The Chosen People | Page 9

the heathen before
them, conquer the cities, and settle them in their inheritance.
The Land of Canaan was very unlike Egypt, with its flat soil, dry
climate, and single river. It was a narrow strip, inclosed between the
Mediterranean Sea and the river Jordan, which runs due south down a
steep wooded cleft into the Dead Sea, the lowest water in the world, in
a sort of pit of its own, with barren desolation all round it, so as to keep
in memory the ruin of the cities of the plain. In the north, rise the high
mountains of Libanus, a spur from which goes the whole length of the
land, and forms two slopes, whence the rivers flow, either westward
into the Great Sea, or eastward into the Jordan, Many of these hills are
too dry and stony to be cultivated; but the slopes of some have fine
grassy pastures, and the soil of the valleys is exceedingly rich, bearing
figs, vines, olive trees, and corn in plenty, wherever it is properly tilled.
With such hills, rivers, valleys, and pastures, it was truly a goodly land,
and when God's blessing was on it, it was the fairest spot where man
could live. When the Israelites entered it, every hill was crowned by a

strongly-walled and fortified town, the abode of some little king of one
of the seven Canaanite nations who were given into their hands to be
utterly destroyed. Though they were commanded to make a complete
end of all the people in each place they took, they were forbidden to
seize more than they could till, lest the empty ruins should serve as a
harbour for wild beasts; but they had their several lots marked out
where they might spread when their numbers should need room. As
Jacob had promised to Joseph, Ephraim and half Manaseh had the
richest portion, nearly in the middle, and Shiloh, where the Tabernacle
was set up, was in their territory; Judah and Benjamin were in a very
wild rocky part to the southwards, between the two seas, with only
Simeon beyond them; then came, north of Manasseh, the fine pasture
lands of Issachar and Zebulon, and a small border for Asher between
Libanus and the sea; while Reuben, Gad, and the rest of Manasseh,
were to the east of the Jordan, where they had begged to settle
themselves in the meadows of Bashan, and the balmy thickets of
Gilead.
Many a fortified town was still held by the Canaanites, in especial
Jebus, on Mount Moriah, between Judah and Benjamin; and close to
Asher, the two great merchant cities of the Zidonians upon the
sea-shore. These were called Tyre and Zidon, and their inhabitants
were named Phoenicians, and were the chief sailors and traders of the
Old World. From seeing a dog's mouth stained purple after eating a
certain shell-fish on their coast, they had learnt how to dye woollen
garments of a fine purple or scarlet, which was thought the only colour
fit for kings, and these were sent out to all the countries round, in
exchange for balm and spices from Gilead; corn and linen from Egypt;
ivory, pearls, and rubies from India; gold from the beds of rivers in
Chittim or Asia Minor; and silver from Spain, then called Tarshish.
Thus they grew very rich and powerful, and were skilful in all they
undertook. The art of writing, which they seem to have caught from the
Hebrews, went from them to the Greeks, sons of Japhet, who lived
more to the north, in what were called the Isles of the Gentiles.
The Canaanites had a still fouler worship than the other sons of Ham in
Egypt. They had many gods, whom they called altogether Baalim, or

lords; and goddesses, whom they called Ashtoreth; and they thought
that each had some one city or people to defend; and that the Lord
Jehovah of the Israelites was such another as these, instead of being the
only God of Heaven and earth. Among these there was one great Baal
to whom the Phoenicians were devoted, and an especial Ashtoreth, the
moon, or Queen of Heaven, who was thought to have a lover named
Tammuz, who died with the flowers in the autumn and revived in the
spring, and the women took delight in wailing and bemoaning his death,
and then dancing and offering cakes in honour of his revival. Besides
these, there was the planet Saturn, or as they called him, Moloch or
Remphan, of whom they had a huge brazen statue with the hands held a
little apart, set up over a furnace; they put poor little children between
these brazen hands, and left them to drop into the flames below as an
offering to this dreadful god.
Well might such worship be