Lord our God, and the God of our fathers, to lead me out, and cause me to return to my house in peace; to protect me from the hand of the enemy, and of him that lays snares in the way. Take me to my destined place, and make me return home in peace, for thou art the God who hearest prayer. Blessed be thou who hearest prayer." They are enjoined to avoid no tolls, to defraud no person, to throw themselves unnecessarily into no danger, as if God were to work a miracle in their behalf, and never to conceal that they are Jews; and, to show their jealousy of Christians, it is recommended that when walking with one who has a sword, they should keep on his right hand, to see when he drew it; and with one who has a spear on the left for the same reason; that in going up a hill the Jew should precede the Christian, and in coming down should follow, because the highest was thought to have the advantage, although it is evident that in ascending, the danger lay in being wounded before he was aware." SECT. VIII. Jewish Marks of Honour and Disgrace. 1. Marks of honour which servants paid to their masters. Slaves, their price; their submissive attitude; washed the hands of their masters; served him before they ate themselves; servants of different ranks; eunuchs; singing men and singing women. 2. Marks of respect paid by inferiors in general to superiors. Bowing the head; bowing the knee; bowing to the ground; kissing the hand, or what came from it; gave them the chief seat; made yearly presents; allayed the dust before them when travelling: spreading their garments. A spear, or lamps, indicated the tent of a chief. 3. Marks of respect among equals. The salam, or salutation; eastern salutations took up much time; their way of saluting when at a distance, and when at hand; kissing; falling on the neck; taking hold of the beard. Manner of conducting visits; these held in the court in summer, and house in winter. The entertainment at an eastern visit; sprinkling with rose-water; perfuming the Buxtorff, Synag. Judaic. cap. 43. guests; their signs of mirth. 4. Marks of honour paid to inferiors; those to principal officers; Joseph; Mordecai; changes of raiment; purple robe; gold buckle and clasp ; a key on the shoulder a mark of office; explanation of a horn as an emblem of dignity and power; breaking a chain a mark of freedom. 5. Marks of disgrace. Cutting off the beard; plucking off the hair; spitting in the face; clapping the hands, hissing, and wagging the head; gnashing the teeth; speaking evil of one's mother. ; In every country there hath always been a distinction of ranks and certain marks have been established to show, on the one hand, the respect which an inferior hath for a superior, and, on the other, the honour which a person of noble rank wishes to confer on humble merit. In the East, these marks have been long established, being the same almost now that they were in the times of the Old Testament; so that they serve as a commentary on this part of the Jewish customs. For the sake of perspicuity, we shall divide our observations into four parts. 1st, Those which servants, or rather slaves, paid to their masters. 2d, Those which inferiors, in general, paid to superiors. 3d, Those which equals showed to each other: and 4th, Those marks of honour which persons of rank were wont to pay to those in a humbler station. 1st, As for the conduct of servants or slaves to their masters, this was most submissive, and from it arose their own peculiar situation, and the general state of society: for servants, among the Jews, were either strangers, meaning by that term persons of other nations who had been taken in war, or bought with money, and accounted property; or they were the children of strangers, who had been born in their house, and in the same situation as their parents; or they were Hebrews who, being poor, had sold themselves for seven years; or were sold by their creditors to pay their debts; or by their parents from necessity. Lightfoot tells us from Maimonides, that "the stated price of a slave, whether old or young, male or female, was thirty selaas or shekels of good silver, whether he was worth a hundred pounds or only worth a penny." But it is easy to see that the stated would vary much from the real price; since purchasers would be guided often by the age, beauty, and utility, of the person bought. This sum of thirty shekels was the price of a slave, as stated in the law; and in Zechariah xi. 12, 13, it is expressly prophesied as the sum which Judas should receive for betraying his master. The implicit obedience of eastern servants has been frequently remarked by travellers.-Thus Dr. Pococke says, that at a visit in Egypt, "Every thing was done with the greatest decency, and the most profound silence; the slaves or servants standing at the bottom of the room, with their hands joined before them, watching with the utmost attention every motion of their master, who commanded them by signs." Savary says, "The slaves, with their hands crossed on their breast, wait in silence at the end of the apartment; and, with their looks fixed on their master, they try to anticipate his least wish." And Dr. Russell gives us two prints, in one of which stands a male servant, attending on a Turk of dignity, in that dress, and bumble submissive attitude, in which they are accustomed to wait on their masters; and, in the other, a female servant is, in like manner, waiting on her mistress. How beautifully, therefore, do these extracts explain the words of the Psalmist: "Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the a Lev. xxv. 47-55. Matt. xviii. 25. • Compare Matt. xxvi. 15. xxvii. 3-10. • Letters on Egypt, p. 135. Psal. cxxiii. 2. b Harm. of New Test. sect. 81. d Newbury's Coll. vol. xii. p. 68. f Nat. Hist. of Aleppo, p. 101. hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us." Among the several duties of servants mentioned in Scripture, that of pouring water on their master's hands is particularly noticed. Thus, Elisha's being the attendant or servant of Elijah, is expressed by his pouring water on that prophet's hands. Indeed the custom 'was not peculiar to the Jews, for we find the same office performed by servants in the days of Homer. Thus, Asphalion, the male slave of Menelaus, pours water on the hands of his master and the other guests; and, in various parts of the Odyssey, female slaves are employed in the same office. This custom of pouring water on the hands of superiors is still the practice of the East; for Mr. Hanway, when speaking of a Persian supper, says, "Supper being brought in, a servant presented a basin of water, and a napkin hung over his shoulders; he went to every one in the company, and poured water on their hands to wash." d The humanity that is now shown to servants in christian countries would make it appear harsh, to desire a servant, when coming tired from the field, to wait upon his master while he dined, before himself had taken any refreshment; and yet this is not inconsistent with eastern usage, for our Lord supposes such a case in Luke xvii. 7-9. "Which of you," says he, "having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat Odyss. i. 136. iv. 52. vii. 172. x. 350. xv. 135. xvii. 91. and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not."In the houses of the great there were many servants, and each had a distinct office, with which none of his fellow servants interfered, and consequently, for the discharge of which he was accountable.-But of all the servants in the courts of kings, during the last period of the Scripture history, the eunuchs appear to have been the most confidential: they had no distinct family interest, and the employment of them prevented that jealousy which was often the cause of great evils in the eastern courts. They commonly, therefore, guarded the beds of the eastern despots, their treasures, and their wives.-In the houses of the great, also, were companies of singing men and singing women. Solomon speaks of them in Eccl. ii. 8; and when describing the effects of old age, he tells us that, "all the daughters of music shall then be brought low:" meaning, that aged persons, from deafness, and the general decline of their senses and faculties, take little pleasure in music.-Accordingly, Barzillai, the friend of David, when urged to leave the place of his nativity, and spend the evening of his days at the court of that monarch, made this beautiful reply: "How long have I to live that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem? I am this day fourscore years old; and can I discern between good and evil? Can thy servant taste what I eat, or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?" Mr. Park" speaks fully of these singing men as commonly to be met with in Africa, and Dr. Clarke in his Travels repeatedly notices the b a Dan. i. 3. 8. Acts viii. 27. b Eccl. xii. 4. 2 Sam. xix. 34, 35. |