before them, and dwelt in their stead." There is good reason to believe that the Dukes of Edom, as well as some who were called Kings, were all petty princes, or rulers over limited portions of the territory. After the settlement of Esau and his tribe that district of Arabia became much extended. We may conclude, that the high ground which formed the most striking feature of the region was called Mount Horeb, from Hori, the grandson of Seir: Mount Sinai being identical with it, or one of its peaks, probably its highest point. This is proved throughout the sacred history: for, when Jehovah appeared to Moses in the burning bush, at "Horeb the mountain of God," He said unto Moses, "When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God on this mountain." In the nineteenth chapter of Exodus, we have a description of the awful display of Almighty Power, when the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai in fire, and when He gave forth his holy law. "Moses alone" was permitted to "come near the Lord"-the people being commanded to "worship afar off."-In the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, the same solemn scene is spoken of, and the same events narrated, as occurring in Horeb. In several chapters of the last named book allusions are made to the covenant made "in Horeb"-to Jehovah speaking to the people there: in Kings and Chronicles to the tables of stone, "which Moses put in the ark at Horeb." Psalm cvi. 19, says, the Israelites "made a calf in Horeb." Malachi exhorts the Jews to remember the law that was given to Moses in Horeb-with the statutes and judgments." Of the several peaks of

rose up

the ridge of mountains, that intersected the desert country through which the Israelites journeyed, we have some interesting details in the sacred history; and they prove that the maps of Arabia and Canaan, which are designed to show the localities of that region, are generally, if not universally, very incorrect. From Genesis xxxii. we learn that Esau lived in "the land of Seir, the country of Edom." Gen. xxxvi.-"Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir: Esau is Edom." Deut. xxxiii.-Moses said, "The Lord came from Sinai, and from Seir unto them: He shined forth from Mount Paran." Thus all these eminences were clearly in Horeb, contiguous to which were the several nations of the Edomites, in Seir; the Midianites, at the base of Horeb, descended from Midian, one of the sons of Abraham by Keturah; mingled with the seed of Ishmael, as appears from Gen. xxxvii.; the Amalekites from Amalek, the grandson of Esau; and the Moabites and Ammonites, the posterity of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Some of these retained, for a considerable space of time, traces of allegiance to the one true God; but, by degrees, they all became corrupted by idolatry and immersed in sin. We have a distinct clue to the countries which they inhabited by observing the scriptural record. It was when Moses kept the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, priest of Midian, that Jehovah appeared unto him in "a flame of fire in a bush," in "Horeb, the mountain of God." Moab was contiguous to Midian; for we find that "the Elders of Moab and the Elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand," and came unto "Balaam,

the son of Beor;" in order to bribe him to curse Israel. At Rephidim, in the wilderness of Zin, (sometimes written Sin,) Moses "smote the rock, and the waters gushed out:" that, says the sacred text, "is the water of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin;" for "the people tempted the Lord," and said, "Is the Lord among us, or not?" notwithstanding that Jehovah had said unto Moses, "Behold, I will stand before thee there, upon the rock in Horeb." "Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim." We are informed that at the end of forty years Moses reiterated to Joshua, the command to "Remember what Amalek did," when he came to them at Rephidim, where "the Amalekites dwelt in the valley." It was during the encampment of the Israelites in Kadesh in Horeb, that Miriam died. And that Mount Hor was one of the same ridge of heights is clearly shown by the text; and that it derived its name from Hori can scarcely be doubted; for we find that Aaron died "in Mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom." On an adjacent peak, Moses also died; for the sacred historian records that, "as Aaron died in Mount Hor," so the Lord spake unto Moses, "Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab; and die in the mount, whither thou goest up."*

* From not comparing these Scriptural narrations, and from attention to vague Eastern traditions, much error has arisen. It is from the sacred text alone that we can obtain correct information respecting the localities of these ancient Arabian nations; for, as the Hebrew designations of those territories have, for a long course of centuries, been lost, and an Arabic nomenclature has been substi

It is supposed that whilst Moses dwelt in Midian, he wrote the history of the Patriarch Job, (or Jobab);*

tuted by the Mahommedan tribes that have over-run those districts, it must be difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain the exact position of the countries and places mentioned in the Bible; unless in such instances as admit of certain proof by the discovery of unquestionable remains, such as those of Nineveh, Babylon, Petra, &c.

*The Septuagint version, which was the earliest translation of the Old Testament, its date 250 years before the Christian era, affords much light and confirmation to the history of Job, and states that he was the Jobab of Bozrah that reigned in Dinhabah." In the "Codex Alexandrinus," we find the following: "He (Job) dwelt in the land of Ausitis, in the confines of Idumea and Arabia, and his former name was Jobab." It adds, "His father's name was Zarith, one of the sons of Esau," and that "he was the fifth from Abraham;" that "he was succeeded by Assom, governor of the country of the Temanites." The Arabic version of the Old Testament says, "Job dwelt in the land of Auz, between the boundaries of Edom and Arabia; and he was at first called Jobab." It adds, "He was the son of Zara, a descendant of the children of Esau."

That Job was the Jobab, son of Zerah of Bozrah, admits of little or no doubt.-It appears clearly established by the Scripture genealogy, which we trace as follows:

Zerah-or Zarith-or Zara............... Jobab-or Job, who was succeeded by Husham, king of the Temanites-called, in the "Codex Alexandrinus," Assom. Thus Job appears to have been contemporary with the latter race of the enslaved Hebrews. Dr. Kennicott places him as coeval with Amram, the father of Moses; and this Jobab is proved to have lived at the same time with Eliphaz the Temanite, who was the great-grandson of Esau. The most vague conjectures, founded on no reliable data, have been hazarded in reference to the history of this great man. Neglecting the Scripture text, and the

a name that occurs as descended in the line of Shem, of whom, and of his brethren, it is said, "Their dwell

genealogical arrangement which we find in it, some have supposed him to have lived before the time of Abraham;-assigning his age in proof; the term of which is inferred by his having lived, after his affliction, one hundred and forty years; but it should be remembered that every part of his career was extraordinary :-the perfection of his character, and the supernatural events that are recorded of his comparatively youthful days, may be considered as consistent with unusual longevity; and we perceive that this too is noticed by the inspired writer, who says, "Job died, being old and full of days." That Job was, in the time of his calamity, a young man, is proved by the speech of Eliphaz, chapter xv. 10, that Job's friends were much older than his father. Some have attempted to calculate astronomically on the time of his existence by the allusions in the book to certain stars.-Perhaps nothing could be more destitute of a solid foundation.

We may also add the testimony of the Syriac version, which says, "He dwelt in the land of Ausitis, on the banks of the Euphrates, and his former name was Jobab, and his father was Zareth, who came from the East." The English translation says, Jobab was "the son of Zerah of Bozrah." All these versions substantially agree with the Septuagint, which, for its great antiquity and correctness, is highly esteemed. And the authenticity of the book of Job, with the evidences that he was "Jobab the son of Zerah," one of the grandsons of Esau by Bashemath, are not in the least degree invalidated by some variation in the names of persons or places: for such variation is very common in Scripture, as well as in all other ancient records;;-as may be perceived by observing that Joshua the son of Nun, is called in Numbers xiii. 16, Oshea; in Deut. xxxii. 44, Hoshea. In 1 Chron. vii. 27, he is named Jehoshua, the son of Non. In Acts vii. 45, Stephen calls him Jesus-Elijah, is called Elias; Elisha, Eliseus; Noah, Noe; Ornan, Araunah; Canaan, Kenan; Mahalaleel, Maleleel; Jared, Jered; Enoch, Henoch; Phut, Put; Jeconiah, Coniah; Azariah, Uzziah; Hosea, Osee; Ezekiel, Ezekias; &c. &c. Places also are variously named; as Haran, called also Charran; Edom, Idumca; Ar, Aroer; Kir, Kirhaseth, and also