[82]. 2 Sam. xix. 31-40.
[83]. 1 Kings ii. 7. That this involved admission into the family seems to be implied. See 2 Sam. ix. 11.—“As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table as one of the king’s sons.”
[84]. Jer. xli. 17.
[85]. Hepworth Dixon, in his ‘Holy Land,’ endeavours to carry the argument a step further, and to show, by a comparison of the phraseology in the books of Ruth and of Jeremiah, that it was erected on or close to the house of Boaz. His arguments are not without weight, but they are far from being conclusive.
[86]. Micah v. 2. Matt. ii. 5, 6. John vii. 42.
[87]. ‘Comparative Geography of Palestine.’ By Carl Ritter. Vol. iii., p. 339.
[88]. Ezek. xlvii. 1-12. Compare Rev. xxii. 1, 2: where the symbolism of the Old Testament is adopted in the New, but lifted up into a higher sphere with the promise of yet diviner blessings.
[89]. Isa. xxxii. 15, 17.
[90]. Jer. xlix. 19; l. 44.
[91]. In a few rare and exceptional cases living organisms are alleged to have been found in the Dead Sea. In every case, however, it has been near the mouth of Jordan, the impetuous torrent of which, after heavy rains, penetrates into the sea for some distance without mingling with its waters.