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I.

ward by Rehoboam his grandson; but again dismantled by Ozi- SECT. as King of Judah, and finally laid wafte by Hazael King of Syria. However it recovered, and was in being, and retained its old name in the days of Eufebius and Jerom, and is placed by them about four miles from Eleutheropolis, towards Diofpolis or Lydda.

10.

Of Ekron.

After the ark was brought to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great deftruction; and he Smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emrods in their fecret parts. Therefore they fent the ark of God to Ekron. 1 Sam. v. 9, 10. This city was the most northern of all the five cities, which gave name to the five lordships of the Philiftines, lying in the north border of Ju-. dah, as appears from Jofh. xv. II. It was called by the Greeks, Accaron, and was a place of great wealth and power, and held out a long while against the Ifraelites. It is much spoken of in the holy Scriptures, and particularly for the idolatrous worship of Beelzebub, i. e. the Lord of Flies, fo called by the Jews, either in contempt of the idolatrous worship paid to him, or because of the great multitude of flies which did attend his facrifices; from which, fome say, the temple of Jerufalem was wholly free. But whatfoever he was, or for whatever cause so named, certain it is, that he was here had in special honour, and is therefore called in Scripture, the God of Ekron. And hither it was, that Ahaziah, the King of Ifrael, fent his meffenger to enquire of this idol concerning his health.

The ark being brought to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, Saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Ifrael to us, to flay us, and our people. So they fent and gathered together all the Lords of the Philistines, and faid, Send away the ark of the God of Ifrael, and let it go to its own place. Hereupon, by the advice of their priefts and the diviners, the ark of God was laid on a new cart; and two milch-kine, on which there had been no yoke, were tied to the cart, their calves being brought home from them. Notwithstanding which, the faid two kine took the ftraight way to Bethfhemesh, a town belonging to the tribe of Judah; whereby the Philistines

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II.

Of Beth

fhemesh.

I.

CHAP. were taught that the evils that had befallen them came not by chance, but that the God of Ifrael had afflicted them therewith. 1 Sam. vi. 9. This Bethfhemesh lay in the north border of Judah (as appears from Josh. xv. 10.) and not far weftward from Kirjath-jearim, of which we are to speak

12.

Of Kirjath jearim.

next.

From Bethfhemesh the ark was quickly removed to Kirjath-jearim, where it continued for twenty years; namely, till it was fetched from thence by King David, as we read 1 Chron. xiii. 5, 6. This Kirjath-jearim is expressly reckoned among the cities of the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 60. And ver. 9, 10. of that chapter, we find it lay in the north border of that tribe, not far from Bethfhemesh, and that it was otherwise called Baalah, and thence sometimes Kirjath→ baal (ver. 60.) as well as Kirjath-jearim; this last name being taken from mount Jearim, upon or near which it lay. It frequently occurs in Scripture.

13. After the ark was fettled at Kirjath-jearim, Samuel took Of Mizpeh on the weft occafion to exhort the people to turn away from their idolaof Jordan. try; and, for their encouragement hereto, promised them, that, upon their repentance, God would deliver them out of the hand of the Philiftines. The Ifraelites took the Prophet's advice: whereupon Samuel fummoned them together to Mizpeh, and there kept a folemn fast. The Mizpeh here mentioned must be (as appears from the circumftances of this sto→ ry) different from that above mentioned in the history of Jephthah: accordingly we have another Mizpeh, mentioned among the cities of Judah, (Josh. xv. 38.) and a third mentioned among the cities of Benjamin, (Jofh. xviii. 26.) Some are of opinion, that these two were really but one and the fame city, lying in the confines of Judah and Benjamin. If they were not the fame, then it seems most probable, that Mizpeh in the tribe of Benjamin was that which is here spoken of, as alfo Judg. xx. 1, 3. and 2 Kings xxv. 23. and also I Maccab. iii. 46; where it is called Mafpha, and is faid to be, not only over against Jerufalem, but also the place where they prayed aforetime in Ifrael; alluding to this paffage in Samuel, and the other in Judges.

The

I.

14.

The Philiftines, hearing that the Ifraelites were gathered SECT. together at Mizpeh, went up against them; and joining battle, the Philistines were routed, the Ifraelites pursuing them unto Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone, and fet it between Of EbenMizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer (i, e. ezer, the stone of help), faying, Hitherto bath the Lord helped us. Chap. vii. ver. 11, 12. Now this stone lay near Bethshemesh, as Eufebius and Jerom inform us; and it being plain from Scripture, that Bethshemesh lay in the north border of Judah, it will follow, that this Eben-ezer did fo likewife; and therefore, that Mizpeh was fituated also thereabout, as being not far from Eben-ezer: and the like inference is to be made, as to the fituation of Beth-car and Shen; namely, that as Mizpeh was fituated not far from Eben-ezer on one (probably the east or north-east) fide; fo Shen was fituated not far from it on the oppofite fide, or to the weft or fouth-weft; and that Beth-car was fo likewife.

SECT. II.

Of the Places mentioned in the first Book of Samuel, from Saul's being anointed King, to his Death.

I.

FTER this the Philistines came no more into the coast of Ifrael, all the days of Samuel. And the cities, which the of the land of Zuph. Philiftines had taken from Ifrael, were restored to Ifrael. Chap. vii. ver. 13, 14. Notwithstanding which, Samuel being grown old, and his fons not walking in his ways, the elders of Ifrael wait on Samuel at Ramah, and defire him to make a King over them, like as all other nations had. Hereupon the facred Hiftory takes notice, upon what account Saul happened to come to Samuel, and how he was anointed by Samuel King over Ifrael, chap. ix-x. ver. 1. As for the land of Shalisha and Shalim, mentioned chap. ix. ver. 4. it being no where else mentioned, nothing of certainty, or tolerable probability, can be faid of them. As for the land of Zuph, ver. 5. it is evident, that thereby is denoted that part of mount Ephraim,

where

CHAP. where ftood Ramah, the city of Samuel, which was thence I. called Ramathaim-Zophim.

2.

In chap. x. ver. 2. we have mention made of Rachel's seOf Rachel's pulchre, where it is exprefsly faid to be in the border of Benjafepulchre. min, and near a place then called Zelzah. Of this fepulchre, fee my Geography of the New Teftament, Part I.

༢.

Of Gibeah.

4.

Gilead.

In the latter end of this chapter we read, that Saul was publickly made King at Mizpeh; after which he went home to Gibeah, a city of Benjamin, and which, as it was his native place, fo it was afterwards made his royal feat; whence it is ftyled in Scripture, Gibeah of Saul, as well as Gibeah of Benjamin. It was here, that the concubine of the Levite was abufed; which proved almoft the entire ruin of this tribe of Benjamin. It lay to the north of Jerufalem, being between twenty and thirty furlongs from it. (Jof. Ant. 5. chap. ii. and Jewish War 6. chap. ii.) It ftood on an hill, as the name imports.

Not long after this, Jabefh-Gilead being befieged by the Of Jabeth- Ammonites, was timely relieved by Saul, and a great slaughter made of the enemy. The very name of this place imports, that it lay in Gilead, and so on the east of Jordan, and adjoining to the country of the Ammonites who befieged it. It was a town in Eufebius and Jerom's times, being fix miles diftant from Pella, and ftanding upon an hill, as one goes to Gerafa. It is fometimes fimply called Jabesh in Scripture ; and the inhabitants thereof are remarked in the facred Hiftofor their grateful remembrance of this benefit they received from Saul, when after his death, having heard that the Philistines had faftened his body to the wall of Bethshan, they went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his fons from the wall of Bethfhan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there; and took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Fabesh, and fafted feven days. Chap. xxxi. ver. 10—13. For which their gratitude they were highly commended by King David, 2 Sam. ii. 5—7.

5.

ry,

In chap. xiii. ver. 5. we read, that the Philistines came up, Of Mich- and pitched in Michmash. This place, the text tells us, was eaward from Beth-aven. And Eufebius and Jerom inform

mash.

us,

II.

us, that in their time it was a great town, retaining its old SECT. name, and lying nine miles from Jerufalem, near to Ramah. But now these two accounts are irreconcileable; and the fault feems to be either in the prefent reading of the Hebrew Text, or our rendering of it. The feventy Interpreters read it Bethoron, and the Syriac and Arabick interpreters read it Bethel; and Michmash might lie east of Bethel, and certainly did lie east of Bethoron the Nether (which the LXX. understood); but it could not lie east of Beth-aven (taken as distinct from Bethel), and yet be fo near Rama or Jerufalem as Eufebius and Jerom fay. If therefore Beth-aven be the true reading, then the Hebrew word rendered by us eastward ought to be rendered before, or (as it is by the LXX.) over against; and so both accounts are very reconcileable, as may be seen by the map.

In the fame chap. xiii. ver. 3. we read, that Jonathan, the fon of Saul, fmote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba. Now among the cities of Benjamin mentioned Josh. xviii. we read of Gaba, Gibeath, and Gibeon; and Josh. xxi. ver. 17. we read, that the two cities given to the children of Aaron out of the tribe of Benjamin, were Gibeon and Geba. Whence it is not to be doubted, but that Gaba, chap. xviii. was the fame with Geba, chap. xxi. Some have been of opinion, that this Geba or Gaba was alfo the fame with Gibeah; but this opinion is discountenanced, not only by Gibeath (which in all probability was the fame with Gibeah) being exprefsly named as a distinct city from Gaba, (Josh. xviii.) but also by the circumstances mentioned in this 13th chapter of 1 Samuel, and elfewhere. For we read, chap. x. ver. 26. that Gibeah was the city where Saul dwelt, and hence, chap. xi. ver. 4. it is called Gibeah of Saul; and agreeably, chap. xiii. ver. 2. we read, that Saul chofe him three thoufand men of Ifrael; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and mount Bethel, and a thousand with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin, i. e. in the royal city of Saul. And in ver. 3. we presently read next, that Jonathan fmote the garrifon of the Philiftines that was in Geba: which was therefore diftinct from Gibeah, it being not likely, that the Philistines

fhould

6.

Of Geba

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