In the gospels is mentioned the jtn'Aoc IvikI.c (Matt, xviii, 6 ; Mark ix, 41), to express a large mill-stone, turned, by asses, heavier than that turned by women or by slaves. See Jahn's Archceol. § 1S8, 1£9.
(II.) The ass is the Equus Asinvs of Linnseus; by some formed into a sub-genus, containing that group of the Equidse which arc not striped like zebras, and have forms and characters distinguishable from true horses, such as a peculiar shape of body and limbs, long ears, an upright mane, a tail only tufted at the end, a ;treak along the spine, often crossed with another on the shoulders, a braying voice, etc. To designate these animals the Hebrews used various terms, by which, no doubt, though not with the strict precision of sci- ence, different species and distinct races of the group, as well as qualities of sex and age, were indicated; but the contexts in general afford only slight assist- ance in discriminating them ; and reliance mi cognate languages is often unavailing, since we find that sim- ilar" words frequently point to secondary and not to
ASS
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ASS
identical acceptations. The name is assigned by the Auth. Vers, to several distinct Ileb. words, viz. "pHX, lion, — ". "I"-", and JOS, and the Greek words uvoc and viroivyiov. It occurs also in two passages of Ec- clus. xiii, 19 ; xxxiii, 24, in the first of which it stands for ovaypoQ. Sec Hi: -ass; She-ass; Foal.
1. The ordinary term ITan (chamor', oi/oc) we take to be the name of the common working ass of AV'estern Asia, an animal of small stature, fre- quenly represented on Egyptian monuments with panniers on the back, usually of a reddish color (the Arabic hamar and chamara denoting red), and the same as the Turkish hymar. It appears to be a domesticated race of the wild ass of Ara- bia, Mesopotamia, and Southern Persia, where it is denominated gour. In Scripture this wild ori- ginal variety is distinguished by the name TT2 {arod' ', Job xxxix, 5; Chald. T"I3>, arad', Dan. v. 21 ; both rendered " wild ass"), a term most likely derived from the braying voice of the ani- mal. In its natural state it never seeks woody, but upland pasture, mountainous and rocky re- treats ; and it is habituated to stand on the brink of precipices (a practice not entirely obliterated in oar own domestic races), whence, with protruded The
and asses thus painted occur frequently in Oriental illuminated MSS., and although the taste may be pue- rile, we conceive that it is the record of remote con- quest achieved by a nation of Central Asia, mounted on spotted or clouded horses, and revived by the Par- tisans, who were similarly equipped (see Introd. to the Hist, of the Horse, in the Naturalist's Library, vol. xii). No other primeval invasion from the East by horsemen on such animals than that of the so-called Centaurs is
Domestic Ass of Western Asia.
ears, it surveys the scene below, blowing and at length braying in extreme excitement. This habit is beau- tifully depicted by Jeremiah (xvii, 6; xlviii, G). Va- rieties of this species are designated by the following terms : "PS (a'yir~) is translated in the Auth. Vers. " young ass," " colt," "foal ;" but this rendering does not appear on all occasions to be correct, the word be- ing sometimes used for animals that carry loads and till the ground, which seems to afford evidence of at least full growth (Isa. xxx, C, 24). ]TX (athon', usually "ass" simply) is sometimes unsatisfactori- ly rendered "she-ass," unless we suppose it to re- fer to a breed of greater beauty and importance than the common, namely, the silver-gray of Africa, which, being lar^e and indocile, the females were anciently selected in preference for riding, and on that account formed a valuable kind of property. From early apes a white breed of this race was reared at Zobeir, the ancient Dassora and capital of the Orcheni, from which place i i\ il dignitaries still obtain their white asses and white mules. It is now tin- fashion, as it was during the Parthian empire, and probably in the time of the judges, to dapple this breed with spots of orange or crimson, or of both colors together; and this is prob- ably the meaning of the word ihs (checkered?), ren- dered "white" in Judg. v, 10 • an interpretation which is confirmed by the Babylonian Sanhedrim, who, in answer to King Sapor's offer of a horse to convey the Jewish Messiah, say. "Thou hast not a hundred-spot- ted horse, such as his (the Messiah's) ass." Horses
She-ass used as a. Bsast of Burden by the ancient Egyptians.
recorded ; their era coincides nearly with that of the judges (see Kitto, Plci. Bible, at Judg. v, 10).
Asses have always been in extensive use in the East (Thomson, Land and Book, ii, 407) ; and they were em- ployed by Joseph's brethren to carry grain from Eg}-pt • — a journey to which they are competent, notwithstand- ing the intervening deserts (Hacketfs Illustra. of Script, p. 29). They were abundant in Ancient Egypt (as donkej-s still are, Lane's Mod. Eg. i, 209"), where they were employed in treading out grain, and for other purposes (Wilkinson's Anc. Eg. i, 231). They are not represented on the Assyrian monuments (Layard's Nineveh, ii, 328), although the onager or wild ass is still celebrated in that region for its swiftness (jb. i, 265).