trees, hath its banks adorned with several species of brook-lime, lysimachia, water cresses, betony, and other aquatic plants: all of them very like those that are the produce of England. And indeed, the whole scene of vegetables, and of the soil which supports them, hath not those particular differences and varieties, that we might expect in two such distant climates." p. 369, fol. edit. Maundrell calls Jericho "a poor nasty village of the Arabs." Chateaubriand says, "At present there are neither roses nor palm trees at Jericho."

JERUSALEM, (lat. 31°. 48′.-long. 35o. 13',) called anciently Jebus, or Salem. Some call it Solyma, or Jerosolyma; the Hebrews called it Jeruschalaim, or Jeruschelem: (q. the vision of peace, or the possession or inheritance of peace; or perfect, or consummate vision: otherwise, perfect or consummate fear.) Simon thinks "the possession of peace," or "the peaceful possession," (Josh. x. 1,) in the dual form, implying an upper and lower town. In the Chaldee this termination is rather plural than dual, implying several divisions.

The Rabbins say this name is compounded of Jireh and Shalem. The first was the name given by Abraham to the place where he purposed to sacrifice his son; the latter was the name given to the royal station of Melchizedek, i. e. Shem. From a combination of these, we derive the name of this celebrated city: Jeru-Shalem-Jerusalem.

Joshua (xviii. 28.) gave Jerusalem to Benjamin. He slew the king of Jerusalem in the famous battle of Gibeon; yet it appears from other passages, that the Jebusites continued to hold it till David's time, (2 Sam. v.) and it is said expressly, that the children of Benjamin did not drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem. Judg. i. 21.

Jerusalem being on the frontiers of the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah, is sometimes referred to one, sometimes to the other; Benjamin had most right to it by Joshua's division; and Judah might claim it by right of conquest, having twice subdued it; first under the Judges, afterwards under David.

After the Lord had declared his choice of Jerusalem for the place of his habitation and temple, it was considered as the metropolis of the Jewish nation, as belonging to all Israel in common, and not properly either to Benjamin or to Judah.-Joseph. de Bello, lib. iii. cap. 5; iv. cap. 6.

The city of Jerusalem was built on hills, and was encom

passed with mountains, (Psal. cxxv. 2,) in a stony and barren soil, and was about sixty furlongs in length, says Strabo, lib. xvi. Adjacent to Jerusalem were the fountains of Gihon and Siloam, and the brook Kedron: also the waters of Ethan, which Pilate conveyed through aqueducts into the city. (Joseph. de Bello, lib. ii. cap. 15.) • The ancient city of Jebus, which David took from the Jebusites, was not large. It stood on a mountain, south of that whereon the temple afterwards stood. Here David built a new city, which he called the city of David, wherein was the royal palace.

Between the mountains lay the valley of Millo, which David and Solomon filled up to join the two cities. (1 Kings ix. 15, 24; xi. 27.) After the reign of Manasseh, there is mentioned another city, called the Second, enclosed with walls by that prince. (2 Chron. xxiv. 22; xxxiii. 14; 2 Kings xxiii. 24.) The Maccabees considerably enlarged Jerusalem on the north, enclosing a third hill. Josephus speaks of a fourth hill called Bezetha, which Agrippa joined to the former. This new city lay north of the temple, along the brook Kedron. Wherefore Jerusalem had never been so large as when it was attacked by the Romans. It was then thirty-three furlongs in circumference: nearly four miles and a half. Josephus informs us that the wall of circumvallation which Titus made was thirty-nine furlongs, or four miles, eight hundred seventy-five paces. Others admit a much larger extent.-See Villapandus for the affirmative, and Reland for the negative. Palæstin. tom. 2. lib. iii. Vide the Maps of Jerusalem.

It is a general opinion that Melchisedek was king of Jerusalem; but there is some difficulty in this. Jerom thinks that the Salem of Melchisedek was a village near Scythopolis, where the ruins of that prince's palace were visible in his time. (Ep. ad Evangelum. Gen. xiv. 18.) The author of the Paschal Chronicle says, likewise, that he saw the village where was formerly the dwelling of Melchisedek. Reland will not believe that Melchisedek reigned at Salem. (Palæst. lib. iii.) We choose rather to follow the opinion of the generality of the fathers and interpreters, since there is nothing in it contrary to Scripture, which sometimes calls Jerusalem Salem; and since they who are of the contrary opinion are not agreed concerning the situation of that Salem, which they allot to Melchisedek.

Hazael, king of Syria, advancing against Jerusalem, a. m.

3033, ante A. D. 971, Jehoash, king of Judah, ransomed the city with a great sum. He employed all the treasures of God's house, and of the palace, to satisfy Hazael, who, notwithstanding, sent against him the year following, an army, which defeated Judah, took several princes, killed them, and left Jehoash himself in a languishing state. 2 Kings xii. 17; and 2 Chron. xxiv. 24, 25.

Some years afterwards, Amaziah, king of Judah, having rashly declared war against Joash, king of Israel, Joash defeated Judah, took Amaziah, and entering Jerusalem, carried away all the treasures of the temple and the royal palace, and demolished 400 cubits of the city walls, A. M. 3718, ante a. D. 826; 2 Kings xiv. 13; and 2 Chron. xxv. 23.

Necho, king of Egypt, returning from his expedition against Carchemish on the Euphrates, entered Jerusalem, a. M. 3394, ante A. D. 610. We do not read that Necho pillaged the city or the temple; but he imposed a tax of 100 talents of silver, and ten talents of gold.

Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, A.м. 3398, ante A. D. 606, besieged Jerusalem then tributary to Egypt; having taken it, he left Jehoiakim there, whom he designed at first to carry with him in irons to Babylon, but afterwards liberated him, and he remained there dependent on Nebuchadnezzar, as he had been before dependent on the kings of Egypt. After three years he took arms against Nebuchadnezzar, who being then busied in other affairs, could send against him only some troops of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, who ravaged Judea, and carried 3023 Jews to Babylon. In the seventh year of Jehoiakim, A. M. 3401, and four years afterwards, A. M. 3405, which was the eleventh of Jehoiakim, they entered Jerusalem, and put him to death.

Jehoiakim, his son, succeeded him; but after three months and ten days, Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem, took the city, and carried the treasures to Babylon. Lastly, Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem a fourth time, A. M. 3416, ante A. D. 558, in the eleventh year of Zedekiah.

After the captivity of Babylon, Jerusalem was rebuilt and repeopled, A. M. 3468, ante a. D. 536, which is the first year of Cyrus's reign at Babylon. But the walls and gates were not rebuilt till after the return of Nehemiah, a. m. 3550, ante a. D. 454. Alexander the Great after he had taken Tyre, entered Jerusalem, A. M. 3672, ante a. d. 332.