Ill 
only labour but cattle and seed. If the owner gives cattle and seed as well, 
the cultivator only gets -f- of the produce. 
P. 103. It may be worth notice that a walking-staff in Palestine is often 
carried head-doivn. 
P. 104. pftjn, ivheat, is commonly found as nt£)n ? the j being dropped 
In Palestine we use the word Hhuntah, which is the same in Syro- Arabic. 
P. 105. Joseph spake unto the “ house ” of Pharaoh. “The house” still 
is the polite phrase for “ wife,” in common use. 
(I do not think the word is used in the sense of “ wife ” in the case re- 
ferred to. I think it is used in the same sense as that in which we use the 
word “household” in England.— H. G. T.) 
Lieut. C. E. Conder, E.E., writes “ As to (p. 87), it seems to me 
probable that the Balanites JEgyptiaca, or Zafckum, was the balm-tree ; as the 
Opobalsamum does not now occur in Palestine, and I see no very good 
reason to suppose it ever did. 
“ May I also suggest that decapitation (p. 92) is mentioned in the Mishna 
as a legal punishment. See Handbook to the Bible, p. 132.” 
The Eev. J. Baylee, D.D., asks : — “ Are you quite warranted in giving so 
strong a force to ‘ my wife J in Gen. xliv. 27 (p. 85), when the same word is 
applied to Bilhah and Zilpah in Gen. xxx. 4, 9 ? ” 
I think that after all I have been perfectly accurate in the meaning I have 
attached to the words “my wife.” It occurred to Jacob’s mind, when bless- 
ing his descendants, that he should call Eachel only, or Eachel emphatically, 
“ my wife,” and it is in strict conformity with this that she is so named 
emphatically in the pedigree. I do not at all wonder at this. Certainly 
Eachel was especially Jacob’s wife, and it is not in the least degree mar- 
vellous to me, nor does it appear unfair, that the firstborn of the true 
destined wife should have the birthright given to him and should, in fact, 
be the preferred son. I think it was not a mere matter of dotage on the 
part of Jacob, although there are a great many people who would take 
so low a view of the patriarchs that they would altogether wash out their 
individual characters, and render them such ghosts of themselves that they 
are to be either hissed off the stage altogether, or laid down to be poor infirm 
people, of such weak characters that it is of no consequence who they were 
or what they did. But I am not of that way of thinking at all. (Hear, hear.) 
Dr. Baylee also says : — 
“With regard to the word D'DB, can we go so far as to make it designate 
unique distinction as heir apparent (if I may use the phrase), when it was 
the common garment of the king’s daughters who were virgins ? ” 2 Sam. 
xiii. 18, 19. 
This is true enough, but even at the present day a special ornamental 
garment is given to the favourite son, and I think it certainly did indicate 
that it was intended to do a particular honour to Joseph ; and if it were really 
