Location of Enon by J. W. McGarvey

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Dec 11, 1879

Location of Enon

By J. W. McGarvey

(To be Continued.)

Location of Enon.

THIS brought us to the head waters of wady Bedan, a tributary of the wady on which Enon is located, called wady Farra. We struck wady Bedan at a point where four mills, propelled by its water, are situated in sight of one another. We followed its course to its junction with wady Farra, and in doing so passed twelve mills, the last situated in the fork of the two streams and propelled by water drawn from wady Farra. These are all overshot mills, and are propelled by water drawn into races. The rapid descent of the principal streams makes it practicable to draw off these side channels at short intervals, and to build the mills close together. In some instances the mill-race is so high above the principal stream that it runs through and propels two mills in making its way down.

From the junction of the two streams we continued down wady Farra in search of a place answering to Enon. The "much water" we found all the way, and although the season was exceptionally dry, pools well suited for baptizing were abundant. We rode into a number of these to try their depths. But we wanted to find, in addition to the much water, an open space on the bank of the stream suitable for the assembling of the great multitudes who flocked to John's places of baptizing; and for several miles we found no such place. We pursued our pathless way along the slopes of a narrow ravine, with high and precipitous hills on either side. We had to ford the stream frequently, and its banks were so thickly crowded with a jungle of oleanders in full bloom, that we could not always cross where we would. Never, in a single day, have I seen so many oleanders. For as many as five miles their line of mingled pink and green was as continuous as the current of the stream which nourished them.

Finally, after a fatiguing ride, during which both our dragoman and our escort became discouraged and fell behind, there suddenly opened before us a beautiful valley among the mountains, about one mile wide and three miles long. Bedouin tents were pitched in groups here and there; herds of camels, to the number of three or four hundred, were grazing, or drinking, or moving about; and swarms of brown-skinned boys, both large and small, were bathing at the different places in the stream. Here, then, was the open space required, and a more suitable place for the gathering of a multitude could not be found on the banks of any mountain stream in Palestine.

It is identified as Enon by the only man who has ever made a thorough and scientific exploration of the country, and now it is accepted as such without dispute from any quarter. We cut an oleander cane apiece from the banks of the stream, and we took a bath in one of its pools.—J. W. McGarvey, in Christian Standard.