children, "as well the strangers, and he that was born among them." As they stood close together, the

humblest in Israel by the side of the "officers," "elders ," and "judges," all eagerly watching what passed in

the valley, or solemnly responding to blessing or curse, a scene was enacted, the like of which had not

before been witnessed upon earth, and which could never fade from the memory.95 It is noteworthy that, on

Mount Ebal, whence came the responses to the curses, the great stones were set up on which "the law" was

written, and that there also the sacrifices were offered. This is in itself characteristic. Perhaps even the

circumstance is not without significance, that they who stood on Mount Ebal must have had their view

bounded by the mountains of Benjamin. Not so they who occupied Gerizim, the mount whence came the

responses to the blessings. For the view which greeted those who at early morn crowded the top of the

Mount of Blessings, was only second to that vouchsafed to Moses from the summit of Pisgah. If less in

extent than the latter, it was more distinct and detailed.96

All Central Palestine lay spread like a map before the wondering gaze of Israel. Tabor, Gilboa, the hills of

Galilee rose in succession; in the far-distance snow-capped Hermon bounded the horizon, with sweet

valleys and rich fields intervening. Turning to the right, they would descry the Lake of Galilee, and follow

the cleft of the Jordan valley, marking beyond it Bashan, Ajalon, Gilead, and even Moab; to their left, the

Mediterranean from Carmel to Gaza was full in view, the blue outline far away dimly suggesting thoughts of

the "isles of the Gentiles," and the blessings in store for t hem. as far as the eye could reach -and beyond it,

to the uttermost bounds of the earth - would the scene which they witnessed in that valley below be

repeated; the echo of the blessings to which they responded on that mount would resound, till, having

wakened every valley, it would finally be sent back in songs of praise and thanksgiving from a redeemed

earth. And so did Israel on that spring morning consecrate Palestine unto the LORD, taking sea and lake,

mountain and valley - the most hallowed spots in t heir history -as witnesses of their covenant.

From this solemn transaction the Israelites moved, as we gather from Joshua 9:6, to Gilgal, where they seem

to have formed a permanent camp. The mention of this place in Deuteronomy 11:30, where it is described as

"beside the oaks of Moreh,"  97 that is, near the spot of Abram's first altar (Genesis 12:7), implies a locality

well-known at the time, and, as we might almost conjecture from its after history, a sort of traditional

This alone would suffice to distinguish this Gilgal from the first encampment of Israel east of Jericho, which

only obtained its name from the event which there occurred. Besides, it is impossible to suppose that

Joshua marched back from Shechem to the banks of Jordan (9:6; 10:6, 7, 9, 15, 43), and, again, that he did so

a second time, after the battles in Galilee, to make apportionment of the land among the people by the banks

of Jordan (14:6). Further, the localization of Gilgal near the banks of Jordan would be entirely incompatible

with what we know of the after-history of that place. Gilgal was one of the three cities where Samuel judged

the people (1 Samuel 7:16); here, also, he offered sacrifices, when the Ark was no longer in the tabernacle at

Shiloh (1 Samuel 10:8; 13:7-9; 15:21); and there, as in a central sanctuary, did all Israel gather to renew their

allegiance to Saul (1 Samuel 11:14). Later on, Gilgal was the great scene of Elisha's ministry (2 Kings 2:1), and

still later it became a center of idolatrous worship (Ho sea 4:15; 9:15; 12:11; Amos 4:4; 5:5). All these

considerations lead to the conclusion, that the Gilgal, which formed the site of Joshua's encampment is the

modern Jiljilieh, a few miles from Shiloh, and about the same distance from Bethel - nearly equi-distant from

Shechem and from Jerusalem.  98

In this camp at Gilgal a strange deputation soon arrived. Professedly, and apparently, the travelers had come

a long distance. For their garments were worn, their sandals clouted, their provisions dry and moldy,99 and

the skins in which their wine had been were rent and "bound up" (like purses), as in the East wine-bottles of

goat's skin are temporarily repaired on a long journey.

According to their own account, they lived far beyond the boundaries of Palestine, where their fellow-

townsmen had heard what the Lord had done in Egypt, and again to Sihon and to Og, wisely omitting from

the catalogue the miraculous passage of Jordan and the fall of Jericho, as of too recent date for their theory.

Attracted by the name of Jehovah, Israel's God, who had done such wonders, they had been sent to make "a