3.  THE FOUNDATION OF THE KINGDOM, AND THE FIRST THREE KINGS.

The Philistines were the means of arousing from their slumber Israel and Jehovah.  From their settlements by the sea on the low-lying plain which skirts the mountains of Judah on the west, they pressed northwards into the plain of Sharon, and thence into the plain of Jezreel beyond, which is connected with that of Sharon by the upland valley of Dothan.  Here, having driven out the Danites, they came into direct contact with the tribe of Joseph, the chief bulwark of Israel, and a great battle took place at Aphek, where the plain of Sharon merges into the valley of Dothan.  The Philistines were victorious and carried off as a trophy the Israelite standard, the ark of Jehovah.  Their further conquests included, not only the plain of Jezreel and the hill country bordering it on the south, but also the proper citadel of the country, “Mount Ephraim.”  The old sanctuary at Shiloh was destroyed by them; its temple of Jehovah thenceforward lay in ruins.  Their supremacy extended as far as to Benjamin; the Philistines had a nec,ib in Gibeah. 1

************************** 1. nec,ib is an Aramaic word of uncertain meaning.  In the name of the town Nec,ibin (Nisibis) it certainly seems to mean “pillars;” according to 1Kings iv. 5 and xxii. 48 (where it is pointed niccab), “governor”, seems the best translation, and this is the only rendering consistent with the expression in 1Samuel xiii. 3 ("Jonathan slew the necib,” &c.). ***************************

But the assertion that they had confiscated all weapons and removed all smiths must be regarded as an unhistorical exaggeration; under their regime at all events it was possible for the messengers of a beleaguered city on the east of Jordan to summon their countrymen in the west to their relief.

The shame of the Israelites under the reproach of Philistine oppression led, in the first instance, to a widespread exaltation of religious feeling.  Troops of ecstatic enthusiasts showed themselves here and there, and went about with musical accompaniments in processions which often took the shape of wild dances; even men of the most sedate temperament were sometimes smitten with the contagion, and drawn into the charmed circle.  In such a phenomenon, occurring in the East, there was nothing intrinsically strange; among the Canaanites, such “Nebiim”—­for so they were styled—­had long been familiar, and they continued to exist in the country after the old fashion, long after their original character, so far as Israel was concerned, had been wholly lost.  The new thing at this juncture was that this spirit passed over upon Israel, and that the best members of the community were seized by it.  It afforded an outlet for the suppressed excitement of the nation.