the spot by the Israelites themselves, when they gained full possession of it in the time of David. But it is certainly possible that they may have. given it this name before, while they dwelt in it jointly with the Jebusites: for the Israelites may be supposed to have had some just repugnance to describe themselves as the inhabitants of a town bearing the name of one of the unsubdued Canaanitish nations, and the different name by which they called the place would serve to distinguish them from the heathen inhabitants.

The word JERUSALEM would be more correctly written JERUSHALAIM, or more fully, as given in the original of some texts, JERUSHALAYIM. There is no question respecting the latter half of the word-as SHALEM, or SALEM, indubitably signifies "peace," and nothing else; and it repeatedly occurs as a name, or in the composition of names in Scripture. But respecting the first half JERU, there is more difference of opinion. Some derive it from the Hebrew word JERUSH, which signifies "possession," and thus make the whole name to signify "the possession of peace." Others prefer to derive it from another Hebrew word JARAH, which signifies "founding" or "foundation," that is, a house or

habitation, and thus find the compound name Jerusalem to denote "the mansion of peace," equivalent to "city of peace," which, in more modern times, has been one of the surnames of Baghdad. It has been ingeniously conjectured that this name may have been designed by the Hebrews as a slight alteration in form, but a great one in sense, of the name JEBUS-SHALEM, which would mean "treading down of peace;" a name sufficiently appropriate to the warlike and turbulent character of the Canaanitish inhabitants, but wholly unsuited to the city which God himself had chosen for his own. Professor Lee rather inclines to uphold this explanation. He says, "It is true we find no such compound as that here supposed; yet this new name (Jerusalem) looks so much like a compound of the two old ones,* that it seems very likely to have been chosen for the purpose of indicating the existence of them both, with the altered character which the city was ever after to sustain."

One more conjecture is, that which derives the first part of the name from the latter part of the name Jehovah-jireh, which Abraham gave to the place in which he designed to offer

Jebus and Salem. He assumes that the tower was the Salem of Melchizedek; but this point, as will be seen, we cannot feel to be certainly established.

This is the Rab

up Isaac, Gen. xxii. 8, 14. binical opinion, and many Christian interpreters, of high authority, have given it their sanction. It is, however, partly built upon the notion that Jerusalem was both the Salem of Melchizedek, and the site of Abraham's sacrifice; and, as this notion does not appear to have been clearly established, we cannot with any confidence build upon the conclusion which has grown out of it. The Rabbins themselves, who believe Melchizedek to have been Shem, maintain that out of respect to him the name of Salem was retained; and that out of respect to Abraham, that of Jireh was prefixed thereto, forming together the name of JIREHSALEM, softened into JERU-SALEM.

Among these different explanations, that appears to be etymologically the most sound which makes the name to signify the "habitation of peace;" but there does not seem any sufficient ground for stating how or where that name originated, or whether that name had, or had not, any reference, designed or undesigned, to its peculiar and sacred character. Seeing that all the Hebrew names are significant, and often beautifully and strikingly significant, without our being able, in more than a very

few cases, to determine in what way the signification was applicable to the places or the persons by whom the names were borne, there is nothing very remarkable in the fact, that Jerusalem had a significant name, nor can much satisfaction be expected in dealing with it as a peculiar case. Under whatever circumstances this name was originally imposed, it soon ceased to be appropriate; for there have been few cities in the world which have been less the "habitation of peace" than Jerusalem. This will be seen from the history, to which we now return.

The next incident in the history of Jerusalem is afforded by the fact, that the Judahites, after their signal victory over the barbarous tyrant of Bezek, and the just punishment they inflicted upon him, brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. This circumstance takes the reader rather by surprise; and the sacred historian, aware of this, explains that "the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire," Judg. i. 8. It is, however, perfectly clear from the subsequent history that this success was confined to such parts of the lower city as were not covered by fortifications, and that the strong

hold of Zion resisted all the assault of the conquerors. This retention of the stronghold rendered the Jebusites still the real masters of Jerusalem; and the recorded victory of Judah does not seem to have given it any permanent possession of even the lower city and although some persons of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin appear to have lived there, the number of Hebrew residents could not have been numerous; for when the Levite, travelling from Bethlehem to Mount Ephraim, came "over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem," his servant suggested that they should put up there for the night; but he refused, saying, "We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah," Judg. xix. 12.

After this follows a long interval of about 350 years, during which the name of Jerusalem does not occur in the sacred books.

While David was king over the tribe of Judah only, he held his court at Hebron, which was in many respects well suited to be the metropolis of such a dominion. But when he became, after the death of Ishbosheth, the undisputed sovereign of the whole country, he saw that Hebron lay too far towards the southern