Difference between revisions of "City"

<p> [[Cain]] first founded one (&nbsp;Genesis 4:16-17). The material civilization of the Cainite race was superior to that of the Sethite. To the former belonged many inventions of useful arts and luxury (&nbsp;Genesis 4:20-22). [[Real]] refinement and moral civilization are by no means necessary concomitants of material civilization; in these the Sethites took the lead (&nbsp;Genesis 4:25-26). The distinction between tent or nomadic and town life early began. The root meaning of the Hebrew terms for "city," ''''''Ar''''' or ''''''Ir''''' (from ''''''Ur''''' "to keep watch"), and '''''Kirat''''' (from '''''Qarah''''' "to approach as an enemy," &nbsp;Genesis 23:2) implies that a leading object of gathering into towns was security against marauders. </p> <p> So, "the tower of Edar," i.e. flocks (&nbsp;Genesis 35:21). Of course, the first "cities" would be mere groups of rude dwellings, fenced round together. Sir H. Rawlinson supposes Rehoboth, Calah, etc., in &nbsp;Genesis 10:11, denote only sites of buildings afterward erected. The later dates assigned to the building of Nineveh, Babylon, etc., refer to their being rebuilt on a larger scale on the sites of the primitive towns. [[Unwalled]] towns are the symbol of peace and security (&nbsp;Zechariah 2:4). [[Special]] cities furnished supplies for the king's service (&nbsp;1 Kings 9:19; &nbsp;1 Kings 4:7; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 27:25; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 17:12). So, our Lord represents the different servants having the number of cities assigned them in proportion to their faithfulness (&nbsp;Luke 19:17; &nbsp;Luke 19:19). </p> <p> Forty-eight cities were assigned to the Levites, of which 13 were for the family of Aaron, nine were in Judah, four were in Benjamin, and six were cities of refuge. The streets of eastern cities are generally narrow, seldom allowing more than two loaded camels to pass one another. But Nineveh's admitted of chariots passing, and had large parks and gardens within (&nbsp;Nahum 2:4). Those of one trade generally lived on the same street (&nbsp;Jeremiah 37:21). The [[Gates]] are the usual place of assembly, and there courts of judges and kings are held (&nbsp;Genesis 23:10; &nbsp;Ruth 4:1). </p>

<p> ‛Iyr ( '''''עָיַר''''' , Strong'S #5892), “city; town; village; quarter [of a city].” Cognates of this word appear in Ugaritic, Phoenician, Sumerian, and old Arabic. This noun occurs about 1,092 times and in every period of biblical Hebrew.The word suggests a “village.” An unwalled village is represented by the Hebrew word <em> chatser </em> . <em> Qiryat </em> , a synonym of <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> is an [[Aramaic]] loanword. </p> <p> But <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> and its synonym do not necessarily suggest a walled city. This usage is seen in Deut. 3:5, where <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> may be a city standing in the open country (perhaps surrounded by dirt or stone ramparts for protection): “All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.” A comparison of Lev. 25:29 and Lev. 25:31 shows that <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> can be used as synonym of <em> chatser </em> : “And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; … but the houses of the villages [ <em> chatser </em> ] which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country.…” </p> <p> ‛Iyr can signify not only a “village consisting of permanent houses” but also one in a permanent place, even though the dwellings are tents: “And Saul came to a <em> city </em> of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley” (1 Sam. 15:5). </p> <p> In Gen. 4:17 (the first occurrence), the word <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> means a “permanent dwelling center” consisting of residences of stone and clay. As a rule, there are no political overtones to the word; <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> simply represents the “place where people dwell on a permanent basis.” At some points, however, <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> represents a political entity (1 Sam. 15:5; 30:29). </p> <p> This word can represent “those who live in a given town”: “And when he came, lo, [[Eli]] sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, <em> all the city </em> cried out” (1 Sam. 4:13). </p> <p> ‛Iyr can also signify only “a part of a city,” such as a part that is surrounded by a wall: “Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the <em> city </em> of David” (2 Sam. 5:7). [[Ancient]] cities (especially larger ones) were sometimes divided into sections (quarters) by walls, in order to make it more difficult to capture them. This suggests that, by the time of the statement just cited, <em> ‛ı̂yr </em> normally implied a “walled city.” </p>

<p> The towns and cities of Palestine were commonly built on heights, for better security against robbers or invaders. These heights, surrounded by walls, sometimes formed the entire city. In other cases, the citadel alone crowned the hill, around and at the base of which the town was built; and in time of danger the surrounding population all took refuge in the fortified place. Larger towns and cities were often not only defended by strong outer walls, with towers and gates, but by a citadel or castle within these limits-a last resort when the rest of the city was taken, &nbsp;Judges 9:46,51 . The "fenced cities" of the Jews, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 3:5 , were of various sizes and degrees of strength; some being surrounded by high and thick stone walls, and others by feebler ramparts, often of clay or sun-dried bricks, and sometimes combustible, &nbsp;Isaiah 9:10 &nbsp; Amos 1:7-14 . They were also provided with watchmen, &nbsp;Psalm 127:1 Song of &nbsp; Song of Solomon 5:7 . The streets of ancient towns were usually narrow, and often unpaved. Some cities were adorned with vast parks and gardens; this was the case with Babylon, which embraced an immense at this day to form any reliable estimate of the population of the cities of Judea. Jerusalem is said by Josephus to have had 150,000 inhabitants, and to have contained, at the time of its siege by the Romans, more than a million of persons crowded in its circuit of four miles of wall. See [[Gate, Refuge, Cities Of, Watchmen]]  </p> <p> [[City Of David]]  usually denotes mount Zion, the southwest section of Jerusalem, which David took from the Jebusites, and occupied by a palace and city called by his name. In &nbsp;Luke 2:11 , Bethlehem his native city is meant. </p> <p> [[City Of God]]  &nbsp;Deuteronomy 12:5 &nbsp; Psalm 46:4 , and the [[Holy, Holiness City]] &nbsp;Nehemiah 11:1 , names of Jerusalem. Its modern name is El-Kuds, the Holy. </p>

<div> '''1: '''''Πόλις''''' ''' (Strong'S #4172 — Noun [[Feminine]] — polis — pol'-is ) </div> <p> primarily "a town enclosed with a wall" (perhaps from a root ple---, signifying "fullness," whence also the Latin pleo, "to fill," Eng., "polite, polish, politic, etc."), is used also of the heavenly Jerusalem, the abode and community of the redeemed, &nbsp;Hebrews 11:10,16; &nbsp;12:22; &nbsp;13:14 . In the [[Apocalypse]] it signifies the visible capital of the [[Heavenly]] Kingdom, as destined to descend to earth in a coming age, e.g., &nbsp;Revelation 3:12; &nbsp;21:2,14,19 . By metonymy the word stands for the inhabitants, as in the English use, e.g., &nbsp;Matthew 8:34; &nbsp;12:25; &nbsp;21:10; &nbsp;Mark 1:33; &nbsp;Acts 13:44 . </p> &nbsp;Acts 16:13

<p> ''''' sit´i ''''' ( עיר , <i> ''''' ‛ı̄r ''''' </i> , קריה , <i> ''''' ḳiryāh ''''' </i> ; πόλις , <i> ''''' pólis ''''' </i> ): </p> <p> I. The Canaanite City </p> <p> 1. Origin </p> <p> 2. Extent </p> <p> 3. [[Villages]] </p> <p> 4. Sites </p> <p> 5. External Appearance </p> <p> 6. General </p> <p> II. The City of the Jewish [[Occupation]] </p> <p> 1. Tower or [[Stronghold]] </p> <p> 2. High Place </p> <p> 3. [[Broad]] Place </p> <p> 4. [[Streets]] </p> <p> 5. General Characteristics </p> <p> III. [[Store]] Cities </p> <p> IV. [[Levitical]] Cities </p> <p> Literature </p> I. The Canaanite City <p> 1. Origin </p> <p> The development of the Canaanite city has been traced by Macalister in his report on the excavation at [[Gezer]] ( <i> Palestine Exploration Fund Statement </i> , 1904, 108ff). It originated on the slopes of a bare rocky spur, in which the Neolithic Troglodytes quarried their habitations out of the solid rock, the stones therefrom being used to form a casing to the earthen ramparts, with which the site was afterwards surrounded and which served as a protection against the intrusion of enemies. Later Semitic intruders occupied the site, stone houses were built, and high stone defense walls were substituted for the earthen stone-cased ramparts. These later walls were much higher and stronger than those of the Neilithic occupation and were the walls seen by the Israelites when they viewed the country of their promise. </p> <p> 2. Extent </p> <p> "The people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great" (&nbsp;Numbers 13:28 ) was the report of the spies sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan, to see "what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds" (&nbsp;Numbers 13:19 , &nbsp;Numbers 13:20 ). The difficulties of the task set before the advancing Israelites and their appreciation of the strength of the cities, is here recorded, and also in &nbsp;Deuteronomy 1:28 : "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the [[Anakim]] there." This assessment of greatness was based upon comparative ignorance of such fortifications and the want of war experience and the necessary implements of assault. It need not, therefore, be supposed that the cities were "great" except by comparison in the eyes of a tent-dwelling and pastoral people. On the contrary, most recent exploration has proved that they were small (see Père Vincent, <i> Canaan </i> , 27, note 3, and Pl. I, where comparative measurements of the areas of ancient cities show that, in nine cities compared, Tell Sandahannah (barely 6 acres) is the smallest). Gezer measures approximately 22 1/4 acres and Tell el-Hesy somewhat greater. By way of illustration, it is interesting to note that the Acropolis at Athens, roughly computed, measures &nbsp;Deuteronomy 7:1 /4 acres, while the [[Castle]] Rock at [[Edinburgh]] is about 6 acres, or the same as the whole Seleucidan city of Tell Sandahannah. The Acropolis at Tell Zakarîya measures about 2 acres or nearly one-fourth of the area of the whole city (about 8 1/2 acres). It is unlikely that [[Jebus]] (Jerusalem) itself was an exception, although in Solomonic and later times it extended to a far greater area. </p> <p> 3. Villages </p> <p> Besides the walled cities there were "unwalled (country) towns a great many" (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 3:5 ), "villages," unfortified suburbs, lying near to and under the protection of the walled cities and occupied by the surplus population. The almost incredible number of cities and their villages mentioned in the Old Testament, while proving the clannishness of their occupants, proves, at the same time, their comparatively small scale. </p> <p> 4. Sites </p> <p> Traces of similar populations that rise and fall are seen in China and Japan today. As a little poem says of Karakura: </p> <p> "Where were palaces and merchants and the blades of warriors, </p> <p> Now are only the cicadas and waving blades of grass." </p> <p> "Cities that stood on their mounds" (&nbsp;Joshua 11:13; &nbsp;Jeremiah 30:18 ) as at Lachish and Taanach are distinguished from those built on natural hills or spurs of hills, such as Jebus, Gezer, Tell es [[Sail]] (Gath?), [[Bethshemesh]] (see Vincent, <i> Canaan </i> , 26ff). The Arabic name "Tell" is applied to all mounds of ancient cities, whether situated on a natural eminence or on a plain, and the word is common in the geographical nomenclature of Palestine Sites were chosen near a water supply, which was ever the most essential qualification. For purposes of defense, the nearest knoll or spur was selected. Sometimes these knolls were of no great height and their subsequent elevation is accounted for by the gradual accumulation of débris from town refuse and from frequent demolitions; restoration being effected after a levelng up of the ruins of the razed city (see Fig. 2: Tell el-Hesy, <i> Palestine Exploration Fund </i> , which shows a section of the Tell from which the levels of the successive cities in distinct stratification were recovered). Closely packed houses, in narrow alleys, with low, rude mud, brick, or stone and mud walls, with timber and mud roofs, burned readily and were easily razed to the ground (&nbsp;Joshua 8:1; &nbsp;Joshua 11:11 ). </p> <p> It would seem that, viewed from the outside, these cities had the appearance of isolated forts, the surrounding walls being strengthened at frequent intervals, with towers. The gates were approached by narrow roads, which mounted the slopes of the mound at the meeting-point of the meandering paths on the plain below. </p> <p> 5. External Appearance </p> <p> The walls of Tell ej-Judeideh were strengthened by towers in the inside, and presented an unbroken circuit of wall to the outside view (see Fig. 4, <i> PEF </i> ). [[Houses]] on the wall (&nbsp;Joshua 2:15; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:33 ) may have been seen from the outside; but it is unlikely that any building within the walls was visible, except possibly the inner tower or stronghold. The whole of the interior of the early Jerusalem (Jebus) was visible from the hills to the East, but this peculiarity of position is uncommon. Strong and high walls, garrisoned by men-at-arms seen only through the battlements, showed no weakness, and the gates, with their narrow and steep approaches and projecting defense towers, looked uninviting traps. The mystery of these unseen interiors could therefore be easily conjured into an exaggeration of strength. </p> <p> 6. General </p> <p> The inhabitants of the villages (בּנות , <i> ''''' bānōth ''''' </i> , "daughters," &nbsp;Numbers 32:42 margin) held feudal occupation and gave service to their lord of the city ( אם , <i> ''''' 'ēm ''''' </i> , "mother," &nbsp;2 Samuel 20:19 ), in defense of their own or in attacks on their neighbor's property. Such were the cities of the truculent, marauding kings of Canaan, whose broken territories lent themselves to the upkeep of a condition, of the weakness of which, the Israelites, in their solid advance, took ready advantage. </p> II. The City of the Jewish Occupation <p> After the conquest, and the abandonment of the pastoral life for that of agriculture and general trade, the condition of the cities varied but little, except that they were, from time to time, enlarged and strengthened. Solomon's work at Jerusalem was a step forward, but there is little evidence that, in the other cities which he is credited with having put his hands to, there was any embellishment. Megiddo and Gezer at least show nothing worthy of the name. Greek influence brought with it the first real improvements in city building; and the later work of Herod raised cities to a grandeur which was previously undreamed of among the Jews. Within the walls, the main points considered in the "layout" were, the Tower or Stronghold, the High Place, the Broad Place by the Gate, and the Market-Place. </p> <p> 1. Tower or Stronghold </p> <p> The Tower or Stronghold was an inner fort which held a garrison and commander, and was provisioned with "victuals, and oil and wine" (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 11:11 ), to which the defenders of the city when hard pressed betook themselves, as a last resource. The men of the tower of Shechem held out against [[Abimelech]] (&nbsp;Judges 9:49 ) who was afterward killed by a stone thrown by a woman from the Tower of Thebez "within the city" (&nbsp;Judges 9:51 , &nbsp;Judges 9:53 ). David took the stronghold of Zion, "the same is the city of David" (&nbsp;2 Samuel 5:7 ), which name (Zion) was afterward applied to the whole city. It is not unlikely that the king's house was included in the stronghold. Macalister ( <i> Palestine Exploration Fund Statement </i> , 1907, 192ff) reports the discovery of a Canaanite castle with enormously thick walls abutting against the inside of the city wall. The strongholds at Taanach and Tell el-Hesy are similarly placed; and the Acropolis at Tell Zakarîya lies close to, but independent of, the city wall. </p> <p> 2. High Place </p> <p> The High Place was an important feature in all Canaanite cities and retained its importance long after the conquest (&nbsp;1 Samuel 9:12; &nbsp;1 Kings 3:2; &nbsp;Amos 7:9 ). It was a sanctuary, where sacrifices were offered and feasts were held, and men did "eat before Yahweh" (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 14:26 ). The priests, as was their custom, received their portion of the flesh (&nbsp;1 Samuel 2:12 ). The High Place discovered at Gezer ( <i> Bible Sidelights </i> , chapter iii) is at a lower level than the city surrounding it, and lies North and South. It is about 100 ft. in length, and when complete consisted of a row of ten rude undressed standing stones, of which eight are still remaining, the largest being 10 ft. 6 inches high, and the others varying to much smaller sizes. See [[High Place]] . </p> <p> 3. Broad Place </p> <p> The Broad Place (&nbsp;Nehemiah 8:1 , &nbsp;Nehemiah 8:3 , &nbsp;Nehemiah 8:16; &nbsp;Jeremiah 5:1 ) seems to have been, usually, immediately inside the city gate. It was not, in early Jewish cities, an extensive open area, but simply a widening of the street, and was designated "broad" by comparison with the neighboring alleys, dignified by the name of street. It took the place of a general exchange. [[Justice]] was dispensed (Rth 4:2) and punishment was administered. Jeremiah was put in "the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin" (&nbsp;Jeremiah 20:2 ), proclamations were read, business was transacted, and the news and gossip of the day were exchanged. It was a place for all classes to congregate (&nbsp;Job 29:7 m; &nbsp; Proverbs 31:23 ), and was also a market-place (&nbsp;2 Kings 7:1 ). In later times, the market-place became more typically a market square of the Greek agora plan, with an open area surrounded by covered shelters. The present market-place at [[Haifa]] resembles this. Probably it was this type of market-place referred to in &nbsp;Matthew 11:16; &nbsp;Matthew 20:3 and &nbsp; Luke 7:32; &nbsp;Luke 11:43 . The street inside the Damascus gate of Jerusalem today is, in many ways, similar to the Broad Place, and retains many of its ancient uses. Here, Bedouin and Fellahin meet from the outlying districts to barter, to arbitrate, to find debtors and to learn the news of the day. Lying as it did immediately inside the gate, the Broad Place had a defensive value, in that it admitted of concentration against the forcing of the gate. There does not seem to have been any plan of either a Canaanite or early Jewish city, in which this question of defense did not predominate. Open areas within the city were "waste places" (&nbsp;Isaiah 58:12 ) and were not an integral part of the plan. </p> <p> 4. Streets </p> <p> The streets serving these quarters were not laid out on any fixed plan. They were, in fact, narrow, unpaved alleys, all seeming of equal importance, gathering themselves crookedly to the various centers. Having fixed the positions of the City Gates, the Stronghold and the High Place, the inhabitants appear to have been allowed to situate themselves the best way they could, without restriction of line or frontage. Houses were of modest proportions and were poorly built; planned, most often, in utter disregard of the square, and presenting to the street more or less dead walls, which were either topped by parapets or covered with projecting wood and mud roofs (see Architecture F ig. 1; [[House]] ). </p> <p> The streets, as in the present day in Palestine,were allocated to separate trades: "bakers' street" (&nbsp;Jeremiah 37:21 ), place "of the merchants" (&nbsp;Nehemiah 3:31 , &nbsp;Nehemiah 3:32 the King James Version), "goldsmiths," etc. The Valley of the Cheesemakers was a street in the [[Tyropceon]] Valley at Jerusalem. </p> <p> For a discussion of the subject of "cisterns" , see the separate article under the word </p> <p> 5. General Characteristics </p> <p> The people pursued the industries consequent upon their own self-establishment. [[Agriculture]] claimed first place, and was their most highly esteemed occupation. The king's lands were farmed by his subjects for his own benefit, and considerable tracts of lands belonged to the aristocracy. The most of the lands, however, belonged to the cities and villages, and were allotted among the free husbandmen. Various cereals were raised, wheat and barley being most commonly cultivated. The soil was tilled and the crops reaped and threshed in much the same manner and with much the same implements as are now used in Syria. Cities lying in main trade routes developed various industries more quickly than those whose positions were out of touch with foreign traffic. [[Crafts]] and trades, unknown to the early Jews, were at first monopolized by foreigners who, as a matter of course, were elbowed out as time progressed. Cities on the seaboard of [[Phoenicia]] depended chiefly on maritime trade. Money, in the form of ingots and bars of precious metals, "weighed out" (&nbsp;2 Kings 12:11 ), was current in preëxilic times, and continued in use after foreign coinage had been introduced. The first native coinage dates from the Maccabean period (see Madden, <i> Jewish Coinage </i> , chapter iv). Slavery was freely trafficked in, and a certain number of slaves were attached to the households of the more wealthy. Although they were the absolute property of their masters, they enjoyed certain religious privileges not extended to the "sojourners" or "strangers" who sought the protection of the cities, often in considerable numbers. </p> <p> The king's private property, from which he drew full revenue, lay partly within the city, but to a greater extent beyond it (&nbsp;1 Samuel 8:15 , &nbsp;1 Samuel 8:16 ). In addition to his private property, he received tithes of fields and flocks, "the tenth part of your seed." He also drew a tax in the shape of certain "king's mowings" (&nbsp;Amos 7:1 ). Vassal kings, paid tribute; Mesha, king of Moab, rendered wool unto the king of Israel" (&nbsp;2 Kings 3:4 ). </p> <p> See G. A. Smith, <i> Jerusalem </i> , I, chapters v-x, for detailed account of the conditions of Jewish city life. For details of government, see [[Elder]]; [[Judge]]; Sanhedrin . </p> III. Store Cities <p> These were selected by Solomon and set aside for stores of victuals, chariots, horsemen, etc. (&nbsp;1 Kings 9:19 ). Jehoshaphat "built in Judah castles and cities of store" (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 17:12 ). Twelve officers were appointed by Solomon to provision his household, each officer being responsible for the supply in one month in the year (&nbsp;1 Kings 4:7 ). There were also "storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages" (&nbsp;1 Chronicles 27:25 the King James Version). </p> IV. Levitical Cities <p> These were apportioned 13 to the children of Aaron, 10 to Kohath, 13 to Gershon, 12 to Merari, 48 cities in all (&nbsp;Joshua 21:13 ), 6 of which were cities of Refuge (&nbsp;Numbers 35:6 ); see [[Refuge]] , Cities Of . For further details see [[Architecture]]; House . </p> Literature <p> <i> PEFS </i> ; Bliss and Dickie, <i> Excavations at Jerusalem </i> ; Macalister, <i> Excavation at Gezer </i> ; Bliss and Macalister, <i> Excavations in Palestine </i> ; Sellin, <i> Excavation at Taanach </i> ; Schumacher, <i> Excavation at Tell Mutesellim </i> ; Macalister, <i> Bible Sidelights </i> ; G. A. Smith, <i> Jerusalem </i> ; <i> Historical [[Geography]] of the Holy Land </i> ; Bliss, <i> Mounds of Many Cities </i> ; Vincent, <i> Canaan </i> . </p>