March 29th.
View of Nazareth
“Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Come and see,” as Philip said to Nathanael.
Why not? It appeared really charming last night as we came down the mountain from the northeast with the grateful shadows of evening falling softly around it. The vale is small, certainly, but then the different swellings of the surrounding hills give the idea of repose and protection; and, for my part, I would infinitely prefer to have the home of Mary and her divine Son in such a quiet seclusion, than to be obliged to force my way to it through the dust, and confusion, and hard worldliness of any crowded city.
Its Obscurity Significant
I most emphatically accord with that opinion, or rather feeling; and there is a sort of latent beauty and appropriateness in the arrangement by which He who made all things out of nothing should himself come forth to the world out of a place that had no history. The idea here tempts one to linger upon it and expatiate, but this would throw us quite off our present track, which is to go “round about” and describe this city of Nazareth and her neighbors.
It is certainly remarkable that this place, dearest to the Christian heart of all on earth except Jerusalem, is not mentioned in the Old Testament, nor even by Josephus, who was himself on every side of it, and names the villages all about it, but seems yet totally ignorant of its existence. It was probably a very small hamlet, hid away in this narrow vale, and of no political importance whatever. And so far as its subsequent history can be gathered from Eusebius, Jerome, and other ancient records, it never rose to distinction until the time of the Crusades. It was then made the seat of a bishopric; but long after this it was an insignificant village, and remained such through many a dark age of lawless violence. Within the last hundred years, however, it has gradually grown in size and risen into importance, until it has become the chief town of this district.
Its Rise Within Last Century
It is now larger and more prosperous than in any former period in its history, and is still enlarging. The present population must exceed three thousand. But it can never become a great city. The position is not favorable, and there is a distressing want of water. Even at this early season there is an incessant contest for a jar of it around this Fountain of the “Annunciation,” which is the only one in the village.
Present Populousness
The present growth of Nazareth is mainly owing to the unchecked inroads of the Arabs from beyond Jordan, which has rendered it unsafe to reside in Beisan and on the great plain of Esdraelon. Most of the villages have been recently deserted, and this work of destruction is still going on; and the villagers from the plains are here in Nazareth, at Jennin, and still further in toward the seaboard. Should a strong government again drive these Arabs over the Jordan, the population and importance of Nazareth would decline at once. It must, however, always be a spot sacred to the whole Christian world, for here our blessed Savior passed the greater part of his life while on earth. But what a profound silence rests upon those thirty years of mysterious existence! We only know that here the child Jesus grew up from infancy to childhood and youth, increasing in stature as other children do, and in knowledge, and in favor both with God and man, as none ever have done. Here, too, he spent the years of his ripening manhood in humble labors and in sinless communion with God. How natural the desire to lift the veil that shrouds all this period in impenetrable darkness! Hence the spurious “Gospel of the Infancy of Christ,” stuffed with puerile or profane fables.
Let any one, curious to see what weak, uninspired man makes of the history of Jesus, turn to the “First and Second Gospels of the Infancy,” or the “Gospel according to Nicodemus,” and he will be devoutly thankful to know that they are miserable forgeries, so foolish that they are rejected by all; and so far from desiring to have the veil which covers the early life of the incomprehensible God-man lifted, he will adore the wisdom and the kindness that has thus concealed what we could not rightly appreciate nor even understand. Infinite wisdom decided that it was not well to encourage such inquiries, and has taken effectual care that they should never be answered. There remains but one acknowledged anecdote of his life during all these years. And further, I am most happy to believe that there is not a fragment of the ancient Nazareth itself which can be identified. It is nearly certain that every stone of the small hamlet where the Savior of the world spent so many years has long ago dissolved back into the white marl of the hills from which it was quarried. This kind of rock disintegrates with great rapidity; and as the place was often almost or quite destroyed and forsaken, the soft stones thus exposed would not last fifty years.
No Authentic Remains of Nazareth
Well, thus I would have it. I like to feel assured that the church of the annunciation, the cave, the kitchen of Mary, the workshop of Joseph, the dining table of our Lord and his apostles, the synagogue where he read the prophet Isaiah, and the precipice down which his enraged fellow-villagers were determined to cast him headlong, as now shown, are all fabulous, apocryphal, and have no claims to my veneration or even respect. The eye rests on nothing with which our Lord was familiar except his own glorious works. These remain the same. This narrow vale, on the side of which the village is built, climbing up the steep mountain back of it, is very much now what it was then. To this fountain the young Jesus came for water just as these fine healthy children now do with their “pitchers.” Shut in on all sides by fourteen swelling eminences on the circling mountains, as Dr. Richardson counts them, Nazareth must have been always, as at present, very hot, particularly in the early part of the day. It was also wanting in prospects and distant views. Hence, no doubt, our Savior would often climb to the top of this western hill, which rises at least five hundred feet above the bottom of the wady. There he could behold the distant sea, and breathe its fresh breeze. From thence, too, his eye would rove delighted over a vast expanse of sacred scenery. We can do the same, and in the doing of it hold converse with his spirit, and enjoy what he enjoyed, without one doubt to trouble or one fable of meddling monk to disturb. Let this suffice. God does not admit impertinent curiosity behind the veil of his own privacy.
Neighboring Places to Nazareth
Of places which immediately surround Nazareth little need he said, because few of them are mentioned in the Bible, or have ever risen to any distinction. Tabor, and Debûrieh, and Ksalis, En-dor, and Nain, we shall visit hereafter. Yafa here, to the southwest two miles, is the Japhia of Zebulun. Semmûnia, mentioned along with it, is in the same great oak woods two or three miles still further west. Josephus also mentions Jibbata in the plain south of Semmûnia. Sefûrieh, the Sephoris which figures so largely in Josephus and during the Crusades — the Diocæsaria of the Romans and the Fathers — is about five miles to the northwest. The fine fountains south of Sefûrieh, the more valuable for their rarity in this region, have witnessed many a contest between Crusader and Saracen, as it was a favorite camp-ground for both. Though it was an important city for several centuries after the advent of Christ, as appears abundantly from Josephus and Roman authors, and had coins struck with its name, yet it owes its celebrity mostly to the tradition that Joachim and Anna, the supposed parents of the Virgin Mary, resided there. It is now a considerable village, and flourishing for this region. The ruins of a castle, probably built by the Crusaders, may still be seen on the hill above it; and other remains, more ancient, are below on the west side. The latter may have belonged to a church or convent of the middle ages. The place is favorably situated, being nearly half way between Acre and Tiberias, with the fat and fertile Bŭttauf on the north, the long vale of Tin' an east, and the magnificent oak glades for many miles to the south, west, and northwest. The inhabitants are not the most complacent to strangers, and I have never liked to spend the night there.
30th.
You have been making good use of this bright morning, I suppose, for you left the tent at an early hour?
Chapel of Annunciation
I went at the call of the bell, and heard the monks say mass in their “Chapel of the Annunciation.” The organ and the chant were quite affecting in this strange land and sacred place at early dawn. But I have little satisfaction in looking at shrines in which I have no faith, or in examining the cells of monks, for whose institutions and characters I entertain very little respect. The convent appeared to me more like a castle than a house of prayer; but I suppose it is none too strong to keep out Arab robbers.
Mount of Precipitation
Issuing through its iron gates, I strolled away in search of the Precipice of “Precipitation”; and, were it not so far from the village, I should acquiesce in it at once, for it is well adapted to the murderous purpose which animated the townsmen of our Lord. My guide pointed out a small ruin much nearer the precipice, where, he said, the village was originally built; and this, if one could place confidence in the tradition, would relieve the difficulty as to distance. I rather suspect, however, that the bold cliff which overhangs the Esdraelon was selected because of its striking appearance, and the grand prospect which it commands.
On my way back through the upper part of the town, I found precipices enough for all the requirements of the narrative in Luke. 1. Most of them, it is true, appear to be partly artificial, but doubtless there were some of the same sort in ancient days.
Fountain of Annunciation
I stopped also at the Fountain of the Annunciation, according to the Greek tradition, and, among other things, attempted to purchase one of those singular rolls of old coins which the girls of Nazareth bind around their foreheads and cheeks; but I could not succeed in my negotiation, for they refused to sell at any price.
Girls of Nazareth. Route
Most travelers speak of the beauty of these girls, and not altogether without reason. To me, however, they appear unusually bold, and their obvious want of modesty greatly depreciates their good looks. I fear that a very intimate acquaintance with the Nazareth of this day might lead me to ask the very question of Nathanael, and therefore I am ready and quite willing to prosecute our pilgrimage.
The only preliminary is breakfast, and that has been waiting for half an hour. We send the tents to Sulam, and go thither ourselves by way of Tabor.
Tabor
March 30th.
It is about five miles nearly due east to the northwestern base of Tabor, whence only it can be ascended on horseback. The road winds over the hills, and down a long wady to the plain, a short distance north of Debûrieh. We, however, shall not follow the valley, but keep round further north, and come upon the mount from the great oak woods which lie between it and Sejera.
Height of Tabor
On one occasion I went directly up from Debûrieh with my aneroid, and found the ascent from Esdraelon to be thirteen hundred and forty-five feet. I had formerly made the base of the mountain about four hundred feet higher than the Bay of Acre, and the entire elevation, therefore, is not far from eighteen hundred feet. The southern face of Tabor is limestone rock, nearly naked; but the northern is clothed to the top with a forest of oak and terebinth, mingled with the beautiful mock-orange (Syringe). The road (if road it may be called) winds up through them, and, notwithstanding the experience of other travelers, I have always found it difficult, and in certain parts actually dangerous.
The mount is entirely composed of cretaceous limestone, as are the hills west and north of it; but all to the east is volcanic. I have never seen a picture of it that was perfectly satisfactory, although every artist who comes in sight of it is sure to take a sketch. Their views differ widely, owing mainly to the points whence they are taken. Seen from the south or north, Tabor describes nearly an arc of a great circle; from the east it is a broad truncated cone, rounded off at the top; from the west it is wedge-shaped, rising to a moderate height above the neighboring hills.
Its Form
Its true figure is an elongated oval, the longitudinal diameter running nearly east and west. The most impressive view, perhaps, is from the plain between it and En-dor.
Esdraelon is seen to the greatest advantage, not from the summit, but from a projecting terrace some four hundred feet above Debûrieh. It appears like one vast carpet thrown back to the hills of Samaria and the foot of Carmel. In variety of patterns and richness of colors, it is not equaled by anything in this country.
View From Tabor
Both the Mediterranean and the Lake of Tiberias are visible from a point near the summit, the former to the northwest, and the latter on the northeast. The Dead Sea, however, cannot be seen from any part of Tabor, and those who have made the statement were probably deceived by the silvery haze which fills the ghor of the Jordan in that direction. There is often an actual mirage, which would mislead any one who had not previously examined the point on a day unperplexed by these phenomena. And now for this exciting and romantic climb. I will lead the way, and leave you to your own meditations, with the hint to look well to your horse, lest you change romance to tragedy before we get up.
Summit of Tabor
Here we are on the top of Tabor! Let us breathe our tired animals beneath this fine old oak at the entrance into the fortress. You observe that a fosse once protected the wall on all this part of the summit, because it is less precipitous than elsewhere. This narrow plot on the north side, I suppose, was leveled into its present shape by the inhabitants of the ancient city, for gardens, or to make a hippodrome and parade-ground. South of this a rocky ridge rises some fifty feet higher, and the entire summit was surrounded by a heavy wall, strengthened with towers at suitable distances, and further defended by a ditch when needed. These works are obviously of very different ages, and history not only accounts for, but demands them. There was a town here, and no doubt fortified, at or before the time of Joshua.
Its History
Here Barak and Deborah assembled the thousands of Naphtali to attack Sisera. And Tabor is never lost sight of either by Hebrew historian or poet. It has, therefore, a story many times too long for us to repeat — Canaanitish, Jewish, Græco — Macedonian, Roman, Christian, Saracenic, Frank, and Turk. Parts of these fortifications are doubtless Jewish, but it is quite impossible to distinguish the various ages of architecture with certainty. Nothing remains now but a confused mass of broken walls, towers, vaults, cisterns, and houses, some of which indicate the sites of the convents and churches erected by the Crusaders. The Greek Church has recently fitted up, with the assistance of Russian gold, two or three vaults here on the left, as a chapel and residence of the solitary priest and keeper — a foreign monk, whose appearance is not over-saintly, nor his cell particularly sweet. Both it and the chapel smelt of arrack the last time I was here, and the red eyes and bloated countenance of the priest did not indicate “total abstinence.” The Latin monks from Nazareth also celebrate mass here on certain festivals. I once saw a large procession with drums and cymbals, singing and clapping hands, and the indispensable roar of muskets, set out from that town to keep the Feast of the Transfiguration here at these forsaken shrines.
Do you suppose that this is the scene of that stupendous event? I see it called in question by many modern tourists and critics.
The Transfiguration
If I hesitate to admit the claims of Tabor to the honor of the Transfiguration, it is not from anything in the mount itself. No more noble or appropriate theater for such a glorious manifestation could be found or desired. Nor does the fact that there may have been a village on the top at that time present any difficulty. There are many secluded and densely wooded terraces on the north and northeast sides admirably adapted to the scenes of the Transfiguration. I have been delighted to wander through some of them, and certainly regretted that my early faith in this site had been disturbed by prying critics; and, after reading all that they have advanced against the current tradition, I am not fully convinced. You can examine this vexed question at your leisure, and have as good a right to form an independent opinion on it as anybody else, for all that is known about it is found in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9, which you can see at a glance contain nothing very decisive against the claims of Tabor. The topographical indications are very uncertain and obscure.
View From Tabor
But however we may dispose of this question, Tabor will always be a place of great interest. Its remarkable shape and striking position would attract admiration in any country, and the magnificent prospect from the top will always draw pilgrims arid tourists thither. I have climbed to it many times, and shall certainly repeat my visits whenever I pass this way. It is from Tabor that one gets the best general view of central Palestine, and especially of the rise and direction of the different water courses by which the great plain of Esdraelon is drained. In common with others, I have carefully sought the summit-level of this part of the plain, and, until lately, without entire success. In my youthful days I was familiar with old maps which made the Kishon run in a broad, straight canal, from the Bay of Acre to the Jordan. Of course this is absurd in itself, and rendered still more so by the well-ascertained fact that the Jordan east of Tabor is seven or eight hundred feet lower than the Mediterranean. The old tradition, however, is not without a semblance of fact to rest upon. I once went directly across from Debûrieh to Nain, which you see to the southwest of us about four miles, on the slope of Jebel ed Dûhy. Between these two villages the plain is so perfectly level that I could not determine the exact line where the water would flow east, and where west, nor could the eye detect the slope either way except at a considerable distance.
Course of the Streams
An immense amount of water descends in winter from these oak-clad hills north and west of Tabor, and enters the plain between Ksalis and Debûrieh. It might well happen, therefore, that this flat space would be so flooded that a part would find its way westward to the Kishon, and another part descend along the base of Tabor into Wady Sherrar, and thence into the Jordan. And this it actually does, as I have clearly proved this winter. Being detained in Nazareth by a very heavy storm, our company set out, during a temporary lull, for a gallop to En-dor and Nain. Descending to the plain at Ksalis by the most frightful of all rideable paths, we struck out into Esdraelon direct for En-dor, and, of course, the path led diagonally across toward the southeast. It was all flooded with water, and spongy enough; but my search ended in palpable certainty. All the water that came foaming of these hills east of Ksalis ran directly for this Wady Sherrar, and no mistake; while all west of that village (and there was plenty of it) flowed without hesitation westward to the Kishon. So, also, the drainings of Jebel ed Dilly from about En-dor, went to the Sherrar and the Jordan, while those to the west of it joined the Kishon.
The Kishon
A line drawn from Ksalis to En-dor, therefore, passes directly along the summit-level between the Kishon and the Sherrar. The Wady Jalûd, however, on the other side of Jebel Dûhy, extends much further to the west than this, draining the central part of Esdraelon into the valley of Jezreel from about Fûlîeh.
The JalûD
These two streams, the Jalûd and the Kishon, therefore, overlap one another for many miles, the arms of the latter, north and south of Jezreel, carrying the waters from the mountains to the Mediterranean, while the Jalûd takes those from the center into the Jordan.
En-Gannim
The winter torrents, which come down from the regions of Jelbûn east of Jenîn, are the most distant branches of the Kishon; but the most distant perennial source of this famous river is the Fountain of Jenîn itself — the Engannim (Fountain of Gardens) given to Issachar by Joshua (Joshua 21:2929Jarmuth with her suburbs, En-gannim with her suburbs; four cities. (Joshua 21:29)). This is reinforced on its way westward by the waters of Lejjûn, and many other rivulets from the hills of Samaria and wadies of Carmel, and also from springs and marshes in the lower part of the plain itself; but they are not strong enough to keep the river running during the summer and autumn. I have crossed the bed of the Kishon (even after it enters the plain of Acre) in the early part of April, when it was quite dry. The truth is, that the strictly permanent Kishon is one of the shortest rivers in the world. You will find the source in the vast fountains called Sa'adîyeh, not more than three miles east of Haifa. They flow out from the very roots of Carmel, almost on a level with the sea, and the water is brackish. They form a deep, broad stream at once, which creeps sluggishly through an impracticable marsh to the sea; and it is this stream which the traveler crosses on the shore. Of course, it is largely swollen during the great rains of winter by the longer river from the interior. It is then much easier to find than to get over. I once crossed diagonally through the lower part of Esdraelon from Semmunia to Wady Kŭsab, and had no little trouble with its bottomless mire and tangled grass.
I have described thus minutely this noble plain and “ancient river,” partly because I have nowhere met with a good and correct account of then), and partly to prepare the way for an intelligible conversation about some of those Biblical scenes in which they figure most largely. I, of course, refer to the battle of Barak, the sacrifice of Elijah, and the slaughter of Baal's priests at the Kishon.
Battlefield of Barak
Is the battlefield of Barak visible from here?
Very distinctly. On the border of the plain to the southwest you can distinguish the bold artificial Tell el Mutsellim, near Lejjûn, the Megiddo of the Bible. Southeast of it is a village called Te'ennûkh, the Taanach of Judges. Below these two, on the plain, the host of Sisera was encamped. Barak, accompanied by the heroic Deborah, was where we now are, with their ten thousand courageous Naphtalites from Kedesh. On the morning of that eventful day, probably long before it was light, Deborah set the little army in motion with the energetic command and animating promise, “Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand.
The Attack
Is not the Lord gone out before thee?” (Judges 4:1414And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. (Judges 4:14)). Rapidly they descend the mountain, cross over by Nain into the valley of Jezreel, then incline to the left to avoid the low and marshy ground, and by the first faint light of the morning they are upon the sleeping host of the Canaanites. This assault, wholly unexpected, threw them into instant and irrecoverable confusion. But half awake, the whole army fled in dismay down the plain, hotly pursued by the victorious Barak. No time was allowed to recover from their panic. God also fought against them: “The earth trembled, the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water” (Judg. 5:44Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. (Judges 5:4)). Josephus adds that a storm from the east beat furiously in the faces of the Canaanites, but only on the backs of the Jews. The storm is required by both the narrative of the action and the song of victory. It was to this, I suppose, that Deborah alluded, “Is not the Lord gone out before thee?” (Judg. 4:1414And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. (Judges 4:14)) and this it certainly was which swelled the Kishon, so that it swept away and drowned the flying host; for it never could do that except during a great rain. The army of Sisera naturally sought to regain the strongly fortified Harosheth of the Gentiles, from which they had marched up to their camping-ground a short time before.
The Rout
This place is at the lower end of the narrow vale through which the Kishon passes out of Esdraelon into the plain of Acre, and this was their only practicable line of retreat. The victorious enemy was behind them, on their left were the hills of Samaria, in the hand of their enemies; on their right was the swollen river and the marshes of Thora; they had no alternative but to make for the narrow pass which led to Harosheth. The space, however, becomes more and more narrow, until within the pass it is only a few rods wide. There, horses, chariots, and men become mixed in horrible confusion, jostling and treading down one another; and the river, here swifter and deeper than above, runs zigzag from side to side of the vale, until, just before it reaches the castle of Harosheth, it dashes sheer up against the perpendicular base of Carmel. There is no longer any possibility of avoiding it. Rank upon rank of the flying host plunge madly in, those behind crushing those before deeper and deeper in the tenacious mud. They stick fast, are overwhelmed, are swept away by thousands. Such are the conditions of this battle and battlefield that we can follow it out to the dire catastrophe.
Harosheth
We only need to know where Harosheth is, and that is now easily found and identified. The narrative of the battle leads us to seek it somewhere down the Kishon, for only in that direction would they fly from an attack corning from the northeast. Again, it cannot be very far from the camp, for the Hebrews pursued them to it. They had before the battle marched some ten or twelve miles, and we cannot suppose that they could pursue an enemy more than eight or ten miles further. Now, exactly in the line of their necessary retreat, and about eight miles from Megiddo, at the entrance of the pass to Esdraelon from the plain of Acre, is an enormous double mound, called Harothîeh, which is the Arabic form of the Hebrew Harosheth, the signification of the word being the same in both languages. This tell is situated just below the point where the Kishon in one of its turns beats against the rocky base of Carmel, leaving no room even for a footpath. A castle there effectually commands the pass up the vale of the Kishon into Esdraelon, and such a castle there was on this immense double tell of Harothîeh. It is still covered with the remains of old walls and buildings. The village of the same name is now on the other side of the river, a short distance higher up, and, of course, nearer the battlefield. I have not the slightest doubt of this identification. It was probably called Harosheth of the Gentiles, or nations, because it belonged to those Gentiles of Acre and the neighboring plains which we know, from Judges 1:3131Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: (Judges 1:31), the Hebrews could not subdue; and; by the way, I believe that Sisera pitched between Taanach and Megiddo, because, as is stated in the passage from Judges, those towns were still in the hands of the Canaanites.
Kingdom of Jabin
It may be objected that our supposition makes the authority of Jabin extend very far. It does; but, instead of weakening, this fact is rather confirmatory. Hazor, situated in the center of the mountains of the present Belad Beshara, we are distinctly informed by Joshua, was “the head of all those nations” who assembled at the waters of Merom. Among them were the kings of Dor, of Taanach, and Megiddo, and very likely of Acre itself. As Hazor was rebuilt, and another king Jabin of the same dynasty now reigned in it, the probabilities are great that he would still be the acknowledged “head” of all these Canaanitish cities. Moreover, Jabin could only use his nine hundred chariots of iron on the plains, such as those of Acre and Esdraelon, and no better position for his horses and chariots could be found than just this site of Harosheth, nor a more commanding position taken by his chief captain Sisera.
But if Harosheth is this Harothîeh, how comes it to pass that Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, is found so near the battlefield that Sisera could light down from his chariot and flee to her tent? We are told in this very narrative that their home was near Kedesh, which is two days' travel to the northeast of the battlefield.
Heber the Kenite
Even this, when carefully examined, confirms our identification. It is mentioned in the 11Th verse that “Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim which is by Kedesh”; and I suppose the object of this brief notice thus thrown into the narrative is, in reality, to account for the appearance of Jael on this scene of action.
How Heber’s Tent Was Near the Battlefield
The other Kenites were settled in the hill country of Judah, not far from Hebron. If you ask, Why state that Heber had settled near Kedesh when you want to know how he came to have his tent down at the bottom of Esdraelon? my answer is, that such was the fact. Heber did settle there. And it is because he did, that there came to be “peace between Jabin and the Kenites” (Judg. 4:1717Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. (Judges 4:17)), for Hazor was only a few miles from Kedesh. An incident which happened to myself will explain why Heber was found at the bottom of this plain at the time of the battle. With a guide from Nazareth, I once crossed the lower part of Esdraelon in the winter. It was then full of Arab tents, and at first I felt a little nervous, but my guide assured me there was no danger, for he was well acquainted with these Arabs. Their home was in the mountains north of Nazareth, toward Safet, and they only came down here to pass the cold months of winter. This was the very thing that Heber did, and who knows but that these Arabs are lineal descendants of that heroic Jael? I peered curiously into the faces of the women, but they were all tawny brass or dirty bronze; and I could find none that looked at all heroic, though some of them seemed as if they could drive a nail into the temple of a sleeping enemy. To all this some one might object, that if Heber lived near Kedesh, why not descend to the Hûleh immediately below for the winter, rather than migrate to this distant place? For the simple reason, I answer, that this place was under the government of his ally Jabin, and the other was not. It is interesting to notice how all parts of this narrative, even to its remote and incidental implications, correspond and corroborate each other. In addition to the above, the habits of these tent-dwellers require that the battle should have occurred in the winter, or very early spring, for only then would Heber's tent be found here. Now this is nowhere stated in just so many words, but the song of victory says that “the clouds dropped down rain” (Judg. 5:44Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. (Judges 5:4)), and it only rains on Esdraelon in the winter. The same thing is necessarily implied by the fact that “the river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon”; and this it could not do except in winter.
Deed of Jael
What have you to say with regard to the deed of Jael, which is highly praised by Deborah? Dr. Kitto, after presenting the whole transaction and the supposed motives of the actor in the most unfavorable light, sums up the whole thus: “It was a most treacherous and cruel murder, wanting all those extenuations which were applicable to the assassination of King Eglon by Ehud.” I feel unwilling to accept this explanation. It shocks my ideas altogether to suppose that an inspired prophetess should foretell the deed, and then celebrate it and its author in the highest strains of congratulation and eulogy, if it was a mere treacherous, cold-blooded murder.
Jael Justified
Certainly this is the very last conclusion we shall adopt. We need by no means take for granted that because the Kenites were not at war with the tyrannical Jabin, that therefore they were treated with justice by him. In the same neighborhood at the present day, the tribes of settled Arabs (and the Kenites were of this class) are most cruelly oppressed by the sheikhs of the districts where they reside. They are at peace with them, however, through fear, and from inability to throw off the galling yoke, as Heber was with Jabin.
Relations of Heber and Jabin
Now it is nearly certain that in those lawless times the defenseless Kenites would be oppressed by Jabin, and would sigh for and gladly embrace any opportunity to escape from this intolerable bondage. Their deliverer, therefore, would be esteemed a patriot and hero, not a murderer.
In the second place, if it must be supposed that Jabin was a kind friend and just protector of the Kenites, it does not follow that Jael might not have had special reasons to fear and hate Sisera. He had the command of the immediate neighborhood where the Kenites were encamped, and, unless he differed from modern commanders of Eastern tyrants, he would most certainly abuse them, and allow them to be insulted without redress by his rude retainers. Jael might have thus been injured in the highest degree, if not by Sisera himself, by some of his lewd captains. Or there may have been a recent blood-feud between the tribe and this man or his family, which not only justified Jael, according to the law of retribution, but rendered it obligatory upon her, and every one of the tribe, to take revenge upon their enemy.
In the third place, we are not to take for granted that certain fantastic laws of the modern Bedawin in regard to the asylum of the tent were in force among these settled Kenites. These notions are carried to such an absurd pitch in some tribes, that a man is obliged to protect the murderer of his father if he succeeds in reaching the tent; but the settled Arabs know no such laws, and I do not believe that the Kenites did.
Again, it may be assumed as nearly certain, that Jael would not have ventured upon this daring act unless she knew that her husband and her whole tribe would not only justify, but rejoice in it as a righteous retribution upon their oppressor, and as the means of escape from an intolerable bondage, against which they were watching for an opportunity to revolt.
And yet once more. On the nearly incredible supposition that neither the Kenites as a tribe, nor Jael as an individual, had any cause of complaint against Sisera, we may fairly conclude that they were believers in Israel's God and friends of his people. This their whole history confirms. They must therefore have been deeply grieved at the cruel oppression which their brethren in faith and worship suffered from Sisera. In their defenseless condition they had not dared to take sides openly against Jabin, but in heart they were with the oppressed Israelites, and regarded it as a duty to help them to the utmost of their power. The total overthrow of the Canaanites offered the wished-for opportunity, and Jael boldly availed herself of it.
Neutrality of the Kenites
The reason why it is mentioned that the Kenites were neutral in this war was not to give the idea that they were under any obligation to take sides with Sisera or to protect him if defeated, nor even to account for the fact that Sisera fled to Heber's tent. He may, and probably had little enough reason to claim this protection. But it was necessary to make the statement about the Kenites, as we have before said, in order to account for their being down on Esdraelon at all when the army of Sisera was there. It deserves also to be remembered that if the Kenites had attempted to shield and aid Sisera after his defeat, they would have rendered themselves partisans in the war on the losing side, and might have been treated as enemies by the now victorious Israelites. On the whole, therefore, I conclude that if all the circumstances and influences which impelled Jael to the daring act, and sustained her in it, were known, we should find that she violated neither the customs of her people, nor the laws of war then in force, nor the abstract and greater laws of righteousness, by thus destroying the enemy of God's people and the oppressor of her own, who from necessity sought in her tent an asylum to which he had no right, and the granting of which might have involved her and her whole family in ruin.
Under these impressions, I can join with Deborah in celebrating the deed and the actor.
Song of Deborah
“Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself, Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colors, of divers colors of needlework, a prey of divers colors of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might” (Judg. 5:24-3124Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. 25He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. 26She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. 27At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. 28The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? 29Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself, 30Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colors, a prey of divers colors of needlework, of divers colors of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? 31So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. (Judges 5:24‑31)). There is nothing, ancient or modern, more beautiful, appropriate, or sublime, than this close of Deborah's triumphal ode. No gloss, paraphrase, or comment can add to its graces.
The Nail
There are a few allusions, however, in it which may be better understood by brief explanations. The “nail” which Jul used was a tent-pin, now, as then, called wated; and the “hammer” was the mallet with which it is driven into the ground. It is not necessary to suppose that either of them was of iron, as nail and hammer would imply. The wated was probably a sharp-pointed pin of hard wood, and the hammer was the ordinary mallet used by these tent-dwelling Arabs.
Allusion to the Nail in Isaiah
There is a curious use of the word nail in Isaiah 22:23,2523And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. (Isaiah 22:23)
25In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 22:25) which must also refer to those wooden wateds, I suppose, for it is the same Hebrew word: “I will fasten him with a nail (yutad) in a sure place”; and again, in the 25th, this yutad, fastened in a sure place, shall be removed, and cut down, and fall. It is not every place that will hold the tent “nail” securely; it must be driven into suitable ground.
Doubtless a wooden pin or peg is here meant, not an iron nail. It is, however, not a tent-pin, but a peg driven into the wall, and used to hang clothes and household utensils upon. There is significance in the statement that it should be made fast in a sure place, because, in general, these pins are driven into the wall through the plaster, and are everything but steady and secure. Not one in a score of them but what bend down, or get loose and fall out.
There is a reference to the same thing, and the same Hebrew word in Zechariah 10:44Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together. (Zechariah 10:4): “Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail-yutad.” And this, by the way, gives an intelligible idea to this expression of Zechariah. The tent-pin is absolutely essential to the stability and safety of the Arab's habitation.
Butter or Sour Milk
Again: it is absurd to suppose that Jael brought Sisera butter to drink. Neither the ancient nor the modern Orientals make butter at all, as we understand the word, and what takes the place of it is never used as a beverage. Butter is the exponent of milk in the other member of the parallelism, showing that sour milk, or leben, was meant; and this, properly prepared, makes a most cooling and refreshing drink.
Mother of Sisera
Lastly: the entire soliloquy of Sisera's mother is worked out with admirable skill and truthfulness. When standing on the lofty tell of Harosheth, which commands the view of the pass up the Kishon, and out into Esdraelon toward Megiddo, I could fancy her ladyship sitting at a latticed window, and impatiently looking up the wady. She knew that a battle was to take place, was certain of victory, and longed not so much to see her son as to grasp the spoils. Knowing that those lewd warriors would chiefly value the fair damsels of the Hebrews, she mentions them first, but does not appear to relish this sort of “prey” for her house, and therefore does not give any to Sisera — most mothers can understand and sympathize with her. But she feasted her imagination with the goodly garment of divers colors which her son was to lay at her feet. She looks at it again and again — turns it over first on this side, then on that, to see and admire the “divers colors.” This is eminently Oriental and feminine; and the childish repetition of “divers colors” is all the more striking in an ode distinguished for rapid narrative, abrupt exclamation, and the utmost conciseness of style and diction.
Deborah
This Deborah was certainly a remarkable lady-prophetess, poet, judge, and warrior. It is not a little singular that though her residence was near Jerusalem, between Ramah and Bethel, yet we meet her far north, at Kedesh in Naphtali, with Barak, who was of that city. We find her name also here, at the foot of Tabor, perpetuated in this miserable village of Debûrieh.
As judge and inspired guide to Israel, she probably itinerated a good deal, as did Samuel and other prophets; and her patriotic zeal would lead her wherever she could be of service to her oppressed people. I suppose she dwelt in a tent, like her heroine Jael, under that palm-tree which bore her name near Bethel, in Mount Ephraim. It was called the palm-tree of Deborah (see the Hebrew) (Judges 4:55And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. (Judges 4:5)).
It seems to me to be a fair inference from such expressions, that trees were as rare in Palestine, even at that early age, as they are at the present day, or we should not so often read of the oak, the terebinth, the palm-tree, of this or that important place or event. If trees were abundant, such a designation would signify nothing, and would not have been employed.
Remarkable Trees
And one other thought about these remarkable trees. This country abounds in them. We have sacred trees, and trees that are inhabited by jin, or evil spirits; and we have single trees all over the land covered with bits of rags from the garments of passing villagers, hung up as acknowledgments or as deprecatory signals and charms; and we find beautiful clumps of oak-trees sacred to a kind of beings called Jacob's daughters. These are doubtless relics of most ancient superstitions; and in the fact that the old patriarchs and prophets lived, and prophesied, and were buried under such trees, we find, I imagine, the origin of this curious custom and belief.
Road to Sulam
But it is time to descend and pursue our ride to Sulam, whither our tents have preceded us. There is no path but the one we came up, for on the south and east the declivity is too precipitous for roads. I once attempted to find my way down toward Khan et Tejjar, but did not succeed, and was obliged to return to our present path. The road to the khan leads through this rough oak wood for more than an hour, when the forest and the limestone on which it grows terminate together. Below, and all east to the valley of the Jordan, the country is volcanic and destitute of trees. The wady in which the khans are situated is called Mîdy. It comes from the northwest, drains all that part of the forest, and passes down southeast to the Sherrar and the Jordan.
Khan Et Tejjar
There are two khans: one on a hill about one hundred feet square, and having octagonal towers on the corners. It served the double purpose of castle and caravanserai. The other is in the vale below, and was much larger. It had also a division through the center, with vaults and magazines on either side of it, and the great advantage of a fountain of water within the walls. It was fitted up with rooms for the protection of merchandise and the accommodation of travelers. The place is now entirely deserted, nor is there an inhabited house in sight. Caravans do not spend the night there for fear of Arabs, who are always prowling about, watching for an opportunity to rob. I have never halted there for half an hour without having some of these rascals pass along and scrutinize my party closely, to see whether or not it would do to attack us.
Weekly Fair
On Monday of each week a great fair is held at the khans, when, for a few hours, the scene is very lively and picturesque. These gatherings afford an excellent opportunity to observe Syrian manners, customs, and costumes, and to become acquainted with the character and quality of Syrian productions. Thousands of people assemble from all parts of the country, either to sell, trade, or purchase. Cotton is brought in bales from Nablûs; barley, and wheat, aid sesamum, and Indian corn from the Hûleh, the Hauran, and Esdraelon. From Gilead and Bashan, and the surrounding districts, come horses and donkeys, cattle and flocks, with cheese, leben, semen, honey, and similar articles. Then there are miscellaneous matters, such as chickens and eggs, figs, raisins, apples, melons, grapes, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables in their season. The pedlars open their packages of tempting fabrics; the jeweler is there with his trinkets; the tailor with his ready-made garments; the shoemaker with his stock, from rough, hairy sandals to yellow and red morocco boots; the farrier is there with his tools, nails, and flat iron shoes, and drives a prosperous business for a few hours; and so does the saddler, with his coarse sacks and gaily-trimmed cloths. And thus it is with all the arts and occupations known to this people.
The Noise
The noise is incessant, and at a distance sounds like that “of many waters.” Every man is crying his wares at the top of his voice, chickens cackle and squall, donkeys bray and fight, and the dogs bark. Every living thing adds somewhat to the many-toned and prodigious uproar. It is now a miscellaneous comedy in full operation, where every actor does his best, and is supremely gratified with his own performance.
Business of the Fair
The people find many reasons for sustaining these antiquated and very curious gatherings. Every man, woman, and child has inherited a strong desire for trading, and, of course, all classes meet at this grand bourse to talk over the state of the markets, from the price of a cucumber to that of cotton, or of a five-thousand dollar horse from the Hauran. Again, every Arab is a politician, and groups gather around the outskirts of the crowd to discuss the doings of the “allied powers,” the last firman from the sultan, or the new tax demanded by their own petty emeer. Descending to more ordinary matters, these fairs are great places for gossip and scandal. Friends meet friends, and exchange the news of weddings, births, and deaths, and all the multifarious incidents and accidents between these grand extremes of human life. In a word, these fairs supply the places of many of the appliances of more civilized society. They are the daily newspaper, for there is one for every day within a circuit of forty miles. They are the exchange, and the forwarding office, and the political caucus, and the family gathering, and the grand festa and gala days; and underlying the whole is the ever-present idea and aim of making money.
Descent to the Jordan
Thus it is at Khan et Tejjar (the Inn of the Merchants) on Monday morning, but long before sunset not a soul of this busy throng remains on the spot. All return home, or take refuge in some neighboring village. I attended once, and then took my way eastward to the valley of the Jordan, at Jisr el Mujamia, in search of 'Akil 'Aga. The country for the first three miles is a rich volcanic plain. The path then leads down to a brook, called Sāāra, which descends from the north, past a village of the same name. The water, yellow-green and foul, flows off in a deep gorge to the Sherrar. Half an hour further is M'ather, with hovels nearly concealed behind hills of manure. The only things at work about the village were the bees, of which there are more hives than there are houses, and the air rings with the hum of these industrious purveyors of honey. Two miles further east is Hadathy, large and better built, with an enormous chasm, washed out of the surrounding bluffs by fountains which run out from the crumbling banks. This region was thickly inhabited until quite recently; and in little more than a mile from Hadathy is 'Aolam, a large village in ruins. It is probably the Mama of the ancients,
It has excellent water, and very large fig-trees still flourishing, for it was sacked and destroyed by the Arabs only three years ago, as was also the next village, called Seerîn. Having thus ridden for three hours through this depopulated country, I dived suddenly into the valley of the Jordan, having the gorge of the Sherrar between me and Kaukab el Howa, the splendidly-situated castle of Belvoir. The descent to the Jisr was extremely steep, and greatly surprised me by its depth. It is difficult to remember, or practically realize, that the Jordan is there eight hundred feet lower than the ocean. Down, down I walked, until, tired out, I resumed the saddle.
The Ghor
The entire Ghor presented a most singular appearance. It is far from level, tilted up, in fact, into fantastic hills and shelving bluffs by vast dikes of obtruding lava. Half way down I came upon ruins of a large place, called Yidma, evidently very ancient. The Ghor was alive with Arabs, dotted with tents, and clothed with flocks.
I pitched my tent at sunset near that of the aga, and tried in vain to sleep. An intensely hot sirocco had commenced to blow, and this made every man and beast in this large encampment almost as nervous and restless as myself. Early the next morning, while sitting in my tent-door smoking an argely, I was startled to see a large panther (nimr) scouring the plain in full chase of a pack of dogs that had attacked him. Making a long circle, they swept around my tent, when the panther left the dogs, leaped over the corner of the tent, tossed my argely to the winds, and then bounded away after the dogs. In another minute he returned, sprang on the top of the tent, and laid himself down there. I was confounded, but sat still, and he soon jumped from the tent, and crouched down close to my feet!
A Panther
He was out of breath, and panted fearfully. Though not at all pleased to have the fierce brute so near, I kept my eye steadily and sternly fixed on his. He remained quiet until his keeper came from the aga's tent to recapture him. Then he growled fiercely, and was disposed to fight for his liberty; nor was it until they brought some fresh meat that they were able to get hold of him. He was a tame one, so far as nimrs can be tamed, brought up by the aga to hunt gazelles. The aga told me that these nimrs require seven years to complete their growth, and a constant course of careful training all that time to make them good hunters. He is extremely cunning in his approaches towards victim; lies flat on his belly, and creeps almost insensibly toward the flock. His color then is so like the surrounding grass and stubble that the aga said he could not keep track of him. He will thus maneuver for hours, until finally within leaping distance, when he springs with one tremendous bound upon his terrified prey. If he misses it, he gives over for that time, or will anything induce him to follow up the chase.
I was glad enough to get clear of my tiger, but, strange to say, I met him again under very different circumstances. Returning from Jaffa to Beirût some months after, when we came to Haifa, I saw a large cage coming in a boat toward the steamer, and there was my quondam acquaintance en route to Paris. The aga had sent him to the emperor through the French consul of Beirut. The poor fellow was miserably sea-sick, which made him perfectly furious. Leaping with all his might against the bars, he broke through, and seized a passenger who was standing near, and it was only by enveloping him in a heavy sail that he was subdued and forced back into his cage.
I think David must have been acquainted with the hunting habits of the panther. Speaking of the “wicked,” he says, “He croucheth and humbleth himself that he may catch the poor” (Psa. 10:1010He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. (Psalm 10:10)). It is true that the psalmist is speaking in this place of the lion, but the description applies so accurately to the wily maneuvers of this hunting nimr, that I imagine the royal poet must have also been acquainted with him and his ways.
The Panther Abundant in Judea
This is certainly possible; and it is certain that, in his early pastoral life, David was familiar with the bear as well as the lion. Both these have disappeared from the hills where the son of Jesse tended his father's flocks, but these nimr still abound there. And now we have reached the foot of Tabor; and this is Debûrieh, so called possibly from Deborah; but if so, this name has been substituted for some other one in the catalog of places given to Zebulun by Joshua, for it is found in Joshua 19:1212And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising unto the border of Chisloth-tabor, and then goeth out to Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia, (Joshua 19:12), though he wrote long before the time of the prophetess. These heavy stones may have belonged to the church said to have been erected here in the early ages of our era, or perhaps to some edifice still more ancient. The inhabitants have long borne a bad character, and my own reception among them has not inclined me to defend their reputation. The whole neighborhood indeed is unsafe; for the Arabs, from the Jordan and the lawless regions east of it, make frequent inroads up the plain, and plunder all whom they can conquer. We shall pass over to En-dor, and then around the eastern slope of “Little Hermon” to Sulam.
Nain
This mount is now called Jebel ed Dûhy, and that small hamlet on the northwest corner of it is Nain, famous for the restoration of the widow's son to life. It was once a place of considerable extent, but is now little more than a cluster of ruins, among which dwell a few families of fanatical Moslems. It is in keeping with the one historic incident that renders it dear to the Christian, that its only antiquities are tombs. These are situated mainly on the east of the village, and it was in that direction, I presume, that the widow's son was being carried on that memorable occasion (Luke 7:11-1511And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. (Luke 7:11‑15)). It took me just an hour to ride from the foot of Tabor to Nain, and the path lies near the water-shed between the Sherrar and the Kishon.
‘Ain-DûR (En-Dor)
The soil is deep and fertile, as it is along this road to 'Ain-dûr, as the home of Saul's far-famed witch is now called.
Caves of En-Dor
It is a most wretched-looking place, and yet the position, at the northeast corner of the mountain, facing Tabor, and overlooking the valley between them, is really beautiful. Jerome has said correctly that the distance from Tabor is four miles, for it has taken us an hour and ten minutes to ride it. There does not seem to be much to attract attention here, and, as it is growing late, I think we had better move on, and find our tent before these straggling Bedawin find us.
It is only about an hour to Sulam, and there is just at present no particular danger of being robbed; let us, therefore, before we leave this place of evil notoriety, look into some of its caves. You observe that the declivity of the mountain is everywhere perforated with them, and most of the habitations are merely walls built around the entrance to these caverns. Observe, too, that the cattle are stalled in them along with their owners; and so it was in the time of Saul. The “witch” doubtless occupied one of these caves, and in its dark recesses she secretly performed her “damnable sorceries.” The whole place is in most striking accord with its ancient story; and these old hags grinning at us from the yawning mouths of their blackened habitations, look more like witches than women. Hark, how they curse the fathers and grandfathers of us Christian dogs, a kind of salutation you now never hear but from the very vilest people in the country.
Calves
Whether witches or not, they are undoubtedly “possessed,” and we may just as well pass on out of their sight. See, here are half a dozen little calves at the mouth of this cave, kept up from their mothers, who are at pasture under the care of the shepherd. I do not mean that there is anything unusual in this, but merely that just such a calf did the witch kill for Saul on that dismal night when he sought her dwelling.
She must have been extremely expeditious in her kitchen and cookery. A hungry man, as was Saul, would think it hard to wait for supper until a calf was slaughtered and cooked, and fresh bread baked, and all this after midnight (1 Sam. 28:2424And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: (1 Samuel 28:24)).
Rapid Cooking
Such things are common even in our day. With the Bedawîn it is nearly universal to cook the meat immediately after it is butchered, and to bake fresh bread for every meal. Visit 'Akil 'Aga, for example, whose tent is now in the valley below us, and you will experience the entire process. A sheep or calf will be brought and killed before you, thrust instanter into the great caldron which stands ready on the fire to receive it, and, ere you are aware, it will reappear on the great copper-tray, with a bushel of bûrgûl (cracked wheat), or a hill of boiled rice and leben. In our native Cincinnati, a hog walks into a narrow passage on his own feet, and comes out at the other end bacon, ham, and half a dozen other commodities; at the aga's camp, it is a calf or sheep that walks past you into the caldron, and comes forth a smoking stew for dinner.
It seems that this killing, cooking, and eating in rapid succession is a very old custom. Abraham, and Manoah, and many others besides the witch of En-dor, were expert in getting up such impromptu feasts; and our Savior has given it a proverbial expression in the fatted calf of the “prodigal son.”
Killing an Animal in Honor of Visitors
Not only is this true, but among unsophisticated Arabs the killing of a sheep, calf, or kid, in honor of a visitor, is strictly required by their laws of hospitality, and the neglect of it keenly resented. They have a dozen caustic terms of contempt for the man who neglects to honor his guest with the usual dŭbbîhal (sacrifice), as it is universally called — a name suggestive of the ancient religious rites of hospitality, and no less suggestive of the important fact that our own dŭbbîhah is waiting for us. The very idea will quicken our pace over the shoulder of Mount Dûhy to our tent in Sulam.