1. CHA P. should have a garrison in the city where Saul was wont to refide. The words Geba and Gibeah do in the Hebrew tongue denote an hill, and hence fome understand, by Geba in this place, fome hill on the coafts of the Philistines. So the word Gibeah is rendered in our Bible, chap. vii. ver. 1. The men of Kirjath-jearim brought the ark of the Lord into the house of Abinadab in the hill, which others render in Gibeah; and fo it is rendered in our own Bible, 2 Sam. vi. 4. The other places mentioned in chap. xiii. have been already fpoken of, except the land of Shual, ver. 17. (which seems and valley of to have been that part of Ephraim which lay about Oporah, the city of Gideon, before * spoken of) and the valley of Zeboim. Of this last name we read of two places in Scripture; one whereof was one of the four cities destroyed with Sodom; the other appertained to the tribe of Benjamin, as we learn from Neh. xi. 34. And this, without doubt, is the Zeboim here meant, which gave name to the adjoining valley, called here the valley of Zeboim. Of the land of Shual, Zeboim. 8. Of Migron, In chap. xiv. we have mention made of a place called MiBozez, and gron, (ver. 2.) and two rocks, one called Bozez, the other Seneh, Seneh. Migron was not far from Gibeah, as is plain from 9. Of Zobah. ver. 2; and as to the two rocks, the text exprefsly fays, that the fore front of the one was fituate northward over against Michmab, and the other fouthward over against Gibeah, ver. 5. In ver. 47. of this chapter we are informed of the power of Saul, that he fought against all his enemies; amongst whom are mentioned the Kings of Zobah. That the country of Zobah pertained to the Syrians, is evident from 2 San. x. 6,8. where we read expressly of the Syrians of Zobah; and from their being hired by the Ammonites (as is mentioned in the fame place), it appears, that Zobah lay in the parts of Syria adjoining to the Ammonites. And this is further confirmed from 2 Sam. viii. 3. compared with 1 Chron. xviii. 3. where we are informed, that David fmote the King of Zobab unto Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates ; and * Chap. vi. §. 7. p. 337. of Vol. I. 2 Chron. myra. 2 Chron. viii. 3. we read, that Solomon went to Hamath-Zo- SECT. bah, and prevailed against it, and there built Tadmor, or Pal- II. From comparing together these several texts of Scripture, it seems clear, that the kingdom of Zobah lay on the borders of Nephtali, and the half tribe of Manaffeh beyond Jordan, and fo between the land of Ifrael and the river Euphrates, ftretching from the neighbourhood of the Ammonites, to the land of Hamath. Hence Sabe and Barathena, mentioned by Ptolemy as cities of Arabia Deferta, in the confines of Palmyrene, feem to have been no other than Zobah and Berothai mentioned in the Scriptures, 2 Sam. viii. 8. See more, chap. ii. §. 29. 10. In 1 Sam. xv. we read, that Saul was by God's direction sent to destroy the Amalekites. To which end he gathered of Telaim. the Ifraelites together to Telaim, which in all probability was the fame place with Telem, reckoned among the cities of Judah, Jofh. xv. 24. And this place was very proper for this purpose, as lying in the fouth part of the tribe of Judah, and fo in the part adjoining to the Amalekites, as well as Edomites. Saul having fmitten the Amalekites, and took their King, came to Carmel, ver. 12. whereby is to be understood in this text, not the famous mountain fo called, but a city of the fouth part of the tribe of Judah, mentioned Jofh. xv. 55, and which feems to have given name to the territory round it. Of this city or country was Nabal, the hufband of Abigal, whom David married; and from chap. xxv. we find that it lay in the fouth parts of Judah. Eufebius and Jerom tell us, that there was in their time a town, called Carmelia, ten miles from Hebron to the east, and wherein the Romans kept a garrison, which might very well be the fame with the Carmel here mentioned. In chap. xvi. Samuel is fent by God to Bethlehem, to anoint David. I have spoken of this place in chap. ii. §. 3. of our Saviour's Journeyings, or the first part of my Geography of the New Teftament, it being the birth-place of our bleffed Saviour, as well as of King David, from whom our Saviour was defcended according to the flesh. To what is there 11. Of the city 12. Of Bethle CHAP. there faid, I fhall add here, that this place is otherwife called 1. Ephrath, or Ephratah; and fo fometimes Bethlehem-Ephra tah, fometimes Bethlehem-Judah, namely, to diftinguish it from another Bethlehem, lying in the tribe of Zabulon. It lies about fix miles from Jerufalem to the fouth, or southweft, in the way to Hebron, as Eufebius and Jerom tell us ; who add, that the monument of Jeffe, the father of David, was fhewn here in their time. Mr. Maundrel tells us, that about one hour and a quarter's diftance from Bethlehem fouthward, are fhewn those famous fountains, pools, and gardens, which are faid to have been the contrivance and delight of King Solomon. To these works and places of pleasure that great prince is fuppofed to allude, Ecclef. ii. 5, 6. where, amongst the other inftances of his magnificence, he reckons up his gardens, and vineyards, and pools. As for the pools, they are three in number, lying in a row above each other; being fo difpofed, that the waters of the uppermost may defcend into the fecond, and those of the fecond into the third. Their figure is quadrangular. The breadth is the fame in all, amounting to about ninety paces. In their length there is fome difference; the first being about one hundred and fixty paces long, the second two hundred, the third two hundred and twenty. They are all lined with wall and plaiftered, and contain a great depth of water. Clofe by the pools is a pleafant caftle of a modern ftructure; and about the diftance of one hundred and forty paces from them, is the fountain, from which principally they derive their waters. This the friars will have to be that fealed fountain, to which the holy fpoufe is compared, Cant. iv. 12. And, in confirmation of this opinion, they pretend a tradition, that King Solomon fhut up thefe fprings, and kept the door of them fealed with his fignet, to the end that he might preferve the waters for his own drinking, in their natural freshnefs and purity. Nor was it difficult thus to fecure them, they rifing under ground, and having no avenue to them, but by a little hole like to the mouth of a narrow well. Through this hole you defcend directly down, but not without fome difficulty, for about four yards; and then arrive in a vaulted room Ii. room fifteen paces long, and eight broad. Joining to this is SECT. another room of the fame fashion, but fomewhat lefs. Both thefe rooms are covered with handsome stone arches, very ancient, and perhaps, fays my Author, the work of Solomon himself. You find here four places, at which the water rifes. From these separate fources it is conveyed by little rivulets into a kind of bafon, and from thence is carried by a large fubterraneous paffage down into the pools. In the way, before it arrives at the pools, there is an aqueduct of brick-pipes, which receives part of the ftream, and carries it by many turnings and windings about the mountains to Jerufalem. Below the pools here runs down a narrow rocky valley, inclosed on both fides with high mountains. This the friars will have to be the inclofed garden, alluded to in the fame place of the Canticles before cited: A garden inclofed is my fifter, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain fealed. What truth there is in this conjecture, I cannot, fays Mr. Maundrel, abfolutely pronounce. As to the pools, it is probable enough they may be the fame with Solomon's, there not being the like ftore of excellent spring-water to be met with any where else, throughout all Palestine, or the Holy Land. But for the gardens one may fafely affirm, that if Solomon made them in the rocky ground, which is now affigned for them, he demonftrated greater power and wealth in finishing his defign, than he did wifdom in choofing the place for it. Le Bruyn fays, that he knows not how to be of their mind, that take them to be the work of Solomon, fince he perceives not the least probability for it; yet he has given us a draught of them. What has hitherto been fpoken of lies to the fouth of Bethlehem. On the west thereof is fhewn the well of David, fo called, because it is held to be the fame with that, the waters whereof David so paffionately thirfted after, 2 Sam. xxiii. 15. It is a well, or rather a ciftern, fupplied only with rain, without any natural excellency in its waters to make them defirable; but we are told, that David's fpirit had a further aim. The forementioned paffage of Scripture runs thus: And CHAP. And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines I. was then in Bethlehem. And David longed, and faid, O that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And three mighty men broke through the boft of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, &c. Now, according to this paffage of Scripture, if that now-a-days fhewn for the well of David is really fuch, then it appears from thence, that BethJehem was of a greater extent than it is at present, since this well was formerly at the gate of Bethlehem, whereas it is now at fome distance from the town. About two furlongs beyond this well, are to be feen some remains of an old aqueduct, which anciently conveyed the waters from Solomon's pools to Jerufalem. This is faid to be the genuine work of Solomon, and may well, fays Mr. Maundrel, be allowed to be in reality what it is pretended for. It is carried all along upon the surface of the ground, and is compofed of ftones-feet fquare, and thick, perforated with a cavity of― inches diameter, to make the channel. These ftones are let into each other with a fillet, framed round about the cavity to prevent leakage; and united to each other with fo firm a cement, that they will fometimes fooner break (though a kind of coarse marble) than be separated. This train of ftones was covered, for its greater fecurity, with a cafe of fmaller ftones, laid over it in a very ftrong mortar. The whole work feems to be endued with fuch abfolute firmness, as if it had been defigned for eternity. But the Turks have demonftrated in this inftance, that nothing can be fo well wrought, but they are able to deftroy it. For of this strong aqueduct, which was carried formerly five or fix leagues, with fo vaft expence and labour, you see now only here and there a fragment remaining. And fo much for Bethlehem. To proceed now with the facred History. We have in chap. xvii. the relation of the celebrated victory of David over Goliath, the giant of Gath. The Philiftines were encamped at that time between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim, and the Ifraelites by the valley of Elah, ver. 1, 2. Of Azekah I have spoken already; and it is plain from |
