January 31, 2012

Numbers 11:1-13:33

FARM TOOLS USED IN BIBLE TIMES

IRRIGATION

Egyptian painting from tomb of Ipui, Thebes, 13th century BC, showing slave working an irrigation machine.

ir-i-gā´shun: No equivalent for this word is found in Biblical writings, although the use of irrigation for maintaining vegetable life is frequently implied (Ecc_2:5, Ecc_2:6; Isa_58:11). To one familiar with the methods of irrigation practiced in Palestine, Syria and Egypt, the passage, “where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs” (Deu_11:10), is easily explained. The water is brought in channels to the gardens, where it is distributed in turn to the different square plots bounded by banks of earth, or along the rows of growing vegetables planted on the sides of the trenches. In stony soil the breach in the canal leading to a particular plot is opened and closed with a hoe. Any obstruction in the trench is similarly removed, while in the soft, loamy soil of the coastal plain or in the Nile valley these operations can be done with the foot; a practice still commonly seen.

The remains of the great irrigation works of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians leave no doubt as to the extent to which they used water to redeem the deserts. In Palestine and Syria there was less need (Deu_10:7; Deu_11:11) for irrigation. Here there is an annual fall of from 30 to 40 inches, coming principally during the winter. This is sufficient for the main crops. The summer supply of vegetables, as well as the fruit and mulberry trees, requires irrigation. Hardly a drop of many mountain streams is allowed to reach the sea, but is used to water the gardens of the mountain terraces and plains. This supply is now being supplemented by the introduction of thousands of pumps and oil engines for raising the water of the wells sufficiently to run it through the irrigation canals. Where a spring is small, its supply is gathered into a birket, or cistern, and then drawn off through a large outlet into the trenches, sometimes several days being required to fill the cistern. In Ecc_2:6, Solomon is made to say, “I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest.” This passage helps to explain the uses of the so-called Pools of Solomon, South of Jerusalem. In this same district are traces of the ancient terraces which were probably watered from these pools. See AGRICULTURE; GARDEN.

To one familiar with the methods of irrigation practiced in Palestine, Syria and Egypt, the passage, “where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs” (Deu_11:10), is easily explained. The water is brought in channels to the gardens, where it is distributed in turn to the different square plots bounded by banks of earth, or along the rows of growing vegetables planted on the sides of the trenches. In stony soil the breach in the canal leading to a particular plot is opened and closed with a hoe. Any obstruction in the trench is similarly removed, while in the soft, loamy soil of the coastal plain or in the Nile valley these operations can be done with the foot; a practice still commonly seen.

The remains of the great irrigation works of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians leave no doubt as to the extent to which they used water to redeem the deserts. In Palestine and Syria there was less need (Deu_10:7; Deu_11:11) for irrigation. Here there is an annual fall of from 30 to 40 inches, coming principally during the winter. This is sufficient for the main crops. The summer supply of vegetables, as well as the fruit and mulberry trees, requires irrigation. Hardly a drop of many mountain streams is allowed to reach the sea, but is used to water the gardens of the mountain terraces and plains. This supply is now being supplemented by the introduction of thousands of pumps and oil engines for raising the water of the wells sufficiently to run it through the irrigation canals. Where a spring is small, its supply is gathered into a birket, or cistern, and then drawn off through a large outlet into the trenches, sometimes several days being required to fill the cistern. In Ecc_2:6, Solomon is made to say, “I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest.” This passage helps to explain the uses of the so-called Pools of Solomon, South of Jerusalem. In this same district are traces of the ancient terraces which were probably watered from these pools.

Ecc 2:6 I made me pools of water,.... For cascades and water works to play in, as well as to keep and produce fish of all kinds: mention is made of the king's pools, Neh_2:14; the fish pools at Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim, perhaps belonged to Solomon, Son_7:4; Little more than a league from Bethlehem are pools of water, which at this day are called the fish pools of Solomon; they are great reservatories cut in the rock, the one at the end of the other; the second being a little lower than the first, and the third than the second, and so communicate the water from one to another when they are full (c); and of which Mr. Maundrell (d) gives the following account:

"They are about an hour and a quarter distant from Bethlehem, southward; they are three in number, lying in a row above each other, being so disposed, that the waters of the uppermost may descend into the second, and those of the second into the third; their figure is quadrangular; the breadth is the same in all, amounting to above ninety paces; in their length there is some difference between them, the first being about an hundred sixty paces long; the second, two hundred; the third, two hundred twenty; they are all lined with a wall, and plastered, and contain a great depth of water.''

And to these, he observes, together with the gardens adjoining, Solomon is supposed to allude, Ecc_2:5. There are to be seen, he says (e), some remains of an old aqueduct, which anciently conveyed the waters from Solomon's pools to Jerusalem; this is said to be the genuine work of Solomon, and may well be allowed to be in reality what it is pretended for. So Rauwolff (f) says,

"beyond the tower of Ader, in another valley, not far from Bethlehem, they show still to this day a large orchard, full of citron, lemon, orange, pomegranate, and fig trees, and many others, which King Solomon did plant in his days; with ponds, canals, and other water works, very pleasantly prepared, as he saith himself, Ecc_2:5; this is still in our time full of good and fruitful trees, worthy to be seen for their sakes, and ditches there: wherefore I really believe it to be the same Josephus (g) makes mention of, called Ethan, about twelve mile from Jerusalem; where Solomon had pleasant gardens and water pools, to which he used to ride early in a morning.''

to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees; the young nurseries, which in time grew up to large fruit bearing trees; which, being numerous and thick, looked like a wood or forest, as the word is; and which canals and nurseries both added greatly to the delight and pleasure of those places. In this manner the Indians water their gardens; who commonly have in them a great pit, or kind of fish pool, which is full of rain water; and just by it there is a basin of brick, raised about two feet higher than the ground: when therefore they have a mind to water the garden, it is filled with water from the fish pool, or pit; which, through a hole that is at the bottom, falls into a canal, that is divided into many branches, proportionable in size to their distance from the basin, and carries the water to the foot of each tree, and to each plot of herbs; and when the gardeners think they are watered enough, they stop up, or turn aside, the canals with clods of earth (i). The beauty of a plant, or tree, is thus described by Aelianus (k);

"branches generous, leaves thick, stem or trunk firm and stable, roots deep; winds shaking it; a large shadow cast from it; changing with the seasons of the year; and water, partly brought through canals, and partly coming from heaven, to water and nourish it; and such beautiful, well watered, and flourishing trees, contribute much to the pleasure of gardens.''

(c) Thevenot's Travels, B. 2. ch. 47. p. 202. (d) Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 88. edit. 7. (e) Ibid. p. 90. (f) Travels, part 3. ch. 22. p. 322. Vid. Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 1. p. 367, 368. (g) Antiqu. l. 8. c. 7. s. 13. (h) Ut supra, p. 50, 51. (Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, edit. 7.) (i) Agreement of Customs between the East Indians and Jews, Art. 21. p. 78. (k) Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 14.

January 30,212

Numbers 8:1-10:36

January 29, 2012

Numbers 7:1-89

January 28, 2012

Numbers 4:34-6:27

RECIPES

Cloud Nine Butterscotch Squares

Servings: 6

"Butterscotch cookie squares with chips."

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup milk 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Mix the butter or margarine, instant pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well. Mix in the flour, baking powder, milk, oats and chocolate chips.
2.	Bake in 9 inch pan for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Frost with chocolate icing.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allre

Rainbow Salad

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes Servings: 11

"Why does this look like a rainbow? Because it has seven layers of gelatin, each in a different flavor and color - cherry and strawberry to lemon and lime."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (3 ounce) package black cherry flavored gelatin mix 1 (3 ounce) package cherry flavored gelatin 1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix 1 (3 ounce) package lemon flavored gelatin

1 (3 ounce) package orange flavored gelatin mix 1 (3 ounce) package orange-pineapple flavored gelatin 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin 9 cups boiling water 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In separate bowls mix the black cherry, lime, orange and strawberry flavored gelatins with 1-1/2 cups boiling water and let each cool to room temperature.
2.	In separate bowls, prepare the cherry, lemon and orange-pineapple flavored gelatins with 1 cup boiling water and add 1/2 cup evaporated milk when each cools to room temperature.
3.	Add the room temperature black cherry flavored gelatin to a 13x9 inch pan and refrigerate until chilled. Follow with a layer of the cherry flavor, lime flavor, lemon flavor, orange flavor, orange-pineapple flavor and strawberry flavor, allowing each layer to cool before adding the next.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2011 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 12/16/2011

January 27, 2012

Numbers 3:1-4:33

FUN FRIDAY

January 26,2012

Numbers1:1-2:34

Tablets of Stone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A popular image of the Tablets as rounded-off rectangles bears little relationship with religious traditions about their appearance. In this case, the Ten Commandments are represented by the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which in Hebrew usage may be usedinterchangeably with the numbers 1-10.

The Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony (in Hebrew: לוחות הברית 

Luchot HaBrit - "the tablets [of] the covenant") in the Bible, were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the

 Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus. Exodus  31:18

 refers to the tablets as the "Tablets of Testimony".

According to the Bible, there were two sets. The first, inscribed by God, were smashed by Moses when he was 

enraged by the sight of the Children of Israel worshiping the Golden Calf; and the second, later cut by Moses and

 rewritten by God.

According to traTablets of Stone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A popular image of the Tablets as rounded-off rectangles bears little relationship with religious traditions about their

 appearance. In this case, the Ten Commandments are represented by the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet,

 which in Hebrew usage may be used interchangeably with the numbers 1-10.

The Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony (in Hebrew: לוחות הברית 

Luchot HaBrit - "the tablets [of] the covenant") in the Bible, were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the

 Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus. Exodus  31:18 

refers to the tablets as the "Tablets of Testimony".

According to the Bible, there were two sets. The first, inscribed by God, were smashed by Moses when he was 

enraged by the sight of the Children of Israel worshiping the Golden Calf; and the second, later cut by Moses and 

rewritten by God.

According to traditional teachings of Judaism in the Talmud, they were made of blue sapphire stone as a symbolic

 reminder of the sky, the heavens, and ultimately of God's throne. Many Torah scholars, however, have opined that 

the Biblical "sapir" was, in fact, the lapis lazuli (see Exodus 24:10, lapis lazuli is a possible alternate rendering of

 "sapphire" the stone pavement under God's feet when the intention to craft the tablets of the covenant is disclosed (24:12).[citation needed](see, Staples, W. E., "Lapis Lazuli," in The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, vol.3, p. 72)

Both the first shattered set and the second unbroken set were stored in the Ark of the Covenant (the Aron Habrit in Hebrew).

Rectangular tablets passed down by theHand of God in the 10th century ByzantineParis Psalter.

In recent centuries the tablets have been popularly described and depicted as round-topped rectangles but this

 has little basis in religious tradition. According to rabbinic tradition, they were rectangles, with sharp corners,[1] 

and indeed they are so depicted in the 3rd century paintings at the Dura-Europos Synagogue and in Christian art 

throughout the 1st millennium,[2] drawing on Jewish traditions of iconography. The rounded tablets appear in the 

Middle Ages, following in size and shape contemporary hinged writing tablets for taking notes (with a stylus on a

 layer of wax on the insides). For Michelangelo and Andrea Mantegnathey still have sharp corners (see gallery),

 and are about the size found in Rabbinic tradition. Later artists such as Rembrandt tended to combine the

 rounded shape with the larger size. The length and width of each of the Tablets was six Tefachim, and each was

 three Tefachim thick - respectively roughly 20 and ten inches,[3] though they tend to be shown larger in art. Also

 according to tradition, the words were not engraved on the surface, but rather were bored fully through the stone.

In Jewish religious tradition, the arrangement of the commandments on the two tablets is interpreted in different 

ways. Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel said that each tablet contained five commandments, "but the Sages say ten

 on one tablet and ten on the other".[4] Because the commandments establish a covenant, it is likely that they

 were duplicated on both tablets. This can be compared to diplomatic treaties ofAncient Egypt, in which a copy 

was made for each party.[5]

Replicas of the tablets, known as tabots or sellats, are a vital part of the practice of Ethiopian Orthodox Church,

 which claims that the original Ark of the Covenant is kept in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum

.[6]ditional teachings of Judaism in the Talmud, they were made of blue sapphire stone as a symbolic reminder of

 the sky, the heavens, and ultimately of God's throne. Many Torah scholars, however, have opined that the Biblical

 "sapir" was, in fact, the lapis lazuli (see Exodus 24:10, lapis lazuli is a possible alternate rendering of "sapphire" 

the stone pavement under God's feet when the intention to craft the tablets of the covenant is disclosed

 (24:12).^{[citation needed]}(see, Staples, W. E., "Lapis Lazuli," in The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, vol.3,

p. 72)

Both the first shattered set and the second unbroken set were stored in the Ark of the Covenant

 (the Aron Habrit in Hebrew).

[edit]

Rectangular tablets passed down by theHand of God in the 10th century ByzantineParis Psalter.

In recent centuries the tablets have been popularly described and depicted as round-topped rectangles but this has little basis in religious tradition. According to rabbinic tradition, they were rectangles, with sharp corners,^[1] and indeed they are so depicted in the 3rd century paintings at the Dura-Europos Synagogue and in Christian art throughout the 1st millennium,^[2] drawing on Jewish traditions of iconography. The rounded tablets appear in the Middle Ages, following in size and shape contemporary hinged writing tablets for taking notes (with a stylus on a layer of wax on the insides). For Michelangelo and Andrea Mantegnathey still have sharp corners (see gallery), and are about the size found in Rabbinic tradition. Later artists such as Rembrandt tended to combine the rounded shape with the larger size. The length and width of each of the Tablets was six Tefachim, and each was three Tefachim thick - respectively roughly 20 and ten inches,^[3] though they tend to be shown larger in art. Also according to tradition, the words were not engraved on the surface, but rather were bored fully through the stone.

[edit]Content

In Jewish religious tradition, the arrangement of the commandments on the two tablets is interpreted in different ways. Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel said that each tablet contained five commandments, "but the Sages say ten on one tablet and ten on the other".^[4] Because the commandments establish a covenant, it is likely that they were duplicated on both tablets. This can be compared to diplomatic treaties ofAncient Egypt, in which a copy was made for each party.^[5]

[edit]Christian replicas

Replicas of the tablets, known as tabots or sellats, are a vital part of the practice of Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which claims that the original Ark of the Covenant is kept in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion inAxum.^[6]