The Definition of the word Fountain

Fountain

(Heb. `ain; i.e., eye" of the water desert), a natural source" "of living water. Palestine was a "land of brooks of water, of" "fountains, and depths that spring out of valleys and hills" (Deut. 8:7; 11:11). "These fountains, bright sparkling "eyes" of the desert, are "remarkable for their abundance and their beauty, especially on" the west of Jordan. All the perennial rivers and streams of the "country are supplied from fountains, and depend comparatively" "little on surface water. "Palestine is a country of mountains" "and hills, and it abounds in fountains of water. The murmur of" "these waters is heard in every dell, and the luxuriant foliage" "which surrounds them is seen in every plain." Besides its" "rain-water, its cisterns and fountains, Jerusalem had also an" abundant supply of water in the magnificent reservoir called "Solomon's Pools (q.v.), at the head of the Urtas valley," whence it was conveyed to the city by subterrean channels some "10 miles in length. These have all been long ago destroyed, so" "that no water from the "Pools" now reaches Jerusalem. Only one" "fountain has been discovered at Jerusalem, the so-called" "Virgins's Fountains, in the valley of Kidron; and only one" "well (Heb. beer), the Bir Eyub, also in the valley of Kidron," "south of the King's Gardens, which has been dug through the" solid rock. The inhabitants of Jerusalem are now mainly "dependent on the winter rains, which they store in cisterns." (See [221]WELL.)