DEVOTING. The most ancient example of Devoting that we have, is that which Balak King of Moab would have had Balaam use against the army of Israel, which was incamped in the borders of his country. Numb. xxii. 6.Balak therefore sent Deputies to Balaam with directions to say to him, Come and curse, devote this people, for they are too mighty for me, and I dare not attempt to force them, to the end that I may see if by any means I may engage and drive them from my territories; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. Balaam therefore came with Balak’s messengers, tho’ with a great deal of reluctancy, as may be seen in the Article Balaam. Upon his arrival in the land of Moab, Balak carried him up to the high places of Baal, and from thence shewed him the extremity of the Israelitish camp. Hereupon Balaam appointed seven Altars to be erected, and offered sacrifices, after which he retired by himself, waiting for the inspiration of God. Then the Lord put the following words into his mouth; Balak King of Moab hath brought me from Syria, from the mountains of the east, saying, Come and curse Jacob, make haste, and defy Israel. How shall I curse whom the Lord hath not cursed? or how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.
As Balaam, instead of cursing, blessed the Israelites, Balak desired him to be silent, and having conducted him to another place, from whence he could see some part only of the Israelitish camp, he erected new Altars there, and offered sacrifices. But Balaam began again to bless Israel, saying, God is not a man that he should lye, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel*: the Lord his God is* with him, and the shout of a king is among them: surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination in Israel, &c. or otherwise, there is no Diviner nor Soothsayer against Israel. You endeavour in vain to devote them, and have them cursed: no devoting, no cursing can be of any effect against them: their God is above all the art of Magicians, and all the malice of Devils.
This is the only example of this sort of devoting that we find in Scripture.
Joseph. Antiq. l. 14. c. 4. & de Bell. l. 1. c. 5.Josephus has furnished us with another. During the troubles which happened in Judæa between the two brothers Hircanus and Aristobulus, who disputed for the High -priesthood and Dominion over the Jews, Aristobulus with his people being shut up in the temple by Hircanus, who was in Jerusalem with those of his party; the latter sent for one Onias into their army, who was reputed a great saint, and was said to have obtained rain in a time of drought by the efficacy of his prayers: they imagined that his curses would be sufficient to draw down the vengeance of heaven upon Aristobulus and those of his faction.
Onias resisted their importunities for a long time; but at length, finding that they would never cease tormenting him, he lifted up his hands to heaven in the midst of the army, and pronounced these words; O Lord God, who art Governour of the Universe, since they who are with us are thy people, and they who are besieged are thy priests, hearken not unto the prayers of either the one or the other against the opposite party. They who invited him to come were so enraged to see themselves frustrated in their expectation, that they stoned him upon the spot, and so cruelly murdered him.
Deut. xx. 16, 17.Several Devotings of another sort are taken notice of in sacred History, as when any people, city, country, or family were devoted to the curse; for example, the Lord devoted the nation of the Canaanites and 1 Sam. xv. 3. Numb. xxi. 3. Joshua vii. 13, 24, 25. Joshua vi. 17.Amalekites. The Israelites devoted the town of Hormah, the family of Achan, and the city of Jericho. Upon these occasions they generally destroy’d every thing that was in these provinces and cities. As they were not to undertake any war without first consulting God, who was as it were the General and Chief Leader of the Israelitish Armies, in whose name the priests sounded the charge and gave the signal of battle, they were as it were sure of success, provided they were faithful to him, and under such a protection they despised the strange Gods of the enemies: indeed they were not taken for Gods, nor did people condescend to call them forth, or use any the least precautions against them.
Q. Curt. l. 4.But the Heathens who admitted a plurality of Gods, and believed them to be subordinate in power to one another, made use of Inchantments and Devotings to bring mischief upon their enemies, their cities and armies. They sometimes called forth the tutelary Deities of cities to deprive their enemies of their protection and defence. It is said, for example, that the Syrians chained the Statue of Apollo, and fastened him to the Altar of Hercules tutelar deity of their city, lest he should forsake them and retire out of the city. Aurea catena devinxere simulachrum, araeque Herculis, cujus numini urbem dicaverant, inseruere vinculum, quasi Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 9.illo deo Apollinem retenturi.
The Romans, says Macrobius, being persuaded that every city had its tutelary Deities, used certain verses to call them forth, believing it impossible to make themselves masters of the town without it; and even when they had it in their power to take the place, they thought always that it would be a great crime to take the Gods captives with it: for this reason the Romans ever kept the real and concealed name of their cities very private, this being very different from that they generally gave Plin. l. 3. c. 5. l. 28. c. 2. Plutarch. Problem. 2. Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 9. Solin. c. 2.them among the people, as likewise the name of the tutelary God of their cities. Pliny informs us, that the secret name of Rome was Valentia, and that Valerius Soranus was severely punished for revealing it. Now the form made use of in calling forth the tutelary God of any city was as follows: “ If it be God or Goddess under whose “ guard are the city and people of Carthage, “ I beseech thee, O Great God, who hast “ taken this town and people under thy “ tuition, I conjure and entreat thee graciously to abandon the city and people “ of “ of Carthage, to forsake all their dwellings, “ Temples and sacred Places, to cast them “ off, to inspire them with fear, terror, “ and forgetfulness, and to retire to Rome “ among our people; let our Habitations, “ our Temples, our Things Sacred, and our “ City be more agreeable to thee; demonstrate to us that thou art my Protector, “ the Protector of the Roman people, and “ of my soldiers. If thou dost this, I engage myself by a solemn vow to found “ Temples and institute Games in honour “ of thee.” We may see in Livy the evocation of the Gods of Tit. Liv. Decad. 1. l. 5. Plin. l. 2. c. 53.Veia. The Tuscans called forth the thunder, when they thought they had occasion for it. Numa Pompilius did so often with success. Tullus Hostilius attempting it without making use of the accustomed rites, was himself struck with thunder.
As to the Devoting hostile armies, or besieged places, we have here an example of it Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 9.from Macrobius: “ Dis-Pater (this was Pluto) “ Jupiter, ye Manes, or by what “ other name ye will be called, I earnestly “ beseech you to spread fear and terror in “ the army I shall mention to you, and “ throughout the city of Carthage. May “ ye look upon all as devoted and accursed, may ye deprive them of light, “ and remove at a distance from this country “ all those who shall bear arms against us, “ and shall attack our legions and our armies; may all their armies, fields, cities, “ heads, and lives be comprized within “ this wish, as far as they may be comprized in it by the most solemn Devoting. “ Wherefore I devote them, I charge them “ with all the mischief that may happen “ to myself, our Magistrates, the Roman “ People, our Armies and our Legions; that “ ye may preserve me myself and those “ who employ me, the Empire’s legions, and “ our army which is concern’d in this war. “ If you please to do these things, as I “ know and understand them, I promise “ you, O Earth, mother of all things, and “ you, Great Jupiter, a sacrifice of three “ black sheep.”