XI. common name of the land of Midian; which may be bet- CHAP. ter conceived by the map hereunto belonging, than by words. 3. Of Sheba, Another of the fons of Abraham by Keturah, was Jokfhan; who had two fons, Sheba and Dedan. Now among the fon of the defcendants of Cufh, mentioned Gen. x. 7. we find by KetuAbraham, two exactly of the fame names. The not observing hereof rah. has occafioned fome confufion in writers, as to the affigning of the first settlements of these people. We have above observed, that Sheba and Dedan, the defcendants of Cush, settled themselves in the eastern part of Arabia Felix, near to their father Raamah. And indeed it is easy to suppose that thefe, having all Arabia then before them, would choose the most fruitful and pleasant parts thereof to dwell in. But Sheba and Dedan, the defcendants of Abraham, were to fettle where they could find room. And therefore, fince we are expressly told, that their settlement was eastward, in the east country, i. e. in the east parts of Arabia; and fince we find, both in the history of Job, mention made of Sabeans, who most probably lived in these eastern parts, and also in Heathen writers, a people of Arabia Deferta, called Saba or Sabai; it may reafonably be concluded, that these were the offspring of Sheba, the defcendant of Abraham. 4. Of Dedan In like manner, whereas in the Scripture there is frequent mention made of Dedan; whenever the circum- the fon of stances of the facred ftory do not agree to the habitation of Abraham, by KetuDedan, the descendant of Cush, then they are reasonably rah. to be understood of the habitation of Dedan, the defcendant of Abraham. And in this last sense, it seems proper to understand Dedan or Dedanim, in Ifai. xxi. 13, and Jer. xxv. 23. and xlix. 8. because in these places there is mention made of other people, or parts of Arabia, too remote from Dedan in Arabia Felix, to be fo joined together. 1. Lot's two CHAP. XII. Of the Dwellings of the Defcendants of Lot, the Moabites and Ammonites. HAVING fhewn the habitations of the defcendants of fons, Moab Abraham, I go on now to speak of the habitations of the and Ben ammi. 2. two fons of Lot, Moab and Ammon. It has been above observed, that, at the destruction of Sodom and the neighbouring cities, Zoar was spared at the request of Lot, who had leave given him to fly thither for fafety. But we learn, Gen. xix. 30. that fome time after Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And here he had two fons born to him, Moab the first-born, and Ben-ammi the younger, the father of Ammon, ver. 37, 38. Now when these were grown up, they fettled themselves in the adjacent coun tries, depopulated by the arms of Chedorlaomer and his confederates, in the war above mentioned. Situation of. 3. the Am The firft-born, Moab, fettled himself in the parts adjoineastward to the Salt fea, or Lacus Afphaltites, and in ing the neighbouring tract on the river Jordan, eastward. For we plainly learn that great part of the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, did formerly belong to the Moabites, Num. xxi. 26. The younger fon, the father of the Ammonites, feated Situation of himself in the parts adjoining to Moab, northward and monites. eaftward. For it is evident from Scripture, that the Ammonites were formerly poffeffed of the parts on the east of Jordan, about the river Jabbok, or of the northern part of that which was afterwards the kingdom of Sihon. Com pare Num. xxi. 13. Jofh. xiii. 25. and Judg. xi. 13-23. I infift no longer on the defcription of these countries A general here, because it will be requifite to speak of them again tion in re- hereafter, when we defcribe the courfe of the travels of 4. obferva ference to the XII. the de and Lot. the Ifraelites out of Egypt, into the land of Canaan. CHA P. However, I cannot omit taking notice here in general of the difpenfation of divine Providence, in making room for, the fettleand affigning the first settlements of the feveral defcendants ments of of Abraham, and alfo of his nephew Lot. The land of Canaan was in due time to be the poffeffion of the Ifrael- Abraham ites, defcended from Abraham by his fon Ifaac, and grandfon Jacob, otherwife called Ifrael. To the fouth of Canaan fettled Ishmael, in the wilderness of Paran, to the weft of mount Seir; which was to be the poffeffion of Efau, the brother of Jacob. To the east of mount Seir did the Midianites feat themfelves, and the other fons of Abraham by Keturah. To the north of these did the two fons of Lot, Moab and Ben-ammi the father of the Ammonites, fix their habitations. And it is remarkable, that Providence made room for these fettlements of the defcendants of Abraham (except the fettlements of the Ifraelites) by the great slaughter of the inhabitants of these parts, made by Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and his confederates; who likely carried away also a great number of them captive. And that we might be informed of the hand of Providence herein, feems to be one end of Mofes's giving an account of the conqueft obtained by Chedorlaomer over the former inhabitants of these feveral countries; namely, of the Rephaims, Zuzims, Emims, Horites, and Amalekites; as we read Gen. xiv. 5-7. 1. Efau fettles CHAP. XIII. Of the Land of Edom, or Dwelling of Efau. HAVING given an account of the fojourning of Ifaac, in mount and of the settlements thereabout made by the other fons Seir. 2. The Ho rims the habitants of of Abraham, and alfo by the two fons of Lot; I proceed now to Efau and Jacob, the two fons of Ifaac, and fo grandsons of Abraham.. And I shall speak first of the dwelling of Efau, the elder brother; though not so much for this reafon, as because he and his family were first settled in a fixed habitation; whereas Jacob and his children were only fojourners for fome ages after, either in the land of Canaan, or in Egypt, or in Arabia. The reason of Efau's feparating so soon from his brother Jacob, mentioned by the facred Historian, is this; that their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers (i. e. the land of Canaan) could not bear them, because of their cattle. Therefore Efau went from the face of his brother Jacob, and dwelt in mount Seir, Gen. xxxvi. 6-9. The former inhabitants of this mountainous tract were the Horims, or Horites, the defcendants, as is likely, of former in- one Hor, or Hori. And it is probable, that from him the this tract. mountain was formerly called mount Hor. For we read of a mountain of this name, by the coafts of Edom, on which Aaron died, Num. xx. 22-28. It is therefore likely, that the whole tract was formerly called mount Hor; fince we find, that the inhabitants of all the faid mountainous tract were formerly called Horites. The Horims alfo dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Efau fucceeded them, when they had deftroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their ftead, Deut. ii. 12. From which place it seems plain, that though Chedorlaomer king of Elam had confiderably depopulated this country; yet the remainders of the inhabitants did at first oppose Efau's Efau's fettling among them, till he forced them to fubmit CHAP to him. XIII. 3. whence fo Since alfo the fame text tells us, that the children of Efau fucceeded the Horites; there arifes a difficulty, how Mount Seir, to account for this mountainous country of the Horites named. being denominated mount Seir, or the land of Seir. From the mention Mofes makes (Gen. xxxvi. 20, &c.) of the children of Seir the Horite, it seems probable, that as the country itself, as well as the inhabitants thereof, did take its most ancient name from Hor or Hori, (a nanie, which we find preferved among the children of Seir, ver. 22.) fo in after-ages, but fome time before Efau's fettling there, it took the name of Seir, from a confiderable person of that name among the Horites; whofe defcendants Mofes gives us an account of in the latter part of the fame chapter, where he gives us an account of the descendants of Efau, as being the principal perfons of the Horites, at the time of Efau's fettling in that tract. Add hereto, that though mount Hor might primarily denote the fame as mount Seir did afterwards; yet this last name obtaining, the former was laid afide in general, and only retained to denote that part of this mountainous tract, which is diftinctly ftyled mount Hor, Num. xx. 4. the land of called. As to the fituation of this country, it lay on the fouth of the Salt or Dead fea; extending itself from this fea to Situation of the Red fea, or Arabian gulf. For this is no other than what Edom, and we plainly learn from 1 Kings ix. 26. And king Solomon why fo made a navy of fhips in Exion-geber, which is befide Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom: where we fee it plainly afferted, that Ezion-geber was both on the fhore of the Red fea, and alfo in the land of Edom; and confequently, that the Red sea did come up to the land of Edom. And from hence is to be deduced the true reason of the Arabian gulf's coming to have the name of the Red fea, this, if rightly understood, denoting the fame as the sea of Edom, or Idumean fea. For as this country was called the land of Edom from Efau, who, for felling his birth-right for fome red pottage, was nick-named Edom, that |