of the land of Judah (Psal. lxxvi. 1.) or of Judæa; which last name the whole country retained during the existence of the second temple, and under the dominion of the Romans.

7. The appellation of PALESTINE, by which the whole land appears to have been called in the days of Moses (Exod. xv. 14.), is derived from the Philistines, a people who migrated from Egypt, and having expelled the aboriginal inhabitants, settled on the borders of the Mediterranean; where they became so considerable as to give their name to the whole country, though they, in fact, possessed only a small part of it. Herodotus called the whole tract of country from Syria to Egypt by the name of Palestine; and Philo, in his book concerning Abraham, expressly says, that the region inhabited by the Canaanites was, by the Syrians, termed Palestine. The same region is also called the Syrian Palestine (Syria Palæstina) by Tacitus and other ancient geographers.3

2

II. The ancient geographers placed the Holy Land in the centre of the then known world. Its extent has been variously estimated; some geographers making it not to exceed one hundred and seventy or eighty miles in length, from north to south, and one hundred and forty miles from east to west in its broadest parts (or towards the south), and about seventy miles in breadth, where narrowest, towards the north. From the latest and most accurate maps, however, it appears to have extended about one hundred and ninety miles in length, and to have been about eighty miles in breadth about the middle, and ten or fifteen, more or less, where it widens or contracts. By the Abrahamic covenant, recorded in Gen. xv. 18., the original grant of the Promised Land to the Israelites was from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates. The Boundaries of it are thus accurately described by Moses (Numb. xxxiv. 1-16.), before the Israelites entered into it: "When ye come into the land of Canaan, (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan, with the coasts thereof,) your SOUTH QUARTER shall be from the wilderness of Zin, along by the coast of Edom," or Idumæa. This was its general description. The boundary itself is next traced: "And your south border shall be the utmost coast of the Salt Sea eastward ;” or, as explained by Joshua's description afterwards (xv. 2-4.), " the south border of the tribe of Judah began from the bay of the Salt Sea that looketh southward;" or, by combining both, from the south-east corner of the Salt Sea, or Asphaltite Lake. "From thence, your border shall turn southwards to the ascent of Akrabbim," or the mountains of Accaba, (signifying "ascent" in Arabic,) which run towards the head of the Elanitic, or Eastern gulf of the Red Sea; passing (we may presume) through the sea-ports of Elath and Eziongeber, on the Red Sea, which belonged to Solomon (1 Kings ix. 26.), though they are not noticed in this place. "Thence it shall pass on to [the wilderness of] Zin," on the east side of Mount Hor, including that whole mountainous region within the boundary; "and the going forth thereof shall be to Kadesh Barnea southwards; and it shall go on

to Hazar Addar1, and pass on to Azmon." "And the border shall fetch a compass," or form an angle, "from Azmon," or turn westwards "towards the river of Egypt," now called the Wady El-Arisch; " and its outgoings shall be at the sea," that is, the Mediterranean Sea, into which it runs in Arabia.2

"And as for the WESTERN BORDER, ye shall have the Great Sea for a border. This shall be your west border." The Great Sea is the Mediterranean, as contrasted with the smaller seas or lakes, the Red Sea, the Salt Sea, and the Sea of Tiberias, or Galilee.

And this shall be your NORTH BORDER: from the Great Sea you shall point out Hor ha-hor (not "Mount Hor," as rendered in our English Bible, confounding it with that on the southern border, but) "the mountain of the mountain" or " the double mountain," or Mount Lebanon, which formed the northern frontier of Palestine, dividing it from Syria; consisting of two great parallel ranges, called Libanus and Antilibanus, and running eastwards from the neighbourhood of Sidon to that of Damascus.

"From Hor ha-hor ye shall point your border to the entrance of Hamath," which Joshua, speaking of the yet unconquered land, describes, "All Lebanon, towards the sun rising, from (the valley of) Baal Gad, under Mount Hermon, unto the entrance of Hamath." (Josh. xiii. 5.) This demonstrates, that Hor ha-hor corresponded to all Lebanon, including Mount Hermon, as judiciously remarked by Wells', who observes, that it is not decided which of the two ridges, the northern or the southern, was properly Libanus; the natives at present call the southern so, but the Septuagint and Ptolemy called it Antilibanus." From Hamath it shall go on to Zedad, and from thence to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar Enan," (near Damascus, Ezek. xlviii. 1.) This shall be your north border.

"And ye shall point out your EAST BORDER from Hazar Enan to Shephan, and the coast shall go down to Riblah on the east side of Ain ("the fountain" or springs of the river Jordan), and the border shall descend and shall reach unto the [east] side of the sea of Chinnereth. And the border shall go down to Jordan on the east side, and the goings out of it shall be at the Salt Sea." There it met the southern border, at the south-east corner of that sea, or the Asphaltite lake.

"This shall be your land, with the coasts thereof round about" in circuit.5

Such was the admirable geographical chart of the Land of Promise, dictated to Moses by the God of Israel, and described with all the accuracy of an eye-witness. Of this region, however, the Israelites were not put into immediate possession. In his first expedition

1 Joshua (xv. 3.) interposes two additional stations, Hezron and Karkaa, before and after Addar, or Hazar Addar, which are not noticed by Moses.

* This termination of the southern border westwards, is exactly conformable to the accounts of Herodotus and Pliny: the former represents Mount Casius lying between Pelusium and the Sirbonic lake, as the boundary between Egypt and Palestine Syria, (iii. 5.) the latter reckoned the Sirbonic lake itself as the boundary. (Nat. Hist. v. 13.)

The Septuagint Version has judiciously rendered it, ràpa тò öpos тd öpos; “the mountain beside the mountain."

Sacred Geography, vol. ii. p. 271.

› Dr. Hales's Analysis of Chronology, vol. i. pp. 414–416.

Joshua subdued all the southern department of the Promised Land, and in his second the northern, having spent five years in both (Josh. xi. 18.): what Joshua left unfinished of the conquest of the whole was afterwards completed by David and Solomon. (2 Sam. viii. 3-14.; 2 Chron. ix. 26.) In the reign of the latter was realised the Abrahamic covenant in its full extent. And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the river (Euphrates) unto the land of the Philistines, and the border of Egypt:-for he had dominion over all the region on this side the river (Euphrates), from Tipsah (or Thapsacus situated thereon) even to Azzah (or Gaza with her towns and villages), "unto the river" of Egypt, southward, "and the Great Sea," westward (Josh. xv. 47.), even over all the kings on this side the river (Euphrates). 1 Kings iv. 21. 24.1

But the Israelites did not always retain possession of this tract, as is shown in the succeeding pages. It lies far within the temperate zone, and between 31 and 33 degrees of north latitude, and 34 and 36 degrees of east longitude, and was bounded on the west by the Mediterranean or Great Sea, as it is often called in the Scriptures; on the east by Arabia; on the south by the river of Egypt (or the river Nile, whose eastern branch was reckoned the boundary of Egypt, towards the great Desert of Shur, which lies between Egypt and Palestine,) and by the desert of Sin, or Beersheba, the southern shore of the Dead Sea, and the river Arnon; and on the north by the chain of mountains termed Lebanon, near which stood the city of Dan: hence in the Sacred Writings we frequently meet with the expression, from Dan to Beersheba, in order to denote the whole. length of the land of Israel.3

III. The Land of Canaan, previously to its CONQUEST by the Israelites, was possessed by the descendants of Canaan, the youngest son of Ham, and grandson of Noah; who divided the country among his eleven sons, each of whom was the head of a numerous clan or tribe. (Gen. x. 15-19.) Here they resided upwards of seven centuries, and founded numerous republics and kingdoms. In the days of Abraham, this region was occupied by ten nations: the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, to the east of Jordan; and westward, the Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaims, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and the Jebusites. (Gen. xv. 18-21.) These latter in the days of Moses were called the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (Deut. vii. 1.; Josh. iii. 10., xxiv. 11.); the Hivites being substituted for the Rephaims. These seven nations were thus distributed: :

The Hittites or sons of Heth, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwelt in the mountains, or hill country of Judæa, southward;

1 Dr. Hales's Analysis of Chronology, vol. i. pp. 416, 417.

2 It is a point much in dispute among writers on the geography of the Bible, whether the "river of Egypt" means the Nile, or the Sichor mentioned in Josh. xiii. 3. and Jer. ii. 18. Dr. Hales, however, has shown at length that the Nile is the river intended; and upon his authority we have considered "the river of Egypt," and the Nile, as the same river. See his Analysis of Chronology, vol. i. pp. 413, 414.

For a full investigation of the boundaries of the promised land, see Michaelis's Commentaries on the Law of Moses, vol. i. pp. 55-97.

the Canaanites dwelt in the midland by the sea, westward, and by the coast of Jordan eastward; and the Girgashites, or Gergesenes, along the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee; and the Hivites in Mount Lebanon, under Hermon, in the land of Mizpeh or Gilead, northward. (Compare Numb. xiii. 29.; Josh. xi. 3.; Judges iii. 3.; and Matt. viii. 28.) Of all these nations the Amorites became the most powerful, so as to extend their conquests beyond the river Jordan over the Kadmonites; whence they are sometimes put for the whole seven nations, as in Gen. xv. 16., Josh. xxiv. 15., and 2 Sam. xxi. 2. These nations were the people whom the children of Israel were commanded to exterminate. Within the period of seven years Moses conquered two powerful kingdoms on the east, and Joshua thirtyone smaller kingdoms, on the west of Jordan, and gave their land to the Israelites; though it appears that some of the old inhabitants were permitted by Jehovah to remain there, to prove their conquerors whether they would hearken to the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses: and the nations thus spared were afterwards suffered to oppress the Israelites with great severity. (Numb. xxi. 21-35., xxxii. and xxxiv.; Deut. ii. 26-37., iii. 1-20.; Josh. vi. 21.; Judges i. 4.) Nor were they finally subdued until the reigns of David and Solomon, who reduced them to the condition of slaves: the latter employed 153,600 of them in the most servile parts of his work, in building his temple, palace, &c. (2 Sam. v. 6-8.; 1 Chron. xi. 4-8.; 1 Kings ix. 21.; 2 Chron. ii. 17, 18., and viii. 7, 8.)

Besides these devoted nations there were others, either settled in the land at the arrival of the Israelites, or in its immediate environs, with whom the latter had to maintain many severe conflicts: they were six in number.

1. The PHILISTINES were the descendants of Mizraim, the second son of Ham; who, migrating from Caphtor or the north-eastern part of Egypt, very early settled in a small strip of territory along the seashore, in the south-west of Canaan, having expelled the Avites, who had before possessed it. (Deut. ii. 23.; Amos ix. 7.; Jer. xlvii. 4.) The district occupied by the Philistines was in the time of Joshua distinguished into five lordships, denominated, from the chief towns, Gaza, Ashdod, Askelon, Gath, and Ekron. They were the most formidable enemies, perhaps, whom the children of Israel had to encounter: and of the inveteracy of their enmity against the latter, we have abundant evidence in the Sacred Writings. Though they were subdued by David, and kept in subjection by some succeeding monarchs, yet they afterwards became so considerable, that from them the Holy Land was called by the Greeks Palestine, which appellation it retains to this day. The country was finally subdued about the year of the world 3841 (B. C. 159.) by the illustrious general, Judas Maccabæus; and about sixty-five years afterwards Jannæus burnt their city Gaza, and incorporated the remnant of the Philistines with such Jews as he placed in their country.

2. The MIDIANITES were the descendants of Midian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah. (Gen. xxv. 2.) In the Scriptures two

different places are assigned as the territory of the Midianites: the one almost the north-east point of the Red Sea, where Jethro the father-in-law of Moses was a prince or priest. These western or southern Midianites were also called Cushites, because they occupied the country that originally belonged to Cush. They retained the knowledge of the true God, which appears to have been lost among the eastern or northern Midianites who dwelt on the east of the Dead Sea. (Gen. xxv. 2-6. xxxvii. 28.; Exod. ii. iii. xviii.) These northern Midianites were either subject to or allied with the Moabites; and their women were particularly instrumental in seducing the Israelites to idolatry and other crimes; which wickedness was punished by Jehovah with the almost total destruction of their nation (Numb. xxii. 4-7. xxv. xxxi.; Josh. xiii. 21.); although they afterwards recovered so much of their former strength as to render the Israelites their tributaries, and for seven years greatly oppressed them. From this bondage, Gideon delivered his countrymen with a very inferior force, and almost annihilated the Midianites, whose surviving remnants are supposed to have been incorporated with the Moabites or Ammonites. 3, 4. The MOABITES and AMMONITES were the descendants of the incestuous offspring of Lot. (Gen. xix. 30—38.) The Moabites dwelt on the east of the Jordan, in a tract whence they had expelled the Emims, a gigantic aboriginal race. The Ammonites had their residence north-east of the Moabites, which territory they had wrested from the Zamzummim, another gigantic tribe. The country occupied by these two tribes was exceedingly pleasant and fertile; they were violently hostile to the Israelites, whom they at different times terribly oppressed. They were conquered by David, and for about 150 years continued in subjection to the Israelites. On the division of the kingdom they fell to the share of the ten tribes; and after several attempts to regain their liberty under succeeding kings of Israel (some of whom severely chastised them, and imposed heavy tributes upon them), they are supposed to have effected their complete liberation during the unhappy reign of Ahaz.

5. The AMALEKITES were descended from Amalek, the son of Ham, and grandson of Noah, and were very formidable enemies to the Israelites. They were settled on the south coast westward of Jordan, and first opposed the Israelites after their departure from Egypt, but were defeated and doomed to destruction (Exod. xvii. 8-16., Deut. xxv. 17-19.); which was commenced by Saul, and finished by David.

6. The EDOMITES were the descendants of Esau or Edom: they possessed themselves of the country southward of Judæa and the Red Sea, which was originally occupied by the Horites, who are supposed to have been finally blended with their conquerors. It was a mountainous tract, including the mountains of Seir and Hor, and the provinces of Dedan, Teman, &c. They were governed by dukes_or princes, and afterwards by their own kings. (Gen. xxxvi. 31.) Inveterate foes to Israel, they continued independent until the time of David, by whom they were subdued and rendered tributary, in completion of Isaac's prophecy, that Jacob should rule Esau. (Gen. xxvii.