sea of Tiberias or Galilee, from which the swine rushed into the water.

GERIZIM, a mountain near Shechem, in the tribe of Ephraim, opposite to Mount Ebal; Shechem lying in the valley between them. After passing the Jordan, the Israelites were commanded to go to these mountains; six of the tribes were to take their station on each; those on Mount Gerizim were to pronounce blessings upon those who should observe the law of the Lord; and those upon Ebal, curses against those who should violate it. (Deut. xi. 29. xxvii. 12.) Gerizim is described by travellers as a fruitful mountain; while Ebal is barren and scorched; as if the blessing and the curse still rested upon them.

The Samaritans maintain that Abraham and Jacob erected altars at Gerizim; and that there Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

GESHUR, a country in Syria, having its own king, whose daughter David married, who was the mother of Absalom. (2 Sam. xv. 8.) Absalom, after the murder of his brother, fled to the king of Geshur, his grandfather. 2 Sam. xiii. 37.

GETHSEMANE, a village near Mount Olivet, whither Jesus sometimes retreated at night. The garden in which he was taken by Judas and those who were with him, is still shown: it is a level spot of ground about 15 yards square, lying between the foot of Mount Olivet and the brook Kedron. It is now well covered with olive-trees; some of them so remarkably large as to be thought the same which were there in the time of our Saviour. At the upper corner of the garden is a flat ledge of rock, said to be the spot where Peter, James, and John fell asleep during the agony of our Lord, which was suffered in a grotto a few paces distant. In this garden a narrow strip is walled out separate, as an accursed piece of ground: this is said to be the path in which the traitor Judas walked up to Christ, saying, "Hail, Master,”. and kissing him. This work is the more remarkable, as it was probably done by the Mahometans, who, as well as the Christians, detest the very ground on which was manifested such infamous treachery.

GEZER, See Gadara.

GEZRITES, or Gerzites, a people invaded by David while he tarried at Ziklag, (1 Sam. xxvii. 8.) at the same time with the Geshurites. These Gerzites are supposed to be the same as the Gerrenians, or inhabitants of Gerar, mentioned 2 Macc. xiii. 24.

GIAH, a valley near Gibeon. 2 Sam. ii. 24.

GIBBETHON, a city in the tribe of Dan, allotted to the Levites. (Josh. xxi. 23.) It was a strong place, and endured a long siege against Nadab. 1 Kings xv. 27. xvi. 15. 17.

GIBEAH, a city in the tribe of Benjamin, three or four miles north of Jerusalem. It is sometimes called Gibeah of Saul, being the place of his nativity. It was also noted for its sins, as may be seen by reference to Judges xix.

Gibeah was also the name of a town in Judah, (Josh. xv. 57.) and of a hill where Eleazar was buried, (Josh. xxiv. 33.) rendered in our translation, "a hill;" but in the original it is "Gibeah of Phinehas."

GIBEON, a city situated about four miles north of Jerusalem, not far from Gibeah. Eusebius says that it was a village in his time, still retaining its ancient name, and four miles from Bethel. See Part I. p. 56.

GIHON, one of the four rivers flowing from Eden. Gen. ii. 13. See Part I. p. 11.

Gihon, was also the name of a fountain west of Jerusalem, where Solomon was anointed king. (1 Kings i. 33. 38. 45.) Hezekiah ordered the upper channel of this fountain to be conveyed to Jerusalem; (2 Chron. xxxii. 30.) probably to prevent the enemy, when the city was besieged, from making use of the water, as well as for the advantage of the citizens.

GILBOA, a mountain not far from Bethshean, in the east of the tribe of Issachar; celebrated for the death of Saul and his son Jonathan. 1 Sam. xxxi. 1, 2.

GILEAD, part of the mountains extending from Mount Lebanon southward; and east of the Land of Canaan. See Part I. p. 37. On these mountains grew trees producing a kind of gum, called the balm of Gilead.

There appears also to have been a place of this name in Ephraim. Hosea vi. 8.

GILGAL, a place near Jericho. See Part I. p. 55 and 61. GILOH, a city of Judah. (Josh. xv. 51.) Ahithophel, one of David's counsellors, was of this place. 2 Sam. xv. 12. xxiii. 34.

GIMZO, a city in the south of Judah, taken by the Philistines in the reign of Ahaz. 2 Chron. xxviii. 18.

GIRGASHITES, a people of Canaan. See Part I. p. 28.
GITTITES, the people of Gath. Josh. xiii. 3.

GOB, a place where two battles were fought between the
Р

Israelites and the Philistines, (2 Sam. xxi. 18.) probably the same as Gezer, and so called. 1 Chron. xx. 4.

GOG and MAGOG. Magog was a son of Japhet, and the father of the Scythians and other nations of the north. See Part I. p. 17. Gog was the prince of the country of Magog. (Ezek. xxxviii. and xxxix.) It is believed that Gog and Magog in Ezekiel and the Revelations, are taken allegorically for such princes as were enemies to the church.

GOLAN, or Gaulan, a noted city of Bashan, east of the Jordan, afterwards allotted to Manasseh. It was one of the Levitical cities, and also a city of refuge. (Deut. iv. 43. Josh. xxi. 27.) This city gave name to the region afterwards called Gaulon, or Gaulonitis, which extended from Perea on the south, to Lebanon on the north.

GOLGOTHA, See Calvary.

GOMORRAH, one of the five cities destroyed by fire from heaven. See Part I. p. 31.

GOSHEN, a district of Egypt inhabited by the Israelites; also a tract of country in the south of Judah. See Part I. p. 39 and 58. Also a city in the tribe of Judah. Josh. xv. 51.

GOZAN, a river of Media, in a province of the same name, to which the captive Israelites were carried by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. 2 Kings xvii. 6. 1 Chron. v. 26.

GREECE: this word is often used in Scripture in a very extended sense, comprehending all the countries inhabited by the descendants of Javan, the son of Japhet, not only in Greece proper, but also in Ionia and Asia Minor. See Part I. pp. 18, 19. The Hebrew word Javan, or Iowan, is used in the Old Testament to signify Greece and the Greeks. There is but little said in Scripture with reference to this country, until the time of Alexander, who, having pushed his conquests into Asia, made Greece, or Macedonia, more important. After the time of this conqueror, the name of Greeks was used in a still more uncertain and enlarged sense; because, the Greeks being masters of Egypt and Syria, the countries beyond the Euphrates, and of other provinces, the Jews were used to call all those Gentile people Greeks, who were subject to the Greek empire, either in the east or west. For this reason, in many passages of the books of Maccabees, in the Gospels, and in St. Paul's writings, a Greek commonly signifies a Gentile.

Javan, or Greece, is mentioned in Isaiah, (lxvi. 19.) in Ezekiel, (xxvii. 13. 19.) in Daniel, (xi. 2) and Zechariah declares

that God shall raise up the sons of Zion against the sons of Javan, (ix. 13.) which refers to the wars carried on by the Jews under the Maccabees, against Antiochus Epiphanes and the Greeks who possessed the kingdom of Syria. Daniel (viii. 21. x. 20.) describes Alexander the Great by the name of the king of Javan. Greece anciently included Macedonia, and is so used by Daniel; but in the time of St. Paul there was a distinction, for we read that Paul, "passing through Macedonia, came into Greece."

After the establishment of the Grecian dynasties in Asia, it is natural that Judea should be considerably affected by them; and the books of the Maccabees afford proofs of this. The Roman power, superseding the Grecian establishments, yet left traces of the Greek language, customs, &c. to the days of the Herods, where the gospel history commences. By the labours of the apostles, especially of Paul, the gospel was propagated in those countries which used the Greek dialects; hence we are interested in the study of this language, as it was that in which the epistles to the churches of those countries were written. Many flourishing churches were early established among the Greeks, which for a long time preserved the apostolic precepts and customs with much care. But at length they began to differ on points of doctrineschisms and heresies divided the church, and rancour and persecution followed. To check these evils, councils were called, and various creeds were composed, some of which retain an authority to the present day.

The removal of the seat of government by Constantine, from Rome to Constantinople, gave a sensible preponderance to the Grecian districts of the empire; and the ecclesiastical determinations of the Greek church were extensively received with respect, if not with submission. Greece continued to enjoy the presence of the emperor till the beginning of the fifteenth century, when the Turks began to harass the empire, and finally took Constantinople, A. D. 1453. The submission of all Greece followed; since which time, this country and its inhabitants exhibit a picture of wretched and debased slavery. Recent events seem to render it probable that a part of the Greek nation has regained its liberty; but whether they are qualified to retain it, time alone can determine.

The architectural remains of Greece still attest its former grandeur, though many of its most beautiful buildings, which the hand of time might have spared, have fallen before the

The Temple of Minerva at Athens.

ruthless barbarism of the Turks, who seem to take a pleasure in the wanton destruction of the proudest monuments of antiquity.

GUR, a place near Ibleam, in the tribe of Manasseh, west of Jordan; where Ahaziah, king of Judah, was mortally wounded by Jeshu. 2 Kings ix. 27.

GUR-BAAL, the name of a place inhabited by Arabians; the situation of which is not known. 2 Chron. xxvi. 7.

H.

HABOR, a city on the river Gozan in Media, to which the captive Israelites were carried by the king of Assyria. 2 Kings xvii. 6. xviii. 11. 1 Chron. v. 26.

HACHILAH, a hill in the south-east of Judah, near Jeshimon; where David hid himself from Saul. (1 Sam. xxiii. 19. xxvi. 3.) Here Jonathan the Maccabee afterwards built the almost impregnable fortress of Massada, whose garrison killed themselves after the taking of Jerusalem by Titus.

HADAD-RIMMON, See Adad-rimmon

HADASHAH, a town in Judah, (Josh. xv. 37.) and according to the rabbins one of the smallest, having only fifty houses. HADRACH, a part of Syria, between Libanus and Anti-Libanus; thought by some to be part of the territory of Damascus. Zech. ix. 1.