Chapter 43 - Jerusalem and Neighborhood

From: Land and the Book By: William M. Thomson

• 58 min. read • grade level: 10

	JERUSALEM AND NEIGHBORHOOD.
	Lepers' quarter — Leprosy.	Bether-Modin — Sobs.
	Pools and fountains of Jerusalem.	Kuriet el 'Aineb.
	Gihon — Siloam.	Kirjath-jearim.
	Cisterns — Fountains.	Ruggedness of the district.
	En-rogel — Stone of Zoheleth.	Neby Samwil — Gibeon.
	Ezekiel's river — Its course.	Beth-horon — Beit-Ur.
	Meaning of the allegory.	Wady Sûleyman.
	Salt marshes.	Anathoth.
	Convent of the Cross.	Sennacherib's march.
	‘Ain K̄arîm — Birthplace of John?	Domestic fowls — Cockcrowing.

May 11Th.

In my walks about Zion today I was taken to see the village or quarter assigned to the lepers, lying along the wall directly east of Zion Gate. I was unprepared for the visit, and was made positively sick by the loathsome spectacle.

Lepers Quarter

You could not be more surprised and startled than I was on my first introduction to this awful disease. Sauntering down the Jaffa road, on my approach to the Holy City, in a kind of dreamy maze, with, as I remember, scarcely one distinct idea in my head, I was startled out of my reverie by the sudden apparition of a crowd of beggars, “sans eyes, sans nose, sans hair, sans everything.” They held up toward me their handless arms, unearthly sounds gurgled through throats without palates — in a word, I was horrified. Having never seen a leper, nor had my attention turned to the subject (for a quarter of a century ago Jerusalem and its marvels were not so well understood as they are now), I at first knew not what to make of it. I subsequently visited their habitations, as you have done today, and have made many inquiries into their history. It appears that these unfortunate beings have been perpetuated about Jerusalem from the remotest antiquity. One of my first thoughts on visiting their dens of corruption and death was, that the government should separate them, and thus, in a few years, extinguish the race and the plague together; and I still think that a wise, steady, and vigilant sanitary system might eventually eradicate this fearful malady. But it will not be so easily or expeditiously accomplished as I then thought. It is not confined to Jerusalem, for I have met with it in different and distant parts of the country. And what is particularly discouraging is, that fresh cases appear from time to time, in which it seems to arise spontaneously, without hereditary or any other possible connection with those previously diseased. This fact, however, has not yet been fully established.

Law of the Leper

It is evident that Moses, in his very stringent regulations respecting this plague and its unhappy victims, had in view its extinction, or at least restriction within the narrowest possible limits. Those who were merely suspected were shut up, and if the disease declared itself the individual was immediately removed out of the camp, and not only he, but everything he touched, was declared unclean. For all practical purposes the same laws prevail to this day. The lepers, when not obliged to live outside the city, have got a separate abode assigned to them, and they are shunned as unclean and dangerous. No healthy person will touch them, eat with them, or use any of their clothes or utensils — and with good reason. The leper was required by Moses to stand apart, and give warning by crying, “Unclean! unclean!” (Lev. 13:45⁴⁵And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. (Leviticus 13:45)). Thus the ten men that met our Savior stood afar off, and lifted up their voice of entreaty. They still do the same substantially, and, even in their begging, never attempt to touch you. Among tent-dwelling Arabs the leper is literally put out of the camp.

Stories of Tacitus About Leprosy and the Jews

Tacitus has some strange stories about the leprosy and the Jews. When he comes to speak of the Jewish war in the time of Vespasian, he takes occasion to give an account of the origin of this people, in which there are almost as many fables as sentences. He then goes on to say that “one thing is certain. The Jews, when in Egypt, were all afflicted with leprosy, and from them it spread to the Egyptians. When the king, Bochorus, inquired of Jupiter Ammon bow his kingdom could be freed from this calamity, he was informed that it could be effected only by expelling the whole multitude of the Jews, as they were a race detested by the gods. He accordingly drove them all forth into the desert, where one Moses met them, and succeeded in bringing them all into obedience to himself,” with a great deal more of such nonsense. He accounts for the rejection of swine's flesh among the Jews by the fable that the leprosy was caught from swine (Tacitus Ann., book 5, chap. 4). This much, I think, can be safely inferred from a careful study of Leviticus 13-14, that the Hebrews were actually afflicted with the awful curse of leprosy beyond all modern example — leprosy of many kinds: in their persons: “leprosy in garments” — in the warp and in the woof — leprosy in the skins of animals — leprosy in the mortar, and even in the stones of their houses — phenomena not only unknown, but utterly unintelligible at this day. It is probable that some obscure traditions of these things, which were afloat in the world, furnished the materials out of which the fancy of the historian worked up his malignant libel on the Hebrew nation.

Leprosy in Stones and Garments

Have you any explanation of this very obscure subject, and especially in reference to leprosy in garments and walls of houses? This is one of many inquiries I wished to have answered during my visit to this country.

I have no light to shed upon it. For many years I have sought in every possible way to get at the mystery, but neither learned critics or physicians, foreign or native, nor books, ancient or modern, have thrown any light upon it. I have suspected that this disease, which, like the anthropophagous ghouls of the Arabs, leisurely eats up its victims in one long remorseless meal, is, or is caused by, living and self-propagating animalculæ; and thus I can conceive it possible that those animalculæ might fasten on a wall, especially if the cement were mixed with sizing, as is now done, or other gelatinous or animal glues. Still, the most cursory reference to the best of our recent medical works suffices to show how little is known about the whole subject of contagion, and its propagation by fomites. One finds in them abundant and incontestable instances of the propagation of more than one terrible constitutional malady, in the most inexplicable manner, by garments, leather, wood, and other things, the materies morbi meantime eluding the most persevering and vigilant search, aided by every appliance of modern science, chemical or optical. This much, however, about leprosy is certain, that there are different kinds of it, and that fresh cases are constantly occurring in this country. What originates it, and how it is propagated, are points enveloped in profound darkness.

Leprosy a Divine Judgment

But though we cannot comprehend the leprosy nor cleanse the leper, there are many things to be learned from this mysterious disease. It has ever been regarded as a direct punishment from God, and absolutely incurable, except by the same divine power that sent it. God alone could cure the leprosy. It was so understood by Naaman the Syrian, who came from Damascus to Samaria to be cured by Elisha; and when “his flesh came again as the flesh of a little child,” he said, “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel” (2 Kings 5:14-15¹⁴Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. ¹⁵And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. (2 Kings 5:14‑15)). It is a curious fact that this hideous disease still cleaves to Damascus, the city of Naaman, for there is a mild kind there which is sometimes cured, or apparently cured, even at this day. I have met with cases, however, where the cure is only temporary, and perhaps it is so in every instance.

The Disease

There is nothing in the entire range of human phenomena which illustrates so impressively the divine power of the Redeemer, and the nature and extent of his work of mercy on man's behalf, as this leprosy. There are many most striking analogies between it and that more deadly leprosy of sin which has involved our whole race in one common ruin. It is feared as contagious; it is certainly and inevitably hereditary; it is loathsome and polluting; its victim is shunned by all as unclean; it is most deceitful in its action. Newborn children of leprous parents are often as pretty and as healthy in appearance as any, but by-and-by its presence and working become visible in some of the signs described in the 13th chapter of Leviticus. The “scab” comes on by degrees in different parts of the body; the hair falls from the head and eyebrows; the nails loosen, decay, and drop off; joint after joint of the fingers and toes shrink up, and slowly fall away. The gums are absorbed, and the teeth disappear. The nose, the eyes, the tongue, and the palate are slowly consumed, and, finally, the wretched victim sinks into the earth and disappears, while medicine has no power to stay the ravages of this fell disease, or even to mitigate sensibly its tortures.

The Type

Who can fail to find in all this a most affecting type of man's moral leprosy? Like it, this too is hereditary, with an awfully infallible certainty. As surely as we have inherited it from our fathers do we transmit it to our children. None escape. The infant so lively, with its cherub smile and innocent prattle, has imbibed the fatal poison. There are those, I know, who, as they gaze on the soft, clear heaven of infancy's laughing eye, reject with horror the thought that even here “the leprosy lies deep within.” So any one might think and say who looked upon a beautiful babe in the arms of its leprous mother, in that little community near Zion's Gate. But, alas! give but time enough, and the physical malady manifests its presence, and does its work of death. And so in the antitype. If left unchecked by power divine, the leprosy of sin will eat into the very texture of the soul, and consume everything lovely and pure in human character, until the smiling babe become a Nero, a Caesar Borgia, a bloody Robespierre, or the traitor Iscariot. These were all once smiling babes.

The Cure

Again: leprosy of the body none but God can cure, as is implied in the strong protestation of the king of Israel when Naaman came to him: “Am 1 God, to kill and make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?” (2 Kings 5:7⁷And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. (2 Kings 5:7)). So, also, there is only one Physician in the universe who can cleanse the soul from the leprosy of sin. Again: medicines of man's device are of no avail, but with Him none are needed. He said to the ten who stood afar off, and lifted up their voices and cried, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us!” “Go show yourselves to the priests”; and as they went they were cleansed. And with the same divine power he says to many a moral leper, “Go in peace, thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matt. 9:2²And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. (Matthew 9:2)); and it happens unto them according to their faith. To my mind there is no conceivable manifestation of divine power more triumphantly confirmatory of Christ's divinity than the cleansing of a leper with a word. When looking at these handless, eyeless, tongueless wrecks of humanity, the unbelieving question starts unbidden, Is it possible that they can be restored? Yes, it is more than possible. It has been accomplished again and again by the mere volition of Him who spake and it was done. And He who can cleanse the leper can raise the dead, and can also forgive sins and save the soul. I ask no other evidence of the fact.

Pools and Fountains

I devoted this day to the pools and fountains of Jerusalem. The first one examined was that of Hezekiah, within the city, and just south of the great Greek convent. It is nearly two hundred and fifty feet long, and one hundred and fifty wide — an immense reservoir, capable of holding water sufficient for half the city. My guide called it Birket Hammam, and said that the water was used chiefly for baths.

Pools of Hezekiah

From a terrace near the northwest corner there is a beautiful view of the city, the domes of the Holy Sepulcher, the Mosque of Omar, and of the Church of the Ascension on the top of Olivet Alter looking at this as much as its importance merits, I went out at the Jaffa Gate, and to the Upper Gihon, as I choose to call it, though its name is Birket Mammilla among the Arabs. The water is brought from it by a small aqueduct into the city, and supplies the pool of Hezekiah.

Upper Gihon

This Upper Gihon is about one hundred and fifty rods west of the city, near the head of the shallow valley, and is about three hundred feet long, two hundred wide, and twenty deep. From its situation and appearance, it may be of any age which our peculiar theories of the topography of the city demand. There is now no water in it.

Lower Gihon

The Lower Pool — Birket es Sultan — is in the same valley, south of the Jaffa Gate. It is about six hundred feet long, two hundred and fifty broad, and forty deep — a cistern of prodigious capacity. The aqueduct from the Pools of Solomon passed along west of it, round the north end, then down the east side, and so round Zion to the Temple. At some former time a pipe led the water from the aqueduct to an artificial fountain on the top of the south wall of the pool, where it emptied into troughs made of old sarcophagi. From this pool the valley of Hinnom descends rapidly eastward to Beer 'Ayub — Well of Job, (or of Nehemiah) — below the junction of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat.

I also examined with much interest the Pool of Siloam and the Fountain of the Virgin, and looked into the tunnel which connects them; but my antiquarian zeal would require to be largely stimulated before I could repeat the exploit of Dr. Robinson and Dr. Smith.

ILLUSTRATION

There are several other pools which I merely looked at in passing round the city; but as the identity of all of them with pools mentioned in the Bible is controverted, I could not manage to get up any very great amount of enthusiasm in regard to them.

Pool of Siloam

That of Siloam seems to be about fifty feet long, twenty deep, and as many in width, though the sides are so broken down that it is not easy to take correct measurements. It lies in the mouth of the Tyropean, and the water runs from it, under a rock precipice, across the road to some gardens in the valley of Jehoshaphat. It is a small rill which is soon exhausted among beds of radishes and cucumbers.

Fountain of the Virgin

The Fountain of the Virgin is about four hundred paces up the valley from Siloam, and I descended to it by twenty-seven steps. I made no new discoveries, however, and have nothing to add to the elaborate discussions in regard to it and to all the other pools and fountains of the city which I have been reading in Robinson and Williams. I looked in upon the vast chasm or fosse on the north side of the Temple area, which I hear called Birket Isra11, and see on the maps written Bethesda. There is a considerable pool also outside St. Stephen's Gate, which my guide called Birket sitti Myriam. By this time I was thoroughly tired, and returned home to rest, and to enjoy this delightful view of the Holy City.

Water Supply of Jerusalem

I fully sympathize with your lack of interest, but still the questions about the waters of Jerusalem are of considerable importance. The main dependence for a constant and convenient supply is, and always has been, I suppose, the domestic cisterns. Every house has one or more; so has every church, mosque, convent, castle, and bath. Many of these are well kept, and the water is cool, sweet, and free from worms. The house I first rented in Jerusalem had three cisterns; that of Mr. Lanneau, my missionary associate, had four, and two of his were very large.

Antiquity of Cisterns

No fact in relation to this country is better attested than the extreme antiquity of cisterns, and nothing about old sites has so much surprised me as the immense number of them. Often, where every trace of buildings has disappeared, the whole site is perforated with these under-ground reservoirs. Neither Beer 'Ayub, nor the Fountain of Mary, nor any of these vast pools, nor the aqueduct from beyond Bethlehem, would be much needed except for the Temple service, and during the grand convocation of the tribes in their annual festivals. Jerusalem was so abundantly supplied with water that no inconvenience from this source was experienced even during the many and long sieges which the city sustained. The people perished from famine, not from thirst.

Fountains

It is surprising, and not a little perplexing to a visitor who is obliged to carry a “bottle” of water with him in his excursions round the environs, to learn that there was once such an abundance of water outside, that king Hezekiah had to summon all the strength of Israel to aid in stopping the fountains: “So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran [or overflowed] through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?” (2 Chron. 32:3-4³He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. ⁴So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water? (2 Chronicles 32:3‑4)). After suffering from intolerable thirst in many rambles around the Holy City, I read with wonder of “much water!” “many fountains!” “a brook over flowing through the midst!”

Strange expressions these when applied to this topography. Hezekiah and his “much people” stopped them up so effectually that they could never be found again, even by the Jews themselves. This will not appear extravagant if we take into account the calamities by which Jerusalem was utterly overthrown, and lay in ruins for seventy years; and also that, when the remnant returned from distant Babylon few and feeble, they were in no condition to search for these fountains, and, in fact, had no particular need of them.

Solomon’s Pools

In regard to these pools, whether immediately around the city or those beyond Bethlehem, there is no difficulty in assigning to them any age which history requires. Cisterns that can sustain a thousand years of comparative neglect would last many thousand when in use and properly repaired. So far, therefore, as the works themselves are concerned, they may date back to the age of Solomon; and, if speculation and inference were of avail in such questions, we might suppose that, when Solomon was building his magnificent Temple, and adapting his capital to be the center of the whole Hebrew race, he would not fail to make ample provision for the indispensable article of water. He therefore may have constructed the pools beyond Bethlehem, and built the aqueduct which brought a supply to the Temple sufficient for the ablutions and other services of that great sanctuary. And as the prodigious assemblies at the national feasts would require a large quantity of water in different quarters, and of easy access, he made those pools on the west, and others of smaller size distributed in and about the city, for the greater convenience of the pilgrims. We find in these conditions an adequate emergency and a suitable occasion for the construction of these reservoirs — a great want, a king wealthy, and wise, and given to building, and a time of peace. It must be remembered that we are speaking of works quite unique and extraordinary. No other city in this part of the world had anything like these cisterns, and the supposition that most of them were made by Solomon and his immediate successors is not extravagant. The only serious objection that occurs to me is found in the passage already quoted. If there were “many fountains, a brook running through the midst of the land, and much, water,” there would have been no occasion, up to the time of Hezekiah, to resort to such expensive contrivances as these pools. After these fountains had been stopped up, however, and the supply outside the city thus cut off, artificial means would become indispensable. It is quite possible, therefore, that most of these “pools” have been constructed since the return from Babylon. And if those beyond Bethlehem were made by Solomon, and are referred to in Ecclesiastes 2:6⁶I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: (Ecclesiastes 2:6), yet the aqueduct connecting them with the Temple may have been built after the “captivity.” Solomon himself intimates that his pools were not designed to supply Jerusalem, but to irrigate his gardens and forests.

These pools about Jerusalem are now empty, and as thirsty as the disappointed pilgrim who resorts to them. How do you account for this?

Certainly not by the assumption that less water falls now than formerly.

Pools Now Empty

These mountains are deluged with rains in winter such as we rarely experience in America, and yet I never saw water running into any of the pools, or down any of those valleys, except just while it was literally pouring from the clouds. On occasions of this kind muddy streams rush down Jehoshaphat and Hinnom with great violence. The water, however, quickly sinks beneath the accumulated rubbish, and finds its way to the Dead Sea without reappearing on the surface. No doubt a far greater quantity of winter rains was made to flow into the cisterns anciently than now, and they may have been filled in part by streams from living fountains which are now lost. Traditions of such streams are still kept alive among the inhabitants, and they seem to be countenanced by the passage from Second Chronicles. The main cause of the present deficiency is, that the cisterns are not now kept in good condition. It would be quite possible to fill them all during winter if they were made water-tight, and suitable care were taken to conduct into them the rain-water from the rocks and fields above. This whole subject is one of much interest, but there must be more exploration and excavation than has hitherto been possible before all the problems connected with it can be solved. What did you make out of Beer 'Ayub?

Beer ‘Ayub — En-Rogel?

I found it in the bed of the Kidron, just below the junction of Hinnom and Jehoshaphat, and five hundred and fifty feet below the top of Zion by the aneroid. Do you suppose that this is the En-rogel of Joshua? (Josh. 15:7⁷And the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river: and the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh, and the goings out thereof were at En-rogel: (Joshua 15:7)). There is no reason to doubt it. In the 18th chapter and 16th verse, where the south line of Benjamin's lot is drawn, the situation of En-rogel at the bottom of Hinnom, south of Jebusi, or Jerusalem, is clearly indicated. It was near this well that Jonathan and Alkmaar lay hid during the rebellion of Absalom, in order to collect and send news to David; and afterward Adonijah slew sheep, and oxen, and fat cattle by En-rogel, when he conspired to seize the kingdom. The celebrated Joab was with him, and by this act forfeited his life; and if the well was called Beer Yoab instead of 'Ayub, as some have maintained, we might find the origin of the name possibly in this last act of Joab's political career.

Its History

As matters stand, we cannot discover why, or on what occasion, the name En-rogel was changed into Ayub, or into Nehemiah, or into that of the Well of Fire — by all which titles it has been distinguished. The patriarch Job could have no connection with it, and that Nehemiah recovered the sacred fire from this well, after his return from Babylon, is a mere fable. In itself it is a singular work of ancient enterprise. The shaft; sunk through the solid rock in the bed of the Kidron, is one hundred and twenty-five feet deep. The idea of digging such a well at that precise spot may have been suggested by the fact, that, after very great rains, water sometimes rises nearly to the top, and then flows out into the valley below, a strong brook capable of driving a mill. This, however, soon ceases, and the water in the well subsides to less than half its depth. From that point a stream seems to run constantly across it, and pass down the valley under the rock. This appearance of the water below may have first suggested the plan of sinking a shaft higher up and near the city wall, that there might be access to it in times of invasion. The water is pure and entirely sweet — quite different from that of Siloam, which proves that there is no connection between them. I have seen the water gushing out like a mill-stream, some fifteen rods south of the well; and then the whole valley was alive with people bathing in it, and indulging in every species of hilarity. Thus it was in the time of David, and most likely the quantity and duration of the flow were much greater then than now.

Stone of Zoheleth

“The stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel” (1 Kings 1:9⁹And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants: (1 Kings 1:9)) was therefore a most suitable spot for Adonijah at which to slay sheep, and oxen, and fat cattle, make a great feast, and complete his conspiracy; for the people were accustomed to assemble there on festive occasions, and multitudes might find themselves entrapped into the rebellion ere they were aware of it. In this connection, it may be remarked that Gihon, down to which Solomon was immediately conducted, by order of David, to be anointed king, was probably on the other side of the city. David would certainly not send him into the midst of the conspiracy. It is evident, however, from 1 Kings 1:40-42⁴⁰And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. ⁴¹And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? ⁴²And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. (1 Kings 1:40‑42), that Gihon was so near En-rogel that Adonijah and his company could hear the rejoicing of the people that were with Solomon; and this incidentally confirms the correctness of the sites of Gihon as now received, on the west and northwest of the city.

Poetry — Milton

The whole vicinity of En-rogel, and of Siloam too, including the slopes of Zion and Ophel, are now the very last resort for any muse, either heavenly or earthly. Milton's famous invocation —

“If Sion's hill

Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook, that flowed

Fast by the oracle of God, I thence

Invoke thine aid to my adventurous song,”

would never have been written if the poet had encountered there the sights and scents which disgusted me this morning.

It will do very well for a poet “smit with the love of sacred song” to accommodate Zion with —

“Flowery brooks beneath,

That wash thy hallowed feet, and warbling flow.”

Disenchantment

Milton, however, never visited this country, and withal was blind; but I have seen the Kidron in ancient maps expanded into a broad river, and enlivened with boats and lateen sails! Where the geographer fables, the poet surely may dream.

Taste of the Water

Mr. Williams amuses himself with the contradictory accounts of historians and travelers in regard to the taste of this water. Josephus says it is sweet, one calls it bitter, another tasteless. Dr. Robinson makes it sweetish and slightly brackish; and he is right, according to my experience. I never could endure it — always thinking that it smelled and tasted of the bath. I have little doubt but that it is mingled, to say the least, with water used for Moslem ablutions and bathings in the great mosques of Omar and El Aksa.

You think, then, that there is a connection between this fountain and the wells, subterranean cisterns, etc., beneath the southern part of the Temple area?

Ezekiel’s Visions

I do not doubt it, and have always suspected that the irregular fluctuations in the quantity of water are occasioned, in part at least, by the draining into the channel at different times the water from these hidden reservoirs. I suppose it was so in ancient days, and this well-known phenomenon may have suggested to Ezekiel that striking allegory of the mystic river whose small beginnings he saw flowing down from under the altar of God (Ezek. 47:1-12¹Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. ²Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. ³And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. ⁴Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. ⁵Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. ⁶And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. ⁷Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. ⁸Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. ⁹And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. ¹⁰And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. ¹¹But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. ¹²And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. (Ezekiel 47:1‑12)). The machinery of some of Ezekiel's visions was strange and complex —

“Wheels within wheels, with living creatures wedded.”

Others, again, were remarkably simple, and, withal, rich in beautiful imagery and suggestive drapery. Of this kind is this river, which the man with the line in his hand showed to the prophet. There were things very peculiar and significant in its origin, accidents, and attributes.

Its source. — “Behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house, came down from under, at the south side of the altar” (Ezek. 47:1¹Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1)).

Its course. — It flowed toward the east country, into the desert, and entered the east, that is, the Dead Sea. There is no other in that direction; and water issuing from the “south side of the altar” must, by a topographical necessity, flow down the valley of Jehoshaphat, along the bed of the Kidron eastward into the desert, and thus into the Dead Sea by Wady en Mr.

Its rapid increase. — A mere rill at the beginning, it was to the alleles at the end of the first thousand cubits, to the knees at the second, the loins at the third, and at the fourth thousand “it was a river to swim in, that could not be passed over” (Ezek. 47:5⁵Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. (Ezekiel 47:5)).

Imagery of Ezekiel’s Vision

Its effects. — “Everything shall live whither the river cometh.” On either bank grow “all manner of trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed.” What a contrast to the present banks of the Kidron — a horrid wilderness, blasted by the curse of God, with nothing to relieve its frightful desolation! But where this river from under the sanctuary comes, the desert blossoms, the banks are shaded with trees, and vocal with music of birds. And more wonderful still — the river “being brought forth into the sea, the waters thereof shall be healed.” Now, this Sea of Sodom is so intolerably bitter, that although the Jordan, the Amon, and many other streams have been pouring into it their vast contributions of sweet water for thousands of years, it continues as nauseous and deadly as ever. Nothing lives in it; neither fish, nor reptiles, nor even animalculæ can abide its desperate malignity. But these waters from the sanctuary heal it. When they come thither the shores are robed in green, its bosom teems with all manner of fish, and fishermen stand thick on every rock “from En-gedi even unto Eneglaim. They shall be to spread forth nets, for the fish shall be as those of the great sea, exceeding many” (Ezek. 47:10¹⁰And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. (Ezekiel 47:10)).

This beautiful allegory was doubtless not thrown into the Bible merely to amuse us. What is your explanation?

Explanation of the Allegory

There are good men, and learned in the Scriptures, who interpret it literally, and maintain that a mighty physical miracle is here predicted. But we find in it only a spiritual allegory, which foreshadows miracles of mercy in store for the whole world far more stupendous. That God will cause such a river of actual water to flow down from Mount Moriah, to gladden the Desert of Judea and heal the Sea of Sodom, I do not believe. There is another desert, however, which he will surely heal — the desert of sin, the sea of spiritual death.

I discover in this richest of allegories a most comprehensive and delightful exhibition of the scheme of redemption, from its beginning to its final and glorious consummation. There is good gospel, and much sound and even profound theology in it.

The Altar

Every incident is suggestive, every allusion instructs. The waters flowed out from under the altar — intimating, not darkly, that the stream of divine mercy, the river of life, has its source in sacrifice and death. Until justice is satisfied by the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God upon the altar, the waters of life cannot flow forth from beneath it.

There can be little doubt but that the prophet borrowed the drapery of his allegory from the physical features of the Temple area, and that of the country east and southeast of it. Though the waters first appeared issuing from under the altar, yet we need not suppose that the fountain-head was there, but further back, under the Holy of Holies, beneath the ark and mercy-seat, where abode the Shekinah of God's presence, intimating that the true fountain-head of the river of life is in the heart of infinite love, but, on its way out and down to ruined man, it must pass under the altar of divine justice. There is, therefore, no other place in the universe whence these emblematic waters could flow forth so appropriately as under the altar.

The River

Again, this river was small at first, but increased rapidly as it flowed onward; and thus it has been with the river of life. It was a mere rill from Adam to Noah — the waters were to the ankles. From the Deluge to Moses it grew broader and deeper — the waters were unto the knees, and patriarchs with their flocks reposed in green pastures along the verdant banks. From Moses the lawgiver to David the sweet singer, it rolled onward, ever gathering breadth and power, and its shady groves became vocal with psalms and hymns to the God of salvation. And thus it continued to swell, and expand, and deepen, by the addition of many a rill of prophecy and promise, until He who is the true Fountain came, sending forth a mighty river of unfathomable depth, which cannot be passed over — a river to swim in; all the world may bathe in it and be cleansed — may drink of it and thirst no more; and ever since the Advent it has rolled onward further and further into the desert; and thus it will continue until its most distant borders shall blossom, and the great dead sea of sin shall be swallowed up of life. The divine allegory foreshadows the millennium in its amplest acceptation.

The Transformation

From the physical topography of the allegory, the waters could only descend into the vale of the Kidron, and run eastward toward the Dead Sea, a region of hopeless desolation. What it was twenty-five centuries ago to the eye of the prophet, it is now to the weary traveler. But when Ezekiel's river came thither, there was life — luxurious, joyous life. Delightful transformation! Now there is another desert whose sterility is more stern and stubborn than this of Judea, and nothing lives in all that dreary land until it is healed and vivified by the waters which issue out of the sanctuary of God. But wherever these salutary streams come, there spring up the plants of righteousness blooming like Eden, and loaded with the fruits of Paradise. A thousand such deserts have already blossomed, and other thousands are beginning to bloom; and, though these deserts are wide as the world, this river, by its very constitution, is adapted to reach and heal them all. The natural streams from the mountains of Arabia and Africa dwindle and fade away in her thirsty Saharas, but this grows broader and deeper the further it penetrates the desert. Thank God, it will reach earth's remotest wilderness, and enter at length and vivify the great sea of death itself.

The Dead Sea

This sea figures largely in the allegory, and well it may. The whole world affords no other type of human apostasy so appropriate, so significant. Think of it. There it lies in its sulphureous sepulcher, thirteen hundred feet below the ocean, steaming up like a huge caldron of smoldering bitumen and brimstone. Neither rain from heaven, nor mountain torrents, nor Jordan's flood, nor all combined, can change its character of utter death. Fit symbol of that great dead sea of depravity and corruption which nothing human can heal! Science and art, education and philosophy, legislation and superstition, may pour their combined contributions into it forever, but they cannot heal — cannot even dilute its malignity; but the supernatural streams of divine mercy from the sanctuary can and will. Let the world-wide desert rejoice. These waters are rolling onward, will surely reach its utmost borders, and clothe its sterile wastes with beauty and life.

Where are those miry and marshy places, mentioned in the 11Th verse, which could not be healed, and what may they signify?

Salt Marshes

They are along the southern shore of the lake, at the base of Usdum and the thick strata of rock salt which there bound the plain. It is interesting to notice how accurate the prophet is in all his topographical allusions. The existence of these salt marshes has but recently been revealed to the world by modern exploration, but Ezekiel was acquainted with them twenty-three centuries ago. If you wish to attach significance to every item in the drapery of the allegory, these strata of rock salt, with their incurable marshes, may represent that fundamental corruption of man's nature which will remain even in millennial peace and purity. The waters from the sanctuary do not heal these marshes, because they do not come to them. Wherever the waters come there is life, but they were never intended to reach up to these rock-salt sources of bitterness and death. And so in the spiritual antitype; the river of divine mercy is not designed to reach to and remove the corrupt nature of man. In the full splendor of millennial glory the fountains will still be impure, and the ever-descending streams would quickly flood the world with death, did not these waters from the sanctuary continue evermore to flow over and renew them to spiritual life. With the prophet's marvelous telescope I delight to look down the verdant vista of this mystic river, and out upon our world's glorious future. No other glass discloses such enchanting prospects. Nor are they mere “dissolving views,” fair but fading. More than meets the eye lies deep concealed, and brighter days than fancy paints shall surely dawn on earth's long and dismal night.

Convent of the Cross

In our ride today we passed up Wady Gihon, west of the city, crossed over a rocky ridge, and descended into a valley which comes down south from the Jaffa road, our first object being a visit to the Convent of the Cross. This is a large establishment, pleasantly situated, and with surroundings which suggest the idea that its finances must be in a flourishing condition. The monks were very polite, and one of them showed us the place where the tree grew from which the cross was made! Whether true or not, let others discuss; but one thing is certain — this great convent, with all its revenues, has grown up out of that hole in the ground in which the tree is said to have stood.

The good Padre Francesco expresses doubts about this tradition, perhaps because the place is in the hands of the Greeks, for whom he cherishes the utmost abhorrence. He, however, says that if the belief in the fact serves to awaken devout thoughts, it is not to be condemned. Maundrell sums up its title to our reverence somewhat after the manner of the famous house that Jack built: “It is because here is the earth that nourished the root, that bore the tree, that yielded the timber, that made the cross”; and he adds, rather profanely, “Under the high altar you are shown a hole in the ground where the stump of the tree stood, and it meets with not a few visitants, so much verier stocks than itself as to fall down and worship it.”

’Ain Karim

Leaving this convent, which the natives call El Mȗsŭllabeh, we went on nearly an hour further to 'Ain Karim, the village of Zacharias and Elisabeth, and of course the birthplace of John the Baptist and Forerunner. In the convent they point out the precise spot where the babe was born. It is beneath the chapel, which is a handsome and neatly-arranged affair of its kind. Our padre labors hard to explain how it could possibly come to pass that the Baptist should be born in two places — beneath the rich altar within the convent, and in the grotto at least a quarter of a mile from it, where a convent was also erected, over the house of Elisabeth. It is not very important how we dispose of this difficulty. Elisabeth may possibly have divided the time of that important occasion between the two, in order to multiply the number of sacred places, and thereby increase the piety of future generations!

’Ain Karim — Fountain of the Virgin

Did you see the Fountain of the Virgin, for which name our padre is again puzzled to find a plausible reason? He thinks it scarcely probable that the Virgin would have been allowed to go to such a distance from Elisabeth's house to fetch water. She might have occasionally frequented it, however, and from that circumstance her name came to be applied to it; but it required a very resolute and robust faith to tear out by the roots the sycamore-trees of skepticism which kept springing up in this gentleman's heart during his excursion to “St. John's in the mountains.” He toiled up the rocky hills southwest of 'Ain Karim for more than an hour, to visit the grotto where John dwelt in the wilderness, and practiced those austerities which we read of in the third chapter of Matthew. The whole thing, wilderness, grotto, and all, did not correspond to his preconceived notions; but these, as in duty bound, he magnanimously surrendered to gray-haired Tradition. Did you go out into that desert?

Birthplace of John

Time did not permit. My program included Kuriet el 'Aineb, and I therefore made the stay at the Convent of St. John very brief. But, before leaving it, let me ask seriously whether there is any good reason to doubt or to disturb this ancient tradition as to the main fact. Why may not this be the village of Zacharias, to which Mary came in haste to salute her cousin Elisabeth?

I know no decisive reason against it. 'Ain Karim is certainly in the hill country of Judea (Luke 1:39³⁹And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; (Luke 1:39)), though not perhaps exactly in that part of it in which, a priori, we should expect to find Elisabeth. When I visited it many years ago, I had no doubt as to the tradition, nor is there any obvious reason why the home of the Baptist should be lost, any more than the site of Bethlehem, or Bethany, or Nazareth, or Cana. The village was probably small, as no name is mentioned; perhaps it was not a village at all. But John became very celebrated in his day. Our Lord himself testifies of him that there had not risen a greater prophet than he. It is, however, not likely that he was born in either of the grottoes which tradition selected as suitable sites for convents, but in some humble habitation which has long since disappeared. Thither came Mary with that salutation which made the unborn Baptist leap for joy; and Elisabeth herself, filled with the Holy Ghost, spoke out with a loud voice, and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42⁴²And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. (Luke 1:42)). And Mary responded in that noble magnificat, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47⁴⁶And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:46‑47)). Who can doubt but that these two inspired cousins — the highly favored among women — spent the three subsequent months of Mary's visit in holy and elevated devotion and communion of spirit, speaking of the instant performance of those wonderful things which had been told them from the Lord. Truly these sacred associations must ever clothe with richest interest the vale and hill sides of 'Ain Karȋm.

Do you suppose that the ordinary food of the Baptist was really locusts and wild honey? (Matt. 3:4⁴And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4)).

John’s Food

After he had retired to the wilderness to seek preparation for his divine mission, no doubt it was. Nor is there any great difficulty about it, for we know from Leviticus 11:2²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. (Leviticus 11:2)2 That it was lawful for Jews to eat this insect. I do not suppose, however, that the desert was that rocky hill southwest of 'Ain Karim, covered with corn, vines, and olive-trees, as Maundrell says. John probably retired much further from the busy haunts of men, into those barren parts which produce none of these luxuries, and where the wandering Arabs to this day feed on locusts. The monks during the dark ages perhaps thought this incredible, and therefore planted locust-trees near John's grotto in the desert, as Maundrell informs us. The kharȗb is also found in the same region, and the name of “St. John's bread” has been given to the gelatinous pods of this tree by pious pilgrims, anxious to rescue the Baptist from the imputation of feeding on locusts.

Sites

There are two or three other places of interest in this region, at least to pilgrims and antiquarians. The well (?) at which Philip baptized the eunuch, tradition has located in the wady south of 'Ain Karim. This is doubtless a mistake. Again, Mr. Williams believes that he has found the ancient Bether in Wady Beitîr, which comes down from the south, and unites with Wady el Werd. The position will agree well enough with all that is known about the situation of this last stronghold of the Jews. Eusebius says that it was an impregnable fortress not far from Jerusalem.

Bether

There the rebel Messiah Barchochobas, in the reign of Hadrian, held out for a long time against the furious assaults of the Roman army. The place, however, was at last stormed, and the slaughter was so dreadful that the brook below it ran blood all the way to the sea, according to the tradition of the rabbis. No calamity, except the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, was so fatal to the Jews as the sacking of Bether. Eighty thousand of this devoted race fell by the sword in battle, besides a vast number who perished by famine, pestilence, and other calamities.

The only place in the canonical books where the mountains of Bether are mentioned is in the Song of Songs: “Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether” (Song of Song 2:17). The allusion is natural enough, for I myself have seen beautiful roes leaping upon those mountains, skipping upon the hills (Song of Sol. 2:8⁸The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. (Song of Solomon 2:8)).

They are certainly better adapted to them than to horses, as I can testify.

Soba

That whole region is rough and rocky in the extreme, especially along the path from 'Ain Karim to Soba, and thence to Kuriet el 'Aineb. Soba is in ruins, destroyed by order of Ibrahim Pasha in 1834; but its position is naturally very strong, and the whole conical summit was surrounded by a wall. It was long the stronghold of the robber family of Abu Goosh, as I was informed by my companions.

When I first came to Jerusalem it was occupied by one of that famous family, to the no small terror of the pilgrims.

Modin. Soba

You are aware that erring tradition located Modin, the city and cemetery of the Maccabean family, at Soba; but this cannot be correct, as that place was at or near the foot of the mountains, not far from Lydd. Dr. Robinson identifies Soba with Ramathaimzophim, and his elaborate argument makes the idea at least plausible. The same remark may be made in regard to Kirjath-jearim, or Kirjath-baal, or Baalah, for all these names belong to the same place.

Kuriet El Aineb

Kuriet el 'Aineb may represent that city, but the evidence is not perfectly conclusive. The frequent mention of this point in defining the borders of Judah and Benjamin render it certain that it must have been in this neighborhood. Monkish, or rather ecclesiastical tradition, makes it the birth-place of Jeremiah, and many writers only mention it under this name; and it is certainly possible that the prophet may have resided there, though he was born at Anathoth. Convents and churches were early erected at this St. Jeremiah, and I suppose the traces of them are to be found on the hills north and northwest of the present village, where are many tombs in the live rock. The only ancient edifice in it is the ruined church, which strikes one with surprise. Its age and origin are uncertain, though it was probably built by the Crusaders.

Kirjath Jearim

If this was Kirjath-jearim, the ark must have had a rough road from there to the city. The house of Abinadab appears not to have been in Yarim itself, but on the hill northwest of it. In 1 Samuel 7:1¹And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. (1 Samuel 7:1), our version has it hill, but in 2 Samuel 6:3-4³And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. ⁴And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. (2 Samuel 6:3‑4), the Hebrew word Gibeah is retained, as if it were a separate village. It is not likely, however, that there was a town adjoining Yarim, with the identical name of another place not far off to the north, and I suppose that the house of Abinadab, where the ark abode, was on the hill above, not at a village called Gibeah. Such an arrangement would be the most convenient and satisfactory to the congregation which assembled from all parts to worship before the ark. The hill was probably called Gibeah, by way of eminence, after the ark had been brought there, and thus our translators may have indicated the exact truth by translating it hill when it is first mentioned, and Gibeah twenty years afterward, when David and all Israel went to remove the ark to Jerusalem. There is no obvious reason at present why it should be called Yarim — rocky forests. There are waars, however, on every side almost, and some very impracticable ones north and southwest of it.

Roman Traces

The first long descent from the village toward Jerusalem is not steep, and a good road could easily be made. Indeed, the traces of an ancient way are visible in several places, and an arch belonging to a Roman bridge below Deir Yesîn is still quite perfect. The names Kŭstŭl and Kulonia along this line suggest the idea of Roman colonies, and somewhere in their neighborhood, I have little doubt, we are to find or fix the locality of that Emmaus to which the two disciples were proceeding when the Lord joined them (Luke 24:13¹³And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. (Luke 24:13)). Kuriet el 'Aineb itself would be the proper distance from Jerusalem, and being on the road to Jaffa, and on the dividing ridge between the plain and the mountains, the Roman emperor might have deemed it an advantageous post for a colony made up of his disbanded soldiers, who could keep in check the surrounding country. Certain it is that in these later ages the occupants of this place have controlled the whole adjacent region, and for many a generation exercised their lawless tyranny upon helpless pilgrims.

Road to Jerusalem

It took just three hours' moderate riding from Kuriet el 'Aineb to Jerusalem: first, a long descent into Wady Hanîna, which passes between it and Soba; then a similar ascent, succeeded by a very steep pass, and a very slippery path down to Kulonia. At this place are some heavy foundations of church, convent, or castle, by the road side, which may be of almost any age; and also gardens of fruit-trees, irrigated by a fountain of excellent water. Kulonia is on a hill north of the road, and appears in a fair way to become a ruin itself before long. The path then winds up a valley, and stretches over a dreary waste of bare rocks until within a mile of the city, when the view opens upon its naked ramparts and the mysterious regions toward the Dead Sea.

Ruggedness of the District

These rides about Jerusalem reveal to the weary traveler the extreme ruggedness of this territory. It could never have been a corn-growing region, but is admirably adapted to the olive, the fig, the vine, the pomegranate, and other fruit-trees. Such a country, in a high state of cultivation, is incomparably more beautiful and picturesque than those tame, flat plains where grain is the crop. The neighborhood of Jerusalem, when thus clothed with orchards and vineyards, must have shown one of the most agreeable panoramas the eye of man ever beheld. Nor are we to imagine, that because it did not grow wheat, its productions were of little importance.

Its Fertility

The olive is a more valuable crop, acre for acre, than any kind of grain, more so even than silk. Josephus, therefore, was not mistaken when he represented the country about Jerusalem as more fruitful than other parts of Palestine. Restore to it the proper cultivation, and it would again hold the same relative superiority.

In what sense can the mountains about Jerusalem be regarded as her defense, according to the allusion in the psalm: “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people?” (Psa. 125:2²As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. (Psalm 125:2)).

Certainly not by their height. None of the surrounding hills, not even Olivet, has any relative elevation above the northwestern corner of the city itself. But Jerusalem is situated in the center of a mountainous region, whose valleys have drawn around it in all directions a perfect network of deep ravines, the perpendicular walls of which constitute a very efficient system of defense. The ravines on three sides of the Holy City might be made a very important protection, and doubtless were, in the days of the Psalmist; but the mountains whose rugged ramparts and impracticable passes secured the tranquility of Zion were at a distance.

Neby Samwil — Gibeon — the Gibeonites

This has been a very exciting and instructive excursion, including Neby Samwil and the territory of the Gibeonites, who so cleverly outwitted Joshua and the elders, and negotiated a treaty of peace with them. I was forcibly reminded of one item in the sentence of condemnation pronounced upon them for their cunning deception — that they should be hewers of wood (Josh. 9:21²¹And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. (Joshua 9:21)) — by long files of women and children carrying on their heads heavy bundles of wood. It seemed to be hard work, especially to the young girls.

Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water

It is the severest kind of drudgery, and my compassion has often been enlisted in behalf of the poor women and children, who daily bring loads of wood to Jerusalem from these very mountains of the Gibeonites. To carry water, also, is very laborious and fatiguing. The fountains are far off, in deep wadies with steep banks, and a thousand times have I seen the feeble and the young staggering up long and weary ways with large jars of water on their heads. It is the work of slaves, and of the very poor, whose condition is still worse. Among the pathetic lamentations of Jeremiah there is nothing more affecting than this: “They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood” (Lam. 5:13¹³They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood. (Lamentations 5:13)). Grinding at the hand-mill is a low, menial work, assigned to female slaves, and therefore utterly humiliating to the young men of Israel. And the delicate children of Zion falling under loads of hard, rough wood, along the mountain paths! Alas! “for these things I weep: mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed” (Lam. 1:16¹⁶For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. (Lamentations 1:16)).

Neby Samwil

But to our excursion. Passing into Wady Beit Hanina, west of the Tombs of the Judges, by a very rocky path, we climbed the long mountain to Neby Samwil, making this distance in little over two hours. The prospect from the neby is very extensive and grand. Dr. Robinson identifies it with Mizpeh, but an old tradition makes it the Ramah of Samuel, and hence its present name. I shall not attempt to decide, and my companions from Jerusalem are equally in doubt. No better place, certainly, could be selected for a mizpeh, or watch-tower, but then no place would be more naturally called Ram, or Ramah, or some other compound of that favorite title of high hills.

El JîB

After looking at the prospect from the top of the mosque (once a Christian church), we descended northward into the deep valley which lies between Neby Samwil and El Jîb — the Gibeon of the Bible. This village is situated on an isolated and rocky hill of moderate elevation, with plains, valleys, and higher mountains all around it. Remains of ancient buildings, tombs, and quarries indicate a large and important city, though it is now a miserable hamlet, occupied by a few hundred sour and stupid Moslem peasants. We of course drank of the famous fountain, deep under the perpendicular rock in the vale to the southeast of the village.

Devices of the Gibeonites

Those old Gibeonites did indeed “work wilily” with Joshua. Nothing could be better calculated to deceive than their devices. I have often thought that their ambassadors, as described in the narrative, furnish one of the finest groups imaginable for a painter; with their old sacks on their poor asses; their wine-bottles of goat-skin, patched and shriveled up in the sun, old, rent, and bound up; old shoes and clouted upon their feet; old garments, ragged and bedraggled, with bread dry and moldy — the very picture of an over-traveled and wearied caravan from a great distance. It is impossible to transfer to paper the ludicrous appearance of such a company. No wonder that, having tasted their moldy victuals, and looked upon their soiled and travel-worn costume, Joshua and the elders were deceived, especially as they did not wait to ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord (Josh. 9:3-15³And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, ⁴They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; ⁵And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. ⁶And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. ⁷And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? ⁸And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? ⁹And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. ¹¹Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. ¹²This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: ¹³And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. ¹⁴And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. (Joshua 9:3‑15)).

Greatness of Gibeon

This El Jîb was “a great city; as one of the royal cities, greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty” (Josh. 10:2²That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. (Joshua 10:2)). Their treaty, therefore, with Israel very naturally struck terror into their neighbors, and hence that combination of kings against them which brought up Joshua in all haste to their relief. It must have been somewhere in those open plains east of Jib that the great battle took place, and the memorable rout and flight of the Canaanitish host down Wady Yalo (Ajalon), when Joshua said, in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon” (Josh. 10:12¹²Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. (Joshua 10:12)) — an event fit to immortalize any site on earth!

The Tabernacle at Gibeon

Jib is well supplied with water, not only by the fountain you mentioned, but in the wet season there is also a considerable pond in the plain below the village. It was probably on this account, in part at least, that the Tabernacle was established there for many years; and in part, I suppose, because the plains around Jib afforded suitable camping-ground for the vast multitudes who came thither to keep the great feasts of the Lord.

The existence of this little lake, I suppose, is referred to in Joshua 18:14¹⁴And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth-horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. (Joshua 18:14), in drawing the northwest border of Benjamin from near Beth-horon to Kirjath-jearim. Thus it reads: “And the border was drawn from thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth-boron southward.” It has always appeared to me impossible that the line should have made a grand sweep from Beth-horon, without an intervening point, clear down to the sea, and back again to Kirjath-jearim. But if we suppose that this little lake near El Jîb is the yam, or sea, in this passage, all difficulty vanishes. This explanation is confirmed, as I think, by two other passages.

Waters of Gibeon

In Jeremiah 41:12¹²Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. (Jeremiah 41:12) we read, “Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.” And in 2 Samuel 2:13¹³And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. (2 Samuel 2:13) it is stated that “Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together [with Abner's army] by the pool of Gibeon, and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.” It is clear that this pool, which separated the two companies, must have been a pond or small lake. The Hebrew sometimes has that meaning, and the identical word in Arabic is now applied to Lakes HAM and Tiberias, and even to the Dead Sea. I suppose, therefore, that this was actually the sea at the corner of which the border of Benjamin passed, and thus a curious obscurity is cleared away from the face of our good old Bible.

Beit Ur

From El Jib the road to Beth-horon, now called Beit Ur, winds round the head of the great Wady Yalo, the Ajalon where the moon stood still. The village of Beit Ur occupies a conical hill just at the top of the ascent from Bethhoron the lower, which is one hour below it toward the northwest. Both these places abound in marks of antiquity, and were celebrated, particularly in the wars of the Maccabees. The ascent between them is very rocky, and along it were fought by those leaders of Israel some of their bloody battles with the great armies of the kings of Antioch.

Wady SûLeyman

The profound Wady Sûleyman, which passes on the north of Gibeon, may have derived its name from the fact, that Solomon was in the habit of going to Gibeon to sacrifice before the Tabernacle, which was there until after he had completed the Temple. “That was the great high place: a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar” (1 Kings 3:4⁴And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. (1 Kings 3:4)). There the Lord appeared unto him in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give thee.”

His petition was for wisdom. And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing; and because he neither asked for long life, nor for riches, nor for the life of his enemies, therefore he gave him not only a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like him, neither before nor after, but also added what he had not asked, both riches and honor. Alas! that such a glorious beginning should have ended in foul disgrace and apostasy! Solomon loved many strange women, and when he was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon, and Chemosh, the abomination of Moab (1 Kings 11:1-8¹But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; ²Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. ³And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. ⁷Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. ⁸And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. (1 Kings 11:1‑8)), whose temples he reared —

“On that opprobrious hill

Right against the temple of God —

Audacious neighborhood.”

Anathoth

After lunching at the fountain of Gibeon, we struck over the country to the east, sometimes without any road, and always along most rocky paths, leaving Ramah on our left, and also Jîb'a, the ancient Gibeah, which we could see from different points, and descended to “poor Anathoth” (Isa. 10:30³⁰Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. (Isaiah 10:30)), the city of Jeremiah. There is no reason to question the identity, and I am always pleased to find certainty when I am groping about among these ancient ruins. The prospect east and southeast toward the Dead Sea and the Lower Jordan is one of the most dreary that my eye ever rested on, and again and again it reminded me of the author of “Lamentations,” who gazed upon it with tearful eyes two thousand five hundred years ago. 'Anita is a small, half-ruined hamlet, but was once much larger, and appears to have had a wall around it, a few fragments of which are still to be seen. It took us just one hour to reach our cottage from the hill above the village. Several wadies along the path run down to the valley of the Jordan, and the road sometimes keeps round the head of them, and at others passes through them. I did not note their names.

Sennacherib’s

All those places which you passed without visiting are mentioned in the 10th chapter of Isaiah, with several others to the north of them. The prophet is describing the approach of Sennacherib's army: “He is come to Aiath, he has passed to Migron; at Michmash he has laid up his carriages: they have gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth” (Isa. 10:28-30²⁸He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages: ²⁹They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. ³⁰Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. (Isaiah 10:28‑30)). Thus one can follow, step by step, the invading host of Assyria, until they reach “poor Anathoth,” and shake their hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, from Nob, which was at the north end of this Mount of Olives.

Biblical Sites

No neighborhood in Palestine is more crowded with interesting Biblical associations than this over which you have passed so hastily. I should like to spend a day wandering over the rough hills between Er Ram, Gibeah, Michmash, Rimmon, Bethel, and Beer. Perhaps we might stumble upon the site of Ai, which Joshua's curse has hidden from all the world; for he “burned Ai, and made it a heap forever, even a desolation unto this day” (Josh. 8:28²⁸And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. (Joshua 8:28)). It must be somewhere between Michmash and Rimmon, a region greatly cut up with gorges and ravines; and as I passed from Beit — in toward Michmash, I could easily understand how Joshua's ambush of five thousand men could lie hid between Ai and Bethel (Josh. 8:12¹²And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. (Joshua 8:12)). Some of our Jerusalem friends identify Ai with a conspicuous mound which I saw from a distance. It bears now no other name than Tell, which you may translate “heap”; and as for “desolation,” it remains complete unto this day. No doubt traces still remain, could we but find them, of that great heap of stones which Joshua raised over the carcass of Ai's hapless king (Josh. 8:29²⁹And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day. (Joshua 8:29)).

May 14th.

Barn-Door Fowl

Is it not remarkable that there is no allusion to the common barn-door fowl in the Old Testament, and that in the New they are only mentioned in connection with Jerusalem? In Matthew Christ thus addresses this wicked city: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matt. 23:37³⁷O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)). Matthew (Matt. 26:34³⁴Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Matthew 26:34)), Mark (Mark 14:30³⁰And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Mark 14:30)), and Luke (Luke 22:34³⁴And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:34)) refer to the crowing of the cock when Peter denied his Lord; and Mark mentions cock-crowing as one of the watches of the night in connection with Christ's prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 14:30³⁰And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Mark 14:30)).

I have often thought a this remarkable silence in regard to one of man's most common associates and greatest comforts, especially in this country. The peasants, not to say citizens in general, would scarcely know how to live without fowls. Their eggs, and they themselves, answer the place of meat for most of their meals. They swarm round every door, share in the food of their possessors, are at home among the children in every room, roost over head at night, and, with their ceaseless crowing, are the town-clock and the morning bell to call up the sleepers at early dawn. If they were thus common among the ancient Hebrews, it seems strange that they should never have been mentioned.

Cock-Crowing

Is not the cock-crowing a very indefinite division of time? I have noticed throughout our wanderings that they seem to crow all night long.

That is true, particularly in bright warm nights; and what is curious, too, I have beard a single cock crow so often and continue so long that I gave over counting from mere weariness. It is, however, while the dawn is struggling into day that the whole band of chanticleers blow their shrill clarions with the greatest energy and emulation. It seems to be an objection to the sign given to Peter, that a thousand cocks in Jerusalem might crow at any hour. For him, however, it was sufficient that in the house of Caiaphas there was but one which gave forth its significant note in immediate response to his cruel and cowardly denial of his Lord, and it answered the purpose intended perfectly. Peter heard, and then “went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62⁶²And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:62)). We must not be very severe upon the Armenians for attempting to preserve the identical spot where this incident occurred, since the Evangelists record the fact with so much particularity.

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