on the head of his own youngest son. The blow was probably heavier than if it had lighted directly on him- self. Thus earlj' in the world's history was the lesson taught practically which the law afterwards expressly enunciated, that (iod visits the sins of the fathers upon the children. The subsequent history of Canaan shows in the clearest manner possible the fulfilment of the curse. When Israel took possession of his land he be- came the slave of Shem : when Tyre fell before the arms of Alexander, and Carthage succumbed to her Ro- man conquerors, he became the slave of Japhet : and we almost hear the echo of Noah's curse in Hannibal's Ag- nosco furtunum CartluKjinis, when the head of Hasdru- bal, his brother, was thrown contemptuously into the Punic lines. It is uncertain whether in the words "And let him dwell in the tents of Shem," "God" or " Jajjliet" is the subject of the verb. At first it seems more natural to suppose that Noah prays that God would dwell there (the root of the verb is the same as that of the noiui Shechinah). But the blessing of Shem has been spoken already. It is better, therefore, to take Japhet as the subject. What, then, is meant by his dwelling in the tents of Shem V Not, of course, that he should so oc- cupy them as to thrust out the original possessors; nor even that they should melt into one people ; but, as it would seem, that Japhet may enjoy the reliyious priri- Ivges of Shem. So Augustine : " Latificet Deus Japheth et habitet in tentoriis Sem, id est. in Ecclesiis quas filii Prophetarum Apostoli construxerunt." The Talmud sees this blessing fulfilled in the use of the Greek lan- guage in sacred things, such as the translation of the Scriptures. Thus Shem is blessed with the knowledge of Jehovah, and Japhet with temporal increase and do- minion in the first instance, with the further hope of sharing afterwards in spiritual advantages.
4. After this prophetic blessing we hear no more of the patriarch but the sum of his years. "And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And thus all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years : and he died." Some have inferred, from the fact that he lived so long after the flood, and is nowhere mentioned in the history of that period, that he must have gone to some distant land, and have even identified him with the Chinese Fohi (Schuckford, Con- ned, i, 99), or the Hindu Menu (Sir William Jones, Worlcs, iii, 151 sq.). Others, referring to the deluge in Genesis the various traditions which many ancient nations preserved of a similar early catastrophe, have thought Noah to be the same with Xisuthrus of the Chaldees (Alex. Polyhist. Chronicle of Eusehius) ; the Phrygian No'e of the celebrated Apamean medal, which, besides Noah and his wife with an ark, presents a ra- ven, and a dove with an olive-branch in its mouth (fig- ured in Bryant's Anc. Rfyth. vol. iii) ; the Manes of the Lj'dians (W. J. Hamilton's A sia Minor, iii, 383) ; the Deucalion of the Syrians and the Greeks, of whose del- uge the account given by Lucian is a copy almost ex- actly circumstantial of that in the book of Genesis (Dea St/ria ; Luciani Op]>. iii, 457 [ed. Reitz] ; Brj^ant, iii, 28), and have referred to him many statements in the Greek mythology respecting Saturn, Janus, and Bac- chus; the traditions of the aboriginal Americans, as stated by Clavigero in his History of Mexico ; and many others. See Flood. Mr. Geo. Smith has lately brought to light the Assyrian account of the deluge.
About two miles east of Zakhle is the village of Ke- rak, not far from which, on the last declivity of Leba- non, there is a round mosque. Tliis is erected over still older relics, which are held in great reverence by JIos- leros and Christians, as being the reputed tomb of the patriarch Noah (Thomson, Land and Book, i, 353). The structure is evidently the remains of an ancient aqueduct, but popular credulity has invested it with a character of eminent sanctity; walls have been built around it, and at a certain season of the year the iMaron- ites, in particular, perform pilgrimages to visit it. In his old age, they relate, Noah entreated of God, as a
NOAH'S ARK
146
NOAH'S ARK
Reputed Tomb of Noah.
peculiar favor, that be might be allowed to end his days on jMoiint Lebanon, and tliere to prepare bis place of sepulture. The patriarch's prayer was granted; but shortly before his death he committed some transgres- sion, and God cut off a part of his tomb, by severing a huge mass from the mountain Noah had chosen. He could not be buried at full length, and it was necessary to double his legs under his thighs, to fit his remains to their diminished bed. Now this so-called tomb is at least sixty feet long.
See Demistorff, De auctoritale prcecepiorum Nouch. (Lips. 1711) : Eisenberg, De doctrina sub Xoacho (Hal. 175-1) ; Frischmuth, I)e N'oachipracepf. (1G16-7) ; Mait- land, History of Noah's Day (Lond. 1832) ; Olmsted, Noah and his Times (Best. 1854).
2. (Heb. Noah', ni'3, motion ; Sept. Noi»o.) The sec- ond named of the five daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, of the half-tribe of Manasseh (Numb, xxvi, 33). B.C. cir. 1G18. As their father had no son, the daugh- ters applied for, and Moses, under divine direction, prom- ised them an inheritance in the Promised Land in their father's right (Numb, xxvii, 1 sq.). This promise was redeemed by Joshua in the final apportionment (Josh, xvii, 3). See Heir,