October, or early in November, in frequent showers; and then the land was ploughed, wheat and barley were sowed, and the later grapes gathered. The trees lose their foliage in the latter part of November. The weather is warm by day, and cold, even frosty, at night. Towards the end of the season the snow begins to fall on the mountains.

"Wiwer" extends from the beginning of December to the beginning of February. The climate necessarily varies with the situation of the country; but in general it becomes very cold as the season advances-particularly in the mountains, which are covered with snow, and where the cold, accompanied by the biting north wind, can scarcely be borne even by natives of our northern climate. Vehement rains, hail-storms, and falls of snow distinguish this season. In the low plains the season is comparatively mild; and, at the worst, days occur in which it is warm in the open air when the sun shines and the wind does not blow.

"Cold Season" extends from the beginning of February to the beginning of April. It is cold at the beginning, but gradually becomes warm, and vegetable nature assumes a revived appearance. Barley is ripe at Jericho, although but little wheat is in the ear. Thunder, lightning, and hail frequently occur; and at the end of the season the latter rains sometimes begin to fall.

"Harvest" extends from the beginning of April to the beginning of June. In the first fortnight the latter rains fall heavily, but cease towards the end of April. These rains are always chilly, and are often preceded by whirlwinds, which raise great quantities of sand into the air. The results of the harvest depend on these and the autumnal or early rains; which rendered them objects of great anxiety to the Jews. The weather becomes warm as the season advances; and, with a serene sky, is generally delightful throughout Palestine. The heat is, however, excessive in the great plain of Jericho, and other large plains. On the sea-coast the heat is tempered by morning and evening breezes from the sea. "Summer" comprehends the period from the beginning of June to the beginning of August. The heat increases; and, in order to enjoy the bracing coolness of the night air, the inhabitants generally sleep on the tops of their houses. "Hot Season," called by the Rabbins chum, or " the great heat," extends from the beginning of August to the beginning of October. During most of this season the heat is very intense, and even the nights can scarcely be called cool. The extremes of summer heat are felt in the large plains, and of winter cold, in the mountains. From April to the middle of September there is no rain or thunder. No cloud is to be seen during May, June, July, and August; but there is a copious dew at night. These dews, however, only compensate for the want of rain to the more hardy plants. As the season of heat advances, vegetable life is dried up, and the face of the earth assumes a parched and dry appearance, except where watered by streams or by human labour. There is a longer statement on the subject of this note in the Rev. T. H. Horne's Critical Introduction to the Scriptures," from which the above facts are abridged, with little alteration.

Verse 4. "Flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof.”—The former verse seems, from the very form of its expression, manifestly intended to grant animal diet as an extension of the orginal grant of the "green herb." Here we have a restriction as to the form in which this grant may be used. Some commentators understand this as intended to preclude such a horrid mode of using animal food as Bruce relates of the Abyssinians, who cut flesh from the living animal, taking care not to injure a vital part, and eat it quivering with life and reeking in blood. The restriction was repeated in the Mosaic Law, and also exists in the religion of Mohammed; and at present both Jews and Mohammedans understand their law to direct them to abstain from eating blood, and the flesh of such animals as have not been

bled to death in such a manner that every separable particle of the vital fluid has been extracted. The Jews and Mohammedans, therefore, cut the throats very deeply of the animals they intend for food; and neither of these religionists like to eat meat killed by our butchers, because the blood is less completely extracted by our process.

13. "I do set my bow in the cloud."-The rather equivocal sense of the word "set" in English has occasioned a very mistaken impression, which has led to some cavils, which the use of the more proper word" appoint" would have prevented. As it stands, it has been understood to say that the rainbow was at this time first produced; whereas, as its appearance is occasioned by the immutable laws of refraction and reflection, as applied to the rays of the sun striking on drops of falling rain, we know that the phenomenon must have been occasionally exhibited from the beginning of the world, as at present constituted. Accordingly, the text says no more than, that the rainbow was then appointed to be a token of the covenant between God and man. The wood-cut above is from a celebrated picture of RUBENS, called "The Rainbow." It is evidently not intended to represent a scene of the patriarchal times, but is indicative of that tranquillity and content, when, after a passing rain, "the bow" is "in the cloud," and man has an assurance that "the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh."

20, 21. "Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard; and drank the wine, and was drunken."-In Armenia it is believed that the city of Nakschivan, about three leagues from Mount Ararat, is the oldest in the world, having been founded by Noah, who settled there with his sons when he left the ark; and the existing name of the town is alleged to be formed from Nak, a ship, and schivan, stopped or settled, in commemoration of the resting of the ark on the neighbouring mountain. Erivan contests this honour with Nakschivan; but it is doubtful if Noah founded any town. The context represents him as cccupying a tent, after having planted a vineyard.

66

"Husbandman."-In the original aish ha-adamah, literally a man of the ground." It is conceived that Noah considerably advanced agriculture by inventing more suitable implements than had previously been in use. We find no grounds for this conjecture in the text; but it is by no means unlikely that the demand upon his mechanic ingenuity in the construction of the ark had qualified him for improving the agricultural implements previously in use.

Vineyard."-They still make excellent wine in the district indicated; and vineyards are abundant. Whether the vine grows wild in Armenia, the writer of this note could not determine, having traversed the country in winter. It probably does; for in a previous autumn he had gathered very small but good grapes from wild vines, growing on the banks of unfrequented streams in the neighbouring country of Georgia.

CHAPTER X.

1 The generations of Noah. 2 The sons of Japheth. 6 The sons of Ham. 8 Nimrod the first monarch. 21 The sons of Shem.

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

11 Chron. 1,5.

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6¶And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

and the Girgasite,

from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto 'Gaza; as thou gocst, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and 'Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24 And Arphaxad begat "Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

25 "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest, unto Sephar a mount of the

east.

31 These are the sons of Shem, after their

17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and families, after their tongues, in their lands, the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was 4 Or, he went out into Assyria. Heb. Arpachshad.

21 Chron. 1, 8.

8 Gr. Babylon.

8 i Chron. 1. 17.

after their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their na tions and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

5 Or, the streets of the city. 6 Heb. Tzidon. 7 Heb. Azzah. 10 Heb. Shelah. 11 1 Chron. 1. 19.

Verse 1. "The generations of the sons of Noah."-In this chapter we are furnished with the names of the principal descendants of Noah, who became the patriarchs of nations, dispersing themselves over the world, and founding the various families of men among whom we find it divided. This chapter however fails, after so great a lapse of time, to give us that definite information which it probably conveyed in the time of Moses. There are insuperable difficulties in attempting to determine what nations and tribes owe their origin to the persons specified in this account. There is indeed sufficient evidence that the nation was generally called after the name of the founder; and accordingly the similarity or identity of names has afforded the principle by which all research into the subject has been guided. Nevertheless this process involves a liability to gross and fatal mistakes; for many nations and peoples have, doubtless, lost the names by which they were originally called; and many others, of comparatively recent origin, may by accident have obtained names with some similarity to those of the first founders of nations. It is also very probable that many of the names of peoples and countries were peculiar to the Jews themselves, as no trace of them can be found in other countries. Amidst all these sources of error, something, however, has been ascertained, and something more made probable, through the researches of Bochart, Calmet, Joseph Mede, Dr. Wells," The Universal History," Sir William Jones, Mr. Faber, Dr. Hales, and others, to whom we may refer those who wish to investigate the subject in detail. The ancient fathers were of opinion that the distribution of mankind was not left to be settled at random, or according to the exigencies of the moment; but that a formal distribution of the world, as known to him, was made by Noah, the sole proprietor, among his three sons, a considerable time before any actual migrations from the first settlement took place. In this, Noah is supposed to have acted under divine direction. Mere probability is assuredly in favour of this hypothesis, although it has been discountenanced by some writers; and Dr. Hales, who decidedly adopts it, quotes the very striking passages, Deut. xxxii. 7-9., and Acts xvii. 26, as tending strongly to support it. He also adduces an Armenian tradition, quoted by Abulfaragi, which is curious and interesting, because it tends in general to confirm the views which the most competent European inquirers into the subject had been led to entertain as to the allotments which fell to the share of the three brothers. The tradition states, that Noah distributed the habitable globe, from north to south, between his sons, giving to Ham the region of the blacks; to Shem the region of the

tawny; and to Japheth the region of the ruddy. Abulfaragi dates the actual division of the earth in the year B. c. 2614, being 541 years after the Flood, and 191 years after the death of Noah, in the following order :

"To the sons of Shem was allotted the middle region of the earth; namely, Palestine, Syria, Assyria, Samaria (Singar or Shinar), Babel (or Babylonia), Persia, and Hegiaz (Arabia).

"To the sons of Ham, Teiman (or Idumea, Jer. xlix. 7), Africa, Nigritia, Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, Scindia, and India (or India west and east of the river Indus).

"To the sons of Japheth also, Garbia (the north), Spain, France, the countries of the Greeks, Sclavonians, Bulgarians, Turks, and Armenians."

The only serious difference between this distribution and that which European writers have agreed to consider the most probable, is, that the Armenian statement assigns India to Ham, while the European account rather gives it to Shem. We abstain from pointing out the supposed allotment of each particular family; concluding this branch of the subject with some important remarks of Dr. Hales on the general distribution, according to the Armenian account.

"In this curious and valuable geographical chart, Armenia, the cradle of the human race, was allotted to Japheth by right of primogeniture; and Samaria and Babel to the sons of Shem: the usurpation of these regions, therefore, by Nimrod, and of Palestine by Canaan, was in violation of the divine decree. Though the migration of the primitive families began at this time, B. c. 2614, or about 541 years after the Deluge, it was a length of time before they all reached their respective destinations. The seasons, as well as the boundaries, [Dr. Hales here refers to Acts xvii. 26,] of their respective settlements were equally the appointment of God: the nearer countries to the original settlement being planted first, and the remoter in succession. These primitive settlements seem to have been scattered and detached from each other, according to local convenience. Even so late as the tenth generation after the Flood, in the time of Abraham, there were considerable tracts of land in Palestine unappropriated, on which he and his nephew Lot freely pastured their cattle without hindrance or molestation."

5. "Isles of the Gentiles.”—To understand this expression it is necessary to recollect the sense in which the word which we translate "isle" was used by the Jews. It was used to denote not only such countries as are surrounded on all sides by the sea, but countries which were so separated from them by water that people could not, or did not, usually go to them and come from them but by sea. Thus it meant all countries beyond sea; and the inhabitants of such countries were called "islanders." The term, therefore, applies to the countries west of Palestine; the usual communication with which was by the Mediterranean. Countries similarly situated with respect to Egypt appear to be here intended, for when this book was written, the Jews had not yet gained possession of Palestine, and had recently left Egypt. In a general sense the term may be understood to apply to Europe, so far as known, and to Asia Minor. 6. “Mizraim.”—No proper name of an individual in Hebrew ever terminates in im, which is the plural form. Mizraim is evidently the name of a family or tribe taking name from the second son of Ham, who was probably called Misr; and who is generally allowed to have settled with his family in Egypt, which country is to this day generally known in the East as the "Land of Mizr." The Egyptians are always called Mizraim or Mizraites in the Bible.. This restoration of the ancient name is owing to the Arabs, on whose part in the preservation of the primitive names, Prideaux makes the following important remark:--" These people being the oldest nation in the world, and who have never been by any conquest dispossessed, or driven out of their country; but have always remained there in a continued descent from the first planters until this day; and being also as little given to alterations in their manners and usages as in their country; have still retained the names of places which were first attached to them and on these aboriginal people acquiring the empire of the East, they restored the original names to many cities, after they had been lost for ages under the arbitrary changes of successive conquerors." This accounts for the just importance which is given to existing Arabic names in attempting to fix the sites of ancient places.

8. "Nimrod.”—It would be hard to find anything against Nimrod in these verses, unless by inference founded principally upon his name, which signifies "a rebel." The probabilities are in favour of the opinion, that this chief, like most of the heroes of remote classical antiquity, addicted himself to hunting the wild beasts, and thus acquired qualities adapted to a warfare with men; his success in which was ensured by the number of bold and exercised men who had associated with him in his active occupations. According to both the Armenian and European accounts, the land where Nimrod erected the first recorded kingdom in the world was in the allotment of the sons of Shem; and his revolt against the appointed distribution, and his violent encroachment upon the territory of another branch of the family of Noah, form the only points on which we have any good reason to rest the name which is given to him and the evil character he bears. For the statements that Nimrod was the author of the adoration of fire, or of idolatrous worship rendered to men, and that he was the first persecutor on the score of religion, there is no evidence in the Bible. Eastern authors add, that he was the first king in the world, and the first who wore a crown; and this may or may not be true.

10. "The land of Shinar."-There are no data to enable us to fix the limits of this land with precision. It seems to us a great error to suppose that if we could ascertain the sites of the towns mentioned in this verse, we should be able to define the boundaries of Shinar. Such knowledge would enable us to define the boundaries of Nimrod's kingdom, which was in the land of Shinar, but the boundaries of which are not said to be coincident with those of the land so called. We must be content to hesitate whether it comprehended the whole of the country between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, or was confined to the lower part of that territory, answering to Babylonia, and comprehending both banks of both rivers. That the latter territory, which nearly corresponds to the present Irak Arabi, is part of what was the land of Shinar, is admitted on all hands; the only question is, how far it extended northward in Mesopotamia Proper.

"Babel-Erech-Accad—Calneh.”—These being the principal towns of Nimrod's kingdom might enable us to discover the limits of the earliest monarchy on record, if their sites could be precisely ascertained. As, a chapter or two farther on, we find the earliest kingdoms consisting of little more than a single town and a surrounding district, it is reasonable to conclude that the "beginning of Nimrod's kingdom" was comprehended within narrow limits; and therefore, that these most ancient cities must be sought at no considerable distance from one another. We have been in Irak Arabi, and found that Nimrod occupies a very conspicuous place in the traditions of the country, it being generally believed that this once fertile territory formed his kingdom. It is believed, indeed, that his father Cush resided there; and in this opinion Dr. Hyde concurs, calling Irak the most ancient Cush, being the original seat of that son of Ham, whence his posterity migrated and carried the name into Arabia. It is admitted that these cities are to be sought for in the Arabian Irak.

“Babel.”—No one doubts that this first postdiluvian city of which we have any record was the original of that great city on the Euphrates (32° 25′ N. lat., and 44° E. long.), which afterwards acquired such fame as the capital of the