260 J Q R 
water by a miraculous land-flood, and that afterwards the 
confederates fliouid prove victorious over the enemy. 
During the fucceeding night the refrefhing ft reams arrived 
and filled the ditches. On the following morning, when 
the Moabites perceived the water in that arid place, 
from the reflection of the riling fun which gave it- a red 
appearance they fufpefled that it was blood, and that the 
confederate princes had quarrelled, and turned their arms 
againft each other. Polfeffed by this imagination, they 
concluded that they had little more to do than to feize 
the fpoil, and haftened for that purpofe in a confnfed 
manner towards the camp of the Ifraelites. But they foon 
found their miftake: for the Ifraelites, attacking them in 
force, foon gained a complete victory over them ; and, 
after putting great numbers of them tothefword, purfued 
the remainder into the heart of their country, wafting 
their lands, and demolilhing their cities, excepting Kir- 
harafeth, the capital, which was exceedingly lirong, and 
where Media, the king of Moab, had taken refuge. To 
this city they laid fiege, and carried on their attacks with 
iuch vigour, that Media, apprehendve that it might not 
be able to hold out, made a daily with (even hundred 
chofen men, and endeavoured toefcape by breaking through 
the quarters of the Edomites. Failing in this attempt, 
he had recourfe to a horrid meafure, which was fometimes 
praCfifed by the princes of the ancient idolatrous nations 
ki extreme calamities of the public : he took his eldeit 
fon, whom he offered for a burnt facrifice on the wall of 
t-he city, in order to propitiate the deities whom he wor¬ 
shipped. This barbarous aCt excited fuch horror in the 
confederates, that, to prevent a repetition of fimilar in¬ 
human deeds, they raifed the fiege, and returned to their 
own countries. Some time after this, a war broke out 
between Joram and Benhadad king of Syria, which was 
'Succeeded by a temporary peace. When.Hazael had ob¬ 
tained poffeffion of the Syrian throne by the murder of 
Benhadad, Joram, conceiving the'junfture to be favoura¬ 
ble for the reduction of Ramoth-Gilead, raifed an army 
for that purpofe, and engaged Amaziah, king of Judah, 
to become his ally in that enterprife. The forces of the 
two kings fucceeded in carrying the city; but, during the 
attack of it, Joram was fo delperately wounded, that he 
was obliged to return to Jezreel to be cured, leaving Jehu 
at the head of his army to fecure the place. In the life 
of Jehu, vol. x. p. 767, we have related the remaining 
particulars of Joram’s hiftory. He was killed in the year 
§84 B. C. after a reign of about twelve years. See 2 
Kings iii.-ix. 
JO'RAM, or Jeho'ram, king of Judah, was the fon of 
JehbfHaphat, who entrufted to him the government when 
lie went to pay a vifit to Ahab at Samaria, and whole fuc- 
ceffor he became in the year 889 B. C. His father had 
left behind him a numerous iffue, and had made provifion 
for his fons by appointing them to the government of 
different cities, and fettling upon them independent in¬ 
comes. No fooner was Joram firmly feated on the throne, 
than he cruelly put all his brethren to death, and maf- 
facred alfo many of the nobles of his kingdom, who were 
likely to oppoie his wickednefs and impieties. Unhap¬ 
pily for himfelf and people, this prince had been fuffered 
by his father to contraCl a marriage with Athaliah, daugh¬ 
ter of Allah, who was a moft wicked princefs. Yielding 
himfelf up entirely to her influence, Jorain introduced 
into his kingdom the abominable worfhip of the Phoeni¬ 
cian deities, and erected altars to Baal at Jerufalem, and 
in all the cities of Judah, encouraging the people to offer 
facrifices on them by his own example ; nay, he even uled 
threatenings and compulfion to make them conform to 
his idolatry. On account of this conduCt he received a 
fevere reproof in a letter fent him by the prophet Elijah, 
who threatened him with divine judgments as punifli- 
ments of his crimes, and predicted the almolt total extir¬ 
pation of <his pofferity, and his own death by an incura¬ 
ble difeafe. The firff punifhment which he received was 
in the revolt of the Edomites, who refufed to pay the 
J o R 
ufual tribute; and, though nt the commencement of their 
defeSion Joram obtained advantages over them, they foon 
recovered fufficient ffrength to maintain their indepen¬ 
dence; and thus fulfilled Ifaac’s prediction, that the pof- 
terity of Efau ffiould in time fhake off the yoke of Jacob. 
At the fame time the city of Libnah, which belonged to 
the prielts, and was on the borders of Idumaea, revolted 
from the impious king, and probably connected them- 
felves with the Edomites. Soon afterwards the Philiftines 
and Arabians invaded the kingdom of Judah, and pene¬ 
trated even to Jerufalem, which they ftripped of its riches, 
and carried into captivity all the king’s wives excepting 
Athaliah, and all his fons, excepting Ahaziah, who was 
his fucceffor. No fooner had thofe rapacious enemies de¬ 
parted with their plunder, than Jorain was attacked by a 
moft excruciating and incurable difeafe in the bowels, 
which continued weakening him during two years, and 
then proved fatal to him, to the great joy of his fub- 
jefls. He died in the year 885 B.C. See 2 Kings viii. 
2 Chron. xxi. 
JOR'BORG, a town of Samogitia, on the Niemen 5 
twenty miles fouth of Rofienne. 
JORDA'ENS (James), an eminent painter, was born at 
Antwerp in 1594. He learnt the rudiments of his art un¬ 
der Adam Van-Oort, whole daughter he married at an 
early age, which prevented him from accomplilhing his 
earned delire of vifiting Italy for inftruftion. He en¬ 
deavoured to fupply the want by an affiduous ftudy of 
the works of Italian mailers, particularly Caravaggio, 
Paul Veronefe, Baflano, and Titian; by which he was lb 
far advanced in the art, that he emulated the bold and 
vigorous manner of Rubens, of whom he is faid to have 
been one of the firft difciples. He was mailer of an ex¬ 
traordinarily free and fpirited pencil, gave his figures a 
fine relief, well underftood the chiaro-fcuro, coloured in 
a great ftyle, was rich in his cornpofition, and powerful 
in expreffion. He could not, however, attain correftnefs 
of outline, or that elevation of idea and elegance of tails 
which his country was unable to impart. He was very 
indullrious, and without affiftance finilhed many great 
works for churches, royal cabinets, See. by which he ob¬ 
tained a high reputation and a confiderable fortune. His 
difpofition was gay and focial ; and after the labours of 
the day he was accuftomed to relax in the-evening in con¬ 
viviality with his friends. He died at Antwerp in 1678, 
at the advanced age of eighty-four. It is not known that 
he formed any diiciples. Of the works of Jordaens foine 
of the principal are, twelve pieces of the Paftion of Chrilt, 
painted for Charles Guftavus king of Sweden ; a pifture 
of forty feet high to the honour of Frederic-Henry of 
Naffau, at the Houfe in the Wood, near the Hague ; St. 
Peter cutting off the ear of Malcus; the fatyr and man 
blowing hot and cold ; a piece called The king drinks ; 
Pan and Syrinx, a fine piece, finilhed in fix days. There 
are many of his works in the churches of the Low Coun¬ 
tries ; twenty-leven of his defigns have been engraved. 
D'Argenvillc, Vies dcs Peintres. 
JOR'DAN, a river of Judaea, celebrated in Scripture. 
Some derive its name from V j or > which fignifies a fpring, 
and 1*7 Dan, a fmall town near the fource of that river; 
others derive it from two rivulets, Jor and Dan. But 
thefe etymologies are dubious ; for it is doubtful whe¬ 
ther the river Jordan is really formed of two rivulets, one 
of which is called Dan, though the maps moftiy deferibe 
it fo. The vifible origin of the Jordan is a little ftreatn 
whofe fource is in Mount Libanus, and on which the lit¬ 
tle town of Dan is fituated, four leagues higher than Ce- 
farea Philippi, where properly the Jordan begins. Theother 
and moft confiderable fource of the Jordan, though the 
lead: apparent, is the lake Phialis, about four leagues fouth 
of Cefarea Philippi ; this lake has a communication under 
ground with the Jordan, and furnifhes Cefarea with large 
luppliesof water. Jofephus de Bello, i. 16. and iii. 18. The 
name Dan is more modern than that of Jordan. A co¬ 
lony of the tribe of Dan, having feized Lailh, called it 
Dan 
