passes over a level, but exceedingly rocky, tract, difficult for camels. You soon come to a modern building, bearing the name of Rachel's Tomb, which is merely an ordinary Moslem Wely, or tomb of a holy person. The general correctness, however, of the tradition which has fixed upon this spot for the burialplace of Rachel, cannot well be drawn in question, since it is fully supported by the Scriptural narrative (Gen. xxxv. 16-20). Still ascending, the road passes to the left, around the head of a deep valley, running off east-ward to the Dead Sea, and affords a wide view out over the mountainous regions towards and beyond that sea, including Bethlehem and the Frank Mountain. The deep basin of the sea can in part be made out; but its waters are not visible. You now come opposite the convent of Mar Elyas, which lies on the brow of the high ridge overlooking Bethlehem. Here you get your first view of the holy city, the mosque, and other high buildings which stand on Mount Zion.As you advance, you have on the right low hills, and on the left the cultivated valley or plain of Rephaim, or the Giants, with gentle hills beyond. This plain is broad, and descends gradually towards the southwest, until it contracts, in that direction, into a deeper and narrower valley, called Wady elWerd, which unites further on with Wady Ahmed, and finds its way to the Mediter ranean. The plain of Rephaim extends nearly to Jerusalem, which, as seen from it, appears to be almost on the same level. As you advance, the plain is terminated by a slight rocky ridge, forming the brow of the valley of Hinnom. This deep and narrow dell, with steep rocky sides, often precipitous, here comes down from the north from as far as the Yafa Gate, and, sweeping around Mount Zion at almost a right angle, descends with great rapidity into the very deep valley of Jehoshaphat. The southern side of Zion is very steep, though not precipitous. cross the valley of Hinnom opposite the southwest corner of Zion, and pass up along the eastern side of the valley to the Hebron or Yafa Gate, and thus enter the holy city. The distance between Hebron and Jerusalem is given by Eusebius and Jerome at twenty-two Roman miles, equal to about seventeen and a-half geographical miles. The journey took Robinson eight hours and a quarter with camels.

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The feelings of the Christian traveller, on approaching Jerusalem, are very strong, and of a sacred nature. Before him, as he draws near, lie Zion, the Mount of Olives, the Vales of Hinuom and Jehoshaphat, with other objects of the deepest interest; while, crowning the summit of the same ancient hills, is spread out the city where God of old had manifested his special presence, and the Saviour of the world lived, taught, and died. Here are localities of which, from his ear

liest childhood, he has read and thought, now beheld with his own eyes; and they all seem familiar, as if the realisation of a former dream; so that he could fancy himself again among cherished scenes of childhood.

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BEETLE.- This word occurs in our Bi ble only once, Lev. xi. 22, where it stands as the representative of the Hebrew ghargohl, which probably denoted a species of locust. The beetle, however, abounded in the valley of the Nile, and frequently occurs in the sculptures. 'A great portion of Egypt,' says Pliny, 'worshipped the Scarabæus, or beetle, as one of the gods of the country; a curious reason for which is given by Apion, in this insect there is some resemblance to the operations of the sun.' The Scarabæus was an emblem of the sun, to which deity it was particularly sacred. It often occurs in a boat, with extended wings, holding the globe of the sun in its claws, or elevated in the firmament, as a type of that luminary when in the meridian. Figures of other deities are often seen praying to it in this character. It was also a symbol of Pthah, the creative power, and of the world It was connected, too, with astronomical subjects, and with funeral rites. The Scarabæus was not only venerated when alive, but embalmed after death. Some have been found in that state at Thebes. The one so frequently represented on the sculptures, and which may therefore have been the sacred beetle, appears to be the same animal as is still common in every part of Egypt.

EGYPTIAN BEETLES, FROM THE MONUMENTS.

The beetle, it is said, causes fertility in pursuing those habits which instinct prompts. We quote a passage from Kelly's' Syria and the Holy Land: '-'In passing through the desert from Egypt, the author was surprised to see the fresh verdure, in many instances, of tall grassy bushes, to which the bending of the camel's head not unfrequently directed his attention; and when there was no water near, it was some time before he could satisfy himself as to the cause of the verdure. Little holes were seen around the bushes; but the cause or purpose was alike unknown. At Khan Younes the seeming mystery was solved. Multitudes of beetles (the

Scarabæus of the Egyptians) were seen rolling the round pieces of camel's dung, and other deposits, speedily formed by them into a similar shape and size, to suitable spots, where the soil was bare, or around the roots of bushes; then they formed their holes with the mathematical certainty of instinct, into which the balls, by a slight motion, were rolled down, thus forming beds of incubation for the "sharn-bred beetle." These little animals, which abound in myriads, at once preserve the purity of the air, and increase the fertility of the soil, being often the only busy cultivators where man is idle; and thus the wonder is diminished that the Scarabæus was, in ancient times, worshipped by the Egyptians' (p. 434).

BEEVES.- This word, which is found in Lev. xxii. 19, 21, and a few other places, as the translation of a word generally rendered oxen,' 'bullocks,' 'herds,' is an old but regularly formed plural of the term beef, derived from the French boeuf, which has its root in the I.atin bos, and the Greek bous. The form beeves,' now obsolete, is found in our older writers. Thus Browne (Shepherd's Pipe,' Ecl. iii.):

Han, by the night, accursed thieves, Slaine his lambs or stolne his beeves.' This word calls to the mind the fact, that there are in English pairs of words having originally the same meaning; of each of which pairs, one word comes from a classic, the other from a Saxon origin. The terms of classic derivation were mostly introduced by the Norman French, who, in the case of animals, gave to the slaughtered beasts which they consumed their own names (beef, mutton), and left the old Teutonic appellations (ox, sheep) to the native Saxons, who reared the cattle for their masters. BEHEMOTH is the original word (Job al. 15, seq.) in English letters, our translators thus showing that they could not determine what modern name to assign to the animal. Indeed numerous and dissimilar opinions have prevailed, among which, that seemed to have the preference which represented behemoth to be the elephant; until Bochart, after a careful investigation of the subject, decided in favour of the hippopotamus, or river horse. The opinion of that distinguished scholar has been adopted and upheld by Gesenius, Winer, and others. According to these eminent linguists, the name is derived from an Egyptian word, Pehemout, which signifies water-or- an obvious attempt to describe a large and powerful marine animal. The view which the name thus suggests, the text itself strongly supports; and it is strange that those who held the elephant to be intended, could have overlooked two facts,-namely, that the distinguishing eharacteristic of the elephant, the proboscis, is not ascribed to the behemoth; and that he is spoken of in terms which could be

The Nile horse, or river horse, was in ancient days, and is still, found in the Nile below the cataracts; but the animal has now for a long time pretty much withdrawn into Nubia, and is more frequent at present in the Niger, and the rivers which lie between. that and the Cape of Good Hope. It is also found in the lakes and fens of Ethiopia. It belongs to the class mammalia, and is of the order pachydermata, or thick-skinned animals. It is also herbivorous. Its head is. long and broad; its lips very thick, and the muzzle much inflated; it has four very large projecting teeth in the under jaw, and four also in the upper; the skin is exceedingly thick; the legs short; four toes on each foot invested with small hoofs; and the tail is short and moveable. The appearance of the animal on land is very uncouth, the body being huge, flat, and round; the head out of all proportion for magnitude, the feet as disproportionably short, and the armament. of teeth truly formidable. The length of the male has been known to be seventeen feet, the height seven, and the circumference fifteen. Bruce mentions some as being each twenty feet in length. The whole animal is covered with short hair, which is thicker on the under than the upper parts. The general colour is brownish. The skin is exceedingly tough and strong, and was used by the ancient Egyptians for the manufacture of shields. Küppell, the German naturalist, in speaking of the upper regions of the Nile, says, that the hunters of the Nile-ox have to endure and parry ferocious assaults from the enraged animal. The harpooning on those spots where it comes to graze, is attended with great danger, when the hunter, who must approach within about seven paces, is seen by the behemoth, before he has hurled his weapon. In such cases the beast sometimes rushes enraged upon

The narrative of the Bible is of deep interest, and may be read in Dan. v.

In the splendour of the miracle which is there recorded, the part which Daniel bore in the events, and the distinction to which he was raised, were there influences which, while they wear a thoroughly oriental character, and speak for the authenticity of the narrative, could not fail to fix men's eyes on the Jewish people; to turn men's thoughts to Jehovah; to afford support, encourage. ment, and hope to the exiled Hebrews; and to incline the conqueror strongly in their favour. If the threatened captivity had been carried into effect, the promised deliverance (1sa. xiii. xxi.) appeared to be at hand. And, as none but a Hebrew captive had been able to read and interpret the mysterious characters which darkly betokened the downfall of a most ancient monarchy, so Cyrus may well have felt it wise and politic to liberate the Jews, in the hope of thus being able to conciliate the Great and Mighty Being whom they served.

BENEFACTOR (L. well-doer), a word which in the original Greek, and in this the Latin representative of the original, signifies one who confers benefits, and was a title of honour not unlike the Latin pater patria, father of his country, with which Cicero was honoured; given originally to those who had rendered great services to a nation, but afterwards applied in the way of flattery to kings. Ptolemy, king of Egypt, received the surname of Eurgetes, or benefactor. The distinction was also borne by several of the Syrian kings. In 2 Macc. iv. 2, the high priest Onias is termed the benefactor of the city. The word is found in Luke xxii. 25. In the parallel passages, Matt. xx. 25. Mark x. 42, there is no equivalent term. If the existence of the word in Lake is not to be ascribed to the learned education of the composer of that Gospel, it may suggest speculations as to whence our Lord derived the historical facts on which the allusion is founded.

BENHADAD (son of Adad or Adar)—that is, of the sun, which was worshipped by the Syrians under the title of Adar-was the name borne by three kings of Damascus, of whom the second only (A.M. 4656; A.C. 892; V. 901) needs to be spoken of at any length in these pages.

Retaining the hostile feelings which had long been felt by the Syrian kings against the Hebrew nation, Benhadad II. collected (1 Kings xx.) all the forces he could command, including no fewer than thirty-two petty princes, and invaded the dominions of Ahab, king of Israel. Sitting down before Samaria, he sent a haughty and insolent demand of submission to its prince, "Thy silver and thy gold, mine; thy wives so and their children, the goodliest, mine.' Ahab, struck with fear, humbly answered,

'I, thine, and all that I have.' But the Syrian further insisted on making a minute search, in order to get possession of the most precious articles belonging to Ahab. This scrutiny the Samaritans would not endure. The refusal roused the anger of the invader, who answered, This petty king is ignorant of my strength: the dust of Samaria will not suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.' To this Ahab rejoined in the well-known apothegm, 'Let not him that girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off.' On receiving this message in the midst of a carousal, Benhadad forthwith arose, and prepared for battle. But a higher power intervened, and ere the revellers had equipped themselves, they were set upon by the troops of Samaria, and put to the sword: their prince himself owed his safety only to the fleetness of his horse.

The remnant that escaped to Damascns began to speculate as to the cause of their defeat, when it was agreed upon, that it was owing to their having fought on high ground, since their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they' (23). In the spring of the ensuing year, accordingly, Benhadad marched to the valley of Aphek (Jezreel), where he suffered a second defeat, being obliged to secrete himself in an inner chamber of a house in the city of Aphek. And now a deep humiliation was at hand for this elated and boastful man. He who a few months before had come against Samaria in the extreme of insolence, is obliged to sue for pity by means of servants clad in sackcloth, and with ropes round their necks; so speedily overturned are the pomp and circumstances of what has (surely in derision) been called 'glorious war.' hadad's life was spared on condition that he restored to Israel the cities captured by his father, and gave its people free passage through his Syrian dominions (34).

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A peace of three years' duration ensued; at the end of which, Ahab, being dissatisfied that Benhadad was tardy in executing the conditions, proceeded, in union with Jehoshaphat, king of Judea, to lay siege to the frontier town, Ramoth-Gilead, which ought to have been surrendered in virtue of the treaty. The king of Syria was as yet too weak to do more than stand on the defensive. He directed his troops, however, to seek, before all things, the life of Ahab, who was accordingly slain in the action that took place for the recovery of Ramoth.

The reign of Ahaziah, the successor of Ahab, passed, it would appear, without any attack from Benhadad, who, however, had not forgotten the defeats he had suffered, and was preparing to take revenge. At length, in the reign of Joram (893), the Syrian re

He

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sumed hostilities (2 Kings vi. 8). He could however, achieve no success. All his plans were known, and frustrated by the enemy. But how were his secrets divulged? imagined, that some one of his servants had sold himself to Joram. At length, he learnt that these disclosures were made by Elisha, the prophet of the living God. Eager, in consequence, to make himself master of the prophet's person, he sent to Dothan, where the seer dwelt, large bands of soldiers, in order to seize him. But Elisha was encompassed by horses of fire and chariots of fire.' The troops returned to their prince without Elisha, and, after narrating how they had been deluded, had also to confess, that they owed their lives to the magnanimity of the man whom they had gone to capture. The effect in Damascus was great, and a long interval of tranquillity followed. length, a favourable opportunity proved irresistible to Benhadad. Samaria was afflicted by a terrible famine. Even the instinct of maternal love yielded before the importunate and implacable demands of hunger. As the king of Israel passed by, there cried a woman unto him, ‘Help, my lord, O king.' "What aileth thee?' asked the monarch. This woman said unto me' was the terrible answer-'Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son toSo we boiled my son, and did eat him, and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her son' (2 Kings vi. 26). Meanwhile the Syrians had cast up trenches around the city, and no alternative but death within or death without the walls presented itself to the famished and despairing citizens. In this extremity, four out-cast Samaritan lepers proceeded, in the assurance that they could not make their condition worse, to visit the camp of the Damascenes, when lo! they found it abandoned; and there with what mad joy did these wretches revel! They went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it, and came again and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it, till, having filled themselves and their secret places to repletion, they bore the glad tidings to their king. The truth was, that in the midst, and no little in consequence of their full security, the Syrian army, fancying they heard the rapid approach of a great host, had been seized with a panic, and fled, (2 Kings vii. 3, seq.).

morrow.

a gorgeous present forty camels' burden,” to the prophet, desiring to know if he should recover. Thou mayest,' was the answer. But what was possible in regard to the disorder, treachery rendered impossible. The treachery Elisha foresaw, and, like the weird sisters, gave intimations to this Hebrew Macbeth, which, falling in with his ambitious projects and wicked desires, impelled him to destroy his royal master's life. 'On the morrow he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on Benhadad's face, so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his stead' (2 Kings viii. 7—15).

The events narrated in this article show us the greatness of the Syrian kingdom of Damascus, and may excite and justify a feeling of surprise, that the two divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel could sustain their existence in the neighbourhood of so powerful an enemy, especially as there were near other nations with whom the Hebrews were on no friendly terms.

The narrative of which we have given the substance bears the unmistakeable impress of reality, nor could the substance of it well fail to have been penned at no distant day from the time of the recorded events. But that narrative has preserved a letter written by Benhadad to the king of Israel on behalf of his chief captain, Naaman; which letter is so given and so spoken of, if it were nothing but was then customary as a means of intercourse (2 Kings v. 5). If, then, epistolary correspondence was not uncommon in Syria and Palestine, some nine hundred years before Christ, the first use of letters in those countries must be dated at a much earlier epoch; and we may hence learn that there is a solid foundation for the alleged antiquity of the books of the Bible to rest upon.

BENHAIL (son of Hail, A.M. 4046; A.C. 902; V. 912), a prince whom Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, made one of a commission which was designed to aid forward his religious reforms, by instructing the neglected and ignorant people in the principles of the Mosaic religion. The commission consisted of five princes, nine Levites, and two priests, thus representing the great interests of the nation-the civil as well as the religious, and had in itself the requisite knowledge and power to make due inquiry into all abuses, and give the instructions requisite for a great social and spiritual reform; the necessity for which had been created by the idolatrous inclinations and practices of Asa, and other preceding monarchs. Of the effects produced by this commission, the too scanty Jewish annals furnish no detailed account; but the record of its appointment supplies a very important fact. And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the peo