a garden at Mount Sinai, under the shade of some fine orange trees.* The mention of the fruit, in connexion with reclining under a shade, may refer to the eastern custom of shaking down the fruit on the heads of those who sat under the tree. So Dr. POCOCKE tells us that when he was at Sidon he was entertained in a garden under the shade of some apricot trees, and the fruit of them was shaken down upon him for his repast. So that the Spouse may be supposed to remark. "Pleasant is every tree in this hot country, but especially so are those that are remarkably shady; among which none have pleased me so well as the citFon-tree, whose umbrage and fragrance have been extremely reviving, and whose fruit is so delicious; and such as the citrontree is to me among ignoble trees, my beloved is among the common crowd.” The exhilarating effects of the fruit are mentioned verse 5. "Comfort me with citrons." EGMONT and HEYMAN tell us of an Arabian who was in a great measure brought to himself when overcome with wine, by the help of citrons and coffee. How far this may be capable of illustrating the ancient practice of relieving those who were fainting by the use of citrons, I leave, says Mr. HARMER, to medical gentlemen to determine. ABU'L FADLI says, "Odor ejus exhilarat animum, restituit vires, et spiritum restaurat;" and Rabbi SOLOMON, "Est arbor omnium amabilissima, fructum ferens gustu et odore optimum." As the fragrance of the fruit is admirable, the breath of the spouse might, with great propriety, be compared to citrons; whereas, the pertinency of the comparison is lost when understood of apples. "More sweet the fragrance which thy breath exhales Mr. HARMER, from whom the principal part of this article is taken, observes that the Chaldee paraphrast on Cantic. ii. 3. understood the word in the same way. 66 I will only farther add, that, to the manner of serving up these citrons in his Court, SOLOMON seems to refer, when he says, a word fitly spoken, is like golden citrons in silver baskets;" whether, as MAIMONIDES supposes, in baskets wrought with open work, or in salvers curiously chased, it nothing concerns us to determine; the meaning is, that an excellent saying suitably expressed, is as the most acceptable gift in the fairest conveyance, * See POCOCKE's obs. in HARMER'S outlines of a Commentary on Solomon's Song, p. 248. Travels, Vol. ii. p. 85. ‡ Vol. ii. p. 36. Obs. Vol. ii. p. 159. 4th edit. So the Rabbins say that the tribute of the first ripe fruits was carried to the temple in silver baskets. CELSIUS, however, has displayed much learning to prove that the man should be understood of the Mala Cydonia, or Quinces : but this fruit, though beautiful and very fragrant, is not pleasant to the palate while the author of " Scripture Illustrated," from the testimony of M. FORSKAL, who says that the apple-tree is called tuffah, seems inclined to retain the common version. ASH-TREE. OREN; Arab. arân; Lat. ornus. This word occurs Isaiah xliv. 14. The Septuagint and Vulgate render it the pine; but CELSIUS gives from ABU'L FADLI a description of the arân, which agrees very well with what we call "the prickly ash.” ASP. PETEN. The baten of M. FORSKAL.* Occ. Deut. xxxii. 33. Job xx. 14. 16. Psal lviii. 4. xci. 13. Isai. xi. 8. A very venomous serpent, whose poison is so subtle as to kill within a few hours, with an universal gangrene. This may well refer to the baten of the Arabians, which M. FORSKAL describes as spotted with black and white, about one foot in length, and nearly half an inch in thickness; oviparous; its bite is instant death. It is the aspic of the ancients, and is so called now by the literati of Cyprus, though the common people call it kufi (nn) deaf.† I take the opportunity here of introducing a criticism of Mr. MERRICK upon Psal. cxi. 13. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. "BOCHART observes that the most ancient interpreters, the Septuagint, the Vulgate, St. JEROM, APOLLINARIS, the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, render the Hebrew word, which our translators have rendered "lion," the asp; and this learned critic himself thinks it probable, that the Psalmist throughout this verse speaks of serpents only. He also observes that NICANDER has mentioned a sort of serpent by the name of Atwv alonos, the spotted lion; and that the word translated "young lion," is, in other places of scripture, rendered by the Septuagint a dragon. (See Job iv. 10 and xxxviii. 39.) He likewise takes * "Totus maculatus albo nigroque. Longitudo pedalis; crassities fere bipollicaris. Ovipara. Morsus in instanti necat, corpore vulnerato intumescente." ROSENMULLER says, Ego certius puto colubrum bæten FORSKALII pro Hæbreorum in habere." Comp. Psal. Iviii. 4, with Job xx. 14. where deafness is ascribed to the deten. : notice of the word Xauaaewv, or ground lion, given to an animal well known. The late learned Dr. SHAW, in a printed specimen of a natural history of animals which he once shewed me, conjectured that the chameleon was so called from its leaping upon its prey like a lion and it is not impossible that the name of lion might, for the like reason, be given to the serpent mentioned by NICANDER; as also to the lion-lizard, which is, if I mistake not, mentioned by Mr. CATESBY in his natural history of South-Carolina. BOCHART himself, in the former part of his learned work, informs us that the chameleon is called also by more than one of the Arabian poets, bakira, the lioness; and that an animal, like the chamelon is called in their language leo-iphrin, from the place where it is bred.* Were this supposition, that the Psalmist here mentions serpents only, well established, the translation of the whole verse might stand thus: Behold the Asp, whose boiling veins And press the wrath-swoln adder's head. To give the highest probability to the accuracy of this translation, it need only to be remembered that, "ambulabis super leonem," seems quite improper, as men do not in walking tread upon lions, as they do upon serpents." See ADDER. With the PETHEN we may compare the python of the Greeks, which was, according to fable, a huge serpent that had an oracle at mount Parnassus, famous for predicting future events. Apollo is said to have slain this serpent, and hence he was called "Pythius." Those possessed with a spirit of divination were also stiled Пubwves, Pythones.‡ The word occurs Acts xvi. 16, as the characteristic of a young woman who had a pythonic spirit; and it is well known that the serpent was particularly respected by the heathen in their enchantments and divinations. See SERPENT. ASS. 15 CHAMOR. Arabic, chamara, and hamar; Ethiopic, Ehmire; and Turkish, hymar. There are three words referred by translators to the Ass. 1, CHAMOR, which is the usual appellation, and denotes the "LEO-IPHRIN (says an Arabic Lexicographer) est animal ut chamaleon, quod equitem invadet, et cauda sua percutit. GALE, Court of the Gentiles, Vol. 1, book 2. c. 4, says that Apollo is so named from Aronne, to destroy. Hence APOLLYON, the destroyer. Com Rev. ix. 11. Plutarch de defect. Orac, as cited by WETSTEIN, tom. ii. p. 414. ordinary kind; such as is employed in labour, carriage and do mestic services. (2.) No PARA, rendered onager; or wild ass. (3.) ATON, rendered she-ass. To these we must add OREDIA, rendered wild-asses, Dan. v. 21. and Dy OIRIM, young-asses, Isai. xxx. 6, 24. I. The Ass is an animal somewhat resembling the horse in form; different however in having long ears, a short mane, and long hairs covering only the end of the tail. His body is covered with short and coarse hair, generally of a pale dun colour, with a streak of black running down the back, and across the shoulders. The prevailing colour of the animal in the East is reddish; and the Arabic word chamara signifies to be red. In his natural state he is fleet, fierce, formidable and intractable; but when domesticated, the most gentle of all animals, and assumes a patience and submission even more humble than his situation. He is very temperate in eating, and contents himself with the most ordinary vegetable food; but as to drink is extremely delicate, for he will slake his thirst at none but the clearest fountains and brooks. Abdon's sons LE CLERC observes that the Israelites not being allowed to keep horses, the ass was not only made a beast of burden, but used on journeys, and that even the most honourable of the nation were wont to be mounted on asses, which in the Eastern countries were much bigger and more beautiful than they are with us. Jair of Gilead had thirty sons who rode on as many asses, and commanded in thirty cities. Jud. x. 4. Jud. x. 4. and grand-sons rode also upon asses. makes his solemn entry into Jerusalem riding upon an ass. Matth. xxi. 4. Joh. xii. 14. This was an accomplishment of a prophecy of Zechariah ix. 9. (Comp. Isai. lxii. 11.) It is called, indeed, his triumphant entry, but, as horses are used in war, he may be supposed by this action to have shewn the humble and peaceable nature of his kingdom. Jud. xii. 4. And Christ To draw with an ox and ass together was prohibited in the Mosaic law. Deut. xxii. 10. This law is thought to have respect to some idolatrous custom of the Gentiles, who were taught to believe that their fields would be more fruitful if thus ploughed; for it is not likely that men would have yoked together two creatures so different in their tempers and motions, had they not been led to it by some superstition. It is more probable however, that there was a physical reason for this. Two beasts of a different species cannot associate comfortably together; and on this account never pull pleasantly either in the cart * See an eloquent sermon by Bp. HORNE, on Zech. ix. 9. in the first volume of his sermons, p. 133. or plough; and every farmer knows it is of considerable consequence to the comfort of the cattle to put those together that have an affection for each other. This may be frequently remarked in certain cattle, which, on this account are termed true yoke-fellows. LE CLERC considers this law as merely symbolical, importing that they must not form improper alliances in civil and religious life; and he thinks his opinion confirmed by these words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. vi. 14. "Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers ;" which are simply to be understood as prohibiting all intercourse between Christians and idolaters in social, matrimonial, and religious life. To teach the Jews the propriety of this, a variety of precepts relative to improper and heterogeneous mixtures were interspersed through their law; so that in civil and domestic life they might have them ever before their eyes. The ass was declared an unclean creature by the law, and no one was permitted to taste the flesh of it. This leads me to introduce the explanation of the passage 2 Kings vi. 25, from “ Scripture illustrated, in addition to CALMET;" where it is said that "there was a great famine in Samaria, until an ass's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver." It is true there is no perplexity in this as read in our version. But it must be remembered that no kind of extremity could compel the Jews to eat any part of this animal for food. We read 1 Sam. xvi. 20, that Jesse sent to Saul "an ass of bread," for in that place the words laden with are an addition of our translators: and the meaning must be, not an animal, but a vessel containing bread, a stated measure, or a pile. The Septuagint render youog agrav, a chomer of bread. So we find in the Greek poet SOSIBIUS, "he ate three times in the space of a single day, three great asses of bread," ACTIV TRESS ONES; which CASAUBON (in lection. Theoc.) underderstands of the lading of three asses; whereas it means the contents of three vases of the kind called an ass. * We may also hint a doubt whether Abigail, 1 Sam. xxv. 18. really loaded asses with her presents to David; for the original literally is "she took two hundred of bread, &c. and placed them on THE asses which seems to refer to something distinct from asses, animals; for then it would be as it is in our version," she placed them on asses." There is also a passage, Exod. viii. 14. where our translators themselves have rendered heaps, what in the original is asses' asses, "they gathered the frogs together asses' asses;" and 30 Samson says of his defeated enemies, a heap, heaps; ass, Now, if we take our English word pile, to signify this asses. *See Fraginent, in addition to CALMET, No. ccxxx. ; |