For
week of July 4 - 10, 2011
Cana:
[E] reedy, a town of Galilee, near Capernaum. Here our Lord wrought
his first miracle, the turning of water into wine (John 2:1-11;
4:46). It is also mentioned as the birth-place of Nathanael (21:2).
It is not mentioned in the Old Testament. It has been identified
with the modern Kana el-Jelil, also called Khurbet Kana, a place
8 or 9 miles north of Nazareth. Others have identified it with
Kefr Kenna, which lies on the direct road to the Sea of Galilee,
about 5 miles north-east of Nazareth, and 12 in a direct course
from Tiberias. It is called "Cana of Galilee," to distinguish
it from Cana of Asher (Joshua 19:28).
[S] (place of reeds ) of Galilee, once Cana in Galilee, a village
or town not far from Capernaum, memorable as the scene of Christ’s
first miracle, (John 2:1,11; 4:46) as well as of a subsequent
one, (John 4:46,54) and also as the native place of the apostle
Nathanael. (John 21:2) The traditional site is at Kefr-Kenna ,
a small village about 4 1/2 miles northwest of Nazareth. The rival
site is a village situated farther north, about five miles north
of Seffurieh (Sepphoris) and nine north of Nazareth.
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Ethiopia:
[E] called also Azzah, which is its Hebrew name (Deuteronomy 2:23; 1 Kings 4:24; Jeremiah 25:20), strong, a city on the Mediterranean shore, remarkable for its early importance as the chief centre of a great commercial traffic with Egypt. It is one of the oldest cities of the world (Genesis 10:19; Joshua 15:47). Its earliest inhabitants were the Avims, who were conquered and displaced by the Caphtorims (Deuteronomy 2:23; Joshua 13:2,3), a Philistine tribe. In the division of the land it fell to the lot of Judah (Joshua 15:47; Judges 1:18). It was the southernmost of the five great Philistine cities which gave each a golden emerod as a trespass-offering unto the Lord (1 Samuel 6:17). Its gates were carried away by Samson (Judges 16:1-3). Here he was afterwards a prisoner, and "did grind in the prison house." Here he also pulled down the temple of Dagon, and slew "all the lords of the Philistines," himself also perishing in the ruin (Judg. 16:21-30). The prophets denounce the judgments of God against it (Jeremiah 25:20; 47:5; Amos 1:6,7; Zephaniah 2:4). It is referred to in Acts 8:26. Philip is here told to take the road from Jerusalem to Gaza (about 6 miles south-west of Jerusalem), "which is desert", i.e., the "desert road," probably by Hebron, through the desert hills of Southern Judea. (See SAMSON .)
It is noticed on monuments as early as B.C. 1600. Its small port is now called el-Mineh.
[S] (the fortified; the strong ) (properly Azzah ), one of the five chief cities of the Philistines. It is remarkable for its continuous existence and importance from the very earliest times. The secret of this unbroken history is to be found in the situation of Gaza. It is the last town in the southwest of Palestine, on the frontier towards Egypt. The same peculiarity of situation has made Gaza important in a military sense. Its name means "the strong;" and this was well elucidated in its siege by Alexander the Great, which lasted five months. In the conquest of Joshua the territory of Gaza is mentioned as one which he was not able to subdue. (Joshua 10:41; 11:22; 13:3) It was assigned to the tribe of Judah, (Joshua 15:47) and that tribe did obtain possession of it, (Judges 1:18) but did not hold it long, (Judges 3:3; 13:1) and apparently it continued through the time of Samuel, Saul and David to be a Philistine city. 1Sam 6:17; 14:52; 31:1; 2Sam 21:15 Solomon became master of "Azzah," (1 Kings 4:24) but in after times the same trouble with the Philistines recurred. (2 Chronicles 21:16; 26:6; 28:18) The passage where Gaza is mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 8:26) is full of interest. It is the account of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch on his return from Jerusalem to Egypt. Gaza is the modern Ghuzzeh , a Mohammedan town of about 16,000 inhabitants, situated partly on an oblong hill of moderate height and partly on the lower ground. The climate of the place is almost tropical, but it has deep wells of excellent water. There are a few palm trees in the town, and its fruit orchards are very productive; but the chief feature of the neighborhood is the wide-spread olive grove to the north and northeast
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Galilee:
[E] circuit. Solomon rewarded Hiram for certain services rendered
him by the gift of an upland plain among the mountains of Naphtali.
Hiram was dissatisfied with the gift, and called it "the
land of Cabul" (q.v.). The Jews called it Galil. It continued
long to be occupied by the original inhabitants, and hence came
to be called "Galilee of the Gentiles" (Matthew 4:15),
and also "Upper Galilee," to distinguish it from the
extensive addition afterwards made to it toward the south, which
was usually called "Lower Galilee." In the time of our
Lord, Galilee embraced more than one-third of Western Palestine,
extending "from Dan on the north, at the base of Mount Hermon,
to the ridges of Carmel and Gilboa on the south, and from the
Jordan valley on the east away across the splendid plains of Jezreel
and Acre to the shores of the Mediterranean on the west."
Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and
Galilee, which comprehended the whole northern section of the
country (Acts 9:31), and was the largest of the three.
It was the scene of some of the most memorable events of Jewish
history. Galilee also was the home of our Lord during at least
thirty years of his life. The first three Gospels are chiefly
taken up with our Lord's public ministry in this province. "The
entire province is encircled with a halo of holy associations
connected with the life, works, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth."
"It is noteworthy that of his thirty-two beautiful parables,
no less than ninteen were spoken in Galilee. And it is no less
remarkable that of his entire thirty-three great miracles, twenty-five
were wrought in this province. His first miracle was wrought at
the wedding in Cana of Galilee, and his last, after his resurrection,
on the shore of Galilee's sea. In Galilee our Lord delivered the
Sermon on The Mount, and the discourses on 'The Bread of Life,'
on 'Purity,' on 'Forgiveness,' and on 'Humility.' In Galilee he
called his first disciples; and there occurred the sublime scene
of the Transfiguration" (Porter's Through Samaria).
When the Sanhedrin were about to proceed with some plan for the
condemnation of our Lord (John 7:45-52), Nicodemus interposed
in his behalf. (Compare Deuteronomy 1:16,17; 17:8.) They replied,
"Art thou also of Galilee?.... Out of Galilee ariseth no
prophet." This saying of theirs was "not historically
true, for two prophets at least had arisen from Galilee, Jonah
of Gath-hepher, and the greatest of all the prophets, Elijah of
Thisbe, and perhaps also Nahum and Hosea. Their contempt for Galilee
made them lose sight of historical accuracy" (Alford, Com.).
[S] (circuit). This name, which in the Roman age was applied to a
large province, seems to have been originally confined to a little
"circuit" of country round Kedesh-Naphtali, in which
were situated the twenty towns given by Solomon to Hiram king
of Tyre as payment for his work in conveying timber from Lebanon
to Jerusalem. (Joshua 20:7; 1 Kings 9:11) In the time of
our Lord all Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea,
Samaria and Galilee. (Luke 17:11; Acts 9:31) Joseph. B.J. iii.
3. The latter included the whole northern section of the country,
including the ancient territories of Issachar, Zebulun, Asher
and Naphtali. On the west it was bounded by the territory of Ptolemais,
which probably included the whole plain of Akka to the foot of
Carmel. The southern border ran along the base of Carmel and of
the hills of Samaria to Mount Gilboa, and then descended the valley
of Jezreel by Scythopolis to the Jordan. The river Jordan, the
Sea of Galilee, and the upper Jordan to the fountain at Dan, formed
the eastern border; and the northern ran from Dan westward across
the mountain ridge till it touched the territory of the Phoenicians.
Galilee was divided into two sections, "Lower" and "Upper."
Lower Galilee included the great plain of Esdraelon with its offshoots,
which ran down to the Jordan and the Lake of Tiberias, and the
whole of the hill country adjoining it on the north to the foot
of the mountain range. It was thus one of the richest and most
beautiful sections of Pales-tine. Upper Galilee embraced the whole
mountain range lying between the upper Jordan and Phoenicia. To
this region the name "Galilee of the Gentiles" is given
in the Old and New Testaments. (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:16) Galilee
was the scene of the greater part of our Lord’s private
life and public acts. It is a remarkable fact that the first three
Gospels are chiefly taken up with our Lord’s ministrations
in this province, while the Gospel of John dwells more upon those
in Judea. (Galilee in the time of Christ . --From Rev. Selah Merrill’s
late book (1881) with this title, we glean the following facts:
Size . --It is estimated that of the 1000 square miles in Palestine
west of the Jordan, nearly one-third, almost 2000 square miles,
belongs to Galilee. Population --The population is between 2,000,000
and 3,000,000. Dr. Merrill argues for the general correctness
of Josephus’ estimates, who says there were 204 cities and
villages in Galilee, the smallest of which numbered 15,000 inhabitants.
Character of the country . Galilee was a region of great natural
fertility. Such is the fertility of the soil that it rejects no
plant, for the air is so genial that it suits every variety. The
walnut, which delights above other trees in a wintry climate,
grows here luxuriantly together with the palm tree, which is flourished
by heat. It not only possesses the extraordinary virtue of nourishing
fruits of opposite climes, but also maintains a continual supply
of them. Here were found all the productions which made Italy
rich and beautiful. Forests covered its mountains and hills, while
its uplands, gentle slopes and broader valleys were rich in pasture,
meadows, cultivated fields, vineyards, olive groves and fruit
trees of every kind. Character of the Galileans .--They were thoroughly
a Jewish people. With few exceptions they were wealthy and in
general an influential class. If one should say the Jews were
bigoted in religion, he should remember at the same time that
in regard to social, commercial and political relations none were
more cosmopolitan in either sentiment or practice than they. The
Galileans had many manufactures, fisheries, some commerce, but
were chiefly an agricultural people. They were eminent for patriotism
and courage, as were their ancestors, with great respect for law
and order.--ED.)
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Mount of Olives:
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Samaria:
[E] A watch-mountain or a watch-tower. In the heart of the mountains
of Israel, a few miles north-west of Shechem, stands the "hill
of Shomeron," a solitary mountain, a great "mamelon."
It is an oblong hill, with steep but not inaccessible sides, and
a long flat top. Omri, the king of Israel, purchased this hill
from Shemer its owner for two talents of silver, and built on
its broad summit the city to which he gave the name of "Shomeron",
i.e., Samaria, as the new capital of his kingdom instead of Tirzah
(1 Kings 16:24). As such it possessed many advantages. Here Omri
resided during the last six years of his reign. As the result
of an unsuccessful war with Syria, he appears to have been obliged
to grant to the Syrians the right to "make streets in Samaria",
i.e., probably permission to the Syrian merchants to carry on
their trade in the Israelite capital. This would imply the existence
of a considerable Syrian population. "It was the only great
city of Palestine created by the sovereign. All the others had
been already consecrated by patriarchal tradition or previous
possession. But Samaria was the choice of Omri alone. He, indeed,
gave to the city which he had built the name of its former owner,
but its especial connection with himself as its founder is proved
by the designation which it seems Samaria bears in Assyrian inscriptions,
Beth-khumri ('the house or palace of Omri').", Stanley.
Samaria was frequently besieged. In the days of Ahab, Benhadad
II. came up against it with thirty-two vassal kings, but was defeated
with a great slaughter (1 Kings 20:1-21). A second time, next
year, he assailed it; but was again utterly routed, and was compelled
to surrender to Ahab (20:28-34), whose army, as compared with
that of Benhadad, was no more than "two little flocks of
kids."
In the days of Jehoram this Benhadad again laid siege to Samaria,
during which the city was reduced to the direst extremities. But
just when success seemed to be within their reach, they suddenly
broke up the seige, alarmed by a mysterious noise of chariots
and horses and a great army, and fled, leaving their camp with
all its contents behind them. The famishing inhabitants of the
city were soon relieved with the abundance of the spoil of the
Syrian camp; and it came to pass, according to the word of Elisha,
that "a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and
two measures of barely for a shekel, in the gates of Samaria"
(2 Kings 7:1-20).
Shalmaneser invaded Israel in the days of Hoshea, and reduced
it to vassalage. He laid siege to Samaria (B.C. 723), which held
out for three years, and was at length captured by Sargon, who
completed the conquest Shalmaneser had begun (2 Kings 18:9-12;
17:3), and removed vast numbers of the tribes into captivity.
(See SARGON .)
This city, after passing through various vicissitudes, was given
by the emperor Augustus to Herod the Great, who rebuilt it, and
called it Sebaste (Gr. form of Augustus) in honour of the emperor.
In the New Testament the only mention of it is in Acts 8:5-14,
where it is recorded that Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and preached there.
It is now represented by the hamlet of Sebustieh, containing about
three hundred inhabitants. The ruins of the ancient town are all
scattered over the hill, down the sides of which they have rolled.
The shafts of about one hundred of what must have been grand Corinthian
columns are still standing, and attract much attention, although
nothing definite is known regarding them. (Compare Micah 1:6.)
In the time of Christ, Western Palestine was divided into three
provinces, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Samaria occupied the centre
of Palestine (John 4:4). It is called in the Talmud the "land
of the Cuthim," and is not regarded as a part of the Holy
Land at all.
It may be noticed that the distance between Samaria and Jerusalem,
the respective capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles
in a direct line.
[S] (watch mountain ). This city is situated 30 miles north of Jerusalem
and about six miles to the northwest of Shechem, in a wide basin-shaped
valley, six miles in diameter, encircled with high hills, almost
on the edge of the great plain which borders upon the Mediterranean.
In the centre of this basin, which is on a lower level than the
valley of Shechem, rises a less elevated hill, with steep yet
accessible sides and a long fiat top. This hill was chosen by
Omri as the site of the capital of the kingdom of Israel. He "bought
the hill of Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built
on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after
the name of the owner of the hill, Samaria." (1 Kings 16:23,24)
From the that of Omri’s purchase, B.C. 925, Samaria retained
its dignity as the capital of the ten tribes, and the name is
given to the northern kingdom as well as to the city. Ahab built
a temple to Baal there. (1 Kings 16:32,33) It was twice besieged
by the Syrians, in B.C. 901, (1 Kings 20:1) and in B.C. 892, (2
Kings 6:24-7; 2 Kings 6:20) but on both occasions the siege was
ineffectual. The possessor of Samaria was considered Deuteronomy
facto king of Israel. (2 Kings 15:13,14) In B.C. 721 Samaria was
taken, after a siege of three years, by Shalmaneser king of Assyria,
(2 Kings 18:9,10) and the kingdom of the ten tribes was put an
end to. Some years afterward the district of which Samaria was
the centre was repeopled by Esarhaddon. Alexander the Great took
the city, killed a large portion of the inhabitants, and suffered
the remainder to set it at Shechem. He replaced them by a colony
of Syro-Macedonians who occupied the city until the time of John
Hyrcanus, who took it after a year’s siege, and did his
best to demolish it entirely. (B.C. 109.) It was rebuilt and greatly
embellished by Herod the Great. He called it Sebaste=Augusta ,
after the name of his patron, Augustus Caesar. The wall around
it was 2 1/2 miles long, and in the centre of the city was a park
900 feet square containing a magnificent temple dedicated to Caesar.
In the New Testament the city itself does not appear to be mentioned;
but rather a portion of the district to which, even in older times
it had extended its name. (Matthew 10:5; John 4:4,5) At this clay
the city is represented by a small village retaining few vestiges
of the past except its name, Sebustiyeh , an Arabic corruption
of Sebaste. Some architectural remains it has, partly of Christian
construction or adaptation, as the ruined church of St. John the
Baptist, partly, perhaps, traces of Idumaean magnificence, St.
Jerome, whose acquaintance with Palestine imparts a sort of probability
to the tradition which prevailed so strongly in later days, asserts
that Sebaste, which he invariably identifies with Samaria was
the place in which St. John the Baptist was imprisoned and suffered
death. He also makes it the burial-place of the prophets Elisha
and Obadiah.
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