PART II. from Boftra; (for which is corruptly read in Jerom's verfion Ofdra ;) whereby may be understood either Boftra, a city of Arabia, mentioned by Ptolemy and others, or else Ashtaroth-Carnaim. For whereas, Josh. xxi. 27. mention is made of Beefh-terah, as a Levitical city in Bashan, instead thereof, 1 Chron. vi. 71. Afhtaroth is mentioned. And the words, fetting afide B, are written both much alike in the Hebrew; and Beefh-terah may eafily moulded by the Greeks into Beftra or Boftra.

24.

ference be

gob, and

Bafhan,

bé

Og being totally defeated, we read, Deut. iii. 4. that Of the dif- the Ifraelites took all his cities, all the region of Argob, the tween Ar- kingdom of Og in Bafhan. It is controverted among writers, whether Argob and Bashan were equivalent terms, or and Gilead. quite diftinct, or whether the former denoted only fome part of the country denoted by the latter. Now this matter may, I think, be cleared from ver. 13, 14, 15. for here Mofes faith, I gave unto the half tribe of Manasseh all the region of Argob, with all Bashan.-Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob, and I gave Gilead unto Machir. Here in ver. 13. the region of Argob feems plainly to be spoken of as a part of Bashan; and ver. 14, 15. the region of Argob is faid to be given unto Jair, and Gilead unto Machir; fo that these two together seem to have made up the country, or at least the kingdom of Bashan. As to the particular fituation of these two tracts, viz. Argob and Gilead, it is evident enough, that Gilead properly fo called was the tract, wherein lies the mount or hills of Gilead; and confequently, that the remaining tract of the kingdom of Og was that called the region of Argob, which therefore lay to the north of the other.

25.

The king of Moab being terrified at the great fuccefs Of Pethor, the Ifraelites had against the two kings of the Amorites, the city of Sihon and Og, he fends for a fainous diviner of those

Balaam.

times, called Balaam, who lived at Pethor, which lay in Aram, as we read Deut. xxiii. 7. whereby is to be understood, that part of Aram which was more peculiarly styled Aram-naharaim, or Mefopotamia, as we are expressly told, Deut. xxiii. 4. Balaam being met by Balak the king of Moab

Moab at the utmoft coaft of his kingdom, is brought to CHAP. III. the king to Kirjah-huzoth; then on the morrow to the high places of Baal, (Num. xxii. 39, 41.) then into the field of Zophim, then to the top of Peor, Num. xxiii. 14, 28. Of these places, Kirjath-hużoth and the field of Zophim being only mentioned here, nothing more can be said of them, than that they lay in the country of Moab, in that part of it which lay next to the tribe of Reuben. As for the high places of Baal, it is in Hebrew Bamoth-baal; and therefore probably the hills that lay near Bamoth before mentioned, ch. ii. §. 12.

Of Peor,

As for Peor, it is thought to be a part of the moun- 26. tains Abarim. Upon this mount there seems to have and Baalftood the temple of an idol, called thence Peor or Baal- Peor. Peor. By partaking of the facrifices offered to this idol, and worshipping it, the Ifraelites greatly provoked God, whilst they lay encamped at Shittim, Num. xxv. 1—5•

dianites.

In ver. 17, 18. of this chapter, we find God command- 27. ing the Ifraelites to vex the Midianites, and fmite them. Of the MiNow these Midianites, as has been obferved, Part I. of this Geography of the Old Testament, ch. xi. were descendants of Midian, one of the fons of Abraham by Keturah; and who together with his other brethren were sent away from Ifaac, during the life of Abraham, eastward unto the east country, namely, into the parts of Arabia lying to the east of Canaan, east of that part of Canaan where Abraham then fojourned, which was the most fouthern part adjoining to Beerfheba. Accordingly, in process of time, we find the Midianites fettled next to the Moabites, namely, to the east or fouth-east of them. And we find fome colonies of them fettled elsewhere, near to the Red fea, and mount Sinai or Horeb, in the times of Mofes; who fled out of Egypt into this land of Midian, Exod. ii. 15. and married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, or Reuel, the priest or prince of Midian, a city and country thus lying near the Red fea. A branch of these Midianites near the Red fea were the Kenites; fome of which turned profelytes, and dwelt with the Ifraelites in

the

PART II. the land of Canaan: of which race was undoubtedly Heber the Kenite, the husband of Jael, who flew Sifera. The reft continued mingled with the Amalekites, till the time of Saul. But the Midianites here mentioned in Num. XXV. were thofe adjoining to the Moabites, and who oppofed the Ifraelites after the death of Barak, as we read in the book of Judges. And fo much for the geographical part of the history of Moses.

1..

CHAP.

CHAP. IV.

Of the Conquest of the Land of Canaan, under the conduct of Joshua.

1.

ites decamp

tim, and

MOSES being dead, by the commandment of God Jofhua fucceeds him, as leader in chief of the Ifraelites; and The Ifraelprepares to pafs over the river Jordan. Hereupon he re-from Shitmoved from Shittim (where the Ifraelites had encamped pitch near for fome time) on the morrow after the two fpies returned, Jordan. that he had fent from thence to Jericho, and came to Jordan, Josh. iii. 1. And after three days ftay there, proper directions being given, the Ifraelites paffed over Jordan right against Jericho, on dry ground; the waters which came down from above, i. e. from the upper part of the ftream, ftanding and rifing up upon an heap very far, i. e. for a long way together, namely, as far as from the city Adam (or Adom, which is only here mentioned, and faid to be) befide Zaretan.

2.

This latter place is mentioned twice more in Scripture, viz. 1 Kings iv. 12. and vii. 46. from which two places it Of Zaretan. appears, that it lay not far from Succoth, (of which we have spoken in the first Part,) and Bethfhean, (of which we shall speak hereafter,) and fo not far from the southern part of the fea of Galilee.

The Ifraelites having croffed Jordan, and the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord being come out of the channel of the river, the waters thereof returned unto their place, The place where they encamped was called Gilgal, because here circumcifion was renewed. For all the people that came out of Egypt were circumcifed; but all the people, that were born in the wilderness by the way, as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcifed. Wherefore upon this renewing of circumcifion, the Lord faid unto Joshua: This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt (i. e. uncircumcifion)

VOL. I.

X

from

3.

Of Gilgal.

PART II. from off you: wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal (i. e. rolling) unto this day. Jofh. v. 2-9. Here it was that Joshua pitched the twelve ftones, which were taken up out of Jordan, by one man of every tribe. And here the people abode, till they were whole again, after their having been circumcifed; and here they celebrated the Paffover: laftly, here the people ate of the old corn of the land, on the morrow after the Paffover; and here on the morrow after that the manna ceafed. It has been already observed, that it is exprefsly faid, Josh. iii. 16. that the Ifraelites paffed over Jordan right against Jericho ; and it is exprefsly faid, Jofh. iv. 19. that they encamped in Gilgal in the eaft border of Jericho. Whence it is plain, that Gilgal must be fituated between Jordan and Jericho. And fince Jofephus tells us, that Jericho was fixty furlongs diftant from Jordan, and that the camp of Gilgal was fifty furlongs diftant from the fame river; hence it follows, that Gilgal was ten furlongs from Jericho eastward; that is, according to the common computation of eight furlongs to one mile, a mile and a quarter. But it is obferved by fome learned men, that five of the furlongs used by Josephus do make up an Italian mile; and fo the distance between Gilgal and Jericho will be just two miles. And this exactly agrees with what St. Jerom faith, when he tells us, that the place was fhewn in his days at two miles diftance from Jericho, and was had in very great veneration by the inhabitants of that country.

4.

The Ifraelites being recovered of the fore made by cirOf Jericho. cumcifion, and fit for action, the first city that was taken by them was Jericho, which lay nearest to them. It was delivered into their hands after a miraculous manner, the wall falling down flat, fo that the people went up into the city, every man ftrait before him; and they took the city. I have spoken of this city already in the first Part of my Geography of the New Teftament, chap. vi. §. 14. To what is there faid I shall only add from Eufebius, that the city built by Hiel the Bethelite, and which was honoured Antiq. b. v. c. 1. And the War of the Jews, b. v. c. 4.