on the west by Egypt and the Mediterranean, on the south by the Red Sea, which here divides and runs north in two branches, and on the north by Palestine, is called Arabia Petrea, or the stony, from the city Petrea,. Idumea, otherwise called Seir,, is the northeastern part of Arabia Petrea. Finally, the tract, which has Arabia Felix on the south, Babylonia and the Euphrates on the east, the Euphrates and Syria on the north, and Gilead on the west, is called Arabia Deserta. There are large tracts in these regions, especially in Arabia Deserta, covered with rolling sands; barren as they are, they neverthless, occasionally supply pasturage to the wandering shepherds.

§ 11. EGYPT.

Egypt, a, i, o, extending from lat. 31° 27′ to 23° 45', is bounded on the east by Arabia Petrea and the Red Sea, on the south by Ethiopia or rather Nubia, on the west by the deserts of Africa or Libya, and on the north by the Mediterranean. It has been divided into two parts, the lower or northern, which is called the Delta, and the upper or southern, which in Arabic is called Zaid, in Greek Onai's, and in Hebrew in, unless, which may be the case, by the Hebrew Pathros merely a district or canton is meant to be designated. It is sometimes divided into three parts, in which case the lower part of Upper Egypt receives the name of Heptanomis, because it consisted of seven districts. The celebrated Nile, which is commonly denominated in the Bible, by way of eminence, or the river, passes through Egypt. Every year in the month of August and September it inundates the adjacent country, fertilizes it by a deposition of black mud, and empties at last into the Mediterranean. Formouths, two of the principal of which remain. The most celebrated cities in this country are N or in Thebes or Diospolis magna, the metropolis of Upper Egypt, long

merly it had seven

i. e.

ago celebrated by Homer for its hundred gates, and still memorable for its ruins; 2 or 12, Memphis, almost on the division line between lower and upper Egypt, on the western shore of the Nile; or Tanis, which yet remains in an island of lake Tennis or Mensale; and Alexandria, built by Alexander on the shore

of the Mediterranean near the western boundary of Egypt, celebrated for its harbour.

12. LAND OF Gessen or Goshen and the river of Egypt.

The region of Goshen, 7, in the Vulgate Gessen, is called Gen. 47: 6, 11, 7 or the land of pasture, and was, there

From 1 Chron. 7: 21, it is tract was not far from the

fore not a cultivated part of Egypt. clear that the boundary line of this city of Gaza. Hence it must have been the eastern part of lower Egypt which extended along the shore of the Mediterranean, as far as Arabia Petrea. This accounts for the circumstance, that the Alexandrine interpreter, who must have been acquainted with the geography of this region, renders Gen. 45: 10, Troèv 'Apaßias.

From these particulars it appears, that Goshen was nearly of a triangular form, being bounded by a line drawn from Heroopolis to the river of Egypt, by the Mediterranean, and by the Pelusian branch of the Nile. But an inquiry arises here in respect to the position of the river of Egypt, which occurs so often in the Bible. Most probably it is the torrent, which when it is swollen during the winter season, empties into the sea at Rhinocolura, now called Al-Arish; for the Septuagint renders by the word 'Pivozoλovoa; and Epiphanius, who was not less acquainted with these regions than the Alexandrine interpreter, asserts, Haer. 66, p. 703, that Rhinocolura was called by the inhabitants, vɛɛλ, which is evidently the word, uttered with different vowels. The traveller Helferich also, p. 385, says he came in 1565 to Al-Arish, situated in a country called Nechile, which is the word again with a little alteration. Compare Brochard's Book of travels, p. 466; and Wansleb, in the collection of Travels made by Paulus iii. 164. That other travellers have not found the river or torrent in question, is owing to the circumstance that its channel or valley was dry; as might have been expected in the warm season, which was the time when they approached it.

13. EXTENT And boundaries of the Hebrew TERRITORIES.

Canaan, 7, a region occupied in the first instance partly by the Canaanites, the posterity of Canaan the son of Ham, partly

by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and promised by God to the posterity of these patriarchs, is enclosed by the river Jordan, the Dead Sea, Arabia Petrea, the Mediterranean, and Syria. The divine promise, however, had respect at the same time to those territories, which the Hebrews, when afterwards provoked to arms, should reduce to their authority. As soon as they were in a condition to penetrate to the land, which had been occupied by the Patriarchs before them, they conquered the kings of Gilead, who had taken up arms by way of resistance, and occupied, by the right of war, the tract which stretches from the river Arnon to the foot of mount Hermon or Antilibanus, Num. 21: 21, et seq. Afterwards they subjected the neighbouring territories. The boundaries in reference to this increased extent are defined, Gen. 51: 18–21. Num. 34: 1, 2. Deut. 11: 24. Josh. 1: 4. 11: 16, 17. 12: 1–7. 15—33.

On the south, the boundary line ran with some irregularities from the end of the Dead Sea along Idumea and Arabia Petrea, as far as the river or torrent of Egypt. The pastures of Arabia Petrea, particularly of the desert, which extends both through Petrea and Deserta as far as the Persian gulf and north along the Euphrates, remained free, for it was not possible to fix any definite limits in those regions. In the time of David the whole of Idumea as far as the bay of Elana submitted to the Hebrews. The furthest city, in this direction, that belonged to them, is often mentioned by the name of Beersheba,, which, however, was not situated on the boundary line.

On the west, from the river of Egypt to the city Acco or Ptolemais, or rather as far as Achzib, Josh. 19: 28, 29, the boundary was the Mediterranean Sea, called in Hebrew, bia,

The Philistines, who were conquered by David, dwelt on its southern shore, within the limits just mentioned.

They often threw off the yoke. From Achzib, the boundary received a direction north into the main land, and ran contiguous to Phenicia 78 English miles to lat. 34°, terminating at Apheca, which is situated between Biblum or Gible and Baal-Gad or Baalbec. Phenicia, therefore, was not included in the territory of the Hebrews. Josh. 13: 2-6. Comp. Numbers 34: 6, and Josh

ua 19: 24-31.

The northern boundary extended with many deviations from Apheca to the east, touched in Coelesyria upon the kingdom of Hamath, and enclosed the city of Baal-Gad, lat. 34°, near which ap

pears to have been situated the city of Dan, so often mentioned, as being on the northern extremity of the kingdom. There the line ran south-east to Arabia Deserta, so as to exclude the kingdom of Damascus; the whole of which, with the cities of Betack and Bairuth was at length occupied by the armies of David. It recovered, however, its freedom under his successors, and created much trouble to the kingdom of Israel.

On the east, the Euphrates was the boundary assigned, Deut. 11: 24. It cannot, however, be accurately determined, on account of the extensive deserts, which exist in that direction. The mountains of Gilead, which were subjected by Moses, approach the barren waste, which girds the shore of the Euphrates, and as we learn 1 Chron. 5: 9, 16, supplied pasture to the tribes of Gad and Reuben. The tribes beyond Jordan, under Saul, subdued a large extent of country, 1 Chron. 5: 19. The Ammonites possessed the territory to the east of the river Arnon, and the Moabites inhabited the region to the south of the same river. So that the Arnon was the boundary, which separated the Hebrews on the east from the Ammonites, and on the south from the Moabites, until they were subdued by David, who extended the lines of his dominion, as far north as 35° 15′ of lat. where the city Thipsach or Tapsacus was situated. From these facts it is clear, that the kingdom of David and Solomon was very large, extending from the 28 to the 35 of lat. and from the 52d to the 59th of longitude.

§14. FACE OF THE COUNTRY; MOUNTAINS.

Palestine is a mountainous country. Two ranges, the one on the east, the other on the west side of the Jordan, extend from Syria into Arabia, interrupted, however, in various places, by vallies and level tracts of greater or less extent. The principal mountains are,

1. Mount Lebanon. It is formed of two summits, which run north almost parallel from lat. 33° 12′ to lat. 34° 32′, and leave a valley in the middle, which is called Coelesyria, xoian Evoia, in and i, Gen. 10: 23. Jos. 11: 17. These mountains begin to ascend about three miles north of ancient Tyre, where the river Leontes, now called Kasmie, which flows from Coelesyria or the valley between the mountains, empties into the

sea.

The western summit is denominated Libanus, by the Greeks,

§14. FACE OF THE COUNTRY, MOUNTAINS.

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and the eastern, Antilibanus; but the Hebrews do not make this distinction of names, denominating both summits by the common name of Lebanon or Libanus. Libanus runs north from the mouth of the Leontes, bending a little to the east, it leaves on the borders of the sea a plain of different degrees of breadth. Some promontories, notwithstanding, two at least, project into the sea, the one near the mouth of the Lycus, now called Nahr el Khalb, lat. 33° 16', the other, lat. 34° 50', called оv пооошлоv. Anciently on these mountains there grew cedars, of which there remain to this day from twenty to forty, though according to Aryda only fourteen, of great size and antiquity, together with many smaller ones. Antilibanus runs from the mouth of the Leontes, at first, in an eastern direction, but soon alters its course and runs north, parallel with Libanus. It is much higher than Libanus, and is crowned with perpetual snows, Jer. 18: 13. In the summer, snow is also found on Libanus in the clefts and fissures, which are exposed to the north; it is often brought down into the neighbouring cities, and mingled with the drink of the inhabitants, in order to render it more cool and refreshing, Prov. 25: 12. The highest peak of Antilibanus was called by the Hebrews, Hermon; by the Sidonians, Sirion; and by the Amorites, Senir, Deut. 3: 9. In later times these three names were given to three separate summits, 1 Chron. 5: 23. The part towards Damascus was called Amana, N, from which flow the two rivers Amana and Pharphar, 2 Kgs. 5: 12. The pine and the fir flourish on Antilibanus. The height of these mountains is about 9000 feet. They exhibit a grand and imposing appearance; many of the images, which occur in the Scriptures, are drawn from them. Isa. 10: 34. 29: 17. 35: 2.

II. Carmel. This is a mountainous ridge, which begins to rise about thirteen miles south of Ptolemais, in the vicinity of a large bay formed by the sea. It stretches south 11 miles, and is 40 miles in circumference, according to D'Arvieux nearly 60. The northern and eastern summits are higher than the southern and western. The northern summit or ridge projects into the sea, the southern recedes, and leaves a plain on the shore in the form of a half circle. The name itself is an indication of the fruitfulness of these ridges, and of the vallies, which they form; for 72 is a contraction for, which means the garden of God, or a very pleasant region. The tops of these mountains are crowded

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