5:8
ISRAELITE
ITALIAN BAND
17*), brought about the mvasiot of Israel by Slial- maneser, and the final captivity of Israel (in 721).
The most striking feature in the history of tlie kingdom of Israel is its want of stability. Tliere was no one central bond, either religious or political, to unite the people and infuse a national spirit. The seat of royalty was constantly being changed — Shechem, Tirzah, Samaria. Dynasty followed dynasty ; one succeeding the other by violence. The longest, that of Jehu, lasted only live genera- tions. The king generally held his life in his liands, and often had to maintain his authoritj' by acts of terrorism and cruelty. There was no central religious shrine to inspire a common feeling of reverence. Keligious worship, if not always absolutely revolting, as in the days of Ahab and Ahaziah, was to a largo extent heathenish in its methods and conceptions (Hos 4" 7''' Am 4^ 8"), and in the declining days of the nation's history exercised no influence on its social life. At the same time the history has its elements of interest. AVhile the Jud.-eans, in their isolated position on the S. hills, were developing that marked national character which has distinguished them from other nations, the Isr. were constantly coming in contact with the Can. and other foreign tribes. From these they derived not merely the evils of a bad religious influence, but also many of the advantages of a higher civilization and culture. Humanly speaking there were greater possibilities in tlie N. than in the S. Until almost the last page of their historj', from Elijah downwards, all the great projjhets came from the North, or, like Amos, carried on their work there. If in the more refined worship of Solomon's temple was the germ of the stately ritual of post-exilic Judaism, we must con- fess that it was in the teaching of Northern pro- phets, such as Elijah and Hosea, that we can trace the main growth of those spiritual truths which became the precious heritage of the Jews, and through them of the Christian world.
LlTERATtmB. — Apart from the historical books of OT and the works of the prophets Amos and Hosea, the most important sources of information are the monumental remains, esp. Lliosc of Assyria. Collections of these are contained in RP, Schrader, Co T. The history has been thorouf^hlv treated in Ewald's III (Tr. 18S3-1885), and those of Wellha'usen, Kittel, and Reuss. On archaeological questions, Nowack's Ueb. Arch. 1S94, is by far the best. The ' Books of Kings ' in the Speaker's Commfntary, though from a critical point of view behind the time, still con- tains much useful information. A History of the Hebrew People by Professor Kent is an excellent book, and quite up to date, "rhe second volume appeared after this article was
""'ten- F. H. Woods.
ISRAELITE (Jn 1").— See Nathanael.'
ISSACHAR (-lire", pointed by the Massoretes ^,p^., • Yissakar, the second v being ignored, but the true pointing should probably be ij;' v- ; LXX Swete'I(r(raxip(butTi.sch. Icrirdxap),and soNT,Treg. WH ; 'Uaxip TR).— 1. The ninth son of Jacob and the fifth of Leah, Gn 30'* 35=^ etc. The meaning of the name is uncertain. Probably it means ' there is a reward' (cf. Jer 31", 2 Ch 15'); if Well- hausen's suggestion (Text der Biich. Sam. 95), that the name should be interpreted as laj;' it'n, is correct, it will probably mean 'hired labourer,' though it might also be translated ' man of re- ward,' whatever the precise sense of that might be. In favour of the view that it means 'hired labourer' is the character given to the tribe in tlie Blessing of Jacob (Gn 49"- '»). Kuenen {'J'/iT v. 292 f. ) has inferred from this passage that it is to its subiect condition that the tribe owes its name. Ball (SBOT Genesis, on Gn SO'") thinks it mav mean ' Sokar's man,' Sokar or Seker being an Egyptian god, but perhaps is a designation of the tribal totem, meaning ' The Red ' and referring to the ass • Ben-Napbtali (Baer Gen. p. 84) points Ijyp:.
(cf. Gn 49"). In Genesis a double ex])lanation of the name is given. J accounts for it by the fact that Leah hired Jacob from Kachei with tlie niandiakea found by Reuben (Gn 3U'*). E interprets it as a reward conferred by God on Leah, because she bad given Zilpah to Jacob (v.'").
Our knowledge of the tribe is very meagre. Its territory in Palestine is of uncertain extent, for the delimitation of its boundaries in Jos 19'''-' is from 1' (cf. Dilliii. ml loc, and Moore on .Ij' 5"). It lay S. of Zebulun and Na)ilitali, and N. of Manasseh. On the E. it was boundeil by the Jordan. Whether it ever reached the sea is un- certain (see Dt 33'"- "). Proliably it remained an inland tribe. Its lot included nominally the very fertile plain of Esdraelon, but this was for the most part in the possession of the Canaanites. Robinson says : ' ^\ e were greatly struck with the richness and productiveness of the splendid plains, especially of Lower Galilee, including that of Esdraelon. . . . Zebulun and Issachar had the cream of Palestine' (B. R. V- iii. 100). Since the tribe is not mentioned in Jg 1, we do not know anything of the circumstances of its settlement in Palestine. Apparently both Deborah and Barak belonged to it, and in Deborah's Song (Jg 5''') it is mentioned as having taken part in the hattle against Sisera. One of the judges. Tola, is said to have belonged to it (Jg 10'--, on the text of which see Moore's note). Baiisha, who conspired against, slew, and succeeded Nadab the son of Jeroboam I., also sprang from this tribe (1 K 15-'') In the Blessing of^ Jacob (Gn 49'''- ") the tribe is taunted with its indolent preference of undisturbed enjoyment of its fruitful land to independence. The reference would be to a later perio<l than the conflict with Si.sera, in which it had taken a dis- tinguished part. No reproach is uttered in the Blessing of Moses (Dt 33'"- "). The latter passage is obscure (.see Driver's note), but it apparently re- fers to the posse.ssion by Zebulun and Issachar of sanctuaries to which non-Israelites ('the peoples') resorted, and to material advantages which these tribes thus secured. 'The peoples' (v.'") would probably be Phcenicians, on account of the refer- ence to ' the abundance of the seas.'