Most High – Mysia

Most High

Most high (ElyBn) occurs as an epithet of El, ‘God’ (Genesis 14 pg ygas)^ or Jahweh (Psalms 7:17) or it stands by itself as a title of God (Numbers 24:16, Deuteronomy 32:8, Psalms 21:8 etc.). We find it first in a somewhat mysterious chapter (Genesis 14) which cannot be traced to any identified source; the date is also uncertain. In this chapter Melchizedek is described as ‘priest to the Most High God’ (,El Ely on), and since in later, times the Salem where he lived was generally identified with Jerusalem, the double function of priest and king ascribed to him caused him to be regarded by the Jews as a type of the ideal king, and by the Christians as the type of Christ. Hence the name of the God whom he worshipped(.El Elyon), which may possibly, in the first instance, have had reference merely to the lofty situation of Jerusalem, became in later generations a mysterious and exalted title of Jahweh. At the same time there is the possibility that the title Elyon came originally from the Phoenicians! Philo of Byblus (quoted by Driver, Genesis, p. 165) mentions a deity of this name in the Phoanieian theogony, and the corresponding Greek word is frequent In inscriptions of the Grseco-Roman period, especially in the neighbourhood of the Bosporus. Whatever the origin of the title Elyon, it never occurs in strictly prose passages of the OT, though we find it in the Songs of Balaam (Numbers 24:16), Moses (Deuteronomy 32:8), and David (2 Samuel 22:14). The Aramaic equivalents are fairly frequent in Daniel.

The uses of the Greek rendering in the NT are instructive. In the story of the Annunciation it is ordained that the child whom Mary is to bear shall be called Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32) and a little later on (v. 76) John the Baptist is spoken of as prophet of the Most High. The contrast is completed in the Ep. to the Hebrews, where Melchizedek is brought forward as priest of the Most High (cf. 7:1 with v. 28). It is worth noting, too, that the title is twice found in the mouth of demoniacs (Mark 5:7 =Lk 8:28, ac 16:17). The word, then, does not belong to thelanguage of everyday life: it is reserved for poetry and elevated style, and it seems by its origin to have suggested something archaic and mysterious, whether It referred to the lofty dwelling-place or to the majestic nature and attributes of God. H. C. O. Lanchester.

Mote

The word chosen by Wyclif and Tindale, and accepted by all the subsequent versions as the tr. of Gr. karphos in Matthew 7, Luke 6 The root of karphos is karphd ‘to dry up,’ and it signifies a bit of dried stick, straw, or wool, such as, in the illustration, might be flying about and enter the eye. In its minuteness it is contrasted by our Lord with dokos, the beam that supports (dechomai) the roof of a building.

MOTH Cash, Job 4:19 3 27:18, Psalms 39:12, Isaiah 50:9 51:8, Hosea 5:12; Gr. sSs, Matthew 6:19, 20, Luke 12:33, James 5:2). All the references are to the clothes-moth, which is ubiquitous and extremely plentiful in Palestine. It is almost impossible to guard against its destructiveness, except by constantly using clothes, shawls, carpets, etc. Such goods, when stored for long, are found to be reduced almost to powder on being removed (cf. Job 4:19 etc.). The fragile cases of these moths are referred to in Job 27:18, if the MT be correct.

E. W. G. MA.STERMAN.

Mother

See Family, 3.

Mount

An earthwork in connexion with siegecraft (Jeremiah 6:6 and oft.), also rendered ‘bank’ (2 Samuel 20:15 RV). In 1 Maccabees 12:36 RV has the modern form ‘mound,’ which Amer. RV has substituted throughout. See, further,

FoHTiriCATION AND SlEGECRAFT, § 6 (c).

Mount, Mountain

Although on the whole a mountainous country, Palestine has few striking or commanding peaks to show; consequently, though we find frequent mention of mountains in the Bible,, there are comparatively few names of individual summits. ‘Mountain,’ as well as its cognate ‘mount,’ is used both of isolated elevations and of extensive districts of lofty ground — such as Sinai, Horeb, Carmel on the one hand. Mount Seir or the Mountain of Gilead on the other.

Mountains served various functions to the ancient inhabitants of the land. (1) They were dwelling-places, for which the numerous caves, natural and artificial, excavated in their soft limestone sides, well fitted them: thus Esau dwelt in Mount Seir (Genesis 36:8). (2) They served the purpose of landmarks: thus Mount Hor was indicated (Numbers 34:7) as a boundary of the Promised Land. (3) They were used as platforms, for addressinglarge crowds of people, as in the famous ceremony at Ebal and Gerizim (Joshua 8:30 ff.), in the address of Jotham to the Shechemites (Judges 9:7), and that of Abijah to the Ephraimites (2 Chronicles 13:4). (4) They were burial-places (‘sepulchres that were in the mount,’ 2 Kings 23:16). (5) They served as refuges (Genesis 14:10, Matthew 24:16) (6) as military camps (1 Samuel 17:3) (7) as sources of wood and plants (2 Ch 2:18, Nehemiah 8:15, Haggai 1:8) (8) as watch-towers and look-out stations(Ezk 40, Matthew 4:8) (9) as pasturage (Psalms 50:10, Luke 8:32) (10) as fortresses (Psalms 25:2). Their obvious fitness for typifying strength and endurance gives rise to metaphors and comparisons to be found in almost every book of both Testaments.

But it is in their aspect as holy places that mountains are of the deepest interest to the student of the Scriptures or of Palestine. In modern Palestine almost every hill a little loftier or more striking than its fellows is crowned by a domed shrine, now regarded as the tomb of a Moslem saint, but no doubt the representative of a sacred precinct that goes back to the earliest Semitic inhabitants of the land. Sinai, Horeb, Carmel occur to the memory at once as mountains consecrated by a theophany. The worship at ‘high places’ was so deeply engrained in the Hebrews that no amount of legislation could eradicate it; the severe discipline of the Exile was needed for its destruction. R. A. S. Macalistee.

Mount of the Congregation

See Congee- QATION.

Mourning Customs

The Oriental expression of grief has a twofold relationship. Towards God it is marked by silent and reverent submission symbohzed by placing the hand on the mouth. ‘The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away’ (Job 1:21) ‘I was dumb . . . because thou didst it’ (Psalms 39:9). . But towards the relatives and neighbours the case is altogether different. It is now an event that has to be announced as quickly and publicly as possible, and a loss which love has to deplore with passionate abandonment and an accumulation of conventional ceremony. At the moment of death a loud shrill wail is raised by those present. Its meaning is understood only too well. As the piercing, tremulous shrieks are repeated, a few inquiries are made as to the locality and circumstances, and the rapidly increasing cry is accepted as an invitation and claim to proceed to the

house of mourning. Immediately after death the body is washed and robed for the burial, which usually takes place within twenty-four hours. In addition to the successive outbursts of grief by members of the family, who have to be comforted and pleaded with and led away from the prostrate figure of the dead, the sustained ceremony of mourning is attended to by the neighbours. These, usually assisted by hired mourners, arrange themselves around the bier, or on opposite sides of the room, and keep up the lamentation without intermission. In this way they afford the preoccupation of a recognized routine, and give the relief of physical outlet to feelings that either are, or are considered to be, beyond control. At times one of the chief mourners leans over the body, wringing her hands or wiping away the fast falling tears, and asking why he has left them, and who will discharge the duties that belonged to him alone, pleading for love’s sake to hear only once more the music of the voice now silent, or begging forgiveness on account of selfishness and imperfect service in the days that will never return. Meanwhile the band of mourners redouble their wailing, with beating of the breast and frantic clutching at their hair and clothes. As such paroxysms cannot last, the skilled mourners, usually women, endeavour to moderate and sustain the feeling of desolation by a plaintively descending chant. Among the singers there are usually one or two who are specially skilful in leading off with metrical phrases and rhymes of sympathetic appeal, which the others take up and repeat in concert. The invariable subject is the good qualities of the departed, and the extent of the loss which the family has been called upon to bear. In addition to the above allusions, new springs of tenderness are opened by referring to other members of the same family recently departed, and the loved one whose death they are lamenting is asked to bear messages of greeting to them. As the Intimation of the bereavement reaches more distant parts of the town, or is carried to the neighbouring villages, companies of sympathizing friends come to show their regard for the dead. They announce their arrival by loud weeping and exclamations of grief; and as they enter the house the lamentation of the mourners in the room breaks out afresh. To the Western visitor unacquainted with the temperament and traditions of Oriental people, the whole scene is deeply distressing, and he has to check the feeling of repugnance by reminding himself that they would be equally shocked by the apparent callousness and ordered formality of our procedure on similar occasions. With cruel yet merciful swiftness the hour arrives for interment. The lamentation that was passionate before now becomes tumultuously defiant. Relatives lose all self-control, and, refusing to let the bearers discharge their sad office, have to be forcibly removed. The procession is then formed, and on the way to the cemetery is increased by those who join it to show their respect towards the family, and also to share the merit which the Lord attaches to service performed for those who can no longer reward it. Among the Jews, during the prescribed days of separation following upon a death in the family, the mourners are daily visited by the Rabbi, who reads the portions of Scripture and the prayers appointed by the synagogue. Over the door of the cemetery is inscribed in Hebrew ‘The House of Eternity’ or ‘The House of the Living.’ The explanation given in regard to the latter term is either that the life beyond the grave is the real life, or, according to others, that the grave is the place of habitation to which all the living must come.

The references to mourning in the Bible show that the custom of to-day in Palestine is the same as in ancient times with regard to the house of mourning, although special features of liturgical form now belong to the Synagogue, the Church, and the Mosque. There is the same announcement by wailing (Micah 1:8, Mark 5:38). Friends come to condole (Job 2), and there is the same language of commendation and affectionate regret (2 Samuel 1:17–27 3:33, 34). The exclamations of to-day were then used (1 Kings 13:30, Jeremiah 22:18). Hired mourners are alluded to (Jeremiah 9:17, 18. Amos 5:16) and such manifestations as the beating of the breast (Isaiah 32:12). tearing of the garments (2 Samuel 3), fasting (1 Samuel 31:13. 2 Samuel 3:35). the putting of ashes on the head, and the wearing of sackcloth (2 Samuel 12:20). The form of lamentation for the individual is’ applied to afflicted Israel (Jeremiah 9:1, Lamentations 1:16 3:48, 49). to the historical extinction of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:28–36), and to the worship of Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14). Such a rich and widely recognized symbolism of sorrow might easily be pressed into the services of religious imposture by those who wish to appear bowed down by their own devout contemplations, or as bearing upon their hearts the sins of others. Hence Christ’s note of warning (Matthew 6:16–18).

The Apostle Paul commends as a Christian duty the showingof sympathy towards those in affliction (Romans 12:15). but intimates that in Christ the familiar phrase of greeting to the afflicted, ‘Hope is cut off 1’ has been made obsolete by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:13). One of the features to which the New Jerusalem owes Its title is the absence of mourning and tears (Revelation 7:17).

G. M. Mackib.

MOUSE Cakbdr). — Probably a generic term including field-mice, hamsters, dormice, and even jerboas. The male of the last named is called ‘akbSr by the Arabs. All these small rodents are exceedingly plentiful in Palestine. The hamster (Cricetus phceus) and the jerboa, of which three varieties have been found in the land, are eaten by the Arabs (cf. la 66). Metal mice as amulets have been found in the Palestine plain (cf. 1 Samuel 6:4, 5). The mouse was forbidden food to the Israelites (Leviticus 11:26). E. W. G. Mastebman.

Mouth

Several Heb. words are so tr. 1. garBn (Psalms 149:6) lit. ‘throat.’ 2. cJak (Job 12:11 etc.) is the inward part of the mouth, the palate, or ‘roof of the mouth’ (Job 29:10 etc.). 3. ‘5dJ, twice in AV (Psalms 32:9 RV’ trappings,’ 103:5 RVm ‘years’ or ‘prime’), signifies properly ‘ornament.’‘4. peh, the most usual word for ‘mouth,’ meaning also ‘edge,’ e.g. of the sword (Genesis 34:26 etc.), or ‘border,’ e.g. of a garment (Psalms 133:2). B, pum, Aram. =Heb. peh (Daniel 7:5 etc.). 6. panlm (Proverbs 15:14) lit. ‘face.’ 7. tera’ , Aram. lit. ‘door’ (Daniel 3:26). In the NT the Gr. word stoma. Frequently in Scripture ‘mouth’ is used fig. for ‘speech,’ of which it is the organ. W. Ewing.

Moza

l. Son of Caleb (l Ch2«). 2. A descendant of Saul (1 Chronicles 8:36, 37 9:42, 43).

Mozah

A town of Benjamin (Joshua 18:26). A possible site is the ruin Belt Mizzeh, close to Kulonieh, west of Jerusalem.

Mufflers

The word so rendered occurs only in Isaiah 3:19, as an article of female attire. The cognate verb, in the sense of ‘veiled," is applied in the Mishna iShabbath, vi. 6) to Jewesses from Arabia. A close veil of some sort, therefore, is evidently intended by Isaiah.

A. R. S. Kennedy.

Mulberry Trees

Mulberry trees (.beka’tm, 2 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 14:14 f.; Psalms 84:6 mg.). — These trees have on philological grounds been supposed to be a variety of balsam, and on grounds of appropriateness to the story (2 Samuel 5:23 f.) to be poplars, whose leaves readily quiver with the slightest breath of air. Their Identity is, however, quite uncertain. Mulberries they cannot be; for though plentiful to-day in Palestine, and still more so in the Lebanon, these trees were introduced to the land later than OT times. See, however. Sycamine.

‘E. W. G. Mastebman.

Mule

(1) pered (m.) and pirdah (f.)— in all passages except three.

(2) rekesh, RV ‘swift steeds’ (Esther 8:10, 14). The tr. ‘swift’ IS purely conjectural.

(3) yimlm, Genesis 36:24, where ‘mules’ is certainly a mistranslation; RV ‘hot springs.’

The breeding of mules was forbidden to the Israelites (Leviticus 19:19). but from David’s time (2 Samuel 13:29 IS’) onwards (1 Kings 1:33 10:25 x8«) they appear to have been increasingly used. The returning Israelites brought 245 mules with them (Ezra 2). Mules are preferred in Palestine to-day as pack animals (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:40. 2 Kings 5:17). they are hardier, subsist on less food, and travel better on rough roads. A well-trained mule is a favourite riding animal with the highest officials in the land. E. W. G. Masteeman.

Muppeh

A son of Benjamin (Genesis 46:21) called in 1 Chronicles 7 26:16 Shuppim, in Numbers 26:39 Shephupham, and in 1 Chronicles 8:5 Shephuphan.

Mttbdeb

See Chimes, § 7; Refuge [Cities of].

Mttbbain

See Plagues of Egypt.

Mushi

A son of Merari (Exodus 6:19, Numbers 3:20, 1 Ch 6". 47 2321- 23 24». 80). The patronymic Uushites occurs in Numbers 3:33 26. gee Merahi, 1 .

music AND MUSICAI. INSTSmiEHTS.— 1. Probable character of early Hebrew music. — Since the Dispersion, the music of the Jews has always borne the impress of the peoples among whom they have settled. Synagogue ritual thus affords us no clue to the music of early times, and we must accordingly fall back on Scripture and tradition. From these we gather that Hebrew music was of a loud and piercing nature, far removed from the sweetness which modern taste demands. There is no real evidence that the players ever advanced beyond unison in their combinations of notes, apparently reproducing the air on successively rising or falling octaves of the scale. We may suppose, however, that they would hardly fail to discover that certain combinations were pleasing to the ear, and would thus learn to strike them either simultaneously or successively (arpeggio). How far, however, they grasped the nature of a chord or of harmony must remain obscure, in spite of the attempts to solve this question, some of them altogether baseless guesses. For example, even the Hebrew accents, though of comparatively late origin, and always confined in Jewish use to acting as guides in the proper recitation of the text, have been pressed into the service, as though employed ifor the purpose of a kind of ‘figured bass,’ and thus indicating an acquaintance with musical harmony. Unfortunately, even those who have maintained this theory differ considerably as to the details of its application.

2 . Rendering of Hebrew music . — It seems clear at any rate that an antiphonal setting was in use for many of the Psalms (e.g. 13. 20. 38. 68. 89); but the chanting must not be taken as resembling what we now understand by that term. The account we have in 1 Chronicles 15:16 ff. of the elaborate arrangements for conducting the musical services of the Temple, appears to indicate a somewhat complicated system, and to suggest that there entered a considerable element of flexibility into the composition. It is, for instance, quite possible that the long reciting note which with us may do duty on occasion for as many as twenty, thirty, or even more syllables, played no such monotonous part, but was broken up and varied to an extent suggested by the length of the verse as well as by the character of the sentiment to be conveyed.

3. Occasions on which music was used. — Hebrew religious melody had a popular origin, and was thus closely connected with the religious lite of the na on. Apart from such references to song as those in Genesis 31:27 and Job 21:12, we find in the headings of certain Psalms (e.g. 22, ‘Ayyeleth hash-Shahar,’ the hind of the morning’) traces of what are in all probabiU ty in some, if not in all, cases secular songs. So Al Tashheth, ‘Destroy not,’ prefixed to Pss 57. 58. 69. 75, may well be the first words of a vintage song (cf. Isaiah 65:8). A parallel may be found in directions prefixed to Gabirol’s hymns and those of other celebrated Jewish poets, when these compositions were adapted to music in the Spanish (Sephardic) ritual (see D. J. Sofa, Ancient Melodies, etc., London, 1857, Pref. p. 13). Amos (6:5) speaks of music performed at feasts, and in 1 Samuel 18:6 we read of its use in Saul’s time in connexion with processions. As in this last case, so in general it may be supposed that music and dancing were closely connected and had a parallel development. David’s careful elaboration of the Levitical music, vocal and instrumental, was employed, according to 2 Chronicles 5:12, with impressive effect at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. The reformations under both Hezekiah and Josiah included the restoring of the musical ritual belonging to David’s time (2 Ch 29:25 ff. 35:15). Later, the descendants of Heman and other Levitical leaders of music were among the exiles of the Return from Babylon, and under them the services were reconstituted as of old (Nehemiah 12:27, 45 ff.)

4.’Hebrewmusicalinstnmients.— Hereourinformation is somewhat fuller, though involving a good deal of uncertainty in details. We may for clearness’ sake divide under three heads, viz. stringed, wind, and percussion instruments.

(1) Stringed instruments. — Chief among these are the kinnSr and the Tilbel (RV ‘harp’ and ‘psaltery’), which were evidently favourites among the Jews. It is plain, in spite of doubts which have been expressed upon the point, that the two names were not used indifferently for the same instrument. The LXX in nearly all cases is careful to distinguish them (kithara or kinyra, and psaltSrion, naUi, or nabla respectively). Both, however, were used in the main, and perhaps exclusively, to accompany songs, and those of a joyous nature. (They were unsuitable for times of mourning; see Psalms 137:2. a passage which further shows that the instrument must have been, unlike a modern harp, easily jiortable.) They were doubtless the cMef , if not the sole, instruments employed in the Temple services. In Solomon’s time they were made from almug (algum) trees, doubtfully identified with sandal wood. The strings, originally of twisted grass or fibres of plants, were afterwards formed of gut, and subsequently from silk or metal.

(o) The kinnSr (an onomatopoetic word, derived from the sound of the strings) is the only stringed instrument mentioned in the Hexateuch, where (Genesis 4:21) its invention is attributed to Jubal, son of Lamech. The nebel is first mentioned in 1 Samuel 10:5, as used by the prophets who went to meet Saul. The kinnBr (kithara or lyre [in 1 Mac 4" the AV renders ‘cithern,’ RV ‘harp’)) consisted of a sound-box at the base, with wooden side-arms and a crossbar connected by the strings with the box below. It was originally an Asiatic instrument, and the earhest known representation is pre-historic, in the form of a rude model found at Telloh in southern Babylonia. There is also a very ancient one shown on a tomb in Egypt, dating from about the 30th cent. B.C. (12th dynasty). A tomb at Thebes in the same country (dating between the 12th and 18th dynasties) exhibits a similar form, which was sometimes modified later in the direction of more artistic construction and sloping of the crossbar downwards, so as to vary the pitch of the strings. Jewish coins of Maccabaean date furnish us with a close resemblance to the Greek kithara. Josephus (Ant. VII. xii. 3) distinguishes the kinridr as a ten-stringed instrument struck by a plectrum ; the nabla, on the other hand, being, he says, played with the fingers. This need not necessarily conflict, as has been thought by some, with the statement (1 Samuel 16) that David played the KjwiBr ‘with his hand’; and Josephus’s evidence in such a matter should carry much weight.

(6) The nebd. It has been sought to identify this with various instruments ; among them, the lute (so RV in Isaiah 5:12 [AV viol] ; ‘lute’ is also RV tr. of Gr. kinyra in 1 Maccabees 4:54). guitar, and dulcimer . In support of the last it is urged that the Arabic name lor that instrument, santir, is a corruption of the Greek psalferion, by which, as has been said, the LXX sometimes render nebd. Having regard, however, to the testimony of Josephus (see above) that the nebd had twelve strings, and was played by the hand without a plectrum, we are safe in taking it to be a kind of harp, an instrument of larger size than the kinn^, and used (Amos 6:5. Isaiah 5:12 14:11) at the feasts of the rich. We find, on the other hand, that it was not too large to be played by one who was walking (see 1 Samuel 10:5. 2 Samuel 6:5). The above argument from santir =psaUerion is weakened by the fact that the Greek word was used generically for stringed instruments played with one or both hands without a plectrum. We may note further that the ndbla (see above for this as a LXX rendering of nebd), known to the Greeks as of Sidonlan origin, was played according to Ovid (Ars Amai. tii. 327) with both hands.

Egyptian monuments show us portable harps, varying in form, bow-shaped, rectanguiar, or triangular, though ail constructed on the same general principle, and having the sound-box above, not, as the kinnoT, below. Seven of these harps, of a triangular shape, and used by a Semitic people in Assyria, are to be seen on a bas-relief found at Kouyunjik. We may add that several early Church writers (Augustine on Psalms 42; Jerome on Psalms 149; Isidore, Etym. iii. 22. 2) support the above identification of nebel with a harp.

(c) There Is little that can be asserted with confidence as to the nature of other instruments of this class mentioned in the Bible. In Daniel 3:5 ff.; besides the ■psanlerln (Gr. psdUerion) and kitharis (Gr. kilhara) with which we have already dealt, we have the sabbekha (Ev sackbut). This is evidently the Greek sambyke, but the latter has been variously described as a large harp of many strings and rich tone, similar to the grand Egyptian harp, and as a very small one of high pitch. After all, both descriptions may be true, if referring to different periods of its existence.

NeginSth has sometimes been taken as the name of an instrument, but is much more probably a general term for stringed music. So in Psalms 68:25 (Heb. we have a contrast between the singers (shSrlm) and the players on strings (nsgenlm).

GiltUh, the heading of Pss 8. 81. 84, has also, but somewhat doubtfully, been referred to instruments named after Gath; so the early Jewish paraphrase (Targum), ‘the harp which David brought from Gath.’

(2) IFOT(iinsir«m«i(s.— (a) Thecftgra(EVpipe) seems to have been the instrument of this class in most common use. It was played in coming from and going to the high place (1 Samuel 10:5. 1 Kings 1:40). It accompanied festal processions of pilgrims (Isaiah 30:29). It was used in mourning (Jeremiah 48. cf. Matthew 9:23). and in the ritual of twelve solemn annual occasions. According to Isaiah 5:12. the feasts of the drunkards were enhvened by it. It may have been a simple flute, i.e. a mere tube with holes, played by blowing either into one end or into a hole in the side. It is possible, on the other hand, that it may have been a reed instrument, either, as the modern oboe, with a double and vibrating tongue, or, as the clarinet, with a single tongue. Neighbouring nations were, we know, familiar with reed pipes, as they also were with double flutes, which, for anything we know to the contrary, the chSMl may have been. On the other hand, the keyed flute is of decidedly later origin, and in the times with which we are dealing the fingers must have done all the work.

(6) The ‘ugab, rendered uniformly in the AV as’ organ,’ an instrument which was not known even in rudimentary form in OT days, seems to have become an obsolete word even in LXX times, as shown by the variety of renderings which it has there received. The instrument known as ‘Pan’s pipes’ (Gr. syrinx, Lat. fistula) is perhaps the best conjecture that can be offered, (c) The mashrSkUha (EV flute) may have been similar; while (d) the sumpBnya (cf. the Italian zampugna or sampogna for ‘bagpipes’) may well have corresponded to the modern bagpipes, as developed from the double flute, (e) The shOphar (1 Chronicles 15:28. 2 Oh 15:14. Psalms 98. Hosea 5:8. EV cornet; the ‘cornets’ of 2 Samuel 6 [AV; RV castanets’] are probably best represented by RVm ‘sistra’ ; see (3) (c) beiow) was a curved horn of a cow or ram, used mainly, and till later OT times exclusively, for secoiar purposes, such as to give signals in war (e.g. Judges 3:27) or to announce important events (.e.g. 1 Kings 1:34, 39). It Is still employed by the Jews at solemn festivals. The hatsStserah, on the other hand — the one instrument of which we have an undoubtedly authentic representation, viz. on the Arch of Titus at Rome in front of the table of shewbread — was a long, straight, metal trumpet, used mainly for religious purposes, especially in later times (2 Kings 12:13. 1 Chronicles 13:8). (3) Percussion instruments. — (a) ‘The tSph, ‘tablet’ or timbrel, was a small hand-drum, represented on Egyptian and Assyrian monuments. In these instruments, unlike the modern drum, the parchment was probably rigidly fixed, and thus incapable of being tightened or loosened so as to regulate the pitch. (6) metsiltaim and tsdtsellm were cymbals. Two shapes are found in Egypt and Assyria, the one consisting of two flat plates, played by being clashed together sideways, the other of two cones with handles at the peak, one cone being brought down on top of the other, (c) mena- ‘anlm (RV’ castanets,’ marg. sistra, 2 Samuel 6:5) were formed of two thin metal plates with holes, through which were passed rods with loose metallic rings at their ends, (d) shaKshlm in 1 Samuel 18:6 (RVm ‘triangles, or three-stringed instruments’) has been thought, from the apparent connexion of the word with the third Heb. ‘numeral, to be a triangle, but this is quite uncertain. It is more probable that it was a particular kind of sistrum. A. W. Steeaue.

Mustard

(Gr. sinapi). The seed of this plant is used proverbially for anything exceedingly small. In this sense it occurs in the Gospels (Matthew 17:20 etc.), and in the Talmud (Buxtorf, Lex. s.v. ‘Chardal’). Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven to the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31 etc.). The plant intended is the Sinapis nigra (Arab, khardal), which grows wild in Palestine, and is a familiar sight on the shores of Gennesaret. It is also found under cultivation, and in the gardens it reaches a great size, being often from 10 to 12 feet in height. An annual, growing from seed, it is naturally compared with other garden herbs, which, although it springs from the smallest seed, it quite outgrows. It bears a profusion of minute seeds, of which the birds are very fond, sitting (‘lodging’) on the branches as they eat. Although it is not properly ‘a tree’ (Luke 13:19), it quite accords with Oriental use to describe as such a great plant like this. W. Ewinq.

IVrUTH-LABBEN.— See Psalms, p. 772.

Mutilation

See Crimes and Punishments, 5 9.

Myndtjs

Myndtjs was a city in Caria at the extremity of the peninsula on which HaUcarnassus lay. It was strong enough to resist an assault of Alexander, but played no great part in history. It is mentioned separately in 1 Maccabees 15:23 as one of the places to which, in B.C. 139, the Romans sent messages on behalf of the Jews. Hence it is assumed that it was independent of the Carian confederacy; and its native population seems to have descended from the race of the Leleges, and to have always maintained its independence against the Carians. A. E. Hillaed.

Myra

Myra was a city of Lycia situated 2i miles from the coast, but the same name is often applied to its harbour of Andriaca. In Greek times Patara surpassed it, but in Roman times Myra became the chief seaport of Lycia, and was recognized by Theodosius as the capital. It grew especially through the Alexandrian corn-trade with Italy. The Alexandrian ships did not coast round the Levant, but took advantage of the steady west winds to cross direct between Lycia and Egypt. These winds made it easier for a ship sailing from Egypt to make for Myra, but a ship sailing to Egypt would be sailing more before the wind by taking a line from Patara. Doubtless this was the usual custom. In Acts 27:6 we read that the centurion in charge of St. Paul found at Myra ‘a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy’; whereas in Acts 21:1 St. Paul took ship direct from Patara to Tyre (though the Bezan text makes this ship touch at Myra). Myra retained its importance into the Middle Ages. Its bishop in the time of Constantine was St. Nicolas, and he became the patron saint of sailors in the E. Mediterranean, doubtless taking the place of a Lycian god to whom the sailors paid their vows on landing at Myra. ^There are splendid ruins on the site of Myra. A. E. Hillahd.

Myrrh

1. mor (Arab, murr), the dried gum of a species of balsam {Baisamodendron myrrha) growing in Arabia and India. It has a pleasant, though faint, smell (Psalms 45:8, Proverbs 7:17, Song of Songs 1 3:6). It is still used in medicine (Mark 15:23). It was used in embalming (John 19:39). According to Schweinfurth, the myrrh of the OT was a liquid product of the Balsamodendron opobalsamum, known as balsam of Mecca. Exodus 30:23 and Song of Songs 5:5, 13. where the ‘myrrh’ appears to have been liquid, support this view. See also Ointment.

2. IBt, tr. " myrrh’ in Genesis 37:25 43:11, is a fragrant resin from the Cistus or ‘rock rose,’ a common Palestine shrub. In Arab, this is called lOdtmn (Lat. ladanum, so RVm). As a product of Palestine it was a likely substance to send to Egypt.

E. W. G. Masterman

Myrtle

Myrtle (.Kadas, Isaiah 41:19 55:13, Zee l*- ‘", Nehemiah 8:15; also as a name Hadassah=‘Esther’ [Esther 2:7)). — Myrtus communis is an evergreen shrub much [prized in Palestine. It grows wild in the mountains, especially on Carmel and in Gilead, but is also widely cultivated. It sometimes reaches a height of ten feet, but is usually much less. Its dark green leaves, pretty white flowers, and dark berries, which are eaten, are all much admired. It is still regularly used by the Jews in the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:15). E. W. G. Masterman.

Mysia

Mysia was a district in the N.W. of Asia Minor, S. of the Propontis and Hellespont. It derived its name from the Mysi, a Thracian tribe who probably entered Asia with the Phrygians. At no period were its boundaries strictly defined. It formed part of the domimons of the Persians and of Alexander. From B.C. 280 it was part of the kingdom of Pergamus, and therefore fell to the Romans in b.c. 133, becoming part of the province of Asia. The only mention of it in the Bible is Acts 16:7, 8. where St. Paul passed through it on his second missionary journey. A tradition assigned the evangelization of part of Mysia to a certain Onesiphorus, who was martyred at Parium when Adrian was proconsul of Asia, a.d. 109- 114. See Assos, Troas, Adramyttium, all of which places were reckoned to Mysia. A. E. Hillahd.