- wateredst it with thy foot:
- Rain seldom falls in Egypt; the land being chiefly watered by the inundations of the Nile. In order to water the grounds where the inundations do not extend, water is collected in ponds, and directed in streamlets to the different parts of the field where irrigation is necessary. It is no unusual thing in the East to see a man, with a small mattock, making a little trench for the water to run into; and, as he opens the passage, the water following, he uses his foot to raise up the mould against the side of this little channel, to prevent the water from being shed unnecessarily, before it reaches the place of its destination. Hence he may justly be said to water the ground with his foot. "And if¹ the familyª of Egyptª go not up,ª°¹ and comeª° not,¹ that [have] no¹ [rain]; there shall be¹ the plague,ª wherewith¹ the LORDª will smiteª°¹ the heathenª that¹ come not upª°¹ to keepª°¹ the feastª of tabernacles.ª" {Zch 14:18}
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