continued to bear that name quite through the land of Benjamin; much as the Swiss mountains may be said to extend into Italy, or the Welsh mountains into England? This indeed has been assumed by Bachiene, on the ground that in the first division of the land by Joshua at Gilgal, the territory of Benjamin was actually given to Ephraim; not having been assigned to Benjamin until the later division at Shiloh.1 All this may be true in part; but still, the heights round about the sepulchre of Rachel, could not well have been any other than the mountains of Judah. There is however another consideration, which seems to relieve the position of Sôba from the difficulty in question, and thus adds something to the probability of its identity with Ramah. I have already remarked, that the mountain-ridge west of Wady Beit Hanîna, of which the hill of Sôba forms a part, is a continuation of the ridge of Neby Samwîl and the high grounds around, extending in the S. W. quite out to the plain at the mouth of Wady Sărâr.2 Now all this mountainous tract stands in immediate connection with the proper mountains of Ephraim around el-Bîreh and further North; it is separated entirely by the great Wady Beit Hanîna from the proper mountains of Judah towards the South; and further, as we shall see, the greater part of it did not even fall within the later limits of the tribe of Judah. Under these circumstances, it seems not too much to assume, that this tract west of the great Wady, a regular continuation of Mount Ephraim, including Neby Samwîl, might have continued to bear the name of Ephraim; while the Wady would naturally form the dividing line between this range and the proper mountains of Judah. That 1) Josh. c. xvi, xviii. 1, seq. See Bachiene Th. I. Bd. I. p. 220, seq. Bd. II. p. 326 seq. 2) See the account of this region, p. 326 above. the name Mount Ephraim did actually thus extend through Benjamin, is rendered probable by the fact, that we nowhere hear of any mountains of Benjamin; and further, the rebel Sheba, a Benjamite, is also said to have been "a man of Mount Ephraim."" In view of all these suggestions, it seems to me, that the hypothesis which would identify Sôba with the Ramah of Samuel is not without some slight grounds of support; and, in the total absence of any thing more definite, is not perhaps to be wholly rejected without consideration.2 Another topic which immediately connects itself with the preceding, is the common border between Judah and Benjamin; of. which two accounts in an inverse order are given in the Book of Joshua.3 We have already traced it, as it went up from the well of Nehemiah through the Valley of Hinnom to the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. From that point it was drawn to the water of Nephtoah; and as it passed also by Zelzah not far from Rachel's sepulchre, it would seem to have followed the plain of Rephaim and so along the Wady el-Werd to 'Ain Yâlo. This fountain would then answer to Nephtoah; unless we choose to refer the latter with less probability to 'Ain Kârim, the fountain near the convent of St. John in the Desert. In either case, the next point in the border is the long-lost city Kirjath-Jearim. The probable position of this ancient city engaged much of our attention, all the time we were in Jerusalem and the vicinity; without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. At first, as we know, KirjathJearim, like Beeroth (el-Bîreh), belonged to the terri3) Josh. xv. 5-10. xviii. 14-19. 4) See under En-Rogel, Vol. I. 1) 2 Sam. xx. 1, 21. 2) All direct tradition respecting the Ramah of Samuel seems to have been very early lost; see above p. 142. p. 493. 5) 1 Sam. x. 2. tory of Gibeon, and could not therefore well have been very far distant from that city. At a later period, the ark was brought thither from Beth-shemesh; the place was rebuilt and inhabited after the exile;2 and Eusebius and Jerome speak of it in their day, as a village nine or ten miles from Jerusalem on the way to Diospolis (Lydda). These circumstances, taken together, have quite recently suggested to my mind, whether after all, the ancient Kirjath-Jearim is not to be recognised in the present Kuryet el-'Enab? The first part of the name (Kirjath, Kuryet, signifying City) is the same in both, and is most probably ancient; being found in Arabic proper names only in Palestine and Syria, and not very frequently even there. The only change then has been, that the ancient City of Forests' has in modern times become the 'City of Grapes.' The modern place too is situated on the direct way from Jerusalem to Ramleh and Lydda, just three hours or nine Roman miles from the former city, lying west of Neby Samwil, and therefore not far remote from elJib or Gibeon. The men of Kirjath-Jearim, when they brought up the ark of God from Beth-shemesh, would naturally pass up the great Wady Sărâr, and then along the branch-valley, to the present site. 14 Thus then we have a place corresponding both in name and position to the ancient Kirjath-Jearim. I am aware of no objection to this hypothesis; except perhaps the assertion of Josephus, that Kirjath-Jea 1) Josh. ix. 17. Ezra ii. 25. 2) 1 Sam. vii. 1, 2. Ezra ii. 25. Nehem. vii. 29. 3) Onomast. arts. Baal and Cariathiarim. There is no later notice of the place as still extant; unless it be that of Brocardus, who fixes it 4 leagues west of Jerusalem, probably copying only from Jerome; c. IX. p. 184. 4) No ancient name corresponding to 'Enab seems to have existed in this quarter. The name 'Anâb is still found beyond Hebron; see p. 195, above. A Betoannaba is spoken of a few miles from Lydda, probably Beit Nuba; Reland Pal. p. 661. 5) 1 Sam. vi. 21. vii. 1, 2. But the expression rim was near to Beth-shemesh.' But the 'neighbour city,' is too indefinite to weigh against the preceding considerations; especially as the actual distance does not exceed two or three hours.? It might also be asked, Why then, supposing Sôba to have been the Ramah of Samuel, the men of Beth-shemesh should not rather have caused the ark to be transferred to that place, as being nearer than Kirjath-Jearim? But at that time Samuel was still a child, and his native place was probably a small village, having neither the size nor the renown to which it afterwards attained, when it became one of the seats where Samuel judged Israel.3 The monks have found the Anathoth of Jeremiah at Kuryet el-'Enab. There was formerly here a convent of the Minorites with a Latin church. The latter remains entirely deserted, but not in ruins; and is one of the largest and most solidly constructed churches in Palestine.1 Assuming therefore the site of Kirjath-Jearim at the modern Kuryet el-'Enab, the border between Judah and Benjamin probably passed from Nephtoah 3) 1 Sam. vii. 16, 17.-There can be no question, but that the ark was brought to Kirjath-Jearim itself; 1 Sam. vii. 2. 1 Chron. xiii. 5, 6. But in 2 Sam. vi. 3, 4, both the English Version and Luther place the house of Abinadab in Gibeah; and it might therefore seem as if the Gibeah (now Jeb'ah) of Judah was meant, and that Kirjath-Jearim lay near it, not far from Wady_el-Musŭrr; see above p. 327. But not to dwell upon the fact, that this would bring KirjathJearim quite away from Gibeon (el-Jib), and far from any road leading from Jerusalem to Nicopolis, I would remark, that the Hebrew may in this passage properly be rendered a hill;' and is actually so rendered by the Sept. (ó Bouros) both here and in 1 Sam. vii. 1. In this last passage also the English Version gives it by "hill;" while Luther maintains his consistency at least, and writes Gibeah. The rendering "hill" is indeed necessary, in order to preserve the consistency of the narrative; which represents the ark as carried, not to Gibeah, but to Kirjath-Jearim. 4) See Bonifacius, quoted by Quaresmius Tom. II. p. 14, seq. down the Wady el-Werd to its junction with the great Wady; then along this valley perhaps to the branch coming from Kuryet el-'Enab, and so up the latter to that place. This would give a distinct line of vallies separating the two tribes, from the Valley of Hinnom quite around to Kirjath-Jearim. From this place, the west border of Benjamin seems to have been drawn obliquely down the mountain to the Nether Beth-horon;1 while the border of Judah turned westward apparently to the brow of the mountain, and was then drawn along or near the ridge southwards, till it descended to Bethshemesh in the mouth of Wady es-Surâr. Thus origi nally a corner of Judah ran up for some distance on the west side of Benjamin; including apparently at first the whole breadth of the mountainous tract west of the great Wady; for Zorah (Sur'ah), which lay upon the high ground north of Beth-shemesh, belonged at first to the tribe of Judah; though subsequently this, and probably the adjacent mountain-tract, was assigned to the tribe of Dan.3-From Beth-shemesh the border of Judah passed near Timnath and Ekron to Jabneel, apparently the same with Jabneh (Yebna); thus following still the general course of the great valley to the sea.1 Leaving the high ground west of Wady Bittîr at 12h 20', we began to descend very gradually towards the village el-Hûsân over a rocky tract. After fifteen minutes we were opposite the head of Wady el-Musurr, deep below us on the left; in which appeared a small village called Nuhhâlîn bearing S. 5° W. From it the Wady ran W. S. W. The village Hûsân was 1) Josh. xviii. 14. VOL. II. 43 3) Josh. xv. 33. xix. 41. |