(',,,..,,. ;,.-c;•. or c:,ochineRl in~cct. of the holm so RbundRnt.ly in the Sinaitic pcnillS'tlR, or the nak. whirh bes no"' ht>en supet"Bedl'd bv the A~twia Ni/.olica. or t.hc Seri8Ba, is uncertAin. (',,,,.,.,,,, rvrcli. or P-O?hineeJ insect of the prickly The seyal wood is "hard and close-grRined. J"'•r. 111troducl'd mt.o Europe from Mexico. of Rn orange colour with R dRrker heart., well- And fine linen. Tb~ word UBed is Egyptian. adapt.ed for cahinct work;" but the tree, as it I_t set>m• to he,•c des1gnat-0d properly the line exists nowadays, could certainly not furnish J,npn spun from Hax in Egypt, which WAS the planks, ten cubits long by one and a hal( seldom dnd. and "·a,; of • beautiful eoft white "•ide, which were needed for the TRbernacle hue. The finenees of t.he material is extra- (eh. xxxv. 21). The 8enJ1M might do so, hut ortlina.r:-·, t,que.lling that of the best Indian it is not now found in the wildernes.s. We !11uslins (Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptian/!, ,•ol. are reduced to supposing either that the seyal Ill. p. 121). It "·ould seem that the Israelite grew to a larger size anciently than at present., women spun the thread from the He.x ( eh. or that the serissa was more widely spread xxxv. 25). and that the skilled workmen than at the present day. employed by Moses wo,•e the thread into Ver. 6.--0il for the light. That the sanctuary linen ( ii,. 35). And goat'■ hair. The soft to be erected would require to be artificie.lly inner wool of the Angora goat was also spun light,('d is assumed. Later, a" candlestick" is b)· the women into a fine worsted ( ib. 26), ordered (vers. 31---37). The people were to which was woYen into cloths, used especially pro,;de t.hc oil which was to be burnt in !.he as co,·erings for t.ents. "candlestick." In eh. xxvii. 20, we are told Ver. 5.-And rama' Bkim clyecl reel. The that the oil was to be "pure oil olive beaten." manufacture of leather WIili well-known in Spioes for anointing oil Anointing oil would Egypt from au early da.te, and the Libvan be needed for the sanctification of the Taber- tribes of North Africa were celebrated for their nacle, the ark, and all the holy vessels, os o.lso skill in preparing and dyeing the material for the consecration of Aaron and his sons (Herod. i,·. 189). Scarlet was one of the to tbe priesthood. The spices required are colour:; which they peculiarly affected (ibid.). enumerated in eh. xxx. 23, 2!. They con- We must suppme that the skins spoken of had sisted of pure myrrh, sweet cinno.mon, sweet been brought with them by the Israelites out c.alamus, and cassia. And for sweet inoenaa. of Egypt. And badger&' all:ina. It is gene- The spices needed for the iucense were, accord- rally agreed among modems that this is a ing to our translators, stacte, onycha., galbanum "Tong translation. Badgers are found in and frankincense (ib. 3!). Palestine, but not either in Egypt or in the Ver. 7.----0n:,x stonaa. On the need of onyx "·ilderness. The Hebrew tokJUUJh is evidentlv stones, see eh. xxviii. 9, 20. Stones to be set the same word as the Arabic tukJtaBh or du- in the ephocl, etc. Rather," stones for setting, lduuJ., which 1s applied to marine animals only, for the ephod and for the breastplate." The as to seals. dolphins, dugongs, and perhaps only stones required for the epbod were two sharks and dog-fish. "Sea.Ii;' skins' would large onyx stones ; for the breastplate twelve perhaps be the best translation. (Compare jewels were needed (ibid. 17-20), one of Plin. H. N. ii. 55; Sueton. Octo.v § 90.) them being an onyx. It has been proposed Shittim wood. It is generally agreed that the to translate the Hebrew shoh.am by " beryl" SJ.itJal, (plura!Shittim) was an acacia, whether instead of "onyx;" but onyx, which is more t.he seyal (Acacia seyaJ,) which now grows suitable for engraving, is probably right.
HOMILETICS. V'ers. 1-7.-The law of acaptable offerings.-For offerings to be accept.able to God, it is neces,;a.rv- 1. THAT THEY BE FREELY OFFERED BY A WILLING HEABT. Offerings were to be taken of those "whose heart drove them to it" (compare Tennyson-" His own heart drove hiru, like a goad"), not of othen.. There was to be no tax-no church rat.e. 'l'he entire tent-temple was (with one unimportant exception) to be the produce of a free offer- wry. Thus was generosity stirred in the hearts of the people, and emulation excited. They gave so liberally that they had to be" restrained from bringing" (eh. xxxvi. 6). This is noble and a.cceptable service, when no exhortation is required, no persuasion, no "pressing "-but each man stirs himself up, and resolves to do the utmost that he can, not seeking to obtain the prais.e of men, but desirous of the approval of God. A like spirit ani- ma.r.ed. tLOBe who lived in David'ti time (1 Chr. x:xix. 6-&); and again those who returned from the Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezr. ii. 68, 69; Neh. vii. 70-72). Il. THAT THEY BE OF THINGS EXCELLENT IN THEIR KIND, Al••D THE BEST THAT WB POSSESS oF EACH. All that is rich and rare, all that is lovely and beautiful, all that is expensive and me.rnificent, is sujtable for an offering to God. We must not "give to him of that which "costs us nothing." We must not offer " the blind. and the lame, e.nd rn. xxv. 1-7}, THE IlOOK OF EXODUS. 211