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CHAPTER III. VERSE 14.

But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.

BETH-HACCEREM] Hebrew, bãith-hak-kahrem, 'the house of the vineyard'; also a town referred to in Jer. vi. I, and situated, according to Jerome, on a mountain between Jerusalem and Tekoa.

CHAPTER V. VERSE 3.

Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.

AND VINEYARDS] Hebrew, u-k'rahmāinu, ‘and our vineyards.' See also in verses 4, 5.

CHAPTER V. VERSE II.

Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

THEIR VINEYARDS] Hebrew, karmāihem, 'their vineyards.'

AND OF THE CORN, THE WINE, AND THE OIL] Hebrew, ve-had-dahgan, hattirosh, ve-hay-yitzhar, and the corn, the vine-fruit, and the olive-and-orchard fruit,'-obviously enumerated as the solid produce of the 'lands,' 'vineyards,' and 'oliveyards' just mentioned. The Lxx. has ton siton kai ton oinon kai to elaion, the corn, and the wine, and the oil'; the V., frumenti, vini, et olei, ' of corn, of wine, and of oil.' The Arabic for tirosh has the usual ètzer, 'expressed juice.'

CHAPTER V. VERSE 15.

But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people; but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

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BREAD AND WINE] Hebrew, bě-lèkhěm vah-yayin, 'from bread and wine.' The Lxx. has en artois kai en oinō, with loaves and with wine'; the V., in pane et vino, 'with bread and wine.'

CHAPTER V. VERSE 18.

Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

STORE OF ALL SORTS OF WINE] Hebrew, be-kahl yayin le-harba, with every (sort of) wine abundantly' a copious supply of all kinds of wine. The Lxx.

has en pasin oinos to pleethei, 'wine in all (kinds) in plenty'; the V., vina diversa, 'different wines.'

No fact is better established in regard to ancient times than the great diversity of their vinous preparations,—a diversity extending not only to the modes of their manufacture, but to their qualities and effects. Though Pliny cannot be quoted as an illustrator of Oriental customs prevailing five hundred years before, yet when he affirmed that a hundred and ninety-five varieties of wine existed in his time,* and that these would be doubled if lesser differences were included, we may safely conclude that the kahl yayin of Nehemiah is to be liberally construed. Some might be new, some old; some pure, some mixed; some fresh from the vat, some boiled; some watery, some thick; some sweet as honey, others thin and tart. The modes of manufacture would also differ in almost every district, and probably among neighboring vine-growers. [See Virgil's poetic hyperbole in Georgics,' lib. iii. 103-8; and observation of Sir G. Wilkinson quoted in Note on Gen. xl. 9—11.]

CHAPTER VIII. VERSE 10.

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

AND DRINK THE SWEET] Hebrew, ushthu mamtaqqim, 'and drink the sweetnesses' = sweet drinks. The Lxx. has kai piete glukasmata, ‘and drink ye sweet things'; the V., et bibite mulsum, 'and drink ye the honey-sweet (article).'

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Some of the ancient wines were thick and luscious like jellies, and had to be largely diluted before they could be drunk; others, of the ordinary fluidity, were mixed in the proportion of several measures of water to one of grape-juice, so that even if fermented they were but slightly intoxicating unless consumed in large quantities. The verbal root of mamtiqqim is mathaq, 'to suck,' 'to be swect'; and, says the Rev. B. Parsons, "it is worthy of remark that the ancient Britons had a sweet wine which the Welsh called meddyglyn, and the English metheglin. The word metheglin comes from metteg or mettek, 'sweet,' and glyn, 'glutinous,' and thus signifies what it really was, a sweet syrupy drink. Every one must here see that metheg in Saxon, meddyg in Welsh, and mettek in Hebrew are the same words. This term among the ancient Britons was applied to a drink made from honey." To the same root may be referred methuo and methusko, 'to fill or drink to the full' of (or with) any sweet thing; but meth in Egyptian also signified 'full,' as in metheris, the mother God.

CHAPTER VIII. VERSE 12.

And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

See Appendix 'D' for his exact words; and also for description of mulsum.

AND TO DRINK] Hebrew, vě-leshtoth, and to drink.' The Lxx. has kai piein, 'and to drink'; the V., et biberet, ‘and that (the people) ŝhould drink.'

CHAPTER IX. VERSE 25.

And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance; so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

VINEYARDS] Hebrew, kerahmim, ‘vineyards.'

CHAPTER X. VERSE 37.

And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

AND THE FRUIt of all manner oF TREES] Hebrew, u-phri kahl ātz, ‘and the fruit of every (kind of) tree.' The Lxx. reads, kai ton karpon pantos xulou, ' and the fruit of every tree'; the V., et poma omnis ligni, ‘and fruits of every tree.' OF WINE AND OF OIL] Hebrew, tirosh vě-yitzhar, 'vine-fruit and olive and orchard fruit.' The Lxx. has oinou kai elaiou, of wine and of oil'; the V., vindemiæ quoque et olei, 'of vintage fruit also and of oil.' This is the second instance in which the Vulgate does justice to tirosh. [See Note on Deut. vii. 13.] Walton's Polyglot gives musti. Tirosh and yitzhar are plainly mentioned by Nehemiah as representatives of the 'fruit of all manner of trees' brought to the priests; and this verse alone is sufficient to establish the meaning of these collective terms, as designating the solid produce of the vineyard and the orchard.

CHAPTER X. VERSE 39.

For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

OF THE CORN, OF THE NEW WINE, AND THE OIL] Hebrew, ha-dahgan, hattirosh, vě-hay-yitzhar, 'the corn, the vine-fruit, and the olive and orchard fruit.' The Lxx. reads, tou sitou, kai ton oinou, kai tou elaiou, of the corn, and of the wine, and of the oil.' The V. has frumenti, vini, et olei, of corn, of wine, and of oil,'-so soon had St Jerome unlearnt what he had practised in verse 37, where he translates tirosh as vindemia. The English translators add 'new' to their usual rendering of tirosh as 'wine.'

CHAPTER XIII. VERSE 5.

And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.

AND THE TITHES OF THE CORN, THE NEW WINE, AND THE CIL] Hebrew, u-mäasar had-dahgan hat-tirosh vě-hay-yitzhar, 'and the tithe of the corn, the vine-fruit, and the orchard fruit.' The Lxx. reads, kai teen dekateen tou sitou, kai tou oinou, kai tou elaiou, and the tenth of the corn, and of the wine, and of the oil'; the V., et decimam frumenti, vini, et olei, and the tenth of corn, of wine, and of oil.' The English translators again render tirosh by 'new wine,' following, no doubt, the mustum of most Continental versions.

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Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

THE TITHE OF the corn and THE NEW WINE AND THE OIL] Hebrew, mäasar had-dahgan, hat-tirosh, v'hay-yitzhar, 'the tithe of the corn, the vine-fruit, and the orchard-fruit.' The Lxx. gives tou purou, kai tou oinou, kai tou elaiou, ‘of the wheat, and the wine, and the oil'; the V., frumenti, vini, et olei.

CHAPTER XIII. VERSE 15.

In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.

TREADING WINE PRESSES] Hebrew, dorkim gitoth, 'treading the wine-presses.' The Lxx. has patountas leenous; the V., calcantes torcularia.

AS ALSO WINE, GRAPES] Hebrew, về-aph yayin anahvim, 'and also wine, grapes.' The Lxx. has kai oinon kai staphuleen, 'and wine and grapes'; the V., vinum et uvas, 'wine and grapes.'

THE BOOK OF ESTHER.

CHAPTER I. VERSE 7.

And they gave them drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king.

The Hebrew is vě-hashqoth biklai zahahv, vē-kālim mikkālim shonim, vè-yayn malkuth rahu ke-yad ham-mělěk, 'and they were providing drink in vessels of gold, and the vessels (were) diverse from vessels, and wine of royalty (was) abundant, according to the hand of the king.' The Syriac follows the Hebrew almost word for word. The Lxx. reads, poteeria chrusa kai argura, kai anthrakinon kulikion prokeimenon apo talantōn trismuriōn ; oinos polus kai heedus hon autos ho basileus epinen, 'gold and silver drinking-cups (there were), and a small carbuncle goblet was on view, valued at thirty thousand talents; the wine (was) plentiful and sweet, such as was drunk by the king himself.' The V. gives bibebant autem qui invitati erant aureis poculis, et aliis vasis cibis inferebantur; vinum quoque ut magnificentia regia dignum erat, abundans, et præcipuum ponebatur, ‘but they that were invited drank in golden cups, and the meats were brought in different sets of vessels; wine also worthy of the royal magnificence was furnished in abundance, and of the highest quality.'

The Targumist tells a strange story, how the vessels brought from Jerusalem turned the king's vessels into the likeness of lead!—and adds, "And they drank fresh wine (khamar-ahsis), fit for the drinking of a king, of a superior scent and the most delicious flavor; and it was not used sparingly, but with the liberality of a royal hand."

This was a splendid entertainment. The drinking-vessels were of gold, and of different patterns, or perhaps variously chased; the wine was 'wine of royalty,' i. e. such as was usually drunk by the royal family; and it was plentifully served 'according to the king's hand '—with a profusion suitable to the hand of one whose resources were so vast. The statement of the Lxx. that it was 'sweet,' throws light upon the kind of wine preferred, if not in the Persian palace, yet in courtly circles in the time when that translation was made-the third century before Christ. Sweetness, not alcoholic potency, was the quality most relished, as it would appear, in the wines then selected for the royal tables.

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