Sunday, February 19, 2012

Touring Binyamin Region

Today, there is a Tourist Department in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council with many opportunities to see and enjoy the land and its attractions.

In the 19th century, things were a bit different.

From James Finn's "Byeways in Palestine" published in 1868:-

And on another day's expedition alone, I was riding near 'Anata (Anathoth) eastwards from the village, thinking over the faith of the prophet Jeremiah, in purchasing a family estate, the future occupation of which was contrary to all human probability, and after recounting to myself the cities of Benjamin allotted to the priests, as Anathoth, (to which the treasonable priest Abiathar belonged, 1 Kings ii. 26,) Gibeon, and Geba, wondering what had become of the fourth city Almon, (Josh. xxi. 17, 18,) I came up to a hill on which appeared some remains of an ancient town; there my horse carried me up the steep side, and while passing among the lines of foundations on the summit, a peasant who joined me said the place was called _'Alman_. Some time afterwards, I was riding on the other side of the same hill, in the direction of _Hhizmeh_, (the Az-maveth of Neh. vii. 28, as I suppose,) when a peasant informed me that the place on the hill was named _Almeet_. This corresponds to the other name of the town as given in 1 Chron. vi. 60, and vii. 8, where it is Alemeth. So remarkable a preservation of both names by another people than the Jews, after long or perhaps repeated desolations, appears to me almost miraculous, and is a fresh illustration of the exact verbal inspiration of Holy Scripture.

Bravo!

^

No comments: