The Holy Land and the Bible; (1888) (14801605533)

Identifier: holylandbible01geikuoft (find matches)
Title: The Holy Land and the Bible;
Year: 1888 (1880s)
Authors: Geikie, John C. (John Cunningham), 1824-1906
Subjects: Bible Palestine -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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g from the cliffs of Carmelto the wells of Beersheba. Eolling uplands diversify the surfacethroughout: great breadths of waving pasture or arable land stretch-ing between the low heights which break and beautify the whole.Perennial streams cleave their way to the sea ; villages, always pictu-resque, however wretched, rise on the slopes; in some places there isstill a sprinkling of oak; everywhere there are ruins. The red orblack tilth, the green or yellow grain, the light-browm uplands, thetawny fringe of sand along the shore, the blue sea, the purple moun-tains to the east, all seen through the transparent air, make up a scenenever to be forgotten. Such a view as this explains why the Jews could not permanentlygain possession of these rich lowlands, but had to content themselveswith the comparatively barren hills. The nations of ancient Palestinewere strong in iron chariots; the Jews were infantry soldiers, withouthorses till the days of Solomon. Jabin, the Canaanite potentate in the
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^^«^^X FOUNTAIN ABU NARBUT NEAR JOPPA 11) LYDDAH—RAMLEH. 29 north of the land, boasted of 900 chariots^ in the early days of theJudues, and centuries later the King of Damascus explained a defeatbv saving that the Hebrew gods are gods of the mountains, andtherefore they are stronger than we; but let us fight against them inthe plains, and surely we shall be stronger than the)-.- Eoads fit forwheels are even yet unknown in the old Jewish territory. You canonly travel at the rate of your horses walk over the stony tracksthrough the hills, everywhere in a state of nature. It was on a Romanhighwav that the Ethiopian eunuch travelled to Gaza, and thoughthere were chariots of the sun in Jerusalem in the times ofthe Hebrewkings, the)^ were only used for local religious pageants chjse to thecity. Solomon, indeed, had 1,400 chariots, but they were, doubtless,more for show than use, except on the short stretches of road he is saidto have made to some distance from the capital. Ther