CHAPTERV.THE INTRODUCTION OF IDOLATRY.1. During the life of Joshuaand of the elders or officers who outlived their leader and were acquainted with the early history of the nation, the Israelites held to their obedience to and reverence for the Mosaic law in all its bearings upon them. But after this era of about thirty years a remarkable defection took place, and the generation which grew up was drawn into alliances and such social intercourse with the inhabitants that many were won over to the faith and rites of Canaanitish idolatry.2. It should be rememberedthat these Canaanitish tribes were not only possessed of riches, but they showed considerable advance in the knowledge of art, and their idolatries were attended by a degree of mystery and splendor which we are not accustomed to attribute to them. These conditions are only suggested by certain intimations in the Scriptural records, but plainly shown by recent discoveries, wherein the luxuries and riches of these nations are described by the victors in their records of tribute and capture, as we have shown.3. The fascinationof this splendid idolatry had its influence upon the people who had spent their early lives in the monotony of the desert and of aworship which was devoid of images or of anything which could impress itself upon the sight, except the distant and inaccessible pillar of fire and cloud or the rarely seen and approachless Ark, with a few other objects of which many had only occasionally heard. But in the land of the Canaanites and of their own tribes they met the symbols of the worship of Baal and of Ashtoreth upon almost every high hill and in every beautiful grove; they saw their sacred sculptures frequently and their ornamented temples, some remains of which are found upon the mountains of Lebanon at the present day.And those who could not see them were daily entertained with vivid descriptions of the altars and the gold and silver ornaments associated with the worship of the moon as Ashtoreth and of the sun as Baal.4. Baal was the chief godof Canaan, whose worship was manifold and spread through the Canaanitish tribes under varied names, which, though differing in form, always suggested the same cruel or obscene worship. Hence the term in Scripture Baalim,77the plural of Baal. Thus there was the Baal-thammuz,Ezek.8:14; Baal-moloch (the fire Baal),2 Kin.23:10; Baal-zebub,2 Kin.1:2, presiding over that decomposition which gave rise to new life, for zebub, “flies,” symbolized that life; hence the Jewish form in the time of Christ of Beelzebub as a burlesque upon the word and worship, since zebul (the Greek in the New Testament) was asarcasm intended to meandung, and Satan was thus contemptuously called lord of the dung-heap or Beelzebul. A change of place also changed the form of the name—Baal-hermon, Baal-hazor, Baal-meon,etc.5. The worship of Baaland of Ashtoreth was attended by great cruelty and debauchery. These features were stamped upon all the ceremonies of their worship and the precepts of their religion.No other people ever rivalled them in the mixture of bloodshed and debauchery.78Every influence for good seemed to have been banished from their religion. Their most frightful worship was that of Baal-moloch, referred to above. In this children were burned alive by their parents; and this practice in honor of Baal was carried by the Phœnicians even to Carthage, where it became an institution of the State.6. It was to avoid the contaminationof these various idolatries that Moses commanded the extermination of the Canaanites, and it was due to the fact that they permitted the Canaanites to reside among them that the Israelites soon fell into their ways of worship, and in after years they were led in some degree to adopt even the rites of the bloody Moloch.
1. During the life of Joshuaand of the elders or officers who outlived their leader and were acquainted with the early history of the nation, the Israelites held to their obedience to and reverence for the Mosaic law in all its bearings upon them. But after this era of about thirty years a remarkable defection took place, and the generation which grew up was drawn into alliances and such social intercourse with the inhabitants that many were won over to the faith and rites of Canaanitish idolatry.
2. It should be rememberedthat these Canaanitish tribes were not only possessed of riches, but they showed considerable advance in the knowledge of art, and their idolatries were attended by a degree of mystery and splendor which we are not accustomed to attribute to them. These conditions are only suggested by certain intimations in the Scriptural records, but plainly shown by recent discoveries, wherein the luxuries and riches of these nations are described by the victors in their records of tribute and capture, as we have shown.
3. The fascinationof this splendid idolatry had its influence upon the people who had spent their early lives in the monotony of the desert and of aworship which was devoid of images or of anything which could impress itself upon the sight, except the distant and inaccessible pillar of fire and cloud or the rarely seen and approachless Ark, with a few other objects of which many had only occasionally heard. But in the land of the Canaanites and of their own tribes they met the symbols of the worship of Baal and of Ashtoreth upon almost every high hill and in every beautiful grove; they saw their sacred sculptures frequently and their ornamented temples, some remains of which are found upon the mountains of Lebanon at the present day.And those who could not see them were daily entertained with vivid descriptions of the altars and the gold and silver ornaments associated with the worship of the moon as Ashtoreth and of the sun as Baal.
4. Baal was the chief godof Canaan, whose worship was manifold and spread through the Canaanitish tribes under varied names, which, though differing in form, always suggested the same cruel or obscene worship. Hence the term in Scripture Baalim,77the plural of Baal. Thus there was the Baal-thammuz,Ezek.8:14; Baal-moloch (the fire Baal),2 Kin.23:10; Baal-zebub,2 Kin.1:2, presiding over that decomposition which gave rise to new life, for zebub, “flies,” symbolized that life; hence the Jewish form in the time of Christ of Beelzebub as a burlesque upon the word and worship, since zebul (the Greek in the New Testament) was asarcasm intended to meandung, and Satan was thus contemptuously called lord of the dung-heap or Beelzebul. A change of place also changed the form of the name—Baal-hermon, Baal-hazor, Baal-meon,etc.
5. The worship of Baaland of Ashtoreth was attended by great cruelty and debauchery. These features were stamped upon all the ceremonies of their worship and the precepts of their religion.No other people ever rivalled them in the mixture of bloodshed and debauchery.78Every influence for good seemed to have been banished from their religion. Their most frightful worship was that of Baal-moloch, referred to above. In this children were burned alive by their parents; and this practice in honor of Baal was carried by the Phœnicians even to Carthage, where it became an institution of the State.
6. It was to avoid the contaminationof these various idolatries that Moses commanded the extermination of the Canaanites, and it was due to the fact that they permitted the Canaanites to reside among them that the Israelites soon fell into their ways of worship, and in after years they were led in some degree to adopt even the rites of the bloody Moloch.
PERIODIV.THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES.ABOUT B. C. 1402–1060 (USSHER), BUT FROM HISTORY APPARENTLY OVER 400 YEARS.CHAPTERI.THE NATURE OF THE OFFICE. THE CHRONOLOGY.1. Soon after the death of Joshuathe conquest of the land was continued under the lead of the tribe of Judah. But the Israelites soon began to be affiliated with the inhabitants. Intermarriages, commercial and social intercourse brought about the change whereby the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth took the place of the ancient service of the God of their fathers, and the Israelites seemed to be given up to the idolatries of the surrounding nations.2. A long series of captivitiesand servitudes now began which introduced a new class of public officers, calledJudges, who united the office of general-in-chief and of referee in civil cases, thus partaking somewhat of the duties indicated by the name “judge” by which they are called in Scripture.3.Butthe dutiesof the so-called judge variedwith the times and the person. Gideon declined to rule, delegating all rule to Jehovah, and acted only as deliverer. His son Abimelech coveted the office of king, and was the only king during this period and the first king in any part of Israel. Eli judged Israel 40 years,1 Sam.4:18, and was a noted high-priest. Samuel judged all the days of his life,1 Sam.7:15, and was also the first of the long unbroken series of prophets, uniting with this accredited and newly created office that of sacrifice and intercession for the people,1 Sam.7:5. Samuel closed the line of Judges.4. The period of the Judgespresents us with a most singular form of government and totally unlike any other form which either had preceded or did succeed it. These rulers were generally divinely appointed, but at times seem to have been elected by the people, as in the case of Jephthah and Abimelech,Judg.11:6; 9:3.5. The most remarkable factconnected with the history of the times of the Judges, from about B. C. 1400–1060, is found in the private and publicidolatryof the Israelites. This idolatry should be considered in view of the covenant their fathers had solemnly made at Sinai, and more especially in view of the warnings by Moses, reiterated by Joshua, and despite the consecration of themselves at Shechem. Many who were living at this time had formed a part of the great convention of consecration and covenant held under Joshua. Notwithstanding all these promisesof loyalty to God, there seems to have been no form of idolatry into which they did not fall. The cause of this strange defection is very forcibly presented inJudg.3:5–8.Another remarkable feature of this age is seen in the renewals of idolatry after equally repeated deliverances from distressful servitudes followed by temporary reforms.6. One constant causeof the persistent idolatry was doubtless to be found in the continued social relations of the Israelites with the tribes of the Canaanites. The wisdom of the forewarnings of Moses,Deut.7:3–5, and of Joshua, and of the command made very early in their history that the Canaanites should be driven out from the land, and that no association should be had with them, is now very apparent,Exod.34:16. The non-observance of the command was followed by these intimate relations all over the land. At least seven tribes are named,Judg.1, as living together with the Canaanites. Even Judah, Benjamin, and the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem together at this time,Josh.15:63 andJudg.1:21.7. The Canaanitesthereforewere admittedinto the nation of Israelites by a kind of naturalization, and they brought in with them their customs and idolatries, although they themselves were made tributary.8. The history of the timesof the Judges is derived mainly from the books of Judges, Ruth, and1Samuel. But considerable light is added from therecords of surrounding nations, especially from those of the Egyptians. In a poem by the poet laureate of the times of RamesesII., B. C. 1350, it is asserted that the Hittites in a battle on the plain of Esdraelon had 2,500 chariots of war. This was before the Israelites left Egypt, and the monuments record that RamesesIII.captured 994 Canaanitish chariots.The goddess Ashtoreth was, according to Naville, the patroness of war-chariots, and although the chariots taken by Joshua were drawn by horses,Josh.11:6, we find them on some of the monuments represented as drawn by oxen, and it is said that oxen have been trained to run fast.It should be remembered that the use of scythes or swords attached to the wheels or sides of chariots does not appear to have been in vogue until after this period.799. The Israeliteshad no war chariots until the time of David,2 Sam.8:4, and it is highly improbable that at that time they were used for war purposes, but only as baggage or forage wagons, and the remaining number taken in battle were disjointed, crippled, or destroyed, as the Hebrew text is translated in the Septuagint,and not that the horses were “houghed,”80as in our English version.10.Solomon, B. C. 992, gathered chariots from Egypt and horses, although he was a man of peace,and it does not appear for what purpose the chariots were used except for display; but the act was certainly in direct violation of the law,Deut.17:14–20, and marked the beginning of that king’s departure from the service of Jehovah.11. The chronology of the timesof the Judges is not clearly made out. It cannot be determined that the Judges all reigned consecutively or that any one Judge had authority over any larger district than that of a few tribes. The Scriptural order seems to be as follows:Conquerors.Duration ofservitudeThe Judge.Duration inoffice, or“Rest.”Began torule B. C.(Ussher).Chushan-rishathaim8 years.1402Othniel40 years.1394Eglon18 years.1354Ehud80 years.1336Philistines?Shamgar??Jabin, a Canaaniteking at Hazor20 years.1316Deborah andBarak40 years.1296Midianites andAmalekites,etc.7 years.1256Gideon40 years.1249Civil warAbimelech3 years.1209Tola23 years.1206Jair22 years.1183Philistines and Ammon18 years.1161Jephthah6 years.1143Ibzan7 years.1137Elon10 years.1130Abdon8 years.1120Philistines40 years.1112Samson20 years.Eli40 years.SamuelAll the daysof his life,1 Sam.7:15.dies 1060SAUL1095FIRST YEAROF REIGN.The period of the Judges closed at the time when Saul was appointed king, B. C. 1095. Joshua died B. C. 1426, as is supposed,but some81have thought that at least thirty years passed between the death of Joshua and the first servitude, and the general opinion is that at least four hundred years, or even four hundred and fifty, must be taken as the length of time from Joshua to Saul, the first king. By adding the time of the servitudes and those of the rules of the Judges, including the time from the death of Joshua, we have about the sum stated in Acts 13:20.But it is difficult to reconcile the chronology of this period with that of other periods because of the want of sufficient fulness of statement in the history of the Judges.82
ABOUT B. C. 1402–1060 (USSHER), BUT FROM HISTORY APPARENTLY OVER 400 YEARS.
1. Soon after the death of Joshuathe conquest of the land was continued under the lead of the tribe of Judah. But the Israelites soon began to be affiliated with the inhabitants. Intermarriages, commercial and social intercourse brought about the change whereby the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth took the place of the ancient service of the God of their fathers, and the Israelites seemed to be given up to the idolatries of the surrounding nations.
2. A long series of captivitiesand servitudes now began which introduced a new class of public officers, calledJudges, who united the office of general-in-chief and of referee in civil cases, thus partaking somewhat of the duties indicated by the name “judge” by which they are called in Scripture.
3.Butthe dutiesof the so-called judge variedwith the times and the person. Gideon declined to rule, delegating all rule to Jehovah, and acted only as deliverer. His son Abimelech coveted the office of king, and was the only king during this period and the first king in any part of Israel. Eli judged Israel 40 years,1 Sam.4:18, and was a noted high-priest. Samuel judged all the days of his life,1 Sam.7:15, and was also the first of the long unbroken series of prophets, uniting with this accredited and newly created office that of sacrifice and intercession for the people,1 Sam.7:5. Samuel closed the line of Judges.
4. The period of the Judgespresents us with a most singular form of government and totally unlike any other form which either had preceded or did succeed it. These rulers were generally divinely appointed, but at times seem to have been elected by the people, as in the case of Jephthah and Abimelech,Judg.11:6; 9:3.
5. The most remarkable factconnected with the history of the times of the Judges, from about B. C. 1400–1060, is found in the private and publicidolatryof the Israelites. This idolatry should be considered in view of the covenant their fathers had solemnly made at Sinai, and more especially in view of the warnings by Moses, reiterated by Joshua, and despite the consecration of themselves at Shechem. Many who were living at this time had formed a part of the great convention of consecration and covenant held under Joshua. Notwithstanding all these promisesof loyalty to God, there seems to have been no form of idolatry into which they did not fall. The cause of this strange defection is very forcibly presented inJudg.3:5–8.
Another remarkable feature of this age is seen in the renewals of idolatry after equally repeated deliverances from distressful servitudes followed by temporary reforms.
6. One constant causeof the persistent idolatry was doubtless to be found in the continued social relations of the Israelites with the tribes of the Canaanites. The wisdom of the forewarnings of Moses,Deut.7:3–5, and of Joshua, and of the command made very early in their history that the Canaanites should be driven out from the land, and that no association should be had with them, is now very apparent,Exod.34:16. The non-observance of the command was followed by these intimate relations all over the land. At least seven tribes are named,Judg.1, as living together with the Canaanites. Even Judah, Benjamin, and the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem together at this time,Josh.15:63 andJudg.1:21.
7. The Canaanitesthereforewere admittedinto the nation of Israelites by a kind of naturalization, and they brought in with them their customs and idolatries, although they themselves were made tributary.
8. The history of the timesof the Judges is derived mainly from the books of Judges, Ruth, and1Samuel. But considerable light is added from therecords of surrounding nations, especially from those of the Egyptians. In a poem by the poet laureate of the times of RamesesII., B. C. 1350, it is asserted that the Hittites in a battle on the plain of Esdraelon had 2,500 chariots of war. This was before the Israelites left Egypt, and the monuments record that RamesesIII.captured 994 Canaanitish chariots.
The goddess Ashtoreth was, according to Naville, the patroness of war-chariots, and although the chariots taken by Joshua were drawn by horses,Josh.11:6, we find them on some of the monuments represented as drawn by oxen, and it is said that oxen have been trained to run fast.
It should be remembered that the use of scythes or swords attached to the wheels or sides of chariots does not appear to have been in vogue until after this period.79
9. The Israeliteshad no war chariots until the time of David,2 Sam.8:4, and it is highly improbable that at that time they were used for war purposes, but only as baggage or forage wagons, and the remaining number taken in battle were disjointed, crippled, or destroyed, as the Hebrew text is translated in the Septuagint,and not that the horses were “houghed,”80as in our English version.
10.Solomon, B. C. 992, gathered chariots from Egypt and horses, although he was a man of peace,and it does not appear for what purpose the chariots were used except for display; but the act was certainly in direct violation of the law,Deut.17:14–20, and marked the beginning of that king’s departure from the service of Jehovah.
11. The chronology of the timesof the Judges is not clearly made out. It cannot be determined that the Judges all reigned consecutively or that any one Judge had authority over any larger district than that of a few tribes. The Scriptural order seems to be as follows:
The period of the Judges closed at the time when Saul was appointed king, B. C. 1095. Joshua died B. C. 1426, as is supposed,but some81have thought that at least thirty years passed between the death of Joshua and the first servitude, and the general opinion is that at least four hundred years, or even four hundred and fifty, must be taken as the length of time from Joshua to Saul, the first king. By adding the time of the servitudes and those of the rules of the Judges, including the time from the death of Joshua, we have about the sum stated in Acts 13:20.But it is difficult to reconcile the chronology of this period with that of other periods because of the want of sufficient fulness of statement in the history of the Judges.82
CHAPTERII.THE SCRIBES OF THE AGE.1. It should be rememberedthat during these ages in all prominent nationsthe office of scribeor historian was a very important one, the existence of which was very general. Before the Exodus the historians accompanied the kings of Egypt and Assyria in their expeditions. Several references to such persons are found in the Scriptures,2 Kin.25:19;2 Chron.26:11, as especially belonging to the army. They are called “remembrancers” and “writers of chronicles” or “recorders” in the time of David,2 Sam.8:16. There werealso poets, who described the events of the national history or the prowess of the king, not only in Egypt and Assyria, long before David, but also in Israel. The book of Jasher referred to inJosh.10:13 and2 Sam.1:18 was probably a poetic history of heroic acts, very similar to one discovered in Egypt, called the poem of Pentaur, celebrating the courage of the Pharaoh, RamesesII., who was contemporary with Moses.2. The numberof writers of different kinds must have beenmuch greaterthan is generally supposed. At a very early period during the residence of the Israelites in Egypt the taskmasters werealways accompanied with “writers,” called “officers” in our version,Exod.5:6, and we find them pictured on the monuments, with their tablets and reeds, writing even while walking. The children of Israel had scribes also on their brick-fields to check off the records of those who wrote for the taskmasters,Exod.5:15, 19.So also the Judges in “the gates”83had their writers,Deut.16:18, also called “officers.”Writers were employed for such engineering purposes as are recorded inJosh.18:9, and these were not simply draughtsmen who mapped the country in a book, but also recorded the position of cities, of which not less than four hundred and eleven are mentioned by name.3. In more recent timesthere arose the class of writers called by the Hebrews “Sopherim” or “scribes,” who appear to have been high officers of the State or secretaries, recording edicts of the king besides the many important occurrences of history.4. That writersor scribesexistedat so early a period as that when the Israelites were in the desert is certain from the statement inNum.11:16, where Moses is commanded to assemble these writers with the seventy elders. It is plain from these instances that there were numbers in the camp who were expert writers, and it is highly probable that many of the people were instructed through their writings, not only then, but during all the residence of the Israelites in Canaan.5. There were menthen, as now,peculiarly fittedto record current events, or interested in genealogy, or gifted with poetic talent, and their inclinations led them to make records which were interesting at those periods, or to make “books” which were known to be faithful and authentic; and hence in no less than fourteen instances there seem to be references to such books throughout the Old Testament writings:Num.21:14;Josh.10:13;1 Sam.10:25;1 Kin.4:32, 33; 11:41;1 Chron.27:24; 29:29;2 Chron.9:29; 12:15; 13:22; 12:15; 20:34; 33:19; 35:25.6. It is certaintherefore that in the times of the monarchypublic recordswerecarefullykept, and even long before that time the people were not without their historians, who wrote down all important events and preserved and copied writings for others then living and for those who should come after them.
1. It should be rememberedthat during these ages in all prominent nationsthe office of scribeor historian was a very important one, the existence of which was very general. Before the Exodus the historians accompanied the kings of Egypt and Assyria in their expeditions. Several references to such persons are found in the Scriptures,2 Kin.25:19;2 Chron.26:11, as especially belonging to the army. They are called “remembrancers” and “writers of chronicles” or “recorders” in the time of David,2 Sam.8:16. There werealso poets, who described the events of the national history or the prowess of the king, not only in Egypt and Assyria, long before David, but also in Israel. The book of Jasher referred to inJosh.10:13 and2 Sam.1:18 was probably a poetic history of heroic acts, very similar to one discovered in Egypt, called the poem of Pentaur, celebrating the courage of the Pharaoh, RamesesII., who was contemporary with Moses.
2. The numberof writers of different kinds must have beenmuch greaterthan is generally supposed. At a very early period during the residence of the Israelites in Egypt the taskmasters werealways accompanied with “writers,” called “officers” in our version,Exod.5:6, and we find them pictured on the monuments, with their tablets and reeds, writing even while walking. The children of Israel had scribes also on their brick-fields to check off the records of those who wrote for the taskmasters,Exod.5:15, 19.So also the Judges in “the gates”83had their writers,Deut.16:18, also called “officers.”
Writers were employed for such engineering purposes as are recorded inJosh.18:9, and these were not simply draughtsmen who mapped the country in a book, but also recorded the position of cities, of which not less than four hundred and eleven are mentioned by name.
3. In more recent timesthere arose the class of writers called by the Hebrews “Sopherim” or “scribes,” who appear to have been high officers of the State or secretaries, recording edicts of the king besides the many important occurrences of history.
4. That writersor scribesexistedat so early a period as that when the Israelites were in the desert is certain from the statement inNum.11:16, where Moses is commanded to assemble these writers with the seventy elders. It is plain from these instances that there were numbers in the camp who were expert writers, and it is highly probable that many of the people were instructed through their writings, not only then, but during all the residence of the Israelites in Canaan.
5. There were menthen, as now,peculiarly fittedto record current events, or interested in genealogy, or gifted with poetic talent, and their inclinations led them to make records which were interesting at those periods, or to make “books” which were known to be faithful and authentic; and hence in no less than fourteen instances there seem to be references to such books throughout the Old Testament writings:Num.21:14;Josh.10:13;1 Sam.10:25;1 Kin.4:32, 33; 11:41;1 Chron.27:24; 29:29;2 Chron.9:29; 12:15; 13:22; 12:15; 20:34; 33:19; 35:25.
6. It is certaintherefore that in the times of the monarchypublic recordswerecarefullykept, and even long before that time the people were not without their historians, who wrote down all important events and preserved and copied writings for others then living and for those who should come after them.
PERIODV.THE PERIOD OF THE KINGS TO THE CAPTIVITY.FROM B. C. ABOUT 1095 TO B. C. 588, 507 YEARS.CHAPTERI.ORIGIN OF THE MONARCHY. REIGN OF SAUL.1. One ofthe most evidentresultsof the intimateassociationsof the Israelites with the Canaanitish tribes was the desire to have a king.In the transition from the era of the Judges to that of the Kingsthere arose a manwhose earliest days had been passed in the precincts of the Tabernacle at Shiloh under the care of Eli, the priest and judge of Israel. He seems to have been one whose evident piety and clear and manly judgment had impressed the people with a reverence for him from his earliest days. No other person in the times of the Judges seems to have been known so universally as uniting in one man divine authority and wisdom, and of no other had it been said that “all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew thatSamuelwas established to be a prophet of the Lord,”1 Sam.3:20.2. With Samuel, as we have said, the line of the Judges closes. By divine direction he gratified the demands of the people by appointing Saul king over Israel, but not without a solemn warning as to the despotism with which the kings, in the future, would rule over them.The whole land now becomes united under one ruler as a king, but at the same time strongly influenced by the prophetic authority of Samuel, who seems never to have lost power, either over the people or the king.3. DanandBeershebawere towns which in common speech limited the whole land, the former on the north, the later on the south. Dan was the name of only the tribe on the Mediterranean west of Jerusalem until the time that a colony from this tribe migrated to the extreme north of Canaan, beyond all the tribes, and drove out a company of Sidonians who had settled by themselves near the southern parts ofMt.Hermon, in a place before called Laish. This town the Danites conquered, and, taking possession of the place, named it Dan, after their ancestor.Scarcely anything remains of this ancient city, but its location, called Tel el-Kady is beautiful, at the head of the plain of Huleh, nearly twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee. There are two fine springs at the ancient site and the elevation is 505 feet above the Mediterranean, which is twenty-five miles distant, on the west, to a point near the cityof Tyre, which then existed. Dan was in the region assigned to the tribe of Naphtali.4. Beershebawas exactly 148 miles south-southwest of Dan. Here the only remains consist of two very ancient large wells. The site still bears the ancient name and is twenty-seven miles southwest from Hebron. The wells contain excellent water and show the rope-grooves of many centuries in the massive stones with which they are lined and curbed.5. The introduction of Saulto the full possession of the kingly office and authority was after his first battle, near a place east of the Jordan, called Jabesh-gilead.The Ammonites had come up against this city from the south and demanded its unconditional surrender. In their distress they sent to their brethren, at Gibeah, where Saul resided. Saul seems to have had, at this time, but little to do as king, and it was not until he returned from the field, where he had been attending to his cattle, that on inquiry he learned the condition of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead and their appeal for help to their brethren, who were publicly lamenting their inability to give them any aid.6. Saul immediately hewed a yoke of oxeninto pieces, and sending messengers with pieces of the oxen throughout the entire land of Israel, made wise use of the name of Samuel in union with his own, in the threat, “Whosoevercometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen,”1 Sam.11:7.No such universal call to united effort had before sounded over the land for ages. It was the sword of the king and the authority of Samuel the prophet of the Lord, and the call was honored from Dan to Beersheba. The messengers from the besieged city were hurried back with the cheering reply from the gathering army, “To-morrow by that time the sun be hot ye shall have help,”1 Sam.11:9.JABESH-GILEAD.7. Jabesh-gileadis not certainly identified, but it was not far off from a valley known as Wady Jabes, or Yabes, about twenty miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee, in the land of Gilead.Bezek, where the hosts gathered before they started to cross the Jordan, was some plain near the Jordan not yet identified.8. Three hundred and thirty thousandof Israel gathered themselves together in three bands and hastily crossed the Jordan in the night, and before the heat of day they had slain and routed the Ammonites in the greatest battle that had been known in Canaan for several centuries.So great was the reaction from the long-continued indifference to united effort, and especially to the publicly expressed lack of confidence in Saul, that, in keeping with their rude manners, they demandedthe immediate execution of those who had spoken against the king.9. But Samuel turned this feelinginto another channel. He summoned a great gathering similar to the one called by Joshua 300 years before at Shechem, but at this time the assembly was at Gilgal. Here they renewed their promises to God and to the king. This was the Gilgal which was upon the plains of Jericho, and of which we have already spoken.10. Saul now became kingin its fullest sense. His first act was to appoint a standing army of 3,000. By an ill-timed attack upon an outpost of the Philistines the anger of that entire nation was aroused at a time when the Israelites were unprepared to meet them. Samuel was called upon for advice and service, but Saul’s impatience and disobedience to the directions of the prophet discouraged Samuel so greatly that he withdrew from Saul. Jonathan by a stratagem executed in the night,1 Sam.14, created a panic in the Philistine army, and the Israelites, gathering together from various hiding-places to which they had fled in their fear, joined in pursuit, until the Philistines were driven back to their own country, which was upon the southwest coast of Palestine about forty miles distant.But the repeated instances of disobedience, coupled with deception, on the part of Saul led Samuel to withdraw from the king entirely and for ever, andby divine appointment he anointed David, in private, to be successor to Saul. David’s appointment was suspected, and it aroused the bitter jealousy of the king, which was shown by his continued pursuit and persecution of David, until the great and final battle of Saul’s reign, which took place on the plain of Jezreel, against the Philistines, about B. C. 1056.SAUL’S LAST BATTLE.11. This battle, with its associated geography and incidental history, requires some knowledge of the localities ofShunem,Gilboa, andEn-dor.The Philistines, with whom Saul was soon to contend, had approached the great plain of Esdraelon from their coast on the southwest. They had passed up the plain of Sharon northward along the shore of the Great Sea and entered through the pass ofMt.Carmel, which range limits this plain on the southwest, and thus they had entered the plain which we have already described, page 101.Saul had gathered his army, and passing northward along the central elevated ridge, had reached the same plain at the town of En-gannim, which is on the edge of the southern border and overlooks the plain. Shunem was ten miles north. Here the Philistines were now gathering in their forces from the west, since the pass is sixteen miles west of Shunem.It is an interesting fact thatGen.Kleber, under NapoleonI.in his battle with the Turks, 1799, drewup his smaller army of fifteen hundred in a square occupying exactly the same ground which a part of the Philistine army covered at this time,while the Turks with their twenty-five thousand covered more of the same battle-ground on the north.8412. Shunem, now called Solam, is on the west and southern end of the short hill range running east, and supposed to be the hill of Moreh, but the Philistines occupied the plain on the south of this ridge-end, for Saul’s army was across the valley on the west end ofMt.Gilboa and immediately opposite the Philistines. Between the two armies was the valley of Jezreel running down eastward to Beth-shean in the valley of Jordan. The town of Jezreel, which gave name to the valley, was south of Shunem—Shunem on the Philistines’ side, Jezreel on that of Saul.Just one mile and a half southeast of the valley of Jezreel is the “Fountain of Jezreel,” now a large body of water fed by a spring called Ain Jalud. This is probably both the Fountain of Jezreel of1 Sam.29:1, and the “water” referred to inJudg.7:4. It is also the “well of Harod” of the first verse.It was just two centuries before this battle that Gideon at this place obtained his great victory over the Midianites, and it was, perhaps, chosen by Saul because of the fountain.13. As Saul hadmore than 300,000 warriors in his battle with the Ammonites and was as fullyaware of the seriousness of a conflict with the Philistines as he was there with the Ammonites, it is probable that he brought into the field as many as he then had. The Philistines had a much larger number than Saul, and the total number therefore in conflict could not have been less than 700,000.The evening before the morning of the battle Saul came fully to the conclusion that the Philistines were too strong for the forces under his command. In his forlorn belief in the spirit world and in the existence of Samuel, although three years dead, he determined upon an interview with the prophet if it were possible by a witch’s power of incantation to obtain it. As soon as it was dark, Saul, disguised, and with two trusty servants, crossed the valley from Gilboa northward to the village of En-dor, where in the caves near at hand there dwelt such a woman as he sought. The distance from the Fountain of Jezreel is about seven miles north. The interview with Samuel, which seems to have been as unlooked for and as terrible to the witch as it was dreadful and disheartening to Saul, is recorded in1 Sam.28:3–25.14. Early the next daythe battle began. The place called Aphek, where the main centre or headquarters of the Philistines was located, is not known, but was probably a mile southwest of Shunem, where the left wing of the army extended upon the line of its approach. The Philistines had the army of Saul at terrible disadvantage from the fact that his troopswere drawn up southeast of them against the foot of Gilboa and slightly covering its sides, and thus elevated to the shafts of the archers. It was at about this age that the bow in war was used with terrible fatality by some of the African nations,and the Philistines had added this weapon to their javelins and short arms.8515. It was a battle of arrowsagainst swords and slings, and the archers won the victory, and after a long day’s fearful contest Saul and his three sons lay dead among the defeated thousands that covered the flanks of Gilboa.Beth-shean was in sight eastward down the valley of Jezreel. It probably was never a Jewish but always a Canaanitish city, and here the Philistines the next day carried the headless trunk of Saul’s body and nailed it upon the outside walls with the bodies of his sons, while the salted head of the king was sent to the land of the victors to be carried around through the cities of the Philistines on exhibition.Large numbers of the Philistines now took possession of the vacated cities, and many of the Israelites crossed the Jordan to find other homes until better times should come.ZIKLAG AND THE SOUTH COUNTRY.16. Among the vast numbers of the Philistine army, as they came upon the plain fromMt.Carmel,David’s royal friend, King Achish, occupied the rear, and David and his small band would be distinguished from the lack of the conventional army uniform, which could be seen at a great distance. The appearance of the Philistines in war was specially distinguishable from that of all other warriors by a peculiar head-dress and tightly-fitting tunic, leaving the arms bare.But David’s presence formed ground for suspicion, and he was dismissed to return with his men toZiklag. The situation of this place is not known, but from various circumstances it could not have been far off from the hill country of Judæa and in the general vicinity and south of Gath,since Achish, who gave him the place, was king of that city.8617.On his return to Ziklag, finding that the Amalekites of the far south had burned his city and carried off all the families, David and his men pursued after them, recovered all, and returned to Ziklag. “The south” was a special term for that country beginning somewhere about Beersheba and reaching fifty or sixty miles south, and perhaps farther.18. The duration of Saul’s reignwas about forty years, or as the commonly received chronology presents it, from 1095 B. C. to 1056 B. C., and at thelatter date Saul and his eldest son Jonathan died upon the battlefield.In this great battle the Philistines, as we have said, used bows and arrows, and in this respect had a great advantage over the Israelites, who were not taught the use of this instrument in war until after this battle,2 Sam.1:18, and in the reign of David.
FROM B. C. ABOUT 1095 TO B. C. 588, 507 YEARS.
1. One ofthe most evidentresultsof the intimateassociationsof the Israelites with the Canaanitish tribes was the desire to have a king.
In the transition from the era of the Judges to that of the Kingsthere arose a manwhose earliest days had been passed in the precincts of the Tabernacle at Shiloh under the care of Eli, the priest and judge of Israel. He seems to have been one whose evident piety and clear and manly judgment had impressed the people with a reverence for him from his earliest days. No other person in the times of the Judges seems to have been known so universally as uniting in one man divine authority and wisdom, and of no other had it been said that “all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew thatSamuelwas established to be a prophet of the Lord,”1 Sam.3:20.
2. With Samuel, as we have said, the line of the Judges closes. By divine direction he gratified the demands of the people by appointing Saul king over Israel, but not without a solemn warning as to the despotism with which the kings, in the future, would rule over them.
The whole land now becomes united under one ruler as a king, but at the same time strongly influenced by the prophetic authority of Samuel, who seems never to have lost power, either over the people or the king.
3. DanandBeershebawere towns which in common speech limited the whole land, the former on the north, the later on the south. Dan was the name of only the tribe on the Mediterranean west of Jerusalem until the time that a colony from this tribe migrated to the extreme north of Canaan, beyond all the tribes, and drove out a company of Sidonians who had settled by themselves near the southern parts ofMt.Hermon, in a place before called Laish. This town the Danites conquered, and, taking possession of the place, named it Dan, after their ancestor.
Scarcely anything remains of this ancient city, but its location, called Tel el-Kady is beautiful, at the head of the plain of Huleh, nearly twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee. There are two fine springs at the ancient site and the elevation is 505 feet above the Mediterranean, which is twenty-five miles distant, on the west, to a point near the cityof Tyre, which then existed. Dan was in the region assigned to the tribe of Naphtali.
4. Beershebawas exactly 148 miles south-southwest of Dan. Here the only remains consist of two very ancient large wells. The site still bears the ancient name and is twenty-seven miles southwest from Hebron. The wells contain excellent water and show the rope-grooves of many centuries in the massive stones with which they are lined and curbed.
5. The introduction of Saulto the full possession of the kingly office and authority was after his first battle, near a place east of the Jordan, called Jabesh-gilead.
The Ammonites had come up against this city from the south and demanded its unconditional surrender. In their distress they sent to their brethren, at Gibeah, where Saul resided. Saul seems to have had, at this time, but little to do as king, and it was not until he returned from the field, where he had been attending to his cattle, that on inquiry he learned the condition of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead and their appeal for help to their brethren, who were publicly lamenting their inability to give them any aid.
6. Saul immediately hewed a yoke of oxeninto pieces, and sending messengers with pieces of the oxen throughout the entire land of Israel, made wise use of the name of Samuel in union with his own, in the threat, “Whosoevercometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen,”1 Sam.11:7.
No such universal call to united effort had before sounded over the land for ages. It was the sword of the king and the authority of Samuel the prophet of the Lord, and the call was honored from Dan to Beersheba. The messengers from the besieged city were hurried back with the cheering reply from the gathering army, “To-morrow by that time the sun be hot ye shall have help,”1 Sam.11:9.
7. Jabesh-gileadis not certainly identified, but it was not far off from a valley known as Wady Jabes, or Yabes, about twenty miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee, in the land of Gilead.
Bezek, where the hosts gathered before they started to cross the Jordan, was some plain near the Jordan not yet identified.
8. Three hundred and thirty thousandof Israel gathered themselves together in three bands and hastily crossed the Jordan in the night, and before the heat of day they had slain and routed the Ammonites in the greatest battle that had been known in Canaan for several centuries.
So great was the reaction from the long-continued indifference to united effort, and especially to the publicly expressed lack of confidence in Saul, that, in keeping with their rude manners, they demandedthe immediate execution of those who had spoken against the king.
9. But Samuel turned this feelinginto another channel. He summoned a great gathering similar to the one called by Joshua 300 years before at Shechem, but at this time the assembly was at Gilgal. Here they renewed their promises to God and to the king. This was the Gilgal which was upon the plains of Jericho, and of which we have already spoken.
10. Saul now became kingin its fullest sense. His first act was to appoint a standing army of 3,000. By an ill-timed attack upon an outpost of the Philistines the anger of that entire nation was aroused at a time when the Israelites were unprepared to meet them. Samuel was called upon for advice and service, but Saul’s impatience and disobedience to the directions of the prophet discouraged Samuel so greatly that he withdrew from Saul. Jonathan by a stratagem executed in the night,1 Sam.14, created a panic in the Philistine army, and the Israelites, gathering together from various hiding-places to which they had fled in their fear, joined in pursuit, until the Philistines were driven back to their own country, which was upon the southwest coast of Palestine about forty miles distant.
But the repeated instances of disobedience, coupled with deception, on the part of Saul led Samuel to withdraw from the king entirely and for ever, andby divine appointment he anointed David, in private, to be successor to Saul. David’s appointment was suspected, and it aroused the bitter jealousy of the king, which was shown by his continued pursuit and persecution of David, until the great and final battle of Saul’s reign, which took place on the plain of Jezreel, against the Philistines, about B. C. 1056.
11. This battle, with its associated geography and incidental history, requires some knowledge of the localities ofShunem,Gilboa, andEn-dor.
The Philistines, with whom Saul was soon to contend, had approached the great plain of Esdraelon from their coast on the southwest. They had passed up the plain of Sharon northward along the shore of the Great Sea and entered through the pass ofMt.Carmel, which range limits this plain on the southwest, and thus they had entered the plain which we have already described, page 101.
Saul had gathered his army, and passing northward along the central elevated ridge, had reached the same plain at the town of En-gannim, which is on the edge of the southern border and overlooks the plain. Shunem was ten miles north. Here the Philistines were now gathering in their forces from the west, since the pass is sixteen miles west of Shunem.
It is an interesting fact thatGen.Kleber, under NapoleonI.in his battle with the Turks, 1799, drewup his smaller army of fifteen hundred in a square occupying exactly the same ground which a part of the Philistine army covered at this time,while the Turks with their twenty-five thousand covered more of the same battle-ground on the north.84
12. Shunem, now called Solam, is on the west and southern end of the short hill range running east, and supposed to be the hill of Moreh, but the Philistines occupied the plain on the south of this ridge-end, for Saul’s army was across the valley on the west end ofMt.Gilboa and immediately opposite the Philistines. Between the two armies was the valley of Jezreel running down eastward to Beth-shean in the valley of Jordan. The town of Jezreel, which gave name to the valley, was south of Shunem—Shunem on the Philistines’ side, Jezreel on that of Saul.
Just one mile and a half southeast of the valley of Jezreel is the “Fountain of Jezreel,” now a large body of water fed by a spring called Ain Jalud. This is probably both the Fountain of Jezreel of1 Sam.29:1, and the “water” referred to inJudg.7:4. It is also the “well of Harod” of the first verse.
It was just two centuries before this battle that Gideon at this place obtained his great victory over the Midianites, and it was, perhaps, chosen by Saul because of the fountain.
13. As Saul hadmore than 300,000 warriors in his battle with the Ammonites and was as fullyaware of the seriousness of a conflict with the Philistines as he was there with the Ammonites, it is probable that he brought into the field as many as he then had. The Philistines had a much larger number than Saul, and the total number therefore in conflict could not have been less than 700,000.
The evening before the morning of the battle Saul came fully to the conclusion that the Philistines were too strong for the forces under his command. In his forlorn belief in the spirit world and in the existence of Samuel, although three years dead, he determined upon an interview with the prophet if it were possible by a witch’s power of incantation to obtain it. As soon as it was dark, Saul, disguised, and with two trusty servants, crossed the valley from Gilboa northward to the village of En-dor, where in the caves near at hand there dwelt such a woman as he sought. The distance from the Fountain of Jezreel is about seven miles north. The interview with Samuel, which seems to have been as unlooked for and as terrible to the witch as it was dreadful and disheartening to Saul, is recorded in1 Sam.28:3–25.
14. Early the next daythe battle began. The place called Aphek, where the main centre or headquarters of the Philistines was located, is not known, but was probably a mile southwest of Shunem, where the left wing of the army extended upon the line of its approach. The Philistines had the army of Saul at terrible disadvantage from the fact that his troopswere drawn up southeast of them against the foot of Gilboa and slightly covering its sides, and thus elevated to the shafts of the archers. It was at about this age that the bow in war was used with terrible fatality by some of the African nations,and the Philistines had added this weapon to their javelins and short arms.85
15. It was a battle of arrowsagainst swords and slings, and the archers won the victory, and after a long day’s fearful contest Saul and his three sons lay dead among the defeated thousands that covered the flanks of Gilboa.
Beth-shean was in sight eastward down the valley of Jezreel. It probably was never a Jewish but always a Canaanitish city, and here the Philistines the next day carried the headless trunk of Saul’s body and nailed it upon the outside walls with the bodies of his sons, while the salted head of the king was sent to the land of the victors to be carried around through the cities of the Philistines on exhibition.
Large numbers of the Philistines now took possession of the vacated cities, and many of the Israelites crossed the Jordan to find other homes until better times should come.
16. Among the vast numbers of the Philistine army, as they came upon the plain fromMt.Carmel,David’s royal friend, King Achish, occupied the rear, and David and his small band would be distinguished from the lack of the conventional army uniform, which could be seen at a great distance. The appearance of the Philistines in war was specially distinguishable from that of all other warriors by a peculiar head-dress and tightly-fitting tunic, leaving the arms bare.
But David’s presence formed ground for suspicion, and he was dismissed to return with his men toZiklag. The situation of this place is not known, but from various circumstances it could not have been far off from the hill country of Judæa and in the general vicinity and south of Gath,since Achish, who gave him the place, was king of that city.86
17.On his return to Ziklag, finding that the Amalekites of the far south had burned his city and carried off all the families, David and his men pursued after them, recovered all, and returned to Ziklag. “The south” was a special term for that country beginning somewhere about Beersheba and reaching fifty or sixty miles south, and perhaps farther.
18. The duration of Saul’s reignwas about forty years, or as the commonly received chronology presents it, from 1095 B. C. to 1056 B. C., and at thelatter date Saul and his eldest son Jonathan died upon the battlefield.
In this great battle the Philistines, as we have said, used bows and arrows, and in this respect had a great advantage over the Israelites, who were not taught the use of this instrument in war until after this battle,2 Sam.1:18, and in the reign of David.
CHAPTERII.THE REIGNS OF DAVID AND OF SOLOMON.1. Upon the death of Sauland Jonathan the kingdom of Israel was ruled bytwo kings, David and the son of Saul, Ish-bosheth, whom Abner, the captain-general of Saul’s host, had made king over all Israel excepting Judah, which was loyal to David,2 Sam.2:4. Saul’s son reigned only two years, when he was assassinated by two of his “captains of bands.” After this event the chief men of Israel came to David, who was at Hebron, and entered into a league with him, by which he became king over all Israel at the age of forty years.After seven years of reign at Hebron he attacked the city of the Jebusites, 18 miles north of Hebron. This place was known asJerusalemin after ages, although at that time called Jebus,1 Chron.11:4. The position of Jebus was an exceedingly strong one.2. From recent examinations, by shafts and excavations, the site of the Jebus of David’s time was a rocky eminence, precipitous towards the east, south, and southwest, with access on other sides except for a short space on the north. The top was unevenly level, but only a part of this top seems to have been occupied by the city of Jebus, the southern part having a fortification distinct from thewalled-up portion on the north and northeast. This part was taken by David on his arrival, and the remaining part, after some delay, was captured in a very courageous attack by an officer whose name was Joab.3. The present circumferenceof the walls of Jerusalem is 2¾ miles very nearly; but although these walls include the larger part of the hill, there still remains a portion, calledMt.Zion, on the southwest, which is not included, and it is this part that was captured by David and was called the city of David or Zion.Due west from the city the Mediterranean is 36 miles distant and the Jordan is 18 miles due east. On the east side, in the time of David, a part of the city wall rose nearly 100 feet above the channel of the Kidron, and from the representations of fortified cities of these times, as they are met with upon the tablets both of Egypt and of Assyria, the stones of the walls were placed with great skill. Some of the ancient stones of the city are even now laid upon solid rock eighty feet below the soil at the base of the present wall on the east side and the southeast corner.4. The reign of Davidwas noted for successful wars with the Philistines on the southwest, the Amalekites on the south, the Moabites and Ammonites on the east of Jordan and the Dead Sea, the Syrians in the region of Damascus, together with a king on the north. From the circumstances narrated, this king must have been one of great wealthand power and was probably a king of the Hittites, as that nation had at this period grown in extent and in military strength and held large landed property near the Euphrates. He is recorded as king of Zobah, a region not exactly identified, but very probably a district north of Damascus, between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean, but lying east of Hamath (the modern Hama) which is 110 miles north of Damascus. In one of the Assyrian inscriptions Zobah is spoken of as between the Euphrates and Hamath, which latter place belonged to another king (2 Sam.8:9). Beside these lands, he conquered Edom and placed garrisons there.5. David reignedfrom B. C. 1056 to B. C. 1015, or about forty years according to the commonly received chronology, and was over 70 years of age at his death, just before which he appointed Solomon, his son, at about the age of 20, to succeed him.The reign of Solomon was unlike the two previous in that it was one of entire rest from war until at the extreme close. A large part of Solomon’s reign was devoted to building the Temple and several palaces and cities, beside the construction of a navy upon the Red Sea and the erection of various treasure cities for his chariots and for his horsemen.6. This agein Israel was characterized as one of great wealth and splendor, such as had not been known before. It was also distinguished for the wisdom of Solomon.His policy of peace was greatly strengthened byleagues and alliances with the kings about him, chiefly through marriages, after the custom of Oriental kings at that day.The Pharaoh whose daughter he married, and for whom he built a palace in Jerusalem, came up and burned a city called Gezer and slew the Canaanites who dwelt there, giving the city to his daughter,1Kings 9:16.GEZER.7. Gezerhas recently been discovered, with a Hebrew and Greek inscription on the surface of a large rock which identifies the town by name. The location of the place is not quite 20 miles west by north of Jerusalem, and its position upon a high ridge, which is nearly a mile long, makes it probable that it was a formidable town. It was, before its capture by Pharaoh, a standing menace to the authority of Solomon, as it seems at that time to have been independent. It is probable that its destruction was instigated by Solomon, who thereby exhibited the interest Pharaoh had in him and, at the same time, avoided the unwelcome task of exposing his own people to the casualties of warfare.8. The prayer of Solomonat the beginning of his reign was for wisdom and judgment in the execution of his kingly authority and in his government of the people. Of this wisdom he possessed an unparalleled share. But, while wise in the control of others, he lost power over himself and wasled into grievous idolatry through his associations. This open worship of the deities of the nations with whom he had entered into league through his marriages will always remain as a warning against the insidious power of evil associations, even in the case of the wisest.
1. Upon the death of Sauland Jonathan the kingdom of Israel was ruled bytwo kings, David and the son of Saul, Ish-bosheth, whom Abner, the captain-general of Saul’s host, had made king over all Israel excepting Judah, which was loyal to David,2 Sam.2:4. Saul’s son reigned only two years, when he was assassinated by two of his “captains of bands.” After this event the chief men of Israel came to David, who was at Hebron, and entered into a league with him, by which he became king over all Israel at the age of forty years.
After seven years of reign at Hebron he attacked the city of the Jebusites, 18 miles north of Hebron. This place was known asJerusalemin after ages, although at that time called Jebus,1 Chron.11:4. The position of Jebus was an exceedingly strong one.
2. From recent examinations, by shafts and excavations, the site of the Jebus of David’s time was a rocky eminence, precipitous towards the east, south, and southwest, with access on other sides except for a short space on the north. The top was unevenly level, but only a part of this top seems to have been occupied by the city of Jebus, the southern part having a fortification distinct from thewalled-up portion on the north and northeast. This part was taken by David on his arrival, and the remaining part, after some delay, was captured in a very courageous attack by an officer whose name was Joab.
3. The present circumferenceof the walls of Jerusalem is 2¾ miles very nearly; but although these walls include the larger part of the hill, there still remains a portion, calledMt.Zion, on the southwest, which is not included, and it is this part that was captured by David and was called the city of David or Zion.
Due west from the city the Mediterranean is 36 miles distant and the Jordan is 18 miles due east. On the east side, in the time of David, a part of the city wall rose nearly 100 feet above the channel of the Kidron, and from the representations of fortified cities of these times, as they are met with upon the tablets both of Egypt and of Assyria, the stones of the walls were placed with great skill. Some of the ancient stones of the city are even now laid upon solid rock eighty feet below the soil at the base of the present wall on the east side and the southeast corner.
4. The reign of Davidwas noted for successful wars with the Philistines on the southwest, the Amalekites on the south, the Moabites and Ammonites on the east of Jordan and the Dead Sea, the Syrians in the region of Damascus, together with a king on the north. From the circumstances narrated, this king must have been one of great wealthand power and was probably a king of the Hittites, as that nation had at this period grown in extent and in military strength and held large landed property near the Euphrates. He is recorded as king of Zobah, a region not exactly identified, but very probably a district north of Damascus, between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean, but lying east of Hamath (the modern Hama) which is 110 miles north of Damascus. In one of the Assyrian inscriptions Zobah is spoken of as between the Euphrates and Hamath, which latter place belonged to another king (2 Sam.8:9). Beside these lands, he conquered Edom and placed garrisons there.
5. David reignedfrom B. C. 1056 to B. C. 1015, or about forty years according to the commonly received chronology, and was over 70 years of age at his death, just before which he appointed Solomon, his son, at about the age of 20, to succeed him.
The reign of Solomon was unlike the two previous in that it was one of entire rest from war until at the extreme close. A large part of Solomon’s reign was devoted to building the Temple and several palaces and cities, beside the construction of a navy upon the Red Sea and the erection of various treasure cities for his chariots and for his horsemen.
6. This agein Israel was characterized as one of great wealth and splendor, such as had not been known before. It was also distinguished for the wisdom of Solomon.
His policy of peace was greatly strengthened byleagues and alliances with the kings about him, chiefly through marriages, after the custom of Oriental kings at that day.
The Pharaoh whose daughter he married, and for whom he built a palace in Jerusalem, came up and burned a city called Gezer and slew the Canaanites who dwelt there, giving the city to his daughter,1Kings 9:16.
7. Gezerhas recently been discovered, with a Hebrew and Greek inscription on the surface of a large rock which identifies the town by name. The location of the place is not quite 20 miles west by north of Jerusalem, and its position upon a high ridge, which is nearly a mile long, makes it probable that it was a formidable town. It was, before its capture by Pharaoh, a standing menace to the authority of Solomon, as it seems at that time to have been independent. It is probable that its destruction was instigated by Solomon, who thereby exhibited the interest Pharaoh had in him and, at the same time, avoided the unwelcome task of exposing his own people to the casualties of warfare.
8. The prayer of Solomonat the beginning of his reign was for wisdom and judgment in the execution of his kingly authority and in his government of the people. Of this wisdom he possessed an unparalleled share. But, while wise in the control of others, he lost power over himself and wasled into grievous idolatry through his associations. This open worship of the deities of the nations with whom he had entered into league through his marriages will always remain as a warning against the insidious power of evil associations, even in the case of the wisest.