The ridge from which this view is obtained cul minates on the right in the snow-capped peak of Hermon ; on the left, it stretches away till lost in the distance. The plain at its base is as productive as it is beautiful. The principal fruits of the world grow there luxuriantly—apples and bananas, cher ries and oranges, dates, figs, grapes, quinces. apricots, plums, and peaches, are found side by side. The olive and mulberry are extensively cul tivated; and the almond and walnut everywhere abound. In a word, Damascus occupies one of those sites which nature appears to have specially formed for a great perennial city. Its supply of water is unlimited, its richness has passed into a proverb, its climate is salubrious, and its beauty is unrivalled.
II. History.—The first notice of Damascus occurs in Gen. xiv. 15. The city must then have been well known, as it is taken as a mark to indicate the position of another place. We read that Abraham pursued the kings of the East from Dan `unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.' In the succeeding chapter (ver. 2), Abraham calls his steward Eliezer of Damascus,' which appears to indicate that he was descended from a Damascene family. The city most consequently have existed a considerable time before the age of Abraham. Josephus states that Damascus was founded by Uz, the son of Aram, and grandson of Shem (Anti/. i. 6. 4) ; and the incidental references in the Bible tend to confirm this statement. In the Toth chapter of Genesis there is an account of the origin and planting of the various nations by the posterity of Noah. Canaan peopled the country subsequently called by his name. His colonies were chiefly settled between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. North of the fountain of the Jordan, they were, with the single exception of Hamath, confined to the west of Lebanon, afterwards known as Phoeni cia. They did not occupy either the eastern slopes of Lebanon, or the plain of Coelesyria. The regions colonized by the posterity of Shem are not so clearly defined. Aram was one of his sons, and gave his name to a large district extending from Lebanon to the banks of the Tigris (ARAM), which, as Josephus informs us, was peopled by his family, (Antiq. i. 6. 4). When Aram took possession of north-eastern Syria, Damascus would unques tionably be one of the first sites chosen for the erection of a city. The rich plain, the abundant waters, and the delicious climate could not escape the notice of emigrants seeking a settlement.
Josephus gives the following interesting quotation from Nicolaus, the great historian of Damascus :— ' Abraham reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner who came with an army out of the land of Baby lon ; but after a time he removed from that country with his people, and went into the land called Canaan. The name of Abraham is even still famous in the country of Damascus, and there is shewn a village called after him the Habitation of Abraham' (Antiq. i. 7. 2). The Scriptures contain no direct allusion of this fact, but it is singularly confirmed by a very ancient tradition. In the vil lage of Burzeh, three miles north of the city, is a highly venerated shrine, which has been called for at least eight centuries the House of Abraham.
The territory of Damascus was not included in the land allotted to the Israelites, probably be cause it was peopled by Shemites ; Canaan alone was promised to Abraham (Num. xxxiv. ; Gen. xii. 5-7 ; Josh. xiv. 1-6 ; Joseph. Antiq. v. 1. 22). The tribe of Naphtali bordered upon it on the south-west and south. During the eight centuries which elapsed between Abraham and David the name of Damascus is not once men tioned in Scripture. It appears, however, to have continued prosperous, for when David marched against the King of Zobah, we read that the Am means of Damascus united with Hadadezer against him. The Israelites were victorious, ' And David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus (ptvvi and the Arameans became servants to David, and brought gifts' (2 Sam. viii: 6 ; Joseph. Antiq. vii. 5. 2). Josephus says that the King of Damascus was then a powerful monarch, and reigned over a large territory, which his descendants inherited for ten generations, retaining the name Hadad as the title of the dynasty. In the time of the first Hadad, Rezon, a refugee from Zobah, settled in Damascus, and attained to great power. From I Kings xi. 25 one might conclude that he had for a time superseded Hadad, but that passage may per haps only mean that he became a successful general, and obtained such influence at court as to be virtual ruler. According to Josephus, he was just a powerful chief of bandits, who was permit ted to settle in the kingdom and to attack and plunder at will all the enemies of the state (Antiq. viii. 7. 6).