Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 6
EXERCITAT. VI. Of the ſituation of the Citie of Jeruſalem. A ceremoniall appendix of Command 2.
Pſal. 48. Beautifull for ſituation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion, on the ſides of the north the City of the great king.
IEruſalem was compaſſed about with Hils and Valleyes, the Hiles were Gareb, Calvarie, Gihon, Aceldamae, The Hils compaſſed Ieruſalem.Olivet, the Valleyes were the Valley of dead Carkaſes, Tyropaeum, the Valley of Iehoſophat or hinnon, or the Kings dale.
The Citie it ſelfe ſtood upon foure Hils,The Hils upon which Ieruſalem ſtood. Sion towards the ſouth; Akra towards the north, upon which Salem ſtood; Moriah betwixt Sion and Akra; and Bezetha betwixt Akra and Moriah; and betwixt Sion and Moriah lay the great gulfe of Millo.
VponUpon every one of theſe hills there is ſome notable thing to be obſerved:Some memorable things done on every one of the Hils. upon mount Gareb all the Lepers were put, therefore it is called, the hill of Scabbes, Iere. 31.39. upon mount Calvarie Chriſt was crucified; upon Gihon Salomon was anoynted King; In Aceldama was the potters field which was bought with the price of the juſt one, for the buriall of ſtrangers, Amos 2.6. Act. 1.19. upon mount Olivet Chriſt was taken up to Heaven.
VponUpon mount Sion ſtood the fort of the Iebuſites, The Citie of David ſtood in Sion.which David taking in afterwards, called it the Citie of David, there he built his houſe. In mount Akra ſtood the old Citie Salem, where Melchizedeck dwelt, and it is called Akra from hakkara, foreign obviam veniens.obviam venit, becauſe there hee met Abraham and bleſſed him when he returned from the ſlaughter of the Kings,In mount Moriah Abraham would have offered his ſonne. Gen. 14.19. VponUpon mount Moriah Abraham would have offered his ſonne Iſaac, Gen. 22 and here the Angell ſtood with a drawne ſword in his hand above the threſhing floore of Arauna the Iebuſite; and upon this mount afterwards was the Temple of Salomon builded.
The new towne of Ieruſalem ſtood in Bezetha called the upper Mercat.In Bezetha was builded the new towne of Ieruſalem, called forum inferius, in reſpect of forum ſuperius that was in Sion. To the north of Bezetha and Akra ſtood the new towne builded by Hezekiah which he compaſſed round about with a wall called murus tertius, for the firſt wall was builded by David round about Sion, even to the Sheep-gate; the ſecond wall was builded by Salomon round about Bezetha, and joyned with the firſt wall at the Sheepe-gate; the third wall was builded by Hezekiah joyning it to the old wall of the City Salem, and compaſſed round about mount Akra to the water gate, where it joyned with the ſecond wall.
The gulfe Millo.Millo was a deepe gulfe lying to the north of Sion, & to the ſouth of Moriah; this gulfe Salomon filled up when he builded his owne houſe, the Queenes houſe and the houſe of Lebanon.
Mount Sion in which the City of David ſtood, was called the upper towne, and the reſt that were towards, the north of it,foreign Ieruſalem ſuperior. foreign Ieruſalem inferior. Salem and Bezetha, were called the nether towne, and to this the Apoſtle alludeth, Gal. 4.25. Ieruſalem which is beneath, and Ieruſalem which is above; Ieruſalem which is above ſignified anogogicallie the triumphant Church, but allegorically the free children begotten within the covenant of grace; and Ieruſalem below ſignified the children of the bond woman; and for this cauſe it is put in the duall number Ieruſalaijm; foreignbecauſe it conſiſteth of two Cities which the Greekes call foreign. So Iacobs armie is called mahanaijm, conſiſting of two armies, one heavenly, another earthly; to theſe two Salomon compareth the Church, Cant 6.13. what will yee ſee in the Shulamite; as it were the company of Manaham, or two armies, ſhee conſiſted partly of Citizens in the triumphant Church, and partly of Citizens in the militant.
Ieruſalem is ſometimes called Sion, Ieruſalem is ſometimes called Sion, and ſometimes Moriah.and ſometimes Moriah, and Sion is called, the hill of God, Pſal. 68.15. that is, an excellent hill; for the Hebrewes wanting the ſuperlative, they ſupply it by adding the name God, by which they underſtand that which is moſt excellent and great in that kind, Pſal. 80.11. The trees of it were like the Cedars of God, that is, excellent Cedars, So 1 Sam. 18.10. the evill ſpirit of the Lord came upon Saul, that is, a very evill ſpirit. So Ieruſalem is called the daughter of Sion, that is, Sion herſelfe, as the Sonne of man, that is, a man.
When Ieruſalem and Sion are ſet together,Ieruſalem and Sion put together for the more earneſt expreſſion. they are ſo to be underſtood, as a repetition of the ſelfe-ſame thing for the more earneſt expreſſion, as Zach. 9.9. O daughter of Sion, O daughter of Ieruſalem, here the explaining of the one word by the other, carieth a great weight with it. So Pſal. 92.9. For loe thine enemies, O Lord, for loe, thine enemies, O Lord, ſhall periſh, that is, they ſhall ſurely periſh.
Moriah is alſo taken for all the hils whereupon the City ſtood, Gen. 22.2. Goe to the Land of viſion, that is,Moriah taken largely for all the hils in Ieruſalem. to the land of Moriah, but Abraham ſeeing that excellent viſion, verſ. 14. of which Chriſt ſpake, Ioh. 8.56. Abraham rejoyced to ſee my day, he appropriated the generall name, particularly to this mountaine, and called it Moriah.
Queſt. How is David ſayd to bring the head of Goliah to Ieruſalem, 1 Sam. 17.54. ſeeing he had not taken in Ieruſalem a long time after?
Anſw. That part of Ieruſalem which ſtood in the tribe of Benjamin was taken in by Saul before, and to this part David brought the head of Goliah; but the other part was poſſeſſed ſtill by the Iebuſites untill David was crowned King both over Iſrael and Iuda, and the firſt victory that he got after he was crowned King over both Iſrael and Iuda, was over the Iebuſites.
Ieruſalem is called the midſt of the earth, Ezek. 38.12. in the originall Tabbur, foreign vmbilicus, metaphorice Locus editus. why Ieruſalem is called the midſt or the navil of the earthumbilicus, becauſe it ſtood upon the hils, as the Navell doth in the Bodie; by this is underſtood that parable of Gaal, Iudg. 9.37. Behold people came downe from the Navell of the earth, that is, from Ieruſalem, hence all the Regions round about Ieruſalem take their denomination from the ſituation of it,Other countries take their denominations from the ſituation of Ieruſalem. Pſal. 89.12. the north and the ſea thou haſt created them, and it is called the north in reſpect of Ieruſalem. So Pſalm. 107.3. From the Eaſt, and from the Weſt, and from the North, & from the ſea. Here the mediterranean Sea in the Scriptures is put for the South in reſpect of Ieruſalem; therefore the ſituation of the heavens is not taken from the body of man in the Scripture,The ſituation of the heavens is taken from the Lord dwelling betwixt the Cherubims. as the Philoſophers ſay, but from the Lord dwelling betwixt the Cherubims in the weſt end of the Temple of Ieruſalem; who ſitteth betwixt the Cherubims,foreign eſt veſpera occaſus foreign eſt locus campeſt…is, et pluraliter foreign Coeli: hinc eſt quod quidam verterunt Equitat ſuper ad Occaſum: Alii, Inſidet amoenitatibus: Alii, Equitat ſuper Coelos. looking alwayes towards the Eaſt, and then his right hand was to the South, and his left hand to the North, Pſal. 68.4. extoll him, qui equitat ſuper ad occ…ſum, who rideth upon the Weſt; becauſe the Cherubims ſtood in the weſt end of the Temple.
The Concluſion of this is, Ieruſalem being in the center of the earth, and the line of the Goſpel going out from it to be preached through the whole earth, to gather in the Church of the Gentiles to the Iewes, whereby they might make a compacted Citie; therefore glorious things are ſpoken of it. So Ier. 3.17. All the Nations ſhall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord to Ieruſalem, in the originall it is, Venikevu, They ſhall run in a line; foreign linea corum.for the Goſpel went out from Ieruſalem, the ſound thereof went to the ends of the earth, Pſal. 19.5. in the originall it is, the line thereof: for Ieruſalem was as the center, and the lines went from the center to the ends of the whole earth, and the ſame way that the lines went out from it: So ſhall all Nations returne by the ſame lines, and bee gathered in to Ieruſalem which is above.