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tract between the two rivers, from their greatest divergence of one or two hundred miles, to their contraction, within twenty miles asunder; in the vicinity of Bagdat, the great modern capital, on the eastern bank of the Tigris, in lat. 33°, 20'; according to Niebuhr, Tom. II. p. 239.

The southern district was called, "the land of Shinaar," Gen. x. 10; xi. 2; or Babylon," the land of Nimrod," Micah v. 6; and Babylonia, by the Greek and Latin writers. It reached from the wall of Media, or contracted the space between the two rivers about three hundred miles down to the Persian Gulph; never exceeding four-score miles in breadth. The river Euphrates ran through the ancient capital, Babylon, which lay about 60 miles below Bagdat, in lat. 32o 28'. Niebuhr, Tom. II. p. 206, Tab. XLI.

3. Aram, or Syria, westward of the Euphrates. This, in Scripture, was divided into Aram Zobah, which reached from the Euphrates to the north and east of Damascus, 1 Sam. xiv. 47 ; 2 Sam. viii. 3. And Aram, of Damascus, which lay to the south and west of the former, 2 Sam. viii. 5. These corresponded to the Upper Syria, north of Mount Libanus, including Cole Syria, or the hollow valley between the two ranges of Libanus and Antilibanus, and the lower, or Palestine Syria, the Promised Land, and reaching southwards to the borders of Egypt. These were the proper boundaries of Aram, or Syria in general, according to its divisions; but Syria and Assyria are frequently used indiscriminately by the classic authors.

NINEVEH.

This capital of the Assyrian empire could boast of the remotest antiquity. Tacitus styles it, "Vetustissima sedes Assyria." Annal. 12, 13. And Scripture informs us, that Nimrod, after he had built Babel, in the land of Shinaar, invaded Assyria, where he built Nineveh, and several other cities. Gen. x. 11. Its name denotes "the habitation of Nin," which seems to have been the proper name of " that rebel," as Nimrod signifies. And it is uniformly styled by Herodotus, Xenophon, Diodorus, Lucian, &c. 'H Nevos, "the city of Ninus." Νινος, "the city of Ninus." And the village of Nunia, opposite Mosul, in its name, and the tradition of the natives*, ascertains the site of the ancient city, which was near

* In the mosque of this village, Nunia, is shewn the tomb of the prophet Jona h which is held in great veneration by the Jews at this day. Niebuhr, Tom. II. p. 286.

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"the castle of Arbela," according to Tacitus, so celebrated for the decisive victory of Alexander the Great over the Persians there; the site of which is ascertained by the village of Arbil, about ten German miles to the east of Nunia, according to Niebuhr's map. Tab. XLV.

Diodorus Siculus, indeed, asserts, that Nineveh was built on the Euphrates, Lib. II.; but this must be a mistake; for Herodotus, I. 193; Pliny, VI. 13; and Ptolomy, p. 146; all agree that it was built on the Tigris. Such a combination of ancient and modern authorities against his single assertion, decides the question beyond a doubt. And it is rather strange, how so accurate a geographer and historian as Doctor Gillies, in his late History of the World from Alexander to Augustus, Vol. I. p. 57. could adopt the mistake of Diodorus, and imagine that there were two Ninevehs, the one on the Tigris, the other on the Euphrates.

He also adopts the opinion, that the former Nineveh was founded by Ashur, not Nimrod; following the translation of our English Bible:

"Out of that land (Shinar) went forth Ashur, and builded Nineveh, and the city of Rehoboth and Calah, and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; the same is a great city.” Gen. x. 11. That this is incorrect, may appear from the following reasons: 1. The introduction of Ashur, the second son of Shem, into the account of the settlement of Ham's family, is rather irrelevant.

2. There is no evidence that Ashur at any time resided in the land of Shinar; he probably lived always in Assyria, which bore his name.

3. "The land of Ashur" is distinguished from "the land of Nimrod," or Shinar, in the prophecy of Micah, v. 6. where both are threatened "to be laid waste with the sword," in retaliation for the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities of the Jews.

4. The original verb NY", exivit, "went forth," frequently denotes hostile invasion. See instances, 2 Sam. xi. 1; 2 Kings xxiv. 8; Ps. lx. 10; Isa. xlii. 13; Zech. xiv. 3. And the noun

, Ashur, put frequently for the land of Assyria, Gen. ii. 14; Numb. xxiv. 24, &c. is used elliptically for N, "to," or “into Assyria;" both the affix, local, and the preposition, or, both signifying "to," or " towards," being often understood. Compare in the original, 2 Sam. x. 2. with 1 Chron. xiii. 13; and 2 Sam. x. 2. with 1 Chron. xix. 2, &c.

The passage, therefore, may more correctly be rendered, "Out of that land (Shinar) went forth (Nimrod) to (invade) Assyria, &c." or, "into Assyria," as in the margin of the English Bible; supported by the authorities of the Targums of Onkelos and Jerusalem, Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, and Jerom; and the most judicious moderns, Bochart, Hyde, Marsham, Wells, Le Chais, Universal History, &c.

Nineveh, at first, seems only to have been a small city, and less than Resen, in its neighbourhood; which is conjectured by Bochart, and not without reason, to have been the same as Larissa, which Xenophon describes as "the ruins of a great city, formerly inhabited by the Medes," Anabas. 3. and which the natives might have described as belonging La Resen, “to Resen.” Nineveh did not rise to greatness for many ages after, until its second founder, Ninus II. about B.C. 1230, enlarged and made it the greatest city in the world. According to Diodorus, it was of an oblong form, 150 stadia long, and 90 broad, and, consequently, 480 in circuit, or 48 miles, reckoning 10 stadia to an English mile, with Major Rennel*. And its walls were 100 feet high, and so broad that three chariots could drive on them abreast; and on the walls were 1500 towers, each 200 feet high. We are not, however, to imagine that all this vast enclosure was built upon: it contained great parks and extensive fields, and detached houses and buildings, like Babylon, and other great cities of the east, even at the present day, as Bussorah, &c.

And this entirely corresponds with the representations of Scripture: In the days of the prophet Jonah, about B.C. 800, it is said to have been "a great city, "an exceeding great city, of three days' journey," Jonah i. 2; iii. 3. perhaps in circuit; for 16 miles is about an ordinary day's journey for a caravan †. The Jews, at present, however, understand it in length, according to Niebuhr, Vol. I. p. 286, which seems to agree with the prophet's "entering into the city a day's journey," Jonah iii. 4. if it does not rather denote his going throughout the city, which was a day's journey in length; and this corresponds with the tradition of the natives, that the city extended from Kadikend

* By a more accurate calculation, made by the learned and ingenious Doctor Falconer, of Bath, nine Greek stadia were equal to one English mile, and 030185 decimals over. See his curious Tables of Ancient Measures of Length, Tab. I.

+ Rennel's Herodot. p. 350.

to Jeriudsjd, two villages on the east of the Tigris, about two or three German miles asunder, of which Niebuhr reckons fifteen to a degree.

The population of Nineveh also, at that time, was very great. It contained "more than six score thousand persons that could not discern between their right hand and their left, besides much cattle," iv. 11. Reckoning the persons to have been infants of two years old and under, and that these were a fifth part of the whole, according to Bochart, the whole population would amount to 600,000 souls. The same number Pliny assigns for the population of Seleucia, on the decline of Babylon, VI. 26. London at present, which perhaps is the most populous city in the world, not excepting Pekin, in China, is not reckoned to exceed 800,000, by Major Rennel, Herodot. p. 341, 348.

The threatened "overthrow of Nineveh within three days," by the general repentance and humiliation of the inhabitants, from the highest to the lowest, was suspended for near 200 years, until "their iniquity came to the full;" and then the prophecy was literally accomplished, in the third year of the siege of the city, by the combined Medes and Babylonians; the king Sardanapalus, being encouraged to hold out, in consequence of an ancient prophecy, That Nineveh should never be taken by assault, till the river became its enemy; when a mighty inundation of the river, swollen by continual rains, came up against a part of the city, and threw down twenty stadia of the wall in length; upon which, the king, conceiving that the oracle was accomplished, burnt himself, his concubines, eunuchs, and treasures, and the enemy entering by the breach, sacked and razed the city, about B.C. 606.

Diodorus also relates, that Belesis, the Governor of Babylon, obtained from Arbaces, the king of Media, the ashes of the palace, to erect a mount with them near the temple of Belus, at Babylon; and that he forthwith prepared shipping, and, together with the ashes, carried away most of the gold and silver, of which he had private information given him by one of the eunuchs who escaped the fire. Doctor Gillies thinks it incredible that these could be transported from Nineveh to Babylon,

* This was the more explicit prophecy of Nahum, 115 years before the destruction of Nineveh, "With an over-running flood, HE (THE LORD) will make an utter end of the place thereof," i. 8.-" The gates of the river shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved," ii. 6.

300 miles distant; but likely enough, if Nineveh was only 50 miles from Babylon, with a large canal of communication between them, the Nahar Malka, or "Royal River," p. 132. But we learn from Niebuhr, that the conveyance of goods from Mosul to Bagdat by the Tigris is very commodious, in the very large boats called Kelleks; in which, in Spring, when the river is rapid, the voyage may be made in three or four days, which would take fifteen by land, Niebuhr, p. 287.

The complete demolition of such immense piles as the walls and towers of Nineveh, may seem matter of surprise to those who do not consider the nature of the materials of which they were constructed; of bricks, dried or baked in the sun, and cemented with bitumen, which were apt to be "dissolved" by water *, or to moulder away by the injuries of the weather. Besides, in the east, the materials of ancient cities have been often employed in the building of new ones in the neighbourhood. Thus Mosul was built with the spoils of Nineveh. Tauk Kesra, or "the palace of Chosroes," appears to have been built of bricks brought from the ruins of Babylon; and so was Hellah, as the dimensions are nearly the same, and the proportions so singular. And when such materials could conveniently be transported by inland navigations, they are to be found at very great distances from their ancient place, much farther, indeed, than are Bagdat and Seleucia, or Ctesiphon, from Babylon. Rennel's Herodot. p. 377, 378.

BABYLON.

The city of Babylon was of a still earlier date than Nineveh. It began to be built at the same time as the tower of Babel, and both were left unfinished at the confusion of tongues. Gen. xi.

4-8.

The earliest notice of Babylon in profane history is, that Belus II. who is frequently confounded with Belus I. or Nimrod, built the tower of Belus, at Babylon, where he was buried, and had a temple dedicated to him, which the Chaldeans, or Babylonian priests, used for an observatory. And the astronomical observations which Alexander found at Babylon, and sent to

* Captain Cunningham remarked that at Bussorah, which is built of sun-dried bricks, after heavy rain, the falling of houses into the streets is no unusual sight. Rennel's Herodot. p. 749.

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