The Astronomy of the Bible

idea of the actual degree of progress attained by the Hebrews in astronomical science. Yet it is clear, even from the record whi

he sun; rising in the east and moving slowly, majestically, and resistlessly upward to the meridian,-the "midst" or "bi

le employed by the Psalmist in the astro

declare the

set a tabernac

degroom coming ou

a strong man to

is from the en

uit unto the

hing hid from th

pt in long curves over towards their setting in the west, some scarcely lifted themselves above the southern horizon. But each one kept its own place. None jostled another, or hurried in advance, or lagged behind. It is no wonder that as the multitude of the stars was observed, and the unbroken order of their going, that the simile suggested itself of an army on the march-"the host of heaven." And the si

and all the host of heaven standing by

starry, not the angelic, arm

miah pr

f heaven canno

sand of the

ly the seed of D

es that minis

host were distinct; that the first, in their brightness, order, and obedience formed fit

tions of the second, whom they counted as divinities. There was often a great confusion between the two, and the observance or worship o

t hosts of stars and angels, they should deem the one the divine manifestation of the

ess, the Lord comman

seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them

aced in the closest parallelism when reference is made to the time when the f

rning stars

ons of God sh

l at the battle of the Kishon, she puts the stars for the angelic leg

ught fro

ir courses fough

whilst the stars themselves stand for the heavenly helpers who, unseen, had mingled in the battle and discomforted the squadrons of Sis

ses, and chariots, and a great host: and they

orth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chari

r they that be with us are mor

see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold

. As morning succeeds morning it rises earlier, until at last it mounts when it is yet dark, and some other star takes its place as the herald of the rising sun. We recognize to-day this "heliacal rising" of the stars. Though we do not make use of it in our system of time-measuring, it played an important part in the calendar-making of the ancients. Such heralds of the rising sun were called "morning stars" by the Hebrews, and they used them "for seasons" and "for years." One star or constellation of stars would herald by its "

the open, in the wilderness. It is not therefore to be wondered at, that we find praise of these "works of the Lord . . . sought out of all them that have

ders appropriate and beautiful the ascription of the term "morning stars" to those "sons of God," the angels. As the stars in the eastern sky are poetically thought of as "singing together" t

as promised to His servants. The epistle to Thyatira concludes with the promise-"He that

for power, glory, and magnificence, the king of Babylon had once been; like one of the

id in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of

s the disciples, to whom he writes, take heed unto the word of prophecy as unto a lamp shining in a dark place "until the da

these things in the Churches. I am the root and th

ght to be brought out is not the relation of thing to thing-which is the objective of physical science-but the relation of creature to Creator. We have no means of knowing whether they made attempt to

to teach was not the daily rotation of the earth upon it

th the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall

the result is linked immediately to the first Cause.

th out their host by number: He calleth them all by name; by the greatn

e ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and b