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SECT. II. Whence Canaan was a part only of Canaan, Judg. IV. 2.
CANAAN with his people wandring from Babylon after the confusion of Lan∣guages, passed over Euphrates through Syria, and travailed towards Palestine, and the way led him straight into the Northern part of it first. And that which the Jews say of Abraham travailing thither, may be said of his person also, in this regard. b 1.1 God said to Abraham, say they, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 To thee, To thee, the words being doubled by reason of a double journy, one from Arain Naharaim, the other from Aram Nachor. While Abraham li∣ved in Aram Naharaim, and Aram Nahor, he saw men eating, drinking, and playing: he said therefore, Let not my portion be in that Land. But after he came 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 To the ladder of the Tyrians, he saw men labouring in digging their grounds, in gathering their Vintage, and in husbandry: and then he said, Let my portion be in this Land.
Note, how Abraham coming into the Land of Canaan, is first brought into the North part of it; for there was Scala Tyriorum, The Ladder of the Tyrians. Canaan in like manner with his sons, travailing from Babylon went the same way, and possesseth first the North parts, both those that were without the Land of Canaan, and those that were parts of the Land of Canaan it self.
First, Let the seats of these his four sons without the Land of Canaan be observed.
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I. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Arvadi, The Arvadites. Which word in all Versions almost is read as Aradi, The Aradites. And their seats are easily discovered in Arad, and Antarad. Jonathan for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Arvadi the Arvadites, reads 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Lutasites. Which people, in what part of the World were they? When I search in the Aruch what the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Lutas means, he cites these words out of Bereshith Rabba. A certain woman of the family of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Tibe∣rinus was married 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to one Lutas: and when accordingly I search Bereschith Rabbah, I find it there written, She was married 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to a certain robber.
If it were written in Jonathan 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 I should suspect his eye was bent upon Latavin, a place of Phenicia: concerning which mention is made in the No∣titia Imperii; where the Roman Garrisons under the Duke of Phenice are Otthara, Euhara, Saltacha, Latavis, &c.
- II. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Zemari, The Zemarites. In the Targumists both that of Jerusalem, and of Jonathan it is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Chamatsi. So it is in the Arabic, and in the Jerusalem Gemarists c 1.2; and also in Bereshith Rabbah d 1.3; which either supposeth them called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Zemarites, or alludes to the word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 because they wrought in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Zemer, woollen manufacture. But Chamats and Apamia are convertible terms in the Jerusalem Talmudists: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Sea of Apamia, say they, is the Sea of Chamats.e 1.4 But now that Apamia, we shew elsewhere, is the same with Sepham; on the utmost coast of the Land of Israel North, and North East.
- III. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Arki, The Arkites. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 f 1.5 Arki is Arcas of Libanus. Pliny writes thus, g 1.6 Paneas, in which is Cesarea with the Spring before spoken, Abila, Arca, &c. Borchard thus, In terminos (read Inter) Libani & Antilibani offendimus castrum Arachas, &c. On (or rather between) the borders of Libanus and Antilibanus we found the strong hold Arachas, and built by Aracheus the son of Canaan, when the deluge was over.
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IV. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Hamathi, The Hamathites. In the Jerusalem Targum it is Antioch. And Be∣rechith Rabbah not much from that sense, though in very different words, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 A Sinite, saith he, and Arethusia: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Chamathi is Epiphania. Thus Pliny, The rest of Syria hath these people, except what shall be said with Euphrates, the Aretheusians, the Bereans, and the Epiphanians.
You see the Antiochian and Syrophenician Syria possessed by the Canaanites, and yet we are not come as far as the Land of Canaan.
Let us therefore proceed onwards with Canaan, and the rest of his sons. The borders of the Canaanites, saith the Holy Scripture, were from Sidon to Gerar, even unto Gaza, Gen. X. 19. You will say, they were from Antioch, and utmost Phenicia, and a great part of Syria. True indeed, those Countries, as we have seen, were planted by the sons of Canaan, but the Scripture doth not call them Canaanites, but where their Coasts end towards the South, there the Canaanites begin. The Tract therefore, or Region, first pos∣sest by them, is called by a peculiar name Canaan, as distinct from the rest of the Land of Canaan, Judg. IV. 2. Where Jabin the King of Hazor, is called The King of Canaan, that is, of the Northern coast of the Land of Canaan. And among the seven Nations, devoted by God himself to a curse and cutting off, the Canaanites are always numbred, when all indeed were Canaanites; and that, as it seems, upon a double reason: partly, because that Country was distinctly so called, as another Country, and was of a peculiar differ∣ence from those Countries inhabited by the sons of Canaan, of whom we have spoke: