Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/600

 580 HEBREWS of Ruth, which contains the idyllic narrative of the Moabitish widow of that name, who, faithfully sharing the fate of her unfortunate mother-in-law, adopted her Hebrew home and religion, and married Boaz, is supplementary to the book of Judges. The first book of Samuel begins with the continuation of the latter. The priest Eli, who died suddenly on receiving the news of the defeat of his people by the Philis- tines, the death of his two sons, and the cap- ture of the ark of the covenant, and his pupil, the prophet or seer Samuel, the son of Elkanah and the pious Hannah, were the last of the judges. The latter reestablished the exclusive worship of the Lord, routed the Philistines, re- stored the ark, and introduced schools of proph- ets, residing in Ramah, his native place, and regularly visiting Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah; and when he finally resigned the executive power, he could say to the assembled people at Gilgal, " Behold, here I am ; witness against me before the Lord : Whose ox have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I de- frauded ? whom have I oppressed ? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith ? " And the people testified to the purity of his career. But his sons, whom he appointed in his old age, acted very differ- ently, and their corruption, but still more the desire for a strong military head, so natural after the previous long period of war, anarchy, and disunion, finally decided the people to urge the appointment of a king to rule them "like all other nations." The seer, deeply grieved by the proposed change of the Mosaic form of government, which is distinctly branded in the narrative as a repudiation of the divine rule itself, in vain painted to the people all the op- pression, extortion, and degradation insepara- ble from monarchical rule (1 Sam. viii.) ; they persisted in their demand, and he was obliged to yield. Saul, the son of Kish, was appointed the first king of Israel, and the constitution of the monarchy (1 Sam. x. 25) was written and deposited in the sanctuary. The new rule was strengthened and became popular by a series of victories over the Ammonites, Moab- ites, Idumaaans, Syrians, and Philistines. The eldest son of the king, Jonathan, distinguished himself as a heroic youth. Abner, a cousin of Saul, became commander of the army. Gib- eah was the capital of the monarchy. But an expedition against the Amalekites, though suc- cessful, was not executed according to the ordinance of Samuel, who now turned his in- fluence against Saul. The spirit of the latter became troubled, and David, the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, was brought to soothe his tem- per with music. This young shepherd excited the jealousy of Saul by his triumph over Go- liath, the Philistine giant, which decided a campaign, as well as by his subsequent suc- cesses when he married the princess Michal, and became the intimate friend of her brother Jonathan. Foreseeing the future destinies of the aspiring youth, Saul repeatedly attempted to take his life, and, exasperated by his failures, and the protection bestowed on David by his children, Samuel, and the priests, he extermi- nated the inhabitants of Nob, a city of the latter, and passed his life in pursuit of his rival, who, with a band of desperate outlaws roving on the southern borders of the country, baffled every attempt to capture him. The extermination of wizardship was one of the acts of Saul. His reign was terminated by a catastrophe. A battle was fought against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa ; the Hebrews fled, Jonathan and two other sons of Saul fell, and the king slew himself with his own sword. David, whose skill in poetry equalled his mu- sical genius, honored in a touching elegy the memory of his fallen friend and foe (2 Sam. i.), who, " lovely and pleasant in their lives, were even in their death not divided : they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions." Repairing to Hebron, he was anoint- ed there by his own tribe of Judah as king, while Abner proclaimed a surviving son of Saul, Ishbosheth, at Mahanaim, who was ac- knowledged by all the other tribes (about 1055 B. 0.). Bloody conflicts stained this double reign, David continually gaining the ascen- dancy through his heroic officers, the brothers Joab, Abisai, and Asahel, until the assassina- tion of Abner and soon after of Ishbosheth, caused by private revenge, gave him the whole kingdom. He now conquered Zion from the Jebusites, made Jerusalem his capital, organ- ized the national worship as well as the mil- itary power of the state, and by continual vic- tories over all surrounding neighbors, except Phoenicia, a friendly country, extended the limits of his dominions N. E. as far as the Eu- phrates, and S. W. as far as the Red sea. Jus- tice was strictly administered ; literature and arts, especially poetry and music, flourished. Asaph, the founder of a family of sacred sing- ers, rivalled the king in psalms ; Nathan and Gad assisted him as prophets, Zadok and Abiathar as priests ; Joab held almost contin- ually the chief command of the army. But the palace of the king was often stained with crimes; David himself had much to repent of; the infamous deeds of his sons by various wives, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, dis- tracted the peace of his house and kingdom, and the two former had perished, and two great insurrections had been quelled, when he died after a reign of 40 years (about 1015). Solomon, his son (by Bathsheba, the widow of the assassinated patriot Uriah), ascended the throne at the age of twelve, and commenced his reign with the execution of his half brother Adonijah and the aged Joab, who had con- spired against his succession ; but he soon be- came famous for personal wisdom and scientific attainments, as well as for the splendor of his court and the prosperity of his subjects. He inherited a large army and a full treasury, but he used the former only to preserve peace and secure tribute from his neighbors, and the lat-