upon these promises of God, and went out sud-he observed to them what prosperous successes denly against the enemies: and after five days' they had already had, and what glorious things march he came upon them, and joined battle had been done; and those such as were worthy with them; and there was a terrible fight, and of that God who enabled them to do those such a number were slain, as could not be be-things, and worthy of the virtue of those laws lieved by those that heard it. He also went on which they followed. He took notice, also, in the pursuit a great way; and destroyed the that thirty-one of those kings that ventured to entire army of the enemies; few only escaped: give them battle were overcome; and every and all the kings fell in the battle; insomuch army, how great soever it were, that confided that when there wanted men to be killed, in their power, and fought with them, was Joshua slew their horses, and burnt their cha- utterly destroyed; so that not so much as any riots, and passed all over their country without of their posterity remained. And as for the opposition; no one daring to meet him in battle: cities, since some of them were taken, but the but he still went on, taking their cities by siege, || others must be taken in length of time by long and killing whatsoever he took. sieges, both on account of the strength of their walls, and of the confidence the inhabitants had in them, he thought it reasonable that those tribes that came along with them from beyond Jordan, and had partaken of the dangers they had undergone, being their own kindred, should now be dismissed and sent home; and should have thanks for the pains they had taken together with them. As also he thought it reasonable that they should send The fifth year was now past;* and there was not one of the Canaanites remained any longer excepting some that had retired to places of great strength. So Joshua removed his camp to the mountainous country, and placed the tabernacle in the middle of Shiloh ;† for that seemed a fit place for it, because of the beauty of its situation: until such times as their affairs would permit them to build a temple. And from thence he went to She-one man out of every tribe, and he such as chem, together with all the people, and raised an altar where Moses had previously directed. Then did he divide the army, and placed one half of them on Mount Gerizzim, and the other half on Mount Ebal; on which mountain the altar was; he also placed there the tribe of Levi, and the priests. And when they had sacrificed, and denounced the blessings and the curses, and had left them engraven upon the altar, they returned to Shiloh. had the testimony of extraordinary virtue, who should measure the land faithfully; and, without any fallacy or deceit, should inform them of its real magnitude. Now Joshua, when he had thus spoken, found that the multitude approved of his proposal. So he sent men to measure their country, and sent with them some geometricians, who could not easily fail of ascertaining the truth, on account of their skill in that art. He also gave them a charge to estimate the measure of that part of the land that was most And now Joshua was old, and saw that the cities of the Canaanites were not easily to be taken not only because they were situated infruitful, and what was not so good. For such such strong places, but because of the strength is the nature of the land of Canaan, that one of the walls themselves: which being built may see large plains, and such as are exceedround about, the natural strength of the places ingly fit to produce fruit, which, if they were on which the cities stood seemed capable of compared with other parts of the country, repelling their enemies from besieging them. might be reckoned exceeding fruitful: yet, in For when the Canaanites had learned that comparison with the fields about Jericho, and the Israelites came out of Egypt in order to those that belong to Jerusalem, they will ap destroy them, they were busy all that time in pear to be of no account at all. And although making their cities strong. So he gathered it happen, that these people have but very the people together at Shiloh; and when they, little of this sort of land, and that it is, in gewith great zeal and haste, were come thither,neral, mountainous also, yet does it not come * An. 1487. + Josh. xviii. 1. Josh. xii. 3-24. behind other parts, on account of its exceeding || ern parts, as far as the city of Damascus, and goodness and beauty. For which reason Jo- the Upper Galilee, unto mount Libanus, and shua thought that the land for the tribes should the fountains of Jordan, which arise out of be divided by estimation of its goodness, ra- that mountain: that is, out of that part of it ther than its extent, it often happening that whose limits belong to the neighboring city one acre of some sort of land was equivalent Arce. The Danites' lot included all that part to a thousand other acres. Now the men that of the valley which respects the sun-setting, were sent, which were in number ten, travelled and were bounded by Azotus and Dora; they all about, and made an estimation of the land; also had all Jamnia and Gath, from Ekron to and in the seventh month they returned to the that mountain where the tribe of Judah begins. city of Shiloh, where they had set up the tabernacle. After this manner did Joshua divide the six nations that bear the name of the sons of Canaan, with their land, to be possessed by the nine tribes and a half; for Moses had prevented him, and had already distributed the land of the Amorites, which was so called from one of the sons of Canaan, to the two tribes and a half, as we have shewn already; but the parts about Sidon, as also those that belonged to the Arkites, the Amathites, and the Arabians, were not yet regularly disposed of. But now Joshua was hindered by his age from executing what he intended, and those who succeeded him in the government took little care of what was for the advantage of the public: so he gave it in charge to every tribe, to leave none of the race of the Canaanites in the land that had been divided to them by lot; for that Moses had assured them beforehand, and they might rest fully satisfied, that their own secarity, and their observance of their own laws, depended wholly upon it. He also enjoined them to give thirty-eight cities to the Levites, for they had already re Joshua now took both Eleazar and the senate, and with them the heads of the tribes, and distributed the land to the nine tribes, and to the half tribe of Manasseh: appointing the dimensions according to the largeness of each tribe.* So when he had cast lots, Judah had assigned him by lot the upper part of Judea, reaching as far as Jerusalem, and its breadth extending to the lake of Sodom; and the lot of this tribe included the cities of Ascalon and Gaza. The lot of Simeon, which was the second, comprehended that part of Idumea which bordered upon Egypt and Arabia. As to the Benjamites, their lot fell so, that its length reached from the river Jordan to the sea; but in breadth it was bounded by Jerusalem and Bethel and this lot was the narrowest of all, by reason of the goodness of the land; for it included Jericho, and the city of Jerusalem. The tribe of Ephraim had the land that extended in length, from the river Jordan, to Gezer but in breadth as far as from Bethel to the great plain. The half tribe of Manas-ceived ten in the country of the Amorites; seh had the land from Jordan, to the city of Dora ; but its breadth was at Bethshan, which is now called Scythopolis. And after these was Issachar; which had its limits in length, mount Carmel and the river; but its limit in breadth was mount Tabor. The tribe of Zebulon's lot included the land which lay as far as the lake of Gennesareth, and that which belonged to Carmel and the sea. The tribe of Aser had that part which was called The Valley, for such it was; and all that part that lay over against Sidon. The city Arce belonged to their share, which is also named Actipus. The Naphthalites received the east-cattle, whose number cannot be told. * If I were writing to the learned, I must have made particular notes on this and the rest of Josephus's geogra and three of these he assigned to fugitive manslayers, who were to inhabit there, for he was very solicitous that nothing should be neglected which Moses had ordained. These cities were, of the tribe of Judah, Hebron; of that of Ephraim, Shechem; and of that of Naphthali, Cadesh, which is a place of the Upper Galilee. He also distributed among them the rest of the prey not yet distributed, which was very great, whereby they had an affluence of great riches, both all in general, and every one in particular; and this of gold, vestments, and other furniture, besides a multitude of phy of Canaan; but in this version it shall suffice to refer the English reader to my map of Palestine. ; After this he gathered the army together, || for we are all the posterity of Abraham, both and spake thus to those tribes that had their we that inhabit here, and you that inhabit settlement in the land of the Amorites beyond there; and it is the same God who brought Jordan; for fifty thousand men of them had our forefathers and yours into the world armed themselves, and had gone to the war whose worship and form of government we are along with them: "Since that God, who is to take care of, which he has ordained, and are the Father and Lord of the Hebrew nation, most carefully to observe; because, while you has now given us this land for a possession, and continue in those laws, God will also shew promised to preserve us in the enjoyment of it himself merciful and assisting to you; but if as our own for ever; and since you have with you imitate the other nations, and forsake alacrity offered yourselves to assist us when-those laws, he will reject your nation."* ever we wanted that assistance, according to When Joshua had spoken thus, and had sahis command; it is but just, now all our dif-luted them all, both those in authority one by ficulties are over, that you should be per-one, and the whole multitude in common, he mitted to enjoy rest, and that we should tres- himself stayed where he was; but the people pass on your alacrity to help us no longer; conducted these tribes on their journey, and that so, if we should again stand in need of that not without tears in their eyes; and, init, we may readily have it on any future emer-deed, they hardly knew how to part one from gency, and not tire you out so much now, the other. as may make you slower in assisting us an- Now when the tribe of Reubel, and that of other time. We therefore return you thanks Gad, and as many of the Manassites as folfor the dangers you have undergone with us:lowed them, were passed over the river, they and we do it not at this time only, but we built an altar † on the banks of Jordan, as a shall always be disposed to remember our monument to posterity, and a sign of their friends, and to preserve in mind what advan-relation to those that should inhabit on the tages we have had from them, and how you other side. But when those on the other side have put off the enjoyment of your own hap-heard that those who had been dismissed had piness for our sakes, and have labored for built an altar, but did not hear with what inwhat we have now, by the good will of God, tention they built it, but supposed it to be by obtained; and resolved not to enjoy your own way of innovation, and for the introduction prosperity till you had afforded us that assist-of strange gods, they did not incline to disance. However, you have, by joining your labors with ours, gotten great plenty of riches, and will carry home with you much prey, with gold and silver; and, what is more than all these, our good will towards you, and a mind willingly disposed to make a requital of your kindness, in what case soever you shall desire it; for you have not omitted any thing which Moses previously required of you, nor have you despised him, because he was dead and gone from you, so that there is nothing to diminish that gratitude which we owe you. We therefore dismiss you joyful to your own inheritances, and entreat you to suppose that there is no limit to be set to the intimate relation that is between us; and that you will not imagine, because this river is interposed between us, that you are of a different race from us, and not Hebrews; * Josh. xxii. 1-6. believe it; but thinking this defamatory report, as if it were built for divine worship, was credible, they appeared in arms, as though they would avenge themselves upon those that built the altar, and they were about to pass over the river, and to punish them for their subversion of the laws of their country; for they did not think it fit to regard them on account of their kindred, or the dignity of those that had given the occasion, but to regard the will of God, and the manner wherein he desired to be worshipped; so these men put themselves in array for war: but Joshua, and Eleazar the high-priest, and the senate, restrained them, and persuaded them first to make trial by words of their intention; and afterwards, if they found that their intention was evil, then only to proceed to make war upon them. Accordingly they sent as am Josh, xxii. 10. bassadors bassadors to them Phineas, the son of Eleazar, and ten more persons that were in esteem among the Hebrews, to learn what was in their mind, when, upon passing over the river, they had built an altar upon its banks. But as soon as these ambassadors were passed over, and were come to them, and a congregation was assembled, Phineas stood up, and said, "The offence you have been guilty of is of too heinous a nature to be punished by words alone, or by them only to be amended for the future. Yet we do not so look at the heinousness of your transgression, as to have recourse to arms, and to a battle for your punishment immediately: but, on account of our kindred, and the probability that you may be reclaimed, we have taken this method of sending an ambassage; that when we have learned the true reasons by which you have been moved to build this altar, we may neither seem to have been too rash in assaulting you by our weapons of war, if it prove that you made the altar for justifiable reasons: and may then justly punish you, if the accusation prove true for we can hardly suppose that you, who have been acquainted with the will of God, and have been hearers of those laws which he himself hath given us, now you are separated from us, and gone to that patrimony of yours, which you, through the grace of God, and that providence he exercises over you, have obtained by lot, can forget him, and can leave that ark, and that altar which is peculiar to us, and can introduce strange gods, and imitate the wicked practices, of the Canaanites. Now this will appear to have been a small crime, if you repent now, and proceed no farther in your madness, but pay a due reverence to, and keep in mind, the laws of your country. But if you persist in your sins, we will not grudge our pains to preserve our laws, but will pass over Jordan, and defend them, and defend God also; and shall esteem of you as of men no way different from the Canaanites, but shall destroy you in the like manner as we destroyed them; for do not you imagine that because you are got over the river you are beyond the reach of God's power. You are every where in places that belong to him, and it is impossible to overrun his power, and the punishment he will bring think that your on men thereby. But if you settlement here will be any obstruction to your conversion to what is good, nothing need hinder us from dividing the land anew, and leaving this old land to be for the feeding of sheep; but you will do well to return to your duty, and to leave off these new crimes. And we beseech you, by your wives and children, not to force us to punish you. Take therefore such measures in this assembly, as supposing that your own safety, and the safety of those that are dearest to you, is therein concerned ; and believe that it is better for you to be conquered by words, than to continue in your purpose, and thereby to experience deeds and war.' When Phineas had discoursed thus, the governors of the assembly, and the whole multitude, began to make an apology for themselves, concerning what they were accused of; and they said, "We neither will depart from the relation we bear to you, nor have we built the altar in way of innovation; we own one and the same God with all the Hebrews, and that brazen altar which is before the tabernacle, on which we will offer our sacrifices. As to the altar we have raised, on account of which we are thus suspected, it was not built for worship; but that it might be a sign and a monument of our relation to you for ever: and a necessary caution to us to act wisely, and to continue in the laws of our country; but not a handle for transgressing them, as you suspect. And let God be our authentic witness, that this was the occasion of our building this altar. Whence we beg you will have a better opinion of us; and do not impute such a thing to us as would render any of the posterity of Abraham well worthy of perdition; in case they attempt to bring in new rites, and such as are different from our usual practices." When they had made this answer, and Phineas had commended them for it, he came to Joshua, and explained before the people what answer they had received. Now Joshua was glad that he was under no necessity of setting them in array, or of leading them to shed blood, and make war against men that were of their own kindred; and accordingly he offered sacrifices of thanksgiving to God CHAP. II. for the same; so Joshua, after that, dissolved | nanimity, in action and in dangers; and very this great assembly of the people, and sent sagacious in procuring the peace of the of the peothem to their own inheritances, while himself ple, and of great virtue at all proper seasons. lived at Shechem. But in the twentieth year He was buried in the city of Timnath, of the after this, when he was very old, he sent for tribe of Ephraim.§ About || the same time those of the greatest dignity in the several died Eleazar the high-priest; leaving the cities, with those in authority, and the senate; high-priesthood to his son Phineas. His moand gathered together as many of the com-nument also and sepulchre are in the city mon people as he could; and when they were Gabatha. come, he put them in mind of all the benefits God had bestowed on them: which could not but be a great many, since from a low estate they were advanced to so great a degree of glory and plenty; and exhorted them to take notice of the intentions of God, which had been so gracious towards them; and told them that the Deity would continue their friend by nothing else but their piety, and that it was proper for him, now he was about to depart out of this life, to leave such an admonition to them: and he desired that they would keep in memory this his exhortation to them. OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE ISRAELITES AFTER THE DEATH OF AFTER the death of Joshua and Eleazar, Phineas prophesied that, according to God's will, they should commit the government to the tribe of Judah, and that this tribe should destroy the race of the Canaanites: for then the people were concerned to learn what was the will of God. They also took to their assistance the tribe of Simeon; but upon this condition, that when those that had been tributary to the tribe of Judah should be slain, they should do the like for the tribe of Si So Joshua, when he had thus discoursed to them, died; having lived an hundred and ten years, forty of which he lived with Moses, in order to learn what might be for his advan-meon. tage afterwards. He also became their comBut the affairs of the Canaanites were at mander after Moses's death for twenty-five this time in a flourishing condition, and they years. He was a man that wanted no wis expected the Israelites with a great army at dom nor eloquence to declare his intentions the city Bezek, having put the government to the people; but was eminent on both ac-into the hands of Adonibezek, which name counts. He was of great courage and mag- denotes the Lord of Bezek, for Adoni in the * An. 1467. + Josh. xxiv. 29. From An. 1492 to An. 1467. This place is, in Judges ii. 9. called Timnath Heres, because of the image of the sun engraven on his sepulchre, in memory of that famous day when the sun stood still till he had completed his victory. This is asserted by several of the Jewish authors, that memorials alluding to particular transactions in the lives of great men were frequently made use of to adorn their tombs. Tully has recorded concerning Archimedes, that a sphere and a cylinder were put upon his monument. B. Since not only Procopius and Suidas, but an earlier author, Moses Chorenensis, pag. 52, 53, and perhaps from his original author Mariba Catina, one as old as Alexander the Great, sets down the famous inscription at Tangier, concerning the old Canaanites, driven out of Palestine by Joshua, take it here in that author's own words: "We are those exiles that were governors of the Canaanites; but have been driven out by Joshua, the robber; and are come to inhabit here." See the note there. Nor is it unworthy our notice what Moses Chorenensis adds, pag. 53, and this upon a diligent examination, viz. that "One of those eminent men among the Canaanites came at the same time into Armenia, and founded the Genthunian family or tribe; and that this was confirmed by the manners of the same family or tribe, as being like those of the Canaanites." ¶ By prophesying, when spoken of a high-priest, Josephus, both here and frequently elsewhere, means no more than consulting God by Urim; which the reader is still to bear in mind upon all occasions. And if St. John, who was contemporary with Josephus, and of the same country, made use of his style, when he says that Caiaphas, being high-priest that year, prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God, that were scattered abroad, xi. 51, 52. he may possibly mean, that this was revealed to the high-priest by an extraordinary voice from between the cherubim, when he had his breast-plate, or Urim and Thummim, on, before or in the most holy place of the temple; which was no other than the oracle of Urim and Thummim. Of which above, in the note on Antiq. III. 8. Hebrew |