to the survivors of the family, wishing that the dead may have been the victim for the sins of the family. The same, with respect to eating, is practised among the Moors. Thus the bread of men, (Ezek. xxiv. 17.) signifies the bread that the neighbours, relations, and friends, sent to mourners. HARMER, vol. ii. p. 137.

No. 284.-xvii. 13. They that depart from me shall be written in the earth.] Peter della Valle observed a method of writing short-lived memorandums in India, which he thus describes. “I beheld children writing their lessons with their fingers on the ground, the pavement being for that purpose strewed all over with very fine sand. When the pavement was full, they put the writing out, and, if need were, strewed new sand from a little heap they had before them, wherewith to write farther." p. 40. One would be tempted to think, says Mr. Harmer, (vol. ii. p. 168, note,) the prophet Jeremiah had this way of writing in view, when he says of them that depart from God, they shall be written in the earth. Certainly it means, in general, soon to be blotted out and forgotten, as is apparent from Psalm lxix. 28. Ezek. xiii. 9.

No. 285.-xviii. 3. Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold he wrought a work on the wheels.] The original word means stones rather than wheels. Dr. Blayney, in a note on this passage, says, "the appellation will appear very proper, if we consider this machine as consisting of a pair of circular stones, placed one upon another like mill-stones, of which the lower was immoveable, but the upper one turned upon the foot of a spindle, or axis, and had motion communicated to it by the feet of the potter sitting at his work, as may be learned from Ecclus, xxxviii. 29. Upon the top of this upper stone, which was flat, the clay was

placed, which the potter, having given the stone the due velocity, formed into shape with his hands.”

No. 286.-xxii. 14. I will build me a wide house, and large chambers.] Marg. through aired. Several ways of cooling their rooms obtained in Egypt. In some instances it is effected by openings at the top, which let the fresh air in. They make their halls large and lofty, with a dome at the top, which toward the north has several open windows. These are so constructed as to throw the north wind down into the rooms, and effectually to cool them. Other contrivances are adopted to have a thorough circulation of air. Their rooms were ceiled with wood, and were sometimes painted and gilt: to these circumstances the words of the prophet refer. (Judges iii. 20.) HARMER, vol. i. p. 164.

No. 287.-xxv. 10. The sound of the mill-stones.] "In the East they grind their corn at break of day. When one goes out in a morning, he hears every where the noise of the mill, and this noise often awakens people." (Chardin.) He supposes also that songs are made use of when they are grinding. It is very possible then, that when the sacred writers speak of the noise of the mill-stones, they may mean the noise of the songs of those who worked them. This earliness of grinding makes the going of Rechab and Baanah to fetch wheat the day before from the palace, to be distributed to the soldiers under them, very natural. (2 Sam. iv. 2-7.) They are female slaves who are generally employed at these hand-mills. It is extremely laborious, and esteemed the lowest employment in the house. (Harmer, vol. i. p. 250.) Mr. Park observed this custom in the interior parts of Africa, when he was invited into a hut by some female natives, in order to shelter him from the inclemency of a very rainy night.

While thus em

ployed, one of the females sung a song, the rest joining in a sort of chorus.

No. 288.-xxv. 10. The light of the candle.] The houses of Egypt are never without lights. Maillet assures us, (Lett. ix. p. 10.) they burn lamps not only all the night long, but in all the inhabited apartments of an house; and that the custom is so well established, that the poorest people would rather retrench part of their food than neglect it. This remark will elucidate several passages of scripture. In the words above referred to, Jeremiah makes the taking away of the light of the candle and total destruction the same thing. Job describes the destruction of a family amongst the Arabs, and the rendering one of their habitations desolate, after the same manner: How oft is the candle of the wicked put out, and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! (Job xxi. 17. xviii. 5.) On the other hand, when God promises to give David a lamp always in Jerusalem, (1 Kings xi. 36.) considered in this point of view, it is an assurance that his house should never become desolate.

No. 289. xxv. 16. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad.] This is an allusion to those intoxicating draughts which used to be given to malefactors just before their execution, to take away their senses. Immediately before the execution began, says the Talmud, they gave the condemned a quantity of frankincense in a cup of wine, to stupify him, and render him insensible of his pain. The compassionate ladies of Jerusalem generally provided this draught at their own cost. The foundation of this custom was the command of Solomon, Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that be of heavy hearts. (Prov. xxxi. 6.) LEWIS's Origines Heb. vol. i. p. 72.

No. 290.-xxxi. 19. I smote upon my thigh.] In deep mourning it appears to have been one method by which the Jews expressed their sorrow to smite upon the thigh. This is mentioned as an accompanying circumstance of the repentance of Ephraim. In this manner also was Ezekiel commanded to act, to express that sorrow which should be produced by the divine threatnings against Israel. (Ezek. xxi. 12.) The practice was adopted and retained by the Greeks. Homer describes his heroes as using this circumstance of grief among others.

—καὶ ὦ πεπλήγετο μηρών. Π. μ' ver. 162.

So in Xenophon (Cyrop. 7.) the brave Cyrus smites his thigh upon receiving the news of the death of his generous friend Abradatas.

No. 291.-xxxii. 11. So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed, according to the law and custom, and that which was open.] It has greatly perplexed commentators to find out the utility of the double evidences of Jeremiah's purchase; possibly the account given of modern practice may illustrate the affair. "After a contract is made, it is kept by the party himself, not the notary; and they cause a copy to be made, signed by the notary alone, which is shewn upon proper occasions, and never exhibit the other." According to this account, the two books were the same, the one sealed up with solemnity, and not to be used on common occasions, the other open, and to be used at pleasure. HARMER, vol. ii, p. 277.

No. 292.-xxxiii. 13. The flocks shall pass again under the hands of him that telleth them.] The revenueof princes in the East are paid in the fruits and producs. tions of the earth. There are no other taxes upon the peasants. (Chardin.) The twelve officers of Solomon,

mentioned 1 Kings iv. 7-19, are to be considered as his general receivers. They furnished food for all that belonged to the king; and the having provisions for themselves and attendants seem to have been, in those times of simplicity, all the ordinary gratification his ministers of state, as well as his meaner servants, received. Silver, gold, horses, armour, precious vestments, and other things of value, came to him from other quarters; partly a kind of tribute from the surrounding princes, (1 Kings x. 15—25.) partly from the merchants, whom he suffered to pass through his country to and from Egypt and elsewhere, (ver. 15.) partly from his own commerce by the Red Sea. (ver. 22.) The horses and armour he seems to have distributed among the most populous towns, which were to find horsemen, and people to drive chariots, to such a number, when called for; and out of the silver and other precious things that came to him, he made presents upon extraordinary occasions to those that distinguished themselves in his service. (1 Kings x. 26, 27.)

Sir J. Chardin supposes the telling of the flocks was for the purpose of paying tribute, it being the custom in the East to count the flocks, in order to take the third of the increase and young ones for the king.

HARMER, yol. ii. p. 284.

No. 293.-xxxiv. 5. So shall they burn odours for thee.] It was customary among the Jews, at the funeral of their kings, especially of those whose memory they honoured, to prepare a bed of spices, as it is called, 2 Chron. xvi. 14, which they made a perfume of by burning them, and therein to deposit the body of the deceased prince.

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No. 294.-xxxiv. 18. They cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof.] It was a customary thing to cut the victim (which was to be offered as a