BRA BRA ened in the bowels." By a similar | ix. 14, 15; Psal. lviii. 9. In the latter it is associated with the vine, it seems of suppose it to be the sweet-brier. As bears fruit. The apologue of Jotham to refer to a plant of some kind which has always been admired for its spirit and application. It is considered as the oldest fable extant. BOX-TREE. Heb. TEASHUR. Most expositors render this word the box; but, because of its being classed with forest-trees, some think it means the cedar. The box is well known in Europe. It is a beautiful evergreen, and used by Isaiah, chap. lx. 13, to illustrate the prosperity and grace which God will bestow upon his church. BOZRAH. See BEZER. Called by the Greeks and Romans Bostra. Situated about twenty-four miles southeast from Edrei. It is often mentioned in Scripture as the chief city of Edom. Isai. xxxiv. 6; lxiii. 1. It is called by Jeremiah, a city of the Moabites, and was probably taken from Ammon by the Edomites, and again from the latter by the Moabites. Some have endeavoured to identify it with Petra, but without sufficient evidence. The prophecies respecting this place are among the most wonderful in Scripture. "I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes!" Jer. xlix. 13. It is now a heap of ruins, and a most dreary spectacle here and there the direction of a street or alley is discernible, but this is all; the modern inhabitants, a mere handful, are almost lost amidst the maze of ruins. BRACELET. An ornament worn on the arm. Bracelets are and always have been much in use among eastern females, and are similar to armlets. They are worn one above the other, in many cases occupying the greater part of the space between the wrist and the elbow. Among the higher classes they were made of mother-of-pearl, of gold, and of silver. The poorer women used plated steel, horn, brass, copper, beads, and other materials of a cheap description. The royal bracelet was worn above the elbow; the common bracelet on the wrist. Ezek. xvi. 11. BRAMBLE, a prickly shrub. Judges 100 and atively by the sacred writers. Psal. BRANCH. This word is used figurlxxx. 15; John xv. 5, 6. Trees, in Scripture, denote great men princes; so branches, sprouts, and is called "the Branch;" plants denote their offspring. Christ the stem of Jesse;""a branch out of "a rod out of his roots." Isai. xi. 1. When Christ is represented as a slender twig, shooting out of an old tree, cut down to the very root and decayed, and becoming itself a mighty tree, reference is made to the kingly dignity of Christ, springing up from the decayed house of David, and also to the exaltation which was to succeed his humble condition on earth, and the glory and vigour of his mediatorial reign. BRANCH is used also as a symbol of idolatrous worship, probably in allusion to the general custom of carrying branches as a sign of honour. Ezek. viii. 17. An ABOMINABLE BRANCH is a tree on which a malefactor has been hanged. Isai. xiv. 19. of polished brass or copper, in the form BRASEN SERPENT. An image of one of those fiery serpents which had been sent to sting the Israelites for their murmuring in the wilderness. The notion that they were flying serpents is very ancient. Herodotus, in his second book, mentions a place in Arabia to which he travelled to see winged serpents. He says, that in the spring they fly from this place into Egypt, and that the ibis is held sacred because it meets and destroys them. Modern travellers who have visited the valley where this awful scourge afflicted the Israelites assure us, on their own testimony and that of the Arabs, that a great number of serpents infest it. The destruction of life was fearful; and when the people entreated Moses to plead for their dewas ordered to place on a pole a serliverance, to test their sincerity, he pent of brass, that it might be seen in | Judges xvi. 21; 2 Kings xxv. 7; for all parts of the camp, and whosoever armour, and for musical instruments, was bitten might be healed by simply 1 Sam. xvii. 5, 6; 1 Chron. xv. 19. looking at this piece of brass. This Though brass was unknown to the was done, and the immediate effect ancients, there is abundant evidence followed. Our Saviour has shown us, that bronze was early manufactured in John iii. 14, 15, that this circumstance Egypt, and that weapons, mirrors, was typical. As the Israelites, though and ornaments were made out of bitten and dying, looked on this ser- it. This word has occasionally a pent and were healed; so every one, symbolical meaning: insensibility, looking by faith to Jesus the Saviour baseness, and obstinacy in sin, Isai. of the world in his death and atone- xlviii. 4; Jer. vi. 28; Ezek. xxii. 18: ment, is at once pardoned and healed. strength, Psal. cvii. 16; Micah Every one may look; every one that iv. 13. looks is healed. The looking was typical of faith, just as the serpent was typical of Christ. In the course of time the serpent became an object of idolatry: temples were built in its honour, and priests appointed to conduct its ceremonial. These miserable beings appeared before the altars of their contemptible divinities in gorgeous vestments, their heads adorned with serpents, or with the figures of serpents embroidered on their tiara, and, in their frantic excitement, cried out, Eva, Eva. This is an awful instance of the complete triumph of sin, that the serpent, the chosen agent in accomplishing the ruin of man, should have been raised to the first rank among pagan divinities, and reverenced by the most solemn acts of worship. It is remarkable, that, in the fables of Grecian mythology we find the traditionary remnants of the ancient promise, "The Seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head;" as in the benefits which Cadmus and Apollo conferred upon men by killing some noted serpent. The hydra of Lerna, the dragons of Colchis and the Hesperides, are also traditionary symbols of the early connection of Satan with man's fall. BREAD. This term is used frequently in Scripture for food in general, but also in its legitimate signification. Like all the nations of the East, sparing in the use of animal food, the Hebrews generally satisfied their hunger with bread, and quenched their thirst with the running stream. This bread was generally made of wheaten flour; barley being used by the poor, and in cases of great necessity. In very early times grain appears to have been used with very little preparation: afterwards it was prepared for food by being parched. Ruth ii. 14. After the wheat was taken from the hand-mill, it was made into a dough or paste in the kneading-trough. It was then leavened, and made into thin cakes, round or oval, and baked. The kneading-trough was either a circular piece of leather, such as is now used in Persia and by the Arabs, or a light wooden bowl, sufficiently small to be carried in some part of the dress. It is clear from the history of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, that the flour had been first made into dough by water only, and in this state had been kept some time before it was leavened; for when the Israelites were compelled in a moment to withdraw in haste, it was found that the BRASS. The word brass occurs dough was, though in the trough, still frequently in the Scripture, but can- unleavened. Exod. xii. 34. See Hosea not be the metal which we call brass. vii. 4. In commemoration of this, Wherever it occurs, copper is to be unleavened bread was commanded to understood. "Out of whose hills thou be eaten at the Passover. Sometimes mayest dig brass." Deut. viii. 9. Now the bread was baked at home; but brass is a composition of two-thirds public ovens existed at an early period. copper and one-third zine; and, there- Jeremiah, chap. xxxvii. 21, mentions fore, could not be found in the hills."the bakers' street." In addition to the It was used for a variety of purposes brick oven, bread was baked in a hole about the temple; and also for fetters, or pit sunk in the floor or ground, and also on the hearth, the glowing embers frequently being thrown over the cake. See Hosea vii. 8, where Ephraim is compared to "a cake not turned," baked only on one side, doughy and unserviceable. The unleavened bread was very thin, and was broken, not cut. Lam. iv. 4; Matt. xiv. 19; xv. 36. The thickness or thinness of the loaves was regulated by the time they were to be kept: those which were to be kept longest were to be made thick. See OVENS. SHOW-BREAD was bread offered every Sabbath-day upon the golden table in the holy place. Exod. xxv. 30. The loaves were square, and had leaves of gold put upon them. They were twelve in number, according to the number of the twelve tribes, in whose name they were offered. Every loaf was composed of about six quarts of flour. They were unleavened, and were presented hot every Sabbath, the old ones being taken away and eaten by the priests. This offering was accompanied with salt and frankincense, and, according to some commentators, with wine. The Scriptures mention only salt and frankincense. It is supposed that the loaves were placed one upon another, in two piles of six each, and that between the loaves there were two thin plates of gold, folding back in a semicircle through the whole length of them, to admit air, and prevent the loaves from becoming mouldy. These loaves were called, bread of faces or presentation; or, as in our version, show-bread, because it was set before the Lord. BREASTPLATE. One part of the official dress of the high-priest: see the cut. It was about ten inches square, Exod. xxviii. 15-31, and consisted of a piece of rich embroidered stuff folded up. It was adorned with twelve precious stones, on each of which was engraved the name of one of the tribes. They were set in four rows, three in each row, and were divided from each other by the little golden squares in which they were set. The two upper corners were fastened to the ephod by blue ribands, from which it was not to be loosed, Exod. xxviii. 28; and the two lower corners to the girdle. The rings, chains, and other fasten ings were of gold or rich lace. It was called the Memorial, inasmuch as it reminded the priest of his representative character in relation to the twelve tribes; and it was also called the breastplate of judgment, because it had the divine oracle of URIM and THUMMIM, lights and perfections. See URIM AND THUMMIM. BRICK. The bricks usually mentioned in the Scriptures were made of straw and clay, dried in the sun. Gen. xi. 3. They were much larger than our bricks, being about a foot square. Though they were usually hardened by the heat of the sun, kilns were not unknown. 2 Sam. xii. 31; Nahum iii. 14. The principal subject of interest connected with brick-making, is the fact, that it constituted the chief employment of the Israelites in Egypt. The mural paintings of that country, which have been brought to light, depict various scenes of brick-making. eral substance, highly inflammable, and, while burning, emitting a suffocating smell. Fire and brimstone are represented in many passages as the means by which God punishes the wicked. There is an allusion to the destruction of the cities of the plain, by showers of ignited sulphur. The soil in that part is such that a violent volcanic eruption might instantly fill the air with ignited substances, which would fall in horrid showers of overwhelming fire. Bitumen is found in large quantities in the immediate neighbourhood. The Dead Sea is on this account called the Lake Asphaltites. This awful catastrophe is, therefore, to be regarded as an emblem of the final punishment of the wicked. See Job xviii. 15; Isai. xxxiv. 9. "Upon the wicked God shall rain fire and brimstone." Psal. xi. 6. BROOK. This word in the original means a torrent. It is applied generally to small streams, rising in a subterraneous spring, and flowing through a deep valley, such as the Arnon, Jabbok, Kidron; and also to winter torrents, which, arising from rains, are soon dried up. This is peculiar to most of the smaller streams of Palestine. To deal deceitfully as a brook, and to pass away as a stream thereof, is to deceive a friend when he most needs our help. Job vi. 15. See Wilkinson's "Ancient Egyptians." In these sculptures or paintings, the task-master with his stick is a prominent feature. It is a singular fact, illustrative of the occupation of the Israelites in Egypt, that more bricks bearing the name of Thothmes II. (the Pharaoh of the Exodus) have been discovered, than of any other king. The process of brick-making was exceedingly laborious. The straw was not used, as is generally supposed, to burn the bricks, but to mix with the clay in order to commct them. It is an important observation in explanation of the severe orders of Pharaoh to BROTHER. This term is used vacollect the straw, that, although in riously in Scripture, and it is necessary ordinary circumstances there might be to distinguish carefully the different a sufficient quantity, since the Egyp-meanings. 1. It signifies, a brother tian reapers cut away only the tops in the natural sense, whether the offof the corn, yet this order was issued spring of the same father and mother, two months before the time of harvest; or of the same father only. Luke vi. and it would be necessary for them to 14; Matt. i. 2. 2. A near kinsman collect the stubble of the preceding or cousin. Gen. xiii. 8; xiv. 16; John harvest. Notwithstanding this, the vii. 3; Acts i. 14. 3. One born in usual quantity of bricks was re- the same country, descended from the quired. same stock. Matt. v. 47; Acts iii. 22; Heb. vii. 5. Also, disciples, persons of the same faith; for the first disciples called each other brethren. In the New Testament the term is generally applied to the spiritual relationship which the true followers of Christ sustain to each other. In Matt. xiii. 55, James and Joses, Simon and Judas are called the brethren of Christ. Some have taken the term literally, BRIDE AND BRIDEGROOM. See MARRIAGE. BRIERS. Rabbinical writers state that there are no less than twenty-two words in the Bible signifying thorn, brier, or prickly plant. There is much conjecture and uncertainty in the classification and translation of these various words. BRIMSTONE. A well-known min on their shoulders till they could embark again. See Wilkinson's "Ancient Egyptians," vol. iii., p. 185. The bulrush is the papyrus, and was of the greatest use to the inhabitants of the country where it grew. The pith was used as food, and a portion of it, the inside bark, cut into strips, and cemented together for writing materials. The fact that the bulrush was used for food when prepared one way, and for writing when prepared another, throws considerable light on those passages in which reference is made to eating books. Rev. x. 8-10. and suppose that they were the chil- | persons who navigated them came to dren which Mary bore to Joseph after a cataract, or to a place where the the birth of Christ. There are, how-stream was dried up, they carried them ever, strong grounds for another opinion; namely, that they were cousins. In Matt. xxvii. 56, James and Joses are described as sons of Mary (not the Virgin); and again, a James and Judas are described as sons of Alphæus. Luke vi. 15, 16. He was probably Cleophas, the husband of Mary, the sister of the Virgin. John xix. 25. If, then, this James, Joses, and Judas are the same spoken of elsewhere, the point is clear. BUL. The eighth month of the ecclesiastical year of the Jews, and the second of the civil year. It corresponds with October, and contains twenty-nine days. On the 6th of this month the Jews fasted, because on that day Nebuchadnezzar put to death the children of Zedekiah, in the presence of their father, whose eyes he immediately after ordered to be put out. 2 Kings xxv. 7. This month is only mentioned in 1 Kings vi. 38. BULL. The male of the beeve kind. Several Hebrew words are used in the Old Testament to point out this animal slightly differing in signification, and expressive of some of the qualities of the animal. ALUPH, ox or beeve, the most important of all clean beasts. Psal. viii. 7. SHOR, bull. Arabic, al-taur; Latin, taurus; Celtic, tor. PHAR, young bull. THEO, generally supposed to refer to the oryx, or by others to the antelope. "Bulls of Bashan," well fed in such rich pastures, were strong and ferocious, and are chosen as symbols of cruel and persecuting men. Psal. xxii. 12. BURDEN. This word occurs as an introduction to several prophecies of Isaiah. "The burden of Babylon, of Moab," &c. The Hebrew word MASSA is differently interpreted. Many of the modern versions derive it from NASA, to bear a load: others, with perhaps greater probability, from NASA, to raise the voice; and suppose it means, to take up or utter anything with the voice. The former interpretation seems to be confirmed by the circumstance that the term is commonly used in the titles of prophecies which are comminatory in their import, as Isai. xiii. 1; xiv. 28; xv. 1; xix. 1, &c.; an some critics have endeavoured to prove that it is never employed in a different acceptation. But a reference to Prov. xxxi. 1 will show that this is not correct: "The prophecy" (proverbs, sentences) which his mother taught him." Here the same word is employed as is rendered burden in Isaiah. BURIAL. In almost all ages, and by almost all nations, excepting, indeed, the most barbarous, religious respect has been paid to the memory of the dead. Some of the most powerful motives and impulses incident to our common nature tend to promote it. Vanity, ambition, the love of kindred, and chiefly the con BULRUSH. A reed growing on the banks of the Nile, and especially in marshy ground. It grows to the height of twelve or fifteen feet. The stalks are pliable, and capable of being interwoven very closely, as is evident from their being used in the construction of arks, Exod. ii. 3, 5; and also vessels of larger dimensions. Isai. xviii. 2. Vessels of this kind were very common in Egypt, and, accord-sciousness of entering upon another ing to Heliodorus, in Ethiopia Proper. Being exceedingly light, and so small that they commonly only carried one person, they sailed with great velocity on the surface of the water, and when state of existence immediately after death, have tended to institute and keep alive various rites and solemnities in the disposal of the dead. "Give me a place that I may bury |