And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, the blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 2 Sam. v. 6-8. (See also 1 Chr. xi. 4-7.)

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 Chr. iii. 1.

In a tomb at Beni Hassan there is a painting which has attracted a good deal of attention, because it was at first supposed to represent the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt. It is now pretty well known that this cannot be the case, as the personage in whose honour the tomb was excavated is stated to have been an officer of rank under Osirtasen I., whom we presume to have reigned in the earlier part of the life of Abraham.

The interesting group of figures (which we have copied on the following page) is ushered into the presence of Pharaoh by two Egyptian officers, who hold a written tablet describing the procession as thirtyseven шCCHÈ, or dealers in stibium, the black powder used by oriental women to tinge their eyelids.*

The man who heads the procession is evidently the most important person; he is clothed in a robe of peculiar form, which will best be understood by a reference to the engraving; it is of an elaborate pat

* Jezebel" put her eyes in painting." 2 Kings ix. 30 (marg.).

vant.

tern, "of divers colours," chiefly bright red and blue, the effect of which is very rich. He makes his obeisance as he approaches, leading as a present a beautiful gazelle, followed by another in the care of a serFour young men follow, whose garments differ from that of the chief, in being gathered on one shoulder, leaving both arms and one shoulder exposed. Two of them are in white, the others are in coloured cloth, similar but inferior in richness to that of the chief. These men carry arms, the bow and quiver, the spear, and a crooked stick, of singular shape, which we shall have occasion to mention again. Then comes an ass, with two children in panniers, and what seems a shield. A boy slightly clad, carrying a spear, and four women follow, the latter wearing garments of varying patterns, similar to those of the men, but rather longer; their feet are protected by boots. Another ass, loaded with arms, is followed by two servants, one of whom plays on a lyre, the case of which is slung at his back, and the other carries a bow, quiver, and club.

The complexion of this people is dark and sallow; the beard, hair, and eyes black. The hair is copious in both sexes, and is allowed to hang in a thick mass or bag behind; the women wear a fillet around the The beard of the men is thick, and apparently bushy, but is shaven into corners in a peculiar fashion: the nose and chin are remarkably prominent, and the expression of the features, what we call" Jewish."

crown.

Immediately before the chief person there is a hieroglyphic inscription, which Mr. Osburn considers

as setting at rest the identity of this people: we quote his words. "The upper group reads K(IK), king, governor, chief, [of] the land. The group below is letter for letter the transcription of the Hebrew word 'D1', which is rendered in the English Bible Jebusites,' It seems, therefore, scarcely possible to imagine a more satisfactory reading than that of the chief of the land of the Jebusites;' a country which, bordering upon the desert, the proper haunt of the gazelle, its inhabitants would naturally bring these animals or their horns as presents to Egypt. Their country also lay between Egypt and the country where stibium was produced; and the Jebusites, like the rest of the Canaanites, were noted for their mercantile habits: nothing, therefore is more probable than that they would be known in the marts of Egypt as dealers in stibium. So that, without entering at all into the various conjectures which have been hazarded as to the nation to which these captives belonged, we at once adopt the plain indication of the text, and assume that it represents the tribe or clan of the Jebusites, who... had sent an embassy to Egypt to solicit peace."†

After the historical picture already alluded to, representing the Tyrian chiefs paying homage and tribute to Sethos I., the scene copied in the following en

* Ancient Egypt, p. 39.

This evidence certainly appears somewhat meagre ; nor can we gather many particulars to help us from the details of the pictured records. There is a reflected light, however, thrown upon these people by their manifest affinity with other nations, whom we can identify with a higher degree of security; and hence we may with little hazard conclude them to have been a Canaanitish people. (See page 75.)

graving occurs. A mountainous country is depicted, indicated by the craggy cliffs on the left, up which the enemy is hastily climbing to escape from the terrible shafts of the conqueror; but many already transfixed are precipitated headlong. The trees show that it was a wooded region, and the three forts indicate how well it was fortified. One of these forts is inscribed" the fort Вcr&," which, if the above interpretation be received, we may read Jebusina; and another inscription explains that "the king return

ing to the borders of Egypt, lifts up his hand over all the ways of the Jebusites." It is not impossible that this very fort may have been the Jerusalem of after days.

From other monuments we discover that the succeeding Pharaohs had wars with this powerful nation, into the particulars of which we need not now enter. Like their neighbours, they were distinguished by peculiarities of costume and arms. In war they com