Heber

Gen. xi. 14.HEBER, or Eber, the son of Salah, was born in the year of the World 1723, before Jesus Christ 2277, before the Vulgar Æra 2281. Several¹ have been of opinion, that from Heber, one of the ancestors of the Hebrews, Abraham and his descendants after him, were called Hebrews. But it is much more probable, that this name was given to Abraham and his family, because they came from beyond the Euphrates into the Land of Canaan²; so that by Hebrew, nothing else is meant in its original, but one come from beyond the Euphrates. Heber in Hebrew, signifies beyond, or only passage. Why should Abraham, who was no nearer c 1. Heber. 2. Peleg. 3. Reu. 4 Serug. 5. Nahor. 6. Terah. 7. Abraham.than the sixth in generation to Heber c, why should he take his name rather from this Patriarch, than from any other of his Ancestors? Why not rather from Shem, for example, who is styled by Moses, the father of all the children of Heber, or of the other side of the Euphrates; than from Heber, whose life is not in any circumstance extol’d in Scripture? The first time that Abraham is called an Hebrew³, is about ten years after his arrival in the Land of Canaan, and upon the occasion of the war with Chedorlaomer and his allies. The Septuagint and Aquila translate the Hebrew, Heberi, Perates, or Peraites, which signifies a Passenger, one who came from beyond the river. They who would more particularly understand this question, may read Walton’s Prolegomena, and other books written on this subject, and our Comment upon Genesis x. 24.

There is another question upon which the Ancients and Moderns are divided; viz. Whether the Hebrew Tongue derives its name from Heber, and whether upon the confusion of Languages, which happened at Babel, it continued only in the family of Heber and his descendants. As the confusion of Languages was looked upon to be the punishment of their temerity, who undertook to build this Tower, there seems reason to presume, that Heber’s posterity, which seemed then to be designed by God to be the Stock from whence the holy Family should proceed, and to have the true Religion left in trust with them, had no share in this undertaking, nor consequently in the penalty, which followed.

Two things are said in reply to this: 1. There is no proof that Heber’s family was not concerned in building the Tower of Babel. And, 2. that the Hebrew Tongue was the language of other people, who had no relation to Heber’s family; for example, the Phœnicians or Canaanites, the Syrians and

τῷ περαίτῃ. and Philistins, in Abraham’s time, spoke Hebrew, or a language very little different from it. It cannot be said therefore, that this language was peculiar to Heber’s family.

Why then, it will be said, was it called the Hebrew Tongue? was it because it was spoken beyond the Euphrates, as we have observed above, that Abraham was called an Hebrew, because he came from the other side of this river? I answer, 1. That there is great probability, that this language was spoken in Chaldæa and Mesopotamia in Abraham’s time, since when this Patriarch came among the Canaanites, he was at no trouble to make himself understood, or to understand the language of the country. And when Jacob went from the Land of Canaan into Mesopotamia, he spoke, understood, and was himself understood without an interpreter. His two wives Rachel and Leah, gave their children Hebrew names. The names of the persons and places in these Provinces, as well as those in Palestine, are Hebrew. It is not therefore improbable, that the Hebrew language was so called, because it was spoken beyond the Euphrates.

But it was spoken likewise on this side of this river, and that too with more purity, and for a longer time than in Chaldæa and Mesopotamia, as is proved by the Monument erected on mount Gilead by Jacob and Laban, who each gave it a different name according to the propriety of their language: which shews that even then the Gen. xxxi. 47.Syriac was pretty different from the Hebrew or Phœnician; whereas till the Empire of the Greeks took place, the Hebrew, Cananæan, and Phœnician, and the language of the Philistins and Samaritans, were all in their purity in Palestine. There seems therefore to be reason for our asserting, that the Hebrew Tongue is called so rather from the Hebrews, the descendants of Abraham, than from the people on the other side of the Euphrates, who for the most part were not descended from Heber. Besides, we are not to imagine, that the Language which we call Hebrew, was known commonly by this name among the Heathens. By them it was called the Phœnician, Syriac, or Punic⁴ Language, or the Language of the Jews. Among us it is so celebrated by the name of the Hebrew, or holy Language, for no other reason, but because it is the Idiom, wherein the divine Oracles of the Old Testament are written. The very letters which at this day pass for the true and ancient Hebrew letters, are rather the Chaldæan. The real Hebrew or Phœnician characters are preserved only in Medals, and in the Pentateuch of the Samaritans. See SAMARITANS.

Alcoran: chapter concerning Hond.Mahomet in his Alcoran calls Heber, Hond, and has written a whole chapter about him. You have here what he says of him: “ We sent Hond to Aad his “ brother’s people, to whom he addressed “ himself in these words: O ye people, “ adore but one God, otherwise ye will “ be reckoned among Infidels. I ask no “ reward of you for the trouble which I “ take in preaching to you; he who created “ me, will recompense me for it. Will “ you never be wise? Beg pardon of “ God, be converted, and obey his divine “ Will, and he will send you rain from “ heaven; and will encrease your strength “ and riches: be not of the number of the “ wicked. They replied, O Hond, thou “ bringst no reason to prove what thou “ sayest; thy words will not induce us to “ forsake our Gods; we give no credit to “ thy discourses, and tell thee, that some “ of our Gods will severely chastise thee. “ He answered; I take God and yourselves “ to witness, that I am innocent of the sin “ you are guilty of in adoring Idols: if “ you conspire against me, no one will be “ able to protect you at the day of Judgement: I am resigned to the Will of my “ Lord God, and yours… God adds; “ when we extirpated this people, we delivered Hond by our special Grace from “ their malice, and rescued all true Believers from very great torment. Aad’s “ people despised the Commandments of “ God, and disobeyed his Prophets; he “ was cursed in this world, and shall be “ cursed at the day of Judgment, because “ he was disobedient unto God, and formed “ a design of extirpating his brother Hond’s “ people.”

In the same chapter intitled Hond, there are several passages which relate to positive Predestination and Reprobation, which obliged Mahomet to say, that the chapter concerning Hond had made his hair turn grey before the usual time, so much he had been terrified by it.

Aad’s people, to whom Hond was sent, were an ancient people of Arabia, descended from Ad or Aad the son of Amalek, and grandson to Ham the son of Noah; or, according to others, Ad was the son of Uz, and grandson of Aram the son of Shem. Ad reigned in the Province of Adramonth in Arabia, and was father of a Tribe of old Arabians called Adites. This Tribe refusing to hearken to Hond, or Heber, and even conspiring against him, God sent a burning wind against them, named Rih-Akim, which destroyed them all; but before this he sent a famine, which continued three years successively, during which, heaven was with respect to them shut up. During this famine, great part of the Adites perished, who were one of the most numerous and powerful people of Arabia. They addressed themselves in vain to their false Gods, who were Sakiah, whom they invoked for rain; Hafidah, whom they had recourse to for preservation against bad accidents while they were travelling; Razechah, who, as they believed, furnished them with the necessaries of life; and Salemah, whom they implored in times of sickness, for the recovery of their health.

Finding therefore that their Gods gave them no assistance, they vowed a pilgrimage to Hegiaz, where Mecca stands at present. The Deputies who were sent in the name of their nation, had at their head Morthad and Kil, the first a great favourer of Hond, and thoroughly persuaded of the truth of his sermons. Kil, on the contrary, was very averse to him, and very obstinate in his Idolatry. These Deputies coming to Moavia, who reigned in the Province of Hegiaz, desired this Prince to keep Morthad in custody, while they went and finished their pilgrimage. Moavia complied with their request, and they continued their journey: upon their arrival, Kil prayed to God in this manner; O Lord, give, we beseech thee, such rain to Ad’s people, as thou pleasest. He had no sooner ended, but three clouds appeared in heaven; one white, another red, and a third black: and at the same time, these words were heard from heaven; Chuse which of these three thou wilt. Kil chose that which was black, believing it to be the thickest and most abounding with water. But when he came into his own country, the cloud, which was swelled only with the wrath of God, produced nothing but a very cold wind; which blowing seven days and seven nights, destroyed all the inhabitants of the country, and left only the prophet Hond or Heber alive, and those who believed what he had said to them. In this same country of Adramonth, they shew a little town, called Cabarhod, that is to say, Hond’s tomb, where they pretend that this Prophet was buried.

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