MIDIANITE
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MIDIANITE
Israelites in their wanderings in the wilderness, when not miraculously supplied. Apart from this considera- tion, we know that the Egyptians afterwards worked mines at Sardbet el-Khadim, and a small mining popu- lation may have found sufficient sustenance, at least in some seasons of the year, in the few watered valleys, and wherever ground could be reclaimed : rock-inscrip- tions (though of later date) testify to the number of at least passers-by ; and the remains of villages of a min- ing population have recently been discovered. What- ever may have been the position of Midian in the Sina- itic peninsula, if we may believe the Arabian histori- ans and geographers, backed as their testimony is by tlie Greek geographers (see below), the city of Midian was situate on the opposite or Arabian shore of the Arabian Gulf; and thence northwards, and spreading east and west, we have the true country of the wander- ing Midianites. See Sinai.
3. The next occurrence of the name of this people in the sacred history marks their northern settlements on the border of the Promised Land, " on this side Jordan [by] Jericho," in the plains of Moab (Numb, xxii, 1^). The Midianites were a wise and a wily people. So long as the Israelites only traversed their outlying pasture- grounds on the west of the Arabah, tliey were content to cultivate their friendship; but when, in the latter part of their journey, having passed round the southern end of Edom, they entered the proper territory of Jlid- ian, the IMidianites tried every plan and used every ef- fort to work their destruction. They consulted with their neighbors, the chiefs of INIoab, and resolved to bring the prophet Balaam to curse the powerful stran- gers (Numb, xxii, 4-7). Balaam came, and the Lord turned the intended curse into a blessing. The prophet, however, adopted a more effectual mode of injuring the Israelites than by the agency of enchantments. He persuaded the women of IMidian and Moab to work upon the passions of the Israelites, and entice them to the licentious festivals of their idols, and thus bring upon them the curse of heaven (xxxi, 16). This infamous scheme proved only too successful (ch. xxv), and, had it not been checked by the almost complete annihilation of the Midianites, it would have brought destruction upon the whole host of Israel (xxv, 17 ; xxxi, 2). The vengeance then executed upon Midian was terrible. Their cities and castles were burned; the entire males that fell into the hands of the conquerors were put to death, including the live kings of Midian — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Keba, together with Balaam — and with them all the married females; and the young Avomen and children were reduced to slavery. It has been af- firmed that these acts of vengeance are so cruel, so bar- barous in their character, that they could never have been prompted by a God of love, and that, therefore, the narrative cannot be considered as of divine authority. Those who bring such an accusation against the Script- ures must surely overlook the leading circumstances of the case — they must forget that the God of love is also the God of Justice. The whole Midianitish nation, male and female, had deliberately combined and conspired, by wile and stratagem, to wean the Israelites from their allegiance to the God of heaven, and not only so, but wantonly to allure thera to the commission of the most foul and degrading crimes. Was it inconsistent with justice for the moral Governor of the universe to punish such guilt? Could any punishment less sweeping have freed the earth from crime so deep-rooted and so dan- gerous? The influence of the Midianites on the Israel- ites was clearly most evil, and directly tended to lead them from the injunctions of Moses. Much of the dan- gerous character of their influence may probably be as- cribed to the common descent from Abraham. While the Canaanitish tribes were abhorred, IMidian might claim consanguinity, and more readily seduce Israel from its allegiance.
The details of this war given by Moses afford us some little insight into the nature of the country of iSIidian,
and the occupations of the people. The Midianites were not pure nomads ; they had cities and goodly cas- tles (xxxi, 10). Their principal wealth consisted, how- ever, in flocks and herds, for the Israelites captured 675,000 sheep, 72,000 beeves, and 61,000 asses. It is singular that camels are not mentioned ; but it is prob- able that, as the IsraeUtes were all footmen, the camels ' escaped to the desert. Recent investigations have shown that the whole desert east of Edom and Moab is thickly studded with the ruins of ancient cities and cas- tles (Wallin, in Journal ofR. G. S. xxiv, 115 sq. ; Porter, Damascus, ii, 188 ; Wetstein, Reisehericht iiber Ilauran, etc. ; Graham, in Journal of R. G, 8. for 1859). These were doubtless the habitations of the Midianites. The whole region around their cities, extending from the mountains of Haunin to the yElanitic Gidf, though now dreary and desolate, is not barren. In spring and early summer it is covered with vegetation, and it has many rich valleys, a few patches of which are still here and there cultivated by the Arab tribes. Everywhere there are evidences of partial cultivation in former days, and there are also traces of a comparatively dense popula- tion (see Porter, Hand-book, p. 501, 508, 523, etc.).