riorly by a greenish flesh, which places the fruit among the drupaceous kind. The meat, which is of a green colour covered with a red film of great firmness, is soft, oily, and very agreeable to the taste, having much resemblance to the sweet almond in flavour. The leaves are placed in pairs upon a common footstalk, and are egg-shaped, and pointed. The tree, when laden with clusters of ripe nuts, which are of a pale blushing hue, makes a fine appearance; but at other times it is far from being handsome, since the branches are crooked, and ramify in a rude and irregular manner. In this last particular, it resembles the balm of Gilead tree. The sloping hills south and south-west of Aleppo are laid out in vineyards, olive plantations, and fig-gardens, where the Pistachio-nut-tree finds a place among the varied assemblage.

“Almonds,”— Shekedim. The Amygdalus communis is found wild in some parts of Northern Africa; it is a handsome spreading tree; the leaves are lance-shaped, with a delicately toothed edge. The calyx is bell-shaped, whence an imitation of it was chosen for some of the ornamental parts of the golden candlestick. The fruit is of the drupaceous character, covered with a velvety pubescence. The cortical investment breaks in a fibrous manner, and by degrees lays open the interior, which contains the well-known nut singularly perforated with small holes.

"Honey."-The learned authors of the Universal History,' while adopting the right view that the presents sent by Jacob to the prime minister of Egypt must have consisted of articles which that country did not afford, contend that "honey" cannot be really intended, as it is not likely that "honey" could be a rarity in Egypt. They therefore think that dates are meant, which are called by the same name, T (debash), and which when fully ripe yield a sort of honey, not inferior to that of bees. Now, on this very principle, dates were still less likely than honey to have been sent ; as Egypt is a famous date-growing country, and the tax on date-trees is at present one of the most considerable articles in the revenue of Mehemet Ali. It is, however, not necessary to understand honey here, as the word certainly does seem to imply different kinds of sweet things and fruits, in different passages. Gesenius understands it here to denote "syrup of grapes," that is, must boiled to the thickness of a syrup; and which, as he observes, is still exported from Palestine, especially from the neighbourhood of Hebron, to Egypt. If we take it to be really honey, we must understand that the honey of Palestine was superior to that of Egypt, and this is the opinion to which we incline. At present the natives keep a great number of bees, which they transport up and down the Nile, to give them the advantage of different climates and productions. The hives are kept in the boats, and the bees disperse themselves over the banks of the river in quest of food, returning regularly on board in the evening.

33. "The firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled.”—Josephus says that they were set according to their seniority, as they used to sit at home at their father's table; and their wonder of course arose from considering how their ages could be so accurately known in the house of the governor of Egypt, particularly as some of them were nearly of the same age with others. The statement is interesting, however understood, as it shows the distinction which in those early times was given to seniority of birth even in the common intercourse of life. The Orientals are however particularly punctilious at their meals.

34. "Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of their's."-This seems best explained by an allusion to existing Persian customs. The dishes are not brought in successively during the course of an entertainment, but are placed at once upon the table, or rather floor. A tray containing a variety of dishes is placed between every two, or at most three guests, from which they help themselves, without attending in any degree to the party at the next tray. The number of dishes on the tray is proportioned to the rank of the guest or guests before whom it is set, or to the degree of preference and attention which the entertainer desires to manifest towards them. The trays when they are brought in contain only five or six different dishes and bowls, and they thus remain in ordinary circumstances; but when the guest is a person of much consideration, other dishes are introduced between, or even piled upon the former, until at last there may be fifteen or more dishes upon the same tray. It is not therefore to be supposed that Benjamin ate five times as much as his brethren, who were all no doubt amply and variously supplied; but his distinction consisted in the greater variety offered for his selection, and in the palpable mark of preference, on the part of his entertainer, which it indicated. A Persian feast seems to illustrate other particulars in this Egyptian entertainment. The plan of setting a tray between every two persons forms them into distinct groups in the act of eating, as will be understood by recollecting that the Orientals make no use of plates, but transfer their food immediately from the dishes or bowls to their mouths, unless they may occasionally find it convenient intermediately to rest the morsel they have detached upon the cake of bread which is spread out before them. Hence there is a concentration of each group upon the tray which is set before it. The separation so distinctly marked in Joseph's feast may have been effected much in the same way, Joseph having a tray wholly to himself, while, in the distribution into groups, care was taken that no Egyptian should be obliged to eat out of the same tray with a Hebrew. We may imagine that Joseph sat in the upper end of the room, while the Egyptians sat along the sides, and the Hebrews towards the bottom, not that there were three quite independent tables; for Joseph was no doubt able to give a general attention to all his guests. The Persians are careful to seat themselves according to their rank; and at entertainments where there is any material difference in the rank of the guests, those of most consequence seat themselves towards the head of the floor, near the host, and their trays are more amply supplied with dishes than those of the persons seated lower down towards the door. Herodotus bears witness to this distinction of quantity among the Egyptians. He says, that in their public banquets and entertainments, twice as much was set before the king as before any one else. If a double quantity was the mess for a king, Benjamin's quintuple quantity was a great distinction indeed.<

CHAPTER XLIV.

1 Joseph's policy to stay his brethren. 14 Judah's humble supplication to Joseph.

AND he commanded 'the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word. that Joseph had spoken.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his

1 Heb. him that was over his house.

2 Or, maketh trial. 3 Or, make trial. 4 Chap. 43. 3. 5 Chap. 37. 33. Verse 5. "Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth ?"-The cup in question was silver; Josephus says gold. The Egyptians of rank had drinking vessels of silver and gold, and the common people had

theirs of copper. We have thus one proof among many of the luxury and refinement to which the Egyptians had even at this early time attained. The vessels (translated "jewels") of gold and of silver which Abraham sent to Mesopotamia by Eliezer, probably formed part of the presents which he had received at a former period from the king of Egypt. There is considerable difficulty in what is said about divination by this cup. As the last clause of the sentence may fairly be rendered-" and for which he would carefully inquire," it is perhaps safest to accept this rendering, as most consistent with the 'general character of Joseph. It is however certain, that there was a sort of pretended divination by cups among the Egyptians and other eastern people; and there is and was a very ancient tradition of a famous cup, which exhibited all that was passing in the world. The possession of this cup, or else of the power of divination by cups, is still occasionally pretended to by great persons when they wish to alarm or to extort some discovery or compliance from others; and it is barely possible that Joseph may have intended to convey some intimation of this sort to his brethren.

4 Heb, neither let there be anger in your eyes. 7 Heb, was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, 8 Heb. let not your eye spare, &c.

10

manner; ten asses laden with the good | alive, and he is governor over all the land things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden of Egypt. And "Jacob's heart fainted, for with corn and bread and meat for his father he believed them not. by the

way.

24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

25 ¶ And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Ĵacob their father,

27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

28 And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him

26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet before I die.

Verse 10. "The land of Goshen."-" Concerning the situation of the land of Goshen," observes Michaelis, "authors have maintained very different opinions; but have withal made it impossible for themselves to ascertain the truth, by concurring in the representation of Goshen as the most beautiful and fertile part of Egypt. But is it at all probable that a king of Egypt would have taken the very best part of his territory from his own native subjects, to give it to strangers, and these too a wandering race of herdsmen, hitherto accustomed only to traverse with their cattle the deserts and uncultivated commons of the East?" (Commentaries,' vol. i. p. 64. Smith's translation.) Without entering into verbal criticism, we may observe that the expression rendered "best of the land" (xlvii. 6.) as applied to Goshen, has been satisfactorily proved to mean no more than that it was the best pasture ground of Lower Egypt, and therefore best adapted to the uses of the Hebrew shepherds. This land lay along the east side of the Pelusiac or most easterly branch of the Nile; for it is evident that the Hebrews did not cross the Nile in their exodus from Egypt, as they must otherwise have done. It must thus have included part at least of the nome or district of Heliopolis, of which the "On" of the Scriptures is supposed to have been the capital, and which lay on the eastern border of the Delta. To the east of the river the land of Goshen apparently stretched away into the desert, where the nomade shepherds might find sustenance for their flocks. In this direction it may in some places have extended to the Gulf of Suez. The land of Goshen thus defined, included a quantity of fertile land more extensive in length and breadth than at present. This arises from the general failure of the eastern branches of the Nile; the main body of that river verging more and more to the west continually and deepening the channels on that side. (On this subject see Bryant, Michaelis, Rennel, &c. See also note on ch. xlvi. 34.)

There was another Goshen in the territory of the tribe of Judah; so called, probably, from being a district chiefly appropriated to pasture. (See Josh. x. 41; xi. 16.)

22. "To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave... five changes of raiment.”—For the custom of bestowing honorary dresses, see note on ch. xli. 42. It is not customary in Persia to bestow more than one such dress, the distinction being constituted by the quality and class of the articles of which it consists. But in Turkey, where the dresses of honour are all of nearly the same description and quality, the distinction, as in the instance before us, is made by the number of the dresses bestowed on the person intended to be honoured, more or fewer being given according to the rank of the person, or the degree of favour intended to be indicated.

27. "When he saw the wagons," &c.—The Hebrew word seems to be fairly rendered by the word “ wagon." A wheel carriage of some kind or other is certainly intended; and as from other passages we learn that they were covered, at least sometimes, the best idea we can form of them is, that they bore some resemblance to our tilted waggons. With some small exception, it may be said that wheel carriages are not now employed in Africa or Western Asia; but that they were anciently used in Egypt, and in what is now Asiatic Turkey, is attested not only by history, but by existing sculptures and paintings. It would seem that they were not at this time used in Palestine, as when Jacob saw them he knew they must have come from Egypt. Perhaps, however, he knew this by their peculiar shape. The only wheel carriages in Western Asia with which we are acquainted are, first, a very rude cart, usually drawn by oxen, and employed in conveying agricultural produce in Armenia and Georgia; and then a vehicle called an Arabah, used at Constantinople and some other towns towards the Mediterranean. It is a light covered cart without springs, and being exclusively used by women, children, and aged or sick persons, (see v. 19.) would seem both in its use, and as nearly as we can discover, in its make, to be no bad representative of the waggons in the text. No wheel carriage is, however, now used in a journey.

CHAPTER XLVI.

1 Jacob is comforted by God at Beer-sheba. 5 Thence he with his company goeth into Egypt. 8 The number of his family that went into Egypt. 28 Joseph meeteth Jacob. 31 He instructeth his brethren how to answer to Pharaoh.

AND Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

14 And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, teen. and Elon, and Jahleel.

15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his