set out on their way to Palestine. Their first encampment was at Taberah, three days' journey north-east of Sinai, and memorable for a fire that was attended with great damage to life and property.* Their second encampment was at Kibroth-hattaavah, a station that lay in the same northerly direction, beyond the wilderness of Sinai,t and the name of which was given to commemorate a fatal disaster which, in that place, by the righteous judgment of heaven, befel the people. Their third encampment was at Hazeroth, which they reached in five days' journey, by a slanting course to the shore of the gulf of Akaba, on which it is supposed by Robinson to have lain. This plain, famous for the mutiny that broke out in the family of Moses, and for the leprosy that excluded Miriam from the camp, that writer identifies with the spring Ainel-Hudhera, whose site is close on the beach. 'The determination of this point,' says he, 'is of much more importance in biblical history than would at first appear; for such is the nature of the country that they must have gone by this route, and, once at this fountain, they could not have well varied their course so as to have kept aloof from the sea.' From this point in the passage along the shore, they entered the wilderness of Paran, and at Kadesh-barnea, which lay within its boundaries, and to which they travelled through the long valley of El-Arabah, Moses despatched spies to reconnoitre the land of Canaan. There, too, the people, dispirited and murmuring at their unfavourable report, were condemned to turn back and wander in the desert; a signal defeat was sustained from the Amalekites, and Korah's rebellion broke out. Thirtyeight years they spent in various wanderings, though it is impossible from the little knowledge we possess of that part of the Arabian peninsula, to trace their *Numbers xi. 3; Deut. ix. 22. Numbers xiv. 33, 45; xvi. + Numbers xxxiii. 16. And course as yet with any pretence to accuracy. * passing over the regular succession of stages, therefore, from inability to produce any satisfactory information, we shall mention only one or two places in their route remarkable chiefly for the incidents that took place, or the importance they afterwards acquired. Elath, now Ailah, and Ezion-geber, now el-Akaba, about twenty miles south of the former, two cities of Idumea, situated on the northern point of the eastern or Elanitic arm of the Red Sea, both of which became flourishing and important sea-ports in the reign of Solomon. At the latter station, that prince built his fleet that traded to Ophir ; and it was memorable at a subsequent period for the destruction of the shipping destined for the same distant expedition by Jehoshaphat, and his ally the idolatrous Ahaziah.† The vessels were wrecked on a ridge of rocks near the mouth of the harbour, from which the name Ezion-geber, signifying the backbone, was derived.] Seir, whither Esau retired from the presence of his brother Jacob, was a mountainous country originally inhabited by the Horites, or Horims, the descendants of Hor or Hori, from whom the mountain was afterwards called mount Hor. It was on a mountain of this name, by the coasts of Edom, that Aaron died. It is therefore probable, that the whole tract was formerly called mount Hor; since we find that the inhabitants were formerly called Horites. The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead.' Mount Hor, in the course of ages, exchanged its primitive appellation for Seir, the name of a distinguished Horite, probably the most powerful chieftain among those hardy moun * Burckhardt states with much regret, that the modern Arabic names which have entirely obliterated the Hebrew ones, render it impossible to ascertain many of the localities mentioned in the wanderings of the Israelites.-Editor. Deuteronomy ii. 12. +1 Kings xxii. 48. taineers. This is no ideal personage; for Moses expressly mentions him, and enumerates his descendants in the close of the same chapter, where he gives us an account of the sons of Esau.* The country of Edom lay between the lake Asphaltites and the Arabian gulf. The sacred writer affirms, that it extended as far as the Red Sea - And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.'+ But if Ezion-geber was both on the shore of the Red Sea and in the land of Edom, the dominions of Esau must have extended to the Arabian gulf. This, in the opinion of Dr Wells, is the true reason that the Arabian gulf came to have the name of the Red Sea; which means no more than the sea of Edom, or Idumean Sea. As this country was called the land of Edom, from Esau, who for selling his birth-right for some red pottage, was named Edom, which, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies red; so, from the country, as is usual, the adjoining sea took the name of the sea of Edom. Beyond mount Seir to the westward, runs a ridge of mountains, which separates Canaan from Arabia, and which seems to be denoted in Scripture by the name of the mountain of the Amorites; some of whose branches run up northward to Hebron. Abarim, a mountainous range between the rivers Arnon and Jordan,- -on Nebo or Pisgah, from one of the loftiest peaks of which Moses enjoyed a distant prospect of the land of Promise. One part of these mountains, or hills, was distinguished by the names of mount Nebo and Pisgah. God said unto Moses, 'Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, over against Jericho.'§ And that this was the same as mount Pisgah, from whose summit Moses obtained a sight of the promised * Genesis xxxvi. 20. +1 Kings ix. 26. land, and where he terminated a career of greater glory than ever fell to the lot of any fallen mortal, may be înferred from the following words :-' And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountains of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah that is over against Jericho."* From this account it seems probable, that Pisgah was the highest pinnacle of Nebo, a mountain in the great range of Abarim; for the term Pisgah may be derived from a root which signifies to elevate or raise up: and therefore may justly denote the top or the loftiest peak of that mountain. But, on the other hand, Eusebius has observed that Aquila who translated the Bible into Greek, uniformly rendered the Hebrew word Pisgah, by a Greek word signifying cut out; and that the Seventy interpreters in some places rendered it after the same manner. Whence some conjecture, that in one part of mount Nebo, steps were cut out in order to facilitate the ascent; and that this part more properly bore the name of Pisgah. But those who favour this opinion, have not been able to produce any Hebrew root, which might warrant the version of these celebrated interpreters; and it is more natural to suppose, that this particular summit owed its name to its great elevation, and the extensive prospect which it commanded. The conjecture certainly receives some countenance, from the circumstance that Moses was directed to take his station on that part of the mountain, for the purpose of viewing the promised land. Eusebius and Jerome informs us, that some part of this ridge of mountains that was seen as one went up from Livies to Esbus, or Heshbon, retained the old name of Abarim so late as their times; and that the part peculiarly called mount Nebo, was over against Jericho, not far from Jordan, and six miles west from Esbus.t [The extensive view which this elevated spot com. * Deuteronomy xxxiv. 1. † Wells' Historical Geography, vol. i. p. 285. manded, is well shown in the following eloquent passage of Milman:- From the top of Mount Abarim or Nebo, the former of which names may perhaps be traced in Djebel Attarous, the highest point in the district, the lawgiver, whose eyes were not yet dimmed, and who had suffered none of the infirmities of age, might survey a large tract of country. To the right lay the mountain pastures of Gilead, the romantic district of Bashan, the windings of Jordan might be traced along its broad and level valley, till almost beneath his feet it flowed into the Dead Sea. To the north spread the luxuriant plains of Esdraelon, the more hilly, yet fruitful country of Lower Galilee. Right opposite stood the city of Jericho, embowered in its groves of palms, beyond it the mountains of Judea, rising above each other till they reached the sea. Gazing on this magnificent prospect, beholding in prophetic anticipation his great and happy commonwealth occupying its numerous towns and blooming fields, Moses breathed his last. The place of his burial was unknown, lest perhaps the impious gratitude of his followers might ascribe divine honours to his name, and assemble to worship at his sepulchre.'* [Arabia Deserta lay along the base of the Chaldean mountains, and was bounded on the east by Chaldea and Babylonia, on the west by Syria and Arabia Petræa, on the south by Arabia Felix, and on the north by the Euphrates. The Esitæ,-a people whom some writers imagine to be the inhabitants of Uz, the native country of Job,the Edomites, Nabathæans, and the people of Kedar, were the nomadic races of chief note by whom this region was occupied. The celebrated Palmyra, supposed to be Solomon's Tadmor in the wilderness, was their principal city. [Arabia Felix was bounded on the north by the two divisions of Arabia described above, and on the other *History of the Jews, vol. i. p. 159, |