from the division of the land (about 1170 B.C.) to the accession of
David (B.C. 1010.) This period may be noticed under three topics. 1. The
movements among the tribes supplementary to the conquest. 2. The
oppressions and the Judges. 3. The reign of the first king, Saul. (See
The Kingdom of Saul, page 64.)
I. SUPPLEMENTARY TO THE CONQUEST.
1. =The Conquests of Judah and Simeon.= (Judges 1.) These were made by
the two southern tribes in alliance, and were accompanied by decisive
victories at Bezek, Hebron, Debir, and Zephath (afterward known as
_Hormah_, "destruction"). These places are marked with flags upon the
map. Jerusalem, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron were also attacked and taken;
but the conquest was not permanent, since these places were soon
reoccupied by the native races.
2. =The Danite Migration=, related in Judges 17, 18, took place about
the same time. The tribe of Dan was crowded by the Philistines into two
towns, Zorah and Eshtaol. A part of the warriors went upon an expedition
northward, and finding Laish, at one of the sources of the Jordan,
undefended, slew its Zidonian inhabitants, and made it their home and a
sanctuary of idols, under a new name, Dan. This formed the northern
outpost of the land of Israel.
3. =The Civil War.= (Judges 19-21.) This was caused by a crime among the
people of one city, Gibeah, whose part was taken by the entire tribe,
according to the Oriental view of honor among members of a clan. It led
to a war between Benjamin and the rest of the tribes, at the end of
which, by the battle of Gibeah, the one tribe was almost annihilated.
[Illustration: MOUNT TABOR.]
II. THE OPPRESSIONS AND THE JUDGES.
From the times of Joshua to those of Saul, the Israelites were ruled by
men raised up to meet the needs of the hour, not by succession or
appointment, but by personal character and influence. Most of them ruled
over a limited region, and more than one doubtless was in authority at
the same time, in different parts of the land. They were called forth by
a series of _oppressions_, which were sometimes invasions by foreign
tribes, and sometimes the uprising of the native peoples against their
Israelite conquerors, reversing the relation for a time. The judges
were, in most instances, men who led the Israelites in throwing off the
yoke of these foreign races. The oppressions are generally reckoned as
seven, though the third was rather an invasion than an oppression; and
the judges, as fifteen in number, though several were not judges, in the
strict sense of the word.
1. =The Mesopotamian Oppression= (Judges 3:1-11) was the first,
occurring soon after the death of Joshua. It resulted from the conquests
of a king named Chushan-rishathaim, who reigned in Mesopotamia. From the
two facts, that at this period the kings of Edom had Aramean names (Gen.
36), and that the deliverer of Israel was Othniel, of the tribe of
Judah, the first judge, it has been concluded that the region of this
oppression was the territory of that tribe, in the southern portion of
Palestine.
2. =The Moabite Oppression.= (Judges 3:12-30.) The Moabites lived south
of the torrent Arnon, on the east of the Dead Sea. In alliance with the
wandering Ammonites, further eastward, and the Amalekites of the desert,
under their king, Eglon, they took possession of Jericho (which stood as
an unwalled town), and made it the centre of rule over the central
portion of the land, chiefly Benjamin and Judah. Ehud, the second
judge, assassinated Eglon, and then called upon his countrymen to
assemble at Mount Ephraim. A decisive battle was fought at the "Fords of
Moab" (where the Israelites had crossed the Jordan on their first
entrance to the land), resulting in the defeat of the Moabites and the
freedom of Israel.
3. =The Early Philistine Oppression= (Judges 3:31) was perhaps no more
than a raid of these people upon the mountain region of Judah. It was
repelled by Shamgar, the third judge, whose army of farmers, hastily
gathered, had no other weapons than their formidable ox-goads. The
precise place of the victory is unknown, but it was on the frontier
between Judah and Philistia.
4. =The Canaanite Oppression= (Judges 4, 5) was an uprising of the
native people against the Israelite conquerors. They changed the
relations of the two races, by becoming the dominant people in all the
region north of the Carmel range of mountains. Their capital was at
Hazor, and their chief military post at Harosheth, near the Plain of
Esdraelon. A woman, Deborah, living between Ramah and Bethel, was then
recognized as the fourth judge. She called upon Barak, of Naphtali, who
aided her in gathering a little army, chiefly from the tribes of
Issachar, Zebulon and Naphtali. They met at Mount Tabor, from which they
poured down upon the Canaanites, who were encamped upon the plain. In
the rout that followed, the Israelites were aided by a sudden storm,
and a rise in the torrent Kishon, which swept away many of their
enemies. The power of the Canaanites was broken, and thenceforward the
race made no attempt to regain its independence.
5. =The Midianite Oppression= (Judges 6-8) was the most severe, thus
far, in the history of the judges. The Midianites, a migratory tribe on
the east of Palestine, joined with the Amalekite Bedouins in an invasion
which overran all the central portion of the land, plundering the
inhabitants, and destroying the fruits of the field. So low were the
Israelites reduced, that they were compelled to hide their crops, and
themselves also, in the caves of the mountains. The deliverer of Israel
at this period was Gideon, the fifth judge. At God's call he summoned
his countrymen, and gathered an army on Mount Gilboa, while their
enemies were encamped at the foot of the Hill Moreh (Little Hermon), an
innumerable host. With three hundred chosen men Gideon made a night
attack upon the Midianite host. They were defeated, and fled down the
ravine to the Jordan Valley, past Beth-shean, Abel-meholah and Tabbath.
Beth-barah, where they were intercepted by the men of Ephraim, was not
the same with the Bethabara of the New Testament, but probably in the
Jordan Valley, north of the Jabbok. At Succoth, near the junction of the
Jabbok and the Jordan, and at Penuel, in the valley of the Jabbok, the
pursuing Israelites under Gideon were inhospitably treated by the
inhabitants, but avenged themselves on their return. The remains of the
routed Midianite army were found by Gideon at Karkor, a place not
precisely known. He made a circuit, attacked them on the east, and
utterly destroyed them. After this victory Gideon bore rule over Israel
from his home in Ophrah, until his death.
After the death of Gideon arose his son Abimelech, the sixth judge, "the
bramble king," who reigned over a small district around Shechem. (Judges
9.) He was not one of the divinely chosen deliverers, and strictly
should not be reckoned in the list of judges. He was slain ignobly at
Thebez, north of Shechem. The seventh judge was Tola, who ruled from
Shamir, in Mount Ephraim. (Judges 10:1, 2.) The eighth was Jair, whose
home was at Camon, in Mount Gilead, east of the Jordan. (Judges 10:3-5.)
6. =The Ammonite Oppression= (Judges 10:6-18; 11:1-40) was perhaps
contemporaneous with the early part of the one named after it, the
Philistine. It embraced the land of the tribes on the east of the
Jordan, and lasted eighteen years. The Israelites rallied at Mizpeh of
Gilead (the place where Jacob and Laban made their covenant, Gen.
31:49), and called to the command Jephthah, the ninth judge, who was
living as a freebooter in the land of Tob, north of Gilead. He marched
against the Ammonites, and fought them at Aroer, on the border of the
torrent Arnon. He drove them in flight northward, and wasted their
territory as far as Minnith, near Heshbon. On his return took place the
fulfillment of his vow upon his daughter (Judges 11:40); and a civil
strife with the haughty tribe of Ephraim (Judges 12:1-6), which attacked
Gilead, but was beaten and put to flight. At the fords of Jordan many
thousand Ephraimites were slain in attempting to cross. Probably this
was the same place referred to already as Beth-barah. (Judges 7:24.)
After Jephthah, the tenth judge was Ibzan of Bethlehem, north of Mount
Carmel; the eleventh, Elon of Aijalon, in the tribe of Zebulon; the
twelfth, Abdon of Pirathon, in Ephraim. (Judges 12:8-15.)
7. =The Philistine Oppression= (Judges 13-16) began about the same time
with the Ammonite, but lasted far longer. During all the judgeships of
Eli, the thirteenth judge, of Samson the fourteenth, of Samuel the
fifteenth and last, and the forty years of Saul's reign, Israel remained
more or less under Philistine domination. In the reign of Saul we read
of Philistine garrisons throughout the land, as at Bethel (1 Sam.
10:3-5) and at Geba (1 Sam. 13:3), and not until all Israel was
consolidated under the strong sceptre of David, was the Philistine yoke
entirely thrown off.
Eli, the thirteenth judge, was also high-priest, and ruled from Shiloh,
the place of the ark. The history relates only the events at the close
of his judgeship, when, by the loss of the ark at Ebenezer, and the
death of Eli, on the same day, the Israelites were reduced to the lowest
condition of trouble.
The exploits of Samson were all personal, and in a narrow district. He
led no army, but wrought brave deeds singlehanded, in the "camp of Dan"
and the country of the Philistines. Had he added the administrative
powers of a Samuel to his courage and strength, the triumphs of David
would have been anticipated by a century. He was born at Zorah, in the
tribe of Dan (Judges 13:2), and won victories at Timnath (Judges
15:1-8); at Lehi ("the jaw," from the weapon used), a place whose
precise location is uncertain (Judges 15:9-20); and in his death, at
Gaza. (Judges 16.)
Samuel, the fifteenth judge, was born at Ramah (also called
Ramathaim-zophim) (1 Sam. 1:1), and ruled from the same place during his
period of government, from the loss of the ark to the Anointing of Saul.
The great event of his rule was the victory at Ebenezer (1 Sam. 7),
which gave a name to the place of the former defeat. Other places
connected with this period are Kirjath-jearim, where the ark was long
kept; Mizpeh, the place where the active rule of Samuel both began and
ended; Bethel and Gilgal, where also he exercised the functions of
judge; and Beersheba, in the south of Judah, where his sons ruled for a
time as deputies in his name.
Upon the map the names of the towns which remained during this period
under the control of the native races, are printed in red. Some of these
were Philistine, others Canaanite. Those on the maritime plain, west of
Judah and Benjamin, were mainly Philistine, as Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod,
Ekron and Gath. Those in the interior, as Aijalon and Jebus; around the
Plain of Esdraelon, as Harosheth, Megiddo, Taanach and Hadad-rimmon; and
in the Jordan Valley, as Beth-shean and Jericho, were under the control
of the Canaanite races.
We give the names of the fifteen judges, and their various centers of
authority, as indicated in the books of Judges and First Samuel. Some of
the locations are uncertain; but the places cannot be far from those
assigned upon the map. The names and locations are: 1. Othniel, tribe of
Judah. 2. Ehud, tribe of Benjamin. 3. Shamgar, tribe of Judah. 4.
Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in Ephraim. 5. Gideon, Ophrah, in
Manasseh, West. 6. Abimelech, "the bramble king," at Shechem, in
Ephraim. 7. Tola, in Shamir, of Manasseh, East. 8. Jair, in Manasseh,
East. 9. Jephthah, in the tribe of Gad. 10. Ibzan, in Bethlehem, north
of Mount Carmel. 11. Elon, at Aijalon, of Zebulon. 12. Abdon, at
Pirathon, in Ephraim. 13. Eli, at Shiloh, in Ephraim. 14. Samson, at
Zorah, in Dan. 15. Samuel, at Ramah, in Benjamin.
The battles of this period are indicated upon the map by flags, and are
as follows: 1. Bezek. 2. Hebron. 3. Debir. 4. Zephath. All these in the
campaign of Judah and Simeon. (Judges 1.) 5. Laish (Dan), in the north,
the Danite conquest. (Judges 18.) 6. Gibeah, the extermination of
Benjamin. (Judges 20.) 7. Fords of Moab, Ehud's victory over the
Moabites. (Judges 3.) 8. Mount Tabor, Deborah's victory over the
Canaanites. (Judges 4.) 9. The Hill Moreh (Little Hermon), Gideon's
victory over the Midianites. (Judges 7.) 10. Karkor, the capture of the
chiefs of Midian. (Judges 8.) 11. Shechem, Abimelech's conquest. (Judges
9.) 12. Thebez, Abimelech's death. (Judges 9.) 13. Aroer, Jephthah's
victory over the Ammonites. (Judges 11.) 14. Beth-barah, Jephthah's
victory over Ephraim. (Judges 12.) 15. Timnath. 16. Lehi. 17. Gaza,
Samson's three slaughters of the Philistines. (Judges 14-16.) 18.
Ebenezer, the loss of the ark. (1 Sam. 4.) 19. Ebenezer, the victory of
Samuel. (1 Sam. 7.)
OUTLINE FOR REVIEW.
I. SUPPLEMENTARY TO CONQUEST.
1. _Judah and Simeon._ Bezek, Hebron, Debir, Zephath.
2. _Danite Migration._ Zorah, Eshtaol; Laish (Dan).
3. _Civil War._ Benjamin, Gibeah.
II. OPPRESSIONS AND JUDGES.
1. _Mesopotamian._ (South.) Othniel, 1st Judge.
2. _Moabite._ (Central.) Jericho. Ehud, 2d Judge; Fords of Moab.
3. _Early Philistine._ (South.) Shamgar, 3d Judge.
4. _Canaanite._ (North.) Hazor, Harosheth. Mount Tabor; Deborah, 4th
Judge, Ramah.
5. _Midianite._ (Central and North.) Hill Moreh, Karkor; Gideon, 5th
Judge, Ophrah. Abimelech, 6th Judge; Shechem, Thebez. Tola, 7th Judge,
Shamir. Jair, 8th Judge, Camon.
6. _Ammonite._ (East.) Aroer; Jephthah, 9th Judge; "Fords of Jordan."
Ibzan, 10th Judge, Bethlehem. Elon, 11th Judge, Aijalon. Abdon, 12th
Judge, Pirathon.
7. _Philistine._ (South and Central.) Eli, 13th Judge, Shiloh; Ebenezer.
Samson, 14th Judge; Timnath, Lehi, Gaza. Samuel, 15th Judge, Ramah;
Ebenezer.
* * * * *
_Battles of the Period._ 1. Bezek. 2. Hebron. 3. Debir. 4. Zephath. 5.
Laish (Dan). 6. Gibeah. 7. Fords of Moab. 8. Mount Tabor. 9. Hill Moreh.
10. Karkor. 11. Shechem. 12. Thebez. 13. Aroer. 14. Fords of Jordan
(Beth-barah?). 15. Timnath. 16. Lehi. 17. Gaza. 18, 19. Ebenezer.
[Illustration: KINGDOM OF SAUL.
Saul's Last Battle.]
THE KINGDOM OF SAUL.
DURING the last century of the Judges, there was a growing tendency
toward a more settled form of government; and the wise rule of Samuel
inspired a still stronger desire for a better organization of the state.
The rival tribes of Ephraim and Judah were conciliated by the choice of
a king from the weak tribe of Benjamin, equally dependent upon both; and
Saul, an obscure farmer of Gibeah, was called to the throne. The events
of his reign are here related only so far as is necessary to present the
localities referred to, which may be grouped under the following heads:
1. His Appointment. 2. His Wars. 3. His Pursuit of David. 4. His Death.
I. =Saul's Appointment as King.= (1 Sam. 9-12.) This is connected with
four places. Ramah, the residence of Samuel (probably _Neby Samwil_,
3-1/2 miles nearly north of Jerusalem), where Saul was privately
crowned; Mizpeh, an unknown place, near by, and also north of Jerusalem,
where he was introduced to the people as king; Gibeah (_Tuleil el Ful_,
4 miles north of Jerusalem), his home and capital; and Gilgal, in the
Jordan Valley, where he was formally recognized as king, after his
victory at Jabesh-gilead. The places named in the account of Saul's
search for his father's stray asses, which led him to Samuel, are not
known with certainty; but Shalisha may be _Sirisia_, 13 miles north of
Lydda, and Zuph may be another name for Zophim, or Ramah, of which the
name in full was Ramathaim-zophim.
II. =The Wars of Saul.= (1 Sam. 11-18.) These were as follows:
1. _The Ammonite War._ (1 Sam. 11.) The Ammonites were a roving,
predatory, cruel people, ancient enemies of Israel, living east of the
Moabites. Under their king, Nahash, they invaded the territory east of
the Jordan, and besieged Jabesh-gilead (_ed Deir_). Word came to Saul,
who instantly summoned the warriors of Israel. They met at Bezek (not
the same with the Bezek of Judges 1:4, but probably the ruin _Ibzik_, a
little north of Tirzah), marched against the Ammonites, and, under
Saul's vigorous leadership, utterly discomfited them. The relief of
Jabesh-gilead, Saul's first victory, greatly strengthened his authority
as king, over the tribes.
2. _The First Philistine War._ (1 Sam. 13, 14.) At the time of Saul's
accession, the Philistine outposts held Geba, Bethel, and other places
in the mountain region. Saul undertook to free the land, and summoned
the Israelites, who came tremblingly, being thoroughly cowed under their
oppressors. Saul's son Jonathan struck the first blow, by attacking the
Philistines at Geba (_Jeba_), near Gibeah, Saul's capital; and soon
followed it up by a great victory at Michmash, across the valley from
Geba. The Israelites now gained courage, and pursued the Philistines,
even to their own borders. Nevertheless, the Philistines continued to
hold their fortresses in Israel through all the reign of Saul, and wars
were constant between the two races.
Three other wars of Saul are named in a single verse (1 Sam. 14:47),
without mention of particular events. These are as follows:
3. _The Moabite War._ These people lived south of the brook Arnon, and
east of the Dead Sea. The war with them may have taken place in
connection with the Ammonite campaign, already referred to. No
battle-fields are named, so that the places of the war cannot be given.
It resulted in the defeat of the Moabites, but not in their subjection
to Israel.
4. _The Edomite War_ perhaps occurred at the same time, and may have
been caused by an alliance of Edom, Moab and Ammon against Israel, as
all these tribes lived near each other, the Edomites south of the Dead
Sea. Probably after the victory at Jabesh-gilead, Saul pursued the
flying Ammonites, ravaged their territory, and then entered the lands of
Moab and of Edom.
5. _The Syrian War._ This was against "the kings of Zobah." (1 Sam.
14:47.) Zobah was situated near Damascus, northeast of Palestine, and
was the head of a kingdom until subjected in the reign of David. It is
likely that Saul's campaign was a defensive one, protecting his border
against a Syrian inroad, but no places or particulars are named.
6. _The Amalekite War._ (1 Sam. 14:48; 15:1-35.) This marked the turning
point in Saul's career; for, though a signal victory, it was the
occasion of his alienation from Samuel, the priests and the prophetic
order, and the beginning of his decline. The Amalekites were wild
Bedouins of the desert, whose presence made the southern border unsafe,
and against whom an ancient ban had been pronounced. They were to be
utterly destroyed, not merely conquered or despoiled. Saul assembled his
army at Telaim, on the southern border (probably _el Kuseir_, between
Beersheba and the Dead Sea), and marched into the land of the
Amalekites, destroyed their principal city, laid waste their country,
and brought away their king a prisoner. But the command had been, not to
plunder, but to destroy; as the safety of Israel (and, we may add, the
salvation of the world through Israel) was endangered by these nomad
hordes; and Saul, after leading his host with their plunder over the
mountains of Judah, met Samuel at Gilgal, and received a rebuke for his
disobedience, and the warning of his own rejection as the theocratic
king.
7. _The Second Philistine War._ (1 Sam. 17, 18.) War was the normal
condition between the Israelites and the Philistines, and there were
doubtless many battles and campaigns of which no mention is made. But
this was notable for the first appearance of DAVID, the destined king,
who had been privately anointed by Samuel at Bethlehem. The Philistines
were encamped at a place called Ephes-dammim, or Shochoh, and the
Israelites across the Valley of Elah, where between the two hosts David
met the gigantic Goliath of Gath, and killed him, in a deed of mingled
skill and courage. As a result the Philistines fled, and were pursued by
Israel even to the gates of Ekron and Gath. David was now brought
prominently into notice, and became one of Saul's household at Gibeah,
though soon an object of suspicion by the jealous king.
III. =Saul's Pursuit of David= (1 Sam. 19-28) is the principal subject
of the history during the close of his reign. We have indicated upon the
map, by a red line, the wanderings of David during this period, as
nearly as the localities have been identified, and have marked each
place by a number.
1. At _Gibeah_, the capital, David was more than once threatened with
death, until at last he fled from Saul's wrath to Ramah.
2. At _Ramah_, David was with Samuel and the "sons of the prophets," in
a neighborhood called Naioth, "pastures," or "dwellings." Here Saul came
to slay him, but was overcome by the ardent worship of the prophetic
band, and, forgetting his errand, joined in their devotions, while David
escaped once more to Gibeah. (1 Sam. 19:18-24.)
3. At _Gibeah_, David found a place of hiding for a few days, and then
met his friend Jonathan, in the farewell interview, when "the arrows"
were shot as tokens. (1 Sam. 20.)
4. David's first stopping place, in his permanent exile, was at _Nob_,
where stood the Tabernacle. Here he received food, and took the sword of
Goliath, which he carried as his weapon during his wanderings. This act
of hospitality afterward cost the high-priest and many of his order
their lives, at the hand of Saul. (1 Sam. 21:1-9; 22:6-23.) Nob was
probably about two miles north of Jerusalem.
5. From Nob, David made his way down the mountains to _Gath_, at that
time the head of the Philistine league. Here he was suspected by the
Philistines, and compelled to escape by a stratagem. (1 Sam. 21:10-15.)
6. He found a hiding place in the _Cave of Adullam_. This was in the
Shefelah, or low country, perhaps at _Beit-jibrin_, where immense
caverns are found. Here a force of men gathered around him, and his aged
parents and brothers joined him, probably from a well-grounded fear,
that Saul, who about this time slaughtered the priests for an act of
kindness to David, would not scruple to kill the members of his family.
(1 Sam. 22:1, 2.)
7. To find a safe refuge for his parents, David left Judah, and went
into the land of Moab. Here he placed his parents in the care of the
king of Moab, while David and his men took up their abode at _Mizpeh of
Moab_, in a place called "the hold." This may have been at _Kerak_. (1
Sam. 22:3-5.)
8. By the advice of the prophet Gad, who probably had been one of his
companions at Samuel's "school of the prophets," in Ramah, David led his
little army back to the land of Judah, and made his headquarters in the
_Forest of Hareth_ (perhaps _Kharas_, in the mountains near Hebron).
Here he received news of the massacre of the priests, and was joined by
Abiathar, bearing the ephod of the high-priest. (1 Sam. 22:5, 20-23.)
9. Next, he led his men to _Keilah_ (_Kilah_, in the mountains northwest
of Hebron), to repel an attack of the Philistines. But, learning that
the ungrateful people were about to betray him to Saul, he removed in
haste to the wilderness between Hebron and the Dead Sea, called
Jeshimon, "waste." (1 Sam. 23:1-13.)
10. In this wilderness David remained for a time, at _Ziph_ (_Tell Zif_,
south of Hebron). Here he met his friend Jonathan for the last time. His
followers scattered, and David was alone, except for the presence of a
few faithful companions. The Ziphites were willing to betray him to
Saul, and he was again compelled to flee. (1 Sam. 23:14-24.)
11. His next hiding place was a mountain in the wilderness of _Maon_, 7
miles south of Hebron. Here he was again in great danger from Saul, but
was saved by an opportune foray of the Philistines, which called the
king and his troops away. (1 Sam. 25:24-28.)
12. From Ziph he took refuge in the almost inaccessible mountains of
_En-gedi_ (_Ain-jedy_), overlooking the Dead Sea. Here David showed his
generosity in sparing Saul, when it was in his power to slay him. (1
Sam. 24.)