iv. Finally, there is to be noted the term, techn. ' the water of bitterness that causeth the curse ' Nu S""- RV (cf. Kautzsch's tr! : das fluchbringende Wasser des bitteren Wehs), which plays so im- portant a part in the ordeal there described.
A. R. S. Kennedy.
BITTER HERBS (DnhD mSrCrim, viKplSes, lactucae agrestes). — It is hardly possible for an Oriental to dine without a salad, and these salads are composed of many kinds of herbs, some mucilaginous, as the purslane, Portulaca oleracea, L. ; others crisp, as the cucumber ; others aromatic, as parsley ; others bitter, as the watercress, Nasturtium officinale, L. ; the pepper grass, Lepidium sativum, L. ; the endive, Ctchorimn Intybus, L. ; the lettuce, Lactuca sativa, L. Such as these and many others like them can be found everywhere, and suit the requirements of the Passover ordinance (Ex 12«, Nu 9"). More bitter still are the numerous medicinal plants, as colocynth, worm- wood, Bcammony, poppy, and many others which were in the prophet's eye when he said (La 3'° m;, ' He hath nlled me with bitternesses {mSrOrim) ; he hath made me drunken with wormwood.'
The use of bitter herbs at the Passover was not to remind the Israelites of the bitterness of their bondage (Ex 1"), but, as in the case of bread without leaven, to remind them of the haste with which they fled. A meal of unleavened bread, roast lamb, and a salad of bitter herbs, was the simplest and quickest that could be pre- pared. G. E. Post.
BITTER WATER.— See Medicine.
BITTERN (■l^^p, isp kipp6d, ixtyot, ericins).— Gesenius regards kippdd as the same as the Arab. kun/udh, the porcupine ; and with him agree most of the VSS. Tnstram, Houghton, and others favour the rendering bittern of the AV. They argue as follows : — (1) That the porcupine has not been noted as an inhabitant of ruins. But thi.s is equally true of the bittern, and it is far less prob- able tnat it should be said of the bittern than of the porcupine. The bittern is a swamp bird, and would not choose ruins, bnt reeds and fens, for a residence. The porcupine, however, is a shy solitary animal, and might easily choose its home among the fallen columns of Babylon (Is H^), Nineveh (Zeph 2»), or Idumaja (Is 34"). (2) Tliat the porcupine could not climb to the capitals of columns. This is not essential, however, as the allnsion is rather to the fallen stones of a ruin thsin to the capital of a standing column. (3) That ' their voice shall sing in the ^vindows' (Zeph 2'*). Their, however, is not in the original, and we may quite as well supply a, and un<lerstand by ' a voice ' the sighing of the wind among the fallen stones and through the empty casements, rather than the grunt of a porcupine, or the booming of a bittern, neither of wliich can be called singin". (4) That porcupines do not frequent water pools (Is 14"). This, however, is inconclusive, since Babylon was to be a possession for the kipp6d, and
(not in) pools of water — i.e. desolate rains, where lyippvd could live, and marshes.
The passages in which the name kippdd occurs are intended to express desolation and the absence of human residence. They are parallel to a large number of similar ones in which the desolation is symbolised by the residence of various beasts and birds. These are usually chosen because of their shyness, and the certainty that where they are man is far away. It by no means follows that in every case all of them, or perhaps any of the par- ticular ones, should dwell in the ruin. It is quite contrary to the habits of the bittern to dwell in ruins. The porcupine, as a man-fearing animal, like the cormorant [JiV pelican), owl, raven, dragon (RV jackal), owl (RV ostrich), wild beasts of the desert, wild beasts of the island (RV wolves), satyr (probably wild goat), screech owl (RV night monster), great owl (RV arrowsnake), and vulture, represents the idea of desolation in its concrete form. In the spirit of poetic exaggeration it is said (Is 34"), ' no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate.' To bind down this exalted imagery to literalism would convert every ruin into a menagerie, tenanted by a motley ^jray of fabulous as well as actual beasts and birds. With the philological e^^dence in favour of the kun/udh (porcupine), and with the unsoundness of the foregoing zoological objections, we may safely foUow the RV, which makes it porcupi/ie.
roRCITlNR.
In the foreground, under the larger animal, are a full-grown and a young hedgehog.
The poreiipine, ffi/xtrix criitnta, L., is found along tlie sea-ooa.st, and in the lower mountain districts of Pal. and Syria. It feeds on roots, harli, fruits, and vegetables. It inhabits holes and subterranean clefts, and might well find a retreat among ruins. The flesh is eaten by the natives, who know it by its classical name kun/udh. It iy about 2 feet in length, independently of the tail, which measures .'5 to 6 in. It is covered with the familiar quills. When the animal is trancjuil they lie appressed to its body. When it is excite<l they are erected. It is noct»»nal in its habits, and seldom seen by man. G. E. PO-ST.