The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-25
THE Reconnaissance.

PROMISED lana OF CanaHn. Ino dpphroAt
purpose of Moses to 60 up Immediately
and possess it was not to be realized. The
people had become discouraged by the hard
ships of their journey through the wilderness,
and were fearful. In answer to their request
and to encourage them to go forward to the
goodly land of their Divinely appointed her
itage, Moses selected from among the princes
or rulers of the tribes, one from each tribe,
twelve representative men, to explore the
Promised Land and observe the situation
and character of the country and its iDbab
itants-the quality of the soil, the kind and
quality of its products, the number and
strength of its population, the number, size,
and situation of its cities, and the strength
of the Notifications. Among the spies who
were appointed was Joshua, Moses minister
of war, and Caleb, who afterwards distin
guished himself by the conquest of Hebron
and its giant rulers, the sons of Anak. men
toned in the Lesson (Joshua XIV. 13). The
others are otherwise undistinguished in Isra-
elitish history, and appear to have all died of
the plague at Kadesh soon after having made
their evil report of the land of Canaan and
its inhabitants xiv. 36).
GEOGRAPHY.-The spies appear to have
explored the country in its whole extent
from the wilderness of Yin to Rehsb. The
wilderness of Yin appears to have been dis
trict of the great wilderness of Paran, Dor
deriug the southeastern limit of Palestine
The ancient city of Hebron, the home of
Abraham and the patriarchs, and the place
of their tombs, they found in possession of a
race of giants, sons of Anak or Anakin, the
descendants of Arba, who may have founded
it, from whom it derived its former name,
which signifed the City of Arba. The val
ley of Eschal, probably south of Hebron,
abounded in grapes of enormous size,
and other fruits, specimens of which they
gathered. Both ancient and modern trav-
elers testify to the great size of the grapes
which grow in the region of Hebron.
The grapes are sometimes like plums, and
cluster can be carried, only by two men to
prevent it's being crushed. Kitto mentions
bunch grown in 1919, on a Syrian vine, at
Welbeck, which weighed nineteen pounds,
and was carried by laborers, on staff, two
bearing it in rotation.-Geikte.
Mistranslation and imperfect Information
respecting the country have made this pas
sage 17-23) one of the most difficult topo-
graphical notices in the Bible, but to my
mind it conveys a clear and definite indica-
ton of the track followed by the spies. The
Israelites were encamped, according to my
theory, at the foot of the hne of cliffs in
which Ain Gadis takes it's rise,' and
their intention was evidently to march
straight upon Palestine by the short and easy
route which skirts The western edge of the
mountains. The Canaanite5 were, in all
probability, perfectly aware of this, and
would not only collect in great force to re-
pei the threatened invasion, but would re-
gard with suspicion any strangers who might
come this way. Under these circumstances
the spies were to "get them up by the way of
Negeb," not by the plains in which the Ca
naanites were assembling, but to "go up
into the mountain" This they could only
do by skirting the southern end of the AZazi-
meh mountains, and striking into the heart
of the plateau at Wady-Ghamr. We must
bear in mind that roads in such regions as
this are determine by certain ply CON-
ditions. The only two practicable roads at
the present day are Identical with the Roman
n ads, and we may fairly conclude that the
latter conceded with those in use at the time
of Exodus. Unless, then, they followed the one
at the west of the mountains, they must have
taken that which passes through the heart of
the mountain-in fact, have followed Moses
dill ection and gone up by the mountain por-
ton of Aegeb. In order to do this they must
have retraced their steps through the desert
to the south of the plateau, and that district
is identical with the wilderness of Tin. Hav-
ing, then, penetrated into Palestine by this
road, and searched the country as far as its
northern boundary, "as men come to Ha-
math," that is as far as the plain of Coele-
Syria, they returned by way of Hebron, and
explored-as, coming from the north they
might now do without suspicion-the route
from the western edge of the mountains. In
one of these extensive valleys-perhaps in
Wadey Harvein, where miles of grape
| mounds even now meet the eye-they cut the
gigantic cluster of grapes, and gathered the
pomeRranates and fge, to show how goodly
was the land which the LORD bad promised
for their inheritance. They would thus have
searched the land from the wilderness of
Tin unto Rehab, as men come to Klamath"
g. III. Palmer, M. A., The Desert of the
Exodus"
Paran, desert of, now called Badich ct Tih
"desert of the wandering" a great table,
land lying between Egypt and the Gulf of
Arabah. 1t is north of the region of Horeb
| and Mt. Sinai, bounded north by Palestine,
west by the Isthmus of Suez, south by
great sandbelt, separating it from the noun
famous region of the Sinaitic peninsula, and
east by the long valley west of Edom, called
| The Arabah. This Arabah valley is supposed
| to be the wilderness of Tin, west of which,
come forty or fifty miles, was Kadesh, now
| called Kades or Gadis.
Kadesh, also called Kadesh- barnea, identi-
| fed with with Ain Gadis about forty miles
south of Beersheba, discovered by Rylands,
| 1912, visited by DIR. Trumbull and fully de-
| scribed by him in his work, "Kadesh bar
| nea," as an extensive, hill encircled region
large enough for the camping ground Of a
host; it has many springs.
Rebab? DR.. Robinson thought it was at the
| castle Hunin, seven miles west-southwest of
| Tel Kady, nine and one-half miles north
of the waters of Merom, (ten miles north of
the Sea of Tiberias). 1t is on height north
of the village Hunln, but it was the castel-
ltm nouum of the Orusaderr.
Klamath, fortress, one of the Oldest cities in
| Syria (Gen. K. 49,, wherein Hamathite means
inhabitant of Klamath. Its importance is
/ signihed by Amos wi. 12), who calls it "the
| great" Now called Klamath, 246 miles north
| by east from Jerusalem, on the river Oron-
ties. Its population is Al 600. The ''entranoe
in of Klamath" is the path through the noun
tains of Lebanon on the south.
Hebron, eighteen miles south of Jerusalem,
now el Kali, contains about 10000 inhabit-
ants, and is about 5000 feet above the sea
Here is the cave of Machpelah, covered by
a large building, and near it was the plain of
| Mamre. The city is built chiefyin valley,
and contains the pool where, as tradition
says, the event stated in 2 Sam. vi. II, took
place.
Eschol, valley of, not positively known,
bat very probably it was the valley leading
from Hebron toward the south.-ProG. IL. s.
Osborn, LII d., "Manuals of Biblical Geog-
raphy."
THE REP0RT.-"At the end of forty
days." the spies returned to Kadesh, bring
ing their specimens of the fruits of the land
| thev had explored and ranorted To Moaee