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NOTES.ABRAHAM. HIS JOURNEYS.
Ur of the Chaldeeswas an ancient city on the great plain of Babylon.
Haran. A city lying far to the north of Ur, northeast of Palestine, on the road from the east to the Mediterranean coast.
Canaan, Palestine, the Land of Israel, are all names which have been used at different times for the same country. Canaan is the oldest Biblical name. It means "the lowlands" near the Mediterranean, but was used for the whole country.
Shechem. A city in the middle of Canaan, in a valley between two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim.
Oak of Mamre. The name suggests an oak that was connected with a sacred place. Its exact site is not known, but it must be somewhere near Hebron.
Beth-elwas a sacred place, in later times very important. It is on the great road north and south, about twelve miles north of Jerusalem.Aiwas about two miles east, in the head of a valley which falls rapidly toward the Jordan.
The Southwas used as the name of the country to the south of Canaan, as we use "the South" and "the West" to mean sections of our own country.
DIVISION OF THE LAND.
Plain of the Jordan. The river Jordan runs through a deep valley, which broadens out in its southern part into a plain. It was warm, rich and fertile. Here were situated the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Zoar. One of the cities of the Plain of the Jordan, perhaps on higher ground than the others.
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Hebron, near which the oaks of Mamre were, lies about twenty miles south of Jerusalem. It was from very early time regarded as a sacred city. It is still a town of considerable size.
THE FIGHT OF THE FIVE KINGS.
The five kingswere from Babylonia and the mountain country of Elam beyond Babylonia. As the story stands, the king of Elam had conquered Babylonia and the land of Canaan. After a time, part of the land of Canaan revolted, and he came, with his Babylonian allies, to punish the rebellious Canaanites.
Slime pits. Pits of bitumen, a black, sometimes sticky mineral, which is found in the valley of Jordan.
Dan. A town in the north of Palestine. The story makes Abraham's chase of the kings extend all the length of the land afterwards held by the Hebrews.
Hobah. A town north of Damascus, not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible.
Damascus. A very old city, northeast of Palestine. It is situated in a beautiful spot, watered by two rivers, and has been the starting point of caravans for the east, west, and south since long before the days of Abraham.
Melchizedek. King of Salem. Salem was probably Jerusalem. Melchizedek was, like many other ancient kings, also the chief priest of his city. As such, it was right that he should bless the returning chief in war.
A COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND ABRAHAM.
Euphrates. The greatest river of western Asia. It rises in the mountains of Armenia and flows to the Persian gulf. The Bible often calls it simply "the Great River."
Beer-sheba. The farthest town to the south in Palestine. "From Dan to Beer-sheba" was used to mean all the land from the north to the south.
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EN ROGEL, FROM THE SOUTHFrom a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell and used by his kind permission.
A nearer view of the famous old well outside the walls of Jerusalem.
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Wilderness of Paran. The half desert country lying south of Palestine.
TESTING OF ABRAHAM.
Land of Moriah. An unknown region. The Jews later supposed that Isaac was sacrificed on the hill at Jerusalem on which Solomon built the temple, but the Bible itself does not affirm it.
Sacrificeswere offered on bare rocks or on altars built of stone or earth. At first they were a way of expressing fellowship with God. The people ate part of an offering, and the rest of it was burnt, to symbolize that it was God's share. Later the offering was something given to God. This last is the idea in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac.
DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH.
Hittitesandchildren of Hethmean the Hittites, one of the tribes of peoples in Palestine before the arrival of the Hebrews. There was a great Hittite empire north of Palestine.
Shekel. An amount of money; in early times not a coin but a weight of money. In this story Abraham "weighed" the silver.
ISAAC AND REBEKAH.
Mesopotamiameans "between the rivers," the wide land far east between the Euphrates and the Tigris.
Cave of Machpelah. In early times caves were often used as burial places. The present inhabitants of Hebron believe the cave of Machpelah is under a building in their city.
JACOB.
Pottage.A sort of stew of lentils, a vegetable like beans.
Birthright. In many parts of the world, the oldest child has, by his birth, the right of becoming the head of the family{492}at the death of his father, with sometimes other rights and responsibilities.
Paddan-aramorPadan-aram. "The country of Syria," lying northeast of Palestine, between Damascus and the river Euphrates.
Pillars of stone. Standing stones and heaps of stones were often set up at places held sacred. Oil was poured on such stones as an offering to God, or to express the idea that the places were holy. Such sacred places are found in almost all lands, and were very common in Palestine. The stones are still sometimes found standing.
Jegar-sahaduthaandGaleedboth mean "heap of witness," one in the language of Canaan, the other in that of Mesopotamia.
Jabbok. A stream flowing into the Jordan from the east.
Peniel. "Face of God." Sometimes spelled Penuel.
Seir. A section of country southeast of Palestine. It is high and rocky, sometimes called Mt. Seir.
Succoth, "booths." Its site is not known.
Allon-bacuth, "the oak of weeping"
JOSEPH.
Dothan. About ten miles north of Samaria. A story about Elisha is also located at Dothan.Tales of Old Judea, 148.
Caravan. A train of camels or horses. In the East people traveled together in caravans for protection against robbers.
Egypt. A land where civilization is very ancient. All through the Old Testament times it was a powerful kingdom. Its king was called, in the early stories of the Bible, the Pharaoh.
Divining cup. The custom of divining, that is, discovering hidden secrets by magic, was widespread in the ancient world. Sometimes cups of sacred water were used, and a special cup might be thought to have special value for divination.
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Goshen. A section in the northeast of Egypt, next to the Isthmus of Suez.
Rameses. A city in the land of Goshen. "The land of Rameses" is the country about this city.
Embalmingwas a custom in Egypt. These people thought that their life in the next world depended on keeping the body from decay; so they filled the body with certain chemicals which kept it from the natural decay. The preserved body is called a mummy.
JOSHUA.
Shittim. A place on the east of the Jordan. The site is not known.
Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglonare all in the southern part of Palestine, in what was later the kingdom of Judah.
Book of Jashar. A collection of poems of ancient heroes, from which also the beautiful lament of David over Saul is taken.Hero Tales, 426
THE JUDGES.
Hill country of Ephraim. The mountain ridge in the central part of Palestine, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.
Summer room. A room built on the flat top of a house, to get the cool breezes in the hot summer days.
Philistines. A people who, like the Hebrews, migrated into the land of the Canaanites. They occupied the land along the coast of the Mediterranean. For a long time they were stronger in war than the Hebrews, and ruled over them. This name "Palestine" comes from "Philistine."
Beating out wheat in the wine press. Ordinarily in the East, wheat is threshed by being trodden out with oxen on a bare, hard piece of ground. It is usually in a prominent place, to get the wind for winnowing, and so could be easily seen by the{494}enemy. The wine press furnished a small, flat place where the little wheat they had could be threshed in secret.
Angel of the Lord. Any messenger from God, sometimes thought of in early times as being God himself in the form of a man.
Ophrah. A place in northern central Palestine, site not known.
Baal and Asherah. The Baals were the gods of the Canaanites. Each locality had its Baal (Lord), with an altar and a stone pillar, on some prominent place (the "high places" of the Bible). The asherah was a sacred tree or post standing near the stone pillar.
Jezreel. A beautifully situated town in northern central Palestine.
Pitchers. Jars in which were hidden torches. When the jars were broken with a crash, the torches suddenly flamed out in the darkness, and the noise and the unexpected light made a panic in the Midianite army.
SAUL.
Mizpah. A town on the east of Jordan. Probably the same place that is mentioned in the story of Jacob.
Ramah, "hill." A common name of places in Palestine.
Vial. A vessel in which was carried a sacred oil. A common way to honor a guest was to pour a little oil on his head. Kings and priests were set apart for their office by anointing with oil.
Jabesh. A city east of the Jordan. The people of the city did not forget the good deed of Saul. Many years later, when Saul was defeated and killed, brave men from this city traveled all night, took his body from the battlefield, and gave it an honorable funeral at Jabesh.
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JERUSALEM, FROM THE NORTHEASTUsed by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
The view is taken from Mount Scopus, the northward extension of the Mount of Olives. The valley between is the head of the Kidron.
This fine picture gives a distinct view of the modern city with its walls and towers, and the valley which lies between.
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Ammonites. A people who lived on the east of the Jordan, with whom the Hebrews had made war.
Michmash. A small town about seven miles north of Jerusalem, on the edge of a deep ravine going down toward the Jordan.
Eating with the blood. The blood was not eaten by the Hebrews. They thought of it as the seat of life, and, since life belonged to God, man ought not to eat it.
Familiar Spirit. "Familiar" is here connected with "family," household. It means a spirit which is ready to serve one, like one of his servants. The woman with a "familiar spirit" was a "medium," who was supposed to be able to summon spirits.
DAVID.
Cubit. See Weights and Measures. Span. The half of a cubit, about nine inches.
Gath. A Philistine city on the plain west of the hills of Judaea.
Armor. The helmet of brass was not uncommon. The "coat of mail" was a close-fitting cloak, covered with brass scales, so as to allow free movement. The greaves were coverings for the shins and the knees. The armor of the Bible times was much simpler than that in Europe in the middle ages.
SOLOMON.
Tyre. A city on the coast of the Mediterranean, north of Palestine, for a long time the center of much commerce between Egypt, Asia, Greece, and the lands farther west. Its inhabitants were Phoenicians.
Zidon, like Tyre, a Phoenician coast city, rich and commercial.
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Sheba. A land in southern Arabia, which got wealth by trading between Egypt and the countries on the Mediterranean, and the distant south and east.
Ophir. A land about which there have been many opinions. Some have thought it in East Africa, some in the far east--India or the Malay Peninsula,--some in Southeast Arabia. Perhaps the last opinion is as probable as any.
Almug. A wood evidently valued for its rarity and beauty. What the wood was is not known, nor where it came from.
Ezion-Geber. A town at the head of the Eastern gulf, now called the Gulf of Akabah, of the Red Sea. In ancient times it was a port of commerce, but now there is no trade anywhere on this gulf.
Red Sea. Between Egypt and Arabia. In the time of Solomon there was commerce on it with Southern Arabia, Eastern Africa, and perhaps with 'Countries still farther away. Part of Solomon's wealth came from his share in this commerce.
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TABLE OF MEASURES.
WEIGHTS.
A shekel. The English equivalent of this weight is not known. It varied at different times in the history of Israel. According to our estimate a shekel was about 0.3 of an avoirdupois ounce. Probably the earliest standard of weight was a grain of wheat and the early Babylonian shekel was equal to 180 grains of wheat. According to this estimate the weight of Goliath's coat of brass was about 90 pounds and the weight of his spearhead about 10 pounds.
A mina. A weight equal to 60 shekels.
A talent. A weight equal to 60 minas.
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MEMORY VERSES.One for Each Week of the Year.
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[End of "VOLUME TWO; HERO TALES"]-----------------------------------[Start of "VOLUME THREE; TALES OF OLD JUDAEA"]
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BUILDING THE ARK
"Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall thou make in the ark and shall cover it within and without with pitch. And this is how thou shalt make it; the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits."
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ARRANGED AND EDITED BYREV. NEWTON MARSHALL HALL, D.D.MINISTER OF THE NORTH CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTSANDREV. IRVING FRANCIS WOOD, PH.D.PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE AND COMPARATIVE RELIGION AT SMITH COLLEGEAuthors of"The Early Days of Israel""Advanced Bible Studies" Etc.THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANYSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTSCHICAGO, CLEVELAND
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COPYRIGHT, 1906,COPYRIGHT, 1917,BY THE KING-RICHARDSON COMPANY,SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
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This volume contains stories from the Old Testament, not included in the previous volume of this series, "Hero Tales from the Old Testament." It tells of brave women and strong men, of marvelous adventures and escapes, of gallant struggles for liberty, of good and bad kings, of national deliverance and captivity. Some of these stories are given in the form of great symbolic poems and stories like the "Pilgrim's Progress," conveying some great truth by means of poetic imagery, others are the literal recital of historic facts. All are full of the deepest interest and are of profound moral value.
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