medan mosque; its dome, graceful as that of St. Peter's at Rome, though of course on a far smaller scale; its square marble platform and enclosure, diversified by lesser domes and fountains, by cypresses and olives, and planes and palms the whole as secluded and quiet as the interior of some college or cathedral garden, only enlivened by the white figures of veiled women stealing like ghosts up and down the green slope, or by the turbaned heads bowed low in the various niches for prayer. This is a view with which no one could be disappointed (Stanley, Sinai, 166, 167; Amer. Miss. Her. 1824, p. 41). 'We have viewed Jerusalem from different stations,' say Messrs. Fisk and King, two American missionaries; have walked around it and within it, and have stood on the Mount of Olives with Josephus' description of it in our hands, trying to discover the hills and valleys as laid down by him 1800 years ago; and after all our research, we compare Jerusalem to a beautiful person whom we have not seen for many years, and who has passed through a great variety of changes and misfortunes, which have caused the rose on her cheeks to fade, her flesh to consume away, and her skin to become dry and withered, and have covered her face with the wrinkles of age, but who still retains some general features by which we recognise her as the person who used to be the delight of the circle in which she moved. Such is the appearance of the holy city which was once 'the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth' (Amer. Miss. Her. 1824, p. 40). Of late years signs of change and of general improvement have become everywhere visible, even in Jerusalem. A powerful foreign influence was brought in by the establishment of the Anglo-Prussian bishopric and the other enterprises connected with it. There was a process going on of pulling down old houses and building new ones. Along with this there was a greater influx of Franks, both as residents and travellers. As a natural result of all this there was more activity in the streets, more people in motion, more business, and more circulation of money. Yet notwithstanding this appearance of change, and so far of improvement, Jerusalem is still in all its features an Oriental city-in its closeness and filth, in its stagnation and moral darkness (Robinson, Res. iv. 162). JEWS, a name originally given to people of the kingdom of Judah. The Hebrew word is 1, and is derived from 17, Judah. The first example which we have of the use of it is in the reign of Ahaz: 'At that time Rezin, king of Syria, drave the Jews from Elath' (2 Kings xvi. 6). Immediately before and after the Babylonish captivity it occurs a number of times in Jeremiah, as in xxxii. 12; xxxiv. 9; xxxviii. 19; xl. 11, 12; xli. 3; xliii. 9; xliv. 1; lii. 28; and also in Dan. iii. 8, 12. After the return from Babylon it appears to have been their common designation, as in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, and in Zech. viii. 23, and so also in the N.T. In some of these passages persons of the nation of Israel may possibly be included. At all events, it is now, and has long been, the common appellation of the descendants of Abra ham. It is the naine employed by Josephus throughout a great portion of his History. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female' in Christ: no one is regarded before God on account of any outward circumstances; and now under the gospel all have equal warrant and access to receive him, and enjoy fellowship with him, in all the blessings of grace and glory (Gal. iii. 28; Col. iii. 11). A Jew outwardly is one who is a descendant of Jacob, or professor of the Jewish religion; a Jew inwardly is a real believer and fearer of God, answerable to his profession. JEZREEL. 1. The Valley of Jezreel, as it is called in Scripture, or as it is now commonly called, the Great Plain of Esdraelon, is about twelve miles in width from north to south, and runs right from the shores of the Mediterranean on the west to the valley of the Jordan on the east. It is the most remarkable plain in the Holy Land, both physically and historically. Perhaps its greatest peculiarity is the prospect, so extensive, so rich, and so varied, with so slight traces of water in it. The Kishon, until within a few miles of its mouth, is merely a winter torrent. The ranges of Gilboa and Little Hermon, as well as of the two masses of hill which bound it on the north and south, are almost entirely bare. On the other hand, Carmel on the south-west, and Tabor on the northeast, are remarkable for their verdure and beauty. Every traveller has remarked on the richness of its soil and the exuberance of its crops; but a very small portion of it is under cultivation, and that of the poorest kind. Once more the palm appears waving its stately tresses over the village enclosures; the very weeds are a sign of what, in better hands, the plain might become (Stanley's Sinai, 327, 329, 340). The plain of Esdraelon has been the great battle-field of Palestine. Here was fought the battle between Barak and Sisera, the subject of Deborah's triumphal song; here was the victory of Gideon over the Midianites and their allies; here the defeat of Saul by the Philistines, when he and his sons fell slain on Mount Gilboa ; here, at Megiddo, Josiah was mortally wounded when he fought against Pharaoh-Necho, king of Egypt, then on his way to make war on the king of Assyria. Other battles there have been in later times in the plain of Esdraelon, in the time of the Crusades, and even so late as 1799, between the French under Buonaparte and the Turks, when the latter was completely defeated. It appears to have existed in the days of Joshua (xix. 18), and one of David's early wives was Ahinoam of Jezreel (1 Sam. xxv. 43). 2. A city in the great plain of Esdraelon. Here Ahab had a palace, though Samaria continued to be the capital of his kingdom, and near to it there was a vineyard belonging to one of the name of Naboth. This vineyard the king wished to have for a garden of herbs, and Naboth not being willing either to exchange or to sell it, he was, through the instigation of Jezebel the queen, condemned to death under the forms of law (1 Kings xxi. 1-24). As a punishment for this, Ahab and all his family came to an untimely and miserable end, especially Jezebel, whose flesh the dogs did eat in JOAB the portion of Jezreel' (2 Kings ix. 14-37; x. 1-11). Zerin, or Zerain, an inconsiderable village in the south-east part of the plain, is considered as undoubtedly the Jezreel of Scripture. It is a most magnificent site for a city; but the village consists of only 30 or 40 houses, nearly all of them in ruins. There is a square tower of some height, partly in ruins, from the windows of which is obtained a splendid view in all directions of the adjacent country (Robinson, Res. iii. 163, 164, 166; Wilson, ii. 86, 87). JO'AB, Abishai, and Asahel were all the sons of Zeruiah. The sacred writers, in stating the descent of persons, usually name the father; but Zeruiah was their mother, the sister of David, and consequently he was their uncle (1 Chron. ii. 16). Amasa, who commanded Absolom's forces, and whom David afterwards advanced to be the head of his army instead of Joab, was also a nephew of David, being the son of another sister, Abigail (1 Chron. ii. 17). He was basely assassinated by Joab, though they were cousins, on account, no doubt, of his having been superseded by him as commander-in-chief (2 Sam. xx. 8-10). 317 It may also be remarked that all the four were the cousins of Absolom and Solomon, and David's other children; yet Joab took part in slaying Absolom (xviii. 14, 15), and he himself was put to death by order of Solomon, in conformity with David's instructions (1 Kings ii. 5, 6, 28-34). These men were all noted in their day; but it is not necessary to enter into any detail of their acts, as these must be familiar to every reader of the Scriptures. JOB. The Book of Job receives its name from Job being the chief subject of it, not be cause he was the writer of it, of which there is no evidence. It is perhaps generally supposed that the Book of Job is historically true: that there was not only such a man as Job, but that he actually met with the successive trials mentioned in ch. i. ii.; that he and his friends made the speeches which are ascribed to them; and that the whole ended with his wealth being doubled as compared with what it was previous to the calamities which befell him. But a little reflection might, we think, satisfy any one that this opinion is highly improbable. That there was such a man as Job we apprehend is unquestionable. The statements of Ezekiel Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God' (xiv. 14; see also ver. 20); and of James Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy' (v. 11)place this beyond a doubt. Noah and Daniel were real persons, and Job must also be held to be so. The appeal of James to the patience of Job, with the view of enforcing the exercise of that duty under affliction, would have been utterly groundless if he had never existed, or had never exhibited an example of patience. The country, | JOB 6 too, in which he lived is also mentioned, the land of Uz' (i. 1), which we find mentioned elsewhere in Scripture (comp. Jer. xxv. 20; Lam. iv. 21). The other persons mentioned in the course of the book were probably also real persons, they are so particularly designated, and also the tribe or district to which they belonged. We have Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite (ii. 11), and also Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram' (xxxii. 2). All this looks like simple history. But though these, and perhaps a few other circumstances may be literally true, the book itself, we apprehend, is not to be taken as a history, but as a poem; and that even the narrative part of it, though founded in fact, is also perhaps partly fictitious. It is not very conceivable that the calamities which befell Job should have overtaken him, not only in such a number and of such a nature as they are represented to be, but so closely on each other as is implied in the use of the words three successive times, While he was yet speaking,' and as so complete that each messenger, after telling his story, adds, And I only am escaped alone to tell thee.' First of all, the Sabæans fell upon his oxen as they were ploughing, and his asses as they were feeding beside them, and took them away; next, the fire of God (doubtless lightning) fell from heaven, and burnt up his sheep and the servants, and consumed them; then the Chaldæans in three bands fell upon his camels, und carried them away, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; last of all, a great wind from the wilderness smote the house where his sons and daughters were feasting, and it fell, and they were dead. All this has a very artificial aspect. It is not the ordinary course of actual events of real life; but it is what might naturally enough obtain a place in a poem, or in the groundwork of a poem. When, too, we compare the account of Job's property before these calamities befell him, as stated in the beginning of the book, with its amount after he had been again favoured with prosperity, as given in the end of it, and find it exactly doubled, and that in each particular, it is impossible not to feel that this is not the ordinary course of events, and that it has the look of being an accommodation of circumstances to the main object in view. It is also rather singular that in the first part of his course he should have seven sons and three daughters, and that, though they were killed by the fall of the house of their eldest brother, he should in the latter part of his course have exactly the same number both of sons and daughters (i. 2, 3, 18, 19; xlii. 12, 13). Even the round numbers of his flocks and herds in both cases have a fictitious aspect. The numbers of Job's sheep and camels, and other cattle, though not incredible, may also appear to us surprising; but the flocks of the Arabs, particularly their sheep, are sometimes immense, far surpassing those ascribed to the patriarch (Harmer, i. 275). The book itself consists chiefly of speeches, but of speeches of a high order of poetry. It is, in fact, inconceivable that any man, however highly gifted he might be, should have been able to pour forth such speeches extemporane- | 16). Now, if we add to this the period before ously; and still more that Job, who was he was again favoured with prosperity, we carry labouring under a loathsome bodily disease, him back to at least patriarchal times. Abraand was also most wretched in mind, should have ham lived 175 years; Isaac, 180; Jacob, about poured forth lengthened speeches, containing 147. much subtle argumentation and in the highest style of poetry; and that Eliphaz and Bildad, Zophar and Elihu, should all have been equally endowed and equally poetical. Such another case as this probably never occurred in our world, and we ought not, in dealing with the Holy Scriptures, to suppose unnecessarily impossible or inconceivable cases. The prologue to the book has also a fictitious aspect. The appearance of Satan among the sons of God when they came to present themselves before Jehovah, the dialogues which passed between the Supreme Being and the evil spirit, and the permission given to the latter to employ his power in afflicting Job, are circumstances which do not appear likely to have taken place literally. These and other circumstances lead us to the conclusion that the Book of Job is not to be considered as a historical work, relating exclusively simple facts, and consisting of speeches that were actually uttered by the persons whose names are attached to them; but that it is a poem somewhat of a dramatic character, founded partly on historical circumstances, the whole being made to bear on the moral ends which the writer had in view, or, as Grotius expresses it, a real fact poetically handled. These various circumstances appear to indicate that the age in which Job lived was at an early period, in a time of primitive simplicity; and though we are not entitled to identify the age in which he lived, and the time of the writing of the book, it would incline us to refer this to an early age also, as compared with either the time of the captivity or even of the time of Solomon. JOHN THE BAPTIST, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, and the forerunner of the Messiah. He was born about six months before our Lord. As both Zacharias and Elisabeth were of the family of Aaron, their son John was of course of the line of the priesthood; but there is no ground for supposing that he ever officiated as a priest. It is said, 'The child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel' (Luke i. 5, 24, 26-31, 56, 57, 80); and after he appeared in his official character, he had duties of a different kind to perform, as the angel who was to prepare the way of the Lord (Mal. iii. 1). On this office he entered in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Cæsar (Luke iii. 1), and he continued in it until our Lord entered on his office (John iii. 22-24); and he appears shortly after to have been cast into prison by Herod Antipas (Matt. iv. 12), and apparently after no long time he was beheaded by the orders of that prince (xiv. 1-12). Of his life, and of the circumstances of his death, as recorded in the Gospels, it is not necessary to enter into any details; but we shall here quote the account given of him by Josephus. Referring to the defeat of Herod's army by Aretas his father-in-law, he says: "Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very When and by whom the Book of Job was written is matter of mere conjecture. Some assign it to the pre-Mosaic period, and suppose that Job himself, Elihu, or some other contemporary, wrote it. Others ascribe it to the Mosaic period, and assign it to Moses himself. Others rerefer it to the age of Solomon, a flourishing period of Hebrew poetry. Others suppose it to have been written during or after the Babylonish captivity. Great names may be quoted in support of each of these opinions (Horne, Introd. ii. 726); but they are all based on much the same ground-justly, as a punishment of what he did against conjecture. It is surprising, indeed, on what slender grounds critics often found their opinions. But though it is impossible to say when or by whom the Book of Job was written, it is plain it relates to an early state of society. Of this there are unmistakable indications in the book itself, both in what it says and in what it does not say. There is no mention of nor allusion to any of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob; nor to the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, or their journeyings in the wilderness; to the law of Moses, or any of the events in the history of Israel. Like the ancient patriarchs, Job appears to have lived in a period of primitive simplicity, when the heads of families offered up sacrifices on their own premises for themselves and their children, there being as yet no established priesthood. When he declared his integrity, he scarcely alludes to any kind of idolatry, but that most ancient one, the worship of the sun and moon (xxxi. 26-28). The great age to which he attained is another proof of the early period at which he lived. After the return of his prosperity he lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations' (xlii. John that was called the Baptist; for Herod slew him, although he was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness one towards another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism. Now, when others came in crowds about him (for they were greatly moved by hearing his words), Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late. Accordingly, he was sent a prisoner out of Herod's suspicious temper to the castle of Macharus, and was there put to death' (Antiq. xviii. 5. 2). In this statement there is nothing out of character. Josephus did not receive Jesus as the Christ; nor is there here any mention made of that part of John's character, that he was the forerunner of the Christ, or that he referred men to him. The genuineness of this passage has been generally admitted by learned men. Lardner enters into a somewhat lengthened JOHN vindication of its authenticity (Works, vii. 113119). JOHN, one of the disciples of our Lord. [APOSTLES.] JONAH, the son of Amittai (Jonah i. 1), was no doubt the same person who is mentioned in 2 Kings xiv. 25 as the prophet of Gath-hepher,' a town in Galilee. It is probable he lived either before or in the reign of Jeroboam II. He was the earliest of the prophets, both greater and lesser, though from the place which the book which bears his name holds in the O. T., one might naturally suppose that he was later than many of them. There were many prophets before Jonah, but we have no prophetical books written by any of them. The Book of Jonah has been generally and justly considered as a literal history-a simple narrative of actual events. The historical and geographical notices contained in it, as the names of the seaport Joppa, of Tarshish, and of Nineveh; the description of the great extent and populousness of the latter city, and also of its wickedness; in short, its narrative style and general complexion, indicate its literal character. This, indeed, is put beyond all doubt, not only by its reception into the canon, but by the way The in which our Lord refers to circumstances related in it (Matt. xii. 38-41; xvi. 1-4). allusions which he makes to circumstances re corded in the O. T., as in Matt. xii. 42; John iii. 14; vi. 49, are to actual occurrences; and there is no intimation in any part of either the Old or the New Testament of the Book of Jonah being anything else than a history. Later critics, however, particularly in Germany, have given up the idea of the Book of Jonah being a true history; but in nothing are they agreed except in denying its historical character. Some look on it as a mere fiction, others as an allegory; some as a poetical myth, others as a parable; others as a prophetic tradition elaborated for a moral and didactic purpose. The variety of theories which prevail on the subject shews how little their several supporters are satisfied with each other's theory. | persons which could not discern between their right hand and their left,' which would probably give a population considerably under a million. In ch. iii. 3 it is also stated that 'Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey,' which it is calculated might be about sixty miles. Now, Diodorus says it was 150 stadia on the two longest sides, and 90 on the two shortest; in all, 480 stadia, which are reckoned just sixty miles. And Mr. Layard says: 'If we take the four great mounds of Nineveh, Konyunjik, Khorsabad, and Karamles, as the corners of a square, it will be found that its four sides correspond pretty accurately with the 480 stadia of the geographer and the three days' journey of the prophet. The agreement of the measurements is remarkable (Layard, Nin. and Rem. ii. 243, 247). JOP'PA, a seaport in Palestine, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, thirty-two or thirtythree miles from Jerusalem. It is first mentioned in Josh. xix. 46 under the name of Japho, as being in the lot of Dan. It was to Joppa that the cedar-trees were brought from Lebanon for the building of both the first and the second temples (2 Chron. ii. 16; Ezra iii. 7). It was from At Joppa Joppa that Jonah sailed to Tarshish. Peter tarried many days with one Simon a tanner,' and while there he restored Dorcas to life. Here, too, he had a remarkable vision, to teach him that the distinction between Jews and Gentiles was no longer to be maintained, preparatory to his receiving messengers from Cornelius the Roman centurion, requesting him to come to Cæsarea, and shew him the way of the Lord (Acts ix. 36-43; x.) Joppa is now called Yafa, which is a mere modification of its original name. It stands on a rocky hill of an oblong shape close by the sea, the streets and houses rising regularly above one another in tiers, according to the elevation of the ground forming the site of the buildings. Neither the houses nor the walls are by any means so despicable as they are often represented to be. The houses are all of stone, and most of them have domes, though there are some A stranger, in approaching it, The great objection to the historical character with flat roofs. of the book is the miracle which it records, and seems to himself to be coming to a town full of The harbour is surrounded with no doubt it is of a very extraordinary nature. mosques. But it becomes not man to limit the power of rocks, is small, and has no depth of water, and God, nor to question the wisdom of his acts. is quite inadequate to afford shelter to vessels He may have reasons for them which creatures of any considerable size (Wilson, ii. 256, 257). such as we are do not perceive; and in fact The town contains a population of about 7000, nothing is more common than this even in the of whom one-third are Christians, principally of the Greek Church (Amer. Miss. Her. 1837, ordinary course of his government. We may indeed remark that there is no reason for saying 295). In our walks,' says Mr. Riggs, an that it was a whale which swallowed up Jonah American missionary, we observed several tanIn ch. i. 17 it is called 'a great fish ;' and neries situated quite on the shore. There is no though in Matt. xii. 40 it is called a whale in stream in the vicinity, and hence the tanners the E. T., yet the Greek word there used sig-locate their establishments near the sea, which nifies any large fish. Some suppose it to have been the Canis carcharias, a species of shark which is common in the Mediterranean, and is capable of swallowing a man (Horne, ii. 956; Parkhurst, Gr. Lex. 361). Of Jonah's statement as to the size of Nineveh we have a remarkable confirmation, not only in the account of Diodorus, but in the recent excavations of that city. In ch. iv. 11 it is said there were in it 'six score thousand they use instead of vats for steeping the hides. I was interested to observe this incidental circumstance, corresponding even to the present day with the fact of Simon the tanner's house being by the seaside' (Acts x. 32; Amer. Miss. Her. 1840, 338). JOR'DAN, the chief river of Palestine, which, including the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, through which it flows, runs from north to south the whole length of Canaan. It takes its rise at Elath (Ailah) and Eziongeber, varying, however, in its course very materially as to breadth. During a great part of its course this valley is called the Ghor (Wilson, ii. 181; Robinson, Res. ii. 259, 490, 594). The banks of the Jordan appear to preserve everywhere a tolerably uniform character. It winds through scenery remarkable rather for sameness and tameness than for bold outline. It flows in a valley of about a quarter of an the western base of Mount Hermon, or, as it is now called, Jebel-esh-Sheikh, about a mile and a half from the town of Hasbeiya. There is a fountain which boils up from the bottom of a shallow pool, about 8 or 10 rods in circumference. The water is immediately turned by a stone dam into a wide mill-race. This is unquestionably the most distant, and therefore the true source of the Jordan. The Hasbani, as the stream is called, meanders for the first 3 miles through a narrow but very lovely and highly-hour's breadth (sometimes more, sometimes less), cultivated valley. Its margin is protected and adorned with the green fringe and dense shade of the sycamore, button, and willow trees, while innumerable fishes sport in its cool and crystal stream. Although the channel immediately above the fountain is dry and dusty during most of the year, yet in the rainy season a great volume of water rushes down from the heights of Mount Hermon above Rasheiya, a distance of 20 miles, and unites with the water of this fountain. The stream is there so formidable as to require a good stone bridge, which is thrown across it a few rods below the fountain. The Hasbani, however, is not the only source of the Jordan. There is another to the southeast, at the town of Banias, anciently Cæsarea Philippi. It has been said that it issues from a cave, which, however, is much choked up with stones: the fact is, that the fountain bursts out amongst loose stones and rocks several rods distant, and some 20 feet below the mouth of the The stream of water which it sends forth is considerable. cave. which is considerably lower than the rest of the Ghor-in the northern part about 40 feet (Robinson, Res. ii. 260). 'After having descended the outermost bank,' says Maundrell, who approached the Jordan by the way of Jericho, you go about a furlong upon a level strand before you come to the immediate bank of the river. The second bank is so beset with bushes and trees, such as tamerisks, willows, oleanders, etc., that you can see no water till you have made your way through them. In this thicket, anciently (and the same is reported of it at this day), several sorts of wild beasts are wont to harbour themselves; whose being washed out of the covert by the overflowings of the river gave occasion to that allusion (Jer. xlix. 19), 'Behold he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan'' (Maundrell, 82). The stream of the Jordan, as it flows between its banks, is, in the lower part of its course, from 60 to 100 feet wide, while its depth varies from 4 to 9 feet. Where it is widest the bottom is mud; where it is narrowest, rock or Toward the west of Banias, at Tel-el-Kadhi, sand (Rawlinson in Herodot. i. 549; Stanley, there is another of the sources of the Jordan. Sinai, 291). It varies, like all rivers, in different It is called the River of Dan, and is probably years and at different periods of the same year. near the site of the ancient Laish or Dan. It The reports and estimates of travellers differ is, says Dr. Wilson, a circular basin about 100 exceedingly as to its breadth and depth (Wilson, yards wide, in the bottom of which great quan- ii. 16, 125, 317; Irby, Trav. 92); but this will tities of water were rising and boiling up, and a account, partly at least, for these differences. considerable number of fresh-water tortoises They will also vary in different parts of its were disporting themselves. It formed by far the most copious stream we had seen in the country. Two large streams of the purest water emerge from it, which, after forming a little island, immediately unite into a rapid river 10 yards wide and 2 feet deep, having a very quick descent through a luxuriant grove of oleanders, briars, and wild figs, and poplar, and pistacia, and mulberry trees. 'These, and a number of other lesser streams, as the Ain-el-Mellahah, Ain-el-Balatah, Ain-edkDhabad, combine together to form the waters of Merom, or, as they are now called, Lake Huleh, at about 25 miles from the fountain of Hasbani. The upper branches of the Jordan unite and flow to the lake of Huleh as one stream. This lake is somewhat of a triangular shape, with its apex toward the south, where it sends out its waters to form the Jordan. Thousands of aquatic birds are seen gamboling on its bosom, and many swallows skimming its surface' (Wilson, ii. 161, 162, 164, 170, 172, 176, 179; Bb. Sac. iii. 185, 189, 211; Robinson, Res. iv. 396). The great valley of the Jordan commences to the N.W. of Banias, and running from north to south, includes not only the whole course of the river, but the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea; and is then continued in the Wadi Arabah, until it reaches the eastern branch of the Red Sea about course. In the O. T. we read of the fords of the Jordan (Josh. ii. 7; Judg. iii. 28). It is crossed by three, or at most four, well-known fords. The first and second are marked by remains of Roman bridges, immediately below the Sea of Galilee (Stanley, Sinai, 290). We are told by travellers sometimes that it is easily fordable by horses, and at other times that it is necessary to swim them over. It is crossed by numerous weirs, which greatly obstruct the sailing of a boat: in many places it may be crossed from stone to stone without wetting the shoes (Jour. Sac. Lit. July 1848, 189). Where the river first issues from the waters of Merom, or, as they are now called, the Lake of Huleh, it is a sluggish stream; but after passing Jacob's Bridge, 24 miles below it, it becomes a sort of continuous waterfall (Geog. Jour). The Lake of Merom is 50 feet above, and the Lake of Tiberias is 652 feet below the Mediterranean, the distance between them being at the utmost 10 miles. Down the narrow and depressed cleft between the two lakes the river flows with a rapid current and in a narrow bed, being in fact little less than a succession of rapids. Its course here is but slightly winding, and the fall cannot average less than 40 or 50 feet per mile. The general direction is almost |