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TRANSFER OF THE

CHAP. III.

dred shekels of silver, of which two hundredwere converted into an image for idolatrousworship.

Under these two first monarchs the Israelites were engaged in constant hostilities ; and thoughthey occasionally met with reverses, they weregenerally, especially under David, successful;and it is obvious, from scattered notices, that bythese operations the mass of the precious metalswas increased 1 :—thus the spoil of Rahab was ofthe weight of a talent of gold; and near the closeof the same reign, when Moab and Zobah andthe Syrians of Damascus were defeated, the goldand silver and brass of these nations were broughttogether, and dedicated to the public service 2 .

It seems then clear, that when the peacefulreign of Solomon commenced, the accumulatedmass of gold and silver must have been thecollection of more than eight hundred years,reckoning from Abraham , or of near five hun-dred years since the Israelites , on their removalfrom Egypt , had become an independent and,on the whole, a flourishing nation. The spoil ofthe several tribes which was taken during thetheocracy was carefully preserved in the publictreasury, and was protected by the solemn sanc-tion of the religion of the Hebrews, which kept itin the tabernacle under the title of the Treasure

1 2 Samuel, cap. xii. v. 3.

? 1 Chronicles, cap. xviii. v. 8—11.