THEIR diverfions feem to have confifted chiefly in Diver eating, drinking, dancing, and mufic. At leaft they are fions. those which good old Barzillai feems to bewail his incapacity for1; and for the excess of which they were often blamed by the prophets m. The Scriptures do often exprefs the fimplicity of their happy lives, by fitting, and eating and drinking, every one under his vine, and under his fig-tree. But even thefe diverfions could not be very frequent, unless it were upon fuch folemn occafions as we have mentioned before, or at their fheep-fhearing, harvest, and vintage; because they would elfe have had but little time to have minded their country affairs. Whether they used hunting, fowling, fishing, and fuch-like, we will not pretend to fay; but we find frequent mention made of nets, gins, traps, fowlers, hunters, &c. Even THEIR diet, except on feftivals, feems to have been Diet. very plain. Boaz, a mighty man, complimented Ruth with drinking of the fame water, eating of the fame bread, and dipping her morfel in the vinegar with him". the present of victuals which were brought to David and his men, whilft he was in a kind of exile, were chiefly feveral kinds of pulfe, fome parched corn, bread, and flour, fome dried raifins and figs, honey, butter, cheese, oil, and a few fatted beafts. Their bread was made either of barley or wheat, baked into thin cakes, fome in ovens, fome upon the hearth, and others in a fryingpan, fome with, and fome without oil; they often used parched corn inftead of bread. Honey was commended for its deliciousness P, and the fleece of the flocks, and the milk of the goats, were thought by the wife man sufficient for food and raiment, both for the mafter and his family 9. HIGH titles were unknown among them, unless thofe Titles. which implied fome office, fuch as general, treasurer, recorder, and the like. They valued themfelves more upon their genealogies, which is the reafon why one man's name had five or fix of his ancestors, and fometimes more, tacked to it. Some regard was likewife had to the diftinction of tribes or families: as for inftance; to those of the priests and Levites, upon a religious account; to that of Judah, by reafon of the fceptre being promised to 1 2 Sam. xix. 35. n Ruth ii. 9, 14. 28, 29, & alib. xxvii. 26, 27. m Ifai. v. 11, 12. Amos vi. 5, & feqq. alib. paff. Difcafes rare among them: it; and to that of Ephraim, out of refpect to Jofeph's memory. The fame refpect was likewife paid in every tribe to those who were the heads or fathers of it, and to all the elder branches in general; and next to these, old men, of what tribe or branch foever, were had in great veneration (K). THEIR laborious and frugal lives, and the healthfulnefs of the country, were effectual means to prevent a vast number of thofe difeafes, which have been fince ufhered into the world by luxury and floth. It is for this reafon that we read of fo few, if any difeafes among them, much lefs of phyficians, except fuch as are now known by the name of furgeons, whom the antient Greeks, as well as the Hebrews, called phyficians, or healers. Thus the Mofaic law condemned the man who wounded another, to pay, amongst other things, the falary of the phyfician (L). (K) The name of old man, or elder, as our verfion renders it, feems all along to imply, fomething of dignity in the Mofaic writings; and their experience and gravity feem to have intitled them to be the proper perfons to take cognifance, and to judge, of all important matters, in the places where they dwelt, as well as to the refpect of the younger fort upon that account. But this refpect did not confift in giving to them, or indeed to any man, how great foever, the king excepted, any pompous title; but in a fubmiffive approach and behaviour, and in a refpectful phrafe peculiar to the Hebrew; in which, though the fecond perfon was always ufed even to a prince, yet the fpeaker always expreffed himself in the third, with the addition of fervant or handmaid: Let thy fervant Speak a word, inftead of, Let me Speak behold thy fervant or 1. handmaid, for, here am I. The women, whether because they were more bashful and timorous, or perhaps greater flatterers, were ftill more remarkable for the modeft turn of their expreffions, and the humbleness of their behaviour (1). (L) Such were those whom king Afah is blamed for his too great confidence in, when he laboured with a distemper in his feet, which the generality of interpreters take to have been a kind of gout; and whofe fkill extended no further than outward applications; for we read nothing, in the facred books, of purges, fweats, vomits, diet-drinks, and other fuch evacuating medicines, tho' often of plaifters, ointments, bandages, and fuch-like. This seems indeed the reafon of their living fo long, as well as of their being fo healthy and fruitful, even to the end of their lives. (1) Vide Ruth ii. 13. 1 Sam. i. 15, 16. xxv. 23, & feqq. & alib. THEIR THEIR mourning was, for the death of their near Mourning. relations, or for any misfortunes, either public or private ; and was expreffed in both cafes much after the fame manner; not with fuch formalities as are ufed among us, which hardly reach beyond the outfide; but by fuch as expreffed all the tokens of inward grief, or at least would be apt to caufe a real one in thofe, who were obliged to go through fuch a series of mournful ceremonies. The firft fallies of it were followed by rending their cloaths, uncovering their heads, fmiting their breafts, tearing their hair and beards, putting afhes and dirt upon their heads, inftead of perfumes (which were quite laid afide all the time of mourning), going barefoot, putting on fackcloth next the fkin, lying upon the bare ground, and the like (M). r THEIR funeral ceremonies were no less mourn- Funerals. ful. As foon as a perfon was dead, all the near relations came to the house in their mourning habit, and 1 2 Sam. i. 11, 12. xii. 16. xiii. 31, & feqq. Ezek. xxiv. 16, 17. (M) The neighbouring nations had still more violent ways of expreffing their grief, by pricking, cutting, and fcarifying themfelves; but thefe were exprefly forbid by the law of Mofes (2). As foon as these first fits of grief were ended, they changed their cloaths for others that were ftreighter, coarfer, dirtier, and more ragged. They covered their faces with their upper garment, to hide their tears; they fafted till funfet, and then contented themfelves with the plaineft diet; kept a profound filence, which they never broke, but to utter fome groans or complaints, or at moft fome doleful lamentation (3). Some did even chufe to lie in the afhes, or on a dunghil, and to avoid the fight of any light. This mourning was longer or fhorter, according to (2) Levit. xix. 28. Deut. xiv. 1. Vide Fag. in loc. 17, feqq. (4) Numb. xx. ult. Deut. xxxiv. 8, (6) Ibid. xv, 3. (3) 2 Sam. i. (5) Ifai, xxii. 1. fat fat down upon the ground, with a mournful filence, whilft another part of the house echoed with the voices of mourners, and the founds of inftruments fuitable to the occafion, and hired for the purpose (N). These lafted till the funeral was over, when the nearest relations refumed their melancholy posture, and continued in it all the time of the mourning, eating, fitting, and lying upon the ground, and never fpeaking to any, unless spoken to (O). IN the mean time, there were proper persons appointed to make ready the corpfe for the burial. It was looked upon as a duty incumbent on the nearest relation prefent, to close the eyes of the deceased. 'This cuftom is taken from GOD's promife to Jacob, that his fon Jofeph fhould perform that office to him. If the perfon was of a confiderable rank, they c Gen. xlvi. 4. Jerem. ix. 17. (N) As to the mufical inftruments, we have no inftance of their being used upon these occafions in the Old Testament; only we find it practifed in our Saviour's time (7); and the Talmudifts affure us, that it was not only an antient cuftom, but that it was even obligatory, and that the pooreft hufband could have no less than two of them for his wife (8). Thefe inftruments, according to them, were a kind of mournful flute; hence that proverb of theirs, flutes ferve either for a bride, or for the dead (9). As for the hired fingers, their of fice was to fing fome mournful ditty, proper to fill the company with the deepest forrow. One of them is elegantly comprifed in few words by one of their rabbies, Mourn for the mourners, and not for the dead; for he is at reft, and we in tears (10). (0) Their very food was unclean, and defiled by those that eat of it (11). They neither made their beds, washed themselves, or pared their nails. In a word, they abftained from every thing that could yield them any delight. They made, indeed, a kind of banquet for the rest of the mourners, called by the prophets the bread of men, and wine or cup of confolation (12); but even then their tables were covered with wooden or common earthen platters and trenchers; and, for the fame reason, they were not allowed to drink above ten glaffes of wine at it; namely, three before, three at meat, and four after it, left any should get drunk, and betray any token of mirth (13). (7) Matt. ix. 23. (8) Mifen. tr. in, c. 4. Gemar. Babyl, in eod. titul.. .6 .c בבא מציעא .Trai (2) (10) Bar. Abbin. ap: Hott: in Good. lib. vi. c. 5. note 12. (11) Vide Hof. ix. 4. xxiv. 17. Jerem. xvi. 7. (13) In tra&t. Abel. c. 4. (12) Ezek. embalmed embalmed him; if otherwife, they contented themselves with washing him (P). Sometimes they added a mixture of sweet drugs and fpices; in which they either wrapped the body, or which they burnt about it. This laft is what we find was done at the funeral of Afah, king of Judah, whofe corpfe, the text fays, was laid upon a stately bed, which he had caufed to be filled with coftly perfumes made with great art, and with which they made a very great burning for him (Q). Neither was this ceremony peculiar to that prince; but common to the kings of Judah, and as fuch, promised by the prophet to Zedekiabe, and refufed unto Jehoram £ (R). (P) This ceremony of washing was at least practifed in our Saviour's time (14); but how long before, is not easy to guess. The Jews indeed think it both antient and neceffary; and add,, that it was no fooner performed, but they immediately ftopped the main emunctories of the body, that no defilement might iffue forth (15). As to what is added above, about wrapping the body in fpices, it is inferred from what is faid of Jofeph, that, vajicantubu (16), the verb on fignifying, according to the Talmudifts, to anoint with a mixture made up of fpices, and other fweet drugs. This, we find, was done to our Saviour (17); and Maimon mentions it as a conftant practice used among the Jews (18). (Q) From these places, and another ftill more obfcure in Amos, fome have taken up a notion, that burning of the dead THEY 2 Chron had been adopted by the Jews (19). But neither the texts above quoted, nor any inftance we can meet with in their hiftory, countenance fuch an opinion, which all the Jewish doctors difown; affirming, that nothing was burned at those funeral obfequies, but the sweet perfumes above-mentioned. We may add, that Jofiah's burning the bones of the priests of Baalim upon their idolatrous altars (20) implies, at least, a kind of abhorrence against fuch a practice, unless when it was done by way of punish ment. (R) How they dreffed the corpfe, or how they conveyed it to the grave, we dare not affirm, the law having ordained nothing concerning thefe, or any other circumstances relating to funerals: it is probable, that custom, and the circumftances of perfons, made them more or lefs fumptuous. The accom' (15) Maim. in tract., c. 4. (14) As ix. 37. 1. ver. ult. (17) Jobn xix. 49. (20) 2 Cbron, xxxiv. 5. (16) Gen. (19) Cb. vi. 10. panying |
