NUMBERS, BOOK OF

ment of the procedure is noteworthy, (u) A supplement to 271-u.

3. Broadly speaking, the value of JE's narratives lies in their portrayal of character, that of P's in its embodiment of ecclesiastical ideas. In JE the character of Moses is strongly marked, in its strength and its occasional weakness: e.g. his humble piety (123), his trust in J" (,W-^), his faithfulness to and intimacy with Him (12«-»), his affection for his people (ll^- i»-" 21'), his generosity and public spirit (ll^'-zs 12); and with this his despondency (lli»-«) and provocation by the people (parts of 20i-'3). And no less vivid is the portrayal of the character of the people — their dislike of restraint, their selfish murmurings, their vehement repentance followed by wilful self-assertion. The narratives of JE were not compiled for the sake of recording history; the compiler was a prophet with a keen sense of the rehgious meaning of history. And his view of personal character revealed in events is not an incidental, but a primary, element in his work. And side by side with this is his conception of the relation between J" and Israel. J", as Israel's only God, commands every action and step in the drama; and obedience to Him is followed by prosperity, while disobedience always brings trouble.

The spontaneity and simpUcity of the earlier narra-tives are in marked contrast with the artificial idealism of P. The writings which we know collectively as P extend over centuries, but they were one and all the work of ecclesiastics. Narratives and laws alike were methods of representing the hierocratic conditions either actually prevalent after the Exile, or contemplated by the writers as desirable. Ecclesiasticism entered also into their conceptions of J". In early days any man might ' meet ' with J" and inquire of Him at the Tent, which was pitched outside the camp (Ex 33'-" E). But now the presence of J" is protected from pollution by the sacred barrier of the priests and Levites, 'that there be no wrath upon the congregation' (Nu 1"). Real matters of abiding consequence to man — sin, and J"'s attitude towards it, and the means of forgiveness — are hardly touched. And if this description seems to leave in P little of spiritual value, it must be answered that its value lies partly in the very evidence that it affords of the deadening influence produced upon spiritual life, and even upon literary art, by a narrow

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ecclesiasticism which has itself as its only aim. The age and the writings of the Priestly school are an invaluable background, to show up all the more clearly the bright-ness of the age which followed it, when universal approach to God was thrown open by 'another priest, who hath been made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an indissoluble life' (He 71").

A. H. M'Neile.

NUKEITIUS. — One of an embassy sent (c. B.C. 144) by the Jews to Rome and Sparta (1 Mac 121-"). He visited Rome on a similar errand a few years later (1 Mao 1*" 15'5-«).

NUN. — The fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and as such employed in the 1 19th Psalm to designate the 14th part, each verse of which begins with this letter.

NUN.— The father of Joshua (Ex 33", Nu ll's, Jos 1' etc.).

NURSE. — Healthy women among the Hebrews in ancient times were accustomed to suckle their own children (On 21'). As in Palestine to-day, the child was suckled for a long time, sometimes as much as three years (1 S I'"-, 2 Mac 7"). Weaning was the occasion of a joyful feast (Gn 218, 1 g 1^). But the nurse was also found in olden times in Israel, and was often held in great affection and honour (Gn 24'9 358, Ex 2', 2 K 112, Is 4923_ 1 Th 2'). The nurse, naneqeth, must be distinguished from the 'Smeneth, tr. ' nurse ' in Ru 4>s, 2 S i*, which means the attendant in charge of the child. W. Ewing.

NUTS.— 1. 'egSz (Ca 6"), without doubt the fruit of the walnut-tree (Juglans regia), called to-day in Arab. jauz. 2. botnlm (Gn 43") means pistachio nuts, the fruit of Pistacia vera, a tree widely cultivated in Palestine. The nuts, known in Arab, as flstug, are very great favourites; they are eaten raw, and also made into various sweets and confectionery.

E. W. G. Mastehman.

NYMPHA(S) .— Aninfiuential Colossian Christian (Col 4"). His house was used as a meeting-place for Chris-tians. The question of the correct reading is a difficult one, and it is uncertain whether it should be Nymphas or Nympha, a man or a woman. Nothing further is known of the person named. Moblet Stevenson.

OABDIUS (1 Es 92') = Ezr 10», AMi.

OAK.—

(1) 'elah, Gn 3S< Jg 6"- ", 2 S 18"- ", 1 K 13", 1 Ch 1012, Is P«, Ezk 6'5, Ho3 412; (Vale of) Elah' [RVm 'terebinth'), 1 S 172- <■' 21', Is 61= lAV 'teil tree']; 'elah elsewhere always tr. 'oak' [RVm 'terebinth']; 'allah, a slight variant, Jos 24^8.

2. 'ellrfi, perhaijs pi. of elah, Is l^^, 'oaks* [RVm 'tere-binths'] 57' [AV 'idols,' mg. 'oaks,' RV 'oaks'] 61= 'trees.' The meaning of 'Him in Ezk 31" is obscure, if the text be correct. These words, 'elah, 'allah, and 'ellm, allapparently refer to the terebinth (wh. see).

3. 'allon, cannot be the same as 'elah, because it occurs with it in Is 6", Hos 4"; see also Gn 35', Is 44", Am 2«. In Is 213, Ezk 27«, Zee 11^ the 'allonim ('oaks') of Baahan are mentioned. In Jos IQ^ (AV) 'allon is treated as a proper name._

4. 'Hon, probably merely a variation of 'allon, is in Gn 12° I31B 1413 igf Dt IIM, Jg 411 9»- " 1 S IQS (AV) tr. 'plain' or 'plains,' but in RV 'oak' or oaks,' mg. terebinth' or ' terebinths.' 'allon and 'elon apparently refer to the oak.

Oaks have always been relatively plentiful in Palestine-Even to-day, in spite of the most reckless destruction.

groves of oaks survive on Carmel, Tabor, around Banias, and in ancient Bashan; while whole miles of country are covered with shrub-like oaks produced from the roots of trees destroyed every few years for fuel. Among the nine recognized varieties of oak in Syria, the evergreen Quercus cocdfera or 'holm oak' is the finest — it is often 30 to 35 feet high. Its preservation is usually due to its being situated at some sacred wely. 'Abraham's oak' at Hebron is of this kind. Other common oaks are the Valonia oak (Q. Mgilojis), which has large acorns with prickly cups, much valued for dyeing; and the Oriental gall oak (Q. cerris), a compara-tively insignificant tree, especially noticeable for the variety of galls which grow on it. Both these latter are deciduous, the leaves faUing from late autumn to early spring. Oak wood is used for tanning skin bottles and also as fuel, while the acorn cups of the Valonia oak and the galls of the various oak trees are both important articles of commerce in N. Syria.

E. W. G. Mastehman. OAR. — See Ships and Boats.

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