The lock or bolt for magazines, houses, and garden gates is made of wood and hollowed out, about 2 ft. long for a gate and 6 to 9 in. long for a chamber door. It slides through a groove in a piece of wood attached to the door, and shoots into a socket in the doorpost or sill. When the bolt is shot, some pins in the groove drop into corresponding holes in the bolt, and it cannot be withdrawn without an instrument to force up these pins out of the holes and pull the bolt back. This instrument is called the key, and consi.stsof a piece of wood furnislied with a number of pins in exactly the same position (reversed). It is introduced into tlie hollow bolt, and, raising the groove pins, it draws back the bolt. Unless these pins exactly lit, the bolt cannot be released (Lane, Mod. Eg. i. 42).
In some cases doors were sealed with clay. Job 38'* ' It is changed as clay under the seal.' At Athens a jealous husband sometimes .sealed the door of the woman's a|)artment (Aristoph. Thcsm. 422). The king sealed with his own signet the stone brouglit to the den of lions into which Daniel was cast ( IJn G"). The sepulchre of our Lord wius made sure by sealing tlie stone at the door (Mt27«).
Hinge (TV).— In early days doors were poised, nut hung, on hinge3(I'r2G'*) ; that is to say, hinges ^^e^e door|iivols let into sockets in the threshold and lintel on which the door swung. Uemains of stone doors with the hinges or pivots attached are found in various parts of Syria and Egypt and Asia Minor.
The Greeks and Romans used hinges for doors like those now in use in EurDjie ; four hinges of bronze are preserved in the British Museum.
Knock (PB^). — There is no mention of a knocker htiMiig been allixed to diHirs, as with the Greeks and Itonians. In .(g 19'^ the word (D-psTnt) is used of beating violently (till they were tired) against
a door. In Ca 5' we hear of the beloved knocking (Pii) at the door. At the present day one stands on the outside of the house and knocks, and calls loudly (Mt V, Lk 12^ 13^, Ac 12", liev 3»).
Window (pVo, Ovph).—T\\a Hebrew word is de- rived from the root ^^ri ' pierce.' This word aiipears to be used generally where the windows of houses are referred to, which originally w ere but openings pierced in the walls, without shutters. The word casement in Pr 7' (AV) appears as lattice in KV, being the tr" of 'eshndb. The windows in Daniel's euamber, open towards Jerusalem (Dn (3" [Heb. "], represent an Aram, word (p:;) whose derivation is quite uncertain (the root kid means tu burn). The words (.^l^"'7N njnt) tr^ 'light over against light '(IK 7*- ') are derived from n\r) ' see.' The meaning of D-Eij:f* and iRs* in same verses tr'' ' windows' in AV is uncertain. There are three words signifying ' lattice-' or ' net- work ' tilling up the aperture of a window. 1, nj-iK. It is used to denote the smoke-hole of a room (Hos 13^) ; the windows of a dove-cote (Is 60') ; and the aperture of the window as being closed with lattice-work and not with glass. It is also used for the ' windows of heaven' (Gn 7" 8\ 2 K 7"'», Is 24'», Mai 3'"). 2. C"5"!tl (Aram.) lattice- work or net- work of a window, Ca 2» (only), ' He glanceth through the windows.' 3. s;^'? (of doubtful etyui. synonymous with pVn), lattice through which the cold air passes (?). Jg 5'^ ' The mother of Sisera looked down (see Moore) through the lattice ' ; Pr 7' ' In at the window of my house I looked forth tlinmgh my casement' (' lattice ' KV) [all].
There is another word tr' ' lattice,' — ■"';tv'> lattice- or net- work, which is principally used with refer- ence to the lattice- or net-work surrounding the capitals of the columns (1 K 7'"'), but it is al.^^o used for the lattice or balustrade in the upper chamber of Aliaziah in Samaria through which he fell ; this word has probably no connexion with window.
At the present time in Eastern towns there is usually a large window prominently projecting over the doorway into the street, and fitted with lattice-work, which is opened only upon the occasion of high ceremonies. It is probaole that in early daj's also one or perhaps more window s of the palaces and larger nouses opened into the street, as there is constant reference to windows opening into the street or into the city wall. In the houses of the poorer classes, however, it is doubtful whether any windows exi.<ted, and what did exist were only apertures to admit light and let out the smoke. At the present day in the houses in the Lebanon the walls of the rooms arc per- forated with small openings (in addition to the wimlows), which let in light and air. Where there are courts, however, there are windows opening inwards. Among the Greeks, windows wore not uncommon (Aristoph. Tliejsm. 7'J7). The Komans had few windows, tlie bedrooms being lighted from the principal apartments, and the rooms on the upper floor only being lighted from the street (Juv. iii. 270). lu Pompeii it can be seen how very few houses have windows opening on to tlio streets, and even in these cases the sills of the windows are over 6 ft. above the footway, and are very small, about 3 ft. by 2 ft.