WEN

WEN.— See Medicine, p. 600».

WENCH. — This word, once good English, was used by the Bishops' Bible of 1568, and was transferred to AV at 2 S 17". So Wyclif at Mt 9« ' Go ye away, for the wenche is not dead, but slepith.'

WHALE. — 1. tannin. See Dragon (4). 2.daggadSl, the 'great flsh' of Jon 1", is in the LXX- and in Mt 12" rendered in Gr. by ketos and tr. ' whale,' though the Gr. word has a much wider significance. It is impossible to say what kind of flsh is intended in the narrative. See, further, art. Jonah.

E. W. G. Mastekman.

WHEAT ichittah, Gn 30", Ex 34^ etc.; sitos, Mt 312 132s. 2». 30, Lk 3" 16' 2231 etc.).— The wheat of Palestine is mostly of the bearded varieties; it is not only eaten as bread, but also boiled, unground, to make the peasant's dish burghid, which is in turn pounded with meat in a mortar (of. Pr 27*2) to make the festive delicacy kibbeh. Wheat is grown all over the valleys and plains of W. Palestine, though to a less extent than barley, but it is cultivated in the largest quantities in the Nuqra or plain of the Hauran, one of the finest grain-growing countries in the world. The wheat harvest occurs from April to June; its time was looked upon as one of the divisions of the year (Ex 34^2, Jg 151, 1 S 12"). The expressions 'fat of wheat' (Ps 81" mg., 147" mg.) and 'the fat of kidneys of wheat' (Dt 32") refer to the finest flour of wheat.

E. W. G. Masterman.

WHEEL. — The various parts of a cart or chariot wheel are enumerated in connexion with the bronze wheels of Solomon's layers (1 K 73»- s^'). In RV v.'^ reads: ' And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their felloes, and their spokes, and their naves were all molten' (cf. AV). In carts and chariots the essential parts were, of course, of wood. The felloes were made in segments dowelled together. For illustt. see Wilkinson. Anc. Egy. i. 234 ff. The finest specimen of a Roman chariot wheel as yet found has the felloe, ' which is formed of a single piece of wood bent,' and the nave shod with iron, the latter being also 'bushed with iron' (Scott, Hist. Rev., Oct. 1905, p. 123, with illust.). For the potter's wheel, see Potter. Wells and cisterns were also furnished with wheels, over which the rope passed tor drawing up the water-bucket (Ec 12'). See also Cart, Chariot. A. R. S. Kennedy.

WHIRLWIND represents two Heb. words — snphah (Job 378, Pr V etc., also tr. 'storm' in Job 21", Ps 83'=, Is 29« etc.), and sa'ar or se'arah (2 K 2', Job 3S>, Jer 23" etc., also tr. 'tempest,' and ,' stormy wind,' Ps 55' 8315 107K, Ezk 1313 etc.) The words do not necessarily mean 'whirlwind,' and are applied to any furious storm. From the context, however, in certain passages, we gather that whirlwind is intended — a violent wind moving in a circle round its axis (2 K 2'- ", Job 38' etc.). It often works great havoc in its path, as it sweeps across the country. Drawing up sand, dust, straw, and other light articles as it gyrates, it presents the appearance of a great pillar — an object of fear to travellers and dwellers in the desert. Passing over the sea, it draws up the water, and the bursting of the column causes the water-spout. God spake to Job from the whirlwind (Job 40") ; the modern Arabian regards it with superstitious dread, as the residence of demons. W. Bwinq.

WHITE.— See CoLonns, § 1.

WHITE OF AN EGG (EV Job 6«, RVm 'juice of purslain'). — The allusion should perhaps be understood to be the juice of some insipid plant, probably Por-tulaca oleracea, L., the common purslane. ' White of an egg' (lit., on this view, 'slime of the yoke') is still, however, accepted by many interpreters.

WHORE.— This term is generally replaced in RV by harlot (wh. see).

WILDERNESS, DESERT

WIDOW.— Widows from their poverty and un-protectedness, are regarded in OT as under the special guardianship of God (Ps 68s 146', Pr 15^=, Dt 10'», Jer 49"); and consequently due regard for their wants was looked upon as a mark of true religion, ensuring a blessing on those who showed it (Job 29i3 3V\ Is 1", Jer 78- ' 22S- '); while neglect of, cruelty or injustice towards them were considered marks of wickedness meriting punishment from God (Job 22»- m 242"- ", Ps 94», Is 1^ 10^, Zee 7". ", Mai 3'). The Book of Deut. is especially rich in such counsels, insisting that widows be granted full justice (24" 27i9), that they be received as guests at sacriflcial meals (IV 16»- " 26i2'), and that they be suffered to glean unmolested in field, oliveyard, and vineyard (24'".). See, further, Inherit-ance, i. 2 (c); Marriage, 6.

The earliest mention of widows in the history of the Christian Church is found in Ac 6', where the Grecian Jews murmured 'against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected' in the daily distribution of alms or food. In course of time these pensioners became an excessive burden on the finances of the Church. We thus find St. Paul dealing with the matter in 1 Ti 5'-'», where he charges relatives and Christian friends to relieve those widows with whom they are personally connected (vv.*- s- "), so that the Church might be the more able to relieve those who were 'widows indeed' (i.e. widows in actual poverty and without any one responsible for their support) (vv.'- '• '•). He further directs that 'none be enrolled as widows' except those who were sixty years of age, of unim-peachable character, and full of good works; and he adds that 'the younger widows' should be 'refused' (i.e. not enrolled); lor experience had shown that they 'waxed wanton against Christ' and, re-marrying, 'rejected their first faith.' Since it could not have been the Apostle's wish that only widows over sixty should receive pecuniary help from the Church (for many young widows might be in great poverty), and since he could not describe the re-marriage of such a widow- pensioner as a rejection of her faith, it follows that the list of widows, from which the younger widows were to be excluded, was not the list of those who were in receipt of Church relief, but rather a list of those, from among the pensioner-widows, who were considered suitable by age and character to engage ofBcially in Church work. Therefore we may see in this passage a proof of the existence thus early in the history of the Church of that ecclesiastical order of 'Widows' which we find mentioned frequently in post-Apostolic times. Charles T. P. Gribrson.

WIFE. — See Family, 2; Marriage.

WILDERNESS, DESERT.— These terms stand for several Heb. and Gr. words, with different shades of meaning.

1. midbar (from dabar, 'to drive') means properly the land to which the cattle were driven, and is used of dry pasture land where scanty grazing was to be found. It occurs about 280 times in OT and is usually tr. ' wilder-ness,' though we have 'desert' about a dozen times. It is the place where wild animals roam: pelicans (Ps 102«), wild asses (Job 24', Jer 2"), ostriches (La 4'), jackals (Mai 1'); and is without settled inhabitants, though towns or settlements of nomadic tribes may be found (Jos 15"- ''. Is 421'). This terra is usually applied to the Wilderness of the Wanderings or the Arabian desert, but may refer to any other waste. Special waste tracts are distinguished: wilderness of Shur, Zin, Paran, Kadesh, Maon, Ziph, Tekoa, Moab, Edom, etc.

2. 'arabah (probably from a word meaning 'dry') signifies a dry, desolate, unfertile tract of land, 'steppe,' or 'desert plain.' As a proper name, it is applied to the great plain including the Jordan Valley and extend-ing S. to the Gulf of Akabah, 'the Arabah.' but it is

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