all the Lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What CHAP. I. Shall we do with the ark of the God of Ifrael? And they SECT. I. anfwered, Let the ark of the God of Ifrael be carried about

unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Ifrael thither. I Sam. v. 2-8.

Gath lay still more north than Afhdod, and is memorable for being the birth-place of the giant Goliath, flain by David, as also of feveral others of the fame.gigantic race, flain by David's worthies. It was dismantled by David, rebuilt afterward by Rehoboam his grandson ; but again difinantled by Ozias King of Judah, and finally laid waste 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.

9.

Of Gath.

10.

Of Ekron.

After the ark was brought to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction ; and he fmote 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 Philistines, lying in the north border of Judah, 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 fpoken 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, some say, the temple of Jerusalem was wholly free. But whatfoever he was, or for whatever cause so named, certain it is, that he was here had in fpecial honour, and is therefore called in Scripture, the God of Ekron. And hither it was, that Ahaziah, the King of Ifrael, fent his messenger to enquire of this idol concerning his health.

11. Of Beth

PART III. The ark being brought to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, faying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Ifrael to us, to flay us, and our people. So they sent and themeh. 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 priests 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 straight way to Bethfhemesh, a town belonging to the tribe of Judah; whereby the Philiftines 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 fpeak next.

12.

jearim.

From Bethfhemefh the ark was quickly removed to Of Kirjath- Kirjath-jearim, where it continued for twenty years; namely, till it was fetched from thence by King David, as we read I Chron. xiii. 5, 6. This Kirjath-jearim is exprefsly reckoned among the cities of the tribe of Judah, Jofh. 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 otherwife called Baalah, and thence fometimes 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 Of Mizpeh took occafion to exhort the people to turn away from of Jordan. their idolatry; and, for their encouragement hereto, pro

on the weft

mised 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 faft. The Mizpeh here mentioned must be (as appears from the

circum

circumstances of this story) different from that above men- CHAP. I. tioned in the history of Jephthah: accordingly we have SECT. I. 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 1 Maccab. iii. 46; where it is called Mafpha, and is faid to be, not only over against Jerufalem, but alfo the place where they prayed aforetime in Ifrael; alluding to this paffage in Samuel, and the other in Judges.

ezer.

14.

The Philistines, hearing that the Ifraelites were gathered together at Mizpeh, went up againft them; and of Ebenjoining battle, the Philistines were routed, the Ifraelites purfuing them unto Beth-car. Then Samuel took a ftone, and fet it between Mixpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer (i. e. the ftone of help,) faying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Chap. vii. ver. 11, 12. Now this ftone lay near Bethshemesh, as Eufebius and Jerom inform us; and it being plain from Scripture, that Bethfhemefh 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-eaft) 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.

PART III.

1.

Of the land

SECT. II.

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

AFTER this the Philiftines came no more into the coaft of of Zuph. Ifrael, all the days of Samuel. And the cities, which the Philistines had taken from Ifrael, were reftored 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 History 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. I. As for the land of Shalifha 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 stood Ramah, the city of Samuel, which was thence called Rama-. thaim-Zophim.

2.

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

3.

In the latter end of this chapter we read, that Saul was Of Gibeah. publickly made King at Mizpeh; after which he went

;

home to Gibeah, a city of Benjamin, and which, as it was his native place, so 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 abused; which proved almost 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. v. chap. 2. and Jewish War vi. chap. 2.) It flood on an hill, as the name imports.

Not

SECT. H.

4.

Gilead.

Not long after this, Jabefh-Gilead being befieged by CHAP. I. the Ammonites, was timely relieved by Saul, and a great flaughter made of the enemy. The very name of this place imports, that it lay in Gilead, and fo on the east of of JabeshJordan, 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 standing upon an hill, as one goes to Gerafa. It is fometimes fimply called Jabefh in Scripture; and the inhabitants thereof are remarked in the facred Hiftory, for their grateful remembrance of this benefit they received from Saul, when after his death, having heard that the Philiftines had faftened his body to the wall of Bethfhan, 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 Jabesh, 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.

In chap. xiii. ver. 5. we read, that the Philistines came up, and pitched in Michmash. This place, the text tells us, was eastward from Beth-aven. And Eufebius and Jerom inform us, that in their time it was a great town, retaining its old 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 Seventy Interpreters read it Bethoron, and the Syriac and Arabic 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 eaft of Beth-aven (taken as diftinct from Bethel), and yet be so 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 againft; and fo both accounts are very reconcileable, as may be seen by the map.

5.

Of Mich

mash.