Itinerarium totius Sacræ Scripturæ. Or, the trauels of the holy patriarchs, prophets, iudges, kings, our sauiour Christ, and his Apostles, as they are related in the Old and New Testaments. With a description of the townes and places to which they trauelled, and how many English miles they stood from Ierusalem. Also a short treatise of the weights, monies, and measures mentioned in the Scriptures, reduced to our English valuations, quantitie, and weight. Collected out of the workes of Henry Bunting, and done into English by R.B.

Of that holy man Iob.

IOb was a holy and good man: he dwelt in the land of Vz, so called of Vz the sonne of Aram the son of Sem, as S. Ierome vp∣on Genesis obserueth. This Vz was that great man which built (as was thought) Damascus in Syria, and all the land which ex∣tendeth from Damascus to Iordan, after his name was called Vz, that is, the land of counsell, fot so Vz signifieth. There were two townes in this countrey, where Iob is said to haue dwelt; that is, Astaroth-Carnaim, and Batzra: Asteroth-Carnaim was distant from Ierusalem, 52 miles towards the Northeast, the inhabitants of which towne worshipped the goddesse Venus, and called her by the name of Astaroth, of which you may reade before. S. Ie∣rome saith, That the sepulchre of Iob was to be seene in his time in that towne; and later writers testifie as much for their times. This towne at this day is called Carnea.

Batzra is mentioned in the 36 of Genesis, it signifieth a grape ga∣thering. In this towne it was thought that Iob was borne, it lay be∣yond Iordan in the tribe of Reuben, 20 miles from Ierusalem towards the Northeast. All this countrey in those times was sub∣ject to the King of the Edomites or Idumaeans; but after it was joyned to the land of the Moabites, they hauing conquered the kings of Edom: you man reade more of it in the 6 of Isay, also Ios. 20. where is shewed, that it was one of the six cities of refuge, appointed by Ioshua. Heere Iob for the most part continued and

held this towne in great honour and reputation.

He liued about the time of Baela, first king of the Edomites: and according to the opinion of Saint Ierom, Augustine, Ambrose, Philo, and Luther, was for his excellent vertue and singular piety, chosen King of that countrey, which he greatly enlarged, making all the countries and neighbouring Princes neer adjoining, tributary vn∣to him: wherfore (as Ierom saith, in locis Hebraicis) hauing obtained so large an Empire, he remoued his seat from Batzra to Astaroth Carnaim, which was a strong and well defenced citie, where in those times (as Moses witnesseth, Gen. 14.) there inhabited migh∣tie men, and noble Heroes; that so by their vertue he might with the greater facilitie suppresse and conquer other Prouinces.

There are many thinke him to be of the stocke of Abraham, and of the family of Esau, because he is mentioned in the 36 of Genesis where it is said, That when Baela died, Iobab the sonne of Zerah of Boz∣ra or Betzra raigned in his stead. And Saint Ierom in his preface vp∣on the booke of Iob sheweth, that he was but fiue degrees remo∣ued from Abraham: for

Abraham had

• ...Ishmael
  • Basmath, who was the wife ef Esau, mother of Reguel, grandmother to Sarah, and great grandmother to Iob. So that by the mothers side Iob descended from Ishmael, and by the fathers side from Esau.
• ...Isaac
  • ...Esau
  • ...Reguel
  • ...Serah
  • Iob or Iobab, king of Idu∣maea, Gen. 36.

Notwithstanding there are some that are of opinion, That he de∣scended from Nahor, Abrahams brother; and was of the family of Vz, Nahors sonne: which opinion also Saint Ierom mentioneth in his Hebraicall questions. But most of the antient fathers hold this nothing so probable.

Luther vpon the 36 chapter of Genesis saith, That he was King long time before Moses carried the children of Israel out of Ae∣gypt.

For Iuda and Aser the sonnes of Iacob, had children before they went into the land of Aegypt, Gen. 46. therefore it is not im∣possible for Reguel the sonne of Esau, to haue children also, since he was married long before his brother Iacob. From hence then it may be gathered, that Iob was King of Idumaea before Iacob and his sonnes went into the land of Aegypt. For although the four∣teene sonnes of Esau gouerned the land of Edom, like so many Princes (of which number Reguel the grandfather of Iob was one) because they held it as their inheritance; yet to auoid sedition and distractions, which oftentimes happen where there is not a certaine head and principall commander, therefore they elected Bela the sonne of Beor to be their King: after whose death they chose Iob, because he was a holy man of God, and in his actions just and vpright; who without doubt raigned amongst the Edo∣mites a long time. For he liued after his afflictions (which God imposed vpon him to trie him) 140 yeares. Plato saith, he marri∣ed Dina the daughter of Iacob: but Saint Ierome, That he marri∣ed the daughter of an Arabian, by whom hee had Enon. Both these may be true; for his first wife being dead he might marrie an Arabian.

After the death of Iob, the Gyants & Heroes in Asteroth Car∣naim fell againe from the Idumaeans; for when Moses brought the children of Israel out of the desart of Arabia Petraea, and that they had conquered the land beyond Iordan, the city Astaroth-Carnaim had a King called Og, who gouerned all the Kingdome of Basan. This Gyant was of a mighty stature; he had a bed of yron* 1.1 nine cubits long, and foure broad, Deut. 3.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Foure yards & a half long, & two broad.