THE ALMUG TREE. 295 



Dr. Shaw, Mr. Parkhurst, and Mr. Taylor, take the shittah to be 

 the same as the acanthus, or the acacia vera ; a tree about the size 

 of the mulberry tree, producing yellow flowers, and pods like lu- 

 pines. It also yields the gum Arabic. The bark of this tree is of 

 a greyish black ; its wood is of a pale yellow color; its leaves re- 

 semble those of a lentil, and many hang together on the same side 

 of a branch. The branches are full of thorns, which are often in 

 pairs, and its foliage is extremely scanty. 



The ark of the covenant (Exod. xxv. 10), the table of the shew- 

 bread (ver. 23) the bars and pillars of the tabernacle (ch. xxvi. 26, 

 32, 37), the altar of burnt-offering (ch. xxvii. 1 ; ch. xxxviii. 1), and 

 the altar of incense (ch. xxx. 1), were all made of shittirn wood, 

 which the LXX., apparently unable to identify, have rendered, ' in- 

 corruptible wood.' 



THE ALMUG TREE. 



ALMUG trees are mentioned in 1 Kings x. 1 1, 12, as being among 1 

 the costly things brought from Ophir by the navy of Hiram, to 

 king Solomon. 



To detail the various opinions maintained by the learned, as to 

 the particular tree intended by the cdmug or algum, would answer 

 little purpose, though it would occupy considerable space. We 

 will, however, transcribe the entire passage relative to it, from Jo- 

 sephus, as his statement may be considered, in such a case, of some 

 importance. 'About the same time, there were brought to the 

 king, from the Aurea Chersonesus, a country so called, precious 

 stones, and pine trees ; and these trees he made use of for support- 

 ing the temple and the palace, as also for the materials of musical 

 instruments, the harps, and the psalteries that the Levites might 

 make use of in their hymns to God. The wood which was brought 

 to him at this time, was larger and finer than any that had ever 

 been brought before ; but let no one imagine that these pine trees 

 were like those which are now so named, and which take their 

 denomination from the merchants, who so call them, that they 

 may procure them to be admired by those that purchase them ; 

 for those we speak of, were, to the sight, like the wood of the fig 

 tree, but were whiter and more shining. Now, we have said thus 

 much, that nobody may be ignorant of the difference between 

 these sorts of wood, nor unacquainted with the nature of the genu- 

 ine pine tree ; and we thought it both a seasonable and humane 

 thing when we mentioned it, and the uses the king made of it, to 

 explain this difference so far as we have done.' 



