Difference between revisions of "Nob"

<p> A sacerdotal city in Benjamin, on a height near Jerusalem; the last stage of Sennacherib's march from the north on Jerusalem, from whence he could see and "shake his hand against Zion" (&nbsp;Isaiah 10:28-32). The high priest Ahimelech's residence in Saul's time, near [[Anathoth]] and [[Gibeah]] of Saul. (See [[Ahimelech]] ; DOEG; DAVID.) The scene of Saul's murder of the priests and smiting of the townspeople, on Doeg's information that Ahimelech had given David shewbread (&nbsp;1 Samuel 20:1-19; &nbsp;1 Samuel 21:1-9; &nbsp;1 Samuel 22:9-19). [[Inhabited]] again on the return from [[Babylon]] (&nbsp;Nehemiah 11:31-35). E. of the north road, opposite Shafat, is a tell with cisterns hewn in the rock and traces of a town (Courier, [[Palestine]] Exploration Quarterly Statement). </p> <p> From the hill-top is a full view of Zion, though [[Moriah]] and [[Olivet]] are hid by an intervening ridge. "The hill of God" (&nbsp;1 Samuel 10:5; &nbsp;1 Samuel 10:10), where the Spirit came on Saul on his way from [[Bethlehem]] after Samuel's anointing, was probably Nob, the seat then of the tabernacle, and meaning "prophecy." Shafat is Arabic for "view," answering to Josephus' Greek name Scopus. [[Nob]] may be related to Nabat, "to view." namely, the point from whence the full view of [[Zion]] breaks on the traveler from the N. Mizpeh is mentioned in Joshua (&nbsp;Joshua 18:26) and in Nehemiah (&nbsp;Nehemiah 3:7) in connection with Gibeon. At Mizpeh probably the tabernacle was erected on its removal from Shiloh. Μizpeh , "watchtower," corresponds to Νob "a high place commanding a view." </p> <p> They never are named in the same passage as distinct. They both are mentioned in connection with the royal town Gibeon. [[Gilgal]] was the first temporary abode of the tabernacle, then [[Shiloh]] for more than three centuries and a half, then the Nob or high place of Gibeon, finally Jerusalem. [[Warren]] (Palestine Exploration Quarterly Statement) objects to Nob's being identified with Nebi Samwil that the latter is four miles and a half from Jerusalem, and separated from it by the deep ravine, wady Beit Hanina; the [[Assyrian]] king marching (Isaiah 10) from [[Geba]] to [[Jerusalem]] would be more likely to find Nob on his way, at that [[Scopus]] (near the city) from whence Titus looked down upon Jerusalem, rather than turning away four miles and a half to Nebi Samwil. Warren makes Nob distinct from [[Gibeon]] (el Jib), from which latter Nebi Samwil is one mile and a quarter distant. (See [[Mizpeh]] .) </p>

<p> [[Nob]] (''Nŏb'' ), ''Height, Hill.'' A city in Benjamin, on the great road from the north to Jerusalem, in the immediate neighborhood of which it must have been; perhaps on the ridge of Olivet. The tabernacle seems to have been here in the time of Saul, who, for the alleged favor shown by the high priest [[Abimelech]] to David, destroyed the city, which was, however, afterwards rebuilt. &nbsp;1 Samuel 21:1; &nbsp;1 Samuel 22:9-19; &nbsp;Nehemiah 11:32; &nbsp;Isaiah 10:32. </p>

<p> (Heb. id. נֹב, prob. ''An Elevation;'' Sept. Νόβ, Νόβα, Νομβά, v. r. Νόμμα, Νοβάθ, etc.; [[Josephus]] Νωβᾶ, ''Ant.'' 6:12, 1), a sacerdotal city in the tribe of Benjamin, situated on some eminence near Jerusalem. When David fled from the court of Saul at Gibeah, we are told that "he came to ''Nob,'' to Ahimelech the priest" (&nbsp;1 Samuel 21:1). It appears from the narrative that the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant were then located in that city, for David got part of the showbread which was kept before the Lord (&nbsp;1 Samuel 21:4; comp. &nbsp;Exodus 25:30; &nbsp;Luke 24:5-9). David's visit was fatal to Nob. [[Doeg]] the Edomite, Saul's shepherd, had seen him there, and informed his master. Ahimelech was summoned before the mad king, and sentence pronounced upon him. "Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou and all thy father's house." Not an Israelite, however, would raise a. hand against the priests of the Lord; and Doeg, the stranger spy, became the tyrant's executioner. He "slew on that day fourscore and five persons who did wear a linen ephod; and Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep" (&nbsp;1 Samuel 22:9-19). The position of Nob is incidentally indicated in this narrative. It lay south of Gibeah, for David was on his way to [[Philistia]] when he called at Nob (&nbsp;1 Samuel 21:10); the narrative shows, too, that it was close to Gibeah. It would be a long time naturally before the doomed city could recover from such a blow. It appears, in fact, never to have regained its ancient importance. That it was on one of the roads which led from the north to the capital, and within sight of it,. is certain from the illustrative passage in which Isaiah (&nbsp;Isaiah 10:28-32) describes the approach of the Assyrian army: </p> <p> "He comes to Ai, passes through Migron, At [[Michmash]] deposits his baggage; They cross the pass, Geba is our night-station; [[Terrified]] is Ramah, [[Gibeath]] of Saul flees. Shriek with thy voice, daughter of Gallim; Listen, [[O]] Laishi Ah, poor Anathoth [[Madmenah]] escapes, dwellers in [[Gebim]] take flight. Yet this day he halts at Nob: He shakes his hand against the mount, daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem." </p> <p> In this spirited sketch the poet sees the enemy pouring down from the north; they reach at length the neighborhood of the devoted city; they take possession of one village after another; while the inhabitants flee at their approach, and fill the country with cries of terror and distress. It is implied here clearly that Nob was the last station in their line of march, whence the invaders could see Jerusalem, and whence they. could be seen, as they "shook-the hand" in proud derision of their enemies. Lightfoot also mentions a [[Jewish]] tradition (Opp. 2:203) that Jerusalem and Nob stood within sight of each other. It was occupied after the captivity by Benjamin, and is grouped with Anathoth (&nbsp;Nehemiah 11:32). </p> <p> [[Eusebius]] and [[Jerome]] strangely confound Nob with Nobah, a city in the east of [[Bashan]] (Onomast. s.v. Nabbe); though Jerome in another place (Epitaph. Paulae, Opera, 1:696, ed. Migne) locates the town on the plain of Sharon, somewhere between [[Antipatris]] and Nicopolis, a theory which is almost as wild as the former. He doubtless refers to the present Noba (see Von Raumer's Paldstina, p. 196). No allusion is made to this latter place in the Bible. The Jews, after recovering the ark of Jehovah from the Philistines, would be likely to keep it beyond the reach of a similar disaster; and the Nob which was the seat of the sanctuary in the time of Saul must have been among the mountains. The name of Nob has long since disappeared, and its site has been unknown for perhaps two thousand years. Kiepert and others would identify Nob with the little village of Isawiyeh, situated to the right of the road which leads from Jerusalem to Anathoth. Tobler (Topographie von Jerus. ii, § 719) describes this village as beautifully situated, and occupying unquestionably an ancient site. But Isawiyeh is in a deep glen, hidden from the [[Holy]] city by the ridge of Olivet, whereas Nob was in sight of Jerusalem (Van de Velde, Memoir, p. 337). Robinson thought Nob must have stood somewhere on the ridge of Olivet or Scopus, and there he searched, but in vain, for any trace of an ancientsite (Bib. Res. 1:464). Less than a mile south of Tuleil el-Fil, the site of Gibeah, is a conical rocky tell, called es-Sumah (Warren, in Quar. Statement of the "Pal. ‘ Explor. Fund," Oct. 1867), separated from the former by a valley. On the summit and sides of this tell are traces of a small but very ancient town-cisterns cut in the rock; large hewn stones; portions of the rocky sides leveled and hewn away; and on the south-east the remains of a small tower. From the summit there is a wide view. Mount Zion is distinctly seen, though Moriah is hid by an intervening ridge. The position, south of Gibeah, and not far from Anathoth; the elevation, commanding a view of Zion, against which Isaiah represents the Assyrian as "shaking his hand;" the ancient remains — all seem to indicate that this is the site of the long-lost Nob (Porter, Hand-book, p. 324). [[Lieutenant]] Conder ingeniously argues (Quadi. Statement of the ‘ Palestine Explor. Fund," Jan. 1875, p. 34 sq.) that Nob is identical with MIZPEH, and both with the modern Neby Sanwil. </p>