servant unto tribute." The Chaldee translates it in a quite contrary sense," He shall subdue provinces, and make those tributary to him who shall remain in this land." The tribe of Issachar had its portion among the best part of the land of Canaan, along the plain or valley of Jezreel, with the half-tribe of Manasseh to the south, Zebulun to the north, the Mediterranean sea west, and Jordan, with the south point of the sea of Tiberias, east.

ITUREA, (lat. 33°. 10′,—long. 36°. 20',) a province of Syria or Arabia, beyond Jordan, east of the Batanea, and south of Trachonitis. St. Luke (iii. 1) speaks of Iturea, and (1 Chron. v. 19) of the Itureans, or of Jethur, according to the Hebrew. Jethur was one of the sons of Ishmael, who gave name to Iturea, says Jerom. (Gen. xxv. 15, and 1 Chron. i. 31.) Iturea is included in Arabia Petræa.

Aristobulus, king or prince of the Jews, and son of Hircanus, early in his reign made war with the Itureans; subdued the greater part of them, and obliged them to embrace Judaism, as Hircanus his father had some years before obliged the Idumæans: he gave them their choice, either to be circumcised, and embrace the Jewish religion, or to leave the country, and seek a settlement elsewhere. They chose to stay. They therefore, though descended from Ishmael, had not continued circumcision; [rather, had practised it in a mode different from that of the Jews: comp. Jer. ix. 5, 6;] or, perhaps, Aristobulus might compel them to receive it on the eighth day, whereas before they delayed it till the age of twelve or thirteen. Philip, one of Herod's sons, was tetrarch, or prince, of Iturea, when John the Baptist entered on his ministry. Luke iii. 1.

[The tetrarchy of Philip was part of the tribes of Dan and Gad: it lay towards Arabia; it was made a tetrarchy by Tiberius: by whom, says Josephus, the Batanea, Trachonitis, and Puronitis, were assigned to Philip. (De Bell. lib. ii. 9.) The Itureans were famous for their skill in archery.

JABBOK, (lat, 32o. 15′.—long. 35° 50′,) a river which rises in the mountains in the south-east of Gilead, and passing by Ramoth-Gilead, Pella, Mahanaim, and Penuel, falls into the Jordan about ten iniles below its exit from the sea of Galilee, or nearly in the parallel of Bysan. It formerly divided the kingdom of the Amorites from that of Bashan: its whole course is above fifty miles; and it is at present called Eb Zerka, or Wady Zerka.

Near this river the patriarch Jacob met the angel with whom he wrestled. Gen. xxxii. 1, 2, to 24.

Mr. Buckingham, when travelling on the east of Jordan, thus describes this river at the part where he crossed it :-" After ascending these hills until three o'clock, pursuing generally a north-east direction, we came to a high plain; and going about a quarter of an hour over this we came to a deep ravine, which looked like a separation of the hill to form this chasm by some violent convulsion of nature. The height of the cliffs here on each side, which were nearly perpendicular, was not less than 500 feet; while the breadth from cliff to cliff was not more than 100 yards. The plains at the top, on both sides, were covered with a light red soil, and bore marks of high fertility; but the dark sides of the rocky cliffs that faced each other in this hollow chasm were in general destitute of verdure.

"We descended into this ravine by winding paths, since it was everywhere too steep to go directly down; and found at the bottom of it a small river, which flowed from the eastward, appearing here to have made a sharp bend from the northward, and from this point to go nearly west to discharge itself into the Jordan. The banks of this stream are so thickly wooded with olcander and plane trees, wild almonds and olives in blossom, with many flowers, the names of which were unknown to us; with tall and waving reeds, at least fifteen feet in height; that we could not perceive the water through them from above, though the presence of these luxuriant borders marked the winding of its course, and the murmur of its flow, echoed through its long deep channel, was to be heard distinctly from afar. On this side of the stream, at the spot where we forded it, was a piece of wall, solidly built upon the inclined slope, constructed in uniform manner, though of small stones, and apparently finished at the end towards the river, so that it could never have been carried across, as we at first supposed, either for a bridge, or to close the pass. This was called by the Arabs Shugl beni Israel,' or the work of the sons of Israel; but they know of no other traditions regarding it. The river, where we crossed it at this point, was not more than ten yards wide, but it was deeper than the Jordan, and nearly as rapid, so that we had some difficulty in fording it. As it ran in a rocky bed, its waters were clear, and we found the taste agreeable." Well might it. be said that the border of the children of Ammon was strong, with such a barrier on the side of the Amorites as this."

JABESH, (lat. 32°. 21'.-long. 35°. 53. 30",) a city in the half-tribe of Manasseh beyond Jordan, generally called Jabesh Gilead because situated in Gilead, at the foot of the mountains so named. Eusebius places it six miles from Pella, towards Gerasa; consequently it must be east of the sea of Tiberias. Jabesh Gilead was sacked by the Israelites, because it refused to join in the war against Benjamin. (Judges xxi. 8.) Nahash, king of the Ammonites, laying siege to Jabesh, proposed hard conditions to the inhabitants, from which Saul delivered them, A. M. 2909, ante A. D. 1094. They ever after showed great gratitude to Saul and his family; they carried off the bodies of Saul and his son Jonathan, which the Philistines had hung upon the walls of Bethsan, and buried them honourably at their city. 1 Sam. xxxi. 11.

JABNEEL, (lat. 33°. 2′. 10′′.—long. 35°. 49',) a city of Naphtali. Josh. xix. 33.

JAHAZ, (lat. 32°. 7.-long. 36°,) a city beyond Jordan, near to which Moses defeated king Sihon: it was given to Reuben. (Deut. ii. 32.) The same city probably as Jahzah, situated to the north, near Ar, the capital of Moab. It was given to the Levites. 1 Chron. vi. 78.

JAMNIA, (lat. 31°. 51'.-long. 34°. 45',) a maritime town in Palestine, between Azotus and Joppa, which has a pretty good haven it is not read in the Hebrew but in the Greek, (Josh. xv. 4,) where Jamnai, near Ekron, is placed among the cities of Judah. Uzziah, king of Judah, took it from the Philistines. (2 Chron. xxvi. 6.) Josephus (Antiq. lib. v. cap. 1) says, it was given to the tribe of Dan. We read (2 Mac. xii. 9) that the port of Jamnia was 240 furlongs from Jerusalem.

JANOHAH, (lat. 32°. 20′.—long. 35°. 34',) a city of Ephraim, on the frontiers of the half tribe of Manasseh. (Josh. xvi. 6.) Eusebius places a town called Jano, twelve miles from Schechem, or Naplouse, in the Acrabatene; and another three miles from Legio, south.

JARAMOTH, (lat. 31°. 42′.—long. 35°. 7',) a city of Judah. Joshua killed the king of it. Josh. x. 5.

JAZER, (lat. 32°. 4. 30".-long. 35°. 55',) a city beyond Jordan, given to Gad, and afterwards to the Levites. (Josh. xxi. 39; xiii. 25.) It lay at the foot of the mountains of Gilead, near the brook Jazer, which falls into the Jordan.

JEHOSHAPHAT, (lat. 31°. 47'.-long. 35°. 22',) Valley of.