the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians; and the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the Lord do that which seemeth good in his sight." In a succeeding age, the king of Judah addressed his troops, before they marched against the confederate armies of Moab and Ammon, in terms becoming the chief magistrate of a holy nation, and calculated to make a deep impression on their minds: "And as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." To express his own confidence in the protection of Jehovah, and to inspire his army with the same sentiments, after consulting with the people, he "appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever." This pious conduct obtained the approbation of the living and true God, who rewarded the cheerful reliance of his people with a complete victory over their enemies, unattended by loss or danger to them; for "when they began to praise, the Lord turned every man's sword against his fellow," in the camp of the confederates, till not one escaped. Animated with joy and gratitude for so great a deliverance, the pious king returned to Jerusalem 12 Sam. x, 9, 10. * 2 Chron. xx, 20. S Verse 21. at the head of his troops, preceded by a numerous band of music, celebrating the praises of the God of battles. A custom not unlike this, and perhaps derived from some imperfect tradition of it, long prevailed in the states of Greece. Before they joined battle, they sung an hymn to the god of war, called v μbangios; and when victory declared in their favour, they sung another to Apollo, termed παιαν επινίκιος. sage "The soothsayers inspected all the sacrifices, to prethe success of the battle; and till the omens proved favourable, they rather chose tamely to resign their lives to the enemy, than to defend themselves."" These superstitious rites they borrowed from the Babylonians, who were exceedingly addicted to divination. The prophet Ezekiel records a remarkable instance of this, in his prophecy against Jerusalem. "For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver." Jerome says, the mode of divining by arrows was this: They wrote on several arrows the names of the cities they intended to besiege, and then putting them promiscuously all together into a quiver, they caused them to be drawn out in the manner of lots, and that city whose name was on the arrow first drawn out, was the first they assaulted." Della Valla mentions another method of divination by arrows, different from the former: "He saw at Aleppo, a Mahommedan, who caused two persons to sit upon the ground, one opposite to the other, and gave them four arrows into their hands, which both of them held with p. 77. * Potter's Gr. Antiq. vol. ii, p. 76. u Ibid. their points downward, and as it were in two right lines, united one to the other. Then a question being put to him about any business, he fell to murmur his enchantments, and thereby caused the said four arrows of their own accord to unite their points together in the midst, (though he that held them stirred not his hand,) and according to the future event of the matter, those of the right side were placed over those of the left, or on the contrary." This practice, Della Valla refers to diabolical influence." This Some writers are of opinion, that the arrows were cast into the air, and the inquirer was to shape his course the same way that the arrow inclined in its descent. was perhaps the reason that the king of Babylon made the head of his arrows bright, that the sun-beam reflected from their polished heads, might enable him to trace their path with greater ease and certainty. It is however still more probable, that he divined by looking upon the iron heads of the arrows, and observing the various appearances in them; which accounts in the most satisfactory way for the care with which they were brightened. To this method of divination, was added the inspection of the liver. This was also the first and principal part of the intestines, which the Grecian soothsayers examined. If it was corrupted, they thought that the blood, and by consequence all the body, must be so too; and therefore if it was found in a very bad state, they desisted immediately, without regarding the supposed indications of the other parts. If it exhibited a pleasing and natural redness; if it was sound, without spot or blemish; if its head was large; if it had two heads, or if there were two livers; if its lappets were turned inwards: then prospew Trav. p. 276. rity and success were expected. But if, on the other hand, it was too dry, or the parts tied together, especially if it was without a lappet, or the liver itself was altogether wanting, they looked for nothing but dangers, disappointments, and misfortunes. The chosen people of Jehovah, not less eager than others to know the issue of their military expeditions, or if Heaven regarded their undertakings with a favourable eye, had frequent recourse to the holy Oracle; they consulted the prophet of the Lord; they offered sacrifices, and consulted with the high priest who bore the Urim and Thummim in his breastplate, by means of which he discovered the will of the Deity; or, presenting himself at the altar of incense, received the desired response by an audible voice from the most holy place. The son of Jesse, in a time of great distress and perplexity, consulted the oracle by means of an ephod, a part of the sacerdotal vestments: "And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod; and Abiathar brought hither the ephod to David. And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all." Here was no brightning of arrows, after the custom of superstitious heathens; no consulting with images, nor inspecting of intestines, from which nothing but vague conjecture can result; but a devout and humble application to the throne of the true God; and the answer was in every respect worthy of his character; it was clear and precise, at once authorizing the pursuit, and promising complete success ; * 1 Sam. xxx, 8. or forbidding them, in plain terms, to prosecute their designs. In After the introduction of trumpets into Greece, her armies generally began the attack at the sound of this warlike instrument; but the Lacedæmonians were particularly remarkable for beginning their engagements with the soft tones of the flute, which were intended to render the combatants cool and sedate, and enable them to march with a firm and majestic step against their enemies. the armies of Israel, the courage of the soldiers was roused and sustained by a concert of various instruments; in which were distinguished the martial sounds of the silver trumpet, and the gentler notes of the harp and the psaltery. In the beginning of their onset, they gave a general shout to encourage and animate one another, and strike terror into their enemies. This circumstance is distinctly stated in the first book of Samuel: "And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army." This custom seems to have been used by almost every nation under heaven; and is mentioned by all writers who treat of martial affairs. Homer compares the confused noise of two armies in the heat of battle, to the deafening roar of torrents rushing with impetuous force from the mountains into the subjacent valleys. In the sixteenth Iliad, the fierce bands of Achilles pour from their ships into the plain with a joyful shout: y Potter's Gr. Antiq. vol. ii, p. 83. a 1 Sam. xvi, 20. b Iliad. lib. v, 1. 452. |