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country generally thought to be a desert, in common with the whole tract that is laid down in our modern maps as such, between the Jordan and the Euphrates; but we could now fully comprehend not only that the bulls of this luxuriant country might be proverbially fat, but that its possessors, too, might be a race renowned for strength and comeliness of person." (Travels,' vol. i. p. 113–14.) Continuing the journey in a north-westerly direction" The general face of this region improved as we advanced farther in it, and every new direction of our path opened upon us views which charmed us by their grandeur and their beauty. Lofty mountains gave an outline of most magnificent character; flowing beds of secondary hills softened the romantic wildness of the picture; gentle slopes, clothed with wood, gave a rich variety of tints, hardly to be imitated by the pencil; deep valleys, filled with murmuring streams and verdant meadows, offered all the luxuriance of cultivation; and herds and flocks gave life and animation to scenes as grand, as beautiful, and as highly picturesque, as the taste or genius of a Claude could either invent or desire." (Vol. i. p. 117-18.)

The travellers returned from Jerash to the Jordan by a more northerly route. In the first part of the journey, the beautiful wooded scenery of the south was still continued. Mr. Buckingham says: "Mr. Bankes, who had seen the whole of England, the greater part of Italy and France, and almost every province of Spain and Portugal, frequently remarked that, in all his travels, he had met with nothing equal to it, excepting only in some parts of the latter country, Entre Minho and Duoro, to which he could alone compare it. It is certain that we were perpetually exclaiming, How rich!' How picturesque !' How magnificent!' 'How beautiful!' and that we both conceived the scenery around to be quite worth all the hazard and privation of a journey to the eastward of Jordan.”

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It is true that, in prosecuting their route to the Jordan, the travellers met with much austere and barren land; but that the general character of the northern part of Og's kingdom coincides in a great degree with this account of the southern portion, we can gather even from the brief and inanimate indications of Burckhardt, who traversed the more northern parts of Bashan and Argob, and speaks frequently of desert fields covered with the richest pasturage, and than which artificial meadows could not be finer; and describes the soil, where cultivated, as affording the richest crops of wheat and barley. Upon the whole, the regions of Bashan and of Gilead, even now, after ages of neglect and desolation, bear witness to the accuracy of the frequent allusions to their fertility and beauty, which occur in the Sacred books. For the knowledge of this we are entirely indebted to modern research, as the region beyond Jordan has only ceased to be an unknown land within the present century.

12. "Ashtaroth."-This, one of the capitals of Bashan, derived its name from the Syrian Venus, whose worship was very prevalent in Syria and the neighbouring regions. It is sometimes called Ashtaroth-Carnaim; the adjunct signifies the two-horned," the goddess being sometimes represented, like the Egyptian Isis, horned, or with the horned moon. In time, the "Ashtaroth" was dropped, and it was called simply Carnaim and Carnion, as in the books of Maccabees (1 Mac. v. 26, 43, 44; 2 Mac. xii. 21, 26), and, in Jerome's time, Carnea. It was then a considerable town. The place is now called Mezareib, and is the seat of the first castle (built upwards of three centuries since) on the route of the great pilgrim caravan from Damascus to Mecca. The castle contains the store-houses of provisions for the caravan, upon the roofs of which are built sixteen or eighteen mud huts for the peasants who cultivate the neighbouring grounds. There are no houses beyond the precincts of the castle. Near it, on the north and east, are a great number of springs, whose waters collect at a short distance into a large pond or lake, nearly half an hour in circumference, in the midst of which is an island. The water is excellent, and clear as crystal, abounding in fish. Near this lake there are many ruins of ancient buildings.

"Edrei."-This was the second chief city of Bashan; and here the decisive action was fought in which Og was slain. "Eusebius and Jerome," says Wells, "suppose it to be the same that was in their time called Adara, and was then a considerable city of what was then called Arabia, lying at the distance of four-and-twenty miles from Botsra." It was also called Adraa, and is said to have been on a branch of the Hieromax. It may perhaps be found, as Burckhardt conjectures, in the village called Draa, about five miles N.N.E. from Ashtaroth.

17. "Heshbon," &c.-Most of the principal towns mentioned in this chapter have been already noticed under Num. xxi. and xxxii. Such of them as have not been considered will be noticed where they occur historically; for there are few but historical towns which seem to claim particular notice. The names of towns here given, as included in the portion of each tribe, are however of the highest importance as materials for a map, which it would have been difficult to construct without them. We are at once enabled to determine, by reference to these lists, in what tribe most of the towns hereafter mentioned in Scripture were situated; and then our research is limited to ascertain in what part of a tribe's territory we are to seek that particular town which engages our attention. In chap. xii. we stated at once the necessary particulars concerning the ancient metropolitan cities of Palestine; but as it would be inconvenient to describe even the chief towns which occur in the following lists, we shall merely point out the principal of those in each tribe, and mention under what texts an account of them is to be sought.

The princpal towns of Reuben were, Ashdod-Pisgah, of which we only know that it was situated near Mount Pis gah; Bethabara (see John i. 28); Beth-peor, or Baal-peor, where Balaam came to curse Israel, and in the valley over against which Moses delivered the summary of the law contained in Deuteronomy (Num. xxv. 3; Deut. iv. 46); Bezer, usually called "Bezer in the wilderness," or "in the plain," implying that it was in a desert part of the country, probably towards Arabia (it was a Levitical city, and one of the three cities of refuge on the east of Jordan); Heshbon (see Num. xxi. 26); Jahaz (see ch. xxi. 39); Kedemoth, near the Arnon, and giving name to the wilderness whence Moses sent his messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites (Deut. ii. 26)-it became a Levitical city; Medeba (see Num. xxi. 30); Mephaath, given to the Levites; Sibmah (see Num. xxxii. 3).

24. "Gad."-With regard to this and the other tribes, we must refer to the map for the demarcation of boundaries. The principal towns were, Beth-aran, or Beth-aram, called in Num. xxxii. 27, together with Beth-nimrah, "fenced cities and folds for sheep,"-Herod changed the name of the former to Livias, and as to the latter, see the note on the text just referred to: Jazer (see Num. xxxi. 3); Mahanaim, where the angels met Jacob (see Gen. xxxii. 2); Penuel, or Peniel (see Gen. xxxii. 30); Rabbah, or Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonites, afterwards Philadelphia (see 2 Sam. xi. 1); Ramath-Mizpeh, or Ramoth-Gilead (see 1 Kings xxii. 3); Succoth (see Gen. xxxiii. 17).

29. "Half tribe of Manasseh."-Ashtaroth-Carnaim and Edrei, noticed above, are the only two here mentioned cut of the sixty cities which the half tribe on the coast of Jordan possessed. The other cities, however, of principal im portance, were, Bethsaida, not mentioned in the Old Testament, but frequently in the New (see Matt. xi, 21); Gadara, where Christ cast forth the unclean spirit of the man who dwelt in the tombs (see Mark v. 1); Gerasa, or Gergesa, the inhabitants of which besought Jesus to leave their district, after he had permitted the unclean spirits to enter the herd of swine; Jabesh-Gilead, connected with some important incidents in the history of Saul (See 1 Sam. xi. 2).

CHAPTER XIV.

1 The nine tribes and a half are to have their inheritance by lot. 6 Caleb by privilege obtaineth Hebron.

AND these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, 'which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.

2 By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.

3 For Moses had given the inheritance. of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them.

4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.

5 As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.

6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea.

7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

1 Num. 34. 17

8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.

10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

14 'Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

Num. 26. 55, and 33. 54. 3 Num. 35. 2. Chap. 21. 2. 4 Num. 14. 24. 5 Heb. walked.
7 Chap. 21. 12. I Mac. 2. 56.
8 Chap. 15. 13.

Ecclus. 46. 9.

Verse 12. "Then I shall be able to drive them out."-There is a difficulty here; because, in ch. xi. 31, it is expressly said that Joshua had already driven the Anakim out of Hebron. Some think that Caleb's claim of the district of Hebron was anterior to the conquest of the city by Joshua; others suppose that Joshua indeed took the city, but that the Anakim retained the adjacent hills, from which Caleb now proposed to expel them; and this is thought to be the more probable, as it appears that Caleb did not become the proprietor of the city, which was given to the priests, but that he did possess the district in which Hebron stood. Lastly, another and perhaps the best interpretation, supposes that the Anakim had recovered Hebron while Joshua had been engaged in the northern parts of the country, and that now Caleb contemplates again to take it from them. We know that some towns which Joshua took were retaken by the former inhabitants, and that others which he destroyed had been rebuilt; and the same certainly may have happened in the case of Hebron.

CHAPTER XV.

1 The borders of the lot of Judah. 13 Caleb's portion and conquest. 16 Othniel, for his valour, hath Achsah, Caleb's daughter, to wife. 18 She obtaineth a blessing of her father. 21 The cities of Judah. 63 The Jebusites not conquered.

THIS then was the lot of the tribe of the 1 Num. 34. 3.

children of Judah by their families; 'even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast.

2 And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the 'bay that looketh southward :

Num. 33. 36. * Heb. tongue.

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3 And it went out to the south side to | 'Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa:

4 From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast.

5 And the east border was the salt sea, even unto the end of Jordan. And their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan:

6 And the border went up to Beth-hogla, and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah; and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:

7 And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward,

looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at 'Enrogel:

8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

9 And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim:

10 And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which

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is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah:

11 And the border went out unto the side of Ekron northward: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.

30 And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah,

31 And Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah,

32 And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are twenty and nine, with their villages:

33 And in the valley, Eshtaol, and Zoreah, and Ashnah,

34 And Zanoah, and En-gannim, Tap

12 And the west border was to the great sea, and the coast thereof. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about accord-puah, and Enam, ing to their families.

13 And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba' the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.

14 And Caleb drove thence "the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

15 And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher.

16 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

18 And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?

19 Who answered, Give me a blessing for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.

21 And the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,

22 And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, 23 And Kedesh, and Hazor, and Ithnan, 24 Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, 25 And Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is Hazor,

26 Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, 27 And Hazar-gaddah, and Heshmon, and Beth-palet,

35 Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, and Azekah,

36 And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Gederah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages:

37 Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal

gad,

38 And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel,

39 Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon, 40 And Cabbon, and Lahmam, and Kithlish,

41 And Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naa mah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages:

42 Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,

43 And Jiphtah, and Ashnah, and Nezib, 44 And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:

45 Ekron, with her towns and her villages: 46 From Ekron even unto the sea, all that lay near Ashdod, with their villages:

47 Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:

48 And in the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh,

49 And Dannah, and Kirjath-sannah, which is Debir,

50 And Anab, and Eshtemoh, and Anim, 51 And Goshen, and Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages:

52 Arab, and Dumah, and Eshean,

53 And "Janum, and Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah,

54 And Humtah, and "Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, and Zior; nine cities with their villages:

55 Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah, 56 And Jezreel, and Jokdeam, and Za

28 And Hazar-shual, and Beer-sheba, noah, and Bizjothjah,

29 Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,

57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages:

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58 Halhul, Beth-zur, and Gedor,

59 And Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:

60 Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, and Rabbah; two cities with their villages: 61 In the wilderness, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah,

62 And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages.

63¶As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

Verse 1. "This then was the lot of the tribe of Judah."-The lands on the east of Jordan were not distributed by lot, but were given by Moses to the tribes which had applied for it. We now enter upon the division by lot. There were two divisions, the first of which provided for the tribes of Judah, Ephraim and half of Manasseh; and it is a remarkable confirmation of the prophetic blessing pronounced by Jacob at his death, that the lot secured the earliest and amplest provision for the descendants of the two sons to whom he assigned the preference. How the lot was taken at the first division we do not know; but it was probably the same in principle as in the mode followed with respect to the remaining seven tribes. (See ch. xviii.) We may therefore conclude, that when this first conquered portion of the land had been surveyed, and found sufficient to furnish three cantons, all the tribes cast lots for them, and they fell to Judah, Ephraim, and the half tribe of Manasseh. The difference was, that at the first division the question was not only what lot should be had, but whether any should at present be obtained by a particular tribe; at the second division, the former question only was to be determined, there being then as many lots as there were tribes unprovided for. It will be observed that the southern border of Judah coincides with that of the land generally, this being the southernmost tribe. See the note on Num. xxxiv.

6. "The stone of Bohan the son of Reuben.”—The stone was probably set up either as a sepulchral monument, like "the pillar of Rachel's grave," (Gen. xxxv. 20.) or else to commemorate some exploit of Bohan, who was doubtless one of the Reubenites that came over Jordan to assist in the conquest of the country.

7. "En-rogel," literally the "foot fountain." It was near Jerusalem, as we see by the history in 1 Kings i. 1. The Targum renders it the Fuller's Fountain, under the idea that the fullers washed their clothes there, treading them with their feet. But others are of opinion that it was so called because travellers were accustomed to bathe their feet at this fountain. It is supposed to be the same as the Pool of Siloam. See the note to John ix. 7.

8. "The valley of the son of Hinnom."-This was a pleasant valley on the south-east of Jerusalem, notorious for the cruel rites of Moloch which were there celebrated. See 2 Kings xxiii. 10. The mountain before this valley is thought to be Mount Moriah, on which the temple was afterwards built.

16. "To him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.”—The father having in the East the absolute disposal of his daughter, such offers as this of Caleb have at all times been usual as an encouragement to enterprise. Nor was the practice confined to the East; as we find examples of it in classical antiquity, and, more modernly, in the ages of chivalry. The father who makes such an offer is of course understood to dispense with the usual payments which a father expects from the bridegroom; and not only so, but sometimes grants a dowry with the bride. This Caleb seems to have done; but whether as part of his original proposal, or an additional favour to his nephew Othniel, does not

appear.

66

18." She moved him to ask of her father a field."—It seems that Othniel was conducting Achsah to his own home from her father's house; when, this being perhaps the first time she had been able to speak to him, she advised him, or else desired him to allow her (for the clause is differently understood) to ask Caleb to bestow on them springs of water, without which the dry lands he had already given would want much of their value. The request is an interesting indication of the supreme importance of water in Oriental regions.

"She lighted off her ass."-According to some interpretations she did this from finding Othniel reluctant to trouble Caleb on the subject; while others suppose she merely asked from him permission for herself to act, and, having obtained it, proceeded accordingly. The whole of this remarkable passage is attended with many verbal difficulties, though the general sense is sufficiently clear. The Septuagint says that Caleb's daughter cried from off the ass; and the Vulgate merely renders that she sighed as she sat upon the ass.

20. "This is the inheritance of the tribe of...Judah."-There are some remarks on the character of this inheritance in the note to Gen. xliv. 8. Its limits are well defined in the early part of this chapter; and it will be observed that its territory was much larger than belonged to any other tribe; the more so, when we consider that many other tribes, which seem among the largest, did not acquire possession of so much of their assigned territory, as Judah did. The lands of Judah were indeed so disproportionately extensive, that at the second division of the land, cantons for two other tribes were taken from it. These cantons fell to the lot of Simeon and Dan.

21. "The uttermost cities of the tribe of.... Julah.”—The "uttermost" means those in the southern portion of Judah, towards the open desert. The list of these extends to the end of v. 32. From thence to the end of v. 47, is a list of the towns "in the valley ;" that is, in the lowlands on the west, between the central mountains and the sea. Jerome says that this part was even in his time called the valley. Verse 48 begins the list of towns in the mountains," that is, in the hilly country which composes the eastern half of Judah, comprehending the central range, and the mountains from thence eastward to the Dead Sea; and verses 61 and 62 reckon up the towns "in the wilderness," that is, on the east border of the country, towards the Dead Sea. This long list of towns includes many which we have already noticed, and others which never belonged to Judah as a tribe, but continued to be retained by the Philistines. Omitting the latter, the following are the more remarkable towns which this list contains:-Ziph (v. 24, 55); we see here two cities of this name, one in the south and the other in the hill country; the latter, grouped with Maon and Carmel, was about eight miles to the east of Hebron, and is memorable chiefly for the retreat which its wilderness afforded to David, when persecuted by Saul (1 Sam. xxiii. 14). The Carmel just named must not be confounded with the great Mount Carmel near the Bay of Acre. Beersheba (see Gen. xxi. 14), Adullam, Debir, Hebron, Lachish, Libnah, Makkedah ancient capitals, all mentioned in chap. xii. Maon, about thirty miles south from Jerusalem, the abode of the churlish Nabal, and the district near which David removed from that of Ziph when pursued by Saul (1 Sam. xxiii. 25, xxv. 2). Beth-zur (v. 58), which was one of the places fortified by Rehoboam: it is not much mentioned in the canonical books, but appears of great importance as a stronghold in the time of the Maccabees. The cn

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