PILE

Ca 2", and the olynthoi ('untimely figs') of Rev 6". In the case of some trees, especially the best varieties, a certain proportion of these little green figs continue to develop, and reach ripeness in June. These are then known as the dafllr or early figs, mentioned in Is 28«, Jer 242, Hos 9"i, Mic 7', as bikkUrah, 'the figs first ripe.' They are to-day, as of old, specially esteemed for their delicate flavour. As the dafnr are ripening, the little buds of the next crop begin to appear higher up the branches. These steadily develop and form the second and great crop of figs, which comes about August.

In the much-discussed miracle of our Lord (Mt 2ii8-2o_ Mk 11'2- "• ™-») we may dismiss at once the theory that He came looking for figs from the previous season, as He would certainly not have found any such survivors, and such fruit would not have been eatable. On the other hand, at the Passover season, about April, when the young leaves are on the fig trees, every tree which is going to bear fruit at all will have some faksh on it, and so, though it is a true statement that 'the time of figs,' i.e. of ordinary edible figs, 'was not yet' (Mk 11"), yet there would be fruit which could b^, and is to-day, eaten, and fruit, too, which would be a guarantee of a harvest to come later on. It was the want of promise of future fruitfulness in the Jewish nation for which they were condemned in the acted parable of the barren fig tree. It may be noted, how-ever, that in May many fig trees may be found round Jerusalem which have dropped all their 'green figs' (none ripening to dafur) and have not yet put forth the buds of the late summer crop.

Figs are eaten in Palestine not only fresh but dried, the fruit being often threaded on to long strings for convenience of carriage. They are also pressed into a solid cake which can be cut in slices with a knife. These are the fig-cakes of 1 S 251' SO'!, 1 Ch 12". A lump of such was used as a poultice for Hezekiah's boil, 2 K 20', Is 28». E. W. G. Masterman.

FILE. — Only 1 S 13'', but the passage is very corrupt ; see the larger commentaries.

FINE, — ^The verb "to fine' (mod. 'refine') is used in Job 28' 'Surely there is a vein for silver, and a place for gold where they fine it' (RV 'which they refine'). 'Fining' occurs in Pr 17' 272'; and 'finer' in Pr 26< "a vessel for the finer' (Amer. RV ' refiner'). See Refiner.

FIKES. — See Crimes and Punishments, § 8.

FIR (berdsh, RVm cypress [wh. see], 2 S 6», 1 K 58. ID 8'6- « etc.). — It was a tree of large growth (2 K 192», Ezk 31*); evergreen (Hos 148); a chief element in the glory of Lebanon (Is 60'>); associated with cedars (Ps 104"- ", Is 14", Zee ll^). The timber of the berBsh ranked with the cedar for house- and ship-building (1 K 6'- '» etc.). Cypress is accepted by most modern author-ities, but berSsh may have also included several varieties of pine. ' Fir' is also RV tr. of Bren in Is 44'* (AV and RVm wrongly 'ash'). E. W. G. Masterman.

FIBE. — See House, § 7, and next article.

FIREPAN. — 1. A pan of bronze (Ex 27» etc.), silver (Mishna, YBma,lv. 4), or gold (1 K7>° etc.), for removing charcoal, and probably ashes also, from the altar of burnt-offering. According to the Mishna ((oc. cit.), the firepans or coal-pans were of various sizes, there given, and were each furnished with a long or a short handle. They seem, therefore, to have resembled ladles, or the now obsolete bed-warmers.

When used to hold live charcoal for the burning of Incense the coal-pan becomes a censer (Lv 10' 16"'etc.). Hence in Nu 4'«. 1 K 7»", 2 Ch 4m, RV has 'firepans' for AV 'censers,' there being no reference in these passages to incense. The same utensil was used for removing the burnt portions of the lamp-wicks of the golden 'candlestick' or lamp-stand, although rendered sntiS dishes (which see — Tindale has rightly 'firepans').

FIRSTBORN

2. In Zee 128 rv there is mention of 'a pan (AV hearth) of fire'; in other words, a brasier. See Coal; House, § 7. A. R. S. Kennedy.

FIRKIN. — See Weights and Measures.

FIRMAMENT.— See Creation.

FIRSTBORN.— 1 . The dedication of the firstborn of

men and beasts was probably a primitive nomadic custom, and therefore earlier than the offering of first-fruits, which could not arise until the Israelites had settled into agricultural life in Canaan. The origin of the beUef that a peculiar value attached to the firstborn cannot be definitely traced; but it would be a natural inference that what was valuable to the parent would be valuable to his God. And thus the word 'firstborn' could be used figuratively of Israel as the firstborn of J" among the nations (Ex 4k, cf. Jer 31'), and the seed of David among dynasties (Ps 89^'). The law of the dedication of the firstborn is found in JE (Ex 13"-" 222»b. 30 34Uf.), D (Dt 15'9-a), P (Ex 13"-, Nu 3"-"-40-61 1816-18). it is not impossible that in very primitive times firstborn sons were sometimes actually sacrificed (cf. 2 K 3^', Mic 6'), but the practice would soon grow up of 'redeeming' them by money or payments in kind.

2. The firstborn (bekhsr) enjoyed the birthright (bekhBrah). He succeeded his father as head of the family, and took the largest share of the property; this was fixed in Dt 21" as a 'double portion.' [In 2 Ch 21' the principle of the birthright is extended to the suc-cession to the throne. But this is a late passage, and it is not certain that the firstborn was necessarily the heir apparent]. If a man died without children, the heir was the firstborn of his widow by his brother or next-of-kin (Dt 258-'»). The right of the firstborn, however, was often disturbed, owing to the jealousies and quarrels arising from the polygamy practised in Israel. The law in Dt 21"-" is directed against the abuse. Reuben, although the son of Leah, the less favoured of Jacob's two wives, was considered the first- born, and lost the right only because of his sin (Gn 49"-, 1 Ch 5'). But Ishmael was allowed no share at all in the father's property (Gn 21'0); and the superiority of Jacob over Esau (symbolizing the superiority of Israel over Edom) is described as having been foretold before their birth (2528), and as brought about by Esau's voluntary surrender of the birthright (vv.'^-"). And other Instances occur of the younger being preferred to the elder, e.g. Ephraim (48'8-20), Solomon (1 K 1), Shimri (1 Ch 26'»).

3 . The death of the firstborn was the last of the punish-ments sent upon Egypt for Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go. Moses gave him due warning (Ex ll'-*), and on his continued refusal the stroke fell (1228'-). The event is referred to in Ps 788' io5M 1358 i36io_ He 11=8. It is probable (see Plagues of Egypt) that the stories of all the other plagues have been founded on historical occurrences, and that the Egyptians suffered from a series of 'natural' catastrophes. If this is true of the first nine, it is reasonable to assume it for the last, and we may suppose that a pestilence raged which created great havoc, but did not spread to the Israelite quarter. The growth of the tradition into its present form must be explained by the ' setiological ' interest of the Hebrew writer — the tendency to create idealized situations in a remote past for the purpose of explaining facts or institutions whose origin was forgotten. Thus the Feast of Booths was accounted for at a late date by the dwelling of the Israelites in booths after the Exodus (Lv 23"), the Feast of Unleavened Cakes by the haste with which they departed from Egypt (Ex 128< 13"), the Feast of the Passover by the passing over of the houses marked with blood at the destruction of the firstborn (12'"' ^- "). And similariy the singling out of the firstborn for destruction was itself connected with

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