to be imprisoned for the abuses of which he was guilty while he administered the government, and that it was then he became acquainted with Jehoiachin as a fellow prisoner. He at last fell a victim to a conspiracy, formed among his own kindred, headed by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who succeeded him.

BELSHAZZAR, the son of Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon, who reigned 17 years. This impious king who was warned of his impending fate by the miraculous hand-writing on the wall, (Daniel v. 5,) was killed by some soldiers of Darius, on the night of his guilty feast. (Dan. v.) His kingdom thenceforth passed over to the Medes and Persians.

JABIN, king of Canaan, to whom the Israelites were captives twenty years. (Judges, iv. 2.)

SISERA, a general of the Canaanites, under Jabin II. Jael invited him into her house, and being instigated of God to destroy this murderous idolater and devoted Canaanite, she drove a nail through his temples.

HEBRON, called originally Arba, or Kirjath-Arba, because Arba, the noted giant, was king of it. It was built on a hill, not long after the flood, (Numb. xiii. 22;) and stood 22 miles south of Jerusalem. Here Anak and his father and sons dwelt, but Caleb receiving it for his inheritance, expelled these giants and called it Hebron, after one of his sons. (Josh. xiv. 13, 14. It was made a city of refuge and given to the priests. David reigned here seven years over Judah, before he was crowned over all Israel. (2 Sam. ii. 11, and v. 3) Here Absalom first set up for king. (2 Sam. xv.) It is now little else than a heap of ruins, compared to its former extent and beauty. The number of houses is estimated at 400. It was visited by Mr. Fisk in 1824, who informs us that its present name is Haleel Rahman.

HIRAM. 1. (2 Sam. v. 11.) A distinguished king of Tyre. He was contemporary with David and Solomon, and on terms of the strictest political and personal friendship with them. Under his reign, the city of Tyre became celebrated for its wealth and magnificence; and the vast supplies he furnished to the kings of Israel show the greatness of his resources. (1 Kings ix. 14; x. 22.) 2. (1 Kings vii. 13.) An eminent artificer of Tyre,

who was employed by Solomon on some of the most difficult of the fixtures and furniture of the temple, for which Solomon gave him 20 cities in Galilee. (i Kings xi. 11.)

HANUN. (2 Sam. x. 2.) A king of the Ammonites. We are informed that David had received tokens of kindness from Nahash, the father and predecessor of Hanun. After the death of Nahash, David sent messengers to Hanun to comfort him, and to express his respect for the memory of the deceased king. But Hanun thought, or pretended to think, that David sent them as spies; so he took them and shaved off one half their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, and in this condition sent them home. David heard of their situation and sent to meet them, with directions to stay at Jericho until their beards were grown. This ungenerous conduct of Hanun was the occasion of a long war, in which multitudes of the Ammonites and their allies, Syrians and others, were slain.

AGAG (Num. xxiv. 7) was a king of the Amalekites. Some think this was the common name of their kings, as Pharaoh was the common name of the kings of Egypt. From the allusion to him in the prophetic passage above cited, we may suppose him to have been one of the greatest kings of the earth.

HAMMEDATHA. (Esth. iii. 1.) Haman's father. He is called the Agagite; and Josephus says he was a descendant from Amalek, and probably of the family or stock of Agag. If Agag was the common name of their kings, it is not improbable that an Amalekite would be called an Agagite, as one of the people of Agag.

ABIMELECH. 1. (Gen. xx. 2, and xxvi. 1.) King of Gerar, being deceived by Abraham, he sent and took Sarah, Abraham's wife, to be his wife. God warned him, however, in a dream, of Sarah's relation to Abraham, and thus withheld him from the commission of sin, because he did it in ignorance. (Gen. xx. 6.) Abimelech, having rebuked Abraham, restored Sarah to him with many gifts, and offered him a dwelling-place in any part of the land. God afterwards remitted the punishment of the family of Abimelech. At a subsequent period, Abimelech [or his successor of the same name1

was deceived, in like manner, by Isaac, respecting his wife Rebekah, while they dwelt in Gerar during a time of famine in Canaan.

NECHO, a famous king of Egypt, mentioned not only in Scripture, but by Herodotus. He conquered Judea in the days of Josiah.

TIRHAKAH, a king of Cush; called in profane history, Thearchon. (2 Kings xix. 9.)

ASTYAGES, king of Media, and grandfather of Cyrus the Great.

OREB, a prince of Midian, defeated and slain by Joshua. (Judges vii. 25.)

BALAK, king of Moab, the son of Zippor, arose and warred against Israel, and promised to bestow riches and honors upon Balaam, if he would go and curse the Israelites. (Num. xxii. 5, 6.)

MESHA, king of Moab, who rebelled against Jehoram, king of Israel, and who sacrificed his son to Baal. (2 Kings iii. 5, 27.)

DEBER, king of Eglon, one of the five kings who besieged Gibeon. (Josh. x. 3.)

HOHAм, king of Hebron, one of the kings defeated by Joshua at Gibeon. (Josh. x. 3.)

MELCHIZEDEK, king of Salem, to whom Abraham paid tithes. (Gen. xiv. 20.)

PIRAM, king of Jarmuth, one of the five kings who besieged Gibeon. (Josh. x. 3.)

JAPHIA, king of Lachish, who besieged Gibeon, but was defeated by Joshua. (Josh. x. 3.)

SIHON, king of the Amorites. (Num. xxi. 23, 24.) * NAHASH, king of the Ammonites. (1 Sam. xi. 1.)

THE KINGS OF ABYSSINIA.

THE Ethiopian kings of Abyssinia anciently sat upon a gold throne, which is a large, convenient, oblong seat, like a small bedstead, covered with Persian carpets, damask, and cloth of gold, with steps leading up to it. It is still richly gilded; but the ancient magnificence is much abridged by the many revolutions and wars.

DOWAGER became queen of Abyssinia after the death

of her husband, the king. She swayed the sceptre with great dignity during the minority of her son.

A. D. 522. DOUNOUDS, or Phineas the son of Dowager, a Jew, the king of Abyssinia, threw Christians into pits of fire who were unwilling to become Jews.

A. D. 523. ELESBOAN or Caleb, a Christian who became king of Abyssinia, subdued the Jews and slew Dounouds their king. [The above is from Joseph Milner and Bruce.]

THE KINGS OF THE HEBREWS.

THE following is a table of the kings of the Hebrews, both before and after their division into the governments of Judah and Israel.

Saul

reigned 40 years.
40 66

David 66

Solomon reigned 40 years..
Rehoboam 66

1 "

SAUL, (1 Sam. ix. 2,) the first king of Israel, was the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. His personal appearance was so remarkably fine and noble, as to be particularly mentioned by the sacred historian.

DAVID, the most eminent king of Israel, and one of the most distinguished persons mentioned in the Old Testament, both for his piety, talents, dignity and success. He wrote nearly all the Psalms. Christ, being a lineal descendant, is called "the Son of David." When it is said of him, while yet a youth among the folds, that he was a man "after God's own heart," it means that God chose him to be king over Israel, and would qualify him for that purpose. Under David, the army of 288,000 men was divided into twelve corps, each of which was consequently 24,000 strong, and had its own general. (1 Chron. xxvii.) Under Jehoshaphat this was altered, and there were five unequal corps, under as many commanders. (2 Chron. xvii. 1419.)

SOLOMON, (2 Sam. v. 14,) king of Israel, was the son and successor of David. His character, and the general condition of the country during his reign, were pre

dicted in remarkable terms, (1 Chron. xxii. 9, 10;) and especially remarkable, as the prediction is supposed to have ultimate and more comprehensive reference to the Messiah and his reign. Soon after the birth of Solomon, the prophet Nathan was sent by divine authority to give him the name of Jedidiah, signifying beloved of the Lord. REHOBOAM, (1 Kings xiv. 21,) son and successor of Solomon, ascended the throne of Judah at the age of forty-one, and reigned seventeen years. At the commencement of his career, he had an opportunity to conciliate the prejudices and discontents which had been excited by the closing acts of his father's reign; but rejecting the wise counsel of the aged, and adopting the precipitate counsel of the young, he inflamed his subjects by the most insolent and tyrannical reply to their petitions and representations, (2 Chron. x. 1-14) and hastened a division of the kingdom. Ten of the tribes revolted, leaving Judah and Benjamin alone in their allegiance to Rehoboam. The latter proposed at once to employ force for the purpose of reducing the rebels, but was divinely admonished to forbear. (I Kings xii. 24.) Continual wars prevailed, however, between the two parties. (2 Chron. xii. 15.) In about three years after the division of the kingdom, the tribes of Judah followed the tribes of Israel in their idolatrous practices; and for this they suffered the invasion of Shishak, king of Egypt, who desolated the country, and threatened the utter destruction of their city; but upon their repentance, the Scourge was stayed, though they suffered immense loss, and were made tributary to the invader. (2 Chron. xii, 2-12. We are told that a history of Rehoboam's reign was written by Shemaiah and Iddo, (2 Chron. xii. 15, but it has not been preserved. A distinguished modern antiquary has furnished evidence that on the remains of edifices believed to have been erected by this very Shishak, he has discovered several effigies of captive kings, and among them one of Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon.