* 1 Kings xii. 1—­24; cf. 2 Chron. x., xi. 1-4.  The text of 1 Kings xii. 20 expressly says, “there was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only;” whereas the following verse, which some think to have been added by another hand, adds that Rehoboam assembled 180,000 men “which were warriors” from “the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin.”

Thus was accomplished the downfall of the House of David, and with it the Hebrew kingdom which it had been at such pains to build up.  When we consider the character of the two kings who formed its sole dynasty, we cannot refrain from thinking that it deserved a better fate.  David and Solomon exhibited that curious mixture of virtues and vices which distinguished most of the great Semite princes.  The former, a soldier of fortune and an adventurous hero, represents the regular type of the founder of a dynasty; crafty, cruel, ungrateful, and dissolute, but at the same time brave, prudent, cautious, generous, and capable of enthusiasm, clemency, and repentance; at once so lovable and so gentle that he was able to inspire those about him with the firmest friendship and the most absolute devotion.  The latter was a religious though sensual monarch, fond of display—­the type of sovereign who usually succeeds to the head of the family and enjoys the wealth which his predecessor had acquired, displaying before all men the results of an accomplished work, and often thereby endangering its stability.  The real reason of their failure to establish a durable monarchy was the fact that neither of them understood the temperament of the people they were called upon to govern.  The few representations we possess of the Hebrews of this period depict them as closely resembling the nations which inhabited Southern Syria at the time of the Egyptian occupation.  They belong to the type with which the monuments have made us familiar; they are distinguished by an aquiline nose, projecting cheek-bones, and curly hair and beard.  They were vigorous, hardy, and inured to fatigue, but though they lacked those qualities of discipline and obedience which are the characteristics of true warrior races, David had not hesitated to employ them in war; they were neither sailors, builders, nor given to commerce and industries, and yet Solomon built fleets, raised palaces and a temple, and undertook maritime expeditions, and financial circumstances seemed for the moment to be favourable.

[Illustration:  387.jpg A JEWISH CAPTIVE]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph by Petrie.

The onward progress of Assyria towards the Mediterranean had been arrested by the Hittites, Egypt was in a condition of lethargy, the Aramaean populations were fretting away their energies in internal dissensions; David, having encountered no serious opposition after his victory over the Philistines, had extended his conquests and increased the area of his kingdom, and the interested assistance which Tyre afterwards gave