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BY PROF. CHARLES FOSTER KENT

  THE SHORTER BIBLE--THE NEW TESTAMENT.

  THE SHORTER BIBLE--THE OLD TESTAMENT.

  THE SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHETS
  AND JESUS.

  BIBLICAL GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY.

  THE ORIGIN AND PERMANENT VALUE
  OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

  HISTORY OF THE HEBREW PEOPLE.
  From the Settlement in Canaan to the Fall
  of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. 2 vols.

  HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. The
  Babylonian, Persian and Greek Periods.

  THE HISTORICAL BIBLE. With Maps.
  6 vols.

  STUDENT'S OLD TESTAMENT. Logically
  and Chronologically Arranged and Translated.
  With Maps. 6 vols.

  THE MESSAGES OF ISRAEL'S LAW-GIVERS.

  THE MESSAGES OF THE EARLIER
  PROPHETS.

  THE MESSAGES OF THE LATER PROPHETS.

  CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

[Illustration: Modern Palestine, With Ancient Towns and Highways]




  BIBLICAL
  GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

  BY

  CHARLES FOSTER KENT, PH.D.
  WOOLSEY PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE IN YALE UNIVERSITY

  NEW YORK
  CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
  1926
  COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY
  CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

  Printed in the United States of America

  Published April, 1911




PREFACE


Geography has within the past few years won a new place among the
sciences. It is no longer regarded as simply a description of the
earth's surface, but as the foundation of all historical study. Only
in the light of their physical setting can the great characters,
movements, and events of human history be rightly understood and
appreciated. Moreover, geography is now defined as a description not
only of the earth and of its influence upon man's development, but
also of the solar, atmospheric, and geological forces which throughout
millions of years have given the earth its present form. Hence, in its
deeper meaning, geography is a description of the divine character and
purpose expressing itself through natural forces, in the physical
contour of the earth, in the animate world, and, above all, in the
life and activities of man. Biblical geography, therefore, is the
first and in many ways the most important chapter in that divine
revelation which was perfected through the Hebrew race and recorded in
the Bible. Thus interpreted it has a profound religious meaning, for
through the plains and mountains, the rivers and seas, the climate and
flora of the biblical world the Almighty spoke to men as plainly and
unmistakably as he did through the voices of his inspired seers and
sages.

No other commentary upon the literature of the Bible is so practical
and luminous as biblical geography. Throughout their long history the
Hebrews were keenly attentive to the voice of the Eternal speaking to
them through nature. Their writings abound in references and figures
taken from the picturesque scenes and peculiar life of Palestine. The
grim encircling desert, the strange water-courses, losing themselves
at times in their rocky beds, fertile Carmel and snow-clad Hermon, the
resounding sea and the storm-lashed waters of Galilee are but a few of
the many physical characteristics of Palestine that have left their
indelible marks upon the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. The same is
true of Israel's unique faith and institutions. Biblical geography,
therefore, is not a study by itself, but the natural introduction to
all other biblical studies.

In his _Historical Geography of the Holy Land_ and in the two volumes
on _Jerusalem_, Principal George Adam Smith, of Aberdeen, has given a
brilliant and luminous sketch of the geographical divisions and cities
of Palestine, tracing their history from the earliest times to the
present. Every writer on Palestine owes him a great debt. The keenness
and accuracy of his observations, are confirmed at every point by the
traveller. At the present time, the need of a more compact manual, to
present first the physical geography of the biblical lands and then to
trace in broad outlines the history of Israel and of early
Christianity in close conjunction with their geographical background,
has long been recognized. In the present work unimportant details have
been omitted that the vital facts may stand out clearly and in their
true significance. The aim has been to furnish the information that
every Bible teacher should possess in order to do the most effective
work, and the geographical data with which every student of the Bible
should be familiar, in order intelligently to interpret and fully
appreciate the ancient Scriptures.

This volume embodies the results of many delightful months spent in
the lands of the eastern Mediterranean, and especially in Palestine,
during the years 1892 and 1910. Owing to improved conditions in the
Turkish Empire it is now possible, with the proper camp equipment, to
travel safely through the remotest places east of the Jordan and to
visit Petra, that most fascinating of Eastern cities. By securing his
equipment at Beirut the traveller may cross northern Galilee and then,
with comfort, go southward in the early spring through ancient Bashan,
Gilead, Moab, and Edom. Thence, with great economy of time and effort,
he may return through central Palestine, making frequent detours to
points of interest. In this way he will find the quaint, fascinating
old Palestine that has escaped the invasions of the railroads and
western tourists, and he will bear away exact and vivid impressions of
the land as it really was and still is.

The difficulties and expense of Palestine travel, however, render such
a journey impossible for the majority of Bible students. Fortunately,
the marvellous development of that most valuable aid to modern
education, the stereoscope and the stereograph, make it possible for
every one at a comparatively small expense to visit Palestine and to
gain under expert guidance in many ways a clearer and more exact
knowledge of the background of biblical history and literature than he
would through months of travel. Through the courtesy of my publishers
and the co-operation of the well-known firm of Underwood & Underwood,
of New York and London, I have been able to realize an ideal that I
have long cherished, and to place at the disposal of the readers of
this volume one hundred and forty stereographs (or, if preferred for
class and lecture use, stereopticon slides) that illustrate the most
important events of biblical geography and history. They have been
selected from over five hundred views taken especially for this
purpose, and enable the student to gain, as he alone can through the
stereoscope, the distinct state of consciousness of being in scores of
historic places rarely visited even by the most venturesome
travellers. Numbers referring to these stereographs (or stereopticon
slides) have been inserted in the body of the text. In Appendix II the
titles corresponding to each number are given.

The large debt that I owe to the valiant army of pioneers and
explorers who have penetrated every part of the biblical world and
given us the results of their observations and study is suggested by
the selected bibliography in Appendix I. I am under especial
obligations to the officers of the Palestine Exploration Fund, who
kindly placed their library and maps in London at my service and have
also permitted me to use in reduced form their Photo-Relief Map of
Palestine.

                                                              C. F. K.

  YALE UNIVERSITY,
    _January, 1911_.




CONTENTS


  PART I--PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

                                                                    PAGE

  I. THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIBLICAL
  WORLD                                                                3

  Extent of the Biblical World.--Conditions Favorable to Early
  Civilizations.--Egypt's Climate and Resources.--Its Isolation and
  Limitations.--Conditions in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley.--Forces
  Developing Its Civilization.--Civilization of Arabia.--Physical
  Characteristics of Syria and Palestine.--Their Central Position and
  Lack of Unity.--Asia Minor.--Mycenae.--Greece.--Italy.--Situation of
  Rome.--Reason Why Rome Went Forth to Conquer.--_Resume._


  II. THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PALESTINE                        13

  History of the Terms Palestine and Canaan.--Bounds of
  Palestine.--Geological History.--Alluvial and Sand Deposits.--General
  Divisions.--Variety in Physical Contour.--Effects of This
  Variety.--Openness to the Arabian Desert.--Absence of Navigable Rivers
  and Good Harbors.--Incentives to Industry.--Incentives to Faith and
  Moral Culture.--Central and Exposed to Attack on Every
  Side.--Significance of Palestine's Characteristics.


  III. THE COAST PLAINS                                               21

  Extent and Character.--Fertility.--Divisions.--Plain of Tyre.--The
  Plain of Acre.--Carmel.--Plain of Sharon.--The Philistine Plain.--The
  Shephelah or Lowland.


  IV. THE PLATEAU OF GALILEE AND THE PLAIN OF
  ESDRAELON                                                           27

  Physical and Political Significance of the Central Plateau.--Natural
  and Political Bounds.--Its Extent and Natural Divisions.--Physical
  Characteristics of Upper Galilee.--Its Fertility.--Characteristics of
  Lower Galilee.--Situation and Bounds of the Plain of Esdraelon.--Plain
  of Jezreel.--Water Supply and Fertility of Plain of
  Esdraelon.--Central and Commanding Position.--Importance of the Plain
  in Palestinian History.


  V. THE HILLS OF SAMARIA AND JUDAH                                   34

  Character of the Hills of Samaria.--Northeastern
  Samaria.--Northwestern Samaria.--The View from Mount Ebal.--Bounds and
  General Characteristics of Southern Samaria.--Southwestern
  Samaria.--The Central Heights of Judah.--Lack of Water
  Supply.--Wilderness of Judea.--Western Judah.--Valley of Ajalon.--Wady
  Ali.--Valley of Sorek.--Valley of Elah.--Valley of Zephathah.--Wady
  el-Jizair.--Significance of These Valleys.--The South Country.--Its
  Northern and Western Divisions.--Its Central and Eastern
  Divisions.--The Striking Contrasts between Judah and Samaria.--Effect
  upon Their Inhabitants.


  VI. THE JORDAN AND DEAD SEA VALLEY                                  45

  Geological History.--Evidences of Volcanic Action.--Natural
  Divisions.--Mount Hermon.--Source of the Jordan at Banias.--At Tell
  el-Kadi.--The Two Western Confluents.--The Upper Jordan Valley.--The
  Rapid Descent to the Sea of Galilee.--The Sea of Galilee.--Its
  Shores.--From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea.--Character of the
  Valley.--The Jordan Itself.--Fords of the Lower Jordan.--Ancient Names
  of the Dead Sea.--Its Unique Characteristics.--Its Eastern Bank.--The
  Southern End.--The Western Shores.--Grim Associations of the Dead Sea.


  VII. THE EAST-JORDAN LAND                                           55

  Form and Climate of the East-Jordan Land.--Well-Watered and
  Fertile.--The Four Great Natural Divisions.--Characteristics of the
  Northern and Western Jaulan.--Southern and Eastern Jaulan.--Character
  of the Hauran.--Borderland of the Hauran.--Gilead.--The Jabbok and
  Jebel Osha.--Southern Gilead.--Character of the Plateau of Moab.--Its
  Fertility and Water Supply.--Its Mountains.--Its Views.--The
  Arnon.--Southern Moab and Edom.--Significance of the East-Jordan Land.


  VIII. THE TWO CAPITALS: JERUSALEM AND SAMARIA                       64

  Importance of Jerusalem and Samaria.--Site of Jerusalem.--The Kidron
  Valley.--The Tyropoeon Valley.--The Original City.--Its Extent.--The
  Western Hill.--The Northern Extension of the City.--Josephus's
  Description of Jerusalem.--The Geological Formation.--The Water
  Supply.--Jerusalem's Military Strength.--Strength of Its
  Position.--Samaria's Name.--Its Situation.--Its Military
  Strength.--Its Beauty and Prosperity.


  IX. THE GREAT HIGHWAYS OF THE BIBLICAL WORLD                        73

  Importance of the Highways.--Lack of the Road-building Instincts among
  the Semites.--Evidence that Modern Roads Follow the Old
  Ways.--Ordinary Palestinian Roads.--Evidence that the Hebrews Built
  Roads.--The Four Roads from Egypt.--Trails into Palestine from the
  South.--Highway Through Moab.--The Great Desert Highway.--Character of
  the Southern Approaches to Palestine.--The Coast Road.--The "Way of
  the Sea."--Its Commercial and Strategic Importance.--The Central Road
  and Its Cross-roads in the South.--In the North.--The Road Along the
  Jordan.--Roads Eastward from Damascus.--The Highway from Antioch to
  Ephesus.--The Road from Asia Minor to Rome.--From Ephesus to
  Rome.--From Syria to Rome by Sea.--From Alexandria to Rome by
  Sea.--Significance of the Great Highways.


  PART II--HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY

  X. EARLY PALESTINE                                                  87

  The Aim and Value of Historical Geography.--Sources of Information
  Regarding Ancient Palestine.--Evidence of the Excavations.--The Oldest
  Inhabitants of Palestine.--The Semitic Invasions from the
  Desert.--Influence of the Early Amorite Civilization Upon
  Babylonia.--Probable Site of the Oldest Semitic Civilization.--Remains
  of the Old Amorite Civilization.--Babylonian Influence in
  Palestine.--Egyptian Influence in the Cities of the Plain.--Different
  Types of Civilization in Palestine.--Conditions Leading to the Hyksos
  Invasion of Egypt.--Fortunes of the Invaders.--The One Natural Site in
  Syria for a Great Empire.--Influences of the Land Upon the Early Forms
  of Worship.--Upon the Beliefs of Its Inhabitants.


  XI. PALESTINE UNDER THE RULE OF EGYPT                               97

  Reasons why Egypt Conquered Palestine.--Commanding Position of
  Megiddo.--Its Military Strength.--Thotmose III's Advance Against
  Megiddo.--The Decisive Battle.--Capture of Megiddo.--The Cities of
  Palestine.--Disastrous Effects of Egyptian Rule.--Lack of Union in
  Palestine.--Exposure to Invasions from the Desert.--Advance of the
  Habiri.--Rise of the Hittite Power.--Palestine between 1270 and 1170
  B.C.--The Epoch-making Twelfth Century.


  XII. THE NOMADIC AND EGYPTIAN PERIOD OF HEBREW
  HISTORY                                                            106

  The Entrance of the Forefathers of the Hebrews Into
  Canaan.--References to Israelites During the Egyptian Period.--The
  Habiri in Eastern and Central Palestine.--The Trend Toward Egypt.--The
  Land of Goshen.--The Wady Tumilat.--Ramses II's Policy.--Building the
  Store Cities of Ramses and Pithom.--Condition of the Hebrew
  Serfs.--Training of Moses.--The Historical Facts Underlying the Plague
  Stories.--Method of Travel in the Desert.--Moses' Equipment as a
  Leader.--The Scene of the Exodus.--Probability that the Passage was at
  Lake Timsah.


  XIII. THE HEBREWS IN THE WILDERNESS AND EAST
  OF THE JORDAN                                                      115

  Identification of Mount Sinai.--Lateness of the Traditional
  Identification.--Probable Route of the
  Hebrews.--Kadesh-barnea.--Effect of the Wilderness upon the Life of
  the Hebrews.--Evidence that the Hebrews Aimed to Enter Canaan from the
  South.--Reasons Why They Did Not Succeed.--Tribes that Probably
  Entered Canaan from the South.--The Journey to the East of the
  Jordan.--Stations on the Way.--Conquests East of the Dead
  Sea.--Situation of Heshbon.--Sojourn of the Hebrews East of the
  Jordan.--Its Significance.


  XIV. THE SETTLEMENT IN CANAAN                                      124

  The Approach to the Jordan.--Crossing the Jordan.--Strategic
  Importance of Jericho.--Results of Recent Excavations.--Capture of
  Jericho.--Evidence that the Hebrews Were Still Nomads.--Roads Leading
  Westward from Jericho.--Conquests In the South.--Conquest of Ai and
  Bethel.--Incompleteness of the Initial Conquest.--Migration of the
  Danites.--The Moabite Invasion.--The Rally of the Hebrews Against the
  Canaanites.--The Battle-field.--Effect of a Storm Upon the
  Plain.--Results of the Victory.--The East-Jordan Tribes.--The Tribes
  in Southern Canaan.--The Tribes in the North.--Effects of the
  Settlement Upon the Hebrews.


  XV. THE FORCES THAT LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT
  OF THE HEBREW KINGDOM                                              136

  The Lack of Unity Among the Hebrew Tribes.--The Scenes of Gideon's
  Exploits.--Gideon's Kingdom.--Reasons for the Superiority of the
  Philistines.--Scenes of the Samson Stories.--The Decisive
  Battle-field.--Fortunes of the Ark.--The Sanctuary at
  Shiloh.--Samuel's Home at Ramah.--The Site of Gibeah.--Situation of
  Jabesh-Gilead.--The Sanctuary at Gilgal.--The Philistine Advance.--The
  Pass of Michmash.--The Great Victory Over the Philistines.--Saul's
  Wars.


  XVI. THE SCENES OF DAVID'S EXPLOITS                                147

  David's Home at Bethlehem.--The Contest in the Valley of
  Elah.--Situation of Nob.--The Stronghold of Adullam.--Keilah.--Scenes
  of David's Outlaw Life In Southeastern Judah.--