Elam had conquered
Babylonia and the land of Canaan. After a time, part of the land of
Canaan revolted, and he came, with his Babylonian allies, to punish
the rebellious Canaanites.

_Slime pits_. Pits of bitumen, a black, sometimes sticky mineral,
which is found in the valley of Jordan.

_Dan_. A town in the north of Palestine. The story makes Abraham's
chase of the kings extend all the length of the land afterwards held
by the Hebrews.

_Hobah_. A town north of Damascus, not mentioned elsewhere in the
Bible.

_Damascus_. A very old city, northeast of Palestine. It is situated in
a beautiful spot, watered by two rivers, and has been the starting
point of caravans for the east, west, and south since long before the
days of Abraham.

_Melchizedek_. King of Salem. Salem was probably Jerusalem.
Melchizedek was, like many other ancient kings, also the chief priest
of his city. As such, it was right that he should bless the returning
chief in war.

A COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND ABRAHAM.

_Euphrates_. The greatest river of western Asia. It rises in the
mountains of Armenia and flows to the Persian gulf. The Bible often
calls it simply "the Great River."

_Beer-sheba_. The farthest town to the south in Palestine. "From Dan
to Beer-sheba" was used to mean all the land from the north to the
south.

{489}{490}

[Illustration]
EN ROGEL, FROM THE SOUTH

From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell
and used by his kind permission.

A nearer view of the famous old well outside the walls of Jerusalem.
[End illustration]

{491}

_Wilderness of Paran_. The half desert country lying south
of Palestine.

TESTING OF ABRAHAM.

_Land of Moriah_. An unknown region. The Jews later supposed that
Isaac was sacrificed on the hill at Jerusalem on which Solomon built
the temple, but the Bible itself does not affirm it.

_Sacrifices_ were offered on bare rocks or on altars built of stone or
earth. At first they were a way of expressing fellowship with God. The
people ate part of an offering, and the rest of it was burnt, to
symbolize that it was God's share. Later the offering was something
given to God. This last is the idea in the story of the sacrifice of
Isaac.

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH.

_Hittites_ and _children of Heth_ mean the Hittites, one of the tribes
of peoples in Palestine before the arrival of the Hebrews. There was a
great Hittite empire north of Palestine.

_Shekel_. An amount of