renounced their allegiance to the house of David, and the deputies returned to their homes. Rehoboam

perceived his fatal error, when it was too late to retrieve its consequences. Even his attempt in that direction

was a mistake. The king sent Adoram,  183 the superintendent of the tribute and of forced labor184 - the two

forming apparently one department of the king's dues - to arrange, if possible, matters with the rebellious

tribes. But this seemed only like trifling with their grievances, and a fresh insult. The presence of the hated

official called forth such feelings, that he was stoned, and Rehoboam himself narrowly escaped185 the same

fate by flight to Jerusalem.

The rebellion of the ten tribes was soon followed by their forma tion into an independent kingdom. When, on

their return from Shechem, the deputies made known the presence of Jeroboam, the tribes sent for him, and

in a popular assembly appointed him king over all Israel. Still, it must not be thought that the whole land was

absolutely subject to him. When thinking of monarchy in Palestine, it is always necessary to bear in mind

the long-established and great municipal fights and liberties which made every city with its district, under its

Elders, almost an independent state within the state. Accordingly, we find it chronicled as a note worthy fact

(1 Kings 12:17), that King Rehoboam reigned over those Israelites who were settled in Judean towns - either

wholly inhabiting, or forming the majority in them; while it is marked as a wise measure on the part of

Rehoboam, that he distributed "his children throughout all the countries (districts) of Judah and Benjamin

unto every fenced city" no doubt, with the view of making sure of their allegiance. It seems to have been

otherwis e within the domains of Jeroboam. From 2 Chronicles 11:13-16 we learn that, on the substitution by

Jeroboam and his successors of the worship of the golden calves for the service of Jehovah, the old religion

was disestablished, and the Levites deprived of their ecclesiastical revenues, the new priesthood which took

their place being probably supported by the dues of their office, and, if we may judge from the history of

Ahab (1 Kings 18:19), by direct assistance from the royal treasury. In consequence of these changes, many

of the Levites seem to have settled in Judaea, followed perhaps by more or less extensive migrations of the

pious laity, varying according to the difficulties put in the way of resorting to the great festivals in

Jerusalem. It would, however, be a mistake to infer the entire exodus of the pious laity or of the Levites.186

But even if such had been the case, the feeling in the ancient Levitical cities would for some time have

continued sufficiently strong to refuse allegiance to Jeroboam.

And here a remarkable document throws unexpected light upon our history. On the wall of the great

Egyptian Temple of Karnak, Shishak has left a record of his victorious expedition against Judah. Among the

conquests there named 133 have been deciphered - although only partially identified - while 14 are now

illegible. The names ascertained have been arranged into three groups187 - those of Judean cities (the

smallness of their number being accounted for by the erasures just mentioned); those of Arab tribes, south

of Palestine; and those of Levitical and Canaanite cities within the territory of the new kingdom of Israel. It is

the latter which here alone claim our attention.

Any conquest of cities within the territory of Jeroboam might surprise us, since the expedition of Shishak

was against Judah, and not against Israel - indeed, rather in alliance with Jeroboam and in support of his

new kingdom. Another remarkable circumstance is, that these Israelitish conquests of Shishak are all of

Levitical or else of ancient Canaanite cities, and that they are of towns in all parts of the territory of the ten

tribes, and at considerable distances from one another, there being, however, no mention of the taking of the

intervening cities. All these facts point to the conclusion, to which we have already been directed on quite

independent grounds, that the Levitical and ancient Canaanite cities within the territory of Jeroboam did not

acknowledge his rule. This is why they were attacked and conquered by Shishak on his expedition against

Judah, as virtually subject to the house of David, and hence constituting an element not only of rebellion

but of danger within the new kingdom of Israel. Before quitting this subject, these two remarks may be

allowed, how wonderfully, and we may add, unexpectedly, documents of secular history - apparently

accidentally discovered - confirm and illustrate the narratives of the Bible; and how wise, politically and

religiously, how suited to the national life, were the institutions of the Old Testament, even when to our

notions they seem most strange, as in the case of Levitical cities throughout the land. For, these cities,

besides serving other most important purposes, formed also the strongest bond of political union, and at the