A HAND-BOOK OF BIBLE GEOGRAPHY; CONTAINING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHIEF PLACES MENTIONED IN THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE BIBLE. THE natural features of the countries mentioned in the Bible, and known to the ancients, are but slightly altered from their original character; but the political divisions into kingdoms and states, having long since passed away, a brief notice of the passages in the Holy Scriptures in which they are referred to, may be useful. Nations are repeatedly spoken of, the term sometimes meaning, as it does now, the people of a country, but at others being a general term for all who were not Hebrews, (Isai. Lv. 5;) and people, and tribe, occur in most chapters of the historical books. In the tenth chapter of Genesis we read of the kingdom founded by Nimrod, who shortly after the Flood "began to be a mighty one in the earth.” In the history of Abraham numerous kings are mentioned, several of whom, however, seem to have ruled over only a single city each; and in the days of that patriarch there was a despotic monarch in Egypt. (Gen. xii. 15.) We read of the Jewish monarchs also, who were in theory limited monarchs, (Deut. xvii. 14-20,) though too frequently absolute, if not despotic, in practice. The rulers of the Edomites and Horites are styled dukes, (Gen. xxxvi. 15, 21); and prince is a title bestowed upon the heads of families, (Numb. xxii. 2,) and also on the attendants of kings, (Gen. xii. 15,) besides being applied to Our blessed Lord himself. (Isai. ix. 6.) When the Romans became masters of Judea, they divided the country into districts to which they gave the name of ethnarchies and tetrarchies, (Luke iii. 1,) which were ruled, subject to the Roman supremacy, by Jewish princes, while the |