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(Joshua
15)
The
southern boundary of Judah I have already described, when giving the southern
boundary of Palestine, with which it is identical. I wish, therefore, to make
mention of a few places there omitted. It says in Joshua 15:3, "And passed
along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa;"
whereas in Num. 34:4, Hazar-Adar is given as one place, which appears here as
two, Hezron and Adar. We find, moreover, in the southern part of Judah, several
towns bearing the name of Chazar (Hazar), or Chazor, e.g. Chazor
Chadattha,
Chezron which is Chazor, Chazar Gaddah, Chazar Shual, and
Chazar Susah; which
leads me to suppose that we must ascribe this to the fact of its being the
country of the Avim (Deut. 2:23), who dwelt in open towns Chazerim, as
far as Gaza. (Probably, therefore, that Adar was also one of these, or a
Chazar
of the Avim, hence Chazar-Adar; and Chezron was a city of the same.)
The
Septuagint renders Chazar-Adar (in Num. 34:4) with Arad, and Adar in Joshua with
Sanada, which I conceive to be an error, since Arad ערד
was too far north to be the southern boundary of Judah and Palestine.
It,
therefore, appears that the site of Hezron, Adar, and Karkaa, must have been
between Wady Gaian (Kadesh-Barnea) and Wady Kisaimi (Azmon); but at the present
day not a trace of these names is to be found, except the two, Gaian and
Kisaimi, which enabled us to determine the probable situation of KadeshBarnea
and Azmon.
The eastern and western boundaries of Judah are well
defined, to wit, the Dead Sea on the east, and the Mediterranean on the west;
wherefore, I have merely to trace the northern boundary. It says, verse 6, "And the border went up to
Beth Choglah, and passed along by the north of Beth-Arabah,*
and the border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben."
*
Since, however, Beth-Arabah and Beth-Choglah are both reckoned as belonging to
Benjamin (Joshua 18:21, 22), this passage appears very obscure; for here it
appears that the boundary ran north of Beth-Arabah, wherefore it must belong to
Judah and not to Benjamin. But I think that it may be thus explained: "And it
run from the north to Beth-Arabah," i. e. after the line has run from the west
northward, it taken the direction of Beth-Arabah, since originally the line runs
from Jordan westward to Beth-Choglah, whence it runs north to Beth-Arabah,
wherefore it remains beyond the boundary line, and belongs to the tribe of
Benjamin, all to the south being part of Judah. This would require us to render מצפון
"from the north," as צפונה
or לצפון "to
the north," or "northward;" which use of מ
is occasionally met with, as מקדם
"eastward" (Gen. 13:12).
Beth-Choglah
was already explained when treating of Jericho. About 4 English miles north of
the Dead Sea, is an old castle Burdj Chadjla; the similarity of names lets us
suppose that Beth-Choglah must have been formerly in this vicinity. Hieronymus,
however, says: "Beth-Choglah is 3 miles from Jericho, and 2 miles from
Jordan," which would place this castle too far northwest, and consequently
could not then be Beth-Choglah; but on the spot indicated by Hieronymus there is
no trace of a town to be found.
Beth-Arabah
is unknown; but it must have been northwest of the preceding.
Eben
(stone of) Bohan Ben (son of) Reuben. The situation of this spot is on the
mountain which runs west from the valley of Jordan, where I found, in the
direction of Jericho, several uncommonly large rocks, of which some are well
calculated to mark a boundary; but I could discover no trace to indicate the
identical stone here mentioned.
Verse 7. "And the border went up towards Debir from the
valley of Achor, and so northward, looking towards Gilgal, that is, before the
going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river (should be 'the
valley'), and the border passed towards the waters of EnShemesh, and the
goings out thereof were at En-Rogel."
The
valley of Achor is also mentioned in a previous part of Joshua (7:24); it
extends, accordingly, through the mountains to the valley of the Jordan,
opposite Jericho.
On
the mountains I found a large place, called by the Arabs, Tugrit al Dibr, and at
a distance of about 1 English mile to the northwest, I saw a very high rocky
hill, composed of nothing but pyrites, which they call Tell Adum. I cannot doubt
but that the first is the ancient Debir, and the latter Maale Adumim מעלה
אדומים the "Height (the going
up E. V.) of Adummim," or the Red Hill. This Tell is about 6 English miles
east-northeast from Jerusalem. To the east of the same, I found several ruins,
to wit, Akbath, Beth-Djabr, Chirbath-Gatun, which I cannot identify.
East
of Azarie (see Azal) there is found in the valley, which the Arabs call
Wady Chot, a handsome large spring, the Ein al Chot, which I take to be the spring of
the sun (En Shemesh).
En-Rogel,
Gay ben Hinnom, the Valley of Rephaim, En-Neptoach, will be more particularly
described under article
Jerusalem.
Verse
9. "And went out to the cities of Mount Ephron, and the border was drawn to
Baalah, which is Kirjath-Jearim."
Northwest of Jerusalem there is a plain about 2 English
miles in extent. At its termination there is a deep valley, called Wady Zarr,
also Wady Beth Chanin; the village Lifta lies in the declivity of this valley,
which runs first west, then a little southward, then a little northward, and
again west, and continues thus with a southern tendency, till it reaches the sea
near Aker or Ekron. West-southwest of Jerusalem, at a distance of about 5 English
miles, is another small valley, which at length unites with the Wady Zarr.
Between these two valleys is a high plain, which, in comparison with these deep
valleys, may be regarded as a mountain, and I conceive this plain to be the
Mount Ephron. It is now over this point that the boundary ran, passed through
the Wady Zarr, and then somewhat to the north to Baalah or Kirjath-Jearim.
Verse
10. "And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto Mount Seir, and passed
along unto the side of Mount Jearim, which is Chesalon on the north side, and
went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed on to Timnah."
The
following are some remarkable names which I discovered in this direction. 4½
English miles west-southwest of Jerusalem, in the mountain, there is a small
village called Ein Kerem, which is undoubtedly the town of Karem mentioned in
the Septuagint translation to Joshua, 15:61.
One
English mile northwest of this point, in the neighbourhood of the village Kustel, situated on the summit of a mount, I found a ruin called
Chirbath Izpa.
West of Zaba (which see) I found a ruin, called Chirbath Gadran; near to this
are the ruins of an old tower, an elegant palace, and other buildings. At the
foot of this tower, is a large and beautiful spring, by name of Ein-Abis. About
half a mile west of these ruins, on the declivity of a mount, I found the ruin Chirbath-Djeba; and 2½ English miles west of this; I saw an isolated mount, at
the foot of which there is a ruin which the Arabs call Midan. It appears to me
perfectly clear that this must be the Mount Modiim, which the Talmud Pesachim,
fol. 93, alleges to be distant from Jerusalem 15 mill, or 11¼ English miles,
which is actually the distance from Midan to the holy city. On the summit of
this mount, one can see the Mediterranean to the south of Jabne and Ashdod. (See
1 Macc. 13:29.)
South of the Wady Zarr there are found Izfa, Chars, Ein
Abis, Chirbath-Luz, the Mount Midan, and the other just-mentioned ruins,
wherefore all these belonged to the portion of Judah.
North
of the Wady Zarr are found Zoba, Kustel, Beth-Ula, Beth-Tiksa,
Beth-Chanine, and
Nebi Smuel (improperly taken for Ramah, or Ramataim Zofim); all of which
belonged to the tribe of Benjamin: it is therefore apparent that the Wady Zarr
must have formed the boundary between Judah and Benjamin.
About
7½ English miles west-northwest of Jerusalem is the village Kirye, also called
Abu Gosh, because it is the seat of the celebrated sheich, or rather the captain
of highwaymen, of that name, and is undoubtedly the ancient Kirjath-Jearim.
About 2½ English miles west of this there is on the summit of a high mount the
village Saris, which was destroyed in the year 5594 (1834), by Ibrahim Pacha,
and forms the highest point between Jerusalem and Ramla. It is also mentioned by
the Septuagint in the passage cited, as the correct reading should be Saris.
South of this village, at the distance of about 1 English mile, is the village
Kirzi or Saide; 2½ English miles south of this there is the already mentioned
Mount Midan, between the valley which leads to Kirye Abu Gosh, and that which
leads from Zaara (which see) to the village Saris. I take this to be the
Mount
Jearim spoken of in Joshua 15:10, and that the land between the two valleys was
called Jearim, whence then Kirjath (the city of) Jearim, and Har (mount of)
Jearim. I also suppose that a trace of Seir may be discovered in Saris, and
hence the Mount Seir (ibid.) to be identical with Saris, and therefore not to be
confounded with Mount Seir to the east of the Dead Sea.
Two and a half English miles west of Zoba there runs a
little valley as far as Kirye Abu Gosh, and unites in the opposite direction
with the Wady Zarr. There is likewise another valley extending southward from
Saris to the vicinity of Zaara. I therefore suppose that the boundary line
between Judah and Benjamin ran from the Wady Zarr into the little valley which
extends to Kirye Abu Gosh, from there to Saris, and then southward to
Mount
Midan and Kislon; again it entered the Wady Zarr, to Beth-Shemesh, which is the
modern village Ein Sems, about 2½ English miles west of Mount Midan; west of
Ein Sems, about 1 English mile from there, stood the village Tibna, no doubt
Timnah; 7½ English miles northwest of this stood the village Akar, which is
Ekron, and lies northeast of the Wady Zarr. It appears therefore that the
boundary line left the Wady and ran on towards Akar.
Verse
11. "And the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border
was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out unto
Jabneel, and the goings out of the border were at the sea."
Two
and a half English miles northwest of Akar is the village Jebmel, unquestionably
the former Jabneel, also called Jabne (2 Chron. 26:6, and Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
6:8). The European Christians, under the government of Fulgo, King of Jerusalem,
built not far from this a city, which they called Hibelim, of which R. Benjamin
of Tudela speaks when he says עבלים
היא יבנה Eblim
which is Jabne.
The
sites of Shicron and Mount Baalah are therefore to be sought between
Jebniel and Akar; but I could discover no trace of them.
Jebniel
is situated properly speaking in the Wady Zarr, but the Arabs call it there no
more by that name, but they designate it as Wady Rubin, and it extends thence
with a permanent water-course to the sea. The boundary therefore ran from
Jebniel through the Wady, somewhat northerly, ending at the Mediterranean.
Josephus
(Ant., book v. chap. i.) says, "To Judah belonged the northern part of Judea
up to Jerusalem."
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