10. In this wilderness David remained for a time, at _Ziph_ (_Tell Zif_, south of Hebron). Here he met his friend Jonathan for the last time. His followers scattered, and David was alone, except for the presence of a few faithful companions. The Ziphites were willing to betray him to Saul, and he was again compelled to flee. (1 Sam. 23:14-24.)
11. His next hiding place was a mountain in the wilderness of _Maon_, 7 miles south of Hebron. Here he was again in great danger from Saul, but was saved by an opportune foray of the Philistines, which called the king and his troops away. (1 Sam. 25:24-28.)
12. From Ziph he took refuge in the almost inaccessible mountains of _En-gedi_ (_Ain-jedy_), overlooking the Dead Sea. Here David showed his generosity in sparing Saul, when it was in his power to slay him. (1 Sam. 24.)
13. About the time of Samuel"s death, David returned into the south of Judah, to the neighborhood of _Maon_, 7 miles south of Hebron. (See above, Nos. 10, 11. The likeness of the account in the two visits, has suggested that but one event may be related in both.) Here the narrow-minded Nabal was saved from David"s wrath by the wisdom and generosity of his wife, Abigail, who, after Nabal"s death, became David"s wife. (1 Sam. 25.) About this time, and while David was in or near this locality, occurred David"s act of mercy in sparing Saul"s life a second time, when by moonlight he penetrated to the very centre of Saul"s camp. (1 Sam. 26.)
14. Despairing of safety in Saul"s realm during his reign, David finally took refuge in _Gath_ (_Tell es Safieh_), on the Shefelah, the capital of the Philistines. Here he was more kindly received than before (see No. 5), as his relations with Saul were better understood, and he was able to obtain from Achish, the king of Gath, the grant of a city as his home. (1 Sam. 27:1-4.)
15. The place allotted to David, was _Ziklag_, on the south of Judah, which was at that time recognized as a possession of the Philistines.
Its location is unknown, but we have followed Conder in placing it at _Zuheilikah_, 11 miles south of east from Gaza. Here David remained during the closing years of Saul"s reign. He accompanied the Philistines as far as Aphek, in Mount Ephraim, but was sent back, from a fear lest he might desert to the Israelites. Returning, he found his home plundered by a roving band of Amalekites, pursued them, rescued his family and possessions, and also took a great quant.i.ty of booty, which he judiciously used in making presents to the leading people of various places in Judah, after the death of Saul. (1 Sam. 27, 29, 30.) These places are located upon the map as far as they are known.
16. From Ziklag David went up into the mountain region at _Hebron_, soon after the death of Saul. Here he was made king, first of the tribe of Judah, and afterward of all Israel. (2 Sam. 2:1-3.)
IV. =Saul"s Death.= This took place B.C. 1010, when Saul had reigned 40 years. We have noticed two wars with the Philistines as prominent in the history of Saul"s reign. We call the last campaign of Saul the _third_ Philistine war, as no others are related, though their existence may be inferred. This marked the flood tide of Philistine power; for it left them at Saul"s death in command not only of the Plain of Esdraelon and the Jordan Valley, but of all the centre of the country. Their armies met at Aphek, in the tribe of Benjamin (their old rallying place, 1 Sam.
4:1), and thence marched northward to the Plain of Esdraelon, at the foot of Mount Gilboa, on which the Israelites were encamped. Saul, full of fear, went around the Philistine camp to the village of Endor, where he sought the counsel of a "woman having a familiar spirit," and met the spirit of Samuel, which gave him warning that on the morrow he should die. The battle was fought on the next day. Saul and three of his sons, including the princely Jonathan, were slain; and Israel experienced the heaviest defeat thus far in its history. All the middle section of the land of Palestine was conquered by the Philistines, cutting the tribes in sunder in each direction, from north to south and from east to west.
At such a low ebb were the fortunes of the Chosen People, when David ascended the throne. Saul"s body was fastened up on the wall of the Canaanite city of Beth-shean, but was rescued by the warriors of Jabesh-gilead, in grateful remembrance of Saul"s brave deed in behalf of their city, early in his reign. (1 Sam. 31.)
Upon the map the following are indicated: 1. The portions of the land under Philistine and Canaanite control are given in yellow, while the territory governed by Saul is shown in pink. The mountain region was held by Israel, and the lowlands, both by the sea and the Jordan, by the Philistines. 2. The names of Philistine cities are printed in red. Some of these were their own hereditary possessions; others (as Aphek, Geba and Bethel) were fortresses in the mountain region, garrisoned to hold Israel in subjection. 3. The battle-fields and wars of Saul are indicated by flags, and numbered. (1.) Jabesh-gilead, over the Ammonites. (1 Sam. 11.) (2.) Michmash, over the Philistines. (1 Sam.
14.) (3.) In Moab, at some unknown place. (1 Sam. 14:47.) (4.) In Edom, at a place also unknown. (1 Sam. 14:47.) (5.) Over the Syrians of Zobah.
(1 Sam. 14:47.) This we have indicated as taking place in the half tribe of Mana.s.seh, East; but its precise location is unknown. (6.) "A city of Amalek," place unknown. (1 Sam. 15:5.) (7.) Valley of Elah, over the Philistines. (1 Sam. 17:2.) (8.) Mount Gilboa. (1 Sam. 31.) 4. The various places named in Saul"s pursuit of David are shown upon the map, with their most probable identifications. These places are: (1.) Gibeah.
(2.) Ramah. (3.) Gibeah. (4.) n.o.b. (5.) Gath. (6.) Adullam. (7.) Mizpeh of Moab. (8.) Hareth. (9.) Keilah. (10.) Ziph. (11.) Maon. (12.) En-gedi. (13.) Maon. (14.) Gath. (15.) Ziklag. (16.) Hebron.
OUTLINE FOR REVIEW.
I. _Saul"s Appointment._ Ramah, Gibeah, Gilgal, Shalisha, Zuph.
II. _Wars of Saul._ 1. Ammonite. (Jabesh-gilead, Bezek.) 2. First Philistine. (Geba, Michmash.) 3. Moabite. 4. Edomite. 5. Syrian. 6.
Amalekite. (Telaim, Gilgal.) 7. Second Philistine. (Valley of Elah.)
III. _Pursuit of David._ 1. Gibeah. 2. Ramah. 3. Gibeah. 4. n.o.b. 5.
Gath. 6. Adullam. 7. Mizpeh of Moab. 8. Hareth. 9. Keilah. 10. Ziph. 11.
Maon. 12. En-gedi. 13. Maon. 14. Gath. 15. Ziklag. 16. Hebron.
IV. _Saul"s Death._ Aphek, Gilboa, Beth-shean, Jabesh-gilead.
[Ill.u.s.tration: JERICHO.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE EMPIRE OF DAVID AND SOLOMON.]
THE EMPIRE OF DAVID AND SOLOMON.
[Ill.u.s.tration: TOWER OF DAVID.]
THE greatness of David may be shown by a comparison of our last map with the present one, keeping in mind the difference of scale between them.
David succeeded to the throne of Israel when it represented about 6,000 square miles of territory, more or less, under control; he left to his successor, Solomon, an empire embracing an area of 60,000 square miles.
See the comparative diagram on page 70. The map now before us being upon a scale greatly reduced from that of Saul"s kingdom, it will be impossible to represent upon it all the localities mentioned in the history of David and Solomon. Those in the neighborhood of Jerusalem will be found on the map of the Environs of Jerusalem, page 83, and those of minor importance in the land of Israel may be found on the map of Palestine Among the Tribes, page 58.
We present the events and localities under the following outline: 1.
David"s Reign over Judah. 2. The Union of Palestine. 3. David"s Foreign Conquests. 4. David"s Calamities. 5. The Closing Events. 6. The Reign of Solomon.
I. =David"s Reign over Judah.= (2 Sam. 1-4.) After the death of Saul, David went from Ziklag to Hebron, and was there accepted as king over the tribe of Judah. His reign lasted for seven years, from 1010 to 1003 B.C. During a part of this time, Ishbosheth, the only remaining son of Saul, was also nominally reigning over a large part of the land, the real power being held by Abner, Saul"s general, and the ablest man of his time. War naturally arose, and many battles were doubtless fought, of which but one, at Gibeon, is related. At last, Abner and Ishbosheth were both murdered, though not by David"s desire nor with his approbation; and, with one consent, David was accepted as king over all the Twelve Tribes.
II. =The Union of Palestine.= (2 Sam. 5-7.) David was now ruler over the mountain region only, as Saul had been before him, and in various places were garrisons of the Philistines, and cities held by the Canaanite races. He began by a siege of Jebus, or Jebusi, a fortress of the Jebusites, on the border of Judah and Benjamin. Though deemed impregnable by the natives, it was taken by storm, and, under its new name, JERUSALEM, became the capital of the kingdom. The Philistines had been friendly with David in the past, and were perhaps recognized as the "lords paramount" during his reign over Judah; but now they were jealous of his growing power, and, as of old, entered the mountain region with their armies. But in David they met an enemy of a different character from either Samson or Saul. Two battles were fought, both near Jerusalem, at a place called "the Valley [or plain] of the Rephaim"; and in each the Philistines were utterly routed.
David followed up his advantage, after the second victory, by marching down upon the Shefelah and the plain. He took Gath (called Methegammah, "the bridle of the metropolis," in 2 Sam. 8:1), and subjugated the entire Philistine confederacy so completely that thenceforward they ceased to trouble Israel for centuries.
The land was now united, and David turned his attention to the religious reformation of the people, brought the ark from Baale, or Kirjath-jearim, to Jerusalem, planned for the Temple to be built by his successor, and organized the worship on a magnificent scale. (2 Sam. 6, 7.)
III. =David"s Foreign Conquests.= These were not altogether inspired by ambition, but were necessary for the safety of Israel, and to keep its people from the contamination of the idolatry of the surrounding nations. These conquests are indicated by flags on the map, though the precise locations of the battles are not known in all cases. The lands conquered by David were as follows:
1. _Moab._ (2 Sam. 8:2.) It is stated by Josephus, that the cruel treatment of the Moabites (though fully in accord with the customs of Oriental war in that day) was in revenge for the slaughter of David"s parents by the king of Moab, an event not mentioned in the Bible.
2. _Zobah_ (2 Sam. 8:3, 4), at that time the princ.i.p.al state between Damascus and the Euphrates.
3. _Damascus_ (2 Sam. 8:5-12), in alliance with Zobah, and the largest city in Syria.
4. _Edom_ (2 Sam. 8:13, 14), south of the Dead Sea. The word "Syrians,"
in verse 13, should undoubtedly be "Edomites." The battle was fought at the "valley of salt," an unknown place, but probably near Sela, or Petra, the capital of Edom.
5. _Ammon._ (2 Sam. 10-13.) This was the longest of David"s wars, and was waged not against the Ammonites only, but against the allied forces of several small Syrian kingdoms, as Zobah (already conquered, but not subjugated), Maachah, Rehob and Tob, districts on the north and east of Israel. Three great battles were fought; the first near Medeba; the second at Helam, an uncertain locality (if it be the name of a place, which is questioned, as the word means "host," or "army"); and the third, the siege and capture of Rabbah, the capital of the Ammonites, which ended the war. During this war occurred the crime of David with Bathsheba, and the murder of Uriah. (2 Sam. 11.) This completed the series of conquests, and made the throne of David supreme from the Red Sea to the Euphrates. One fact which made these conquests possible was that the tribes around Israel were not united into strong nations, as afterward in the cases of Syria and a.s.syria, but were independent princ.i.p.alities, easily overcome in turn by the trained warriors of David.
As a result of these wars the kingdom of David, which he transmitted to his son Solomon, was the largest in the Oriental world at that time. The a.s.syrian empire had not arisen, the great kings of Egypt had pa.s.sed away, and the East was broken up into small princ.i.p.alities, among which Israel easily rose to power.
COMPARATIVE AREA OF PALESTINE AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
+------------------+Solomon,+-------+ +-------++-------+B.C. 1000, +-------+JudahMacca-HerodJoshua,+------+TenB.C.bees,theB.C.Saul,60,000 Sq. M.Tribes,975,B.C.Great,1443,B.C.B.C. +------+ 100,B.C. 6,1095,975,11,0006,0009,4003,40011,00012,000Sq. M.Sq. M.Sq. M.Sq. M.Sq. M.Sq. M.+-------+------+------------------+-------+------+-------+-------+
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ORIENTAL WORLD IN THE TIME OF DAVID.]
IV. =The Calamities of David"s Reign.= (2 Sam. 12-20, 24.) Three great troubles befell David and his kingdom as the result of his sins.
1. The first and greatest was the _Rebellion of Absalom_. We can only mention the places referred to in the history, not relate its events.
Geshur, where Absalom was in exile, was a small kingdom under the rule of Absalom"s maternal grandfather. Tekoa, whence came the "wise woman,"
was near Bethlehem. The places near Jerusalem named in David"s flight, may be seen on the map of the Environs of Jerusalem, page 83. David"s resting place was at Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, and south of the Hieromax. Absalom was defeated and killed at "the wood of Ephraim," a locality not in the tribe of that name, but east of the Jordan, perhaps where the Ephraimites sustained a great defeat from Jephthah. (Judges 12.)
2. The second calamity was the _Rebellion of Sheba_, following soon after Absalom"s, and arising from the same disaffection. It was ended at Abel-beth-maachah, in the extreme north, by the death of Sheba. (2 Sam.
20.)
3. The third calamity was the _Pestilence_, after the numbering of the people, an enumeration with a view either to heavy levies of a.s.sessment, or to foreign conquest; either of which was contrary to the spirit of the Hebrew const.i.tution. (2 Sam. 24.) The places named will be found upon the map, except the inexplicable Tahtim-hodshi, which may mean "the land newly inhabited," but whose location is unknown. The sacrifice of David at Araunah"s threshing-floor gave the location to the great altar of the Temple, probably the rude rock which now rises from the floor of the Mosque of Omar, in Jerusalem.
V. =The Close of David"s Reign= (1 Kings 1, 2; 1 Chron. 22-29) was occupied in the organization of his empire, and in preparation for the building of the Temple. There are but few localities named with this period, and they may be easily found upon the maps, those near Jerusalem being upon the map of its Environs.
VI. =The Reign of Solomon= was a period of peace, with few incidents to mark its even tenor. Its princ.i.p.al event was the building of the Temple.