March 31St.
Luxury of Travel
This is the very luxury of travel: bright days and joyous, air cool and fragrant, hill side and vale robed in green and spangled with flowers, bird, and beast, and man himself gay and happy. Yes, give me the tent, the open country, and the clear blue sky, at least while spring lasts. And then these nights, so solemn, almost sad, and yet so very sweet — the bustling activities of the day laid aside, every harsh sound subdued, and the soul called home to rest or reverize. It is a sort of bliss merely to lie still and breathe. Thus, half waking and half asleep, hour after hour of last night stole away, while by-gone memories, historic associations, and recent experiences chased each other through all the labyrinths perplexed of fairy-land.
Historic Associations
Finally my dreamy meditations arranged themselves into historic sequence, and the wonderful deeds which immortalized this neighborhood in olden times passed in review.
The Midianites
First in order came those sad days when, “because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds. And when Israel had sown, the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to destroy it” (Judg. 6-6).
In precisely the same manner do the Bedawin Arabs, these modern Midianites, come up this Wady of Jezreel and Wady Sherrar, “after the people have sown,” and destroy the increase of the earth; and not only destroy the increase of the field, but commit wholesale murder, as those did upon the brethren of Gideon at Tabor. In fact, the sacred historian expressly says that these Midianites were Ishmaelites, and we have under our very eyes the descendants of this ancient people committing similar depredations in the very same spot. Both these valleys are now swarming with these “children of the east,” come over Jordan to consume the land.
Gideon
But have you any Gideon to work out deliverance for this oppressed and impoverished country?
Alas! no; and I fear generations will pass away before any adequate liberator can arise; and, by the way, this history of Gideon is very remarkable, and we are in the midst of scenes immortalized by his glorious achievements.
Ophrah
Ophrah, the city of his inheritance, was on the general range of mountains south of Zer'in, and when he comes into notice the invaders lay along in this valley of Jezreel as locusts for multitude. It was harvest, and consequently a little later in the season than this. Gideon, instead of carrying his grain to the ordinary threshing-floor, took it into the midst of his vineyard, to hide both it and himself from the Ishmaelites.
Threshing-Floors and Vineyards
These summer threshing-floors are in the open country, and on an elevated position, to catch the wind when winnowing the grain, and of course they would be altogether unsafe at such a time, while the vineyards are hid away in the wadies and out on the wooded hills, and thus adapted for concealment. Indeed, I myself have seen grain thus concealed in this same country, during the lawless days of civil war. There, by the winepress, the angel of the Lord appeared, and said to him, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor” (Judg. 6:1212And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. (Judges 6:12)). After confirming his faith by wonderful miracles, he commissions him to destroy the enemies of Israel. The Lord looked upon him and said, “Go in this thy might; have not I sent thee?”
This whole narrative reads most life-like and stirring here among the scenes described. The angel, who was no other than Immanuel — the Word in flesh assumed for the occasion — came and sat under an oak, as you and I would do, in one of those mountain vineyards, for the harvest sun renders the shade necessary, and the oak is the tree you will find near the wine-press. I have seen many such.
The Apostasy of His Family
The sacred narrative reveals the sad religious apostasy of even Gideon's family. His father had a grove and an altar to Baal, the abomination of the Zidonians. This, Gideon is commanded to destroy; and from that act he received the name of Jerubbaal, “the tryer of Baal,” to translate according to Arabic; and having performed this daring deed, he blows the trumpet, and assembles about him, out of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, thirty-two thousand men.
His Army
We are in the center of these tribes, and can see at a glance from whence he gathered his army. It is worthy of remark that the men of Issachar are not mentioned, and we can from this point readily imagine the reason. The people of Issachar lived here on this great plain, and were, of course, altogether surrounded by and at the mercy of the Midianites, as these villages of Sulam, Shŭtta, Zer'in, etc., now are in the power of these Bedawin. They therefore could not join the army of Gideon. Of those assembled, twenty-two thousand were afraid, and returned home at the first offer. Ten thousand more were dismissed by divine command at the “water,” where “the three hundred” drank “by putting their hand to their mouth,” a thing I have often seen done, and not always by heroes either. These three hundred alone were retained, and that very night this small band moved forward to the brow of that steep mountain which overhangs the vale and the fountain of Jezreel. Gideon, with Phurah his servant, let himself cautiously down from rock to rock until he stood among the tents of their enemies. There he overheard “a man tell his fellow” this strange story: “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo! a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it that it lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel; for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all his host” (Judg. 7:13-1413And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. (Judges 7:13‑14)). This dispelled every lingering doubt, and he returned to order the attack at once.
The Barley Cake
What possible analogy can there be between a sword and a cake of barley bread, that could have suggested this idea to the Midianite?
Doubtless there was divine influence in the matter; but even this does not quite cover the whole case, I apprehend. Divine Wisdom ordinarily works with means adapted to produce the intended effect, and there is no conceivable reason why he should not suggest to this dreaming Midianite something calculated to bring Gideon into view; and so he doubtless did, and in a way best of all calculated to bring about the desired result.
Barley Bread
As to the line of connection in the mind of the “interpreter,” we may remember that barley bread is only eaten by the poor and the unfortunate. Nothing is more common than for these people, at this day, to complain that their oppressors have left them nothing but barley bread to eat. I remember that this was the identical lamentation of a wealthy farmer who rode with me last summer from Zer'in to Jenin. This cake of barley bread was therefore naturally supposed to belong to the oppressed Israelites; it came down from the mountain where Gideon was known to be; it overthrew the tent so that it lay along, foreshadowing destruction from some quarter or other. It was a contemptible antagonist, and yet scarcely more so than Gideon in the eyes of the proud Midianites. That the interpreter should hit upon the explanation given is not, therefore, very wonderful; and if the Midianites were accustomed, in their extemporaneous songs, to call Gideon and his band “eaters of barley bread,” as their successors, these haughty Bedawin, often do to ridicule their enemies, the application would be all the more natural. At any rate, the interpreter read the riddle right, and reached the true intent of the prodigy.
The Stratagem
What a strange stratagem was that of Gideon!
And yet it was well adapted to produce the effect intended; nor was the action, in the manner of it, at all remarkable. I have often seen the small oil lamp of the natives carried in a “pitcher” or earthen vessel at night. Armed with this curious weapon, the three companies took up their stations round the slumbering host.
Position
They would, no doubt, leave the road toward the Jordan open, for the enemy to take in his flight, and so one band of lamp-bearers must have planted themselves along the base of the hill there below Zer'in; another, between that and this Sulam, along the west side of the host; and the third band would stand along the brow of this hill, extending down eastward toward Shŭtta. The Midianites, we know, lay in the valley between this and Jezreel. Thus arranged around the slumbering host, at a given signal the three hundred pitchers are broken, three hundred trumpets bray harsh alarms on every side, and three hundred lights, as of so many different bands of assailants, flash upon their blinded eyes. It is not wonderful, therefore, that the Midianites rush in wild dismay and dire confusion one upon another. In the darkness they cannot distinguish friend from foe, and thus every man's sword was against his fellow. The very vastness of the army would render the rout more ruinous; and in that horrible slaughter “there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword” (Judges 8:1010Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. (Judges 8:10)).
How was it possible for the men of Manasseh, Asher, and Naphtali to hear the news and join in the pursuit of the Midianites in so short a time, and amid the urgencies of such a day?
The Pursuit
This is not difficult to explain. We are here on the very battleground, for the host lay in this valley, and, fleeing, they passed this Shŭtta to the east of us. Look around, and you find that we are in the center of these tribes. The cities given to Manasseh, on the west of Jordan, were along the southern margin of Esdraelon and on the hills above. Asher came up to Carmel, at the bottom of this plain, and a swift runner could reach them in an hour. A portion of Naphtali occupied the western shore of the Lake of Tiberias, and could be reached in the same way, and in about the same time. It was possible, therefore, for them to receive the summons and respond to it. Of course, only those who lived adjacent to the scene of action are intended. The attack of Gideon was at night, and, in all probability, just before day. Gideon could not have made his visit, returned, and made all the necessary arrangements before the night was far spent; and, moreover, it is the invariable custom of these modern Midianites to select that hour for their assaults. It is proverbially the darkest, and both men and animals are then buried in deepest sleep. The very watch-dogs become drowsy. Besides, if successful, they want the opening light of day to complete the victory, and secure the plunder; and, if defeated, they need the light to gather up their scattered troops, and make good their retreat. Gideon, therefore, had the entire day, and that in harvest time, to collect the surrounding tribes, and pursue the flying foes.
Earrings
I have often seen them, and among certain of the tribes it is quite the fashion; but these golden earrings belonged, in part, no doubt, to the women. Bedawin women not only have them in their ears, but also large rings are suspended from the nose. These are the face jewels, I suppose, which are mentioned very early in Biblical history.
The Scene at En-Dor
But you interrupt the order of my midnight memories. “A change came over the spirit of my dream.” I was back at En-dor, and the witch stood within a dismal cavern, working out her wicked sorceries. Samuel arose “out of the earth, an old man covered with a mantle”; and God-forsaken Saul fell prostrate before the awful apparition (1 Sam. 28:13-1413And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. (1 Samuel 28:13‑14)). I heard his voice sepulchral pronounce the dreadful decree, “Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me; and the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” Poor Saul! doomed to death, and returning in despair to fight and fall with his sons and all Israel before the sword of Philistia! It was a fearful ride that dark night, for the Philistines were encamped in this very village of Shunem, directly between Gilboa and En-dor (1 Sam. 28:44And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. (1 Samuel 28:4)). He probably kept to the east of Jezreel, crossed the valley below 'Ain Jalûd, and thence over the shoulder of this Jebel ed Dûhy to En-dor; but it must have been perilous in the extreme, and nothing could have induced Saul to venture thither but the agony of despair.
Position of the Armies
This Sulam affords an admirable camp-ground for a large army, Jebel ed Daly rising abruptly behind, and the top of it commanding a perfect view of the great plain in every direction, so that there could be no surprise, nor could their march be impeded, or their retreat cut off. The fountain, it is true, is not very copious, but there are others toward Fûleh, and in the valley below. On the morning of that disastrous day, the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands out of this valley of Jezreel, ascended by the city, and joined battle with Israel upon those rough mountains east of it.
The Defeat
Israel was beaten and fled, closely pursued by their victorious enemies, and Saul and his three sons were slain. “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon. The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shields of the mighty were vilely cast away.” We have the whole theater of this bloody battle before us, memorable not only in itself and in its results, but as the occasion of that most touching lamentation of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-2717And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) 19The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! 20Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 27How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! (2 Samuel 1:17‑27)). The victorious Philistines descended to Beth-shan, and there fastened the body of Saul to the wall of the city.
Song of the Bow
Sad, sad day to Israel, and doubly sad to David. “O Jonathan! slain in thy high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
When I was young, it was the fashion to speak of Gilboa as still suffering the curse of David, and to this day I think of it as a withered wilderness. without dew, or rain, or any green thing to relieve its stern desolation. Of course, there is no foundation for such an idea?
Certainly not.
The Imprecation
In my own personal experience I have had abundant evidence that both dew and rain descend there as copiously as elsewhere. David's poetic imprecation had no more influence upon the mountain, or on the clouds, than had Job's malediction upon the day of his birth; nor was either expected to produce any such malign effects. Similar expressions of profound sorrow or of deep displeasure are common in the East, and are found elsewhere in the Bible. Jeremiah says, “Cursed be the day when I was born; let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed,” and so on (Jer. 20:1414Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. (Jeremiah 20:14)). The thought is natural, and who is there that hath not indulged it? The child vents its displeasure upon its rattle; the boy strikes the stone against which he stumbles; the man curses adverse winds, and every senseless thing which annoys him, resists his will, or thwarts his plans.
Prophetic Denunciations
In regard to these imprecations, and others in the Bible like them, we should remember that they were never intended to act upon the physical and senseless elements of nature; and the same remark applies with equal truth to many of the “burdens” of prophecy. Though announced in figurative terms, which are drawn from natural objects, yet every child knows, or ought to know, that such things are not accountable agents. Even the denunciations against cities, such as Tyre, Damascus, Gaza, Askelon, Petra, Babylon, Jerusalem, and many others, must, in general, be restricted to the inhabitants, and not to their habitations. God has no controversy with earth,, and rocks, and ruins; nor do I believe that this land of Palestine now lies under any physical curse, which renders it unfruitful or unhealthy. The rains, early, middle, and latter, are sufficiently abundant, and the dews as copious as ever; the fields, also, yield as generous harvests to the careful cultivator as they ever did, or as do any others in the world.
This is perhaps true, and yet I have a “feeling” that it is not the whole truth.
The Curse of the Land
We have not said that it was. It is not the sum-total of our own ideas on this subject, and at some other locality we may enlarge upon the matter. Such a place as the vale of Siddim, I suppose, was really burned and blasted by the direct agency of God; and some other spots, once fertile, may now exhibit tokens of the displeasure of the Almighty “for the wickedness of the inhabitants thereof” (Jer. 23:1414I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. (Jeremiah 23:14)), and as a warning to the world. And there is a sense in which the whole earth has been smitten with a curse, and, in consequence, produces thorns and thistles instead of wholesome fruits. But the desolation and barrenness of this glorious plain, for example, is in no sense the effect of any physical change in the soil or climate, but is owing entirely to the people who dwell here, and to the Bedawin who destroy it; and the same is true of Gilboa.
Valley of Jezreel
This valley of Jezreel seems to expand, and to spread out an immense distance toward the southeast. To which of the tribes did it belong?
Esdraelon and its surrounding hills and vales constituted the portion of Issachar; and yet we learn from Joshua 17 that many important cities in and about it were given to Manasseh. En-dor, and Bethshan, and Taanach, and Megiddo, and this valley of Jezreel itself, belonged to that tribe; or, rather, were assigned to them, for they do not appear to have got possession of these cities. These “children of Joseph” complained that “all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they of Beth-shean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel”; and therefore they could not drive them out (Josh. 17:1414And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto? (Joshua 17:14)). This is the earliest mention of Jezreel; and it is interesting to find that this famous valley still retains its original characteristics. Chariots of iron have indeed disappeared, but the inhabitants are eminently intractable and rebellious; and one can readily believe that when the “jumping chariot” (Nah. 3:22The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. (Nahum 3:2)) raged through the vale of Jezreel, and down the Ghor of Beisan, the children of Joseph found it impossible to expel the inhabitants.
In my walk this morning I noticed an immense tell far down toward the Jordan: has it a name?
Bethshan
It is called Hŭsn, and is the center of those ruins that mark the site of Beth-shan — the Scythopolis of the Greeks — the Beisan of the Arabs.
Indeed! it seems much nearer than that city should be, according to my geography; and it must be uncommonly high, and of gigantic proportions every way.
Though it is full three hours distant, and that much out of our line, still, if it were safe, we would spend the night there instead of Jenin, for it is well worth the ride and the time. But the ghor is said to be swarming with wild Bedawin from beyond Jordan, and therefore we must abandon the idea of going into it.
Since our friends the Arabs will not allow us that pleasure, the next best thing is for you to describe it.
Road From Tiberias
I once came to Beisan direct from Tiberias in a little more than six hours. The Itinerary, in brief, runs thus: Half an hour to the Baths; one and a half to Kerak, at the outgoing of the Jordan; two hours to El Mansûrah; two and a half to the entrance of the Jermuk into the Jordan; three hours to Jisr el Mujameah; and half an hour more to the camp of 'Akil 'Agâ, near the western hills, on the bank of the Sherrar, and just below. Koukab el Howa.
At four hours and forty minutes, passed a ruin with a few short columns, called Nusleh, near a large encampment of the Arabs of Rŭbâh.
ILLSTRATION
At five hours is the great Wady Osheh (or Ushey), with a large tell of the same name; and in ten minutes further Wady Mukhŭrkŭsh crosses the plain on its way to the Jordan. The ruined town, called es Soudah, half an hour south of this, has many columns and sarcophagi; and from that onward the remains of the great Beth-shan begin to appear, and constantly multiply for nearly an hour before you reach the castle. We rode rapidly, and the distance from Tiberias cannot be far from twenty-four miles. I have already led you over the route from Jisr el Mujameah to Tiberias, and need not repeat. From the bridge, on this occasion, we ascended the western side of the ghor to 'Akil’s tent under Koukabah, and then kept south along the base of the hills, with the plain of the Jordan on our left. This plain constantly widened by the falling back of the hills, until at es Soudah the great valley of Jezreel, in which Beisan is situated, opens to the west its noble expanse. From the city eastward it is called Ghor Beisan, and it spreads out to the southeast further than the eye can follow. For the last hour there is a steady ascent, and the aneriod indicates an elevation for the city above the Jordan of more than five hundred feet. Owing to this, the whole plain can be watered by the fountains that send their copious streams across the site of Beisan. In fact, few spots on earth, and none in this country, possess greater agricultural and manufacturing advantages than this ghor, and yet it is utterly desolate.
But to our description. Beisan is naturally one of the strongest places even in this country of strongholds. About half a mile south of the tell you saw is a square tower, constructed in part of large beveled blocks of white limestone. Around this are grouped some forty or fifty wretched hovels of trap rock, loosely built, and ready to tumble down upon their inhabitants. These are as sinister a looking gang as can be found, and are, in fact, as great robbers as the Bedawin themselves. The ancient city consisted of several distinct quarters, or wards, separated by deep ravines, with noisy cascades leaping over ledges of black basalt. I have seen no city except Damascus so abundantly supplied with water.
Streams
Most of the streams take their rise in large marshes to the southwest of the city, and so high above it as to send their brooks over every part of the area; and it is evident, from the tufaceous deposits in all directions, that the inhabitants made good use of their privileges in this respect.
The largest wards of the city appear to have been around the present castle, and on the west of Tell Hŭsn; but there are extensive ruins both to the east and north of it. The great Wady el Jalûd passes down on the north side of the tell, and Wady el L'ab on the south, meeting below, and thus almost surrounding it. The position of the tell is therefore very strong, and it rises about two hundred feet high, with the sides nearly perpendicular. A strong wall was carried round the summit, and the gateway was high up the steep declivity at the northwest angle. In the huge buttresses of this gateway are built fragments of columns, and handsome Corinthian capitals.
Exploit of the Men of Jabesh
It was on the wall of this tell, I suppose, that the bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened by the Philistines after the battle on Gilboa; and this supposition enables us to understand how the men of Jabesh-gilead could execute their daring exploit of carrying them away. Jabesh-gilead was on the mountain east of the Jordan, in full view of Beth-shan, and these brave men could creep up to the tell, along Wady Jalûd, the deafening roar of the brook would render it impossible for them to be heard. I have often been delighted with this achievement. The people of Jabesh had not a good character among their brethren. None of them came up to the great war against Benjamin (Judges 21:8-128And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. (Judges 21:8‑12)) in the matter of the Levite and his concubine, and for this neglect they were condemned to utter destruction.
In the days of Saul, however, it had again become a considerable city, and had acquired a fair reputation (1 Sam. 11:1-111Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. 2And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. 3And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee. 4Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept. 5And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. 6And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. 7And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. 8And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. 10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. 11And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together. (1 Samuel 11:1‑11)). All Israel hastened, with almost incredible despatch, to rescue it from the cruel doom of Nahash the Ammonite. It was, no doubt, in gratitude for this deliverance, effected wholly through the energy of Saul, that the men of Jabesh hazarded their lives in order to secure his headless body from insult. History should always rejoice to record noble deeds, and most of all those instances of public gratitude which now and then throw a gleam of sunlight over its gloomy chronicles of selfishness and sin.
Remains of Bethshan
There is not much more to be said about Beisan. A bridge of extraordinary height spans the Jalûd east of Tell Hŭsn. It appears to have led from the south to the north quarter of the city. The theater is in the wady southwest of the tell. It is built entirely of basalt, and much of it is thrown down. The chord of the circle is one hundred and ninety-three feet; and though the seats are nearly gone, the vomitories, with dens for wild beasts on either side, are almost perfect. Some of them are now used for stables. Beisan was a city of temples. They are now entirely destroyed, and most of the materials have long since been carried away for other buildings. Their number, however, can be ascertained, and their localities traced out, from partial foundations and prostrate columns. Some of these columns were four feet in diameter, mostly of white limestone from the neighboring mountain, or of basalt from the place itself, and only a few are foreign granite. I do not think that the city could have been all embraced within one general wall, for it would have required one at least five miles long. It is more probable that the various wards, separated by deep ravines, had each its independent fortifications.
Important Site
Whenever a good government shall restore order and security to this region, Beisan will rapidly rise to an important city. Its water privileges and other advantages will not only make it a delightful residence, but render it a great manufacturing center. All kinds of machinery might be driven with the least possible expense by its abounding brooks; and then this lovely valley of Jezreel above it, irrigated by the Jalûd, and the (Thor Beisan below, watered in every part by many fertilizing streams, are capable of sustaining a little nation in and of themselves. Besides, Beisan is the natural highway from Bashan and the east to the seaboard at Haifa and Acre, and also to southern Palestine and Egypt. The ghor once teemed with inhabitants, as is evident from ruined sites, and from tells too old for ruins, which are scattered over the plain. I took down their names as now known to the Arabs, but none of them have any historic significance.
Salim and Ænon Succoth TûBûKat Fahel, Or Pella
Of Salim and Anon, which must hive been in the ghor at no great distance, I could hear nothing. Succoth is well known under the name of Sakût. Tûbûkat Fahel is in full view over the Jordan, and is, doubtless, the Pella of history. My guide assured me that Felah was the true name; and this is their way of pronouncing Pella, for, having no p in their language, they sometimes use b, and at others f, instead of it. Wady Yabis, at the head of which was Jabesh-gilead, is a little to the south of Tûbûkat Fahel.
History of Beisan
Beth-shan has figured largely in the history of this country from a very early age. It was given to Manasseh, but, like many other grants, seems never to have been in their possession. At what time it took the name of Scythopolis, and on what account, is uncertain. Some suppose it was so called from a colony of Scythians who got possession of it. This is more probable than that its name was derived from Succoth, a mere village many miles to the southeast of it. Be this as it may, it is thus called in the apocryphal books of the Old Testament, in Josephus, who often mentions it, and by nearly all profane authors. It early became a Christian city, with a bishop of its own, and was the ecclesiastical metropolis of the Third Palestine. Beisan is, of course, merely the Arabic form of the original name, Beth-shan, given to it by these barbarians, whose mission is destruction; and under their sway it soon fell into decay and obscurity, and thus it must remain until they are driven over the Jordan into their native desert.
But it is time for us to prosecute our journey. How sad to know that even this pretty home of the Shunammite, with its orchards and gardens, will soon be deserted and destroyed, unless these destructive Bedawin be driven back by the government! See! what a large encampment stretches down toward Zer'in, and their black tabernacles dot the plain in all directions as far as the eye can reach.
Shunem
We are now on ground poetically, or rather prophetically illustrious. In this immediate neighborhood, the Tishbite, and his scarcely less wonderful disciple Elisha, performed their amazing miracles. Here, in this very village, dwelt that good Shunammite, who built “a little chamber” (an ulliyeh, upper room) on the wall for the “holy man of God”; and put there a table, and a bed, and a stool, and a candlestick (2 Kings 4:8-108And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. 10Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. (2 Kings 4:8‑10)). In some parts of these fields which slope down southward into Jezreel, her only son, given in reward for her hospitality to Elisha, received a stroke of the sun while looking at the reapers; and I know by experience that this valley glows like a furnace in harvest-time. The poor lad cried out to his father, “My head! my head!” (2 Kings 4:1919And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. (2 Kings 4:19)) and, being carried home, he sat on his mother's knee till noon, and then died.
The Shunammite and Elisha
Elisha was on Carmel — probably near the altar of Elijah — at El Makhrakah, ten or twelve miles off. The mother saddled an ass, and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee”; and away she flew past Fuliyeh, and westward down the plain to the foot of Carmel. The man of God sees her coming in such haste, fears some calamity, and sends Gehazi to meet her with these three inquiries, “Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the lad? (2 Kings 4:2626Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. (2 Kings 4:26)). She answered, “It is well”; but, at the same time, she rushes up the “hill,” and seizes the prophet by his feet. This scene is natural, and very graphic. If you ask after a person whom you know to be sick, the reply at first will invariably be, “Well, thank God,” even when the very next sentence is to inform you that he is dying.
Then the falling down, clasping the feet, etc., are actions witnessed every day. I have had this done to me often before I could prevent it. So, also, the officious zeal of the wicked Gehazi, who would thrust the broken-hearted mother away, probably thinking her touch pollution, agrees perfectly with what we know of the man, and of the customs of the East; and so, likewise, are the injunctions to Gehazi: Gird up thy loins that you may run; if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not — this is no time for idle compliments. The mother followed with the man of God in company; and when he had brought back her son to life, she fell at his feet, bowed herself to the ground, took up her son, and went out. Nothing can excel the touching simplicity of this narrative.
Loss of Land
It is still common for even petty sheikhs to confiscate the property of any person who is exiled for a time, or who moves away temporarily from his district. Especially is this true of widows and orphans, and the Shunammite was now a widow. And small is the chance to such of having their property restored, unless they can secure the mediation of some one more influential than themselves. The conversation between the king and Gehazi about his master is also in perfect keeping with the habits of eastern princes; and the appearance of the widow and her son so opportunely would have precisely the same effect now that it had then. Not only the land but all the fruits of it would be restored. There is an air of genuine verisimilitude in such simple narratives which it is quite impossible for persons not intimately familiar with Oriental manners to appreciate, but which stamps the incidents with undoubted certainty. The thing happened just as recorded. It is too natural to be an invention or fabrication.
Elisha
Elisha seems to have had no settled place of abode. We read of him in Carmel; in Shunem, in Jezreel, in Gilgal, on the banks of the Jordan, in Dothan, in Samaria, and even in Damascus.
Among his many miracles, I have long wanted to inquire what sort of wild gourd it was that poisoned the “pottage” (2 Kings 4:38-4138And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 40So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. (2 Kings 4:38‑41)). Is there anything satisfactory known about it?
The Poisonous Gourd
Not much more than the prophet's son that gathered them knew. The Septuagint does not translate, but gives the Hebrew word, showing that those learned men did not know what it was; and if they could not determine the question, it is not likely that we can at this day. My Latin Bible calls it wild colocynth. I am not aware that there is any tame colocynth. The English renders it by the vague word gourd. I cannot believe it was colocynth, because this is so well known, so bitter, and so poisonous, that the most ignorant peasants never dream of eating it. Various other herbs have been selected by “critics,” as the Cucumus prophetarum, a small prickly gourd, very rarely met with. The Hebrew root seems to point to some herb that bursts or splits open, and I have thought it might be the Elaterium, which is found all over the country, looks like a young squash, and is extremely poisonous. When green, it might be mistaken for an edible “gourd” or cucumber; but when ripe it cannot be “gathered” at all, for it bursts on the slightest pressure, with great violence, scattering the seeds in all directions. But all these are mere conjectures, and we had better turn our thoughts to these sorry representatives of Jezreel [the modern name is Zer’in], to which our climb up this steep and rocky hill has brought us.
Jezreel
There is certainly nothing royal about it now except its position. That, however, is very fine. East of it rises the high mountain called Jebel Jalûd, and also Jebel Nûris, from a village of that name. Below it the valley of Jezreel sweeps round southward to the Jordan. On the north, Jebel ed Dolly (Little Hermon) swells up like another Tabor; and to the west and south is the magnificent Esdraelon, surrounded by the mountains of Galilee, the “excellency of Carmel” (Isa. 35:22It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. (Isaiah 35:2)), and the fat hills of Samaria. There is little to claim attention in the village itself. A few stones, built here and there in the rude huts, seem to claim the honors of antiquity; and these large sarcophagi are certainly relics of old Jezreel. The city could never have been large or splendid. The greater part was probably mere mud hovels; and yet there must have been some well-built palaces, when Ahab resided here with his bold but wicked queen.
Jehu
This apology for a castle may now stand upon the spot of that watch-tower from which the rebel Jehu was first seen driving furiously up the valley of Jezreel (2 Kings 9:1717And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? (2 Kings 9:17)). The south part of the plain at Beisan is marshy, and further this way the great fountain of Jalûd, with its spongy banks, renders the same side impassable. This fountain flows out from the base of the mountain below Nûris, and is immediately collected into a large pool by a dam of very ancient work, and from it the water is carried to a succession of mills stretching down the plain to the east. To avoid these mill-ponds, the road must have then passed along the valley, as it now does, not far from Kûmia. Jehu and his party could therefore be seen for at least six miles, and there was time enough to despatch messenger after messenger to meet him. He, of course, came past Beisan, because Jabesh-gilead was east of it, on the other side of Jordan, and be was commander of the garrison there when proclaimed king by his fellow-officers. Immediately he sets out in hot haste to slay Joram, and seize the government. The whole history of this revolution shows Jehu to have been a man of vehement energy and desperate daring. When he met his victim, be “drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart” (2 Kings 9:2424And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. (2 Kings 9:24)). Nor did he hesitate a moment to kill Ahaziah king of Judah also.
Jezebel
Then, entering the city, he ordered the eunuchs to tumble the infamous Jezebel out of the window of her palace. “So they threw her down: and her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses; and he trode her under foot” (2 Kings 9:3333And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. (2 Kings 9:33)). After this terrible day's work Jehu went in to eat and drink; and, remembering Jezebel, he said, “Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter” (2 Kings 9:3434And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. (2 Kings 9:34)). “But they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of the hands.” The word of the Lord by his servant Elijah was fulfilled, “In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel” (2 Kings 9:35-3635And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: (2 Kings 9:35‑36)).
The Field of Naboth
The field of Naboth which Ahab coveted was Jalûd, at the bottom of the valley east of the city. Water was necessary for a garden of herbs, and there is no other perennial fountain in this neighborhood. Joram, Ahab's son, went out against Jehu, who was coming up the valley of Jezreel, and they must have met somewhere near the fountain; and Jehu, having killed Joram, ordered his body to be cast into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; “For,” said he, “the Lord laid this burden upon him, Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood o his sons, saith the Lord” (2 Kings 9:2626Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 9:26)). The entire narrative in 2 Kings 9 is full of most emphatic lessons of instruction and warning to tyrants. The blood of Naboth was trebly avenged first upon Ahab himself, then upon his son Joram, and finally on the wicket Jezebel, who had instigated the murder.
Dogs
It must have been a strange state of things, when dogs were so abundant and unscrupulous as to devour a human carcass in the streets of this city during the short time that elapsed before search was made for Jezebel's body but the canine race always bear some resemblance in disposition to the character of the times and of their keepers. We may readily believe, therefore, that those under the palace of Jezebel were sufficiently savage. They may have been taught to devour the wretched victims of her cruelty; in which case the retribution would be remarkably appropriate and striking. What is meant by “making her eyes with paint,” as the Hebrew has it?
Painted Eyes
Simply that which has been and is still the favorite mode of beautifying the face among the ladies of this country. They “paint” or blacken the eyelids and brows with kohl, and prolong the application in a decreasing pencil, so as to lengthen and reduce the eye in appearance to what is called almond shape.
ILLUSTRATION
The practice is extremely ancient, for such painted eyes are found in the oldest Egyptian tombs. It imparts a peculiar brilliancy to the eye, and a languishing, amorous cast to the whole countenance. Brides are thus painted, and many heighten the effect by application to the cheeks of colored cosmetics. The powder from which kohl is made is collected from burning almond shells, or frankincense, and is intensely black. Antimony, and various ores of lead, are also employed. The powder is kept in phials or pots, which are often disposed in a handsomely-worked cover or case; and it is applied to the eye by a small probe of wood, ivory, or silver, which is called meel, while the whole apparatus is named mŭkhŭly.
ILLUSTRATION
Grain of Jezreel
This neighborhood is celebrated for its wheat, and a peculiar kind is called Nûrsy, from this village of that name on the mountain. The grain is long and slender, while that of the Hauran is short and plump. The latter bears the highest price in market. The name Jezreel — God will sow — seems to have reference to the adaptation of this place for growing grain.
Allusions in Hosea
Hosea (Hosea 1:4-54And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. (Hosea 1:4‑5)) intimates that the final overthrow of Israel should be in this valley of Jezreel, where it is further said that God would punish the house of Jehu for the blood there shed by him. Treason and murder must be remembered and avenged, even though vengeance slumbers through many generations. What is the explanation of that singular passage in Hosea 2:21-2321And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; 22And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. 23And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God. (Hosea 2:21‑23): “It shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. You, may read thus: The Lord will hear the heavens calling for the vapor and the clouds. These clouds shall hear the parched earth calling for rain. The earth, in turn, shall hear the languishing corn, and wine, and oil, and grant the nourishment required. Jezreel, also, the valley of vengeance and destruction, shall in that happy time be heard calling for the peaceful products of husbandry. Jezreel — God himself will sow her with the seed of peace and righteousness. The Orientals are delighted with this sort of hazy, indistinct figure. There is evidently a play upon the name Jezreel, and an unexpressed blending of the bloody tragedies enacted in this valley with promises of better things in reserve for the true people of Israel. The passage begins with another most obscure but pregnant figure: “I will give her [Israel] the valley of Achor for a door of hope” (Hos. 2:1515And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. (Hosea 2:15)).
Valley of Achor
That valley runs up from Gilgal toward Bethel. There Achan was stoned to death, and by that act the anger of the Lord was turned away from Israel, and the door of entrance to the promised inheritance thrown open. Achor means trouble, affliction, — from whence comes our word ache, perhaps. Thus the valley of affliction was the door through which Israel at first entered the land of Canaan. And thus again the Lord, by his prophet, promised to lead Israel to peace and rest through the valley of trouble. The very indistinctness makes this mode of speaking the more suggestive. The valley of Achor — a door of hope — not a bad motto for those who through much tribulation must enter the promised land, the Canaan of eternal peace and rest.
Road to JenîN
But it is time to pass away from Jezreel, with all its lessons of wisdom. There is nothing of interest in the plain itself from this to Jenin. That village to which we are coming, called Jelâmy, is prettily situated, but nearly ruined; and Em Gabeleh (or Mukeibileh), southwest of it, is quite deserted. The one on the left among the hills is Arrâmy, celebrated for its wheat and tobacco. Between it and Jenin the plain runs far up into the eastern hills, and at the head of it is Beit Kod. The mountain of Gilboa is that just in front of us to the southeast; that is, the name Jelbûn is now specifically at tacked only to this part, but in ancient times, I think, the whole rocky region between Jelbûn and the valley of Jezreel was so called. Saul and Jonathan were probably slain somewhere further north, possibly on the lofty promontory of El Mazar. There may even be an allusion to this very conspicuous place in the opening stanza of David's lament: “The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high place.” (2 Sam. 1:1919The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! (2 Samuel 1:19)). And this very name Mazar (a sacred tomb to which pilgrimages are made) may have been given to it because the daughters of Israel went thither to weep over Saul, who clothed them in scarlet, and put an ornament of gold upon their apparel (2 Sam. 1:2424Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. (2 Samuel 1:24)).
Jenin
This dry channel proves that a large stream flows from Beit Kod and the mountains above it during the winter rains. The soil appears to be eminently fertile, and how beautifully the orchards of Jenin stretch this way down the plain! but I cannot yet see the town itself.
It is bid away in a ravine, and further concealed by the gardens and orchards. Both they and the town owe their flourishing character to the fountain which bursts out in the center of the valley; and this, again, received its Hebrew name (En-gannim — Fountain of Gardens) from the flourishing orchards which anciently, as well as now, distinguished the place. This is the most distant permanent source of the Kishon; but during summer and autumn the water is all exhausted by irrigation, and none of it reaches beyond the margin of these green fields.
Is Jenin mentioned in the Bible?
The Engannim of Scripture
It is, as I already remarked, the En-gannim which was given to Issachar (Josh. 19:2121And Remeth, and En-gannim, and En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez; (Joshua 19:21)). Gannim is near enough to Jenîn, and the En is for the fountain. As the place grew in importance the prefix of Ain was dropped, and it became simply Gannim. Josephus calls it Ginnea, and the Arabs Jenin. It is now the chief town between Nazareth and Nablûs; contains about two thousand inhabitants — nearly all Moslems; has a governor, secretaries, and a custom-house posse. It deals largely in all the products of the country, and with the Bedawin on the east of Jordan; but the people are fanatical, rude, and rebellious. They are almost always fighting among themselves or with their neighbors. There are three leading families who keep up perpetual strife and bloodshed throughout all this region — the 'Abd el Hâdy, and Beit Tokân of Nablûs and 'Arraby, and the Beit Jerrar of this place. They are now actually fighting with each other between this and Nablûs, and the travelers whom we met this morning assert positively that we shall not be able to pass through the country in that direction. We shall know more about this tomorrow.