least half a mile, quite down to the plain, so that it would seem to have been a place of considerable extent. We noticed one column, and we found a pretty specimen of antique variegated glass. It may possibly be the site of the ancient Zoar' (Travels, p. 448). 5. Rephaims-Zuzims-Emims.'-These would seem to have been people of extraordinary stature inhabiting the country east of the Jordan and Dead Sea. The country of the Rephaims is identified with that of Bashan, the last king of which, Og, so famous for his great stature, was dispossessed by the Israelites, when the city of Ashtaroth was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh, whose allotment was east of Jordan. The Zuzims and Emims had been previously dispossessed of their territory by the children of Moab and Ammon, the sons of Lot. 6. And the Horites in their mount Seir.'-For an account of Mount Seir and the land of Edom, see the note on chap. xxxvi. 9. 9. Four kings with five.-There were five kings in the vale of Siddim, which, it now appears, formed not the whole area of the present Dead Sea, but only of the southern extremity. Their kingdoms must, therefore, have been within an area considerably less than that which London occupies. In short, there seems at this time to have been as many kings as towns. And this is still more evident in the later time of Joshua, when the Israelites, under his conduct, defeated thirty-nine of them, and left many unconquered (Josh. xii. 24). Adonibezek, who died a little after Joshua, owns that in his wars he had maltreated seventy kings (Judges i. 7). Ancient history agrees with Scripture in showing the narrow bounds of ancient kingdoms. Egypt was originally divided into several states. The different provinces which compose the present kingdoms of China and Japan were as many separate kingdoms. Greece remained for many ages divided into even more petty states than ultimately formed its republics. We see what a number of kings Greece sent forth to the war with Troy; and the still more ancient monarchies of that country were even less important. A few families assembled in one town under one chief, were the whole subjects of these early kings. At the present day Africa presents us with a picture of those ancient times. We there see a great number of sovereigns in a small extent of country; every little district having its own particular king. 10. Fled to the mountain.'-It is still a common practice in the East for the inhabitants of towns and villages to hasten for safety to the mountains, in times of alarm and danger, or at least to send their valuable property away. The moveables of the Asiatics, in camps, villages, and even towns, are astonishingly few, compared with those which the refinements of European life render necessary. A few carpets, kettles, and dishes of tinned copper, compose the bulk of their property, which can speedily be packed up and sent away on the backs of camels or mules, with the women and children mounted on the baggage. In this way a large village or town is in a few hours completely gutted, and the inhabitants, with every stick and rag belonging to them, can place themselves in safety in the mountains. The writer of this note travelled in Kúrdistan in 1829, following, in one part of the journey, the course which had recently been taken by the Persian troops in their march from Tabreez to Sulimanieh. He came to one large village which had been partially burnt by the Persians, by whom also the inhabitants were so maltreated, that they afterwards fled to the mountains. The news of this transaction having been carried over-night to the next large village, about twenty miles distant, the Persians, on their arrival there the next day, found it completely deserted by the inhabitants, who had in the short interval removed with all their live stock and goods to the hills. It was in this condition that we found it a fortnight later; the inhabitants being afraid to come back till the soldiers should have returned from their expedition. Burckhardt, in his Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys, p. 337, mentions that, when the Wahabys menaced Damascus in 1810, the inhabitants sent off all their valuable property to the mountains of Lebanon. 13. The Hebrew.'-Here we reach the first of the two names by which the worshippers of Jehovah are distinguished in the Old Testament Hebrews' and 'Israelites,' and the relative bearing of which it is well to notice together. The former is the usual name of the nation, and as such is much more ancient and universal than the other, Abraham himself being here called a Hebrew; and it does not, like the other, bring to mind any ancestor of glorious memory, while Israelite is the holy name of the people, closely connected with the religion and tradition of the race. Accordingly, while priest and prophet always address the people by the name of Israelites, other nations always call them Hebrews, and a Hebrew never calls himself an Israelite in speaking with foreigners (Gen. xl. 15; Jonah i. 9): on other occasions, too, and especially by earlier writers, the nation is called Hebrews when not mentioned with reference to its religion (Gen. xliii. 32; Exod. xxi. 2; 1 Sam. xiii. 3, 7; xiv. 21). The name Hebrews, Day, according to the views entertained by the people themselves, is derived from Eber,, an ancestor of Abraham (Gen. x. 21; xi. 16); but as nothing further is known of him, he can scarcely be considered an historical personage. Perhaps it was originally applied to all nations of Shemitic tongue on this side the Euphrates, which, according to historical traces, migrated from Central Asia, and last from Mesopotamia ( eber han-nahar, the land on that side the river,' i. e. the Euphrates; comp. the Sept. 8 Teрarhs, Gen. xiv. 13) to Palestine and Arabia: in this case the names would spring from the ancient inhabitants of Canaan, as is now generally admitted. According to either view, however, the name Hebrews embraced originally all the descendants of Abraham, and was only afterwards particularly appropriated to the direct descendants of Abraham in Palestine. This is the view taken by Ewald, in his Hebrew Grammar, sect. 3, Nicholson's translation. Another great authority, Gesenius, in his Geschichte der Hebraischen Sprache und Schrift (History of the Hebrew Language and Writing), pp. 9-12, doubts that there is any foundation for the distinction here established in favour of Israelite' as the sacred name of the people. He thinks that its being a patronymic derived from the founder of the nation, sufficiently accounts for its use being confined to the people themselves. This is doubtless true; but the other view includes this, and supposes further that a sort of sanctity was attached to it as the covenant name of the people, arising out of the circumstances under which the name of Jacob was changed to Israel (Gen. xxxii. 28). If the Hebrews had been called Jacobites, from Jacob, the original name of their progenitor, instead of Israelites, from Israel, his name as the chosen of God, this argument from the origin of the name would not apply; but that from the use of the name would in any case remain very cogent. For instance, when our Lord called Nathanael an Israelite indeed' (John i. 47), did he not use it as describing one in covenant relation with God? If it had been merely a common patronymic, every descendant of Jacob would have been as much an Israelite indeed' as Nathanael. 14. Brother.'-Lot was Abraham's nephew, but is called here his brother, in conformity with a usage of which we shall meet with frequent instances in our progress through the Scriptures, and which did not confine the application of the term to natural brothers, but extended it to all near kindred. 6 6 Servants, born in his own house.'-The word translated servant generally denotes what we should call a slave. In subsequent passages we shall indeed have occasion to remark upon humble friends or disciples performing servile offices, and therefore called servants; and also upon the Jewish slaves whom their own countrymen held in bondage for a limited time, and under defined restrictions. But the mass of the servants mentioned in the Scripture history were absolute and perpetual slaves. They were strangers, either purchased, or taken prisoners in war. They and their progeny were regarded as completely the property of their masters, who could exchange or sell them at pleasure, could inflict upon them what punishments they pleased, and even in some cases put them to death. Abraham's servants' were manifestly of this description. This form of slavery is still common in the East; and the facts which the book of Genesis brings under our notice, show how little Asiatic usages have altered after the lapse of about four thousand years. The condition of slavery in Mohammedan Asia is, however, unattended, except in very rare instances, with the revolting circumstances which we usually associate with the word. The term 'slave' itself is not regarded as one of oppro brium, nor does it convey the idea of a degraded condition. Slaves are generally treated with such kindness and favour, that they commonly become much attached to their masters, and truly devoted to their interest. They do not till the fields, or work in manufactories. Their employments are almost wholly of a domestic nature, and their labour light. This is particularly the case with those who are purchased young and brought up in the family, and still more with those who, like Abraham's, are born in the house.' Few Europeans would do for their hired servants what the Asiatics do for their slaves, or repose such entire confidence in them. Illustrations of this matter will occur as we proceed. Meanwhile it is obvious, that as Abram had among the slaves born in his house,' 318 men fit to bear arms, exclusive of purchased slaves, old men, women, and children, he must have been regarded as a powerful chief by the petty princes among whom he dwelt. Hence, a few chapters on (chap. xxiii. 6), the children of Heth say to him, My lord, thou art a mighty prince among us.' -'Dan.'-This has been pointed out as one of the passages evincing that the book of Genesis was not written till after the time of Moses, or that it was interpolated by a later hand. It is assumed that this is the same place, originally called Laish, which did not acquire the name of Dan (from the tribe of that name) till the time of the Judges, under the circumstances described in Judg. xviii. 29. But it has been forgotten that there was another Dan, distinguished as Dan-Jaan, mentioned in 2 Sam. xxiv. 6, which, for all that appears, bore the same name in the time of the patriarchs, and which certainly does seem to have been upon the track upon which Abram must have passed in his pursuit of Chedorlaomer. At all events, when we thus find another Dan in the proper quarter, it is both unwise and offensive to fasten upon another, which we know did not receive the name till after the time of Moses. 15. Divided himself against them... by night.'-Probably he divided his forces, so that a simultaneous rush was made upon the camp of the enemy from different quarters. Here again the usages of Arabian warfare assist us. Surprise, by sudden attacks, is their favourite mode of warfare. Some tribes consider it cowardly and disgraceful to make a night-attack on a camp. But this is not the general feeling. When such an attack is resolved upon, the assailants so arrange their march that they may fall upon the camp about an hour before the first dawn, when they are tolerably certain to find the whole people asleep. With some tribes it is then the custom to rush upon the tents, and knock down the principal tent-poles; thus enveloping the sleepers in their tent-cloths, which renders the victory easy even over superior forces. What greatly facilitates the success of such attacks is the general neglect of posting night-watches and sentinels, even when in the vicinity of an enemy. If an immediate attack is apprehended, all the males of an encampment, or all the soldiers of an expedition, remain watching their fires throughout the night. In the present transaction we do not read of any men killed on either side. Probably none were. It is astonishing how little blood is shed by the Arabs in their most desperate actions, which more resemble frays among an unorganized rabble than a battle between soldiers. We may hear of a battle lasting a whole day without a man being killed on either side. Burckhardt says: 'When fifteen or sixteen men are killed in a skirmish, the circumstance is remembered as an event of great importance for many years by both parties.' ་ Hobah, or rather Chobah, nain, lay to the north of Damascus, the north being on the left hand of a person facing the East. This place is not again mentioned in Scripture; but it is probably the Choba, Xwßá, of Judith xv. 4. Eusebius, in the Onomasticon, confounds this place with Cocuba, the seat of the Ebionites. The site is not known; but a German traveller, Troilo, mentions a village called Hoba, about half a league north of Damascus (Reisebeschreibung, p. 584); and this is more likely to mark the site than the small village called Kokab, which was observed by Burckhardt seven miles south of Damascus, with which Gesenius was inclined to identify it. See Burckhardt's Travels in Syria, p. 317, and Gesenius's Note in the German translation of the same, ii. 1054. -Damascus.'-This is the first mention of a city which hereafter makes a great figure in Scripture. Its origin must have been very ancient; for the way in which it is spoken of here and in the next chapter, v. 2, does not indicate that it was then a new or unknown place. We hear nothing more of it till the time of David, when we find it the seat of a state, the interference of which in aid of the enemies of David led to its subjugation by him (2 Sam. viii. 5, 6; 1 Chron. xviii. 5, 6). But it threw off this dependence upon Israel in the reign of Solomon, when Rezon, a servant of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, gained possession of Damascus, and established the kingdom which is the Syria' of the subsequent history (1 Kings xi. 4), and which appears eventually to have comprised a very considerable dominion between the Antilibanus and the Euphrates, seeing that under the second Benhadad thirtytwo kings,' or petty princes, attended that monarch in his campaign against Samaria (1 Kings xx. 1). This was only one of the numerous acts of hostility which took place between the kingdoms of Syria and Israel, which seem to have regarded each other as natural enemies. Many interesting facts of Scripture history are connected with, or grow out of this warfare. The line of Rezon ceased with the murder of Benhadad II. by Hazael, who usurped the throne, and by his great abilities in war proved a terrible enemy to Israel, of all whose territories beyond the Jordan he gained possession, and placed the kingdom itself under tribute (2 Kings x. 32, 33; xiii. 3). But by his successor all these advantages were lost, and the Israelites, under Jeroboam II., not only threw off the Syrian yoke and recovered their former territories, but captured Damascus itself (2 Kings xiv. 28). It was soon restored to its own kings; and at a subsequent period we find Israel and Syria in an unnatural confederacy against Judah, by which the king, Ahaz, was induced to purchase the aid of the Assyrians, who fell upon Damascus, took it, carried the inhabitants away captive, and, having slain the king, Rezin annexed his territories to their own dominion (2 Kings xv. 37; xvi. 6-9; Isa. vii. 1; viii. 4; x. 9; xvii. 1). After this Damascus fell successively under the dominion of the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. In and after the time of Christ the city contained numerous Jews (Joseph. De Bell. Jud., i. 2; xxv. 2; xx. 2; comp. Acts ix. 2); and it was when on a mission from the Sanhedrim to suppress the growth of Christianity among them, that St. Paul was miraculously converted (Acts x. iii. 30; Gal. i. 12). For remarks on the topographical and historical circumstances connected with that event, see the notes on Acts x. The city then belonged to the dependent kingdom of the Arabian prince Aretas. a later period it was reckoned among the cities of Decapolis. From the time of Hadrian it bore the honorary title of Metropolis, but did not enjoy the rights of a metropolis. Under the Greek emperors Damascus became the most celebrated city of Western Asia, remarkable for its wealth, luxury and magnificence, and for its numerous Christian population. After its conquest by the Arabians in 633 A.D., it became the capital of their mighty empire till that distinction was, after about a century, transferred to Baghdad. Damascus remained under the sway of the khalifs of Baghdad, till it passed to the Fatemite khalifs of Egypt, from whom, towards the latter end of the eleventh century, it was wrested by one of the generals of Malek Shah, the Seljuk Sultan of Iran, who, under a nominal lieutenancy, At swayed all the real power of the Baghdad khalifat. The conquering general and his descendants ruled in Damascus with the title of Attabeks with increasing power and territory, and lessening dependence upon the Seljukian sultans, till at length, under the famous Nureddin, Damascus became the capital of a great and prosperous realm, which held even Egypt in subjection. Soon after his death, Saladin, who had been his lieutenant in Egypt, but had eventually secured the sovereignty of that country for himself, found means of adding the Damascene territories to his dominion, from which time Damascus became virtually his metropolis, as it was that of his descendants. It was here that this conqueror died in 1193; and it was here that, in 1207, his son Malek-al-Adel received from the khalif at Baghdad (Al Nazer) a kaftan of honour and a crown of gold. The city remained under the rule of this family till 1301, when Timúr Beg made his fierce inroad into Syria, and reduced Damascus to ashes. It afterwards revived, and remained attached to Egypt till 1517, when the inhabitants sent forth their elders to tender their homage to the sultan Selim as he approached the city after his conquest of Egypt. Under the Osmanli Turks it has since remained, except for the few years in which Syria was lately subject to Mehemet Ali of Egypt. cluding an extensive citadel and a vast number of mosques, with their domes and minarets, give it a fine appearance as viewed from the neighbouring hills; but on approching over the level plain, the plantations by which it is environed shroud it entirely from view. Its finest building is a grand mosque, of the Corinthian order, said to have been built as a cathedral church by the emperor Heraclius. It was dedicated to St. John of Damascus, and is still called the mosque of St. John the Baptist by the Turks, who believe that in the latter days Jesus shall descend thereon, and from its summit require the adhesion of all his followers to the Moslem faith. The city is surrounded by an old wall of sun-dried brick, strengthened with towers; but this wall has fallen to decay, and the town has so greatly extended beyond its limits, that the number of houses without the wall much exceeds that within. The houses in the city have flat roofs, while those in the suburbs have domes. Damascus is said to contain five hundred mansions entitled to be called palaces; and the general splendour of its houses is much extolled in the East. But little of this is visible in the streets; which in general exhibit nothing but walls of mud or sun-dried brick, that fill the narrow streets with dust in dry weather, and render them perfect quagmires when there is rain. The houses themselves are built with the same materials, although stone might be easily obtained from the adjoining mountains. The streets present scarcely any windows, and only low and mean-looking doors; but these often conduct to large interior courts paved with marble, refreshed by gushing fountains, and surrounded by apartments ornamented and furnished in the best and richest Oriental taste. thirsty Arabs from the Desert regard Damascus with rapture, and are never tired of expatiating on the freshness and verdure of its orchards, the variety and richness of its fruits, and, more than all, its numerous streams, and the clearness of its rills and fountains. There is a tradition that Mohammed, coming to the city, viewed it with great admiration from the mountain Salehie, and then turned Damascus is situated in 36° 25' E. long., and 33° 27' N. lat., in the north-west of an extensive level plain, which is open eastward beyond the reach of vision, but is bounded in every other direction by mountains, the nearest of which-those of Salehie, to the north-west-are not quite two miles from the city. These hills give rise to the river Barrady, and to various rivulets, which afford the city a most liberal supply of water, and render its district one of the most pleasant and fertile of Western Asia (see note on 2 Kings v. 12). The district within a circumference of from twenty to twenty-five miles is thickly covered with well-watered gardens and orchards, in the midst of which stands the town itself. It thus appears as in a vast wood; and its almost innumerable public buildings, in The away, refusing to approach, with the remark, that there was but one Paradise designed for man, and he was determined that his should not be in this world: but there is no historical foundation for this story. Damascus is about six miles in circumference, and its population is estimated by Mr. Buckingham at 140,000; of whom 90,000 are native Syrian Arabs, 10,000 Turks, 15,000 Jews, and 25,000 Christians. But Dr. Richardson does not reckon the Christian population at more than 12,000; and the Rev. E. S. Calman states that the Jews do not exceed 5000. Mr. Addison thinks 200,000 the lowest estimate for the whole population that can be admitted; but he allows the uncertainty of conjectural estimates. Damascus is the rendezvous of many thousand pilgrims who proceed to Mecca in one great body every year, and many of whom make a considerable stay before the caravan departs. Many of these pilgrims unite commercial with religious objects, loading their beasts with the produce of their own countries, which they dispose of on the road, and bring back in the same manner the products of India, received from Jedda, the port of Mecca. This has contributed greatly to the prosperity of Damascus, which is also the emporium of an extensive caravan trade with the ports of the Mediterranean on the west, and with Baghdad on the east. Damascus has obtained fame for some of its manufactures. The fine temper of its sword-blades has long been proverbial. This reputation has, however, of late years much declined; but the Damascenes still excel in the art of inlaying metals with gold. The manufacture of the kind of silk called damask' originated here. The inhabitants of Damascus have the reputation of being the most fanatical and intolerant people of Turkey; but the measures of Mehemet Ali put some restraint upon the outward manifestations of their fierce hate against all other religions than their own; and, although that restraint is now withdrawn, some effects of the habit of forbearance which it created still remain. 18. Salem.'-It is a very common and old opinion that this city of Melchezidek was the same afterwards known as Jeru-salem. There seems nothing to support this opinion, except that the Psalmist calls the latter city Salem in Ps. lxxvi. 1, 2; and this poetical abbreviation will scarcely bear the weight of so important a conclusion. The notion probably arose in the natural wish of the Jews to be able to connect some points in the history of their great ancestor with the spot which became the capital of liis descendants, and the great centre of their ritual worship. For the same reason they allege that the mountain in the land of Moriah,' whither Abraham went to offer up Isaac (xxii. 2), was the mount Moriah on which the temple afterwards stood. This we believe: but the belief is in CHAPTER XV. 1 God encourageth Abram. 2 Abram complaineth for want of an heir. 4 God promiseth him a son, and a multiplying of his seed. 6 Abram is justified by faith. 7 Canaan is promised again, and confirmed by a sign, 12 and a vision. AFTER these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding 'great reward. 2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus ? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. : compatible with that which fixes here also the Salem of Melchezidek for it is as manifest that the land of Moriah' was a secluded place, as that Salem' was an inhabited | city. On these and other grounds which cannot in this place be stated, we incline to accept the conclusion of Jerome, who places this Salem near to Scythopolis (Bethshean), where he says that extensive ruins were shown in his days as those of the palace of Melchezidek. This was probably the same Salem as that of John iii. 23; and Jerome's statement at least shows that common opinion did not then identify Melchizedek's Salem with Jerusalem. This view of Jerome's was mostly followed in the middle ages, and has had a good number of modern advocates, among whom we may number Reland, Rosenmüller, ano Bleek. We formerly entertained the other view; but having since had occasion to examine the whole subject, have been constrained by the great weight of evidence to abandon it for this. 21. Give me the persons, and take the goods.'-It would | seem that here the king claims his own due, and allows Abraham his. According to Arab usage Abraham had an undoubted right to the recovered goods and cattle. The custom is, if an enemy has spoiled an Arab camp, and carried away some of the persons as prisoners, and if the whole be afterwards recovered by another party, then the persons are to be restored, but the property is to remain in the possession of those by whom it was recaptured. This elucidation, which has escaped the notice of annotators, exalts the conduct of Abraham in declining to receive his due, and diminishes the generosity for which the king of Sodom has obtained credit. Indeed we see that Abraham himself admits the right of his friends to that which, for himself, he declined. 22. I have lift up mine hand'—a Hebraism for I have sworn,' derived from the custom, to which there are frequent allusions in Scripture, of elevating the right hand in the act of taking an oath. 23. From a thread even to a shoelatchet.-This seems to have been a proverbial expression of diminution. On the thread' it is useless to speculate, as the word admits of so many applications. But the word shoe first occurs here, where it probably denotes a sandal. We shall have to notice both sandals and shoes hereafter. It is probable that the shoe-latchet denotes the thong which fastened the sandal to the sole of the foot. Mr. Roberts, in his Oriental Illustrations, informs us that when a man among the Hindoos is accused of taking away some valuable article belonging to another, he repels the charge by a proverbial expression, saying, 'I have not taken away even a piece of the thong of your worn-out sandals.' 4 T And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, "So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7 ¶ And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three 3 Rom. 4. 3. Galat. 3. 6. James 2. 23. years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety 'that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. 6 Chap. 12. 7. and 13. 15, and 26. 4. Deut. 34. 4. Verse 3. One born in my house is mine heir-that is, one of his house-born slaves. See note on chap. xiv. 14. In Mohammedan Asia the slaves termed 'house-born' are regarded with peculiar esteem. They form part of their master's family, and their welfare is an object of his peculiar care. They are the most attached of his adherents, and often inherit a large share of his wealth. It is sometimes the practice of childless persons to adopt a favourite slave of this class as their own child and heir; or sometimes they purchase promising boys when young, and after having brought them up in their own faith, formally adopt them as their children. Abraham does not seem to have thought of his nephew Lot as his heir. 9. Heifer eglah-is often rendered 'calf;' especially when those idolatrous images set up by Jeroboam are alluded to. It seems to have been applicable to the young of the ox kind, from the time of its birth to that of full maturity. -She goat.-It has been by some supposed that the word aiz in this place denotes a particular kind of goat; but a careful consideration of the passages in which it occurs will show that she-goats are really intended. There are however about nine different names applied to goats in Scripture, which circumstance is easily accounted for by the fact, that the simple manners of the ancient Shemitic nations multiplied the names of the few objects they had constantly before their eyes; and their domestic animals in particular received abundant general and distinctive appellations, according to sex, age, and condition of existence or purpose' (Col. C. H. Smith, art. GOAT in Cyclop. of Bibl. Literature). The same writer thinks that the race of goats either known to or kept by the Hebrew people were probably-1. The domestic Syrian long-eared breed, with horns rather small, and variously bent; the ears longer than the head, and pendulous; hair long, often black:2. The Angora, or rather Anadolia breed of Asia Minor, with long hair, more or less fine:-3. The Egyptian breed, with small spiral horns, long brown hair, and very long ears:-4. A breed from Upper Egypt, without horns, having the nasal bones singularly elevated, the nose contracted, with the lower jaw protruding the incisors, and the female with udder very low and purse-shaped. We shall notice the peculiarities connected with the different names as they occur in our progress through the sacred volume. :- - A ram,' [Syrian Long-eared Goat.] ajil.This term is applied to the stag or hart, but on this occasion denotes the ram, since we have no reason to think that any of the deer kind were ever offered in sacrifice; just as the word ainna in Arabic signifies a fawn or a gazelle, as well as a she-goat. |