son Isaac, at God's command, to offer him as a burnt offering in "the
land of Moriah." Some authorities accept the Samaritan tradition, that
this place was Mount Gerizim; but we see no sufficient reason to dissent
from the general view, that it was Mount Moriah, at Jerusalem, ten
centuries afterward the site of the Temple. After this sublime token of
his faith in God, the patriarch returned to his tent at Beersheba.
8. =The Burial of Sarah.= (Gen. 23.) We find Abraham again at Hebron, in
his old age. Here Sarah died and was buried in the cave of Machpelah.
This is undoubtedly covered by the Mohammedan mosque so sacredly guarded
against the intrusion of travelers. The after events of Abraham's
history may have taken place at Hebron or at Beersheba, as neither place
is named as his residence at the time of Isaac's marriage or his own
death. He was buried in the family sepulchre at Hebron, beside the body
of Sarah.
II. THE JOURNEYS OF ISAAC.
The life of Isaac, though longer than the lives of Abraham and Jacob,
was spent in a comparatively small range of territory, and with
comparatively few events. We have not noted upon the map the lines of
his journeyings; but the localities may be seen, as far as they are
identified, upon the map of Palestine, on page 58.
The homes of Isaac were as follows: 1. Beer-lahai-roi, "Well of the Life
of Vision," _i. e._, where life remained after seeing God; an unknown
locality in the south of Canaan, between Bered and Kadesh. It was so
named by Hagar, after meeting an angel, before the birth of Ishmael.
(Gen. 16:13.) 2. Gerar. (Gen. 26:1.) This was the chief city of the
Philistines in that age; and is now called _Kirbet el Gerar_. The wells
dug by Isaac, and seized by the Philistines, were probably in the region
near this city. 3. Rehoboth (Gen. 26:22) is probably at the _Wady_
(Valley) _er Ruhaibeh_, south of Beersheba. 4. Beersheba. (Gen.
26:23-35.) Here he made a treaty of peace with the Philistine king, and
remained for many years. It was his home during the strife of Jacob and
Esau, and from this place Jacob departed on his long visit to Haran.
(Gen. 28:10.) 5. Hebron. (Gen. 35:27.) Here, beside the tomb of his
parents, Isaac at last met his son Jacob, and here he died and was
buried, at the age of 180 years.
[Illustration: COMPARATIVE AGE OF THE PATRIARCHS BEFORE AND AFTER THE
DELUGE.]
III. THE JOURNEYS OF JACOB.
The life of Jacob is related with more of detail than that of any other
person in Old Testament history; yet there is great uncertainty
concerning the division of its periods. His first sixty years were
passed near Beersheba; then twenty years in Haran, and fifty years in
Canaan (though some of the best chronologers allow _forty_ years in
Haran, and _thirty_ years in Canaan); and seventeen years in Egypt. The
principal places named in Jacob's journeys are: 1. Beersheba, now _Bir
es Seba_, a well-known place in the south of Palestine. 2. Bethel, now
_Beitin_, 10 miles north of Jerusalem. 3. Haran, now bearing the same
name. (See under Abraham's life, Journey No. 1.) 4. Mizpah, called also
Jegar-sahadutha, "the heap of witness," perhaps the important place
afterward known as Ramoth-gilead, now _es Salt_, 13 miles south of the
Jabbok. But this seems too far south to represent the event, and we are
inclined to place it at some unknown mountain between the Jabbok and the
Hieromax. 5. Mahanaim, probably at _Mahneh_, 10 miles north of the
Jabbok. 6. Peniel, afterward Penuel, unknown, but somewhere on the brook
Jabbok. 7. Succoth, "booths," recently identified as _Tell Darala_, a
mile north of the Jabbok, in the Jordan Valley. 8. Shalem, "peace." If
this refers to a place, it is _Salim_, 3 miles east of Shechem. But some
read the sentence, "Jacob came in peace [_i. e._, in safety] to
Shechem." (Gen. 33:18.) 9. Ephrath, the place of Rachel's death and
burial, near Bethlehem.
The Journeys of Jacob may be arranged as follows:
1. =The Flight to Haran.= (Gen. 28:10-29:14.) Fearing the vengeance of
Esau after the stolen blessing, Jacob hastily left his home at
Beersheba, and journeyed northward to Haran. At Bethel he saw the vision
of the heavenly ladder, and arrived safely at Haran, distant 450 miles
from Beersheba. Here he remained either 20 or 40 years, according to
different views, and married his two wives.
2. =The Return to Canaan.= (Gen. 31-33.) At Mizpah he made a treaty with
Laban; at Mahanaim was comforted by a vision of angels; at Peniel
wrestled with "the angel of God," and was reconciled to his brother
Esau; and at Salim (if that be the name of a place), near Shechem, he
rested in the Land of Promise.
3. =The Residence in Canaan.= (Gen. 34-45.) The slaughter of the
Shechemites by Simeon and Levi, caused Jacob to move his increasing clan
further south. At Bethel he renewed the covenant with God. (Gen.
35:1-15.) Near Ephrath, or Bethlehem, his beloved wife Rachel died and
was buried. (Gen. 35:10-20.) At Hebron he met once more his aged father,
and remained during most of his after-life in the land. (Gen. 35:27.)
While Jacob was living at Hebron, Joseph was sold a slave to the
Midianites, at Dothan, on the southern slopes of Mount Gilboa, and by
them taken down to Egypt. (Gen. 37.)
4. =The Descent into Egypt.= (Gen. 45-50.) At the invitation of Joseph,
then prince in Egypt, Jacob left Hebron to go down into Egypt. At
Beersheba he offered sacrifices, and received divine guidance. His home
was fixed in the Land of Goshen, a small but fertile district between
the eastern channel of the Nile and the desert, the modern province of
_es Shurkiyeh_, including the _Wady Tumilat_. Here the family of Jacob
remained until they became "a great nation," a period variously
estimated at from 200 to 400 years, or even longer.
5. =The Burial Procession.= (Gen. 50.) After the death of Jacob, his
embalmed body was borne from Egypt to Hebron. The direct route was not
taken, probably on account of the hostility of the Philistine and
Amorite tribes; but the procession passed around the south of the Dead
Sea, through the land of Moab, and crossed the Jordan at Abel-mizraim,
near Jericho, a place afterward known as Beth-hoglah; and thence to
Hebron, where the last of the three fathers of the chosen people was
laid to rest in the ancestral sepulchre.
OUTLINE FOR REVIEW.
I. _Journeys of Abraham._ 1. Ur to Haran. 2. Haran to Canaan. (Shechem,
Bethel.) 3. Visit to Egypt. (Return to Bethel.) 4. Removal to Hebron. 5.
Pursuit of Elamites. (Dan, Hobah, Salem.) 6. Settlement at Beersheba. 7.
Offering of Isaac. (Moriah.) 8. Burial of Sarah. (Hebron.)
II. _Journeys of Isaac._ 1. Beer-lahai-roi. 2. Gerar. 3. Rehoboth. 4.
Beersheba. 5. Hebron.
III. _Journeys of Jacob._ 1. Flight to Haran. (Beersheba, Bethel,
Haran.) 2. Return to Canaan. (Mizpah, Mahanaim, Peniel, Shechem.) 3.
Residence in Canaan. (Bethel, Bethlehem, Hebron, Dothan.) 4. Descent
into Egypt. (Beersheba, Goshen.) 5. Burial Procession. (Abel-mizraim,
Hebron.)
[Illustration: PALESTINE BEFORE THE CONQUEST.
JOURNEYS OF THE PATRIARCHS]
PALESTINE BEFORE THE CONQUEST.
THE knowledge which we possess of the inhabitants of Palestine before
the 13th century B.C. is quite scanty. The names of tribes, more or less
settled, are given; but we know very little of their language, customs
or origin. The description of Palestine during the first eight hundred
years after the Deluge may be arranged as follows: 1. The Earliest
Inhabitants. 2. The Tribes of the Patriarchal Era. 3. The Nations at the
Time of the Conquest. 4. The Surrounding Nations.
I. THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS.
[Illustration: JERICHO AND THE JORDAN.]
In most lands the earliest people have been of an unknown race, as the
mound builders of America and the cave dwellers of Europe. Very early in
the history of the race a people entered Palestine, and settled upon
both sides of the Jordan, generally among the mountains. They were
remembered by different names in various parts of the country, but the
names show the dread inspired by them among the later tribes. They were
doubtless of one race, but whether of Hamitic or Semitic stock is
uncertain; and their history is as unknown as their origin. They were
already in their decline in the times of Abraham, when the Canaanite
races, the second series of inhabitants, were in possession of the land.
They belonged to six tribes or divisions, each having a different name
and location, but all bearing the same characteristics, and all regarded
as giants by those who came after them. Our principal authorities
concerning these archaic peoples are Gen. 14:5-7, and Deut. 2:10-23.
1. The =Rephaim=, "lofty men," are frequently named in the Old
Testament, the word being generally translated "giants." In the age of
Abraham they were living in the highlands of Bashan, where their
capital, Ashteroth Karnaim, "the two-horned Ashtaroth," was taken by the
Elamite king, Chedorlaomer, the earliest conqueror in Bible history. By
degrees they lost their nationality and were merged with the Amorites,
over whom one of their race, the gigantic Og, king of Bashan, ruled at
the time of the conquest. They may have settled also west of the Jordan,
near what was afterward Jerusalem, since a locality in that vicinity
(see map on page 82) was long afterward known as "the Valley of the
Rephaim." (2 Sam. 5:18.)
2. The =Zuzim=, "tall ones," are supposed to be the same people with
those who in Deut. 2:20 are called =Zamzummim=. They occupied the
eastern table-land, south of Bashan and Gilead. Their capital was Ham, a
city not yet identified, unless it was (as some suppose) the place
afterward known as Rabbath Ammon. These people were also giants, like
the Rephaim (Deut. 2:21), were also overswept in the raid of
Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:5), and during the time of the Israelites' sojourn
in Egypt, were dispossessed by the Ammonites, who occupied their
country afterward, until in turn driven out by the Amorites.
3. The =Emim=, "terrible ones," were south of the Zuzim, and therefore
directly east of the Dead Sea. They were overcome by Chedorlaomer at
Shaveh Kiriathaim, "the dale of the two cities," and their land was
afterward occupied by the Moabites.
4. The =Horim=, "cave dwellers," or Horites, occupied Mount Seir, south
of the Dead Sea. Their genealogy is given in Gen. 36:20-30, and 1 Chron.
1:38-42. They lived in caves, which are still found in great numbers
through that region. They were beaten by Chedorlaomer, and subsequently
dispossessed by the descendants of Esau, the Edomites.
5. The =Avim=, "ruins," or "dwellers in ruins," lived in the Shefelah,
or foot-hills, between the Philistine plain and the mountains of Judah.
(Deut. 2:23; Josh. 13:2, 3.) They were early conquered by the Caphtorim,
a Philistine race, and were in a depressed condition at the time of the
entrance of the Israelites. The word Hazerim (Deut. 2:23) means
"villages," or "nomad encampments," showing that they were not a
settled, but a wandering people.
6. The =Anakim=, "long-necked ones." The name may refer either to their
size, or their strength (which in Hebrew comes from a word similar to
_neck_). They were descendants of Arba, and divided into three clans,
named Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. (Josh. 14:15; 15:14.) Their principal
home was at Hebron, called by them Kirjath-arba; but they also occupied
a city near it, called Kirjath-sepher, or "book-town," a name which is
suggestive of a national literature. Unlike the other races, they seem
to have maintained a foothold in the presence of the incoming Canaanite
races, and their gigantic appearance struck terror to the Israelite
spies during the wandering. (Num. 13.) But they were conquered by Caleb
(Josh. 14), and their remnant, driven from the mountains, mingled with
the Philistines of the sea-coast plain. One family of this race remained
as late as the days of David, that of Goliath and his brothers. (1 Sam.
17:4; 2 Sam. 21:15-22.)
II. THE TRIBES OF THE PATRIARCHAL ERA.
The chosen family came to Palestine about 1921 B.C., according to the
common chronology, but probably from two to four hundred years earlier.
At this time these earliest races were already superseded in nearly all
the land by later tribes, of Hamitic origin, with which the patriarchs
were often brought into contact. Those tribes were often called
Canaanites, because the nation of that name was both the original stock
and in possession of the richest and best portion of the land.
We notice these tribes, as far as practicable, in the order of their
location in the four great natural divisions of the country: the tribes
of the maritime plain, those of the mountain region, those of the Jordan
Valley, and those of the eastern table-land.
1. Beginning at the north, on the narrow plain by the Mediterranean Sea,
we find the =Zidonians=, with their two great cities, Zidon the earlier,
and Tyre the later. Perhaps the latter city was not yet founded in the
patriarchal age. These people were early famous as the traders of the
Mediterranean world, having commercial relations as far as Spain. They
occupied a narrow strip of territory between Mount Lebanon and the sea,
north of Mount Carmel. Their country was never possessed by the
Israelites, and most of the time the relations between the two races
were peaceful.
2. Next in order of location we come to the =Canaanites= proper, or that
branch of the descendants of Canaan which retained the family name.
While _all_ the tribes of Palestine are often called Canaanites, as
descended from one stock, the name strictly belongs only to people who
lived in two sections of the country. The word means "lowlanders," and
was applied particularly to those dwelling on the maritime plain, on
both sides of Mount Carmel, the plain of Esdraelon and that of Sharon;
and to those in the Jordan Valley. These together constituted "the
Canaanites on the east and on the west." (Josh. 11:3.) They occupied the
richest and most valuable portions of the land. The only city on the
coast belonging to the Canaanites existing during the patriarchal age
was Joppa, still standing. The Canaanite cities in the Jordan Valley
were the "five cities of the plain," Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and
Zoar, of which all except the last were destroyed by the visitation of
God. (Gen. 19.) Their location was in the plain on the north of the Dead
Sea, and there is no reason to suppose that they are covered by its
waters. In the time immediately before the conquest we find Jericho has
arisen in the place of the destroyed cities, and not far from their
site, as the most important city of the Jordan Valley.
3. South of the Canaanites, on the maritime plain, were the
=Philistines=. "Emigrants" is the meaning of the word, supporting the
view that they came from Caphtor, or Crete, which is but little more
than a surmise. They were related to the Egyptians, and hence were of
Hamitic stock. They came to the land before the time of Abraham, drove
out and subdued the earlier Avim (Deut. 2:23), or Avites, and had
frequent dealings with Abraham and Isaac. In the patriarchal age their
principal cities were Gaza and Gerar; but before the conquest they had
moved northward, and were a powerful confederacy of five cities: Gaza,
Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron. (Josh. 13:3.) Their territory, if
taken at all during the campaigns of Joshua, was soon reconquered, and
the Philistines were the most dangerous enemies of Israel during all the
period of the Judges. In David's time they were subjected; but not until
the Maccabean age were they fully conquered, and their land made a part
of Israel.
4. We turn now to the tribes of the mountain region, beginning, as
before, at the north. As these northern regions are not alluded to in
patriarchal history, and only very briefly named in the annals of the
conquest, it is not easy to determine which of the tribes occupied them.
But, from allusions in Josh. 1:4 and 11:3, and from frequent mention on
the monuments of Egypt, we incline to the opinion that the =Hittites=
were the possessors of this country. They have left their name in
Hattin, the Caphar Hittai of the Talmud, near the Sea of Galilee.
Another branch, more frequently mentioned, were in the south, at and
around Hebron (Gen. 23), perhaps extending as far south as Beersheba.
(Gen. 27:46.) With these people the relations of the patriarchs were
ever peaceful, and of them Abraham purchased his family sepulchre.
[Illustration: HEBRON.]
5. The position of the =Girgashites= is uncertain, from the infrequent
mention of them. But the slight indications point to the region west of
the Sea of Galilee, where we locate them conjecturally. They may have
been absorbed by the surrounding tribes.
6. South of Mount Carmel, and extending to what was afterward the border
of Benjamin, we find the =Hivites=, having Shechem as their principal
city in the time of Jacob. (Gen. 34:2.) Afterward, they occupied several
towns immediately north of Jerusalem, four of which formed the
"Gibeonite league," and made a treaty of peace with Joshua. (Josh.
9:3-15.) They were a quiet people, averse to war, and submitting readily
to foreign domination.
7. The =Perizzites=, "villagers" are always named in connection with the
Canaanites. From the allusions in Gen. 34:30, Josh. 17:15, and other
places, we locate them between the Hivites and the western Canaanites,
in the northern portion of the Shefelah, or foot-hills, where villages
would more readily cluster than among the mountains. They remained in
the land as late as the time of the restoration from Babylonian
captivity. (Ezra 9:1.)
8. The =Jebusites= lived in the mountains around their city Jebus,
afterward Jerusalem. They were of Canaanitish origin, a small but
warlike tribe. Their king was slain by Joshua; but the city, though
burned by the Israelites (Judges 1:8), was still held by its own people,
and remained in their possession, a foreign fortress in the midst of the
land, until finally taken by David, and made his capital. (2 Sam. 5.)
South of the Jebusites were the southern branch of the Hittites, already
referred to.
9. One more nation of the Canaanite stock remains, perhaps the most
powerful of all, the =Amorites=, or "mountaineers." They occupied,
originally, the wilderness between Hebron and the Dead Sea, having
Hazezon-tamar (afterward En-gedi) as their capital; were smitten by
Chedorlaomer, but aided Abraham in his pursuit and battle. (Gen. 14.)
Afterward they pushed northward, crossed the Jordan, and possessed all
the eastern table-land north of the Dead Sea, dispossessing the
Ammonites of its southern portion, and the Rephaim of its northern. This
great country was the "land of the Amorites" at the time of the
conquest, ruled by two kings, Sihon and Og.
It is probable, that, during the patriarchal era, while Abraham and his
family lived as wanderers in their Land of Promise, the lands east of
the Jordan were occupied by their primeval inhabitants, the Rephaim in
the north, the Zuzim between the Jabbok and the Arnon, and the Emim in
the south.
III. THE NATIONS AT THE TIME OF THE CONQUEST.
What changes may have taken place among the tribes of Western Palestine
during the four centuries while the Israelites were in Egypt, is not
known; but, as the land became more thickly settled, the strifes of the
Canaanite tribes and their roving traits would result in many
alterations of boundary lines. But east of the Jordan the changes may be
more distinctly marked.
1. The =Amorites=, already named, probably conquered the eastern
table-land, north of the Jabbok, during the period of the sojourn
(_i. e._, the stay of the Israelites in Egypt), and dispossessed its
early inhabitants. Many of these, however, remained among the conquerors,
and one of this race, Og, the King of Bashan, ruled over the northern
Amorites when the Israelites entered the land, and was slain by them.
2. Two new tribes, closely related, made their appearance during this
epoch, the =Moabites= and =Ammonites=. They were descended from Lot, the
nephew of Abraham, and their origin is related in Gen. 19. They arose
during the period of the sojourn, and conquered the primitive Emim and
Zuzim (Deut. 2:19-23), probably as far north as the Jabbok. But the
Amorites on the north wrested their conquests from them and drove them
back south of the Arnon, which was thenceforward their northern
boundary. The Moabites were the settled portion of the tribe, dwelling
in cities; while the Ammonites were the predatory, wandering element,
living mostly in the east, and without permanent dwelling places. During
the period of the Judges they were among the oppressors of Israel
(Judges 3 and 10), were defeated by Saul, (1 Sam. 11), and conquered by
David. (2 Sam. 8:2.)
IV. THE SURROUNDING NATIONS.
The principal nations bordering upon the land of Canaan before the
conquest were the following:
1. On the north were the =Hivites=, "that dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from
Mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath." (Judges 3:3.) This is
supposed to have been the original home of the race, from which they
journeyed to their seat in Central Palestine. Still further north were
the =Arkites=, the =Sinites=, the =Arvadites= and the =Hamathites=.
2. On the northeast lay the desert, and on the southeast roamed the
=Ammonites=, already mentioned.
3. On the south were several tribes, not all of which can be located
with certainty. In the west, south of the Philistine country, were the
=Amalekites=, a people of unknown origin and predatory habits. South of
Judah were the =Kenites=; and southeast of the Dead Sea, were, in early
times, the Horim (already mentioned), succeeded during the time of the
sojourn by the =Edomites=, a race descended from Esau, who will be
described hereafter. (See explanations to map on page 44.)
With regard to these early inhabitants of Palestine, the following facts
may be noteworthy: 1. In respect to =race=, most of them belonged to the
Hamitic stock; though the origin of the six earliest peoples remains
unknown, and the two latest, the Moabites and Ammonites, were Semites,
and closely related to Israel. 2. As to =language=, they probably spoke
the Hebrew tongue, or one closely allied to it. In Isa. 19:18, the
Hebrew is evidently "the language of Canaan," _i. e._, of the
Canaanites. Whether this language was the one originally spoken by
Abraham's ancestors or not, we have no means of knowing; but it is
possible that it was gained, during the period of the journeyings, from
the Canaanites. 3. In =government=, each village or tribe had its own
ruler, who was called a "_king_"; but his authority was limited by the
"_elders_," a body having influence partly from birth, and partly by
force of character of its members. 4. Their =religion= was widely
different from that of the Hebrews, who, from the age of Abraham,
worshiped one invisible, self-existent, spiritual God. The Canaanites
deified nature under various forms, especially as Baal, the giver of
life, and Ashtoreth (Greek, Astarte), the corresponding female divinity.
Their rites of worship were abominable, cruel and licentious. They
sacrificed not only captured enemies, but their own children, to their
idols, and performed acts of the grossest wickedness at their idolatrous
service. 5. Their =history= is unwritten, save in its tragical close,
the conquest of their land by the Israelites under Joshua, and the
annihilation of many of their races. Still, many lived as a separate
people through all Jewish history; and some of the best scholars are of
opinion that the native population of Palestine at the present time
mainly belongs to this old Canaanite stock.
OUTLINE FOR REVIEW.
I. _Earliest Inhabitants._ Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim, Horim, Avim, Anakim.
II. _Tribes of the Patriarchal Era._ 1. Maritime Plain: Zidonians,
Canaanites, Philistines. 2. Mountain Region: Hittites (north),
Girgashites, Hivites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Hittites (south), Amorites.
3. Jordan Valley: Canaanites. 4. Eastern Table-Land: Rephaim, Zuzim,
Emim.
III. _Nations at the Time of the Conquest._ East of Jordan: Amorites,
Moabites, Ammonites.