Pro

or in a pan, or on a metallic plate placed over a brasier, or against the sides of a heated jar or portable oven. bably Amnon's request seemed reasonable to David, not merely as the fancy of a sick man, but on account of Tamar's having a reputation for peculiar skill in making some kind of cake or pastry. We have already noticed that such matters devolve upon women in the East; and that females of the highest rank are expected to attend to them. The consequence of this is, that there is no accomplishment on which even ladies of distinction pride themselves more than on their peculiar skill in such preparations. In the Arabian Nights' there is the story of Bedreddin Hassan, much of the interest of which is connected with the skill in the making of tarts, possessed by his mother, who was the wife of one grand vizier and the only daughter of another, She had a secret in this art, which enabled her to make the best tarts in the world; and this secret she communicated to no one but her son. He in the course of time becomes a ruined man and a fugitive, and finally sets up as a pastry-cook in Damascus. After many years his friends, including his mother, go from city to city in search of him. Bedreddin's own son, whom he never saw, of the party, and in going through the bazaar gluts himself with the tarts of his unknown father. On his return, he declines one of the tarts of his grandmother, who then exclaims, What! does my child thus despise the work of my hands? Be it known to you, that not one in the world can make such cream tarts, excepting myself and your father Bedreddin, whom I myself taught.' The boy contends he had eaten better tarts in the bazaar; to test which assertion, the old lady sends for one; and she no sooner tastes it than she swoons away, declaring, on her recovery, that the maker must be her long lost son. This proves to be the fact, to the great joy of all parties concerned.

17. "Bolt the door after her."-The street-doors of Oriental houses are usually kept bolted, except when the inhabitant is a person of such consequence as to have one or more porters in attendance, and then it is commonly left oper by day. Amnon, the eldest son of the king, of course had porters attending at his door; and what we understand is, that Amnon directed his servants to conduct Tamar out of the house, and bolt the street-door after her, instead of keeping it open, as usual. The bolts of doors are always of wood, fastened to the door, and sliding into a hole in the door-post. The additional bar, if any, used at night, is also of wood. This was no doubt the case also in the Bible times, for we read of bars of brass and iron, mentioned, in the way of contradistinction, as fastenings of extraordinary strength (1 Kings iv. 3; Isa. xlv. 2).

20. “Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house."-The natural tendency of polygamy is to produce a nouse divided against itself. The several mothers hate each other and each other's children, and spend all their thoughts in plotting for the exclusive benefit of their own. Hence the large family which is sometimes formed in polygamy, is not one family, but an assemblage of several families, opposed to each other in interest and in feeling. The ties of brotherhood and sisterhood seldom extend beyond the children of the same mother; and the only sentiment in which they all concur is in respect for the common father and common husband. Under this state of things, however, the daughters, aware that there are others who have equal claim upon their father's affection, do not so much look up to him as their natural protector, and the avenger of their wrongs, as to their uterine brother, whose affection, and interest in their honour, is more immediate and concentrated. This is well understood in many parts of the East, where the brother has often more admitted authority, in all that concerns the daughter of his mother, than the father himself. We find an instance of this here, and one still earlier, in the case of Simeon and Levi, who arranged the terms of their sister Dinah's marriage; and who, to the deep regret of their father, horribly avenged upon the men of Shechem the injury their sister had received.

23. "Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim "—not in the tribe of Ephraim, in which we read of no town named thus, but near a town called Ephraim; probably the same that is mentioned in 2 Chron. xiii. 19, and John xv. 25. In the former of these texts it is mentioned with Bethel: Baal-hazor would therefore seem to have been in the tribe of Benjamin. All the indications of Scripture agree very well with the distance which Eusebius gives, of eight miles from Jerusalem; about which distance, in a direction Ñ.N.E., D'Anville places Ephraim near which Baal-hazor was situated. 29. "Every man gat him up upon his mule.”—This is the first time that the mule is indisputably mentioned in the Scriptures (see the note on Gen. xxxvi. 24): and, as we might expect, these animals begin to be mentioned at nearly the same time that horses began to be partially known among the Jews. Not at present to notice the state of the question with respect to horses, we observe, that although a few horses were kept for state, mules were now used for riding by persons of distinction, in peace as well as in war; although the ass continued to maintain its respectable position, and never wholly gave place to either the mule or the horse. The taste seems decidedly to be for mules in this period of Hebrew history. We see here that all the king's sons were accustomed to ride on those animals; and even Absalom, although he had chariots and horses, and while he bore the state and title of a king, rode upon a mule in battle (ch. xviii. 9). The king himself also was wont to ride on a mule. He had a choice mule-a mule of state, known to be his; and when he intended Solomon to be anointed, with great solemnity, as king in his own lifetime, he does not direct his officers to take his chariots and horses for the regal procession, but, "Cause Solomon my son to ride upou mine own mule” (1 Kings i. 33). Mules, as well as horses, were also among the presents which Solomon received from those who, at a subsequent period, came from far to hear his wisdom (1 Kings x. 25). The mule also appears with equal dignity among the Greeks. Although used in the laborious services of agriculture, yet choice animals of this class were employed in more dignified offices. Mules, mentioned as

"A gift illustrious by the Mysians erst
Conferr'd on Priam,"

were yoked to the litter in which that aged monarch conveyed the "glorious ransom " of Hector's body to the Grecian camp, and in which the body itself was taken back to Troy. Chariots, drawn by mules, were also allowed to contend for the prize in the chariot-races of the Olympic games, and in the similar games of the Romans. Mules are still much used in the East, as well for riding as for the conveyance of baggage and merchandise; and, from the attention paid to their breed, they are generally much finer animals than in England. The combination, in the mule, of the more useful qualities of both the horse and the ass-its strength, activity, steadiness, and great power of endurance-are characteristics of peculiar value in the East: and therefore the Jews although interdicted from breeding mules (Lev. xix. 19), did not find it convenient to consider that their use was forbidden. But as they could not legally breed mules, the question arises, how they obtained those which they possessed. It seems probable that they were employed in the armies which David overthrew; and that, there being no precedent for hamstringing mules, he preserved them for use. Or they may have been obtained from David's friend Hiram, the king of Tyre; for, in the time of Ezekiel, we find that the Armenians brought not only horses but mules to the great market of Tyre (Ezek. xxvii. 14). This they may have done at a much earlier period. At any rate, this fact points to Armenia as the possible source from which mules might, more or less directly, have been derived. In Solomon's time they might have been obtained from Egypt; but, till his reign, the commercial relations with that country do not appear to have been opened. (See the note on Josh. xi. 6.)

11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.

14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; 'neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 15 Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.

16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

17 Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

20 To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

21 ¶And the king said unto Joab, Be

hold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of 'his servant.

23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

25 ¶ But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26 And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.

27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

28 So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.

29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is "near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

31 Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?

32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.

33 So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom he came to the king, and bowed himself or his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.

4 Heb. that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy. 5 Or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, &c. 6 Heb. for rest. 7 Heb. to hear. 9 Or, thy.

8 Heb. blessed.

10 Heb. And as Absalom there was not a beautiful man in all Israel to praise greatly. 11 Heb. near my place.

Verse 2. “Tekoah.”—This was a town in the tribe of Judah. In 2 Chron. xi. 6, it is mentioned among the towns fortified by Rehoboam. Jerome places it at twelve miles from Jerusalem; and from his further statement, compared with that of Josephus, the direction would appear to have been south-east. At this distance, and in this direction. the ruins of Tekoah were seen by Captains Irby and Mangles. These ruins stand on a slight eminence, commanding several bursts of the Dead Sea, and cover a considerable extent of ground. There are several fragments of columus. but no remains of any distinct temple or public edifice. These remains are. as Maundrell states, visible from the top of the church at Bethlehem. Jerome further states, that in his time, near to Tekoah was the wilderness of the same name, and that beyond this, southward, there was no town or village, not even huts or cottages, but only the great wilderness reaching to the Red Sea, and to the borders of the Persians, Ethiopians, and Indians, which wilderness was occupied only by pastoral tribes. This is almost true at present, and affords an interesting indication of the desolate condition of the south of Judea even in the fourth century. Amos the prophet was a herdsman of Tekoah. Joab probably sent to Tekoah because the distance, without being inconveniently great for the woman, was considerable enough to prevent David from thinking of immediately investigating the circumstances.

7. "Kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew."-This case, although a fiction, is very remarkable, as illustrating the operation of the custom of blood-revenge among the Jews. So inveterate was that principle, that although the mother herself was the most aggrieved party, she had no influence in preventing the next male kin from avenging the blood of the slain son upon his slaying brother. She therefore applies to the king for his pardon and protection; and knowing, as doubtless the king knew, that, in such a case, strong measures were necessary, she is not satisfied with a general promise, but presses him with her apprehensions, till at last he confirms his promise by an oath: “As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth." She is then satisfied, and begins to develop her design. That design was to induce the king to satisfy his conscience in pardoning Absalom, by proving that, is so doing, he did not otherwise than he would have done in the case of a stranger, where no partiality could qperate. It is clear that David wished to pardon his son, but was afraid, as a king, to do so. The device of Joab turned the balance which had so long wavered between private affection and public duty. That device was probably borrowed from the course taken by Nathan to make David pronounce his own condemnation. The two cases are strikingly analogous; and in both, the crime stated in the fiction is inferior in its enormity to the actual offence. 14. "We must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again."-Joab could not have found a better advocate than this woman of Tekoah. What could be better calculated to impress a poet like David, than the most beautiful figures of speech which she employs? In verse 7, she compares the prospective death of her sly surviving son, to the quenching of her last live coal; and here she compares death to water, which, once spilt upon the ground, can be gathered up no more. With reference to the last, the Rev. W. Jowett, in describing an Armenian funeral, says: "The corpse is now carried out into the churchyard. A slab lifted up discovered to our view that the whole churchyard is hollow under ground. The body was put into a meaner wooden coffin, and lowered into the grave. I did not observe that they sprinkled earth upon it, as we do; but, instead of this, a priest concluded the ceremony by pouring a glass of water on the head of the corpse. I did not learn what this meant; but it brought to my mind that touching passage in 2 Sam. xiv. 14-For we must needs die," &c. On inquiry, Mr. Jowett would have learned that the water was holy water, and was intended to give the corpse its final purification and protection, before being shut out from the world for ever. The custom is however impressive; as is also another in use among the same people, who collect into one place the bones which may have become exposed, and every year sprinkle them with water, praying for the hastening of that time when the dry bones shall be quickened to eternal life.

6. "Weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels."-It appears that this handsome, but unprincipled and vain man, glorying in the abundance and beauty of his hair, wore it as long as he could without great inconvenience; and When it was cut caused it to be weighed, that the reputation of its quantity might compensate to his vanity for the present loss to his personal appearance. The sacred historian condescends to notice the circumstance, in order to expain and give point to the fact, that the locks which Absalom so fondly cherished, became subsequently the occasion of his death. It would seem that, at this time, the custom for men to wear the hair short, or to shave the head, except in mourning, had not come into use. In the time of St. Paul it was a shame for men to wear long hair (1 Cor. xi. 14), but in the time of David it was a glory to have the hair long and abundant. The present is not the only indication of this fact. We shall find it also in Solomon's Song, and confirmed by Josephus, who observes that the picked men who formed the guard of that magnificent monarch, wore their hair in long flowing tresses, which they sprinkled every morning with gold dust (having first anointed it, of course), so that their heads glittered in the sunbeams, as reflected from the gold. If this were the custom a little earlier, the weight of the unguents with which it was saturated, and of the gold dust it contained, may lessen our surprise at the weight of Absalom's hair, though it must still have been extraordinary. There have been various explanations as to the weight. The common weight would make it nearly seven pounds seven and a half ounces Troy; but "the king's weight" being added, seems to denote some peculiarity. Perhaps it marks accuracy-that is, according to the carefully determined standard weights in the royal treasury; but sutne think, that the more ancient sacred books being revised after the captivity, the Babylonish weight, distinguished as the king's weight," was introduced as more generally intelligible. This being but a third of the Hebrew shekel, brings down the weight of Absalom's hair to two pounds two and a half ounces. Others, again, suppose that two hundred shekels means the value of the hair when sold: but it does not seem likely that the king's son would sell his hair, nor can we see to what use it could be applied by those who bought it. Wigs, though not anciently unknown, do not appear to have been ever used by the Jews. It remains to observe, that the Hebrew does not say that Absalom polled his hair every year, but from time to time-occasionally;—that is, as the text explains it, when it became heavy. This may have been at longer intervals than a year.

CHAPTER XV.

1 Absalom, by fair speeches and courtesies, stealeth the hearts of Israel. 7 Under pretence of a vow he obtaineth leave to go to Hebron. 10 He maketh there a great conspiracy. 13 David upon the rews fleeth from Jerusalem. 19 Ittai would not leave him. 24 Zadok and Abiathar are sent back with the ark. 30 David and his company go up

mount Olivet weeping. 31 He curseth Ahithophel's counsel. 32 Hushai is sent back with instructions.

AND it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood

Heb, to come. Or, none will hear thee from the king downward.