MAT. 77 



named in Scripture, and whicli is rendered 

 mallow in oi;r version, is not referable to one 

 of the mallow tribe. The patriarch, when 

 describing the former straits and necessities of 

 some, who new when sorrow had fallen on him, 

 prided themselves on their worldly prosperity, 

 says, They " cut up mallows by the bushes."* 

 Authors have arrived at various conclusions 

 as to the plant intended. The Scripture Avord 

 malluach, is thought to denote a saltish plant, 

 and several herbs whose ashes contain soda, 

 have been adduced by writers. The learned 

 Bochart is of opinion that a shrubby species of 

 orache, or atriplex, is intended; another sug- 

 gests that it may be a species of fig-marigold ; 

 while a third considers it to be the Jews' 

 mallow, (^Corchorus olitorius,) which is planted 

 in great quantity in the neighbourhood of 

 Aleppo for food, and of which the Jews boil 

 the leaves to eat with their meat. It is well 

 for us that we do not live in those times when 

 such discussions would render us liable to 

 ecclesiastical censure, and that we need not 

 fear such blame as St. Augustine denounced 

 upon a bishop of his times, who having, as 

 he considered, wrongly translated the name of 

 a plant mentioned by the apostle John, was 

 declared to be " a falsifier of the Holy Scrip- 

 ture." Still it is most important that we rightly 

 discern the correct rendering of the inspired 

 word. 



Many of our common garden mallows 



» Job XXX. 4. 



