52 The Rev. J. Hamilton on the Punic Passage in Plautus, 



The Punic and Libyan Phraseology respecting the Site and Ichnography of 



Agorastocles' Dwelling. 



In hisce habitare monstratum est regionibus. 

 U'niid chi'l'lu eleh gblim Isibith thin. 



And witness testifies that he has rendered the quarters of his habitation 



accessible. 

 Elem uth dubert erm micom psa uspiti. 



The young man, the report is, has opened the antiquated (or shut upf) 

 place and his dwelling. 



As the fifth verse stated Hanno's reminiscence of his old host's house in the 

 city ; and the seventh verse his information that his friend's adopted son had fixed 

 his residence there ; so the ninth states the information he had received respect- 

 ing the site of his habitation, in the neighbourhood of which he had now arrived. 



The phrase with which the line begins witness reports, has been already 

 considered, and shewn to be a Hebrew phrase, ^y s^y, witness answered or de- 

 posed, u'ni id. The part of it (chi I'lu) also has been already explained in the 

 note, p. 17j as meaning that he had opened, as Parkhurst, or as Gesenius 

 explains 'j'jns rendered the place accessible ;* Libyan {yji^tj. 



The Hebrew gebulim, a^'7^3;|, for quarters, regions, must be familiar to the 

 Biblical reader ; and its Libyan equivalent, npc mkom ; rO'ii}'^, for his dwell- 

 ing ; the Libyan spiti. 



Wliat is peculiar to the Libyan is the very natural and significant designation 

 of Agorastocles as the young heir Q'jy ; and the place he had opened as the 

 antiquated, or shut up place, ^^53 ap)0 (a"!!! ?) Q"in> ermt mkom psa. 



As a demonstration of hospitality it may remind us of Job's, " I opened my 

 gate towards the road — nr»DI^-" — Job, xxxi. 32. 



* See his Lexicon in Verb. 



f Respecting the Libyan Erm, see Recapitulation and Revisal. 



