king of Elasur, the king of Shinar, and à fourth, styled king of nations. It was a family association against a common enemy, whence we may form a judgment concerning the princes of whom it was composed. Of the king of Shinar we know little: only we may be assured, that he was of the line of Shem; who had recovered the city, over which he ruled, from the Titanians. And we may farther presume, that Tidal king of Nations was no other than the king of Aram. In like manner we may infer, that Arioch Melach Elasur, DN, however expressed, was the king of Nineve, called of old, and at this day, "Asur and Assur. In the antient records concerning this war, it is probable, that each nation made itself the principal, and took the chief part of the glory to itself. For the conquests of Ninus (by which word is signified merely the Ninevite) consisted in great measure of these achievements: the whole honour of which the Ninevites and Assyrians appropriated to " themselves. The real principal in the war was the king of Elam; as we learn from the Scriptures and another material truth may be Benjamin Tudelensis. p. 61. 33 Zonaras speaks of the war as being carried on by the Assyrians. p. 22. obtained from the account given by Moses; that notwithstanding the boasted conquests of the Assyrians, and the famed empire of Ninus and Semiramis, the province of Assur was a very li mited district; and the kingdom of Elam was superior both to that of Nineve, and Babylonia. The king of nations I have supposed to have been the king of Aram: and the nature of the confe deracy warrants the supposition. But there are evidences, which shew, that he was no other than the prince of that country and it was called the region of nations, because all Syria, and the country upon the Euphrates consisted of mixed people; which was observable quite down to Galilee in Canaan. Moses Chorenensis wrote the history of Armenia; and he tells us, that when Ninus reigned in 34 Assyria, there was a war carried on against the "5 Titans of Babylonia, whom he styles the Immortals: and that the king of Aram had the conduct of that war. It is well known, that these kings, after they had defeated those in the vale of Siddim, carried off many prisoners. Among these was Lot, who was afterwards in a wonderful manner rescued by his bro 34 Moses Chorenens. 1. 1. c. 10. p. 27. 35 Bellum Titanium cum Gigantibus-immortalibus ac procerissimis. Ibid. Agmen Titanium. Ibid. 37 ther Abraham. This history is mentioned by Eupolemus; who says, that they were the people of Aram, who had taken him prisoner: and that they had been making war upon the people of Canaan, whom he styles Phenicians. He adds, that upon the news of Lot being a prisoner, Abraham with his armed household alone defeated the enemy, and regained his " brother. Diodorus Siculus has a passage very much to the present purpose. He tells us, that " Ninus, or the Ninevite, with the assistance of another prince, made war upon his neighbours the Babylonians. He proceeds afterwards to say, that this formidable expedition was not against the city of Babylon; for that was not then in being: but against other respectable cities of the country. In this war he with much ease subdued his enemies, and obliged them to pay an annual tribute. How very consonant this history is to the account given by Moses? The author says, that the city Babylon, 36 Ύστερον δε Αρμενιες επιδράτευσαι τοις Φοινιξι· Νικησάντων δε και · αιχμαλωτισαμένων τον αδελφιδών αυτε (Αβρααμ), τον Αβρααμ μετα είκετων βοηθησαντα εγκρατη γενεσθαι των αιχαλωτισαμένων, κ. τ. λ. Euseb. Præp. Evang. 1. 9. p. 418. 37 Κατ' εκεινος δε τις χρονος μεν νυν εσα Βαβυλων εκ ην εκτισμένη κατα δε την Βαβυλωνιαν ύπηρχον αλλαι πόλεις αξιολογοι ραδίως δε χειρωσάμενος τους εγχωριες-τα τοις μεν έταξε τελειν κατ' ενιαυτον ώρισε Heres popes. Diodor. 1. 2. p. 90. which in aftertimes made such a figure, was not now in being. It is very truly said: for the city Babel had been begun; but was at that time deserted, and left unfinished. 38 They left off to build the city. It seems to have been under a curse and we hear nothing more of it for ages. Not a word occurs about Babylon or Babylonia, till the time of Berodach Baladan, and of Nebuchadnezzar, who came after him, when this city was rebuilt. And from the extent of it, when completed, we may form some judgment of the original design. 39 The king 39 The king (Nebuchadnezzar) spake and said: is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of my kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? Abydenus informs us from Megasthenes, * that Babylon was first walled round by Belus; but in time the wall was ruined. At last Nebuchodonosor built it anew; and it remained with gates of brass to the time of the Macedonian empire. In the passage taken above, from Diodorus 38 Genesis. c. 11. v. 8. 39 Daniel. c. 4. v. 30. 40 Βηλον Βαβυλωνα τείχει περιβαλειν τῷ χρόνῳ δε εκνευμένο αφα εισθηναι τείχισαι δε αυθις Ναβεχοδονόσοςον, κ.τ.λ. Apud Abydenum in Eusebio. Præp. Evang. 1. 9. p. 459. Siculus, mention is also made of some service imposed upon the conquered nations, which is conformable to the account given by Moses. "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer; which service undoubtedly consisted in a certain tribute, as Diodorus rightly informs us. There are two circumstances in which this author, as the text now stands, does not accord with the original history. He mentions first, that the king of Assur was in league with the king of Arabia; and in the next place, that after the subduing of the Babylonians, he attacked the Armenians. In respect to Arabia, there was probably no country in that age so called; nor could it be the king of Arabia with whom he was in alliance, no more than it was the Armenian with whom he was at war. These two names, Arabia and Aramia, are very similar, and have therefore been confounded; and the history by these means has been rendered obscure. The prince with whom the king of Nineve had entered into an alliance was not the king of Arabia, but Aramia. He was a branch of the same family as Melech Al Asur, the king of Nineve, and his country was styled Aram. ** Τις γαρ ὑφ ̓ ἡμων Συρος καλεμενες ὑπ' αυτών των Genesis. c. 14. v. 4. See Diodorus above, Ta T Pagus. |