the antiquities of the jews-1-第301节

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that　they　might　keep　their　festivals；　and　plough　and　sow；　and
gather　in　their　harvests　and　vintage；　in　due　season。

（4）　What　our　other　copies　say　of　Mount　Sion；　as　alone　properly
called　the　city　of　David；　2　Samuel　5：6…9；　and　of　this　its　siege
and　conquest　now　by　David；　Josephus　applies　to　the　whole　city
Jerusalem；　though　including　the　citadel　also；　by　what　authority
we　do　not　now　know　perhaps；　after　David　had　united　them　together；
or　joined　the　citadel　to　the　lower　city；　as　sect。　2；　Josephus
esteemed　them　as　one　city。　However；　this　notion　seems　to　be
confirmed　by　what　the　same　Josephus　says　concerning　David's　and
many　other　kings　of　Judah's　sepulchers；　which　as　the　authors　of
the　books　of　Kings　and　Chronicles　say　were　in　the　city　of　David；
so　does　Josephus　still　say　they　were　in　Jerusalem。　The　sepulcher
of　David　seems　to　have　been　also　a　known　place　in　the　several
days　of　Hyrcanus；　of　Herod；　and　of　St。　Peter；　Antiq。　B。　XIII。　ch。
8。　sect。　4　B。　XVI。　ch。　8。　sect。　1；　Acts　2：29。　Now　no　such　royal
sepulchers　have　been　found　about　Mount　Sion；　but　are　found　close
by　the　north　wall　of　Jerusalem；　which　I　suspect；　therefore；　to　be
these　very　sepulchers。　See　the　note　on　ch。　15。　sect。　3。　In　the
meantime；　Josephus's　explication　of　the　lame；　and　the　blind；　and
the　maimed；　as　set　to　keep　this　city　or　citadel；　seems　to　be　the
truth；　and　gives　the　best　light　to　that　history　in　our　Bible。　Mr。
Ottius　truly　observes；　（up。　Hayercamp；　p。　305；）　that　Josephus
never　mentions　Mount　Sion　by　that　name；　as　taking　it　for　an
appellative；　as　I　suppose；　and　not　for　a　proper　name；　he　still
either　styles　it　The　Citadel；　or　The　Upper　City；　nor　do　I　see　any
reason　for　Mr。　Ottius's　evil　suspicions　about　this　procedure　of
Josephus。

（5）　Some　copies　of　Josephus　have　here　Solyma；　or　Salem；　and
others　Hierosolyma；　or　Jerusalem。　The　latter　best　agree　to　what
Josephus　says　elsewhere；　（Of　the　War；　B。　VI。　ch。　10。；）　that　this
city　was　called　Solyma；　or　Salem；　before　the　days　of　Melchisedec；
but　was　by　him　called　Hierosolyma；　or　Jerusalem。　I　rather　suppose
it　to　have　been　so　called　after　Abraham　had　received　that　oracle
Jehovah　Jireh；　〃The　Lord　will　see；　or　provide；〃　Genesis　22；14。
The　latter　word；　Jireh；　with　a　little　alteration；　prefixed　to　the
old　name　Salem；　Peace；　will　be　Jerusalem；　and　since　that
expression；　〃God　will　see；〃　or　rather；　〃God　will　provide　himself
a　lamb　for　a　burnt…offering；〃　ver。　8；　14；　is　there　said　to　have
been　proverbial　till　the　days　of　Moses；　this　seems　to　me　the　most
probable　derivation　of　that　name；　which　will　then　denote　that　God
would　provide　peace　by　that　〃Lamb　of　God　which　was　to　take　away
the　sins　of　the　world。〃　However；　that　which　is　put　into　brackets
can　hardly　be　supposed　the　genuine　words　of　Josephus；　as　Dr。
Hudson　well　judges。

（6）　It　deserves　here　to　be　remarked；　that　Saul　very　rarely；　and
David　very　frequently；　consulted　God　by　Urim；　and　that　David
aimed　always　to　depend；　not　on　his　own　prudence　or　abilities　but
on　the　Divine　direction；　contrary　to　Saul's　practice。　See　sect。
2；　and　the　note　on　Antiq。　B。　III。　ch。　8。　sect。　9；　and　when　Saul's
daughter；　（but　David's　wife；）　Michal；　laughed　at　David's　dancing
before　the　ark；　2　Samuel　6：16；　&c。；　and　here；　sect。　l；　2；　3；　it
is　probable　she　did　so；　because　her　father　Saul　did　not　use　to
pay　such　a　regard　to　the　ark；　to　the　Urim　there　inquired　by；　or
to　God's　worship　before　it；　and　because　she　thought　it　beneath
the　dignity　of　a　king　to　be　so　religious。

（7）　Josephus　seems　to　be　partly　in　the　right；　when　he　observes
here　that　Uzzah　was　no　priest；　（though　perhaps　he　might　be　a
Levite；）　and　was　therefore　struck　dead　for　touching　the　ark；
contrary　to　the　law；　and　for　which　profane　rashness　death　was　the
penalty　by　that　law；　Numbers　4：15；　20。　See　the　like　before；
Antiq。　B。　VI。　ch。　1。　sect。　4。　It　is　not　improbable　that　the
putting　this　ark　in　a　cart；　when　it　ought　to　have　been　carried　by
the　priests　or　Levites；　as　it　was　presently　here　in　Josephus　so
carried　from　Obededom's　house　to　David's；　might　be　also　an
occasion　of　the　anger　of　God　on　that　breach　of　his　law。　See
Numbers　4：15；　1　Chronicles　15：13。

（8）　Josephus　here　informs　us；　that；　according　to　his
understanding　of　the　sense　of　his　copy　of　the　Pentateuch；　Moses
had　himself　foretold　the　building　of　the　temple；　which　yet　is　no
where；　that　I　know　of；　in　our　present　copies。　And　that　this　is
not　a　mistake　set　down　by　him　unwarily；　appears　by　what　he
observed　before；　on　Antiq。　B。　IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　46；　how　Moses
foretold　that；　upon　the　Jews'　future　disobedience；　their　temple
should　be　burnt　and　rebuilt；　and　that　not　once　only；　but　several
times　afterward。　See　also　Josephus's　mention　of　God's　former
commands　to　build　such　a　temple　presently；　ch。　14。　sect。　2；
contrary　to　our　other　copies；　or　at　least　to　our　translation　of
the　Hebrew；　2　Samuel　7：6；　7；　1　Chronicles　17：5；　6。

（9）　Josephus　seems；　in　this　place；　with　our　modern　interpreters
to　confound　the　two　distinct　predictions　which　God　made　to　David
and　to　Nathan；　concerning　the　building　him　a　temple　by　one　of
David's　posterity；　the　one　belongeth　to　Solomon；　the　other　to　the
Messiah；　the　distinction　between　which　is　of　the　greatest
consequence　to　the　Christian　religion。

（10）　Whether　Syria　Zobah；　2　Samuel　3：8；　1　Chronicles　18：3…8；　be
Sophene；　as　Josephus　here　supposes；　which　yet　Ptolemy　places
beyond　Euphrates；　as　Dr。　Hudson　observes　here；　whereas　Zobah　was
on　this　side；　or　whether　Josephus　was　not　here　guilty　of　a
mistake　in　his　geography；　I　cannot　certainly　determine。

（11）　David's　reserving　only　one　hundred　chariots　for　himself　out
of　one　thousand　he　had　taken　from　Hadadezer；　was　most　probably　in
compliance　with　the　law　of　Moses；　which　forbade　a　king　of　Israel
〃to　multiply　horses　to　himself；〃　Deuteronomy　17：16；　one　of　the
principal　uses　of　horses　in　Judea　at　that　time　being　for　drawing
their　chariots。　See　Joshua　12：6；　and　Antiq。　B。　V。　ch。　1。　sect。
18。　It　deserves　here　to　be　remarked；　that　this　Hadad；　being　a
very　great　king；　was　conquered　by　David；　whose　posterity　yet　for
several　generations　were　called　Benhadad；　or　the　son　of　Hadad；
till　the　days　of　Hazael；　whose　son　Adar　or　Ader　is　also　in　our
Hebrew　copy　（2　Kings　13：24）　written　Benhadad；　but　in　Josephus
Adad　or　Adar。　And　strange　it　is；　that　the　son　of　Hazael；　said　to
be　such　in　the　same　text；　and　in　Josephus；　Antiq。　B。　IX。　ch。　8。
sect。　7；　should　still　be　called　the　son　of　Hadad。　I　would；
therefore；　here　correct　our　Hebrew　copy　from　Josephus's；　which
seems　to　have　the　true　reading。　nor　does　the　testimony　of
Nicolaus　of　Damascus；　produced　in　this　place　by　Josephus；　seem　to
be　faultless；　when　it　says　that　he　was　the　third　of　the　Hadads；
or　second　of　the　Benhadads；　who　besieged　Samaria　in　the　days　of
Ahab。　He　must　rather　have　been　the　seventh　or　eighth；　if　there
were　ten　in　all　of　that　name；　as　we　are　assured　there　were。　For
this　testimony　makes　all　the　Hadads　or　Benhadads　of　the　same
line；　and　to　have　immediately　succeeded　one　another；　whereas
Hazael　was　not　of　that　line；　nor　is　he　called　Hadad　or　Benhadad
in　any　copy。　And　note；　that　from　this　Hadad；　in　the　days　of
David；　to　the　beginning　of　Hazael；　were　near　two　hundred　years；
according　to　the　exactest　chronology　of　Josephus。

（12）　By　this　great　victory　over　the　Idameans　or　Edomites；　the
posterity　of　Esau；　and　by　the　consequent　tribute　paid　by　that
nation　to　the　Jews；　were　the　prophecies　delivered　to　Rebecca
before　Jacob　and　Esau　were　born；　and　by　old　Isaac　before　his
death；　that　the　elder；　Esau；　（or　the　Edomites；）　should　serve　　and
the　younger；　Jacob；　（or　the　Israelites；）　and　Jacob　（or　the
Israelites）　should　be　Esau's　（or　the　Edomites'）　lord；　remarkably
fulfilled。　See　Antiq。　B。　VIII。　ch　7。　sect。　6；　Genesis　25；9；3；　and
the　notes　on　Antiq。　B。　I。　ch。　18。　sect。　5；　6。

（13）　That　a　talent　of　gold　was　about　seven　pounds　weight；　see　the
description　of　the　temple　ch。　13。　Nor　could　Josephus　well
estimate　it　higher；　since　he　here　says　that　David　wore　it　on　his
head　perpetually。

（14）　Whether　Josephus　saw　the　words　of　our　copies；　2　Samuel
12：31；　and　1　Chronicles　20：3；　that　David　put　the　inhabitants；　or
at　least　the　garrison　of　Rabbah；　and　of　the　other　Ammonite
cities；　which　he　besieged　and　took；　under；　or　cut　them　with　saws；
and　under；　or　with　harrows　of　iron；　and　under；　or　with　axes　of
iron；　and　made　them　pass　through　the　brick…kiln；　is　not　here
directly　expressed。　If　he　saw　them；　as　is　most　probable　he　did；
he　certainly　expounded　them　of　tormenting　these　Ammonites　to
death；　who　were　none　of　those　seven　nations　of　Canaan　whose
wickedness　had　rendered　them　incapable　of　mercy；　otherwise　I
should　be　inclinable　to　think　that　the　meaning；　at　least　as　the
words　are　in　Samuel；　might　only　be　this：　That　they　were　made　the
lowest　slaves；　to　work　in　sawing　of　timber　or　stone；　in　harrowing
the　fields；　in　hewing　timber；　in　making　and　burning　bricks；　and
the　like　hard　services；　but　without　taking　away　their　lives。　We
never　elsewhere；　that　I　remember；　meet　with　such　methods　of
cruelty　in　putting　men　to　death　in　all　the　Bible；　or　in　any　other
ancient　history　whatsoever；　nor　do　the　words　in　Samuel　seem
naturally　to　refer　to　any　such　thing。

（15）　Of　this　weight　of　Absalom's　hair；　ho