Biblical History Curiously Verified.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 130, 7 May 1872, Page 7

Biblical History Curiously Verified.

The London Times of January 23 contains the following letter from Mr H. Lumley, in which comparison is drawn between an inscription deciphered on a stone recently found in the ancient country of Moab, and several passages of Scripture referring to the driving away of the Moabites by the children of Israel. Mr Lumley says : ‘ ‘ It will be interesting to Biblical students and others to hear that a highly important engraved stone has just been discovered in the Moabite country, and has been brought into Jerusalem. 1 have been permitted to inspect it, and I must say it bears about it all the significance of antiquity and truth. It measures 3Gin. by 18in. on the surface, is of hard, close granite, and has six lines of written characters, almost identical in form with the Sinaitic letters. Mr Shapira, of Jerusalem, who has made the ancient languages of this region his study, has supplied me with a translation ; and according to his reading, no more valuable record of Biblically-stated facts, made at nearly a contemporaneous moment with the events which it records, has yet been discovered. It was brought in here (to Jerusalem) by Bedouin Sheiks from the ruins (or mound) of the city of Medeba, which is seven miles south of Hesbon, fifteen miles north of Dibon, and about forty-five miles due east of this place. The characters, Avhich are very clear and nearly perfect are translated as follows : —‘ We drove them away—the people of Ar Moab at the Marsh ground ; there they made a thankoffering to God their King, and Jeslmnm rejoiced, as also Moses their leader.’ If these words are compared with Numbers, chapter xxi., verses 13, 14, 15, and 21 to 30 ; Deuteronomy, chapter xi., and Joshua, chapter xiii., verses 9, 15, and 10, —a remarkable coincidence of narrative will be seen. The town of Ar Moab mentioned on the stone is in the delta formed by the two rivers which flow into the river Arnon. The ‘Ar Moab at the Marsh ground ’ of the stone to be identical with ‘ the city that is in the midst of the river,’ of the 9th verse of the 13th chapter of Joshua. I have had made a copy of the characters, which I bring with me to England, together with copies of the declarations of people here who know the history of the stone.”