Thursday, June 03, 2004
Food
The food of the Israelites and Egyptians was more of a vegetable than animal kind.
Their ordinary diet contained a larger proportion of farinaceous and leguminous foods, with honey, butter, and cheese, than of animal (2Sam 17:28-29). Still an entirely vegetable diet was deemed a poor one (Pro 15:17; Dan 1:12). Some kinds of locusts were eaten by the poor, and formed part of John the Baptist's simple diet (Mat 3:4; Lev 11:22). Condiments, as salt, mustard (Mat 13:31), anise, rue, cummin, almonds, were much used (Isa 28:25, etc.; Mat 23:23). The killing of a calf or sheep for a guest is as simple and expeditions in Modern Syria as it was in Abraham's days.
The children of Israel, when in the wilderness, are said to have looked back wistfully on the “cucumbers ... melons ... leeks ... onions, and the garlic” of Egypt (Num 11:5). All these things we find later were grown in Palestine.
For what regards fish, the present inhabitants of Moab and Edom make no use of the fish that swarm in the Arnon, the Ḥisa and other streams, but fishing is an important industry in Galilee and Western Palestine.
On nets: in the New Testament, σαγηνη, sagḗnē (Mat 13:47), is clearly the dragnet, and αμφιβληστρον, amphíblēstron (Mat 4:18), is clearly the casting net. The word most often used is δικτυον, díktuoň. Though this word is from dikeín, “to throw,” or “to cast,” the context in several places (e.g. Luk 5:4; Joh 21:11) suggests that a dragnet is meant. The dragnet may be several hundred feet long. The upper edge is buoyed and the lower edge is weighted. It is let down from a boat in a line parallel to the shore and is then pulled in by ropes attached to the two ends, several men and boys usually pulling at each end. The use of the casting net requires much skill. It forms a circle of from 10 to 20 feet in diameter with numerous small leaden weights at the circumference. It is lifted by the center and carefully gathered over the right arm. When well thrown it goes to some distance, at the same time spreading out into a wide circle. A cord may be attached to the center, but this is not always the case. When lifted again by the center, the leads come together, dragging over the bottom, and sometimes a large number of fish may be enclosed.
Their ordinary diet contained a larger proportion of farinaceous and leguminous foods, with honey, butter, and cheese, than of animal (2Sam 17:28-29). Still an entirely vegetable diet was deemed a poor one (Pro 15:17; Dan 1:12). Some kinds of locusts were eaten by the poor, and formed part of John the Baptist's simple diet (Mat 3:4; Lev 11:22). Condiments, as salt, mustard (Mat 13:31), anise, rue, cummin, almonds, were much used (Isa 28:25, etc.; Mat 23:23). The killing of a calf or sheep for a guest is as simple and expeditions in Modern Syria as it was in Abraham's days.
The children of Israel, when in the wilderness, are said to have looked back wistfully on the “cucumbers ... melons ... leeks ... onions, and the garlic” of Egypt (Num 11:5). All these things we find later were grown in Palestine.
For what regards fish, the present inhabitants of Moab and Edom make no use of the fish that swarm in the Arnon, the Ḥisa and other streams, but fishing is an important industry in Galilee and Western Palestine.
On nets: in the New Testament, σαγηνη, sagḗnē (Mat 13:47), is clearly the dragnet, and αμφιβληστρον, amphíblēstron (Mat 4:18), is clearly the casting net. The word most often used is δικτυον, díktuoň. Though this word is from dikeín, “to throw,” or “to cast,” the context in several places (e.g. Luk 5:4; Joh 21:11) suggests that a dragnet is meant. The dragnet may be several hundred feet long. The upper edge is buoyed and the lower edge is weighted. It is let down from a boat in a line parallel to the shore and is then pulled in by ropes attached to the two ends, several men and boys usually pulling at each end. The use of the casting net requires much skill. It forms a circle of from 10 to 20 feet in diameter with numerous small leaden weights at the circumference. It is lifted by the center and carefully gathered over the right arm. When well thrown it goes to some distance, at the same time spreading out into a wide circle. A cord may be attached to the center, but this is not always the case. When lifted again by the center, the leads come together, dragging over the bottom, and sometimes a large number of fish may be enclosed.
