Without multiplying examples, it may suffice to say, that this word, as expressive of labour, is ever associated with the idea of particularity, or class of labour, business, employment or job, without reference to any other adjective quality; and hence it came to mean a message, or one charged with a message, and is therefore sometimes used to mean an angel, because they were supposed to be messengers, charged to do a particular labour; hence, also, applied to a prophet; and hence, also, the prophet Malachi's name.

Asa properly means work or labour, as the result of making, procreating, producing, doing, acting, or performing, without any regard to the condition of the agent or actor. Gen. i. 7: "God made y the firmament." 16: "God made w two great lights." ii. 2: "God ended his work in which he had made," y. This word is also used to express the result of labour in acquiring slaves and other property generally, as in Gen. xii. 5: "All their substance that they had gathered, and the souls they had gotten in Haran," i. e. all the property and slaves that they had laboured for, &c. y. Exod. xxxi. 4: "To work in gold and silver." 5: It is used with malabkah, thus:

66

מְלָאכָה) ",in all manner of workmanship לַעֲשׂוֹת to work *

lakah.) These two words occur together again in Neh. iv. 15, the iv. 21 of the English text: "So we laboured Dry in the work,". Ezek. xxix. 20: "I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour," vy. Exod. xxx. 25: "And thou shalt make it ( labour it) an oil of holy ointment, an ointment composed after the art of the apothecary." Art is here translated from maase, which is another word of very similar import, and is derived from y, and expresses the idea of labour, as of a thing done, or wrought, a work, deed, action, concern, business, i. e. a labour emanating from a habit, or an occupation of busiGen. xliv. 15: "What deed is this that ye have done?" xlvii. 3: "What is your occupation?" Dye. Exod.

ness.

xxiii. 16: "And the feast of the harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours up, which thou hast sown in the field, and the first of the ingathering, which is the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours," . Hag. ii. 17: “And I smote you with blasting and with hail in all the labours of your hands." Hab. iii. 17: "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine, the labour of the olive shall fail."

sebel is sometimes translated labour, but it more often means something consequent to labour, as the burthen of labour is consequent to the labour: it is sometimes used to mean the produce of labour, and hence the Syrian Ephraimitish word siboleth, which is said to mean an ear of corn, because an ear of corn was the produce of labour. Hence, it is sometimes used to mean prolific and fruitful, because the produce of labour is prolific and fruitful; and because to sustain a burthen, as of labour, carries with it the idea of physical ability and strength, it is used in the sense of bearing up, to elevate, to deliver from, &c. A few instances of its use will suffice. Exod. i. 11: "To afflict them with their burthens," . Ps. lxxxi. 70: “I delivered cxliv. 14: "That our oxen may be strong to labour," pp. The Hebrews had thus several ways by which they could express the idea labour accompanied with different adjective qualities. So the word 7 ebed may express the idea labour; but when so, it is always slave-labour, the labour peculiar to, or performed by a slave; as in Isa. xix. 9: "They that work 7 in fine flax." The meaning is, they that labour or slave themselves in fine flax. The working in fine flax was slave-labour. If it were good English for us to say, they that slave in fine flax, it would be exactly what the prophet did say in this passage. So in Exod. xx. 9: "Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work." Here labour is translated from ebed, as a verb "do"

".thee מִסְבֶל

The literal meaning .מְלַאכְתָךְ and grork" from וְעָשִׂיתָ is from

of this is-Six days shalt thou slave and labour all thy work;-or, more plainly-Six days shalt thou slave thyself (i. e. do slave labour) and ♫'iy labour, or make all thy particular, accus

tomed, professional or usual work or labour. This command is addressed to all mankind, and the propriety of it, as here explained, will be seen in the succeeding verse. "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do yn any work thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy ebeddeka, slave.)" So, then, if this particular word had not been used, we could not have said that the command applied to slaves.

man-servant, (777

But the Hebrews had a way of expressing the idea of labour alone, associated with the idea of industry as its adjective quality: Should I say, By your hands you shall be sustained, the idea would be that you shall be sustained by your labour; that is, your personal industry. So the Hebrews used the words y el yod, which means "by hand," and is used to mean labour. Thus, Prov. xiii. 11: "He that gathereth by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathereth by labour (y by hand, i. e. by his own industry) shall increase." Is it not clear, then, that the Hebrews stood in no need of the word ebed to mean labour generally. They did use it to mean slave-labour, and slave-labour alone, as we shall more fully see hereafter.

This language enabled its writers to express the distinctive shades of meaning-those adjective qualities associated with the idea labour. These facts may appear to the mere English scholar as matters of no importance-not worth investigation. But, touching the Hebrew use of this word y ebed and its compounds, as it affects and expresses the institution of slavery, amid the eras of Divine inspiration, we hope to be sustained in the consideration of its very great importance.

LESSON IV.

SOME of the lexicons say that this root Ty ebed means also worship, to worship God, or idols, &c., without any connection with the idea of slavery. In Gen. xxii. 5: "And I and the lad will go yonder and worship;" here, worship is from

from the root shahah, which means to bow down. xxiii. 12: "And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the Lord," bowed down himself. xlvii. 31: “ And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head," . Exod. iv. 31: "Then they bowed their heads and worshipped," . This root, like all others, takes upon itself a change of shape, according to the condition in which it is used. We will present a few instances of its application in Hebrew. Exod. xi. 8: "And bow down themselves unto me," 11. xx. 5: "Thou shalt not

',down unto

bow down thyself unto them." xxxiii. 10: "And the

".before the Lord God וְיִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָ

people rose up and worshipped," Deut. xxvi. 10: "And worship in before the Lord thy God." Josh. v. 14: "And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship," . 1 Sam. xv. 30: "That I may worship

m

the Lord thy God." 31: "And Saul worshipped in the Lord." 2 Sam. i. 2: "That he fell to the earth and did obeisance,"

on his face to וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ xiv. 33: “And bowed himself .וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ

the ground before the king." 1 Kings i. 23: "He bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground." 2 Kings v. 18: "When my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship in there, *

n worship

*

וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתִי and I bow myself * *

before the altar of Jerusalem."

in the house of Rimmon, * * * when I bow myself down in the house of Rimmon." xviii. 22: "Ye shall xix. 37: "And it came to pass as he was worshipping n in the house of Nishrosh, his God." Job i. 20: "Then Job arose and fell down

upon the ground and worshipped," nn. Ezek. viii. 16: "And they worshipped on the sun towards the east."

Before we close our examples, let us notice how the Hebrews applied this word in poetry. Ps. xlv. 12 (11 of the English text): "Worship " thou him." xcix. 5: "Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool." cvi. 19: "They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped 1

the molten image." xcvii. 7: "Confounded be all they that serve (y slave themselves to) graven images; that boast themselves of idols: worship 11 him, all ye gods." In this instance, the word serve associates with the idea of slavery, as does the original; but the worship with that of reverence. Both words occurring in the same sentence, will give us some idea of their different uses; yet some think this word in such instances synonymous with the word worship, notwithstanding the Hebrew writers thought differently; yet true it is, this word is sometimes used (as it were by figure) to express humility, subserviency, and devotedness of the true worshipper. In the same manner, St. Paul expresses the idea, when he says, that he is the doulos (dov205, slave) of Jesus

Christ. In an analogous sense, the Arabic words

hallel, Hebrew

hel and

hallal, are used to mean worship, &c. "Praise ye the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary," &c., where this word is in frequent use, and from which our word

Ps. cl.

hallelujah has arisen. Also the Arabic word hōd, Hebrew i hōd, is in somewhat similar use: Ps. cxxxvi. 1, 2, 3, all commencing, "O give thanks to the Lord," meaning glory, majesty, or dignity to the Lord, as the worship of the Almighty, We trust no one has ever found the word ebed used in such a sense.

But it is said that y avoda means implements, utensils, appurtenances, (see Gessenius,) and Num. iii. 26, 31, and 36, is quoted in proof: "And the hangings of the court and the curtains for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it, for all the service thereof." Service is translated from 1 avodatho. The word, as here used, means slave-labour, and might well have been translated, "For all the slave-labour thereof," i. e. of the tabernacle. We can