To close up this enumeration of the cities and towns of Judah, Jerusalem is mentioned last; and without being attached to any class. It was situated altogether in the tribe of Benjamin, the boundary line that separated Benjamin and Judah, running through the valley of the son of Hinnom, south of the city. But it is generally spoken of as belonging to Judah; and the reason of this may be that David and the men of his tribe, that is, of Judah, took possession of the place, and made it the capital of his kingdom; and it is expressly confessed that the children of Benjamin could not drive out the inhabitants. xv. 63.

Jerusalem is too important a place to be here described in full. Nor is this the most suitable place to say what we propose on the subject; but it should be done in connection with the cities of Benjamin: for, though it was sometimes regarded as a city of Judah, in strictness it was not, and should not be extensively noticed out of its proper connection.

We have now named all the cities of Judah, on the regular list, as given in Joshua; but we find many other places, in the progress of the history, that were located in the same territory; and we learn the fact generally from the passages where they are mentioned. Some of these may have come into existence at a later date than the first apportionment of the country; or they may have been obscure then, and afterwards become more prominent; or they may have been omitted on the regular list for some other reason, not at present understood.

It is reasonable to presume that some of the localities that were named on the southern border, from the Salt Sea to the Mediterranean, belonged to Judah.

Akrabbim, or Maaleh-akrabbim, or, as it is in another place, the ascent of Akrabbim, was a rocky ridge, on the southern border of Caanan and of Judah, and took its name from the abundance of scorpions found in that lo

cality. It has been ascertained, with considerable certainty, that the place was about ten miles south of the Dead Sea. Jud. i. 36; Num. xxxiv. 1, 4; Jos. xv. 3.

Kadesh and Hezron, mentioned on this border, are also on the regular list. Adar, Azmon and Karkaa, we know nothing about, except that they were border towns. We know of some others that lay on or near this border. Arad is one. Near this place the Kenites had their dwelling place. It was twenty miles south from Hebron, according to Eusebius, and near to Kadesh. Jos. xii. 14; Jud. i. 16.

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The river of Egypt was at the western extremity of this line. It is the same, no doubt, as Sihor or Shihor. Jos. xiii. 3. There are two forms in the Hebrew for "river." One form properly denotes a river, or stream of water; the other denotes a valley. The first occurs in Gen. xv. 18, the second in Num. xxxiv. 5; Jos. xv. 4, 47; 1 K. viii. 65; 2 K. xxiv. 7. This latter term is valley in the Septuagint.

The "great sea" that lay on the west of Canaan, (and on the west of Judah,) was the Mediterranean a body of water too well known to require description.

The border towns on the north were divided between Judah and Benjamin. The following belonged to Judah; Beth-arabah, (belonging_also to Benjamin,) Kirjathjearim, Beth-shemesh, Timnah, Ekron and Jabneel. All but Beth-shemesh and Jabneel are on the regular list, and have been noticed.

Beth-shemesh is supposed by some to be the same as Ir-shemesh. It probably is, as the latter belonged to Dan, and the towns of Dan were taken from the part of Judah where Beth-shemesh was located. The meaning of both is similar. Literally one is house of the sun, and the other city of the sun. No doubt both were places where the sun was worshiped. Jos. xix. 41; 1K. iv. 9.

It was to Beth-shemesh that the Philistines sent the ark of the Lord, when they returned it to the Hebrews. It was a city of the priests in the hands of the Israelites,

as it had been a sacred city in the hands of the heathen. Jos. xxi. 16; 1 Chron. vi. 59; 1 Sam. vi. 12, 13.

In this town of Beth-shemesh, was what our version calls the great stone Abel, in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, on which the ark was placed, and the kine offered in sacrifice; but the word stone is supplied, there being nothing answering to it in the Hebrew. The presumption is, that Abel should be aben, stone; as that makes good sense, and abel does not. As confirmation

of this view, twice in the preceding context the expression "the great stone" (aben) is used in the same way. Plainly it should be so, in the other instance. 1 Sam. vi. 14-18.

Jabneel, sometimes called Jabneh, being the last place on this northern border of Judah, was near the sea. It was not far from Jaffa or Joppa. It was located in an open plain, surrounded by hills. One of these hills, north-east of the village, is higher than the rest, and affords an extensive view, taking in Ekron, Ashdod and Ashkelon. Jos: xv. 11; 2 Chron. xxvi. 6.

It is evident that most of the names made use of in describing this border, are not towns, but fountains, mountains, etc., quite as suitable for marking a boundary line. The stone of Bohan was one of these waymarks. Bohan was the son of Reuben. The tribe of Reuben was settled east of the Jordan, but a man of that tribe had erected for some purpose, a monument on the west side, that passed under his name. It was suitable as marking a boundary; but possessed no value that made a record of it necessary as belonging to either tribe. Achor was a noted valley, but evidently no town was built there. Adummim was an ascent, or a "going up"-perhaps a precipice- that made it a suitable boundary line. En-shemesh and En-rogel were fountains, as the names indicate. The waters of Nephtoah may have been the same. Ephron, Seir, Jearim and Baalah, were mountains, and therefore, good boundary lines. Of the remainder that have not been noticed, we know

nothing, except that Beth-hoglah belonged to Benjamin, and Hinnom was a noted valley, or deep gorge, lying south of Jerusalem, and Rephaim was another valley, near that city, on the west.

Debir and Shicron may have been cities, but of this we cannot be certain. There was a Debir in Judah, but it was in another part of the inheritance. There was another east of the Jordan.

Gilgal was noted for being the place where the Israelites first encamped, after crossing the Jordan, and where they remained till they had gained a complete triumph over their enemies. But it is not on the regular list of towns, either of Judah or Benjamin, and probably did not become settled, as a city or town, till a later period.

Some of the places that have been named on this border should receive something more than a passing notice. En-rogel comes before us often in this history. Rephaim is frequently mentioned; but it will be better to speak of these in connection with the city of Jerusalem, as among its suburban localities. So of the valley of Hinnom.

Seir, on this list, must not be confounded with mount Seir otherwise called Edom. It was a single elevation, while Edom was an extensive range, and gave name to a powerful nation. Mount Jearim appears to have received its name in like manner as did Kirjath-jearim; for Kirjath is properly no part of the name, meaning simply city. Jearim was the name of both; one was a mountain, and the other a city. Mount Baalah and Kirjath-jearim may be related in a similar manner. For the latter had also the name of Baalah. The one was probably named after the other, and both after the object of heathen worship, that is, Baal.

Having spoken of the localities on the regular list, so far as anything is known of them, and of those on the border around the territory of Judah, as recorded in the history, we will add such other names, as appear inci

dentally in these books, and seem to belong to the same tribe.

Bezek is not located by the text of the history, but the circumstances seem to fix it in the inheritance of Judah. It was here that Saul numbered the people, before going against the Ammonites. A great battle was fought in Bezek with the Caananites. The king is called Adoni-bezek, which means the lord of Bezek. Jud. i. 4; 1 Sam. xi. 8. Charashim was a valley in the tribe of Judah, settled by craftsmen, and taking its name from this circumstance. There was another in Benjamin. 1 Chron. iv. 14. Ebenezer is the name of a stone, set up by Samuel the prophet, to commemorate a signal victory over the Philistines. It means the stone of help. It was in Judah between Mizpeh and Shen. The latter place is located by this circumstance; and that is all we can say of it. 1 Sam. iv. 1; v. 1; vii. 12.

Elah is the name of the valley where David encountered Goliath. The same, or another near it, is called Epes-dammim, or Pas-dammim. Leave out the vowels, and these two names become one. The Hebrew words are not entirely alike, but it is believed they were once. The honor of being the valley of Elah has been claimed by clerical travellers, for at least two different places; one of which is not in the limits of the tribe. Evident

ly the place was within a short distance of Bethlehem, where the father of David resided, when he sent the lad to inquire after his brothers at the camp. 1 Sam. xviith.

Ephratah is sometimes found separate, and sometimes joined to Bethlehem, to connect it with one of the founders of the place. Gen. xxxv. 16, 19; xlviii. 7; Ruth iv. 11. The reference is to Bethlehem in Judah.

The following places are mentioned as those to which David sent presents, in consideration, it is presumed, of favors he had received from them during his exile. They are Bethel, South Ramoth, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoh, Rachal, Hormah, Chor-ashan, Athach, and