of a wood very little apt to alter: xxvi. 15, 16: of the tabernacle itself, which was 30 ells long, and 10 broad; of the altar of burnt offerings, overlaid with copper: xxvii. 1: are all specified in ells; and that in a book which every Israelite was to read." Besides, there were the "archetypes of the ell, that were kept in the sanctuary itself. Of the table of show-bread: Exod. xxv. 23. the altar of incense: xxx. 2. the ark of the covenant: xxv. 10: all the dimensions are specified." "But the most iuvariable of all the standards of longitudinal measures, as being made entirely of gold, is the lid of the ark, which was two ells and a half long, and one ell and a half broad: xxv. 17."—" When the tabernacle was 480 or 592 years old, and must certainly have been pretty much decayed, Solomon began the building of his temple. At this time, they would, from the remains of the tabernacle, still be able to ascertain the Mosaic ell. This measure was transferred to the temple; and that edifice which, being built of stone, was liable to still fewer changes, particularly in a southern country, where no severe frosts make the stones of a building separate from each other, was 60 ells long, and 20 broad; and thus, without taking into account other expedients that Solomon might have employed for the purpose, the ancient Mosaic ell was preserved until the time of Nebuchadnezzar, by whom this temple was destroyed."

The following, selected from various writers, is submitted as presenting

"It is true," continues the celebrated critic, "that the curtains and the wood might be affected by exposure to the atmosphere, although perhaps one error would correct another: but still, every Israelite that came to attend divine service, in any future age, would here obtain a pretty

A cursory illustration of the longitudinal measures may be attempted, as they are found in various parts of the Sacred Writings.

.signifies a finger or a toe אצבע

finger or a toe. It is used by the prophet Jeremiah as a measure. lii. 21. MWAYN YI¬, four digits or fingers. According to Josephus, it is, but according to Arbuthnot, the, of an inch.

, axgov, pollex, a thumb or great toe. A thumb's breadth is found in some of the Jewish writings: and is reckoned 1.16 of an inch. Junius and Tremellius on Ezek. xl. 5. have this remark: "Digiti quatuor, sive tres pollices."

, a palm or hand's breadth, in Exod., xxv. 25. is translated, quatuor digitis." Lam. ii. 20. ' by mean, either the children a hand's breadth long, of whom women procured abor tions to sustain them in the siege; or rather young children who yet required the constant attendance of their mothers to stretch out their limbs and lay them smooth: comp. v. 22. Parkhurst.

, a span, denoting as much as a man can measure with his hand expanded from the thumb to the little finger. That it was N", half of the cubit, appears from comparing Ezek. xliii. 13. with the 17th verse of that chapter.

by, pes, a foot. This does not appear to have been a Biblical measure; but is usually regarded by Jewish writers as comprising 12 inches.-See Godwyn.

ON, a cubit, so called from its having been the mother or standard of the Hebrew longitudinal measures; and contains the distance, in the human arm, from the elbow to the extremity of the middle finger. This idea is suggested by the import of its Latin and English names. According to the statements of Mintert, Calmet, Parkhurst and Ewing, it comprised about 18 inches; but Arbuthnot, Cumberland, Pelletier, Lamy, Josephus and Horne say, about 21 inches

The cubit was probably fixed by Noah: as may particularly be inferred from the construction of the ark: and in Egypt, which required the use of established measures, it has been preserved to the present day. Moses therefore may be understood

accurate view of the ell, and might at any rate measure some of these things with more correctness, and thus judge whether the nation still retained in common use the ancient original cubit or not." Michaelis' Comment. Laws of Moses, iii. p. 387.

Lamy, who also observes, that Mr. Greaves, who measured the pyramids of Egypt with great exactness, says, that in all the dimensions he took, he found that they who had built these great edifices, had made

as always mentioning what is the Egyptian cubit, which is known to be 20 inches.

But Cappellus, Villalpandus, Arbuthnot and others, maintain, that there were two cubits, a civil and a sacred one; the former 18 inches and the latter 3 feet. In proof of which they refer, among other passages, to 1 Kings, vii. 15. which reads

DIP MAX Thy different from its parallel text, 2 Chron. iii. 15. MIDX VDM Dww. The latter of these, however, it must be observed, regards both of the measures united; and Jeremiah

.שמנה עשרה אמה,says in round numbers

Therefore the learned Calmet and other writers contend, that there was but one cubit among the Hebrews, from the Exodus to the Babylonian captivity-that this was the Egyptian cubit, the measure whereof was taken some years ago from the old standards extant at Grand Cairo-and that only after the Captivity the Scripture notices two sorts of measures, to distinguish the ancient Hebrew cubit from that of Babylon, which the captives had used during their abode in that city. Hence Ezekiel

אמה אמה וטפח .13 .cautiously says, xliii

It may be observed that xus or has the same meaning in the New Testament, though sometinies rather peculiarly employed. In Matt. vi. 27. and Luke xii. 25. the word is plainly determined to the sense of time, by Luke, xii. 26. where our Saviour speaks of προσθείναι επι την ηλικίαν αυτού πηχυν ένα, as being EλaxiσTOν, a very small thing; whereas adding a cubit to a man's stature would indeed be a great one.1

Οργυια, a fathom, σημαίνει την εκτασιν των χειρων συν τω πλατει TOU σTηlous; occurs in Acts xxvii. 28. Galli vocant, Une brasse.

Male igitur nonnulli Ulnam interpretantur. Beza.

P, a reed, or cane; was used chiefly for measuring buildings,

,שש אמות באמה וטפח and its length, according to Ezekiel, was

xl. 5. Because it could not be shortened or lengthened by shrinking or stretching, it was less liable to deceive; and hence the canon or rule of Holy Scripture is mystically typified by this P. Ezek. xl. and Rev. xxi. 15. Godwyn.

use of the cubit now used in that country: because each part of them consisted of an exact number of these cubits. The Egyptians call it AHP; and, according to Greaves, it consists of 1824 parts, 1000 of which make an English foot.-Introduction to H. S. p. 259.

Wetstein on Matt. vi. 27. cited by Parkhurst, in his Greek Lexicon,

p. 533.

2 So observes the etymologist, as referred to by Parkhurst, in loc.

An Arabian or pole, noticed by Josephus and others, was about 14 feet.

ban, a line, rope, or chain, was employed for surveying or portioning lands (as we now use what is called Gunter's chain); and was made, according to the import of the Greek term, of bulrushes twisted together. It is beautifully used by metonymy, as in Ps. xvi. 6.

Ty has been used by Rabbinical writers to express the Roman pace, which contained about 4 feet 10 inches. Its relationship with σradios is obvious, though that word, like the Latin stadium, is well known to express a measure nearly equal to the English furlong.

Zaßßaтou odos, a Sabbath-day's journey, in Acts i. 12. is precisely determined by the excellent reading of the Syriac version,

about seven stadia. As to the origin of this ,ܙܝܡ ܫܒܥܐ ܐܤܛܕܘܢ

measure, it is thus stated by a learned philologist: "In Exod. xvi. 29. mandat Deus, &c. sed Lev. xxiii. 3. habetur, &c. ergo si debuerint adire locum sacrum, etiam debuerunt exire e loco suo. Judæi hoc dubium determinarunt, et statuerunt sibi licere facere iter Sabbathi, quod intra semi-horam absolvere poterant. Ergo Judæi putarunt sibi licuisse sine violatione Sabbathi iter unius semi-horæ absolvere." Leusden.

milliare, a mile (say some critics), so called from its magnitude, because it was the greatest measure of a road. Various opinions have been expressed relative to the meaning of this word. It is found joined with P in Gen. xxxv. 16. and xlviii. 7. and 2 Kings, v. 19. and is read in Arabic by a mile or 1000 paces; in Syriaca space; and in Persian a parasang, or German mile. Most likely it denotes a furlong, from 17, to plough, says Geddes, cited and approved by Boothroyd.

پرسح

DY, a day's journey, which is computed by the Talmudists at 10 parses or 40 miles. They also measure by 1, by

.Lightfoot .יומים and by פרסאות

(Measures of Capacity in the next.)

July, 1823.

J. W.

1 Juxta Kimchium est servile et radix est significans spatium viæ; quantum homo conficit a mane usque ad pastum.-Stockii Heb. Lex. p. 509.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ZODIAC
OF DENDERA.

I

No. II. [Continued from No. LV, p. 73.] AQUARIUS. In the first temple at Ephesus, the statue of the Goddess, according to Xenophon, book v, was of gold. The representations of Diana, which have descended to our times, are those of the statue which was placed in the second temple, and which was of wood. It not only was covered with breasts, but "consisted of an assemblage of almost every symbol attached to the old humanised column, so as to form a composition purely emblematical." This description of the Ephesian goddess applies so pointedly to the figure under consideration, that no doubt can remain respecting the deity it personified. The image of Isis was usually in the form of a woman, with cow's horns on her head, representing the moon in her increase and decrease, and holding the Sistrum (a kind of cymbal) in her right hand, and a pitcher in her left; but sometimes she was represented as Cybele, with the body full of breasts, to express her nourishing all things. It is probable, therefore, that the Egyptian Isis, and Diana, were the same divinity with Rhea, from the Hebrew Rahah, to feed.

On this subject Mr. Bryant says,

We are told that Aquarius, and the great effusion of that element as it is depicted in the sphere, undoubtedly relate to the history of the deluge, Hegesianax maintained that it was Deucalion; now Deucalion was the Noah of the East, the same with Helios the Sun. We find, also, that Dionusus was styled Hyas, and Zeus Ombrius, terms signifying the god of rain. The priestesses had hence the name of Hyas and Thyas.-The Hyades was accounted a watery sign.3

Thus, in whichever light we view this figure, it evidently resolves itself into an attribute of the Sun, although it is highly probable that the figure of Diana of Ephesus suggested this variety.

Pisces. Fish were worshipped in Egypt: "Ubi tamen pisces a sapientioribus pro deorum symbolis potius quam pro diis cultos fuisse innuit, quod etiam ceteris animalibus existimandum est."4

1 Class. Journ. No. 50. vol. iii. p. 187.

2 Analysis, vol. iii. p. 51-2.

3 Ibid.

4 Vossius de Idol. lib. iv. ch. 51. cited by Dr. Long:

Astron. vol. i. p. 181...

VOL. XXVIII.

Ct. Jl.

NO. LVI.

P