred held on their way\nnorthward.\n\nReaching the source of the Jordan far up in the northern mountains,\nthey found the town of Laish just as the spies had described it. Far\nfrom its mother-city, the careless colony had no deliverer in its\nhour of peril. Without warning the spoilers burst upon it, scaled\nits walls, set it on fire, and massacred its inhabitants, men, women\nand children without mercy. They afterwards rebuilt it, called it\n_Dan after the name of Dan their father_, and there set up the images\nthey had taken from Micah. There too the young Levite, who, it seems,\nwas no unimportant personage, but no other than Jonathan, the son of\nGershom, the son of the great lawgiver Moses[177], ministered at this\nnew sanctuary, and his descendants remained till the Captivity (Judg.\nxviii. 14\u201331).\n\nIf any proof were wanting of the association of religious with moral\ndeclension at this period, it is supplied by the biography of another\nLevite, which is also given in these concluding chapters of the Book of\nJudges.\n\n2. This Levite, who, like the other, dwelt on the edge of Mount Ephraim,\ntook him a concubine out of Bethlehem-Judah, who proved faithless, and\nreturned to her father\u2019s house. On this her husband went in quest of\nher, and was received by her father with true Eastern hospitality. As\nthe fifth day declined after his arrival, resisting the importunities\nof his father-in-law who would have had him stay longer, he rose up\nto return, and as night fell drew near the town of Jebus, which still\nremained in the hands of its Canaanite inhabitants. Rejecting the\nadvice of his servant to lodge there during the night, he pressed on,\nand it was already dark when he reached Gibeah in Benjamin.\n\nAs he was sitting in the streets of the town awaiting an offer of\nshelter, an old man approached coming from his work in the fields. His\nhome, too, was in Mount Ephraim, but he was sojourning at Gibeah, and\ntaking compassion on the homeless condition of the Levite he brought\nhim into his house, and gave him a lodging for the night. As they sat\nat meat, certain of the lowest inhabitants of the place set upon the\nhouse, and treated the Levite\u2019s concubine with such violence, that\nin the morning when he arose he found her lying dead before the door.\nEnraged at this savage act he took her home, and there with his knife\ndivided her together with her bones into twelve pieces, and sent them\namong the twelve tribes. This ferocious summons to vengeance roused\nall Israel as one man (Judg. xx. 1). Even the tribes beyond the Jordan\nassembled with the rest of their brethren, and 400,000 warriors met at\nMizpeh in Benjamin, a fortified eminence a little to the north of Jebus,\nand listened to the Levite while he recounted the dark tale of outrage\n(Judg. xx. 2\u20136).\n\nThe recital excited still greater indignation, and all the people _knit\ntogether as one man_ bound themselves by a solemn vow never to return\nto their homes till they had taken deep vengeance on the inhabitants\nof Gibeah for the disgrace they had brought upon Israel. Messengers\nwere accordingly sent through the territory of Benjamin demanding their\nsurrender. This the Benjamites absolutely refused, and making the cause\nof Gibeah their own, prepared to encounter the men of Israel with all\ntheir forces, amounting to 26,000, together with the 700 warriors of\nGibeah, chosen men, left-handed, every one of whom _could sling stones\nat an hair breadth, and not miss_ (Judg. xx. 16).\n\nIn this juncture, instead of consulting the Divine Will whether they\nshould embark in this war at all, the indignant tribes having already\ndecided on the campaign only sought to know who should take the lead.\nJudah was the tribe indicated by the Divine response, and in the\nengagement that ensued, the Israelites were defeated with a loss of\nupwards of 22,000 men. On the day following they renewed the attack,\nbut only to sustain a second reverse and a loss of 18,000 of their\nbest troops. In the greatest distress at this double defeat, the eleven\ntribes assembled at Bethel, fasted the whole day until the evening,\nand offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord. Then\nPhinehas, who had led the sacred war against the Midianites, enquired\nwhether a third engagement should be hazarded, and in reply was bidden\nto go up, for this time the Lord would deliver Benjamin into their hand\n(Judg. xx. 28).\n\nThereupon it was resolved to repeat the tactics so successful at Ai.\nAn ambuscade was planted behind Gibeah, and on the descent of the\nBenjamites a flight was feigned to draw them from the town towards\na spot, where the road divided into two paths, the one leading to\nBethel, the other to Gibeah-in-the-Field, probably the modern _Jeba_.\nUnconscious of their danger the Benjamites suffered themselves to\nbe decoyed from the town, and slew about 30 of their foes. Meanwhile\nthe ambuscade arose, and bursting on the defenceless town, put\nthe inhabitants to the sword. A great pillar of flame and smoke\nsignalled to the rest of the army the success of the stratagem, and\nthe Benjamites at last awakened to their danger fled eastward to the\ndesert region bordering on the Jordan valley. But their foes now turned,\nand inclosing them round about (Judg. xx. 43), trode them down, and\nslew 25,000.\n\nFrom this indiscriminate massacre only 600 of the Benjamites effected\ntheir escape to the cliff of Rimmon, an inaccessible natural fortress\nsituated about 7 miles north-east of Gibeah, and overhanging the wild\nregion bordering on the Jordan. Here they entrenched themselves for a\nspace of four months, while the eleven tribes not content with firing\nand ravaging every town in the territory of Benjamin, bound themselves\nby a vow to abstain from all intermarriage with them. Regret, however,\nfor the almost entire extinction of a tribe in Israel subsequently\nsoftened their hearts, and by a curious stratagem characteristic of\nthis troubled period, when there _was no king in Israel_, and _every\nman did that which was right in his own eyes_ (Judg. xxi. 25), they\nenquired whether any city had failed to take part in the late tribal\nwar. Thereupon it was discovered that Jabesh-gilead, a city on the\neast of the Jordan, had sent no forces to aid their brethren. Thither,\ntherefore, 12,000 men were despatched, with instructions utterly\nto destroy the recreant city and massacre every man and married\nwoman. This ruthless order was executed to the letter, and the entire\npopulation was put to the sword, save 400 virgins, who were given in\nmarriage to the remnant of Benjamin. These not sufficing for wives,\nthe Benjamites took advantage of a yearly festival at the sanctuary of\nShiloh, when the daughters of the place assembled to take part in the\nsacred dances, and concealing themselves in the neighbouring vineyards,\nburst forth upon the unsuspecting maidens and carried off each one a\nwife for himself, with whom they returned, repaired their towns, and\ndwelt in them (Judg. xxi. 23\u201325).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _OTHNIEL AND EHUD, DEBORAH AND BARAK._\n JUDG. II.\u2013V. B.C. CIRC. 1406\u20131296.\n\n\nTHE two incidents just recorded are illustrations of the turbulence and\ndisorder of the period which followed the death of Joshua and of the\nelders that outlived Joshua. Forgetful of their vocation, the Chosen\nPeople intermingled with the heathen Canaanites, conformed to their\nrites and customs, and so forfeited the protection and blessing of\ntheir Invisible King. He therefore _delivered them into the hands of\nspoilers that spoiled them, He sold them to their enemies round about\n... and they were greatly distressed_ (Judg. ii. 14, 15).\n\nBut on the first manifestation of repentance, _He regarded their\naffliction, He heard their cry_ (Ps. cvi. 44, 45), and raised up\n_Deliverers_, who saved them from their enemies. The Hebrew word used\nto denote these Deliverers, these Saviours of their country, _Shofet,\nShophetim_[178], and which we have translated _Judge_, is much the same\nas the _Suffes, Suffetes_ of the Carthaginians at the time of the Punic\nwars. Raised up on extraordinary occasions, like the Dictators in the\nhistory of Rome, they delivered the nation from some pressing danger,\nand their power and authority generally terminated with the crisis\nwhich had called them forth. Higher than the princes of the tribes,\nvested with extraordinary powers for the emergency, their office was\nnot hereditary, though we shall see it finally tending in more than\none instance towards fixedness and perpetuity, and in the person of Eli\nunited with that of the High-priest (Judg. x. 3, 4; xii. 8\u201314; 1 Sam.\nviii. 1\u20133).\n\n\n _Invasion from the North-east. Othniel._\n\nThe crisis, which called forth the first of these Deliverers, was the\ninvasion of the country by _Chushan-rishathaim_, king of Mesopotamia.\nFrom the seat of his dominion between the Euphrates and the Tigris he\nextended his conquests so far southward, that the Israelites suffered\ngrievously from his oppressions for a space of 8 years. At the close\nof this period, OTHNIEL, whose valour in attacking Kirjath-sepher\nand marriage with the daughter of the famous Caleb have been lately\nrecorded[179], went out against him and defeated him, and restored rest\nto the land for 40 years (Judg. iii. 8\u201311).\n\n\n _Invasion from the South-east. Ehud._\n\nOn his death, the people again fell into idolatry, and the Moabites\nunder EGLON, aided by their old allies the Ammonites and Amalekites,\ncrossed the Jordan and seized the ruined site of Jericho. From this\nvantage ground, Eglon was enabled to extend his dominion at least\nover the tribe of Benjamin, from which, if not from other tribes, he\nexacted annual tribute for a space of 18 years. This was brought to him\nat Jericho, where he would seem to have constructed a palace. On one\noccasion, EHUD, the son of Gera, a Benjamite, was selected to command\nthe party deputed to carry this proof of subjection. Having executed\nhis commission, he accompanied his men as far back as the _quarries_,\nor rather the _graven images_ at Gilgal (Judg. iii. 19, _margin_),\npossibly the idol-temples, with which the Moabites had profaned\nthe associations of that sacred spot. Thence he turned back, and on\npretence of having a message from God to deliver to him, obtained a\nprivate interview with Eglon, as he sat in his _summer parlour_, or\n\u201cparlour of cooling\u201d (Judg. iii. 20, _margin_), probably on the roof\nof his house, where he might catch the cool breezes that tempered\nthe tropical heat of the Jordan valley. On entering, Ehud repeated\nthe purport of his errand, and Eglon bade the attendants instantly\nwithdraw. Then as he rose from his seat to meet his visitor, Ehud, who\nwas left-handed like many of his tribe, drew a long two-edged dagger,\nwhich he had made[180] and hidden under his mantle upon his right thigh\n(Judg. iii. 16), and stabbed him with such force as to leave the weapon\nin his body. Without lingering a moment, he then shut and locked the\ndoors of the chamber, and fled \u201cthrough the porch or gallery that ran\nround the roof[181],\u201d and passing beyond Gilgal, made for the wooded,\nshaggy, hills of Seirath, in the mountains of Ephraim. There he blew a\nhorn, and roused the Israelites, who rushed down the hills and followed\nhim in the direction of Jericho. Meanwhile the attendants had opened\nthe door of Eglon\u2019s chamber, and beheld the corpse lying on the floor.\nPanicstricken at this unexpected death of their leader, and still more\nby the sudden rising of the Israelites, the Moabites fled towards the\nfords of the Jordan. But the Israelites had been beforehand with them,\nand suffering none to cross, slew upwards of 10,000 men.\n\nRest was now restored at least to the tribe of Benjamin for 80\nyears, but in the south-west the Philistines, encouraged probably\nby the success of the Moabites, made an inroad, and reduced the\nIsraelites to great straits (Judg. v. 6). But SHAMGAR, the son of\nAnath, was raised up to be a deliverer. Armed with nothing but a long\niron-spiked ox-goad[182], he made a sudden and desperate assault upon\nthe Philistines, and slew 600 of them, thus obtaining a temporary\nrespite for his people (Judg. iii. 31).\n\n\n _Invasion from the North. Deborah and Barak._\n\nBut a more terrible invasion was in store for the nation, which again\non the death of Ehud relapsed into idolatry (Judg. iv. 1). This time\nthe oppressor came from the north, where under a second JABIN, the\nCanaanites, whom Joshua had defeated in his memorable victory at the\nwaters of Merom, had recovered a portion of their former strength. With\nhis vast hosts, and his 900 chariots of iron commanded by SISERA his\ncaptain, who resided at _Harosheth of the Gentiles_[183], he overran\nthe country of the neighbouring tribes, Asher, Naphtali and Zebulun.\n\nSuch was the general prostration and terror that, as had already\nbeen the case in the days of Shamgar, _the highways were unoccupied_,\nand the travellers stole from place to place by _crooked, tortuous\nby-paths_ (Judg. v. 6). Village life ceased in Israel, and the\npeasantry, abandoning the cultivation of the ground, retired for\nrefuge to the walled towns. But even here they were not secure. There\nwas _war in the gates_, the place usually devoted to the administration\nof justice, and even _in the places of drawing water the noise of the\narchers_ could be heard twanging their terrible bows (Judg. v. 8, 11).\nNo resistance could be offered, for according to a common policy (1 Sam.\nxiii. 19\u201322) there had been a general disarmament of the people, and\n_not a spear or shield was to be seen among forty thousand in Israel_\n(Judg. v. 8). The spirit of the nation was completely crushed, and the\nsecond Jabin and Sisera his captain carried on unchecked for upwards\nof 20 years those measures, whereby they reduced the Israelites to a\ncondition of degrading servitude (Judg. iv. 3).\n\nAt length, however, a Deliverer appeared. Under a solitary palm-tree\nin the mountain-range of Ephraim between Ramah and Bethel, lived a\nprophetess named DEBORAH, who was or had been the wife of Lapidoth.\nIn the failure of all other leaders she was now regarded by the\noppressed people with the utmost reverence, and _they went up to her\nfor judgment_ (Judg. iv. 5). Like Joan of Arc in after times, her\nwhole soul was fired with indignation at the sufferings endured by\nher people, and at length from Kadesh-naphtali, a City of Refuge,\nnot far from Jabin\u2019s capital (Josh. xx. 7; xxi. 32), and therefore\npeculiarly animated with hostility to the oppressor, she summoned\nBARAK[184] (_lightning_) the son of Abinoam. On the strength of a\nDivine commission, she then enjoined him to gather 10,000 men from\nhis own and the neighbouring tribe of Zebulun to the green summit of\nTabor[185], and promised to draw to the river Kishon in the plain of\nEsdraelon the great captain of Jabin\u2019s army with his chariots and his\nhost, and there deliver them into his hand. Barak declined to undertake\nthe arduous enterprise, unless the Prophetess promised to accompany him.\nTo this she assented, but distinctly warned him that the expedition\nwould not be for his honour; as he was thus willing to lean upon a\nwoman\u2019s aid, so into the hands of a woman would the Lord deliver the\nleader of his enemy\u2019s forces.\n\nLeaving her seat of judgment, Deborah then accompanied Barak to\nKedesh, and he employed himself in rousing his own tribe of Naphtali\nand that of Zebulun to join in the insurrection. Having at length\ngathered 10,000 men around his standard he marched, still attended\nby the Prophetess, to the high places of Tabor. There he was joined by\nportions of other tribes, whom the influence of Deborah had roused to\ntake part in the great struggle, consisting of the princes of Issachar,\na body of Ephraimites, and detachments from Benjamin and north-eastern\nManasseh (Judg. v. 14, 15). Other tribes, however, came not thus\nzealously _to the help of the Lord against the mighty_. Of the two\nmaritime tribes, Dan on the south clung to his ships in the port of\nJoppa, and Asher forgat the perils of his fellows in the creeks and\nharbours of his Ph\u0153nician allies (Judg. v. 17). The name of Judah is\nnot even mentioned among the patriot forces. Amongst the tribes across\nthe Jordan _great was the debate_ as to the course to be pursued.\nReuben preferred to _abide secure among his sheepfolds_[186], and\nto _listen to the bleating of his flocks_, and Gad to _linger beyond\nJordan_ in his grassy uplands (Judg. v. 17). But amidst the wavering\nof many hearts, Zebulun and Naphtali remained firm, and prepared _to\njeopardize their lives unto the death_ on the high places of Tabor\n(Judg. v. 18).\n\nMeanwhile certain of the Kenites[187], who had separated from the\nrest of their tribe in the hill country of Judah (Judg. i. 16), and\nnow dwelt under the oaks of Zaanaim[188] near Kedesh, informed Sisera\nof the sudden movement of Barak towards Tabor (Judg. iv. 11, 12).\nThereupon, without delay he gathered all his forces, and encamped on\nthe level plain of Esdraelon, between the friendly towns of Taanach\nand Megiddo[189], where he was also joined by other Canaanite chiefs\nanxious to quell the sudden insurrection (Judg. v. 3, 19).\n\nAt length the heroic Deborah gave the encouraging command to Barak,\n_Up, for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into\nthine hand_. Probably long before it was light[190] the camp of Barak\u2019s\nlittle army was struck, and the patriot tribes rapidly descending the\nwinding mountain-path fell upon the hosts of Sisera and threw them\ninto wild confusion. As they fled in utter dismay along the plain,\nnot only the troops of Barak, but _the stars in their courses_ (Judg.\nv. 20), the elements of heaven, began to fight against the Canaanites.\nA furious storm of rain and hail[191] gathered from the east, and\nbursting right in their faces, rendered useless the bows of their\narchers[192], and swelled into a mighty torrent the rivulets, springs,\nand spongy marshes near Megiddo. Before long _the ancient torrent_\nof the _Kishon_ (_twisted_ or _winding_) rose in its bed, and the\nplain became an impassable morass[193]. The chariots of Sisera were\nnow utterly useless. The hoofs of the horses vainly plunging in the\ntenacious mud and swollen streams _were broken by means of their\npransings_ (Judg. v. 22). The torrent of the Kishon, now rushing fast\nand furious, _swept them away_, and the strength of the Canaanites _was\ntrodden down_. Stuck fast, entangled, overwhelmed they could not stand\nfor a moment before the avenging Barak, and not a man made good his\nescape to the city of their great leader, _Harosheth of the Gentiles_,\nbefore their pursuers had smitten them with the edge of the sword (Judg.\niv. 16).\n\nMeantime, while his mother and her attendants were vainly awaiting the\nreturn of his triumphal chariot (Judg. v. 28), Sisera himself fled away\non foot to the friendly tribe of Heber the Kenite beneath the oaks of\nZaanaim, where he hoped for safety from his remorseless pursuers. After\na while he drew near the tent of Jael, Heber\u2019s wife, and chieftainess\nof the tribe. She herself had descried him approaching, and went\nforth to meet him. _Turn in, my lord_, said she, _turn in to me, fear\nnot_. And he turned in, and she covered him with a rug or blanket\n(Judg. iv. 18). Spent and weary, before he lay down, he asked for a\nlittle water to drink; but she gave him something better than water.\nShe opened the skin bottle of milk, such as always stands by Arab\ntents, she brought forth butter, or \u201cthick curdled milk\u201d in a _lordly\ndish_[194], or the bowl used for illustrious strangers, and covered him\nagain with the rug.\n\nThus doubly assured of hospitality Sisera bade her deny his presence\nif any enquired after him, and then laid him down and slept. But as she\nstood at the tent-door, other thoughts than those of kindness towards\nthe slumbering chief came over Jael. At length taking one of the wooden\nsharp-pointed tent-nails in one hand and a mallet in the other, she\nwent softly unto him, and smote him with such force that the nail\nentered into his temples, and fastened his head to the ground, _for\nhe was fast asleep and weary, and so he died_. Meanwhile the pursuing\nBarak drew near. Him too Jael went forth to meet, and taking him within,\nshowed him his terrible foe, the captain of the nine hundred iron\nchariots, lying dead upon the ground, with the nail driven through his\ntemples.\n\nThus on that day, as the Prophetess had said, God delivered Sisera\ninto the hand of a woman. Together she and Barak returned from the\nbattle-field, and chanted responsively a sublime Triumphal Hymn,\ncelebrating the recent victory over the northern Canaanites, which now\nsecured to the land rest for 40 years (Judg. v.).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _INVASION OF THE MIDIANITES. GIDEON._\n JUDG. VI.\u2013VIII. B.C. CIRC. 1256\u20131249.\n\n\nAS so often before, the effects of this last great deliverance were\nbut transitory. Again the Israelites relapsed into idolatry, and in\nconsecrated groves practised all the abominations that disgraced the\nworship of Baal. The national punishment they thus drew down upon\nthemselves was more severe than anything they had yet endured. Since\nthe sacred war led by Phinehas against the Midianites[195] (Num. xxxi.\n1\u201313), that people had recovered much of their ancient strength, and\nnow in concert with the Amalekites, and _the children of the East_\n(Judg. vi. 3), or the Arabian tribes beyond the Jordan, they determined\nto invade the territory of Israel. Led by two superior chiefs, having\nthe title of king, ZEBAH and ZALMUNNA, and two inferior chiefs, OREB\nand ZEEB (_the Raven and the Wolf_), they poured into the country with\ntheir herds, their flocks, and their camels, like locusts for multitude,\nand gradually overran it from the plain of Jezreel down the valley of\nthe Jordan, and southward as far as Gaza in the fertile Lowlands of\nthe west. Here they established themselves, destroyed the crops[196],\nand for a period of seven years reduced the Israelites to the greatest\nstraits, so that they left the plains, and fled for refuge to dens or\ncatacombs, which they cut out of the rocky mountains, to inaccessible\nstrongholds, and the limestone caves with which Palestine abounds[197]\n(Judg. vi. 2).\n\nAs so often before, the Deliverer came from the quarter most exposed\nto the ravages of the invaders. At Ophrah, in the hills of western\nManasseh, not far from Shechem, and overlooking the plain of Jezreel,\nthe head-quarters of the Midianitish host, lived a high-born Abi-ezrite,\na descendant of one of the princely families of Manasseh (Josh.\nxvii. 2; Num. xxvi. 30), named JOASH. The invasion had brought not only\nimpoverishment but dire bereavement into his home. In a skirmish near\nthe heights of Tabor the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, had slain\nall his noble sons save one, GIDEON (Judg. viii. 18, 19).\n\nOn one occasion, as Gideon was threshing wheat, not in the open summer\nthreshing-floor, but by the winepress[198] near his native Ophrah, to\nhide it from the Midianites, an Angel appeared and saluted him with\nthe words, _The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour_. In reply\nGideon contrasted the present degraded condition of the nation with the\nglorious days when Jehovah brought them out of Egypt, and complained\nthat He had now deserted them, nor was there any hope of deliverance.\nThereupon the Angel informed him that _he_ was the destined Saviour of\nhis people, that the Lord would be with him, and that he should _smite\nthe Midianites as one man_ (Judg. vi. 16). Unable to believe that\nsuch a mission could be designed for himself, Gideon requested a sign\nto assure him that the Speaker was a messenger of Jehovah, and by\ndirection of the Angel made ready a kid, and cakes of unleavened bread,\nand presented them under the oak. The Angel then bade him lay the\nflesh and unleavened cakes upon the rock and pour the broth over them,\nand when he had done so touched them with a rod he bore in his hand.\nInstantly there rose up fire from the rock, and consumed the offering,\nin the midst of which the Angel suddenly disappeared. The fact that\nhe had thus been permitted to converse face to face with Deity filled\nGideon with alarm, but the Lord reassured him, and he built an altar\nthere which he called Jehovah-Shalom, or, the _Lord send Peace_, in\nmemory of the salutation of the Angel (Judg. vi. 24).\n\ni. Thus solemnly called to be the Deliverer of his countrymen, Gideon\nwas first commissioned to testify against the idolatrous practices\nwhich had caused the present national degradation. The Lord appeared to\nhim in a dream, and bade him throw down an altar which his father had\nerected in honour of Baal, and cut down a grove he had set up, and then\nto build in an orderly manner an altar to Jehovah on the rock where\nhis meat-offering had been accepted, and sacrifice thereon his father\u2019s\nsecond bullock of seven years old. With the assistance of his servants,\nGideon during the night-time executed this commission, and on the\nmorrow the townspeople were surprised to find that both altar and grove\nhad disappeared. Enquiry led to the detection of the offender, and\nJoash was bidden to bring forth his son that he might be put to death\nfor the sacrilege of which he had been guilty. But Joash replied with\nmuch irony that he was truly guilty of impiety who believed that Baal\ncould not defend himself. _Will ye take upon yourselves_, said he,\n_to plead Baal\u2019s cause? let him plead for himself_. A new name, which\nGideon henceforth bore, JERUB-BAAL, or the _Tryer of Baal_, attested\nthe national acquiescence in the wisdom of his father\u2019s reply (Judg.\nvi. 32).\n\nii. Tried and not found wanting in moral courage, Gideon was now\ndirected to carry out the second part of his commission. Blowing a\ntrumpet he first gathered around him his own clan of Abi-ezer, and\nthen sending messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and\nNaphtali[199], invited the aid of these tribes against the common\nenemy. With characteristic caution, however, he requested a further\nsign from Jehovah before actually entering upon his arduous task. A\ndouble sign was vouchsafed to him. A fleece of wool, first dripping\nwith dew while all the soil around was hot and dry, then dry while\nall the soil around was damp, convinced him that the Lord would indeed\ndeliver Israel by his hand.\n\nBy this time upwards of 32,000 of his countrymen had gathered around\nhim, and with this force he encamped on the slope of Gilboa, near\nthe spring of Jezreel, henceforth known as the _Spring of_ Harod or\n_Trembling_, overlooking the plain of Jezreel covered with the tents of\nthe Midianites. But the host was too many and too great for God to give\nvictory thereby. If they were successful with their present numbers\nthey might vaunt that their own hand had saved them. Proclamation was,\ntherefore, made that from the _Spring of Trembling_ all who were afraid\nto persevere in their arduous enterprise might return to their homes.\nOf this permission 22,000 at once availed themselves and went their way.\nBut another trial was to test the qualifications of the rest. By Divine\ncommand Gideon took the remaining 10,000 of his forces to the spring,\nand watched them as they asswaged their thirst. While all the rest\nbowed down upon their knees, three hundred _putting their hand to their\nmouth, lapped of the water with their tongues as a dog lappeth_ (Judg.\nvii. 5, 6).\n\nThese three hundred Gideon set by themselves, the rest he sent away.\nNight now drew on, and with his little band, like the same famous\nnumber at Thermopyl\u00e6, he was left alone on the brow of the steep\nmountain which overlooks the vale of Jezreel, where Midian and Amalek\nand all the children of the east lay along like locusts for multitude,\ntheir camels gaily caparisoned, numerous as the sand on the seashore\n(Judg. vii. 12). To confirm the faith of Gideon in this great crisis,\nGod now bade him, attended by Phurah his armour-bearer, drop down from\nthe height where he was, and go to the host of his enemy. Accordingly\nthe two crept down cautiously from rock to rock[200] in the still\nnight to the outskirts of the Midianitish tents, where Gideon overheard\na man tell his fellow how he had dreamt a dream, _and lo! a cake\nof |common|[200] barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and\ncame unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that\nthe tent lay along_. To this recital the other replied, showing the\nreputation Gideon had gained even amongst his foes, _This is nothing\nelse save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into\nhis hands hath God delivered Midian, and all the host_ (Judg. vii.\n13, 14).\n\nThe Listener heard the dream and the interpretation, and straightway\nknew what he was to do. Returning up the mountain to his faithful three\nhundred, he divided them into three companies, and gave to every man a\nhorn, an earthen pitcher, and a firebrand or torch[201] (Judg. vii. 16,\n_margin_) to put therein. Then bidding them follow him, and do exactly\nas they saw him do, in the beginning of the middle watch he again stole\ndown towards the outskirts of the tents of the Midianites, while the\nthree companies following silently took their places every man round\nabout the slumbering camp. Then Gideon and his company suddenly blew\ntheir horns, and at this signal 300 horns blew, 300 pitchers crashed,\n300 torches blazed, and the always terrible war-cry of the Israelites,\n_The Sword of Jehovah and of Gideon_[202], rent the midnight air. In\na moment the Midianites and Amalekites were roused, and thrown into\ninextricable confusion and alarm. Amidst the blazing of so many torches,\nthe crashing of so many pitchers, and the blast of so many trumpets all\non different sides, they imagined themselves attacked by an enormous\nforce. Filled with uncontrollable terror, they turned their swords\nagainst one another, and then rushed with one accord down the steep\ndescent towards the Jordan eastward, to Beth-Shittah, _the House of the\nAcacia_, and Abel-Meholah, _the Meadow of the Dance_, hotly pursued not\nonly by the three hundred, but some of the forces of Naphtali, Asher,\nand Manasseh, now convinced amidst the returning light of day that\nGideon had indeed achieved a great victory (Judg. vii. 23).\n\nThe Midianites hoped to reach the fords of Beth-barah immediately\nunder the highlands of Ephraim. But Gideon had already sent messengers\nthither, and the Ephraimites were not slow to seize the fords and\nintercept the flying foe, but not before a considerable body had\nalready crossed with the two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. But they were\nin time to capture the two inferior chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb, the one\nat a sharp cliff, the other at a winepress, where they slew them,\nand cutting off their heads hurried after Gideon, who with his three\nhundred was already on the other side of the Jordan, _faint yet\npursuing_. Annoyed, now the victory was won, that they had not been\nsummoned to join in the battle, the haughty Ephraimites chode with\nhim, and manifested great resentment. With rare self-restraint the\nvictorious Leader asked what after all he had done in comparison with\nthem. Pointing to the bloody heads of the princes they had slain, he\nenquired whether the _grapes_ Ephraim had already _gleaned_ were not\nbetter than the entire _vintage_ of his little clan of Abi-ezer. This\nsoft answer turned away the wrath of the offended tribe, and the chase\nwas renewed (Judg. viii. 1\u20133).\n\nTwo places on the track of the pursuit refused to befriend Gideon. The\nmen of Succoth[203] on the east of Jordan, near the ford of the torrent\nJabbok, and of Penuel further up the mountains, declined to supply his\nnearly exhausted troops with bread, and mocked at him, when he said\nhe was chasing the kings of Midian. Halting only to threaten them with\nvengeance on his return, he hurried on after the enemy. The victorious\nIsraelites had already slain 120,000, but 15,000 with the two kings had\nreached Karkor, far from any towns in the open desert-wastes east of\nthe Jordan. Here they thought themselves secure, but Gideon ascending\nfrom the valley of the Jordan burst upon them, put them to a complete\nrout, and at last captured the two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna.\n\nThen in triumph the conqueror returned down the long defiles leading\nto the Jordan, followed by his cavalcade of captives mounted on their\ngaily decked camels (Judg. viii. 21). As he passed Penuel he razed to\nthe ground its lofty watchtower, and slew the men of the city. Reaching\nSuccoth he obtained from a young man of the place a description of\nits 77 head-men, and showed them the captive kings, and then \u201cwith\nthe thorny branches of the neighbouring acacia-groves\u201d he beat them\nto death. Then pushing westwards he reached his native Ophrah. There\nturning to the captive kings[204] and at length revealing the secret\nof this long pursuit, he enquired what manner of men they were whom\nthey had murdered on the green slopes of Tabor. _As thou art, so were\nthey_, was the reply, _each one resembled the children of a king_. The\nremembrance of his brethren, _the sons of his own mother_, filled the\nwarrior with wrath. Had they shown mercy to them, he would have spared\nhis prisoners, but now that could not be. Summoning, therefore, his\nfirstborn Jether, he bade him draw his sword and slay them. But the boy\nquailed before those mighty kings, and at their request Gideon himself\ntook the sword and slew them, and gathered up the golden chains and\ncrescent-shaped collars and trappings of their camels (Judg. viii.\n18\u201321).\n\nThe immediate effect upon the nation of this deliverance was greater\nthan that of any other. Not only had the country quietness for 40\nyears (Judg. viii. 28), not only did Gideon\u2019s Altar, and the Spring of\nTrembling, and the rock Oreb (or the _Raven\u2019s Crag_), and the winepress\nof Zeeb remain standing monuments of this great day, when God _made\nlike a wheel_[205], and drove over the uplands of Gilead _as stubble\nbefore the wind_ (Ps. lxxxiii. 13, 14), like clouds of chaff blown from\nthe summer threshing-floors, the proud people which had said, _Let us\ntake to ourselves the pastures of God in possession_ (Ps. lxxxiii. 12),\nbut for the first time the Israelites offered hereditary royal dignity\nto the great conqueror. _Rule thou over us_, said they, _both thou,\nand thy son, and thy son\u2019s sons also_. Gideon had the rare self-control\nto decline the flattering request. _I will not rule over you_, said he,\n_neither shall my son rule over you; Jehovah shall rule over you_. One\nrequest only and a strange one did he make of the grateful tribes, that\nthey would give him the golden earrings and other ornaments they had\ntaken from the conquered foe. Willingly into his cloak the people flung\nthe ornaments, jewels, and chains from the camels\u2019 necks to the weight\nof 1700 shekels, and with these Gideon made an ephod, and put it in his\nnative Ophrah, and all _Israel went a whoring after it_, which thing\nbecame a snare unto Gideon and to his house. Though he declined the\nroyal dignity, he was addicted to a royal failing. He multiplied wives\nand begat 70 sons, and after living to a good old age descended in\npeace to the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites[206]\n(Judg. viii. 32).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _ABIMELECH AND JEPHTHAH._\n JUDG. IX.\u2013XII. B.C. CIRC. 1249\u20131188.\n\n\nAFTER the death of Gideon, Jehovah, whose minister he had been for\nthe deliverance of the people, was again forgotten by the Israelites.\nForgetting Gideon, forgetting Him who had sent Gideon, they made\nBaal-Berith, _Baal of the Covenant_, their god, and set up his\nsanctuary even in Shechem, though hallowed by the memories of the\npatriarchs[207] and the solemn ratification of the Law[208].\n\nMeanwhile Gideon\u2019s 70 sons appear to have exercised authority over some\nportion of the country. One of them, whose name was ABIMELECH, the son\nof a slave a Canaanite native of Shechem, after consultation with his\nmother\u2019s brethren and her relatives (Judg. ix. 1), suggested that in\nplace of the divided authority of his numerous brothers, he, _their\nbone and their flesh_ (Judg. ix. 2), should be vested with the supreme\nauthority. The spirit of clanship was strong. _He is our brother_,\nwhispered the family to the Shechemites, who at length fell in with the\nscheme, and lent Abimelech seventy pieces of silver from the sanctuary\nof Baal-Berith.\n\nWith the money he hired a body of men, and going to his father\u2019s house\nat Ophrah, murdered all his brethren, save JOTHAM the youngest, who\nmanaged to escape. He was now left alone, and was solemnly anointed\nking by the men of Shechem, who thus formally signified their revolt\nfrom the Hebrew commonwealth. Tidings of what was going on reached the\nears of Jotham. Emerging from his hiding-place, he stationed himself on\none of the rocky inaccessible spurs of Mount Gerizim[209], and taking\nup his parable from the variegated foliage of the valley below and the\nneighbouring forest, bade the men of Shechem listen while he addressed\nto them the earliest Parable, that of the Bramble-King. _Once, he said,\nthe Trees went forth to anoint a king over them. The Olive, the Vine,\nthe Fig were each asked to accept the royal dignity, but each declined;\nthe Olive could not leave his fatness, or the Fig-tree his sweetness,\nor the Vine the juice of his grapes. Recourse was then had to the\nBramble, which not only accepted the proffered honour, but bade the\nother trees put their trust in its shadow, and threatened, if they did\nnot, that fire should come forth from it and devour even the cedars\nof Lebanon._ Jotham then reminded the Shechemites of the services\nhis father had rendered to the nation, and rebuked them for their\ngross ingratitude to his family. If they thought they had done well\nin electing Abimelech, the Bramble-King, he bade them rejoice in him;\nif not, he hoped a fire might come forth from the king, in whose shadow\nthey had placed their trust, and destroy him and all who had joined in\nelecting him. With these words the speaker fled.\n\nIn a short time his words were fulfilled. For three years Abimelech\nmaintained his supremacy, residing himself at Arumah (Judg. ix. 41),\nnot far from Shechem, while that place was entrusted to Zebul, his\nviceroy. During the joyous season of the vintage[210] (Judg. ix. 27)\nGaal the son of Ebed, a leader of a body of freebooters tried to\npersuade the people of Shechem to transfer their allegiance from\nAbimelech, who was but half a kinsman, to the Hivite tribe of Hamor.\nIntelligence of this movement reached the ears of Zebul, who without\ndelay sent word to Abimelech, bidding him levy his forces and surprise\nthe plotters in the city. After a desperate battle Abimelech captured\nthe place, put the entire population to the sword, and sowed the\nruins of the city with salt (Judg. ix. 45). A remnant, however, of the\ninsurgents took refuge in the temple of Baal-Berith. Thither Abimelech\npursued them at the head of his followers, whom he commanded on their\nway to cut down boughs from the trees on the wooded eminence of Zalmon\n(Ps. lxviii. 14) close to the city. These he piled against the hold,\nset them on fire, and suffocated and burnt the refugees. From Shechem\nhe repaired to Thebez[211] (_T\u00fbbas_) and speedily captured the town;\nbut again the inhabitants took refuge in one of its strong towers, and\nthere held out. Forcing his way up to it, Abimelech was about to repeat\nthe stratagem he had found so successful at Shechem (Judg. ix. 52),\nwhen a woman flung a fragment of millstone at his head[212]. Unwilling\nto die thus ingloriously, he bade his armour-bearer thrust him through\nwith his sword, and so expired.\n\nOther judges now succeeded, of whom TOLA, of the tribe of Issachar,\ngoverned Israel for a space of 23 years at Shamir in Mount Ephraim\n(Judg. x. 1, 2); he was succeeded by JAIR of Gilead, who during 22\nyears shared his almost regal honours with his thirty sons (Judg. x.\n3, 4).\n\n\n _Invasion of the Ammonites; Jephthah._\n\nBut recent judgments had not the effect of restraining the people from\napostasy. To the worship of Baal and Astarte they now added that of the\ngods of Syria, of Zidon, of Moab and Ammon, as also of the Philistines.\nThe national punishment they thus drew down upon themselves came from\ntwo quarters. On the south-west and along the fertile borders of the\nShephelah the Philistines rose and reduced a portion of the country\nto subjection, while the tribes on the east of Jordan fell a prey to\nthe Ammonites, and for 18 years endured the humiliation of irksome\noppression. Nor were they the only sufferers, for the Ammonites crossed\nthe Jordan and carried on their ravages even in the territories of\nJudah, Benjamin, and Ephraim (Judg. x. 6\u20139). So terrible was the\noppression they now endured, that at length the Israelites were roused\nto a deep repentance; finding it in vain to cry unto their false gods\nin the day of tribulation, they put them away, and besought Jehovah\nif only this once to stretch forth His hand and deliver them. _Grieved\nfor the misery of Israel_ (Judg. x. 16), the Lord raised up a deliverer\nin the person of JEPHTHAH, a base-born native of Gilead. Driven forth\nfrom his father\u2019s house by his legitimate sons, Jephthah had fled\ninto the land of Tob, somewhere on the east of Gilead, where putting\nhimself at the head of brave but lawless men, he lived the life of a\nfreebooter, making incursions from time to time into the territories\nof neighbouring tribes, and living on the proceeds of the spoil (Judg.\nxi. 1\u20133).\n\nDetermined to throw off the Ammonitish yoke, the tribes on the east\nof Jordan now turned to Jephthah, and promised him the chieftaincy, if\nhe would undertake to lead them against the enemy. Jephthah consented,\nand it was formally agreed that, in the event of success, he should\nretain the supreme command. His first step was to send an embassy to\nthe Ammonites urging the right of the Israelites to the land of Gilead.\nThis being unsuccessful, he prepared for open war, and traversing\nGilead and Manasseh collected warriors from such places as acknowledged\nhis authority. But before entering on the campaign, in imitation\nprobably of heathen customs, and especially of the Ammonites (2 Kin.\niii. 27), he solemnly vowed to offer as a burnt-offering to Jehovah\nwhatever should first come forth from his house to meet him on his\nreturn from battle. The engagement took place in the forests of Gilead,\nand the Ammonites were utterly routed. Twenty cities, from Aroer on the\nArnon to Minnith and Abel Keramim (_the Meadow of the Vineyards_), fell\ninto the hands of the conqueror (Judg. xi. 33).\n\nBut his rash and heathenish vow cast a deep shadow on his triumphal\nreturn. As he drew near his home in Mizpeh (_the Watch-tower_) of\nGilead, his daughter and only child came forth to meet him with\ntimbrels and with dances. When the father saw her he rent his clothes,\nand with the utmost grief made known to her his vow, from which he\ndeclared he could not go back. But the noble maiden did not decline\nthe awful sacrifice demanded of her. All she requested was that for\ntwo months she might be allowed to wander with her companions among\nthe mountain-gorges of her native Gilead, and bewail her virginity. At\nthe expiration of this period she returned to her father, and Jephthah\nwithout referring the matter to the High-priest, or remembering the\nstrict commands of the law on this subject[213], his spirit clouded\nwith gloomy superstition, _did with her according to his vow that he\nhad vowed_ (Judg. xi. 39). The memory of this awful sacrifice was kept\nup by a yearly festival, lasting four days, during which the daughters\nof Israel went up into the mountains of Gilead to praise and lament the\ndeath of their heroic sister.\n\nJephthah, however, was not long suffered either to enjoy his triumph,\nor lament the fatal vow which had stained it. Like Gideon before him,\nhe had to encounter the complaints of the proud and jealous tribe of\nEphraim for not summoning them to share the glories of the late victory.\nIn vindication of their absurd claims, they even threatened to burn his\nhouse over his head, and invaded the territory of the Gileadites, whom\nthey taunted with being _fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and\nManassites_. A second tribal war ensued, in which the men of Ephraim\nwere thoroughly worsted. Rushing routed to the fords of the Jordan,\nthey found them already in possession of Jephthah\u2019s forces, who allowed\nnone to cross that failed to pronounce the word _Shibboleth_[214].\nUpwards of 42,000 revealed their Ephraimite origin by substituting\nthe simple _s_ for _sh_, and were massacred. The supreme authority,\nfor which he had covenanted, Jephthah only lived to enjoy for 6 years,\nwhen he died, and was buried in one of the cities of his native land\n(Judg. xii. 1\u20137).\n\nAfter him other and obscurer judges rose to display the growing\ntendency towards hereditary monarchy. Thus IBZAN of Bethlehem in\nZebulun judged, at least north-western Israel, for 7 years, and\nconferred a portion of his dignity on his 30 sons and 30 daughters;\nELON of the same tribe ruled for 10 years; and after him ABDON, of\nPirathon in the land of Ephraim, about 6 miles from Shechem, exercised\nthe supremacy for 8 years, and was succeeded in a portion of his almost\nregal honours by his numerous children (Judg. xii. 8\u201314).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _INVASION FROM THE SOUTH-WEST. SAMSON._\n JUDG. XIII.\u2013XVI. B.C. 1161\u20131120.\n\n\nMEANWHILE the Philistines[215] on the south-west had not only\nestablished themselves in the Shephelah, or Low Country, but now\ncommenced that long and deadly hostility to the Israelites, which\nlasted from this time through the reigns of Saul and David, and was\nnot finally terminated till the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings xviii. 8).\nTheir oppressions naturally pressed most heavily on the little tribe\nof Dan, already hard pushed by the Amorites. From this tribe, then,\nthe Deliverer came. But unlike others who had been called to the same\noffice, he was specially set apart for it even before his birth.\n\nOn the high hill of Zorah overlooking the fertile lowlands of Philistia\nlived a Danite named Manoah. To his wife, who as yet had no child, it\nwas announced by an Angel that she was about to become the mother of a\nson, whom she was to devote as a Nazarite[216] unto God from his birth;\nno razor was ever to come upon his head; wine and strong drink he was\nnever to touch; and he should _commence_ the deliverance of Israel\nfrom the Philistines (Judg. xiii. 5). These words were announced to\nManoah by his wife, and a second appearance of the Angel was vouchsafed\nto assure both parents of the certainty of these events, which was\nfurther confirmed, as in the case of Gideon, by the disappearance\nof the Angel in the flames which consumed the Danite\u2019s meat-offering\n(Judg. xiii. 20).\n\nIn process of time the child was born, and was named SAMSON, either\n_the sunlight_, or _the strong_. As he grew, he became distinguished\nfor supernatural strength, and from time to time in Mahanah-Dan, the\ncamp of the famous Six Hundred of his tribe[217], was moved to perform\nthose exploits which made him the terror of the Philistines. His\nfirst action, however, when come to man\u2019s estate, did not display that\nhostility to the national enemy which his parents would naturally have\nexpected. At Timnath, then in the occupation of the Philistines, he\nsaw one of the daughters of the place, whom he was resolved to marry.\nVery unwillingly did his father and mother give their consent, and\nwent down from Zorah with their wayward son \u201cthrough wild rocky gorges\u201d\nto the vineyards of Timnath, situated, as was often the case, far from\nthe village to which they belonged, and amidst rough wadies and wild\ncliffs[218]. In one of these Samson encountered a young lion, and,\nthough he had nothing in his hand, rent it _as he would have rent a\nkid_. Thinking little of the circumstance, he did not mention it to his\nfather and mother, but went with them to Timnath, and talked with the\nwoman, and she pleased him well. On his second descent through the same\nwild rocky pass, he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion, and\ndiscovered amongst the bones a swarm of bees. A portion of the honey\nhe took himself, and gave a portion to his parents, saying nothing of\nhis exploit, or the place whence he had obtained the honey. The wedding\nfestival was celebrated at Timnath, and lasted several days, on one\nof which the bridegroom put forth a riddle to his thirty Philistine\n\u201ccompanions,\u201d promising thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments to\nany that guessed it, but demanding the same of them if within the days\nof the feast they failed to discover it. The young men accepted the\nchallenge, and Samson put forth his riddle, saying,\n\n _Out of the eater came forth meat,\n Out of the strong came forth sweetness._\n\nFor three days the Philistine youths tried to unravel it, and failed.\nThen they beset Samson\u2019s wife, and threatened to burn her and her\nfather\u2019s house, if she did not ascertain for them the interpretation.\nDuring the remaining days, therefore, she implored of Samson with\ntears the revelation of the secret. At first he was proof against\nher entreaties, but on the last day of the feast he told her, and she\nrevealed it to the thirty Philistines, who came to him in the evening\nand said,\n\n _What is sweeter than honey?\n What is stronger than a lion?_\n\n_If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle_\nwas the giant\u2019s brief reply, and going down to Ashkelon, one of the\nfive cities of the lords of the Philistines, on the extreme southern\nedge of the Mediterranean Sea, he slew thirty men and of the spoil\nbrought the stipulated reward.\n\nThen in great wrath he returned to Zorah. But when wheat-harvest\ncame round, his passion for the woman was somewhat rekindled, and he\nresolved to present her with a kid, and now learnt from her father\nfor the first time, that, probably during his absence at Ashkelon,\nthinking he utterly hated her, he had bestowed her upon another.\nThereupon Samson, being enraged, resolved to wreak his vengeance on the\nPhilistines, and catching, probably in pitfalls and snares, 300 foxes,\nhe fastened them tail to tail with lighted firebrands in the midst, and\nsent them into their cornfields, olive-yards, and vine-yards. Terrible\nwas the mischief thus inflicted in a country, which even now, \u201cin the\nsummer months, is one sea of dead-ripe grain, dry as tinder[219].\u201d\nAt length the Philistines ascertained who was the author of this\ndestructive conflagration, and went to the house of his late wife, and\nburnt her and her father to death. Thereupon Samson avenged himself\nby inflicting upon them a great slaughter, and went and took up his\nabode on the lofty cliff of Etam, probably not very far from Bethlehem.\nThither the Philistines pursued him, and demanded his surrender of the\nmen of Judah. So utterly lost to all feelings of honour, so degraded\nfrom its former high estate was this tribe, that 3000 men actually\nscaled the rocky cliff, and brought Samson bound with two new cords\nto his enemies. On his approach, the Philistines raised a mighty shout.\nBut at the moment supernatural strength was given to the captive. He\nburst his bonds as though they had been cords of flax burnt in the\nfire, and seizing the jawbone of an ass, and aided probably by the now\ninspirited Israelites, slew a thousand of the Philistines. In memory of\nthis exploit, he named the place Ramath-Lehi (_the casting away of the\njawbone_). Sore athirst after his exertions, he feared that from sheer\nexhaustion he might fall once more into the hands of his foes, but\nfrom a hollow place in Lehi God caused water to issue, and his spirit\nreviving he called the spot En-hakkore (_the Spring of the crier_)\n(Judg. xv. 16\u201319).\n\nSamson is next found at Gaza (_the strong_), which though allotted to\nand conquered by Judah ( Josh. xv. 47; Judg. i. 18) had fallen into\nthe hands of the Philistines, who now encompassed the gate of the city,\nintending to capture him in the morning. But at midnight he arose,\nand taking the doors of the gate and the two posts, carried them, bar\nand all, to the top of the hill before Hebron. After this, he fell\nin love with Delilah, a Philistine courtesan, of the valley of Sorek,\napparently near Gaza. This last amour led to his capture and death. For\nthe enormous reward of 1100 pieces of silver from each lord, equivalent\nto 5500 shekels, the five lords of the Philistines persuaded her to\nundertake the task of discovering the secret of his great strength.\nThree times she importuned him to reveal the mystery, but he succeeded\nin putting her off with wiles. Green withes, new ropes, the binding\nof his seven clustering locks to the web, all these expedients were\npowerless to detain him prisoner, and he escaped with ease from the\nhands of the Philistines. The fourth time, however, she succeeded, and\nhe told her all his heart, revealing the secret of his Nazarite vow.\nAccordingly, while he was asleep upon her knees, she caused the seven\nlocks to be shaved off, and when he awoke the giant found that his\nstrength had departed from him. The watching Philistines sprang into\nthe chamber, took him, bored out his eyes, and brought him bound with\nbrazen fetters to Gaza, where they made him grind in the prison-house\n(Judg. xvi. 21).\n\nThen a day was fixed for a solemn festival in honour of Dagon, their\nnational deity, half man and half fish[220], to whom the deliverance\nof the nation from their dreaded foe was ascribed. In the midst of the\nfeast, Samson was brought in to make sport for his unfeeling captors.\nThe temple, where the festival was held, situated probably on a sloping\nhill, was full of men and women, and even on the roof upwards of 3000\nwere packed together. The blinded giant was led in by a lad, and at his\nown request was suffered to feel the pillars on which the temple stood.\nStanding there, he prayed that his old strength might for this once\nbe restored to him, and that he might be enabled to wreak a complete\nrevenge on his unfeeling enemies. Taking hold of the pillars with both\nhands, and praying that he might die with the Philistines, he bowed\nhimself with all his might, and the temple walls fell in, and crushed\nthe lords of the Philistines and the assembled crowd. Samson\u2019s body\nwas extricated from the ruins, and in sad procession was borne by his\nbrethren and kinsmen \u201cup the steep ascent to his native hills,\u201d and\nlaid between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial-place of Manoah his father\n(Judg. xvi. 31).\n\nAs Judge, Samson\u2019s supremacy had lasted twenty years. The words of\nthe Angel to his parents had declared that _he should begin to deliver\nIsrael out of the hand of the Philistines_, and in truth his work\nwas only begun. Its completeness was marred chiefly by himself. \u201cHis\nacts were dictated mainly by caprice and the impulse of the moment; he\nfrittered away the great powers which had been bestowed upon him, and\nforgot the Divine call which he had received. Still these incomplete\nresults may in some measure be fairly ascribed to the character of\nhis countrymen; they always permitted him to stand unaided and alone,\nand even surrendered him to the enemy[221].\u201d The work that he _began_\nneeded a very different man to _complete_ it, the spirit of the people\nneeded renewal, and an internal reformation was essential.\n\nBefore recounting the means whereby this was brought about, the\nSacred Narrative presents us with a little history, which strikingly\nillustrates the repose and peacefulness which characterized some\nof the calmer intervals in the disturbed period of the Judges. From\nBethlehem-Judah there went forth during a season of famine[222] two\nEphrathites of the place, ELIMELECH and NAOMI, with their sons MAHLON\nand CHILION, to seek a home across the Jordan in the land of Moab. Here\nElimelech died, and his two sons married two of the daughters of Moab,\nORPAH and RUTH.\n\nAfter a period of about ten years his sons also died, and Naomi\nhearing that the famine had ceased in the land of Israel, prepared to\nreturn to her native town accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, whom\nno entreaties could induce to remain amongst her own people. It was\nthe beginning of barley-harvest[223] when they returned, and Ruth went\nto glean near Bethlehem in the fields of Boaz, a man of wealth and a\nkinsman of Elimelech. The appearance and the story of the beautiful\nstranger, which he learnt from the townspeople, attracted the attention\nof Boaz to the Moabitess, and he permitted her not only to glean in his\nfields, but to share with his labourers the provisions supplied them.\nBy the advice of her mother-in-law, Ruth afterwards claimed kinship\nwith the wealthy Boaz, and he was not slow to acknowledge it. A nearer\nkinsman, however, was first asked to discharge these duties, which\nincluded not only the redemption of the land that had belonged to\nElimelech, but also the taking of Ruth in marriage _to raise up the\nname of the dead upon his inheritance_ (Deut. xxv. 5\u201310). On his\ndeclining to perform the latter duty, Boaz redeemed the land in the\npresence of ten elders of Bethlehem and the assembled people, and\nmarried Ruth, by whom he became the father of Obed, the grandfather\nof King David[224].\n\nA more pleasing picture of Hebrew country life can hardly be imagined\nthan the story of \u201cthe gleaner Ruth,\u201d illustrating, as it does, \u201cthe\nfriendly relations between the good Boaz and his reapers, the Jewish\nland-system, the method of transferring property from one person to\nanother, the working of the Mosaic Law for the relief of distressed\nand ruined families, but above all handing down the unselfishness, the\nbrave love, the unshaken trustfulness of her, who though not of the\nchosen Race was, like the Canaanitess Tamar (Gen. xxxviii. 29; Matt.\ni. 3) and the Canaanitess Rahab (Matt. i. 5), privileged to become the\nancestress of David, and so of great David\u2019s greater SON\u201d (Ruth iv.\n18\u201322).\n\n\n\n\n BOOK VIII.\n\n FROM THE TIME OF SAMUEL TO THE ACCESSION OF DAVID.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _ELI AND SAMUEL._\n 1 SAM. I.\u2013IV. B.C. CIRC. 1171\u20131141.\n\n\nDURING the twenty years that Samson judged Israel, the High-priesthood,\ndiverted for reasons not revealed from the line of Eleazar to the\nyounger line of Ithamar (1 Chron. vi. 4\u201315; xxiv. 4), had been filled\nby ELI, who henceforth appears to have discharged the united duties of\nHigh-priest and Judge. The Tabernacle with the Ark was now at Shiloh,\nwhere a town had rapidly grown up. Inside the gateway leading up to it\nwas a \u201cseat\u201d or \u201cthrone\u201d (1 Sam. i. 9; iv. 13), on which Eli used to\nsit, and thence survey the worshippers as they came up on high days to\nthe Festivals.\n\nYear by year, as he sat there, he would see amongst the pilgrims\ncoming up to the Feast of Tabernacles the family of ELKANAH, a man of\nRamathaim-Zophim[225] in Mount Ephraim. Though a Levite in the line\nof Kohath (1 Chron. vi. 27\u201334), he affords one of the few instances of\npolygamy in the ranks of the lower orders. By his wife Peninnah he had\nseveral children; by Hannah, his favourite wife, he had none, which was\nto her a source of much trouble, and brought down upon her many taunts\nfrom her rival. On one occasion, as Eli sat on his throne at the gate,\nhe was led more particularly to notice one of this little family group.\nAt the close of the sacrificial Feast, unable any longer to endure the\nmockery of her rival and her own bitterness of heart, Hannah remained\nlong in silent prayer at the Sanctuary. The High-priest saw her lips\nmove, but heard no sound of her voice, as she prayed. Thinking that\nshe had indulged to excess at the feast, he rebuked her, and bade her\nput away her wine from her. Then Hannah told him of her secret grief,\nand the aged priest, convinced of his error, quickly made amends by\nbestowing upon her his blessing, and expressing a hope that the God of\nIsrael might grant the petition she had preferred (1 Sam. i. 17).\n\nThe story of the wife of Manoah was, probably, not unknown to Hannah,\nand she too prayed that if the Lord would grant her a man-child, she\nwould devote him as a Nazarite to His service all the days of his life.\nHer prayer was heard. Before the Feast of Tabernacles came round again,\nshe had become the mother of a son, to whom she gave the appropriate\nname of SAMUEL, \u201c_the Asked_ or _Heard of God_.\u201d When he was weaned,\nshe brought him to Shiloh, with three bullocks, an ephah of flour, and\na skin bottle of wine, and having poured forth her thankfulness in an\ninspired hymn, presented the boy to Eli, as the child for whom she had\nprayed, and whom she now wished to return to the Lord (1 Sam. ii. 1\u201311).\n\nIn striking contrast with the simplicity and innocence of the young\nchild, who henceforth waited upon Eli, the two sons of that pontiff,\nHOPHNI and PHINEHAS were _sons of Belial, they knew not the Lord_. By\ntheir rapacity and lust they had filled all Israel with loathing and\nindignation, so that _men abhorred the offering of the Lord_. But Eli\n_restrained them not_, and, as years went on, their wickedness seemed\nonly to increase in spite of his expostulations. It was a dark day in\nIsrael, and their conduct gives us a terrible glimpse into the fallen\ncondition of the chosen people (1 Sam. ii. 12\u201321).\n\nBefore long the first warning came to Eli. A _man of God_ stood before\nhim, and after reminding him of the high honour God had conferred\nupon him, when He chose him to be His priest, sternly rebuked him\nfor honouring his sons above their Maker, and announced that instead\nof the office remaining in his family, its high functions should be\ntransferred to another and more faithful line. And not only did he thus\ndenounce distant punishment but an immediate and speedy pledge of it in\nthe death on one day of both his sons (1 Sam. ii. 27\u201336).\n\nBut this warning produced no effect. Eli was old and greyheaded.\nHowever fitted he might have been once for the task of ruling his\nfamily, that day was gone by now. A second warning, therefore, of\ncoming doom was now given him, not by the mouth of any stranger, but\nof the child, whom Hannah had left in the Tabernacle at Shiloh _a loan\nunto the Lord_. Clad in a white linen ephod, and the little mantle[226]\nreaching to the feet, which his mother brought him from year to year,\nhis long flowing hair betokening his Nazarite vow, Samuel ministered\nbefore Eli. The degraded state of the priesthood in the hands of\nHophni and Phinehas had made intimations of the Divine Will rare and\nprecious in those days, _there was no open vision_. But the Lord found\na way to intimate the coming doom of Eli\u2019s house. One night, when the\naged priest had lain down to rest in one of the chambers hard by the\nTabernacle, which was illumined only by the light of the seven-branched\nGolden Candlestick, in the early morning, before it was yet light,\na Voice called Samuel and awoke him from his slumber. Thinking Eli\nhad called him, he went to him, and enquired the cause. But Eli had\nnot spoken, and bade him lie down again. He did so, and again the\nVoice pronounced his name. Once more he ran to the bed-side of the\nHigh-priest, who as before denied that he had called him, and told him\nto return to his bed. A third time the Voice pronounced his name, and\nthen Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child, and bade him,\nif he heard it again, reply, _Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth_.\nSamuel returned to his bed, and when the Voice called to him for the\nfourth time, answered as the aged priest had bidden him, and heard\nthe purport of the mysterious call. _The Lord was about to do a thing\nin Israel, at which both the ears of him that heard it should tingle.\nEli\u2019s sons had made themselves vile, and he had not restrained them.\nFor this iniquity his house was now to be judged and neither sacrifice\nnor offering could make atonement; when the Lord began, He would also\nmake an end._\n\nUntil the sun was up, Samuel lay still, and forbore to tell Eli what he\nhad heard. But the High-priest, whose conscience, doubtless, only too\nsurely whispered what it was, bade him hide nothing from him. And then\nthe old man, whose eyes were dim that he could not see, listened, while\nthe child told him every whit. Death awaited his sons, beggary and\ndesolation his family. _It is the Lord_, was his brief reply, _let Him\ndo what seemeth Him good_, and in the course of time the warning was\nfulfilled. As Samuel grew, the Lord began to reveal Himself more and\nmore to him. The influence of Eli, already weakened, now dwindled from\nday to day. He \u201cdecreased\u201d and Samuel \u201cincreased,\u201d and the Lord was\nwith him, and _let none of his words fall to the ground_, so that all\nIsrael, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew that he was established to be\na Prophet, a revealer of the Divine Will (1 Sam. iii. 19\u201321).\n\nMeanwhile the strength of the Philistines had recovered from the wounds\nit had received from the champion of Dan. Advancing their forces to\nAphek, no great distance from the fortress of Jebus, they attacked\nthe Israelites, and inflicted on them a loss of 4,000 men. Alarmed at\nthis reverse, the Israelites resolved to fetch the Ark and take it into\nbattle, that it might save them out of the hands of their enemies. The\nsacred symbol was thereupon removed from the curtains that enclosed it,\nand the two sons of Eli accompanied it to the field. _A great shout, so\nthat the earth rang again_, greeted its arrival in the Israelite camp,\nand the Philistines alarmed at the proximity of the _mighty Gods, that\nsmote the Egyptians with all the plagues_, resolved to sell their lives\ndear, rather than become subject to their enemies. Again, therefore,\nthe battle was joined, and Israel sustained a still more disastrous\ndefeat. Upwards of 30,000 were slain, amongst whom were Eli\u2019s sons, and\nworse than all, the _Ark of God was taken_ (1 Sam. iv. 11).\n\nOn his elevated \u201cseat\u201d by the wayside Eli sat to receive any tidings\nfrom the battle-field, his heart trembling for the sacred Symbol of\nwhich he was the guardian. As the day closed, a young man of the tribe\nof Benjamin came running into the town of Shiloh. His clothes were\nrent, his hair sprinkled with dust. A wail of lamentation arose from\nthe people, who no sooner saw him thus attired, than they knew how the\nday had gone. Eli heard the noise of the tumult, and enquired the cause.\n_I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army_,\nsaid the young man. _And what is there done, my son?_ enquired the\npontiff. _Israel is fled before the Philistines_, was the reply, _and\nthere hath been also a great slaughter among the people\u2015\u2015and thy two\nsons, also, Hophni and Phinehas are dead\u2015\u2015and the Ark of God is taken_.\nNo sooner did the last part of his terrible tidings fall from his\nmouth, than the aged priest fell _from his seat backwards, and his neck\nbrake, and he died_. Ninety-eight summers had passed over his head, and\nforty years he had judged Israel, and now his doom was come. But still\nanother death was to mark that dreadful day. The wife of Phinehas\nwas near to be delivered of her second child. The news reached her\nthat her husband and her father-in-law were dead, that Israel had been\ndefeated, that the Ark had been taken. She bowed her head, the pangs of\nchildbirth came upon her, a son was born, and the women that stood by\ntried to cheer her fainting spirits. But in vain. _The Ark of God was\ntaken_, that was all her mind could realize. With her last breath she\ngave the child a name that should be a memorial of that fearful day.\n_Call him_ ICHABOD, she said, _The glory is departed from Israel_[227]\n(1 Sam. iv. 12\u201322).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _SAMUEL\u2019S JUDGESHIP._\n 1 SAM. V.\u2013VIII. B.C. 1141\u20131095.\n\n\nMEANWHILE the Ark was carried by the Philistines in triumph to\nAshdod[228], one of their five confederate cities, and placed in the\nTemple of Dagon. But there its sanctity was remarkably vindicated, for\non the morrow that idol was found lying on its face upon the ground. In\nvain did its votaries set it up in its place again. The next day saw it\na second time laid prostrate, and not only fallen, but broken, without\nhead or hands. Moreover while a plague of mice destroyed their crops,\n\u201cemerods,\u201d _i.e._ hemorrhoids or piles, tormented their bodies. In\ngreat consternation they, thereupon, removed the Ark to Gath, but there,\ntoo, the same plague broke out, and when they were on the point of\nremoving it to Ekron, the inhabitants of that city interfered, and\ndeclared they would not admit it within their walls.\n\nThe advice of the priests and diviners was then asked, and they\nsuggested that the sacred Coffer should be placed in a new cart\ndrawn by two milch kine, which had never been yoked, and with a\ntrespass-offering of five golden mice and five golden emerods be sent\nback to the Israelites. If the kine of their own accord took the road\nto Beth-shemesh, (_house of the Sun_[229]), under the hills of Dan, and\nclose to the Philistine lowlands, then it would be certain that their\nmisfortunes were due to the hostility of the Gods of the Israelites,\notherwise it might be concluded that some chance had smitten them.\n\nThe plan was adopted. The Ark was placed in the new cart, together with\nthe coffer containing the trespass-offerings, and the kine took the\nhigh-road from Ekron to Beth-shemesh, without turning to the right hand\nor the left. It was the time of wheat-harvest, and the people of the\ntown were busy gathering in their corn, when lifting up their eyes\nthey with joy beheld the Ark, which they had not seen for seven months\n(1 Sam. vi. 1). The kine, meanwhile, stopped not till they had reached\nthe field of Joshua, an inhabitant of the place, where there was a\ngreat stone. Beth-shemesh being a suburb-city, and allotted to the\npriests (Josh. xxi. 16; 1 Chr. vi. 59), the Levites residing there\ntook down the Ark and the coffer, placed them on the great stone, then\nclave the wood of the cart, and offered up the kine as a burnt-offering\nto Jehovah, at the close of which ceremony, the five lords of the\nPhilistines, who had joined the procession, returned to their own\ncountry (1 Sam. vi. 10\u201316).\n\nBut even this joyous day was not to pass by without a great calamity.\nNot content with offering sacrifices, the people of Beth-shemesh\napproached the Ark, and though even the priests were not allowed to\ntouch it, removed the lid, to do which some force must have been used,\nand looked into it, for which profanity a considerable number were\nstricken with instant death. Messengers were, therefore, dispatched\nto Kirjath-jearim (_the fields of the wood_, see Ps. cxxxii. 6), and\nthither through the hills the Ark was sent, and placed in the house of\nthe Levite Abinadab, whose son Eleazar was consecrated to keep it, and\nthere it remained until the time of David (1 Sam. vii. 1).\n\nMeanwhile Samuel, of whom we have not heard since he denounced the doom\nof the house of Ithamar, was growing up an acknowledged Prophet of the\nLord. In this sad crisis of the nation\u2019s history he now came forward\nand convening an assembly at Mizpeh, probably the _Watch-tower_ of\nBenjamin, solemnly expostulated with the Israelites on their idolatrous\npractices. With fasting and public confession they acknowledged the\nrighteousness of the late judgments. Water was poured upon the ground,\nand the people entered into a covenant to abandon the worship of Baal\nand Ashtaroth. From this day Samuel\u2019s career as Judge began, and was\ninaugurated by a great victory over the Philistines, who hearing that\nthe Israelites were recovering from their former depression, once more\ngathered together at Mizpeh, prepared to give them battle. At this\ncrisis, Samuel taking a lamb offered it as a whole burnt-offering for\nthe nation\u2019s sins, and was thus piously employed when the Philistines\nmade their onslaught. But at this moment a terrific thunder-storm burst\nforth, accompanied, according to Josephus, by an earthquake. Seized\nwith a sudden panic, the Philistines fled in disorder, and were pursued\nwith great slaughter by the victorious Israelites as far as Beth-car\n(_the house of lambs_), a height to the west of Mizpeh. On the very\nspot, where twenty years before the Philistines had gained their most\nsignal triumph, Samuel now set up a huge stone to commemorate his\nvictory, and named it Ebenezer, _the Stone of Help_ (1 Sam. vii. 12).\n\nThe subsequent effects of this success were still more apparent. Not\nonly did the Philistines receive a decided check, but the Amorites also,\nthe scourge of the little tribe of Dan, made peace with Israel, and\nall the cities in the Philistine territory, which had been taken from\nthe Israelites, from Ekron to Gath, were restored. Samuel\u2019s office as\nJudge was now confirmed. Ramah, his birth-place, was his residence,\nand here he erected an altar to the Lord, and thence from year to year\nwent forth in solemn circuit to the old sanctuaries, Bethel, Gilgal,\nand Mizpeh, combining with the duties of a Judge the functions also of\na Seer or Prophet, and with all the weight of an Oracle advising in any\nof the troubles of national or domestic life (1 Sam. ix. 11, 18, 19).\nAs years passed on, and he waxed old, his sons JOEL and ABIAH, like\nthose of Jair and Abdon before him, shared a portion of his judicial\nfunctions, and administered justice in the more southerly portions of\nthe country. But they did not walk in their father\u2019s footsteps. He who,\nwhen a child, had denounced the terrible doom on Eli for the wickedness\nof his sons, lived to see his own sons turning aside after lucre,\nexacting excessive usury, and perverting judgment (1 Sam. viii. 3).\n\nA new and more advanced period in the history of the nation was at hand,\nand the supremacy of the Judges was about to close. Samuel, who came\nlike Numa after Romulus, did not fail to prepare the people for the\nnew epoch. At Ramah, at Bethel, at Mizpeh, at Gilgal[230] he gathered\ntogether _Schools of the Prophets_, and was the great reformer of the\nprophetical order, a work of such importance that he is even classed\nwith Moses, the great Lawgiver of the nation. (Comp. Ps. xcix. 6;\nActs iii. 24; xiii. 20.) The title, indeed, of \u201cprophet\u201d has occurred\nalready more than once, and is applied to Abraham (Gen. xx. 7), to\nMoses (Deut. xviii. 15\u201318), to Aaron (Ex. vii. 1), to Miriam (Ex.\nxv. 20), to the seventy elders (Num. xi. 24\u201330), to Deborah[231] (Judg.\niv. 4). But these were isolated cases. It was the work of Samuel to\ngive permanence and effectiveness to the prophetical functions.\n\nPromising youths were gathered by him into Schools or Colleges of\nProphets, where they lived together in a society or community, under a\nhead or leading prophet, whom they called their _Father_ (Comp. 1 Sam.\nx. 12; xix. 20), or _Master_ (2 K. ii. 3), while they were termed his\n_sons_. Here they employed themselves in studying the Law of Moses;\npractised the composition of sacred poetry; and became skilled in\nsacred music, _the psaltery, harp, tabret, pipe, and cymbals_ (1 Sam.\nx. 5; 2 K. iii. 15; 1 Ch. xxv. 1, 6). They also preserved and copied\nhistorical records, and \u201cgathered up the traditions of their own and\nformer times.\u201d Their calling was not merely, sometimes not at all,\nto predict future events. They were to be forth-speakers for God, to\ncommune with God, to speak of God, to teach His truth, to declare His\nwill, and that not only in words, but sometimes in action. Studying the\nLaw of Moses, and the records of God\u2019s past dealings with their nation,\nthey were to see the earnest of His presence for rebuke or consolation\nin the present. Their vocation required of them to preach morality and\nspiritual religion, to denounce oppression and covetousness, injustice\nand profligacy, cruelty and idolatry. And while called to reveal God\u2019s\nwill in each successive crisis of the nation\u2019s history, they were also\nspecially raised up to fix the eye of their countrymen on the future,\nto keep alive the belief in God\u2019s promises of Redemption, and to\nforetell the incarnation of Him, in whom all nations were to be blessed.\nIf they often typified Him, whose appearance they announced and whose\nSpirit dwelt in them, in His humiliation, being despised and rejected\nby the generation in which they lived, yet from time to time they\ntypified Him also in His exaltation, for the Lord, whose messengers\nthey were, stood by them, frequently confirmed their word by miracles,\nand punished those who injured them[232].\n\nThe subsequent position of the Prophetical order at momentous periods\nof the national history is strikingly illustrated by the conduct of its\nReformer and Organizer now. The misconduct of Samuel\u2019s sons produced\ndissatisfaction and a cry for change. Samuel himself was stricken in\nage. He had been a man of peace. One military success and one only had\ndistinguished his Judgeship. On the west the ever-restless Philistines\ngave signs of recovery from their late defeat (1 Sam. x. 5), while\nbeyond the Jordan Nahash the Ammonite threatened the cities of the\ntribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (1 Sam. xii. 12). There was no\nknown general in Israel qualified by his position or powers to take the\ncommand of the nation\u2019s armies, and lead them to battle. The fixed form\nof kingly government, which the people saw enjoyed by all the nations\naround, which they had themselves partially adopted under Gideon and\nAbimelech, under Jair and Abdon, and to which events appeared to have\nbeen rapidly tending, was not yet realized.\n\nAt this juncture, then, the elders and accredited heads of the nation\nrepaired to Ramah, and on the ground of Samuel\u2019s advanced age, the\nmisconduct of his sons, and, as we gather from an incidental remark\nof Samuel himself afterwards, an apprehended invasion by the Ammonites,\nthey requested that the form of government might be changed, that\na king might rule over them, like the nations round about (1 Sam.\nviii. 5).\n\nThis demand was a shock to Samuel\u2019s feelings, and _the thing displeased\nhim_. He knew well the abuses such a form of government was too likely\nto entail. But he did not reject the petition of the nation. He was\na true mediator between the old order that was changing and the new\norder, to which it was destined to give place. He prayed to the Lord\nfor advice and direction in this great crisis, and his prayer was heard.\nThough he had been rightly displeased with the people\u2019s request, though\nthey had done worse than rejecting him and had rejected their invisible\nRuler, he was directed to hearken to their voice, but he was not to\nleave them without warning. He was to _shew them the manner of the king\nthat should reign over them_ (1 Sam. viii. 9).\n\nAccordingly Samuel convened an assembly, and faithfully described\nthe Oriental court and ceremonial, which the election of a king would\ninevitably entail; how he would at his own pleasure take their sons\nand appoint them to command his chariots and his horses, would set\nthem to ear his ground and reap his harvest, and fashion his chariots\nand instruments of war; how he would take their daughters to be his\nconfectioners, his cooks, and his bakers; how their property would\ncease to be their own, and their fields, their oliveyards and vineyards,\ntheir flocks and herds, their menservants and maidservants would be\nrequired to be at his disposal. Under this despotism he warned them\nthat a day would come when they would cry unto the Lord, but He would\nnot hear them (1 Sam. viii. 10\u201318).\n\nHis words, however, fell on unheeding ears. The pomp and ceremonial\nof a court had too many attractions for the nation; without a king\nto judge them and fight their battles, they affected to feel isolated\nand degraded in the eyes of neighbouring peoples, and a king they were\nresolved to have. This answer of the elders Samuel carried back to\nthe Lord, who again bade him hearken to their voice, and promised the\nfulfilment of their wishes, with which assurance they were dismissed to\ntheir several cities[233] (1 Sam. viii. 22).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _ELECTION OF THE FIRST KING._\n 1 SAM. IX. B.C. 1095.\n\n\nTHE elders of Israel had not long to wait for the king they so\nearnestly desired. Shortly after Samuel\u2019s return to Ramah he received\nDivine intimation that on the morrow one would be sent him, whom he was\nto anoint to be _captain over the Lord\u2019s people_. Accordingly the next\nday, as he was on his way to the high place to give his benediction\nat a sacrificial feast, he met two wayfaring men. One was a man of\nBenjamin, SAUL the son of Kish, of a noble and handsome mien and\ngigantic stature, from his shoulders and upward higher than any of\nthe people; the other was his servant. In quest of the asses of Saul\u2019s\nfather, which had strayed, the two had been traversing without success\nthe central region of Palestine, and now guided by certain maidens of\nRamah, whom they had met at the entrance of the place going out to draw\nwater, they had resolved to ask the advice of Samuel.\n\nThe Prophet had already noticed the tall handsome stranger, and as he\ndrew near the Divine Voice assured him that he was the destined Ruler\nof His people (1 Sam. ix. 15, 16). When, therefore, Saul enquired for\nthe Seer\u2019s house, Samuel not only declared that he was the person he\nsought, but revealed his mysterious acquaintance with the secret of\nhis three days\u2019 journey, and bade him lay aside all further anxiety,\nfor the asses were found. Then, turning to Saul, he added in yet\nmore mysterious words, _On whom is the desire of Israel? Is it not on\nthee, and on all thy father\u2019s house?_ Marvelling at the import of this\nsignificant question addressed to one who belonged to _the smallest\nof the tribes of Israel_, and whose family was _the least of all the\nfamilies of Benjamin_ (1 Sam. ix. 21), Saul followed the Prophet to the\nhigh place, where with his servant he was made to sit in the chiefest\nplace among the thirty guests assembled at the sacrificial feast, and\nto partake of a special portion which had been reserved for him.\n\nThence he returned to the town, and in the evening held further\nconversation with Samuel on the house-top of his dwelling. Next morning\nat daybreak Samuel roused his guest, and accompanied him some little\nway to the end of the town. There the servant was bidden to pass on,\nand the two being left alone the Prophet taking a phial of oil poured\nit on Saul\u2019s head, and kissed him, and assured him of his election\nto be the first King of Israel. To this assurance he added prophetic\nintimations of incidents which would occur on Saul\u2019s return homewards,\nand which could not fail still further to confirm him in the conviction\nthat his sudden elevation was indeed of the Lord. Two men would meet\nhim at Rachel\u2019s sepulchre, and inform him that the asses were found,\nand that his father\u2019s anxieties now centred on himself; at the \u201cplain,\u201d\nor rather the \u201coak\u201d of Tabor (1 Sam. x. 3) he would meet three men\ngoing to Bethel carrying gifts of kids, bread, and a skin bottle of\nwine; they would salute him, and offer him two loaves of bread, which\nhe was to receive at their hand; then, thirdly, on reaching _the hill\nof God_, probably Gibeah, where the Philistines had posted a garrison,\nhe would meet a company of the prophets coming down from the high place\nwith psaltery, tabret, pipe, and harp, whose inspired strains would\nso affect him that he would join himself to them, and be turned into\nanother man. After the fulfilment of these three signs, he was to go\nto Gilgal, and there tarry seven days till Samuel\u2019s arrival to offer\nsacrifices, and tell him what he should do (1 Sam. x. 8). Then the two\nmen parted, each of the three signs came to pass, and God gave the son\nof Kish _another heart_. Convinced of his call to inaugurate the kingly\nperiod of Israel\u2019s history, his soul rose to the greatness of the\noccasion; the strains of the prophetic choir so wrought upon his spirit\nthat he felt inspired to join them, and his appearance in their society\nbecame the occasion of a well-known proverb, _Is Saul also among the\nprophets?_ (1 Sam. x. 12).\n\nMeanwhile Samuel convened all the people to Mizpeh of Benjamin, and\nafter again rebuking them for their want of faith in thus hastily\nseeking a change of government, bade them present themselves before\nthe Lord by their tribes and by their thousands, in order that the\nsacred lot might decide the election of the king. In solemn order\nthe tribes passed before him, and the lot fell upon that of Benjamin.\nThen the same ceremony was successively repeated with the clans, the\nfamilies, the individuals, and in a manner that none could dispute, it\nwas indicated that Saul the son of Kish was the object of the Divine\nchoice. But when search was made for him, he was not to be found. Still\nunwilling to accept the arduous duties of the kingdom, he had concealed\nhimself in the circle of baggage round the encampment at Mizpeh. The\nsearch was renewed, and he was brought forth from his hiding-place. As\nhe advanced into the midst his exalted stature struck the spectators\nwith admiration, and a universal shout of _Long live the King_\nbetokened the nation\u2019s acceptance of its new head (1 Sam. x. 24).\n\nLeft to themselves, the Israelites would, doubtless, have stood\ncommitted to the new form of government, without pausing to insist\non any conditions from their Ruler, well content if he proved as\nabsolute and irresponsible as those of the nations round about. But the\nfar-seeing Samuel was wiser than they. Well knowing the bearing of the\ntransactions of that day on the nation\u2019s future, he not only expounded\nto the people the manner of the kingdom as set forth by their great\nLawgiver in the Book of Deuteronomy (xvii. 14\u201320), but for the sake of\ngreater security committed the regulations thus accepted to writing,\nand laid them up in safe keeping before the Lord, and thus, \u201cunder\nDivine sanction, and amidst the despotisms of the East, arose the\nearliest example of a constitutional monarchy[234].\u201d\n\nThis ceremony concluded, the people returned to their homes, and\nSaul retired to Gibeah. Though his elevation had been thus formally\napproved, there were not wanting those who, on the score, probably,\nof the obscurity of his tribe, and the fact that his capacities were\nas yet unknown, expressed much dissatisfaction at his promotion,\nquestioned his ability to rule them, and brought him none of the usual\npresents (1 Sam. x. 27). With rare self-control, however, he held his\npeace, and in a short time was enabled to justify the confidence that\nhad been reposed in him.\n\nWhile living in retirement at Gibeah, he received intelligence which\nroused all his martial ardour, and for the first time revealed his\ntalents as a military leader. The Ammonites, recovered from the\ndefeat they had sustained from Jephthah, had under the leadership of\ntheir king NAHASH laid siege to Jabesh-gilead (See Judg. xxi. 8), the\ninhabitants of which place in their terror invited the heathen king\nto make a covenant with them, and agreed to serve him. This, with\ncharacteristic haughtiness he declined, except on the condition that he\nmight put out their right eyes, and thus render them unfit for further\nmilitary service. In this strait, the elders of the place requested\nseven days\u2019 respite, and meanwhile sent messengers to their brethren\nimploring assistance. Saul was driving his herd homewards from the\nfield, when the sound of wild lamentation in his native town revealed\nthe danger which threatened the friendly[235] town of Jabesh-gilead.\nImmediately _the Spirit of the Lord came upon him_ (1 Sam. xi. 6),\nfilling him with courage and resolution for the emergency. Taking\na yoke of oxen, he hewed them in pieces, and sent this war-token\nthroughout all the tribes, summoning them under pain of eternal\ndisgrace to rally round himself and Samuel and hasten to the rescue\nof their brethren. He then bade the messengers return to Jabesh-gilead\nwith the assurance of succour, _before the sun was hot on the morrow_.\nHis determined spirit quickly communicated itself to others, and\n300,000 from Israel, and 30,000 from Judah gathered round him and the\nProphet. Bezek, a place apparently within a day\u2019s march of Jabesh,\nwas appointed their head-quarters, and thence dividing his forces into\nthree companies Saul executed a swift night-march, and burst upon the\nAmmonites in the morning watch, who panic-stricken by this unexpected\nonslaught were defeated with enormous loss, _so that not two of them\nwere left together_ (1 Sam. xi. 11).\n\nThis signal success had an instantaneous effect upon the people. The\nIsraelites hailed Saul as the deliverer of their country, and even\nproposed to put to death those who had not at first acknowledged him as\nking. With continued self-command, however, he calmed their zeal, and\ndeclined to stain with innocent blood the memory of a day, on which,\nas he said with becoming modesty, _not he but Jehovah had wrought\nsalvation in Israel_. At this juncture, the new ruler having been tried\nand not found wanting, Samuel suggested that the people should once\nmore repair to Gilgal, and there renew the kingdom. Accordingly after\nthe sacrifice of peace-offerings and amidst great rejoicings Saul was\nsolemnly inaugurated in his regal functions, while Samuel embraced the\nopportunity afforded by so large a gathering to bid farewell to the\npeople he had ruled so prudently with all his power (1 Sam. xii.). _He\nhad hearkened_, he said, _to their voice; he had made a king over them.\nFor himself, he was old and grey-headed, he had walked before them from\nhis childhood unto that day. Let them now testify if they had ought\nagainst him. Had he defrauded any? Had he oppressed any? Had he taken\nany bribe to blind his eyes? If so, he would make ample restoration._\nWith one voice the whole people bore witness to the integrity and\nuprightness of his public life. Then, like Moses and Joshua, he gave\nthem his parting counsels, and after exhorting them by the memory of\npast mercies and past deliverances to cleave fast to the Lord, and\nnot forsake His commandments, called on the Lord Himself to ratify\nhis words by an outward and visible sign. It was the season of\nwheat-harvest[236], when thunder and rain seldom or never occurred.\nBut at the word of Samuel, the sky became black with clouds, the\nthunder rolled and the rain fell, bearing witness to the solemnity of\nthe Prophet\u2019s warnings; who having thus bidden farewell to the people,\nhenceforth retired from any share in the government, which now devolved\non Saul alone.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _THE BATTLE OF MICHMASH._\n 1 SAM. XIII. XIV. B.C. 1093\u20131087.\n\n\nIN dismissing Saul from Ramah after their first interview, Samuel,\nit will be remembered, had told him that he would pass _a garrison of\nthe Philistines_ (1 Sam. x. 5; xiii. 3) Recovering from their defeat\nat Ebenezer this people had again renewed their old hostilities, and\npitched in the heart of the mountains of Benjamin. Two years after his\naccession (1 Sam. xiii. 1), Saul resolved to throw off a yoke which\npressed so severely on the neighbourhood of his native place. Gathering\nround him a small standing army of 3,000 men, he placed 1,000 under the\ncommand of his valiant son JONATHAN at Geba[237], while he himself with\n2,000 took up a position at Michmash (_M\u016dkhmas_) about 7 miles north of\nJerusalem, and along the ridge of intervening heights in the direction\nof Bethel. Either at or close to Jonathan\u2019s position was posted a\ngarrison of the Philistines. For some time the rival forces stood\nwatching one another, and at length Jonathan in a fit of youthful\nardour fell upon the garrison, and put it to flight.\n\nTidings of this event quickly reached the Philistines in their rich\nsouthern plains, who forthwith swarmed with a vast force up through the\npasses of Benjamin, while Saul retired to Gilgal, and there summoned a\ngeneral gathering of the nation. But in face of the enormous masses of\ntheir foes, the Israelites, seized with a sudden panic, as in the days\nof Gideon (Judg. vi. 2), fled for refuge to the natural hiding-places\nof the country, to the dens, the inaccessible fastnesses, and the caves\nwith which it abounded, while some even crossed the Jordan into the\nterritory of Gad and Gilead (1 Sam. xiii. 7).\n\nThe Philistines now in their turn occupied Michmash, and their\noppression of the Israelites was most grievous. A regular disarmament\nwas carried out, so that none of the Hebrews had sword or spear save\nthe king and his son, and their immediate retainers; nay, the very\nsmiths were removed, and the Hebrews were constrained to go down to\ntheir enemies to get their agricultural implements sharpened. In this\nterrible crisis Saul sent messages from Gilgal to Samuel at Ramah,\nwho promised within seven days to join the king and celebrate solemn\nsacrifices, preparatory, probably, to some concerted plan of action.\nBut the days passed away, and Samuel came not. The Philistines were\ncollecting in constantly increasing numbers at Michmash, and the\nterrified Israelites dropped off more and more, leaving their king\nwith barely 600 followers. The present posture of affairs imperatively\ndemanded prudence and caution, and from Samuel the king would,\ndoubtless, have learnt the Divine will, and He, who had enabled Gideon\nwith only 300 men to conquer even more numerous foes, would have opened\nup some mode of deliverance. But Samuel came not, and Saul, unable to\nrestrain his impatience, resolved to offer the sacrifices himself. He\nhad scarcely done so when the Prophet arrived and sternly rebuked him\nfor his impetuous zeal. _Thou hast done foolishly_, said he, _thou\nhast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God_, and he proceeded\nto intimate that the kingdom, which might have been established in his\nfamily, would not continue, but would be transferred to another (1 Sam.\nxiii. 11\u201314).\n\nMeanwhile the Philistines continued their oppressive and tyrannical\nexactions. Roving bands from their camp went forth in three\ndirections[238], and committed disastrous depredations, while from\nthe heights, where they were encamped, Saul and Jonathan, at the head\nof their little band, looked down upon a ravaged and terror-stricken\ncountry, unable and afraid to lift a hand against its oppressors. At\nlength Jonathan resolved to strike another blow. Between the Israelite\nposition at Geba and the Philistine garrison at Michmash was a distance\nof about three miles, part of which consisted of a deep gorge, running\nbetween two sharp jagged rocks, the one called Bozez (_Shining_),\nprobably from the white chalky cliffs, the other Seneh (_the Thorn_ or\n_Acacia_), so called probably from some solitary acacia on its summit.\nAbove this gorge[239] was the Philistine garrison. Without informing\nhis father, or communicating his design to any one, except the young\nman his armour-bearer, Jonathan resolved to ascend the steep sides of\nthe ravine, and then to take the conduct of the enemy as an omen for\nfurther operations. If the Philistines came forth and threatened an\nattack, they would remain in the valley; if they challenged them to\nadvance, they would take this as an augury of success, and press on.\nUpon their hands and feet, then, the two climbed up, and at length were\ndetected by the Philistines. _Behold_, they cried in derision, _the\nHebrews come forth out of the holes, where they have hid themselves.\nCome up and we will shew you a thing._ The omen was favourable, and\nthe two pressed on.\n\n_Strong as a lion, and swift as an eagle_ (2 Sam. i. 23), Jonathan no\nsooner reached the summit than he rushed upon his unexpecting foes,\nand aided by his armour-bearer, slew at the first onset upwards of\ntwenty men. Thereupon a sudden and uncontrollable panic seized the\ngarrison and spread to the camp, and even the marauding hordes in the\nneighbourhood. A simultaneous earthquake (1 Sam. xiv. 15) increased\nthe confusion, and when Saul\u2019s watchmen at Gibeah looked towards the\nopposite end of the gorge of Michmash, they beheld the multitudes\n_melting away, going and beating down one another_. Unable to explain\nthe cause of this sudden movement, the king ordered the High-priest\nAhiah to enquire who had left the Israelite camp. On ascertaining that\nJonathan was leading an attack upon the enemy, he would have a second\ntime consulted the ark of God, but while he was talking, the noise\nin the Philistine host grew louder and louder. On this he bade the\nHigh-priest stay his enquiries, and putting himself at the head of his\n600 followers, he rushed up the defile, and on reaching the opposite\nside found that a general panic had seized the foe, _every man\u2019s hand\nwas against his fellow, and there was a great discomfiture_ (1 Sam.\nxiv. 20).\n\nIt was the signal for a general rising. Even the Israelites in the\nPhilistine camp turned against their captors, and were quickly joined\nby others of their brethren, who till now had remained concealed in the\nmountains of Ephraim. Onwards the pursuit swept over the high ground\nof Bethel and down the pass of Beth-horon to Ajalon[240]. In the\nexcitement of the hour, and carried away by that rash impetuosity which\nhenceforth seemed to mar all his actions, Saul cried to heaven, _Cursed\nbe the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged of\nmine enemies_ (1 Sam. xiv. 24). He had not yet encountered his heroic\nson, and the fasting people were spent and wearied. Soon the pursuit\nlay through a forest bedewed in divers places with the droppings\nof wild honey. Overcome with his exertions, which had brought such\nglory to the nation, and unaware of his father\u2019s rash adjuration,\nJonathan put forth the end of his staff into a honeycomb, and therewith\nrefreshed his parched lips. An Israelite saw what he had done, and\nrevealed the terms of the royal curse. _My father hath troubled the\nland_, said he, and once more mingled in the pursuit (1 Sam. xiv.\n24\u201332).\n\nThe day must now have been far advanced, and the host utterly unable\nto endure any longer the enforced fast flew upon the spoil, and taking\nsheep and oxen slew them on the ground, devouring the fresh carcases\neven with the blood[241]. When the news of this infraction of the law\nwas announced to Saul, he directed that a large stone should be set up\nto serve as a kind of altar. Still eager and impetuous, late as it was,\nhe wished to continue the pursuit and to spoil the Philistines till the\nmorning light. The more prudent Ahiah suggested that the Divine Will\nshould first be ascertained. Arrayed in his ephod (1 Sam. xiv. 3), he\nconsulted, probably, the \u201cBreastplate of Judgment[242],\u201d while the king\nenquired of the Lord, _Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt Thou\ndeliver them into the hand of Israel?_ But no answer was vouchsafed,\nthe Oracle was dumb. Suspecting there was something to intercept the\nDivine response, Saul proposed to ascertain the cause by appealing\nto the sacred lot, exclaiming with all his former rashness, _As the\nLord liveth, though the sin be found in Jonathan my son, he shall\nsurely die_. In solemn silence the chiefs of the host divided; Saul and\nJonathan stood on one side, the people on the other. The lot was cast,\nand it was ascertained that the sin lay between the king and his son.\nAgain the lot was cast, and this time Jonathan was taken. Adjured by\nhis father, the youthful conqueror confessed that with his staff he had\ntaken and eaten some honey. Saul declared he would abide by his vow,\nand Jonathan would have fallen a victim to the royal rashness, had\nnot the people interfered. With a determination he dared not oppose,\nthey declared that not one hair of his head should fall to the ground.\nThus Jonathan was saved; and Saul returned to his native hills, and the\nPhilistines, defeated and disgraced, to their fertile lowlands (1 Sam.\nxiv. 24\u201346).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _SAUL AND THE AMALEKITES. DAVID AND GOLIATH._\n 1 SAM. XV.\u2013XVII. B.C. 1079\u20131063.\n\n\nTHIS signal victory materially confirmed Saul\u2019s supremacy. Acting no\nlonger merely on the defensive, he now directed expeditions against\nMoab, Ammon, Edom, and even the king of Zobah, a region east of\nC\u0153le-Syria and extending towards the Euphrates. While in the full\ntide of his success he received a visit from Samuel, who on the\nstrength of a Divine command, entrusted him with a commission, which\nhe was to execute to the very letter. The treacherous hostility of the\npowerful tribe of Amalek, when they fell upon the exhausted rear of\nthe Israelites at their departure from Egypt, had not been forgotten by\nGod (Ex. xvii. 8, 14; Num. xxiv. 20). Since then they had on more than\none occasion evinced the same hostility[243]. They were now devoted to\nutter destruction. _Go and smite Amalek_, ran the Divine commission;\n_utterly destroy all that they have; spare them not; slay both man\nand woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass_ (1 Sam.\nxv. 2, 3).\n\nThereupon Saul mustered a force of 210,000 at Telaim in southern Judah,\nand after warning the Kenites to betake themselves to a place of safety,\nhe attacked the Amalekites and smote them from Havilah to Shur. All the\npeople he utterly destroyed, but, in direct violation of the express\ninstructions he had received, spared all the best of the spoil and Agag\nthe Amalekite king. Returning from this expedition he set up a _place_,\nor, probably, a _monument_ of his victory, at Carmel in the mountainous\ncountry of Judah, and thence repaired to Gilgal. A Divine intimation\nhad already made known to Samuel how imperfectly the king had executed\nhis commission, and with a heavy heart he went forth to meet him. With\na haste which betrayed the misgivings of his conscience, Saul no sooner\nsaw the Prophet than he boasted of his execution of the Divine mandate.\nBut Samuel was not thus to be deceived. _The bleating of the sheep\nand the lowing of oxen_ on all sides revealed but too clearly the lax\ninterpretation which Saul had chosen to put upon his instructions,\nand he only increased his condemnation by trying to throw the blame\nof his own shortcomings upon the people, who, he declared, _had spared\nthe best of the spoil to sacrifice to Jehovah_. The Prophet sternly\nreminded him that Jehovah had far more delight in obedience to His\ncommands than in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and for the second\ntime intimated that the continuance of his dynasty was forfeited; he\nhad _rejected the Word of the Lord, and the Lord had rejected him from\nbeing king_ (1 Sam. xv. 12\u201323).\n\nWith much contrition Saul then confessed his error, and as the Prophet\nturned to depart, grasped the skirt of his mantle to induce him to stay.\nThe mantle rent, and Samuel interpreted the omen; the Lord had _rent\nthe kingdom_ from its unworthy head, and designed it for _a neighbour\nof his_, who was better than he. Without denying the justice of the\nsentence, Saul entreated the granting of one concession, imploring\nSamuel to _honour him before the elders of his people, and turn with\nhim and worship Jehovah_. The prophet yielded, and for the last time\nthe two offered sacrifice together. But if Saul had neglected his\nduty, Samuel could not forget the captive king, whom the Divine decree\nhad devoted to death. He ordered Agag to be brought before him. The\nking came forward _delicately_, remarking, as if to disarm hostility,\n_surely the bitterness of death is past_. _As thy sword_, rejoined\nthe Prophet, _hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be\nchildless among women_; and he hewed him in pieces before the Lord.\nThe commission of Jehovah thus vindicated, Saul returned to Gibeah, and\nSamuel to Ramah, there to mourn for one, whose career, once so hopeful,\nwas now obscured with such dark forebodings of coming doom (1 Sam. xv.\n24\u201335).\n\nThe sorrow of Samuel for Saul\u2019s shortcomings was real. But he was\nbefore long roused from his grief by a Divine commission to take a horn\nof oil and go to Bethlehem, there to anoint another king. Fear lest the\npurport of his errand should reach Saul\u2019s ears would have deterred him\nfrom venturing on the journey, but he was bidden to take a heifer and\ninvite the elders of the town to a sacrificial feast. In obedience to\nthis command he left Ramah, and proceeded on his way. As he ascended\nthe long gray hill leading to the village, his approach was discerned\nby the elders, who trembled when they saw the venerable Prophet.\n_Comest thou peaceably?_ they enquired anxiously. _Peaceably_, was the\nreply, and they were bidden to prepare to accompany him to the feast.\n\nAmongst those invited on this occasion was JESSE, sprung from one of\nthe oldest families[244] in the place, the son of OBED, and grandson\nof the Moabitess RUTH. He was an aged man at this time, and the father\nof eight sons, of whom seven now accompanied him to the feast (1 Sam.\nxvii. 12). When they were all assembled, and waiting to commence, the\nProphet looked upon the eldest, the tall Eliab, and thought that of a\nsurety he beheld the Lord\u2019s anointed. But the Divine Voice bade him not\nlook upon _his countenance_, or _the height of his stature_, for the\nLord, _who looketh not upon the outward appearance but upon the heart_,\nhad refused him. Then the old man\u2019s second son Abinadab passed before\nhim, and his third son Shammah, and after them four other sons, but\nthe Lord had chosen none of them. _Are here all thy children?_ enquired\nSamuel. _There remaineth yet the youngest_, said Jesse, _and, behold,\nhe keepeth the sheep_. _Send and fetch him_, rejoined the Prophet;\n_till he come hither, we cannot sit round_ (1 Sam. xvi. 11, _margin_).\n\nAccordingly a messenger was sent to the sheepfolds, and brought in the\nyoungest, DAVID (_the beloved_, _the darling_), the Benjamin of Jesse\u2019s\nhouse. With his shepherd\u2019s staff in his hand, his scrip or wallet round\nhis neck (1 Sam. xvii. 40), a mere stripling beside the tall Eliab,\nruddy or auburn-haired, with fair bright eyes[245], _comely and goodly\nto look to_ (1 Sam. xvi. 12, 18), he stood before the Prophet. _Arise,\nanoint him, for this is he_, whispered the Divine Voice, and there\nin the midst of his brethren and the assembled elders, Samuel poured\nupon him the consecrated oil, on which the feast so long delayed was\ncelebrated, and Samuel rose up and returned to Ramah. (See Ps. lxxviii.\n70\u201372.)\n\nMeanwhile the Spirit of God, which came upon David from that day\nforward, departed from Saul, and _an evil spirit troubled him_ (1 Sam.\nxvi. 14). He became moody and liable to fits of sudden phrensy. To\nrouse him from this distressing state, his servants advised that a\nclever player on the harp should be sent for, that by the charms of\nhis music he might soothe his spirit. When enquiry was made for such\na minstrel, one of the royal servants mentioned the name of the son of\nJesse as not only cunning in playing, but of tried valour, prudent in\nspeech, comely in person, and prospered with the blessing of the Lord\n(1 Sam. xvi. 18). Saul thereupon sent for him, and Jesse dispatched\nhim with a humble offering. Even the troubled spirit of the king was\nsoothed by the music of the future Psalmist of Israel; he loved him,\nand made him not only his minstrel but his armour-bearer, and retained\nhim about his person (1 Sam. xvi. 21).\n\nWhen the paroxysms of Saul\u2019s malady abated, David would seem to have\nreturned to his old occupations on the bleak downs of Bethlehem, where\nhis faithfulness _in a few things_ fitted him to become a ruler _over\nmany things_. His shepherd life called into action some of the best\nqualities in human nature. Firmness, nerve, energy and constancy were\nall required of him, who would in true devotion to this calling, endure\nthe heat by day and the frost by night (Gen. xxxi. 40), climb narrow\nledges and scale lofty precipices in quest of pasture for his flocks,\nand defend them against wild beasts, such as lions and wolves, bears\nand panthers, or robbers of the desert. All these tests David had stood.\nHis strength and courage were well known beyond the boundaries of his\nnative village. Once during his solitary shepherd life a lion, and at\nanother time a bear attacked his father\u2019s flock. He fled not like a\n\u201chireling shepherd,\u201d but put his life in his hand, and went after them\nand slew them (1 Sam. xvii. 34\u201337).\n\nMeanwhile the ever active Philistines had once more risen in arms\nagainst the Israelites. Gathering together their forces they took up a\nposition on a height, which, probably from being the scene of frequent\nsanguinary encounters, was known as Ephes-dammim (_the boundary of\nblood_), situated on the frontier hills of Judah between Socoh and\nAzekah. Separated from their foes by a deep ravine or glen, Saul and\nhis followers pitched on the north side of the Valley of Elah[246]\n(_the terebinth_). For forty mornings and evenings there descended into\nthis valley from the camp of the Philistines a giant named GOLIATH of\nGath. Of enormous height and clad in complete armour, he openly defied\nany one of the Hebrew host to mortal combat, and offered to stake the\nsupremacy of either people on the issue. Even the tall majestic Saul\ndeclined the challenge, and, like his people, _was dismayed and greatly\nafraid_ (1 Sam. xvii. 11).\n\nWhile the two armies thus stood confronting each other, early one\nmorning David entered the camp, having been bidden by his father to\nvisit his three eldest brothers, then serving in the army. As he drew\nnear the outskirts of the camp, the host with the well-known war-cry\nwas advancing to take up its daily position in battle-array. Hastily\nleaving with the keeper of the baggage the provisions which his father\nhad sent as a present to their captain, he hurried within the lines,\nand was in the act of saluting his brethren, when the voice of the\ngiant was audible calling across the ravine his morning challenge.\nDavid heard his words of haughty defiance, and lost in wonder at the\ndespondency of the people, listened eagerly to the bystanders, as they\nrecounted the reward, which the king had promised to bestow on any\none who was willing to accept the giant\u2019s challenge, and slew him in\nthe fight. Heeding nothing the taunts of his eldest brother ELIAB, who\nwould have had him mind the few sheep he had left amidst the pastures\nof Bethlehem, instead of coming thither to see the battle, he went\nfrom soldier to soldier listening again and again to the account of the\nking\u2019s promised reward, till at length his bold defiance of the giant\nreached the ears of Saul (1 Sam. xvii. 31).\n\nSummoned into the royal presence, David declared his readiness to go\nforth and encounter his gigantic foe, and at Saul\u2019s request tried on\nhis armour, which, however, did not fit him, and he speedily put it off\nagain. Then, choosing five smooth stones from the dry torrent-bed which\nran through the ravine, he placed them in his shepherd\u2019s script, and\nwith his staff in one hand, and a sling[247] in the other, drew near\nthe Philistine. The latter enraged at the youthful appearance of his\nassailant cursed him by his gods, and threatened _to give his flesh\nto the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field_. Undismayed David\nreturned threat for threat, and as his foe drew near, put his hand into\nhis bag and took thence a stone, which he slang with all his might,\nand smote the Philistine in his forehead, _that the stone sank into his\nforehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth_. Then without delay\nhe stood upon the prostrate body, and drawing the giant\u2019s huge sword\nfrom its sheath, finished the work by cutting off his head. The sight\nof their champion lying weltering in his blood filled the Philistines\nwith consternation, and they commenced a precipitate flight. Raising\ntheir well-known war-cry, the Israelites then rushed across the ravine\nand up the opposite heights, and chased their foes to the gates of\nEkron and Gath, and spoiled their tents. On their return the youthful\nwarrior, who had in so signal a manner proved that the Lord saved\nnot with sword and spear, bearing the head of his gigantic enemy in\nhis hand, was conducted to Saul\u2019s tent by Abner the king\u2019s uncle and\ncaptain of the host. Some two or three years had probably elapsed since\nthe days when David soothed Saul\u2019s melancholy with the strains of his\nharp, and in his altered visage the king did not recognise his former\nminstrel[248]. But he now took him permanently into his service, and\nwould let him no more return to his father\u2019s house (1 Sam. xviii. 2).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _DAVID\u2019S LIFE AS AN OUTLAW._\n 1 SAM. XVIII.\u2013XXIII. B.C. 1063\u20131061.\n\n\nTHE victory over Goliath was the turning-point in David\u2019s life.\nHe was now no longer the obscure shepherd of Bethlehem, but the\nrecognised deliverer of Israel, and the chief of Saul\u2019s men of\nwar (1 Sam. xviii. 5). Moreover he now became the devoted friend\nof Jonathan, the king\u2019s son. The hero of Michmash would naturally\nsympathise with the daring shepherd of Bethlehem, and _his soul was\nknit with the soul of David_ (1 Sam. xviii. 1; Comp. 2 Sam. i. 26). The\ntwo ratified a solemn vow of undying friendship, and Jonathan bestowed\non his new-found friend almost every article of his attire, not only\nthe costly robe that he wore, but even his sword, his bow, and his\ngirdle (1 Sam. xviii. 4).\n\nBut the hour of David\u2019s triumph was the signal for the commencement of\nthose embittered relations which subsisted between him and Saul till\nthe day of the latter\u2019s death. As the royal party returned from the\nValley of Elah, they were met by companies of Hebrew maidens, who in\ntheir songs expressed the discerning feelings of the nation, singing,\n_Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands_. To the\nking this was gall and wormwood; in the youthful warrior he saw that\n_other more worthy than himself_, for whom the kingdom was designed,\nand _he eyed him from that day and forward_ (1 Sam. xviii. 9).\n\nAs the king\u2019s armour-bearer David did not neglect his musical talents,\nand when Saul\u2019s fits of madness were upon him he soothed him with the\nstrains of his harp. But more than once he did so at the peril of his\nlife, for in a sudden paroxysm of rage the king flung at him the long\nspear he held in his hand, and would have pinned him to the wall, had\nhe not escaped out of his presence (1 Sam. xviii. 11). Perceiving that\nthe Divine favour was withdrawn from himself, Saul now became afraid of\nDavid, and in the hope of getting rid of him gave him the command of a\nthousand men (1 Sam. xviii. 13), and sent him on several expeditions;\nbut David\u2019s uniform success and the prudence he displayed only won\nfor him still more the favour of the people. The king then tried other\nexpedients. He promised him his eldest daughter MERAB in marriage,\non condition that he fought against the Philistines. David went, and\ninstead of falling in battle, only covered himself with fresh glory,\nbut when the time for the marriage came, Merab was given to another\n(1 Sam. xviii. 19).\n\nMeanwhile MICHAL, the king\u2019s second daughter, had fallen in love with\nher father\u2019s armour-bearer. As if to bring his previous designs to\na positive fulfilment, Saul named as her dowry proof that David had\nslain a hundred of the Philistines. At the head of his men David went,\nand slew twice that number, and brought the required proofs of their\ndeath. The marriage was celebrated, and David became captain of the\nroyal body-guard, second only, if not equal, to Abner. But the king\u2019s\njealousy of his successful rival was only the more increased, and\nhe went so far as to propose to Jonathan and his servants that David\nshould be put out of the way, and was only dissuaded by the moving\nintercession of Jonathan himself. A partial reconciliation with the\nking ensued, and David returned to court. But his life was not more\nsecure. On one occasion his own vigilance in eluding the royal javelin,\non another the devotion of his wife Michal, alone saved his life.\nOn the last occasion, the officers charged to put him to death had\nactually penetrated into his chamber, but only to find in the bed, in\nplace of the object of their search, an _image_, or household god, with\nthe head enveloped in a net of goats\u2019 hair[249]. During the night his\nwife had let him down from the window. (Comp. Ps. lix.)\n\nDavid now fled away to Naioth[250], the _huts or habitations_ near\nRamah, where he enjoyed a brief respite from danger and anxiety in the\ncongenial society of the aged Samuel, whom he had not seen since the\noccurrence at Bethlehem, and of the company of prophets there gathered\ntogether under his superintendence. News of his hiding-place reached\nthe ears of Saul, who forthwith sent messengers to take him. But the\nsight of the prophets performing their sacred functions under the eye\nof the venerable Samuel and their strains of sacred melody so wrought\nupon the messengers, that they could not refrain from joining in their\nreligious exercises. A similar issue attended a second, and even a\nthird deputation. At length Saul went in person to the great well or\ncistern of Sechu, not far from Ramah, and enquired for the Prophet\nand the fugitive. But as he drew near the place, he himself could not\nresist the prophetic impulse, and for the second time justified the\nenquiry, _Is Saul also among the prophets?_ (1 Sam. xix. 24).\n\nThus the danger was for the time averted. But this state of suspense\nwas intolerable, and David felt there was _but a step between him and\ndeath_. Probably by Samuel\u2019s advice, he now obtained a secret interview\nwith Jonathan at Ezel, a well-known stone near Gibeah. In pathetic\nlanguage he poured out his whole soul to his friend, and besought him\nto make an effort to ascertain once for all the real feelings of his\nfather, which he might think had undergone a change after the incidents\nat Naioth. The morrow was a festival of the New Moon. Saul would hold\na solemn feast, and at his table would sit Abner and Jonathan, but\nDavid\u2019s place would be vacant. The demeanour of the king on observing\nhis absence was to be taken as an omen. If he acquiesced in Jonathan\u2019s\nexplanation that David was absent at a similar festival under the\nfamily roof at Bethlehem, all would be well. If he was wroth, then it\nwould be certain that the old grudge was not healed, and that evil was\ndetermined against him. A solemn compact was then ratified between the\ntwo. Jonathan undertook to ascertain his father\u2019s mind; David promised\nto shew kindness not only to Jonathan himself, but to all his posterity\n(1 Sam. xx. 5\u201310).\n\nWhen this compact had been duly ratified, Jonathan suggested an\nexpedient, whereby the news was to be made known to David. Within three\ndays he would again repair to the \u201cgreat stone\u201d with his bow and arrows,\nand accompanied by a little lad. He would then shoot three arrows,\nas though he shot at a mark, and his words to the lad, which David\nwould overhear, must decide the point. If he said to the lad, _Behold,\nthe arrows are on this side of thee, take them_, then David might\ncome forth, and know that all was well. If he said, _The arrows are\nbeyond thee_, then he might go his way, certain that the wrath of the\nking could not be appeased. The day came, and David repaired to his\nhiding-place. In due time Jonathan and his little lad appeared, and the\nthree arrows were shot as agreed upon, and as the lad ran to pick them\nup, he cried, _Is not the arrow beyond thee?_ Then David knew that he\nmust fly, and, when the lad was gone to carry back the bow and arrows\nto Gibeah, rose from his hiding-place, and with passionate embraces\nand many tears parted from his friend, who once more commended his\nposterity to his care (1 Sam. xx. 35\u201342).\n\nDavid now betook himself to Nob, a sacerdotal city in the tribe\nof Benjamin, and situated on an eminence near Jerusalem. Here the\nHigh-priest Ahimelech resided with the Tabernacle, and trembled when\nhe saw the captain-general of the royal troops approaching alone, and\nunattended by his usual retinue. But David disarmed his suspicions\nby pretending a secret mission from the king, and in this character\nobtained, in the failure of other bread, the sacred[251] loaves of\nShew-bread, which having served their turn in the weekly course, were\nabout to be replaced by new loaves. With these and the sword of Goliath,\nwhich was brought forth from its receptacle behind the ephod, he fled\naway, resolved to seek refuge amongst his enemies the Philistines[252].\n\nOn his arrival at the court of Achish, king of Gath, he was recognised\nby the royal guards as the famous champion of Israel, and the sword he\ncarried doubtless recalled bitter memories of the Valley of Elah. He\nwas accordingly thrown into prison[253]. But in this dilemma he changed\nhis behaviour, scrabbled on the doors of the gates, let his spittle\nfall upon his beard, and gave every sign of being insane. The oriental\nrespect for madness[254] procured him his release, and he was suffered\nto depart.\n\nFrom the Lowlands of the Philistines he now betook himself to the town\nof Adullam (Josh. xv. 35), at the foot of the mountain-range of Judea,\nand found a secure retreat in one of the extensive caves, with which\nthe limestone cliffs of the neighbourhood are pierced[255]. News of his\ncoming reached Bethlehem (1 Sam. xxii. 1), and straightway his brethren\nand all his father\u2019s house, feeling perhaps insecure from Saul\u2019s\nvengeance, came down to his stronghold from the Judean hills. These\nprobably included his nephews, the sons of Zeruiah, JOAB and ABISHAI;\nbut besides these, were 400 men who joined him from various motives,\nsome from distress, others to avoid exacting creditors, others from\nsome private sorrow. Not considering, however, his aged father and\nmother secure even in this secluded spot, David hastily crossed the\nJordan, and conveyed them into the friendly territory of Moab, and\nthere consigned them to the king, who agreed to protect them (1 Sam.\nxxii. 3, 4).\n\nBy the advice of his friend the prophet Gad, he now retired to the\nforest of Hareth, not far from Adullam. It was probably while he was\nhere in hold that the sons of Zeruiah performed the memorable exploit\nrecorded in 2 Sam. xxiii. 14\u201317, 1 Chr. xi. 16\u201319. A garrison of the\nPhilistines had established themselves even in David\u2019s native town\nof Bethlehem. One day, sorely tried by thirst, he expressed a longing\nfor the delicious water of its well near the gate. Upon the word the\nthree heroes burst through the Philistine forces, and returned with\nthe much-coveted draught[256]. But their leader would not drink of the\nblood of the men that _had gone in jeopardy of their lives_, and poured\nit forth as a libation before the Lord.\n\nOther bands now joined him. Amongst these were eleven mighty men,\n_their faces like the faces of lions, their feet as swift as the roes\nupon the mountains_ (1 Chr. xii. 8), from the uplands of Gad beyond\nJordan, who swam that river when it had overflowed all its banks (1 Chr.\nxii. 15), and found their way to his hold. They were followed by men,\nnot only from the tribe of Judah, but from that of Benjamin, with their\nchief Amasai. This defection of members of Saul\u2019s own tribe at first\nexcited David\u2019s suspicion, but the straightforward, honest words of\ntheir leader convinced him of their sincerity, and he associated them\nin the command of his band of six hundred faithful followers (1 Chr.\nxii. 16\u201318).\n\nMeanwhile the Philistines attacked Keilah, a town of uncertain\nsituation in the lowland district of Judah, and robbed the\nthreshing-floors. At first David\u2019s men, in spite of a Divine assurance\nof success, feared to relieve the place, and so incur the hostility\nof their powerful foe. A second assurance restored their courage.\nKeilah was rescued, and the Philistines defeated with great slaughter.\nWhilst here David was joined by another and an important ally in the\nperson of Abiathar, the son of the high-priest Ahimelech, bearing sad\nintelligence. On the day of David\u2019s visit to Nob, there was a stranger\nwatching intently all that took place between him and the high-priest.\nThis was Doeg, an Edomite, and the chief of Saul\u2019s herdmen (1 Sam.\nxxi. 7). When the king was deploring at Gibeah the defection even of\nhis own tribe, Doeg poured into the royal ear _his_ version of what\nhad occurred at Nob. Transported with rage the king sent for Ahimelech,\nand all the priests of the line of Ithamar, and charged them with\nbefriending his enemies. In vain the high-priest repelled the charge.\nSaul sentenced the entire body of the priests to instant death, and\ngave the signal to his guard to execute it. But they declined to imbrue\ntheir hands in such a bloody murder. Thereupon he called on Doeg, who\nstraightway obeyed, and falling upon the unresisting priests slew in\none day _fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod_. Not\ncontent with this, the king put the entire population of the place to\nthe sword, _both men and women, children and sucklings_ (1 Sam. xxii.\n19). Such was the sad news which the solitary survivor of the house\nof Ithamar now announced to David. _I knew it_, replied the latter,\n_I knew it, that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would\nsurely tell Saul; I have occasioned the death of all the persons of\nthy father\u2019s house_[257]. From this day forward Abiathar remained\nwith David, and having brought with him the high-priest\u2019s ephod, was\nenabled by his oracular answers materially to aid David\u2019s movements\non occasions of difficulty or danger. Meanwhile the entry of his rival\n_into a town that had gates and bars_ (1 Sam. xxiii. 7) inspired Saul\nwith the hope of at length capturing David. Summoning his forces,\nas if for a regular military expedition, he marched down to Keilah,\nto besiege him and his followers. Aware of the king\u2019s secret designs,\nDavid consulted the Divine Will by means of the ephod, and thus\nascertaining the intention of the townspeople to betray him, he and his\nmen departed, _and went whithersoever they could_ (1 Sam. xxiii. 13).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n\n _DAVID AT ZIKLAG. BATTLE OF MOUNT GILBOA._\n 1 SAM. XXIV.\u2013XXXI. B.C. 1061\u20131056.\n\n\nFROM Keilah David now removed to a stronghold in the wilderness of\nZiph[258], in the highlands of Judah, between Carmel and Juttah, about\nthree miles south of Hebron. Hither Saul pursued him with ceaseless\nzeal, but was utterly unable to discover his hiding-place. Jonathan,\nhowever, sought him out and found him in a neighbouring wood, _and\nstrengthened his hand in God_, assuring him of his belief that his\nfather would never find him, that he would live to come to the throne,\nand that he himself should be next unto him. The former covenant was\nnow for the third time ratified, and the two friends parted, never to\nmeet again (1 Sam. xxiii. 16\u201318).\n\nMeanwhile Saul returned to Gibeah, whither messengers from the Ziphites\nfollowed him with news of David\u2019s hiding-place, and offering to betray\nhim into his hands[259]. Thereupon the king set out, and so close\nwere the pursuer and pursued on one another\u2019s track, that while David\nwas climbing down one side of a cliff in the waste pasture ground of\nMaon, in the extreme south of Judah, Saul and his men were posted to\nintercept them on the other. But the arrival of a messenger, with news\nof a sudden inroad of the Philistines, obliged the king to discontinue\nthe pursuit, and the name of the spot Sela-hammahlekoth, _The Cliff of\nDivisions_, long commemorated David\u2019s narrow escape (1 Sam. xxiii. 28).\n\nEngedi[260], or _The Spring of the Wild Goats_, a town on the western\nshore of the Dead Sea, was his next hiding-place, and the scene of an\ninstance of magnanimity on his part, rare at all times, especially rare\namongst Oriental nations. The panic of the Philistine invasion being\nover, Saul advanced to Engedi at the head of 3,000 men, and on one\noccasion entered one of the numerous caves of the neighbourhood. David\nand his men, seeing but not seen, were concealed in the dark recesses\nof the same retreat. Had he listened to the advice of his men, he might\nnow have surprised and slain his unsuspecting foe, but he contented\nhimself with cutting off the skirt of the royal robe. Even for this,\nhowever, his heart smote him, and bidding his men remember that the\nking was _his master_ and _the Lord\u2019s anointed_ (1 Sam. xxiv. 6), he\nrefused to permit them to rise up against him. Presently Saul left the\ncave, and then David followed, and cried after him, _My lord the king!_\nSaul looked behind him, and David, bowing before him with his face to\nthe ground, expostulated with him in words of touching beauty, and in\nthe skirt of his robe bade him behold a pledge of his unwillingness to\ndo him any harm[261]. Even Saul himself was deeply moved, and lifted\nup his voice and wept, frankly acknowledging the generosity of his\nrival. He then owned how well he knew David was to be the future\nking, and made him solemnly swear not to visit his own ill-will on\nhis posterity, or destroy his name out of his father\u2019s house. All\nthis David faithfully undertook to perform, but knowing well the\ncapriciousness of the king did not quit his stronghold. About this time\nthe aged prophet Samuel died, and _all the Israelites_ were gathered\ntogether, and lamented him, and buried him within the walls of his own\nhouse at Ramah (1 Sam. xxv. 1).\n\nThe relations of David towards the neighbouring landholders is\nstrikingly illustrated by an incident which now took place. On the\nneighbouring range of Carmel dwelt a rich sheep-master named NABAL.\nIn these troublous times his shepherds experienced more than usual\ndifficulty in safely keeping his 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. The\npresence, therefore, of David\u2019s valiant men was a matter of no small\nimportance, for instead of injuring or robbing them, _they were a wall\nunto them both by day and by night_ (1 Sam. xxv. 15\u201317). Hearing that\nNabal was about to shear his sheep, an occasion of much festivity,\nDavid sent ten of his retinue to request a small reward for the\nkindness he had ever shewn to his shepherds. This Nabal, who was\nnotorious for his churlish temper, flatly and insultingly refused.\nEnraged at such selfish insolence, David resolved on vengeance. Leaving\n200 men to guard the baggage, he marched with the remaining 400 towards\nCarmel, and would certainly have inflicted severe punishment on the\nchurlish sheep-master, had he not on the way encountered his beautiful\nand prudent wife ABIGAIL, who, informed of her husband\u2019s uncivil\nconduct, had come forth to meet him with a long train of asses laden\nwith provisions. In language courteous and politic she deprecated his\nvengeance, frankly allowing that as for her husband, Nabal (_fool_)\n_was his name, and folly was with him_ (1 Sam. xxv. 25). David\nconsented to desist from his determined revenge, and Abigail returned\nto find her lord drinking to excess at the feast. The next morning she\ntold him of the risk he had run, _and his heart died within him, and\nhe became as a stone_ (1 Sam. xxv. 37). Smitten with a sudden stroke he\nonly lingered ten days, when he died. Thereupon David married Abigail,\nand besides her, his wife Michal having been bestowed by Saul upon\nanother, he espoused Ahinoam of Jezreel (1 Sam. xxv. 43, 44), a town\nin the neighbourhood of the southern Carmel. (See Josh. xv. 56.)\n\nReturning once more to the old hiding-place in the pasture country of\nZiph, and the neighbouring hill of Hachilah, the secret of his retreat\nwas again betrayed to Saul by the Ziphites[262], who at the head of\n3,000 men went forth to capture David (1 Sam. xxvi. 3). Informed of\nhis approach, David retired from the hill to the lower ground, the\nwood which then covered the country concealing him from view[263].\nSaul advanced to the hill, and there pitched his tent, with Abner his\ncaptain-general, and his forces round about him. Accompanied by his\nnephew Abishai, David in the dead of the night penetrated through the\nlines to the spot where the king slept within the baggage, his spear\nstuck in the ground at his bolster[264]. Again Abishai bade him take\nadvantage of the opportunity, and asked permission to smite but once\nthe sleeping king, promising not to smite a second time. But again\nDavid refused, and contented himself with taking the royal spear, and\nthe cruse of water from his bolster, and passing through the lines of\nsleeping warriors went over to the other side, and standing on the top\nof a hill afar off, called across the long intervening space to Abner,\nwho was sunk in heavy sleep after the fatigues of the day. Roused by\nthe strange voice disturbing the still midnight air, Abner awoke, and\nasked who called. Then David reproached him for the little care he\nhad taken of his master, and in the well-known royal spear and the\ncruse of water bade him see a second proof of his generosity towards\nan unrelenting foe. Presently Saul himself awoke, and recognised the\nvoice of David. Again the fugitive pleaded in moving words with the\npursuer, and again Saul, touched to the heart with admiration for his\nmagnanimous rival, acknowledged his own guilt, and bestowed a blessing\nupon him (1 Sam. xxvi. 13\u201325).\n\nThis last occurrence seems to have convinced David that there was no\nhope of any permanent change in the king\u2019s feelings towards himself\n(1 Sam. xxvii. 1), and he therefore determined to seek refuge once more\namong the Philistines. No longer a solitary fugitive, but accompanied\nby his two wives, and his 600 followers with their households, he again\npresented himself before the king of Gath. In answer to his petition\nfor a place in some town in the country[265], Achish assigned to him\nand his retinue the town of Ziklag, situated at some distance from\nGath, towards the south or south-east of the Philistine frontier[266]\n(1 Sam. xxvii. 5). His stay here lasted over a year and four months,\nand during this period he and his men made an expedition against\nthe Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites, who roamed over the desert\nplateau overhanging the Philistian plain, and having carried off\nenormous booty, lest the truth should reach the ears of Achish,\nsaved neither man nor woman alive. The king, however, did hear of the\nexpedition, but in reply to his enquiries, was assured that it had been\ndirected against the country south of Judah, and against the south of\nthe Kenites. Satisfied with this proof of the fidelity of his vassal,\nhe rejoiced that David had made _his own people Israel utterly to\nabhor him_, and deemed it an earnest of still greater services (1 Sam.\nxxvii. 8\u201312).\n\nBefore long the Philistines gathered their armies together for another\nand a decisive contest with the Israelites for the supremacy. Achish\nand his contingent prepared to take part in the expedition, and as\nhis vassal, David consented to accompany him with his 600 men. Aphek,\nnear Jezreel, was fixed upon as the place of rendezvous, and thither,\nprobably along the sea-coast, the hundreds and thousands of the\nPhilistines poured up from their fertile lowlands. As David passed on\nthe way to Aphek, seven valiant chiefs, captains of thousands of the\npowerful tribe of Manasseh, instead of joining Saul\u2019s army, preferred\nto throw in their lot with him and share his fortunes (1 Ch. xii.\n19\u201321). But the unsuspecting confidence of Achish in his new-found\nvassal was not shared by the other Philistine chiefs, and they\nprotested against David\u2019s followers being allowed to accompany them.\nAchish was, therefore, constrained much against his will to dismiss him,\nand with the first dawn David set out on his return to Ziklag (1 Sam.\nxxix. 11). On arriving there, no town was to be found, nothing but a\nmass of burning ruins. During his absence the Amalekites had burst upon\nthe place, burnt it to the ground, and carried off David\u2019s wives and\nthose of his retinue, whose faith in their leader, now for the first\nand only time, seems to have failed, and in the extremity of their\ngrief they even threatened to stone him to death. It was a critical\nmoment, but David\u2019s old trust did not fail him, and he _encouraged\nhimself in the Lord his God_ (1 Sam. xxx. 6). Abiathar was bidden to\nbring the ephod and ascertain the Divine Will. _Shall I pursue after\nthis troop?_ David enquired. The reply was favourable, and his six\nhundred men, accompanied by the chiefs of Manasseh, set out in the\ndirection of the brook Besor, a wady somewhere in the extreme south of\nJudah. Here 200 of his forces were so spent that he was fain to leave\nthem by the brook, while the remainder pressing on, found in a field an\nEgyptian at the point of death, who had neither eaten bread nor drunk\nwater for three days and three nights. But being supplied by David\u2019s\nmen with food and drink he revived, revealed that he was a slave of one\nof the Amalekite chiefs, and on promise of his life consented to guide\nthe avengers to their foes. On coming up with them they were found\n_spread abroad upon all the earth, eating, drinking, and dancing_ in\nhonour of their late victory (1 Sam. xxx. 16). The attack was instantly\nmade, and David smote them from the twilight of the early dawn to the\nevening of the next day, till none remained, save only 400 young men,\nwho effected their escape on camels. With all the captives recovered\nand enormous spoil[267] the conqueror returned to Ziklag, and was now\nfor the first time enabled to requite the kindness of many of his own\ntribe, who had protected him during the long period of his wanderings,\nand distributed of the spoil to the elders of many friendly towns\n(1 Sam. xxx. 26\u201331).\n\nTwo days after his return news arrived of the utmost importance\nrespecting the Philistine invasion. With their chariots and horses\nthe Philistines had pressed forward towards the plain of Esdraelon and\npitched their camp by Shunem[268], on the southern slope of the range\nnow called Little Hermon, or _Jebel ed D\u00fbhy_, while Saul encamped his\nforces on the opposite heights of Mount Gilboa, at _the fountain that\nis in Jezreel_[269], on the eastern side of the plain. As he beheld the\nmasses of his foes passing on by hundreds and thousands, the Israelite\nking was filled with the utmost alarm (1 Sam. xxviii. 5). In this\ndreadful crisis he felt himself utterly alone. Samuel, his old adviser,\nhad been sometime dead; the cruel massacre at Nob had alienated from\nhim the entire priestly body; he enquired of the Lord, but _the Lord\nanswered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets_\n(1 Sam. xxviii. 6). Alone, and distrusted even by his own army, he\nbade enquiry be made for a woman _that had a familiar spirit_. After\ndiligent search it was ascertained that by going a distance of about\n7 or 8 miles to Endor, he would find, in one of the dark and gloomy\ncaverns[270] with which the mountain here is hollowed, a woman who\nmight serve his purpose. Disguising himself, therefore, and accompanied\nby two of his retinue, the unhappy king set out under cover of night.\nIt was an undertaking perilous in the extreme, and nothing but the\nagony of despair would have induced him to venture upon it. Stealing\ndown the mountain from the camp, the three crossed the shoulder of the\nvery hill on which the Philistines were entrenched, and made for Endor,\nwhich lay behind Shunem. Reaching the cave, the king told the witch the\nobject of his coming. He longed to have one more interview with his old\nadviser, the prophet Samuel, and desired her by her arts to bring him\nup. At first the woman demurred, and pleaded the danger of exciting the\nwrath of the king, who in better days had distinguished himself by his\nzeal against all magic and sorcery. But her visitor calmed her fears.\nShe exercised her arts, and the awful form of Samuel, _an old man,\nand covered with a mantle_, appeared. Bowing himself with his face to\nthe earth, Saul made known his deep distress. _The Philistines_, said\nhe, _make war against me: God is departed from me, and answereth me\nno more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: I have called thee, that\nthou mayest make known unto me what I shall do_ (1 Sam. xxviii. 15).\nIn reply the Prophet could only inform the king that the Day of Doom\nwas near. _To-morrow_, said he, _the Lord will deliver Israel with thee\ninto the hand of the Philistines: and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons\nbe with me_. This awful sentence utterly prostrated the unhappy king.\nHe fell _with the fulness of his stature all along upon the earth_ (1\nSam. xxviii. 20, _marg._). For a day and a night he had eaten nothing,\nand now there was no more strength in him. With the utmost difficulty\nthe woman and his two attendants succeeded in compelling him to partake\nof food, and then he rose up, once more crossed the shoulder of the\nhill, and reached the heights of Gilboa (1 Sam. xxviii. 21\u201325).\n\nThe next morning broke, and the Philistines made their onset. The\nIsraelite leader, with his doom upon him, could do little in such a\ncrisis. His army was driven up the sides of Gilboa, and as it fled from\nthe victorious Philistines, numbers were slain on the heights. Resolved\non striking a decisive blow, the Philistine archers and charioteers\nfollowed hard after Saul and his sons. Three of the latter, including\nthe valiant Jonathan, were slain outright, and Saul himself was sore\nwounded. In this extremity he implored of his armour-bearer to thrust\nhim through with his sword, and put an end to his sufferings. But his\narmour-bearer refused, and Saul, taking his own sword, fell upon it\nand died, and the other then followed his example. The rout of the\nIsraelites was now complete, and extended even to the tribes beyond\nthe Jordan. Even here the Israelites fled from their cities, and _the\nPhilistines dwelt in them_ (1 Sam. xxxi. 7).\n\nOn the morrow after this disastrous battle, the bodies of Saul and\nhis three sons were found by the Philistines, when they came to strip\nthe slain. With savage glee they cut off his head, stripped him of\nhis armour, and sent it into their own land, to be placed as a trophy\nin the temple of Ashtaroth, probably at Ashdod, and fastened his\nbody and those of his three sons to the wall overhanging the open\nspace in front of the gate of the Canaanite city of Beth-shan[271].\nOn the mountain-range beyond Jordan in full view of Beth-shan[272]\nwas the town of Jabesh-Gilead, by his heroic relief of which Saul\nhad inaugurated his reign[273]. Hearing from the fugitives what\nhad occurred to their king, the grateful inhabitants, mindful of\npast services, determined that his remains should not continue thus\ndishonoured. Their valiant men arose, crossed the Jordan, and under\ncover of night took down his body and those of his sons, buried them\nunder the terebinth of their native town, and fasted seven days (1 Sam.\nxxxi. 13).\n\nSuch was the news David now received at Ziklag from a young Amalekite,\nwho had been present at the battle. Deeming himself sure of the reward\nthat greeted the bearer of glad tidings, he had brought with him Saul\u2019s\ncrown and the bracelet that was on his arm, and pretended to have slain\nhim at his own request (2 Sam. i. 1\u201312). But David\u2019s wrath was kindled,\nand having sternly rebuked him for touching _the Lord\u2019s anointed_,\nhe bade one of his young men put him to death, and then burst into a\nstrain of passionate lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. Forgetting\nall that had passed between him and the fallen king, he remembered only\nthe better features of his character, while towards Jonathan his whole\nsoul gushed forth in expressions of the tenderest affection (2 Sam.\ni. 17\u201327).\n\n\n\n\n BOOK IX.\n\n THE REIGNS OF DAVID AND SOLOMON.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _DAVID\u2019S REIGN AT HEBRON._\n 2 SAM. II.\u2013IV. B.C. 1055\u20131048.\n\n\nTHE hour which the prophet of Ramah had long ago foretold was now come.\nThe long period of trial and discipline was over. The brave shepherd,\nthe conqueror of Goliath, the daring but prudent leader of attached\nfollowers was the only one left, to whom the Israelites could look for\nguidance in this great crisis of their national history.\n\nBut though the way was open, David did not enter upon it without\nseeking the Divine direction. _Shall I go up into any of the cities of\nJudah?_ he enquired of the Lord; and the Lord bade him go up to Hebron,\n\u201cthe ancient sacred city of the tribe of Judah, the burial-place of\nthe patriarch[274], and the inheritance of Caleb[275].\u201d Accordingly,\nleaving Ziklag, he repaired thither with his two wives Ahinoam and\nAbigail, and his faithful band of six hundred; and there the chiefs of\nJudah, now after a long period of obscurity to become the ruling tribe,\nanointed him as their king. His first act after his accession was\nto thank the men of Jabesh-Gilead for their bravery in removing the\ncorpses of Saul and his sons from the walls of Beth-shan (2 Sam. ii.\n1\u20137).\n\nOf the family of the late king there now remained only ISHBOSHETH his\nyoungest son, and Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, a child but five\nyears old. Ishbosheth, according to the law of Oriental succession,\nascended the throne, and, under the protection of his kinsman, the\npowerful Abner, established his kingdom at the ancient sanctuary of\nMahanaim[276] on the east of the Jordan, ruling over not only the\neastern tribes, but the territory of Asher, the plain of Esdraelon,\ncentral Ephraim, his own tribe of Benjamin, and eventually over all\nIsrael (2 Sam. ii. 9), excepting only Judah, which remained faithful\nto David.\n\nThe first of many skirmishes between the rival kings took place at\nGibeon, to the heights of which, in their native Benjamin, Abner and\nhis forces went out from Mahanaim (2 Sam. ii. 12). Thither also, as if\nto watch their movements, repaired the three nephews of David, Joab,\nAbishai, and Asahel. On the east side of the hill of Gibeon, at the\nfoot of a low cliff, was a large pool or tank, on either side of which\nthe rival forces encamped, and, as if to try their respective strength,\nAbner proposed that a select body from both sides should engage in\ncombat. Joab accepted the challenge, and twelve picked champions of the\nparty of Ishbosheth met an equal number of the warriors of David[277].\nThe struggle was desperate; each combatant caught his fellow by the\nhead, and thrust his sword into his side, and thus all fell dead\ntogether on a spot henceforth called Helkath-hazzurim, the _Field of\nHeroes_. This brought on a general engagement, in which the forces\nof Ishbosheth were defeated, and Abner himself was fain to fly hotly\npursued by Asahel, the youngest of David\u2019s nephews, and _as light of\nfoot as a wild roe_ (2 Sam. ii. 18). Abner recognised his fleet pursuer,\nand advised him to desist from the chase. But the youth, heeding not,\npressed on, and Abner, turning back upon him, thrust him through with\na spear.\n\nThe bleeding corpse lay in the middle of the road, and was quickly\nsurrounded by the men of Judah, who as they came up stood still in\nmournful astonishment (2 Sam. ii. 23). But the sight of their brother\u2019s\nbody only roused Joab and Abishai to greater fury, and they pursued\nafter Abner as far as the hill of Ammah, by the way of the wilderness\nof Gibeon, which they reached at sunset. There the men of his own tribe\nof Benjamin rallied round the general of Ishbosheth, and stood on the\ntop of the hill, while he cried to the pursuing Joab, and implored\nhim not to push matters further. On this Joab gave the signal for\na cessation of the pursuit, and drew off his men, and conveying his\nbrother\u2019s corpse to Bethlehem, laid it in the ancestral tomb. Then at\ndaybreak he rejoined David at Hebron, to whom he announced the loss of\nonly 19 men in the late encounter. Meanwhile Abner returned to Mahanaim,\nwhence he carried on a series of petty wars with the adherents of David,\nin which _David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul\nwaxed weaker and weaker_ (2 Sam. iii. 1).\n\nIn the course of time a quarrel with his kinsman and general\nprecipitated the fall of Ishbosheth. Abner had married Rizpah, the\ndaughter of Aiah, and a concubine of Saul. According to the notions of\nOrientals, this very nearly amounted to treason (Comp. 2 Sam. xvi. 21;\nxx. 3; 1 K. ii. 13\u201325), and as such Ishbosheth flung it in the teeth\nof his general. Abner replied in words of utmost anger and reproaching\nIshbosheth with the basest ingratitude, straightway began to open\ncommunications with David, who agreed to receive him at Hebron, on\ncondition that Michal, his former wife, was restored to him. This\ncondition was complied with, and after sounding the chiefs of Israel\nand of his own tribe, Abner with twenty men came to David at Hebron.\nA feast greeted his arrival, and he departed with the avowed intention\nof _gathering all Israel unto his lord the king_ (2 Sam. iii. 17\u201321).\n\nHe had hardly departed from the royal presence, when Joab returned from\na foray, and was informed of this unexpected visit. Jealous probably of\na possible rival, and burning with rage against his brother\u2019s murderer,\nhe remonstrated in no measured terms with David for his imprudence, as\nhe termed it, in admitting the general of Ishbosheth to an audience\nand sending him away in peace. Then, unknown to the king, he sent\nmessengers after Abner to call him back. Not suspecting treachery the\nlatter returned to Hebron, and, as he entered the gate, Joab took him\naside, and stabbed him to death, as he had stabbed his brother Asahel.\nNews of this cruel and treacherous deed roused David\u2019s unbounded\nindignation. Unable to punish the assassin, he imprecated on the\nhouse of Joab the most fearful curses, and compelled him to attend the\nfuneral of his murdered victim, robed in sackcloth, and wearing all the\nsigns of mourning. He himself fasted till sunset, and as he followed\nthe bier to the burial-place at Hebron, poured forth a solemn dirge.\nThis incident gave David an insight into Joab\u2019s unscrupulous character,\nwhich he never forgot. _These men_, he said, _the sons of Zeruiah, be\ntoo hard for me, and I am this day weak though anointed king_ (2 Sam.\niii. 39).\n\nThe death of Abner was the signal for the dissolution of the tottering\nkingdom he had supported. On receiving the tidings of his kinsman\u2019s\nmurder, Ishbosheth\u2019s _hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were\ntroubled_ (2 Sam. iv. 1). His body-guard was composed of men from his\nown tribe of Benjamin, but two divisions of it were commanded by two\nmen, Baanah and Rechab, who, though descendants of the Canaanitish\nnatives of Beeroth[278], were reckoned among the Benjamites. In\nrevenge, it has been suggested, for some injury they had received from\nSaul\u2015\u2015possibly the slaughter of their Gibeonite kinsmen (Comp. 2 Sam.\nxxi. 1, 2)\u2015\u2015and certainly with the hope of conciliating the new king\nat Hebron, these two resolved to take the life of Ishbosheth. _About\nthe heat of the day_ (2 Sam. iv. 5), therefore, they entered the palace\nunder pretence of fetching some wheat piled up near the entrance (2 Sam.\niv. 6), and finding Ishbosheth lying on his bed they stabbed him to\nthe heart, and cut off his head. Then hurrying all that afternoon and\nall night (2 Sam. iv. 7) down the valley of the Jordan, they presented\nthemselves before David at Hebron with the bloody head in their hands.\nBut they met with no better reception than the pretended slayer of\nSaul. David sternly rebuked them for their cold-blooded _murder of\na righteous person in his own house upon his bed_, and ordered their\ninstant execution. Their hands and feet were cut off, and their bodies\nwere suspended over the pool at Hebron, while the head of Ishbosheth\nwas buried with all honours in the sepulchre of Abner (2 Sam. iv. 8\u201312).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _DAVID\u2019S REIGN AT JERUSALEM._\n 2 SAM. V.\u2013VII. B.C. 1048\u20131042.\n\n\nEVERY obstacle was thus removed that had hitherto prevented David\u2019s\nassuming the royal power over all the tribes. Ishbosheth was dead,\nAbner was dead, Mephibosheth, Jonathan\u2019s only surviving son, was barely\n12 years of age. The son of Jesse had long waited for his hour, and at\nlength it was come. A deputation from all the tribes of Israel (2 Sam.\nv. 1) repaired to Hebron, and formally offered him the crown. A solemn\nleague was then entered into, and for the third time David was anointed\namidst great rejoicings. At Hebron he had reigned for 7\u00bd years over\nJudah; he was now king of all Israel. His band of six hundred faithful\nfollowers had rapidly swelled into a great host, _like the host of God_\n(1 Ch. xii. 22). And now not only Dan and Judah and Simeon, not only\nBenjamin and Ephraim, not only the tribes beyond the Jordan, Reuben,\nGad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, flocked around his standard, but\nIssachar sent _men that had understanding of the times, to know what\nIsrael ought to do_ (1 Ch. xii. 32), and Zebulun and Naphtali sent\nnot only men, but the peculiar products of their rich territory[279]\n(1 Ch. xii. 40), while a still more important accession consisted of\n4,600 warriors of the Levitical tribe, and 3,700 of the house of Aaron,\nheaded by Jehoiada, and the youthful but valiant Zadok (1 Ch. xii.\n25\u201328). Upwards of 300,000 choice warriors of the flower of Israel were\nthus gathered together _to turn the kingdom of Saul to David_, and join\nin celebrating the three days\u2019 festival which greeted his accession to\nthe throne (1 Ch. xii. 39).\n\nHis first act after his coronation was significant. Saul had been\nalways content with the obscurity of his native Gibeah, and had cared\nlittle for any central point of union for the tribes. As sovereign over\nall Israel, both north and south, David resolved to move the seat of\ngovernment from Hebron nearer to the centre of the country. No spot\nseemed to present so many advantages as the rocky mass on which rose\nthe city of the Jebusites[280]. It was neutral ground, on the very\nmeeting-point of his own tribe and that of Benjamin[281]. The lower\ncity had been once taken by the warriors of Judah (Judg. i. 8)[282],\nbut the fortress of the Jebusites, strong in its seemingly impregnable\nposition, had never been reduced. The presence of so many warriors\nfrom all the tribes was favourable for making an attempt on so renowned\na citadel, and at the head of all his forces David advanced against\nit, probably from the south. As before, the lower city appears to have\nbeen easily captured, but again the fortress held out against every\nattack[283]. Moreover, so convinced were the Jebusites of the strength\nof their castle and of the ancient \u201ceverlasting gates\u201d of its rocky\nravines, that they merely manned its walls with _the lame and blind_\n(2 Sam. v. 6), deeming them amply sufficient for the defence. Their\ntaunts roused the wrath of David, and he promised that whoso first\nscaled the rocky sides of the citadel and smote the Jebusite garrison,\nshould have the post of captain-general of the forces. Thereupon the\nagile Joab climbed up first, and as the conqueror of the fastness of\nJebus was rewarded with the post of commander-in-chief, the same office\nthat Abner had held under Saul. Then, without loss of time, David took\nmeasures for securing his new possession. He enclosed the whole city\nwith a wall, and connected it with the newly-captured fortress, and\nthere took up his abode, and thus the Jebusite stronghold became the\n_City of David_.\n\nThe effect of the conquest of this celebrated fortress was very great.\nThe news no sooner reached the court of HIRAM, king of Ph\u0153nicia[284],\nthan he despatched messengers to David with offers of artificers and\nmaterials for constructing a palace, which was accordingly built, and\nhither David removed his wives from Hebron, and increased his already\nnumerous household (2 Sam. v. 13\u201316). In other quarters the news was\nvery differently received. The Philistines made two distinct attempts\nto crush the new king, of whose powers they were well aware. On the\nfirst occasion they came and encamped their numerous forces in the\nvalley of Rephaim, or the _Valley of Giants_, south-west of Jerusalem,\nand stretching thence half-way to Bethlehem. After duly enquiring\nof the Lord, David marched out against them, and swept them away, as\nthough with a \u201cburst of waters,\u201d whence he named the spot Baal-perazim,\n_the Plain of Bursts_ or _Destruction_ (2 Sam. v. 17\u201320). A second\nattempt of the same pertinacious foe met with no better success; they\nwere entirely routed, and the fame of David _went out into all lands,\nand the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations_ (1 Chr. xiv. 17).\n\nHis next care was to consecrate his new capital with religious\nassociations. After consultation with the chiefs of the nation, he\nassembled 30,000 from all Israel (2 Sam. vi. 1; 1 Chr. xiii. 1), and\nwent to Kirjath-jearim, _the Village of Forests_, where the Ark seems\nto have remained all through the reign of Saul in the custody of the\nLevite Abinadab (1 Sam. vii. 1, 2). The sacred coffer was placed in a\nnew cart drawn by oxen, and with Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab\npreceding it, was escorted towards Jerusalem amidst great rejoicings,\nand the sound of psalteries, cornets, timbrels, and cymbals. On\nreaching the threshing-floor of Chidon or Nachon (1 Chr. xiii. 9,\n_margin_), the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put forth his hand to hold\nthe ark. In a moment he fell dead (2 Sam. vi. 7). This untoward\nevent filled David with alarm; the spot itself was henceforth known as\nPerez-uzzah, _the breaking_ or _disaster of Uzzah_ (1 Chr. xiii. 11),\nand it was resolved to desist from any further attempt at present to\nremove the sacred coffer. Accordingly it was carried aside to the house\nof Obed-Edom the Gittite, that is, probably, a native of Gath-Rimmon,\na town of Dan, allotted to the Kohathite Levites, of whom Obed-Edom\nwas one, where it remained three months (2 Sam. vi. 10, 11; 1 Chr.\nxiii. 13).\n\nMeanwhile David prepared a new Tabernacle at Jerusalem, and hearing\nthat the presence of the Ark had brought a blessing to the house of\nObed-Edom, he assembled the Levites, and Zadok and Abiathar the two\nrepresentatives of the Aaronic family, and bade them prepare for the\nduty of removing the sacred symbol. Solemn purifications, neglected on\nthe previous occasion (1 Chr. xv. 12\u201314), were now performed, and the\nLevites, arranged in orderly divisions with singers and musicians, the\nelders of Israel, and captains of the host, set out for the house of\nObed-Edom. On this occasion the Levites, as enjoined in the Law, lifted\nit with the long staves passing through the rings of the ark[285],\nand raising it upon their shoulders, commenced the joyous procession\n(1 Chr. xv. 15).\n\nWhen they had advanced six paces (2 Sam. vii. 13), it was clear that\nthe Lord was this time helping them, and the procession paused to offer\na sacrifice of seven bullocks and seven rams in token of thankfulness\nfor this proof of the Divine favour. Then the march was resumed amidst\nshouting and the joyful sounds of all kinds of music, headed by David\nhimself in an ephod of linen, and by the singers and Levites arrayed in\nwhite vestments. As they ascended the path leading upwards to the\nancient fortress of the Jebusites, the king, carried away by the\nassociations of this great day, not only played on a stringed\ninstrument, but accompanied the music with leaping and dancing. At\nlength the city was reached, and the gates of the ancient fortress\nlifted up their heads, as the symbol of the presence of Jehovah, _the\nKing of Glory, the Lord strong and mighty_, entered in (Ps. xxiv. 8, 9),\nand was placed within the awnings of the new Pavilion-Tent that had\nbeen prepared for it. A series of burnt-offerings and peace-offerings\nwere then celebrated, and the king blessed the people, and dismissed\nthem to their homes with ample presents. A single untoward incident\nmarred this the greatest day in David\u2019s life. As the procession passed\nunder the windows of her apartments, Michal, the daughter of Saul,\ndeeming David\u2019s dance undignified, _despised him in her heart_ (2 Sam.\nvi. 16), and when at the conclusion of all the gorgeous ceremonial\nhe entered his house to bless his family (2 Sam. vi. 20), she came\nout to meet him, but in place of congratulations taunted him with his\nindecorous appearance that day. David replied with great bitterness to\nthis untimely scoffing, and _Michal had no child unto the day of her\ndeath_ (1 Sam. vi. 23).\n\nThe construction of his own palace and the reception of the Ark within\nthe folds of a new Tabernacle in Zion, now awoke in the king the desire\nto build a more ample and permanent Temple for Jehovah. The design\nreceived the Divine approval, but it was intimated to him by Nathan the\nprophet, that as _he was a man of war and blood_ (1 Chr. xxviii. 3),\nso peaceful a work would be better reserved for another. The refusal,\nhowever, was accompanied by a promise of the permanence of his dynasty;\nthe mercy of Jehovah should not be taken from him as it had been from\nSaul; a son of his own should carry on the work, and his throne should\nbe established for ever (2 Sam. vii. 12\u201317; 1 Chr. xvii. 3\u201315).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _DAVID\u2019S ARMY, HIS CONQUESTS, HIS SIN._\n 2 SAM. VIII.\u2013XII. 1 CHRON. XVIII.\u2013XX. B.C. 1040\u20131033.\n\n\nTHUS assured of the continuance of his kingdom, David began by a series\nof conquests to extend his power beyond the immediate boundaries of his\nown people, and to found an imperial dominion, which for the first time\nrealized the prophetic description contained in the Promise made to his\nforefather Abraham (Gen. xv. 18\u201321).\n\nAs instrumental to these conquests the military organization[286] of\nthe Israelites was now materially developed, and David was enabled\nwithin ten years after the reduction of the fortress of Jebus to push\nhis conquests far and wide, and _get him a name like unto the name of\nthe great men that are in the earth_ (2 Sam. vii. 9).\n\n1. On the South-west he turned his arms against his old enemies the\n_Philistines_, and subdued them, capturing Gath with its _daughter\ntowns_[287] (1 Chr. xviii. 1).\n\n2. On the South-east the _Edomites_ felt the weight of his arms.\nTogether with Joab he carried on a campaign of six months against\nthem (Comp. 2 Sam. viii. 14 with 1 K. xi. 15), during which period he\nput vast numbers to the sword, established garrisons in the country,\nand thus became master of the Eastern arm of the Red sea, and the\ncaravan-routes to the marts and harbours of Arabia[288]. (Comp. Gen.\nxxvii. 29, 37, 40; Ps. lx. 6\u201312.)\n\n3. On the North-east the kingdom of _Zobah_ had acquired considerable\ninfluence under Hadadezer, son of Rehob. David attacked him as he went\nto _recover his border at the river Euphrates_ (2 Sam. viii. 3), and\ndefeated him with a loss of 1,000 chariots, 700 cavalry, and 20,000\ninfantry. Hadadezer\u2019s allies, the Syrians of Damascus, then marched\nto his assistance, but they were routed with a loss of 22,000 men, and\nbecame David\u2019s vassals. The wealth of Zobah was considerable. Several\nof Hadadezer\u2019s officers carried _shields of gold_ (2 Sam. viii. 7),\nthat is, probably, \u201ciron or wooden frames overlaid with plates of the\nprecious metal;\u201d these David brought to Jerusalem, as also large stores\nof brass from other Syrian cities (1 Chr. xviii. 7, 8).\n\n4. On the East of Jordan he had hitherto maintained the most amicable\nrelations with the king of _Moab_[289] (1 Sam. xxii. 3, 4), but now\nfrom some unexplained cause, he not only attacked and defeated, but\nwell-nigh extirpated the nation. Two-thirds of the people were put\nto death, the rest were reduced to bondage, and paid regular tribute,\nwhile the spoils were treasured up in Jerusalem (2 Sam. viii. 2;\n1 Chr. xi. 22). This campaign, in which the valiant Benaiah greatly\ndistinguished himself (2 Sam. xxiii. 20), fulfilled the prophecy of\nBalaam; _a Sceptre had risen out of Israel, and smitten through the\nprinces of Moab_, and destroyed the city of _Ar_, that is, Rabbath-Moab,\nthe capital of the children of Lot (Num. xxiv. 17)[290].\n\n5. It was, however, from the kindred people of _Ammon_ that the royal\nconquests experienced the greatest resistance. During the period\nof his wanderings David had received much kindness from Nahash the\nking of Ammon, and on his death he sent a royal embassy to offer his\ncondolences to the new king Hanun. But Hanun\u2019s courtiers persuaded\nhim that this embassy was really dictated by a wish to spy out his\nland, and probably add it to the many others that David had conquered.\nAccordingly on the arrival of the ambassadors, Hanun treated them with\nthe utmost indignity. He shaved off the one half of their beards, cut\noff their garments in the middle, and so sent them away (2 Sam. x. 1\u20133;\n1 Chr. xix. 1\u20134).\n\nAs soon as David was informed of this aggravated insult, he bade his\nambassadors remain at Jericho till the traces of the indignities they\nhad suffered were removed, and then made preparations for sending Joab\nwith the \u201cMighty Men\u201d and the host to take summary vengeance on the\nAmmonites. Truly divining the consequences of their folly, the latter\nprepared for the impending war by raising a mercenary force of 32,000\nmen from the Syrians of Beth-rehob and Zoba, from those owning fealty\nto the king of Maacah, a region in the valley of the Jordan south of\nZoba, and from the land of Tob[291]. Aided by these allies the Syrians\nawaited the onset of the Hebrews.\n\nOn his arrival Joab, perceiving that he was confronted by two very\nconsiderable armies, divided his forces, and assigned to his brother\nAbishai the task of assaulting the Ammonites, while he himself with\na picked body of troops attacked the Syrians, situated a little to\nthe south of Heshbon. At Medeba the latter were quickly routed, and\nthe Ammonites, in alarm at their speedy defeat, fled to their capital,\nRabbah[292], now called _Amm\u00e2n_, situated on a very advantageous\nposition, and well supplied with water.\n\nMeanwhile the Syrians beyond the Euphrates, under the command of\nShophach or Shobach, a general of \u2666Hadadezer, assembled their forces\nwith the intention of avenging the repulse sustained by their kindred,\nthe allies of the Ammonites. Crossing the Euphrates they joined the\nSyrians at Helam, the site of which is unknown. The occasion was deemed\nof sufficient importance to justify the personal interference of David.\nGathering all Israel and passing over Jordan, he attacked the Syrians,\nand defeated them with great slaughter. Shobach himself was slain,\nand the allied princes quitted the Syrian confederacy, and became the\ntributary vassals of the Hebrew monarch (2 Sam. xi. 15\u201319; 1 Chr. xix.\n10\u201319).\n\nEarly in the following year the campaign against the Ammonites was\nresumed, and the command of the forces, including the royal body-guard\n(2 Sam. xi. 1), and the troops of Ephraim and Benjamin as well as Judah\n(2 Sam. xi. 11), was again entrusted to Joab, and the army was for the\nfirst time since the disastrous battle of Aphek accompanied by the Ark\nand its Levitical guard[293] (2 Sam. xi. 11). On this occasion Rabbah\nwas the main object of the attack, and after ravaging the country, Joab\ndrove the Ammonites into their citadel, and commenced a regular siege,\nwhich lasted very nearly two years (2 Sam. xi. 1).\n\nMeanwhile, critical as was the nature of the campaign, instead of\naccompanying the Ark, David lingered behind at Jerusalem, and there\nwrought that \u201cdeed of shame,\u201d which has left so dark a blot upon his\ncharacter, and which threw a gloom over all the rest of his life. One\nday on rising from his afternoon repose, he saw from the roof of his\npalace a woman of extraordinary beauty, for whom he instantly conceived\na most violent passion. On making enquiry, he discovered that her name\nwas BATHSHEBA, the daughter of Eliam or Ammiel, and wife of URIAH the\nHittite, who was at that time serving in the army against Rabbah, as\none of the famous \u201cThirty\u201d (2 Sam. xxiii. 39; 1 Chr. xi. 41). The fact\nthat she was the wife of one of his most distinguished officers did\nnot make David hesitate, he sent for her, and committed adultery with\nher. As time went on, he found it would be no longer possible to screen\nher from the death-punishment of an adulteress. Accordingly, after\nvainly trying other and most unworthy expedients to cover his own\nguilt, he sent a letter to Joab, bidding him expose this chivalrous and\nhigh-minded officer where the contest was hottest, so as to ensure his\ndeath. The unscrupulous Joab did as he was told, and Uriah fell happily\nunconscious of his wife\u2019s dishonour. Joab then sent a trusty messenger\nto David to inform him that Uriah was dead, and the days of mourning\nfor her husband were no sooner over, than the king sent for Bathsheba,\nand she became his wife (2 Sam. xi. 14\u201327).\n\nBut though David had done all this secretly, an all-seeing Eye had\nwatched each step in this dreadful crime, and punishment quickly\nappeared at the door. The prophet Nathan was sent to him, and with\nwonderful tact roused the royal attention by the well-known Parable of\nthe _Rich man and the Poor man\u2019s ewe lamb_. Unsuspecting its purport,\nDavid\u2019s wrath was kindled, and he denounced death as the penalty of\nthe rich man, and the restoration of the property fourfold[294]. Then\nturning to the king the prophet sped his winged arrow, saying, _Thou\nart the man_, and announcing the awful penalty. As David had measured\nunto others, so should it be measured to him; evil was to rise up\nagainst him out of the bosom of his own family, and _the sword should\nnever depart from his house_ (2 Sam. xii. 10).\n\nUnlike other kings of Israel and Judah, unlike any common Eastern\ndespot, David did not slay or ill-treat the messenger of judgment,\nhe acknowledged his sin and the justice of the sentence. On this\nNathan went on to tell him that _the Lord had put away his sin_, and\nhe himself was not to die. But an earnest of future judgments soon\nappeared. The Lord struck the child that Uriah\u2019s wife bare unto him,\nand it died[295]. But in the midst of judgment God remembered mercy;\nand in the course of time a second son was born to Bathsheba, whom\nNathan named JEDIDIAH, _beloved of the Lord_, but David himself called\nhim SOLOMON, _the peaceful one_ (2 Sam. xii. 15\u201325).\n\nMeanwhile Joab had been pushing forward the siege of Rabbah, and\neventually succeeded in capturing the _city of waters_, that is, the\nlower town, which \u201ccontained the perennial stream, which rises in,\nand still flows through it[296].\u201d But the citadel, a place of great\nstrength, still held out. The possession of the perennial stream was,\nhowever, the next step to the capture of the stronghold, and Joab sent\nmessengers to David bidding him gather the rest of the people, and\ncome himself, unless he wished him to have the honour of capturing the\nplace, and calling it after his own name. Accordingly the king set out,\nand the fortress was speedily taken. Enraged, it is not improbable,\nat the obstinacy of the siege, he wreaked a terrible vengeance on the\ninhabitants, some were decapitated, others sawn asunder or crushed\nbeneath iron instruments, others were passed through the fire in\nbrick-kilns[297] (2 Sam. xii. 31). The royal crown, \u201cthe crown of\nMilcom,\u201d weighing a talent of gold with the precious stones, was then\nplaced on David\u2019s head, and he and his army returned in triumph to\nJerusalem with abundant spoil.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _THE REBELLION OF ABSALOM._\n 2 SAM. XIII.\u2013XX. B.C. 1032\u20131022.\n\n\nTHE reduction of Rabbah was the last of David\u2019s conquests. His kingdom\nhad reached the limits foretold to the patriarch Abraham, and vied in\nextent with some of the great empires of that age. But from this point\ndark clouds began to gather round his own personal history, and the\ndoom denounced by the prophet found its fulfilment. The terrible secret\nof his adultery and murder may at first have been known only to a few,\nbut its results were soon proclaimed upon the housetops. Out of the\nnumerous harem which, in defiance of the law of the kingdom, he had\nmultiplied to himself, out of his own household, came the instruments\nof his punishment. First, his daughter Tamar was outraged by her\nhalf-brother and his eldest son AMNON. Two years afterwards Amnon\nfell a victim to the wrath of Tamar\u2019s own brother ABSALOM (_father of\npeace_), who caused him to be murdered at a sheep-shearing festival,\nand then, apprehensive of the resentment of David, fled to the court of\nTalmai his grandfather, the king of Geshur, a district on the east of\nthe Jordan south of Mount Hermon (2 Sam. xiii. 36).\n\nHere he remained secure in its rocky fastnesses for three years, during\nwhich time the soul of David was _consumed_ (2 Sam. xiii. 39, _margin_)\nwith longing for his favourite son. Perceiving this, Joab availed\nhimself of the services of a wise woman of Tekoa[298], who sought an\ninterview with the king, and addressing him in an apologue similar to\nthat which Nathan had employed, succeeded in obtaining permission for\nthe exile\u2019s return. Joab, therefore, went to the court of the king of\nGeshur, and thence brought back the young prince, who took up his abode\nat Jerusalem, but was not suffered to see his father\u2019s face. Twice\nhe sent a message to David\u2019s general, begging him to intercede in\nhis behalf with the king, but Joab deemed he had done enough, and\nwould take no further steps in the matter. Thereupon Absalom caused a\nbarley-field belonging to Joab, which was near his own estate, to be\nset on fire, and the latter, probably fearing further outrage, informed\nthe king, who consented to see his son, and gave him the kiss of peace\n(2 Sam. xiv. 23\u201333).\n\nBut the ungrateful son was no sooner thus restored, than he began to\nform plots against his father. First he surrounded himself with a small\nbody-guard, with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.\nThen, to ingratiate himself with the people, he took his stand by \u201cthe\nway of the gate[299],\u201d a duty which David appears to have neglected,\nand conversed with suitors coming up to the city for judgment, lamented\nthe delays they would encounter in obtaining a hearing of their causes\n(2 Sam. xv. 3), and insinuated how different would be the aspect of\naffairs if _he_ was made judge in the land. Young, handsome beyond\ncompare in Israel (2 Sam. xiv. 25), sprung from a royal house both\non his father and his mother\u2019s side (2 Sam. iii. 3), he made a deep\nimpression on the people, and his insinuating manners and unusual\ncondescension stole away their hearts (2 Sam. xv. 6). Since the dark\nsin of which he had been guilty, the hold of the king upon the nation\nappears to have been weakened, and he had become less fitted for the\nmore personal and more energetic duties of his position. And now the\npowerful tribe of Judah, fretting, it has been suggested, under their\nabsorption into one great kingdom, or looking for some greater degree\nof power under the supremacy of a prince like Absalom, showed signs of\na want of confidence in their sovereign, and in the course of two years\nAbsalom perceived that matters were ripe for a revolt[300].\n\nUnder pretence, therefore, of a vow which he had vowed to the Lord\n(2 Sam. xv. 7\u20139), he succeeded in obtaining from David permission to go\nto Hebron, the old capital of the tribe of Judah, and repaired thither\naccompanied by 200 men from Jerusalem, probably of the chief families,\nwho were, however, entirely ignorant of his designs. To the same place\nalso he summoned Ahithophel the Gilonite, the _familiar friend_ and\n_counsellor_ of his father, whose advice was deemed to have the value\nof a Divine oracle[301].\n\nWhile Absalom was taking these measures, news of the conspiracy and\nof the popular feeling reached the royal palace. Instantly, without\noffering any resistance, or striking a single blow in defence of his\ncrown, David resolved on flight. Accompanied by the royal body-guard\nand the 600 Gittites, and a vast concourse of people, he left Jerusalem,\nand early in the morning crossed the brook Kidron. As far as the city\nboundaries he was also followed by the Levites, and the high-priests\nZadok and Abiathar with the Ark. But David had no wish to expose the\nsacred symbol to any risk, and the two chiefs of the Levitical tribe\nmight do him better service at Jerusalem; accordingly they were bidden\nto turn back. Then crossing the ravine of the Kidron, with head covered\nand unsandalled feet, his retinue manifesting every sign of profound\nsorrow, the king ascended the slopes of Olivet, and as he went received\nintelligence that his privy counsellor Ahithophel had gone over to\nthe ranks of his rebellious son. In the defection of this man, his\n_equal_[302], his _guide_, his _own familiar friend_, he instantly saw\nhis danger, and prayed that the counsel of Ahithophel might be _turned\ninto foolishness_ (2 Sam. xv. 31).\n\nReaching the summit of the hill, he encountered Hushai the Archite[303],\n_the king\u2019s friend_, with torn robe and dust upon his head. In him\nDavid saw a fitting instrument for counteracting the influence of\nAhithophel, and persuaded him to return to Jerusalem, and undertake\nthe dangerous task of pretending a devotion to the cause of Absalom,\nwhile really, in conjunction with Zadok and Abiathar and their two\nsons, he kept a strict watch over all that occurred. Hushai accordingly\nturned back, and David descended the further slopes of Olivet. Here\nhe met Ziba, the wily servant of Mephibosheth, the son of his old\nfriend Jonathan, with welcome supplies of wine, bread, and fruit. Ziba\nrepresented that his master was staying behind at Jerusalem, awaiting\nany change in his fortunes which the rebellion might bring, and, as\na reward for his services, obtained a ready grant of his estates. At\nBahurim, a little further down the hill, David encountered Shimei, a\nBenjamite of the house of Saul, who flung stones at the royal retinue,\nand imprecated on them the most furious curses, in which he perhaps\nexpressed the long pent-up hatred of the family of Saul, as well as\nthe popular feeling against the author of Uriah\u2019s death. The impetuous\nAbishai would have instantly cut off his head, but David stayed his\nhand, _Let him curse_, said he, _for the Lord hath bidden him_ (2 Sam.\nxvi. 10\u201312). The way now led into the Jordan valley, and for the first\ntime the weary retinue halted, and refreshed themselves with Ziba\u2019s\nwelcome supplies.\n\nMeanwhile Absalom, with Ahithophel and a numerous retinue, had reached\nJerusalem. There he met Hushai, who saluted him with the words, _Long\nlive the king_. Even Absalom was startled, and reproached him for his\napparent treachery, but kept him by him. The first step of the usurper,\nsuggested by Ahithophel, was to take possession of his father\u2019s\nharem[304], and so render all reconciliation impossible (Comp. 2 Sam.\niii. 7, 8).\n\nThe course to be next taken was anxiously debated. Ahithophel was for\ninstant measures, and offered with 12,000 men to head a pursuit after\nDavid that very night, while he was weary and weak-handed. If he smote\nthe king, he felt sure the whole people would side with Absalom, and\nhis triumph would be complete. The advice found favour with the usurper,\nand the elders about him. But first he resolved to call in Hushai,\nand ascertain his opinion. Hushai pronounced the plan imprudent in the\nextreme. To attack the king while surrounded by his _mighty men, all\nchafing in their minds, as a she bear robbed of her whelps_, was very\ndangerous. From a partial defeat the prince had everything to fear, and\nthe king everything to gain. He counselled, therefore, delay, and the\nmustering of the entire national forces from Dan to Beer-sheba. Absalom\napproved of this plan, and Ahithophel, probably seeing the certain\neffects of such delay, and chagrined at the adoption of another\u2019s\ncounsel in preference to his own, retired to Giloh, _put his household\nin order, and hanged himself_ (2 Sam. xvii. 23).\n\nWithout a moment\u2019s delay Hushai now sought out Zadok and Abiathar,\nrelated all that had occurred in the council, and urged that a\nmessenger should be instantly sent to David, to bid him not linger in\nthe Jordan valley, but cross the river with all speed. The two sons\nof the high-priests were in concealment at the fountain of En-rogel,\nready for such an errand. A female slave was sent thither to bid them\ninstantly carry the message to David. They forthwith started, but\nnarrowly escaped detection. At Bahurim a lad saw them and conveyed\nthe news to Absalom, and it was only by hiding in a well that they\nescaped the vigilance of their pursuers, and announced their errand to\nDavid. Though it must have been midnight, the king instantly crossed\nthe river, and before the dawn of the following day not one of his\nretinue remained on the western side of the Jordan[305]. Mahanaim, the\nformer capital of Ishbosheth, now became his head-quarters, and here he\nmustered his forces, and placed them under the command of Joab, Abishai,\nand Ittai, and received a welcome supply of provisions from Shobi, the\nson of his old friend Nahash of Rabbah, from Machir of Lodebar, and\nBarzillai a wealthy Gileadite.\n\nMeanwhile Absalom also had mustered his forces, and having entrusted\nthe command to AMASA, the son of Ithra or Jether by Abigail David\u2019s\nsister (2 Sam. xvii. 25), he too crossed the Jordan. The decisive\nengagement, which was not long delayed, took place not far from\nMahanaim, in the dense forest of Ephraim, a region still \u201ccovered\nwith thick oaks, and tangled bushes, and thorny creepers growing over\nrugged rocks and ruinous precipices[306].\u201d Here the army of Absalom was\nutterly routed. Entangled in the thick undergrowth, crushing each other\nin remediless ruin, upwards of 20,000 perished in that fatal wood,\nwhich _devoured more people that day than the sword devoured_ (2 Sam.\nxviii. 8). Amidst the crowd of fugitives Absalom also fled, and as he\nrode on his mule where \u201cthe strong arms of the trees spread out so near\nthe ground that one cannot walk erect beneath them[307],\u201d his long hair\ncaught in an oak, and he hung suspended from the tree. A man chanced to\nsee him, and forthwith told Joab. He himself had forborne to touch the\nprince, having heard the strict injunctions of the loving David to his\nthree captains before the battle _to deal tenderly with the young man_.\nBut Joab had no such scruples; with three darts in his hand he went\nto the spot and transfixed him while yet alive. A great pit was then\ndug, and into it the corpse was flung, and covered with a great heap of\nstones. With the death of the usurper Joab knew the rebellion was at an\nend, he therefore sounded the signal of recall, and the battle closed.\n\nMeanwhile David, who had been sitting at the gate of Mahanaim\nanxiously awaiting tidings of the battle, no sooner heard that his son\nwas dead, than he gave way to the most violent grief. Joab alone dared\nto confront him, bidding him bestir himself if he would not see another\npopular revolt. Roused at last, the king consented to present himself\nat \u201cthe gate.\u201d But he could not forget who had given the death-blow\nto his favourite son, and even vowed to transfer the chieftaincy of\nthe troops to Amasa, though he had led the forces on the other side,\nand \u201cin this was laid the lasting breach between himself and his\npowerful nephew, which neither the one nor the other ever forgave.\u201d\nThe rebellion ended, the rightful monarch could return to his kingdom.\nWith a self-control rare in Western no less than Eastern history, every\nstep in his progress was marked by forgiveness. Shimei was forgiven,\nMephibosheth, proved to have been faithful, was partially reinstated,\nand Barzillai rewarded with ample gifts (2 Sam. xix. 16\u201343).\n\nBut the danger was not yet over. In bringing about the king\u2019s return,\nhis own tribe of Judah had the largest share. This provoked the old\njealousy of the other tribes[308] (Comp. Judg. viii. 1; xii. 1), while\nthe Benjamites even took up arms, and placed themselves under the\nleadership of Sheba, son of Bichri, a man of Mount Ephraim. Many others\nalso rallied round him, and when Amasa, the new general-in-chief failed\nwithin three days to muster the forces of Judah, David was afraid lest\nmore harm should come of this fresh rising than had come from that\nof Absalom. Accordingly Abishai with the \u201cMighty Men\u201d was dispatched\nto quell the insurrection, and to pursue after Sheba before he reached\nany fortified towns. Taking with him the royal body-guard, Abishai,\naccompanied by Joab, set out, and at the great stone of Gibeon\nencountered Amasa. Joab\u2019s robe was girded round his waist, and in the\nfolds was a sword, which \u201cby accident or design protruded from the\nsheath.\u201d _Art thou in health, my brother?_ he saluted Amasa, and took\nhim by the beard as if to kiss him. The other rushed into his embrace,\nand was instantly stabbed to the heart, his blood spirting out upon his\ncousin\u2019s girdle and sandals. Leaving the body in the road, Joab hurried\non after Sheba, who, rousing the tribes as he passed, had made for Abel\nBeth-Maachah[309], a town of some importance far up in the north by the\nwaters of Merom. Thither Joab rushed in pursuit, threw up an embankment,\nand battered the walls. A wise woman saved the town from destruction.\nApproaching the wall, she gained a parley with the angry general, who\npromised to leave the place, if Sheba was put to death. Thereupon she\nreturned to her people, and the head of the rebel was soon flung into\nJoab\u2019s camp, who straightway sounded a trumpet, and with his troops\nreturned to Jerusalem (2 Sam. xx. 22).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _CLOSE OF DAVID\u2019S REIGN._\n 2 SAM. XXI.\u2013XXIV. 1 KINGS I. II. B.C. 1022\u20131015.\n\n\nSHORTLY after David\u2019s restoration, his kingdom was visited for three\nyears with a grievous famine. Enquiry was made of the Divine Oracle,\nand it was discovered to be a punishment for an act of faithlessness\non the part of Saul, who had broken the solemn covenant made by Joshua\nwith the Gibeonites (Josh. ix. 3\u201327). In a fit of sudden zeal for the\nchildren of Israel and Judah he had killed some of them, and devised\na general massacre of the rest (2 Sam. xxi. 2, 5). The Gibeonites were\nnow asked what atonement they were willing to receive for the wrongs\nthey had suffered. In reply, they demanded neither silver nor gold.\nBlood had been spilt, and blood they would have, and nothing would\nsatisfy them but permission to take seven of Saul\u2019s sons and hang, or\nrather crucify, them at Gibeah. Accordingly the two sons of Rizpah,\nthe daughter of Aiah, and the five sons of Michal, whom they had\nborne to Saul, were delivered up, and the Gibeonites crucified them\non the hill of Gibeah. This was done in April, at the beginning of\nbarley-harvest[310] (2 Sam. xxii. 9), and there the bodies remained\ntill the periodical rains in October _dropped upon them out of heaven_\n(2 Sam. xxii. 10). All this while, spreading on the rock a coarse\nsackcloth robe, Rizpah watched over the blackening corpses, and\n_suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the\nbeasts of the field by night_. The tale of her devoted love at length\nwas conveyed to David, who had the remains removed, and at the same\ntime directed that the bones of Saul also and of Jonathan should be\ntaken from Jabesh-Gilead, and buried in the ancestral sepulchre of\nKish, _after which God was intreated for the land_ (2 Sam. xxi. 14).\n\nMeanwhile, in consequence probably of the intestine feuds of the\nIsraelites, the Philistines had recovered sufficient strength to\nventure on once more attacking them. David himself went with the host\nto battle, and in mortal combat with another descendant of the giant\nrace was near falling a victim to his rashness, when he was succoured\nby the valiant Abishai, and the people, fearful lest _the light of\nIsrael should be quenched_ (2 Sam. xxi. 17), prevailed upon him to\ndesist from accompanying them to battle in future. Other attempts were\nafterwards made by the Philistines, but the valour of David\u2019s captains\nserved to keep them in check (2 Sam. xxi. 18\u201322).\n\nThe Hebrew kingdom had now attained its farthest limits, even those\nwhich God had revealed many centuries before in vision to Abraham (Gen.\nxv. 18). Not only had David given a capital to his people, but he had\nconquered all the nations on the immediate frontier of his realm. His\nkingdom had become like one of the kingdoms of the world[311]. It had\nits court, its palace, its splendour, its tributaries. In this hour\nof his prosperity the monarch was tempted (1 Chr. xxi. 1) to yield to\npride and self-exaltation, and gave directions to Joab to carry out a\ngeneral census of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba. His object,\nit has been supposed, was either the levying of a poll-tax or the\nformation of a standing army with a view to foreign conquests[312].\nWhatever was his precise motive, it excited the repugnance of the\ncaptains of the host, and even of Joab himself, who not only warned the\nking against being _the cause of a trespass in Israel_, but regarded\nthe royal proposition as actually _abominable_ (1 Chr. xxi. 6). When,\nhowever, he found that nothing would turn the king from his fixed\npurpose, he set out, and after the lapse of 9 months and 20 days\nreported 800,000 in Israel as fit for military service, and 500,000 in\nJudah. But before he had numbered Benjamin or Levi (2 Sam. xxiv. 10)\nDavid\u2019s heart smote him, and Gad, the seer, was commissioned to offer\nhim the choice of 7 years\u2019 famine, or 3 months\u2019 defeat before his\nenemies, or a 3 days\u2019 pestilence. David chose _to fall into the hands\nof God rather than into the hands of man_. Thereupon the plague began,\nand during three days swept off upwards of 70,000. But when the hand\nof the destroying angel was uplifted over Jerusalem, the Lord, _whose\nmercies are great_ (2 Sam. xxiv. 14), repented of the evil, and on\nthe intercession of the king the angel desisted, when he was by the\nthreshing-floor of Ornan or Araunah, a wealthy Jebusite. By the advice\nof Gad David now bought the site of the threshing-floor and a yoke of\noxen, erected there an altar, and offered thereon burnt-offerings and\npeace-offerings. Fire descended in testimony of the acceptance of the\nsacrifice, and with the cessation of the plague consecrated the rocky\nsite of the future altar of Solomon\u2019s Temple on Mount Moriah (2 Chr.\niii. 1).\n\nThe remaining years of David\u2019s life were spent in amassing treasures\nand materials, and making preparations for the erection of the Temple\n(1 Chr. xxii. 5, 14). But even now the truth of the prophet\u2019s words was\nforced upon him, that his foes should be those of his own household.\nThe three eldest of his sons, Amnon, Chileab, and Absalom being dead,\nthe fourth\u2015\u2015ADONIJAH\u2015\u2015resolved to put forth his pretensions to the\nkingdom. Like Absalom, whom he resembled in personal beauty, he began\nby surrounding himself with chariots and horsemen, and succeeded in\ndrawing over to his side not only the high-priest Abiathar, but even\nJoab, the commander-in-chief, whose loyalty at last wavered. Confident\nin the support of such old servants of the king, the pretender\nproclaimed a great sacrificial festival at the _Stone of Zoheleth_,\nsouth of Jerusalem, near the fountain of En-rogel, and invited to it\nall the royal princes, except Solomon, and not a few of the captains\nof the royal army (1 K. i. 5\u20139).\n\nWhile they assembled at Zoheleth, Nathan the prophet persuaded\nBath-sheba to seek an interview with the king, and inform him of what\nwas going on. Bath-sheba did so, and had hardly concluded her tale,\nwhen Nathan himself entered, confirmed her account, and demanded to\nknow whether Adonijah\u2019s actions had the royal approval. Though old and\nfeeble, David had sufficient energy to rise to the present emergency,\nand solemnly assured Bath-sheba of his unalterable determination that\nSolomon should succeed to the throne. Then summoning Zadok and Benaiah\nhe bade them, together with Nathan, convey Solomon in state down to\nGihon, and there formally anoint and proclaim him king. Accordingly\nthese officers, accompanied by the royal guards, escorted Solomon\nthither, mounted on the royal mule (1 K. i. 38), and there Zadok\nanointed him with oil from the sacred horn of the Tabernacle, amidst\nthe sound of trumpets and loud shouts of _God save the King_. Thence\nthe new monarch was escorted in triumph back through the city, and\nsat on the royal throne amidst general applause, in the sight of his\naged father, who blessed God that during his own lifetime he had been\npermitted to behold his successor (1 K. i. 45\u201348). Intelligence of\nthese transactions was conveyed to the conspirators, in the midst of\ntheir festivities at En-rogel, by Jonathan the son of Abiathar. They\nhad already heard the noise of the people shouting as Solomon passed\nin procession through the city, and no sooner learnt the cause than,\nseized with alarm, they instantly dispersed, and _every man went his\nway_ (1 K. i. 49). Dreading the vengeance of the new king, Adonijah now\nfled to the Tabernacle, put himself in sanctuary by grasping the horns\nof the altar, and refused to quit the spot till Solomon had promised\nwith an oath to spare his life. The young and politic monarch, on\nbeing informed of this, abstained from binding himself by any oath,\nand simply assured Adonijah of safety _so long as he shewed himself a\nworthy man_, but threatened him with death, _if wickedness should be\nfound in him_ (1 K. i. 49\u201352). On these conditions he quitted his place\nof refuge, and, having made obeisance to the new king, returned to the\nprivacy of his own house (1 K. i. 53).\n\nThe days of David were now rapidly drawing to a close. He therefore\nconvened a solemn assembly of all the chiefs and elders of his people,\nthe royal princes, the captains of his army, and his public officers,\nand standing up, aged as he was, gave them his last charge, and\nexhorted his son to constancy in the service of Jehovah. He then\nsolemnly delegated to him the accomplishment of the desire of his life,\nthe erection of the Temple, and committed to him in trust the abundant\nmaterials he had amassed for this purpose, as well as a pattern of the\nbuilding, and of everything belonging to it. This address, confirmed\nas it was by the sight of the gold and silver, the brass and iron and\nprecious stones, which the royal prudence had collected, had a great\neffect upon the people, and they also joyfully contributed to the\nexecution of their sovereign\u2019s design. Then, in language of unequalled\npathos and beauty, the aged monarch solemnly thanked God for all His\ngoodness, and prayed that He would bestow upon his son \u201ca perfect\nheart,\u201d enabling him to keep His testimonies and statutes, and build\nthe Temple for which he had made provision. Amidst sacrifices of\nunusual abundance and great feastings and rejoicings, Solomon was then\nfor the second time anointed king, and received the formal submission\nof all the royal princes, and the chiefs of the nation. In another\nand more secret interview David gave his son his last counsels, not\nonly concerning his own deportment as ruler, but also respecting Joab\nand Shimei, who were committed to his vigilance, and Barzillai the\nGileadite, who was entrusted to his regard. Then after a reign of\n7\u00bd years at Hebron, and of 33 years at Jerusalem, _in a good old age,\nfull of years, riches, and honour_, the son of Jesse, the Shepherd,\nthe Warrior, the King, the Psalmist, was gathered to his fathers, and\nburied in the city which had been once the fortress of the heathen\nJebusites, but was now the capital of an empire that realised the\nloftiest ideal of prophecy, stretching from the \u201criver of Egypt\u201d to\nthe Euphrates, and from the range of Lebanon to the gulf of Akaba[313].\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _ACCESSION OF SOLOMON._\n 1 KINGS II.\u2013VIII. 1 CHRON. I.\u2013IX. B.C. 1015.\n\n\nTHE new king was hardly seated on the throne before he was called\nupon to repress with a high hand a second and dangerous attempt of\nAdonijah to obtain the kingdom. As is usual in Oriental countries,\nthe influence of Bath-sheba the queen-mother was very great. To her\nAdonijah preferred a request that she would intercede with the king\nin obtaining for him the hand of ABISHAG the Shunammite, his father\u2019s\nlatest wife (1 Kings ii. 17). Bath-sheba sought an interview with\nSolomon, who instantly saw in this petition a design upon the throne,\nand declaring that Adonijah had forfeited his claim to the indulgence\nextended to him after the late rebellion, directed that he should be\nput to death by the hand of Benaiah. But he divined that others were\nconcerned in the insinuating request, and notably the high-priest\nAbiathar, and Joab the commander-in-chief. The former, in consideration\nof his past services, was not put to death, but simply degraded from\nhis high office, and ordered to live in retirement at Anathoth, a\nLevitical city, about 3 miles north of Jerusalem, whereby the word of\nthe Lord concerning the house of Eli was fulfilled (1 Sam. ii. 31\u201333).\nNews of these events no sooner reached the ears of Joab than he\nfled for refuge within the curtains of the Tabernacle at Gibeon, and\ncaught hold of the horns of the altar. Thither, however, Solomon sent\nBenaiah with orders to put him to death. Benaiah went and told his old\ncompanion-in-arms the king\u2019s command. But Joab refused to stir from\nsanctuary, and the other returned to the king for fresh instructions.\nSolomon bade him not spare, but fall upon him even at the altar, urging\nhis execution as a just recompense for the murder of Abner and Amasa.\nThereupon he returned once more, and fell upon him at the altar,\nand obtained the important post of commander-in-chief, while Zadok\nsucceeded to the high-priesthood (1 K. ii. 28\u201334).\n\nThough David had spared the life of Shimei, he had on his death-bed\ncautioned Solomon against him, and now, possibly owing to some\nunrecorded symptoms of disaffection, the young king renewed the\nconcession, but on condition that Shimei confined himself to the\ncity of Jerusalem, and did not stray beyond the brook Kidron, which\nseparated him from the road to his old home at Bahurim. For three years\nShimei carefully complied with this condition. But two of his slaves\nfleeing to Achish king of Gath, he went thither and brought them back.\nThis sealed his fate. Intelligence of what he had done was conveyed to\nSolomon, who sent for him, and ordered his execution by the hands of\nBenaiah (1 K. ii. 36\u201346).\n\nShortly before this last event the king convened a general assembly\nof all the notables of the realm at Gibeon, where was not only the\nvenerable Tabernacle of the Wanderings, but the brazen altar of\nburnt-sacrifice (2 Chr. i. 3, 5). There accordingly were gathered\ntogether all the great officers of state, the judges, the governors,\nand the chief of the fathers, and a thousand burnt-offerings were\nconsumed on the Altar. On the night following this solemn ceremonial,\nthe Lord appeared in vision to Solomon as he slept, and bade him prefer\nany petition he desired. Impressed with the magnitude of the office to\nwhich he had been called, as yet _humble in his own sight_, and mindful\nof the mercy bestowed upon his father, the young king prayed not for\nriches, or honour, or long life, or the life of his enemies, but _for\na wise and understanding heart_, that he might know how to rule his\npeople. His prayer pleased the Lord, and because he had requested\nnothing for himself, He, who is wont to give to the sons of men \u201cmore\nthan they ask or think,\u201d not only promised him wisdom and knowledge,\nbut assured him that all the blessings he had not asked should be\n\u201cadded unto him,\u201d including length of days, if he, for his part, took\nheed to observe the statutes and commandments of Jehovah, as his father\nhad done before him (1 K. iii. 6\u201314). Returning to Jerusalem the king\noffered burnt-offerings and thank-offerings to the Lord before the\nArk of the Covenant, and celebrated a sacrificial feast with his whole\ncourt (1 K. iii. 15).\n\nVery shortly he was called upon to give proof of that sagacity and\nclearness of judgment, especially in judicial cases, so much prized\nby Orientals. Of two women inhabiting one house together, each had an\ninfant child. The mother of one overlaid hers while she was asleep,\nand rising at midnight, laid it in the bosom of the other woman, taking\nher live child in its place. In the morning the latter discovered the\ndeception that had been practised upon her, and demanded the living\ninfant. This the other woman refused, claiming it for her own, and\nboth of them appealed to Solomon, who commanded the living child to\nbe divided into two halves, one of which should be given to each.\nThe anguish of the real, and the cruel acquiescence of the pretended\nmother in this sentence, decided the point in a moment, and proved\nthe sagacity of the king. But besides judicial sagacity, Solomon was\neminent for his attainments. He was deeply versed in all the knowledge\nof his age, his _wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the\nEast country, and all the wisdom of Egypt_ (1 K. iv. 30). In the course\nof his life he spake 3,000 proverbs, of which a considerable portion\nremain in the \u201cBook of Proverbs,\u201d and his Songs, of which the \u201cSong of\nSongs\u201d alone survives, were a thousand and five. He spoke or wrote also\nof trees, from the lofty cedar of Lebanon to the humble hyssop _that\nspringeth out of the wall, of beasts, of fowl, of creeping things, and\nof fishes_. His fame spread abroad among surrounding nations; and there\ncame of all people to hear his wisdom (1 K. iv. 34).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n\n _THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE._\n 1 KINGS V.\u2013VIII. 2 CHRON. II.\u2013VII. B.C. 1012\u20131005.\n\n\nMINDFUL of the repeated instructions of his father, Solomon no sooner\nreceived the congratulations of Hiram, king of Tyre, upon his coming to\nthe throne, than he sent to that monarch requesting that he would let\nhim have Sidonian artisans, and a supply of cedar wood from the forests\nof Lebanon, for the construction of the Temple. Hiram responded with\nalacrity to the request, and a regular treaty was entered into between\nthe two kings. Solomon bound himself to send yearly 20,000 cors[318]\nof wheat, and 20 cors of oil to the Ph\u0153nicians, while Hiram undertook\nto float cedar trees and fir-trees to Joppa, and to send a number of\nskilled artificers to Jerusalem. For the purpose of felling the timber,\na levy of 30,000 Israelites was made, who were placed under Adoniram;\n10,000 were employed at a time, and relieved each other every month,\nspending a month in the mountains of Lebanon, and the other two\nmonths at their own homes (1 K. v. 13, 14). Besides these, 70,000\nwere employed as porters, and 80,000 as hewers in the various quarries.\nThese latter were bondslaves, remnants of the Canaanites, who had not\nbeen expelled from the land. Under the eye of Tyrian master-builders,\nthey hewed, and squared, and bevelled the stupendous blocks, some\nmeasuring even 17 and 18 feet, for the foundation of the sacred edifice.\n\nThe site, which had been already selected by David, was the eminence\nof Moriah, on the east of the city, rendered sacred at once as the\nspot where Abraham had offered up Isaac, and where the plague had been\nstayed during the last reign[319]. \u201cIts rugged top was levelled with\nimmense labour; its sides, which to the east and south were precipitous,\nwere faced with a wall of stone, built up perpendicular from the\nbottom of the valley, so as to appear to those who looked down, of most\nterrific height; a work of prodigious skill and labour, as the immense\nstones were strongly mortised together and wedged into the rock.\u201d\n\nOn this site, after 3 years of preparation, in the 4th year of\nSolomon\u2019s reign, and the 480th after the departure from Egypt, the\nfoundations were laid. No sound of hammer or axe, or any tool of iron,\nwas heard as the structure rose (1 K. vi. 7). Every beam already cut\nand squared, every stone already hewn and bevelled, was laid silently\nin its appointed site,\n\n _Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric sprung_[320].\n\nWithin a quadrangle formed by a solid wall was an open court,\nafterwards known as the _Court of the Gentiles_. Within this,\nsurrounded by another wall and on a higher[321] level, was the _Court\nof the Israelites_, and within this, and on a still higher level, the\n_Court of the Priests_. The Temple itself was built on the model of the\nancient Tabernacle, but of more costly and durable materials, and like\nit consisted of the Porch, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies[322].\n\n(1) The _Porch_ or Hall, which faced the East, was 10 cubits deep\nfrom E. to W., by 20 in width from N. to S., and 30 cubits high[323].\nEither within, or, as some think, on either side of it, rose two\nbrazen Pillars, the one called JACHIN (_durability_), the other BOAZ\n(_strength_), their capitals ornamented with network, chainwork,\nand pomegranates. (2) _The Holy Place_, the dimensions of which were\nexactly double those in the Tabernacle[324], was 40 cubits long, by\n20 wide, and 30 high. Its walls were of hewn stone, wainscotted with\ncedar and overlaid with gold[325], and adorned with beautiful carvings\nrepresenting cherubim, fruit, and flowers. It was entered by folding\ndoors, similarly overlaid with gold and richly embossed. The floor\nwas of cedar, boarded over with planks of fir or cypress; the ceiling\nwas of fir, but both, as indeed every part, overlaid with gold in the\nrichest profusion. In the Holy Place, as in the Tabernacle, stood the\ngolden Altar of Incense, the Table of Shew-bread, and the Candlesticks\nof pure gold, five on the right, and five on the left. (3) A rich veil\nof the brightest colours separated the Holy Place from _the Holy of\nHolies_, which was a perfect cube of 20 cubits. Here was the original\nArk overshadowed by two colossal Cherubim of olive wood overlaid with\ngold, 10 cubits in height. These stood at each end, N. and S., and\nfaced each other, each having two wings expanded, so that one wing of\neach touched over the Ark, and the other touched the wall. Outside the\nHoly Place stood a great Tank or \u201cSea\u201d of molten brass, 10 cubits in\ndiameter, 30 round, 5 high, and capable of holding 2000 baths. It was\nsupported on 12 oxen, three turned each way, and its rim was ornamented\nwith blossoms. Besides this there were 10 Lavers, for the purpose of\nablutions, which stood on moveable bases of brass; each side of these\nwas formed in three panels, and adorned with figures of oxen, lions,\nand cherubim. The great Brazen Altar of Burnt-sacrifice, 20 cubits long\nand 10 high, stood on the exact site of the threshing-floor of Araunah.\n\nAt length, by the 7th month in the 11th year of Solomon\u2019s reign, the\nwork was completed, and the king invited the chiefs of the different\ntribes, all the notables of the realm, as also the entire priestly and\nLevitical body[326], to the solemn dedication. He himself took his seat\non a raised throne of brass; the sacrificers stood before the Altar\nof Burnt-offering, surrounded by the choir arrayed in white robes, and\nplaying on cymbals, psalteries, and harps; while the assembled nation\ncrowded the courts without. Countless sheep and oxen were first laid\non the brazen altar. Then from under the covering, where David had\nplaced it, the priests solemnly brought the Ark of the Covenant to\nthe folding-doors of the Temple. These were opened, and then past the\nTable of Shew-bread, and the golden Candlesticks, and the Altar of\nIncense, it was conveyed through the Veil to its appointed place,\nand the Cherubim spread over it their wings, and \u201creceived it, as\nit were, under their protection.\u201d At this moment the choir lifted up\ntheir voices _with the trumpets and cymbals, and instruments of music,\nand made one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord[327],\nwhose mercy endureth for ever_, and simultaneously the Temple was\nfilled with a cloud (1 K. viii. 10, 11), the \u201cGlory\u201d of the Lord\ndescended, and Jehovah took possession of His new abode. Thereupon the\nking, rising on his brazen throne, and kneeling down upon his knees,\nspread forth his hands toward heaven, and offered up a solemn and\nsublime prayer. As he concluded with the petition, _Arise, O Lord God,\ninto Thy resting-place, Thou and the Ark of Thy strength_, fire flashed\nforth from the \u201cGlory\u201d already filling the Temple, and consumed the\nburnt-offerings and the sacrifices (2 Chr. vii. 3), while the priests\nstood without, blinded with the excess of splendour, and the people\nbowing with their faces to the ground, worshipped and praised the Lord.\nThe ceremony of dedication lasted seven days, and was succeeded by\nthe Feast of Tabernacles, which was continued for two weeks, or twice\nthe usual time[328]. During it, upwards of 22,000 oxen and 120,000\nsheep were partly offered in sacrifice, and partly made the materials\nof a great sacrificial feast, from which, on the 23rd day of the 7th\nmonth, the king sent the people away, _glad and merry in heart for the\ngoodness that the Lord had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to\nIsrael His people_ (2 Chr. vii. 10).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VIII.\n\n _SOLOMON\u2019S REIGN CONTINUED._\n 2 KINGS IX.\u2013XI. 2 CHR. VIII. IX. B.C. 1005\u2013975.\n\n\nBEFORE the Temple was thus completed, Solomon had proceeded to\nconstruct other magnificent buildings. Amongst these was a sumptuous\npalace for himself, surrounded with beautiful pleasure-grounds, which\nstood within the city opposite to the Temple, and occupied 13 years in\nbuilding (1 K. vii. 1). Another palace he built for Pharaoh\u2019s daughter,\nwhom he had espoused, and besides it the house of the forest of\nLebanon[329], 175 ft. long, half that measurement in width, and 50 ft.\nhigh. The roof, which was made of cedar, was supported by 4 rows of\ncedar columns, and the whole received light from 3 rows of windows on\neach side. Adjoining it were the women\u2019s apartments, a banqueting-hall,\nand spacious and luxuriant gardens.\n\nOther works were designed for use and security; among these were\nartificial reservoirs for supplying the city with water, and the\nstrengthening or repairing of a fortress called Millo (1 K. ix. 15),\nalready begun by David (2 Sam. v. 9). Solomon also fortified\nBaalath[330]; Gezer[331] and the two Beth-horons on the great road\ntowards the sea-coast; the strong and important post of Hazor[332]\nto defend the entrance from Syria and Assyria; Megiddo to guard the\nEsdraelon plain; while, for the protection of his eastern caravans, he\nbuilt Tadmor, afterwards called _Palmyra_, in the Syrian wilderness,\nand Tiphsah or _Thapsacus_[333] on the Euphrates (2 Chr. viii. 3\u20136).\n\n Illustration: SOLOMON\u2019S DOMINIONS,\n THE\n KINGDOMS OF JUDAH & ISRAEL\n AND THE\n LANDS OF THE CAPTIVITIES.\n\n London: Macmillan & Co.\n\nHis reign was a period of great commercial activity. On the North-west\nthe important kingdom of Ph\u0153nicia was united with him by the bonds\nof a strict alliance. Once only did Hiram, king of Tyre, express any\ndissatisfaction with the dealings of his powerful friend. Solomon had\nbestowed upon him twenty cities which he had conquered in the land of\nGalilee, on the borders of Asher. But when the Tyrian king came forth\nto see them, he was much dissatisfied. One of them named Cabul, now\n_Kab\u00fbl_, about 8 or 9 miles east of _Akka_, in his own Ph\u0153nician tongue\ndenoted _displeasure_, and this name he gave to them all (1 K. ix.\n10\u201313).\n\n1. But Ph\u0153nician enterprise was turned to account in other directions.\nHaving possession of the Eastern shore of the Red Sea, Solomon\nstrengthened the ports of Elath and Ezion-geber (_the giant\u2019s\nbackbone_), and with the assistance of Tyrian shipwrights, constructed\na fleet, which sailed to Ophir[334], and returned with gold, silver,\nivory, and other products (1 K. ix. 26\u201328).\n\n2. The Tyrian alliance opened up also the traffic of the Mediterranean.\nOn every shore washed by this sea Ph\u0153nician energy had founded\ncolonies, and opened trading ports, of which the chief was Tarshish,\nor Tartessus\u2015\u2015\u201cthe Peru of Tyrian adventure[335]\u201d\u2015\u2015on the southern\ncoast of Spain, at this time abounding in gold and silver mines. Hither\nSolomon\u2019s fleet sailed in company with that of Hiram, and brought back\nevery three years of its precious products (1 K. x. 22).\n\n3. Another important outlet for trade was supplied by Egypt. Not only\nhad Solomon espoused a daughter of Pharaoh, but in defiance of the\nMosaic Law (Deut. xvii. 16) he exchanged the produce of his own country\nfor the horses and chariots of Egypt, as also for the linen-yarn,\nspun from the flax which the Nile valley yielded in abundance (1 K.\nx. 28, 29).\n\n4. Last, but not least important, was the inland trade of the Arabian\npeninsula. Caravans of the native tribes transported on camels the\nspices, incense, gold, precious stones, and valuable woods of the\ncountry, especially the almug or sandal, and brought them into the\ndominions of Solomon, or, if they were intended for his Tyrian allies,\nto Gezer and Beth-horon, whence they were transported to the port of\nJoppa.\n\nBut though these several branches of commerce opened up to the Hebrew\nkingdom many and various sources of national prosperity, and tended to\nmultiply the luxuries and magnificence of the court, this prosperity\nwas on the surface only. Hidden beneath its external splendour were\nseveral cankers, which surely though secretly undermined the true\nlife of the nation. First of all, this massing of gold and silver, as\ndoubtless the Jewish Lawgiver had foreseen, could only be brought about\nby a process of severe taxation. And while forced to bear burdens heavy\nand grievous, the nation saw the tide of commercial profits, instead of\nbeing fairly distributed among the people, flowing only into the royal\nexchequer. Secondly, these commercial alliances seriously affected the\nnation\u2019s allegiance to Jehovah. In imitation of other Oriental empires\nSolomon surrounded himself with a numerous harem, having 700 wives\nand 300 concubines (1 K. xi. 1\u20133). Besides the daughter of Pharaoh,\nhe espoused women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians,\nand Hittites, and, as he grew old, they turned away his heart from\nthe worship of the true God. Three times, indeed, during the year he\ncelebrated the Festivals of Jehovah (1 K. ix. 25), but the licentious\nworship of Baal and Ashtaroth, of Moloch and Chemosh, found its way\neven into the Holy City, and their hideous orgies were enacted \u201chard\nby the oracles of God\u201d (1 K. xi. 5\u20138).\n\nAt first, perhaps, there may have been few signs of weakness in a\nfabric so vast and so magnificent. In the figurative language of the\nsacred record, _silver was in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar-trees as\nsycamores; Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea\nin multitude, eating and drinking and making merry_; in the enjoyment\nof profound peace, _every man dwelt safely under his vine and under his\nfig-tree_. Princes administered the government of various portions of\nthe empire (1 K. iv. 1\u20136); officers deputed for the purpose provided\nvictual for the royal table, and barley and straw for Solomon\u2019s 40,000\nchariot-horses, his 12,000 war-horses (1 K. iv. 26), and his swift\nmules; kings and princes of subject-provinces brought in their tribute\nat a fixed rate year by year (1 K. x. 25); and when the queen of Sheba\ncame with her great train from distant Yemen in Arabia to prove the\nking with hard questions, and beheld his palace, _and the meat of\nhis table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his\nministers, and their apparel, and his cup-bearers_, and the ascent from\nhis own palace to the Temple[336], there was no spirit left in her, and\nshe confessed that the half of his fame and magnificence had not been\ntold her (1 K. x. 1\u20139).\n\nBefore long, however, clouds began to gather portending the coming\nstorm. Once at Gibeon, on the occasion of his accession, again after\nthe dedication of the Temple (1 K. iii. 5; ix. 2), the Lord had\nappeared to Solomon, and on condition that he continued to walk in\nthe ways of his father, had promised to crown him with prosperity, and\nestablish his dynasty, but at the same time had warned him that any\napostasy would bring down severe punishment. But promise and warning\nhad been alike forgotten, and when the Lord appeared for the third\ntime, it was to announce that the kingdom should be rent from him\n(1 K. xi. 9\u201313).\n\ni. The quarter, whence danger first threatened, was on the south,\nin the land of Edom. When Joab invaded that country during the late\nreign, and for six months directed an indiscriminate massacre of the\nmale population, HADAD, who was of the blood royal, and at that time\na little child, was carried off into Egypt, where he was hospitably\nreceived by the reigning Pharaoh, and rapidly rising in the royal\nesteem, obtained the hand of Tahpenes, the sister of the Egyptian\nqueen. On the death of David and of Joab, he returned from Egypt, and\nthirsting to break off the hard yoke of Jacob from the neck of Esau,\norganized a revolt in his native land, and began to threaten Solomon\u2019s\ncommunication with the Elanitic Gulf (1 K. xi. 15\u201322).\n\nii. A second adversary appeared in the north-eastern provinces of\nthe empire. \u2666REZIN, the Syrian, the son of Eliadah, flying from the\ndefeat which his feudal lord Hadadezer, king of Zobah, had sustained\nat the hands of David, put himself at the head of a band of adventurers\nand seized Damascus. Here he set up a petty kingdom, and _became an\nadversary to Israel all the days of Solomon_, and an impediment to the\nking\u2019s commerce with Tadmor and the Euphrates (1 K. xi. 23\u201325).\n\niii. But a far more formidable adversary appeared nearer home. When\nSolomon was constructing the fortifications of Millo under the citadel\nof Zion, he observed the industry and activity of JEROBOAM, already\nknown as a man of valour, the son of an Ephraimite, named Nebat.\nPerceiving his worth, the king not only employed him on the works,\nbut elevated him to the rank of collector of the taxes from his native\ntribe. On one occasion as he was going out of Jerusalem, Jeroboam\nencountered the prophet Ahijah of the ancient sanctuary of Shiloh,\nand accompanied him to a neighbouring field. When they were alone, the\nprophet rent the new outer robe in which he was attired into twelve\npieces, and gave ten of them to Jeroboam, assuring him at the same\ntime that he should reign over ten of the tribes, and that if he proved\nfaithful to His laws God would establish his dynasty as he had done\nthat of David (1 K. xi. 26\u201339). News of this mysterious intimation in\nsome way reached the ears of Solomon, and he sought to put Jeroboam\nto death, but the latter fled for refuge to the court of Shishak\n(_Sheshonk_ I.), a powerful monarch, who was bent on restoring Egypt\nto its former greatness. Here he remained during the rest of Solomon\u2019s\nreign. Departing from his earlier policy the king had laid the burden\nof compulsory labour not only on the remnant of the Canaanites, but\non the Israelites themselves (1 K. v. 13, 14). This increased the old\njealousy of the great house of Joseph, and a man like Jeroboam was\ncertain at any time to rally round him all the national discontent and\nill-feeling against the once prosperous monarch.\n\nWhile the signs of coming danger were thus becoming more and more\nevident, Solomon\u2019s reign of 40 years came to a close, B.C. 975. The\nhopes he might have inspired when first elevated to the throne had\nnot been fulfilled. He had, indeed, built the promised Temple; he had\nadorned Jerusalem with sumptuous palaces; his wisdom and learning had\nattracted the notice and roused the envy of distant monarchs; but he\nhad not been mindful, save for a short time, while the example of David\nand the instructions of his preceptor Nathan were fresh in his memory,\nof the vocation to which he had been called. His kingdom exhibited some\nof the worst faults of other Oriental monarchies. He had violated each\nand all of the fundamental principles of the kingdom as laid down by\nthe great Lawgiver of his nation. He had encouraged the worst forms\nof idolatry, had multiplied wives, had amassed enormous wealth, had\nlaid heavy burdens on the people, and sated with pomp and splendour\nand selfish luxuries, he had confessed the vanity of his life (Eccles.\ni. 12\u201318). The kingdom which Abraham had seen in vision stretching from\nthe river of Egypt to the gates of Damascus had, indeed, been realized,\nbut its unity was not destined to survive the reign of the son of\nDavid[337].\n\n\n\n\n BOOK X.\n\n KINGDOMS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.\n\n\n PART I.\n\n _Period of mutual hostility._\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _THE REVOLT OF THE TEN TRIBES._\n 1 KINGS XII. 2 CHRON. X. B.C. 975.\n\n\nREHOBOAM, the successor of Solomon, was 41 years of age when he came\nto the throne. Though his title does not seem to have been disputed\nat Jerusalem, he deemed it right to obtain a more general and public\nrecognition, and probably as a concession to the powerful house of\nJoseph, convened a solemn assembly of the tribes at Shechem, its\nancient but ruined[338] capital. On his arrival there he encountered\nJEROBOAM, who had been summoned from his retreat in Egypt, and now\nboldly appeared at the head of a deputation from all the tribes\nrequesting a remission of the taxes and other heavy burdens, which had\nbeen laid upon the nation during the late reign. Thus directly appealed\nto, Rehoboam requested a space of three days for deliberation, and\nduring this period first consulted the old advisers of his father. They\nunanimously suggested that he should accede to the nation\u2019s request,\nand lighten its burden. But besides these experienced counsellors\nthere were young men of rank, who had been the king\u2019s companions,\nand were now about his court. They could ill brook any line of policy\nthat seemed likely to lower the power of their patron, and advised him\nto take up the matter with a high hand, and by a firm denial of the\nnation\u2019s request put down once and for all any similar demand. In an\nevil hour Rehoboam listened to their counsel, and at the end of the\nthree days, when the envoys, again headed by Jeroboam, were summoned\ninto his presence, announced to them his final resolve. _My father made\nyour yoke heavy_, said he in the true spirit of an Oriental despot,\n_and I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but\nI will chastise you with scorpions_ (1 K. xii. 1\u201315).\n\nThis senseless reply was no sooner made known to the tribes than it\nroused a general spirit of rebellion. _What portion have we in David?_\nexclaimed the great tribe of Ephraim, _and what inheritance in the son\nof Jesse? To your tents, O Israel; now see to thine own house, David_\n(comp. 2 Sam. xx. 1). The assembly broke up in confusion, and each\nman returned to his home. But Rehoboam did not yet discern the full\nforce of the rising storm. He was unwise enough to send Adoram, who had\nbeen chief receiver of the tribute during the reigns of his father and\ngrandfather (2 Sam. xx. 24; 1 K. v. 14), to levy the usual dues. But\nthe fate of his envoy proved the strength of the popular feeling. _All\nIsrael stoned him with stones, that he died_, and the king himself was\nobliged to fly in haste to Jerusalem. His first impulse on his return\nwas to punish the rebellious tribes, and for this purpose he gathered\ntogether an army of 180,000 men. But his preparations for a civil war\nwere forbidden by Shemaiah, a man of God, who declared it to be the\nwill of Jehovah that all hostilities should be laid aside, for the\nrending of the kingdom _was from Him_ (1 K. xii. 18\u201324). Thereupon the\nprojected war was given up, and the rebellion was complete[339].\n\nAccording to the new division of the land, (i) _The kingdom of Judah_\nincluded that tribe itself, together with Benjamin, which transferred\nto it its allegiance probably because Jerusalem was within its borders,\nand, at least eventually, a part if not all of the territory of Simeon\nand of Dan. For the present Edom appears to have remained its faithful\nvassal, and guarded the caravan trade with Ophir, while Philistia\ncontinued, for the most part, quiet. (ii) _The kingdom of Israel_,\non the other hand, included that of the remaining eight tribes, _i.e._\nEphraim, and half Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali,\nas well as the coast line between Accho and Joppa, on the west of the\nJordan; Reuben, Gad, and the remaining half tribe of Manasseh on the\neast of that river. Its vassal states were Moab (2 K. iii. 4), and so\nmuch of Syria as had remained subject to Solomon (1 K. xi. 24)[343].\n\nThe first act of Jeroboam, on being declared ruler of the Ten Tribes,\nwas to give a capital to his kingdom. For this purpose he rebuilt and\nfortified Shechem. His next step was to secure his dominions against\nhis powerful northern neighbour, Syria. He, therefore, fortified\nPenuel[344] beyond the Jordan, which commanded the fords of Succoth,\nand was on the great caravan road leading over Gilead to Damascus.\nBut it required little reflection to convince him, that so long as the\nyearly pilgrimages summoned their thousands and tens of thousands to\nJerusalem, his authority was but nominal. The Levitical class would\nconstantly require to go up to the City of David in the order of their\ncourses[345], and the majority of them began to leave his kingdom for\nthat of Judah. Without a Temple, without the Ark, without a Priesthood,\nhe felt he could not maintain his power. Within the boundaries, however,\nof his realm were two sanctuaries, Bethel in the south, and Dan in the\nnorth. These, after some deliberation (1 K. xii. 28), he resolved to\nelevate into seats for national worship, which he hoped might rival\nthe Temple at Jerusalem. Instead, however, of erecting altars there in\nhonour of Jehovah, he made two calves of gold, figures probably of Apis\nor Mnevis, whose worship he had often witnessed during his residence in\nEgypt, and set them up at either sanctuary, with the address, _Behold\nthy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt_\n(1 K. xii. 28). Moreover, at both places he established a new order of\npriests, not taken from the sons of Levi, but from the lowest of the\npeople, and therefore absolutely dependent on himself, and into this\norder any one could obtain admission on sacrificing a young bullock and\nseven rams (2 Chr. xiii. 9).\n\nHaving taken these measures, on the 15th day of the eighth month[346]\nhe proclaimed a solemn Festival of Dedication, and went up to Bethel,\nto offer incense in person on the altar. But at this critical moment,\nas he was standing there, a man of God from Judah appeared, who boldly\nconfronted the king, denounced the idolatrous service, and foretold\nthe desecration of the altar by a future king of the house of Judah,\nJOSIAH by name, who would offer upon it the priests of the high-places,\nand burn men\u2019s bones upon it (See 2 K. xxiii. 15). Enraged at this\nout-spoken defiance, Jeroboam stretched forth his hand, and bade the\nbystanders seize the bold stranger. But at the moment his hand became\nsuddenly paralysed, and at the same time the altar was rent asunder,\nand the ashes of the victims were poured out. Now thoroughly alarmed,\nthe king implored the prophet to intercede with the Lord for him, that\nthe heavy judgment he had incurred might be removed. The other complied,\nand the king\u2019s hand was restored. Grateful for this signal favour,\nJeroboam would now have hospitably entertained the man of God. But\nthe latter had been sent on a special errand, and his commands had\nbeen precise, and peremptory, neither to eat bread, nor drink water\nin a place so openly profaned with idolatry, nor even to return thence\nby the same road that he had come. Accordingly he declined the royal\ninvitation, and went his way (1 K. xiii. 10).\n\nOn the road, however, as he lingered under an oak, he was overtaken\nby an old prophet of Bethel, who had heard from his sons of the day\u2019s\noccurrences at the festival. His own guilty silence had wellnigh\nmade him a partaker in the sins of the king, and the bold bearing\nof the stranger reminded him of what he himself should have done.\nEither, therefore, from a wish to win respect for himself once more by\nintercourse with such an accredited messenger of the Most High, or with\nthe full intention of deceiving him, and so bringing discredit on his\nwords, he hurried after him, and now announced himself as the bearer\nof a distinct Divine command that he should return to Bethel. Overcome\nby this solemn declaration, the other accompanied him to the town. But\nas they were seated at the meal, the Spirit of the Lord came upon the\nguilty host, and the Deceiver was constrained to pronounce the doom\nof the Deceived. The man of God had been faithless to the terms of his\ncommission, and a certain death awaited him, nor should his body ever\ncome into the sepulchre of his fathers. With his doom upon him he went\nhis way, and a lion met and slew him (1 K. xiii. 24).\n\nBut though dead, he was yet to speak, and testify to the solemnity of\nthe mission on which he had been sent. When he was found lying dead on\nthe road, the lion also was standing there, as well as the ass on which\nhe had ridden; the beast of prey had not eaten the corpse, nor torn the\nass. Thus the mysterious circumstances of the prophet\u2019s death confirmed\nthat sign of his authority, which he had weakened during his life; and\nthe old prophet of Bethel, by laying him in his own sepulchre with all\nhonour, and charging his sons after his death to bury him beside the\nvictim of his own deceit, preserved in Jeroboam\u2019s new religious capital\na silent witness against the idolatries there practised (1 K. xiii.\n30\u201332).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _REHOBOAM AND ABIJAH, JEROBOAM AND NADAB._\n 1 KINGS XIII.\u2013XV. 2 CHR. XI.\u2013XIII. B.C. 975\u2013955.\n\n\nTHIS warning, however, though confirmed by signs and wonders, had\nlittle or no effect on Jeroboam himself. He persisted in his evil\ncourses, and his dynasty was destined to pass away, a fact before\nlong revealed to him under very mournful circumstances. His son ABIJAH\nfell sick. In his anxiety to know the fate of the hope of his kingdom,\nJeroboam bade his wife disguise herself, and repair to Shiloh, and\nthere consult the now blind and aged prophet, who had foretold his\nown elevation to the throne. Though she was effectually disguised, and\npresented only the gift of an ordinary person, a few loaves, some cakes,\nand a cruse of honey, the prophet detected his visitor as soon as he\nheard the sound of her feet at the door, and confirmed her worst fears.\nIn words of utmost sternness he denounced her husband\u2019s idolatries,\nand distinctly told her that her son would die. He, indeed, as one in\nwhom _was found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel_, would\ndescend into the grave mourned and lamented by the whole people. But\nno other of his family would thus receive an honourable funeral, and\nhis death would be but the prelude of the destruction of his father\u2019s\ndynasty. With a heavy heart the mother returned, and as she entered\nthe town of Tirzah, Abijah sickened, and the blind prophet\u2019s words came\ntrue (1 K. xiv. 1\u201318).\n\nMeanwhile, the relations between the rival kingdoms had been marked\nby continued hostility (1 K. xiv. 30; 2 Chr. xii. 15). The first step\ntaken by Rehoboam, when the disruption of the kingdom was complete,\nwas to fortify 15 cities in the neighbourhood of his capital, and in\nthe southern and south-western portions of Judah (2 Chr. xi. 5\u201312).\nAll these he stored with provisions and arms, and placed over them\ncommandants. During the first three years of his reign he walked in the\nways of the Lord, and was strengthened in upholding the principles of\ntrue religion by numerous bodies of priests and Levites, who flocked\ninto the territory of Judah from that of Jeroboam, as also by many of\nthe tribes of Israel, who still remained faithful to the Lord God of\ntheir fathers (2 Chr. xi. 13\u201317). But soon, like Solomon before him,\nhe too was found wanting. Surrounding himself with a numerous harem,\nhe took 18 wives and 60 concubines, by whom he became the father of\nnumerous sons and daughters. Reserving the throne for Abijah, the son\nof Maachah daughter of Absalom, he dispersed the rest of the royal\nprinces among his fortified cities, and in the splendour of his court\nand the security of his now established throne, forgat the law of the\nLord (2 Chr. xii. 1), and set an evil example to his subjects, who\nspeedily began to build high places, and set up _images and groves\non every high hill, and under every green tree_ (1 K. xiv. 22\u201324).\n\nFive years, however, after his accession, his peace was rudely\ndisturbed. Shishak the Egyptian king, instigated probably by Jeroboam,\nwhom as we have already seen, he had befriended in exile, advanced\nagainst Judah with 1200 chariots, 60,000 cavalry, and an enormous\nhost of Libyans, Nubians, and Ethiopians. Having made himself master\nof Rehoboam\u2019s fenced cities, he penetrated as far as his capital,\nand forced him to purchase an ignominious peace by delivering up the\ntreasure of the royal palace and the Temple, even to the shields of\ngold, which Solomon had made for the purpose of being borne before him\nwhenever he visited the Temple in state[347] (1 K. x. 16, 17). More\nthan this the Egyptian monarch did not attempt, as Shemaiah the prophet\nhad promised would be the case, if the king and his people displayed\nsigns of real contrition for their idolatries. After this deep\nhumiliation, the moral condition of Judah seems to have improved, and\nthe rest of Rehoboam\u2019s reign is not marked by any remarkable event. He\ndied, B.C. 957, at the age of 58, after a reign of 17 years, and was\nsucceeded by his son ABIJAH.\n\nThe new king continued the war with Jeroboam, and made a determined\neffort to recover the ten tribes. At Mount Zemaraim, in the range of\nEphraim, he confronted with 400,000 troops twice that number of the\nenemy; and previously to the battle endeavoured by a solemn address\nto win over the subjects of his rival to their former allegiance. He\nreminded them of the Divine election of David to the throne of the\nentire nation, and the emphatic manner in which the monarchy had been\ncovenanted to him; he recounted the circumstances under which Jeroboam\nhad usurped the regal power, and contrasted the idolatrous worship he\nhad established with the time-honoured ritual of the Temple, and its\ndivinely-ordained priests. While he thus sought to awaken the loyalty\nof the tribes, his rival had posted an ambuscade behind the men of\nJudah, who found themselves entrapped. But, nothing daunted, they cried\nunto the Lord, and, while the priests sounded with the silver trumpets,\nraised a shout, and fell upon the foe. The forces of Jeroboam were\nutterly routed, and Abijah succeeded in capturing the towns of Bethel,\nJeshanah, and Ephraim with the surrounding villages. From this signal\ndefeat the king of Israel never _recovered strength again_ (2 Ch.\nxiii. 20), and soon after died, bequeathing his throne to his son\nNADAB, while his rival Abijah, after a brief reign of three years, also\ndied, and was succeeded by his son ASA, B.C. 954.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _ASA AND BAASHA, ELAH, ZIMRI, OMRI._\n 1 KINGS XV. XVI. 2 CHR. XIV.\u2013XVI. B.C. 955\u2013918.\n\n\nTHE reign of NADAB was very brief, lasting only two years. As he\nwas besieging Gibbethon, a town allotted to Dan (Josh. xix. 44), and\nafterwards given to the Kohathite Levites (Josh. xxi. 23), but which\nwas now in the hands of the Philistines, BAASHA, the son of Abijah,\nof the house of \u2666Issachar, conspired \u2666against him, and, usurping\nthe throne, smote all the house of Jeroboam till he left none that\nbreathed, thus fulfilling the words of Ahijah, and destroying the first\nIsraelitish dynasty, B.C. 953.\n\nBetween the new king and Asa constant hostilities were maintained.\nThe latter, mindful of the conditions on which he held the kingdom,\nno sooner ascended the throne, than he commenced a general religious\nreform throughout his dominions. He removed the idols his father had\nset up, the high places, the images, and the groves; nor did he spare\nthe idolatrous ritual even of his grandmother Maachah, who held the\nspecial dignity of queen-mother; he removed the symbol of her religion,\nand flung the ashes into the brook Kidron. Having thus restored the\nworship of Jehovah to something of its former purity, he strengthened\nhis kingdom by fortifying the frontier towns, and raised and equipped\na large army. He was thus in a condition to confront the enormous host\nwith which his realm was invaded by Zerah, the Ethiopian, probably\n_Osorkon II._[348], the successor of Shishak, and the inheritor of his\nquarrel with Rehoboam. The Egyptian host penetrated as far as Mareshah\nin the low country of Judah, where they were confronted by Asa, whose\nconfidence in his God was rewarded by a complete victory, and the\nEgyptian host fell back routed as far as Gerar, leaving immense spoils\nin the hands of the men of Judah (2 Chr. xiv. 9\u201315).\n\nAfter this signal success, encouraged by the assurances of the prophet\nAzariah, Asa resolved to continue his religious reforms, and on his\narrival at Jerusalem convoked an assembly of the tribes of Judah and\nBenjamin, as well as of the strangers sojourning amongst them from\nEphraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, and in the 3rd month of the 15th year\nof his reign, renewed with solemn sacrifices a national Covenant. _With\na loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets_,\nthe assembly swore fealty to their God and king, and vowed to put to\ndeath all who proved unfaithful to Jehovah (2 Chr. xv. 1\u201315).\n\nThe peace which his kingdom now enjoyed was soon disturbed by the\nhostility of Baasha, who marched against Asa, and having recovered the\nterritory which he had lost, fortified Ramah, about 6 miles north of\nJerusalem, not only to annoy his enemy, and stop the tide of emigration\nfrom his own kingdom into that of Judah, but also to cut off Asa\u2019s\ncommunications with the central portion of Israel. On this that monarch\nresolved to purchase the aid of the king of Syria, Benhadad I.[349],\nand persuade him to break off his alliance with his rival. Sending,\ntherefore, all the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the Temple\nto the Syrian monarch, he succeeded in inducing him to fling an army\ninto northern Palestine, which smote Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-Maachah,\nCinneroth, and all the land of Naphtali. This forced Baasha to withdraw\nhis forces, and retire to Tirzah; whereupon Asa summoned all Judah,\nand having destroyed the works at Ramah, used the stones and timber to\nfortify two towers, Geba and Mizpeh, as checks to any similar attempts\nin future. This is the first instance of a Hebrew king courting\nan alliance with a heathen power in a great crisis of the national\nfortunes, and it did not pass unnoticed by the prophetical order.\nHanani the seer denounced such faithless leaning on an arm of flesh,\nand foretold that from henceforth he should have wars. The outspoken\nrebuke roused the anger of Asa. He flung the bold prophet into prison,\nand oppressed some of the people, who probably sympathised in his\ndenunciations. In other respects he had ruled his kingdom with energy,\nloyalty, and piety, and after a severe attack of gout, died in the 41st\nyear of his reign, and was committed to the tomb amidst general sorrow,\nbequeathing his throne to his son JEHOSHAPHAT (2 Chr. xvi. 7\u201314),\nB.C. 914.\n\nMeanwhile there had been great vicissitudes in the kingdom of Israel.\nAfter destroying the whole house of Jeroboam, Baasha made the beautiful\ncity of Tirzah[350] his capital, and in spite of the warnings of the\nprophet Jehu the son of Hanani (1 K. xvi. 1\u20137), persisted in walking\nin the ways of Jeroboam, _wherewith he made Israel to sin_. His reign\nof 24 years was chiefly distinguished by his persistent hostility to\nhis rival Asa, which cost him, as we have seen, several cities in the\nnorthern part of his dominions, in consequence of Asa\u2019s alliance with\nBenhadad. He was succeeded in the year B.C. 930 by his son ELAH; who\nhad barely reigned for the brief space of a year, when on the occasion\nof a riotous feast in the house of his steward at Tirzah, he was\nassassinated by ZIMRI, _the captain of half his chariots_, B.C. 929.\nThe usurper signalized his accession by ruthlessly murdering every\nmember of the family of Baasha, but had barely occupied the throne for\nseven days, when OMRI, captain of the army then besieging Gibbethon,\nattacked him at Tirzah. Despairing of aid Zimri anticipated the wishes\nof his rival by firing the palace over his head, and perished in the\nflames.\n\nBut the claims of the usurper to his blood-stained throne were not\nuniversally acknowledged. Half the people sided with him, and half with\nanother aspirant, TIBNI the son of Ginath (1 K. xvi. 21). For 5 years\nthe latter reigned as rival king, and the land was desolated with civil\ndiscord. At length the faction of OMRI prevailed, and Tibni dying,\nhe became sole king of Israel, and founder of its third dynasty. For\n6 years he made Tirzah, though now in ruins, his capital, and then\nin spite of its proverbial beauty (Cant. vi. 4) determined to remove\nhis residence elsewhere. About 6 miles north-west of Shechem was \u201can\noval-shaped isolated hill, rising by successive terraces 600 feet above\nthe surrounding plateau, and combining in union not elsewhere found in\nPalestine, strength, beauty, and fertility.\u201d This hill Omri purchased\nof Shemer, its owner, for two talents of silver, and on its \u201clong\nflat top\u201d built a city, which instead of naming after himself, he\ncalled after the name of its owner _Shomr\u00f4n_, \u201cthe city of Shemer,\u201d\nafterwards corrupted into the Chaldee _Shemrin_, and thence into the\nGreek _Samaria_[351]. In his new capital Omri reigned 6 years more. A\nvigorous and unscrupulous ruler, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord\nmore than all his predecessors on the throne. He not only courted an\nalliance with Benhadad I. and surrendered to him some border towns (1 K.\nxx. 34), and admitted a resident Syrian embassy[352] into Samaria, but\ngave his son and successor AHAB in marriage to JEZEBEL, the daughter of\nEthbaal, king of Zidon (1 K. xvi. 31), thus introducing the worship of\nBaal as the recognised religion of his kingdom.\n\n\n\n\n KINGDOMS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.\n\n\n PART II.\n _Period of mutual alliance, and hostility to Syria._\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _REIGN OF AHAB. ERA OF ELIJAH._\n 1 KINGS XVII.\u2013XIX. 2 CHR. XVII. B.C. 918\u2013915.\n\n\nTHE first act of JEHOSHAPHAT, who succeeded Asa on the throne of Judah,\nwas to fortify and garrison the fenced cities in his dominions, as well\nas the towns in Ephraim, which his father had captured (2 Chr. xvii. 2).\nWith much zeal for the national faith he next endeavoured to put down\nthe high places and groves, and sent a commission of princes, priests,\nand Levites to traverse the various towns, and instruct the people\nout of the Book of the Law (2 Chr. xvii. 6\u20139). His pious zeal did not\ngo unrewarded. _The Lord established the kingdom in his hand_, and\ngave him peace round about. Not only his own subjects, but even the\nPhilistines and Arabians brought him tribute (2 Chr. xvii. 5, 11),\nwhich enabled him to build castles and store-cities in Judah, and\nmaintain a large standing army (2 Chr. xvii. 12\u201319).\n\nMeanwhile, very different scenes were enacted in the rival kingdom of\nIsrael.\n\nIthobalus or Ethbaal[353], the father of Ahab\u2019s queen, had once been a\npriest of the Ph\u0153nician goddess Astarte, and had usurped the throne of\nhis brother Phalles[354]. Jezebel inherited the spirit of her father,\nand quickly acquired the most unbounded influence over her weak-minded\nhusband, so that he became a mere puppet in her hands. The first effect\nof her influence was the establishment of the worship of Baal on the\nmost extensive scale. Near the palace at Samaria rose a temple in\nhonour of this Ph\u0153nician deity, and an oracular grove, while 450 of\nthe prophets of Baal, and 400 of Astarte, were supported at the queen\u2019s\ntable (1 K. xvi. 31, 32, xviii. 19). She also resolved that a worship,\nnow formally legalized, should be forcibly imposed on her husband\u2019s\nsubjects, and so great was her severity towards the prophets of\nJehovah, that they were constrained to conceal themselves in caves,\nand there eke out a precarious existence (1 K. xviii. 13). While she\nthus persecuted the servants of Jehovah, her yielding husband occupied\nhimself chiefly with indulging a taste for splendid architecture. He\nerected several cities, and built an ivory palace; and while Samaria\nremained his capital, sought another Tirzah in the beautiful city of\nJezreel, the very name of which, _the seed-plot of God_, indicates the\nfertility of the neighbourhood[355].\n\nIn this crisis of the Israelitish kingdom came forth, sudden as the\nlightning, alarming as the thunder, one of the most remarkable men\nthat Israel ever produced. From the wooded uplands across the Jordan,\n\u201cfrom the country of the rude soldier-judge Jephthah[356],\u201d clad in the\naustere garb of the prophets, consisting of a girdle of skin round his\nloins, and a sheep-skin \u201cmantle,\u201d his \u201chair long and thick, and hanging\ndown his back\u201d (2 K. i. 8), appeared in the palace of Ahab, _Elijah the\nTishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead_. Without a word of comment or\nintroduction, he announced in the name of that God, whom the monarch\nhad insulted, a speedy and awful judgment. _As the Lord God of Israel\nliveth, said he, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years but\naccording to my word[357]._ Having thus boldly delivered his message,\nhe fled for his life to the brook or torrent-bed of the Cherith, either\namongst his own native hills, or on the west of Jordan and nearer to\nSamaria. Here he was for some time miraculously supported by ravens,\nwhich _brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh\nin the evening_, while he drank of the water of the brook (1 K. xvii.\n1\u20137).\n\nAfter a while the slender streamlet was dried up. Guided by the Divine\ndirection the prophet now repaired to Zarephath or Sarepta (Lk. iv.\n25\u201329), a Ph\u0153nician village on the sea-shore between Tyre and Sidon,\nand in the very midst of Ph\u0153nician heathenism. As he drew nigh the\nplace he met the widow, with whom he was to lodge, gathering sticks.\nThough she was so poverty-stricken, that she had but a handful of\nmeal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and the sticks she was\ngathering were to make a last meal for her child and herself before\nthey died, he yet bade her make a little cake for him first, and\nassured her that the barrel of meal should not waste, nor the cruse\nof oil fail, till the rain returned. Strong in faith, the woman did as\nhe bade her, and found his words true. For a full year (1 K. xvii. 15,\n_margin_) she and her house did eat, nor did their supplies fail. But\nbefore long a sore trouble visited her home. Her son sickened, and\nseemed at the point of death. In the agony of her grief she imputed\nthis trial to the presence of the mysterious prophet. But Elijah\ntook the boy up to his chamber, and laid him on his own bed; then he\nstretched himself three times upon him, and cried mightily to the Lord\nthat his life might be restored to him. His prayer was heard; _the\nsoul of the child came into him again, and he revived_, and the prophet\nrestored him to his mother, who was now convinced that her guest was\na man of God, and _that the word of the Lord in his mouth was truth_\n(1 K. xvii. 8\u201324).\n\nMeanwhile, the kingdom of Israel was suffering the most grievous\nextremities from the prolonged drought. The earth lay cracked and\nparched and barren. Sheep, cattle, horses, perished from want of\nwater, and from the failure of the crops. So great was the destitution,\nthat Ahab left his luxurious palace at Samaria, and divided with\nObadiah\u2015\u2015his chief domestic officer, and who, at the peril of his life,\nremained faithful in his allegiance to Jehovah\u2015\u2015the duty of examining\nevery spring and \u201cnook of the most shaded torrent-bed\u201d to discover\nany sign of herbage, wherewith to _save the horses and mules alive,\nthat they might not lose all the beasts_. While, then, Ahab went one\nway by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself, suddenly the\nlatter discerned the prophet standing in the midst of the path. At the\nDivine command Elijah had left his retreat at Zarephath, and now bade\nthe minister of Ahab announce to his master his own return. At first\nObadiah demurred. He feared lest, while he had gone on this mission,\nthe Spirit of the Lord might summon the prophet in some other direction,\nand the king would slay him in his disappointment. But Elijah reassured\nhim, and he went and told Ahab, and Ahab went to meet the servant\nof Jehovah. Few but pointed were the prophet\u2019s words, when he was\nconfronted with the weak woman-governed king. After sternly denouncing\nhis idolatries, he commanded him to summon instantly to the top of\nCarmel[358] the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Ashtaroth.\nAwed by the bearing of the seer, the monarch dared not disobey, and\nthe prophets, followed by a large concourse of people, repaired to the\nappointed spot, at the extreme eastern point of the long Carmel range,\n\u201ccommanding the last view of the sea behind, and the first view of the\ngreat plain in front[359].\u201d\n\nIt was the crisis in the history of the Ten Tribes. On that day it\nwas to be proved, once for all, who was supreme, Baal or Jehovah. With\nhis one attendant Elijah proceeded to the Place of Controversy, and\nproposed to the assembled multitudes a decisive test. Let two bullocks\nbe chosen; let one of them be slain by the priests of Baal, and cut in\npieces; let these be laid upon an altar, with no fire under; let them\nthen call upon the name of their gods, and _the God that answered by\nfire let him be God_. The challenge was accepted. The altar was built;\nthe victim slain; the pieces laid in order; and the priests of Baal\ncommenced their incantations. _But there was no voice, neither any that\nanswered._ Morning passed, and noon came, and still there was no reply.\nMeanwhile Elijah suggested to them that they should _cry aloud, for_,\nsaid he, with cutting irony, _he is a god; either he meditateth, or he\nis pursuing, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked_. Stung to\nthe quick, the priests redoubled their invocations. They cried aloud,\n_they cut themselves, after their manner, with knives and lancets, till\nthe blood gushed out upon them_. But prayers, cries, lacerations were\neach and all in vain (1 K. xviii. 1\u201330).\n\nThe hour for the evening-sacrifice now drew near, and Elijah bade the\npeople approach, and with twelve stones, according to the number of the\ntribes of Jacob, repaired an ancient altar on the mountain-top, which\nJezebel probably had caused to be thrown down. Round about it he next\ncaused a trench to be dug, and having slain his victim, laid it upon\nthe altar. Then once, twice, and yet again he caused victim and altar\nto be drenched with water[360], till it filled even the trench. This\ndone, the solitary prophet poured forth his whole soul to the God of\nAbraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, praying Him that He would that day\nprove that He was indeed the Lord, and that he himself had done all\nthese things at His word. His prayer was answered. The Fire of the\nLord descended, and consumed the _burnt-sacrifice and the wood, and\nthe stones and the dust, and licked up even the water that was in the\ntrench_. The effect on the people was profound. Falling on their faces\nto the earth, they with one accord confessed, _Jehovah, He is the God;\nJehovah, He is the God_ (1 K. xviii. 30\u201339).\n\nIt was the moment for still more decisive measures. Elijah had _bowed\nthe hearts of the people as one man. Take the prophets of Baal_, he\ncried, _let not one of them escape_; and down the steep sides of the\nmountain they were brought to the level plain below[361], where flowed\nthe Kishon. There these troublers of the nation\u2019s peace were slain, and\nthis stern act of duty done, the prophet bade the king accompany him up\nthe mountain to join in a sacrificial feast. Then, while Ahab ate and\ndrank, he himself ascended to a higher level, and on the bare ground,\nwith his face between his knees, remained wrapt in prayer, having\nbidden his servant ascend yet higher, and look towards the blue waters\nof the Mediterranean Sea. Six times he came back to his master with\nthe announcement that he could see nothing. But the seventh time he\nreturned, saying, _Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea,\nlike a man\u2019s hand_. It was the long-desired sign, \u201cthe first that had\nfor days and months passed across the heavens,\u201d telling of the coming\nrain. Instantly the prophet bade the king descend the mountain, prepare\nhis chariot, and make for his palace. The king obeyed, and meantime the\nlittle cloud had grown and overcast the whole evening sky. Soon a wind\narose and shook the forests of Carmel, and the welcome rain poured down\nin torrents. Across the bed of the Kishon Ahab urged his chariot along\nthe road to Jezreel, while Elijah, girding up his loins and tightening\nhis hairy mantle about him, ran before the chariot of his sovereign at\nleast 16 miles to the entrance of the city[362].\n\nThus far the triumph of the Prophet was complete. But now, when victory\nseemed to be in the hollow of his hand, at the most critical moment of\nhis life, his courage failed him. Jezebel, informed of what had taken\nplace on Carmel, sent a messenger threatening him with certain death,\nand Elijah, who had boldly defied multitudes on Carmel, fled before\nthe face of a woman, in a southerly direction towards Beer-sheba. There\nhe left his attendant, and went alone a day\u2019s journey into the waste\nuninhabited country, which borders on the south of Palestine. Wearied,\ndisappointed, he requested that he might die, and flinging himself\nunder a juniper-tree[363] fell asleep. Presently an angel awoke him,\nand pointing to a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water, bade\nhim refresh himself, and in the strength of that meat go still further\nsouthward, to Horeb the Mount of God.\n\nArrived there, he remained at least one night in one of the caverns of\nthe awful mountain-range, and in the morning heard the word of the Lord\nenquiring, _What doest thou here, Elijah?_ In reply, the prophet urged\nhis eminent services for the cause of Jehovah. The children of Israel\nhad forsaken the covenant, thrown down the Lord\u2019s altars, and slain the\nprophets with the sword, he alone was left, and they sought his life\nto take it away. In this dejected, murmuring mood he was not fit to\ndischarge the duties of his office. The Lord, therefore, bade him leave\nhis cave, and stand before Him face to face upon the mountain, while\nHe passed by \u201cin all the terror of His most appalling manifestations.\u201d\nFirst, a mighty rushing wind rent the solid mountain, and brake in\npieces the cliffs of Sinai, _but the Lord was not in the wind_. Then an\nearthquake shook the rocks, and the mountain trembled with the crash,\n_but the Lord was not in the earthquake_. Then a fire blazed forth, and\nburned with a consuming heat, _but the Lord was not in the fire_. Then\nall was quiet; the convulsion of nature was hushed; and presently there\ncame _a still, small, Voice_, and as Elijah listened, his face wrapped\nin his mantle, he learnt that there was yet something left for him to\ndo, that he was not the only instrument the Lord could employ. He was\nto return, and anoint HAZAEL king over Syria, JEHU the son of Nimshi\nking of Israel, and ELISHA of Abel-meholah as his successor in the\nprophetical office; and whereas he had complained that he was the only\nfaithful servant of Jehovah, he now learnt that the Lord had left him\n7000 in Israel, _all the knees which had not bowed unto Baal, and every\nmouth which had not kissed him_ (1 K. xix. 1\u201318).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _WARS OF AHAB AND BENHADAD._\n 1 KINGS XX. B.C. 901.\n\n\nOF the three commands thus laid upon him, Elijah straightway proceeded\nto execute the last. From Horeb he journeyed to Abel-meholah[364]\n(_the Meadow of the Dance_), in the northern part of the Jordan valley.\nHere he met ELISHA, the son of Shaphat, apparently a man of substance,\nplowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him and he with the twelfth.\nCasting his well-known mantle upon him, the prophet by this symbolic\naction claimed him as his son, and called him to follow him. Lingering\nonly to bid farewell to his father and mother, and to celebrate a\nparting feast with his people, Elisha arose and hurried after the great\nProphet, and became henceforth his constant attendant.\n\nMeantime Ahab, while he retained Samaria as the capital of his kingdom,\nadorned with a palace and park the beautiful city of Jezreel, in the\nEsdraelon plain. But ere long this and other instances of his passion\nfor splendid architecture received a rude check. At the head of a large\narmy and aided by 32 vassal kings, Benhadad II., king of Syria[365],\nlaid siege to Samaria. While this was in progress, with true Oriental\nhaughtiness he made a formal demand of all the silver and gold, the\nwives, and children belonging to his enemy. Hoping to disarm hostility,\nthe servile Ahab replied by a promise of faithful vassalage to the\nlord of Syria. But Benhadad, emboldened by this weak compliance, sent\nambassadors with the announcement that on the following day he should\nenforce his demand by an actual search of Ahab\u2019s palace. Even the\nking of Israel was stung to the quick by this insulting message, and\nsummoning all the elders of his kingdom he laid the matter before\nthem. It was resolved to defend Samaria at all risks, and Benhadad\nwas informed that his demand could not be entertained. On receiving\nthis reply, the king of Syria sent another message to declare his\nintention of laying Samaria level with the ground. _Tell him_, rejoined\nAhab, _Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that\nputteth it off_, a spirited reply, which filled Benhadad with rage, and\nhe ordered preparations to be made for an instant assault.\n\nAt this juncture a prophet stood forth, and assured Ahab of a\ncomplete victory over the vast host of his enemy, which should be\nachieved by a mere handful of men. In accordance with his suggestion,\nthe king thereupon numbered the 232 attendants on the \u201cprinces of the\nprovinces[366],\u201d and prepared to send them against the Syrian camp,\nwhile 7,000 of the regular troops followed behind. The little band left\nthe gates of Samaria and proceeded towards the _pavilions_, or rather\n\u201cthe tents and booths of branches, boughs, and brushwood, which were\nerected for the Syrian chiefs in the camp, as they are still erected\nfor the Turkish pashas and agas in their expeditions[367].\u201d Though it\nwas only high noon, Benhadad with his vassal chiefs was carousing over\nhis wine-cups. But he no sooner heard of the approach of the little\nband from the city, than with drunken insolence he ordered that they\nshould be taken alive, whether they came for peace or war. The force,\nhowever, sent to execute this order found it no easy one, for the 232\n\u201cprinces of the provinces\u201d offered a strenuous resistance, and struck\ndown all who opposed them. This, and the sight of the 7,000 following\nbehind, filled the Syrian host with a sudden panic, and they fled\nprecipitately, headed by Benhadad himself on a fleet horse, and pursued\nby the victorious Israelites, who inflicted upon them a great slaughter\n(1 K. xx. 1\u201322).\n\nThus Samaria was delivered. But the same prophet, who had predicted\nthe victory, now warned Ahab to be on his guard, for with the return\nof spring the enemy would renew the invasion, which duly came to pass.\nAnnoyed at their late humbling defeat, the Syrians had concluded that\nit was owing to the fact that they had attacked in a hilly region a\npeople, whose gods _were gods of the hills_[368]. They now resolved\nto fight in a more level region, and in place of the vassal kings,\nwho probably had been the first to fly in the late battle, they had\nsubstituted captains, and mustered an army as large as the last.\nAccordingly, at the season named by the prophet, they advanced with\na vast host to Aphek[369], a town in the level country, east of the\nJordan, on the military road from Syria to Israel. Hither the army of\nAhab went forth to meet them, and encamped, appearing _like two little\nflocks of kids_ in comparison of their formidable foes, who filled\nthe country round. But again a prophet appeared to encourage Ahab, and\nassure him of a second victory. The Syrians had imagined Jehovah to be\nmerely a god of the _hills_, they should know that he was a god also of\nthe _valleys_ (1 K. xx. 28).\n\nFor seven days the two armies confronted one another, and then the\nbattle was joined. The Syrians were utterly routed, and fled in\nconfusion to Aphek, resolved there to make a stand. But the wall of\nthe town, in consequence probably of a sudden earthquake, fell with a\nterrible crash and buried upwards of 27,000 in the ruins[370]. Benhadad\nhimself with his immediate attendants escaped, and was advised by\nthem to throw himself on the mercy of the conqueror. They proposed to\ngo forth with sackcloth on their loins and ropes on their heads, and\nplead for their lives. Mounted in his chariot Ahab received the envoys,\nenquired after the welfare of his late dreaded enemy, and called him\nhis _brother_. The word _brother_ revived the courage of the Syrian\nambassadors, and they were presently bidden to return and usher their\nmaster into Ahab\u2019s presence. Benhadad came, and was invited to take his\nplace in the chariot by the side of his conqueror. Grateful for this\nunexpected clemency, he promised to restore to the king of Israel all\nthe towns his father had taken from the Israelites, and to permit his\nsubjects to have a quarter in the Syrian capital, similar to that which\nBenhadad\u2019s father had obtained in Samaria (1 K. xx. 34).\n\nThis impolitic clemency to an unrelenting national foe was sternly\nrebuked by one of the sons of the prophets. Having caused himself to be\nwounded and disguised with a headband, he awaited Ahab\u2019s coming along\nthe road, and said, _Thy servant went out into the midst of the late\nbattle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and\nsaid, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life\nbe for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver; and as thy\nservant was busy here and there, he was gone_. Instantly Ahab decided\nthe matter, and pronounced that he must bear the penalty. On this the\nheadband was removed, and the king perceived not only that the speaker\nwas a scholar of the prophets, but understood also the true meaning of\nhis parable. Because he had spared a man, whom Jehovah had devoted to\nutter destruction, the punishment should fall upon him and his people,\nwhich he had failed to execute on Benhadad (1 K. xx. 35\u201343).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _MURDER OF NABOTH\u2015\u2015BATTLE OF RAMOTH-GILEAD._\n 1 KINGS XXI. XXII. 2 CHR. XVIII. B.C. 898.\n\n\nSHORTLY after these events an incident occurred, which brought down\nupon Ahab and his house an awful doom. Adjoining his palace at Jezreel\nwas a vineyard belonging to a native of the place named NABOTH. Eagerly\ndesirous to add the vineyard to his palace grounds and convert it into\na garden of herbs, Ahab proposed to its owner to purchase it, or give\nhim in exchange another and even a better piece of ground. This Naboth\nstoutly refused to do, alleging his unwillingness to part with the\ninheritance of his fathers (Lev. xxv. 23; Num. xxxvi. 8). Annoyed at\nthis rebuff, the king returned to his palace, and in his vexation flung\nhimself on his bed, turned away his face, and would eat no bread. While\nin this mood he was visited by Jezebel, to whom he explained the cause\nof his vexation. She instantly resolved to take the matter into her own\nhands, and bade her lord trouble himself no more, _she would give him\nthe vineyard_. Thereupon she wrote a warrant in Ahab\u2019s name, sealed it\nwith his seal, and sent it to the elders of the city, directing that,\nas if on the occasion of some great calamity, a solemn fast should\nbe proclaimed; that two men should be set up to charge Naboth with\nblasphemy against God and the king, and that then he should be stoned\nto death (Exod. xxii. 28; Lev. xxiv. 15, 16). It is a striking proof of\nthe degeneracy of the nation at this period, that the elders of Jezreel\nnever for one moment scrupled about carrying out this inhuman order.\nNaboth was dragged forth, arraigned, condemned, and stoned together\nwith his sons (See 2 K. ix. 26), and the elders reported to the queen\nthat the guilt of blasphemy against Jehovah and His anointed had been\navenged[371]. The vineyard had now lapsed to the crown, and Jezebel\nbade her lord go down and take possession of it. But on proceeding\nthither, the king found himself confronted by no other than the great\nElijah, who in words of utmost sternness denounced the late cruel\nmurder, and declared the sentence of the Lord. The king and all his\nhouse should share the fate of Jeroboam and of Baasha; his queen should\nbe eaten by the dogs at the wall of Jezreel, and dogs should lick\nup his own blood on the very spot where they had licked up that of\nNaboth. Appalled at this awful sentence, Ahab rent his clothes, put on\nsackcloth, fasted, and displayed all the signs of a sincere repentance.\nSuch as it was, it was accepted, and Elijah was bidden to announce\nto him that the punishment should not be inflicted during his own\nlifetime, but in his son\u2019s days it would surely descend upon his house\n(1 K. xxi. 29).\n\nMeanwhile the relations between the rival kingdoms of Israel and\nJudah had been more peaceful than at any other period, since they had\nparted 60 years before at Shechem. Not only were hostilities laid aside,\nbut an alliance between the sovereigns was cemented by the marriage\nof JEHORAM, son of Jehoshaphat, with ATHALIAH, the daughter of Ahab\nand Jezebel. Moreover about the 16th year of his reign, B.C. 898,\nthe king of Judah went on a visit to the court of Israel. He was\nreceived with every mark of distinction, and Ahab slew sheep and oxen\nin abundance for him and his retinue (2 Chr. xviii. 2). During this\nvisit, the king of Israel took occasion to propose to his ally that\nthey should undertake an expedition for the purpose of recovering\nRamoth-gilead[372], a strong fastness and the key to an important\ndistrict east of Jordan, which Benhadad I. had wrested from Omri.\nJehoshaphat expressed his willingness to take part in the expedition,\nbut proposed that the will of Jehovah should first be ascertained. For\nthis purpose Ahab summoned about 400 of the prophets of his kingdom,\nwho all advised him to go up, and assured him that the Lord would\ndeliver the place into his hands (1 K. xxii. 6).\n\nBut this did not satisfy the king of Judah. He enquired if there was\nnot a true prophet of Jehovah, at whose mouth they might seek counsel.\nAhab confessed that there was one, MICAIAH, the son of Imlah, but\nopenly avowed that he hated him, because he never predicted good to\nhim but only evil[373]. Jehoshaphat, however, overruled the objection,\nand Micaiah was summoned from his prison, where he had been confined\nby Ahab, probably for some disagreeable prediction. Meanwhile the\ntwo kings, arrayed in their royal robes, sat at the entrance of\nSamaria, and the 400 prophets standing before them persisted in their\npredictions of success. One of them, Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah,\neven made him horns of iron, and by this symbolic action assured the\nkings that they would push the Syrians till they had destroyed them.\nBut Micaiah had the courage to differ from all. At first, indeed, he\nironically assured the king of success, but, when Ahab adjured him\nto speak the truth, he boldly affirmed that the prophets, in whom he\ntrusted, were all filled with lying spirits, and that he was destined\nto fall in the campaign. This outspoken declaration brought down upon\nthe faithful seer the mockery and scorn of the other prophets, and\nstill greater severity from Ahab, who ordered him to be sent back to\nthe city gaol, and there fed on the scantiest fare (1 K. xxii. 27).\n\nThen the two kings set out on the expedition, and on crossing the\nJordan found that Benhadad and his vassal princes were prepared to\ncontest the possession of Ramoth. On this Ahab, the more surely to ward\noff a fate he too clearly divined, disguised himself, while the king\nof Judah went into battle in his royal robes. The contest began, and\nthe 32 captains of Benhadad, acting on instructions they had received,\nbent all their efforts to slay Jehoshaphat, whom they mistook for the\nking of Israel. But his voice convinced them that he was not the man\nthey sought, and they desisted from the pursuit. In spite, however, of\nhis disguise Ahab could not escape his doom. _A certain man drew a bow\nat a venture_, and the arrow pierced the joints of his breast-plate.\nThat the troops might not be discouraged, he was kept up standing in\nhis chariot till the evening, when he died. From the battle-field the\ncorpse was then borne to Samaria, and there interred, while the bloody\nchariot was washed in the pool[374] of the city, beside which Naboth\nand his sons had been murdered. Without a _shepherd_ and without a\n_master_, the people were scattered abroad, and returned home defeated\nbefore their enemies, and the words of Elijah (1 K. xxi. 19), and of\nMicaiah (xxii. 17) were fulfilled.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _WARS OF JEHOSHAPHAT\u2015\u2015TRANSLATION OF ELIJAH._\n 2 KINGS I. II. 2 CHR. XIX. XX. B.C. 896.\n\n\nON his return from a campaign, in which he had so nearly lost his life,\nJEHOSHAPHAT was sternly rebuked by one of the prophets (2 Chr. xix. 2)\nfor the guilty alliance he had formed with the court of Israel, and\nhe resolved henceforth to devote himself to the spiritual and temporal\nwelfare of his own subjects. Accordingly he went on a second personal\ntour through his dominions from Beer-sheba to Mount Ephraim, and strove\nto reclaim his people to the worship of Jehovah. He also provided for\nthe better administration of justice; placed judges in all the fenced\ncities, and remodelled the tribunals in his capital. He next turned his\nattention to foreign commerce, and at Ezion-geber constructed a fleet\nfor the purpose of trading in gold with Ophir. In this project he was\naided by AHAZIAH, who had succeeded Ahab on the throne of Israel. But\nthe unfortunate issue of the enterprise determined him to decline the\nproposal of his ally, that the attempt should be renewed (2 Chr. xx. 37;\n1 K. xxii. 49, 50).\n\nThe remainder of his reign was not, however, destined to be peaceful.\nA vast host of the people of Moab, Ammon, and Edom invaded his\nterritory, and encamped at Hazazon-tamar or En-gedi[375]. In his alarm,\nJehoshaphat proclaimed a solemn fast throughout his kingdom, assembled\nall Judah together with their wives and their children, and offered up\na pathetic petition for the Divine aid. He had hardly concluded, when\nthe Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel a Levite, and one of the sons\nof Asaph then in attendance at the Temple, commissioning him to assure\nthe pious king of a victory on the morrow, which he would only need to\nstand still and see. A Psalm of thanksgiving[376] was straightway sung,\nand on the morrow the army, preceded by choirs of Levites, left the\nHoly City, and at about 12 hours\u2019 distance from Jerusalem came to \u201cthe\nuneven table-land\u201d of Tekoa, _Tek\u00fba_, abounding in hidden caverns,\nclefts, and excavations[377], where David and his men had often hidden\nduring the period of his wanderings. It was not a locality adapted to\nthe \u201csons of the desert,\u201d and the ambushments, for which it afforded so\nmuch opportunity, sadly galled their wild hordes, and the children of\nAmmon and Moab turned their swords against their allies from Mount Seir,\nand then fell upon one another. On reaching the Watch-tower of Tekoa\nthe warriors of Judah beheld only a mass of dead bodies, and busied\nthemselves for three days in stripping them of their rich ornaments,\nand gathering up the riches and jewels they had flung away in their\nhasty flight. Four days afterwards a Psalm of thanksgiving once more\nascended to Jehovah from the valley of Berachah (_blessing_)[378], and\nthe army of Jehoshaphat returned in triumph to Jerusalem (2 Chr. xx.\n26\u201328).\n\nMeanwhile Ahaziah, during his short and troubled reign over Israel,\nbegan to feel the effects of the late disastrous campaign against\nRamoth-Gilead. The Syrians, now masters of the country East of the\nJordan, cut off all communication between his realm and his vassal\nthe king of Moab. The latter, therefore, rebelled against Israel, and\nrefused to send his yearly tribute of 100,000 lambs, and 100,000 rams\n(2 K. iii. 4). Before he could take measures for punishing this revolt,\nAhaziah fell through a lattice in his palace at Samaria, and sustained\nmuch injury. A devotee to the Ph\u0153nician idolatries of his mother,\nhe sent messengers to the Philistine city of Ekron to enquire of the\noracle of Baal-Zebub (_the lord of flies_), whether he should recover.\nOn their road thither the messengers encountered Elijah, who, after\nreproaching them for consulting a heathen deity instead of Jehovah,\nannounced that their master would never leave his bed alive. Returning,\nthey informed Ahaziah of this occurrence, who enquired what kind of man\nthey had met. Their answer was decisive. In the hairy man, girt with a\ngirdle of leather about his loins, the king recognised all too clearly\nhis father\u2019s enemy, and, ill as he was, this only served to kindle his\nwrath. Dispatching a captain with 50 men to the recesses of Carmel,\nwhere the prophet seems to have taken up his abode, he demanded his\ninstant surrender. The soldier went and found Elijah seated on the\nmountain. _Man of God_, said he, _the king hath said, Come down. If\nI be a man of God_, replied the other, _let fire come down from heaven,\nand consume thee and thy fifty men_. With the word the fire descended,\nand consumed the captain and his fifty. A similar force was then a\nsecond time dispatched by the king, and they too met the same fate[379].\nA third captain, in an altered tone, implored the prophet to come down,\nand Elijah, assured by God of safety, descended and followed him into\nthe presence of the king, and announced in person his approaching end;\nshortly after which Ahaziah died, and was succeeded by his brother\nJEHORAM (2 K. i. 2\u201317).\n\nThis was the last time Elijah confronted any of the family of Ahab.\nOnce only is he recorded to have expostulated with any of the house\nof Judah. Hearing that the son of Jehoshaphat, who seems to have\nbeen entrusted with a portion of the regal power during his father\u2019s\nlifetime, was not walking in his father\u2019s ways, but in those of\nAhab and the kings of Israel, he sent a letter to him, denounced his\nidolatries, and threatened him with sore judgments (2 Chr. xxi. 12\u201315).\n\nShortly afterwards, though how soon is not certain, he received\nintimation of his approaching removal from the earth. From Gilgal,\nprobably somewhere on the western edge of the hills of Ephraim,\naccompanied by Elisha, whom he had vainly tried to persuade to remain\nbehind, he proceeded to Bethel. There the two were met by certain\nof the sons of the prophets, who also had been warned of what was at\nhand, and now enquired of Elisha if he knew of the loss he was about\nto sustain. Elisha replied that he did, but bade them hold their peace.\nHaving again vainly tried to induce his faithful attendant to remain\nat Bethel, the prophet repaired to Jericho, where another company from\nthe prophetic school warned his companion, and were similarly enjoined\nto keep silence. From Jericho the two then held on their way towards\nthe Jordan, while 50 of the sons of the prophets ascended the abrupt\nheights behind the city[380], which command a view of the plain below,\nto watch what would occur. Arrived at the river\u2019s brink, Elijah took\noff his prophetic mantle, and, wrapping it together, smote the waters,\nwhich divided \u201chither and thither,\u201d and the two went over on dry ground.\nOnce on the other side, the prophet was within the borders of his\nnative land, and he now enquired of his companion, what he should do\nfor him before he was taken away. The other asked for a _double portion\nof his spirit_. He had asked a hard thing; but still if he looked\nsteadfastly on his master while he was taken from him, he was told that\nhis request should be granted, but not otherwise. Still conversing the\ntwo then walked on, till suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire\nparted them asunder, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.\nWith a great and bitter cry Elisha called after him as he ascended, _My\nfather, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!_\nBut he was gone, and he saw him no more. In token of grief he thereupon\nrent his clothes, and taking up the mantle of his master went back, and\nonce more stood by the banks of Jordan. Then wrapping the mantle, even\nas he had seen the other do, he smote, saying, _Where is the Lord God\nof Elijah?_ and the waters again parted \u201chither and thither,\u201d and he\nwent over. Meanwhile the sons of the prophets, who had stood watching,\nsaw him coming towards Jericho, and going down to meet him, bowed\nthemselves to the ground before him. Contrary to his advice they then\ninsisted on sending fifty \u201cstrong men\u201d to search for Elijah, lest\nperadventure the Spirit of the Lord had taken him up, and cast him\nupon some mountain, or into some valley. For three days the search\nwas continued, but they found him not. The work of the most wonderful\ncharacter Israel ever produced was over, and he had been summoned to\nanother world (2 K. ii. 11\u201318).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _JEHOSHAPHAT AND JEHORAM\u2015\u2015ERA OF ELISHA._\n 2 KINGS II.\u2013IV. B.C. 895.\n\n\nFOR a time Elisha tarried at the now rebuilt Jericho, and here he\nperformed his second miracle. \u201cOf the two perennial springs which,\nrising at the base of the steep hills behind the town, send their\nstreams across the plain towards the Jordan, scattering, even at the\nhottest season, the richest and most grateful vegetation over what\nwould otherwise be a bare tract of sandy soil[381],\u201d one at least was\nat this time noxious and unfit for use. At the urgent request of the\ninhabitants Elisha put salt into a new cruse, and poured it into the\nspring at its source, and the waters were healed (2 K. ii. 19\u201322).\nThence he repaired to Bethel, which, though the seat of the school of\nthe prophets, was, it will be remembered, one of the centres of the\nCalf-worship. As the prophet ascended the defile leading into the town,\nthe youths of the place came forth, and began to revile the gentle\nsuccessor of the terrible Elijah. _Go up, bald head!_ was their cry,\nalluding, probably, \u201cto the contrast between his closely-trimmed hair\nand the shaggy locks of Elijah.\u201d Turning round, the prophet looked\nupon them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah, and from a forest\nhard by the road, and haunted by wild beasts, came forth two she-bears,\nwhich tare forty-two of them. Elisha meanwhile passed on to Carmel,\nthe resort of his late master, and thence returned, and eventually took\nup his abode at Samaria (2 K. ii. 25).\n\nJehoram, who now reigned in that capital, persisted in his idolatrous\ncourses, but, possibly owing to the late activity of Elijah, had\nremoved the image of Baal, and recurred to the old Calf-worship. He\nnow resolved to take that vengeance on the rebellious Moabites, which\nthe death of his brother Ahaziah had postponed. Accordingly, having\nobtained the promise of the assistance of Jehoshaphat, he numbered his\nforces, and set out on the campaign. Instead of crossing the Jordan\nabove the Dead Sea, and invading Moab from the North, it was resolved\nto pass round the southern end of that sea, and thence push forwards\nthrough the northern portion of the territory of Edom, whose king also\npromised his aid in the expedition. Accordingly a long and tedious\ncircuit of 7 days was made, during which the armies suffered the\ngreatest extremities from the want of water. In this crisis Jehoshaphat\nproposed that the advice of some prophet of Jehovah should be sought,\nand, enquiry being made, it was found that Elisha was present with, or\nin the near neighbourhood of, the armies. The three kings, therefore,\nwent down to consult him. The prophet evinced no willingness to\nbefriend the ruler of Israel, but in consideration of the presence of\nthe pious king of Judah, he relented, and summoned a minstrel before\nhim. The minstrel played, and in the usual prophetic ecstasy Elisha\ndirected that dykes should be dug in the valley, which he foretold\nwould speedily be filled with water sufficient for the host, and he\nmoreover assured the kings of a speedy victory over their enemies.\n\nOn the next day at early dawn, the hour of offering the meat-offering\nat Jerusalem, in consequence probably of a great and sudden fall of\nrain in the eastern mountains of Edom[382], water came down and filled\nall the dykes, which the armies had dug in the red soil of the valley.\nTo the Moabites, who had mustered all their forces and awaited the\nattack in the border of their territory, the water, glistening in\nthe rays of the morning sun, appeared to have assumed a red colour\nlike blood. Thereupon concluding that the confederate kings had turned\ntheir arms against one another, they hastily marched on to gather up\nthe spoil. But they had no sooner reached their camp, than they were\nattacked with great fierceness, and put to a complete rout. As they\nfled to their own cities, the confederate kings pursued them, felled\ntheir trees[383], stopped up their wells, filled their choice pieces\nof land with stones, and ravaged all their towns, save the impregnable\nfortress of Kir-haraseth[384] (_Kerak_), built on a high steep rock and\nsurrounded by a deep and narrow ravine. There the king of Moab made his\nlast stand, and with 700 picked men made a desperate attempt to break\nthrough the besieging army. This last hope failing, he ascended the\nwall with his eldest son, the heir to his throne, and in sight of the\nallied besiegers, killed and burnt him as a propitiatory sacrifice to\nhis idol Chemosh. This frightful spectacle filled the allied hosts with\nsuch horror that they raised the siege and departed to their own land\n(2 K. iii. 20\u201327).\n\nDuring the reign of Jehoram Elisha performed many miracles, the fame of\nwhich could not fail to strengthen the cause of true religion.\n\ni. A widow of one of the sons of the prophets was in debt, and her\ncreditor was coming on the morrow to take her two sons and sell them\nas slaves. In her extremity she applied to the prophet, and told him\nthat the only thing she had in her house was a cruse of oil. This\nElisha caused to multiply, till she had filled all the vessels she\ncould borrow, and thus liquidated the debt (2 K. iv. 1\u20137).\n\nii. The little village of Shunem, in the tribe of Issachar, was a\nfrequent resort of the Prophet, and a rich woman of the place, at whose\nhouse he stayed, on one occasion, persuaded her husband to permit a\nlittle chamber to be prepared for him, that he might turn in there,\nas often as he came that way. One day he came thither attended by\nGehazi his servant, and lodged in the little chamber. Grateful for\nthis kindness, Elisha enquired if there was anything he could do for\nhis benefactress; _Should he speak for her to the king, or the captain\nof the guard?_ Both these offers the woman declined, alleging that\nshe _dwelt among her own people_. Thereupon Gehazi whispered that\nshe had no son, and her husband was old. Elisha promised that in the\nensuing year a son should be born to her. His words were fulfilled,\nthe boy grew, and in the course of time went to join his father in the\nreaping-field. There struck by the fierce rays of the morning sun, he\ncried, _My head, my head!_ and was carried home to his mother, on whose\nknees he died at noon. In this sad crisis she immediately took the dead\nbody into the prophet\u2019s chamber, and laid it on the bed. Then with a\nsingle attendant, mounted on an ass, she set out for one of the heights\nof Carmel, about 15 or 16 miles distant, where Elisha then was. Her\nfamiliar form attracted the prophet\u2019s attention as from the eminence\nhe discerned her approaching, and he sent Gehazi to enquire the reason.\nBut her errand was not to be revealed to the servant, and pressing\non she drew near the spot where the prophet himself was, and flinging\nherself before him embraced his feet. The first word about her son\nrevealed the state of the case, and Elisha instantly bade Gehazi gird\nup his loins, and with his staff in his hand hurry with all speed to\nShunem. Gehazi went, and was soon followed by Elisha, and the mother,\nwho would not leave him. As they drew near the town, they met Gehazi\nreturning. He had laid the staff upon the face of the child, _but\nthere was neither voice nor hearing_. Arriving at the house, Elisha\nascended to the well-known chamber, shut the door, and prayed mightily\nunto the Lord. Then he stretched himself upon the dead body, and\nthe flesh of the child grew warm; presently he sneezed seven times\nand opened his eyes. Gehazi was thereupon bidden to summon the\nShunammite, who received her boy restored to life, and went her way\n(2 K. iv. 8\u201337)[385].\n\niii. Elisha is next found at Gilgal, at a time when there was a dearth\nin the land. The sons of the prophets sat before him, and he bade the\ngreat caldron be set on, and pottage be seethed. Into the caldron one\nof the company shred wild gourds and grapes, and when they found out\nthe contents, all exclaimed, _there is death in the pot_. Thereupon\nElisha bade meal be cast into it, and the pottage was rendered fit for\nfood (2 K. iv. 38\u201341).\n\niv. While still at Gilgal, Elisha was visited by a man from\nBaal-shalisha (See 1 Sam. ix. 4), with 20 barley-loaves, and roasted\nears of corn in his scrip or bag[386]. This moderate supply he ordered\nto be distributed amongst the people who were present, to the number\nof one hundred, and in reply to his hesitating \u201cservitor\u201d assured him\nthat there would not only be enough, but that the people _would leave\nthereof_, which came to pass; and thus Elisha was enabled to anticipate\nthe works of Christ (2 K. iv. 42\u201344).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _ELISHA AND NAAMAN\u2015\u2015SIEGE OF SAMARIA._\n 2 KINGS V. VI. B.C. 894\u2013892.\n\n\nBUT Elisha\u2019s fame was soon to overstep the limits of his own country.\nThe captain of the army of Ben-hadad, king of Syria, at this time was\nnamed NAAMAN (See Lk. iv. 27). He had achieved many victories for his\nmaster, and for personal prowess was held in high honour, being in\nclose attendance on his sovereign, but _he was a leper_. This frightful\nmalady which, had he been an Israelite, would have cut him off from all\nintercourse with his fellows, does not appear to have laid him under\nthe same disadvantages in Syria, and he still retained his post as\ncommander-in-chief. In his harem, waiting on his wife, was a little\nIsraelitish maid, who had been taken prisoner in one of the forays of\nthe Syrians over the border. She knew what Elisha could do, and assured\nher mistress that, if only Naaman was _with the prophet that was in\nSamaria_, he would certainly be cured of his malady. Her words were\ntold to Naaman, who communicated them to Ben-hadad[387]. The Syrian\nking thereupon wrote a letter to Jehoram, king of Israel, and sent\nhis general with it, accompanied by a large retinue bearing 10 talents\nof silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and 6 of the rich fabrics, for which\nDamascus had always been famous. On reaching Samaria Naaman presented\nthe letter to Jehoram, who had no sooner read the curt words of the\nSyrian king, than he rent his clothes, and exclaimed, _Am I God, to\nkill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a\nman of his leprosy?_ He could only think of one motive for the letter;\n_Consider_, said he, _how this man seeketh a quarrel against me_ (2 K.\nv. 7).\n\nNews of Naaman\u2019s arrival, of the purport of his coming, and of the\ndismay of the king was conveyed to Elisha, who straightway sent to\nJehoram and bade him send his visitor to him, that he might know that\nthere _was a prophet in Israel_. With his horses, his chariots, and\nentire cavalcade, Naaman thereupon came and stood before the door of\nthe prophet\u2019s dwelling. But instead of coming forth himself, Elisha\nsimply sent his servant to tell him to go down to the rapid waters\nof the Jordan and wash seven times, promising him a certain cure.\nThe prophet\u2019s independent tone, the neglect to come out to him,\nabove all his command that he, the native of a city watered by such\nfamous streams as the Abana and Pharpar[388], should go and wash in\nJordan, was unbearable. Naaman _turned and went away in a rage_. But\nhis retinue, unwilling to throw up the hopes of their long journey,\nsucceeded in persuading him to make trial of the prescribed cure.\nNaaman accordingly went down and dipped himself seven times in the\nrushing stream, and _his flesh came again like the flesh of a little\nchild, and he was clean_. Full of gratitude for so priceless a boon,\nhe then returned with his whole retinue to Samaria, and once more stood\nbefore the prophet\u2019s door. This time, however, he not only stood there,\nbut went in and gratefully acknowledged the power of Israel\u2019s God,\nand urged the prophet to receive the present he had brought. This, the\nlatter absolutely declined, and in spite of Naaman\u2019s urgency, persisted\nin his refusal. But one thing the grateful soldier was resolved to have.\nIf Elisha would not accept his presents, he could not depart from a\nland where he had received so great a benefit without two mules\u2019 burden\nof its hallowed earth, for the construction, probably, of an altar to\nJehovah. But here a difficulty occurred to him. If he became a servant\nof Jehovah, how could he go to the house of Rimmon[389], and bow before\nthe Syrian god? Elisha\u2019s simple reply was, _Go in peace_, and he went\nhis way (2 K. v. 1\u201320).\n\nThe generous conduct, however, of his master had not escaped the notice\nof Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha, and the Syrian had not gone any\ngreat distance when he ran after his chariot. Naaman discerned him\nhurrying along the road, and alighting enquired if all was well. _All\nwas well_, the other replied; _but already there had come to his master\nfrom Mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons of the prophets_, for\nwhom he solicited _a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment_. The\ngenerous Syrian pressed upon him two talents and two changes of raiment,\nand sent two of his retinue to bear them to a secret place, whence\nGehazi removed them into the house, and then presented himself before\nhis master, denying, when questioned, that he had gone anywhere. But\nthe prophet had marked his wickedness. His heart had gone after him the\nwhole while, and with righteous sternness he now pronounced upon him\nthe awful punishment from which Naaman had just been delivered; and _he\nwent out of his presence a leper as white as snow_ (2 K. v. 27).\n\nElisha is next found at Jericho. Here the habitation of the sons of\nthe prophets had become so small, that they desired to construct a new\ndwelling near the Jordan. Accompanied by Elisha they proceeded towards\nthe river, and began to fell trees in the wood which lined its banks.\nAs they felled, the head of an axe, which one of them had borrowed,\nflew off and sank in the water. He appealed to Elisha, who bade a piece\nof wood be flung into the stream, when the iron re-appeared, and was\nrestored to the borrower (2 K. vi. 1\u20137).\n\nShortly after this, in spite of the cure wrought upon their general,\nthe Syrians renewed their marauding incursions, and even encamped\nin spots which the king of Israel was wont to frequent. Warned by\nElisha, Jehoram was on more than one occasion able to escape the\nambuscades laid for him, which so annoyed Ben-hadad, that he even\nsuspected treachery among his own retinue. But one of his servants\npointed to the true cause. The informer was no other than the healer\nof his general Naaman, and his power was such that he could tell\nJehoram the very words Ben-hadad uttered in his chamber. Thereupon the\nking of Syria sent horses and chariots, and a considerable force to\nDothan[390], 6 miles north of Samaria, to capture Elisha. The Syrian\nforces completely surrounded the village, and the prophet\u2019s servant\ncame running in, crying, _Alas! my master, how shall we do?_ Elisha\ncalmed his fears with the assurance that _they which were with them\nwere more than they which were with the foe_, and the eyes of the\nyoung man being opened he was enabled to discern the hill, on which\nthe village was built, filled with horses and chariots of fire ready to\nprotect his master. At the same moment the Syrian forces were smitten\nwith blindness, and were easily led away to Samaria; nor were their\neyes opened till they found themselves in the presence of Jehoram.\nThe first impulse of the king of Israel was to put them to death. But\nElisha dissuaded him from such unworthy conduct, and the men were sent\nback to Ben-hadad, who drew off his army, and for a while desisted from\nthe invasion (2 K. vi. 8\u201324).\n\nBut the Syrian king could not long brook such a humiliating repulse.\nMustering, therefore, all his troops, he went up and besieged Samaria,\nB.C. 892, for a space of 3 years, during which period the inhabitants\nwere reduced to the direst extremities. Two mothers even agreed to boil\ntheir children for food (Comp. Deut. xxviii. 53, 57). One actually did\nso, but the other hid her child lest it should suffer such an awful\nfate. This story was told Jehoram, as he one day passed by on the city\nwall, and in token of sorrow he put on sackcloth beneath his armour.\nBut deeming Elisha in some way culpable for the nation\u2019s disasters, he\nthreatened to take away his life, and sent a messenger to the prophet\u2019s\nhouse, where he sat surrounded by the elders of the city, to carry it\ninto execution. Before however the messenger\u2019s feet had touched the\nthreshold, Elisha, warned of his danger, had commanded that he should\nbe held fast. At this moment Jehoram himself also entered, leaning on\nthe hand of one of his officers. _This evil_, he burst forth, _is from\nJehovah; why should I wait on Jehovah any more?_ (Comp. Job xxi. 15;\nMal. iii. 14). To which the prophet replied, _Hear the word of Jehovah;\nto-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a\nshekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.\nNay_, interposed the royal officer, _if Jehovah would make windows\nin heaven, this could not be. It will_, replied Elisha; _thou thyself\nshalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat a morsel thereof_\n(2 K. vii. 2).\n\nThese marvellous and prophetic words were fully verified. In the\ntwilight of the selfsame evening four lepers who were wont to take\ntheir place at the gate of the city, despairing of life, resolved to\nenter the Syrian camp, and brave their fate. Reaching the edge of the\nencampment, to their great surprise they found no man there. Alarmed by\na mysterious noise of chariots, horses, and a great host, the Syrians\nhad concluded that the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians had come\nto the aid of the beleaguered city, and had hastily fled, leaving\ntheir camp and everything in it just as it was. Amidst the deepening\ngloom the lepers entered a tent, satiated the pangs of hunger, and\nthen secretly hid a quantity of silver, gold, and raiment. Entering\na second they did the same, and then fearing harm if they concealed\nsuch joyous news, they hastily returned to Samaria, and announced to\nthe warder at the barred gate (2 K. vii. 10) that they had visited\nthe Syrian camp, and found nothing but horses tied, and asses tied,\nand the tents as they were. The warder carried the news to his chief,\nand he communicated it to the king\u2019s household. Though it was midnight\nJehoram was roused, and informed of the strange news. Fearful of a plot\nto draw the Israelites away from the city, he ordered two horsemen to\nreconnoitre and discover whether it was really true. They made their\nway towards the Jordan, and found the road filled with garments and\nvessels, which the Syrians had flung away in their precipitate flight.\nTheir return with this welcome news roused the whole city. Starving\nand emaciated, the entire population rushed forth to the gate, and\nthence made their way to the Syrian camp. To preserve some degree of\norder, the king entrusted the command of the gate to the officer who\nhad scoffed at the prophecy of Elisha, but so great was the press and\nconfusion that he was trodden to death by the excited crowd, and before\nevening the words of the prophet had been fulfilled to the letter. _Two\nmeasures of barley were sold for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour\nfor a shekel_, and Samaria was delivered (2 K. vii. 17\u201320).\n\n\n\n\n KINGDOMS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.\n\n\n PART III.\n _Renewal of mutual hostilities; decline of both kingdoms\n before the power of the Assyrian Empire._\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _ACCESSION OF JEHU._\n 2 KINGS VIII.\u2013X. B.C. 884.\n\n\nAFTER this signal discomfiture Ben-hadad returned to Damascus, and\nbefore long lay prostrate with his last illness. At this time Elisha\nwas present in the city, and the king being informed of it, sent HAZAEL,\nan officer in high position at his court, to enquire whether he should\nrecover of his disease. With 40 camels\u2019 burden of the choicest products\nof the Syrian capital, Hazael presented himself before the prophet, and\npreferred his request in the most humble tones. Elisha replied that his\nmaster _might_ indeed recover, but yet that he _would_ not. Wondering\nat these ambiguous words, Hazael fixed upon him a long and searching\nglance, and the prophet burst into tears. _Why weepeth my lord?_\nenquired the other. And Elisha, who saw in him the destined successor\nof Ben-hadad, replied, _Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto\nthe children of Israel; their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, and\ntheir young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their\nchildren, and rip up their women with child_. But such a future had\nno sorrow for his listener, it was only too good to expect. _What is\nthy servant_, he replied, _dog that he is[391], that he should do this\ngreat thing_? The prophet, without making any remark, simply announced\nthe message Elijah had long ago been bidden to deliver, _Jehovah hath\nshowed me_, said he, _that thou shalt be king over Syria_ (2 K. viii.\n7\u201313). With these mysterious words sounding in his ears Hazael returned\nto his master, and told him but the half of the prophet\u2019s answer.\nThat day was the last of Ben-hadad\u2019s life. On the morrow he was found\nsuffocated with a thick cloth dipped in water spread upon his face.\nWhether or no Hazael\u2019s hand had done the deed, his path was now\nclear[392], and he mounted the Syrian throne[392a].\n\nMeanwhile there had been changes in the kingdom of Judah. After\nan unsuccessful attempt to quell a rebellion of his vassal, the\nking of Edom (2 K. viii. 20; 2 Chr. xxi. 8\u201310; see Gen. xxvii. 40),\nJehoram died, and was succeeded by AHAZIAH, B.C. 885, the issue of his\nfather\u2019s ill-starred marriage with the daughter of Jezebel. True to the\ntraditions of his mother, he signalized his accession by the grossest\nidolatries (2 Chr. xxii. 3), but soon, like his rival the king of\nIsrael, began to feel the hand of the new monarch of Syria, who had\nalready made an attempt to recover the stronghold of Ramoth-gilead.\nIn intimate alliance the two kings now crossed the Jordan to defend\nthe place, and an engagement ensuing, Jehoram was severely wounded,\nand forced to return to Jezreel, whither also Ahaziah followed him\n(2 K. ix. 28, 29).\n\nDuring their absence Elisha, knowing that the time was now come for the\ndoomed destruction of Ahab\u2019s family, sent a young man, one of the \u201csons\nof the prophets\u201d to Ramoth-gilead, with a horn of oil and a commission\nto look out and anoint JEHU the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi,\nking over Israel. As one of Ahab\u2019s guards, Jehu, in company with Bidkar,\nhad ridden behind his master to the fatal plot of Naboth\u2019s vineyard,\nand heard the terrible warning of Elijah against his murderer (2 K.\nix. 25). Since then, he had risen to a position of some importance, and\nwas now well known for his vehemence and activity, as well as his rapid,\nfurious driving. According to his instructions the young disciple of\nthe prophets went to Ramoth-gilead, and finding Jehu seated in the\nmidst of his officers, intimated that he had an errand for his ear\nalone. Together the two retired to an inner chamber, and there the\nyouth having poured the oil on Jehu\u2019s head, and announced the Divine\nWill that he should be king over Israel, and utterly exterminate the\nwhole family of Ahab, opened the door and fled.\n\nShortly afterwards Jehu came forth, and rejoined his comrades, who\neagerly enquired the purport of the _mad fellow\u2019s_ visit. At first he\ntried to evade the question, but soon revealed all that the other had\nsaid. Instantly the enthusiasm of his hearers was kindled. Recognising\nthe truth of the prophetic call, they threw off each man his garment,\nand placing Jehu on a rude throne or carpet of state, blew the trumpets,\nand shouted _Jehu is king_. Then, for everything depended on the\nspeed of his movements, without losing a moment Jehu drove his chariot\ntowards the fords of Jordan, and thence direct to Jezreel. From the\ntower[393] of the latter city the watchman observed his hurrying\nchariot, and announced the fact to Jehoram, who straightway sent a\nhorseman to enquire, _Is it peace?_ The crafty conspirator detained\nthe messenger. Then a second horseman was despatched, and he too was\ndetained. By this time the watchman was better able to distinguish the\nadvancing charioteer, and pronounced him to be no other than _Jehu,\nthe son of Nimshi_. Thereupon the chariot of the king of Israel was\nmade ready, and with Ahaziah, king of Judah, he set out to meet him,\nprobably expecting tidings of the Syrian war. But he was quickly and\nterribly undeceived. His question, _Is it peace, Jehu?_ was met by a\nfurious denunciation of the idolatries of his mother Jezebel, and in an\ninstant divining his danger, he turned his chariot towards Jezreel. But\nat that moment Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and shot him to\nthe heart. While he paused to charge Bidkar to take up his corpse and\nfling it into the portion of Naboth, Ahaziah, pursued by his soldiers,\nfled down the westward plain towards Beth-gan, or the village of\nEngannim[394], but was overtaken, and wounded, and died at Megiddo,\nwhither he managed to escape.\n\nJehu\u2019s next step was to make for Jezreel. Here Jezebel, the\nqueen-mother, still retained her influence, and hearing of the approach\nof the conspirator, she resolved to confront him in person. After\nthe Oriental fashion, _she tired her head and painted her eyes_ with\nantimony, and, as Jehu passed beneath the palace, cried out from the\nlatticed window, _Had Zimri peace, who slew his master[395]?_ On that\nJehu looked up, and called aloud, _Who is on my side? who?_ and two or\nthree eunuchs looking out, he bade them throw her down; and they threw\nher down before his chariot, and her blood was sprinkled partly on the\npalace-wall and partly on his horses, while with merciless severity he\ntrode her underfoot. Then he entered the palace, and ate and drank. But\nremembering the fallen queen, he commanded that she should be buried.\nHis messengers went forth to execute his commands, but when they\nreached the open space before the city walls, they found nothing but\nher skull, and feet, and the palm of her hands. The dogs, which prowl\nabout the streets of Eastern cities, had devoured all the rest, and\nthus fulfilled the words of Elijah, _In the portion of Jezreel shall\ndogs eat the flesh of Jezebel_ (2 K. ix. 36).\n\nThe thoughts of the conqueror now turned towards Samaria. Here resided\nthe sons and grandsons of Ahab to the number of 70 persons. To the\nelders of the city, therefore, he wrote letters, bidding them select\nthe best and meetest of their master\u2019s sons, set him on his father\u2019s\nthrone, and fight for their master\u2019s house. This proposition terrified\nthe servile elders, and they replied that they had no idea of setting\nup a rival king, and were perfectly ready to submit in all things to\nthe usurper\u2019s will. On this, Jehu wrote a second letter, proposing as\na test of their fidelity, that they should send to Jezreel on the next\nday the heads of the 70 descendants of Ahab, and then repair thither\nthemselves. His commands were duly executed, the 70 heads were sent to\nJezreel, and by Jehu\u2019s command placed in two heaps at _the entrance of\nthe gate_, where they remained all night. In the morning the usurper\nwent forth, and acknowledged to the awe-struck crowd that he had\nconspired against his master, but threw the blame of the slaughter\nof Ahab\u2019s descendants on their guardians at Samaria, who had thus\nfulfilled the words of Elijah. He then proceeded to exterminate all\nthe acquaintance of Ahab at Jezreel, the officers of his court, and\nthe hierarchy of Ashtaroth, and finally set out in person for Samaria\n(2 K. x. 12).\n\nOn the road, he first met 42 sons or nephews of the late king of Judah,\nand discovering who they were, directed that they too should be put to\ndeath at the _Well of the Shearing-House_, between Jezreel and Samaria.\nA little further on he encountered Jehonadab the son of Rechab, of the\nrace of the Kenites, who had bound his descendants[396] to drink no\nwine, to build no houses, to sow no seed, neither to plant nor possess\nvineyards, but to adhere to the old nomadic life and dwell in tents\n(Jer. xxxv. 6, 7). _Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy\nheart?_ exclaimed Jehu, when he saw him. The other assured him that it\nwas, and was bidden thereupon to ascend his chariot and _come and see\nhis zeal_ for Jehovah. Thus side by side the two drove into the city,\nwhere the butchery of Ahab\u2019s relatives was renewed, till none were left\nremaining. But this was only preparatory to another and still greater\nblow. Convening an assembly of the people, Jehu announced his intention\nof inaugurating the worship of Baal on a scale of the greatest\nmagnificence; _Ahab_, said he, _served Baal a little, but Jehu shall\nserve him much_. Then, under pain of death, he commanded the entire\nhierarchy of Baal and all his worshippers throughout Israel to assemble\nin the great temple, which Ahab had built in honour of this god (1 K.\nxvi. 32). On the appointed day they came, and the building was filled\nfrom end to end. The sacred vestments, probably of white linen, were\nbrought forth, the worshippers arrayed in them, the temple cleared of\nany chance worshippers of Jehovah, and then Jehu and Jehonadab entered,\nand the king himself offered the burnt-offering. He had hardly ended,\nwhen eighty trusty warriors, who had secretly received their orders,\nrushed in, and commenced an indiscriminate slaughter of the unarmed\nand helpless assembly. The huge image of Baal was broken, the smaller\nimages burnt, and the temple itself converted to the basest uses (2 K.\nx. 26, 27).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _ATHALIAH AND JOASH. DEATH OF ELISHA._\n 2 KINGS XI.\u2013XIV. 2 CHR. XXII. XXIII. B.C. 884\u2013839.\n\n\nTHUS, after scenes hitherto unparalleled in the history of the Chosen\nNation, Jehu established himself upon the throne, and reigned upwards\nof 28 years. Those years are almost a blank to us. All we know is,\nthat though commended for the destruction of Ahab\u2019s worthless dynasty,\nand assured that his descendants to the fourth generation should sit\nupon the throne, he persisted in walking in the ways of Jeroboam, and\nretained the old calf-worship at Dan and Bethel. But his reign was not\na peaceful one. _The Lord began to cut Israel short_, Hazael attacked\nhis kingdom, and ravaged the territories of the tribes east of the\nJordan (2 K. x. 33).\n\nMeanwhile similar scenes of extermination had been enacted even in the\nsouthern kingdom of Judah. On the death of Ahaziah, B.C. 884, ATHALIAH,\nthe queen-mother, who had probably been entrusted with the royal\nfunctions during his absence at Jezreel, resolved to seize the supreme\npower, and for this purpose put to death all the members of the royal\nhouse who had not already perished by the sword of Jehu. From the\ngeneral massacre JOASH, the infant son of Ahaziah, alone escaped, and\nwas concealed by his aunt Jehosheba, wife of Jehoiada the high-priest,\nin the house of the Lord for the space of 6 years (2 Chr. xxii. 11, 12).\nDuring this period the usurpation of Athaliah was endured, but in the\nseventh year (B.C. 878) her foreign practices having probably disgusted\nthe nation, the high-priest deemed it an auspicious moment to bring\nabout a change. Gathering round him all the supporters of the family of\nDavid, he placed a large force of priests and Levites in three bands at\nthe entrances of the Temple, and armed the \u201ccaptains of hundreds\u201d with\nthe consecrated spears and shields placed there by David. Then before\nthem and a number of the people who favoured his design, he brought\nout the infant Joash, and in the presence of all publicly crowned and\nanointed him, and presented him with a copy of the Law. The noise of\nthe people reached the ears of the queen-mother, and she came into the\nTemple only to see her grandson already placed on a raised throne, and\ninvested with regal functions. Jehoiada had given strict orders that\nshe should not be put to death within the sacred enclosure, and crying\n_treason_, she was hurried from the ranges, and slain at the entrance\nof the Horse-Gate by the royal palace (2 K. xi. 4\u201316; 2 Chr. xxiii.\n12\u201315).\n\nA covenant was then solemnly ratified between the king, high-priest,\nand people, by which they bound themselves to be faithful to Jehovah,\nand in proof thereof attacked the temple of Baal, which Athaliah had\nbuilt, slew its attendant priest Mattan, and broke down the altars\nand images. During the lifetime of his aged counsellor, the youthful\nsovereign ruled his kingdom prudently, and was blessed with a large\nmeasure of prosperity. In the 23rd year of his reign he commenced a\ncomplete repair of the Temple, which had suffered much during the late\nusurpation. Messengers were dispatched throughout his dominions to\nlevy contributions for the work, which were willingly bestowed both\nby princes and people. But on the death of the high-priest, at the\nadvanced age of 130 years, a change came over the policy and character\nof the king. At the suggestion of the princes of Judah, the worship of\nBaal and Ashtaroth was revived, and the service of Jehovah neglected.\nProphets were sent to rebuke the king for this apostasy, but their\nprotests were unavailing. One of them, ZECHARIAH, the son of the late\nhigh-priest, as a penalty for his bold outspoken honesty, was stoned\nto death between the Holy Place and the Altar of Burnt-offering[397]\n(Matt. xxiii. 35). His last words, _the Lord look upon it and require\nit_, were speedily fulfilled. The year had not ended before the Syrian\narmy commanded by Hazael appeared before Jerusalem (2 K. xii. 17). It\nhad lately been successful against the Philistine city of Gath, and\nnow, though small in numbers, was able to defeat a large army of Judah,\nand was only prevailed upon to depart by being permitted to carry away\nto Damascus all the votive offerings and much of the Temple treasures.\nNor was Joash destined long to survive this disgrace. Afflicted with a\nsevere illness, probably in consequence of wounds received in the late\nengagement, he was suddenly attacked by two of his servants, and slain\nin his bed in the fortress of Millo, B.C. 839 (2 K. xii. 20, 21; 2 Chr.\nxxiv. 26).\n\nIn addition to their victories over the Philistines, the Syrians\nunder Hazael had been equally successful against the king of Israel,\nJEHOAHAZ, the son of Jehu, reducing him to such a depth of subjection,\nthat he was compelled to limit his army to 50 horsemen, 10 chariots,\nand 10,000 infantry. After an inglorious reign, he bequeathed his\nthrone to his son JEHOASH or JOASH, B.C. 841, who in spite of the\nwarnings the nation had already received, persisted in practising\nidolatry. During his reign the aged prophet Elisha fell sick, and\nJehoash went to his house and wept over him in the same words that\nElisha himself had used, when he beheld Elijah carried up into heaven,\nsaying, _O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the\nhorsemen thereof_! But other thoughts than the prophet\u2019s approaching\nend filled the hearts of both. Hazael _was cutting Israel short_, and\nravaging the country far and near. The aged prophet bade the king open\nthe window eastward towards the hated country, and place an arrow on\nthe string of his bow. Then, laying his own hands upon the king\u2019s hands,\nhe bade him shoot, and as the shaft sped from the string, he followed\nit with the prophetic blessing, _the arrow of the Lord\u2019s deliverance,\nand the arrow of deliverance from Syria, thou shalt smite the Syrians\nin Aphek till thou hast consumed them_. At the prophet\u2019s command the\nking next took the arrows and smote them on the ground three times, and\nthen stayed. But he did it with no spirit or energy, and the victories\nhe might have achieved were limited to three (2 K. xiii. 14\u201319).\n\nShortly afterwards Elisha died, but his wonder-working power was not\nto cease with his life. He had not been long laid in the tomb when\nmarauding bands of the Moabites invaded the land. A dead man was about\nto be buried in the cemetery, which contained the prophet\u2019s sepulchre.\nSeeing the band of spoilers the mourners hastily thrust the corpse into\nthe receptacle where the prophet lay, and no sooner did it touch his\nremains than the _man revived and stood upon his feet_. The victories,\nhowever, which Elisha had promised were realised. Three times was\nJehoash enabled to triumph over the Syrian armies, and recovered the\ncities which the Israelites had lost in previous wars (2 K. xiii. 25).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _AMAZIAH AND JEROBOAM II. ERA OF JONAH._\n 2 KINGS XIV. JONAH I.\u2013IV. B.C. 840\u2013758.\n\n\nMEANWHILE AMAZIAH had succeeded to the throne of Judah. His first care\nafter his accession was to punish the murderers of his father, which\nhe did with unusual lenity, sparing their children, in accordance with\nthe true spirit of the Mosaic law (Deut. xxiv. 16; Ezek. xviii. 4, 20).\nHe next resolved to take vengeance on the revolted Edomites, and for\nthis purpose summoned to his standard 300,000 of Judah, and, at the\nrate of 100 silver talents, hired 100,000 of Israel (2 Chr. xxv. 6).\nWarned, however, by a prophet against leading any of the idolatrous\nIsraelites into battle amongst his own forces, he was induced to\ndismiss his mercenaries, who returned home in great anger. With his\nown army he then marched against the Edomites, and defeated them with\ngreat slaughter in the Valley of Salt, south of the Dead Sea, capturing\nalso their rocky fortress-capital Petra or Sela, and flinging 10,000\nof his captives headlong from their native cliffs. But with strange\nperversity he now set up in Jerusalem the idols of the very nation he\nhad just subdued, and paid them religious honours (2 Chr. xxv. 14).\nFor this apostasy a prophet threatened him with speedy vengeance, and\nmisfortunes quickly thickened around him.\n\nThe Israelite mercenaries, in revenge for the loss of booty they had\nsustained, on their way homewards ravaged many of the towns of Judah.\nSmarting under this insult Amaziah was foolish enough to challenge\nhis rival, the king of Israel, to battle. Jehoash replied by the\ncontemptuous parable of the _Thistle and the Cedar_, and bade Amaziah\nnot provoke a contest. The other, however, would not yield, and the\nrival armies met at Beth-shemesh[398], on the borders of Dan and\nPhilistia, and the men of Judah were utterly defeated. Jehoash even\ntook his rival prisoner, and conveyed him as a captive to Jerusalem,\nthe walls of which he broke down on the side nearest to his own kingdom\nto the extent of 400 cubits, and after rifling the Temple of its\ntreasures and exacting hostages returned to Samaria. Shortly after this,\nhowever, he died, and bequeathed his throne to his son JEROBOAM II.,\nB.C. 825, while Amaziah survived him 15 years, at the close of which\nperiod a conspiracy was formed against him, from which he fled to\nLachish, where he was assassinated, and was succeeded by his son\nAZARIAH or UZZIAH, B.C. 810 (2 K. xiv. 19, 20).\n\nThe reign of Jeroboam II. which lasted 41 years[399], was the most\nprosperous the kingdom of Israel had ever known. The new king did\nnot simply content himself with repelling the attacks of the Syrian\ninvaders, but carried the war into their own country, captured their\ncapital Damascus, and recovered all the old dominion of Israel from\nHamath to the Dead Sea, together with the territory of Moab and Ammon.\nThese successes had been predicted (2 K. xiv. 25) by the earliest of\nthe prophets, whose writings as well as words have come down to us,\nJONAH, the son of Amittai, of Gath-hepher in Zebulun. The idolatries,\nhowever, of the king called forth the protests of HOSEA, a prophet of\nuncertain tribe and birth-place (Hos. i. 1), and AMOS, a herdsman of\nTekoa[400] (Am. i. 1). Those of Amos were keenly resented by Amaziah\nthe high-priest of Bethel (Am. vii. 10), and he reported him to the\nking as having predicted the destruction of the royal house and the\ncaptivity of the nation (Am. vii. 11\u201317), which, though not fulfilled\nin his reign, were only deferred[401].\n\nAZARIAH or UZZIAH, the new king of Judah, retained the sceptre for\nupwards of 52 years, and was successful in several warlike expeditions.\nHe subjugated the Philistines, and dismantled Gath and Ashdod, reduced\nthe Arabians and Mehunims to obedience, and recovered Elath, the famous\nport on the Red Sea (2 Chr. xxvi. 2, 7). He also improved the internal\nresources of his kingdom, restored the fortifications of Jerusalem,\nbuilt military engines, and established a powerful army. Moreover\nhe devoted himself to the encouragement and protection of husbandry,\nbuilding towers and wells for his numerous herds in the low country\nand in the plains, and growing vines on the terraces of the mountains\n(2 Chr. xxvi. 9\u201315). But in the hour of prosperity _his heart was\nlifted up to his destruction_. Assuming priestly functions, he entered\nthe Holy Place in the Temple for the purpose of offering incense on the\nGolden Altar. This flagrant violation of the Law was resolutely opposed\nby the high-priest Azariah and others of the Levitical body, and drew\ndown upon the king signal punishment. As he stood censer in hand by the\nAltar, the leprosy _rose up in his forehead_, and he hurried in alarm\nfrom the sacred enclosure. He was now incapable of discharging the\nregal functions[402], and till the day of his death lived in a separate\nhouse, while Jotham his son was entrusted with the regency, and\neventually succeeded him B.C. 758 (2 K. xv. 5; 2 Chr. xxvi. 16\u201322).\n\nMeanwhile the great Empire, destined to be the instrument of\npunishing the apostate kingdom of Israel, was advancing with gigantic\nstrides in the path of universal conquest. Beyond the territory of the\nSyrians\u2015\u2015the scourge of Jehu and his dynasty\u2015\u2015was the far more powerful\nEmpire of the Assyrians, including the whole region watered by the\nTigris and Euphrates, and already augmented by important conquests in\nCappadocia, Armenia, and Babylonia. To Nineveh, its celebrated capital,\nthe prophet JONAH, already mentioned, was directed to go and denounce\nits approaching doom, unless its people repented of their sins. The\nprophet shrunk from this arduous commission, and instead of crossing\nthe Syrian desert, went down to Joppa, and there took ship for Tarshish,\nprobably Tartessus[403] on the southern coast of Spain (Jon. i. 3). But\nduring the voyage an awful storm arose, and in their alarm the mariners\nthrew him at his own request into the sea, where a large fish took\nhim up, and after three days and three nights flung him forth alive\non the dry land (Matt. xii. 40, xvi. 4; Lk. xi. 30). Thus miraculously\ndelivered he was a second time bidden to undertake the arduous journey,\nand now not daring to disobey arose and went. Suddenly appearing in\nthe midst of Nineveh[404], clothed in his rough prophet\u2019s robe, he\ncried through corridor, and lane, and square, _Yet forty days, and\nNineveh shall be overthrown!_ His mysterious words filled the hearts\nof all with fear and consternation, and before long reached the palace,\nwhere the king sat \u201con his royal throne in the great audience-chamber,\nsurrounded by all the pomp and magnificence of his court[405].\u201d The\nwords of the unknown prophet touched even his heart, and _he arose\nfrom his throne, and laid aside his robe from him, and covered himself\nwith sackcloth, and sat in ashes_ (Jon. iii. 6). Then he proclaimed a\ndecree that all his people, from the greatest even to the least, should\nbe covered with sackcloth, and that even the beasts should be put in\nmourning[406]. His decree was obeyed, a fast was observed, and the\npeople of Nineveh, laying aside their revelry and feasting, assumed\nthe garb of mourning, humbled themselves, turned from their evil way,\nand offered up petitions for mercy to the Most High. Their repentance\nwas accepted, God had pity on the great city, with its 120,000 _persons\nthat could not discern between their right hand and their left_, and\ndeferred the judgment. In vain the prophet sat in his booth of woven\nboughs, at the east side of the city, waiting for the doom he had\ndenounced. In vain he complained of the deferring of the punishment.\nGod was more merciful than man, and for more than another century\nNineveh was to stand unharmed (Jon. iv. 5\u201311).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _DECLINE AND CAPTIVITY OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL._\n 2 KINGS XV.\u2013XVII. B.C. 773\u2013721.\n\n\nTHE death of Jeroboam II., B.C. 783, was the signal for a frightful\nstate of anarchy in the kingdom of Israel. At length, after an\ninterregnum of 11 years, ZACHARIAH his son succeeded to the throne\n(B.C. 773). His brief reign of six months served only to exhibit\nhis addiction to idolatrous practices, when he was assassinated by\nSHALLUM, and with him the dynasty of Jehu came to an end. The reign\nof the usurper was briefer still. For one month only did he retain the\nroyal power, and then was deposed in his turn by MENAHEM, the son of\nGadi, B.C. 772. Either at the beginning, or at a somewhat later period,\nduring his reign of 10 years, the new king ordered a promiscuous\nmassacre of the inhabitants of the country between Tirzah and Thapsacus,\nprobably for the purpose of inspiring terror into the hearts of\nmany who were unfavourable to his cause[407] (2 K. xv. 14). A more\nsignificant circumstance during his reign was the appearance of the\nAssyrians on the north-eastern frontier of his kingdom. PUL[408], king\nof Assyria, having been successful in his expedition against Damascus,\nadvanced also against Israel, and was only induced to draw off his\nforces by a timely gift of 1000 talents of silver, which Menahem wrung\nfrom his people by an assessment of 50 shekels a head from 60,000\nIsraelites (2 K. xv. 20).\n\nMenahem died in peace, bequeathing his throne to his son PEKAHIAH,\nB.C. 761, who only reigned for 2 years, and was then assassinated\nin his palace by PEKAH, son of Remaliah, a captain of his body-guard,\nB.C. 759. The new king displayed far greater energy than his immediate\npredecessors. The enormous tribute levied by the King of Assyria had\ngreatly exhausted the resources of his kingdom. He resolved, by way of\ncompensation, to ally himself with Syria, and attack the rival kingdom\nof Judah. During the vigorous reign of JOTHAM he does not seem to have\nbeen able to carry out the latter part of this design, but on the death\nof that monarch, and the accession of his weak son AHAZ, B.C. 742,\nhe advanced against Jerusalem in alliance with Rezin, king of Syria,\nand took a vast number of captives, who were, however, restored by the\nadvice of the prophet Oded (2 Chr. xxviii. 8\u201315). So far as the Syrians\nwere concerned, the expedition was successful. Rezin captured the port\nof Elath, drove the Jews out of the place, and settled there a Syrian\ncolony. But in other respects the unnatural alliance of Israel and\nSyria was calamitous. In his extremity, Ahaz resolved to seek the\nassistance of TIGLATH-PILESER, the successor of Pul on the Assyrian\nthrone, and for this purpose sent him a large and valuable present\nfrom the Temple treasures (2 K. xvi. 7). The Assyrian monarch readily\nembraced the opportunity of crushing the formidable alliance of Syria\nand Israel. Marching against Damascus, B.C. 740, he captured the Syrian\ncapital, slew Rezin[409], and carried off his subjects to Kir (2 K.\nxv. 29). Then turning his arms still further westward, he fell upon the\nnorthern towns in Pekah\u2019s dominions, Ijon, Abel-beth-maachah, Hazor and\nothers, and carried off the inhabitants to remote districts within his\nown dominions[410]. Pekah was now reduced to the position of a humble\nvassal of the great Lord of Assyria, and was obliged to abstain from\nany further hostilities against Ahaz.\n\nBut that king had purchased this temporary relief at a great cost.\nNot only was he obliged to yield up the Temple treasures as tribute\nto Tiglath-Pileser, but he had to appear also in person at Damascus\nas a vassal of that monarch, and did homage to his protector, and even\nto his protector\u2019s gods. _Because_, said he, _the gods of the kings of\nSyria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help\nme_, and he not merely conformed to heathen rites, but actually sent\nto Urijah, the high-priest at Jerusalem, the pattern of an altar he\nhad seen in the Syrian capital, and desired that another should be made\nlike it. The high-priest obeyed, and the idolatrous altar was placed\nwithin the sacred precincts of the Temple, and the king himself offered\nsacrifice thereon. Moreover, every city in his dominions shared in the\nidolatries of the capital. Everywhere Ahaz _made high places to burn\nincense to other gods_, introducing the worst superstitions of the\nremotest East, practising necromancy and witchcraft (Isai. viii. 19),\ncausing his children to pass through the fire in the valley of Hinnom\nto Moloch (2 K. xvi. 3), dedicating sacred horses to the Sun, and\nraising altars on the housetops for the worship of the heavenly bodies\n(2 K. xxiii. 12; 2 Chr. xxviii. 2\u20134).\n\nWhile the Southern kingdom thus seemed bent on rivalling that of\nIsrael in idolatrous excesses, the fortunes of the latter kingdom\nhad become more and more gloomy. After a reign of 20 years, Pekah\nwas assassinated B.C. 737 by HOSHEA the son of Elah, who, after\nseveral years of anarchy, was strong enough to secure the sceptre for\nhimself, B.C. 730. His reign, indeed, was not so sinful as that of\nhis predecessors (2 K. xvii. 2), but the doom of Israel was nigh at\nhand. He had been on the throne but a few years when Shalmaneser, the\nsuccessor of Tiglath-Pileser, invaded his territory, and reduced Israel\nto vassalage. This induced Hoshea to open a secret correspondence with\nSo, _Sabaco I._, king of Egypt. But news of his defection reaching the\nears of the Assyrian monarch, he summoned Hoshea to Damascus to explain\nhis conduct, and there placed him in prison. Then mustering his forces,\nhe invaded his territory, and laid siege to Samaria, B.C. 723. Its\nnatural strength enabled that city to hold out for three years, during\nwhich period Shalmaneser appears to have been obliged to return to\nDamascus, in consequence of a successful revolt headed by Sargon, to\nwhom he forfeited his crown[411]. But this change brought no respite\nto the beleaguered capital of Israel. After a protracted resistance\nit was captured, B.C. 721, and thus Sargon completed the conquest\nwhich Shalmaneser had begun. Vast numbers of the remaining tribes\nwere now removed into captivity[412], and located partly in Gozan\nor Mygdonia[413], and partly in the cities lately taken from the\nMedes. Their place was filled by a foreign population from the more\ninland districts of the empire, and colonies from Cuthah, Hamath, and\nSepharvaim, possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities of Israel, whose\nexistence as an independent kingdom now came to an end for ever.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER V.\n\n _REIGN OF HEZEKIAH._\n 2 KINGS XVIII.\u2013XX. 2 CHRON. XXIX.\u2013XXXII. B.C. 726\u2013698.\n\n\nWHILE the kingdom of Israel thus came to an end, that of Judah seemed\nto have taken a fresh lease of vitality. At the close of the wicked\nreign of Ahaz, his son HEZEKIAH succeeded to the throne, B.C. 726,\nand proved one of the best of the monarchs of the line of David. His\nfirst act after his accession was to set on foot a thorough religious\nreformation. He removed the high places, brake down the images, and\neven destroyed the Brazen Serpent, the ancient relic of the Wanderings,\nwhich had become an object of idolatrous worship, under the name of\n_Nehushtan_[414] (2 K. xviii. 4). He then cleansed and purified the\nTemple, and re-opened it with splendid sacrifices, conducted by the\nreinstated priests and Levites (2 Chr. xxix. 20\u201336), and resolved to\ncelebrate a peculiar Passover, and invite to it all throughout the land\nof Palestine, who bore the Hebrew name (2 Chr. xxx. 1\u201310).\n\nTo this end he dispatched messengers throughout Judah, and northwards\nthrough Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun. The remnant of the once\npowerful house of Joseph treated his invitation with scorn, but all\nJudah and many of the smaller tribes assembled at Jerusalem, and took\npart in the great national rite, which was celebrated at an unusual\nbut not an illegal period[415], and lasted upwards of 14 days. The\nassociations awakened by this ancient ordinance roused the people to\na becoming zeal for the true God, and on their return from Jerusalem\na general destruction of idolatrous images and temples was set on foot\nthroughout Judah and Benjamin, and even some portions of the northern\nkingdom (2 Chr. xxxi. 1).\n\nSeconded in his pious efforts by the noble-minded prophet ISAIAH, the\nking proceeded to carry out other religious reforms, and was rewarded\nfor his zeal by a large measure of prosperity. Venturing to assume the\noffensive against the Philistines, he not only recovered the territory\nwhich his father had lost, but gained other important advantages (2 K.\nxviii. 7, 8). This success emboldened him to throw off the Assyrian\nyoke, and to decline forwarding the usual tribute. The late capture\nof Samaria by the Assyrians would render probable a speedy vengeance\nfor this defection. But the wealthy city of Tyre, now the head of\nthe Ph\u0153nician kingdom, was first to feel the weight of the Assyrian\narms, and its inhabitants made such a stubborn resistance, that after\noperations extending over 5 years[416], the design was given up as\nimpracticable.\n\nThe time thus gained was not thrown away by Hezekiah. He used every\neffort to strengthen his capital against the expected invasion;\nrepaired the walls; built towers; set captains over the host; stopped\nup the wells; diverted the water-courses (2 Chr. xxxii. 3, 4); forged\nweapons of war; and while most of his people trembled at the certain\ncoming of the great Assyrian conqueror, and many of his advisers would\nhave made an alliance with Egypt, the monarch was exhorted by Isaiah\nnot to lose his confidence in God. At length in the 14th[417] year of\nhis reign (2 K. xviii. 13), the invader appeared[418]. Sennacherib, the\nsuccessor of Sargon, _came up against all the fenced cities of Judah\nand took them_ (2 K. xviii. 13). Thereupon Hezekiah thought it prudent\nto avert his wrath by a promise of submission, and consented to pay\n300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold, to raise which enormous\nsum he was obliged to spoil the Temple of many of its treasures, and\neven to strip the gold from the gates (2 K. xviii. 14\u201316). The respite\nthus obtained was only temporary. Two years had barely elapsed before\nSennacherib, resolved to conquer the now flourishing kingdom of Egypt,\ncommenced a second expedition through the dominions of Judah. While\none of his generals attacked and captured Ashdod, he himself marched\nthrough Palestine, and laid siege to Libnah and Lachish, cities in\nthe maritime lowland of Judah, and at this time subject to Egypt. From\nLachish, however, he sent the _Tartan_ or his \u201ccommander-in-chief,\u201d\nthe _Rab-saris_ or his \u201cchief eunuch,\u201d and the _Rab-shakeh_, his \u201cchief\ncupbearer,\u201d with a large force to Jerusalem, to demand its surrender.\nOn this occasion, the \u201cchief cupbearer\u201d seems to have been at the\nhead of the embassy. Standing by _the conduit of the upper pool_\nand speaking in the Hebrew tongue, he proclaimed to the advisers of\nHezekiah and the people assembled on the city walls the message of the\nking of Assyria, exhorting them not to look for deliverance from Egypt,\nor even to place any confidence in their God, for what god had yet\nbeen able to deliver his land and people out of the hand of his master?\n(2 K. xviii. 33, 34).\n\nBy command of Hezekiah his scornful message was received in profound\nsilence. The king himself, on being informed of the purport of the\nAssyrian embassy, with clothes rent and robed in sackcloth, repaired\nto the Temple, and sent his minister similarly attired to Isaiah, to\nentreat him in his perilous hour to lift up his prayer in behalf of his\npeople. That undaunted prophet in reply bade his master defy boldly all\nthe efforts of the enemy. That God, whom the Assyrian had blasphemed,\nwould avenge His insulted honour; He would _send a blast upon him,\nand he should hear a rumour, and should return to his own land, there\nto fall by the sword_. These trustful words encouraged both king and\npeople, and the Assyrian ambassadors finding it impossible to terrify\nthe capital of Judah into subjection returned to Sennacherib, whom\nthey found at Libnah, having taken or raised the siege of Lachish (2 K.\nxix. 8).\n\nBut while he was thus employed, news reached the ears of that monarch\nthat Tirhakah, or _Tarakos_, a powerful king of Ethiopia, was on the\nmarch against him. On this he resolved to make one more effort to\nterrify Hezekiah into submission, and sent a second embassy to him,\nwith a letter demanding in the most peremptory terms the surrender\nof the city, recapitulating the cities whose gods had been powerless\nto deliver them out of his hands, and bidding him dismiss the notion\nthat he could escape. On receiving this vaunting letter, Hezekiah again\nrepaired to the Temple, and there spread it before the Lord, entreating\nin words of singular pathos and beauty the aid of the God of Israel,\n_Who dwelt between the Cherubims_ (2 K. xix. 15).\n\nHis prayer was heard. Isaiah was commissioned to assure the king\nthat the _Virgin, the daughter of Zion_, might laugh to scorn all the\nefforts of the invader. True it was that the Assyrian monarch had laid\nwaste many cities into ruinous heaps, but it was only because Jehovah\nHimself had so willed it, and had raised him up to be an instrument\nfor the accomplishment of His own purposes. And now He would _put His\nhook[419] in_ the Assyrian\u2019s _nose, and His bridle in his lips_, and\nturn him back by the way he had come, nor suffer him even to approach\nthe city, or shoot an arrow there, or cast up a bank against it (2 K.\nxix. 32).\n\nHis words were destined to have a speedy and terrible fulfilment.\nHaving reduced Libnah, Sennacherib appears to have pushed forward\ntowards Pelusium[420], anxious to crush an Egyptian army under a native\nprince, named Sethos, before the dreaded Ethiopian monarch Terhak or\nTirhakah could come to his aid. Within sight of each other the Assyrian\nand Egyptian hosts lay down, awaiting the morrow\u2019s battle, but that\nvery night the angel of the Lord, probably by a sudden pestilence, or\nsome more awful manifestation of Divine power, poured contempt on all\nthe pride of the Assyrian monarch. As they slept, a sudden destruction\nfell upon his hosts, and when he awoke next morning, behold 185,000\ncorpses lay dead in his camp[421]! On this Sennacherib fled with the\nshattered remnants of his forces to his own land, where, 17 years\nafter, or B.C. 680[422], he was assassinated by his sons Adrammelech\nand Sharezer, as he was worshipping in the temple of Nisroch his god,\nleaving his throne to another son Esarhaddon (2 K. xix. 37).\n\nAt some period after, or as some think, before[423] this signal\ndeliverance, Hezekiah was seized with a serious illness and was warned\nby the prophet Isaiah _to put his house in order_, for the decree had\ngone forth that he must die. This announcement caused the greatest\ndistress to the good king. He had striven to set a good example while\nhe lived, and had done much to reform his people and their religion,\nand now in the very midst of his work he must die! With many tears,\ntherefore, he turned his face to the wall, and pleaded his case with\nGod, praying that the prophet\u2019s words might not be so immediately\nfulfilled. His prayer was heard. Isaiah was bidden to assure him that\nhis life would be prolonged for a space of 15 years, and as a sign\nto confirm this assurance, the shadow on the great dial of his father\nAhaz went 10 degrees backwards, and by the application of a plaster\nof figs, often used medicinally in such cases, his malady was healed.\nNews of his recovery, and of the astronomical marvel accompanying\nit, was conveyed into many lands, and various ambassadors with\nletters and gifts came to his court. Amongst the rest came those of\nMerodach-Baladan[424], king of Babylon, who with their retinue were\nescorted over the royal treasures. For the pride and ostentation with\nwhich he displayed his rich stores, Hezekiah was rebuked by Isaiah,\nwho foretold that a day was coming, when all these treasures would be\ncarried away into the country of the very king whose ambassadors had\nnow come to congratulate him, and that his sons would be compelled to\nserve as eunuchs in the Babylonian court (2 K. xx. 17\u201319).\n\nThe remainder of Hezekiah\u2019s reign appears to have been spent in peace\nand security. His treasury was full; the agricultural resources of\nthe country were developed; various new and useful improvements were\ncarried out in his capital; and on his death, lamented by all Judah and\nJerusalem, he was buried with especial honour _in the chiefest of the\nsepulchres of the sons of David_, B.C. 698 (2 Chr. xxxii. 27\u201333).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n\n _REIGN OF MANASSEH. REFORMS OF JOSIAH._\n 2 KINGS XXI.\u2013XXIII. 2 CHRON. XXXIII.\u2013XXXV. B.C. 698\u2013623.\n\n\nON the death of Hezekiah, his son MANASSEH succeeded to the throne at a\nvery early age, having been born in all probability twelve years before\nhis father\u2019s death, B.C. 710. His mother, whose name was Hephzibah[425]\n(_the delightsome one_, Isai. lxii. 4), was descended from one of the\nprinces of Jerusalem. His own name is remarkable, and was borne by\nno one else in the history of the kingdom of Judah. It is the name of\nthe tribe second only to Ephraim in hostility to Judah, and has been\nsupposed to have been given to him in remembrance of the fond hope of\nhis father to unite the remnants of Manasseh and other northern tribes\nin a common worship and faith[426].\n\nThe accession of this king at the early age of 12 years was the signal\nfor an entire revolution in the religious policy which his father had\nso consistently carried out. It has been suggested that the idolatrous\nparty, which had sided with Ahaz, and had only been repressed during\nthe reign of Hezekiah, now recovered its old ascendancy, and exercised\na baneful influence over the youthful monarch. Whether this was so or\nnot, the spirit of loyalty to Jehovah which Hezekiah had evinced was\nexchanged for a more general adoption of heathen modes of worship than\nhad disfigured even the idolatrous days of Ahaz. Not only were the\nhigh places restored, but the worst enormities of Ahab were introduced\ninto Jerusalem. Altars were erected in honour of Baal and Ashtaroth and\nall the host of heaven, even within the sacred precincts of the Temple\n(2 Chr. xxxiii. 4, 5). The king himself, not _only observed times, and\nused enchantments, and witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit,\nand with wizards_ (2 Chr. xxxiii. 6), but even dedicated some of his\nsons in the fire to Moloch, and slaughtered others (Ez. xxiii. 37\u201339).\nThe cries of human victims offered in honour of this hideous deity\nof the Ammonites re-echoed throughout the valley of Hinnom, and the\nsins of Sodom and Gomorrah were practised with impunity in that city\nwhere Jehovah had said that he would put His Name for ever (2 Chr.\nxxxiii. 4). The consequent moral degeneracy was fearful. The old faith\nwas everywhere neglected and despised. The altar of Jehovah was broken\ndown (2 Chr. xxxiii. 16), even the ark was displaced (2 Chr. xxxv. 3),\nand so systematic was the destruction of the Sacred Books, that fifty\nyears later the discovery of the Book of the Law was an event exciting\nwonder and astonishment (2 K. xxii. 8), while the Sabbath, the sign\nbetween the elect nation and Jehovah, was polluted (Isai. lvi. 2;\nlviii. 13), and under the influence of the king and his idolatrous\nadvisers, the people _did more evil than did the nations whom the Lord\ndestroyed before the children of Israel_ (2 K. xxi. 9).\n\nMeanwhile the voice of the prophets was not hushed. Heedless of the\ndoom they incurred, the Lord\u2019s true servants bore their faithful\ntestimony against the deeds of the king. They predicted the coming\nof such judgments on Judah and Jerusalem, that whoever heard of them,\n_both his ears would tingle_ (2 K. xxi. 12). _The line of Samaria and\nthe plummet of the house of Ahab should be stretched over_ the capital\nof Judah, and it should _be wiped as a man wipeth a dish_, and its\npeople should be _delivered into the hands of their enemies_ (2 K. xxi.\n13, 14). These outspoken rebukes met with their natural reward. It was\nnow, according to the ancient Jewish tradition, that the aged ISAIAH\nwas _sawn asunder_[427], while of other less known but no less faithful\nservants of Jehovah, such numbers were murdered, that the streets of\nJerusalem ran with blood (2 K. xxi. 16).\n\nSuch a policy brought its inevitable punishment. Risings of\nthe Philistines, Moabites, and Ammonites (Zeph. ii. 4\u201315; Jer.\nxlvii.\u2013xlix.), were speedily followed by an invasion of the territory\nof Judah by the Assyrians (2 Chr. xxxiii. 11). The captains of\nEsarhaddon, who had crushed the rebellion of Merodach-Baladan,\ninvested Jerusalem[428], took Manasseh captive, and carried him off to\nBabylon[429], where loaded with fetters he was cast into prison. But\nin the solitude of his dungeon the Jewish king repented of the awful\nwickedness he had committed, and humbled himself greatly before the\nGod of his fathers, who in His infinite mercy listened to his petitions\nfor forgiveness. His defection was pardoned by Esarhaddon[430], and he\nwas permitted to return to Jerusalem (2 Chr. xxxiii. 13). The lessons\nlearnt in captivity were not forgotten by the restored monarch. He set\nhimself to effect so much of a religious reformation as his previous\ncharacter would allow. The worship of Jehovah was renewed, sacrifices\nwere once more offered in His honour, and the heathen altars within\nthe sacred precincts of the Temple were destroyed. But the change was\nnaturally but partial (2 Chr. xxxiii. 17). During his long reign of\n55 years the evil he had done had sunk too deeply to be easily removed.\nThe recollection of the innocent blood he had shed was never forgotten,\nand at his death he was not laid in the sepulchres of the kings, but\n_in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza_, B.C. 643 (2 K.\nxxi. 26).\n\nAMON his son now succeeded to the throne, and, after a short reign of\n2 years, fell a victim to a conspiracy and was slain in his own palace.\nThe people, however, put the conspirators to death, and secured the\nthrone for his son JOSIAH, now only 8 years of age, B.C. 641. Young\nas he was, the new king displayed a remarkable spirit of loyalty to\nJehovah, and surpassed even the best of his predecessors in his zeal\nfor the true faith. In the 12th year of his reign (2 Chr. xxxiv. 3),\nB.C. 629, he commenced a great reform. In Jerusalem itself he removed\nthe altars dedicated to Baal and all the host of heaven, and burnt the\nsymbol of Ashtaroth at the brook Kidron, and the sacred horses that\nhad been dedicated to the Sun. He then commenced a personal tour, not\nonly throughout his own dominions, but throughout Simeon, Ephraim,\nManasseh, and even distant Naphtali (2 Chr. xxxiv. 6). At Bethel he\nvisited Jeroboam\u2019s chapel, and agreeably to the remarkable prophecy\nof the disobedient Prophet, uttered 300 years before[431], broke down\nthe altar and high places that king had set up, exhumed the bones from\nthe sepulchres in the neighbouring mount, and scattered them over the\naltars. A little further, one of the sepulchres attracted his attention,\nand in answer to his enquiries, he learnt that it contained the remains\nof the old prophet of Bethel and his victim the man of God from Judah.\nOn this he directed that the sepulchre should be spared, and the\nvenerable relics carefully preserved (2 K. xxiii. 15\u201319).\n\nReturning to Jerusalem, in the 18th year of his reign he empowered a\nspecial commission to restore the Temple, and to levy contributions\nfor this purpose. In the course of the repairs, Hilkiah the high-priest\nfound a roll containing the Book of the Law, probably the Book of\nDeuteronomy, which he delivered to Shaphan the scribe, or royal\nsecretary. By him portions were read in the ears of the king, who\nstruck with alarm at its awful denunciations, rent his clothes, and\ndirected that the Divine Will should be instantly consulted, that\nthe wrath of heaven might not descend on the apostate nation. The\nHigh-priest and the rest thereupon sought the advice of a prophetess\nnamed HULDAH, the wife of Shallum, keeper of the royal wardrobe, who\nresided in one of the sacred cloisters of the Temple. In reply, she\nassured them that the Divine judgments would certainly be fulfilled,\nnot indeed in the reign of Josiah, whose early piety had found favour\nwith Jehovah, but after he had been gathered to his fathers. This\nanswer was in due course returned to the king, who instantly repaired\nto the Temple, and caused the awful denunciations on idolatry to be\npublicly read in the ears of the assembled people. The effect was very\ngreat. The people, conscience-stricken and appalled, made a solemn\ncovenant, and promised to adhere thenceforward to the worship of the\ntrue God, and agreed to a still more thorough reformation. After a\nrestoration of the ancient Levitical service in the Temple, a national\ncelebration of the Passover was decreed, and was carried out with a\ngrandeur and magnificence exceeding anything that had been seen on any\nformer occasion (2 K. xxiii. 21\u201323).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n\n _DEATH OF JOSIAH. CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH._\n 2 KINGS XXIII. XXIV. 2 CHRON. XXXV. XXXVI. B.C. 623\u2013588.\n\n\nBUT the religious reformations of the pious king could not ward off the\ndestined destruction of his kingdom. At this period the great Assyrian\nempire had considerably declined[432], while the kingdom of Egypt under\na powerful monarch named NECHO[433], had recovered much of its ancient\nglory. This king now resolved to gain possession of Carchemish[434],\nwhich commanded the passage of the Euphrates. From motives which cannot\nbe certainly divined, Josiah resolved to oppose his progress through\nhis own territory, and, in spite of an embassy from the Egyptian\nmonarch begging him not to interfere, drew up his forces at Megiddo,\nand, as though with a presentiment of his doom, disguised himself\nbefore entering into the battle. His fears were verified; struck by\nthe Egyptian archers, he was removed from the field to die before\nhe reached Jerusalem, where he was committed to the grave amidst the\nprofoundest grief of his people, and especially of the prophet JEREMIAH,\nwho composed a funeral elegy over this last and best of the kings of\nJudah, B.C. 610 (2 Chr. xxxv. 25; Lam. iv. 20).\n\nHis son and successor JEHOAHAZ or SHALLUM (Jer. xxii. 11), only held\nthe throne for 3 months. On his return from Carchemish, Necho condemned\nthe land to pay a tribute of 100 talents of silver, and a talent of\ngold, and sending for the new king to Riblah[435] in the land of Hamath,\nput him in bonds, and thence removed him to Egypt, where he died (2 K.\nxxiii. 34). His brother ELIAKIM was now permitted by the Egyptian\nmonarch to ascend the throne, and in obedience to the same authority\nchanged his name to JEHOIAKIM. In the 4th year of his reign, or\nB.C. 606, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, placed by his father Nabopolassar at the\nhead of the Assyrian armies, marched forth to avenge the Egyptian\ninvasion. In a pitched battle at Carchemish (Jer. xlvi. 1\u201313) he\nutterly defeated Pharaoh-Necho, and recovered C\u0153lesyria, Ph\u0153nicia, and\nnorthern Palestine. Then advancing into Jud\u00e6a he drove all who had no\nfenced cities\u2015\u2015and amongst the rest the Rechabites (Jer. xxxv. 11)\u2015\u2015to\nJerusalem, captured that city, placed Jehoiakim in fetters, rifled the\nTemple, and carried off to Babylon some of the sacred vessels, and many\nof the principal Hebrew nobles, including DANIEL and his three friends,\nHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan. i. 1\u20136).\n\nOn promise, however, of faithfulness to his liege lord Jehoiakim was\nsuffered to retain his kingly dignity, at least in name, for 3 years\nlonger. At the close of this period he had the hardihood to try and\nthrow off the yoke, and rebelled against his suzerain. But this only\ninvolved his kingdom in deeper misery[436]. Unable to take the field in\nperson, Nebuchadnezzar sent a numerous force against him from his now\nsubject provinces of Chald\u00e6a and Syria, as well as Moab and Ammon (2 K.\nxxiv. 2). These overran the whole country, and reduced it to the lowest\ndegree of wretchedness and misery.\n\nDuring the period of degradation that now ensued, Jehoiakim, either\nin a contest with some of his many foes, or owing to a rising of his\noppressed subjects, came to a violent end. His body lay ignominiously\nexposed upon the ground, and was buried _with the burial of an ass_,\nwithout pomp or ceremony, _beyond the gates of Jerusalem_, B.C. 599\n(Jer. xxii. 18, 19; xxxvi. 30).\n\nJEHOIACHIN his son, also called JECONIAH and CONIAH, was now placed\nupon the throne (2 Chr. xxxvi. 9), but after a reign of 3 months and\n10 days, Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s army appeared before Jerusalem, and the\nyoung king and his court surrendered at discretion. The Temple was\nagain pillaged of such vessels that yet remained, the king himself,\nthe nobles, and chief artisans were removed to Babylon[437], and none,\nsave the poorest of the population, were left behind (2 K. xxiv. 8\u201316).\n\nMATTANIAH, the uncle of the captive king, was now placed by the\nBabylonian monarch in charge of the exhausted kingdom, and took the\nname of ZEDEKIAH. In defiance of the dictates of common prudence,\nand of the advice of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. xxvii. xxviii.; Comp.\nEzek. xvii. 12\u201321), he was foolish enough to court an alliance with\nPharaoh-Hophra, or Apries, a new and enterprising monarch in Egypt[438].\nInstantly the Babylonian armies were put in motion, and overran all\nJudah, while Jerusalem together with Lachish and Azekah alone held\nout. A temporary delay was caused by an effort of the king of Egypt\nto relieve his ally, and the necessity of first repulsing the Egyptian\nforces. This achieved, the Chald\u00e6ans again presented themselves before\nthe walls of the Holy City, and besieged it for upwards of 16 months.\nThe wretched inhabitants were reduced to the most fearful straits.\nFamine prevailed throughout the city (2 K. xxv. 3); _the tongue of\nthe sucking child clave to the roof of its mouth for thirst, the young\nchildren cried for bread, and no man brake it unto them_ (Lam. iv. 4);\nnobles that had ever before _fed delicately_, searched even _dunghills_\nfor any remnants of food that might be found (Lam. iv. 5); and mothers\n_boiled their own children_ (Lam. iv. 10). The Lord at last poured upon\nthe city the cup of His fierce anger for all its iniquities, and its\nDay of Doom was come. At length the Chald\u00e6an armies effected a breach\nin the strong walls, and made their way into the city. With a few of\nhis troops Zedekiah effected his escape to Jericho, but was pursued,\ncaptured, and sent to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. Judgment was then\npassed upon him (2 K. xxv. 6), and his sons having first been put to\ndeath before his face, his eyes were thrust out[439], and laden with\nfetters he was removed to Babylon, B.C. 588.\n\nPunishment having thus been inflicted on the king, Nebuzar-adan,\nan officer high in the confidence of the Babylonian monarch, was\ndispatched to Jerusalem, to carry out the complete destruction of\nthe city. By his orders, the Temple, the royal palace, the houses of\nthe wealthy, were set on fire; the walls were broken down; the sacred\nvessels of the once glorious House of Jehovah were plundered; the\nbrazen pillars were broken up; the chief priests were put to death;\nand the rest with the greater part of the inhabitants were removed\nto Babylon. A scanty remnant was permitted to remain in their native\nland to be _vine-dressers and husbandmen_ (Jer. lii. 16), under the\nsuperintendence of GEDALIAH, who with a Chald\u00e6an guard (Jer. xl. 1,\n2, 5) was stationed at Mizpeh[440] (2 K. xxv. 23; Jer. xl. 6), a strong\nfortress 6 miles north of Jerusalem. Declining the offer of a retreat\nat Babylon, Jeremiah resolved to share the lot of this miserable\nremnant in his own land (Jer. xl. 6). But even the late terrible\nmisfortunes could not calm the spirit of faction. Gedaliah was\nassassinated under circumstances of revolting treachery by ISHMAEL,\na man of royal blood, together with some of the Chald\u00e6an guard (See\n2 K. xxv. 25; Jer. xli. 1\u201310). Johanan, one of the captains of the\narmy of Judah, who had in vain warned Gedaliah of his danger (Jer.\nxl. 13\u201316), gathered a force and pursued the assassin as far as\nGibeon, but he effected his escape beyond Jordan to the country of\nthe Ammonites (Jer. xli. 15). Then the little remnant of Jews, fearful\nof the vengeance of the Babylonian monarch, contrary to the advice of\nJeremiah (Jer. xlii. 7\u201322), fled into Egypt, and after first settling\nat Tahpanhes (Jer. xliii. 7), were scattered throughout the country\nat Migdol, Noph, and Pathros (Jer. xliv. 1), whither also Jeremiah\naccompanied them, to share their fortunes and to die[441].\n\n\n\n\n BOOK XI.\n\n FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE CLOSE OF THE CANON.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER I.\n\n _DANIEL AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR._\n DAN. I.\u2013III. B.C. CIRC. 606\u2013570.\n\n\n\u201cNothing,\u201d it has been remarked, \u201ccould present a more striking\ncontrast to their native country than the region into which the Hebrews\nwere now transplanted. Instead of their irregular and picturesque\nmountain-city, crowning its unequal heights, and looking down into\nits deep and precipitous ravines, through one of which a scanty\nstream wound along, they entered the vast, square, and level city of\nBabylon, occupying both sides of the broad Euphrates; while all around\nspread immense plains, which were intersected by long straight canals,\nbordered by rows of willows. How unlike their national temple\u2015\u2015a small\nbut highly finished and richly adorned fabric, standing in the midst\nof its courts on the brow of a lofty precipice\u2015\u2015the colossal temple\nof the Chald\u00e6an Bel, rising from the plain, with its eight stupendous\nstories or towers, one above the other, to the perpendicular height\nof a furlong! The palace of the Babylonian king was more than twice\nthe size of their whole city: it covered eight miles, with its hanging\ngardens built on arched terraces, each rising above the other, and rich\nin all the luxuriance of artificial cultivation. How different from\nthe sunny cliffs of their own land, where the olive and the vine grew\nspontaneously, and the cool, shady, and secluded valleys, where they\ncould always find shelter from the heat of the burning noon! No wonder,\nthen, that in the pathetic words of their own hymn, _By the waters\nof Babylon they sat down and wept, when they remembered thee, O\nZion_[442]\u201d (Ps. cxxxvii. 1).\n\nThus far removed from their native land, amidst a strange people and\nstrange rites, and exposed to all the influences of contact with their\nconquerors, we might, in the usual order of things, have expected that\nthe Jews would have ceased to remain a nation at all. But with them it\nwas not thus to be. The ten tribes, indeed, are never heard of more,\nbut the remnant of Judah and Benjamin in Babylonia so far from blending\nits national life with that of its conquerors, remained a separate\npeople, and preserved its national institutions. We shall very much\nmisunderstand their condition, if we suppose that the Jews became\nbondsmen or serfs[443]. They were \u201ccolonists rather than captives;\u201d\nthey received grants of land, agricultural or pastoral, out of the\nconquered territories at the disposal of Nebuchadnezzar; and so\nvaluable were their services considered that not a few rose to high\neminence (Dan. ii. 48), and held confidential positions next to the\nperson of the sovereign. While, moreover, they increased in numbers and\nwealth, they retained an internal jurisdiction over their own members;\nthey kept up amongst themselves distinctions of rank; they preserved\ntheir genealogies (Neh. vii. 5, 6, 64); and although from the absence\nof any common centre of worship they could only observe the Mosaic\nLaw in part[444], still they retained the rite of circumcision, the\ndistinction of meats, and other points (Comp. Dan. i. 8; Esth. iii. 8).\nNor did the Providence, which had hitherto watched over them, fail\nthem in the land of exile. The voice of Prophecy, so far from being\nhushed, now swelled into louder strains. While JEREMIAH[445] warned\nand exhorted them at the outset of this sad period in their history,\nEZEKIEL did not fail for 30 years to carry on the same work in the land\nof exile itself, while another and one of the most illustrious of their\nnumber rose to the very highest position, and proved the \u201cMoses of the\nCaptivity,\u201d and the fourth of the greater Prophets.\n\nIn the fourth year of Jehoiakim, B.C. 606, as we have already seen[446],\nNebuchadnezzar had ordered the Chief of the Eunuchs to remove to\nBabylon certain select youths of royal descent, who from their talents\nseemed likely to be of service in his court. Of these one was DANIEL,\napparently of the blood royal (Dan. i. 3), and gifted with no common\ntalents (Dan. i. 4). With three other companions of the tribe of Judah,\nHANANIAH, MISHAEL, and AZARIAH, he was removed to the Babylonian court,\nand there trained for the king\u2019s service in _the learning and language\nof the Chald\u00e6ans_ (Dan. i. 4). Moreover, in accordance with a common\ncustom, his name was changed, and he and his three companions were\nnow known as BELTESHAZZAR, SHADRACH, MESHACH, and ABEDNEGO. During\nthe three years of their training they were not forgetful of the Law\nand Religion of their fathers, and with unusual firmness of character\ndeclined to partake of the daily allowance of meat and wine supplied\nthem from the royal table, either probably because it was ceremonially\nunclean, or had been offered in sacrifice to the Assyrian gods.\nPreferring to live on the simplest fare, they yet proved as comely and\nwell-favoured as though they had been fed on the rarest dainties, and\nwhen brought before Nebuchadnezzar were pronounced to excel in wisdom\nand knowledge the wisest men in his empire, and were rewarded with high\npositions about his court (Dan. i. 15).\n\nWhile they were thus employed, a remarkable circumstance took place.\nNebuchadnezzar dreamt a dream, which exceedingly troubled his spirit.\nSummoning the magi and astrologers, he demanded that it should be\ninstantly interpreted. They promised the interpretation, if they might\nbe told the dream. But though this had escaped the monarch\u2019s memory, he\nreiterated his command; and when told that to obey it was impossible,\nissued an edict commanding the instant destruction of all the wise\nmen throughout his realms. This despotic order was made known to\nDaniel by Arioch the \u201ccaptain of the executioners,\u201d who was charged\nto see it carried out. The Jewish exile instantly sought an audience\nwith the monarch, and having succeeded in gaining time for a fuller\nconsideration, summoned his three friends, who with fervent prayer to\nHIM, \u201cfrom whom no secrets are hid,\u201d besought a revelation of the dream.\nTheir prayers were heard, and at a second audience Daniel disclosed the\nVision of the Night. _The monarch had beheld a great Image, the form of\nwhich was terrible. The head was of fine gold, the breast and the arms\nof silver, the belly and sides of brass, the legs of iron, the feet\npartly iron and partly clay. The excellent brightness of this Image\nthe monarch had watched, till he suddenly saw a stone cut out of a\nmountain without hands smite the feet of the Image till it broke in\npieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, while\nthe stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth._ Such was\nthe Vision which Daniel then proceeded to interpret. \u201cThe king himself\nwas this head of gold. To him the God of heaven had given a kingdom,\npower, and strength, and glory. After him should arise another kingdom\ninferior to his; after that a third kingdom of brass, which should bear\nrule over all the earth; to which would succeed a fourth kingdom strong\nas iron, breaking in pieces and subduing all things. That kingdom,\nwith its feet and toes, part of iron and part of clay, would be partly\nstrong and partly brittle, and its subjects would mingle themselves\nwith the seed of men, but they would not cleave one to another, even as\niron is not mixed with clay, and would make room for another kingdom,\nwhich God Himself would set up, to break in pieces and consume all the\nprevious kingdoms, and itself stand for ever[447]\u201d (Dan. ii. 36\u201345).\n\nThe great Babylonian monarch was profoundly affected by this proof of\nsuperhuman knowledge. He fell down on his face and worshipped Daniel;\ncommanded that _an oblation and sweet odours_ should be offered unto\nhim; bestowed on him costly presents, and made him viceroy over the\nwhole province of Babylon, and supreme over all the wise men of his\nempire. In the hour of his prosperity Daniel did not forget his three\ncompanions. By his intercession similar honours were bestowed upon them,\nwhile he himself retained the pre-eminence _in the gate of the king_\n(Dan. ii. 46\u201349).\n\nThough on this memorable occasion the new viceroy had been\npre-eminently faithful to the God of his fathers, and by his ascription\nof all his wisdom to a higher Power, had made the great monarch\nhe served acknowledge that there was a God of gods and Lord of lords,\nthe lesson does not seem to have made a very lasting impression\non Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s mind. In the vast empire he had won by his\narms there were many different nations, with different gods, and\ndifferent modes of worship. Over all he was supreme, and with the\ntrue feeling of an Oriental despot it seemed to him only right that\nthey should all acknowledge his chief deity. This was the great Bel,\nor Bel-Merodach[448], \u201cthe supreme chief of the gods,\u201d \u201cthe king of\nthe heavens and the earth,\u201d the Jupiter of the Babylonian Pantheon. It\nwas possibly an image of this god[449], 60 cubits high and 6 broad, and\noverlaid with golden plates[450], which he now proceeded to set up on\nthe plain of Dura, with the command that at the sound of instruments\nof music, all his subjects, from the highest to the lowest, should\nfall down and worship it, on penalty of being flung into a burning\nfiery furnace (Dan. iii. 5, 6).\n\nIn accordance with this edict, all the officers of the court of\nBabylon, and the governors of the different provinces who had been\nsummoned to assist at the ceremony, flocked to the plain of Dura, and\nwith one consent, as soon as the music sounded, prostrated themselves\nbefore the great dumb image which their lord had set up. But Daniel\u2019s\nthree friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in this hour of trial\nremained faithful to the religion of their fathers, neither falling\ndown nor worshipping with the rest. This act of disobedience to their\nmaster was quickly perceived by many of the native Chald\u00e6ans, who\nwere already filled with jealousy at the elevation of the exiles, and\nthey were not slow in reporting it to Nebuchadnezzar. On hearing it,\nthat monarch\u2019s wrath knew no bounds. He summoned them before him; he\nreiterated the command he had already issued; he warned them that in\nspite of their high position they should certainly suffer the penalty\nof their disobedience. But his words were wasted. These three mighty\nones in \u201cthe noble army of martyrs\u201d replied that they were not careful\nto answer him in this matter; their God could, if such was His will,\ndeliver them from the fiery furnace, and even if He did not, they would\nnot serve the monarch\u2019s god, or bow before the Image he had set up\n(Dan. iii. 16\u201318).\n\nThis outspoken refusal filled Nebuchadnezzar with still greater fury.\n_The form of his visage was changed_, he bade _the furnace be heated\nseven times more than it was wont to be heated_, and ordered the\nmightiest captains in his army to bind the three, and fling them into\nthe fire. His words were obeyed, but at the cost of the lives of his\ncaptains, who fell victims to their zeal, being caught by the raging\nflames. Moreover, when he looked to see the three martyrs speedily\nreduced to ashes, behold they were observed _loose, walking_ unscathed\nin the midst of the fire, accompanied by a Celestial Being, in whom\nthe monarch discerned none other than a \u201cSon of God!\u201d Thereupon he drew\nnear to the mouth of the furnace, and bade his intended victims come\nforth. And they came forth, and on their bodies, as all attested, the\nfire was seen to have _had no power, neither was a hair of their head\nsinged, neither had the smell of fire passed over them_. Filled with\nadmiration for their heroic faith, the monarch issued a decree that\nall men, far and wide, throughout his empire should revere the God of\nthese Hebrews, and that every people, nation, or language that spake\nword against their God, should _be cut in pieces, and their houses made\na dunghill_ (Dan. iii. 29).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER II.\n\n _REIGNS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR, BELSHAZZAR, AND DARIUS._\n DAN. IV.\u2013VI. B.C. 570\u2013538.\n\n\nTHOUGH from the incident just recorded Nebuchadnezzar had learnt to\nknow the greatness of the God of Israel, a still sterner lesson was\nneeded to teach him his own position in reference to the Most High. He\nwas by far the greatest of the Babylonian monarchs. His name was known,\nhis power was dreaded throughout the entire Eastern world. He was the\nconqueror of Syria, of Ph\u0153nicia, of Tyre, of Palestine. He was the\nadorner and beautifier of his native land. He built noble cities; he\nraised stately temples; he renovated, fortified, almost rebuilt Babylon;\nhe constructed quays and breakwaters[451], reservoirs, canals, and\naqueducts on a scale of grandeur and magnificence surpassing everything\nof the kind recorded in history[452]. Perhaps no single man ever left\nbehind him as his memorial, one-half the amount of building which was\nerected by this king. The palace he built for himself in Babylon with\nits triple walls, its hanging gardens, its plated pillars, was regarded\nin his day as one of the wonders of the world, while even at the\npresent hour[453] it is his name which is stamped upon well-nigh every\nbrick found amidst the ruins of his capital. Amidst all this earthly\ngrandeur he had grown and become strong; _his greatness reached unto\nheaven, and his dominion to the end of the earth_. Inflated with\npride, he became a god unto himself, and knew not that he was but an\ninstrument in the hand of Him, _who ruleth in the kingdom of men, and\ngiveth it to whomsoever He will_ (Dan. iv. 17).\n\nThis was the lesson he had now to learn, and he learned it on this wise.\nOne night he dreamed a dream which none of his wise men could interpret.\nDaniel, therefore, was once more summoned before him, and listened\nwhile the monarch revealed the Vision of the Night. _I saw_, he said,\n_and behold a Tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof\nwas great, reaching unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to the end\nof all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit much, and\nthe beasts of the field had shadow under it, the fowls of heaven dwelt\nin the boughs thereof, and all flesh fed of it. And, behold! there came\ndown from heaven a Watcher and a Holy One, who cried out, Hew down the\nTree, and cut off his branches, but leave the stump of his roots in\nthe earth, even with a band of iron and brass, and let it be wet with\nthe dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts, and let\nhis heart be changed from man\u2019s, and let a beast\u2019s heart be given him,\nand let seven times pass over him._ Such was the Vision. What was the\ninterpretation? Daniel did not disguise it from the monarch. \u201cThe Tree\nwas no other than himself. For him there was a great trial in store.\nA day was near, when he would be cast down from his place of power,\nwould be driven from the society of men, would have his dwelling with\nthe beasts of the field, until seven times had passed over him and he\nrevived and knew for a truth that not he, but the Most High ruled in\nthe kingdom of heaven, and gave dominion and power to whomsoever He\nwould\u201d (Dan. iv. 1\u201327).\n\nThus a warning was given him, but it was disregarded. Nebuchadnezzar\ndid not, as Daniel bade, _break off his sins by righteousness, and his\niniquities by shewing mercy to the poor_. Twelve months afterwards he\nwas walking in that glorious palace which he had made for himself, and\nin a moment of overweening pride he cried, _Is not this great Babylon,\nthat I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power,\nand for the honour of my majesty?_ The words had hardly been spoken,\nwhen his doom came upon him. The thick pall of madness[454] settled\ndown upon him; the mind of a man departed from him, and that of a beast\nentered in. Casting off his robes, he refused the food and habitation\nof men; mingling with the cattle in the fields, he remained exposed to\nthe weather day and night, _till his hair was grown as eagles\u2019 feathers,\nand his nails like birds\u2019 claws_[455] (Dan. iv. 33).\n\nMeanwhile, as seems most probable, his queen Nitocris administered his\nkingdom, and at length, after an interval of four, or perhaps seven\nyears, as he did not scruple to declare in a proclamation addressed to\nhis people, he came to himself. His understanding came back to him; he\nlifted up his eyes to heaven, and blessed the Most High, and praised\nand honoured Him that liveth for ever. With his reason, the glory also\nof his kingdom returned. His counsellors and his lords sought him and\nbrought him back to his palace, _and excellent majesty was added unto\nhim_. Resuming his great works which had been suspended, he \u201cadded\nfresh wonders in his old age to the marvellous constructions of his\nmanhood,\u201d and after a reign of 43 years died, B.C. 561, at the advanced\nage of 83 or 84, and was succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach. Shortly\nafter his accession the new king released JEHOIACHIN, king of Judah,\nfrom the prison where he had been confined for 38 years, set his throne\nabove the throne of the other captive princes at Babylon, and gave\nhim a daily allowance from the royal table (2 Kings xxv. 27\u201330). But\nin the course of one or two years he was assassinated, and one of\nthe conspirators, Neriglissar or Nerigassolassar usurped the throne,\nB.C. 559, and held the government for 3 years and a half, bequeathing\nit to his son Laborosoarchod, B.C. 556. In the course of nine months,\nhe was succeeded by Nabonadius[456], or Labynetus, B.C. 555.\n\nMeanwhile the neighbouring kingdom of Media had been the scene of\na great revolution, in which Babylon eventually became involved.\nMandane a daughter of Astyages, who mounted the Median throne B.C. 595,\nmarried Cambyses, a Persian of the royal family of the Ach\u00e6menid\u00e6, and\nbecame the mother of CYRUS _the Great_[457]. Alienated by his tyranny\nand wearying of his rule a large body of the subjects of Astyages\ntransferred their affections to this prince, who heading a revolt,\ndefeated and captured the Median king near Pasargad\u00e6, B.C. 559, and\nobtained the supremacy over the combined Medo-Persic empire. At first\nthe conqueror did not march against Babylon, and Nabonadius formed an\nalliance with Cr\u0153sus king of Lydia, and employed himself diligently\nin strengthening his capital, storing up provisions, and erecting\ndefensive works.\n\nBut Cyrus gained a complete victory over the Lydian king B.C. 546, and\nat the end of about six years appeared before Babylon. After a single\nengagement he drove the Babylonians within their defences (Jer. li. 30),\nand commenced a regular siege. At this time Nabonadius does not appear\nto have been present in his capital, having fled to Borsippa after\nthe late engagement. But he left behind him a son whom he had a few\nyears before admitted to a share in the government[458]. This was\n_Bil-shar-uzar_, the _Belshazzar_ of the Scripture narrative. This\nprince made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, his wives\nand concubines, and high estates of the realm, in the midst of which,\nheated with wine, he commanded that all the gold and silver vessels,\nwhich his grandfather[459] Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the plunder\nof Jerusalem, should be brought forth, and from them the assembled\nguests drank in honour of their various gods. But in the midst of their\nfestivities the Fingers of a Man\u2019s Hand were seen to write mysterious\nwords on the plaister of the palace wall. Instantly all the brightness\nof Belshazzar\u2019s countenance vanished, _his thoughts troubled him,\nhis knees smote one against another_. With loud voice he bade the\nastrologers and soothsayers be brought before him, and promised honour,\nplace, and power to any that would interpret the mystic words. But\nthis none of the wise men of his realm could do. Amidst the alarm and\nconfusion, the Queen-mother now entered, and advised that they should\nconsult Daniel, who seems at this time to have been living in close\nretirement. Accordingly he was brought in, and after declining all the\nmonarch\u2019s promised rewards, sternly rebuked him, for that though he\nknew all that his grandfather\u2019s pride had brought down upon him, he\nhad yet lifted up himself against the Lord of Heaven, and in impious\ntriumph profaned the sacred vessels once dedicated to that God who\nnow had sent him this message, MENE, _God hath numbered thy kingdom\nand finished it_; TEKEL, _thou art weighed in the balances and found\nwanting_; PERES, _thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes\nand Persians_ (Dan. v. 25\u201328). That very night the Prophet\u2019s words\nwere fulfilled. Having diverted the course of the Euphrates, Cyrus\nassaulted the city from the dry bed of the river, captured it, and\nslew Belshazzar, B.C. 538, thus fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah\n(xxi. 9; xlv. 1) and Jeremiah (li. 31\u201339).\n\nHastening on to other conquests, Cyrus entrusted the captured city\nto a viceroy[460], known in Scripture as _Darius the Mede_[461].\nHe signalized his accession to power by setting over the kingdom of\nBabylon Proper, either as a body of councillors or provincial governors,\n120 princes, subject to the authority of three presidents, of whom\nDaniel, now far advanced in life, was chief (Dan. vi. 2). Old and\ngrey-headed, he still remained faithful to the God of his fathers. And\nnow moved with jealousy at his elevation, the other nobles resolved\nto compass his ruin. Unable to accuse him of any failure in the\nadministration of the kingdom, they persuaded Darius to pass an\nirrevocable decree, like the law of the Medes and Persians, ordaining\nthat for a space of 30 days no one should offer up any petition to\nany god or man save to the monarch himself, on penalty of being flung\ninto a den of lions. This decree Daniel regarded not; steadfast in the\nreligion of his fathers, he opened the windows of his chamber towards\nJerusalem, and three times a-day, as had been his wont, offered up his\nprayers to his God. The nobles now had the opportunity they had coveted,\nand they reported his conduct to the king. Sorely against his will,\nand after fruitless efforts to deliver him from their malice, Darius\nbade the sentence be executed. The aged prophet was flung into the den,\nthe mouth thereof was closed, and sealed with the royal signet, and\nthe signet of the lords and princes. Fasting and sleepless the monarch\npassed the night, neither were instruments of music brought before\nhim. Rising early in the morning he sought out the lions\u2019 den, and to\nhis great joy found that Jehovah had protected His faithful servant,\nhad sent His angel, and shut the lions\u2019 mouths. Thereupon he ordered\nhim to be brought forth, and then issued instructions for the immediate\nexecution of his accusers, who, according to the cruel but usual\nOriental custom, were with their wives and children flung into the\nden and torn in pieces. Not content with this, he proclaimed that\nthroughout his vast empire adoration should be paid to the God of\nDaniel, _the living God, steadfast for ever, who worketh signs and\nwonders in heaven, and hath delivered His servant from the power of\nthe lions_ (Dan. vi. 27).\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER III.\n\n _REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. ESTHER AND AHASUERUS._\n EZRA I.\u2013IV. ESTHER I.\u2013X. B.C. 536\u2013479.\n\n\nAT the time when Cyrus thus became the ruler of an empire greater even\nthan Assyria itself, seventy[462] years had elapsed since the capture\nof Jerusalem in the reign of Jehoiakim (Dan. ix. 1, 2). The prosperity\nhe had already enjoyed under so many sovereigns Daniel still retained\nunder the new monarch, and it was probably through his influence that\nin the first year of his reign, or B.C. 536, Cyrus issued a decree\ngiving permission to the Jews to return to their native land and\nrebuild their Temple. To aid them in so doing he restored to them the\nsacred vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem, and\ninstructed the pashas throughout the various provinces to afford them\nevery facility for their return (Ezra i. 1\u20136).\n\nThe majority, however, of the Jews who had for years been comfortably\nsettled in the land of exile, and had there risen to affluence and high\npositions, preferred to retain their settlements[463], and only 42,360\nattended by 7,337 servants were found willing to return to their native\nland. Over this body ZERUBBABEL, the head of the house of Judah, and\ngrandson of King Jehoiachin, was invested with the supreme authority.\nHe had held some office in the Babylonian court, and had received the\nChald\u00e6an name of Sheshbazzar. Appointed by Cyrus to the governorship of\nJerusalem, and accompanied by the high-priest JESHUA, and possibly the\nprophets HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH, with copious presents of silver and gold\n(Ezr. i. 7\u201311), he set out at the head of the returning colonists and\nbefore long reached Jerusalem[464].\n\nSeven months after their return, the Altar of Burnt-sacrifice was\nre-erected on its ancient site, and the priests and Levites offered\nburnt-offerings and sacrifices. This done, preparations were made by\nthe _Prince of the Captivity_ for his great work, the rebuilding of the\nTemple. A grant of money for this purpose having been already received\nfrom Cyrus, cedar trees were brought from Lebanon to Joppa; masons and\ncarpenters were hired; and in the 2nd month of the 2nd year of their\nreturn, the foundations of the second Temple were laid, with all the\npomp and ceremonial that circumstances admitted. _The priests in their\napparel with trumpets, the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals_\n(Ezr. iii. 10, 11), sang the same Psalms, to the sound of which the\nfirst Temple had been dedicated, and the people responded with a\ngreat shout, which, however, was well-nigh drowned by the sobs and\nlamentations of many, especially the older men, who had beheld the\nglories of the former Temple.\n\nBut the good work was not to proceed unopposed. Informed of their\ndesign, the Samaritans requested to be allowed some share in its\npromotion. This Zerubbabel and Jeshua unwisely rejected, and the\nSamaritans thereupon exhausted every artifice to prevent the completion\nof the work. After putting them to various other annoyances, they hired\ncounsellors to misrepresent them at the court of Persia, and eventually\nsucceeded in preventing any further progress during the reign of Cyrus,\nand of his successors Cambyses and Smerdis, B.C. 525\u2013521 (Ezr. iv.\n11\u201324).\n\nBut in the second year of Darius Hystaspes, B.C. 520, the stirring\nwords of the prophets HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH (Hag. i. 1\u20138; Zech. i. 1\u20136)\nroused once more the spirits of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and a fresh and\ndetermined effort was made to complete the work. The Persian satraps\nof the province, Tatnai and Shetharboznai, came to Jerusalem, and after\nan inspection of the work applied to the Persian court for instructions\nwhether it was to be permitted to go on (Ezr. v. 6\u201317). Darius caused\nthe archives at Ecbatana to be searched, and at length the original\ndecree of Cyrus being discovered, he reissued it, and at the same time\ncommanded the Persian satraps instead of offering any molestation to\nthe Jewish colony, to promote the work to the utmost of their power\n(Ezr. vi. 5\u201313). Thus aided, the Jews pressed forward with such vigour\nthat, in the 8th year of the reign of Darius, the Temple was completed\nand ready for dedication, B.C. 516. This ceremony was performed with\nevery solemnity, numerous sacrifices were offered, the priests were\nredistributed into courses, and the Passover was celebrated with great\nrejoicings (Ezr. vi. 15\u201322).\n\nDuring the remainder of the long reign of Darius, the Jews enjoyed\na continuance of peace and tranquillity. But in the year B.C. 485,\nAHASUERUS[465], the XERXES of profane history, ascended the Persian\nthrone. When he had reigned three years, this capricious despot made a\nfeast for all his nobles at Susa, and on the seventh day of the revels\nordered Vashti his queen to grace the banquet with her presence. With\na due concern for her own dignity the queen declined, which so enraged\nher lord that he issued a decree deposing her from her royal station,\nand ordering a general levy of beautiful virgins, that he might select\nfrom them a new queen (Esth. ii. 1\u20134). At this time there was living\nat Susa a Jew named Mordecai, of the tribe of Benjamin (Esth. ii. 5).\nHaving no child of his own, he had adopted his cousin HADASSAH or\nESTHER, a beautiful orphan. Together with the other virgins she was\nbrought into the royal harem, and found such favour with the monarch\nthat in the seventh year of his reign, without enquiring into her\nkindred or people, he ordered her to be crowned in place of the deposed\nqueen (Esth. iii. 16).\n\nBy virtue of his relationship Mordecai, too, shared in the prosperity\nof his niece, and became one of those who _sat in the king\u2019s gate_\n(Esth. ii. 41). In this capacity he discovered a plot of the eunuchs to\nassassinate the king, which he duly divulged, and they were executed,\nwhile a record of his services was entered in the royal chronicles. But\nMordecai had a rival for the royal favour in the person of HAMAN, an\nAgagite, _i.e._ probably a descendant of the ancient Amalekite kings.\nRapidly outstripping all his other competitors, the new favourite was\nadvanced to the highest position in the kingdom, and was treated with\nthe utmost reverence by everyone, save Mordecai only. Stung to the\nquick at this slight, and having discovered the secret of his rival\u2019s\nlineage, Haman resolved to strike a blow against the nation to which\nMordecai belonged. Accordingly he represented to his royal master\nthat the Jews, scattered and dispersed throughout the provinces of\nhis empire, were a dangerous and turbulent race, of alien habits and\nreligion, who ought to be put to death; and from the confiscation of\ntheir property he promised to place in the royal coffers upwards of\n10,000 talents of silver. The prospect of so large an increase to his\ndilapidated fortunes was eagerly favoured by the reckless despot, and\nassenting to the cruel scheme, he placed his signet-ring in the hands\nof Haman, who quickly saw that a decree was issued for the wholesale\ndestruction of the Jewish exiles throughout the Persian dominions,\nwithout regard to sex or age (Esth. iii. 8\u201315).\n\nNews of what was designed before long reached the ears of Mordecai.\nKnowing that he himself was the main cause of this bloodthirsty decree,\nhe was filled with the utmost alarm, and sat down arrayed in sackcloth\nand ashes at the king\u2019s gate. His strange conduct being reported to\nEsther, she sent to her relative to ascertain the cause, and then for\nthe first time learnt the contents of Haman\u2019s edict. In this awful\ncrisis she resolved to _put her life in her hand_, and to intercede\nwith the king in behalf of her people. Meanwhile, at her suggestion,\nall the Jews at Susa maintained for three days a solemn fast, and then,\narrayed in her royal apparel, and radiant in her beauty, she presented\nherself before the king. The captivated monarch stretched forth the\ngolden sceptre, and invited her to prefer her petition. Let the king\nand Haman, she begged, come to a banquet of wine. They came, but\ndeclining to make known her petition for the present, she invited the\ntwo to a similar feast on the following day (Esth. v. 8).\n\nOverjoyed at these special marks of honour, Haman eagerly recounted\nthem to his wife and family, but declared that they availed him nothing\nso long as his rival was permitted to retain his place at the king\u2019s\ngate. They, therefore, advised that a gallows 50 cubits high should\nbe erected, and that he should request the king\u2019s permission to hang\nMordecai thereon. But that night, the monarch, unable to sleep, ordered\ncertain of the chronicles to be read before him, and now for the first\ntime learnt the service the Jewish exile had rendered by revealing\nthe plot against his own life. In answer to his enquiries, he had just\nascertained that no mark of the royal approval had been bestowed upon\nhis benefactor, when Haman entered the court in the early morning to\nrequest that execution might be carried out upon his hated rival. The\nking enquired what ought to be done to the man he delighted to honour.\nImagining that none but himself could be intended, the favourite\nsuggested that he should be clad in royal apparel, crowned with the\nking\u2019s diadem, and mounted on the royal mule, be conducted through the\nstreets of Susa by one of the king\u2019s most noble friends. The monarch\napproved, and bade him straightway confer all these marks of honour on\nno other than Mordecai. Not daring to disobey, he arrayed his rival in\nthe gorgeous robes of the king, and conducted him through the streets\nof the city. Then with a heavy heart he returned home, and recounted\nto his family the strange events of the day. A presentiment of coming\ndoom came over his relatives, but a hasty summons to the royal banquet\ncut short their deliberations. For the second time the monarch desired\nto learn the queen\u2019s petition, and Esther now revealed the danger of\nher nation, and denounced the wicked conspirator. Filled with wrath\nAhasuerus ordered his instant execution, and at the suggestion of one\nof the eunuchs he was hanged on the very gallows he had constructed for\nhis rival (Esth. vii. 7\u201310).\n\nBut the execution of Haman was but a step in Mordecai\u2019s designs for the\ndelivery of his nation. The edict for the massacre was still in force,\nand couriers had already gone forth with it to the various provinces\nof the empire. Its revocation was forbidden by Persian law, but a\nsecond edict empowered the Jews to assume the defensive against their\nadversaries, of whom, banding themselves together, they slew 800 at\nSusa (Esth. ix. 6, 15), and 75,000 in the various provinces, while\nHaman\u2019s ten sons shared their father\u2019s fate (Esth. ix. 12, 16). In\nmemory of this signal deliverance the Jews to this day celebrate the\nFeast of PURIM or _Lots_, in ironical commemoration of their great\nenemy, who had resorted to this mode of augury for ascertaining an\nauspicious day for executing his bloody design against their nation.\nPreceded by a strict fast on the 13th of Adar[466], the festival is\ncelebrated on the 14th and 15th with great rejoicings. According to\nmodern usage the book of Esther is read in the Synagogue, and when\nthe reader comes to the name of Haman, the entire assembly shout, _Let\nhis name be blotted out, let the name of the ungodly perish_; and the\nconclusion of the service is followed by feasting and merriment.\n\n\n\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n\n _TIMES OF EZRA AND NEHEMIAH. CLOSE OF THE CANON._\n EZRA VII.\u2013X. NEH. I.\u2013XIII. B.C. 457\u2013415.\n\n\nIN the year B.C. 464 Artaxerxes Longimanus succeeded to the Persian\nthrone. His reign was favourable to the Jews, and was signalised, B.C.\n458, by a fresh migration to Jerusalem headed by EZRA, a descendant\nof Hilkiah the high-priest in the time of Josiah. A royal ordinance\nempowered him not only to receive contributions from his own nation\nscattered throughout Babylonia for the adornment of the Temple at\nJerusalem, but also to establish magistrates and judges throughout\nall Judea, and to claim assistance from the various pashas of the\nprovinces through which he would pass (Ezr. vii. 11\u201326). Thus aided and\nencouraged, Ezra persuaded about 6,000 of his countrymen to take part\nin this second migration, amongst whom were many of the priesthood,\nboth of the higher and lower orders. After a fast of three days at the\nriver Ahava[467], to supplicate the Divine blessing on the enterprise,\nthe expedition set out, and, though not escorted by a royal guard,\nreached Jerusalem in safety (\u2666Ezra viii. 32).\n\nEzra was well received by the Jewish governors, but was pained to\nfind much to blame in the conduct of his countrymen. Forgetful of\nthe commands of the Law, they had in many instances intermarried with\nthe surrounding heathen tribes. He therefore devoted himself with all\nzeal to the correction of these abuses; proclaimed a fast by way of\natonement for past transgressions, and succeeded in inducing many to\nput away their strange wives. At the same time he commenced a more\ncomplete reorganization of the people according to the Mosaic Law and\nthe institutes of David, and, it is not improbable, a revision and\nrearrangement of the sacred Books (Ezra x. 1\u201317).\n\nBut though the Persian monarchs had not been unwilling to render aid\nin the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, their policy had hitherto\nforbidden the re-erection of the city itself, which still lay exposed\nand defenceless, _its walls broken down and its gates burned with fire_\n(Neh. i. 3), the Temple, and a few private dwellings, being the sole\nresult of 80 years of effort. In the 20th year, however, of Artaxerxes,\nor B.C. 444, there arrived at Shusan a deputation from Jerusalem, with\na sad account of the condition of the city, which they laid before\nNEHEMIAH, a Jew, probably of the tribe of Judah, who held a high\nposition amongst the royal cup-bearers. Nehemiah instantly conceived\nthe patriotic design of quitting the comforts of his present position,\nand aiding his countrymen in their difficulties. With fasting and\nprayer he sought the blessing of the Most High on his design, and\nshortly afterwards, in reply to the enquiries of the king _why his\ncountenance was so sad_, poured forth the deep desire of his heart, and\nbegged that he might be allowed to go to Judea, and rebuild the city of\nhis fathers. Artaxerxes consented[468], on condition that he returned\nwithin a certain period; and having appointed him Tirshatha or governor\nof Judea, gave him letters to the pashas of the provinces through\nwhich he would pass, as also to Asaph the keeper of the royal forests,\ndirecting him to supply timber and other necessaries for the work\n(Neh. ii. 1\u20138).\n\nThus empowered and guarded by a troop of cavalry, Nehemiah set out\non his journey. On his arrival at Jerusalem he for three days kept\nsilence as to his intentions, but after a midnight survey of the ruined\ncondition of the city, openly proclaimed the purport of his visit, and\nthe royal commission under which he was acting. He advised the instant\nrebuilding of the city walls, till which was done the colony could not\nbut be a reproach to the surrounding tribes, with their city almost\ndeserted, and the Temple itself falling into decay (Neh. ii. 12\u201320).\n\nHis project was received with acclamation, and a resolution was formed\nto press on with the work without delay. But the coming of the new\ngovernor had reached the ears of the Samaritans, and Sanballat the\nHoronite[469], Tobiah an Ammonite, and Geshem an Arabian, employed\nevery artifice to defeat his designs. Nehemiah, however, was not to be\ndaunted. His object was to finish the walls in the shortest possible\ntime, and he therefore directed that while one half of the people\nwrought at the work, the other should stand by armed and ready to\ndefend them, and that the workmen should hold in the one hand a weapon,\nand in the other their tools. Thus by dint of incredible exertions,\nwithin the brief space of 52 days Jerusalem was again girded and\nenclosed, the walls were rebuilt, the ancient towers set up, and\nthe gateways were ready for the doors to be swung upon them (Neh.\niv. 13\u201323).\n\nUnable to impede by open violence the progress of the enterprise,\nSanballat and his friends resorted to various stratagems to get\nNehemiah out of the city. They began by proposing a conference with the\ngovernor in one of the villages of the plain of Ono in Benjamin. Four\ntimes was the proposition made, and as often declined. Then resort was\nhad to a still more cunning artifice. Sanballat sent to Nehemiah an\napparently friendly letter, announcing the prevalence of a rumour among\nthe heathen nations settled in Samaria that he intended Jerusalem to\nbecome the capital of an independent kingdom, and had suborned prophets\nto prophesy of himself, _There is a king in Judah_. Such rumours were\nsure to reach the Persian court, but might be dissipated by a friendly\nconference. At the same time Noadiah a prophetess and others were\nbribed to represent to the governor the risk he was running, and to\npersuade him to take refuge in the fortress of the Temple. But Nehemiah\nsaw through their designs, and refused to give them any pretext for\naccusing him of conscious guilt (Neh. vi. 1\u201314). In addition to these\nplots the governor had to be on his guard against treachery within\nthe city itself, where many of the Jewish nobles were carrying on a\nsecret correspondence with Tobiah, and even espoused his cause. But in\nspite of all obstacles the work went on, and the essential part of the\ngovernor\u2019s design, the building of the gates, was accomplished.\n\nHaving thus provided for the external security of the city, Nehemiah\napplied himself with equal zeal to the correction of internal abuses.\nOne of these was the high rate of usury, which those who had any money\nat their command, exacted from their poorer brethren. To such an extent\nwas this the case, that some mortgaged their fields, vineyards, and\nhouses; others sold or pledged the freedom of their children; while\nmany borrowed at the most exorbitant rates sufficient to pay the royal\ntaxes (Neh. v. 1\u201314). The discovery of this nefarious system roused\nthe governor\u2019s indignation. Himself noble, generous, and highminded,\nhe declined even the usual supplies for his own table which former\ngovernors had received; defrayed many expenses out of his own purse;\nand even entertained the poorer classes of his countrymen at his own\ntable (Neh. v. 14\u201319). With righteous sternness, therefore, he rebuked\nthe nobles who connived at this disgraceful traffic, and convoking an\nassembly demanded that his enslaved country men should be set free,\ntheir debts remitted, and the enormous interest foregone. His rebukes\nhad their effect. The assembly unanimously announced their willingness\nto accede to his demands, and abstain from such conduct in future.\nOther measures for the internal welfare of the city were then proceeded\nwith. The doors having been set up in the gates, the custody of the\ncity was committed to Hanani, a relative of the governor; a register\nof the people was taken, the Law was solemnly read in their hearing by\nEzra (Neh. viii. 1\u201316), and the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated\nwith due solemnities, from the 15th to the 22nd of the month Tisri[470].\nTwo days afterwards a Fast was proclaimed, and the people made a formal\nconfession of their national sins, and enumerated the gracious dealings\nof the Most High with them, from the Call of Abraham to the return\nfrom the Captivity (Neh. ix. 6\u201337). At the same time they ratified\na solemn covenant to serve the Lord with all their heart, and keep\nthe ordinances of the Lord; to avoid intermarriages with heathens;\nto observe the Sabbaths and other holy days, and neither buy nor sell\ngoods thereon; to keep the seventh or Sabbatical year, and remit all\ndebts during it; to contribute each man one-third of a shekel towards\nthe support of the Temple-service, and to maintain the customary\nfirst-fruits and tithes (Neh. x. 29\u201339).\n\nHaving in co-operation with Ezra thus restored the national\ninstitutions, Nehemiah returned to the Persian court, B.C. 432.\nDuring his absence the old abuses again began to creep in; the people\ncontracted alliances with foreigners, neglected the Sabbath, and\nforgot the covenant they had so lately sworn to observe. As soon as\nhe was informed of this, Nehemiah sought and obtained permission to\nrevisit once more the scene of his former labours, and as Tirshatha\nwas invested with renewed powers. Returning after an absence of about\nnine years, he found that Eliashib the high-priest had permitted Tobiah\nthe Ammonite to occupy a large chamber in the Temple, which had before\nbeen used as a store for the frankincense, the holy vessels, and the\ntithes of corn, wine, and oil. Thereupon he insisted on the expulsion\nof the intruder, and the restoration of the ejected vessels and stores,\nover which he appointed a Levitical guard (Neh. xiii. 1\u201315). He next\nintroduced measures for the prevention of traffic on the Day of Rest,\nand the celebration of mixed marriages, alike amongst the lower and the\nhigher orders of the people, even deposing from his sacred functions\nthe high-priest Eliashib for permitting his son Joiada to ally himself\nwith a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite (Neh. xiii. 15\u201328). Having\nthus completed his second administration, this truly patriotic and\nupright governor in all probability returned to Persia about B.C. 413,\nand there died.\n\nWith this date closes the History contained in the Scriptures of the\nOld Testament. While the mass of the Hebrew people was scattered among\nthe nations, carrying with them, wherever they went, their Law and\ntheir Institutions, we have seen a remnant, as had indeed been foretold,\nrestored to their own land, their holy Temple rebuilt, their glorious\nCity raised from its ruins. Very different, indeed, was their position\nnow from that which the nation had occupied during the palmy days of\nSolomon, when their kingdom stretched from \u201cthe river of Egypt\u201d to the\nEuphrates, from the mountains of Lebanon to the Red Sea. Different,\ntoo, and far less costly was their Temple in comparison with that which\nthe artisans of Hiram had built for the Son of David, but in its moral\nand spiritual condition the remnant of the nation far excelled the\ncontemporaries of its greatest king. In the furnace of affliction\nit had been thoroughly purified from all tendencies to idolatry. The\ndreary years, when _their harps hung upon the willows by the waters of\nBabylon_, had not been without their salutary effect upon the people.\n\nThere was no division now in the objects of their worship. No high\nplaces were to be seen crowned with temples dedicated to Baal or\nChemosh; no groves screened with their leafy covert the impure orgies\nof \u2666Ashtaroth; no drums and cymbals drowned with their horrid clang\nthe wail of infants in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, as they were passed\nthrough the fire to appease the cruel Moloch. These \u201coracles\u201d were\n\u201cdumb.\u201d The Jew was no longer an idolater. The Divine Unity was now\nthe central truth of his creed. The Law once neglected was now read,\ncopied, studied. While Nehemiah had earnestly applied himself to the\ncivil administration, Ezra[471], and others after him, with no less\nzeal devoted their energies to collecting, transcribing, arranging\nthe Sacred Books. These were ultimately classed under three divisions;\n(i) _The Law_, containing the five Books of Moses; (ii) _The Prophets_,\nwhich included the historical and prophetical writings; (iii) _The\nPsalms_, or Hagiographa (_sacred writings_), comprising the poetical\nworks.\n\nMeanwhile varied as had been the fortunes of the Chosen People, the\nAssurance of a Saviour, of God\u2019s purpose of love in the promised Seed,\nhad never been forgotten. As first made known to man in Paradise,\nit did perhaps, as we have seen[472], little more than assure him of\na future interposition in his behalf, without informing him whether\nhis Redeemer should be one or many, the collective race, or a single\ndeliverer. But once given, the realization of the Promise becomes the\ngoal of Sacred History.\n\nThrough one of the sons of Noah[473], it is limited to a particular\nrace; through the call of Abraham[474] to a particular nation; through\nJudah to a particular tribe. When the people flee away from the terrors\nof Sinai, Moses predicts the coming of a greater _Prophet_[475], and\na mightier Mediator. When the Sceptre rises from Judah[476]. and David\nsits upon his throne, he himself speaks of a Greater King[477], of ONE\nhe calls his Lord, _who shall sit upon his throne, and of whose kingdom\nthere shall be no end_. When the mournful close of Solomon\u2019s reign\nproves that he could not be the destined king, when his kingdom is\nrent in twain, and his subjects become a prey to their enemies, and\nare carried off into far distant lands, even then the very sadness of\nthe Captivity only serves to correct the idea of the Messiah, and the\n\u201cSon of David\u201d gives place in the writings of Daniel to the \u201cSon of\nMan[478].\u201d Thus each crisis of the nation\u2019s history serves to bring the\nPromise within narrower limits, and to illustrate it with fresh details.\n\nMeanwhile, as time rolls on, and one prophet after another brings\nout some new particular, foreshadowing the birth-place[479], or the\noffices[480], or the works of the Messiah, another Voice begins to be\nheard in the Temple of Prophecy. It is not jubilant and glad, telling\nof triumph and of glory, of the subjugation of nations, or the setting\nup of a kingdom. It is subdued and mournful. It whispers of suffering\nand rejection, of a triumph indeed, but not the triumph of an earthly\nconqueror. It speaks of the coming[481] of _a man of sorrows and\nacquainted with grief_; of His being _wounded for transgressions\nand bruised for iniquities_; of His being _cut off, but not for\nHimself_[482].\n\nThe earliest prophecy had declared that the seed of the woman\nshould _bruise the Serpent\u2019s head_, but had whispered that the\nSerpent would _bruise his heel_. The latest declared that the Messiah\nshould _triumph_, but also that He should _die_. Thus gradually, but\nharmoniously, was the person and work of man\u2019s Redeemer unfolded.\n\nAnd at length in _the fulness of time_[483] a Babe was born in\nBethlehem, and laid in a manger. Seed of the Woman, of the race of\nShem, of the descendants of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, of the\nlineage of David, He lived, He died, He rose again. Prophet like\nunto, but infinitely greater than Moses, He gave us a law which shall\nnever pass away[484]; Priest like unto, but not as Aaron _compassed\nabout with infirmity_, He offered up on the Altar of His Cross a full,\nperfect, and sufficient sacrifice, atonement, and satisfaction for\nthe sins of the whole world; King like unto, but infinitely higher\nthan David, He sitteth at the right hand of God, clad in the glorified\nnature of the race He came to save, the predicted Redeemer of the Old,\nthe revealed Deliverer of the New Testament, in _whom there is neither\nJew nor Gentile, neither male nor female, neither bond nor free_[485].\n\n\n\n\n APPENDIX.\n\n\n I.\n THE PATRIARCHS AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.\n\n \u250c Iscah\n \u250c Haran \u2500\u2500\u2524 Milcah\n \u2502 \u2514 LOT \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c Moab\n \u2502 \u2514 Ammon\n \u2502\n \u2502 \u250c Laban \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c LEAH\n TERAH \u2524 Nahor \u2500\u2500\u2500 Bethuel \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2524 \u2514 RACHEL\n \u2502 \u2514 REBEKAH\n \u2502\n \u2502 \u250c (of Hagar)\n \u2502 \u2502 Ishmael\n \u2502 \u2502 \u250c ESAU\n \u2514 ABRAHAM \u2524 \u2502 \u250c (of Leah)\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Reuben\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Levi\n \u2502 (of Sarah) \u2502 \u2502 Issachar\n \u2514 ISAAC \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2524 \u2502 Simeon\n \u2502 \u2502 Judah\n \u2502 \u2502 Zebulun\n \u2502 \u2502 Dinah\n \u2514 JACOB \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2524 (of Bilhah)\n \u2502 Dan\n \u2502 Naphtali\n \u2502 (of Zilpah)\n \u2502 Gad\n \u2502 Asher\n \u2502 (of Rachel)\n \u2502 JOSEPH \u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c Ephraim\n \u2502 \u2514 Manasseh\n \u2514 Benjamin\n\n\n II.\n LEVI AND THE PRIESTHOOD.\n\n \u250c MIRIAM\n \u2502 \u250c Nadab\n \u2502 AARON \u2500\u2500\u2524 Abihu\n \u250c Kohath \u2500 Amram \u2500\u2500\u2524 \u2502 Eleazar \u2015 16 courses\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2514 Ithamar \u2015 8 courses\n LEVI \u2500\u2524 \u2502 (of Priests.)\n \u2502 \u2514 MOSES\n \u2502 Gershon\n \u2514 Merari\n\n\n III.\n\n KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.\n\n B.C.\n Saul 1095\n David 1055\n Solomon 1015\n\n Division of the Kingdom, B.C. 975.\n\n\n KINGDOMS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.\n\n LINES OF POLICY. \u2502KINGS OF JUDAH.\u2502B.C.\u2502KINGS OF ISRAEL. DYNASTIES.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n \u2502 1 Rehoboam \u2502 975\u2502 1 _Jeroboam_ }\n \u2502 2 Abijah \u2502 958\u2502 } I.\n I. \u2502 3 Asa \u2502 955\u2502 }\n B.C. 975\u2013918 \u2502 \u2502 954\u2502 2 Nadab }\n Period of mutual \u2502 \u2502 953\u2502 3 _Baasha_ } II.\n hostility. \u2502 \u2502 930\u2502 4 Elah }\n \u2502 \u2502 929\u2502 5 _Zimri_ III.\n \u2502 \u2502 929\u2502 6 _Omri_ }\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2524 \u2502 918\u2502 7 Ahab }\n \u2502 4 Jehoshaphat \u2502 914\u2502 } IV.\n II. \u2502 \u2502 898\u2502 8 Ahaziah ]\n B.C. 918\u2013884 \u2502 \u2502 896\u2502 9 Jehoram }\n Period of mutual \u2502 5 Jehoram \u2502 892\u2502\n alliance, and \u2502 6 Ahaziah \u2502 885\u2502\n hostility to \u2502 7 (_Athaliah_)\u2502 884\u250210 _Jehu_ }\n Syria. \u2502 8 Joash \u2502 878\u2502 }\n \u2502 \u2502 856\u250211 Jehoahaz }\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2524 \u2502 841\u250212 Jehoash }\n \u2502 9 Amaziah \u2502 839\u2502 } V.\n \u2502 \u2502 825\u250213 Jeroboam II. }\n \u250210 Uzziah \u2502 810\u2502 1st interregnum }\n \u2502 \u2502 783\u2502of about 11 years*}\n III. \u2502 \u2502 773\u250214 Zachariah }\n B.C. 884\u2013588 \u2502 \u2502 772\u250215 _Shallum_ VI.\n Renewal of mutual \u2502 \u2502 772\u250216 _Menahem_ } VII.\n hostilities, \u2502 \u2502 761\u250217 Pekahiah }\n gradual decline \u2502 \u2502 759\u250218 _Pekah_ VIII.\n of both kingdoms \u250211 Jotham \u2502 758\u2502\n before the power \u250212 Ahaz \u2502 742\u2502\n of Assyria. \u2502 \u2502 737\u2502 2nd interregnum\n \u2502 \u2502 730\u250219 _Hoshea_ IX.\n \u250213 Hezekiah \u2502 726\u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 721\u2502Capture of Samaria\n \u250214 Manasseh \u2502 698\u2502and captivity of\n \u250215 Amon \u2502 643\u2502Israel.\n \u250216 Josiah \u2502 641\u2502\n \u250217 Jehoahaz \u2502 610\u2502\n \u250218 Jehoiakim \u2502 610\u2502\n \u250219 Jehoiachin \u2502 599\u2502\n \u2502 or Coniah \u2502 \u2502\n \u250220 Zedekiah \u2502 599\u2502\n \u2502 Jerusalem \u2502 588\u2502\n \u2502 destroyed \u2502\n\n * See Clinton\u2019s _Epitome_, p. 133.\n\n\n IV.\n\n THE PROPHETS.\n\n \u2502 \u2502 PERIOD ILLUSTRATED BY THEIR PROPHECIES.\n \u2502 PROBABLE \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n GENERAL \u2502 CHRON. \u2502 \u2502 KINGS OF \u2502 KINGS OF\n DIVISION. \u2502 ORDER \u2502 B.C. \u2502 ISRAEL. \u2502 JUDAH.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n MAJOR \u2502 PROPHETS. \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n PROPHETS. \u2502i. _Before the \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Babylonian \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n _Four._ \u2502 Captivity._ \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 1 Isaiah \u2502*1 Jonah \u2502840\u2013784\u2502Jehoash, \u2502Joash, Amaziah\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Jeroboam II.\u2502\n 2 Jeremiah \u2502 2 Joel \u2502810\u2013795\u2502Jeroboam II. \u2502Joash\n 3 Ezekiel \u2502 3 Amos \u2502810\u2013785\u2502Jeroboam II. \u2502Uzziah\n 4 Daniel \u2502 4 Hosea \u2502800\u2013725\u2502Jeroboam II.\u2013 \u2502Uzziah, Jotham,\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Hoshea \u2502 Ahaz\n \u2502 5 Isaiah \u2502758\u2013699\u2502Pekahiah\u2013 \u2502Ahaz, Hezekiah\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Captivity \u2502\n \u2015\u2015\u2015 \u2502 6 Micah \u2502765\u2013698\u2502Menahem\u2013 \u2502Uzziah, Jotham,\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Captivity \u2502 Ahaz, Hezekiah\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n MINOR \u2502ii. _Near to \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n PROPHETS. \u2502 and during \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 the Captivity_\u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n _Twelve_ \u2502 1 Nahum \u2502720\u2013698\u2502Captivity of \u2502Manasseh, Amon,\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Israel \u2502 Josiah\n 1 Hosea \u2502 2 Zephaniah \u2502640\u2013609\u2502 \u2502Josiah, Jehoahaz\n 2 Joel \u2502 3 Habakkuk \u2502612\u2013598\u2502 \u2502Josiah\u2013Zedekiah\n 3 Amos \u2502 4 Jeremiah \u2502628\u2013585\u2502 \u2502Jehoahaz\u2013Captivity\n 4 Obadiah \u2502 5 Daniel \u2502606\u2013534\u2502 \u2502The Captivity\n 5 Jonah \u2502\u20206 Obadiah \u2502588\u2013583\u2502 \u2502Captivity of Judah\n 6 Micah \u2502 7 Ezekiel \u2502595\u2013574\u2502 \u2502Zedekiah, Captivity\n 7 Nahum \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 8 Habakkuk \u2502iii. _After the \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 9 Zephaniah\u2502 return from \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 10 Haggai \u2502 the Captivity_\u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 11 Zechariah\u2502 1 Haggai \u2502520\u2013518\u2502 \u2502The Rebuilding of\n 12 Malachi \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 the Temple\n \u2502 2 Zechariah \u2502520\u2013510\u2502 \u2502Rebuilding and\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Dedication\n \u2502 3 Malachi \u2502420\u2013397\u2502 \u25022nd Reformation\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 of Nehemiah\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Close of the Canon\n\n * The order of the first six Prophets is much disputed, but the one\n above given seems to receive most support.\n \u2020 By some the prophecies of Obadiah are referred to the reign of\n Hezekiah, B.C. 726\u2013698.\n\n\n V.\n\n ISRAEL IN CONNECTION WITH THE SURROUNDING NATIONS.\n\n 1. THE LATER ASSYRIAN EMPIRE.\n\n B.C.\u2502 CONTEMPORANEOUS KINGDOMS.\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u252c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n \u2502 ASSYRIA. \u2502 BABYLON. \u2502 EGYPT. \u2502 JUDAH. \u2502 ISRAEL.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n 742 \u2502TIGLATH- \u2502Nabonassar \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 PILESER \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 invades \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Babylon \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 741 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502AHAZ \u2502PEKAH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 740 \u2502Takes \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Pekah\n \u2502 tribute \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502tributary\n \u2502 from PEKAH \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Defeats \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Rezin \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 737 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Pays homage \u2502PEKAH slain\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 to Tiglath-\u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Pileser at \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Damascus \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 730 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502HOSHEA\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 726 \u2502Accession of\u2502Elul\u00e6us \u2502 \u2502HEZEKIAH \u2502Submission to\n \u2502 SHALMANESER\u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Shalmaneser\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (2 K. xvii. 3)\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 725 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Sabaco I.? \u2502 \u2502Alliance with\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 So \u2502 \u2502 So (2 K.\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 xvii. 4)\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 723 \u2502Siege of \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Siege of\n \u2502 Tyre \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Samaria\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 722 \u2502Rebellion \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 of SARGON \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 721 \u2502SARGON takes\u2502Merodach \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Samaria\n \u2502 Samaria \u2502 Baladan \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 taken\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 715 \u2502Attacks \u2502 \u2502Sabaco II.? \u2502 \u2502CAPTIVITY of\n \u2502 Arabia \u2502 \u2502 Wars with \u2502 \u2502 ISRAEL\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Sargon \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 713 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502HEZEKIAH\u2019S\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 illness\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Embassy of\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Merodach\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Baladan\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 711 \u2502Takes Ashdod\u2502Attacked by \u2502 \u2502(See p.434\n \u2502 \u2502 Sargon \u2502 \u2502 n.)\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 702 \u2502SENNACHERIB \u2502Belybus \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 expels \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Merodach \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Baladan \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 700 \u2502Advances \u2502 \u2502 \u2502First\n \u2502 against \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 attack of\n \u2502 Philistia \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Sennacherib\n \u2502 and Egypt \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 on\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Jerusalem\u2015\u2015\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 makes\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 HEZEKIAH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 tributary\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 699?\u2502Defeated \u2502Asshur-Nadin\u2502 \u2502Second\n \u2502 before \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 attack\n \u2502 Pelusium \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 698 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502MANASSEH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 690 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Tirhakah \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 680 \u2502Accession of\u2502Esarhaddon \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 ESARHADDON \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 (2 K. \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 xix. 37) \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 676?\u2502 \u2502Manasseh \u2502 \u2502The captains\n \u2502 \u2502 brought to \u2502 \u2502 of\n \u2502 \u2502 Babylon \u2502 \u2502 Esarhaddon\n \u2502 \u2502 (See p. \u2502 \u2502 remove\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2666445 n.) \u2502 \u2502 MANASSEH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 to Babylon\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 660?\u2502Assur-bani- \u2502Saosduchinus\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 pal \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 664 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Psammetichus\u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 647 \u2502Asshur-emit-\u2502Cinneladanus\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 ili \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 643 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502AMON\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 630 \u2502Scythian \u2502 \u2502 \u2502JOSIAH\n \u2502 invasion \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 625 \u2502Destruction \u2502Nabopolassar\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 of Nineveh \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 by Cyaxares\u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n\n \u2042 This and the following Tables are framed from those given in\n Rawlinson\u2019s Herodotus, Vol. I. pp. 489, 530, Clinton\u2019s Epitome,\n and Prideaux\u2019s Connection of Sacred and Profane History.\n\n\n 2. BABYLONIAN EMPIRE.\n\n B.C.\u2502 BABYLONIA. \u2502 MEDIA. \u2502 EGYPT. \u2502 LYDIA. \u2502 JUDAH.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n 625 \u2502Nabopolassar\u25028th year of \u250239th year of\u2502Alyattes \u250215th year of\n \u2502 \u2502 Cyaxares \u2502Psammetichus\u2502 \u2502JOSIAH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 615 \u2502Cyaxares \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Attacked by \u2502\n \u2502 attacks \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Cyaxares \u2502\n \u2502 Lydia \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 610 \u2502Makes peace \u2502 \u2502NECO (2 K. \u2502Peace made \u2502\n \u2502 between \u2502 \u2502 xxiii. 28) \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Cyaxares \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 and \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Alyattes \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 609 \u2502Attacked by \u2502 \u2502Invades \u2502 \u2502JEHOAHAZ\n \u2502 Neco \u2502 \u2502 Syria \u2502 \u2502 JEHOIAKIM\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Defeats \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 JOSIAH \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 606 \u2502Sends \u2502 \u2502Defeated at \u2502 \u2502Submits to\n \u2502 Nebuchad- \u2502 \u2502 Carchemish \u2502 \u2502 Nebuchad-\n \u2502 nezzar \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 nezzar\n \u2502 against \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Nico \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 604 \u2502NEBUCHAD- \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 NEZZAR \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 602 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Rebels\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 599 \u2502Besieges \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Tyre \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 597 \u2502Besieges \u2502Assists \u2502 \u2502 \u2502JEHOIACHIN\n \u2502 Jerusalem \u2502 Nebuchad- \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 3 mo.\n \u2502 \u2502 nezzar \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 ZEDEKIAH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 595 \u2502 \u2502Astyages \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 594 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Psammetichus\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 II. \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 588 \u2502Second \u2502 \u2502Apries \u2502 \u2502Attacked by\n \u2502 siege of \u2502 \u2502 (Ezek. \u2502 \u2502 Nebuchad-\n \u2502 Jerusalem \u2502 \u2502 xvii. 15) \u2502 \u2502 nezzar\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 586 \u2502Takes \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Taken\n \u2502 Jerusalem \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 prisoner\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 585 \u2502Takes Tyre \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 581 \u2502Invades \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502CAPTIVITY\n \u2502 Egypt \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 of JUDAH\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 570 \u2502Second \u2502 \u2502Deposed by \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Invasion \u2502 \u2502 Nebuchad- \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 of Egypt \u2502 \u2502 nezzar \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 (Jer. xliv.\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 30; Ezek. \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 xxix. xxx. \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 xxxii.) \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 561 \u2502EVIL- \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502JEHOIACHIN\n \u2502 MERODACH \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 released\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 560 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Cr\u0153sus \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 559 \u2502Neriglissar \u2502Defeated by \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 Cyrus at \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 Pasargad\u00e6 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 556 \u2502Laboroso- \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 archod \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 555 \u2502Nabonadius, \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Alliance \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 with Cr\u0153sus\u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 546 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Defeated by \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Cyrus \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 539 \u2502Associated \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 with \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 BELSHAZZAR \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 538 \u2502Conquered \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 by CYRUS \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n\n\n 3. THE PERSIAN EMPIRE AND GREECE.\n\n B.C.\u2502 JUDEA. \u2502 PERSIA. \u2502 GREECE.\n \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\n 537 \u2502 \u2502Supremacy of Cyrus \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 536 \u2502Return of the Jews \u2502Decree for the return\u2502\n \u2502The Altar set up \u2502 of the Jews \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 534 \u2502Interruption of the \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Samaritans \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 529 \u2502 \u2502Death of Cyrus \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 525 \u2502 \u2502Accession of CAMBYSES\u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 522 \u2502 \u2502DARIUS HYSTASPES \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 520 \u2502Prophecies of Haggai \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 and ZECHARIAH \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502Building of the \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Temple resumed \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 516 \u2502 Temple dedicated \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 510 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Expulsion of the\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Pisistratid\u00e6\n 499 \u2502 \u2502Burning of Sardis by \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 the Ionians \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 493 \u2502 \u2502Darius declares war \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 against Greece \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 490 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Battle of Marathon\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 485 \u2502 \u2502Accession of XERXES \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 (_Ahasuerus_) \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 480 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Battle of Salamis\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 479 \u2502 \u2502Returns defeated \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 from Greece \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502Era of _Esther_ and \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 _Mordecai_ \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 466 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Battles at the\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Eurymedon\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 465 \u2502 \u2502Death of Xerxes \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 464 \u2502 \u2502Accession of \u2502Themistocles goes to\n \u2502 \u2502 ARTAXERXES \u2502 Persia\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 458 \u2502EZRA comes to \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Jerusalem \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502Last prophecies of \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 ZECHARIAH \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 449 \u2502 \u2502Artaxerxes makes \u2502Victory of the\n \u2502 \u2502 peace with the \u2502 Athenians at Salamis\n \u2502 \u2502 Athenians \u2502 in Cyprus\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 444 \u2502NEHEMIAH rebuilds the\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 walls of Jerusalem \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502Opposition of \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 Sanballat \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 433 \u2502 \u2502Nehemiah returns to \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 Persia \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 432 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502Peloponnesian war\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 begins\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 428 \u2502Return and further \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 reformations by \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 NEHEMIAH \u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 423 \u2502 \u2502Accession of DARIUS \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 NOTHUS \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 420 \u2502Prophecies of MALACHI\u2502 \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502\n 413?\u2502 \u2502Final return of \u2502\n \u2502 \u2502 Nehemiah \u2502\n\n\n VI.\n\n TABLES OF WEIGHTS, MEASURES AND MONEY.\n\n\n 1. _Jewish Weights reduced to English Troy Weight._\n\n lbs. oz. dwts. grs.\n The gerah, 1/20th of a shekel 0 0 0 12\n Bekah, \u00bd a shekel 0 0 5 0\n The shekel 0 0 10 0\n The maneh = 60 shekels 2 6 0 0\n The talent = 50 maneh = 3000 shekels 125 0 0 0\n\n\n 2. _Scripture Measures of Length reduced to English Measure._\n\n Eng.\n feet. inches.\n A digit, Jer. lii. 21 0 0\u00b7912\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 4\u2502 A palm, Exod. xxv. 25 0 3\u00b7648\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 12\u2502 3\u2502 A span, Exod. xxviii. 16 0 10\u00b7944\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 24\u2502 6\u2502 2\u2502 A cubit, Gen. vi. 15 1 9\u00b7888\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 96\u2502 24\u2502 12\u2502 4\u2502 A fathom, Acts xxvii. 28 7 3\u00b7552\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 144\u2502 36\u2502 18\u2502 6\u25021\u00bd\u2502 Ezekiel\u2019s reed, Ezek. xl. 3\u20135 10 11\u00b7328\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 192\u2502 48\u2502 24\u2502 8\u2502 2\u25021\u2153\u2502 An Arabian pole 14 7\u00b7104\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u25021920\u2502480\u2502240\u250280\u250220\u250213\u250210\u2502 Sch\u0153nus, or Measuring line, 145 11\u00b7040\n \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2518 Ezek. xl. 3\n\n\n 3. _The Long Scripture Measures._\n\n Eng.\n miles. paces. feet.\n A cubit 0 0 1\u00b7824\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 400\u2502 A stadium or furlong, Luke xxiv. 13 0 145 4\u00b76\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 2000\u2502 5\u2502 A Sabbath day\u2019s journey, Acts i. 12 0 729 3\u00b70\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 4000\u2502 10\u2502 2\u2502 An eastern mile, Matt. v. 41 1 403 1\u00b70\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u250212000\u2502 30\u2502 6\u2502 3\u2502 A parasang 4 153 3\u00b70\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u250296000\u2502240\u250248\u250224\u2502 8\u2502 A day\u2019s journey 33 172 4\u00b70\n \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2518\n\n\n 4. _Scripture Measures of Capacity for Liquids,\n reduced to English Wine Measure._\n\n gal. pints.\n A caph 0 0\u00b7625\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 1\u2153\u2502 A log, Lev. xiv. 10 0 0\u00b7833\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 5\u2153\u2502 4\u2502 A cab 0 3\u00b7333\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 16\u2003\u2502 12\u2502 3\u2502 A hin, Exod. xxx. 24 1 2\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 32\u2003\u2502 24\u2502 6\u2502 2\u2502 A seah 2 4\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 96\u2003\u2502 72\u2502 18\u2502 6\u2502 3\u2502 A bath, or ephah, 1 Kings vii. 26;\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 John ii. 7 4\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502960\u2003\u2502\u2666720\u2502180\u250260\u250230\u250210\u2502 A kor or homer,\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 Ezek. xlv. 14; Isaiah v. 10 75 0\n \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2518\n\n\n 5. _Scripture Measures of Capacity for things Dry\n reduced to English Corn Measure._\n\n pks. gal. pints.\n A gachal 0 0 0\u00b71416\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 20\u2502 A cab or ch\u0153nix, 2 Kings vi. 25; Rev. vi. 6 0 0 2\u00b78333\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 36\u2502 1\u2158\u2502 An omer, Exod. xvi. 36 0 0 5\u00b71\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 120\u2502 6\u2003\u2502 3\u2153\u2502 A seah, Matt. xiii. 33 1 0 1\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 360\u2502 18\u2003\u2502 10\u2003\u2502 3\u2502 An ephah, Ezek. xlv. 11 3 0 3\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u25021800\u2502 90\u2003\u2502 50\u2003\u250215\u2502 5\u2502 A letech, Hos. iii. 2 15 1 7\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u25023600\u2502180\u2003\u2502100 \u250230\u250210\u2502 2\u2502 A homer or kor, Num.\n \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 \u2502 xi. 32; Hosea iii. 2. 31 1 6\n \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2518\n\n\n 6. _Jewish Money reduced to English Standard._\n\n \u00a3 s. d.\n A gerah, Exod. xxx. 0 0 1\u00b73687\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 10\u2502 A bekah, Exod. xxxviii. 26 0 1 1\u00b76875\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 20\u2502 2\u2502 A shekel, Exod. xxx. 13; Isa. vii. 23 0 2 3\u00b7375\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u2502 1200\u2502 120\u2502 60\u2502 A maneh or minah Hebraica 6 16 10\u00b75\n \u251c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u253c\u2500\u2500\u2510\n \u250260000\u25026000\u25023000\u250250\u2502 A talent 342 3 9\n \u2514\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2518\n A solidus aureus, or sextula, was worth 0 12 0\u00bd\n A siculus aureus, or gold shekel, was worth 1 16 6\n A talent of gold was worth 5475 0 0\n\nIn the preceding table, silver is valued at 5s. and gold at \u00a34 per oz.\n\n\n\n\n INDEX.\n\n\n A.\n\n Aaron\n his parentage, 81;\n appointed spokesman to Moses, 85;\n fashions the calf, 112;\n rebuked by Moses, 113;\n made the first High-priest, 130;\n rebels against Moses, 171;\n priesthood of his race confirmed, 178;\n excluded from the Promised Land, 180;\n his death on Mount Hor, 182\n Abana\n river, 412\n Abdon\n the judge, 258\n Abednego\n at Babylon, 457;\n in the fiery furnace, 456\n Abel\n his sacrifice, 10;\n death of, 11\n Abel Beth-Maachah\n death of Sheba at, 343;\n its position, 343\n Abel Meholah\n meaning of, flight of the Midianites to, 249;\n residence of Elisha, 391\n Abiah\n son of Samuel, 275\n Abiathar, the priest\n joins David, 305;\n has charge of the Ark, 326, 338;\n rebels against David, 347;\n degraded from the Priesthood, 352\n Abigail\n David\u2019s wife, 309, 318\n Abihu\n the sin of, 131\n Abijah\n king of Judah, 376;\n defeats Jeroboam, 377\n Abimelech\n made king of his tribe, 252;\n destroys Shechem, 254;\n his death, 255\n Abiram\n rebellion of, 176, 177\n Abishai\n David\u2019s nephew, 304, 310, 319;\n captain of the mighty men, 329, 343;\n saves David\u2019s life, 345\n Abner\n Saul\u2019s general, 310;\n supports Ishbosheth, 319;\n kills Asahel, 320;\n joins David, 320;\n killed by Joab, 321;\n effect of his death, 321\n Abraham\n the call of, 26, 36;\n his descent and abode, 27;\n promises to him, 28, 34, 37;\n sets out for the Promised Land, 28;\n arrives at Shechem, 31;\n builds his first altar there, 32;\n removes to Bethel, 32;\n goes down to Egypt, 33;\n returns to Bethel, 33;\n separates from Lot, 34;\n removes to the oak of Mamre, 34, 44;\n rescues Lot, 35;\n blessed by Melchizedek, 36;\n solemn covenant to him, 37;\n his name changed, 38;\n entertains three angels, 39;\n pleads for Sodom and Gomorrah, 40;\n his offering of Isaac, 43;\n his subsequent history, 44;\n death, and burial at Machpelah, 45;\n summary of his character, 76\n Absalom\n murders Amnon, 336;\n forgiven by David, 336;\n his rebellion, 337;\n enters Jerusalem, 339;\n his defeat and death, 341\n Achan\n his transgression and death, 208\n Achish\n his policy towards David, 303, 311\n Achor\n valley of, 208\n Adam\n the creation of, 3;\n placed in Paradise, 3;\n his life there, 4;\n his disobedience, 6;\n the curse upon him, 7;\n the Promise to him, 8;\n his expulsion, 10;\n his sons and descendants, 10, 11;\n their longevity, 12;\n their general wickedness, 12\n Adoni-bezek\n his capture, 226\n Adonijah\n rebels against David, 347;\n his life spared, 348;\n his rebellion against Solomon, 350, 351;\n put to death, 352\n Adoram\n stoned to death, 369\n Adullam\n David at, 303\n Agag\n chief of the Amalekites, 103;\n spared by Saul, 292;\n slain by Samuel, 293\n Ahab, king of Israel\n married to Jezebel, 381;\n effects of her influence on him, 383;\n the drought during his reign, 385;\n denounced by Elijah, 383, 385, 397;\n his wars with Benhadad, 391\u2013395;\n his death, 399;\n slaughter of his descendants, 421\n Ahasuerus\n the Xerxes of history, 471;\n chooses Esther for queen, 472;\n exalts Mordecai, 474\n Ahaz\n king of Judah, 433;\n his idolatry, 434\n Ahaziah\n king of Israel, 400;\n summons Elijah, 403\n Ahaziah\n king of Judah, 418\n Ahinoam\n David\u2019s wife, 309, 318\n Ahithophel\n joins Absalom, 337;\n his counsels, 340\n Aholiab\n artificer of the tabernacle, 119\n Ai\n Abraham settles near, 33;\n its position, 207;\n reverse of the Israelites there, 207;\n its destruction by Joshua, 209\n Altar of Burnt Sacrifice\n in the Tabernacle, 120;\n in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357;\n its re-erection after the Captivity, 470\n Altar of Incense\n in the Tabernacle, 123;\n in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357, 358\n Amalekites\n their settlements, 103;\n attack the Israelites, 103;\n their defeat, 104;\n destroyed by Saul, 292;\n they burn Ziklag, 312;\n David\u2019s vengeance upon them, 313\n Amasa\n Absalom\u2019s general, 341;\n promoted by David, 342;\n slain by Joab, 343\n Amaziah\n king of Judah, 427;\n taken captive by Jehoash, 428\n Ammonites\n their ancestry, 41;\n invasion of, 255;\n overthrown by Jephthah, 256;\n defeated by Saul at Jabesh-Gilead, 284;\n David\u2019s conquests over them, 331\u2013335\n Amnon\n killed by Absalom, 336\n Amon\n king of Judah, 446\n Amorites\n their locality, 32, 184, 201;\n their total defeat, 185;\n their five kings killed by Joshua, 211\u2013213\n Amos\n the prophet, 428\n Anak\n the sons of, 173, 216\n Animals\n prohibited by the Mosaic law, 156\n Aphek\n its position, 393;\n defeat of the Syrians at, 394\n Araunah, threshing-floor of\n purchased by David, 346;\n becomes the site of the altar of Burnt Sacrifice, 358\n Ark, Noah\u2019s\n its construction and dimensions, 14;\n locality of its resting-place, 17\n Ark of the Covenant\n in the Tabernacle, 124;\n directs the march of the Israelites, 168;\n at the passage of the Jordan, 203;\n at the destruction of Jericho, 206;\n taken by the Philistines, 271;\n placed in the Temple of Dagon, 272;\n its sanctity vindicated, 273, 274;\n given up to the Israelites, 273;\n removed to Kirjath-jearim, 274;\n removed from thence, 326;\n rests with Obed-edom, 326;\n its procession to the new tabernacle in Jerusalem, 326;\n placed in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 358, 359;\n displaced under Manasseh, 444\n Armenia\n the probable site of Paradise, 3;\n of the Ark\u2019s resting-place, 17\n Army of David\n its organization, 329\n Asa\n king of Judah, 377;\n reforms the religion, 377, 378;\n overcomes the Egyptians, 378;\n attacked by Baasha, 378;\n his alliance with Benhadad, 379\n Asahel\n David\u2019s nephew, 319;\n killed by Abner, 320\n \u2666Asenath\n Joseph\u2019s wife, 63\n Ashdod\n Philistine city, 259, 263, 272;\n the Ark carried there, 272\n Asher\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n the tribe of, its portion, 220;\n its neglect of duty, 221\n Ashkelon\n Philistine city, 259, 263;\n Samson\u2019s exploit there, 260\n Assyrian Empire\n the rise of, 430;\n its decline, 448;\n table of its connection with Israel, 488\n Athaliah\n married to Jehoram, 397;\n her usurpation and death, 424\n Atonement\n the day of, 146\n Azariah, or Uzziah\n king of Judah, 428;\n his prosperous reign, 429;\n struck with leprosy, 429\n Azazel\n explanations of, 147\n\n\n B.\n\n Baal, worship of\n established by Jezebel, 383;\n overthrown by Elijah, 387;\n by Jehu, 423\n Baalath\n fortified by Solomon, its position, 360\n Baal-Peor\n the apostasy at, 193;\n the plague there, 193\n Baasha\n usurps the throne of Israel, 377;\n his hostility to Asa, 378, 379;\n murder of his family, 380\n Babel\n Tower of, 18;\n Town of, founded by Nimrod, 21\n Babylon\n captivity of Judah there, 452;\n contrasted with Jerusalem, 455;\n condition of the Jews there, 455;\n taken by Cyrus, 456\n Babylonian Empire\n table of its connection with Israel, 488\n Balaam\n his country, 187;\n sent for to curse Israel, 188;\n his failure, 188\u2013192;\n his ass speaks, 189;\n his prophetic parable, 191, 192;\n his wiliness, 193\n Balak\n king of Moab, 187;\n entreats the aid of Balaam, 188;\n his disappointment, 191\n Barak\n summoned by Deborah, 238;\n overthrows Sisera, 240\n Bashan\n the land of, 185\n Bathsheba\n David\u2019s sin with, 333;\n the mother of Solomon, 334\n Beer-Elim\n the Israelites at, 183\n Beersheba\n Abraham at, 41;\n Isaac at, 48;\n Jacob\u2019s vision there, 69\n Belshazzar\n the feast of, 466\n Belus, or Bel\n first worship of, 21\n Benaiah\n his command in David\u2019s army, 329;\n kills Adonijah, 352;\n Joab, 352;\n Shimei, 353\n Benhadad I.\n his alliance with Asa, 378;\n with Omri, 381\n Benhadad II.\n his wars with Ahab, 391\u2013395;\n with Jehoram, 414\u2013416;\n his death, 418\n Benjamin\n birth of, 57;\n goes with his brethren to Egypt, 66;\n Joseph\u2019s conduct to him there, 66, 67;\n the cup found in his sack, 67;\n tribe of, its portion, 217;\n the war against, 232;\n massacre of, 233;\n revolt of, against David, 342\n Berachah\n valley of, 401\n Bethel\n Abram settles near, 32;\n its position, 51;\n Jacob\u2019s vision and vow there, 51;\n its fulfilment, 56;\n acquired by the descendants of Joseph, 226;\n school of the prophets there, 276;\n Jeroboam establishes idolatry there, 372;\n Josiah overthrows it, 446\n Beth-horons\n the two, 212;\n the battle there, 213;\n fortified by Solomon, 360\n Beth-shan\n situation of, 316;\n Saul\u2019s body there, 316\n Beth-shemesh\n the ark at, 273;\n battle at, between Jehoash and Amaziah, 428\n Bezaleel\n artificer of the tabernacle, 119\n Bildad\n friend of Job, 24\n Birthright\n oriental privileges of, 46\n Boaz\n his kindness to Ruth, 265;\n marries her, 266\n Brazen Serpent\n the uplifting of, 182;\n destroyed by Hezekiah, 436\n Breast-plate\n of the High-priest, 132\n Burning bush, the\n vision of, 84\u201386\n Burnt-offerings\n 137;\n ceremonies for, 137;\n their symbolical meaning, 137\n\n\n C.\n\n Cain\n his sacrifice, 10;\n murders Abel, 11;\n his condemnation, 11;\n his descendants, 11;\n builds the first city, 11;\n sin of his posterity, 12\n Caleb\n the faithful spy, 173;\n the promise to him, 175;\n his portion, 215, 216\n Calendar\n of Jewish Months and Seasons, 155\n Calf, the\n construction of, 112;\n its destruction by Moses, 113\n Canaan\n son of Ham, 17;\n the land called by his name, 20\n Canaan\n the seven nations of, 32, 201\n Canaanites\n their locality, 32, 201;\n their position at the death of Joshua, 224\n Candlesticks, the golden\n in the Tabernacle, 122;\n in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357, 358\n Canon, the\n of the Old Testament, close of, 481\n Captain, the\n of the Lord\u2019s host, 204, 207\n Captivity, the\n period of, 450\u2013469;\n its effects on the Jews, 470\n Carmel, Mount\n Elijah\u2019s sacrifice there, 386\n Census\n of Israelitish forces at Sinai, 167\n commenced by David, 345\n Character\n Mosaic laws regarding, 164\n Chedorlaomer\n defeated by Abram, 35\n Cherubim\n in the Tabernacle, conjectures upon, 124\n Children\n Mosaic law regarding, 159\n Christ\n typified in Melchizedek, 35;\n in Joseph, 76;\n in Moses, 199;\n in Joshua, 223;\n in David, 351\n Circumcision\n established, 39;\n renewal of, after passing the Jordan, 204\n Cities of Refuge\n the institution of, 164;\n names of, 220\n Civilization\n in the Patriarchal age, 74\n Cluster, Valley of the\n 173, 215\n Commandments, the Ten\n delivered from Sinai, 108;\n written on the Tables of Stone, 111\n Confusion, of Tongues\n 16\u201320;\n approximate date of, 19;\n its teaching, 20\n Coniah\n _see_ Jehoiachin.\n Convocation\n days of, 144\n Courses\n of the priests, 358\n Covenant, the\n with Noah, 16;\n with Abram, 37;\n with Moses on Sinai, 106;\n its condition, 107;\n its solemn ratification, 110;\n broken in absence of Moses, 113;\n further renewal of, 116;\n its fulfilment under David, 342\n Creation, the\n 1\u20134;\n heathen notions of, 1;\n Scripture declaration concerning it, 1;\n its progressive order, 2\n Cyrus\n captures Babylon, 466;\n permits the return of the Jews, 469\n\n\n D.\n\n Dagon\n the Philistine Deity, 263;\n the Ark in his temple, 272\n Damascus\n Elisha at, 417\n Dan\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n tribe of, its portion, 218;\n dispossessed by the Amorites, 227;\n expedition of, to Laish, 229;\n oppressed by the Philistines, 259\n Daniel\n taken captive to Babylon, 450;\n his life there, 457;\n interprets the visions of Nebuchadnezzar, 458, 463;\n his exaltation, 459;\n interprets the writing on the wall, 467;\n preserved in the lions\u2019 den, 468\n Darius\n viceroy of Babylon, 467\n Dathan\n the rebellion of, 176, 177\n David\n his genealogy, 294;\n anointed by Samuel, 295;\n his shepherd life, 295;\n slays Goliath, 297;\n his friendship with Jonathan, 298, 302, 306;\n persecuted by Saul, 300;\n flies to Naioth, 301;\n to Nob, 303;\n seeks refuge with the Philistines, 303, 311;\n at Adullam, 303;\n Ziklag, 306, 309;\n spares Saul at Engedi, 308;\n and at Ziph, 309;\n his reign over Judah at Hebron, 319;\n becomes king of all Israel, 323;\n removes to Jerusalem, 325;\n his army and its conquests, 329\u2013335;\n his deed of shame, 333;\n denounced by Nathan, 334;\n Absalom rebels, 337;\n his flight from Jerusalem, 338;\n grief for Absalom, 342;\n numbers the people, 346;\n the plague sent, 346;\n purchases the Temple site, 346;\n makes Solomon his successor, 347;\n his last charge, and death, 349;\n summary of his life, 349;\n his character, 350;\n a type of Christ, 351\n Day of Atonement, the\n 146;\n rites observed upon it, 146;\n its distinction from other solemn rites, 148;\n its typical meaning, 149\n Dead Sea, the\n its low level, 30\n Debir\n captured by Othniel, 216\n Deborah, the prophetess\n summons Barak, 238;\n rouses the tribes, 239;\n her song of triumph, 242\n Debt\n Mosaic laws regarding, 166\n Dedication\n the feast of, 154\n Delilah\n betrays Samson, 263\n Dinah\n Jacob\u2019s daughter, 52;\n outrage upon, 55\n Disobedient Prophet, the\n 372;\n his tomb spared by Josiah, 446\n Divining cups\n the use of in Egypt, 67\n Doeg\n the treachery of, 305\n Dothan\n Joseph sold at, its position, 58, 59;\n Elisha\u2019s miracle there, 414\n Drink-offerings, the\n 134\n Dura\n the plain of, the golden image upon, 460\n\n\n E.\n\n Ebal, Mount\n the altar there, 209;\n ratification of the law there, 210\n Ed\n the Altar of, 222\n Edom\n Esau so called, 47;\n gives the name to a country, 55;\n passage through it refused to the Israelites, 181\n Edomites, the\n David\u2019s conquests over, 330;\n defeated by Amaziah, 427\n Eglon\n killed by Ehud, 236\n Egypt\n Abram goes there, 33;\n Joseph carried there, 54;\n the seven years\u2019 famine in, 63;\n Joseph\u2019s government of, 63, 64;\n Jacob settles there, 69;\n its idolatrous worship, 79;\n the plagues of, 88, 94\u201396\n Ehud\n kills Eglon, 236\n Ekron\n Philistine city, 259, 263, 272;\n refuses to receive the Ark, 273\n Elah\n king of Israel, 380\n Eldad\n the elder, 170\n Elders, the seventy\n appointed, 169\n Eleazar\n succeeds Aaron as high-priest, 181\n Eli\n high-priest and judge, 267;\n wickedness of his sons, 269;\n rebuked by God, 269;\n through Samuel, 270;\n his death, 272\n Eliab\n David\u2019s brother, 294;\n his taunts, 297\n Eliakim\n _see_ Jehoiakim.\n Elihu\n friend of Job, 24\n Elijah\n his denunciations to Ahab, 383, 385, 397;\n fed by ravens, 384;\n his miracles at Zarephath, 389;\n overcomes the prophets of Baal, 386;\n flies from Jezebel, 389;\n his interview with the Lord at Horeb, 390;\n calls Elisha, 391;\n his interview with Ahaziah, 403;\n his translation, 404\n Eliphaz\n friend of Job, 24\n Elisha\n called by Elijah, 390;\n witnesses his translation, 404;\n his miracles, 404, 408\u2013410, 413, 426;\n cures Naaman, 411;\n his sickness and death, 426\n Elkanah\n father of Samuel, 267\n Elon\n the judge, 258\n Endor\n Saul at, 314\n Engedi\n David\u2019s generosity at, 308\n Enoch, son of Cain\n 11;\n the first city named from him, 11\n Enoch, son of Jared\n his translation, 12\n Ephod, the\n of the high-priest, 131\n Ephraim\n Joseph\u2019s son, 63;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon, 70;\n the tribe of, its position, 218;\n its rivalry with Judah, 370\n Ephraimites, the\n chide Gideon, 249;\n their complaint to Jephthah, 257;\n massacred by him, 258\n Esau\n character of, 46;\n sells Jacob his birthright, 47;\n his marriage, 48;\n threatens Jacob, 50;\n his reconciliation to Jacob, 55\n Esdraelon\n plain of, its fertility, 219\n Eshcol\n the valley, 173, 215\n Esther\n queen of Ahasuerus, 472;\n intercedes for her nation, 473, 474\n Euphrates\n River, 3, 17, 18\n Eve\n the creation of, 3;\n beguiled by Satan, 5;\n the curse upon her, 7;\n its mitigation, 8\n Evil\n the origin of, 6\n Exodus, the\n from Egypt, 96\n Ezekiel\n prophecies of, 457\n Ezra\n his reforms at Jerusalem, 476\n\n\n F.\n\n Fall of man, the\n 4\u20139;\n its teaching, 6\n Family\n relations in the patriarchal age, 74;\n under the Mosaic law, 159\n Famine\n seven years\u2019, in Egypt, 63;\n three years\u2019, in reign of David, 344\n Feast\n of the New Moon, 143;\n of Trumpets, 144;\n of the Passover, 95, 150;\n of Weeks, 152;\n of Tabernacles, 153;\n of Purim, 154;\n of Dedication, 154\n First-born\n death of the, 96\n First-fruits and tithes\n offerings of, 134\n Flood, the\n 10\u201316;\n Scripture account of, 15;\n its duration, &c., 15;\n numerous heathen traditions of, 16\n Frankincense\n description of, 135\n\n\n G.\n\n Gad\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n tribe of, their pastoral character, 78, 194;\n the portion of, 195\n Gad, the prophet\n David\u2019s friendship with, 301, 304;\n his mission to David, 346\n Galilee\n position and extent of, 219\n Gath\n Philistine city, 259;\n the ark removed there, 273\n Gaza\n Philistine city, 259, 262;\n Samson carries off its gates, 263\n Geba\n Jonathan at, 286\n Gedaliah\n assassination of, 452\n Gehazi\n the sin and punishment of, 413\n Gerizim, Mount\n ratification of the law on, 209;\n Jotham\u2019s parable from, 253\n Gershonite\n section of Levites, 127\n Gezer\n probable site of, 361\n Gibeah\n outrage at, 231;\n taken by the tribes, 233;\n Saul\u2019s retirement there, 283\n Gibeon\n situation of, 210;\n the Tabernacle there, 126;\n combat at, 319;\n Solomon\u2019s convention there, 353\n Gibeonites, the\n embassy of, 210;\n its result, 211;\n the covenant with them broken by Saul, 344;\n their vengeance, 344\n Gideon\n the Angel\u2019s message to him, 244;\n throws down the altar of Baal, 245;\n the sign given him, 246;\n his army at the spring of Jezreel, 247;\n enters the camp of the Midianites, 247;\n his victory over them, 248, 249;\n slays their kings, 250;\n declines being king, 251;\n his ephod, 252\n Gihon, River\n 3\n Gilboa, Mount\n 313;\n the battle there, 315\n Gilgal\n encampment at, 204, 210;\n school of the prophets there, 276;\n inauguration of Saul there, 284;\n general gathering at, 286;\n Elisha\u2019s miracles at, 410\n Golden Altar\n of the Tabernacle, 123\n Golden Lamp\n of the Tabernacle, 122\n Goliath\n defies the Israelites, 296;\n killed by David, 297\n Gomorrah\n 34;\n its destruction, 41\n Goshen\n meaning of the word, 68, 77;\n Jacob settles there, 70;\n its position and fertility, 77;\n escapes the plagues of Egypt, 91, 94\n Greeks\n their tradition of the Flood, 16\n\n\n H.\n\n Hadad\n his revolt against Solomon, 365\n Hagar\n gives birth to Ishmael, 38;\n dismissed by Abraham to the wilderness, 42\n Haggai\n the prophet, 470, 471\n Ham\n son of Noah, 14;\n mocks his father, 17;\n the curse upon him, 18;\n its fulfilment, 18;\n his descendants and their settlements, 19\n Haman\n his jealousy of Mordecai, 472;\n his execution, 474\n Hannah\n mother of Samuel, 266\n Hanun, king of Ammon\n insults David\u2019s embassy, 331\n Haran\n its situation, 27;\n Jacob serves Laban there, 52\n Hazael, king of Syria\n his interview with Elisha, 417;\n success against Judah, 425;\n and Israel, 425\n Hazor\n its position, 201;\n its destruction by Joshua, 215;\n fortified by Solomon, 361\n Heathens\n their notions of the Creation, 1;\n their numerous traditions of the Flood, 16\n Hebron\n Abram dwells near, 34, 36;\n Jacob dwells near, 57, 58;\n its conquest by the tribe of Judah, 215;\n David king there, 318;\n Absalom at, 337\n Heroes of David\u2019s army\n 329\n Hezekiah, king of Judah\n his religious reforms, 436;\n his policy, 437;\n contention with Sennacherib, 438\u2013441;\n his life prolonged, 441;\n his death, 442\n High-priest, the\n lineage of, 131;\n his vestments, 131;\n his peculiar functions, 132\n Hiram or Huram\n architect of Solomon\u2019s Temple, 356\n Hiram, king\n his embassy to David, 325;\n his treaty with Solomon, 355\n Hittites\n their locality, 32, 201\n Hivites\n their locality, 32, 201\n Hobab\n accompanies the Israelites, 168\n Holy Convocation\n days of, 144\n Holy of Holies\n in the Tabernacle, 123;\n in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357\n Holy Place\n of the Tabernacle, 122;\n of Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357\n Homicide\n Mosaic law regarding, 163\n Hophni, son of Eli\n wickedness of, 269;\n his death, 271\n Hor, Mount\n death and burial of Aaron there, 181\n Horeb\n the scene of the burning bush, 84;\n Elijah at, 390\n Hosea\n the prophet, 428\n Hoshea\n king of Israel, 435;\n deposed by the Assyrians, 434\n Huldah\n the prophetess, 447\n Husbands\n Mosaic law regarding, 160\n Hushai\n the friend of David, 338;\n his policy with Absalom, 339\n\n\n I.\n\n Ibzan\n the judge, 258\n Ichabod\n birth of, 272\n Idolatry\n the rise of, 21;\n its prevalence under the Judges, 227, 234, 243, 252, 255\n Incense\n offering of, 135;\n its composition, 135\n Interregnums\n in Israel, 432, 435\n Isaac\n the promise of, 39;\n his birth, 41;\n offered by Abraham, 43;\n marries Rebekah, 45;\n his two sons, 46;\n the promise confirmed to him, 47, 48;\n his blessing on Jacob, 49;\n and on Esau, 49;\n his death, 57;\n his character, 76\n Isaiah\n the prophet, 437;\n encourages Hezekiah, 439, 440, 441;\n his violent death, 444\n Ishbosheth\n succeeds Saul, 319;\n quarrels with Abner, 320;\n his murder, 321\n Ishmael\n the promise concerning him, 38;\n is circumcised, 39;\n his subsequent history, 42\n Israel\n Jacob so named, 54\n Israel, kingdom of\n first called so, 342;\n its extent and area, 371;\n drought in, during Ahab\u2019s reign, 385;\n interregnums, 432, 435;\n its extinction, 436;\n its connection with the surrounding nations, 488\n Israel and Judah\n alliance between, 397;\n summary of their duration, 453;\n of their mutual relations, 453;\n of their contrasts, 454\n Israelites, the\n in Egypt, their numbers, 78;\n their pursuits, 78;\n corrupted by its idolatry, 79;\n their grievous bondage, 80, 83;\n Moses announces himself their deliverer, 86;\n their toil increased, 87;\n their Exodus, 96;\n their numbers at Sinai, 167;\n their wanderings in the wilderness, 175;\n their position at the death of Joshua, 224;\n they demand a king, 278\n Issachar\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n tribe of, its portion, 219\n\n\n J.\n\n Jabal\n introducer of nomadic life, 11\n Jabesh Gilead\n its destruction, 233;\n the Ammonites defeated there, 284;\n its position, 316\n Jabin\n the country of, 201;\n withstands the Israelites, 214;\n overcome and killed by Joshua, 215\n Jabin, 2nd\n invasion of, 237;\n his success, 238;\n reverses under Sisera, 240\n Jacob\n his disposition, 46;\n buys Esau\u2019s birthright, 47;\n craftily obtains the blessing, 49;\n flies from the wrath of Esau, 50;\n his vision and vow at Bethel, 51;\n the promise renewed to him, 51, 56, 69;\n serves Laban 20 years, 52;\n his wives and children, 52;\n separates from Laban, 53;\n wrestles with the Angel, 54;\n name changed to Israel, 54;\n reconciled to Esau, 55;\n dwells at Shechem, 55;\n fulfils his vow at Bethel, 56;\n his preference for Joseph, 57;\n and grief at his supposed death, 59;\n parts with Benjamin, 65;\n goes down into Egypt, 69;\n settles at Goshen, 70;\n blesses his children, 70, 71;\n his death, 72;\n his burial in the cave of Machpelah, 72;\n his character, 76\n Jael\n kills Sisera, 242\n Jair\n the judge, 255\n Japheth\n son of Noah, 13;\n the blessing upon, 18;\n his descendants and their settlements, 19\n Jebusites\n their locality, 32, 201;\n their fortress at Jerusalem, 323;\n captured by Joab, 325\n Jeconiah\n _see_ Jehoiachin.\n Jedidiah\n a name of Solomon, 334\n Jehoahaz\n king of Israel, 425\n king of Judah, taken captive to Egypt, 449\n Jehoash\n king of Israel, 426;\n his interview with Elisha, 426;\n overcomes the Syrians, 426;\n captures Amaziah, 428\n Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah or Coniah\n king of Judah, carried captive to Babylon, 451;\n released from prison, 465\n Jehoiakim, or Eliakim\n king of Judah, overcome by Nebuchadnezzar, 450;\n his death, 450\n Jehonadab\n joins Jehu, 422\n Jehoram, king of Israel\n 403;\n his idolatry, 406;\n overthrows the Moabites, 407;\n his wars with the Syrians, 414;\n slain by Jehu, 420\n Jehoram, king of Judah\n marries Athaliah, 397;\n threatened by Elijah, 403;\n death of, 418\n Jehoshaphat\n king of Judah, 379;\n his successful reign, 382;\n his alliance with Ahab, 397;\n his wars, 400\n Jehu, king of Israel\n anointment of, 419;\n kills Jehoram, 420;\n puts down the worship of Baal, 422;\n his reign, 423\n Jephthah\n overthrows the Ammonites, 256;\n his vow, 256;\n sacrifices his daughter, 257;\n massacres the Ephraimites, 258\n Jeremiah\n the prophet, 449, 457;\n his prophecies in the reign of Zedekiah, 451;\n shares the lot of his countrymen, 452\n Jericho\n its important position, 201;\n mission of the spies there, 202;\n divine instructions for its capture, 205;\n the fall of, 206;\n the curse upon rebuilding it, 206;\n its fulfilment, 206;\n Elisha there, 404, 413\n Jeroboam I.\n assured of being king, 366;\n his appeal to Rehoboam, 368;\n declared king of Israel, 371;\n establishes idolatry, 372;\n denounced, 372;\n defeated by Abijah, 376;\n extinction of his race, 377\n Jeroboam II.\n king of Israel, his prosperous reign, 428\n Jerusalem\n its elevated site, 30;\n the city of the Jebusites, 32, 201;\n the lower city captured, 226;\n its peculiar situation, 323;\n the fortress taken, 324;\n becomes the city of David, 325;\n effects of its conquest, 325;\n occupied by Absalom, 339;\n invested by Shishak, 370;\n taken by Jehoash, 428;\n delivered from Sennacherib, 440;\n taken by the Assyrians, 445;\n by Nebuchadnezzar, 450, 451, 452;\n its destruction, 452;\n its contrast to Babylon, 455;\n rebuilt by Nehemiah, 477\n Jeshua\n high-priest at the restoration, 471\n Jesse\n genealogy of, 294\n Jethro\n father-in-law of Moses, 83;\n meets Moses at Rephidim, 104;\n his advice, 105\n Jewish\n Calendar, the, 155;\n weights and measures, 492;\n money, 493\n Jews\n taken captive to Babylon, 451;\n their condition there, 456;\n their return to their native land, 469;\n effects of their captivity, 470;\n their position at the close of the Canon, 481.\n _See_ Israelites.\n Jezebel\n married to Ahab, 381;\n her character, 383;\n establishes the worship of Baal, 383;\n threatens Elijah, 389;\n causes Naboth\u2019s murder, 396;\n Elijah\u2019s denunciation of her, 397;\n its fulfilment, 421\n Jezreel\n meaning of the word, 219;\n Ahab at, 383, 391;\n death of Jezebel at, 421\n Jezreel, the spring of\n Gideon\u2019s army at, 247\n Joab\n David\u2019s nephew, 304, 319;\n kills Abner, 320;\n cursed by David, 321;\n takes the fortress of Jerusalem, 325;\n made commander-in-chief, 325, 329;\n kills Absalom, 341;\n and Amasa, 343;\n rebels against David, 347;\n put to death, 352\n Joash, father of Gideon\n 244\n Joash, king of Israel\n _see_ Jehoash.\n Joash, king of Judah\n 424;\n restores the temple, 425;\n his apostasy, 425;\n death, 425\n Job\n probable country and era of, 22;\n his character, 23;\n afflicted by Satan, 23;\n his resignation, 24;\n his three friends, 24;\n his contrition and recompence, 25;\n his death, 25;\n the Book of, uncertainties concerning it, 22, 26\n Joel\n son of Samuel, 275\n Jonah\n the prophet, 428;\n his mission to Nineveh, 430\n Jonathan\n at Geba, 286;\n his valour at Michmash, 288;\n falls under Saul\u2019s curse, 290;\n saved by the people, 291;\n his friendship for David, 299, 302, 306;\n his death, 315;\n David\u2019s lament for him, 317\n Joppa\n the one port of Palestine, 29\n Jordan, River\n its physical features, 30;\n the passage of the, 203\n Joseph\n son of Jacob and Rachel, 52;\n his father\u2019s favourite, 57;\n meaning of his coat of many colours, 57;\n his dreams, 58;\n their fulfilment, 64;\n cast into a pit, 58;\n sold to the Ishmaelites, 59;\n carried into Egypt, 59;\n bought by Potiphar, 59;\n his prosperity and its termination, 60;\n interprets dreams in prison, 61;\n and Pharaoh\u2019s, 62;\n his exaltation, 62;\n his wife and sons, 63;\n his government of Egypt, 63, 64;\n his conduct to his brethren, 64\u201367;\n makes himself known to them, 68;\n sends for Jacob, 68;\n their meeting in Egypt, 69;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon him, 70;\n buries his father, in the Promised Land, 72;\n his death and commandment concerning his bones, 72;\n his character, 76;\n a type of Christ, 76;\n probable place of sepulture of his bones, 210, 222;\n conquests of his descendants in the Promised Land, 226\n Joshua\n defeats the Amalekites, 104;\n ascends Sinai with Moses, 111;\n one of the twelve spies, 173;\n the promise to him, 175;\n assumes the leadership of the Israelitish forces, 200;\n crosses the Jordan, 203;\n mysterious appearance to him, 204;\n his curse upon Jericho, 206;\n takes Ai, 209;\n his ratification of the Law, 209;\n commands the sun to stand still, 212;\n his military successes, 215;\n his division of the Land, 215;\n his inheritance, 220;\n his last address to the Tribes, 222;\n his death, 222;\n a type of Christ, 223;\n the position of the Israelites at his death, 224\n Josiah, king of Judah\n foretold, 372;\n his religious reformations, 446;\n restores the Temple, 447;\n killed at Megiddo, 449\n Jotham, king of Judah\n 430\n Jotham, son of Gideon\n his parable, 253\n Jubal\n inventor of musical instruments, 11\n Jubilee\n the year of, 145\n Judah, Jacob\u2019s son\n 52;\n pleads with his father, 65;\n with Joseph in Egypt, 67;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon, 71\n Judah, Tribe of\n its portion, 217;\n its conquest of Hebron, 215;\n its subsequent conquests, 226;\n its degraded state, 262;\n its rivalry with Ephraim, 370\n Judah, Kingdom of\n physical geography of, 30;\n its area and extent, 370;\n its degradation under Jehoiakim, 450;\n the captivity of, 452\n Judah and Israel, kingdoms of\n alliance between, 397;\n summary of their duration, 453;\n their mutual relations, 453;\n their contrasts, 454\n Judges, Hebrew\n word denoting them, 234;\n their office and position, 235\n Judges, Book of\n purport of its last five chapters, 227\n\n\n K.\n\n Kadesh-Barnea\n encampment at, 172;\n mutiny of Israelites there, 175;\n rebellion of Korah at, 176;\n the Plague at, 177;\n Miriam buried there, 179\n Keilah\n rescued by David, 305\n Kerak (Kir-haraseth)\n situation of, 407\n Keturah\n Abraham\u2019s second wife, 45\n King\n the Israelites demand one, 278;\n Divine promises concerning, 279;\n Saul elected, 282;\n regulations of the office, 282\n Kings of Judah and Israel\n chronological table of, 486\n Kirjath-jearim\n the ark removed to, 274;\n fetched thence by David, 326\n Kirjath-sephir\n taken by Othniel, 216\n Kishon, River\n account of, 241\n Kohathite\n section of the Levites, 127\n Korah\n rebellion of, 176, 177\n\n\n L.\n\n Laban\n Jacob\u2019s uncle, 50, 51;\n his unfairness towards him, 52\n Laish\n 229;\n taken by the Danites, 230\n Lamech\n institutes Polygamy, 11\n Lamp, the golden\n of the Tabernacle, 122\n Land\n Mosaic laws regarding, 166\n Land of Promise\n description of, 28;\n Abram arrives there, 32.\n _See_ Palestine.\n Laver\n for purification, 121\n Law, the\n delivered from Sinai, 108;\n committed to writing by Moses, 109;\n copy of, given by Moses to the Priests, 196;\n its ratification by Joshua, 209\n Laws, Mosaic\n of purity, 156\n Leah, Jacob\u2019s wife\n substituted for Rachel, 52;\n her children, 52\n Lepers\n Mosaic laws regarding them, 157\n Leprosy\n description of, 157\n Levi, Jacob\u2019s son\n 52;\n attacks Shechem, 56;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon, 71\n Levi, the sons of\n their zeal in the destruction of the Calf, 114, 126;\n separated for the Service of the Sanctuary, 126;\n the Cities of Refuge assigned to them, 195;\n the portion of, 220\n Levi and the Priesthood\n genealogical table of, 485\n Levites\n their special functions, 127, 128, 354;\n the three sections of, 127;\n tithes assigned to them, 128;\n transgressions of two of them, 221, 231\n Life\n Mosaic laws affecting, 162;\n the sacredness of, 163\n Longevity of the antediluvians\n advantage of, 12\n Lot\n nephew of Abram, 27;\n accompanies him in his journeys, 33;\n they separate, 34;\n rescued by Abram, 35;\n escapes from Sodom, 40;\n his wife perishes, 41\n\n\n M.\n\n Machpelah, Cave of\n purchased by Abraham, 44;\n he is buried there, 45;\n and Sarah, 44;\n and Jacob, 72\n Mahanaim\n origin of its name, 53;\n Ishbosheth reigns there, 319;\n David retreats to, 341\n Makkedah, the Cave of\n 213\n Mamre, the Oak of\n Abraham dwells under, 34, 36, 44;\n and Isaac and Jacob, 57\n Man\n the creation of, 2;\n his distinctive position, 3;\n the fall of, 4;\n his sinfulness before the Flood, 12, 14;\n after the Flood, 26\n Manasseh, Joseph\u2019s son\n 63;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon, 70;\n the portions of, 195, 218\n Manasseh, king of Judah\n his idolatry, 443;\n taken captive to Babylon, 445;\n his return and repentance, 445\n Manna in the wilderness\n conditions regarding it, 102\n Manoah\n father of Samson, 259\n Marah\n the waters of, 101\n March of the Israelites from Sinai\n order of, 168\n Marriage-bond\n in the Patriarchal age, 74;\n Mosaic law regarding it, 160\n Masters\n Mosaic law respecting, 161\n Mattaniah\n _see_ Zedekiah.\n Measures, Scripture\n table of, 493\n Meat-offerings, the\n 134\n Medad\n the Elder, 170\n Megiddo\n a Canaanite stronghold, 226, 240;\n position of, 361;\n Josiah killed there, 449\n Melchizedek\n conjectures concerning him, 35;\n blesses Abram, 36;\n a type of Christ, 36\n Menahem\n king of Israel, 432\n Merab\n Saul\u2019s daughter, 300\n Merarite\n section of Levites, 128\n Mercy-seat\n in the Tabernacle, 124\n Merom\n battle of, 214\n Meshach\n at Babylon, 457;\n in the fiery furnace, 461\n Methuselah\n great age of, 12\n Micah\n idolatry of, 228\n Micaiah\n the prophet, 398\n Michal, David\u2019s wife\n her devotion, 301;\n is taken from him, 309;\n restored, 320;\n scoffs at him, 328;\n her punishment, 329\n Michmash\n occupied by the Philistines, 286;\n Saul there, 286;\n battle of, 289\n Midian\n Moses dwells there, 82\n Midianites\n sacred war against, 194;\n the invasion of, 243;\n overthrown by Gideon, 248, 249\n Mighty men\n of David\u2019s army, 329\n Miriam\n sister of Moses, 81;\n her song at the Red Sea, 99;\n rebels against Moses, 171;\n struck with leprosy, 172;\n her death, 179\n Mizpeh\n assembly of the tribes at, 231;\n Jephthah at, 257;\n Philistines defeated there, 275;\n school of the prophets there, 276;\n Saul chosen king there, 281;\n the station of the Chald\u00e6an Guard, 452\n Moabites\n their ancestry, 41;\n their territory, 187;\n the invasion of under Eglon, 235;\n David\u2019s conquest over, 330;\n routed by Jehoram, 406\n Money, Jewish\n table of, 493\n Month-Sabbath\n or New Moon festival, 143\n Moon\n the Eastern worship of, 144\n Mordecai\n Haman\u2019s jealousy of, 472;\n his triumph, 474\n Moriah, Mount\n the site of the Temple, 43, 346, 356\n Mosaic Law\n the chief features of, 117\n Moses\n his parentage, 81;\n rescued from the Nile, 81;\n meaning of his name, 81;\n his education, 81;\n flies to Midian, 82;\n his life there, 83;\n vision of the burning bush, 84;\n is called by God, 84;\n returns to Egypt, 86;\n appears before Pharaoh, 87\u201394;\n works signs and wonders in Egypt, 88\u201394;\n leads out the Israelites, 96;\n draws water from the rock, 103;\n the covenant renewed to him on Sinai, 106, 116;\n receives the two tables of stone, 111;\n intercedes for the people, 114;\n Miriam and Aaron turn against him, 171;\n his position confirmed, 172;\n pleads for the people at Kadesh-Barnea, 174, 177;\n his sin at the \u2018Waters of Strife,\u2019 180;\n appoints Joshua his successor, 195;\n his final counsels to the people, 196;\n views the promised land from Mount Nebo, 197;\n dies, 198;\n summary of his career, 198;\n a type of Christ, 199\n Murder\n Mosaic law regarding, 163\n\n\n N.\n\n Naaman\n cured of his leprosy, 411\n Nabal\n his churlishness to David, 308;\n his death, 309\n Naboth\n the murder of, 396\n Nadab, Aaron\u2019s son\n the sin of, 131\n Nadab, king of Israel\n 377\n Nahash\n besieges Jabesh-Gilead, 283\n Naomi\n mother-in-law of Ruth, 265\n Naphtali\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n tribe of, its portion, 219;\n its neglect of duty, 227;\n its firmness under Barak, 239\n Nathan the prophet\n confirms the kingdom to David, 328;\n denounces his sin, 334\n Nazarites\n their vows, 158;\n Samson becomes one, 259\n Nebo, Mount\n Moses views the Promised Land from, 197\n Nebuchadnezzar\n captures Jerusalem, 450, 451, 452;\n his visions interpreted by Daniel, 458, 463;\n his golden image, 460;\n his greatness and power, 462;\n stricken with madness, 464;\n his recovery and death, 465\n Necho, king of Egypt\n overcomes Josiah, 449;\n takes Jehoahaz captive, 449;\n defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, 449\n Nehemiah\n rebuilds Jerusalem, 477;\n opposed by Sanballat, 478;\n his reforms, 477;\n his death, 481\n New Moon festival\n or Month-Sabbath, 143\n Nile, the\n Moses rescued from, 81;\n its position in Egyptian theology, 89;\n turned into blood, 89\n Nimrod\n the empire of, 21;\n worshipped as Bel or Belus, 21\n Nineveh\n founded by Nimrod, 21;\n Jonah\u2019s mission to, 430\n Noah\n his righteousness, 13;\n his three sons, 13;\n builds the Ark, 14;\n saved from the Flood, 15;\n leaves the Ark, 16;\n his sacrifice, 16;\n the covenant made with him, 16;\n plants the vine, &c., 17;\n his prophecy on his sons, 17;\n his descendants and their dispersion, 19\n Nob\n David at, 303;\n Saul\u2019s massacre of the priests there, 305\n Nomadic character\n of the Patriarchal age, 73\n\n\n O.\n\n Obed-Edom\n the Ark at his house, 326\n Offerings, the\n of the Mosaic Law, 133\n Og\n king of Bashan, 185;\n routed by the Israelites, 186\n Omri\n usurps the throne of Israel, 380;\n opposed by Tibni, 380;\n builds Samaria, 381\n Ophir\n conjectures regarding, 362\n Order of the March\n from Sinai, 168\n Othniel\n takes Kirjath-Sephir, 216;\n his exploits, 236\n\n\n P.\n\n Palestine\n its position and extent, 28;\n its adaptation to the Divine purpose, 29;\n ancient routes through it, 29;\n its physical geography, 30;\n its produces and fertility, 31;\n its division amongst the twelve tribes, 195, 216\u2013222\n Palmyra\n built by Solomon, 361\n Paradise\n its probable position, 3;\n life of our first parents there, 4\n Paran, deserts of\n the long wandering in, 178\n Parents\n Mosaic law regarding, 159\n Passover, the\n institution of, 95;\n rites observed at, 150;\n its typical meaning, 151;\n celebration of, on the plains of Jericho, 204\n Patriarchal age, the\n survey of, 73\n Patriarchs, the\n their nomadic life, 73;\n their family relations, 74;\n civilization, 74;\n religion and worship, 76;\n their character, 76\n Patriarchs, the twelve\n and their descendants, genealogical table of, 485\n Peace offerings\n various kinds of, 138;\n the ritual observed at, 138;\n meaning of, 139\n Pekah\n king of Israel, 433;\n defeated by the Assyrians, 434\n Pekahiah\n king of Israel, 433\n Pentecost\n the feast of, 152\n Penuel\n fortified by Jeroboam, 371\n Perizzites\n their locality, 32, 201\n Persian Empire\n table of its connection with Israel, 491\n Pharaoh\n his dreams, 61;\n interpreted by Joseph, 62;\n he exalts Joseph, 62;\n receives Jacob\u2019s blessing, 70\n his hardness of heart, 87\u201394;\n lets the Israelites go, 90, 96;\n pursues after them, 97;\n drowned in the Red Sea, 99\n Pharpar, River\n 412\n Philistines, the\n their immigration into Palestine, 258;\n their five cities, 259;\n Samson\u2019s exploits against them, 261\u2013264;\n their deities, 263;\n they capture the ark, 271;\n defeated at Mizpeh, 275;\n and by Jonathan at Michmash, 291;\n their invasion under Achish, 311;\n their victory, at Gilboa, 315;\n their defeat in the valley of Rephaim, 325;\n David\u2019s conquest over them, 329, 345\n Phinehas, grandson of Aaron\n his righteous zeal, 193;\n the priesthood settled in his race, 193;\n routs the Midianites, 194\n Phinehas, son of Eli\n wickedness of, 269;\n his death, 271\n Phrygians\n their tradition of the Flood, 16\n Pillar of cloud\n 67, 98, 167\n Pillar of fire\n 97, 98\n Pison, River\n 3\n Plague, the\n at Kadesh-Barnea, 177;\n at Baal-Peor, 193;\n in the reign of David, 346\n Plagues\n of Egypt, 88\u201394, 96\n Polygamy\n institution of, 11;\n Mosaic law regarding it, 160\n Porch\n of Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357\n Potiphar\n buys Joseph, 59;\n etymology of his name, 59;\n profligacy of his wife, 60\n Priests, the\n their consecration, 128;\n their vestments, 129;\n the qualifications necessary for, 129;\n their duties, 130;\n their provision, 130, 134;\n their functions and courses, 358\n Prince, the\n of the army of Jehovah, appears to Joshua, 204\n Promise, the\n to Adam, gradual fulfilment of, 482\u2013484\n Property\n Mosaic law respecting, 165\n Prophetical order, the\n its duties and position, 276, 277\n Prophet\n the disobedient, 373;\n his tomb spared by Josiah, 446\n Prophets\n the Chronological Table of, 487\n Proverbs\n of Solomon, 354\n Psalms\n of David, their pre-eminence as sacred poetry, 350\n Pul, king of Assyria\n bought off by Menahem, 432\n Purim\n the feast of, 154\n Purity\n Jewish laws regarding, 156\n\n\n Q.\n\n Quails\n sent in the wilderness, 170\n\n\n R.\n\n Rabbah\n trophy of Og there, 186;\n its position, 332;\n besieged by Joab, 333;\n taken by David, 335\n Rachel\n her meeting with Jacob, 51;\n becomes his wife, 52;\n the mother of Joseph, 52;\n and of Benjamin, 57;\n her death, 57\n Rahab\n protects the spies, 202;\n preserved at the destruction of Jericho, 206\n Rainbow, the\n pledge of the Covenant with Noah, 17\n Ramah\n the residence of Samuel, 275;\n school of the prophets there, 276\n Rameses\n its probable position, 97\n Ramoth-gilead\n situation of, 398;\n the battle of, 399\n Rebekah\n wife of Isaac, 45\n Redemption\n the first promise of, 8;\n its gradual fulfilment, 482\u2013484\n Red Sea, the\n Israelites arrive at, 97;\n their passage over it, 98\n Refuge\n the cities of, 164;\n their names, 220\n Rehoboam\n succeeds Solomon, 368;\n his impolitic conduit, 369;\n the ten tribes revolt from him, 369;\n his idolatry, 375;\n overcome by Shishak, 376;\n his death, 376\n Religion\n in the Patriarchal age, 75\n Rephidim\n Moses smites the rock there, 103;\n the Israelites attacked by the Amalekites at, 103;\n Jethro meets Moses there, 104\n Reuben\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n intercedes for Joseph, 58;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon, 71;\n tribe of, rebels against Moses, 176;\n its pastoral pursuits, 78, 194;\n its portion, 195\n Revolt\n of the ten tribes, 369;\n predisposing causes of, 370\n \u2666Rezin\n revolts against Solomon, 365\n Riblah\n position of, 449\n Rimmon, the fortress of\n 233\n Rimmon, the Syriac deity\n 412\n Rizpah\n her sons killed, 344;\n her devotion, 344\n Ruth\n history of, 265;\n its value and interest, 265\n\n\n S.\n\n Sabbath, the\n institution of, 102;\n Mosaic law regarding it, 142\n Sabbatical year, the\n 144;\n its meaning, 145\n Sacrifice\n first institution of, 10;\n Noah\u2019s, 16;\n Abraham\u2019s, 43;\n Elijah\u2019s, 386\n Sacrifices of the Mosaic law\n unbloody, 133;\n of blood, 137\n Samaria\n built by Omri, 381;\n its position, 218, 381;\n sieges of by Benhadad, 391, 414;\n slaughter of priests of Baal there, 422;\n besieged by Shalmaneser, 435;\n captured by Sargon, 435\n Samson\n his birth announced, 259;\n his exploits, 260\u2013264;\n his riddle, 261;\n betrayed by Delilah, 263;\n his death, 264\n Samuel\n his early dedication to the Lord, 268;\n called by God, 270;\n recognized as a Prophet, 271;\n becomes Judge, 274;\n establishes Schools of the Prophets, 276;\n meets Saul, 280;\n declares him king, 281;\n his farewell to the people, 285;\n rebukes Saul at Gilgal, 287;\n rejects Saul, 292;\n anoints David, 295;\n his death, 308;\n appears to Saul at Endor, 314;\n traditionary site of his tomb, 267\n Sanballat\n his opposition to Nehemiah, 478\n Sarah\n wife of Abraham, 27;\n her name changed, 39;\n gives birth to Isaac, 41;\n her death and burial, 44\n Sargon, king of Assyria\n captures Samaria, 435;\n ends the kingdom of Israel, 436\n Satan\n Scripture testimony respecting, 5;\n tempts Eve, 5;\n is cursed, 8;\n afflicts Job, 25\n Saul\n met by Samuel, 280;\n anointed, 281;\n joins the prophets, 281, 301;\n chosen king, 282;\n defeats the Ammonites, 284;\n assumes the government, 285;\n his sin, 287;\n rebuked by Samuel, 287;\n destroys the Amalekites, 292;\n his disobedience, 292;\n rejected by Samuel, 292;\n his jealousy of David, 299;\n his cruelty at Nob, 305;\n spared by David, 307;\n at Endor, 314;\n Samuel\u2019s sentence upon him, 315;\n his death, 315;\n his body rescued, 316;\n his sons crucified, 344\n Saviour, the\n first promise of, 8;\n its gradual fulfilment, 482\u2013484\n Scape-goat, the\n 148;\n its meaning, 149\n Schools of the Prophets\n established by Samuel, 276;\n their object and purpose, 276\n Seir\n mountains of, 55\n Sennacherib\n invades Judah, 438;\n summons Jerusalem, 439;\n destruction of his army, 440\n Serpent, the Brazen\n 182;\n typical of Christ, 183;\n destroyed by Hezekiah, 436\n Serpents in the Wilderness\n the plague of, 182\n Servants\n Mosaic law regarding, 161\n Seth\n son of Adam, 11;\n his descendants, 12;\n their righteousness, 12;\n repositories of the promise, 12;\n they become corrupt, 13\n Shadrach\n at Babylon, 457;\n in the fiery furnace, 454\n Shallum\n usurps the throne of Israel, 432\n Shalmaneser, king of Assyria\n invades Israel, 435\n Shamgar, the Judge\n assaults the Philistines, 237\n Sharon, the vale of\n its position, 30\n Sheba, Queen of\n visits Solomon, 364\n Sheba\n revolts against David, 342;\n his death, 343\n Shechem\n description of, 31;\n Abram builds his first altar there, 32;\n Jacob\u2019s abode there, 55, 58;\n Joseph\u2019s bones buried there, 210, 222;\n Joshua assembles the tribes at, 222;\n temple of Baal there, 252;\n destroyed by Abimelech, 254;\n Rehoboam\u2019s convention at, 368;\n rebuilt by Jeroboam, 371\n Shem\n son of Noah, 13;\n the blessing upon, 18;\n his descendants and their settlements, 20\n Shew-bread\n account of, 122;\n obtained by David, 303;\n placed in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357, 358\n Shibboleth\n meaning of, 258\n Shiloh\n conjectures concerning, 71;\n the tabernacle there, 125, 267;\n its position, 217;\n the rape at, 234;\n Samuel ministers there, 268;\n Eli dies at, 272;\n date of its supposed destruction, 272\n Shimei\n curses David, 339;\n is forgiven, 342;\n put to death, 353\n Shinar\n the Plain of, 18;\n the site of Nimrod\u2019s Empire, 21\n Shishak\n king of Egypt, 366;\n overcomes Rehoboam and despoils the Temple, 376\n Sihon, king of the Amorites\n opposes the Israelites, 184;\n is slain, 185\n Simeon\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n attacks Shechem, 56;\n bound hostage for Benjamin, 64;\n Jacob\u2019s dying blessing upon, 71;\n tribe of, its portion, 217\n Sinai, Mount\n the Israelites encamp before it, 105, 117;\n scenery around it, 106;\n the Covenant renewed there to Moses, 106, 116;\n the Law delivered from, 108;\n the ascents of Moses, 111, 116;\n events accomplished there, 167\n Sinai, Peninsula of\n Moses flies there, 82;\n description of it, 100\n Sin-offering, the\n 139;\n its peculiar ritual, 140;\n its intention, 141\n Sisera\n Jabin\u2019s captain, 237;\n overthrown by Barak, 240;\n killed by Jael, 242\n Slavery\n in the Patriarchal age, 74;\n under the Mosaic law, 161\n Sodom\n Lot settles there, 34;\n its destruction, 41\n Solomon\n the birth of, 334;\n proclaimed king, 347;\n David\u2019s last charge to him, 348;\n his accession, 350;\n his prayer for Wisdom, 353;\n his judgment, 354;\n his proverbs and songs, 354;\n commences the Temple, 355;\n dedicates it, 358;\n his public works, 360;\n commercial activity of his reign, 361\u2013363;\n bad tendency of this, 363;\n his splendour, 364;\n his failings, 363, 367;\n his troubles, 365;\n his death and character, 366;\n causes of the dismemberment of his kingdom, 370\n Song of Witness\n composed by Moses, 197\n Songs of Solomon\n 354\n \u2018Sons of God\u2019\n conjectures concerning, 13\n Spies\n mission of the twelve, 173;\n the faithless ten struck dead, 175;\n two sent to Jericho, 201\n Springs in the East\n 183\n Succoth\n Jacob settles at, 55;\n the Israelites first halt there, 97\n\n\n T.\n\n Tabernacle, the\n pattern of, revealed to Moses, 111, 118, 125;\n its construction, 119;\n its area, 119;\n description of, 121;\n its history, 125;\n fixed at Shiloh, 216;\n David\u2019s new one on Zion, 326\n Tabernacles\n the feast of, 153;\n its observances, 153;\n other customs connected with it, 154\n Table of Shewbread\n in the Tabernacle, 122;\n in Solomon\u2019s Temple, 357, 358\n Tadmor\n built by Solomon, 361\n Tarshish\n probable situation of, 362;\n Jonah at, 430\n Tekoa\n position of, 401\n Temple, the\n site of purchased by David, 346, 356;\n treasures accumulated for it, 356;\n the building of, by Solomon, 355\u2013358;\n its dedication, 358, 359;\n despoiled by Shishak, 376;\n repaired by Joash, 419;\n rifled by \u2666Jehoash, 425;\n despoiled by Nebuchadnezzar, 450, 451;\n its destruction, 452;\n the rebuilding of, commenced, 469;\n its interruption and completion, 470, 471\n Ten Tribes\n their revolt, 368\n Terah\n father of Abraham, 27\n \u2666Tarshish\n silver mines of, 362\n Thebez\n its position, 255\n Theft\n Mosaic law regarding, 165\n Things unclean\n forbidden by the Law, 156\n Tiberias\n Lake of, 30\n Tibni\n rival king to Omri, 380\n Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria\n his successes, 433\n Tigris, River\n 3, 17, 18\n Tiphsah\n position of, 361\n Tirzah\n capital of Israel, 380\n Tithes\n assigned to the Levites, 128;\n and Priests, 134\n Tola the Judge\n 255\n Tongues\n the confusion of, 16\u201320\n Tree of Knowledge\n 4\n Trespass Offering, the\n 141;\n occasions for presenting it, 141\n Tribal wars, the\n 232, 256\n Trumpets, feast of\n 144;\n its intention, 144\n Tubal Cain\n inventor of metal working, 11\n\n\n U.\n\n Unclean\n things forbidden by the law, 156\n Ur\n probable locality of, 27\n Uriah\n David\u2019s treachery to, 333\n Urim, the, and the Thummim\n 132\n Uz, the land of\n its probable site, 22\n Uzzah\n sudden death of, 326\n Uzziah, king of Judah.\n _See_ Azariah.\n\n\n V.\n\n Victims\n used for sacrifice, 135;\n the requisites of, 136\n\n\n W.\n\n Wanderings, the\n in the desert, 175\u2013178\n \u2018Waters of strife,\u2019 the\n 180\n Weeks, the feast of\n or Pentecost, 152;\n its character, 152\n Weights\n Jewish Tables of, 492\n Wells in the East\n 183\n Widow\u2019s son, the\n raised by Elisha, 409\n Wives\n Mosaic law regarding, 160\n Worship, religious\n of the Patriarchs, 75\n\n\n Y.\n\n Year of Jubilee, the\n 145\n Year-Sabbath, the\n 144\n\n\n Z.\n\n Zachariah, king of Israel\n brief reign of, 432\n Zadok the priest\n joins David, 323;\n has charge of the Ark, 326, 338;\n anoints Solomon, 347;\n becomes High-priest, 352\n Zarephath\n the widow of, 384;\n Elijah there, 384\n Zebulun\n Jacob\u2019s son, 52;\n tribe of, its portion, 219;\n its neglect of duty, 227;\n its firmness under Barak, 239\n Zechariah\n the stoning of, 425\n Zechariah, the prophet\n 471\n Zedekiah\n the false prophecy of, 398\n Zedekiah or Mattaniah\n king of Judah, 451;\n taken captive to Babylon, 452\n Zerah\n invasion and defeat of by Asa, 378\n Zerubbabel\n Governor of Jerusalem at the restoration, 469\n Ziklag\n David at, 311\n Zimri\n usurps the throne of Israel, 380\n Ziph\n David at, 306;\n spares Saul there, 310\n Zipporah\n wife of Moses, 83\n Zobah\n defeated by David, 330\n Zophar\n friend of Job, 24\n\n\n THE END.\n\n\n CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY & SONS, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.\n\n\n\n\n Footnotes.\n\n\n 1 \u2013 The Edition of Dr Robinson\u2019s _Biblical Researches_\n referred to is the second American Edition, 3 Vols. 1860;\n that of Dean Stanley\u2019s _Sinai and Palestine_, the 3rd,\n 1856.\n\n 2 \u2013 Hence the idea of an _envious_ and jealous God so common\n in heathenism, as in Herodotus, I. 32, III. 40, VII. 46.\n\n 3 \u2013 The Ninth Article of the Church of England.\n\n 4 \u2013 Kurtz\u2019s _History of the Old Covenant_, I. 49: \u201cHowever\n weakened and darkened by sin, the divine image in man is\n not wholly destroyed (Gen. ix. 6, James iii. 9), and even\n after the Fall man continues the offspring of God (Acts\n xvii. 28).\u201d\n\n 5 \u2013 Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred History_, p. 48.\n\n 6 \u2013 Davison, _On Prophecy_, p. 55.\n\n 7 \u2013 This seems to be the true meaning of the expression, _the\n Lord set a mark upon Cain_. Compare the sign given to\n Noah (Gen. ix. 13), to Moses (Ex. iii. 2, 12), to Elijah\n (1 Kings xix. 11), to Hezekiah (Isai. xxxviii. 7, 8).\n\n 8 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._ Art. _Noah_.\n\n 9 \u2013 The traditions of many nations preserve the recollection\n of the Flood. They may be found in the Chald\u00e6an and\n Ph\u0153nician mythology, among the Persian, Indian, Chinese,\n and American nations. The Greeks had their tradition of\n Deucalion and Pyrrha. Among the Phrygians was a legend of\n a King Annakos or Nannakos in Iconium, who lived to the\n age of 400 years, foretold the Flood, and in prospect of\n the destruction awaiting them, wept and prayed for his\n people. As late as the time of Septimius Severus, a medal\n was struck at Apamea commemorating this event. On it is\n the representation of a square vessel floating on the\n water, and through an opening in it two persons, a man and\n a woman, are visible. On the top a bird is perched, while\n another is flying towards it carrying a branch between its\n feet. In front of the vessel the same pair stand as though\n they had just landed on dry ground. On some specimens the\n letters \u039d\u03a9 or \u039d\u03a9\u0395 have been found. See Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred\n History_, p. 56.\n\n 10 \u2013 This prediction that Canaan should become the servant of\n Shem is thought to have been primarily fulfilled, when the\n nations of Palestine were conquered by Joshua (Josh. xviii.\n 10; xxiii. 4; 2 Chron. viii. 7, 8), when Tyre fell before\n the arms of Alexander, and, again, when the Carthaginians\n were subdued by the Romans.\n\n 11 \u2013 The words _he shall dwell in the tents of Shem_ are\n somewhat obscure. If they denote that God would dwell\n in his tents, they probably refer to the fact that the\n \u201cpromised Seed\u201d was restricted to this line, and the\n special presence of God with the Jews (Rom. ix. 4, 5);\n if they mean that Japheth should dwell in his tents, they\n probably point to the occupation of Palestine and the\n surrounding countries by the Romans, and in a spiritual\n sense to the adoption of the Gentiles into the Church of\n God (Eph. iii. 6).\n\n 12 \u2013 An approximate indication of the Time when this Dispersion\n took place is afforded in Gen. x. 25, where we find one of\n the descendants of Shem named Peleg (\u201c_Division_\u201d), _for\n in his days was the earth divided_.\n\n 13 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Dictionary of the Bible_, Article _Nimrod_.\n\n 14 \u2013 Jemima = _day_ or a _dove_, Kezia = _cassia_, a sweet\n aromatic plant, and Keren-Happuch = either _horn of\n antimony_, the pigment used by Eastern ladies to colour\n the eye-lashes, or, according to the LXX., _horn of\n plenty_.\n\n 15 \u2013 Called by the Greeks Edessa, and Callirrhoe, \u201cthe\n Beautiful Spring,\u201d from a \u201cpool of transparent clearness\u201d\n hard by. Others place Ur at _Mugheir_, much further to the\n south, and on the right bank of the Euphrates, about six\n miles from the present course of the stream.\n\n 16 \u2013 Haran, or Charr\u00e6, now _Harr\u00e1n_, in N.W. Mesopotamia,\n situated \u201con the point of divergence between the great\n caravan routes towards the various fords of the Euphrates\n and the Tigris,\u201d was afterwards celebrated for its temple\n of Luna, the Moon-goddess, and still more as the scene\n of the famous defeat of Crassus by the Parthian general\n Sur\u00e6na. Here the descendants of Abraham\u2019s brother Nahor\n settled, so that Haran is called _the city of Nahor_\n (Gen. xxiv. 10; xxvii. 43).\n\n 17 \u2013 The distance from London to York or Exeter. The limits\n here taken are the parallels of 31\u00b0 and 33\u00bd\u00b0 north\n latitude, and the meridian of 34\u00b0 to that of 36\u00b0 east\n longitude. \u201cIn Palestine, as in Greece, every traveller\n is struck with the smallness of the territory. He is\n surprised, even after all that he has heard, at passing,\n in one long day, from the capital of Judea to that of\n Samaria; or at seeing within 8 hours, three such spots\n as Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.\u201d Stanley, _Sinai and\n Palestine_, 114; see Note 337.\n\n 18 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ p. 113.\n\n 19 \u2013 Kurtz\u2019s _History of the Old Covenant_, I. 147, 8.\n\n 20 \u2013 \u201cAll the _routes_\u2015\u2015both by land and water\u2015\u2015which connected\n the three parts of the ancient world, passed through\n Palestine. The commerce between Asia on the one, and\n Europe and Africa on the other hand, had its centre in the\n great mercantile cities of Ph\u0153nicia and Philistia. Towards\n the South the \u2666Arabah led to the Gulf of Elath, and the\n Shephelah to that of Heroopolis, while toward the East the\n ordinary caravan road led to the neighbouring Euphrates,\n to the Persian Gulf, and thence to the important countries\n of Southern Asia. Even the highways which connected Asia\n and Africa touched Palestine. A much frequented commercial\n route led from Egypt to Gaza, and from Damascus over the\n plain of Jezreel to the Ph\u0153nician coast.\u201d Kurtz, I. 149.\n\n 21 \u2013 Hence the cities of Judah are higher than the summits of\n many mountains of Samaria and Galilee. Thus while Tabor is\n 1865 feet above the sea-level, and Carmel 1800, as high as\n the Peak in Derbyshire, Jerusalem is 2610 feet, or higher\n than Plynlimmon, and Hebron 3029 feet, or nearly as high\n as Helvellyn.\n\n 22 \u2013 While the lake of Cinneroth (or as it is called in the\n New Testament _Tiberias_), is only 653 feet below the\n same level. The two principal features in the course of\n the Jordan are its _descent_ and its _sinuosity_. From\n its fountain-head it rushes down one continuous plane,\n only broken by a series of rapids or precipitous falls,\n traversing, in a space of 60 miles of latitude and 4 or 5\n miles of longitude, at least 200 miles. See Smith\u2019s _Bib.\n Dict._ Article _Jordan_.\n\n 23 \u2013 \u201cShechem\u201d (now _Nablous_) = \u201cshoulder,\u201d \u201cridge,\u201d like\n _dorsum_ in Latin, was situated on the \u201csaddle\u201d or\n \u201cshoulder\u201d of the heights which divide the waters there\n that flow to the Mediterranean on the west and the Jordan\n on the east.\n\n 24 \u2013 \u201cHere there are no impetuous torrents, yet there is water;\n water, too, in more copious supplies than any where else\n in the land; and it is just to its many fountains, rills,\n water-courses, that the valley owes its exquisite beauty.\u201d\n Van de Velde, I. 386. Stanley, _S. and P._ 142, 235. \u201cThe\n whole valley,\u201d writes Dr Robinson, \u201cwas filled with gardens\n of vegetables, and orchards of all kinds of fruits, watered\n by fountains, which burst forth in various parts and flow\n westwards in refreshing streams,\u201d _Bibl. Res._ II. 275.\n\n 25 \u2013 \u201c_The Canaanite was then in the land_,\u201d Gen. xii. 6. Of\n these seven Canaanitish nations, descended from Canaan the\n son of Ham (Gen. x. 15\u201319), (i) the JEBUSITES inhabited\n Jerusalem (Jebus) and its neighbourhood (Num. xiii. 29;\n Josh. xi. 3; xv. 8, 63); (ii) the HITTITES, Hebron and\n its vicinity (Gen. xxiii. 7, 10; Num. xiii. 29); (iii)\n the HIVITES were located (a) north of the Jebusites about\n Gibeon and Bethel (Josh. xi. 19) and Shechem (Gen. xxxiv.\n 2), (b) in the neighbourhood of Hermon (Josh. xi. 3;\n Judg. iii. 3); (iv) the AMORITES, or \u201c_highlanders_,\u201d\n the most powerful and warlike tribe, occupied the country\n (a) between the Hittites and the Dead Sea (Gen. xiv. 7, 13;\n Judg. i. 34\u201336); (b) at a later period, the east of Jordan,\n where they founded two great kingdoms, that of Og in\n Bashan and Sihon in S. Gilead (Num. xxi. 13\u201326; Deut. iii.\n 8; Judg. xi. 13, &c.); (v) the CANAANITES, \u201c_lowlanders_,\u201d\n were distributed along the sea-coast (Gen. xv. 21; Exod.\n xxiii. 23; Josh. xi. 3) and the valley of the Jordan\n (Num. xiii. 29), thus encircling (vi) the PERIZZITES, who\n probably inhabited the high plains of the west country\n under the range of Carmel (Gen. xiii. 7; Josh. xi. 3);\n the position of (vii) the GIRGASHITES (Gen. x. 16; Deut.\n vii. 1) is uncertain.\n\n 26 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ 218.\n\n 27 \u2013 See Article _Oak_, in Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 28 \u2013 For other notices of Melchisedec see Heb. vii. 1\u201321;\n Psalm cx. 4. His relation to Christ, as type and antitype,\n consists in the fact that each was a priest, (i) not of\n the tribe of Levi, (ii) superior to Abraham, (iii) whose\n beginning and end are unknown, (iv) and not only a priest,\n but a priest-king, of righteousness and peace.\n\n 29 \u2013 Corresponding to _Padishah_ (_father-king_) the title of\n the Persian kings, and _At\u00e2l\u00eeh_ (father) the title of the\n Khans of Bucharia. Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._ Art. _Abimelech_.\n\n 30 \u2013 Either, (1) according to the prevailing belief, the hill\n at Jerusalem on which the Temple was afterwards built, or\n (2) Mount Gerizim, near Sychem. See Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._\n 251; and compare Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, 474, 475.\n\n 31 \u2013 \u201cThe tomb of Machpelah is a proof, standing to this day,\n of the long predetermined assurance that the children of\n Abraham should inherit the land in which this was their\n ancestor\u2019s sole, but most precious possession. It is like\n the purchase of the site of Hannibal\u2019s Camp by the strong\n faith and hope of the besieged senators of Rome.\u201d Stanley,\n _Lectures on the Jewish Church_, p. 40.\n\n 32 \u2013 On the consistent insignificance of Bethuel in this affair,\n see Blunt\u2019s _Coincidences_, p. 32.\n\n 33 \u2013 On Abraham\u2019s character, see p. 76.\n\n 34 \u2013 The red lentile is still a favourite article of food in\n the East. \u201cI can testify,\u201d writes Dr Thomson, \u201cthat when\n cooking, it diffuses far and wide an odour extremely\n grateful to a hungry man. It was, therefore, no slight\n temptation to Esau, returning weary and famished from\n an unsuccessful hunt in this burning climate.\u201d _Land and\n the Book_, p. 587. See also Robinson, _Bib. Res._ I. 246.\n\n 35 \u2013 From this transaction Esau acquired the name of EDOM,\n or \u201c_Red_,\u201d though the name is more usually applied\n to the land of his descendants. \u201cThe ruddy hue of the\n mountain-range given to Esau would at once suggest the\n word _Edom_, and cause it to be preferred to the better\n known Esau.\u201d Comp. Obad. 8, 9, 21.\n\n 36 \u2013 For the fulfilment compare 2 Kings viii. 20\u201322; 2 Chron.\n xxi. 8\u201310, and see p. 327.\n\n 37 \u2013 Bethel lay in the direct thoroughfare of Palestine. \u201c...\n The track of this thoroughfare winds through an uneven\n valley, covered, as with gravestones, by large sheets of\n bare rock; some few here and there standing up like the\n cromlechs of Druidical monuments.\u201d\u2015\u2015Stanley, _S. and P._\n 219.\n\n 38 \u2013 Mount Seir (\u201crough\u201d or \u201crugged,\u201d see Jer. xlix. 16,\n Obad. 4) extended along the east side of the Arabah, from\n the Dead Sea to the Elanitic gulf, and \u201cwas originally\n inhabited by the Horites, or \u2018troglodytes,\u2019 who were\n doubtless the excavators of those singular rock-dwellings\n found in such numbers in the ravines and cliffs around\n Petra.\u201d These Horites were dispossessed by the descendants\n of Esau, who gave to the country the name of Edom, and\n were divided into tribes under a sheikh or duke (Gen.\n xxxvi. 15\u201319).\n\n 39 \u2013 See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ I. 452 b.\n\n 40 \u2013 Dothan has been discovered by Van de Velde and Dr Robinson,\n \u201cstill bearing its ancient name, and situated at the S.\n end of a plain of the richest pasturage, 4 or 5 miles S. W.\n of En-gannim or _Jen\u00een_, and separated only by a swell or\n two of hills from the plain of Esdraelon.\u201d\u2015\u2015Smith\u2019s _Bib.\n Dict._\n\n 41 \u2013 Close to the large mound, on which Dothan stood, \u201cis an\n ancient road running N. and S., the remains of the massive\n pavement of which are still visible. The great road from\n _Beis\u00e2n_ to Egypt also passes near _Doth\u00e2n_.\u201d Rob. III.\n 122. The caravan coming from the spice-district of Gilead\n would cross the Jordan below the Sea of Galilee, pass\n over the plain of Jezreel, and thence proceed along the\n sea-shore to Egypt. Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, 466.\n\n 42 \u2013 Also written Potipherah = the Egyptian PET-P-RA or\n PET-PH-RA, \u201c_belonging to the sun_.\u201d Compare Pharaoh =\n P-RA or PH-RA, \u201c_the sun_,\u201d as the representative on earth\n of the god RA, \u201c_the sun_.\u201d\n\n 43 \u2013 The Greek translation of the Septuagint, which was made\n in Egypt, has here the word \u201c_Psonthomphanech_\u201d = \u201cthe\n preserver of the world\u201d or \u201cof the land.\u201d\n\n 44 \u2013 Asenath, interpreted by some \u201c_the servant of Neith_,\u201d\n the Egyptian Minerva. Others take it to be a Hebrew word,\n denoting \u201c_storehouse_.\u201d\n\n 45 \u2013 Divining out of cups was practised in Egypt. \u201cThe\n soothsayer drew his auguries either from the rays of light\n which played upon the water in the cup, or threw in pieces\n of gold and silver with jewels, and then pretended to see\n signs of future events from the figures which appeared on\n the surface, after an incantation had been pronounced.\u201d\n For instances of a similar mode of divination in the South\n Sea Islands, see Kitto\u2019s _Daily Biblical Illustrations_,\n I. 424.\n\n 46 \u2013 Comp. Is. ix. 6. Others, not understanding the word to\n have a personal reference, translate it \u201cRest.\u201d\n\n 47 \u2013 \u201cThe reason of this may be attributed to political\n circumstances, with which we are unacquainted. So\n large a procession, attended by an armed guard, would\n probably have met with difficulties from the contentious\n Philistines. It is a remarkable coincidence, however,\n that Jacob\u2019s corpse should have taken, or have been\n compelled to take the same road, which his descendants\n were afterwards obliged to follow in their journey to\n the Promised Land.\u201d Kurtz, _History of the Old Covenant_,\n II. 91. Abel-Mizraim is placed by some on the east, by\n some on the west of the Jordan.\n\n 48 \u2013 See Kurtz, _History of the Old Covenant_, II. 115.\n\n 49 \u2013 Blunt\u2019s _Scriptural Coincidences_, Pt. I. 1.\n\n 50 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._ I. 1140 b.\n\n 51 \u2013 This, with the keepers of his flocks and herds, would make\n the adult males in his service certainly not less than 500\n or 600, \u201cimplying a household of about 2000.\u201d See Kurtz,\n II. 149.\n\n 52 \u2013 Kurtz\u2019s _History of the Old Covenant_, II. 156\u2013161.\n\n 53 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _Jewish Church_, p. 90.\n\n 54 \u2013 Josephus tells us that he became a distinguished military\n commander, and led an expedition against Meroe, and\n married an Egyptian princess. _Ant._ Lib. II. 10. 1.\n\n 55 \u2013 Called also Jether \u201c_excellence_,\u201d Ex. iv. 18 (marg.),\n Hobab \u201c_beloved_,\u201d Num. x. 29, and Reuel or Raguel, Ex.\n ii. 18.\n\n 56 \u2013 \u201cThe wild acacia (_Mimosa Nilotica_) under the name of\n \u2018sont,\u2019 everywhere represents the \u2018seneh\u2019 or \u2018senna\u2019 of\n the Burning Bush.\u201d\u2015\u2015Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ p. 20.\n\n 57 \u2013 On account, however, of the incident related in Ex.\n iv. 24\u201326, Zipporah and her sons returned to Midian.\n\n 58 \u2013 Their names are given in 2 Tim. iii. 8, as _Jannes_ and\n _Jambres_. The same names are also found in the Targum and\n the Talmud.\n\n 59 \u2013 As Oceanus, or the \u201cWatery Element,\u201d the Nile was a member\n of the first Ogdood of the Egyptian theology, and the\n opponent of Phtah or the \u201cElement of Fire;\u201d its sacred\n emblem was the \u201ctame crocodile.\u201d On the monuments it is\n still called the god Nile, \u201cthe life-giving Father of\n all that exists,\u201d \u201cthe Father of the Gods,\u201d &c. \u201cWhat\n the heart is to the body,\u201d says an Egyptian, \u201cthe Nile\n is to Egypt; it is one with Osiris and the Supreme God.\u201d\n Herodotus (II. 90) speaks of priests of the Nile, and at\n Nilopolis there was a temple to it. \u201cFlowing, as it did,\n between sand and rock, the sole giver and sustainer of\n life in that valley of death, it was both in its increment\n and its decrease, in its course through vast solitudes and\n thronged populations alternately, the most expressive and\n suggestive of emblems for a religion which represented\n in such marked contrast the realms of creation and\n destruction, of Osiris and Typhon.\u201d\u2015\u2015See Kurtz, II. 273, 4,\n and Article _Nile_ in Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 60 \u2013 Frogs were regarded as sacred by the Egyptians; like\n the crocodile they were included in the second class\n of objects of worship. Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._ Article,\n _Plagues of Egypt_.\n\n 61 \u2013 The meaning of the Hebrew word is doubtful. The LXX. has\n \u03c3\u03ba\u1fd6\u03c6\u03b5\u03c2, and the Vulgate _sciniphes_, mosquitos; which\n Herodotus (II. 95) mentions as an intolerable plague in\n Egypt. Josephus (_Ant._ II. 14. 3) makes them lice; if so,\n this would have been especially humiliating to the priests,\n who regarded cleanliness as a religious duty.\n\n 62 \u2013 The exact meaning of the Hebrew word is here also unknown:\n 1. Some, as the English Version, understand it to denote\n _swarms of flies_, but see Margin at Ex. viii. 21;\n 2. Others, as the LXX., take it to be the _dog-fly_;\n 3. Others, the _beetle_.\n\n 63 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _Lectures_, p. 119. Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n II. 885.\n\n 64 \u2013 Hail and thunderstorms are by no means of rare occurrence\n in Egypt, but by the concurrent testimony of all\n travellers mild and harmless in their effects.\n\n 65 \u2013 For a wonderfully vivid description of the ravages of the\n locust see Joel ii. 1\u201311.\n\n 66 \u2013 The horrors of the Egyptian Samoom or _Chams\u00een_, which\n is regarded by some as the basis of this Plague, has been\n described by many travellers. See Robinson\u2019s _Bib. Res._\n I. 207. Kurtz, II. 287. Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ II. 888.\n\n 67 \u2013 Moses had already _before_ the tenth day of Nisan (Ex.\n xi. 1\u20133) notified to the elders (xii. 21) what was to\n be done respecting the Departure, and, therefore, ample\n preparations had doubtless been made.\n\n 68 \u2013 The triangular peninsula of Sinai, bounded on the west by\n the Gulf of Suez, and on the east by the Gulf of Akaba,\n consists of three main divisions. (i) The northern part,\n the desert of Et-T\u00eeh, or \u201cthe Wanderings,\u201d is a high\n table-land of limestone, of which the _western_ portion is\n called in Scripture _the wilderness of_ SHUR (Ex. xvi. 22),\n and the _eastern, the wilderness of_ PARAN. (ii) To this\n succeeds a range called _Jebel-et-T\u00eeh_, which extends in\n a curved direction from the upper end of the Gulf of Suez\n to that of the Gulf of Akaba, and skirts the sea for some\n distance on either side. (iii) South of this ridge, and\n separated from it by \u201ca narrow plain or belt of sand\u201d\n is the great triangular mass of red granite mountains\n called the T\u00f4r (_rock_), the approach to which from its\n three sides is through rugged passes leading upwards\n to the cliffs and mountains, \u201cbeginning in a gradual,\n but terminating usually in a very steep ascent\u2015\u2015almost\n a staircase of rock.\u201d Of this mountain-mass the chief\n heights are (a) on the N.W. _Jebel-Serb\u00e2l_, overlooking\n _Wady Feir\u00e2n_ = Rephidim; (b) in the centre, _Jebel\n Katherin_ (5705 ft.) and _Jebel Mousa_ (7560 ft.); (c) on\n the S. _Um Sh\u00f4mer_ (8850 ft.). On which summit the Law was\n given is uncertain, but not improbably it was the majestic\n height of _Ras Sas\u00e2feh_ at the N.W. end of Jebel Mousa,\n which overlooks the plain of _Er-Raheh_. The country\n between the _Jebel-et-T\u00eeh_ and the Gulf of Suez is called\n in Scripture the wilderness of ETHAM (Num. xxxiii. 8);\n that between the Gulf and the western base of the T\u00f4r _the\n wilderness of_ SIN (Num. xxxiii. 11, 12) = the N. portion\n of the present _plain of El-K\u00e2a_, which must be carefully\n distinguished from _the wilderness of_ ZIN (Num. xx. 1;\n xxxiii. 36), a desert tract between the Dead Sea and the\n Gulf of Akaba, now _the Arabah_.\n\n 69 \u2013 See note 68.\n\n 70 \u2013 \u201cIf I were to make a model of the end of the world, it\n would be from the valley of the convent of Mount Sinai.\u201d\n Quoted in Stanley, _S. and P._ 43, n.\n\n 71 \u2013 Stanley, _S. and P._ 14; _Lectures_, p. 140.\n\n 72 \u2013 Probably, if it was a laminated figure, he destroyed the\n wooden portion of it with fire, reduced the gold to dust,\n and then strewed it upon the water. Kurtz, III. 162.\n\n 73 \u2013 See the LXX. Version of Exod. xxxiv. 30\u201335, and Alford\u2019s\n and Wordsworth\u2019s Notes on 2 Cor. iii. 13.\n\n 74 \u2013 The ordinary cubit was = 18\u00bc English inches; there was\n a shorter one = 15 inches; the Babylonian cubit was = 21\n inches.\n\n 75 \u2013 It seems probable that the Tabernacle did not stand in the\n centre of the area, but 20 cubits from N., S., and W., so\n that there was a square of 50 cubits in front, where the\n sacrifices were offered, and the worshippers assembled.\n\n 76 \u2013 The position of the altar of Burnt-offering was very\n striking. It was the first object that confronted the\n worshipper on his entrance. The High-priest could not go\n into the sanctuary to burn incense before the Lord without\n taking live coals from this altar, nor could he enter\n and perform his holy functions without being himself\n sprinkled with the blood of the victims slain thereon.\n See Fairbairn\u2019s _Typology_, II. 282.\n\n 77 \u2013 Seals were numerous on the shores of the Sinaitic\n peninsula. Pliny mentions the use of the skins of seals as\n a covering for tents, and as a protection from lightning.\n The exact meaning, however, of the Hebrew word _tachash_\n is very uncertain. See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ III. 21;\n article _Badger_.\n\n 78 \u2013 Comp. Matt. xii. 4; Mark ii. 26; Heb. ix. 2; and, for the\n importance of the Shewbread, the words of Abijah (2 Chron.\n xiii. 11)\n\n 79 \u2013 In Heb. ix. 4, it is mentioned among the objects within\n the _second veil_, and in 1 Kings vi. 22 is said to belong\n to the _Oracle_ or _Holy of Holies_. Possibly, from its\n position and great typical importance, it was considered\n to belong to the \u201csecond Tabernacle.\u201d\n\n 80 \u2013 From Heb. xi. 4 it appears that the _pot of manna_ and\n _Aaron\u2019s rod that budded_ were also laid up before the Ark.\n\n 81 \u2013 Hardwick\u2019s _Religions of Egypt_, p. 114.\n\n 82 \u2013 See Art. _Tabernacle_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 83 \u2013 See p. 75.\n\n 84 \u2013 Kurtz, _Sacrificial Worship of the Old Testament_, 341.\n\n 85 \u2013 NADAB and ABIHU, his two elder sons, having been suddenly\n struck dead for presuming to burn incense with common or\n _strange_ fire (Levit. x. 1\u201311).\n\n 86 \u2013 (i) _Stacte_ (Heb. _drops_), probably the gum from the\n storax tree, a plant about twelve feet high, like the\n quince; (ii) _Onycha_, the name of the covering of a\n shell-fish, met with in the Red Sea, yielding a scent not\n pleasant in itself, but giving strength and continuance\n to other perfumes; (iii) _Galbanum_, resin from a shrub\n growing on the Syrian mountains, with a strong and\n disagreeable odour, but when mixed with other perfumes,\n increasing their sweetness; (iv) _Frankincense_, the\n highly prized resin of a small shrub, about ten feet high,\n growing in Arabia (Is. lx. 6; Jer. vi. 20), especially\n Saba and India. Successive incisions were made in the bark\n of the tree, the first yielded the purest and whitest kind,\n the succeeding incisions yielding the same, but spotted\n with yellow. For the comparison of prayer to incense, see\n Ps. cxli. 1, 2; Rev. v. 8; viii. 3, 4.\n\n 87 \u2013 The animals offered by the Greeks and Romans were\n generally of the domestic kind, but also included pigs,\n dogs, horses, and sometimes even fish, which are mentioned\n as pleasing to certain gods. The Hebrew sacrificial\n system, therefore, which rejected all animals caught in\n the chase, as stags, gazelles, antelopes, could never\n have contemplated such a sacrifice as that of the Roman\n emperors, who not unfrequently slaughtered for their\n hecatombs a hundred lions, and as many eagles. See\n Hengstenberg, _On the Sacrifices of Holy Script_. p. 377;\n Kurtz, p. 59; Michaelis\u2019 _Laws of Moses_, III. 95.\n\n 88 \u2013 Kurtz\u2019s _Sacrificial Worship_, p. 250.\n\n 89 \u2013 The chief public burnt-offerings were presented at (i) the\n daily morning and evening service; (ii) on the Sabbath,\n which was double that of every day, with a double meat-\n and drink-offering (Num. xxviii. 9, 10); (iii) at the\n New Moon, the three great Festivals, the great Day of\n Atonement, and the Feast of Trumpets (Num. xxviii. 11).\n Private burnt-offerings were appointed (i) for the\n consecration of the priests (Ex. xxix. 15); (ii) the\n purification of women (Lev. xii. 6\u20138); (iii) the\n cleansing of the leper (Lev. xiv. 10); (iv) removal of\n any ceremonial uncleanness (Lev. xv. 15, 30); (v) any\n accidental breach, and the conclusion of the Nazarite vow\n (Num. vi. 10, 14; and comp. Acts xxi. 26).\n\n 90 \u2013 B\u00e4hr\u2019s _Symbolik_ quoted in Kurtz\u2019s _Sacrif. Worship_,\n p. 163.\n\n 91 \u2013 From this circumstance also arises the fact that\n Peace-offerings were offered on the most magnificent\n scale at seasons of great solemnity and rejoicing; _e.g._\n at the inauguration of the Covenant (Ex. xxiv. 5); the\n consecration of Aaron and the Tabernacle (Lev. ix. 18);\n the solemn reading of the Law on Ebal and Gerizim (Josh.\n viii. 31); at the accession of Saul (1 Sam. xi. 15); at\n the introduction of the Ark by David into Mt. Zion (2 Sam.\n vi. 17); at the dedication of the Temple by Solomon (1 Kin.\n viii. 63; ix. 25); at the great Passover of Hezekiah\n (2 Chron. xxx. 22); while on two occasions only do we find\n them connected with national sorrow (Judg. xx. 26; 2 Sam.\n xxiv. 25).\n\n 92 \u2013 See Kurtz\u2019s _Sacrificial Worship_, p. 192; Fairbairn\u2019s\n _Typology_, II. 348; Browne\u2019s _Hebrew Antiquities_,\n 114, 115.\n\n 93 \u2013 Von Gerlach, _On the Pentateuch_. After the return from\n the Captivity the observance of the Sabbath was fenced\n about by a multitude of petty prohibitions. Not only\n was marketing prohibited (Neh. x. 31; xiii. 15\u201319), but\n travelling beyond a Sabbath-day\u2019s journey, i.e. 2000 paces\n or about 6 furlongs, bearing arms even in time of war\n (1 Macc. ii. 36), plucking ears of corn, healing the sick,\n carrying a bed (comp. Matt. xii. 10; Mk. iii. 2; Lk. vi. 7;\n Jn. ix. 14, 16).\n\n 94 \u2013 Of these there were two at the Passover, one at Pentecost,\n one at the feast of Trumpets, one on the Day of Atonement,\n and two at the feast of Tabernacles.\n\n 95 \u2013 The tendency of the Eastern nations to worship the Moon\n was inveterate. In Egypt this luminary, under the name of\n Isis, was one of the only two deities which commanded the\n reverence of all the Egyptians (Herodotus, II. 42, 47);\n in Syria she was worshipped under the name of Ashtaroth\n Karnaim, the _horned Astarte_; in Babylonia under the name\n of Sin, and called _Lord of the Month_. We see, therefore,\n how necessary it was that the Israelites should have,\n besides a penal prohibition, some positive preservative\n against such worship, and by the blast of the sacred\n trumpets and the additional sacrifices be taught to pay\n honour to the Eternal One, the Creator and Sustainer of\n all things, who _appointed the moon for seasons_ (Ps.\n civ. 19).\n\n 96 \u2013 Both Alexander and Julius C\u00e6sar exempted the Jews from\n tribute during it. Comp. Joseph. _Ant._ XIV. 10, \u00a7 6.\n See article _Sabbatical Year_, in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ At\n first sight, it is there observed, the provisions of this\n enactment seem impracticable. But it is to be remembered\n (i) that the land would actually derive much benefit from\n lying fallow at a time when the rotation of crops was\n unknown; (ii) in no year was the owner allowed to reap the\n whole harvest (Lev. xix. 9; xxiii. 22); and the remainder\n would in the fertile soil of Palestine resow itself and\n produce a considerable result; (iii) the vines and olives\n would naturally yield their fruit; (iv) owners of land\n were expected to lay in provision during previous years\n (Lev. xxv. 20\u201322).\n\n 97 \u2013 Von Gerlach, _On the Pentateuch_.\n\n 98 \u2013 This most difficult word is variously explained, as a\n designation (i) of the _goat_ itself, and = _the goat\n sent away_, or _let loose_, the _scape-goat_; (ii) of the\n _place_ to which it was sent, and = _desert places_, or\n the name of a mountain near Sinai; (iii) of a _personal\n being_ to whom the goat was sent, and = _the apostate,\n the unclean_, an evil demon, or the devil himself; (iv)\n of the lot cast upon it, = for _complete sending away_, or\n _removal of sin_. Of these explanations, No. i. has in its\n favour the most ancient authorities; No. ii. the largest\n majority of the latest commentators, who compare Isai.\n xiii. 22; xxxiv. 14; Lev. xvii. 7; Matt. xii. 43; Lk.\n viii. 27; Rev. xviii. 2.\n\n 99 \u2013 And, according to Num. xxix. 7\u201311, other sacrifices with\n the usual meat-offering.\n\n 100 \u2013 The Passover was eminently an Historical Festival. Year\n after year, from generation to generation, it was to\n recall, as in \u201ca living drama,\u201d the great facts of the\n national deliverance, the awful night when there was not\n a house in Egypt where there was not one dead, when the\n Destroying Angel passed over the houses of the Israelites,\n and the people were delivered, not by their own might or\n by their own strength, but by the uplifted hand of Jehovah.\n It was the nation\u2019s annual Birth-day Feast, the Festival\n of Redemption. Its chief features were (i) the offering\n of a _single victim_ for each Paschal company; (ii) the\n _Paschal Meal_ with which the Festival began; (iii) the\n eating of _unleavened bread_ during the whole time it\n lasted.\n\n No other Festival was so full of typical meaning, or\n pointed so clearly _to good things to come_ (Heb. x. 1).\n (i) It was a Feast of Redemption foreshadowing a future\n and greater Redemption (Gal. iv. 4, 5); (ii) The Victim,\n a lamb _without blemish and without spot_, was a striking\n type of the _Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the\n world_ (Jn. i. 29; 1 Cor. v. 7; 1 Pet. i. 19); (iii) Slain\n not by the priest but by the head of the Paschal company,\n its blood shed and sprinkled on the Altar, roasted whole\n without the breaking of a bone, it symbolized Him who\n was put to death by the people (Acts ii. 23), whose Blood\n during a Paschal Festival was shed on the Altar of His\n Cross, whose side the soldier pierced, but brake not His\n legs (Jn. xix. 32\u201336); (iv) Eaten at the sacrificial meal\n (peculiar to the peace-offering) with bitter herbs and\n unleavened bread (the symbol of purity) it pointed to\n that one Oblation of Himself once offered, whereby Christ\n has made us at peace with God (Eph. ii. 14, 15), in which\n whosoever truly believes must walk in repentance, and\n sincerity and truth (1 Cor. v. 7, 8); (v) It was at a\n Paschal Supper that its Antitype the Christian Eucharist\n was instituted by our Lord. (Matt. xxvi. 17; Mark xiv. 12.)\n\n 101 \u2013 Though nowhere mentioned in Scripture, the later Jews saw\n in this Festival a commemoration of the giving of the Law\n on Mount Sinai, which is made out from Ex. xix. to have\n taken place on the fiftieth day after the departure from\n Egypt, and may possibly be hinted at in Deut. xvi. 12.\n Certainly Christians in the early ages of the Church\n observed the coincidence between the bestowal of the Holy\n Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost (Acts ii. 1), and the\n giving of the Law on the same day. \u201cIt may have been on\n this account that Pentecost was the last Jewish Festival\n (as far as we know) which St Paul was anxious to observe\n (Acts xx. 16; 1 Cor. xvi. 8), and that _Whitsunday_\n came to be the first annual Festival instituted in the\n Christian Church.\u201d\u2015\u2015Art. _Pentecost_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 102 \u2013 Other customs are alluded to in the New Testament in\n connexion with this Feast. (a) On the evening of the first\n day the Court of the Women at the Temple was illuminated\n with golden candelabra (Jn. viii. 12), accompanied by the\n chanting of eleven Psalms, cxx\u2013cxxxi, and the same joyous\n ceremony was renewed on each of the seven days. (b) Every\n day, at the time of morning sacrifice, the Israelites\n in festive attire, and bearing branches in their hands,\n repaired to the Temple, and the priest having drawn\n water in a golden vessel from the fountain of Siloam,\n advanced to the Brazen Altar amidst the sound of trumpets,\n and poured it into a vessel on the western side furnished\n with small openings at the bottom, and wine into a\n similar vessel at the eastern side, whence by pipes it\n was conveyed to the Kidron (comp. Jn. vii. 37\u201339 with\n Isai. xii. 3).\n\n 103 \u2013 Browne\u2019s _Hebrew Antiquities_.\n\n 104 \u2013 \u00c6schylus, _Choeph_. 271.\n\n 105 \u2013 Archbp. Trench _On the Miracles_, pp. 210\u2013214.\n\n 106 \u2013 See p. 74.\n\n 107 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 171.\n\n 108 \u2013 The same respect for the sacredness of human life marked\n other regulations. If an ox gored a man to death, it was\n to be killed, and if its owner, conscious of its ferocity,\n did not keep it in, he was also liable to death, but in\n this case a compensation was allowed to be assessed by\n the Avenger (Ex. xxi. 29\u201332). For other offences, such as\n cutting, maiming, wounding, assault, the _lex talionis_,\n _an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth_, was enforced,\n and, in certain cases, compensation for loss of time,\n and the expenses of the cure (Ex. xxi. 24, &c. Lev. xxiv.\n 19, 20; Deut. xix. 21).\n\n 109 \u2013 For subsequent traces of the descendants of Hobab in\n connection with the Israelites, see Judg. i. 16; iv. 11;\n 1 Chron. ii. 55; 2 Kings x. 15; Jer. xxxv. 2. See Blunt\u2019s\n _Coincidences_, Pt. I. xxii.\n\n 110 \u2013 See note 68.\n\n 111 \u2013 See Robinson, II. 175; Stanley, _S. and P._ 81, 82;\n Article _Hazer_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 112 \u2013 See Article _Kadesh_ in _Bib. Dict._ See Map.\n\n 113 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 114 \u2013 See p. 30, and note 21.\n\n 115 \u2013 See pp. 115, 116.\n\n 116 \u2013 Kurtz, _History of the Old Covenant_, p. 293. See Blunt\u2019s\n _Coincidences_, Pt. I. 75\u201379.\n\n 117 \u2013 See Kurtz\u2019s _History of the Old Covenant_, III. 310.\n\n 118 \u2013 A recurrence also to idolatry was not uncommon, and\n especially the worship of the heavenly bodies. (Comp. Ezek.\n xx. 16, with Amos v. 25\u201329, and Acts vii. 42, 43.)\n\n 119 \u2013 Even now called _Jebel Nebi-Haro\u00fbn_, the \u201cMount of the\n prophet Aaron.\u201d Robinson, _Bib. Res._ II. 125.\n\n 120 \u2013 Drew\u2019s _Scripture Lands_, p. 84.\n\n 121 \u2013 \u201cThe snakes against which the Brazen Serpent was\n originally raised as a protection, were peculiar to the\n eastern portion of the Sinaitic desert. There and nowhere\n else, and in no other moment of their history, could this\n symbol have originated.\u201d\u2015\u2015Stanley, _Lectures_, 182. \u201cThe\n sand on the shore (of the Gulf of _Akaba_) showed traces\n of snakes on every hand. They had crowded there in various\n directions. Some of the marks appeared to have been made\n by animals which could not have been less than two inches\n in diameter. My guide told me that snakes were very common\n in these regions, and that the fishermen were very much\n afraid of them, and put out their fires at night before\n going to sleep, because the light was known to attract\n them.\u201d\u2015\u2015Burckhardt\u2019s _Travels_, II. 814, quoted in Kurtz,\n _History of the Old Covenant_, III. 343.\n\n 122 \u2013 Comp. Deut. ii. 13, 18; Isai. xv. 7; Amos vi. 14.\n\n 123 \u2013 \u201cThe _well_ of the Hebrew and the Arab is carefully\n distinguished from the _spring_. The _spring_ (_ain_) is\n the bright, open source\u2015\u2015the _eye_ of the landscape, such\n as bubbles up among the crags of Sinai, or rushes forth\n in a copious stream from En-gedi or from Jericho. But the\n _well_ (_beer_) is the deep hole bored far under the rocky\n surface by the art of man.... Such wells were the scenes\n of the earliest contentions of the shepherd-patriarchs\n with the inhabitants of the land; the places of meeting\n with the women who came to draw water, ... the natural\n halting-places of great caravans, or wayfaring men,\n as when Moses gathered together the people to the well\n of Moab, which the princes dug with their sceptered\n staves.\u201d\u2015\u2015Stanley, _S. and P._ 147.\n\n 124 \u2013 See p. 32, note.\n\n 125 \u2013 Porter\u2019s _Syria and Damascus_, II. 220; _Handbook_, II.\n 506; Article _Argob_, _Dictionary of the Bible_, p. 42.\n\n 126 \u2013 Article _Edrei_, Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ \u201cIbrahim Pasha,\n flushed with victory, and maddened by the obstinacy of\n a handful of Druzes, attempted to follow them into the\n _Lejah_, but scarcely a soldier who entered it returned.\n Every rock concealed an enemy. From inaccessible nooks\n death was dealt out; and thousands of the bravest of\n the Egyptian troops left their bones amid the defiles\n of the Lejah. The Turks were still less successful in\n 1852.\u201d\u2015\u2015Porter\u2019s _Handbook_, p. 504.\n\n 127 \u2013 Probably one of the common flat beds used at times on\n the housetops in Eastern countries, and made of bars\n of iron instead of the usual palm-sticks, Kitto\u2019s _Bib.\n Illustrations_, II. 210. Others, however, suppose it\n was \u201csarcophagus of black basalt.\u201d\u2015\u2015Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n Stanley\u2019s _Lectures on Jewish History_, p. 216.\n\n 128 \u2013 Stanley, _S. and P._ p. 298. Porter\u2019s _Handbook_, I. 198.\n\n 129 \u2013 \u201cEven at the present day the pagan Orientals, in their\n wars, have always their magicians with them to curse their\n enemies, and to mutter incantations for their ruin. In\n our own war with the Burmese, the generals of the nation\n had several magicians with them, who were much engaged in\n cursing our troops; but as they did not succeed, a number\n of witches were brought for the same purpose.\u201d\u2015\u2015Kitto\u2019s\n _Bible Illust._ II. 214, where he also quotes such a\n formula of imprecation from Macrobius. Comp. also Butler\u2019s\n _Sermon on the Character of Balaam_. Blunt\u2019s _Script.\n Coincidences_, Pt. I. xxiv.\n\n 130 \u2013 Article _Kirjath-huzoth_, in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 131 \u2013 Porter\u2019s _Handbook_, p. 300.\n\n 132 \u2013 Keble\u2019s _Christian Year_, 2nd Sunday after Easter;\n Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ p. 299.\n\n 133 \u2013 Num. xxiv. 17 _Margin_.\n\n 134 \u2013 Article _Sheth_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 135 \u2013 For the version here adopted, and on this early prophecy\n of the future rise of the power of Greece and of Europe,\n see Dr Pusey\u2019s _Lectures on the Prophet Daniel_, pp.\n 58, 59.\n\n 136 \u2013 Stanley, _S. and P._ p. 324. \u201cIt is still the favourite\n tract of the Bedouin shepherds.\u201d\n\n 137 \u2013 See p. 78.\n\n 138 \u2013 \u201cAnd the eastern side of the Jordan valley up to the\n lake of Chinnereth, or Gennesareth\u201d ( Num. xxxii. 34\u201338),\n Article _Gad_ in _Bib. Dictionary_.\n\n 139 \u2013 Article _Manasseh_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Stanley,\n _S. and P._ p. 327.\n\n 140 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, p. 211.\n\n 141 \u2013 On the expressive figure of _the Rock_, as applied to God\n six times in this Song, xxxii. 4, 15, 18, 30, 31, 37, see\n Stanley, _Lectures_, 198.\n\n 142 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _Lectures on Jewish History_, pp. 199, 200; Comp.\n also _S. and P._ p. 301.\n\n 143 \u2013 See p. 32, note.\n\n 144 \u2013 Stanley, _S. and P._ p. 307; _Lectures_, p. 235. Its\n modern name is _Er\u00eeha_, or, as it is more commonly\n pronounced, _R\u00eeha_, \u201ca degenerate shoot, both in name and\n character, of the ancient Jericho.\u201d One single solitary\n palm now timidly rears its head where once stood the\n renowned \u201cCity of Palm-trees,\u201d Deut. xxxiv. 3; Judg. i. 16;\n Rob. _Bib. Res._ I. 552.\n\n 145 \u2013 Stanley, _S. and P._ p. 307. Comp. 2 Kings ii. 7.\n\n 146 \u2013 See the _Calendar_, p. 155.\n\n 147 \u2013 By some the Captain of the Lord\u2019s Host is supposed to have\n been a created being, by others an uncreated Angel, the\n Son of God.\n\n 148 \u2013 Never again did Jericho become a _fortified city_: as a\n _town_, it was assigned to the tribe of Benjamin (Josh.\n xviii. 21), and as such was inhabited (Judg. iii. 13;\n 2 Sam. x. 5); but not till the time of Ahab was the attempt\n made by the Bethelite Hiel (1 Kings xvi. 34), to make\n it once more a fortified city. In his case the curse of\n Joshua was fulfilled: his eldest son Abiram died at its\n foundation, and his youngest, Segub, when the gates were\n set up.\n\n 149 \u2013 Probably a stiff embroidered robe, made in the loom with\n the needle and of several colours. See Layard\u2019s _Nineveh_,\n II. 319, quoted by Kitto, _Bib. Illustrations_, II. 204.\n This seems to indicate the existence of a trade between\n Canaan and Mesopotamia.\n\n 150 \u2013 See Keil\u2019s _Commentary on Joshua_, p. 208. And for the\n situation of Ai, Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Ai_.\n\n 151 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ p. 203.\n\n 152 \u2013 See p. 196.\n\n 153 \u2013 \u201cSuch writing was common in ancient times: I have seen\n numerous specimens of it certainly _more than two thousand\n years old_, and still as distinct as when they were first\n inscribed on the plaster.\u201d Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_,\n p. 471, Mill\u2019s _Modern Samaritans_.\n\n 154 \u2013 The acoustic properties of this valley are interesting,\n the more so that several times they are incidentally\n brought to our notice in Holy Writ (comp. Josh. viii. 33;\n Judg. ix. 7). It is impossible to conceive a spot more\n admirably adapted for Joshua\u2019s purpose than this one, in\n the very centre of the newly acquired land, nor one which\n could more exactly fulfil all the required conditions....\n A single voice might be heard by many thousands, shut in\n and conveyed up and down by the enclosing hills. In the\n early morning we could not only see from Gerizim a man\n driving his ass down a path on Mount Ebal, _but could hear\n every word he uttered as he urged it on_; and in order to\n test the matter more certainly, on a subsequent occasion\n two of our party _stationed themselves on opposite\n sides of the valley, and with perfect ease recited the\n commandments antiphonally_.\u201d Tristram\u2019s _Land of Israel_,\n pp. 149, 150.\n\n 155 \u2013 It was probably on this occasion that the Egyptian coffin\n containing the embalmed body of their great ancestor\n was laid by the two tribes of the house of Joseph in the\n _parcel of ground_ near Shechem, _which Jacob bought of\n the sons of Hamor_ (Gen. xxxiii. 19; l. 25).\n\n 156 \u2013 Or another place of the same name now called _Jilgilia_,\n situated near Bethel in the direct route from Shechem to\n Ai.\n\n 157 \u2013 They became \u201cslaves of the Sanctuary,\u201d = Deo donati. Comp.\n Ezra viii. 20; 1 Chron. ix. 2; Num. viii. 16, 19. On the\n subsequent breaking of this compact by Saul, see 2 Sam.\n xxi. 1\u20135.\n\n 158 \u2013 In this same locality Judas Maccab\u00e6us won his first great\n victory over the forces of Syria (1 Macc. iii. 16\u201324), and\n later the Roman army under Cestius Gallus was totally cut\n up by the insurgent Jews (Joseph. _B. J._ II. 19, 8, 9).\n See Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ p. 212; Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._,\n Article _Beth-horon_.\n\n 159 \u2013 See Keil _on Joshua_, p. 219; and Article _Makkedah_ in\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dictionary_.\n\n 160 \u2013 \u201cAs the British chiefs were driven to the Land\u2019s End\n before the advance of the Saxon, so at this Land\u2019s End of\n Palestine the kings were gathered for this last struggle.\u201d\n _S. and P._ p. 391.\n\n 161 \u2013 See Keil _on Joshua_, x. 39. The etymology, however, is\n not certain. It was also called Kirjath-sannah, _city of\n palms_ (Josh. xv. 49). See Wilton\u2019s _Negeb_, 212 _n._\n\n 162 \u2013 The position of _Shiloh_ is very definitely described in\n Judg. xxi. 19, as _on the north side of Bethel, on the\n east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to\n Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah_. Exactly in the\n position here indicated, Dr Robinson found a ruin called\n _Seil\u00fbn_. \u201cWe were,\u201d he says, \u201con the east of the great\n road between Bethel and Shechem, and in passing on towards\n the latter place we came, after half-an-hour, to the\n village of Lebonah, now _El-Lubban_.\u201d _Bib. Res._ II. 269.\n \u201cThe selection of the site for the Tabernacle belongs to\n this period, and could belong to no other. The place of\n the sanctuary was naturally fixed by the place of the Ark.\n This was, in the first instance, at Gilgal. But as the\n conquerors advanced into the interior, a more central\n situation became necessary. This was found in a spot\n unmarked by any natural features of strength or beauty,\n or by any ancient recollections, recommended only by its\n comparative seclusion, near the central thoroughfare of\n Palestine, yet not actually upon it.\u201d Stanley, _Lectures\n on Jewish History_, p. 278.\n\n 163 \u2013 Gibeon, Gibeah, Geba and Gaba, all mean _hill_; Ramah and\n Ramathaim, _eminence_; Mizpah, _a watch-tower_.\n\n 164 \u2013 Article _Ephraim_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 165 \u2013 It has been compared to the plain of Stirling, situated\n in like manner at the opening of the Scottish Highlands,\n and in like manner the scene of almost all the decisive\n battles of Scottish history. Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._\n p. 337 _n._\n\n 166 \u2013 Porter\u2019s _Handbook of Syria and Palestine_, II. 352.\n\n 167 \u2013 By some derived from Cinnoor (\u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03cd\u03c1\u03b1, _cithara_, a \u201charp\u201d),\n as if in allusion to the oval shape of the lake.\n\n 168 \u2013 Porter\u2019s _Handbook of Syria and Palestine_, II. 363;\n Pusey\u2019s _Lectures on Daniel_, p. 294.\n\n 169 \u2013 Keil _on Josh._ xxiv. 26\u201328.\n\n 170 \u2013 Holy Scripture itself suggests (Heb. iv. 8) the\n consideration of Joshua as a type of Christ. The following\n amongst many other typical resemblances may be pointed out:\n (1) the name common to both; (2) Joshua brings the people\n of God into the land of Promise, and divides it among\n the tribes; Jesus brings His people into the presence\n of God, and assigns to them their mansions; (3) as Joshua\n succeeded Moses and completed his work, so the Gospel of\n Christ succeeded the Law, announced One by whom all that\n believe are justified from all things from which we could\n not be justified by the Law of Moses (Acts xiii. 39). See\n Article _Joshua_ in Smith\u2019s _Dictionary_; Pearson _on the\n Creed_, Art. II.\n\n 171 \u2013 See p. 35.\n\n 172 \u2013 Such is the explanation of Josephus, _Ant._ V. ii. \u00a7 2,\n who adds that the siege lasted some time.\n\n 173 \u2013 See the marginal date at Judges, chap. xvii. It is to be\n observed that (i) Dan was not yet settled, Judg. xviii. 1;\n (ii) Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, was living (Judg.\n xx. 28), as also the grandson of Moses; (iii) the iniquity\n of Gibeah is mentioned, Hos. x. 9, as the first open sin of\n Israel in Canaan. See Angus\u2019 _Bible Handbook_, 460 _n._\n\n 174 \u2013 Kitto\u2019s _Bibl. Illus._ II. 447.\n\n 175 \u2013 See p. 218.\n\n 176 \u2013 Mr Thomson compares it with the soil of the lower portion\n of the Mississippi; \u201ceven now the region produces large\n crops of wheat, barley, maize, sesame, rice, and other\n plants, with very little labour ... while horses, cattle,\n and sheep fatten on the rich pastures, and large herds\n of black buffaloes luxuriate in the streams and in\n the deep mire of the marshes.\u201d Thomson\u2019s _Land and the\n Book_, p. 214; Robinson, _Bib. Res._ III. 396; Blunt\u2019s\n _Coincidences_, Pt. II. 108\u2013110.\n\n 177 \u2013 In the English version the reading is _the son of\n Manasseh_ (Judg. xviii. 30), a name probably substituted\n out of respect for the great Lawgiver, whose name is\n preserved in several Hebrew MSS. and the Vulgate. See\n Articles _Micah_, _Jonathan_, _Manasseh_, and _Laish_ in\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 178 \u2013 Comp. Livy, XXX. 7; XXVIII. 37; in XXXIII. 46, XXXIV. 61\n they are called _judices_. Stanley\u2019s _Lectures_, p. 292.\n\n 179 \u2013 See p. 216.\n\n 180 \u2013 See Blunt\u2019s _Coincidences_, Pt. II. v. 114\u2013117.\n\n 181 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _Lectures on Jewish History_, p. 317.\n\n 182 \u2013 \u201cThe ploughman still carries his goad\u2015\u2015a weapon apparently\n more fitted for the hand of the soldier than the peaceful\n husbandman. The one I saw was of the \u2018oak of Bashan,\u2019 and\n measured upwards of 10 feet in length. At one end was an\n iron spear, and at the other a piece of the same metal\n flattened. One can well understand how a warrior might use\n such a weapon with effect in the battle-field.\u201d Porter\u2019s\n _Syria and Damascus_, II. 35. Comp. Homer, _Il._ VI. 135.\n\n 183 \u2013 Identified by Thomson with _Harothieh_, the Arabic form\n of the Hebrew Harosheth, an enormous double mound about\n 8 miles from Megiddo, exactly in the line of the retreat\n of the Canaanites, at the entrance of the pass to Esdraelon\n from the plain of Acre. \u201cIt was,\u201d he writes, \u201cprobably\n called Harosheth _of the Gentiles_, or _nations_, because\n it belonged to those Gentiles of Acre and the neighbouring\n plains whom we know from Judg. i. 31 the Hebrews could not\n subdue.\u201d _The Land and the Book_, p. 437.\n\n 184 \u2013 Compare the family name of Hannibal, Barca = fulmen belli.\n See _Barak_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Joseph. _Ant._ V. 5,\n \u00a7 2.\n\n 185 \u2013 Probably = _height_, \u201crising abruptly to a height of\n about 1000 ft. from the north-eastern arm of the plain\n of Esdraelon, and standing entirely insulated, except on\n the W., where a narrow ridge connects it with the hills of\n Nazareth.\u201d See Robinson, _Bib. Res._ II. 352.\n\n 186 \u2013 See pp. 78, 194.\n\n 187 \u2013 See note 109.\n\n 188 \u2013 Or the \u201cOak of the Unloading of Tents,\u201d Stanley\u2019s\n _Lectures_, p. 326. \u201cThe black tents of the Turkman and\n Kurds, strangers like the Kenites, may still be seen\n pitched among the oaks and terebinths that encompass the\n little plain of Kedesh; proving that after the lapse of\n more than 3000 years the state of society in the country\n is but little changed.\u201d Porter\u2019s _Handbook of Syria and\n Palestine_, II. 444. For the forests of Naphtali, see\n p. 219.\n\n 189 \u2013 See p. 226.\n\n 190 \u2013 Thomson, _Land and the Book_, p. 435.\n\n 191 \u2013 Josephus, _Ant._ V. 5, \u00a7 4. See Thomson, p. 436.\n\n 192 \u2013 \u201cAs in like case in the battle of Cressy.\u201d Stanley\u2019s\n _Lectures_, p. 324.\n\n 193 \u2013 \u201cI have seen this stream swollen and rapid, after heavy\n rains, when the winter torrents of Galilee and Carmel flow\n into it; then it is a river \u2018with waters to swim in, a\n river that cannot be passed over;\u2019 and I can well imagine\n the hosts of Sisera, his chariots and horses, struggling\n there.\u201d _Domestic Life in Palestine_, pp. 111, 112. \u201cWhen\n largely swollen during the great rains of winter it is\n _spongy_ enough\u2015\u2015much easier to find than to get over\u2015\u2015I\n once crossed through the lower part of Esdraelon ...\n and had no little trouble with its _bottomless mire_\n and _tangled grass_.\u201d Thomson, _L. and B._, p. 435; and\n compare Van de Velde, I. p. 289. Some of the results of\n this battle were nearly reproduced in the battle of Mount\n Tabor, April 16, 1799, when many of the fugitive Turks were\n drowned in the Kishon. See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article\n _Kishon_.\n\n 194 \u2013 See Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 441.\n\n 195 \u2013 See p. 194.\n\n 196 \u2013 \u201cIn precisely the same manner do the Bedaw\u00een Arabs, these\n modern Midianites, come up the Wady of Jezreel and Wady\n Sherrar, _after the people have sown_, and destroy the\n increase of the earth; and not only destroy the increase\n of the field, but commit wholesale murder, as these\n did upon the brethren of Gideon at Tabor.... Both these\n valleys are now swarming with these _children of the East_,\n come over Jordan to consume the land.\u201d Thomson, _The Land\n and the Book_, p. 448; _Domestic Life in Palestine_, pp.\n 178, 179. \u201cThis is one of the chief causes of the present\n poverty of the country.\u201d\n\n 197 \u2013 Stanley, _S. and P._ p. 151; Smith\u2019s _Dict._, Article\n _Caves_.\n\n 198 \u2013 \u201cThe summer threshing-floors are in the open country, and\n on an elevated position, to catch the wind when winnowing\n the grain, and of course they would be altogether unsafe\n at such a time, while the vineyards are hid away in the\n wadies and out on the wooded hills, and thus adapted\n for concealment. Indeed, I myself have seen grain thus\n concealed in this same country, during the lawless days\n of civil war.\u201d Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 448.\n\n 199 \u2013 \u201cIt is worthy of remark that the men of Issachar are not\n mentioned, and we can from this point readily imagine\n the reason. The people of Issachar lived here on this\n great plain (Esdraelon), and were, of course, altogether\n surrounded by and at the mercy of the Midianites, as these\n villages of Sulan, Sh\u016dtta, Zer\u2019in, &c., now are in the\n power of these Bedaw\u00een. They therefore _could not_ join\n the army of Gideon.\u201d Thomson, _The Land and the Book_,\n p. 449; Stanley\u2019s _Lectures_, p. 344.\n\n 200 \u2013 Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 449.\n\n 201 \u2013 The _Zabit_ or _Agha_ of the police at Cairo carries with\n him at night \u201ca torch which burns soon after it is lighted,\n without a flame, excepting when it is waved through the\n air, when it suddenly blazes forth: it therefore answers\n the same purpose as our dark lantern. _The burning end_ is\n sometimes concealed in a small pot or jar, or covered with\n something else, where not required to give light.\u201d Lane\u2019s\n _Modern Egyptians_, I. ch. iv.; Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 202 \u2013 For similar stratagems, see Liv. xxii. 16; Sall. _de Bell.\n Jug._ ch. 99.\n\n 203 \u2013 See p. 55.\n\n 204 \u2013 See Article _Zebah_, in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Josephus,\n _Ant._ V. 6, \u00a7 5.\n\n 205 \u2013 Rendered in Isai. xvii. 13 a \u201c_rolling_ thing.\u201d Probably\n the allusion is to the wild artichoke which \u201cin growing\n throws out numerous branches of equal size and length in\n all directions, forming a sort of sphere or globe, a foot\n or more in diameter. When ripe and dry in autumn, these\n branches become light and dry as a feather, the parent\n stem breaks off at the ground, and the wind carries these\n vegetable globes whithersoever it pleaseth.... The Arabs\n derive one of their many forms of cursing from this plant;\n \u2018May you be whirled like the \u2019akk\u00fbb (wild artichoke),\n before the wind, until you are caught in the thorns, or\n plunged into the sea.\u2019\u201d Thomson, _Land and the Book_,\n p. 564.\n\n 206 \u2013 For subsequent mention of this deliverance, see 1 Sam.\n xii. 11; Ps. lxxxiii. 11; Isai. ix. 4, x. 26; Heb. xi. 32.\n\n 207 \u2013 See pp. 31, 55.\n\n 208 \u2013 See p. 209.\n\n 209 \u2013 \u201cSeveral lofty precipices of Gerizim literally overhang\n the city, any one of which would answer Jotham\u2019s purpose.\n Nor would it be difficult to be heard, as everybody knows\n who has listened to the _public crier_ of villages on\n Lebanon. In the stillness of the evening, after the people\n have returned home from their distant fields, he ascends\n the mountain-side above the place, or to the roof of some\n prominent house, and then _lifts up his voice and cries_\n as Jotham did. Indeed, the people in these mountainous\n countries are able, from long practice, so to pitch their\n voices as to be heard distinctly at distances almost\n incredible. They talk with persons across enormous wadies,\n and give the most minute directions, which are perfectly\n understood; and in doing this they seem to speak very\n little louder than their usual tone of conversation.\n Jotham, therefore, might easily be heard by the greater\n part of the inhabitants of Shechem.... The very trees\n which most abound at Nablous (Shechem) are the olive, the\n fig, the vine, and the bramble.\u201d Thomson, _The Land and\n the Book_, p. 474; Stanley\u2019s _Lectures_, p. 350; Tristram,\n p. 150.\n\n 210 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 211 \u2013 \u201cSituated 13 Roman miles from Shechem, on the road to\n Scythopolis. There it still is; its name\u2015\u2015_Tub\u00e2s_\u2015\u2015hardly\n changed; the village on a rising ground to the left of\n the road, a thriving, compact, and strong-looking place,\n surrounded by immense woods of olives.\u201d See Robinson, _Bib.\n Res._ III. p. 305; Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Thebez_.\n\n 212 \u2013 See 2 Sam. xi. 21.\n\n 213 \u2013 Lev. xviii. 21; Deut. xii. 31.\n\n 214 \u2013 Signifying 1st _an ear of corn_, and 2ndly _a stream or\n flood_.\n\n 215 \u2013 The PHILISTINES, a race of \u201cstrangers,\u201d appear to have\n made three immigrations into the fertile south-western\n Lowland of Palestine, just as there were different\n immigrations of Saxons and Danes into England. (i) The\n _first_ came from the _Casluhim_ (Gen. x. 14); (ii) the\n _second_ and chief from the _Caphtorim_ (Deut. ii. 23;\n Jer. xlvii. 4; Am. ix. 7), either from some part of Egypt,\n or of Asia Minor and its adjacent islands, probably Crete;\n (iii) the _third_ from the _Cherethim_ (1 Sam. xxx. 14).\n The earliest immigrants having expelled the _Avim_ (Deut.\n ii. 23) had in the time of Abraham and Isaac established a\n kingdom, the capital of which was at Gerar, and possessed\n a standing army (Gen. xxi. 22; xxvi. 26). After the Exodus,\n Gerar disappears from history, and the power of Philistia\n is concentrated in five new towns, _Gaza_, _Ashdod_,\n _Ashkelon_, _Gath_, _Ekron_, each raised on its slight\n eminence above the maritime plain, each possessing its\n dependent or \u201cdaughter towns\u201d and villages (Josh. xv.\n 45\u201347; 1 Ch. xviii. 1), and each having its own king or\n prince, who all consulted and acted as one. \u201cThe third\n immigration of the _Cherethim_ would account for the\n sudden increase of the strength of the Philistines at this\n period.\u201d See Pusey, _Comment. on Amos_ ix. 7.\n\n 216 \u2013 See pp. 158, 159.\n\n 217 \u2013 See p. 229.\n\n 218 \u2013 Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 566.\n\n 219 \u2013 Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 552. \u201cSo great is the\n dread of fire in harvest-time, that the Arabs punish with\n death any one who sets fire to a wheat-field, even though\n done by accident.\u201d _Ibid._ p. 553.\n\n 220 \u2013 \u201cThe five cities of the Philistines divided, as it were,\n their idolatry between them; Ashdod being the chief seat\n of the worship of _Dagon_; Ashkelon of _Derceto_; Ekron of\n _Baal-zebub_; Gaza of the god _Marna_ (\u2018nature\u2019).\u201d Pusey,\n _Comment. on Amos_ i. 8.\n\n 221 \u2013 Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred History_, p. 171.\n\n 222 \u2013 Some think during the judgeship of Ehud, others during\n that of Gideon. Kurtz, p. 164.\n\n 223 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 224 \u2013 For David\u2019s subsequent connection with Moab, see p. 303.\n\n 225 \u2013 The situation of Ramathaim = _double eminence_, is\n uncertain. \u201cBut the place long pointed out as Samuel\u2019s\n tomb, and therefore the site of his birth, 1 Sam.\n xxv. 1, is the height, most conspicuous of all in the\n neighbourhood of Jerusalem, immediately above the town\n of Gibeon, known to the Crusaders as \u2018Montjoye,\u2019 being\n the spot from whence they first saw Jerusalem, now\n called _Neby Samwil_, \u2018the Prophet Samuel.\u2019\u201d Smith\u2019s\n _Bib. Dict._, Article _Ramah_, No. 2.\n\n 226 \u2013 See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Mantle_.\n\n 227 \u2013 According to some, it was now that Shiloh was destroyed.\n See Ps. lxxviii. 60 sq., and Jer. vii. 12.\n\n 228 \u2013 \u201cAshdod, as well as Ekron, have their name from their\n strength; Ashdod = _the mighty_, like Valentia; Ekron =\n _the firm-rooted_.\u201d Pusey, _Comment. on Amos_ i. 8.\n\n 229 \u2013 A name which suggests an early worship of the Sun there.\n In Josh. xix. 41, it is called _Ir-shemesh_. It is now\n called _\u2019Ain es-Shems_, about 2 miles from the great\n Philistine plain, and 7 from Ekron. Thomson, _Land and\n Book_, p. 535.\n\n 230 \u2013 For subsequent notices of such schools at Bethel and\n Jericho see 2 Kings ii. 3, 5; at Gilgal, iv. 38; vi. 1; on\n Mount Carmel, 1 Kings xviii. 30\u201342; 2 Kings ii. 25; iv. 25.\n\n 231 \u2013 See also Judg. vi. 8; 1 Sam. ii. 27.\n\n 232 \u2013 See Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred History_, p. 176.\n\n 233 \u2013 It is to be remembered that God had promised to Abraham\n that _kings_ should come from him (Gen. xvii. 6); Jacob\n had prophesied that the _Sceptre_ should not depart from\n Judah till Shiloh came (Gen. xlix. 10); and Moses had\n distinctly anticipated, nay, provided for the election of\n a king by laying down specific directions concerning the\n kingdom (Deut. xvii. 14\u201320). The elders, therefore, of\n Israel might well have inferred that it was the Divine\n intention ultimately to give the nation a monarchical\n constitution, and consequently that it was their duty\n patiently to await the development of the Divine counsels.\n See Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred History_, p. 177.\n\n 234 \u2013 According to the law as laid down in the above quotation\n from Deuteronomy, (i) The nomination of any Israelite\n king rested with Jehovah, whose Will would be made known\n through the High-priest, or the voice of a Prophet, or\n the sacred lot, a provision which could not fail to remind\n him that he was not an irresponsible autocrat, but the\n representative and viceroy of Jehovah: (ii) The monarch\n must be a native Israelite, not a foreigner, or even\n a proselyte: (iii) On his accession he must transcribe\n a copy of the Law, that he might know it and keep its\n Statutes: (iv) He was forbidden to maintain any large body\n of cavalry with a view to aggressive warfare: (v) He was\n to eschew the usual accompaniment of Oriental despotism,\n a numerous _Harem_, and the excessive accumulation of gold\n and silver, which could only be acquired by oppressive\n exactions from his subjects. Jahn\u2019s _Heb. Comm._ 64, 65.\n\n 235 \u2013 See p. 232.\n\n 236 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 237 \u2013 Now Jeb\u2019a, see 1 Sam. xiii. 16 (_margin_); Robinson, _Bib.\n Res._ I. 441, _n._; Porter\u2019s _Handbook_, p. 214.\n\n 238 \u2013 \u201cEast, and west, and north, through the three valleys\n which radiate from the uplands of Michmash\u2015\u2015to Ophrah on\n the north, through the pass of Beth-horon on the west,\n and down the ravine of the hyenas, \u2018toward the wilderness\n of the Jordan on the East.\u2019\u201d Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ 204;\n Robinson, _Bib. Res._ I. 441.\n\n 239 \u2013 The deep gorge of the W\u00e2dy-Suwein\u00eet, or Harith.\n \u201cImmediately on leaving Jeb\u2019a we descend by a rugged,\n zigzag track, apparently intended only for goats, into\n W\u00e2dy-es-Suwein\u00eet, here tolerably wide, though deep and\n rocky. A few hundred yards to the right it contracts to\n a narrow ravine, shut in by high, almost perpendicular\n cliffs, above which on each side the ground is tolerably\n level. This is doubtless the scene of Jonathan\u2019s adventure.\u201d\n Porter\u2019s _Handbook_, I. 215; Robinson, I. 440, 441.\n\n 240 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Jonathan_; Stanley\u2019s\n _S. and P._ p. 205.\n\n 241 \u2013 See p. 156.\n\n 242 \u2013 See p. 132.\n\n 243 \u2013 Comp. (i.) Num. xiv. 45; (ii.) Judg. iii. 13; (iii.) Judg.\n vi. 3.\n\n 244 \u2013 The family belonged to the greatest house in Judah, the\n descent being as follows: _Judah_, _Pharez_, _Hezron_,\n _Ram_, _Amminadab_, _Nahshon_ (Num. i. 7), _Salmon_, who\n married Rahab the Canaanite, _Boaz_, _Obed_, _Jesse_.\n (Ruth iv. 18\u201322; 1 Chr. ii. 5\u201312.)\n\n JESSE.\n \u250c\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2534\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2510\n _Eliab._ \u250c ABISHAI.\n _Abinadab._ _Zeruiah._ \u2524 JOAB.\n _Shammah._ \u2514 ASAHEL.\n _Nethaneel._\n _Raddai._ _Abigail._ \u2500 AMASA.\n _Ozem._\n [_One not given._ 1 Chr. ii. 15.]\n DAVID.\n [Comp. 1 Sam. xvi. 7\u201310 with 1 Chr. ii. 13\u201317.]\n\n 245 \u2013 Article _David_ in Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 246 \u2013 Identified by Robinson with the _Wady es-S\u016dmt_. \u201cIt took\n its name Elah of old from the terebinth, of which the\n largest specimen we saw in Palestine still stands in the\n vicinity; just as now it takes its name _es-Sumt_ from the\n acacias which are scattered in it.\u201d\u2015\u2015_Bibl. Dict._ II. 21.\n\n 247 \u2013 In all ages the favourite weapon of the shepherds of Syria.\n See Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 572.\n\n 248 \u2013 \u201cWe do not know how long a period intervened between the\n return of David to his father\u2019s house and his appearance\n before the king on the morning of the _duel_ with Goliath.\n If it were two or three years, it is possible that David\n had, in the meanwhile, suddenly shot up from boyhood to\n youth, tall and robust, and his personal appearance might\n have so changed as to bear little resemblance to the ruddy\n lad who played skilfully on the harp. It is a fact that\n lads of this country, particularly of the higher classes,\n are often very fair, fullfaced, and handsome, until about\n fourteen years of age, but during the next two or three\n years a surprising change takes place. They not only\n spring into fullgrown manhood as if by magic, but all\n their former beauty disappears; their complexion becomes\n dark, their features harsh and angular, and the whole\n expression of countenance stern, and even disagreeable.\n I have often been accosted by such persons, formerly\n intimate acquaintances, but who had suddenly grown\n entirely out of my knowledge, nor could I, without\n difficulty, recognize them.\u201d Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_,\n p. 569.\n\n 249 \u2013 Used as a protection from gnats.\n\n 250 \u2013 See _Naioth_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ It was now, probably,\n that he became acquainted with the prophets _Nathan_ and\n _Gad_.\n\n 251 \u2013 See Matt. xii. 3; Mark ii. 23; Luke vi. 3, 4.\n\n 252 \u2013 Compare the histories of Coriolanus and Themistocles.\n\n 253 \u2013 See titles of Psalms xxxiv. and lvi.\n\n 254 \u2013 Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 148.\n\n 255 \u2013 See Robinson, I. 481, 2; Van de Velde, II. 156.\n\n 256 \u2013 Comp. the story of Alexander in the Desert of Gedrosia.\n\n 257 \u2013 Compare Psalms cxl., cxlii.\n\n 258 \u2013 Robinson, _Bib. Res._ I. 492.\n\n 259 \u2013 See Psalm liv.\n\n 260 \u2013 Its original name was Hazazon-Tamar (_the pruning of the\n palm_), on account of the palm-groves which surrounded it\n (Gen. xiv. 7; 2 Chr. xx. 2). Wilton\u2019s _Negeb_, 120. \u201cWe\n were now in the \u2018wilderness of Engedi,\u2019 where David and\n his men lived among \u2018the rocks of the wild goats\u2019....\n The whole scene is drawn to the life. On all sides the\n country is full of caverns, which might then serve as\n lurking-places for David and his men, as they do for\n outlaws at the present day.\u201d\u2015\u2015Robinson, _Bib. Res._ I.\n p. 500.\n\n 261 \u2013 See Psalm lvii.\n\n 262 \u2013 Psalms liv., lvii., lxiii. by their titles relate to this\n period, and it has been remarked that \u201cprobably these\n Psalms made the Psalter so dear to Alfred and to Wallace\n during their like wanderings.\u201d\u2015\u2015Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Art.\n _David_.\n\n 263 \u2013 See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Hachilah_.\n\n 264 \u2013 \u201cI noticed, at all the encampments which we passed, that\n the sheikh\u2019s tent was distinguished from the rest by a\n tall spear stuck upright in the ground in front of it; and\n it is the custom, when a party is out on an excursion for\n robbery or for war, that when they halt to rest, the spot\n where the chief reclines is thus designated.... The cruse\n of water is in exact accordance with the customs of the\n people at this day. No one ventures to travel over these\n deserts without his cruse of water, and it is very common\n to place one at the \u2018bolster,\u2019 so that the owner can\n reach it during the night. The Arabs eat their dinner\n in the evening, and it is generally of such a nature as\n to create thirst, and the quantity of water which they\n drink is enormous. The _cruse_ is, therefore, in perpetual\n demand.\u201d\u2015\u2015Thomson\u2019s _L. and B._ 367.\n\n 265 \u2013 Compare the story of the Persian king and Themistocles.\n\n 266 \u2013 Wilton\u2019s _Negeb_, p. 207.\n\n 267 \u2013 \u201cA lasting memorial of this battle was the law, which\n traced its origin to the arrangement made by David,\n formerly in the attack on Nabal (1 Sam. xxv. 13), and\n now again more completely, for the equal division of the\n plunder amongst the two-thirds who followed to the field,\n and the one-third who remained to guard the baggage\u201d\n (1 Sam. xxx. 21\u201325). Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 268 \u2013 See Robinson, _Bib. Res._ II. 325. \u201cShunem (_Sulem_)\n afforded an admirable camping-ground for a large army,\n _Jebel ed D\u00fbhy_ rising abruptly behind, and the top\n of it commanding a perfect view of the great plain in\n every direction, so that there could be no surprise,\n nor could their march be impeded, or their retreat cut\n off.\u201d\u2015\u2015Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, 451.\n\n 269 \u2013 Probably the same as the Spring of Harod or _Trembling_,\n at which Gideon\u2019s three hundred lapped (see p. 247), and\n \u201cidentical with the fountain of Jal\u00fbd, a few miles to\n the east of the modern village of Jezreel.\u201d Hewitt\u2019s\n _Scripture Geography_, p. 33.\n\n 270 \u2013 \u201cThe rock on which Endor is built has been hollowed out\n by the hand of nature into large caverns, whose dark and\n gloomy entrances brought involuntarily to my mind the\n witch of the days of Saul.\u201d Van de Velde, II. 383.\n\n 271 \u2013 Beth-shan (now _Beisan_) was one of the Canaanite\n strongholds which the Israelites had never taken. (See\n p. 225.) Situated on a _tell_ or hill, about 200 ft.\n high, on the slope of the range of Gilboa, it was a very\n strong position, with nearly perpendicular sides, and was\n abundantly supplied with water. Thomson, 455. Stanley, _S.\n and P._ 346.\n\n 272 \u2013 Jabesh-gilead \u201cwas on the mountain-range east of the\n Jordan, _in full view of Beth-shan_, and these brave\n men would creep up to the _tell_, without being seen,\n while the deafening roar of the noisy cascades leaping\n through the deep ravines dividing the city would render\n it impossible for them to be heard.\u201d Thomson, _The Land\n and the Book_, p. 445. Van de Velde, II. p. 360.\n\n 273 \u2013 See pp. 283, 284.\n\n 274 \u2013 See p. 44.\n\n 275 \u2013 See p. 215.\n\n 276 \u2013 See p. 53.\n\n 277 \u2013 Compare the combat of the Horatii and Curiatii. _Livy_, I.\n xxiv., xxv.\n\n 278 \u2013 See p. 210, and Art. _Ishbosheth_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 279 \u2013 See p. 219.\n\n 280 \u2013 \u201cThe situation of Jerusalem is in several respects\n singular amongst the cities of Palestine. Its elevation is\n remarkable, occasioned, not from its being on the summit\n of one of the numerous hills of Jud\u00e6a, like most of the\n towns and villages, but because it is on the edge of\n one of the highest table-lands of the country. Hebron,\n indeed, is higher still, by some hundred feet; and from\n the south, accordingly, the approach to Jerusalem is by\n a slight descent. But from every other side, the ascent\n is perpetual; and, to the traveller approaching Jerusalem\n from the west or east, it must always have presented the\n appearance, beyond any other capital of the then known\n world\u2015\u2015we may add, beyond any important city that has ever\n existed on the earth\u2015\u2015of a _mountain city, enthroned on a\n mountain fastness_.\u201d (Comp. Ps. lxviii. 15, 16; lxxxvii. 1;\n cxxv. 1; lxxvi. 1, 2; lxvi. 4.) But besides being thus\n elevated, Jerusalem was separated from the rocky plateau\n of which it forms a part by deep and precipitous ravines\n on its south-eastern, southern, and western sides, out of\n which the rocky slopes of the city \u201crose like the walls\n of a fortress out of its ditches, so that from them it\n must have appeared quite impregnable.\u201d \u201cSomething of the\n same effect is produced by those vast rents which, under\n the name of \u2018Tago,\u2019 surround or divide Ronda, Alhama, and\n Granada, on the table-lands which crown the summits of the\n Spanish mountains. But in Palestine, Jerusalem alone is so\n entrenched, and from this cause derived, in great measure,\n her early strength and subsequent greatness.\u201d Stanley\u2019s\n _Sinai and Palestine_, p. 172. Robinson\u2019s _Bib. Res._ I.\n 258\u2013260.\n\n 281 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _Sinai and Palestine_, p. 176.\n\n 282 \u2013 See p. 225, and Kitto\u2019s _Daily Bible Illustr._ III. 340.\n\n 283 \u2013 Joseph. _Ant._ VII. 3. \u00a7 1. See Article _Jerusalem_ in\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred History_, p. 183.\n\n 284 \u2013 \u201cIt was necessary for the commerce of Ph\u0153nicia that she\n should enjoy the friendship of whatever power commanded\n the great lines of inland traffic, which ran through\n C\u0153le-Syria and Damascus, by Hamath and Tadmor, to the\n Euphrates.\u201d Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 97.\n Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_, pp. 201\u2013205. Heeren\u2019s _Researches_,\n II. pp. 116, 117.\n\n 285 \u2013 See p. 124. Blunt\u2019s _Coincidences_, p. 130.\n\n 286 \u2013 i. _The Army._ In early times all males above twenty and\n under fifty years of age were required to serve in the\n wars, and formed a kind of national militia (Deut. xx.\n 5\u20139). A standing army, as we have already seen, was\n first formed at the early part of Saul\u2019s reign (1 Sam.\n xiii. 2; xiv. 52). Under David the national forces were\n divided into twelve divisions of 24,000 men, each division\n commanded by its own officer, and liable to be called on\n to serve in their respective months (1 Chr. xxvii. 1\u201315).\n Unlike the armies of the surrounding nations, that of\n the Israelites was composed only of infantry, and but few\n chariots were as yet introduced (2 Sam. viii. 4). Over the\n entire force of the nation JOAB was commander-in-chief by\n right of his services before Jebus, and whenever the king\n was absent, he led the troops to battle.\n\n ii. _The Royal Body-guard_, or _the Cherethites and\n Pelethites_. To defend the person of the king a force was\n now for the first time organized, consisting of foreign\n mercenaries, the command of which was entrusted to the\n Levite BENAIAH, the son of the high-priest Jehoiada.\n (For whose exploits, see 2 Sam. xxiii. 20, 21; 1 Chr.\n xi. 22\u201325.)\n\n iii. _The Heroes_ or _Mighty Men_. Round the king when\n a fugitive in the cave of Adullam had gathered, as we\n have seen, a body of six hundred men. This number David\n always preserved, but elevated it to a sort of military\n Order, with the special title of the GIBBORIM, _Heroes_\n or _Mighty Men_. This body was divided into 3 divisions of\n 200 each, and 30 divisions of 20 each. The lowest rank in\n this order consisted of the captains of the 30 divisions,\n who were known as _the Thirty_; then came the captains of\n the three larger divisions, who were known as _the Three_;\n and lastly, the commander of the whole force, who was\n known as _the Captain of the Mighty Men_, and was at this\n time ABISHAI, David\u2019s nephew (2 Sam. xxiii. 8\u201339; 1 Chr.\n xi. 9\u201347). See Articles _David_ and _Army_ in Smith\u2019s\n _Bibl. Dict._ Kitto\u2019s _Bibl. Illustr._ III. pp. 301\u2013304.\n\n 287 \u2013 See note 215.\n\n 288 \u2013 See pp. 49, 50.\n\n 289 \u2013 See p. 304.\n\n 290 \u2013 See p. 192.\n\n 291 \u2013 See p. 256.\n\n 292 \u2013 Already mentioned as the place where the bedstead of the\n giant Og was deposited (see p. 186). It was on the road\n between Heshbon and Bosra, on the edge of the desert, near\n one of the sources of the Jabbok. Afterwards from Ptolemy\n Philadelphus (B.C. 285\u2013247) it received the name of\n _Philadelphia_, and in the Christian era became the seat\n of a bishop and one of the 19 sees of \u201cPalestina Tertia.\u201d\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Rabbah_.\n\n 293 \u2013 See p. 271.\n\n 294 \u2013 See p. 165.\n\n 295 \u2013 To this sad period belong Psalms xxxii. li.\n\n 296 \u2013 \u201cThe ruins which now adorn the \u2018royal city\u2019 are of a\n later Roman date; but the commanding position of the\n citadel remains, and the unusual sight of a living stream,\n abounding in fish, marks the significance of Joab\u2019s song\n of victory\u2015\u2015_I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken\n the city of waters_.\u201d _Sinai and Palestine_, p. 323.\n\n 297 \u2013 See Kitto\u2019s _Daily Bibl. Illustr._ III. 395.\n\n 298 \u2013 A village about six miles to the south of Bethlehem, the\n birthplace of the prophet _Amos_ (Am. i. 1).\n\n 299 \u2013 See p. 238.\n\n 300 \u2013 See the dates in margin, 2 Sam. xv.\n\n 301 \u2013 What was Ahithophel\u2019s motive for this defection is\n not stated; but it is to be remembered that he was\n the grandfather of Bath-sheba (Comp. 2 Sam. xx. 3 and\n xxiii. 34), and was doubtless well aware of the sad fate\n of Uriah, his son Eliam\u2019s brother-officer. See Blunt\u2019s\n _Coincidences_, p. II. x. pp. 136, 137. Art. _Ahithophel_,\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 302 \u2013 See Ps. xli. 9; lv. 12, 13, 20.\n\n 303 \u2013 Probably an inhabitant of Erech, a place of uncertain site.\n See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 304 \u2013 Compare the account of Abner and Rizpah, p. 320.\n\n 305 \u2013 To this period belong Psalms iii., iv., xlii.\n\n 306 \u2013 Thomson, _The Land and the Book_, p. 490.\n\n 307 \u2013 Ibid.\n\n 308 \u2013 \u201cNow for the first time called _Israel_, as distinct\n from Judah. But it is likely that, although it now first\n appears, this distinction had actually grown up while\n David reigned over Judah only, and Ishbosheth over the\n other tribes.\u201d Kitto, _Bibl. Illustr._ III. 424.\n\n 309 \u2013 Sometimes called Abel-maim, _Abel on the waters_ (2 Chr.\n xvi. 4). \u201cTaking advantage of an oblong knoll of natural\n rock that rises above the surrounding plain, the original\n inhabitants raised a high mound sufficiently large for\n their city. With a deep \u2018trench\u2019 (2 Sam. xx. 15) and\n strong wall, it must have been almost impregnable. The\n country on every side is most lovely, well watered, and\n very fertile. The neighbouring fountains and brooks would\n convert any part of this country into a paradise of fruits\n and flowers; and such, no doubt, was Abel, when she was\n called a \u2018mother in Israel.\u2019\u201d (2 Sam. xx. 19.) Thomson,\n _The Land and the Book_, p. 217.\n\n 310 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155, and Article _Rizpah_, in Smith\u2019s\n _Bib. Dict._\n\n 311 \u2013 See Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 333, _n._\n\n 312 \u2013 Jahn\u2019s _Hebrew Commonwealth_, p. 76.\n\n 313 \u2013 The life of David admits of a fivefold division.\n (i) His shepherd life at Bethlehem; (ii) His courtier\n life with Saul at Gibeah; (iii) His life as an outlaw;\n (iv) His Kingly life at Hebron during 7\u00bd years, and\n (v) at Jerusalem during 33 years, in all 40. His history\n will be ever memorable, whether we regard _the work he\n achieved_, or _his own personal character_.\n\n (i) _His work._ \u201cHe had succeeded to a kingdom distracted\n with civil dissension, environed on every side, or\n occupied by powerful and victorious enemies, without\n a capital, almost without an army, without any bond of\n union between the tribes. He left a compact and united\n state, stretching from the frontier of Egypt to the foot\n of Lebanon, from the Euphrates to the sea. He had crushed\n the power of the Philistines, subdued or curbed all the\n adjacent kingdoms; he had formed a lasting and important\n alliance with the great city of Tyre. He had organized\n an immense disposable force: every month 24,000 men,\n furnished in rotation by the tribes, appeared in arms,\n and were trained as the standing militia of the country.\n At the head of his army were officers of consummate\n experience, and, what was more highly esteemed in the\n warfare of the time, of extraordinary personal activity,\n strength, and valour[314].\u201d He had also given especial\n attention to the management of public worship, as the\n most efficacious means of promoting religion and morality,\n and, consequently, obedience to the Invisible, Supreme\n Monarch. The solemn transfer of the Ark of the Covenant,\n at which almost all the people were present, had made\n a deep impression on their minds, and had awakened them\n to a sincere adoration of Jehovah. These favourable\n dispositions he had upheld and strengthened by suitable\n regulations in the service of the priests and Levites,\n and especially by the instructive and animating Psalms,\n which were composed partly by himself, and partly by other\n poets and prophets[315]. \u201cIn comparison with the hymns\n of David, the sacred poetry of all other nations sinks\n into mediocrity. They have embodied so exquisitely the\n universal language of religious emotion that they have\n entered, with unquestioned propriety, into the ritual\n of the holier and more perfect religion of Christ. The\n songs which cheered the solitudes of the desert caves of\n Engedi, or resounded from the voice of the Hebrew people\n as they wound along the glens or the hill-sides of Judea,\n have been repeated for ages in almost every part of the\n habitable world, in the remotest islands of the ocean,\n among the forests of America or the sands of Africa[316].\u201d\n\n (ii) _His character._ Obedience to the Divine commands\n was ever with David the axiom of his life, and in every\n step he took he shewed the greatest anxiety to act as\n God\u2019s servant (2 Sam. ii. 1; 1 Sam. xxiii. 2, 4). All\n deliverance from danger, and all victories from first to\n last, he ascribed to the Divine aid, and neither in the\n hour of danger, nor the more trying hour of prosperity,\n did he go after \u201cstrange gods,\u201d or introduce any\n idolatrous rites. It was, probably, to this feature of his\n administration that God referred, when He described him as\n _a man after His own heart_ (1 Sam. xiii. 14, Comp. Acts\n xiii. 22), rather than to his private virtues. And yet\n these were of no mean order. \u201cShepherd, soldier, poet,\n king, the romantic friend, the chivalrous leader, the\n devoted father,\u201d he was eminent alike for his exalted\n piety, and his noble patriotism. \u201cDuring a war of seven\n years he never lifted his sword against a subject, and\n at the end of it he punished no rebels, and remembered no\n offence but the murder of his rival (2 Sam. iv. 10\u201312).\u201d\n The adultery with Bath-sheba, the murder of Uriah, the\n numbering of the people, with a view, probably, to foreign\n conquests, are the deep blots on his fame, and the chief\n instances in which he forgot alike himself and his God.\n \u201cAnd yet when we look at the piety of his youth, the depth\n of his contrition, the strength of his faith, the fervour\n of his devotion, the loftiness and variety of his genius,\n the largeness and warmth of his heart, his eminent valour\n in any age of warriors, his justice and wisdom as a ruler,\n and, above all, his adherence to the worship and will of\n God, we may well regard him as a model of kingly authority\n and spiritual obedience[317].\u201d\n\n Moreover, not only was he the ancestor of Christ after the\n flesh, not only was the blessing of the Promise expressly\n transferred to his family, but in his humiliation and\n exaltation, as the king of the people of God, and as the\n vanquisher of heathen nations, he was a type of HIM whose\n coming he foretold in many of the Psalms, and who is not\n called the son of Abraham, or of Jacob, or of Moses, but\n the \u201c_Son of David_.\u201d Kurtz\u2019s _Sacred History_, p. 189;\n Article _David_, in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 314 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 305.\n\n 315 \u2013 Jahn\u2019s _Hebrew Commonwealth_, p. 75.\n\n 316 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 307.\n\n 317 \u2013 Angus, _Bible Handbook_, p. 437; Jahn\u2019s _Hebrew\n Commonwealth_, p. 76; Chandler\u2019s _Life of David_,\n pp. 582\u2013587.\n\n 318 \u2013 See _Table of Weights and Measures_ in the _Appendix_,\n pp. 492, 493. \u201cEach country needed what the other could\n supply. The wheat of the plains of Galilee and the\n oil of the hill-country of Judah maintained the royal\n household of Hiram (Comp. Acts xii. 20); the skill of\n the Ph\u0153nician artists supplied the want of it among the\n Israelites.\u201d\u2015\u2015Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_, p. 355.\n\n 319 \u2013 See p. 346. Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 311.\n\n 320 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 315.\n\n 321 \u2013 \u201cThese successive terraces were an imitation of the\n Assyrian style of architecture, which at this time\n prevailed more or less all over Syria, and particularly\n at Tyre.\u201d Lewin\u2019s _Jerusalem_, p. 255; Art. _Palace_ in\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 322 \u2013 The chief architect of the Temple was Hiram (1 K. vii.\n 13, 40), called also Huram in 2 Chr. ii. 13; iv. 11, 16,\n an Israelite on his mother\u2019s side, of the tribe of Dan or\n Naphtali, by birth a Tyrian.\n\n 323 \u2013 In 2 Chron. iii. 4, the height is said to have been 120\n cubits. See Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. p. 313.\n\n 324 \u2013 See p. 122.\n\n 325 \u2013 \u201cSuch a copious use of gold was a practice known to\n the Ph\u0153nicians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians.\u201d\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 107.\n\n 326 \u2013 The functions of the priests and Levites had already been\n duly arranged by David. (i) The Priests were divided into\n 24 courses (1 Chr. xxiv. 1\u201319; 2 Chr. xxiii. 8; Luke i. 5),\n each of which served in rotation for one week, the special\n services of the week being assigned by lot (Luke i. 9).\n (ii) Of the Levites 24,000 were over the work of the\n temple; 6,000 were officers and judges; 4,000 were porters\n or sentries, and as such bore arms (1 Chr. ix. 19; 2 Chr.\n xxxi. 2); 4,000 formed the choir of singers and musicians.\n See Arts. _Priests_ and _Levites_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 327 \u2013 Comp. Psalms xxiv, xlvii, xcvii, xcviii, cvi.\n\n 328 \u2013 See p. 153.\n\n 329 \u2013 So called from its cedar pillars. Similarly the halls of\n the Nimroud palace \u201cwere supported by rows of pillars,\n not of stone, but of wood, and the Hall of Lebanon was\n supported by 3 rows of cedar pillars, 15 in a row, making\n 45 in the whole.\u201d Lewin\u2019s _Jerusalem_, p. 270. Rawlinson\u2019s\n _Bampton Lectures_, p. 106.\n\n 330 \u2013 Baalath was a town of Dan near the Philistine plain. For\n the two Beth-horons, see p. 212. \u201cThe importance of the\n road on which the two Beth-horons are situated, the main\n approach to the interior of the country from the hostile\n districts on both sides of Palestine\u2015\u2015Philistia and Egypt\n on the west, Moab and Ammon on the east\u2015\u2015at once explains\n and justifies the frequent fortification of these towns\n at different periods of the history. This road is still,\n as in ancient times, the great road of communication and\n heavy transport between Jerusalem and the sea-coast.\u201d\n Robinson\u2019s _Bibl. Res._ II. 252. Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._,\n Art. _Beth-horon_.\n\n 331 \u2013 The exact site of Gezer has not been found, but it must\n have been between the lower Beth-horon and the sea, on the\n regular coast-road of communication with Egypt. Smith\u2019s\n _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 332 \u2013 For Hazor see pp. 201, 214. For Megiddo (now _el-Lejj\u00fbn_),\n see p. 240. It was a principal station on the caravan\n route from Egypt to Damascus, \u201cand for a long while\n possessed a large khan, mentioned by Maundrell and many\n travellers after him.\u201d Van de Velde, I. 353.\n\n 333 \u2013 Tiphsah (= \u03c0\u03cc\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2, \u201ca ford\u201d), the Thapsacus of the Greeks\n and Romans, \u201cmust have been a place of considerable\n trade, the land-traffic between the East and West passing\n through it, first on account of its fordway (which was\n the lowest upon the Euphrates), and then on account of\n its bridge, while it was likewise the point where goods\n were both embarked for transport down the stream, and\n also disembarked from boats which had come up to it, to be\n conveyed on to their final destination by land.\u201d Smith\u2019s\n _Bib. Dict._\n\n 334 \u2013 \u201cA region variously identified with (i) the south of\n Arabia, (ii) Sofala on the coast of Africa opposite to\n Madagascar, and (iii) India; the first was probably its\n locality, though the Jewish fleets may also have visited\n India.\u201d Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_, p. 357.\n\n 335 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 322. \u201cNotwithstanding\n the long export of silver from the mines of Tartessus by\n the Ph\u0153nicians, who drew from them the wealth by which\n they founded so many powerful colonies, the Carthaginians,\n who succeeded the Ph\u0153nicians in their possession, derived\n from them the revenues by which they were enabled to pay\n their mercenary armies. Even in the Roman times 40,000\n men were employed as miners within a circuit of 400 stadia\n near Carthagena, and the workings yielded a revenue to the\n republic of 20,500 drachmas daily.\u201d Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_,\n p. 211.\n\n 336 \u2013 \u201cThe Palace of Solomon was below the Temple Platform,\n and in laying the solid foundations of Millo, provision\n had been made for a double passage from the Palace to\n the Temple, about 250 ft. long and 42 ft. wide, formed\n of bevelled stones, and rising by a gentle incline to\n one of the gates of the Inner Temple. This marvellous\n subterranean approach, impregnable from its nature to\n the ravages of time, still remains, though painfully\n disfigured; it is called to this day the Temple of\n Solomon.\u201d Lewin\u2019s _Jerusalem_, p. 270.\n\n 337 \u2013 See Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 326\u2013328; Art.\n _Solomon_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Jahn\u2019s _Hebrew\n Commonwealth_, 78, 79; Kitto\u2019s _Daily Bible Illustrations_,\n IV. 127\u2013132.\n\n 338 \u2013 See p. 254.\n\n 339 \u2013 The disunion of the kingdom of Solomon, though apparently\n sudden, had been brought about by many pre-disposing\n causes. From the earliest period there had been a jealous\n rivalry between the powerful tribes of Ephraim and Judah,\n like that between the houses of York and Lancaster in our\n own history.\n\n For upwards of 400 years the leadership of the nation\n had been practically in the hands of Ephraim. From this\n tribe had come the great hero Joshua; to it belonged, at\n least by his place of birth, the great prophet Samuel;\n and though from \u201clittle Benjamin\u201d had come the first king,\n yet hereditary ties as well as geographical position had\n united it to the house of Joseph. Within the boundaries,\n moreover, of Ephraim had been the sanctuaries of Shechem\n and Shiloh, which would naturally make it the resort of\n numbers from all parts of the country. Hence the spirit\n of jealousy this tribe was ever ready to evince if any\n exploit was performed or advantage gained in which it\n had not the lion\u2019s share. Hence its complaints against\n Gideon[340], against Jephthah[341], against David[342].\n\n But its influence, hitherto so great, began to wane when\n the victories of the latter prince exalted the tribe of\n Judah to its proud pre-eminence. For seven years Ephraim\n supported Ishbosheth\u2019s rival throne at Mahanaim, but when\n he died, and David captured Jebus, gave to the nation\n a fortress and a capital, and transferred thither the\n Tabernacle, the glories of Shechem and of Shiloh began\n to vanish away. For a time David\u2019s personal influence\n preserved the semblance of union, and many Ephraimites\n were in high favour about his person (1 Chr. xii. 30;\n xxvii. 10, 14), but the restoration of the king after the\n rebellion of Absalom was the signal for an outburst of\n the old rivalry, which well-nigh precipitated a disruption\n (2 Sam. xx. 1), and when the smouldering feelings of\n jealousy were fanned into exasperation by the oppressive\n taxation of Solomon and the insane folly of his son,\n a leader only was required, like Jeroboam, to make the\n separation complete. See Blunt\u2019s _Script. Coincid._ 164\u2013175.\n\n 340 \u2013 See p. 249.\n\n 341 \u2013 See p. 257.\n\n 342 \u2013 See p. 342.\n\n 343 \u2013 \u201cThe whole area of Palestine was nearly equal to that\n of the kingdom of Holland (13,610 sq. m.), or rather\n more than that of the 6 northern counties of England\n (13,136 sq. m.). The kingdom of Judah was rather less than\n Northumberland, Durham, and Westmoreland (3,683 sq. m.);\n the kingdom of Israel was very nearly as large as\n Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cumberland (9,453 sq. m.).\u201d\n See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Kingdom of Israel_.\n\n 344 \u2013 See p. 250.\n\n 345 \u2013 See p. 358, n.\n\n 346 \u2013 The month of the Vintage in Northern Palestine. See the\n Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 347 \u2013 \u201cThis success is found to have been commemorated by\n Shishak on the outside of the great temple of Karnak; and\n here in a long list of captured towns and districts, which\n Shishak boasts of having added to his dominions, occurs\n the \u2018_Melchi Yuda_,\u2019 or kingdom of Judah, the conquest\n of which by this king is thus distinctly noticed in the\n Egyptian records.\u201d Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 126;\n Herod. II. p. 376.\n\n 348 \u2013 Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 127.\n\n 349 \u2013 Hadad or Adad was a Syrian god, probably the sun, still\n worshipped at Damascus in the time of Josephus (_Ant._ IX.\n 4, 6), and from it several Syrian names are derived, as\n Hadadezer, i.e. _Hadad has helped_, Ben-Hadad, _worshipper\n of Hadad_.\n\n 350 \u2013 \u201cIn the territory of Ephraim, the fertile plains and to a\n certain extent wooded hills, which have been often noticed\n as its characteristic ornaments, at once gave an opening\n to the formation of parks and pleasure-grounds similar\n to those which were the \u2018Paradises\u2019 of Assyrian and\n Persian monarchs. One of these was Tirzah (_Tell\u00fbzah?_)\n of unknown site, but evidently near Shechem, and of\n proverbial beauty,\u201d Cant. vi. 4. Stanley\u2019s _S. and P._ 243.\n It \u201cwas to Shechem what Windsor is to London, and had\n been the seat of a Canaanitish king before the conquest of\n the country by the Israelites\u201d (Josh. xii. 24). Porter\u2019s\n _Handbk._ II. 348.\n\n 351 \u2013 \u201cNo better site for a capital could have been selected\n in the length and breadth of Palestine, combining a\n strong position, rich environs, central situation, and\n an elevation sufficient to catch the cool healthy breezes\n from the sea.\u201d Porter\u2019s _Handbook_, II. 345. \u201cSituated on\n its steep height, in a plain itself girt in by hills, it\n was enabled, not less promptly than Jerusalem, to resist\n the successive assaults made upon it by the Syrian and\n Assyrian armies. The first were baffled altogether, the\n second took it only after a three years\u2019 siege, that\n is three times as long as that which reduced Jerusalem\u201d\n (2 Kings xviii. 10). Stanley, _S. and P._ 244.\n\n 352 \u2013 The meaning of the expression \u201cmaking streets in Samaria,\u201d\n 1 Kings xx. 34.\n\n 353 \u2013 Ithobalus = _Baal with him_, Ethbaal = _with Baal_.\n\n 354 \u2013 Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_, p. 362. The date of Ethbaal\u2019s reign\n may be given at about B.C. 940\u2013908. Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 355 \u2013 See p. 219.\n\n 356 \u2013 See p. 256.\n\n 357 \u2013 That is, for 3 years and 6 months (Comp. Lk. iv. 25).\n \u201cThe annals of Tyre record a drought of a year\u2019s duration\n in the reign of Ithobaal, who continued to reign at Tyre\n during a considerable portion of Ahab\u2019s reign in Israel.\u201d\n Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_, 362; Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_,\n 128, 129.\n\n 358 \u2013 Carmel, nearly always found with the definite article, =\n _the park_, or _the well-wooded place_, and is famous even\n now for its \u201cimpenetrable brushwood of evergreens and oaks.\u201d\n (See Isai. xxxiii. 9, xxxv. 2; Mic. vii. 14; Amos i. 2.)\n This well-known ridge, rising at the west end about 600,\n and the east about 1600 feet above the sea, stretches from\n the Mediterranean inland a little more than 12 miles, and\n separates the plain of Esdraelon from the plain of Sharon.\n\n 359 \u2013 Stanley\u2019s _S. & P._ 353. \u201cWe descended to the Mohrakah, or\n \u2018place of sacrifice.\u2019 It is a glade overlooking the plain,\n somewhat in the shape of an amphitheatre, and completely\n shut in on the north by the well-wooded cliffs down which\n we had come. No place could be conceived more adapted by\n nature to be that wondrous battle-field of truth. In front\n of the principal actors in the scene, with the king and\n his courtiers by their side, the thousands of Israel might\n have been gathered on the lower slopes, witnesses of the\n whole struggle to its stupendous result.\u201d Tristram\u2019s _Holy\n Land_, p. 117.\n\n 360 \u2013 Obtained from a neighbouring fountain, Josephus _Ant._\n VIII. 13, \u00a7 5, which even now is found close beneath\n _el-Mohrakah_ (\u201cthe burning\u201d), the spot pointed out\n as the scene of this event. \u201cIn the upper part of the\n amphitheatre to the left is an ancient fountain, overhung\n by a few magnificent trees, among them a noble specimen of\n the Turkey oak. The reservoir of the spring is stone-built\n and square, about 8 ft. deep, and the old steps which\n once descended to it may still be traced. The water is of\n some depth, and is perennial. This was corroborated by the\n existence of molluscs attached to the stones within the\n cistern. _In that three years\u2019 drought, when all the wells\n were dry, and the Kishon had first sunk to a string of\n pools, and then finally was lost altogether, this deep\n and shaded spring fed from the roots of Carmel remained._\u201d\n Tristram\u2019s _Holy Land_, pp. 117, 118.\n\n 361 \u2013 \u201cImmediately below [the \u2666Mohrakah], on the banks of the\n Kishon, was a small flat-topped green knoll, \u2018Tell Cassis,\n \u2019 _the Mound of the Priests_, marking in its name the very\n spot where Elijah slew the prophets of Baal, when he had\n brought them down to the brook Kishon.\u201d Tristram\u2019s _Holy\n Land_, pp. 117, 118.\n\n 362 \u2013 \u201cThis conduct of Elijah, when rightly understood, was\n full of important instruction. As God\u2019s minister he had\n overwhelmed the king with shame and confusion in the\n presence of his subjects. The natural tendency of this\n would be to lower him in their eyes, and lessen their\n respect for his authority. It was not the intention,\n however, to weaken the government, nor to encourage\n rebellion. The prophet was, therefore, divinely directed\n to give a testimony of respect and honour to the king,\n as public and striking as from necessity had been the\n opposition and rebuke to his idolatry. The mode of doing\n honour to Ahab, by running before his chariot, was in\n accordance with the customs of the East, even to this day.\n I was reminded of this incident more than 20 years ago at\n Jaffa, when Mohammed Aly came to that city with a large\n army to quell the rebellion of Palestine. The camp was\n on the sand hills south of the city, while Mohammed Aly\n stopped inside the walls. The officers were constantly\n going and coming, preceded by runners, who always kept\n just ahead of the horses, no matter how furiously they\n were ridden; and, in order to run with the greater ease,\n they not only \u2018girded their loins\u2019 very tightly, but also\n tucked up their loose garments under the girdle, lest they\n should be incommoded by them. This, no doubt, did Elijah.\u201d\n Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, p. 485. Kitto\u2019s _Daily\n Bible Illustr._ IV. 271, 272.\n\n 363 \u2013 Or rather a species of _broom_ very abundant in the\n desert of Sinai, and capable of \u201caffording shade and\n protection, both in heat and storm, to travellers.\u201d Smith\u2019s\n _Bib. Dict._; Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, p. 611.\n\n 364 \u2013 See p. 249.\n\n 365 \u2013 \u201cIn the cuneiform annals of an Assyrian king we have a\n very curious and valuable confirmation of the power of\n Damascus at this time\u2015\u2015of its being under the rule of a\n monarch named Benhadad, who was at the head of a great\n confederacy of princes, and who was able to bring into\n the field, year after year, vast armies, with which he\n repeatedly engaged the whole force of Assyria. We have\n accounts of three campaigns between the Assyrians on\n the one side, and the Syrians, Hittites, Hamathites, and\n Ph\u0153nicians, united under the command of Benhadad, on the\n other, in which the contest is maintained with spirit,\n the armies being of a large size, and their composition\n and character such as we find described in Scripture.\u201d\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 130, and notes;\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Herod._ I. 464, 465.\n\n 366 \u2013 \u201cProbably _local governors_ or _magistrates_, who took\n refuge in Samaria during the invasion, while the \u2018young\n men\u2019 were their _attendants_.\u201d\u2015\u2015Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 367 \u2013 See Keil on 1 K. xx. 16.\n\n 368 \u2013 See Kitto\u2019s _Daily Bible Illustr._ IV. pp. 286, 287.\n\n 369 \u2013 Now called _F\u00eek_, a considerable village on the top of\n a mountain (Thomson, p. 388), at the head of the _Wady\n F\u00eek_, 6 miles east of the sea of Galilee, \u201cthe great road\n between Damascus, Nablous, and Jerusalem, still passing\n through the village.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 370 \u2013 \u201cThis tremendous destruction was caused, as I suppose,\n by an earthquake; and after having seen the effects\n of the earthquake in Safed and Tiberias, I can easily\n understand this narrative. We are not required to limit\n the catastrophe to the falling of a single wall; or,\n if this be insisted on, we have only to suppose that it\n was the wall of the city, and a little consideration will\n convince any one familiar with Oriental fortifications\n that it might overwhelm a whole army. Those ramparts were\n very lofty and massive. An open space was always left along\n their base, and this would be packed, from end to end, by\n the remnants of Benhadad\u2019s mighty host, and escape from\n the falling towers would be impossible. Burckhardt informs\n us that the town is built round the base of a hill, in\n the shape of a crescent, and this peculiarity of the site\n would render the destruction only the more extensive and\n inevitable.\u201d Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, p. 389.\n\n 371 \u2013 \u201cThe place of execution was by the large tank or reservoir,\n which still remains on the slope of the hill of Samaria,\n immediately outside the walls.\u201d Article _Naboth_, in\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 372 \u2013 \u201cNow _Es-Salt_, situated on a hill, isolated to a great\n extent from the loftier mountains round it by deep ravines\n on the east and west, which unite on the south. Probably\n from its commanding position in the territory of Gad,\n as well as its strength, it was chosen by Moses as the\n City of Refuge for that tribe (Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 8;\n xxi. 38). Afterwards it became the residence of one of\n Solomon\u2019s commissariat officers\u201d (1 K. iv. 13). Smith\u2019s\n _Bib. Dict._\n\n 373 \u2013 Comp. Homer, _Il._ I. 106.\n\n 374 \u2013 See p. 397, note.\n\n 375 \u2013 See p. 307, note.\n\n 376 \u2013 See Psalm cxxxvi. 1. Comp. also Ps. xlviii. and xcii.,\n Joel iii. 2, 12.\n\n 377 \u2013 Van de Velde, II. 30; Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_,\n p. 606. Tekoa was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chr. xi. 6), was\n afterwards the birthplace of the prophet Amos (Am. i. 1),\n and gave its name to the adjacent desert on the east\n (2 Chr. xx. 20). Robinson, _Bibl. Res._ I. 486, 7. \u201cIt\n is remarkable that this is the usual route taken in the\n present day by such predatory bands from Moab as make\n incursions into southern Palestine. They pass round the\n southern end of the Dead Sea, then up the road along its\n western shore to _Ain-Jidy_, and thence towards Hebron,\n Tekoa, and Jerusalem, as the prospects of plunder seem\n most inviting.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 378 \u2013 \u201cThe name of _Bereik\u00fbt_ still survives, attached to\n ruins in a valley of the same name, lying between Tekoa\n and the main road from Bethlehem to Hebron, a position\n corresponding accurately enough with the locality of the\n battle as described 2 Chr. xx.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 379 \u2013 \u201cIt was when our Lord and His disciples were on\n their journey through this very district from Galilee\n to Jerusalem, and when smarting from the churlish\n inhospitality of some Samaritan villagers, that\u2015\u2015led to it\n by the distant view of the heights of Carmel, or, perhaps,\n by some traditional name on the road\u2015\u2015the impetuous zeal\n of James and John, the \u2018sons of thunder,\u2019 burst forth,\n _Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from\n heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?_ For the\n answer of our Lord to this question see Lk. ix. 51\u201356.\u201d\n Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 380 \u2013 See p. 202.\n\n 381 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._ Art. _Elisha_. Ever since the time\n of Josephus a large spring N. W. of the present town, and\n called _Ain-en-Sult\u00e2n_, has been pointed out as the spring\n in question.\n\n 382 \u2013 See Keil on 2 K. iii. 20.\n\n 383 \u2013 Compare the conduct of the Laced\u00e6monians in the Megarid,\n Thuc. I. 108.\n\n 384 \u2013 The modern _Kerak_ lies about 6 miles from Rabbath-Moab,\n and some 10 miles from the Dead Sea. \u201cIts situation is\n truly remarkable. It is built upon the top of a steep\n hill, surrounded on all sides by a deep and narrow valley,\n which again is completely inclosed by mountains rising\n higher than the town, and overlooking it on all sides.\n It must have been from these surrounding heights that the\n Israelite slingers hurled their volleys of stones after\n the capture of the place had proved impossible (2 K.\n iii. 25).\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Kir-Moab_.\n\n 385 \u2013 A few years after this event, and before the visit\n of Naaman to Samaria (comp. 2 K. viii. 4 with 1,\n 2, 3), in consequence of a famine predicted by Elisha,\n the Shunammite retired to the rich low lands of the\n Philistines. At the close of the dearth she returned to\n her native place, to find her house and fields in the\n possession of a stranger. Thereupon, with her son, she\n repaired to Samaria, and as the king was listening to the\n story of _all the great things which Elisha had done_, and\n especially the crowning miracle at Shunem, she drew near,\n was recognised by Gehazi, and confirmed the wondrous\n tale in person. The king, struck by the remarkable\n circumstances, ordered her land to be restored to her,\n with the value of the fruits of it during her sojourn\n amongst the Philistines. \u201cIt is still common for even\n petty sheikhs to confiscate the property of a person\n who is exiled for a time, or who moves away temporarily\n from his district; especially is this true of widows\n and orphans, and the Shunammite was now a widow.\u201d See\n Thomson\u2019s _Land and the Book_, p. 458.\n\n 386 \u2013 These were probably first-fruits and perquisites of\n the priests, see p. 134 (a), Numb. xviii. 8, 12; Deut.\n xviii. 3, 4.\n\n 387 \u2013 Not \u201cone,\u201d but \u201che,\u201d Naaman, went in and told his \u201clord,\u201d\n the king, 2 K. v. 4, as in the Vulgate.\n\n 388 \u2013 The ABANA, the \u03a7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03bf\u1fe4\u1fe5\u03cc\u03b1\u03c2 of the Greeks, and now the\n _Barada_, was the chief river of Damascus and flowed\n through it, and was the main source of its beauty and\n fertility, having even now 14 villages and 150,000 souls\n dependent on it; the PHARPAR, now the _Awaj_, is further\n from Damascus, \u201ca small lively river.\u201d Robinson, _Bibl.\n Res._ III. 448.\n\n 389 \u2013 \u201cAccording to Movers (_Ph\u0153n._ I. 196, &c.) Rimmon was the\n abbreviated form of Hadad-Rimmon (as Peor of Baal-Peor),\n Hadad being the sun-god of the Syrians. Combining this\n with the pomegranate, which was his symbol, Hadad-Rimmon\n would then be the sun-god of the late summer, who ripens\n the pomegranate and other fruits, and, after infusing into\n them his productive power, dies, and is mourned with _the\n mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon_,\u201d Zech.\n xii. 11. Smith\u2019s _Bibl. Dict._\n\n 390 \u2013 See p. 58, and note 40.\n\n 391 \u2013 See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Hazael_.\n\n 392 \u2013 The cuneiform inscriptions \u201cmention Hazael as king of\n Damascus immediately after Ben-hadad; and Jehu is the\n first Israelite king mentioned by name on any inscription\n hitherto discovered.\u201d Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_,\n p. 131; Layard\u2019s _Nineveh_, I. p. 396.\n\n 392a \u2013 \u201cThe cuneiform inscriptions show that towards the close\n of his reign Ben-hadad was exposed to the assaults of a\n great conqueror, who was bent on extending the dominion\n of Assyria over Syria and Palestine. Three several attacks\n appear to have been made by this prince upon Ben-hadad,\n who, though he had the support of the Ph\u0153nicians, the\n Hittites, and the Hamathites, was unable to offer any\n effectual resistance to the Assyrian arms. His troops\n were worsted in several engagements, and in one of them\n he lost as many as 20,000 men. It may have been these\n circumstances which encouraged Hazael to murder him and\n seize the throne, which Elisha declared would certainly\n one day be his.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Rawlinson\u2019s _Five\n Great Monarchies_, II. pp. 361, 362.\n\n 393 \u2013 \u201cJehu and his party could be seen for at least 6 miles,\n and there was time enough to send messenger after\n messenger to meet him.\u201d Thomson, _Land and the Book_,\n p. 460.\n\n 394 \u2013 In the E. V. translated \u201cthe garden-house.\u201d See Stanley,\n _S. and P._ p. 349. Robinson places it at _Jen\u00een_, still\n surrounded by the \u201corchards\u201d and \u201cgardens\u201d which gave its\n ancient name. See Van de Velde, I. p. 361.\n\n 395 \u2013 See p. 380.\n\n 396 \u2013 Established, probably, \u201cat or near the town of Jabez in\n Judah (1 Chr. ii. 55).\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 397 \u2013 On the position of this Altar in reference to the Holy\n Place, see above, p. 120.\n\n 398 \u2013 See p. 273.\n\n 399 \u2013 Or 52 years, if the Interregnum be included.\n\n 400 \u2013 See pp. 401 and notes 376\u2012378.\n\n 401 \u2013 From both these latter prophets we gain several important\n hints respecting the moral condition of the kingdom of\n Israel at this time. The calf-worship was celebrated with\n all its former splendour at Bethel, which was the site\n of the royal sanctuary (Am. vii. 13), while the nation\n was distinguished for licentiousness, drunkenness, and\n oppression of the poor and needy (Am. ii. 7, 8, iv. 1; Hos.\n i. 2, iv. 12\u201314, xiii. 6). See Dr Pusey\u2019s _Introduction to\n Hosea_.\n\n 402 \u2013 See p. 157.\n\n 403 \u2013 See p. 362.\n\n 404 \u2013 In our Version the date of this visit is placed in\n B.C. 860. Others would place it in the later part of the\n reign of Jeroboam II., or about B.C. 780; Rawlinson even\n later, B.C. 760\u2013750, during a temporary depression of\n the Assyrian power; see the _Five Great Monarchies_,\n pp. 390\u2013392, and notes.\n\n 405 \u2013 Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great Monarchies_, Vol. II. p. 391.\n\n 406 \u2013 \u201cThere is a remarkable parallel to this in a Persian\n practice mentioned by Herodotus, IX. 24. In the mourning\n for Masistius, a little before the battle of Plat\u00e6a, the\n Persian troops not only shaved off their own hair, but\n similarly disfigured their horses and their beasts of\n burden.\u201d Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 276,\n note.\n\n 407 \u2013 See Kiel _in loc._, and Art. _Menahem_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib.\n Dict._\n\n 408 \u2013 Called in the Septuagint Phal\u00f4ch or Phal\u00f4s, and in the\n Assyrian records _Phal-lukha_ and _Iva-lush_; the annals\n of this monarch are scanty; but \u201cin the most important\n record we possess of his reign, there is a notice of his\n having taken tribute from _Beth-Khumri_, or Samaria, as\n well as from Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Idum\u00e6a, and Philistia.\u201d\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 133.\n\n 409 \u2013 This was the occasion of the important prophecy of Isaiah\n vii. 1\u201316.\n\n 410 \u2013 This was the first captivity of any considerable portion\n of Israel. See Map. The captives were located in Upper\n Mesopotamia on the affluents of the _Bilikh_ and the\n _Khabour_, from about \u2666Haran to Nisibis, the Gozan of\n Scripture. Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 398.\n\n 411 \u2013 Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 423; _Herodotus_,\n Vol. I. p. 473. See Chron. Table in the _Appendix_, p. 488.\n\n 412 \u2013 \u201cIt has been usual to ascribe the capture of Samaria to\n Shalmaneser; and this is certainly the impression which\n the Scriptural narrative leaves. But the assertion is not\n made expressly (comp. 2 K. xvii. 3, and xviii. 10), and if\n we may trust the direct statement of Sargon, the successor\n of Shalmaneser upon the throne, we must consider that he,\n and not Shalmaneser, was the actual captor of the city.\n Sargon relates that he took Samaria in his first year,\n B.C. 721, and carried into captivity 27,280 families. It\n would appear, therefore, that Shalmaneser died, or was\n deposed, while Hoshea still held out, and that the final\n captivity of Israel fell into the reign of his successor.\u201d\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Hdtus._ I. 472. No king employed so generally\n or on so large a scale, the practice of wholesale\n deportation of his subjects as Sargon. See Rawlinson\u2019s\n _Five Great Monarchies_, II. p. 423.\n\n 413 \u2013 \u201cAs Gaza in Greek became Ca_d_ytis, Ach_z_ib Ec_d_ippa so\n M\u2019go_z_an became Myg_d_onia.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 414 \u2013 See Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Nehushtan_.\n\n 415 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 416 \u2013 Kenrick\u2019s _Ph\u0153nicia_, p. 378; _Five Great Mon._ II. 405.\n\n 417 \u2013 Or perhaps the 27th, B.C. 700; see Rawlinson\u2019s _Hdtus._\n I. 479 _n._\n\n 418 \u2013 The route of the Assyrians may be traced in the vivid\n language of Isai. x. 28\u201334. The annals of Sennacherib\n contain a full account of this campaign; see Rawlinson\u2019s\n _Bampton Lectures_, pp. 142, 143; _Five Great Monarchies_,\n II. p. 425.\n\n 419 \u2013 \u201cProperly a _ring_, such as in our country is placed\n through the nose of a bull, and similarly used in the\n East for leading about lions and other animals, as also\n prisoners, as in the case of Manasseh (2 Chr. xxxiii. 11;\n A.V. _in the thorns_). See Isai. xxxvii. 29; Ezek. xxix. 4,\n xxxviii. 4.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 420 \u2013 See for the view here taken, Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great\n Monarchies_, Vol. II. p. 442; _Bampton Lectures_, p. 143.\n\n 421 \u2013 The Egyptians naturally ascribed their deliverance to\n the interposition of their own gods. Rawlinson\u2019s _Hdtus._\n Vol. II. p. 141.\n\n 422 \u2013 _Five Great Mon._ Vol. II. p. 445; comp. 2 K. xix. 36.\n\n 423 \u2013 In the opinion of some, Hezekiah\u2019s illness preceded\n the first invasion of Sennacherib by several years, and\n Merodach-Baladan\u2019s visit is placed by them about the year\n B.C. 713, the 14th of Hezekiah (Comp. 2 K. xx. 6; Is.\n xxxviii. 5). Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; Rawlinson\u2019s _Hdtus._\n Vol. I. p. 479 _n._\n\n 424 \u2013 \u201cFrom the time of Sargon, Merodach-Baladan and his family\n were the champions of Babylonian independence, and headed\n the popular party in resisting the Assyrian monarchs.\u201d\n \u201cThe real object of the mission was most likely to effect\n a league between Babylon, Judea, and Egypt (Is. xx. 5, 6),\n in order to check the growing power of the Assyrians.\n Hezekiah\u2019s exhibition of \u2018all his precious things\u2019\n would thus have been not a mere display, but a mode of\n satisfying the Babylonian ambassadors of his ability to\n support the expenses of a war.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._;\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Herod._ I. 503.\n\n 425 \u2013 See Blunt\u2019s _Scriptural Coincidences_, Pt. III. 5.\n\n 426 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Manasseh_; and see p. 436.\n\n 427 \u2013 Comp. Heb. xi. 37: but see Art. _Isaiah_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib.\n Dict._\n\n 428 \u2013 Either shortly before or after this visit to Jerusalem,\n Esarhaddon invaded Egypt, defeated Tirhakah, took his\n capital, and became master of the country as far as Thebes\n or Diospolis, the No or No-Amon of Scripture. Rawlinson,\n _Five Great Monarchies_, II. p. 475.\n\n 429 \u2013 \u201cOne is greatly surprised at first hearing that the\n generals of an _Assyrian_ king, on capturing a rebel,\n carried him to _Babylon_ instead of Nineveh. \u2018What has a\n king of Assyria to do with Babylon?\u2019 one naturally asks.\n The reply is, that Esarhaddon, and he _only of all the\n Assyrian kings_, actually was king of Babylon; that he\n built a palace, and occasionally held his court there, and\n that consequently a captive was as likely to be brought to\n him at that city as at the metropolis of Assyria-Proper.\u201d\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 145, and _Hdtus._\n Vol. I. p. 482.\n\n 430 \u2013 After the example of Sargon, Esarhaddon \u201cgathered men\n from Babylon, Orcho\u00eb, Susa, Elymais, Persia, and other\n neighbouring regions, and entrusting them to an officer\n of high rank, \u2018the great and noble Asnapper,\u2019 had them\n conveyed to Palestine and settled over the whole country,\n which until this time must have been somewhat thinly\n peopled.\u201d Comp. Ezra iv. 2, 9, 10; Rawlinson\u2019s _Five Great\n Monarchies_, II. p. 477.\n\n 431 \u2013 See p. 372.\n\n 432 \u2013 Partly from dissensions with the _Medes_ (B.C. 634\u2013603),\n who were attempting to seize the dominion over the East,\n but still more in consequence of the great _Scythian_\n invasion, about B.C. 630, described by Herodotus (I.\n civ.\u2013cvi.), Assyria had been greatly weakened, her cities\n being desolated, and her palaces dismantled or destroyed.\n These Scythian hordes penetrated into Palestine as far as\n Ashdod, but were repulsed by Psammetichus, and on their\n return a portion, probably attracted by the situation\n of Beth-shan (See p. 313), settled there, whence its Greek\n name Scythopolis, \u201cthe city of the Scythians.\u201d Milman\u2019s\n _History of the Jews_, I. 391; Rawlinson\u2019s _Herod._ Vol. I.\n 485, _Five Gt. Mon._ II. 512.\n\n 433 \u2013 Called by Manetho _Nechao_, by Herodotus \u039d\u03b5\u03ba\u03ce\u03c2, on the\n monuments _Neku_, the son and successor of the first\n Psammetichus. His defeat of the Syrians in a great battle\n is mentioned by Herod. II. 159, and is said to have taken\n place at Magd\u014flus (= _Migdal-el_, in the tribe of Naphtali,\n Josh. xix. 38), which is identified with the _Magdala_\n of Matt. xv. 39, probably in consequence of a confusion\n between this name and Megiddo. Rawlinson\u2019s _Herod._ II.\n 246 _n._\n\n 434 \u2013 Not the classical Circesium, but higher up the Euphrates,\n \u201coccupying nearly the site of the later _Mabog_, or\n Hierapolis.\u201d Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._; _Dict. Geog._ Art.\n _Hierapolis_.\n\n 435 \u2013 \u201cAt the upper end of the valley of Lebanon, some 35 miles\n beyond Baalbec, and about 10 days\u2019 journey from Jerusalem,\u201d\n on the great road between Palestine and Babylonia.\n Describing the advantages of its position, Dr Robinson\n says that it lies \u201con the banks of a mountain-stream in\n the midst of a vast and fertile plain, yielding the most\n abundant supplies of forage. From this point the roads\n were open either by Aleppo and the Euphrates to Nineveh,\n or by Palmyra to Babylon ... by the end of Lebanon and the\n coast to Palestine and Egypt, or through the B\u016dk\u00e2a and the\n Jordan valley to the centre of the Holy Land.\u201d Robinson\u2019s\n _Bib. Res._ III. 545.\n\n 436 \u2013 For the moral and religious degradation of the country\n at this period, see Jer. xix.; Ezek. viii.; for the\n king\u2019s vindictive persecution of righteous prophets, Jer.\n xxvi.; for his impiety in cutting up the roll containing\n Jeremiah\u2019s prophecy, Jer. xxxvi.; for his luxury and\n tyranny, as also his selfishness in building splendid\n palaces while his kingdom was so impoverished, Jer. xxii.\n 13\u201317.\n\n 437 \u2013 In 2 K. xxiv. 14, 16, the numbers are given as 7,000\n soldiers, 1,000 artificers and smiths, and 2,000 others,\n whose occupation is not mentioned.\n\n 438 \u2013 Rawlinson\u2019s _Herod._ Vol. I. 515. For the prophecies of\n Jeremiah during the reign of Zedekiah, see chaps. xxi.\n xxiv. xxvii. 12\u201322, xxviii. xxix. xxxii. xxxiii. xxxiv.\n xxxvii. xxviii.\n\n 439 \u2013 Thus were fulfilled the apparently contradictory\n prophecies in Jer. xxxii. 4, and Ezek. xii. 13.\n\n 440 \u2013 Or Mizpah. For notices of this place on previous occasions,\n see pp. 272, 280, 375.\n\n 441 \u2013 Before passing on, a few remarks may here be subjoined\n respecting the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which now\n came to an end.\n\n I. _Their respective duration._ The kingdom of Israel\n lasted from B.C. 975 to B.C. 721, or 254 years. The\n kingdom of Judah lasted from B.C. 975 to B.C. 588, or 387\n years, thus outliving her more populous and powerful rival\n by 133 years.\n\n II. _Their mutual relations._ These, as we have seen,\n were dictated by three different lines of policy:\u2015\u2015\n\n (i) _Mutual animosity from_ B.C. 975\u2013918.\n\n The first three kings of Judah, Rehoboam, Abijah,\n and Asa, persisted in the hope of regaining their\n authority over the Ten Tribes, and for nearly 60\n years there was war between the two kingdoms.\n\n (ii) _Close alliance, and united hostility to Syria_,\n B.C. 918\u2013884.\n\n With the accession of Jehoshaphat there sprang\n up an alliance between the two kingdoms, cemented\n by intermarriage, and prompted probably by\n the necessity of joint action in resisting the\n encroaching power of Syria.\n\n (iii) _Fresh animosity, and the gradual decline of\n both kingdoms before the advancing power of the Assyrian\n Empire_, B.C. 884\u2013588.\n\n The alliance between the kingdoms was rudely\n shattered by the accession of Jehu to the throne of\n Israel. He put Ahaziah to death, and the hostility\n thus begun reached its highest pitch under Amaziah,\n Jehoash, and Pekah.\n\n III. _Their contrasts._\n\n 1. _In the kingdom of Judah_, (a) There was always\n a fixed capital and a venerated centre of religion;\n (b) the army was always subordinate; (c) the succession\n was interrupted by no revolution; (d) the priests\n remained faithful to the crown.\n\n 2. _In the kingdom of Israel_, (a) There was no\n fixed capital, and no real religious centre; (b) the\n army was often insubordinate; (c) the succession was\n constantly interrupted, so that out of 19 kings there\n were no less than 9 dynasties, each ushered in by\n a revolution; (d) the authorized priests left the\n kingdom in a body, and the priesthood established by\n Jeroboam had no Divine sanction and no promise; it\n was corrupt in its very source. Hence in the kingdom\n of Israel the _prophets_ were the regular ministers\n of God, and, especially during the second of the\n two periods above mentioned, their ministry was\n distinguished by far more extraordinary events\n than in the kingdom of Judah, whose annals offer no\n prophetical deeds like those of Elijah and Elisha. See\n Arts. _Kingdom of Judah and Israel_ in Smith\u2019s _Bib.\n Dict._; Jahn\u2019s _Hebrew Commonwealth_. For the _Table_\n of Kings and Prophets, see the Appendix.\n\n 442 \u2013 Milman\u2019s _History of the Jews_, I. 407, 408.\n\n 443 \u2013 See Jahn\u2019s _Hebrew Commonwealth_, pp. 112, 113.\n\n 444 \u2013 The Psalms which appear to belong to this period are, Psls.\n x. xiii.\u2013xv. xxv.\u2013xxvii. xxxvi. xxxvii. xlix. l. liii.\n lxvii. lxxvii. lxxx. lxxxviii. lxxxix. xcii. xciii. cxxiii.\n cxxx. cxxxvii.\n\n 445 \u2013 See p. 452.\n\n 446 \u2013 See p. 449.\n\n 447 \u2013 An interpretation now generally understood to indicate\n (i) the Chaldean, (ii) Medo-Persian, (iii) Macedonian, and\n (iv) Roman empires, which last gives way to (v) the kingdom\n of Messiah.\n\n 448 \u2013 Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, notes, p. 439; _Herod._\n Vol. I. pp. 628, 629.\n\n 449 \u2013 Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Nebuchadnezzar_. Dr Pusey,\n on the other hand, writes, \u201cWhether the image was formed\n in reminiscence of that emblem of human might, which\n Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream, and of which the\n head was declared to represent himself, or whether it was\n himself whom he intended to be worshipped in it, it was\n plainly some test of allegiance required of all peoples,\n nations, and languages, in his whole empire.\u201d _Lectures\n on Daniel_, p. 440.\n\n 450 \u2013 Ibid. p. 442, and the note.\n\n 451 \u2013 Along the shores of the Persian Gulf. Rawlinson\u2019s _Herod._\n Vol. I. p. 513.\n\n 452 \u2013 Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 160 and notes;\n _Herod._ Vol. I. pp. 512, 513; Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._,\n Art. _Nebuchadnezzar_.\n\n 453 \u2013 \u201cI have examined,\u201d says Sir H. Rawlinson, \u201cthe bricks\n _in situ_, belonging perhaps to a hundred different towns\n and cities in the neighbourhood of Baghdad, and I never\n found any other legend than that of Nebuchadnezzar, son of\n Nabopolassar, king of Babylon.\u201d Nine-tenths of the bricks\n amidst the ruins of Babylon are stamped with his name.\n Compare his own words as recorded in Dan. iv. 30: \u201cIs not\n this great Babylon, _which I have built_?\u201d\n\n 454 \u2013 Probably what the Greeks called Lycanthropy \u03bb\u03c5\u03ba\u03b1\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03c9\u03c0\u03af\u03b1),\n wherein the sufferer fancies himself a beast, quits\n the haunts of men, and leads the life of a beast. For\n instances and details, see Dr Pusey\u2019s _Lectures on Daniel_,\n pp. 425\u2013435; Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 165;\n _Herod._ Vol. I. p. 516.\n\n 455 \u2013 A sickness of this monarch is mentioned by Berosus, and\n in the \u201cStandard Inscription\u201d of Nebuchadnezzar he himself\n appears to allude to this mysterious passage of his life:\n _For four years ... the seat of my kingdom ... did not\n rejoice my heart, in all my dominions I did not build a\n high place of power, the precious treasures of my kingdom\n I did not lay up. In Babylon, buildings for myself and for\n the honour of my kingdom I did not lay out. In the worship\n of Merodach, my lord, the joy of my heart, in Babylon the\n city of his sovereignty, and the seat of my empire, I did\n not sing his praises, I did not furnish his altars with\n victims, nor did I clear out the canals._ Rawlinson\u2019s\n _Bampton Lectures_, p. 166, and notes.\n\n 456 \u2013 Nabonadius or Nabonnedus = _Nabu-nit_ or _Nabu-nahit_,\n i.e. _Nebo blesses_ or _makes prosperous_, known amongst\n the Greeks as Labynetus.\n\n 457 \u2013 Recognised by Isaiah as \u201ca shepherd\u201d of the Lord, an\n \u201canointed king\u201d (Is. xliv. 28; xlv. 1).\n\n 458 \u2013 Pusey\u2019s _Lectures on Daniel_, p. 120; Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton\n Lectures_, p. 170.\n\n 459 \u2013 On his accession Nabonadius, it is thought, may have\n married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. See Pusey, _Lectures\n on Daniel_, p. 402; Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 170.\n\n 460 \u2013 On the delegated authority of this Darius, see Pusey\u2019s\n _Lectures on Daniel_, pp. 122, 123; Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton\n Lectures_, p. 171, and notes, p. 445.\n\n 461 \u2013 See Art. _Darius_, in Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._ Some identify\n him with Astyages; others with Cyaxares II., a son of\n Astyages; others with Neriglissar, or with Nabonadius;\n \u201ceach of these views,\u201d observes Prof. Rawlinson, \u201chas its\n difficulties, and perhaps it is the most probable view\n that he was a viceroy set up by Cyrus, of whom there is at\n present no trace in profane history,\u201d _Bampton Lectures_,\n p. 171.\n\n 462 \u2013 Dating, according to Prideaux and Davison (_Lectures on\n Prophecy_, VI. 1), from B.C. 606.\n\n 463 \u2013 The Jews who remained and kept up their national\n distinctions were called \u201cThe Dispersion\u201d (John vii. 35; 1\n Pet. i. 1; James i. 1), and \u201cin course of time they served\n a great purpose in diffusing a knowledge of the true God,\n and in affording a point for the commencement of the\n efforts of the Evangelists of the Christian faith.\u201d\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 464 \u2013 The chief effects of the Captivity upon the Jews\n were these: (i) The old tendency to idolatry had been\n eradicated (Comp. Ezek. xxxvi. 24\u201328); (ii) There had\n sprung up a deep reverence for the letter of the Law,\n and for their great Lawgiver Moses; (iii) The love of\n agriculture had declined, and had given place to a taste\n for commerce and trade; (iv) The vernacular language had\n also undergone a change (Neh. viii. 8), the old Hebrew\n giving place to the Chaldee.\n\n 465 \u2013 \u201cThe name Ahasuerus is undoubtedly the proper Hebrew\n equivalent for the Persian word which the Greeks\n represented by Xerxes, ... and we are at once struck\n with the strong resemblance which his character bears to\n that assigned by the classical writers to the celebrated\n son of Darius. Proud, self-willed, amorous, careless of\n contravening Persian customs; reckless of human life, yet\n not actually bloodthirsty; impetuous, facile, changeable,\n the Ahasuerus of Esther corresponds in all respects to the\n Greek portraiture of Xerxes, which is not the mere picture\n of an Oriental despot, but has various peculiarities\n which distinguish it even from the other Persian kings.\u201d\n Rawlinson\u2019s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 186.\n\n 466 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 467 \u2013 Identified by the latest researches with the modern _Hit_,\n on the Euphrates, due East of Damascus, afterwards known\n as the Ihi, or Ihi da-kira, \u201cthe spring of bitumen.\u201d\n Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 468 \u2013 \u201cThe power of Persia had received by the Athenians a fatal\n blow in the victory obtained at Salamis in Cyprus, B.C.\n 449. The Great King was obliged to submit to a humiliating\n peace, among the articles of which were the abandonment\n of the maritime towns, and a stipulation that the Persian\n army should not approach within three days\u2019 journey of the\n sea. Jerusalem being about this distance from the coast,\n and standing so near the line of communication with Egypt,\n became a port of the utmost value.\u201d Milman\u2019s _History of\n the Jews_, I. p. 435. Jahn\u2019s _Heb. Comm._ p. 142.\n\n 469 \u2013 Either of Horonaim a town of Moab, or of Horon, _i.e._\n Beth-horon; he appears to have held some office at Samaria\n under Artaxerxes. Smith\u2019s _Bib. Dict._\n\n 470 \u2013 See Calendar, p. 155.\n\n 471 \u2013 Westcott\u2019s _The Bible in the Church_, pp. 298, 299.\n\n 472 \u2013 See pp. 8, 9.\n\n 473 \u2013 See p. 18.\n\n 474 \u2013 See pp. 26, 28.\n\n 475 \u2013 See p. 71.\n\n 476 \u2013 See pp. 109, 110.\n\n 477 \u2013 Psalm cx; ii; xlv.\n\n 478 \u2013 Dan. vii. 13. Westcott\u2019s _Introduction to the N. T._ p. 87.\n Davidson _On Prophecy_, p. 205.\n\n 479 \u2013 Mic. v. 2; Isai. vii. 14.\n\n 480 \u2013 Zech. vi. 13; Isai. lxi. 1.\n\n 481 \u2013 Isai. liii. Comp. also ix. 6; xl. 1, 12; xlii. 1, 4;\n xlix. 5\u20137; lii, liv.\n\n 482 \u2013 Dan. ix. 26, see Pusey _in loc_.\n\n 483 \u2013 Gal. iv. 4.\n\n 484 \u2013 See Butler\u2019s _Analogy_, Part II. ch. v.\n\n 485 \u2013 Gal. iii. 28.\n\n\n\n\n Transcriber\u2019s Notes.\n\n\n The following corrections have been made in the text:\n\n Page 178:\n Sentence starting: It is probable that Kadesh....\n \u2013 \u2018whereever\u2019 replaced with \u2018wherever\u2019\n (wherever Moses and the Tabernacle)\n\n Page 186:\n Sentence starting: A trophy of this victory,...\n \u2013 \u2018Rabbath\u2019 replaced with \u2018Rabbah\u2019\n (in the city of Rabbah,)\n\n Page 332:\n Sentence starting: Meanwhile the Syrians beyond....\n \u2013 \u2018Hadarezer\u2019 replaced with \u2018Hadadezer\u2019\n (a general of Hadadezer,)\n\n Page 365:\n Sentence starting: REZIN, the Syrian,...\n \u2013 \u2018Rezon\u2019 replaced with \u2018Rezin\u2019\n (REZIN, the Syrian,)\n\n Page 377:\n Sentence starting: As he was besieging Gibbethon....\n \u2013 \u2018Isaachar\u2019 replaced with \u2018Issachar\u2019\n (of the house of Issachar)\n \u2013 \u2018againt\u2019 replaced with \u2018against\u2019\n (conspired against him)\n\n Page 476:\n Sentence starting: After a fast of three days....\n \u2013 \u2018Esth.\u2019 replaced with \u2018Ezra\u2019\n (Ezra viii. 32))\n\n Page 482:\n Sentence starting: No high places were to be seen....\n \u2013 \u2018Astaroth\u2019 replaced with \u2018Ashtaroth\u2019\n (the impure orgies of Ashtaroth)\n\n Page 489:\n Sentence starting: Manasseh brought to Babylon....\n \u2013 \u2018438\u2019 replaced with \u2018445\u2019\n (See p. 445 n.)\n\n Page 492:\n Table starting: 4. Scripture Measures....\n \u2013 \u201870\u2019 replaced with \u2018720\u2019\n \u2502960\u2003\u2502\u2666720\u2502180\u250260\u250230\u250210\u2502\n\n Index Asenath:\n \u2013 \u2018Asenah\u2019 replaced with \u2018Asenath\u2019\n (Asenath, Joseph\u2019s wife)\n\n Index Rezin:\n \u2013 \u2018Rezon\u2019 replaced with \u2018Rezin\u2019\n \u2018366\u2019 replaced with \u2018365\u2019\n (Rezin, revolts against Solomon, 365)\n\n Index Temple, the:\n \u2013 \u2018Jehohash\u2019 replaced with \u2018Jehoash\u2019\n (rifled by Jehoash, 425;)\n\n Index Tarshish:\n \u2013 \u2018Tharshish\u2019 replaced with \u2018Tarshish\u2019\n (Tarshish, silver mines of, 362)\n\n Footnote 20:\n \u2013 \u2018Araba\u2019 replaced with \u2018Arabah\u2019 for consistency\n (the Arabah led to the Gulf)\n\n Footnote 361:\n Sentence starting: Immediately below [the Mohrakah]....\n \u2013 \u2018Mokrakah\u2019 replaced with \u2018Mohrakah\u2019\n (Immediately below [the Mohrakah])\n\n Footnote 410:\n Sentence starting: The captives were located....\n \u2013 \u2018Harran\u2019 replaced with \u2018Haran\u2019\n (from about Haran to Nisibis)","title":"A Class-Book of Old Testament History","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":172047}