CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS ONE OF A COLLECTION MADE BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 AND BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY Cornell University Library The original of tliis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029278715 Cornell University Library BS1171 .B33 1871 V.I History and literature of the Israeiites olin 1924 029 278 715 THE HISTOEY AND LITERATUEE THE ISEAELITES LOWDON : PEINTED BY 3P0TIISW00DE AND CO., KEW-STIIBET SaCAEE ABD PAEHAMEST STEBEI JOURNEYS OF THE ISRAELITES EGYPT TO CAI^AASr THE ■HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE ISEAELITES AOCOEDINO TO THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE APOCEYPHA. BY C. AND A. DE ROTHSCHILD. VOLUME I. THE HISTORICAL BOOKS. wrrH A MAP OF paiIbstinb, and a map showing the joukneys OF THB HEBREWS IN THE DESERT. S E C O U" 33 E3DITI. 03Sr. LONDON : LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.. 1871. The right of Irain/atioii is reserved. PREFACE. It is not without much diffidence that we offer this un- pretending work to the public ; indeed we should hardly have ventured to do so, as so many great writers have been engaged upon the same subject, had we not believed that it had never been actually treated in the same way, nor for precisely the same purpose, that we have had in view. It has been our intention to give an account of the history and of the literature of the Israelites for the use of the young, who cannot, without turning the Bible into a lesson-book, acquire the desired knowledge direct from its pages, and who are scarcely prepared to consult works of a learned or a more advanced order. We have attempted to accomplish our task without entering upon any controversial or dogmatical point; for it has been our desire merely to facilitate a familiar acquaintance with the facts and personages of the Holy Scriptures, and so to help our readers to find deeper interest in the Bible itself, and to arouse in them a greater wish to study the learned authors who have given us their expositions of the Holy Text. If we succeed in doing so — if, after the perusal of i our VI PREFACE. book, the Bible is more eagerly sought for, if its pages are'better understood, and its teaching consequently be- comes more effectual, — our aim will have been attained. The first part of this work is chiefly historical ; while, the second contains an account of the prophetic and the poetical writimgs of the Old Testament, and from the nature of the subjects discussed, will be adapted to somewhat maturer readers. It only remains for us to acknowledge how much, on a path often beset by difficulties, we have been indebted to such authors as Stanley, Milman, Kalisch, and Jost. C. DE Rothschild. A. DE Rothschild. London : September 16, 1870. CONTENTS. PAGE Introduotion 1 I. THE EAELY HISTORY OP MANKIND. 1. The Creation 3 2. Paradise and the Fall 5 3. The Generations between Adam and Noah .... 7 4. The Deluge 12 5. Genealogy of Nations 18 6. The Tower of Babel 22 n. HISTORY OF THE HEBREW PATRIARCHS. 7. The Wanderings of Abram and Lot 24 8. The Invasion of the Eastern Eangs 28 .9. God's Covenant with Abraham and the Birth of Ishmad . 31 10. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah . . . .37 11. Birth of Isaac and Expulsion of Hagar . . . .42 12. Intended Sacrifice of Isaac i 44 13. Death and Burial of Sarah 47 14. Rebekah 48 15. Death of Abraham ; Birth and Youth of Esau and Jacob . 52 16. Isaac in Gerar 54 17. The Blessing of Isaac 57 18. Jacob's Journey to Mesopotamia 63 19. Jacob's Sojourn with Laban, his Marriage and Children . 65 20. Jacob's Flight, and his Treaty with Laban , . . .68 21. Jacob and Esau 72 Vlll ; CONTENTS. 22. Jacob in Shechem, Bethel, and Hebron 23. The History of Joseph 24. Settlement of Jacob's Family in Egypt 26. Joseph acquires for the King the whole Soil of Egypt 26. Manasseh and Ephraim 27. Jacob's last Address to his Children 28. Death and Burial of Jacob ; Death of Joseph PAGE . 77 . 79 . 102 , 105 . 107 . 109 . 112 in. THE HISTORY OF MOSES. 29. Oppression of the Hebrews in Egypt 115 30. Birth and early Life of Moses 117 31. The Mission of Moses to Pharaoh 120 32. The Ten Egyptian Plagues 127 33. Institution of the Passover ; Departure of the Hebrews from Egypt • . . .136 34. Pharaoh's Pursuit and Destruction 139 35. The Song of Moses and the Hebrews at the Red Sea . . 142 36. March of the Hebrews to Marah and Elim ; the Manna and Quails 144 87. Victory over the Amalekites 148 38. Jethro 1.50 39. The Revelation on Mount Sinai 152 40. The Book of the Covenant 158 41. The Tabernacle 176 42. The Garments of the Priests 181 43. The Golden Calf 187 44. Renewal of the Covenant 190 45. Erection of the Tabernacle 193 46. The Hebrew Sacrifices and Offerings 195 47. The Priests and Levites 208 48. Various Levitical Laws 215 49. Death of Nadab and Abihu 219 60. Wanderings in the Desert 220 51. Sufferings in the Desert 222 62. Discontent of Aaron and Miriam 223 53. Scouts sent to Canaan 224 64. Murmuring of the People and their Punishment . . . 226 55. Rebellion of Korah and his Followers 228 66. The Blooming Rod of Aaron 231 57. Water from the Rock . , 232 CONTENTS. ix PAGE ,58. Wanderings continued 233 59. Conquests in the East .of the Jordan 236- 60. Balaam's Prophecies . 238 61. New Census and Allotment of the East-Joidauic Land . 244 62. Death and Character of Moses 245 IV. THE TIME OF JOSHUA. 68. Capture and Destruction of Jericho 255 64. Capture of Ai ^d Stratagem of the Gibeonites . . . 260 65. Further Conquests in Canaan 263 66. The Settlement in Palestine . ' 267 67. Death of Joshua * . 272 V. THE TIME OF THE JUDGES. 68. General Character of the Period 274 69. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar 280 70. Deborah . . . • " 282 71. Gideon 289 72. Abimeleoh 297 73. Tola, Jair, Jephthah 300 74. Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson 303 75. The Story of Euth 310 VI. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAMUEL. 76. Samuel's Youth 318 77. Capture and Eeturn of the Ark 323 78. Samuel the Judge 827 79. Election of Saul 331 Vn, THE KEIGN OF SAUL (1095—1055). 80. Saul's Wars 336 81. Saul's Disobedience 339 Vni. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID. 82. Youth of David 347 83. David and Goliath 350 84. David persecuted by Saul 354 85. David and Nabal -364 I. a X - CONTENTS. PAGE 86. Continued Persecutian of David 366 87. David in Ziklag 368 88. The WitchofBndor 369 89. David again in Ziklag 371 90. Death of Saul and Jonathan 373 91. David King of Judah 376 92. David King over all Israel (1055—1015) . . . .381 93. The Ark brought to Jerusalem 382 94. David's Victories 385 95. David's Sin 388 96. Amnon, Absalom _. 392 97. Famine and Expiation 404 98. David's last Deeds and Death 405 IX. THE HISTORY OF KING SOLOMON (1015—976). 99. Solomon's, severe Justice 413 100. Solo^ion's Wisdom and Power 415 101. The Building of the Temple 419 102. Dedication of the Temple 422 103. Solomon's Decline and Death 428 104. The Division of the Empire 434 X. THE EMPIRE OF ISRAEL OR EPHRAIM (975—722). 105. Jeroboam (975— 9S4) 439 106. Nadab (954—953) 443 107. Baafihat»53-^930) 443 108. Elah and Zimri (930— 928) 444 109. Omri (928— &18) 446 110. Ahab (918—897) 445 111. The Phjphet Elijah 446 112. Elijah and the Priests of Baal .448 113. Flight of Elijah ; Elisha appointed as his Successor . . 453 114. War of Ahab vyith Benhadad 464 115. Murder of Naboth 456 116. Death of Ahab 458 117. Ahaziah (897—895) 460 118. Elijah's Disappearance and the first Miracles of Elisha . 461 119. Jehoram, King of Israel (895— 884) 464 CONTENTS. xi 120. Elisha 465 121. Wars of Jehoram and Elisha's Help 472 122. Jehu made King over Israel 476 123. Jehu (884—856) ] 479 124. Jehoahaz (856— 840> 481 125. Joash (840—825) '.481 126. Jeroboam II. (825—784) 483 127. Interregnum; Zachariah; Shallum; Menahem; Pekahiah (784-759) . . . . • 486 128. Pekah (759—739) 487 129. Hoshea (739—722) 488 XI. THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH (975—588). 130. Eehohoam (975—958) 491 131. Abijah (958—955) 492 132. Asa (955—914) 493 133. Jehoshaphat (914—891) 494 134. Joram (891—884) 496 135. Ahaziah and Interregnum (884—877) .... 497 136. Joash (877—838) 600 137. Amaziah (838—811) 502 138. Uzziah or Azariah (811—759) 503 139. Jotham (759—743) 505 140. Ahaz (743—728) 506 141. Hezekiah (728—699) 508 142. Manasseh (699-644) 515 143. Amon (644—642) 516 144. Josiah (642—611) 517 145. Jehoahaz or Shallum (611) 522 146. Joiakim (611—599) 523 147. Jehoiachin (599) 525 148. Zedekiah (599—588) 525 Xn. THE JEWS UNDEK BABYLONIAN EULE (588—538). 149. Gedaliah (588—560) 528 150. Emigration to Egypt 530 151. The Jews in Babylon 532 Xll CONTENTS. XIII. THE JEWS UNDER (538—332). PERSIAN RULE 152. Return of the Jews to Canaan (538) . 163. The Building of the Second Temple (536) 154. The History of Esther 155. Ezra the Scribe (468) 166. Nehemiah (444) 157. Political Condition and Literature 158. The Apocrypha .... PAGE . 638 . 540 . 544 . 552 . 556 . 568 . 571 XIV. THE JEWS UNDER MACEDONIAN, EGYPTIAN, AND SYRIAN RULE (332—164). 159. The Time of Alexander the Great (332— 323) . . .574 160. Egyptian and Syrian Dominion (323—164) . . .576 161. The Hostilities of AntiochusEpiphanes (176— 167) . .581 162. Ma,ttathias (167) 587 163. Judaa Maccabseus the Deliverer (167-164) . . . 589 XV. THE JEWS UNDER THE ASMONEANS (164—40). 164. Judas Maccabeeus the Ruler (164^161) . . . .593 165. Jonathan (161—143) 602 166. Simon (143—136) 610 Conclusion 615 Chronological Table 617 Index 621 INTRODUCTION. The Hebrew Bible sets forth mainly the history of the Israelites. It relates their origin, their growth, and their decline, from the earliest days until the time when, returning as released captives from a foreign land, they attempted to establish a new commonwealth, which, in its, turn, was destroyed by powerful conquerors. But the Bible shows also, how the Israelites were instructed and led by Grod, were elected to receive from Him eternal truths, and singled out to disseminate them throughout the earth. Therefore, .it speaks of Grod's wisdom, mercy, and power, and points out how He watches and rules over individuals and nations. Thus it has become the Book for all ages and for all mankind. It presents the most beautiful examples of faith, meekness, obedience, and courage. The laws of Moses are more just, more merciful, and better fitted to promote virtue and happi- ness than, those framed by any other nation of antiquity. The poetry which graces the pages of the Bible has lost none of its freshness and beauty in the thousands of years that have rolled by since it was first written ; it has still the power of stirring up .our deepest feelings ; it still affords delight and consolation. And the impassioned works of the prophets, so noble in thought and so fervid in language, remain as imperishable monuments of piety and holy zeal. Thus distinguished by everything that 2 INTEODUCTION. can exalt the mind, delight the imagination, and direct man through the difficulties of life, we can well under- stand how the Bible found its way from the East to all climes, near and far ; and how, coming as the history of God's chosen people, it was hailed as God's own Book to teach and exhort, to gladden and to comfort. The Bible consists of four-and-twenty Books which, as may be inferred from the preceding remarks, either con- tain laws and history, or poetry and prophecy. But they have been generally divided into three great classes : I. The Law (n"jW), which is embodied in the five Books of Moses or the Pentateuch, viz. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; though the Penta- teuch is not exclusively a code of laws, but relates also the early history of mankind and that of the Hebrews down to the death of Moses. II. The Pkophets (D»N<35), subdivided into the Earlier Prophets (D'?B'K'i Ci»K''33) and the Later Prophets (D''^u? D*Ans) ; the former comprising the historical Books of Joshua and Judges, two Books of Samuel and two Books of Kings ; and the latter, the three great Prophets, viz. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the twelve minor Prophets forming one book, viz. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. III. Poetical and othek Whitings (Q*5-in|), including the Psalms, Proverbs, and Job; the Song of Solomon, Euth, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther ; Daniel ; Ezra, Nehemiah, and the two Books of Chronicles : of these the first four and the Lamentations are properly poetical, Ecclesiastes is a philosophic work, and Daniel a prophecy, while the rest are. historical. I. THE UABLY EI8T0RY OF MANKIND. [Genes. I.— XI.] 1. THE CREATIOK [Genes. I. 1. — II. 3.] The Bible commences with an account of the origin of the world. That account of the Creation is grand in its simplicity. Grod produced the world out of nothing by the sole power of His will and command. In the begin- ning of time, Hie called into existence the matter out of which heaven and earth were to be formed. But this matter was in confusion and dreary darkness. Within six days He shaped it into a world of order and beauty. On the first day, He said : ' Let there be Light' — and ' there was Light.' The darkness was dispelled ; the first great step was accomplished. On the second day. He divided the waters, which everywhere covered the original matter, by an expanse which He called Heaven : one part of the water was kept above the firmament, another beneath it, or upon the Earth. On the third day, He gathered the waters of the earth in certain parts and thus formed the Seas, so that, in other parts, the Dry Land became visible, which He at once clothed with verdure bright and beautiful, with every variety of vegetation, of flower and fruit — a world only wanting life to be 4 1. THE CREATION. perfect. Thus the three first days were employed in calling into existence what was most essential — light, heaven, and earth. But each of these three creations was to be made more complete, and each therefore en- gaged again Grod's care and wisdom. For on the fom-th day, He produced the light-giving bodies, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars ; on the fifth, the Birds of the air that rise to the expanse of heaven, and the Fish that teem in the seas ; while on the sixth day, He peopled the earth with Beasts, great and small, with cattle and rep- tiles — animating with joyous life, plain, and hill, and forest. But when the -earth was beautiful in its fresh garb of verdure, when the bright sun beamed down from the blue heavens, and the cool waters girt the land like a broad belt, when air, sea, and earth were filled with happy and peaceful denizens ; God, in His wisdom, saw fit to call forth a being able and worthy to enjoy all this beauty, and to rule over all this wealth ; and He created Man in His own image, giving him a mind capable, if not of understanding, at least of adoring Him. Man, gifted with reason and an immortal soul, was entrusted with the dominion over the earth and all that is upon it, over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. The great work of creation was finished on the sixth day. On the seventh, Grod rested ; and we are told. He ' blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.' Thus it became the type of the Sabbath, which men should enjoy after six busy days of labom-, and which was to be a blessing to the weary, and a sanctification to all. 2. PARADISE AND THE FALL. 5 2. PARADISE AND THE FALL. [Genbs. II. 4.-111. 24.] The earth stood radiant in beauty ; Grod had adorned it with luxuriant vegetation, with lovely flowers, and stately trees, and delicious fruits. The man, Adam, whom He had created, was placed by Him in a spot which well deserved its name as a ' garden of delight ' or Eden. It was situated in the vicinity of that extremely fertile and beautiful region, where the two rivers Euphrates and Tigris meet, and where, besides, they are joined by two other streams, which the Bible calls Pison and Grihon. It must, therefore, be looked for in or around the district of the present province of Iran, though it is impossible for us to define its position with exactness. More perfect in its loveliness than any garden we have ever seen, blooming with every plant that is pleasant to look upon, filled with every fruit that is good to the taste, and watered by iiie four rivers which, separating in the garden towards all directions, flowed forth to fertilize the land — such was the exquisite abode of our first ancestor. But he was to enjoy it only in proportion to the labour and care which he would bestow upon its cultivation. There- fore Grod commanded him to watch and tend it with eager zeal. Among all the trees that abounded in Eden, there were two more wonderful than the rest — the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. And Grod commanded Adam : ' Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for when thou eatest thereof thou must surely die.' But the creation was not complete. Man was not yet perfectly happy. Animal life, so material for his enjoy- 6 3. PARADISE AND THE FALL. ment, indeed surrounded him on all sides. The numher- * less birds and the vast variety of heasts, which Grod brought to him to name, pleased and interested him. But he was without a real companion able to inspire him with deeper sympathy. He still felt alone. God deter- mined upon another act of mercy. Adam fell into a profound sleep, and when he returned to awakening consciousness, it was to see before him a wondrous being, who was both the last and the most beautiful of God's creations. Man called this being Woman, and exclaimed with delight, ' This time it is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh;' and later he named her Eve, because she was to become 'the mother of all living.' Man and woman were designed by the Almighty to spend in the garden of Eden an eternal life of happiness and innocence. But this beautiful existence did not continue long. The serpent tempted the woman, to make her disobedient to the only command imposed by God upon the first man. That most subtle of all beasts cunningly asked Eve, ' Has indeed God said. You shall not eat of any tree of the garden ?' To which the woman answered, ' We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden ; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said, you shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' Then the serpent, craftily pursuing its object, and relying for success upon human weakness, assured the woman that she would certainly not die, but that by eating of the forbidden fruit her eyes would be opened, and she would, like God, be able to distinguish good from evil. The woman, so tempted, and moreover allured by the beautiful appearance of the tree, yielded, gathered of a»e fruit, and ate, and gave to her husband, who also tasted of it. Shame followed upon sin. Man and woman, hearing the voice of the Lord God in the garden, hid themselves, and were afraid. But God asked Adam 3. THE GENERATIONS BETWEEN ADAM AND NOAH. 7 sternly, ' Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I com- manded thee thou shotildst not eat ? ' to which man answered with a cowardly trembling, ' The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.' The woman, in her turn, timidly threw the guilt upon the serpent who had beguiled her. Severe retribu- tion attended this first sin of disobedience. Grod caused the serpent to be the most despised among all the animals of creation, to crawl upon its belly, and to eat dust for ever, while it should live in deadly hatred with mankind. ' I will put enmity,' said Grod, ' between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.' Then Grod proclaimed the punishment of man and woman. They were expelled from the garden of Eden, which could be the abode of the innocent alone ; they were thenceforth to eat their bread in the sweat of their brow ; for the earth would be cursed on account of their sin, and would bring forth thorns and thistles, and scanty harvests ; so they would have to toil and to struggle till death released them ; for they were taken from dust, and to dust must they return. — Thus man forfeited for ever eternal life and ease on earth, or as it is symbolically expressed in the Bible-narrative, ' Grod placed before the garden of Eden Cherubim, with the flame of the revolving sword, to keep the way of the tree of life.' 3. THE GENERATIONS BETWEEN ADAM AND NOAH. [Genes. IV. V.] Adam and Eve, expelled from their happy abode, were sent abroad to recommence a new and sterner life. But an existence of honest labour, ennobled by the guiding 8 3, THE GENERATIONS BETWEEN ADAM AND NOAEt. light of reason, could not be without dignity and happi- ness. They saw the reluctant earth yield up its hidden treasures ; and before their eyes, barren tracts were changed into fields of waving corn. But an additional blessing was granted to them ; they became the parents of two sons, Cain and Abel. Pride was mingled with their delight when they looked upon their children, who were destined to grow into reasonable beings, endowed like themselves with a knowledge of good and evil. Under their care and fondness, the childhood of Cain and, Abel passed away. In course of time, Cain became a hus- bandman and Abel a shepherd. The brothers, imlike in their occupations, were no less unlike in their disposi- tions. Cain had to carry on a perpetual struggle with a stubborn and ungrateful soil; it was he who especially felt the curse pronounced against his parents, for he had to work in the sweat of his brow ; while Abel had the gentler and easier task of leading his sheep into pleasant green meadows, of watering them at fresh springs, and of reclining near them in the shade of spreading trees. Both brothers, however, saw their work succeed, and gratitude impelled them to bring an offering to Grod. Cain natu- rally presented the firstfruits of the field, and Abel the firstlings of the flock. They could hardly express more appropriately their humble conviction that all they pos- sessed belonged to their Creator, as they owed it to His mercy. But though Cain was filled with a proper sense of dependence on the will of Grod, he could not master his evil passions, when he compared his own hard life with the easy existence of his younger brother. Envy rankled and took root in his breast. An offering pre- sented with such feelings could not be acceptable to Grod, who looks upon the piety of the worshipper rather than upon the value of the gift. While, therefore, his obla- tion was rejected, Abel's sacrifice was graced with Divine 8. THE GENERATIONS BETWEEN ADAM AND NOAH. 9 favour. Now the spark of jealousy in Cain's heart was rapidly fanned : « his countenance fell.' But Grod, the all-seeing, the all-merciful, desiring to draw him from the brink of a fearful precipice of sin, reproved him gently. He asked him why he was angry, and why his countenance was fallen ? If his offering was not ac- cepted, ought he not to take it as a sure sign that he had not done well? He should search his heart, and he would find that it was tainted by a grievous vice. He ought to take heed, or else repentance would come too late. For a time Cain's envious rancour was silenced ; he spoke to Abel with brotherly feeling. But when the daily toil recommenced, and the difference of occupations became again painfully striking, the old animosity was revived, and in a moment of ungovernable rage Cain slew Abel. The first murder was perpetrated : the earth was stained with human blood. That blood cried aloud to the Creator, who said to the murderer, ' Where is Abel, thy brother ? ' Like Eve, his mother, Cain tried to evade the enquiries of God. ' I know not,' said he ; ' am I my brother's keeper ? ' But the Lord replied in just anger, ' What hast thou done ? The voice of thy brother's blood cries , to Me from the ground. Thou art cursed from the ground which has opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be on the earth.' Thus Cain, like Adam and Eve, was to wander from his first abode, from his paradise, where his parents dwelt, and where he had passed his childhood. But Cain clung to his miserable existence. Gruilty as he was, he wished to live. His prayer was granted; but fearing the wrath of some human avenger, he entreated God for protection of his life. This was also conceded to him. He was branded, however, with the mark of the outlaw, that he might be known and shunned. Thus he 10 3. THE GENERATIONS BETWEEN ADAM AND NOAH. wandered about without rest and without peace, and at last settled in the district of Nod, which signifies flight, and which probably represents one of the eastern countries of Asia, far from the early centres of civilisation, and separated from all friendly communion with the rest of the human families. But gradually even Cain, in some degree purified by hard ! and persevering labour-, found relief and consolation. His wife bore him a son, whom he called Enoch, which name, meaning instruction, per- haps implied the earnest intention -on the part of the sinful father to train his child in the path of virtue, and thus to guard him against those snares of sin that had blighted his own life : and in order to keep that intention more vividly in remembrance, Cain, when he proceeded to build a city in the land of Nod, called it also Enoch after his son. This city was soon peopled by his de- scendants ; and there the energies and talents of mankind were gradually awakened and exercised. The four next generations mentioned in the Bible are represented by the names of Irad, Mehujael, Methusael, and Lamech. Here the narrative pauses to introduce a social progress of peculiar importance. Lamech had two wives, Adah and Zillah, of whom the former bore two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Jabal was the first herdsman among the descendants of Cain ; he was permitted to follow the eas}'^ and peaceful occupation of the pious but short-lived Abel ; his ancestor's bloody crime was atoned for, and the curse-laden race was free to commence a new and happier career. A decisive beginning was made in that very generation. For Jabal's younger brother, Jubal, is mentioned to have been ' the father of all those that use the lyre and the flute ' : he was the inventor of musical instruments ; the toil of the daily labour was lightened and beautified by art. Zillah was the mother of Tubalcain, who was the first to manu- 3. THE GENERATIONS BETWEEN ADAM AND NOAH. 11 facture sharp instruments of brass and iron: thws man ■was better able to force froni the earth the grains that support his life, and the lowers that delight his eye ; he in some measure acquired the power of creating by his own exertions a second paradise. But beyond this the descendants of Cain were not permitted to pass ; the next and higher steps were reserved to other and purer ,bi'anches of the human family. Adam and Eve, bereft of both their children, the younger one slain, the elder an outcast, were alone in their misery. Their punishment seemed indeed hard to bear. But when they were blessed with a third son, they called him Seth, meaning ' compensation,' and accepted Mm in the place of the good and innocent Abel. And when Seth grew up, he had a son, whom in humbleness he called Enos, the ' frail ' or ' mortal.' But it was in the lifetime of this frail Enos, that one of the most important advances was made in the education of mankind. For then 'began men to invoke the name of the Lord.' Their spiritual life commenced. They became aware of their insignificance before the Almighty ; and they ex- pressed this feeling in prayer. The Bible passes rapidly over the next generations, those of Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared ; for a vast field was opened to human energy, and the progress in the inner life is naturally slow and struggling. But the great age which men attained in those periods, materially aided their endeavours. Man had been originally intended for immortal life ; Adam and Eve forfeited this privilege ; they became mortal, and with them their descendants. But the diminution of their lives was ordained to be gradual ; thus Methuselah attained the remarkable age of 969 years, and Noah of 950 years ; but Abraham died at 175, Jacob at 147, Moses at 120, and Joshua at 110 years ; while the Psalmist exclaims : ' The days of our 12 4. THE DEIUGE. years are threescore years and ten, and if very strong, fourscore years.' But in the fourth generation after Enos, the religious efforts and aspirations began to bear fruit. Jared's son, Enoch, was an example of excellence and piety. Even now, after so many thousands of years, he is to us the type of the good and perfect man, who walked with God and in whom Grod peculiarly delighted. As a reward, he was spared the infirmities of old age and the sufferings of death ; for ' Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God had taken him away.' But it is remark- able that he passed from this life into a happier and brighter existence at a comparatively early age ; he died younger than any of the primitive patriarchs — to teach the lesson that a long life is not in itself a blessing, nor an early death in itself a misfortune ; but that a long life may be a curse if stained by crime, as was proved by the example of Cain, and that an early death may be the highest favour of God, as was shown by the example of the pious Enoch. 4. THE DELUGE. [Genes. VI.— IX.] The tenth descendant from Adam was Noah. At his birth, his father Lamech exclaimed prophetically : ' This one will relieve us from our work and the toil of our hands, from the ground which the Lord has cursed.' The somewhat obscure meaning of these words may be thus explained. It was during the lifetime of Noah that man was first permitted by God to kill for his food the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and to eat the fishes of the sea ; he was no longer to subsist merely upon the ■precarious produce of the land ; his hard struggle with the reluctant soil was lightened ; and God's first curse, 4. THE DELU&E. 18 ihough not repealed, was mitigated. This involved indeed a sad decline of man from that state of innocence, when all the brute creation lived in happy security and freedom ; therefore, remembering the harmony and beauty for which the world was designed, we should try to lessen the sufferings which we inflict upon animals either for our subsistence or our self-preservation. . When Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons : Shem, Ham, and Japheth. He was a good and pious man, fearing and loving Grod, and was unlike all the other in- habitants of the earth, who had gradually become more and more depraved. The disobedience of our first ances- tors was aggravated in the succeeding generations. They sinned so constantly and so grievously that at last the Lord repented having created man, who had been destined to form the crown and glory of the world. Of so fearful a nature was the prevailing corruption, that God deter- mined to extirpate all life by a universal Deluge, not only the men but the beasts also, that no trace might remain of that wicked age. Iniquity should not stain God's earth, which was to be regenerated by a miraculous act of Divine interference. For Noah and his family, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, were to be saved from the general destruction, as the germs of the future population. It is with feelings of awe that we contemplate God's fearful punishment. We can hardly realise the Deluge, the death of every living creature, the immersion of the whole earth, the dwelling-place of man, in the rising waters sweeping over hill and vale, forest and pasture- land, and engulfing all rivers, lakes, and seas. God revealed His resolution to His servant Noah : ' The end of all flesh is come before Me ; for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.' But as Noah was not to perish with the 14 4. THE DKLtTGi;. wicked, God commanded him to build a huge ark of gopher or cypress wood, three stories high, and large enough to receive not only Noah and his sons with their wives, but also two animals of every unclean species, male and female, and seven pairs of every clean species, whe- ther beast or bird or reptile, with the necessary food for the sustenance of all. Thus specimens of the whole brute creation were to be saved with Noah ; for God would not altogether destroy the world which He had blessed and pronounced good in all its parts. Noah built the spacious ark as God had directed ; he entered it with his family; and the animals left their green pastures, and their forest homes, and their woody thickets, and came around Noah, who took them into the ark in accordance with God's commands. Noah had attained the great age of six hundred years, when he was to witness a stupendous change, and to bid farewell to the world he had known before. The Deluge commenced on the seventeenth day of the second month. Tor- rents of rain descended in floods from the heavens, and the fountains of the deep gushed forth. The seas, the I'ivers, and the lakes, began to swell and overflow, carrying iway with them stately trees, and cities, and all works of liuman industry. Then indeed must man's sinful heart tiave been smitten with bitter pangs of regret and shame. Did it at last humble itself before the merciful Creator, who had been so long-sufiering, so slow to anger ? Can »ve not see even now, after the lapse of thousands of /■ears, those terrible scenes of despair and agony, when nen struggled desperately, but in vain, to save their loomed lives by toiling up the towering rocks and •ugged mountain peaks ? Can we not hear that piercing vail from earth to heaven, as the floods dashed, and bamed, and roared — as the waters, stern workers of their blaster's bidding, rose higher than the towering rocks, 4. THE DELTJgB. 15 higher than the rugged mountain peaks? At last the relentless floods covered all living things, and buried all in one appalling grave. No bird, no beast, no human being, could withstand G-od's judgment. But amid this scene of ruin and devastation, the ark, guided by the Lord, floated on steadily and securely. During forty days it was borne up by the increasing waters which pre- vailed upon the earth, overtopping, by fifteen cubits, the loftiest mountain crests. Then the waters began to decrease, and on the seven- teenth day of the seventh month, or after exactly five months, the ark rested over the peaks of Mount Ararat. The country of Ararat, bearing the same name as the mountain, is a part of the beautiful province of Armenia, one of the most fertile countries of the north. ' The region around the mountain makes the impression of a dreary and devastated wilderness ; it is haunted by bears, small tigers, lynxes, and lions, and is infested by large and extremely venomous serpents, which frequently im- pede the progress of caravans. ... At a little distance, the summit does not appear particularly imposing ; for numerous lower moimtains obstruct the view ; and the plateau itself, on which it rises, is of considerable height. But viewed from the vast plain which skirts its base, it appears as if the highest mountains in the world had been piled upon each other to form this one sublime im- mensity of earth and rock and snow* Here the aspect is overwhelming; it awes the mind with the stupendous power of the Creator ; the peaks seem to reach into the very heart of heaven, and the sides disappear dimly in the endless horizon.' ' The ark, hovering over this mountain range, gradually descended as the water subsided ; and on the first day of ' Kalisch, Commentary on Genesis, p. 190. 16 4. THE DELUGE. . the tenth month it rested on its highest peak, which, like other elevated points, began then to emerge from the floods. Here Noah, still imprisoned, looked forth upon the wide-spreading though decreasing waters ; and after waiting forty days longer, anxious to know the condition of the earth, he sent forth a raven from the ark. This bird, glad to regain and to enjoy its liberty, and thriving in the humid atmosphere, returned to the ark only to be fed, flitting to and fro, until the waters had quite abated. Yet Noah, anxiously hoping that the floods were disap- pearing from the land, sent out another bird, and this time a dove. But the dove, more delicate than the raven, found no resting-place, and returned to the ark. After seven days it was again sent forth, and now it returned at eventime with a fresh olive leaf in its mouth. Then Noah knew that the earth was almost free from the flood, although still unfit for habitation. After another seven days, the winged messenger was sent out again, and returned no more. Like Noah in the days of old, we still regard the dove and the olive leaf as symbolical of peace and joy. And a feeling of gladness must in truth have filled Noah's heart, for the floods had disappeared from the earth ; the Deluge had fulfilled its awful mission. In the beginning of the first month, the surface of the earth was cleared from the waters ; and on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, or exactly 365 days after the commencement of the flood, the ground was perfectly dry. At the command of the Lord, Noah left the ark, and with him his wife, his sons and their wives, and every living creature that he had saved from destruction. Eager to testify his thankfulness to God for having preserved him from the universal judgment, he built an altar, and presented a stupendous burnt-sacrifice of every clean beast and of every clean fowl. God graciously ac- ceptedthis offering, and said : ' I will not again curse the 4. THE DELUGE. 17 ground any more for man's sake ; for the cogitation of man's heart is evil from his youth ; nor will I again smite any more every living being as I have done. While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.' Thus, by a covenant of mercy, the earth was thenceforth to be preserved unharmed ; nature was to con- tinue in her uninterrupted course, and never again was the whole globe to suffer for the sins of man : God promised to measure the deeds of His children not by the standard of justice, but by that of compassionate love, and to remember in His judgments the innate weakness of the human heart. The history of mankind seems to recommence with Noah. Similar to Adam, he was placed by God in a new world, beautiful and blooming, the father of the only family that was to people the earth, the ruler over all living things. But he received more unlimited dominion over the animal world than was ever allowed to Adam : from his time, the brute creation lived in fear of man, - and man partially subsisted on animal food. To preserve the remembrance of the original security of all beasts, God prohibited man to eat their blood, which was re- garded as their soul or principle of life. And stern was His decree against the shedder of human blood. Murder was to be unsparingly avenged by death ; for could a greater crime be conceived than that of destroying a being created by God in His own image ? Thus the Lord established for evermore His covenant with Noah, and also with every living creature, that there should never again be a flood to destroy the earth. As a sign of this covenant, the brilliant rain-bow spanned the heavens, bright yith the Almighty's promise of mercy to His erring creatures ; for God said : ' I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant G 18 5. GENEAXOGY OF NATIONS. between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, that I shall remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh ; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.' Noah's three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham had not inherited his father's piety ; he was guilty of unfilial conduct, which drew down upon him Noah's severe anger. ' Cursed,' he said, ' be Canaan (for Ham was Canaan's ancestor) ; a servant of servants shall he be to his brethren.' But Noah blessed his other two sons, promising large territories to Japheth, and dominion and glory to Shem. Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood ; he was an active husbandman and cultivator of the vine ; and when he had witnessed the gradual increase of the human family after its all but total extirpation, he died at the age of nine hundred and fifty years. 5. GENEALOGY OP NATIONS. [Genes. X.] The Biblical narrative, interrupting for a short time the history of individuals, pauses to enumerate the gene- rations of the sons of Noah. Shem, Ham, and Japheth were the ancestors of nations, and their descendants the founders of cities and empires. The children of Japheth settled in the northern and western continents of the globe ; the progeny of Ham established themselves in the south ; and the offspring of Shem were gathered in the central parts of the ancient world. The following list con- tains the names of Noah's descendants, together with the tribes, countries, or cities, which they probably represent. 6. GENEALOGY OF NATIONS. 19 I, JAPHETH, embodying the nations of tlie North and West. I. GoMEE — The Bactrians ; Mountain nations. 1. Ashkenaz — BJiagae, in Great Media. 2. Riphath — Bhipcecm moimtams. 3. Togarmah — Taurioa (Crimea). II. Magog — The Scythians, III. Madai— The JHe&b-. IV. Javan — Greece ; Maritime countries. 1. Elishah — Hellas. 2. Tarshish — Tartessus, in Spain. 3. Kittim — Cyprus. 4. Dodanim — The Baunians, in Italy. V. Tubal — The Tibareni ) . _ ■ in Northern Armenia. VI. Meshech — The Moschi . VII. TiEAS — The CJiam of the Taurus. II, HAM, including the nations of the South. I. CtiSH — Tribes of Southern Africa and Arabia. 1. Seba — Meroe, in Ethiopia, 2. Havilah — Near the Arabian Gulf. 3. Sabtah — The Astabori, near the river Tacazze. 4. Raamah — Regma, iu Arabia. a) Sheba — Saba, in Arabia Felix. b) Dedan — On the north-western coast of the Arabian Gulf, and near the Persian Gidfi 5. Sabtechah — ^In Hthiopia ; perhaps Nigritia. 6. Babel — Babylon. 7. Brech — Orchoe, on the Euphrates. 8. Accad — Tel Nimroud, or Akkerkuf, near Bagdad. 9. Calneh — A town ia Ohalonitis (perhaps Otesi- phon), on the Tigris. 10. Nineveh — Nineveh, on the Tigris. c2 20 5. GENEALOGY 01* NATIONS. 11. Rebobotli Ir — Probably on tbe oastm-n hcmls of the Ijuplirates. , 12. Calah— JtaZa/i Sherghat, fifty-five miles south of Mosial. 13. Resen — Nimroud, seventeen miles south of Mosul. II. MiZEAiM — JEgypt. 1 . Ludim — Letus, or Letopolis, in Lower Egypt. 2. Anamim — Perhaps Gynoipolis, the town of Aimlis, in Middle Egypt. 3. Lehabim — The Libyans. 4. Naphtuhim — Napata, in the north of Meroe. 5. Pathrusim — Z7?/pe)- ISgypt, or Thehais. 6. Casluhim — Ghemnis, or Panojpolis. a) Philistim — Philistines. 7. Caphtorim — Oojytos, in the Upper Thebaid. III. Phot — Phaiat, or Libya, near Egypt; or perhaps Buto, in the Delta. IV. Canaan — Syria, Phomlda, and Palestine. 1. Sidon — Sidon, in Phoenicia. 2. Heth — The Hittiies, near Hebron, Bethel, &c. 3. The Jebusite — In and around Jerusalem. 4. The Amorite — On ioth sides of the Jordan. 6. The Girgasite — In the centre of Palestine. 6. The Hivite — In Shechem and Giheon, and near the Herman. 7. The Arkite — Area, in Phoenicia, at the north- western foot of the Lebanon. 8. The Sinnite — Sinnas, near Area. 9. The Arvadite — The island Aradus at the northern coast of Phoenicia. 10. The Zemarite — Simyra, twenty-four miles south- east of Antaradus. 11.. The Hamathite — Ejiiphania, in Syria. III. SHEM, representing the Central parts of the ancient world. I. Elam — Mymais, in Persia, a. GENEALOGY OF NATIONS. 21 II. AssHUE — Assyj'ia. III. ArpiAxad — ArrliwpliacMtis, in North Assyria. Salah — Along the eastern hanlcs of the Tigris. Bber — In the luest of the Tigris and Huphrates. a) Peleg — In various parts of Arahia Beserta. b) Joktan — KacMan, in the north of Ned- sheran. 1. Almodad — In Arabia Beserta. 2. Sheleph — The Salapeni, in Arabia Felix. 3. Hazarmaveth — Hadramaut, in the south of Arabia. 4. Jerah — The coast and mountain of the Moon, near Hadramaut. 5. Hadoram — Likewise adjoining Hadramaut, on the coast. 6. Uzal — Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. 7. Diklah ^ 8. Obal j-Uncertain. 9. Abimael J 10. Sheba — The Sahceans, in the eastern parts of Arabia. • 11. Ophir — On the southern or south-eastern coast of Arahia. 12. Havilah — Near the Persian Oiilf. 13. Jobab — In Arabia Beserta. IV. LCD — The Lydians, originally living in the Highlands of Armenia. V. Akam — Aramcea, including northern Mesopotamia, Syria, and some districts of Arabia. 1. Uz — Ausitis, in the northern parts of Arabia Deserta. 2. Hul — perhaps Golan, in the east of the Jordan. 3. Gefher — perhaps Geshur, on the Orontes. 4. Mash — The Mysians.^ > See Kalisoh, Commentary on Genesis, pp. 231-233. 22 6. THE TOWER OF BABEL. 6, THE TOWER OF BABEL. [Genes. Xt.] From the highlands of Armenia, where the ark had rested after the Deluge, the earlier descendants, of Noah migrated southward till they arrived in the beautiful and fertile plain of Shinar, situated between the two great rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Foreseeing the vast increase of the human family, they determined to build a large city with a stupendous tower, to serve for all future time as a centre of unity to man- kind. They not only desired to construct an imposing dwelling-place, but they intended to pile up a gigantic tower ' whose top might reach to heaven, and by which they might make themselves a name.' Thus filled with pride and vanity, they actually began the ambitious task. With brick for stone and bitumen for mortar, they pursued their work with vigour, and the town rose rapidly. But the Lord was displeased at their arrogance and haughtiness. Therefore, He confounded their lan- guage suddenly, so that they could not understand one another. Annoyed and bewildered, the workmen re- nounced their labour ; and the city, commenced with such proud hopes but never completed, was called Babel, meaning confusio'h. Thus the Bible accounts for the perplexing diversity of languages, which thoughtful men might well have deplored as a serious impediment to the brotherly intercourse between nations. After this sad tale of man's vanity and God's speedy punishment, the Bible returns to the history of Shem. The generations followed each other in quiet succession ; they had to re-discover many of the arts lost by the Deluge ; but their chief pursuits were probably those of agriculture and cattle-breeding. The representative of 6. THE TOWER OF BABEL,' 23 the ninth generation after Noah was Terah, who became the father of three sons : Abram (later called Abraham), Nahor, and Haran. Haran had a son named Lot, and two daughters Milcah and Iscah. But Haran died before his father Terah. Nahor took Milcah for his wife ; while Abram married his half-sister Sarai. Milcah bore many children to her husband, but Sarai was childless. This family journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldees, with the intention of emigrating into the land of Canaan, but they stopped on their way at Haran. Here Terah died in the course of time at the age of two hundred and five years. 11. THE III8T0BY OF THE HEBREW PATBIABCHS. [GUKES. XII.- L.] 7. THE "WANDERINGS OF ABEAM AND LOT. [Gen-es. XII. XIII.] Abeam lived to his seventy-fifth year in his old Mesopo- tamian home; but he was to spend the remaining and most eventful portion of his life in distant lands. The first patriarch, the father of the chosen people, descended from an idolatrous family and horn in a heathen country, was to leave all the old associations and give up all the old ties which might weaken his faith and courage, and was to wander forth to unknown tribes there to establish a new domicile. ' Q-o out of thy country,' said Grod to him, ' and from the place of thy birth, and from thy father's house, into the land which I shall show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless thee, and curse him that curses thee ; and in thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed.' It was a great and glorious promise," full of glad tidings to unborn gene- Irations, the first revelation which Grod vouchsafed to man since the days of Noah. When Abram, full of faith and 7. WANDERIif^S OF ABEAM AN±) LOT. 2S obedience, heard the Divine word, he instantly prepared to go — whither he knew not ; it was enough for him that he left a land of superstition and idolatry. With him went Sarai his wife, Lot his nephew, and all the members of his household. They journeyed forth, like all nomadic herdsmen, driving their flocks and their herds before them, with their tents slung on poles. Arriving in Canaan, Abram passed through the land, till he halted for the first time in the vale of Shechem. It may have been the remarkable beauty of the spot which induced the patriarch there to pitch his tents, and to rest for a while beneath the oaks of Moreh. ' Here,' so tells us the traveller Van de Velde, ' here is no wilderness, no wild thicket, but always verdm:e, always shade, not of the oak, the terebinth, and the coral tree, but of the olive grove so soft in colour, so picturesque in form, that for its sake we can willingly dispense with all other wood. Here is no impetuous mountain torrent, yet water in more copious supplies than anywhere else in the land ; and it is just to its many fountains, rills, and watercourses that the valley, which in some places does not exceed a hundred feet, owes its exquisite beauty.' But apart from the attractions of the scene, the fact of the plain of Shechem lying in the very centre of fliat country which was finally to belong to the descendants of the patriarch, may have suggested to him the propriety of pitching his tents within its groves ; and there, where idolatry pre- vailed, he built an altar to the one true, eternal Grod. And there the Lord appeared to him, with the renewal of the old promises. Again the patriarch wandered on, taking the direct southern high-road of Palestine, and rested near the town of Bethel. Here also he built an altar, invoked the name of the Lord, and thus consecrated to Him an idolatrous city before called Luz, But he soon left 26 7. "WANDEEINGS OF ABEAM AND LOT. Bethel to travel again southwards ; for as yet he had fixed upon no permanent resting-place. Whilst on this journey, a famine broke out in the land, one of the terrible scourges and trials by which eastern countries are so frequently visited. Egypt, that rich and fruitful land, long known as the store-house of the world, was now the aim of the patriarch's wandering. He had arrived with his caravan on the confines of Egypt, when he was troubled by a strange fear. Sarai his wife was of remarkable beauty ; might not one of the nobles of Egypt, nay the king himself, with oriental despotism, kill him in order to obtain her ? A deception, considered harmless by Abram, and deemed necessary to avoid that calamity, presented itself to his mind. He said to Sarai : ' Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul may live because of thee.' As Abram had foreseen, the Egyptians were struck by his wife's beauty, which was probably of a much higher order than that of their own countrywomen. Her praise reached the ears of Pharaoh. Eager to see the stranger, he ordered her to be brought before him. She must have found favour in his eyes ; for Abram was kindly treated for her sake, and received rich presents of men- and maid-servants, of sheep and oxen, asses and camels. But the displeasure of Grod fell upon Pharaoh, who by terrible plagues was warned of the sin he was tempted to commit. In just anger, the heathen king, feeling that he had been ensnared by untruth, summoned Abram before him, and indig- nantly exclaimed : ' Why didst thou say, she is my sister, so I might have taken her to me to wife : and now behold thy wife, take her and go thy way.' Abram heard in silence this merited rebuke, and humiliated by the gene- rosity of the heathen king, he took his wife, his house- 7, WANDEEINGS OF ABEAM AND LOT. 27 hold, and his vast possessions, left Egypt, and returned to the south of Canaan. > , Perhaps impelled by gratitude, and stimulated by growing faith, he went once more to Bethel, to the place where he had before built an altar to Grod, and there he , worshipped again. At this consecrated spot, the tents were a^ain unfurled, and the numerous herds and flocks of Abram and Lot grazed around, spreading over miles of country. But the patriarchs had not long encamped, when a strife arose between their herdsmen. The district did not yield sufficient pasture for the cattle of both, for it was occupied by Canaanite tribes also. Abram's peaceful spirit was saddened by these dissensions, and forgetful of his own higher claims, he said to his nephew Lot : ' Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we are kins- men. Is not the whole land before thee ? Separate thy- self, I pray thee, from me ; if thou wilt take the left hand, then I shall go to the right ; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.' Abram and Lot were standing on the height near Bethel, and from this point they gazed over a wide extent of country. To the east, they saw before them the range of hills above Jericho, the wide valley of the Jordan, and the distant plains of Moab ; to the west and south, their eyes were met by the bleak hills of Judah, and the future site of the city of Jerusalem, while to the north was the luxuriant land of Samaria. •They looked down into the fruitful and blooming valley of the Jordan teeming with vegetation and rippling with delicious streams : it was indeed like the garden of Eden, or like the rich land of Egypt they had just left ; but the • people of these lovely districts ' were wicked and sinners 28 8. T^SE II^VASlON OF *HE EASTERN KINGS. before the Lord exceedingly.' Lot made his choice unhesitatingly ; jand separating himself from his generous, and unselfish kinsman, he journeyed eastward, and finally pitched his tents near Sodom. Abram, left alone in his encampment near Bethel, received from Grod another of those promises so full of hope and gladness. He was bidden to lift his eyes to the north and south, the east and west; for all that land should belong to him and to his descendants for ever — from the valley of the Jordan in the east to the shores of the Mediterranean in the west, from the Arabian tracts in the south northwards to the heights crowned by the cedars of Lebanon. And great and numerous should his progeny be, for thus sounded the Divine pledge : " I shall make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then thy seed shall also be numbered. Arise, pass through the land, in its length and in its breadth ; for to thee I shall give it.' Thus commanded by the Lord, Abram journeyed south- wards, and dwelt in the oak-groves of Mamre, in the fertile plain of Hebron. This town is surrounded by ele- vations which include the highest peaks in the mountain ranges of Judah; and its vicinity is even now rich in vineyards and orchards, wells and blooming pastures, numerous herds and flocks. Here among the beautiful groves, Abram consecrated another altar to the Lord who so mercifully guided him. 8. THE INVASION OF THE EASTERN KINGS, [Genes. XIV.] The peaceful life of the patriarchs was to be interrupted by the din of warfare and the dangers of battle. In the plain of the Jordan there were five cities, probably 8. THE INVASION OP THE EASTEEN KINGS. 29 belonging to the earliest settlements of the Canaanites — Sodom and Gromorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Bela or Zoar. These cities had been conquered by Chedorlaomer, the powerful king of Elam, in the east of the Tigris. For twelve years they paid tribute to him, but in the thir- teenth they rebelled. Incensed at the growing inde- pendence of the subdued cities, the great king of Elam resolved upon speedy chastisement ; and summoning the aid of three neighbouring kings, he marched forth from his territory, intent upon conquest and destruction'. Cross- ing the Tigris and Euphrates, and sweeping along on the -gi-eat military road south-westward, the allied monarchs subjected in their impetuous march cities and nations ; they seemed invincible. They gained their first victories in the land of the Ammonites ; then passing the river Arijon, they continued their conquests in the province of Moab, in the land of the Idumeans, and even in the im- pregnable mountain fortresses of Sin, the strongholds of the ancient Horites. Fm-ther still they pressed onward to the very border of the wilderness which divides Arabia from Egypt, devastating and slaughtering as far as the ■Oasis of Paran. The victors then turned in their course, and descended upon the valley of the Jordan, the proper object of their expedition. The five cities trembled with terror at the approach of the relentless conquerors. Yet anxious to resist the invaders to the last, the five kings marched out at the head of their armies, and met the enemy in the valley of Siddim, near the dangerous bitu- men pits, which they hoped would entrap the unwary and restless strangers. A desperate battle was fought. The four eastern kings, stimulated by success and supported by superior strength, overpowered their unfortunate op- ponents, and partially ensnared them in the very bitumen pits which were to have become their own graves. The kings of Sodom and G-omorrah fled in trembling haste 30 8. THE INVASION OF THE EASTERN KINGS. towards the mountainous tracts of Jericho, leaving their rich possessions in the hands of the conquerors. And great as the spoil, was the number of the wailing captives of war who followed the triumphant march of the return- ing kings. Amongst these captives was Lot, Abram's nephew, who had remained in Sodom, his chosen place of residence. Abram was in his oak-groves of Mamre, far away from these turbulent scenes of ambition and bloodshed, when a messenger, who had escaped from the battlefield, arrived with the tidings that his kinsman was a prisoner, a slave of the great king of Elam. The patriarch instantly re- solved upon his rescue. He did not stay to consider the overwhelming numbers and the superior skill, against which he would have to contend ; but summoning Mamre and his two brothers, and the men of his household con- ' sisting of 318 tried and faithful servants, he led them on to the pursuit. It was a daring act, but it proved Abram's firm belief in Grod's help and justice. -The kings were marching northward, and had already arrived at Dan, the extreme northern boundary of the land. At nightfall, the patriarch descried the foreign^ hosts ; he divided his men into three bands, and rushed upon the enemy. We are told no details of this memor- able encounter ; but as in after-ages, the heathens were defeated by the worshippers of the true Grod. They fled, pursued by Abram as far as Hobah, to the north of Damascus. The booty must have been large indeed ; for it consisted of all the plunder which the four kings had extorted from the numerous cities they had subdued. Laden with this wealth, and accompanied by Lot and his released fellow-captives, the conquering patriarch re- turned towards his home. In the valley of Shaveh he was met by one of the princes of Sodom, who came forth with Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most 9. god's covenant with ABRAHAM. 31 High G-od. This is the first mention we have of Jeru- salem ; for doubtless Salem was the germ of the future holy city, and Melchizedek, its ruler, impressed by the example of Abram's pure life, had probably renounced idolatry. In accordance with his priestly office, he brought bread and wine, the symbols of worldly success and reli- gious purity, and gave them to Abram, adding to this typical offering a blessing so true and so simple that it might have come from the lips of the patriarch himself-: .' Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High G-od who has delivered thy enemies into thy hand.' To Melchi- zedek were presented the tithes of all the booty^— a fore- shadowing of the law which assigned the tenth part of all produce to the Levites. The prince of Sodom then grate- fully offered to Abram the whole of the spoil he had brought back : but the patriarch, unwilling tp be en- riched by the wealth of idolators, refused everything ' from a thread to a shoe-latchet;' but he permitted his faithful allies Aner, Eshcol, and .Mamre to take their due portions. The great eastern kings and their armies, like the five tributary cities and their princes, now disappear from the scene, and we are again led back to the oak-groves of Mamre, whither Abram at once returned, and to the reve- lations of God to His faithful servant. e. GOD'S COVElfANT WITH ABRAHAM AKD THE BIRTH OF ISHMAEL- [Gbnbs. XV.--XVII.] It was night when the word of the Lord came in a vision to Abram ; it came as it had come before, to strengthen his faith and his hope by glorious promises : ' Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield ; thy reward will be 32 9. GOD'S COVENANT AVITH AEEAITAM. very great.' But Abram answered the I^ord despond- ingly and with a bitter outburst of sorrow. ' Lord Grod, what wilt Thou give me, since I go childless, and the proprietor of my house will be Dammesek Eliezer ?' What could that great reward be, if a stranger' were to succeed him as the master of his household ? It was the first word of complaint that had fallen from Abram's lips, the first doubt in God's unfailing truth. The answer full of comfort came to him forthwith, that no stranger should be his heir, but his own child. To enhance the force of these words, the Lord called Abram from his tent, and bid him look upwards to the heavens. Brilliantly beau- tiful, more beautiful than we in our western lands can imagine, is an eastern night ; the sky is of a deeper blue ; the air lighter and purer, and laden with fragrance ; the ' stars shine with a more resplendent, and yet a softer light. We see the figure of the patriarch standing at the door of his tent, gazing upwards and listening to the Divine words : ' Look now towards heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them ; so shall thy seed be.' Thus encovu-aged, Abram grew stronger in faith, and he believed in Grod. But lest he be uncertain to whom he was to look for the fulfilment of the great promise, Grod spoke again : ' I am the Lord who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.' Yet Abram relapse^ into his doubts, and for- getting that nothing is impossible to the Divine will, he asked for a sign to assure him of the certainty of the pro- mise. Full of mercy for human weakness, Grod granted the prayer. It was, as it is still, an eastern custom to ratify treaties and compacts by killing animals and divid- ing them in pieces, through which the contracting parties pass. In accordance with that custom, Grod commanded Abram to slay a heifer, a she-goat, and a ram, each three years old, together with aturtle-dove and a young pigeon, a. aOD'S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM. 33 to divide the quadrupeds, and to place the halves opposite each other. Birds of prey came down upon the flesh, but Ahram scared, them anxiously away. Yet at nightfall, a profound sleep came upon Abram, and again a vision was vouchsafed to him, but this time one not altogether of a comforting nature. ' Know of a surety,' said the Lord, ' that thy seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs — and will serve them, and they will afflict them — four hundred years. But that nation also which they will serve, I will judge, and afterwards they shall return hither, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet com- plete.' As the voice of the Lord ceased in the midst of the dense darkness, a flame of fire descended upon the sacrifice ; and while the animals were consumed, the. Lord repeated solemnly : ' To thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates — the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Eephaim, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Grirgashites, and the Jebusites.' But Abram was still childless, and saw no heir to his house but ' his servant Eliezer. Now Sarai had a hand- maid, called Hagar, an Egyptian woman ; this maid she gave as a second wife to the patriarch, and at last his long-cherished wish seemed about to be realised. But Hagar, so favoiu-ed by God, despised her mistress, and dis- trust and jealousy sprang up in Abram's peaceful house- hold. Sarai appealed at ' last, in terms of angry reproof, to her husband, who would not step between his wife and* her servant, but relying upon Sarai's sense of justice, merely said, ' Behold, thy maid is in thy hand, do to her as it pleases thee.' But the unfortunate Hagar was ill- treated by her mistress, and fled from Mamre, determinep to jeturn to her own country. She wandered on south- wards from Hebron to the desert of Shur, and stayed, to 34 9,' GOD'S COVENANT A¥ITH ABRAHAM. rest and to refresh herself, at a fountain in the wilder- ness. Here an angel of the Lord appeared to her, asking, whence she had come and whither she was bound ? She answered in all the bitterness of her spirit, ' I flee from my mistress Sarai.' Then the angel of the Lord bade her return again to her mistress and humble herself before her. But Hagar must indeed have rejoiced at the pro- mise then conveyed to her by the words of the Lord ; for the angel continued : ' I will multiply thy seed exceed- ingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. Be- hold, thou wilt bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard thy affliction ; and he will be a wild ass of a man ; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him ; and he shall dwell before all his brethren ' — the true and pithy description of the Bedouin, bold, lawless, undaunted, and free. Full of amazement at this strange but glorious prophecy, Hagar called the name of the well Beer-lahai-_ roi, that is, the well where she had seen the Divine pre- sence and yet lived. She returned forthwith to Mamre, where her child was born. Abram, then eighty-six years - old, in his joy and gratitude, called the child Ishmael, or ' Grod has heard me.' In due time all that the angel foretold of Ishmael's de- scendants was realised : the Arabs have indeed been, as they still are, comparable only to the zebra of the deserts, which they inhabit. ' Against them alone time seems to have no sickle, and the conqueror's sword no edge. They have defied the softening influence of civilisation, and mocked the attacks of the invader. Ungovernable and roaming, obeying no law but their spirit of adventure, regarding all mankind as their enemies, whom they must either attack with their spears or elude with their faith- ful steeds, and cherishing their deserts as heartily as they despise the constraint of towns and communities, the Be- 9. GOD'S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM. 35 douins ai-e the outlaws among the nations. Plunder is legitimate gain, and daring robbery is praised as valour. Liberty is the element which the Arabs breathe ; and if they were thrown into servitude, they would either break the yoke or perish in the attempt. They cannot indeed be better compared than with a wild ass. . . . They may be hunted like game, but they cannot be caught ; their wants ai-e few, they neither covet wealth, nor tempt the con- queror's avarice ; and the waste tracts shunned by other Nations are their terrestrial paradise. " In the desert every- body is everybody's enemy," is among them a proverbial say- ing ; and tkey express, therefore, only in other words, the sense of our text : " His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him." Their love of liberty is frequently carried to the utmost pitch of imbridled fero- city ; they seek danger for its own sake ; they delight in the excitement of combat and pursuit ; and even among tbemselves sanguinary feuds are often carried on during centuries ; the fearful custom of avenging of blood has a decided influence upon their characters ; it renders them suspicious and vindictive ; it teaches them cunning and treachery ; and the cruelty and bloodthirstiness which it engenders, arm friend against friend, and relative against relative. Thus the prediction of our text has also its sad application: the Bedouin's hand is uplifted not only against the unwary pilgrim who happens to traverse his deserts, but against the descendants of his own tribes, and against those who speak his own tongue.'' Abram was being constantly comforted and strengthened by Divine revelation; few of his descendants were so frequently favoured with visions, were so incessantly reminded of the fulfilment of the Divine promises. He had no outward symbols of faith. No hdy Temple, no ' Kaliseh, Commentary on Genesis, pp. 378, 379, B 2 36 9. god's covenant with ABRAHAM. sacred Ark, no regular worship or sacrifice were there to attest the presence of Grod ; but the spirit of the Lord dwelt among the oak-groves of Mamre. When Abram had attained the age of ninety-nine years, the Lord appeared to him again, repeating the assurance He had so often given him before. But no longer satisfied with a passive faith, since He intended to conclude a covenant with the patriarch. He exhorted him at the same time 'to walk before God and be perfect.' Abram, awed by the Divine presence, fell upon his face, and Grod spoke to him, saying, ' As for Me, behold My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of a multitude of nations, and thy name shall no more be Abram, but Abraham, for a father of a multitude of nations I have made thee.' The name ' Abram,' meaning only great father, was altered into ' Abraham,' father of a numerous progeny— a change which implied that the appointed time was draw- ing near, when Grod's promises were to find their earliest fulfilment. To strengthen the covenant between the Lord and Abraham, the rite of circumcision was commanded as a Divine law. Sarai now received for the first time the direct blessing of Grod ; hitherto she had been called Sarai, ' the strug- gling woman ; ' but henceforth she should be known by the noble and proud name of ' Sarah,' Queen : ' I shall bless her,' said Grod, ' and she shall be a mother of nations ; kings of people shall be of her.' But Abraham marvelled at the promise and doubted. He could not believe in that child of his old age, and he tremblingly said to Grod : ' that Ishmael might live before Thee ! ' But Grod mercifully repeated His promise : ' Indeed, Sarah thy wife will bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac : and I will establish My cove- nant with him for an everlasting covenant with his seed 10. DESTEUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMOEEAH. 37 after him.' And remembering Abraham's plaintive cry, the Lord said : ' And as for Ishmael, T have heard thee ; behold, I have blessed him, and I shall make him fruitful and shall multiply him exceedingly ; twelve princes shall he beget, and I shall make him a great nation.' But the glory of transmitting the name of the true God from generation to generation was to be the blessed inheritance of Isaac, the child whom Sarah should bear in the ensuing year. 10. THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH. [Genes. XVIII.— XX.] Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent in the heat of the day, when he saw three men approaching. Eejoiced to find an opportunity for exercising the duties of hospitality, he welcomed the strangers cordially. He pressed them not to pass his tent, but to rest beneath the shade of the trees, whilst he fetched water to wash their feet, and bread for refreshment. No servant was to assist in preparing the strangers' meal, but Sarah herself, the wife of the great emir, baked the cakes of fine flour, while Abraham hastened to the herd, choosing a young and tender calf, which was made ready witljput delay. Cream and milk were added to the repast, of which the guests partook in the presence of Abraham. The strangers were messengers of Grod sent to repeat the old promise, but with greater distinctness: 'I shall surely come again to thee at the return of this season : and behold, Sarah thy wife will have a son.' Sarah had meanwhile stayed in the tent, where unseen she heard the angel's words. She laughed within herself at the promise ; she had but little faith in the Divine power. But the voice 38 10. DESTEUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMOER.\H. of Grod reproved her for this lack of confidence : ' Why did Sarah laugh ? Is anything too difficult for thp Lord?' Sarah, ashamed and afraid, stammered forth a denial, ' I did not laugh,' whereupon God said, ' Nay, thou didst laugh.' The heavenly messengers then rose and went in the direction of Sodom. As a mark of courtesy towards his parting guests, Abraham accompanied them on their way. Since the battle of the eastern kings, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had grown in wickedness so exceedingly, that God had decreed their immediate destruction. He communicated this intention to Abraham, His faithful servant. The patriarch heard the announcement with grief and dismay ; and impelled by his spirit of justice and mercy, he made this request to the Lord : ' Perhaps thera_ are fifty righteous men within the city, wilt Thou destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty? That be far from Thee to do in this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked : . . . shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? ' And the Lord said : ' If I find in Sodom fifty righteous mon, I shall spare all the place for their sake.' But this was not enough for Abraham : might not the wickedness be even greater than he had imagined ? Perhaps there were no more than forty-five good men in Sodom ; no more than forty, or thirty, or twenty, or even ten ? God listened graciously to each fervent supplication of the patriarch, and granted it : He readily accepted the prayer coming from a pure and faithful heart. The city of Sodom should not be destroyed if it contained but ten righteous men. Two of the angels who had visited Abraham's tent at noon, came to Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting in the gates of the city. Just as the Forum of Eome, or the market-place of the mediaeval towns, was the general resort for old and young, as the village green is even now 10. DESTEUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMOREAH. 39 in our own hamlets, so are the gates of the city the usual place of assembly among eastern tribes, where the people meet for business or pleasure. For there is usually the court of justice, there the vendor sells his goods, the news of the day are discussed, the law is read, and there, in the towns of Judah and Israel, might often have been heard the warning voice of the prophet. Lot resembled his kinsman Abraham in. genuine hospitality. At the approach of the strangers, he rose, bowed his face to the ground, and pressingly entreated them to be his guests, till they yielded and repaired with him to his house. The stranger, was considered sacred in the eyes of the host ; the duty of hospitality had, in the east, grown into a law. But the people of Sodom, steeped in sin, deter- mined to make Lot suffer for his display of benevolence. They gathered before his door, audaciously demanding the strangers to be given up to ] them. With much of the courage of the great patriarch, Lot went forth from his house, and faced the incensed multitude. Those who had accepted the shelter of his house he could on no account permit to be harmed. But the crowd was more enraged against him than against his guests : they taxed and taunted him with an insolent assumption of superi- ority, and pressing round him, attempted to break open the door of the house. But the angels, who had come to rescue Lot and to try the Sodomites, put forth their hands, brought Lot in safety back to the house, and struck the multitude with blindness, so that they groped in confusion about the door. It had thus, alas, been proved that the wickedness of Sodom was indeed very great, and that there were not even ten righteous meil in the city. The destruction of the people was, therefore, decreed by Grod. Lot alone, belong- ing to the family of Abraham, and having shown gene- . rosity, fearlessness, and charity, was to be saved, and with 40 10. DESTRUCTION OF s6D0M AND GOMOREAH. him his wife, his two daughters, and the two men of Sodom to whom his daughters Were betrothed. But the frivolous and depraved minds of his intended sons-in-law were unable to comprehend the danger; they wantonly and mockingly refused the only means of their deliverance. It was the last morning that was ever to dawn upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was urged by the angels to depart with his family ; but still they lingered, till the angels, seizing them by their hands, led them out of the walls of the doomed city. Here they were enjoined to pursue their way steadily and withoiit looking back, eastward beyond the district of the Jordan, But Lot trembled, and entreated of the Lord to let him take re- fuge in the small town of Zoar, which was near Sodom, a poor and insignificant place. His request^was granted, and the town of Zoar escaped destruction. The sun rose in his full glory over the earth, when the wanderers arrived at their place of refuge ; at the same moment brimstone and fire descended from heaven upon Sodom and Gromor- rah and upon the surrounding plain of the Jordan. Lot's wife, curious to see the fate of the cities she had left, disobeyed the Divine command, and looked behind her. The punishment followed instantaneously ; she was changed into a pillar of salt. Lot ultimately left Zoar, and he and his descendants inhabited the provinces of Moab and ^mmon. Abraham, remembering Grod's gracious promise, hastened early in the morning to the spot where he had prayed to the Lord on the previous day. The blooming valley was hidden by smoke ; giant furnaces rose from earth to heaven where the proud cities of the Jordan had stood ; and the wild flames were rapidly consuming the land. When the devastation was complete, when the labour of man, the vegetation of the once fruitful soil, and man 10. DESTRUCTION OP SODOM AND GOMORRAH. 41 himself had been destroyed, a vast lake of salt and asphialt or bitumen lay in the east of the desert of Judah. The Dead Sea is one of the marvels of the earth. All eastern travellers who visit its shores, gaze with a sad curi- osity upon this lifeless and dreary region. The soil has a burnt appearance, the gravel is almost black, and the trees in the neighbourhood are encrusted with salt. No flocks or herds can pasture in those desolate tracts, birds fly anxiously over the surface of the lake, but hardly ever find a resting-place in its neighbourhood. Mysterious in its origin, the Dead Sea will always retain that fascination over - man which the wonderful and inexplicable never fail to exercise, and it would be strange indeed if a deep feeling of religious awe did not strike into the pilgrim's heart when he stands beside the tombs of the cities buried by the Lord because of their exceeding wickedness. After this fearful catastrophe, Abraham left Mamre, where his tents had been pitched for so long a time, and wandered southwards, staying at different places between Kadesh and Shur, until he came at last to Grerar in the territory of the Philistines. Here the same strange scene was enacted as before in the land of Egypt. Abraham, doubting the protection of God, represented Sarah as his sister, and not as his wife. Abimelech, like Pharaoh of Egypt, sent for the stranger, and was on the point of taking her for his wife, when he was saved from commit- ting that sin by God's merciful interposition. Abimelech, the heathen king, was a virtuous and pious man ; he re- stored Sarah to Abraham, justly reprimanding him for his deception, and enquiring into the motive of his con- duct. The patriarch excused himself by saying, that he thought he was travelling in a wicked and godless country, where he might be slain for his wife's sake ; and that 42 11. BIETH OF ISAAC AND EXPULSION OF HAGAR. ,Sarah, although his wife, was indeed by birth his half- sjster. Generous like the Egyptian king, Abimelech loaded Abraham with presents, even inviting him to dwell in whatever part of his land he might choose^ But he strongly recommended him in future to take pre- cautions that Sarah should be known and recognised as his wife. 11. BIRTH OF ISAAC AND EXPULSION OF HAGAR. [Genes. XXI.] The hundredth year of Abraham's life had commenced, when the fulfilment of God's promise came as it had been predicted. A son, who received the name of Isaac, was born to Abraham, the heir to his rich possessions, the heir to the blessings vouchsafed by God to the race of the patriarch : he was to transmit the worship of the true God to future generations. Sarah, who had shown so little faith, had a glorious old age ; God had indeed blessed her ; she now felt that she was justly called Sarah, the mother of nations. And the infant Isaac grew, and Abraham gave a great feast on the day he was weaned. Ishmael, the son of Hagar, now a youth about sixteen years old, felt bitterly towards his brother Isaac, the chosen heir of his father, and he openly mocked him. Sarah's spirit was roused ; she had never loved the child of the bondwoman, though she had tolerated him within her tent. Now, full of pride and jealousy, she resolved upon expelling Hagar and her son from the home which had sheltered them so long. Just as sixteen years ago she had pleaded her cause before Abraham, so she pleaded it again. The patriarch's gentle spirit felt the injustice of Sarah ; he loved his son Ishmael, although he knew 11. BIRTH OF ISAAC AND EXPULSION OF HAGAE. 43 that to Isaac belonged the privileges of the firstborn. But Grod commanded Abraham to listen to the voice of Sarah ; while He promised His Divine protection to Ish- mael also, who was to be, like Isaac, the father of a great nation. Abraham, obedient as usual to the behest of the Lord, rose early in the morning and sent Hagar and her son from his tent. His heart must have smitten him as he gave her bread for the journey, and slung the skin of water over her shoulder. The bondwoman, leading her son by the hand, set forth upon her weary way, and came to the desert region near Beer-sheba, evidently taking the direction of her native Egypt. Here the trials of the wanderers commenced. The water in the skin was spent, , and thirst began to torment them. Thirst in the parched and sandy desert, where the heat is oppressive, and the foot aches with the burning soil, is indeed the height of agony. Ishmael, fainting from weariness and exhaustion, seems to have felt this fearful torture more strongly than his mother. Hagar, taking her son in her arms, placed him beneath a shrub, and, in woful despair, sat down at some distance from him, for she said : ' I will not see my child die.' What a scene of sadness — mother and son lying down to die in the wilderness ! And Hagar lifted up her voice and wept. Grod heard that cry of anguish, and He called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her : ' What aileth thee, Hagar ?' Then followed words of re- assurance and comfort, sweet words to the bleeding heart of the poor fugitive : ' Else, take the boy, and hold him by thy hand, for I shall make of him a great nation.' Grod opened Hagar's eyes, and she saw before her the cool and delicious waters of a fountain ; she hurried to it, and fill- ing the skin gave her son to drink. Ishmael grew strong and powerful, and lived in the district of Paran : the wild desert was his home, the bow his weapon, and liberty the soul of his existence. His 44 . VI. IN^Ei^bEi) SACfemCE OF ISAAC. mother chose for him an Egyptian wife^ one of her own countrywomen. Abraham continued to dwell in the land of Grerar, and concluded a covenant of peace with king Abimelech. The latter was soon called upon to prove his peaceful inten- tions towards Abraham. Among nomad chiefs, whose wealth consists mainly of flocks and herds, the possession of a well is of the utmost importance. Abimelech's ser- vants had violently taken away the well of water which the patriarch had dug for his own use ; as soon as the king heard of this act of injustice, he ordered his men at once to restore the well. To ratify the covenant, Abra- ham offered up a sacrifice, and called the place where the vows of friendship had been exchanged, Beer-sheba. He moreover marked the spot by planting a tamarisk, and he there worshipped the Lord, the everlasting God. 12. INTENDED SACRIFICE OF ISAAC. [Geses. XXII.] Faith in God and obedience to His commands were the two noblest and brightest qualities in Abraham's cha- racter. From the early days of his wanderings he had evinced, with few exceptions, a steady and unflinching reliance and trust. He had left his own house, he had given up his family ties, to journey into a strange land. He had pitched his tents in the south and the north, in Egypt, in Hebron, and in Gerar, and wherever he went he invoked the name of the Lord. He had proved him- self a warrior, and had defeated mighty armies. He had pleaded on behalf of the doomed cities ; he had seen the anger and experienced the mercy of the Divine Judge. He had delighted in the youthful Ishmael, and had yet without mui'muring sent him forth with his mother. But greater 12. INTENDED SACRIFICE OF ISAAC. 43 than all previous struggles was the final trial inaposed upon him whilst dwelling in peace and prosperity, the friend of the king, and honoured as a nomad chief in the land of the Philistines. Had the Bible only recorded this one act of faith, Abraham would be transcendently great in his obedience ; but relating it as the last and the severest of his tests, it gloriously crowns a long and vir- tuous life ; it gives the finishing stroke to the picture of sublime and childlike trust. The event is narrated in the Bible with inimitable beauty and simplicity. ' And it was after these things that God tried Abraham, and said to him, Abraham ; and he said. Behold here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thy only one, whom thou lovest, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell thee. And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clove the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose, and went to the place which Grod had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.' We must pause a moment to refer to that place seen on the third day by Abraham. The land of Moriah was doubtless the district round about the city of Jerusalem, and the hill was that one later hallowed by the Ark of the Covenant deposited there by David, and by the Temple which was erected there by Solomon. The spot destined to be the dwelling-place of God's gloiy was consecrated by the grandest act of piety and faith. When Abraham saw the mountain from afar, he felt that the time for the sacrifice was at hand ; so 'he said to his young men, Eemain here with the ass, and I and the youth will go thither, and we will worship and return to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt- offering and laid it upon Isaac his son ; and he took the 46 12. IN5:t;NDED SACElflOE of ISAAC* fire in his hand, and the knife ; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, My father ; and he said, Behold here I am, my son. And he said. Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?' To that ques- tion, so terrible to the father's tortured heart, the simple answer was given, breathing faith alone : ' My son, Grod will look out for Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering.' The text continues : ' And they went both of them to- gether; and they came to the place which Grod had told him; and Abraham built there an altar, and arranged the wood, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.' It was enough ; Abraham had been tried, and had shown himself worthy indeed of the great and holy mission Grod had entrusted to him. The sacrifice, although not offered in reality, had been accepted by the Lord, and the horror of shedding the blood of his dearly beloved son was spared to the patriarch. Thus it was proved that Grod detests jhuman sacrifices, even if meant to testify the most ardent piety ; and the Law is inex- orable in denouncing them as an abomination. Abraham had been ready to sacrifice his dearest hopes, his paternal love, his brightest promises, when he raised the knife to kill his son. Could Grod require more ? The angel of the Lord stayed his uplifted hand, and called to him from heaven, and said, ' Abraham, Abraham ; and he said, Here am I. And He said. Lay not thy hand upon the youth, nor do to him anything; for now I know that thou fearest Grod, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only one, from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked ; and behold, in the back-ground, a ram was entangled in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering instead of 13. DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAS. 47 his son.' The place was nbw sacred to the Lord ; Abra- ham gave it the name of Jehovahrjireh (the Lord will see or select), which also implied that on this jnount the Lord's nation would be seen, worshipping on the spot where their great ancestor had so nobly fought and conquered. After this marvellous act of faith, and when Isaac was restored to his father, the Lord called again from heaven and repeated those promises and hopes which had so often been given to the patriarch, the promise of numberless descendants, of great possessions, of conquest over the enemy, and of blessings that would come to all the nations of the earth through his seed. Exalted and comforted by these assurances, Abraham returned with Isaac, and they went together to Beer- sheba. 13. DEATH AND BUEIAL OF SARAH. [Genes. XXIU.] Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years old when , she died, not at Beer-sheba, but at Hebron where the patriarch had once more pitched his tents, and where he mourned and wept for' her. Although he had dwelt so long in Canaan, he owned no foot of ground ; but he was anxious to purchase from the Hittites a burial-place which was to belong to his descendants for ever. The people of the land, however, who venerated and loved the patriarch, entreated of him to bury his dead in any one of their own sepulchres, for none would refuse him this privilege. But Abraham declined their offer ; he went to the gates of the city where the people were assembled, and begged of Ephron, the son of Zohar, to sell him the cave of Machpelah for a burial ground. Ephron desired Abraham to accept the cave together with the whole field of which 48 14. REBEICAH. it formed a part as a gift, but artfully intimated that he valued it at four hundred shekels, probably an exorbitant price. Abraham, without pausing to consider the sum, weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named, and took rightful possession of the field and the cave which lay before Mamre. The piece of land bought of the heathen by Abraham in the presence of all the children of Heth, was thenceforth considered a hallowed spot ; there Sarah was buried, and afterwards Abraham and the later patriarchs. 14. R E B E K A H. [Gen-es. XXIV.] Abraham was advanced in years, and his strength was declining. But he had been greatly blessed by Grod in all things. When his son Isaac was forty years old, he longed to find a wife for him, fit to become the mother of nations, the mother of God's elected people. No woman of Canaan was worthy of such a destiny. Therefore, Abraham called Eliezer, the faithful servant of his house, and pledged him, by a solemn oath, not to take a wife for his son from among the daughters of the Canaanites, but to choose one from his own family in his Mesopotamian home, whither he was at once to proceed. Eliezer, con- scious of the great importance of his mission, asked what he should do if the maiden refused to follow him : should he take Isaac to the land of the Euphrates ? Exit this Abraham positively forbade; he knew that Canaan was the land of Divine promise, and he implicitly believed that the angel of the Lord would lead Eliezer's steps ; yet should the maiden not consent to follow him, then he was freed from the obligations of his oath. So Eliezer set out upon his errand of trust in such a manner as became the mes- 14. EEBEKAH. 49 senger of a great nomad chief. His caravan consisted of ten camels, which were required for himself and his com- panions, and for the numerous and costly presents which he took with him for Isaac's future bride and for her family. He journeyed eastward until he came to Meso- potamia and saw the city of Nahor in the distance. He halted towards the evening at the principal well without the gates of the city, at the time when he knew the women would come out to draw water. Full of eagerness to accomplish his mission, and knowing how completely Abraham had ever been under the direct guidance of God, he determined to yield unreservedly to the prompting of the Divine spirit, and to act strictly as Grod might direct him. And he said : ' Lord Grod of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out ,to draw water. And let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink, and who will then say. Drink, and I will give water to thy camels also ; let her be she whom Thou hast appoint- ed for Thy servant, for Isaac ; and thereby I shall know that Thou hast shown kindness to my master.' As Eliezer concluded his words, there came from the gates of the city a comely maiden. She descended to the well and filled her pitcher. Eliezer at once approached her, and said : ' Let me, I pray thee, taste a little water of thy pitcher.' Full of courtesy, she not only cheerfully acceded to the request, but proposed, with kindly zeal, to draw water for the camels also. Eliezer wondered in delighted silence, and stood looking at the maiden as she drew the water from the well, emptying her vessel into the trough, and then resuming her task until all the camels were refreshed. Her good- ness and activity made him hope that she was the destined bride of his master. So he took a nose-ring and bracelets 50 14. EEBBKAH. of gold, and placing them in Eebekah's hands, asked: ' Whose daughter art thou ? ' and wishing to test her with respect to that great eastern virtue, hospitality, he added : ' Is there room in thy father's house for me to stay in ? ' The maiden's answer rejoiced Eliezer : ' I am,' she said, ' a daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor ;' and she^continued with evident pleasui-e : ' We have both straw and provender enough, and room to stay in.' The Divine guidance had thus not forsaken the faithful servant, pious and God-fearing like his master. Eebekah returned at once to her father's house, and showing the presents related her meeting at the well. When her brother Laban heard it, he hastened to the spot, where he found Eliezer with his caravan. He accosted him with gentle politeness and sincere hospitality : ^Come, thou blessed of the Lord ; wherefore dost thou stand with- out ? and I have cleared the house, and there is room for the camels.' Thus saying he led the way to the city, and received Eliezer and his whole caravan into his house. Straw and provender were brought for the camels, and a meal was speedily prepared for the travellers. But the faithful servant would not taste food before he had per- formed his mission. He related with touching simplicity the motives and the whole history of his journey to Meso- potamia, beginning his narrative by a description of the greatness and the wealth of his master Abraham, and then giving a detailed account of the important charge en- trusted to him, of his solemn oath, of his arrival at the well, of his prayer to God, of the appearance of Eebekah, and of the wonderful fuliilment of the prayer. And in conclusion he said : ' Now if you will do kindness and truth to my master, tell me ; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.' Bethuel and Laban, struck by the evident interference of God through- out the narrative of Eliezer, felt that Eebekah was indeed 14. EEBEKAH. 51 destined to become the wife of Isaac, the beloved of Grod ; so they readily consented to her departure. Eliezer, in a transport of delight and gratitude, now produced his pre- sents—costly garments and glittering trinkets of gold and silver for Eebekah, and valuable gifts for her brother Laban and for her mother. Then commenced the feast, and at last the faithful Eliezer retired to rest after the fatigues of the eventful journey. But early the next morning, he' begged of his hosts to let him return to his master. He wovild not even consent to a delay of a few days ; and although the bride's parents wished her to remain a short time longer in the home of her youth, he entreated for an instant departure. At this urgent request, Eebekah was asked whether she would go, and she answered : ' I will go.' So the maiden was blessed by her relatives, and the caravan set forth again, Eebekah attended by her nurse and her maids, as behoved the sister of the wealthy Laban. Isaac, still sad at heart for the loss of his mother, was wandering out in his fields at evening, absorbed in medi- tation. He lifted up his eyes, and saw a line of camels approaching from the distance. Eebekah had also per- ceived the solitary figure in the field, and had respectfully alighted from her camel. "When told that Isaac was before her, she covered herself with her veil. Eliezer then related to Isaac the strange history of his journey : ' and Isaac brought Eebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, and she became his wife, and he loved her ; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.' 52 15. BIETH OF ESAU AND JACOB. 15. DEATH OF ABRAHAM; BIRTH" AND YOUTH OF ESAU AND JACOB. [GE^^])s. XXV.] Abraham had attained the good old age of a hundred and seventy-five years when he died. The two brothers Isaac and Ishmael met to mourn for their father. The wild huntsman came back from the desert to the tents at Grerar, and forgetting their ancient strife and animosity, the brothers performed together their last melancholy iilial duty. They buried the patriarch by the side of Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. The Bible mentions six other sons of Abraham born to him by another wife, Keturah ; these sons, after receiving gifts from their father, were sent to the extreme east, and did not share the inheritance of Isaac. Ishmael, the mighty man of the desert, became the father of twelve great nomad chiefs. They took up their abodes in all parts of Arabia, and intermarried with the daughters of the native people. They became the ancestors of the roaming Bedouins of the wilderness, and of the sheikhs who dwell in towns and villages ; their descendants spread all over the Arabian peninsula, some living in Arabia Felix, others between Arabia Proper nnd the Syrian Desert, others taking possession of the heights of Itursea, or wandering in the tracts of Arabia Deserta. Ishmael died at the age of a hundred and thirty-seven years, honoured by the numerous and powerful clans which had gradually sprung up at his side. Isaac had been married twenty years and as yet no children had been born to him. Grrieved and depressed, he prayed earnestly to God thatEebekah might be blessed with offspring. God heard the supplication, and Eebekah became the mother of twin sons, who were called Esau 15. YOUTH OP ESAU AND JACOB. 53 and Jacob. Before their birth, it was revealed to her, that these sons should be the fathers of powerful nations, but that the elder should be under the dominion of the younger. Though twins, they were utterly unlike one another, and as they grew in years, this difference became more and more striking. Esau resembled Ishmael in vigour of person ; he was fond of danger and adventure ; he loved the chase, and wandered forth day after day, ab- sorbed by his favourite pastime. Jacob, on the other hand, was pensive and gentle Hke Isaac, ' a righteous man dwelling in tents.' But Isaac loved his eldest son Esau, and ate of the venison which he brought home from the chase, while the younger and more peaceful son was the favourite of the mother, who perhaps kept in faithful remembrance the promise that Jacob was to- rule over his brother. One day Esau returned from his usual exciting pursuit, wearied and worn by his toils. His younger brother Jacob had a dish of lentils before him, a tempting meal for the tired hunter. Esau eagerly begged for the ' red, red pottage,' which he longed to devour. Jacob, calm and self-possessed, probably despising the coarseness of his brother Esau, was determined to take advantage of his exhaustion. Therefore, he said shrewdly, ' Sell me to-day thy birth-right.' Esau, fainting with hunger, cared at that moment Kttle for his natural privileges, as Jacob's keen penetration had divined. He ceded to him his right of seniority, and confirmed the cession by an oath. Then he received the much wished-for pottage, and ' he ate and drank, and rose, and went away, and despised his birth-right.' The Bible tells this remarkable transaction in the shortest and simplest manner. A few pithy lines suffice to show us the weary huntsman falling into the net of his crafty brother, and the sacrifice of the rights of prime- 54 16. ISAAC IN GERAE. geniture for the satisfaction of the moment. We cannot help condemning Jacob ; yet though we pity Esau, our pity is weakened when we see his utter indifference to all the higher prerogatives of his birth ; he did not possess the qualities essential to a descendant of Abraham, the destined father of a holy nation ; he was as unworthy as he was unmindful of propagating the noble truths en- trusted to his race ; but although this was evident to the more cultivated and more aspiring Jacob, he debased himself in the eyes of Grod by trying to fulfil the prophecy of his birth by his own unjustifiable means. For Jacobj unlike Abraham, was insincere and ambitious ; great sorrows and manifold trials were necessary to elevate his faith and purify his life. 16. ISAACj IN GEEAR. i [Genes. XXVI.] Once again there was a famine in the land, just such another scourge as there had been in the days of Abra- ham, when he wandered southward into Egypt. But Isaac was commanded by Grod not to enter into that country of superstition and idolatry; so he left Beer- lahai-roi, and went to Grerar to the king Abimelech, who had been so devoted an ally of the great patriarch. Before Isaac set forth with his vast possessions, Grod blessed him and promised to fulfil all the pledges He had given to Abraham — 'because Abraham obeyed My voice, and observed My observances. My commandments. My statutes, and My doctrines.' So Isaac settled in Grerar; but like his father Abraham, he dreaded the people's recklessness, and apprehended they might kill him for the -sake of his beautiful wife Kebekah. So he resorted to the same stratagem, and made her pass for 16. ISAAC IN GEEAB. 55 his sister. But his true relation with Eebekah was dis- covered; and as before, the worshipper of the true God was reproved by the heathen king. Abimelech, however, not only allowed the patriarch to dwell in his land, but gave him his powerful protection. Thus in Grerar Isaac's numerous tents were pitched, and his flocks and herds grazed in undisturbed tranquillity. Meanwhile the two brothers Esau and Jacob grew in years and in vigour. We may suppose that Esau followed the chase with the Philistine hunters ; while Jacob dwelt among the tents, and cultivated the rich and blooming land which rewarded the husbandman's industry a hun- dredfold, and was an imfailing source of wealth and influence. ' When the Philistines saw the stranger becoming ' ex- ceedingly great,' they envied him and showed their ill- feeling by trying to vex and molest him. As a rich herdsman, Isaac must have taken possession of a large number of wellS, which were of course indispensable for the maintenance of his cattle. Most of these wells had been dug by the servants of Abraham, who had jealously guarded them from the herdsmen of Abimelech. But the envious Philistines, not daring to make an open struggle for the wells, had secretly stopped them up with earth. Abimelech, foreseeing serious contentions, said to Isaac : ' Go from us ; for thou art mightier than we.' Peaceful and animated by good-will towards the king, Isaac left the district which was yielding him such rich harvests, and went down into the valley of Gerar, where he fixed his abode. But here again the wells became a cause of strife : the Philistines had stopped up those which Abraham had dug, so that the herdsmen of Isaac had to recommence their labours. And when at last the refreshing springs burst forth from the depths of the valley, the herdsmen of Gerar claimed the water as their 56 16, ISAAC IN GBRAE. own. Isaac gave to the well the appropriate name of Eseh (contention), and with his usual paeekness he left it to commence his work afresh. But again the native herdsmen took possession of the well, which Isaac called Sitnah (strife). Anxious to avoid further dissensions, he removed to another part of the valley, where he again dug a well. This time his gentle forbearance was re- warded : he was not annoyed by the Philistines, and he ■ gave to the happy spot the name Rehoboth (enlargement), exclaiming with pious gratitude, ' For now the Lord has enlarged us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.' Near this spot was Beer-sheba, where Abraham and Abimelech had made their covenant of peace. Here the great patriarch had built an altar to God and had invoked His name. At this sacred place, Isaac was favoured with a Divine vision : the Lord appeared, bidding him to be firm and fearless, for he was blessed as the son of Abraham. Beneath the shade of the tamarisk-tree which his father had planted, he built up an altar where he paid homage to the name of the Lord, and there he remained, and there again he dug a well. Whilst living at Beer-sheba, in his quiet and sacred retirement, three powerful men came to him, the king Abimelech, his councillor Ahuzzath, and the general of his army Pichol. Isaac, astonished at their arrival, at once imagined some evil design, and asked distrustfully, ' Wherefore do you come to me, and you hate me, and have sent me away from you ? ' But the king had come in peace and friendship. Convinced that Isaac was under the special protection of the Lord, he longed for his al- liance ; therefore he renewed with him the covenant which he had made before with Abraham. As a sign of friend- ship the Philistines ate and drank with ,the patriarch, and before their departure on the following morning, they swore fidelity one to another. In commemoration 17. BLESSING OP ISAAC. 57 of the oath, the well dug at that spot was called Shibali, harmonising with Beer-sheba, the name of the city. — The two sons of Isaac, who had evidently lived with their father in the land of the Philistines, are not mentioned in all these transactions ; but Esau must have dwelt much among strangers, for he took two wives, Judith and Base- math, both Hittite maidens, daughters of idolaters. He thus estranged himself more than ever from the chosen family, and brought by his unhappy marriage grief and sorrow upon Isaac and Eebekah. 17. THE BLESSING OP ISAAC. [Genes. XXVII.] The Bible, although it is the story of the chosen people, although it tells us of the wonderful blessings conferred by Grod upon the patriarchs, upon those men who handed down the worship of the true and everlasting Grod from generation to generation, never omits recording the errors and the failings of the favom-ed race or of the founders of its glory : it does not seek to extol that, which deserves condemnation ; nor does it try to excuse what is open to censure or scorn. Jacob was called the righteous man ; he possessed the superior refinement of soul and the elevation of mind necessary for the heir of his father's great spiritual treasures ; he was, like Isaac and Abraham, to be the elected of the Lord, guided by Him, blessed, strengthened, taught by Him. But Jacob was not graced by the purity of heart, the grand and simple faith which distinguished Abraham, nor by the gentle and pious self- denying spirit of Isaac. The story of the pottage by which he purchased the birth-right, is followed by another incident more painful still for those who would fain love and venerate the grandchild of Abraham, the fether of Joseph. 58 17. BLESSING OF ISAAC. Isaac had become an old man stricken with years. His eyes were dim so that he could not see, and he felt that his life was waning. So he wished to give to his firstborn Esau his blessing before he died. It was and still is the custom among eastern nations to ratify compacts and co- venants by a meal ; and hence, when a parent is about to bestow upon his child his final blessing, which in some respects partakes of the character of a covenant, the same means of ratification is not unusually adopted. Therefore, the aged patriarch called his son and said : ' Behold, I pray thee, I am old, I know not the day of my death : and therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field and hunt for me some venison ; and make me a palatable meal, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless thee before I die.' Away sped the hunter Esau to do his father's bidding. But Eebekah had listened in the seclusion of the tent when Isaac spoke, and in a moment her resolve was taken. Esau should not receive the bless- ing, which, as she believed, belonged even from his birth to her younger and dearer son. She went to Jacob, and hastily related to him what she had heard, and then she continued : ' Listen to my voice, according to that which I command thee. Go, I pray thee, to the flocks, and fetch me from there two good kids of the goats, and I will make them a palatable meal for thy father, such as he loves. And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.' Jacob heard this wily scheme, not with indignation or repug- nance, but only with fear that it might not be successful. Esau was a hairy man, and Jacob a smooth man : would not the blind father, when stretching forth his hands towards his child, discover the deception, and would not then the blessing be changed into a curse ? Eebekah was the bolder and more resolute spirit ; she replied to Jacob's 17. BLESSING 05 ISAAC. 59 hesitating doubt, ' Upon me be thy curse, my son ; only obey my voice, and go and fetch, the kids for me.' She was prepared for any emergency. The animals were killed, and a palatable meal, such as Isaac loved, was soon ready. Then she dressed her younger son in the festive garments of Esau, and to render the resemblance perfect, she covered his smooth neck and hands with the skins of the kids. She then put the meal into his hands, and sent him to his father. The patriarch, aged and infirm, was reposing on his bed when Jacob appeared before him. 'Who art thou, my son?' asked the blind man. 'I am Esau, thy firstborn, I have done as thou badest me : rise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.' At that voice, so unlike the voice he had anticipated, Isaac's sus- picions were aroused, and he asked • ' How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son ? ' Surprised by this unex- pected question, Jacob in" trembling haste added blasphemy to deceit, for he answered : ' Indeed the- Lord thy Grod brought it in my way.' But Isaac was far from satisfied* ' Come near,' he said, ' I pray thee, that I may feel thee whether thou art indeed my son Esau or not.' Then he touched him with his hand, and with a feeling of distrust still lingering in his mind, he exclaimed, ' The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are Esau's hands.' How touch- ing, how sad are the words of the poor blind father, as he put the last searching question to his treacherous child, ' Art thou indeed my son Esau ?' And Jacob, unmoved and unabashed, answered firmly, ' I am.' Isaac could no longer ■cling to his suspicions and anxious forebodings; he ate of the meat and drank of the wine. Then he embraced Jacob, and bending over him, smelt the perfume of his garments, of the garments of his hunter son. ' Many parts of Arabia and Palestine exhale a most delicious odour ; after a refreshing rain especially, the air is perfumed with 60 17. BLESSING Ol* ISAAC. a fragrance inexpres^bly sweet; and the soil furrowed by the plough-share emits the balmy treasures hidden in its depths.' Thus the garments of Esau, the man of the field, who roamed through hill and valley, were redo- lent of the scent of aromatic herbs ; they called up in Isaac's mind the pictures of freshness, health, and abun- dance : his spirit, moved and struck, assumed a prophetic elevation as he began the blessing, ' See, the odour of my son is like the odour of a field which the Lord has blessed.' And he continued : ' And may Grod give thee of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of corn and wine. ' Nations will serve thee and peoples will prostrate themselves before thee. ' Be lord over thy brothers and let thy mother's sons prostrate themselves before thee. ' Cursed be those who curse thee, and blessed those who bless thee.' It was the spirit of the Lord that put these words into the mouth of the patriarch, words that were literally ful- filled ; for he promised to his son's descendants a land rich and beautiful, waving with cornfields and covered with vineyards, the holy land, the land of Palestine ; he moreover gave him the pledge of complete dominion over the stranger, the Canaanite, and over the children of Esau, the Edomites. Jacob received this blessing and departed. He had hardly gone out from his father's presence, when Esau appeared within the tent. He carried a dish of venison in his hand, and bringing it to Isaac, said : ' Let my father rise and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.' ' Who art thou ?' exclaimed Isaac, with a sad misgiving of evil. ' I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.' Then the unfortunate father was overwhelmed with grief, for he knew that the precious benefits he had bestowed could not be revoked ; the voice of God had spoken within 17. BLESSING OF ISAAC. 61 him. ' I have blessed Jacob,' he said, — ' and he shall certainly be blessed ! ' Esau, at these words of his father, burst into a cry of anguish, and he said : ' Bless me also, my father.' His brother Jacob had twice deceived him ; he had taken away his birth-right and his blessing ; and had not Isaac reserved words of comfort for him also? Esau lu-ged his request upon his father with all the vehe- ment passion of his nature ; he could not bear to think that those aged hands should not rest upon his head, that those revered lips shoidd not open to bless him, the eldest child. Isaac answered and said : ' Behold, I' have made Jacob thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants, and with corn and wine have I supported him, and what then shall I do to thee, my son ?' With- out envy, without animosity to his brother, but full of disappointment and genuine affection, Esau exclaimed in a burst of tears, ' Hast thou but one blessing, my father ?' Then Isaac spoke again, spoke as the prophetic spirit urged him : ' Behold, without the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and without the dew of heaven from above. ' And by thy sword shalt thou live ; yet shalt thou serve - thy brother. ' But when thou truly desirest it, thou shalt break his yoke from thy neck.' These words clearly revealed Esau's future history. In striking contrast with the fair and fruitful land of promise, is the tract of country near mount Seir, which was to belong to the descendants of Esau, the Edomites. It is a rocky and barren region, one of the mpst desolate and sterile parts of the globe. Those valleys alone which are on the frontiers of Palestine are capable of tolerable cul- tivation. As the Ishmaelite was to live by his bow, so the Edomite was to subsist by his sword. The people of Edom, fierce and warlike, kept up a bitter and constant 62 17. BLESSING OF ISAAC. feud with the Israelites. The conflict began before Pales- tine was conquered; Saul marched into their territory; David carried on a sanguinary war against them, and sta- tioned garrisons in their land, though, in Solomon's time, they attempted a revolution under the leadership of Hadad. After the division of the empire, they remained subject to Judah ; but under the reign of king Joram (B.C. 890), with a return of their old spirit of indepen- dence, they broke their yoke, proclaimed their own king, and remained free for a considerable time. Under Ahaz (741), they even invaded Judea, and enjoyed complete liberty, until they were at last subjected by the Chaldean conquerors. Thus the prophecy of Isaac was realised in the distant future, and Esau himself, the wild and im- petuous man of nature, was a type of his descendants, the Edomites. The grieved and wounded spirit of the elder brother now burnt with hatred against Jacob ; in his passion he felt as if hegcould slay his brother, although he knew the agony which such a deed would cause Ms father. Eebekah heard with dismay the anger of Esau; fearful for her favourite son, she bade him flee from Beer-sheba, and go to the home of her youth, to her brother Laiban, who still lived in Haran. There he should remain in safety until Esau's wrath was calmed down. Then appealing to Isaac, she urged him to allow his son to depart ; for might he not, if he stayed in Canaan, marry a Hittite maiden, as Esau had done, and thus make her own life a burden ? Isaac shared her apprehensions and her feelings on this point ; he, therefore, readily consented, recommended his son to take a wife from the daughters of Laban, and dismissed him with a fervent and affec- tionate benediction : ' And may Grod the Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojourn, which Grod 18. JACOB'S JOUENEY TO MESOPOTAMIA. 63 gave to Abraham.' So Jacob departed for Padan-aram. When Esau heard of the blessing of Isaac, and of the solemn injunction upon Jacob not to marry a Canaanite, he felt that his own two Hittite wives were offensive to his parents ; and, desirous to please them, he chose another maiden, a daughter of Ishmael, one of his own kinswomen, and made her his third wife. 18. JACOB'S JOURNEY TO MESOPOTAMIA. [Genes. XXVIII.] We have seen how Jacob, partially by cunning and skill, partially by more spiritual and higher yearnings, won for himself his brother's birth-right and his father's blessing. We now follow him on his journeys, as he goes forth armed with that prudence which never forsook him, and with that energy which enabled him to struggle against adversity and hardship. And yet, although Jacob had not the sublime faith of Abraham, nor the pious obedience of Isaac, he stood under the special protection of the Lord, because he was to be the propagator of the true faith. Jacob left the south of Palestine, and turned towards Mesopotamia, towards the land whence Abra- ham had emigrated. The day waned, and night found the wanderer in an open field before the toAvn Luz, still within the territory of Canaan. Weary from his journey, he took stones for his pillow, and lay down to rest; and with the earth for his couch, and the bright starlit heavens for his canopy, he fell asleep. And in his rest he was favoured by a marvellous dream. A vast ladder seemed to rise beside him, whose foot rested upon the earth, and whose top reached to heaven. Up and down this ladder ascended and descended the angels of Grod. From above came the voice of the Lord, as it had 64 18. JACOB'S JOURNEY TO MESOPOTAMIA. come to Abraham and Isaac, promising him strength: ' I am the Lord, , the God of Abraham, thy father, and the Grod of Isaac : the land whereon thou liest, to thee shall I give it, and to thy seed ; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south ; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and I shall guard thee wherever thou goest, and shall bring thee back into this land ; for I shall not leave thee until I have done that of which I have spoken to thee.' When Jacob awoke out of his sleep he felt the profound reality of his dream, and he exclaimed, ' Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not ;' and he was afraid, and said, ' How awful is this place ! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.' And instead of Luz he called the town Beth-el, 'the house of God,' a name which has since been applied to every sanctuary through- out the world. Jacob's words, 'The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not,' have a peculiar fitness. ' There is, indeed, in the region round Beth-el nothing to indicate the Divine Presence ; no religio loci, no awful shades, no lofty hills. Bare, wild rocks, a beaten thoroughfare; these are the only features of the primeval sanctuary of that God, of whom nature itself there teaches us, that if He could, in such a scene, so emphatically reveal Himself to the houseless exile, He is " with him," with His true servants everywhere, and will " keep them in all places whither they go." ' ' The stone that had been Jacob's pillow was sanctified by the vision of the night. Jacob set it up for a memorial, anointed it with oil, and thus it became an object of veneration for many later ages. The sacred narrative constantly returns to it, and we shall see ' Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p._220. 19. JACOB'S SOJOURN WITH LABAN. 65 Beth-el reappear in future centuries as one of the holy places of the kingdom of Israel, where the grossest idolatry was practised. Before Jacob left the spot, he offered up a vow, promising true and faithful worship to Grod and devoted charity to man. 'This stone,' he declared, 'which I have set for a monument shall be a house of God', and of all that Thou wilt give me, I shall surely give the tenth part of it to Thee.' 19. JACOB'S SOJOUEN WITH LABAN, HIS MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN. [Genes. XXIX.— XXX. 24.] Jacob departed from the solitary field, and traversing the desert tracts in the east of the Jordan, he at last drew near to the town of Nahor. A well, surrounded by herdsmen with their cattle, showed him that he was approaching the dwelling-place of man. The shepherds came from Haran, and were of course acquainted with the wealthy Laban. Whilst they were answering the ques- tions of Jacob, they saw advancing towards them Rachel, the daughter of Laban, driving her flock of sheep before her. Like Eebekah, her occupations led her out into the field ; like Eebekah, she was respectful and courteous towards the stranger. Now, the shepherds were obliged to delay the watering of their flocks until all the herds- men of the neighbourhood had assembled, for it was only by their united efforts that the heavy stone, which covered the mouth of the well, could be rolled away. Jacob, however, was determined to show by an act of attention his friendship for his kinswoman. When, therefore, Rachel approached, he went to the well, and with his own unaided strength performed the feat of removing the 66 19. JACOB'S = so JOTJEN WITH LABAN, ponderous stone. Filled 'with tenderness for the child of his mother's brother, Jacob kissed Eachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. Then he told her that he was the son of Eebekah, her father's sister. Plaeing full reliance in the stranger, she at once hastened home to inform her father of his arrival. Laban, the cordial and hospitable Laban of old, came forth to the well to meet his kinsman, and to bring him back as the honoured and loved guest of his house. He was delighted with his young relative, and exclaimed, ' Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.' But Jacob, full of strejigth and activity, could not bear to eat the bread of idleness ; he took part in all the occupations of the house and the field, and Laban felt that, in all justice, his kinsman should not serve him without a reward. Laban had, ,besides Eachel, another and older daughter, Leah. But Eachel was very beautiful, while the eyes of her sister were weak and dim. Jacob loved Eachel, and he offered to Laban to work for him during seven years, if, at the end of that time, he might rfeceive Eachel for his wife. Laban apparently assented to the proposal, and replied, ' It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man ; abide with me.' ' So Jacob served seven years for Eachel, and they seemed to him but a few days for the love he bore to her.' The time for the mar- riage had approached; but Laban felt vexed and disap- pofiited that the younger sister should many before the elder. With the deceit worthy of his sister Eebekah, Laban bethought himself of a scheme by which he might substitute Leah for Eachel. Taking advantage of the longhand thick veil worn by the eastern maiden on her marriage-day, he brought Leah, thus closdly shrouded, to the unsuspecting Jacob, who learnt the dishonesty of Laban too late. As he had deceived his father, so his own kinsman now deceived hha. When he upbraided 19. JACOB'S SOJOURN WITH LABAN. 67 Laban, the lg,tter sheltered himself under vain excuses: ' It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the elder.' But he proposed that Jacob should celebrate his marriage-wee]^ and that he might then take Eachel as a second wife, and work for her another seven years. Jacob, unwilling to renounce the maiden whom he had ■ loved so long, agreed to this unjust demand, and in seven days he married Eachel also. In accordance with the eastern custom, each daughter received her maidservant ; Zilpah was given to Leah, and Bilhaii to Eachel. Jacob's love for Eachel was true and strong ; he never could quite forgive the deception of Laban, and although Leah blessed him with offspring, and Eachel remained childless, still he clung to the younger sister with greater fondness than to the elder. Leah felt bitterly the in- difference of her husband ; so bitterly indeed, that at the birth of her firstborn son, Eeuben, she exclaimed, ' Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction, for now my hus- band will love me.' But that love was still denied her ;. and when a second son, Simeon, was born to her, she said again, ' Surely the Lord has heard tha,t I' am hated, and He has given me this son also.' But the affection she so longed for was even now withheld; for when she becam,e the mother of a third son, Levi, she gave utterance to her deep attachment in the words, ' Now this time will my husband be joined to me, for I have bom him three sons.' Jacob's heart must have been touched at last, for Leah was full of joy and gratitude wlien she exclaimed at the birth of her fourth son, Judah, ' This time I will praise the Lord.' After a long interval she had two more sons, Issachar and Zebulun, and last of all a daughter, Dinah. Moreover, the two maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, bore children to Jacob .; the sons of Bilhah were named Dan and Naphtali, those of Zilpah Gad and Asher, Eachel had envied her sister Leah, and full of f2 68 20, JACOB'S KLIG-HT, sorrow and vexation, she vented lier disappointment in words of anger. Grod remembered her at last, and when she became the mother of a son, she called him Joseph, exclaiming in gladness, ' Grod has taken away my reproach ; may the Lord add to me another son !' Jacob had served Laban long and faithfully. During the fourteen years he had lived with his kinsman, the house of the latter had been blessed and had prospered, and his wealth and possessions had vastly increased. Jacob now felt that the time had come for him to return to Beer-sheba ; he had never received from Eebekah the message which, at his departure, she had promised to send him. He was ninety years of age, and still an exile and a servant. So he entreated of Laban to let him depart. Laban, fully appreciating the advantage of Jacob's services, could not bear the thought of losing them. Therefore, he offered him any reward he might propose. Jacob be- thought himself of a stratagem by which he hoped to secure the finest portions of Laban's flocks. He succeeded so well that in six years he found himself the master of very considerable wealth. The Bible, after detailing the scheme, of Jacob, which is another stain upon his character, tells us that ' he increased exceedingly, and possessed much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.' 20. JACOB'S FLIGHT, AND HIS TREATY WITH LABAF. [Genes. XXXI.] The unprecedented increase of Jacob's property, and. the corresponding diminution of his own, must have, opened Laban's eyes with regard to the fraud of which he' had been the victim, and he naturally regarded Jacob- 20. JACOB'S PLIGHT. 69 with suspicion and distrust. Indeed the latter felt that he could no longer dwell in Padan-aram with safety. The voice of the Jliord bade him at once return to his native country. So he sent for Leah and Eachel to meet him in the fields where he was tending his flocks. There he told them that they must prepare for immediate departure. ' I see,' he said, ' your father's countenance that it is not towards me as in former days ; but the God of my father has been with me, and you know that with all my power I have served your father.' Then accusing Laban of deceit and injustice, he spoke of the Divine protection which was granted to him, and through which, in spite of the stratagems and frauds of Laban and his sons, he had ob- tained great wealth. Quite unconscious of the deep-laid schemes of their husband, Leah and Eachel readily agreed to follow him to the land of his birth, and spoke of their father with harshness: 'Are we not regarded by him as strangers ? for he has sold us, and has also entirely eaten up our money. Indeed, all the wealth which Grod has taken from our father it belongs to us and to our children : and now whatever Grod has said to thee, do.' Jacob proceeded forUiwith to carry out his departure, or rather, his flight. The time was peculiarly favourable. Laban had gone forth to shear his sheep. Eachel, who still clung to the superstitious idolatry of her youth, took with her as a protection the Teraphim or house-gods which belonged to her father, and which she knew he valued highly. Secretly and in precipitate haste the caravan passed out of the city ; first Leah and Eachel with their children ; next their handmaids and their children, all sitting upon camels : and then followed Jacob with his train of servants, driving his vast herds and flocks before them. As their road lay westwards, they crossed the Euphrates, and turned their steps toward the range of the mountains of Grilead. On these rich pastures Jacob's herds 70 20. JACOB'S FLIGHT. and flocks grazed for a time, whilst he pitched his i and rested on the mountain. In the mean time Laban had been informed of flight : he at once set out in pursuit, and after a seven i precipitate journey, he found Jacob and his companioi the region of Gilead. Here he halted for the night a1 foot of the mountain, and was visited by an awe-inspi vision. The Lord warned him that he should take not to harm Jacob in any way. With this solemn bid still ringing in his ears, Laban appeared before his soi law. He was full of indignation and anger, and c with difficulty govern his passion. He burst forth dire into accusations, which were indeed well merited Jacob's cunning conduct: 'What hast thou done, thou hast deceived my heart, and carried away daughters, like captives taken with the sword ?' He ■ upbraided him for having fled secretly and deceitfully said that Jacob had acted foolishly in not telling hin intentions, whereas he would willingly have sent him s with song and music ; he had not even permitted hir kiss his childi-en and grand-children before they left ] perhaps for ever. He added, with ill-repressed ar that it would be in his power to do him injury ; yei refrained from revenge, because the Grod of Abraham spoken to him in the night and had warned him aga violence. And he concluded by urging that if Jacob departed, because he longed for his father's home, it certainly inexcusable that he had stolen his gods. Ja with a self-possession that never forsook him, was reso' not to hxmible himself before Laban. He knew thai had acted wrongly, but he pleaded falsely : ' Indeed, I afraid ; for I said, perhaps thou wouldst take by force daughters from me ; ' and then, conscious of his innoce with regard to the theft of the Teraphim, which Ea( had taken without his knowledge, he vehemently 20. JACOB'S FLIGHT, 11 with uncailed-for exaggeration demanded justice of Laban : ' With whomsoever,' he said, ' thou findest thy gods, let him not live : before our kindred, search what is with me and take it to thee.' Laban's investigation for the trea- sured Teraphim was fruitless. Eachel had hidden away the image in the litter of her camel ; and the true daugh- ter of a crafty father, the true wife of a crafty husband, had seated herself on the litter, and remained there sitting during the search. Now Jacob believed he had a right ■to .burst forth into angry invectives against Laban : he had been wrongfully accused; his. innocence was clear ; had he not been a good and faithful servant to Laban for twenty years ? had he not increased the wealth of his kinsman by working for him incessantly and unweariedly ? ' Thus I was,' he exclaimed ; ', in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes ; and thou hast changed my wages ten times : had not the Grod of my father, the Grod of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, been with me, indeed thou wouldst now have sent me away empty ; Grod has seen the affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.' These last words of Jacob must have powerfully impressed Laban ; they probably brought before him the solemn vision of the night, and he felt that he must bow before the will of the Lord, even if the agent of that Divine will was unworthy of the love, and protection he enjoyed. With a sudden generosity and gopd-will, which would else be inexplicable, Laban answered : ' The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the'cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine : and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children Whom they have born ? And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou ; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.' The proposed reconciliation was effected, and the altar was raised by the two kinsmen. Laban gave it the Chaldee 72 21. JACOB AND ESAU. name Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob the Hebrew appellation Ocd-ed, both meaning Pile of Witness. Here a feast was prepared, and here Laban and Jacob swore to each other friendship and peace. Leah and Eachel were to remain the only wives of the patriarch, and never was Jacob to invade the territory of the Aramsens. The proceedings were ratified by the invocation of the name of the Lord and by a sacrificial meal. Early on the following morning Laban bid farewell to his children and grand-children, blessed them, and de- parted to return to his home. The name of Laban now disappears from the sacred narrative, and the country of Mesopotamia falls into the background, as Jacob proceeds to the land of Palestine. Journeying along from Mizpah in Grilead, angels met him on his path. He felt that God's presence accompanied him, the place was hallowed in his eyes, and he gave to it the name of Mahanaim, or the Double Camp. The future sanctity of the spot was foreshadowed by the appearance of the angels ; for in later ages Mahanaim became one of the towns set aside for the Levites. 21. JACOB AND ESAU. [Genes. XXXII. XXXIII.] Jacob's first thoughts on returning to the home of his youth were directed towards his brother Esau, whom he had so grievously wronged. He was near his territory ; and it was not unnatural that he should be seized with misgivings and fear. Therefore he sent men into the country of Edom with this message to the great lord Esau : ' Thus says thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now ; and I have oxen and asses, flocks and menservants and womenservants, and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy eyes.' The 21. JACOB AND ESAU. Yd messengers returned from Edom with the alarming intel- ligence that Esau had set out to meet Jacob at the head of four hundred men. Surely this foreboded angry strife and hatred : so thought Jacob. He was trembling with consternation. But even then his prudence did not for- sake him. He divided his people and his possessions into two distinct camps ; so that, if Esau should smite the one half, the other might escape. And then, feeling that safety and deliverance were in the hands of the Lord alone, he prayed to Grod, and his prayer was full of humility and true contrition : ' Grod of my father Abraham, and Grod of my father Isaac, Lord who saidst to me, Eeturn to thy country and to the land of thy birth, and I will do well to thee ; I am too little for all the mercies and for all the truth, which Thou hast shown to Thy servant ; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau ; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, the mother with the children. And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for ' multitude.' Then, anxious to propitiate Esau, he sent a present to his brother with true oriental munificence. Numerous servants were entrusted with vast droves of cattle — flocks of sheep and goats, camels with their young, herds of bulls and cows, and asses with their foals. Five hundred and fifty animals were thus separated into divi- sions, which imder the charge of servants followed one an- other at intervals. Esau, advancing in his march, would thus be constantlymet bythe generous bounty of Jacob, and each servant was bidden to repeat, on Esau's enquiry, the same words : ' They are thy servant Jacob's ; it is a present sent to my lord Esau ; and behold he is also behind us.' Jacob himself did not quietly await the arrival of his brother, but proceeded onwards, chiefly at night, as the 74 21. JACOB AND, ESAU. heat prevented travelling by day. He crossed the ford of the river Jabbok with his wives and children ^.nd maid- servants, and then prepared to pass the remainder of the night alonp in retirement and meditation. In that one night, when he felt that the next day might bring him disgrace or death, the story of the sins and misdeedsi of his whole life must jhave passed before him. It was a night of agony, of conflicting feelings, of prayer, and humiliation. There an event happened which is best related in the words of the Bible itself: ' And Jacob was left alone ; and there wrestled a man with him until the rising of the morning dawn. And when He saw that He did not pre- vail against him. He touched the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was brought out of the joint as He wrestled with him* And He said, Let Me go, for the morning-dawn rises. And, he said, I will not let Thee go, unless Thou bless me. And He said to him, What is thy name ? And he said, Jacob. And He said, Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel ; for thou hast obtained the mastery with God and with men, and hast prevailed, And Jacob asked Him, and said. Tell, me, I pray Thee, Thy name. And He said. Wherefore dost thou ask after My name ? And He blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (Face of Grod), for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.' Israel is indeed a great and significant name : Jacob, meaning the second, was changed into Israel or the first; th& former may be understood as the deceiver, the latter implies the conqueror. Israel, sanctified and forgiven, but still the man of trials and sorrows, was to commence a new life. ' The children of Israel ' is the name which was given to the chosen people, and 'Israelites' was the proudest ap- pellation borne by the warriors who, when they walked 21. JACOB AND ESAU. 75 in the fear of the Lord, conquered nations. As an external sign of the night's suffering, the thigh of Jacob was dis- placed, and he halted. ■ At early dawn, Jacob who had passed over the Jabbok proceeded southward on his journey. How glorious was the scene that lay before him in the morning sun ! In the distance he saw the heights of Ijcbanon, the blue waters of Galilee, then the plains of Esdraelon, the woods of Carmel, the Mediterranean sea, and the whole range of Judah and Ephraim. It is still considered by travellers one of the finest views in the world. But a sight more heartstirring, more touching to Jacob than that glimpse of the land of Palestine, must have been the advance of Esau, as he came to meet him at the head of his four hundred men. Still trembling before the anger and power of his brother, he judiciously divided his house- hold into groups : first he placed the handmaids with their children, then Leah with her children, and last of aU the beloved Eachel with her son Joseph— thus trying to ex- pose those he loved most to the least da,nger. He himself took his position in front, and humbly prostrated himself seven times to th,e ground before his brother. But Esau, his heart overflowing with affection at the sight of Jacob, forgetful of the pasty seeing in him only the exiled brother, the icompanion of his youth, ran to meet him, and fell on bis neck, and kissed him. The two brothers wept for gladness. Seeing the groups of women and children standing awe-struck and trembling behind Jacob, Esau asked, ' Who are those with thee ? ' Jacob answered, ' The children whom God has grg,ciously given to thy servant.' Then the women and children came near, and they all prostrated themselves before Esau. True to his generdus nature, Esau felt unwilling to accept the magnificent pre- sents of his brother. He asked, ' What meanest thou by all this procession which I met ? ' To which Jacob an- V6 21. JACOB AND ESAXJ. swered, ' These are to find grace in the eyes of my lord. But Esau said, ' I have much, my brother ; keep that which thou hast to thyself.' Jacob, however, insisted: ' No, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy eyes, then receive my present at my hand ; for therefore I have seen thy face, as I have seen the face of Grod, and thou hast been gracious to me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing which is brought to thee ; because Grod has been merciful to me, and because I have everything.' Thus urged, Esau accepted the flocks and herds, and begged of his brother to let him accompany him in his journey through the land of Seir. But Jacob, perhaps with a glance of distrust at the four hundred armed men, and clinging to his old caution, replied, ' My lord knows that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds are young with me ; and if the men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant, and I will lead on in my usual slow pace, according to the cattle which is before me, and according to the children, until I come to my lord to Seir.' But Esau, unwilling that Jacob should pass unprotected through a dangerous country, urged again, ' Let me, I pray thee, .leave with thee some of the men who are with me.' Jacob, however, was anxious to be freed from the guard of Edomites ; alone as he had journeyed from Mesopotamia, he wished to proceed through the land of Palestine. So the two brothers parted in peace and good-will, Esau returning to Seir, and Jacob continuing his route in a south-western direction. Whether he ever paid the promised visit to Esau in the land of Idumea, is not related in the Bible. But the brothers' reconcili- ation was perfect, and we find them later meeting again in sincere friendship. Jacob, advancing through the narrow valley of the Jabbok, arrived at the river Jordan. Here he pitched his aa. JACOB IN BETH-EL AND HEBRON. 77 tentsj and rested for a wMle, building for himself a house and erecting booths for his cattle. The place was subse- quently named Sucooth, from these booths. We do not know how long the wanderers stayed • in the beautiful valley of the Jordan ; but they arrived at last safely near the city of Shechem, where Abraham had dwelt and where he had built the first altar in the Holy Land. Jacob, the wanderer and the exile, seemed now to have found a rest- ing-place ; ' the Bedouin shepherd became the civilised and agricultural settler.' Unwilling to mix with an idol- atrous people, he did not enter the city, but he fixed his tents outside the gates, and bought the piece of the field of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred shekels. This spot was hallowed by an altar raised to the Lord and called by Jacob El^lohe-Jisrael (The Omnipo- tent, Grod of Israel), 22. JA'COB IN SHECHEM, BETH-EL, AND HEBRON. [Genes, XXXIV. XXXV.] Jacob sojourned at Shechem about six or eight years, when a sin occasioned by his daughter Dinah, and accom- panied by violent and wrathful actions on the part of her brothers Simeon and Levi, put an end to the peace and happiness which the family had enjoyed in that abode. The voice of the Lord commanded Jacob to leave his newly-bought field, and to depart again until he should come to Beth-el. There, where he had seen the angels of Grod descending from heaven, he was to stay and to build an altar to the Lord. But he felt that he oilght not to approach the holy spot where he had made his solemn vow, before all his followers had given up the idolatrous images and emblems which still tainted their worship. Therefore, he assembled his household and said, ' Eemove the strange gods that are among you, and clean yourselves, 78 22. JACOB IN BETH-EL AND HEBRON. and change your garments.' With prompt alacrity his command was obeyed ; and he buried all the objects of Superstition under an oak near Shechem: among them were the earrings worn by men and women not merely as ornaments, but as amulets or charms against evil, and generally covered with allegorical figures or mysterious words ; they belonged indeed to the ' enchantments' strictly forbidden in a later age. Then the tents were slung once more upon the poles, the herdsmen drove their herds and flocks before them, and the wealthy patriarch with his wives and children departed from the vale of Shechem. They travelled in safety through the land, for they were under the Divine protection, and the nations durst not harm them. Jacob halted at Beth-el, where he had once slept as a poor and homeless wanderer. Now he had returned a rich emir, the father of many children, blessed indeed by God. He built anothejT altar, calling the place El-beth-M or Grod of the house of Grod, because there the Lord and His angels had been revealed to him before. At Beth-el, Deborah had died, the nurse of Eebekah, who had accom- panied her mistress from Mesopotamia. She had been buried under the spreading branches of an oak, which was called the Oak of Weeping in commemoration of the event. Probably Jacob's! caravan passed by the oak on their journey southward, and doubtless some herdsmen or other wanderers may have told them of the faithful and well-beloved servant resting beneath its shade. After the consecration of the altar at Beth-el, the Lord appeared again to Jacob, and said to him, 'I am Grod Almighty : be fruitful and multiply ; a nation and a mul- titude of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come forth of thy loiUs ; and the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, to thee I shall give it, and to thy seed after thee I shall give the land.' 28. THE HISTOEY OF JOSEPH. 79 On the spot where the Lord had appeared to him Jacob erected a pillar of stone, and he offered a libation upon it, anointed it with oil, and thus hallowed it for ever. He departed fromBeth-el, and journeyed on southward, hoping soon to aj-rive at Hebron, the abode of his youth. ButEachel was not to see that old home, consecrated by the faith of Abraham and the piety of Isaac. Bethlehem, where the caravan halted, standing high on the narrow ridge of long grey hills, was the birthplace of Benjamin and the grave of Eachel. The dying mother called the new-bom child Benoni (son of my grief) ; but Jacob, bent down indeed by the loss of his beloved wife, yet glorying in his twelfth son, gave him the name Benjam/m (son of happiness). Eachel was buried on the heights of Bethle- hem, where the purple vine grows in most luxuriant beauty. The mourning Jacob raised a pillar .over her sepulchre. The fond love with which he had ever che- rished ier was perpetuated in his affection for the two sons she had left him ; they were to him the dearest of his children. And now ati last he amved at Hebron, and stood once again in thti presence of the aged Isaac. The Bible gives us no detail of this meeting, and Eebekah is not mentioned again. "We are only told that Isaac died when he was a hundred and eighty years old, and that he was buried, by his two sons Esau and; Jacob. 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. [Gbnes. XXXVII. XXXIX.— XLV.] In the domestic history of Jacob, which the sacred narrative relates with touching simplicity, the life of Joseph, the patriarch's eleventh son, occupies the most prominent place. When Joseph was a youth seventeen years old, he was 80 23. THE HISTORY OE JOSEPH. a shepherd and tended his father's flocks together with his brothers, especially the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. He was the darling of Jacob's heart, who loved him better than all his other children, and with a weakness almost surprising in one so remarkable for prudence, he openly showed his preference. He showed it, among other things, by giving to his favourite son a long and costly robe. In eastern countries, the brilliant colours and ample folds of the garment are a great distinction, and denote that their possessor is conspicuous either by rank, wealth, or talent. This costly, many-coloured robe became an eyesore to his brothers ; they looked upon him with jealousy and envy ; and feeling wronged by their father, they hated their in- nocent brother. But that hatred became fierce indeed, when Joseph related them his dreams. For in the East, dreams were, as they are still, regarded as the mysterious voice announcing the future, expressive either of warning or of hope ; and their meaning was most anxiously searched. Dreams play a great part in the sacred history ; in the story of Joseph's life, they come invariably as the turning point of his fortunes, whether for evil or for good. His first dream he related thus to his brothers : ' Behold we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold my sheaf rose, and indeed stood upright ; and behold your sheaves stood round about, and prostrated themselves before my sheaf.' Joseph spoke in the innocence of his heart, though probably thinking that the dream might in time be ac- complished. His brothers, full of gnawing envy and hatred, exclaimed, ' Wilt thou indeed reign over us ? wilt thou indeed have dominion over us ? ' Again Joseph dreamt, and again he related his dream to his brothers. This time it was still more ambitious in its bearing : ' Behold the sun and the moon and eleven stars prostrated themselves before me.' This dream Joseph repeated to his father as well as to his brothers. Jacob heard it with something like indignation mixed with 23. TISE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 81 sorrow : ' Wliat is this dream which, thou hast dreamt ? ' exclaimed the patriarch ; ' shall I and thy mother and thy brothers indeed come to prostrate ourselves before thee to the ground ? ' - Yet the words sank deep into his mind ; he, the father, remembered them, but the brothers envied Joseph more and more. The elder sons of Jacob drove their flocks northward from Hebron until they came to Shechem. They had probably spent some time in the beautiful valley, when Jacob, anxious to hear of them and their flocks, said to Joseph : ' Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brothers and \s[ell with their flocks, and bring me word again.' So Joseph went forth obediently, unconscious or unmindful of the hatred of his brothers. Whilst wander- ing about in the execution of his errand, he was met by a stranger, who directed him to Dothan, situated on the great caravan track from Grilead to Egypt, in the narrow mountain paths that lead from Judea to the middle and northern parts of Palestine, and about twelve miles north of Samaria. It was probably less frequented than the vale of Shechem, but it was from time to time enlivened by the caravans passing southward to Egypt, or northward to the districts of Lebanon and of Syria. The brothers saw Joseph approaching from afar, and resolved that in this lonely mountain path he should end his life. ' Behold,' said one to another, ' the dreamer comes : come now, there- fore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say. Some evil beast has devoured him ; and we shall see what becomes of his dreams.' Eeuben, upon whom, as the eldest brother, the responsibility chiefly fell, and who was, moreover, animated by better and gentler feelings, recoiled from the sin which his brothers were about to commit, and he determined to save the unfortunate youth. Knowing well how unscru- pulous his brothers were, he felt that it was useless to G 82 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. entreat for mercy ; but he endeavoured to gain his object by an artifice. So he said, ' Shed no blood ; cast him into this pit which is in the desert, but lay no hand upon him.' Thus he hoped to save Joseph's life, and then to bring him back to his father. The brothers approved of Eeuben's proposal, and seizing Joseph as soon as he ap- proached, they stripped him of his long and costly robe, of the robe which had been the first cause of their envy, and cast him into an empty pit. As if glorying over this deed, they prepared a meal and sat down to eat. Eeuben alone does not seem to have been present at the feast; he had withdrawn to some distance, probably watching for an opportunity when he might carry out his intention. Whilst still at their repast, the brothers suddenly beheld winding along the narrow mountain pass a caravan of Ishmaelites, who were journeying into Egypt, Their camels were laden with the spices for which Arabia is famous, and which were prized as luxuries by the Egyp- tians. Not only were these spices eaten as delicacies, and used as exquisite scents by the nobles, but they were also in great request for embalming the dead, as the fragrant mummies were often kept for generations in the houses of the relatives and arranged along the walls, before they were finally entombed. The quantity of condiments re- quired by the Egyptians was therefore immense, and numerous were the caravans which from very early times carried them southward from Gilead. The Ishmaelites who passed Jacob's sons, imported three sorts of spices — tragacanth, balsam, and ladanum. The first can only be conjectured to mean the gummi tragacanthcB, which is found in Arabia, Gilead, and Palestine ; balsam and lada- num are well-known productions, common to Arabia, Palestine, and Spain. As soon as Judah saw the traders approaching, an ex- 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 83 pedient for saving Joseph struck him, and he said to his brothers, 'What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood ? Come and let us sell him to the Ish- maelites, and let not our hand be upon him ; for he is our brother, our flesh.' His brothers listened to him, and consented. So Joseph was drawn out of the pit and taken to the Ishmaelites, who offered twenty shekels of silver for the comely youth. Starvation and death had been before him, and now his lot was slavery, banishment into an idolatrous country, and perpetual separation from the father who idolised him. Yet he had not dreamt in vain. Surely the remembrance of his dreams must have com- forted him in that dark hour. The Ishmaelites departed with the young Hebrew, In the meantime Eeuben, when he supposed that his brothers had left the neighbourhood, returned to the pit to deliver Joseph. But he did not find him, and in an agony of despair he rent his garments, and hastened back to his brothers. ' The child is not there,' he cried, ' and I, whither shall I go ! ' Then the wicked and deceitful brothers killed a kid, and dipped Joseph's robe into the blood. With amalice which appears too fearful to dwell upon, they brought the robe to their a.ged father, and said : * This have we found, recognise now, whether it be thy son's robe or not.' Jacob did recognise it, and exclaimed in despair, ' It is my son's robe, an evil beast has devoured him : surely Joseph is torn in pieces.' He mourned long and in bitter grief and anguish, with sackcloth upon his loins, and his clothes rent. In vain did his sons and daughters try to console him ; he refused to be comforted, and said, ' Indeed I shall go down into the grave to my son mourning.' Meanwhile the camels of the Ishmaelites were pursu- ing their way onward from Dothan to Shechem, and then southward to Jerusalem. Joseph passed as a slave through the land which was hereafter to be the glory of his o 2 84 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH, descendants. Over the bleak mountains of Judea the caravan swept, in a south-westerly direction to Gaza, and thence to the rich and fertile valley of the Nile. Then it proceeded through the narrow pass of Dshebel-el- Tih, until at last it arrived at the great Egyptian town On, or Heliopolis, 'the city of light,' which was con- secrated to the Sun, and was at that time probably the residence of the Egyptian kings or Pharaohs, that is ' the children of the Sun.' The Egyptians, as they were one of the most learned, so they were alsb among the most idolatrous, and superstitious nations of the ancient world. Not only did they consider the sun as the symbol of the deity or as the deity itself, but in the very centre of the sacred temple at Memphis, shrouded from all eyes save those of the priests, reposed on its scarlet bed the sacred bullock Mnevis, the rival of Apis ; perched in its golden cage, sat the sacred hawk, the living representation of the deity; and twice a day incense was offered before the beasts, and once a month a solemn sacrifice. But besides being the seat of Egyptian idolatry. On was also the home of Egyptian scholarship ; there were gathered the astronomers and astrologers, the great mathe- maticians, the men of science, far-famed in the ancient world. Joseph was to be surrounded by men whose de- scendants were the teachers of Pythagoras and Thales, of Solon and Plato. The erudition of the Egyptians was to improve the pure but uncultivated mind of the young stranger, whilst their superstition and luxury should be to him a perpetual warning. Joseph must have felt awe- struck and dazzled when the magnificent and colossal temple of On, with its immense obelisks and majestic sphinxes, rose suddenly before him. The shepherd boy who had breathed all his life the fresh air of Shechem and Hebron, was taken from his simple tent and his flocks, to be transplanted into the very centre of wealth and civili" 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 85 sation. He was sold by the Ishmaelites to Potiphar (meaning ' servant of the Sun '), who was the chief officer of Pharaoh's guard: thus he was at once brought into contact with the highest Egyptian rank and splendour. But even among all these wise and learned men, Joseph was considered eminently gifted ; the Lord was with him, and caused him to be loved and respected by his master. Everything that he undertook succeeded, and he brought prosperity and happiness to Potiphar, who soon made him overseer of his entire household. He was, moreover, 'beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.' Now Potiphar's wife, a wicked woman, grew enamoured of the comely young Hebrew, and Joseph, indignant at her con- duct, escaped at last from the house of his master and benefactor, in his hasty flight leaving his cloak behind him. Potiphar, returning to his house, was met by his infuriated wife, who, holding the garment in her hand, greeted him with a tale of calumny against his favomite Joseph. Potiphar believed the words of his worthless wife, and Joseph was cast into a prison attached to the house. In this place were confined persons who had committed some treasonable offence against the king or against any of the great officers of his household. The governor of the prison was a -good and benevolent man, and he soon perceived Joseph's rare virtues, his honesty and zeal, his truthfulness and industry, his ability and intelligence. It was as if the Divine light shone through his countenance, and as if the voice of Grod spoke from his lips. Thus in the dreary dungeon, parted from all those of his own tribe and his own faith, he was not only cheered by the consciousness of his innocence, but upheld by the esteem and confidence of the governor, ' who committed to his hand all the prisoners that were in the prison ; and whatsoever they did there, he did it : the keeper of the prison did not look to anything that 86 23. THE HISTOEY OF JOSEPH. was under his hand ; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.' , Among the prisoners were two of the officers of the king's household, his chief butler and his chief baker. They were guarded and served by Joseph during all the time that they remained in custody. One night both of them dreamt dreams which seemed to them full of sig- nificance. Their minds, brooding over their misfortunes, saw in the dreams nothing but mysterious forebodings of evil ; and when Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw their sadness. He at once asked them the cause of it ; and when they replied, ' We have dreamt a dream, and there is no one to interpret it ; ' Joseph exclaimed, ' Do not inter- pretations belong to God ? Tell me your dreams, I pray you.' And the chief butler, trusting in Joseph's wisdom and uprightness, complied with the request, and said : ' In my dreams, behold a vine was before me ; and on the vine were three branches, and it was as if it budded, and its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters matured ripe grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gaye the cup into Pharaoh's hand.' Joseph at once gave the inter- pretation as follows: ' The three branches are three days ; within three days more Pharaoh will lift up thy head and restore thee to thy place, and thou wilt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hands in the former manner when thou wast his butler.' And naturally watching every opportunity for his own rescue from the sad captivity, he added: ' Only remember me when it will be well with thee, and do kindness, I pray thee, to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house : for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews ; and here again have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.' The chief baker, encouraged by the favourable interpretation Joseph had given to his col- 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 87 league's dream, proceeded to relate his own : ' I also was in my dream,- and behold, I had three baskets of white bread on my head. And in the uppermost basket there was all kind of food for Pharaoh, the work of the baker ; and' the birds ate them out of my basket upon my head.' Joseph replied fearlessly : ' This is its interpretation — The three baskets are three days ; within three days more Pharaoh will lift up thy head from thee, and will hang thee upon a tree ; and the birds will eat thy flesh from thee.' Joseph's predictions were literally fulfilled ; for ' on the third day which was Pharaoh's birth-day, he made a feast to all his servants ; and he lifted up. the head of the chief butler, and the head of the chief baker among his servants ; and he restored the chief butler to his butlership, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand ; but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.' Having regained his high station, the chief butler forgot his wise fellow-prisoner. But it was not ordained that Joseph's life should pass wearily on in the Egyptian dungeon. Grod watched over him, and the time was now at hand when he should step from the prison to the distinction he deserved. Two years had passed away, and king Pharaoh himself dreamt a dream which filled him with wonder and awe. 'He was standing by the river Nile. And behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fine in appearance and fat in flesh ; and they fed in the reed-grass. And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, bad in appearance and lean in flesh ; and they stood by the other cows upon the bank of the liver. And the cows bad in appearance and lean in flesh consumed the seven cows fine in appearance and fat. And Pharaoh awoke. AndTie slept and dreamt a second time : and behold, seven ears of com came up on one stalk, strong and good. And behold, seven ears thin and blasted by the east wind sprang up after them. 88 23. THE HISTOEY OF JOSEPH. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven strong and Ml ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold it was a dream,' Pharaoh's spirit was troubled, for although he did not know the interpretation of the dreams, he felt that they had a deep and important meaning. He may have, vaguely imagined that they had some reference to the produce of the land. For the Mle, the one great river of Egypt, is the almost exclusive source of fertility for the whole land. It was, therefore, an object of veneration and worship ; it was the holy, the blessed, the beneficent river. Again, the cow was the symbol of Isis, the goddess of the earth and of fruitfulness. Then the very fact of a second dream following immediately upon the first, and resembling it so closely in form, was considered a sure proof of its reality and speedy fulfilment. Yet Pharaoh could arrive at no distinct conclusion. His mind was perplexed. He sent to all the soothsayers and wise men of On. He told them his dreams, but not one of them could offer an interpretation. The learned Egyptians were at fault, men who were regarded as superior in knowledge to all others, and as inspired by their gods. The chief butler, seeing the king's trouble, now suddenly bethought himself of the young Hebrew, and he said to Pharaoh : ' I remember my sins this day ; Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and gave me into custody in the house of the chief of the guard, both me and the chief baker. ^ And we dreamt a dream in one night, I and he ; we dreamt each according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was with us a Hebrew youth, a ser- vant to the chief of the guard ; and we told him and he interpreted to us our dreams ; to each man he interpreted according to his dream. And it happened as he inter- preted to us, so it was ; I was restored to my office, and he was hanged.' Perhaps this youth might speak, and 23. THE HISTORY OP JOSEPH. 89' speak truly, when the wise and the learned of Egypt were dumb. Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph ; he was instantly brought out of the dungeon, and appeared before the king in the garb of the Egyptians, with the beard, the great pride of the Hebrews, shaven from his chin. And Pha- raoh said to Joseph : ' I have dreamt a dream, and there is none who can interpret it ; and I have heard say of thee that thou understandest a dream to interpret it.' He then related his dreams, upon which Joseph clearly and firmly declared : ' The dream of Pharaoh is one : God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years : the dream is one. And the seven thin and bad cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blasted by the east wind will be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh : what Grod is about to do. He has shown to Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt ; and there will arise after them seven years of famine, and all the plenty, will be forgotten in the land of Egypt ; and the famine will consume the land, and the plenty will not be known in the land on account of that famine afterwards ; for it will be very heavy. And because the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice, indeed the thing is established by Grod, and Grod will hasten to bring it to pass.' But Joseph was not satisfied with merely stating impending events and calamities ; he at once indicated the means to obviate or mitigate them, and he continued: ' Now there- fore let Pharaoh look out for a man intelligent and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part in the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. And let them gather all the food of those. 90 23, THE filSTOEY OF JOSEPH. good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, for food in the cities, and keep it. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt, that the land do not perish through the famine.' The king felt that the spirit of God rested upon the Hebrew youth, and idolater as he was, he could not help feeling reverence for that God. Delighted with the counsel of Joseph, he turned to his no less astonished servants, and urged them frankly to confess that there was not one amongst them equal to the captive stranger in intelligence and wisdom. The parentage, the slavery, and the cause of Joseph's imprisonment were immaterial to the high-minded king : he saw and fully appreciated his rare and remarkable abilities ; and exercising his sovereign power, he raised him in a moment to the highest position in the state. 'And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has taught thee all this, there is none intelligent and wise like thyself; thou shalt be over my house, and all my people shall obey thy command ; only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Behold I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.' Can we not see in all this true glimpses of Egyptian life, as we look back through the dim shadow of retreat- ing ages ? What is engraved for ever in the pages of the Bible, lives once again in the pictured records of Egypt now carefully examined ,and reproduced. Joseph, clad in fine linen, with the heavy gold chain, the proud orna- ment of the noble Egyptian, round his neck, with the king's own ring upon his hand, was to be presented to the people as their ruler and their governor, second only to Pharaoh himself. The procession went forth with its horsemen and chariots, and lines of priests and men of science from the royal residence, traversing the sacred 2^. THE HISTOEY OF JOSEPH. 91 city of the Sun. The new governor of Egypt drove in the second state-carriage, whilst the people shouted round him Abrech (Euler) ; and Pharaoh, in a burst of delight and gratitude, addressed Joseph before his excited and wondering subjects with the words, 'I am Pharaoh, but without thee no man shall lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.' Then the king bestowed upon him the glorious Egyptian name of Zaphenath-paneah (Eescuer of the World). And in order to strengthen and enhance Joseph's affection for the country of his adoption, the king gave him as a wife an Egyptian maiden, Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, the priest of the Sun. No- thing could have impressed the high station, honour, and eminent wisdom of the young Hebrew governor upon the minds of the Egyptians more powerfully than this mar- riage. The priests of the Sun were almost sacred in the eyes of the people, and the daughters of high-priests were considered fitting brides for none but the greatest and most distinguished nobles in the kingdom. Joseph was thirty years old when he was elevated to his augnist dignity, to which he at once devoted his whole attention and energy. He travelled through the length and breadth of the land, in order to inform himself per- sonally of its wants and resources^ As he had foretold, the wonderful abundance of the harvests during the next seven years was unparalleled. So he caused a vast amount of provisions to be laid by for the years of famine. Every city had its granaries stocked with boundless stores of ^corn. The Egyptians, who at first kept accounts of their marvellous supplies, were soon forced to desist, for the corn was indeed ' numberless, like the sand of the sea.' During these seven years of rejoicing, two sons were born to Joseph. His thoughts naturally reverted to his own youth, to his father's tent at Hebron. He could not dis- card from his mind those early scenes, in spite of his 92 23. THE HISTORY OP JOSEPH. Egyptian wife and his royal friends. Probably his heart had often yearned towards Jacob, towards the land of Palestine. When, therefore, a son was born to him, he looked upon him as a compensation for the troubles he had suffered in the past, and exclaimed, ' God has made me forget all my toils and all my father's house ;' and he called him Manasseh. When a second child gladdened his home, he said : ' I will call him Ephraim, for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my afflictions.' When the seven years of plenty had elapsed, a famine of most fearful and unexampled rigour began. It was not confined to Egypt alone, but extended to all the sur- rounding countries. The hungering people raised a cry of despair ; and, as usual in such distress, they appealed to the king. Pharaoh bid them go to Joseph and submit to his directions. Then the large granaries disclosed their treasures of corn, and all the Egyptians came and bought from Joseph. The intelligence that corn was piled up in Egypt soon spread into other countries, and from all sides men flocked to the kingdom of Pharaoh, in order to pur- chase the staff of life. Twenty-two years had passed since Joseph had left the tent of Jacob ; but the old patriarch still lived ; and his eleven sons, all herdsmen like their father, dwelt round about him, with their wives and children. The famine spread to Palestine also ; and Jacob, aroused by the ex- ample of the people from neighbouring countries, called bis sons to him, and urged them to go likewise to Egypt to buy corn, ' so that they might live and not die.' So ten of the brothers set out upon their journey ; for Jacob, now clinging with even greater attachment to his youngest child Benjamin, the only one left of his fondly-beloved Eachel, would not consent to expose him to the dangers of the road, ' lest a misfortune might befall him.' Joseph, distributing corn to the nations, saw the men 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 93 approach from the distance. They came to the great governor of the land, and prostrated themselves before him. How should they suspect that that proud and mighty Egyptian in his magnificent robes, surrounded by the state and pomp of a royal prince, could be the brother they had sold as a slave ? But Joseph knew at a glance that these Hebrew herdsmen, with the freshness of the valley on their faces, were no other than his own brothers. Joseph was not impulsive, still less revengeful ; but a strong sense of justice pervaded his mind. He felt that the brothers deserved a signal punishment for the inhuman cruelty they had committed against him. He felt, more- over, that that punishment was now entrusted to his own hands ; and he was resolved to perform the painful and unwelcome office with manly firmness. ' He made him- self strange to his brothers, and spoke roughly to them ; and he said to them. From whence do you come ? And they said. From the land of Canaan to buy com for food.' Joseph of course was well aware of the truth of this reply ; but the Egyptians were proverbially suspicious, especially to strangers, and availing himself of this well-known trait of his adopted people, he retorted with assumed anger, ' You are spies ; to see the nakedness of the land you are come. And they said to him, ISTo, my lord, but to buy com for food are thy servants come ; we are all one man's sons ; we are true men ; thy servants are no spies. And he said to them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land you are come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more. And Joseph said to them. That is what I spoke to you saying. You are spies ;' and swearing in true Egyptian fashion, he added : ' By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go home, except your youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, 94 23. THE HISTORY OP JOSEPH. and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you, or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.' The threat, so completely in harmony with the arbitrary despotism of the Oriental ruler, was at once carried into effect, and the unfortunate brothers were thrown into prison. On the third day, he liberated them with apparently equal capriciousness, and said to them, ' This do and live ; for I fear Grod ; if you are true men, let one of your brothers be imprisoned in the house of your custody ; and you go, carry corn for the famine of your houses ; but bring your youngest brother to me. Then will your words be veri- fied, and you shall not die.' The brothers looked awe-struck at this strange Egyp- tian, so haughty, nay cruel, yet professing to be a God- fearing man. Their consciences began to trouble them, they were in fear and torture, and they spoke one to an- other in their native Hebrew tongue : 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother ; for we saw the anguish of his soul when he implored us, and we would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Eeuben answered them, saying. Did I not say to you. Do not sin against the child, and you would not hear ? Therefore, behold his blood is required.' Joseph understood them well, and the touching words went straight to his heart ; he left the brothers and wept, but then returned, deter- mined to carry out his difficult mission. So he took from them Simeon, and ordered him to be bound before their eyes. Partly to try and partly to harass them, he commanded that the money should be secretly returned in the sack of each. When they discovered this on their homeward journey at a resting-place, they were seized with fear, and were unable to explain the matter. They arrived in their father's home careworn and unhappy: Simeon was a captive in Egypt ; their words had been 23. THB HISTOEY OP JOSEPH, 95 disbelieved by the governor ; their very actions seemed to belie their honesty ; and worse than all, they had pro-' mised to retufn with the darling of Jacob's heart, Benja- min ; for thus alone could Simeon be released and their good faith proved. They told their sad tale to the unfor- tunate patriarch, who, seeing the bundle of money in each man's sack, said in agony, ' You have bereaved me of my children ; Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you will take Benjamin away : all this comes upon me. And Eeuben said to his father, Thou mayest kill my two sons if I do not bring him to thee : deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to thee. And he said, My son shall not go down with you ; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left to me ; if an accident befall him on the way in which you go, then you will bring down my grey hair with sorrow into the grave.' And yet the dire sdourge of the famine compelled the brothers soon to undertake another journey to Egypt. The story of that journey and of the remarkable incidents connected with it, must be related in the very words of the Bible ; no others can do justice to the pathos of the events, as no others can approach them in impressive simplicity. ' And the famine was heavy in the land. And when they had entirely eaten up the purchase of corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, Gro again, buy corn for us for a little food. And Judah said to him. The man solemnly protested to us, saying. You shall not see my face, except your brother be with you : if thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy for thee corn for food ; but if thou wilt not send him, we shall not go down ; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. And Israel said. Wherefore have you done evil to me, to tell the man, whether you had yet a brother? 96 23. THE HISTOEY OF JOSEPH. And they said, The man asked us closely about ourselves and about our kindred, saying. Is your father yet alive ? have you another brother ? and we told him in accordance with these words ; could we indeed know that he would say, Bring your brother down? And Judah said to Israel his father. Send the youth with me, and we will rise and go, that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and our little ones. I will be surety for him ; of my hand thou mayest demand him ; if I do not bring him to thee, and place him before thee, then let me have sinned against thee for ever ; for if we had not lingered, surely we had now returned twice. And their father Israel said to them. If it is so indeed, do this ; take of the choicest fruits of the land in your utensils, and carry down to the man a present, a little balsam and a little honey, tragacanth and ladanum, pistacchio-nuts and al- monds. And take other money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your bags, take it back in your hand ; perhaps it was a mistake. Take also your brother, and rise, go again to the man. And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send with you your other brother, and Benjamin : and I, as I am bereaved, I am bereaved. And the men took their present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin ; and they rose, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house. Bring these men into the house, and kill, and make ready ; for these men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph had ordered,^ and the man brought the men into Joseph's house ; and the men were afraid, and they said. On account of the money that was returned in our bags at the first time we are brought in, that he may throw himself upon us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 97 And they approached the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke with him at the door of the house, and said. Pray, sir, we came down the first time to buy com for food; and it happened, when we came to the halting- place, that we opened our bags, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his bag, our money in its full weight ; and we have brought it back in our hand ; and other money have we brought down in our hand to buy corn for food ; we do not know who put our money in our bags. And he said. Peace be to you, fear not ; your Grod and the Grod of your father has given you the treasure in your bags ; I have received your money. And he brought Simeon out to them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet ; and he gave provender to their asses. And they made ready the present before Joseph came at noon : for they heard that they should there eat a meal. And when Joseph cam'e home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and prostrated themselves before him to the ground. And he asked them of their welfare, and said. Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke ? Is he still alive ? And they said. Thy servant our father is well ; he is still alive. And they bowed and prostrated themselves. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me ? And he said, Grod be gracious to thee, my son. And Joseph hastened, for his love was warmed for his brother ; and he sought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and restrained himself, and said, Set on the meal. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves ; for the Egyptians cannot eat a meal with the Hebrews, for H 98 23. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the first-born according to his primogenitm-e, and the youngest according to his youth ; and the men marvelled one at another. And he sent portions to them from himself, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of the portions of all the rest. And they drank and were merry with him. And he commanded the steward of his house, saying. Fill the men's bags with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his bag's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, into the mouth of the bag of the youngest, and the money of his purchase of corn. And he did in accordance with the word that Joseph had spoken. "When moridng was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. When they had left the city, and had not yet gone far, Joseph said to his steward, Else, pursue after the men, and when thou overtakest them, say to them. Wherefore have you returned evil for good ? Is not this it of which my lord drinks, and whereby he surely divines ? You have done evil in what you did. And he overtook them, and spoke to them those words. And they said to him. Wherefore does my lord say these words ? God forbid that thy servants should do a thing like that. Behold, the money which we found in the mouths of our bags we returned to thee out of the land of Canaan ; how then should we steal out of the house of thy lord silver or gold ? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be bondmen to thy lord. And he said, Is it now indeed right according to your words ? he with whom it is found shall be my servant ; but you shall be blameless. And they hastened, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched and began with the eldest, and finished with the youngest ; and the cup was found in Benjamin's bag. And they rent their clothes, and loaded every man 23. THE HISTORY OP JOSEPH. 99 his ass, and returned to the city. And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there ; and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said to them. What deed is this that you have done ? Do you not know that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord ? what shall we speak ? or how shall we justify ourselves ? Grod has found out the iniquity of thy servants : behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he in whose hand the cup has been found. And he said, Grod forbid that I should do so ; the man in whose hand the cup has been found, he shall be my servant, but you go up in peace to your father. ' And Judah stepped near to him, and said : my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thy anger burn against thy servant ; for thou art as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants. Have you a father or a brother ? And we said to my lord. We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a young one ; and his brother is dead ; and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him. And thou saidst to thy servants. Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him. And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father ; for if he should leave his father, his father would die. And thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, you shall see my face no more. And when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of iny lord. And our father said, Gro again, and buy us a little corn for food. And we said, We cannot go dOwn ; if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down, for we may not see the man's face if our youngest brother be not with us. And thy servant my father said to us. You know that my wife bore me two sons ; and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces ; and I saw him not since ; and if you take this one also from H 2 100 23. THE HISTOEY Or JOSEPH. me, and an accident befall him, you will bring down my grey bairs with sorrow into the grave. Now, therefore, when I come to thy servant my father, and the youth be not with us, since his soul is bound up in the youth's soul, it will happen, when he sees that the youth is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow into the grave. For thy servant became surety for the youth to my father, saying. If I do not bring him to thee, then I will have sinned to my father for ever. Now, therefore, I pray thee let thy servant remain instead of the youth as a bondman with my lord ; and let the youth go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father, and the youth is not vrith me? lest perhaps I see the evil that will befall my father. ' Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried. Let every man go out from me. And there stood no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph ; does my father yet live ? And his brothers could not answer him, for they were confounded before him. And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. And now be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me hither ; for Grod sent me before you for the preservation of life. For these two years has the famine been in the land, and there are yet five years in which there will neither be ploughing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So, now, it was not you that sent me hither, but Grod, and He has made me governor to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a 23. THE HISTORY OV JOSEPH. 101 ruler througliout all the land of Egypt. Hasten, and go up to my father, and say to him. Thus says thy son Joseph, Grod has made me lord of all Egypt ; come down to me ; tarry not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Groshen, and thou shalt be near me, thou, and thy chil- dren, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast ; and there will I nourish thee, for there are yet five years of famine, lest thou and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen ; and you shall hasten, and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers, and wept upon them ; and after that his brothers spoke to him. ' The report was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brothers are come ; and it pleased Pharaoh and his ser- vants. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Say to thy brothers, This do, load your animals, and go, proceed to the land of Canaan ; and take your father and your households, and come to me ; and I will give you the best part of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do : take you carriages out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. And do not regard your utensils ; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. And the children of Israel did so : and Joseph gave them carriages, according to the command of Pha- raoh, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment ; but to Ben- jamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner : ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, 102 24. JACOB'S FAMILY IN EGYPT. and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father on the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they told him, Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart remained cold, for he did not believe them. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them ; and when he saw the carriages which .Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said. It is enough, Joseph my son is yet alive : I will go and see him before I die.' It will be observed that Joseph throughout sustained his assumed character of an Egyptian noble, and remained true to it to the minutest detail — in the meal eaten apart from his brothers and from his inferiors, in the constant presence of the interpreter, his pretence of miraculous insight, his prophecy from the sacred goblet, and his re- peated oaths by the life of Pharaoh ; he, in fact, succeeded completely in perplexing and amazing his brothers by what appeared to them supernatural knowledge and wisdom. 24. SETTLEMENT OP JACOB'S FAMILY IN EGYPT. [Genes. XLVI.— XLVII. 12.] Once more was Jacob to journey forth from the old familiar Hebron, his Canaanite home, but this time it was not to escape from an offended brother, but to meet a beloved and affectionate son in power. His heart may indeed have been troubled as he left the spot where the Lord had bid him stay. But he was cheered and com- forted by the assurance of God's continued protection ; he offered up sacrifices at Beer-sheba, his first resting-place and the future boundary of the promised land. In the visions of the night the Lord appeared to him and said, 24. JACOB'S FAMILY IN EGYPT. 103 ' I am the Omnipotent, the God of thy father ; fear not to go down into Egypt ; for I will there make of thee a great nation : I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again, and Joseph shall put his hands upon thy eyes.' So he departed from Beer-sheba, encouraged and strengthened, and journeyed on the usual south-western road towards Egypt, a caravan of sixty-seven souls, so that, including Joseph and his two sons, the Hebrew settlement in Egypt consisted of seventy souls, in addition to the wives of Jacob's sons and the servants. When they entered the territory of the land which was to be their new home, Jacob ' sent Judah before him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen ; and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph -made ready his chariot, and went up, to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and he ap- peared before him, and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a long time. And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.' Who would not rejoice with Jacob, the man of sorrows and trials, brought at last to a haven of rest, in an un- known country it is true, but still as the beloved father and chief of a numerous family, the ancestor of a God- fearing race ! Joseph wished his brothers to have ample pasturage in the land of Goshen, one of the most fertile parts, of Egypt. With his usual wisdom, he saw that his family must not mix with the idolatrous Egyptians, in order that their faith and worship might remain as pure as they had been in Canaan. To attain this end, he effected a complete separation between his brothers and the people of Egypt. Jacob's sons were, like all Bedouins, herdsmen ; but the agricultural and highly civilized Egyptians held nomadic shepherds in unreasonable scorn ; thus by urging before Pharaoh his brothers' pastoral pursuits, Joseph hoped to secure for them the undisturbed, if not the exclusive, 104 24. JACOB'S FAMILY IN EGIPT. possession of a most fertile district. He therefore presented five of his brothers to the king. ' And Pharaoh said to his brothers, What is your occupation ? And they said to Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers. They said moreover to Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are we come ; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks ; for the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan : now, therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen,' Then Pharaoh, true to his open-handed generosity, said to Joseph : ' Thy father and thy brothers are come to thee : the land of Egypt is before thee ; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brothers dwell ; in the land of Goshen let them dwell ; and if thou knowest any men of ability among them, make them overseers over my cattle.' Then Joseph brought his father to the king, who, moved by the sight of that aged chieftain, who had come to spend his last days in a strange land, asked with surprise and interest, ' How many are the years of thy life ? And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years : few and evil have the years of my life been, and have not attained to the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. And Joseph made his father and his brothers dwell, and gave them a possession, in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Eameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph sup- ported his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.' 25. JOSEPH'S POLITICAL MEASURES, 105 25. JOSEPH ACQUIRES FOR THE KING THE WHOLE SOIL OF EGYPT. [Genes. XLVIL 15—26.] We would fain end the story of Joseph without alluding to his last acts, which, painful in themselves, stand in harsh contrast to the bonds of kindness that seem hitherto to have united the ruler and the ruled. But we must always remember that the Bible does not demand of us a blind hero-worship : the persons introduced are rather set before us as pictures of human nature, in many cases noble, pure, and faithful, but still not free from weakness, nor guarded against error and sin. Not even the most -revered cha- racters are without shadows, from which often spring sorrow and trials followed by bitter penitence, and at last by atonement. If the instruments of God's will were supernaturally perfect beings, our interest and sympathy for them would be less direct and less profound, and the Bible would in some measure cease to be the Book best fitted to guide the erring wanderer struggling towards virtue and truth. The famine in the land of Egypt was fearful in the extreme ; it was probably even more distressing than the people had anticipated. Now the Egyptians had bought com from Joseph until all their money was spent ; but the visitation of the seven unfortunate years was far from concluded. The people came to the granaries clamouring for bread. Their agony was terrible ; but Joseph, acting merely in what he considered Pharaoh's interest, would give no corn to the people except in exchange for their cattle. Their magnificent horses and fleet asses, their herds and flocks, thus became royal property. But at the end of a year, they had exhausted this resource also ; and with the grim prospect of starvation staring in their face, they came again to Joseph with their lamentations. This time 106 25. JOSEPH'S POLITICAL MEASURES. their cry was more piteous still ; they said : ' We will not hide it from my lord ; but our money is spent ; our herds of cattle also have passed into the hands of my lord; there is nothing left before my lord, except our bodies and our lands : wherefore shall we die before thy eyes, both we and our land ? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be subjected to Pharaoh ; and give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land do not lie waste. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh ; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them : so the land became Pharaoh's.' It is sad indeed to dwell upon this scene of slavery and spoliation — the act of the pious, Grod-fearing Joseph, of the generous and high-minded' king. Not only did the whole land pass into Pharaoh's possession, but the people, in order to be weaned from the soil which they and their ancestors had so long occupied and cherished, were heart- lessly transplanted from one boundary of Egypt to the other. The priests alone, forming a free caste, remained in possession of their land. Seed was then given by Joseph to the husbandmen under the exacting condition that the fifth part of the harvests was to be delivered up to Pharaoh. And under the influence of dire want, the people had become so degraded that they exclaimed rejoicingly, ' Thou hast saved our lives, let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be servants to Pharaoh.' Jacob spent seventeen years in Egypt peacefully and happily ; then, having attained the age of a hundred and forty-seven years, he felt that his end was approaching. He sent for his son Joseph, and made him promise by a solemn oath, not to bury him in Egypt, but to take his body to Canaan, and to inter it by the side of his ancestors in the cave of Machpelah. Joseph gave the pledge without hesitation. 26. MANASSEH AND EPHEAIM. 107 26. MAI!fASSEH AND EPHRAIM. [Genes. XLVIII.] Manasseh and Ephraim were the two eldest sons of Joseph, born before the settlement of his father and brothers in Egypt. Jacob lo\:ed them, and desired that their descendants should have equal inheritance in the promised land with those of his own children. He communicated this wish to Joseph, and as he spoke to the son of his beloved Eachel, his thoughts reverted for a moment to her, and he saw again that distant mountain pass of Bethlehem, where Eachel lay buried beneath the purple vine. He paused in his prophecies of the distant future to dwell upon events of the past : ' As for me, I saw Eachel die in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still a distance of land to come to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way of Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.' Then turning towards Joseph, he saw through the waning light of his eyes the two youths who were with him, and he said ' Who are these ? And Joseph said to his father. They are my sons, whom God has given me here. And he said. Bring them, I pray thee, to me, and I will bless them. But the eyes of Israel were dim from old age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near to him, and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not hoped to see thy face ; and, behold, God has allowed me to see thy seed also. And Joseph brought them forth from his knees, and he prostrated himself before his face to the ground. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel's right hand, and brought, them near to him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's hea,d, who was the 108 26. MANASSEH AND EPHEAIM. younger, and' his left hand upon Manasseh's head, laying on his hands deliberately ; for Manasseh was the first-bom. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who was my shepherd from my birth to this day, the angel who re- deemed me from all evil, will bless the youths ; and let in them my name be called, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac ; and let them increase into a vast multitude in the midst of the land. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him ; and he held up his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father ; for this is the first-bom ; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it ; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great ; but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a nimaerous people. And he blessed them on that day, saying. By thee shall Israel bless, saying, May God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh : and he put Ephraim before Manasseh. And Israel said to Joseph, Behold I die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. And I give to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I take out of the hand of the Amorite with my Sword and with my bow.' Thus spoke Israel in true prophetic tones ; and as had been the case several times before, to the younger brother was promised the greater inheritance. Joseph himself, who had been the most illustrious and the most honoured child of his house during his lifetime, was not to have the glory of transmitting his name to a tribe. 27. JACOB'S LAST ADDEESS. 109 27. JACOB'S LAST ADDRESS TO HIS CHILDREN. [Genes. XLIX. 1—28.] And now, as the long life of the patriarch Jacob was drawing to its close, his whole mind seemed to expand with visions of the future. His sons, some of them old, grey-headed men, left their flocks, and their herds, and their fields, and gathered reverentially round his death- bed. He then addressed them with these prophetic words, which comprise a large epoch of Hebrew history : ' Assemble that I may tell you what will befall you in later days. Grather yourselves and listen, ye sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father. EEUBEN, thou art my first-bom, My strength and the firstling of my vigour, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, Thou shalt not excel ; For thou didst ascend thy father's bed ; Then didst thou defile it : — My couch he has ascended. SIMEON and LEVI are brethren. An instrument of violence is their burning rage. Into their council my soul shall not come, In their assembly my glory shall not join : For in their anger they slew men. And in their self-will they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, And their wrath, for it is cruel : I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel. JUDAH, thee thy brethren shall praise ; Thy hand is on the neck of thy enemies ; Thy father's sons shall prostrate themselves before thee. 110 27. JACOB'S LAST ADDRESS. Judah is a lion's whelp ; From the prey, my son, thou ascendest : He stoopeth down, he croucheth, like a lion And like a lioness ; who will rouse him ? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet — Even when they come to Shiloh — And to him shall be submission of nations. He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his young ass to the noble vine ; He washeth his garments in wine. And his raiment in the blood of grapes ; His eyes are sparkling from wine. And his teeth white from milk. ZEBULUN will dwell on the coast of seas ; Indeed he will dwell on the coast of ships, And his side will extend to Zidon. ISSACHAE is a strong ass, Crouching between the folds : And he saw the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant ; And he bent his shoulder to bear. And became a tributary servant. DAN will judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent by the way, A viper in the path, That biteth the heels of the horse. That its rider falleth backward. — For Thy help I hope, Lord !— GAD, a host will oppress him ; But he will oppress them on their heels. Of ASHEE the bread will be fat, And he will furnish royal dainties. 27. JACOB'S LAST ADDRESS. Ill NAPHTALI is a graceful hind ; He uttereth words of beauty. JOSEPH is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by the well ; His branches spread over the wall. And the archers harassed him, And they assembled in multitude, And they persecuted him ; But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were brisk. — From the hands of the Mighty of Jacob, From Him, the Shepherd, the Eock of Israel, From the Grod of thy father who shall help thee. And from the Almighty who shall bless thee. Will come upon thee blessings of heaven from above. Blessings of the deep that spreadeth beneath. Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father prevail Above the blessings of the eternal mountains. Above the delight of the everlasting hills : They will come on the head of Joseph, And on the brow of the crowned among his brethren. BENJAMIN is a wolf that teareth to pieces : In the morning he devoureth prey, And at even he rendeth spoil.' The predictions of Jacob were fulfilled, not speedily in the land of Groshen, noi^ all of them in the time of the Judges, nor in the days of the first and the mightiest kings. They clearly reach down to the period of the divided empire. We cannot stop to examine in detail each verse of this prophetic address ; but we will insert a few general remarks taken from a recent Commentary : ' The principal question which arises, is : To what period of the .history of the Israelites does this portion refer? or the political condition of what age does it describe ? It appears to us manifest : 112 28. DEATH OF JACOB AND OF JOSEPH. ' 1. That it does not apply to a time anterior to Saul; for it contains unequivocal allusions to the royiil dignity in the words, " the sceptre shall not depart frona Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet." ' 2. It does not refer to SauVs reign, since the tribe of Benjamin, from which the monarch had sprung, is but very briefly and almost passingly noticed. ' 3. It cannot relate to the reigns of David and Solo- mon, since the tribe of Joseph is so delineated as to appear the powerful rival of Judah, and is, besides, also called " the crowned of his brethren." ' 4. It can therefore only apply to the time of the divided empire, with the earlier period of which the whole spirit and every single trait completely agree. It portrays a time when _the tribes had individually ceased to possess a prominent history, or individually to achieve memorable deeds, such as they doubtless performed at the period of the conquest and the subsequent wars; Judah and Joseph alone, ruling over, if not absorbing, the other clans of Israel, were then still playing active and conspicuous parts ; and hence they are alone treated with greater copiousness and almost ardent interest, while the others are introduced very briefly, and in some instances obscurely and almost abruptly.' ' 28. DEATH AND BURIAL OF JACOB, AND DEATH OF JOSEPH. [Genes. XLIX. 29— L. 26.] Jacob, shrinking from the idea of being buried in un- hallowed Egyptian soil, said to his sons : ' I am to be gathered to my people : bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite ; in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought ' Kalisch, Commentary on Genesis, pp. 722 — 724. 28. DEATH OF JACOB AND OP JOSEPH. 113 with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place (there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife ; there they buried Isaac and Eebekah his wife ; and there I buried Leah), as a purchase of the field and of the cave which is therein, from the children of Heth, And when Jacob had finished charging his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and . expired, and was gathered to his people.' The last sad office was now all that remained for Joseph to perform for his father. In accordance with Egyptian customs, to which Joseph invariably conformed, he caused Jacob's body to be embalmed, and mourned for him during seventy days together with his household. Then, eager to fulfil his father's last request, he asked Pharaoh for ipermission to go to Hebron for that purpose. Pharaoh of course readily complied, and Joseph set out imme- diately. His caravan was that of a mighty prince'; for he was accompanied not only by his whole household, and his brothers and their dependents, but by all the servants or elders of Pharaoh's house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt ; and ' there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and the procession was very great.' They halted once at the threshing-place of Atad, in the west of the Jordan, within the territory of the Canaanites, and here another seven days' mourning was held. Then they journeyed on, till they came to the field of Machpelah, where Jacob was buried. Thus Joseph beheld once more the country of his ancestors and his descendants ; but he knew that he must end his life in the home of his adoption, far away from the sacred boundaries of Palestine. He returned to the king, to whom he was indispensable as friend and counsellor. ' But his brothers, still mindful of their crime and cruelty, trembled to think that his goodwill toward them might cease with Jacob's life. They were afraid, and I 114 28. DEATH 0¥ JACOB AND OF JOSEPH, sent messengers to their powerful brother, with these words : ' Thy father commanded before he died, saying, So shall you say to Joseph, forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy brothers, and their sin ; for they did to thee evil : and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.' In order to strengthen their prayer, they came themselves, and fell . down before him, saying, ' Behold, we are thy servants.' Joseph's reply was plain and humble, and yet embraced, with religious depth, the whole chain of events of his long career — ' Fear not ; for am I in God's stead ? But as for you, you meant evil against me ; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to preserve much people. Now, therefore, fear not; I will nourish you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.' So they lived together in true brotherly friendship. Joseph was happy in his family ; he saw his descendants grow up to the third generation, and died in peace, one hundred and ten years old. But before his death, he exacted from his kinsmen an oath, by which they pledged themselves to take his body with them, and to bury it in Canaan, whenever, by the mercy of God, they would be allowed to settle in the land of promise. They made the vow ; and in order to enable their descendants to redeem it, they embalmed the body, and carefully preserved it in a chest. Thus ended the life of Joseph, gently, peacefully, meek- ly ; he died beloved by a great king, revered by the most learned nation of the ancient world, cherished by his own family, whose pride and support he had been, and who in Egypt were to increase and become a numerous people, to return, in due time, as conquerors, into the land of Canaan. III. THE HISTORY OF M08ES. [Exor. I.— Deuteeon. XXXIV.] 29. OPPRESSION OP THE HEBREWS IN EGYPT. [EXOD. I.] The eady generations of sturdy shepherd chiefs soon passed away. Indeed the whole scene changes, and the hrilliant and prosperous days of the strangers, hospitably received in the strange land, become darkened and sad- dened by slavery and oppression. The generous king who had honoured and exalted Joseph, had been gathered to his fathers, and was succeeded by another Pharaoh, who had never known Joseph, the benefactor of his country. He felt no gratitude or goodwill towards the children of Israel, who had settled in one of the most fertile provinces oJ Egypt, and were growing alarmingly in number and power. Grod's blessing rested indeed upon the Hebrews, for from one family they rapidly increased into a nation. Pharaoh looked with anxiety upon this foreign people, striking out their roots into the very heart of the country, and he summoned his counsellors to impart to them his apprehensions. ' Behold,' said he, ' the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we : come then, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and 'it come to pass that when there happens any war, they join als,c I 2 116 29. OPPRESSION OF THE HEBREWS IN EGYPT. •with our enemies, and fight against us, and go up out of the land.' And so they did ' deal wisely ' with them, as they thought ; for they converted a free people into slaves, and they set severe task-masters over them, who afflicted and weighed them down with burdens. Instead of tending their flocks and herds in the fragrant pastures, the children of Israel were compelled to toil and drudge under a burning sun, building for Pharaoh vast towns and stupendous monuments. Pithom and Kaamses, two store cities of Egypt, and probably situated in the north of Groshen, were built by the labour of the Israelites. The Pharaohs had an inordinate love for grand works of architecture. Colossal size was as essential to the Egyptians as beauty to the Grreeks. Their cities, their temples, their palaces, their tombs, were all on a gigantic scale, and the huge gods of the Egyptians towering high above their temple gates, struck awe into the minds of the worshippers. Vast numbers of workmen were neces- sary to carry out such immense structures. By forcing the Hebrews into hard service, Pharaoh gained the double end of founding large cities or erecting magnificent monuments, and of crushing that healthful spirit of inde- ' pendence and freedom which was so dangerously active among the foreign shepherd race. But the G-od of Abraham had not forsaken His people ; for the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and spread, until they became a terror to the Egyptians. Then Pharaoh resorted to severer measures. He increased their labour, and made them work in the brick-kilns and the fields, under the tyranny of pitiless task-masters. He employed them for ■• cutting canals, fortifying the cities with walls, raising dykes, and erecting pyramids.' But still Pharaoh deemed the slaves too powerful for his safety, and he was resolved upon "exterminating them. So he rigorously commanded the midwives to kill all the 30. EAELY LIFE OP MOSES. 117 new-born sons of the Hebrews, and to let only the daugh- ters live.' But this inhuman decree was not carried out ; no murderous hand was uplifted against the infants of the Israelites : the midwives feared God and would not obey Pharaoh. Then the king laid his command upon the whole people, making every citizen responsible for its execution : ' Every son that is born you shall cast into the Nile, but every daughter you shall save alive.' 30. BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE OP MOSES. [ExoD. n.] Such was the sad condition of the Hebrews when a child was bom among them, who was destined to be the instrument of their deliverance. His parents were Amram and Jochebed, both descendants of Levi. They had two elder children, Miriam and Aaron ; the former was already a young maiden, the latter three years old, when this third child, another son, was added to their family. The unfortunate mother was too well aware of Pharaoh's decree, but anxiously devised plans which left her some faint hope of saving her last-born. She hid him carefully for three months ; but when she found it impossible to conceal him any longer, she exposed him among the flags at the banks of the Nile, in a chest of bulrushes, which she daubed with bitumen and pitch; the bulrushes were as close and hard as wood, the bitu- men from within was a protection from the spikes of the rushes, and the pitch from without was to seal the ark from the entrance of the water. When Jochebed had deposited the chest in the river, she bid her daughter Miriam remain at some distance, to watch over its fate. It happened that, on that day, Pharaoh's daughter, accompanied by her maidens, walked down to the river's 118 30. EAEL'y LIFE OP MOSES. Bide to bathe. Perceiving the ark among the flags, she sent one of her attendants to fetch it. As it was opened, she was startled by the cries of a weeping boy. The forlorn helplessness of the poor infant touched the heart of the princess ; she knew the cruel mandates of her father, and obviously disapproved of them. ' This is one of the Hebrew children,' she exclaimed. Her voice mu^ have been soft with pity, for the watchful sister of the .child advanced and asked anxiously, ' Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee ? ' When Pharaoh's daughter con- sented, Miriam sped home to fetch her mother, who, soon arriving, was addressed by the princess with the welcome words : ' Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.' Jochebed took the boy home again and nursed him. But when he grew and was weaned, the mother gave him back to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son, and called his name Moses, saying, ' Because I drew him out of the water.' So Moses was reared in the palace of the king of Egypt, in the midst of all that was learned and wise in that land of scholars. But he was not forgetful of his poor toiling brethren ; he had a warm and loving heart, unspoiled by the luxuries and honours with which he was surrounded from his childhood. He did not keep aloof from his countrymen, but went out into the fields, and there witnessed their oppressive and exhausting labour. He once beheld an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew ; it was more than his indignant spirit could bear ; and with an impatient outburst of anger, he determined to punish the offender. They were alone and unwatched ; and Moses slew the Egyptian, and buried him in the sand. On the following day, he returned again to the fields, and this time he found two Hebrews quarrelling. Moses had a strong sense of justice ; he said to the man he saw to be 80. EAELY LIFE OF MOSES. 119 in the wrong, ' Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow-man? ' The Hebrew replied spitefully and angrily, ' Who made thee a superior and judge over us ? Dost thou intend to kill me, as thou hast killed the Egyptian?' Moses trembled at these words, which proved that his violent deed of the preceding day had become known. It had in fact even reached the ears of Pharaoh, who was deter- mined to avenge it by death. Moses saw that his only safety was in flight. He at once carried out his purpose, and escaped to the land of Midian. This district is situated in Arabia, between Mount Sinai, Edom, and Canaan. The people were a nomadic and pastoral tribe, whose manners and customs carry us back to the early scenes in the lives of the patri- archs. As in the history of Isaac and Jacob, the well surrounded by shepherds and their flocks plays an im- portant part in the present narrative. Moses sat down to rest at the principal well before a town, knowing that he would soon be joined by shepherds. He had not been waiting long, when he perceived seven maidens advancing with their flocks. They proved to be the daughters of the chief priest and magistrate of the Midianites. They came up to the well and began drawing water to fill the gutter ; but other shepherds soon arrived and drove them away. Again Moses interceded for the weak and the wronged ; he arose and helped the maidens and watered their flocks for them, so that when they returned to Reuel (or Jethro), their father, he said, ' How is it that you came so soon to- day ?' And they told him of the courtesy shown to them by the Egyptian whom they had met at the well. Full of gratitude and hospitable feelings, the Bedouin priest said, ' Where then is he ? why is it that you have left the man ? call him that he may eat bread.' And in this way, Moses, the adopted child of Pharaoh's daughter, came to ' live in the tents of Eeuel, the chief of a free and hardy 120 31. MISSION OF MOSES. people ; and there he married ZipporaH, the daughter of his host. Yet his heart had not ceased to feel for his brethren in the land of their oppression; and, though himself safe and happy, he grieved for their misery, and longed to return to them to share or to relieve it ; and when a son was born to him, he called him Grershom, for he said, ' I am a stranger in a strange land.' 81. THE MISSION OF MOSES TO PHARAOH. [ExoD. III. l-VII. 14.] Meanwhile the cruel king of Egypt had died, but he was followed by another Pharaoh not more compassionate towards the Israelites, who were still compelled to toil in hard bondage. They cried to Grod, and Grod heard their piteous supplication, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As the instrument ,of His deliverance. He selected Moses, whose yoiith had been spent in the palace of an Egyptian despot, and whose manhood had been passed in the free and pm-e simplicity of Arab life. He imparted His designs to him by direct communications, and thus raised him at once to a singular spiritual distinction. Whilst Moses was tending the flocks of his father-in- law, he perceived a flame of fire bursting out of a thorn- bush. The angel of the Lord was in the flame; for although the bush was burning, it was not consumed. Filled with astonishment and awe, Moses was hastening towards the spot, when he was arrested by a voice calling, ' Moses, Moses !' It was the voice of the Lord. He answered, ' Here am I.' And God spoke to him again and said, ' Approach not hither, put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.' Then the Lord revealed Himself as the Grod of his ancestors ^1. Mosiis And phakAoM. i2l Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob. Moses hid his face, for he was , afraid to look upon the Divine glory. And the Lord said : ' I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry about their task-masters ; ilideed I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of that land into a good and large land, into a land flowing with milk and honey. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee to Pharaoh 'that thou mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt.' This last charge, so suddenly and unexpectedly given to Moses, the diffident and humble-minded, filled him with uneasiness and fear : how could he, now a lowly shepherd, dare to approach the proud king, and demand the release of the enslaved people, who were so useful to the tyrant's ambitious plans ? The Israelites themselves would mistrust his words, and Pharaoh would expel him from his presence with disgrace. Then the Lord assured Moses again of His powerful protection, and promised, besides, to aiin him with signs and wonders which would leave no doubt that he had come with Divine authority, and which would con- vince the Hebrew disbelievers, and confound the Egyptian sages. Moses himself should be the human deliverer of his people from their thraldom. But still the modest man shrank from the overwhelming task entrusted to him. He possessed the love of justice and truth, that great in- centive to noble deeds, but he lacked the self-confidence necessary to their accomplishment. He asked despond- ingly: 'When I come to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The Grod of your fathers has sent me to you, and if they say to me. What is His name ? what shall I say to them ?' And Grod, revealing to His messenger His mysterious attributes of eternity and tinchangeableness. 122 31. MOSES AND PHARAOH. replied: '/ am that I am; thus Shalt thou say to the children of Israel, / am, has sent me to you.' Then He encouraged him again and bade him, on his arrival in Egypt, assemble the elders in Israel in order to comfort them by the certain promise that they would inherit the land of Canaan, and then appear fearlessly before Pharaoh, and ask his permission to allow the Hebrews to go a three days' journey into the wilderness for the purpose of offer- ing up sacrifices to Him. ' Yet I know,' said the Lord, ' that the king of Egypt will not let you go, even not by a mighty hand. Therefore, I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with all My wonders, which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go. And I shall give this people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians ; and it will come to pass, that when you go, you will not go empty ; but every woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her that sojourns in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and raiment ; and you shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters, and you shall plunder the Egyptians.' Still Moses felt his own weak- ness, and he said, " Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice, for they will say. The Lord has not appeared to thee.' Grod, gracious to Moses, and loving him for his meekness, inspired him with new courage. First He commanded him to throw down his staif, which instantly became a serpent ; and when Moses seized it by its tail, it returned to its original form, and became a staff again. Then the Lord bade him put his hand into his bosom : he did so ; and when he drew it out, it was leprous and white as snow ; then putting it once more into his bosom, it became well again. If this was not sufficient, Moses was to take water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry land, when it would be turned into blood. It was obvious that the Israelites would believe in the words of a man who came to them with such supernatural powers. 31. MOSES AND PHAEAOH. 123 But now Moses urged another difficulty : he felt that a man who is to move the multitude, and to kindle the enthusiasm of a nation, must be endowed with eloquence ; but the gift of language was denied to him ; he was slow of speech ; how could he persuade Pharaoh to yield, or induce his own countrymen to aid him in his schemes of deliverance ? But Grod said to him : ' Who has made man's mouth ? or who makes dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind ? Do not I the Lord ? Now therefore go, and I shall be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.' Yet the diffidence of Moses was not conquered in the slightest degree : as if he had heard no argument, received no Divine assurance, he simply exclaimed, ' I beseech Thee, my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of any one whom Thou wilt send.' This reluctance, which, creditable in itself, became reproachful by its excess, justly roused the anger of Grod, who replied : ' Do I not know Aaron the Levite, thy brother, that he can speak well ? and also, behold, he comes forth to meet thee, and when he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak to him, and put the words in his mouth : and I shall be with thy mouth, and shall teach thee what to do. And he shall speak for thee to the people, and he shall indeed be io thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of a Grod. And thou shalt take this staff into thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.' Moses, now at last yielding to the Divine behest, sum- moned courage, and resolved upon his immediate depar- ture. He went to his father-in-law Jethro, and requested his permission to return to Egypt, pleading that he was desirous to see whether his brethren were yet alive. Jethro readily and cheerfully gave his assent to the proposed jour- ney; so Moses set off accompanied by his wife Zipporah and their two sons ; for a second son, Eliezer, had but lately been born to them. They travelled southward through 124 31. MOSES ANi) PHARAOfl. Midian, and passed through the wilderness of Arabia. It was here that Aaron came to meet Moses ; the two brothers found each other at Mount Horeb, and there Aaron heard from the inspired lips of his younger brother the glorious mission with which he had been entrusted, and was told of the signs which he was to perform before the Egyptians and the Israelites. Full of faith and -growing courage, Moses and Aaron continued their journey. • - As soon as they arrived in Egypt, they assembled the elders of the Hebrews, and informed them of their Divine charge. They told them how once more the Hebrews were to be a free people, how they were to live in their own land, following their own worship, glorifying the One Grod, abid- ing by His decrees. Egypt, the land of slavery and idol- atry, was to be left for ever. To the eager listeners, these words brought hope and consolation; the messengers of the glad tidings were their own- kinsmen, men who were manifestly strengthened by the power of the Lord, whose words seemed imbued with the Divine spirit, and whose miraculous staif performed wonders before their eyes. They saw and heard, and they believed firmly, and in a transport of gratitude and fervour prostrated themselves before their Eternal Deliverer. The moment had now alrrived for Moses and Aaron to proceed to the palace, and to appear before Pharaoh himself. Fearlessly the two brothers came into the great king's presence with words which to the despot sounded like a command : ' Thus has the Lord Grod of Israel said. Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the desert.' Pharaoh replied, haughtily and tauntingly : ' Who is the Lord whose voice I shall obey to let Israel go ? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.' Vain were the remonstrances of Moses and Aaron, vain the pleadings of the people. Pharaoh, enraged at the bold request of the enslaved nation, exclaimed, ' Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, 31. MOSES AND PHARAOH. 125 disturb the people from their works ? Go yoti to your bur- dens.' Not content with his disdainful refusal, he deter- mined to add to the hardships of the Israelites. He increased their labour by not giving them straw for the bricks, and exacting, notwithstanding, the same number of bricks as before. ' They are idle,' said the king, ' there- fore they cry. Let us go and sacrifice to our Grod : let th6 work be hard upon the men, so that they may have fully to do with it, and not listen to vain words.' The task- masters went out to enforce these unfeeling commands, which fell heavily upon the hearts of the oppressed people sighing for freedom. In sorrow they dispersed through the land to gather stubble instead of straw. But they toiled in vain ; they were unable to finish their heavy task, and their overseers, who were held responsible for its accomplishment, were inhumanly beaten by the Egyptian task-masters. And when the Hebrew overseers cried to Pharaoh at the injustice of his servants, they heard again the same cruel words : ' You are idle, you are idle ; there- fore you say. Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. Go, therefore, now, and work, for no straw shall be given you, yet shall you deliver the tale of bricks.' In an agony of despair, the overseers went to Moses and Aaron, and up- braided them in all the bitterness of their hearts. Was not their fate worse now than it had ever been before ? Did it not seem as if they must perish by the hatred of an enraged king, manifestly determined to crush them ? Help seemed far off indeed. Even Moses trembled ; he doubted his mission ; but he carried his fear to the Lord, and sent ^up to Him a touching, desponding supplication : ' Where- fore hast Thou done so evil to Thy people, wherefore is it that Thou hast sent me ? For since I came to Pharaoh, to speak in Thy name, he has done evil to this people, and hast Thou in any way delivered Thy people ?' The Lord answered the prayer of Moses, and never before had His 126 31. MOSES AND PHAEAOH. majesty and omnipotence been pronounced in words so distinct and so solemn : ' Now shalt thou see what I shall do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand will he send them away, and by a strong hand will he drive them out of his land ;'— and He continued : ' lam the Lord ; I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name the Eternal was I not known to them.' Thus Moses was placed at a high spiritual pre- eminence above the patriarchs. Abraham, it is true, had been led throughout his life by the direct word of Grod ; in like manner the Divine spirit lingered around the calm and pensive Isaac ; it cheered and counselled the wander- ings and trials of Jacob ; and Joseph, though not so con- stantly favoured, had been specially watched over, and brought to a glorious destiny. But Moses was to witness the wondrous redemption of Grod's people; he was to see the realisation of the promises made to his forefathers by virtue of solemn covenants. His conception of the Hea- venly Father was to be more complete and more sublime ; he was to understand Him not only as the ' All-powerful ' God (n^n^sji), but as the ' Eternal ' (nih;), whose will and glory exist for ever, and whose word is jinfailing. But the Israelites were crushed in spirit ; they turned away from prospects of hope and gladness ; they ceased to believe in their freedom : ' they hearkened not to Moses through shortness of breath and through hard bondage.' Therefore, when the Lord commanded Moses to go again to Pharaoh, and to repeat the old request, Moses not un- naturally answered : ' Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened to me ; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips ? ' But the Lord bade Moses not be afraid ; He would arm him with Divine power to move Pharaoh, while Aaron would be his ' prophet,' the man of commanding eloquence able to express his thoughts ; and He added : ' I shall harden Pharaoh's heart, and mul- ,32. THE TEN BaYPTIAN PLAGUES. 127 tiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not hearken to you, and I shall lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My hosts, My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments.' The two brothers now appeared before Pha- raoh. But to strike the idolatrous Egyptians with awe and reverence, ' signs and wonders ' were necessary. Aaron cast his staff down before Pharaoh, and it changed into a serpent. The king, seeing the miracle, sent for wise men and sorcerers, who also cast their staffs upon the ground, and likewise changed them into serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Not touched by the marvel, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he refused to listen to the commands of the Lord. 82. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. [ExoB. VII. 14— XI. 10.] The Bible now relates one of the most terrible and fearful calamities ever brought upon a country by the in- fatuation and blindness of its ruler. Pharaoh was warned in time, and warned repeatedly and strongly, but all in vain. Full of pride and presumption, he rose in combat against the God of heaven and earth. But the weapons of the Lord were plagues, each one more awful than its forerunner, smiting king and people with dismay and de- struction. Moses, modest and humble, appears as the fearless and faithful worker of His great Master's will : he was the first to whom the power was given of per- forming miracles in the name of the Lord. The history of the Egyptian plagues is indeed unequalled in the annals of the world. Although they followed each other in the short space of a few months, and although they were unusually violent in their effect, and afflicted 128 32. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. the Egyp,tians alone, while they left the Israelites unin- jured — features which show their miraculous character — yet they were all connected with or based upon natural causes and phenomena. First, the waters of the land of Egypt were to he tui-ned into blood. Moses warned Pharaoh of the ap- proaching calamity, and then walking down with Aaron to the brink of the river, he raised his staff, smote the waters, and converted them into streams of blood. All the people of Egypt and the king himself beheld this mii'acle ; they saw the fish die as the blood flowed over the land ; and they turned with disgust from the offensive smell of the sacred river. It was impossible for them to drink of the water of the Nile, usually far-famed for its delicious taste ; and they were forced to dig deep into the ground for water. But Pharaoh would not relent. Seven days the plague lasted, and then Aaron stretched forth his staff, and frogs appeared in appalling multitudes. Frogs were always more or less a bane to the Egyptians, but never before had they been seen coming in such in- credible numbers out of the river and the canals and the fields, and filling the cities and houses. They penetrated into the Very chambers ; nothing was secure from their intrusion ; they were on the couches, in the ovens, in the kneading troughs, and on the persons of the people them- selves. The sorcerers of Egypt, anxious to show their power, tried likewise to produce frogs. They were per- mitted to succeed, but they could not allay the evil. Pharaoh turned at last to Moses and Aaron in despair. 'Entreat the Lord,' he exclaimed, 'that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I shall willingly let the people go that they may sacrifice to the Lord.' Moses cried to Grod, to grant the prayer of Pharaoh, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields. But when the king of Egypt saw 32. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. 129 this respite, he hardened his heart anew, and hearkened not to the children of Israel. Again the anger of the Lord was kindled, and a third plague was sent. Commanded by Grod, Aaron stretched forth his staff, and changed the dust of the earth into gnats. These terrible mosquito flies are well known to the Egyptians ; they usually appear during the hot months of the year, and are bred in the slime of the river Nile. They are extremely small, but their sting is most painful ; they molest man and beast, and even penetrate into the eyes, ears, and noses of their unfortunate victims. But at that time all the dust of the earth seemed winged, and clouds of the tormentors arose from the river, and fastened upon their prey. The magicians were helpless ; they could neither produce nor exterminate the dangerous insects. They were obliged to confess to Pharaoh, ' This is indeed the finger of Grod.' Then the Lord smote Egypt with another plague, the beetles, while the district of Groshen, the main abode of the Israelites, was spared. The land itself, teeming with luxuriant vegetation, suffered heavily. The voracity of the beetles is well known ; they abound in Egypt, like the gnat and the frog, but are regarded with even greater fear and disgust. This time they came in prodigious numbers, flying into the houses of the Egyptians, and covering the ground. Pharaoh trembled; he felt that he must bend before the Almighty; and though full of pride and resentment, he was inclined to make con- cessions to Moses and Aaron. ' Gro you,' he said to them, 'and sacrifice to your Grod in the land,' that is, not beyond the boundaries of the land, but in Egypt itself. But to this Moses objected ; how could the Hebrews slay, and offer up as sacrifices to their Grod, the animals held sacred by the Egyptians ? For surely they would be stoned by the people ; whereas a three days' journey would 130 32. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. bring them into the desert, where they might sacrifice to. the Lord in peace. Pharaoh, tortured and humbled, con- sented to their departure : ' I will let you go,' he said, 'that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the desert ; only you shall not go very far away ; entreat fot me.' So the plague ceased. But this was only a signal for Pharaoh to harden his heart again, and to retract his permission. The plagues, steadily increasing in their alarming cha- racter, now assumed the form of pestilence among beasts.' This is a word of awful significance to the Egyptians ; for the scourge of pestilence, occasioned by the fierce rays of the sun and the dry heat of the soil, often desolates the land. How must the people have grieved when they saw their stately horses, the pride of Egypt, perish ; when all; the cattle of the fields were stricken at the word of Moses ; when the animals upon which they looked as gods, or as the favoured symbols of the gods, died smitten by the plague I How could they pray to those deities for relief? They had, moreover, the mortification to see the beasts of the Israelites entirely unhurt. Yet Pharaoh, though well aware of the greatness of the misfortune, still hardened his heart, and would not let the Israelites go. Then followed the sixth plague, which was so painful and so loathsome that it must have struck the people of Egypt with horror and agony. Grod commanded Moses to take soot from the furnaces, and to sprinkle it towards heaven ; and as Moses did so, boils burst forth upon man and beast throughout the land of Egypt. Among all Eastern nations, none were so scrupulously clean as the Egyptians ; their priests bathed several times a day, shaved their faces most carefully, and, tmlike the Be- douins, preferred linen to woollen garments, because linen is less apt to harbour vermin. When, therefore, they were 32, THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. I3l visited by such a disgusting aiHiction, they must have been seized mth unspeakable horror and shame. The priests, and the wise men belonging to the sacred caste, suffered with the rest, and could not appear before Moses. This plague was evidently of short duration, for we do not hear that Moses was requested to pray to God for its cessation. But Pharaoh's heart was still hardened, and he persisted in his refusal to allow the departure of the Israelites. Therefore, after duly warning the king, the Lord smote again the land of Egypt. However, those Egyptians who believed in the God of the Israelites, and heeded the word of Moses, were to be exempted from the fearful infliction. A hail-storm of unprecedented violence was to sweep the land ; no living thing, no tree, no herb, was to escape its fury unhurt ; safety was only to be found in the shelter of the houses ; those, therefore, who believed and were afraid, might keep in their homes, and drive their cattle into the sheds. Some of the Egyptians took this counsel to heart ; but the reckless and the stubborn left their cattle with their servants in the fields. When Moses stretched forth his staff, the elements began their awful strife. The storms in the East, though rare, are truly appalling, and terrify the most courageous and the most tranquil-minded. But none is recorded of so fearful a character as that which then burst over the much-tried land of Egypt. The hail pom-ed down with violence, deafening thunder rolled over the earth, and lightning rent the heavens, and ran like fire along the ground. The majesty, of the Lord was revealed in that grand spectacle. The hail did its work of destruc- tion ; man and beast who were exposed to its rage, died on the spot ; the herbs were scattered to the wind, the trees lay shivered on the ground. But the land of Goshen, un- touched by the ravages of the storm, bloomed like a garden K 2 132 32. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. amidst the general devastation. Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and acknowledged his sins. ' The Lord is righteous,' he said, ' and I and my people are wicked. Entreat the Lord, for it is already too much, that there should be no more thundering and hail ; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.' Moses replied : ' When I am gone out of the city, I shall spread out my hands to the Lord ; and the thunder will cease, neither will there he any more hail, that thou mayest know that the earth is the Lord's.' And it happened as Moses had said ; the storm ceased — but Pharaoh's heart remained hardened. Scarcely less fearful than any of the preceding plagues was the eighth which at once followed. Pharaoh was forewarned ; for Aaron went to him to announce the will of G-od, and to bid him pause before he called down upon the country swarms of locusts. It was no imaginary evil that the threat implied ; everyone was familiar with the terrible scourge of the dreaded locusts, whose arrival was feared more than that of a hostile army. There exists indeed no more fatal destroyer of all vegetable life. The locusts that' infest Egypt are children of the desert. They are active, eager, and fierce. They appear flying together in such vast numbers, and so compactly, that they seem like a cloud passing over the earth. Where they descend upon the ground, they cover it like a wide black veil for many leagues. They eat voraciously, devouring everything that comes in their way, and leaving behind them a bare and desolate waste. It was this awful calamity that Aaron predicted to Pharaoh. The people felt keenly the impending horrors of the plague : was not their country ruined already and devastated? had it not been swept by the terrific hail- storm, and should it now be exposed to the still more fatal fury of the locusts ? For the first time, they implored the king to grant the request of the Israelites. They hastened 32, THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. 133 after Moses and Aaron, .and brought them back to the monarch's' throne, in order, if possible, to prevent the evil. Pharaoh was for a moment disposed to yield : ' Go,' said he, ' serve the Lord your Grod ; but who are they that will go ? ' And Moses repeated what the king of Egypt had so often heard before : ' With our young and with our old will we go, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go, for we have a feast to the Lord.' But Pharaoh's proud spirit revolted from giving his consent to this request, which he not unjustly felt was meant to hide deeper schemes on the part of the Hebrews : if he permitted their departure, it should be imder conditions which would oblige them to return ; and he exclaimed in anger and exasperation : ' So may the Lord be with you as I shall let you go and your children : see, that you have evil plans before you. Not so ; go now, you men, and serve the Lord, for that have you desired.' Thus Moses and Aaron were driven from the presence of Pharaoh. Then came the plague as had been predicted. When Moses stretched out his staff, an east wind arose and brought the locusts from the regions of the Eed Sea in vast clouds over the land. More numerous, more terrible than they had ever been seen before, they descended on the fields, on the trees, on the fruits, and rapidly, as if by enchantment, changed the whole country into an arid • desert. Euin and famine were the hideous spectres that followed them. Pharaoh hastened to send for Moses, and confessing his sin, entreated forgiveness. Then Moses prayed to the Lord, and a strong west wind arose, and blew the locusts into the Eed Sea. The land was freed ; but Pharaoh hardened his heart once more, and would not ^ let the children of Israel go. Then followed quickly the ninth plague, which, unlike its predecessors, neither caused physical distress to the 134 32. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAGUES. people, nor brought still further ruin upon the desolate land. But it was one of those awful and mysterious dis- pensations calculated to impress the senses and the mind with fear and horror. The ninth plague was total and absolute darkness. During three days a thick and im- penetrable veil hung over the land of Egypt, no one oould move from his place — but the Hebrews had light in their dwellings. Now it must be remembered that to the Egyptians the Sun was an object of worship. The city of On with its temples and priests was consecrated to the Sun ; Pharaoh himself, as has been observed above, means son of the Sun. In a moment, that great deity was obscured by the God of Israel ; Osiris strove in vain to dispel the darkness ; he had lost his golden rays. Dismayed and alarmed, Pharaoh sent for Moses, bidding him depart- instantly with all his people, and only leave their flocks and herds behind as a pledge. But no, this could not be agreed to ; Moses emphatically declared : ' Our cattle shall also go with us, not one hoof shall remain behind ; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our Grod.' But Pharaoh hardened his heart as before, and would not let them go. He was enraged aga,inst that wise but humble servant of God who defied his own power, and he exclaimed : ' Go away from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more ; for on tha,t day thou seest my face thou shalt die.' And Moses replied : ' Thou hast spoken right, I will see thy face no more.' We now approach the tenth plague, which, as it was the last, was also the most terrible. It was the final struggle in that awful warfare between God and man ; it proved the complete overthrow of the Egyptian king. , Moses had obtained a celebrity throughout the land of Egypt, which had probably never before been surpassed, not even with regard to the great royal favourite Joseph, 32. THE TEN EGYPTIAN PLAaUES. 135 His wisdom excelled that of the priests and magicians ; he foretold events that invariably came to pass ; he per- formed the most astonishing miracles ; his staff brought disasters, which his prayer alone could stay ; he appeared in the name of the great Grod of the Hebrews ; and he stood bbldly in the presence of the king, warning him of evil, firmly insisting upon his demands, resolutely refusing to make the smallest concession. Was it wonderful that the Egyptians looked upon him with awe ? He gained their admiration still more because, with all the power granted to him by God, he was ever meek and modest, ever distrustful of his gifts, considering himself as the feeble instrument for carrying out a Divine mission. His gieat courage, coupled with supreme humility, could not fail to impress the Egyptians. And for his sake, the Israelites found favour in their sight. Thus, when the Lord made known to him the nature of the last plague, and bade him tell the people to ask for silver and gold from their Egyptian neighbours, the masters readily gave to the enslaved strangers their trinkets, and ornaments, and costly vessels. Everything had been foretold by G-od to Moses, who now communicated to Pharaoh the impend- ing and terrible visitation in these words : ' Thus says the Lord, about midnight shall I go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits upon the throne, to the firstborn of the handmaid who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast ; that you may know that the Lord distinguishes between the Egyptians and between Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down to me, and shall bow down themselves to me. 136 33. PASSOVER; DEPABTURE PROM EGYPT. saying, Go out, thou and all thy people that follow thee : and after that, I shall go out.' Then Moses turned away in anger from the king who by his blind stubbornness brought unspeakable calamities upon his people. 33. INSTITUTION OF THE PASSOVER; DBPARTUEE OF THE HEBREWS FROM EGYPT. [ExoD. XII.] The tenth plague was to be the signal of the exodus of the Hebrews and of their redemption. The death of the firstborn among the Egyptians was the new life of the Hebrews, the midnight visit of the angel of destruction was their trumpet note announcing the dawn of freedom. So glorious, so important was the release from Egypt, that the very month in which it took place was henceforth to be considered the beginning of the year, the fii'st of months. But before their departure, the people were once more assembled to listen to the Divine commands conveyed to them by Moses, Four days previous to the night of the exodus, the chief of each household was to select a male lamb or kid, one year old, without blemish ; he was to kill it towards the evening of the day appointed for the flight, and to put its blood, by means of a bimch of hyssop, on the two side-posts and on the lintels of the houses. The animal was to be roasted entire, and con- sumed completely in that night, together with cakes of unleavened bread and bitter herbs. "With girded loins, with staffs in their hands, with sandals on their feet, should the Israelites take this hasty meal before their longed-for deliverance. As on account of the suddenness of their escape, they would have no time to bake their 33. PASSOVER; DEPARTURE FfiOM EGYPf. 13? bread, they were ordered to eat and to carry away with them unleavened cakes. At midnight the angel of the Lord would pass through the land, and slay the firstborn in every Egyptian house ; but where he saw the blood on the door-posts, he would pass by without harming the Hebrews. Distinct were the commands of Moses, com- plete in every detail; they instituted the first of the festivals, the Passover of the Lord. For that night was to be sacred in all future ages ; it was to be an ordinance for all generations. As years rolled on, and each brought back the bright springtime, rich with memories of the past, the Israelites were to assemble together, to recall by the paschal lamb, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, and the seven days of thanksgiving and rejoicing, both their grievous bondage in Egypt and their wonderful departure from that inhospitable land. From their exodus, the political life of the Hebrews as a nation must be dated ; until then they had only been a tribe or a number of families ; they were now to be organised into a people, with a lawgiver unrivalled for wisdom in the history of the world, with warriors famous for wonderful feats of bravery, and above all, with prophets destined to be the guides and teachers of unborn ages. The chosen people became now signally Grod's nation, elected to transmit His truth from age to age, and certain to conquer all other nations, as long as they remained faithful to His worship. To this character of the festival all individual ordi- nances were thoughtfully adapted. Hebrews alone were to partake of the paschal meal ; for no stranger could properly share a repast designed to show the Hebrew families as organic parts of the Hebrew nation. The lamb was to be roasted whole, without a bone being broken ; for it was to express the unity of the people of Israel, a unity most essential for the accomplishment of their great 138 33. PASSOVER; DEPARTURE FROM EGYPT. mission, in enabling them to defend their pure faith against the idolatries of other nations. It was furthermore enjoined that the firstborn of man and beast should be sacred to God. This law entrusted the control and responsibility in matters of religion to the head of the household ; on him devolved the special care of the family, and it was his duty to attend to the exact fulfilment of all sacred observances. Lastly, as a memorial of the exodus and of the new religious and political life of the Israelites, symbols wefe commanded to be worn upon the hand and on the fore- head, pointing to deed and thought — ' so that the Law of the Lord may be in thy mouth, for with a strong hand has the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.' These symbols, later called tephillm or phylacteries, consisted of certain important passages taken from the Law, written on parch- ment and enclosed in small wooden boxes ; and unlike the charms and amulets of many eastern tribes and of most southern nations of the present day, they were merely remembrances of a wonderful redemption, signs of a solemn covenant with Grod, and monitors to a life of faith and virtue. When Moses had explained all these injunctions, the people, deeply impressed, silently bowed their heads and prostrated themselves, and then hastened to their housed to prepare the paschal lamb. At midnight, the angel of the Lord passed through the land, smiting with death the firstborn of every Egyptian household. There was a loud and bitter wail in each house — a loved one lay fatally stricken. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in that very night, and said to them : ' Arise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel ; and go, serve the Lord as you have said ; and take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.' At last, then, the pride of the stubborn king 34. PHARAOH'S' PUESUIT. 139 ■was broken. Meanwhile the Hebrews were preparing for their hasty departure. With beating hearts, they as- sembled in groups to eat the paschal lamb. They stood at the midnight meal^ arrayed as they had been com- manded. The women had taken from the ovens the unleavened cakes, which were eaten with the meat of the roasted lamb. The preparations were at last concluded, and all was ready : the tents were slung on poles ; the aininials bore on their backs women and children, or were laden with the possessions of the Hebrews, with the com- ,mon necessaries of life, with the gold and silver treasures furnished by the Egyptians. At the word of command, the whole nation of the Hebrews poured forth in the cool still Eastern night. But not even amidst their trepidation and danger did they forget the pledge given by their ancestors to Joseph, and they carried his remains with them, to inter them later in the land of promise. They safely escaped out of the province of Groshen, where their race had dwelt for four hundred and thirty years ; and led by Moses and Aaron, they wandered forth, a host of six hundred thousand armed men with their wives and children — a free nation. 34. PHARAOH'S PURSUIT AND DESTRUCTION. [ExoD. XIII. XIV.] It will be remembered that in the history of the patri- archs, the journey from Canaan to Egypt has repeatedly been mentioned. It was accomplished, in a comparatively short time, by Abraham and Joseph, then by Jacob's other sons, and finally by Jacob himself and his whole family. But then the travellers defiled along the nari'ow mountain passes of Engadi, and keeping in sight of the waters of the Mediterranean, proceeded along the northern l40 34. PHAilAOH*S PUSSUIT. coast of Egypt. Not so did Moses and the enormous host, which followed his guidance. The land of promise was farther distant for them than it had been for Abraham, and no safe and straight caravan road was to lead them to the groves of Hebron and to the beautiful valley of the Jordan. They were, as yet, unable to stand against the powerful and warlike tribes, such as the Philistines, through whose territory they would have been obliged to pass. By forty long and weary years of wandering in the desert, they were to be trained, to become a brave and independent nation, and to deserve their distinction as the people of Grod. During that fearful night when terror seized all Egyp- tians, the Israelites marched, or rather fled, from Eameses, their place of assembly, in a south-easterly direction, to Succoth, their first resting-place. One day's march more southward brought them to Etham on the edge of the wilderness ; thence they had to turn back northward, in order to arrive nearer the northern extremity of the gulf of Suez, where the passage was practicable ; and they en- camped ' before Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea against Baal-Zephon,' probably at the place of the later town Kolsoum, where subsequently Suez was built, sur- rounded on the north, west, and south by the desert, and on the east bordering on the Eed Sea. This backward movement of the Hebrews appeared to the Egyptians like helpless perplexity, and suggested to them the idea — ' they are entangled in the land ; the wilderness has shut them in.' But though the host was led by Moses, the Lord Himself guided them in a pillar of smoke by day, in a pillar of fire by night. Meanwhile Pharaoh had recovered from the consterna- tion of the tenth plague, and great was his dismay at the flight of the Israelites. There seemed but one course opened to him— to pursue the fugitives, and to force them 34. PHARAOH'S PUESUIT. 141 back, slaves for evermore. The will of a despot is law ; six hundred chosen war-chariots, all equipped with the fleet Egyptian horse, driven by skilful charioteers, and bearing the flower of the Egyptian army, were in- stantly assembled. Headed by the king himself, they hastened on and overtook the Israelites at Pi-hahiroth. When these beheld in the distance the chariots and the warriors of their enemies, their fear was boundless. They turned to Moses, upbraiding him : ' Because there were no graves in Egypt,' they exclaimed, ' hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness ? Wherefore hast thou done this to us, to lead us forth out of Egypt ? Is not this the word that we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians ? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.' They were ready to lay down their arms, and to take back their chains. But Moses, calm and firm in one of the most trying moments of his eventful life, said : ' Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you to-day : for as you have seen the Egyptians to-day, you shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall keep yourselves quiet.' Then Moses led the Israelites onwards until they came to the very borders of the Eed Sea. The pillar of the Lord now changed its position ; for retreating from the front to the rear of the Hebrew hosts, it floated between the two armies; over the Israelites it shed a brilliant light, while it spread a veil of darkness over the Egyp- tians. But the Israelites seemed now hopelessly hemmed in between overwhelming dangers : the Egyptians were close behind them, and the waves of the Eed Sea were breaking at their feet ; the steep mountain passes were threatening on the right, the wilderness on the left. But glorious was their deliverance. Moses, commanded by the Lord, raised 142 ■ 35. THE SONG OP MOSES. his staff, and stretched his hand over the sea ; a strong east wind rose and blew the whole night. By that storm, the waters of the Eed Sea were divided, and gathered into a wall on either side, leaving a dry passage in the midst. The Israelites, awed by the miracle, marched at once along that dry path which extended from shore to shore. They gained the opposite side in safety. The Egyptians continued their pursuit without hesitation in the same track. They were doomed to discomfiture and destruction : the wheels of their chariots became clogged in the bed of the Sea, and glided off. They were unable to proceed ; and they felt that they were once more vainly struggling against the Lord. They turned to flee, but it was too late ; for at the command of God, Moses stretched forth his staff, the waters resumed their usual course, and closed over the chariots and horses and warriors, over the whole host of Pharaoh ; ' there remained not so much as one of them.' 35. THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE HEBREWS AT THE RED SEA. [ExoD. XV. 1—21.] In the dim light of the early dawn, the Israelites, gath- ered in trembling groups on the eastern borders of the Eed Sea, witnessed the sudden and complete annihilation of their terrible foes: then they turned in happiness and gratitude towards Moses, and they trusted and believed their great leader, the servant and messenger of the Lord. Their faith, so weak, so easily shaken, now grew stronger, and they began to fear the God of their ancestors. A transport of joy and of triumph filled the heart of Moses, and it burst forth in the following glorious hymn : ' I will sing to the Lord, for He is gloriously exalted : 36. THE SONG- OF MOSES. 143 the horse and its rider has He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my praise and song, for He has become my salvation : He is my Grod, and I will glorify Him ; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a man of war ; the Eternal is His name. Pharaoh's hosts and his chariots has He thrown into the sea; his choicest warriors are drowned in the Eed Sea. The depths have covered them; they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, Lord, glorified in power. Thy right hand, Lord, dashes in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of Thy sublimity Thou overthrowest those who rise up against Thee : Thou sendest forth Thy wrath, it consumes them as stubble. And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up, the floods stood upright like a moimd, and the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue ; overtake ; divide the spoil ; my lust be satisfied upon them ; I will draw my sword ; my hand shall destroy them : Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them ; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like Thee, Lord, among the gods ? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, , awful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand — the earth swallowed them. ' Thou in Thy mercy leadest forth the people which Thou hast redeemed ; Thou guidest them in Thy strength to Thy holy habitation. The nations will hear it, and will be afraid ; terror will seize the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be amazed ; the mighty men of Moab, trembling will seize them ; all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away with fear. Fear and dread will fall upon them; by the greatness of Thy arm they will be dumb as stone ; till they pass, Lord, till the people pass, which Thou hast acquired. Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Thy inheritance, in the place, Lord, which Thou hast made for Thy abode, in 144 36. MAECH TO MAKAH AND ELIM. the sanctuary, Lord, which Thy hands have established. The Lord Tvill reign for ever and ever.' As the last words of the song died away, Miriam, in- spired with the same feelings of gladness and thanks- giving, seized her timbrel, and followed by a multitude of Hebrew maidens and women, went forth in procession dancing and chanting : ' Sing ye to the Lord, for He is gloriously exalted ; the horse and its rider has He thrown into the sea.' 3G. MARCH OF THE HEBREWS TO MARAH AND ELIM; THE MAIWA. [ExoD. XV. 22— XVI. 35.] The Israelites, resuming their journey on the eastern borders of the Red . Sea, entered the dreary wilderness of Shur, an endless tract of dry sand spreading out before them. A few days' march northwards might have brought them to the rich and beautiful valleys of Judea; but Moses knew that he must lead his undisciplined hosts into the very heart of the desert, and thus avoid the contact with warlike tribes. Proceeding for three days in a south- easterly direction through a pathless waste, the Israelites found no springs or wells ; they were parched with thirst : at last, they arrived at a place where they were gladdened by the sight of a deep spring ; but when they put their lips to the foxmt, they who had so long been accustomed to the delicious and far-famed water of the Nile, found it utterly unpalatable. It was bitter and brackish, and had caused the place to be called Marah, at present Howarah, Fevered with thirst, the unfortunate people murmured against Moses, exclaiming, ' What shall we drink ? ' Moses prayed to the Lord, and in answer to his supplications, the Lord showed him a tree, and bid him cast some of its wood 36. ISAECH TO MARAH AND ELIM. 145 into the water. By virtue of this tree, the bitterness was changed into sweetness, and the Israelites were saved from the agony of thirst. Moses seized the opportunity of this miracle to enjoin again upon the Israelites, that they should faithfully remember the statutes and ordinances of the Lord, who so manifestly watched over them : ' If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy Grod, and do that which is right in His eyes, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will bring none of those diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that heals thee.' From Marah or Howarah, the Israelites journeyed to Elim in the Wadi Grharendel, two and a half miles south from Marah ; there they found twelve wells of water, and at their borders the inviting shade of palm trees. Here they encamped by the water. Proceeding from "Wadi Grhareodel a short distance along the sea-shore, and then turning in a south-eastern direc- tion through the "Wadi Taybe and "Wadi Feiran, the Israel- ites arrived,, after a three days' journey, one month after they had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt, in the beautiful valley of "Wadi esh-Sheikh, where the tamarisk trees are so abundant that, in some parts, they form dense forests. That valley is a part of the district of Sin. But the people had exhausted their provisions, and looking helplessly around, they felt that they could not escape starvation. Then, in the bitterness of their hearts, they murmured against Moses, asking, of what avail was their freedom, if they were doomed to perish in the desert ? They longed to return to Egypt, ' Would to God,' they exclaimed, ' we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we ate bread to satisfaction ; we remember the fish which we ate in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and L 146 36. THE MANNA. the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick ; but you have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill' this whole assembly with hunger.' The Lord heard that pitiful cry of despair, and resolving to send His favoured people re- lief, He said to Moses, ' Behold, I shall rain bread from heaven for you ; and the people shall go out and gather every day what is sufficient for the day, that I may try them whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall come to pass that on the sixth day, if they will pre- pare that which they bring in, it shall be double of that which they gather daily.' Moses and Aaron now assured the Hebrews, that they would be protected not only from starvation but from want. Early on the following morning, when the people came forth from their tents, they saw, as the dew vanished, ' something small, peeled, as small as hoar frost on the earth.' They looked at it in eager astonishment, and ex- claimed, 'What is that?' {matv-hu). And Moses said to them, ' This is the bread which the Lord has given to you for food.' Now, this manna was, according to the Scrip- tural accounts, white like coriander seed or like bdellium; it tasted like cake with honey or like olive-cake ; it could be ground in mills, beaten in mortars, or baked in pans, and prepared for cakes. From all these statements it is evident that two sorts of manna are alluded to, different in origin, and in many respects distinct from each other — the manna of the air, and the manna of the trees and shrubs. The former is essentially the sweet juice forced out by the heat from many trees and plants, rising in the air, descending with the dew, and melting in the morn- ing sun ; the latter is the harder, thickgr, resinous mass, which oozes out from certain trees, especially the tama- risk, either spontaneously or by the puncture of a certain small unwinged insect {cccus TnaTiniparus). Such manna- yielding trees and shrubs are especially abundant in Arabia 36. THE MANNA. 147 Petrsea and in tke neighbourhood of mount Sinai. Yet the Biblical manna had its own miraculous properties, as is obvious from the following points : '1. The manna of the Israelites falls uninterruptedly through forty years at all seasons, whilst in reality it is only found during two or three months in the year, and in some years not at all. 2. It descends in such quantities that the whole people of Israel is supplied with it, whereas, according to authentic reports, even in the most abundant years, the whole penin- sula of Sinai yields scarcely 600 to 700 pounds, and in ordi- nary years not more than the third part of this quantity. 3. It serves as the usual, nutritious, and satisfying food, whilst it is in fact only a medical, relaxing substance, and would, if taken for any length of time, lead to the dissolu- tion of the body, although it may be applied to sweeten the meals ; nor do the Arabians use it now as an article of food. 4. It falls on the sixth day in double quantities, and on the seventh not at all. 5. It breeds worms, if it is preserved to the following day, whilst that kept from the sixth to the seventh day remains sweet and wholesome. 6. It is to the Israelites perfectly unknown, and causes their astonishment, and an omer full of it is preserved, that ' future generations might see the miraculous bread of their ancestors ; and in the same sense it is called a food which their fathers had never known.'' Moses commanded the people, that each man should gather of the manna just as much as was reqtiired for the number of persons composing his household. However, though forbidden to gather of the food on the Sabbath, many went out on that day, but they found no manna. Moses rebuked them for their disobedience severely ; and then at last they were induced to keep complete rest on the seventh day. ' Kdisch, Commentary on Exodus, ch. xvi. L 2 148 37. VICTOEY OVKR THE AMALEKITES. » 37. VICTORY OVER THE AMALEKITES. [ExoD. XVII.] Now the Israelites proceeded upon their difficult march, and taking, as before, a southerly direction, they arrived at Dophkah, then at Alush, and lastly at Eephidim, which is situated near the group of the Horeb mountains. Here they were visited once more by that fearful trial, want of water; again they felt tortured by thirst, and all the horrors of impending death made them rise against Moses in anger ; but he answered meekly : ' Why do you quarrel with me? Wherefore do you try the Lord?' They continued to assail him with more vehement threats : ' Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt' to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?' Then Moses cried to the Lord : 'What shall I do to this people ? There is but little wanting and they will stone me.' The Lord bade Moses take his staff in his hand, and lead the elders of the people to a rock among the mountains of Horeb, where He Himself would be present. Moses did as he was commanded, and as he touched the rock with the staff, streams of water rushed forth. Thus the people were once more saved by a nairacle ; but was their faith in the Lord's mercy thereby strengthened? Moses called the place Massah and Meribah, 'because of the quarrelling of the children of Israel, and because they tried the Lord, saying. Is the Lord among us or not ? ' We now come to a new and distinct phase in the history of the Israelites. They had been freed from slavery : the time had arrived for the men of Israel to prove themselves warriors. At Eephidim they were attacked by an army of the warlike Amalekites, a nation descending from the Idumaeans, and claiming Esau as 37. VICTORY OVER THE AMALEKITES. 149 their ancestor. This bold desert race lived among the mountains of Arabia Petrsea, and chiefly between PhiUstia, Egypt, Edom, and the deserts of Mount Sinai. Their assault was directed against the rear of the Hebrew army when it was exhausted and weary. Moses at once appointed Joshua, the son of Nun, a fearless and devoted young hero, general of the Hebrew hosts, and bade him fight with Amalek. The following morning Moses,' Aaron, and Hur ascended one of the hills, and from thence gazed down upon the plain where the two armies were to meet. Moses held his miraculous staff in his hand, and as the Israelites advanced to encounter the foe, he raised it in the air. Possibly that venerable figure standing on the heights with uplifted hands inspired the hearts of the soldiers with hope and courage ; for they fought and prevailed. But when the hands of Moses dropped with fatigue, the Israelites retreated and the Amalekites were victorious. All through the long day the fierce combat lasted, until Moses, faint and worn, seated himself upon a stone, while Aaron and Hur sup- ported his hands. As the sun set in the heavens, the victory of the Israelites was decided : they had won their first great battle ; they who had but lately been an enslaved nation, had defeated an ancient warrior-race. That extraordinary achievement was by Moses inscribed in a book as a memorial for future ages ; for the very remembrance of the Amalekites was to be blotted out from under heaven. And wishing to perpetuate the memory of the scene, Moses built an altar, and called it ' the Lord is my banner,' for he said, ' Because the hand of Amalek was against the throne of God, therefore the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to gene- ration.' 150 38. JETHKO. 38. JETHRO. [ExoD. XVIII.] It -will be remembered that Jethro, the priest of Midiaii, had remained in Arabia, when Moses departed into Egypt on his great mission. His daughter Zipporah with her two sons, Grershom and Eliezer, had returned to her old Arabian home after accompanying the prophet on the first stages of his journey. The story of the wonderful deliverance of the Hebrews and of their journey through the wilderness to the peaks of Horeb, had naturally spread tlirough all surrounding countries, and had thus become known to Jethro, who saw, with gratitude and gladness, that his son-in-law Moses was the favoured servant of' the Most High. He felt a desire to behold again this chosen messenger of the Lord, and to bring to him, now that the greatest dangers had been surmounted, his wife and children. He soon advanced to the region of Mount Sinai. When Moses was told that his father-in- law had arrived from Midian, he arose and went out from his tent, and welcomed the aged priest with reverence and affection. What a glorious and wondrous tale did Jethro hear from the lips of Moses ! More fully and more accurately than he could have learnt by vague reports, he was told of the Lord's mercy and loving- kindness to His enslaved people, of the terrors of the Egyptian plagues, of the miraculous passage through the Eed Sea, of the utter destruction of Pharaoh's hosts, and finally of the ever-recurring wonders in the desert, which were strengthening the minds of the Israelites in courage and faith, and without which they must long since have perished in their trackless wanderings. Jethro listened to all this with delight and rejoicing ; he believed in the God of the Hebrews, and testified his belief by a 38. JETHEO. 151 holocaust and a thank-offering. When Aaron and the elders of the people witnessed this act of faith, they assembled around Jethro, shared his sacrificial meal, and thereby expressed their spiritual relationship with the Midianite chief. On the morrow, Moses prepared as usual to judge the people. For it must be recollected that he, their leader and deliverer, was also their ruler, their law- giver, and their judge. All disputes and contentions were decided by him ; all commands and all precepts of the Lord were conveyed to the Israelites through his lips. From early dawn till sunset the people gathered around him. Jethro, beholding the scene, felt that no one man could undertake such an arduous and exhausting task. So, when the people had once more returned to their tents, the wise priest of Midian said to Moses : ' The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee ; for this thing is too heavy for thee ; thou art not able to perforin it thyself alone. Hearken now to my voice ; I will give thee counsel and Grod may be with thee.' And judicious and good was the advice given by Jethro. Moses should choose from among the whole nation men of trust and faith, and should make them chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. To these officers should be confided the duty of judging the people. Every small matter they should settle entirely according to their own judgment, while they were to bring every greater and more difficult dispute to Moses. Thus the main weight of the burden, almost crushing for the strength even of Moses, would in a great measure be taken from him. Moses followed the counsel of Jethro, who then departed, well satisfied, to his own land. 152 39. EEVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI. 39. THE EEVELATION ON MOTHSTT SESTAI. [ExoD. XIX. XX.] The Israelites, leaving Eephidim, entered the desert of Sinai, and encamped in the plaids which surround the mountain of that name. "We now approach the crowning point of the history of the Israelites in the desert. In the valley of Horeb they were to be raised from a mere horde of wandering shep- herds to a nation ruled over by the Almighty Grod of Heaven and Earth, to a nation chosen among all others to receive the law of Grod. Let us imagine this vast host spreading round the foot of the rugged mountain, awaiting in trembling awe the first accents of the voice of the Lord. That voice was heard at last addressing these solemn words to Moses: ' Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel : You have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. Now, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure to Me above all nations ; for all the earth is Mine, and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.' Moses faithfully delivered his great charge ; and the people, awed and deeply moved, answered as if with one voice, ' All that the Lord has spoken we will do.' Then they were commanded by Moses, on Grod's behest, to purify and hallow themselves, and to be ready to receive the Divine revelation on the third day. They carried out these injunctions with alacrity and pious obedience. Eound the mountain on which a mysterious dread seemed to hang, boundaries were placed, which the people were forbidden to pass on penalty of death. And now followed a scene 39. REVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI. 153 SO grand and majestic, so -wonderful and unfathomable, that it can only be told in the words of the Bible. ' And it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were tliunders and Hghtnings, and a heavy cloud upon the mountain, and the voice of the trumpet exceedingly strong, so that all who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp towards God, and they placed themselves at the nether part of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was entirely in smoke, be- cause the Lord descended upon it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded louder and louder very much, Moses spoke, and Grod answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the Lord said to Moses, Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to see, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, who come near the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. And Moses said to the Lord, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for Thou hast warned us, saying. Set bounds about the mountain, and sanctify it. And the Lord said to him, Go, descend and come up again, thou and Aaron with thee ; but let not the ■ priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break forth upon them. So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.' And then the Lord proclaimed the Ten Commandments as follows : '1. I am the Lord thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods besides Me. 2. Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor be induced to serve 154 39. BEVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI. them ; for I the Lord thy Grod am a zealous Grod, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation, to those who hate Me ; and showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me, and keep My commandments. 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God for falsehood ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name for falsehood. 4. Ee- member the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy Grod ; in it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter^, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy beast, nor thy stranger who is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 5. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God gives thee. 6. Thou shalt not murder. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house ; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.' These Commandments, a conspicuous landmark in the dim ages of the past, have preserved their force undimi- nished \mtil our time. They comprise indeed in their brief compass man's chief duties towards God and towards his fellow-creatures. They are calculated to make men pious, reverential, humble, obedient, able to restrain their passions, their desires, their very thoughts. They were revealed to the Hebrews, but they are binding upon all nations of the earth. They can be obeyed and acted upon in every country, by every race. They are written above the Ark of the Hebrew Temple, engraved on the altar 39. EKVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI. 155 of the Christian Church, and taught by the "Eastern They may be divided into two groups : the one relates to our duties towards Grod, the other to those towards our fellow-creatures ; the former comprises the four first, the latter the five last commandments, while the fifth refers to our parents, who occupy a position between Grod and our fellow-men, and in some respects partake of the character of both. ' The first commandment enjoins the belief in the exist- ence of Grod, the Creator, the gracious Bestower of all things. The Israelites had been rescued from their cruel bondage by Grod, and by Him alone : could they doubt the power of Him to whom they owed their happiness and their freedom ? Could they imagine any other Being equal to Him in greatness, or wisdom, or mercy ? They were, therefore, not only to believe in His existence, but also in His unity. The second commandment is meant as a support and safeguard of the first ; &od is not to be represented by any image or outward form whatever. This prohibition was indispensable for the Hebrews, who still required the severest training for a pure and spiritual faith, and were encompassed by nations of idolaters, who might easily induce them to portray Grod in images of wood or stone, of gold or silver, in the shape of man, beast, or monster, and to bow down before such an idol. And what was the punishment for the sin of idolatry ? Long years of suffering, extending to the third and fourth generation, tainting the Uves of unborn children. The unity and incorporeality of Grod having thus been declared, His sanctity was enforced in the third com- mandment. The name of the Lord, so great and awful in import, was not to be profaned by taking a false oath. Perjury, thus criminally aggravated, would call 156 39. EEVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI. down on tlie offender the most fearful retribution. An oath sworn by the holy name of the Lord, can be jus^ tified only by the most perfect sincerity of him who swears it. , ' The injunctions bearing upon God and His worship reach their culminating point in the fourth command- ment — the observance of the Sabbath as a sacred day of rest. It is hardly possible to exaggerate the importance of this precept. The creation of the world in six days and the one day of rest that followed it, were to be em- blems of man's busy six days of labour, relieved by the day consecrated to Gr6d. The Sabbath should bring perfect rest to man and beast. Human thoughts, ever turned to worldly things, should on that day soar upwards, and for- getting gain and barter and toil, dwell in holy contem- plation on the mercies of God, give utterance to praise and thanksgiving, or learn to search for a nobler and higher welfare than is possible during the din and turmoil of daily life. The Sabbath, sanctified and hallowed, be- came the first of holy days. It was meant constantly to remind the Hebrews of their relation to God; it was designed as an aid for establishing His sovereignty among them. Therefore, so far from being spent in apathy or indifference, it was to be an ever-recurring feast for heart and mind and soul, a feast gladly welcomed by individuals, households, and the nation, including ' the stranger within the gates.' Man owes to his parents a reverence second only to that which is due to God, and hence the place which the fifth commandment occupies in the decalogue. For parents exercise in some measure a Divine right over their chil- dren, they are to them the earthly types of their unseen heavenly Father. Filial piety is a supreme religious and Divine duty ; and its faithful observance is certain to be a blessing to the children. In eastern countries, the out- 39. EEVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI. 157 ward forms of respect towards parents or elders are pecu- liarly marked and expressive ; the father has undisputed authority over his family, his wish is law, his word has a holy power. But the fifth commandment is no less scrupulously observed in other climes ; and those men and women who have won most honour and fame, have, as a rule, most vividly remembered and most gratefully ac- knowledged the care and devotion of a wise father or of a tender mother. The sixth commandment, ' thou shalt not kill,' already enjoined in the time of Cain, and more distinctly still in the age of Noah, was repeated in the decalogue on account of its paramount importance. Man was created in the image of Grod ; his life is a breath from the Divine spirit. The destruction of a man is, therefore, an attack against the majesty of Grod Himself. The. Lord who gave the life can alone take it away. Murder is rebellion against all human and Divine laws. And as the life of our fellow-men is to be sacred to us, so likewise should be his property ; and so, in a higher degree, his wife, his dearest and most sacred possession, the companion of his life, the joy of his heart, the mother of his children ; and so also his honour and good name, which might be assailed by the poisonous weapon of the slanderer and the tale-bearer. Therefore the command- ment, ' thou shalt not kill,' is followed by the prohibitions, ' thou shalt not commit adultery,' ' thou shalt not steal,' and ' thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh- bour.' But not in dped and word only, but even in thought man is commanded to abstain from encroaching upon his neighbour's property. His heart and mind are to be no less clean than his hands and lips. He has been told, ' thou shalt not covet;' he is to keep away the cankering worms of envy and jealousyj because they are certain to 158 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. destroy his repose, his happiness, and his virtue. Unless thought, the root of our words and of our deeds, be pure and healthy, we cannot hope to render our life holy and profitable. And thus the last of the Ten Commandments may well be considered as the kernel, the very essence of the Law, warm with the breath of Divine truth and love, pure and sublime as the faith it was designed to strengthen and to support. 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENAIfT. [ExoD. XXI.— XXIV.] The Israelites who had grown into a nation, recognised God as their king, and not only accepted the laws which He bestowed upon them through His servant Moses, but solemnly pledged themselves to observe and respect them : they concluded, as it were, a Covenant with Grod. It will be well briefly to consider these laws, both in groups and classes, and then individually in their mutual bearing. They comprise I. Ordinances respecting the right oi persons, of free men and slaves, in all their relations ; II. Provisions in reference to the right of property ; and III. Moral laws which, however, are intimately con- nected with the civil organisation of the state. I, The statutes which treat of the right of persons, and which, among other objects, aim at the protection of the slave from the caprice or cruelty of his master, belong to the most important of the whole code. The Hebrews, 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 159 for centuries bondmen in Egypt, had at last been released to become citizens of a free commonwealth ; therefore the first laws they received related to slavery. The legislator saw indeed fit to allow or tolerate it among the Israelites, but it was slavery of a very different kind from that now understood by that term, the very sound of which fills us with strong and just aversion. A people who were to live by husbandry and agriculture, required labourers or hire- lings to till and work the fields, to cultivate and tend the vineyards, and to gather in the fruits. As a rule, such labourers belonged to foreign nations. They were either prisoners of war, or were purchased in times of peace. Their children, if born in the houses of their masters, became the property of the latter. These strange slaves were protected by mild and generous laws. If fugitives from another country, they were shielded from persecu- tion ; they were treated with signal kindness and forbear- ance ; they shared the blessed rest of the Sabbath-day ; they were freely admitted to the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, and by under- going certain rites, even to the paschal lamb. But it might happen that Hebrews also fell into slavery, espe- cially if poverty compelled them to sell themselves. But in such cases, their dependence was not to be permanent ; it was by the law restricted to six years. In the seventh year, the servants had not only the right, but the duty to return to freedom. They were, in reality, hirelings or labourers for a certain limited time, during which they were even allowed to work for their own benefit and thus acquire means of redeeming themselves before the lapse of the six years. Of course, the Hebrew slave participated in all the reUgious privileges of his master: he ate of the paschal lamb at the Passover meal ; he worshipped the Lord at the Feast of Weeks ; and he joined in the hymns of praise which resounded on the Feast of 160 ' 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. Tabernacles. He knew that, after his six years of servi- tude, he would go out free — not poor and empty-handed, but with flocks and herds, and corn and wine. His master was to dismiss him with a part of the blessings he had helped to store up for him, in remembrance of the first and great release from the Egyptian house of bon- dage. If the slave had come into the master's house a single man, he should always go out alone ; if married, his wife was to leave with him ; but if he had taken a wife in his master's house and had children, he should go out alone, while his family were to remain with the master, until they were redeemed. However, it sometimes happened, that the slave was so much attached to his master, or to the wife he had married, that he preferred remaining with him after his six years of servitude. Now those who thus disdained liberty, man's birthright and glory, were treated with public ignominy: they were brought before the judge, and in token of lasting and degrading slavery, their ear was bored with an awl at the door or its posts, and they were thus branded as bondmen for life. The provisions with respect to maidservants were, on the whole, identical with those regarding menservants. If a maidservant became the wife of her master or her master's son, she remained for ever in his house, enjoying all the privileges of a wife, her children being in the same position as those of a free Hebrew woman. But should she not receive her just rights, she was free to go out at once without waiting for the seventh year. While slavery, as is manifest fromi all these enactments, was practised in a merciful and humane manner among the Hebrews, it was hard and barbarous amongst other nations; therefore, a Hebrew sold to a stranger was a soul cut off from a privileged community, thrown from enlighten- ment to idolatry, and lowered from a life of dignity to one of disgrace. Hence kidnapping for the purpose of 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 161 selling into slavery was threatened witli death ; the severity of. this law was calculated to prevent the tempt- ing and lucrative slave-trade which could easily be carried on in Palestine, situated in the centre of the Eastern commerce and bounded by the Mediterranean. No less judicious are the laws of murder. ' He that smites a man so that he dies, he shall surely be put to death.' Just and prompt retaliation was to fall on the murderer's head. This was the inexorable rule whenever the murder had been perpetrated intentionally and deli- berately, or with 'malice prepense ' ; the criminal was to be taken even from the altar to die. But blood might be shed unintentionally and unawares, that is, manslaughter or homicide merely might be committed. Now, a gene- ral Eastern custom imposes upon the nearest relative of a murdered person the duty of avenging the murder, and he is therefore called ' the avenger of blood ' or Qoel (Q'^ ?Sil). In order to prevent unjust bloodshed in, cases of man- slaughter, the Hebrew law provided cities of refuge to which the unfortunate homicide might escape. After the first settlement of the Israelites in Canaan, three such cities were appointed ; and as their territory increased, the number was doubled — Golan, Eamoth, and Bezer in the east of the Jordan, and Kadesh, Shechem, and Hebron in the west ; they were so chosen that one of them might be within easy reach, in whatever part of the land the homi- cide had taken place. The fugitive was received at the gates by the elders and judges, who heard his case and decided whether he was a wilful murderer or an unwilling, and unfortunate man-slayer. If his crime was established, he was at once given over to the avenging Groel ; if the case was doubtful, he was sent back to the town where the deed had been committed, to be there tried ■ before the competent tribunals ; but if his innocence was unmistak- able, he was received into the shelter and safety of the 162 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. city of refuge. Here lie remained until the death of the High-priest, when he was allowed to return to. his native town without fear of the avenger. The advent of a new High-priest was aptly chosen as a time of release ; for in a theocratical state it marked a decisive epoch in the life of the nation ; and the new spiritual chief fitly restored to their old privileges those who had been deprived of them without guilt on their part. The institution of the cities of refuge as ordained in the Pentateuch, was extremely beneficial in shielding the innocent, in preventing un- necessary bloodshed, and in restraining the fierce ardour of the avenging relatives, which often blindly exterminated whole families and tribes. The law of Moses, so stringent in cases of murder, was equally careful in protecting the citizens from assault or bodily injury. If a person struck, in a quarrel, a free Israelite or a stranger, and thereby threw him temporarily on a sickbed, without inflicting upon him any serious injury, he had to pay him a double fine, for the loss of time, and for the expenses of the cure. — ' If a man smote his manservant or his maidservant with a rod, and he died under his hand, it is surely to be avenged.' Thus the right of the slave was established, and his immediate death, even if not intended by his master, was visited by adequate punishment ; though if he survived the ill-treatment for a day or two, his master was not held responsible. — ^Not only man's life, but his person generally was protected by the enactment of strict and literal retribution. The violent and unprincipled man must have trembled and stayed his hand at the words : ' Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.' In most cases, however, this physical retaliation was changed into a fine or penalty paid to the sufferer, and agreed upon by the two persons concerned ; and the 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 163 law was, as a rule, enforced only when the violence had been inflicted intentionally^ and maliciously, — If the master chastised his slave so as to deprive him of the use of any member, be this even a tooth, he was compelled to release him immediately without ransom. Man's life might be endangered not only by the hand of man, but by an infuriated beast, and the law wisely and humanely interposed to prevent this misfortune as much as possible. If, for instance, ' an ox gores a man or a woman, that they die, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten ; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push in time past, and it has been testified to his owner, and he has not kept him in, so that he killed a man or a woman : the ox shall be stoned, and his owner shall be put to death.' Yet as death occasioned by such accident could not be punished as severely as an intentional and deceitful murder, redemption by money was permitted, on a just and liberal valuation made by the judges. If a slave were thus killed by an ox, his master was indemnified for the loss by thirty shekels, the average price of a slave, while the animal was of course killed. 11. From the right of persons so strenuously and rigidly guarded by the code of Moses, we turn to the- second class of laws, those which concern the right of property. Provisions of this nature were most needful, nay in- dispensable, in a young community, which but gradually and slowly changed from nomadic to agricultural pursuits, and whose wealth consisted not so much in gold and silver as in the more uncertain and cumbrous possession of flocks and herds. Among such a people it was particularly necessary to enforce the sacredness of property. There- in 2 164 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. fore, the first law of this kind relates to the protection of animals. A cistern or pit left without covering is extremely dangerous to the security of beasts. Therefore it was enacted : ' If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein ; the owner of the pit shall pay for it, and give money to their owner, and the dead beast shall be his.' — Again, if one man's ox killed another's, then the live ox was sold, and the money divided between the two proprietors ; but if the owner had before been warned of the violent dis- position of his ox, and had not guarded and watched him, then he had to pay the full money for the damage caused by the animal. ,Next follow the laws bearing on the eighth command- ment, ' Thou shalt not steal.' If we picture to ourselves a patriarch whose tent covered but a small space of ground, but whose possessions stretched out boundlessly around him, thousands of animals — camels, oxen, asses, sheep, and goats — grazing in the pastures and on the plains without guard or protection, we can readily understand, how dan- gerous theft would have been, had it not been repressed by a severe law. Therefore, it was enforced that ' if a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it, or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for one ox and four sheep for one sheep.' If a thief broke into a house at night, when no help could be procured, and if he was killed by the master, it was not regarded as murder, but as legitimate self-defence. But if the thief broke in during the broad daylight, the master was not permitted to take his life, as he was then free to call in the aid of the authorities against the lawless burglar. The thief was compelled to restore the theft doubly, if it was found untouched in his hands ; if he was unable to do so, he was sold into servitude to a Hebrew master, till he was able to pay the fine. But if he had, 40. THE BOOK OP THE COVENANT. 165 before detection, applied the theft, wholly or partially, to his own uses — for instance, if he had killed or sold stolen cattle — the punishment was more rigorous; he was obliged to pay five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for one, the justice and expediency of which enactments are self-evident. If a man allowed his cattle to graze in the fields or vineyards of another, and so injured his harvest of wheat and fruit, the offender was required to pay for the loss he had occasioned from ' the best of the field and the best of his vineyard.' In the East, it is the custom at the end of the summer months, before the crop is sown for the ensuing year, to bum the thorns and weeds left in the fields. But owing to the dryness of the soil, a conflagration spreading over contiguous fields and meadows may, and often does, ensue. For the damage thus caused, full restitution was to bei made by him to whose neglect it was due. All property committed to the safe-keeping of others was to be regarded as sacred, and he who consented to- take the charge was answerable for loss or injury. How- ever, ' in this respect the distinction was established and adhered to, that if inanimate objects were, by cunning or violence, wrested from the depositary, he was not bound to make restitution to the proprietor ; but if animals, as oxen, asses, or sheep, were entrusted to his care, he was responsible for theft, but not for such accidents as the death of an animal, or its abduction by robbers or laceration by a wild beast. But if it was found that he had in any way intended to act fraudulently towards the proprietor, he was compelled to restore to him the twofold value of the deposit. All these disputes were decided by the competent judge, by means of adjuration.' III. If all the laws concerning the rights of person 166 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. and of property bear the stamp of -wisdoin and judicious- ness, those relating to the moral intercourse between man and man, to which we will now briefly advert, breathe the purest spirit of humanity, and may well be termed subT lime. Full of moderation and of forethought, they are an admirable study for the legislators of all ages, and a model for all nations. They are characterized by that feeling of love and tender charity which everywhere per- vades the Mosaic code ; they breathe the true and noble benevolence which the Hebrew was taught to practise towards the poor, the helpless, and the stranger. Eeverence to old age was repeatedly enjoined : ' Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the 'face of the old man, and fear thy Grod : I am the Lord I ' Parents, judges, kings, and priests were considered as Grod's representatives on earth. The crime of parricide, too enormous to be realised, and therefore not even mentioned in some ancient legislations, was to be punished by instant death; nay more, it was enacted, ' He who curses his father or his mother shall also die.' Charity and mercy, or love of justice and truth, suggested laws like these : ' Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy Grod : I am the Lord.' 'You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty ; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.' ' You shall do no unrighteousness in mete-yard, in weight, or in measure.' ' Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall you have.' ' Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small : but thou shalt have a just and perfect weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 167 thy day may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy Grod gives thee.' ' Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among the people, neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour : I am the Lord.' Descending deeper to the very source of human actions, the lawgiver commanded : ' Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart ; thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.' ' Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people ; but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' Eeverence due to Grod and the inviolable sanctity of His name, though proclaimed before in the third com- mandment, were again enforced with the utmost rigour : ' He that blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him ; as well the stranger as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemes the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.' But Moses passed beyond the limits of civil and penal laws, to touch on duties which lie entirely in the sphere of feeling and humanity. The stranger, the widow, and the fatherless were sacred before the Lord : ' If thou afSict them in any way, and if ^they cry to Me, I will surely hear their cry, and My wrath shall be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children orphans.' The helpless, the poor, the destitute stood under God's special protection, and every Hebrew was called upon to afford them help and to show them kindness. A stranger had the Israelite been in the land of Egypt ; he had felt the bitterness of bondage ; he could, therefore, sympathise with the stranger in his own land. The duty of hospitality, so readily observed 168 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. in the East, was by the Israelites raised into a sacred obli- gation. Their tent was open to the wanderer ; a feast was prepared to welcome him ; and his host would usually accompany him on his way for some distance when he rose to depart. The laws for the poor, which of course in- cluded the widow and the orphan, were most precise. In mentioning the poor, we must not imagine to ourselves a considerable portion of the population reduced to beggary and squalid poverty, such as we see, alas ! now in every country of the world. Among the small Hebrew com- munity, the landed property was almost equally divided, and there were none actually very wealthy and none ought 3)roperly to have been in want. But yet, from various reasons, there were instances when an Israelite fell hope- lessly from the happy and enviable condition of independ- ence, and this occurred so constantly that the words of Moses were not misapplied : ' The needy shall not cease from amidst the land.' In such cases, the benevolence of his brethren was instantly put to a test. There could be no fearful and enduring suffering where the laws of hu- manity were so forcibly and intelligibly enjoined. For Moses ordained that 1. The spontaneous produce of the fields, the orchards, and the vineyards, in every seventh year, when they were not cultivated, belonged to the poor as well as to the proprietors. 2. In every harvest, the borders of the fields were to be preserved and left to the poor and the stranger : ac- cording to tradition these borders must at least be the sixtieth part of the field ; and the law applied to all sorts of corn and legumes, the vine and olive, the nut- and date-trees. No poor man could be refused, and none was to be favoured in this privilege. 3. The proprietor was not allowed to glean the vine- yard after the gathering, nor take up the grapes which 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 169 fell off; all this belonged likewise to the poor and the stranger. 4. ' When thou cuttest down thy harvest in thy field, . and hast forgotten a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it ; it shall be for the stranger, the father- less, and the widow ; that the Lord thy Grod may bless thee and all the works of thy hands.' 5. 'When thou beatest thy olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again : it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.' 6. ' At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thy increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates : and the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates, shall come and shall eat and be satisfied, that the Lord thy Grod may bless thee in all the works of thy hand which thou doest.' If a man borrowed money in times of need, the creditor was not permitted to demand interest for the loan, lest the poor man be still more hopelessly entangled in want and led into ruin. And if a garment were given as a pledge for the money, it was to be returned before sunset, for, says the merciful lawgiver, ' that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep ? And it shall come to pass that when he cries to Me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate.' The ninth commandment, ' Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour,' was developed with par- ticular care. No unfounded report was accepted ; peijury was forbidden as a heinous crime. In cases of hidden or "insufficiently proved offences, which could, for this reason, not be made amenable to the law, the honest witness was to raise his voice fearlessly for the assertion of truth. Judicial impartiality was in all cases to be 170 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. rigidly maintained : even. the poor were not to be shel- tered or favoured by a false and misplaced compassion. In some instances, the very laws of property were con- verted into precepts of morality. The property of man. was to be sacred in the eyes of his neighbour, and no private enmity was to interfere with the rigid observance of this principle. Thus, in the words of the Bible : ' If thou meet thy enemy's ox or his ass erring about, thou shalt surely bring it back to him.' — ' If thou seest the ass of him that hates thee, lying under its burden, forbear to leave it to it : thou shalt leave it only with him.' We now arrive at one of the most characteristic and important parts of the Mosaic legislation — that which refers to thfe Sabbath year and the year of jubilee. The Sabbath itself, specially enjoined in the fourth command- ment, was repeated and enlarged upon in the later laws of Sinai ; it was, besides, made the foundation of the peculiar civil arrangement that every seventh year was to be instituted as the ' Sabbath year ' or ' year of release.' The Israelites were essentially an agricultural people; all their wealth was in the soil which, they tilled, and in the flocks and herds that grazed on their pastures. For six years, the land was theirs for sowing and plainting, for reaping and gathering in ; but in the seventh year, which, as it were, was the Lord's and not the husbandman's, the fields, the vineyards, and the olive groves were to rest ; the produce which they brought forth spontaneously, be- longed for common use to the proprietors, the servants, the poor, the stranger, and the beasts. No debts were exacted in the seventh year except from strangers, and all pledges were to be redeemed. In fact, it was the year of goodwill, of kindness, of charity, when men acknowledged that the earth with all its wealth was the Lord's, and that they were only sojourners and strangers upon it. Like the Sabbath, it tended to purify the mind from selfishness 40, THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 171 and worldliness, to instil into the heart a feeling of love and benevolence, and to ennoble the faith in God by practical virtue. The beautiful ideas implied in these institutions were still further carried out, in a manner that entered even more deeply into the national life of the people. As the years rolled on, and when the Sabbath year had been re- peated seven times, that is to say, after every forty-nine ye^rs, the ' year of jubilee ' was to be held. The fiftieth year, devoted to rejoicing, and ushered in by the solemn blast of the trumpet, proclaimed universal liberty. All persons were restored to their original condition in which they were placed by the Divine Law and by the first dis- tribution of the land. Every slave was freed, every pledge restored, every debt cancelled. Every hired s^ervant and poor bondman might return to his owoi Amily and to the possessions of his fathers. In that year also the land was the Lord's, and men might neither sow nor reap. The Mosaic legislation constantly brought the Israelites and the land they inhabited into direct relation with their Creator ; and this principle appears nowhere more strik- ingly than in the Hebrew festivals. Most of them celebrated special or historical events, and were designed to recall the love and mercies of a bountiful Grod. But they were besides connected with the chief epochs of the agricultural year. They were solemnized in the spring-time, summer, and autumn, at the beginning and end of the corn-harvest, and at the conclusion of the ingathering of fruit. On each of these festivals the Israel- ites were called upon to attend at the Temple of Jerusa- lem. There the fruits of the earth were laid before the altar, and the pious and grateful husbandman poured forth his song of thanksgiving and of praise to the Almighty who had blessed the labour of his hands. But the voice of the past was heard again in the voice of the present. 172 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. and to tlie gratitude for the ever-recurring mercies of G-od was added the tale of the redemption from Egyptian bondage and other trials. The first of these festivals was the feast of Passover, solemnized for seven days from the fifteenth day in the month of Nisan, the first month in the year, when the land of Palestine is bright with the ripening corn. It was to be kept for seven days in commemoration of the release from Egypt. The Israelites were, during that period, to eat unleavened bread only, as their forefathers had been compelled to do when they accomplished their hasty flight. It was the anniversary of their nation's, birth, of the last faint clank of their chains, of their first note of freedom. And in order to impress the importance of this festival, it was decreed that, if any member of the chosen nation were debarred, whether on account of a journey, or sickness or mourning, from celebrating it at the appointed time, he was to keep it on the fifteenth day of the following or second month, and this was termed ' the second Passover.' It marked the commencement of the summer crops. Eipened by the hot eastern sun, the corn, in the month of April, is ready to be cut; therefore the first sheaf of ripe barley was presented by the priest on the second day of Passover as a firstfruit- ofiering. The paschal lamb and other ceremonials con- nected with the festival have been mentioned before (p. 136). Seven full weeks after the feast of Passover, the second great festival was celebrated, the feast of Pentecost, which was in truth the festival of the harvest. It fell in the loveliest season of the year, when, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the heights of Judea and north- ward to the fertile plains of Samaria and Gralilee, the land of Palestine smiles fair in summer beauty ; when a deep- blue and cloudless sky arches over the purple vineyards and 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 173 the dark olive-groves. Then the hushandman, who had gathered in his harvest of wheat, repaired to the Temple of Grod to praise and glorify Him for His bounty. It was a great and solemn rejoicing, shared by the entire nation, the servant, the stranger, the bondman ; it was the season for feasting, for joyful assemblies, for public games and "dances. Tradition, without depriving this holiday of its beautiful and intimate connection with nature, adds to it a spiritual significance, and considers it as a commemoration of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai ; and at present, when offerings at the Temple are impossible, and the Jews are scattered through all climes, the latter meaning is almost exclusively associated with the days of Pentecost. The feast of Tabernacles was appointed for seven days from the fifteenth day of the seventh month, later called Tishri. It marked the end of the autumn, when the rainy season, which corresponds with our winter, is about to commence. It was the harvest of the vine and the olive, the ingathering of the fruit so needful and delicious. It was indeed a fitting moment for another, perhaps the greatest, festival of gratitude to the Lord. But like the two other chief festivals, it had a twofold meaning ; be- sides its agricultural character, it was intended to keep alive the memory of the Divine protection so mercifully bestowed upon the Israelites during their forty years' wan- derings in the desert. And in order to bring that remem- brance constantly and vividly before the people, they were commanded during the seven days of the festival to live in Tabernacles, as their fathers had done in the wilderness. They were to build for themselves booths, and to adorn them with branches of the palm-tree, twigs of the myrtle, willows of the brook, and the fragrant citron, thus filling their temporary habitations with the types of the varied productions of the soil. There, in the still eastern night, 174 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. they might catch, through the slight, leaf-covered roof, a glimpse of the starlit sky; and there, surrounded by the obvious proofs of Grod's bounty, they were reminded of that unchanging goodness which had guided their fathers through the desert, and had given to them that beautiful land upon which His eye watches 'from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.' Besides these three festivals, two others of a purely spiritual character were instituted. As those just described were eminently feasts of rejoicing, so were the others fes- tivals of serious contemplation and of self-aiHiction. On the first day of the seventh month, ' a day of memorial,' or 'a day of blowing the trumpet ' was commanded to be kept. Its character is not described in the Bible beyond being designated as a day on whiiih no work was to be done, and solemn sacrifices were to be offered to Grod. But Jewish tradition, working out every allusion of Scripture, con- siders it as the commencement of the religious year, and moreover, as the beginning of a season of penitence, which culminates in the ' Day of Atonement ' solemnized on the tenth of the same month. On this, the most sacred day of the year, a complete fast is to be kept from even till even : body and soul are alike to be afflicted for the sins and transgressions of the past ; forgiveness is to be prayed for in all humbleness ; the soul is to be restored to purity, and the heart to repose and peace. In this sense the Day of Atonement is still observed by the Jewish people, who justly regard it as the most spiritual, the sublimest of their festivals. At the three great agricultural festivals, every Israelite was commanded to worship in the common Temple of Jerusalem, and to present his offering to the Lord. Thus three times in the year, caravans and multitudes of Israel- ites from every part of the land might be seen journeying towards Jerusalem. Many, if not called away by urgent. 40. THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT. 175 duties, would remain in the holy city during the weeks that intervened between Passover and Pentecost. As the pyecincts of Jerusalem could not contain this mighty host of pilgrims, tents were pitched all round the town, form- ing one great camp, and there a scene of indescribable animation and eager interest presented itself. The flocks and herds grazed round the tents, and the camels that had come laden with provisions, dotted the adjoining fields and plains. The code of laws concludes with an earnest exhortation to the children of Israel, to listen to and obey the voice of Grod's servant Moses : ' Behold, I send a messenger before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, obe^ his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions ; for My name is in him.' When Moses proclaimed the words of the Lord to th' people, they all promised obedience with one voice. Thi covenant between G-od and Israel was ratified in a peculiar manner. ' Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent the young men of the children of Israel, and they offered burnt-offerings a.nd sacrificed thank-offerings of oxen to the Lord. Aiid Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant, and read before the ear of the people : and they said. All that the Lord has said shall we do and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said. Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with ' you on the condition of all these words.' /' After the sacrifice, Moses and Aaron, accompanied by Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 176 41. THE TABERNACLE. went up to Mount Sinai, where the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 'And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His feet like a work of pellucid sapphire, and like heaven itself in its clearness.' But Moses alone ascended to the top of the mountain, which was enveloped by a thick cloud. On the seventh day, G-od called Moses, who then passed within the cloud and remained there, withdrawn from the sight of the people, for forty days and forty nights. 41. THE TABERNACLE. [ExoD. XXV.— XXVII. XXX.] When the chief moral and civil laws had been given to the Israelites, and had been accepted by them with cheerful readiness, it was important that the observance of their faith should be secured and strengthened by outward symbols and a regular form of worship. It was above all deemed desirable to establish some visible sign of God's presence among the people. The idea that the spirit of the Almighty dwelt among them, and led them in their wanderings, was soul-stirring and encouraging ; it inten- sified religious belief ; it cheeredthe desponding, and roused the indolent. To keep this thought before their minds with the utmost vividness, a permanent dwelling-place for the glory of the Lord, or a ' Tabernacle,' was to be constructed. Hallowed by the sanction of God, it was to be like a banner around which they should rally when menaced by outward enemies ; it was to be an unfailing safeguard against their own fatal weakness, when tempted to lean towards idolatry. During the forty days and nights which Moses spent on Mount Sinai, he was instructed by the Lord in all the details of the Tabernacle and its service ; and when he 41. THE TABERNACLE. 1Y7 returned to the Israelites, he proceeded at once to carry out the precepts he had received. Let us picture to ourselves the holy edifice as it stood when completed. The Tabernacle consisted of three distinct parts — the Holy of Holies, the Sanctuary or Holy, and the Court. The two former were the Tabernacle in the stricter sense. This was thirty cubits long, ten cubits broad, and ten cubits high, and formed therefore an oblong square, the longer sides being those extending from east to west. It was made of boards of acacia wood plated with gold, each of which was ten cubits long and one cubit and a half broad. The boards, in order to be fixed in the ground, were each provided at the end with two tenons, which fitted in sockets of silver. But only the northern, south- ern, and western sides were in this manner framed of wood. At the eastern side was the entrance, which was covered with a curtain of blue, red, and crimson, and twined byssus. This curtain, which formed a square of ten cubits, was supported by five pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold, fixed by means of golden hooks and five sockets of brass. The fifth side (or the ceiling) con- sisted of a costly covering, composed of carpets or curtains of twined byssus, and blue, red, and crimson, with figures of the Cherubim interwoven ; over it was a covering of goats' hair made of eleven curtains ; and over this a third covering of rams' skins dyed red, and a fourth of badgers' skins, both of which were not only spread over the ceiling, but hung down at the sides without, as a protection .against the injurious influences of the weather. The structure just described was divided into two parts of a different degree of sanctity by a splendid curtain adorned with the images of the Cherubim, and suspended immediately u^der the loops and hooks of the first cover- ing, so that the western part was ten, and the eastern N 178 41. THE TABERNACLE. twenty cubits long. The former was the Holy of Holies, the latter the Sanctuary or the Holy. This curtain also hung, like that of the whole Tabernacle, on pillars of gilt acacia wood, but they were only four in number, fixed by means of hooks of gold and four sockets of silver. Golden nails were here likewise applied to fasten the curtain to the pillars. Aroiind the Tabernacle was a Court, one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits broad, and formed by pillars and cur- tains five cubits high : the pillars were of wood not plated with metal, twenty on each of the longer sides, ten on the shorter ones; the curtains were of fine twined linen. The entrance into the Court was from the east, ' so that when the sun rose, it might send its first rays upon it.' Exactly in the middle was a door, twenty cubits wide, overhung with a curtain of the same materials and work- manship as that before the Sanctuary. The Court had no covering above, but was exposed to the air ; and from without it was, like the Tabernacle, fastened in the ground by pins and tent-ropes. Within the Court stood two holy implements. 1. The Altar of Burnt-offering. It was formed of hollow boards of acacia wood covered with brass, and filled with earth. It was three cubits high, and five long and broad. At the four corners were four horns of the same wood, overlaid with brass. It had a border, and under it a grate or network of brass, probably in order to receive whatever might fall from the altar, especially wood and ashes. To the altar belonged various vessels of brass, as pots and basins, forks and fire-shovels. 2. The Laver, in which the priests washed their hands and feet before they commenced their sacred duties. It stood between the altar and the curtain of the Sanctuary. It was made of brass, chiefly ' of the looking-glasses of the women who served at the door of the Tabernacle.' 41. THE TABERNACLE. 179 The chief implements of the Holy or Sanctuary were three in number — the Shew-bread Table, the Candlestick, and the Altar of Incense. 1. The Table was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, one cubit and a half high, two cubits long, and one broad. The top was encircled at the border with a golden wreath or crown. Four golden rings were fastened in the four corners of the feet, probably immediately under the border or enclosure, and two staves of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, were put into the rings, for the transport of the Table in the journeys of the Hebrews. Twelve unleavened cakes, in two equal rows, were placed upon this Table as a permanent cereal ''offering for the twelve tribes of Israel. On each row pure frankincense was burnt, as a symbol that the shew-bread was offered to Grod and sacred to Him. Every Sabbath they were taken from the Table and eaten by the priests, but at once replaced by new ones. The vessels belonging to the Table were all of gold — the dishes for the cakes, the bowls for the frankincense, the cans and cups for the wine used at the libations which were most probably connected with the burning of the incense. 2. Opposite the Table, and occupying the southern or south-western part of the Sanctuary, stood the Candlestick, It was made of pure gold, and consisted of seven arms ; for it rested on a base from which rose a shaft that divided itself into three branches on each side. On each of the arms burnt a lamp filled with pure olive oil, six from evening till morning," but one from evening to evening. The arms themselves were ornamented with calyxes of almond flowers, pomegranates, and blossoms of the lily or some other flower. To the candelabrum belonged, as necessary utensils, golden snuffers and flre- shovels, 3. Between the Shew-bread Table and the Candlestick, N 2 180 41. THE TABERNACLE. and before the curtain that separated the Sanctuary from the Holy of Holies, stood the Altar of Incense. It was square, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, orna- mented round the top with a golden wreath, and fur- nished with horns, on which the High-priest put the blood of atonement. On this altar no sacrifice of any kind was offered, but the priest burnt every morning and every evening a peculiar frankincense most carefully prepared. When the High-priest passed from the Sanctuary, through the costly curtain, into the sacred and myste- rious Holy of Holies, he found there the ArJc, or the Ark of the Covenant or of the Testvmony. It consisted of three distinct parts. 1. The Ark itself, having the form of an oblong chest, was made of acacia wood, plated with fine gold from within and from without. Bound it was a border encircling it like a crown. It stood on four feet, each of which was provided with a ring, and through these rings were passed the two gilded staves of acacia wood, by which the Ark was carried. Into it were placed the two tablets of the Law, and nothing more; but before it an urn filled with manna, and the blooming staff of Aaron (see infra). 2. On the Ark was the Meray-seat, made of p\ire gold, and thus marked as distinct from the Ark. It was one of the most important parts of the Tabernacle, and the place where the blood of atonement was sprinkled on the most solemn occasions of the year. 3. On the Mercy-seat, and forming one whole with it, were two golden figures of the Cherubim,, with their wings expanded, and their faces turned to each other arid looking down upon the Mercy-seat. All that we can infer with respect to their shape is, that they were probably not very large, winged, and of the human form. 42. GARMENTS OF THE PRIESTS. 181 They were intended to serve as symbols for the Presence of God which filled the Holy of Holies ; and the High- priest, as he entered the sanctified spot with awe and re- verence, glanced from the type of the one infinite heavenly Being to the Ark Xvherein lay the words of the Lord as He had revealed them to His prophet Moses. The glory of Grod was alone to illumine the Holy of Holies ; neither the rays of the sun nor the light of lamps was allowed to penetrate into the mysterious dwelling- place of the Lord. 42. THE GAEMENTS OF THE PEIESTS. [ExoD. XXVIII. XXIX.] After God had described to Moses the holy edifice and all its parts. He gave him His directions concerning the priests who were to perform the sacred offices in that Sanctuary. Israel had been chosen as a holy people from among all other nations ; now the Levites were chosen from among the other tribes as specially consecrated ; they constituted more particularly 'the kingdom of priests.' But among the Levites the family of Aaron was singled out to do God's service ; Aaron himself was appointed the first High-priest, the spiritual king, the man who inter- ceded between God and His jjeople. Now, the very garments were to denote the sacredness and reveal the spiritual mission of the priests. They were symbolical, and therefore minutely prescribed. The vestments of the commou priests consisted of the tessellated tunic, the drawers, the girdle, and the turban. 1. The Tunic was a long close robe without folds, of white linen, with sleeves, covering the whole body down to the feet. It was woven in an entire piece, and formed one whole, with an aperture for the neck. It is described 182 42. GARMENTS OF THE PEIESTS. as tessellated, because the forms of squares were interwoven in it. The white colour was a symbol of purity, the fine linen pointed to sanctity, the interwoven squares were un- derstood as an emblem of completeness. 2. Over this tunic was tied the Girdle, made of fine linen with blue, red, and crimson, and embroidered with figures like the curtain of the Court and the Sanctuary. It was very long and broad, and was tied several times round the waist, while the end hung loosely down to the ankles ; but whenever the priest was engaged in active ministrations, he threw the end over his left shoulder, in order not to be impeded in his work. Although the girdle formed an indispensable part of the oriental dress, it is more especially the symbol of readiness, of office, and of appointment to fixed duties ; and it had this meaning in the priestly attire. 3. The Drawers are thus described by Josephus : ' They are a girdle composed of fine twined linen ; the feet are inserted into them in the manner of breeches ; but above half of them is cut off, and they end at the thighs, and are there tied fast.' 4. The head of the common priest was covered by the Turban; it was made of thick folds of linen, doubled roulid many times and firmly sewn together ; and it was fastened to the head by means of ribbons, to prevent its falling off. This turban, whieh was never to be removed, was to remind the priest that the head, the seat of re- flection and wisdom, was especially consecrated, that he should hallow his thoughts, and direct all his ideas to purity and truth. The High-priests shared these garments with the common priests ; but they had, besides, distinguishing vestments and ornaments which proclaimed their office to be one of higher importance and holiness. 1. The High-priest wore on his mitre a plate of gold, 42. GAEMENTS OF THE PRIESTS. 183 sometimes called a crown, reaching probably only from one temple to the other, and fastened to the turban by a thin ribbon. On this glittering ornament the significant words ' Holiness to the Lord' (nin''^ t5'^p) were inscribed. They declared that the wearer was entirely devoted to the service of Grod, and that his mission was to elevate and sanctify the chosen people. The plate was, like the dia- dem, the emblem of royalty ; for the High-priest was the anointed chief of the kingdom of priests, the spiritual representative of the Israelites, the visible connecting link between God and His people. 2. But the most characteristic garment of the High- priest was the EjpJwd, which he wore above the tunic. It was made of the finest texture, ' the work of the skilful weaver,' not only of blue and red, crimson and fine twined linen, but also of gold threads, which again symbolised the sovereignty of the High-priest as spiritual king ; it was without sleeves, and consisted of two parts called ' shoulder-pieces,' one of which covered the back, the other the breast and the upper part of the body. Where they were united on the shoulders, two onyx-stones set in gold were fixed. On these onyx-stones ' the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were to be engraved, six on each stone according- to their age; and the High-priest was to wear these stones as "stones of memorial" for the children of Israel when he stood before Grod. The signi- ficance of this arrangement is self-evident. The High- priest represented Israel before Grod; the stoiLes were, therefore, for the people who saw them and their names engraved on them, a memorial that the High-priest offi- ciated in their name ; that he interceded in their favour ; that he strove to expiate their sins and to reconcile them with their Creator, from whom they had swerved by their transgressions. The stones with the names on them were, therefore, for every individual an earnest admonition to 184 42. GARMENTS 03? THE PRIESTS. render himself, by repentance and atonement, worthy of that reconciliation ; for the prayers and sacrifices of the High-priest are efficacious only in so far as the people itself shows a craving after the restoration of that blissful harmony.' X The ephod had a band or girdle, woven of the same costly texture, and forming with it one entire piece. 3. Above the ephod, and attached to it by two chains twisted of gold thread, and resting chiefly upon the heart, was the Breast-plate of Decision. This remarkable portion of the pontifical vestments was woven of the same fine texture and the same costly materials as the ephod, with which it was meant to be closely connected,' On the breast-plate sparkled twelve precious stones in four equal rows ; on each stone the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel was engraven. ' Nothing re- presents both the origin and destiny of man more strikingly and more beautifully than precious stones carefully worked out. Like the jewel, man is a child of the earth ; but as this earthly frame encloses the breath of G-od and an eternal soul, it is a precious treasure in the eyes of God ; He values man as bearing His image and His indelible impress. But it is the aim of man to train himself "from a creature of the earth into a denizen of heaven, to transform the gloom and heaviness inherent in matter into the aerial brightness which is the essence of the spirits ; and the smiling splendour of the precious stones, which are, like him, taken from the same dark womb of the common mother, symbolize to him that in- ternal regeneration, that ascending from earth to heaven, from impurity to purity, from worldliness to sanctity, which is the innermost tendency of the Mosaic dispen- sation. But further, the jewels are, among all ancient nations, regarded as the foci of light, as the eyes of the earth ; they are the emblems of the stars, which they * See Kidisch, on Exod. xxviii. 42. GARTVLENTS OP THE PRIESTS. 185 rival in splendour ; their brilliancy recalls the brightness of heaven ; and if the names of the tribes were engraven on twelve stones, the hosts of Israel were reminded to strive after the light and the purity of the heavenly hosts.' [Kalisch, loc. cit.) The twelve jewels, as far as it is at present possible to ascertain the meaning of the Hebrew terms, were as follows : — 1. Carnelian, topaz, and smaragd. 2. Carbuncle, sapphire, and emerald. 3. Ligure, agate, and amethyst. 4. Chrysolite, onyx, and jasper. These stones were, at the same time, used for a very peculiar purpose. By their means the High-priest was, in critical and difficult emergencies, enabled to discover and reveal the will of Grod ; hence the breast-plate was designated ' the breast-plate of decision ;' and the twelve stones are described by the remarkable terms Urim and Thummim, or Light and Truth. As, therefore, the Urim and Thummim are identical with the twelve gems, they must bear some reference to the symbolical meaning of the latter ; and this is, as has been observed above, puri- fication from the state of sin and worldliness. ' The brilliancy of the precious stone is a type of the shining splendour of the purified soul and»of the celestial orbs. Now the Uri/m, and Thummim are nothing else than this " perfect light or brilliancy ;" they represent the absolute banishment of terrestrial selfishness, the highest possible degree of self-denial. Therefore Aaron had to wear them on the heart, the source of all desires, of all mun- dane propensities — on the heart, which is " deceitful above all things and wicked, which no man knows and which Grod. alone searches." If the heart of the High-priest was purified, if he pursued no other interests than the welfare of his people, then only was he worthy and capable 186 42. GARMENTS OF THE PRIESTS. of becoming the medium through which Israel received^ advice and guidance in times of trouble and uncertainty. And thus the much-disputed question, in what manner the answers of the Urim and Thummim were given, may perhaps be decided. The High-priest was, by the sight of the gems, powerfully impressed with the grandeur of his mission ; his mind gave itself up entirely to the duties of his office ; all earthly thoughts vanished before him ; he was raised to a prophetic vision, and in this state of sanctity Grod deigned to reveal to him His will and the destinies of His people ; and both the High- priest and the people were convinced of the truth of such inspirations. But there is this difference between the High-priest and the prophet, that the former has to try to rise up to God by moral exertion, whilst Grod descends to the latter spontaneously; the one is a servant, the other a messenger ; and therefore the office of the High- priest is continuous, while prophets are only inspired in extraordinary times and for special purposes.' {Ibid.) 4. To complete the magnificent attire of the High- priest, he wore between the ephod and the tunic the Robe, which was longer than the ephod and shorter than the tunic. It was of fine blue wool, with6ut sleeves, woven of one piece with an aperture for the neck, round which a strong bord«r was worked for protection from tearing. The blue colour of the garment was a signifi- cant symbol of that heavenly virtue which was to be the constant aim of the High-priest. Yet in order that his principal vestment might not be wanting in those colours which chiefly characterise the Tabernacle and the priestly attire, it ended in a broad hem of pomegranates, of blue, red, and crimson. Between these pomegranates small golden bells were inserted. The bells were not merely meant as an additional ornament, but they served a more important purpose. Their sound, produced when 43. THE GOLDEN CALF. 187 Aaron walked into the Sanctuary to perform the pre- scribed service, or when he returned after its completion, was to call the attention of the worshipping Israelites in the Court to the sacredness of his office, and to impress their minds with deep reverence ; for without the pious devotion of the people, the intervention of the High- priest before God was of little avail. Thus magnificently were the High-priest and the priests attired; yet were they to approach the Sanctuary with uncovered feet, that they might constantly be reminded of modesty and humility. 43. THE GOLDEN CALF. [ExoD. XXXII.] The Israelites had watched Moses from their tents as he disappeared amidst the flames and the smoke of Mount Sinai ; they awaited his return with •anxiety ; but when day after day, week after week passed by, and they were still left without their chief and guide, they despaired of his re-appearance, and came to Aaron and said : ' Rise, make us a god who shall go before us ; for as to this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Aaron, weak and well aware of the stubbornness and violence of the people, acceded to their demand. He bade the men and women bring their golden ornaments, which he melted and formed into' the shape of a calf, most probably a likeness of the Egyptian Apis. Then the people ex- claimed in wild rejoicing : ' These are thy gods, Israel, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt ; ' and Aaron built an altar before the image and announced : ' To- morrow is a feast to the Lord.' The morrow came, and the reckless people brought their peace-offerings and their burnt-offerings, and sacri- 188 43. THE GOLDEN CAXF. ficed to the idol. Then followed the tisual public feast- ing, with dancing and games. The Lord, as He comniuned with His servant Moses on the heights of Sinai, heard the impious sounds rising from the tents, and His wrath was great. He commanded Moses to descend, and to declare that He would utterly annihilate the rebellious people. But Moses prayed to the Lord humbly and fervently : ' Lord, why is Thy anger kindled against Thy people, which Thou hast brought from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say. To their misfortune He brought them out to slay them in the mountains, and to destroy them from the face of the earth ? Turn from the rage of Thy anger, and recall the evil against Thy people. Remember Abra- ham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou hast sworn by Thy own self, and to whom Thou [^hast said, I will multiply yowr seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land of which I have spoken will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.' And the Lord heard the prayer of His pious servant. Moses then went down, bearing in his hands the two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments had been written by the finger of Grod. Joshua, his devoted follower, awaited him at the foot of the mountain. The sounds of merriment were rising loud in the air, and Joshua, the warrior, exclaimed, ' There is a noise of war in the camp.' But Moses answered, ' It is not the voice of those who cry victory, nor the voice of those who cry defeat ; the voice of those who sing do I hear.' And as he advanced, he came in full view of the camp. He saw the golden calf raised on high, with the offerings burning before it, whilst around it danced and sang the infatuated < multitude. The faithful servant of God was filled with horror at the impiety of the people : in his indignation 43. THE GOLDEN CALP. 189' and anger he dashed the stone tablets out of his hands, and they were broken at the foot of the mountain. Then he advanced into the midst of the revellers, seized the calf, burned it in fire, and ground it into powder, which he scattered in water ; and of this water he made the Israelites drink to their own. ignominy. He then turned upbraidingly to Aaron, demanding, ' What has this people done to thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon it ? ' Aaron felt his miserable weakness, and replied in a confused manner, repeating the request of the children of Israel and his own guilty assent : ' They gave me their gold ; then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.' Moses now went to the gate of th'e camp, and pro- claimed in a loud voice : ' He who is for the Lord may come to me ' ; whereupon the men of the tribe of Levi assembled round him as his faithful* followers. Most terrible was their mission on that day; they were to wreak the Lord's vengeance on their sinful brethren. They were addressed by Moses : ' Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword at his side, pass on, and return from gate to gate in the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbour.' — The sons of Levi obeyed this fearful mandate, and three thousand Israelites fell on that day : ' for Moses had said. Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord, yea, every man with his son, and with his brother, and bring upon yourselves a blessing to-day.' Then Moses prayed again to God, and said : ' Oh this, people has sinned a great sin, and they have made to themselves a god of gold. And now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin — ; but if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written. And the Lord said to Moses, Whosoever has sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book : therefore, now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to thee. Behold, My 190 44. RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. messenger shall go before thee ; and in the day when I visit, I shall visit their sin upon them.' — The Israelites were to continue their journey to the land of promise, but the presence of the Lord would not be in the midst of them ; for, said God, ' Thou art a stiflF-necked people, lest I consume thee on the way.' — When the Hebrews heard these words, they were afflicted with grief, laid off their ornaments, and delivered themselves up to mourn- ing. But Moses was commanded to pitch his tent out- side the camp, and called it the ' Tent of Meeting ' ; for here Grod met His servant Moses and communed with him. When the prophet went into the tent, all the people rose and looked until he was lost from their sight in a pillar of cloud, from which Grod ' spoke to him face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.' And as the pillar of cloud hovered above the door, the people, full of awe and reve- rence, bowed themselves down and worshipped. When Moses returned to the camp, he prayed to Grod with fervour and zeal until he received the promise that God's glorious presence would lead the people onwards. 44. REISTEWAL OF THE COVENANT. [ExoD. XXXIII. XXXIV.] Then Moses, full of faith and trust, exclaimed : ' show me Thy glory.' He longed to see the whole mysterious greatness of God, who had hitherto only appeared to him in a cloud of smoke. But ' no man might see the Lord and live. And the Lord said. Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock ; and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and I will cover thee with My hand while I pass by. And then I will take away My hand, and thou shalt see My back, but My face cannot be seen.' 44. RENEWAL OP THE COVENANT. 191 For the second time Moses, on the command of God, ascended to the heights of Sinai, alone and unseen by all, bearing in bis hand two tables of stone which he had hewn instead of those he had broken. As he stood on the summit of the mountain, the Lord descended in a cloud, and once again He repeated His promises to Moses ; nay, He revealed to Him His very nature and being. Passing before His servant, He said : ' The Eternal, the Eternal, a God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, for- giving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means always leave unpimished, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, to the third and to the fourth generation.' He then renewed, through Moses, His covenant with the Israelites, briefly reiterating the principal pledges and commands, previously given, and revealing the pith of the new creed : ' Behold I make a covenant : before all thy peo;^le I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation ; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord ; for it is a terrible thing which I will do with thee. — Observe thou that which I command thee this day : behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebu- site. — Take heed to thyself, lest thou . make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee. But you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and annihilate their Ashtartes. For thou shalt worship no other god : for the Lord, Zealous is His name. He is a Zealous God ; lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land ; for when they go astray after their gods, and sacri- fice to their gods, they might invite thee, and thou mightest eat of their sacrifice, and take of their daughters 192 44. RENEWAL OP THE COVENANT. to thy sons, and when thy daughters go astray after their gods, they might make thy sons go astray after their gods.— Thou shalt make to thyself no molten gods.— The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib thou camest out of Egypt. — All that opens the womb is Mine, and all thy male cattle which is born, the firstling of ox or of sheep. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou dost not redeem it, then shalt thou break its neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. — And none shall appear before Me empty. — Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest ; in the time of ploughing and of reaping thou shalt rest. — And thou shalt observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's circuit. Thrice in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord Grod, the Grod of Israel. For I shall expel the nations before thee, and enlarge thy boundaries : nor shall any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before the Lord thy Grod thrice in the year. — Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven ; nor shall the sacri- fice of the Feast of the Passover be left to the morning. — The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring to the House of the Lord thy Grod. — Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.' Moses stayed forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, during which time ' he neither ate bread nor drank water ' ; and the Lord wrote again the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone. And now Moses descended the rocky sides of the moun- tain, and this time he was awaited by Aaron and the Isra-' elites with reverential awe. As he came from the presence of the Lord, his face shone with a heavenly light. The 45. ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE. 193 people could not look upon him ; they were afraid of the wonderful radiance that played round him. But he called Aaron and the elders of the congregation and the whole people, and communicated to them all the words of the Lord which he had heard on Mount Sinai. And when he had finished speaking, he covered the glory of his face with a veil, a symbol of deep and earnest reflection, which should not be disturbed by outward objects ; but when he communed with the Lord or with the people, he lifted the veil from his face. 45. ERECTION OP THE TABERNACLE. [ExoD. XXXV.— XXXVIII. XL.] When Moses proclaimed to the Israelites how they should build a Tabernacle for the Lord, they were full of gladness and of alacrity to construct the sacred edifice as a fit and permanent dwelling-place for the glory of Grod. All, both men and women, brought their share, their free-will gift, according to their ability. All offered cheerfully their wealth, their labour, and their skill to promote the holy undertaking. The camp soon presented a most lively appearance. But in order to avoid con- fusion or dispute, one master-mind was to have the entire supervision of the work. Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, was selected for that purpose. He was endowed with the spirit of wisdom and of understanding. He was a man experienced in all workmanship, able to invent designs in gold and silver or brass, to carve in wood, and to cut and set precious stones. With him was associated Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan, who was a skilful weaver, and who, under the directions of Bezaleel, wove and embroidered the curtains, the hangings, and the priestly vestments. 194 45. EEECTION OF THE TABEENACLE; The work was carried on with zeal and eagerness. The women came laden with ornaments, with their necklaces, rings, and bracelets of gold, while the men gave the skins, the fine wool, and the various other materials, such as brass and acacia wood. All who were able worked busily, and brought their textures of fine linen, spun goats' hair, and cloths of blue and crimson. Then the chiefs of Israel came forward with their treasures, their onyx-stones and their sparkling jewels, for the ephod and breast-plate of the Sigh-priest. Nor -were wanting the oil for the lamps, and the spices for the ointment and the incense. All these gifts were contributed in such large supplies that at last the workmen could find no further use for them, and Moses was compelled to restrain the ardom- of the people by proclaiming throughout the camp that both men and women were to cease bringing their offerings. At last all was finished ; and ' Moses looked upon the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had com- manded ; and Moses blessed them.' On the first day of the first month, nearly a year after the departure from Egypt, -the Tabernacle of the Lord was erected by Moses, and all the sacred implements were put in their due places in the Holy of Holies, the Sanctuary, and the Court. The tablets of the Law were deposited in the Ark, the shew-bread was placed oh the golden Table, the Candlestick lighted with the holy oil, and incense burnt on the golden Altar ; while the Laver in the Court was filled with water, that ' Moses and Aaron and his sons might wash their hands and their feet when they went into the Tabernacle, and when they approached the Altar.' Then Moses was enjoined to anoint and', thereby to consecrate the holy edifice with all its vessels, and to clothe and anoint Aaron and his sons for their appointed ministrations. Yet before these commands 46. SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS. 195 were carried out, some other laws were proclaimed that were indispensable for the proper performance of the task. So then the Tabernacle, brilliant with colour, sparkling with gold and silver, and enclosing the word of God in its innermost Sanctuary, rose before the enchanted gaze of the Israelites. But this was not all ; the Tabernacle was visibly to be marked as the seat of the glory of the Lord. The people saw a cloud cover the Tent, and the heavenly radiance filled the habitation so completely that even Moses was unable to enter. ' And when the cloud arose from the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys ; but if the cloud did not arise, then they did not journey till the day that it arose. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.' 46. THE HEBREW SACRIFICES AKD OFFERINGS. [Lbvit. I.— Vn. XXII. 13—33; Num. V. 6—10. XV. XXVIII. XXIX.; Dbot. Xn. 11—18, 26, 27. XXVI. 1—11.] The place of worship had been duly appointed by God, the priests .had been chosen, their garments prescribed, their consecratibn ordained. The Israelites were now not only a free, but destined to be a holy people, the people of God. The purity of their faith was to be their mark of distinction among the nations of the earth. All others worshipped a multitude of idols ; the Israelites were to do homage to the One God. All others bowed down before representations of created things, or before vain productions of their own imagination; the Hebrews prostrated their hearts before the glory of the Lord, whom they pictured by no figure or image. Their faith 02 196 46. SACEIFICES AND OFFERINGS. was indeed totally different from that of the na,tions around them : does the same hold true with respect to their worship ? Far from it : their faith was Divine, but the form of their worship was necessarily human ; and adapted as it was to the requirements of an imperfectly educated people, it inevitably consisted of ceremonies and varied rituals. Worship is generally expressive of one of three feelings — of thanksgiving, supplication, or contrition. We either praise the Lord for the benefits He has bestowed upon us ; or we implore His help ; or we confess our failings and sins. These religious impulses were natu- . rally the same in the Hebrew and the heathen worship- per, however different their creeds may have been. The priest of the Lord and the priest of Dagon soKcited bless- ings through their sacrifices, although the one addressed his prayers to the Eternal and Merciful King, whilst the other bowed down before an impotent idol. The earliest stage of worship was that of sacrifices and offerings. These are found among nearly every nation of antiquity, and seem, therefore, to be prompted by a common human feeling. Yet with respect to them a clear progress is discernible. In the remotest times and among the least cultivated nations, sacrifices were offered from motives of awe and fear. The worshippers wished to propitiate their gods, and to avert their wrath, Grradually a feeling of grati- tude pervaded their hearts ; successful men were proud of their flocks and herds, of their vineyards and oHve- groves, and they conveyed their thanks to the deities by appropriate sacrifices. Still later, when beauty, ease, and comfort found their way into man's life, he was induced, by a sentiment of joy, to share with the gods the best parts of his property ; sacrificial repasts were held, in which the worshipper appeared as a friend of his god 46. SACBIFICES AND OFFERINGS. 197 Thus there were successively fear-offerings, thank-offer- ings, and joy-offerings. Moreover, vows were a most important form of religious service. A person about to engage in some difficult or dangerous enterprise, pledged himself, in case of success or deliverance, to a self-imposed sacrifice, that is, he offered a vow. This feeling, honourable in itself, became, however, too often a fearful evil by a narrow-minded ap- plication. A vow was deemed irrevocable, even if it was fatal and criminal in its effects, even if it demanded the life of a beloved and innocent child. But in the lapse of ages, as religious education ad- vanced, it was felt that man ought not only to demand benefits, or express his gratitude when he had received them, but that, before he approached the altar with his gifts and supplications, he ought to expiate the guilty deeds which weighed upon his conscience. Thus his sacrifices became sin-offerings and purifications. And then profound minds became aware that the innate frailty . of man will ever make him liable to transgression, and that sin-offerings were required not merely for special offences, but for human life in general with its temptations and, moral trials. Thus humility-sacrifices were intro- duced, the last and highest stage of offering, the one nearest allied to the sacrifice of the heart and spirit— to prayer. But to prayer as a principal mode of worship, the ancient Hebrews were not permitted to advance. Supplications are indeed to be found in the Scriptures ; but the prayers of Hannah, of David, of Solomon, and others, though beautiful and breathing piety and fervour, were only regarded as additions to sacrificial offerings; and though they were often the spontaneous outpourings of gratitude, despair, and entreaty, they were not an in- variable or indispensable part of worship. The sacrifices were the material expression of prayer, and the different 198 46. SACRIFICES AND •SSKlaaa.iO kinds of offering explained sufficiently what prayer they denoted. We shall now consider the sacrifices of the Hebrews as ordained in the Pentateuch. For this purpose, we shall have recourse to a work from which we have obtained as- sistance before.* The sacrifices consisted either of animal or of Vegetable offerings. As a rule, the burnt-, the expiatory, and the purification-offerings were animal sacrifices, while the thank-offerings could be either animal or vegetable. The sacrifices of animals were generally accompanied by a cereal offering, and by a libation of wine or a drink- offering. The following table comprises the chief offerings of. the Hebrews : I. Burnt-offering — exclusively an animal sacrifice. II. Joy-offering — either animal or vegetable. 1. Praise-offering. 2. Thank-offering. 3. Paschal-offering, 4. Offering of first-born animals. 5. Offering of firstfruits. a. Offering of the first new ears of corn. b. Offering of the first new bread. c. Offering of the firstfruits of other vege- table productions. III. Expiatory Offering. 1. Sin-offering — mainly animal. 2. Trespass-offering — animal. 3. Offering of jealousy— vegetable. IV. Purification-offering — mainly animal. 1. After childbirth. ' Kalisch, Commentary on Leviticus, Part X. 46. SAOBIFICES AND OFFERINGS. 199 2. After recovery from leprosy. 3. After recovery from illness. V. Drink-offering. VI, Shew-bread. \ VII, Incense-offering, The victims were naturally limited to ' clean animals,' Therefore of quadrupeds, the cloven-footed ruminants were permitted : ' But among these again the Law singled out the species which formed the ordinary food of the Israelites, were most valuable to agriculturists, and there- fore really involved a sacrifice, an act of devoted self- denial ; especially as the same animals, being bred, reared, and domesticated by the worshipper, bore a close con- nection with his pursuits and his ordinary life, and were creatures which he "had toiled for and made grow," Hence the quadrupeds ordained for sacrifices were not beasts like the hart, the roebuck, or the fallow deer, though these were considered clean and lawful for food, but mainly cattle, whether from the herd or from the flock ; of the former class the bullock and ox, the cow and calf ; of the latter class the sheep and the goat' {Ibid. Levit, pp. 78, 79.) Oi fowls, turtle-doves alone and young pigeons were to be offered, because they were abundantly reared and kept in Palestine, and formed the principal animal food of the poor, though they were also found wild in mountains and ravines throughout the country. Fishes were not at all accepted as sacrifices, evidently because they multiply freely in the water, without the care and control of man. ' The significance of all these restrictions is manifest : the Law demanded for sacrifices not merely the tamest animals, and such which were most readily at hand, but those which, at the same time, reminded the worshippers of their daily labour, of their dependence on Him who 200 46. SACEIFICES AND OFFERINGS. had allowed it to prosper, and of their deep obligations t( His unceasing beneficence. Although the stag and th( deer, when kept and bred, were unquestionably the prO' perty of individuals, they could, as a species, not b( claimed by legal owners, and might well be regarded even if not presented on the altar, as belonging to Grod. the Lord of nature : " I will take no bullock, says Grod, out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds ; for every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon thousands of hills." Not all productions of the land, nor all the articles of food, were demanded, but those only which man had made his own by honest exertion and watchful care. The oblations were indeed to represent the pro- perty and sustenance, but also the active life and energy of the people. They were a partial restitution of the blessings which God had mercifully vouchsafed to the offerer ; they impressed the seal of religion upon his gain ; they hallowed his life for the maintenance of which that gain was destined.' (^Ibid. p. 81.) Similar principles decided the selection of the vegetable productions which were to be taken for the bloodless offerings, viz. flour — or in some cases roasted grains rubbed out of the early ears of corn — wine, and oil, which three productions are often mentioned as the principal means of sustenance, and the staple of Canaan's wealth. Salt was to be added on nearly all occasions. ' Not the free and common gifts or the spontaneous vegetation of nature, however esteemed and precious, were to be dedi- cated to the Deity — not figs, pomegranates, dates, or almonds, though forming characteristic products of Pales- tine, but those objects only which the offerer had made his individual property by exertion and anxious attention, and which he had obtained by the sweat of his brow : gratitude, humility, self-abnegation, and the reality of a hard-working life were to be mirrored in every offering.' (liM. p. 85.) ^ 46. SACEIt*ICES ANt) OFPERINGS. 201 Bloodless oblation. — Vegetable offerings were presented at least as early as animal sacrifices, especially by poorer persons. But in the course of time, the notion evidently gained ground that sacrifices, like ordinary repasts, ought to consist not only of meat, but also of vegetables or cereals and of wine. Hence it was ordained that all usual burnt- and thank-offerings should be accompanied by vegetable and drink-offerings. However, a cereal oblation was frequently presented alone as an independent sacrifice, for instance, by the nation every Sabbath, when the twelve cakes of shew-bread were placed on the golden Table in the Holy ; on the second day of Passover, when the first sheaf of ripe barley was offered ; and on Pentecost, when the first loaves baked of the new wheat were laid on the altar ; it was presented by the very poor as a sin- offering for certain offences instead of an animal sacrifice ; and in nearly all these cases the oblation was to consist of not less than one-tenth of an ephah, or an omer of- flour, which quantity was supposed to be required for the daily food of one person. Drink-offering. — The Law, regulating an old practice or custom, prescribed that every animal holocaust or thank-offering, whether public or private, if consisting of a quadruped, should be accompanied not only by a cereal gift, but also by a libation of wine, which perhaps formed part of independent cereal oblations also. ' The mode of libation is not described in the Law, but it appears that at least a part of the wine was out of golden vessels poured into the flames, and thus came upon the brazen altar, like the meat and the fat, the flour and the cakes, the oil and the incense, as " food to the Lord " or " an offering made by fire, a sweet odour to the Lord," while the rest was probably, like the blood, poured out at the sides of the brazen altar. In this manner all the wine 202 46. SACErFICES AND OFFERINGS. • was disposed of, and the priests who were forbidden to drink any strong beverage when they entered the holy precincts, received no part of it.' {Ibid, p. 230.) Bumt-offermg. — Holocausts belong to the most im- portant forms of offering ; for they involve most perfectly the idea of sacrifice, and express the absolute submission to the power of the Deity. They were the foundation and the principal characteristic of the public worship of the Hebrews. ' Killed at the central Sanctuary, they were designed by the Law to keep alive the feeling of humble dependence on Jehovah, and were used as a chief acknow- ledgment of His theocratic rule. They marked the habit- ual tone of the religious life of the nation, for which reason the fire was to be permanently maintained on the brazen altar, both by day and night.' They were pre- sented in the name of the people, throughout the year, every morning and every evening, on every Sabbath and day of the new-moon, on the three great agricultural festivals, when the people assembled to appear before the Lord, on the Day of Memorial celebrated on the first day of the seventh month, and on the Day of Atonement. They were also prescribed for people "^recovering from various kinds of illness, and for the Nazarite when he had been defiled by contact with a corpse. They were a part of the ceremonials of consecration, when the Tabernacle or Temple was dedicated ; when Aaron and his sons were ordained as priests ; and when the Levites were appointed as their ministers : on such occasions they were to denote the supremacy of God, to whom all men were subjected and to whom the priests owed their power as delegates and instruments. — But apart from the compulsory offering of holocausts ordained by the Law, they had a supreme im- portance as voluntary sacrifices. They were left in a great measure to the option of the pious, when on any particular occasion of joy, sorrow, or deliverance from 46. SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS. 203 peril and illness, they were anxious to testify their rever ential submission, or their trust in Grod's power and mercy. In these cases, they frequently partook of the character of expiatory offerings, conveying a general expression of human weakness and sinfulness. Thus when the whole congregation unwittingly sinned or transgressed a Divine commandment, they were ordered to offer for their expia- tion both a bullock as a burnt-offering and a goat as a sin-offering. Indeed, holocausts were considered as an atonement when offered in a proper spirit. — The holocaust has, therefore, not unjustly been called the best and highest, the choicest and most exquisite kind of sacrifice ; it was always to consist of an unblemished vnale animal, whether bullock, ram, or goat, because the male animals were con- ' sidered the superior species ; and although the Law per- mitted or prescribed also holocausts of pigeons and turtle- doves of either sex, so as ^^to render them accessible to poorer persons, the larger quadrupeds were selected in preference, and often slain in vast numbers. Thus we are told that' Solomon, when his succession was secured, offered 1,000 animals; when he was anointed, 1,000 bullocks, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs ; and when he consecrated the Temple, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. But we hear of burnt-offerings long before the days of king Solomon. They appear indeed in the very earliest records of the Bible. Abel, the shepherd, sacrificed the firstlings of his flocks ; Noah presented a burnt-offering after leaving the Ark ; and Abraham offered the ram he had seen in a thicket when his son Isaac was restored to him. Thus from the first patriarchs of old, the Hebrews testified, by means of holocausts, their self-denial, submis- sion, and religious awe. Thanh-offermgs were intended as an acknowledgmen,t of some temporal boon, and were naturally associated with 204 46. SACEIFICES AND OPFEHINGS. feelings of a joyful and domestic character. Grod, the Master and Judge, was nierged in Grod, the Benefactor and Eescuer. The victims, whether of the herd or the flock, were not required to be males; female animals were equally acceptable. The bloodless oblation added to the thank-offering, consisted, in some cases, not only of unleavened cakes and wafers, but also of leavened bread, to remind the Israelite of his ordinary life and subsistence. Not the whole animal was burnt, but some special parts only were delivered up to the Deity as ' an offering made by fire, a sweet odour to the Lord.' Two portions, the breast and the right shoulder, were reserved for the priests, who ate them with their wives, their children, and theii' servants, within the precincts of the Sanctuary, while the rest was consumed in convivial feasts, in any part of the sacred town, by the offerer himself, with his family and household, with the Levite, the poor, and the stranger, his invited guests. All the fat, together with the mem- bers and organs to which it is chiefly attached, as the kid- neys and the fat tail of certain kinds of sheep, was burnt to Grod on the altar ; and the cereal oblation which be- longed to the thank-offering, was richly prepared with oil ; for not only were the cakes and wafers mingled and anointed, but the flour itself of which they were made, was sometimes saturated with it : therefore fatness, typi- cal of abundance and prosperity, of joy and gratitude, appears to have been the leading characteristic of thank- offerings. Expiatory Sacrifices. — These offerings grew, as has been observed, from a feeling of human .weakness — a feeling which the Scriptures express in a thousand varied forms ; a feeling which no trials, no miracles, no success, and no failure could change ; which made itself heard in all ages, from the wanderings in the desert to the days of the exile. 46. SACEIFICES AND OFFBEINGS. 205 But, as a rule, the expiatory offerings were only permitted in cases of inadvertent or unintentional transgression; they were not accepted for deeds of wanton impiety or reckless violence. ' The knowledge that " the cogitation of man's heart is evil from his youth," was to afford no pretext for leniency to premeditated malice, but was, on the contrary, to stimulate to vigilance and self-control. Divine forgiveness should be granted to the imperfection, but not to the perversion of human nature. The precepts of the Law, being the emanation of Divine wisdom, bore the stamp of holiness ; they could not, without offence to their all-wise Author, be violated under any circum- stances, or in any manner whatever ; they required, there- fore, atonement, even if transgressed unconsciously : their absolute sanctity marked every trespass as a deplorable guilt to be expiated by a sacrifice of self-humiliation.' {Ibid. p. 253.) Hence the sin-offering, if an animal, was neither ac- companied by a cereal offering nor by a libatioji of wine ; if a cereal offering, it was presented Avithout oil and frank- incense : in the former case, it was to lose the character of social and domestic enjoyment, since it was no ' food of the Lord' : and in the latter, it was not to recall the ideas of cheerfulness and festivity, of abundance and or- nament ; wherefore it was not designated ' a sweet odour to the Lord.' The flesh of those sin-offerings the blood of which did not come into the Holy, was indeed eaten by the male Aaronites, but the repast was serious and severe, devoid of genial conviviality, and forming a part of the ritual of expiation. Therefore the sin-offerings were naturally placed in the class of ' most holy' sacrifices. If any of their blood had fallen upon a garment, the latter was to be washed in the holy place, in the Court of ,the Sanctuary. Their flesh could be touched by holy persons or priests only ; it was burnt entirely whenever 206 ie. SACRIFICES AND OFPEEINGS. the Wood had been sprinkled on the vail and put upon the horns of the altar of incense in the Holy; it was eaten, with the exception of the fat and the fat parts, by the male Aaronites in the holy place, whenever the blood had been put upon the horns, and poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering in the Court. The Law was so anxious to secure the expiation of sin under all circumstances, that it permitted poor persons to present as a sin-offering a cereal oblation, simply consist- ing of the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour, of which the priest took off a handful as a memorial, and burnt it on the brazen altar, while the rest belonged to the priest, and then ' the poor man's sin was atoned for and he was for- given.' The Pentateuch mentions two kinds of expiatory sacri- fices' — the Sin-offerings and the Trespass-offerings. The former were presented, in the name of the whole people, on all the great festivals and days of solemn convocation, on Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Taber- nacles, on the Day of Memorial or the first day of the seventh month, and on the Day of Atonement. They also accompanied the inauguration of any great public function- ary, as the consecration of Aaron and his sons, and seven days later, the commencement of their new duties ; they preceded the initiation of the Levites and the dedication of a new Sanctuary. Moreover j they were connected with deliverance from serious perils and diseases, every illness being considered the consequence of some transgression, or the result of man's general imperfection. The animals killed for trespass-offeri/ngs were males in all cases ; most commonly a ram seems to have been chosen, probably because sheep, and especially rams, were the primitive medium of currency, chiefly for' paying ■ fines, and were, therefore, peculiarly appropriate, since ttespass-offerings were originally presented as penalties for fraud. 46. SACRIFICES AND OPFEElNGS. 207 The mode of sacrificing was, for all cases, minutely laid down by the Law, and varied according to the different occasions. ' As we survey the expiatory offerings of the Hebrews, which for purity stand unrivalled in the ancient world, we are bound to admit that they were pre-eminently cal- culated to keep alive among the nation those feelings on which all religious life depends, and from which it flows as its natural source, the feelings of human sinfulness, and the conviction of Divine holiness, by the standard of which that sinfulness is to be measured ; they fostered, therefore, at once humility and an ideal yearning ; and they effectually counteracted that sense of self-righteous- ness natural indeed to the pride of man, but utterly de- structive of all nobler virtues. They were well suited to secure in the directest and completest manner that single- ness of life and heart, which is the true end of all sacrifices. Every Israelite was to feel his transgression personally and individually ; hence the sinrofferings were carefully and designedly varied according to the sinner's rank and position, both with regard to the choice of the victim and the mode of the ceremonial ; whereas the holocausts, symbolising as they did merely a general admission of the common frailty inherent in human nature, were uniform for aU persons. But the religious legislation was not to be brought into collision with the civil and political enactments ; it was, on the contrary, meant to support and strengthen them; so far from endangering the safety of the state by an ill- advised leniency, it helped to eradicate the natural pro- pensity to crime and lawlessness ; its operation was there- fore limited to involuntary trespasses, while the secular authorities were left free to deal with premeditated offences ; it even abstained from interfering in some im- portant cases of unintentional misdeeds, such as homicide 208 47- THE PBIESTS AND XEVITES. for which it prescribed no sacrifice, but admitted a worldlj punishment: satisfied to act as a silent instrument foi the reformation of the hearts, it indeed effectually con- tracted the application, but did not injudiciously weaken the authority of the criminal code. Hence, though bear- ing the character of vicariousness, the sin-offerings were far from encouraging an external worship by lifeless cere- monies ; in themselves the spontaneous offspring of reli- gious repentance, and thus naturally helping to nourish the same beneficent feeling, they were the strongest gua- rantee for a life of honesty and active virtue.' {Ibid. p,281,) 47. THE PRIESTS AJSTD LEYITES, [ExoD. XXIX ; Levit, VIII.— X. XXI. XXII ; Num. IU. IV. VIII. etc.] Before we proceed with om- narrative, it is necessary to give a short account of the priesthood, which forms so important a part in the economy of the Hebrew institu- tions. Although the priests seldom evinced the sublime and pure devotion of the Hebrew prophets ; although they were at times justly censured for venality, indolence, and faithlessness : they were the appointed guardia,ns of the Law, and the elected intercessors between the chosen people and their Grod. In the patriarchal ages, the father of each family was the priest of his own household. He built the altar, he burnt the incense, he offered the sacrifices. Thus there was a temple of Grod in each rude tent. This arrange- ment was strengthened by the prevailing notion that the first-born sons belonged specially to God, and were there- fore naturally devoted to His service. But when, after the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt, a political commonwealth was to be organised, it was found a prac- tical impossibility that just the chiefs of the families, 47. THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES. 209 upon whom so many duties and responsibilities devolved, should give themselves up entirely to the priestly functions. It was, therefore, ordained that in the place of the first- born of each family, a member of one chosen tribe should perform the offices of priesthood. The tribe of Levi was, in early times, conspicuous for fierce and indomitable courage ; it long preserved many of its characteristics of daring and violence ; and it was from this hardy warrior tribe that the Hebrew priests were taken. The Levites were invested with prominent lustre and glory by the name of Moses ; and they had, on several important occasions, exhibited a praiseworthy zeal and devotion in the cause of religion. Yet the priesthood was not conferred upon Moses, but upon his elder brother Aaron and his lineal descendants ; with remarkable con- sistency, all the remaining branches of the tribe — that is, the families of Grershon and Merari, of Izhar and Uzziel, and of Moses himself — were set apart as the ministers of the priests, or the Levites in the stricter sense, and had to perform the more menial duties in connection with the service of the Sanctuary. The priests were required to be without personal ble- mish of any kind. They were probably only permitted to officiate during the best years of their strength, and thus they represented the flower and manhood of the people. Next to righteousness of life and faultlessness of form, external purity was considered the chief emblem of godli- ness. Therefore, the priest had to keep aloof from every- thing that might make him unclean. He was not allowed to approach dead bodies except those of his nearest blood- relations — of his father and mother, of his son and daughter, his brother and unmarried sister ; and if he officiated at the altar in a state of impurity, he had to fear the punish- ment of excision. P 210 47. THE PRIESTS AJSD LEVITES. However, piety and Holiness were the first and chief requirements of the priest; for he was called upon to glorify Grod by his conduct and actions, and not by his teachings alone; Wine or any strong beverage, calculated to disturb perfect clearness of thought, was strictly for- , bidden during the time of ministrations. In affliction or bereavement, the priest was not to abandon himself to a vehement display of grief, but to maintain, as much as possible, a serene composure. As it was deemed necessary to relieve the priests from material cares and anxieties, they were amply provided for by the Law, and received from the produce and the sacri- fices of the Hebrews very considerable portions. Thirteen towns within the provinces of Judah, Simeon, and Benja- min, were assigned to them as their abodes. They were free from military service and all taxes. Thus they could devote themselves undisturbed to their important duties. These duties were manifold. They embraced the service in the Court, the Holy, and the Holy of Holies. The priests had to perform all the significant rites connected with offerings, especially to sprinkle the blood and burn the flesh, to heave and wave the dedicated portions of victims, and to burn the memorial in cereal oblations. They had to keep up the perpetual fire on the brazen altar in the Court, and there to offer the regular daily holocausts. They had to burn the incense on the golden altar in the Holy, to dress the lamps of the Candlestick, and to remove every Sabbath from the Shew-bread table the twelve im- leavened cakes, and to replace them by new ones. During the wanderings of the Hebrews, they bad to guard the Tabernacle and its utensils, to wrap them up when the journeys were resumed, and to deliver them to the Levites for transport. Whenever individuals or the whole nation had publicly to perform religious rites, the priests were the mediators or agents ; for instance, in the ceremonies 47. THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES. 211 preceding the release of the Nazarite ; at the ordeal pre- scribed for suspected wives ; at the expiation of an un- traced murder ; and at the examination and cleansing of leprous persons, houses, and garments. They were pro- bably the physicians of the nation, over which they exer- cised a kind of sanitary supervision. They regulated the calendar, and watched over the legal accuracy of weights and nieasures. They had, at certain times, in peace and war, to blow the silver trumpets. They accompanied military expeditions, sometimes with the Ark of the Covenant. Before the commencement of battle, they had to encourage the soldiers with the following address: ' Hear, Israel, approach this day to battle against your enemies ; let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble nor be terrified on account of them ; for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, to fight with you against your enemies to save you.' As they were specially elected and invested with the Divine spirit, it was their particular mission to study the Law, to teach and to diffuse it, and ' to instruct the chil- dren of Israel in all the statutes which the Lord had spoken to them through Moses.' They had to read every seven years on the Feast of Tabernacles the principal laws ' of the Pentateuch to the assembled people, ' that they may listen and learn, and fear the Lord, and observe to do all the words of the Law.' It was their privilege to bless the people in the name of God, to consult the Ark of the Covenant or the Urim and Thummim in dangerous or important emergencies, and to act as supreme judges in difficult cases ; for ' by their word shall every contro- versy and every violence be tried.' From the nature of all these functions it is apparent that the priests required, on the one hand, a chief who could Tepresent the whole order and act as the mediator between God and the entire people ; and, on the other p 2 212 47. THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES. hand, ministers or assistants wlio might relieve them from the menial and low duties connected with the service of the Sanctuary. They received a chief in the High-priest, and assistants in the Levites, The High-priest, invested both with greater holiness and higher responsibilities, was the embodiment of the theocratic community itself. He was consecrated by a more copious anointment than the common priests, and was, therefore, simply called ' the anointed priest ' or even distinguished by the name ' the holy of the Lord.' There could of course only be one High-priest at a time. The sin of the High-priest caused or involved the sin of the nation. The dignity was confined to Aaron and his descendants through Eleazar, the eldest of his surviving sons, and was certainly not extended to any other branch of his tribe. The High-priest was permitted to marry none but a Hebrew virgin. He held his office for life ; his death marked an epoch in the existence of the nation ; and when it happened, the involuntary homicide who had escaped into a city of refuge, was permitted to return to his home. It was his prerogative especially, to consult the Urim and Thummim, which he wore on his breast. He exercised supreme supervision over the entire public worship. He sacrificed the sin-offering for himself and the people. On the day of Atonement, 'he expiated the sins of the community by most solemn and imposing rites. He occupied a high position, if he did not preside, in the supreme tribunals. He was not allowed to approach the dead bodies even of his father and his mother. He was rigorously to abstain from all external signs of mourning. He was to keep himself in perfect and constant purity; for ' he should not go out of the Sanctuary, nor profane the Sanctuary of his Grod, for the crown of the anointing oil of Grod is upon him.' His garments were, even in a higher sense than those of the common priests, to be made 47. THE PEIBSTS AND LEVITES. 213 for ' glory and distinction.' They were marked both by greater splendom- and higher significance, as has been pointed out above (p. 182). But on the Day of Atonement, when he entered into the Holy of Holies, he had to lay off those magnificent vestments, and humbly to appear in garanents of plain white linen. The Levites, or the ministers of the priests, comprised all the members of the tribe, except the branch of Aaron. Their connection with the public service was not spiritual, but menial and mechanical. They were not properly elected by God, but merely set apart for certain subordi- nate duties. They were, in fact, considered as mere substitutes for the Israelites. They were not allowed to come near the holy implements of the Sanctuary ; if they did so, they were to expect death from the hand of Grod, together with the neglectful priests who permitted the desecration. They were, like the Israelites, restricted to the Court. They were invested with no peculiar signifi- cance or holiness. Physical perfection was not required as a necessary condition. All were admitted, and served from the twenty-first or thirtieth to the fiftieth year of their lives. They were initiated in their office by the simplest rites. They were neither clothed nor anointed, but merely cleansed by purifying water. They had no distinguishing garments, and did not differ, in this respect, from the common Israelites. They had 'to keep the charge of the Sanctuary,' that is, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. Therefore, during the wanderings of the Israelites, they had to carry the Tabernacle and its vessels, which, however, not they, but the priests alone, were permitted to wrap up, under penalty of certain death. During the encampments, they were stationed round the holy structure. They assisted in the offering of sacrifices, especially in receiving the blood of the victims in the appointed vessels, and presenting it to the priests for 214 47. THE PBIESTS AND LEVITES. sprinkling. They had to prepare the holy ointment, the shew-bread, and the other unleavened cakes and cereal oblations. When the Temple was built, their functions were naturally enlarged : they were the keepers of the entrances, courts, and chambers, and in later times, to- gether with the priests, the guardians of the treasury of the Temple ; they had the charge of the stores of flour and oil, wine, frankincense, and spices ; they attended the morning and evening services, at which they performed vocal and instrumental music. They were probably chosen for judges of the inferior courts, and for teachers of the people. When the Levites had thus risen in authority, they were deemed too holy for many of the menial duties, and they received, on their part, servants called Nethinim, who were charged to assist them in the same way as they had been appointed to assist the priests ; the Nethinim were probably captives of war, and were held in great contempt. The Levites were, in the Pentateuch, liberally provided for. They had, indeed, no landed property, but they received, in return for their services at the Sanctuary, the tenth part of all the produce of the soil and of the annual increase of the cattle ; of the former, however, they had to give the tenth part to the priests. Though exempt from military service and all taxes, they yet probably received a share of the booty of war. They had abodes assigned to them in thirty-five cities on both sides of the Jordan, within the territories of all tribes, except those of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon, in which the priests had their dwellings ; and to each town, fields were attached sufficient for pasturage. 48. VAEIOUS LBVITICAL LAWS. 215 48. VARIOtrS LBVITIOAL LAWS. \. Dietary Laws (Levit. xi. &c.). Purity and holiness were to be the chief characteristics of the Hebrew, people ; they were to be manifested in their faith and worship, in their moral conduct and daily life. Bearing this in mind, we shall be able duly to estimate the value of the dietary laws, which, though, perhaps, partly sanitary in their origin, were invested with a religious sanctity, and connected with the great principle, 'You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.' Man was allowed to feed on the flesh of animals, but he was restricted in his choice. Among quadrupeds, the legis- lator considered as clean and wholesome the cloven-footed ruminants ; among birds, those which do not prey on dead bodies ; and among fishes, those which have fins and scales : these alone he permitted, whereas he rigidly interdicted all other creatures, as the camel, the pig, and the hare, the eagle, the vulture, and the hawk, and especially ' creeping things,' which were declared to be an abomi- nation, and to cause uncleanness if touched when dead. Moreover, he prohibited the people from eating all animals that had not been properly killed, because they might be unwholesome ; and all that were torn by wild beasts, because they were stifled in their own blood ; and blood was interdicted by the most awful penalties, because 'the blood is the soul' of the animal, which it was regarded iniquitous not to respect ; therefore, even the blood of animals that had been killed in the chase was to be poured on the ground and covered with earth. The fat also was forbidden, because it was, like the blood, considered as the seat of the life and strength of the animal; and it is likely that for a similar reason the custom arose among the Hebrews of abstaining from the 216 48. VARIOUS LEVITICAL LAWS, principal (or sciatic) nerve, representing the power of motion, though that custom was derived from a remark- able incident in the life of the patriarch Jacob (see p. 74). The command, 'Thou shalt not seethe the kid in its mother's milk' was probably prompted by motives of humanity, and had, besides, the object of preventing certain superstitious rites practised by heathens. 2. The Laws of Purification (Levit. xiii.-xv. &c.) were enforced with great severity and precision. Fore- most among them are the rules to be observed with r.espect to that terrible Eastern scourge, leprosy. As soon as the first symptoms of illness were noticed, the sufferer "was removed from the community, and placed under the supervision of the priest. If the symptoms developed themselves into the dread disease, he was kept in seclusion, and whenever he went forth into the abodes of men, he had to appear with his clothes rent, his head bared, and his chin covered, and. to utter the doleful warning, 'Unclean, unclean!' If the plague left him, he was cleansed by various and significant purifications meant to symbolise his renewed holiness in thought and in deed, and restoring him again to all his rights as a member of the chosen community. A terrible plague akin to leprosy is, in the East, not unusual in houses, when the stones of the walls are covered with green or red streaks. As soon as the priest received information of such symptoms, he went to examine the house, and at once ordered everj^ihing to be cleared out of it; after seven days he returned, and if the marks had made progress during that time, the stones so affected were, by his direction, taken away and cast into an unclean place without the city, the interior of the house was thoroughly scraped, and the dust likewise removed beyond the precincts of the city, after which the stones and the dust were replaced by new stones and mortar. But the signs 48. VASlOtfS LEVITICAL tAWS. 2lt of pestilence might still linger in the walls, and appear again and spread. In such cases the whole house was pronounced thoroughly unclean, and was pulled down ; all the stones were cast out of the city, and everyone who had been in the house during the time of its unwholesome condition was unclean, and was bound to undergo the usual purifications. 3. The Nazarites (Numb. vi.). Among the Hebrews there were found, at all times, men and women who, impressed with a feeling of religious fervour, wished to devote themselves for a certain period to the special service of Grod. These Nazarites, as they were called, led a life of abstinence and isolation. They shunned wine and any other strong drink. They allowed their hair to grow freely. Bound by ordinances resembling the severest rules enjoined upon the priesthood, they were forbidden to touch or approach any dead body, were it even that of father or mother, of brother or sister, ' because the con- secration of his Grod is upon the Nazarite's head ; all the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord,' An accidental and unavoidable defilement was expiated by impressive ceremonies. When the time of the self- imposed seclusion had passed, the Nazarite had to present, with peculiar rites, a burnt-, a sin-, and a thank-offering, together with various bloodless oblations and drink- offerings; and cutting his hair at the door of the Sanctuary, he burnt it by the fire of his thank-offering, after which he was released from his vow and his restric- tions. 4. Miscellaneous laws. The ordinances of purity, so minutely and so strongly enforced, are clearly illustrated by the details given concerning the laws of marriage. The human form was considered sacred ; no mutilation was permitted, and in the wild outpouring of grief, the mourner was forbidden to lacerate his flesh— a. custom 218 48* VARIOUS LEVITICAl LAWS. widely prevailing among Eastern nations (Levit. xix. 27, 28). The religious precepts of the Mosaic code are of endless variety — indeed, as varied as life itself, with its many duties and temptations ; but they seem all to be summed up in two commandments, 'which have become as it were the very keystone and mainspring of the Jewish faith : ' Hear Israel, the Lord thy God is One Grod ;' and ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy Grod with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might ' (Deut. vi. 5). These words were to be the constant guide and monitor of the Hebrew ; he was steadfastly to believe in the unity of Grod, and he was to devote all his thoughts, his feelings, and his works to Him, his merciful Father. Not merely was he to serve Him in reverence and fear, but with that true and fervent love on which alone faith can be firmly built. To remind the Israelite of the allegiance he owes to his Grod, he was commanded to wear a symbol of it on his arm, and forehead (phylacteries), to indicate that he should be pious in deed and thought ; he was to make blue fringes on the borders of his outer garment {tsitsith), to impress upon him heavenly purity and elevation of mind ; and he was to inscribe a memorial of it upon the doorpost of his house (mezuzah), to remind him that his life should be zealously devoted to Grod (Exod. xiii. 9 ; Numb. XV. 38 ; Deut. xi. 20). Above all, it was prescribed that children should be diligently instructed by their parents in the precious truths that had been revealed for the guidance Of man- kind in all ages. The precepts of the Law are followed by a grand and sublime picture, enforcing the oft-repeated lesson that obedience and faith shall be truly blessed, that sin and disobedience shall receive terrible punishment. To 49. DEATH OF NADAB "AND ABIHU. 219 render the injunctions more impressive, the Israelites were commanded, after the conquest of the promised land, solemnly to pronounce the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount iEbal, and thus, as it were, to confirm their own reward and their own punish- ment (Levit. xxvi. ; Deut. xxviii.). 49. DEATH OP NADAB AND ABIHU. [Levit. X.] It will be remembered that we interrupted our narra- tive, in order to insert a sketch of the moral, religious, and social legislation of the Hebrews ; we now resume it to follow the events recorded in the Pentateuch. It has been related how Aaron was installed in the priestly office to which his descendants were to be heirs for ever. But although they were thus suddenly elevated to a post of great distinction, they were not declared holy and sinless ; they were by their lives to prove that they were worthy to minister in the Tabernacle of the Lord. But Aaron's two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, showed too soon that their minds were not prepared for the high privileges conferred upon them : they were wanting in , reverence and faithful obedience. At an irregular time, they brought ' strange fire,' that is, fire not taken from the brazen altar in the Court of the Tabernacle, and burnt incense to the Lord. The offence was followed by instantaneous retribution ; fire descended from heaven, and killed the two self-willed men. On this occasion the peculiar sanctity of the Hebrew priesthood was strikingly revealed. Aaron was naturally overwhelmed with grief by the awful disaster; but Moses approached him with the words : ' This is it that the Lord spoke, saying, I will be sanctified through those that are near Me, and before 220 50. WAlJDEEINaS IN THE DESERf. all the people I will be glorified.' Aaron felt the truth and significance of the rebuke, and he was silent. But Moses pursued his object still further ; for he said to his bereaved brother Aaron, and his two surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar : ' Do not let your heads be dis- heveled, nor rend your clothes, lest you die, and lest Grod be wroth upon all the congregation ; and you shall not go out from the doors of the Tabernacle, lest you die ; for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.' The ministers of God were to subdue their human and natural sym- pathies, in order to live for His service alone, in perfect unworldliness and holiness. 50. WANDERINGS IN THE DESERT. [Numb. I. sqcf.] The Israelites had been journeying for a year in the wilderness, when Moses was comnianded by the Lord to number them. Each man who had arrived at the age of twenty, and who was therefore able to serve as a soldier, was to be included in the census, with the exception, however, of the tribe of Levi, which was exempt from military and civil burdens. The Israelites numbered 603,550 men capable of bearing arms ; among them the tribe of Judah was prominent in strength, counting above 74,000 men. The whole host, including men, women, and children, must therefore have consisted of about two millions and a half of souls. When the people encamped, whether for a shorter or a longer time, the tribes were uniformly arranged in the same prescribed order. In the centre stood the Taber- nacle, guarded and protected by the Levites and priests, who surrounded it. On its eastern Side encamped Judah, and with him Issacharand Zebulon; to the west Ephraim, 50. WANDERINGS IN THE DESERT. 221 together with Benjamin and Manasseh ; to the north Dan, with Asher and Naphtali ; and to the south Eeuben, with Grad and Simeon. Above the Tabernacle hung a cloud of smoke by day, and a cloud of fire by night. When the Israelites were to move onward, the cloud went before them ; and when they were to pitch their tents, the cloud rested. As the Ark was lifted up to precede the advancing army, Moses exclaimed : ' Eise up, Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee ; ' and when the Ark rested, he said : ' Eestore, Lord, the myriads of the hosts of Israel.' In order to arouse the attention of the vast multitude, whether upon the march or during the encampment, Moses was commanded to use two silver trumpets ; their loud and significant blast would be a summons for the people and ' a memorial ' before Grod ; it was to be a signal for the whole community or the chiefs to assemble before the Tabernacle, or to prepare for departure from the encampment; it led the warriors to battle, and proclaimed the holy festivals, the days of gladness and thanksgiving, of solemnity and humiliation. In the second month of the second year, the cloud rose above the Tabernacle and summoned the Israelites to leave their resting-place at Sinai, and to resume their march. They proceeded in a north-easterly direction. The Tabernacle, carefully protected, was carried and watched by the Levites ; the Ark of the Covenant was borne in front of the congregation ; and the vast host of men, women, and children toiled on, their tents slung on poles, their camels heavily laden, their flocks and herds driven before them. After a three days' journey they arrived in the wilderness of Paran, where the cloud of the Lord rested. 222 51. SUFFERINGS IN THE DESEET. 51. SUPFBIIIN"GS m THE DESERT. [Numb. XI.] Discontent and impatience arose among the people. Forgetting their promise of trust and obedience, they murmured bitterly against Moses. God in His anger sent fire upon them from heaven, causing terror and destruction. Hence the place was called Taberah, that is, Conflagration. The Hebrews had now subsisted upon manna so long that it became distasteful to them ; they began to yearn for flesh and other food to which they had before been accustomed : ' We remember the fish,' they said murmur- ingly, ' which we ate in Egypt freely ; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the gar- lick : but now our soul is languishing ; there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes.' Moses heard this outcry with sorrow and displeasure ; he felt that the burden of guiding and controlling so vast and so mutinous a host was more than he could bear ; how could he satisfy their wild clamour for flesh ? He cried to God and en- treated His help. The Lord listened to his prayer. He commanded him to select seventy of the elders, upon whom He would bestow a part of that Divine spirit which distinguished Moses himself ; and He promised that the people should have the flesh they were coveting, but it should come to them as a bitter punishment : ^ You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but even a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you : because you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why did we come forth out of Egypt?' Here an episode happened which exhibits the character 52. DISCONTENT OF AAEON AND MIEIAM. 223 of Moses in all its purity and greatness. The seventy- men selected and endowed with the Divine spirit uttered prophecies : ' But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad ; and the spirit rested upon them (they were of those who were written down, but they had not gone out into the Tabernacle), and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a yoimg man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses from his youth, answered and said. My Lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said to him, Dost thou strive for my sake ? would Grod that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit upon them ! ' As the Israelites had been declared to be a people of priests, so Moses desired to make them a people of prophets, and to let them share his own spiritual privileges. Now a strong wind rose and blew flocks of quails into the camp. They came in such multitudes that they covered the ground two cubits high for a space of a day's journey round the camp. The people gathered eagerly, and ate to their full satisfaction. While they were still enjoying that longed-for food, they were smitten by a fearful plague which caused death and desolation in the camp ; hence the place received the name Kivroth-hat^ taavah, that is, Grraves of Greediness. 62. DISCONTENT OF AARON JiJ and houses for their children, they wished to go with the Hebrew army over the Jordan, and to assist in the con- quest of the land ; and not before that conquest was com- pleted would they return to their eastern possessions. Moses expressed himself satisfied with this declaration and pledge, and assigned to Eeuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, the beautiful provinces which they claimed. 62. DEATH OF M0SE3. 245 62. DEATH AND CHARACTER OF MOSES. [Deut. I. sjj.] The nation of wanderers lay encamped in the districts of Moab, with the rugged mountain fastnesses rising around them, with the distant prospect of plains and fields, where herds of cattle were grazing, near the oaks of Bashan and the fenced cities which now belonged to them and their children. The prophet stood at the door of the Tabernacle, en- compassed by the glory of Grod. The people, all gathered about their tents, were awaiting his word. They were resting from their victory over the Midianites, and pre- pared to cross the Jordan for the occupation of Canaan. They had swept the enemies from their path, and had now no fear of the mighty children of Anak. In the ' desert, a new generation of sturdy warriors had sprung up, who had never felt the bondage, and had never seen the wealth and luxury, of Egypt. But Moses, no more than his brother Aaron, was permitted 'to enter the Pro- mised Land : he was to die on its very borders. He had once doubted the word of the Lord at the rock of Meri- bah, and in spite of his habitual faith and obedience, he ■ was to sufier a bitter punishment. He neither murmured nor repined : he had fulfilled his appointed task, he left the rest to the Lord. He was 120 years old, but his eye was not dim, and his strength had not abated. He was still a general ready to lead forth his people to battle, and a judge administering justice to all. Filled with the spirit of Grod, he assembled the children of Israel in their en- campment at the foot of Mount Pisgah, and in solemn and touching words recalled to them the incidents of their miraculous deliverance, from their flight out of 246 62, DEATH OV MOSES. , Egypt down to the recent yarfare with the powerful desert tribes. Intending the address as his farewell to the people on the very eve of their triumph, he inter- wove with it a repetition of the Ten Commandments and of many of the important laws, together with impressive appeals to faith and piety. He bade the people remember that it was through the Lord alone that they had been delivered out of Egypt ; He had chosen them to hand down the revealed truth from generation to generation, and to diffuse it throughout the earth. They were to possess Canaan not on account of their own righteousness, for they had ever been sinful and disobedient, but by the grace and mercy of God. But they must preserve their faith pure and undefiled, abhorring and keeping aloof from every form and manner of idolatry. All images found in the land of Canaan were to be destroyed, all groves and temples dedicated to false gods to be hewn down, all idolatrous nations exterminated. Should any one of the children of Israel turn to idolatry, no pity was to, be shown to him: he should be stoned to death by the congregation ; for Moses knew too well the weakness and inconsistency of the people. Then followed a powerful exhortation to obedience. It seemed as if the great prophet had divined the days of peril and tribulation which the Israelites later called down upon themselves ; as if it were given to him to see into the distant future fraught with sorrow and suffering. In forcible and soul-stirring words, he tried to impress his hearers with the great principles of the new creed pro- claimed by him : ' Thou shalt fear the Lord thy Grod, and serve Him.' But if they should forsake their Grod, if they should follow in the evil ways of other nations, then dire punishment would assuredly follow : ' The Lord shall scatter you among the nations, you shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead 62. DEATH OF MOSES. 247 you.' Yet even in this gloom and misery, they should not be without hope : ' If from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy Grod, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.' From the mountain heights, Moses look-ed towards the Promised Land, which was so soon to be in the hands of the Israelites. Can we listen unmoved to his minute description of it ? ' The Lord thy Grod brings thee into a goodly land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegra- nates, a land of oil, olive, and honey, a land wherein thou shalt eat without scarceness ; thou shalt not lack any- thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. For the land whither thou goest is not as the land of Egypt from whence you came out, where thou didst sow thy seed and water it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs : but the land whither you go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinks water of the rain of heaven.' The religious and civil precepts dwelt upon by Moses in his long discourse are mainly those previously en- joined, but they include also a new law, that concern- ing the future election of a king. He foresaw that the Israelites, so prone to follow the example of surrounding nations, would doubtless wish for a supreme ruler or monarch, and he desired to guide their choice for their . national welfare. ' He shall be one,' he said, ' whom the Lord shall choose, one from among thy brethren shalt thou make king over thee; thou mayest not set a stranger over thee who is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, in order to multiply horses; for the Lord has said to you. You shall henceforth no more return that -way. Nor shall he take many wives, that 248 62. DEATH OF MOSES. his heart may not turn away ; nor shall he amass silver and gold. And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law out of the book which is before the priests the Levites.' , Pursuing his appeal, Moses set before the people the blessing and prosperity they would enjoy if they were obedient to the Divine injunctions. ' For this command- ment,' so ran the words of Moses, ' which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldst say, Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it ? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldst say. Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it us, that we may hear it and do it ? But the word is very nigh to thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.' And on the other hand, Moses unfolded an awful picture of the disasters and calamities that would befall them if they disobeyed the Lord — how they would be persecuted and besieged and driven to unheard-of misery, perish by war, and famine, and pesti- lence ; and how they would finally be captured and scat- tered, and led as bondmen into a distant land by fierce and merciless foes : ' . . . Thou shalt serve thy enemies whom the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things ; and He shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until He has destroyed thee. The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies ; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not under- stand ; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young. . . . Then the Lord will make thy plagues won- derful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sickness.' . . . 62. DEATH OF MOSES. 249 Terrible as these threats and predictions appear, they foreshadowed a reality more terrible still, that fell upon the Hebrews in the fulness of time, when the measure of. their sins was complete. But the pious man of Grod did not cease without giving hope and consolation ; he declared that the people had it in their own hand to avert so awful a fate, and that the mercy of God was ever ready to assist them : ' And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy Grod has driven thee, and shalt return to the Lord thy Grod, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I commanded thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart and with all thy soul ; that then the Lord thy Grod will turn the captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will restore and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy Grod has scattered thee.' Then Moses called Joshua, the brave, true-hearted warrior, who had before been solemnly appointed his suc- cessor in the leadership of Israel, and he spoke to him in the presence of the whole congregation : ' Be strong and of good courage, for thou shalt come with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He it is that goes before thee; He will be with thee; He will not fail thee nor forsake thee ; fear not, neither be discouraged.' The grand and sublime charge which Moses, at the foreboding of his death, addressed to the chosen nation, ended with a magnificent song, surveying in one soaring flight the past and the future, uttering rebuke and comfort, dwelling on the destinies of the Hebrews and of their enemies — a fitting conclusion to a noble and fervent admonition : in it appears, intensified and enhanced, the 250 62. DEATH OP MOSES. old poetic enthusiasm that had once been kindled at the first feeling of victory and liberty. It was bequeathed to •the children of Israel as a precious heirloom ; it remains as one of the unsurpassed masterpieces of Hebrew poetry ; its fire, force, and beauty can hardly be rendered by any translation; it must be read and appreciated in the original tongue, so peculiarly adapted for sublime and prophetic utterance. And then, as if he could never satisfy the love of his own heart — as if, like a dying father surrounded by his children, he could never give enough of his advice and warning and blessing — he added another poetic address, in which he delineated the future destinies of the twelve tribes. As an historical document, it is of the utmost value ; it recalls to mind the last speech of Jacob to his sons, and invites a comparison which instructively proves the cbanges that had' gradually been wrought in the relative position of tiie tribes. Let one instance suffice, that of Levi. In the address of Jacob, Levi is spoken of in the following terms, which amount to a denunciation and a menace : ' Simeon and Levi are brethren. An instrument of violence is their burning rage. Into their council my soul shall not come. In their assembly my glory shall not join : For in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, And their wrath, for it is cruel ! I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.' Now let us hear the language of Moses : And of Levi he said : ' Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy Holy One, whom thou hast proved at Massah, 62, DEATH OF MOSES. 251 and with whom thou ha^t striven at the waters of Meri- bah ; who said to Ms fether and to his mother, I have not seen him ; nor did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his own children : for they have observed Thy word, and kept Thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob Thy judg- ments, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense before" Thee, and whole burnt-sacrifice upon Thy altar. Bias?, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands : smite through the loins of those that rise against him, and of those that hate him, so that they rise no more ! ' Who does not see that here the Levites have attained that honoured and privileged condition which the laws of the Pentateuch so constantly claim for them ? Moses wound up his blessing with a final and vigorous outburst, comprising all his hopes and feelings of patriotic exaltation : ' There is none like God, Jeshurun ! who rides upon the heaven for thy help, and in His majesty upon the cloud. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath work His everlasting arms, and He thrusts out the enemy from before thee, and says, Destroy them! And Israel dwells in safety, alone ; the eye of Jacob rests upon a land of corn and wine, and his heavens drop down dew. Happy art thou, Israel ! who is like thee, people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy elevation? And thy enemies shall flatter thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places.' Then Moses left the children of Israel, to return no more. By Divine command, he ascended the summit of Nebo, in the mountain range of Pisgah : he looked over that varied and beautiful country which had been his beacon in the days of Egyptian slavery, and the bright goal of the Israelites, tempting and encouraging them on through the pathless tracts of the wilderness. It seemed within his grasp ; he glanced over the districts northward, and westward, and southward ; he beheld the fine pasture 252 62. CHAHACTER OF MQSES. land of Grilead and the oak forests of Bashan ; he saw, on the other side of the Jordan, the plains of Naphtali, and Manasseh, and Ephraim, down to the shores of the western sea ; and he enclosed in his eager survey the mountain passes of Judah, and the vale of the Jordan, and the Dead Sea, with Jericho, and Hebron, and Engedi, down to Zoar, As he gazed upon the beautiful land, it faded from his sight, the shadows of death enfolded him — and the great prophet passed away into the presence of his God. No human eye saw his death, no human tongue could tell the place of his sepulchre. ' And there arose no other prophet in Israel like Moses,' whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do, in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.' It is impossible to read the account of the Israelites' wanderings in the desert, and of their first conquests in the east of the Jordan, without feeling our admiration, nay, our reverence, for the character of Moses increasing step by step. He was the deliverer of the Hebrews, their legislator, their teacher, their judge, their general, the faithful servant, the favoured messenger of Grod. Un- dinamed by the mist of ages, his image stands before us in bright and clear outline. Bound him are grouped all other figures distinguished in his time. The wonderful pictures left to us in the narrative of the Pentateuch ever show his noble form pre-eminent. We are not confined to a faint and shadowy likeness ; we see and hear, the living man, in the full reality of his work and mission, in all the beauty of his meekness, in all his patience under bitter troubles — in faith and obedience sublime and all but perfect. From his cradle among the bulrushes down to his mysterious mountain tomb on the 62. CHAEACTEE OF MOSES. 253 heights of Pisgah, his life seems to have been directed and guided by a miraculous hand. Born of Hebrew parents, in a time of danger and oppression, and in a covmtry marked above all others by idolatry and hatred of the stranger, wondrously saved from a cruel death, adopted by the daughter of a mighty king, nurtured in an Egyptian palace, Moses might seem like the hero of some fanciful legend. But more ordinary and more human features, intermixed with the wonderful, prove the reality of the story. We read how, with a generous and unabating love for his unhappy brethren, with a quick feeling for the wronged and the oppressed, Moses avenged an ill-treated Hebrew, and thus forfeited a life of peace and luxury at the court of Pharaoh. Escaping to Midian, he appears here also, and on his very arrival, as a protector of the weak against the strong. Though soon finding a home and domestic happiness in the house of the wise shepherd-priest Jethro, he never forgot the misery of his distant brethren, and the high destinies of the Hebrews, the descendants of Abraham and the inheritors of the glorious promises he had received. In those wild and deserted tracts, where nature assumes a grander and more imposing aspect than in the flat and sandy plains of Egypt, Moses communed for the first time with the Lord. The bush burning with the fire of heaven, and the voice of the angel coming to the solitary shepherd, awakened his heart to the feeling that he had a special mission to fulfil. But his modesty and humility blunted his courage ; he could not believe that he was elected for so grand a purpose. This struggle between his timid diffidence and his faith recurred, in many forms, throughout his life ; it reveals a soul stirred by Divine aspirations, but checked by the consciousness of its human weakness. When the ten fearful plagues spread terror and ruin over Egypt, though constantly prominent before the king and the people, he desired to be no more 254 62. CHAEACTER OF MOSES. than a frail and weak instrument in the hand of Grod, announcing Hi& will and executing His decrees, without personal ambition, without seeking honour for himself. And what grand proportions did his figure attain at the wonderful times of the exodus ! His courage, his prudence, his military skill were equal even to so great and extta- ordinary an emergency. Combining shrewdness and valour, he defied the watchfulness of the Egyptians, and enhanced the confidence of the Hebrews, whose great model and trusty guide he thenceforth became. "When the pursuing enemies, with their swift horses and proud chariots, had found their graves in the Eed Sea, the military lea,der proved a sublime poet ; pious gratitude inspired him with a hymn of praise of singular force and beauty. And when during the forty weary years of wandering in the desert, the people, rebellious and discontented, overwhelmed him with taunting and upbraiding words, when they basely longed to return to the ignominy of Egyptian serfdom, when sickness and death wasted their numbers, when they were slain by the enemy's sword, by terrible plagues, and heaven-sent fire, he never faltered, remaining true to his mission, obedient to his Crod ; distrustful of himself, he prayed for the people, interceded for them, forgave their recklessness and their jealousy, taught, led, and judged them, strengthened their hope, and loved them with a never-failing love. When they desponded, he raised their courage ; when they revolted, he brought them back to Grod. He in whose soul burnt the fire of a consuming passion, who in a moment of wrath could dash to pieces the tablets received from God, when the de- grading sight of the people's idolatry filled him with horror and agony, was yet the meekest of all men who ever lived on eart.h. ir. THJE TIME OF JOSHUA. [JOSKTJA I.— XXIV.] 63. CAPTURE AND DESTRUCTION OF JERICHO. [Joshua I.— VII.] Joshua, the friend and devoted assistant of Moses, had been prepared for bis important and difficult mission by receiving the Divine spirit that had worked so manifestly in his great master. He was essentially a bold and mar- tial man, eager for conquest, courageous in the battle- field, and scrupulous in faith and pious obedience. His strong arm never wearied, his energy and promptitude never failed. His very name, Jeho-shuah, ' Grod is my help,' might have been his war-cry when he burst with irresistible vehemence on his heathen enemies. Upon him devolved the difficult task of wresting the land of Palestine from its ancient possessors, and of portioning it out among the chosen people. Cities had to be captured or razed to the ground, and populations to be extermi- nated, before the Israelites could occupy the narrow strip of land between the river of Egypt and the range of the Lebanon, including the rugged hills of Judah and the blooming plains of Samaria ; though the ambition and bravery of later chiefs and leaders extended their domi- nions considerably eastward towards the regions of the Euphrates. 256 63. DESO^RUCTION OF JEEICHO. When the thirty days of mohrning for Moses had expired, Joshua sent two. spies from the camp at Shittim westward over the Jordan, in order to explore the adja- cent country, and especially the neighbourhood round Jericho and this important town itself. The men went, and came to the house of Eahab, which bordered on the wall of the city. When the news reached the king of Jericho, who had doubtlessly watched the movements of the invading hosts with great anxiety, he at once sent to the woman, and bid her give up the two strangers. But Eahab, whether foreseeing the great triumphs of the Hebrews, or fearing their Grod, was determined to save the lives of her guests by stratagem. She hid them on the broad roof of her house, amongst the sta.lks of flax which she had there piled up ; and when the king's mes- sengers came, she told them that the men had left her at dusk, and had departed from the city, she did not know whither. ' Pursue after them quickly,' she urged eagerly, 'for you shall surely overtake them.' Away sped the messengers to the fords towards the Jordan. Then 'Eahab went up to the men to the roof of the house, and en- treated them thus : ' I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land tremble before you. For we have heard how the I^ord dried up the water, of the Eed Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things our hearts melted, nor did there remain any courage in any man on account of you : for the Lord your God He is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you will also show kind- ness to my father's house, and give me a true token • and 63. DESTRUCTION OF JEMCHO. 257 that you will save alive my father, and my mother, and ■my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.' — The men pledged them- selves faithfully to remember her and her household. Then Eahab let them down by a cord from the window, over the wall of the city, and bade them hide in the moun- tains for three days, in order to elude their pursuers. The men, before leaving her, desired her to tie a scarlet thread in her window, so that the conquerors should know and respect her house, into which she was to assemble her whole family, lest any member of it should unwittingly be injured. Eahab promised to do so, and the men cau- tiously departed. When they returned to Joshua, it was with the joyful and confident intelligence, ' Truly, the Lord has delivered into our hands all the land, fqr all the inhabitants of the land tremble before us.' The time for marching forth had now arrived ; the camp was broken up ; and the Ark of the Covenant was borne aloft by the priests, and preceded the congregation at a considerable distance, guiding and encouraging them. Joshua proclaimed on that day: ' Sanctify yourselves, for to-m.orrow the Lord will do wonders among you.' They were to pass over the waters of the Jordan as miraculously as their fathers had passed- through the waves of the Eed Sea. It was harvest time, and the river was swollen, overflowing its banks everywhere. The priests advanced with their sacred burden, and as the soles of their feet touched the bed of the river, suddenly ' the waters which came down from above stood and rose up like a wall . . . and those that came down towards the plain, the Salt Sea, failed and were cut oflf.' Thus the river-bed was dry, and "the priests stood in the midst of the Jordan, whilst the whole nation passed over. Now the Lord commanded Joshua to call one man from each of the twelve tribes, and to bid each man put a stone in the midst of the Jordan,, s 258 63. DESTRUCTION OF JEEICHO. on the spot where the feet of the priests had rested, as an eternal memorial of the wonders they had just witnessed. "When the twelve stones were placed, and the people had, passed over, Joshua commanded the priests to follow the rest from out of the river-bed. As their feet reached the bank,. the waters rushed back, overflowing the sides as they had done before. The people gazed with reverential awe upon Joshua, and they feared him as they had feared Moses. The Israelite host encamped at Gilgal, about two miles south-east of Jericho, in full view of the stately city of the plain, in the shade of a great forest, near broad fields of golden corn, with the refreshing sound of numerous rivulets gladdening their ears. 40,000 warriors were to win that country of which Jericho was the key. Unlike ' their fathers, who had toiled and trembled so long in Egyptian bondage, they were men born in the desert, inured to hardships, anxious to battle with the foe, and steadily obedient to their leader. This band of Hebrew soldiers, ever ready for the march or the attack, has through successive ages been the model of all sternly resolute men, desperately resolved to cling to their faith, pitiless to their foes, unflinching in their determinaition. At G-ilgal, the right of circumcision was enforced, which under the leadership of Moses had been neglected since the departure from Egypt ; and the feast of Passover was celebrated, the people baking their unleavened cakes of the ripe corn of the country which they were soon to call their own. From that day the 'heavenly bread,' the manna, ceased to be their ordinary food. Joshua was wandering without the camp of Grilgal, gazing perchance at the walled city of Jericho, when a vision appeared to him. It was a warrior with a drawn sword. Joshua asked, it may be with secret misgiving, ' Art thou for us or for our adversaries ?' But the vision 63. DESTRUCTION OP JERICHO. 259 answered, ' Nay, but as the Lord of hosts I come.' Then Joshua fell on his face before the glory of the Lord thus suddenly revealed to him, and he said, 'What says my Lord to His servant.' And he received the answer, ' Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy.' The fall of Jericho was connected with extraordinary marvels and wonders. The conquest of the first Canaan- itish city did not depend on the courage of the Hebrew warriors, or on the strategy of Joshua, but it was to be marked as the work of the Lord's own will and might. It was indeed calculated to terrify the heathens and to en- courage the Hebrews. The Lord commanded Joshua to besiege the city. Its gates were shut, its walls closely watched ; no one was allowed either to enter or to go out. The Hebrew army encompassed Jericho as with an. iron grasp. For seven days the siege lasted : once on each day the Ark of the Covenant was borne by the priests froin the camp at Gilgal round the walls ; seven priests preceded it, blowing a blast on their silver trumpets, and the armed men followed in solemn silence. On the seventh day the Ark was carried round seven times, and at the seventh long blast of the trumpet, Joshua called out to the people, ' Shout ! for the Lord has given you the city.' A great war-cry rose up into the air, the walls of Jericho fell down to the ground, and the Hebrew warriors rushed into the town. Then followed the work of destruction which sounds ;S0. terrible to our ears. The affrighted and panic- stricken people fell beneath the weapons of the invaders ; even women and children were slain, old and yoimg toge- ther, nor was the cattle spared. But the spies did not forget the promise they had made to Eahab ; they went into her house, brought her out with all her family, and led them safely to the camp. They alone of their whole race were allowed to dwell among the Hebrews. The city 8 2 260 64, CAPTUEE OF AI. of Jericho was burnt ; only the vessels of gold and silver, of brass and iron, were saved for the holy Tabernacle ; and Joshua proclaimed publicly, ' Cursed be the man before the Lord that raises up and builds this city Jericho ; he shall lay the foundation thereof with his first-born, and with his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.' 64. CAPTURE OP AI AND STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. [Josh. VIU. IX.] The next point of Joshua's attack was the town of Ai, north-west of Jericho and south-east of Beth-el, which was probably then a holy place of the Canaanites. He sent spies up to the mountains to explore the country, who, see- ing but few of the enemies, augured an easy victory for the Hebrews. Only three thousand men went up to the attack ; but the people of Ai rushed furiously upon them, slaying some and driving the others back to the camp. It was the first signal defeat, and the Israelites were utterly dismayed. Joshua rent his clothes, and fell upon the ground before the Ark, praying to the Lord for help, and wailing bitterly in his despair. What hopes could the chosen people cherish ? What glory would they bring to their G-od ? The voice of the Lord answering Joshua told him, that some of the devoted treasures of Jericho had been secretly appropriated by one of his soldiers, and that until the offender had been discovered and punished, the Hebrews would feel the Divine displeasure. Joshua then called all the people together, and announced the will of God. On the following day, when the twelve tribes were assembled, the trial by lot commenced ; the tribe of Judah was taken, then the family of the Zarhites, then the house- hold of Zabdi, and last of all the lot fell upon Achan. 64. CAPTURE OF AI. 261 Joshua called out the disobedient man and said, ' My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what thou hast done ; hide it not from me.' Achan did not attempt to conceal his sin, but confessed that he had taken from the spoil a valuable Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, and that he had hidden these things in and under his tent. Joshua's messengers found the objects as they were de- scribed, and brought them ' before the Lord,' that is, to the door of the Tabernacle. Then the whole congregation led Achan into the valley of Achor, with his sons and his daughters, and his oxen and his asses. There the men and beasts were stoned to death, and then burnt, together with their tent and the spoil unlawfully taken at Jericho. A huge pile of stones was raised up over the remains, as a monument of the Lord's anger. The city of Ai now fell an easy prey to the eager Israelites. It was to be taken by stratagem. Joshua divided his soldiers into two parts, sending the larger number by night to the mountains, westward of the town, on the road to Beth-el, where they were to lie quietly in wait ; whilst he himself, at the head of the other part, encamped in a plain at the northern side of the town. When the king of Ai saw, in the morning, the advancing Hebrews, he summoned his soldiers and marched boldly out to meet the enemy. Joshua awaited their approach, and then suddenly, as if seized by a panic, turned round with his men, and fled in hot haste towards the desert. The heathen army pursued them exultingly, until they touched the sandy tracts of the .desert. Joshua then raised his mighty spear, brandishing it aloft ; and when it was seen by the men lying in ambush in the west of Ai, they rushed, without check or obstacle, into the unguarded city, and set it on fire. When the pursuing hosts looked 262 64. CAPTURE OF AI. behind them, and beheld the rising flames, they were seized by a sudden fear. As they stopped, Joshua turned round upon them, forcing them back to the burning city. Here they were received and opposed by the Hebrew con- querors ; thus they were hemmed in^by the two armies of the Israelites ; flight was impossible, and they fell beneath the sword of the invaders. All the Hebrews now entered Ai, where they completed the work of carnage. They slew the inhabitants, but they took with them the cattle and the spoil. The king of Ai was hanged on a tree, and then thrown down before the gate, where the corpse was covered with a huge heap of stones. After these fearful acts of devastation, Joshua and all the Israelites, the priests and the Levites carrying the Ark, journeyed northwards, probably through Shiloh to Mount Ebal. Here they built an altar to the Lord, and faithfully carried out the commands given by Moses : the Law was engraved on stones ; then it was read to the whole congregation, together with all strangers ; and finally the blessings and the curses were recited from Moimt Ebal and Mount G-erizim, in the exact manner previously enjoined. Terror and consternation spread through the land of Palestine. Every king and chief prepared to do battle to the invader. Then a league was formed among the prin- cipal tribes : the Amorites, the Hittites, and the Hivites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, came from their hills and plains, and assembled to meet the common foe. But the town of Gribeon, lying to the west of Jericho, resolved to save itself by stratagem. There appeared one day in the camp of Grilgal a party of men with ragged sacks slung across their asses, with leathern wine-bottles, old, rent, and bound up again ; shoes torn and way-worn ; garments dusty and faded ; and their bread dry and- mouldy. They had the appearance of 64. STEATAGEM OP THE GIBEONITES. 263 people who had made a very long journey. They told , Joshua that, having heard of the great wonders performed by the Grod of the Hebrews, they had travelled from their far-distant homes to meet him, and had come to offer their allegiance, and to make a treaty with the Hebrews* As a sign of the truth of their words, they pointed to their tattered garments, and showed their dry provisions* Joshua, not doubting their words, concluded a league with them, promising to spare them in the gene- ral destruction. But soon after he was told that these very men belonged to a neighbouring tribe, and that Gribeon itself was one of their cities. Though indignant at their cunning, he adhered to the oath by which he had pledged himself, and he was supported in this course by the elders of the congregation. But the people murmured and insisted on the punishment of the impostors. Joshua calmed them by this decision : ' We will let them live, but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation.' Then summoning the men of Gibeon, he severely censured their deceit, and told them that, though he would protect their lives from the wrath of the Israelites, they must be servants, and the lowest ' menials at the Sanctuary for ever. 65. FUETHER CONQUESTS IN CANAAN. , [Josh. X.— XII.] The sincerity of Joshua's promise to save the men of Gribeon was soon to be tested ; for the neighbouring tribes, seized with fear and jealousy, leagued together to attack their city under the leadership of the king of Jerusalem. Five kings assembled their armies, those of Jebus, Hebron, and Jarmuth, of Lachish and Egion, all deternuned to punish the subservient and cowardly 264 65. FURTHER CONQUESTS IN CANAAN. Gribeonites. At the report of their approach, the latter hastily despatched messengers to the camp at Gilgal, summoning the aid of Joshua : ' Slack not thy hand from thy servants,' was their entreaty, » and save us, and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the moun- tains, are gathered together against us.' Joshua answered readily to the cry of distress ; he called out his warriors,' who had now proved themselves men of valour ; in the night he marched from the camp at Grilgal, and soon stood before Gribeon like an avenging spirit. The shrill war-cry sounded and the armies closed. It was a terrible death-struggle, it was to be the crowning defeat of heathendom in Canaan. The battle began at daybreak and lasted on throughout the day ; at length, sorely pressed by Joshua, the allied armies turned and fled ; they clambered up the rocky side of Bethhoron, and were pur- sued by Joshua over the steep mountain-passes, where they were slain by the sword of the Hebrews, or by the storm of heavy hailstones that fell upon them. This great battle at Gibeon was long famed in Hebrew history ; it was the most important victory in the period of the conquest, for it established the power of the in- vading Israelites. It was told by the warriors to their lisping children ; it was mentioned with awe as being supernaturally achieved ; it was dwelt upon in the poetic ■ chronicles of the nation ; and referring to one of them, ' the Book of the Eighteous,' the Bible narrates the event in the following terms : ' Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,' until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. . . So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, 6S. FURTHER CONaUESTS IN CANAAN; 265 and hastened not to go down a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord heark- ened to the voice of a man : for the Lord fought for Israel.' The five kings had fled southwards from the terrible arms of the Hebrews, and sought refuge in one of the mountain caves at Makkedah ; but even there they found no safety. The place of their retreat was discovered, huge stones were rolled before the opening of the cave, which was strictly guarded, while the main army continued the pursuit of the enemies. When these were fairly routed and scattered, Joshua ordered the five kings to be brought before him. Then followed one of the terrible scenes too frequent in those times of hatred and confusion. The five captive monarchs were bidden to kneel down, and at Joshua's command, his chieftains and chosen warriors placed their feet on the necks of the kings as a sign of subjection. After undergoing this act of humiliation, the five kings were hanged, and finally thrown into the very cave which had been their last hiding-place. Their king^- doms fell into the hands of the conquerors, who had now established a firm footing in Palestine. Joshua then tra- versed the land with his sword and his spear ; he made an easy conquest of Makkedah, Libnah, and Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, devastating the towns and their territory, and slaying the inhabitants ; in a word, he smote ' all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the slopes, and all their kings ; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord Grod of Israel commanded ; ' for ' the Lord Grod of Israel fought for Israel.' Joshua's swift energy was untiring ; it was not until he had con- quered nearly the whole of the southern country that he returned to the camp at Gilgal. But the heathens made one more attempt to struggle 266 66.' FUETHER COXQTJESTS IN CANAAN. against the advancing foe. One of the Canaanite chiefs dwelling in the northern part of the land, Jabin, king of Hazor, had heard of the unparalleled success of the invaders ; and, full of courage, he determined to stem their progress. He sent messengers to the valleys of the south, to the eastern hills, and to the kingdoms lying on the sea-coast. He summoned all the chiefs to meet him with their armies at the northern lake of Merom, the first through which the Jordan passes in its course from the heights of the Lebanon. A vast army answered the appeal ; ' they were like the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.' They encamped at the waters of Merom, defiant in their strength, confident of victory. But like a flash of lightning, like a thunderbolt from heaven, Joshua, undaunted, and relying upon Divine assistance, appeared at the head of his warriors before the enemy's gigantic army: 'and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them and chased them as far as great Zidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward ; and they smote them until they left them none remaining.' A guerilla warfare, occasionally assuming the propor- tions of great and regular battles, continued for many years even after the brilliant and decisive northern vic- tory ; but Joshua was everywhere successful ; he subdued by untiring energy all the principal towns of Canaan, slew their kings and warlike populations, and enriched his army by their cattle and their spoil. We find thirty- one cities specially mentioned, and in every case the same stern and unsparing measures were carried out. These struggles lasted throughout the prime of Joshua's life, to the very verge of his old age : and yet toany places and districts remained to be conquered — among them all the 66. SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. 267 territory of the Philistines and of Greshur, of the Avites, of the Giblites, and of all the Lebanon. At last the Israelites began earnestly to long for peace ; and the tribes of Eeuben, Grad, and half Manasseh im- plored Joshua to be allowed to return to their wives and their children on the eastern side of the Jordan. 66. THE SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. [Josh. XIII.— XXII.] But the land was first to be divided between the tribes of Israel. It was of small extent and comparatively narrow, about 190 miles long, and about 80 wide in the middle (varying considerably in other parts), containing about 15,000,000 acres. On the eastern side, it stretched to- wards the great empires of the Euphrates and Tigris, the regions of magnificent despotism; on the west, it was bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean, which con- nected it with the Grecian isles, the cradle of taste, learn- ing, and philosophy; the southern boundary was that large tract of waste sand, which lay like a barrier between Palestine and Egypt, the land of idolatry and priestcraft ; while to the north it reached to the high raaige of Leba- non, those tall mountain-peaks which separated it from Syria. This small country was singularly endowed by nature ; it could boast of rich pasture lands large enough to feed thousands of flocks and herds; it abounded in woods of oak and sycamore, in groves of pine and olive, in the stateliest cedar-forests, luxuriant vineyards, and blooming gardens. Its small compass embraced moun- tains and rocks, sea-coasts, lakes, and rivers, teeming valleys and breezy table-land, but also sandy wastes and stony deserts. 268 66. SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. The equitable division of such a country was no easy task. The difficulty was evaded by leaving the issue to be decided by lot, which the Hebrews and other eastern nations believed to reveal the Divine will. To the share of Judah, the lion of Israel, the most numerous of the tribes, fell one of the southern provinces of Palestine, bordered on the east by the shores of the Salt Sea up to the influx of the Jordan ; on the west by the territory of the Philistines, and extending almost to the Mediterranean ; on the south by the mountains and deserts of Edom ; and on the north by the extensive plains of Dan and the blooming districts of Benjamin. It was a cool hill country, on whose rugged heights the warlike tribe could dwell in security. The high eminences were crowned with fenced cities, destined to become famed in after-ages. The Valleys were rich in corn, and the mountain sides in vine- yards. As to the luxuriant growth of the vine, it is only necessary to recall to mind Eshcol, the halting-place of the spies sent by Moses, whence they brought back the colossal grapes. But the town of Hebron, associated with the name of the early patriarchs, though lying within the boundaries assigned to the tribe of Judah, was not to come into its exclusive possession ; it was permitted as a resi- dence to one man and his descendants for ever. Caleb, the tried and faithful servant of Moses and Joshua, asked for this beautiful spot as a reward of his long services. Joshua granted the request upon the condition that he would wrest it at the point of the sword from the giant race of the Enakim who still inhabited it. Caleb succeeded, and obtained his coveted prize. South-west of Hebron lay Debir, or, as it was anciently called, Kirjath Sepher. Caleb, wishing to take it from the heathen and to annex it to his own territory, promised to give his daughter Achsah to the ;man who should win it. His own nephew Othniel came Tboldly forward, and the city of Debir was added to the 66. SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. 269 possessions of Caleb. Thither he conducted his daughter, who, however, apparently looking with apprehension on the sandy plain around the city, begged and obtained from her father the springs that were in the neighbourhood. But Jebus, the future Jerusalem, lying on impregnable heights, remained the stronghold of the Jebusites, who, like some less important populations, dwelt unhurt in the very midst of the land of Judah. Next in importance to the tribe of Judah was that of Joseph ; it had so much increased in influence and strength that it was divided into two branches, Ephraim and Ma- naSseh, each sufficieiftly powerful to form an independent tribe. The Ephraimites especially grew in authority and weight; they received a portion of Palestine north of Judah, but separated from it by the provinces of Dan and Benjamin — the Jordan in the east, the Mediterranean in the west. It included the beautiful plain of Sharon ; the old town of Shiloh, so long the home of the Taber- nacle ; Shechem, a second capital of Palestine, and almost forming its centre ; and the famous mountains of Ebal and G-erizim, which were to give rise to rival sects. The men of Manasseh again separated in two parts : one divi- sion settled in the north of Ephraim ; the other, as has been related, in the east of the Jordan, in the pasture lands of Gilead and Bashan. The tribe of Ephraim, not contented with the districts at first allotted to it, demanded of Joshua more land: ' Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, for the Lord hag blessed me hitherto?' Joshua replied: 'If thou be a great people, then go up to the wood country and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee. . . • The moimtain shall be thine, for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down, and the outgoings of 270 66. SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. it shall be thine : for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.' Five tribes had now received their territories — Eeuben, Gad, and Manasseh, Judah and Ephraim. Then Joshua summoned the whole nation to Shiloh to make arrange- ments for the allotment of abodes to the remaining tribes. Three men from each tribe were sent out to furnish an accurate account of all the land that had been conquered; and when they returned, lots were cast for its distribution. It was portioned out in the following manner. The tribe of Benjamin was closely hemmed in between Judah and Ephraim, but extending only about half-way between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, enclosing within its borders the holy town Bethel and the fertile plain of Jericho, Grilgal and GKbeon, Anathoth and Michmash and Eamah — all famous in later times. The western part of the intervening country, up to the coast, was assigned to the small tribe of Dan, perpetually threatened by the dan- gerous vicinity of the Philistines, whose cities Grath and Jkron were never conquered. To the tribe of Simeon was given the most southern part of Palestine, which lost itself in the wilderness of Kadesh, and which, by its very situation, as later by its political insignificatfce, was neces- sarily protected, if it was not absorbed, by Judah. It en- closed Beer-sheba, the southern boundary town of the land, once hallowed by Abraham's sojourn. At the extreme north, between Mount Lebanon, the Jordan, and the sea- coast with its Phoenician settlements, were domiciled side by side, and forming the northern barrier of the kingdom, the four tribes of Naphtali and Zebulon, Asher and Issachar, the two latter bordering on the Mediter- ranean Sea. Though the l^evites were to have no con- nected territorial possessions in the land, they received for their maintenance forty-eight cities, four as a rule in 66. SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. 271 every tribe, together with strips of land around each, as pastures for their cattle. Thus the conquered territory was portioned out in the new commonwealth of the Hebrews. A people of nomads was from that time to dwell in towns and villages, or to pitch their tents permanently in the forest land or the wide pasture plains. But in order to remind the nation that the entire country in reality belonged to the Lord, who had but temporarily granted it to His chosen people, it was, in every fiftieth year, reclaimed by Him ; and then all the land that had within that period been sold or given up, was restored to the original proprietors or their heirs. Thus no tribe could enlarge its extent to the injury of other tribes; no one family could seriously disturb the virtual equality of all members of the community ; there could neither be excessive wealth nor helpless poverty, neither despotism nor slavery. When the land was fairly allotted amongst the tribes, Joshua permitted the men of Keuben, Grad, and a portion of Manasseh, to return to the trans -Jordanic districts they had chosen. He blessed them, bade them depart rich with the spoils of the cities they had helped to conquer, but exhorted them : ' Take diligent heed to do the command- ment and the Law, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, charged you, to love the Lord your Grod, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cling to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.' Upon their arrival on the eastern side of the Jordan they erected a great altar to the Lord. When the Israelites heard of it, their anger was kindled, and they resolved to march out against them with a large army ; for they thought those eastern tribes guilty of re- bellion against God and His Law, which severely forbids the offering of sacrifices at any altar except that of the common Sanctuary. But they sent first Phinehas, the 272 67. DEATH OF JOSHUA. High-priest, wlio should try to bring them back to obedi- ence. This step prevented a fratricidal war ; the trans- Jordanic tribes gave a satisfactory explanation : the altar had not been built by them for sacrifice or for public and private worship, but merely as a witness of their union with their brethren in the west of the Jordan, and as a means of securing to their descendants the privileges and the glory of belonging to the people of Grod. This account, given in good faith, was accepted, and the har- mony of the tribes was happily preserved. 67. DEATH OF JOSHUA. [Josh. XXin. XXIV.] Joshua's great task was now ended; he had led the people into Palestine, and had laid the foundations of the new commonwealth. The valiant soldier had worked un- remittingly ; he was advanced in years, and his rest was near at hand. Once more he summoned the Israelites,' who assembled round him at Shechem to hear his part- ing words. Like Moses, Joshua impressed upon them faith in God, obedience to His Law, utter destruction of all idols, and separation from the idolaters. He pointed out the dangers that still encompassed them ; he added warningly, ' As all good things are come upon you which the Lord has promised, so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, when you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God ; ' and with increasing force he concluded, ' And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell : but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' Could the Israelites withstand an appeal so just 67. DEATH OF JOSHUA. 273 and so earnest? They promised, no 'doubt vdth all sin- cerity : ' Grod forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods.' But how soon were they to prove faith- less to their pledge I To commemorate his last words, Joshua set up a stone pillar under the oak near the Sanctuary at Shechem. He died 110 years old, about b.c. 1450, and was buried in Timnath-Serah in Mount Ephraim, near Shechem. Within the boundaries of the same tribe, in Shechem, were de- posited the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought with them out of Egypt. Not long afterwards the High-priest Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died, and he was buried in a ground belonging to his family in Mount Ephraim. Thus all the men who had witnessed the wonderful times of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage, passed away ; but the memory of the great leader and lawgiver Moses lived among their descendants to cheer and to guide them on their difficult and dangerous path. F. THE TIME OF THE JUDGES. 68. GEISTERAL CHARACTER OF THE PERIOD. [JUDG. I. II. XTII.— XXI.] Aftee the death of the brave Joshua followed a wild and lawless time, when ' every man did that which seemed right in his own eyes.' Joshua left no successor capable of ruling the entire nation by vigilance and energy, no one master spirit, eager to grasp the sword and to continue the warfare with the heathen. The High-priest Phinehas, who presided at the common Tabernacle in Shiloh, exer- cised only religious authority. Thus the nation divided itself into . separate clans, each clustering round its own chieftain or leader. And yet the country was far from perfectly conquered ; the Israelites were threatened by constant feuds and disturbances from the native inhabit- ants. Encircled by dauntless enemies, each tribe had to contend for its own safety or existence : often Judah dwelt in peaceful repose- when the more northern tribes were fighting on the battle-field ; and the latter rested from their labours when the warriors of Judah wrung Jebus from its old inhabitants. The Hebrew nation no longer marched out as one man ' from Dan to Beer-sheba ' to maintain the honour and the glory of the whole com- munity : union in spirit and in action was wanting ; nay, 68. TIME OF THE JUDGES. • 275 jealousy or fierce violence led occasionally to strife and warfare between the tribes themselves. Yet in times of great peril and distress, men of valour and intelligence usually arose to lead the Hebrew soldiers to battle and victory, and to conciliate by their authority the conflicting factions of the commonwealth. These men were 'the Judges,' a term which conveys but a partial idea of their duties and offices — namely, those which they performed when their successful leadership against the enemy had restored peace. They were therefore not regularly appointed, nor did they follow each other in un- broken succession, but they were acknowledged in periods of exceptional difficulty; and then, when the danger had been overcome by their help, they natui'ally commanded the respect of the people, and were allowed to exercise supreme jurisdiction. The different tribes carded on the war of conquest as best they could. Judah and Simeon joined each other, and defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites at Bezek, seizing and mutilating Adoni-bezek, the king ; Judah next took and partially burnt Jerusalem, and then cour tinned a successful expedition in the southern districts of the province and at the sea-coast, subduing the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. The Ephraimites occupied the holy place Beth-el ; and the small tribe of Dan, finding itself molested by the Amorites, pressed northwards, and took possession of the town Laish. The account of this migration of the Danites is highly instructive, as it well illustrates the lawless character of the age. From Zorah and Eshtaol, two older possessions of the Danites in the central parts of the land, five men were sent as spies to the northern regions of the country. On their way, they came to the house of a certain Micah in Mount Ephraim, where he dwelt with his mother. He had instituted in his house a private worship by means of T 2 216 68. TIME OE THE JUDGES. an ephod and teraphim, of a graven and molten image. At first he made one of his sons priest at this domestic shrine ; but when a young Levite, wandering about hoihe- less and aimless, passed his house, he secured his services for a small allowance — ten shekels of silver and a suit of apparel annually, besides his food — and exclaimed with a glow of satisfaction, 'Now I know that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to be my priest ! ' And yet the Law specially forbids all outward form of worship at any place except the Tabernacle, which was then at Shiloh. When the five spies from Dan noticed the Levite in Micah's house, they requested him to consult the Divine oracle in their behalf; the answer was entirely encourag- ing : ' Gro in peace ; before the Lord is your way wherein you go.' The words of the Levite proved true ; the men went on to Laish, saw that the town was easy of conquest, and the surrounding country rich and beautiful, and re- turned to their tribe with a most favourable report. Six hundred Danites marched out to take possession of the explored territory. On their way, they also came to the bouse of Micah, and, prompted by the five spies, they seized the sacred images and statues, and persuaded the Levite, who at first opposed their acts of violence, to ac- company them to their new homes and to be their priest. They set at nought the imploring appeals of Micah, who prayed in vain for the restoration of his gods and his Levite. They then marched upon Laish, took the town, called it Dan, and set up the graven image, which con- tinued to be worshipped there under the direction of Levites ' all the time that the House of Grod was in Shiloh,' nay, ' until the very time of the captivity of the land.' Another event recorded in the Book of Judges, an event full of barbarous wickedness, cruelty, and bloodshed,' characterises the unchecked confusion of the time even more strongly. A Levite with one of his wives was 68. TIME OP THE JUDGES. 277 returning from Bethlehem in Judah to his house in Mount Ephraim. They passed Jerusalem, un-willing to stay over night in a town which was still in the hands of the hostile Jebusites ; so they pressed on northwards and arrived at dusk in Gribeah, a city of the Benjamites. No one offered them shelter or hospitality. They were sitting despondingly in the street, when an old man, who was himself but a sojourner in Gribeah, while his home was also in a town of Mount Ephraim, seeing the strangers, bid them come with him, and rest for the night in his house. He feasted them plentifully, and showed them every attention they so much required after their long and weary journey. When still at their repast, they were suddenly aroused by the wild clamour of angry voices. They saw the house surrounded by the frantic Benjamites, threatening instant destruction unless the Levite was delivered up to them. In fact, a scene was repeated resembling that which called down the Divine vengeance upon. Sodom. Fearful for the safety of all the inmates of the house, the host sent out the Ijevite's wife. A terrible fate awaited her; she was ill-treated by the impious crowd, until she returned to the house, and fell dead on the threshold. There the Levite found her on the following morning. In an agony of revengeful grief, he placed her body on his ass, and returned to his home. He had determined upon an awful means of retribution. Dividing the body of the unfortunate woman into twelve parts, he sent one part to each tribe, and appealed for help and vengeance. A cry of horror ran from city to city : this time all Israel rose as one man from Dan to Beer-sheba ; nor did the eastern tribes fail to send their aid. The warriors, 400,000 in number, assembled at Mizpah, where they held a council. The Levite there publicly recounted the details of the horrible crime. A shout of detestation was raised against the Benjamites; 278 68. TIME OF THE JUDGES. and all agreed that ' there was no such deed done, i seen, from the day that the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt,' The men of Israel sc messengers to Gribeah, and sternly demanded the i: mediate surrender of the perpetrators of the outra| But the haughty Benjamites, dead to all sentiments justice, refused the request, and thus became accomplic of the atrocious deed. They boldly marched out do battle with the united tribes of Israel, numberii 26,000 soldiers, and among them 700 chosen men, le; handed, but such dexterous slingers that they could slii stones at a hair's breadth without missing. They poun down upon their enemies, and defeated them on U successive days, killing 40,000 men. Mourning ai terror spread in the camp of the Israelites ; but prayin and fasting, and offering sacrifices, they took courag and on the third day, by well-devised stratagems, the gained a decisive victory, and a scene of fearful carnaj ensued. The splendid army of the Benjamites was con pletely cut to pieces, and pursued to the mountains ar rocky districts ; Gribeah and many other towns of Benji min were burnt, and men and beasts killed by the swon A small remnant of the Benjamites, six hundred me: found refuge in the caves of Eimmon, north of Grilead. "When the first heat of vengeance had cooled dowi when the terrible punishment with all its ghastly resul became clear, despair and horror seized the Israelites ; ft their arms and their wrath had exterminated a whole tril of their own brethren. Six hundred Benjamites were lef it was true ; but at Mizpah, all the children of Israel ha sworn that none of their daughters should ever marry man of Benjamin. Again they met in council, tryin to find a remedy for the misfortune. Now, among a the cities, one, Jabesh in Grilead, had refused to obey tt general summons, and had not joined their fellow-citizer 68. TIME OB THE JUDGES.. 279 in chastising the Benjamites. For this offence the people of Jabesh were to be punished. An army of the Israelites inarched out against the city, besieged and took it, and slew all the inhabitants. Four hundred maidens alone were saved, and brought back to the camp at Shiloh. The 600 Benjamites who still held out on their rock at Eimmon, were forgiven, and invited to return, and finally -the four hundred virgins were given to them in marriage. But there were yet two hundred who had no wives. How was the difficulty to be overcome ? The Israelites adopted a very curious device. On the day of a festival celebrated annually in Shiloh, the Benjamites were to lay in wait within the vineyards, and as they saw the virgins pass by singing and dancing, they were suddenly to emerge from their retreats, and each of them was to select a maiden and to carry her off to be his wife. This extraordinary measure succeeded : the fathers and brothers of the captured virgins were at first vehemently opposed to it ; but when their anger subsided, they gave their consent, and were glad to think that the extinction of a brother- tribe would thus be prevented. What a picture of the time is reflected in the stoiy of the Levite and its sequel — the outrage and cruel murder, the fierce revenge, the impetuous fury of the Israelites, their apparently implacable hatred, and the final pardon of the Benjamites concluding with the strange scene in the vineyards of Shiloh ! These are curious glimpses of that barbarous age, and, together with similar incidents nar- rated in the Book of Judges, form a fitting background for the deeds of the great warriors of Israel, 280 69. OTHNIEL, EHUD, SHAMGAH. 69. OTHNIEL— EHUD— SHAMGAR. [JUDS. III.] The first generation of the conquerors passed away, and was succeeded by a race of men who, careless of the Law and the word of Moses, soon fell into dangerous intimacy with the surrounding nations. The Hebrews adopted the rites of the heathen, in spite of the stern warnings they had received.' The Hebrew maid left her people to become the pagan's wife, and the Canaanite's daughter brought her idols and her superstitions into the tent of the Israel- ite. The sacred groves, dotted everywhere over the coun- try, were visited by the Hebrew no less than by the heathen, and countless images were worshipped by both in common. The belief in the one omnipotent Grod of heaven and earth had hardly yet taken root among -the chosen people. In this sad and degenerate condition, they easily fell a prey to powerful neighbours. Thus they had soon to feel the arms of Cushan-Eishataim, the king of Mesopotamia, who completely subdued them, and forced them to pay tribute for eight years. In their shame and despair they prayed to the Lord for deliverance. Their cries were heard, and Grod imbued with His spirit Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother. He was the first prominent champion or ' Judge ' of the Hebrews in a troubled and helpless time. He shook off the yoke of the foreigner, and secured peace for forty years. After Othniel's death, the Israelites relapsed into their old sin of idolatry, bringing in its train, as usual, anarchy and disunion, of which the surrounding nations never failed to take advantage. The Moabites, under the leadership of their king Eglon, in alliance with the Amalekites and the Ammonites, attacked and captured Jericho, the beautiful city with its famous groves of palm- 69. EHUD, SHAMGAE. 281 trees. Thus possessed of the key to the whole country, they forced the Hebrews into bondage, in which they held them for eighteen years. Loud and incessant were the lamentations of the oppressed people. At last, there sprung from the tribe 'of Benjamin a man fearless and resolute, but no less cunning and dexterous, Ehud the son of Grera, who removed the disgrace from his country. He was, with others, selected to carry the tribute to Eglon, the king of Moab, who after receiving the money and presents, politely accompanied him a part of his way homeward, and then returned. When Ehud had arrived near Grilgal, he sent word to the king, that he had a secret message to deliver to him. He wore a long cloak, under which he concealed, at his right side — for he was left-handed — ^his double-edged sword a yard long. The king, a large and fat man, was ready to receive him. When he was reclining in his summer parlour, probably some spacious, breezy room on the roof of the house, Ehud entered and exclaimed, ' I have a message from Grod to thee ' ; and drawing his sword with his left hand, thrust it into the king's body, and pressed it forward till it came out at the opposite side. He then escaped in haste, shrewdly managed to delay suspicion, and eluded his pursuers till he arrived safely in Mount Ephraim. Here he assembled the Hebrew army by the blast of his trumpet. When the affrighted servants of Eglon found him lying dead in the chamber, they gave the alarm, and the Moabite hosts, certain of victory, and now burning for battle, marched out to avenge their king. In the meantime, the army of the Israelites had advanced to Jericho ; they occupied and closely watched the fords of the Jordan ; they prevented all Moabites from crossing ; and by Ehud's skilful leadership and daring, they slew on one day 10,000 men of the enemy. Thus the Moabites were expelled from the territory of the Hebrews, who now enjoyed peace and prosperity for ■ eighty years. 282 70. DEBOEAH. It appears, however, that within this period the He- brews were molested and enslaved by the Philistines ; how long they sighed under the yoke, our annals do not record ; nor do they enter into details on the manner of their deliverance, ' briefly narrating : ' And after Ehud was Shamgar, the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad, and he also rescued Israel.' 70. DEBORAH. [Jtjbg. IV. v.] Again, however, the Israelites turned to idolatry, and despised the Law which they had sworn to obey. When their vigilant Judge Ehud was dead, they followed their sinful ways unchecked. From the north of Palestine, with nine hundred iron chariots, came Jabin, the powerful king of Hazor, whose famous general Sisera was the terror of his enemies. He easily defeated and subjected , the Hebrews, and forced them to pay tribute for twenty years. Grievous was the oppression, and the piteous cry of despair rose to the Lord, who mercifully raised up a deliverer. There lived at that time between Eamah and Beth-el, in the mountain of Ephraim, a wise and Grod-fearing woman, Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth, renowned as a prophetess. In the midst of sin and idolatry, she had remained true to God and His word, and inspired all who saw and heard her with love and reverence. She was recognised and appealed to as the supreme judge by the whole nation. Under a palm-tree which remained famous in after ages, she sat, and there uttered advice, warning, and judgment. Seeing the oppression of the people, and feeling their misery, she sent for Barak, the son of Abinoam, who dwelt in Kadesh-Naphtali, a city in the far north, and who was 70. DEBOEAIT. 283 probably known as a bold and valiant warrior. Him she selected as the champion of the nation. She bade him, in the name of Grod, call an army of 10,000 men from amongst the people of Naphtali and Zebulun, who lived at the northern frontier of Palestine, and assemble them on Mount Tabor ; she would cause Sisera to pitch his camp at the river Kishon, so that the two armies would be confronted in the plain of Esdraelon ; there, she confidently predicted, the chosen people would rout the Canaanites. Barak was afraid that this daring scheme, if undertaken by him alone, would not succeed; he believed that it required the assistance and authority of Deborah, to guide and inspire the soldiers ; he, therefore, sent her this reply : 'If thou wilt go, then will I go, but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.' Deborah rejoined promptly : ' I will surely go with thee, but the journey that thou takest shall not be for thy honour, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hand of a woman.' Then sounded the, muster call throughout the land. But the days for a general answer to such a summons had passed ; the disunion among the tribes became sadly manifest. The Ephraimites were the first to respond ; Benjamin sent their slingers and archers; Manasseh followed with chosen men ; Zebulun and Naphtali came boldly forward, ready to conquer or to die ; and Deborah herself, traversing the land from Beth-el to Kadesh and Mount Tabor, aroused the people of Issachar, and bade them follow her to the battle-field. But the powerful tribe of Judah did not appear ; Asher preferred his tranquil life on the sea-shore ; Dan could not be induced to leave his ships, and risk his gains ; Eeuben, wavering and irresolute, remained idly among his sheep-folds ; and the other tribes of Grilead continued unmoved in their peaceful pursuits. So many, indifferent to the dangers of their brethren, kept aloof both meanly and unwisely ! 284 70. DEBOBAH. The Hebrew warriors, not numerous but singularly- inspired by courage, assembled at Mount Tabor. When Sisera was informed of their advance, he felt that a great struggle for deliverance was imminent, and he determined to crush what he considered an audacious rebellion by the whole strength of his army assisted by his nine hundred iron war-chariots. He drew up his troops along the river Kishon, that was soon to become renowned as ' the river of battles.' But Deborah knew that the Lord's help was near ; she exclaimed to Barak : ' Up, for this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into thy hand ; is not the Lord gone out before thee ? ' Barak with his 10,000 men has- tened promptly from the high-lands of Tabor, and rushed valiantly onward against the horsemen of Sisera. A fear- ful carnage ensued : the corpses of the slain enemies filled the plain, or were swept away by the waters of the Kishon ; the formidable chariots were of no avail ; Sisera himself, seeing every chance lost and abandoning all hope, leapt from his chariot, and fled on foot for his life. He escaped probably northwards, wandering among his well-known mountain refuges, until he came to the settlement of Heber the Kenite, who had severed himself from the Hebrews, and lived in the plain of Zaanaim and Kadesh, like an independent chief. As Jabin the king of Hazor and Heber the Kenite were at peace, Sisera felt that he had at last found a safe retreat. He went to one of the tents, a worn-out fugitive. Jael, the wife of Heber, came out to meet him. She was a true Hebrew woman at heart, although she dwelt in friendship with the idolaters, and she exulted to find that the powerful general had fallen into her hands. Shrewdly dissembling her feelings, she said, ' Turn in to me, my lord, turn in -to me, fear not.' When he had entered, she showed him the most studied attention. He was thirsty and asked for water, she offered 70. DEBOEAH. 285 him a draught of sweet milk. He was weary and desired to rest, she covered him with a mantle ; but he cautioiisly bade her, ' Stand in the door of the tent, and when any- one comes and enquires of thee and says, Is there any man here? thou shalt say. No.' She promised to do as he had requested. Then she waited a while until she was certain that he was asleep. Now the moment for exe- cuting her design had arrived. She drew one of the large tent-nails from the ground, and took a hammer in her hand; then advancing softly to the sleeping man, she struck the nail into his temples, and without fear or mercy, she fastened it firmly to the ground I In the meantime Barak had hotly continued his pursuit of Sisera. Following his traces, he breathlessly approached Heber s tent. Jael came out to meet him in all the flush of triumph, and exclaimed, ' Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest.' She led Barak into the tent, and there lay the great captain mur- dered, with the nail in his temples. In verse and in plain narrative the deed of Jael has been extolled as one of supreme merit. And yet, can we really admire that deceitful and relentless woman, who profaned and disgraced the sacredness of hospitality, knew of no pity or tenderness to a wearied soldier, a fallen enemy, and perfidiously lured him to a terrible death ? Her contemporaries saw in her only the most patriotic lover of her people, and therefore revered her as a heroine. They looked upon Sisera not as a trembling fugitive, but as the representative of heathen might and hatred, and therefore glorified his destroyer as the great instrument that decided the destiny of the chosen people. Though we, in our happier times and with our better experience, justly revolt from an act of treason and ferocity, we can at least understand how it was accepted and even praised by an oppressed and struggling people in that early dawn 286 70. DEBOEAH. of civilisation. Did not the same age bring forth a Deborah, a true heroine endowed with a great and manly soul, but also with the same admixture of unwomanly- sternness ? In what light did the deed appear to her ? Let us see. Eeturning, after the victory, to her peaceful abode in the mountain of Ephraim, she immortalised the recent war and herself by a poem of singular and almost unequalled beauty. But second only to its literary merit is its his- torical importance. It is not merely a jubilant song of triumph, of remarkable vividness of colouring, force of expression, and wealth of imagery, but a precious and faithful reflex of its time, especially with regard to the condition and mutual relation of the Hebrew tribes. So rich and so complete a picture has rarely been compressed within so small a compass. The very commencement introduces us into the midst of the busy scene so full of excitement : ' That leaders led Israel, that the people followed willingly, therefore praise ye the Lord. Hear, kings, give ear, princes ; I will, yea, I will sing to the Lord, I will offer praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.' Then, in attempting to describe the power of Grod and His mercy towards Israel, she recalls to her mind that event, ever present to Hebrew poets and patriots, the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, followed by the grand revelation on Mount Sinai ; she describes it with a few vigorous touches, and leaves us to infer that a similar instance of power and mercy had been witnessed in her own time. ' Lord, when Thou earnest out of Seir, when Thou didst step out of the land of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens overflowed, and the clouds poured forth waters. Mountains quaked before the Lord, even that Sinai before the Lord Grod of Israel.' Now turning to her own time, she portrays its dangers, 70. DEBORAH. 287 its confusion, and its helplessness with equal precision and impressivenesa : ' In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were untrodden, and the travellers of even paths went through crooked by- ways. Chiefs were wanting in Israel, they were wanting until Deborah arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. They chose new gods ; then was war in the gates : was there a shield or a spear seen among forty thousand in Israel ? ' Unwilling to dwell on this sad picture of humiliation, she hastens, as if by a strong effort, to delineate, with a few dramatic sentences, the rescue, the safety, the present pride of her people : ' My heart is towards the rulers in Israel — ^you that came forward readily among the people, bless ye the Lord ! You that ride on white asses, you that sit on embroidered covers, and walk openly on the road — give praise. With the voice of those that divide spoils at the water-wells, they recount the mercy of the Lord, the mercy of His chief in Israel : then the people of the Lord go down to the gates. Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song ; arise Barak, and lead away thy cap- tives, son of Abinoam ! ' And now follow the call to arms, the preparations, the war-cry, the meeting of the warriors whose very steps, as they rush onward, we seem to hear : ' Then I spoke. Go down, remnant, against the nobles ; people of the Lord, go down against the mighty I Out of Ephraim there came those that have their root among Amalek ; after thee, Benjamin among thy people ; out of Machir came down rulers, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. And my princes of Issachar were with Debo- rah ; and Issachar, the support of Barak, rushes with him into the valley. At the rivers of Eeuben there were great councils. Why didst thou abide among the sheep-folds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? On the rivers of 288 .70. BEBOEAH. Eeubeii there were great councils. Grilead remained be- yond the Jordan ; and why did Dan abide in his ships ? Asher continued on the sea-shore, and rested in his har- bours. Zebulun is a people that give up their lives unto death, and Naphtali on the heights of the field. . . . Curse ye Meroz, says the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly its inhabitants ; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.' How will she describe the battle itself — the struggle so fierce and sanguinary, so decisive and all-important ? A few words suffice to bring before our eyes the fury and the bloodshed, the miraculous aid, and the fearful issue. ' The kings came and fought ; then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo ; they took no gain of money. They fought from heaven — the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, a river of battles is the river Kishon. Tread, my soul, upon the strong. There the horse-hoofs struck out on account of the hurry, the hurry of their mighty ones.' Then she touches upon Jael's deed. Has she a' word of compassion for the unfortunate captain, defeated foe though he be, or a word of condemnation for the woman who added deceit to cruelty ? She is true to her people and to her age ; she describes the act with even more than her ordinary power, she lingers over it with apparent delight and glowing admiration, and bursts forth in enthusiastic praise of her countrywoman, who seemed, in her eyes^ to have completed in the peaceful tent what she had herself begun in the battle-field : ' Blessed above all, women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite, blessed shall she be above all women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk ; she brought forth butter on a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman's hammer ; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote his head, and she 71. GIDEON. 289 dashed to pieces and pierced through his temples. At her feet he sinks, he falls, he lies ; at her feet he sinks, he falls ; where he sinks, there he falls down destroyed !' But the stern poetess is capable of gentler feelings ; she, can understand the grief of Sisera's family ; she leads us from the bloodstained tent of Jael to the palace of the warrior's mother bent down by mournful forebodings : ' The mother of Sisera looks out at. the window, she calls through the lattice, "Why is his chariot so long in coming ? why tarry the footsteps of his horses ? The wise among her ladies reply to her, and she returns answer to herself: Will they not find, will they not divide the prey ? to every man a damsel or two, to Sisera a prey of many- coloured garments, a prey of many-coloured, embroidered garments, a many-coloured, two embroidered garments for the neck of a captured animal ? ' But lest she be supposed to sympathise with the mother's grief, she concludes, almost abruptly, with a few words powerfully and grandly expressing her wishes and aspi- rations: 'So let all Thy enemies perish, Lord! But let those that love Him be as the sun when he goes forth in his might ! ' 71. GIDEON. [juDG. VI.— vni.] After forty years of peace, the Midianites, in conjunc- ' tion with the Amalekites and other tribes of the eastern desert, tempted by the fertility and beauty of Palestine, invaded the land from the south, ' They came as grass- hoppers for multitude ; both they and their camels were without number.' They caused terrible devastations, and forced the Hebrews to flee from the cities panic-stricken, and to seek refuge in the mountains, in caves, and rocks. V 290 , 71. GIDEON. To save themselves from starvation, the Israelites con- tinued to cultivate the soil as well as they could ; but when the crops were ripening, the fierce enemies swept over them, destroying everything in the length and breadth of the land, the produce of the field, the flocks and herds. This sad and humiliating condition lasted for seven years. In trembling and despair, the Israelites prayed to Grod for rescue, and He sent them a deliverer. There dwelt in Ophrah, a city of Manasseh, on the western hill overshadowing the plain of Esdraelon, a man of the name of Gideon, the son of Joash, the Abi-ezrite. All his brothers had been put to death on Mount Tabor by the Midianites ; he was the only surviving son of his father, the last of a grand and heroic family, ' each one resembling the children of a king'; and he, in his valour and manly thoughtfulness, represented his race nobly. But even this family was tainted by idolatry ; for Joash had in his house an altar of Baal, on which he had placed an image of Ashtarte, and where probably he and his whole tribe worshipped. Grideon alone seems to have remained uncorrupted by the evil influences that surrounded him, and to have kept firmly to the service of Grod. One day he was threshing out some ripe corn by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in human form, and greeted hiTn with the words, ' The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.' But Grideon answered, ' my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then has all this befallen us ? and where are all His miracles of which our fathers told us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt ? And now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.' ' Gro in this thy might,' rejoined the angel, ' and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites ; indeed, I have sent thee.' These words fell upon a wondering ear ; how could he, without prominent 71. GIDEON. 291 position and influence, lead his people to war and victory ? Yet willing to accept the great mission, he asked for some sign to assure him that he had indeed heard a message from God. Entreating the angel to stay, he hastened into the house ; and when -he returned again, he brought the meat of a kid, with unleavened cakes of flour and a pot of broth. But the angel, declining to taste of it, re- quested Gideon to lay the flesh and the unleavened cakes upon the stone, and to pour out the broth. As this was done, he touched the food with the end of his staff, when fire rose up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the cakes. Gideon then felt that he stood in the presence of the Lord ; fear overcame him ; he trembled for his life, because he had seen an angel of God ; but he received cheering promises ; and he built on the sacred spot an altar which he called Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord of Salvation). In the silent hour of the night, the Divine voice came again to Gideon, bidding him to hew down the altar of Baul together with the image of Ashtarte, which polluted his father's house. He was then to build an altar to God upon which he was to offer a bullock seven years old as a burnt-offering, using for the sacrifice the wood of the de- stroyed idol. Aided by ten of his servants, Gideon exe- cuted this daring scheme by night. In the morning, when the deed was discovered, the men of Ophrah, full of rage, searched for the perpetrator ; they discovered and convicted Gideon ; they surrounded the house of Joash, and exclaimed angrily, ' Bring out thy son that he may die, because he has cut down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the image of Ashtarte that was upon it.' Joash, anxious to rescue his brave son, answered shrewdly, ' Will you fight for Baal ? will you save him ? ... If he be a god, let him figM for himself, since some one has destroyed his altar.' By this reply he silenced the u2 292 71. GIDEON. incensed multitude, and Gideon received the name of Jerub-baal, that is, ' Let Baal fight against him.' The campaign against the Midianites was now to com-, mence, and Grideon conducted it as general. He easily collected round him the men of his own family and clan ; then sending out messengers throughout the northern districts of the land, he roused the warriors of Manasseh and Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali. The renown of his name and the reliance placed in his valour and wisdom, induced very large numbers to answer his call. Yet though filled with the spirit of the Lord, he could not divest himself of doubt and diffidence. He again prayed earnestly for a sign, this time to guarantee his success in the impending war. He spread the fleece of a sheep upon the ground, where he left it during the night ; should he find the earth around dry, but the fleece saturated with dew, he would be convinced of the Divine assistance. On the next morning, he saw the ground dry, while the fleece was steeped in dew. Still a remnant of doubt lingered in his mind, and he prayed for the same sign reversed. The following day, copious dew lay on the ground, but the fleece was dry. Now at last Gideon's fears were quieted, and his resolution taken. Thirty-two thousand men had answered to his sum- mons ; but that number was deemed by him too large, for the defeat of the enemy was to appear mainly as the work of God, not of men, and Israel was not to say, ' My own hand has saved me.' Therefore Gideon proclaimed, ' Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead.' Twenty-two thousand soldiers left the camp. But as even the remaining ten thousand men were considered too many for the purpose, a curious device was adopted for weeding out the least energetic. Gideon took the men to the water : those who threw them- selves on their knees and drank leisurely were sent home ■ 71. GIDEON. 293 while those who, gathering the water in their hands, rapidly ' lapped it as a dog laps,' were retained : of the latter there were but three hundred men ; and with this small band Gideon boldly undertook to meet the enemy, who lay in the valley of Jezreel ' as the sand by the sea-side for multitude.' It was night, and the Lord bade Gideon arise and approach the camp of the heathens, which was sure to fall into his hands : if he was afraid to go alone, he might take his armour-bearer Phurah with him. So both stole softly, in the stillness of the night, into the valley. When they had reached the outskirts of the camp, they heard one man tell his dream to his comrade : ' Lo, a cake of barley tumbled into the host of Midian, and came to the tents, and struck them that they fell, and overturned them, and the tents lay along ' ; after which he heard his comrade give this interpretation: 'This is nothing else •but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel; for into his hand has God delivered Midian and all the host.' When Gideon heard these auspicious words, he worshipped God in gratitude, and returned hopefully to his men. He told them that the hour of action had come. The plan of attack was promptly made : the three hundred men were arranged in three divisions ; each man was pro- vided with a trumpet, an empty pitcher, and a torch within the pitcher ; and all the soldiers were in every respect to imitate Gideon's actions. The latter went onward accom- panied by a hundred men ; the rest followed. Gently they ascended the hill, and stood close to the unsuspecting enemy. , Gideon advanced, blew a stirring blast on his trumpet, broke his pitcher, and held aloft the lighted torch. His example was instantaneously followed by his soldiers, who rushed forward to the war-cry, ' Sword for the Lord and for Gideon.' The deafening din of the trumpets aroused the sleeping Midianites, and the blazing torches alarmed them. Utter confusion reigned in their 294 . 71. OIDEON. camp ; seized -with a panic, and without attempting the slightest resistance, they turned in hasty flight, and sped on madly, in the hope of gaining the fords of the Jordan, and thus to reach in safety the Desert or some friendly tribe. Fierce was the chase through Palestine ; Gideon sent his speedy messengers through all the mountain of Ephraim, bidding the people occupy at once the passes of the Jordan, and so cut off the retreat of the Midianites. The men of Ephraim promptly obeyed the command, and caused a terrible massacre at the fords of the Jordan, They captured also the two Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb, slew them, and brought their heads as trophies to Gideon. A hundred and twenty thousand of the enemies fell in this fearful war. But the men of Ephraim, hardy warriors, conscious of their growing power, and not free from overbearing pride, which was later to cause fatal divisions, felt aggrieved that they should not have been summoned sooner to share in the glory of the victory, and they remonstrated sharply with Gideon. His judicious answer, reflecting the mode- ration and nobleness of his nature, averted a dangerous conflict : ' What have I done,' he replied, ' in comparison with you ? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer ? God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and what was I able to do in comparison with you ? ' The Ephraimites were satisfied. Gideon and his three himdred men continued their pursuit of the enemy ; they hastened on eastward, anxious to capture the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna, crossed the Jordan, and arrived wearied and exhausted at the ancient city of Succoth. They begged for bread to satisfy their hunger ; the men of Succoth answered tauntingly, ' Dost thou hold Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hands, that we should give bread to thy army?' Gideon swore to take fearful 71. GIDEON. 295 revenge if he should return victorious, and passed on with his hungry followers. Having arrived at Penuel, he .re- peated his entreaty, was as heartlessly refused, and menaced a similar retribution. Meanwhile Zebah and Zalmunna had rallied at Karkor the remnant of their army, consisting of fifteen thousand men, eager to crush Gideon and his handful of followers. But the Hebrews, incited by despair, and fighting for their existence, sur- prised the hostile camp at an unguarded hour with com- plete success. The heathen army was routed and put to flight ; Grideon dashed oflf in pursuit of the two kings, and captured them. He proceeded with them to Succoth, summoned the elders of the town, seventy-seven in number, and bade them look upon his royal captives. ' Behold, here are Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom you mocked me, saying, Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hands, that we should give bread to thy men that are weary ? ' Thereupon he carried out his fearful threat, and beat the elders to death with thorns and briars. He then fell upon the town of Penuel, and slew its inhabit- ants. Now he ordered Zebah and Zalmunna to be brought before him ; the moment had arrived for fulfilling what he considered a sacred duty. ' What manner of men,' he asked the captives, 'were those you slew at Tabor?' Promptly they replied, ' As thou art, so were they, each one resembled the children of a king.' Then Grideon ex- claimed, ' They were my brothers, the sons of my mother; as the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not slay you.' Desirous to leave to his firstborn the merit and the glory of the deed, he called upon his son Jether to strike the death-blow. But the youth trembled to approach the famous heroes. Then the kings, anxious to escape the indignity of falling by the hand of a boy, requested Grideon, ' Eise thou, and fall upon us, for as the 296 71. GIDEON. man is, so is his strength.' So Gideon himself avenged the .murder of his brothers, and the war was concluded. When perfect peace and security were restored, the Hebrews, ready to show their gratitude to the hero who by his fearless courage had restored to them their liberty and their homes, offered him the crown of royalty, to be hereditary among his descendants. But Gideon felt that his task was accomplished; he had always considered himself merely as an agent and instrument of God ; he was satisfied to have been the champion of his people, he shrank from being their king, and he replied, ' I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you, the Lord shall rule over you.' Nothing gives us a better insight into the strange character of the time than the fact recorded of Gideon after this noble answer, which seems to imply an absolute obedience to the Divine will. He requested the Israelites to bring him from the spoils as many golden trinkets as they could find ; and when they had presented heavy golden earrings, and chains taken from the camels' necks, and magnificent embroideries, he made of them an image or ephod, and set it up as an object of worship at Ophrah, his own city. Can we doubt that this image was dedi- cated, not to an idol, but to God, whom it was meant to represent ? How far, therefore, was true Mosaism from being established in the minds of even firm believers in the one God ! Gideon had many wives, and became the father of seventy sons, besides whom a wife of inferior rank, bore to him at Shechem another son, whom he called Abimelech. He survived his glorious victories for forty years, a happy and peaceful time for the Israelites ; and when he died at a great age, he was buried in the grave of his ancestors, mourned by a grateful nation. 72. ABIMELECH. 297 72. ABIMBLBCH. [Jtog. IX.] But with Gideon departed the faith and the gratitude of the people. They turned to idolatry, and the worship of Baal became again general in the land. A time of confusion and bloodshed followed. Abimelech, ambitious and unscrupulous, aspired to the sole rulership over Israel. He shrank from no crime to secure this end. He first stirred up the people of Shechem : ' What is better for you — that seventy persons, all the sons of Jerub-baal, reign over you, or that one man reign over you ? And remem- ber that I am your bone and your flesh.' He found sym- pathy and support, and proceeding to his father's house at Ophrah with a number of reckless and evil-minded men, he slaughtered all his brothers upon one great stone, possibly an old altar of Baal. Jotham alone, the youngest, escaped the terrible massacre. The men of Shechem now proclaimed Abimelech king. But Jotham, young as he was, felt deeply his wicked brother's atrocity, and longed to avert the danger that threatened the people. He went up to Mount Grerizim, and when large numbers of Shechemites had assembled, he. addressed to them the following fine parable — -the first we read of in the Bible : ' Hearken to me, ye men of Shechem, that Grod may hearken to you. Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive-tree, " Eeign thou over us " ; but the olive-tree said to them, " Should I leave my fatness, which Grod and man honour in me, and go to wave over the trees ? " Then the trees said to the fig-tree, " Come thou and reign over us" ; but the fig- tree said to them, " Should I forsake my sweetness and my choice fruit, and go to wave over the trees ? " Then 298 72. ABIMELECS. the trees said to the vine, " Come thou and reign over us" ; and the vine said to them, " Should I leave my wine, which cheers Grod and man, and go to wave over the trees ? " Then all the trees said to the bramble, " Come thou to reign over us" ; and the bramble said to the trees, " If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow ; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon." ' Concluding the parable with an appeal which implied the interpretation, Jotham exclaimed : ' Now, therefore, if you have done truly and sincerely, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerub- baal and his house, and have done to him as his hands de- serve — for my father fought for you, and exposed his life to the danger, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian .... if you then have dealt truly and sincerely with Je- rub-baal and with his house this day, then rejoice you in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you ; but if not, let fire come out of Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo ; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.' As Jotham ceased speaking, he disappeared from the mountain top; and fearful for his life, he fled from Grerizim to Beer, where he remained in concealment. Abimelech was now undisputed ruler, at least over some districts, and he maintained the power for three years. But then a spirit of mutual hostility arose between him and the people of Shechem ; the latter waylaid and plun- dered the followers of Abimelech, who, feeling no longer safe in his old stronghold of Shechem, took up his abode in Arumah. Graal, the son of Ebed, dexterously fostered the dissension ; at a vintage-feast, when all the people were assembled in a great temple of Baal, venting their 72. ABIMELEOH. 299 wrath against their late tyrant in maledictions, he said : ' Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem that we should serve him ? Is not he the son of Jerub-baal, and Zebul his officer ? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem ; for why should we serve him ? ' He asked to be entrusted with the leadership against Abimelech ; he obtained it, and made at once preparations for an attack. But Zebul, Abimelech's faithful and vigilant general, was informed of the plans, and frustrated them ; he advised his master to march with his army towards Shechem, to wait in an ambush during the night, and then to fall upon the town. The scheme succeeded completely. Abimelech surprised Graal, who was compelled to flee, and he took Shechem, which, after a fearful carnage, he razed to the ground. Many Shechemites, with women and children, had escaped to a fortified sanctuary of the god Baal- Berith ; Abimelech kindled fire around it, and more than a thousand souls perished in the flames. Then he quickly advanced upon the town Thebez ; but here his sanguinary career was to come to a disgraceful end. The inhabitants sought refuge in the strong tower, where they tried to hold out against the besiegers. They climbed up to the top, and looked upon the well-equipped army beneath them. The daring Abimelech had already fought his way up to the very gates ; he was on the point of hurling the burning firebrands into the midst of his enemies, when a woman, in her rage and despair, threw down a mill-stone upon his head and crushed him. In the agonies of death, he cried hurriedly to his armour-bearer, ' Draw thy sword, and slay me, lest men say of me, a woman slew me.' Thus ended the short and evil reign of Abimelech. A unity, which had little of strength and nothing of liberty, was broken up ; the Israelites dispersed to their homes ; Jotham's curse was realised. 300 73. JEPHTHAH. 73. TOLA— JAIR— JEPHTHAH. [jtTOG. X.— xn.] After the time of Abimelech, the Bible mentions briefly two Judges, but gives us hardly more than their names — Tola, of the tribe of Issachar, who dwelt in the town Shamir in Mount Ephraim, and judged Israel for twenty- three years ; and Jair, a Grileadite, who was leader for twenty-two years : he had thirty sons, who possessed as many cities in Gilead, and who are described as ' riding each upon his ass colt.' After the death of Jair, the Israelites fell back into the darkest idolatry, and worshipped many gods of the sur- rounding nations. As usual, idolatry was the forerunner of misery and bondage. The heathen nations, ever watchful and ready to take advantage of dissensions, attacked the Hebrews. First the Philistines vexed them, and then the Ammonites fell upon the tribes of Grilead in the east of the Jordan, made them tributary, and imposed upon them heavy burdens, under which they sighed for eighteen years. Soon afterwards, the Ammonites, forcing their way across the Jordan, attacked the powerful tribes of Judah, Ephraim, and Benjamin. There was mourning and con- sternation among the Israelites, who could not but feel that their own sins and offences had called down upon them this terrible scourge. They prayed earnestly for de- liverance ; and promising faithful obedience, they eagerly destroyed their idols. In greater force than ever, and flushed by their victories, the Ammonites were assembled in the land of Grilead, prepared for warfare. The Hebrews held council at Mizpah in trembling fear ; for there was none who durst lead them against the mighty hosts of the heathen. At last they bethought themselves of an ab 78. JEPHTHAH. ■ 301 chieftain, and to Mm they appealed in their despair. Jephthah, a Grileadite, renowned for his valour, had been driven from his father's house by his brothers, who dis- puted his share in the inheritance. He had fled to the land of Tob, where he lived a wild and reckless life, sur- rounded by a band of lawless followers. To him came the elders of Grilead, entreating him to return with them, and lead the Hebrew hosts against their dreaded enemy. He agreed to their request, but he insisted upon one con- dition, which was accepted — ^that, should he defeat and drive back the Ammonites, he was to be the sole chief and ruler of the people of Grilead. Then he felt, probably for the first time, that he was chosen to fight as the warrior of the Lord for the glory of His name and the rescue of His people. In this solemn turning-point of his life, inspired by a feeling of religious enthusiasm, he made the following vow to the Lord : ' If Thou shalt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hands, then it shall be that, whosoever comes forth to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer him up for a burnt- sacrifice.' And unenlightened as he was, he meant to perform a pious act, a deed of extraordinary devotion. After fruitlessly attempting a peaceful settlement with the king of Ammon, Jephthah went forth at the head of the Hebrew army. He fought well and bravely, utterly sub- dued the Ammonites, smiting them in the length and breadth of their country, and taking twenty cities. The Hebrew tribes of Grilead were delivered from their bondage. The news of the glorious victories reached Mizpah, where Jephthah's household was established. He had an only child, a daughter, affectionate, devoted, and heroic. She went out joyfully, playing the timbrel and dancing, to meet her father, when he returned from the battle-field. As he saw her approach in her unconscious gladness, bitter 302 73. JEPHTHAH. agony pierced his soul ; he rent his garments, and a cry of anguish burst forth from his lips: 'Alas, my daughter, thou bendest me low indeed, and bringest me to destruc- tion, for I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot go back.' The maiden was equal to the great occasion ; she felt that the vow was sacred and inviolable, and she shrank not from its accomplishment. She ac- cepted her fate with resignation, merely entreating that for two months she might be permitted to live with her companions in seclusion on the moimtains, there to bewail her untimely death. Was Jephthah unable to see that the vow was in itself impious, that it could not be acceptable in the eyes of the Lord, and that it was detestable blasphemy to offer such a sacrifice? Great beyond our present means of realising it must have been the confusion of the lawless times in which such deeds could be publicly done and regarded as meritorious. Jephthah granted his daughter's last request ; and when she returned to his house after two months, ' he did with her,' the Bible tells us, considerately veiling the awful scene, ' according to his vow.' The memory of the un- happy maiden was cherished among her country-women ; for it became a custom for the daughters of Israel annually to go up to the mountains, and to praise her obedience and fortitude. When the war was concluded, the Ephraimites appeared with an army in Grilead, and addressed to Jephthah the same haughty remonstrance which they had before made to Gideon : ' Wherefore didst thou proceed to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee ? We will burn thy house upon thee with fire ! ' ' Jephthah replied, that in the time of distress he had invited the Ephraimites to join him, but they had sent no help; and he at once marched against them, drove them back to the Jordan, and occupied the fords. Now 74. SAMSOK. 303' when fugitives came and desired to pass, they were bidden to say the word shibboleth (meaning stream) ; if they pro- nounced it sibboleth, they were recognised as Ephraimites (for in their dialect sh was pronounced like s), and they were put to death. Thus fell twenty-two thousand men of Ephraim. 74. TBZAlSr— ELON— ABDOTSr— SAMSOlSr. [Juua. XII.— XVI.] After the death of Jephthah, who judged Israel for six years, we have a string of mere names presenting but little importance to us. Thus we hear of Tbzan of Beth- lehem, with his thirty sons and thirty daughters-in-law ; of Elon, a native of Zebulun ; and Abdon of Pirathon in Ephraim, who had forty sons and thirty grandsons — the three together ruling over Israel for twenty-five years. But the person and history of the next Judge are asso- ciated with features and events which seem to lead us to the old mythical traditions of Greece, rather than to the annals of the chosen people. The life of Samson, so vividly told in the Book of Judges, so full of hazard and risk, of buoyancy and-rude humour, finds its counterpart in the fabled deeds of Hercules. Unlike the other Judges, Samson performs all amazing feats of valom* and strength alone and unaided; he never leads the people to great enterprises ; he is their sole champion, rejoicing in his strength, and rushing into perils for the mere delight he feels in braving them. There is a quaintness and light- heartedness about this giant warrior, which give to his adventures a wonderful interest, enhanced perhaps by the fearful tragedy which concludes his career. The story is peculiarly life-like, and yet it sounds almost legendary in its details. His exploits are ever listened to with wonder 304 74. SAMSON. and admiration ; and his sayings, chiefly riddles and puzzles, never fail to cause pleasure and merriment. The land of Canaan was bounded on its south-western frontiers by the territory of the Philistines, which, running into the provinces of Dan and Judah, extended in a narrow strip of land along the shore of the Mediterranean. The Philistines, descendants of the giant races that once possessed Canaan, rude, warlike, and restless, had grown into a powerful nation, and were among the most impla- cable and most dangerous enemies of t]j.e Hebrews. In these perpetual feuds, the Israelites, weakened by idolatry and disunion, were often defeated and subdued, and had then to submit to merciless oppression. The burdens both of the war and servitude fell naturally most heavily upon the neighbouring tribe of the Danites; but they were felt with more or less weight by the whole nation. During forty years the Israelites bore the hateful yoke, and they sent up their cries for help and rescue. Their deliverer came at last from the tribe of Dan. In the small town of Zorah there lived a man of the name of Manoah, whose wife was childless. One day an angel appeared to her, declaring that she would become the mother of a son who should, in due time, save the Hebrews from the hand of the Philistines. The boy was from his birth to be dedicated to Grod as a Nazarite ; no razor was ever to touch his hair ; even the mother was to abstain from strong drink and all unclean food. Amazed by what §he had heard, she told it to her husband, who devoutly prayed for another appearance of the Divine messenger, to learn more fully the duties that awaited him and his wife. The vision was repeated, and the angel announced again, this time both to Manoah and his wife, the birth of the wondrous child, and renewed his former injunctions both with respect to the boy and the mother. Manoah entreated his guest to stay and to partake of a meal which 74. SAMSON. ^05 he would speedily prepare. The angel declined, but left it to him to sacrifice a burnt-offering to God. When Manoah had laid the kid he had slaughtered upon the rock which he was using for an altar, and had kindled the fire, the angel, rising upon the flame, ascended with it towards heaven, and was lost to their view. Awed, yet reassured by the miracle, Manoah and- his wife worshipped silently, certain that the promise they had received would come true. When the, child was born, he was called Samson, the sunny, the bright ; and he grew, and God's blessing was with him. His exploits commenced when he was a mere youth. On one of his frequent roaming expeditions, he came to Thimnah, situated south of his native town Zorah. There he saw a Philistine maiden who so pleased •him that he resolved to make her his wife. His parents were unwilling to bring an idolatress into their house- hold, and entreated their son to select a bride from among his own people. But Samson obstinately insisted upon his choice, and went to Thimnah with his father and mother, to make them acquainted with the maiden. On the way, and whilst he was wandering alone in the vine- yards near the town, he was met by a young lion ; he seized the wild beast, and rent it asunder as if it had been a kid. Then he joined his parents unconcerned, without mentioning his feat. Eeturning to Thimnah some time afterwards to celebrate his marriage, he found, upon looking at the spot where he had before killed the lion, that a swarm of bees had built their hive in the carcase. He took some of the honey and ate it on his way. At Thimnah he prepared a wedding feast, to which he invited thirty of his companions, and which was to last for seven days. Delighting in riddles, and desirous to perplex his guests, he put before them the following puzzle : ' Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the X 306 U. SAMSON. strong came forth sweetness.' If they guessed the meaning, he promised to give to each of them a shirt and a stiit of apparel, but if not, then they were to give him thirty shirts and thirty suits of apparel. Unable to explain the riddle, the guests urged Samson's bride to persuade him to tell ier the interpretation, and then to communicate it to them. She succeeded by artful appeals to her husband's tenderness ; and on the last day of the feast the men said: 'what is sweeter than honey, what is stronger thanl a lion ?' Samson, easily divining the source of their know- ledge, answered in his quaint manner : ' If you had not ploughed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle.' Eesolved to pay his debts in no ordinary way, and at the same time to chastise the cunning deceit of i^e Philistines, he went down to Ashkelon, and in the full flush of his strength slew thirty men, and stripped them of their garments, which be gave to the wedding guests. He then returned, angry and mortified, to his father's house in Zorah. In the height of the Eastern summer, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson came back to claim his wife, when her father told him that in his absence she had been given to one of his companions, and offered him her younger sister in her stead. Enraged at the insult, he exclaimed, ' This time I am free of guUt with respect to the Philistines, if I do evil to them ;' he rushed out into the fields, caught three hundred foxes, tied them together by their tails, two and two, putting a lighted firebrand between them, and let them loose into the standing com, into the vineyards and the olive-groves. The affrighted Philistines asked each other, ' Who has done this ?' And when they heard it was Samson, who thus sought to punish his father-in-law's treachery, they went up to the house of the latter, and burnt it to the ground. Samson's wife and her father perished in the flames. Some of the 74. SAMSON. 307 old affection was still lingering in the hero's heart, and eager to avenge his wife's cruel and untimely death, he attacked the Philistines single-handed, and caused a great slaughter among them. Then he hurried back into the territory of Judah, and there concealed himself in one of the caves of the rocks of Etam. The incensed Philis- tines pursued him, and demanded that the daring offender should be delivered into their hands. The men of Judah, fearing their masters, and anxious to propitiate them, surrounded the cave where Samson lay hidden, remon- strated with him sharply for what they considered reck- less imprudence, boimd him with two new cords, and brought him a prisoner to the Philistine camp at Lechi. A shout of joy arose from the heathen hosts ; but ' the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Samson, and the cords upon his arms became as flax burnt with fire, and his bands fell loose from his hands.' Then taking for his weapon the jaw-bone of an ass which he foimd near, he slew with it a thousand men, in commemoration of which exploit the place where it was achieved was called Ra- math Lechi (the height of the jaw-bone). "Wandering alone amidst the rocks, weary and exhausted, far from brook or spring, the hero prayed earnestly to Grod for help ; the ground clove at his feet, and a stream of re- freshing water rushed up before him : the spring re- mained, and was long famous under the name of JEn- takhore (spring of the praying). Samson was now the recognised chief and Judge of Israel. His strength and the terror of his name were suf- ficient to maintain peace for twenty years. One night, when he had roamed into Gaza, one of the chief cities of the Philistines, his enemies, ever lying in wait for him, surrounded the walls and barred the gates, with a view of attacking and kilUng him in the morning. But Samson, guessing their evil designs, arose at midnight, X 2 308 74. SAMBON. and unhinging the two huge gates, placed them on his shoulders, bar and all, and carried them as far as the top of a hill before Hebron. In the valley of Sorek, in the territory of Judah, there dwelt a woman, Delilah, deceitful and avaricious, whom Samson loved. The wily Philistines determined to make her the instrument of his ruin. She was to entice from him the secret of his strength. It is a strange incident in his life, showing us how weak was the moral nature of that giant in outward strength. At first, he tried to baffle the insidious enquiries of the traitress, and his answers evinced his usual humour : ' If they bind me with seven fresh withs that were never dried, then shall I be as weak as any other man.' When he had fallen asleep, Delilah, hiding a number of Philistines in the room, tied his arms with green withs, and suddenly arous- ing him, she exclaimed, ' The Philistines are upon thee, Samson !' He sprang up and broke the withs, as a thread of tow crumbles away when touched by fire. The secret of his strength was still his own. Again the false tempt- ress urged him to tell her how he could effectually be pinioned. Samson, enjoying the jest, replied, 'If they bind me fast with new ropes, which have never been used, then shall I be weak, and be as any other man.' Delilah fastened him with new ropes, and once more gave the signal for the Philistines' attack. But Samson tore the cords from his arms like threads. "When Delilah still continued to weary him with her entreaties, he said he would lose his strength if she entwined the seven locks. of his head with linen threads. In his sleep she did so, and fixed his locks to the wall with a strong nail, but at the words, ' The Philistines are upon thee !' he started up from his sleep, carrying away with him the nail, an4 facing his enemies in unimpaired vigour. Delilah now lavished upon the hero her fondest caresses : ' How canst 74. SAMSON. 309 thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me ? Thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lies.' The rich re- ward which the princes of the nation had promised for her treachery incited her to repeat the request again and again; she allowed Samson no peace and ho rest, ' until his soul was vexed to death.' Too self-confident to flee from this evil woman, and too weak to resist her, he at last poured out his whole heart ; he told her that the mystery of his power lay in his hair, which no razor had touched irom the day of his birth, and that as long as he was truly and faithfully a Nazarite to the Lord, he would remain in- vincible. Delilah felt that this time he had spoken the truth ; she called the Philistine chiefs, and informed them that at last she had Samson indeed in her hands. With well-feigned affection, she watched beside her un- fortunate victim till he slept, and then she softly bid a man cut the long and carefully preserved locks from his head. When the fatal work was finished, she cried out, ' The Philistines are upon thee !' Samson awoke, uncon- cerned as before, trusting that he would rid himself of his enemies as he had done so often — but his strength was gone. The Philistines fell upon him, made him their prisoner, cruelly put out his eyes, and brought him to Gaza, where they loaded him with iron chains, and made him grind wheat in the prison-house. The Philistine people rejoiced over the fall of the mighty Hebrew champion ; they held public festivals and revelries, and offered sacrifices and thanksgivings to their , god Dagon. It was during one of these feasts of wild merry-making that they brought out their captive, cruelly to make sport of him in his misery and blindness. The temple of the god Dagon was filled with vast numbers of people ; three thousand were on the roof alone, whilst the inner part of the building was thronged to excess. Samson 310 75. THE STOEY OF EUTH. was led out of his prison, and his inhuman masters bid him sing and dance hefore them. A boy was leading him by the hand, and placed him between two of the pillars that supported the colossal building. In the midst of his toil and degradation, his hair had begun to grow, and his strength had imperceptibly returned. He felt it ; a great resolve flashed upon his mind, and at once matured into deed. He said to the lad, ' Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereon the house stands, that I may lean upon them.' Then he poured out a fervent prayer from the depth of his soul : ' Lord Grod, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, Grod, that I may take one revenge upon the Philistines for my two eyes.' And now, grasping both pillars, one with each hand, he exclaimed, ' Let me die with, the Phi- listines ! ' As he bent down the pillars with all his might, ' the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein ; and the dead whom he slew at his death were more than those whom he slew in his life.' The consternation which this fearful event caused among the Philistines, enabled Samson's brothers and re- lations to rescue the body of their great kinsman from the land of the heathen, and to bury it in the territory of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the grave of his father Manoah. 76. THE STORY OF RUTH. [Book of Etjth.] The stormy period, the events of which we have just related, is relieved by a glimpse of bright sunshine, all the more cheering for the surrounding darkness. It is a beautiful episode in the lives of two women, a Hebrew and a Moabitess ; and it is told so sweetly and so charmingly, , that the story of Euth and Naomi may well be called 75. T^E STORY OF RUTH. 311 the great Idyl of the Bible. It is a refreshing interlude between the history of the Judges and the labours of Samuel, between the old times of lawlessness and the age of the new kingdom. There are but few women whose destinies and deeds are narrated in the Bible with some fulness, and those few are principally conspicuous for energy and courage, like Debo- rah, Jael, and Esther. But the memory of Ruth is rich with affection and gentleness, devotion and filial attach- ment, unselfish and pure-minded simplicity. "The very sound of her name conjures up before our eyes busy harvest scenes in the land of Palestine, the young men reaping, the maidens gleaning, and the stately yet kindly figure of Boaz moving among his sheaves. It is the one peaceful page snatched from the turbulent lives of the Hebrews of that time ; not fenciful, like the feats of Samson, not fierce and inspiring like the work of Debo- rah, but homely and winning in its details, simple yet picturesque. We can do no better than give the story as much as possible in the very words of the Bible, inimitable in their beauty and childlike plainness. , ' It happened in the days when the Judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. And they came into the country of Moab, and stayed there. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. And they took to them- selves wives of the women of Moab ; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Euth: and they dwelt there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chi- lion died also both of them, and thus Naomi alone was 312 75. THE STOEY OF RUTH. left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, and returned from the country of Moab, for she had heard that God had looked upon His people and given them bread. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, " Go, return each to her mother's house ; the Lord deal kindly with you and with me ; the Lord grant you, that you may find rest each of you in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. But they said to her, " Surely we will return with thee to thy people." And Naomi replied, "Eeturn home, my daughters, go your way .... my lot is much bitterer than yours, for the hand of the Lord is gone out against me." And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And OrpaL kissed her mother-in-law [and departed] ; but Euth clung to her. And Naomi said, " Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people and to her gods, return thou after thy sister- in-law." And Euth said, " Entreat me not to leave thea and to return from following after thee ; for whither thou goest, I will go, and whither thou lodgest, I will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God ; "where thou diest, wjU I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." When Naomi saw that Euth was steadfast in her purpose, she left off persuading her. So they two went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they arrived at Bethlehem, all the city was in excite- ment about them ; and they asked, " Is this Naomi ? " And she replied to them, " Call me not Naomi (graceful- ness), but Mara (afflicted), for the Almighty has afflicted me very much : I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty " .... So Naomi and Euth came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley-harvest. ' And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name 75. THE STOEY OP EUTH. 313 was Boaz. And Euth the Moabitess said to Naomi, " Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after any one in whose sight I may find grace." And Naomi said to her, " Gro, my daughter." And she went and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and it so chanced that the portion of the field belonged to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, " The Lord be with you," and they answered him, " The Lord bless thee," Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, " To whom does this yoimg woman belong ? " And the servant who was set over the reapers answered, " It is the Moabitish young woman that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab ; and she said, ' I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves ; ' so she came, and has continued from the morning until now ; it is but little that she rested in the house." Then Boaz said to Euth, "Hearest thou not, my daughter? Gro not to glean in another field, nor go from hence, but abide here close by my maidens ; let thy eyes be on the field that they reap, and go thou after them ; behold, I have charged the men that they shall not touch thee ; and when thou art thirsty, go to the vessels and drink of that which the men have drawn." Then she fell on her fece, and bowed down to the ground, and said to him, " Why have I found grace in thy eyes, that thou shouldst take notice of me, seeing I am a stranger ? " And Boaz answered and said to her, " I have been fully told every- thing that thou hast done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband, that thou hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy birth, and art come to a people which thou knewest not heretofore : the Lord re- compense thy work, and thy reward be complete from the Lord G-od of Israel, to whose wings thou art come to seek xefiige." Then Euth said, "Let me find favour in thy 314 75. THE STOEY OF RUTH. sight, my lord, for thou hast comforted me, and has spoken friendly to thy handmaid, though I am not like one Of thy handmaidens." And Boaz said to her at meal-time, " Come thou hither and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar." And she sat beside the reapers, and they reached her roasted corn, and she ate and was satisfied and left over. And she rose to glean ; then Boaz commanded his men, saying, " Let her glean also among the sheaves, and do not vex her ; and let also fall some of the bundles on purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not," So Euth gleaned in the field until the evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it, and went into the city, . . . and she took out and gave to her mother-in-law what she left over after she was satisfied. And Naomi said to her, "Where hast thou gleaned to-day ? and where didst thou work ? blessed be he that took notice of thee ! " And Euth answered, " The man's name with whom I worked is Boaz." And Naomi said, " Blessed be the Lord who has not left ofif His kind- ness to the living and to the dead : the man is near of kin to us, one of our redeemers." And Euth said, " He said to me also. Thou shalt keep close by my men, until they have ended all my harvest." Then Naomi replied, "It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they do not meet thee in any other field." So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean to the end of the barley harvest and of the wheat harvest ; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.' We pause in the narrative to remind the reader of the law observed among the ancient Hebrews, that if a man died, leaving a childless widow, his nearest of kin was bound to purchase his property and marry his widow, in order to ' redeem ' his name from oblivion. Naomi, natu- rally anxious to preserve the memory of her deceased 75. THE STOEY OF EUTH. 315 husband and sons, was resolved to act upon this law, the more as Boaz, Elimelech's near kinsman, had been found, and had shown such kindness to Euth. We now continue in the words of the Bible. ' Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, " My daughter, must I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now, is not Boaz our kinsman? Behold, he winnows barley to-night in the threshing- floor. Therefore, wash and anoint thyself, and put on thy raiment, and go down to the threshing-floor, but do not make thyself known, until he has finished eating and drinking. And when he lies down, mark the place, and go there, . . . and he will tell thee what thou shalt do." And Euth replied, " All that thou sayest to me I will do." And she went down to the floor, and did everything that her mother-in-law had told her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and when his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn ; and she came up softly, and laid herself down at his feet. And it hap- pened at midnight that the man was afraid, and he turned himself, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, " Who art thou ? " And she answered, " I am Euth, thy handmaid ; spread therefore thy protecting wing over thy handmaid, for thou art a redeemer." And he said, " Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter ! Thou hast shown more kindness in the latter time than at first, because thou didst not follow the young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not, I will do to thee all that thou requirest ; for all the city of my people knows that thou art an excellent woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer, but there is yet one nearer than I. Stay this night, and it -shall be in the morning that if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem thee ; but if he will not redeem thee, then I will redeem thee, as the Lord lives: lie down until the morning." 316 75. THE STORY OP RUTH. And she lay at Ws feet, until the morning, and she rose up before one could recognise another. . . . And Boaz said to her, " Bring thy cloak, and hold it ; " and when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it upon her, and she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she told her all that Boaz had done to her. . . . Then Naomi said, "Eemain, my daughter, until thou knowest how the matter will turn out, for the man will not rest until he has finished the matter this day." ' The gate of the city was in those days the chief place for all public assemblies; it was the open court of justice, where men pleaded their cases, where redress was sought, and all claims were decided.^ It was there that Euth's fate was settled. ' Boaz went up to the gate, and sat down there ; and behold, the redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken, was passing by, and he said, " Ho, such a one, stop and sit down here ; " and he sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, " Sit down here ; " and they sat down. And he said to the redeemer, " Naomi that is come back out of the country of Moab, sells a piece of land which belonged to Elimelech. And I thought to inform thee, and say, ' Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people.' If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it, but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is none to redeem it beside thee, and I am after thee ! " And the other replied, " I will redeem it." Then Boaz said, " When thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou buyest it also of Euth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, in order to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance." But the redeemer said, " I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance : redeem thou my right of redemp- tion for thyself, for I cannot redeem it." Now this was > See p. 38. 75. THE STORY OF EUTH. 317 ;he manner in former times in Israel -witli respect to re- ieeming and to changing, to confirm all things : a man Dook oif his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour, and this was the custom in Israel. Therefore the redeemer said bo Boaz, " Buy it for thee," and he took off his shoe. And Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, " You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elime- lech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Euth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I acquired to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place ; you are witnesses this day.' And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, " We are witnesses : the Lord make the woman that is come into thy house like Each el and like Leah who both built up the house of Israel; and acquire wealth in Ephrath, and be famous in Bethlehem! " So Boaz took Euth and she was his wife. . . . And she bore a son, and the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord who has not left thee this day without a redeemer, and may his name be famous in Israel ; he shall be to thee a comforter of thy life, and a support of thy old age ; for thy daughter- in-law who loves thee, and who is better to thee than seven sons, has born him." ' The child was called Obed, who became the father of Jesse, and the grandfather of king David. Thus the affectionate and true-hearted Moabite woman was the ancestress of Israel's greatest ruler. VL THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAMUEL. fe. SAMtJEL'S YOUTH. [1 Sam. I.— in.] In Mount Ephraim, at Eamathaiin Zophim, there dwelt a man of the name of Elkanah, who had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children, but the pious and humble-minded Hannah had none ; yet Elkanah loved his childless wife most. Every year this family went up to offer sacrifices at Shiloh, which was still the common place of worship for all Israel. Here was the Ark and the Tabernacle, and here were officiating priests and Levites, who performed the sacred rites for the people. The High- priest at this time was Eli, a lineal descendant not of Eleazar, but of Aaron's youngest son Ithamar ; he had also been the Judge of Israel for many years, and was now weak and advanced in age. At the annual meetings in Shiloh, it was customary for the worshippers to hold sacri- ficial repasts, in which their entire households took part, besides invited guests, especially the poor and the Levites. Now, at these meals, Elkanah would give the largest or most valued portion to his favourite wife Hannah. This was felt as a slight and an insult by Peninnah, who be- came jealous of her childless rival. She vented her anger freely upon Hannah, who wept and touched nothing at the feast. Elkanah, seeing her distress, asked, ' Hannah, 76. SAMUEL'S YOUTH. 319 why weepest thou, and why eatest thou not, and why is thy heart grieved ? Am I not better to thee than ten sons ? ' But Hannah was troubled and oppressed with sorrow. At one of her yearly visits to Shiloh, she went alone to the door of the Tabernacle, and entering within the holy precincts, she sought relief in prayer. She poured out the distress and bitterness of her soul before the Lord, and as was usual in those days, her supplication took the form of a vow. ' Lord of Hosts,' she said, ' if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thy handmaid, but wilt give to Thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.' As she prayed silently and inwardly, her lips moved, but no word was heard. From his seat near the entrance, EH the High-priest had seen her come in, and. closely watched her. His anger was roused, for he thought the strange woman was drunk, and at last he exclaimed, ' How long wilt thou be drunken I Put away thy wine from thee I ' Hannah answered meekly, ' No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit, I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord-: count, not thy handmaid for a worthless woman, for out of my great grief and misery have I spoken hitherto.' Then Eli knew her words were true, and he bade her go in peace, saying, 'The God of Israel will grant thee thy petition which thou hast asked of Him.' Hannah went back comforted and with a cheerful countenance, and her faith was rewarded. For a son was born to her, and she called him Samuel ('the Lord hears'). This child,. she felt, was but confided to her as a trust ; he was to belong to God throughout life ; for she meant faithfully to carry out the vow she had offered in her distress. She deter- mined not to go up to Shiloh until the boy was weaned, 320 76. SAMUEL'S YOUTH. when she would leave him in the Tabernacle under the care of Eli. Then, at the appointed time, she made with her little son the journey to the holy town ; there she offered up a bullock for a sacrifice, and then led Samuel into the Tabernacle, and presented him to Eli, saying, ' For this child I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him : therefore I will lend him to the Lord ; as long as he Hves, he shall be lent to the Lord.' Then Hannah prayed again, but now her heart was throbbing with gratitude and praise, and her prayer was one of gladness and thanksgiving. It ran thus : 'My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in Thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beside Thee, neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly, let not arrogance come out of your mouth ; for the Lord , is a Grod of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were satis- fied have hired themselves out for bread, and they that were hungry ceased to be so ; nay the barren has born seven, and she that has many children has grown feeble. The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory : for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His pious servants, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness ; for by strength no man pre- 76. SAMUEL'S YOUTH. 321 vails. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces ; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them : the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth ; and He shall give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.' Hannah returned to Eamah with her husband, leaving their little son in the care of Eli. Samuel grew, and began to assist in the service of the Tabernacle, girded with a linen ephod like a priest. Young as he was, the Lord's grace rested upon him, and he won favour in the eyes of all men. Elkanah and his household came up yearly to Shiloh to offer their regular sacrifice ; on these occasions Hannah never failed to bring with her presents and garments for her child. She was blessed for her love and self-denial ; for in the course of time she became the mother of three other sons and of two daughters. EU's declining years were embittered by the wicked conduct of his sons Hophni and Phinehas. They served likewise as priests at the Sanctuary ; but, unscrupulous and depraved, they committed the most flagrant offences at the very gate of the Tabernacle and in the holy place itself. They even perverted the people that came to sacrifice in Shiloh. It was useless for Eli to reprove them ; they would not listen to him, but continued in their evil ways. We are told that ' a man of God,' a prophet or seer probably, came to Eli, to warn him of the fate that would befall his sons ; they were sinning against Grod most grievously, and were destined both to die on one day. The house of Eli would cease to be the house of Grod's priests, and sink into sad poverty and contempt. ' I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest,' said the messenger in the name of the Lord, ' that shall do according to that which is in My heart and in My mind, and I will build' him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed 322 76. SAMUEL'S YOUTH. for ever. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' ofi&ces, that I may eat a piece of bread.' It was from the lips of Samuel that Eli was to hear this mournful message repeated and confirmed ; for, when still very young, Samuel received a Divine revelation, and was endowed with that peculiar gift of God's grace which raised him at once from the priest to the prophet. It was night or early morning, and the Tabernacle was dimly illumined by the soft light from the lamp that burnt there from sunset to sunrise. Eli, who had been rapidly growing weaker and more infirm, was lying down in his place. Samuel also was sleeping within the sacred dwelling, when a voice, calling his name, aroused him. He sprang up, and running to Eli, said, ' Here am I ; ' for he thought Eli had called him. But Eli answered, 'I called thee not ; go back and lie down again.' Samuel obeyed. But again the same voice was heard, and again Samuel hastened to Eli, saying, ' Here am I.' Eli bade him return as before, and lie down. It was the voice of the Lord, but the child knew it not. It came to him a third time, and again thinking that it was EU who called, he hastened to him. Now Eli became aware that it was the Lord's summons, and he said to Samuel, ' Gro, lie down ; and if it happens that thou art called, thou shalt say, " Speak, Lord, for Thy servant hears." ' So Samuel went, and the Lord addressed him as before, ' Samuel, Samuel ! ' Then Samuel answered, ' Speak, for Thy ser- vant hears.' And the Lord said to Samuel, ' Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both ears of every one that hears it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all the things which I have spoken concerning his house ; I shall begin and finish. For I have told him ' 77. CAPTURE OF THE AEK. 323 that I will punish his house for ever, for the offence that he knew that his sons made themselves accursed, and restrained them not. And therefore I swear to the house of EU that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.' Samuel lay quietly in his place until the morning. He was afraid to relate the vision of the night. But Eli called him, and bade him tell all fearlessly. After hearing the awful announcement, the old man said humbly, ' It is the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him.' The Biblical historian appears to linger fondly on the picture of the child-priest in the Tabernacle ; he tells us repeatedly how the Lord blessed and how the people loved him. Strengthened by the spirit of Grod, intelligent and high-minded, full of earnest faith and energy, Samuel grew up to become a prophet of the Lord, and the greatest, as he was the last, of the Judges of Israel. 77. CAPTURE AND RETURN OF THE ARK. [1 Sam. IV.— VI.] The word of solemn warning had gone forth, and the day of sorrow was at hand. The evil deeds' of the people and their priests were to meet with a speedy retribution. The Philistines, who had so constantly molested and troubled the Hebrews, invading their territory, seizing their harvest fruit, and making raids on their flocks and herds, now reappeared to carry on their usual aggressive warfare* This struggle came to a decisive issue in a hard- fought battle between Aphek and Eben-ezer, in the south of Palestine, where the Israelites were defeated with a loss of four thousand men. Now the elders of Israel remem-.- bered that in the days of Joshua the Ark of the Lord had been triumphantly carried at tha head of the army, and T 2 324 77. CAPTURE OF THE AEK. had always ensured success. Why should it not again prove their aid and rescue ? So they went to Shiloh, and demanded that the Ark should be brought to them out of the Tabernacle. Hophni and Phinehas, the two priests, came themselves to the camp, bearing the sacred shrine between them. Its presence wonderfully restored the drooping courage of the Israelites. As soon as they be- held it, they raised a great cry, so that the earth rang and seemed to tremble. The Philistines heard the shout- ing and divined the cause. They were sorely afraid, and exclaimed, ' Woe unto us ! ,Who shall deliver us out of the hand of this mighty Grod ? This is the God who smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilder- ness.' Yet they ventured out in battle, and fought with desperate courage. The Israelites were again routed : this time thirty thousand of their soldiers were slain, and, the rest fled in wild confusion to their tents. Hophni and Phinehas were among the dead, and the pride of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant, was in the hands of their heathen enemy. The people, assembled at Shiloh in a torture of suspense, were awaiting news of the battle. At last, towards the evening, there came swiftly running from the camp to the city a Benjamite, with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. Eli sat watching by the way- side as the messenger entered the gates of the town ; he heard a loud wail arise. ' What does the voice of this tumult mean ? 'the old man asked, full of evil forebodings. His failing sight would not let him perceive the mes- senger's rent clothes and his sand-covered head, which told their own tale. Then the Benjamite approached him and said, ' I come out from the battlefield, and I have fled to-day from the battlefield.' Eli, anxiously interrupting him, enquired, ' What is there done, my son ? ' Then the messenger related fully his sad tidings : ' Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter 77. CAPTURE OP THE ARK. 325 among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of Grod is taken.' When Eli heard of the fate of the Ark, over which he had watched so many years as the holiest treasure of Israel, he fell backwards from his seat, overcome with an agOny of grief, and died where he fell, ninety-eight years old, after having judged the Hebrews for forty years. At the same hour, the wife of Phinehas gave birth to a son, and with her dying breath she called him Ichabod (No-honour), saying, ' The glory is departed from Israel.' The shame that had fallen on the people had also broken her heart. Meanwhile the Philistines carried the Ark of the Cove- nant exultingly to Ashdod, and placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. On the following morning, they found the image of the idol fallen prostrate upon his face before the Ark. They lifted up the statue, and replaced it ; but on the next day, Dagon had fallen again before the Ark ; this time his head and hands were broken off, and were lying upon the threshold. From that day, the threshold of Dagon's temple in Ashdod became a sacred spot, on which neither the priests nor the people of the Philistines dared to tread. .But greater trials were in store for the people of Ash- dod. They were severely afflicted with boils and ulcers ; and they knew that this was their punishment for trying to keep the Ark of the Lord. Therefore they sent it from Ashdod to Gath ; but it had scarcely arrived, when the people of Grath were smitten with the same diseases. It was next taken to Ekron, another great city of the Philistines. The inhabitants of Ekron, warned by the troubles of Ashdod and Grath, were terrified when they saw the Ark. They anxiously desired to send it away at once. The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people, and they cried bitterly. When the Philistines had been 326 77. <3APTURE OP THE AEK. in possession of the Ark for seven months, and had been visited with calamities and misfortmies, they called their priests and their diviners together for counsel. They de- termined to restore the Ark to the Israelites. But the heathen priests, eager to appease the Divine wrath, which they had so severely felt, feared to send back the Ark without an offering of atonement. In accordance with their advice, the people made ready a trespass-offering of five golden emerods, together with five golden mice, represent- ing the destructive plague by which they had been aiHicted, one for each of the Philistine cities — Ashdod, Gaza, Ash- kelon, G-ath, and Ekron. The jewels were put in a chest, and laid by the side of the Ark. This was then carried out, and placed upon a new cart drawn by two milch cows, which had never borne the yoke before. The priests ordered their countrymen to let the kine go on by them- selves: if the animals went eastward towards Beth-she- mesh into the land of the Israelites, then the Philistines would know that it was the Lord who had smitten them ; but if they went in any other direction, they might believe that their misfortunes were not caused by any sin of theirs. The kine proceeded, lowing as they went, taking the straight road to Beth-shemesh, never turning to the right or to the left. The chiefs of the Philistines followed after ' them. The wheat-harvest had commenced, and the reapers of Judah, who were at work among the corn, saw the pro- cession as it came winding from afar. As they beheld the Ark, they were full of rejoicing ; it was as if the glory of their God were returning to them. The beasts stopped in the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite. The Levites lifted thfe Ark from the cart, and placed it on a great stone that was in the field, together with the chest and the golden offerings. They speedily prepared a sacrifice, breaking up the cart for fuel, and slaughtering the kine as a burnt- offering. When the Philistine chiefs had witnessed all 78. SAMUEL THE JUD&E. 327 this, they returned to Ekron. But the men of Beth- shemesh, negligent and careless, looked upon the holy Ark. The punishment was instantaneous : fifty thousand and seventy persons were struck dead. The BethshemiteS, awed and overwhelmed by terror, exclaimed, ' Who is able to stand before this holy Lord Grod, and to whom shall He go up from us.?' Kirjath-jearim was a neighbouring settlement, mainly built on the hill-side. To the care of an inhabitant of this little town, to Abinadab, the Ark was confided ; and his son Eleazar was sanctified as a priest, that he might guard the sacred treasure. It remained in the house of Abinadab for twenty years. Thus the pride of the Tabernacle was gone, and Shiloh disappears as a holy place from the Biblical records. By the events just narrated the hatred of the Philistines against the Hebrews was not diminished ; on the contrary, it menaced, at any moment, to break out again in a fiercer blaze. So the people lived in trembling and despondency, and ' the whole house of Israel lamented after the Lord.' 78. SAMUEL THE JUDGE. [1 Sam. VII.] Nearly four hundred years had passed since the Hebrews had conquered Palestine, and their little commonwealth was as disunited as it had ever been, and as disobedient to Grod. Never was a great master-mind, strong to direct and to rule, so much wanted as at that time. The Israelites required more than a champion — they needed a teacher and a guide. Samuel was that master-mind ; he became that teacher and guide ; ' his word went out to all Israel,' and ' all Israel, even from Dan to Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was appointed to be the prophet of the Lord.' His home was Eamah, his birthplace ; but he went 328 78. SAMUEL THE JUDGE. yearly round to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, to judge and instruct the people. His life was pure and blameless; stern with himself as with others, ho accepted no bribe, no gifts. He had long ceased to be a ministering priest in the House of Grod ; he had become a ' seer,' an inter- preter of God's will. His name was known throughout Israel, his command was feared, his intercession entreated. But imbued as he was with God's spirit, he wished to impart it to others, and to diffuse it throughout Israel. He established or improved schools for public teachers or prophets, who, by devotion and religious fervour, should promote the enlightenment, the piety, and patriotism of the people. Their influence was exceedingly important, and as a rule wholesome, although we hear constant com- plaints of ' false prophets.' As in all eastern institutions of a similar kind, music and dancing were usually em- ployed as means for rousing religious enthusiasm. The prophets would seize the tabor and the harp, and their voice would burst into loud songs, whilst they performed fantastic dances. They were men remarkable for zeal and energy. They warned the people against idolatry and lawlessness, and rebuked the kings for their evil deeds. They announced punishment and predicted blessings. They exhorted to repentance and proclaimed the Divine forgiveness. They attempted to shield religion against the abuse of mere forms and ceremonials, and to strengthen the true piety of the heart. They advised the statesman, and strove to uphold the political dignity and indepen- dence of the country.^ Samuel longed to restore unity, peace, and safety to his nation; but he felt that this was impossible as long as idolatrous practices prevailed. Therefore he called the people together, and exhorted them to put away their ' See the first chapters of Vol. II. ,78. SAMUEL TflE JtJDGE. S20 strange gods, and to return to the Lord with their whole heart. The multitude " listened to his earnest appeal, and ' they removed the images of Baal and Ashtarte, and served the Lord alone.' Then he summoned them to Mizpah for a great public sacrifice and a day of humilia- tion. The Philistines, hearing of their peaceful assembly, resolved to attack them in their defenceless state, hoping to crush the whole land in one battle. The affrighted Israelites bade Samuel pray for them. The prophet offered up a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, and invoked Him fer- vently for the people. As the smoke was rising from the altar, the Philistines approached in battle array ; but a terrific storm burst over their-heads, and discomfited their army. They turned to flight, and the Israelites pursued them to the southern frontier of the land, and utterly routed them. Samuel set up a memorial stone between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of the place Eben- ezer, saying, 'Hitherto has the Lord helped us.' The Hebrews now easily reconquered all the towns which the enemies had before taken, and even wrested from them a portion of their own territory. Indeed, the Philistines were thoroughly subdued and, weakened, and did not any more dare to attack the Hebrews during the lifetime of Samuel. While this great and unweariedly active man was in his vigour, the affairs of the commonwealth prospered. But when, in the course of years, his powers diminished, he appointed his two sons Joel and Abiah, who dwelt in Beersheba, to assist him as judges. Eeckless and utterly depraved, they proved unworthy of their father ; they were eager for unjust gain, took bribes, and perverted judg- ment. The people of Israel looked with grave apprehen- sion into the future ; should they entrust their welfare to leaders so unsafe and so contemptible? Their elders went to Samuel at Eamah, and said to him, ' Behold, S30 78. SAMUEL THE JUDGE. thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways ; now make us a king to judge us, like all the nations.* This thoughtj expressed at last, must long have laid dormant in the minds of the Hebrews ; ever inclined to imitate surrounding nations, wavering and deficient in self-reliance, the tribes of Israel desired one ruler or sovereign, who might enforce obedience, and keep the whole people together with a strong hand. Failing in steadfast faith, they sought a visible king ; and desiring to secure for him absolute authority, they demanded him of Samuel. Full of anxious care and perplexity, himself doubting the wisdom of the people's request, and almost feeling that it involved a virtual rejection of Grod'S rule and a swerving into pagan usages, the prophet sought guidance and enlightenment in prayer. Then G-od made known to him His will : ' Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be king over them. . . . Yet warn them solemnly, and show thom the manner of the king that will reign over them.' Samuel called the people together, and repeated to theni the words of the Lord. He then de- scribed plainly what they would have to expect from a monarchical rule. ' This will be,' he said, ' the manner of the king that shall rule over you : he will take your sons, and appoint them for himself for his chariots; and for his horsemen, and they will have to run before his chariots ; and he will appoint for himself captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and will set them to plough his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots ; and he will take your daughters to be confec- tionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers ; and he- will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive- yards, even the best of them, and give them to his ser- 79. ELECTION OF SAUL. 331 vants ; and he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give to his officers and to his ser- vants ; and he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your choicest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work ; he will take the tenth of your sheep, and you shall be his servants ; and you shall cry out in that day on account of your king whom you will have chosen for you ; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.' But not even this dark and alarming picture deterred the people from their purpose ; they repeated their demand with petulant impatience : ' Nay, we will have a king over us, that we may be like all the other nations ; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.' Samuel brought this reply of the people before Grod, who bade him do as they desired. He then dismissed them to their homes. 79. ELECTION OP SAUL. [1 Sam. VIIL— X.] In the small but valiant tribe of Benjamin, there lived a man named Kish, famous for his wealth. He had a son Saul, distinguished by a fine and manly appearance, a young man of tall and majestic stature, towering above the rest of his townsmen from his shoulders upwards. Kish was rich in herds, and Saul assisted in tending them. It so happened that some asses belonging to Kish had wandered astray and were lost, and that he bade Saul go with one of his servants to recover the animals. The two set out; and passing through Mount Ephraim and the surrounding country, they arrived after a three days' search in the land of Zuph. Their efforts had been fruitless, and Saul said to his servant, ' Come and let us return, lest my father leave off caring for the asses, and 332 79. ELECtriON 0? SAtJL. take thought for us.' But the faithful servant suggested to Saul that a seer, a man of God, dwelt in the neigh- bourhood, and that perhaps he would be able to tell them which way they ought to take. Saul objected at first, for he had nothing with him to give the prophet, and he would not go to him empty-handed. But the servant replied that he had the fourth part of a silver shekel left, which they could offer as a present. The city was built upon a hill ; and as the two began to ascend it, they met some young maidens going out to draw water. Of them they asked, 'Is the seer here?' ' Behold, he is before you,' they answered ; ' make haste now, for he comes to-day to the city, for there is a sacri- fice of, the people to-day in the high place.' So the two hastened up the hill, and at the gates of the town they encountered Samuel. The prophet knew that the youth who stood before him was to be king over Israel. He was evidently well acquainted with his person and his domestic affairs ; he was probably familiar with the gifts and virtues which qualified him for a high and difficult position ; and he seemed glad to find now an opportunity for observing him still more closely and making his final choice. So when Saul asked him, ' Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is ?' he answered, ' I am the seer; go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me to-day, and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy heart. And as for thy asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy heart on them, for they are found. And to whom belongs all the treasure of Israel ? Is it not to thee and to thy father's house ?' Saul was naturally struck with this unexpected reply, and he answered modestly, 'Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? where- fore, then, speakest thou so- to me?' Then Samuel led 79. MLECTIOK OP SAUL. 338 Saul and his servant into the chamber of the high place, where the banquet was prepared, and where thirty guests were assembled. All respect was shown to the^strangers ; to them were given the seats of honour ; and not only the largest but the best and most valued portion][of the sacri- fice had been set apart for Saul, and was now placed before him. Samuel then went to his own house, fol- lowed by Saul and his servant. In the pleasant coolness of the evening air, the prophet led Saul to the roof of the house, and spoke with him alone. What did he tell him in that private and quiet interview ? Did he communi- cate to him the- ' law of the king,' his rights and duties ? Did he discuss with him the condition and the prospects of the state ? Or did he merely sound and test him, before he finally decided about his aptitude as a ruler of Israel? On the following morning Samuel called Saul early, and accompanied him and his attendant to the gate of the city. There he bade the servant pass on and wait for his master ; and then turning to Saul, he said to him, ' Stand thou still awhile, that I may show thee the word of Grod.' He was about to invest him with the holiness of kingship. He took a vial of oil and poured it upon Saul's head, and kissed him, saying, ' Behold, the Lord has anointed thee to be chief over His inheritance !' Then he foretold minutely what would happen to Saul on his return : how the asses had been found, and how his father Kish was sorrowing for his absence. He, more- over, informed him that, on his way home, he would meet in the plain of Tabor three men going to the holy place at Beth-el with their offerings in their hands, and that they would give him two of the loaves they were carrying; that further on his way, near Gribea-Elohim, where a garrison of Philistines|was stationed, he would encounter a company of prophets,^descending fi:om the hill with a psaltery, and a tabret, andj a pipe, and a harp, 334 79. ELECTION OF SAUL.. all prophesying: then would Saul he endowed with the spirit of G-od, and he also would prophesy. He was to wait for Samuel at Grilgal during seven days, when he would come and advise him upon all measures that were then to be taken. The Benjamite youth parted from the prophet, and set forth on his journey. Everything happened as Samuel had predicted. On Mount Tabor, the men gave him their offerings with a foreboding of his royalty, and at Gibea-Elohim the prophets accepted him as one of their company. The spirit of Grod came upon him; he felt an altered man ; the mind of the simple young herdsman was roused and enlightened as it had never been before, so that the people of his acquaintance asked with aston- ishment, ' What is this that has come to the son of Kish ? Is Saul also among the prophets ? ' So striking was the change that the saying passed into a proverb. At Gibea- Elohim, Saul found also his uncle, who had waited for him, and asked anxiously whence he came. Saul related the story of the lost asses and of his visit to Samuel; but all mention of his future kingdom he discreetly omitted : whether he did so on his own account, or by the advice and desire of Samuel, is not recorded. Meanwhile Samu^el called the people together at Miz- pah ; they came from all the tribes ; and having once more solemnly pointed out the gravity of the step they ' had decided upon, he proceeded to elect their future ruler by the Divine oracle of the lot. The lot fell first upon the tribe of Benjamin, and then upon the family of Matri, next upon the household of Kish, and lastly upon his son Saul. But Saul was not present at the casting of the lots ; he was searched for, found at last hidden in the fields, and brought before the assembled tribes. His majestic and comely person struck all be- holders, As he approached, Samuel exclaimed, ' Do you 79. ELECTION OF SAUL. 335 see him that the Lord has chosen ? There is none like him among all the people ! ' A great shout rose up into the air, and for the first time the cry was heard in Israel, ' God save the king ! ' Saul was accompanied to his house at Gribeah by a baid of men, who had already declared themselves his followers, and who brought him presents. Some turbulent and dis- contented people, however, held aloof, and despised the young king, saying, 'How shall this man save us?' But Saul prudently left such taunts unnoticed. Indeed, his authority was far from universally acknowledged, though he was perhaps recognised as the leader of his own tribe. He lived in no regal state ; he did not even renounce his habitual occupations as herdsman of his fathers cattle. He does not seem to have taken part in the government of the people ; he had scarcely the weight or importance of a Judge, for the voice of Samuel still held the nation in sway. The anointed king was overshadowed by the inspired prophet. A great occasion was required to give him distinction and power. That occasion did not tarry to present itself. VIL THE BEIGN OF SAUL. (1095—1085.) 80. SAUL'S WARS. [1 Sam. XL— XIV.] Not only were the Philistines again making constant progress in the land of the Israelites, stationing their garrisons with impunity in the very heart of the country, but the heathen nations to the east of the Jordan like- wise threatened and attacked the Hebrew tribes that had settled in those isolated parts. A barbarous incident in this unequal warfare was des- tined to rouse the dormant energies of Saul, and to establish his greatness. Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had assaulted and besieged the city of Jabesh, in Gtilead. He promised to make peace with the inhabitants, on con- dition that he would ' cut out all their right eyes,' as a sign of reproach to the people of Israel. The elders of Jabesh, well aware that they were too weak to hold out against the forces of Nahash, begged for a respite of seven days, at the end of which time, should they remain un- aided, they would undergo the cruel disgrace with which they had been threatened. The messengers from Jabesh Glilead turned first to Gribeah, the residence of Saul. They had heard that he had been elected and anointed 80. SAUL'S WAES. 337 by their great and wise prophet Samuel. They supposed, therefore, that, even if he were not recognised as king of Israel by all the tribes, he must possess considerable power and influence. They arrived breathless in Gribeah, and told their tale of anguish to the people, who received it with a loud wail. Saul was absent, tending the herds of his father. When he returned in the evening from the fields, bitter cries of distress struck upon his ear. When he learnt the cause, his burning anger was aroused. His kingly nature awoke. He sent his summons round. He ordered a yoke of oxen to be hewn into pieces, one of which was sent to each of the tribes of Israel with this message : ' Whosoever comes not after Saul and after Samuel — so shall it be done to his oxen.' This was the muster-call, rude but powerful, a mirror of the age. The people responded nobly ; they rose as one man, and as- sembled at Bezek, an army of three hundred and thirty thousand men. Saul, placing himself at their head, marched to the succour of Jabesh. The Ammonites were defeated with terrible slaughter, put to flight, and scat- tered. This glorious victory secured the fame and authority of Saul. So great was the enthusiasm which it kindled among the people, that, anxious to show their devotion, they offered to put to death those who had formerly despised him. Saul rejected this revengeful proposal ; his new reign should not be stained with the blood of any of his subjects. On the contrary, he ordered feasts of public rejoicing to be held, and sacrifices to be offered to God at G-ilgal. All the people assembled round their king Saul and their prophet Samuel. There at Grilgal, the voice of the old leader was heard once more by the Israelites. In a forcible appeal, Samuel reviewed his past life, and called upon the nation to bear witness to his integrity and self-denial. He then gave a short sketch z 338 80. SAUL'S "WAES. of the dangers and misfortunes which, through God's help, they and their ancestors had overcome, from the time they left Egypt down to the recent discomfiture of Nahash and his army. He described their constant dis- obedience and sinfulness, which they had lately crowned by their obstinate demand for a visible monarch, whereas Grod should be their only ruler. To atone for all past failings, he implored both the king and the people to adhere firmly to their faith in Grod, and to act in sub- mission to His behests. Honour, happiness, and pros- perity were within their grasp, if they were obedient to Him. But if not, then His hand would be heavy against them, as it had often been against their fathers. To prove to the people that he had spoken by Divine command, Samuel called down a sign from heaven. It was the season of the wheat-harvest, and the sky was a vault of serene, unbroken blue. Yet suddenly a terrific storm of thunder and lightning and rain burst forth. The affrighted people, thinking that this was a mark of Divine anger, expressed their repentance for having desired a king ; but Samuel re-assured them, only exhorting them to revere God and to serve Him in truth. ' But if you act wickedly,' he concluded, ' you shall be consumed, both you and your king.' Before his campaign against the Ammonites, Saul appears as a young and simple husbandman living in his father's house ; but now he is depicted as the true ruler of his people, with a body-guard of 3,000 men, and as the chief of a household of his own. We hear of his wife Ahinoam, of his three sons Jonathan, Ishui, and Melchi- shua, and of his two daughters Merab and Michal, He had made Abner his cousin, the son of Nei, the captain of his army. He himself shared the command with his eldest son Jonathan, for we are told that ' a thousand men were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin.' And this Jonathan, 80. SAUL'S WAES. 339 thus casually mentioned, has become the darling hero of all readers of the Bible, the ideal of youthful excellence, the embodiment of unswerving devotion, of self-sacrificing friendship, of generous chivalry. He was rich in modesty and grace, endowed with the spirit of courage and enter- prise, brave, loyal, tender-hearted, a lover of adventure and heroic feats, but aboVe all, of a stainless purity of soul that shines, a bright star, through the night of those re- mote ages. He took an active part in the campaign that had now become urgent against the Philistines, the arch- enemies of the Israelites. They had succeeded in obtain- ing a firm footing in the land, they had established their encampments at Gibeah, at Greba, and at Michmash, and they had taken possession of the pass of Beth-horon. Saul was determined to expel them from the Hebrew territory. Among the first who achieved a success in this warfare was Jonathan, who defeated the' enemy's garrison at Greba. The deed was loudly announced by the blast of the trumpet ; for Saul exclaimed, ' Let the Hebrews hear!' The Philistines were by this defeat stung to vigorous action ; they assembled a vast army at Mich- mash, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and other soldiers, numerous ' as the sand which is upon the sea- shore.' The Israelites, sorely afraid of the power of this immense host, left their homes and peaceful pursuits; women hid themselves in caves and thickets, among rocks and in mountain-clefts ; others fled beyond the Jordan into the land of Grad and Grilead. 81. SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. [1 Sam. XV.] Saul was at Grilgal waiting for Samuel, who had pro- mised to come in order to offer . up the usual sacrifices previous to the march of the Hebrew army. Many reso- 340 81. SAUL'S DISOBBPIENCB. lute men had rallied round him. For seven days he expected the arrival of the prophet in vain. At last he grew impatient ; the people, anxious and terrified, began to withdraw from him, and the Philistines were pressing hard for a battle. He could no longer tarry with safety; and reluctantly assuming the office of priest, he presented the burnt- and the peace-ofiferingi^himself. While these ceremonies were being performed, Samuel appeared. He listened to Saul's explanation, but reproved him sternly for what he pronounced to be a violation of God's ordi- nances, and declared that the kingdom which had been granted to him and his house for ever, would, owing to his disobedience, be taken from him ; for 'the Lord has selected for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him to be ruler over His people, be- cause thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.' Saul listened to this severe and unexpected an- nouncement with unmurmuring resignation. He ofifered no word of reply. He had accepted his elevation from Samuel ; he had now to bear from him rebuke and humiliation. Yet so little did he, even in this trying moment, think of himself, that his whole attention was centred in his duties as military leader against the menacing Philistines. He stood with his son Jonathan on the heights of Gribeah, surrounded by a little band of six hundred men ; the Ark of the Lord had been brought into the camp, and was in the care of Achiah, a grand- child of Eli. So despotic had been the rule of the Philistines in Canaan, that no smith had been allowed to ply his trade among the Hebrews, lest 'they make for themselves swords and spears.' The Israelites were obliged to come to the Philistines to sharpen their plough-shares and their axes, their spades, forks, and other iron implements. ' So it came to pass in the day of battle that there was 81. SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. 341 neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan ; but with Saul and with Jonathan his son alone they were found.' How complete and how degrading does the dependence of the Hebrews appear in the light of this simple statement ! The Philistine forces were entrenched between steep and precipitous heights, divided from Gribeah by a narrow valley ; rocks rose upon each side of this valley like a natural fortification. It occurred to the ardent and ad- venture-loving Jonathan to try and cause a panic among the Philistine soldiers by surprising them. It was a daring scheme, which he confided to his devoted armour- bearer alone. ' Come and let us go over to the garrisoii of these heathens ; it may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no difficulty for the Lord to save by many or by few.' The servant's answer proves the faithful love he bore to his young master : ' Do all that is in thy heart ; turn, behold, I am with thee, according to thy heai-t.' ' Behold,' said Jonathan, ' we will pass over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus to us, Tarry until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them. But if they say thus. Come up to us, then we will go up ; for the Lord has delivered them into our hands, and this shall be the sign to us.' Intrepid and dauntless, the two men secretly left the camp at Gibeah. They crept in silence along the pro- jecting rocks, until at last they emerged from their shelter, and stood in full view of the Philistine garrison that was drawn up on the heights of Michmash. They were seen by the enemy, who naturally took them for some of those Hebrews who had been concealing them- selves in the clefts and caves, and were now cautiously coming forth from their hiding-places. They shouted down mockingly, ' Come up to us, and we will show jwx a 342 81; SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. thing!' The words spoken as a taunt were welcomed as a happy augury. Jonathan and his companion com- menced the toilsome ascent, and climbed up on their hands and feet from crag to crag, until at last they stood before the garrison. Jonathan vigorously attacked the outposts; his devoted armour-bearer followed his ex- ample. At the first assault twenty men were slain: disorder spread in the camp ; terror fell upon the Philis- tine soldiers ; ' the earth quaked,' relates the Bible, ' and it was a very great trembling.' From the camp at Gribeah, Saul beheld the confusion and heard the tumult. He naturally suspected that some of his men had secretly attacked the heathen hosts. He counted over his army, and finding that Jonathan and his armour-bearer were missing, he at once hastened to their rescue with his band of 600 soldiers. He was speedily joined by great numbers, who now poured forth from their rocky caverns to take part in the war of deliverance. The Philistines were quickly beaten back from Michmash, and hotly chased to Bethaven and Ajalon, the pursuit lasting from morning till nightfall. Saul had vowed at the beginning of the battle that no man should taste food ere the enemies were completely scattered and their army destroyed. Jonathan was absent when this vow was made. As the youth, faint and exhausted with the exertions of the day, was passing through a wood, he dipped his staff into the wild honey that was overflowing on the ground, and refreshed him- self. Not so the warriors of the army, who, aware of Saul's solemn warning, abstained from nourishment throughout the day. When they returned at night from the pursuit, they threw themselves eagerly upon the captured flocks and herds of the Philistines, slew them in haste, and consumed them with their blood, contrary to the Divine command, which forbids the Hebrews to eat 81. SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. 343 tlie flesh of animals ' with their souls,' that is, their blood. When Saul heard of this trespass of the people, he bade them take a large stone, upon which they might slay the animals and allow the blood to flow out. This rapid mid- night meal completed, Saul erected the first altar, after which he intended without delay to resume the pursuit of the Philistines. Before carrying this somewhat dangerous plan into execution, he asked counsel of Grod, but he re- ceived no sign nor answer that night. Then he knew that there was a sinner in the camp, who had not atoned for his trespass ; and in his eager zeal he exclaimed, ' As the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be my son Jona- than, he shall surely die.' The people divined what the sin was, and who had committed it, but no man spoke. The usual mode of discovering the ofifender by lot was resorted to. The lots were cast, and Jonathan was found guilty. 'Tell me what thou hast done,' Saul asked of his son. The youth answered truthfully and resignedly, ' I did but taste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand, and, behold, I must die I' In the stern old spirit of Jephthah, Saul ex- claimed, ' So may Grod do to me now and further — thou must surely die, Jonathan !' Then the people could no longer restrain their pent-up feelings ; they were exas- perated at the thought of losing their beloved comrade, their bright example of valour and goodness, and indig- nantly and resolutely they said to Saul, ' Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel ? God , forbid ! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has wrought with Grod this day-' Could Saul resist ? Must his heart not have glowed with twofold joy — at the rescue of his son, and the love which his virtues had won for him ? So Jonathan was delivered, and cherished with deeper affection than ever. This great success over the PhiUstines was followed by 344 81. SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. triumphs over other neighbouring nations. Indeed, the warfare continued almost incessantly. Saul was there- fore obliged to strengthen his army by enrolling as many men of valour and spirit as he could secure, and to be careful in the selection of able generals. The Bible thus briefly but expressively relates the wars of Saul : ' So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines ; and whither- soever he turned himself, he humbled them. And he gathered a host, . . . and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who spoiled them.' The Amalekites alone had not been attacked. Yet they belonged to the fiercest and most implacable enemies of the Hebrews. Therefore Samuel insisted upon a war of extermination against them and their cruel king Agag. The people were to be utterly destroyed, men and women, infants and children — even their herds and flocks. Saul called out a vast army, mustering 200,000 men, and marched into the territory of the Amalekites. He seized their principal towns and caused a fearful massacre of the people, showing mercy only to the Kenites who lived in Amalekite territory, and a part of whom had, from the time of Moses, exhibited a friendly feeling towards the Hebrews. But he spared the life of king Agag, and, urged by his men, he saved also the finest flocks and herds, reserving them for offerings to the Lord. Samuel naturally watched the progress of the war with eagerness. He heard a faithful account of every incident — he heard of Saul's victories and also of what he con- sidered his weakness and contumacy. His anger was roused and his resolution speedily taken. He at once proceeded to meet the king, whom he found at Grilgal. Saul, being told of the prophet's approach, went out and 81. SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. 345 received him with this greeting, ' Blessed be thou of the Lord, I have performed the commandment of the Lord.' But Samuel answered sternly, 'What means then this bleating of sheep in my ear, and the lowing of oxen which I hear ? ' — ' They have brought them from the Amalekites,' answered Saul calmly, ' for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord thy Grod; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.' But Samuel inexorably pointed out Saul's open disobedience : he had received Grod's distinct command completely to annihilate the Amalekites and their possessions ; he had put his own judgment against the will of Grod ; he had comoDaitted an unpardonable sin. Again Saul meekly objected, that the people had spared the oxen and the sheep for no other purpose than to sacrifice them to the true Grod. This reply called forth the noble and sublime utterance singularly characteristic of the seer, words that have been repeated again and again by later prophets and by ministers of Grod in every age and country : ' Has the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams ! ' And Samuel added, with his old and vehement energy, 'Because thou hast rejected the voice of the Lord, He has also rejected thee from being king.' Then Saul acknow- ledged that he had sinned, and anxiously implored Samuel to pray with him to the Lord, so that he might be par- doned. But the prophet turned away relentlessly. In his agony of despair and humiliation, Saul laid hold of Samuel's mantle, and cltmg to it entreatingly until it rent. ' And Samuel said to him, The Lord has rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and has given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent ; for He is not a man that He should repent.' Saul said again, 'I 346 81. SAUL'S DISOBEDIENCE. have sinned ; yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn once more with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.' Samuel yielded at last to this request, and both performed their devotions together. Agag, the king of the Amalekites, was then summoned before the prophet : he knew that his last hour had arrived, but he felt his reverses sweetened by the disgrace of his conqueror and enemy ; so he came before Saul merrily, exclaiming, ' See, the bitterness of death is past.' But Samuel said, ' As thy sword has made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women.' And ' Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Grilgal.' On that day Saul and Samuel parted, and they never met again as political leaders. The prophet's path no more crossed that of the king. Yet Sanauel mourned deeply for the fallen Saul. But this rejected "king, how did he bear his humiliation ? Did it leave no sting behind ? His future life tells of it but too clearly. He seems to have brooded over the pro- phet's sentence until he fell alternately into revengeful rage and moody despondency, now meditating the punish- ment of the despotic Samuel, whose tool he imagined himself to have been from the beginning, and now venting his fury against his most faithful friends, his nearest kinsmen, even against himself. It is a sad picture — ^the brave and generous king, wrecked in dignity, fortune, and mind, a pitiful shadow of his better self ! VIII. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID. 82. YOUTH OF DAVID. [1 Sam. XVI.— XXUI.] Ektwined mth the life of Saul, and closely connected with the story of his children, is the life of David. The grace and spirit of God seemed gradually withdrawn from Saul, to reappear in the career of the Son of Jesse. As the strength of the one decayed and withered away, the other topk root in the hearts of the people. As clouds and darkness gathered over the close of Saul's life, the sunshine of hope and fame burst over the youth of David. This David, the shepherd, the sweet musician, and inspired poet ; the war- rior and the hero of a hundred romantic adventures ; the friend of the noble-minded Jonathan ; at last the king, the victor in numberless battles ; the man of sublime virtues , and great passions ; now rising to the height of human excellence and now sinking to the depth of human weak- ness and sin; the unhappy and much-tried father — is perhaps the most remarkable personage portrayed in the Scriptures. There lived in Bethlehem-Judah a man of the name of Jesse, a descendant of Euth, the good Moabite woman. He had eight sons, the youngest of whom was David, ' the dear one,' ' the beloved,' small in stature, but of beautiful countenance. To his care were entrusted his father's flocks. 348 82. YOUTH OF DAVID. He led them out upon the rugged hills of Judah, tended them watchfully, and guarded them by his valour from the wild beasts that haunted the mountains. Often a lion or a bear would come, and attempt to carry off a lamb from his fold ; then the young shepherd, who knew no fear, ventured to struggle with the lion or the bear, seized the fierce animal with dauntless courage, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. Thus, by nature brave and daring, he was inured to hardships, trained to climb the steep and rocky mountain side, and braced to endure any danger and fatigue. During those early years, passed chiefly in soli- tude, and surrounded by grand and beautiful scenes, his innate love for the sublime and the poetical was naturally fostered ; and we can well imagine that, impressionable and impassioned as he was, he often felt inspired to pour forth his soul in poetry and song. All his effusions had a religious colouring ; they glorified God, the Creator of all things, the Lord of all nature, whose power and wisdom spoke to him both in the towering peak and in the lowly valley. It is not surprising that one so variedly and so highly gifted — one equally remarkable for strength and courage, as for eloquence and all the graces of art — should have been looked upon from his youth as destined for a high mission, as intended to play a great part in the history of his nation. This certainly was the opinion of Samuel, whose superior judgment had even -gained by age and experience. The Bible thus tells the story of the anointing of David : ' And the Lord said to Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel ? Fill thy horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite ; for I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.' When Samuel objected, and pleaded Saul's anger, who would surely kill him if he heard of his errand and its object, he was instructed to 82. YOUTH OF DAVIB. 349 say, that he came to Bethlehem merely to present an offering. So Samuel went, taking with him his horn of sacred oil. When the venerable man, so solemn in ap- pearance and bearing, approached, the people were afraid and asked him, ' Comest thou peaceably ? ' Samuel re- plied that he had come to offer up a sacrifice, and bade all sanctify themselves and be present at the ceremony. Among the people were Jesse and seven of his sons ; David was absent, tending the sheep. As the brothers arrived, Eliab, the eldest of them, a tall and comely youth, met first the eye of Samuel. The prophet, remembering that Saul had been chosen for his imposing stature, thought within himself, that this was surely the Lord's anointed. Rut the grace of God was not given to this youth. Samuel heard the Divine voice, ' The Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.' Then the other six sons of Jesse passed before Samuel ; but none of them was the chosen one of the Lord. The prophet asked Jesse whether he had no other sons ? And Jesse replied, he had one more, the youngest of all, who was in the fields keeping the flocks. Samuel requested that this youngest son should be brought before him. It was David. As he appeared before Samuel, ruddy, with beautiful eyes and heart- winning grace, the Lord said, ' Arise, anoint him, for this is he ! ' Samuel took his horn, and anointed David at once in the midst of his brothers. ' And the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.' But ' the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.' Dark and terrible were the days now in store for the forsaken king, overshadowed by a gloomy cloud, cast down by torment- ing sadness. His servants, seeing these symptoms with sorrow and alarm, proposed to find some skilful player on the harp, who with sweet sounds might soothe his troubled 350 83. DAVID AST) GOLIATH. mind. Saul consented, and the young shepherd David, renowned for his gift of music, was sent for : he came from his flocks, bringing as a present to the king from ■ his father Jesse an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid. Saul from the first loved him ; and when he felt depressed by the evil spirit, he ordered him to take his harp and play, and he was cheered. DaVid accompanied the king everywhere, and was soon made his armour-bearer. But it appears that he did not remain long with Saul ; he must after a while have returned to his father's house and to his old occupations ; for it is as a shepherd that we hear next of him. 83. DAVID AND GOLIATH. [1 Sam. XVII.] The Philistines, although repeatedly defeated by Saul, were neither subdued nor apparently much weakened, and they again determined upon a war of aggression. They entered the territory of Judah, and pitched their camp in a hilly country between Shochoh and Azekah, eastward of their own town Ekron. Saul entrenched himself with his men on an opposite height. A wide valley separated the two armies. The Philistines had among them, as their principal champion, a man of Grath, Goliath by name, a soldier whose towering form, 'six cubits and a span' high, was a well-known object of dread to the Hebrews. His panoply of war is minutely described: he had a helmet of brass ; his coat of mail, which was also of brass weighed five thousand shekels ; he wore greaves of the same metal upon his legs, and carried a brazen javelin between his shoulders ; the staff of his spear resembled in size a weaver's beam, while the iron point of that weapon weighed, six hundred shekels. Thus armed, the giant 83. DAVID AND GOLIATH. 351 appeared constantly before the camp of the Hebrews, and shouted forth, ' I defy the armies of Israel this day : give me a man that we may fight together. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants ; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall you be our servants, and serve us.' For forty days did«the ruthless warrior thus challenge the Israelites ; but not one of Saul's men ventured to answer the sum- mons to the formidable single combat, upon the issue of which so much was to depend. The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed the king to the war, while David had remained at home, tending the flocks as usual. One day he was charged by his father to proceed to the camp with provisions for his brothers and their captain, and to return speedily with news of their welfare. The two armies were drawn up in battle-array in front of each other, and just as David ran up to salute his brothers, the terrible Philistine champion stepped out before the line, and repeated his insulting speech as before. The men of Israel shrank back in fear. David, who had been listening intently to the words of Groliath, turned to question those near him what all this meant ; who that giant was ? and what would be the reward of the man who killed him ? Upon which he was told that the king would give the conqueror great riches, marry him to his daughter, and declare his father's house free from air burdens. Eliab had noticed that his youngest brother was in eager conversation with some of the sol- diers ; and well aware of his daring and intrepid spirit, he upbraided him with angry vehemence : ' Why hast thou come down hither ? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy presump- tion and the wickedness of thy heart ; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle ! ' But David, though conciliatory to his brothers, remained firm in his 352 83. DAVID AND GOLIATH. purpose. This was reported to Saul, who summoned the youth into his presence. There he persisted in his resolution, and said : ' Let no man's heart fail because of him ; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.' Saul answered compassionately, ' Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him ; for thou art but a boy, and he is a man of war from his youth.' Then David, anxious to obtain the king's consent, related his successful encounters with the lion and the bear, and con- cluded, ' The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.' Yielding at last, Saul said, ' Gro, and the Lord be with thee.' David was clad in the king's armom-, and Saul presented him with his spear and his sword ; but the shepherd boy could hardly walk in the large and ponderous coat of mail ; so he laid it off, and prepared for the difficult com- bat in his own manner. He took his staff in one hand and his sling in the other; and choosing five s^pooth stones out of the brook, he put them into his shepherd's bag or scrip, which he threw round his shoulder. Thus armed, he drew near to Groliath. The Philistine came forth, preceded by his armour-bearer ; but when he saw the fair and ruddy youth of small stature, he exclaimed disdainfully : ' Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? ' and he cursed him by his gods. ' Come to me,' he continued, ' and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field.' But David, con- scious of his good cause, and inspired by it to a sublime courage, replied, ' Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. . . . And all this as- sembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear : for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give 83. DAVID AUD GOLIATH. 353 you into our hands.' The Philistine, enraged by this bold reply, advanced towards his opponent. Now David ' quickly drew a stone from his bag, and placing it in his sHng, flung it against the forehead of the Philistine. It pierced the giant's head, who fell upon his face to the ground. Eunning near and grasping the large sword of his fallen foe, David slew him, and cut off his head. At this sight the Philistine hosts were seized with consterna- tion ; they turned and fled in wild confusion ; the He- brews followed in rapid pursuit, and pressed the fugitives on as far as Ekron and Gath. When they returned, they were received with shouts of triumph and rejoicing. David, carrying the head of Groliath in his hand, was brought before Saul, who apparently did not recognise in him the skilful harp-player, for he asked him, 'Whose son art thou, young man ? ' And he answered, ' I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.' Saul would not let David return to his father's house from that day. And then comnjenced that noble friendship between the king's son and the future king of Israel, which the Bible records in these simple but expressive words : ' The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. . . . Then Jonathan and David made a covenant ; and Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and his bow, and to his girdle.' A A 354 84. DAVID PERSEOTTTED BY SAUL. 84. DAVID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. [1 Sam. XVIII.— XXIV.] David was now frequently sent out by Saul on military expeditions ; he was successful in whatever he undertook, and was held in honour and respect both by the courtiers and the people. But a slight incident, unduly magnified by the king's morbidness, soon disturbed the friendly relations between Saul and David. As both returned together to Gribeah, after the pursuit and slaughter of the Philistines, the women came forth out of their tents to meet the conquerors with singing and dancing, with tabrets and harps and cymbals. They played and sang to one another, ' Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.' Alas ! for the evil spirit that was upon Saul ; it took, in this instance, the form of jealousy, which was keenly aroused by those words. ' He will have even the kingdom ! ' he exclaimed ; and he looked from that day upon David with uneasiness and distrust. The old gloom settled upon him more darkly ; it could now no more be chased away by music ; David's harp had lost its charm. Nay, one day when David was playing to him as usual, Saul threw his javelin at his head, intending to kill him. David happily eluded the thrust of the weapon twice, and hastened out of the king's presence. Afraid of the young warrior, and yet not daring to attack his Ufe again, because he saw that God's favour was with him, Saul removed him from his household, and made him captain over a thousand men, in the hope that the dangers and chances of war would accomplish what he desired. With this object, he sent him forth to do battle against the Philistines, promising him the hand of his daughter Merab as the reward of his victories. David was victo- rious, yet Merab was given in marriage to Adriel the Meholathite. .84. DAVII) PEESECUTED BY SAUL. 355 Saul had a second daughter, Miehal, who loved David devotedly. "When he was told of her affection, he feigned approval, and openly encouraged David in his hopes, trusting that he might thus ensnare him in a fatal combat with the ruthless Philistines. But David said discreetly, 'Does it seem to you a small thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?' But the servants of Saul told David that the king wished indeed to give him his daughter in marriage, and that the only dowry he required would be a hundred lives of the Philistines. So David went forth and slew the enemy. Eeturning with double the de- manded trophies, he claimed Miehal for his wife. Saul's fears grew as David's military triumphs became more numerous and more brilliant, till the jealousy was fanned into hatred. It became so violent and so unrestrained that he once more resolved to kill him, and it was only on the earnest and pathetic entreaties of Jonathan, who reminded him of David's important services, that he desisted from his criminal purpose, and became even reconciled to the youthful hero. But the friendly in- tercourse did not last long. Another war broke out against the Philistines. David was as courageous and successful as ever. This roused Saul's envy to such a degree, that again, in a fit of ungovernable fury, he attempted to slay him with his javelin. David was alarmed, and sought refuge in his own house. There, however, he was followed by the king's messengers, who were ordered to prevent his flight. Miehal, justly fear- ing for the life of her husband, caused him to escape through a window, and thus to elude his pursuers. She then took an image of the Teraphim, laid it in David's bed, and covered it. When Saul's messengers came to her, demanding that David should be given up to them, she said that he was ill ; and when they had reported this A A 2 356, Si. DAVID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. reply, they returned with thfe king's orders, ' Bring him lip to me in the bed, that I may slay him.' Then she led them into the room, and showed them the image in the bed. Saul upbraided his daughter, but she pleaded that David had threatened to kill her on the spot unless she sent him away unharmed. Meanwhile David had proceeded for protection to Samuel in Eamah, whence, for greater safety, both soon afterwards went to Naioth. Thither also the implacable king sent his men with peremptory commands to bring the fugitive back to Gribeah ; but as they approached Naioth, and came to one of the schools of prophets founded by Samuel, they were suddenly filled with religious ardour, and, joining Samuel and his disciples, they stayed and prophesied. Seeing that they did not come back, Saul again sent messengers, but these also were seized by the Divine spirit, and did not return. For the third time royal delegates came to Naioth, and they remained and were inspired as the others had been. Then Saul went himself to Eamah, and asked the people. Where are Samuel and David ? When he was told that they were at Naioth, he at once set out towards this place ; and as he approached the town, the spirit of Grod descended upon him, and his soul was stirred to its very depths. He came before Samuel in a state of frepzied enthusiasm ; stripping off his clothes, he lay fasting before him through all that day and the following night. David continued but a short time in Naioth. He was a man of action, and could not remain long in seclusion, associating only with the prophets and musicians trained and led by Samuel. He secretly returned to Gribeah, and came to Jonathan with a tone of deep despair in his cry : ' What have I done, what is my iniquity, and what is my sin before thy father that he seeks my life?' Jonathan endeavoured to comfort him, but it was in vain, for 84. DA.VID PEESECUTED BY SAUL. 357 David knew full well that Saul would leave nothing untried to take his life. Jonathan resolved to ascertain his father's designs. On the morrow, the first day of the New-moon, it was customary for the king to feast with his court. David was expected to take part in the banquet, as visual, but he determined to remain away, on the plea that he had gone to Bethlehem, to be present at the yearly sacrifice of his family.' Should this reason satisfy Saul, it would be considered a favourable sign for David; but should it kindle his anger, then he would know that his life was in danger. Jonathan agreed to this plan, and bade David hide himself in the fields by the stone Ezel. Thither he would return to him after the feast, and there he would let him know by a pre- arranged sign whether he might approach Saul or ought to flee. In this time of harassing anxiety and aifliction, the two friends renewed their vows of attachment. Jona- than, well divining the future greatness of David and the decline of his own family, fervently said : ' The Lord be with thee as He has been with my father ; but do not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever ; no, not when the Lord has cut ofi' the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.' So ' then Jonathan made a cove- nant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. . . . And as regards the matter of which thou and I have spoken, behold, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.' At the banquet, at which, besides Jonathan, also Abner, the captain of the host, and other men of distinction were present, David's place was unoccupied. The king thought he might have been prevented by some chance or unavoidable accident. But when the seat was empty on the following day likewise, he asked Jonathan, 'Why did the son of Jesse not come to the meal, neither yesterday nor to-day ? ' Jonathan mentioned the annual sacrifice which was being 358 84. DAVID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. solemnised by Jesse's house at Bethlehem. Then Saul's wrath was suddenly roused ; he burst into uncontrollable rage, both at the innocent Jonathan and at his friend. He commanded his son to bring David at once before him, that he might slay him with his own hand. Jona- than calmly replied, ' Why shall he be killed ? What has he done ? ' This answer so exasperated the unhappy Saul, that in his madness he cast his javelin at his son. Jonathan rose froin the table in sorrow and shame. Un- concerned about the great danger to which he himself was exposed, ' he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.' On the following morning he went out into the field where he knew David was hidden, and was followed by a servant who carried his arrows, ostensibly with the purpose of shooting at the target. Advancing to the stone of Ezel, where David lay con- cealed, he bade the boy stand and observe on which side of the stone the shafts would fall, as he shot them. As the missile sprang from the bow, Jonathan exclaimed, ' Is not the arrow beyond thee ? ' To the ears of David, these words, according to his agreement with Jonathan, conveyed this meaning — ' Saul will slay thee.' The boy picked up the arrow for his master, and was then sent back to the city. When he was out of sight, David issued from his hiding-place, and the two friends met — the king's son and the king's successor. Did they feel that this was almost their last meeting ? For a long time they remained silent; they wept bitterly in each other's arms ; they were unable to restrain their grief, but it was too heavy for words. At length Jonathan spoke. ' Gro in peace,' said he, ' and it remains as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying. The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever ! ' So they parted — David to flee and to wander homelessly, Jonathan to return to the royal town 84. DAVID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. 359 and to his father's palace, feeling as thoxigh it were he who was going into banishment. From this moment until the death of Saul, David's life becomes one unbroken chain of remarkable adventures. It is the very type of the romantic chronicles of all later heroes of chivalry, which are often recalled to us by David's hairbreadth escapes, by his daring, his courage, his generous treatment of Saul, his subtle ingenuity and ready invention. Marvellous was the charm he exercised over those around him, the charm acquired by superiority of mind, strength of will, and soaring ambition. From his earliest days, he called forth the admiration and un- wavering submission of many who looked upon him as their natural counsellor, guide, and protector. He seems at first to have intended seeking shelter in his father's house ; for we hear of him in Nob, which lies about half-way between Gribeah and Bethlehem. Nob was at that time a holy place, distinguished by the common Sanctuary and a numerous priesthood. Weak, and almost fainting from his long flight, David appeared before the priest Ahimelech, who knew him well as the captain, friend, and son-in-law of Saul, and who had often ere now consulted for him the Divine oracle. To account for his coming without , troops, body-guard, or attendant, David feigned to be on a private mission for the king. He asked Ahimelech for some bread. The priest had nothing but the cakes that had been removed from the Shew-bread table in the Tabernacle; he hesitated to profane them by giving them to anon-Levite. But David overruled his scruples. He then asked for a sword ; and as there was none in the place except that which he had himself taken from the giant Croliath, and which had been preserved ever since in the Sanctuary, David, ex- claiming, 'There is none like it,' at once took possession 360 84. DAVID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. of it, and hastily departed. But all that he had done in Nob had been carefully observed and noticed 'by the vigi- lant and suspicious eyes of Doeg the Edomite, whose treachery was soon to be revealed. David must indeed have been in great perplexity ; for he saw no alternative but to flee to Gath, a chief town of his bitterest enemies, the Philistines, with the very sword of their slaughtered champion at his side. He hoped that he would not be recognised, and that he might be permitted to stay in the town as a helpless stranger. But his hope proved false ; the servants of Achish, the king of Grath, said to their master, ' Is not this David, the king of the land ? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands ? ' When David heard this, he was justly afraid. To save himself, he pretended madness, well knowing that the insane were held inviolable, as smitten but protected by the Deity. Thus he was allowed to leave the town in peace. He then escaped eastward, and sought refuge in one of the caves near AduUam, in the plain of Judah, between Bethlehem and Hebron. It was a secure retreat, where his brothers and all his father's house came to see him. His solitary abode was soon known, and he was joined by many that were in distress, or in debt, or had any other cause of discontent : they flocked to him, because they trusted to his valour and wisdom to save them from their troubles, or at least to shield them against persecution. Thus four hundred men were gathered round him, over whom he had supreme command, like a great outlaw captain. He then proceeded to Mizpeh, in the land of Moab, and entreated the king to afford shelter to his father and mother, as long as his own fate was so uncertain and full of danger. The heathen monarch consented. Then David, advised by the prophet Grad, who was faith- 84. DAVID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. 36l fully attached to him, went with his followers to encamp in the forest of Hareth in Judah. • Saul meanwhile was anxiously waiting for news about David, of whose movements he was entirely ignorant. One day he was sitting, spear in hand, beneath a tama- risk-tree at Gribeah, surrounded by his ministers and councillors. He addressed them irritably and angrily : he was a stranger, he said, among his own family and his own people ; his son had made a covenant with his chief enemy ; and his subjects were awaiting the elevation to the throne of that foe, because they expected that he would give to all of them fields and vineyards and high military posts ; no one had' ever taken to heart the king's vexation, or given him the least tidings of David. Then Doeg the Edomite stepped forward, and related all he had seen of David in Nob, and told him of Ahimelech the priest's readiness in giving him bread and Goliath's sword. Saul's rage was kindled by this account ; he sent at once for Ahimelech and all the priests of Nob. They came at his bidding, and were fiercely upbraided for their treacherous and disloyal conduct in favouring David's flight. Ahimelech replied calmly and truthfully, ' Who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and goes out at thy bidding, and is honoured in thy house ? Was it then the first time that I enquired of God for him ? Be it far from me, let not the king impute anything -to his servant, nor to all the house of my father, for thy servant knew nothing of all this, neither little or much.' But Said in his passion ordered the instant death of the priests. No Hebrew could be found to commit so impious a crime. Doeg the Edomite alone consented to execute the horrible com- mand. Ahimelech and all his guiltless priests, eighty- five in number, were slain on that day ; the city of Nob was taken, and all living beings found therein were mas- 362 84. DAYID PERSECUTED BY SAUL. sacred — ' both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses, and sheep.' One man alone escaped— Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech ; he fled to David with the Ephod which he had saved from the general destruc- tion. He was cordially received, and remained with the fugitive, sharing his perils and his wanderings, and making known to him the Divine oracles. Moved by patriotism and full of generous courage, David next undertook an expedition against the Philis- tines, who were pilfering the granaries of Keilah, a city in Judah. He inspired his comparatively small band of followers, at first timid and reluctant, with his own mar- tial ardour, attacked the Philistines vigorously, and drove them back with great slaughter. After having thus rescued Keilah by a daring exploit, his own life was in danger from its ungrateful inhabitants. When Saul heard what David had done, and that he was within a town with gates and walls, he considered it a good oppor- tunity for enclosing and seizing him, and resolved to march out against Keilah* But David, distrustful of the people, who would surely have delivered him up to the king, and warned by a Divine oracle, hastily departed, and fled with his 600 followers to the desert land south of Hebron, where the wilderness of Ziph and that of Maon afforded welcome retreats and hiding-places. When Saul heard that David had left Keilah,, he desisted from the intended expedition. It was in the wilderness of Ziph that Jonathan had one last stealthy interview with David. He came full of affection and solicitude, and 'strengthened David's courage with Grod.' He felt how much his friend, sur- rounded as he was by difficulties and privations, needed encouragement, in order to remain steadfast and trustful, and not to despair of a better future. ' Fear not,' he said, ' for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, 85. DAyiD PBESECUTED BY SAUL. 363 and thou shalt lie king over Israel, and I will be next to thee, and that also Saul my father knows.' In that lonely wilderness of Ziph, the outlaw and the king's son confirmed their old vows, and there they parted for ever. While dwelling in the desert of Ziph, David nearly fell into the grasp of Saul ; for some persons living in the neighbouring districts, went up to Gibeah, and betrayed his retreat to the king. When David heard of Saul's approach, he left Ziph, and sought safety in the more distant wilderness of Maon. Saul pursued and discovered him, and would surely have enclosed him and all his men, had not the sudden alarm of a Philistine invasion com- pelled him to a hasty return, in order to meet the enemy. But, David proceeded to Engedi, eastward of Hebron, where he could hope to find a secure stronghold in the rooky cliffs on the shore of the Dead Sea. When Saul had returned from chastising the Philistines, he resumed his pm'suit of David with fresh ardour. He took with him three thousand men, and with this host he scoured the mountains, searching for David from rock to rock, and from cave to cave. Once in this desperate chase, Saul fell into the hands of David. The wearied king had entered a cave to take some rest ; and David, surrounded by his band, lay con- cealed in that very den. He held Saul now wholly in his power, and his followers urged him to believe that this chance was providentially sent to rid him of his foe, and to ensure his safety for ever. But David shrank from the suggestion, and softly approaching Saul, he cut off the skirt of his robe. But he instantly repented even of this act, which might be construed into a want of the respect which he owed to the anointed of the Lord. He waited quietly until Saul had left the cave ; then foUow-i ing him and remaining at some distance, he bowed his 364 85. DAVli) ANi) NABAL. face to the ground, and made himself known. It was a touching scene between the unhappy king and the object of his jealous hatred — David gentle and humble, Saul sorrow-laden and contrite, and now aware how far above him stood the son of Jesse. ' Thou art more righteous ■ than I,' he said, ' for thou hast requited me good, whereas I have requited thee evil.' They parted in friendship, Saul returning to his residence in Gribeah, and David to his followers in the dreary clefts. About this time Samuel died at Eamah, his birthplace, where he had long lived in retirement, in the midst of those prophets whom he trained, and through whom he exercised so powerful an influence over the future of his people. Yet though apparently passing his closing years in isolation, not showing himself in public, nor openly pronouncing either in favour of Saul or of David, he had still remained the guiding spirit of his time. He was deeply and sincerely lamented throughout the land. His remains were interred at Eamah, where the people as- sembled from far and near to pay the last honours to their great leader. 85. DAVID AND NABAL. [1 Sam. XXV.] David had meanwhile repaired to the wilderness of Paran, at the extreme south-eastern frontier of Palestine ; but he soon returned to the desert of Maon. Here occurred an incident, which strikingly illustrates the life of the outlawed fugitive. There lived in Carmel, not far from the district in which he was then staying, a very wealthy man of the name of Nabal, whose 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, as they grazed upon the surrounding pastures, had been protected against all attacks by David and his men. 85. DAVID AND NABAL. 365 Nabal was a churlish and evil-disposed miser, foolish and hard-hearted ; while his wife Abigail was as beautiful as she was charitable and intelligent. It was the time of the sheep-shearing, a season of great feasting and merry- making in the household of Nabal. So David sent ten of his followers to Carmel, to ask for some present of provisions, in return for the service he had invariably ren- dered to Nabal's shepherds. . But the harsh and graceless Nabal rudely and insultingly refused the request. ' "Who is David,' he exclaimed, ' who is the son of Jesse ? There are many servants nowadays that break away every one from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men whom I know not whence they come?' When David received the report of this taunting and ungrateful speech, his anger was roused to an unusual height. For had he not shielded Nabal's flocks from the raids of marauders, and had he not been to his men a wall by night and by day ? ' So may the Lord,' he exclaimed, ' do to my enemies now and fur- thermore, if I leave of all that belongs to him, by the morning light, even a dog.' He commanded four hun- dred of his followers at once to take arms, and to prepare fcir marching out. But one of Nabal's ser- vants, probably knowing as an eye-witness the daring of this little band, warned his mistress Abigail of the danger which threatened the whole household through her husband's harshness and folly. Meanwhile David set out for the habitation of Nabal. As he was approaching the covert of the hill overhanging Carmel, he met a train of laden asses winding slowly towards him. They carried large quantities of bread and meat and wine, dried corn, clusters of raisins, and cakes of figs. Last of all came Abigail, the beautiful wife of Nabal. As soon as she ■ perceived David, she alighted, and bowed herself humbly 366 86. PEESECUTION OF DAVID. before him. So adroit were her words, so full of keen judgment and good sense, so ready and free was her gene- rosity, so meek her petition, that she completely disarmed David's rage, and turned it to repentance of his sangui- nary purpose. ' Blessed be the Lord Grod of Israel,' he said, when she had finished, ' who sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be thy wisdom, and blessed be thou, who hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand.'^ He accepted her presents, and dismissed her thankfully. On the following morning, after a night spent by Nabal in feasting and drunkenness, Abigail told him of her meet- ing with David, and how she had barely averted the extermination of his entire household. Struck with fear and awe, Nabal never recovered from his consternation : ten days later he died. Not long afterwards, David asked Abigail to become his wife ; she consented, and joined him in his mountain retreat. He married also Ahinoam, a maiden of Jezreel. But his first wife Michal, the daughter of Saul, was given by her father to Phalti, the son of Laish. 86. CONTINUED PERSECUTION OE DAVID, [1 Sam. XXVI.] Once more did Saul come forth from Gribeah, at the head of three thousand chosen warriors, to pursue the exiled David. Men of Ziph had disclosed to the king that David was concealed among the hills of Hachilah, in the east of the wilderness, and Saul followed closely upon his track. It was night, and the king's host had encamped in the valley below Hachilah, when David, who had carefully watched their movements, issued from his hiding-place. Saul lay asleep in the trench, his spear 86. PEESEDUTION OF DAVID, 367 fixed in the ground before him, and a cruse of water by his side. His soldiers, headed by Abner, were pitched around him. All had fallen asleep, and complete calm- ness prevailed. Once again the life of his great adver- sary was in David's hand. Followed by the brave and intrepid Abishai, the brother of Joab, he descended the hill-side, and stood within the enemy's camp. Abishai was prompting him to revenge. ' Let me smite him with the spear,' he exclaimed, ' even to the earth at once, I will not smite him the second time.' But again David's feeling of reverence proved Saul's protection. ' Destroy him not,' he replied, ' for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless ? ' Yet he softly seized the spear and the cruse of water, and carried them away. " He ascended the opposite hill, and from thence called out loudly to Abner. His voice came ring- ing down into the valley to the camp of Saul. He spoke stinging words of reproach to the captain of the host, who was keeping so negligent and faithless a watch by the side of his king. ' As the Lord lives,' he concluded, ' you are worthy to die, because you have not guarded your master, the Lord's anointed ; and now see, where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was near his head ! ' Saul who had long been awake and listened, recognised the voice of David. Weighing the words he had heard, his contrition was aroused, and his bitter j'ealousy died away for the moment. He received back his spear, and departed from David with these words,: ' Blessed be thou, my son David, thou shalt undertake great things, and shalt also prevail.' The two men met no more. 368 87. DAVID IN ZIKLAG. 87. DAVID IN ZIKLAG. [1 Sam. XXVII.] Tired of constant wandering and flight, David deter- mined to leave the territory of Judah, where he was always at Saul's mercy, and to proceed into the land of the Philistines, where his enemy was not likely to pursue him. So he went westward with his 600 tried and chosen followers, and presented himself before Achish, king of Grath. This prince, considering their common ennoity against Saul as a strong bond of union, received him kindly. He not only allowed David to live in Gath, but gave him and his adherents the town of Ziklag for a pos- session. The restless and warlike spirit of David would not permit him to live there idly and peacefully. He carried on an active warfare against the Amalekites, exterminating whole tribes, and plundering their pro- perty. Achish heard confused rumours of these expedi- tions ; but David, shrewd and prudent, led him to believe that his arms were turned against his own coimtrymen in the south of Judah, and that he was thus fighting for Achish no less than for himself. In this manner, the friendship with the Philistine chief was more and more strengthened. So complete was the trust of the latter in David, that when the whole Philistine nation resolved upon attacking once more the provinces of Israel, Achish claimed the help of David, and appointed him the chief of his body-guard. The Philistine army marched out at once, and pitched the camp at Shunem, in the very heart of the hostile countiy, in the district of Issachar, between the mountains of Tabor and Gilboa, 88. THE WITCH 0;F ENDOE. 369 88. THE WITCH OF EKDOR.' [1 Sam. XXVIII.] When the tidings of the Philistine invasion reached the unhappy and terror-stricken Saul, he quickly led forth his hosts, and encamped at Grilboa. His tortiu'ed mind turned anxiously to the Lord for help and counsel ; hut neither by dream, nor by vision, nor by prophets, did he obtain the -wished-for advice. Groaded to despair, he bethought himself at last of the witches, who were be- lieved to be able to raise the dead, and to cause them to communicate with the Living. As such beUef is wholly in opposition to the doctrines of monotheism, being a preposterous and dangerous remnant of pagan idolatry, Saul himself had banished all sorcerers irom the land during the earlier and better years of his reign, and had punished with death every transgression of his edict against witchcraft. Yet the old abuse still lingered in some districts, and one of the witches left lived at Endor, a little town north of Grilboa, in Issachar. To this woman Saul determined to resort for help. Disguising himself, he went to her house at nightfall with two companions. ' I pray thee,' he said to her, * divine for me by the familiar spirit, and bring up to me whom I shall name to thee.' But the woman was afraid, and said, ' Behold, thou knowest what Saul has done, that he has expelled from the land those that have familiar spirits and the wizards ; wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die ?' Saul, however, swore that nothing should happen to her, and bade her call up the spirit of Samuel. The woman obeyed, and proceeded to practise her strange art. We are told, she really saw Samuel, and when she beheld him, she cried out to Saul with a loud voice, 'Why hast thou deceived me, for thou B B 370 88. THE "WITCH OF ENDOE. art Saul ! ' The king again re-assured her, and requested her to tell him what she had seen. ' I saw,' she replied, ' a god ascending out of the earth ... an old man co- vered with a mantle.' The Bible continues : ' And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sorely distressed ; for the Philis- tines make war against me, and God has departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams ; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, "Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord has departed from thee, and is become thy enemy ? And the Lord has done to him, as He spoke by me : for the Lord has rent the kingdom out of thy hand,, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David . . . Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines, and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with nie : the Lord will indeed deliver the host of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.' When Saul heard these words, he fell prostrate to the ground, fainting; for he had tasted no food all the preceding day and night. For a long time he refused to rise and to refresh himself; at last the entreaties of his companions and the woman prevailed upon him to sit down to the meal she had pre- pared. The singular scene just related is in perfect keeping with the highly wrought and deluded mind of Saul, though it is not easy satisfactorily to explain in what sense the false artifices of a so-called witch can be repre- sented as revelations of God's holy will. 89. DAVID AGAIN IN ZIKLAG. 371 89. DAVID AGAIN IN ZIKLAG. [1 Sam, XXIX. XXX.] It was the day before the battle. The Philistine host had assembled at Aphek, near their former encampment at Shunem, while the Hebrews pitched their camp oppo- site them near a well before Jezreel. All the federal chiefs of the Philistines had united their forces into ona vast and overwhelming army. David and his 600 fol- lowers were in the rear of Achish. When the Philistine leaders saw them, they expressed a strong objection to their presence. They could not reconcile themselves to the thought that David, their most dangerous enemy, who had humbled them repeatedly, should fight on their side. They could not believe him to be in earnest. Would . he betray his native or his adopted coimtry ? For one he must betray, if he fought. They pressed upon Achish to dismiss him and his untrustworthy band. Although Achish had complete confidence in David, he could not oppose his will to the imanimous demand of the other chiefs. ' I know,' he said to David, ' that thou art good in my sight as an angel of God ; yet the princes of the Philistines have said. He shall not go up with us to the battle.' So David was induced to return to Ziklag with his followers : he was probably glad to do so ; he no doubt marched back lighter of heart than when he set out; for he was delivered from a harassing moral conflict. But mournful and desolate was the sight which met him upon his return. The Amalekites, taking ad- vantage of the defenceless state of the country, had, among other deeds of violence, sacked and burnt Ziklag, led away its flocks and herds, its women and children, and seized their property. David's own two wives were among the captives. A loud wail of horror anxi B B 2 372 89. DAVID AGAIN IN ZIKLAG. despair burst from the bereaved Israelites. So deep and bitter -was their grief, that in their anger they threatened the life of David, to whom they imputed their misfortunes, since he had left the town unprotected,' But David, calm in this trying moment, soothed the rage of his men, and at once announced his intention of pursuing and attacking the audacious invaders. Forti- fied by a Divine oracle obtained through the priest Abiathar, he led his infuriate soldiers in breathless haste southward ; only 400 of them could endure this ex- hausting march ; the rest remained behind wearied and fainting before they crossed the brook Bezor, On his progress, David foimd in the fields an Egyptian apparently dead. He carefully tended and refreshed him, and thus saved his life. Eequested to say who he was, this man related that he had been left behind, on account of illness, by his Amalekite master, when the army returned from burning Ziklag, and had lain there in the field for three days and three nights without food. David asked whether he would lead him and his soldiers to the camp of the men who had treated him so mercilessly. The Egyptian was ready to do so, on receiving the solemn pledge, that he would not be delivered up to his former master. David and his band hurried on in hot pursuit, and soon saw their enemies before them. The Amalekites were feasting and revelling in the camp, surrounded by their recently acquired spoil. The Hebrews came suddenly upon them, and a terrible slaughter ensued. Four hundred young men alone of all the vast host of the heathen escaped upon their swift camels. All the captive women and children of the Israelites were rescued, not one of them . was missing ; all their property was recovered, and in addition to it immense booty was taken from the invaders. • The conquerors returned joyful and happy to their brethren at Bezor, with whom, in accordance with 90. DEATH OF SAUL AND JONATHAN. 373 David's commands, tiey divided the spoil. From that time it became the custom among the Israelites, that the men who remained behind for the protection of the camp, and those who fought in battle, should receive an equal share of the booty. David, apprehending that Saul's career was drawing to its close, and desirous to gain the favour of the most influential of his countrymen, sent from the spoil rich presents with greetings to the elders of all the principal towns of Judah. 90. DEATH OF SAUL AND JONATHAN. [1 Sam. XXXI. ; 1 Cheon. X.] Meanwhile the Philistines had advanced towards Jezreel to attack the Hebrews. The battle raged with unpre- cedented fury. On both sides the men fought desperately. The struggle extended along the whole range of Mount Grilboa. But the Hebrews were utterly routed, and the king's own sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchishuah, were among the slain. Many fled for their lives. Saul also attempted to escape, but in his flight he was severely wounded by Philistine archers. Then giving up all hope, and dreading the thought of falling into the hands of his- heathen enemies, he called upon his armour-bearer to slay him. But the man was afraid and durst not obey. Saul therefore fell upon his sword to kill himself. How- ever, the wound not proving directly mortal, he earnestly entreated an Amalekite who had by chance come near the place, to pierce him with the sword, and the stranger, seeing that the king could not possibly recover, did as he was requested. The armour-bearer, now unwilling to live, died also by his own hand. The Philistines then occupied without a struggle many of the Hebrew towns deserted by their inhabitants, who had fled in despair. S74 90. DEATH OF SAUL AND JONATHAN. On the next day, the Philistines came to the battle field to strip the slain. "When they recognised the bodies of the king and of his three sons, they set up a wild fehout of rejoicing, cut off Saul's head, and took his arms, which they sent to their own country to be deposited in a chief temple of Ashtarte ; but the bodies of Saul and of his sons they fixed on the wall of Beth-shan, a town not far from the Jordan opposite to the territory of Grilead. Valiant men of Jabesh in Grilead heard of the disgrace which their king had suffered. Faithful in their gratitude to him who had once so bravely saved them from ignominy and destruction, they walked all night, stole gently to the walls of Beth-shan, and recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons. They brought them to Jabesh, burnt them, and buried the ashes under a tamarisk tree. The whole town kept a fast for seven days. David was in Ziklag, his Philistine home, awaiting probably with deep anxiety the tidings of the war, when there came running to the city a messenger with his blood-stained clothes rent and with earth upon his head. It was the Amalekite who had come from the scene of battle. He bore in his hand the royal crown and bracelet, which he laid before David with all signs of homage. He then related the defeat of the. Israelites and the death of Saul and his sons. He mentioned also that he had slain the wounded monarch at his own desire. Grief and mourning prevailed among the Hebrews at Ziklag. All tore their garments and abstained from food that day. Then David summoned the Amalekite before him, and said, ' How wast thou not afraid to stretch out thy hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?' Calling one of his followers, he ordered him to slay the stranger, exclaiming, ' Thy blood be upon thy head, for thy mouth has testi- fiad against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed.' But David gave another and a better proof of the sin- 90. DEATH OF SAUL AKD JONATHAN. 375 cerity of his grief and of his deep affection for Saul and Jonathan, in a lament he composed over the fallen princes. It was called ' the Song of the Bow,' was taught to all Hebrews, and treasured as a sacred heirloom. It is a worthy monument of the heroic friendship that united David and Jonathan, and shows the second king of Israel in all the purity and grace of his better nature. It runs thus : ' The pride of Israel is slain upon thy heights : how are the heroes fallen ! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philis- tines rejoice, lest the daughters of the heathen triumph ! Ye mountains of Grilboa, let there be no dew and no rain upon you, nor fields for firstfruit offerings ; for there the shield of the heroes was tarnished, and the shield of Saul as though it had not been anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the heroes, the bow of Jonathan never shrank back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and graceful in their lives, were not parted in their death : they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and precious garments, who put on golden ornaments upon your apparel. How are the heroes fallen in the battle ! Jonathan, thou wast slain upon thy heights ! I am grieved for thee, my brother Jonathan ; thou wast very dear to me ; thy love was to me more precious than the love of women. How are the herpes fallen ! Now the weapons of war have perished ! ' 376 91. DAVID KING OF JtJDAH. 91. DAVID KING OF JUDAH (1055—1049). [2 Sam. I.— IV.] Saul had reigned forty years. One son only, Ishbosheth, then forty years of age, survived him. Jonathan left a son Mephibosheth, at that time five years old. When the sad tidings arrived from the battle-field of Grilboa, his nurse, in her alarm and consternation, tried to flee -with the child; he fell and was lamed for life. Abner, the commander, of Saul's army and his ever faithful follower, was determined that the sceptre should not depart from the house of Saul, and proclaimed Ishbosheth king over Israel. But considering him unsafe so near the land of Judah, he went with him to the old town Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, where the prince took up his temporary residence, while Abner himself soon returned to the pro- vince of Benjamin, and remained in Gibeon at the head of the army. David, watching these events with the most anxious attention, thought the time had come to leave the Philistine town Ziklag, where he had lived for one year and four months, and to proceed to the territory of Judah. He went to Hebron with all his men and their households. 'Then came the people of Judah,' so the Bible relates, ' and anointed David king over the house of Judah.' They felt confidence in their kinsman, who had been tried by so many years of successful warfare, and had proved himself patient in all hardships, ingenious in over- coming dangers, a born ruler of men. They all gathered readily round him. In the prime and vigour of his life (he was then thirty years old), wise in council, prompt in action. Godfearing and earnest, he seemed of all men the most fitted for a king in those troubled times. His very name had become a terror to his enemies, a word of sweet sound to his own people. He was now the warrior king, 91. DAVID KING OF JUDAH. 377 the poet, and at times the priest. He was surrounded by a band of valiant heroes who had long shared his adven- turous exploits. Chief of his followers, bravest of hisi captains, was Joab, his kinsman, son of his sister Zeruiah, a man of honest ambition, of inflexible will and daring purpose, who with difficulty curbed that stubborn spirit before his master David. He had two brothers, Abishai and Asahel. The former was renowned for his fierce courage, and had slain 300 Philistines with his own hand ; the latter was ' as swift of foot as the wild gazelle.' Many other heroes are mentioned by name ; they accomplished wonderful feats of daring ; they fought against lions and giants, stormed rocky fortresses, and stood their ground against overwhelming numbers of enemies. One of these adventures affords a touching proof of the strong attach- ment with which David had inspired his adherents. At a time of protracted warfare with the Philistines, he was hidden with his men near AduUam, while his antagonists were encamped at Bethlehem. Tormented with thirst, and wearied by the scorching rays of the sun, he longed for some water from his own pure well at Bethlehem. Eager to do his bidding at the peril of their lives, three of his most courageous men fought their way through the Phi- listine host, and returned with the longed-for draught. David, though praising their heroism and devotion, would not taste the water they had obtained by risking their own life-blood, and he poured it out as an offering to Grod. It was with the aid of followers so resolute and so undaunted that David might well hope to establish the new kingdom, and to become the protector of his people. He initiated his rule by a graceful act. He sent his greeting to the men of Jabesh in Grilead, thanked them for the humanity they had shown in rescuing the bodies of Saul and his sons, and promised them his assistance whenever they should need it. 378 91. DAVID KING OF JTJDAH. But the civil war now soon commenced in earnest. Abner commanding the party of Ishbosheth, met Joab at the head of David's soldiers near a pond before Gibeon. At the suggestion of Abner, twelve young men of either side were to meet in friendly encounter to perform ath- letic sports before the army. But the mimic sport was turned into terrible reality. The men killed each other on the spot. This was the signal for a general fray, and a battle ensued, in which many of Abner's soldiers were slain. As this chief himself turned and fled, he was boldly pursued by the fleet-footed Asahel. It was a grand prize to which the ambitious youth aspired. Abner recognising his pursuer by the swiftness of his footsteps, and conscious of his own unabated strength, was touched with pity, and begged Asahel to desist from his purpose and to avoid a hand-to-hand combat with him ; but rather to turn aside and to disguise himself in the armour of one of his own followers. The youth heard this advice with disdain. Again in the heat of the pursuit, Abner repeated his re- quest, and again it was tauntingly rejected. At last Abner, to save his honour, felt obliged to turn in his flight, and with his spear he transfixed Asahel, who fell down dead. Enraged at the sad and untimely end of their brother, Joab and Abishai carried on the pursuit, while the Benjamites gathered upon a hill, and stood waiting to see what would be the result of this struggle. ■ At last Abner, in the great danger of the moment, cried out to his pursuers, ' Shall the sword devour for ever ? Knowest thou not that bitterness will come in the end? How long will it be then, ere thou biddest thy people return from chasing after their brethren ?' These words cooled down the fury of Joab ; he commanded his men to leave off fighting, and both generals parted that day apparently reconciled. Yet the feeling of revenge was not extinguished in the heart of Joab. After burying 91. DAVID KING- OF JUDAH. 379 his brother in Bethlehem, he returned with his men to Hebron, while Abner and his soldiers passed safely over the Jordan, and joined their master in Mahanaim. At short intervals, the combat between the two parties was resumed : ' the war was long between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.' At last, even Abner could not help being convinced, that the whole land would ere long acknowledge David, who alone was able to lead and shield the people ; and he felt that a continuance of civil warfare was a profitless and guilty shedding of blood. He was stimulated to quicker action by an insult he received from Ishbosheth, to whom he plainly declared, ' So do God to Abner, and more also ; just as the Lord has sworn to David, so will I do to him, to take away the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba.' The king knew well the un- wavering energy of his general ; he was afraid and too weak to oppose him. Abner took at once decisive measures. He spoke with the elders of Israel, and showed them the utter hopelessness of the struggle. He proved to them that Ishbosheth's success was not even desirable. He then sent messengers to David at Hebron, and offered him an alliance. Before David would entertain any proposal, he demanded back his wife Michal, the daughter of Saul. And when she had been given up, with reluctance and grief, by Phaltiel, to whom Saul had married her, Abner proceeded to Hebron fearlessly, accompanied by no more than twenty men. He was kindly received by David, and a royal feast was prepared for him and his followers. He finally left Hebron in peace with this parting promise : ' I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy heart desires.' 380 91. DAVID KING OF JUDAH. At the time of Abner's visit in Hebron, Joab was absent on a military expedition. When he retxirned victorious ' and laden with spoil, and heard what had meanwhile happened, he upbraided the king for having given his old enemy a friendly reception, and allowed him to leave Hebron unhurt : ' Thou knowest Abner, the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.' Without David's knowledge, he secretly sent messengers to entice Abner back into the town. He awaited his re- turn in the gate, and there in a secluded corner he pierced his body with the sword, to avenge the death of his brothei* Asahel. David heard of this barbarous act of treachery with horror. Declaring himself guiltless of Abner's blood, he uttered a fearful curse upon Joab and his house, and he commanded a general fast and day of mourning. He him- self followed the bier of Abner as it was carried to its last resting place. An immense concourse of people accom- panied him. When he arrived at the grave, he wept bitterly ; at last he pronounced this lament : ' Was Abner to die as a wicked man dies ? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters. As a man falls before impious men, so didst thou fall ! ' And then addressing the people, he said : ' Know you not, that there is a chief and a great man fallen this day in Israel ? But I am still weak and just anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are mightier than I am ; the Lord will reward the evil- doer according to his evil deed.' Then all Israel was con- vinced that David had no hand in the murder of Abner. Bereft of Abner's firm guidance, the feeble Ishbosheth had no hope of maintaining himself against David; and he was not long afterwards killed by two Benjamites of the town Beeroth, as he was resting upon his bed at noon. His sad and inglorious rule, if rule it could be called, had lasted two years. The perpetrators of the deed brought 92. DAVID KING OVEE ALL ISEAEL. 381 their master's head in triumph to David who, revolted at the crime, ordered them to be punished in the same manner as the Amalekite who boasted of having given the death-blow to Saul. He interred the head of his slain rival in the vault of Abner. 92. DAVID KING OVER ALL ISRAEL (1049-1015). [2 Sam. V. sqq. ; 1 Cheon, XI. sqq."] David was now sole king over Israel : there was none left to dispute his power. The people of Benjamin and Judah alike recognised him. The elders of all tribes came to Hebron to express their loyalty, and decla,red that even in the time of Saul they had looked upon him as their real leader and chief. David accepted their homage, and agreed with them on the conditions of his sovereignty. He was now publicly anointed for his new dignity, and the event was celebrated by great and general rejoicing. He had lived and reigned in Hebron seven years and six months. During this time six sons were bom to him, of whom three — Amnon, Absalom, and Ado- niah^became distinguished by later events. But Hebron was hardly suitable for a capital ; its position alone, almost in the extreme south of the country, unfitted it for that purpose. David looked put for a more appropriate resi- dence, and he found it in Jebus enshrined on its citadel of rocks, overlooking Samaria to the north, and Judah to the south, a fortress made almost impregnable by nature. This was to be the new capital of the kingdom. So David decided, though the town was still in the power of the heathen Jebusites, from whose hands it was first to be wrested. The inhabitants felt so secure in their fastness and were so proud of its position, that at the approach of David and his army, they contemptuously manned the 382 93. THE AEK AT JERUSALEM. walls with the blind and the lame. But David had set Ms heart upon winning the citadel of Zion ; he commanded the rocks to be scaled, and excited the ambitious emulation of his warriors by promising high military distinction to him who should first enter the stronghold. Joab performed this feat of valour ; Jebus was taken, David made it his royal residence, and called it Jerusalem. The fortress grew into a large city, it was gradually extended, and its walls were strengthened. The fame of this new capital spread far and wide ; it reached Hiram, the king of Tyre, who sent skilled workmen and the wood of his much-prized cedar trees for the building of a palace. At this time more sons were born to David, and among them Nathan and Solomon. Now Israel's old enemies, the Philistines, set out to attack them again. They proceeded up to the valley of Eephaim, south-west of Jerusalem, on the frontier between Judah and Benjamin ; but David, encouraged by Divine oracles, marched out to meet their army, defeated it re- peatedly, and pursued the fugitives northward till Grazer. 93. THE ARK BROUGHT TO JERUSALEM. [2 Sam. VI. ; 1 Cheon. XV.] Nothing seemed now wanting to the glory and greatness of Jerusalem but the holy Ark, the symbol of the Divine holiness. It had for many years been left in Kirjath- Jearim. David determined to hallow his residence by its presence. So he marched out with 30,000 chosen men of Israel, and proceeded northward to Kirjath-Jearim. He took the Ark from the house of Abinadab, and placed it in a new cart led by Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab's sons. As the procession moved onward, there was a burst of music and song, David and his followers playing on harps 93. THE ABK AT JEEUSALEM. 383 and psalteries, and on timbrels, cornets, and cymbals. But as they advanced, the oxen broke away from the cart, and Uzzah placed his hand on the Ark to protect it. For this disregard of the Law he was visited with instantaneous death. David and the people-paused, afraid of the Lord's anger. Unwilling to proceed with the Ark after this fatal occurrence, the king caused it to be brought into the house of Obed-edom, the Grittite, who lived near at hand. There it was left for three months, during which time God's blessing descended upon Obed-edom and his whole family. Thereby encouraged, David resumed his former intention of bringing the Ark into his own city of Jeru- salem, and he made great preparations for its appropriate reception. Leaving aside the highly coloured account of the First Book of Chronicles, we learn, from the simpler narrative of the elder historian, that this time, the Ark was not entrusted to a rude cart and unsafe oxen, but that it was borne aloft upon the shoulders of chosen men. Singers and musicians with their numerous instruments followed in a long train, whilst before the Ark went David dressed as a priest in a linen ephod, singing and dancing, and indulging in every kind of enthusiastic rejoicing. At very frequent intervals, the procession stopped in order to offer solemn sacrifices to Grod. A shout of delight rang from the walls of Jerusalem as the holy Ark was borne into the city. It is not impossible that for that occasion the following beautiful Psalm, the twenty-fourth in our collection, may have been composed : ' ' The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord ? or who shall stand in His holy place ? He that has clean hands and a pure heart ; who does not lift up his soul to vanity, nor swears ■deceitfully : he shall receive the blessing from the Lord, 384 93. THE AEK AT JERUSALEM. and righteousness from the Grod of his salvation. This is the generation of those that seek Him, that seek thy face, Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Grlory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory ? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, ye gates, lift them up, ye ever- lasting doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory ? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. Selah.' The Ark was carried to the Tabernacle, which was prepared for its reception, and which was now to become truly the Sanctuary of the nation. Then the feelings of David are supposed to have again thus shaped themselves into words (Psalm xv.) : ' Lord, who shall abide in Thy Tabernacle ? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill ? He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; ha that backbites not with his tongue,- nor does evil to his fellow man, nor raises up a reproach against his neigh- bour ; in whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but who honours those that fear the Lord ; he that swears to his own hurt, and changes not; he that puts not out his money to usury, nor takes bribe against the innocent : he that does these things, shall never be moved.' Holocausts and thank-offerings commemorated an event so important in the religious history of the Hebrews ; and David pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of God. Great public festivities followed, enhanced by the liberal distribution of royal bounties. All were filled with joy and hope and gratitude. One heart alone seemed unmoved at this soul-stirring spectacle. Michal, seeing David from her window leaping and dancing before the Ark, despised him in her heart, and upbraided him on his 94. DAVID'S VICTOEIES. 385 return from the solemnities. She was punished by God for her pride and mockery by remaining childless. One last wish was now uppermost in David's heart : the city of Jerusalem yet wanted its crown, a Temple, where the Ark of Grod, no more enclosed in a movable tent and between perishable curtains, would rest worthily enshrined. He consulted the prophet Nathan, who bid him follow the inclination of his own mind. But the Lord appeared to the prophet in a vision, and declared His will, that not David should build the Temple but his son and successor, whose peaceful reign would be un- stained by bloodshed, and who, if obedient to the Divine precepts, would be singularly blessed. At the same time Grod repeated the most glorious promises of help and favour to David and his posterity for ever. The king poured out the gratitude of his heart in a fervent prayer of praise and thanksgiving. 94. DAVID'S VICTORIES. [2 Sam. Vni.— X.] The king's energies were now entirely employed in crushing the neighbouring enemies, who were a perpetual danger to Israel. He boldly ventured upon wars of ag- gression. He was successful everywhere, and he eiuriched the land with the spoil he took from the heathen foe. He smote and subdued the ever-restless Philistines, and de- stroyed the independence of their chief town Grath. He invaded Moab, slew the greater part of the soldiers, and imposed upon the people a heavy tribute. He marched against Hadadezer, king of Zoba in Syria, whose empire extended from the vicinity of Damascus eastward to the borders of the Euphrates. He vanquished his armies, subjected his people, and sent the best of his horses to c c 386 94. DAVID'S VICTORIES. Jerusalem, while he disabled the rest. The king of Da- tnascus, justly alarmed at these conquests, came to the aid of the king of Zoba, but he was equally unfortunate, and succumbed to the marvellous activity and valour of David : 22,000 of his men were slain ; Hebrew garrisons occupied the chief towns of Syria ; and the people were compelled to pay annually a heavy impost. The famous golden shields belonging to the warriors of Hadadezer were brought to Jerusalem, and later deposited in the Temple. From several Syrian towns rich in mines David took immense quantities of copper. Toi, the king of the illustrious Syrian commonwealth of Hamath, rejoiced at the defeat of his rival Hadadezer, sent messengers to Jeru- salem, bearing as presents vessels of gold and silver and copper, which David likewise dedicated to Grod. Lastly, he smote the Edomites in a decisive battle in the Salt- valley, to the south of the Dead Sea ; he killed 18,000 of the enemy in the combat, the memory of which he per- petuated by a great monument ; and Idumaea became a dependency garrisoned with Hebrew troops. This Unparalleled succession of victories not only estab- lished David's power, but spread abroad the. glory and the dread of his name. He was looked upon, as one of the mightiest rulers of the East. ' He reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice to all his people.' He was now anxious to prove his good-will towards the fallen family of his predecessor Saul, and to discover if there was anyone left to whom he might show kindness for the sake of Jonathan ; so he addressed himself to Ziba, who had formerly been a servant of Saul. From Ziba's lips he heard of the lame son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, now grown a man, who lived with his young son Micha in Lot debar, a little town in Grilead. "With generous delight, he sent for Mephibosheth and his son, received them with gladness, gave them the land that had belonged to Saul, 94. DAVID'S VICTORIES. 387 and charged Ziba and his servants with the management of that large property. "With royal hospitality, Mephibo- sheth was invited as a perpetual guest at the king's table, and was treated as one of David's own sons. About this time died Nahash, the king of Ammon, who in the days of David's wanderings had befriended the aged Jesse and his house. Prompted by gratitude, David sent messengers to Hanun, the son of Nahash, to convey his sympathy and condolence. But the Ammonite states- men, misconstruing David's friendly intentions, roused their master's suspicion, and persuaded him into the be- lief that those messengers had come as spies to explore the capital and the country. The ungenerous Hanun listened to these imputations, and insulted David's am- bassadors in a manner held most disgraceful among Ori- entals, by shaving off half their beards and curtailing their garments. The men, ashamed thus to appear in Jerusalem, were bidden by the king to stay at Jericho until their beards should have grown again. But Hanun, now justly afraid of David's vengeance, actively prepared for war. He gathered mercenaries far and wide in those districts of Syria which were still embittered against the Hebrews by recent humiliations. An enormous host was assembled. The Syrian hirelings were to attack the Israelites in the field, while the Ammonites were to await them before their towns. David entrusted the command of his army to his long-tried general Joab, who divided his forces into two parts, retaining one half for himself to meet the Syrians, and confiding the other to his brother Abishai to fight against the Ammonites. ' Be firm,' he said to him, ' and let us be firm for our people, and for the cities of our God ; and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.' The brothers agreed to come to each other's rescue if the chances of the war should render it necessary. The Syrians were now impetuously assailed by Joab ; they c c 2 388 95. DAVID'S SIN. were completely routed and fled in dismay. The Am- monites, disheartened by this disaster, sought refuge in their towns. But the indomitable Hadadezer assembled a fresh and larger army recruited from the countries of the Euphrates, and prepared for battle at Helam, on the eastern side of the Jordan. Now David himself went out to oppose this formidable array. Victory was faithful to him ; for, in a fearful carnage that ensued, the enemy's chief general was captured and slain, and the' survivors fled in wild confusion. The Syrians, seeing that their strength was utterly broken, submitted to David, and consented to pay tribute. But Hanun, who had wickedly occasioned this bloody war, was not to remain unpunished. Joab vowed that his sword should not rest imtil the country of Ammon was completely subdued, and Eabbah, the great city, con- quered.. The hosts of Israel marched out upon this dis- tant campaign, and with them went, as in olden time, the Ark of the Lord. Joab led the army, passed rapidly through the enemy's country, and commenced the diffi- cult and wearisome siege of Eabbah. David meanwhile remained in Jerusalem. 95. DAVID'S SIN. [2 Sam. XI. XII.] Connected with this war and siege is a grievous crime committed by David. It marks the beginning of the decrease of his prosperity. His moral debasement ushered in the dark and mournful decline of his reign. He indeed repented bitterly, but he could not change the sad course of his existence. Uriah, a Hittite, and one of the bravest officers in the 95, DAVID'S SIN. - 3S9 Hebrew army, had a beautiful wife called Bathsbeba. David saw bar and instantly conceived for her a great passion. In order to make her bis wife, be determined upon the death of Uriah. He summoned him from the camp at Eabbah to Jerusalem, and sent him back with a letter to Joab, in which be commanded the general to place him at the most dangerous post, to cut him off from assistance, and thus to expose him to certain death. Joab obeyed unquestioningly. Uriah was sent out at the head of a party of men to storm -the walls of the city. There be fell, pierced by an Ammonite archer, Joab at once despatched a messenger to David with these tidings. In due time the widow of Uriah became David's wife. But the sinful deed cried for revenge and expiation. Let us hear the account of the Bible, which is clothed in a parable : ' But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. And the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, " There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which be had bought and nom-ished, and it grew up together with him and with his children; it ate of his own bread and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter. And there came a traveller to the rich man, and be spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come to Mm, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him." And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man ; and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man that has done this thing shall surely die : and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because be did this thing and because be had no pity." And Nathan said to David, " Thou art the man. Thus says the Lord Grod of Israel, I anointed thee king over 390 95. DAVID'S SIK. Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and T gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given to thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight ? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes, and give them to thy neighbour. . . . For thou didst it se- cretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun." And David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die. However, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to thee shall surely die." ' Now Bathsheba bore him indeed a child ; but the child lay stricken with a fatal illness, and the king in his great grief gave himself up to mourning and supplication. Stretched upon the ground fasting and refusing comfort, he prayed fervently to the Lord, imploring His help. The prayer remained unheeded. On the seventh day, the child died, and the servants of David, alarmed for their master, sought to hide the sad news from him. But the king grew suspicious at their secret whisperings, and soon learned from them the fate of his child. Then he rose from the earth, washed and anointed himself, changed his gar- ments, and went into the House of the Lord to worship Him. When he returned into his palace, he took the food which 95. DAVID'S SIN. 391 he had refused before. His servants gazed at him in astonishment. So complete a resignation to the heavy hand of sorrow they could not comprehend. Wonderingly they asked, ' What is it that thou hast done ? Thou didst fast and weep for the child while it was alive, but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.' David answered, 'While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live ? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast ? Can I bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.' ' Did the unhappy king find consolation in the hope of immortality ? Did he, in these few words, boldly distance his predecessors and his contemporaries? His answer -seems indeed to imply the conviction of another life with a clearness unparalleled before in the sacred narrative. Certain it is that the words uttered by David have found a ready echo again and again in sorrow-stricken hearts. David and Bathsheba were comforted by the birth of another son, whom they called Solomon, 'the peaceful,' but to whom Nathan the prophet, blessing him in the name of Grod, gave besides another name, Jedidiah, ' the beloved of the Lord,' a name rich with joyous promises. For more than a year had the siege of Eabbah been continued, until at length some important positions were taken, and the great stronghold of the Ammonites seemed near its fall. It would probably have succumbed to the perseverance and skill of Joab ; but the general, loyal and modest, was anxious to secure for David the fame of its capture. He entreated him to hasten to the camp at this last moment, and to take the city, ' lest,' said the warrior, ' I take it, and it be called after my name.' So David marched forth from Jerusalem with a large army, and fought against Eabbah and stormed it. He took 'from the king's head the heavy golden croivn set with precious 392 96. AMNON— ABSALOM. stones, and placed it on his own head. As usual, the conqueror spoiled the conquered city, and fearful was the revenge taken upon the Ammonites. David 'brought forth the people and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick kiln ; and thus did he to all the children of Ammon.' These cruelties, though not un- common in the barbarity of those times, have left a dark stain upon the memory of David and Joab. 96. AMNON— ABSALOM. [2 Sam. XHI.— XX.] Over the house of David dense and gloomy clouds were gathering, and they burst with terrible and destructive violence. His wives dwelt with their families in the royal city, although they probably did not all live to- gether in the royal palace. The firstborn of David's sons was Amnon, the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel. He was a youth of fierce passions and uncontrollable impulses, harsh and capricious. He conceived a vehement love for his half-sister Tamar, the daughter of David and of Maachah, who was descended from the royal house of Geshur in Grilead. She was remarkable for beauty ; and her beauty proved her misfortune. She was insulted by the reckless Amnon. Her brother Absalom deemed it his duty to avenge the disgrace. He was no less distinguished by outward appearance than his sister. ' In all Israel there was none so much praised as Absalom for his beauty ; from the sole of his feet even to the crown of his head, there was no blemish on him.' But his long and luxuriant hair was his peculiar pride.; each year it was weighed, and was found to weigh 200 shekels. Between Absalom and his half-brother Amnon a terrible feud was now 96. AMNOK— ABSALOM. 393 kindled, which could only be quenched in the life-blood of the 'offender. Absalom had large flocks of sheep grazing in Baal- hazor near the frontiers of Ephraim : at the time of sheep-shearing he invited all his brothers to the rural feasts, and pressed them till they consented to come. ' Amnon went among the rest. When his heart was merry with wine, the servants of Absalom slew him on a pre- concerted sign from their master. A general panic seized the guests. No one thought of retaliating the bloody deed upon Absalom. -AH sprang upon their mules and fled. The tidings of the murder, growing as they tra- velled, came to king David in this form — that all his sons had been slain. Heartrending was the despair of the unhappy father. But Jonadab, his kinsman and the friend of Amnon, who was fully acquainted with the sad events, told him what had really happened ; and as he spoke, there came, to verify his words, riding up the hill into the city of Jerusalem, all the king's sons, weeping as they came. Absalom meanwhile had fled to his mother's family in G-eshur, where he dwelt for three years. David mourned bitterly for Amnon ; but in his heart he was yearning for his exiled son Absalom. Joab read his wishes, and skilfully devised a scheme for reconciling father and son. David yielded easily, and permitted Absalom to return to Jerusalem. But he ordered him to remain in his own house, and not to appear before him. Was he unwilling to see the face of him who had bereft him of his son Amnon ? Or did he mistrust the weakness of his heart for his sinning child ? During two years Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem with his three sons and his beautiful daughter Tamar, banished from the king's prer sence. He hoped from day to day to be forgiven and recalled. At last, at the end of two years, anxiously longing to behold his father again, he begged of Joab to 394 96. ABSALOM. come and see him at his house. But, faithful to his master, Joab refused. Twice the request was sent, and twice it was unheeded. Then Absalom set fire to a barley-field of Joab, who now appeared, indignant at the outrage. Absalom, however, calmed him by saying that he had found no other means of having the desired inter- view, and he now implored him to bring about a perfect reconciliation with his father ; for ' why have I come from Greshur,' he concluded, ' it would have been better for me, if I were there still ! ' Joab reported all this to David, who called Absalom, embraced and kissed him, and re- ceived him back into his favour. But Absalom was false and faithless. Tormented and misled by ambition, he designed schemes for dethroning his father, and wresting the kingdom from him. He secretly prepared a revolt. He won the favour of the people by his love of pomp and magnificence; he was constantly seen riding in a chariot drawn by horses, before which fifty men were running. His insinuating manners, his singular beauty, and reckless daring completed the conquest of the fickle multitude. He successfully sowed among the people the seeds of distrust against David's impartial justice ; and when he saw that all was ripe for the rebellion, he induced the king to allow him to go to Hebron for the fulfilment of a vow which he professed to have made while living in Geshur. He went southward with two hundred unsuspecting followers. In Hebron he sounded the trumpet-call. Alas ! the ungrateful people readily forgot the great king who had been anointed at that very place, and who had gloriously reigned over them for forty years, and they came flocking to the standard of Absalom. Even Ahitophel the G-ilonite", David's wise counsellor, declared for his young son, and gave to the revolt the weight of his name and experience. When the aged king heard the sad tidings, his great 96. ABSALOM; 305 spirit was crushed. He did not think of resistance, but at once prepared for flight. With his entire household, with all his servants, and with his devoted followers, he departed from his own loved city Jerusalem. ' Arise, let us flee,' he exclaimed, ' for we shall not else escape from Absalom ; make speed to depart, lest he overtake us sud- denly and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.' He was not quite left without at- tached friends. Six hundred men of Grath had recently joined him under their chief Ittai. But he was unwilling to imperil the lives and fortunes of these faithful men. He requested Ittai to return home, or to cast in his lot with Absalom ; for, said he, ' thou art a stranger, and wilt go back to thy native land : thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go forward and backward with us ? For I go whither I may. Eeturn thou, and take back thy brethren in mercy and truth.' But Ittai refused : ' As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.' Then the procession, mourning and weeping, passed over the brook Kidron, and took the road that led to the wilderness. On the opposite side of the brook they were , met by Zadok and Abiathar, the two priests ; with them came their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan, and a host of Levites bearing the Ark of the Covenant. But David refused to let the sacred shrine accompany him in his uncertain wanderings. "With a humility and resignation that are sublime indeed, and give proof of a thoroughly purified soul, he said to Zadok, ' Carry back the Ark of Grod into the city; if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back again, and show me both Himself and His habitation. But if He thus say, I have no delight in thee ; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.' So the priests' 396 96. ABSALOM. , returned to Jerusalem, carrying the Ark with them. Then David commenced the ascent of Mount Olivet ; he walked barefooted, with his mantle drawn over his head ; and in like manner all the people that went with him hid their weeping faces. Now the bitter tidings came to David, ' Ahitophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.' In his sorrow and despondency he prayed, ' Lord, turn the counsel of Ahitophel into foolishness !' When he had completed the ascent of the mountain, he was overtaken by the faithful Hushai the Archite, who came with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head. To him David confided his wishes and plans. He bade him return to Jerusalem, and by skill or stratagem defeat the schemes of Ahitophel. Hushai was to feign allegiance to Absalom, and at once to communicate whatever he might learn of his intentions to the priests Zadok and Abiathar; and these should convey to the king the information through Ahimaaz and Jonathan, their fleet-footed sons. So Hushai returned on his way, and entered Jerusalem about the same time as Absalom. David, still travelling on, was now met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who brought two saddled asses laden with bread and wine. 'What meanest thou by these ?' asked David. The cun- ning Ziba replied, that the provisions were all for the king's use. ' And where is thy master's son ?' asked David again. Ziba uttered this falsehood in reply : ' Behold, he dwells at Jerusalem ; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.' David, in a moment of passion, answered, ' Behold, thine is all that belongs to Mephibosheth.' The king passed on, and arrived at Bahurim, on the borders of the land of Benjamin. As the procession wound along the hill-side with the deep valley between him and the opposite hill, there came forth from his house Shimei, a descendant of Saul. The ravine divided him from the 96. ABSALOM. 397 king. He gave vent to his burning hatred of the un- happy monarch ; in his rage he cast stones at him and his followers, heaping curse upon curse. 'Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial : the Lord has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned ; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son ; and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.' The anger of Abishai was aroused. ' Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king ?' he exclaimed ; ' let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head !' But David answered meekly : ' What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah ? So let him curse, because the Lord has said to him. Curse David ! Who shall then say. Wherefore hast thou done so ?' And he added, with touching pathos : ' Behold, my son who came forth of my bowels, seeks my life ; how much more now may this Benjamite do it ? Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look upon my affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his ctirsing this day.' So they passed onward on their side of the hill, while on the other side walked Shimei, throwing stones as before, and casting dust, and uttering loud imprecations. Sad and tired, the king and his followers rested at last after their weary and moiimful day. Meanwhile Absalom and his friends had entered Jeru- salem, and among them his counsellor Ahitophel. As Hushai saw him coming into the city, he exclaimed, ' Grod save the king I ' For a moment Absalom was revolted at Hushai's seeming faithlessness and ingratitude to his old master, and addressing him sharply, he said, ' Is this thy kindness to thy friend ? ' But Hushai professed the deepest devotion to his master's son, and Absalom said no more. Then Ahitophel, appealed to for his counsel, proposed that 398 96. ABSALOM. an army of 12,000 men should instantly be sent, under his leadership, in pursuit of David ; thus, he said, they would come upon him in all the weariness of his flight, would strike terror into his little band, disperse or kill them, and secure the king. Hushai heard with dismay this advice, which might have proved fatal to his royal master, but he defeated it by his own ready cunning. He bade Absalom remember that king David was still a powerful man, that his heart was as the heart of a lion, that he was surrounded by valiant followers, and that to attack him might be the destruction of Absalom's army ; and, lie continued, ' Therefore I counsel that the men of Israel be altogether gathered to thee from Dan to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thy own person ; so shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground ; and of him and of all men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.' This counsel was approved of by the unsuspecting Absalom in preference to that of Ahitophel. But Hushai despatched forthwith the priests' sons to re- port to the fugitive monarch the plans that had been decided upon. In spite of their great caution they were seen in their flight by a lad, who betrayed their departure to Absalom. When the youths saw they were followed, they fled to Bahurim, where, escaping into the court of a house, they hid themselves in a well. The mistress of the dwell- ing, anxious to protect them, spread over the mouth of the well a covering, on which she put ground corn. Absa- lom's servants now arriving, asked eagerly, ' Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan ? ' The woman answered, ' They are gone over the brook of water.' So the men went on their fruitless search, and returned to Jerusalem to report their failure. Meanwhile the two messengers sped to king David, and brought him the message of Hushai, who advise^. 96. ABSALOM. 399 him to continue his journey without delay. As the first rays of the morning sun lit up the banks of the Jordan, the king and his sorrowing followers passed safely over the river, and travelled on to Mahanaim. Ahitophel, seeing that his counsel had been rejected, whether stung by mortification or anticipating his new master's ruin, ' saddled his ass, and arose, and went home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.' So David was freed from his most dreaded foe. Absalom now determined to commence the attack with his vast host. He chose Amasa, one of Joab's kinsmen, as general, and marched out of Jerusalem into the land of Grilead. When David had entered Mahanaim with his followers, he had been met and cordially received by Shobi, one of the Ammonite princes, by Barzillai, a Gileadite, aijd other old adherents. They brought honey and milk, .cheese, and other provisions for the weary way- farers. Strengthened and refreshed, David assembled his host, and, the old warrior spirit reviving, prepared for the encounter. He divided the army into three parts — one was to be led by Joab ; one by Abishai ; and the third by Ittai, the trusty friend from Gath. He then declared his resolution to head the army himself. But the devoted people would not allow the king to risk his life ; they eiitreated him to remain in the city, while they would go forth to fight for him. The name of the old king had preserved its wonderful charm ; hundreds and thousands of daring warriors flocked to his aid, and passed out before him to the battle as he stood in the gate of the city. When all was ready, he gave , to^the three commanders this parting injunction, 'Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Absalom,' The two armies met in a forest of Ephraim. It was a great and terrible battle. The host of Absalom was 400 96. ABSALOM. routed by the warriors of David. Absalom himself fled in terror and dismay. As he was riding through the wood on his swift mule, he was caught by the long locks of his hair under the spreading branches of a large terebinth. Unable to extricate himself, he remained suspended, for his mule had escaped. One of David's servants brought this intelligence to Joab, who, relentless as ever, upbraided him for not having slain Absalom on the spot. Eegard- less of the man's feeling remonstrance, Joab went out himself, armed with his darts ; and as he approached the tree, he pierced the heart of Absalom. But as the young prince yet lived, three of Joab's warriors approached, and killed him with their swords. His body was thrown into a large pit, and covered with piles of stones. As king David was sitting within the gates of the city, anxiously longing for tidings of the battle, the watchman on the roof saw a man approach at full speed, and he turned and told the king. As he looked out again, he observed that the messenger was followed by another. The swift-footed Ahimaaz was the first, and David took courage. 'A good man,' he said, 'and he comes with good tidings.' As Ahimaaz drew near the king, he fell before him on his face, and exclaimed, ' All is well ! Blessed be the Lord thy God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.' But David, heedless of his own fate, asked eagerly, 'la the young man Absalom safe?' Ahimaaz answered evasively, 'When Joab sent the king's servant and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.' Then came speeding onwards the second mes- senger Cushi, and he bore the fatal news that Absalom was among the slain. ' And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, thus he said : my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! would God I had died for thee. 96. ABSALOM. 401 Absalom, my son, my son ! ' No joy was expressed at the greiat victory. The people dared not exult, when their king was in deep grief. A wail of bitter sorrow was ringing among the warriors in the camp, Joab saw all this with indignation, and was incensed against David. ^He could not sympathise with the king's feelings, and he reproached him bitterly — how could the death of an ungrateful child have more weight with him than the deli- verance of so many devoted generals and brave soldiers ? He urged the unhappy father to leave his solitude, and to show himself to his people, by whom he would else be deserted. David's heart might be pained, yet he yielded to his kinsman's hard but judicious advice, and appeared once more in the gates of the city, where all the people flocked around him. At the news of Absalom's death, the revolt ceased in the land, and all the Israelites were ready to return to their rightful king. The men of Judah, however, David's own tribe, held aloof. To them David despatched his two faithful priests, and sent them this message : ' You are my brethren, you are my bones and my flesh, wherefore are you then the last to bring back the king ? ' And he pro- mised to Amasa the chief command of his host in the place of Joab, whom he could not forgive for the cruel part he had taken in Absalom's death. Judah's allegiance was at last secured ; the elders went to David, entreating him to cQme back to Jerusalem, and many of them went out to Gilgal, to conduct him home from the east of the Jordan. His return presents both a strange contrast and a striking parallel to his flight. Shimei the Benjamite came from his hill-side home at Bahurim, and with him came Ziba, the faithless servant of Mephibosheth, with his fifteen sons and his twenty followers, and a host of 1,000 Ben- jamites. Shimei was afraid of the king's just wrath, which he knew he had aroused by his reckless cvirses, and D D 402 96. DAVID'S KETTJEN'. .which he was now anxious to avert by cowardly submis- sion. Abishai, zealous and implacable, implored the king- to permit him to slay his shameless slanderer. But David was determined to regain his city without acts of vio- lence. So he proclaimed general forgiveness, and swore that Shimei should not die. As he moved onward, he was met by the poor and faithful Mephibosheth, who had been mourning most sincerely the exile of his mastei'. He came with all the outward signs of grief; he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes since David had fled from Jerusalem. He told the story of Ziba's treachery who had so grossly calumniated him, and had taken from him the ass upon which he would have followed his monarch. Then David, who was perhaps slow to believe so much deceit, said to him, ' Why speakest thou any more of thy matters ? I say, thou and Ziba divide the land.' And Mephibosheth answered, ' Yea, let him take it all, since my lord the king is come again in peace to his own house.' The aged and generous Barzillai, a man of wealth and influence in Grilead, who had welcomed and assisted David at Mahanaim, now accompanied him over the Jordan. David, in grateful appreciation of his services, begged the old chief to go with him to Jerusalem, and to share his royal table. But Barzillai answered wisely, ' How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jeru- salem ? I am this day eighty years old, and can I discern between good and evil ? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink ? can I hear any more the voice of singing men or singing women ? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden to my lord the king ? ' So when they passed the Jordan, David blessed Barzillai, who returned on his way, while Chimham, one of his kinsmen, went ,, with the king to Jerusalem. On the road, a quarrel arose between the men of Israel and the men of Judah. 96. DAVID'S EETUEN. 403 The former, who had been the first to pronounce for David's return, were angry that the men of Judah had presumed to claim the privilege of bringing back the exiled monarch. But the men of Judah warmly contended that the king was their nearer kinsman ; besides, they added, ' have we eaten at all of the king's cost, or has he given us any gift ? ' This dispute, insignificant as it might appear, grew step by step into a violent feud, and led, not long- afterwards, to the most important consequences. ■ Sheba, a Benjamite, a man of a turbulent and ambitious nature, was the first to take advantage of the estrange- ment, and stirred up a revolt. He sounded the trumpet- call and exclaimed, ' We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse ; every man to his tents, Israel ! ' So the fickle Israelites followed Sheba, while the men of Judah cking to David. To Amasa, Joab's" successor in the chief command, the king gave his instructions for the coming campaign. But Amasa did not assemble the army within the appointed time ; and David, suspecting treachery and impatient of delay, sent for Abishai, and bade him at once commence the pursuit, to prevent Sheba from escaping into one of the walled cities. Abishai and Joab set forth immediately at the head of their host. When they arrived at a certain large stone near Gribeon, they came in sight of Amasa. Joab had girded his cloak tightly round him so as to leave him free for the hasty march, and a sheathed sword hung at his side. As he ran to meet Amasa, he allowed the sword to' drop from its sheath. He advanced treacherously to welcome his rival, and taking him by his beard as if to kiss him, he asked, ' Art thou in health, my brother ? ' At the same moment he buried his sword in Amasa's side, so that it passed through his body, and he fell upon the ground and died. After this foul deed, Joab and Abishai proceeded swiftly on their pursuit, leaving the D d2 404 97. FAMINE AND EXPIATION. corpse of Amasa lying across the highway. As the war- riors passed by at intervals, and saw their murdered chieftain, they halted in dismay, until at last one of Joab's followers carried the body into a field, and covered it with a cloth. Then all the soldiers pursued their way without hindrance. At last Joab discovered that Sheba had taken refuge in a northern town in the east of the Jordan, at Abel of Beth-Maachah, situated at the foot of Mount Hermon. He surrounded the town, threw up a bank, commenced making the trenches, and prepared to batter down the walls. But a wise woman saved the town. She appeared at the gates, and called to Joab. She entreated him to spare the innocent city and its inhabitants, and not ' to swallow up the inheritance of the Lord,' but to be satisfied with the death of the traitor Sheba, whom she promised to deliver into his hand. Then she went to the people, and persuaded them to follow her counsel. The head of Sheba was cast over the walls to Joab. Thus the war was ended, and the soldiers dispersed to their homes. 97. FAMINE AND EXPIATION. [2 Sam. XXI.] But the days of trial and darkness were not over for David, A fearful famine, recurring for three successive years, prostrated the kingdom. But it brought with it a much more terrible misfortune than destitution and star- vation. David's troubled mind attributed the scourge to some iniquitous deed that had remained unatoned. His oracles told him that it was sent as a punishment for the slaughter of the Gibeonites by Saul, which had been a violation of the assurances of peace given to them by Joshua. He asked of the Gibeonites what atonement they desired. They replied, 'Let seven men of Saul's 98. DAVID'S DEATH, 405 sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the Lord.' Alas ! David had not the strength of mind or the covirage to refuse this barbarous request. He laid hijnself open to the suspicion of eagerly seizing an opportunity for ridding himself of the dangeroiis members of a rival dynasty. For, sparing the feeble and crippled Mephibo- sheth, he chose seven of Saul's most prominent kinsmen, the two sons of Eizpah, Saul's daughter, and the five sons whom Michal had born to Adriel, the son of Barzillai. All these he delivered into the hands of the Gribeonites ; ' and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord.' An act of tender love relieves the account of these deeds of horror and superstition. Eizpah, the bereaved mother, came to the spot where her children and relatives had been murdered, and where they were left to hang from their gibbets : spreading sackcloth upon the ground, she remained there from the beginning of the harvest until the rains commenced; and all this time she anxiously warded off the birds by day and the beasts by night from preying on the bodies of the slain. At last the story of this devoted woman came to the ears of the king : he was touched with pity, may be with remorse ; for he ordered the bones to be gathered up, and to be buried in the sepulchre of Kish, the ancestor of the victims. To them were added the bones of Saul and Jonathan, which had been in Jabesh in Grilead from the time of the Philistine victory on Mount Grilboa. Then David prayed again to the Lord for mercy, and the famine ceased. 98, DAVID'S LAST. DEEDS AND DEATH. [2 Sam. XXI.— XXIV. ; 1 Kmos I. II. ; 1 Chbon. XXI, sqq.] But war recommenced with the Philistines, the old enemies of the Hebrews. David himself went out to battlej^ but the arm of the great hero had become feeble. 406 98. DAVID'S DEATH. Engaged in single combat with a mighty giant,, IshM of Nob, he nearly succumbed, when he was saved by Abishai^ who hastened to his rescue, and smote the Philistine. Then all his followers thronged to him, and implored him not to go forth again to battle ; for if he fell, the light of Israel would be extinguished. Several other encounters against the Philistines were brought to a successful ter- mination by his heroes and generals. Then the voice of the aged David was heard in a noble Psalm of thanksgiving, in which the varied fortunes of his life and his experience, his thoughts ajud emotions, and his eminent poetical power were faithfully mirrored. In spite of constant trouble and bitter sorrow, in spite of housfehold feuds, of famine, and of war, the king exclaimed with fervour : ' The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer. The God of my rock, in Him will I trust ; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation. . . . He sent from above ; He took me ; He drew me out of many waters ; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me ; for they were too strong for me. They surrounded me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me forth into safety ; He delivered' me, because He delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness ; ac- cording to the cleanness of my hands has He recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. . . . For Thou art my lamp, Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness. For by Thee I have run through troops ; by my God have I leaped over wg,lls. As for God, His way is perfect ; the word of the Lord is tried ; He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. For who is God^save the Lord ? and who is a rock save our God ? God is my strength and power ; and He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places. 98. DAVID'S DEATH. 407 He teaches my hands to Avar, so that my arm draws the bow of steel. And Thou hast given me the shield of Thy salvation, and Thy compassion has made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet did not slip. I have pm-sued my enemies and destroyed them, ■and turned not again until I had consumed them. . . . Thou hast also delivered me from the struggles of my people, Thou hast guarded me to be the chief of nations ; many a people I knew not serve me. Strangers submit to me ; hearing the report of my fame, they are obedient to me ; strangers tremble in awe, and come forth in fear from their fastnesses. The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of the rock of my sal- vation. It is Grod who avenged me, and who brought down the nations under me, and rescued me from my enemies ; Thou also hast lifted me up high above my adversaries, Thou hast delivered me from the men of violence. Therefore, I will give thanks to Thee, Lord, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Thy name. He makes glorious the salvation for His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed for ever- more.' But there was yet trouble in store for the king, before death brought peace to him for ever. Probably desirous to prove his greatness to the world, he insisted upon numbering the people of his kingdom. This was deemed an act of vainglory and pride displeasing to God, and even the unscrupulous Joab advised him to abstain from it. But the king persisted in his resolution ; the census was taken from Dan to Beersheba, when it was found that there were in the whole land 800,000 men able to bear arms, of whom no less than 500,000 belonged to the tribe of Judah. But no sooner had the command been carried out, than David felt that he had sinned, and he prayed to the Lord for pardon. Then came to him Gad the seer 408 98. DAVID'S DEATH. with the Divine words : ' I offer thee three things ; choose one of them, that I may do it to thee.' These three things were seven years of famine in the land, or three months' flight before the enemy, or three days' pestilence among the people. And David answered, ' I am in great distress ! Let tis fall, I pray, into the hand of the Lord,» for His mercies are great, and not into the hand of man.' So the pestilence raged, causing fearful destruction, but sparing Jerusalem. It carried off 70,000 men. The angel of the Lord stayed in his fatal progress at the threshing-floor of Araunah, the Jebusite, and it was there, ■in accordance with the word of Gad, that David built an altar and offered up sacrifices. The infirmities of old age now pressed more and more painfully upon David, and his uneasiness was increased by the sorrow and confusion in his own house. Haggith, the mother of Absalom, had another son called Adonijah, who, like his brother, was renowned for beauty and aspiring ambition. He set his heart upon succeeding to the throne of his father, and therefore sought to obtain the help of the influential Joab and of Abiathar, one of the chief priests ; but he was strenuously opposed by the old warriors and others who remained faithful to the aged king, and among whom Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan were the most distinguished. Irritated by this resistance, the im- petuous youth resolved to hasten the execution of his plans. He prepared a great feast in the immediate neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and invited to it all the king's sons and all the men of Judah, but purposely omitted all those whom he knew to be friendly to David, and of course his half-brother Solomon, who, as was well known, had been appointed by his father heir to the throne. Nathan, wise and faithful, saw the great dangers of the moment, and he thought it his duty to impress 98. DAVID'S DEAT^H. 40^ them on David's niind. He, therefore, requested Bath- sheba, the king's favourite wife and the mother of Solomon, to go to her husband, to inform him of Adonijah's re- bellious plans and proceedings, and to urge him to con- firm the rights of her son, Bathsheba readily consented. She had hardly finished telling him of Adonijah's seditious schemes, and of the feast which he was then holding,, when the prophet Nathan himself entered, to strengthen the impression produced by Bathsheba's words. David had sworn that Solomon should be his successor, and he now repeated the promise to Bathsheba. Nay, he was determined that from that very day Solomon should be considered as king of Israel. He summoned before him the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and the warrior Benaiah. To these three faithful subjects he en- trusted his son Solomon ; they were to mount him on his own mule, the sign of royalty, to lead him to Grihon, there to anoint him with the sacred oil, and to proclaim his consecration by the solemn blast of the trumpet. The commands of the king were carried out without delay. Adonijah and his guests were suddenly roused at their feast by loud and incessant shouts of joy ; it was as if the • whole earth were rent by the tumultuous cries. But the sound of the trumpet startled the vigilant Joab. 'Where- fore,' he exclaimed, 'is the voice of the city in an up- roar ? * While he yet spoke, there entered breathless . Jonathan, the son' of the priest Abiathar. Joab exclaimed anxiously, and with the old eagerness that never forsook him, ' Come in, for thou art a valiant man and bringest good tidings ! ' Then Jonathan related what had just occurred, how Solomon had been anointed king over all Israel, and how the people greeted him with acclamations of homage. Hearing these ominous words, Adonijah and his followers, giving up all hope of success, separated in 410 98. DAVID'S DEATH. silence. Adonijah sought refuge at the horns of the altar, for he apprehended the king's just revenge. But Solo- mon bid him not be afraid, and promised that no hair of his head should fall, if he thenceforward remained loyal and peaceful ; he then sent him home unharmed. The long and eventful reign of David approached its end. The king lay feeble and stricken, awaiting the angel of death, and beside him stood the young king Solomon listening to his last behests. ' I go the way of all the earth,' said he, ' be thou strong, therefore, and show thyself a man.' Then he urgently impressed upon his son to walk in the ways of the Lord, and to follow the Divine commandments with all his heart. But, true to his age, his nature, and the custom of his country, he made Solomon the heir of his own feuds, and he bade him' punish his enemies, to whom his death was to bring neither safety nor pardon. Joab had been unscrupulous and revengeful ; he had insidiously murdered Abner and Amasa, against all usages of war and all rights of peace ; he was therefore to die a violent death ; the youthful and vigorous son was to execute that punishment which the aged king, awed by Joab's fierce valour and commanding influence, had not dared to inflict. Again, Shimei, who had so bitterly cursed David from the mountain-side when on his sad flight before Absalom, was to suffer the deserved retribution. On the other hand, the sons of Barzillai, that good and faithful old chieftain of Grilead, were to be loved and respected, and to receive the debt of gratitude which their generous father had declined. And thus mingling with his last breath gentle gratitude and implacable revenge, David sank to his eternal rest — the undaunted warrior king, the master of undying song, the pride of his people, one of the great men of all times. Good and evil were blended in David's character as 08. DAVID'S DEATH. 411 they were blended in few others of whom history bears record. His whole life is the story of a violent moral struggle incessantly carried on. It presents the ever-re- curring transition from sin to repentance, from inward strife to inward peace. His repentance was so prompt, his self-accusation so complete, his cry for I)ivine help so eager, that he invariably wins first our sympathy for his sufferings, and then ovir admiration for the heroic struggle by which he strives to subdue them. His was a strong and impulsive nature, ready to succumb to temptation, yet as ready to battle with it. He was singularly clear in his perception of moral excellence, and unusually earnest in his efforts for moral improvement ; yet he too often fell a victim to the delusions " of ambition and passion, and to the snares of revenge and hatred. He was humble and obedient to the warnings of the prophets, and moved to submissive confession by a word of re- proach. At such times he would cast aside his royal robes, sit in sackcloth and ashes, weep over the wrong he had done or intended, and repent with all the sincerity of his nature. Of his valour and his courage, of his adventurous ex- ploits, of his skill in battle and his promptitude in attack, the foregoing narrative gives ample proofs. But to all this was added a peculiar charm of person and manner, in which we must seek the true secret of his resistless power over his people. That influence was not a little strengthened by his poetical genius. As he governed the nation by his strength and daring, so he trained and ennobled it by his song. He gained glory in war and affection in peace. He was endeared to every heart by manifold ties. His name is attached to a collection of poems unrivalled in the literature of the world. It contains, indeed, the pro^- ductions of many authors and of different ages, but in- 41^ 9S. MVID'S DEATH, eludes also a considerable number whicli are undoubtedly the compositions of David. These are perhaps most re- markable for simple pathos, sweetness, and heartfelt piety. They are less lofty in language and less grand in imagery than many others preserved in the Book of Psalms, but they are the most human of all, and there- fore the most touching. Is it strange that men, ever labouring, penitent, and hopeful, eager in worldly pur- suits, yet longing for rest and peace, should find a faithful type of their life and struggles in the history of David, the ruler, the warrior, and the poet, and should cling to that name as to the name of a well-loved friend ? JX. THE HI8T0BY OF KING SOLOMON, (1015—975,) 99. SOLOMON'S SEVERE JUSTICE. [1 KlNOS II.] Solomon's reign was the golden era of the Hebrew mo- narchy. Like the Augustan age of Eome, the time of Solomon seemed to combine the power and the splendour of foregoing and succeeding generations. Its brilliancy and magnificence rejoiced the hearts of all Israel, and dazzled the strangers of distant lands. Every trace of the people rescued from Egyptian slavery and settling in a conquered land after violent feuds, had at last vanished ; and as yet no sign of future reverses or humiliations clouded the horizon. The Hebrew commonwealth was in the very noon-day of its happiness. Solomon ' the peace- ful one,' or Jedidiah ' the darling of the Lord,' was to bring glory and power to the well-established empire. Yet some stern duties had been bequeathed to him by his great father, and he did not shrink from executing them, however repugnant they might have been to his nature. Adonijah, the rebellious son of David, had not forgotten the failure of his schemes, nor had he apparently renounced his ambition. He addressed himself to Bath- sheba, who had doubtless become one of the most influen- 414 ■ 99. SOLOMON'S JUSTICE. tial persons at the new court, and demanded her interces- sion for obtaining from Solomon the permission of making Abishag the Shunamite his wife. Bathsheba, evidently anxious to keep peace between the two brothers, pre- sented herself before Solomon, who received her with all the solemn dignity of a great eastern potentate, and bade her make her request. Abishag had been one of the inferior wives of king David, and as such belonged by law to his successor on the throne. Solomon understood the artful demand of A.donijah, and answered angrily, ' And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah ? ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother ; yea, for him and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.' Adonijah had sealed his own fate ; he fell on that very day by the hand of Benaiah at the command of the king. The priest Abiathar, who had joined the sedition of Ado- nijah, was deposed from his sacred office and exiled from Jerusalem. He was the last surviving descendant of the house of EU. In his place the faithful Zadok was in- stalled. It is difficult to speak of the last sad days of Joab without a thrill of pain and commiseration. The sturdy and valiant warrior is so completely associated in our minds with the early adventures of David's reign, and with the storming of the city of Jebus, that we can hardly bring ourselves to look upon him as a rebel to the king, or in any way unloyal to his master. Yet, though he had not turned aside in the days of Absalom, he had followed Adonijah ; besides which his hands were stained with the blood of Abner, ' that prince among men,' and of Amasa, a kinsman of David. There is a certain grandeur in the last acts of Joab's despair, and his resistance faithfully reflects his nature. He fled to the Tabernacle, within the precincts of which the fugitive deemed himself safe, and seized the horns of the altar for protection. There he 100. SOLOMON'S WISDOM. 415 was found by Benaiah, who came with Solomon's fatal mandate. Benaiah shrank from defiling the Tabernacle, and bade Joab come forth. ' Nay, but I will die here,' resolutely exclaimed the aged warrior. As if awed by the greatness of the man, Benaiah hesitated, and brought the report of his interview to the king. But Solomon insisted upon executing what his dying father had en- joined upon him, and commanded Benaiah to return and to slay the guilty man. So Joab fell, still clinging to the altar, the mightiest and greatest of the sons of Zeruiah. He was buried in his own town in the wilderness of Judah. Then Solomon sent for Shimei, who had once so bitterly cursed David on his flight from the capital, and com- manded him never to leave Jerusalem on penalty of death. Shimei promised obedience; but at the end of three years, when two of his servants had escaped to Gath, he hastened after them to bring them back. This was enough ; Benaiah's sword was again uplifted, and the last victim was slain to avenge king David. With this chapter of bloodshed and retribution, we seem for a time to close the old and familiar records of the Bible, and to commence a new and far diiferent narrative, which centres in the account of the growth and splendour of the Hebrew monarchy. And yet this very perfection enclosed the seeds of decay ; it could not be upheld with- out a complete unity of all the tribes ; and that unity was not to be counted upon. 100. SOLOMON'S WISDOM AND POWER [1 Kisas III. IV. ; 2 Chb. I,] Solomon was twenty years of age when he came to the throne. His earnest and thoughtful mind was evidently 416 • 100, SOLOMON'S WISDOM. much impressed by the duties that devolved upon him. There seemed to be in his bearing a natural dignity and stateliness which never deserted him, and which imparted a solemn grandeur to every occurrence of his life. He was the very type of the wise oriental autocrat. Soon after his accession to the throne, he sought the friendship of Pharaoh, the powerful king of Egypt, and married his daughter, whom he brought to Jerusalem with the utmost pomp. But in spite of this imion with an idolatress, Solomon remained faithful to the God of his ancestors, and was anxious to worship Him truly. However, he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places, and espe- cially at G-ibeon, where the ' great altar ' was erected, and where he offered a thousand holocausts at a time. It was upon the occasion of one of these solemnities that Solomon, as he slept on the hill of Gibeon, had a remarkable dream or vision. He heard the Lord's voice saying, ' Ask, what shall I give thee ? ' His answer was prompt ; he prayed for wisdom : ' Give Thy servant an understanding heart to judg'e Thy people, that I may dis- cern between good and bad ; for who is able to judge this Thy great people ? ' The speech pleased the Lord, since Solomon had not asked for long life, or for riches, or for the death of his enemies, but for discernment ; and He said : ' I will do according to thy words ; behold I give thee a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like thee before thee, nor shall after thee anyone arise like thee ; and I shall also give thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour.' When Solomon awoke from his dream, he felt strength- ened and hallowed, and as if to confirm his resolution by a sacred vow, he offered sacrifices at Jerusalem before the Ark, and prepared a feast for all those who surrounded him. He found many occasions for exercising that wisdom 100, SOLOMON'S WISDOM. 417 for which he" soon became famous ; but no incident struck his contemporaries more forcibly than the following re- markable judgment. There appeared before him two women suing for justice. Their cause was a strange one. They lived together in the same house, and had each a child of exactly the same age. One night, one of „ these two children 'died. Now both women laid claim to the living infant, one of them declaring that the mother of the dead child had secretly changed it in the night for her own living one while she was asleep, the other affirming as positively that the living child was hers. The people thronged, in large numbers, to the place of judgment, to hear the king's decision. Solomon, after attentively listening to both parties, called for a servant. ' Divide,' he said, ' the. living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.' These words were scarcely uttered, when one of the women exclaimed in agony and horror, ' Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.' But her companion said coldly, ' Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.' Then the king answered and said, ' Grive to the first woman the living child, and in no wise slay it : she is its mother.' Similar proofs of shrewd knowledge of life and human nature, and of ready presence of mind, spread Solomon's fame far and wide ; and he was declared to be ' wiser than all others, even than all the children of the East, wiser than all the wise men of Egypt.' We are told that he was the author of three thousand proverbs, and of a thousand and five songs. Besides being a philosopher and a poet, he was well versed in the sciences of botany and of natural history : ' he could tell of all trees, from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that springs out of the wall ; and he could tell of beasts, of fowl, of creeping things, and of fish.' Nothing was too large, and nothing E E 413 100. SOLOMON'S POWER. too trifling for his comprehensive mind and his all-embrac- ing interest. Under his rule, the empire was singularly powerful and prosperous. It comprised all the territories from the river of Egypt eastward and northward up to the Euphrates. It was disturbed neither by harassing warfare nor internal feud. It was acknowledged and respected by neighbour- ing kings and chieftains, who sought the great monarch's favour by presents and homage. Solomon himself pru- dently established friendly relations with other countries both near and distant. Egypt supplied him with horses, till then a very rare luxury in Palestine. From Arabia the caravans came laden with balms and spices for the royal palace. Ships sailed once in every three years west- ward to the seaport Tarshish or Tar-tessus in Spain, whose mines probably fm-nished him with stores of silver, or they ventured eastward to the coasts of Ophir or India, which yielded treasures of gold. Apes, peacocks, ele- phants' tusks, and other objects of curiosity or usefulness were brought home in abundance by enterprising mariners and merchants. Thus, for the first time, the wonders of remote countries broke upon the astonished and delighted eyes of the Israelites ; and for the first time an intercourse was organised between the eastern world and the west, the birthplace of civilising arts. Solomon's own royal state in Jerusalem was of un- equalled splendour. His vast household demanded for daily consumption thirty measures of fine flour and sixty measures of other meal ; ten fat oxen, twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides harts, and roe- bucks, and fallow deer, and fatted fowl. Twelve officers had the care over the supply of these provisions, each of them for one month in the year. They were great chief- tains, who deserved the name of princes. The royal stables numbered 40,000 horses and 12,000 horsemen, 101. BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. 419 while a large number of men were appointed to supply the necessary food. The vast, army was commanded by the vigilant Benaiah. Zadok and Abiathar were the chief priests of the Sanctuary. But this imsurpassed pomp of the court was not burdensome or impoverishing to the land ; for, says the Bible, ' Judah and Israel were nume- rous as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry. ... And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.' 101. THE BUILDING OP THE TEMPLE., [1 Kings V.— VII.; 2 Cheon. II.— V.] Splendid as were the life and habits of the young monarch, all his ideas of magnificence and grandeur were to be concentrated in the building of the Temple, the crowning act of his reign. The man of peace was per- mitted to erect a House for the Lord ; a place for perma- nent and well-established worship. The site was chosen on the top of Mount Moriah, there where Abraham had once proved his readiness to offer up his dearly beloved son in obedience to God's command, and where more re- cently the angel of the Lord had stayed the pestilence aM appeared to David on the threshingfloor of Araunah. In the four hundred and eightieth year after the exodus from Egypt, in the fourth year of king Solo- mon's reign, the great work was begun. The king made a treaty of alliance with Hiram king of Tyre, who had entertained a sincere friendship for David, and who now extended it to his son. He rejoiced sincerely when he was informed of Solomon's project. He readily agreed to supply him with cedar-trees felled on Mount Lebanon, and to float them down along the seashore to Joppa, the E E 2 420 101, BUILDING OP THE TEMPLE. port nearest to Jerusalem. He was, in return, annually to receive from Solomon a considerable quantity of corn and oil. Tyrian and Hebrew workmen were jointly to be employed in large numbers, all of them to be paid by the Hebrew king. Cedars and cypresses were cut down in abundance. Stone and marble quarries freely yielded their treasiu'es. Ships set sail eastward and westward, to bring back the choicest materials for the adornment of the House of God. For seven years the work was unweariedly pursued. Energy went hand in hand with genius and skill. The Temple rose as if by magic. The sound of no hammer or any other iron tool was heard on the spot. The stones were cut to the required shape in their quarries, and then brought up to Moriah, there to be fitted together with nice precision. The Hebrew historian dwells with delight upon the description of this splendid undertaking which was so dear to the heart of every Israelite. He gives all the details with minute accuracy. Let it suffice to observe that the Temple of Solomon was built after the model of the old Tabernacle, only of far more extensive propor- tions ; it was sixty cubits long, twenty broad, and thirty high ; and of more durable and more costly materials. The large outer Court, the first chamber or the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies, were all in a certain manner repeti- tions of the first design: for the Court contained the brazen altar of burnt-offerings and the huge brazen laver, and was a place of assemblage for the people ; the Holy was adorned with the golden altar of burnt-incense, the candelabra, and the shew-bread table, and was reserved for the priests who officiated for the whole congregation ; and the Holy of Holies enclosed the Ark of the Covenant with the Mercy-Seat and the mysterious Cherubim, and none was permitted to enter into it except the High-priest alone. All the parts of the house, the walls, the floor, 101. BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE, 42-1 and the ceiling, were first covered with beams and boards of cedar, which were then overlaid with pure gold. The floor was spread over with the same precious metal. The walls all around, both from without and from within, were ornamented with carved figures of Cherubim and palm- trees and opening flowers. Eound about the Temple ran a line of chambers for the use of the numerous priests, who lived or ministered within the sacred precincts. In the large outer Court the animal sacrifices were slaughtered and offered. Here the droves of sheep and the herds of oxen were led in and fastened to rings in massive stone walls. On each side of the Court were the kitchens where the sacrificial meat was prepared for the priests. Here were busily engaged the countless host of menials who took part in the duties of the Temple. The laver of brass, or the ' molten sea,' as it was called, which the priests used for their ablutions, rested upon twelve brazen bulls, and was capable of holding no less than two thousand measures of water. It was surrounded by ten smaller lavers of brass placed on wheels, which were richly ornamented by the skilful hand of Hiram, a Tyrian artist, the son of a Hebrew mother from the tribe of Naphtali. In front of the altar was a raised scaffold of brass, where king Solomon stood or sat when he attended the public sacrifices.,. Behind the altar, the Court led into a beautiful porch, richly ornamented and decorated according to ingenious designs of Hiram. It was supported by a row of pillars, and was adorned with two gigantic columns of brass, called Jachin and Boaz, which rested upon golden pede- stals, and were by Hiram carved, wreathed, and adorned with the utmost skill and delicacy. The porch was the entrance to the Holy. Folding-doors of olive-wood and a partition made by golden chains separated the Holy from the Holy of Holies. As in the Tabernacle, this most' sacred and most important part of the Sanctuary was in 422 102. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. absolute darkness. All lavers, shovels, and basins used in the service of the Court were of bright brass, and they were made in such vast numbers that king Solomon left them unweighed ; while the bowls, snuffers, basins, and spoons used in the Holy were, like the altar, the table, and the candelabra, of pure gold. ■ 102. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. [1 Kings VHI. ; 2 OnEoiir. VI. VU.] The seventh month in the year, when the Feast of Tabernacles was solemnised, a season of rejoicing, hal- lowed by religious observances, was the time selected for the dedication of the Temple, As usual, the inhabitants of Palestine came flocking in their long caravans to' Jeru- salem, the holy city, and for miles round about its walls the tents of the strangers were pitched. But on this occasion the pilgrims were attracted by an event of sin- gular solemnity and interest. We can well fancy their impatient anxiety to witness at last the completion of the Lord's House, their eagerness to behold its wonders, and their zeal to be present when the Ark was deposited in its new and permanent resting-place. In that event- ful year the Feast of Tabernacles was to last fourteen days, or twice the usual period. Early on the morning of the great day, the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the priests, and the Le- vites, assembled at the holy hill of Gibeon. From thence they took the Tabernacle of the desert, the holy vessels and implements, with the Ark itself. Thus laden, they set out on their way to the gates of Jerusalem. They were met during their progress by the king in his splendid robes, and by an immense congi-egation. Countless offer- ings preceded the Ark, and a sacrifice was presented at J 02. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 423 very frequent intervals. At last the procession arrived at the outer Court of the Temple. How the vast con- course of people must have poured in to gaze in astonish- ment at the altar, and the lavers, and the brass columns ! The Ark contained the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, and nothing else. It was carried by the priests through the Court and the porch into the Holy, where they must have been startled by the blaze of gold which burst upon their eyes. From that inner chamber they passed into the dark and mysterious Holy of Holies. There, upon the unhewn rock, they placed the Ark, over- shadowed by the golden wings of the Cherubim. Meanwhile the great outer Court was thronged with eager worshippers. Eound the huge altar were grouped the priests and Levites, and the musicians arrayed in their white garments, bearing in their hands cymbals and psalteries and harps. A hundred and twenty trum- peters were ready to sound their silver instruments. In front of the altar stood the king in all his youthful man- liness and beauty, bearing the insignia of his rank. With one accord, the musicians broke forth into a mag- nificent strain of music, and for the first time the hymn of praise was heard in the Temple. At that solemn moment, in the presence of the king, the priests and the people, the glory of the Lord filled the sacred edifice ; and so brilliant was the spectacle that the priests could not minister on account of the dazzling light. Then spoke the king : ' The Lord said that He would dwell in darkness ; I have surely built Thee a House to dwell in, a settled place for Thee to abide in for ever.' He turned towards the people and blessed them* Then, kneeling in the presence of the congregation, he . spread forth his hands and offered up a beautiful and impressive prayer. It is one of the finest forms of supplication that have been preserved to us ; for it • 424 102. DEDICATION OP THE TEMPLE. breathes a purity of religious feeling almost unknown before, and reveals, as nothing else does, the greatness of Solomon's mind, the largeness of his religious views, and the depth of his moral sentiments. After a short invocation, the king exclaimed : ' But will G-od indeed dwell on the earth ? Behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee, how much less this House that I have built ! Yet have Thou re^. spect to the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplica- tion, Lord, my God, to hearken to the cry and to the prayer, which Thy servant prays before Thee to-day : that Thy eyes may be open toward this House night and day, even toward the place of which Thou hast said. My name shall be there. . . . And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place ; and hear Thou in heaven. Thy dwelling place ; and when Thou hearest, forgive. 'If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an' oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before Thy altar • in this House : then hear Thou in heaven, and do, and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head, and justify- ing the righteous, to give him according to his righteous- ness. ' When Thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against Thee, and shall turn again to Thee, and confess Thy name, and pray, and make supplication to Thee in this House : then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel, and bring them again to the land which Thou gavest to their fathers. ' When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against Thee ; if they pray toward this • place, and' confess Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou afflictest them : then hear Thou in heaven, 102. DEDICATION- OF fHE TEMPLE. 425 and forgive the sin of Thy servants and of Thy people Israel, that Thou teach them the good wherein they should walk, and give rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast given to Thy people for an inheritance. ' If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, bla,sting, mildew, or locusts, or if there be caterpillars ; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities ; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be: what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man or by all Thy people Israel, who shall know every man the grief of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this House: then hear Thoxi in heaven Thy dwelling- place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man accord- ing to his ways, whose heart Thou knowest (for Thou, Thou onlyi knowest the hearts of all the children of men), that they may fear Thee all the days they live in the land which Thou gavest to our fathers. ■ 'Moreover, concerning a stranger, that is not of Thy people Israel, but comes out of a far country for Thy name's sake (for they shall hear of Thy great name, aiid of Thy strong hand, and of Thy stretched-out arm), when he shall come and pray toward this House : hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and do according to all for which the stranger calls to Thee ; that all people of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel ; and that they may know that this House, which I have built, is called by Thy name. ' If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever Thou shalt send them, and shall pray to the Lord toward the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward the House that I have built for Thy name : then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against Thee (for there is no man that sins not), and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them 426 102. de;dication of the temple. away captives to the land of the enemy far or near ; yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication to Thee in the land of those who carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness ; and so return to Thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, who led them away captive, and pray to Thee toward their land, which Thou gavest to their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the House which I have built for Thy name : then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause ; and forgive Thy people that have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions, wherein they have transgressed against Thee, and give them com- passion before those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them : for they are Thy people and Thy inheritance which Thou hast brought forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron ; that Thy eyes may be open to the supplication of Thy servant, and to the supplication of Thy people Israel, to hearken to them in all that they call for to Thee. For Thou hast separated them from among all the people of the earth, to be Thy inheritance as Thou hast spoken through Moses Thy servant, when Thou didst bring our fathers out of Egypt, Lord Grod.' When the last words were uttered, Solomon rose from his knees, blessed the congregation a second time, and then commenced the sacrifices of dedication. Huge as was the altar, it was too small for the occasion. For it is related that 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep were killed on that day ; therefore the middle of the Court was hal- lowed by the king for this special purpose. Suddenly a miraculous fire descended from heaven, and consumed the sacrifices. When the children of Israel beheld the glory 102. DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 427 of the Lord filling the Temple, and saw the heaven-sent flame upon the altar, they prostrated themselves upon the ground and worshipped. Again the trumpets sounded, again music and song pealed forth, and the priests chanted : ' Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever ! ' In the solemn silence of the night following the day of dedication, Solomon was again favoured by a vision of the Lord. ' I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before Me,' said the voice of God ; ' I have hallowed this House which thou hast built, to put My name there for ever ; and My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.' Divine help and glory would belong to the chosen people and to the Temple as long as the ruler and the subjects walked in the fear of Grod ; but if they forsook His commandments, ruin would fall upon them and upon that Temple at which they now gazed with so much pride and delight. Thus the Temple was instituted as the only legitimate place of public devotion in the whole kingdom. No other was on any account permitted or tolerated. Purity of faith was to be secm-ed through unity of worship con- trolled by watchful priests. And what was the form of that worship ? Did it merely consist of endless sacrifices of oxen and sheep, the sprinkling of blood, and clouds of incense? Was the large and magnificent structure in- deed nothing but a huge slaughter-house? Assuredly not. Sacrifices formed indeed the principal and most essential part of the ceremonial. They were the visible expression of reverence and awe, of joy and gratitude, of contrition and atonement. They were significant symbols helping to convey the worshipper's feelings and aspira- tions. But considering the large number of singers and musicians appointed for the service of the Temple, we may well suppose that music and song formed a pror 428 103. OTHER DEEDS 6S* SOLOMOlT. minent feature in the ritual of the Temple. The last Psalm alone is decisive : ' Praise Grod in His sanctuary, praise Him in the firmament of His power. . . . Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, praise Him with the psaltery and harp. . . . Praise Him with stringed instru- ments and organs.' And when we recollect the so-called ' Psalms of degrees ' composed to be sung whilst the priests were ascending and descending the steps of the altar, we naturally conclude that music was the handmaid of the highest order of religious poetry. We may therefore also infer that prayers, the more earnest and the more heartfelt because they were spontaneous and not yet fixed in unalterable formulas, were commonly offered up by the priests and the people, when the victims were pre- sented or burnt upon the altar. 103. SOLOMON'S DECLINE AND DEATH. [1 ICiNGS IX.— XI. ; 2 Chkon. VIII. IX.] The magnificent Temple was not the only great work of king Solomon's reign. His own palace, the building of which lasted thirteen years, was in its kind equally grand and remarkable. It was of imposing dimensions. It rested on four lines of pillars of cedar wood which bore beams of the same material. The outer walls were hewn out of massive stones from the quarries, whilst the inner chambers were all of cedar wood. In front of the palace stood the famous ' Porch of Judgment,' the whole floor of which was covered with cedar-wood. Here was the king's great ivory throne, ornamented with gold ; six steps led up to it, and on each side were six golden lions crouching at the feet of the monarch. Behind this porch was the ' house of the forest of Lebanon,' 100 cubits long, 50 wide, and 30 high, and built on a similar plan as the palace. 103. SOLOMON'S DECLINE. 429 There hung glittering and blazing upon the walls two hundred golden targets and three hundred golden shields. Within the palace were banqueting chambers with , massive drinking vessels of pure gold ; for in Solomon's reign ' gold was not accounted of, and silver was con- sidered in Jerusalem as stones.' A splendidly-arrayed retinue added to the luxury of the household, and the joyous strains of musicians and singers rang' through the vast courts and chambers, Solomon's queen, the Egyptian princess, had her sepa- rate palace, built probably in the same gorgeous style as his own. The city of Jerusalem was not only embellished and enlarged, but fortified by ramparts and a strong wall, upon which rose towers and fortresses. Walled towns, storehouses, and granaries were built in all parts of the land from Jerusalem to Mount Lebanon. In return for the large supplies of cedar and cypress trees received from Hiram, king of Tyre, Solomon gave him twenty cities in Galilee, upon which Hiram sent to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold. Those portions of the original inhabitants of Canaan who had not before been subdued, as the Amorites, Hittites, and Jebusites, were forced by Solomon to work as labourers and artisans, whilst he employed Israelites only to serve him as soldiers and officials of every kind and grade. Thus the empire of Solomon became more and more famous for wealth and power, and the king's name was heralded abroad in distant countries for extraordinary wisdom and genius. The queen of Sheba, hearing in her Arabian home of the wonderful monarch, so gifted and so prosperous, journeyed to Jerusalem to test him with difficvilt riddles. She came followed by a long train of camels laden with spices and gold and precious stones. She appeared before Solomon, and put to him all the hard questions she had 430 103. SOLOMON'S DECLINK. prepared. He readily answered them all. Then she gazed with wondering eyes upon the magnificence of his palace and the splendour of his household, and exclaimed with fervour : ' It was a true report that I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. But I did not believe tlie words until I came, and my eyes had seen it ; and behold, the half was not told me ; thy wisdom and thy wealth exceed the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, who stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom ! ' But generous in spirit, like Solomon himself, she presented him ' with one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones : there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.' Her visit was followed by that of other rulers and chieftains, who, also attracted by the growing fame of Solomon's court, came to pay him homage and to offer him costly gifts. It is sad to turn from the account of so much wisdom and power to traces of decline and dissolution which are unmistakeable in the last years of the monarch's reign. The sacred narrative, as if unwilling to dwell on the cheerless picture, ceases to be full and detailed, becomes broken and abrupt, passes over that period rapidly and almost hurriedly, and refers for further information to the 'Acts of king Soloinon,' a work which is unfortu- nately lost. A well-governed and flourishing common- wealth seems suddenly changed into a kingdom menaced both by foreign and internal foes, and tainted by the grossest idolatry. The stately and imposing figure of the king becomes pitiable on account of weakness and waver- ing indecision, and the peaceful and apparently unassail- able security of the nation is disturbed by wild feuds and bitter warfare. When Solomon had arrived at the height and fulness of 103; SOLOMON'S DEATH. 431 earthly might and glory, ' he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his Grod.' He took many wives — we are told a thousand — ido- latrous maidens of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, of Canaan and Phoenicia, and they infested Jerusalem with their own superstitions. The pure faith of the Hebrew king and his people was sullied. Instead of the one service in the Temple^ offered to the one true God, Solomon bowed down before the most hideous idols. He tolerated the licentious worship of Astarte ; he burnt incense to Chemosh, the god of the Moabites ; and he sanctioned the detest- able rites of Milcom and Molech, the deities of the Am- monites, in whose honour children were burnt. So entirely did Solomon forget the visions of the Lord, and the pledges he had given on the height of Gibeon and in Jerusalem, in his youthful zeal and fervour ! His mind became harassed by doubts and fears. His spirits, once so buoyant, were depressed and gloomy ; the clear serenity of his judgment was clouded by the mists of morbid despondency. Life had .become to him a burden, a strange riddle, an unintelligible' mystery, and he exclaimed, ' Vanity of vanities, all is vanity ! ' Where- ever he looked he found only 'vexation of spirit:' the porch of cedar, the ivory and gold-covered throne, the splendid retinue, the musicians and singers, all his wealth and magnificence, were ' empty vanity.' Moreover, he began to be troubled in his kingdom. He was threatened and perpetually attacked by Hadad, the Edomite prince, who was eager to avenge the disastrous defeat which the Edomite army had sustained in the time of David. He was made uneasy by a serious rebellion of Jeroboam, one of his own ofl&cers, who evidently relied on influential support. At last, in the midst: of apprehension, strife, and. disorder, he died, after, a reign, of forty years, un- happy and pitiful. 432 103, SOLOMON'S DEATH. Most of the readers of the Bible justly associate with the name of Solomon not only the idea of a king and ruler, but that of a writer and philosopher. He was educated under the supervision of Nathan, the earnest and zealous prophet, the friend of king David ; and to his influence may be ascribed that taste for learning and speculation which distinguished Solomon throughout life. His mind was singularly active and enquiring. He was deterred by no obstacles or difficulties in the pursuit of knowledge. Bent especially upon the exploration of nature and her works, he constantly sent out expeditions to distant countries, to obtain specimens of remarkable animals or curious productions. He seems to have excelled in botany and zoology. He studied with zeal the structure and use of every tree and plant, and he incessantly enriched his collection of animals by foreign species. But ever restless and searching, he boldly rose to the realms of philosophic thought. His subtle mind was eager to unravel those difficult and intricate problems of life, which have ever engaged the researches of mankind, and have ever baffled them. Of the many songs he is reported to have written, none unfortunately have been preserved to us :- some Psalms that have been attributed to him are of doubtful author- ship. Moreover, an early tradition assigned to his pen the Book of Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. Though that tradition cannot be supported by decisive proofs, the two Books seem in so many ways to agree with the spirit of the age, and to reflect so faithfully some phases of Solomon's experience and intellectual life, that we can easily understand how men came to ascribe to him that satire upon human greatness, and that idyl of Eastern life and love. But his worldly wisdom and his keen insight into the affairs, the motives, and passions of men, are most fully laid down in his remarkable collection of ' Proverbs,' which are so comprehensive in scope, and so 103. SOLOMON'S DEATK. 433 general in application, that they have become "familiar maxims in every country where the Bible is known. That he was able to rise beyond the sphere of physical comfort and pleasure, of practical expediency and sceptic specu^ lation, is proved conclusively by his admirable and sublime prayer of dedication. Hence the interest which Solomon's life inspires is very different from that called forth by his father David. It appeals to our intellect and to our reason rather than to our human sympathies, to our hopes and fears, our ordinary aims and pursuits. It is less rich and less varied ; it touches fewer chords of life and humanity; it reflects less strongly the struggles of man with the powers of the world, and the struggles of the soul with passion and temptation. It is, therefore, devoid of those fervent cries for help, those pangs of contrition and of self- humiliation, those lofty spiritual yearnings, which in David's career remind us at once of our Divine mission and our human frailty. There is something infinitely more invigorating and healthful in David's adventurous exploits on the rugged mountain tops of Judea than in the g'littering magnificence of Solomon's luxurious court. Here we find no such clearly defined personages as Joab, or Amasa, or Abishai. Eehoboam and Jeroboam are men- tioned with such shadowy vagueness that they hardly seem to belong to the history of Solomon, and it is only after his death that they grow into individuality. His children appear in no way to have influenced his life. He stands alone and isolated, an imposing and dazzling figure, almost superhuman in his wisdom, to be gazed at with ever new admiration and surprise. The fall of David was touching because human, the fall of Solomon most saddening be- cause intellectual. But though the son had less energy and kept more aloof from the great combats of the world, he had fewer vices, and he committed no crimes. His history may have been clouded by follies, but it was not blackened 434 104. DIVISION OF THE EMPIEE. fcy treachery and violence. His ambition -was purer, loftier, and nobler. His introduction of foreign forms of worsMp may even have been a bold attempt at establishing one common religion which should connect and embrace all nations. But in all his doubts and fancies, in all his wavering and restless searchings, he never lost sight of the simplest truths, which guided and saved him on the stormy sea of thought ; and he concluded in the ripeness of his experience and old age, as he began in the spring of his youthful freshness, with this plain maxim : ' Fear G-od and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.' 104. THE DIVISION OP THE EMPIRE. [1 Kings XI. XU. ; 2 Chron. X, egq.] The great Hebrew empire comprising the land between Dan and Beersheba, and many districts east and south of these boundaries, collapsed at the death of king Solomon. It had been created by the valour, perseverance, and am- bition of David ; it had for a time been kept together by the wisdom, moderation, and magnificence of Solomon ; but it imposed upon the people burdens which could not possibly be long endured. The Israelites had cheerfully expended their wealth upon the erection of the stately Temple ; they had contributed their treasures, it may be with less alacrity, to complete the gorgeous ornaments of the royal palace, and to defray the enormous expenses of the royal household ; but they painfully felt the diminu- tion, if not the exhaustion, of their resources. Eveii during the latter years of Solomon's life, they were unable to live merrily ' every man under his vine and under his fig-tree.' They were bent under the weight of levies and imposts,, and! they began to revolt against the rod of the 104. DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE. 435 tax-gatherer. Adoram, one of the king's chief officers^ became the special object of popular hatred. Though cor- rupted by the idolatrous practices that had been favoured in the last part of Solomon's reign, and though weakened by dissensions, the Hebrews were determined to shake off the oppressive yoke, and to find speedy redress for their wrongs. It was in iJiis frame of mind that they saw Rehoboam, 3olomon's son, ascend the throne. But Eehoboam had a formidable rival in Jeroboam, against whom he could only hope to maintain himself by the loyalty of the whole pation. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, a little town in the territory of Manasseh, was a man full of energy and aspiring ambition. He had first distinguished himself during the fortification of Millo, the citadel of Jerusalena. So much zeal and intelligence did he display on that occasion, that Solomon appointed him overseer over all the public works of Ephraim and Manasseh. But his pretensions rose higher, and they were probably fostered by the impulse they received from the prophet Ahijah. Jeroboam had gone outside the walls of Jerusalem, when he was met by the prophet, who, seeing him, rent his own new cloak into twelve pieces, of which he gave him ten, saying, ' Take thee ten pieces ; for thus says the Lord, the Grod of Israel, Behold, I will rend! the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give^ ten tribes to thee. But he shall have one tribe for My ser- vant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.' Solomon, warned of Jeroboam's schemes, which were the more dangerous because openly supported by prophetic influence, sought to kill him ; but Jeroboam escaped and fled into Egypt to the court of the king Shishak. There he lived in regal state, and soon afterwards married an Egyptian princess. But when he heard of king Solomon's p r2 436 104. DIVISIOK OP THE EMPIRE.' death,, he returned to Canaan at the request of his kins- men, and appeared in Shechem among those who had assembled there to anoint Eehoboam. The people seized this occasion to utter their long-restrained complaints, and loudly demanded relief. 'Thy father made our yoke grievous,' they said to the new king; 'now, therefore^ make thou the grievous service of thy father and his heavy yoke which he put upon us lighter, and we will serve thee.' Eehoboam, perplexed and wavering, sent the people awayj and bade them return in three days to hear his decision. Meanwhile he asked the old coimsellors of his father for their advice. They recommended forbearance and leniency towards the people, and said, ' If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.' But this advice was not acceptable to the haughty temper of the monarch, and disdainfully, rejecting it, he turned to consult the young men, the companions of his youth, who had grown up with him, a;nd from whom he could expect more congenial counsel, They told him to give this answer to the people : ' My little finger is thicker than my father's loins ; and know, whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I wiU add to yoxir yoke; my father has chastised you with whips,' I will chastise you with scorpions.' On the third day, he addressed the people with these very words, and an instant rebellion broke out. Once, again sounded the old cry, ' To your tents, Israel ! What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse.' Some tribes of Israel, and especially the Ephraimitesj • had become too powerful to bow with loyal submission - under the sceptre of Judah. They felt that they were able to form an empire of their own, and they eagerly seized this opportunity for carrying out their long-cherished 104. DIVISION OF THE ElVEPIEE. 437. plan, which they had more than once betrayed even in the time of the Judges. So strong had Ephraim grown in the north of Canaan, that it there represented all Israelj and the kingdom of Ephraim became another term for the kingdom of Israel. Judah and Benjamin alone re- taained faithful to Eehoboam and the house of David ; the ten other tribes separated, and proclaimed Jeroboam their king. Eehoboam, determined not to give up his power with- out a struggle, sent Adoram, the hated tribute gatherer, to 0nforce subjection ; but Adoram was stoned to death by the infuriated people. Then the king assembled the flower of his army, the brave men of Judah and the fleet •warriors of Benjamin, to march against the rebel tribes ; but Shemaiah the prophet appeared before the hgsts, and in the name of the Lord bade them return to their homes, as they would not prevail. Obedient to his warning, they I dispersed, and Eehoboam was compelled to leave the whole of northern Canaan to his rival. Thus the great empire of Solomon was divided into two kingdoms, that of Judah, and that of Israel or Ephraim. The history of each, to be well understood, must be told separately. We shall begin with the northern state, which came to a speedier end. Judah, the southern empire, comprising merely the old territories of Judah and Benjamin, was the less blooming and fertile of the two kingdoms. Its rugged hill-tops and mountain crags are familiar to us from the adventures of David. But its climate is invigorating ; its people were hardy and bold, its herds of goats and sheep were famous . ■ in the land. The men of Judah resisted for the longest time the sword of foreign invaders, and they valiantly shielded their precious treasure, the Temple. Israel, the northern kingdom, was renowned for its beauty and luxuriant fertility. It included the ridi 438 104. DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE. plains of Samaria ■witli their glowing vineyards and waving fields of wheat, the shady groves of Carnael and the wooded heights of Lebanon. It was long called the garden of Palestine. It comprised the whole territory from the frontiers of Benjamin up to Dan at the foot of Mount Hermon. Its splendid line of sea-coast stretched from Zidon almost down to Joppa. Within its boundaries flowed nearly the whole length of the river Jordan, from its source almost to the point where it passes into the Dead Both kingdoms were governed by many evil monarchs, and the good reigns were but few; yet the emipire of Israel was particularly unfortunate in its kings, its ido- latry was the most flagrantj and its morality the most corrupt. X THE EMPIRE OF ISRAEL OR EPHRAIM. (975—722.) 105. JEROBOAM (975—954). [1 Kmas XII.— XIV.; 2 Chron. XIII.] The kingdom of Judah enjoyed the great advantage of including the capital Jerusalem proudly enthroned upon a fortress of rocks, and of possessing the magnificent Temple, the shrine of the Ark of God. To this one common and sacred spot the entire congregation journeyed three times in the year ; and the priests and Levites who officiated within its precincts were looked upon as spe- cially appointed and hallowed for their sacred functions. Jeroboam was well" aware of the love and devotion with which the people clung to the revered House of Grod, and he painfully felt the want of such a religious centre in his northern kingdom. He even apprehended danger for the safety of his throne, and he argued : ' Now will the kingdom return to the house of David, if this people go up to sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem ; then will the heart of this people turn again to their master, to Eehoboam, king of Judah, and they will kill me and go again to Eehoboam, king of Judah.' He dwelt in a city which he built upon the site of the ancient Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and he fortified Penuel as a 440 105. JEROBOAM- defence against his enemies. And in order to procure some substitute for the Temple, he consecrated two pkces for religious worship — one in Beth-el, an ancient sanctuary even from the time of the early patriarchs, and therefore dear to the people by many associations ; and one in Dan, at the northern boundary of the land. In these two towns he publicly introduced the worship of the Egyptian Apis. Setting up two golden calves for idols, he pro- claimed, 'Behold thy gods, Israel, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt ; ' and as priests of this idola- trous service he appointed men, not from the families of Levi, but from any of the tribes of Israel. In imitation of the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated in Jerusalem on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Jeroboam insti- tuted a festival in the middle of the following month. He went himself to Beth-el to offer the first sacrifices at the new sanctuary. In the presence of the whole congre- gation he stood before the altar^ and was in the act of btirning incense to the idol, when suddenly there appeared before him ' a man of God ' from the land of Judah. The prophet, as if impelled by sudden inspiration, addressed the altar itself: '0 altar, altar, thus says the Lord .... Behold the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon, it shall be poured out.' The enraged king, hearing these words, put forth his hands and called out to his' servants, ' Lay hold of him ! ' But his hand withered, the altar was rent, and the ashes fell to the ground. The alarmed king exclaimed, ' Entreat now the face of the Lord thy G-od, and pray for me that my hand may be restored to me again.' Upon the prophet's prayer the king's hand was restored. Jeroboam now gratefully entreated the seer to come with him to his palace and refresh himself ; but the prophet had been commanded by the Lord to eat no bread and drink no water while on his sacred mission, -So he set out on his way back from Beth-el. The whole 103. JEBOBOAM. 441 stoi^ of this propliet is mysterious : we know not the city from whence he came, nor the name he bore, nor the meaning of the awful fate which befell him on his return home. There dwelt in Beth-el an aged prophet, whose sons had been present at the morning's sacrifice, and who had told him of the strange scenes they had witnessed. Desirous to see and to test this prophet of the Lord, the old man saddled his ass, and rode off to overtake the way- farer. He found him sitting under the branches of a terebinth, and begged of him to return and eat bread with him in his house. He received the same answer which had been given to the king ; but he pressed again ^ saying, ' I am a prophet as thou art, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord saying, " Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water." ' Misled by this feigned vision, the man of Judah went back to Beth-el, and sat down at the table of the old prophet. Whilst eating the meal, he heard the voice of the Lord accusing him of disobedience, and foretelling his punishment, that he should not be buried in the grave of his fathers. He rose to leave Beth-el, and mounted the ass which the aged prophet had given him. A lion met him on the road, seized and killed him, but neither touched his corpse nor harmed the ass : the body of the dead man lay upon the road, and the lion and the ass stood quietly beside him, Travellers brought the report of this strange occurrence to Beth-el. When the old pro- phet heard it, he at once guessed what had happened, and saddling an ass, he rode forth again, and soon found the body of the man of Grod. He raised and laid it care- fully upon the ass, and brought it back into the city^ There he buried it in his own family grave with the repeated cry : ' Alas, my brother I ' and enjoined upon his sons, that when he died they should bury him by the side ,of the prophet. 442 105. JEROBOAM. Strange and striking as this episode was, it seems to have made no lasting impression upon Jeroboam ; for we are told that he did not. return from his evil ways ; he continued the worship of Apis, and allowed all Israelites indiscriminately to perform the duties of priesthood. Not long afterwards his son Abijah fell dangerously ill. In his sorrow and alarm he bethought himself of the pro- phet Ahijah, who had so truly foretold his future greatness in the lifetime of king Solomon. Ahijah resided in Shiloh ; he had probably withdrawn from the sinful court, and looked with no favourable eye upon the misdeeds of the unscrupulous Jeroboam. Nevertheless it was to him that the king bade his wife go in close disguise, with pre- sents of bread, cake, and honey. Ahijah was now an aged man, and his eyes were fixed and sightless, but he was prepared by the Lord for the visit of the Egyptian princess. When he heard the sound of her feet at his door, he said : ' Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? but I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.' Then he predicted the death of her child ; the mourning of the whole nation for that child, the only member of her race that would be buried and rest in a grave ; the utter ruin and extermina- tion of the house of Jeroboam ; the accession of another royal family in Israel ; and finally the destruction of the kingdom of Israel itself on accoimt of Jeroboam's idolatry and of the people's wickedness. With these terrible words still ringing in her ears, the unfortunate queen arose, and returned to the city of Tirzah. As she approached the threshold of her palace, a loud wail announced to her that her child was dead. He was buried and lamented by the whole people. Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years over Israel, during which time he was repeatedly forced to take arms and fight against neighbouring tribes, and he was succeeded by his son Nadab. 106- NADAB; 107. BAASSA. 443- 106. NADAB (954-^53). [1 Kings XV. 26—32.] He ' did evil in the sight of the Lord,' and followed in the footsteps of his father, whom he resembled in reli- gious perversion and moral corruption. But his career was cut short by an ambitious man of equal depravity. In the second year of his reign, while he was besieging a small town of the Philistines with his whole army, he was insidiously attacked and murdered by Baasha, the son of Abijah, of the tribe of Issachar, who proclaimed 'himself king of Israel, and was accepted by the people. 107. BAASHA (953—930). [1 Kings XV. 33— XVI. 7 ; 2 Chbon. XVI. 1— 6.J As he had acquired the throne by violence, so he com- menced his infatnous reign by bloodshed, for he com- pletely destroyed the house of Jeroboam, until not a single member of the former dynasty was left. He took tip his residence in Tirzah, and began to build the city of Eamah, on the very confines of Judah, intending it as a key to the rival monarchy. But Asa, the king of Judah, perceiving the danger, concluded a league with Benhadad, the king of Sytia, and induced him to make a raid upon the northern provinces of the empire of Israel, hoping to discomfit and to weaken Baasha. Benhadad descended without delay upon the land of Naphtali and the adjoining districts. Baasha alarmed at the sudden appearance of the enemy, left the southern city of Eamah> and entrenched himself in Tirzah. Eamah was now dis- mantled by king Asa without difficulty, and the building materials were taken away to be used for the constructioii of Greba and Mizpah, in Benjamin. The warfare thus 444 . 108. ELAH 'AND ZIMEI, commenced between Asa and Baasha, lasted during the whole extent of their reigns. Asa was a virtuous mo- narch ; but Baasha, though valiant and bold, was un- righteous and godless. He was warned by the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, that on account of his sins he would be cast off like Jeroboam, and that his house would be utterly destroyed like the house of Nebat^ Yet he did not mend his ways, and he carried the kingdom of Israel along with him on the path of depravity. He died in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah followed him. 108. ELAH AKD ZIMRI (930—928). [1 Kings XVI. 8—22.] The ill-fated king Elah ruled but two short years. Whilst drinking in his capital Tirzah, at some wild revel in the house of Arzah, his steward, he was suddenly attacked and murdered by Zimri, the captain of his chariots, who aspired to the kingdom and obtained it. In his seven days' reign, Zimri utterly exterminated the family of Baasha, but he failed to gain the attach- mept and loyalty of the people. The army was at that time engaged in warfare against the Philistines, and was encamped before Gibbethon. "When the men heard what had occurred in Tirzah, they at once proclaimed Omri, their captain, king of Israel. Eaising the siege of Grib- bethon, they proceeded to Tirzah, which they eventually took. Zimri, seeing himself and the capital in the hands of his opponents, withdrew into the palace, set fire to it with his own hands, and perished in the flames. A part of the people was in favour of Tibni, the son of Crinath, and proclaimed him king ; but Omri finally pre- ivailed, and founded, a new dynasty. 109. OMUI; lia. AHAB. " 445 109. OMRI (928—918), [1 Kings XVI. 23—28.] For six years Omri dwelt in the old capital Tirzah, Then he bought of Shemer for two talents of silver a beautiful hill westward of Tirzah, in the mountain of Ephraim, and on that hill he built the city of Samaria, the rival of Jerusalem, and made it the capital of the north. But he surpassed in deeds of wickedness and cruelty even his worst predecessors, and his name became a curse and a byword in Israel. Under him the kingdom rapidly advanced towards utter degeneracy. Yet he wag not without valour ; he carried on a successful war against Damascus, and conquered some towns belonging to its territory. He was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab succeeded him. 110. AHAB (918—897). [1 Kings XVI. 29 sqq.'] This reign is undoubtedly one of the most eventful in the annals of Israel. It is treated in the sacred narrative with greater detail than many of the preceding and nearly all the subsequent periods, and it is invested with a peculiar interest by being interwoven with the life and work" of Elijah, the great prophet of Israel, who stands out clear and prominent among a large number of less distinguished prophets and seers. Ahab himself was a contemptible monarch, more feeble than wicked, and completely under the evil influence of his queen Jezebel, a heathen prin- cess, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Zidon. Fierce, revengeful, and ambitious, Jezebel easily established her dominion in the kingdom of Israel, and exerted the power of a strong and indomitable will over the wavering and 446 111, TH.E PEOPHET ELIJAH. fickle mind of the king. A fanatic worshipper of Baal, she built high places all over the land, raised altars, and caused countless saeriiices to be burnt to the idols. No less than eight hundred and fifty priests of Baal and Ashtarte sat at her table as her daily guests. On the other hand, she commenced a ruthless persecution of the Hebrew prophets, which continued unabated during her whole reign. Jezreel, a new city, considerably north of' Shechem, in the province of Issachar, delightfully situated in the woody heights of Mount Grilboa, became one of the favourite royal residences. There rose the palace of queen Jezebel, and there stood probably the famous house of ivory. Many cities sprang up during Ahab's reign ; amongst others Jericho, which Hiel rebuilt from the riuns in which it had lain since the blast of Joshua's trumpets. During Ahab's reign a terrible calamity fell upon the land, one of the most fearful scourges that can visit an Eastern country. 111. THE PROPHET ELIJAH. [1 KiNpts XVII. s^q.] It is in connection with this fearful trial that Elijah, the Tishbite, first came forward as a messenger of God. There is something mysterious and marvellous in the whole account of Elijah. We cannot help being im-< pressed by the story of his solitary life, of his sudden ap- pearances, of his rapid journeys, and his indifference to danger, and above all by the very picture conjured up before us of that stern and grand figure, girt with a leather belt, and wrapped in his long sweeping mantle, which, viplifted like a staff, divided the waters of the 111. THE PROPHET ELIJAH. 447 Jordan, or unfolded as a veil hid the mourning face of the prophet. From Crilead came Elijah to ting Ahab with these tidings : ' As the Lord &od of Israel lives, hefore whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except according to my word.' Having uttered this decree, the prophet quietly retired to the brook of Cherith near the river Jordan, and re- mained in that secluded spot at the command of the Lord. ' And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook.' But in time the severe drought dried up the springs, and the brook of Cherith gave no more water. Then the Lord bade Elijah arise, and go to Zarephath, one of the northern towns belonging to Zidon, where a certain widow would sustain him. Obedient to the summons, Elijah journeyed northwards, and came to the gate of the city, where he beheld a woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said, ' Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that J may drink.' As she was going to comply with his request, he called her again, and said, ' Bring me, I pray thee,' a morsel of bread in thy hand,' Then the poor widow answered, ' As the Lord thy Grod lives, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a eruse; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks, that I may go in, and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.' And Elijah said to her, ' Fear not ; go and do as thou hast said ; but make me thereof a little cake first and bring it me, and after that make for thee and thy son. For thus says the Lord G-od of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.' The widow did all that Elijah told her, and he dwelt with her for many days, ' The barrel of meal did not waste, and the cruse of oil 448 112. ELIJAH AND THE PRIESTS OE BAAL. did not fail, according to tte word of the Lord whicH He had spoken through Elijah.' Suddenly the son of the poor widow fell dangerously ill, and his life was despaired of. The mother came to the prophet in an agony of grief. 'What have I to do with thee, thou man of Grod ? ' she exclaimed ; ' art thou come to me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son ? ' — ' Give me thy son,' was Elijah's answer ; and he took the child out of her arms, and carried him up into a loft where he himself slept, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, and said, '0 Lord, my Grod, hast Thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son ? ' Then he stretched himself three times upon the child, and cried to the Lord, and said, ' Lord,' my Grod, I pray Thee, let^this child's soul come unto him again.' His supplication was heard, and the child re- covered. He then took him down to his mother, and said, ' See, thy son lives.' And the widow exclaimed with reverence, ' Now, by this I know, that thou art a man of Grod, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.' ' '■ 112. ELIJAH AND THE PEIESTS OF BAAL. [1 Kings XVIII.] For three years no rain fell in the land of Samaria, and grievous was the famine occasioned by the drought. The grass and the crops were burnt up, and the cattle were starving for want of food. Now Obadiah, the governor pf the royal household, was a pious and Grodfearing man ; during the fierce persecutions of queen Jezebel he had defied her wrath by hiding a hundred true prophets in two of the numerous mountain retreats, and had there supplied them with food and drink. He revered and loved Elijah, whom he longed above all to shield from 112. ELIJAH AND THE PEIESTS OF BAAL. 449 Jezebel's relentless vengeance. Both met unexpectedly •in the land of Samaria. The interview probably took place in the vicinity of Jezreel ; for Ahab had commanded the faithful Obadiah to go forth in all parts of the country and find some plot of fresh grass where the starving cattle might graze. Obadiah fell on his face before the prophet, exclaiming, ' Art thou that my lord Elijah ? ' 'I am,' was the answer ; ' go, tell thy master, Behold, Elijah is here.' Obadiah trembled at this com- mand, and he said, 'What have I sinned, that thou wouldst deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me ? As the Lord thy God lives, there is no nation nor kingdom, whither my lord has not sent to seek thee ; and when they said. He is not there, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Gro, tell thy master. Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone fr(?m thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not ; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me : but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.'' Yet at last, urged by the prophet, he returned and told the king of his interview with Elijah. Ahab set forth at once to meet him. As he saw the prophet, he exclaimed, ' Art thou he that troubles Israel ? ' Elijah answered, ' I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now, therefore, send and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of Ashtarte four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.' Ahab complied with the request. Upon one of the eminences of Mount Carmel, where the eye wanders over a mass of sea and sand, of wood and plain, near an ancient altar of Jehovah, an extraordinary scene was to be enacted. 450 112. ELIJAH AND THE PEIESTS OF BAAX, Thither thronged the Israelites, the inhabitants of the. northern kingdom; there were gathered the prophets of Baal and the priests of the high places, and Ahab the king appeared in his royal splendour, and there came the prophet Elijah, the messenger and servant of the Lord. Towering above all others, he faced the people, and asked sternly, ' How long do you halt between two sides ? If the Lord be Grod, then follow Him ; but if Baal, then follow him ! ' The people heard these words in remorseful silence. Again rang forth the voice of Elijah : ' I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them, therefore, give us two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood and put no fire under it ; and I will dress the other bullock, and put no fire under it. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord ; and the Grod that answers by fire, let him be God.' And all the people answered, ' It is well spoken.' Then Elijah bade the prophets of Baal choose the bullock and. prepare it for the sacrifice. So the animal was slain, cut, in pieces, and laid on the altar. The priests called upon their god Baal. From early morning until the heat of the midday they cried continually, ' Baal, hear us ! ' But there was no sign of an answer. As was their custom on similar occasions, they leaped round the altar while repeating their prayers and invocations. Elijah could not refrain from bitter irony. ' Cry aloud,' he said, ' for he is a god ! Either he is meditating, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleeps and must be awaked.' Then the priests cried louder and louder, and in their frantic excitement they cut themselves with knives until the blood gushed forth from their wounds ; and they shouted and called and leapt wildly from the hot noon until the day faded into evening. But there, 112. ELIJAH AND THE PEIESTS OF BAAL, 451 was yet no sign of an answer. Then Elijah said to the eager people, ' Come near to me.' Taking twelve stones, according to the number of the Hebrew tribes, he erected an altar, round which he ordered a wide trench to be made. Then he arranged the wood on the altar, and, paying the bullock, he prepared it for the sacrifice. Thrice were four barrels of water poured out, so that the offering, and the altar, and the deep trench were com- pletely filled with the water. It was in the last glow of the waning daylight that Elijah drew near to the sacri- fice, and pronounced this prayer : ' Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and thus turn Thou their hearts back again.' He had hardly uttered these words when ' the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt-sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.' At that sight the amazed multitude prostrated themselves, and exclaimed, 'The Lord He is God, the Lord He is God.' But terrible was Elijah's vengeance on the false priests of the idol. ' Take the prophets of Baal,' he commanded the people, ' and let not one of them escape ! ' The people rushed upon them, and at the bidding of Elijah they led them down to the brook Kishon, which runs winding at the foot of Mount Carmel, and there they slew them all. Then Elijah said to the king, ' Get up, eat and drink, for there is the noisy sound of rain.' So Ahab went up to one of the heights of Carmel, where the repast was spread, while the prophet Elijah went to a solitary place on the mountain for meditation and prayer. Meantime his servant stood upon the ridge of the elevation, and looked ' forth over the blue waters of the Mediterranean. As at G a 2 452 113. ELIJAH'S FLIGHT. the prophet's request he gazed up into the pure evening sky, he said, ' There is nothing.' Again and again Elijah bade him look out ; but it was only the seventh time that he saw a little cloud rising over the sea ' no bigger than a man's hand.' Then Elijah knew that the storm and the rain were coming, and he said to his servant, ' Gro up and say to Ahab, Prepare thy chariot and get down, lest the rain stop thee.' The whole heaven was black with clouds, and the wind rose and drove the rain down in torrents. Ahab fled before the storm, and rode into Jezreel ; but the breath of the Lord seized Elijah, and carried him on before Ahab to the entrance of the city. 113. PLIGHT OF ELIJAH; ELISHA APPOINTED AS HIS SUCCESSOR. [1 Kings XIX.] When the king related to Jezebel the story of the wonderful sacrifice on Mount Carmel and of the massacre of the priests, her wrath knew no bounds. She sent at once a messenger to Elijah with these words : ' So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of any one of them by to-morrow about this time.' Elijah, who had calmly faced the king and a host of priests, took alarm at this message, and fled from Jezebel out of the land of Israel to Beersheba, at the southern frontier of Judah. There he left his servant and wan- dered away alone into the wilderness. In a moment of despondency and deep disappointment, he cast himself down on the ground beneath a juniper tree, and, wearied by flight, he prayed, as so many sufl"erers have prayed in their agony, that he might die. ' It is enough now, Lord,' he cried, 'take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers.' As he lay down and fell asle'ep exhausted under the juniper tree, an angel touched him 113. ELIJAH'S FLIGHT. 453 and said, ' Arise and eat.' He looked and saw beside Mm a cake and a cruse of water. Then lie ate and drank, and laid himself down again to sleep. For the second time the angel touched him and bade him arise and eat, because ' a very great journey was before him.' Again he took food, and ' in the strength of that meal he went forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, the mount of God.' There he took refuge in one of the mountain caves. The next day the word of God came to him with this question : ' "What doest thou here, Elijah ? And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts ; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thy altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword ; and I, even I only, am left ; and they seek my life to take it away.' And then again, as on the heights of Carmel, the Lord manifested Himself to Elijah. First came ' a great and strong wind which rent the mountains and broke the rock in pieces, but the Lord was not in the wind ; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake ; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire ; and after the fire a still small voice. When Elijah heard this, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and he went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then again came the voice, saying. What doest thou here, Elijah?' And Elijah gave the same answer as before. Then the Lord, raising the oppressed spirit of the prophet, commanded him to do his appointed work. ' Go,' He said to him, ' return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus ; and when thou comest there, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria ; and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel ; and Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of AbeL-meholah, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapes the sword of Hazael, shall Jehu slay, and him that escapes from the 454 114. WAE OF AHAB WITH BENHADAD. , sword- of Jehu, shall Elisha slay.' One consolation the prophet carried with him : he learnt that, in the land of Israel, there were, unknown to him, seven thousand true and faithful men, who had never bent their knees to Baal. So Elijah departed and went northward to Damascus. On his way he found at Abel-meholah, a village in Issa- char, Elisha ploughing in the fields with twelve yokes of oxen. He flung his mantle over the shoulder of the youth, who instantly understood the meaning of this symbolical act, left the oxen, followed Elijah, and minisr tered to him. 114. WAR OF AHAB WITH BENHADAD. [1 Kings XX.] Benhadad, the king of Syria, tempted by the riches and beauty of Samaria, resolved upon a great war against Israel. He assembled his hosts, and invited moreover thirty-two of the neighbouring chiefs or kings to join him. At the head of an immense army he besieged Samaria, and sent the following insolent summons to Ahab : ' Thy silver and thy gold are mine, thy wives and thy children, even the fairest, are mine.' Ahab, as weak and cowardly as ever, answered, ' My lord, king, accord-' ing to thy saying I am thine, and all that I have is thine.' But Benhadad wished to provoke Ahab to actual warfare ; so he sent him a second and even more insulting message which had the desired effect: he said he would come to the king's palace, search it, and take whatever he liked best. Now Ahab's anger was roused, and he refused to submit to the humiliation. His resistance only called forth the mockery of Benhadad ; but the king of Israel rightly said, 'Tell him, let not him that girds on his harness boast himself as he that puts it off.' To inspire •Ahab with courage, a prophet, Elijah perchance, appeared 114. WAS, OP AHAB WITH BENHADAD. 455 before him and foretold the success of his arms over the vast Syrian host. The prophet's prediction came true ; a portion of the Israelite army, consisting of young nobles, surprised the Syrian chiefs whilst carousing in their tents, and following up the first panic they had created, they discomfited their enemies, who retreated with great loss. Benhadad saved himself by flight on one of his swift Syrian horses. Although, he had been utterly defeated, he was persuaded to recommence hostilities in the follow- ing spring, and he assembled another army large and splendid as the first. But instead of princes he placed experienced captains at the head of the different divisions ■of his hosts, and prepared for battle. His counsellors had .told him: ' The gods of the Israelites are gods of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we ; but let us fight against them in the plain, and we shall be stronger than they.' He, therefore, went out and encamped in the plain of Aphek, where he was soon met by the Hebrew army, a mere handful compared with his own large numbers — ' the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids ; but the Syrians filled the country.' Then again a prophet came to Ahab, foretelling suc- cess. For six days the armies faced each other in silence, and on the seventh day they met. A hundred thousand Syrians were slain by the Israelites ; the rest escaped to the town Aphek, where many were destroyed by a fall- ing wall. Benhadad fled for refuge from house to house ; he still clung to life and to the hope of being spared by Ahab. His followers said to him, ' Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel ; peradventure he will save thy life.' The chiefs acted upon this advice, and when they appeared before 456, 115. MUEDER OF NABOTH. the king of Israel, they addressed him thus : ' Thy servant Benhadad says, I pray thee, let me live.' Ahab answered compassionately, 'Is he yet alive? he is my brother.' This was enough ; the messengers knew that Benhadad had nothing to fear. They brought him to the king of Israel, whose heart was touched at the sight of the captive monarch ; he concluded peace with him, and unwisely allowed him to depart in safety. 115. MURDER or NABOTH. [1 Kings XXI.] Closely adjoining Ahab's palace in Jezreel was a beau- tiful vineyard belonging to a man of the name of Naboth, This property was coveted by the king, who sent for Na- both, and said to him, ' Give me thy vineyard that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near my house, and I will give thee for it a better vineyard, or if it seems good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.' But Naboth would not surrender the ground ; it was dear to him, because he had inherited it from his fathers, and he refused all offers however tempting. Then Ahab went into his house dejected and displeased: he, the great monarch, had been baulked of his desire by one of his subjects ; so ' he lay upon his bed, and turned away his face and would not eat.' Not long afterwards came Jeze- bel, fierce and malignant as ever ; she pressed Ahab to tell her what troubled him, and when she heard his com- plaint, she exclaimed indignantly, ' Dost thou' not govern the kingdom of Israel ? Arise and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry ; I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.' Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed ■ them with his seal, and sent them herself to the elders and nobles of the city. She conmianded these chiefs to 115. MURDER OF NABOTH. 457 proclaim a fast, to set Naboth high among the people, and to bring forward two men to testify that he had ut- tered blasphemies against God and the king, and then upon their accusations to stone him to death. The elders obediently executed the commands of the ruthless queen ; two wicked men were easily found to bear false witness against N"aboth; he was declared guilty, and stoned to death before the gates of the city. When this foul deed was accomplished, Jezebel went triumphantly to her hus- band, and bade him arise and take possession of the vine- yard which he had desired, and which Naboth would not sell for money. The weak monarch arose from his couch, and went forth into his ill-gotten vineyard. There he was confronted by that well-known form shrouded in a rough hairy mantle, and he heard again the voice of Elijah the Tishbite : ' Hast thou killed also and taken possession ? Thus says the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Kaboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.' Then Ahab exclaimed in fear, ' Hast thou found me, my enemy ?' The answer of Elijah conveyed to the terrified monarch the awful doom which awaited his entire house : ' The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel ; him that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat, and him that dies in the field the fowls of the air shall eat.' Ahab, alarmed by these words, was struck with remorse and contrition ; he rent his clothes and put sackcloth on his body. ' And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbles himself before Me ? because he humbles himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days ; but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.' 458 116. AHAB'S DEATH, 116. DEATH OF AHAB. [1 Kings XXII. 1—40; 2 Cheon. XVIII.] Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had sought a friendly alliance with Ahab. Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, was given in marriage to Joram, the heir to the throne of Judah, and Jehoshaphat himself paid friendly visits to the king of Israel in Samaria. During one of these -visits it occurred to Ahab, that the city of Eamoth Gri- lead, which had once belonged to the Hebrews, but had been taken from them by the Syrians, ought to be re- conquered. The two kings agreed at once to prepare for war and commence hostilities together ; but Jehoshaphat insisted upon first asking the advice of the prophets, as a good augury would strengthen them in their perilous enter- prise. Four hundred prophets who appeared at his call, probably prophets of Baal, predicted victory and the safe return of the kings. But Jehoshaphat was nbt content with their words, and desired to hear the counsel of a prophet of the Lord. Elijah must at that time have been far away, secluded in one of his solitary haunts ; for he is not mentioned ; instead of him we hear of Micaiah the son of Imlah, a man who was hated by Ahab for always prophesying evil to him and never good. Yet messengers were sent to bring Micaiah to the city, When the prophet arrived at the gates of Samaria, he beheld, seated side by side on their thrones, the two kings dressed in their robes of state; before them stood the crowd of prophets, and a large number of people attracted by the scene. Encouragingly the prophets were exclaiming, ' Gro up to Eamoth Grilead and prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand;' and Zedekiah, one of Ahab's 116, AHAB'S DEATH. 459 servants, held up two huge horns of iron and said, 'With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou shalt have consumed them.' Then Micaiah was called upon to speak, and he related a vision which had just been re- vealed to him. ' I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills,' he said, ' as sheep that have no shepherd, and the Lord said. These have no master, let them return every man to his house.' ' Did I not tell thee,' exclaimed Ahab, enraged, to Jehoshaphat, ' that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil ? ' Then Micaiah spoke again, but this time the vision which he described was of a grander and more imaginative character. He saw the whole host of heaven, and the Lord Himself upon His throne. He heard the Lord asking His counsellors, ' Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Eamoth Grilead? And one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. And there came forth % spirit and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him ! I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets ! And the Lord said. Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also ; go forth and do so. Now therefore,' continued the prophet boldly, ' the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord has spoken evil concerning thee.' At these words, the infuriated Zedekiah smote him on the cheek, accompanying the stroke with insulting words ; and Ahab bade Amon, the governor of the city, imprison him with bread and water, until he, the king, should return in safety from the war. As Micaiah was led away, he cried again ominous words into Ahab's ears : " If thou return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. . . hearken, people, every one of you ! ' Heedless of Micaiah's warning, the kings set out on their expedition. Yet Ahab took the precaution to wear the dress of a common soldier, in order to deceive the 460 . 117. AHAZIAH. enemy. The king of Syria cared less for the issue of the war than for the capture of Ahab's person. ' Fight . neither with small nor great,' he enjoined upon his captains, ' but only with the king of Israel.' The royal robes of Jehoshaphat misled for a time the heathen war- riors, who took him for Ahab ; but they desisted from attacking him as soon as they became aware of their error. Yet Ahab, in spite of his disguise, did not escape. A Syrian archer, drawing his bow at random, shot an arrow through one of the joints of the king's armour. When Ahab felt the mortal wound, he said to the driver of his chariot, ' Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host, for I am wounded.' But struck as he was, he showed a truly heroic spirit, and would not leave the chariot as long as the battle raged : he stood upright behind his driver, whilst the blood oozed slowly from his wound and covered the chariot. In the evening, when the battle was over and lost, he died, and was brought to Samaria, where he was buried. But the awful words of Elijah were literally fulfilled ; for whilst' the men were washing the blood-stained chariot in the pool outside the city, the wild dogs that ran in hordes round the walls, came and licked up the blood of the king. When the sad fate of Ahab was known, the army was dispersed with the proclamation, ' Every man to his city, and every man to his own country !' Ahab was succeeded by his son Ahaziah. 117. AHAZIAH (897—895). [1 Kings XXU. 52—54 ; 2 Kings L] During this reign, the Moabites rebelled and refused to pay the tribute that had been imposed upon them, and declared themselves free from all allegiance to Israel. Once whilst looking out of a lattice window in the 118. ELIJAH'S DISAPPEAEANCE. 461 upper chamber of his palace in Samaria, the king fell out and became dangerously ill. Always clinging to habits of idolatry, he sent some of his servants to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover. The messengers departed, but returned almost imme- diately. For outside the city they were met by a stranger, who bade them go back to their king with the tidings that he should certainly die. They described the person who had thus spoken to them as ' a man in a hairy garment, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.' Ahaziah knew him well. ' It is Elijah the Tishbite !' he exclaimed. He was anxious to get that stern and unflinching prophet into his power. So he sent after him a captain with a band of fifty men. They descried Elijah upon the top of a mountain, possibly upon one of the crags of Carmel, and they bade him come down and go with them to the king. For all answer fire descended from heaven, and consumed the captain and his fifty men. Again Ahaziah sent out another captain and fifty men, and again fire from heaven destroyed them. For the third time a captain and fifty men came to the foot of the mountain; but the cap- tain went up, threw himself on his knees, and implored Elijah to spare them. Then the prophet came down, and accompanied them to the king. He fearlessly foretold Ahaziah's death, which occurred almost directly after the interview. Ahaziah had no sons, and he was succeeded by his brother Jehoram. 118. ELIJAH'S DISAPPEARANCE AND THE FIRST MIRACLES OF ELISHA. [2 KiNSS II.] EUjah was dwelling at Grilgal with Elisha, when the call came which was to end his earthly labours. Fore- boding the Divine will, he said to his devoted follower. 462 118. FIEST MIKACLES OF ELISHA. « Tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Beth-el.' But Elisha, with that strong and faithful attach- ment to his master which he had evinced from the first, was unwilling to leave him at a time when he felt that some great crisis was at hand. So the two went together to Beth-el. There, at that sacred and time-honoured place, were gathered the prophets and seers of the Lord. They also were aware of the mournful event that was about to happen. At the approach of Elijah and Elisha, they came forth from their houses and said to Elisha, ' Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day?' And he said, 'Yes, I know it, hold ye yom- ■peace.' Then again Elijah entreated his disciple to leave him, for the Lord had summoned him to Jericho. But Elisha steadily refused to depart from him, and both went on together to the southern town. There the same scene was enacted as at Beth-el — the prophets crowding round the master they were so soon to lose, and telling Elisha the tidings he knew already too well. But EHjah was ordered to go eastward, to the banks of the river Jordan ; thither he went with Elisha, who unflinchingly clung to him. They were followed by fifty of the prophets who came with them out of Jericho, and stood watching them at some distance. When Elijah approached the brink of the river, he drew his mantle from his shoulders, and roll- ing it up like a staff, he smote the waters, which separated, leaving in the midst a dry road over which the two passedr Then Elijah said to Elisha, ' Ask, what shall I do for thee, before I am taken away from thee?' And Elisha said, ' I pray thee, let two portions of thy spirit be upon me.' Upon which Elijah replied, 'Thou hast asked a hard thing ; nevertheless, if thou seest me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so to thee ; but if not, it shall not be so.' ' And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and 118. FIEST MIRACLES OJ ELISHA. 463 horses of fire, and parted them both asunder ; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.' Elisha saw his great master no more, and in his bitter grief he rent his garments. Elijah's mantle had fallen to the gi'ound ; he took it, and standing again on the brink of the Jordan, he smote with it the waters, and exclaimed loudly, ' Where is the Lord Grod of Elijah ?' Then the river parted for him again, and he passed over the dry ground. When the prophets saw this from afar, they were convinced that the spirit of Elijah now rested upon Elisha. They came to meet him, and bowed themselves with reverence before him. But they could not believe that Elijah was gone from them for ever. They entreated, therefore, Elisha to let them seek for their master, ' for peradventure the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.' EUsha at first resisted their desire, but at last he yielded, and the prophets went out on their fruitless search. Whilst Elisha was at Jericho, the men of the town came to him and said, ' Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land causes barrenness.' Then Elisha performed another miracle ; he asked for a new cruse filled with salt. This salt he cast into the spring and spoke, 'Thus says the Lord, I have healed these waters ; there shall not be from them any more death or barrenness.' After this the prophet left Jericho, and journeyed back to Beth-el. On his way a crowd of children ran out of the city, mocking him. ' Go up, thou bald head,' they called, out ; ' go up, thou bald head.' For a moment a spirit of revenge and anger foreign to his nature came over Elisha ; ' he cursed the children in the name of the Lord.' His curse took effect ; two bears coming from the wood killed forty-two of the unfortunate children. Elisha proceeded to Mount Carmel, and from thence he went to Samaria. 464 119. JEHOKAM. He was indeed constantly journeying between Carmel, his ordinary place of residence, and Samaria, Beth-el, and Grilgal. Unlike Elijah, he appears to have had no predi- lection for solitary retreats, but mixed freely with all men. He was often the counsellor of the king, by whom he was regarded with no hatred or ill-feeling. 119. JEHOEAM, KING OF ISRAEL (895—884). [2 Kings III.] Jehoram was no Baal worshipper ; he zealously removed the idols set up by his mother, cut down the groves, and abolished the numerous high places consecrated to strange worship. But he allowed the golden calves to remain in Dan and in Beth-el, and clung to the pernicious idolatry established by Jeroboam. He was incensed against the king of Moab for refusing to pay the imposed tribute, and he incited Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to a joint expedition against him. The two kings, at the head of their combined armies, set forth upon their march into the Moabite territory. Their road lay through the wilderness of Edom ; and here they were reinforced by the king of that country at the head of a large army. After a seven days' journey they were tor- mented by want of water, and the kings felt that they were in imminent danger of falling a prey to the enemy. It was then that Jehoshaphat, as once before on a similar occasion, desired to consult a prophet of the true Grod, and to act upon his counsel. The prophet was near at hand — Elisha, the successor of Elijah. His words were as stem as those of his master. Turning to Jehoram, he said, 'What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father and thy mother. ... As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of 120. lliSHA. 465 Judaih, I would not look toward thee nor regard thee,' He sent for a minstrel, and requested Mm to play. With the strains of music the spirit of the Lord came over His prophet. Elisha bade the kings dig huge ditches in front jof their camp. At the close of the day the ditches were . completed, and by the light of the following morning the thirsting soldiers beheld them filled with a fresh stream of water. The Moabites from their camp looked upon the ditches, and the water gleaming in the red sunlight seemed to them a river of blood. They imaigined that there had been strife and bloodshed in the army of the allies, and they hastened to their camp in the hope of finding rich spoil. But they were met by a fierce and determined band of warriors, by whom they were beaten back and pursued into the very heart of their own country, wihjere their cities were destroyed, their wells stopped up, their best fields filled with stones, and their fruit-trees cut down. As a last resource, the king of Moab, with 700 chosen men, made a desperate sally upon the Edonoite army, but without effect. Vanquisbed in the field, beaten in his own cities, the king of Moab, wishing to propitiate his gods, sacrificed his eldest son publicly upon the vails as a burnt-offering. Amazed by this act of atrocious fana- ticism, the allied armies left the territory of Moabj and returned to their own country. 120. ELISHA. [2 Kmes IV, J.— Vm. 15.] The fame of Elisha'g power and mission grew rapidly. A poor woman, a widow of one of the prophets, cam© to him in her grief and distress : her husband had died m debt, and the creditors bad come to take away her two sons as servants instead of payment. Elisha asked her compassionately, ' What shall I do for thee ? tell me what 466 120. ELISHA. hast thou in the house ? ' She answered, ' Thy handmaid has not anything in the house save a pot of oil. Then he bade her borrow of her neighbours as many vessels as they would lend her ; and into all these vessels should she pour oil from the one pot which was in her house. The widow followed Elisha's command without a question. And now her little supply of oil seemed indeed endless, for there was enough to fill all the vessels she had brought together, and there was more to spare. She went to the man of Grod and told him of the miracle. And he said, ' Gro, sell the oil and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.' Whilst journeying through the kingdom of Israel, Elisha would often pass through the northern town of Shunem. In this little town dwelt a man rich in flocks and herds, the master of many servants, who worked in his fields and tended his cattle. Both he and his wife were pious and Godfearing. They would always invite the prophet to rest and eat bread in their house. The wife especially watched for him on his constant journeys, and, knowing that he was a true prophet, she said to her husband, ' Let us make a little upper chamber, I pray thee, with walls, and let us set for hini there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick ; and it shall be when he comes to us that he shall turn in thither.' The proposal was carried out, and the next time Elisha came to Shunem, he was taken into the chamber prepared for him, and he remained there. Then he sent Grehazi, his servant, to call his hostess to him. When she came, he asked her, ' Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care ; what is to be done for thee ? wouldst thou be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the host ? ' But declining royal favours or gifts, she answered simply, ' I dwell among my own people.' When she had left the chamber, Elisha asked counsel of his servant, ' What 120. BLISHA. 467 then is to "be done for her ? ' Gehazi answered, ' Verily, she has no child, and her husband is old.' Then Elisha, called her again and said, ' About this season in the next year thou shalt embrace a son.' And she said, ' Nay my lord, thou man of Grod, do not lie unto thy handmaid.' At the predicted time, a son was born to her, and the boy grew. Once during the harvest time it happened that he went out into the fields to his father, who was then among the reapers. The heat of the noontide sun struck the child, and he exclaimed piteously, ' My head, my head ! ' At his father's desire, he was taken back to his mother. Pillowed in her arms he died. She rose and carried him quietly into the chamber set apart for Elisha ; and laying him upon the prophet's bed, she closed the door, and left him there. Then she requested her hus- band, who was probably still unaware of their son's death, to send her one of the young men and one of the asses, for she desired to go without delay to the man of Grod. Her husband remonstrated: 'Wherefore wilt thou go to-day ? it is neither New-moon nor Sabbath.' But she merely answered, 'Let it be.' Then she mounted her ass, and bid her servant drive it on in haste. Elisha, looking out from his dwelling on Mount Carmel, recog- nised from afar the Shunamite, and full of concern for the hospitable and generous woman, he sent Grehazi to meet her and to ask if it was well with herself, her hus- band, and child. She only said, ' It is well,' and hurried on. At last she came to Elisha, and threw herself upon the ground, grasping his feet. Grehazi was about to thrust her away, when the man of Grod said, ' Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her ; and the Lord has hid it from me, and has not told me.' Then she said, ' Did I desire a son of my lord ? Did I not say. Do not deceive me ? ' These words were enough ; Elisha divined all. He gave Grfehazi his staff, and ordered him to go in H H 2 468 120, ELISHA. breathless haste to the city of Shtmem, and to lay his staff upon the dead child. The servant hurried on to do his master's bidding, and the prophet followed with the Shunamite. "When they approached the threshold of the house, Grehazi came to meet them and said, ' The child is not awakened.' Then Elisha repaired to his own little chamber, where the child lay dead, and he prayed long and fervently to the Lord for help ; after which he went up to the child and lay upon him, putting his own mouth upon the boy's mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, his hands upon his hands, until the child grew warm and ' opened Ms eyes. Then he bade Grehazi call the Shunamite ; and as his master Elijah had said to the poor widow whose son he had restored, so Elisha now said to the Shunamite, ' Take up thy son ! ' And when she came, she fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground, and then, taking up her son, she went out. From Shunem Elisha proceeded to Gilgal, which had been visited by a long dearth. He appeared before a large assembly of prophets who were suffering from the famine. He bade his servant set on a large pot and cook a meal for all the prophets ; one of the young men went into the fidlds to seek for herbs ; there he found a wild vine, of -which he gathered a quantity of gourds ; and returning home, he put them into the pottage. The wild gourds, if not poisonous, were at least very hurtful. When the pottage had been poured out, one of the men who had eaten of it exclaimed, ' thou man of Grod, there is death in the pot ! ' But Elisha ordered them to bring some flour, which he mixed with the pottage, and which allayed the evil, so that the prophets could eat of the meal unharmed. About that time a man came from Baal-shalisha to Grilgal, and brought Elisha twenty loaves of barley and full ears of corn in a sack. The prophet said, ' Grive to the people that they may eat.' This seemed strange to 120. ELISHA. 469" Gehazi, ' How should I set this before a hundred linen ?•' he asked. But EKsha repeated, ' Grive the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, They shall eat and leave thereof.' ' So he set it before them, and they did eat and leave thereof, according to the word of the Lord.' But Elisha's fame reached Syria, and the name of tb© Lord was to be acknowledged and revereneed in the land of the heathen. Naaman, the brave and successful geueral of the Syrian army, though prosperous and powerful, was unfortunately afflicted with that diiest of Eastern Scourges, leprosy. His wife had a little Hebrew maidservant, a captive out of the land of Israel, who saw with grief and pity the sad fate of the Syrian captain. ' Would Grody she said to her mistress, ' my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would restore him from his leprosy.' Her words were repeated to Naaman ; and yet again were they repeated until they came to the ears of the king of IByria. The king, little imagining it was Elisha who could effect the cure, bade Jfaaman journey to the king of Israel with the most costly presents, and at the same time he gave him a letter to Jehoram. ' Behold,' so wrot© the Syrian monarch, 'I have therewith s&nt my servant Naaman to thee, that thou mayest restore him from his , leprosy.' When Jehoram read this letter, he thought it was a snare to emtio© him into a feud > he rent has clothes and lamented ; but Elisha, hearing of the king's alarm, sent a messenger tof him with these wosds : ' Wherefore hast thou now rent thy garments ? Let him co^m© now to me, and hfe shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.' So Naaman, the proud captain, earn© with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the door of the prophet's house. Elisha did not appear, but he sent downi a messenger to say to him, ' &o, and wash in the Jord'ta seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and 470 lao. ELISHA. thou shalt be clean.' This simple request seemed like an insult to Naaman ; he burst into a fit of anger, for he had expected that Elisha would come out and call upon the name of the Lord, and place his hand upon the leprous skin, and thus cure the evil. ' Are not Abana and Phar- par, the rivers of Damascus,' he exclaimed, ' better than all the waters of Israel ? May I not wash in them and be clean ? ' But his servants calmed him, and confiding in the efficacy of the easy and simple remedy which the prophet had suggested, they said : ' My father, , if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it ? how much rather then when he says to thee. Wash and be clean ! ' Naaman was soothed and followed the advice; he went and dipped seven times in the Jordan, ' and his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.' With sincere humility and gratitude he returned to Elisha, and standing before him, he said in the presence of all his people : ' Behold, now I know that there is no Grod in all the earth but in Israel; now, therefore, I pray thee, take a present of thy servant.' But the pro- phet refused everything, and firmly resisted Naaman's most urgent entreaties. Then the general departed, after swearing solemnly that thenceforth he would offer, sacrifices to none but the one true God. But when Gehazi saw the great captain leave Samaria taking all his costly presents back with him, he felt a strong temptation to obtain some of those precious trea- sures. So he hastened after Naaman, who, seeing him approach, alighted from his chariot, and, full of reverence and solicitude for Elisha, asked, 'Is all well?' Then Gehazi invented the following tale : ' My master has sent me, saying, " Behold, just now there came to me from Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the pro- phets ; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver and two changes of garments." ' Naaman at once replied, ' Be 120. ELISHA. 471 content to take two talents.' And he urged him and bound two talents of silver in two bags together with two changes of garments, and gave these things to two of his servants to carry them before Grehazi. When he came to the hill near Samaria where he Hved, he took the, money and the garments from the men, and brought them into his house. After the Syrians had returned, he went to his master, and when he entered, he was asked by Elisha, ' Whence comest thou, Grehazi ? ' and he boldly answered, ' Thy servant went nowhere.' Then the prophet said sternly, ' Did not my heart go with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to" meet thee? Is it a time to receive money and to receive garments, and olive gardens and vineyards, and sheep and oxen and menservants and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave to thee and to thy seed for ever.' ' And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.' Unlike Elijah, who commonly dwelt alone among the crags of rocks, or near some secluded brook or streamlet, Elisha was siirrounded by a school of prophets, who were gi^owing into such a numerous band that their ordinary place of abode became too small for them. So they sug- gested that they should all remove to the banks of the Jordan, and there cut down the trees of a dense forest, and build a large house where they might live together, Elisha not only approved of their proposal, but consented to accompany them eastward to the Jordan. There, at the riverside, a remarkable miracle was performed. Whilst one of the young men was hewing down the wood, his axehead fell into the water, and he exclaimed, ' Alas, master! and it was borrowed.' Then Elisha asked, ' Where did it fall ?' and upon being shown the spotj- he cast a stick into the water, and the iron was seen swimming on the surface. The prophet said, ' Take it up to thee ;' and the young man put out his hand and took it. 472 121. WARS 05 JE-HORAM, 121, WARS OF JEHORAM, AMD ELlSHA'S HELP.. [2 Kmss VI. 8 ^sgj.l The king of Sj^a, Benhadad, was during all this time attacking and harassing the Israelites; his plan was to surprise them where they least expected it ', but Elisha always knew his intentions, warned Jehoram of the danger, and thus saved him repeatedly from falling into the power of the enemy. Th* king of Syria supposed that there were traito*s among his own subjects, but he was soon convinced that it was Elisha, the great prophet, who always frustrated his designs. He, therefare, bade his servants bring Elisha into his presence. A great number of men went out with horses and chariots, and surrounded by night the eity of Dothan, where the prophet was dwelling. In the morning, his servant, as he looked out, beheld this large host, and he exclaimed, ' Alas ! my master, what shall we do ?' But Eli«ha toild him to give up all fear, as the number of his ois9i warriors was even larger than that of his eneoiieis; and then he prayed to the Lord to open his servant's eyes, that he might see. The young man looked, and, ' behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.' When the iSyfians were encompassing his house, he en- treated the Lord to smite them with blindness, and his supplication was answered. ^ This is not the way,' he saM to them, ' neither is this the city ; follow me, and I Will bring you to the man whom you seek.' And he led them to Samaria. Then Elisha prayed to the Lord to open the eyes of the men, that they might see, and!, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. When the king of Israel became aware that his enemies were in his handsj he said, ' My father, shall I smite them ?' But the gentle-hearted prophet advised the king to spare their Kves, to set bread and water befca-e them, and send them back to their master. So Jehoram prepared a great feast for 121. WAES OF JEHOEAM. 473 tiie Syrians and allowed them to depart in peace to Benhadad. But the Syrian king, still intent upon the conquest of Samaria, assembled his whole army and besieged th© Capital of Israel. Added to the horrors of the war were \ixe horrors of a seven years' famine, which had been predicted by Elisha. The prospects of the inhabitants were indeed gloomy. An ass's head was sold for eight shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of pigeon dung for five shekels. When the king was one day walk- ing on the walls, and looked down upon the bare and parched country without, and upon the starred and wretched city within, the plaintive wail of a woman sud- denly struck his ear. ' Help, my lord king,' she cried. The king's answer came from the vei-y depth of his despair : ' If the Lord does not help thee, whence shall I help thee ? out of the bam floor, or out of the wine press ? What ails thee ?' He could not have anticipated her horrible answer. ' This woman said to me,' she replied, pointing to her companion in misery, ' " Give thy Son that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow ;" so we boiled my son, and did eat him ', and I said to her on the next day, " Give thy son that we may eat him ;" and now she has hid her son.' When the king heard these words, he rent his clothes ; and as he passed along the wall, the people saw that he was wearing sack- cloth.' But, in spite of this sight of humiliation, Ms heart was fast hardening against Elisha, to whom he attributed the evils of the war and the famine ; he swore an oath that he would have the prophet's life that very day, and be at once sent out a man to seize him. Elisha knew of the approach of the king's messenger, who was followed' by the king him:self ; he bade his attendants tightly close the door, for ' the son of the murderer ' had sent to take his life. Yet he admitted the messeniger, who, more pious than his master, said, ' Behold, this evil is of the 474 121. WAHS OF JBSOEAM. Lord ; what should I wait for the Lord any longer ? ' Then Elisha said to the king : ' Hear ye the word of the Lord ; thus says the Lord, To-morrow about this time shall a _ measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two mea- sures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.' One of Jehoram's officers, the charioteer upon whose hand he leaned, derided the prophecy, and said, ' Indeed, the Lord will make windows in heaven ! ' Elisha replied, ' Behold, thou shalt see it with thy eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.' At the gate of Samaria sat four leprous men excluded from the town and shunned by their Hebrew brethren. Tormented by hunger, they resolved to throw themselves upon the mercy of the Syrian army ; for whether they ventured into the city or stayed without, they had no hope of escaping the fearful death of starvation. They rose early in the twilight, and crept to the Syrian camp. When they came close up to it, they were astonished to find that it was deserted. The vast host of Syria had fled, alarmed by a sudden panic ; for they believed that they were about to be attacked by the united troops of Canaan and Egypt, with whom they supposed the Israel- ites had made an alliance. They had fled, but they had left behind them all their wealth — their flocks and herds, and their tents filled with vessels of silver and gold, and with those numberless objects usually accompanying so large and so splendid an army. The lepers entered one tent and then another, feasted upon the food and wine, and commenced hiding for themselves the valuable articles which they found in abundance. But partly prudence and partly pity made them think of their starving bre- thren in Samaria, and they hastened back to the gates, where they made a report of all they had seen to the soldiers who kept the watch. The king's household ^aa aroused ; the king himself heard the strange tale distrust- fully, for he argued that it must be a snare of the Syrian^ 121. WAES OF JEHOEAM. 475 to tempt the hungry people out of their city to the rich provisions of the camp, and then to seize them and their town as an easy prey. He sent out some of his servants upon the few horses that were left to him, and bid them examine the ground carefully. The account of the flight of the Syrians proved true, and the way which they had taken was strewn with heavy vessels and with garments, which they had thrown from them in their haste. Then the whole town rushed forth joyously, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians, and plenty and ease were suddenly restored, so that the words of Elisha were literally fulfilled. But Jehoram's charioteer who had mocked the prophecy stood in the gate and was trodden to death by the people. Before the beginning of the famine Elisha had advised the Shunamite woman who had so hospitably received him, and whose son he had restored to life, to leave Samaria with her household, and to take up her abode in, some other place until the return of better times. She had followed his advice, and had gone to dwell in the land of the Philistines. When she came back after seven years, she learnt with dismay that her house and her fields had in her absence been seized by the king's officers. She went to the king to lay before him her complaint. Jehoram was then just speaking with Grehazi, who was relating to him all the miraculous deeds of his master, and especially how he had saved the Shunamite's son; Thus she arrived opportunely, and the king at once ordered that all her property should be given back to her, together with the value of the produce of her lands from the time of her departure. Elisha did not "confine his prophecies to his own people, but we hear of him in the land of Syria, in the city of Damascus, where the king Benhadad lay ill. The monarch, informed of the prophet's presence, commanded Hazael, one of his officers, to take large presents, and to go to Elisha to enquire of him, whether he would recover from 476 ' 122. JEHU. MADE KING< his disease. With a train of forty laden camels, Hazael' came to Elisha and gave his master's message. The pro- phet answered firmly, ' Go say to him, Thou wilt certainly recover : yet the Lord has shown me that he shall surely die.' Having uttered these strange words, he wept. ' Why weeps my lord?' asked Hazael, surprised. 'Because I know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Israel,' answered Elisha ; ' their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children to pieces.' Hazael cunningly asked, in apparent amazement, ' But what is thy servant, a dog, that he should do these great things ? ' Then Elisha answered, ' The Lord has shown me that thou shalt be king of Syria.' Hazael returned to his master, told him that he would surely recover, and suffocated him the next day with a wet cloth. The murderer then seized the crown and beoame king of Syria. 122. JBHIJ MADE KING OVEB ISBAEL. |2 KiNss IX.} Hazael at once commenced warfare both against Judah and Israel, He advanced to besiege Eamoth in Gilead. The two kings Ahaziah and Jehoram had united their forces to oppose the invader ; but Jehoram was wounded during the siege, and was compelled to return to Jezreel, leaving the leadership of the war in the hands of his generals. Among these captains wag a valiant and im- petBous man of the name of Jehu, celebrated for his swift and furious driving, and to him the prophet Elisha sent one of his diseiples with important tidings. When the messenger arrived in Eamoth, the captains of the Hebrew host were all seated together in the camp ; he appeared suddenly among them and Said, ' I have an errand to thee, captain ! ' Jehu asked, ' To which of all of us ?' And he said, ' To thee, captain.' Then the two retired • 122. JEHU MADE KIN©. ,477 to a secluded place, and the young proptet drawing a vial of eacred oil from Ms girdle, poured it over the kead of the warrior, proclaiming him in the name of the Lord king over Israel, and commanding him to smite the entire house of Ahab, in order to avenge the prophets of the Lord who had been so cruelly murdered. Having said these words, the messenger hastened away as mysteriously as he had come. But Jehu, re-entering the assembly of the captains, told them that he had been ' anointed king over Israel. The announcement was joy- ously received ; the generals took off their mantles, and placing them under the feet of Jehu, in token of sub'- mi^sionj proclaimed by the blast of the trumpet the accession of the new king, Jehn was a crafty as well as a bold man; he knew that he could hold the army in sub- jection, but that it might be more , difficult to assure himself of the loyalty of the cities ; so he bade no one leave Ramoth Grilead to carry the news to Jezreel. But he himself sprang into his chariot, and drove off at a wild pace towards the royal residence, whither Ahaziah the king of Judah had just gone to see the sick king. A watchman on the tower saw from afar the fleet horses approaching and gave the alarm. A messenger was de- spatched to meet the charioteer ; as he approached, he said, ' Thus says the king. Is it peace ? ' But Jehu never paused on his way, and cried out, * What hast thou to do with peace ? turn thou behind me ! ' Soon afterwards a second messenger was sent with the same ctmestion, and he received the same answer, Jehu advancing all the while upon Jezreel. As he came near the walla of the city, the watchman recognised him, and exclaimed, ' The driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of MmsM, for he drives furiously.' The two kings of Israel and Judah, mounting their chariots, went out of the city, to oppose the audacious Jehu ; they met in the notorious vineyard of Naboth. ' Is it peace, Jehu ? ' asked Jehoram. 478 122. JEHU MADE KING. Jehu answered, ' What peace, so long as the iniquities of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many ? ' Jehoram fled alarmed, exclaiming, ' There is treachery, Ahaziah!' But Jehu, quick and resolute, drew his mighty bow, and as he saw the king turn to flee, he shot an arrow that pierced his heart, so that Jehoram sank down dead in his chariot. ' Take him up, and cast him into the field of Naboth ! ' Jehu sternly commanded, and then started off in pursuit of Ahaziah. This unfortunate monarch was also slain in his flight, but his body was carried to Jerusalem by his servants and there buried. Then Jehu entered the city of Jezreel, and his chariot drove under the windows of queen Jezebel's palace. She had heard of his approach, and in her own manner had made preparations to receive him. With painted face and gaily decked head she looked forth from the window and called out to Jehu, ' Had Zimri peace who slew his master?' Then he lifted up his face and saw the aged queen, and he exclaimed, ' Who is on my side, who ? ' Three of her servants, anxious to gain the conqueror's favour, appeared at the window. ' Throw her down ! ' cried Jehu. The order was instantly obeyed, Jezebel was dashed out of the window, and her blood was spilt upon the wall, and upon the horses as they trampled her under their hoofs. There Jehu left her, as he went triiunphantly into the city to a banquet which had been prepared for him by the citizens to inaugurate his new rank. In the midst of this feast, he bethought himself of Jezebel, and sent out some men to bury her, ' for she was a king's daughter.' But it was too late; the hungry dogs had devoured the body of the queen, and there was nothing left of her but her skull and her feet and the palms of her hands. When the men returned and reported to Jehu what they had seen, he said, ' This is the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saving. In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh 123. JEHU. ■ 479 of Jezebel, and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.' 123. JEHU (884i— 856). [2 Kings X.] Jehu was determined to keep the throne by cunning, and to prevent all open rebellion. Acting in this spirit, he sent a message to all the chiefs and elders of Samaria, and invited them to choose the best and ablest of Ahab's sons to succeed his father as king over Israel. But the rulers feared the astute and audacious usurper. ' Behold,' they sa,id, ' two kings did not stand before him, how then shall we stand ? ' So they gave their complete allegiance to Jehu. The latter demanded a terrible proof of their sincerity : he bade them slay at once Ahab's seventy sons, and bring their heads to him to Jezreel. The command was obeyed, and the bleeding heads were placed in two ghastly heaps before the gate of the city. In the morning, Jehu went to the gate, and exclaimed before all the people, ' You are righteous ; behold, I conspired against my master and slew him, but who slew all these ? ' This was a signal for a general massacre of the house of Ahab, and of all his ofiBcers and friends. After this scene of bloodshed, Jehu left Jezreel and went to Samaria. At the shearing house on the way he met the brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and he asked them, ' Who are you ? ' upon which they replied, ' We are the brothers of Ahaziah, and we go down to salute the children of the king and queen.' Jehu exclaimed, ' Take them alive ! ' and with unsparing cruelty he ordered them all, forty-two men, to be slain at the pit of the shearing house. As he approached the city, he met Jehonadab the son of Eechab, whom he knew to be friendly, and he called out to him from his chariot, ' Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart ? ' And Jehonadab 480 123. JEHU. auswered, ' It is.' Then Jehu gave him his hand and let him come up beside him into his chariot, and said, ' Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.' Burning with this zeal, the new king slew every one of the family of Ahab that was left in Samaria. Now the ancient dynasty was destroyed, but the priests of Baal were still ministering and holding their sway in the land, and Jehu considered that his power was not secure until he had subdued those powerful enemies, Eesolving upon their complete destruction, he had again recourse to a stratagem. He called an assembly of tht people and said to them, ' Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much.' Then he proclaimed a solemn and general festival to be held in honour of Baal, and commanded all the prophets and priests of the god t© appear, until the vast temple was com;pletely filled. He bade all of them array themselves in their costliest gar- ments, as if he wished to show singular reverence to their god. Only idolaters were admitted; all who acknowledged the one true Grod of Israel were carefully excluded. The sacrifices were offered up with unwonted solemnity, and the priests were pouring forth their prayers, when sud- denly they beheld eighty armed men enter, who buret in upon the terrified assembly. Priests and worshippers fell by the swords of the fierce warriors. AH were slain, the images of the idol were broken, and the temple burnt and razed to the ground. Jehu was now securely placed upon the throne of Israel, the founder of a new dynasty. But he did not preserve purity of worship; for, though implacable against the followers of Baal, he permitted the idolatry of the gold^ calves to continue in Dan and Beth-el, and thus followed in the footsteps of the wicked Jeroboam, In his reign, moreover, the empire of Israel began to be considerably weakened. Hazael, king of Syria, made successful invasions into the eastern districts of Grilead, 124. JEHOAHAZ; 125. JOASH. 481 and subjected to his dominion the territories of Gad, Eeuben, and half Manasseh, fine pasture lands, rich in far-famed cattle. Jehu was unable to recover these valu- able possessions; luxury and despotism seem to have destroyed his energy and vigour. He died after a reign of twenty-eight years, and was buried in Samaria. He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.. 124. JEHOAHAZ (856—840). [2 Kings XIII. 1—9,] During this unfortunate reign, the Israelites suffered severely from the perpetual attacks of the Syrians. Hazael and his son Benhadad marched victoriously int© the northern provinces, made raids upon the country, oppressed the people, and levied heavy imposts. By these constant wars the splendid army of the Israelites melted down to ten thousand footmen, fifty horsemen, and ten chariots. In the midst of their misery and oppression, the Lord sent them help through a hero whose name is,- however, not mentioned in the Bible, and they enjoyed a short respite of peace. But king and subjects were sunk in idolatry, their moral strength was waning, and they could barely main- tain their independence. When Jehoahaz died, he was buried in Samaria, and was succeeded by his son Joash. 125. JOASH (840—825). [2 Kings XIII. 10—23.] The Moabites and the Syrians recommenced their attacks upon the kingdom of Israel; but Joash, more courageous than his father, determined upon a valiant resistance. It was during this reign that the aged prophet II 482 125. JOASH. Elisha. fell dangerously ill. The young king came to visit him, and feeling how soon he was to lose his wise and patriotic counsellor, he wept bitterly, exclaiming, '0 my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof ! ' Elisha bade Joash take his bow to the open window and shoot an arrow eastward into the air. He himself guided the hands of the king, and ex- claimed, ' An arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and an arrow of deliverance from Syria ; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou hast consumed them.' Then he bade the king take the arrows and strike the ground with them. Joash struck the ground three times ; then the prophet said to him angrily, 'Thou shouldst have struck five or six times, then hadst thou smitten Syria until thou hadst consumed it, whereas now thou shalt SE^iite Syria but thrice.' Elisha died soon afterwards, and he was buried by his loving disciples, probably in the outskirts of Samaria, and was mourned by all Israel. His memory remained dear to the people, and was faithfully handed down from gene- ration to generation. A wonderful power of healing and restoring was attributed even to his sepulchre ; for about a year after his death, when some Israelites, engaged in burying one of their kinsmen, were suddenly surprised by a band of Moabites, and in the haste and alarm of the moment cast the body into the grave of the prophet, ' the man as soon as he touched the bones of Elisha, revived and stood upon his feet.' Elisha was indeed looked upon as the good and healing prophet, as the gentle and bene- volent messenger of Grod. If it be remembered how he sweetened the bitter waters and multiplied the widow's cruse of oil, recompensed the Shun^mite and restored her child to life,, fed the starving prophets and assisted them in all their waijts ; how diligently he watched over Israel's welfare, and extended his benefits also to the heathens ; 126. JEEOBOAM II. 483 it is easy to understand why the king called him ' the chariot and horsemen of Israel,' and why his death was felt as an irreparable misfortune. Elisha's predictions with respect to the Syrians were realised, Joash , recovered the eastern cities which his father had lost, and defeated the Syrians in three battles. Provoked to warfare by Amaziah, king of Judah, Joash next turned his arms against the southern kingdom. He was again successful, gaining at Beth-shemesh a complete victory over Amaziah, who fell into his hands. He then marched on Jerusalem, broke down the walls of the city, and entered in triumph. He impiously plundered the Temple of all its gold and silver vessels, seized the trea- sures of the king's palace, and returned to Samaria with a large number of hostages. ['. He died in his own city, and was succeeded by his son. 126. JEROBOAM II, (825— ?84). [2 Kings XIV. 23—29 ; Amos, Hosea.] Although Jeroboam obstinately preserved the idola- trous worship of his predecessor, he proved a great and remarkable ruler. He restored his kingdom to much of its former proportions, for he reconquered all the land from the northern district of Hamath southward to the Dead Sea, and took Damascus, the flourishing capital of the Syrians. The Moabites, who had been plundering the kingdom during the preceding reigns, were kept in subjection, and compelled to pay their tribute of flocks and herds. It was during the reign of the second Jeroboam that the prophet Jonah lived, who is in our minds so inti- mately associated with the history of Nineveh. At the same time wrote the prophet Amos, the herdsman of Tekoah, who gives us a vivid picture of that age of cor- I I 2 484 126. JBEOBOAM II. ruption — of thcferuel and selfish oppression of the kings, of the reckless iniquity of the priests, of the wanton lajv- lessness and the vices of the people. 'Thus says the Lord : For three transgressions of Israel and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof ; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes ; they pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and pervert the cause of the lowly ; and a man and his father will go in to the same house, to profane My name. And they lay themselves down upon pledged clothes by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the House of their Grod.' Then the prophet announced the terrible retribution that awaited the people for so much wickedness. ' Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters. Bring and let us drink. The Lord Grod swears by His holiness that, behold, the days shall come upon you, that you will be taken away with hooks and your posterity with fishhooks. And you shall go out at the ruins, every one his own way ; and you shall cast your- selves into the movmtain, says the Lord.' And rising to greater distinctness, and menacing the king himself, he exclaimed : ' Thus He showed me ; and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in His hands. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou ? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of My people Israel, I will no longer pass it over, and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.' The boldness of these and similar speeches drew upon Apios the persecution of the king and his officers. Amaziah especially, a priest in Beth-el, sent word to the king : ' Amos has conspired 126. JEEOBOAII II. 485 against thee in the midst of the house of Israel ; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos says, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.' Amos was ordered at once to leave the kingdom of Israel and to go to Judah. But he answered, ' I am no prophet, nor am I a prophet's son ; but I am a herdsman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit ; and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me. Go, prophesy to My people Israel. Now, therefore, hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and speak not against the house of Isaac. Tbferefore, thus says the Lord, Thy wife shall be dishonoured in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, and thou shalt die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into cap- tivity out of this land.' No less stern were the warnings and rebukes of the prophet Hosea, who raised his voice about the same period ; however different from Amos in style and manner, he closely resembles him in describing the degeneracy of the time, and in predicting terrible misfortunes. 'Hear ye the word of the Lord,' he exclaimed, ' ye children of Israel: for the Lord has a controversy with the inha- bitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land — swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery- — ^they break out in violence, and blood follows upon blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone in it shall perish.' But Jeroboam did not see the fearful day of retribution foretold by the prophets. He died in peace in the year 784. 486 127. INTEEEEGNUM TO, PEKAHIAH. 127. TNTERRBGNTJM ; ZACHARIAH; SHALLUM; MENAHEM; PEKAHIAH (784—769). [2 Kings XV. 8—26.] Jeroboam's death was the signal for general confusion and anarchy. As the prophet Hosea said, ' they had sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind.' For ten years this Interregnum distracted the land (784 — 774), when at last Zachariah, the Son of Jeroboam, was placed on the throne. He was also an idolater, and was, with the approval of the people, murdered by Shallum, the son of Jabesh, after a shorfr reign of six months ; and thus ended the dynasty of the house of Jehu. Shallum, who was proclaimed king, reigned but one month, and was slain in his turn by Menahem, the son of G-adi, who came up from Tirzah, and seized the throne of Israel, which he occupied for ten years (773 — 763). Menahem was barbarously cruel, and wreaked fearful vengeance upon the cities that would not at once ac^ knowledge his sovereignty. He maintained the worship, of the golden calves in Beth-el and Dan. But Pul, the great Assyrian conqueror, invaded his kingdom ; Menahem, anxious solely for his own safety, secured a truce and the invader's support against his Hebrew subjects by paying the enormous tribute of 1,000 talents of silver, which he obtained by imposing upon each person of the wealthier class an impost of fifty shekels. Then Pul left the land. Menahem was succeeded by his son Pekahiah (763 — 759). After a short and evil reig-n, during which the whole kingdom seems to have been convulsed by crime and bloodshed, Pekahiah was slain in his own palace by Pekah, the son of Eemaliah, one of the captains of his army, who attacked him at the head of a band of fifty conspirators from Grilead, and who succeeded him on the throne. 128. PEKAH. 487 128, PEKAH (7^—739) [2 Kings XV. 27—31.] Pekah made an alliance with Eezin, king of Syria, and both invaded together the empire of Judah, over which Ahaz was then reigning. At that time Isaiah had already commenced his grand prophetic career, and played an important part in all public matters. He mentions the war and its issue in the following words : ' And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Eezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Eemaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim; and his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then said the Lord to Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field, and say to him. Take heed and be quiet ; fear not, neither be faint- hearted on account of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, the fierce anger of Eezin with Syria, and the son of Eemaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Eemaliah have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal. Thus says the Lord Grbd, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Eezin ; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be no more a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Eema- liah's son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.' And as the prophet had described and 488 129. HOSHEA. foretold, so it happened. Ahaz called in the aid of the Assyrians and their valiant king Tigiath-Pileser, who eagerly seized this opportunity for obtaining a footing in Palestine. They descended upon the east-Jordanic pro- vinces and upon the northern districts of the kingdom of Israel, invading Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, carrying the people away as captives into the heart of Assyria, and transplanting Assyrians into those newly-acquired terri- tories. Thus Israel was materially weakened, and was ripe to fall a prey to any foreign conqueror. Hoshea, the son of Elah, headed a conspiracy against Pekah, slew him, and then "seized the crown. He was the last king of Israel. 129. HOSHEA (739—722). [2 Kings XVII.] Ushered in by revolt and violence, this reign was one of disgrace and misfortune — a fearful termination of centuries of wickedness, bloodshed, and idolatry. Shal- maneser had followed Tigiath-Pileser as king of Assyria, and had inherited his love of conquest and daring ambition. He subdued a part of Phoenicia, and made the king of Israel tributary to Assur. Hoshea tried to shake off the burdensome yoke ; to effect this, he secretly sought the powerful help of So or Sevechus, king of Egypt, and then he refused to transmit to Assyria the imposed tax. By these steps he speedily brought final ruin upon his country. Shalmaneser, with his immense host, poured in upon the weak and exhausted kingdom of Israel; he seized and imprisoned Hoshea, and besieged the last stronghold and the pride of the land, the beautiful city of Samaria. After three years of horrible suffering on the part of the besieged, Samaria fell into the hand of the enemy. The Israelites were carried away into the remote provinces of Mesopotamia and Media, while Assyrians were sent to colonise the fair kingdom of 129. HOSHEA. 489 the north. With an instinctive fear of the great Grod of the Hebrews, these Assyrian settlers tried to add His worship to their own religious practices, so that the land soon became the scene of the strangest idolatry. Thus the kingdom of the ten tribes was for ever over- thrown, ' And this happened,' says the Bible, ' because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their Grod, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel ; and on account of the kings of Israel they had chosen. And the children of Israel did secretly those things which were not right against the Lord their God, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchman to the fenced city. And they set up images and groves in every high hill and under every garden tree ; and there they burnt incense in • all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and they wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger. . . . Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets and by all the seers, saying. Turn you from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the laws which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets. Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their Grod. • . . And they made for themselves molten images, two calves, and made Ash- tartes, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal; and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divinations and enchant- ments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.' 490 129. HOSHEA. The Israelites were almost without exception ruled by weak or sinful kings ; the gloom of their history is rarely relieved by a ray of prosperity or hope ; yet their ultimate fate, that of being entirely merged in the race of their hated conquerors, is full of a melancholy and touching interest. For the ten tribes of Israel were not even permitted, like the sister kingdom of Judah, to bequeath to later ages and western nations the memory of rich and varied destinies. They were irretrievably lost, and a deep and impenetrable silence clings round their dispersion. The thick folds of the veil have never been lifted ; the words of the prophet , are verified : ' The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise ; she is forsaken upon her land, there is none to raise her up. TEE KINGDOM OF JUDAH. (975—968.) 130. REHOBOAM (976— 9S8). [1 KiKGS XIV. 21—31; 2 Cheon. X.— XII.] It is necessary now to retrace our steps to the time of the disruption of the Hebrew monarchy, when Eehoboam, the son of king Solomon, after vainly trying to defeat Jeroboam, and to win back the rebellious tribes, retired to his own capital Jerusalem. He felt that he must con- tent himself with the rule of the two faithful provinces of Judah and Benjamin, which were gradually amalgarqated under the name of the kingdom of Judah. In extent, fertility, and variety of resources, the northern... kingdom far outshone its southern rival: whilst the latter, as above pointed out, possessed the famed city of Jerusalem, and the sacred Temple hallowed by the Ark and the tablets of the Law. There could be no second Jerusalem, as there could be no second Temple. The chivalry and valour of David, the unsurpassed wisdom of Solomon, and the power and splendour of both, seemed inseparably associated with the holy city. Cherished memories of early days clung fresh and unfading round the bleak and barren hill country of Judah, dear to all its inhabitants as the cradle of their glorious heroes. The . little kingdom was hemmed in between the Mediterranean and the desert. Ephraim and Dan were its northern 492 131, ABIJAH. confines, the wild tribes of Edom and Arabia, of Amalek and Moab, roamed along its southern frontier ; while the Ammonites and the Edomites remained tributary to its sway. Eehoboam was unable to understand the pure faith of his ancestors ; weak and sinful, he was easily tempted into idolatry, in which he was perhaps confirmed by his mother, who was of Ammonite descent. Heathen worship flourished in many groves and on a thousand heights consecrated to idols throughout the land. As usual, political decline was the consequence of religious degeneracy. In the fifth year of Kehoboam's reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Judea, and marched upon Jerusalem. He entered the holy city, penetrated unopposed into the royal palace and into the very precincts of the Temple, ransacked the treasures of both, and seized even the golden shields which since Solomon's time had adorned the porch of the Sanc- tuary. Laden with booty, Shishak returned to Egypt. Eehoboam, to lessen the humiliation, replaced the golden shields by brazen ones. Moreover, continual warfare was carried on throughout his reign between Judah and Israel ; but he gained no decisive advantages ; whilst the northern empire increased in strength, in unity, and in order. Eehoboam was succeeded by his son Abijah, the child of his favourite wife Maachah, a daughter of Absalom. 131. ABIJAH (968—955). [1 KiKss XV. 1—8 ; 2 Chron. XIU.] This short reign was distinguished by no memorable event. Abijah was an idolater like his father, and like him, he waged war against Jeroboam, and with equally indifferent results. He was succeeded by his son. 132. ASA. 493 132. ASA (966—914). [1 Kings XV. 9—24 ; 2 Chkon. XIV.— XVI.] This king, pious and Grod-fearing, was earnestly intent upon restoring the true religion of the Hebrews. He not only broke the images of the idols, and expelled the heathen priests from the land, but he even banished his mother Maachah from the royal palace, because she obsti- nately clung to the worship of Ashtarte, and he ordered the statue of the goddess to be burnt in the valley of Kidron. But it is remarkable that he did not abolish the altars on the heights, upon which he allowed sacri- fices to be offered and incense to be burnt as before : it' is imcertain whether his reforming zeal did not extend so far, or whether he considered the high places as harm- less and not incompatible with the service of God. He began to enrich the Temple anew, and deposited in it the treasures of gold and silver which he and his father had consecrated. The country indeed bade fair to prosper in his reign : he built new cities and fortified them with walls and towers, whilst valiant spearsmen from Judah and expert archers from Benjamin were trained to defend the towns. The strength of his army was soon to be tested. Immense hosts of Ethiopians under their king Serah invaded Judea ; but they were completely defeated by the Hebrews, who pursued them to Grerar, and gained much spoil. After this decided success, Asa became even more anxious than before to prove his piety ; he faithfully followed the teaching of the prophets who came to advise and to guide him, destroyed every idol that had been left in Judah, and restored the altar of the Lord before the porch of the Temple. But a serious trial awaited him towards the close of his reign. Baasha, king of Israel, desirous to weaken his rivalj was building the city of Eamah close upon the con- 494 133. JEHOSHAPHAT. fines of Judah, from whence he hoped to control the land. Asa, well understanding the danger, despatched messen- gers to Benhadad, king of Syria, sent him all the newly- accumulated treasures of the Temple and the palace as presents, and entreated him to break his alliance with Israel, and to invade the northern provinces, in order to compel Baasha to retreat for the defence of his own country. Benhadad consented ; he was successful, and conquered the provinces of Naphtali and some more southern districts. Baasha returned in haste to his capital Tirzah, whereupon Asa sent large numbers of worlcmen to pull down the scarcely completed and now deserted town Eamah; and he built with the materials the cities of Greba and Mizpah (see p. 443). Asa spent the remainder of his reign in peace, but was in his old age afflicted by a terrible disease in his feet. When he died, he was buried by his sorrowing people in the sepulchre which he had built for himself in Jerusalem. His son succeeded him. 133. JEHOSHAPHAT (914-891). ' [1 Kings XXII. 41—50; 2 Kings III. 7 sjq. ; 2 Cheon. XVU.— XX.] Jehoshaphat proved worthy of his father Asa, and may be numbered among the greatest kings of Judah. He strengthened the country by founding new cities and by fortifying those which Asa had taken from the Ephraim- ites. He built forts and established storehouses through- out the land. Except that he maintained the service on the high places, he insisted upon the pure worship of the Lord, and rooted out the last vestiges of idolatry. So zealous was he in the propagation of the true doctrines, that he appointed men in all the cities of Judah to in- struct the people in the Law. The fame of his power 5ind his wisdom was widely spread among the tribes of. 133. JEHOSHAPHAT. 495. thg Past ; the old magnificent days of Solomon seemed to be revived ; the Philistines and the Arabians sought to secure the goodwill of the monarch by costly presents and by tribute money ; and the Edomites gave proof of their faithful allegiance. A greater triumph even than all this was the alliance which he concluded with king Ahab, and which for a while terminated the fierce warfare that had so long raged between Judah and Israel. That union was strengthened by the marriage of his son Joram, the heir of Judah, with Athaliah, the Israelite princess. Jehoshaphat himself went up to Samaria, the capital of Ephraim, on a peaceful visit to Ahab. There the two kings resolved upon the campaign against the Syrian king Benhadad which, at the siege of Eamoth in Grilead, ended in the death of Ahab and the defeat of the Israelite army (see p. 460). Jehoshaphat was, however, permitted to return in safety to Jerusalem, where he continued to devote himself to religious and political reforms. But a fearful calamity threatened the land of Judah. The Moabites and the Ammonites, those ungovernable tribes whose ardour for warfare and rapine had never abated, attempted the conquest of the southern kingdom. At the first tidings of this impending invasion, Jehoshaphat was seized with consternation. He proclaimed — so relates the Chronist — a fast throughout the whole land, and sum- moned the people to the Court of the Temple to implore the help of the Lord. The king himself prayed fervently for aid and counsel in a manner worthy of his great ancestor Solomto. With the humility of true greatness, he said, ' We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee.' ATast concourse of people was gathered roimd him — men, women, and children, all waiting for a sign from the Lord. The prayer was answered. Upon Jeha- ziel, a Levite, descended the spirit of Grod. 'Be not afraid nor dismayed,' said he, ' by reason of this great 496 134. JOEAM. multitude ; for the battle is not yours, but Grod's ; . . . you shall not need to fight in this battle : come forward, stand still, and see the salvation of the Xiord with you,' King and people heard these comforting words with glad- ness and pious faith. On the following morning, when the warriors poured forth from Jerusalem, the priests, arrayed in their splendid robes, sang, 'Praise ye the Lord, for His mercy endureth for ever.' The Ammonites and the Moabites were smitten — but not by the army of Jehoshaphat. They had been joined by inhabitants of Seir, upon whom, however, it appears they looked with mistrust and suspicion ; and an internecine feud followed, by which the armies of the three tribes were thoroughly weakened and almost annihilated. When Jehoshaphat and his soldiers came to the battlefield, they saw it strewn with the corpses of their enemies, and they returned to Israel laden with spoil. The king gave utterance to his feelings of joy and gratitude in fervent hymns of praise. Towards the close of his reign, he made an allianqe with Ahaziah, the wicked king of Israel, for the purpose of resuming that commerce in gold which had flourished in the days of Solomon. Accordingly he built large ships, which were to sail to Ophir. But the vessels never went out on their voyages ; they were wrecked in the harbour of Ezion-geber on the Eed Sea. When Jehoshaphat died, his son succeeded himi 134. JORAM (891—884), [2 Kings VIII. 16—24 ; 2 Cheon. XXI.] This reign was unfortunate for Judah, As soon as Joram considered himself secured in his succession, he killed his six brothers, whom their father had amply pro- vided for with gold and lands, and slew, besides, many persons of influence whose ambition he feared. He had 185. AHAZIAH. 497 ♦ married Athaliah, the daughter of the wicked and re- vengeful Jezebel. Like her mother, Athaliah was a fanatic idolatress and worshipper of Baal; she brought her images and her priests with her into the city of Jeru- salem, and succeeded too well in gaining the fickle people to her side. Thus lawlessness and superstition were rampant throughout the land. The proud and warlike Edomites, who had long watched for an opportunity to shake off the hated bondage, now revolted from a rule of combined weakness and crime; they proclaimed their independence, and elected a king from among their own people — thus realising the prediction contained in Isaac's blessing : ' And by thy sword shalt thou live. Yet shalt thou serve thy brother : — But when thou truly desirest it. Thou shalt break his yoke from thy neck.' Probably encouraged by the success of this rebellion, the Philistines and the Arabians took up arms against Judah ; they advanced unopposed through the southern districts of the kingdom, and reaching Jerusalem, they broke into the palace, plundered it of its treasures, and carried away Joram's wives and children, leaving behind only his youngest son Ahaziah. Even some towns of Judea herself, as Libnah, succeeded in withdrawing from the king's feeble government. Joram died of a fearful illness, and was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal sepulchre, and without the funeral honours that the people had accorded to his father. 135. AHAZIAH AND INTERREGNUM (884—877), [2 Kings VIII. 24— IX. 29 ; 2 Cheon. XXII. 9— XXIII. 21.] Ahaziah, the youngest son of Joram, and the only one who had escaped captivity, and who now succeeded him 498 135. AHAZIAH. upon the throne, was entirely swayed by his mother Atha- liah, who was the evil genius of his reign, and who in every way fostered the growth of idolatry. Ahaziah allied himself with his uncle Jehoram, the king of Israel, in the warfare which he carried on at Eamoth Grilead against Hazael, king of Syria. Wounded during the siege, he left the camp and repaired to Jezreel, where he was joined by Jehoram. From that capital the two kings witnessed the approach of the impetuous Jehu, who had by Elisha been anointed king of Israel (p. 477) : Jehoram, who set out to meet Jehu, was pierced by him with an arrow ; Ahaziah in the first panic fled northwards and hid himself in the neighbouring country, but he was overtaken at Megiddo and brought before Jehu, who mercilessly ordered him to be killed, yet allowed his body to be taken to Jerusalem, where he was buried in the grave of his ancestors. In her royal palace, Athaliah heard the tidings of her son's murder; goaded on by frenzy and vindictiveness, she resolved to exterminate all the members of the reign- ing house of Judah, and almost succeeded in her mad design ;■ indeed she believed that she had succeeded com- pletely. She now rulied supreme over the southern kingdom, which sighed under the yoke of her relentless tyranny. But the royal line of David was not extinct : one feeble child of Ahaziah, Joash, then only a year old, had been saved from the general massacre by the care and vigilance of his aunt Jehosheba, a sister of the king, and wife of the High-priest Jehoiada. For six years Joash was kept hidden in the house of his anxious relatives. In the be- ginning of the seventh year, the High-priest determined to wrest the throne by a bold stroke from the heathen queen, and to secure it for the young scion of Judah. It was a daring, but by no means a hopeless scheme. In 136. AHAZIAH. 499 spite of the great progress which idolatry had made during the preceding reigns, and of the very large num- ber of priests and prophets of Baal who infested Jerusa- lem, there were still many of the people who remained true to the pure worship of the One Grod, and who longed to avenge the blood of the house of David. In the same city stood the Temple of the Lord and the house of Baal; in the one Jehoiada sacrificed and prayed, in the other the priest Mattan invoked the images of his deities. Athaliah had not attempted to forbid the worship of the Lord; indeed she found she could not destroy the authority of the Temple ; and thus it became possible for the con- spiracy, planned in secrecy and with prudence, to be carried out. The Levites were, by request of Jehoiada, assembled in Jerusalem from all parts of Judah ; to those servants of the Lord was added an army of warriors whose loyalty and obedience could be relied upon. On a Sabbath morning, as if to celebrate the usual worship, a vast congregation might have been seen pouring into the Temple. ' This concourse of people was divided into se- parate bands ; one portion guarded the doors of the holy place, another kept watch at the outer gates, a third was stationed round the porch of the palace, whilst a number of armed Levites formed the bodyguard of the young Joash. The commanders and captains were armed with the shields and spears of king David. When all was ready and well prepared, Jehoiada brought the child into the Temple, placed the royal crown upon his head, and handed over to him the laws of the empire. He was in- stantly greeted with the cry of 'Grod save the king!' That cry was taken up by the guards stationed at the gates, and ringing forth through the air, it startled and amazed the unsuspecting queen. She boldly hastened, forth from her palace, and looking, into the Court of the Temple, beheld the crowned child standing on the elevated KE 2 500 136. JOASH. place reserved for the king, and surrounded by an en- thusiastic multitude shouting forth their vows of allegi- ance with the blasts of the trumpets. Then she felt that the day of retribution had come ; she rent her clothes, exclaiming, 'Treason! treason!' She might have fallen a victim to the popular fury, had not Jehoiada, fearful of sacrilege in the Temple, exclaimed, ' Take her away be- yond the lines, and whoso follows her, let him be slain by the sword — slay her not in the House of the Lord !' The warriors drew her forth from the Temple, and hurried her along between the hosts of armed men, till they came to the gates of the palace, where they slew her — ^the last remnant of the wicked house of Omri. Then the people rushed upon the temple of Baal, tore down the altars, broke the idols, and killed the chief priest Mattan, And now Jehoiada, no less distinguished by wisdom than pa- triotism, solemnly concluded a double covenant ; on the one hand between God and the people of Judah ' that it might be the people of the Lord,' and on the other hand, between the king and the people ; by the one he' secured a theocratic, by the other a constitutional rule ; and he thus established institutions fitted both for a holy and a free nation. Then Joash proceeded to Mount Zion, and en- tered the palace of his royal ancestors. 136. JOASH (877—838). [2 Kings XI. XII ; 2 Chbon. XXIV.] Being a mere child only seven years old when he came to the throne, Joash remained for many years longer under the guidance of the High-priest Jehoiada, who instructed and advised him, and firmly implanted in his mind the truths of the Mosaic faith. Yet though all other forms of strange worship were abolished, the service 136. JOASH. 501 on the high places, which had evidently taken deep root, was carried on as before. The king's special care was directed towards the maintenance of the Temple and its service. The holy edifice had during the last two unhappy reigns fallen into sad decay ; its very walls were seriously injured by neglect, and it was despoiled of its gold and silver vessels, which had either been seized by foreign invaders, or been paid to them as tribute money. Joash ordered a large chest to be placed on the right side of the brazen Altar, into which the people were invited to put their offerings. This appeal was responded to with enthusiasm ; the chest was soon filled with money ; and the workmen commenced their labour, and carried it on with vigour. New vessels and implements of gold and silver were made, and once more the Temple was restored to its former magnificence. Jehoiada, the High-priest, died a hundred and thirty years old, and Joash was left without a faithful friend and counsellor. This proved a great misfortune to the country ; for the king, weak and easily led, listened to the seductive advice of the young nobles of Judah, and abandoned the pure worship of Grod for the service of Baal. Prophets arose who warned and threatened, but their words were unheeded ; both king and people defied the punish- ment which they knew must inevitably follow upon their idolatry. Prominent among the prophetic monitors was Zachariah, the son of Jehoiada ; again and again he raised his voice to denounce the idolaters ; he stood boldly be- fore the people in the Temple, and exclaimed : ' Thus says God, Why do you transgress, the commandments of the Lord that you cannot prosper? Because you have for- saken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.' The people, enraged at this reproof, and still more instigated by the ungrateful king himself, stoned the prophet to death in the gates of the Temple, and desecrated the holy place 502 137. AlVtAZIAH. by wanton bloodslied. Zachariah exclaimed with his dying breath, ' The Lord will look upon it and requite it ! ' At the end of that same year the retribution came. Hazael, king of Syria, invaded Canaan ; he advanced un- opposed as far as Gath and took it ; he next marched with a comparatively small army into Judea, where he killed many of the nobles and chiefs of the people ; then he turned to Jerusalem, and was about to enter the town, when Joash, anxious to induce him to retreat, sent him an immense tribute of gold and silver taken from the Temple and the palace. The unhappy king fell dan- gerously ill ; and while tortured by pain and remorse, he was cruelly murdered by his own servants Josabar and Josabadi. He was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but not in the royal sepulchre;, and he was succeeded by his son. 137. AMAZIAH (838—811). [2 KiNOS XIV. 1—20 ; 2 Cheon. XXV.] Amaziah's first care was to strengthen his position, for he was well aware that he would have to encounter the hostility of all the friends of his father's assassins. When he felt his authority sufficiently established, impelled by justice and filial duty, he slew the wicked murderers, but ' the children of the murderers he slew not ; according to that which is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, wherein the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers ; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.' The Edomites had since Joram's time maintained their independence. Amaziah, desirous to weaken, and, if pos- sible, to reconquer them, undertook an expedition into their territory ; he defeated them in a great battle, killed 10,000 of their men, advanced to their capital Sela, and 138. UZZIAH. 503 took it, after which he changed its name into Joktheel. Elated by this decided victory, he aspired to the greater glory of subduing the kingdom of Israel. He despatched a messenger to Joash with the defiant words, 'Come, let us look one another in the face ! ' The king of Israel re- turned this proud, allegorical reply, ' The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Crive thy daughter to my son to wife ; and there ran along the wild beasts that are in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, therefore thj heart is lifted up ; enjoy the glory of this, and remain at home : for why shouldst thou interfere to thy misfor- tune, that thou shouldst fallj even thou and Judah with thee ? ' But Amaziah would not listen. So the two kings met ia battle at Beth'shemesh, a city of Judah. Amaziah was defeated and his army routed ; then Joash advanced upon Jerusalem, the walls of which he destroyed to a con- siderable extent. The capital was plundered by the victo- rious king, who returned to Samaria rich with spoil, and taking with him many hostages. During the later years of his reign, Amaziah abandoned the worship of Grod and turned to idolatry. The priests, incensed at this deser- tion, made a conspiracy against his life. He was informed of the danger, and escaped to Lachish; but he was pur- sued, seized, and mercilessly slain. His body was brought to Jerusalem and interred in the tomb of his ancestors. He was succeeded by his son. 138. UZZIAH OR AZARIAE (811—769). [2 Kings XIV. 21, 22; XV. 1—7; 2 Ceron. XXVI.] Uzziah was sixteen years old when he commenced his long and happy reign. Hebrew historians dwelt upon it with pride and delight. The young king, following the guidance of the prophets, was a true and faithful wor^. 504 138. UZZIAH. shipper of the Lord, who sent him blessings and pros- perity. He trained a magnificent army chosen from the very flower of his people, and supplied them with new weapons and complete armour. Eager to test and to establish their strength, he undertook a campaign against the old enemies of his people, the Philistines. He sub- dued them, breaking down the. walls of their chief towns, Grath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, and building new cities in their land. Then he turned his forces against the Ara- bians, whom he also defeated and weakened. Alarmed by these victories, the Ammonites sought his friendship by presents. His fame spread widely among the surround- ing nations, and reached the king of Egypt. Constantly intent upon improvement and progress, Uzziah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, and fortified them with new towers. He raised forts in the desert, in order to secure a permanent command of the neighbouring countries. He even constructed and placed upon the towers of the bulwarks great engines, which by some machinery, rude enough it may be, but still remarkable for that time, could send a cloud of arrows and large stones down upon the enemy beneath. The peaceful arts of husbandry were not forgotten among the pursuits of war. The king loved agriculture, and encouraged it by every means in his power. ,He had vine-dressers in the mountains of Carmel ; his vast flocks and herds grazed upon the rich pastures of the low countries ; and for the use of his herdsmen he sank many wells. For the protection of commerce, he built or im- proved the harbour of Elath on the Eed Sea, which offered greater safety than that of Ezion-geber. Many prophets shed lustre upon his time ; men like Joel, Hosea, and Amos raised their voices in warning and counsel ; it was then that the great Isaiah began his noble career of public instructor; and Micah followed in his footsteps. Thus Uzziah's reign passed gloriously for himself and pros- 139. JOTHAM. 505 perously for the people, until at last, in a moment of self- glorification and pride, he determined to offer up incense with his own hand on the golden altar of the Temple. As he entered the holy building, he was followed by Azariah the High-priest and many priests. They knew that his purpose was sinful, and they warned him that he could not with impunity usurp the office reserved for the anointed sons of Aaron. But their remonstrances were unheeded; Uzziah seized the censer, and was about to bum the incense, when suddenly he was afflicted by that most terrible of all scourges, leprosy. The fatal marks were imprinted on his forehead, and instantly observed by the priests. They knew that he durst not>stay to pollute the House of Grod ; he knew it himself, for he hurried out, and dwelt in seclusion, away from the palace and the city, a leper until the day of his death. The government was at once handed over to his son Jotham, who at Uzziah's death became king of Judah. 139- JOTHAM (769—743). [2 Kings XV. 32—38 ; 2 Chbon. XXVII.] Jotham was twenty-five years old when he succeeded to the throne. Like his father, he was obedient to the Divine Law, although he likewise suffered the high places to remain, where ' the people still sacrificed and burnt incense.' He added another gate to the Temple, extended the wall of the hill (Ophel), and built new fortifications in the mountains and woods of Judah. He was strong enough to defeat and to subject the Ammonites, and to exact from them a heavy tribute of silver and of com. ' So Jotham became mighty, because he went the right way before the Lord his Grod.' Yet it is strange that during the reigns of two of the most virtuous kings of Judah, the people should have 506 140. AHAZ. "been singularly corrupt and idolatrous. Again and again the voice of the prophets was lifted up to admonish and reprove, to advise and to menace. To their writings we are indebted for vivid pictures of the social condition of their times ; from them we learn the lawless arrogance of the nobles and the heedless depravity of the people. Joel furnishes a magnificent description of a remarkable locust plague, and Amos and Micah make allusion to another terrible calamity, an earthquake, which became a marked epoch for several generations. But prominent even among so many great contemporaries stands Isaiah, unequalled in power and sublime impressiveness, the intrepid counsellor of kings and chiefs, the imtiring teacher of the people, the terror of a venal and degraded priesthood, the messenger of bright hopes to the faithful and the penitent.' Jotham was succeeded by his son. 140. AHAZ (743—728). [2 KiNOS XVI. ; 2 Chbon., XXVIH.] Great troubles and misfortunes befell the land during the reign of this weak and idolatrous monarch. ' He did not what was right in the sight of the Lord his Grod, like David his father ; but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel ; he even made his son pass through the fire, accord- ing to the abomination of the heathens, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel ; and he sacri- ficed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.' The corruption of the kingdom of Judah reached an unprecedented height. Poli- tical dangers necessarily followed. The Edomites revolted and even ventured to invade Judea; they defeated the Hebrew army and carried off many captives. The Philis- * Por a full account of the life and -writings of Isaiah, see vol. ii. pp. 24-78. , 140. AHAZ. 507 tines broke into the land, and succeeded in conquering some of the western districts. Pekah,the king of Israel, who had seen the rising power of Judah with envy and anxiety, made an alliance with Eezin, king of Syria. Both monarchs inarched against Jerusalem; but the city, strong in its splendid fortifications, withstood the siege of the united armies. Eezin, enraged at this humiliating check, marched with his troops southwards, seized the valuable harbour town of Elath, and colonized it with Syrians. To protect himself against future dangers from his northern foes, Ahaz turned for help to Tiglath-Pileser, the powerful king of Assyria, actually calling the vulture down into the fold. His messengers went to the great monarch with presents of gold and silver taken from the Temple and his own palace. Tiglath-Pileser, too happy to obtain a hold upon Canaan, obeyed the summons with alacrity; he marched upon Damascus, besieged and took it, led the people away cap- tives to Kir, and slew Eezin, the king of Syria. Ahaz went to Damascus to meet his deliverer. There he saw ' and admired a heathen altar, and he determined to place one exactly like it in the Temple of the Lord. It was accurately copied, and this new altar was put eastward before the entrance to the Holy, on the spot previously occupied by the old and hallowed brazen one, which was removed to the northern side of the Court. "With a strange delight in his new altar, he ordered that all the principal sacrifices should be offered upon it. Besides, he irreve- rently despoiled the great laver, took it down from the brazen oxen upon which it rested, and placed it on the stone pavement. "When he died, he left the empire rnuch weakened in extent and material resources, and sadly degenerated in religion and morality. 508 141. HEZEKIAH. 141. HEZEKIAH (728—699). [2 Kmos XVni.— XX.; 2 Chron. XXIX.— XXXU.] Fortunately for Judah, Hezekiah was in many respects well fitted to remedy the injury which the infatuation and perverseness of his father had inflicted upon the land. Eight-minded and God-fearing, he abhorred all heathen practices, and determined to reinstate the pure worship of the Lord. ' He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. . . . He trusted in the Lord God of Israel ; so that after him none was like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clung to the Lord, and departed not from following Him, but kept His command- ments which the Lord commanded Moses.' He wisely gave himself up to the guidance of Isaiah, who remained faithfully at his side from the commence- ment until the close of his reign ; and he encouraged the prophets Nahutn and Micah to teach the people and en- force upon them obedience and piety. His first self-imposed task was to destroy not only the numerous idols which disgraced his kingdom, but also to cut down the groves and high places which had been spared and sanctioned even by his pious predecessors. With an unflinching hand he annihilated these last vestiges of a corrupt religion ; he even broke in pieces and removed the brazen serpent of Moses, because this ancient and time- honoured relic of Israel's wanderings in the desert was regarded by the people with superstitious awe, and wor- shipped with incense and prayer. He renewed the services and offerings in the Temple with unusual splendour ; he was anxious to celebrate the feast of Passover with a grandeur and magniflcence that had not been known since the time of Solomon. To carry out this object, he post- 141. HEZEKIAH, 509 poned the festival for a whole month, in order to give the priests time to sanctify themselves, and to enable the people to assemble at Jerusalem from the distant parts of the land ; for he desired that, on that occasion, the Israel- ites should flock to the capital from Dan to Beersheba. He sent out his messengers not only through Judah, but to the towns of the rival kingdom, inviting them to take part in the great feast of gratitude and rejoicing. In the provinces of Israel the messengers were generally received with the utmost scorn and derision. Yet a few from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulon obeyed the sum- mons and joined the people of Judah, who all hastened to the Temple as with one heart. For so long a time had the Divine commands been neglected, that many appeared in the holy place unsanctified. But Hezekiah, rejoicing at their presence, prayed for them. ' The good Lord par- don every one that prepares his heart to seek Grod, the Lord Grod of his fathers, though he be not cleansed accord- ing to the purifications of the Sanctuary I' The Passover was celebrated with great solemnity and innumerable sacri- fices for fourteen days ; it was the beginning of a new religious life that dawned upon Judah. Hezekiah displayed equal energy in protecting his king- dom from external dangers. He undertook an expedition against the Philistines who, restless and aggressive as ever, menaced his territory; he demolished their forts, took their stronghold Graza, and devastated a large portion of their land. Then aspiring to greater aims, he determined to shake off the galling yoke of dependence, refused to pay the tribute money, and rebelled against Assyria. This daring step naturally provoked the anger of the mighty king Sennacherib; his troops poured into Judah, and easily took the fenced cities. Hezekiah's courage failed him, he saw no hope of deliverance or victory, and sent a messenger 610 141. HEZEKIAH. to the king of Assyria with these humiliating words : ' I have offended ; return from me ; that which thou puttest on me will I bear.' Sennacherib, greedy for treasure, ex- acted three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. To comply with this demand, Hezekiah was com- pelled to despoil his own palace and the Temple of Grod, even to tear the gold from its doors and pillars. It appears, however, that he entered into secret negotiations with the king of Egypt, who promised assistance. The rumour of these plots reached the ears of Sennacherib ; his anger was aroused, and he now insisted upon the absolute subjection of Judah. He was encamped in Lachish, in the land of Judah itself. From thence he sent his three generals Tartan, Eabsaris, and Eabshakeh, with a large army against Jerusalem, to which they at once began to lay siege. It was a terrible trial for the people of Judah. The king sent out three of his counsellors, Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah, to speak with the Assyrian officers, whilst the people came thronging upon the wall to hear the reply of the enemy. As soon as the Hebrew messengers approached, Eabshakeh addressed them in these haughty terms : ' Speak you now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein ' thou trustest ? Thou sayest (but they are but vain words), I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me ? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean it will go into his hand, and pierce it : so is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all that trust on him. But if you say to me. We trust in the Lord om- Grod : is not that He whose high place? and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? Now, therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver 141. HEZEKIAH. 511 thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. How then wilt thou withstand one captainof the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen ? Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it ? The Lord said to me, G-o up against this land and destroy it.' Eliakim and his two friends were greatly alarmed at these insulting words ; they feared that the people on the walls, hearing them, would lose aU courage, and perchance waver in their allegiance to their king. So they bade the spokesman use the Ara.m8ean tongue instead of the Hebrew. But Eabshakeh, easily divining their in- tention, cried with a loud voice in the language of the people of Judah : ' Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. Thus says the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you ; for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand. . . . Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then shall every man eat of his own vine and every one of his fig-tree, and every one shall drink the waters of his cistern ; until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil-olive and of honey, that you may live and not die; and hearken not to Hezekiah, when he persuades you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.' When the words of the Assyrians were reported to the king, he rent his garments and put on sackcloth, and went into the Temple of the Lord. Then, in the anguish of his heart, he sent some of his servants to the great and pious Isaiah, entreating him to pray to G;od for His unhappy people. But the prophet saw no cause for alarm ; even from the power of the mighty Assyrian monarch the Lord would save His chosen nation. Meanwhile Sennacherib had advanced from Lachish to Libnah. Here he was informed that Tirhakah, king of 512 Ul. HEZEKIAH. Ethiopia, was marching northwards with an army, perhaps to aid the king of Egypt in the approaching danger that threatened him from the Assyrians. He now insisted upon Hezekiah's immediate and unconditional submission. He sent again messengers to him with a letter containing these words : ' Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them whom my fathers have destroyed, as Grozan, and Haran, and Eezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar ? Where is the king- of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sapharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah ? ' Hezekiah went up into the Temple with the letter in his hand, and ' spread it out before the Lord.' Then he prayed, with all the agony of despair, and with all the fervour of his pious and trustful nature. That cry was heard and answered. Through the prophet Isaiah he received glad tidings ; help was near at hand ; the Assyrian was to fall, but not by the archers of Benjamin or the warriors of Judah ; a greater power than theirs was to lay the proud heathen low. ' He shall not come,' concluded the prophet, ' into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before, it with shields, nor cast up a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, says the Lord.' The prediction of Isaiah was fulfilled : that very night the vast Assyrian army, encamped, before the walls of Jerusalem, was smitten with pestilence by the angel of the Lord. The trembling people of Judah beheld in the dim morning light the scattered corpses — silent witnesses of the power of their Grod. Sennacherib had escaped, but only to meet a death hardly less terrible ; for when he 141. HEZEKIAH. 513 returned to Nineveli, and was worshipping in the temple of bis god Nisroch, he was murdered by two of his sons, who escaped into Armenia, while their brother Esarhaddon was proclaimed king of Assyria. Not long after these events, Hezekiah became danger- ously ill, and he felt that death was approaching. Isaiah came to him and said, ' Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live.' When the king heard these words, he prayed fervently to the Lord that he migtt be permitted to recover. The request uttered with tears was granted ; it was again the voice of Isaiah which brought the joyful message that the king's life would be prolonged for fifteen years ; and it was the hand of Isaiah that put the healing figs upon the boil which threatened the king's days. So wonderful did this recovery appear to the -grateful Hezekiah, that he entreated Isaiah to convince him by a sign of the efficacy of the cure. The miracle was vouchsafed by the intercession of the prophet ; the shadow on the sun-dial which stood in the garden of the palace, ■ went back ten degrees. Hezekiah marked his final re- storation to health by a beautiful hymn of praise, which he ofifered up to the Lord as he entered the Temple. About this time, glimpses are revealed to us of a vigorous people — the Chaldeans or Babylonians — who 'suddenly emerged from obscurity, and were soon to assert themselves as one of the greatest powers that ever ruled in the East. That people was destined to overthrow the mighty empire of Assyria, which was now fast decaying through its inordinate pomp and luxury. Merodach Baladan, the first Babylonian king, had heard of the little empire of Judah and of its pious mon- arch Hezekiah, and most probably also of the dreadful fate that had befallen the Assyrian army tmder Senna- cherib before the walls of Jerusalem. Partly out of curiosity, and partly with a view to ultimate conquest, he L L 514 Ul. HEZEKIAH. sent messengers to Hezekiah with friendly greetings and presents. The king, full of cordial courtesy, and suspecting no hostile motives, showed them all the treasures collected in the palace. As soon as they had departed, the prophet Isaiah appeared before Hezekiah, and being informed of the visit of the Babylonians, and hearing that they had been shown all the wealth stored up in the king's residence, he snoke these ominous words : ' Behold, the days come when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store for thee to this day, shall be carried into Babylon ; nothing shall be left, says the Lord.' But Hezekiah could not grieve for future troubles. His calm and simple nature was ready to enjoy the present. ' Good is the word of the Lord,' he exclaimed, ' that thou hast spoken ; it is good if rest and truth be in my days.' The closing years of Hezekiah's reign passed peacefully for himself and his people. He improved Jerusalem by building an aqueduct and bringing water into the city ; he erected vast storehouses for supplies of corn, wine, and oil, and directed the attention of his herdsmen to the increase of the flocks. Moreover, he showed a love of wisdom and learning by causing a collection of pro- verbs, which till then may only have been preserved by oral tradition, to be compiled by his scribes (Proverbs XXV.— XXIX.). Though Hezekiah's reign was not free from trials and dangers, it was remarkable for political and religious energy, for extraordinary efforts to maintain the indepen- dence and to increase the resources of the kingdom. - Well,' therefore, may the people have mourned when Hezekiah died ; and his name has been treasured in honourable remembrance. • 142. MANASSEH. 515 142. MAITASSEH (699—644). [2 Kings XXI. 1—18; 2 Cheon. XXXIII. 1—20.] Manasseh was a child of twelve years of age when he succeeded his father, whose good qualities unfortunately he did not inherit. He was a determined and even fanatic idolater. As he grew up, he took delight in in- troducing into his kingdom the superstitions of every heathen country. The high places were restored, the groves re-planted, the many altars of Baal and Ashtarte rebuilt. The sun, the moon, and all the heavenly hosts were adored. The gods of Ammon, of Moab, and of Edom were zealously worshipped everywhere. Babylonian and Egyptian paganism was rife ; incense and offerings rose on the roofs of the houses to the fabled deities of the heights; wizards practised their enchantments and pre- tended to raise the dead from their graves and to reveal the mysteries of the future ; and the v^ley of Hinnom was once more disgraced by the hideous statue of Moloch, to whom parents offered up their children as burnt- sacrifices. In the very Temple of the Lord stood an image of Ashtarte; and in the entrance of the Court were placed white horses harnessed to a splendid chariot sacred to the sun. These evil practices were carried on almost unreproved ; for that voice which, during three preceding reigns, had warned and guided, was silenced — Isaiah died in the commencement of Manasseh's rule ; tradition relates that he suffered a violent death at the hands of the ungrateful tyrant, who fiercely and relentlessly continued his career of idolatry and violence ; for he ' shdd much innocent blood, until he had filled with it Jerusalem from one end to another.' According to one account — that of the Chronist — the L L 2 516 143. AMON. Assyrians invaded Judea, and carried Manasseh away to Babylon ; in his sad captivity, he humbled himself before the Lord, and fervently prayed to Him for deliverance ; he was permitted to return to his much-tried country, and thenceforth abandoned his heathen practices, and introduced the worship of the Lord. Of all this the older narrative' — that of the Books of Kings — makes no mention; it is, on the contrary, consistent in its blame of Manasseh : ' And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abomi- nations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols ; therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab : and I will wipe Jerusalem, as a man wipes a dish — when he has wiped it, he turns it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies ; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies.' When death ended his long and impious, reign, Manasseh was succeeded by his son, 143. AMON (644—642). [2 KiNGs'XXI. 19—26 ; 2 Chbon. XXXIU. 20—26.] This unhappy monarch was an obstinate idolater like his father. He ruled only for two years, when he was assassinated by his servants in his own house. But the people avenged his death ; they slew the murderers, and declared Josiah, the king's son, his successor. 144. JOSIAH. 517 144. JOSIAH (642—611). [2 Kings XXII. 1— XXIIT. 30 ; 2 Chbon. XXXIV. XXXV.] When Josiah came to the throne he was only eight years old. It was fortunate for him and his country that his inexperience was guided by a number of pious and Grod-fearing men who, counterbalancing the corrupt influ- ences of his earliest education, imbued his susceptible mind with principles of righteousness, and taught him to understand the truths of the pure religion of Israel. Thus he grew up under the care of the wise and zealous High-priest Hilkiah and his son ; he was watched over by Shaphan, a learned scribe, and his son Ahikam, by Shallum, the faithful keeper of the royal wardrobe, and his wife Hulda, the inspired prophetess. Not much later, he must have felt the power of the youthful Jeremiah, who soon became the leading spirit of the age. These devoted men, and others like them, were left as the germs of a new and better race to grow up after the general destruction which was impending over Judah. For a time it might have seemed as if that doom could still be averted : so strong were the hopes which the piety of Josiah raised in the hearts of all patriots ; and an event soon happened which awoke even the enthusiasm of the people. In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah re- solved to, carry out, with greater energy than had been done of late, the necessary repairs of the Temple. The work was forthwith commenced. During its progress, and when a heap of long accumulated rubbish was being cleared away, a written scroll was discovered. It was ex- amined by Hilkiah the High-priest, who exclaimed, ' The Book of the Law have I found in the House of the Lord!' It was most probably the Book of Deuteronomy. The High-priest gave it to Shaphan the scribe, who took it to 518 144- JOSIAH. tlie king, and read to him its contents. It was tlie first time that Josiah heard the words of the Law, which had before been completely unknown to him. Feeling that he had till then violated the Divine precepts, he Was terrified and grieved, and in his agony rent his clothes. He could not rest until he had sought counsel of the Lord. So he commanded his most faithful servants: ' Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this Book that is found ; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hear- kened to the words of this Book to do according to all that is written therein.' The High-priest, who seemed as much perplexed as the king himself, went with the others to the prophetess Hulda. She was ready with an answer. ' Tell the man that sent you to me : Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the Book> which the king of Judah has read ; because they have forsaken Me, and have burnt incense to other gods. . . . . But as touching the words which thou hast heard, because thy heart was moved, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou didst hear what I spoke against this place and against the inhabi- tants thereof: ... I also have heard thee, says the Lord ; behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace ; and thy eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.' These words were faithfully reported to king Josiah, who determined that the Law should no longer remain unknown among his people, but that it should be spread through the length and breadth of the land. The Temple, newly restored from its state of ruin, was open to receive the vast crowd that poured in at the command of the king : the priesthood, now one of the 144. JOSIAH. 519 greatest powers in Judah, the prophets, nobly struggling to sustain their exalted mission, the princes, the chiefs, and the people, men, women, and children, all thronged into the wide Court of the Holy Place to hear the re- covered word of Grod. Leaning on the royal stand, was the king Josiah, with the sacred scroll in his hand ; beside him most probably stood the little group of his friends and counsellors — the High-priest Hilkiah, Sha- phan the scribe, Shallum, and the prophet Jeremiah. Every word of the scroll was recited by the king and eagerly listened to by the multitude ; and when the read- ing was ended, the king 'made a covenant before the Lord to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all their heart and with all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this Book.' The people readily consented, and pledged themselves to faithful obedience. As the first and most necessary act of reform, the king ordered the complete removal of every kind of idolatry. He carried out this object with unflinching energy. The Temple was thoroughly cleansed of the polluting idols ; the vessels used for the service of ' Baal, Ashtarte, and all the host of heaven,' were burnt in the fields of Kidron, . and their ashes scattered in Beth-el, the northern town defiled by the worship of Apis ; the altars on the high places were cut down, the groves destroyed, the idols shattered; the horses of the sun were taken from the Courts of the Temple, and the chariots burnt ; the altars which Ahaz had built on the roof of his palace, and those by which Manasseh had disgraced the streets of Jeru- salem, were beaten into dust, which was thrown into the brook of Kidron. The furnace of Moloch was taken from the valley of Hinnom, and this place was so contaminated that it was accursed for ever. The soothsayers and sorcer- ers were banished, and the false priests destroyed by the sword. That ancient seat of idolatry, Beth-el, was not 520 144. JOSIAH. spared ; the altar of Jeroboam was broken in pieces, the Mgh place demolished, and the image of Ashtarte crushed to dust ; even the bones of the dead idolaters were dug from their graves and burnt upon the heathen altars ; only the bones of the prophet of Judah who had come to warn Jeroboam, and those of the prophet who had re- ceived him in his house, were left undisturbed (see p. 440). Pursuing his stern retribution, Josiah travelled through Samaria, and finding the priests sacrificing to idols, slew them and burnt their bodies upon their altars. Like a breath of fire was this sudden visitation : the land seemed thoroughly purged from idolatry. And now the king began to consider how he might worthily commemorate Judah's return to God. The season of the year was favourable ; for the festival of Passover was approaching ; and surely nothing could be more appropriate for the occasion than to celebrate with more than usual solemnity the anniversary of Israel's release from bondage and superstition. Josiah's call was eagerly responded to by the whole nation. ' Indeed there was not held such a Passover from the days of the Judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel nor of the kings of Judah.' And well might the sacred historian add, ' Like Josiah was there no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul.' In his manifold efforts the king was supported and encouraged by those wise and earnest men, whose writings have immortalised his name and age. Foremost among all was Jeremiah, who is completely identified with the last sad throes of the history of Judah : there was Zephaniah, the severe and terrible prophet of evil ; and Habakkuk, who, standing on his lonely watch-tower, gazed from his lofty vantage-ground upon the approaching Chaldees, These and other high- souled men wrote in tears and in blood the last sad tale of their country's ruin. 144. JOSIAS. 521 In Josiah's time, the -wild hordes of Scythians, breaking for the first time from their northern home, overran the blooming and fertile lands of the south. They passed through Palestine on their way to Egypt, and perhaps left a record of their presence in the city of Scythopolis, as the ancient town of Beth-shean in Manasseh was later re-named. It is not impossible that Zephaniah, and perhaps also Jeremiah (ch. IV. — VI.), allude to their dreaded invasion ; but it appears that they inflicted no serious injury upon the land, but seem to have quietly passed along the coast of the Mediterranean, and hence their expedition is neither mentioned in the Books of Kings nor by Josephus. The Assyrian empire, collapsing by its own vastness, succumbed to the warlike and impetuous Chaldee tribes coming from the mountain districts of Kurdistan. Nine- veh feu ; a new empire was founded under the rule of the conqueror Nabopolassar, with Babylon as its chief city. Josiah was fully aware of the difficulties of his position. He knew well that a struggle for superiority could not fail to break out before long between the two rival kingdoms of Babylon and Egypt, and that the possession of Palestine was most important for both as the great military high-road between the Euphrates and the Nile. He saw the necessity for the utmost prudence, and he made every effort to maintain relations of friendship with the new eastern dynasty. But no wisdom or mo- deration could avert the impending danger. Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt, alarmed at the constant growth of the Babylonian power, determined at once to check its progress, and to humble the upstart empire. He marched north-eastward with a vast army;- Josiah, true to his Babylonian alliance, opposed his advance. In the plains of Megiddo, which more than once before had resounded to the war-cry, the two armies met. Necho, desirous to spare the brave king of Judah, requested him to desist 522 145. JEHOAHAZ OR SHALEUM. from hostilities, and to allow him to continue his way in peace ; but the request was refused and a battle ensued; Disguised in the dress of a common soldier, Josiah took part in the combat, but he was mortally wounded by an arrow shot at random by an Egyptian archer. His devoted servants conveyed him from the battle-field to Jerusalem, where he died. There was deep-felt mourning throughout the land for the loss of the noble and pious king Josiah ; indeed with him the glory of the nation departed. He had reinstated the pure worship of Grod, and he had tried by wisdom and untiring zeal to prop up the tottering monarchy, and to cause it to be again respected abroad. At his death, the last flicker of liberty and independence waned, and the dark clouds gathering upon the horizon threatened to break with terrible violence over the doomed people. The pathetic voice of Jeremiah and those of many other prophets and poets were heard in songs of lamentation at the king's untimely death ; these lays were taken up and long rehearsed by the people of Judah ; but they have unfortunately not been preserved. 145. JEHOAHAZ OR SHALLUM (611). [2 Kings XXHI. 30—34; 2 Cheon. XXXVI. 1—4.] The people raised Jehoahaz, one of Josiah's sons, to the throne, but he reigned only for three months. Idolatrous and weak, he was an unworthy successor of his great father. By acts of imprudence he provoked the anger of Pharaoh Necho, who had in the meantime advanced to Eiblah near Hamath, towards the north-eastern frontier of Palestine. He was attacked by an army of Necho, taken a captive to Eiblah, and then sent in fetters to Egypt, where he died not long afterwards. Necho now exacted a heavy tribute from the unfortunate people, and placed 146. JOIAKIM. ' 523 Eliakim on the vacant throne, changing his name into Joiakim. 146. JOIAKIM (611—599). [2 KiNOS XXIII. 34— XXIV. 6 ; 2 Cheon. XXXVI. 4-8.] Not warned by the sad misfortunes of his predecessor, this monarch persevered in the same ways of wickedness and idolatry. He was blind to the troubles that gathered around him. He had indeed to fear no immediate danger from the Egyptians. For king Necho II. was defeated by the Babylonians in a great and decisive battle at Circesium (or Carchemish) on the Euphrates, whither he had boldly advanced (606), and in consequence of this defeat he lost ' all the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates' that had belonged to him. But Joiakim had all the more reason to dread the victor in that sanguinary war — Nebuchadnezzar, the heir to the throne, and soon the king of Babylon, a man possessed of restless ambition and an insatiable desire of conquest. Faithful to his life-long mission, Jeremiah, ever watchful, and untiring in the ser- vice of his country, followed these events with anxious care. In the fourth year of Joiakim's reign, he saw that grave trials were near at hand, and he raised his warning voice with more than ordinary ardour. Standing within the Court of the Temple, he addressed the assembled priests and the people : ' Thus says the Lord, If you will not hearken to Me, to walk in My Law, which I have set before you, to listen to the words of My servants the prophets whom I continually sent to you, from the beginr ning and early, but to whom you have not hearkened: then will I make this House like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.' These solemn words touched no responsive chord in the hearts of the hearers, who turned angrily upon Jeremiah, 524 146. JOIAKIM. ' exclaiming, ' Thou shalt surely die.' The outcry of the people brought the chief men of Judah from the king's palace to the Court of the Temple ; they seated themselves as in judgment round the gates, and decreed that the audacious prophet of evil should suffer death. But Jere- miah was not afraid ; he had obeyed the command of Grod; ' The Lord sent me,' he said, ' to prophesy against this House and against this city. . . • Now amend youi* ways and doings, obey the voice of the Lord your Grod, and the Lord will repent of the evil He has pronounced against you. As for me, I am in your hand ; do with me as seems good and meet to you. But know for certain that if you put me to death, you shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and upon the inhabi- tants thereof.' The people now demurred and began to feel that Jere- miah ought not to be put to death ; some of the elders even cited as a precedent the prophet Micah who, in the time of Hezekiah, had predicted the ruin and devastation of Jerusalem, and whose warnings had been respected and followed by the king. Nor did Jeremiah stand alone in his fearless reproofs ; his example stimulated other prophets, among whom Uriah was conspicuous by the boldness of his denunciations. The king's anger was roused ; Uriah fled for his life into Egypt, but the royal messengers pursued him and dragged him back to Jerusalem, where he was mercilessly slain and ' cast into the burial-place of the common people.' Yet Jeremiah, unconcerned for his own safety, never wavered in his counsels. The king and the people, fatally miscalculating their strength, were determined to oppose the Babylonian hosts who were advancing under the impetuous leadership of Nebuchadnezzar himself. The prophet, convinced of their blind infatuation, strongly and anxiously advised them to jdeld. ' Serve the king of 147. JEHOIACHIN; 148. ZEDEKIAH. 525 Babylon,' he said, ' and live ; wherefore should this city- be laid waste ?' Nebuchadnezzar, remaining in the north, sent a part of his army southward to invade Judea ; Joiakim was forced into subnMssion, and a heavy tax was imposed upon the land. For three years the tribute was paid, but in the fourth it was refused. To punish this rebellion, Nebuchad- nezzar in wrath and anger sent again his hosts into Judah, together with troops from Syria, Moab, and Ammon. But before the Babylonian forces arrived or had achieved any decisive triumph, Joiakim had died in peace, and his son Jehoiachin had succeeded him, 147. JEHOIACHIN (699). [2 Kings XXIV. 6—16; XXV. 27—30; 2 Cheon. XXXVI. 8—10.] Jerusalem was besieged, Nebuchadnezzar himself joined the army, and Jehoiachin, after an idolatrous reign of only three months, delivered himself up to the Babylonian monarch, together with his mother and all his chief officers (599). Nebuchadnezzar now plundered the Temple and the royal palace, and carried away from Jerusalem 10,000 captives, including the king and his family, all the men of influence and wealth, with all the artisans ; he left behind none but the very poorest of the population, over whom he appointed Mattaniah, the uncle of Jehoiachin, as tributary king, changing his name into Zedekiah. The first act in the downfall of Judah had been completed; only the empty shadow of an empire remained. 148. ZEDEKIAH (599—588). [2 Kings XXIV. 17— XXV. 7 ; 2 Chbon. XXXVI. 10 sgq.] Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he ascended the degraded throne of his ancestors as vassal of Nebuchad- 526 U8. ZEDBKIAH. nezzar. But he chafed against the galling yoke, and his discontent was fostered by flattering prophets, who con- stantly preached insurrection, and by the thoughtless multitude who madly applauded their advice. He secretly sought the assistance of Egypt, the implacable enemy of Babylon. Jeremiah was one of the few who preserved calm- ness and prudence amidst the giddy hopes and schemes ; he insisted upon a fair fulfilment of the engagements to which the king was pledged ; in this he saw the only means of safety ; even to his captive brethren in Babylon he sent, in a letter, a similar counsel : ' Build houses and dwell in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit ; . . . see the peace of the city whither you are led captives, and pray for it to the Lord; for its peace will be your peace also;' in seventy years they would be brought back rejoicing into their own land; till then they should suffer in trustful patience. The king was deaf alike to Jeremiah's entreaties, ar- guments, and bitter reproof. He entered into an alliance with Psammethis II. king of Egypt, and in the ninth year of his reign (590) he openly declared his revolt against the Chaldees by withholding the stipulated tribute. The Babylonian troops stationed in Syria marched at once against Jerusalem and besieged it : but being in- formed of the approacn ot an Egyptian army, they re- treated northwards. However, Nebuchadnezzar himself now advanced with a vast army ; he remained at Eiblah, while he sent his troops southwards. Jerusalem was besieged. In vain Jeremiah advised again a timely sur- render. After eighteen months, the famine in the town was so fearful that the people were seized by frenzy and despair ; the ■ most horrible deeds of atrocity were com- mitted to satisfy the maddening hunger. At last king Zedekiah and many of his soldiers escaped from the city, but the army was routed, Zedekiah himself and his 148. ZEDEKIAH. 527 sons were captured near Jericho, and brought before Nebuchadnezzar to Eiblah. Here his sons were slain in his presence, then his own eyes were put out, and he was sent in fetters to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar now des- patched Nebuzaradan, the chief of his guard, to Jerusalem with the command to punish the rebellious town (588). The Babylonian general sternly carried out that terrible mandate. He marched into Jerusalem, and broke down its walls ; he burnt the Temple, the stately palaces, and all the better houses ; he took the large brazen pillars and all the holy vessels ; he carried away many thousand Jews as slaves, only leaving behind a number of poor agricul- turists, over whom he set as governor Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, of a good Jewish family ; and he took the chief priests and the civil and military officers to Eiblah, where Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to be put to death. Among the few men of distinction who were spared by the Babylonian king, was Jeremiah, who had always ex- horted the people to moderation. At the capture of Jerusalem, he was found in the court of the prison ; he was taken to Eamah to Nebuchadnezzar, who allowed him bp choose between remaining in Canaan or going to Baby- lon as the honoured friend of the royal house. Jeremiah preferred ending his life on the soil of Judah, amidst the ruins of his beloved country, once so rich and so blooming. Laden with presents, he went to Mizpah, where Gredaliah tiad established the seat of his governorship under the protection of a small Babylonian garrison: he trustea Gredaliah, because his father Ahikam had more than once saved his life by shielding him from the rage of the peo- ple. The share which Jeremiah took in the events that aappened from the beginning of the Babylonian invasion :ill long after its conclusion, will be more fully set forth ^n that section of the Second Volume of this work which is ievoted to the life and the writings of the great prophet. XII. TBS JEWS UNDER BABYLONIAN RULE. (588—536.) 149. GBDALIAH (688—560). [2 Kings XXV. 22—26 ; Jbeem. XL. XLI.] The few patriots who remained in the land of their an- cestors rested their last hope in GredaHah, a man of wisdom and zeal, eagerly and honestly intent upon improving his scanty resources with the utmost prudence and care. He encouraged the people to cultivate with untiring diligence the fields and vineyards which Nebuchadnezzar had given them, and thus to lay the foundation of a better future. The fame of the new and industrious settlement soon spread abroad, and it attracted towards Judea all those Hebrews who, in times of danger, had escaped to places of safety in the neighbouring countries, to the districts of Ammon and Moab, to Edom and the desert. All these came to Gredaliah in Mizpah, who joyfully received them with this admonition: Tear not to serve the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. As for me, behold I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans who will come to us: but you, gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have occupied.' It seems that this judicious advice fell upon willing ears; the community prospered and grew in number and wealth : ' they gathered wine and summer fruits in abundance.' They even began to establish a new 149. GBDALIAH. 529 Sanctuary in the place of the destroyed Temple, and they had every prospect of gradually retrieving at least a part of their former strength, if not their independence. But the growth of the young commonwealth was suddenly checked by a cowardly deed. of bloodshed and treachery. Among the imimigrants who had joined Gredaliah at Mizpah was Ishmael, the son of Nathaniah, an ambitious and unscrupulous man, descended from the royal house of David, and aspiring to the governorship over the remnant of Judah. His plans were fostered and accelerated by Baalis, king of Ammon, who saw with jealousy and apprehension the increasing welfare of the small Hebrew colony. He was easily persuaded to attempt the assassination of Greda- liah, to whose wise and zealous guidance that unexpected prosperity was justly attributed. He gained a number of associates, and at once proceeded to carry his sinister plans into effect. The conspiracy became known to Johanan, a devoted officer of Gredaliah, and he warned him of the danger. But the true and generous nature of Gredaliah shrank from believing such treachery. Johanan anxiously implored him to be on his guard, as upon him depended the fortunes of Israel's remnant; he offered to slay Ishmael secretly, so that no suspicion would be roused ; but G-edaliah rejected the proposal indignantly, saying, ' Thou shalt not do this thing, for thou speakest a lie of Ishmael.' To show his entire confidence, he invited Ishmael, with ten of his friends, to a feast at Mizpah. During the meal, the audacious Ishmael arose, and, assisted by his friends, slew his host. He had well prepared his plans, and now commenced a terrible massacre. He mur- dered not only all the more prominent followers of Greda- liah, but also the Chaldean soldiers whom Nebuchadnezzar had left behind in Mizpah. All this was done with such precautions that for several days nothing was known of it Jbeyond the precincts of the town ; and when eighty men 530 150. EMIGEATION TO EGYPT, arrived from Shechem, Shilo, and Samaria, with offerings and presents for the new Sanctuary, Ishmael went out to meet them, and said, 'Come to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam;' but when they were within the walls of Mizpah, they were treacherously slain by Ishmael and his men, and thrown into a large pit together with the other corpses. Now Ishmael left Mizpah with those whom he had spared, to carry, them away as bondmen into the land of the Ammonites. But Johanan and a few of his brave men had escaped the massacre. Heading this small but resolute band, he pursued the impious murderer, and soon overtook him near Gribeon in Benjamin. When the un- happy captives saw their armed brethren, they hailed them with rejoicing as their deliverers, broke with a desperate effort from Ishmael, and joined Johanan and his men. Ishmael, who saw that resistance was unavailing, was glad to flee with a few followers, and made good his escape to the Ammonites. 150. EMIGEATION" TO EGYPT. [2 Kings XXV. 26 ; Jer. XUI.— XLV.] The Jews were now in a position replete with the greatest dangers. By the massacre of the Chaldean gar- rison and the murder of Gedaliah, the appointed repre- sentative of the Chaldean power in Judah, they had drawn upon themselves the terrible wrath of the Babylonian king. They knew his haughty and impetuous spirit too well not to fear his speedy revenge. Yet whither should they turn ? "Where could they find a safer abode than in the land of their ancestors ? On returning from their pursuit of Ishmael, they did not take a northerly direc- tion back to Mizpah, but proceeded southward, and halted near Bethlehem, to consider their condition and prospects. ISOv EMIGKATION TO' EGYPT. 531 By choosing that route, they had almost betrayed their intention ; for Bethlehem lay on the high caravan road from Canaan to Egypt, and it was in the land of the Pharaohs that they evidently desired to seek refuge. Yet they were anxious to have the Divine sanction for theii plan ; they seemed undecided ; they might have feared the danger of settling in a country that was proverbially inhospitable to strangers, and had once before been a house of bitter slavery to their fathers. To whom should they turn for counsel and guidance? There was still among them that faithful adviser who had readily shared their many trials and misfortunes, and who, in spite of ignominy and persecution, had clung to them with un- wavering affection., To him, to Jeremiah, they looked in their perplexity, and solemnly promised to act upon what- ever counsel he might give them. After deliberating for ten days, Jeremiah spoke to the assembled people : ' Thus says the Lord, the Grod of Israel. . . If you will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. . . . Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid, . . . for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand, . . . and cause you to return to your own land. . . . But if you say, We will not dwell in this land, nor obey the voice of the Lord your God, saying. No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread ; . . . then it shall come to pass that the sword, which you feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof you were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt ; and there you shall die.' But it now became apparent that the people had al- ready formed their unalterable resolution. In spite of the pledges given to Jeremiah that they would strictly M M 2 532 :;51. THE JEWS in BABYLON. follow his advice, they answered unblushingly, 'Thou speakest falsely ; the Lord our Grod has not sent thee to say, Gro not into Egypt to sojourn there ; but Baruch, the son of Neriah, sets thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.' Then they all forthwith broke up from Bethlehem, men and women and children, and proceeded towards Egypt ; nay, they forced the aged prophet and his devoted scribe Baruch to accompany them to the hateful land. At the border town. Tahpanhes (Daphne), a fortified city near Pelusium, they stopped, and from thence they gradually spread ^through many parts of Egypt. But even here they adhered to their old and inveterate superstitions j^ idolatry flourished among them as it had flomished in Judea ; they even gloried in their abominations, ani expected to find in them safety and happiness. In vain Jeremiah preached and rebuked and entreated ; he was. met as before with scorn and derision ; and when he died full, of years, he saw with sorrow his degenerate country- men steeped in all the heathen perversities, from which, not even the Divine guidance and training of fifteen centuries had been able to wean them. 151. THE JEWS IN BABTLOK [Daniel I. sqg. ; Ezekiel I. sqq. ; Isaiah XL. sqq. 2 Kings XXV. 27—30; &e.] Having followed the history of the small colony of Jews who had been left in Palestine, and who ultimately settled in Egypt, we must return to the far greater number of those who were sent as captives to Babylon with their king Jehoiachin, and to whom later, after the f^iU of Jerusalem, were added nearly all the remaining 151. THE JEWS IN BABYLON, 533 inhabitants of Judea. Nebuchadnezzar had taken care to transport to Babylon especially men of ability and genius, artists famous as carvers in wood, and skilled as workers in gold and silver, men who had beautified and enriched Jerusalem ; and he desired them now to employ their talents and their arts in adorning his capital Babylon^ Anxious to refine the tastes and cultivate the minds of his own subjects, he received youths of remarkable intelli- gence and knowledge in the royal palace, where they were instructed in the Chaldean language and philosophy, so that they might impart to the Babylonians their own superior learning. So far, therefore, from oppressing the Jews, he made every effort to win their affection for their adopted land and its government* He was shrewd enough to perceive the peculiar character of the conquered people. He must have respected, even if he did not imderstand, their religious convictions, which had armed them with strength to subdue much more powerful tribes, and to maintain themselves in the midst of warlike enemies for nearly nine hundred years. He must have heard of the glories of king Solomon's reign, the fame of which was spread throughout the East, and was long and fondly cherished. He was, no doubt, familiar with the names of Moses and Isaiah, of Amos, Joel, and Micah ; and we have seen how he honoured his great contemporary Jeremiah. Thus the exiles were received and treated with kindness. They lived together in large colonies, preserved many of their old institutions, had their own elders and judges, and even a common chief. They began to found new homes in the foreign land, to entwine its welfare with their own, and to undertake the duties, as they enjoyed the rights, of Babylonian citizens. Yet they could npt forget the country of their birth, nor the capital hallowed by their glorious Temple. From the singularly varied and picturesque land of Palestine, from the rugged moun-i 534 151. THE JEWS IN BABYLON. tains and the wooded or vine-clad hills of Judah, they had been transplanted to the flat and monotonous tracts of Chaldea. They may indeed have looked with amazement on Babylon, a city of enormous and almost fabulous extent, covering an area of no less than 225 square miles, Fith a hundred brazen gates ; with the magnificent temple of Bel and the royal palace, a marvel of size and splendour ; with the wonderful bridge over the Euphrates, and gardens and fields so extensive that their produce sufficed, in times of war, for the maintenance of a large garrison. Yet despite its singular grandeur and pomp, Babylon seemed strange and dreary to the exiles ; they could not suppress a painful longing for their own beautiful home, for their rock-crowned citadel of Jerusalem. A Jewish poet of the time gave thus expression to the common feelings of his contemporaries : ' By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song ; and they that subdued us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ? If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. ... daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed ; happy shall he be, that rewards thee as thou hast served us.' Many other Psalms originated in this period of bondage. Nor were prophets wanting, eager to fan the flame of patriotism by their lofty eloquence. Among these Ezekiel, who lived in the large Jeivish settlement on the river Chaboras, a tributary of the Euphrates, exercised the most powerful influence. ^ To the bold and rapid creations of J51. THE JEWS IN BABYLON". S35 the earlier Hebrew poets, he adds not merely a vehement and tragical force, peculiar to his own mind, but a vastness and magnificence of imagery drawn from the scenery and circumstances by which he was surrounded.' ' He was of priestly descent, and seems himself to have performed sacerdotal functions at the Temple in Jeru- salem. Therefore, his thoughts naturally turned to the re-building of the Sanctuary, and in soaring visions he described the stateliness of the new edifice and the splen- dour of public worship to be conducted by a pious and revered priesthood. Besides Ezekiel we find another prophet, whose writings have in our Canon been incor- porated with those of the great Isaiah of Hezekiah's time, and who is therefore called the second or later Isaiah. He was master of a style the poetic beauty of which is unsurpassed among Hebrew writers ; he may be inferior to the elder Isaiah in power and variety, but he equals him in sublimity and ardent patriotism'. He taught, admonished, and elevated his countrymen, and as the years of the exile rolled on, he cheered them with the glad pictures of liberty, of return to their old home, and of restoration to their old glory.* Men like Ezekiel and the second Isaiah proved that the old spirit of Judah was not crushed, that the old power and culture of mind had not vanished ; and it was probably owing to such men that the Jewish captives were treated by their conquerors with kindness and forbearance, and in some cases even with distinction. Such an instance is recorded in the history of Daniel, one of the most remarkable among the youths educated in the royal palace. From an early age he was conspicuous for piety, in- telligence, unusual loVe of learning, and above all for ' Milman, History of the Jews, vol. L p. 410. * Per a fuUer account of these prophets, see toL ii. 536 ISI. THE JEWS IK BABYLONi sincere and ardent attachment to the precepts of his Divine faith. Brought into close contact with the great Chaldean monarch, he was in the eyes of the latter the chief representative of the Jewish people and the Jewish religion. To him it was given to relate and interpret dreams, and to unravel mysteries which baffled the shrewd-^ ness of all the magicians of Chaldea. He was therefore raised to an exalted station second only to that of the king himself.' In the year 562,Nebuchadnezzar died, and was succeeded by his son Evil Merodach. The new monarch liberated Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, who had been kept in prison for thirty-seven years ; he treated him kindly, as- signed to him a high rank at his court, and provided fof him with great liberality. Thus the bitterness between the conquerors and the conquered faded more and more away, and the latter had little cause for complaint. When Evil Merodach died, his brother Belshazzar came to the throne (541). In the meantime, eastern Asia had been convulsed by the irresistible progress of a new con- quering power — the Persians. They were as yet a simple and hardy race, untainted by luxury and effeminacy. Their fare was rude, and their mode of life almost primitive j they were inured to danger and insensible to fatigue, brave,' enterprising, and warlike. They had made themselves the masters of the great kingdom of Media, and were im- petuously pressing westward. The next object of their ambition was the magnificent Chaldean empire. "Well might the degenerate Babylonians, dread such foes. The fall of Babylon is predicted, in a remarkable nar- rative of the Book of Daniel (ch. v.), by an inscription mysteriously written on the wall of the royal banqueting hall, where king Belshazzar was revelling with his courtiers ' On the Propheoies of the Booh of Daniel, see vol. ii. pp. 193-221. 151. THE JEWS IN EABYLOK. 537 and profaning the holy vessels which had been taken from the Temple. Belshazzar was slain in the very night of that vision. Babylon was conquered (538), and soon the name of Cyrus, king of Persia, filled the earth. He added victory to victory, until his sway was acknowledged from the ^gean Sea to the Indus, and from the Caspian Sea to the Indian Ocean. The Jews became subjects of the Per- sians, and Daniel, still treated with honour and distinction, was appointed one of the great monarch's satraps. Xni. TEE JEWS UNDER PERSIAN RULE. (538—330.) 152. RETURN OP THE JEWS TO CAXAAJS" (538). [Ezra I. II.] The religion of the Persians had important points of resemblance with that of the Jews. The Persians suffered no representation of the Deity, nor any idols ; they held even temples superfluous, believing that the abode of the gods is everywhere as far as the world extends. Cyrus, therefore, evinced deep reverence for the Grod of the Jews, and warm sympathy with their loss of country and inde- pendence. He determined to restore them to their old homes and institutions, and in the very first year after his conquest of Babylon, he issued this edict throughout his empire : ' Thus, says Cyrus, king of Persia, The Lord Grod of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a House at Jerusa- lem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His people — ^his God be with him — ^who will go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House of the Lord Grod of Israel ? He is the Grod.' This edict stirred the hearts of the captive Jews with enthusiasm. Jerusa- lem and the Temple, as the emblems of freedom and prosperity, rose before their enchanted vision ; the name of Cyrus was blessed by every lip ; and it is enshrined in 152. RETURN OF THE JEWS. 539 the sublime pages of the second Isaiah. Soon the land rang with busy preparations for the homeward journey ; the Jews received from the Persians and Babylonians, as parting gifts, gold and costly ornaments, and all kinds of cattle ; and Cyrus not only granted them large sums for defraying the iirst' expenses of their new settlement, but he restored to them all the gold and silver vessels — 5,400 in number — which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from the Temple, and which he and his successors had so often desecrated at their licentious banquets. At last the great caravan set out on its way ; it consisted of 42,360 souls, men, women, and children, among whom there was a large proportion of priests and Levites (more than 4,600), besides about 7,000 men- and maid-servants. They were led by Zerubbabel (or Sheshbazzar), the son of Shealtiel, descended from the royal house of David, a man well qualified for the great task. It must not be supposed, however, that the appeal was responded to by all classes of captive Jews alike ; on the contrary, it was chiefly welcomed by the poorer people, while many of those who had found happy and prosperous homes in Babylon, hesi- tated to entrust their fortune to what they considered a hazardous enterprise, especially as they urged, with appa- rent justice, that they were merely to change their place of abode, but not their condition of dependence ; that they were not to become a really free people, with their own ruler and their own laws, but that they were des- tined to remain under the yoke of Persia, which they would feel in Jerusalem as much as in Babylon. Thus, as later Jewish writers expressed it, ' the chaff ' only re- turned to Palestine, while ' the wheat ' remained in Baby- lon. But there was in that small band of colonists a strength and a vitality which have outlasted for millen- niums the vast empire of Persia^ 540 153. THE BUILDING OP THE SECOND TEMPLE. 153. THE BUILDING OF THE SECOND TEMPLE (636), [Ezra III.— VI.] When the immigrants arrived in Palestine, they chose for their dwellings, as far as they possibly could, the towns and places which they or their ancestors had occupied before the captivity, while the priests and Levites took up their abodes throughout the territory of Judah, and especially in and around Jerusalem. They had been care-- ful to reach their destination before the commencement of the rainy season, and they had fairly settled down towards the end of the summer. When, therefore, the seventh month of the Hebrew year approached, and with it the series of high festivals prescribed in the Pen- tateuch, they were anxious at once to testify their zeal by celebrating those sacred days in the ordained manner. ' The people assembled together at Jerusalem as one man.' By direction of Zerubbabel and of the priest Joshua (or Jeshua), the son of Jozadak, they erected a large altar, probably on the spot where the old one had stood in the Court of the destroyed Temple, and there they offered the sacrifices appointed for the Day of Me- morial, the first of the seventh month, and for the Feast of Tabernacles; and there they continued regularly to present the daily holocausts every morning and every evening, the offerings for the days of the new-moon, and the freewill gifts of the people. They were naturally most anxious to rebuild the Temple of the Lord, which was once more to crown the height of Moriah. The great work was commenced, in the second year after the return (536), with intense fervour and earnestness. Money was liberally contributed by the chiefs^ and by the common people according to their means. As J63. THE BUILDING OF THE SECOND TEMPLE. 54t in the days of Solomon, well-paid Phoenician workipen were employed, who, by permission of Cyrus, cut cedar- trees on Mount Lebanon, and drifted them along the shore down to Joppa, from when,ce they were brought to Jerusalem. The Levites above twenty years of age had the supervision of the whole work. At last the prepara- tions were sufficiently advanced to allow of the foundation stone being laid. This ceremony was performed with the utmost solemnity. The priests dressed in their holy vest- ments, the Levites, the numerous singers, and all the people that had assembled from every part, burst forth to the sound of the trumpet and the cymbal, in words of joy and thanksgiving : ' Praise the Lord, because He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever toward Israel ! ' Among this joyous crowd was a group of aged priests and Levites, who had seen the first Temple as it stood in all its splen- dour and glory, the pride and delight of Judah. Their gaze was riveted upon the past, and they broke out into a loud wail of sorrow. But the shouts of glad rejoicing drowned the sounds of grief, and re-echoed among the hills of Judah. Yet the noble work was soon to receive a serious check. It will be remembered that, when Shalmaneser made an end of the kingdom of Ephraim, and carried most of its inhabitants away to Assyria, he sent men from Persia and Media to occupy the conquered districts. The heathen settlers mingled with the comparatively few Israelites that had remained in the land ; and this mixed race, dwelling chiefly in the province of Samaria, became known under the name of Samaritans or Cutheans.' It cannot be sur- prising that these Samaritans were looked upon with little favour by the Jews who had recently returned from Baby- lon. For supposing even that the Assyrians who were 1 Men from Cutha were among the colonists sent loj Shalmaneser to middle and northern Palestine (2 Kings xvii. 21) ; see p. 488, 542 - 153. THE BUILDING OP THE SECOND TEMPLE. among them had renounced their idolatry and adopted the faith of the Hebrews, they formed so overwhelming a majority in the population, that the Jews, now more jealously watchful than ever for the purity of their race, would not recognise the so-called Samaritans as a people of Jewish descent. Thus were sown the seeds of an ani- mosity almost without parallel in history for implacable violence. Ah occasion for open rupture was at hand. When the Samaritans heard that the Jews had com- menced to rebuild the Temple, they sent this message to Zerubbabel and to the other chiefs : ' Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do, and we sacrifice to Him since the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assur, who brought us hither.' But Zerubbabel sent back this an- swer : ' You have nothing to do with us to build a House to our Grod ; but we ourselves together will build to the Lord Grod of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.' Thus^the hidden spark of bitterness was kindled into a blazing flame. The Samaritans, deeply wounded and hurt, determined to take their revenge by frustrating, if possible, the completion of the Temple. They sent a letter to Cyrus, pointing out that it was by no means in his interest to allow the rebuilding of Jeru- salem and the Temple, as the Jews, ever bent upon mu- tiny and rebellion, would then surely refuse the payment of taxes and imposts, and renounce their allegiance to Persia. The sinister letter had the desired effect. Cyrus interdicted the continuance of the work, which was sus- pended during the remainder of his reign as well as during that of his cruel successor Cambyses, down to the second year of Darius Hystaspis (520). However, this monarch, well disposed towards the Jews, repealed the prohibition of his predecessors, raised Daniel to a post of eminence,, and granted new privileges to the Jews, who at once re- sumed the long-deferred task. Encom-aged by watchful: 153. THE BXnLDING OF THE SECOND TEMPLE. 543 and ardent patriots, such as the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, they displayed a zeal which soon manifested itself by great results. The Persian satrap, seeing the rapid progress of the work, thought it his duty to report upon it to Darius, and to request his decision. The king, finding that an edict of Cyrus, issued in the first year of his reign, had authorised the restoration of the Temple, not only confirmed the permission, but commanded his satrap to supply the Jews with subsidies towards the building expenses from the public revenue, and to give them cattle for their national sacrifices, together with wheat and salt, wine and oil. When the messengers arrived in Jerusalem with this reply, fi-esh enthusiasm was roused, and the prophets repeating their admonitions whenever the people's zeal flagged, the work was perse- yeringly carried on.' At last, in the sixth year of Darius's reign (516), in the twelfth month (Adar), the holy edifice was completed. Of its size and structure we have no further description than these few details : ' The height thereof was sixty cubits, and the breadth thereof sixty cubits ; with three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber.' It was probably built upon the same model as the first Temple, only of less costly and splendid materials. It wanted, moreover, not only the glittering porch hung round with its forty shields of gold, but, what was more important, the Ark of the Covenant with the tablets of the Law and the bloom-, ing staff of Aaron. Yet as it stood there, complete in all its parts, the Jews looked upon it with just pride, for great had been the difficulties under which the enterprise had been accomplished. It was dedicated with becoming solemnity and rejoicing, and with numerous sacrifices. The priests and Levites were installed in their various ' See on Haggai and Zechaiiah in vol. ii. pp. 169-189, 544 154. HISTORY OF BSTHEE. ofi&ces and functions in accordance witli the Mosaic pre- cepts. In the next month (Msan), the Feast of Passover was celebrated with feelings of deep gratitude for the im- portant advance that had been made towards re-establish- ing a theocratic commonwealth. 154. THE HISTORY OF ESTHER. [Book op Esthbe.] During the long reign of Darius, the Jews, both those who had returned to Palestine and those who had settled in the eastern countries, lived in peace and unmolested security. When Darius died (485), he was succeeded by his son Xerxes, whom we find mentioned in the Bible by the name of Ahasverus. According to Greek historians, Xerxes was a most unworthy successor of the great Cyrus : enervated by luxury from his youth, surrounded by base flatterers, immoderately vain of his tall and fair person, he was the type of, the eastern despot, utterly regardless of everything but the gratification of his humour, whim-i sical, headstrong, fond of pomp and pageantry, yet cow- ardly and incapable of understanding heroism in others. Who can fail to recognise in the Ahasverus of the Book of Esther the weak and capricious Xerxes of the Greek and Persian wars ? In the third year of his reign (482) — so relates the Book of Esther — Ahasverus, then residing in the royal capital of Susa, invited all his princes, nobles, and high officials to a splendid feast which was to last for one hun- dred and eighty days. At this banquet the wealth of the wealthiest of all ancient courts was gorgeously displayed. Afterwards the great king entertained for seven days all the people of Susa in the garden houses of his palace. The banqueting hall was hung round with curtains of 164. HISTORY OF ESTHEB. 545 various colours, fastened by means of cords and silver rings to large marble pillars ; the pavement consisted of marble and alabaster slabs, inlaid with pearls and tortoise- shells, and the couches upon which the guests reclined were of gold and silver. The choicest wines were abun- dantly supplied in drinking vessels of varied and exquisite design, and all of pure gold. At the same time, the queen Vashti gave a feast for all the women of her house- hold. On the seventh day, Ahasverus, flushed and elatedj sent for his queen, in defiance of all Eastern notions of propriety ; for he wished to see how the people admired her beauty. Vashti shrank from leaving the seclusion of her own chambers and from appearing in public, and she declined to comply with the king's request. Ahasverus was enraged, and upon asking the counsel of his wise men, he was recommended to repudiate the disobedient Vashti, to dismiss her from his palace, and to choose a worthier queen; lest, said his advisers, other women should follow her refractory example, and there arise con- tempt and dissension in every household of the empire. This foolish advice was approved of by the king; the modest Vashti was discarded, and in order to assert the superiority of husbands over their wives, a decree was published throughout the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the Persian monarchy, that 'every man should bear rule in his own house.' Not long afterwards, the attention of Xerxes was ab- sorbed by his great expedition against the Greeks, ren- dered ever memorable by the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, of Plataese and Mycale (480 and 479). But after his return from this disastrous campaign, prepara- tions were made for selecting a successor to Vashti. From all parts of his vast empire the most beautiful maidens were brought to the capital Susa, and from them the king was to make his choice. There lived at that time in the N N 546 154. HISTOEY OF ESTHEE. royal city a Jew of the name of Mordecai, who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and whose family had, in the time of king- Jehoiachin, been carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Mordecai had adopted his orphan cousin, a maiden of surpassing beauty. Her Hebrew , name was Hadassah (Myrtle), but by the Persians she was called Esther (Star). She was brought to the royal palace with the other young maidens, yet by Mordecai's injunction she concealed her Jewish origin. Her grace and beauty charmed Ahasverus ; he chose her for his wife, placed the royal crown upon her head, and surrounded her with all the luxury and magnificence of a Persian queen (478). The marriage was celebrated with the lavish pomp and public festivities befitting the occasion. Esther had not long been proclaimed queen, when Mordecai, who came daily into the court of the palace, discovered a conspiracy against the king's life, originated by two of his chamberlains; he revealed the plot to Esther, who in her turn related it to the king in Mor- decai's name. The crime was proved, q,nd the traitors suflfered death upon the gallows. In accordance with custom, all these events were duly chronicled and pre- served in the royal archives. Amongst the courtiers of Ahasverus, Haman, probably a man of distinguished family, was a special favourite. He was raised high above all other officials, and a royal decree was issued that all the king's servants should prostrate themselves before him. Mordecai, who bowed down before God alone, firmly refused to comply with the 'edict. Haman, both vain and vindictive, was enraged, and when he learnt Mordecai's Hebrew descent, he re- solved to take revenge not only upon him but upon his entire nation. Confident of his absolute influence over the weak king, he addressed him in these words : ' There is a certain people scattered and isolated among the 154. HISTOEY OF ESTHER. 547 . nations in all the provinces of thy kingdom, and their laws are different from those of all people, nor do they keep the king's laws ; therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let- it be written that they may be destroyed ; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the ofi&cers to bring it into the king's treasuries.' Ahasverus took his signet ring from his finger, and giving it to Haman, said, ' The silver is given to thee, and the people also, to do with them as seems good to thee.' Then Haman summoned the king's scribes, and ordered them to write the decree in all the languages . of the empire, and to send it out to the satraps of every province, bidding them : ' Destroy, kill, and exterminate all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and take their wealth for a prey.' The messengers went out, and the edict was published both in the capital Susa and in the other towns of the realm. 'And in every province whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting and weeping and wailing ; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.' But 'the king and Haman sat down to drink.' When Mordecai heard the terrible and fatal mandate, he rent his clothes, put on garments of mourning, and with a bitter cry of distress rushed through the city, till he came before the gate of the king's palace; within that gate none were permitted to enter except in festive attire. In the seclusion of her own palace, Esther had remained in ignorance of the impending doom of her countrymen. When she was told that Mordecai was sitting before the gate in sackcloth and ashes, she was full of anxiety, and sent to him one of her chamberlains with garments which she desired him to exchange for those he had on. When' this request was refused, her alarm, , N N 2 548 154, HISTORY OP BSTHEE. grew, and she sent again to learn the cause Of his afflic^ tion. Mofdecai told the man all that had passed, bade him give to the queen a copy of the royal decree, and urge her to present herself without delay before the king, and to implore his mercy for her people. Esther trembled at these words, for no one was allowed to approach the Persian monarch unbidden under penalty of death, and Ahasverus had not summoned her into his presence for thirty dayg ! how could she Venture to appear before him with her prayer ? But Mordecai sent her this reply: ' Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou keepest quiet altogether at this time, help and deliverance will arise t6 the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed ; and who knows whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this ?' Then Esther, dismissing all doubts and fears, heroically resolved upon the perilous enterprise. ' Gro,' she sent word to Mordecai, ' assemble all. Jews that are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day ; I also and my maidens will fast, and so will I go to the king, though not according to the law ; and if I perish, I perish.' On the third day of the fast, Esther arrayed herself in her royal garbs, and appeared within the inner court of the king's palace. Ahasvenis was seated upon his throne, facing the palace gate, from whence he saw her approach. She knew full well that she had boldly transgressed the law, and she trembled with fear. But the king extended towards her the goldeft sceptre, which signified that she had obtained grace and pardon. Then she advanced to the steps of the throne and touched the sceptre, and Ahasverus asked,' What wilt thou, queen Esther ? and what is thy request ? were it even half of the kingdom, it shall be given to thee.' There was a 154. HISTORY OF ESTHEE, 549 natural hesitation, or rather a prudent discretion, in Esther's answer ; she did not then entreat for mercy to the Jews, but requested that the king, together with Haman, would come that day to the banquet which she had prepared for them. The demand was granted, and the game day the king and Haman were the guests of Esther. At the feast, Ahasverus asked his queen again to name her petition. Perhaps still unable to summon the necessary courage, or thinking that she was not yet sufficiently sure of the king's clemency, Esther merely begged of him and Haman to come to another banquet on the morrow. With a proud and elated heart, Haman left the king's presence. As he passed the royal gate, he saw how Mordecai sat there without moving at his ap^ proach ; but be cared not to upbraid his enemy at that moment ; his revenge was certain and near ; for was he not the signal favourite of both Ahasverus and Esther ? When he arrived at his house, he related to his wife Zeregh, his children, and his friends, how he had, been specially honoured that day by the queen's favour, and how to-morrow he wag again her bidden guest, * Yet,' he continued, ' all this is of no avail to me, as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.' Then his wife and his friends said to him, ' Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and to-morrow speak to the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon ; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.' The advice pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be erected forthwith. In that same night the king was restless and could not sleep. To while away the time, he commanded the chronicles of the realm to be read to him. There he found recorded, how Mordecai had saved his life from the conJ8piraey of two chamberlains, and he asked, 'What honour and dignity has been done to Mordecai for this ? ' * There has nothing been done for him,' was the answer. 550 154. HISTORY OP ESTHER. And the king said, ' Who is in the court ? ' Now Haman, agitated by his hatred of Mordecai, was already in the palace, eager to obtain the king's permission to hang his enemy. At Ahasverus' command, Haman came before him, and was greeted with this question : ' What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honour ? * Haman thought in his heart, Upon whom should the king desire to confer distinctions more than upon myself? So he answered unhesitatingly, ' For the man whom the king delights to honour — ^let the royal apparel be brought, which the king is wont to wear, and the horse that the king rides upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head. And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes that they may array the man withal whom the king delights to honoxir, and lead him on horseback through the streets of the city, and proclaim before him. Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour I ' Then the king said to Haman, ' Make haste, and take the ap- parel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate : let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.' Haman was compelled to do the king's bidding : when all was finished, he re- turned to his house sick at heart, and full of despair and mourning. He related what had happened to Zeresh his wife, and to his friends, and they said with a true fore- boding : ' If Mordecai, before whom thou hast begun to fall, is of the seed of the Jews, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.' While they were still speaking together, the king's servants came and hastened to take Haman to the banquet of queen Esther; Again the king and Haman were sitting at the royal table, when Ahasverus asked for the third time, ' What is thy petition, queen Esther ? it shall be granted thee ; and what is thy request ? were it even to the half of the I.M. HISTORY OP ESTHEE. 55] kingdom, it shall be performed ! ' Esther felt that now, when the highest honours had been bestowed upon her re- lative Mordecai, the moment had come to speak ; she took courage, and said, ' Oh, king, let my life be given at my petition, and my people at my request. For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. And if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I should have been silent, although the enemy could not repay the king's damage.' ' Who is he, and where is he,' Ahasverus burst forth in anger, ' that durst presume in his heart to do so ? ' Esther replied, ' The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.' Then Haman trembled before the king and the queen. As Ahasverus rushed out into the garden in a paroxysm of wrath, the miserable Haman fell on his knees before Esther. There he was found by Ahasverus, who soon returned with his attendants. He was led away, and by the king's command hung upon the gallows he had raised for Mordecai. Esther now confessed to the king that she was Mor- decai's cousin. Ahasverus sent at once for the man who had saved his life, installed him in Haman's place, and gave him, as the symbol of his high office, the signet ring which had been taken from the hand of his foe. Then Esther fell down on her knees before Ahasverus, and im- plored him with tears to revoke the sanguinary edict which had gone out against the Jews ; ' for,' said she, ' how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people ? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred ? ' But the decrees of the Persian kings were irrevocable ; once issued, they could not be changed. How- ever, Ahasverus despatched messengers in all haste to every province of the empire, bidding the Jews prepare to resist ' their enemies. This new proclamation, which filled the Jews with ecstasy and their enemies with apprehension, was eagerly acted upon, and the thirteenth day of the 552 155. EZRA THE SCRIBE, month of Adar was one of fearful bloodshed throughout Persia. The Jews defended themselves so vigorously, that they slew 75,000 persons in the provinces and 800 in Susa. The tendons of Haman were among the victims. Unfoitunately Esther, in the day of her triumph, showed but little clemency to the fallen, and gave free play to the spirit of revenge which, in that age, appears to have been a characteristic of all nations. Mordecai became the great favourite of the monarch, was dressed in the magnificent robes of a grand-vizier, and was laden with riches and honours. From that time, the Jews kept the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar with gladness and re- joicing, by sending mutual presents, and gifts to the poor, as a yearly commemoration of the lots (purim), which Haman had cast to ascertain the day most auspicious for the destruction of the Jews. This is the origin of the festival of Purim. 155. EZEA THE SCRIBE. [EzEA Vn. sqq.] In Jerusalem meanwhile the second High-priest Joia- kim had died, and was succeeded by his son Eliashib, under whose supervision the fortifications of Jerusalem were commenced. The ever-watchful Samaritans con- sidered- this a good opportunity for renewing their ac- cusations against the Jews at the Persian court ; but they seem to have met with little success. The death of Xerxes (465), or rather the accession to the thronfe of his son Artaxerxes I. Longimanus, was an event of the greatest importance to the Jews, especially to those who were settled in their old Palestine homes. For the new king showed remarkable kindness to his Jewish subjects ; and 166. EZEA a?HJi;' SCEIBE. 553 he gave permission to all wlio lived scattered in his eastern provinces, to return to Palestine. Upwards of 1,500 persons availed themselves of it. At the head of this new colony the king placed a man who had obtained his entire confidence, and who was destined to exercise a very decisive influence upon his own coimtrymen — Ezra, of priestly descent, who was learned in the Law and all the knowledge required for its interpretation, anxious to teach and to diffuse it, pious and Crod-fearing. In the seventh year of Artaxerxes' reign (458), the emigrants set out from Susiana. They did not go empty-handed. They took with them much silver and gold and many costly vessels, which the king, and his nobles, and the wealthy Jews of Persia, gave them for the Temple of Jerusalem.' "What was more important, they came armed with a royal decree enjoining upon the satraps west of the Jordan to deliver to Ezra whatever he might require up to 100 talents of silver, and 100 measures of wheat, of wine, and of oil. By that same decree, the priests, the Levites, and all ministers and servants of the Temple, were for ever exempted from paying any of the taxes levied upon Persian subjects ; and Ezra was commanded to select competent judges for all tribunals, and to appoint efficient teachers of the Law for the whole people. The edict concluded with these words : ' And whosoever will not do the Law of thy Grod and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to -banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.' After a journey of four months, through districts full of rapacious and warlike tribes, the Jews arrived safely in Jerusalem, without having required any military protection. Ezra gave up all the treasures ' Namelj, 100 talents of gold, 650 talents of silver, 100 talents' worth of silver vessels, and 20 golden goblets worth 1000 darikes, and 2 vessels of shining brass of equal value as gold (Ezra viii. 26, 27). 554 155. EZRA THE SCEIBE. he had brought with him to the officials of the Temple, and delivered the king's, commands to the Persian satraps and governors, who readily afforded the Jews all necessary aid and support. Ezra's first and principal care was to examine how far the Jews of Palestine lived in accordance with the Mosaic precepts, and to secure the purity of their faith. He found that they had flagrantly violated one of their most important laws ; they had largely intermarried with sur- rounding nations; they had taken as wives maidens of the Canaanites and Amorites, of Ammon, Moab, and Egypt ; and among those who had thus sinned were even priests, Levites, and chiefs. When Ezra learnt the extent of the offence, he was seized with violent grief. At the time of the evening sacrifice, he went to the Temple, and falling upon his kneesj he implored the Lord most devoutly with tears and lamentations to pardon the trespasses of His people, _ concluding with these words : ' Lord Grod of Israel, Thou art righteous ; for we are preserved and have escaped as it is this day : behold, we are before Thee in our trespasses ; for no one can stand before Thee because of this.' Soon a large concourse of men and women were gathered around him ; all felt shame, and one among them, Sechaniah, the son of Elam, gave expression to the common feeling : ' We have tres- passed against our Grod, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land; yet there is still hope for Israel in this thing. Let us make a covenant with our Grod, to put away all the strange wives and such as are born of them, according to the council of my lord (Ezra), and of those that fear the commandments of our Grod ; and let it be done according to the Law. Arise I for this matter belongs to thee; we also will be with thee : be of good courage and do it.' Ezra caused at once the chiefs of the priests and of the ' 155. EZEA THE SCEIBE. 555 people to swear that they would act in accordance with the words just heard, while he himself continued his acts of penance and self-castigation. A decree was then sent out through the land, commanding the Jews, under heavy penalties and expulsion from the Jewish community, to' assemble within three days at Jerusalem. The people obeyed, and a vast crowd filled the open place before the Temple. It was in the latter part of the ninth month (Kislev), in the inclement season of the year, and the rain streamed down continually. Then Ezra stood up, pointed out once more the guilt of the people, and re- peated his warning and admonition. The community promised again obedience. And now the task was ear- nestly begun, and in three months it was completed : all the foreign wives were dismissed, and the holy com- munity was purified — ' the most striking example of the change wrought in them, of the strong, stern passion that their religion had become; the great measure which drew the iron line of separation between the Jews and the rest of the world.' ' If we except a few later allusions, we have no other Biblical accounts concerning Ezra and his work ; it is not even recorded where and when he died. Tradition, as may be expected, busily filled up the gap. According to some, he died and was buried in Jerusalem ; according to others, he returned to Persia, where he died 120 years old, and where his tomb was shown many centuries later near the river Flamura. A grateful posterity credited him with the most varied and most important services done to the sacred literature of the Jews. He may indeed be the author of most of the portions of the BibUcal Book which bears his name ; but he was supposed to have been the first who prepared accurate copies of the Law, and to ' Milman, loo. cit. ' 556 156. NEHKlvnAH, have written down from memory all the Books of the Old Testament that had been lost or destroyed during the siege and capture of Jerusalem ; nay, to him, as the chief of the great Sanhedrin, were attributed the final com- pilation and revision of the Hebrew Canon — a tradition refuted by the date of a considerable number of Books written after his time. He is said, moreover, to have introduced the Assyrian or Chaldee square letters instead of the older Phcsnician characters. So much at least we may safely affirm, that Ezra's zeal, patriotism, and ability were of decided influence in familiarising the Jewish people with the Mosaic ordinances, and in creating that peculiar nationality which has withstood the persecutions and trials of thousands of years. 156, NEHBMIAH (444), [Nbhem. I. sqq.] Ezra was more active as a religious than as a political or civil leader. His attention was directed to the theo- cracy rather than to the commonwealth, more to the Temple than to the capital or the country. Indeed the powers with which he had been invested by the Persian king, seem to have been circumscribed in that sense ; he never attempted to carry forward the building of the walls and the city of Jerusalem. But soon a favourable change took place in this respect also. The man who effected it was Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah, probably of priestly descent. By fidelity and intelligence he gained the entire confidence of the Persian king Arta- xerxes, who appointed him his cupbearer in the palace of Susa. But in the midst of his honours, the destinies of his distant brethren who lived on the soil of their ances- tors, were constantly before his mind. 156. NEHBMIAH. 557 It was in the twentieth year of th^ king's reign (446), that some men who had visited Jerusalem returned to Susa. Nehemiah questioned them anxiously about the welfare of the colony and the state of Jerusalem ; and he received this reply : ' The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach ; the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire.' Nehemiah was overwhelmed with grief ; he pictured to himself how de- fenceless the position of the Jews must be, how open to hostile attacks, how utterly helpless in times of danger. He wept and fasted and sought relief in ardent prayer : « Lord G-od of heaven, the great and terrible God, . . . let Thy ear now be attentive and Thy eyes open that Thou mayest hear the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee day and night for the children of Israel. . . . We have acted very wickedly against Thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which Thou hast commanded Thy servant Moses. . . . Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy.' Thus strengthened, Nehemiah devised means for helping his brethren, and determined to appeal to his royal master. He was pouring out the wine as usual, when the king noticed that he had lost his customary cheerfulness, and asked him with kindly interest, * Why is thy countenance sad ? art thou not ill ?' Then Nehemiah answered, ' Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire ?' The king asked what it was he desired ; and now Nehemiah told him his plan. He begged of the king to send him to Jerusalem, that he niight rebuild it ; to give him letters to the governors and satraps in the west of the Jordan, ordering them to protect him in his journey; and to command the keeper of the royal forests to supply him 558 156. NEHBMIAH. with whatever timber he might require for the Temple and the city. The king granted his requests, merely stipu- lating that he should return to Susa within a fixed time. So Nehemiah went forth, the appointed governor of Judea, accompanied by a royal guard. He performed his journey in safety. When the Samaritans, whose animosity against the Jews had not abated, heard that he had arrived in Palestine, invested with important powers and privileges, they were unable to restrain expressions of bitterness and envy. Conspicuous for his hostility was Sanballat the Horonite. After resting three days in Jerusalem, Nehemiah rose in the night, and with a few chosen friends he rode unobserved roimd the silent and mournful city, whose ruin and sad decay he witnessed in that lonely hour. There stood the remnants of the walls, broken and battered, defenceless indeed, for the strong watch-towers had disappeared,, and the gates had been burnt by fire, while many streets were so choked with rubbish and rotten timber, that there was no room for a mule to pass. When the morning dawned, Nehemiah assembled the priests, rulers, and nobles, and said to them, ' You see the distress that we are in. . , . Come, let us btiild up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may be no more a reproach.' Then he told them that Grod had been merciful to him in the land of the Persians, and that Artaxerxes had granted permission and aid to carry out the work. Incited by his enthusiasm, they cried, ' Let us rise up and build r When Sanballat and many others equally ill disposed against the Jews heard of this enterprise, they laughed it to scorn, and said, ' What is this thing that you will do ? will you rebel against the king?' Nehemiah answered firmly, ' The Grod of heaven will prosper us, and we. His servants, will arise and build ; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.' 156. NEHEMIAH. 559 The labourers were ready, and the work was at once commenced. Eliashib the High-priest and the priests under him set the example : they built and sanctified the first gate ; then the whole population of Jerusalem, and many men from all the surrounding cities, followed; gate after gate sprang up, the breaches in the wall were quickly repaired, and soon half the town was again en- closed and protected. When the Samaritans saw the walls of Jerusalem actually rise from the ruins, they could hardly control their rage. ' What do these feeble Jews begin I ' exclaimed Sanballat ; ' will they fortify them- selves ? will they sacrifice ? will they finish it soon ? will they revive the burnt stones out of the heaps of rubbish?' And Tobiah the Ammonite said, ' They build indeed ! If a fox went up, he would break down their stone wall ! ' Yet in spite of the scoffing jeers and the menaces of their opponents, the enterprise was vigorously proceeded with. Nehemiah had been informed that the enemies, including Ammonites, Arabs, and Philistines, besides the Sama- ritans, contemplated a sudden attack. He therefore set a watch against them by day and by night ; and when danger seemed imminent, he armed the population with spears, swords, and bows, placed the men behind the walls, and addressed them with inspiring words like these : ' Be not afraid of them ; remember, the Lord is great and terrible ; and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses ! ' When the adversaries heard that the Jews were fully prepared to meet them, they desisted for a time from their schemes, and retreated. But thenceforth NehemiaL cautiously divided his men into two bands— the one to serve as labourers, the others as soldiers; but even the former were armed while engaged in their task : ' with one hand each of them wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon . . . and his sword was girded by his 560 166. NEHEMIAH. side.' A trumpeter stood ready to blow the alarm v?hen peril threatened, and thus to assemble the scattered work- men. All were lodged in Jerusalem, so as to be near at hand night or day, if their aid should be required by any emergency. Nehemiah himself, his servants, and the men of his guard, slept dressed during all this time. At last, in the incredibly short time of fifty-two days, the wall aroimd the city stood completed. All acknow- ledged that so unexpected and so happy a result was mainly owing to Nehemiah's untiring zeal, who had not only guided and protected the workmen, but had per- sonally aided in the great work together with his officers and servants. Upon him, therefore, all eyes were directed for redress from the many evils that had crept into the new community. Among these evils the most unbearable was the hard rapacity by which the richer Jews ground down their poorer brethren. The sufferers, full of trust in Nehemiah's justice, wisdom, and influence, laid before him their complaints and their burdens : ' We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn because of the dearth. We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our lands and vine- yards ; . . . and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them ; for other men have our lands and our vineyards.' Nehemiah's anger and compassion were roused; he summoned the rich and the nobles before him, and thus inveighed against them : ' You exact usury, every one of his brother . , . We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, who were sold to the heathen ; and will you even sell your brethren ? or shall they sell themselves to us ? ' Seeing that he had moved the hearts and consciences of his hearers, he con- tinued : ' It is not good that you do ; ought you not to .156. NEHEMIAH. 561 walk in the fear of our Grod because of the reproach of the heathen nations, our enemies ? I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, have lent them money and corn ; I pray you, let us remit them this loan. Eestore to them, I pray yOu, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses ; also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil that you have exacted of them as interest.' The effect was complete, and all exclaimed, 'We will restore it to them, and will require nothing of them ; so will we do as thou sayest.' An oath and a solemn adjura- tion ratified this earnest promise. Nehemiah himself set the example in all deeds of self-denial and patriotic sacrifice ; with royal munificence he daily entertained at his table a hundred and fifty of the most distinguished Jews, besides providing for many strangers ; and yet he renounced, during the whole time of his governorship, inost of the emoluments which belonged to his high office, and which his predecessors had rigorously de- manded ; he renounced them, because he saw ' that the burdens were heavy upon the people.' The more the work of the Jews prospered, the more violent became the hatred of the Samaritans. When Sanballat and his friends heard that the building of the walls had been brought to a successful issue, and when they found that they could not prevail by open attacks, they determined to gain their object by cunning and treachery. Therefore they invited Nehemiah to an inter- view in the valley of Ono near Joppa ; but Nehemiah, suspecting their sinister designs, declined the request, on the plea that his presence was necessary in Jerusalem for the supervision of the works in progress. Four times the same invitation was repeated, and each time it was refused. At last Sanballat sent Nehemiah a letter containing these words : ' It is reported among the nations, that thou and 562 156. NEHEMIAH. the Jews think to rebel ; for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words. And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying. There is a king in Judah : and now it will be reported to the king accord- ing to these words. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together.' Nehemiah, too well aware of his enemy's craft and baseness, boldly replied, ' There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thy own heart.' Yet Sanballat did not desist from his plots. He bribed a Jew, Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, 'Vfho, pretending to be most anxious about Nehemiah's safety, urged him to flee into the Holy or Holy of Holies of the Temple, and to bar its gates, as assassins were hired to kill him that very night. Nehemiah saw that this was a stratagem to entrap him into the profanation of the Sanctuary, and thereby to undermine his authority in the eyes of the fanatic people. He therefore answered Shemaiah, ' Should such a man as I flee ? and who is there that, being as I am, would go into the Temple to save his life ? I will not go in.' Thus, in spite of inveterate foes from without and lying prophets from within, in spite of traitors among the men of Judah, who were in secret alliance with the Samaritans, Nehemiah at last disarmed enmity, and succeeded in accomplishing his great and self-imposed tasks. He gave to his brother Hanani and to his faithful friend Hananiah the supervision of the town and the walls. He ordered that the gates should only be opened during a part of the day, and that they should always be well watched and efficiently garrisoned. He intended com- pletely to rebuild the town, which at that time consisted mainly of an outer fortified wall ; for many of the houses were still lying in ruins, and the people lived, not unlike nomads, in their tents or in lightly constructed dwell- 156. NEHEMIAH. 563 ings, grouped round the foot of their only treasure — the Temple. On the first day of the seventh month Tishri, at the beginning of the civil year, a vast concourse of people ■that had arrived from all parts of Judea, assembled at the dawn of morning before one of the gates of the city, and demanded that ' the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel ' should be read to them. Ezra, though now a subordinate to his younger colleague Nehemiah, was still in Jerusalem, and worked as actively as ever for the dissemination of the Law. To him, there- fore, the request of the people was specially and properly addressed. Standing upon a high wooden pulpit erected for the purpose, he unfurled the sacred scroll, and as he did so, he solemnly blessed the Lord, whereupon all the people answered Amen, Amen, and prostrated themselves worshipping upon the groimd. Then Ezra read to the eager multitude from morn until midday, while able assistants, learned in the Law, mostly priests and Levites, gave all necessary explanations of the text. The people, comparing the Divine commands with their own sinful . lives, burst forth in tears. But Nehemiah and Ezra ex- claimed, ' This day is holy to the Lord your Grod : mourn not, nor weep ; go your jway, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing pre- pared; for this day is holy to our Lord; nor distress yourselves ; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.' ! On the next day, the chiefs of the families, the priests, and Levites assembled again as before; then Ezra bade them enjoin upon the people to keep the Feast of Taber- nacles as prescribed by the Law of Moses, ' Go forth to the mount,' he said, ' and fetch branches of the olive-tree, and of the wild olive-tree, and of the myrtle, and of the palm-tree, and of thick-leaved trees to make tabernacles, as it is written.' The branches were duly gathered, and o o 2 564 156. NEHEMIAH.' the frail booths^ redolent of the sweet freshness of hill and valley, rose all over Jerusalem, on the roofs and in the yards of houses, in the vast Courts of the Templej and before the gates of the city. The whole people kept the festival with rejoicings, while on each of the seven days portions of the Law were publicly read ; a solemn as- sembly on the eighth day concluded the celebration of the Feast. The twenty-fourth day of the same month was observed by the people as a day of fasting and penitence ; readiii^ of the Law alternated with the confession of sins j then the Levites prayed aloud for the community, extolling th6 mercy and goodness of God and imploring His forgive- ness ; they reviewed the long and eventful history of the Israelites from the earliest times up to their own daysj which they described in no cheerful colours: ' Behold we are servants at present; and as to the land that Thougavestto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, be* hold we are servants in it ; and it yields much wealth to the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins 5 and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our eattle» at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.' The pro- ceedings of that inemorable day were brought tO a close by a solemn covenant concluded by the people with Chod and ratified by an oath, that they would observe all the Divine laws, and especially that they would shun inter- marriages with heathen nations, avoid buying and selling on the Sabbath day and all festivals, and duly keep the seventh or Sabbath year as a year of release. It was or- dained, moreover, that they should pay a regular tax to defray the expense of the public worship throughout the year ; that they should bring the firstfruits of the earth and of the trees to the Templej and give the tithes of all produce of the soil to the Levites, who, in their turn, were to give the tfenth part 6f their income to the priests; 156, NEHEMIAH. 565 and that, with regard to the firstborn of men and animalg, they ghonld act according to the injunctions of the Law. Now, in order to distribute the population as equitably as possible over the whole land, it was decided that the chiefs of the people should reside in Jerusalem, and be- sides them, one family out of ten should be selected by lot ; while the remainder were to take up their abode in other parts of the country. This proposal, willingly adopted, was carried out "^th all possible fairness. Far-^ tieular care was taken to retain in Jerusalem a sufficient number of priests and Levites for the seryice of the Tem- ple, and to assign dwellings to the rest in the various distriets of Judea. But all holy ministers were soon afterr wards assembled in Jerusalem to assist at the dedication of the newly built walls, which was celebrated with im- posing solemnity and great rejoicing. At the end of twelve years (432), Nehemiah, true to his promise, returned to the Persian court. Left without his watchful gupervision, the Jews soon relapsed into many of their old abuses, the more so as Ezra seems either to have accompanied him to Susa, or to have died at Jeru- salem before his departure. They admitted Ammonites and Moabites into their community. They intermarried again with heathen nations, and in many cases their children were not taught to speak Hebrew, but only the language of their pagan neighbours. Manasseh, the High- priest EUsshib's grandson, had married a daughter of Sapballat, a chief of the Siamaritans ; and Tobiah, another powerful enemy of the Jews, had allied himself by marriage with a distinguished Jewish family, and had even a cham- ber prepared for him in the very Court of the Temple. The Levites and the singers did not receive their ap- pointed portions, and therefore went to the fields instead of attending to their sacred office^. It s^ems that wise patriots were not wanting who saw and appreciated the 566 15?. NEHEMIAH. danger of all these transgressions. The last of the pro^ phets, Malachi, raised his voice in tones of warning and reproof, of comfort and encouragement, but with little effect.' When Nehemiah, some years after his return to Susa, was informed of the confusion that prevailed in Judea, he was deeply grieved, and begged of his sovereign to allow him to visit Jerusalem once more (about 424). He obtained the desired permission, and as soon as he arrived in the holy city he proceeded to remedy the evils that had so rapidly spread. He separated the Jews from all strangers, and forced them to dismiss their foreign wives; he acted in this matter with great decision, if not with violence; for, to quote his own words, ' I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by Grod, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons or for yourselves.' He banished Manasseh, who had so recklessly defiled the priesthood by his Samaritan marriage ; and he expelled Tobiah from the Court of the Temple. He took measures that the Levites should again receive the tithes regularly and faithfully. But he did more. He eagerly and searchingly investi- gated the customs and daily life of the people. He found ' in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and , bringing in sheaves and lading asses, and also carrying wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens There dwelt men of Tyre also in Jerusalem who brought fish and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Jiidah and in Jerusalem.' He severely reproved the chiefs of the people, saying, 'What evil thing is this that you do, and profane the Sabbath day ? Did not your fathers act thus, and did not our Grod bring all ' See the chapter on Malachi in vol. ii. 156. NEHEMIAH. ' 567 this evil upon us and upon this city ? Yet you call down more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.' He commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be closed on the eve of the day of rest, and should remain so till the following night. This measure he carried out with such energy and perseverance that he at last gained the desired object. Indeed Nehemiah's influence upon the religious and political consolidation of the Jewish com- munity cannot be too highly valued ; he worthily con- tinued what Ezra had begun ; he was equal to his great predecessor in his love for his people, in his fervour for the purity of their faith, and in his untiring activity ; but he surpassed him in promptitude and decision, and above all in practical genius and administrative ability. To win our admiration, therefore, he does not require the legend- ary embellishments which tradition has wreathed round his name. He is said to have re-discovered and made available the sacred fire which the priests, in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, had hidden in a cavern, and which was thenceforth used for the altar ; and he is reported to have brought together many books, and collected the works and letters of the kings and prophets, especially those re- lating to the donations made for the Temple.' It is sufficient to know that he left us, in the Biblical Book which bears his name, a clear and faithful account of his own share in the re-organisation of the Jewish commonwealth. Here the historical accounts of the Hebrew Canon close. From the time of Nehemiah to the destruction of Jeru- salem by Titus, our principal source is the Jewish historian Flavins Josephus, who is not always trustworthy, and must ' See 2 Mace. I. 18 s^^. ; II. 13. 568 157. POLITICAL CONDITION AND LITEEATUEE. be followed with caution. As the object of the present work is not a History of the Jews, but a History of the Bible, we shall confine ourselves to a rapid sketch of the destinies of the Jews from the end of the fifth century, •but shall narrate more fully the memorable Maccabean wars, after which we shall conclude with a brief survey of .events down to the final overthrow of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews. 167. POLITICAL CONDITION AND LITERATURE. Sanballat, to avenge the afiront offered by Nehemiah to his son-in-law Manasseh (p. 566), built on Mount Gerizim a Temple similar to that of Jerusalem, introduced the Mosaic institutions in Samaria, and appointed Manasseh the first High-priest (414).' This was- an event of the utmost importance ; it per- petuated the political division between the Jews and Sama- ritans, and the two Temples, though devoted to. the same faith, stood opposed to each other in hostile rivalry. In the year 400, the Jewish High-priest Jojada died, and was succeeded by his son Johanan. But a younger and ambitious son, Joshua, aspired to the eminent dignity, and he was supported in his pretensions by the Persian gor vemor Bagoses. In the Temple, he once insulted and provoked his elder brother, who, in a moment of fierce rage, killed him in the holy place. To chastise the Jews, Bagoses polluted their Temple by forcing his way into it, and imposed upon them a heavy tribute during seven years. The next High-priests were JohanaJn's son and grand- son, Jonathan and Jaddua, the latter a contemporary of Alexander the Great (330). During this time, the Jews ' Josephns (Antici. XI, viii. 2.) places this fact in the time of Alexander the Great (332). 167. POLITICAL CONDITION A3!fD LITEBATURB. 569 were actively engaged in improving their civil organiaa«tion, and in gathering, arranging, and revising their literature. The civil organisation was briefly as follows. The head of the nation was the High-priest ; his office was for life and hereditaiy ; and his dignity as spiritual chief and re- presentative of the people was one of the highest distinc- tion. The second great power in the commonwealth was a senate or council of seventy elders assembled in Jerusa- lem, called the Sanhedrin, the origin of which is by tra-- dition traced back to the time of Moses. It was the legislative assembly, the highest administrative body, and the supreme court of justice, to which all appeals were brought from the lower courts ; its decisions were final, and it had the privilege of granting pardon. Its members were required to be strict in their religious observances, learned in the law, and well versed in the histpry^of their people. The head or president was called Nasi or prince. If any of the members died, their places were filled up by some of their most distinguished disciples, who were permitted to be present at the deliberations of the council, and thus gained a practical knowledge of its business and duties. Presided over by the High-priest and Sanhedrin, the people, grouped in families, enjoyed full personal freedom and complete equality before the law, in accord? ance with the ordinances of the Pentateuch, which were now scrupulously adhered to and carried out. The Jewish state was- thus indeed a hierarchy, bit at the same time it combined the elements of a monarchy in the High-priesthood, of an aristocracy in the Sanhedrjn, and of a denjjocracy in the well-protected liberties of the people. AH interests and all classes were represented and had their due sh&re of influence. So salutary and wbUt balanced was this constitution, that the little community grew rapidly in strength, and were enabled, at no distant period, even to venture upon afitruggle v^th. a vastly supe- rior power. 570 157. POLITICAL CONDITION AND LITEEATUEE. . The service of the Temple, with its sacrifices and other rites, was not only restored, but in many respects enlarged ; , and in addition to it, private houses of prayer, or Syna- gogues, which had sprung up during the exile, became places of religious teaching, centres of national union, and powerful means of strengthening and extending the cere- monial law. The literature of this period was mainly of a religious tendency. Secular works were sparingly written, and as a rule excluded from the national collections. Therefore an immense number of such productions were lost, while the care of the learned was chiefly bestowed upon the inter- pretation of the sacred books, and upon developing that tradition or ' oral law,' which was considered to date from Moses himself, and to have been handed down from gene- tation to generation. But unfortunately even many works which came fairly wi,thin the scope of religious writings, ■were not incorporated in the Canon, probably because, in the confusion and troubles of the exile, they were lost or difficult to obtain. We find in the Old Testament itself distinct allusion made to no less than fourteen such works, many of them evidently of considerable extent, while every one would have been an invaluable aid for supple- menting the fragmentary records we possess, and for pro- curing to us a more complete insight into the remarkable history of the Hebrews, both political and religious, than we can ever hope to obtain from our present imperfect sources. Among thos,e works, to which reference is made, some are poetical, as ' the Book of the Wars of the Lord,' and 'the Book of the Eighteous,' both of which seem to have been collections of national songs intended to glorify deeds of valour and heroism ; some historical, as the ' Book of the Acts of Samuel,' the ' Book of the Chronicles of i the Kings of Israel,' and ' the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah;' while many are prophetic, or ai least 158. APOCEYPHA. 571 written by prophets, as ' the Book of Nathan the Prophet,' ' the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite,' ' the Visions of Iddo the seer,' and ' the Book of Shemaiah the prophet.' Who can estimate the value of the treasures of which we have thus for ever been deprived ! Gradually, though not within centuries after the time of the last-named High- priests, the four and twenty Books which compose the Hebrew Canon, were finally compiled and revised, and then diffused, in many and scrupulously accurate copies, as the inspired Word of Grod, or the Holy Scriptures. (See pp. 1,2.) ■ 158. THE APOCRYPHA. Yet the literary activity of the Jews, so far from ce^Lsiag, became more intense than ever. The canonical Books were indeed looked upon as the basis of all later writings, as the unerring standard for all future authors ; but a vast field was left for. unfolding the germs of the inspired, teaching, and for embellishing and enlarging the inspired narratives. Thus, it is true, original genius became more rare and more feeble, and at last all, but vanished; and the prophets of old were replaced by a new class of men,- the scholars or ' scribes,' of whom Ezra seems to have been the fijst, or is at least the most perfect representative, " Now all the works written or disseminated after the con- clusion of the Hebrew Canon, and deemed, though not decisive in matters of doctrine and faith, yet beneficial for religion and spiritual guidance, were, from tinle to time, added to the Scriptures, by way of supplement^ as distinct indeed from those older Books in weight and authority, yet recommended as profitable reading. They were comprehended under the name of Apocrypha, of which a small number has been preserved.^ That Greek ' Namely, the first and second Book of Esdras ; ToWt and Judith ; Ad- ditions to the Book of Esther; the Prayer of Manasseh; the Wisdom of 572 158. APOCEYPHA. word means literally ' secret, hidden, or obscure,' and was fitly applied to writings uncertain in origin, limited in circulation, and often vague in meaning. The Apocrypha were thus clearly opposed to the Books of the Ca/rum, which, signifies rule or norm. They remained restricted to private perusal, while the canonical writings were publicly read, and commented upon in the Temples and the Synagogues. Only a few of them were originally written in the holy tongue ; * the rest were composed in Grreek. This vhich the Syrians were completely discomfited ; they fled and were pursued as far as Grazera, and Nicanor himself was among the slain. All escape was prevented by the men of Judah, who rushed forth from their towns, and joined in the pursuit of the enemy. Immense spoil was taken. Nicanor's head and proud right hand were cut off and fixed over the gates of Jerusalem. Joy and gladness 600 164. JUDAS MACCABJEUS; now reigned throughout Judea ; and it was ordained that the anniversary of this great victory — the 13th of Adar — should in all future times be celebrated. It was kept under the name of ' the Feast of Meaner ' for many cen- turies ; but it was later abandoned because the ' Fast of Esther ' falls on the same day. Judas felt that it would be impossible to maintain the safety of his people without powerful allies ; and having heard of the valour of the Romans, of their widely-spread power, their invincible arms, and wise statesmanship, he determined to place his own little commonwealth under the protection of their mighty name. He had heard that they were implacable enemies, but sure and steadfast friends ; that they were able and willing to help their allies against formidable foes ; and his sympathies were strengthened when he learnt that ' none of them bore a crown or was clothed in purple, to be exalted above his fellow-citizens.' He therefore sent two trustworthy men, Eupolemus and Jason, the son of Eleazar, to Eome, to offer a treaty of friendship, and to solicit assistance against the Syrians whenever it should be required. The Eoman senate ac- cepted the proposal, and the treaty was concluded and ratified in due form (161). As an earnest of their good faith, the Eomans wrote without loss of time to Demetrius in these terms : ' Wherefore hast thou made the yoke heavy upon our friends and confederates the Jews ? If, therefore, they complain any more against thee, we will do them justice, and fight with them by sea and by land.' But Demetrius would not leave the death of his general Meaner unavenged. Before the treaty with Eome could have been proclaimed, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus again into Judea at the head of a large host. They first marched into Gralilee, laid siege to Masaloth near Arbela, and slew many Hebrews. Then they passed southward^ 164. JUDAS lEACCABJEUS, 601 tod, in the month of Nisan in the year 161, they appeared before Jerusalem. But they soon removed from thence, and pitched their tents at Berea, with 20,000 foot soldiers and 2,000 horsemen ; while Judas encamped at Eleasa with 3,000 chosen men. "When these saw the immense supe- riority of the enemy, many of them fled in fear, and 800 men only remained faithful to Judas. But even with this little band he was determined to fight the unequal battle, and he said, ' Let us arise and go up against our enemies ; perhaps we may be able to withstand them.' His captains, believing resistance utterly fruitless, dissuaded him with fervour, and replied, ' We shall never be able ; let us now rather save our lives, and later we will return with our brethren and fight against them; for we are but few.' Then Judas addressed his men thus : ' Grod forbid that I should do this thing to flee away from them : if our time be come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and leave behind no stain upon our honour ! ' The battle com- menced almost immediately, and it was fought with desperate obstinacy on both sides. Judas, rushing onward with his old lion-hearted courage, obtained the mastery over the right wing of the enemy, and pursued them to Mount Azotus ; but then the left wing flercely followed Judas, and closed around him and his men ; a fearful struggle ensued; many were killed on either side — and among the slain was the great Judas himself. When their leader had fallen, the small remnant of his followers fled in despair. His brothers Jonathan and Simon took him from the battle-field, and buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers in Modin. All Israel be- wailed him for many days, and a song of lamentation was recited, of which this was the burden : ' How is the valiant man fallen that delivered Israel ! ' Indeed it was not easy to condense in an elegy all the wonderful ex- ploits of the noble hero ; and his historian, feeling this 602 165. JONATHAN. difficulty, takes leave of him with these words : ' And as for the other things concerning Judas and his wars, and the hrave acts which he did, and his greatness, they are not written, for they were very many.' 165. JONATHAN (161—143). [1 Macc. IX. 23.— Xm. 30.] Bacchides, after his victory, showed no spirit of mode- ration. He searched out the adherents of Judas, insulted and persecuted them, and put many to death. ' So was there a great afHiction in Israel, the like whereof was not since the time that a prophet was not seen among them.' But the race of the Asmoneans was not extinct. The spirit of Judas lived in his brothers, and the Jews ap- pointed Jonathan as his successor in the leadership. Bacchides, indignant and alarmed at the election of an- other chief from the same hated family, determined to kill him. With this object in view he crossed the Jordan, where Jonathan had encamped near the well of Asphar. Not long before, his brother John had been assailed and slain in the southern desert by the children of Jambri, and to avenge his death, Jonathan lay in wait for a great marriage procession of the Jambrites, when he killed many men and women, and then returned to Asphar. Here Bacchides resolved to attack the Jews on a Sabbath- day ; but Jonathan, too wise to imperil his army by a narrow adherence to the letter of the Law, at once pre- pared for defence, and said to his men : " Now let us go up and fight for our lives, since it does not stand with us as in time past. For, behold, the battle is before us and behind us, and the water of Jordan on this side and that side, the marsh likewise, nor is there a place for us to turn aside.' In the battle that ensued, Jonathan put Bacchides 165. JONATHAN. 603 to flight, and killed a thousand of the enemy ; and then he courageously swam with his men over the Jordan, whither the Syrians did not dare to follow him. But Demetrius now strongly garrisoned the principal towns of Judah, as Jericho, Emmaus, and Beth-horon, Beth-el, Timnah, Beth-zur, and Gazara ; he took the most eminent men as hostages, and kept them prisoners in the citadel of Jerusalem. The infamous High-priest Alcimus, em- boldened by the example of his Syiian protector, com- manded the wall of the inner Court of the Temple to be pillled down ; but the work of destruction had scarcely commenced when Alcimus was suddenly smitten with palsy, and he died soon afterwards in great torture (160). Bacchides now retm'ned to Syria, and Judea enjoyed peace for two years. But there were traitors who felt uneasy under Jonathan's watchful supervision, and who went to Demetrius, urging him to send again an army into Judea. Bacchides came with a great host, and insi-' diously attempted to assassinate Jonathan and Simon. But his designs failed, and the brothers retreated with their followers to Beth-basi, in the desert, and fortified the place. Bacchides approached to attack the stronghold, whilst Jonathan made successful raids into the neigh- bouring territories. Simon, defending Beth-basi with the utmost vigour, made bold sallies upon the army of Bac- chides, and burnt his materials of war. The Syrian generalj sorely pressed, now vented his rage against those who had called him into the land, killed many of them, and prepared for departure. But Jonathan, in order to save the prisoners, offered him peace, which was accepted. Bacchides delivered up the prisoners, returned to Syria, and never appeared again in Judea. Jonathan, who was greatly honoured for his devotion to his country and for his valour, judged the people, and regulated the internal- affairs of the land.. 604 166. JONATHAN. But the kingdom of Syria itself was torn by the strife of factions. In the year 153, Alexander Bala, a son of Antiochus Epiphanes, laid claim to the throne, and his pretensions were favoured by the Eomans. His uncle Demetrius, actively preparing against the dangerous re- volt, sent messengers to Jonathan, reminded him of their treaty of peace, and demanded that the Jewish hostages who were kept prisoners on Mount Zion should be de- livered up to him. But Jonathan, remembering the faithlessness and cruelty of Demetrius, restored the hos- tages to their parents and relations, fortified many cities, and expelled the heathens from the old strongholds, ex- cept from Beth-zur, where a large number of Syrians resisted with success. The pretender Alexander, hearing with admiration of the exploits of Jonathan, was anxious to secure such an ally, and sent him friendly greetings and overtures of peace, declared him High-priest, and presented him, in token of his respect, with a magnificent purple robe and a golden crown. Jonathan accepted the proposal, and on the Feast of Tabernacles appeared for the first time in his splendid pontifical vestments. Deme- trius, alarmed by this alliance, and desirous to outbid his rival, sent again messengers to Jonathan, and, in order to tempt the Jews, made them the most alluring promises, offered them public grants for the service of the Temple, and immunity from all tribute, taxes, and tithes. But the Jews felt that these fair words were not to be relied upon ; they declined to listen to Demetrius, and remained faithful to Alexander. Both Syrian kings now prepared for battle, in which Demetrius, though fighting bravely, was utterly routed and himself slain. Alexander was then firmly established on the throne of Syria, and in order to strengthen his position, he married Cleopatra, the daughter of the Egyptian king Ptolemy Physcon (151), and solem- nised the wedding at Ptolemais with the greatest splendour. 165. JONATHAN. 605 Jonathan arrived with rich presents at Ptolemais to offer his good wishes. He was treated by Alexander with distinction, and thus obtained a signal triumph over those treacherous Jews who had tried by calumny to rouse the new king's anger against him. But Syria was not long allowed to enjoy undisturbed tranquillity. A few years later (148), Demetrius, the son of the slain monarch of the same name, tried to regain the crown of his father. When he had arrived from Crete and landed in Syria, Alexander proceeded in haste and alarm to Antiochia. Demetrius appointed ApoUonius his general, who, collecting a large force, especially of horse- jnen, insolently gave Jonathan the choice between war and unconditional submission, and without delay encamped before Jamnia. Jonathan, provoked by this audacity, marched with 10,000 chosen men to Joppa, which was ■gaxrisoned by the troops of ApoUonius, besieged the town, and took it. ApoUonius, desirous to fight in a plain, where. his well-trained cavalry would be available, proceeded to Ashdod, whither he was followed by Jona- than. He had concealed in ambush 1,000 horsemen, who incessantly shot their arrows upon Jonathan's men ; but these sustained the attack bravely, till Simon and his troops came to the rescue, and then they put the enemy to flight, many of whom sought refuge in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. Jonathan pursued them, burnt the temple, and killed 8,000 Syrians. The town of Ashdod also and other neighbouring cities were destroyed by fire. The inheibitants of Ashkelon surrendered of their own accord. Jonathan now returned to Jerusalem laden with spoil. King Alexander, in a transport of joy and gratitude, overwhelmed Jonathan with marks of honour and respect, sent him splendid garments, and a golden buckle, such as was only worn by blood relations of the king, and gave him the town Ekron with its surrounding 606 165. JONATHAN. lands as his hereditary property. Soon afterwards, Pto- lemy Physcon, basely conspiring against his son-in-law, marched out to conquer Syria. The towns of Palestine allowed him free passage by command of his unsuspecting son-in-law, who was just then absent, trying to enforce his authority in Cilicia. He visited the site of. the burnt temple of Dagon in Ashdod ; but he reservedly withheld all unfavourable remarks against the Jews. In Joppa he received the friendly greetings of Jonathan, and dismissed him with expressions of goodwill ; but then, in the absence of Alexander, he easily conquered all the towns on the coast up to Seleucia. He sent messages to Demetrius requesting his alliance, and offering him in marriage his daughter Cleopatra, whom he had taken by force from the royal palace. When Demetrius assented, Ptolemy declared open war against his son-in-law. He entered the capital Antiochia, and placed upon his head the two crowns of Egypt and of Syria. Alexander, informed of these events, returned hastily and engaged in battle with Ptolemy. He was defeated, and escaped into Arabia, where he was killed by the chief Zabdiel, who sent his head to the usurper. Eut Ptolemy died a few days after the battle, and now the young Demetrius was proclaimed king of Syria (146). In the meantime Jonathan, profiting by the confusion in Syria, had besieged the citadel of Zion with great vigour, and had every hope of gaining this most important stronghold. But some of those traitors who were never wanting in Judea to damage the national cause, informed Demetrius of the impending danger, and accused Jonathan of arbitrary rule. The king, therefore, ordered the Jewish leader to desist from the siege, and to come without delay to Ptolemais for an interview. Jonathan, while giving directions for the active continuance of the siege, went to Ptolemais with rich presents of silver and gold 163. JONATHAN. 607 and raiments. By prudence and discretion lie succeeded in gaining the king's entire confidence and favour ; he was confirmed in the High-priesthood and in all his other honours, and treated with the utmost regard. Thus en- couraged, he requested Demetrius to release Judea and Samaria from the obligation of the tribute, in return for which ^ he promised three hundred talents. Demetrius granted the request, and ratified the privileges by a decree, which he sent to the governor Lasthenes, to be made known by public proclamation. Demetrius deemed it proper to dismiss all native soldiers, and to retain only the foreign hirelings. This step caused the greatest discontent among the Syrians. Alexander Bala had left a son Antiochus, who was edu- cated under the care of the Arabian Imalkua. Tryphon, an old friend of Alexander, hoping to turn the murmurs of the Syrian army to the advantage of his son, requested Imalkua to entrust him with the young Antiochus, as he desired to declare him king. The public indignation against Demetrius had now reached a most dangerous pitch, and when Jonathan sent messengers to him with the request to withdraw the Syrian garrison from the citadel of Zion, Demetrius promised this and many other advantages, on condition that Jonathan would send troops to Antiochia to afford him personal protection. The High-priest at once despatched 3,000 Jewish soldiers to the Syrian capital. Here, at the instigation of Tryphon, a furious revolt had broken out. The Jews fought with marvellous courage against the rebels, of whom they killed an enormous number — it is stated 100,000 — and regardless of their own peril, they saved the life of Demetrius. They were sent back to Jerusalem highly honoured and laden with costly spoil. But when Deme- trius saw himself again safely established on the throne, he refused to keep the promises he had given to Jonathan ; e08 165. JONATHAN. he even assumed a position of hostility, and bitterly op- pressed him. Unsupported by the Jews, Demetrius could not long maintain his position. Tryphon returned with the prince Antiochus, boldly raised the standard of revolt, and by the aid of the dismissed Syrian soldiers, he defeated Demetrius, compelled him to flee, and took possession of Antiochia (138). The young king Antiochus VI. soli- cited the friendship of Jonathan, confirmed him in the High-priesthood and in all his other rights, presented him with purple robes and precious ornaments, gave him permission to drink out of golden vessels, and appointed his brother Simon governor over the whole coast -land, from Tyre down to the river of Egypt. Jonathan, rein- forced by Syrian soldiers, who joined his army in large numbers, traversed the whole land from Ashkelon to Damascus. He was received everywhere with enthu- siasm ; a few towns only, such as Gaza, opposed him, but were forced into subjection. Simon in the meantime besieged and took Beth-zur, which he garrisoned with Jewish troops ; but the generals of Demetrius encamped at Kadesh, in Grahlee, with a large host, intending to cut off the return of Jonathan. The latter, on his way home, passed the sea of Gennezareth, and thence marched into the plain of Asor. Here his enemies laid an ambush for him; the Jewish soldiers, perceiving the danger, fled in alarm ; a few captains only remained. With these Jonathan bravely attacked the Syrians, and put them to. flight. Now the scattered troops returned to their leader, 3,000 of the enemy were killed, and Jonathan re-entered Jeru- salem in safety. ■ He then sent messengers to Eome and Sparta to renew the old treaties which had been concluded by Judas and the High-priest Onias. However, the expelled Demetrius did not give up the 165. JOKATHAN. 609 nope of recovering the throne of Syria. His generals called together a large army ; but Jonathan, justly fore- seeing danger to himself, advanced rapidly to Hamath to meet them. When they saw him well armed and pre- pared for battle, they secretly retreated over the river Eleutheris, so that Jonathan could not pursue them ; but he attacked and defeated the Arab tribe of the Zabadeans who had harassed him, and marched to Damascus. Mean- while Simon had not been inactive. He carried on a supcessful war in Philistia, especially in Ashkelon, and took Joppa, which was on the point of joining Demetrius. Jonathan now returned to Jerusalem, fortified the town with new walls, and strengthened the old ones; while Simon built Adida in the plain, and made it a strong fortress. But the Syrian general Tryphon, ambitious and un- scrupulous, was scheming to overthrow the young Antio- chus, whom he had helped to place on the throne, and to seize the crown for himself. He knew well that Jonathan was too honourable a man and too faithful an ally to aid him in his treacherous projects, and he was, therefore, anxious to remove him. He invited him to come to Beth- shan, where he had prepared everything for his assassi- nation. But Jonathan's suspicions were roused, and he advanced with 40,000 men. Yet Tryphon, deceiving him by hypocritical protestations of friendship, induced him to send his army away, and to keep only 3,000 men, of whom he was to leave 2,000 in Galilee ; with the remain- ing 1,000 men he was to accompany Tryphon to Ptolemais, which was to be delivered up into his hands. When Jonathan had entered Ptolemais, the gates of the town were at once closed; he was taken prisoner and his thou- sand men were slain. Then Tryphon sent without delay a large host of foot and horsemen to Galilee to destroy the bulk of Jonathan's army. But the Jewish soldiers boldly '' B K 610 166. SIMON, opposed the Syrians, who, seeing no hope of success, desisted from their attack. The Hebrew troops then returned unmolested to Jerusalem, which rang with mournful wailings at the capture of their beloved leader Jonathan. The Jews were justly alarmed, because the surrounding nations prepared for war, saying, ' They have no captain, nor have they any help ; now, therefore, let us make war upon them, and take away their memorial from among them.' Tryphon himself gathered a large army, ready to march upon Jerusalem. 166. SIMON (143—136). [1 Maoc. Xm. 30.— XVI. 17.] But the noble qualities of Judas and Jonathan survived in their younger brother Simon, a man equally remark- able for wisdom and valour. He encouraged the people and allayed their fears, saying: 'You yom'selves know what great things I and my brothers and my father's house have done for the laws and the Sanctuary, the battles also and troubles which we have seen.' Eoused to enthusiasm by Simon's exhortations, all promised to iight boldly for their country, and the walls of Jerusalem were rapidly completed and manned. Tryphon marched out from Ptolemais into Judea, and took with him the captive Jonathan. Sending messengers to Simon, he demanded 100 talents of silver and two of his children as hostages; if these demands were complied with, he promised to restore Jonathan to liberty. Although Simon well knew that the proposal was made deceitfully, he yet sent the money and his children, lest the people should accuse him of having selfishly frustrated his brother's rescue. However, Tryphon did not give up Jonathan, and at once marched out to reach Jerusalem by a circuitous road; 166. SIMON. 611 but his advance was stopped by a heavy snow-fall, and he proceeded into Gilead. When he arrived near the town of Bascama, he basely murdered Jonathan, and then re- turned to Syria. The body of Jonathan was, however, recovered by Simon, and was, amidst deep and bitter lamentations, deposited in Modin, the city of his fathers. Simon then built a splendid mausoleum over the sepul- chre of his father and mother and of his four brothers. Seven pillars of hewn stone — one of them intended for his own memorial — covered with skilful designs, and sur- rounded by columns adorned with the representations of armour, weapons, and ships, rose so high that they could be seen by the mariners sailing in the Mediterranean sea ; this monument was long preserved with grateful care, and remains of it have quite recently been discovered on the site of the ancient Modin. The faithless Tryphon soon afterwards killed Antio- chus, and mercilessly massacring all the adherents of the latter, he proclaimed himself king of Syria. In this critical state of affairs, when the pretensions of two rival kings — Demetrius and Tryphon — were to be decided upon, Simon gave signal proofs of wisdom and prudence. He strengthened all the fortresses of Judah, and supplied them with ample provisions. Then he sent messengers to Demetrius with suitable presents, requesting a remis- sion of taxes, since Tryphon had seriously weakened and recklessly pillaged the country. Demetrius, to secure so powerful an ally, readily granted all that Simon demanded, confirmed him in the possession of the fortresses he had built, and declared himself ready to receive Jews as offi- cers at his court and in his army. Thus, then, in the year 143, the Jews became inde- pendent, and Simon was a sovereign prince, so that from that year the public documents and private contracts, and the inscriptions on coins, were dated in this manner : ' In , B b2 612 166. SIMOK. the year of Simon the High-priest, the governor and leader of the Jews.' Simon was alike worthy of and well fitted for the high offices and dignities which he enjoyed. To complete the subjection of Judea, he first besieged and assailed Gaza, which he took after a desperate struggle ; he then' ex- pelled from the citadel of Jerusalem the apostate and re- bellious Jews, who from that stronghold had long kept their countrymen in terror ; he celebrated this important event, which took place on the 21st of Jar in the year 142, with ' thanksgiving, and branches of palm-trees, and with viols, and hymns, and songs, because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel ; ' and he ordained that the same day should annually be kept as a festival of joy. He increased the defences of Jerusalem, and made it the principal fortress in the land. Anxious to devote himself entirely to his important spiritual and civil functions, he appointed his valiant son John to be general over all the army, and sent him to Grazara. The rule of Simon was in every way beneficent and honourable for the Jews. By his wisdom and justice the contending factions were reconciled, and all alike ac- knowledged his authority. He constructed an excellent harbour at Joppa, enlarged the boundaries of the land, expelled idolaters, adorned and enriched the Temple in Jerusalem, and encouraged the cultivation of the soil, which yielded produce in unprecedented abundance. The men of maturer years assembled to deliberate on the public weal, while the young men vied with each other in all bodily and warlike exercises. And ' Simon made : peace in the land ; and Israel rejoiced with great joy ; for every man sat under his fig-tree, and there was none to terrify him ; nor was there any left in the land to fight against them ; for the kings themselves were overthrown in those, days. . . . He searched out the Law, and every 166. SIMON. 613 despiser of tlie Law and wicked person he punished.' The Eomans and Spartans, informed of the death of Jonathan, sent messengers to Simon to condole with him, and to renew their former treaties and leagues of friend- ship. The people, highly gratified at these marks of ■ respect and goodwill from such powerful nations, were anxious to manifest their gratitude to and admiration for Simon, to whom, in a great measure, they owed their proud position. A brazen tablet, on which all his noble deeds and those of his great brothers were engraved, was erected by them, and conspicuously placed upon pillars on Mount Zion ; while copies of it were deposited in the treasury of the Temple. Demetrius, seeing that unaided he was powerless to resist his rival Tryphon, went with all his forces to Media, in the hope of strengthening himself by conquests (141) ; but he was taken by the Median king Arsaces and imprisoned. When his son Antiochus learnt his fate, and saw that there was no hope of his return, he sent letters to many nations on the Mediterranean, requesting their support. Among them he appealed to Simon, to whom he promised the undisturbed enjoyment of all his former rights and advantages, and granted the privilege of coining money in his own name. So many followed the standards of Antiochus, that Tryphon, sorely pressed, was compelled to retreat to the fortress of Dora, near Carmel, where he was besieged by his opponent with a large army. Simon, to prove his good faith to Antiochus, sent him a rein- forcement of 2,000 men. But Antiochus, capricious and arbitrary, refused their services, sent them back, revoked all the rights he had conceded to Simon, and despatched his friend Athenobius into Judea, bidding Simon to sur- render Joppa, Gazara, and the citadel of Jerusalem, and exacting tribute for all the places which he had taken beyond the boundaries of Judea; if Simon preferred 614 166. SIMON. keeping the three first-named strongholds, he was to paj for them and for the ravages he had caused in the land 1,000 talents of silver. If he refused to comply with these demands, Antiochus threatened to enforce them bj violence. When Athenobius had delivered his insolent message, Simon justified his conduct with calmness and dignity; yet he offered 100 talents as compensation for property unavoidably destroyed during the war. The Syrian ambassador saw with astonishment and envy the magnificence and splendour of Simon's court ; he felt that the independence of Judea would be a perpetual danger to the Syrian kingdom ; and he left Jerusalem in anger. When Antiochus heard the account of Athenobius, he swore he would take his revenge on Simon. Meanwhile Tryphon, unable to maintain himself any longer in Dora, had escaped to Orthosias on the Phoeni- cian coast ; and now Antiochus, relieved from his chief adversary, sent out his general Cendebeus with a con- siderable host to invade Judea. Cendebeus lost no time in executing his commission ; he fortified Kidron in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and from thence made de- vastating raids into different parts of Judea. When Simon became aware of the impending dangers, he called his two eldest sons, Judas and John, before him, and said to them : ' I, and iny brothers, and my father's house have ever, from our youth to this day, fought against the enemies of Israel; and things have prospered so well in our hands that we have delivered Israel oftentimes. But now I am old, and you, by Grod's mercy, are of a sufiScient age : be you instead of me and my brother, and go and fight for our nation, and the help from heaven be with you!' He gave 20,000 men to his sons, and with these they went to meet Cendebeus. Inspired by the bold example of John, his soldiers crossed over the river near Modin, attacked the Syrians, and pursued them to Ashdod, which CONCLUSION. 615 they destroyed by fire ; and having slain 2,000 of the enemy, they returned triumphantly to Jerusalem. But treachery once more raised its head in the Jewish commonwealth. Ptolemy, the son-in-law of Simon, had , been appointed by him governor of the district of Jericho. He aspired to the High-priesthood, and made a plot to assassinate Simon and his sons. When the aged Simon, accompanied by his two sons Mattathias and Judas, on his journey of supervision through the land, passed through Jericho, Ptolemy induced them to come to the little fortress Docus, where he invited them to a sumptuous repast ; and when he saw them merry with wine, he gave the signal to armed men hidden in the banqueting-hall, for the murder of his father-in^aw and of his two sons (in the month of Shevat in the year 136). Then the assassin, without loss of time, despatched messengers to king Antiochus (VII.), asked him for money and troops, and confidently promised to conquer the land for him. He ordered the principal Jews to submit to his rule, and prepared for the occupation of Jerusalem and Zion. Feeling that John, the eldest son of Simon, was the main -obstacle to his success, he was anxious to kill him also. John was then staying in Grazara, where he learnt with grief and consternation the terrible fate that had befallen his father and his brothers. Here the account of the' Books of the Maccabees closes, and the task which we have proposed to ourselves is finished. The later fortunes of the Asmoneans, who soon afterwards ruled under the title of kings, were varied and for the most part sad. Domestic dissensions, personal jealousies, and the intrigues of rival families, called the Eomans into the land, who first became the arbiters, and then the masters, of the people. The last of the Maccabees . 616 CONCLUSION. was dethroned and succeeded by the Idumsean Herod (40), after whose death Palestine became a dependency of the Eoman empire. But hot even then were the internal feuds silenced ; religious sects and political factions stood ar- rayed against each other in fierce hostility ; violence and treachery were more rife than ever ; till at last the arms of the all-conquering Eomans made an end of the ex- hausted Jewish commonwealth ; and after a war and siege almost unparalleled for desperate resistance and frightful bloodshed, Titus, the son of the Emperor Vespasianus, took Jerusalem and burnt the Temple (70 a.c). Thus the glory of Judah departed. As the Jews saw the flames rise high above their Sanctuary, consuming all that was dear and sacred to them, they felt that their existence as a nation was destroyed ; and soon afterwards they dispersed over the whole earth, to seek a refuge or a new home among every people and in every land. CHEONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE HISTORY OP THE HEBREWS. B.C. ii200 Abraham. 1930 Joseph in Egypt. 1920 Jacob and his family settled in Egypt. 1570 Moses born. 1490 Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. 1450 Moses died. 1450 — 1095 Time of Joshua and the Judges. 1100 Samuel. 1095—1055 Saulldng. 1055—1015 David. 1015— 975 Solomon. 975 Division of the Empire. K-TNGS OF JUDAH. KINGS OF EPHEAIM OR ISEAEL. (975—588.) (975—722.) 975 958 Rehohoam. 975 — 954 Jeroboam. 958—955 Abijah. 955—914 Asa. 954—953 Nadab. 953—930 Baasha. 930-928 Elah. 928 Zimri. 928—918 Omri. 918—897 Ahab. (Elijah.) 618 CHEONOLOGICAL TABLE. KINGS OF JUDAH. KINGS OF EPHEAIM OE ISEAEL. 914—891 Jehoshaphat, 897—895 Ahaziah. (Elisha.) 895—884 Jehoram. 891—884 Joram. 884—883 Ahaziah. 884—856 Jehu. 883—877 Interregnum (Athaliali.) 877—838 Joash. 856—840 Jehoahaz. 840—825 Joash. 838—811 Amaziah, 825—784 Jeroboam II. 811—759 Uzziah or Azariah. 784—774 Interregnum. 774 Zachariah. 774 Shallum. 773—763 Menahem. 763—739 Pekah. 759—743 Jotham. 743—728 Ahaz. (Isaiah.) 739—722 Hoshea. 728—699 Hezekiah. (Shalmaneaer.) (Sennacherib •) 699—644 Manasseh. 644—642 Amon. 642—611 Josiah. The Book of the Law discovered. 611 Jehoahaz or 1 (Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk.) ; Battle of Megiddo. Shallum. 611 — 599 Joiakim. (Nebuchadnezzar.) 599 Jehoiachin. 599—588 Zedekiah. 688 Destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. CHEONOLOGICAL TABLB. 619 588 — 638 The Jews under Babylonian rule. (Daniel, Ezekiel, the second Isaiah.) 688 — 660 Gedaliah, Chaldean Governor of Judah. 560 Gedaliah murdered. Emigration of the Jews from Palestine into Egypt. 538 Babylon conquered by Cyrus. 538—332 The Jews under Persian rule. • 588 Many Jews return to Palestine by permission of Cyrus. Zerubbabel. 636 Building of the second Temple commenced. Samaritans or Cutheans. (Haggai, Zechariah.) 616 The Temple completed. 478 Esther queen ; Mordecai. 458 Ezra the Scribe leads a colony of Jews from Persia to Palestine ; strict reforms. 444 Nehemiah sent by King Artaxei-xes as Governor to Judea. The town and the walls rebuilt; new organisation. Sanballat. 432 Nehemiah returned to Persia. (Malachi, the last prophet.) 382 — 164 The Jews under Macedonian, Egyptian, and Syrian rule. 312 Ptolemy (I.) Lagi, satrap of Egypt, conquers Palestine after the battle of Gaza. 301 Ptolemy gains another victory in the battle of Ipsus. 283 The Greek or Septuagint translation of the Old Testament commenced in Alexandria, under Ptolemy (II. )Phila- delphus. 203 Antiochus (HI.) the Great, king of Syria, takes Palestine and Phoenicia. 170 Antiochus (IV.) Epiphanes plunders the Temple in Jerusa- lem and massacres many Jews. 167 A Syrian army under Heliodorus occupies Jerusalem ; the Temple desecrated. Kevolt under Mattathias. 167 — 161 Judas Maccabaeus leader of the Jews. 164 Jerusalem retaken by the Jews ; the Temple consecrated (25th of Kislev). 161 Judas killed in battle. 161—143 His brother Jonathan leader. 143 Jonathan made prisoner by Tryphon. 148 — 136 His brother Simon leader. 620 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 143 The Jews are freed from paying tribute to Syria ; Simon sovereign prince. 136 Simon murdered by his son-ia-law Ptolemy. 136 — 106 John Hyrcanus prince and High-priest. 105 — 104 Aristobulus I. king of the Jews. 104 — 78 Alexander Jannai king. 78 — 69 Alexandra, his wife, queen ; her son Hyrcanus High-priest. 69— 63 Ai'istobulus, her second son, king ; disputes and war with Hyrcanus ; Pompey the Great decided in favour of the latter. 6-3 — 40 Hyrcanus II. ethnarch of Judea. 37 — 3 A.c. Herod the Great, the Idumssan. 70 A.c. Jerusalem taken and the Temple burnt by Titus. INDEX. AAR AAEON, pp. m, 123 sqq., 187- 189, 223,233, 234 Abana, 470 Abarim, 236 AMon, 303 Abel, 7 sqq Abel-beth-maaohah, 403 Abel-meholah, 453, 454 Abel-shittim, 236 Abiah, 329 Abiathar, 362, 372, 395, 408, 414, 419 Abigail, 365, 366 Abibu, 175, 219 Abijah, son of Jeroboam, 442 , son of Eeboboam, 492 Abimael, 21 Abimelech, a Philistine king, 41, 44, 56 , son of Gideon, 296-299 Abinadab, of Kiijatb-jearim, 327, 382 ., son of Saul, 373 Abinoam, 282 Abiram, 228-230 Abishag, 414 Abisliai,367, 377, 387, 396, 399, 403, 405 Abner, 338, 367, 378-380 Abraham, Abram, 23-62 Absalom, 381, 392-400 Accad, 19 Achan, 260, 261 Achiah, 340 AJA Achish, 368, 371 Achor, 261 Aehsah, 268 Aorabattine, 593 ' Adah, 10 Adam, 4 sqq. Adida, 609 Admah, 29 Adoni-bezek, 275 Adonijah, 381, 408, 409, 413. 414 Adoram, 437 Adriel, 354, 404 Adullam, 360 Agag, 344, 346 Ahab, 445-460 Ahasverus, 644 sqq. Ahaz, 487,.506, 507 Ahaziah, king of Israel, 460, 461, 476, 477, 478 , king of Judah, 497, 498 Ahijah, 435, 442 Ahikam, 517 sqq., 527 Ahimaaz, 395, 398, 400 Ahimelech, 359 sqq. Ahinoam, wife of Said, 338 ■ , of Jezreel, wife of David, 366, 392 Ahio, 382 Ahitophel, 394, 395 sqq. Aholiab, 193 Ahnzzath, 56 Ai, 260-262 Ajalon, 342 622 INDEX. AKK Akkerkuf, 19 Alcimus, 598, 600, 603 Alexander the Great, 568, 574 Alexander Bala, 604-606 Alexandria, 571, 576 Almodad, 21 Almon Diblathaim, 235 Altar of Burnt-offerings, 178 of Frankincense, 179, 180 Alush, 148 Amalekites, 148, 149, 225, 344, 346, 371, 372, etc. Amasa, 399-403 Amaziah, priest of Beth-el, 484 , king of Judah, 483, 601, 603 Ammonites, 336, 337, 387, 388, 496, etc. Amnon, 381, 392, 393 Amon, governor of Samaria, 469 , king of Judah, 516 Amoritee, 20, 225, 237, 262 Amos, 2, 483, 484, 486, 504, 506 Amram, 117, 228 Anakim or Enakim, 224, 226, 268 Anamim, 20 Anath, 282 Anathoth, 270 Andronicus, 682 Aner, 31 Antigonus, 676 sqq. Antiochia, 698, 606, etc. Antiochus III. the Great, 678, 579 Antiochus IV. Epiphanes, 680-596 Antiochus V. Eupator, 696-698 Antiochus VI., 607-611 Antiochus VII., 613-615 Anubis, 20 Aphek, in Southern Canaan, 323, 371 , in Northern Canaan, 456, 482 Apis, 83, 187, 440, 518 Apocrypha, 671 sqq. Apollo, 584 ATO ApoUonius, Syrian Goveruoir, 580, 583, 684, 689 ApoUonius, general of Alexander Bala, 605 Ar, 237 Arabah, Valley of, 234 Arabs, 34, 35 AraduB, 20 Aram, 21 Aramsea, 21 Ararat, 15 Araunah, 408 Arbela, 600 Ark of the Covenant, 180, 181, 323- 327, 382-386, 422, 423 Arkite, 20 Amon, 29, 236, 694 Arpad, 612 Arphaxad, 21 Arrhaphachitis, 21 Aisaces, 613 Artaxerxes Longimanus, 562 Arumah, 298 Arvadite, 20 Arzah, 444 Asa, 443, 444, 493, 494 Asahel, 377, 378 Asenath, 91 Ashdod, 326, 604, 606 Asher, 67, 110, 270 Ashkelon, 275, 606, etc. Ashkenaz, 19 Ashtarte, 290, 431, 446 Asmoneans, 687, 593-615 Asor, 608 Asphar, 602 Asshur, 21 Assyria, 21, 507 sqq. Assyrians, 488 sqq. Astabori, 19 Atad, 113 Athaliah, 458, 495, 497-499 Athenobius, 613, 614 Atonement, Day of, 174 INDEX. 623 AUS Ausitis, 21 Azariah, or tJzziah, king of Judah, 503-506 , High-priest, 506 , captain of Judas Maccabseus, 594, 595 Azekah, 350 Azotus, 601 BAAL, 290, 446, 449, 460, 480, 499, etc. Baal-berith, 299 Baal-hazor, 392 Baal-shalisha, 468 Baalzebub, 461 Baal-zephon, 140 Baasha, 443, 444, 493 Babel, Babylon, 19, 534 , Tower of, 22 Babylon, Jews in, 532 sqq. Babylonians, 513, 520, etc. Baochides, 598, 600 sqq. ■ Bacchus, 684 Bactrians, 19 Bagoses, 667 Bajan, 593 Bahurrm, 396 Balaam, 238 sqq. Balak, 238 sqq. Balsam, 82 Barak, 282 sqq. Barueh, 532 BarziUai, 399, 402, 404, 410 Basemath, 57 Bashan, 237, 245 Bathsheba, 388-391, 408, 409, 413, 414 ,Bath-zacharias, 696 Bedouins, 34, 35, 52 Beer, in the land of the Ammonites, 235 , in Ephraim, 298 Beer-lahai-roi, 34 Beeroth, 380 BUT Beersheba, 43, 44, 47, 56, 67,103, 274, etc. Bela, 29 Belial, 396 Belshazzar, 536, 537 Benaiah, 408, 414, 416, 419 Benhadad, king of Syria, contempo- rary of Baasha, king of Israel, 443, 494 , king of Syria, contemporary of king Ahab, 454, 456, 471-475 Benhadad, son of Hazael, king of Syria, contemporary of kings Je- hoahaz and Joash, 481 sqq. Benjamin, son of Jacob, 79, 92 sqq., Ill, 270 , Benjamites, the tribe, 270, 277-279 Benoni, 79 Beor, 238, 242 Berea, 601 Beth-aven, 342 Beth-basi, 603 Beth-el, 25-27, 64, 77, .78, 79, 260, 270, 276, 440, 441, 462, 464, 619 Beth-horon, 264 Beth-jesimoth, 236 Bethlehem, 79, 303, 347 Bethshan, Bethshean, 374, 521, 595, 609 Bethshemeah, 326, 327, 483, 503 Bethuel, 50 Beth-zur, 592, 696 Bezaleel, 193 Bezek, 275 Bezer, 161 Bezeth, 598 Bezor, 372 Bilhah, 67 Boaz, of Bethlehem, 313 sqq. , the brazen column, 421 Book of the Law, 516 sqq. Breastplate of Decision, 184, 185 Burnt-offering, 202, 203 Buto, 20 624 INDEX. CAI CAIN, 8 sqq. Cainan, 11 Calah, 20 Caleb, 22S-227, 244, 268, 269 Calneh, 19 Cambyses, 542 Canaan, 20 Canaanitee, 225, 262, 274, etc. Candlestick, 179 Caphar Salama, 599 Caphtorim, 20 Carchemish, 523 Carmel, in south-eastern Palestine, 364 , in north-western Palestine, 438, 451, 461, 467, 504 Casluhim, 20 Cendebeus, 614 Census, in the Desert, 220 , in David's reign, 407 Chaboras, 534 Chaldeans, 513, 619 sqq. Chanukah, 592 Chasphor, 594 Chedorlaomer, 29 sqq. Chemnis, 20 Chemosh, 431 Cherith, 447 Cherubim, 177, 180 Chilion, 311 Chimham, 402 Chronicles, 2 Cireesium, 623 Cleopatra, 604, 606 Commandments, Ten, 153-158 Coptos, 20 Covenant, Book of the, 158 sqq. Creation, 3, 4 Crimea, 19 Ctesiphon, 19 Cush, 19 , Cushan Eishataim, 280 Cutheans, 541 Cyuopolis, 20 DOC Cyprus, 19 Cyrene, 576 Cyrus, 536 sqq. DAGON, 309, 325, 625, 606 Damascus, 30, 385, 453, 507 574, etc. Dammesek Eliezer, 32 Dan, town in northern Palestine, 30, 276 , son of Jacob, 67, 110 , Danites, the tribe, 270, 275, 276, 304, etc. Daniel, 2, 535 sqq. Daphne, 632 Darius Hystaspes, 542, 544 Dathan, 228-230 Dathema, 594 Daunians, 19 David, 347-412 Dead Sea, 41 Debir, 268 Deborah, Eebekah's nurse, 78 , the prophetess, 282-289 Decalogue, 153-158 Dedan, 19 Dedication, Feast of, 592 Delaiah, 662 Delilah, 308, 309 Deluge, 12-18 Demetrius, son of Antigonus, 676 Demetrius Phalereus, 678 Demetrius I., 598-604 Demetrius 11., 605 sqq. Deuteronomy, 2 Dilion, 237 Dibon Gad, 235 Dietary Laws, 215, 216 Diklah, 21 Dinah, 67, 77 Dionysus, 584 Docus, 615 INDEX. 625 DOD Dodanim, 19 Doeg, 360, 361 Dophkah, US Dora, 613, 614 Dothan, 81, 83, 472 Drmk-ofiering, 201 Dshebel-el-tih, 84 EBAL, 219, 262, 269 Ebed, 298 Eben-ezer, 323-329 Eber, 21 Ecbatana, 596 Eoclesiastes, 2, 432 Ecdesiastious, 573 Eden, or Paradise, 6 sqq. , in Thelasar, 512 Edomites, 61, 233, 497, 502, 523, 'etc. Edrei, 237 Eglon, town in Judah, 263, 265 , king of Moab, 280, 281 Egypt, 20, 84 sqq., 510, etc. Egyptian Architecture, 116 ^ Plagues, 127 sqq. Ehud, 281 Ekron, 270, 275, 326, 603 Elah, king of Israel, 444 , father of king Hoshea, 488 Elam, 20, 29 Elath, 504, 507 El-beth-el, 78 Eldad, 223 Eleasa, 601 Eleazar, son of Aaron, 220, 234, 273 , son of Abinadab, 327 — — , High-priest, contemporary of Ptolem. Philadelph., 578 Eleazar, the Martyr, in the time of Antioch. Epiph., 585 , son of Mattathias, 587, 597 Elf-elohe-Jisrael, 77 Eleutheris, 609 EST Eli, 318, 414 Eliab, 349, 351 Eliakim, 510, 511, 523 Eliashib, 652, 659 Ehezer, servant of Abraham, 32, 33, 48 sqq. , son of Moses, 123, 150 Elijah, 446 sqq., 457, 461 sqq. Elim, 144, 145 Elimelech, 311 Elisha, 453, 454, 461, 462 sqq,, 465, 466 sqq., 482, 483 Elishah, or Hellas, 19 Elkanah, 318 Elon, 303 Elymais, 20, 595 Emmaus, 691 Endor, Witjch of, 369, 370 Engadi, or Engedi, 139, 252 En-hakkore, 307 Enoch, son of Cain, 1 , descendant of Seth, 11, 12 , the town, 10 Enos, 11 Ephod, 183 Ephraim, son of Joseph, 92, 107. 108 , or Ephraimites, the tribe, 269. 270, 275 , Kingdom of; 436 sqq., 439- 489 , Mount, 276, 277 Ephrath, 317 Ephron, 48, 595 Epiphania, 20 Erech, 19 Esarhaddon, 613, 542 Esau, 62, 53, 54, 58-62, 72 76 Esdraelon, plain of, 283 Esek, 56 Esohcol, friend of Abraham, 31 , Valley of,' 225 Eshtaol, 275 Esther, the Book of, 2 S S 626 INDEX. EST Esther, the queen, 544-552 Etam, 307 Etham, 140 Ethbaiil, 445 Euphrates, 6, 29 sqq, Eupolemus, 600 Eve, 6 sqq. EtU Merodaeh, 536 Exodus, the Book of, 2 , from Egypt, 139 Expiatory Sacrifices, 204 sqq. Ezekiel, 2, 534, 535 Ezel, 357, 368 Eziongeher, 235, 496, 504 Ezra, the Book of, 2 , the scribe, 552-556, 563 EALL of Adam, 6, 7 Eestivals, 171-175 Plamura, 555 p AAL, 298, 299 ^ Gad, son of Jacob, 67, 110 _ — , the tribe, 244, 271 , the prophet, 360, 407 Gadi, 486 Gal-ed, 72 Galilea, Galilee, 488 Gath, 270, 325, 502, 504, etc. Gaza, 276, 509, 675 Gazara, 599 Gazer, Gezer, 265, 382 Geba, 339 Gedaliah, 526 sqq. Q-ehazi, 460 sqq., 475 Genesis, 2 Gennezareth, 608 Gera, 281 Gerar, 41, 54 sqq., 493 fierizim, 219, 262, 269, 297, 568 Gershom, 120, 150 Gershon, 209 HAM Geshur, 21, 393 Gether, 21 Gibbethon, 444 Gibea-Elohim, 333 Gibeah, 277, 278 Gibeon, 270 Gibeonites, 262, 263, 404, 405 Gideon, 289-266 Gihon, the river Nile, 6 , fountain near Jerusalem, 409 Gilboa, 368 Gilead, 69, 70, 593, 594, etc. Gilgal, 258, 270, 468 Ginath, 444 Girgasite, 20 Goel, 161 Golan, 21, 161 Golden Calf, 187 sqq. Goliath, 360 sqq. Gomer, 19 Gomorrah, 29, 37 sqq. Gorgias, 590, 591, 595 Goshen, 103, 129 Gozan, 612 Granicus, 874 Greece, 19 Greek culture, 577, 581, 582, 584^ etc. HABAKKUK, 2, 520 Hachaliah, 556 Hachilah, 366 Hadad, 431 Hadadezer, 385, 386, 388 Hadassah, 546 Hadoram, 21 Hadramaut, 21 Hagar, 33 sqq., 42, 43 Haggai, 2, 543 Haggith, 408 Ham, 13, 18 Haman, 546 sqq. Hamath, 386, 438, 512, 522, 609 INDEX. 627 HAM Hamathite, 20 Hamites, 19, 20 Hamor, 77 Hanaui, father of king Jehu, 444 , brother of Nehemiah, 562 Hananiah, 562 Hannah, 318 sqq. Hanun, 387 Haran, 23, 62, 512 Hareth, 361 Havilah, 19, 21 Hazael, 453, 476, 476, 480, 502 Hazarmaveth, 21 Hazeroth, 223, 224 Hazor, 266 Heher, 284 Hehron, 28, 47, 161, 264, 265, 268, etc. Heliodonis, 580 Heliopolis, 84 HeUas, 19 Hena, 513 Hercules, 303 Hermon, Mount, 237, 403, 438 Herod the Great, 615 Heshbon, 237 Heth, 20 Heaekiah, 508-514 Hiel, 446 High-priest, 212, 213 Hilkiah, 517 sqq. Hinnom, 515, 519 Hiram, king of Tyre, 382, 419, 429 , Tyrian artist, 421 Hittites, 20, 225, 262 Hirites, 20, 262 Hobah, 30 Holocaust, 202, 203 Hophni, 321, 324, 325 Hor, 233. Horeb, 124, 148, 150, 453 Horites, 29 Hormah, 228 Hpronite, 558 JAB Hosea, 2, 485, 504 Hoshea,' 488 Howarah, 144, 145 Hul, 21 Huldah, 517 sqq. ' Hur, 149 Hushai, 395, 396 sqq. Hyrcanus, 580 1BZAN, 303 lehabod, 325 Ije-abarim, 235 Imalkua, 607 Imlah, 458 Ipsus, battle of, 578 Irad, 10 Isaac, 42, 44 sqq., 57 sqq., 79 Isaiah, the earlier, 2, 487, 604, 606, 608, 613, 514 , the later, or second, 539 Iseah, 23 Ishbi, 400 Ishbosheth, 376-380 Ishmael, son of Abraham, 34 sqq., 42, 43, 52, 63 , son of Nathaniah, 529, 530 Ishmaelites, 34, 82 Ishui, 338 Isis, 88 Israel, or Jacob, 74 Israel, kingdom of, 437, 439-490 Issachar, son of Jacob, 67, 110 , the tribe, 270 Issus, battle of, 674 Ithamar, 220, 318 Ittai, 394, 396, 399 Ivah, 512 Izhar, 209, 228 JABAL, 10 Jabboek, 76, 237 Jabesh, in Gilead, 278, 336 sqq., 374, 486 628 INDEX. JAB Jabin, 266, 282 Jabneh, 504 J^yChin, 421 Jacob, 53-113 Jaddua, 568, 575 Jael, 284 sqq. Jaezer, 593 Jahaz, 236 Jair, 300 Jambrites, 602 Jarania, 591 Japheth, 13, 19 Japhethites, 18, 19 Jared, 11 Jarmuth, 263 Jason, or Joshua, the High-priest, 581 sqq. , son of Eleazar, 600 Javan, 19 Jebus, 263, 269, 381, 382 Jebusites, 20, 225, 262, 381 Jedidiah, 391 Jegar-sahadutha, 72 Jebaziel, 495 Jehoahaz, king of Israel, 481 , or Shallum, king of Judab, 522 Jehoiachin, 525 Jehoiada, father of Benaiah, 408 , the High-priest, 498-601 Jehonadab, 479 Jehoram, 464 sqq., 472 sqq. Jehoshaphat, 458 sqq., 464, 494- 496 Jehosheba, 498 Jeho-shua, 256 Jehovah-jireh, 47 Jehovah Shalom, 291 Jehu, the prophet, 444 , king of Israel, 453, 476-481 Jephthah, 300-303 Jerah, 21 Jeremiah, 2, 517 sqq., 527, 531, 532 JON Jericho, 27, 265 sqq., 270, 280, 462 sqq. Jeroboam, first king of Israel, 43], 436 sqq., 439-442 Jeroboam II., 483-486 Jerub-baal, 292, 297, 298 Jerusalem, 30 (Salem), 276, 381 (Jebus), 382, 503, 524 sqq., 616, etc. Jeshua, 540 Jesse, 317, 347 Jesus Sirach, 573 Jether, 295 Jethro, 119, 123, 150, 151 Jezebel, 445 sqq., 456, 457, 478, 479 Jezreel, 293, 371, 446, 476, 477 Joab, 377 sqq., 382, 387, 388, 393, 399 sqq., 4)0,414,415 Joah, 510 Joaunan, 587 Jpash, father of Gideon, 290 , king of Israel, 481-483 , king of Judah, 498-502 Job, Book of, 2 Jobab, 21 Jochebed, 117, 118, 233 Joel, the prophet, 2, 504, 506 , son of Samuel, 329 Johanan, officer of Gedaliah, 529 , High-priest, son of Jojada, 668 John, or Joannan, son of Mattathias, 602 , son of Simon Maccabseus, 612, 614, 615 Joiakim, 623 sqq. Jojada, 568 Joktan, 21 Joktheel, 603 Jonadab, 393 Jonah, the Book of, 2 , the prophet, 483 Jonathan, son of Saul, 338, 339, 353 sqq., 362, 373 INDKX. 629 JON Jonathan, son of Abialhar, the priest, 393, 398, 409 , son of Johanan, High-priest, 568 , son of Mattathias, 687, 594, 602-610 Joppa, 419 Joram, king of Judah, 458, 496, 497 Jordan, 27, 257, 463, 469-471, etc. Josabad, 502 Josabar, 502 Joseph, son of Jacob, 68, 79-102, 105-108, HI, 114 , captain of Judas Maccabaeus, 594, 593 Josephus, 567 Joshua, Book of, 2 , son of Nun, 149, 188, 223, 225, 244, 255-272 , of Bethshemesh, 326 , or Jeshua, son of Jozadak, 640 -B — , or Jason, the High-priest, 381 sqq Josiah, 517 sqq Jotham, son of Gideon, 297, 298 , king of Judah, 487, 505, 506 Journeys in the Wilderness, 220 sqq. Jozadak, 540 Jubal, 10 Jubilee, year of, 170, 171 Judah, son of Jacob, 67, 82, 95 sqq., 109 , the tribe, 268, 269 , kingdom of, 436 sqq., 491- 527 Judas Maccabaeus, 687, 589-602 Judas, son of Simon Maccabaeus, 614, 615 Judges, Book of, 2 Judges, 274-335 Judith, 57 LEO KACHTAN, 21 Kadesh, in the southern desert of Palestine, 41, 270 , in Naphtali, 161, 282 (Barnea), 224, 225, 232 Kalah Sherghat, 20 Karkor, 295 Karnaim, 595 Keilah, 362 Kenaz, 280 Keturah,- 62 Kidron, 393, 493 Kings, Books of, 2 Kir, 307 Kirjath-jearim, 327, 382 Kirjath Sepher, 268 Kish, 331, 405 Kishon, 284, 451 Ettim, 19 Kivroth-hattaavah, 223 Kohath, 228 Kolsoum, 140 Korah, 228 sqq. Kurdistan, 521 LABAN, 60, 65-72 Lachish, 263, 265, 503, 510, 511 ' Laish, in the north of Palestine, 275, 276 , father of Phalti, 366 Lamech, 10 Lamentations, 2 Lapidoth, 282 Lasthenes, 607 Laver, 178 Law, Book of the, 517 sqq. Leah, 66 sqq. Lebanon, 267, 417, 419, 438, 503, etc. Lechi, 307 Lehabim, 20 Leontopolis, 577 630 INDEX. MiC Leprosy, 216, 224, 469-471, 474, 505, Letopolis, 20 Letus, 20 Levi, son of Jacob, 67, 77, I«9, 260 Levites, 208 sqq., 213 sqq. Leviticus, 2 Libation, 201 Libnah, 265, 497 Libya, 20, 676 Lo-debar, 386 Lot, 23, 27, 30, 39, 40 Lud, 21 Ludim, 20 Luz, 25, 64 Lydians, 21 Lysias, 690, 591, 596, 697 Lysimachus, 682 MAACHAH, wife of David, 392 , wife of Eehoboam, 492, 493 Maccabees, 567, 687 sqq. -, Books of, 673 Macedon, 574 Macbir, 287 ' Maehpelah, cave of, 47, 62, 106, 112, 113 Madai, 19 Magog, 19 Mahalaleel, 11 Mahanaim, 72 Mahlon, 311 Maked, 594 Makkedah, 265 Malachi, 2, 866 Mamre, groves of, 28, 30 — '■ — , ally of Abraham, 31 Manasseh, son of Joseph, 91, 107- 108 ' , the tribe, 244, 269, 271 , king of Judah, 616, 516 Manasseh, grandson of the High- priest Eliashib, 565, 566, 568 , High-priest, 578 Manna, 144, 146 sqq., 258 Manoah, 304 Maon, 362 Marah, 144, 145 Maaaloth, 600 Mash, 21 Massah, 148 Matri, 334 Mattan, 499, 500 Mattanah, 236 Mattathias, 587-588 , sou of Simon Maecabseus, 615 Medad, 223 Medeba, 237 Medes, 19 Media, 536 Megiddo, 288, 498, 521 Melehi-shua, 338, 373 Melchizedek, 31 Memorial, Day of, 174 Menahem, 486 MenelauB, 682, 583 ■ Mephibosheth, 376, 386, 387, 396, 401, 404 Merab, 338 Merari, 209 Mercy-Seat, 180 Meribah, 148, 233, 245 Merodach Baladan, 513 Meroe, 19 Merom, 266 Meroz, 288 Meshech, 19 Mesopotamia, 24, 49 sqq., 64 sqq., 280 Mehujael, 10 Methusael, 10 Methuselah, 11 Micah, the prophet, 2, 504, 506^ 508 INDEX. 631 MIC Mioah, an inhabitant of Mount Eph- raim, 275, 276 Micaiah, 458 Mioha, son of Mephibosheth, 386 Miohal, 338, 365, 366, 379, 384, 385, 404 Michmash, 270 Midian, 119 Midianites, 292 sqq., etc. Migdol, 140 Milcah, 23, 50 Mileom, 431 Millo, 298, 435 Miriam, 117, 118, 144, 223, 224, 233 Misrephoth-maim, 266 Mizpah, in Gilead, 72, 266 , in Benjamin, 328, 443, 627 Mizpeh, in Moab, 360 Mizraim, 20 Mnevis, 84 Moabites, 465 sqq., 496 etc. Modin, 687, 601, etc. Molech or Moloch, 431, 615, 619, etc. Moon, Mountain of the, 21 Mordecai, 646 sqq. Moreh, 25 Moriah, 48, 419, 540, etc. Moses, 117-254 Mycale, battle of, 545 Mysians, 21 "VTAAMAN, 469 sqq. -L^ Nabal, 364-366 Nabatheans, 594 Nabopolassar, 621 Naboth, 456, 457, 477 Nadab, son of Aaron, 175, 219 , king of Israel, 443 Nahaliel, 236 Kahash, 336, 387 Nahor, 23, 49, 50, 65 OBL Nahum, 2, 508 Naioth, 356 Naomi, 310 sqq. Napata, 20 Naphtali, sou of Jacob, 67, 111 , the tribe, 270 Naphtuhim, 20 Nathan, son of David, 382 , the prophet, 386, 389, 390, 408, 409 Nathaniah, 529 Nazarites, 217, 304, 309 Nebat, 436, 444 Nebo, 236, 251 Nebuchadnezzar, 623 sqq., 533 sqq. Nebuzaradan, 626 Neeho, 521, 522 Necho II., 523 Nehemiah, 2, 556-567 Ner, 338, 380 NSriah, 532 Nethinim, 214 Nicanor, 890, 899, 600 Nigritia, 19 Nile, 87, 88, etc. Nimroud, 19 Nimshi, 463, 477 Nineveh, 19, 483, 513, 621 Nisroch, 51 3 Noah, 12 sqq. Nob, 369 Nod, 10 Nophah, 237 Numeri, 2 Nun, 149 OBADIAH, the prophet, 2 , governor of Ahab's household, 448, 449 Obal, 21 Obed, 317 Obed-edom, 383 Oblation, bloodless, 201 \2 INDEX. OBO lOth, 235 ferings, 195 sqq. ;■ 237 ivet, Mount, 395 ari, 445 I, 84, 134 lias I., High-priest, 578 lias II., High-priest, 578 lias III., High-priest, 579 lion, 577 10, 561 )hel, 505 )liir, 21, 496 (hrah, 290 ehoe, 19 eb, 294 pah, 311, 312 thoeias, 614 iris, 134 hniel, 268, 280 PTO lADAN-ARAM, 63 Panopolis, 20 .radise, 4 sqq. -ran, 29, 221, 224, 225, 364 .ssover, 136-138, 172, 508, 509, 520 .thrusim, 20 ikah, 486, 488, 507 ikahiah, 486 leg, 21 iniel, 74 ininnah, 318 intateuch, 2 intecost, 172 muel, 295 or, 242 irizzites, 262, 275, etc. irsians, 536 sqq., etc. ithur, 238 itra, 233 laiat, 20 lalti, 336 Phaltiel, 379 Pharaoh, in Abraham's time, 26 , in Joseph's time, 84, 87 sqq. , in Moses' time, 115 sqq., 120 sqq. , in Solomon's time, 416 Pharaoh Neeho, 522 Pharisees, 576 Pharpar, 470 Philip of Maeedon, 574 ' Philippus, governor of Jerusalem, 583 , general of Antiochus Epi- phanes, 596, 597 Philistim, Philistines, 20, 267, 270, 282, 304 sqq., 323 sqq., 329, 340 sqq., 405, etc. Philo, 572 Phinehas, the High-priest, 271, 274 , son of Eli, 321, 324, 325 Phurah, 293 Pliut, 20 Phylacteries, 218 Pichol, 56 Pi-hahiroth, 140, 141 Pirathon, 303 Pisgah, 236, 241, 245, 251 Pison, 5 Platsese, battle of, 545 Plato, 572 Porch of Judgment, 428 Potiphar, 86 Potipherah, 91 Priests, 208-214 , their garments, 181-187 Prophets, 2 , schools of, 328 Proverbs, 2, 432, 514 Psalms, 2, 383, 384, 406 Psammethis 11., 528 Ptolemais, 605, 606, 609 Ptolemy I. Lagi, 576 sqq. Ptolemy II., Philadelphus, 573, 578 Ptolemy III., Euergetes, 578 INDEX. 633 PTO SAU Ptolemy IV., Philopator, 678, 679 Ptolemy VI., Philometor, 677, 583 Ptolemy, general under Antiochus Epiphanes, 690 Ptolemy Physcon, 604, 606 Ptolemy, son-in-law of Simon Mao- cabseus, 616 Pul, 486 Punon, 236 Purification, Laws of, 216, 217 Purim, 562 AUAILS, 223 EAAMAH, 19 Eabbah, 388 aqq. Eabsaris, 510 Eabshakeh, 610, 511 Eachel, 65 sqq., 79, 107 Eahab, 256 sqq. Ramah, in Benjamin, 270, 282, 443, 493, 494 — — , or Eamathaim Zophim, in Mount Ephraim, 327, 356, 364 Eamath Leohi, 307 Sameses, 104, 140 Eamoth in Gile^d, 161, 236, 477 Eaphia, 579 Eaphon, 594 Eebekah, 48.'Sqq. Eechab, 479 Eed Sea, 140 sqq. Eefuge, Cities of, 161, 162 Eegma, 19 Behoboam, 435 sqq., 491, 492 Eehoboth, 66 Eehoboth Ir, 20 Eemaliah, 486, 487 Eephaim, the tribe of, 237 , valley of, 382 Eephidim, 148, 152 Eesen, 20 Eeuben, son of Jacob, 67, 81, 82, 92, 109 , the tribe, 244, 271, etc. Eeuel, 119 Eezeph, 512 Eezin, 487, 607 Ehagae, 19 Ehipaean mountains, 19 Eiblah, 522 Eimmon, caves of, 278 Eiphath, 19 Rizpah, 404, 405 Eomans, 598, 600, 608, 613, 616 Euth, the Book of, 2 Euth, the Moabitess, 310-317 SABA, .19 Sabseans, 21 Sabbath, 4, 166 Sabbath-year, 170, 171 Sabtah, 19 Sabteohah, 19 Sacrifices, 195 sqq. Sacrificial Animals, 199 Sadducees, 573 Salah, 21 Salamis, battle of, 544 Salapeni, 21 Salem, or Jerusalem, 30 Salt-TaUey, 386 Samaria, town, 472, 488, etc. , Samaritans, 541 Sqq., 558 sqq., 575, etc. Samson, 303-310 Samuel, Books of, 2 , the prophet, 318-364 Sanaa, 21 Sanballat, 568 sqq, Sanhedrin, 566, 569 Sapharvaim, 511 Sarah, Sarai, 23 sqq., 47 Saul,- 331-373 634 INDEX. SCY Scythians, 19, 521 Scythopolis, 621, 595 Seba, 19 Seir, 61, 76, 233, 496 Sela, 502 Seleucia, 606 Seleueidae, 598 Seleueus IT., Philopator, 698 Sennaolieri'b, 510-512 Septuagint translation, 573, 578 Serah, 493 Seron, 689 Seth, 11 •Sevechus, 488 Shallum, king of Israel, 486 , an officer of Josiah, 617 , or Jehoahaz, king of Judah, 521 Shalmaneser, 488 Shamgar, 282 Shamir, 300 Shaphan, 617 sqq, Shaphat, 453 Sharon, 269 Sliaveh, 30 Shealtiel, 639 Sheha, 19, 21, 402 , queen of, 429, 430 Shebna, 610 Shecheih, 26, 77, 78, 161, 269, 297, etc. Sheleph, 21 Shem, 13, 18 Shemaiah, the prophet, 437 , son of Delaiah, 562 Shemites, 20, 21 Shen, 329 Sheshbazzar, 539 Shewbread Table, 179 Shibah, 57 Shibboleth, 303 Shiloh, 262, 269, 270, 276, 279, 318 sqq., 327, etc. Shimei, 396, 397,401,402, 410,416 SYN Shinar, 22 Shishak, 435, 492 Shittim, 266 Shobi, 399 Shochoh, 360 Shunamite woman, 466 sqq., 476 Shnnem, 368, 466 Shnr, 33, 41, 144 Siddim, 29 Sidou, 20, 674 Sihon, 237 Simeon, son of Jacob, 67, 77, 94 sqq. 109 , the tribe, 260, 270, etc. Simon, a Benjamite, 679 , son of Mattathias, 687, 694 603, 610-616 Simon I., High-priest, 678 Simon 11., the Just, 578, 679 Simyra, 20 Sin, district of the Horites, 29 Sin, in the peninsula of Sinai, 146 Sin-offering, 206 Sinai, 162 sqq. Sinnite, 20 Siraoh, Wisdom of, 573 Sisera, 282 sqq. Sitnah, 56 Slavery, 169 sqq. So, 488 Sodom, 29, 37 sqq. Solomon, 382, 391, 408, 409, 413- 434 , Song of, 2, 432 Song of the Bow, 375 Sorek, 308 Sparta, 608, 613 Suocoth, in G-ilead, 77, 294, 295 , in Egypt, 140 Suez, 140 Susa, 544 Susiana, 553 Synagogues, 670 INDEX. 635 TAA TAANACH, 288 ■^ Tabeal, 487 Taberah, 222 Tabernacle, or Holy Tent, 176-181, 193-195 Tabernacles, Feast of, 173, 174 Tabor, 283, 368 Tahpanhes, 532 Tamar, 392 Tarshish, 19, 418 Tartan, 510 Tartessus, 19, 418 Taurica, 19 Taurus, 19 Tekoah, 483 Tel Nimroud, 19 Temple of Solomon, 419 sqq. Temple, Second, S40 sqq. Tent of Meeting, 176-181, 193-195 Tent of Meeting of Moses, 190 Tephillin, 138 Terah, 23 Teraphim, 69, 70 Thank-offering, 203, 204 Thebais, 20 Thebez, 299 Theft, 164 Thelasar, 512 Thermopylae, 545 Thimnah, 305 Tibareni, 19 Tibni, 444 Tiglath Pilesar, 488, 507 Tigris, 6, 29, etc. Timnath-serah, 273 Timotheus, 593 sijq. Tiras, 19 Tirbakah, 511 Tirza, 494 Tirzah, 442 sqq., 445, etc. Tishbite, 446 Titus, 567, 616 Tob, 301 Tobiah, 659, 565 ZAD Tobias, father of Hyreanus, 580 Togarmah, 19 Toi, 386 Tola, 300 Trespass-offering, 206 Tryphon, 607 sqq. Tsitsith, 218 Tubal, 19 Tubalcain, 10 Tyre, 382, 419, 566, 674 UE, 23, 32 Uriah, the Hittite, 388, 389 Uriah, the prophet, 624 Urim and Thummim, 185 sqq. TJz, 21 TJzal, 21 Uzzah, 382, 383 Uzziah, 487, 503-505 Uzziel, 209 YASHTI, 645 ' Vespasianus, 616 WADI-ESH-SHEIKH, 145 Eeiran, 145 Gharendel, 145 Taybe, 145 Wanderings in the Desert, 220 sqq. X ERXES, 544 sqq. ZAANAIM, 284 Zabadeans, 609 Zabdi, 260 Zabdiel, 606 Zachariah, 486 Zadok, 395, 408, 414, 419 636 INDEX. ZAL Zalmoimh, 235 ZalmuQua, 294, 295 Zarephafll, 447 Zarhites, 260 Zebah, 294, 295 Zeboim, 29 Zebul, 299 Zebulon, son of Jacob, 67, 110 , the tribe, 270 Zechariah, 2, 502, 543 Zedekiah, Ahab's servant, 458, 459 - — , king of Judah, 525, 526 Zeeb, 294 Z^marite, 20 Zephaniah, 2, 520, 521 Zereda, 435 Zeresh, 649, .550 ZUP Zerubbabel, 539 sqq. Zeruiah, 377, 380, 397 Ziba, 386, 396, 401 Zidon, 266 Ziklag, 368, 371, 872, 374 Zillah, 10 Zilpah, 67 Zimri, 444 Zion, 499 Ziph, 362 Zippor, 241 Zipporah, 120, 123, 150, 223 Zoar, 29, 40, 252, 385 Zobah, 344 Zorah, 275, 304 Zuph, 331 LONDOW : PRIHTRD BY BPOITISWOODE AKD CO., HEW-STnBUT SQDABB AND PAttLIAMBNT STRUST n