of the Amorites; but his own choice was made, “As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah." The appeal was irresistible: the people swore by God, not to forsake Him who had done all these wonders for them. • Thus did Joshua make a covenant with the people, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. It was, for that generation and their posterity, the counterpart of the covenant which Moses had made, on the part of God, with their fathers in Mount Horeb. Joshua added the record of this great transaction to the book of the law of God, and set up a monument of it in the form of a great stone under an oak by the sanctuary of Jehovah; perhaps the very oak beneath whose shadow Abraham and Jacob had pitched their tents. 127 126 The people were dismissed to their homes, and Joshua soor after died at the age of 110 (about B.C. 1426-5), and was buried in the border of his own inheritance at Timnath-serah.125 His decease was soon followed by that of Eleazar, the highpriest, the son of Aaron: he was also buried in Mount Ephraim, in a hill belonging (as a burying-place) to his son and successor, Phinehas. The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were duly interred at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought of Hamor. This bright period of Jewish history is crowned by the record that "Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of Jehovah that He had done for Israel." The lessons of the wilderness had not been lost upon them. Not in vain had they seen their fathers drop and die till they were all consumed for their rebellion. We search the sacred history in vain, from the Exodus to the Captivity, for another generation that was so wholly faithful to Jehovah. 99128 25 Josh. xxiv. 29, 30. 127 Josh. xxiv. 32. NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. LATER HISTORY OF JERICHO. ed by one Simon, slave to Herod; but Archelaus rebuilt the former THE city, rebuilt by Hiel (see p. sumptuously, and founded a new town 301), rose again slowly into conse- in the plain that bore his own name; quence. In its immediate vicinity the and most important of all, diverted sons of the prophets sought retirement water from a village called Neæra, to from the world: Elisha "healed the irrigate the plain which he had plantspring of the waters ;"* and over and ed with palms. Thus Jericho was against it, beyond Jordan, Elijah once more "a city of palms" when "went up by a whirlwind into heav- our Lord visited it. It is supposed en " (2 K. ii. 1-22). In its plains Zed- to have been on the rocky heights ekiah fell into the hands of the Chal- overhanging it (hence called by tradæans (2 K. xxv. 5; Jer. xxxix. 5). dition the Quarentana) that He was Under Herod the Great it became an assailed by the Tempter; and over important place. He built a fort against it, according to tradition likethere, which he called "Cyprus," in wise, He had been previously baptized honor of his mother; a tower, which in the Jordan. Here He restored he called, in honor of his brother, Pha-sight to the blind; here He did not sealis; and a number of new palaces, disdain the hospitality of Zacchæus which he named after his friends. the publican. Finally, between JeHe even founded a new town, higher rusalem and Jericho was laid the up the plain, which he called, like the scene of His story of the good Samartower, Phasealis. If he did not make itan. Jericho his habitual residence, he at least retired thither to die, and it was in the amphitheatre of Jericho that the news of his death was announced to the assembled soldiers and people by Salome. Soon afterward the palace was burnt, and the town plunder* No doubt the exuberant fountain bursting forth close to the site of the old city, The site of ancient (the first) Jericho is with reason placed by Dr. Robinson (Bibl. Res. i. 552-568) in the immediate neighborhood of the fountain of Elisha; and that of the second (the city of the New Testament and of Josephus) at the opening of the Wady Kelt (Cherith), half an hour from the fountain. THE EARLIER JUDGES TO DEBORAH AND BARAK B. C. 1426-1256. § 1. Difficulties in the history of the judges-The Books of Judges and Ruth. 2. General character of this period. § 3. Efforts to drive out the heathen nations. § 4. Scenes of idolatry and wickedness-i. The story of Micah and the Danites-ii. Extermination of the Benjamites. § 5. The reverse of the picture-Story of Ruth and Boaz. § 6. The Fifteen Judges-Servitude to Cushan-Rishathaim-Othniel, the first judge. 7. Oppression by Eglon, king of Moab-Ehud, the second judge. § 8. Shamgar, the third judge. § 9. Tyranny of Jabin and Sisera-Deborah and Barak jointly as fourth judge-The Song of Deborah. § 10. Concluding remarks- Moral difficulties of the narrative. § 1. THE period of Jewish history from the death of Joshua to the choice of Saul as king was one of great disorganization, and the records of it involve considerable difficulties. Our sole authority, besides a few incidental allusions, is the Book of Judges, to which Ruth forms a supplement, having been originally a part of it. Some passages in the book bear internal evidence of a contemporary authorship, but it was not composed as a whole till the time of the Kings. The more serious difficulties of chronology we reserve for subsequent discussion, giving meanwhile the received chronology of the English Bible. § 2. The history of the whole period is summed up in a passage which connects the Book of Judges with that of Joshua. After the death of Joshua, the people remained faithful to Jehovah so long as the generation lasted which had seen all His mighty works." "And there arose another generation See Notes and Illustrations (A.), ON THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE JUDGES. 2 Judg. ii. 6-19. Judg. ii. 7. 3 after them which knew not Jehovah, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." They fell into the worship of " Baalim," the idols of the country, and especially of Baal and Ashtaroth; and they were given over into the hands of the enemies whose gods they served. Their career of conquest was checked, and heathen conquerors oppressed them; but, though punished, they were not forsaken by God. As often as they were oppressed, He raised up " JUDGES," who delivered them from their oppressors. But, as often as they were delivered, they disobeyed their judges, and declined into idolatry; and, "when the judge was dead they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers." For this unfaithfulness on their part to the covenant, God kept back the full accomplishment of His promise to drive out the nations before them, who were left at Joshua's death; indeed, it was in foresight of their sin that He had not entirely delivered those nations into the hand of Joshua. 8 Such is the summary which is filled up in the first sixteen chapters of Judges: the rest of the book (ch. xvii.-xxi.) is occupied with two or three striking examples of the idolatry and anarchy thus generally described. § 3. The history of the Judges is prefaced by some account of the efforts of the several tribes to drive out the heathen nations after the death of Joshua. In these efforts JUDAH took the lead, by the direction of God's oracle, and in association with SIMEON. These two tribes gained a great victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites in Bezek,' and took prisoner Adoni-bezek (the Lord of Bezek), one of those tyrants who have become famous for some special cruelty to their captives. He had cut off the thumbs and great toes of seventy kings, and amused himself with their attempts to pick up the food that fell from his table; and now, himself thus mutilated, he confessed that God had requited him justly. He died at Jerusalem, the lower city of which the men of Judah succeeded Judg. ii. 10. Hebrew word is the same as that 5 See Notes and Illustrations (B.), of the Carthaginian "Suffetes," the ON BAAL AND ASHTAROTH. name of the magistrates whom we find in the time of the Punic wars. Judg. ii. 19. Judg. ii. 16. The Hebrew word Shophet (pl. Shophetim) is the same as that for an ordinary judge, nor is it here used in a different sense. For, though their first work was that of deliverers and leaders in war, they then administered justice to the people, and their authority supplied the want of a regular government. The 8 Judg. ii. 20-23. The nations left unsubdued are enumerated in Judg. iii. 1–4. 9 Judg. i. 4. This place, in the lot of Judah, seems to have been distinct from the Bezek named in 1 Sam. xi. 8, which was more central. in taking.10 This example of the wanton cruelty of the chiefs of Canaan throws a light on the state of the country before its conquest. 12 Next we have the account of the exploits of Caleb and Othniel, already anticipated in Joshua, and of the settlement of the Kenites, the children of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, in the wilderness of Judah, to the south of Arad. Here they dwelt as a free Arab tribe, among the people of the desert, but in close alliance with Israel.' Judah then aided Simeon in recovering his lot. They took Zephath (which they called Hormah), and fulfilled by its utter destruction the vow long since made by Israel.15 They also took Gaza, Askelon, and Ekron, from the Philistines; but the strength of those people in war-chariots prevented their expulsion, and enabled them soon to regain these cities. The tribe of BENJAMIN failed to drive out the Jebusites from Jebus, the citadel of Jerusalem, which belonged to their lot." The men of EPHRAIM took Bethel by the treachery of an inhabitant, whom they caught outside the gate of the city. It was now finally called by the name of Bethel, which was first given to it by Jacob, and had been commonly applied to it by the Jews. Its old name of Luz was given to a city which its betrayer went and built among the Hittites.15 Ephraim failed, however, to drive out the Canaanites from Gezer; and MANASSEH only reduced those of the valley of Esdraelon to tribute after some time.16 Several cities of the northern highlands proved too strong for ZEBULUN and NAPHTALI, but some of them were made tributaries, as Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. ASHER did not even attempt to take Accho, Zidon, and the other cities of the Phoenician sea-board and the Lebanon, but they dwelt among the people of the land. Lastly, the men of DAN were forced back by the Amorites from the valleys of their lot into the mountains; and even there the Amorites retained some strongholds, which were ultimately reduced to tribute by the power of Ephraim. This was no doubt the chief motive of the northern expedition 10 Judg. i. 5-8. That it was only the lower city which was taken is expressly stated by Josephus (Ant. v. 2. § 23); and we also learn from the biblical narrative that the upper city remained in the hands of the Jebusites till the time of David. Comp. Josh. xv. 63; Judg. i. 21; and chap. xvi. § 11. "Judg. i. 9-15; comp. chap. xvi, § 11. 12 Judg. i. 16; comp. iv. 11; 1 Sam. xv. 6, xxvii. 10, xxx. 19; 1 Chron. ii. 55. 10 13 Judg. i. 17; comp. Num. xxi 3; 1 Chron. iv. 30. 14 Judg. i. 21. See note 15 Judg. i. 22-26. 16 Here again we find Manasseh in the lot of Issachar |