NOTES ON THE FIRST PART OF THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Chap. III. Sect, ii. § 12. ONCE more, the prophet Jeremiah, foretelling the taking of Babylon by Cyrus the Great, has this expression, chap. li. ver. 27. Call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat and Minni, &c.] I cannot omit observing, that it is not altogether improbable, that the name Armenia might be made of Ararat and Minni, or Menni, as it is written by some. And it is plain, that the Syriac interpreter of Jeremy did take Menni to denote Armenia; as also did the Chaldee paraphrast Jonathan. up Chap. III. Sect. ii. § 46. I must now speak something of the colonies of Magog.] I look upon this to be a proper place to take notice, that although the Swedish historians may with some probability esteem themselves to be colonies of Magog, yet it seems very absurd for them to go about to shew the world, that the kingdom of Sweden is the most ancient kingdom in Europe, and that this country was after the deluge sooner stored with inhabitants than the other parts of Europe. Forasmuch as it is not likely, that the first planters of Europe should settle themselves in the more northern and unfruitful parts of it, before they had stored or filled the more southern and fruitful countries of it. Chap. III. Sect. iv. § 24. That the Caphtorim were situated near to the Casluhim, &c.] I am not ignorant that some learned men, particularly Bochart, contend, that the Caphtorim were seated in Cappadocia, and prove this by several instances out of Oriental writers, by whom the Cappadocians are denoted by the word Caphtorims. But then this does not prove that Cappadocia was first planted after the flood by the Caphtorims, which is what we are speaking of here. All that is proved by the citations out of the said Oriental books, is only thus much, viz. that a colony of the Caphtorim did in process of time possess themselves of Cappadocia, having subdued the descendants of Japhet; just as another colony of the Caphtorims did possess themselves of that tract of Canaan, which is called in Scripture by the name of the land of the Philistines, having subdued the first planters of that tract, the descendants of Canaan. Chap. V. § 3. Being thus occasionally trained up to the art of war, &c.] I cannot forbear observing here, that, agreeably to what is here supposed, concerning the manner how Nimrod came to be a good warrior, the great philosopher and general Xenophon does particularly advise, that young men should not slight hunting, because hereby they might become fitter for the soldiery. See his Kumyérix. or Tract of Hunting, chap. ii. sect. 1. Oxford edition, 8vo. |