s the sense in which many learned men understand the
word Assur, looking upon it as the name of a province, and not of the
first man who possessed it, as if it were, _egressus est in Assur, in
Assyriam_. And this seems to be the most natural construction, for many
reasons not necessary to be recited in this place. The country of Assyria
is described, in one of the prophets,(968) by the particular character of
being the land of Nimrod: _Et pascent terram Assur in gladio, et terram,
Nimrod in lanceis ejus; et liberabit ab Assur, cum venerit in terram
nostram_. It derived its name from Assur the son of Shem, who, without
doubt, had settled himself and family there, and was probably driven out,
or brought under subjection, by the usurper Nimrod.

This conqueror having possessed himself of the provinces of Assur,(969)
did not ravage them like a tyrant, but filled them with cities, and made
himself as much beloved by his new subjects as he was by his old ones; so
that the historians,(970) who have not examined into the bottom of this
affair, have thought that he made use of the Assyrians to conquer the
Babylonians. Among other cities, he built one more large and magnificent
than the rest, which he called Nineveh, from the name of his son Ninus, in
order to immortalize his memory. The son, in his turn, out of veneration
for his father, was willing that they who had served him as their king
should adore him as their god, and induce other nations to render him the
same worship. For it appears evident, that Nimrod is the famous Belus of
the Babylonians, the first king whom the people deified for his great
actions, and who showed others the way to that sort of immortality which
human acquirements are supposed capable of bestowing.

I intend to speak of the mighty strength and greatness of the cities of
Babylon and Nineveh, under the kings to whom their building is ascribed by
profane authors, because the Scripture says little or nothing on that
subject. This silence of Scripture, so little satisfactory to our
curiosity, may become an instructive lesson to our piety. The holy penman
has placed Nimrod and Abraham, as it were, in one view before us; and
seems to have put them so near together on purpose, that we should see an
example in the former of what is admired and coveted by men, and in the
latter of what is acceptable and well-pleasing to God. These two
persons,(971) so unlike one another, are the first two and chief citizens