Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Upon The Antiquity Of The Arabians, Their Language And Letters, And The Origin Of The Chinese A^'D Their Empire.
sion of Gamuol . Pliny says the use of letters was eternal , and many have made no scruple in ascribing them to a divine revelation . Long before the Tower of Babel was built ancl languages confounded there were clivers tongues or dialects . The tenth chapter of Genesis expresses this circumstance , for the sons of Gomer spoke different tongues ; this is explained in the fifth verse : — " By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands : every one after his tongueafter
^ their families , in their nations . " It must be remembered that the Hebrews were a haughty and stiff-necked people ; that , excepting themselves , they would own no other nation , as the gentiles were not consecrated to God . If the daughters of their people married heathens , then , if the grandchildren were recognized and registered among the tribes , they were placed as offspring to the next of kin , on the mother ' s sideas in the case of Lot ' s two daughterswho wedded Pagans . The
, , enormous length of time that elapsed from the creation of man to the deluge afforded sufficient space for many great and important changes in manners and languages , and the ingenuity ancl reflection of man can , without scepticism , sufficiently account for the chasm left in sacred history . It is worthy of observation , that in the East it is well known Abraham married , when very old , a second time , ancl to a woman named Katurah , which appears to be an Arabian name , for in the
English language it is interpreted " perfumed incense-burner , " and by her he had six sons . —the fourth son became the head of the Midianites , These Abraham in his life-time portioned , and sent eastward into Arabia Deserta , where they became heads of tribes , numerous and
potent , far from his other sons , Isaac and Ishmael , who lived at a small distance one from another , ancl buried their father in the cave of Macpheleh , beside Sarah his wife . Abraham is famous in the stories of the ancient heathens , and of the Mahometans , Indians , and Jews , as a king of Damascus , and as a teacher of arithmetic and astronomy to the Egyptians . It is probable human sacrifices took their rise among the Canaanites , from his intended oblation of Isaac . In Scripture two different places are represented as the land of
Midian ; the one about the north-eastern point of the Red Sea , where Abulfeda places the city of Midian or Madian , and where Jethro dwelt . These western or southern Midianites were all called Cushites , because they dwelt in the country originally pertaining to Cush . They retained the true religion when it seems to have been lost by the eastern or northern Midianites . This nation dwelt on the east of the Dead Sea , ancl were neighbours to the Moabites . The Midianites consisted of five principal tribes , descended from Ephah , Hanoch , Abidah , and Eldaah , each
of which seems to have had their own kings . Very early the Midianites applied themselves to traffic , particularly to Egypt , in spices , balm , and the like . Some of them were concerned in the buying and selling of Joseph into Egypt ; and it seems , some ages afterwards , they had a war with the Edomites , under king Hadad . The Midianites were mightily alarmed at the Hebrews' passage through the Red Sea , ancl the marvellous appearances on Sinai and in the AVilderness . Possibly most of the southern Midianites removed from the Red Sea on that occasion , ancl
settled with their brethren on the borders of Moab . Sihon had conquered their country , for their five kings are called dukes of Sihon . They were one distinct race , and spoke a different language from the Hebrews . The greatest prince of the Midianites in the East was Job .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Upon The Antiquity Of The Arabians, Their Language And Letters, And The Origin Of The Chinese A^'D Their Empire.
sion of Gamuol . Pliny says the use of letters was eternal , and many have made no scruple in ascribing them to a divine revelation . Long before the Tower of Babel was built ancl languages confounded there were clivers tongues or dialects . The tenth chapter of Genesis expresses this circumstance , for the sons of Gomer spoke different tongues ; this is explained in the fifth verse : — " By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands : every one after his tongueafter
^ their families , in their nations . " It must be remembered that the Hebrews were a haughty and stiff-necked people ; that , excepting themselves , they would own no other nation , as the gentiles were not consecrated to God . If the daughters of their people married heathens , then , if the grandchildren were recognized and registered among the tribes , they were placed as offspring to the next of kin , on the mother ' s sideas in the case of Lot ' s two daughterswho wedded Pagans . The
, , enormous length of time that elapsed from the creation of man to the deluge afforded sufficient space for many great and important changes in manners and languages , and the ingenuity ancl reflection of man can , without scepticism , sufficiently account for the chasm left in sacred history . It is worthy of observation , that in the East it is well known Abraham married , when very old , a second time , ancl to a woman named Katurah , which appears to be an Arabian name , for in the
English language it is interpreted " perfumed incense-burner , " and by her he had six sons . —the fourth son became the head of the Midianites , These Abraham in his life-time portioned , and sent eastward into Arabia Deserta , where they became heads of tribes , numerous and
potent , far from his other sons , Isaac and Ishmael , who lived at a small distance one from another , ancl buried their father in the cave of Macpheleh , beside Sarah his wife . Abraham is famous in the stories of the ancient heathens , and of the Mahometans , Indians , and Jews , as a king of Damascus , and as a teacher of arithmetic and astronomy to the Egyptians . It is probable human sacrifices took their rise among the Canaanites , from his intended oblation of Isaac . In Scripture two different places are represented as the land of
Midian ; the one about the north-eastern point of the Red Sea , where Abulfeda places the city of Midian or Madian , and where Jethro dwelt . These western or southern Midianites were all called Cushites , because they dwelt in the country originally pertaining to Cush . They retained the true religion when it seems to have been lost by the eastern or northern Midianites . This nation dwelt on the east of the Dead Sea , ancl were neighbours to the Moabites . The Midianites consisted of five principal tribes , descended from Ephah , Hanoch , Abidah , and Eldaah , each
of which seems to have had their own kings . Very early the Midianites applied themselves to traffic , particularly to Egypt , in spices , balm , and the like . Some of them were concerned in the buying and selling of Joseph into Egypt ; and it seems , some ages afterwards , they had a war with the Edomites , under king Hadad . The Midianites were mightily alarmed at the Hebrews' passage through the Red Sea , ancl the marvellous appearances on Sinai and in the AVilderness . Possibly most of the southern Midianites removed from the Red Sea on that occasion , ancl
settled with their brethren on the borders of Moab . Sihon had conquered their country , for their five kings are called dukes of Sihon . They were one distinct race , and spoke a different language from the Hebrews . The greatest prince of the Midianites in the East was Job .