The present writer has searched the region pretty thoroughly for the site of this ancient city, but has been unable to decide the question bej-ond dispute. NnwA has been suggested ; and tlie ob- jection raised to it, that ' it is much too far to the east,' has no weight, since it is about the same distance to the E. as Kamoth-gilcad. It might be a valid objection to say that it is too far south.
It must be remembered that the country just E. of Kamoth-gilcad was not thickly settled, and hence was not very wide at that point, while E. of the Sea of Galilee it broadened out to nearly three times that width ; and this would be an imperative reason for appointing, as the N. city of refuge, a place niucii farther to the E. than either of the others on that side of the river. This fact, toitetlier with the indication from the Talmud, would point to es-Sanamein as a possible site for (Jolan. The question of the actual site of this city of refuge is one, however, that is yet to be determined. S. Mkrkill.
GOLD. — The essential word for gold in Ileb. is tahalih (in Aram, parts of Ezr and I)n dchnbh, Arab, dhukab). Four other words occurring in Job are tr^ 'gold' in AV, viz. hezer. Job -irl-*, KVm 'ore' (the same word occurs in v.^ || lcesi-/>h 'silver') ; ^(gur, 28" ; paz, 28" ; and kethein, 28" (the l.a.st two often used elsewhere ; cf. tjik c.i; Job 28'«, Ps 45'", Is 13" ; '« a.ii 1 Ch 29*. and tjin alone, Job 22-"'). Another word for gold is hdn'iz, the usual Plucn. word, but in Heb. conlined to poetry, Ps U8", Pr 3'* 8'"- '» 10'« (Driver, Text of Samuel, p. xxviii). It proliably comes from a root meaning 'to be yellow.' l!y some the Plueniciau word is thought to be the source of the Gr. x/"'<'<'5.
That Syrians early had command of sources of gold is evident from the wealth of gold vessels and ornaments tjvken by the Egyptians in their deple- tion of Syria under the 18lh dynasty. The gold of Egypt came at lirst from Xubia, and later from the eastern desert ; but that of Syria ]irobably came irom Midian. At the lirst Midiauite war the Isrs^lites are said to have given as an ollering about half as many shekels of gold as the girls of the captives taken (Nu 31''). This would imply an ollering of about three shekels from each family destroyeil, and thcrclore a much greater wealth as a total. Again, Gideon personally gets 170O shekels of gold ear-rings from the slaughtered Midianitcs VOL. II. — 1?
(Jg S'"), besides the rich spoil of gold from the royal trappings. That great wealth and ability should have existed there, is very likely, considering the civilization of the Amu on the Ejrypt. monuments, who probably came thence; and the conquest of Egypt by foreigners (Kliyan, Yakub-el, and others) most likely from the same land. The absence of gold in the looting of Palestine under Joshua (the only piece named being an ingot of Uftj- shekels at Jericho, Jos ?-') is probably due to the thorough exhaustion of the country bj- repeated pillaging under liamses III. The quantities of gold men- tioned are not at all improbable, looking to the wealth otherwise recorded. I'utting amounts roughly into monetary value, we see
Tahutmeslll. First year, plunder of Syri» . £20,000
Later years, perhaps iio.i.«KJ
One year from Nubia 'Ja.ij-xj
Other years, perhaps 22.00f)T
In one reiffn received . . . £100,000 1 Ramses lll. offered to Amen, mainly from
Syria, £120,000 ; probably total plunder 1,000,000? Total amount stated for Tabernacle . . 90,000 Spoil of ilidian, offered £10,000 ; total at
least 100,000f
Gideon (Jg 8^ geta £2000 ; total at lewt . 10,000 ? Uezekiah gives Sennacherib .... 90,000
These values will give a general idea of the amounts of gold dealt H-ith in OT accounts, and their relation to the plunder which the Egj-ptiaus got in powerful reigns.
There does not appear to be any common word
for alloys of gold in Heb. ; and probably, therefore,
theelectnim or gold-silver alloy, so usual in Egypt,
was not frequent in Palestine. See also .^1imn(..
W. M. FUNDEIiS Petrik.
GOLDSMITH is the tr. of nij in both AV and KV of Neh S"--^'-^', Is 40'» 41' 4G«, and of liV in Jei lO'" 51", where AV has 'founder.' From early times elaborate gold work was made in Ej^'ypt ; and the exquisite delicacy and linish ol the jewellery found at Dahshur, of about D.C. '2500, shows tliat nothing has been gained in technical ability since that date. The special feature of this jewellery is the cloisonnie work of hundreds of minute pieces of coloured stones, each cut to a pre- cise shape, and each inserted in a perfectly fitting socket, made by invisible delicate soldering of thin strips of gold. The preparation of the base, and the cutting of the inserted pieces, are alike be3'ond auj'thing done in later ages. The same system was employed throughout Egyptian history in varying degrees of delicacy ; and such work must have been the starting-point for Hebrew and Phoenician gold work.
In the account of the tabernacle both cast and beaten gold are mentioned. The hammering out of the lampstand, lamps, and trimmers from one talent of^ gold is specified particularly (Ex 2o'"'-)- The talent was probably 135 lb. troy, about 160 cubic in. of gold ; allowing 20 cubic in. for the lamps and fittings, and as much for the foot, this would iiiiply (if tlie whole were al>out 3 ft. liigli) that tlie stem and branches of the lampstand were about J in. thick, includinfj the ornaments. Such a weight, therefore, is iiuile consistent with this strength required, and the conditions of working such a m.H&s. Tlie form of the lampstand is so familiar from the Arch of Titus that we need not refer to it lierc. The hammer-work of the two chcruliim (Ex "25") does not involve any special dlHiculties, a.s they were doubtless joined ; and Egyptians were long before this ailept.s at solder- ing gold. Put there is a question involved in the gold plating of the tal>erimcle boards (Ex 'Jo^V The total gold used was '29 talents, of which 1 was used for tlio lamipstand, and we niiLst allow at least 2 for the cherubim and mercy-seat. Tliii leaves 2U talents for plating. The area of lat