160 THE SHEPHERD KINGS OF EGYPT; 



but the peoples so named are of the Nethinims, who were no Israel- 

 ites but Gibeonites and other so-called Canaanites admitted to the 

 temple service in the days of Solomon. A glance at the families of 

 the Nethinims is in itself instructive in connection with the subject 

 of the non-Israelite character of the genealogies of the first book of 

 Chronicles. Besides the Mehunims we find the children of Reaiah 

 (Ezra ii. 47) and the children of Paseah (ii. 49) answering to similar 

 names in 1 Chron. iv. 2, 12 ; while others are apparently later forms 

 of old names mentioned in the same genealogies ; and some, as Sisera, 

 necessarily recall ancient enemies of the Israelites. If it be true 

 that the lines of Jerahmeel and Chelubai are Gentile, it is not at all 

 ■unlikely that the family of Asshur will be found to follow the same 

 rule. This presumption is rendered still more probable by the fact 

 that the family of Asshur is mentioned shortly after the Horite line 

 of Shobal ;. that it immediately follows the families of Etam, whose, 

 name gives us the Egyptian Atliom ; and immediately precedes that 

 of Coz, the Choos of Eusebius, whose son Ouenephes or Anubis i& 

 the Anub of 1 Chron. iv. 8, aiad with whom is connected the shep- 

 herd king Archies, the Acharchel of the same verse. I need hardly 

 say that in the last mentioned family we also find Bacchus, CEnopion, 

 and Hercules of the Greek mythology. A divine purpose gave tO' 

 the sacred writers these important Gentile genealogies, and a human 

 hand was permitted by an all-wise Providence to connect them at a 

 certain period of Israelitish history with the genealogies of the twelve- 

 tribes. 



In 1 Chron. ii. 24, Abiah is given as the name, of the mother of 

 Asshur. In the foiu'th chapter of the same book and at the fifth 

 verse we read : " And Asskur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives,. 

 Helah and Naarab. And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, 

 and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 

 And the sons of Helah were Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan." The- 

 two former of these names, giving to the Hebrew cheth the power of 

 eh and to ayin that of g, would be Ashchur, Achuzam, Achashtari. 

 Tekoag, Nagarah, Tzereth, Tzochar, Chelah. I may mention that 

 the Itri of the Book of Chronicles replaces the i/od which gives the 

 initial letter of Jezoar, or, as it should be, Jezohar, by a vav, which is 

 the conjunction and, so that Zohar or Tzochar is the correct rend, ring . 

 of the Hebrew. In the Septuagint version we meet with important 

 variations. Thus in 1 Chron. ii. 24 we read : " And after the death 

 of Ezron. Caleb went to Ephratah ; and the wife of Ezron was Abia; 



