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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 at this 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. But, 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 [1] .

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- which take or drive their
name from the thing that they enclose or contain. Mispa is
the place or building which derives its name from sáphá,
an archaic word for “stone.” The usual word for stone in
Hebrew is iben, and in Arabic hajar. The Syriac for stone
is kipa. But safa or sapha seems to be common to them all
for some particular object or person when designated as a
“stone.” Hence the real meaning of Mispa is the locality
or place in which a sapha or stone is set and fixed. It will
be seen that when this name, Mispa, was first given to the
stone erected upon a heap of stone blocks, there was no
edifice built around it. It is the spot upon which a sapha
rests, that is called Mispa.

[1] . The Bible, which I consulted, does not contain the so-called deuterocanonical
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
Wadiatbiqi Kbadatt 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).