xxvii. 10, 14), but the restoration of the king after the

rebellion of Absalom was the signal for an outburst of the old rivalry, which well-nigh precipitated a disruption (2 Sam. xx. 1), and when the smouldering feelings of jealousy were fanned into exasperation by the oppressive taxation of Solomon and the insane folly of his son, a leader only was required, like Jeroboam, to make the separation complete. See Blunt’s _Script. Coincid._ 164–175.

340 – See p. 249.

341 – See p. 257.

342 – See p. 342.

343 – “The whole area of Palestine was nearly equal to that of the kingdom of Holland (13,610 sq. m.), or rather more than that of the 6 northern counties of England (13,136 sq. m.). The kingdom of Judah was rather less than Northumberland, Durham, and Westmoreland (3,683 sq. m.); the kingdom of Israel was very nearly as large as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cumberland (9,453 sq. m.).” See Smith’s _Bib. Dict._, Article _Kingdom of Israel_.

344 – See p. 250.

345 – See p. 358, n.

346 – The month of the Vintage in Northern Palestine. See the Calendar, p. 155.

347 – “This success is found to have been commemorated by Shishak on the outside of the great temple of Karnak; and here in a long list of captured towns and districts, which Shishak boasts of having added to his dominions, occurs the ‘_Melchi Yuda_,’ or kingdom of Judah, the conquest of which by this king is thus distinctly noticed in the Egyptian records.” Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 126; Herod. II. p. 376.

348 – Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 127.

349 – Hadad or Adad was a Syrian god, probably the sun, still worshipped at Damascus in the time of Josephus (_Ant._ IX. 4, 6), and from it several Syrian names are derived, as Hadadezer, i.e. _Hadad has helped_, Ben-Hadad, _worshipper of Hadad_.

350 – “In the territory of Ephraim, the fertile plains and to a certain extent wooded hills, which have been often noticed as its characteristic ornaments, at once gave an opening to the formation of parks and pleasure-grounds similar to those which were the ‘Paradises’ of Assyrian and Persian monarchs. One of these was Tirzah (_Tellûzah?_) of unknown site, but evidently near Shechem, and of proverbial beauty,” Cant. vi. 4. Stanley’s _S. and P._ 243. It “was to Shechem what Windsor is to London, and had been the seat of a Canaanitish king before the conquest of the country by the Israelites” (Josh. xii. 24). Porter’s _Handbk._ II. 348.

351 – “No better site for a capital could have been selected in the length and breadth of Palestine, combining a strong position, rich environs, central situation, and an elevation sufficient to catch the cool healthy breezes from the sea.” Porter’s _Handbook_, II. 345. “Situated on its steep height, in a plain itself girt in by hills, it was enabled, not less promptly than Jerusalem, to resist the successive assaults made upon it by the Syrian and Assyrian armies. The first were baffled altogether, the second took it only after a three years’ siege, that is three times as long as that which reduced Jerusalem” (2 Kings xviii. 10). Stanley, _S. and P._ 244.

352 – The meaning of the expression “making streets in Samaria,” 1 Kings xx. 34.

353 – Ithobalus = _Baal with him_, Ethbaal = _with Baal_.

354 – Kenrick’s _Phœnicia_, p. 362. The date of Ethbaal’s reign may be given at about B.C. 940–908. Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

355 – See p. 219.

356 – See p. 256.

357 – That is, for 3 years and 6 months (Comp. Lk. iv. 25). “The annals of Tyre record a drought of a year’s duration in the reign of Ithobaal, who continued to reign at Tyre during a considerable portion of Ahab’s reign in Israel.” Kenrick’s _Phœnicia_, 362; Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, 128, 129.

358 – Carmel, nearly always found with the definite article, = _the park_, or _the well-wooded place_, and is famous even now for its “impenetrable brushwood of evergreens and oaks.” (See Isai. xxxiii. 9, xxxv. 2; Mic. vii. 14; Amos i. 2.) This well-known ridge, rising at the west end about 600, and the east about 1600 feet above the sea, stretches from the Mediterranean inland a little more than 12 miles, and separates the plain of Esdraelon from the plain of Sharon.

359 – Stanley’s _S. & P._ 353. “We descended to the Mohrakah, or ‘place of sacrifice.’ It is a glade overlooking the plain, somewhat in the shape of an amphitheatre, and completely shut in on the north by the well-wooded cliffs down which we had come. No place could be conceived more adapted by nature to be that wondrous battle-field of truth. In front of the principal actors in the scene, with the king and his courtiers by their side, the thousands of Israel might have been gathered on the lower slopes, witnesses of the whole struggle to its stupendous result.” Tristram’s _Holy Land_, p. 117.

360 – Obtained from a neighbouring fountain, Josephus _Ant._ VIII. 13, § 5, which even now is found close beneath _el-Mohrakah_ (“the burning”), the spot pointed out as the scene of this event. “In the upper part of the amphitheatre to the left is an ancient fountain, overhung by a few magnificent trees, among them a noble specimen of the Turkey oak. The reservoir of the spring is stone-built and square, about 8 ft. deep, and the old steps which once descended to it may still be traced. The water is of some depth, and is perennial. This was corroborated by the existence of molluscs attached to the stones within the cistern. _In that three years’ drought, when all the wells were dry, and the Kishon had first sunk to a string of pools, and then finally was lost altogether, this deep and shaded spring fed from the roots of Carmel remained._” Tristram’s _Holy Land_, pp. 117, 118.

361 – “Immediately below [the ♦Mohrakah], on the banks of the Kishon, was a small flat-topped green knoll, ‘Tell Cassis, ’ _the Mound of the Priests_, marking in its name the very spot where Elijah slew the prophets of Baal, when he had brought them down to the brook Kishon.” Tristram’s _Holy Land_, pp. 117, 118.

362 – “This conduct of Elijah, when rightly understood, was full of important instruction. As God’s minister he had overwhelmed the king with shame and confusion in the presence of his subjects. The natural tendency of this would be to lower him in their eyes, and lessen their respect for his authority. It was not the intention, however, to weaken the government, nor to encourage rebellion. The prophet was, therefore, divinely directed to give a testimony of respect and honour to the king, as public and striking as from necessity had been the opposition and rebuke to his idolatry. The mode of doing honour to Ahab, by running before his chariot, was in accordance with the customs of the East, even to this day. I was reminded of this incident more than 20 years ago at Jaffa, when Mohammed Aly came to that city with a large army to quell the rebellion of Palestine. The camp was on the sand hills south of the city, while Mohammed Aly stopped inside the walls. The officers were constantly going and coming, preceded by runners, who always kept just ahead of the horses, no matter how furiously they were ridden; and, in order to run with the greater ease, they not only ‘girded their loins’ very tightly, but also tucked up their loose garments under the girdle, lest they should be incommoded by them. This, no doubt, did Elijah.” Thomson’s _Land and the Book_, p. 485. Kitto’s _Daily Bible Illustr._ IV. 271, 272.

363 – Or rather a species of _broom_ very abundant in the desert of Sinai, and capable of “affording shade and protection, both in heat and storm, to travellers.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._; Thomson’s _Land and the Book_, p. 611.

364 – See p. 249.

365 – “In the cuneiform annals of an Assyrian king we have a very curious and valuable confirmation of the power of Damascus at this time――of its being under the rule of a monarch named Benhadad, who was at the head of a great confederacy of princes, and who was able to bring into the field, year after year, vast armies, with which he repeatedly engaged the whole force of Assyria. We have accounts of three campaigns between the Assyrians on the one side, and the Syrians, Hittites, Hamathites, and Phœnicians, united under the command of Benhadad, on the other, in which the contest is maintained with spirit, the armies being of a large size, and their composition and character such as we find described in Scripture.” Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 130, and notes; Rawlinson’s _Herod._ I. 464, 465.

366 – “Probably _local governors_ or _magistrates_, who took refuge in Samaria during the invasion, while the ‘young men’ were their _attendants_.”――Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

367 – See Keil on 1 K. xx. 16.

368 – See Kitto’s _Daily Bible Illustr._ IV. pp. 286, 287.

369 – Now called _Fîk_, a considerable village on the top of a mountain (Thomson, p. 388), at the head of the _Wady Fîk_, 6 miles east of the sea of Galilee, “the great road between Damascus, Nablous, and Jerusalem, still passing through the village.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

370 – “This tremendous destruction was caused, as I suppose, by an earthquake; and after having seen the effects of the earthquake in Safed and Tiberias, I can easily understand this narrative. We are not required to limit the catastrophe to the falling of a single wall; or, if this be insisted on, we have only to suppose that it was the wall of the city, and a little consideration will convince any one familiar with Oriental fortifications that it might overwhelm a whole army. Those ramparts were very lofty and massive. An open space was always left along their base, and this would be packed, from end to end, by the remnants of Benhadad’s mighty host, and escape from the falling towers would be impossible. Burckhardt informs us that the town is built round the base of a hill, in the shape of a crescent, and this peculiarity of the site would render the destruction only the more extensive and inevitable.” Thomson’s _Land and the Book_, p. 389.

371 – “The place of execution was by the large tank or reservoir, which still remains on the slope of the hill of Samaria, immediately outside the walls.” Article _Naboth_, in Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

372 – “Now _Es-Salt_, situated on a hill, isolated to a great extent from the loftier mountains round it by deep ravines on the east and west, which unite on the south. Probably from its commanding position in the territory of Gad, as well as its strength, it was chosen by Moses as the City of Refuge for that tribe (Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 8; xxi. 38). Afterwards it became the residence of one of Solomon’s commissariat officers” (1 K. iv. 13). Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

373 – Comp. Homer, _Il._ I. 106.

374 – See p. 397, note.

375 – See p. 307, note.

376 – See Psalm cxxxvi. 1. Comp. also Ps. xlviii. and xcii., Joel iii. 2, 12.

377 – Van de Velde, II. 30; Thomson’s _Land and the Book_, p. 606. Tekoa was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chr. xi. 6), was afterwards the birthplace of the prophet Amos (Am. i. 1), and gave its name to the adjacent desert on the east (2 Chr. xx. 20). Robinson, _Bibl. Res._ I. 486, 7. “It is remarkable that this is the usual route taken in the present day by such predatory bands from Moab as make incursions into southern Palestine. They pass round the southern end of the Dead Sea, then up the road along its western shore to _Ain-Jidy_, and thence towards Hebron, Tekoa, and Jerusalem, as the prospects of plunder seem most inviting.” Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._

378 – “The name of _Bereikût_ still survives, attached to ruins in a valley of the same name, lying between Tekoa and the main road from Bethlehem to Hebron, a position corresponding accurately enough with the locality of the battle as described 2 Chr. xx.” Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._

379 – “It was when our Lord and His disciples were on their journey through this very district from Galilee to Jerusalem, and when smarting from the churlish inhospitality of some Samaritan villagers, that――led to it by the distant view of the heights of Carmel, or, perhaps, by some traditional name on the road――the impetuous zeal of James and John, the ‘sons of thunder,’ burst forth, _Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?_ For the answer of our Lord to this question see Lk. ix. 51–56.” Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._

380 – See p. 202.

381 – Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._ Art. _Elisha_. Ever since the time of Josephus a large spring N. W. of the present town, and called _Ain-en-Sultân_, has been pointed out as the spring in question.

382 – See Keil on 2 K. iii. 20.

383 – Compare the conduct of the Lacedæmonians in the Megarid, Thuc. I. 108.

384 – The modern _Kerak_ lies about 6 miles from Rabbath-Moab, and some 10 miles from the Dead Sea. “Its situation is truly remarkable. It is built upon the top of a steep hill, surrounded on all sides by a deep and narrow valley, which again is completely inclosed by mountains rising higher than the town, and overlooking it on all sides. It must have been from these surrounding heights that the Israelite slingers hurled their volleys of stones after the capture of the place had proved impossible (2 K. iii. 25).” Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Kir-Moab_.

385 – A few years after this event, and before the visit of Naaman to Samaria (comp. 2 K. viii. 4 with 1, 2, 3), in consequence of a famine predicted by Elisha, the Shunammite retired to the rich low lands of the Philistines. At the close of the dearth she returned to her native place, to find her house and fields in the possession of a stranger. Thereupon, with her son, she repaired to Samaria, and as the king was listening to the story of _all the great things which Elisha had done_, and especially the crowning miracle at Shunem, she drew near, was recognised by Gehazi, and confirmed the wondrous tale in person. The king, struck by the remarkable circumstances, ordered her land to be restored to her, with the value of the fruits of it during her sojourn amongst the Philistines. “It is still common for even petty sheikhs to confiscate the property of a person who is exiled for a time, or who moves away temporarily from his district; especially is this true of widows and orphans, and the Shunammite was now a widow.” See Thomson’s _Land and the Book_, p. 458.

386 – These were probably first-fruits and perquisites of the priests, see p. 134 (a), Numb. xviii. 8, 12; Deut. xviii. 3, 4.

387 – Not “one,” but “he,” Naaman, went in and told his “lord,” the king, 2 K. v. 4, as in the Vulgate.

388 – The ABANA, the Χρυσοῤῥόας of the Greeks, and now the _Barada_, was the chief river of Damascus and flowed through it, and was the main source of its beauty and fertility, having even now 14 villages and 150,000 souls dependent on it; the PHARPAR, now the _Awaj_, is further from Damascus, “a small lively river.” Robinson, _Bibl. Res._ III. 448.

389 – “According to Movers (_Phœn._ I. 196, &c.) Rimmon was the abbreviated form of Hadad-Rimmon (as Peor of Baal-Peor), Hadad being the sun-god of the Syrians. Combining this with the pomegranate, which was his symbol, Hadad-Rimmon would then be the sun-god of the late summer, who ripens the pomegranate and other fruits, and, after infusing into them his productive power, dies, and is mourned with _the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon_,” Zech. xii. 11. Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._

390 – See p. 58, and note 40.

391 – See Smith’s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Hazael_.

392 – The cuneiform inscriptions “mention Hazael as king of Damascus immediately after Ben-hadad; and Jehu is the first Israelite king mentioned by name on any inscription hitherto discovered.” Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 131; Layard’s _Nineveh_, I. p. 396.

392a – “The cuneiform inscriptions show that towards the close of his reign Ben-hadad was exposed to the assaults of a great conqueror, who was bent on extending the dominion of Assyria over Syria and Palestine. Three several attacks appear to have been made by this prince upon Ben-hadad, who, though he had the support of the Phœnicians, the Hittites, and the Hamathites, was unable to offer any effectual resistance to the Assyrian arms. His troops were worsted in several engagements, and in one of them he lost as many as 20,000 men. It may have been these circumstances which encouraged Hazael to murder him and seize the throne, which Elisha declared would certainly one day be his.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._; Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. pp. 361, 362.

393 – “Jehu and his party could be seen for at least 6 miles, and there was time enough to send messenger after messenger to meet him.” Thomson, _Land and the Book_, p. 460.

394 – In the E. V. translated “the garden-house.” See Stanley, _S. and P._ p. 349. Robinson places it at _Jenîn_, still surrounded by the “orchards” and “gardens” which gave its ancient name. See Van de Velde, I. p. 361.

395 – See p. 380.

396 – Established, probably, “at or near the town of Jabez in Judah (1 Chr. ii. 55).” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

397 – On the position of this Altar in reference to the Holy Place, see above, p. 120.

398 – See p. 273.

399 – Or 52 years, if the Interregnum be included.

400 – See pp. 401 and notes 376‒378.

401 – From both these latter prophets we gain several important hints respecting the moral condition of the kingdom of Israel at this time. The calf-worship was celebrated with all its former splendour at Bethel, which was the site of the royal sanctuary (Am. vii. 13), while the nation was distinguished for licentiousness, drunkenness, and oppression of the poor and needy (Am. ii. 7, 8, iv. 1; Hos. i. 2, iv. 12–14, xiii. 6). See Dr Pusey’s _Introduction to Hosea_.

402 – See p. 157.

403 – See p. 362.

404 – In our Version the date of this visit is placed in B.C. 860. Others would place it in the later part of the reign of Jeroboam II., or about B.C. 780; Rawlinson even later, B.C. 760–750, during a temporary depression of the Assyrian power; see the _Five Great Monarchies_, pp. 390–392, and notes.

405 – Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, Vol. II. p. 391.

406 – “There is a remarkable parallel to this in a Persian practice mentioned by Herodotus, IX. 24. In the mourning for Masistius, a little before the battle of Platæa, the Persian troops not only shaved off their own hair, but similarly disfigured their horses and their beasts of burden.” Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 276, note.

407 – See Kiel _in loc._, and Art. _Menahem_ in Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

408 – Called in the Septuagint Phalôch or Phalôs, and in the Assyrian records _Phal-lukha_ and _Iva-lush_; the annals of this monarch are scanty; but “in the most important record we possess of his reign, there is a notice of his having taken tribute from _Beth-Khumri_, or Samaria, as well as from Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Idumæa, and Philistia.” Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 133.

409 – This was the occasion of the important prophecy of Isaiah vii. 1–16.

410 – This was the first captivity of any considerable portion of Israel. See Map. The captives were located in Upper Mesopotamia on the affluents of the _Bilikh_ and the _Khabour_, from about ♦Haran to Nisibis, the Gozan of Scripture. Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 398.

411 – Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. 423; _Herodotus_, Vol. I. p. 473. See Chron. Table in the _Appendix_, p. 488.

412 – “It has been usual to ascribe the capture of Samaria to Shalmaneser; and this is certainly the impression which the Scriptural narrative leaves. But the assertion is not made expressly (comp. 2 K. xvii. 3, and xviii. 10), and if we may trust the direct statement of Sargon, the successor of Shalmaneser upon the throne, we must consider that he, and not Shalmaneser, was the actual captor of the city. Sargon relates that he took Samaria in his first year, B.C. 721, and carried into captivity 27,280 families. It would appear, therefore, that Shalmaneser died, or was deposed, while Hoshea still held out, and that the final captivity of Israel fell into the reign of his successor.” Rawlinson’s _Hdtus._ I. 472. No king employed so generally or on so large a scale, the practice of wholesale deportation of his subjects as Sargon. See Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. p. 423.

413 – “As Gaza in Greek became Ca_d_ytis, Ach_z_ib Ec_d_ippa so M’go_z_an became Myg_d_onia.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

414 – See Smith’s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Nehushtan_.

415 – See Calendar, p. 155.

416 – Kenrick’s _Phœnicia_, p. 378; _Five Great Mon._ II. 405.

417 – Or perhaps the 27th, B.C. 700; see Rawlinson’s _Hdtus._ I. 479 _n._

418 – The route of the Assyrians may be traced in the vivid language of Isai. x. 28–34. The annals of Sennacherib contain a full account of this campaign; see Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, pp. 142, 143; _Five Great Monarchies_, II. p. 425.

419 – “Properly a _ring_, such as in our country is placed through the nose of a bull, and similarly used in the East for leading about lions and other animals, as also prisoners, as in the case of Manasseh (2 Chr. xxxiii. 11; A.V. _in the thorns_). See Isai. xxxvii. 29; Ezek. xxix. 4, xxxviii. 4.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

420 – See for the view here taken, Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, Vol. II. p. 442; _Bampton Lectures_, p. 143.

421 – The Egyptians naturally ascribed their deliverance to the interposition of their own gods. Rawlinson’s _Hdtus._ Vol. II. p. 141.

422 – _Five Great Mon._ Vol. II. p. 445; comp. 2 K. xix. 36.

423 – In the opinion of some, Hezekiah’s illness preceded the first invasion of Sennacherib by several years, and Merodach-Baladan’s visit is placed by them about the year B.C. 713, the 14th of Hezekiah (Comp. 2 K. xx. 6; Is. xxxviii. 5). Smith’s _Bib. Dict._; Rawlinson’s _Hdtus._ Vol. I. p. 479 _n._

424 – “From the time of Sargon, Merodach-Baladan and his family were the champions of Babylonian independence, and headed the popular party in resisting the Assyrian monarchs.” “The real object of the mission was most likely to effect a league between Babylon, Judea, and Egypt (Is. xx. 5, 6), in order to check the growing power of the Assyrians. Hezekiah’s exhibition of ‘all his precious things’ would thus have been not a mere display, but a mode of satisfying the Babylonian ambassadors of his ability to support the expenses of a war.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._; Rawlinson’s _Herod._ I. 503.

425 – See Blunt’s _Scriptural Coincidences_, Pt. III. 5.

426 – Smith’s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Manasseh_; and see p. 436.

427 – Comp. Heb. xi. 37: but see Art. _Isaiah_ in Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

428 – Either shortly before or after this visit to Jerusalem, Esarhaddon invaded Egypt, defeated Tirhakah, took his capital, and became master of the country as far as Thebes or Diospolis, the No or No-Amon of Scripture. Rawlinson, _Five Great Monarchies_, II. p. 475.

429 – “One is greatly surprised at first hearing that the generals of an _Assyrian_ king, on capturing a rebel, carried him to _Babylon_ instead of Nineveh. ‘What has a king of Assyria to do with Babylon?’ one naturally asks. The reply is, that Esarhaddon, and he _only of all the Assyrian kings_, actually was king of Babylon; that he built a palace, and occasionally held his court there, and that consequently a captive was as likely to be brought to him at that city as at the metropolis of Assyria-Proper.” Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 145, and _Hdtus._ Vol. I. p. 482.

430 – After the example of Sargon, Esarhaddon “gathered men from Babylon, Orchoë, Susa, Elymais, Persia, and other neighbouring regions, and entrusting them to an officer of high rank, ‘the great and noble Asnapper,’ had them conveyed to Palestine and settled over the whole country, which until this time must have been somewhat thinly peopled.” Comp. Ezra iv. 2, 9, 10; Rawlinson’s _Five Great Monarchies_, II. p. 477.

431 – See p. 372.

432 – Partly from dissensions with the _Medes_ (B.C. 634–603), who were attempting to seize the dominion over the East, but still more in consequence of the great _Scythian_ invasion, about B.C. 630, described by Herodotus (I. civ.–cvi.), Assyria had been greatly weakened, her cities being desolated, and her palaces dismantled or destroyed. These Scythian hordes penetrated into Palestine as far as Ashdod, but were repulsed by Psammetichus, and on their return a portion, probably attracted by the situation of Beth-shan (See p. 313), settled there, whence its Greek name Scythopolis, “the city of the Scythians.” Milman’s _History of the Jews_, I. 391; Rawlinson’s _Herod._ Vol. I. 485, _Five Gt. Mon._ II. 512.

433 – Called by Manetho _Nechao_, by Herodotus Νεκώς, on the monuments _Neku_, the son and successor of the first Psammetichus. His defeat of the Syrians in a great battle is mentioned by Herod. II. 159, and is said to have taken place at Magdŏlus (= _Migdal-el_, in the tribe of Naphtali, Josh. xix. 38), which is identified with the _Magdala_ of Matt. xv. 39, probably in consequence of a confusion between this name and Megiddo. Rawlinson’s _Herod._ II. 246 _n._

434 – Not the classical Circesium, but higher up the Euphrates, “occupying nearly the site of the later _Mabog_, or Hierapolis.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._; _Dict. Geog._ Art. _Hierapolis_.

435 – “At the upper end of the valley of Lebanon, some 35 miles beyond Baalbec, and about 10 days’ journey from Jerusalem,” on the great road between Palestine and Babylonia. Describing the advantages of its position, Dr Robinson says that it lies “on the banks of a mountain-stream in the midst of a vast and fertile plain, yielding the most abundant supplies of forage. From this point the roads were open either by Aleppo and the Euphrates to Nineveh, or by Palmyra to Babylon ... by the end of Lebanon and the coast to Palestine and Egypt, or through the Bŭkâa and the Jordan valley to the centre of the Holy Land.” Robinson’s _Bib. Res._ III. 545.

436 – For the moral and religious degradation of the country at this period, see Jer. xix.; Ezek. viii.; for the king’s vindictive persecution of righteous prophets, Jer. xxvi.; for his impiety in cutting up the roll containing Jeremiah’s prophecy, Jer. xxxvi.; for his luxury and tyranny, as also his selfishness in building splendid palaces while his kingdom was so impoverished, Jer. xxii. 13–17.

437 – In 2 K. xxiv. 14, 16, the numbers are given as 7,000 soldiers, 1,000 artificers and smiths, and 2,000 others, whose occupation is not mentioned.

438 – Rawlinson’s _Herod._ Vol. I. 515. For the prophecies of Jeremiah during the reign of Zedekiah, see chaps. xxi. xxiv. xxvii. 12–22, xxviii. xxix. xxxii. xxxiii. xxxiv. xxxvii. xxviii.

439 – Thus were fulfilled the apparently contradictory prophecies in Jer. xxxii. 4, and Ezek. xii. 13.

440 – Or Mizpah. For notices of this place on previous occasions, see pp. 272, 280, 375.

441 – Before passing on, a few remarks may here be subjoined respecting the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which now came to an end.

I. _Their respective duration._ The kingdom of Israel lasted from B.C. 975 to B.C. 721, or 254 years. The kingdom of Judah lasted from B.C. 975 to B.C. 588, or 387 years, thus outliving her more populous and powerful rival by 133 years.

II. _Their mutual relations._ These, as we have seen, were dictated by three different lines of policy:――

(i) _Mutual animosity from_ B.C. 975–918.

The first three kings of Judah, Rehoboam, Abijah, and Asa, persisted in the hope of regaining their authority over the Ten Tribes, and for nearly 60 years there was war between the two kingdoms.

(ii) _Close alliance, and united hostility to Syria_, B.C. 918–884.

With the accession of Jehoshaphat there sprang up an alliance between the two kingdoms, cemented by intermarriage, and prompted probably by the necessity of joint action in resisting the encroaching power of Syria.

(iii) _Fresh animosity, and the gradual decline of both kingdoms before the advancing power of the Assyrian Empire_, B.C. 884–588.

The alliance between the kingdoms was rudely shattered by the accession of Jehu to the throne of Israel. He put Ahaziah to death, and the hostility thus begun reached its highest pitch under Amaziah, Jehoash, and Pekah.

III. _Their contrasts._

1. _In the kingdom of Judah_, (a) There was always a fixed capital and a venerated centre of religion; (b) the army was always subordinate; (c) the succession was interrupted by no revolution; (d) the priests remained faithful to the crown.

2. _In the kingdom of Israel_, (a) There was no fixed capital, and no real religious centre; (b) the army was often insubordinate; (c) the succession was constantly interrupted, so that out of 19 kings there were no less than 9 dynasties, each ushered in by a revolution; (d) the authorized priests left the kingdom in a body, and the priesthood established by Jeroboam had no Divine sanction and no promise; it was corrupt in its very source. Hence in the kingdom of Israel the _prophets_ were the regular ministers of God, and, especially during the second of the two periods above mentioned, their ministry was distinguished by far more extraordinary events than in the kingdom of Judah, whose annals offer no prophetical deeds like those of Elijah and Elisha. See Arts. _Kingdom of Judah and Israel_ in Smith’s _Bib. Dict._; Jahn’s _Hebrew Commonwealth_. For the _Table_ of Kings and Prophets, see the Appendix.

442 – Milman’s _History of the Jews_, I. 407, 408.

443 – See Jahn’s _Hebrew Commonwealth_, pp. 112, 113.

444 – The Psalms which appear to belong to this period are, Psls. x. xiii.–xv. xxv.–xxvii. xxxvi. xxxvii. xlix. l. liii. lxvii. lxxvii. lxxx. lxxxviii. lxxxix. xcii. xciii. cxxiii. cxxx. cxxxvii.

445 – See p. 452.

446 – See p. 449.

447 – An interpretation now generally understood to indicate (i) the Chaldean, (ii) Medo-Persian, (iii) Macedonian, and (iv) Roman empires, which last gives way to (v) the kingdom of Messiah.

448 – Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, notes, p. 439; _Herod._ Vol. I. pp. 628, 629.

449 – Smith’s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Nebuchadnezzar_. Dr Pusey, on the other hand, writes, “Whether the image was formed in reminiscence of that emblem of human might, which Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream, and of which the head was declared to represent himself, or whether it was himself whom he intended to be worshipped in it, it was plainly some test of allegiance required of all peoples, nations, and languages, in his whole empire.” _Lectures on Daniel_, p. 440.

450 – Ibid. p. 442, and the note.

451 – Along the shores of the Persian Gulf. Rawlinson’s _Herod._ Vol. I. p. 513.

452 – Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 160 and notes; _Herod._ Vol. I. pp. 512, 513; Smith’s _Bib. Dict._, Art. _Nebuchadnezzar_.

453 – “I have examined,” says Sir H. Rawlinson, “the bricks _in situ_, belonging perhaps to a hundred different towns and cities in the neighbourhood of Baghdad, and I never found any other legend than that of Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon.” Nine-tenths of the bricks amidst the ruins of Babylon are stamped with his name. Compare his own words as recorded in Dan. iv. 30: “Is not this great Babylon, _which I have built_?”

454 – Probably what the Greeks called Lycanthropy λυκανθρωπία), wherein the sufferer fancies himself a beast, quits the haunts of men, and leads the life of a beast. For instances and details, see Dr Pusey’s _Lectures on Daniel_, pp. 425–435; Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 165; _Herod._ Vol. I. p. 516.

455 – A sickness of this monarch is mentioned by Berosus, and in the “Standard Inscription” of Nebuchadnezzar he himself appears to allude to this mysterious passage of his life: _For four years ... the seat of my kingdom ... did not rejoice my heart, in all my dominions I did not build a high place of power, the precious treasures of my kingdom I did not lay up. In Babylon, buildings for myself and for the honour of my kingdom I did not lay out. In the worship of Merodach, my lord, the joy of my heart, in Babylon the city of his sovereignty, and the seat of my empire, I did not sing his praises, I did not furnish his altars with victims, nor did I clear out the canals._ Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 166, and notes.

456 – Nabonadius or Nabonnedus = _Nabu-nit_ or _Nabu-nahit_, i.e. _Nebo blesses_ or _makes prosperous_, known amongst the Greeks as Labynetus.

457 – Recognised by Isaiah as “a shepherd” of the Lord, an “anointed king” (Is. xliv. 28; xlv. 1).

458 – Pusey’s _Lectures on Daniel_, p. 120; Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 170.

459 – On his accession Nabonadius, it is thought, may have married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. See Pusey, _Lectures on Daniel_, p. 402; Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 170.

460 – On the delegated authority of this Darius, see Pusey’s _Lectures on Daniel_, pp. 122, 123; Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 171, and notes, p. 445.

461 – See Art. _Darius_, in Smith’s _Bib. Dict._ Some identify him with Astyages; others with Cyaxares II., a son of Astyages; others with Neriglissar, or with Nabonadius; “each of these views,” observes Prof. Rawlinson, “has its difficulties, and perhaps it is the most probable view that he was a viceroy set up by Cyrus, of whom there is at present no trace in profane history,” _Bampton Lectures_, p. 171.

462 – Dating, according to Prideaux and Davison (_Lectures on Prophecy_, VI. 1), from B.C. 606.

463 – The Jews who remained and kept up their national distinctions were called “The Dispersion” (John vii. 35; 1 Pet. i. 1; James i. 1), and “in course of time they served a great purpose in diffusing a knowledge of the true God, and in affording a point for the commencement of the efforts of the Evangelists of the Christian faith.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

464 – The chief effects of the Captivity upon the Jews were these: (i) The old tendency to idolatry had been eradicated (Comp. Ezek. xxxvi. 24–28); (ii) There had sprung up a deep reverence for the letter of the Law, and for their great Lawgiver Moses; (iii) The love of agriculture had declined, and had given place to a taste for commerce and trade; (iv) The vernacular language had also undergone a change (Neh. viii. 8), the old Hebrew giving place to the Chaldee.

465 – “The name Ahasuerus is undoubtedly the proper Hebrew equivalent for the Persian word which the Greeks represented by Xerxes, ... and we are at once struck with the strong resemblance which his character bears to that assigned by the classical writers to the celebrated son of Darius. Proud, self-willed, amorous, careless of contravening Persian customs; reckless of human life, yet not actually bloodthirsty; impetuous, facile, changeable, the Ahasuerus of Esther corresponds in all respects to the Greek portraiture of Xerxes, which is not the mere picture of an Oriental despot, but has various peculiarities which distinguish it even from the other Persian kings.” Rawlinson’s _Bampton Lectures_, p. 186.

466 – See Calendar, p. 155.

467 – Identified by the latest researches with the modern _Hit_, on the Euphrates, due East of Damascus, afterwards known as the Ihi, or Ihi da-kira, “the spring of bitumen.” Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

468 – “The power of Persia had received by the Athenians a fatal blow in the victory obtained at Salamis in Cyprus, B.C. 449. The Great King was obliged to submit to a humiliating peace, among the articles of which were the abandonment of the maritime towns, and a stipulation that the Persian army should not approach within three days’ journey of the sea. Jerusalem being about this distance from the coast, and standing so near the line of communication with Egypt, became a port of the utmost value.” Milman’s _History of the Jews_, I. p. 435. Jahn’s _Heb. Comm._ p. 142.

469 – Either of Horonaim a town of Moab, or of Horon, _i.e._ Beth-horon; he appears to have held some office at Samaria under Artaxerxes. Smith’s _Bib. Dict._

470 – See Calendar, p. 155.

471 – Westcott’s _The Bible in the Church_, pp. 298, 299.

472 – See pp. 8, 9.

473 – See p. 18.

474 – See pp. 26, 28.

475 – See p. 71.

476 – See pp. 109, 110.

477 – Psalm cx; ii; xlv.

478 – Dan. vii. 13. Westcott’s _Introduction to the N. T._ p. 87. Davidson _On Prophecy_, p. 205.

479 – Mic. v. 2; Isai. vii. 14.

480 – Zech. vi. 13; Isai. lxi. 1.

481 – Isai. liii. Comp. also ix. 6; xl. 1, 12; xlii. 1, 4; xlix. 5–7; lii, liv.

482 – Dan. ix. 26, see Pusey _in loc_.

483 – Gal. iv. 4.

484 – See Butler’s _Analogy_, Part II. ch. v.

485 – Gal. iii. 28.

Transcriber’s Notes.

The following corrections have been made in the text:

Page 178: Sentence starting: It is probable that Kadesh.... – ‘whereever’ replaced with ‘wherever’ (wherever Moses and the Tabernacle)

Page 186: Sentence starting: A trophy of this victory,... – ‘Rabbath’ replaced with ‘Rabbah’ (in the city of Rabbah,)

Page 332: Sentence starting: Meanwhile the Syrians beyond.... – ‘Hadarezer’ replaced with ‘Hadadezer’ (a general of Hadadezer,)

Page 365: Sentence starting: REZIN, the Syrian,... – ‘Rezon’ replaced with ‘Rezin’ (REZIN, the Syrian,)

Page 377: Sentence starting: As he was besieging Gibbethon.... – ‘Isaachar’ replaced with ‘Issachar’ (of the house of Issachar) – ‘againt’ replaced with ‘against’ (conspired against him)

Page 476: Sentence starting: After a fast of three days.... – ‘Esth.’ replaced with ‘Ezra’ (Ezra viii. 32))

Page 482: Sentence starting: No high places were to be seen.... – ‘Astaroth’ replaced with ‘Ashtaroth’ (the impure orgies of Ashtaroth)

Page 489: Sentence starting: Manasseh brought to Babylon.... – ‘438’ replaced with ‘445’ (See p. 445 n.)

Page 492: Table starting: 4. Scripture Measures.... – ‘70’ replaced with ‘720’ │960 │♦720│180│60│30│10│

Index Asenath: – ‘Asenah’ replaced with ‘Asenath’ (Asenath, Joseph’s wife)

Index Rezin: – ‘Rezon’ replaced with ‘Rezin’ ‘366’ replaced with ‘365’ (Rezin, revolts against Solomon, 365)

Index Temple, the: – ‘Jehohash’ replaced with ‘Jehoash’ (rifled by Jehoash, 425;)

Index Tarshish: – ‘Tharshish’ replaced with ‘Tarshish’ (Tarshish, silver mines of, 362)

Footnote 20: – ‘Araba’ replaced with ‘Arabah’ for consistency (the Arabah led to the Gulf)

Footnote 361: Sentence starting: Immediately below [the Mohrakah].... – ‘Mokrakah’ replaced with ‘Mohrakah’ (Immediately below [the Mohrakah])

Footnote 410: Sentence starting: The captives were located.... – ‘Harran’ replaced with ‘Haran’ (from about Haran to Nisibis)