+------------------+ | | | | | | | Solomon, | +-------+ +-------+ | | +-------+ | | | | B.C. 1000, +-------+Judah |Macca- | Herod | |Joshua,+------+ | Ten | B.C. | bees, | the | | B.C. |Saul, | 60,000 Sq. M. |Tribes,| 975, | B.C. | Great,| | 1443, |B.C. | | B.C. +------+ 100, |B.C. 6,| | |1095, | | 975, | | | | |11,000 |6,000 | | 9,400 |3,400 |11,000 |12,000 | |Sq. M. |Sq. M.| |Sq. M. |Sq. M.|Sq. M. |Sq. M. | +-------+------+------------------+-------+------+-------+-------+ [Illustration: THE ORIENTAL WORLD IN THE TIME OF DAVID.] IV. =The Calamities of David's Reign.= (2 Sam. 12-20, 24.) Three great troubles befell David and his kingdom as the result of his sins. 1. The first and greatest was the _Rebellion of Absalom_. We can only mention the places referred to in the history, not relate its events. Geshur, where Absalom was in exile, was a small kingdom under the rule of Absalom's maternal grandfather. Tekoa, whence came the "wise woman," was near Bethlehem. The places near Jerusalem named in David's flight, may be seen on the map of the Environs of Jerusalem, page 83. David's resting place was at Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, and south of the Hieromax. Absalom was defeated and killed at "the wood of Ephraim," a locality not in the tribe of that name, but east of the Jordan, perhaps where the Ephraimites sustained a great defeat from Jephthah. (Judges 12.) 2. The second calamity was the _Rebellion of Sheba_, following soon after Absalom's, and arising from the same disaffection. It was ended at Abel-beth-maachah, in the extreme north, by the death of Sheba. (2 Sam. 20.) 3. The third calamity was the _Pestilence_, after the numbering of the people, an enumeration with a view either to heavy levies of assessment, or to foreign conquest; either of which was contrary to the spirit of the Hebrew constitution. (2 Sam. 24.) The places named will be found upon the map, except the inexplicable Tahtim-hodshi, which may mean "the land newly inhabited," but whose location is unknown. The sacrifice of David at Araunah's threshing-floor gave the location to the great altar of the Temple, probably the rude rock which now rises from the floor of the Mosque of Omar, in Jerusalem. V. =The Close of David's Reign= (1 Kings 1, 2; 1 Chron. 22-29) was occupied in the organization of his empire, and in preparation for the building of the Temple. There are but few localities named with this period, and they may be easily found upon the maps, those near Jerusalem being upon the map of its Environs.