name, supposed to be given by Xenophon and his associates, instead of Laresen, that is, the city of Resen, which that renowned captain mistook for Larissa, the name of several Grecian cities, with which he was familiar."

CHAP. VI.

OF CHALDEA, UR, HARAN, AND CANAAN.

Ur of the Chaldees-Its situation.-Boundaries of Chaldea-So called from Chesed, a son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham.—City of Haran, Charran, or Charræ.-Land of Canaan.-Sidon, the first born of CanaanIts great antiquity, strength, and splendour.-City of Tyre.-The Hittites, the second family of Canaan :-Settled in the mountains.-City of Hebron.-The Plain of Mamre or Hebron.-The Jebusites.-Their Capital, Jebus, afterwards Jerusalem-Built before Abraham's arrival in Canaan-Its fortress-Enlarged and beautified by David.-Millo-A Town-hall-On the east side of Mount Zion.-Valley of Shaveh.-Amorites-Dwelt in the mountains.-The Gergashite-Settled towards the sources of the Jordan.-The Hivite-Adjoining to Sidon.-The Arkite, Senite, Arvadite, Zemarite, and Hamothite-Their settlements uncertain.-Avims occupied Gaza-Dispossessed by the Philistines.-Their lordships five, viz. Gaza, Ashdod, Eshkalon, Gath, and Ekron.—Mount Seir-Lay on the south of Canaan.-The Emims, toward the east and south-east-Due east, the Zuzims or Zumzummims-North-east, the Rephaims.-Land of Canaan did not extend to the Nile-Reserved for the people of Israel.

THE sacred historian, having taken a rapid view of the original settlements which the sons of Noah formed in the countries allotted to them after the deluge, proceeds to the history of a family that made a considerable

• Anab. iii, 4, 7. Bochart. Phaleg. lib. iv, c. 23, p. 257. Wells' Geog. vol. i, p. 127.

figure among the Babylonians in those remote ages. This family, in whom, by the distinguishing favour of God, all nations were in future times to be blessed, originally lived in Ur of the Chaldees, till near the close of the life of Terah. To ascertain with greater accuracy the situation of this city, so celebrated for being the birth-place of Abraham, the friend of God, and the father of the chosen seed, it is necessary to make a few remarks on the country of the Chaldees.

Chaldea, the native country of Abraham, was bounded by Mesopotamia on the north, Susiana on the east, the Persian gulf on the south, and Arabia Deserta on the west. Its capital city was Babylon; hence, called by Isaiah the prophet, "the glory of the Chaldees' excel. lency." From the name of the capital, the whole country was afterwards called Babylonia. Some writers, however, contend, that Chaldea properly so called, was only a province of Babylonia; while others make Babylonia a province of Chaldea, namely, that part which lay about the city of Babylon. The name Babylon is unquestionably derived from the Hebrew term Babel; and, that the city was built near the place where the tower of Babel was begun, seems to be equally certain. name Chaldea is of more doubtful origin: but, since the Chaldeans are called in Hebrew, Chasdim, it is commonly supposed they derived their name from Chesed, one of the sons of Nahor, the brother of Abraham; a for, Chesed will regularly make the plural, Chesadim, or with a small variation, Chasdim. From this term, instead of Xardaos Chasdæi, the Greeks formed the softer word xedea Chaldæi. It is therefore probable, that

a Gen. xxii, 22.

b Wells' Hist. Geog. vol. i, p. 128.

The

the Chaldees derived their name from Chesed; but the true reason of the derivation, is lost in the deep obscurity of the postdiluvian age.

In the sacred books, the termed Chaldea is sometimes taken in a larger sense than in the writings of the Greeks and Romans. It is evident from the words of Stephen the proto-martyr, that the country of Chaldea embraced a part of Mesopotamia; "The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, get thee out of this country, --- then came he out of the land of the Chaldees and dwelt in Charran." Hence it is evident, that the region of Mesopotamia, where the patriarch resided before he removed to Charran, must be included under the name of Chaldea. This is considered by some writers as a confirmation of the opinion, that the name of Chaldea was originally derived from Chesed the son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. It is plainly intimated in the sacred text, that, when Terah with his son Abraham, and his grandson Lot, the son of the deceased Haran, left Ur of the Chaldees, Nahor his other son, remained in his native country. But Nahor was the father of Chesed, who, it is conjectured, was eminently skilled in the science of astronomy, the study of which, was prosecuted in Babylonia from the first settlement of the province, with great diligence and success. Under his instructions, and fired by his example, his descendants, the Chasdim, are supposed to have risen to great eminence among the Babylonian philosophers. And hence, Ur, the native town of Chesed and his family, might be called by way of honour, Ur of the Chaldees, that is, Ur where the Chasdim, so famous for their

attainments in astronomical science, reside. From this circumstance, it is not unreasonable to suppose, that a people so devoted to science as the Babylonians were, might assume the name of Chaldees, in honour of Chesed, their most renowned instructor.

This opinion concerning the skill of Chesed and his descendants in astronomical science, is supposed to be confirmed from the very name of the place where they lived. Ur in the Hebrew tongue, denotes light; and hence, the place where the Chasdim lived, might be named Ur of the Chasdim, from their studying there, with extraordinary diligence and success, the motions of the heavenly bodies.

с

From this statement it appears, that Ur was situated in the eastern part of Mesopotamia, which was sometimes included under the name of Chaldea. This posi tion agrees both with the words of Stephen already quoted, and the writings of Ammianus Marcellinus, who mentions a city of this name, lying between the Tigris and the city of Nisibis.d Some writers place the native town of Terah and Abraham, near the lake of Babylon, where once stood the city Urchoa, supposed by them to be the same with Ur. But the lakes of Babylon, and by consequence the city Urchoa, were on this side of the river Euphrates; while Joshua says expressly, that Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the flood (or Euphrates) in old time. Again, from Ur in Mesopotamia, near the Tigris, the way to Canaan, whither Terah intended to go, was directly by Haran; but if he had resided by the lakes of Babylonia, his direct way had been through e Wells' Geog. vol. i, p. 130. d XXV, 8, 7.

e Josh. xxiv, 2.

Arabia Deserta; or if to avoid that inhospitable desert, he had chosen a more northerly rout, still his direct road lay considerably south from Haran.

Haran is, in the Septuagint and in the New Testament, rendered Charran, and in common authors Charræ. This city was built by Terah, and named Haran, in memory of his deceased son, the father of Lot. It stood in the west, or north-west part of Mesopotamia, on a river known to the Greek writers by the same name, which flows into the river Chaboras, one of the tributary streams of the Euphrates. In more recent times, it became famous among the Romans for the total defeat of their army by the Parthians, and the death of Crassus their general, who was killed in the battle.f

In obedience to the command of God, who appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, Terah, with all his family except Nahor, left the land of his fathers, and proceeded to Haran, on his way to Canaan, the future inheritance of his remote descendants. In that city Terah ended his days; and after his death, Abraham, in consequence of a second admonition, prosecuted his journey to the land of promise.

Canaan is, on many accounts, entitled to more particular consideration; but chiefly because it was the residence of the chosen seed, and the theatre of our redemption.

When the Maker of heaven and earth appointed to the nations their inheritance, the country which is bounded on the west by the Mediterranean, on the east by the river Jordan, the lake Asphaltites and the sea of Tiberias, on the north by the mountain Antilibanus, and on the

f Wells' Hist. Geog. vol. i, p. 132.