(See 2 K. xxv. 25; Jer. xli. 1—10). Johanan, one of the captains of the army of Judah, who had in vain warned Gedaliah of his danger (Jer. xl. 13-16), gathered a force and pursued the assassin as far as Gibeon, but he effected his escape beyond Jordan to the country of the Ammonites (Jer. xli. 15). Then the little remnant of Jews, fearful of the vengeance of the Babylonian monarch, contrary to the advice of Jeremiah (Jer. xlii. 7—22), fled into Egypt, and after first settling at Tahpanhes (Jer. xliii. 7), were scattered throughout the country at Migdol, Noph, and Pathros (Jer. xliv. 1), whither also Jeremiah accompanied them, to share their fortunes and to die1.

1 Before passing on, a few remarks may here be subjoined respecting the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which now came to an end.

I. Their respective duration. The kingdom of Israel lasted from B.C. 975 to B.C. 721, or 254 years. The kingdom of Judah lasted from B.C. 975 to B.C. 588, or 387 years, thus outliving her more populous and powerful rival by 133 years. II. Their mutual relations. These, as we have seen, were dictated by three different lines of policy:

(i) Mutual animosity from B. c. 975-918.

The first three kings of Judah, Rehoboam, Abijah, and Asa, persisted in the hope of regaining their authority over the Ten Tribes, and for nearly 60 years there was war between the two kingdoms. (ii) Close alliance, and united hostility to Syria, B.C. 918 -884.

With the accession of Jehoshaphat there sprang up an alliance between the two kingdoms, cemented by intermarriage, and prompted probably by the necessity of joint action in resisting the encroaching power of Syria.

(iii) Fresh animosity, and the gradual decline of both kingdoms before the advancing power of the Assyrian Empire, B.C. 884-588.

The alliance between the kingdoms was rudely shattered by the accession of Jehu to the throne of Israel. He put Ahaziah to death, and the hostility thus begun

reached its highest pitch under Amaziah, Jehoash, and Pekah.

III. Their contrasts.

I. In the kingdom of Judah, (a) There was always a fixed capital and a venerated centre of religion; (b) the army was always subordinate; (c) the succession was interrupted by no revolution; (d) the priests remained faithful to the crown.

2. In the kingdom of Israel, (a) There was no fixed capital, and no real religious centre; (b) the army was often insubordinate; (c) the succession was constantly interrupted, so that out of 19 kings there were no less than 9 dynasties, each ushered in by a revolution; (d) the authorized priests left the kingdom in a body, and the priesthood established by Jeroboam had no Divine sanction and no promise; it was corrupt in its very source. Hence in the kingdom of Israel the prophets were the regular ministers of God, and, especially during the second of the two periods above mentioned, their ministry was distinguished by far more extraordinary events than in the kingdom of Judah, whose annals offer no prophetical deeds like those of Elijah and Elisha. See Arts. Kingdom of Judah and Israel in Smith's Bib. Dict.; Jahn's Hebrew Commonwealth. For the Table of Kings and Prophets, see the Appendix.

BOOK XI.

FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE CLOSE OF

THE CANON.

CHAPTER I.

DANIEL AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR.

DAN. I.-III. B. C. circ. 606-570.

"Na more striking contrast to their native country

OTHING," it has been remarked, "could present

than the region into which the Hebrews were now transplanted. Instead of their irregular and picturesque mountain-city, crowning its unequal heights, and looking down into its deep and precipitous ravines, through one of which a scanty stream wound along, they entered the vast, square, and level city of Babylon, occupying both sides of the broad Euphrates; while all around spread immense plains, which were intersected by long straight canals, bordered by rows of willows. How unlike their national temple-a small but highly finished and richly adorned fabric, standing in the midst of its courts on the brow of a lofty precipice—the colossal temple of the Chaldæan Bel, rising from the plain, with its eight stupendous stories or towers, one above the other, to the perpendicular height of a furlong! The palace of the Babylonian king was more than twice the size of their whole city: it covered eight miles, with its hanging gardens built on arched terraces, each rising above the other, and rich in all the luxuriance of artificial cultivation. How different from the sunny cliffs

of their own land, where the olive and the vine grew spontaneously, and the cool, shady, and secluded valleys, where they could always find shelter from the heat of the burning noon! No wonder, then, that in the pathetic words of their own hymn, By the waters of Babylon they sat down and wept, when they remembered thee, O Zion1” (Ps. cxxxvii. 1).

CO

Thus far removed from their native land, amidst a strange people and strange rites, and exposed to all the influences of contact with their conquerors, we might, in the usual order of things, have expected that the Jews would have ceased to remain a nation at all. But with them it was not thus to be. The ten tribes, indeed, are never heard of more, but the remnant of Judah and Benjamin in Babylonia so far from blending its national life with that of its conquerors, remained a separate people, and preserved its national institutions. We shall very much misunderstand their condition, if we suppose that the Jews became bondsmen or serfs2, They were 66 lonists rather than captives;" they received grants of land, agricultural or pastoral, out of the conquered territories at the disposal of Nebuchadnezzar; and so valuable were their services considered that not a few rose to high eminence (Dan. ii. 48), and held confidential positions next to the person of the sovereign. While, moreover, they increased in numbers and wealth, they retained an internal jurisdiction over their own members; they kept up amongst themselves distinctions of rank; they preserved their genealogies (Neh. vii. 5, 6, 64); and although from the absence of any common centre of worship they could only observe the Mosaic Law in part3, still they retained the rite of circumcision, the

1 Milman's History of the Jews, I. 407, 408.

2 See Jahn's Hebrew Commonwealth, pp. 112, 113.

3 The Psalms which appear to belong to this period are, Psls. x. xiii.-xv. xxv.-xxvii. xxxvi. xxxvii. xlix. 1. liii. lxvii. Ixxvii. lxxx. lxxxviii. lxxxix. xcii. xciii. cxxiii. cxxx, cxxxvii.

distinction of meats, and other points (Comp. Dan. i. 8; Esth. iii. 8). Nor did the Providence, which had hitherto watched over them, fail them in the land of exile. The voice of Prophecy, so far from being hushed, now swelled into louder strains. While JEREMIAH1 warned and exhorted them at the outset of this sad period in their history, EZEKIEL did not fail for 30 years to carry on the same work in the land of exile itself, while another and one of the most illustrious of their number rose to the very highest position, and proved the "Moses of the Captivity," and the fourth of the greater Prophets.

In the third year of Jehoiakim, B.C. 606, as we have already seen', Nebuchadnezzar had ordered the Chief of the Eunuchs to remove to Babylon certain select youths of royal descent, who from their talents seemed likely to be of service in his court. Of these one was DANIEL, apparently of the blood royal (Dan. i. 3), and gifted with no common talents (Dan. i. 4). With three other companions of the tribe of Judah, HANANIAH, MISHAEL, and AZARIAH, he was removed to the Babylonian court, and there trained for the king's service in the learning and language of the Chaldæans (Dan. i. 4). Moreover, in accordance with a common custom, his name was changed, and he and his three companions were now known as BELTESHAZZAR, SHADRACH, MESHACH, and ABEDNEGO. During the three years of their training they were not forgetful of the Law and Religion of their fathers, and with unusual firmness of character declined to partake of the daily allowance of meat and wine supplied them from the royal table, either probably because it was ceremonially unclean, or had been offered in sacrifice to the Assyrian gods. Preferring to live on the simplest fare, they yet proved as comely and well-favoured as though they had been fed on the rarest dainties, and when brought before Nebuchadnezzar were 2 See above, p. 450.

1 See above, p. 452.