juniper, J. mnarocarpa, »iDin. et Sra. ; the plum-fruited juniper, J. drupacea. Lab. ; any one of which wouhf do for
tias/tshur. It is useless to come to the LXX for light, as it translates the word in one passage Xei'/ti;, the white poplar, arul in another «^5pos, the cedar. The positive determination of the tree is hopeless. It would be better to transliterate it, as in the case of the alaum, and call it the teaslishur.
G. E. Post. BOY.— See Children.
BOZEZ (l'i'13), 1 S 14*. — A steep cliflT on one side of the Miciimash gorge opposite Seneh. It seems to be the northern clifl, a remarkable bastion of rock E. of Michmash. "The valley is precipitous, and the S. clill is in shade during most of the day, while the N. is exposed to the noonday sun.
C. R. CONDER.
BOZKATH (ni3>!5).— A town of Judah, Jos 15", 2 K '22', in the plain near Lachish and Eglon. Unknown.
BOZRAH (.71?? 'a fortification'). — There were several places of this name, and the effort to identify them has resulted in some confusion. In Smith's Dictionary of the, Bible, ed. 1893, the letterpress rules out Bosrah in Haurdn ; yet a picture of this city is given as an illustration of Bozrah. Bozrah of Edom was a city of great antiquity (Gn 36''= 1 Ch 1"). Its fate is identi- fied with that of Edom (Is 34», Jer 49'», Am 1'"). It is referred to again in Is 63', and probably in Mic 2". El-Buseireh, 7 miles S.W. of Tu/ileh, the ancient Tophel (Dt 1'), on the main road N. from Petra, suits the geographical conditions ; but the ruins are insignificant. Another possible identification is Ku.iur Bashair. These towers lie about 15 mUes S.E. of Dibon (Dhibiln), and more probably represent Bezer — ija— ' in the wilderness,' the city of refuge (Dt 4"), and the Bezer of the Moabile Stone. (See, however, Bezer.)
There remains the question of Bozrah in Moab (Jer 48*"). Some (e.g. Dillmann on Deut.) identify this with Bezer ; but the great city liosrah esh- Shdm in HaurAn has also many advocates. This latter is certainly the Bosora of 1 Mac 5'"- '". "The case for Bosrah rests chielly on the identification of Umm el-JemCd, 15 miles S., with Beth-gamftl, and El-^uriyeh, 7 miles E., with Kerioth, named with Bozrah in this ])a3sage. Beth-gamfll, however, may be identical with JemaU, 8 miles E. of Dibon, while IJeth-raeon is almost certainly Main S.W. of Medeba. It is also contendea that Bozrah being in the Mish/ir, Bosrah is too far north. But Aphek is in the Mish/ir'; so probably was Bosrah, lying to the S.E. The cities of ^Ioab, 'far and near,' are included in this judgment. Bosrah is just aljout the same distance from Nelio as el- Buscirch, viz. about 60 miles, and it may quite possibly have been in the hands of Moab at that time. W. EwiNG.
BRACELET {ivi, m/jftf, nij, S-np, n^•lI»). — The bracelet has always been a favourite ornament in the East. It is found of many designs : plain ring, flat band, of twisted wires, interlinked rings, and connected squares, solid or perforated, with or without pendants. Bracelets are made of gold, silver, copper, brass, glass, and even enamelled earthenware. 'While highly ornamental, they had, when in the |)osse88ion of women, the further recommendation of being inalienable : not to be taken tiy the husband, nor seizeil for his debts.
The bracelet of (in 38'" is in RV 'cord.' referring probably to the cord of softly-twisted wool for the shej)herirs head-dress. The bracelets of Ex 35'-, RV 'brooches' (unoriental), were most likely nose-rings.
The bracelet appears, together with the crown, as one of the royal insignia in 2 S l'". It is probable
314
BRAG
BRASS
that in 2 K 11" also we ought, with Wellhansen and W. R. Smith ( OTJC^, 31 1 n. ), to read ' bracelets ' (rnyKn) for ' testimony ' (nnyn). G. M. Mackie.
BRAG Jth 16» 'He bragged (erirtK, RV 'he
said ') that he would burn up my borders ' ; Sir 11 (heading) ' Krag not of thy wealth '; 2 Mac 9' ' he nothing at all ceased from his bragging ' (a.-)tf>uix^°-t RV ' rude insolence ') ; and 15"" ' with proud brags' (iiju(ya.\a.(rxrti!t, so RV). This is probably one of the uudignitied words in the Apocrypha of I'jll, of which Scrivener complains. 'Even when their predecessor (the Bishops' Bible) sets them a better example, they resort to undignified, mean, almost vulgar words and phrases ; and, on the whole, they convey to the reader's mind the pain- ful impression of having disparaged the import- ance of their own work, or oi having imperfectly realised the truth that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well ' — Introd. to Camb. Paragraph Bible, p. Ixv*. The word ia still in use, and still somewhat undignified. Jl Hastings.
BRAMBLE.— See Thorns and Thistles.
BRAN.— In Bar 6" ' The women . . . burn bran for perfume ' (ri vlrvpa). See Pekfume.
BRANCH U the tr. in OT of a variety of Heb. words, of which those that chiefly concern us are — 1. n-ho] (from 15! 'trim' or 'prune'), used of the branch of a grape-vine, Nu 13^, Ezk 15", and figuratively of Israel in Nah 2*. It is this term that is employed in Ezk 8", where the words, ' They put the branch to their nose,' apparently describe some ceremony connected w^th sun - worship. Little, however, is known with certainty regard- ing the custom referred to, even if the text is not corrupt. (See commentaries of Smend and of A. B. Davidson, ad loc.) The same word also occurs in the phrase ij nito) 'strange slips,' of Is 17'°. See Adonis. 2. ni^jv, lit. 'sucker Job 14', used of Israel under the figure of a cedar Ezk 17"", an olive Hos 14«, a vine Ps 80" (RV ' shoot'), of the wicked under the figure of a tree Job 8" (RV ' shoot') 15*>. Vigorous, widely-spreading branches are a symbol of prosperity (ci. Ps 37", where the wicked man is spoken of as ' spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil'). 3. 195 Job 15'", properly ' palm- branch ' as in RV of Is 9" 19", where ' nalm- branch ' and ' rush ' are parallel respectively to ' head ' and ' tail,' the rulers and the rabble (cf. Del. ad loc). i. "i!(}, lit. a little fresh green twig, as in Is 11' 60"', Dn 11'. The word is used in the ode on the king of Babylon, Is 14", where the words ' an abominable branch ' (2^n} isj) apparently designate a useless shoot cut off and left to rot (ct. J n 15' 4ji\ridri t(u lis r6 KXij/m Kal (^TipivBr), 'he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered'). S. nsy. The chief interest of tliis term lies in its employ- ment in Messianic prophecies. Instead of ' branch,' W. R. Smith and G. A. Smith prefer to render it 'spring.' RVm offers a choice amongst the renderings ' shoot,' ' sprout,' ' bud.' In the earliest passage where nj;; occurs with a Messianic refer- ence, Is 4", it has manifestly no personal sense. 'The sprinq of J", the God-given fruits of the earth, are the true glory of the remnant of Israel, the best of blessings, because they come straight from heaven, and are the true basis of a peaceful and Godfearing life' (W. R. Smith, Prophets of Israel, 329). The language both of Is 4" and of 11' seems to underlie Jeremiah's reference to the Messianic king as the ' Rigliteous Branch' (noj p")s) or 'Branch of Righteousness' (■"'J';!: no>-), Jer 23° 33". njir reaches, finally, the rank of a personal name of the Messiah in Zee 3' 6'" ' mj' Servant the Branch,' 'the man whose name is the Branch.'