Chapter 9 of 20 · 3904 words · ~20 min read

Part 9

IV., V., VI. =From Kadesh-barnea to Mount Hor, Ezion-geber, and Return.= The period of the next thirty-eight years remains in shadow. Scarcely an event is named which certainly belongs to this division, the longest by far in the journey. In the history at Num. 14:45, there is a break in the record, and other topics are referred to until we find the people at Kadesh once more, at the end of the 38 years, in chapter 20; and the list of stations in Num. 33:18-36, is only a barren catalogue of 18 places, in which not one is clearly recognized, and only two or three can be even guessed at. Some have thought that the entire period was spent in the Arabah, wandering up and down, as two of the stations plainly belong there. But it is more probable that the people wandered over the borders between the Negeb (South Country) and the Wilderness of Paran. For convenience we may subdivide this period of wandering into its three journeys. From Kadesh, through 12 unknown stations, to Moseroth, which is afterward named in the account of Aaron's death (Deut. 10:6), showing that it was near Mount Hor. This is indicated on the Map as Journey IV. Journey V. was from Mount Hor down the Arabah southward to Ezion-geber, at the head of the Ælanitic Gulf. Journey VI. was once more through the Arabah, northward to Kadesh-barnea, completing the period of the punishment for the rebellion of 38 years before. Here three events took place. 1. The rock was smitten by Moses, when God had bidden him speak to it, in order to bring forth water; and, as a penalty, he was not permitted to enter Canaan. (Num. 20:1-13.) 2. The Israelites asked of the Edomites (on whose western border they were encamped at Kadesh), the privilege of crossing their territory on their journey to Canaan, but their request was denied. 3. Soon after this, the king of the Canaanite city of Arad, in the Negeb, or South Country, 20 miles south of Hebron, hearing of Israel's approach by the same route as that of the spies, 38 years before, went out to meet the invading host. He was repulsed near the same place where Israel had suffered a defeat before, and which was thenceforth called Hormah, "destruction." (Num. 21:1-3.)

+-------------+---------------------------------------+-------------+ | | NORTH. | | | WEST. |+-----------++-----------++-----------+| EAST. | | || DAN, || ASHER, || NAPHTALI, || | |+-----------+|| 62,700. || 41,500. || 53,400. ||+-----------+| || BENJAMIN, ||+-----------++-----------++-----------+|| JUDAH, || || 35,400. || CAMP OF DAN. || 74,600. || |+-----------++---------------------------------------++-----------+| | | +---+ TRIBE OF LEVI. | | |+-----------+| | G | +--------------+ +---------+ |+-----------+| || MANASSEH, || | E | | MERARITES | | | || ISSACHAR, || || 32,200. || | R | +--------------+ | | || 54,400. || |+-----------+| | S | +--------------+ | AARON | |+-----------+| | | | H | | TABERNACLE | | | | | |+-----------+| | O | +--------------+ | MOSES | |+-----------+| || EPHRAIM, || | N | +--------------+ | | || ZEBULON, || || 40,500. || | I | | KOHATHITES | | Priests | || 57,400. || |+-----------+| | T | +--------------+ | | |+-----------+| | | | E | TRIBE OF LEVI. | | | | | CAMP OF | | S | +---------+ | CAMP OF | | | +---+ | | | EPHRAIM. +---------------------------------------+ JUDAH. | | | CAMP OF REUBEN. | | | |+-----------++-----------++-----------+| | | || GAD, || SIMEON, || REUBEN, || | | || 45,650. || 59,300. || 46,500. || | | |+-----------++-----------++-----------++ | | | SOUTH. | | +-------------+---------------------------------------+-------------+

[Illustration: CAMP OF ISRAEL.]

VII., VIII. =From Kadesh-barnea to Elath and Jordan.= The Israelites were now ready to enter their Land of Promise. But, as the entrance by the south was found impracticable, and the Edomites would not permit them to cross their mountains, a long detour became necessary; so for a third time they took their journey through the Arabah. This we have indicated on the map as No. VII. They paused before Mount Hor, while Aaron left them, to ascend the mountain and to die. The peak still bears his name, _Jebel Haroun_. So according to most travelers; but Trumbull locates Mount Hor in the Negeb. At Ezion-geber and Elath (stations 43 and 44), they saw once more the Red Sea, at its eastern arm. On this journey, too, but whether before or after passing the Red Sea, is uncertain, they were plagued by serpents, and "the brazen serpent" was lifted up by Moses. (Num. 21:4-9.) At last the southern point of Mount Seir was reached and passed, and now for the last time (Journey VIII.) the Israelites turned their faces northward. They traveled through the land of Teman, between Edom and the Arabian desert. At the brook Zered (_Wady el Ahsy_), station 49, they entered the land of Moab, which they crossed in safety (Num. 21:11); and at the brook Arnon they came into the country of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who came against them, and was defeated and slain at Jahaz. (Num. 21:12-31.) The Amorites of Bashan on the north were ruled by the giant Og, a descendant of the ancient Rephaim. (See page 37.) His land was conquered and himself slain in a decisive battle at Edrei. From the heights of Abarim (station 57) they descended to the Jordan Valley, and encamped at their last station (No. 58) before entering the Land of Promise, on the eastern bank of the Jordan, opposite Jericho. Here occurred: 1. The episode of Balaam's prophecy. (Num. 22-24.) 2. The iniquity of Israel with the women of Moab, and the plague on the people as a result. (Num. 25:1-18.) 3. The numbering of Israel. (Num. 26.) 4. The campaigns against the Moabites and Midianites. (Num. 31.) 5. The allotment to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. (Num. 32.) 6. The repetition of the law and the recapitulation of the journeys, in the book of Deuteronomy. 7. Last of all, the ascent of Moses up the height of Nebo, his prophetic view of the Promised Land, and his lonely death. (Deut. 34.)

[Illustration: KADESH-BARNEA AND VICINITY.

(According to DR. TRUMBULL.)]

STATIONS OF THE ISRAELITES DURING THEIR JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN.

I. FROM RAMESES TO THE RED SEA.

+============================+=================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. |EXOD. | NUM. |DEUT. | +----------------------------+-----------------+------+------+------+ |1. Rameses |Abu Kesheib |12:37 |33: 3 | | |2. Succoth |Unknown |12:37 |33: 5 | | |3. Etham |Unknown |13:20 |33: 6 | | |4. Pi-hahiroth |Bir Suweis |14: 2 |33: 7 | | |5. Red Sea | |14:22 |33: 8 | | +----------------------------+-----------------+------+------+------+

II. FROM THE RED SEA TO MOUNT SINAI.

+============================+=================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. |EXOD. | NUM. |DEUT. | +----------------------------+-----------------+------+------+------+ |6. Desert of Shur, |Shore of Red Sea |15:22 |33: 8 | | | or of Etham | | | | | |7. Marah |Ain Hawârah |15:23 |33: 8 | | |8. Elim |Wady Ghurundel |15:27 |33: 9 | | |9. Red Sea |Wady Taiyibeh | |33:10 | | |10. Desert of Sin |El Murkîyeh(?) |16: 1 |33:11 | | |11. Dophkah |Ain Markhâ(?) | |33:12 | | |12. Alush |Uncertain | |33:13 | | |13. Rephidim |Wady Feiran |17: 1 |33:14 | | |14. Sinai |Plain er Râhah |19: 1 |33:15 | | +----------------------------+-----------------+------+------+------+

III. FROM MOUNT SINAI TO KADESH-BARNEA.

+=============================+=================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. |NUM. | NUM. |DEUT. | +-----------------------------+-----------------+------+------+------+ |15. Taberah |Wady Sâal(?) |11: 3 | | 9:22 | |16. Kibroth-hattaavah |Erweis el Ebeirig|11:34 |33:16 | | |17. Hazeroth |Ain Hudherah |11:35 |33:17 | | |18. Mount of the Amorites |Jebel Magrah(?) | | | 1:19 | |19. Kadesh-barnea |Ain el Weibeh(?) |13:26 | | 1:19 | +-----------------------------+-----------------+------+------+------+

IV. FROM KADESH-BARNEA TO MOUNT HOR.

V. FROM MOUNT HOR TO EZION-GEBER.

+=============================+================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. |NUM. | NUM. |DEUT. | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+ |33. Bene-jaakan |Arabah | |33:31 | | |34. Hor-hagidgad |Wady Ghudhaghidh| |33:32 | | |35. Jotbathah |Emshâsh(?) | |33:33 | | |36. Ebronah |Uncertain | |33:34 | | |37. Ezion-geber |Gulf of Akabah | |33:35 | | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+

VI. FROM EZION-GEBER TO KADESH-BARNEA.

+=============================+================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. | NUM. | NUM. |DEUT. | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+ |38. Kadesh-barnea |Ain Quadis |20: 1 |33:36 | | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+

VII. FROM KADESH-BARNEA TO ELATH.

+=============================+================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. |NUM. | NUM. |DEUT. | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+ |39. Bene-jaakan |Arabah | | |10: 6 | |40. Mosera |Mount Hor |20:22 |33:37 |10: 6 | |41. Gudgodah |Wady Ghudhaghidh| | |10: 7 | |42. Jotbath |Uncertain | | |10: 7 | |43. Ezion-geber |Gulf of Akaba |21: 4 | | 2: 8 | |44. Elath |Akabah | | | 2: 8 | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+

VIII. FROM ELATH TO JORDAN.

+=============================+================+======+======+======+ | STATION. |IDENTIFICATION. | NUM. | NUM. |DEUT. | +-----------------------------+----------------+------+------+------+ |45. Zalmonah |Wady Amran(?) | |33:41 | | |46. Punon |Uncertain | |33:42 | | |47. Oboth |Uncertain |21:10 |33:43 | | |48. Ije-abarim |Uncertain |21:11 |33:44 | | |49. Zered |Wady el Ahsy |21:12 | |10:13 | |50. Arnon |Wady Môjeb |21:13 | |10:24 | |51. Dibon-gad |Dhibân | |33:45 | | |52. Almon-diblathaim |Uncertain | |33:46 | | |53. Beer |Uncertain |21:16 | | | |54. Mattanah |Uncertain |21:18 | | | |55. Nahaliel |Uncertain |21:19 | | | |56. Bamoth |Uncertain |21:19 | | | |57. Abarim, Nebo, or Pisgah |Jebel Neba |21:20 |33:47 | | |58. Plains of Moab, or Jordan|Ghôr en Nimrîn |22: 1 |33:48 | | +=============================+================+======+======+======+

[Illustration: GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.]

[Illustration: Beth-horon and Vicinity.

CONQUEST OF CANAAN.]

THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN.

AFTER the forty years of the Wandering came the seven years of the Conquest. Yet it is true, that in the complete sense the conquest began before the Israelites crossed the Jordan under Joshua, and was not finished until long after the period of the Judges. As Dean Stanley says: "The conquest began from the passage of the brook Zered, under Moses; it was not finally closed till the capture of Jerusalem by David. But in a more limited sense it may be confined to the period during which the territory, afterward known by the name of Palestine, was definitively occupied as their own by the Israelites." The map on page 36 shows us the territorial divisions of the land before the conquest; the one which we are now studying presents the campaigns by which it was won. These may be divided into three sections. 1. The conquest of the territory on the east of the Jordan, in three campaigns, during the rule of Moses. 2. The conquest of that on the west of the Jordan, under the leadership of Joshua, in three campaigns. 3. A series of supplementary conquests completing the work of subjugation.

[Illustration: SHECHEM.]

I. THE CONQUEST OF EASTERN PALESTINE.

This region was occupied, at the time of the arrival of the Israelites, by the Moabites between the brooks Zered and Arnon, and by the Amorites north of the Arnon. The latter people were divided into two kingdoms. The land of Gilead was ruled by King Sihon, whose capital was at Heshbon; and the table-land of Bashan by Og, a remnant of the old race of the Rephaim. Tributary to Sihon, and on the border of the Arabian desert, were the Midianites (Josh. 13:21); and near the Moabites were their nomadic kinsmen, the Ammonites.

1. =The Conquest of Gilead.= (Num. 21:21-31.) The Amorites, under Sihon, had wrested from the Moabites the land between the Arnon and the Jabbok, a short time before the coming of Israel. Moses sent messengers, requesting the privilege of journeying through their land; but they refused to permit the passage of such a vast host, and came out to meet the Israelites in battle at Jahaz, near their border, at the brook Arnon. They were defeated, and their whole land was conquered, including their own territory north of the Jabbok, as well as their Moabite possessions south of it. Thus the Israelites obtained, as their first foothold, the rich region of the eastern table-land, from the Arnon to the Hieromax.

2. =The Conquest of Bashan.= (Num. 21:32-35.) The success of the war with one nation of the Amorites encouraged the Israelites to cross the Hieromax and undertake the conquest of the rich pasture fields of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, whose capital was at the ancient city of his race, Ashteroth Karnaim. There is some evidence to indicate that the leader in this campaign was Nobah, of the tribe of Manasseh. (Num. 32:42.) A decisive battle was fought at Edrei, at the entrance to the _Ledja_, or mountainous district; and Og was slain, and his kingdom possessed by Israel. Its western portion, including Kenath and its vicinity, was given to Nobah, who named the region after himself. (Num. 32:42; Judges 8:11.)

3. =The Conquest of Midian.= (Num. 25 and 31.) While the Israelites were encamped on the plain of Jordan, opposite Jericho, their last station, called Shittim (Num. 25:1), a league was formed by the Moabites and Midianites to resist their advance. Balaam, the Mesopotamian seer, was summoned to aid them by his curses against Israel; but his words were turned to blessing. (Num. 22-24.) Fearing the result of open war, the allied nations now undertook to corrupt Israel by their friendship and the seductions of their women; and they succeeded to such an extent that multitudes of the people perished by a plague which fell upon the nation as a penalty. The Moabites were punished by exclusion for ten generations from the privileges of Israel (Deut. 23:3, 4), and by the loss of that portion of their territory already taken from the Amorites. The Midianites, evidently the guiltier nation, were doomed to utter destruction. The campaign against them was regarded as a sacred war, and Phinehas the priest took command of the army. The entire people were laid under the ban, and the portion of them east of the Jordan were thoroughly annihilated. This was, however, only a small section of the great tribe of Midian, whose principal home was on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, south of the Edomites; and their former home near Moab was again repopulated, and, some centuries afterward, gave new trouble to Israel.

The entire country east of the Jordan and north of the brook Arnon was thus conquered by the Israelites before the death of Moses. It was assigned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, as their home, upon condition that their warriors should accompany the rest of the tribes in the conquest of Western Palestine. (Num. 32.) Their boundaries will be noticed in connection with the map of Israel, as divided among the Twelve Tribes.

II. THE CONQUEST OF WESTERN PALESTINE.

This was undertaken by Joshua after the death of Moses, and, as far as can be ascertained from the record, was accomplished in three campaigns. The war began with the passage of the Jordan, B.C. 1210, and, so far as active hostilities were concerned, was finished in seven years. But the great mass of the native population remained upon the soil, to plague the Chosen People by the influence of their wickedness, so that the conquest was never thoroughly completed. Indeed, some writers think that the inhabitants of Palestine at the present time belong mainly to the old Canaanite stock, which has perpetuated itself under all the changes of government.

1. =The Conquest of Central Palestine.= (Josh. 3-8.) According to the account in the book of Joshua, this was a brief campaign; but the Samaritan records relate a series of supplementary sieges and battles, which would indicate that the war may have been longer than appears. Still, there are evidences that the Hivites and Perizzites, who occupied most of this district, were peaceful peoples, readily yielding to the conquerors, so that the resistance was less stubborn than in other sections. The war began with the passage of the Jordan, an event ever kept in mind as the entrance of the people upon their own land. They pitched their camp at Gilgal, in the Jordan Valley, and fortified the place as a permanent headquarters during the entire period of conquest. (Josh. 5.) Jericho was first taken, by supernatural aid, and devoted to God as the first fruits of conquest. (Josh. 6.) An act of trespass against God by Achan, caused a defeat at Ai (near Bethel), the next place attacked; but the sin was punished, and, by a stratagem and ambush, Ai was taken. They then marched northward to Shechem, an ancient Hivite city, of which the last previous account is its destruction by the sons of Jacob. (Gen. 34.) It may not have been rebuilt, as we find at this time the Hivites occupying a number of towns at a distance from it (Gibeon and others, Josh. 9); or it may have submitted to the overwhelming power of Israel. In the Vale of Shechem, between the mountains Ebal and Gerizim, all the Israelites were assembled, the law was read in their hearing, and memorial stones were erected. After this, the Hivites of four villages, of which Gibeon was the most important, by means of a deception made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, and obtained a pledge of protection; being the only nation in all the land formally spared from destruction. Their deceit was soon discovered; but the word of Israel was kept, though the people of the four villages were reduced to the condition of "servants of the sanctuary," _i. e._, employed in the menial duties of the Tabernacle. The central portion of the land was now possessed by Israel, from Jericho and Gibeon northward to the Carmel range of mountains, and the army returned to the fortified camp at Gilgal. (Josh. 9.)

2. =The Conquest of Southern Palestine.= (Josh. 10.) The conquest had thus far been easy; mainly because there was no union among the native tribes, but each city and village was ruled by its own "king," or sheikh, and all were jealous of one another, so that they were readily conquered in detail. Warned by the fate of Jericho and Ai, and alarmed at the defection of Gibeon, the kings of five cities formed a league to resist the invading host. The head of the confederation was Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem, and associated with him were the rulers of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon, and perhaps other subordinate chiefs. They began by an attack on the city of Gibeon, as a tributary of Israel. Joshua at once called forth his warriors, left the camp at Gilgal, made a swift night march through the mountain passes, and came suddenly upon the enemy near Beth-horon. Here was fought perhaps the most important battle in all human history, and one at which "the sun and moon" might well "stand still," since the religious destiny of all the world was at stake in its result. In this one battle the conquest of Canaan was made certain, though it was not fully accomplished until long afterward. The flying host were pursued to Makkedah, on the border of the plain, where the five kings were captured and slain. Then in succession, the strongholds of Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and, last of all, Debir, were taken by storm. From the list of the kings captured (Josh. 12:9-24), it would appear that Joshua carried his conquests through the South Country, as far as Arad and Hormah, places where the Israelites had suffered defeat during the period of the wandering (Num. 21:1-3); though these kings may have been captured at Hebron or Debir. But, though all may not have been ravaged by the Israelites, all was certainly conquered, from Jerusalem to the great desert on the south. The conquest was afterward made complete by the aged Caleb, who with his nephew Othniel took possession of the very cities of which the name had filled the Israelites with terror a generation before. (Num. 13.)

[Illustration: PALESTINE AS PROMISED AND POSSESSED.]

3. =The Conquest of Northern Palestine.= (Josh. 11.) This region was also occupied by a number of independent chiefs, of whom the most powerful was Jabin, the king of Hazor, a title which afterward reappears in the history. (Judges 4, 2.) They ruled over small tribes of various races, from Mount Hermon to Mount Carmel, especially on the Plain of Esdraelon. The king of Hazor called together the associated tribes, and their camp was pitched near Lake Merom. Joshua made one of his characteristic swift marches, up the Jordan Valley, attacked them suddenly, and utterly defeated and scattered them. He burned the many war chariots, and so cut the sinews of their horses as to make them useless; since these animals were never used by the Israelites. After the battle he marched through the northern regions, capturing the cities and slaying their rulers, a number of whom are mentioned in the catalogue of Josh. 12:9-24. This campaign closed the active operations, so that "the land rested from war" (Josh. 11:23); but for many years the strife was feebly continued, and it was not entirely finished until the reign of David.

III. SUPPLEMENTARY CONQUESTS.

Although the struggle of the conquest was over, yet in most of the land the task of expulsion or destruction was yet to be accomplished, and in many places was never entirely wrought. The entire section of the maritime plain remained in the hands of the Philistines; in almost every tribe were fortresses, which long resisted the Israelites, and formed centres of rebellion, and sometimes of oppression. And many of the cities taken by Joshua were soon reoccupied by their original inhabitants, and once more fortified. The book of the Judges relates briefly three campaigns after the conquest.

1. =The Campaign of the Judaites and Simeonites.= (Judges 1:1-8.) This was undertaken against Adoni-bezek, the king of Bezek, a place in or near the tribe of Judah, not positively identified. Adoni-bezek was a petty chieftain, who had cruelly mutilated no less than 70 local chiefs whom he had taken in battle. He was surprised by the allied forces of Judah and Simeon, and ten thousand of his warriors were slain. He was taken prisoner, and treated as he had treated other captive kings; his thumbs and great toes being cut off, thus making him helpless. After this, the allied tribes marched down upon the maritime plain, and took the Philistine cities of Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron. But their conquests were not permanent; they withdrew to the mountains, and the Philistines were soon in possession of their cities, which long stood as a menace to Israel. Another campaign was directed against the cities of the Negeb, or South Country, and resulted in the destruction of Zephath and Hormah, both south of Hebron.