Section 732

fioc, war, as usuallj'' rendered, or iia\)i ; also ayutv, etc.). The Israelites began their existence as a na- tion witli an aggressive campaign, in the sequel of which nevertheless the_y were from time to time com- pelled to occupy a defensive position throughout the «ntire psriod of the Judges (q. v.). This consisted, however, for the most part, of tumultuary' and discon- nected skirmi.'^hcs. Kegular engagements first occur- red under (Saul and) David ; and the frequent liostile collisions of disciplined Hebrew generals in the civil and foreign commotions of subsequent periods must have greatly stimulated military training. The open- ing of a campaign (generally in spring, 2 Sam. xi, 1 ; Josephus, Ant. vii, 6, 3; Harmer, ii, '283), as well as of single engagements, although not prefaced by reg- ular diplomatic communications or a declaration of war (hut see Judg. xi, 12 sq. . 1 Kings xx, 2 sq. ; 2 Kings xiv, 8; Josephus, Ant. iv, 8, 41), was preceded in important and deliberate cases by an interrogation of tlie Urim (q. v.) and Thummim (Judg. xx, 27 sq. ; 1 Sam. xiv, 37: xxiii, 2; xxviii, 6 ; xx, 8) or a proph- et (1 Kings xxii, G sq. ; 2 Chron. xviii, 4 sq. ; 2 Kings xix, 2 sq.), in like manner as the Greeks consulted oracles before beginning a contest, and even took seers with them to the Held (see Wachsmuth, llellcn. Alterth. iii, 390, 411). A peculiar species of divination prior to an attack is mentioned (Ezek. xxi, 20 sq.) with regard to the Chaldreans (see Lot), like the extispi- cium of the Eomans (Cicero, Divin. i, 16; ii. 12 sq.). See SooTiis.VYEK. In solemn instances, while the arm}- stood in sight of tlie enemy, an offering was brought (1 Sam. vii, 9 ; xiii, 9 sq.), and a priest (Deut. XX, 2 sq.), who always appears to have accompanied the prince to the field (2 Chron. xiii, 12, 14; comp. Num. X, 9 ; a specially selected and anointed func- tionary of this kind, like a modern field-chaplain [Mill, De sncerdote casfrcnsi vcter. Hehr. Utr. 1728], is men- tioned in the Mishna, Soiak, viii, 1, by the name cf 'riS fTCn!p-2 nVw^-a, see Eeland, Antiq. Sacr. ii, 3, 2 ; Otho, Lex. Ralh. p. 89 ; Van Alphen, in Oelrich's CoUectio, ii, 515 sq. ; Tatii Diss, de sacerdoie cnstr. Hehr., and Ugolini Diss, de sacer. castr. [both in Ugolini Thesaur. xii] ; Thorschmied, De sacerdoie ad hell, uncto, Torg. 1737 ; Kretzschmar, De undo helli, Dresd. 1738 ; al- though not mentioned in the O.-T. books ; comp. Dej'- Hng, Observv. ii, 298 ; Lakemacher, Ohservv. Philol. iii, 236 sq.), or the commander liimself, delivered a hor- tatory oration (2 Chron. xx, 20). Then followed by a trumpet blast the signal for the conflict (Numb, xiii, 12 ; 1 Mace, xvi, 8), and the struggle began amid ter- rific battle-cries (n"^"iS^, 1 Sam. xvii, 52 ; Isa. xiii, 13; Amos i, 14; Jer. 1,42; Ezek. xxi, 22; as among almost all ancient nations ; see especially Homer, //. ii, 144 sq., 394 sq. ; iii, 2 sq. ; iv, 452 sq. ; Curt, iii, 10, 1 ; Tacit. Germ, iii, a; Dougtrei Amdect, i, 74 sq. ; Potter, Greek Antiq. ii, 174 sq.). The battle-array (nrn^'-a or r?'^"'?, l Sam. iv, 2 ; xxii, 8, 20, etc. ; comp. Tjt'''i Judg. XX, 30 ; 1 Sam. xvii, 21) appears to have 1)ccn a simple ranging of the troops in line ; and even in the Maccabaian period, when the Jews had ac- quired some of the strategic art of the Greek Sj'rians, their leaders seem to have rested in their simple tac- tics, gaining advantage over the martial skill of the enemy chiefly by their patriotic valor. Scientific mar- shallings and exact militar}' lists arc mentioned in 1 Mace, vii, 3G sq. ; ix, 11 ; comp. ver. 45 (see Joseph. ,4 ?;^ xiii, 12, 5) ; x, 77 sq. ; xii, 28. The foreign troops of the later Jewish kings were manoeuvred according to Greek and lioman tactics (comp. Joseph. Ant. xiii, 12, o). For stratagems of the Jews during their final war, see Joseplms, War, iii, 7, 13, 14, 20, 28. -Never- theless we can early trace a dijvision of the army into three corps, probably with a view to charge the ene- my in the centre and upon both flanks (Judg. vii, 16, 19 ; 1 Sam. si, 11 ; 2 Sam, xviii, 2 ; comp. 1 Mace, v,