ARACHNIDA.

THE SCORPION.

The Scorpions of Palestine-Signification of the word Akrabbim-Habits of the Scorpion-Dangers of mud walls-Venom of the Scorpion-Scorpions at seaThe Scorpion whip, and its use-The Scorpion Pass.

THE Arachnida are represented in Scripture by the Scorpion and Spider.

Scorpions are exceedingly common in Palestine, and to a novice are a constant source of terror until he learns to be accustomed to them. The appearance of the Scorpion is too well known to need description, every one being aware that it is in reality a kind of spider that has the venom claw at the end of its body, and not in its jaw. As to the rendering of the word akrabbim as "Scorpions," there has never been any doubt.

These unpleasant creatures always manage to insinuate themselves in some crevice, and an experienced traveller is cautious where the Scorpions are plentiful, and will never seat himself in the country until he has ascertained that no Scorpions are beneath the stones on or near which he is sitting. Holes in walls are favourite places of refuge for the Scorpion, and are very plentiful, the mud walls always tumbling down in parts, and affording homes for Scorpions, spiders, snakes, and other visitors.

The venom of the Scorpion varies much in potency according to the species and size of the creature, some of the larger Scorpions being able to render a man ill for a considerable time, and even to kill him if he should be a sensitive subject. So much feared were the Scorpions that one of the chief privileges of the Apostles and their immediate followers was their immunity from the stings of Scorpions and the bite of venomous serpents.

It is said, however, that after a person has been stung once by a Scorpion, he suffers comparatively little the second time, and that if he be stung three or four times, the only pain that he

suffers arises from the puncture.

Sailors also say that after

a week at sea the poison of the Scorpion loses its power, and that they care nothing for the Scorpions which are sure to come on board inside the bundles of firewood.

"And they had tails like unto scorpions: and there were stings in their tails."-REV. ix. 19.

We will now take a few of the Scriptural passages which allude to the Scorpion. As may be expected, most of them refer to the poisonous quality of its sting, though one or two allude to its habit of dwelling in desert places. See, for example, Deut. viii. 15, which forms part of the address that Moses delivered to the Israelites: "Lest. . . . thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

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"Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water."

A similar image of desolation is found in Ezek. ii. 6: “ And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briars and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions."

Those passages which mention the venom of the Scorpion are numerous, though most, if not all, of them occur in the New Testament. See Rev. ix. 5: "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months, and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." Also ver. 10 of the same chapter: "And they had tails like unto scorpions: and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months."

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The venom of the Scorpion is indirectly mentioned in other passages. There is, for example, the well-known saying of our Lord, “If a son shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?" (Luke xi. 12.) And in the preceding chapter of the same Evangelist Scorpions are classed with serpents in their power of injury: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

THERE is another reference to the Scorpion in the Old Testament, which requires an explanation. It forms part of the rash counsel given to Rehoboam by his friends: "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke; my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.' The general tenure of this passage is evident enough, namely, that he intended to be far more severe than his father had been. But his words assume a new force when we remember that there was a kind of whip called a Scorpion. This terrible instrument was made for the express purpose of punishing slaves, so that the mere mention of it was an insult. It consisted of several thongs, each of which was loaded with knobs of metal, and tipped with a metal hook, so that it resembled the jointed and hooked tail of the Scorpion. This dreadful instrument of torture could kill a man by a few blows, and it was even used

in combats in the amphitheatre, a gladiator armed with a Scorpion being matched against one armed with a spear.

The prevalence of the Scorpion in Palestine and its neighbourhood may be inferred from the fact that a wady or pass between the south end of the Dead Sea and Zion was named after it. The southern boundary of Judah is said to be at Maaleh Akrabbim (Josh. xv. 3). Now the literal translation of these words is "The Ascent of Scorpions," or The Scorpion Pass.

THE SPIDER.

Signification of the word Semamith-Various interpretations of a Scriptural passage-Talmudical opinions respecting the creature-The 'Akkabish and its web-Spiders of Palestine.

ALTHOUGH the word "spider" is mentioned three times in the Authorized Version of the Bible, one of them must be excluded, namely Prov. xxx. 28: "The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces." There is much doubt whether the word semamith, which is here translated a "spider," does not rather allude to the Gecko, a lizard which has already been described. Moreover, the passage is rendered very differently in the Jewish Bible: "A spider thou mayest catch with the hands, and is in kings' palaces."

Buxtorf mentions some curious Talmudical opinions regarding the Semam. For example, there is a kind of proverb"Dreaded as a Semam by a scorpion," founded on the belief that the Semam, whatever it might be, crept into the ears of the scorpion. Another proverb is, "A Semam against a scorpion," the idea being that if a Semam was crushed on the wound made by a scorpion, it would destroy the effect of the poison.

He further mentions that the word has been translated as araneus or aranea, i.e. Spider, as simia, i.e. an ape, as calamotes, which signifies a kind of fish, or as kalabotes and askalabotes, which is a kind of lizard. The Septuagint employs this rendering, to which Buxtorf himself leans.

The same word 'akkabish occurs twice, and certainly does signify some kind of Spider. The Prophet Isaiah writes of the wicked that they "weave the spider's web" (lix. 5), and there is a similar image in Job viii. 14: "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish. Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose hope shall be a spider's web" (or house). In both instances reference is made to the fragility of the Spider's web as a metaphor to express the futility of evil devices.

The reader will see that in neither of these passages is there anything that indicates the species of Spider. There are very many species of Spider in Palestine; some which spin webs, like the common Garden Spider, some which dig subterranean cells and make doors in them, like the well-known Trap-door Spider of Southern Europe, and some which have no webs, but chase their prey upon the ground, like the Wolf and Hunting Spiders. Notice is, however, only taken of those which spin webs.

ANNELIDA.

THE WORM.

Various words translated as 66 Worm "-Probable confusion of the words-The Rimmah and the Tole'ah-The Worm which destroyed Jonah's gourd The Earthworm.

THE word" worm occurs many times in the Authorized Version, and is a rendering of three Hebrew words. One is sás, which has been already explained under the article Moth; the second is rimmah; and the third tole'ah. There is very great difficulty in ascertaining the real signification of these words, unless we assume that the Hebrews were not aware of the distinction between actual Annelida and the larvæ of various insects.

Even at the present day we commit a similar error. We speak of the wire-worm, which is the larva of one kind of beetle. We say that wood is worm-eaten, signifying that it has been