tion of the nut, that a male should be planted at inter- of Tiberius, and Galen mentions Berrhoea (Aleppo) | as being famous for this fruit in his time. Besides a considerable consumption of them at home, large quantities are exported to Europe. The fruit loses much of its beauty by drying, but perhaps improves in flavour. The tree, when laden with clusters of smooth ripe nuts, of a beautiful pale bluish colour, makes an elegant appearance. The trunk, which is proportionably short, is about three, or three and a half feet in circumference. The female tree, when not engrafted, bears a small nut of little value. The pistachio-nuts are of various sizes; the kernel is alike green in all; the outer husk is of different colours, from almost entirely white to a red; but these two colours are commonly blended, and the varieties are produced by engraftment. The pistachio NYMPHIAS, Nuupas, (Coloss. 4. 15,) the name delights in a dry soil. As the male and female flowers of a Christian mentioned by St. Paul as having a church grow on separate trees, it is necessary, for the fecunda- in his house. OAK. The oak (Quercus) is one of the largest | Cana to Mount Tabor, strikes into a lovely valley, and most durable of forest trees. In our version its wooded chiefly with these trees. Mount Tabor itself is name has been applied indiscriminately to various kinds entirely covered with thick woods, chiefly of oak and of trees, which Celsus, in his Hierobotanica, has been at pistachio trees. some pains to distinguish, and in which he has been followed by most modern translators and interpreters. Thus he thinks that the terebinth-tree is indicated in all the following passages: ail, Genesis 14. 6;Nail-paran; - ailim, Isaiah 1.29; 57. 5; ailon, Joshua 19. 43; 1Kings 4. 9;- alon, translated "plain," in the following places: Genesis 12. 6; 13. 18; 14. 13; 18. 1; Deuteronomy 11. 30; Joshua 19. 33; Judges 4. 11; 9. 6,37; 1Samuel 10. 3; alah, rendered by "oak," in Genesis 35. 4; Joshua 24. 26; Judges 6. 11,19; 1Samuel 17. 2,19; 21. 9; 2Samuel 18. 9,10,14; 1Kings 13. 14, 1Chronicles 10. 12; Isaiah 6. 13; and translated "teil-tree," in Ezekiel 6. 13; and "elms," in Hosea 4. 13. The word ¡ alon, is also translated “oak,” as he considers, correctly, in the following passages: Genesis 35. 8; Joshua 19. 33; Isaiah 2. 13; 6. 13; 44. 14; Hosea 4. 13; Amos 2. 9; Zechariah 11. 2. The Flora Palæstina gives five different species of oaks growing in that country: Quercus glande recondita; Quercus cupula crinata; Quercus gramuntia; Quercus ilex aquifolia; Quercus coccifera. To this Lord Lindsay adds, Quercus valonidi, or Quercus ægilops. "The oaks of Bashan" are mentioned in the Scriptures in terms of proverbial distinction, and we may judge of the high estimation in which these oaks were held, from an incidental expression of the prophet Ezekiel, who, speaking of the power and wealth of ancient Tyre, says, "Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars.' (Ezek. 27. 6.) " Oaks are often mentioned by Burckhardt, but he does not distinguish the species; he, however, gives the localities in which these trees engaged his notice. Thus he speaks of the shade afforded by the oaks of Gilead, the presence of which no doubt gives to that locality the appearance which he describes as more reminding him of Europe than anything else he had seen in Syria. There are woods of stunted oaks on the lower slopes of the mountains (Jebel Haouran) beyond the great Haouran plain; and even in the stony district (the inner Ledja) which completes the eastward boundary of that plain, the oak is mentioned first among the trees which grow in great numbers between the rocks. Burckhardt passed through a thick oak forest on the way from Feheis to the ruins of Ammon (the capital of the Ammonites). From the dispersed notices of the same traveller, it would seem that oaks of low stature are frequent in the plains and hills near the sources of the Jordan. He likewise notices large oaks growing in different parts beside natural reservoirs of water fed by springs. Lord Lindsay also informs us that these oaks are of the prickly and evergreen species. With these two kinds of trees many of the hills of Bashan and Gilead are covered to their very summits, and in descending to the plains, the evergreen oak is the last by which the traveller is forsaken. The hills of Bashan itself are described by the same traveller as richly wooded to their summits with noble prickly oaks, a few pine-trees towering over them; and he adds, "I never could have thought that the shrub I had seen covering the hills of Hebron could have attained such size and beauty, yet the leaf of the largest tree is not larger than the shrubs." In the district of the country beyond Jordan, oaktrees, indeed, form a conspicuous part of the scenery of the wooded hills. Among these oaks, the species The eastern slopes, even to the summits of AntiQuercus robur, which grows to so large a size in our Libanus, abound in short oak trees, of which none are own country, is not to be met with. The varieties of higher than twelve or fifteen feet. In Lebanon itself oak which grow in Palestine are much inferior in point oaks are numerous. Its eastern ascent from the valley of size, as trees of this genus find colder climates than of Baalbec, as high as Ainnetto, is covered with low oak that of Syria more congenial to their nature. The two trees, "of the round-leaved and common English species." species which are most frequently noticed by Lord Lind- The natives, on and below this slope of the mountain, in say are the "evergreen" and "prickly" oaks. He constructing the flat roofs of their houses, lay branches of describes the hills of Southern Judæa, about Hebron, as the oak over beams of pine. On the western slopes covered to the top with the prickly oak. Striking across large oaks are found as high as the neighbourhood of the country from Samaria towards Mount Carmel, regu- Deir el Kamimer. lar English park scenery is formed by the evergreen oak; which, together with the prickly oak, also covers the hills about the southern prolongations of Carmel and the banks of the Kishon. The traveller journeying from The Kermes oak, Quercus coccifera, is only mentioned by Hasselquist. Crossing from Acre to Nazareth, on the 2nd of May, he found the country beyond the plain of Acre consisted of small hills, or rather rising grounds, covered with plants, and fine vales between them. On approaching this, he passed through "fine groves of the "fine groves of the eastern oak, (Quercus coccifera,) whose fly, called tenthreda, had made its hard gall, in which lay its caterpillar, with others dried up, which the insect had already quitted." The insect here referred to is the kermes, one of the genus coccus, which sticks to the branches of the tree, in the form of little red balls, the size of a pea, and which supplies a colouring matter formerly highly valued for purposes of dyeing, but now superseded by the cochineal. The Kermes Oak. Oaks and groves of oaks were esteemed proper places for religious services; altars were set up under them, and they were likewise the scene of idolatrous practices. (Ezek. 6. 13.) See GROVE WORSHIP. The oak is with the prophets the symbol of men of high rank and power: thus in Isaiah 2. 13, it is said, with reference to the princes and nobles of Israel and Judah, "The day of the Lord shall be upon all the oaks of Bashan." OATH, shibuah. (Gen. 24. 8; 26. 3.) An oath may be defined to be a solemn invocation of a superior power, admitted to be acquainted with all the secrets of our hearts, with our inward thoughts as well as our outward actions, to witness the truth of what we assert, and to inflict his vengeance upon us if we assert what is not true, or promise what we do not mean to perform. "The forms of oaths," says Paley, "like other religious ceremonies, have in all ages been various; consisting, however, for the most part, of some bodily action, and of a prescribed form of words." Among the Jews it was customary for those who appealed to the Deity in attestation of anything, to hold up their right hand towards heaven; by which action the party swearing or making oath signified that he appealed to God to witness the truth of what he averred. Thus Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lift up my hand unto the Lord the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take anything that is thine." (Gen. 14. 22,23.) Hence the expression, "To lift up the hand," is equivalent to making oath. In this form the angel of the Apocalypse is represented as taking a solemn oath. (Rev. 10. 5.) ..... Among the early Hebrews, the oath of fidelity was taken by the servant's putting his hand under the thigh of his lord, as Eliezer did to Abraham, (Gen. 24. 2;) whence, with no great deviation, is perhaps derived the form of doing homage at this day, by putting the hands between the knees, and within the hands of the liege lord. Sometimes an oath was accompanied with an imprecation, as in Ruth 1. 17; 2Samuel 3. 9,35; 1 Kings 2. 23; 2Kings 6. 31; but sometimes the party swearing omitted the imprecation, as if he were afraid, and shuddered to utter it, although it was, from other sources, sufficiently well understood. (Gen. 14. 22,23; Ezek. 17. 18.) At other times, he merely said, "Let God be a witness;" and sometimes affirmed, saying, "As surely as God liveth." (Ruth 3. 13; 1Sam. 14. 45; 20. 3,21; Jerem. 42. 5.) These remarks apply to the person who uttered the oath himself of his own accord. When an oath was exacted, whether by a judge or another, the person who exacted it put the oath in form, and the person to whom it was put responded by saying, DN DN Amen, amen, So let it be, or gave his response in other expressions of like import, such as, "Thou hast said it." (Numb. 5. 19-22; Deut. 27. 15-26; 1Kings 22. 16.) Sometimes the exacter of the oath merely used the following adjuration: "I adjure you by the living God to answer whether this thing be so or not:" and the person sworn accordingly made answer to the point inquired of. (Numb. 5. 22; Matt. 26. 64.) It should be remarked here, though the formulary of assent on the part of the respondent to an oath was frequently, Amen, amen, yet this formulary did not always imply an oath, but in some instances was merely a protestation. It was also common to swear by those whose life and prosperity were dear to the party making oath. Thus, Joseph swore by the "life of the king," (Gen. 42. 15;) and this practice prevailed subsequently among the Hebrews. (1Sam. 25. 26; 2Sam. 11. 11; 14. 19; comp. Psalm 63. 11.) A person sometimes swore by himself, and sometimes by the life of the person before whom he spake, as in Judges 6. 13,15; 1Sam. 1. 26; 1Kings 3. 17,26; 2Kings 2. 2; a practice which obtains in Syria to the present day. Burckhardt says, << By your life," is still a common oath in Syria; but the most common, says Mr. Jowett, is "On my head." In some instances, persons adjured others by the beasts of the field, (Cantic. 2. 7,) a sort of oath which is also found in the writings of the Arabian poets. As the oath was an appeal to God, (Levit. 19. 12; Deut. 6. 13,) the taking of a false oath was deemed a heinous crime; and perjury accordingly was forbidden in the words, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," that is, thou shalt not call God to witness in pretended confirmation of a falsehood. (Exod. 20. 6.) In the early periods of their history, the Jews religiously observed an oath, (Josh. 9. 14,15;) but we find that, in later times, they were often accused by the prophets of perjury. After the captivity, the Jews became again celebrated for the scrupulous observance of what they had sworn to, but corruption soon increased among them; they revived the old forms, the words without the meaning, and acquired among all nations the reputation of perjurers. In the time of Our Lord, the Jews were accustomed to swear by the "altar," by "Jerusalem," by "heaven," by the "earth," by "themselves," by their "heads," by the "gold of the Temple," by "sacrifices," &c. Because the name of God was not mentioned in these oaths, they considered them as imposing but small, if any obligation; and we accordingly find that Our Saviour takes occasion to inveigh, in decided terms, against such arts of deception. (Matt. 5. 33-37; 23.16-22.) It is against oaths of this kind, and these alone, not against an oath uttered in sincerity, that he expresses His displeasure and prohibits them. This is clear, since He himself consented to take upon him the solemnity of an oath, (Matt. 26. 64;) and since St. Paul himself, in more than one instance, utters an adjuration. (Comp. Rom. 9. 1; 2Cor. 1. 23.) On this subject Michaëlis remarks, OATH "With respect to oaths, there came a doctrine into vogue among the Jews, in the time of Christ, which made such a nice distinction between what was and what was not an oath, that illiterate people were really incapable of comprehending it, or indeed forming any idea of it; and thus a Jew had it in his power to be guilty of the grossest treachery to his neighbour, even when the latter thought he had heard him swear by all that was sacred. Who could suppose that a Jew did not speak seriously when he swore by the Temple? Yet by this doctrine such an oath was a mere nothing, because the stones of the Temple were not consecrated. I do not mean to describe this morality by passages from the Rabbins, both because sufficient collections of these have already been made by others, and because they are not only too extensive, but also too modern for my purpose, as I have principally to do with it as it stood in the time of Christ. I rather choose to take what the Jewish moralists of his day taught from his own mouth, and to accompany their doctrine with his refutation. The reader who wishes to see passages from the Rabbins may either consult learned commentators on Matthew 5. 33-37; 23. 16-22; or peruse what Wetstein has collected from them, in whose New Testament he will find a pretty copious collection of such passages. "Christ himself then, in Matthew 23. 16-22, mentions some specimens of their doctrine which he finds it necessary to controvert. The Pharisees whom he censured were accustomed to say, 'If a man swear by the Temple he is not bound by that oath; but if he swear by the gold of the Temple he is bound.' This was a very paradoxical distinction; and no one who heard their oaths could possibly divine it, unless he happened to be initiated into the whole villany of the business. One would naturally entertain the very same idea concerning it, namely, that 'the temple which consecrates the gold is of greater account, and belongs more immediately to God, than the gold;' but the foundation of the refined distinction made by the Pharisees was, that the gold was sanctified but not the materials of the edi fice. Again the Pharisees said, 'If a man swear by the altar, it is no oath; but if he swear by the offering, he is bound;' because, forsooth, the offering was consecrated, but the stones of the altar were nothing more than common stones. But to this doctrine, Jesus, with equal reason, makes the following objection: that the altar which sanctifies the offering is greater than the offering and he founds it on this unanswerable argument: 'If I appear to swear, and use the language of an oath, my words, though perhaps otherwise equivocal, must be understood in the sense which they generally have in oaths. Thus if I merely mention heaven, that word may have various meanings; it may mean heaven in the physical sense of the term, that is, either the blue atmosphere which we beheld, or that unknown matter which fills the remote regions of space above us, and which the ancients called ether; but neither of these is God. When however I swear by heaven, every one understands me as regarding heaven in its relation towards God as his dwellingplace, or as his throne; and thinks if I forbear pronouncing the name of God, merely from reverential awe, and that in naming the throne of God, I include the idea of Him who sitteth upon it; so that if my words are to be explained honestly and grammatically, I have really sworn by God. In like manner, if a man swear by the Temple, that is not swearing by the stones or other materials of which the Temple is composed, but by the God who dwelleth in the Temple: and thus also, he who swears by the altar, is not to understand the bare stones, as such, but as they form an altar, and have offerings made upon them; so that he swears by the altar and what is upon it; an oath no less solemn and binding, than that most awful oath which is taken amid a sacrifice, by passing between the dismembered pieces of the victim. A most rational exposition; without which we can never, in any compact, be sure of understanding our neighbour's words; not even though he name the name of God in his oath, and swear without any mental reservation whatever; for the syllables perhaps might still be susceptible of another signification." Roberts says, "People in England would be astonished and appalled at the frequency and nature of the oaths of the heathen. A man's assertion or affirmation, in common conversation, is seldom believed. Thus men may be heard in the streets, in the fields, or bazaars, and children in the schools or the play grounds, say, 'Swear you will do this; now take an oath you have not done it.' Then they swear by the temple or its lamp, by their parents or children, and appeal to their deities for a confirmation of the assertion." OBADIAH, Ty Sept. Oẞadias, one of the information either as to who he was, or when he prominor prophets, concerning whom we have no positive phesied. Jerome, with the Jews, is of opinion that he was the same person who was governor of Ahab's house, and who hid and fed one hundred prophets whom Jezebel would have destroyed. Others think that he was the Obadiah whom Josiah constituted overseer of the works of the Temple, mentioned in 2Chronicles 34. 12. Dupin refers him to the time of Ahaz, in whose reign the Edomites, in conjunction with the Israelites, made almost wholly directed against the Edomites or Iduwar against the tribe of Judah; because his prophecy is mæans. Grotius, Huet, Dr. Lightfoot, and other commentators, however, make him to be contemporary with Hosea, Joel, and Amos, agreeably to the rule of the Jewish writers, that where the time of the prophet is not expressed, his predictions are to be placed in the same chronological order as the prophecy immediately preceding. Archbishop Newcome supposes, with some probability, that Obadiah prophesied between the taking by Nebuchadnezzar, which took place a few years after; of Jerusalem (587 B.C.) and the devastation of Idumæa Jeremiah. As the latter has many expressions similar consequently, that he was partly contemporary with has borrowed from the other. There are various opito others in Obadiah, it is a question which of the two nions on this subject, and there is not much preponderance of evidence on either side; except that, as Jeremiah has used the writings of other prophets in his predictions against foreign nations, this fact renders it the more probable that he had read Obadiah than the reverse. The following is a table of the parallel passages: Obadiah, verse 1, compared with Jeremiah 49. 14 The Book of Obadiah, which consists of a single chapter, is written with great beauty and elegance, and contains predictions of the utter destruction of the Edomites, and of the future restoration and prosperity of the Jews. OBAL, by (Gen. 10. 28;) the name of one of the sons of Joktan, from whom, according to Bochart, sprang an Arabian people of whom little is known. Gesenius says, "The Samaritan text and 1Chronicles 1. 22, have y Ebal, perhaps the same as in Genesis 36. 23, which is called a district of Idumæa according to a different genealogical view. Both names (Gen. 10. 28 and 36. 23,) might be compared with Toẞairis in Josephus, a country of Arabia, which was inhabited by the Edomites and Amalekites, and Gebalene, the country about Petra, but the comparison is very uncertain." OBED-EDOM, the son of Jeduthun, a Levite, in whose house the ark of the Lord abode, and brought a blessing with it. (1Chron. 16. 38.) In 2Samuel 6. 10, he is called the Gittite, probably because he was of Gath Rimmon, a city of the Levites in the territory of the tribe of Dan. (Josh. 21. 24,25.) OBEDIENCE, consists in the performance of the commands of a superior. Obedience to God may be considered, (1.) As virtual, which consists in a belief of the Gospel, of the holiness and equity of its precepts, and the truth of its promises, and a true repentance of all our sins. (2.) Actual obedience, which is the practice and exercise of the several graces and duties of Christianity. (3.) Perfect obedience, which is the exact conformity of our hearts and lives to the law of God, without the least imperfection. This last is peculiar to a glorified state. The obligation we are under to obedience arises, (1.) From the relation we stand in to God as creatures. (Psalm 95. 6.) (2.) From the law He hath revealed to us in his word. (Psalm 119. 3; 2Peter 1.5-7.) (3.) From the blessings of his providence, which we are constantly receiving. (Acts 14. 17.) (4.) From the love and goodness of God in the great work of redemption. (1Cor. 6. 20.) OBEISANCE, Пshachah. In 1 Kings 1. 16, when Bathsheba presented herself to David, it is said, "And Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance unto the king; and the king said, What wouldest thou?" as an act of obeisance. In India, "When a husband goes on a journey, or when he returns,” Roberts says, "his wife on seeing him puts her hands together, and presents them to him When she has an important request to make, she does the same thing; and it is surprising to see the weakness of him who pretends to be the stronger vessel, for, under such circumstances, she will gain almost anything she wants. Hence the force of their popular proverb: The woman who regularly ever she pleases.' When Bathsheba made her obeisance to the king, he asked, 'What wouldest thou?' but the Hebrew has this, 'What to thee?" This accords with the idiom of the Tamul language. Thus it will be asked of a person who stands with his hands presented to a great man, 'To thee what?' If speaking of a third person, 'To him what?' or, literally, Him to what?"" See FORMS OF ADDRESS AND SALUTATION. makes obeisance to her husband, can make it rain when OBLATION, minchah, (Levit. 2. 4,7;) an offering, sacrifice. The Jewish oblations will be found noticed under SACRIFICE. "In the primitive Church, at the administration of the Lord's Supper communicants were required to bring certain oblations, Tроopopat, or presents, Swpa, of bread and wine. These were sometimes presented by persons who did not communicate. The bread and wine were enveloped in a white linen cloth called 'fago;' the wine being contained in a vessel called 'ama' or 'amula.' After the deacon had said, 'Let us pray,' the communicants carried their offerings towards the altar, which were usually taken by a deacon, and, having been delivered or presented to the bishop, were laid upon the altar, or upon a separate table provided for their reception. This custom of offering oblation ceased generally during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries." Riddle. OBOTH, лi (Numb. 33. 43,) one of the sta tions where the Israelites encamped in the wilderness. From Mount Hor they proceeded round Mount Seir, and pitched in Zalmonah, thence in Punon, and thence in Oboth. Between Mount Hor, and the last of these places, fiery serpents were sent to them as a punishment of their impenitence and murmurings. Moses, however, in answer to his prayers, was commanded to make a serpent of brass, and erect it on a pole, by looking steadfastly at which, those who had been bitten were miraculously healed. From Oboth they proceeded to and encamped in Ije-abarim, in the wilderness of Moab, toward the sun-rising. (Numb. 33. 44.) OFFERING. See SACRIFICE. OFFICES OF CHRIST. These are generally considered as threefold. Thus He is (1.) A prophet to enlighten, warn, and instruct, (John 6. 14;) (2.) A priest to sympathize, intercede, and make atonement for his people, (Isai. ch. 53; Heb. ch. 7;) and (3.) A king to reign, rule over, protect, deliver, and bless them. (Psalm 2. 6.) See JESUS CHRIST; MEDIATOR; MESSIAH, OG, (Deut. 3. 1; 4. 47; 31. 4,) the king of Bashan, was of the race of the old Rephaim. He is described by Josephus as the friend and ally of Sihon, who marching to the assistance of the latter, and finding he was already defeated and slain, determined to avenge him, and expel the intruders; but in attempting to execute this intention, he was himself slain in battle, and all his army destroyed. sacred historian informs us that his bedstead was of iron, To afford some idea of the bulk and stature of Og, the and measured four yards and a half long by two yards wide. "Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.” (Deut. 3. 11.) Roberts here observes, "This is a very curious account of a giant king: his bedstead was made of iron, and we are able to ascertain its exact length, nine cubits, that is, 'after the cubit of a man.' This alludes to the Eastern mode of measuring from the tip of the middle finger to inches. Thus his bedstead was thirteen feet six inches the elbow, which will be found to be in general eighteen in length, and six feet in breadth. The hawkers of cloth in India very seldom carry with them a yard wand; they simply measure from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, counting two lengths of that for a yard." that we are to understand the bedstead to have been In reference to Og's bedstead, Maimonides observes one-third longer than the man for whose use it was destined. This proportion brings down his stature to little more than nine feet. The correctness of this estimate is supported by the fact that this was also just the stature of Goliath, another giant, whose height was six cubits (nine feet) and a span, a stature that no one will call incredible or unlikely who calls to mind the numerous and well-authenticated instances that might be produced of such stature in comparatively modern times. See GIANTS. The y eres, or bedstead, here referred to, does not appear to mean one of those divans or sofas which are placed along the sides of Oriental sitting-rooms, but more properly what we should understand by the term. Bedsteads, it appears, were used in ancient Egypt, and are still common there as well as in Arabia and other countries where the palm grows. They are made entirely from the mid-rib of the palm-frond, and from the nature of its construction, Og's bedstead seems to have been something of the kind. OG Og is the hero of numerous monstrous tales which have their origin in the fertile fancy of the Rabbins, one or two specimens of which we subjoin. of war, to the end that they may not deal with me as they have dealt with Sihon.' Whereupon he went and plucked up a hill of six miles extent, and set the same upon his head, that he might cast it upon them. But presently God caused insects to come upon the hill, and they ate a hole therein just over the head of Og, so that his head became inclosed therein. And when he attempted to cast the hill from him, he could not do it; for his grinders and other teeth grew out, (and were fastened in the sides of the hollow which inclosed his head,) and his mouth moved this way and that. Then went Moses, (being himself ten ells high,) took an axe ten ells in length, and jumped ten ells high, and struck him on the ancle, so that he fell down and died.” The statement in the Scriptures that he was the last of the race of the Rephaim, they have interpreted to mean that he was the sole survivor of the antediluvian giants; or, in other words, that he alone survived the Deluge, and lived down to the time of Moses; others, however, allege that Sihon, king of the Amorites, whom they believe to have been Og's brother, and a giant like him, was also saved. The following is the way in which Og was preserved. "The old giants calculated that they could easily prevent the threatened Deluge by setting their feet upon the 'fountains of the great deep,' to prevent the bursting forth of the waters from below, and, at the same time, laying their outspread hands upon 'the windows of heaven' to prevent the fall of OIL, shemen. (Gen. 28. 18; Job 24. 11.) waters from above. But when the time arrived, their The mention of oil in the above passages of the early opposition was easily overcome by the first burst of water Scriptures proves that the cultivation of the olive-tree is being made so hot that they were compelled to with- of very ancient date, and from other passages we learn draw their hands from the windows of heaven,' and that it formed an important feature of the agriculture of their feet from the fountain of the great deep.' Og, Palestine. The oil extracted from the olive by a press, however, had the luck to discover that the water was enabled the Jews to carry on an extensive commerce cool all around the ark, and he therefore remained close with the Tyrians, (Ezek. 27. 17, comp. with 1Kings to it all the time the waters covered the face of the 5. 11,) and they also sent presents of oil to the kings earth. This he could easily do as the waters did not of Egypt. (Hosea 12. 1.) The berries of the olive-tree reach above his ancles; but sometimes he rode upon the were sometimes plucked, or carefully shaken off, by top of the ark, or sometimes sat upon the beam under the hand before they were ripe, (Isai. 17. 6; 24. 13; the ladder. As for his food he managed to ingratiate Deut. 24. 20;) and if, while they were yet green, instead himself with the people in the ark, and swore that, if of being cast into the press, they were only beaten and assisted, he would be Noah's servant all his days; where- squeezed, they yielded the best kind of oil, termed upon Noah made a hole in the side of the ark, through pure oil olive beaten." (Exod. 27. 20.) There were which he handed him out his daily food. But we should presses of a peculiar make for pressing oil, called have an inadequate notion of Noah's benevolence were gath shemen, in which the oil was trodden out by we not informed that Og required for his daily support a thousand oxen, the same number of different kinds of game, and a thousand measures of water." After this there is a lapse of about a thousand years in the history of Og. He then makes his appearance as being in the service of Nimrod, who gave him as a present to Abraham, after the patriarch had been delivered from the fiery furnace. As Abraham's servant, Og was circumcised; and although not without his faults, he rendered very valuable services to his master; and since he could not, for these services, be recompensed in the world to come, he received his reward in this, and became king of Bashan. Several particulars are told of him while with Abraham, such as "The soles of his feet were forty miles long; and he hid Abraham in the hollow of his hand. One time he trembled so exceedingly at a rebuke from Abraham, that he shook a tooth out of his head. Abraham made himself a bedstead from this tooth, and ever after lay and slept thereon." Authorities, however, somewhat differ on this point, some alleging that he made an easy chair out of Og's tooth, and used that chair alone for his seat as long as he afterwards lived. This may give some idea of Og's size; but in the treatise called Nidda, the following passage occurs: "We learn that Abba Shaul, or if thou wilt, Rabbi Jochanan, hath said, 'I have been a grave digger; and it did once happen to me that I pursued a roe, which at last fled into a shin-bone. I ran after it into the bone, and followed it for three miles; but I could not overtake it, neither could I see the end of the bone. Whereupon I returned, and was told that this was the shin-bone of Og, king of Bashan."" The particulars of the death of Og are thus given in the Chaldee paraphrase of Rabbi Jonathan: "And it came to pass that the wicked Og saw the camp of the Israelites, which extended six miles in length. Then he said, 'I will create among this people all the distraction. 66 the feet. (Micah 6. 15.) The first expression of the oil was better than the second, and the second than the third. Ripe olives yielded oil of a less valuable kind. The best sort of oil was mixed with spices, and used for ointment; the inferior sort was used with food, or burnt in lamps, and also medicinally employed. (Luke 10. 34.) In sacrifices the use of oil was commanded. (Levit. 2. 1,5,7,15; 6. 15.) In Leviticus 7. 12, we read, "If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour fried." Michaëlis remarks on this passage, "With the exception of two rare cases, oil was ordered to accompany every meal-offering, in order to its being therewith prepared, and baked into cakes. With this law, in so far as it is perhaps typical, and regards a holy ceremony, I have here nothing to do, because I consider it merely with respect to its political influence in the state, and that, among a people brought out of Egypt into Palestine, and still always hankering after Egypt, was important. It imperceptibly attached them to their new country, and served to render even the idea of a future residence in Egypt irksome, while it also imperceptibly gave them an inclination to cultivate the olivetree, for which nature seems to have pre-eminently adapted Palestine. In the greatest part of Egypt, according to Strabo, no olive-trees were cultivated. It was only in the Heracleotic canton that they came to such perfection as that oil could be made from them. In the gardens around Alexandria, (which, however, did not exist in the time of the ancient kings, that part of the country being an uncultivated waste till the reign of Alexander the Great,) there were olive-trees, but no oil was made. The consequence of this want of oil was, (as it still is,) that in Egypt they made use of butter, as we do, and also of honey, in their pastry; and even at |