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Verse 4. Lame of his feet.'-This is mentioned here to shew that Mephibosheth was (according to Eastern notions) physically incapacitated from sustaining the kingly office; and that, in consequence, the assassins of Ishbosheth considered that, by compassing his death, they had extinguished the succession in the house of Saul.

5. Bed.'-See the note on Deut. iii. 11, where we have mentioned the duan or divan, as the usual, but not exclusive, seat as well as bed of the Orientals. A divan consists of a cushion placed under the wall of a room, upon a bench or platform, often very slightly raised above the floor, and frequently upon the floor itself, with other cushions against the wall to support the back. These duans often extend along the upper end and two sides of the apartment, particularly in rooms where the master of the house receives friends and visitors. The Persians, despising the luxury of cushions, have only a breadth of thick felt spread upon the carpeted floor, and have generally no cushions between the back and the wall, unless when lounging in their private apartments. We have said already that the Orientals generally take their afternoon nap, and have their beds at night on these duans, or on the floor itself, and have also noticed exceptions. The annexed engraving illustrates these arrangements, and also bears on the statements given under 1 Sam. xx. 25, respecting the seat in the corner.

12. Cut off their hands and their feet.'-The mutilation of the hand or foot for particular crimes seems to be implied in the lex talionis-Hand for hand, foot for foot,' etc. And, in Deut. xxv. 12, excision of the hand is expressly assigned to a particular offence. In all such directions there seems an idea of retaliating on the offending member. Thus the crimes which the hand or foot are instrumental in committing are punished with the loss of the hand or foot. In the present instance the hands and feet of the assassins are cut off after death, perhaps with a reference to the crime of the foot in entering the king's bedchamber, and the crime of the hand in shedding innocent blood. It is remarkable that mutilation only remains, in the letter of our own law, as a punishment for offences against the majesty of the king-the loss of the hand being ordained for striking within the limits of the king's court, or in the presence of his judicial representative. At present, in the East, mutilation is, in common with other punishments, inflicted, according to no specific rule, on those whose situation renders them obnoxious to the operations of arbitrary power. But in other cases, where the law is left to its own operation, the excision of the hand is usually for offences of the hand, as theft, forgery, etc. In Persia, robbery and theft have of late years been punished with death. But the law only prescribes mutilation; and this law was so much observed by the early Mohammedans, that, as we perceive in Arabian tales, the loss of the hand was a permanent stain on a man's character, as an evidence that he had been punished for theft. The law of this subject, as stated in the

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Mischat-ul-Masibih, from a tradition given by Abuhurairah, is, that a thief is to have his right hand cut off; if he offends a second time, he is to be deprived of the left foot; if he steals again, he is to lose his left hand; and if a fourth time, his remaining foot is to be taken from him.

that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.

6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.

8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the

2 Chap. 1. 4, 15. 3 Heb. he was in his oum eyes a bringer, &c.

CHAPTER V.

1 The tribes come to Hebron to anoint David over Israel. 4 David's age. 6 He taking Zion from the Jebusites dwelleth in it. 11 Hiram sendeth to David. 13 Eleven sons are born to him in Jerusalem. 17 David, directed by God, smiteth the Philistines at Baal-perazim, 22 and again at the mulberry trees,

THEN 'came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, "Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD and they anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah 'seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants

11 Chron. 11. 1.

2 Psalm 78. 71.

LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.

9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

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10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, 'who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings:

11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?

12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the 'sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.

4 Or, which was the reward I gave him for his tidings. 5 Chap. 3. 32.

of the land which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: 'thinking, David cannot come in hither.

7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.

8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. 'Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it ; the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

10 And David 'went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.

11 ¶ And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and 'masons: and they built David an house.

12 And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

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13 ¶ And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.

3 Chap. 2. 11. 4 Or, saying, David shall not, &c. 51 Chron. 11. 6. 0 Or, because they had said, even the blind and the lame, He shall not come into the house. 7 Heb. went going and growing. 81 Chron. 14. 1. 9 Heb. hewers of the stone of the wall. 10 1 Chron. 3. 9.

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14 And "these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solo

mon,

15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,

16 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet.

17¶ But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed Dayid king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. 18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

19 And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

20 And David came to "Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The

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LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place "Baalperazim.

21 And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.

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22 ¶ And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

23 And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

25 And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

13 Isa. 28, 21. 14 That is, The plain of breaches. 16 Or, took them away.

Verse 3.King David made a league with them....before the Lord.'-It is important not to let this escape our attention, as it shews that the Hebrew monarchs were by no means absolute in the strongest sense of the term; but that there were certain conditions which they pledged themselves to observe. These leagues and covenants, which we find newly-elected kings entering into with the people, formed what would, in our days, be called a constitution. The terms of these covenants are not expressed; but a careful study of the historical books will enable the reader to discover several very important privileges of royalty as well as restrictions on the royal power. The covenant probably stated the rights of the king on the one hand, and those of the people on the other. This is not the only instance of such a covenant. On the election of Saul, Samuel wrote "the manner of the kingdom' in a book, and laid it up before the Lord; and this book probably stated the rights and limitations of the kingly power, and formed the basis on which the Hebrew government was established. The covenant was not renewed at the commencement of every fresh reign, as probably every succeeding king was considered, without any formal stipulation, to stand on the same ground as his predecessors. Hence we only read of such covenants in the cases of Saul, the first king; of David, the founder of a new dynasty; and of Joash (2 Kings xi. 17), who succeeded after an usurpation. It seems, however, that the people retained the right of proposing, at the commencement of a new reign, even in the ordinary course of succession, such further stipulations as their experience under former reigns suggested: and the refusal of Rehoboam to listen to any such proposal, gave occasion for ten of the tribes to secede from their allegiance to the house of David, and establish a new and independent kingdom.

6. The king and his men went to Jerusalem.'-It was thus the first act of David's reign to undertake the reduction of the fortress of Jebus, on Mount Zion, which had remained in the hands of the natives ever since the days of Joshua, and which, as Josephus reports (Antiq. v. 2), had been, from its situation and its fortifications, hitherto

deemed impregnable. The fact that his rule was likely, under all circumstances, to find the most zealous supporters in his own tribe of Judah, probably disinclined David to remove from its borders; and he determined to make his new conquest the metropolis of the empire. A more centrical situation with respect to all the tribes would have placed him in the hands of the Ephraimites, whose cordiality towards a Judahite king might well be suspected, and in whom little confidence could be placed in times of danger and difficulty. Similar considerations have dictated the choice of a very inconveniently situated capital to the reigning dynasty of Persia. But although better sites for a metropolitan city might have been found in the largest extent of Palestine, there was none better within the limits to which, for the reasons indicated, the choice of David was confined. That the site is overlooked from the Mount of Olives, although a great disadvantage in the eyes of modern military engineers, was of little consequence under the ancient systems of warfare, and could not countervail the peculiar advantages which it offered in being enclosed on three sides by a natural fosse of ravines and deep vallies, and terminating in an eminence, which, while strong in its defences without, commanded the town within, and was capable of being strongly fortified. The united influence of all these considerations appears to have determined the preference of David for a site which was open to the serious objection, among others, of being so remote from the northern tribes as to render the legal obligation of resort to it three times in a year a more burdensome matter to them than it would have been had a more centrical situation been chosen.

As Jerusalem henceforth becomes of importance in the history of the Jews, we shall here state such particulars concerning it as may conduce to the better understanding of the references to it, in the history of the kingdom of which it was the capital; purposing, in the New Testament, to resume the subject, with a view to the illustration of such references to its then existing and then foreseen future state, as occur in that portion of the Holy Scriptures.

The Scriptural history of Jerusalem we shall not here

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give. This would be essential in any other work; but in notes to the Bible it seems a supererogatory undertaking to repeat that which the text itself sufficiently states. To the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the history of Jerusalem is found in the Scriptures; and will for that period be unnoticed, unless as the several prominent circumstances of that history occur in the sacred narrative. But in our future notes, we shall supply all that part of its history concerning which the Scripture contains no information. This will be from the termination of the Old Testament accounts to the time of our Saviour, with a view of the subsequent desolations which He foretold; and this will lead to some notice of its present condition.

All therefore we have now to do, is to convey some general impressions concerning the site and immediate environs of this renowned city; and even this duty is further limited by the occasion which we shall find to notice, separately, the particular spots which are historically mentioned in the Scriptures. În such a general ichnographical glance as we have now to offer, it is desirable, as far as possible, to abstain from noticing such circumstances as have proceeded from the hands of man and the alterations of time--that is, to render the view, as far as possible, natural only. But it is impossible altogether to exclude such circumstances; since all our topographical notices are of much later date than the historical statements in the Old Testament.

Jerusalem lies near the summit of a broad mountain ridge. This ridge or mountainous tract extends, without interruption, from the plain of Esdraelon to a line drawn between the south end of the Dead Sea and the south-east corner of the Mediterranean: or more properly, perhaps, it may be regarded as extending as far as the southern desert where, at Jebel Arâif, it sinks down at once to the level of the great plateau. This tract, which is nowhere less than from twenty to twenty-five geographical miles in breadth, is, in fact, high uneven table-land. The surface of this upper region is everywhere rocky, uneven, and

mountainous and is, moreover, cut up by deep vallies which run east or west on either side towards the Jordan or the Mediterranean.

From the great plain of Esdraelon onwards towards the south, the mountainous country rises gradually, forming the tract anciently known as the mountains of Ephraim and Judah; until, in the vicinity of Hebron, it attains an elevation of 3250 feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea. Further north, on a line drawn from the north end of the Dead Sea towards the true west, the ridge has an elevation of only about 2710 feet; and here, close upon the watershed, lies the city of Jerusalem. Its mean geogra phical position is in lat. 31° 46′ 43′′ N., and long. 35 13 E. from Greenwich.

The traveller, on his way from Ramleh to Jerusalem, at about an hour and half distance therefrom, descends into and crosses the great Terebinth vale, or valley of Elah (see the note on 1 Sam. xvii. 19). On again reaching the high ground on its eastern side, he enters upon an open tract sloping gradually downwards towards the east; and sees before him, at the distance of about two miles, the walls and domes of the city, and beyond them the highest ridge of Olivet. The traveller now descends gradually towards the town along a broad swell of ground having at some distance on his left the shallow northern part of the valley of Jehoshaphat, and close at hand on his right the basin which forms the beginning of the valley of Hinnom. Further down both these vallies become deep, narrow, and precipitous; that of Hinnom bends south and again east, nearly at right angles, and unites with the other, which then continues its course to the Dead Sea. Upon the broad and elevated promontory within the fork of the two vallies of Jehoshaphat and of Hinnom, lies the holy city. All around are higher hills: on the east the Mount of Olives, on the south the Hill of Evil Counsel, so called, rising directly from the vale of Hinnom; on the west the ground rises gently, as above described, to the borders of the great valley; while on the north, a bend of the ridge connected

with the Mount of Olives bounds the prospect at a distance of more than a mile. Towards the south-west the view is somewhat more open; for here lies the plain of Rephaim, commencing just at the southern brink of the valley of Hinnom, and stretching off south-west, when it runs to the western sea. In the north-west, too, the eye reaches up along the upper part of the valley of Jehoshaphat; and from many points can discern the mosque of Neby Samwil [Prophet Samuel], situated on a lofty ridge beyond the great valley, at the distance of two hours.

The surface of the elevated promontory itself, on which the city stands, slopes somewhat steeply towards the east, terminating on the brink of the valley of Jehoshaphat. From the northern part, near the present Damascus gate, a depression or shallow valley runs in a southern direction, having on the west the ancient hills of Akra and Zion, and on the east the lower ones of Bezetha and Moriah. Between the hills of Akra and Zion another depression or shallow valley (still easy to be traced) comes down from near the Jaffa gate, and joins the former. It then continues obliquely down the slope, but with a deeper bed, in a southern direction, quite to the pool of Siloam and the valley of Jehoshaphat. This is the ancient Tyropoon. West of its lower part Zion rises loftily, lying mostly without the modern city; while on the east of the Tyropoon and the valley first mentioned, lie Bezetha, Moriah, and Ophel, the last a long and comparatively narrow ridge, also outside of the modern city, and terminating in a rocky point over the pool of Siloam. These three last hills may strictly be taken as only parts of one and the same ridge. The breadth of the whole site of Jerusalem from the brow of the valley of Hinnom, near the Jaffa gate, to the brink of the valley of Jehoshaphat, is about one thousand and twenty yards, or nearly half a geographical mile; of which distance three hundred and eighteen yards are occupied by the area of the great mosque of Omar, which occupies the site of Solomon's temple. North of the Jaffa gate the city wall sweeps round more to the west, and increases the breadth of the city in that part. The country around Jerusalem is all of limestone formation. The rocks everywhere come out above the surface, which in many parts is also thickly strewed with loose stones; and the aspect of the whole region is barren and dreary; yet the olive thrives here abundantly, and fields of grain are seen in the vallies and level places, but they are less productive than in the region of Hebron and Nabulus. Neither vineyards nor fig-trees flourish on the high ground around the city, though the latter are found in the gardens below Siloam, and very frequently in the vicinity of Bethlehem.

The Scripture affords few materials for a connected view of the ancient city; and although Josephus is more particular, the idea which he furnishes is less distinct than it may at the first view appear. His descriptions also refer to a time later even than that of Christ, although in all essential points applicable to the New Testament period; and then the city had become in most respects very different from the more ancient city which the Old Testament presents to our notice. Still his account affords certain leading ideas which must have been applicable at all periods, and its substance may therefore be stated in this place. He describes Jerusalem as being in his time enclosed by a triple wall, wherever it was not encircled by impassable vallies; for there it had but a single wall. The ancient city lay upon two hills over against each other, separated by an intervening valley, at which the houses terminated. Of these hills, that (Zion) which bore the upper city was the highest, and was straighter in extent. On account of its fortifications, it was called by King David the Fortress or Citadel (see v. 7-9); but in the time of the historian it was known as the Upper Market. The other hill, sustaining the lower city, and called Akra, had the form of the gibbous moon. Over against this was a third hill, naturally lower than Akra, and separated from it by another broad valley. But in the time when the Asmonæans had rule they threw earth into this valley, intending to connect the city with the temple; and working upon Akra, they lowered the height of it, so that the temple rose conspicuously above it. The

valley of the Tyropoon or Cheesemakers as it was called, which has already been mentioned as separating the hills of the upper and lower city, extended quite down to Siloam, -a fountain so named, whose waters were sweet and abundant. From without, the two hills of the city were enclosed by deep vallies; and there was no approach because of the precipices on every side.

Dr. Robinson, in comparing the information derivable from Josephus with his own materials, declares that the main features depicted by the Jewish historian may still be recognised. True,' he says, 'the valley of the Tyropoon and that between Akra and Moriah have been greatly filled up with the rubbish accumulated from the repeated desolations of nearly eighteen centuries. Yet they are still distinctly to be traced; the hills of Zion, Akra, Moriah and Bezetha are not to be mistaken, while the deep vallies of the Kidron and of Hinnom, and the Mount of Olives, are permanent natural features, too prominent and gigantic indeed to be forgotten, or to undergo any perceptible change.'

Recurring to the walls, Josephus says: Of these three walls the old one was hard to be taken; both by reason of the vallies, and of that hill on which it was built, and which was above them. But besides that great advantage, as to the place where they were situate, it was also built very strong: because David, and Solomon and the following kings were very zealous about this work.' After some further account of the walls, which has no immediate connection with our present subject, he adds that 'the city in its ultimate extension, included another hill, the fourth, called Bezetha, to the north of the temple, from which it was separated by a deep artificial ditch.' But this part of the city belonging to the New Testament history, will not at present engage our attention.

From this account of Josephus, as compared with those furnished by others, it appears that Jerusalem stood on three hills, Mount Zion, Mount Akra, and Mount Moriah, on which last the temple stood. Or we may consider them as two, after Mount Akra had been levelled, and the valley filled up which separated it from Mount Moriah. Of these hills Zion was the highest, and contained the upper city, 'the city of David,' with the citadel, the strength of which, and of the position on which it stood, enabled the Jebusites so long to retain it as their strong hold, and to maintain their command over the lower part of the city, even when they were obliged to allow the Israelites to share in its occupation. This Mount Zion (which we are only here noticing cursorily) formed the southern portion of the ancient city. It is almost excluded from the modern city, and is under partial cultivation. It is nearly a mile in circumference, is highest on the west side, and towards the east slopes down in broad terraces in the upper part of the mountain, and narrow ones on the side, towards the brook Kidron. This mount is considerably higher than the ground on which the ancient (lower) city stood, or that on the east leading to the valley of Jehoshaphat, but has very little relative height above the ground on the south and on the west, and must have owed its boasted strength principally to a deep ravine, by which it is encompassed on the east, south and west, and the strong high walls and towers by which it was enclosed and flanked completely round. The breadth of this ravine is about one hundred and fifty feet, and its depth, or the height of Mount Zion above the bottom of the ravine, about sixty feet. The bottom is rock, covered with a thin sprinkling of earth, and in the winter season is the natural channel for conveying off the water that falls into it from the higher ground. On both of its sides the rock is cut perpendicularly down; and it was probably the quarry from which much of the stone was taken for the building of the city.

The site, regarded as a whole, without further attending to the distinction of hills, is surrounded on the east, west, and south by vallies of various depth and breadth, but to the north-west extends into the plain, which in this part is called the plain of Jeremiah,' and is the best wooded tract in the whole neighbourhood. The progressive extension of the city was thus necessarily northward, as stated by

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