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of, kept therein all their treasures of Egypt and Arabia; of which it is the first and strongest city; the same, perhaps, which Pliny and Strabo call Nabathea, whence also the province adjoining took name; which name seems to have been taken at first from Nabaioth, the son of Abraham by Keturah. For Nabathea is no where understood for all Arabia Petræa (at least where it is not misunderstood) but it is that province which neighboureth Judæa. For Pharan inhabited by Ismael, whose people Ptolomy calleth Pharanites, instead of Ismaelites, and all those territories of the Cusites, Madianites, Amalekites, Ismaelites, Edomites, or Idumeans, the lands of Moab, Ammon, Hus, Sin, and of Og king of Basan, were parts of Arabia Petræa; though it be also true, that some part of Arabia the Desert belonged to the Amalekites and Ismaelites: all which nations the scriptures in 1 Chron. v. calleth Hagarims, of Hagar.

This city Petra Scaurus besieged with the Roman army; and finding the place in show impregnable, he was content, by the persuasion of Antipater, to take a composition of money, and to quit it. Yet Amasias, king of Juda, (after he had slaughtered ten thousand of the Arabians in the valley called Salinarum), won also this city. St. Jerome finds Ruth the Moabite to be natural of this city. In the time when the Christians held the kingdom of u Jerusalem, it had a Latin bishop, having before been under the Greek church. It is seated not far from Hor, where Aaron died; and on the other side, towards the north, is the river of * Zared or Zered, by which Moses encamped in the thirtyeighth station. Adrichome describeth the waters of Memrim, or rather Nemrim, in his map of Reuben, not far hence, and between Zared and Arnon; and so he doth the valley of Save; but the waters of y Nimra, or Beth-Nimra, (for which it seems Adrichomius writ Nemrim,) refreshed the plains of Moab: and the confluence of those waters of

1 Chron. v. 19, 20. "Gul. Tyr. 20. Bell. Sac. 3. * Numb. xxi. Deut. ii. 13.

y Numb. xxxii. 3. Josh. xiii. 27. Isai. xv. 21.

Nimra are in the tribe of Gad. Save also cannot be found in this place, that is, to the south of Arnon, and under Midian. For after Abraham returned from the pursuit of the Assyrian and Persian princes, the king of Sodom met him in the valley of Save, or Shaveh, which is the King's Dale, where Absalom set up his monument, as it seems, not far from Jerusalem. And at the same time Melchizedek, king of Salem, also encountered him. But Abraham coming from the north, and z Melchizedek inhabiting either near Bethsan, otherwise Scythopolis, in the half tribe of Manasseh, or in Jerusalem, (both places lying to the west of Jordan,) could not encounter each other in Arabia: and therefore Save, which was also called the King's Dale, could not be in these parts.

§. 4.

Of the Dead sea.

NOW, because the sea of Sodom, or the Dead sea, called also the lake of Asphaltitis, and the Salt sea, (in distinction from the sea of Tiberias, which was fresh water,) also the sea of the wilderness, or rather the sea a of the plains, is often remembered in the scriptures, and in this story also; therefore I think it not impertinent to speak somewhat thereof: for it is like unto the Caspian sea, which hath no outlet, or disburdening. The length of this lake Josephus makes 180 furlongs, (which make twenty-two miles and a half of ours,) and about 150 in breadth, which make eighteen of our miles, and somewhat more. Pliny makes it a great deal less. But those that have of late years seen this sea, did account it (saith b Weissenburg) eight Dutch miles (which is thirty-two of ours) in length, and two and a half of theirs (which is ten of ours) in breadth. Of this lake, or sea, Tacitus maketh this report; Lacus est immenso ambitu, specie maris, sapore corruptior, gravitate odoris accolis

z Gen. xiv.

a So Junius reads for the Hebrew, Haraboth every where, and so also the edition of Vatablus, Deut. iv. it hath mare solitudinis, as also 2 Kings xiv. 25. the reason of this name seems to be, because it joins to the plains

of Moab, which are called Harboth-
Moab, Deut. xxxiv. 1. as also we have
Cesuloth in Harbath, that is in the
plains, to wit, of Zabulon, 1 Macc.
ix. 2. whence Adrichomius imagines
a city in Zabulon called Araba.
b Deser. Ter. Sancta.

pestifer: neque vento impellitur, neque pisces aut suetas aquis volucres patitur, incertum unde superjecta ut solido feruntur, periti imperitique nandi perinde attolluntur, &c. "That it is very great, and (as it were) a sea of a corrupt taste; of smell infectious, and pestilent to the bor"derers: it is neither moved nor raised by the wind, nor "endureth fish to live in it, or fowl to swim in it. Those

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things that are cast into it, and the unskilful of swimming, as well as the skilful, are borne up by this water. At one "time of the year it casteth up bitumen; the art of gather"ing which, experience (the finder of other things) hath "also taught. It is used in the trimming of ships, and the "like businesses.”

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And then of the land he speaketh in this sort: "The "fields not far from this lake, which were sometime fruit"ful, and adorned with great cities, were burnt with lightning; of which the ruins remain, the ground looking "with a sad face, as having lost her fruitfulness: for what"soever doth either grow, or is set thereon, be it fruits or "flowers, when they come to ripeness, have nothing within "them, but moulder into ashes." Thus far Tacitus. And it is found by experience, that those pomegranates, and other apples, or oranges, which do still grow on the banks of this cursed lake, do look fair, and are of good colour on the outside; but being cut, have nothing but dust within. Of the bitumen which this lake casteth up, it was by the Greeks called asphaltitis. Vespasian, desirous to be satisfied of these reports, went on purpose to see this lake, and caused certain captives to be cast into it, who were not only unskilful in swimming, but had their hands also bound behind them; and notwithstanding, they were carried on the face of the waters, and could not sink.

§. 5.

Of the kings of Moab, much of whose country within Arnon,

Reuben possessed.

OF the kings of Moab, whose country (within Arnon) Reuben possessed (though not taken from Moab, but from Sehon the Amorite) few are known. Junius in Numbers

с

xxi. 14. nameth Vaheb, which seemeth to be the ancestor or predecessor of Balac, the son of Zippor, which Balac sent for Balaam to curse Israel. For, fearing to contend with Moses by arms, by the examples of Sehon and Og, he hoped, by the help of Balaam's cursings, or enchantments, to take from them all strength and courage, and to cast on them some pestilent diseases. And though Balaam at the first, moved by the Spirit of God, blessed Israel, contrary to the hope and desire of Moab; yet being desirous in some sort to satisfy him, and to do him service, he advised Moab to send Madianitish women among the Israelites, hoping by them, as by fit instruments of mischief, to draw them to the idolatry of the heathen; but in the end he received the reward of his falling from God, and of his evil counsel, and was slain among the rest of the princes of Midian.

After these times the kings of the Moabites are not named; saving that we find in 1 Chron. iv. that Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Sareph, all being of the issue of Juda, sometime had the dominion in Moab: but as it is written in the same verse, These also are ancient things, to wit, as some expound it, The particulars of these men's governments are no where extant, or remaining: or as others, Hæc prius fuere; These families of Juda were once thus famous: but now their posterity choose rather to abide in Babylon, and be clay-workers to the king there.

Then we find Eglon king of Moab, who with the help of d Ammon and Amalek mastered Israel, and commanded them eighteen years; which Eglon Ehud slew in his own house, and afterwards 10,000 of his nation. What name the king of Moab had, unto whom David fled, fearing e Saul, it doth not appear; or whether it were the same against whom Saul made war, it is not manifest, for neither are named. But in respect that this Moabite was an enemy to f Saul, he received David, and relieved him, knowing that Saul sought his life.

e Numb. xxi. xxii. xxiii. xxiv. Josh. xxiv.

d Judg. iii.

e I Sam. xxii.

f 1 Sam. xiv.

i

After this, David himself entered the region of Moab, but not likely in the same king's time; h for he slaughtered two parts of the people, and made the third part tributary: whereupon it was said of David, i Moab is my washpot, over Edom will I cast my shoe; meaning, that he would reduce them to such an abjection, and appoint them for base services: and that he would tread down the Idumeans.

The next king, after David's time, of the Moabites, whose name liveth, was Mesha; who falling from Judah (perhaps in remembrance of the severity of David) fastened himself to the kings of Israel, and paid tribute to k Ahab 100,000 lambs, and 200,000 rams with the wool: who revolting again from Israel, after the death of Ahab, was invaded by Jehoram, with whom joined the kings of Judah and Idumæa; and being by these three kings pressed and broken, he fled to Kir-hareseth, as is elsewhere shewed. There is also mention made of the Moabites without the king's name; when that nation, assisted by the Ammonites and Idumeans, invaded Jehoshaphat. And by reason of some private quarrels among themselves, the Moabites and Ammonites set upon the Idumeans, and slaughtered them; and then one against another, so as Jehoshaphat had a notorious victory over them all, without either blood or wound. Also in the time of TM Jeremiah the prophet, there was a king of Moab, which is not named, which was after Mesha of Moab many descents: for Mesha lived with Jehoram and this Moabite in Zedekiah's time, fourteen kings of Judah coming between, who wasted 300 and odd

1

SECT. V.

years.

Of the memorable places of the Gadites, and the bordering places of Ammon.

THE territory adjoining to Reuben is that of Gad, whereof all that part which joined to the mountains was some time in the possession of the Ammonites, as far to the south as Aroer. Of the children of Gad, the seventh son

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2 Sam. viii.

1 Chron. xviii.

i Psal. Ix. 10.

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