- the sycamore trees:
- The Hebrew shikmin, Syriac shekmo, and Arabic jummeez, is the συκομορος, or sycomore, of the Greeks, so called from συκος, a fig-tree, and μορος a mulberry- tree, because it resembles the latter in its leaves, and the former in its fruits. "The sycamore," says Mr. Norden, "is of the height of a beech, and bears its fruit in a manner quite different from other trees. It has them on the trunk itself, which shoots out little sprigs, in form of grape stalks, at the end of which grow the fruit close to one another, almost like a cluster of grapes. The tree is always green, and bears fruit several times in the year, without observing any certain seasons; for I have seen some sycamores that have given fruit two months after others. The fruit has the figure and smell of real figs, but is inferior to them in the taste, having a disgusting sweetness. Its colour is a yellow, inclining to an ochre, shadowed by a flesh colour. In the inside it resembles the common figs, excepting that it has a blackish colouring with yellow spots. This sort of tree is pretty common in Egypt; the people, for the greater part, live on its fruit, and think themselves well regaled when they have a piece of bread, a couple of sycamore figs, and a pitcher of water." "And the childrenª of Israelª were numbered,ª° and were all present,ª° and went²°¹ against²°¹ them: and the childrenª of Israelª pitchedª° before¹ them like twoª little flocksª of kids;ª but the Syriansª filledª°¹ the country.ª" {1Kg 20:27}
|
