Song of songs; or, sacred idyls / translated from the original Hebrew, with notes critical and explanatory by John Mason Good.

  • Old Testament [Bible].
Date:
1803
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Song of songs; or, sacred idyls / translated from the original Hebrew, with notes critical and explanatory by John Mason Good. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    the estate which, prior to her marriage, she had possessed in Baal-hamon, and which now appertained to himself as a part of the dowiy she had brought him, to her younger and unen- dowed sister. Of the extent of this estate, or vineyard, as it is poetically denominated, we do not exactly know; but we can at least collect that it was vei-y considerable, since it was leased out to a variety of tenants, of whom every one paid a clear rental of a thousand shekels of silver; and which, when it was in possession of the royal bride, had been annually collected by the stewards of her household; who for this part of their office were each of them allowed a salary of two hun- dred shekels, or something less than 25/. sterling; the silver shekel being equal to about 2t. 44r/. of our own coin. Baal- hamon is conjectured by Mr. Harmer to have lain in the neigh- bourhood of Balbec, and in the delightful valley of Bocat; which, in the language of Mr. Wood, “ might by a little care be made one of the richest and most beautiful spots in Syria; for it is more fertile than the celebrated vale of Damascus, and better watered than the rich plains of Esdraelon and Rama.” Account of the Ruins of Balbec, p. 5. (5) Pride of the ‘palm-tree shades ! -] I'he common version is feeble; “ Thou thatdwellcst in the gardens!” And! am indebted to Dr. Geddes for the present v'ai iation. The original words the latter of which is syno- nymous with the same term in Arabic, implies that the gardens here spoken of were of a most beautiful species ot palm-tree: and the literal rendering is therefore—> O thou dweller in the gardens of beautiful palm-trees f p