Oft as they watch'd, at thoughtful eve, Sweep o'er the billowy corn, and heave Just as the lingering sun had touch'd with gold, It was a fearful joy, I ween, To trace the heathen's toil, The limpid well, the orchards green, The household stores untouch'd, the roses bright Palestine at the present day gives only a faint idea of the fertile land described in Scripture; but travellers see quite enough to satisfy them, that under different circumstances from those which now exist, it might soon again be all which it is described to have been in ancient times; nor are we to forget, that the fertile state of the land was especially promised as the result of the Divine blessing. It is not easy to give a general description of a country so variable in its surface as Palestine; and at different periods of history, the appearance would in many respects be altered. The face of the country, in the southern districts especially, may be described as varied; principally bold and rocky hills, intersected by fertile valleys. The eminences are chiefly of limestone, the sides were embanked by terraces of loose stone, piled up so as to retain soil sufficient to grow the vines, figs, and olives, as well as the melons and other fruits, which form a large part of the diet common in the east. The valleys often present a broader and more plain surface than those of Europe; the soil is deep and rich. Chains of mountains intersect the south and centre of Palestine, but towards the north it is more open; the Plain of Esdraelon, and the districts near the sea-shore, are broad lands, suitable for the cultivation of corn; while the country to the east THE LAND OF CANAAN. 7 of Jordan is a very varied and richly wooded district, in many parts calculated for the breeding and support of cattle. With the exception of a few rocky and barren districts, such as that between Jerusalem and Jericho, and a few wild parts towards the south, used chiefly for the pasturage of flocks, the face of the country was covered with small towns. These were mostly built upon the hills, in the situations best calculated for defence. The inhabitants would be the owners of the adjoining lands, for nearly the whole population was employed in agriculture; instead of being scattered through the country, as in Europe at the present day, they would necessarily reside together for mutual protection; they dwelt together in the towns, and laboured in the adjoining fields. It is calculated that the extent of the land of Palestine is sufficient to allot twenty acres to every family settled there by Joshua, after allowing large reserves for the Levites and princes, and for public purposes. But the simple habits of the east would not require such an extent of ground for the support of a family; this explains one cause of the indifference of the Israelites as to expelling the whole of the Canaanites, and why in many cases they allowed the old inhabitants to occupy the largest and most fertile parts of their allotments, contenting themselves with the spaces immediately round their clusters of habitations. Thus it is stated, Judges i. 34, that the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain, for they would not suffer them to come down into the valley. And we find, from ver. 19, that the Israelites were better able to encounter and overcome their enemies in the high grounds, and among the hilly districts, than in the plains and valleys, where the horsemen and chariots of the Canaanites gave them great advantages. Another general feature of Palestine, which should be noticed, is the open state of the country. There were few or no hedges and inclosures, but, as in some THE LAND OF CANAAN. parts of England, open fields, in which the boundaries were ascertained by large stones. These were protected by an especial denunciation against the person who removed his neighbour's land-mark, Deut. xxvii. 17. The roads were carried along the hill sides, and across these cultivated lands; they were merely narrow paths, seldom traversed but by persons on foot, and the wayfaring man was welcome to an occasional handful from the ripening harvest. We find a few places mentioned in Scripture in which there were woods and forests, but these were not numerous: in other parts few trees were seen, excepting the fruittrees-principally the vine, the fig, the palm, and the olive, planted around the dwellings of the owners. Let us always remember that Israel, especially in early days, was almost wholly an agricultural people. The most wealthy, and highest in rank, attended to the cultivation of their lands, and the care of their flocks and herds, especially of their sheep. Our blessed Lord often spoke of himself as a shepherd. Boaz, Saul, Nabal, Gideon, the rich man of Shunem, with others distinguished in holy writ, are all represented as employed about their cattle or their crops. The wants of such people were few, and their manners simple: departure from the plain customs of their fathers is noticed by the prophets, among the causes of the corruption of Israel. The general habits of an agricultural people, especially in the east, are not liable to many changes. A recent traveller in Palestine writes as follows: "Near every village there are caves, and cisterns and sepulchres cut in the rock, women grinding at the mill, oxen treading out the corn, groups of females near the well, shepherds abiding in the field. The bottles of the people are made of leather; their beds are a simple mat or carpet, and even a child may carry them. The grass is cast into the oven, people live in the tombs, there are lodges in the gardens of cucumbers, 10 DESCRIPTION OF THE LAND OF CANAAN. [B. C. grass grows upon the tops of the houses, and the inhabitants walk, and sleep, and meditate upon the roofs of their dwellings. These customs, and a multitude of others, still cling to the homes, where some of them have been practised nearly four thousand years. There are the same fruits, flowers, trees, birds, and beasts; and milk and honey are still chief articles of food among the people. It is man alone that seems out of his place; all other objects remind us of the Scripture, and throw light upon some of its facts.-There is little in the present appearance of the few people themselves, to put us in remembrance of those periods of Scripture history that are most dear to us." The preceding short sketch may suffice to give some idea of the aspect of Palestine when divided among the tribes. Full accounts are given by many recent travellers, and the little work, called THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE JEWS, will impart information on this subject to the general reader; but, above all, let him diligently mark the details recorded in the Bible. Famed land of the olive, the fig-tree, and vine, And left thee a wilderness dreary and still, Thy cities which towered mid the landscape to view, And broken the column, and shattered the arch, Thy cisterns are useless, thy fountains are dry, |