5d THE PALMS OF EUROPE AND AFRICA. 



" With songs tliey shall no more drink wine, {i.e., of grapes,) 

 The palm wine shall be bitter to them that drink it." 



And he observes that this is the proper mean- 

 ing of the word. The same liquor, in a concen- 

 trated syrupy form, or the thick sweet juice of 

 the dates, seems to be referred to under the same 

 title, as in Prov. xxxi. 6 ; and under the name 

 of honey in other passages, as in Gen. xliii. 11, 

 *' Carry down the man a present, a little balm, 

 and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and 

 almonds;" and Prov. xxv. IG, "Hast thou 

 found honey ? eat so much as is sufficient for 

 thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it." 

 Such being the importance and multiplied uses 

 of the date palm, it is not surprising that in 

 an arid and barren country it should form so 

 prominent a subject of allusion and description 

 in the works of Arabian authors, and that it 

 should be said to have three hundred names in 

 that language. Many of these are, however, 

 applied to different parts of the plant, as well 

 as to those at different ages. 



But valuable as the date palm is, as a tree all 

 of whose products are distinguished by great 

 economical importance, it is invested with sur- 

 passing interest on account of its associations. 

 It is the " pahn tree " of Scripture, to which 

 such frequent references are made throughout 



