THE VINE. 275 



Moses with wheat and barley, wines and figs, olive oil and honey, 

 was, in his account, one principal recommendation of the promised 

 land, Dent. viii. 8. 



In Cant. viii. 2, the bride proposes to make for her beloved a 

 beverage of wine mixed with the juice of pomegranates; ' I would 

 cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegran- 

 ate.' Russel observes that there are three kinds of pomegranates 

 at Aleppo ; the sour, the sweet, and another between the two ; and 

 that the inhabitants give a grateful acidity to their sauces, by pome- 

 granate or lemon-juice. Mr. Harmer thinks it highly probable, that 

 in the time of the most remote antiquity, pomegranate-juice was 

 used in those countries where lemon-juice is now used, with their 

 meat, and in their drinks; and that it was not till afterwards that 

 lemons came among them. Otherwise he is at a loss to account 

 for the mention of pomegranates in describing the fruitfulness of 

 the Holy Land, Deut. viii. 7, 8 ; Numb. xx. 5. They would not now, 

 he thinks, occur in such descriptions ; the juice of lemons and 

 oranges having almost superseded the use of that, of pomegranates. 



The Hebrew and Greek names of this tree being expressive of 

 the strong projection or reflection of light, either from the fruit, or 

 from the star-like flower, at its extremity, Parkhurst conceives that 

 those brazen pomegranates which Solomon placed in the net-work 

 over the crowns on the top of the two brazen pillars (1 Kings vii. 18, 

 20, 42 ; 2 Chron. iv. 13 ; Jer. lii.22,23), were intended to represent 

 the stars strongly reflecting light on the earth and planets. So the 

 artificial pomegranates ordered to be fixed on the skirt of Aaron's 

 robe (Exod. xxviii. 33, 34) were, he thinks, to represent those spir- 

 itual stars, even the children of God, who, by a light derived from 

 their great High Priest, shine as lights or luminaries in the world 

 (Phil. ii. 15. comp. Matt. v. 14, 16; Eph. v. 8 ; 1 Thess. v. 5 ; Rev. 

 i. 16 20), and who, like the bells which accompanied the pome- 

 granates, are continually to proclaim the perfection of Him who 

 called them out of darkness into his marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 2. 



THE VINE. 



OF this valuable and well known plant there are several species, 

 and there are many references to it in the sacred writings. It 

 grew plentifully in Palestine, and was particularly fine in some of 

 the districts. The grapes of Egypt being particularly small, we 

 may easily conceive of the surprise which was occasioned to the 

 Israelites by witnessing the bunch of grapes brought by the spies 

 to the camp, from the valley of Eschol, Numb. xiii. 24. The ac- 

 count of Mose?, however, is confirmed by the testimony cf several 

 travellers. Doubdan assures us, that in the valley of Eschol were 



