IV.

intries being remote, and therefore not fo well known, or s E c T. fo near a concern, at least, to the English reader, I fhall fs by the reft, and take particular notice but of the country Ophir, as being mentioned in holy Scripture, and I think e only one therein mentioned among them that were formerly poffeffed by, or denominated from, the fons of Joktan. nd this Chapter being already run out to a great length, I all fay no more of Ophir here, than that it is generally agreed lie in the Eaft-Indies. There are indeed countries menoned in Scripture under the names of Sheba and Havilah; ut these were probably fo denominated, not from the two pns of Joktan that were of the fame names, but from others; articularly from two fons of Cufh, one of the sons of Ham; o whofe defcendants (there being nothing certain concerning Lud, the remaining fon of Sem, but that he did not feat himfelf in the country of Leffer Afia, called Lydia) I now haften.

SECTION IV.

Of the firft Plantations of the Defcendants of Ham.

HAM,

I. Land of

Ham,

AM, as has been observed, was the youngest of the three fons of Noah; and consequently his offspring made the youngest branch of Noah's pofterity; which may which. primarily be diftinguished into four nations, according to the number of the immediate fons of Ham named by Mofes, viz. Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. As to the name of Ham himself, we find Egypt twice or thrice denoted by the name of the land of Ham in the book of Pfalms; whence it seems probable that Ham went thither himself, and there fettled with his fon Mizraim.

2.

And it is scarce to be doubted, but the perfon denoted by Ham, probably denot the Greeks under the name of Jupiter Ammon (in honour of ed by Jupiter

whom

Ammon.

CHAP. whom there was a temple erected in the parts of Libya adIII. joining to Egypt, much celebrated for its oracles) was no

3.

tion of Ca

naan.

other than Ham. For the derivation of the name Ammon from "Aupos, Ammus, fignifying in Greek fand, is to be afcribed only to the ignorance of the latter Greeks as to the true and primitive original of it; whereupon, according to their ufual custom in other like inftances, they deduced it from a word of their own, denoting the fandinefs of the country thereabout. To proceed now to the fons of Ham.

It is well known that the nation of Canaan settled itself in of the na- the country fo often mentioned in Scripture under the name of the land of Canaan; which God in process of time gave to the feed of Abraham, the Ifraelites. A more particular knowledge both of this nation in general, and also of the respective fituation of its feveral families, will conduce much to the better understanding of great part of the facred Hiftory; and therefore I ihall make this the subject of a whole distinct Chapter, when I fhall come to speak of Abraham's going to fojourn in the land of Canaan.

of Cush,

where

feated.

The nation of Cufh is likewife frequently mentioned in The nation Scripture; from which it is clear, that its first fettlement was in the country adjoining to his brother Canaan on the south, that is, in Arabia. It is true indeed, that the word Cufh, when put in Scripture for a country or people, is rendered Ethiopia, or Ethiopians; but then this can be truly understood only of the Afiatick Ethiopia, or Arabia, not of the African, and especially as to the first settlement of Cush.

5:

By Cuth is

denoted in

Arabia.

That by Cufh is denoted in Scripture Arabia, is evident from thefe places. In Numb. xii. 1. we read that Miriam Scripture, and Aaron spake against Mofes, because of the Cufhite woman whom he had married. But it is certain from Exod. ii. 1521. that Mofes's wife was a Midianitifh woman; and it is confeffed, that Midian, or Madian, was a city and country in Arabia, on the fhore of the Red Sea. So that from hence it appears, that Mofes's wife was an Arabian, and confequently that the Hebrew word Cufhite is not rightly rendered Ethiopian; unless it be understood of Ethiopia in Afia or Arabia, not of Ethiopia in Africk. Pertinent hereunto is Habak. iii. 7,

IV.

I faw the tents of Cuban in affliction: the curtains of the SECT. land of Midian did tremble. Where Cushan and Midian are ufed as equivalent terms, or elfe as a general and particular, Midian being in ftrictnefs only one part of the country of Cufh. Further, that by Cush in Scripture is not understood Ethiopia in Africk, may be inferred from these paffages; in Ezek xxix. 10, God by his Prophet speaks thus: I will make the land of Egypt defolate, from the tower of Syene, even unto the border of Cufh. It is manifeft, that here, by the tower of Syene and the border of Cufh, are denoted the two extremities of Egypt. Now all, that have any knowledge of old geography, know that Syene was the boundary of Egypt fouthwards towards Ethiopia in Africk. Therefore Cush, as being the oppofite boundary of Egypt, cannot poffibly be the African Ethiopia, or Ethiopia commonly so called; but thereby may be well understood Arabia, as bounding that part of Egypt which is most remote from Ethiopia, that is, its north part. Again, we read 2 Kings xix. 9. that whilft Sennacherib King of Affyria was befieging Libnah in the tribe of Judah, Tirhakah King of Cufh was marching with an army against him. In like manner we read, 2 Chron. xiv. 9. that Zerah the Cufhite came with a great army against Asa King of Judah. Now this cannot be tolerably understood in either place of the King of Ethiopia commonly fo called, as lying at too great a distance from Judea, and having the country of Egypt to pass through, before he could bring his army into Judea, But it may be well understood of the King of Arabia, as being the neighbouring country. What has been offered, does, I think, fufficiently evince that the nation of Cush did first settle in Arabia; and the word is generally to be fo understood in Scripture.

6.

fense Cush

It is very probable, that in procefs of time fome of the Cushites might pafs over the Red Sea into the adjoining parts In what of Africk, and fo plant colonies in Ethiopia commonly fo may be faid called; and in this fenfe Cufh may be faid to be the father of to be the fathefe Ethiopians. But whether the word Cufh is ever taken Ethiopians in this acceptation by the facred writers, is not certain: those in Africk, places of Scripture which are by fome expounded of this

Ethiopia

ther of the

CHAP. Ethiopia (viz. Ifai. xviii. 1. Zeph. iii. 10. and 2 Chron. III. xii. 3.) are by other learned men expounded of Arabia.

7.

dants of Cufh men

Mofes,

I proceed now to the defcendants of Cufh mentioned by The defcen - Mofes, which are thefe, Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: to which Mofes fubjoins two fons of tioned by Raamah, Sheba and Dedan: and then adds, laftly, that Cush begat Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one upon the earth, &c. Gen. x. 7, 8, &c. Now we fhall find all there, but the laft, feated in Arabia, which may ferve as a further confirmation that Cufh fettled himself in the fame country, and that by the name Cush is principally denoted Arabia.

8.

As for Seba, the first fon of Cush mentioned by Mofes, he Situation of probably feated himself in the fouth-west part of Arabia, where we find a city called Sabe.

Seba.

9.

Sheba.

On the fouth-eaft fide we find another city called Sabana; Situation of where we may therefore place Sheba, the grandfon of Cufh by Raamah. And the reason why we choose this to be his fituation, rather than the other fide of the country, is because that it is on the eastern fide of Arabia that we find his father and brother fituated; and it is likely he feated himself in their neighbourhood. On this account we find him always mentioned with his father or brother: as Ezek. xxvii. 22. The merchants of Sheba and Raamah were thy merchants : and xxxviii. 13. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of TarShish, &c.

10.

Latins, and

Now these two names, Sheba and Seba, being so much Thefe two alike, the two different families denoted by them were quickly peoples conFounded by confounded by the Greeks, and called promiscuously Sabæans. Greeks and Hence Pliny says, that the Sabæan nations inhabited these both denoted parts, fpreading themselves to both feas, i. e. from the Red by Sabeans. Sca, or Gulf of Arabia, to the Gulf of Perfia. But the facred writers exactly diftinguifh them: thus the royal Prophet speaks distinctly of each, Pfalm lxxii. 10. The Kings of Sheba and Seba fhall offer gifts.

11.

On the fame fide of Arabia with Sheba were feated, as has Situation of before been intimated, both his father Raamah, and his brother Dedan. For as to the former, we find on this shore of the Perfian Gulf a city called Rhegma by Ptolemy; which it is

Raamah.

not

IV.

not to be doubted but was fo called from this reafon: for the SECT, Hebrew name, which in our English tranflation is rendered Raamah, is in other translations, particularly the Septuagint, rendered (agreeably enough to the radicals) 'Péyua, Rhegma.

12.

Situation of

Not far from Rhegma mentioned by Ptolemy, we find on the fame coaft, eaft ward, another city called Dedan, now-a- Dedan. days Daden; from which the neighbouring country alfo takes. its name, as Mr. Bochart has obferved from Barboza, an Italian writer, in his description of the kingdom of Ormuz. So that we need not doubt, but that here was the fettlement of Dedan, the fon of Raamah, or Rhegma, and brother of Sheba.

13.

Situation of

On the fame fhore of the Perfian Gulf, but higher northward, we find in Ptolemy the fituation of a city called Eapà, Sabtah, Saphtha; which has fo great a likeness to Sabta, that it may be with good probability conjectured, that in this district the fon of Cufh of this name feated himself.

14..

Situation of

Higher ftill to the north was feated (as we have shewn Chap. I.) Havilah, or Chavilah, along the river Pifon, or the Havilah. western channel of the two, into which the common channel of the Tigris and Euphrates again is divided, before the waters thereof empty themselves into the Perfian Gulf. This we have above confirmed from the people here mentioned by old writers, viz. the Chaulotai, or Chablafii, or Chaulafii; all which are manifeftly derived from Chavilah: and it is likely that these inhabited a confiderable tract from east to west.

Sabte.a.

There remains now only Sabteca of Cufh's fons; who, 15. we need not doubt, placed himself among the reft of his bre- Situation of thren; especially fince there is room enough left for him in the northern parts of Arabia. His defcendants might be from him regularly enough ftyled at firft by the Greeks Sabtaceni; which name might be afterwards foftened into Saraceni; by which name it is well known that the people of this tract were formerly denominated. And this is the more probable, because Stephanus mentions a country in those parts called Saruca. Mr. Bochart will have the Saracens to be so called from pb Sarak, which in the Arabick tongue fignifies to fteal, or rob; and that this name was given these people, as being addicted to robbery. And perhaps this might be the reafon

VOL. I.

H