"t is QRritten.' 
 
 REV. K
 
 "fit is itten," 
 
 THEUCCORDANCE OF OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY RELATING 
 TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, 
 
 WITH 
 ITS FULFILMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 TO WHICH ARE ADDED 
 
 Notice 
 
 RELATIVE TO 
 
 ANCIENT CITIES, COUNTRIES, AND PEOPLE. 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. RICHARD HODGSON, A.M. 
 
 FOURTH CLASSICAL MASTER IX KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL, 
 EVENING LECTURER OF ST. PETER'S, CORNHILL. 
 
 tuition. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 RIVINGTONS, HATCHARDS, B. FELLOWES, ROAKB AND VA.RTY. 
 
 1842.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 .1. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND.
 
 CHARLES FRANCIS, ESQ. 
 
 FOUNDER OF 
 
 THE ELDON SCHOOL, VAUXHALL, 
 
 AS A FEEBLE TESTIMONY OF GRATITUDE FOR MANY 
 PERSONAL KINDNESSES, 
 
 AND 
 IN ADMIRATION OF HIS UNWEARIED EXERTIONS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 PROMOTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT 
 OF 
 
 RELIGION AND LOYALTY AMONG THE POOR, 
 
 THIS 
 
 CATECHETICAL EXERCISE ON THE PROPHECIES, 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
 
 BY 
 HIS MOST OBLIGED AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 2017204
 
 ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FOURTH EDITION. 
 
 THE present edition of this little work is much enlarged 
 nearly three-fourths of the whole consisting of original matter. 
 This is owing to the addition of several Historical Notices 
 relative to the ancient countries, cities, and nations, which 
 are the subjects of prophetic record in the Old Testament. 
 At the same time care has been taken to select such subjects 
 for illustration, as, from their general character, would seem 
 best adapted to interest the imagination of the young pupil, 
 as well as to impress his judgment with the truth and reality 
 of prophetic inspiration. A series of " Questions for Exami- 
 nation" has also been appended, by which the teacher will 
 be enabled to elicit the information of the pupil either in the 
 written or the oral form, as convenience may require. 
 
 King's College School, London. 
 May 13, 1842.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE writers in defence of Christianity have generally- 
 grounded their arguments upon what are termed its external 
 and internal evidences. 
 
 By the latter is understood that testimony to its divine 
 original derivable from its own intrinsic excellence ; a proof, 
 which a deeper insight into its revealed mysteries strengthens 
 and confirms, so that to an established Christian, the internal 
 proof comes home with a demonstration more powerful and 
 convincing than that which any external evidence can pro- 
 duce. The sublimity of its doctrines, the purity of its 
 morals, the preciousness of its promises the justice of its 
 demonstrations, and its evident tendency to glorify God 
 and promote the happiness of man, the light which it 
 throws upon a future state, and upon the way which leads to 
 life eternal, establish irresistibly the proof that it came forth 
 from God, and is that word, " which holy men of old spake 
 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 
 
 But this evidence will naturally be resisted by those who 
 are prejudiced against the truths of Revelation, and who, 
 therefore, demand other evidences before they will bow to an 
 allegiance so entire as that which the sacred Record demands, 
 and with nothing short of which God will be satisfied. "We 
 will have," say they, " more clear and positive proofs that it 
 is of such high origin, before we admit the credibility of a 
 system, which demands every thought to be brought into 
 captivity to the obedience of its Divine Author."
 
 IT IS WRITTEN,"- 
 
 The Old Testament Prophecy 
 respecting the promised Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 1. What prophet speaks of 
 the pre-existence of Christ, 
 and his agency in the creation ? 
 
 It is written, Ps. cii. 25. 
 " Of old hast thou laid the 
 foundation of the earth : and 
 the heavens are the work of thy 
 hands." 
 
 2. Was the Messiah pro- 
 mised after the fall of our first 
 parents ? 
 
 It is written, Gen. iii. 15. 
 " And I will put enmity be- 
 tween thee and the woman, 
 and between thy seed and her 
 seed ; it shall bruise thy head, 
 and thou shah bruise his heel." 
 
 The New Testament fulfilment 
 of the Old Testament Pro- 
 phecy. 
 
 1. Is this Prediction applied 
 unequivocally to Christ in the 
 New Testament ? 
 
 It is written, Heb. i. 8, 10. 
 " But unto the Son he saith, 
 Thy throne, O God, is for 
 ever and ever: a sceptre of 
 righteousness is the sceptre of 
 thy Kingdom. And thou, 
 Lord, in the beginning hast 
 laid the foundation of the earth : 
 and the heavens are the work of 
 thine hands. 
 
 2. Where do we read con- 
 cerning the fulfilment of that 
 promise ? 
 
 It is written, Gal. iv. 4. 
 " But when the fulness of the 
 time was come, God sent forth 
 his Son, made of a woman, 
 made under the law."
 
 10 
 
 3. Was any assurance given 
 that a remarkable person should 
 appear before the coming of 
 the Messiah ? 
 
 It is written, Mai. iv. 5, 6. 
 " Behold, I will send you Elijah 
 the Prophet before the coming 
 of the great and dreadful 
 day of the Lord : and he shall 
 turn the heart of the Fathers 
 to the Children, and the heart 
 of the Children to their Fa- 
 thers, lest I come and smite 
 the earth with a curse." 
 
 4. Was it predicted that he 
 should immediately precede, 
 and prepare the way of the 
 Messiah? 
 
 It is written, Mai. iii. 1. 
 " Behold, I will send my Mes- 
 senger, and he shall prepare 
 the way before me." 
 
 5. Was it declared that the 
 Messenger of the Messiah 
 should preach in the wilder- 
 ness ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah xl. 3. 
 " The voice of him that crieth 
 in the wilderness, Prepare ye 
 the way of the Lord, make 
 straight in the desert a high 
 way for our God." 
 
 6. Was the Messiah to 
 trace his descent from Abra- 
 ham through David ? 
 
 It is written, Gen. xii. ] , 3. 
 " Now the Lord said unto 
 Abram, I will bless them that 
 bless thee, and curse him that 
 
 3. Is this prediction actu- 
 ally referred to John the Bap- 
 tist ? 
 
 It is written, St. Lukei. 13, 
 17- " But the Angel said unto 
 him, Fear not, Zacharias : for 
 thy prayer is heard ; and thy 
 wife Elisabeth shall bear thee 
 a Son, and thou shalt call his 
 name John. And he shall go 
 before him in the spirit and 
 power of Elias." 
 
 4. What evidence is afford- 
 ed of the fulfilment of that 
 prophecy ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 xi. 10. " Behold, I send my 
 Messenger before thy face, 
 which shall prepare thy way 
 before thee." 
 
 5. Does the New Testa- 
 ment literally confirm this de- 
 claration ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 iii. 1, 2. "In those days, 
 came John the Baptist, preach- 
 ing in the wilderness of Judaea, 
 and saying, Repent ye : for 
 the kingdom of heaven is at 
 hand.'' 
 
 6. What corroboration of 
 this circumstance does the 
 New Testament afford ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 i. 1 . " The Book of the gene- 
 ration of Jesus Christ, the 
 Son of David, the Son of
 
 curseth thee : and in thee shall 
 all the families of the earth be 
 blessed." It is written again, 
 Isaiah xi. 1. " And there shall 
 come forth a rod out of the 
 stem of Jesse, and a branch 
 shall grow out of his roots." 
 
 And it is written again, 
 
 Jer. xxiii. 5. "Behold, the 
 days come, saith the Lord, 
 that / will raise unto David 
 a righteous branch." 
 
 7. Was it foretold that the 
 Messiah should be the star of 
 Jacob? 
 
 It is written, Num. xxiv. 
 17. "I shall see him, but not 
 now : I shall behold him, but 
 not nigh: there shall come a 
 star out of Jacob, and a scep- 
 tre shall rise out of Israel. 
 
 8. Was there any prophetic 
 declaration that the birth of 
 the Messiah should be mira- 
 culous ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah vii. 
 14. "Therefore the Lord 
 himself shall give you a sign ; 
 Behold, a virgin shall conceive, 
 and bear a Son, and shall 
 call his name Immanuel." 
 And it is written again, Isaiah 
 ix. 6. " For unto us a child 
 is born, unto us a Son is 
 given : and the government 
 shall be upon his shoulder: 
 and his name shall be called 
 Wonderful, Counsellor, The 
 mighty God, the everlasting 
 Father, the Prince of Peace." 1 
 
 Abraham." And it is written 
 again, St. Mark xi. 9, 10. 
 " And they that went before, 
 and they that followed, cried, 
 saying, Hosanna; Blessed is 
 he that cometh in the name of 
 the Lord: Blessed be the 
 kingdom of our father David, 
 that cometh in the name of the 
 Lord: Hosanna in the high- 
 est." 
 
 7. Where is this prophecy 
 applied to Christ ? 
 
 It is written, Rev. xxii. 16. 
 "I, Jesus, have sent mine 
 angel to testify unto you these 
 things in the churches. "/ 
 am the root, and the offspring 
 of David, and the bright and 
 morning star." 
 
 8. Where does the accom- 
 plishment of that prophetic 
 declaration appear ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 i. 20, 21. "But while he 
 thought on these things, be- 
 hold, the angel of the Lord 
 appeared unto him in a dream, 
 saying, Joseph, thou son of 
 David, fear not to take unto 
 thee Mary thy wife : for that 
 which is conceived in her is of 
 the Holy Ghost. And she 
 shall bring forth a son, and 
 thoushalt call his name Jesus : 
 for he shall save his people 
 from their sins." 
 
 B 2
 
 12 
 
 9. Was it predicted that the 
 birth-place of the Messiah 
 should be the town of Beth- 
 lehem ? 
 
 It is written, Micah v. 2. 
 " But thou, Bethlehem Ephra- 
 tah, though thou be little 
 among the thousands of Judah, 
 yet out of thee shall he come 
 forth unto me that is to be 
 ruler in Israel; whose goings 
 forth have been from of old, 
 from everlasting." 
 
 10. What Prophet foretold 
 the massacre of the infants at 
 the birth of the Messiah ? 
 
 It is written, Jer. xxxi. 15. 
 "Thus saith the Lord; A 
 voice was heard in Ramah, 
 lamentation, and bitter weep- 
 ing : Rahel, weeping for her 
 children, refused to be com- 
 forted for her children, because 
 they were not." 
 
 1 1 . Where is it foretold that 
 distinguished personages from 
 the East should adore the 
 Messiah, and give presents 
 unto him ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm Ixxii. 
 10, 1 5. " The kings of Tarshish 
 and of the isles shall bring 
 presents: the kings of Sheba 
 and Seba shall offer gifts. To 
 him shall be given of the gold 
 of Sheba." 
 
 9. Can you give evidence of 
 the completion of this pro- 
 phecy in Jesus Christ ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. ii. 4, 
 5. "And when he had ga- 
 thered all the Chief Priests and 
 Scribes of the people together, 
 he demanded of them where 
 Christ should be born. And 
 they said unto him, In Beth- 
 lehem of Judea : for thus it is 
 written by the Prophet." 
 
 10. Does the NewTestament 
 narrate any historical fact cor- 
 responding with this predic- 
 tion? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 ii. 16. "Then Herod, when 
 he saw that he was mocked of 
 the wise men, was exceeding 
 wroth, and sent forth, and 
 slew all the children that were 
 in Bethlehem, and in all the 
 coasts thereof, from two )years 
 old and under." 
 
 11. In what manner was 
 the accomplishment of that 
 prophecy substantiated ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 ii. 11. "And when they 
 were come into the house, 
 they saw the young child 
 with Mary his mother, and 
 fell down, and worshipped 
 him : and when they had 
 opened their treasures, they 
 presented unto him gifts : 
 Gold, and Frankincense, and 
 Myrrh.
 
 13 
 
 12. Was it not predicted 
 that the Messiah should appear 
 before the Sceptre had departed 
 from Judah ? 
 
 It is written, Gen. xlix. 10. 
 " The Sceptre shall not depart 
 from Judah, nor a Lawgiver 
 from between his feet, until 
 Shiloh come ; and unto him 
 shall the gathering of the peo- 
 ple be." 
 
 13. Was any intimation 
 given that the latter Temple 
 should be greater than the 
 former on account of the pre- 
 sentation of the Messiah ? 
 
 It is written, Haggai ii. 9. 
 " The glory of this latter house 
 shall be greater than of the 
 former, saith the Lord of 
 Hosts : and in this place will 
 I give peace, saith the Lord of 
 
 Hosts." And it is written 
 
 again, Mai. iii. 1 . " The Lord, 
 whom ye seek, shall suddenly 
 come to his Temple, even the 
 Messenger of the Covenant, 
 whom ye delight in : behold 
 he shall come, saith the Lord 
 of Hosts. 
 
 14. What Prophet predicted 
 the various Offices that the 
 Messiah should fill, the bless- 
 ings that should be conferred 
 
 12. Where is the confir- 
 mation of that prophecy re- 
 corded ? 
 
 It is written, St. John xix. 
 15. "But they cried out, 
 Away with him, away with 
 him, crucify him. Pilate saith 
 unto them, Shall I crucify 
 your King ? The Chief Priests 
 answered, We have no King but 
 Ccesar." 
 
 13. In what respect was this 
 prediction realized ? 
 
 It is written, St. Luke ii. 
 25, 27, 28, 29, 30. "And, 
 behold, there was a man in 
 Jerusalem, whose name was 
 Simeon; and the same man 
 was just and devout, waiting 
 for the consolation of Israel: 
 and the Holy Ghost was upon 
 him. And he came by the 
 Spirit into the Temple: and 
 when the parents brought in 
 the child Jesus, to do for him 
 after the custom of the law, 
 Then took he him up in his 
 arms, and blessed God, and 
 said, Lord, now lettest thou 
 thy servant depart in peace, 
 according to thy word: For 
 mine eyes have seen thy salva- 
 tion." 
 
 14. Are the various offices, 
 as predicted by the Prophet 
 Isaiah, claimed by Christ ?
 
 14 
 
 through him, and the joy that j 
 should be imparted by him ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah Lxi. 1, 2, 
 3. ' The Spirit of the Lord j 
 God is upon me ; because the j 
 Lord has anointed me to preach ' 
 good tidings unto the meek ; he 
 hath sent me to bind up the j 
 broken-hearted, to proclaim \ 
 liberty to the captives, and the 
 opening of the prison to them i 
 that are bound; To proclaim 
 the acceptable year of the Lord, \ 
 and the day of vengeance of \ 
 our God ; To comfort all that 
 mourn; to appoint unto them 
 that mourn in Zion, to give unto 
 them beauty for ashes, the oil 
 of joy for mourning, the gar- 
 ment of praise for the spirit of 
 heaviness ; that they might be 
 called trees of righteousness, 
 the planting of the Lord, that 
 he might be glorified." 
 
 It is written, St. Luke iv. 
 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. "And 
 there was delivered unto him 
 the book of the Prophet Esaias. 
 And when he had opened the 
 book, he found the place 
 where it was written, The 
 Spirit of the Lord is upon 
 me, because he has anointed 
 me to preach the Gospel to 
 the poor ; he hath sent me to 
 heal the broken-hearted, to 
 preach deliverance to the cap- 
 tives, and recovering of sight 
 to the blind, to set at liberty 
 them that are bruised, To 
 preach the acceptable year of 
 the Lord. And the eyes of all 
 them that were in the Syna- 
 
 1 gogue were fastened on him. 
 
 j And he began to say unto 
 them, This day is this Scrip- 
 ture fulfilled in your ears." 
 
 15. In what part of Scrip- 
 ture is the Messiah promised : 
 under the character of a Pro- 
 phet ? 
 
 It is written, Deut. xviii. 15, 
 18. "The Lord thy God will ; 
 raise up unto thee a Prophet 
 from the midst of thee, of thy j 
 brethren, like unto me ; unto i 
 him ye shall hearken. I will ; 
 raise them up a Prophet from 
 among their brethren, like ( 
 unto thee, and will put my 
 words in his mouth ; and he 
 shall speak unto them all that 
 I shall command him." 
 
 15. Is this prophecy applied 
 to Christ by the New Testa- 
 ment writers ? 
 
 It is written, Acts iii. 22,23. 
 " For Moses truly said unto the 
 Fathers, A Prophet shall the 
 Lord your God raise up unto 
 you of your brethren, like unto 
 me ; him shall ye hear in all 
 things whatsoever he shall say 
 unto you. And it shall come to 
 pass, that every soul, which 
 will not hear that Prophet, 
 shall be destroyed from among 
 the people."
 
 15 
 
 16. Was it foretold that the 
 Messiah should be a Priest ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm ex. 4. 
 "The Lord hath sworn, and 
 will not repent, Thou art a 
 Priest for ever after the order 
 of Melchizedek." 
 
 17. Is the promised Mes- 
 siah ever represented under the 
 character of a King ? 
 
 It is written, Zech. ix. 9. 
 " Rejoice greatly, O daughter 
 of Zion ; shout, O daughter of 
 Jerusalem : behold, thy King 
 cometh unto thee." 
 
 18. In the Old Testament 
 Scripture is the promised Mes- 
 siah portrayed under the cha- 
 racter of a Shepherd ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah xl. 11. 
 " He shall feed his flock like 
 a Shepherd: he shall gather 
 the lambs with his arm, and 
 carry them in his bosom, and 
 shall gently lead those that are 
 with young." 
 
 19. Is the character of a 
 Saviour claimed in the Old 
 Testament for the promised 
 Messiah ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah xliii. 3. 
 " For I am the Lord thy God, 
 the Holy One of Israel, thy 
 Saviour." 
 
 20. By which of the Pro- 
 phets is the Messiah repre- 
 sented as "The Lord our 
 Righteousness ?" 
 
 16. Where do we find this 
 character confirmed to him? 
 
 It is written, Heb. v. 6. 
 "As he saith also, in another 
 place, Thou art a Priest for 
 ever after the order of Melchi- 
 sedec." 
 
 17. Does the New Testa- 
 ment acknowledge his regal 
 character ? 
 
 It is written, St. John i. 49. 
 "Nathanaelanswered and saith 
 unto him, Rabbi, thou art the 
 Son of God; thou art the King 
 of Israel." 
 
 18. Does Christ claim this 
 character under the New Cove- 
 nant? 
 
 It is written, St. John x. 
 11,14. "I am the good Shep- 
 herd : the good Shepherd giv- 
 eth his life for the sheep, lam 
 the good Shepherd, and know 
 my sheep, and am known of 
 mine." 
 
 19. Was that title confirmed 
 to him under the New Dispen- 
 sation ? 
 
 It is written, St. Luke ii. 1 1. 
 " For unto you is born this 
 day in the city of David, a 
 Saviour, which is Christ the 
 Lord." 
 
 20. Corroborate from the 
 New Testament writers that 
 " Christ is our Righteous- 
 ness?"
 
 16 
 
 It is written, Jer. xxiii. 6. 
 " In his days Judah shall be 
 saved, and Israel shall dwell 
 safely : and this is his name 
 whereby he shall be called, 
 The Lord our Righteousness." 
 
 21. Was there reason to ex- 
 pect that the promised Mes- 
 siah should work miracles ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah xxxv. 
 5, 6. "Then the eyes of the 
 blind shall be opened, and the 
 ears of the deaf shall be unstop- 
 ped. Then shall the lame man 
 leap as an hart, and the tongue 
 of the dumb sing : for in the wil- 
 derness shall waters break out, 
 and streams in the desert." 
 
 22. Was it predicted that 
 the Messiah should be a stum- 
 bling stone to the unbelieving 
 Jews ? 
 
 It is written, Isai. viii. 13, 14. 
 " Sanctify the Lord of Hosts 
 himself; and let him be your 
 fear, and let him be your dread. 
 Andhe shall befor a sanctuary; 
 but for a stone of stumbling, 
 and for a rock of offence to 
 both the houses of Israel." 
 
 23. Was it revealed that the 
 Messiah should be a light to 
 the Gentiles ? 
 
 It is written, Isai. xlix. 6. 
 " And he said, It is a light 
 thing that thou shouldest be 
 my servant to raise up the 
 tribes of Jacob, and to restore 
 the preserved of Israel: I will 
 also give theefor a light to the 
 
 It is written, 1 Cor. i. 30. 
 " But of him are ye in Christ 
 Jesus, who of God is made 
 unto us Wisdom and Righte- 
 ousness, and Sanctification, and 
 Redemption." 
 
 21. Did the Saviour exem- 
 plify these characteristics ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xv. 
 30. "And great multitudes 
 came unto him, having with 
 them those that were lame, 
 blind, dumb, maimed, and many 
 others, and cast them down at 
 Jesus' feet; and he healed 
 them." 
 
 22. Is that prediction ap- 
 plied to the Messiah in the 
 New Testament ? 
 
 It is written, 1 St. Peter, ii. 
 7, 8. "The stone which the 
 builders disallowed, the same is 
 made the head of the corner. 
 And a stone of stumbling, and a 
 rock of offence, even to them 
 which stumble at the word, be- 
 ing disobedient." 
 
 23. Do the New Testament 
 writers refer this passage to 
 Christ ? 
 
 It is written, Acts xiii. 47. 
 " For so hath the Lord com- 
 manded us, saying, I have set 
 thee to be a light of the Gentiles, 
 that thou shouldest be for sal- 
 vation unto the ends of the 
 earth."
 
 17 
 
 Gentiles, that thou mayest be 
 my salvation unto the end of 
 the earth." 
 
 24. Was the Messiah's con- 
 dition, as poor and of no repu- 
 tation in the world, the sub- 
 ject of prophecy ? 
 
 It is written, Isai. liii. 3. 
 "He is despised and rejected of 
 men ; a man of sorrows, and 
 acquainted with grief; and we 
 hid as it were our faces from 
 him ; he was despised, and we 
 esteemed him not." 
 
 25. Was it predicted that 
 the Messiah should be despised 
 on account of the meanness of 
 his Parentage ? 
 
 It is written, Isai. xlix. 7. 
 "Thus saith the Lord, the 
 Redeemer of Israel, and his 
 Holy One, to him whom man 
 despiseth, to him whom the 
 nation abhorreth, to a servant 
 of rulers, kings shall see and 
 arise, princes also shall wor- 
 ship, because of the Lord that 
 is faithful, and the Holy 'One of 
 Israel, and he shall choose 
 thee." 
 
 26. Is the peculiarly un- 
 obtrusive character of the 
 Messiah's Ministry the sub- 
 ject of prophetic Record? 
 
 It is written, Isai. xlii. 1, 
 2, 3. " Behold my Servant, 
 whom I uphold; mine elect, in 
 whom my soul delighteth ; 
 I have put my Spirit upon him : 
 he shall bring forth Judgment 
 
 24. Were these marks legi- 
 ble in the Saviour's life ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. viii. 
 20. "And Jesus saith unto 
 him, The foxes have holes, and 
 the birds of the air have nests ; 
 but the Son of Man hath not 
 where to lay his head." 
 
 25. Were these circum- 
 stances literally fulfilled in the 
 Saviour ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xiii. 
 55, 56, 57. " 7* not this the 
 Carpenter's son? is not his 
 mother called Mary ? and his 
 brethren, James, and Joses, 
 and Simon, and Judas ? And 
 his sisters, are they not all with 
 us ? Whence then has this 
 Man all these things? And 
 they were offended in him." 
 
 26. Was this lovely feature 
 prominent in the whole con- 
 duct of Jesus ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xii. 
 14, 15, 16. "Then the Phari- 
 sees went out, and held a coun- 
 cil against him, how they 
 might destroy him. But when 
 Jesus knew it, He withdrew
 
 18 
 
 to the Gentiles. He shall not 
 cry, nor lift up, nor cause his 
 voice to be heard in the street. 
 A bruised reed shall he not 
 break, and the smoking flax 
 shall he not quench : He shall 
 bring forth judgment unto 
 truth." 
 
 27. Was it foretold that the 
 promised Messiah should ride 
 into Jerusalem on the foal of 
 an ass ? 
 
 It is written, Zech. ix. 9. 
 " Rejoice greatly, O Daughter 
 of Zion ; shout, O Daughter 
 of Jerusalem : behold thy 
 King cometh unto thee : he is 
 just and having salvation; 
 lowly and riding upon an ass, 
 and upon a colt the foal of an 
 ass." 
 
 28. Are any peculiar expres- 
 sions of exultation on the com- 
 ing of Christ alluded to in the 
 prophecies ? 
 
 It is written, Psal. cxviii. 
 25, 26. " Save now, I beseech 
 thee, O Lord : O Lord, I be- 
 seech thee, send now prospe- 
 rity. Blessed be he that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord: we 
 have blessed you out of the 
 house of the Lord." 
 
 29. Have we any intimation 
 that the promised Messiah 
 should be betrayed by one of 
 his familiar friends ? 
 
 from thence ; and great multi- 
 tudes followed him, and he 
 healed them all ; And charged 
 them that they should not make 
 him known." 
 
 27. Was this prediction ex- 
 actly fulfilled in Christ." 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xxi. 
 1, 2, 6, 7. " Then sent Jesus 
 two disciples, Saying unto 
 them, Go into the village over 
 against you, and straightway 
 ye shall find an ass tied, and a 
 colt with her ; loose them, and 
 bring them unto me. And the 
 disciples went, and did as 
 Jesus commanded them, and 
 brought the ass and the colt, 
 and put on them their clothes, 
 and they set him thereon." 
 
 28. In what part of the New 
 Testament do we meet with 
 them? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xxi. 
 9. "And the multitudes that 
 went before, and that followed, 
 cried, saying, Hosannah to the 
 Son of David : Blessed is fie 
 that cometh in the name of the 
 Lord ; Hosanna in the highest." 
 
 29. Was that intimation 
 borne out by the fact ?
 
 19 
 
 It is written, Psal. xh'. 9- 
 " Yea, my own familiar friend, 
 in whom I trusted, which did 
 eat of my bread, hath lifted up 
 his heel against me." 
 
 30. Was it predicted that 
 the promised Messiah should 
 be sold for thirty pieces of 
 silver." 
 
 It is written, Zech. xi. 12. 
 "And I said unto them, If ye 
 think good, give me my price : 
 and if not, forbear. So they 
 weighed for my price thirty 
 pieces of silver." 
 
 31. Was it foretold that the 
 price at which the promised 
 Messiah was valued, should be 
 laid out in the purchase of the 
 potter's field ? 
 
 It is written, Zech. xi. 13. 
 " And the Lord said unto me, 
 Cast it unto the potter: agoodly 
 price that I was prized at of 
 them. And I took the thirty 
 pieces of silver and cast them 
 to the potter in the house of 
 the Lord." 
 
 32. Was it foretold that the 
 Messiah should be forsaken 
 by his disciples ? 
 
 It is written, St. John xiii. 
 18. "I speak not of you all; 
 I know whom I have chosen : 
 but that the Scripture may be 
 fulfilled. He that eateth bread 
 with me hath lifted up his heel 
 against me." 
 
 30. Do the New Testament 
 writers substantiate this humi- 
 liating fact ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xxvi. 
 14, 15. "Then one of the 
 twelve called Judas Iscariot, 
 went unto the chief priests, 
 and said unto them, What 
 will ye give me, and I will 
 deliver him unto you ? And 
 they covenanted with him for 
 thirty pieces of silver." 
 
 31. Do the New Testament 
 writers refer this passage as 
 written of, and verified in our 
 Saviour ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt, xxvii. 
 5, 6, 7. "And he cast down 
 the pieces of silver in the tem- 
 ple, and departed, and went and 
 hanged himself. And the chief 
 priests took the silver pieces, 
 and said, It is not lawful for 
 to put them into the trea- 
 sury, because it is the price of 
 blood. And they took counsel, 
 and bought with them the Pot- 
 ter's field, to bury strangers 
 
 32. Is this prophecy referred 
 to by our Saviour, as written 
 prophetically of himself, and
 
 20 
 
 It is written, Zech. xiii. 7- 
 "Awake, O Sword, against my 
 Shepherd, and against the 
 man that is my fellow, saith 
 the Lord of Hosts : smite the 
 shepherd and the sheep shall be 
 scattered: and I will turn 
 mine hand upon the little 
 ones." 
 
 33. Was it foretold that the 
 promised Messiah should be 
 silent before his accusers ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah liii. 7. 
 " He was oppressed, and he 
 was afflicted, yet he opened not 
 his mouth : he is brought as a 
 lamb to the slaughter, and as a 
 sheep before her shearers is 
 dumb, so he openeth not his 
 mouth." 
 
 34. Was it predicted that 
 the promised Messiah should 
 be scourged and spit upon ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah 1. 6. "/ 
 gave my back to the smiters and 
 my cheeks to them that plucked 
 off the hair : I hid not my face 
 from shame and spitting." 
 
 35. Was it foretold that the 
 Messiah shouldbeputto death? 
 
 It is written, Dan. ix. 26. 
 " And after threescore and 
 
 the twelve Apostles, and was 
 it fulfilled? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt. xxvi. 
 31, 56. "Then saith Jesus 
 unto them, All ye shall be 
 offended, because of me this 
 night : for it is written, I will 
 smite the Shepherd, and the 
 sheep of the flock shall be scat- 
 tered abroad. Then all the dis- 
 ciples forsook him and fled." 
 
 33. Is the fulfilment of that 
 prophecy on record ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matt, xxvii. 
 12, 13, 14. "And when he was 
 accused of the chief priests 
 and elders, He answered no- 
 thing. Then said Pilate unto 
 him, Hearest thou not how 
 many things they witness 
 against thee ? And he answer- 
 ed to him never a word ; inso- 
 much that the governor mar- 
 velled greatly." 
 
 34. Did the meek and lowly 
 Jesus actually endure these 
 humiliations ? 
 
 It is written, St. Johnxix. 1. 
 "Then Pilate therefore took 
 Jesus and scourged him." 
 And, it is written again, St. 
 Matt, xxvii. 30. "And they 
 spit upon him, and took the 
 reed, and smote him on the 
 head" 
 
 35. Where do we read of the 
 fulfilment of that prediction? 
 
 It is written, St. Luke xxiii. 
 32. "And there were also two
 
 21 
 
 two weeks shall Messiah be cut 
 off, but not for himself." 
 
 36. Was the kind of death 
 that Christ should suffer pre 
 dieted ? 
 
 It is written, Psal. xxii. 16. 
 "For dogs have compassed 
 me: the assembly of the wicked 
 have inclosed me: they pierced 
 my hands and my feet." 
 
 37. Was it foretold that the 
 Messiah should be numbered 
 with the malefactors, and 
 should make intercession for 
 his enemies ? 
 
 It is written, Isaiah liii. 12. 
 " Therefore will I divide him 
 a portion with the great, and 
 he shall divide the spoil with 
 the strong; because he hath 
 poured out his soul unto 
 death : and he was numbered 
 with the transgressors ; and he 
 bare the sin of many, and made 
 intercession for the transgres- 
 
 38. Was it the subject of 
 prophecy, that the Messiah 
 should be reviled when upon 
 the cross ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm xxii. 7, 
 8. "All they that see me 
 laugh me to scorn they shoot 
 out the lip, they shake the 
 head, saying, He trusted on 
 the Lord that he would deliver 
 him : let him deliver him, see- 
 ing he delighted in him." 
 
 other malefactors,led with him 
 to be put to death.'' 
 
 36. Establish the fulfilment 
 of this prediction? 
 
 It is written, St. Luke xxiii. 
 33. "And when they were 
 come to the place, whichjis 
 called Calvary, there they cru- 
 cified him, and the malefac- 
 
 37. Give proof of the fulfil- 
 ment of this prophecy in Jesus 
 Christ? 
 
 It is written, St. Luke xxiii. 
 33, 34. "And when they 
 were come to the place which 
 is called Calvary, there they 
 crucified him and the Male- 
 factors, one on the right hand, 
 and the other on the left. Then 
 said Jesus, Father, forgive 
 them; for they know not what 
 they do." 
 
 38. Do the New Testament 
 writers refer this prophecy as 
 having its accomplishment in 
 Christ ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 xxvii. 39, 41, 43. " And they 
 that passed by reviled him, 
 wagging their heads. Likewise 
 also the Chief Priests mocking 
 him, with the Scribes and 
 Elders, said, He trusted in 
 God ; let him deliver him 
 now, if he will have him : for 
 he said I am the Son of God."
 
 39. Was it predicted that 
 the Messiah should have gall 
 and vinegar offered him ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm Ixix. 
 21. "They gave me also gall 
 for my meat; and in my 
 thirst they gave me vinegar to 
 drink" 
 
 40. Was it foretold that the 
 garments of the Messiah 
 should be divided among 
 them? 
 
 It is written, Psalm xxii. 
 18. " They part my garments 
 among them, and cast lots 
 upon my vesture." 
 
 4 1 . Were the precise words, 
 that the Messiah should utter 
 on the Cross, foretold ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm xxii. 1 . 
 " My God, my God, why hast 
 thou forsaken me? why art 
 thou so far from helping me, 
 and from the words of my 
 roaring ?" 
 
 42. Was it predicted that 
 not a bone of the Messiah 
 should be broken ? 
 
 It is written, Exodus xii. 
 46. "In one house shall it 
 be eaten ; thou shalt not carry 
 forth ought of the flesh abroad 
 out of the house ; neither shall 
 ye break a bone thereof" 
 
 39. Show the fulfilment of 
 that prediction ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 xxvii. 34. "They gave him 
 vinegar to drink mingled with 
 gall : and when he had tasted 
 thereof, He would not drink." 
 
 40. Do the New Testament 
 writers refer this prophecy as 
 written of, and verified in 
 Christ ? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 xxvii. 35. "And they cruci- 
 fied him, and parted his gar- 
 ment, casting lots: that it 
 might be fulfilled which was 
 spoken by the Prophet, They 
 parted my garments among 
 them, and upon my vesture did 
 they cast lots." 
 
 41. Establish the confir- 
 mation of this prophecy? 
 
 It is written, St. Matthew 
 xxvii. 46. " And about the 
 ninth hour Jesus cried with a 
 loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, 
 lama Sabachthani ? that is to 
 say, My God, my God, why 
 hast thou forsaken me ?" 
 
 42. Do the New Testament 
 writers refer this prediction 
 as written prophetically of 
 Christ ? 
 
 It is written, St. John xix. 
 33 36. "But when they 
 came to Jesus, and saw that 
 He was dead already, they 
 brake not his legs. For these 
 things were done, that the
 
 23 
 
 And it is written again, Psalm 
 xxxiv. 20. " He keepeth all 
 his bones : not one of them is 
 broken." 
 
 43. Was it revealed that 
 the Messiah should be pierced 
 upon the cross ? 
 
 It is written, Zech. xii. 10. 
 " And they shall look upon me 
 whom they have pierced, and 
 they shall mourn for him, as 
 one mourneth for his only son, 
 and shall be in bitterness for 
 him, as one that is in bitterness 
 for his firstborn." 
 
 44. Was it foretold that the 
 Messiah should be set at 
 nought by the Jewish rulers 
 and teachers ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm cxviii. 
 22. "The stone which the 
 builders refused is become the 
 head-stone of the corner." 
 
 45. Does the same word of 
 prophecy declare that the 
 Messiah should not see cor- 
 
 T' on ? 
 is written, Psalm xvi. 10. 
 " For thou wilt not leave my 
 soul in hell; neither wilt thou 
 suffer thine Holy One to see 
 corruption." 
 
 46. Was it predicted that 
 the Messiah, by his dying, 
 should make reconciliation for 
 
 Scripture should be fulfilled, 
 A bone of him shall not be 
 broken." 
 
 43. Where is that fact sub- 
 stantiated ? 
 
 It is written, St. John xix. 
 34 37. "But one of the 
 soldiers with a spear pierced 
 his side, and forthwith came 
 thereout blood and water. 
 And again, another Scripture 
 saith, " They shall look on him 
 whom they pierced." 
 
 44. Is this prophecy ap- 
 plied to Christ by the New 
 Testament writers ? 
 
 It is written, Acts iv. 11. 
 " This is the stone which was 
 set at nought of you Builders, 
 which is become the head of 
 the corner." 
 
 45. Do the New Testament 
 writers refer to this prediction 
 as written prophetically of 
 Christ? 
 
 It is written, Acts ii. 31,32. 
 " He seeing this before spake 
 of the resurrection of Christ, 
 that his soul was not left in 
 hell, neither his flesh did see 
 corruption. This Jesus has 
 God raised up, whereof we all 
 are witnesses." 
 
 46. Has that prophecy its 
 completion in Jesus Christ ?
 
 24 
 
 iniquity, and bring in everlast- 
 ing righteousness? 
 
 It is written, Dan. ix. 24. 
 "Seventy weeks are determined 
 upon thy people and upon thy 
 holy city, to finish the tran sgres- 
 sion, and to make an end of sins, 
 and to make reconciliation for 
 iniquity, and to bring in ever- 
 lasting righteousness" 
 
 47. Was it declared thatthe 
 Messiah should ascend into 
 heaven ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm Ixviii. 18. 
 " Thou hast ascended on high, 
 thou hast led captivity cap- 
 tive." 
 
 48. Was it predicted that 
 the Holy Spirit should be given 
 after our Saviour's ascension? 
 
 It is written, Psalm Ixviii. 
 18. "Thou hast ascended on 
 high, thou hast led captivity 
 tive: thou hast received 
 tfor men ; yea, for the re- 
 is also, that the Lord 
 Godmight dwell among them." 
 And it is written again, Joel ii. 
 28, 29. "And it shall come to 
 pass afterward, that I will 
 pour out my Spirit upon all 
 flesh; and 
 
 daughters shall prophesy, your 
 old men shall dream dreams, 
 your young men shall see vi- 
 sions : And also upon the ser- 
 vants, and upon the hand- 
 maids in those days will I pour 
 out my Spirit." 
 
 It is written, Heb. ix. 12. 
 "Neither by the blood of goats 
 and calves, but by his own 
 blood he entered in once into 
 the holy place, having obtained 
 eternal redemption for us." 
 
 47- Where is that prophecy 
 fulfilled. 
 
 It is written, St. Luke xxiv. 
 51. "And it came to pass 
 while he blessed them, He was 
 parted from them, and carried 
 up into heaven." 
 
 48. Do the New Testament 
 writers consider this prediction 
 as written prophetically of the 
 times of the Messiah? 
 
 It is written, Acts ii. 1, 2,3, 
 4, 16, 17, 18. "And when the 
 day of Pentecost was fully 
 come, they were all with one 
 accord in one place. And 
 suddenly there came a sound 
 from heaven, as of a rushing 
 mighty wind, and it filled all 
 the house where they were 
 sitting. And there appeared 
 unto them, cloven tongues like 
 as of fire, and it sat upon each 
 of them. And they were all 
 filled with the Holy Ghost, and 
 began to speak with other 
 tongues, as the Spirit gave 
 them utterance. But this is 
 that which was spoken by the 
 prophet Joel."
 
 25 
 
 49- Is it the subject of pro- 
 phetic record, that the Messiah 
 shall judge the world ? 
 
 It is written, Psalm xcviii. 9. 
 "For he cometh to judge the 
 earth; with righteousness shall 
 he judge the world, and the 
 people with equity." 
 
 49. Is it declared by the 
 New Testament writers that 
 Christ will judge the world ? 
 
 It is written, Acts xvii. 3 1 . 
 " Because he hath appointed a 
 day, in the which he will judge 
 the world in righteousness, by 
 that Man whom he hath ordain- 
 ed , whereof he hath given as- 
 surance unto all men, in that 
 he hath raised him from the 
 dead."
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING NINEVEH. 
 
 Prophecies concerning Nineveh Assyria Foundation of 
 Nineveh by Nimrod Historical sketch of Assyria De- 
 scription of Nineveh Prophecies of Nahum respecting 
 Nineveh Their exact fulfilment. 
 
 THE commencement, duration, and extent, of the As- 
 syrian empire are involved in equal uncertainty. Its com- 
 mencement must be dated from a period too remote to be 
 included in the annals of authentic history ; and its extent 
 has probably varied at different periods according to the pro- 
 gress of conquest. If we follow the ancient geographer 
 Ptolemy, Assyria was bounded on the north by Armenia 
 Major, on the west by the Tigris, on the south by Susiana, 
 and on the east by Media, though sometimes Mesopotamia, 
 and even Babylonia and Chaldea, were included under that 
 designation. Notwithstanding the desolation that at present 
 reigns over this region, yet in ancient times we find that it 
 was distinguished for its fertility. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian 
 general, sent by Sennacherib against Hezekiah, describes 
 Assyria as " a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and 
 vineyards, a land of olive oil and of honey."* 
 * 2 Kings xviii. 32. 
 
 c 2
 
 28 
 
 If we follow the translation in the margin of our Bibles, it 
 would appear that Nimrod was the founder of the capital of 
 the Assyrian empire. " He began to be a mighty one in the 
 earth. . . . And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, 
 and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 
 He went out of that land into Assyria and builded Nineveh."* 
 Nimrod is supposed to have been the same as Ninus in 
 profane writers. He was succeeded by his queen, Semiramis, 
 under whose dominion the limits of the Assyrian empire 
 were still farther extended, for she is reported to have con- 
 quered Egypt, invaded Ethiopia and India. 
 
 In the reign of Pul, (771 B. c.,) the Assyrians began to 
 extend their conquests towards the confines of the kingdom 
 of Israel ; and the clemency of that monarch was purchased 
 at the expense of a thousand talents of silver.f These con- 
 quests were prosecuted by his successor Tiglath-pul-assur, 
 (747 B. c.,) who not only subjugated the kingdom of Israel, 
 but carried away multitudes of its inhabitants to the remotest 
 parts of his empire. Notwithstanding that Ahaz, king of 
 Judah, had purchased his assistance by sending him as a 
 present the " silver and gold that was found in the house of 
 the Lord and in the treasures of the king's house ;"J yet, in 
 the expressive language of Scripture, the king of Assyria 
 " distressed him and strengthened him not." 
 
 Under his successor, Shalman-assur, (728 B. c.,) the king- 
 dom of Israel was again invaded, Samaria taken by siege, 
 and the greater part of the ten tribes carried into captivity. 
 His successor, Sennacherib, undertook an expedition against 
 Hezekiah king of Judah, (724 B. c.); but the miraculous 
 
 * Gen. x. 811. t 2 Kings xv. 19. J 2 Kings xvi. C- 
 
 2 Chron. xxviii. 20.
 
 NINEVEH. 29 
 
 destruction of his army, recorded in Scripture, compelled 
 him to make an ignominious retreat. In the reign of the 
 succeeding king, Esarhaddon, who is the same as Sardana- 
 palus in profane history, the kingdom of Judah was again 
 invaded. He not only carried away the Israelites, but 
 " brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from 
 Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed 
 them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of 
 Israel ; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities 
 thereof."* But the revolt of the Satraps of Media and 
 Babylonia terminated in the suicide of Sardanapalus the 
 destruction of the Assyrian empire, (717 B. c.,)] and the 
 transfer of Asiatic supremacy to Babylonia. " Behold, the 
 land of the Chaldeans; this people was not until the Assy- 
 rian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness : they 
 set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces there- 
 of."f 
 
 During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian 
 empire attained the zenith of its greatness. He was com- 
 missioned to execute vengeance upon the Assyrians, and to 
 destroy their metropolis, Nineveh. Some few remarks, de- 
 scriptive of this city, may be premised before we consider the 
 prophecies relative to its destruction. 
 
 Nineveh, as we have already observed, was founded by 
 Nimrod, the Ninus of profane antiquity. By the prophet 
 Jonah it is described as " an exceeding great city of three 
 days journey ;" and the description of the prophet is fully 
 borne out by the testimony of heathen writers. Strabo 
 affirms that the circuit of Nineveh was greater than that of 
 Babylon, which he estimates at 385 furlongs. Diodorus 
 * 2 Kings xvii. 24. Ezra iv. 2. t Isaiah xxiii. 13.
 
 Siculus extends it to 480 furlongs, or somewhat more than 
 60 miles, which, reckoning 20 miles as an ordinary day's 
 journey for a pedestrian, would render the circuit of the 
 city equivalent to the " three days' journey " mentioned by 
 the prophet. Some idea of the population of this city may 
 be estimated from the fact that " it contained more than six 
 score thousand persons who could not discern between their 
 right hand and their left hand."* Now if the infant popula- 
 tion be reckoned as amounting to one fifth of the whole 
 population, the city would contain upwards of 600,000 in- 
 habitants. If this be considered a small population for the 
 extent of the city, we must consider that Nineveh was not 
 built after the fashion of European cities. The houses were 
 not built in continuous streets but detached ; much vacant 
 space was devoted to purposes of utility as well as of pleasure, 
 for we are told by the prophet Jonah that the city " contained 
 much cattle. "f 
 
 The Assyrians had indeed been employed to humble the 
 pride of Judah; but punishment was reserved for them as 
 soon as they had fulfilled their mission as the unconscious 
 instruments of divine vengeance. "Wherefore it shall come 
 to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work 
 upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit 
 of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of 
 his high looks."J Though there be some difficulty in fixing 
 the date of the capture of Nineveh, or the generals by whom 
 it was taken, or in ascertaining the name of the king of 
 Assyria in whose reign this event took place ; yet one thing 
 appears certain, that it was destroyed by the Medes and 
 Babylonians in conjunction ; for Herodotus informs us that 
 Jonah iv. 11. flbid. J Isaiah i. 12.
 
 31 
 
 " the Medes took Nineveh, and subdued the Assyrians, ex- 
 cept the Babylonian portion" for the Babylonians were 
 their allies. 
 
 Whether the Prophet Nahum delivered his prophecy re- 
 specting Nineveh in the time of Jotham, according to Jose- 
 phus, or of Hezekiah, according to St. Jerome certain it is, 
 that it was delivered long before the accomplishment of the 
 event to which it related. St. Jerome observes that the 
 "name of Nahum is by interpretation a comforter; for, the ten 
 tribes being carried away by the king of Assyria, this vision 
 was to comfort them in their captivity ; nor was it a less 
 consolation to the other two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, 
 who remained in the land, and were besieged by the same 
 enemies, to hear that these conquerors would in time be con- 
 quered themselves, their city be taken, and their empire 
 overthrown."* 
 
 The prophet foretold that the Assyrians should be 
 surprised during a period of general feasting and debau- 
 chery, " For while they be folden together as thorns, and 
 while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured 
 as stubble fully dry."f And accordingly, we learn from 
 Diodorus Siculus, that " while the Assyrian army were feast- 
 ing for their former victories, those about Arbaces (the 
 Median general,) being informed by some deserters, of the 
 negligence and drunkenness in the camp of the enemies, as- 
 saulted them unexpectedly by night, and falling orderly on 
 them disorderly, and prepared on them unprepared, became 
 masters of the camp, and slew many of the soldiers and 
 drove the rest into the city."| 
 
 * Preliminary Remarks to Nahum. 
 t Nahum i. 10. % Lib. ii.
 
 32 
 
 In the eighth verse of the first chapter, the prophet fore- 
 tells that " with an overrunning flood he will make an utter 
 end of the place thereof ;" and it is singular to observe that 
 this prophecy was fulfilled, not only in a general sense, but 
 to the very letter. For we read in profane history, an anci- 
 ent oracle, that Nineveh should not be taken till the river 
 became an enemy to the city ; and that this oracle was ful- 
 filled in the third year of the siege, when the river, being 
 swollen with continual rains, overflowed part of the city, and 
 broke down the wall for the space of twenty furlongs. Upon 
 hearing of this catastrophe, "the king," says the historian, 
 " built a large funeral-pile in the palace, and collecting toge- 
 ther all his wealth, and his concubines, and eunuchs, burnt 
 himself and the palace with them all ; while the enemy 
 entered at the breach that the waters had made, and took the 
 city!"* We learn from the same authority, that the spoil of 
 the city was very considerable, and that Arbaces the Mede 
 carried away many talents of gold and silver to the imperial 
 city of Ecbatana. How exactly does this harmonize with the 
 language of the prophet, " Take ye the spoil of silver, take 
 the spoil of gold ; for there is no end of the store and glory 
 out of all the pleasant furniture !"f 
 
 And does the present condition of Nineveh harmonize with 
 the language of the prophet? "The Lord will make an utter 
 end of the place thereof. Affliction will not rise up a second 
 time ;" and a writer of the second century informs us, that 
 in his time no vestiges of the city were remaining, and that 
 its site could not be determined. Mr. Kinneir believes, that 
 the remains of an ancient city, on the banks of the Tigris, 
 opposite to Mosul, belong not to Nineveh (as has been gene- 
 * Diod . Sic. lib. ii. t Nahum ii . 9 .
 
 NINEVEH. 33 
 
 rally supposed) but to a city, founded subsequently to the 
 time of Hadrian. But even acknowledging that these remains 
 indicate the site of the ancient Nineveh nothing remains 
 but "mounds of ruins, overgrown with grass" the "wreck 
 of former buildings."" How strikingly has the divine pre- 
 diction been accomplished ! 
 
 " The Lord will stretch out his hand against the North, 
 and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, 
 and dry like a wilderness ; and flocks shall lie down in the 
 midst of her, all the beasts of the nations ; both the cormo- 
 rant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; 
 their voice shall sing in the windows ; desolation shall be in 
 the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar-work : this is 
 the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, 
 I am, and there is none beside me ; how is she become a de- 
 solation, a place for beasts to lie down in ! Every one that 
 passeth by her shall hiss and wag his hand"f 
 
 * Buckingham's Travels. f Zephaniah ii. 13, 14, 15.
 
 34 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING BABYLON. 
 
 Description of Babylon Prophecies respecting Babylon 
 Their literal fulfilment The state of Babylon at different 
 periods Its present condition Controversies respecting its 
 ruins Concluding reflection. 
 
 NOWHERE do we see the signal fulfilment of prophecy 
 so strikingly exemplified as in the case of Babylon the 
 "glory of kingdoms" the "Chaldee's excellency." The 
 prodigious walls the hanging gardens, piled in successive 
 terraces the hundred brazen gates the vast extent of the 
 city, intersected by the noble river, Euphrates the wonder- 
 ful fertility of the soil, have drawn forth the admiration of 
 all the ancient historians and geographers. 
 
 According to the testimony of Herodotus, who wrote from 
 a personal inspection of this celebrated city, Babylon was 
 surrounded with walls 480 furlongs or about 60 miles in cir- 
 cumference ; and, as the shape of the city was quadrangular, 
 each side of the square was, of course, fifteen miles in extent. 
 Taking the whole compass of the walls, the number of gates' 
 which were of solid brass, amounted to one hundred, i. e.
 
 BABYLON. 35 
 
 twenty-five to each side. Without the walls the city was 
 encompassed with a vast moat ; and the walls themselves 
 were 350 feet in height and 87 in thickness. With the ex- 
 ception of those portions which rested on a morass and were 
 inaccessible to the enemy, the walls were everywhere 
 flanked with towers, amounting, in the whole, to 250 in 
 number. 
 
 The streets ran in parallel lines from the gates on one 
 side of the square to the corresponding gates on the other. 
 They were, of course, fifteen miles in length and amounted 
 to fifty in number one half of them crossing the other half 
 at right angles. If Babylon, therefore, covered ten times as 
 large a space as London, we must not ascribe this fact to the 
 greater amount of its population, but to the circumstance 
 that the houses were built in the detached form, and that 
 large proportion of the enclosed surface was occupied by 
 fields and gardens either for pleasure or convenience. 
 
 The whole city was divided into two parts by the river 
 Euphrates which ran through the midst of it from north to 
 south. In the centre of the city the river was crossed by a 
 bridge, at one end of which was situated the old palace of 
 the kings of Babylon, four miles in circumference, and at 
 the other extreme the new palace built by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 the circumference of which doubled that of the preceding. 
 The temple of Belus, which occupied the site of the tower of 
 Babel, was an enormous structure, containing several images 
 or idols of massive gold one of which, forty feet in height, 
 is supposed to have been the same as was set up by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar in the plains of Dura. The imperial portion of 
 the city exhibited another feature of interest, viz. hanging 
 gardens, supported on successive rows of substantial arches,
 
 36 
 
 with a depth of soil sufficient to give root to the largest 
 trees, and containing a reservoir supplied with water from 
 the river by means of an engine ; and, from this reservoir the 
 gardens, on the successive terraces, were irrigated as occa- 
 sion might require. 
 
 There are other works of public utility which must not be 
 omitted, because they were subsequently, according to the 
 predetermined counsels of Providence, made instrumenta 
 to the capture and destruction of the city. A canal was cut 
 on the east side of the Euphrates in order to convey the 
 waters into the Tigris before they reached Babylon, in case 
 of the river overflowing its banks. This canal terminated 
 in an immense artificial lake, 160 miles in circumference 
 according to Herodotus, which had been constructed in order 
 to receive the waters of the river, while the embankments 
 were building on each side of it. It was subsequently pre- 
 served to check the overflowings of the river, and as a con- 
 venient reservoir for the irrigation of the surrounding 
 country. 
 
 After reading this meagre outline of the strength and 
 resources of Babylon, who could have foretold, unless 
 i nspired by the unerring prescience of the Almighty, that a 
 city so impregnable by nature and art, which could neither 
 be carried by storm nor reduced by famine, should have 
 fallen before the victorious arms of Cyrus by a simple stra- 
 tagem which the most ordinary precaution might obviously 
 have frustrated ! 
 
 But the inhabitants of Chaldea had sinned greatly against 
 the Lord ; they were guilty of idolatry, tyranny, covetous- 
 ness, and gross sensuality. Hence the indignation of the 
 Lord was " kindled" against them; and his holy prophets
 
 BABYLON. 37 
 
 were commissioned to foretell the entire and irremediable 
 destruction of their city. Isaiah and Jeremiah foretold that 
 it should be " as when God overthrew Sodom and Go- 
 morrah," that it should " never be dwelt in from gene- 
 ration to generation," that the " Arabian should not pitch 
 his tent there," that its houses should be full of " wild 
 beasts, of dragons, and of doleful creatures." And again, 
 " the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon her 
 in one day" "Bel shall bow down" all the "graven 
 images shall be broken unto the ground" " I will sweep it 
 with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts." 
 Nay even her destroyers are pointed out, " they come from 
 a far country, from the end of heaven; [Go up, O Elam (or 
 Persia) besiege, O Media] ;" their number, " a tumultuous 
 noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together;" 
 the principal instrument of vengeance is expressly named, 
 " Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my plea- 
 sure ;" even the mode of her destruction ; " I will dry up 
 thy rivers" and " open before him the two-leaved gates ;" 
 the terror inspired into her inhabitants, " the mighty men 
 of Babylon have forborne to fight" " they became as 
 women.'' " One post shall run to meet another, and one 
 messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon 
 that his city is taken at one end, and that the passages are 
 stopped." (Is. ch. xiii. xiv. xliv. xlv. xxi. xlvi. Jerem. 
 1. li.) 
 
 How signal was the accomplishment of all these pro- 
 phecies ! " Go up, O Elam (or Persia), besiege, O Media ;" 
 and we learn from Xenophon (lib. i.) that the kings of 
 Media and Persia entered into a confederacy against Baby- 
 lon. The prophets speak about the "assembly of great
 
 38 BABYLON. 
 
 nations from the north country ;" and we learn from the 
 same historian (lib. ii. iv.) that the Armenians, Hyrcanians, 
 Lydians, Phrygians, and Cappadocians were all induced or 
 compelled to join the invading army of Cyrus. The pro- 
 phet tells us that her enemies " shall hold the bow and the 
 lance," and " ride upon horses ;" and all historians inform 
 us, that the Persians were celebrated for their archers for 
 their numerous and excellent cavalry. " They set them- 
 selves in array against Babylon, every man put in array ;" 
 and Xenophon particularly describes to us the careful man- 
 ner in which Cyrus arranged his troops for the siege of the 
 city. " Their mighty men have forborne to fight," says the 
 prophet; and we learn from historians, that they never 
 sallied forth against the invaders and besiegers, but, being 
 possessed of provisions for twenty years, " they remained in 
 their holds." " I will dry up thy rivers," says the prophet ; 
 and from history we learn, that this was the stratagem by 
 which the city was taken. After Cyrus had spent two 
 whole years before the city, this following mode of taking 
 the city suggested itself to his mind. He sent a strong 
 detachment to the head of the canal leading to the great 
 lake, with orders, at a given time, to break down the great 
 bank which separated the canal from the lake, (already 
 mentioned,) and turn the whole current of the Euphrates, 
 into this immense reservoir. Troops were also stationed 
 where the river entered, and where it ran out of, the city, with 
 orders to march into the city along the bed of the river as 
 soon as it was fordable. 
 
 Other circumstances relating to the capture of the city are 
 also given by the prophets. " I will make their feasts, and 
 I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice and sleep
 
 a perpetual sleep, and not awake, saith the Lord." Histo- 
 rians tell us, that Cyrus chose, for the execution of his plan, 
 the time of a great annual Babylonish festival, when the whole 
 city was given up to merriment and revelling. Two bodies of 
 troops, commanded by Gobryas and Gadates, marched up 
 the bed of the river ; and finding all the gates left open in 
 consequence of the relaxed discipline and the riotous indul- 
 gences of that night, they penetrated, without opposition, 
 into the very heart of the city, surprised the guards, and took 
 possession of the palace. "One post did run to meet 
 another, and one messenger to meet another," is the lan- 
 guage of the prophet; and Herodotus (i. 191) informs us, 
 that such was the extent of the city, that those who lived in 
 the extremities were made prisoners, before any alarm was 
 communicated to the centre of the place. " God had num- 
 bered the kingdom and finished it ;" and thus, according 
 to the hand-writing on the wall, " was it divided and given 
 to the Medes and Persians." The drunken "slept a per- 
 tual sleep and did not awake." 
 
 Babylon was thus reduced to the rank of a tributary city. 
 Yet this was not the end of her calamity. She was taken a 
 second time by Darius, through a stratagem ; and Xerxes, 
 after his retreat from Greece, pillaged her temples. Alex- 
 ander the Great attempted to restore her to her former 
 eminence; but his designs were frustrated by his early 
 death. The city of Seleucia rose in the neighbourhood, and 
 drained Babylon of its inhabitants; whilst the kings of 
 Persia preferred Susa, Persepolis, or Ecbatana, as the seat 
 of empire. How applicable then the language of the pro- 
 phet : " Forsake her, and let us go every man unto his own
 
 40 
 
 country." Every age has witnessed the ravages and devas- 
 tation of this country. Cyrus and Darius, kings of Persia ; 
 Alexander the Great, and Seleucus, king of Assyria ; Trajan, 
 Severus, Julian, Heraclius, emperors of Rome the victo- 
 rious Omar, successor of Mahomet Holagou and Tamer- 
 lane, have all contributed to render Babylon, in the words of 
 the prophetic announcement, " a desolation among the 
 nations." 
 
 And what is the present condition of Babylon ? Does it 
 not harmonize with the prophetical records ? " A drought 
 is on her waters, and they shall be dried up, 1 ' says the pro- 
 phet ; and modern travellers (Buckingham, Mignan, Rich) 
 describe the country as " one wide desert of sandy and 
 barren soil, an " uncultivated waste," the sterile and wild 
 character of the whole scene, forming a contrast to the rich 
 and delightful accounts delineated in Scripture. " Her 
 cities are desolations," says the prophet ; and what says the 
 traveller ? The sites of some ancient cities can no longer be 
 discovered " etiam periere mints;" whilst with respect to 
 the magnificent Seleucia and Ctesiphon " as far as the eye 
 can reach, the horizon presents one unbroken line of 
 mounds" and ruins. The prophet declared that " it should 
 never be inhabited nor dwelt in from generation to genera- 
 tion ;" and travellers (Keppel, Mignan) inform us that it is 
 " a tenantless and desolate metropolis" " spurned alike by 
 the heel of the Ottomans, the Israelites, and the sons of 
 Ishmael.'' Agreeably with the declarations of the same 
 prophetic spirit, its caverns or " houses" are now "full of 
 doleful creatures," "the wild beasts of the field;" the "Ara- 
 bian does not pitch his tent there ;" the " sea is come up
 
 BABYLON. 
 
 upon Babylon," its ruins are inundated by the Euphrates ; 
 Babylon, "the glory of kingdoms, the excellency of the 
 Chaldees," has now become " utterly desolate." 
 
 We have said that even the "ruins of Babylon have 
 perished ;" and modern travellers inform us that the 
 relics of this imperial city can hardly be considered as en- 
 titled to the appellation of ruins, being nothing more than 
 huge masses of bricks and rubbish, " serving as quarries for 
 the construction of new cities." Even the very site of Baby- 
 lon has been established by Major Rennell from collateral 
 circumstances, such as its position on the Euphrates 
 its distance from Seleucia and Ctesiphon, and the character 
 of the surrounding country, rather than from any certain 
 indications on the spot. 
 
 An example or two, taken from the researches of travellers 
 who have visited this ancient city, will show how difficult it 
 is to identify the ruins of even the most celebrated structures 
 by which it was adorned. There are four remarkable mounds 
 of ruins which have attracted, at various times, the notice of 
 travellers. Three of these lie along the eastern bank of the 
 river. 1. The Amran, so named from a tradition of the son 
 of Ali having been buried in it. 2. Kasr, or the palace. 
 3. Mujelibe, a mile to the north of the Kasr, and about half- 
 a-mile from the river. 4. Birs Nimrod, on the western 
 bank of the river, and distant nearly ten miles from the 
 Mujelibe. The Amran, (which is 1,100 yards in length and 
 800 in breath, rising between 50 and 60 feet above the level 
 of the plain,) and the Kasr, are supposed by many travellers, 
 to be the remains of the imperial palace with its appendage 
 of the hanging gardens; whilst the Mujelibe has been con-
 
 42 BABYLON. 
 
 sidered by most as the representative of the tower of Belus, 
 one of the wonders of ancient Babylon. 
 
 Yet Mr. Rich, who has written two Memoirs on the ruins 
 of this city, conceives the Mujelibe to represent the hanging 
 gardens ; whilst one of his critics is disposed to consider it 
 as a sepulchral structure several of which are mentioned 
 in Babylonish history. Captain Mignan, who executed a 
 careful survey of the whole site of the city, is of opinion, that 
 the Birs Nimrod has no concern whatever with ancient 
 Babylon, and conceives it to have been merely an advanced 
 bastion of defence; whilst Rich maintains that the Birs 
 Nimrod, (notwithstanding its distance of ten miles from the 
 Mujelibe, and notwithstanding Herodotus' description of it 
 as being " in the centre/' i. e. of its respective division,*) 
 is no other than the tower of Belus being constructed in 
 receding stages ; pyramidal in form, and exhibiting " ma- 
 sonry infinitely superior to anything he had ever seen."f 
 Into the merit of such controversies, this is neither the time 
 nor the place to enter ; but to a mind disposed in any degree 
 to pay homage to Revelation, how forcibly must the reflec- 
 tion occur, that here at least the prophecy has been fulfilled 
 to the letter, and that Babylon has indeed been " swept with 
 the besom of destruction." 
 
 Such is the evidence, deducible from prophecy, in favour 
 
 * The city being divided by the Euphrates. Some interpret 
 the phrase " in the middle," not geometrically " in the centre," 
 but merely that it was fairly within the city and surrounded by 
 buildings ; in the same way as Westminster Abbey or Pall Mall 
 might be said to be in the heart or middle of London. 
 
 t Memoirs on the Ruins of Babylon, by Claudius James Rich, 
 Esq. London, 1815, 1818, 8vo. Mignan's Travels in Chaldea, 
 1829.
 
 of the inspired writings. Here is a chain of events extend- 
 ing from the earliest period of profane history down to the 
 present time the whole of which has been distinctly 
 shadowed forth in the volume of prophecy. These prophe- 
 cies, too, were uttered at the time when Babylon was in the 
 plenitude of her power and ambition when her hundred 
 gates still poured forth her warriors, and her towers and 
 battlements still seemed to frown defiance on an invading 
 foe. What then is the rational conclusion ? What but that 
 which is forced upon us in the language of Scripture 
 "The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it?" The fulfil- 
 ment of the prediction, in all its minuteness and peculi- 
 arity, shows that it was uttered by him who is able to 
 " declare the end from the beginning." Man may raise his 
 puny arm in the vain hope of thwarting the decrees of an 
 unerring Providence; but, his imaginations are vain, the 
 " counsel of the Lord standeth fast," and his " wisdom 
 endureth for ever." 
 
 D 2
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 PROPHECIES CONCERNING TYRE. 
 
 The Phenicians Sidon Commerce and Colonies of Tyre 
 Description by the Prophets Sins of the Tyrians Capture 
 of the city by Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander Fulfilment 
 of the Prophecies. 
 
 BEFORE we approach the prophecies respecting this an- 
 cient city, a few brief remarks may be premised in reference 
 to its commerce and the country of which it formed the 
 capital. 
 
 Phenicia was a narrow tract of country extending along 
 the coast of Syria from the river Eleutherus and the island 
 to Mount Carmel, a distance of about thirty-five geogra- 
 phical miles. When we consider its situation near the 
 /Egean sea, and that it was shut in to the east by the moun- 
 tains of Lebanon, which supplied materials for ship-building, 
 and above all, that it was inhabited by an industrious and 
 enterprising people, it need excite little surprise that we find 
 them, from the earliest period of history, addicted to com- 
 merce and navigation. At that early period the Phenicians 
 were the monopolists of foreign commerce ; they engrossed 
 the whole carrying trade by sea of the ancient world, in the
 
 4:, 
 
 same manner as the Dutch did that of Europe during the 
 fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. 
 
 The most ancient city of this country was Sidon, which, as we 
 learn from Joshua, was rich and powerful when the Israelites 
 took possession of Canaan. That, at a very early period, its 
 inhabitants were distinguished for their manufacturing skill, 
 we learn from Homer, who frequently alludes to " Sidonian 
 workmen," and " Sidonian garments," as objects of wonder 
 and admiration. It is probable that these garments were 
 superior to what could be produced in other countries, not 
 only in the fineness of their texture, but in the brilliance of 
 their colours ; for we know that the Sidonians, like their 
 descendants the Tynans, were celebrated for the perfection 
 which they had attained in the art of dyeing. At a sub- 
 sequent period the Tyrian purple was an object of admira- 
 tion to the ancient poets and historians. 
 
 Tyre is generally styled in Scripture " the daughter of 
 Sidon;" and according to Josephus, it was founded two hun- 
 dred and forty years before the building of Solomon's Tem- 
 ple. There might have existed a city of that name on the 
 same site, for a Tyre is mentioned by Joshua as the bound of 
 the tribe of Asher. But it did not attain to any commercial pre- 
 eminence until it was colonized and enlarged by the Sidoni- 
 ans. Ancient Tyre was built upon the continent ; but after 
 its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, it was rebuilt on a small 
 island contiguous to the shore. The ancient Tyre was 
 termed Palatyros, and the circumference of both was esti- 
 mated at about nineteen miles. 
 
 The manufactures, the commerce, and the colonies of Tyre, 
 excite our warmest admiration even at this distance of time. 
 Cloths of the finest purple the manufacture of glass, can--
 
 ings in wood and ivory, manufactures of jewellery, are all 
 spoken of as the products of Tyrian industry. But exten- 
 sive as their manufactures might be, their foreign commerce 
 gave them an unlimited command over the products and 
 luxuries of other countries. From Arabia Felix, they im- 
 ported, by their caravans, frankincense, myrrh, cassia, pre- 
 cious stones, and gold, which was probably supplied from 
 the opposite coast of Africa. " Arabia, and all the princes of 
 Kedar," says Ezekiel, " were the merchants of thy hand in 
 lambs and rams and goats." " The merchants of Sheba 
 and Raamah (in the Persian Gulf) occupied in thy fairs 
 with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones and 
 gold." " The sons of Dedan (in the Persian Gulf) were 
 thy merchants ; many distant lands were the merchandise 
 of thy hand ; they brought thee for a requital horns, ivory, 
 and ebony."* " Syria trafficked with thee by reason of the 
 multitudes of the wares of thy making ; they gave for thy 
 merchandise emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine 
 linen, and agate."f 
 
 With the hundred-gated Thebes in Egypt, and subse- 
 quently with Memphis, the Phenician commerce was of great 
 importance. Baalbec and Tadmor (or Palmyra) were ex- 
 pressly founded by Solomon, for the purpose of obtaining 
 a share in the traffic which the Phenicians carried on by 
 caravans through the Syrian desert, with Babylon, and the 
 interior of Asia. From their establishments on the Persian 
 and the Arabian gulfs, they extended their commercial inter- 
 course to the coasts of India and Africa, and the island of 
 Ceylon. 
 
 To the north, the Phenicians carried on an extensive com- 
 * Ezek. xxvii. t Ibid.
 
 TYRE. 47 
 
 merce with Ionia and the Greek colonies, with the Black 
 and Caspian Seas (Tubal and Meshech;) Armenia and 
 Cappadocia, (the "house of Togarmah,") " Javan, Tubal, 
 and Meschech, they were thy merchants ; they traded the 
 persons of men and vessels of brass in thy markets. They 
 of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses, 
 and horsemen, and mules." With the islands of the -'Egean 
 and the coasts of the Mediterranean the Phenicians main- 
 tained a constant intercourse, until the Greeks became a 
 rival power, and the fleets of Athens and Corinth rose into 
 importance. Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar, the Phe- 
 nician visited Tartessus, or Tarshish, on the south-western 
 coast of Spain. " Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of 
 the multitude of all kind of riches ; with silver, iron, tin, 
 and lead, they traded in thy fairs." * Not content with this, 
 these adventurous navigators entered the Atlantic ocean, 
 and proceeded to the Scilly islands, on the coast of Britain, 
 from whence they imported tin, and to the Baltic, from 
 whence they imported amber for the markets of Tyre. 
 
 Actuated by a desire of extending their commercial inter- 
 course rather than their dominion, the Phenicians were very 
 assiduous in the establishment of colonies and commercial set- 
 tlements. Crete, Cyprus, and numerous islands in the ^Egean 
 were colonized by the Phenicians. They effected settlements 
 in Sicily, Sardinia, and the Balearic islands, and they founded 
 Gades (Cadiz) on the coast of Spain. Not to mention the 
 coast of Asia Minor and the Black Sea, their colonies on the 
 northern coast of Africa, particularly Carthage, rivalled the 
 mother country in opulence and power, and disputed the palm 
 of superiority with Rome herself, the mistress of the world. 
 * Ezek. xxvii. 12.
 
 This brief outline of the commercial history' of Tyre, will 
 enable us to understand, with greater propriety, the allusions 
 of the prophets to its antiquity, magnificence, luxury, and 
 pride. " Is this your joyous city," says Isaiah, " whose anti- 
 quity is of ancient days ?"* And the same prophet, in refer- 
 ence to its commercial greatness, describes it as the " mart 
 of nations, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, 
 and whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth."f 
 Ezekiel enumerates the several cities and people who sup- 
 plied their contingents to the naval and military forces of the 
 Tyrians. " The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad (Aradus) 
 were thy mariners the ancients of Gebal (Byblus) and the 
 wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers they of Persia 
 and of Lud, (Lydia,) and of Phut, (in Africa,) were in thine 
 army, thy men of war ; the Gammadims (mountaineers of 
 Lebanon) were in thy towers ; they hanged their shields 
 upon thy walls round about ; they have made thy beaut}' 
 perfect/'^ Pride and vain-glorious ostentation might have 
 been expected as the natural results of such extraordinary 
 prosperity : " By thy great wisdom and thy traffic hast thou 
 increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of 
 thy riches." 
 
 As the history of pagan nations in the Old Testament is 
 generally considered in relation to God's chosen people the 
 punishments denounced against the Tyrians by the prophets 
 are all ascribed to the' cruel treatment which the Jews had 
 experienced at their hands. The prophet Joel charges the 
 Tyrians with selling the Jews into captivity. " The children 
 also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold 
 
 * Isaiah, xxiii. 7. t Ibid, xxiii. 38. 
 
 J Ezek. xxvii. 811. Ibid, xxviii.
 
 TYRE. 49 
 
 unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their 
 border."* Further, the prophet Amos charges the Tynans 
 with violating the treaty of amity that existed between 
 Hiram, king of Tyre, on the one hand, and David and 
 Solomon on the other ; for Hiram not only supplied Solomon 
 with timber for building the temple, but united with him in 
 establishing fleets on the Red Sea, for the prosecution of 
 commerce with the countries lying round the Indian seas 
 (Ophir). " Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions 
 of Tyrus and for four I will not turn away the punishment 
 thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to 
 Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant."^ 
 
 To these may be added, from Ezekiel, another cause of the 
 divine indignation the unfeeling and insulting triumph 
 which the Tyrians manifested at the capture of Jerusalem by 
 Nebuchadnezzar. " Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem Aha, 
 she is broken that was the gates of the people ; she is turned 
 unto me, I shall be replenished now she is laid waste." 
 
 As Tyre was twice taken, and the first and the second cap- 
 tures were equally the subject of prophecy, we shall consider 
 the two events separately, in order that the fulfilment of the 
 prophecies may be seen with greater distinctness. 
 
 The king, who should revenge the insolence and cruelty of 
 the Tyrians towards God's chosen people is mentioned ex- 
 pressly by name by Ezekiel: "Thus saith the Lord God, 
 Behold I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
 Babylon, a king of kings from the north, with horses and 
 with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much 
 people." And we learn from the Phenician historians, men- 
 tioned by Josephus, that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre 
 *Joeliii. 6. t Amos i. 9.
 
 50 TYRE. 
 
 during the time that Ithobal was king in that city. Isaiah 
 foretells that, under the pressure of this calamity, the Tyrians 
 would emigrate to the colonies which they had founded in 
 the islands and countries of the Mediterranean, (Chittim,) or 
 on the distant coasts of Spain (Tarshish.)* " The isles," 
 says Ezekiel, " that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy 
 departure ;"f and accordingly, we learn from the historians 
 that the Tyrians, when all hope of escape was cut off, went 
 on board their ships, and fled to Carthage or to some islands 
 of the Ionian and yEgean sea. 
 
 From profane historians we further learn that the city was 
 besieged for the space of thirteen years, and that Nebuchadnez- 
 zar was sadly disappointed when, upon entering the city, he 
 found that the Tyrians had removed all the valuables. The 
 historical description of Ezekiel certainly accords with these 
 statements : " Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Baby- 
 lon, caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus : 
 every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled ; 
 yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service 
 that he had served against it." J The prophets further inform 
 us that Tyre should not be restored for a period of seventy 
 years ; " And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre 
 shall be forgotten seventy years according to the days of one 
 king." We need hardly add that Tyre, as well as the other 
 countries subject to the Babylonians, would regain its in- 
 dependence when the Babylonian empire, after the lapse of 
 seventy years, was subverted by Cyrus, king of Persia. 
 
 It has been already observed that ancient Tyre was built 
 upon the continent, but the more modern was built inward 
 
 * Isaiah xxiii. 612. f Ezek. xxvi. 18. 
 
 J Ezek. xxix. 18. Isa. xxiii. 13.
 
 TYRE. 51 
 
 to the sea. Hence the prophetical exclamation, " Howl, ye 
 inhabitants of the isle ;"* and hence the prophetical denun- 
 ciation that the Tyrians should " die the deaths of them that 
 are slain in the midst of the seas/'f The mode in which 
 Alexander should take the city is predicted by the prophets : 
 " They shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in 
 the midst of the water/'}: Accordingly we learn from his- 
 tory that Alexander employed the ruins of old Tyre in con- 
 structing a mole which might connect the island with the 
 main land, and enable him to work his battering engines 
 with effect. The construction of this mole occupied him 
 seven months, and ultimately crowned his labours with 
 success. The city was taken and set on fire, and thus the 
 prophecy was fulfilled : " I mil bring forth a fire from the 
 midst of thee, it shall devour thee ; and I will bring thee 
 to ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all them that behold 
 thee." 
 
 The obstinate resistance of the Tyrians induced Alexander 
 to treat them with the greatest severity. Eight thousand 
 were slain in the storming of the city, two thousand were 
 crucified, and, notwithstanding the numbers secretly carried 
 away by the Sidonians, thirty thousand were sold into 
 slavery. How strikingly did the treatment of the Tyrians 
 by Alexander correspond to the treatment which the Jews 
 had experienced at their hands in similar circumstances ! 
 Thus says the prophet, " The children also of Judah and 
 the children of Jerusalem ye have sold ; Behold, I will return 
 your recompense upon your own head, and will sell your 
 sons and your daughters." || 
 
 * Ezek. xxvii. 32. t Ezek. xxviii. 8. J Ezek. xxvi. 12. 
 
 Ezek. xxviii. 18. || Joel iii. 68.
 
 Lastly the prophets foretell the total destruction of Tyre, 
 and that the site of this renowned emporium of commerce 
 should be frequented merely by fishermen. " I will make 
 thee like the top of a rock ; thou shalt be a place to spread 
 nets upon ; thou shalt be built no more ! for I the Lord have 
 spoken it, saith the Lord God."* The fulfilment of this 
 prophecy, as in the case of most other prophecies, was 
 gradual. It is very probable that Tyre had reached the 
 zenith of its greatness before its capture by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and though " it came to pass that after the end of seventy 
 years the Lord visited Tyre, and she again took up her harp 
 and made sweet melody,"f yet it may be doubted whether she 
 ever attained to her former magnificence. The second cap- 
 ture and destruction of the city by Alexander were still more 
 disastrous than the first. But fatal as this event was to the 
 prosperity of Tyre, it may be questioned whether she did 
 not suffer more severely from the foundation of Alexandria 
 by the conqueror than from her own subjugation, for within 
 the space of twenty years the commerce by which she had 
 hitherto been enriched, passed over to her rival at the mouth 
 of the Nile. 
 
 After the death of Alexander, Tyre frequently changed 
 masters without changing its condition, being at one time 
 under the dominion of the Ptolemies, kings of Egypt, and 
 at another under that of the Seleucidae, kings of Syria, till at 
 last she submitted, equally with her oppressors, to the sway 
 of the Romans. In the year 639 A. D., she was captured 
 by the Saracens ; retaken by the Christians during the cru- 
 sades 1124 A. D. ; and again wrested from the Christians 
 by the Mamelukes in 1189 A. D. From the Mamelukes 
 * Ezek. xxvi. 14. t Isa. xxiii. 16, 17.
 
 53 
 
 Tyre subsequently passed into the hands of the Turks, and 
 under their dominion it still continues. And what country 
 in Europe or Asia has not gone back in wealth, civilisation, 
 and even fertility of soil, which has once been trodden by the 
 heel of the Turkish oppressor ? 
 
 Such is the testimony which history bears to the fulfil- 
 ment of prophecy respecting this celebrated city. At the 
 time these prophecies were uttered Tyre was the first com- 
 mercial city of the world. She was inhabited by an indus- 
 trious and enterprising people, who had carried the useful 
 and elegant arts to a high degree of perfection ; her mer- 
 chantmen were to be found in every sea, and she had esta- 
 blished colonies in the most highly-favoured portions of the 
 then known world. From this extraordinary elevation the 
 prophets predict that she should be precipitated into utter 
 and irremediable ruin. The prophecy has been fulfilled, and 
 that to the very letter ; for all modern travellers agree in 
 the description given by Maundrell, that " the present in- 
 habitants are only a few poor wretches, harbouring themselves 
 in the vaults and subsisting chiefly upon fishing, who seem 
 to be preserved in this place by divine Providence, as a 
 visible argument how God has fulfilled his word concerning 
 Tyre, viz., that it should be as the top of a rock, a place for 
 fishers to dry their nets upon."* 
 
 * Maundrell's Journal, p. 48, 49.
 
 54 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE ARABS. 
 
 Description of Arabia Descent of the Arabs Prophecy con- 
 cerning Ishmael Character of his descendants The 
 Bedouins Caravans The inviolable independence of 
 Arabia. 
 
 ARABIA is a peninsula situated at the south-western ex- 
 tremity of Asia. It has the form of an irregular triangle, 
 and is washed on three sides by the Red Sea, the Indian 
 Ocean, and the Persian Gulf. Its length from the Indian 
 Ocean to the frontiers of Syria is about 1,430 miles, and its 
 breadth from the Isthmus of Suez to Bassora about 700 5 
 but its breadth increases as it approaches the Indian ocean, 
 and, from the straits of Babelmandel to the Persian Gulf, 
 cannot be less than 1,000 miles. This extensive region was 
 divided by the ancients into three divisions : 1 . Arabia 
 Petrcea* or the stony ; 2. Arabia Deserta, or the barren ; 
 and 3. Arabia Felix, or " Araby the blest." 
 
 The country may be generally described as a vast collec- 
 tion of rocky and precipitous mountains, encircled by a 
 border of low, barren, and sandy plains. The drought is 
 
 * From the greek word irerpa, a rock ; but others derive it, 
 from the town of Petra, a city built out of the rock.
 
 THE ARABS. 55 
 
 extreme, and the burning sands reflect the solar rays with 
 intense heat. As the country is hemmed in between the 
 continents of Asia and Africa, it is never refreshed by the 
 south-west monsoon,* which ushers in the periodical rains 
 on the coasts of India. On the other hand, it is frequently 
 visited by the simoom, or hot blast of the desert, which extracts 
 all moisture from vegetation, and produces in men and 
 animals the feeling of suffocation. The southern and moun- 
 tainous provinces of Yemen and Hadramaut, which form 
 the celebrated region of Arabia Felix, may be considered in 
 the light of exceptions ; they contain many extensive and 
 well-watered valleys, they yield balm and frankincense, and 
 are perfumed with the odours of numerous sweet-scented 
 trees and shrubs. 
 
 The Arabs, according to the testimony of the sacred writers, 
 as well as the uniform tradition current among themselves, 
 (which is confirmed by the rite of circumcision still practised 
 among them,) are descended from Ishmael the son of Abra- 
 ham by Hagar the Egyptian. The sacred historian informs 
 us that Abraham was influenced by the divine command to 
 accede to the wishes of Sarah, who was provoked by the 
 profane levity of Ishmael, viz. to " cast out the son of the 
 bondwoman in order that he might not be heir " with Isaac, 
 " the child of promise." The same predictions were re- 
 peated to Hagar on this occasion as were made to her when 
 she first fled from the face of her mistress, Sarah. "And 
 the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed 
 exceedingly that it shall not be numbered for multitude. Thou 
 shalt bear a son and call his name Ishmael. And he will be a 
 
 * A periodical wind, (frequently called a " trade wind,) which 
 blows in a certain direction during a certain season of the year.
 
 56 THE ARABS. 
 
 wild man ; his hand will be against every man and every man's 
 hand against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his 
 brethren." And again, " I will multiply him exceedingly and 
 make him a great nation." And the sacred historian further 
 informs us that " Ishmael dwelt in the wilderness and became 
 an archer. 
 
 The character of the Arabs in all ages has been fully con- 
 formable to the predictions we have quoted. Like the 
 ancient Scythians or the modern Tartars, they have ever lived 
 a life of pastoral simplicity and independence ; hence many 
 of their tribes are denominated by the ancients Scenita,* or 
 " dwellers in tents," and by the moderns Bedouins, i. e. 
 " sons of the desert." Thus uniting the character of shep- 
 herds and soldiers, they disdain the cultivation of the ground 
 as an occupation degrading to the pure Arab. Whether 
 in quest of pasturage or influenced by the change of seasons, 
 they are perpetually moving from place to place with their 
 cattle, and transporting their dwellings along with them. 
 How true, therefore, is the prediction respecting the de- 
 scendants of Ishmael, (for Ishmael is here addressed as the 
 representative of his posterity,) " He shall be a wild man," 
 for he still " scorneth the multitude of the city," and the 
 " range of the mountains is his pasture ;" " he still maketh 
 his house the wilderness, and the barren land his dwelling." 
 (Job xxxix. 5.) 
 
 We are further informed, that " his hand shall be against 
 every man, and every man's hand against him ;" and from the 
 concurring testimony of ancient historians and modern tra- 
 vellers, we learn that the Arabs have ever been addicted to 
 violence and plunder. The Bedouins, mounted on horses 
 * From the greek word /nriji/Tj, a tent.
 
 THE ARABS. 57 
 
 and camels, are continually armed with a lance, sabre, and a 
 matchlock, ready for any marauding excursion; and tra- 
 vellers inform us that no more flattering appellation can be 
 bestowed upon an Arabian youth, than that of " robber." 
 They plunder friend and foe indiscriminately ; and though 
 hospitality is a sacred duty, yet it springs from superstition ; 
 for they make no scruple of robbing the same individual in the 
 wilderness who would remain unmolested in their tent. 
 When engaged in a plundering expedition of ten or twelve 
 days' journey, they are mounted on camels, (which carry a 
 provision of food and water,) in order that the horses may 
 be fresh and vigorous at the moment of attack ; for whether 
 in pursuit, or pursued himself, the Arab wholly relies on the 
 quality of his horse, whose "breed" is carried to the highest 
 perfection, and preserved with the most scrupulous purity. 
 
 Hence, in order to protect themselves and their property 
 during their journeys through the desert, the merchants 
 form themselves into caravans or travelling associations. The 
 great Syrian caravan, which Burckhardt saw at Mecca in 1814, 
 consisted of 15,000 camels. This caravan, which sets out 
 from Constantinople, and collects pilgrims and traders in its 
 passage through Anatolia and Syria, generally remains at 
 Damascus three or four weeks in order to prepare for a jour- 
 ney of thirty days across the desert. When all is ready, the 
 Pacha of Damascus, or one of his chief officers, puts himself 
 at the head of it. On its route across the desert, where 
 marauding Arabs are always on the alert, a troop of horse 
 ride in front and another in rear, to bring up the stragglers. 
 The different parties of travellers who are distinguished by 
 their provinces or towns, keep close together, and each party 
 knows its proper station. (Travels in Arabia, p. 138.)
 
 58 THE ARABS. 
 
 Such is the description given by travellers, and what more 
 convincing testimony can we have than this military organi 
 zation, on the part of peaceable and peaceloving merchants, 
 to prove that the Arabs still retain the ferocious character 
 ascribed to Ishmael. "He shall be a wild man; his hand will 
 be against every man, and every man's hand against him. 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding this hostile character of the Arab 
 tribes, rendering them peculiarly obnoxious to the surround- 
 ing nations, it is nevertheless true that they still retain the 
 inheritance of Ishmael, and " dwell in the presence of all 
 their brethren." Amidst all the vicissitudes of conquest they 
 still maintain their original independence. Sesostris, the great 
 Egyptian warrior, drew a line from Heliopolis (or On) to 
 Pelusium,in order to protect Egypt from their incursions. 
 They co-operated as auxiliaries with Belesis and Arbaces, 
 in overturning the Assyrian empire. Herodotus* expressly 
 informs us, that " the Persians never reduced the Arabs to 
 the condition of subjects, and that their occupation of Egypt 
 was owing to the Arabs permitting them a passage." (iii. 88.) 
 They refused to send ambassadors even to Alexander, the 
 conqueror of Asia ; and his premature death prevented him 
 from attempting their reduction. 
 
 The northern provinces, bordering on Syria, were invaded 
 by Antigonus, and afterwards by Pompey, though they never 
 succeeded in acquiring possession of Petra, the stronghold 
 of the country. In the reign of Augustus, ^Elius Gallus 
 invaded Arabia with a force of 10,000 troops; but fatigue 
 and disease compelled him to retreat, and he brought back 
 
 * Those who wish to see the historical authorities quoted more 
 at length, may consult Bishop Newton on the Prophecies.
 
 THE ARABS. 59 
 
 the remnants of his army to Alexandria, after an absence of 
 two years. Northern Arabia was also invaded by the Empe- 
 rors Trajan and Severus ; but they effected no settlement in 
 the country. Even after the dissolution of the Arab empire, 
 which, under the successors of Mahomet, " had advanced 
 to the banks and sources of the Tigris and Euphrates, and 
 confounded the long-disputed barrier between Rome and 
 Persia" we still find the Arabs maintaining their indepen- 
 dence against the Tartars, Mamelukes, and Turks. In vain 
 has the invader vanquished them in the field. They fled from 
 his pursuit on their horses and camels, and quickly disap- 
 peared in the burning desert, whither no army ever dared 
 follow them. Thus, this unconquered and unconquerable race, 
 forms a living comment on the prophetic declaration of Scrip- 
 ture; they retain their primitive character of ferocity and in- 
 dependence ; and though their "hand is against every man," 
 they still "dwell in the presence of their brethren" 
 
 It would be easily to illustrate or confirm all that has been 
 advanced here on the character, manners, and political condi- 
 tion of the Arabs, by the testimony of modern travellers. 
 Mr. Stephens, who travelled through Arabia Petraea, in the 
 year 1836, might be adduced on every point which can be con- 
 sidered necessary to elucidate the fulfilment of the prophecy 
 respecting the ferocious aspect, the predatory habits, and the 
 political independence of the Arabs. "One who has never 
 met an Arab in the desert," observes this lively writer, "can 
 have no conception of his terrible appearance. The worst 
 pictures of the Italian bandits or Greek mountain robbers I 
 ever saw are tame in comparison. I have seen the celebrated 
 Gasperini, who ten years ago kept in terror the whole coun- 
 try between Rome and Naples, and who was so strong as to 
 
 E2
 
 60 THE ARABS. 
 
 negotiate and make a treaty with the pope. I saw him sur- 
 rounded by nearly twenty of his comrades, and when he 
 told me he could not remember how many murders he had 
 committed, he looked civil and harmless compared with a 
 Bedouin of the desert. The swarthy complexion of the lat- 
 ter, his long beard, his piercing coal-black eyes, half-naked 
 figure, an enormous sword slung over his back, and a rusty 
 matchlock in his hand, make the best figure for a painter I 
 ever saw."* To the predatory habits, and to the rapacious 
 avarice of the Bedouin, Mr. Stephens, in several parts of his 
 work, bears an unvarying testimony. " I never saw any- 
 thing like the expression of face with which a Bedouin looks 
 upon silver or gold. When he asks for bucksheesh, (i. e. a 
 " gratuity" or " tribute,") and receives the glittering metal, 
 his eyes sparkle with wild delight, his fingers clutch it with 
 eager rapacity, and he skulks away like the miser, to count 
 it over alone, and hide it from all other eyes."f 
 
 If the preceding extracts be sufficient to show that the 
 modern Arab still retains the character predicted in Scrip- 
 ture prophecy, " He shall be a wild man his hand against 
 every man" the following extract will also prove that not- 
 withstanding " every man's hand is against him," he still 
 continues to retain his political independence, and " dwell in 
 the presence of all his brethren." "About noon," observes 
 Mr. Stephens, "we came to an irregular stone fence, run- 
 ning across the valley, and extending up the sides nearly to 
 the top of the adjacent mountains, built as a wall by the 
 Bedouins of Sinai during the war with the Pacha of Egypt. 
 
 Stephens's Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia Petr3ea,and 
 the Holy Land, chap. vi. 
 
 f Incidents of Travel, &c. chap. xxv.
 
 THE ARABS. 61 
 
 Among the strong and energetic measures of his government, 
 Mehemet Ali had endeavoured to reduce these children of the 
 desert under his iron rule ; to subject them to taxes like his 
 subjects of the Nile, and, what was worse, to establish his 
 oppressive system of military conscription. But the free 
 spirit of the untameable Arabs could not brook this invasion 
 of their independence. They plundered his caravans, drank 
 his best Mocha coffee, devoured his spices from Arabia and 
 India, and clothed themselves and their wives in the rich 
 silks intended for the harems of the wealthy Turks. Hassan 
 Bey was sent against them with 2,500 men; 400 Bedouins 
 defended the pass for several days, when craftily permitting 
 him to force his way to the convent of Mount Sinai, the tribes 
 gathered in force between him and the Red Sea, and held 
 him there a prisoner until a treaty of perpetual amity was 
 ratified by the Pacha, by which it was agreed that the Pacha 
 should not invade their territory, and that they would be his 
 subjects, provided he would not call upon them for duties, or 
 soldiers, or indeed for anything which should abridge their 
 natural freedom."* 
 
 * Incidents of Travel, &c. chap.xv.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING EGYPT. 
 
 Description of Egypt Early history Bondage of the Israel- 
 ites Subjugation by Nebuchednezzar By the Persians 
 Macedonians Romans Saracens Mamelukes Turks- 
 Present condition. 
 
 EGYPT, one of the most ancient and remarkable countries 
 in the world, consists of a long and narrow valley, which 
 follows the course of the Nile from the cataracts of Assouan, 
 (the ancient Syene,) to the city of Cairo ; and of a triangular 
 tract of territory enclosed by the Nile, (which divides into 
 two large branches below Cairo,) and termed from its shape 
 the Delta A. The whole length of the tract from Assouan to 
 the extremity of the Delta is about 450 geographical miles ; 
 whilst the mean width of the valley between Assouan 
 and Cairo averages about nine miles. 
 
 This country, subsequently known by the name of Egypt, 
 frequently occurs in Scripture under the title of Mitzraim, 
 supposed to be derived from Matzor, a "fortress;" the 
 valley of Upper Egypt being considered a natural fortifica- 
 tion. It also occurs under the title of the " Land of Cham." 
 Anciently it was divided into three parts, namely, Upper
 
 Egypt, called the Thebaid because Thebes was its capital ; 
 Middle Egypt, called the Heptanomis or " Seven Govern- 
 ments ;" and Lower Egypt or the Delta, extending to the 
 Mediterranean. 
 
 At a very early period Egypt appears to have been invaded 
 by a pastoral people from Arabia, who were called Hycsos, or 
 king-shepherds. Notwithstanding the ultimate expulsion 
 of these barbarous invaders, and the restoration of the Pha- 
 raohs their cruelty left an indelible impression upon the 
 minds of the conquered ; and from this historical circum- 
 stance, an explanation has sometimes been drawn why 
 " every shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians."* 
 
 Under the dominion of the Pharaohs, and particularly of 
 Sesostris, Egypt attained the zenith of its greatness, hav- 
 ing extended its conquests over the fairest portion of the 
 then known world, whilst her territory was covered with 
 cities and temples, such as the world has never yet surpassed, 
 and enriched with every luxury that either commerce or 
 conquest could supply. The country was divided into thirty- 
 six provinces or governments, and the population amounted 
 to between five and seven millions. This population was 
 divided into four different orders or gradations : 1 . The 
 sacerdotal caste, which included all who were connected with 
 the civil administration, the cultivation of the sciences, as 
 well as the celebration of public worship. 2. The military 
 caste, whence levies were raised to maintain the Egyptian 
 army at its war-complement of 180,000 men. 3. The 
 agricultural caste, who were occupied in the cultivation of 
 the land ; and 4. The industrious caste, including merchants, 
 artisans, &c., whose enterprise and skill exalted Egypt to 
 the first rank among the commercial nations of antiquity. 
 * Gen. xlvi. 34.
 
 It has been already remarked that the fate of pagan na- 
 tions, whose prophetic history is recorded in the Old Testa- 
 ment, is always viewed in reference to their treatment of 
 God's chosen .people, the Jews. The connexion of the Jews 
 with the Egyptians, ascends to a period as remote as that of 
 the patriarchal age. For the space of more than 400 years, 
 the Israelites were in a state of the most abject servitude, 
 subject to every oppression and indignity which the inge- 
 nious cruelty of their Egyptian task-masters could suggest. 
 It is true, however, that notwithstanding this long-conti- 
 nued oppression, and the perfidy which marked its closing 
 scene, (for though the Egyptians gave them leave to depart* 
 they still pursued them as fugitives ;) it is true, notwithstand- 
 ing, that the Jews were ever disposed to form treaties and 
 conclude alliances with this perfidious people. And this 
 they did in opposition to the denunciations of the prophets, 
 who declared Egypt to be a " broken reed, whereon if a man 
 lean, it will go into his hand and pierce it."* 
 
 The first subjugation of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, king 
 of Babylon, is predicted by the prophets Jeremiah and 
 Ezekiel. By the latter, the conquest of Egypt is promised 
 to Nebuchadnezzar as a compensation for the labour which 
 he had undergone in the siege of Tyre, and the disappoint- 
 ment which he and his army had experienced when they 
 found that the Tyrians had removed all that was valuable 
 from the city, previous to its capture. " Nebuchadnezzar, 
 king of Babylon," says the prophet, " caused his army to 
 serve a great service against Tyrus : every head was made 
 bald and every shoulder was peeled ; yet had he no wages 
 nor his army for Tyrus, for the service he had served 
 * Isaiah xxxvi. 6.
 
 against it. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold I 
 will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar, and he 
 shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her 
 prey, and it shall be the wages for his array."* 
 
 Though ancient historians are not express on this point 
 yet sufficient might be gathered from them to show that 
 Nebuchadnezzar extended his conquest to Egypt and re- 
 duced all the country to subjection as far as the gates of 
 Pelusium. "Nebuchadnezzar," says Josephus, "having 
 subdued Crele-Syria, waged war against the Ammonites and 
 Moabites ; and, having conquered them, he invaded Egypt, 
 and slew the king who then reigned and appointed ano- 
 ther.'^ It is probable that the Egyptian king, durinf 
 whose reign this calamity occurred, was Pharaoh Hophra 
 the Apries of profane historians who, we read, was given u 
 by his successor Amasis to his relentless enemies. " Thu 
 saith the Lord, Behold I will give Pharaoh Hophra, king c 
 Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand o 
 them that seek his life."]: We learn from ancient histori- 
 ans, that Nebuchadnezzar carried some of his Egyptian 
 captives to Babylon, and transplanted others to the right 
 bank of the Pontus an exact fulfilment of the prophecy in 
 Ezekiel, " I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, 
 and will disperse them through the countries." The 
 prophet further declares that their " cities shall be desolate 
 forty years ;" and though it may be difficult to prove this 
 from the loss of ancient records, yet it is highly probable 
 that Egypt regained its independence in the time of Cyrus, 
 i. e. about forty years after its conquest by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar. 
 
 * Ezek. xxix. 18, 19. t Antiq. lib. 10, c. 9. 
 
 Jerem. xliv. 30. Ezek. xxix. 12.
 
 The second subjugation of Egypt was effected by Cam- 
 byses, king of Persia. It might be difficult to distinguish 
 with accuracy what prophecies appertained to the Babylo- 
 nian, and what to the Persian conquest. As prophecies 
 respecting nations have several stages of fulfilment, it is 
 probable, that the fulfilment was more complete in the 
 Persian than the Babylonish invasion. "Behold," says 
 Isaiah, " the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come 
 into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his 
 presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of 
 it.''* And again, in Ezekiel, " Thus saith the Lord God, 
 I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to 
 cease out of Noph."f (Memphis.) 
 
 From the loss of historical records, it might be difficult to 
 prove the fulfilment of these predictions in the Babylonian 
 conquest, though nothing can be more probable ; but, be- 
 yond all question, they received a strict fulfilment in the 
 conquest of Cambyses. If we believe the concurring testi- 
 mony of historians, " never was conquest more complete, 
 desolation more universal, or tyranny more fierce and un- 
 relenting. It was the very frenzy of barbarous fanaticism 
 let loose, like some evil spirit long kept in chains under 
 darkness, to destroy the monuments of the proudest civi- 
 lisation which the world had ever yet seen, and which in 
 some of its characteristics had far distanced all future rivalry. 
 But what was accounted by the superstitious portion of the 
 people more grievous than all the rest, the sacred bull Apis 
 was slain, and his pnests were ignominiously scourged; 
 treatment which inspired the whole nation with an unex- 
 tinguishable hatred of the Persians. A similar spirit of 
 vengeance dictated the attempt to seize the consecrated 
 Isaiah six. 1. t Ezek. xxx. 13.
 
 EGYPT. 67 
 
 temple of Jupiter Ammon, situated in the great Oasis ; an 
 attempt which caused Cambyses the loss of half his army 
 and produced dissatisfaction among the remainder." Surely 
 the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in the Persian invasion : 
 " And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a 
 cruel lord ; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the 
 Lord, the Lord of hosts."* 
 
 The predictions, however, of the prophets respecting 
 Egypt, do not refer merely to the Babylonian and Persian 
 invasions but embrace its condition from that period to the 
 present. Ezekiel foretells that " Egypt shall be the basest 
 of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the 
 nations; for J will diminish them, that they shall no more rule 
 over the nations."f And again, "I will sell the land into the 
 hand of the wicked, and I will make the land waste, and all 
 that is therein, by the hands of strangers ; and there shall be 
 no more a prince of the land of Egypt" A brief historical 
 review of the condition of Egypt subsequent to the inva- 
 sion of Nebuchadnezzar, will show to what extent the testi- 
 mony of historical records confirms the truth of the pre- 
 dictions of Scripture. 
 
 From the following passage of Megasthenes, a heathen 
 historian, we may infer that Nebuchadnezzar not merely in- 
 vaded and conquered Egypt, but held it in permanent sub- 
 jection. " When Nebuchadnezzar heard of the death of his 
 father, having settled his affairs in Egypt, and committed 
 the captives whom he took in Egypt to the care of some of 
 his friends to bring them after him, he hasted directly to 
 Babylon."! The historical records of this period have 
 perished ; but surely this brief reference to the " settlement 
 * Isaiah xix. 4. f Ezek. xxix. 14, 15. 
 
 Ap. Josep. Antiq. 1. x, c. 11.
 
 rs 
 
 of his affairs in Egypt" implies that Nebuchadnezzar had 
 been employed in making arrangements for the permanent 
 government of the country such as the appointment of 
 governors, fixing the amount of tribute, whilst the Egyptian 
 captives taken to Babylon were probably regarded as secu- 
 rities for the allegiance of their countrymen. 
 
 When the Persian empire succeeded to the Babylonian, 
 the condition of Egypt undenvent no amelioration. She 
 changed masters indeed, but did not achieve her indepen- 
 dence ; nor does she appear to have enjoyed this enviable 
 state of freedom during the briefest interval between the fall 
 of the Babylonian empire, and the full establishment of the 
 Persian. From the account of Herodotus, wh relates the 
 circumstance of Cyrus, demanding from Amasis, king of 
 Egypt, the best physician belonging to the palace, and of 
 Cambyses, demanding the daughter of Amasis, not for a 
 wife but a mistress it might almost be concluded that 
 Egypt was then tributary to the Persians ; and that the in- 
 vasion of Cambyses was intended to reduce an insurgent 
 province rather than to add a fresh conquest to the Persian 
 empire. It need not be denied that the Egyptians revolted 
 against the dominion of the Persians at various periods sub- 
 sequent to the invasion of Cambyses as in the reign of Darius 
 son of Hystaspes on the death of Xerxes in the reigns 
 of Darius Nothus and Artaxerxes Mnemon ; but still they 
 were never able to shake off permanently the Persian yoke. 
 " The chiefs, who headed these insurrections, gained partial 
 successes, and for a brief space even freed their country 
 from servitude ; but their generous efforts were soon ex- 
 hausted against the constantly increasing power of the 
 Persian empire, and the expected deliverance was not 
 achieved."
 
 EGYPT. 69 
 
 Upon the overthrow of the Persian empire by Alexander, 
 Egypt experienced another change of dominion, and fell into 
 the hands of the Macedonian conqueror. Upon the death 
 of Alexander, the empire which he won by conquest was 
 divided among his surviving generals ; and Egypt, together 
 with Libya and that part of Arabia which borders on 
 Egypt were assigned to Ptolemy Lagus. Ptolemy Lagus, 
 though nominally governor for Alexander's son by Roxana, 
 soon vindicated the government of that section of the Mace- 
 donian empire for himself and his successors. Though Egypt 
 attained to considerable splendour under the dominion of 
 the Ptolemies, yet it was to the Greek emperors who sat on 
 the throne, and to the Greek residents in the country, and 
 not to the native population, that she was indebted for the 
 revival of her scientific fame and her commercial greatness. 
 
 After the fall of Carthage, the Roman power began to 
 extend itself in the east ; and the dismembered fragments of 
 the Macedonian empire gradually submitted either by 
 treaty or by conquest to its invincible legions. At first 
 called in as arbiters by the contending parties, the Romans 
 neglected no opportunity of extending their influence ; and 
 that influence became supreme upon the death of Cleopatra, 
 with whom ended the line of Greek sovereigns, after having 
 governed Egypt for the space of two hundred and ninety 
 years. From that period Egypt was reduced to the form 
 of a Roman province, and its history belongs to the general 
 history of the empire. 
 
 Though occasionally disturbed by partial insurrections, 
 Egypt continued under the dominion of the Romans for the 
 space of nearly seven hundred years, (from 30 B.C. to 640 
 A.D.,) until the dissolution of that empire exposed it to the
 
 70 EGYPT. 
 
 fury of a fresh conquest and more implacable masters. A 
 new race of conquerors now appeared, combining religious 
 fanaticism with martial ardour, and esteeming it the first of 
 duties and the most glorious of privileges to propagate their 
 religion by the sword. Their leader was Mahomet, em- 
 phatically designated the " prophet" of God ; and the reve- 
 lations which were communicated to him from heaven as the 
 guide of his conduct, were committed to writing in the 
 Koran. In the reign of the Caliph Omar, the Saracens, 
 under the command of his able and politic general, Amru 
 Ebn-el-As rendered themselves masters of Egypt by the 
 capture of Pelusium and Alexandria. During this invasion 
 the famous Alexandrian library was destroyed by the fero- 
 cious followers of the prophet. Mahommedism now occu- 
 pied the place of Christianity the crescent rose in splendour 
 over the cross ; and Egypt continued under the government 
 of the Caliphs and Sultans till about the year of Christ 
 1250. 
 
 Upon the termination of the Saracen dominion in Egypt, 
 this unfortunate country became a still " baser kingdom" 
 for it was now governed by the Mamelukes, a race of slaves. 
 The history of this race took its rise in the preceding 
 century, during the reign of the renowned Saladin, (1175 
 1193, A.D.) This ambitious Sultan, being originally an 
 usurper, was naturally induced to place no confidence in the 
 native troops or the fidelity of his subjects ; and accordingly 
 he surrounded his person with a body-guard of foreigners 
 chiefly composed of slaves that had been purchased or made 
 captives in the provinces bordering on the western shores of 
 the Caspian. In the year 1250 A.D., these mercenaries 
 deposed the reigning Sultan and elected one out of their own
 
 EGYPT. 71 
 
 number to ascend the vacant throne. By this revolution 
 Egypt was plunged into still deeper barbarism ; for science 
 and civilisation had, to a considerable extent, been pro- 
 moted by the Saracens. " If you consider the whole time, 1 ' 
 observes an Arabic author, " that the Mamelukes possessed 
 the kingdom, especially that which was nearer the end, you 
 will find it filled with wars, battles, injuries, and rapines."* 
 The dominion of the Mamelukes in Egypt lasted upwards of 
 250 years, commencing with their first sultan Ibeg, A.D. 
 1250, and terminating with Tuman Bey, 1517, A.D. 
 
 The dissolution of the power and dynasty of the Mame- 
 lukes was effected by the Turkish sultan Selim, who de- 
 feated them in several engagements. The city of Cairo was 
 taken ; thirty thousand prisoners were beheaded on the 
 banks of the Nile, and Tuman Bey himself paid the forfeit 
 of his life. From that period to the present Egypt has con- 
 tinued under the Turkish sway ; and, notwithstanding all 
 its internal revolutions, it still remains subject to foreign 
 dominion. 
 
 Egypt, at present, is under the immediate government of 
 Mehemet Ali, who acts as the viceroy of the Sultan. With- 
 in the last few years it appeared highly probable that this 
 Albanian adventurer would have been able to effect his in- 
 dependence. By the battle of Damascus the fate of Syria 
 was decided ; and by the battle of Koniah, Constantinople 
 itself would have fallen into the hands of the victorious 
 Pacha, unless a Russian army, at the solicitation of the 
 Sultan, had appeared in the vicinity of Constantinople, and 
 a Russian fleet at anchor in the Bosphorus. This state of 
 affairs continued for several years, until the European powers, 
 * Pococke, Supplem. p. 31.
 
 72 EGYPT. 
 
 with the exception of France, resolved, by the treaty of 
 July, (1840,) to reduce the Pacha of Egypt to his ancient 
 territorial limits, and to strict obedience to the Sultan. 
 This treaty was carried into effect by the operations of a 
 British squadron on the coast of Syria; and, after the 
 capture of Beyrout, Sidon, and the storming of St. Jean 
 d'Acre, the Pacha was ultimately obliged to evacuate 
 Syria and confine himself within the limits of Egypt. He 
 pays a fixed tribute to the Ottoman Porte ; and the vice- 
 royalty is hereditary in his descendants, if the conditions of 
 allegiance be strictly fulfilled. 
 
 Such is the testimony which history bears to the reality 
 of prophetic inspiration. " It is now more than 3,000 
 years," observes a modern traveller, " since the curse went 
 forth against the land of Egypt. The Assyrian, the Persian, 
 the Greek, the Roman, the Arabian, the Georgian, the 
 Circassian, and the Ottoman Turk, have successively trodden 
 it down, and trampled upon it ; for thirty centuries the foot 
 of a stranger has been upon the necks of her inhabitants ; 
 and in bidding farewell to this once favoured land, now 
 lying in the most abject misery and degradation, groaning 
 under the iron rod of a tyrant and a stranger, I cannot 
 help recurring to the inspired words, the doom of prophecy : 
 "It shall be the basest of the kingdoms, neither shall it 
 exalt itself any more among the nations ; and there shall be 
 no more a prince of the land of Egypt."* 
 
 * Stephen's Incidents of Travel in Egypt, &c., c. 12.
 
 73 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE JEWS. 
 
 Babylonish captivity Dissolution of the kingdom of Israel 
 Invasion of the Romans Miseries of the siege of Jerusa- 
 lem Destruction of the city and temple Jews carried into 
 Egypt Subsequent fate of Jerusalem Dispersion of the 
 Jews Their persecutions. 
 
 IN the present chapter we will devote our attention to a 
 consideration of some of those remarkable events relating to 
 the history of the Jews which have been the subject of pro- 
 phetic inspiration. 
 
 In the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 
 and in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king 
 of Judah* it was predicted that the ten tribes of Israel 
 should be carried into captivity by the kings of Assyria, and 
 the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin by the 
 king of Babylon. And not only the captivity, but the dura- 
 tion of that captivity, was predicted by the prophets. "Thus 
 saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at 
 Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word towards 
 you, in causing you to return to this place. "f Now comput- 
 * Jerem. xxv. 1. t Ibid xxix. 10. 
 
 F
 
 74 THE JEWS. 
 
 ing from the year in which Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judea, 
 and captured Jerusalem the term of seventy years will bring 
 us to the first year of Cyrus, in which that emperor issued 
 his celebrated proclamation for the restoration of the Jews 
 and the rebuilding of the temple.* 
 
 But this restoration did not affect, to any great extent, the 
 ten tribes of Israel, being confined principally to the two 
 tribes of Judah and Benjamin. And this again was the subject 
 of prophecy. "Within threescore and five years shall 
 Ephraim, (i. e., the ten tribes of Israel,) be broken that it be 
 not a people."f This prophecy was delivered in the first 
 year of Ahaz, king of Judah, and the term of sixty- five 
 years computed from that period, will bring us down, through 
 the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah, to the twenty-second year 
 of Manasseh. Now it was in this very year that Esharhad- 
 don, king of Assyria, not only completed the deportation of 
 the last remnant of the ten tribes of Israel, but " brought men 
 from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Hava, and from 
 Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities 
 of Samaria instead of the children of Israel."! 
 
 Now without asserting that none of the ten tribes returned 
 from the captivity with the two tribes of Benjamin and 
 Judah, yet it is certain that the great bulk remained in the 
 land of the conquerors that those who did return never re- 
 gained their political importance, but lost the name of Israel as 
 a name of distinction ; or, to use the language of the prophet, 
 Ephraim was "broken," so as to be " no more a people." And 
 this political destructionof the ten tribes may be tracedto their 
 
 * 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22 ; Ezrai. 1. Other computations are given, 
 but they terminate in the same result. 
 
 t Isaiah vii. 8. J Ezra iv. 210 ; 2 Kin^s xvii. 24.
 
 THE JEWS. 75 
 
 total revolt from God to the worship of the golden calves in 
 Dan and Bethel ; whilst, on the other hand, the promise of 
 the Messiah to the tribe of Judah rendered it necessary that 
 the families of that tribe should be preserved distinct in 
 order to show the fulfilment of the prophecies. 
 
 We shall now proceed to advert to those circumstances 
 predicted relative to the capture of Jerusalem at different 
 periods, and its final destruction by the Romans the subse- 
 quent dispersion of the Jews and the desolation of their 
 country. 
 
 In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses, foreseeing 
 the disobedience of the Jews, "that they would utterly cor- 
 rupt themselves" predicts the most signal calamities as a 
 punishment for their transgressions. "The Lord shall bring 
 a nation against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, as 
 swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt 
 not understand.''* This prediction, though true of the 
 Chaldeans, (who are spoken of by Jeremiah, f as a " nation 
 whose language thou dost not understand, and swifter than 
 the eagles of heaven,") was still more true with regard to 
 the Romans. More truly might they be said to come " from 
 the end of the earth ;" and more truly might they be com- 
 pared to eagles, not only on account of the rapidity of 
 their conquests, but because the eagle was the national 
 standard of the Romans. Further, they are described as a 
 " nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the 
 person of the old, nor show favour to the young." True of 
 the Chaldeans, " who had no compassion upon young man 
 or maiden, old man or him that stooped for age,"| it was 
 * Deut. xxviii. 49. f Ibid v. 15 ; Lament, iv. 19. 
 
 2 Chron.xxxvi. 17. 
 
 F 2
 
 THE JK1VS. 
 
 equally true of the Romans, for Josephus informs us that 
 at Gadara, as well as other places, "the Romans showed 
 mercy to no age, out of hatred to the nation, and remem- 
 brance of their former injuries."* 
 
 Jerusalem was strongly fortified both by nature and by 
 art yet it was captured at no less than six different periods, 
 by Shishak, king of Egypt ; by Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
 Babylon; by Antiochus Epiphanes, by Pompey, by Socius 
 and Herod, and finally by Titus. Moses predicts that the 
 Jews, during the siege, should suffer severely from famine 
 " in the straitness wherewith their enemies should distress 
 them;"f that the "man's eye shall be evil towards his 
 brother, and towards the wife of his bosom, and towards his 
 children, because he hath nothing left him in the siege." 
 And accordingly we learn from Josephus, that during the 
 siege of Jerusalem by Titus, " in every house, if there ap- 
 peared any semblance of food, a battle ensued, and the dear- 
 est friends and relations fought with one another, snatching 
 away themiserable provisions of life/' J And Moses predicted 
 that the famine would be so extreme, "that the tender and 
 delicate woman should eat her children for want of all things, 
 secretly ;" and this prediction, as it was fulfilled at an earlier 
 period, so also was it fulfilled, as we learn from Josephus, 
 in the memorable siege of Titus. || 
 
 Inhis prophecies respecting Jerusalem, our Saviour predicts 
 the appearance of false Christs and false prophets, famines, 
 earthquakes, wars and rumours of wars, " fearful sights and 
 great signs from heaven." If it were necessary, it would be 
 
 * Bell. Jud. lib. iii. 7. t Deut. xxviii. 49, 54. 
 
 * Bell. Jud. lib. vi. 3. 2 Kings vi. 28, 29 ; Baruch ii. 1 . 
 
 || Bell. Jud. lib. vi. 3.
 
 THE JEWS. 77 
 
 easy to show the exact fulfilment of all these circumstances 
 from the pages of the Jewish historian. On one occasion 
 when the disciples of our Saviour were calling his attention 
 to the architectural magnificence of the temple, "how it 
 was adorned with goodly stones and gifts ;" he remarked, 
 " there shall not be left one stone upon another which shall 
 not be thrown down."* It is well known that the temple 
 was set on fire by a soldier contrary to the wish of Titus, 
 who would gladly have preserved it ; but after the capture of 
 Jerusalem, Josephus informs us that "Titus ordered his 
 soldiers to dig up the foundation, both of all the city and the 
 temple."f And from Jewish authorities as well as from 
 Eusebius, we learn that the Romans drove the ploughshare 
 over the foundation of the temple : " Therefore shall Zion 
 for your sake be ploughed as a field."! 
 
 Moses predicted that the Jews would be greatly diminished 
 in number by these overwhelming calamities, "And ye shall 
 be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of 
 heaven for multitude.'' Accordingly, Josephus computes 
 those who perished during the siege of Jerusalem by famine 
 or the sword, at 1,100,000, besides those who were slain in 
 other places. From the same author, we learn, that the cap- 
 tives amounted to 99,200 ; that of those above seventeen 
 years of age, Titus sent many bound to the works in Egypt ; 
 those under seventeen were sold ; but so little care was taken 
 of these captives, that eleven thousand of them perished for 
 want. || 
 The Jews experienced a similar treatment after their last 
 
 Mark xiii. 1. -J- De Bell. Jud. lib. vii. 1. 
 
 J Micah iii. 12. Deut. xxviii. 62. 
 
 || De Bell. Jud. lib. vi. 9.
 
 78 THE JEWS. 
 
 overthrow by Adrian. How exactly has the prediction of 
 Moses been accomplished! "And the Lord shall bring thee 
 into Egypt again with ships ; and there ye shall be sold unto 
 your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man 
 shall buy you."* 
 
 Pursuing the same subject Moses further predicts, " And 
 ye shall be plucked from off' the land whither thou goest to 
 possess it."f Fulfilled as this prediction was during the 
 Babylonish captivity, its fulfilment was still more striking 
 " when the Romans took away their name and nation." 
 Again the emperor Adrian, after he had reduced the rebellious 
 Jews, prohibited them, upon pain of death, from setting foot 
 in Jerusalem or even approaching the surrounding country. 
 It would be easy to show, from the testimony of successive 
 historians and travellers, that, from that period to this, the 
 Jews have lived in a state of exile from their native land, and 
 that, through all this dreary lapse of ages, Jerusalem has 
 still " continued to be trodden down by the Gentiles." 
 Whilst under the dominion of the Greek emperors of Con- 
 stantinople, Jerusalem was taken and plundered by the 
 Persians. Afterwards it fell a prey to the arms of the vic- 
 torious Saracens ; and, after a lapse of 400 years, the Turks 
 obtained possession of it by the expulsion of the Saracens. 
 From the Turks it passed to the Egyptians, and subsequently 
 to the Franks or Latin Christians, who were expelled in their 
 turn by the renowned Saladin. At a later period it fell into the 
 hands of the Mamelukes, and remained in their possession for 
 a period of 260 years until the year 1516, A.D. when it fell into 
 the hands of the Turks of the Othman race, being captured 
 by Selim, their ninth emperor. 
 
 * Dent, xxviii. 68. t Deut. xxviii. 63.
 
 THE JEWS. 79 
 
 It was not only predicted that the Jews should "be 
 plucked from off their own land," but that they should be 
 dispersed among all nations : " And the Lord shall scatter 
 thee among all people, from one end of the earth unto the 
 other."* And it is a fact which certainly needs not proof, 
 as it will not be disputed, that no nation is so universally 
 diffused as the Jews. And yet, notwithstanding this universal 
 diffusion, they still retain their identity as a people, their 
 individuality as a nation. It is indeed wonderful and con- 
 trary to human experience, that any people, whose " name 
 and nation had been taken away," should, notwithstanding 
 their dispersion among all other nations, still retain their 
 genealogy unmixed, and the peculiarities of their religious 
 system ; though neither their genealogy nor their religion 
 recommend them to the favourable notice of mankind. 
 Surely this singular preservation is itself the fulfilment of a 
 prophecy ; " And yet for all that, when they be in the land 
 of their enemies I will not cast them away, neither will I ab- 
 hor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my cove- 
 nant with them."f 
 
 Yet we are told that the persecutions of the Jews would 
 not cease with their exile from their native land. " And 
 among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall 
 the sole of thy foot have rest."f Exile from the various 
 countries in which they have resided, confiscation of their 
 goods, sometimes judicial persecution, and at other times 
 indiscriminate massacre have been the portion of this unfor- 
 tunate people. Mankind seem to have inflicted their cruel- 
 ties upon this unoffending people from a natural antipathy, 
 an instinctive hatred to the Jewish race. Without recurring 
 * Deut. xxviii. 64. t Deut. xxviii. 65.
 
 80 THE JEWS. 
 
 to the dark pages of history in order to detail the deeds of 
 oppression and extortion which the prophet foretold should 
 "make them mad for the sight of their eyes which they 
 should see "* no intelligent observer could glance at their 
 present position in the various countries of the world without 
 observing that they are still " an astonishment, a proverb, 
 and a by-word among all nations."f " I had already," re- 
 marks a traveller whom we have already quoted, " seen a 
 great deal of the Jews. I had seen them in the cities of 
 Italy, everywhere more or less oppressed ; at Rome, shut up 
 every night in their miserable quarters, as if they were noxious 
 beasts ; in Turkey, persecuted and oppressed ; along the 
 shores of the Black Sea and in the heart of Russia, looked 
 down upon by the serfs of that great empire of vassallage ; and, 
 for the climax of misery, I had seen them contemned and 
 spit upon by the ignorant and enslaved boors of Poland. I 
 had seen them scattered abroad among all nations, as it had 
 been foretold they would be, everywhere a separate and 
 peculiar people ; and everywhere, under all poverty, wretched- 
 ness, and oppression, waiting for and anxiously expecting 
 the coming of a Messiah to call together their scattered 
 tribes, and restore them to the kingdom of their fathers."}: 
 Alas, the " veil is still upon their hearts ;" and, ignorant of 
 the true meaning of the prophets, they do not perceive that 
 the rejection of the Messiah (whom they still vainly expect) 
 has been the cause of all their sufferings : that the Messiah 
 has already " come to his own, but his own received him 
 not." 
 
 * Deut. xxviii. 34. t Deut. xxxiii. 37. 
 
 J Stephens'a Incidents of Travel in Egypt, &c. c. 29.
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING NINEVEH. 
 
 1. WHAT are involved in equal uncertainty ? 2. What is 
 stated respecting the commencement of the Assyrian em- 
 pire ? 3. Respecting its extent? 4. What does the geo- 
 grapher Ptolemy assign as the boundaries of Assyria? 
 5. What countries were sometimes included under that 
 designation? 6. State its condition now and in ancient 
 times. 7- Who was Rabshakeh ? 8. What description does 
 he give of the country ? 9. What follows from the transla- 
 tion in the margin of our Bibles ? 10. Cite the passage at 
 length. 11. With whom is Nimrod supposed to be identi- 
 cal ? 12. Give the name of his successor and state the ex- 
 tent of her conquests. 13. Give the date of the reign of 
 Pul. 14. By whom and at what expense was his clemency 
 purchased? 15. Give the name and date of his successor. 
 16. What were the effects of his invasion? 17. At what 
 expense did Ahaz purchase his assistance? 18. How was 
 Ahaz treated by the king of Assyria ? 19. Give the name
 
 82 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 and date of Tiglath-pul-assur's successor. 20. State the 
 consequences of his invasion. 2 1 . Give the name of his suc- 
 cessor and the date of his invasion of Judah. 22. "What com- 
 pelled his retreat ? 23. Give the name of his successor; and 
 with whom is he identical in profane history ? 24. State, in 
 the language of Scripture, the effects of his invasion. 
 25. What revolt is mentioned, and in what events did it ter- 
 minate ? 26. State, in the words of Scripture, the transfer 
 of Asiatic supremacy to Babylonia. 27. What commission 
 was given to Nebuchadnezzar ? 28. How is the extent of 
 Nineveh described by the prophet Jonah ? 29. What is the 
 circumference stated by Strabo ? 30. By Diodorus Siculus .' 
 31. How is the estimate of Diodorus shown to agree with 
 that of the prophet ? 32. What fact is stated by the prophet 
 respecting the population of Nineveh ? 33. What calcula- 
 tion is subsequently given ? 34. What remarks are made 
 respecting the structure of the city ? 35. State the words 
 of the prophecy quoted from Isaiah x. 12. 36. State the 
 difficulties on the several points afterwards specified. 
 37. By whom was Nineveh destroyed ? 38. State the testi- 
 mony of Herodotus. 39. When did the prophet Nahum 
 deliver his prophecy ? 40. What does the name of Nahum 
 signify? 41. In what respect would this prophecy afford 
 consolation ? And state the words of St. Jerome. 42. State the 
 words in which the prophet describes the surprise of the 
 Assyrians. 43. State the testimony of Diodorus to the fulfil- 
 ment of the prophecy. 44. What does the prophet foretel 
 in the eighth verse of the first chapter ? 45. What ancient 
 oracle is mentioned ? 46. Describe its fulfilment. 47. State 
 the words of the historian. 48. What do we learn from the 
 same authority ? 49. With what language of prophecy does
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 83 
 
 this account harmonize ? 50. How does the prophet de- 
 scribe the destruction of Nineveh? 51. Of what does a 
 writer of the second century inform us ? 52. What opinion 
 is stated by Mr. Kinneir ? 53. What is stated respecting 
 the supposed site of ancient Nineveh ? 54. State, briefly, 
 the principal features of the prophet's description of the future 
 desolation of Nineveh. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING BABYLON. 
 
 1. What epithets are applied to Babylon? 2. Enumerate 
 the various objects of admiration which Babylon presented to 
 ancient historians. 3. State the circumference of Babylon 
 upon the testimony of Herodotus. 4. What was the shape 
 of the city and the length of each side ? 5. State the number 
 of gates How many to each side ? 6. What encompassed 
 the walls ? 7- State the height and thickness of the walls. 
 8. How were the waOs protected, and what portion required 
 no protection ? 9. State the direction of the streets. 
 10. State their length and number. 11. To what circum- 
 stance is the great extent of Babylon ascribed ? 12. How 
 was the city divided ? 13. What was situated at each end of 
 the bridge which crossed the river in the centre of the city ? 
 14. What site did the temple of Belus occupy? 15. De- 
 scribe the temple of Belus. 16. Describe the hanging gar- 
 dens. 17. How were they irrigated? 18. Why must not 
 other works of public utility be omitted ? 19. State the ob- 
 ject of the canal. 20. In what did it terminate ? 21. State
 
 84 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 the circumference of the lake. 22. The original object of its 
 construction. 23. For what was it subsequently employed ? 
 24. What is stated as passing the bounds of human fore- 
 knowledge ? 25. Of what were the inhabitants of Chaldea 
 guilty ? 26. What were the prophets commissioned to fore- 
 tel? 27. What was foretold by Isaiah and Jeremiah? 
 28. In what passage are her destroyers pointed out? 
 29- Their number ? 30. The principal instrument of ven- 
 geance ? 31. The mode of her destruction? 32. The ter- 
 ror inspired into her inhabitants ? 33. How is the prophecy 
 " Go up O Elam," &c., illustrated from Xenophon ? 
 
 34. Who are meant by the nations from the north country ? 
 
 35. How does the prophet describe the enemies of Babylon i 
 
 36. Confirm this prophecy from history. 37. Illustrate the 
 passage, "They set themselves in array against Babylon." 
 38. Show the fulfilment of the prophecy, "Their mighty men 
 have forborne to 6ght." 39. How was the prophecy "I will 
 dry up thy rivers," fulfilled ? 40. What was the object of 
 this stratagem ? 41. Show the fulfilment of the passage, 
 " I will make their feasts," &c. 42. Why had the gates 
 been left open ? 43. Establish from Herodotus the fulfil- 
 ment of the prophecy, " One post did run to meet another," 
 &c. 44. What handwriting is referred to ? 45. What is stated 
 respecting Darius? 46. Respecting Xerxes? 47. What 
 did Alexander attempt? Why prevented? 48. How did 
 Seleucia affect Babylon ? 49. What cities were preferred by 
 the kings of Persia ? 50. What prophetic language is here 
 applicable ? 51. Enumerate the various conquerors who have 
 afflicted Babylon, and to what country they belonged. 52. Il- 
 lustrate the prophetical language, " A drought is upon her 
 waters," from modern travellers. 53. Illustrate the passage
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 85 
 
 "Her cities are desolations," in a similar manner. 54. Illus- 
 trate the declaration " that it should never be inhabited," 
 &c. 55. Describe the recent appearance and condition of 
 the site of ancient Babylon as predicted by the prophets. 
 56. What do modern travellers inform us relative to the re- 
 lics of this imperial city ? 57. From what collateral circum- 
 stances has Major Rennell established the site of Babylon ? 
 58. What has attracted the notice of travellers ? 59. De- 
 cribe the Amran. 60. The Kasr and the Mujelibe. 61. The 
 Birs Nimrod. 62. State the measurement of the Amran. 
 63. What do many travellers suppose the Amran and the 
 Kasr to have been ? 64. What the Mujelibe. 65. State 
 the opinion of Mr. Rich. 66. Of one of his critics. 67. State 
 the opinion of Captain Mignan respecting the Birs Nimrod. 
 68. Of Rich on that subject. 69. What reflection must be 
 suggested by this controversy ? 70. How far does this chain 
 of events extend? 71. When were the prophecies uttered? 
 72. What is the rational conclusion ? 73. What is stated 
 respecting Providence ? 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PROPHECIES CONCERNING TYRE. 
 
 1. DESCRIBE the geography of Phenicia. 2. What cir- 
 cumstances are stated as favourable to commerce and naviga- 
 tion? 3. In what respect are the Phenicians compared 
 with the Dutch ? 4. What do we learn from Joshua 
 respecting Sidon? 5. What proof of the manufacturing
 
 86 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 skill of the Sidonians is given from Homer ? 6. In what 
 is it probable that the superiority of the Sidonian garments 
 consisted? 7. What is stated about the Tyrian purple.' 
 8. When was Tyre founded, according to Josephus ? 9. When 
 did it attain to pre-eminence ? 10. State the site of ancient 
 and modern Tyre. 11. Give the name of ancient Tyre and 
 state the circumference of both. 12. AYhat excites our 
 admiration ? 13. Enumerate the products of Tyrian in- 
 dustry. 14. What did the Tyrians import from Arabia 
 Felix? 15. What from Sheba and Raamah ? 16. From 
 Dedan and distant lands? 17. From Syria? 18. With 
 what Egyptian cities did the Tyrians trade ? 19. By whom 
 and for what purpose were Baalbec and Tadmor founded ? 
 20. From what points and whither did the Phenicians extend 
 their commercial intercourse? 21. With what countries 
 did they trade to the north ? 22. What is stated respecting 
 the jEgean and the Mediterranean ? 22. Where is Tartessus 
 situated, and through what straits did they arrive at it ? 
 24. State the passage in which the trade of Tarshish is 
 described. 25. What did they import from the Scilly islands 
 and the Baltic. 26. By what motives were the Phenicians 
 actuated in the establishment of colonies ? 27. What islands 
 did they colonize in the J^gean ? 28. In the Mediterranean ? 
 29. What city on the coast of Spain ? 30. On the north 
 coast of Africa ? 31. What is stated respecting Carthage? 
 32. In the understanding of what will this brief outline 
 assist us ? 33. In what language does Isaiah describe 
 Tyre ? 34. State the enumeration of its subjects or auxiliaries 
 from Ezekiel. 35. State the passage in which pride and 
 ostentation are attributed to the Tyrians. 36. Why were 
 punishments denounced against the Tyrians ? 37. What
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 87 
 
 crime does the prophet Joel charge upon them, and in what 
 language? 38. Give instances showing that a treaty of 
 amity existed between Hiram and Solomon. 39. In what 
 language does Amos allude to it ? 40. What other cause of 
 divine indignation is added from Ezekiel ? 41. Cite the 
 passage from Ezekiel in which Nebuchadnezzar is predicted 
 as an avenger. 42. What do we learn from Phenician his- 
 torians ? 43. What does Isaiah foretel? 44. What does 
 Ezekiel predict ? 45. Show its fulfilment from the histo- 
 rians ? 46. What do we further learn from profane histo- 
 rians ? 47. State the historical description of Ezekiel. 48. 
 State the prophecy respecting the restoration of Tyre. 49. 
 When did Tyre probably regain its independence? 50. 
 Where were the ancient and modern Tyre respectively built ? 
 51. What prophetical exclamation and denunciation are illus- 
 trated? 52. For what purpose did Alexander employ the 
 ruins of old Tyre i 53. What prophecy was fulfilled ? 54. 
 (Jive instances of Alexander's severe treatment of the Tyrians. 
 55. Show that this treatment had been the subject of pro- 
 phecy. 56. Cite the prophecy which foretels that Tyre 
 should be inhabited merely by fishermen. 57. When did 
 Tyre reach its zenith ? 58. What is stated respecting 
 Alexander's capture of the city ? 59. Respecting the foun- 
 dation of Alexandria ? 60. Enumerate the changes in the 
 political condition of Tyre till the year 639, A. D. 61. What 
 took place in that year ? 62. In the year 1 124, A. D. ? 63. 
 In the year 1189, A. D. ? 64. Into whose hands did Tyre 
 pass from the Mamelukes? 65. What remark is made 
 about Turkish oppression ? 66. Describe Tyre in the 
 zenith of her greatness. 67. What remarks are made by 
 Maundrell ?
 
 OUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE ARABS. 
 
 1. DESCRIBE the situation and form of Arabia. 2. 
 Washed by what seas ? 3. State its length and breadth, 
 and from what points reckoned. 4. Give the names of its 
 three divisions. 5. Describe the country. 6. The climate. 
 7. Distinguish the Monsoon from the Simoom. 8. State the 
 effect of the Simoom. 9- Which provinces may be con- 
 sidered as exceptions? 10. Describe them. 11. From 
 whom are the Arabs descended, and by what rite is the 
 tradition confirmed? 12. What was Sarah provoked to do, 
 and why? 13. State the predictions delivered to Hagar 
 respecting Ishmael. 14. Respecting his character. 16. In 
 what respect are the Arabs compared to the ancient Scythians 
 and the modern Tartars? 16. Explain the appellations 
 ScenittB and Bedouins. 17. What do they disdain, and 
 why? 18. Describe their roving character. 19. What 
 prediction does this confirm ? 20. What do we learn from 
 historians and travellers, and what does this confirm? 21. 
 Describe the armour of the Bedouins. 22. What appella- 
 tion is mentioned, and what is stated respecting it ? 23. 
 State the source of their hospitality and confirm the remark. 
 24. When and why mounted on camels? 25. Upon what 
 does the Arab rely? 26. To what have the merchants 
 recourse, and why ? 27. What caravan is specified? 28. 
 Whence does the caravan start ? And state its route. 29. 
 By whom headed? 30. How protected? And state the 
 order of march. 31. What passage of Scripture does this
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 89 
 
 statement confirm ? 32. Notwithstanding this character, 
 what is nevertheless true ? 33. What line did Sesostris draw, 
 and why ? 34. With whom did the Arabs co-operate, and 
 why ? 35. What statement is cited from Herodotus ? 
 36. What reference is made to Alexander ? 37. By whom 
 were the northern provinces invaded, and in what did the in- 
 vaders not succeed ? 38. State the number and issue of the 
 expedition under JClius Gallus. 39. What other Roman 
 Emperors invaded Arabia ? 40. State the extent of the 
 Arab empire under the successors of Mahomet. 41. Against 
 whom did the Arabs protect themselves ? 42. In what man- 
 ner did they effect this ? 43. On what prophetic declaration 
 is this a comment ? 44. On what points might the evidence 
 of Mr. Stephens be adduced ? 45. State his description of the 
 Arab of the desert, from the latter part of the quotation. 46. 
 In what language does he describe his avarice ? 47. Give the 
 meaning of Bucksheesh. 48. What is the following extract 
 adduced to prove ? 49- What did Mr. Stephens observe in 
 his journey ? 50. What had Mehemet Ali attempted ? 
 51. What was the revenge of the Arabs? 52. What expe- 
 dition is mentioned ? 53. State its issue. 54. What treaty 
 was concluded ? 55. What provisions did that treaty in- 
 clude ? 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING EGYPT. 
 
 1. STATE the extent of the valley of Egypt. 2. What is 
 stated respecting the Delta ? 3. What tract is mentioned ?
 
 90 ttUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 4. State its length. 5. State the width, and between what 
 points. 6. What is the Scripture name of Egypt? 7. 
 What etymology is given and how supported? 8. Under 
 what other title does it occur ? 9. Into what three parts 
 was it anciently divided? 10. Why called Thebaid and 
 Heptanomy? 11. By whom was Egypt inhabited at an 
 early period? 12. State their conduct. 13. What expla- 
 nation is derived ? 14. Under whose dominion did Egypt 
 attain the zenith of its greatness? 15. Describe the con- 
 dition of her territory. 16. How was the country divided ? 
 17. State its population. 18. Into how many orders was the 
 population divided ? 19. Describe the first order. 20. The 
 second. 21. The third. 22. The fourth. 23. What remark 
 had been already made ? 24. To what does the connexion of 
 the Jews and Egyptians ascend? 25. How long were the 
 Israelites in servitude ? 26. State the character of that servi- 
 tude. 27. In what manner was it terminated ? 28. What is 
 nevertheless true ? 29. What denunciations of the prophets 
 are mentioned ? 30. What subjugation is predicted, and by 
 whom ? 31. Why was the conquest of Egypt promised, and 
 to whom? 32. State the words of the prophet. 33. What 
 might be gathered from ancient historians ? 34. State the 
 testimony of Josephus ? 35. Give the names of the Egyptian 
 king referred to. 36. What do we learn from ancient 
 historians ? 37. Of what prophecy was this an exact fulfil- 
 ment ? 38. What is further declared by the prophet ? 39- 
 What difficulty is mentioned ? 40. What is highly proba- 
 ble ? 41. What did Cambyses effect ? 42. What difficulty 
 is stated ? 43. What is probable, and why ? 44. Cite the 
 prophecy of Isaiah. 45. Of Ezekiel. 46. WTiat difficulty- 
 is mentioned ? 4". What is certain ? 48. State the con-
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 91 
 
 earring testimony of all historians. 49- What did the 
 superstitious consider the most grievous? 50. What was 
 dictated by a similar spirit of vengeance? 51. State the 
 result of the attempt. 52. What prophecy of Isaiah was 
 fulfilled ? 53. AVhat other events does the prediction em- 
 brace ? 54. What does Ezekiel foretel ? 55. State the 
 purpose of the second quotation. 56. What will be shown 
 by a brief historical review ? 57. What may be inferred 
 from the passage of Megasthenes ? 58. State his testimony. 
 
 59. What reference is mentioned, and what does it imply ? 
 
 60. What arrangements may this settlement include? 61. 
 What is stated about the condition of Egypt during the 
 interval between the Babylonian and Persian empires ? 62. 
 What account of Herodotus is alluded to? 63. What 
 conclusion might be drawn from this account ? 64. What 
 need not be denied? 65. Give instances. 66. State the 
 general issue of these rebellions. 67. When did Egypt 
 experience another change ? 68. What took place after the 
 death of Alexander ? 69. What were assigned to Ptolemy 
 Lagus ? 70. What did Ptolemy Lagus achieve? 71. To 
 what was Egypt indebted for its scientific fame and commer- 
 cial greatness ? 72. What took place after the fall of Car- 
 thage ? 73. How did the Romans first interfere ? 74. When 
 did their influence become supreme ? 75. What is stated 
 in reference to the death of Cleopatra ? 76. What took 
 place from that period ? 77. How long did Egypt continue 
 under the dominion of the Romans ? 78. Describe the new 
 race of conquerors. 79. Who was their leader ? 80. How 
 designated? 81. What is the Koran? 82. What took 
 place in the reign of the Caliph Omar ? 83. What calamity 
 occurred during this invasion ? 84. State the result of this
 
 92 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 invasion. 85. What took place upon the termination of the 
 Saracen dominion? 86. When did the Mamelukes take 
 their rise? 87. Describe the circumstances under which 
 this race originated. 88. What took place in the year 1250 
 A.D. ? 89. Describe the effect of this revolution. 90. State 
 the remark of an Arabic author. 91. State the commence- 
 ment, duration, and termination of the Saracen dominion. 
 
 92. By whom was the dynasty of the Mamelukes dissolved? 
 
 93. State the events of this dissolution. 94. What was the 
 general result ? 95. How is Egypt now governed ? 96. 
 What appeared probable ? 97. What was the result of the 
 battle of Damascus ? 98. What might have been the result 
 of the battle of Koniah? 99. How was this prevented? 
 
 100. What was the purport of the treaty of July 1840? 
 
 101. How was it carried into effect? 102. When was the 
 Pacha obliged to yield ? 103. What were the conditions 
 imposed ? 104. What observation is made by a modern 
 traveller? 105. Who have ruled in succession over Egypt? 
 106. What is its present condition ? 107. What prophecy 
 is confirmed by this ? 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PROPHECIES RESPECTING THE JEWS. 
 
 1. To what is the present chapter devoted? 2. What 
 year of Nebuchadnezzar corresponds to the fourth year of 
 Jehoiakim? 3. What was predicted ? 4. Give the passage 
 which predicts the duration. 5. From what year is the
 
 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 93 
 
 computation made ? 6. When will the period of seventy 
 years terminate ? 7. Who were affected by this restoration? 
 8. State the passage which predicts the dissolution of the 
 ten tribes of Israel. 9. When was the prophecy delivered ? 
 10. To what period and through what reigns will the term 
 of sixty-five years bring us ? 11. What took place in this 
 year? 12. Cite the passage of Scripture. 13. What need 
 not be asserted? 14. What is nevertheless certain? 15. 
 To what may the political destruction of the ten tribes be 
 traced ? 16. What was rendered necessary by the promise 
 of the Messiah to the ten tribes of Judah ? 17. What sub- 
 jects are next adverted to? 18. W T hat does Moses predict ? 
 Where and why? 19. Cite the passage respecting the 
 "nation from afar." 20. Of whom was this prediction 
 true ? 21. Why may it be applied more particularly to the 
 Romans? 22. How are they further described ? 23. Prove 
 from Scripture that it was applicable to the Chaldeans. 24. 
 Show from Josephus that it was applicable to the Romans. 
 25. How was Jerusalem fortified ? 26. Enumerate the 
 various kings and generals by whom it was successively 
 taken. 27. What does Moses predict as the consequence of 
 the siege? 28. As the consequence of famine? 29. What 
 do we learn from Josephus ? 30. What did Moses predict 
 in reference to the extremity of the famine ? 31. When was 
 this prediction fulfilled ? 32. What does our Saviour pre- 
 dict? 33. What would be an easy task? 34. WTiat was 
 predicted by our Saviour in reference to the temple? 35. 
 What is stated as well known ? 36. Of what does Josephus 
 inform us ? 37. What do we learn from Eusebius, &c. ? 
 38. Of what prophecy was that a fulfilment ? 39- What did 
 Moses predict in reference to the diminution of the Jews ?
 
 94 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 40. State the computation of Josephus. 41. State the 
 number of the captives. 42. What was the fate of those 
 captives ? 43. When did the Jews experience a similar 
 treatment? 44. What is further predicted by Moses? 
 45. When was it fulfilled, and when was its fulfilment most 
 striking ? 46. State the prohibition of Adrian. 47. What 
 might easily be shown from the testimony of historians and 
 travellers ? 48. When was Jerusalem taken by the Persians ? 
 49. To whom did it afterwards fall a prey.' 50. What took 
 place after a lapse of 400 years ? 5 1 . To whom did it pass 
 from the Turks? 52. From the Egyptians? 53. From 
 the Franks? 54. What took place at a later period? 55. 
 How long did it remain in their possession ? 56. Into whose 
 hands did it ultimately fall ? 57. What was predicted re- 
 specting the dispersion of the Jews ? 58. What fact cannot 
 be disputed ? 59. What has been the result, notwithstand- 
 ing this universal diffusion? 60. What is contrary to 
 human experience? 61. What do not recommend the Jews 
 to the favourable notice of mankind ? 62. Of what prophecy 
 is this preservation a fulfilment ? 63. What are we told re- 
 specting the persecutions of the Jews? 64. What have been 
 the portion of this unfortunate people? 65. How do mankind 
 seem to have persecuted the Jews ? 66. For what might 
 reference be made to the dark pages of history ? 67. What 
 may an intelligent observer still remark ? 68. State what 
 had been observed in various countries by a modern travel- 
 ler. 69. What expectation" still prevails among the Jews ? 
 70. Why do they not perceive the true meaning of the 
 prophets. 71. What is stated as the cause of all their 
 Bufferings ?
 
 PROPER NAMES CAREFULLY ACCENTED. 
 
 Ae'-lius. 
 
 Gada'-tes. 
 
 Pal'-myra. 
 
 Aege'-an. 
 
 Gasperi'-ni. 
 
 Persep'-olis. 
 
 Alexandri'-a. 
 
 Gasper e'-ne 
 
 Pelu'-sium. 
 
 Ama'-sis. 
 
 Gob'-ryas. 
 
 Phenic'-ia. 
 
 AntiY-onus. 
 
 
 Phryg'-ians. 
 
 Anti'-ochus. 
 
 Had'-ramaut. 
 
 Ptol'-emy. 
 
 Ar'-aby. 
 
 Had'-rian. 
 
 
 Ar'-adus. 
 
 Heliop'-olis. 
 
 Ra'-amah. 
 
 Ar'-haces. 
 
 Heracli'-us. 
 
 Rab'-shakeh. 
 
 Arme'-nia. 
 
 Herod'-otus. 
 
 Roxa'-na. 
 
 Assou'-an. 
 
 Hezeki'-ah. 
 
 
 A ssyr'-ia. 
 
 Hol'-agou. 
 
 Sal'-adin. 
 
 
 Hyrca'-nians. 
 
 Sar'-acens. 
 
 Ba'belman'del. 
 Bab'-ylon. 
 
 Isai'-ah. 
 
 Sardanapa'-lus. 
 Sardin'-ia. 
 
 Babylo'-nia. 
 
 Ish'-maeL 
 
 Seleuci'-a. 
 
 Balear'-ic. 
 
 Is'-rael. 
 
 Seleu'-cidffi. 
 
 Basso'- ra. 
 
 
 Seleu'-cus. 
 
 Bedou'-ins. 
 
 Jehoi'-akim. 
 
 Semi'-ramis. 
 
 Bel'-esis. 
 
 Jose'-phus. 
 
 Sennach'-erib, or 
 
 Beth'-el. 
 
 Ju'-piter. 
 
 Sennache'-rib. 
 
 Bos'-phorus. 
 
 
 Sepharva'-im. 
 
 Byb'-lus. 
 
 Koni'-ah. 
 
 Sesos'-tris. 
 
 
 
 Seve'-rus. 
 
 Cappado'-cians. 
 
 Leb'-anon. 
 
 Shalmanaa'-sur. 
 
 Camby'-ses. 
 
 Lib'-ya. 
 
 Shish'-ak. 
 
 Chalde'-a. 
 
 Lyd'-ians. 
 
 Sic'-ulus. 
 
 Cleop'-atra. 
 
 
 Sido'-nians. 
 
 Ctes'-iphon. 
 
 Mahom'-et. 
 
 Sinai. 
 
 Cy'-rus. 
 
 Mam'-elukes. 
 
 So'-cius. 
 
 C/-prus. 
 
 Me'-dia. 
 
 Susia'-na. 
 
 Dari'-us. 
 
 Mesopota'-mia. 
 Mitz'-raim. 
 
 Sye'-ne. 
 Syr'-ia. 
 
 Deuteron'-omy. 
 
 Mne'-mon. 
 
 
 Diodo'-rus. 
 
 Mujel'-ibe. 
 
 Tam'-erlane. 
 
 
 
 Tartes'-sus. 
 
 Ecbat'-ana. 
 
 Nebuchadnez'-zar. 
 
 Tig'lath-pul-as'sur. 
 
 Eleu'-therus. 
 
 Nin'-eveh. 
 
 rr-'f 
 
 1 1 -gns. 
 
 Epiph'-anes. 
 
 Noth'-us. 
 
 Togar'-mah. 
 
 E'sarhad'-don. 
 
 
 Tyr'-ians. 
 
 Euphra'-tes. 
 
 Ot'-tomans. 
 
 
 Euse'-bius. 
 
 
 Xen'-ophon. 
 
 
 Palae'-tyros. 
 
 
 PRINTED BY G. J. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND, LONDON.
 
 By the same Author. 
 
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 TO 
 
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 RECTOR OF LAMBETH, 
 SUGGESTING 
 
 A SLIGHT EXTENSION OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL 
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