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Muhammad in the Bible David Benjamin KeldaniEdited & Annotated by: Prof. Dawud M. R. Alhanbali & Prof, Dr. Kaseb A. Albadran ( 20 )at Mispha that four hundred thousand swordsmen from the eleven tribes of Israel assembled and “swore before the Lord” to exterminate the tribe of Benjamin for an abominable crime committed by the Benjamites of Geba’ and succeeded (Judges xx. xxi.). At Mispha all the people were summoned by the Prophet Samuel, where they “swore before the Lord” to destroy all their idols and images, and then were saved from the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam. vii.). It was here that the nation assembled and Saul was appointed king over Israel (1 Sam. x.). In short, every national question of great moment was decided atthis Mispha or at Bethel. It seems that these shrines were built upon high places or upon a raised platform, often called Ramoth, which signifies a “high place.” Even after the building of the gorgeous Temple of Solomon (pbuh), the Misphas were held in great reverence. However, like the Ka’ba at Makkah, these Misphas were often filled with idols and images. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Chaldeans, the Mispha still maintained its sacred character as late as the time of the Maccabees during the reign of King Antiochus 5.Now, what does the word Mispa mean? It is generally translated into a “watch-tower.” It belongs to that class of Semitic nouns —Asmá Zarf— thattake or drive their name from the thing thatthey enclose or contain. Mispa is the place or building, which derives its name from sáphá, an archaic word for “stone.” The usual word forstone in Hebrew isiben, and in Arabic hajar. The Syriac forstone is kipa. However,safa5The Bible, which I consult, does not contain the so-called deutrocanonical or Apocryphal books of the Old Testament. This Bible is published by the American Bible Society (New York, 1893). The title runs thus Ktbabbi Qaddisbi Dadiatbiqi WadiatbiqiKbadatt an S’ bad-watba Pousbaqa dmin lisbani qdimaqi. Matba ’ta d’dasta. Biblioneta d’ America [The Holy Books of the Old Testament and of the New Covenant(Testament), with the concordance or witnesses. Trans. from the ancient languages.Published at the Press of the American Bible Society. (The author).