The value of this blessing cannot be adequately ap- preciated by the Western reader; but in Palestine, and indeed throughout Western Asia, rain rarely if ever falls from April to September, and the heat of the sun being at the same time very strong, all vegetation would be parched and dried up were it not for the co- pious dews which fall during the night and completely moisten the ground, keeping in a fertile condition lands which would otherwise be sterile and desolate. But all this moisture evaporates with astonishing rapidity as soon as the sun has risen. It seems that the ad- vantage of these abundant dews is not generally en- joyed except in regions more or less hilly or elevated, or in confined valleys. In extensive open plains and deserts, it does not seem that any copious dews fall in summer. But in such tracts no men can inhabit ex- ^pt the wandering tribes, and towns and villages are 7 found on the banks of natural or artificial streams ;
nor, unless in the same situations, is any attempted where there are no night dews $■ to compensate for the want of rain (Klfcta, PieL Mm note on Gen. xxvii, 28). See Fucbck. The passages of Scripture in which dew is mcBii well as the statements of travellers, mi^bt, h unless careAilly considered, eoovey the mt that in Palestine the dews fall copiooslj wt ni^^ ing the height of summer, and supply in sont ie^a the lack of rain. But we find that thoee wksaote dews travelled in spring snd antamn, wldfe tikasik travelled in summer make no mentioo of tfesB. k fact, scarcely any dew does hJl during tbe moan months — ^frem the middle of liay to tbe ibIiTiIi dM gust ; but as it continues to fall for eone ttee A the rains of spring have ceased, and begiutsfaite fore the rains of autumn commence, we may fnate gather the sense in which tbe scriptaral rehnmn^ dew are to be understood. Without the dews eoA uing to &11 after the rains have ceased, and camam- ing before the rains return, tbe »tmmm cf »em drought, and the parched appearance of fte ceasn, would be of much longer duration than they vol' are. See Drought. The partial refreshBest Ha aflbrded to the ground at the end of a summerv^kc dews or rains, is of great value in Western Abl o. would alone explain all the Oriental refeieBcet tc A effects of dew. This explanation is of fuithff itfer est as indicating the times of the year to whi^ b scriptural notices of dew refer ; lor as it dees sot a any perceptible degree, &11 in summer, aad as fei would think of mentioning it in the season otmt.'n may take all such notices to refer to the aooth d April, May, part of August, and September (Kii& Phys, Hist, of Palest, p. cccQ. See SEA&oata.
Dew, as consisting of innumerable drops, is ^i the symbol of multitude (2 Sam. xvii, 12); tiiii,b Psa. ex, 8,yViom the womb of the moniHi^ shall be Cp ^ mtie dew of thy youths^ ue,ihe youth of thypeo^Bt- merous and fr«sh as the drops of the mocmsg in, shall go forth to fight thy battles (comp. Mk. t. C. It l)ecome8 a leading object in prophetic nnigaj iy reason of its penetrating moisture without tiie st^- ent effort of rain (Deut xx!bcii, 2 ; Job xxix, IS; Fa cxxxiii, 8; Prov. xix, 12; Isa. zxvi, 19; HM.xrr. 5 ; Mic. V, 7). It is mentioned as a token of e^«a* in the night (Cant v, 2; Dan. iv, 15,23,25-33; v,!!- Also the morning dew is the symbol of so«cti>B; evanescent (Hos. vi, 4 ; xlii, 3). From its soitd^ descent and refreshing influence, dew is vooh^ba made an emblem of brotherly love and hamsooT (IVl cxxxiii, 3). See Wemyss's SytiAoL DkL s. t. See Rain.
De "Wette. See Wettb, Db.
De Witt, John, D.D. ; bom at KingstDB,^.!.. Dec. 15, 1788 ; the son of a worthy farmer; gndaHe^ at Nassau Hall, Princeton, N. J. 1809 ; began tiie itai: of tbe law, but, after his conversion, studied tMo);? with Rev. Dr. Porter, of Catskill ; was licensfil in IMl in the ministry of the Presbyterian Churdi ; ins fs^ settied at Lanesboro, Mass., and in 1813 becasw t fac- tor hi the Reformed Dutch Church, Albany, N. T. l^ ter a very successful career as pastor, he was is 18? elected professor of Biblical Critictsra, Eodesavtici] History, and Pastoral Theology in the Tbeokgial Seminary of the Reformed Protestant Dutch OfoA at New Brunswick, N. J. This chair he filed rA great acceptance until his death, which occonedOct. 11, 1823, in the 42d year of his age. Dr. De Witt w a man of fine personal appearance, of a gesereB u- ture, of tender sympathy, of deep piety snd i^&p^ earnestness. He was an eloquent and powerfal pnscii- er, a learned and successAil professor. His ow** script sermons were of a faSgb order. Of his prod** tions in print we know only of a sermon in bicb» ry of the Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston, snd ooe «
DEXIOLABUS
119
DIADEM
^aeration. His earlj death blighted many hopes ch his genius and eminent ahilties had inspired. >e3ciolftlnis. See Spkabman. >eylizi^, SAiiOMOHf a German theologian, was born t. 14, 1677, at Weida, fai Voigtland. He straggled id jMyverty t0 gain his elementary education, and ipleted his studies at the University of "V^ittenberg, are he became master in 1699. In 1708 he became anct in the faculty of philosophy, and in 1710 doc- in theolo^^. In 1716 he was noade general saper- sndent at Eisleben, in 1720 pastor in the Nicolai- che at Leipsig, and daring the rest of his life was ifessor of theology there. He died August 6, 1755.